Chapter 45 - Back Off!

Yuuki's blush began to fade just a little as her brain finally caught up with everything that had happened in the last hour. She blinked slowly, her brows knitting together, and she suddenly sat up straighter in her chair. The laughter around the table died down when she whispered: "W-Wait... the mist..."

Her eyes widened as she turned her body toward Bakugo, staring up at him with confusion and a touch of lingering panic. "That pink mist... that was from Midnight's quirk. How did you—why did you—Bakugo, why do you have Midnight's mist?!"

The entire table turned to Bakugo, who stiffened immediately.

Bakugo slammed one hand on the table, half-defensive, half-annoyed. "I didn't use it on everyone, dumbass! It was supposed to be for you!" he barked at her, crossing his arms tightly. "You're the one who keeps running away every five seconds! I needed somethin' to slow you down!"

Yuuki's mouth fell open. "S-Slow me down?! With sleep gas?!"

"It's not sleep gas! It's—!" Bakugo snapped, then stopped, waved his hand aggressively, and growled. "Look, I was only gonna use a tiny bit, okay?! Just enough to stop you from sprinting out a window or something!"

Mineta, slowly lifted a hand in protest. "B-But we breathed it in first!

"Yeah!" Kaminari added dramatically. "I held my breath for like—six seconds! Maybe! And then I PASSED OUT!"

Bakugo pointed at them aggressively. "THAT'S BECAUSE YOU IDIOTS CAN'T HOLD YOUR BREATH FOR LONGER THAN A TODDLER IN A BUBBLE BATH!"

Kaminari and Mineta both gasped loudly, deeply offended.

"HEY!!" Kaminari slapped the table. "I'll have you know I can hold my breath for—like—at LEAST ten seconds—!"

"ELEVEN!" Mineta added, despite being the one who passed out first.

Bakugo rolled his eyes so hard it looked painful. "Wow. Incredible. Should I call All Might and let him know you two have reached PEAK physical condition?"

The girls burst into laughter, Uraraka covering her mouth with both hands while tears formed at the corners of her eyes.

Yuuki, meanwhile, was staring at Bakugo with a mix of shock, embarrassment... and a tiny bit of admiration she tried very hard to hide.

"So..." she said softly, fidgeting with the hem of her dress. "You... really went through all that trouble just to catch me?"

Bakugo clicked his tongue and looked away, fiery ears turning faintly red.

"Yeah. Obviously," he muttered. "You keep running off before I can say anything. It was gettin' ridiculous."

Mina leaned across the table and whispered loudly, "He's shy!"

"I'M NOT SHY!" Bakugo roared, slamming his fist down again—just as his cheeks grew even redder.

Yuuki giggled behind her hand, her eyes warm and fluttery.

"And Midnight just... gave you that mist?" she asked, tilting her head innocently.

Bakugo hesitated for one tense second. Then he snarled, "SHE OWED ME A FAVOR, OKAY?!"

The entire table erupted, some laughing, some shouting, some gasping dramatically. Mineta squawked that he wanted favors from Midnight too (before Bakugo threw a fork at him), and Kaminari ranted about heroic injustice.

Meanwhile, Yuuki rested her cheek in her hand, watching Bakugo with a soft, shy smile creeping onto her lips.

He had gone through all of that—for her.

•••

The music shifted into a brighter, upbeat rhythm, colorful lights flickering across the room as the party atmosphere settled back into something warm and lively. Everyone returned to talking, laughing, and eating—like the chaos from earlier was already fading into just another Class 1-A memory.

Yuuki finally relaxed enough to enjoy herself, sipping punch while chatting with Uraraka and Mina. But that peace didn't last long.

Kaminari and Mineta spotted her alone and exchanged a look—one that spelled trouble.

"Yuukiiiiii!" Kaminari sing-songed as he practically slid across the floor toward her.

"Dance with meeee!" Mineta added, bouncing way too close into her personal space.

Yuuki immediately stepped back, gripping her hands together. "U-Um, no thank you... I don't—I don't really want to—"

"Awww, just one dance!" Kaminari leaned in with a grin.

"Or a kiss!" Mineta piped up shamelessly.

Yuuki stiffened, shaking her head quickly. "N-No! please—"

But Mineta kept inching closer, reaching for her hand like he was entitled to it, his voice whiny and persistent. Kaminari hovered too, trying to charm her with a smile that only made her feel cornered.

Before Yuuki could ask them to stop again—BOOM!!

A concussive blast cracked through the room, sending sparks flying just inches from Kaminari and Mineta's heads.

Bakugo stood right behind them, smoke curling off his palms, eyes burning crimson with fury.

"Knock it off," he growled, stepping between Yuuki and the boys like a wall of pure aggression. "And get the hell away from my girl."

The room fell silent for a heartbeat.

Yuuki's breath caught. Her cheeks flared pink so fast she almost felt lightheaded. His girl. Hearing it like that, so firm and possessive, did something strange and fluttery to her chest.

Mineta squeaked and scrambled backward. "H-Hey! She doesn't belong to you!"

"We were just asking—!" Kaminari protested, hands raised defensively.

Bakugo didn't even let them finish. He grabbed both idiots by the collar and dragged them outside the invisible dance floor boundary, shouting, "YOU KEEP ASKING AFTER SHE SAYS NO AND I'LL TURN YOU BOTH INTO ASH, GOT IT?!"

The boys wailed dramatically, flailing while Mina snorted and Uraraka covered her mouth, trying not to laugh too loudly.

Yuuki fidgeted with her fingers, looking down, her face still burning. She peeked up just in time to see Bakugo throw Kaminari lightly across the floor and punt Mineta back toward the snack table.

Satisfied, he stomped off to cool down, muttering something about "stupid extras" and "can't believe they keep breathing in my direction."

Uraraka and Mina slid back beside Yuuki, both giggling as they watched Bakugo drag the two offenders like misbehaving puppies.

"You okay?" Uraraka asked gently, touching Yuuki's arm.

Yuuki nodded shyly. "Y-Yeah. I just... didn't like them getting so close."

"We figured," Mina said warmly. "But you handled it! You weren't frozen or panicking. That's huge!"

Yuuki blinked, surprised. "You think so?"

"Totally!" Mina hooked an arm through hers. "You've been opening up so much lately. We're proud of you."

Yuuki's eyes softened as she looked at the two girls. The party lights reflected in her gaze, making them shimmer.

"I... I really wanted to say thank you," she said, voice soft but sincere. "You both helped me a lot. I used to be so timid and scared all the time. But now... I feel like... I can actually talk to people. Like I can breathe around everyone."

Uraraka smiled, her eyes brimming with affection. "Yuuki... of course. That's what friends are for."

Mina didn't even wait—she launched forward, wrapping Yuuki in a full-bodied hug. "Come here, you adorable bean!"

Uraraka joined in seconds later, sandwiching Yuuki between them. Yuuki let out a tiny squeak—part surprise, part happiness—and then relaxed into their arms, hugging them back tightly.

"You're really special, Yuuki," Uraraka whispered against her hair.

"And we're not letting anyone mess with you," Mina added firmly. "Not even those two dorks."

•••

Mineta and Kaminari, despite being launched, punted, scolded, and humiliated in front of half the class, rose back to their feet with the bizarre resilience only true idiots or true heroes-in-training possessed. Kaminari shook out his arms like he was preparing for round two, his tie crooked and hair sticking up in every direction. Mineta wobbled but puffed out his cheeks in determination, clearly convinced this was his moment to reclaim his "chance" with Yuuki.

"Oh come on," Kaminari grumbled as he straightened his jacket. "It was just a dance! He doesn't have to go nuclear—"

"We can't give up!" Mineta declared dramatically. "Love requires persistence!"

Before Kaminari could remind him that his version of love was basically harassment, the boys began marching back toward Yuuki, completely unfazed.

Bakugo noticed instantly. The vein on his forehead throbbed.

He took one slow, dangerous step forward, like a predator who'd reached the end of his patience. "Didn't I just tell you two bird brains to back off?"

"U-Uh... technically," Kaminari said weakly, "you told us to back off your girl, but—"

"Wrong answer," Bakugo snapped, and his hand was already in his pocket.

The entire room felt it—the shift in the air. Conversations stilled. The music suddenly felt like background noise compared to the tension curling through Class 1-A. Bakugo's fingers tightened around something, and everyone knew what it was even before he pulled it out.

The small, shimmering vial of Midnight's knockout mist.

Yuuki froze instantly, eyes wide. "Bakugo...?"

Bakugo held it up between two fingers, slowly, deliberately, like a threat. "I swear to god, I've had enough of these two. They're going night-night, right here, right now."

The room burst into alarm.

"Dude NO!" Kaminari yelped, stumbling backward.

"Not again!" Mineta squeaked, hopping behind a table.

Mina slapped her hands against her face. "BAKUGO, NOT INDOORS! WE JUST RECOVERED!"

Sero groaned loudly from across the room. "Bro, come on, we don't need round two of the Sleeping Festival!"

Tokoyami muttered something about "the darkness of foolishness repeating itself."

Even Jirou winced and said, "Not the mist again... please."

Yuuki tugged at Bakugo's suit jacket, her voice trembling. "B-Bakugo, please don't! We're inside the party! People will pass out again! And—and you said you wouldn't use it like that anymore!"

Bakugo didn't look at her at first—he was too busy staring daggers at the boys scrambling to hide. His thumb absently traced the cap of the vial, almost like he was imagining the satisfying pfft sound of unleashing it.

Midoriya rushed forward, flustered. "Kacchan! Wait—this is exactly what we said earlier! You can't let your emotions decide when to use it—!"

Uraraka nodded frantically. "Yeah! You can't knock out half the class just because Kaminari and Mineta are being themselves! That's not a good enough reason!"

"It is to me," Bakugo muttered darkly, glaring at the two cowering idiots.

"They'll stop!" Yuuki insisted softly, tugging harder at his vest. "You don't need to do that..."

Her voice was small, trembling, undeniably worried—not just about everyone else, but about him. About what he'd do. About the consequences he didn't care about. And that made him finally look at her.

Her wide eyes. The uncertainty. The kindness. The trust.

Bakugo exhaled slowly, jaw clenching, the tension in his shoulders visible. He wasn't calm—far from it—but he was listening.

Still, the temptation lingered. He looked back at Kaminari and Mineta, who were now half-hiding behind Ojiro like he might shield them, even though he very clearly did NOT want to.

Bakugo twirled the vial lazily in his fingers. "I could do it. Would take two seconds. They'd be out cold. Peaceful. Quiet. Finally."

Everyone yelled "NO!" in unison.

Yuuki stepped closer, gently placing her hand over the hand he held the vial with. Her touch was soft, but grounding. She met his eyes, her voice trembling but honest.

"Bakugo... please. Don't do it. Not here. Not now."

Bakugo stared at her for a long, heated moment.

Then—slowly—he clicked the vial shut and shoved it back into his pocket, muttering curses under his breath.

"FINE. But if they come near you again, I'm using it, and nobody's stopping me."

Relief washed over the room.

Kaminari slumped with a loud exhale. Mineta fainted from stress.

Yuuki let out a soft breath, her shoulders easing as she whispered, "Thank you..."

Bakugo grumbled, looking away, but his ears were ever so slightly red.

"Yeah, yeah. Don't make me regret it."