Chapter Text
The dorm common room had been peaceful for exactly forty-three minutes.
For Class 1-A, that was an achievement worthy of documentation.
It was Saturday afternoon, and for once there was no training schedule, no surprise villain attack, no emergency exercise, no exams, and—most importantly—no homework due on Monday.
The common room had therefore become crowded.
Students had taken over almost every available piece of furniture. Some were sitting on the floor, some on the couches, and some had dragged chairs from the dining area.
Their parents had been invited over for the weekend, which had resulted in the dorm becoming even louder than usual.
Mitsuki Bakugou was sitting near the kitchen with Masaru, arguing about something that had started as a discussion about food and had somehow evolved into a debate about whether their son had inherited his terrible temper from her.
"He absolutely got it from you," Masaru said calmly.
Mitsuki pointed at him.
"Excuse me?"
"I said nothing."
"You absolutely said something."
"I said nothing."
"You said it with your face."
Across the room, Kirishima was trying to introduce his parents to several classmates.
Mina was showing Fuyumi Todoroki something on her phone.
Todoroki was sitting quietly beside his mother.
Iida had somehow organized the snacks into separate categories.
Nobody knew why.
Nobody had asked.
Nobody dared.
Aizawa was occupying the largest couch.
He had his capture weapon around his shoulders, his hair slightly messy, and the expression of a man who had willingly walked into a room full of teenagers and was now reconsidering every decision he had ever made.
Present Mic sat beside him.
"This is nice!" Mic declared.
Aizawa stared at him.
"No."
"What?"
"It's loud."
"That's because people are having fun."
"Exactly."
Mic laughed.
Aizawa closed his eyes.
Then opened them again.
His gaze instinctively swept across the room.
Everyone seemed to be there.
Almost everyone.
He frowned.
"Where's Bakugou?"
Mitsuki immediately glanced around.
"He went upstairs."
"Why?"
"He said he wasn't feeling well."
Aizawa's expression changed slightly.
That was unusual.
Bakugou didn't usually admit when he wasn't feeling well.
The boy would probably rather collapse during training than voluntarily say, I need a break.
"When?"
"About an hour ago," Mitsuki replied.
Aizawa nodded.
"Did he take anything?"
"He said he was tired."
"Did he eat?"
Mitsuki paused.
"...Probably?"
Aizawa sighed.
"I'll check on him later."
Mitsuki waved a hand.
"He's sleeping. Leave him alone."
Aizawa nodded.
That was probably for the best.
The afternoon continued.
For the next hour, Bakugou remained upstairs.
Nobody bothered him.
Not even Kirishima.
Not even Kaminari.
Which was possibly the clearest evidence that everyone had noticed something was wrong.
Bakugou's usual presence could be felt even when he wasn't speaking.
The common room was quieter without him.
Eventually, the conversation moved on.
People forgot about him.
Or at least, most of them did.
Deku hadn't.
Izuku Midoriya had been sitting on the far end of the couch, pretending to listen to Kaminari's story.
He wasn't.
Every few minutes, his eyes drifted toward the staircase.
Nobody seemed to notice.
Except Todoroki.
Todoroki glanced at him.
Then toward the stairs.
Then back at Midoriya.
"You are waiting for Bakugou."
Deku nearly choked on his drink.
"What?"
"You've looked at the stairs twelve times."
Kirishima turned.
"Seriously?"
Deku's face went red.
"I—I was just checking if he was okay."
Todoroki nodded.
"That makes sense."
Then he returned to his previous conversation.
Deku stared at him.
Sometimes Todoroki was terrifyingly observant.
Sometimes he simply didn't understand the implications of what he'd observed.
Deku quietly sighed.
Nobody knew.
That was the whole point.
Nobody knew about him and Kacchan.
Not the class.
Not the teachers.
Not their parents.
Nobody.
They had kept it hidden for months.
At first, it hadn't even been intentional.
It had simply happened.
One conversation became another.
A walk after training became a habit.
A hand held for a few seconds became something they didn't want to let go of.
And eventually, somehow, they had become—
Them.
But neither of them had wanted the attention.
Bakugou especially.
He hated people interfering with his personal life.
So they'd agreed.
Their relationship stayed private.
No announcements.
No public displays.
No obvious behavior.
Nothing that could give them away.
And somehow, they had managed.
Until today.
Because apparently fate had decided that months of secrecy were enough.
The first warning came from upstairs.
A faint sound.
The door opening.
Deku's head lifted immediately.
Nobody else paid attention.
Then footsteps.
Slow ones.
Heavy.
Unsteady.
Deku's eyes widened.
He knew those footsteps.
He looked toward the staircase.
Bakugou appeared.
His hair was even messier than usual.
His eyes were half-closed.
He was wearing loose sweatpants and an oversized shirt, looking nothing like the sharp, intimidating Bakugou everyone was accustomed to seeing.
He looked exhausted.
Deku immediately stood.
"Kacchan?"
Bakugou's eyes shifted toward him.
He didn't answer.
He just kept walking.
Deku frowned.
"Kacchan, are you okay?"
Bakugou stopped in front of him.
For a moment, he simply stared.
His eyes were barely open.
Then—
He leaned forward.
Deku caught him automatically.
"Whoa."
Bakugou's forehead bumped against his shoulder.
Deku wrapped an arm around his waist.
"You shouldn't have come downstairs if you're this tired."
"Didn't wanna stay upstairs."
His voice was quiet.
Almost a mumble.
Deku's expression softened.
"Okay."
Bakugou shifted.
Then, without warning—
He sat down.
Directly.
On Deku's lap.
Deku froze.
Not because Bakugou sitting in his lap was unusual.
It wasn't.
That was the problem.
It was completely normal to them.
Deku automatically adjusted his position so Bakugou wouldn't slip.
One arm went around his waist.
The other settled against his back.
Bakugou immediately relaxed.
His head dropped against Deku's shoulder.
The room went silent.
Not completely.
Not yet.
The television was still playing.
Someone's phone was still making noise.
A spoon clinked against a cup in the kitchen.
But one by one, people noticed.
Mina stopped talking.
Kirishima stopped laughing.
Kaminari stopped chewing.
Iida stopped arranging snacks.
Fuyumi slowly looked up.
Mitsuki turned her head.
Aizawa opened one eye.
Nobody said anything.
Deku didn't notice.
He was too focused on Bakugou.
"You have a fever?"
"No."
"Headache?"
"Little."
"Did you eat?"
"...No."
Deku sighed.
"Kacchan."
"Don't start."
"I wasn't going to."
"You were."
"I was going to tell you to eat something."
"Same thing."
Deku smiled.
"Come on."
Bakugou shifted closer.
Deku's hand gently rubbed his back.
The entire room watched.
Kirishima's eyebrows slowly rose.
Mina's mouth opened.
Kaminari looked at Kirishima.
Kirishima looked at Kaminari.
Neither spoke.
Both were thinking the same thing.
Since when does Bakugou let Midoriya touch him like that?
Aizawa's eyes narrowed.
That was strange.
Very strange.
Bakugou tolerated very few people touching him.
Even friends usually had to be careful.
But here he was, practically curled into Midoriya.
And Midoriya wasn't even asking permission.
He was simply holding him.
Like he'd done it a thousand times.
Aizawa filed that observation away.
He didn't say anything.
Yet.
Deku gently moved Bakugou's hair away from his face.
"You should go back upstairs."
"No."
"You need rest."
"No."
"Then stay here."
"Mhm."
Bakugou's eyes closed.
Deku smiled.
"Comfortable?"
"Shut up."
"Okay."
Bakugou's hand curled into the fabric of Deku's shirt.
Deku looked down at it.
His expression softened even more.
He couldn't help it.
This was his Kacchan.
Not the angry, explosive Bakugou everyone else knew.
This was the version that existed only when he was tired enough to stop fighting the world.
Deku lowered his voice.
"You really should've told me you weren't feeling well."
Bakugou mumbled something.
"What?"
"Didn't wanna bother you."
Deku's heart squeezed.
"You never bother me."
Bakugou didn't respond.
He was already drifting back toward sleep.
Deku looked at him for a moment.
Then instinct took over.
He leaned down.
Pressed a gentle kiss against Bakugou's forehead.
And froze.
Because the second his lips left Bakugou's forehead—
He heard nothing.
Not the television.
Not the conversations.
Not even Present Mic.
Nothing.
Deku slowly lifted his head.
His eyes moved across the room.
Everyone was staring at him.
Everyone.
Mina looked like she'd just witnessed a murder.
Kaminari looked like he'd forgotten how breathing worked.
Kirishima had both hands over his mouth.
Iida was frozen in place.
Todoroki was staring thoughtfully.
Fuyumi looked stunned.
Masaru's eyes had widened.
Mitsuki's expression was completely unreadable.
Present Mic's jaw had dropped.
All Might was staring with an expression of pure disbelief.
And Aizawa—
Aizawa was looking at him like he was trying to mentally reconstruct the last several months of his students' lives.
Deku's blood ran cold.
His brain finally processed what had happened.
He had kissed Bakugou.
In front of everyone.
Everyone.
Deku slowly looked down.
Bakugou was still asleep.
Completely oblivious.
His head was still against Deku's shoulder.
His fingers were still gripping Deku's shirt.
Deku looked back up.
"...Oh."
Nobody answered.
Deku swallowed.
"Um."
Still nothing.
His face turned bright red.
"I can explain."
Mina's voice came out as a whisper.
"Explain WHAT?"
Deku flinched.
Aizawa finally spoke.
"Midoriya."
Deku sat straighter.
"Yes, sir."
"Why did you kiss Bakugou?"
Deku opened his mouth.
Closed it.
Opened it again.
"...Habit?"
Aizawa stared at him.
"Habit."
Deku nodded weakly.
"Yes."
Aizawa's eye twitched.
"That's not an explanation."
"I know."
"How long has this been a habit?"
Deku's eyes widened.
"Kacchan—"
Aizawa raised a hand.
"No."
Deku stopped.
Aizawa looked at Bakugou.
Then at Deku.
Then back at Bakugou.
"Are you two dating?"
The room collectively leaned forward.
Deku's face turned even redder.
He looked down at Bakugou.
Bakugou remained asleep.
Deku sighed.
"...Yes."
Chaos.
Absolute chaos.
Mina screamed.
"KNEW IT!"
Kaminari shouted, "WHAT?!"
Kirishima practically jumped off the couch.
"YOU TWO ARE DATING?!"
Iida stood up so quickly that his chair nearly fell backward.
"Since when?!"
Todoroki calmly asked—
"How long?"
Deku looked overwhelmed.
"Um..."
"Months?" Mina guessed.
Deku nodded.
"Yes."
"MONTHS?!"
"Please don't yell!"
Mitsuki suddenly stood.
"MONTHS?!"
Deku flinched.
Bakugou stirred.
Deku immediately lowered his voice.
"Shh, Kacchan."
Bakugou made a sleepy noise.
Then his arms tightened around Deku.
Everyone stared.
Deku instinctively held him closer.
That somehow made everything worse.
Mitsuki pointed at them.
"MY SON HAS A BOYFRIEND."
Masaru gently touched her shoulder.
"Mitsuki."
"HE HAS A BOYFRIEND."
"I heard you."
"AND HE DIDN'T TELL ME."
"Apparently not."
Mitsuki looked at Deku.
"YOU."
Deku nearly jumped.
"Yes?"
"How long?"
Deku swallowed.
"About... five months."
"FIVE MONTHS?!"
Bakugou stirred again.
Deku immediately patted his back.
"Sorry."
The entire room fell silent.
Again.
Aizawa watched that interaction carefully.
There was something almost unsettling about how natural it was.
Deku knew exactly how to calm Bakugou.
Bakugou trusted him enough to remain asleep in his arms while everyone else was talking around him.
Aizawa sighed.
He had taught these kids for an entire year.
Apparently there was an entire relationship happening right underneath his nose.
He pinched the bridge of his nose.
"I need to know something."
Deku looked at him.
"What?"
"How did I not notice?"
Kaminari raised his hand.
"I didn't notice either."
Aizawa glared.
"You're not helping."
Kirishima raised his hand.
"Actually, now that I think about it..."
Everyone turned toward him.
Kirishima frowned.
"Bakugou does act different around Midoriya."
Mina gasped.
"HE DOES!"
Kirishima began counting on his fingers.
"He lets Midoriya stand really close."
One finger.
"He doesn't yell when Midoriya touches his stuff."
Two.
"He actually listens when Midoriya tells him to eat."
Three.
"He lets Midoriya fix his hair."
Four.
"He once gave Midoriya his jacket."
Five.
The room slowly turned toward Deku.
Deku's face was burning.
Kirishima stared.
"Bro."
Deku looked away.
Kirishima pointed at him.
"How did we not figure this out?"
Todoroki raised his hand.
"I noticed."
Everyone looked at him.
"You knew?"
"No."
"Then what did you notice?"
"That Bakugou behaves differently around Midoriya."
Mina stared.
"So you knew something was happening."
"I thought they were becoming friends."
Kaminari slapped his forehead.
"That is somehow even worse."
Aizawa leaned back.
His expression was exhausted.
"So all of you missed it."
Everyone looked at each other.
Nobody wanted to admit it.
Then Bakugou shifted again.
His eyes opened slightly.
"What're you idiots staring at?"
Silence.
Bakugou blinked.
Looked around.
Saw the entire room staring at him.
Then looked down.
He was sitting in Deku's lap.
His hand was gripping Deku's shirt.
Deku's arm was around his waist.
Bakugou blinked once.
Twice.
Then looked at Deku.
Deku looked back.
"...Kacchan."
Bakugou's eyes narrowed.
"What?"
Deku gave him the smallest, most apologetic smile.
"...We got caught."
Bakugou stared at him.
Then slowly looked around the room again.
Mitsuki.
Masaru.
Aizawa.
Present Mic.
All Might.
His classmates.
Everyone.
His expression went blank.
"...Oh."
Deku winced.
"I'm sorry."
Bakugou stared at him.
"You kissed me in front of everyone."
Deku nodded.
"Yes."
"Idiot."
"I know."
Bakugou sighed.
Then, rather than getting up—
He simply leaned back against Deku's chest.
The entire room stared.
Aizawa's eye twitched.
"You know what?"
Everyone looked at him.
"I'm going to stop asking questions."
Mitsuki immediately protested.
"I'm not."
"Of course you're not."
She pointed at Bakugou.
"You are explaining everything later."
Bakugou closed his eyes.
"No."
"Yes."
"No."
"Yes."
Deku quietly whispered—
"Kacchan, just tell her."
Bakugou opened one eye.
"You shut up."
Deku smiled.
"Okay."
Aizawa stared at them.
Then looked at the ceiling.
Five months.
Five months of secret dating.
And apparently the final confirmation had been his student sleepwalking into the common room, sitting on his boyfriend's lap, and getting kissed on the forehead.
He sighed.
"Weekend duty."
Present Mic looked at him.
"What?"
Aizawa stood.
"I should've taken weekend duty."
Then he walked toward the kitchen.
Behind him, Mina immediately started interrogating Deku.
Kirishima wanted the entire relationship timeline.
Kaminari wanted to know who confessed first.
Iida wanted to discuss dorm regulations.
Mitsuki wanted answers from both of them.
Todoroki simply wanted clarification on several things he had apparently misunderstood for months.
And Bakugou?
Bakugou eventually fell asleep again.
Still in Deku's lap.
As if nothing had happened.
Deku looked down at him.
Smiled.
And quietly whispered—
"You're never living this down."
Bakugou, without opening his eyes, muttered—
"Shut up, nerd."
Deku laughed softly.
The secret was officially dead.
And judging by the expressions around the room—
They were going to hear about it for the rest of their lives.