Chapter Text
Katsuki remembered when it had all started, a month after he’d become the CEO of Hypocenter Industries. He had thought he could handle the job without a secretary. After all, they did nothing but answer mundane phone calls and give passersby a bit of eye candy while they waited for him to arrive. Hardly two weeks in, when the company might as well have been engulfed in flames with the amount of panic coursing through the halls, Eijirou, his trusted Chief of Operations, had come to him, begging for him to find a secretary that could keep his damn schedule straight.
After a lot of searching, and a lot of unwanted applicants, Katsuki had finally found someone who had seemed somewhat qualified and just barely worthy of working as his secretary.
Honestly, he should have gone with that soft, timid girl with the bangs covering her eyes.
“Sir,” his secretary ground out, looking two seconds away from punching his boss in the face. “Please, you have to sign this contract, or else I can’t send it to our Board of Directors. Without this, you’re going to lose your main investors’ trusts.”
“I’m not fucking signing it,” Katsuki growled. “For the last time, those shitheads want to take over this company, and I’m not letting them! They’ll have to pry it out of my cold, dead hands if that’s what they want.”
“That’s not — ” The man sighed, rubbing the bridge of his nose. “Nobody wants that, sir. Least of all your investors. All they’re asking for is an increase in their vote. A measly three percent! You still have over seventy percent of the company in your control, it’s just that their vote will force you to think over what they want.”
“If I wanted to know what they want, I’d ask, Deku ,” Katsuki shot back, gathering his bag, eager to leave.
“Well, Kacchan , if you want their money , you’re just going to have to listen to them anyway,” his secretary sneered, slamming down the packet of papers onto his desk. “Now shut up and sign these damn papers!”
Yeah, he should have hired a different secretary.
Snatching up the papers with a growl, Katsuki carved his signature into each one with stiff, overexaggerated flourishes. When the final page was graced with his name, he roughly gathered the stack and handed it back. “Here .” He bared his teeth. “Is that all?”
His secretary flashed him a similar, stiff smile. “That is. Thank you, sir .” He all but tore the packet out of Katsuki’s hand and turned swiftly on his heel, heading back to his desk.
Katsuki watched his retreating back, teeth grinding. Snatching up his coat, he strode out of his office, making sure to slam the door extra hard behind him.
“Woah,” Eijirou smirked, halfway through the threshold into his own office. “Is it time to leave already?”
“Damn right,” Katsuki growled. “I can’t stand that piece of shit any longer. Why the hell did you convince me to get his sorry ass?”
“Uh,” Eijirou chuckled. “Because your sorry ass needed him so badly?” Katsuki gifted him with a scalding glare that Eijirou easily deflected with a laugh. “Besides, you could have chosen any secretary, but you decided on Midoriya, so, really, this is on you.”
“He had good recommendations and a great resume with tons of experience!” Katsuki argued, bristling. “How the hell was I supposed to know that nice, polite personality was just a fucking facade?”
“Not a facade, bro,” Eijirou sighed as he entered his office. “He just doesn’t like you.”
“Well, to hell with him, too!” Katsuki shouted after him.
“I’ll see you there, sir,” Izuku deadpanned as he passed.
Katsuki closed his eyes, jaw clenched as he slowly exhaled.
Yeah, he should have gotten someone else to be his secretary.
“Dude,” Denki started, biting into his anpan. “You complain about him so much, why don’t you just fire him?” Mina smacked the back of his head, glaring. He yelped, rubbing the sore area and giving her a betrayed look. “What? I’m not saying he should , but he is the boss. He can pretty much do whatever he wants.”
“Can’t,” Katsui grumbled around his coffee cup, leaning against Denki’s desk. “Kirishima says he’s the best thing that’s happened to this company since the internet.”
“And?” Denki edged on.
Katsuki gave him an incredulous look. “‘And’ what? That’s all there fucking is to it.”
“Well,” Mina shrugged. “Kami’s got a point, Bakugou. I’m not saying you should get rid of Midoriya, he’s great! But you do have the power to do it, and that would get rid of one more person that annoys you.”
“But if he kept firing everyone that annoys him, he wouldn’t have a company anymore,” Denki teased. Katsuki shot him a scalding glare that had the energetic blond scrambling for cover.
“Your ass would be right after Deku’s,” Katsuki growled in warning.
“Aw,” Mina cooed, a smirk curling her lips. “You still call him by that nickname?”
Katsuki glowered at her. “It suits him.”
“You mean it sounds as cute as he is?” she prodded, her grin sharpening.
Katsuki spluttered, affronted. “Fuck no! Because he’s a worthless blockhead, you moron!” Mina’s smirk only grew as she arched an eyebrow at him. Katsuki huffed, turning away as he sipped at his coffee. “I don’t know what you bastards see in him. He’s a shitty, manipulative, useless piece of shit!”
“And yet, he’s the only thing you ever really talk about,” Denki hummed, his grin matching Mina’s.
Katsuki’s mouth opened and closed as his face began to grow warm with rage. “You know what? Fuck you two.” He spun on his heel and stomped away.
“Oh, come on, Bakugou!” Mina cried. “We’re just messing with you.”
“We’re messing with Bakugou, now?” Hanta chirped, poking his head into Denki’s office. “Can I get in on that?”
“No,” Katsuki barked at the same time Denki replied, “We’re talking about Midoriya.”
“Oh,” Hanta drawled, leaning against the doorframe and effectively blocking Katsuki’s only exit. “Is that so?”
“Get out of my way, Soy Sauce Face,” the man under scrutiny growled.
Hanta chuckled. “You don’t want to stick around? I thought he was your favorite thing to talk—”
“Move,” Katsuki brashly ordered, already shoving his way past Hanta. The man stumbled, barely catching himself on the doorframe. Katsuki ignored Mina’s scolding as he blew through the hall, heading straight for the elevators. He refused to be humiliated, and by his employees no less. It was bad enough that even thinking about that freckled, snarky man with emerald eyes got his heart hammering like a war-drum. Having people point out how much he talked about him only made it worse.
He’d only gone to that Wannabe-Pikachu’s office to vent. He’d found that the more he talked about something that enraged him, the less likely he’d be slapped with a lawsuit for aggravated assault, and right now, in his opinion, Izuku’s face could really use a black-eye.
His step faltered as the image conjured into his mind and something twisted inside his stomach. Guilt, he decided. The feeling was guilt, for disappointing Eijirou by punching the secretary he’d begged him to get in the face. That was all.
He shook his head with a huff as the elevator happily dinged, opening its doors for him. He stomped inside and jammed his finger into the button for the top floor. Break-time was over and now he had to get back to work before his overbearing pain-in-the-ass secretary decided to try and hunt him down.
He growled, grinding his teeth together. Who, exactly, was the boss of who around here?
As though his day couldn’t possibly get any worse, the universe decided to gift him with more metaphorical shit.
“ There you are!” Katsuki groaned as the bane of his existence scowled at him, waiting on the other side of the elevator. “Why haven’t you been answering my calls? Do you even realize what’s going on?” Izuku waved his hands in the air, green eyes sharp with anger. A Bluetooth blinked lazily from its perch on his ear. “I have three of your investors on hold right now, Jirou’s been trying to find you for over an hour, and—”
Katsuki walked past him, making sure to jostle his shoulder into Izuku’s along the way. His secretary spluttered but quickly regained his composure as he raced after Katsuki’s long strides.
“Sir,” he snapped, trying to catch Katsuki’s attention. “ Sir . Bakugou! There’s something else you need to know before—”
“Shut up,” Katsuki barked. “I know. Investors on the line, Earphone’s looking for me, yadda yadda, I get it. Now just shut your fucking trap so I can get back to work.” He opened the door to his office and halted two steps in.
A man he’d only seen in-person twice in his life turned to look at him, blue and gray eyes observing him in infuriating indifference. He slowly stood, every motion nearly robotic and calculated.
Katsuki felt his blood-pressure rise just from looking at him.
“Oh, by the way,” Izuku added from behind him. Katsuki whipped his head around to see a smug smile gracing his freckled face. “That little thing you needed to know: the CEO of Endeavor Industries is waiting for you in your office.” The smile turned sickeningly sweet as he started to close the door. “I’ll let everyone know you’re in a meeting.”
Katsuki glared at the door, teeth creaking from the pressure of his clenching jaw. Inhaling deeply, he schooled his expression and turned back to the man inside his office. “Todoroki,” he greeted coldly.
The man dipped his head. “Bakugou. It’s good to see you again.”
Katsuki smothered an inappropriate response that wriggled in the back of his throat. “What brought you all the way out here?” he asked instead.
Shouto shrugged. “Just business as usual,” he offered blandly.
Katsuki fought the urge to grind his teeth again. “Is that so?”
“Actually,” Shouto started, a spark of emotion starting to light his eyes. “I have a proposition for you.”
“Oh, really?” Katsuki couldn’t help the edge of sarcasm that cut through his voice. “What kind of proposition did you have in mind?”
“Can you fucking believe it?!” Katsuki screeched, pacing Eijirou’s office. “He wanted a merger. A fucking merger ! Who the hell does he think he is? My company is doing great on its own, and he thinks that he can just waltz in here like some kind of fucking savior and just take it over?”
“Bakugou,” Eijirou sighed, rubbing his temples. “Can you please, just, calm down or something? I’ve got other problems besides Todoroki coming in with a proposal: like how one of our factories has had a power outage that’s been lasting for about three days now, and we’re so far behind schedule I can’t even see how we’re going to get through this without paying for a shit-ton of overtime.”
“Fuck, right,” Katsuki groaned, pinching the bridge of his nose. “How’s that working out?”
“I think they finally figured out the problem,” Eijirou replied. “But it’ll take at least another day before they can have it fully fixed. I talked to the director there and I think we’ve hashed out a plan on how to get back on track.”
Katsuki nodded. “That’s good.” His scowl returned with full force. "But that damn fucker—”
Eijirou groaned. “Bro, look, you know I love you, right? But I can not deal with your shit on top of all this other shit. Can’t you go vent to Kaminari and Ashido like you usually do?”
Katsuki glowered at the scenery beyond Eijirou’s windows. “I don’t want this kind of thing to get blown out of proportion or anything. And those two assholes can’t keep their mouths shut for anything.”
Eijirou shrugged, casting him a sympathetic glance. A polite knock echoed through the room. “Come in,” he called. “Unless you’re here to rob me, in which case, please schedule an appointment with my partner’s secretary, Midoriya.”
A curly-haired head popped in with a small smirk. “You’d make me fend for myself against a robber, sir?”
Eijirou chuckled. “Well, I mean, come on, Midoriya. If anyone can take them on, it’s you. I’ve seen you work out at the gym before, you’re intense.”
Izuku laughed, the sound filling the room. Katsuki felt his face grow heated as his heart slammed against his rib cage, no doubt wanting a fight.
“I just wanted to know if you need some more tea or coffee,” Izuku offered. “I’m heading down to the breakroom anyway. Or would you rather have something to eat?”
Eijirou shook his head. “Nah, I—” He was interrupted by a yawn. “Actually, coffee would be great. No, tea. You know what— No, I—”
“Do you want me to bring you both?” Izuku asked, his smile curling at the corners.
Eijirou sighed. “You’re the absolute best, Midoriya. Thanks. Oh—” He perked up— “And some Pretzs! Surprise me with the flavor, please?”
Izuku nodded, giving him a thumbs-up. “You got it.” He started to close the door.
“Hey!” Katsuki barked.
Izuku paused, glancing towards him. “Oh, sorry, sir. I didn’t see you there.”
“Sure you didn’t, you fucking asshole.”
Izuku’s face fell into an emotionless mask. “What do you want?”
Katsuki hesitated, his mind running blank.
“He’s feeling pretty uptight,” Eijirou swooped in. “How about some tea for him too?”
Izuku nodded. “Alright. I’ll get those for you guys.”
“Thanks, Midoriya! You’re the best!” Eijirou cried. Izuku dipped his head and flashed him another smile, though it was lacking the same warmth it had from earlier. When the door clicked closed, Eijirou pinned Katsuki with a glare. “You didn’t have to bite his head off like that.”
Katsuki gestured furiously towards himself. “I was right here! How did he not fucking see me?”
Eijirou sighed. “I don’t know, bro, just—” He rubbed his temples again, frowning— “I know you and Midoriya don’t get along, okay? I get it. But can you at least treat him with some respect? Maybe use a ‘please’ or ‘thank you’ every once in a while? It’s not that difficult.”
Katsuki bristled. “I don’t owe him shit!”
“It’s not ‘owing’ someone anything!” Eijirou cried, looking up at the ceiling with tensed, clawed hands. “It’s just treating him with some common decency, not running off probably one of the best secretaries we could have ever asked for, and being a decent human being!” He groaned, resting his head in his hand. “Just… Can you give me some space? I’ve got too much shit on my plate right now for this.”
Katsuki sighed, plodding towards the door. “Yeah, fine. Sorry. See you later.”
“See ya, Bakugou.”
Katsuki quietly closed the door behind him before stuffing his hands into his pockets and slinking to his office. He hadn’t meant to add to Eijirou’s stress or make him snap. Something about Izuku had always made his heart hammer and his blood rush through his veins like he had his back against a wall and three people were blocking his only way out. He couldn’t help the way his brain began to stumble over itself, unable to form one completely coherent thought, or how his palms started to sweat while his stomach flipped and twisted. Apparently, the very sight of Izuku made him sick, complete with a fever if his heated face was anything to go by.
He slipped into his office and slumped onto his chair, the sickening sense of guilt gnawing at the back of his brain. Maybe he could treat Eijirou to dinner or something after the whole power outage thing blew over.
A knock resounded in his office. He looked up, snapped out of his musings as Izuku stepped in. His secretary stiffly walked to his desk, placing down a paper coffee cup and something wrapped in a napkin. “Here you are, sir.” Izuku took a step back. “I got you chamomile and lavender tea. I thought it might help with your stress.” He turned to leave.
“Wait.” Izuku stopped and Katsuki felt his mouth turn dry. Shit, why did he tell him to stop? He scrambled for something to say. “What’s with the napkins?” Well, it wasn’t the worst thing he’d ever said.
Izuku half-turned, enough to give him a cautious look. “I… overheard your conversation with Mr. Todoroki. I figured, after hearing your reaction to it, you’d need something to make you feel better.”
Katsuki eyed the bundle with suspicious curiosity. Unwrapping it, he found a daifuku, perfectly round and innocently sitting amidst the napkins. Katsuki blinked, his mind blank on what to say, despite the words gathering unwelcomed on his tongue.
Izuku waited, his stare pinning Katsuki to his chair, a timid intensity showing inside them. He finally turned without another word and reached for the doorknob.
“Thanks,” Katsuki mumbled, expecting the word to taste like acid. Surprisingly, it tasted sweet and rolled easily off his tongue.
Izuku froze and slowly turned. His eyes were wide and his lips were parted. A warmth Katsuki had never seen directed towards him flooded his face and his mouth curled into a soft smile. “You’re welcome, sir.” He lingered for a second longer before slipping out, the door closing with a soft click.
Katsuki watched the door, his face growing heated and his heart pounding in his chest again. He shook his head, growling. His damn secretary had probably poisoned the tea or daifuku, and now he was about to die, even though he hadn’t touch either one of them yet. What a great way to end an already crappy day. His gaze trailed over to the pastry, still nestled amongst the napkins. With a shrug, he grabbed it and took a bite. If he was going to die, might as well make sure it was with something sweet in his stomach.