Chapter 61 - My Yuuki

The moment Bakugo's lips left hers, the hallway fell into a deep, trembling quiet—as if even the air had stopped to listen. Yuuki stood perfectly still, her fingers lightly fisted in the fabric of his shirt, her breath warm and uneven against his chest. Her eyes stayed closed for a long, fragile second, her lashes fluttering like she was waking from the deepest sleep she'd ever known. Slowly, shakily, she opened them.

The dazed, cloudy fog in her gaze began to dissolve, like mist burning away under morning sunlight.

She blinked once. Twice. And then her brows knit together in a soft, exhausted confusion.

"...Bakugo...?" she whispered, her voice small and trembling, as if she wasn't sure of anything—not the hallway, not the moment, not even herself.

Bakugo exhaled shakily, relief and fear and pent-up emotion all swirling together in his chest like a storm barely held back. He lifted a hand—gently, surprisingly gently—and cupped her cheek. "Yeah. I'm right here."

Yuuki's face tightened with discomfort, and she brought her hand up slowly to rub at her temple, wincing. "My head... it really hurts..." Her words were soft, tired. "What... what happened? I... I feel like I was dreaming, or... or not myself..."

Bakugo's stomach twisted. He had been prepared to fight Kaminari, prepared to argue, prepared to drag her back kicking and screaming if needed—but seeing her so fragile? So confused? It broke him in a different way entirely.

He crouched slightly to look her fully in the eyes, searching, checking, making sure she was really back. "Hey. Look at me. Answer a couple things for me, yeah?"

Yuuki nodded slowly, still rubbing her head, still blinking like the hallway was too bright.

Bakugo swallowed, his voice trembling despite how he tried to steady it.

"Who's your boyfriend?"

Yuuki stared blankly for a moment—too long for Bakugo's comfort. His heart slammed against his ribs. His hands curled into fists at his sides.

"...My boyfriend?" she murmured, brows furrowed. "Why... are you asking me that...?"

Bakugo leaned in closer, intensity burning in his stare. "Just answer, Yuuki. Please."

She blinked again, her lips parting. Then something softened in her gaze, a slow warmth creeping into her expression, familiar and gentle and entirely her.

"...You are," she whispered.

Bakugo's breath caught.

Before Yuuki could say anything else, his hands grabbed her waist and pulled her flush against him in a fierce, desperate hug. He buried his face in her shoulder, holding her like he thought she might vanish into mist if he loosened his grip even an inch.

"Good," he muttered against her skin—voice thick, raw, and unsteady. "Good. Thank god. You're back. You're really back."

Yuuki let out a tiny, confused squeak as she was lifted slightly off the ground by the force of his embrace. "B-Bakugo...?"

He didn't even let her finish. He pulled back just enough to see her face—her real face, her soft eyes, her trembling smile—and kissed her again. This time with pure relief, pure love, pure everything he had been holding onto since the moment the potion twisted her heart away from him.

Yuuki clung to him instinctively, her hands gripping his shirt again, but now with familiarity—recognition—love. When Bakugo finally broke the kiss, he leaned his forehead against hers, breathing hard, eyes suspiciously bright.

"Say it again," he whispered. "Say you love me."

Yuuki's cheeks flushed as she looked up at him, weak but smiling shyly. "I... I love you, Katsuki."

He let out a shaky laugh, half-relief, half-emotion, and pulled her back into his arms, holding her so tightly it was like he was afraid someone might try to take her away again.

And this time—Yuuki hugged him back just as tightly.

•••

Bakugo kept one arm wrapped firmly around Yuuki's waist as they walked back toward the common room, his hand resting protectively against her side like he was afraid she might drift away again if he let go. Yuuki leaned into him softly, still a little weak, still recovering from the haze the potion had left behind. The hallway felt warmer now, safer, quieter—because she was herself again, and because Bakugo refused to let her be anything else.

As they stepped through the doorway into the living room, every pair of eyes in Class 1-A swung toward them. For a split second the entire room froze—then the reaction exploded like fireworks.

Uraraka was the first to reach Yuuki, her eyes wide and shimmering with relief as she practically enveloped her in a hug. "Yuuki! Oh my gosh, I'm so glad you're okay! You scared us so much!"

Mina immediately dove in from the other side, wrapping both of them up in a bright, sparkling embrace. "You're back! You're yourself! Thank goodness, girl, you were acting so weird I thought I was gonna faint!"

Yuuki squeaked as she was sandwiched between them, her cheeks reddening, but this time in her normal shy way—not the potion-induced haze. She lifted her arms slowly, hugging them both back, her voice small but warm. "I'm... I'm sorry for worrying everyone... I didn't mean to..."

The boys nearby let out sighs of relief. Kirishima grinned widely, patting Bakugo's shoulder. "Good job, man. Seriously. I knew you'd knock some sense back into her!"

Midoriya smiled softly, hands clasped nervously in front of him. "I—I'm just glad you're okay, Yuuki. You seemed so... different."

Even Todoroki cracked the faintest, relieved smile. "Welcome back."

But across the room, two very different reactions stood out like sore thumbs.

Kaminari sat frozen in place on the couch, his jaw slack, his eyes shaking with disbelief. "W-Wait... she's... she's not in love with me anymore...?"

Mineta looked even more devastated, his tiny hands gripping the sides of his head. "N-No way! But—But the potion was perfect!! Mei said it was perfect!! How did it break?!"

That was the wrong thing to say.

Because Bakugo, who had been holding Yuuki close a second before, suddenly turned his head sharply toward them—his expression dark, cold, and explosive. His jaw tightened. His eyes narrowed with a fury so intense the temperature in the room felt like it dropped ten degrees.

"You two," he growled, low and dangerous.

Kaminari and Mineta paled instantly.

Bakugo took one step toward them.

They scrambled off the couch so fast they tripped over their own feet.

"YOU BETTER START RUNNING!" Bakugo roared, sparks erupting from his palms as he lunged.

Kaminari screamed like a child. "MINETA, MOVE, HE'S GONNA EVAPORATE US!"

"I AM MOVING!" Mineta shrieked, tears streaming from his eyes as he bolted.

Bakugo blasted forward with terrifying speed, inches away from grabbing both of them. The whole class scattered out of the way as Kaminari and Mineta sprinted around the couches, tripping over furniture, desperately trying to escape a very legitimately murderous Bakugo.

"I TOLD YOU IDIOTS TO KEEP YOUR HANDS AWAY FROM MY GIRLFRIEND!" Bakugo shouted mid-chase. "YOU'RE DEAD! YOU HEAR ME?! DEAD!"

They ran, they screamed, they begged. It made no difference—Bakugo was faster, angrier, and out for blood.

He grabbed them both by the backs of their shirts at the exact same time, lifting them clean off the floor as they kicked and flailed.

"P-PLEASE HAVE MERCY!" Kaminari cried.

"We were stupid! DUMB! DESPERATE! DON'T KILL US!" Mineta wailed.

Bakugo's eyebrow twitched. "Oh, I'm not gonna kill you."

Mineta exhaled with shaky relief—too soon.

"I'm just gonna beat you so bad recovery girl won't even know where to put her damn bandages—"

"K-Katsuki!"

Yuuki's voice—soft, trembling, worried—cut through the room like a knife.

Bakugo froze.

He slowly turned his head to look at her. Her hands were nervously curled near her chest, her expression pleading, timid, anxious. She stepped closer, eyes wide and full of gentle fear—not of him, but of what he might do.

"Bakugo..." she whispered, voice quivering. "Y-You don't have to hurt them... I know they messed up, and it... really scared me... But you don't have to beat them. Please."

Bakugo's grip tightened on their shirts—but his expression shifted. The fury was still there, burning hot and righteous, but Yuuki's voice softened the edges, dimmed the explosion threatening to go off. Slowly, reluctantly, he lowered Kaminari and Mineta back to the ground, though he still held them firmly so they couldn't run.

He didn't look at them. He looked only at her.

"...You're too damn kind," he muttered, frustrated and begrudgingly softened, his shoulders relaxing only a fraction. "They don't deserve you."

Yuuki swallowed, stepping even closer to him. "I just... I don't want anyone to get hurt. That's all."

Bakugo let out a long, deep exhale. Finally—very slowly—he released Kaminari and Mineta, who dropped to the floor like rag dolls, gasping in terror.

But Bakugo didn't let them off the hook that easily.

He leaned down between them, his expression terrifyingly calm. "You're not off the hook. You two idiots owe my girlfriend a massive apology. And if you EVER try something like that again—potion, trick, whatever—I'll make sure you won't sit, stand, OR walk straight for a week. Got it?"

They nodded so fast they looked like bobbleheads.

And Yuuki, still timid, still trembling, stepped to Bakugo's side and gently touched his arm—because even when he was furious, even when he was terrifying, she knew he listened to her.