Summary:Everyone's watching. Everyone's whispering. And now a new face is asking Izuku too many questions. Bakugou is reaching his limit—because hiding their relationship was supposed to protect it, but now? It's starting to tear at the seams.
U.A. – One Week Later
The whispers hadn't stopped since the warehouse mission.
Izuku heard them in the locker rooms. In the gym. In the halls between classes.
Kacchan's been different lately.
Midoriya's always looking over at him.
You think they're dating?
He tried to ignore it.
He really did.
But the pressure was building—and then he showed up.
Kai Yamada, top-ranked transfer from a private hero college in the States. Quirk: Gravity Pulse. Smiled too much. Asked too many questions.
And immediately took a seat beside Izuku in the main lecture hall.
"You're Izuku Midoriya, right?" he said brightly. "Heard a lot about you in America. Didn't realize the rumors were real."
Izuku blinked. "What rumors?"
"You're even hotter in person."
Izuku froze.
Kai leaned a little closer. "So, uh… any chance you're seeing someone?"
Before Izuku could answer, a voice behind him answered for him:
"He is."
Kai turned.
Bakugou stood at the end of the row, arms crossed, expression unreadable—but burning.
"Oh," Kai said, a little amused. "Didn't realize you were his boyfriend."
Bakugou's eyes narrowed. "Didn't say I was. Just said he's taken."
Kai raised an eyebrow but backed off with a casual shrug. "Noted."
Izuku's heart was pounding. He didn't say anything until they were out of class.
"Did you have to do that?" he asked, catching up to Bakugou in the courtyard.
Bakugou didn't stop walking. "He was flirting with you."
"I can handle flirting."
"Don't want you to."
Izuku grabbed his arm and pulled him to a stop under one of the stone archways, where the trees blocked most of the view from the windows.
"I thought we agreed to keep things quiet," he said. "Until we were ready."
Bakugou turned toward him, jaw tight. "I was ready. You're the one who wanted to hide."
Izuku hesitated.
He remembered what it felt like in that hospital room. How scared he'd been that if people knew… it might ruin everything. The internships. The way the pros looked at them. Their place at the top.
But now?
Now he was starting to care a lot less about what anyone else thought.
He looked up at Bakugou. "What if I'm ready now?"
Bakugou searched his eyes, and the fire in his chest softened into something raw and real.
"Then stop looking at me like you're scared to touch me," he said. "Stop pretending like I'm just your rival."
Izuku stepped in close, one hand resting on Bakugou's chest. "You've never been just anything to me."
Bakugou's breath hitched.
"Say it, then," he whispered. "Say what I am to you."
Izuku's voice didn't shake when he said:
"You're mine."
A long pause.
Bakugou's lips curled into something that was almost a smile.
"Good."
Then he kissed him.
Quick.
Hard.
Like it had been building all day.
When they pulled apart, Izuku whispered against his lips, "We're going to have to tell people soon."
Bakugou smirked. "Let 'em talk. Long as they know not to touch you."
Izuku chuckled. "You're jealous."
"Damn right I am."
[End of Chapter 5]Next: Chapter 6 — the public reveal, media attention, Bakugou losing control in a press conference, and a private scene where they realize being open might be harder than they expected — but worth it.
Want me to continue with Chapter 6 (more protective Bakugou + emotional support Deku)? Or would you like a title card and story summary you can post or share with the image from earlier?
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Great! Here's Chapter 6 of your aged-up Deku x Bakugou college AU fanfic, where things get very real — from rumors turning into headlines, to Bakugou snapping under pressure, and finally, the two of them confronting the cost of being honest… and the strength of being together.
Title:Return to YouChapter 6: All Eyes On Us
Summary:The truth comes out. Deku and Bakugou are no longer a secret, and the media wants blood. Bakugou's temper boils over in public — but it's Deku's calm that holds them together when the world begins to push back.
U.A. Campus – Courtyard, Morning
By Monday, it wasn't just classmates whispering.
It was reporters.
A tabloid hero blog had posted a blurry photo: Izuku and Bakugou under the archway, too close for just friends.
The caption read: "Top Hero Students Caught in Heated Moment — Rivalry or Romance?"
At breakfast, everyone was buzzing.
Izuku stared down at his phone. It didn't even matter how they'd gotten the photo. It was out now. The story had legs.
"Kacchan…" he said softly as Bakugou read over his shoulder.
Bakugou muttered, "Let 'em print what they want."
"They already are."
U.A. Auditorium – Hero Society Conference
The school called a press panel.
Aizawa sat stone-faced next to Nezu and a handful of pro heroes, trying to get ahead of the chaos. Several students were in attendance. So was the media.
Izuku and Bakugou were sitting near the back—quiet, tense.
And then one question changed everything.
A reporter with too much hairspray leaned in toward the mic:"Midoriya, Bakugou—care to comment on your apparent relationship? Are you dating? And do you think that compromises your ability to lead as pro heroes?"
Bakugou stood before anyone could stop him.
"Does what, exactly, compromise our ability?" he growled, voice echoing through the hall.
"Dating. Sharing dorms. Showing favoritism. Emotional—"
"I've watched Midoriya nearly die protecting people who don't even know his name," Bakugou snapped. "He's stronger than anyone in this room."
The press started murmuring. Cameras flashed.
"And yeah. We're together," Bakugou said, not flinching. "You want to make that a scandal? Fine. Just know he's still gonna outrank every pro you print lies about."
Izuku stepped up beside him, calm but firm. "If being in love disqualifies a hero, then we've got bigger problems than tabloid drama."
The silence was deafening.
Nezu cleared his throat. "We believe heroism comes in many forms. Courage. Dedication. And yes—love."
Aizawa looked half-proud, half-annoyed. "Sit down before you set something on fire."
Bakugou muttered, "No promises," but obeyed.
That Night – Dorm Rooftop
The sky was deep navy, scattered with stars. Izuku sat against the wall of the rooftop garden, legs stretched out, eyes fixed on the horizon.
Bakugou joined him, bruised ego fading, jacket slung over one shoulder.
"I wasn't supposed to lose it like that," he said finally.
Izuku glanced over. "I liked it."
Bakugou scoffed. "You would."
Izuku nudged him. "You told the world you loved me. Loudly."
"I didn't say the L word."
"You screamed it with your chest."
Bakugou rolled his eyes, then leaned his head back against the wall. "You scared?"
Izuku considered it.
"A little," he admitted. "But not of you."
Bakugou's hand found his. "Good."
They sat in silence for a moment, the city lights twinkling below them.
Then Izuku whispered, "So… what now?"
Bakugou looked at him sideways, then leaned in, pressing a slow, sure kiss to his lips.
"Now," he said against his mouth, "we stop hiding."