if this is a romcom (kill the director)

by ghostoutofhisgrave

Summary:

Bakugou is a model stuck under his mother's thumb. Todoroki is an actor at the mercy of his father. Izuku is a dorky journalist who saves them both.

Notes:

title is from kill the director by the wombats

tw - verbal abuse, minor physical abuse

Chapter 1

TWO OF JAPAN’S HOTTEST CELEBRITIES POSE TOGETHER ON THE COVER OF VOGUE

Since their separate debuts, Actor Todoroki Shouto and Model Bakugou Katsuki have garnered quite a loyal following across several platforms. Todoroki Shouto is a well known actor acclaimed for his roles in Plus Ultra, Always the Eyes, Angel Boy, This Love of Mine, In the Storm, The USJ, etc., and also for being the son of successful director Todoroki Enji of Endeavor Entertainment. Bakugou Katsuki is the son of Bakugou Mitsuki and Bakugou Masaru, the founders of the Saikou Fashion Design Company, and has been modeling since his childhood.

It was a surprise to no one when these two young men were added to the official ranking of Japan’s Hottest Celebrities last year. 

Their fans awoke on the morning of January 2, 20XX to a very special treat; Bakugou Katsuki and Todoroki Shouto both on the front page of Vogue. The internet exploded with fans’ reactions and theories about how the two would interact, even causing a short Twitter crash. This collaboration has caused two fanbases to collide, and the results are astounding. 

 

lonelyboy22

they’re both so beautiful i’m gonna dieeeee

13k likes           9k reposts

 

icythot

todoroki is ethereal

15k likes            7k reposts

2,175 comments…

freddyfazbear i know, i can’t believe this is my first time seeing him

user204617 What’s up with his scar

icythot @user204617 no one in the fandom knows anything about it, and todoroki seems sensitive about it so it's kind of taboo in our community

 

mushustan

WHERE HAS BAKUGOU KATSUKI BEEN ALL MY LIFEEEE

13k likes           6.5k reposts

 

yeetusdeletus

mutli fans won today

17k likes                 7k reposts

2,934 comments…

honeybunny fr, so glad i've been both of their fans since the beginning

shosimp girl everyone’s winning today

tata.ll amen

 

Still, many fans are questioning how the two celebrities got along. It is no secret that Bakugou Katsuki has an attitude and tends to clash with others, and Todoroki Shouto is notoriously guarded, known for his cold behavior outside of acting  and his mysterious personal life. Fans are begging to know how they interacted during the photoshoot, and whether this was their first time meeting or if they are friends behind the camera. Conflicting theories are circulating about how well they got along.

 

denyorcry

DETAILS OR IT DIDN'T HAPPEN!!! i have to know what they were like together plEASE

14k likes               12k reposts

3,012 comments…

aliennn_ they probably got along really well :’) 

katsudoneatnow @aliennn_ R u kidding? Bakugou would hate todoroki

aliennn_ @katsudoneatnow NO HE WOULD NOT. todoroki is quiet and bakugou hates people who talk too much. Plus their fields are similar so they have a lot to talk about!

watchtower77 @aliennn_ Be fr. Bakugou is loud and angry and todoroki is the exact opposite.

aliennn_ @watchtower77 haven’t you heard of opposites attract???

 

conspxracytheorxst

Is anyone else thinking about the fact that they probably already know each other? Todoroki knows Momo, Momo knows Mina, Mina knows Bakugou…it's not that hard to imagine

2,340 comments...

loverboyo And weren't they both at the 20XX Movie and Film Awards? They've definitely met before

iamnoone4 that doesnt mean theyre friends, they haven't even been near each other until now

conspxracytherxst @iamnoone4 Just because they didn’t post it online doesnt mean it didn't happen

Regardless, the general consensus is that we want more. With how popular the two are individually, they are sure to be even better as a duo. Fans are hopeful that the duo will collaborate again!

 

///

Izuku stretched his arms over his head, sighing in relief at the crack of his bones releasing tension. He’d been hunched over his desk all day, scrolling social media and gathering evidence for his upcoming pitch. Everyone else in the office was working diligently as well, the clicking of keyboards and the squeaking of markers against whiteboards echoed through the space, as well as the soft voices of those taking phone calls, and the low hum of lo-fi music from the speaker in the corner. 

Shinsou drew Izuku’s attention as he placed his coffee cup down harshly, eyebrows furrowing as he typed furiously at his computer. His eyes were bloodshot, and he looked like he hadn’t slept in days. Knowing him, it was possible. With a definitive click, he stood and moved to refill his coffee cup. Izuku caught his arm as he passed.

Izuku frowned. His eye bags were even darker up close, and his eyes took a minute to focus on Izuku’s. “Maybe you should slow down on the caffeine, Shin? Didn’t you already have a monster and two cups earlier?” 

Shinsou blinked, shoulders dropping as he thought. Wincing, he tried for a smile. “Would you believe me if I said it was decaf?”

“Last time I checked,” Izuku stood, pulling the mug from his limp fingers. “You said decaf coffee was the most useless invention ever.”

Shinsou pursed his lips, following as Izuku went to place the mug in the sink. “That’s still true.”

“Take a break,” Izuku instructed. “You know you don’t work well when you get frustrated.”

Sighing, he agreed, knowing it was much easier to go with it than to try to argue with him. Shinsou ambled off towards the plush blue couch, and Izuku returned to his desk. 

Reviewing his work from the day, he realized that he had more than enough information to get the story approved, and he was just procrastinating pitching it to Aizawa at this point. 

Gathering his materials, he stood to make his way to his boss’s office.

“Where are you going?” Uraraka asked as he passed her desk.

“Just gonna pitch this story to Aizawa.”

She raised her eyebrows. “Good luck, I guess.”

He glanced between her desk and Aizawa’s office. He could procrastinate for a few more minutes.

“What are you working on right now?”

Uraraka’s face dropped and she groaned. “I’m stuck on this dumb politician story that I thought would be really interesting, but aside from the stuff I used to pitch it, I can't find anything about it!”

Izuku hummed. “Yeah, government stories are hard, a lot of the bad politicians have whole teams dedicated to wiping the internet of any bad press. Why don’t you talk to Tsuyu? You know she can get information on just about anything.”

“That’s a great idea!” She glanced towards Tsuyu’s workstation. “She looks pretty busy though…”

Tsuyu’s desk was scattered in papers, and she was crouched under her desk, probably searching for a lost pen again. Izuku laughed a little at the image.

“She always has time for you,” Izuku smirked, nudging Uraraka suggestively.

“Shut up! That's not- She doesn't- Ugh!” Uraraka stammered, face reddening. “Go talk to Aizawa, I don't want to look at you anymore!”

She pushed Izuku away from her, and he went laughing.

Aizawa’s office was small and dark, in a far corner of the building so he wouldn’t be disturbed by the journalists running around. Izuku knocked softly on the door, waiting for the soft grunt from inside that signaled him to enter.

Aizawa sat at his desk, typing away at his clicky keyboard. “Midoriya.”

“Hello, sensei, um, I have a story to pitch.” He sputtered.

The man nodded, turning to give Izuku his attention.

“You probably heard already, but the popular celebrities Bakugou Katsuki and Todoroki Shouto recently posed together on the cover of Vogue. All of their fans have been wondering how they interacted, whether it was their first time meeting, how their personalities clashed, that sort of thing, um…” He trailed off, nervous under Aizawa’s blank stare. “So I thought it would be cool to do an interview with the two of them, to sort of answer some common questions and sate the public’s interest in it-”

“Approved.”

“-And i’ve been following their individual careers for a while, so I know a lot about their roles and agencies and stuff like that, although if you think that someone more personable like Camie would do a better job covering this story I would totally understand, I just think a lot of people would be really, really-”

“Midoriya.” Aizawa interrupted.

Izuku’s jaw clicked shut.

“It’s approved. I trust your judgment, and if you think this will be a good story, I believe you. Go ahead and start working. Let me know if you need me to make any calls to their agencies.”

“Oh,” He breathed, heat rushing to his cheeks. “Thank you, sensei, I’ll start working right away.”

He bowed deeply and hurried out of the office, suppressing a smile all the way back to his desk.

 

///

 

This was Shouto’s least favorite part of being an actor. 

After spending countless hours under hot lights, being poked and prodded by cold strangers and running the same scenes over and over again, he finally escaped into the cool winter air, only to be immediately surrounded by paparazzi. They shoved cameras in his face, pressed forward and forward and forward until his security had to break through the crowd, jostling him against the other actors beside him. Their lights flashed and their voices merged and echoed, shouting blurry questions and shoving mics to their lips for a response. 

Recently, the press had consistently known where their shooting sites were and camped outside for a glimpse of the famous celebrities. Shouto’s father suspected it was a security issue, that someone in the agency was leaking private information to the media. He’d been on a rampage the past few weeks trying to weed out the traitor, and firing people left and right for little reason. 

“Are you friends with Bakugou Katsuki?”

A shrill voice shouted against the shell of his ear. He strangled the flinch that tried to escape him, inhaling sharply and pushing forward more insistantly towards the official agency van parked on the street. 

Momo walked in front of him, somehow remaining graceful and polite even as she stumbled in her overpriced heels. Shouto longed to latch onto her hand like they used to when they were kids, let her lead him to quiet and safety. 

He blinked hard.

He couldn’t do that, couldn't reach for her anymore, because they’d twist it, twist their comfortable childhood friendship into something romantic and secretive. He knew what they thought of the two of them, and he refused to fuel the fire any more. 

His PR team said it was good for both of them, that they should play up their affection for popularity, regardless of how fake and uncomfortable it was. And he knew his dad was hovering over his shoulder always, looking for any and every indication that his son wasn’t gay, wasn't a-

So Shouto didn’t reach for her. He steeled his face into the cold and impassive tone that his fans swooned over. If only they could see how his heart jackhammered in his chest like it was trying to escape. If only they could see the heaving breaths of relief he took once he was secured in the van, Momo by his side. 

He reached for her then, once they were away from the prying eyes, and no one could see their intertwined fingers in the dark.

She squeezed his hand. He squeezed back.

 

///

 

“ Smile , Katsuki.” His mother ordered through gritted teeth. She stood behind the cameraman in a perfectly tailored pantsuit, not a hair out of place. Her eyes caught every movement Katsuki made.

Katsuki bit his tongue against the sharp retort burning in his throat, and bared his teeth more, glaring pointedly at her as if to say, What do you think I’m doing? Mitsuki insisted on coming to every single photoshoot and media appearance Katsuki had, watching and criticizing from the sidelines. It made his skin crawl.

“That’s not a fucking smile, Katsuki. You look like a wild animal.” She sneered at him. “You’re ruining my fucking designs.”

“It's not my fault if your designs are shit.” He snapped back without thinking.

Her eyes snapped to his, and he watched her jaw clench.

Shit. 

“Can I have a moment alone with my son, please?” She asked the camera crew, her polite smile doing nothing to mask the anger in her eyes.

Shit.

He shouldn’t have said anything. Engaging just made it worse, but god it was so hard to ignore her constant remarks. Anger burned in his stomach. The crew filed out of the room at her order, leaving Katsuki alone.

Mitsuki’s face dropped as soon as the door swung shut, leaving behind a hot, seething anger. “What the fuck was that, Katsuki?”

He opened his mouth to answer, a quick retort sitting heavy in his throat.

“ Shut up! I don’t want to hear your bullshit excuses.” She shouted as she stalked forward, somehow towering over him despite her height. “Are you trying to embarrass me? How stupid are you? This is your career too, you know. You wouldn't be shit without me.”

She was so close now that her spittle splattered against his cheek. He roughly dragged the sleeve of his denim jacket across the spot. Her eyes tracked the motion, lips curling in disgust. 

Before he could reply, his head was suddenly yanked backwards, her hand grasping harshly at his hair. He blinked harshly against the prick of tears in his eyes.

“Fuck off.” He rasped, tugging away from her grip despite the stinging of his scalp.

Mitsuki ripped her hand from his hair, and he suppressed a yelp of pain. “What the hell is wrong with you? I am your mother , Katsuki, stop fucking talking to me like that. I am sick of your shitty fucking attitude!”

“Then leave me the fuck alone, you old hag!” He snarled at her, jaw aching from how hard he was biting his tongue.

Eyes ablaze, she raised her hand, and he braced for impact.

Her phone rang.

“Fuck.” She shouted, chest heaving with restrained anger. 

Glaring, she left the room to take the call, and sent the camera crew back in. He clenched his fists against the shaking in his hands. When she returned, her facade was back, as if all her rage had evaporated.

“Great news, Katsuki. You have an interview tomorrow.”

Chapter 2

Summary:

interview part 1

Izuku added Bakugou Katsuki and Todoroki Shouto to a new group.

Izuku: Hi! I’m Izuku Midoriya, a journalist with Eraserhead. You’re both scheduled for an interview with me tomorrow at 4PM!! 

Bakugou Katsuki: the fuck

Bakugou Katsuki: how did you get my number

Bakugou Katsuki: you a stalker or something?

Izuku: I am not a stalker! Your mom gave it to me :D 

Bakugou Katsuki: of course she fucking did

Todoroki Shouto: Hello. Where will tomorrow’s interview be located?

Bakugou Katsuki: you even text like a fucking robot

Izuku: That's what I wanted to talk to you guys about!! My interview style is a lot different than most, so it’ll be a lot more casual and carefree! 

Bakugou Katsuki: you use too many damn exclamation marks

Izuku: I’m excited!! What kind of food do you guys like?

Bakugou Katsuki: what does that have to do with anything

Todoroki Shouto: I like cold soba.

Izuku: Thanks, Todoroki!

Izuku: Just answer!! >:((

Bakugou Katsuki: anything spicy i guess

Izuku: Great!! I’ll send you the address for where to meet me tomorrow,, looking forward to it!!!!!

Bakugou Katsuki: there’s no way you’re that fucking excited

Bakugou Katsuki: calm tf down

Izuku: No!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! :D

Todoroki Shouto : Would you like a camera crew present to film the interview?

Izuku: Nope,, like I said, casual and comfortable, just like a normal conversation between friends!

Bakugou Katsuki: we’re not fucking friends

Izuku: Not yet! 

Izuku changed Bakugou Katsuki’s name to kacchan

Izuku changed Todoroki Shouto’s name to shochan

Izuku changed Izuku’s name to izuchan

kacchan: wtf is a kacchan

shochan: See you tomorrow.

izuchan: hehe >;D

 

///

 

Izuku checked the menu as soon as he arrived.

It hadn’t been too hard to find a restaurant that sold both cold soba and “anything spicy”, but Bakugou was notorious for his extreme spice tolerance, and finding a nearby restaurant with high spice levels and specifically cold soba was a much harder task. 

A quick call to his mom had him scrolling through options online, meticulously screening reviews, and pouring over the menu to make sure he got everything right.

He was nervous, and trying to avoid thinking about why he was nervous, which only made him more nervous, and–

The menu crinkled under his fingertips, and he exhaled, releasing his grip on the paper.

Ten years ago, when Izuku was a young fanboy questioning his sexuality, his discovery of Bakugou Katsuki was an unstoppable force that left no question–he was gay as fuck.

Similarly, a few months later, he caught the showing of the new All Might movie, Plus Ultra, at the nearby cinema. Unbeknownst to him, the sudden appearance of Todoroki Shouto, the most gorgeous and ethereal man to exist, on the huge screen sent the blood rushing to his head so fast he had a nosebleed that stained his brand new All Might sweatshirt.

Needless to say, both of them were memorable, especially to Izuku.

He took a deep breath. It wasn’t like they were the first of his idols he’d interviewed, I mean, he did a whole publicized series with Mirko last year, but they were different. Bakugou Katsuki was known for his abrasive personality, and if he didn’t like a person, his mind couldn’t be changed. And Todoroki was notoriously blank-faced and hard to read. 

Izuku really wanted them to like him.

So he checked and checked and double-checked the menu, eyes flitting across the room as he wondered if they would like it. The restaurant was cozy and warm, with soft flooring and separate rooms for privacy. Izuku wasn't sure where they’d prefer to sit, so he stood awkwardly near the front, shifting from foot to foot. At first, he tried to wait outside, but the weather was much colder than the news made it out to be, and his scarf did little to protect him from the harsh winds.

With another glance out of the latticed window at his side, he whipped out his phone, pulling up Uraraka’s phone number.

izuwu: What if i died

uwuraka: Why are we dying

uwuraka: Oh right you have that interview today

izuwu: “That interview”???? 

izuwu: This is the biggest event of my career

izuwu: The backugou katsuki and the todoroki shouto

uwuraka: No i think the series with miruko was the biggest

uwuraka: Or maybe i just like her thighs

uwuraka: Her thighs omg i want her to crush me with them

izuwu : Mood

izuwu: WAIT we're supposed to be helping meeee

uwuraka: You'll be fine

izuwu: NO I WILL NOT

izuwu: BOTH OF MY GAY AWAKENINGS AT ONCE IS TOO MUCH
ILL DIE

izuwu: What if i say something stupid or make a fool out of myself

uwuraka: hey that's part of your charm

uwuraka: You’re a cute fool

izuwu: (*≧m≦*)

izuwu: That's mean

uwuraka: you got this izu, i believe in you

uwuraka: Shinsou also says good luck 

uwuraka: And other choice words

izuwu: ASFJKIFOPLFNEINSKFDLEIJFLMSP

uwuraka: lmao

“Hello?” A monotone voice sounded.

Izuku, startled, slamming his back into the wall with a yelp as he fumbled to stuff his phone back into his pocket. 

As if in slow-motion, his eyes panned up to lock with the most gorgeous, mesmerizing face he’d ever seen.

Holy shit , Todoroki was even more beautiful in person. 

The tip of his nose was lightly dusted pink from the cold, and his bicolored hair was windswept and artfully messy. He stood awkwardly in the doorframe, his sharp jawline softened by the warm lighting. 

He tilted his head, and Izuku realized that he’d been staring in silence for too long.

“Are you…?” Todoroki began.

“Sorry, yes, hi!” Izuku exclaimed, frantically adjusting his clothes. “Midoriya Izuku, nice to meet you!”

“It's nice to meet you, as well.” His eyes drifted behind Izuku to take in the restaurant's scenery.

Izuku’s phone buzzed in his pocket, shaking the gay fuzz out of his head. 

Get yourself together, he thought. Be professional!

“We can sit wherever you’d like! I wasn’t sure if you or Bakugou had a preference for seating, but considering you got here first, you get the prize of choosing!” He laughed awkwardly.

Todoroki’s face didn’t change at all. “I don’t have a preference for seating.”

He continued to stare, his gaze sharp and piercing. Izuku felt the familiar twinge of discomfort that came with prolonged eye contact, and diverted his eyes to the tables near them.

The silence between them grew cold and uncomfortable, and Izuku wiped his sweaty hands on his pants and tried to think of something to say.

“Um-” He started, only to be cut off by the sharp jingle of the bell above the door.

The wooden door swung open with force, clipping Todoroki’s shoulder as Bakugou barged into the restaurant.

“Ow.” Todoroki deadpanned, glaring at Bakugou’s scrunched up face.

“That’s your fucking fault for standing right in front of the fucking door.” Bakugou snapped back, shaking the snowflakes out of his hair. “It’s cold as shit out there.”

“Hello, Bakugou!” Izuku spoke weakly, voice nearly squeaking at the sight of Bakugou bundled in a scarf and coat.

His fiery red eyes met his, and slowly took in his appearance. Izuku tried not to fidget. His outfit was nothing much, especially compared to the celebrities he was dining with, but he’d put in an effort, and he hoped it showed.

“Tch,” Bakugou scoffed. “You look exactly how you text.”

Izuku’s shoulders relaxed. Bakugou’s presence was the perfect kind of warmth to break the ice between him and Shouto.

“Do you have a preference for seating, Bakugou?” Todoroki spoke up.

Bakugou only grunted in response, eyes roving over the restaurant before leading them to a private area in the corner.

“I’m a little surprised you didn’t look me up,” Izuku remarked as he sat down. “That’s what most people do when I schedule interviews with them.”

“Didn’t bother,” Bakugou answered, eyes flicking to Izuku’s and back to the menu in his hands. “I see interviewer extras like you every day. You’re nothing special.”

That straightened Izuku’s spine.

“Don’t be mean, Bakugou.” Todoroki warned.

Izuku smiled. “No, no Todoroki it’s all right! That just makes me more excited to prove him wrong.”

Bakugou’s narrowed eyes snapped to his, and Izuku hushed his quickening heart. His mouth twisted and he moved to retort, but was interrupted by the waiter’s arrival.

Their food arrived quickly after they ordered. Bakugou side eyed Todoroki’s colorless noodles with distaste, his own plate bright red with chili flakes and the fumes making Izuku’s eyes sting. Bakugou’s judgemental gaze turned to Izuku’s bowl of katsudon next. He didn’t seem too offended by it, humming under his breath before returning to his own food.

With no hesitation, Bkaugou stuffed a mouthful of burning hot food into his mouth. His face barely twitched. He chewed thoughtfully, before reaching for the sriracha sauce, much to Izuku’s dismay.

“You can’t be serious.” He blurted out before he could stop himself.

Bakugou looked up from his horrid concoction with a smug look. “What, you can’t handle your spice, Deku?”

A competetive fire lit in his stomach. 

“I absolutely can! In fact-” He paused, snatching the sriracha sauce from Bakugou’s pretty hands. Turning the bottle upside down, he squeezed an obscene amount over his katsudon, ignoring the despairing voice of his stomach. 

Bakugou sat back in his chair, eyebrows raised. Heat rose to Izuku’s cheeks. God he was so hot. Todoroki’s eyes flickered between them as he slowly slurped up his noodles.

Picking up his fork, he stabbed a chunk of chicken, barely recognizable with the souce piled on top of it, and stuffed it into his mouth. He held Bakugou’s gaze the entire time.

To his surprise and glee, he did not choke, cry, or sweat. He internally thanked his shithead of a father for at least giving him a spice tolerance. 

“See?” he supressed the urge to grin, licking the leftover sauce from the roof of his mouth.

Bakugou’s lips twitched. “Sriracha’s not even fucking spicy. Try pure chili flakes at least.”

Izuku called the waiter over. He was in too deep to back out now, no matter how much his stomach would resent him for it later.

He lasted up until Bakugou made the kitchen bring out every spicy pepper they had. The sadist watched as Izuku coughed up his first bite, eyes watering and face flushing bright red. 

Bakugou cackled as he bit out of the same pepper like it was an apple. Todoroki pushed a glass of water into Izuku’s hands and watched him hack up his lungs with sympathy.

“Well,” Izuku croaked once his tongue had stopped burning. “How’d I do?”

“You did shit.” Bkaugou responded, but the look in his eyes had changed.

Izuku hid his smile against the rim of his glass.

Chapter 3

Notes:

interview part 2

Once the table was clear and the mood had settled, Izuku was able to proceed with the interview. He pulled his worn notebook out of his bag and clicked his pen.

“So,” He started. “From the way you two interact, I can assume you’ve known each other for a while. When did you first meet?”

Todoroki sat up straighter, seeming more comfortable now that the atmosphere had become more professional. 

“I don’t remember exactly where we met, it was some sort of event for celebrities that our parents dragged us to.”

“Remember seeing your stupid face on billboards for ages before then though.” Bakugou added, slumped in his chair. “Teenage you was so fucking awkward.”

Todoroki frowned. “I haven’t changed very much.”

“Yeah, you’re still a fucking dumbass.”

“Okay, so you’ve been friends for a while?” 

“Yes.” Todoroki said. 

“What the fuck?” Bakugou shot up. “We’re not fucking friends, Icyhot!”

Todoroki tilted his head. “A friend is a close acquaintance with whom you share interests, conversation, and spend time with. By that definition, we are friends. We’ve certainly attended enough events together.”

“Fuck your definition! I was forced to go to those stupid events, I didn’t choose to be around you stuffy losers!”

“Right, you were forced by Kirishima’s puppy eyes.”

“Shut up, Shitty Hair’s stupid pout can’t convince me to do shit!” He snarled, but his face was slowly turning red. “I don’t do anything I don’t want–”

“Wait,” Izuku interrupted. “Kirishima? Like Kirishima Eijirou, the lead singer of Riot? I didn’t know you guys knew each other!”

Bakugou froze. He pulled his eyes away from Todoroki and fixed him with a hard glare. 

“No. Another Kirishima. I have no idea what Riot is.” He forced through gritted teeth.

Izuku raised his eyebrows and nearly laughed at the obvious lie, but the sharp set to Bakugou’s shoulders stopped him. He locked his eyes onto Bakugou’s and squared his shoulders.

“If there is anything you don’t want me to say in my article, just tell me, and I swear I won’t. You are human beings, and you deserve privacy just like anyone else.”

“Tch.” Bakugou leant forward, his lip curling with disdain. “Privacy? Don’t lie. I get harassed by the press all the time, I know by now that journalists don’t care about anything but their big scoop.”

“See, that’s where you’re wrong.” Izuku smiled, watching Bakugou’s posture falter for a moment. “If you’d bothered to look up anything about me, or the company I run under, you’d know already that the safety and comfort of the celebrities we cover is our top priority. I know you have no reason to believe me, yet, but I want you to know that if my boss caught wind that I’d released information without your consent, I would be fired on the spot.”

Bakugou searched his eyes for a moment, before averting his gaze and slumping back in his chair. Izuku beamed, a swell of pride building in his chest.

“So,” Izuku resumed, clicking his pen. “You’ve attended many of the same events, have overlapping social circles, and you’d consider yourselves close acquaintances, if not friends.”

Bakugou rolled his eyes but didn’t deny it. Todoroki glanced between the two of them, thrown off balance by the tension in the air, and nodded slowly.

“Did you guys ever hang out outside of events and shoots?”

They slowly fell into a rhythm with each question. Todoroki did most of the talking, interrupted by Bakugou’s gruff corrections and added details. They got off track a few times, when Izuku got carried away with his own curiosities about backstage experiences and foreign models, but he filed the information for later use. His wrist started to cramp up with the amount of notes he was taking, but their dynamic was so fascinating to watch, it would be a shame to not document every moment.

His writing slowed to a stop when he asked about their parents.

“So, are your parents friends? Endeavor and Saikou are some of the biggest household names in Japan, a lot of people are wondering how connected your families are outside of the professional world.”

Izuku looked up from his page as he finished talking, and nearly jumped. Both Bakugou and Todoroki had tensed, staring directly at him. Todoroki’s face was a cold, impassive mask, his lips pressed into a thin line, and Bakugou sunk down in his chair with his face scrunched in a way that looked painful.

He paused, opening his mouth to revoke his statement, but Bakugou spoke before he could.

“My old hag knows his old man, but it’s not like we have fucking...joint dinners or some shit like that.”

Izuku nodded and bit his lip. His pen hovered over a new line, unsure of whether to write that. Jotting it down quickly, he scoured his brain for something to diffuse the mood.

“Okay, uh…” He started. “What kind of interests do you two share? What do you like to talk about or do together?”

Todoroki seemed grateful to move into more comfortable territory. “Bakugou introduced me to the All Might comics.”

Izuku lit up, unable to hold back the words spilling from his mouth. “I love All Might! If he introduced you, does that mean you didn’t know about them before? Were you not allowed to read as a kid? Or did you not like it? Do you like All Might now? I guess it would’ve been awkward to be in an All Might movie if you didn’t, but–”

“Deku!” Bakugou interrupted. “Take a fucking breath, jesus. This moron grew up sheltered as shit, and had no clue who All Might was, even though he’s the best fucking superhero of all time, how tragic is that, and he got casted in the movie so I had to make sure he didn’t make a fool out of himself.”

Todoroki frowned. “I’m sure it would’ve been fine. I didn’t need to know that much for the movie.”

Bakugou grimaced, like they’d had this conversation before. He shifted his incredulous gaze to Izuku. “Dumbass Icyhot over here didn’t even know the name of All Might’s mentor.”

Izuku gasped. “Shimura Nana? She’s like, the most badass character besides All Might himself, and she was such a huge role in Plus Ultra! Or did you mean Gran Torino? Some people call him All Might’s mentor but they wouldn’t even know each other without Shimura, so I’d say she fits the role of his mentor better.”

Bakugou grinned, feral and sharp-toothed. “Knew you were a nerd.”

“Says the one who owns every single volume of All Might‘s comic.” Todoroki commented, fiddling with the napkin. 

“That’s not an insult, Halfie. It was damn hard to collect all those volumes, I paid a shit ton of money for the limited editions.”

Todoroki glanced at Izuku, eyebrows lifting as if to say, See? A huge nerd .

Izuku burst out laughing. 

Both of them stared at him from across the table. He pressed his hands to his mouth like it would help stifle the hiccups and giggles spilling out of him, and he felt the blood rushing to his face. 

“What’s so funny?” Bakugou grumbled.

Izuku choked on his breath. “You- you’re not cool- at all!” 

Bakugou’s horribly offended expression only made him laugh harder, his gasps for air started to drown out Bakugou’s outraged protests. To think that Bakugou Katsuki, the intimidating model known for his attitude, who Izuku had regarded as a god among men for years, was just as much of a nerd as Izuku was? It was such a hilarious juxtaposition to his public persona.

It was moments like these that reminded him why he loved his job so much. He got to talk with them on a personal level and learn things about his favorite celebrities that none of their fans would ever know. He got a twisted sense of satisfaction knowing he was trusted with secrets the public eyes couldn’t reach, and he’d always carry that trust with him long after the interview was over.

“Don’t worry,” Izuku breathed, rubbing his aching cheeks and trying not to laugh at Bakugou’s disgruntled expression. “You can keep your bad boy persona. I won’t tell anyone that you’re a secret nerd, Kacchan!”

“You better fucking not! I'll get your ass fired.” Bakugou snarled, cheeks turning red. “And stop calling me that stupid name.”

“What, Kacchan?” Izuku pouted. “No way, it’s cute! Right, Todoroki?”

Todoroki blinked, clearly confused. He was saved by Bakugou once again.

“Why doesn’t Halfie get a nickname, asshole?”

Izuku hummed. “I haven’t earned it yet.”

“Hah?” Bakugou grumbled. “Who said you earned mine, then? I sure fuckin’ didn’t.”

“Not out loud, sure. But I know how to read between the lines, and I think I impressed you, Kacchan!”

“The fuck? I’m not fucking impressed by your loser ass! And you’re not reading shit!”

Izuku giggled, turning to Todoroki. “Don’t worry, Todoroki. I’m sure I’ll earn the right to call you Shochan soon enough!”

“…Shochan…?” 

He was interrupted by a sharp ringtone.

Izuku startled, slamming his knee into the bottom of the table, and reached for his phone despite knowing it was silent. Bakugou cursed under his breath and declined the call.

It rang again almost immediately.

He groaned and answered, holding it an inch away from his ear. It was good that he did, because the person on the other side of the phone seemed to be shouting. Izuku couldn’t make out what they were saying, but the rapid tensing of Bakugou's shoulders and the irritated scrunch of his brow gave him an idea. 

“Stop fucking yelling,” Bakugou growled into the phone. “You know I’m at an interview, what the hell are you calling me for?”

He rolled his eyes at their response.

“Duh, its still fucking going, why the fuck do you think I-” He was cut off. “No, I didn’t-”

Bakugou huffed exasperatedly. “Fine, jesus fuck. I heard you, I’m coming, shit!”

With that, he hung up, slumping down in his chair. He closed his eyes and said nothing, squeezing hard at the bridge of his nose. Izuku fiddled with his pen, glancing at Todoroki, who seemed oddly unfazed.

“If you have somewhere to be, I’ve got everything I need right now…” He got no response. “I can just text if there’s something I forgot.”

Abruptly, Bakugou stood, snatching his bag and heading towards the door. Izuku rushed to follow. 

“Wait, Kacch- Bakugou!”

“What, nerd?” He huffed. “Got somewhere to be.”

“Yeah, I know,” Izuku said. “I just wanted to say thank you.”

Bakugou softened a little in his confusion. Todoroki finally caught up with them.

“I wanted to thank both of you, actually, for allowing me to interview you.”

Todoroki furrowed his brows. “This is part of our job.”

“W- I know,” Izuku flushed. “I just meant, well, I had fun. I hope we meet again, whether it’s for another interview or otherwise. Oh, and I have something for you!”

He rifled in his bag, searching for the familiar texture. He pulled out two identical keychains, each with a cute decal of his internet logo.

Bakugou raised his eyebrow. “‘S this? Your fucking logo? Pretty egotistical of you, huh?”

Izuku turned red and sputtered, waving his hands in front of his face. “No, it’s not like that! It’s something I give to everyone I interview! Like- like a souvenir! People usually like having them…”

“Yeah, yeah, you don’t fool me, Deku.” Bakugou smirked, snatching the keychain from his open palm.

Todoroki hesitantly followed suit, and Izuku grinned.

It started snowing on his walk home, but he could barely feel the cold through the warmth in his chest.

Notes:

interview is finally done !! excited for it to start picking up :p