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Izuku sighed, eyes scrolling past the latest headlines.
UA Teacher Midoriya’s budding romance with Pro-Hero Dynamight: a beautiful romance or incoming disaster?
Sorry ladies! Pro-Hero Dynamight is off the market! Exclusive photos of the hottest exploding hero here:
UA’s latest publicity stunt: Teacher x Pro-Hero???
How did Deku end up with someone so problematic? Our top predictions for his next (hopefully less controversial) partner:
The internet was brutal, tearing their alleged relationship apart and analyzing their personalities. The media didn't have any information on the pair’s personal lives or how they actually acted outside of interviews. How could news stations bash their unconfirmed relationship so quickly while having literally zero intel?
It seemed like the media was torn completely in half. One side claimed that Izuku was too kind for Bakugo and needed a more suitable, less controversial partner. The other half decided Izuku was too boring for Bakugo, and the pro-hero would eventually move on to someone more explosive and exciting. The only thing they seemed to agree on was that the pair would never last.
Izuku felt his anger rising the more he read.
Hadn't these people ever heard of the concept of opposites attracting? Not to mention Midoryia and Bakugo had known each other and remained close (-ish, minus middle school) since being in diapers!
Some people even had the nerve to claim Izuku was selfish for ‘staking his claim’ over Kacchan with a kiss. Selfish!? As if the blonde belonged to the entire world!
Izuku had interacted with Kacchan after a mission once. One time in public! And look at the fallout both Dynamight and UA’s pr teams would now be dealing with.
Heroes got together all of the time, this shouldn't be anything new to the media. Perhaps it was the fact that Dynamight had been voted hottest hero this year and strangers thought they had some sort of claim over him. Or maybe because Bakugo was a hero and Izuku wasn't? No matter how you spun it, it just didn't make any sense!
Izuku's head swirled with thoughts. How would they ever live in peace? How could they ever go in public again? How would the internet react to their wedding photos?
So… the media didn't know the pair was married. Kacchan had proposed the first chance he got after their graduation from UA, claiming that pro-hero life could be cut short at any moment and he wouldn't regret a single moment by not having Izuku by his side.
It was sweet. It was expected. Anyone that actually knew the two knew of their relationship that had been slowly budding throughout their entire lives.
Their wedding was small, only involving their closest friends in a private venue. It was a perfect ceremony surrounded by all of their loved ones. The pair had no interest in a big, flashy wedding like some heroes had. Especially considering no one outside of their circle knew they were even together.
At first, Izuku had vehemently rejected the idea of hiding their relationship until hard launching wedding photos, not understanding why Kacchan had even suggested it in the first place, but now? Things were becoming much more clear.
He spun his golden wedding band around his ring finger anxiously.
Izuku was no stranger to publicity, he was a UA graduate after all, but he hadn't expected the internet to come down on them so harshly. All because of a simple kiss! Imagine how things would implode if the media knew the truth.
Kacchan wanted to keep everything private until after the wedding photos came back, sending out a hard launch that no one could doubt or question, silencing any and all negative drama with an unbreakable and undeniable union. It looks now that they might have to keep their marriage private forever…
—
It had been a particularly bad mission for Dynamight, one of his gauntlets had jammed, misfired, and exploded all over himself, leaving him partially exposed on his nondominant side. This wouldn't have been a problem if the particular villain he was fighting didn't have an ambidextrous collateral damage quirk, hurling constant slews of projectiles directly at him from all angles.
His left wrist had also been the one with his comms device, effectively cutting him off from calling for any backup once his gauntlet exploded and destroyed it.
Bakugo wouldn't admit it now, but it had been partially his fault that backup had taken so long to arrive. He’d been adamant at the station when the threat was called in that he could deal with the small-fry wanna-be villain himself. It wasn't until numerous explosions downtown were reported that Kirishima arrived to assist.
It was a Saturday, Izuku was running some errands and picking up groceries to make dinner that night. He hummed as he shopped, happy to picture how excited Kacchan would be when he arrived home from patrol to a warm meal and slew of kisses. Later, Izuku could run him a bath and massage all of the tension from his overworked, bulging muscles. He felt dreamy just thinking about it…
He smiled as his golden ring caught the sunlight. Kacchan wore a wedding ring too. It was thin, black, and sleek. The only time he took it off was during his hero work, unwilling to damage or potentially melt it during battle. He’d gotten a band of black stitched onto the ring finger of his left glove to make up for it, which practically melted Izuku’s heart when he’d shown him.
Izuku’s smile quickly dissipated as he heard explosions outside the store. He’d been listening to Kacchan’s explosions his entire life and could instantly pick them out. He checked his phone, quickly refreshing news pages as he scanned for recent updates. How had this happened? Had something gone wrong? Kacchan had been so confident that morning when he said it would be an easy patrol day. No one liked to work on Saturday’s, not even criminals.
Even if there was trouble, Dynamight hadn't had to use an explosion this large in a long time. His quirk was a memorable one, especially if you're on the receiving end of it. Any villain that knew enough to be an actual threat knew all about the explosive hero’s quirk and to stay away from the incendiary hero, more often than not opting to flee the scene rather than having a drawn out battle and getting blasted to bits. Dynamight wasn't known as the Symbol of Victory for nothing!
Izuku frowned as his page refreshed. It was too early for the news to put out anything detailed, everything online just said to clear the area, what public transport would be shutting down, and estimates on how long to stay indoors before the area was to be deemed safe. Hearing another explosion, closer this time, he dropped his groceries and sprinted out the door. Where was his husband? Was he safe?
Logically, Izuku knew that Kacchan was more than capable of handling himself, but he couldn't quell the worry that swirled inside of him. If anything were to happen…
He didn't have to wonder long, looking up to see Dynamight being propelled through the air by a flying steel I-beam and crashing into the side of the grocery store. Izuku covered his head as small bits of dust and debris rained down from Bakugo’s crash landing. Thankfully, the beam had stuck into the brick and he didn't have to worry about it falling and crushing a bystander.
“Kacchan!” Deku couldn't stop the shout that escaped his lips, shocked and desperate. His fists clenched, nails digging into his palms, desperately wanting to jump into the fray. Izuku knew better than to leap into action, he didn't know the situation and couldn't assess what was going on behind the scenes. Oftentimes, villains didn't work alone, there was probably another antagonist somewhere who would get the jump on Izuku if he tried to step in now.
Izuku knew he had to wait and watch. If there was an opportunity to jump in and help, he knew he wouldn't hesitate. But for now, he would have to be patient.
It had been so long since Dynamight had to fight someone strong enough to withstand more than a single one of his blasts. Izuku had forgotten how gut-wrenching it was to see his husband in a fight that actually lasted more than one punch.
If Bakugo heard or saw Izuku, he didn't react and flew forward with his quirk, quickly lining up an AP Shot to take out the villain, but this guy was good. He’d certainly done his research before robbing the bank in Dynamight’s district. He recognized Bakugo’s hand motion for the AP Shot and quickly navigated into a building, forcing Bakugo to redirect his shot to a larger, ineffective blast so he didn't shoot his laser into the building and potentially hurt civilians.
Izuku couldn't hear Bakugo, but he was certain he was cursing under his breath as he quickly propelled himself to his target.
No one else would notice the way Bakugo’s left leg had twisted awkwardly between the steel beam and brick side of the grocery store. No one else would notice the way Bakugo’s stance changed from his usual one as he shot through the air, to now angling his right side significantly more forward than his left.
That didn't make sense. Bakugo always angled his left side forward so he could swing his right, dominant arm forward during his initial attack. The only reason his left side would be angled slightly futher back would be due to injury. Of course, no one would notice small details such as these, no one but Izuku.
Bakugo’s pain tolerance was high, almost as high as his drive for success. Even a microshift in his body language such as this meant he must be in a lot of pain, his leg was probably broken. Recovery Girl could easily fix him up, but Izuku’s heart still clenched at the thought of his love hiding so much pain, just to give the public a strong figure to look up to and feel safe because of it.
Izuku’s fist clenched harder as he sprinted around the corner, there goes their dinner plans tonight.
He let out a breath when he heard Kirishima’s voice call out, yelling something incomprehensible over the ruckus of the fight. He'd arrived just in time.
Dynamight delivered the final blow, a massive blast that shot the villian directly into Red Riot’s arms to wrestle to the ground until the police arrived with the proper holding gear.
Kacchan’s finishing move was so powerful that the momentum blasted him backwards a considerable amount, boots skidding across concrete and kicking up dust. He remained on his feet, but the way he leaned on his right side was quickly becoming more obvious as adrenaline wore off and the ache of a potentially broken bone set in.
“Kacchan!” Izuku ran forward, his husband was only less than a hundred yards away and potentially hurt, he’d be damned if anyone stopped him from charging forward. Luckily, Deku was recognizable enough that the police allowed him on the scene as they quickly tried to manage the situation, keep bystanders safe, and put up caution tape marking off the affected areas.
Someone else could deal with the collateral, Izuku just wanted to get his love home safely.
“What the hell are you doing here?” The blond’s spiky haired head turned towards Izuku, gruff voice contrasting with a pleasantly surprised smile.
“I was at the grocery store you crashed into. Kacchan, is your leg okay?” Izuku pulled the injured man’s arm over his shoulder, heart practically breaking at the small, shaky sigh of relief that resulted from his action.
“I’m fine, nerd. You've got to quit worrying so much.” Bakugo smirked back at him, cocky as ever, but didn't let up on the weight he was now relying on Izuku to carry.
“I know you're more than capable, I just can't help but worry. When I saw the way your leg twisted and then the angle of your body when you maneuvered through the air, I just knew it wasn't right. I mean, you never angle your right side forward, that wouldn't make sense for the momentum of your dominant attack. Not to mention-” Izuku’s concerned rambling was cut off by a short kiss. He didn't even have time to close his eyes before Kacchan pulled away, leaving a stupid, shocked expression on his face.
“Kacchan!” Izuku lightly scolded, eyes still wide, knowing the press would be scandalized.
“I’m fine, Deku, really.” Bakugo’s tone left no room for questioning. “Pick me up from my agency, yeah?” He didn't give Izuku a chance to respond before stepping back and quickly blasting into the air, effectively escaping the scene before someone put him on clean up duty.
Izuku stood dumbly for a moment, eyes staring where his husband had just been. There goes keeping everything a secret for now…
—
“I can hear you thinking, nerd. Snap out of it.” Bakugo gently took Izuku’s phone out of his hands and tossed it on the bed.
“Kacchan, I didn't hear you get out of the shower.” Izuku looked up, not letting his overthinking of news articles distract him from his husband in front of him, shorts hanging loose around his waist and hair still dripping.
“So much for a hard launch of our marriage, huh?” Bakugo dried his hair roughly with a towel, leaving it sticking up wilder than usual.
“Yeah,” Izuku looked down, almost embarrassed at what the internet was saying about them.
“Hey,” Kacchan’s voice was softer now as he stepped forward and tilted Izuku’s head upwards with his fingertips, forcing eye contact, “Those damn extras don't know shit about us. If you think some news article is gonna change my mind about you, you obviously don't know anything about me.”
“Yeah.” Izuku smiled softly back, leaning in for a sweet, reassuring kiss, instantly feeling better and melting into strong arms.
“The photos came back today. I’ve got an idea that’ll make the extras' heads really spin!” Bakugo pulled away, reaching for the laptop sitting on his nightstand, a scheming smirk on his face.
Izuku laughed, eager to see the photos and happy to follow whatever plot his husband was cooking up to shame the media for judging their relationship so harshly.
—
The next evening, Izuku turned on the news, immediately seeing an interview with Dynamight from that afternoon.
The pro-hero had been walking back to his agency after helping clean up someone else's mess when he was stopped by a reporter. Izuku immediately knew what would happen from the way Bakugo smirked dangerously into the camera instead of blasting away like he normally would.
“So Dynamight, I have to ask. The dating rumours between you and UA teacher, Mr Midoryia, are they true?” The young reporter’s smile was huge, obviously thinking she had found her big break by getting Dynamight in front of a microphone.
“Hell no, we aren't dating,” The reporter’s face fell at his words, obviously trying to hide her shock and figure out the next prying question to ask.
“We’re fuckin’ married.” Bakugo’s smirk was huge, raising his left glove in front of the camera, showing off the band of black fabric that wrapped around the base of his ring finger.
The reporter sputtered, brain obviously short circuiting from the new information and Bakugo took a few steps back and blasted himself away. That reporter had certainly gotten herself a story.
—
When Kacchan arrived home that night, they posted their wedding photos: smiling in their tuxedos, surrounded by their friends in a beautiful venue, the sparkler exit and getaway car, cakecutting, and of course the classic kiss on the altar photo. It was finally all posted to both of their accounts and out in the open.
“I can't wait to see what those damn extras say about us now.” Kacchan looked over his husband's shoulder, reading his phone and rubbing the other’s back.
“It seems like everyone’s trying to backtrack all of the hate they had for us yesterday, don't you think?” Izuku smiled at the sweet comments, from friends and strangers alike.
“Looks like. Why don't we check again in the morning, hmm?” Kacchan kissed up his husband's neck as Izuku quickly put his phone aside, leaning into the man behind him.
“Sounds good to me,” Izuku turned, now able to properly kiss his husband. Kacchan flicked off the bedside lamp as they both quickly forgot about the media. They are married now, after all…