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Chapter Text

“The grand prize is a six page spread in the magazine Sweet , should our winning contestant be a female and the magazine FineBoys , if our next top model is a male. You will also be assigned to an agency that will manage you for the first few years of your career.” Katsuki said, his crimson eyes scanning the twelve finalists as he waited for their overly excited cheers to die down so he could continue.

“Beyond that, you will also have a photoshoot with me and a chance to meet my management team for advice on how to make it in the industry. Now that we’ve announced the prizes, it’s time for you all to see where you’ll be living. This season, we’ll be returning to the heart of Japan- in Tokyo, to teach you newbies the roots of fashion.” As Bakugou finished his statement, the red light from the camera turned off, signaling they were done filming at this specific location.

The managers made quick work of telling everyone to stay where they were until called so they could be transported- and filmed, for the next location. As Bakugou took his place at the judging panel, he carefully eyed each of the contestants, analyzing what he believed to be their weaknesses and strengths because first impressions matter.

Bakugou was used to being in front of the camera for one reason or another, be it modeling or acting- both things he got into as a child. The only thing that pissed him off about this job was the constant insistence from his friends and managers that he needed to be appear friendly and helpful. If they wanted him to be fucking helpful, he would start by burning some of the clothes that these wannabes were wearing.

As he thought that, a puff of green caught his attention, making his eye twitch as looked over, what he was sure was a boy, wearing nothing but a shirt and jeans with shitty red high tops on.

“Oi,” Bakugou said loud enough to get everyone’s attention, including the boy who was committing a crime against fashion. “You, get up here.” he said with a jerk of his thumb, pointing to the spot right in front him.

He could see the panic set into the shorter mans features, his eyes wide and doe like as he quickly made his way in front of him, Katsuki noting the red light that came onto the camera again, frowning as he looked down at the shorter boy.

“The fuck are you wearing?” motioning towards his outfit, the boy looked down at his clothing. “It’s the first day of panel, in a fashion competition, and you came dressed like that?” the blonde asked, his eyebrow quirking up as he finished.

“I-I well, I wasn’t quite sure what to w-wear to panel. I thought showing our personal style was important.” he replied, his emerald eyes never breaking contact with Katsuki’s.

Bakugou took note of his freckles and his slender figure. Despite being the shortest in the room, barely tall enough to pass as a model, his face was unique in a way he couldn’t quite place. The kid didn’t look sloppy by any means, but he also didn’t exactly look like he had any sort of fashion sense whatsoever. Bakugou frowned as he crossed his arms against his chest, his eye twitching as he thought of how much everyone in this room needed to improve.

To his right, Katsuki could feel a large hand on his shoulder, a tuft of red hair making its way into his peripheral vision. He quickly pushed the hand off of him, his annoyance only spiking as the red head began to speak.

“Hey, don’t mind him! What’s your name, kid?” Kirishima asked, his face relaxing into a smile as he did so. Kirishima had a way of putting others at ease, specifically when they were becoming tense because of Bakugou.

“Midoriya Izuku.” the boy replied, wringing the bottom of his shirt, his eyes still fixed on Katsuki’s.

“Good name dude but don’t worry about Bakubro here. He would only scold you if he saw potential in you.” Kirishima said, winking at Midoriya as he dodged an elbow from the ash blonde whose frown was getting deeper by the second.

“I can fucking speak for myself, shitty hair.” Bakugou huffed as he looked back over at the man named Midoriya. “The next time you come into panel, you had better look like you got dressed with your eyes open.”

As Bakugou stalked away, Kirishima followed him, waving goodbye with all the contestants shouting their goodbyes as they watched them leave the set. Bakugou loosened his tie as he grabbed a water bottle from one of the producers, sitting heavily on a chair as he waited for makeup to touch him up. Midoriya Izuku was officially on his shit list.

-x-

Mortified did not even begin to describe how Midoriya felt after his short but somewhat heated interaction with Bakugou. Shortly after he left, a nice girl by the name of Uraraka was attempting to cheer him up as they walked through the narrow corridor to their vans.

“It’s like Kirishima said, he only did it because he saw potential in you, right? If anything, maybe it’s a good thing you’re in his radar now so that you can show him how much you admire him!”

Midoriya had confided in Uraraka during their initial encounter at the pre-casting for the show. He couldn’t help but gush about how amazing he thought Bakugou was, from romance to action movies, he always played his part perfectly. He was a method actor from what Midoriya gathered from his research, and he was an even more believable model. He exuded charisma and charm on the runway, his look was versatile and enabled him to do all sorts of fashion all over Asia. Midoriya shook his head as he turned his attention back to Uraraka, who was smiling at him brightly.

“I messed up, did you see the way he was looking at me? I thought his eyes were going to burn holes into my skull.” Midoriya said with a sigh, running a hand through the mess of curls on his head. “I’m just going to have really impress him in the next panel I guess…” he said as he looked out the window.

From the seat in front of him, a man with glasses turned back to look at him, his his almost as intense as Bakugou’s had been.

“If you aren’t going to put your all into this competition, with the ability to handle constructive criticism, then I suggest that you drop out now. There are a lot of people here who actually want this.” was all the man said as he turned back around in his seat, leaving Izuku speechless and slightly embarrassed.

He did want to be here, more than anyone else could understand. He wasn’t just here because Bakugou was one of the judges, he was passionate about modeling. It wasn’t his fault that his family didn’t have much money, that he had used up most of his savings from his job just to be able to afford three outfits that weren’t plain shirts or worn out button up shirts. Midoriya decided it best to bite his tongue as the van pulled up to a high rise apartment complex- the place they’d be staying for the competition.

Everyone filed out of the van, the camera’s already rolling as they made their way up to the very last floor- the biggest suite in the apartment. As they approached the door, Midoriya’s face lit up as he realized the supermodel known as Midnight was waiting for them with the key to the apartment. Quickening his pace, he managed to squeeze his way to the front with Uraraka hot on his heels as he stopped short of one of the best in the industry.

She had her hair down as usual, a white button up blouse adorned her chest with a cute black leather belt styled on her thin waist with black high waisted jeans that showed how tone her legs are. As she lifted her arm to wave at everyone, silver bracelets jangled on her delicate wrists.

“Welcome to your new house everyone! It’s so nice to see so many fresh, young faces, especially from our female contestants.” She cooed as she hugged Uraraka to her chest, not moving her as she continued to talk, and Uraraka didn’t move either, clinging to the woman as she did so.

“With that being said, girls will being living on the far side of the house while the boys will be living on side closest to us, make sense?” she asked as she turned to put the key in the door, everyone nodding enthusiastically. Midnight opened the door, and the frenzy was on for who could pick a room faster.

Midoriya might have been smaller but that made him faster. The apartment was huge with a large lounge area that had a runway going through the middle with yellow and white bean bags and couches surrounding the outside of the runway. As Midoriya rounded the corner, he walked into a room that was themed around Bakugou. A large portrait of Bakugou from last season was placed in the center of the room.

As Izuku sat on a bed, his way of claiming that this was his bunk, he looked over the room, his eyes shining as he realized the wallpaper was made of various publications of Bakugou’s modeling career. There were photos from his very first fashion five years prior, to the most recent one that he had stolen the show at just a month prior. As he collapsed onto his bed, the comforter orange with black crosses embroidered into the soft fabric, he closed his eyes as he allowed himself to relax for the first time that day.

Shortly after laying down, the door opened quietly and Midoriya looked towards the door to see Todoroki standing at the door with the man who had scolded him on the bus. He sat up quickly, fixing his hair as he smiled shyly.

“I’m the only one in this room, so you two are free to bunk in here if you want.” he said as he motioned to the other two free beds on the other side of the room, a small smile forming on his face as the two of them nodded in tandem, taking their places on their beds as they did so. For some reason, the boy named Todoroki looked vaguely familiar to him but he couldn’t quite put his finger on where he had seen him before.

The man with glasses offered his hand to Midoriya, which he shook hesitantly as he looked up at him. “My name is Tenya Iida, I have been modeling for close to two years now. Your name is Midoriya Izuku?” he asked curiously as he sat back on his bed.

Midoriya nodded as he rubbed the back of his neck, his nerves starting to act up. “I am, although I think you might have gotten the wrong idea about me from panel. I’m not here as a joke or because I think it’s fun. I’m here as a serious contestant, I want to be a model, I want to win.” he said as he looked back up at Tenya, whose expression was unchanging.

“I suppose we’ll see how serious you are during the first week of competition then.” he said as he nodded towards the managers who brought in their luggage. “I suggest you get changed as we’ll likely be leaving to our first challenge soon.” with that, he got up and walked out, Todoroki following him quietly as he did so.

Izuku sighed as he got up, discarding his shirt and pants as he opened his suitcase, looking over the clothes he had brought as he thought of the next panel. Eventually, he settled on a pair of black slacks that he managed to get tailored to his measurements specifically, a white button up shirt and a black vest. As he finished dressing, he heard Midnight call everyone into the kitchen so he walked out, looking and feeling a lot better than he had at panel.

As he walked into the kitchen, Uraraka gave him a thumbs up and he noticed a blonde girl on the other side of the room watching him closely as he took his place at the back of the group.

Midnight explained that another supermodel would meet them at their destination to help them all with their walk, something that a lot of people had struggled with during their audition. Midoriya was rather confident with his walk, in and out of heels, and he didn’t really feel he struggled with it so this was a challenge that he could easily get through without much trouble.

Again, the group of twelve contestants were herded out to their van, Midoriya receiving several compliments on his “cleaned up” appearance. He took it all in stride as he settled into the van.

-x-

As they all walked on set, they were greeted by yet another supermodel by the name of Yu Takeyama, also known as Mt. Lady for how tall she was- especially in the fashion industry for women in Japan. She was a breakout sensation that rose quickly to the top of her game in just a few years, having success overseas and internationally.

Midoriya felt as though his brain would malfunction meeting all these celebrities in the short span of twenty-four hours. As they took their place in front of Takeyama, who was standing on top of the runway that they would be practicing on, she looked excited to get started.

“Today, and for the rest of this show, I’ll be your runway director!” she exclaimed as she motioned to the start of the runway. “Everyone can line up over here. As you walk to the end, I’ll be giving you an evaluation out loud. As you walk back, I want you to take what I was saying to you and try to apply it. This’ll show me how quick you learn compared to your peers.” she finished as she got off the runway, motioning for the first person to start walking.

Todoroki was up first, he was quiet but had a lot confidence in his walk as he kept one in his pocket, Izuku found it hard to take his eyes off of him as he made his way with ease to the end of the runway.

“Try to keep your shoulders straight as you walk and keep your chin at level with your shoulders so you’re not moving your head so much as you walk.”

Todoroki was silent as he made his way back to the start of the runway, taking her advice and fixing his posture quickly as he made his way gracefully back to the start of the runway, Takeyama clapping as he stepped off the platform.

“Excellent work Todoroki!” she exclaimed as she motioned for the next person to take their place. The next person to come onto the runway was a woman named Yayorozu from what Midoriya had overheard at their auditions. She had jet black hair with long legs and her presence was very commanding. Her striking looks demanded an audition from those around her which made her pretty strong competition in Izuku’s book.

As she walked down the runway, Midoriya noticed that she had heels on which didn’t trip her up at all as she made her way down. Soon enough, Takeyama was guiding her into a better walk, don’t move your hips as much, keep your shoulders straight as you walk, don’t look so mean.

This went on with the other eleven contestants, Midoriya taking the time to really look at everyone’s walk to see how they fair at a fashion show, before it was finally his turn. As he took a deep breath to calm his nerves- trying to shrug off the fact that he had more than twenty pairs of eyes on him as he began his walk, he took to walking with confidence, doing just as he had practiced while watching Bakugou on TV so many times before.

“Try to keep your back straighter, you’re one of the shortest in this competition so you really need to try to make yourself look as tall as possible.” she coached as she walked along with him.

Izuku took in a deep breath as he posed at the end of the runway before turning around, pushing his shoulders back as he straightened his back. As he approached the end of the runway, he could hear Takeyama called out to him as he finished, a smile on her face as she pulled him to the side.

“Considering you’re so short, have you ever considered walking in heels?” She asked as she put her hands on his shoulders, Midoriya trying not to explode as one of his favorite models beamed a smile at him.

“I-I have walked in heels before.” he started as he looked off to the side.

“Great! Because all our boys here will have a chance to walk in them today!” she exclaimed as a cart was wheeled out, six pairs of strappy black heels with a name card on each, was set in the middle of the room.

“Just out of curiosity,” a boy with black hair began “why do the guy have to walk in these?” he finished, looking at the shoes with a wary expression as he took them off the cart.

“In this industry, it isn’t uncommon for men to wear heels, but don’t you think equality is a wonderful thing? Women are almost always seen with heels on their feet- it’s a requirement for us to be able to walk in heels, no matter how high they are.” Takeyama stated as she pointed to her heels. “So today, you’ll get a little taste of the other side, as well as experience for the future.”

Something inside Tenya must have snapped at that statement because he stood up quickly, heels already on his feet as he began to speak rather excitedly.

“That’s exactly what I would expect from one of the industries best models! Thank you for this learning opportunity.” he exclaimed as he looked back at the rest of the female contestants. “I hope you all will be willing to teach us how you walk with such poise and make it look so easy.” he finished as he bowed to them deeply, earning a couple giggles and confused expressions.

“Well with that out of the way,” Takeyama continued as she motioned for Midoriya to take his place. “Let’s continue lesson!”

Midoriya gave a firm nod as he strode over to the catwalk, immediately beginning his walk as he kept his back straight and his neck even. The heels were about four inches but Izuku almost didn’t feel them other than his hips swishing a bit more than they had out of heels. Takeyama applauded him as he returned to his starting place. Considering he hadn’t received criticism and he hadn’t tripped, he tallied this one as a win his book.

“Next one, lets go!” She said and Midoriya returned to his seat so he could change his shoes after double checking that it was okay to do so. A couple of the girls turned their attention to him as he put his shoes back on.

“How did you walk so easily in heels?” Uraraka asked, a girl named Tsu nodding at her question as she listened intently.

“I just used to practice a lot when I was younger, I guess it came in handy for the competition.” he said with a smile as he relaxed back in his seat.

Tsu gave a nod as she sat back in her seat. “I always feel like I’m going to fall no matter how short the heel is.” she said, observing a boy named Monoma who was struggling to keep his composure on the runway.

“Well I guess this means you’re on your way to redemption.” a voice said next to him, startling him from his thoughts. As he looked up, he realized Kirishima had somehow managed to slip into the hall unnoticed, all the girls suppressing their screams as he took a seat in front of those who weren’t walking.

“So, what’s up? Is Takeyama being too hard on any of you?” He asked with a devious smile, his face lighting up as he did so. “I mean, I couldn’t defend you because she’s scary, but I could sympathize.”

Izuku laughed as he straightened his shirt. Kirishima Eijirou was a long time best friend of Bakugou, they had grown up together, attending elementary to high school together before they both entered into the modeling business. Kirishima was having a conversation with the girls that he couldn’t make out as he was lost in thought. Kirishima and Bakugou had started out in the same agency but shortly after, Bakugou moved to a different agency to accommodate his acting and modeling career in equal parts.

Despite the change in agencies, the two had remained close and had also managed to become permanent judges on Japan’s Next Top Model for three consecutive seasons. Their experience was unmatched and they were a power duo in the industry.

Midoriya was snapped out of his memories as Kirishima waved a hand in front of his face, a worried expression on his face as he looked up at him.

“You good? Thought we lost you there for a second.” he said with a laugh, running a hand through his bright red hair. “You’re not still upset about what happened this morning are you? Bakugou just takes this kind of stuff seriously because it is a competition and all.”

Midoriya shook his head as he offered a shy smile to Kirishima, holding his hands up as he began to speak. “No, it’s nothing like that! I’m grateful that he was so upfront about it. He just let me know that he wasn’t going to take any slacking from anyone and I think that’s how it should be.”

Uraraka spoke up from beside him, an amused tone in her voice. “Midoriya here totally hero worships Bakugou. He was upset at first but I think he’s just happy to have been noticed by him at all.” she said, playfully ruffling his hair.

“Oh, he has a fanboy huh?” Kirishima asked with a smirk as he leaned back in his chair, his strong arms crossed against his chest as he eyed Midoriya. “Are you still a fan after the way he came after you this morning?” he asked with a sly smile, his sharp teeth showing as he did so.

“Well I mean, yeah. I’ve been a fan of his for years. Just because he puts a hundred percent into everything and expects no less from others, that doesn’t mean I’m going to hate him after one critique.” Izuku started, his eyes shining as he spoke about Bakugou. “That’s how he’s gotten so far, I think he inspires the people around him to work harder because he’s always pushing past what’s expected of him. I remember his first fashion show, almost every piece of clothing he wore sold out less than twenty four hours later. That’s just the kind of person he is! ”

Izuku stopped abruptly, his cheeks almost catching on fire from the heat as he realized he had been gushing way too hard about his idol, looking down at his feet shyly when Kirishima burst into laughter. “Well I’ll be damned, he knows you better than you know yourself, Katsuki.” Kirishima exclaimed as Izuku heard footsteps to his right.

There it was, the feeling of mortification setting in again as he realized that not only had Bakugou heard him gushing about him relentlessly, he had also seen him dissolve into a shy mess at the realization that he had, in fact, been gushing about him in great detail.

“Tch, it’s not hard to recognize a pro when you see it shitty hair.” Bakugou started, his gaze fixed on the younger man who currently had his face covered by his hands. “You know your stuff nerd, but don’t think that flattery is going to get you anywhere in this industry.” he retorted, his gaze shifting to Tenya walking carefully down the runway in heels.

“Come on Bakubro, he didn’t even know you were standing there until you opened your big mouth. I think that much is evident from his reaction to your voice.” Kirishima said with a laugh as he stood up, nudging Midoriya as he stood next to Bakugou.

Izuku looked up at the pair, his cheeks still holding a red tint from the embarrassment he was feeling. “You look good, I’m glad to see you’re serious about this competition.” Kirishima said as he held his fist out to him.

Izuku perked up a bit at the compliment as he gave Kirishima a fist bump a smile, the blonde next to him rolling his eyes as he motioned for everyone to line up. “If you keep it up, no one is going to take your judging seriously dumbass. Just because he changed doesn’t mean his performance will hold water.” and with that, Bakugou walked away, the line following after him and Kirishima broke into a jog to keep up with his long strides.

-x-

The lesson that Takeyama had given them had played into what their challenge would entail, as it usually did.

Kirishima had informed them that the next day, they would be part of a runway show, showcasing pieces from a well known designer by the name of Mic and that they should probably sleep as soon as they got home because runway shows were an all day event that required them to get ready for and be ready for the designer to call them when needed.

However, when they got home, everyone was too excited to sleep. They all took to sitting around the catwalk that was in their living room, everyone introducing themselves and why they wanted to become a model. There were six women and six men, although in past years there was either more girls or more boys, so Izuku felt like the balance this season was somehow a good omen of things to come.

From the introductions, the names of all the contestants were Uraraka, Iida, Todoroki, Jirou, Tsu (that’s what she wanted everyone to call her anyways), Monoma, Sero, Momo, Tetsutetsu, Shiozaki, Toga, and of course, Midoriya. All of them wanted to become models for one reason or another, most of them feeling that modeling was their calling, or others who just wanted the experience.

Todoroki and Midoriya were the only two who hadn’t stated their reasons for wanting to become a model, although most people could probably guess what Midoriya’s motivation was, it was hard to push past his cold exterior and Midoriya hadn’t seen him say a single word to anyone, not even Iida, who he had been following around the whole day.

As Izuku carefully ate the salad he had prepared himself, the blonde girl, whose name was Toga, sat next to Midoriya, smiling as she did so.

“Midoriya,” she started, leaning close to him, way too close for his own comfort. “I think we used to go to school together.” she said as she sat back in her seat, tugging at her tan cardigan.

Midoriya shook his head as he returned to eating his salad, feeling slightly off put from how strong her personality was. “If that were true, I would have recognized you.” he said as he played with his fork. “We don’t even come from the same city, Toga.” he finished.

Toga laughed happily as she leaned over and hugged him tightly, almost making Midoriya drop his bowl of food in the process. “So you’d remember me if we went to the same school?” she asked happily as Midoriya managed to wiggle out of her grasp as politely as possible.

“That’s not at all what I said, but I’m tired so I think I’m going to go to bed.” Midoriya said as he got up and made his way into the kitchen to clean off his dishes. His shoulders slumped as he finished washing his bowl before returning to his room for the night.

When he got into his room, Todoroki was already laying down with his back facing Izuku’s bed. Since Midoriya didn’t know whether or not he was sleeping, he decided to keep the lights off as he changed into his pajamas. Izuku set his alarm for five in the morning as he settled into his bed, sighing heavily as he curled into the orange and black comforter.

“Hard day?” an unfamiliar voice asked from across the room. Izuku could only assume that the smooth, quiet voice came from Todoroki in the bed across from his own.

“Sort of. I’m just tired I guess. Did you have a hard day, Todoroki?” Midoriya asked quietly as he closed his eyes.

“Could have been worse.” was all he said and a silence came over the room again. Midoriya decided to sleep, the events of the day weighing heavily on his mind as he fell asleep without much resistance from his body.

-x-

The twelve of the contestants had made it to the site of the runway show, almost everyone going into hair and makeup immediately. The first half of the morning had been spent with Takeyama, who went over what exactly the challenge would entail and what the judges would be judging them on over the course of the night.

Everyone had two outfits from a designer that they would be showing off from Mic’s collection. The whole point of this challenge was to see who could handle the pressure of walking with other models and maneuvering around each other in such a way that wouldn’t hide the garment. Izuku was feeling a bit nervous about having to walk in front of Bakugou and Kirishima, given that they had been in the industry for so much longer, on top of the fact that Mic would be choosing who the winner of the challenge would be. He wasn’t going to allow his nerves to get to him though, he still had to make his way to redemption for the panel fail he did the other day.

As Izuku got his makeup done, something he wasn’t used to but his makeup artist was understanding and patient, the man doing his makeup went by the name Dabi. He had, what looked to be, stage makeup on his face that appeared to look like a patch job and Midoriya thought it fit him well.

As his makeup was being finished, and Dabi was moving onto Monoma, he overheard a conversation between the two as he waited for his hair to be done.

“Why do you have all that Halloween makeup on you face?” Monoma asked, although some of things he said were stupid, he didn’t mean anything in a malicious way, he was just blunt and socially inept.

“How would you like it if I called your makeup Halloween makeup?” Dabi asked, his tone as dull and unamused as it had been the second Midoriya met him.

“That’s not what I meant, Dabi, I was just asking why you wear it when you don’t have a photo shoot.”

“I would ask if you’ve ever heard of self expression but I don’t have to ask to know the answer.” Dabi retorted as he started on Monoma’s makeup, some of the other people reacting to the smack down Dabi had put on Monoma.

Soon after that interaction, a man by the name of Shigaraki, who was pale and quite frankly unsociable began to do Midoriya’s hair, staying quiet for a large majority of his work other than telling Midoriya when to close his eyes or tilt his head. After he was finished, Midoriya smiled and bowed at Shigaraki in thanks which was met with a hand waving in reply as he moved onto the next person.

“Midoriya!” Uraraka called from a couple tables over, her hair and makeup being completed as she skipped over to him.

Her short hair had extensions put into it, making a bow on the top of her head with pink glitter and small red hearts sprinkled into her soft brown hair. Her makeup consisted of her cheeks being dusted pink along with her eyeliner that made her eyes look bigger than they actually were. Her makeup reminded Izuku of something he would see out of a Harajuku magazine.

“Your makeup looks amazing, Uraraka.” Midoriya said with a warm smile as she took a seat next to him, both of them waiting for the outfits to be revealed. Izuku had become aware of the fact that he was becoming used to all the camera surrounding them constantly. Even though he was being recorded right now, that doesn’t mean it’ll be used in the show which gave him comfort.

Izuku’s hair had been straightened just slightly so that his curls were turned into waves before his hair was spiked up with golden glitter was applied to his now spiky hair. His makeup a bit darker than he would have thought but the cat eye that was applied to his lids made his eyes look bigger and brighter than they had been before so he wasn’t against it. A dark red heart had been painted on his cheek, covering up some his freckles but some managed to poke through the paint.

“Mic is a Harajuku designer, right?” Uraraka asked as she looked at herself in the mirror, smiling at what she saw in the reflection.

“That is what’s known for, he’s been more towards high fashion these days though.” Izuku answered as a producer called for those who were done with their hair and makeup to get into their first outfits.

Izuku and Uraraka made their way to their separate changing rooms. Izuku looked over the fabric that he was given, a team of people around him to make getting into his outfit easier and faster. Mic’s fashion shows could be fast paced at times, so it made sense to Izuku that all these people would be here.

The outfit he was given was a red and black plaid coat with a bright orange shirt that was ripped up underneath. For the pants, he was given orange fishnet stocking to put on under obscenely ripped black skinny jeans that had small charms clipped onto the belt loops. As Izuku got dressed, one of the producers brought over fingerless gloves for him to wear, which he put on. Afterwards, he was given black platform boots and he stopped right before he put them on.

“Didn’t Bakugou wear these at Mic’s last show?” Izuku asked as he looked up at one of the staff. He was met with a friendly laugh and a nod before he was spoken to.

“Honey, he not only wore those, he designed those.” the staff worker said as he turned back around to check over Tetsu, who was also getting dressed. Izuku shook his head as he laced up the boots before standing up, stretching as he did so.

The clothes felt good and they were loose enough, Izuku walked out of the curtained area and was once again reunited with Uraraka who was talking to Iida and Todoroki. Surprisingly enough, Todoroki and Iida weren’t dressed up in Harajuku fashion, instead they were dressed more in modern fashion trends.

Todoroki had a black headband on over his hair, with a black leather jacket that fit his shoulders just right, a brown and white shirt loose enough to show his collarbones underneath the jacket, along with black leather pants that had zippers from pockets to ankles. Black ankle boots finished off his look.

Iida had on a pinstripe suit that was brown with white embroidering instead of black and red, with a white, white brimmed hat on his head. His pants were the same pattern and color as his jacket, with black, zip up boots

“I wonder what everyone else is going to be wearing.” Izuku said as they walked up to the other two. “Maybe half of us will be modern fashion with the other half being harajuku inspired fashion.”

Iida nodded in argument as they were called up to the catwalk. Through the curtains, on the other side, Izuku could hear Mic introducing his new collection, also mentioning that Japan’s Next Top Model was the inspiration for this collection. As he finished, a woman carefully helped Midoriya get into his place, his platforms adding at least four inches to his height.

The music began and Izuku was instructed to make his way onto the runway, which he did. As he got out onto the runway, he didn’t focus on anyone in the audience. He was here to walk and show them the clothes that Mic had chosen for him. As he got to the end of the runway, he allowed his jacket to slip off his shoulder to show the shirt underneath before flipping it back over and making his way back.

Halfway through his way back, Todoroki came out, both of them managing to avoid touching each other or having their walks interrupted.

As Izuku came back, it was chaos, there was shouting, Izuku was being shoved into a room to change, his outfit a different color variation of the outfit he had just worn before he was put back in line, waiting behind a girl named Shiozaki. She smiled at him warmly as she gave him a thumbs up.

She said something to him before she took her turn onto the runway but the music was way too loud for him to understand anything she was saying before she disappeared behind the curtain.

-x-

After the show had ended, some regretting their performance while others- like Midoriya, were definitely on a high from their experience. Mic appeared from the other side of the curtain and everyone clapped for him, still clad in his collection for the winter. He congratulated everyone on their performance and was quick to get into who the winner was.

“The winner of today’s challenge will be able to pick one friend to visit my studio and pick out two outfits of their choosing to keep.” Everyone got quiet in anticipation of who the winner would be.

In the end, Midoriya won the challenge. “Our wonderful Mt Lady had asked me to put you in those custom platform shoes as a challenge to you since your walk was already amazing, but I didn’t think you would be able to pull it off with the amount of style that you did. Feel free to bring a friend with you tomorrow when you come to see me.” Mic said as he waved at everyone before walking out.

Midoriya felt like he was on top of the world.

Chapter Text

The next day, Izuku was up early with Uraraka to go to Present Mic’s personal studio to pick out their prizes from the previous day’s challenge. Izuku had won the challenge and he had chosen Uraraka to come with him since she had been such a comforting and friendly presence since he had joined this competition. Currently, they were in a smaller van, not too far from the location of Mic’s studio.

“So, I was looking over his catalog from the past few seasons and there are so many things that I want to get from his collections!” Uraraka said with a pout as the van came to a slow stop in the front of a high rise building.

Izuku got out of the van first before helping Uraraka, who was in heels and a skirt, and they made their way into the building, being guided up to the thirty first floor which is where his studio was waiting for them. In the elevator, Izuku felt as though he was sweating entirely too much to meet a man he had already met before, he had even walked in his fashion show the night before.

“If I ask for two things that Bakugou helped design, that would be weird, but I really want the matching jacket that goes with the platform heels. On the other hand, I could just find another piece of clothing that matches either the boots or the jacket and then it wouldn’t be as weird. Everyone already knows how much…” without realizing it, Izuku had gone into a full rant while debating with himself about what would be acceptable for him to take from the studio.

Uraraka stared at him before gently shaking his shoulders, her face pink as she did so. “Earth to Midoriya! You’re totally overthinking this whole thing! Just pick whatever pieces you like and flaunt them proudly at panel,” She exclaimed as they stepped off the elevator together, Izuku sticking close to her as he gave her an embarrassed smile.

“Yo! The champions of the hour!” a loud voice boomed from the door in front of them before it opened to reveal Mic and a very tired looking man standing next to him who Izuku recognized as Mic’s long time husband and fashion designer, known only as Aizawa.

Izuku was trying desperately to keep his composure as he was ushered into the studio by a very loud and excited Mic, who was talking excitedly about all the pieces he had put aside for them both.

As he walked in, he took the time to take in the sight of a famous designer’s studio, not at all being disappointed by the sight in front of him. The walls were a bright white with splashes of yellow decorating them, several large windows adorned the largest wall on the other side of the room, plants and curtains decorating them with colors of green and soft purple. There were several tables with mannequins beside them with half finished pieces of clothing, fabric and sewing equipment scattered haphazardly on each of the tables, all of varying colors and textures.

He quickly found himself smiling as he hugged Uraraka’s arm closer to his chest, forgetting all about his nervousness as he thought of his potential future in the fashion industry. As long as he could dream it, he could do it, that was just something he would have to convince himself of everyday while he was here.

“Mic, I think you’re scaring the girl. Uraraka, I think her name was.” Aizawa spoke up from next to them, his voice gruff and not nearly as loud as Mic’s.

“N-no! Not at all! It’s actually not Mic that’s making me nervous.” Uraraka replied sheepishly as she turned her face so she wouldn’t have to look at him. “It’s you.”

A silence settled over the room as she finished her statement and Izuku could feel her tense under his arm as Mic’s laughter filled the room, his laughter almost as bright as the clothing he created.

“You should see your face Shouta!” he laughed loudly as the attention was turned to his husband, who looked confused and irritated by the sudden teasing from Mic. “You’re terrifying the poor girl and then you drew attention to it you big dummy.”

Izuku shook his head as he smiled at Aizawa, not being intimidated by his sour face. “What she means is, she really admires you as a designer and she didn’t realize you were going to be here today. She told me she wants to walk in one of your shows.” he finished, Aizawa’s face softening slightly before he stood up.

Aizawa carefully pried Uraraka away from Izuku as he headed for a door on the far side of the studio.

“I’ll take of her, you just deal with the other one.” he said as they walked through the door, the two quietly having a conversation that he couldn’t quite hear. Mic’s voice broke him out of his attempted eavesdropping.

“Let’s get you some clothes, kid.” he said cheerfully as he lead him to a rack of clothing, most of it being clothes from past season but he also saw clothing from the fashion show the other night. “Before we go through here, are there any clothes you already have your heart set on?” he asked.

Izuku could feel his face start to warm up as rocked back and forth nervously on his heels, looking at Mic before looking back at the rack and then back at Mic. “D-do you have any clothes that Bakugou helped design?” he asked, his voice shaking only slightly as he tried to steel his nerves.

Izuku didn’t feel comfortable asking for things, he had never been on to ask for anything- let alone go out of his way to make someone’s life hard by putting in a selfish request. Part of him wanted to forget about asking for the clothes, but another part of him wanted to be able to just let himself enjoy it just this once. Afterall, he had never asked for anything substantial before.

Mic’s face broke out into a grin as he began to walk to the other side of the room, his blonde hair flowing loosely behind his broad shoulders as he opened a closet. “I was told by one of the judges that you might ask for something like that, since you are Bakugou’s number one fanboy after all.” he stated with a smug tone.

As he made his way back to Izuku, he had an arm full of clothing and Izuku could feel himself start to smile as he recognized some of the fabric he was holding. He set down the clothing and unfolded them for Izuku to see the whole garment. The leather jacket Bakugou had worn in countless photoshoots was present, along with the boots he had worn the other night with a little less height on them than the ones he had worn. There was also a choker made of nothing but chains and orange gems and a ripped satin shirt with a white skull on it, the design torn up in unique way.

“Bakugou always looks so cool in these! I don’t think I could pull them off half as well as he does, I think I’m too soft to look hardcore.” Izuku said as he laughed sheepishly, his fingers carefully tracing the fabric of the leather jacket.

Mic sat on a chair, his face in his hand as he started to speak. “That’s the thing about models- they’re chameleons. Granted, not all of them can go to the lengths that Bakugou does, but when they are given an offer, they take it and they find a way to make it work, That’s just how the modeling world works.”

“Why do you want to become a model, Midoriya?” He asked as he sat back in his chair, taking a piece of leftover fabric into his hands as he watched him.

“I’ve always liked clothes and walking. It feels really good when I’m walking in front of people- like I did yesterday. Bakugou is an inspiration to me- we come from similar backgrounds. Not to get too deep into my personal life, but my family isn’t rich. It’s just been my mom and I since I was very young and it was hard to make ends meet a lot of the times, so I also want to become someone my mom can be proud of, someone she can rely on so her life doesn’t always have to be so hard. Because she deserves so much more than what she has been given in this world.” Izuku finished, laughing nervously as he rubs the back of his hand against his eyes were tears had begun to form.

Mic watched him with a soft expression, smiling as he stood up, patting Izuku on the shoulder as he did so. “You know what, you’ve grown on me. You impressed me last night but I can see that you’re a lot more than a fame chaser.” he said as he motioned to a room to the right of Izuku. “Go put on all these clothes in that room over there. I want to see you become a chameleon.”

Izuku blinked a couple times as he looked at the clothes, carefully taking them into his hands. “Okay…” He said as he went into what turned out to be a small changing room.

Before long, and after a little bit of practicing in the mirror, Izuku came out of the changing room, feeling confident in the clothes that Bakugou had helped design. Mic looked impressed as he stood from his chair, dropping the magazine he had been flipping through, the pages making a small fluttering noise as it hit the floor.

“That’s what I wanted to see.” he said proudly. “I’ll tell you what, I’ll let you keep all the clothes. I think you’ve more than earned it.”

Izuku felt like his jaw was going to break away from his face and astral project out of the milky way as he looked at him with disbelief. “I-I couldn’t possibly! I’m more than okay with just two of these pieces.” he said, his face heating up as he shook his hands in front of him.

Mic laughed as he shook his head, not listening to what he had to say as he made his way to the middle of the room, the door that Uraraka and Aizawa had disappeared into had suddenly opened.

Izuku had expected to see Uraraka and Aizawa but instead, Bakugou and a man, who he was sure was the model and photographer Kaminari, appeared from behind the door. Izuku quickly turned around as his eyes made contact with Bakugou, his face on fire as he quickly started for the changing room as a way to hide- and possibly cry. Alas, Mic had different plans. He caught Izuku by the shoulder and turned him around, welcoming the two into the studio loudly.

“Bakugou, Kaminari! Please take a moment to admire my new obsession!” he said as he motioned to Izuku, whose face was still on three different shades of red.

“Oh yeah! That’s the one that won the challenge right? Congrats bro, you totally kicked everyone’s ass! Metaphorically speaking of course.” Kaminari said as he gave Izuku a high-five. “We actually just came from a photo shoot with a magazine and we decided to stop by and say hi.”

“ You decided to come and say hi, fuckin’ energizer bunny on crack.” Bakugou said as he leaned against a table, cracking his neck loudly as he looked back at Izuku who quickly averted his gaze.

“Oh come on, you can’t say you weren’t interested in coming to see what clothes they were going to pick. Uraraka looks cute as fuck and Midoriya is rocking this look in a way you never could.” he joked as he dodged Bakugou throwing a marker at him.

“Oh eat shit, I don’t have to aspire to be anyone, I’m already the best at what I do.” he said with an irritated scowl, going back to leaning against the table as he looked Izuku. “You some kind of stalker or something? You seem to know a whole lot about someone you’ve only just met.” he snapped.

Izuku flinched at those words, his shoulders dropping slightly as he looked at his feet, his mouth going dry as he started to speak. “I’m not… I only know what is made public. I wouldn’t want to invade your privacy like that- I respect you.” he said softly.

Bakugou’s expression shifted slightly before he sighed loudly, pinching the bridge of his nose in irritation. “Fuck, you can’t tell when someone’s joking?”

“To be fair, you’re kind of a dick and people who don’t know you personally might take offense to your shitty humor.” Kaminari said with a laugh before breaking into a sprint to escape from Bakugou’s wrath.

As they ran around the studio, playing the most intense game of tag Izuku had ever seen, Mic clapped both his hands on his shoulders as he looked at him. “Don’t take him too seriously, he doesn’t know how to take the flattery of a fanboy. As for you, I am rooting for you personally. Even if you don’t win, if your agent hasn’t reached out to me about a runway show by the end of next year, I’m going to very disappointed in you, Izuku Midoriya.” he said as he turned around, yelling at the two to stop turning his peaceful studio into a playpen.

Kaminari kept his distance as he made his way back to Izuku, offering his hand, which he took into a handshake. “Best of luck to you my man! We’re here to judge you but we’re also here to help you be the best version of yourself. If you need anything, talk to us after panel.” he said with a wink as he waved before making his way to the door.

Bakugou had his hands in his pocket as he looked over Izuku, who was becoming increasingly more self conscious the longer the male looked at him. His expression was hard to read and his crimson eyes felt like they could burn a hole into him even though he didn’t look angry or irritated.

“You don’t look bad.” was all he said as he turned his back and followed Kaminari out of the studio.

Izuku could feel himself let out a large breath, sitting down on a chair as he smiled to himself, trying not to get too giddy in front of the camera as he quietly waited for Uraraka so he could gush about what had happened.

-x-

Not long after Bakugou and Kaminari had left, Izuku got dressed into his original clothing and Uraraka came back into the studio with Aizawa. She looked a lot more relaxed than she had at first, her expressions animated and Aizawa looked to be genuinely interested in the conversation.

“I think you’re overthinking it, you could do the show if you really want to.” Aizawa said as the pair walked up to Izuku, who was looking over some fabrics Mic was showing to him.

“I think I should try for it then, if you’re so sure.” she said with a smile as she hugged Izuku close to her, her expression bright.

“Looks like you two had a good bonding experience.” Mic joked as stood up, giving his husband a smile.

Uraraka nodded enthusiastically as she held a bag tightly in her right hand, which Izuku figured probably held the clothes that Aizawa had given her while they were gone.

“We did! I feel a lot more confident going into this competition.” she said as they all made their way to the studio doors. Mic opened the doors and walked them to the elevator as he put his hands in his pockets, Aizawa standing beside him in a similar fashion.

“It was great having you both in the studio today, I’m really looking forward to where this competition takes the both of you. Hopefully it leads you back to these doors.” Mic said with a smile.

They all said their goodbyes and soon, Uraraka and Izuku were on their way back to the apartment, both of them gushing about the experience they had, had over their respective designer. Uraraka laughed when Izuku told her Kaminari called her cute and the fight he and Bakugou had gotten into.

Apparently Aizawa has a soft spot for girls who don’t seem to be too confident in themselves. He helped Uraraka pick clothes that she would be confident in that also helped to accentuate her curves, which wasn’t something that a lot of girls in the modeling world had. He also gave her advice about dealing with self esteem and not comparing herself to the other women in the competition. Overall, he just seemed to be a nice guy, much like his husband, despite his rugged exterior.

-x-

Soon after arriving at the apartment, they were bombarded with questions. Izuku couldn’t help but laugh and feel a little out of place with people being jealous about the clothing he had received from Mic, since usually no one was really jealous of him. They had all gathered in the living room as the pair told their individual stories and showed the clothing they had gotten. From Izuku’s left, he could hear Toga speaking rather loudly to the girl named Jirou.

“I’m just saying her clothes are ugly, I personally wouldn’t be caught dead in those.” she said with a little laugh at the end, not looking at either Izuku or Uraraka.

Izuku glanced at Uraraka, realizing she had heard everything that Toga had said, she was smiling but he could tell she was fighting off tears as everyone’s attention was suddenly on Toga.

“That was incredibly rude of you to say, Toga. Uraraka is cute and so are her clothes. I think an apology for your rude behavior is necessary.” Iida said as he stood up, his glare a bit more harsh than normal. A couple people nodded in agreement as he spoke.

“Iida~ I’m not allowed to have an opinion on the clothes she picked out? We all have different styles and that one isn’t appealing to me. It’s boring.” Toga said with a shrug, her expression unchanging as she looked at him.

“Jealousy is an ugly thing.” Izuku said as he shot Toda sideways look, his expression a lot more cold than everyone was used to.

“Almost as ugly as you.” Todoroki said from his spot beside Uraraka, his gaze fixed squarely on Toga as he continued. “If your only goal here is to be annoying and disliked by everyone, you’ve already accomplished that so you can go home.” he finished as he stood up, holding his hand out to Uraraka who took it gingerly.

“Let’s go find shoes to match that outfit.” Todoroki said as he lead Uraraka back to her bedroom.

Toga just laughed in reply, but her facade was slowly disintegrating as she stood up, smiling at Jirou.

“Want to go hang out on the balcony?” she asked, which was met by silence as everyone got up and went on about their business. Izuku couldn’t help but shake his head as he started to go to his room, holding his clothes carefully in his arms.

“A lot of people here like having the spotlight on them, just make sure you can see where you’re stepping before you say rude things like that again, Toga.” he said as he went into his room, closing the door quietly.

-x-

Later that day, the judges contacted them via the phone in the entryway of the apartment. This was how we would be informed of times to get ready, and clues as to what their photo shoot would be centered around. Today, Sero was the one that answered the phone and he quickly wrote down the information that the judge, who happened to be Mina this time, gave him to relay to everyone else.

Once everyone was gathered in the lobby, Sero read the piece of paper out to everyone.

“Tomorrow, you all need to be prepared to be dolled up, be ready to go and out of your apartment by 6:30 am.” Sero read as he put the piece of paper down, humming softly as he looked at everyone.

“Maybe we’re going to be dressed up like those really old American dolls that everyone thinks is possessed.” Tsu said, causing everyone to laugh as they brainstormed what the challenge could be.

“Could it be possible that they’ll make us into marionette dolls?” Monoma suggested, causing a lot of light bulbs to go off in the lobby.

“That would make so much sense, since they’ve been talking about how we’re just the dolls for designers to dress up, to make their dreams come true!” Uraraka exclaimed, looking excited as she imitated a sad marionette doll.

With that, everyone felt as though they knew what to expect. Some practiced their poses, others practiced their walks with each other. Izuku was in his bedroom with Uraraka and Todoroki as they helped each other with facial expressions, both of them laughing loudly as they started to joke around more and more.

As Izuku went back to practicing, there was a knock on the door that Todoroki got up to answer. When he opened the door, Izuku could see his frown and he leaned against the door. “What do you want?” he asked, his expression in a fixed frown.

“Uraraka is in here, right? Can I talk to her please?” Toga’s voice came through the crack in the door and Todoroki looked over at Uraraka asking silently for permission to let her in or to kick her back out.

Uraraka sighed as she gave Todoroki a slight nod and she quietly tucked her hair behind her ears.

Toga appeared around the corner, looking slightly awkward but also worried as she sat down on the floor across from Uraraka.

“I just wanted to say that I’m really sorry about what I said. I know I wouldn’t like if someone said that to me- especially when I know how confident you probably felt in those clothes. I was just being immature and I know that.” Toga said as bowed to Uraraka.

Uraraka looked a little confused and also surprised when Toga bowed to her and she quickly helped her sit up, smiling as she shook her head.

“No, it’s okay, I already forgave you for it.. Just try to be more thoughtful in the future, okay? It doesn’t cost anything to be a good person.” Uraraka said with a smile as she sat back down next to Izuku and Toga nodded in response to her statement.

“So, are you two dating?” Toga said with a giggle, leaning against the wall as she smiled at the two of them. “Izuku is really cute, huh? I can share~”

There was a scoff from the right of them and their attention was drawn to Todoroki who Izuku had previously thought was not listening to the conversation.

“You don’t think I’m cute, Todoroki?” Izuku teased as he looked over at him.

“You’re cute for a gay guy.” Todoroki stated, his voice holding a hint of amusement as his eyes peeked over the magazine he was reading.

Another silence filled the room as Izuku could feel his face start to warm up, covering his face with a pillow as he flopped backwards onto his bed, wanting to scream his frustration into the pillow. He hadn’t realized he had been so easy to read, although he wasn’t ashamed of being gay, he hadn’t wanted his sexuality to become a topic of discussion because it wasn’t all that groundbreaking. He also just didn’t want to freak out the straight guys in the apartment.

Uraraka broke the silence first.

“You’re gay, Izuku?” she asked quietly, her tone was soft and almost mother like.

Izuku just gave a slight nod as he continued to keep his face buried in the pillow, curling up in his bed like it would make him disappear from the conversation, or make the conversation stop completely.

“There’s no way…” Toga said as she got closer to the bed, her  voice in a pout. “I really like you Izuku.” she said honestly, carefully poking at the back of his neck.

Izuku sat up and gave her a shy smile, his face dusted a light shade of pink as he did so. “I really appreciate that Toga, and you’re a really pretty girl, but I just like guys so….” Izuku said as he trailed off, looking at Todoroki with near panic in his eyes.

“You’re not the only gay one here, so don’t worry.” was all Todoroki said as he went back to his magazine, prompting a groan from Uraraka and Toga alike.

“It’s always the cutest ones.” she said playfully as she wiped a fake tear from her eye,  causing Izuku to laugh as he nudged her playfully, shaking his head wildly.

“Don’t start with that. You’re going to find a cute guy, maybe Kaminari!” Izuku said as he relaxed back against his bed, mentally putting aside that Todoroki just announced that he was also gay.

“He’s cute but doesn’t he just seem like… way too dude bro for me.” she said with a look of confusion on her face that made Izuku laugh.

-x-

The next day, everyone was up by five, breakfast was done by 5:45 am and they were on their way to the photo shoot by 6:15. The bus was loud with the discussion of what they thought their first photo shoot would be like, who would be the most nervous in front of the camera, and who they thought their photographer might be.

As they all got out of the bus, some more conscious than others, they were taken into a large warehouse that had many wooden crates, along with high metal rafters that hung from the walls and they looked like they had been used for years.

Waiting for them there was Bakugou, Kaminari and a couple of female models that were wrapped up in blankets, given that it was so cold in the warehouse.

“So you’re here for your first photo shoot, huh?” Bakugou asked and everyone answered enthusiastically.

“I’m sure I don’t need to remind anyone that following this photo shoot, an elimination will occur based off of who has the weakest photo. It seems like a lot of pressure, but in this business, you all really need to learn how to adapt. Today, your photographer will be Kaminari, he’s done plenty of my photo shoots and he is also a permanent judge on our panel this season.”

Kaminari stepped up next to Bakugou and his smile was so blinding, Izuku thought he might actually go blind.

“I’m  super excited to work with everyone today and I’ll try to help you out as much as I can, so let’s do our best.” As he spoke, his statement was met with cheering and laughter, some people allowing their nerves to start showing as soon as he walked away to get setup for the photo shoot.

“Today, the theme will be marionette dolls of desire and these lovely models will be helping you complete the picture. You’ll look as though you’re on strings will your extras clinging onto you. It’s up to you to keep the photo was high fashion as possible. So with that, everyone go to hair and makeup, Shiozaki, you’re the first one up today.” Bakugou said as he walked in the opposite direction of the contestants.

- Bakugou x POV -

Bakugou wasn’t sure how most of them would do during their first photo shoot and he honestly didn’t care. He had to observe them though, so he could get a better reading of their potential to learn and grow in this fast pace industry. As well as their ability to photograph, you can be attractive and still take a shitty picture, it happens more often than you’d think.

Bakugou sighed lazily as he stretched and picked up his phone, reading over the latest news on his twitter feed, which was mostly just Kaminari talking about how excited he was about this photo shoot in particular. Mina, the last permanent judge for this season, was busy tweeting about who she thought was the most talented out of the group, the boy named Midoriya was brought more than once. Again, he sighed as he tossed his phone haphazardly to the side as he got up to begin helping coach the newbies.

The first girl up was a girl named Shiozaki, a good build, tall, her face cute but not exactly the most model material. The staff helped put her into what looked like a harness, to give the appearance that she really was on strings, being controlled by who fucking knows what. She was obviously nervous and Bakugou sat behind the monitor.

“Remember, it’s about being desirable without having to completely bare yourself, draw in the person who is looking at your picture.” Bakugou coached as the camera began to snap away, Kaminari also giving directions as to what she should do with her body and her facial expressions.

As the shoot went on, after receiving coaching from Kaminari and Bakugou, it was clear to him that she would probably be going home this week unless by some miracle someone was even worse than her. When corrected, she would lose all focus and it would ruin the next five frames, she also couldn’t change her facial expression so she looked scared for some reason.

Next was a boy named Sero, Bakugou noted that he looked completely fucking plain, nothing about him stood out other than his height, which every other male had in this industry. Again, he was unsure and not really conscious of his body while he was concentrating too hard on his facial expression.

“Yeah, you’d be doing great if this wasn’t a full body photo, I can see in your face that you’re thinking too much and you’re not thinking enough about your body.” Bakugou said as he ran a hand down his face, standing up as he helped to position Sero. “See, keep your body as lucid as possible, thinking about the pose too much will ruin the shot because we’ll see it in your face. Just move the way your body is telling you to move.” with that Bakugou sat back down and the camera went back to snapping away. All in all, they only managed to squeeze ten good frames out of him and Bakugou put him down as one of the weaker competitors.

Next was a girl named Jirou, though the makeup they had put on her made her appear much softer than she does in real life, when she’s the one picking the way she dresses. Bakugou gave her the same lecture he gave to Sero, making sure that she relaxed enough before they started. The extras seemed to really like her and Bakugou really didn’t give a shit as to why. Overall, Jirou had a solid set and she took to instructions well and Bakugou thought of her to be a stronger competitor in this competition.

A girl named Momo was next and Bakugou thought she had the traditional beauty of a Japanese women with an unwavering sense of confidence. He remembered that one of her weak points was only having one expression that she barely changed when she was in front of a camera or walking down a runway.

“You realize you’re supposed to look desirable, right? Not like you’re getting ready to fight someone.” Bakugou said as he stood up from his chair, motioning for her to come to the monitor.

As she approached him, her expression softened from the intense gaze she had been displaying on camera and Bakugou pinched his cheeks as he frowned.

“This is the expression we’re looking for, but all you’re giving us on camera is this mean look. Its okay to be intense but you’re not changing your expression whatsoever.”

Momo gave him a tight nod before she returned to the set and her expression started to vary more, which was better than just having one mean expression the entire photo shoot.

Bakugou could feel a headache starting behind his eyes as he realized they weren’t half way done with the contestants.

-x-

Eventually, it was down to the last contestant. The green haired boy named Midoriya timidly made his way onto set, not saying much as he was put into his harness and Kaminari was telling him to relax. Bakugou observed him closely, not only because he was quite obviously one of Bakugou’s biggest fans, but also because he didn’t know much about him. How much experience he had modeling, how knowledgeable he was of designers and photographers and most importantly- if he was cut out for this show at all.

Bakugou frowned as he started to look at each of his frames, feeling a slight irritation at his want to get to know the younger man.

“Fuck if I care…” Bakugou muttered to himself as he shook his head, his fingers tapping impatiently on the desk with the monitors on it.

Bakugou was well aware that his age, most of his friends were either dating or getting engaged but dating had never been something that interested him. He was too busy trying to build his career and make a name for himself. Now, he was 26 years old and had absolutely no experience in that department so his interest was even further out of reach. There was a very small group of people that he trusted with his true sexuality and tried to get him to date but to no avail.

As Bakugou looked up, he realized the younger man looked to be near tears and Kaminari was attempting to help him calm down. He had been so lost in thought that he didn’t know what was going on or why he was upset.

“Oi,” Bakugou said as he stood up. “The fuck did you do to the kid dunce face?” he asked as he took the blanket he had been using and motioned for Midoriya to sit where he had been sitting. One he had sat down Bakugou covered him with a blanket and sighed as he sat next to him.

“The fuck is this about?” he asked, motioning to the tears that were forming in his eyes.

Midoriya shook his head and let out a small nervous laugh as he tilted his head back, being careful not to let the tears ruin his makeup.

“I-I just don’t know how to pose like I’m desirable and I’m frustrated with myself for not getting it and now I’m upset that i’m crying.” he said as he pulled the blanket closer.

Bakugou ran a hand through his hair as he watched the younger boy, crossing his arms as he leaned back in his chair, waiting for the younger boy to calm down. He was awful at comforting people, especially people he didn’t know and he wasn’t trying to make the kid cry even more.

Once he calmed down, Bakugou pulled the blanket off of him and made him stand up.

“You’re way overthinking it. Have you ever had someone you liked or wanted to impress, crybaby?” Bakugou asked as he looked down at him.

Midoriya’s face turned a light pink as he nodded and adjusted the shawl that he had on his shoulders.

“Y-yeah, I do.” he answered shyly and Bakugou could tell he was telling the truth.

Bakugou drug him back over to the set where he helped him get back into the harness and stood in front of him.

“It’ll probably help if you just think about whatever idiot you have a crush on. Think about how you would want to act around them to seduce them or some shit. Now show me what that looks like to you.” Bakugou said as he stepped out of the frame, watching the boy curiously.

Bakugou watched as his eyes widened slightly before he shifted in the restraints slightly and he took a deep breath to relax. Kaminari smiled and gave him a thumbs up as he began to take pictures.

“You’re the last one dude, you’re gonna kill it!” Kaminari said as the flash began to fill the room again.

Bakugou stayed with his arms crossed as he watched Midoriya turn into a completely different person. He didn’t look shy or unsure anymore, he looked like he was alone with someone that he was trying to draw in with his eyes, his body moved only slightly as he changed his facial expressions but it was enough for Bakugou to notice that he had really nice legs. Something about the freckled mess in front of him was endearing, and cute, and holy fucking shit his mind was really starting to go in a completely different direction than where it needed to be.

Bakugou turned on his heel, a frown permanently plastered on his face as he sat back down at his desk, looking over each frame as it came in.

“This little shit really is something else.” he muttered to himself as he covered his mouth with his hand, attempting to look as bored as possible with the photo shoot. Because everything was fine and he definitely was not thinking about how soft his skin looked or how his freckles fit his face perfectly, or how nice his ass was.

Bakugou was broken out of his angry but hazy daydream by an annoying redhead who grabbed him by the shoulders, his voice smug.

“You’re looking awfully hard at those photos there, Bakubro.” Kirishima said low enough for only them to hear as Kaminari announced that there only ten frames left so he should make them count.

“Fuck off shitty hair, I was coaching him so of course I’m going to look at the fucking pictures.” Bakugou said as he exited out of the pictures dismissively, his gaze landing on Midoriya as he finished up the last of his frames.

“I know the look of someone thinking naughty thoughts my dude. I mean, I just finished a photo shoot with Mineta, I’m practically an expert.” Kirishima teased as he sat next to him, the look of smug amusement pissing Bakugou off.

“Unlike some perverts I know, I don’t have time for stupid shit like that. Now take your degree in perverts and shove it up your ass.” Bakugou said as he got up, gathering his things as the end of the shoot was signaled by Kaminari and the staff.

Kirishima laughed as Midoriya made his way back up to Bakugou, his smile bright as he bowed in thanks.

“I really appreciate the advice! I feel a lot better about my pictures now.” Midoriya said as he stood back up, the fabric of his shirt slipping off his shoulder.

Bakugou frowned as he waved a hand dismissively as Kirishima fixed his shirt.

“What the fuck ever crybaby, don’t expect every director to walk you step by step. You can find another babysitter.” Bakugou said as he started to walk off the set, the cameras having been turned off.

Kirishima gave Midoriya a sly smile as he waved.

“I’m used to it already.” Midoriya said as he waved back to Kirishima who just offered a laugh as he walked off with a moody Bakugou.

As they made their way outside, the air a lot colder than it had been when they initially arrive, Bakugou frowned as he looked over at the redhead who had taken to staring at him.

“Wipe that stupid fucking look off your face before I slap it off.” Bakugou snapped as they got into their own car, directing the driver to go to the next set for the show.

“Dude, what was that about? Crybaby? You gotta fill me in, no judgement!” Kirishima said as he pushed on Bakugou’s shoulder, the annoyed blonde shoving his hand away as he did so.

“Look, the little shit started crying because he was frustrated so we had to stop the shoot until he calmed down. I don’t know why the fuck you’re so invested in this shit.” Bakugou answered as he looked out the window.

In the reflection of the window, he could see Kirishima texting something furiously on his phone but he didn’t pay much attention as he watched the landscapes go by, yawning as he looked at his watch. They still had to film the elimination once Kirishima sent the photos from the shoot over later that day. Bakugou figured he could squeeze in a workout between now and then once he got back.

He was broken out of his musing when he felt his phone vibrate in his pocket, more than once. Bakugou frowned as he fished his phone out of his back pocket and unlocked it, realizing that it was messages from the group chat he had formed with the other judges- his closest friends. He frowned as he opened the messages to find a picture of Midoriya, Bakugou in the process of covering him up and the caption read:

From:Shitty Hair

“Our little Katsuki, getting himself a mans.”

From: Racoon Eyes

“OMG isn’t that the guy who hero worships him? CUTE!!!

From: Dunce Face

“If you think I didn’t take pictures of that moment- you’d be wrong. LOL”

Bakugou’s head snapped over to Kirishima who was pretending like he didn’t see him glaring holes into the side of his face.

“What the fuck is this shit?” Bakugou demanded as he held his phone up to Kirishima, his eyes a lot more intense than they had been before.

“It was cute so I wanted to capture it! It’s just a joke dude, no need to get flustered. Unless, of course, you like him!” Kirishima said as he winked at him.

Bakugou punched his leg, earning a yelp and a laugh from the loud redhead as he pinched the bridge of his nose.

“There is nothing going on between me and that kid. It’s my fucking job to tell them what they’re doing wrong and to correct it for their first photo shoot. I’m not interested in that shit and you know it.” Bakugou said as he looked at Kirishima, irritation still evident on his face.

Kirishima’s expression relaxed as he pat Bakugou’s shoulder, nodding as he looked out the window.

“I know you’re not, I just want to see you happy man. It’s okay to relax every once and awhile.” he said as he flashed him a smile. “But I gotta tell you, that photo shoot I had with Mineta today was wild. So, first he…”

Kirishima launched into a story to change the subject and some of Bakugou’s irritation started to slip away as he listened to his friends story.

• Izuku’s x POV    -

Izuku stood in front of the judges along with the other eleven contestants who waited anxiously to hear what their photos would look like, and even more importantly- who would be going home this week.

Bakugou stood in front of them behind the judges desk as he looked at everyone. He was wearing a pinstripe suit with a red button up shirt underneath and a black tie. Izuku could feel his face heating up as he thought of how well the suit fit him. Eventually, Bakugou began talking and Izuku’s attention was brought back to the present.

“So, all of you have already met Kirishima, Kaminari and myself. The last judge of the panel is a rather popular model known as Mina.” as Bakugou said her name, she popped out from under the desk and everyone cheered for her and her bubbly personality.

“Hey everyone! Sorry I haven’t been around to say hello like these guys have been but I’ll be as active as I possibly can from now on outside of panel.” She stated as she sat down, looking excited.

“Every week, we’ll have a guest judge and they’ll usually be someone who you’ve worked with throughout the week. Today, your guest judge will be Mt. Lady, your walking instructor.” he said as she waved to everyone before gracefully taking her seat next to Kirishima.

“With that out of the way, the first person we’re going to call up is Todoroki.”

Todoroki stood in front of the judges, his personality as calm and cool as it always was and he looked nice with a dark blue shirt on and black slacks. Izuku thought everything about him was just naturally model material and he still wasn’t sure why Todoroki looked so familiar to him.

“So,” Mt Lady started “his walk was very solid, in and out of heels, there wasn’t much I had to work with him on other than being more expressive when he was walking.” she stated as she gave him a thumbs up.

“As for the photo shoot,” Kaminari jumped in “he did really well, he always knew were the light was and he was actually pretty relaxed in front of the camera which is always nice for a photographer.”

“I noticed that you seemed to be easy to get pictures out of.” Bakugou said as Todoroki’s picture appeared on the screen and it was breathtaking. He looked like a piece of art in the photo. “Overall, good job this week.”

With that, Todoroki took his spot back among the contestants and a girl named Shiozaki was called next. She was very pretty but she hadn’t done well at the fashion show and she had cried after she was done with her photo shoot, Izuku recalled as he watched the judges.

“I don’t want to sound harsh but I think you were the biggest upset of the runway, just because we practiced together so much one on one and you ended falling while you were walking. After that, you failed to regain your composure.” Lady said, looking disappointed but also sympathetic.

“Does her photo make up for that?” Mina asked as they showed her photo on the screen and while she was pretty, it didn’t seem to fit the theme that they had been going for. She just looked pretty.

“During the whole photo shoot, Kaminari and I tried to correct you but it just wasn’t getting through to you.” Bakugou said as he looked at the photo again.

“I would totally like to take more pictures of you, but if you don’t take instructions from those around you, then you’re just wasting everyone’s time.” Kaminari said, causing a few to people to wince at his unexpected harsh words.

Shiozaki took her spot again among the contestants and this pattern continued until it was Izuku’s turn and he felt a little bit more than nervous as he took his place in front of the judges.

“You were my favorite to watch walk.” Lady said as she smiled at him. “You did amazing in and out of heels and you took my advice to the runway. I don’t have any criticism for you there.” she finished and Izuku felt some of the tension leave his shoulders.

“There’s also a note from Mic that you are one of his favorites to win in this competition as of right now!” Mina said, as she looked over papers in front of her. “You also were the challenge winner so congratulations on that!”

“As for the photo shoot, it was really difficult for you at first. Why was that?” Kaminari asked curiously as he looked up at him.

“I just got frustrated with myself because I thought I was wasting your time. It was just a bit hard for me to imagine myself as desirable and I knew it wasn’t coming across in my expression. I’m really grateful for Bakugou’s advice though, from now on I just have to imagine myself in a scenario to get a good picture!” Izuku finished, smiling brightly at the judges who were smiling back at him, with the exception of Bakugou.

His picture was put on the screen and Izuku was shocked to see how different he looked in a professional photo where he was modeling- he looked like a completely different person. Izuku could feel tears coming to his eyes again but he kept them in as his attention turned back to the judges.

“Your photos weren’t great in the first few frames, you looked really insecure and upset.” Bakugou said as he looked at the photo. “The finished product once you started to focus was good though but you can’t rely on people to coach you constantly.”

“Yeah, when you get onto a set, they give a concept and throw you to the wolves. It’s up to you to make it work and try to put the photographer's vision into motion.” Kirishima spoke up and for some reason he looked amused. “But overall, you looked great and we got a lot of good shots of you!”

With that, they were dismissed into the lobby so they judges could deliberate on the photos and decide who would be going home. Izuku felt like he was walking on clouds as he sat in a circle with Iida, Uraraka, and Todoroki. None of them felt nervous about going home so they were taking it easy as they spoke about different topics.

“So, you seem to be getting awfully close with Bakugou.” Uraraka said as she nudged Izuku, causing him to blush as he laughed.

“Yeah, right. He was just helping me like he helped everyone else.The day I get close to Bakugou is the day the sun explodes.” Izuku said as he leaned against his beanbag.

Todoroki spoke up and he had a small smile on his face. Izuku was happy to see Todoroki talking and being more open with the small group of friends he had gathered.

“I don’t think it’s as unlikely as you think. You even have a pet name from him.” Todoroki said and Izuku felt utterly betrayed.

“Crybaby is not a term of endearment- he was making fun of me! I like him as role model and nothing more. Is that so hard to believe?” Izuku asked.

“Yes.” All of his friends said in unison, earning a groan from Izuku.

“Who did you think of during the photo shoot?” Iida asked, everyone suddenly looking at him curiously.

Izuku went to answer but felt his face turn red, the color spreading to his ears as he stood up abruptly, the bean bag falling over with little nose as he started to walk towards the kitchen.

“Oh look at that, I think I heard someone calling my name so I’m just going to see who it is!” Izuku said and he could hear his friends laughter behind him as he got a bottle of water.

As he closed the fridge, the producer of the show called for everyone to go back to the judging room so that the elimination could begin. Izuku began to feel nervous as he took a deep breath, setting his water bottle down as he joined with his friends in the room, holding his arms tightly behind his back as he waited for everyone to get settled so that Bakugou could start talking.

“A lot of you newbies have talent,” Bakugou spoke up, a stack of photos were in his hands as he spoke. “We chose each of you based off your personality and looks, but that isn’t enough to survive here. If I call your name first, it means you had the best photo and a large pool of potential, as the list goes on, the photos and potential gets weaker and weaker. Just because you don’t end up in the bottom two, doesn’t mean you’re flawless.”

Everyone acknowledged him before he started to call each named out.

“Todoroki.”

“Jirou.”

“Midoriya.”

“Iida.”

“Uraraka.”

“Toga.”

“Monoma.”

“Tsu.”

“Momo.”

“Tetsu.”

That would leave Shiozaki and Sero as the bottom two in the competition at the moment. As they both stepped up to the judges, Shiozaki spoke up. She had a very soft and sweet voice and Izuku could tell she was trying not to cry even without having to look at her.

“I have thought long and hard about what you both have said and there is no reason for debate. I have decided that this competition isn’t for me, I don’t have what it takes and I would hate for Sero to get sent home when I know how badly he wants this.” she said, bowing deeply before standing up.

Bakugou was looking at her with an intensity he wasn’t used to and he would hate for Bakugou to look at him like that.

“You mean to tell me you’re giving up after one bad photo shoot?” Bakugou said, looking progressively more irritated as the silence went on without an answer. “It doesn’t matter if you don’t want to take it away from Sero because you already stole a spot from someone who really wanted it.”

Kirishima stood up, taking a place next to Bakugou as he looked at both of them.

“You can go, Shiozaki, you’re officially out of the competition. Sero, you live to see next week my dude. You just need to work on your confidence and just trust in your manliness.” he said as Sero took his photo, Bakugou speaking up again.

“You wouldn’t have stolen the spot from Sero since you were already getting eliminated. Anyone else want to quit?” he asked as he looked at everyone who had already gotten their photo. No one said a word, the only sound in the room was the sound of the door closing behind Shiozaki as she left.

“Good, you all deserve to be here then.” Bakugou said as he put the last photo down. “That’s it for this panel. You’ve made it through to the second episode.”

With that, the cameras turned off and everyone was free to leave. The judges were gathered around Bakugou, along with a few staff members. Izuku could tell they were telling him to tone it down and not be so mean to the contestants, especially on television.

Soon enough, Uraraka was tugging Izuku out of the room with their group of friends. Izuku made eye contact with Bakugou as he made it to the door and he offered a small smile with a thumbs up. Bakugou frowned as he turned back to Kirishima, yelling something about how he has “shitty hair?” Izuku was confused as they made their way into the living room.

-x-

Izuku went to bed that night feeling relieved that he had made it past the first week. He also managed to redeem himself by being put into the top three of the week with his photo, which he still hadn’t stopped staring at. As he closed his eyes and drifted to sleep, a pair of familiar crimson eyes made their way into his dreams.

Chapter Text

As soon as the group got out of panel, Sero was leaning about the wall, his arm thrown over his eyes dramatically with his other arm clutching at his chest. 

“Dude, my ass was almost toast!” He groaned as he allowed himself to slide onto the floor. Izuku smiled as he handed Sero a bottle of water.

“You just have to try harder next week, right? As it stands right now, you made it, so you should be proud of yourself.” Izuku said as he crouched in front of Sero who was now looking at him with wide eyes.

“You’re an angel, Midoriya, a real life angel.” Sero said as he took to drinking his water bottle. 

Izuku smiled again before a movement to his right caught his eye. He realized Kirishima and Mina were leaving the panel room, both of them heading towards the exit as they carried on with an animated conversation. Izuku excused himself quietly as he jogged after the two judges.

“Mina, Kirishima!” Izuku said as he caught up to them, a sheepish smile on his face as the two fave him bright smiles. 

“Midoriya! How can we help you on this lovely evening?” Mina said as she slung her arm over his shoulder, standing on her tiptoes to be as tall as he was. 

“I just wanted to thank you both for being so encouraging in the panel. I know it means a lot to us to hear encouraging words, even if we aren’t doing the best.” Izuku said as he smiled at the two of them.

Kirishima laughed as he rubbed the back of his neck, shrugging as he did so. 

“We were all in this position once, except you’re all putting your experience on camera for millions to see, that can be a lot to deal with. Especially since a lot of you are here straight out of high school.” He said, leaning against the wall. 

Suddenly, Izuku felt something hit his chest at lighting speed as he was knocked off balance, barely catching himself against the wall as he looked down to see a mess of blonde hair clinging to him.

“T-toga?” he asked as he struggled to keep his balance against the wall as Toga looked up at him in tears.

“You’re not actually gay, are you?” she asked loudly, loud enough for everyone to hear it. Izuku could feel his cheeks getting red as he carefully pulled Toga away from him. Internally, he was trying not to get upset with her but he was so flustered in front of the judges. His eyes flicked from Toga, to Kirishima, to Mina before they landed on the floor, unmoving as he spoke.

“Toga, I already told you, I’m not interested… I-I am gay but that isn’t even important in this competition. Please, drop it.” Izuku said, sighing internally as he listened to the way his voice wavered. 

Izuku felt a hand on his back and he looked up to see Kirishima smiling at him brightly. 

“I know plenty of people in this industry that are gay, Midoriya. Don’t feel like you have to hide it ya know? Embracing yourself is totally-” 

“If you say manly, i’m going to rip my hair out.” Mina interjected as she smiled at Izuku. “I know you probably didn’t want anyone to know, but if anyone in this room rejects you because of your personal preference, they won’t make it here, or anywhere else.” she said as he playfully rustled his hair. 

Izuku gave them both a small smile as he started to walk away. “I really appreciate it, both of you. You should get going before it gets too dark outside. Sorry for bothering you.” he said as he joined Todoroki, Iida, and Uraraka in the crowd of contestants. 

The judges made their exit after saying goodbye to everyone and the group made their way to Izuku’s shared bedroom. Izuku sighed as he unlaced his shoes before settling them down neatly by the side of his bed, his eyes feeling heavy as he sat on his bed. 

“There’s something off about Toga.” Todoroki suddenly said from his side of the room, earning noises of agreement from everyone in the room.

“It could have been very bad for Midoriya had the cameras been on. Not everyone is so accepting of others sexuality.” Iida said with a grim expression. 

“I think we should just keep everything about our personal lives on the low while she’s around. Midoriya told her he didn’t want anyone to know and she said it loud enough for everyone in the apartment to hear, without even apologizing.” Uraraka said, her eyebrows knitted together in thought as she looked down at her hands. 

“I agree with Uraraka, I think she’s trying to sabotage everyone’s self confidence. She did it to Uraraka the other night, and now me. It just doesn’t feel right.” Izuku said as he laid down on his bed, letting a sigh out into his pillow. 

Iida spoke up, catching Izuku’s attention as he looked up at him.

“I also feel the need to apologize to you, Midoriya.” he said, bowing as he did so. “I had the wrong first impression of you, but I believe you’re passionate enough to stay in this competition. I am sorry for judging you so harshly.” he said before standing back up.

“Iida, it’s okay. I know the way it looked from the outside, so there’s no hard feelings. Just look at me like an actual competitor now.” Izuku said with a smile as he relaxed back onto his bed. 

Uraraka stood up, smoothing her skirt as she smiled at everyone.

“I’ll see all of you in the morning! We probably have a full day tomorrow so it’s best that we get some sleep for now.” She said as she went to the door ,everyone saying their goodbyes as she left the room quietly. 

Not long after she had gone, Izuku fell asleep in his bed, not bothering to change into pajamas.

-x- 

At close to nine in the morning, Izuku was showered, dressed and on the bus with the ten other competitors to an undisclosed location for yet another challenge. 

“Okay, but listen.” Sero started. “What if this all an elaborate ruse and they’re going to harvest our organs when we get to the next location.” the bus was silent for a second before Monoma spoke up.

“See, I knew you were dumb, but this is a new level of stupid that only you could achieve.” he said, a couple of the girls cracking up as he did so. 

“I told you not to watch that alien movie before you went to sleep but do you listen?” Tetsu said as he shook his head, earning an offended gasp from Sero.

“You were watching it with me!” Sero shouted as the bus stopped abruptly in front of a large shopping complex. 

“See, they’re not going to take our organs. Now get out of the bus you spaz.” Jirou said as she opened the door, jerking her thumb towards the sidewalk. 

“Not yet.” Sero said under his breath as he got out of the van, everyone following his lead as they walked up to the large complex. 

In front of them, stood Mina who was practically buzzing with excitement as she ushered everyone into the front doors of the shopping complex. The store they entered was so large they couldn’t see the end of it from the other side of the store. Once they were all lined up in front of her, Mina began to speak.

“I hope everyone got enough sleep after panel because today is going to be a long day of nothing but shopping!” Mina exclaimed, everyone looking around the store excitedly. 

“Today’s lesson is about personal fashion and about how much effort and thought you put into every piece of clothing that you choose. However, there is a catch for today’s lesson!” she said excitedly as she motioned for the group to follow her to another section of the store. 

Mina held up a finger, signaling for the group to wait as she disappeared behind a large door. As she slipped behind the large white door, the small room that they were waiting in seemed to burst with conversation over the possible twist that the judges would be throwing at them that week. Iida and Uraraka were discussing, at length, what they believed the surprise would be for the week while Izuku and Todoroki sat quietly next to each other as they waited for Mina to reappear. 

As Izuku looked up at Todoroki to start a conversation, he heard the door open to his left. Todoroki’s face contorted into anger and Izuku could feel his arms tense as his gaze dropped from the door down to the floor. With a look of confusion, Izuku turned his attention back to the door to see Mina standing next to a tall man that he recognized as the top model turned photographer, Enji Todoroki. Suddenly, Izuku realized why Todoroki had looked so familiar to him.

As his eyes made their way back to Todoroki’s face, he realized that his expression had fallen and he once again looked as he always did. Izuku frowned as Mina began to speak again, everyone quieting down from their applause for the pro in front of them.

“This week, Enji will be judging you for the challenge and choosing the winner of the prize. However, before we can move onto that, Enji has a couple of tips for the challenge today.” Mina said as she stepped back to allow Enji to begin his speech.

As his eyes scanned over the crowd, Izuku couldn’t shake the feeling that something was off with not only Enji but Todoroki as well. The feeling of unrest and worry settled in Izuku’s stomach as he tried not to let his worry show in his face. 

Enji was wearing a blue, pinstripe suit with a white button up shirt and a blue tie. He towered over the tallest contestant, Iida, at six feet four inches tall. His presence was intimidating and commanding, his presence demanded respect and obedience from everyone in the room. 

“Congratulations to all of you for making it this far, however, you all still have a long way to go before you can call yourself the best.” Enji started out, his eyes scanning over everyone as he spoke. “Today will be a test of personal style and your awareness of how you present yourself to everyone around you. You can’t expect to book a show if you come to an office dressed in sweats and a tank top. It’s not professional.” He finished as he looked back at Mina, who stepped up next to him.

“So, everyone will have ten minutes to pick out an outfit, from head to toe, of what they believe a professional looks like. From there, we’ll judge everyone’s outfit and announce the prize for this week. Sound good, everyone?” Mina asked as her smile beamed at everyone. 

Izuku gave a small nod as he turned away from the group, Mina giving everyone the signal to look for their outfits. Izuku was worried about Todoroki but he decided that, that would have to wait until after the challenge was finished. Izuku let out a nervous sigh, trying to shake the nervous energy off of himself as he made his way to the men’s clothing. 

-x-

After many near death experiences of being trampled by the taller contestants and some minor changing room incidents, everyone was lined up in front of the judges once again. Izuku eyed a couple of the contestants, many of them were dressed very well and he had a short moment of panic as he began to doubt himself. However, that negativity was quickly cut short by Todoroki elbowing him in the side gently. 

Izuku tried to hold in a confused noise as he looked up at Todoroki, who was focused on Mina as he spoke just loud enough for them both to hear. 

“A frown doesn’t suit you.” Todoroki whispered, causing Izuku to blush as he watched Enji start to walk down the line with Mina, who looked pleased with everyone’s decisions.

The first to be judged was Tsu. She was wearing a light green dress that had a small collar, the bottom of the dress was ruffled, complete with a white ribbon that adorned her hair. She also had a small, white clutch purse and a white beret that sat perfectly on her head. Enji looked pleased as he complimented the colors on her dress. 

“Your accessories tie this together, if I were your photographer, I would have no problem booking you into a show.” Enji said as Tsu gave a small bow before he moved onto Uraraka, who was next to get judged. 

Uraraka had chosen light pink overalls white a puffy white shirt underneath, the sleeves going down to her elbow, getting tighter as it went down her arms. She had also chosen golden bracelets to complete the look. 

“This definitely stands out as personal style, but you were able to make it look professional, which I like. You passed this challenge.” Enji said as Uraraka thanked him quietly, her eyes shining as she stepped back.

Next was Sero who was wearing a black turtleneck, a white overcoat adorned his shoulders that came together with a chain in the middle of his chest. He was wearing black slacks with a silver watch and his hair was combed over. Enji took a moment to look over his clothing before nodding.

“I would hire you if you came into my office, but just keep in mind, everyone, that not everything has to be office professional. Uraraka is a good example of how your personal style can be turned into something professional.” he said as he gave Sero a pat on the back. 

Jirou was the next contestant to receive judgement. She was wearing all black, a black long sleeved shirt that was cinched at the waist to accentuate her waistline and a black pencil skirt that stopped right above her knees. Jirou’s face was a bright red as she looked down at the ground and Izuku could tell she wasn’t feeling confident in her choice of outfit. 

“Are you going to an interview or a funeral?” Enji asked as he looked down at Jirou, who was still looking down at the ground. “It’s okay to like black, but you have to be able to break away from that for the sake of getting a job.” Enji said as he shook his head, moving onto the next person.

Iida was dressed in a deep blue button up shirt. The sleeves rolled up to his biceps. Along black slacks and suspenders that hugged his body nicely, showing off how defined his body was. He had also chosen a black wristwatch and Izuku could tell this is how Iida dressed outside of modeling more often than not. It looked good on him.

“You look good, Iida.” Enji said as he pat his shoulder. “I know your brother would be proud.” he finished, earning a stern nod from Iida as the silence lingered in the air. Izuku couldn’t help but wonder what Enji had meant by that statement, but he figured it was more than likely a personal aspect of his life. 

Next to be judged was Momo and Izuku thought that her whole outfit matched her personality perfectly. She was wearing a black blazer with a white button up shirt and a red tie, her skirt was black, falling to her mid thigh and she had stiletto high heels. She had pushed her hair back into a sleek ponytail and her wrists had silver bracelets. 

A laugh escaped Enji as he looked down at Momo, his expression amused. “Somehow, this outfit is the exact same thing I pictured you to pick when I first saw you.” Enji said and Momo let out a soft, embarrassed laugh as she looked up at him.

“I feel the most powerful in clothes such as these.” she explained as she smoothed her skirt and Enji gave her a nod as he moved on to the next person, which happened to be Izuku. 

Izuku was a red button up shirt with a black vest that showed his slim waistline along with a black bow-tie. He was wearing black slacks with a black belt and he was feeling very confident with his choice of clothing. He had always felt better when he was dressed in formal clothing but he also wasn’t opposed to being in comfortable clothes. 

Enji gave him a short nod. “I think this was a good choice for your body type, it helps designers see what they’re working with as soon as you walk into the room.” Izuku gave him a small bow as he moved out of the way so he could judge Todoroki. 

Todoroki was dressed in a traditional suit, a black blazer with a white button up shirt, a black tie with black slacks. He also had on a black belt with his hair slicked back. Izuku was impressed with how good he looked with his hair out of his face, something he tucked away in his mind for later. 

“You could have done better, Shouto.” Enji said as he looked down at Todoroki who was looking down at the floor, his hands in his pockets.

“You’re supposed to be judging me through an unbiased lens, father .” Todoroki spit the last word before he looked up at Enji, a tense expression on his face. “You can either make a scene or you can be fair. We both know which one you’re choosing.” Todoroki said as he loosened his tie, stepping away from his father as he motioned for his father to move on. 

Enji said nothing in response as he shook his head, moving onto the next person. 

Toga stood in front of Enji proudly. She had chosen a red dress that hugged her body, it had a v-neck collar that showed cleavage but not enough to be considered indecent. She had a white shawl that was draped around her shoulders and a white purse that hung off her forearm as she looked up Enji.

“I see what you were going for, but this makes you look like you’re going to a club and not an interview. I wouldn’t hire you for a shoot if you came into my office dressed like this.” he said as he moved to the next person, leaving Toga with an expression mixed with irritation and confusion as she stepped back to where everyone else resided. 

Monoma and Tetsu were wearing the same exact outfit, which didn’t go without notice. They were both wearing a white button up shirt and black shorts that stopped above the knee. Enji shook his head as he pinched the bridge of his nose. 

“The outfit is horrible, which one of you decided it was a good idea to copy the other?” he asked as he looked up at the two, Monoma speaking up first. 

“I came out of the dressing room and we were both dressed in the same outfits.” he said with a casual shrug.

Testu nodded as he listened to Monoma’s explanation.

“In that case, it doesn’t matter because you both failed the challenge.” Enji said as he walked back to the center of the group.

“The winner of this challenge is Iida. His personal style is already professional but the way he presents himself gives the impression that he has been modeling for years.” Enji said as he motioned for Iida to stand next to him.

Iida quietly made his way to Enji, bowing respectfully as he stood next to him. Despite being the tallest in the competition, Iida looked small next to Enji, though he towered over everyone in the room at the moment. 

“So, your prize for this week is keeping the outfit that you picked out, as well as being able to design your own piece of clothing and having it custom made just for you!” Mina exclaimed, looking excited. “You can also choose one friend to come with you.” she said as she motioned to the other contestants. 

Iida nodded as he looked down the row of contestants before nodding. “Midoriya, you will accompany me this time.” he said as he motioned for him to come up next to him. 

Izuku’s eyes widened slightly, looking confused as he made his way to Iida’s side. He bowed to him politely and smiled as Mina dismissed everyone else to go change their clothes. 

“After Midoriya changes, there’s a car waiting for you two in the front, kay?” Mina said as she smiled at them. “You’re free to change too, Iida, if you’d like.” she said, her expression softening as she gave him a small pat on the back before walking away from the both of them. 

“I’ll go get changed, then.” Izuku said as he began to walk away.”

“I didn’t choose Todoroki because I knew that Enji would also be apart of this activity. I didn’t want him to be uncomfortable for hours because I chose him for a challenge.” Iida said as he walked alongside Izuku.

Izuku frowned slightly as he made his way into the changing room, taking his clothes from the bag he had put them in as he started to get changed into his clothes. 

“So, Todoroki does have a problem with his father.” Izuku thought to himself as he smoothed out his clothing in the mirror, sighing as he did so. “I wonder why he feels so uncomfortable around his father…” Izuku wondered to himself as he walked out to Iida, who had also changed. 

In a quiet silence, they both made their way through the quiet, marble building. Izuku had always wanted to come to a mall as large as this one. He wasn’t from a big town, and even if he was, he would never be able to afford to buy anything from the mall. Izuku looked down as he walked, admiring the way his reflection was reflected off the marble floor, half of his reflection being drowned out by the bright lights shining above him. Letting out a small sigh, Izuku adjusted his sweater as he got into the van with Iida, who looked as focused as always. 

-x-

The ride to the building had been much longer than Izuku had anticipated but he was excited to finally get inside and design something that he could be proud of. 

Izuku and Iida were ushered into an elevator by an assistant of Enji’s who took them to his studio. Inside, a short blonde woman sat them at different desks and instructed them on what to do next. 

“Please write down what it is that you want made, after that, write down your measurements if that applies and the colors you would like it done in. Your clothing will be done within a few hours. Once you’re finished designing the clothing, you will be free to go back to your apartment.” 

After making sure they had no more questions, she turned on her heel and walked out the door, the door closing behind her quietly as she made her exit. After a short pause, Izuku looked at Iida, who was already writing diligently. 

“What are you having made?” Izuku asked curiously as he picked up a pen to begin writing his request. 

“I am going to have a hoodie made for Todoroki. I feel as though he would have won this competition had his father not been the one judging the challenge.” Iida said as he sat back up, looking over at Izuku’s paper with a curious expression.

“What are you requesting?” he asked as he went back to writing on his piece of paper.

“O-oh well…” Izuku mumbled, falling over his words as he looked down at his writing. “Bakugou’s birthday is actually at the end of this week, so I wanted to have something made for him.” Izuku said shyly, not waiting to see Iida’s expression as he continued writing. 

“What are you thinking of doing, in that case?” Iida asked and Izuku could tell there was a hint of amusement in his voice. 

“I want to give him a scarf made out of his signature colors, orange and black. Those two colors fit him really well and I think a scarf would be a nice accessory since it’s still cold outside and everything. Plus, you can wear a scarf at almost anytime of the year so I think it would be really versitale for someone like him, and-” Izuku’s rambling was cut off by Iida’s laughter.

“I already know you admire Bakugou, you don’t have to try and justify your actions to me. I think he’ll appreciate the thought. Are you going to give him the scarf at panel?” he asked as he put his pen down, adjusting his glasses as he did so.

“Yeah, I think that would be the best time, but, I might give it to him at the photoshoot this week. I just don’t want him to feel pressured into a positive reaction in front of everyone at the panel. If he even has a reaction at all.” Izuku mumbled the last part as he finished writing, both of them standing up at the same time.

“I think anyone would appreciate a gift from a fan.” Iida said as they were once again rushed into the elevator by Enji’s assistant, who was now on the phone with someone.

“I think so too.” Izuku said as he smiled to himself. 

-x-

Soon enough, Iida and Izuku had made it back to the dorm, the normal routine of coming home and eating with Todoroki and Uraraka began to take place. Enji’s assistant told both of them that their piece of clothing would be delivered to their apartment by the end of the day, so they didn’t have to wait around the office while it was being finished. 

As Izuku stepped into the kitchen, he noticed that Todoroki was missing. 

“Uraraka, where’s Todoroki? I know he’s hungry because he didn’t eat breakfast this morning with us.” Izuku asked as he looked around the apartment. 

“Oh, he went into his room when we came home and he hasn’t come back yet. I think he might be tired.” She said as she began to pull pots and pans out of the cabinet for their dinner. 

Izuku nodded as he quietly excused himself from the group and made his way back to his shared bedroom with Todoroki. He listened at the door before trying to open it, making sure he wasn’t intruding on his personal space. When there was no noise, Izuku quietly knocked before opening the door.

As he walked in, he noticed that the curtains were closed, making the room extremely dark, despite the sun still being up. As he looked over to Todoroki’s bed, he realized that he was laying in bed, his body completely covered by the blankets. 

As he got closer, he noticed an empty box of tissues next to his bed, causing Izuku to worry even more as he sat at the edge of his friends bed, not quite sure how to breach such a sensitive topic.

“Todoroki?” Izuku asked softly. “Are you awake?” he waited patiently for an answer but none came. With a defeated slump of his shoulders, Izuku went to stand up from the bed when there was a soft voice from under the blankets.

“I’m awake.” Todoroki said quietly, the blankets still covering his head, blocking Izuku’s view of his face. With that, Izuku sat back down and settled for looking down at the floor as he began to speak.

“I know you barely know me, we’re almost complete strangers, but I know someone who is troubled when I see them. I knew your name was familiar but I couldn’t quite place where I had heard it before until today.” Izuku started out, the lump under the covers shifted slightly as he continued to speak. “Your dad seemed to be really hard on you and I just couldn’t help but dislike him for the way he was talking to you.” 

There was a small sigh from under the covers before Todoroki emerged out from underneath his nest of blankets. His hair was messy, red mixing with a flurry of white, and his eyes were puffy, Izuku assumed it was from him crying. Next to Todoroki lay a Polaroid picture of a woman with white hair, smiling into the camera. Todoroki straightened his hair as he leaned against the head of his bed, still partially covered by his blankets.

“I am not close with my father, nor have I ever been.” Todoroki said dryly as he pushed the sleeves of his shirt up. “I’ve wanted to be a model since I was younger, not because of him but because of my mother. However, because of him, I hate my red hair, my entire left side is repulsive. I can’t stand the sight of that man.” Todoroki said as he stared down at his lap, his fists gripping his blankets so hard that his knuckles were beginning to turn white. 

“But you’re not him, Todoroki.” Izuku said carefully, moving closer to him on the bed as he peered into his friends face. “I don’t see Enji when I look at you, I see Shouto.” Izuku said with a matter of fact tone of voice.

Todoroki sat motionless for awhile, his expression changing from surprised to contemplative. Izuku noticed that his grip on the blankets kept loosening and then tightening again before he finally looked back up at Izuku.

“I will always be chained to my fathers achievements, no matter what I do. I look like him, and I am going to become a model, it’s impossible to avoid using my last name. I can’t escape it.” Todoroki said, a pained expression contorting his features as his eyes dropped back down to his lap. Izuku panicked slightly as he noticed Todoroki swiping at tears as they fell from his cheeks.

“Shouto isn’t a bad model name, actually.” Izuku said as he smiled at Todoroki. “I see someone who has potential, not because he’s riding the coattails of his father, but because of the hard work he has put into his dream. Todoroki, if you wanted to, you could be a model right now, you could use your fathers connections to get yourself a contract. You don’t have to be on this show but you are. Do you want to know why I think that is?” Izuku said as he leaned in, bumping his shoulder against Todoroki’s, to get him to look at him.

Todoroki glanced at him as he gained his composure once again. 

“Why is that?” Todoroki asked as he relaxed against the headboard once again. 

“Because you’re making your own path. This is your life Todoroki, not Enji’s. Shouto is the person who stays up until two or three am to help other people with their walks. Shouto is the person that stood up for Uraraka when Toga was trying to bring down her self confidence. Shouto is the person that I consider a friend, someone I can rely on. That is the Shouto that I know. That’s all you, not Enji.” Izuku said with a firm nod as he turned to face his friend again. 

As Izuku shifted so he was sitting in front of Todoroki, the covers catching under his foot as he looked up at his friend. Todoroki looked surprised, his grip loosening on the blankets as he stared at Izuku, unmoving as his eyes blinked several times. 

“You can do it, Shouto. We all know you can.” Izuku said he smiled, holding up a thumbs up to solidify his statement.

Todoroki looked down at his lap before looking back up at Izuku, his eyes becoming glassy again as he began to speak.

“It’s not my father's life… It’s mine.” Todoroki said quietly, echoing the words that Izuku had just told him. “You’re right. My father isn’t me, and I’m not my father.” Todoroki said as his expression relaxed, his hand coming up to touch the left side of his face, the side that resembled his father. 

“It’s going to take awhile to not see him when I look in a mirror, but I think I understand what you’re saying.” Todoroki said as he looked back up at Izuku. “From now on, I’ll go by Shouto and I’ll live for myself, no one else.” 

“That’s the spirit!” Izuku exclaimed as he pulled his friend into a hug, the hug being returned carefully before the two parted ways, a soft knock on the door startling them both.

Izuku stood up as the door opened, standing in front of Todoroki as a shield from prying eyes, so no one else could see his fragile state. As the door opened, Izuku quickly recognized Iida and Uraraka both had plates of food in their hands. 

“Sorry to barge in, but dinner’s ready!” Uraraka said as she came in, handing a plate to Izuku before peering around him to see Todoroki. She quickly offered him a plate as well, which Todoroki took carefully. Izuku was grateful that Uraraka was an understanding person who didn’t question why Todoroki had very obviously been crying. 

“We made soba, but we made yours cold.” Uraraka said. “Iida told me you liked it that way!” she said happily as she sat next to Iida, taking a plate from him as she began to eat. 

Izuku took his seat on his bed, smiling across the room at Todoroki who was looking down at his plate of noodles before looking at Uraraka and Iida. 

“From now on, call me Shouto.” he said with a soft expression, both Iida and Uraraka being taken off guard. “If you’re not comfortable with being my friend, just think of it as my professional name from now on.” Todoroki stated as he began to eat, thanking them both for food as he ate.

“I consider us all to be friends.” Uraraka said as she smiled at everyone. “Feel free to use my first name.” 

“Same goes for me.” Izuku said shyly as he wiped his mouth gingerly with a napkin.

“I would like that as well.” Iida said, everyone grinning at each other as they all continued to eat in a comfortable silence. 

-x-

Once dinner was over, Izuku and Todoroki volunteered to do the dishes, which they did in a comfortable silence. Not long after their dishes had been cleaned and put away, they had received a letter from the judges, hinting at what their photo shoot would be.

“You’ve come to win but not to play, who will be the hero of the day?” 

Uraraka read aloud before putting the letter down and everyone began to discuss what they thought the photo shoot might mean.

“Twenty bucks says it’s going to be a playground.” Tetsu said as he leaned against the wall, looking amused. 

“Wrong!” Monoma exclaimed. “It’s obviously going to be at a theme park.” he said with a shrug, his face contorting into a smug smile.

“I was going to roast you for that idea being awful, but you already have a rough enough time with your wardrobe.” Sero offered as everyone broke into laughter. 

“I don’t speak broke.” Todoroki said with an amused expression, catching everyone off guard as they began to laugh even harder. 

“Todoroki, you really didn’t have to put him down like that, don’t kick the man while he’s down!” Momo exclaimed as she allowed herself to laugh loud enough for everyone to hear. 

“It’s the quiet ones you have to look out for.” Jirou said with an amused expression, patting Todoroki on the back as she went back to the living room with Tsu following close behind her. 

“All this discussion and we still don’t know what the photo shoot will be about.” Iida said as the group examined the letter again, Uraraka and Izuku still attempting to shake off their laughter.

Iida began to speak when the doorbell rang, which he swiftly answered. After a few brief moments, Iida appeared from around the corner with two packages in his hands. Izuku got butterflies in his stomach when he realized that the scarf he had made for Bakugou came in.

“This is actually a good time for us all to be together because I got this made for Shouto.” Iida said as he carefully handed him the package, Todoroki’s eyes widening as he took the package from him carefully.

“Really?” Todoroki asked as he looked down at the box, brushing his fingers over the box carefully.

“Well don’t just look at it!” Uraraka exclaimed with excitement. “Open it!” she insisted as she brought him to the kitchen, handing him a pair of scissors to open the box. 

Todoroki gave a slight nod as he cut the box open before pulling the contents out. The hoodie was white on one side and red on the others, the red appearing to look like flames. As Todoroki held it up to his chest to see if it fit, Izuku realized that the white was on the side as he white hair, and the red was on the same side as his red, causing him to laugh.

“You remind me of ice and fire, Shouto.” Iida explained calmly, looking over the hoodie. “You’re as calm as the frozen water but when it counts, your actions and personality can be described as fiery. I think it suits you.” he said as he sat up. 

Todoroki gave him a slight smile as he slipped the hoodie over his head, he hoodie being a bit too big for him as he pulled at the sleeves. 

“This means more to me than you know, Tenya.” Todoroki said as he adjusted his hoodie strings. Iida gave him a small nod before looking at Izuku.

“What did you get made, Izuku?” Uraraka asked as she looked at the box in his hand carefully, causing his face to turn red. 

“Oh, it’s nothing, really.” Izuku said, panicking slightly as he realized the cameras were filming him and his friends in the kitchen. “It’s a gift for someone.”

“Oh~” Uraraka cooed as she touched the box carefully. “Who is it for?” she asked, looking curious. 

“Oh well um, Bakugou’s birthday is coming up soon and I just thought, since he’s away from his family and all, because he’s filming here, I just thought it would be nice to get him a gift so it wouldn’t seem as lonely.” Izuku finished, tripping over his words as he hid his face from the camera with his box.

“Well, let's see it.” Todoroki said as he took the box from Izuku, cutting it open carefully. Izuku reached inside and pulled out the fabric, carefully running his fingers over it as he did so. 

The scarf was mainly black with orange x’s with two black dots on the top right side of every x. Izuku felt his heart swell as he smiled, looking up at his friends, who were smiling at him.

“He’s got it bad, ladies and gentlemen.” Uraraka said with a laugh as she touched the scarf carefully. 

“You can tell without even talking to him.” Iida offered, looking amused as he sat on a chair in front of Izuku.

“I-it’s not like that!” Izuku said in a hushed tone, sounding flustered as he carefully folded the scarf up.

“Like I said before, you even have a nickname for him, you live in a room filled with his stuff, and every time Bakugou is brought up, you look like you’re going to explode from excitement.” Todoroki offered with a shrug as he ruffled Izuku’s hair playfully. 

Izuku gave a resigned sigh as he gathered his things, making his way back to his room.

“I trust you guys to keep this a secret for now, okay?” Izuku said with a smile as he put the scarf back in the box. “I’m going to take a shower and then go to bed.” he said with a wave before disappearing into his room.

Chapter Text

Growing up, Bakugou was never one to celebrate his own birthday, his parents couldn’t even remember his birthday with how busy they were, let alone celebrate it. After becoming friends with Kirishima, though, he found himself at their house every year on his birthday to celebrate it and although he still didn’t understand the importance of having a party, he wasn’t against celebrating with his friends anymore. 

Bakugou was accompanied by Kirishima as they made their way onto the set of the contestants next photo shoot. Today was Bakugou’s birthday but Mina and Kaminari had already plans for later that night with all his friends so they could celebrate his birthday instead of postponing it, as it so often was. With a small yawn, Kirishima threw his arm over the taller blondes shoulders, smiling at him as he did so. 

“So, you’ll never guess what I got you this year for your birthday. It’s totally kickass and you’ll be kissing my ass forever once you see it.” Kirishima said with a laugh as he dodged and elbow from Bakugou.

“The day I kiss your ass is the day that hell freezes over, shitty hair.” Bakugou said as he tossed his coat onto the chair that sat behind a row of computer monitors. He would be evaluating them again today and giving them advice as they went through the day. While it wasn’t his favorite thing to do, he had an eye for detail and he’d rather help them in the first few weeks so that they didn’t struggle in later weeks. He hated looking at half-assed photos. 

Just as Kirishima opened his mouth to respond, the door to the studio opened and the contestants filed in neatly as the camera crew began to record both parties. Bakugou adjusted the collar of his black button up shirt, rolling the sleeves up to his elbows as he stuck his hands in his pockets. 

“You all made it to another week but all that means is that it’s going to keep getting harder as time goes by,” Bakugou started as he looked over at Kirishima as he started. 

“Nice to see you all, as usual. So, what day is it today?” Kirishima asked with a sly smile as he observed everyone.

“Today is April twentieth!” Midoriya blurted from the front of the crowd with a proud smile on his face. Bakugou noticed he was hugging a small, black box to his chest but he brushed it off as Kirishima took the floor once again.

“Exactly! Meaning that Golden Week kicks off next week here in Japan. In honor of that, we decided what better way to start it than by dressing up in traditional Japanese clothing!” he finished looked excited as everyone's wardrobes were wheeled out on small carts, each of their names attached to the clothing that they would be wearing. 

“The person who gets best picture this week will have their photo on the cover of a magazine, however, we won’t be announcing what that magazine is until panel. No matter how small the publication, it’ll always be good to have a magazine cover in your portfolio. So go get dressed.” Bakugou finished as he made his way to his chair, running a hand through his hair as he did so.

Everyone had set off towards hair and makeup with the exception of Midoriya Izuku. He had walked up to the table Bakugou was sitting at, his eyes fixed firmly on the ground as he bowed to him deeply, the black box he had been carrying around was still clutched to his chest tightly. Bakugou wasn’t sure what was going on as he looked at the smaller man, his eyes fixed squarely on his curly green hair that was hanging softly around his face. 

“I know today is your birthday so I wanted to say happy birthday.” Midoriya said as he stood back up, his freckles were being accentuated by the blush that was spreading quickly across his cheeks. 

Bakugou snorted as he leaned back against the chair, motioning for him to take a seat next to him, which he did. 

“You should be in hair and makeup, don’t you think, crybaby?” Bakugou asked as he crossed his arms across his chest, Midoriya shrinking in his chair slightly as he asked. 

“Oh, I’m one of the last ones to get my makeup done today. They said they’d call for me once it was my turn. I would hate to keep them waiting when they work so hard to get us ready for our photos.” Midoriya replied, his smile as genuine as ever. Bakugou didn’t understand how someone could be so genuinely happy all the time, it was like nothing could hurt him as long as he was smiling.

“I see. So, what’s the box about?” Bakugou asked as he nodded towards the box the kid was still holding against his chest. If he didn’t know better, he’s think it was his diary with how hard he was holding it. 

“O-oh! Well, you see. Iida won the challenge last week of being best dressed, so he chose me to be the secondary prize winner and we got to commission of piece of clothing to make from Enji’s company!” Izuku explained enthusiastically, his expression suddenly looking flustered as he looked down at the box before looking back up at Bakugou.

“And, today is your birthday, s-so I had the company make a piece of clothing I thought you would like, so it could be a birthday present of sorts! B-but of course, you might not like it because it’s not like we’re close, I just took a guess from what I could gather and you know-” 

Midoriya hadn’t realized he had been rambling so Bakugou took the chance to pull the box out of his arms, his expression amused and somewhat surprised as he carefully undid the ribbon the box before opening it and pulling out the soft fabric from it’s black encasing. His eyes widened as he realized this nerd had made him a scarf using his favorite colors, along with a symbol that he had never seen before but it drew him in for some reason. As he sat there, carefully running his fingers over the fabric, he could see Midoriya fidgeting in his seat.

“You have better taste than I expected.” Bakugou said with a smirk as he casually put the scarf around his neck. “I’ll keep it.” was all he said as his fingers carefully ran over the fabric again, Bakugou enjoying the flustered look on Midoriya’s face as he put the scarf on, Bakugou taking time to fully enjoy the joyful panic he saw in Midoriya’s eyes. 

“I’m so glad you like it! It looks really good on you too.” Midoriya said as he clasped his hands together and Bakugou took note of the fact that his face was the shade of a tomato by this point. As Bakugou went to respond, Dabi called him over from hair and makeup so he could start getting ready for his photo shoot. Midoriya called back to him to let him know he was on his way.

As Midoriya stood up to leave, Bakugou grabbed him by the wrist, standing up next to the smaller man as he tried not to look as surprised as Midoriya did because he body was moving on its own. Bakugou’s grip didn’t loosen as he looked down at Midoriya who looked like a baby deer caught in the headlights as he stared up at Bakugou with piercing green eyes. 

“Don’t leave after the shoot. I’ll be waiting.” was all Bakugou said as he let go of Midoriya’s wrist. The green haired man didn’t say anything but he let out a small sound as he gave a quick nod before running off towards the makeup area. Bakugou sat back down as he took a deep breath to really think through what he just did. Without dwelling on it too long, Bakugou relaxed back into his chair once again as he watched Kirishima stride over to him from the hair and makeup department. 

Kirishima set next to Bakugou as he pulled out his phone, scrolling through his messages once again to see if his parents had even made an effort to acknowledge his existence at all. Without much surprise, they hadn’t messaged him but Kirishima’s parents had sent him long paragraphs in the early morning to be the first one’s to tell him happy birthday but he wouldn’t tell them that Kirishima had been faster.

Kirishima looked at him with a sympathetic expression as Bakugou put his phone on the table, his arms crossed across his chest as he looked over to hair and makeup.

“Yo, that scarf is badass. You weren’t wearing it this morning, where did you pick it up from?” Kirishima asked as he carefully touched the fabric.

“Midoriya had it made for me for my birthday.” Bakugou said, trying to sound as disinterested as possible as he pulled the scarf closer to his neck. 

“You usually never wear presents that fans give you, you must really like it then. Or… dare I say. You like him .” Kirishima said as he raised an eyebrow knowingly at the explosive blonde. “I’m not here to judge, I honestly think you two would be really cute together as long as he stops spazzing out anytime you two breathe the same air.” Kirishima said with a smile.

“Shut the fuck up, shitty hair. It was a gift from a fan to their favorite model. I don’t know what big ideas you have, but you can shove them up your ass.” Bakugou snapped, trying to keep his voice down.

“Oh really? Is that why you asked him to stay after the photo shoot?” Kirishima asked, his voice a lot more serious than Bakugou was expecting and it was something that didn’t sit right with him.

“Move the fuck on. You’re constantly talking about that guy every time you’re around me. If you want someone to date him so bad, why don’t you do it?” 

Obviously feeling Bakugou’s hostility, Kirishima relaxed in his chair and easily switched topics. 

“So, besides the dinner that Mina has planned for tonight, what else do you want to do?” Kirishima asked with a curious expression and Bakugou was glad to get his mind off his parents and the relentless teasing that Kirishima was hell bent on doing. 

“Dinner is enough. We have an early morning tomorrow.” Bakugou said as he looked over at a grinning Kirishima. “Whatever you’re planning shitty hair, put a cap on it.” he said with an irritated expression.

“Hey, I’m your best friend and I just want what’s best for you. Even if what is best for you is going to Mina’s apartment and drinking with some of your closest friends while we play drunk cards against humanity.” Kirishima put his hands up in mock surrender. “Only the best, of course.” he said as he got up.

“I gotta run, you have fun with the kiddos!” Kirishima said as he jogged, read: ran, away from Bakugou before he had the chance to respond.

At this point in his life, Bakugou was used to his friends doing things like this during his birthday. With a dejected sigh, he picked his phone back up to text the group chat he was in with his friends. 

• Izuku x  POV -

Izuku had finished getting his hair and makeup done, all of his friends had been finished before him and they all sat in a circle as they watched everyone start to take their photos. Uraraka had been put into a beautiful baby blue and pink kimono, most of her accessories, including her obi and zori, were gold encrusted and her makeup had been done in a very natural way with soft hues of pink adorning her cute features. 

Todoroki had been dressed in a traditional light gray haori, his hakama were black and white, and his zori was the same shade of gray as his haori. Todoroki, despite his scar that added to his charm in a way, had a sort of traditional grace to him. Izuku thought it was a good choice putting him in the traditional colors of haori because he knew his elegance was bound to show through in the pictures as well.

Moving onto Iida, he was wearing a navy blue haori with blue and white hakama and his zori was a light shade of blue, which Izuku found to be an interesting choice. While Iida wasn’t exactly elegant, he was definitely handsome and his ability to always find the light along with working his natural angles helped to make him look even better through pictures. He had also recently switched to contacts instead of glasses so he could be comfortable and professional at the same time without being blind during his photo shoots. 

Izuku looked down at his dark green haori. The stylists had chosen a white and dark green hakama to go with his haori and his zori was an offwhite that he enjoyed but he didn’t think it made too much of a difference in his opinion. He enjoyed being around traditional clothing because he felt like he could be someone other than himself, almost like he could be on the set of a historical drama and he was playing out the lead role. He giggled to himself at the thought before returning to his conversation with his friends who were all listening closely. 

“Anyways, so I gave him the scarf and he put it on, like right then and there.” Izuku said as he felt his face heat up, hoping that his foundation was at least dimming the sight of it a little bit. 

“That’s so cool Izu!” Uraraka exclaimed as she hugged his arm to her chest, she sounded almost as excited as he felt. “What happened after that?” she urged, her eyes wide with curiosity as she waited for him to speak again.

“Uh, he asked me to stay after the shoot was over.” Izuku said sheepishly, a smile spreading across his face as he looked at his friends reactions.

“I wonder what he could want with you after the shoot.” Iida said thoughtfully. Before Todoroki could speak, he got called up to go take his photos and the conversation resumed as he walked away onto set. 

Izuku took a moment to watch him as he took his photos. Todoroki immediately snapped into character and he moved so gracefully, Izuku thought he looked like a dancer as he took direction from the photographer. Bakugou barely spoke to Todoroki as he took photos, only having to tell him when to move back into the light and small details like that. Izuku wasn’t sure how much training he had, had growing up or if he was a natural, but he had the feeling he shouldn’t ask just yet. 

Izuku turned back to his friends and looked pleased as he fixed his haori when he overheard a conversation between Dabi and Shigaraki a couple makeup tables down from where he sat with his friends.

“Listen you little shit,” Dabi started off, holding up a handful of color tubes but Izuku couldn’t read what they were from where he was sitting. “You’re a makeup artist and you don’t ever moisturize. You’re setting a terrible example.” he said as he held out one of the colored tubes, which was pushed away carefully by Shigaraki. 

“I don’t need your chapstick, Dabi. You’re really starting to grate on my nerves with this all the time.” Shigaraki said as he started to walk away. 

Izuku couldn’t help but laugh as he watched the interaction between the two, shaking his head as he waved to Shigaraki who waved back. Dabi looked helpless as he shoved the chap stick into Shigaraki’s bag before he had the chance to stop him.

“I’m a good friend.” Dabi muttered to himself as he disappeared around the corner.

“Those two are an odd pair.” Iida said as he stood up. “I’m up next, don’t get too carried away while I’m gone.” he said as he walked onto set, Todoroki taking his original place.

Uraraka and Izuku decided to focus on their upcoming photo shoot, so they spent most of their time practicing their facial expressions in the mirror before their names were called. 

-x- 

Just as he had been the last time, Izuku was the last one to be photographed. He stepped on set and gave a polite bow to both Bakugou and the photographer before he took his place in front of the camera and the light they had set up. They had an array of props he could use, but he could only choose one for continuity of the shots, so he chose to use a Nohkan, which was an old Japanese flute that was made entirely from bamboo and used to be used in old Kabuki theatre. 

Somehow, Izuku thought that using a rather sullen look fit the character that he was portraying in his haori. While his imagination ran wild with ideas for a story in his head, he made sure to keep his focus on the camera, using his prop in every conceivable way. 

Halfway through his shoot, he realized Bakugou hadn’t said anything to him during his photos and it somehow made him uneasy. As he gave a small bow to the photographer, he looked at Bakugou with a curious expression and he could feel his nerves starting to acting act up as his beautiful crimson eyes made contact with his.

“Do I look okay?” Izuku asked, carefully clutching the nohkan between his palms. 

“I haven’t said anything, that’s a good thing. Don’t worry about what I think and just go with it. Only worry if I’m talking too much during your film.” was all Bakugou said as his eyes lowered back to the monitor in front of him and Izuku took a moment to compose himself as he began to take his pictures again. 

-x- 

Once he was finished taking his photos, Bakugou announced that that was a wrap and they just had to wait for their bus to get back. Everyone got dressed back into their regular clothing, including Midoriya and everyone was discussing how they felt they did during the shoot. From the corner of his eye, he could see the Tetsu was sitting on the floor with his head in his hands. Feeling that something was wrong, Midoriya crouched in front of him quietly before speaking.

“Hey, is everything okay over here?” Izuku asked as he carefully nudged Tetsu on the shoulder. While he didn’t look up at him, he began to speak.

“I’m going home, so I’m just taking time to accept it.” he said as he ran a hand through his hair. “I don’t think I’ve ever been so unfocused during a photo shoot before.” Tetsu said as he looked up at Midoriya, his eyes a soft tint of pink and he knew he had been crying prior to Midoriya getting there. 

“You might have been unfocused but that doesn’t mean you’re going home.” Midoriya said with a smile. “As weird as it might sound, we had a lot of photos taken of us today and if the judges can find even one good photo of you, I think they’ll give you another chance. So, don’t resign yourself to defeat just yet, okay?” 

Tetsu gave a small nod as he stood up, wiping his eyes. “I’ll try to be more positive in that case.” was all he said as he gave Midoriya a pat on the back before walking away to get changed. 

With that, Midoriya took this as his chance to slip away from everyone to speak to Bakugou. He wasn’t sure what to expect and he was worried that he had done something wrong earlier, with how sudden Bakugou had asked to speak with him. Bakugou was waiting behind the monitors and he was putting his coat on, Midoriya taking note of the scarf still being on his neck, and Bakugou motioned for him to follow as he took him to small, fenced in area in the back of the studio. 

Midoriya stuck his hands in his hoodie pockets, regretting not bringing any gloves as the spring frost nipped at his fingertips. As he looked up at Bakugou, he realized the blonde had looked away from him as he started to speak.

“Look, my friends are throwing a party for me tonight, they always do it for my birthday every year because they’re fucking irritating.” Bakugou started, his eyes were narrowed like he was irritated but he spoke with confidence.

“I think that your friendships are really nice though, Bakugou.” Midoriya said with a smile, pushing his hair out of his face as the wind carefully rustled his curls. 

“You say that until you actually know them.” Bakugou said as he rolled his eyes. “Anyways, I think it would be a lot more tolerable if you there. They’d finally shut the fuck up about me being alone all the time even though they’re on my ass constantly. I can pick you up at seven.” Bakugou said as he turned back to Midoriya. 

Midoriya was completely shocked. He stood there, staring at Bakugou with a mix looked of shock and excitement on his face as his face turned red, all the way to his ears and he knew the foundation wasn’t thick enough to cover it this time. 

“You don’t have to if you don’t want to, crybaby.” Bakugou said and Izuku could sense some of the confidence had left Bakugou’s voice, causing him to snap out of his trance. 

“I’d love to! What should I wear? Is it going to be really formal or laid back?” Izuku asked as he took a step forward, all of the nervousness he had, he swallowed it back for the sake of this once in a lifetime opportunity. Izuku could see Bakugou’s shoulders relax a bit as he accepted his offer 

“Wear whatever you want. You don’t have to dress to impress any of them like you do here. Show me what’s underneath that potential of yours, Midoriya.” Bakugou said with a slight smirk as he walked past him and opened the door for him as they both walked back inside. “See you at seven.”

“Seven.” Midoriya repeated as he stood there, smiling so hard he thought his cheeks might burst. Bakugou rolled his eyes as he grabbed Midoriya by his shoulders and turned him around, motioning to everyone starting to file out of the building the way they had come in.

“Don’t you have a bus to catch, nerd?” Bakugou asked as he gave him a small push forward. “This goes without saying, but don’t tell anyone where you’re going tonight.”  was the last thing Bakugou said before he turned around and left through another door.

Midoriya felt like his legs might turn to jello as he ran to the line to catch up with everyone else. 

-x- 

Later that night, Midoriya had gotten dressed and didn’t tell anyone where he was going, just as Bakugou had told him. He told his friends he was going to look around the city because he knew they were all too tired to tag along. They were allowed to leave the apartment, they just had to be present during important filming like elimination, challenges, mail, and things like this. Izuku was also happy to have this opportunity to not be filmed for the first time in almost three weeks if you counted casting week which was a blessing.

Izuku had dressed in light blue jeans that had rips in them from right above his knees down to the middle of his shins. He wore a gray shirt underneath with a green jean jacket that had breast pockets with golden studs on them and his red high tops were on his feet. Izuku hummed to himself happily as he grabbed his wallet and an umbrella before taking the elevator downstairs. As the elevator opened on the first floor, he felt himself getting more nervous as he stepped outside of the high rise apartment building. 

Taking a small glance at his watch, he realized he had gotten outside right at seven. He carefully pushed the sleeve of his jacket back down and shoved his hands in his pockets right as a silver car pulled up to the curb he was standing on. Taking a small step back, Izuku bent down as the window began to roll down and he saw Bakugou in the driver's seat, his forearms resting lazily on the top of the steering wheel. 

“You clean up well for a newbie.” Bakugou said as he leaned over, opening the door for Midoriya before he took his place back in the driver’s seat. 

Izuku squeaked out a small thank you as he got into the car and closed the door, immediately putting on his seat belt as he relaxed into the comfortable leather seats, his eyes wandering over to Bakugou who had begun driving to their destination.

He was wearing a white button up shirt with the top two buttons undone, exposing his well defined chest as well as his collarbones. Accompanied by black slacks and black boots that went to his ankle. They weren’t quite like combat boots, but they helped tie the look together surprisingly, and Bakugou had black sunglasses resting on the top of his head, his hair somehow forming around them perfectly. 

“You’re pretty trusting. I could be driving you out to the middle of nowhere to kill you and you’d be smiling the entire time.” Bakugou said with a smirk, not taking his eyes off the road.

“Your humor is pretty dark, from what I’ve gathered.” Izuku said with a small laugh and for some reason he felt more relaxed when Bakugou joked around with him, no matter how dark his humor might be.

“You don’t have to analyze everything you fucking nerd.” Bakugou said as he popped his neck without much effort, glancing over at him as he stopped at a red light. “And don’t fucking fangirl over anyone you see tonight. Last thing I need is them thinking I got some excited teens off the streets to spend the night with me.” 

Izuku blushed a little as he looked down at his lap. 

“I’m not going to fanboy, I wouldn’t embarrass you like that. Why’d you decide to bring me tonight, if you don’t mind me asking.” Izuku said as he looked over Bakugou, who had focused on the road again once traffic started moving. Bakugou let the question hang in the air for a little while, the only sound in the car was the hum of the engine and the soft jangling of the keys in the ignition whenever he made a turn. 

“You’re overanalyzing again.” Bakugou said with a sigh as he pulled up to a restaurant. “You’re one of the few people that doesn’t piss me off. Don’t fucking ask why because I couldn’t tell you, but you’re going to start pissing me off if you keep looking into everything so deeply.” Bakugou said as he got out of the car and Izuku followed suit. The valet was handed the keys and they made their way inside together, but Izuku kept just enough distance so that his face wouldn’t explode from blushing so hard. 

As they walked inside, Bakugou and Izuku were ushered into a private room upstairs quietly. From what he could gather, Bakugou was a regular at the restaurant and it was a really nice place. As they walked to the room, Izuku felt as though he was underdressed for such a nice place. Everyone was wearing suits and long dresses, all the women had makeup on and he could tell this restaurant was made for the elites and no one else. He found himself gripping the ends of his jacket as they reached the room and the host opened the door for him. 

As they stepped in, Izuku recognized everyone in the room. The only people there were Mina, Kaminari and Kirishima, there were two empty chairs that Izuku assumed were for himself and Bakugou. Before they sat down, Mina launched herself at Bakugou while the other two gawked at Midoriya who was standing awkwardly off to the side. 

“Happy Birthday Bakugou! I love you so much, how many years has it been since we first become friends? Oh, and you brought the cute boy from panel the other night! Please, come sit down Midoriya. It’s so nice that he brought someone with him this year.” Mina cooed as she sat Midoriya down and Bakugou followed after him, relaxing in the chair as he did so. 

“So that’s why you wanted to talk to him after the photo shoot was done.” Kirishima said with a smug smile as he took a drink of his wine, his eyebrows rising as he looked at Bakugou over his glass. 

“Get over it. He’s here, the reason why isn’t important shit head.” Bakugou as he picked up his menu, motioning for Midoriya to do the same.

“By the way, Midoriya, I wanted to ask about what happened the other night. Did you piss Toga off or something? She was out for blood outing you like that in front of everyone in the house.” Kirishima said and he looked concerned as he  picked up his menu.

“O-oh, I don’t really know what her problem is but a couple other people in the house think she’s trying to ruin people’s public image during the show so that it affects their career after they leave the competition.” Izuku said with a slight frown as he looked down at his menu, but he wasn’t really reading what it said.

“What did she do?” Bakugou asked as he looked between Midoriya and Kirishima, Kaminari looking just as curious as Bakugou did.

Kirishima gave Midoriya a small smile as he sat back in his chair.

“It’s totally your call if you want to tell them. It’s your life. Don’t be mad if he doesn’t want to say. Toga put out some pretty sensitive information about him after the panel had ended last week.” Kirishima said as he started to read over his menu.

Midoriya took a deep breath and Mina gave him a reassuring pat on his hand and a confident smile as she smiled at him. 

“I’m gay, and I told Toga not to tell anyone, she found out by accident. So, after the panel, I had stopped Mina and Kirishima to talk to them before they left. Everyone gathered around obviously, because a lot of people look up to the judges and she said it loud enough so everyone could hear.” Midoriya said with a shy smile. “Thankfully the cameras were off and these two covered for me.” he motioned to Kirishima and Mina as he said the last part. 

“You know, I always got a creepy vibe from her, something off about her, ya know?” Kaminari asked as he shook his head. “Well if it makes you feel any better, none of us really care about that. We support you dude.” Kaminari said as he gave him finger guns across the table, making Midoriya laugh as he did so. 

“I appreciate it.” Midoriya said as he started to look over his menu, trying not to be too conscious of the fact that Bakugou hadn’t said anything since he had revelaed that he was gay. 

The conversation went on as the waiter made his way over to the group and took their orders and also taking the time to refill everyone’s wine glass with the exception of Midoriya, who had asked for water instead. 

“So, what did you say to her afterwards?” Bakugou asked suddenly, causing the table to look at Bakugou and then Midoriya, since the question was aimed at him. Midoriya was a bit caught off guard by the question as he looked over at Bakugou who was staring at him intently. 

“Oh, I didn’t really say much of anything, actually. I think it’s best to avoid as much as interaction with her as possible.” Izuku said as he rubbed the back of his neck, his eyes breaking contact with Bakugou’s intense crimson eyes. 

“You should have said something to her, you shouldn’t let people step all over you just because you want to avoid conflict.” Bakugou said as he nudged Izuku to look at him again. “That’s bullshit.” 

“No offense, but I’m kind of used to it. I was bullied at school for as long as I can remember so I’ve learned to let it not bother me. She’s no different than the lowlifes from my hometown.” Izuku said as he smiled at Bakugou, who looked irritated with his statement but he didn’t say anything more on the situation.

“Don’t take what he’s saying the wrong way, Midoriya, he’s only like this because he cares, ya know?” Kaminari said with a smile as he leaned against the table.

“Yeah, one of our close friends is gay, so I think it just struck a cord with him. Don’t take it to heart, or do, because Bakugou is a big softy.” Mina said as she hugged Midoriya, which helped to loosen up the tension that was beginning to settle in a thick film over the room. 

“Oh fuck off pinky, the only soft ones here are you sad wannabe’s.” Bakugou said as the waiter came in with the food and everyone looked pleased with their selection. Midoriya noticed that Bakugou has a really loud bark and no bite, at least when he was with his friends. They never seemed to take his insults seriously, which he assumed was from years of close friendship. It was also just how Bakugou was. 

As Izuku began to eat, he hummed happily around his food, his eyes shining as he looked down at his plate of steak.

“I didn’t think food could taste this good.” Izuku said as he looked at Bakugou, who was watching him with a somewhat amused expression, but that quickly changed when they made eye contact. 

“Why do you think I chose this place? I wouldn’t go to McDonald’s or some shit for my birthday.” Bakugou said as he began to eat.

“You take that back, I heard that implied hostility towards McDonald’s, you fiend.” Kaminari said as he pointed his steak knife at Bakugou, who snorted in response. 

“You wanna fight, you demented energizer bunny?” Bakugou said as he stood up, Kirishima immediately pushing Bakugou back down onto his seat by his shoulders. 

“Children, violence is not the answer to everything. Let’s just eat our meals in peace so Midoriya can get home safely.” Kirishima said as he sat back down, his smile wider than he had ever seen it before. 

“Speaking of going home, are you going to come with us back to Bakugou’s apartment for game night?” Mina said as she smiled at Midoriya, who was almost completely engrossed in how good all of his food was. As he looked up, he could feel a blush creeping onto his face as he looked between Mina and Bakugou. 

“That’s up to Bakugou since it’s his birthday and he’s also my ride back to the apartment.” Izuku said with an awkward smile, stuck between not wanting to impose on Bakugou’s personal space but also being extremely curious of what their game nights entail. 

“I wouldn’t have invited the fanboy if I wasn’t planning on inviting him to the game night pinky. Shut the fuck up and eat your food so we can go back to my apartment before traffic hits.” Bakugou said as he finished his food, pushing his plate away from him as he wiped his mouth off.

Izuku hid his smile from the rest of the table as he finished his food. 

The waiter came back to the room with four checks and Midoriya looked a bit confused as he looked at the waiter. Midoriya wasn’t sure why the man hadn’t brought him a check and right before he went to ask, Bakugou gave the waiter his check back and looked at Midoriya. 

“You’re my guest so I’m paying for you tonight. Don’t expect this to happen again.” Bakugou said as he put his wallet back in his pocket. 

“I-I couldn’t let you pay for my portion! It was expensive, the least I could do would be to pay for you on your birthday.” Midoriya pleaded, feeling self conscious about having Bakugou pay for his meal.

Bakugou frowned as he leaned back against his chair. “You got me a scarf you little shit. Just let me pay and be quiet about it.” he said as he pinched the bridge of his nose in annoyance.

“I just wanted to point out that Bakugou said don’t expect this to happen again. ” Kaminari pointed out as he got out of his chair and walked closer to Bakugou. “Sir, is it safe to assume that there will be more dates with the crowd favorite, Midoriya Izuku?” Kaminari asked as he held a roll of silverware up to Bakugou like microphone. 

With speed faster than Midoriya could keep up with, Bakugou snatched the roll of silverware out of his hands and tossed it aside on the table. 

“I don’t know what you all have been smoking tonight, but I’m telling my security that you followed me home so he won’t let you in.” Bakugou looked down at Midoriya as he stood up, opening the door as he did so. 

“Lets go before they start to ask even dumber shit.” he said and Midoriya waved everyone a short goodbye as he walked out of the room with Bakugou, the room falling to laughter as the door shut behind them both. Bakugou shook his head as he walked out of the restaurant with him and they waited at the curb for the valet to bring them his car. 

“I really like your friends.” Midoriya said quietly, looking down at his feet as he spoke. “I think I can see how you’ve made it so far. With people like them supporting you, I feel like I’d be able to take on the world.” Midoriya said as he gave a small nod, obviously deep in thought.

Bakugou frowned as he looked down at Midoriya, playfully tugging a curl to get Midoriya to look back up at him, which he did. 

“They support you too. I didn’t invite you here for myself solely.” Bakugou said as he looked back out onto the street, his hands in his pockets. “I don’t give a shit about the details but they can tell when someone is genuinely good, and you’re one of those people.” Bakugou said as his car pulled up to the curb. Izuku blushed slightly as he got into the car, holding his seat belt carefully as he buckled up, trying not to smile too much on the ride to Bakugou’s apartment. 

-x-

The ride to Bakugou’s apartment was a quiet one in terms of neither of them talking. Bakugou had an… interesting taste in music to say the least. He only listened to metal, and Midoriya recognized most of the bands playing through his radio to be visual kei bands. For some reason, despite his abrasive personality, he thought Bakugou would be more into classical music, something unexpected like that; however, Midoriya found that this type of music fit his personality perfectly. 

Izuku had also noticed that he was no longer tense with Bakugou when they were alone like they are now. Midoriya had always been a naturally nervous person, if you pair that along with one of his biggest idols sitting next to him in a very small space, he might as well have passed out, but Midoriya was enjoying being part of his life, even in this small instance. It might not have seemed like a lot to Bakugou, but he liked the idea of having someone confident and strong as one of his friends. It was no longer about what the model Bakugou was like, he was genuinely interested in becoming part of his life and trying to have a friendship.

Izuku smiled to himself as he looked out the window and Bakugou pulled into a large parking garage, parking in a spot that was specifically marked for him. They both exited the car at the same time and Midoriya stayed close to him as they made their way inside the apartment, not really sure what was in store for them the rest of the night.

They got into an elevator after passing a security system where Bakugou had to scan what looked like a resident ID before they could make it to where any of their apartments were. The ride up to the apartment, Izuku looked around the elevator and hummed thoughtfully as he looked up at Bakugou.

“When did you move here?” Izuku asked curiously, his hands shoved deep into his jacket pockets. 

“When I started hosting the show, so two years ago, almost three.” Bakugou said as he looked at the floor number. “My agent also wanted me to move here because of filming opportunities. A couple companies want me to be apart of historical dramas.” he said casually and Izuku made a small sound as the elevator stopped, both of them stepping out into a long hallway, however, there was only one door. 

Izuku realized quickly that Bakugou lived in the biggest suite in the building and he shook his head as the door opened and Bakugou flicked on the lights to reveal a very neat apartment, save for the backpack that was by the door. Izuku took his shoes off and put on a pair of slippers that Bakugou put in front of him before he walked further into the apartment. Bakugou’s furniture was almost all black, save for a couple multiple colored pillows that he assumed was the doing of Mina, considering they were pink. 

He had a large, spacious kitchen that had nothing on the countertops save for a blender and a rice cooker that sat close to each other on the marble countertops. His floor was tiled and it reminded him of a chess board since it was black and white all over the apartment. The living room had black leather furniture with a large TV that sat in the middle of a large entertainment center, complete with speakers that were probably as tall as Izuku was and a coffee table that spanned the length of his couches. 

That was all Izuku could see but he liked Bakugou’s choice of style. He quietly followed him into the kitchen and Bakugou began to pull out several bottles of liquor from what could only be called the liquor cabinet. Bakugou pointed to a cabinet not too far away from him and told him to start pulling out shot glasses, which Midoriya did carefully, not wanting to break anything.

Eventually, the other three showed up to the apartment and their game of choice was cards against humanity. Izuku had never played the game but the idea behind the drinking game was that if your card didn’t get chosen as the funniest card, you had to take a shot. Because Izuku had never drank before, they let him off with just drinking sips of beer when his card wasn’t chosen. 

Izuku learned that Mina and Kaminari had a very low tolerance for alcohol, so within an hour of the game starting, they both kept revealing what cards were theres and Kaminari would get particularly emotional if his card wasn’t chosen as the funniest. Kirishima was a bit better about his tolerance of alcohol but he was an affectionate drunk, which Izuku learned after the third time of him getting the funniest card and Kirishima would scoop him up into a bear hug like he had just won the gold medal at the Olympics, but he didn’t mind too much because he was having a lot of fun. 

“Okay, fuck, man, I” Kaminari started as he looked down at the cards. “All my cards are way better than this garbage heap. Midoriya, which card is yours?” 

Before Izuku could respond, Bakugou cut in, flicking a bottle cap at Kaminari’s head. 

“That’s cheating you fuck, just pick a fucking card and get over it.” Bakugou snapped and Kaminari fainted into Kirishima’s lap dramatically as he did.

“I’m Bakugou from that one movie he did where he died at the end.” Kaminari said as they all started to laugh, Midoriya included. 

“That’s a pretty good imitation, Kaminari. I think Bakugou has some serious competition.” Midoriya said as he laughed, causing Kaminari to sit up and cling to his side.

“Someone in this house finally appreciates my talent. I love you forever Izuku.” Kaminari said, causing Midoriya to blush at the use of his first name. 

“Okay, okay, break up you fucking love birds. Your imaginations run way too wile when you drink and Midoriya isn’t even drunk, little shit.” Bakugou said as he drug Kaminari away from Midoriya, who was giggling at the sight of Kaminari clinging to Bakugou. 

Eventually, Midoriya realized Bakugou wasn’t phased at all by the alcohol, managing to keep his normal dark humor going along with his quick comebacks. After almost two hours of drinking, Bakugou came to the conclusion that everyone was too drunk to go home, so he offered his two spare bedroom to his guests which Kaminari and Kirishima opted to give Mina the room to herself as they all said goodnight to each other in a drunken haze. 

Bakugou and Midoriya took to cleaning up the living room, along with cleaning all the cups and shot glasses used throughout the night. Izuku realized it was nearing midnight and he smiled at Bakugou as they finished doing the dishes. 

“Is there anything else you want to do before your birthday ends, Bakugou?” Izuku asked as he motioned to the clock, which earned a shrug from Bakugou who was finishing drying the last shot glass. 

“Not anything that I can think of. I’m fucking exhausted.” Bakugou said as he made his way to the couch, plopping onto it heavily, and Midoriya followed suit. “The only reason I celebrate my birthday is because of Eijiro.” Bakugou said as he leaned against the arm of the couch. That was the first time that Midoriya had heard Bakugou call Kirishima by his first name, which made him a little curious. 

As Midoriya looked closer, he could see that Bakugou had a drunk blush spread across his cheeks and that made him giggle to himself as he reached out and poked his cheek.

“I think the alcohol is finally hitting you, isn’t it Bakugou?” Midoriya asked, looking amused as he relaxed against the couch. “I can take a taxi home, so you go get some sleep, okay?” he said as he began to get off the couch, but he was quickly caught by Bakugou, who pulled him back onto the couch by his wrist, his gaze not leaving Midoriya’s. 

“It’s not safe for you to leave so late at night so just stay here.” Bakugou said as let go of Midoriya’s wrist, and he could feel a blush creeping onto his cheeks as he stood up again to help Bakugou go to his room, but to his surprise, Bakugou grabbed him by the waist and pulled him squarely onto his lap, earning a surprised yelp from Midoriya.

“I said stay.” Bakugou muttered against his shoulder and Izuku could tell he was definitely drunk but he wasn’t sure how to handle being this close to Bakugou, especially in such an intimate position. 

“I wasn’t going to leave, I just want to help you to your room, Bakugou.” was all Midoriya said as he twisted around as far as he could to look at Bakugou. As he turned, his face was mere inches from Bakugou’s and his eyes were fixed on Midoriya’s the second he turned around, causing a wave of panic and shyness to run through Midoriya’s body as he felt Bakugou’s breath on his cheek. The longer they looked at each other, the more Midoriya could feel himself getting sucked into Bakugou’s pull, it wasn’t until their foreheads touched that Midoriya realized he had been leaning into Bakugou.

Shaking himself into reality, Midoriya sat up and carefully wiggled free from Bakugou’s grasp. He thought maybe his feelings for him went a bit beyond admiration, but he didn’t want to explore those feelings while Bakugou was drunk, it wouldn’t be right or genuine. With that, Midoriya stood up and held his hand out to Bakugou, bracing himself to be pulled down again, but to his surprise, he wasn’t.

Bakugou got up, taking his hand as he rubbed at his eyes sleepily and Midoriya smiled as he walked him down the hallway. He knew where the other three were sleeping so he opened the door at the end of the hall and quietly turned on the lights. Bakugou let go of his hand as he stumbled into the room, discarding his shirt and eventually, with little difficulty, his pants. Midoriya turned away as he dressed and didn’t look back until he heard Bakugou fall into his bed. 

Quietly, Midoriya made his way to Bakugou’s side, standing a small distance away from the bed when he realized the scarf he had made him was lying on the bed next to him, and Bakugou was reaching for it.

“Can I get you anything before I go back to the living room?” Izuku asked, genuinely worried for the hangover he knew was coming in the morning.

Bakugou rolled over to face Midoriya, the scarf clutched firmly in his hands as his unfocused crimson eyes made contact with his curious green ones. 

“Remember that friend Kirishima was talking about? The gay one?” Bakugou asked, his voice a lot more rough than it had been before and a little deeper due to his sleepiness.

Midoriya gave him a nod as he watched Bakugou struggle to keep his eyes open, his red comforter pulled up to his stomach. 

“It’s me.” he said through a yawn. “M’gay but I don’t fucking like talking about it, so if that Toga bitch keeps giving you problems, let me know. Shit’s fuckin stressful enough without that bullshit” Bakugou said before he rolled back over, the scarf pressed to his face and he fell asleep just like that. 

Midoriya felt dizzy at the amount of information he had just been given and he quietly left Bakugou’s room to sleep out in the living room. He sat on the sofa quietly, pulling a white throw blanket off the back of the couch as he curled up on the couch. 

Bakugou is gay. That was the only thought that continued to run through his mind as he closed his eyes. He wanted to believe it was just the alcohol talking, but Izuku remembered how tense he had looked in the restaurant when he had told the story of Toga outting him publicly and he was also a big believer in “a drunk man’s words are a sober man’s thoughts.” So, he didn’t see any other way to look at it other than the raw truth. With a resigned sigh, Izuku fell asleep rather quickly for a place that wasn’t his home. 

-x-

Izuku was woken up the next morning by an energetic voice that was literally shaking him awake. 

“Come on, time to wake up. The producers are pissed at us for not taking you home last night so we had to lie and say that you ended up not feeling well so we took you to the hospital, okay?” Kaminari said as he sat in front of a groggy Midoriya.

He nodded along to the story and stretched as he stood up from the couch, making his way over to the front door where Bakugou was waiting for him, but he didn’t look like he had a hangover at all. Suddenly, the conversation they had the night before ran through his head and he wasn’t sure if he should bring it up or not. Would he remember? Would he be mad for him bringing it up? His head swirled with questions to a crisis only he knew he was having and he felt hands on his back, urging him forward.

“Come on lover boy, you can see him at panel which is in an hour. You have got to go.” Kirishima said as he handed him his shoes, which Midoriya put on quickly and he and Bakugou set out for his car. 

As they stood in the elevator, Midoriya glanced at Bakugou who looked more annoyed than usual, and he wasn’t sure why that was. He decided to wait until they got in the car to ask any questions, which came way to quickly. The ride down seemed to shoot by and he was getting into his car all of a sudden. Midoriya buckled up and waited for Bakugou to start driving before he asked. 

“So, do you… remember anything that you told me last night?” Midoriya asked hesitantly, his hands were gripping his jacket so tightly that his knuckles were turning white and his anxiety was making his stomach turn. 

“What part are you talking about? The part where I told you to stay at my place, or the part where I told you I’m gay?” Bakugou asked as he looked over Midoriya, causing Izuku to blush. 

“The part about being gay… I won’t tell anyone about it because I know how that feels. I-I know I’m like a stranger to you, but I hope you can trust me, even a little bit.” Midoriya said as he looked down at his lap, lacing his fingers together as he let out a small sigh.

“I wouldn’t have told you that if I wasn’t going to trust you with it. I was tipsy, not drunk, Midoriya.” Bakugou said as he pulled up to his apartment. “See you in an hour. We’ll see if you make it through the next week.” Bakugou said as he leaned across Midoriya to open the door. 

With a shy smile, Midoriya waved and got out of the car, immediately making his way back up into the apartment and he snuck into his room to get dressed without anyone noticing him. Of course, he knew he lived with two other people so questions were unavoidable as he closed the door behind him.

“Midoriya, we heard you got sick last night, are you okay?” Iida asked quietly as Midoriya started to get dressed, flashing both him and Todoroki a quick smile as he pulled on a shirt. 

“Yeah, I thought I had food poisoning but I guess the food I ate just didn’t agree with me. I feel a lot better now after keeping hydrated and a night of sleep.” he said as he gave them a thumbs up, pulling on a pair of slacks and dress shoes as he did so. 

They both nodded in unison as they were all ushered out of their rooms and into the room for panel. None of the judges were there yet, which was unusual but considering the night they all had last night, he wasn’t surprised at all that they were late. 

-x-

After a couple minutes of waiting, that they were forced to do in silence, the judges came out one by one, the last judge was the guest judge of the week and for some reason, Midoriya was almost surprised that it was Enji, however, it made sense since he judged them during their fashion challenge that week. After a brief pause, the cameras getting ready for filming, the light finally turned red and Bakugou began to speak.

“I see everyone is here. This week, you were dressed up in traditional Japanese clothing to commemorate the beginning of Golden Week, which begins next week on thursday, correct?” everyone nodded in unison to his words, some sounding more enthusiastic than others. 

“In that case, Enji will be our guest judge for this week. He is our guest while Mina, Kirishima, and I are the main judges for this cycle. With that, the first person we will call up is Tetsu.” 

Tetsu stepped up and Midoriya could tell by his body language that he was nervous, especially with Enji on the panel since he had failed the challenge for that week pretty badly. They pulled his photo onto the big screen and Midoriya winced at how bad it truly was. He thought Tetsu had been exaggerating when he said the photo was bad but you could tell he was all over the place. 

“Last week you weren’t ranked the highest either, but this photo is a complete new low for you. What was going through your mind while you were on the set?” Mina asked, almost looking sympathetic as she waited for him to reply.

“I know this photo isn’t good and there is no excuse for it, other than my lack of focus and willingness to push through my awkwardness to get a better picture.” Tetsu said, not at all flinching away from the judges harsh stares. 

“I appreciate your honesty, but you’re not going to make it far in this competition if you aren’t constantly trying to better yourself or push through situations where you’re not at your best.” Kirishima said with a shrug. 

“I have to agree. Your complete lack of focus was a waste of our time, the editor who took the time to edit this photo, and the photographers time. This wouldn’t fly in the real world.” Enji said, his gaze fixed on Tetsu, who took all their criticism quietly. 

“You may go back. Todoroki is next.” with that, Todoroki made his way in front of the judges and he was more dressed up today than usual, his hands were clasped behind his back and his picture was put onto the screen. His image was as breathtaking as he thought it would be and he had all the elegance and charisma of a god in his photo. 

“I think it’s lacking.” Enji said with a shrug as he looked at the picture. “I don’t think you’re doing anything in this picture other than what you normally are outside of the camera.” 

“I think that’s a bit harsh, Enji. Bakugou said as he looked over the photo. While I was on set with him today, he barely needed any coaching and I could tell he was portraying a character when he stepped on set. The Todoroki you see in front of us, is not the one that was on the set today.” 

“And that’s a good thing.” Mina said with a nod as she gave Todoroki an encouraging smile. 

“I think this photo is completely out of the park. If I saw this on the cover of a magazine, I would have to stop and see who you are. I would probably try to recruit you if I could.” Kirishima said with a laugh as he set the photo down. “It’s amazing.” 

“Next, we’ll have Midoriya come up.” As his name was called, he made his way to the front of the judges and smiled as his photo was put up onto the screen and he almost gasped when he saw it. 

The image that the judges had chosen for him was when he was kneeling, his Nohkan was just about to touch his lips but not quite and he was staring far off, but Izuku knew he was probably looking at Bakugou, though he would never admit it. 

“See, I like this because you can tell he’s playing a character.” Enji said, causing Midoriya to bristle. He knew he was only saying that so it would get under Todoroki’s skin, and he couldn’t help but get a little annoyed at that revelation. 

“I like the look in your eyes and just the overall feel of this photo. You look like you just stepped out of a historical novel and I would want to know more about you.” Kirishima said with a smile. “I like seeing this sort of thing from you, Midoriya.” 

“I agree with Kirishima, you look like you just came from a movie set. You obviously took my advice from week one and it’s something you should all learn how to do. Take on a character when you’re in front of the character, no matter how dumb it sounds. It will come through better in your photos.” Bakugou said as he motioned for Midoriya to go back to his place

“Next …” 

-x- 

The judges had shown everyone their photo and they were eventually brought back into the judging room, everyone standing in front of the judges as they waited for the names to start getting called. 

“I would like to remind you all that the person who gets called first will have their face on the cover of a magazine. This will be an advantage over those of you who don’t get it later in the competition, if you even make it that far. The magazine that you will be put on, is Very Japan, a magazine that is sold all over the world.” 

With that Bakugou pulled out the first photo and the first name he called up was…

“Midoriya, congratulations, you are this weeks top photo.” time froze, Midoriya felt like he was going to faint from shock. Very Japan was a magazine that even Bakugou had been on and he wasn’t sure if he deserved it. As he walked up to the front and took the picture from Bakugou, he could see tears start to cloud his vision.

“Congratulations.” Bakugou said as he bowed slightly and he took his place to the left of the judging panel. 

“Todoroki.”

“Tsu.”

“Momo.”

“Iida.” 

“Monoma.”

“Uraraka.” 

“Sero.” 

“Toga.” 

The two that were left in the bottom were Jirou and Tetsu. Midoriya would be surprised if Jirou had to go home, he thought her picture came out a lot better than Toga’s, but that was just his opinion. 

“Jirou, your picture was strong but the judges feel like you’re taking this competition as a game, that you’re not nearly as serious or motivated as these other contestants are.” Bakugou started before turning toTetsu.

“And Tetsu, your complete lack of focus, combined with your inability to take directions on set has the judges nervous that they won’t be able to transform you into a model. You’re only as good as the feedback you absorb. So who stays?” Bakugou asked as he pulled out the last picture. 

“Jirou.” Izuku could see from where he was standing how hard she was shaking as she took her picture from Bakugou, who was looking at her with a serious expression on his face. “You’re going to have to work really hard to convince the judges that you want to be here and that you deserve to be here.” 

“I will, I promise I want to be here just as much as everyone else.” Jiou said, her voice shaking as she took her place among the other contestants. 

“Tetsu, you have model potential but you’re really going to need to step it up if you’re going to make it in this cut throat industry. With practice and some lessons, I think you’ll be able to come back in a later cycle.” 

Tetsu nodded and gave Bakugou a firm handshake, thanking all of the judges as he walked out of the room to get his things and then leave. 

With that, everyone was dismissed back to the apartment and Izuku felt like he was living a dream. He was pinching himself to make sure he wasn’t still asleep at Bakugou’s apartment as he made his way through the double doors of the apartment.

“I’m going to be what everyone said I couldn’t.” he thought to himself as he felt a new fire stir within him.

Chapter Text

As everyone slowly made their way back into the apartment, the staff were unusually restless and everyone could tell something was off when they were forced to sit around the catwalk rather than being allowed to return to their normal activities after the panel. As Izuku walked to his seat with Uraraka, Todoroki, and Iida behind him, he noticed that the head staff member looked particularly pissed off when she was normally cheerful and happy to help everyone. As he sunk into the beanbag chair underneath him, he carefully placed his photo on his lap and watched as the rest of the contestants in the house took their seats. 

Uraraka gave Izuku a look that asked “what is going on?” that was met with a shrug. Izuku was attempting not to panic as he began to think that the staff might be calling him out for going to Bakugou’s birthday party the day before. It wasn’t that he wasn’t allowed to leave the apartment, but he also didn’t want anyone to think he was trying to get in good with the judges so that he would have a better chance at winning. As panic began to swirl in his chest, he held his knees a little bit closer to his chest and tried to slow his breathing so that he could keep his composer as the head of staff stood on top of the catwalk and looked at everyone before she began speaking.

“When you all signed up for this competition, you signed a contract, which means you agree- legally, to abide by the conditions put in the contract. One of the biggest things we enforce is the ban of personal electronics. Apparently we didn’t make this clear enough or one of you don’t care about your elimination from the competition, as well as legal action from our department.” The head of staff said as she slowly looked around at everyone. 

Izuku looked just as confused as everyone else as they looked around at each other before the head of staff began to speak again.

“We have an idea of the person or persons who were able to sneak a phone into the house, or at the very least,  buy a cellphone from a local shop from around here. Everyone is going to stay right here until we figure out who did this so that if you do have a phone, you can’t hide it or destroy it before we find it.” She said motioning to Iida to follow her as she walked out of the room before another staff member began to speak.

“Just as a word of warning to everyone in this room, if it turns out you’re the one with the phone, there will be legal action and you will be pulled from the competition. However, if you confess to it before we find it, we’d be willing to drop the charges if you go quickly.” He said with a shrug and puts his hands up in mock defeat. “But that depends entirely on the person who has the phone.” 

Izuku shook his head as he looked down at his photo, his fingers slipping over the laminated material as he looked back up at Uraraka.

“Who would throw away the opportunity to be on this show  for a phone they’ll have back in a couple months?” Izuku asked, Todoroki and Uraraka shrugging as he finished his question, other people joining in on the conversation.

“Who do you guys think it is?” Sero asked, moving his chair closer to the group of three. 

“I really didn’t think anyone here was dumb enough to pull something like this, so I don’t really have any guesses.” Todoroki said as he relaxed back in his chair, his bangs covering his eyes as he did so.

“I kind of think it could be Momo because ya know… she’s rich, but she’s also really smart so I don’t think she’d do it.” Sero said, looking almost amused as he looked around at everyone. 

“She could be smart enough to get away with it though.” Uraraka chimed in, looked at Momo who sitting at the other end of the catwalk with Jirou and Tsu.

“If someone was smart enough to get away with it, we wouldn’t be here.” Izuku said with an apologetic smile, waving Iida over as he came out of the backroom.

“Sorry, he’s not allowed to talk to you.” A staff member said as she herded Iida into a different room of the apartment, Toga being the next one to be questioned by the staff members. 

Izuku sighed as he followed Todoroki’s lead, relaxing back in his chair as he closed his eyes. 

“Can someone wake me up when it’s my turn to be taken back?” He asked, a staff member giving him a grunt in response as he felt his body start to get heavy. 

He was exhausted from the night before, it was a whirlwind of information as well as emotions as he thought of the fact that Bakugou trusted him enough to tell him a very personal secret, along with the fact that he had slept at Bakugou’s apartment. As the last part came to mind, Izuku felt a small smile creeping across his face as he thought of how much fun last night was.

“I can’t remember a time where I was able to smile and laugh so much…” Izuku thought before falling asleep to the image of Bakugou falling asleep with the scarf that Izuku had given him. 

-x-

Before too long, Izuku was woken up by a tap on the shoulder from one of the staff members, causing him to bolt up out of his seat as he looked around, quickly rubbing his eyes to avoid looking like he had just taken a nap for a couple hours. As he looked around, he realized he was the last one to be called which somehow made him feel anxious but he tried to shake it off as he was taken to a back room of the apartment where the staff usually went when they weren’t busy so that they could hang out. As he walked through the door, he saw the head of staff along with the shows producer and another woman he recognized from casting week.

He bowed at the waist before taking his seat, setting his photo from the panel to the side as he tried not to look too nervous  despite knowing he hasn’t done anything wrong… other than hanging out with the judges and almost sleeping in the same bed as Bakugo… in his apartment. But who was really keeping track, right?

“So, after speaking to the rest of the contestants and due to the content of the posts that we’ve found online, we have determined that you are the one that has the phone or laptop, or whatever it is that you’re using to send out posts from the apartment.” The head of the staff said as she pushed a pile of paperwork in front of him, which Izuku recognized to be his contract, his signature in blue ink was somehow blinding to him in this moment. “We are not only eliminating you on grounds of breach of contract, but we will also be getting a summons together-” 

Izuku cut her off, tears springing to his eyes as he looked at the contract in front of him before looking up at her.

“I don’t have a phone or any sort of electronic devices! I couldn’t afford one even if I wanted to!” Izuku said, trying to keep his breathing steady in fear that he would be thrown into a panic attack before he could defend himself. “Can I at least see the posts? Why would you think it’s me? What proof do you have? You can even search my room if you want!” Izuku said as he dug his nails into his thighs, attempting to keep himself grounded as he looked over the faces of the three staff members in front of him.

“This isn’t a trial, we aren’t here to listen to you attempt to defend yourself, the posts are more than enough for us to know it’s you.” The producer said, digging through her bag as she spoke, not making any sort of eye contact with Izuku as she did so. 

“This isn’t fair, you aren’t even telling me what the posts are or what would make you think it’s me. I came to this competition with nothing, I spent the last penny in my bank account so I could come out here, I’ve only left the apartment once and-” he was cut off by the staff member sitting to his right. She looked like a young intern with long, silky black hair and glasses that fit her slender face well. 

“We will show you the posts if you like, but this decision is already final.” She said, giving a small bow as she stood up and handed him a stack of papers. 

The room was silent as he slowly began to flip through the papers in the stack. 

User: Deku_

Post:

I know I’m not supposed to be posting but I couldn’t help myself. It was a lot easier than I thought becoming friends with Todoroki and Iida on this show. They’re so dumb, they can’t even tell when someone is using them. Also, the amount of tension between Enji and Todoroki this week is INTENSE. I can’t wait for everyone to see the episode! 

User: Deku_

Post: 

I still can’t believe Bakugou is a judge on this show. He’s my biggest idol but he is also a lot hotter in person. I know I’m gay or whatever and he’s probably straight but that doesn’t mean I can’t change him right? Anyways, I need to be careful with what I post on here, someone might find this blog and then I’m done for. Don’t snitch on me, okay? See everyone next week! 

User: Deku_

Post:

Do you think if I slept with one of the judges, I could win the competition. I would even be willing to sleep with Mina if it meant not having to work to get anything I wanted. Then again, there is some real competition here, so hopefully me being poor is enough of a sob story to get me through the panels if I fall to the bottom two. But if I keep using Todoroki and Iida, it shouldn’t be a problem right? This weeks episode is probably boring because I didn’t feel like being filmed a whole lot, but I still hope everyone enjoys it! 

Izuku felt sick to his stomach as he read through more than a handful of posts that all had the same attitude. The only thing he could think from the posts is that someone here was trying to sabotage him for whatever reason, and they hated him. He wiped the tears off his face with the back of his palm, his hands still shaking as he did so.

“I am not trying to be disrespectful but you three actually believe this?” Izuku said as he slid the papers back over to the intern. “That is very obviously someone trying to set me up and make me look bad. If I really wanted to have a phone with me, why would I blog under a screen name I’m associated with AND make it very obvious that it’s me? This is ridiculous!” Izuku said, trying to stop himself from sounding desperate as he looked between the three of them again as he did so. 

“Like I said, this isn’t up for negotiation.” The producer said as she produced more paperwork from her bag and slid it over to him with a pen, light from the harsh fluorescent lights reflected off her freshly painted manicure, the light dancing in his eyes as he read over the paper she had pushed in front of him. 

It was a contract that said he understood why he was not only being eliminated but it doubled as a confession of guilt, mostly stating that he understood that he shouldn’t have brought a cellphone with him. Izuku stood up calmly, tears streaming down his face as he stepped away from the table and bowed politely to the three women in front of him, not moving as he began to speak.

“With all due respect, I refuse to be punished for something I didn’t do. I want this more than anything and I will not give up so easily because you can’t be bothered to look past your anger at the person who is doing this.” Izuku said, hiccupping as he finished his statement.

Izuku flinched as the producer slammed the contract down in front of him again, the pan hitting the top of his head as he continued to bow, not moving from his spot.

“This isn’t negotiable, Midoriya! Sign the papers and leave this house at once! Whether or not you sign the paper isn’t important, you are being eliminated either way! Now stop this foolishness and stand up straight, face it like a man.” She said, her voice shaking with anger and irritation.

Before Izuku had the chance to respond, he heard the door behind him open before he heard the click of it closing, dress shoes clacking across the floor until he saw black dress shoes appear at his side. Still not standing up, Izuku recognized the familiar scent of cologne, causing him to stiffen a bit as he hiccupped again. 

“The fuck is going on in here?” Bakugou asked, his hands in his pockets as he looked around at the three staff members and Izuku, frowning as his eyes found the tears that had fallen to the ground.

“This isn’t a job for the talent.” The intern said, earning a sigh from Bakugou.

“And who the fuck are you again? No one important, extra, so I wasn’t talking to you.” Bakugou said as he turned to look at the producer. “Do I need to ask again what’s going on? Or should I remind you that I might be the talent, but I have just as much power over production as you do?” he asked, taking a step forward as he picked up the contract that the producer had slammed in front of Izuku.

“Izuku not only has a phone here but he’s been posting about the show and the contestants and saying he would sleep with the judges to get a better position in the show.” the producer said, motioning for the intern, who was now quiet, to hand Bakugou the transcript of the blog. 

A snort came from Bakugou before he could think better of it, his slender eyebrow quirking up as his eyes scanned over the transcript in his hands.

“You really think someone would be so stupid that they’d post with their name and also say something so blatanly controversial and a violation of their contract on a public forum?” Bakugou asked as he leaned against the wall next to him, his crimson eyes scanning over the transcripts. 

Just as soon as he had started reading them, he stopped, looking between the transcript and Izuku, who was still bowed at the waist with his hands balled into fists at his side. Bakugou saw red as he forced Izuku to stand up, putting the transcript under his arm.

“Stay here, Midoriya. Don’t sign anything. And you.” Bakugou said as he looked over at the producer who stiffened at the tone of his voice. “You’ll be lucky if you still have a job after the shit you just tried to pull. We’ll talk later.” He snapped as he walked out of the room, the door slamming behind him with a metallic thud as his eyes scanning over the room of contestants who were anxiously waiting. 

“How many of you read the transcripts of the blog?” Bakugou asked, holding up a stack of papers for everyone to see.

Everyone raised their hands.

“And how many of you, who have spoken to Midoriya, actually believe he would say even half of the filth in these screenshots?” 

Everyone's hands went down.

“Sorry to interrupt.” Sero said as he stood up, looking nervous. “But Midoriya is a really cool guy, and I actually haven’t heard him say anything mean to anyone, even in private. He was really encouraging when I almost got eliminated.” Sero said as he quickly sat back down, looking self conscious.

“I’ve only known him for three weeks but I didn’t believe anything that ‘Midoriya’ had supposedly said about me in those transcripts.” Todoroki said from his spot in the back. “It’s hard to describe but he’s too kind to even think a bad thought about someone else. Even after Toga tried to sabotage him, he never said anything bad about her.” Todoroki finished with a pointed glare Toga. 

“Here’s what we’re going to do.” Bakugou said as he looked around at everyone, noting to himself that he would need a drink when he was done with this shit. “Everyone will go into their rooms one at a time with a staff member and get two outfits, then everyone is being relocated to a hotel for the night while we search the rooms top to bottom. Whoever has the phone gets punished. Sound good?” Bakugou asked as he fixed the sleeves on his shirt.

“You can’t go through our stuff, that’s illegal.” Toga protested, crossing her arms as she looked Bakugou up and down. “I don’t want anyone in my room.” 

Bakugou paused before slowly making his way to Toga, kneeling down in front of her.

“That’s the thing, Toga. They don’t pay me to give a shit about what you want.” he said as his crimson eyes burned into hers. “You signed a contract and if you had bothered to read the fine print, you’d know that what we are doing is legal.” Bakugou finished calmly before he stood up, walking back to the room, instructing the staff to let no more than one person at a time into their rooms at a time and that they needed to be watched. 

As Bakugou walked in, Izuku was sitting back down in the chair, his head hung with his hands in his lap. The three staff members were sitting in their chairs, their arms crossed as they watched Bakugou walk back in.

“Also, pay attention to time stamps.” Bakugou said as he pointed to a time at the very bottom of the most recent post. “Couldn’t have been Izuku because he was at the hospital last night because they thought he had food poisoning. They would have seen if he had a phone. Stick to your day job, “detective.”’ Bakugou said as he took Izuku by the wrist and walked out with him, taking him away from the rest of the group.

There was a silence that settled between the two of them before Bakugou quietly pulled a handkerchief out of his pocket and lightly placed his fingers under Izuku’s chin, drying his tears carefully, neither of them saying a word. As Bakugou finished, he placed the handkerchief in Izuku’s hand as he kneeled in front of him.

“You’re in the clear. I don’t know what the fuck those assholes thought they were going to do by bullying you into signing those papers, but that shit is not going to go unpunished.” Bakugou said as he looked away and ran a hand through his hair in frustration, shaking his head as he did so. 

“You didn’t h-have to do that for me…” Izuku said as he continued to wipe at his tears, his face red from the amount of stress and crying he had done in the past thirty minutes. 

“Don’t thank me just yet, fuckin nerd.” Bakugou said as he looked back up at Midoriya, resisting the urge to stroke his hair, his fingers twitching as he thought about it. “Iida almost got kicked out because he ran to find me when he heard them yelling at you. You have people on your side because you’re a good person, not because you’re deceiving them.” 

Bakugou watched as Izuku’s eyes welled up with tears again, pressing the handkerchief to his face as his shoulders shook gently. He didn’t say anything, afraid that he would say too much if he tried to speak while the kid was being emotional, so he opted for sitting in front of the kid until he was done crying. It was the least he could do until he was calm enough to get back to the rest of the group. In a way, Bakugou saw Izuku in himself. He was passionate and driven but because of things he couldn’t control, he had a target on his back. If it ever actually got out that Izuku was gay, beyond baseless rumors, he would have to work three times as hard to earn his spot in the world than any of the other contestants just because he had no choice in who he loved. It made him physically ill. He fucking hated seeing the target some people in the house had put on his back, but it comes with the struggle of trying to make it, all he could do was hope that he didn’t crack under the pressure. 

Bakugou was broken out of his musing, realizing he had been staring at Midoriya as crimson eyes met slightly bloodshot, forest green eyes.

“I would never say those things about you, Bakugou. I respect you so much, I couldn’t imagine ever using someone as kind as you are.” Izuku said, the handkerchief still pressed against his face, causing Bakugou to roll his eyes. 

“Midoriya, the reason I went in there in the first place is because I know you wouldn’t, dumbass.” Bakugou said as he stood up. “Now go get your shit and keep an eye on Toga. I have a bad feeling about that bitch.” Bakugou said as he stepped out of Izuku’s way so he could get passed. 

Izuku stood up, putting the handkerchief in his pocket, fixing his hair before hugging Bakugou tightly, the hug lasting no more than a couple seconds before he let go and walked out of the small room to be with everyone else. 

Bakugou watched as he rejoined with the rest of his friends, almost cursing himself for how he missed the warmth of that little bastard already. 

Izuku quickly made his way to his small group of friends, his face red from crying but also blushing, not that anyone but himself could tell, so again, who was counting. As he walked up to them, Uraraka hugged him before leaning back so she could hold his face in her hands.

“Are you okay? Everyone could hear her yelling at you from out here but none of the staff would let us leave the room or tell us what was going on.” She said, almost looking panicked.

“Before you say anything,” Iida started, putting his arms up into their normal choppy fashion as they always did when he was getting ready to lecture, “we don’t believe anything that was written in those posts. You haven’t asked anything from us but friendship so there is no possible way you could be using for gain when this competition is based off of skill alone.” He said, pushing up his glasses as he said the last part. 

“I agree with Tenya, I don’t think you would have said those things to me when I was having those issues last week if you were a person who was only trying to get in good with us because of our families.” Todoroki said as he slapped Izuku on the back, causing him to simultaneously tear up and laugh, the four of them getting close for a group hug.

“Todoroki, it’s your turn to go into the room and get your clothes” One of the male staff members said before walking into the room, yawning as he did so. 

“I’ll be back.” Todoroki said as he jogged after the staff member, disappearing through the door.

 “Thank you for getting Bakugou’s attention so that he could help me, Tenya.” Izuku said as he looked up at him, smiling shyly. “They were trying to force me to sign a contract that made me look like I was the one who broke the rules and they were going to eliminate and sue me because of it. If you hadn’t gotten Bakugou…” Izuku trailed off, Iida cutting in as he did so.

“There is no point in dwelling on the past. For now, we just need to be vigilante and trust each other, they’ll find whoever did this sooner or later.” He said as he was called into the room next, Todoroki joining them with a bag in his hand of his clothing. 

For all the anxiety and rage Izuku was feeling just a couple minutes prior, he felt better thinking of Bakugou’s words to him. 

-x- 

Surprisingly enough, the hotel was very nice but everyone was informed early on that they would probably have to stay there for a couple days, rather than just the first night like what they had anticipated. So the producers provided everyone with clothing from Mic who was generous enough to donate pieces he had used in the past that were no longer part of his collections. With that being said, everyone was gathered in the lobby the next morning so that Shigaraki and Mina could announce what the next challenge would be.

Izuku was wearing a hoodie and light washed jeans, his hair still slightly damp from the shower he had taken that morning. He quietly joined the others downstairs with Todoroki following him closely, both of them still drowsy from sleep. 

“So, we aren’t doing a challenge this week…” Mina said, looking over at Shigaraki who gave a small shrug as he looked at everyone’s moods dropping. 

“We’re giving you haircuts today.” Shigaraki said, plugging his ears as the lobby was filled with excited screaming, while others had looks of panic on their faces. Izuku wasn’t particularly worried about his haircut, but he could tell that people like Momo and Sero were worried about what their haircuts would look like. 

“So everyone, get on the bus so that we can go to the salon and cut off all your hair! Or add more, you never know!” Mina announced as she motioned for everyone to get on the bus that had pulled to the front of the hotel.

Doing what she said in fear of her wrath, everyone got onto the bus and chatted excitedly about the different types of hairstyles that everyone else would get, but Izuku felt a bit too drained to feel excited for the haircuts that were just around the corner. Although he was glad to have been cleared of suspicion with Bakugou’s help, he was also anxious just knowing that there was someone in the house that was out to get him. Although he felt secure in his relationship with his friends, he felt anxious trying to interact with other members of the house in fear that they would try to use what he said against him even more. 

As the bus stopped, Uraraka gently took his hand and gave him a warm smile as she laced their fingers together.

“Lets just do our best, kay, Izuku?” she said as they got off the bus together before she quietly pulled her hand away from his, so no one would get the wrong idea between the two of them.

Taking a deep breath, they all shuffled into the hair salon, Bakugou and Shigaraki were now waiting for them with boards that were covered but Izuku knew that underneath their covers were the types of hairstyles they would be getting. 

Izuku made eye contact with Bakugou, who was watching him closely as he huddled close to Uraraka and Todoroki, not breaking eye contact as Bakugou began talking to the group.

“We all know why we’re here so let's start from the top. These hairstyles were chosen by our panel of permanent judges based on your personality or how your facial features play into your overall look. Starting with Midoriya.” Bakugou said as he peeled away the cover. “You’ll be getting an undercut today and the hair stylists will be making your curls a bit more wavy.” Bakugou said as he motioned for Izuku to follow Shigaraki, which he did.

“Iida, you will also be getting an undercut, but we’ll be dying your hair black along with it to make your facial features look more sharp on camera.” Baku said as Iida gave him a bow before he walked into the salon area. 

“Uraraka, you’re getting hair extensions all the way day to your waist, so go ahead and get that started because you’re going to be here for awhile.” Bakugou said with a smirk, looking amused at Uraraka’s flustered reaction.

“Jirou, you’ll be getting hair extensions to your mid back along with your hair being lightened to give you a bit of a softer image.” Jirou just gave him a thumbs up and a slight bow as she made her way to the salon.

“Tsu, you’re getting your haircut to your shoulder blades but we felt your color matched you quite well, so you won’t get anything done other than that.” Tsu looked relieved as she walked past, giving him a smile as she did so. 

“Monoma, your length is fine, but your hair is getting dyed the color of ashe, we thought that would fit you best and make your eyes look even more striking on camera. You also won’t look so commercial.” With a look of surprise, Monoma disappeared to the back.

“Todoroki, surprisingly enough, we decided to give you extensions for your hair that will go down to your shoulders. It’ll give you more to work with during photoshoots and you won’t have a typical male haircut anymore.” Todoroki almost looked traumatized as he walked past Bakugou, earning a chuckle from the host before he got back to the rest of the contestants.

“Sero, all you’re getting done is your dead ends are being trimmed. Get your ass back there.” Bakugou said with a smirk, getting a high five from Sero as he walked past him.

“Momo, you’re getting a brazilian blowout so your hair will remain straight for the rest of the competition and you’ll also be getting extensions so you can completely embody the look of the traditional Japanese beauty.” Momo blushed and gave a small bow as she made her way to the back.

“Toga, you’ll be getting hair extensions.” was all Bakugou said as he turned his back on her, starting to walk to the back to see what everyone thought of their new styles before they see what it actually looks like on them.

“Why do I need to get extensions, Katsuki? Do you think they’ll make me prettier?” she asked as she grabbed his hand, looking up at him with a flirtatious look.

Bakugou quickly pulled his hand away, keeping distance between himself and Toga as he did so.

“My name is Bakugou and you’re lucky I allow you to call me that. You’re getting hair extensions because your short hair isn’t attractive. Now get back there and get ready.” Bakugou said, trying to control his irritation as he walked away from her, not even allowing her the luxury to respond to him.

-x-

An entire day had passed and Izuku had been dozing in a corner as he waited for everyone to get finished after doing his photoshoot when he felt someone shaking his shoulder.

“Wake up dude, you don’t want to be late for school do you?” Kirishima joked as he sat next to Izuku, waiting for the smaller man to wake up as he did so.

“School…?” Izuku asked in a confused voice, sitting up as he rubbed his face. His hair was cut into an undercut and his curls were straightened just slightly to give him waves. They had also decided during his undercut to cut his curls just about an inch or so since his hair was longer than they thought when it was straightened.

“Oh dude, your hair looks even better on you than I thought it would!” Kirishima said as he held his hand out for a high five which Izuku gave him. “I suggested it and everyone jumped on it. We were a bit stumped on what to do with you but it all worked out in the end.” Kirishima said with a grin, looking somewhat proud of himself.

“I’m glad that everyone seems to like it. Everyone keeps touching the back of mine and Tenya’s head.” Izuku said with a shy laugh, rubbing the back of his neck as he did so. 

Kirishima gave him a thumbs up as he leaned back against the wall, glancing at Izuku before looking at the rest of the contestants talking and smiling about their hair.

“They found the phone…” Kirishima said, his red eyes glancing at Izuku’s wide, anxious green eyes before he looked away again. “They’re going to take everyone back to the apartment after everyone has done their photos with Kaminari, and they’ll talk about it. I think we all know who it is already. I just felt you deserved a heads up since they were obviously going after you.” Kirishima said before getting off the wall and smiling at Uraraka who was walking up to Izuku.

“Oh wow, Ochako! Your hair is so long!” Izuku said as he stood up, carefully touching her hair as she spun in a circle. 

“It took so long but doesn’t it just look adorable! I never thought I could have hair this long!” Uraraka beamed as she gave Kirishima a shy smile, who was watching her with a soft expression.

“Mina is the one who thought you’d look great with long hair. I’ll have to tell her that she was absolutely right.” He said as he gave her a thumbs up before walking past them both to speak to the rest of the group.

“Have you seem Shouto yet? I’m really excited to see what his hairstyle is going to look like!I wonder if they even changed it all that much because he looked great either way.” Izuku said as he looked around, sitting back down in his seat as he waited for Todoroki to appear.

“I think he’s getting his photo taken right now…” Uraraka said as she gave him a small smile. “So, what was Kirishima talking to you about over here? It looked kind of important.” Uraraka stated as she smoothed out her shirt, pushing her hair out of her face. 

“Oh, he was just making sure I was okay because of the whole thing that happened yesterday, that’s all.” Izuku said with a shrug, running a hand through his hair as he looked up at the ceiling. “I’m pretty sure I know who did it but it still doesn’t sit right that someone would dislike me that much that they’d go out of their way to try and ruin my career…” Izuku said as he trailed off, looking down at his feet. 

“Not everyone has pure intentions, as much as that sucks, ya know? Uraraka said as she playfully ruffled his hair, her expression soft as she looked at him. “The best thing you can do now is not think about it, because they probably wanted it to affect your performance on the show. But you just got an amazing haircut and Bakugou is rooting for you personally, so all is right in the universe!” she said cheerfully, pointing at the curtain where Todoroki was coming out from.

He had extensions that somehow managed to fit his natural hair color of white and red perfectly and his hair was pulled back into a loose bun, some hair had fallen out which framed his face perfectly.

“Jesus Christ…” Uraraka said under her breath as Todoroki walked up to them, a water bottle in hand.

“Looks like I was the last one done. Sorry it took so long, Kaminari kept pretending to cry for some reason. He’s a really weird guy.” Todoroki said as he slipped his shoes back on, taking his hair down which fell just below his collarbones.

“Your hair looks really good, Shouto. I didn’t think they’d make your hair so long!” Izuku said as he playfully flipped a strand of his hair into his face.

“I didn’t think I would like it but it’s not too bad, it just sucked having to wait so long for my hair to be done.” He said with a shrug as everyone began to make their way towards the bus, Bakugou waving everyone off as he stood by his car. 

Izuku blushed as he waved back at him, earning a smirk from Bakugou as he climbed into his car. 

Izuku took a deep breath as the bus rolled forward, everyone still talking excitedly amongst each other but he knew what was coming when he walked into the house. Everyone thought they were going back to the hotel, which Izuku was curious about how they were supposed to get their stuff back, but soon into the bus ride, the other contestants realized they were starting to make their way back to the apartment.

“It almost makes me wonder what kind of person we have living with us that they would put their own feelings above the comfort and safety of everyone else.” Momo said quietly, a book in her lap. 

“I believe they have to be a rather selfish person, but the hope is that they will be gone before too long.” Iida said with a sigh, rubbing at his eyes as he looked out the bus window. 

“They can catch these hands for messing with a cinnamon roll like Izuku, sorry for using your first name, but that’s just how it is.” Sero said from the back of the bus, causing Izuku to laugh as he covered his face, not sure how to take the sudden compliments. 

“I’m not saying violence is the answer,” Monoma started before quickly turning around, pantomiming holding a knife, “But I’ll cut a bitch.” he said it with a blank face, causing everyone in the bus to lose it collectively, with the exception of Toga who was sitting in the front, looking out the window in an almost daze. 

“That’s just how it is. Izuku protection squad.” Tsu said, earning a couple noises of agreement before the bus reached the apartment, everyone piling off as they all made jokes about fighting people for Izuku. 

“This reminds me of the conversation we had where Monoma said the people from the department store were gonna harvest our organs.” Jirou said, pushing Monoma playfully as they piled into the elevator. 

“Just because it feels like they didn’t take our organs doesn’t mean that they didn’t harvest our DNA for something.” Monoma said with a shrug, earning a snort from Momo who quickly erupted in laughter, causing everyone else to follow suit since she rarely laughed at the dumb jokes everyone made. 

“Monoma, are you okay?” Izuku asked with a smile. “You honestly sound like you could use a hug.” 

“Or some therapy. Whichever one comes first.” Todoroki said as he opened the door for everyone. 

“Bring it in bro.” Monoma said as he practically tackled Todoroki into a hug who quickly pushed him off, his hair messy as everyone came into the living room and sat down in a similar fashion that they had the last time they were in the apartment. 

Before long, the head of staff got up on the catwalk and produced a phone from her pocket, making eye contact with every single person before she began to speak, turning the phone on as she paced up and down the catwalk.

“We found this under the bedding of one the contestants… It wasn’t Izuku, just as Bakugou said. In fact, it wasn’t found in a males room, it was found within one of our female contestants bedrooms.” she said as she shook her head. 

“Due to the amount of problems this has caused and the stress it has caused our contestants, we’ve booked you all a dinner at a restaurant downtown, and we also hired a chef to live in house with you all as a way for us to extend our deepest apologies to all those this has effected.” 

Just as she finished speaking, Bakugou walked in, taking his shoes off at the door before he climbed up onto the catwalk, carefully taking the phone from the head of staff, sighing as he looked over the phone. 

“As much as I want to be upset that one of you is not only being eliminated but sued, I’m not.” Bakugou said as he turned around to look at Toga who was looking at her feet the entire time. “Toga, pack your shit and get out of the apartment. You’ll receive a summons in the mail for your court date at the address you gave us when you signed up for the competition.” Bakugou said as he placed the phone in her lap. 

There was a silence that settled over the house, everyone looking between Toga and Bakugou but nothing was said between the two. 

“It’s not fair.” Toga said as she stood up quickly, hugging Bakugou around the waist as tears sprang to her eyes. “Izuku gets all your attention and instruction, if you have a favorite just say so instead of making me fall in love with you and then kicking me to the side like I’m garbage!” Toga yelled as Bakugou shoved her off of him, his whole body looking tense as he looked back at her.

“The reason people like you don’t succeed in the industry is because you might look pretty on the outside, but you’re a shitty person on the inside. You’re as thin as tissue paper when it comes to hiding your shitty motives.” Bakugou said, fixing his shirt as he shook his head. “I don’t have any favorites, I’m here to look for talent, which everyone here seems to understand except for you.” 

“What, you think that you can protect him? Stop everyone from finding out that he’s gay? He came into this competition with nothing and everyone here is just feeding into his bullshit!” Toga yelled as a security guard moved to try and get her out of the room. “What makes him so special Katsuki? Don’t you love me? I’m pretty, I’ll do whatever you want me to do, just tell me what you want and I’ll do it!” Toga screamed as she dissolved into sobs, the security guard taking her by the arm as he started to walk out with her.

“This won’t be the last time you hear from me. Both of you!” Toga yelled as she was drug out of the room. 

Another silence fell over the room as she left, Bakugou looking just as shocked and disgusted as the rest of the room. Izuku was quiet, looking down at his feet as the head of staff told everyone they were free to go back to their rooms and that their items would be collected from the hotel the next day by the staff. 

Uraraka gently tugged Izuku’s arm, trying to give him a smile so that she could try to cheer him up but she was quickly stopped by Todoroki, who placed a hand on her shoulder and shook his head.

“Hey, Izu, we’ll be in our room when you’re ready to talk, okay?” Todoroki said as he bent down in front of Izuku who gave him a small nod.

“Thanks guys… I’ll be in a second.” Izuku said, trying to give them as a smile as they walked into the bedroom as Izuku got up to take a walk outside, thinking the air would do him some good. 

As he walked out, he heard footsteps trailing behind him, causing him to turn around. Bakugou was standing in front of him, his hands in his pockets with the scarf Izuku had given him draped around his neck. His eyes were trained on Izuku as he walked into the elevator, holding the door for him as they both got in. 

“You don’t seem the type to like alone time.” Bakguou said, glancing at Izuku before he looked back at the doors. 

“I don’t like it when people see me like this.” Izuku said simply, looking at the ground as his voice shook just slightly. 

“Like what?” Bakugou asked as the door opened, the both of them walking outside but Bakugou was quick to lead Izuku towards the back of the building which is where the parking garage was located. 

“Scared.” Izuku said, pulling the hood from his hoodie over his hair as he walked behind Bakugou, sniffling at the cold air but also attempting to hold tears back as he walked into the parking garage with Bakugou. 

They walked in silence until they got to Bakugou’s car, but Bakugou didn’t unlock the car. He instead stood in front of Izuku and there was hesitation in his body language. For some reason, Izuku didn’t think he was the type to hesitate since he always seemed to know what he wants, but he had to remind himself that he didn’t know Bakugou. He was only a fanboy, like many others were, of his movies and modeling career. He would never have a real connection with him, nothing outside of the show would ever happen between them no matter how bad he wanted it to happen. Bakugou was on a completely different level. 

As Izuku continued to ramble to himself internally, Bakugou pressed Izuku’s back against the side of his car before he carefully took Izuku’s chin in his hand and pressed a kiss against his warm, soft lips, his other arm moving around Izuku’s waist to draw him closer, to share in the warmth in he had been missing since hugging him the day before. 

Izuku was hesitant at first before completely letting himself go, his arms moving around Bakugou’s neck, standing on his tiptoes to press into Bakugou’s lips as much as possible. Izuku couldn’t help but cling to Bakugou as his insistent lips were parting his trembling lips, all of the oxygen being stolen from his lungs as his nerves went haywire from the sheer amount of intensity in his kiss. Although Izuku was hesitant at first, he found himself kissing Bakugou back with ease, their mouths moving together as though they were long lost lovers from a past life. Before he knew it, the kiss was over and he felt as though he might collapse from shock and the wave of emotions he felt for Bakugou crashing against him every time he dared to take a breath in. 

As they parted, both their chests heaving, Bakugou carefully rested his forehead against Izuku’s, Izuku leaning into him as he lightly rubbed their noses together, a smile blooming on his face as he held onto the back of Bakugou’s jacket. 

“I won’t let them hurt you, Izuku.” Bakugou said, pressing a featherlight kiss against his lips before he pulled Izuku to his chest, resting his chin on the top of his head. 

Izuku rest his head on Bakugou’s chest, listening to how hard Bakugou’s heart was beating in his chest as they shared their warmth. He could feel how hot his cheeks were, a smile was plastered onto his face as he looked up at Bakugou, who looked down at him curiously.

“What does this mean?” Izuku asked, his eyes searching in the sea of crimson for an answer before he could be completely swallowed by them.

“All you need to know is that I like you.” Bakugou said and Izuku could see pink finding its way into his cheeks as he looked away. “I can’t tell you anymore because you’ll get a big head.” 

Izuku laughed softly as he looked over Bakugou’s features, moving one hand to cup Bakugou’s cheek, the blond leaned into his hand as he did so. Izuku took time to look over Bakugou’s flushed cheeks, how is chest was rising and falling faster than usual. His pupils were blown, something he wasn’t used to seeing from him and his lips were slightly bruised from the kiss they had shared earlier. Bakugou was watching him curiously, not moving as Izuku took in the sight of Katsuki, he did this to him. He made his heart race and his face red. 

“If Toga tries to expose you, I’ll protect you.” Bakugou said, his eyes focused on Izuku’s who was still admiring his features. “Don’t worry about it for now, she’s just an asshole trying to get under your skin. She isn’t worth the emotional energy.” 

Izuku nodded as he and Bakugou slowly detangled from each other, Izuku’s face still red as he fixed his hoodie, suddenly looking flustered as he realized what they had just done. 

“You should get back, it’ll look suspicious if you’re gone for too long.” Bakugou said as he nodded towards the apartment.

“Oh, right! They’re waiting for me!” Izuku said as he started to turn to go before Izuku pulled him by his waist, kissing his forehead softly before releasing him again.

“I mean it, Cry Baby. If I hear or see you crying over that bitch, I will personally kick your ass.” Bakugou said as he unlocked his car, getting in before Izuku had a chance to respond. 

With a little less than a manly squeal, he quickly made his way back into the building, clutching the fabric in front of his heart. 

“I think I’m in love…” Izuku said to himself as he allowed himself to fall back against the metal wall inside the elevator.

Chapter Text

Surprisingly enough, after the drama that took place with Toga in the week prior, the staff decided to give everyone in the competition a week off of filming and challenges to allow things to go back to normal. Izuku was grateful for that given that his nerves were completely shot for more than a couple reasons within the past week. 

Taking a deep breath, Izuku submerged himself into the hot tub, letting all his stress go as he let his breath out. It was dark outside but from the roof he was relaxing on, the stars seemed so close, he felt as though he could touch them if he tried hard enough. With a satisfied sigh, he slid deeper into the hot tub until only his head was peeking out from the water, his eyelids falling closed as he relished in the warmth. This was the first time since the Toga incident that he had any time to himself and while he appreciated all the friends that he had made in the house, it always felt nice to get away for a little bit and relax. 

Izuku could admit that he was having a hard time processing everything, especially since no one in the house had been allowed to make a phone call since the beginning of the show. He had a lot to catch his mom up on and he felt like talking to her would be able to clear his mind. Suddenly, Izuku’s face felt hot as he thought of the kiss, he shared with Bakugou in the parking lot a couple days before, his fingers coming up to touch his lips without much thought.

“I like you… that’s all you need to know.” Izuku had thought of those words every day since it had happened and often had to hide his red face when his friends would tease him for randomly blushing. A content sigh escaped his lips as he looked back up at the stars, a small smile coming to form on his lips as he did so.

“He likes me… That’s enough for me… he actually likes me.” Izuku said aloud, giggling as he sat up straight in the water, the butterflies in his chest making it almost impossible to sit still as he thought of all his past interactions with Bakugou. He was trying not to get his hopes up because even if Bakugou did like him, how would their relationship progress if they decided to date? And how would this affect the competition, assuming that dating would be something that Bakugou wanted in the future. Izuku could gather that he seemed more closed off and personal than the people that he associated with, Kaminari, Kirishima, and Mina seemed to be open books in and out of their personal lives. 

With a soft sigh, Izuku got out of the hot tub and opted for wrapping himself in a towel and sitting at a table close to the edge of the rooftop. 

“It was one kiss and I’m over here planning my future with the guy…” Izuku said as he shook his head. 

“Planning your future with what guy?” a voice asked from behind him, causing his heart to skip a beat as he turned around.

Todoroki was in a shirt and swimming trunks with a towel draped over his arm and he was holding something in his right hand that he couldn’t quite make out.

“You scared me Shouto!” Izuku said with a smile as he motioned for Todoroki to come sit in the chair across from him, which he did. “I was just talking to myself, it’s how I get my emotions out or else I would probably go crazy.” 

“Everyone in the house has noticed that, for the most part.” Todoroki responded, pulling a pack of cigarettes out from under his towel. “Want one?” Todoroki asked as he took a cigarette out of the pack and lit it.

“Ahh, no thank you, I don’t really smoke.” Izuku said with a polite smile before he turned his attention back to the stars. “How do you think the rest of this competition is going to play out?” Izuku asked, not wanting to hear anything back in particular, he was just tired of being stuck in his own head.

“I think I’m probably the same as everyone else, I want to make it to the number one spot. I can’t really say who I think would make it to the number two spot, but ideally it would be someone within our friend group.” Todoroki said before taking a long drag of his cigarette, blowing the smoke out of his nose which made Izuku giggle. 

“I thought I would have a terrible time here and be by myself like a lot of the other past contestants on this show, but I am really happy that that isn’t the cause.” Izuku said as Todoroki listened to him quietly. “I know it’s a competition and you are someone I am competing against, but I guess I’m just relieved that not everyone in the house is hostile towards me.” 

“Except Toga. She did kind of threaten you and Bakugou before she was drug out of the apartment. I hate to bring it up since it’s still probably fresh, but what do you think she’s going to do?” Todoroki asked as he ashed his cigarette, pulling another one out of his pack.

Izuku sighed heavily, dragging a hand down his face as he leaned back in his chair.

“She knows I’m gay, and she probably won’t be able to touch Bakugou because he is wealthy and has lawyers, but she could definitely go after me…” Izuku said as he trailed off, attempting to shrug off the anxiety that was forming a pit in his stomach. “But that is a bridge I’ll just have to cross when I get to it, so I’m not going to worry about it for now.” Izuku said with a nod.

“You seem like you’re in a much better mood recently…” Todoroki said as he looked over Izuku’s expression. “Why is that?” 

Izuku paused at the question, letting it hang in the air for a second before he picked up his towel and shrugged, giving him a smile.

“Probably because of how well the competition is going for me, plus Toga is out of the house now so I don’t have to constantly worry about her outing me. That was probably the most stressful two weeks of my life after she found out.” Izuku said, hanging his towel around his waist so he could try to dry his swimming trunks before going back downstairs. 

Todoroki got up from where he was seated and closed the distance between the two of them, Izuku watching him curiously as Todoroki carefully pulled him into a hug. For a second, Izuku was stunned at the contact with Todoroki because he was not the kind of person to show physical affection whatsoever, but also because he wasn’t sure why Todoroki felt the need to comfort him. Without thinking too much into it, Izuku hugged him back, the height difference between the two put Izuku’s head right into the crook of his neck and he noted that Todoroki smelt of cigarette smoke and somewhat of a natural sweetness. 

“I hope you know you can talk to me about anything, Izuku. You helped me with my father and everything, so I want to return the favor in any way possible…” Todoroki said quietly, almost as though he didn’t even want Izuku to hear what he was saying. 

After a few seconds of silence, the two parted and Izuku flashed him a bright smile as he made his way towards the stairs.

“Of course, I know I can talk to you, so don’t worry about me okay? You would be the first one to know if anything was going on, Shouto.” Izuku said as he waved at him before descending the stairs, leaving Shouto alone to curse the stars for not being able to say what he was actually feeling.

-x- 

Three days into the cast's week off and the producers announced that everyone would be allowed to make a five-minute phone call to someone of their choice and they also officially opened the confessional for people to talk about the show and the other contestants. Izuku wasn’t sure what he would say when it came to the confessionals but he was ready to call his mother. The order they followed was from best to worst photo based off of last week's judging so Izuku got to go first. 

Izuku stepped into the booth and drew the curtain as he dialed his mother's number and waited anxiously as he listened to the dial tone. 

After three rings, the line picked up.

“Izuku baby, is that you?” a familiar voice asked from the other line.

“Mom, it’s me.” Izuku said, tears welling in his eyes as he listened to his mother’s voice for the first time in three weeks. He hadn’t realized how homesick he was until he heard her talking.

“How are you? Is everyone treating you nice? They don’t say any mean things to you, do they?” Inko asked, worry evident in her voice as she threw questions at Izuku rapid fire. 

“I’m okay, so much has been going on and I don’t even think I have enough time to tell you everything that has happened so far!” Izuku said before diving into the story of Toga and how she tried to get him eliminated (and expose him for being gay) but Bakugou stepped in and saved him. He avoided talking about the kiss because the phones were recorded and he didn’t want either of them getting in trouble.

“It sounds like he’s just as nice in person as he is in movies and television, don’t you think?” Inko asked, a smile evident in her voice. “I know we don’t have much time left but I just wanted to tell you that I love you and I am so proud of you. I know this competition is going to do great things for you.” 

Just as Inko finished speaking, a producer popped their head in to let him know that his time was up and he should wrap things up so that the next person could go. 

“I gotta go mom but I love you too, and I’ll call you again as soon I get a chance, okay?”

After saying their goodbyes, Izuku hung up and dried his eyes before he stepped out of the booth, expecting to see Todoroki but was met with Tsu instead. 

“Isn’t Todoroki supposed to be next?” Izuku asked, looking slightly confused. 

Tsu shrugged as she moved passed him into the booth.

“He just said that he didn’t have anyone to call so he chose not to use the phone.” Izuku gave her a nod as he made his way back into the living room, feeling as though there was a weight lifted off his shoulders after having spoken to his mother. 

When he walked out, he saw Kirishima was standing on the runway, watching some of the others like Monoma and Uraraka work on their walks. As they made eye contact, Kirishima gave him a toothy grin and his expression told him that he probably knew what happened between himself and Bakugou. An embarrassed blush settled on his face as he made his way into the kitchen to get a bottle of water and a sandwich. 

The chefs that they hired for the apartment came three times a day and they had a set menu that had been a compilation of everyone's favorite foods. They had already come to make lunch but Izuku didn’t feel like eating meatloaf, which happened to be one of Uraraka’s favorite foods, strangely enough. 

Just as he had sat down with his sandwich, he was approached by Sero and Jirou, both of them sitting on either side of them.

“So Izuku, there’s an interesting rumor going around about you.” Jirou said, a mischievous glint in her eyes as she looked over at Sero.

Izuku could feel his anxiety spike as he thought of the countless number of things that they could be talking about. Afterall, Toga let everyone know that he was gay even though he didn’t want anyone to know because it could be used against him, and he was also having a not so appropriate flirting/talking relationship with Bakugou that could get him eliminated just as quickly as Toga was with the phone incident. Izuku swallowed back his fear as he tried to act natural, eating his sandwich quietly. 

“That seems to be a common theme here for some reason.” Izuku said with a small laugh, looking at Sero as he began to speak.

“Rumor has it that you and Todoroki have struck up a relationship during your time here in the competition.” Sero said, a look of anxious curiosity tugging at his features. 

Izuku couldn’t help but choke on his sandwich, going into a coughing fit as bits of his sandwich tried to make a home in his windpipe.

“D-don’t get it wrong! He’s just a really good friend!” Izuku said as he shook his head furiously. “Besides, Todoroki is straight and ya know how that is, it wouldn’t work even if that was the case.” Izuku said, picking his sandwich back up as he finished. 

“Someone saw you two hugging on the roof though.” Jirou said, looking as though she didn't believe what Izuku was telling her. 

Izuku felt a pang of irritation hit him in the chest as he sighed loudly, resting his sandwich back on his plate as he turned to look at her, attempting to keep his expression neutral. 

“So, do you think the same thing about girls who hug each other? That they’re lesbians just because they’re hugging?” Izuku said, his tone deadpan as he looked at her.

“Well that’s different- they’re not gay.” Sero said from over his shoulder, further sending Izuku’s hopes for humanity down the drain.

“Okay, I guess you guys aren’t really used to being around gay people or else you wouldn’t be saying things like this.” Izuku said as he rubbed his eyes. “We are people too and we have preferences just like everyone else. Do you think that every straight person who hugs another straight person is automatically interested in each other?” Izuku asked as he looked between the two of them. Both of them shook their heads before he continued to speak.

“Exactly, it’s the same way with gay people. It’s really damaging for both parties when you just assume that every guy I come into contact with, I have some sort of ‘gay’ relationship with. It’s also a really harmful stereotype, so just stop reading into everything I do like I am some sort of oddity and I think you’ll find that I am exactly like you two.” Izuku said as he got up without waiting for their reactions and dumping his food before he made his way to his room.

As he plopped down on his bed, he noticed Todoroki was also laying in his bed, his back towards Izuku’s side of the room as it usually was. He decided it was best to just let him sleep, since Izuku himself felt like he needed a nap after the irritating accusations he was once again being put through. 

-x- 

The next morning, everyone was woken up by the sounds of pots and pans banging in the kitchen, causing everyone to emerge from their rooms at varying speeds. Izuku was more or less a morning person, but not when he was being woken up out of a dead sleep by loud noises. 

As he walked out with his blanket wrapped around his shoulders, he noticed Kaminari and Mina were standing in the kitchen with the pots and pans in their hands, causing Izuku to groan lightly as he realized this probably had something to do with the show rather than someone being petty and waking them up for no reason.

“Surprise everyone! You have a photoshoot today and you have thirty minutes to get dressed and meet us downstairs so we can go to the location where we're shooting at!” Mina exclaimed excitedly. 

“Come on everyone, don’t tell me you actually thought you were going to have an entire week off, did you?” Kaminari asked, looking amused as he looked around at everyone's tired faces. 

“I mean, that’s what the producers said, so kinda…” Jirou said between a yawn, her hair sticking up in different places. 

“You all are too cute. Now get those cute butts moving so we can get this photoshoot done!” Mina said as she and Kaminari made their exit. 

-x- 

Izuku wasn’t sure what to expect, he never did, especially since they weren’t given a card this time so there really was no way to know what was going on. As they stepped off the bus, they were ushered into a familiar spot, the place where they had done their first photoshoot. 

Bakugou and Kirishima waited for them while Mina and Kaminari were in the background getting everything ready for their shoot. 

“I’m going to make this short and sweet because we have a lot to get done today and not a lot of time to do it.” Bakugou said, his hands shoved into his back pockets, something about his demeanor signaled to Izuku that something was bothering him.

“We are shooting in pairs today, but since there is an odd number, three of you will be in the same shot together. This is a challenge to not only stand out, but to stand out with the new hairstyles you’ve been given, to show us that you understand why you were assigned these specific styles.” 

“The first pairing is Todoroki and Midoriya, second is Iida and Momo, third is Sero and Jirou, and the group of three is going to be comprised of Uraraka, Tsu, and Monoma. Now get to hair and makeup.” Bakugou said as he put his list back in his pocket, turning around to leave. 

As everyone raced to get to hair and makeup, Izuku carefully grabbed Bakugou’s arm, being careful not to grab him too hard. Bakugou let out an irritated grunt as he pulled away from his grip before looking back at him.

“What, Midoriya?” Bakugou asked as he crossed his arms across his chest and Izuku began to feel self-conscious of the kiss he had shared with Bakugou just a few days prior. It didn’t look like it meant the same thing to him as it did to Izuku and the thought of that was enough to cause a lump in his throat to form, his fingernails digging into his palms as he searched his tired, red eyes for a clue as to what was bothering him.

“I just wanted to make sure you were okay… you just seem kind of irritated today and I want to make sure you’re taking care of yourself.” Izuku said, trying his best to smile so it didn’t look like his entire facade was about to crack.

“You hardly know me; how can you judge what kind of fucking mood I’m in?” Bakugou snapped as he turned his back to Izuku. “And don’t you think you should worry more about the fact that you’re in a competition? Act like you are or leave.” Bakugou said sharply as he walked away from Izuku, not once looking back as he did so.

Izuku stood there stunned for a couple seconds before he began to walk to hair and makeup, a feeling of numbness took over his body as he sat in the chair beside Todoroki, waiting for his makeup to be taken care of.

Todoroki didn’t say anything as he looked over Izuku’s face and quite frankly, Izuku couldn’t be bothered to answer anyone’s questions at the moment. He had a million things rolling through his mind and none of them seemed to have an answer in sight. 

-x-

Izuku, like many of the other men who were in the competition, had been dressed in a black suit and tie, as was Todoroki. The objective of the photoshoot was to stand out but the only thing he felt like doing was disappearing. Bakugou was on set as he always was to coach and give criticisms but Izuku refused to look at him. The more he thought of the cruel crimson eyes that had looked at him with disgust earlier, the more he felt like he didn’t belong in the competition anymore. 

But the words he had said to Izuku earlier rang true, this was a competition- he wasn’t here to get a boyfriend or to coddle Bakugou, he was here to win and if he wasn’t going to take anything seriously, he had no right to be here. With one last deep breath, Izuku and Todoroki walked onto set and there was one, wooden chair that sat in the middle of the set. 

“Todoroki should probably sit on the chair since he’s taller, it’ll be easier to work angles that way since Midoriya won’t have to bend over. Not that he would need to anyway.” Bakugou said from the side as he sat behind the computer screens, waiting for the clicking of Kaminari’ s camera to begin.

Every word Bakugou said stung Izuku like a salt being rubbed into a wound but he could put that on hold for now, he had to. 

Todoroki took his place on the chair, sitting up straight as he looked at the camera and the clicking began. Izuku had to admit that at the beginning, he wasn’t quite sure what to do. He didn’t want it to come off like a couple’s photoshoot because he would essentially have to back hug Todoroki. 

A couple shots in, Bakugou spoke up again.

“Midoriya, you’re thinking too much and you look angry in your shots, get it together before all the frames run out.” 

Izuku sighed and shook it off as he took his suit jacket off, slinging it over his shoulder and leaning on Todoroki as the camera began to click again. He felt like he had everything under control as he played with his body language, coming off as elegant but giving himself some sort of personality but that was short lived as Bakugou spoke up again.

“Midoriya, you’re doing the same poses over and over again, Todoroki can’t carry this entire shoot by himself.” Bakugou said from behind the monitors, not even looking up at him as he spoke.

Izuku could feel the stinging in his eyes begin but he had to choke them back as Todoroki began to help him, sitting in different ways in the chair so that they could look as though they were having conversations or were just showing off the suits in general. He could feel Bakugou watching him and for once, it wasn’t a good feeling. He couldn’t wait to get off the set and he knew that was going through in his photos but he was so overwhelmed that he couldn’t focus or do what he needed to do.

As the last frame went off, Bakugou signaled for Sero and Jirou to come out without saying anything to Todoroki or Midoriya as they left the shooting area. As soon as Izuku was backstage, he couldn’t stop the tears from overflowing as he threw the jacket into a pile of clothes on the floor and immediately made a break for the bathrooms. 

Several people tried to stop him on his way to the bathroom but he refused to stop until he was safely tucked away where no one else could see him. As he looked the door behind him, he crouched and hugged his knees to his chest and his sobs finally escaped him, like magma looking for cracks in the surface, everything he had been holding in the past two weeks came oozing out. As he hiccupped into his knees, he thought back on the way Bakugou had told him he would protect him because he liked him, Bakugou of all people admitted that he liked him. 

It was all looking like a cruel joke now. How could he have been so stupid? Why would he even begin to believe that someone like Bakugou was on his level? That he could relate to him on a personal level in any way, shape, or form? He knew nothing aside from what the media told him and yet he had actually begun to tell himself that he loved this man but he couldn’t even see that Bakugou was just playing with his feelings.

And now, he was going to be eliminated because he let his false praise go to his head. Of course he didn’t think that he would win simply because Bakugou liked him, he knew he would have to work like everyone else, but all it took was a couple truth bombs and he completely broke down, he wasn’t able to recover quick enough, and now he would pay the price. 

His throat tightened as sobs escaped his scratchy throat, the number of tears that had rolled off his face was enough to make the already dark fabric stain into a deeper shade of black. His eyes stung the worst so he opted to keep his eyes closed as he continued to cry. He had felt like the cloud he had been walking on for the past two weeks was suddenly being pulled out from under him and he had nowhere to go but down. 

-x- 

He wasn’t sure how much time had passed when he finally came out of the bathroom, quietly changing into the clothes that he had brought with him. He grabbed his bag and walked outside, sitting on a bench where the bus would eventually pick them up. He couldn’t be bothered to watch the others when he knew that he was going home, let alone be in the same vicinity as Bakugou in the state he was in now. 

He closed his eyes as the wind picked up, sending his waves blowing over his face as he let the warmth of the sun try to defrost the numbness that he felt.  He had come to the realization that he was just not someone to be loved, he wasn’t destined to get out of the small town that he came from, and he sure as fuck was not cut out for the cruel reality the world had thrown at him. 

As he sat outside, his eyes closed as he listened to the wind instead of the chaos going on inside, he felt that a shadow had moved over one of the clouds. With a dejected sigh, he opened his eyes, only to be met with a concerned Kirishima in his face. Izuku said nothing as he stood up, slinging his bag over his shoulder as he began to walk to another bench that was a bit farther away from the photography site. 

As he tried to walk away, Kirishima grabbed his wrist and didn’t let go until Izuku looked at him, unable to stop another flow of tears as he jerked away from Kirishima’s grasp.

“Please just leave me alone, Kirishima. I c-can’t do this right now just… just fucking go please.” Izuku said as he pressed his sleeve against his eyes to dry the tears that were threatening to fall. 

“What is going on with you today, Midoriya? You did so well in the other photoshoot and then you come in today and you look like you don’t know what year we’re in. Is it because of Toga?” he asked quietly, his tone indicating that he wasn’t sure if it was okay to talk about it or not.

“It has nothing to do with her!” Izuku shouted, louder than he had intended, but it didn’t stop him. “I am tired of being played with, of being told I’m not good enough, and most of all, I am beyond sick of being used for ‘convenience comfort’. I have feelings too!” as he finished his sentence, he couldn’t hide the sob that escaped him as Kirishima pulled him into a hug. 

“I have feelings too…” Izuku repeated as he cried into Kirishima’s chest. He could feel other people's eyes on him, he knew that his shouting more than likely brought a crowd, and he knew that without the context of his and Bakugou’s relationship, he looked like someone who wasn’t mentally stable. 

Izuku pulled away from the hug as he wiped his face off, running a hand through his hair, his face very obviously red from crying but he couldn’t be bothered to care what other people think.

“The bus is here, so let's listen to what Bakugou has to say before we take everyone home, okay?” Kirishima said quietly as he pulled Izuku in the direction of the bus. Izuku followed after him, however, he didn’t keep his head up while Bakugou was talking. He instead opted for looking at his feet while he waited for the lecture to end so he could go home and pack his things.

“Good work today everyone, I think a lot of you were able to work your new styles relatively well despite not having much practice with it because of the incident from last week. There will be judging tonight so I expect to see you all in a few hours at the dorms.” Bakugou said as he looked over at everyone. 

The producers gave everyone the okay to get on the bus, everyone bowing before they began to file into the bus. Just as Izuku was turning around, he felt someone grab his arm. As he looked up, he realized the arm was attached to none other than Bakugou fucking Katsuki.

He jerked his arm away from Bakugou, physically cringing at the contact from him.

“Please don’t touch me.” Izuku said as he turned around again to leave. 

“If you’re not going to take this shit seriously, then leave.” Bakugou said, just as he had done before, though he sounded less irritated this time, it didn’t take away the hurt he felt from it.

“I believe you already said that earlier, Bakugou. Or do you have short term memory loss in the things that you say to people?” Izuku spit as he shot him a hurt glare before he quickly climbed the stairs to the bus before it took off.

Izuku said nothing as he pulled his hoodie strings tight so no one would bother him.

-x- 

Everyone lined up in the judging room in the same formation that they had been taught right after casting week. The guest judge for this week was no one, given that none of them had any off-camera help and there also wasn’t a challenge for the week. So, it was just up to the regular judges to decide their fates. 

“Let’s get this started. You all look stunning by the way, best looking group by far.” Mina said as she smiled and fixed the papers that lay in front of her.

“First up, we have Midoriya and Todoroki for their duo shot.” Kirishima said, smiling at the both of them.

Izuku and Todoroki stepped down at the same time and stood side by side in silence as they pulled up their best picture from the shoot. Todoroki was sitting forward in the chair, leaning off to the right just a little bit so you could see how long his neck actually was and his hair fell gracefully around his face as he did so. It almost looked like a candid shot someone took of him. Izuku looked at himself and someone who was checked out and didn’t have any idea what they were doing.

“The photo speaks for itself for the most part.” Bakugou started and Izuku had to strain not to roll his eyes as he listened to his critic. “Todoroki looks like he belongs there, he is present and knows what he’s doing, but you’re standing in the background and you didn’t incorporate yourself into the shot at all, Midoriya.” 

“Sadly, I’d have to say the same thing. You’re stunning in all your other photographs but you just let Todoroki completely take this one over. It’s almost like you’re just there to be there.” Mina said, looking over the photo before looking back at him.

“I agree, you just didn’t seem all there today. You needed so much direction and you didn’t take any of it. What happened this week? Is it the haircut?” Kirishima asked as he turned away from the photo.

“Well, given the past two weeks that I’ve had, although I am not using it as an excuse because I know I can do better than this, I unfortunately let me stress, anxiety, and personal life get in the way of this photo. I know that I need to work on letting my emotions be so present in my photographs.” Izuku said, his throat tensing a bit as he swallowed the lump that seemed to have become a permanent state in his throat. 

“That is all, you can go back now.” Bakugou said as he looked down at the next pairing.

Izuku could hear the talking and the laughing going on around him but he could hardly focus on anything other than the nausea he was trying to keep down. He knew that this was more than likely the end of the line for him, especially after both of the interactions that he had with Bakugou. He dug himself a hole and now he would have to just lie down and take whatever the judges threw at him. 

After a few minutes of critics, Bakugou stood up with photos in his hands, which was quite unusual given that the judges usually deliberate after hearing what all the contestants had to say.

“This week there was a pretty obvious loser, so there is no need for deliberation on our part. So, because of that, we’ll begin the elimination process right now.” 

“Todoroki, congratulations, you had the best photo of the week.” 

“Uraraka.” 

“Monoma.” 

“Sero.” 

“Tsu.”

“Momo.”

“Iida.”

“Will Midoriya and Jirou please step forward?” Bakugou asked, looking at both of them intently. 

“Midoriya, the judges have been impressed with you since your first photoshoot but we’re beginning to think that those good photos that you were able to take were a fluke rather than actually knowing what you’re doing.”

“And you, Jirou. You’re a very pretty girl, but the judges are beginning to wonder how far that can take you when you’re so uncomfortable around the camera that you hid behind Sero rather than attempt to stand out in the photo.”

“So, who stays?” Bakugou finished as he pulled the last photo from his hand and turned it around.

“Midoriya.” Bakugou stated, holding his joint picture of him and Todoroki. Izuku felt as though he was going to pass out as he walked up to Bakugou and gently took the photo from his hands. “The judges know you have potential; you just need to stop letting everything get to you the way that it does because you end up taking terrible photos that way.” Bakugou finished as he released the photo and motioned for Jirou to say goodbye to everyone.

There was group hugging and crying as Jirou said her goodbyes to the show, but Izuku felt not happy nor sad about being in the bottom two, he just felt tired and he wanted to be alone.

As everyone walked back to their rooms from the judge’s panel, Izuku could see Kirishima and Bakugou watching him out of the corner of his eye. Irritation crawled up his spine as he walked out and went to his bedroom.

He had done enough crying for ten years and he was tired of thinking. Now, surrounded by Bakugou memorabilia, he felt a lot less comfort and a lot more anxiety. He would more than likely end up switching rooms if this continued. 

Bakugou was still one of his favorite models because he could separate work from personal life, Bakugou was one of those people who were made to be admired from afar, not someone to get close to. It irked him that Bakugou didn’t use his first name at all the entire time. Midoriya this, Midoriya that. 

“That’s not what you called me when you were kissing me…” Izuku said aloud, letting his tired thoughts get mixed with his irrational thoughts as he began to feel the weight of his emotional turmoil weigh on him.

As Izuku allowed his body to drag him under, he wasn’t aware of the rumor that had pushed Bakugou to his cold demeanor, nor was he aware of the amount of heartache that it had caused Bakugou. 

Chapter Text

-x- Bakugou’s POV -x-

An irritated grunt escaped Bakugou’s throat, his expression focused on the water bottle that was clenched in between his hand, water sloshing onto his suit despite his best efforts to keep the fucking water in the bottle. 

“Can’t catch a fucking break.” Bakugou muttered to himself as he hastily wiped the water off of his suit, his eyes focused on the black car mat that was placed between his feet, not allowing himself a glance at the other person in the car with him. 

He could feel the headache that was drumming throughout his head, playing on his temples like the world's loudest snare drum. With one quick motion, he loosened his tie before throwing it at his feet, pinching the bridge of his nose in an attempt to give himself some sort of reprieve from the merciless onslaught of pain in his head. As he slumped into his seat, allowing his back to rest against the cool leather of the seat, he felt someone nudge his knee, grunting to acknowledge the gesture.

“So, are we just not going to talk about what happened today?” Kirishima asked in a hush tone. 

Bakugou was trying to decide if it was from hesitation or from the knowledge that he had a raging headache and was liable to blow up on the asshole who dared to make it worse. Carefully, he brought his hands to his temples and massaged them, trying to get the tension in them to go away so he would at least be comfortable in the car ride home. 

Bakugou allowed the question to hang in the air between them, not wanting to talk or even think about the recent happenings in his life. Not only was it fucking annoying to talk about feelings, it also wasn’t worth the effort of verbalizing what happened. He was there, he saw it with his own two shitty eyes. Asking questions wasn’t needed at this point and Kirishima knew it.

There was a beat of silence between the two, the air in the car seemingly heavier than it had been moments before the question had been asked. The car came to a sudden stop and the driver got out, opening the door for the both of them. Bakugou muttered a thanks under his breath as he pulled himself out of the car, squinting as the light hit his eyes, almost blinding him. He could hear Kirishima thank the driver, making small talk before his footsteps hurriedly caught up with his own. Despite Kirishima’s hurry to catch up with him, there was still tension between the two of them and Bakugou was in no mood to put up with it today.

“Go home, Kirishima.” Bakugou said as he stepped onto the elevator, the “or else” being heavily implied in his tone as he pressed the button for his apartment before looking up. His eyes were met with worried crimson and no hesitation as Kirishima stepped into the elevator with him, leaning against the wall opposite from him. 

Bakugou could feel a knot building in his stomach, unsure of what to do with both Kirishima and the anger he was carrying inside himself. None of this mattered enough to make him lose his cool, so why was he so fucking angry? Why did his eyes sting every time he thought of that stupid freckled loser? He looked down again, not saying anything as he got off the elevator and got into his apartment, shrugging off his jacket and kicking off his shoes at the door. There was another pang of irritation as he realized Kirishima was still tagging along into his apartment, the door closing and locking as the sound of a second pair of footsteps followed him into the penthouse. 

“Are you going to answer my question?” Kirishima asked as he stepped in front of Bakugou, crossing his arms against his chest as he stared down at Bakugou.

He sneered and tried to get past him before a hand grabbed his shoulder, stopping him from passing around the mountain of a man that Kirishima was. Bakugou slapped his hand off his shoulder as he looked up at him with a look of irritation. 

“Don’t touch me. If I wanted to answer the fucking question, I would have already and we both know that, Shitty Hair.” Bakugou huffed as he pushed past Kirishima, feeling more agitated now than he had been at the photo shoot earlier that day. 

“Katsuki, I’m not just going to drop this!” Kirishima pleaded, his footsteps trailing behind Bakugou’s by less than a foot. 

“You were actually starting to open up and act like yourself with him and then today?” 

Bakugou retreated into his room, attempting to slam the door behind him but it was caught by Kirishima’s quick reflexes, causing Bakugou to spin around, unable to contain the shit storm that had been brewing inside him for the past five days. 

“And then today, what? ” Bakugou spit, his eyes focused on the redhead in front of him, his vision blurring as all his emotions came flooding into his mind, his body reacting violently to the rush of emotions.

“I fucked it up? Is that what you’re going to say?” Bakugou snapped, unable to control the anger that was coming out in his voice. “Because if so, you can go fuck yourself. I can’t and won’t let myself get drawn in so easily to something like that. I don’t need someone else to feel fucking okay, when have I ever clung to someone? The closer they are, the easier it is to destroy you.” 

Kirishima was searching his expression desperately for a clue on what he was talking about and Bakugou could tell he was confused by his statement. 

“Katsuki, what are you talking about?” Kirishima said as he took a step closer to Bakugou, his expression worried as he watched the tears that formed in Bakugou’s tired eyes. 

“Did something happen with you and Izuku that we don’t know about?” he asked, another knife in his stomach as he heard his name, a wave of nausea crashing into him as he fell back against his bed, holding his face in his hands.

“I can’t risk all that I’ve built for some dumbass with a nice voice and pretty words, I won’t do it to myself.” Bakugou said, his voice barely above a whisper, the lump in his throat obstructed his ability to breathe as he felt Kirishima’s arms wrap around him.

“Izuku…” Bakugou choked out as he quietly began to speak to Kirishima.

-x- Izuku’s POV -x- 

Midoriya woke up the next morning feeling as though he had been hit by a truck, the headache he had earned from crying himself to sleep was out for blood as soon as he woke up and so he decided that staying in bed was the best move for the day. 

As he rolled onto his back, squinting as the light that filtered into the room from the window was blinding him, he could feel the knot of anxiety punch him in the stomach once again as he thought of the events that had transpired the day before. The sudden switch in Bakugou not only confused him to no end, but it was also a blow to his trust and admiration for the older man. 

“I like you, that’s all you need to know.”  The words swirled around in his head, creating a haunting symphony of confusion and pain. Nine words had been enough for him to completely trust and fall into this man, someone he had only known as a fan for so long. Bakugou wasn’t wrong when he said that Midoriya knew next to nothing about him, all the things he knew had just been said in interviews or off-handed remarks he had made throughout the years. There was no way he would be able to know him within the short span of time he had been in the competition.

Tears welled up in his eyes once again, causing him to cover his face with a pillow, hugging it as tightly as he could to mute any sound that might escape despite the room being empty. 

“Why am I so upset? This was expected, I shouldn’t have tried to make him out to be something he wasn’t.” Midoriya said between hiccups, his nails digging into the soft material of the pillow as he squeezed his eyes shut. The more he tried to find a reason or rationalize Bakugou’s actions the day before, the more he found it harder to breathe, all his assumptions circling back to him not being good enough for someone of Bakugou’s status.

Midoriya came from a poor town and a poor family, the only potential job prospects for him had to come from this competition or he would go back to being a nobody, someone who was easily stepped on and forgotten. Izuku wiped his eyes as he thought of Bakugou’s birthday party, where he had told Izuku not to let people step all over him just because he didn’t like confrontation. A cruel laugh came from Izuku as he thought of the irony of it, Bakugou was no better than the people who had come before him. He used him as a temporary scapegoat, someone to numb the pain of whatever it was he was going through, and as soon as Izuku got his walls down and his hopes up, they were stepped on so easily. 

And he couldn’t deny that this was all his fault. He allowed Bakugou to get into his head and now he was paying the price for not keeping himself focused on the competition. 

A surge of irritation ran through Midoriya as he got up, collecting his things for the shower as he stomped into the bathroom, locking the door behind him as he started the water. The longer he stayed in the shower and thought about the way things had transpired between the two of them, the more agitated he became, especially the comments that were made at the panel by Bakugou. 

“I’m here to stay and no one will take that away from me, not even Bakugou Katsuki himself.” Midoriya said as he dried himself off, feeling a new fire burning inside of him that hadn’t been there the day before. 

Somehow, the thought of Bakugou using him and discarding him lit a fuse inside of him. He was more than someone to use once and discard. He was a force to be reckoned with, he was the fire to the gasoline in this competition, and he wouldn’t stop, not even if he got eliminated off of the show, this was just the beginning of something way bigger than either of them, and he would be damned if some stuck up celebrity would take that from him.

From now on, Bakugou is no longer Bakugou Katsuki, worldwide famous model, he was simply the host of the show and nothing else. He couldn’t afford for him to be anything more than that, he wouldn’t be worn down so easily by a few harsh words when he has already been through hell and back.

With a new resolution in his heart, he got ready to face the challenges of the day with no thought of anyone else but himself in mind.

-x- 

Shortly after his shower, Mina had popped into the apartment to tell everyone to get onto the bus as fast as possible, taking no time to explain where they were going or why they needed to rush with such urgency. Izuku had already showered and gotten dressed, so he was one of the first few to get onto the bus, the bus finally pulling away about fifteen minutes after Mina’s initial announcement.

The bus drove for what felt like forever before it finally pulled into a parking lot filled with film studios and no one in the bus could contain their excitement, including Izuku who was attempting to calm himself down so that he could focus on the challenge at hand. 

As everyone filed off the bus, there was a sign that was being held by someone at the door of the filming studio that read: “Filming in Progress: Quiet on Set”. 

Mina held her finger to her lips as she opened the door, a bright light coming out from the open door, but it was too bright for anyone to see what was going on inside the studio. Just as Izuku moved closer to get a better look into the studio, someone came “flying” out of the door that Mina had opened, Izuku having to repress his scream as he instantly recognized Toshinori Yagi making his appearance in character as his hit hero movie character “All Might”. 

“Look at all these upstanding citizens! Waiting quietly just like the sign asked, how considerate of you all!” Toshinori exclaimed as he landed in front of the group of models and Izuku could feel the tears welling up in his eyes as he took in the sight before him. 

All Might was in his Golden Age outfit but it was ripped up and he had fake blood splattered on his uniform, meaning he was probably filming an action scene, which made Midoriya even more curious to see what this new movie had in store for fans. 

“For those of you who don’t know, this is Toshinori Yagi, Bakugou’s mentor in so few words, as well as the iconic hero we all know and love, All Might!” Mina said as All Might embraced her in a hug, laughing while he did so.

“That’s right! Though, I wouldn’t call myself iconic!” he said with a hearty laugh, releasing her from the hug as he turned to face everyone in the small crowd. “Today, we’ll be doing action shots for your challenge! I’ll be teaching you poses and ways to take a good picture while you’re moving!” 

“Wait, you’ve modeled before?” Sero asked with a dumbfounded expression on his face, looking completely taken aback by this knowledge.

“Of course I have! You’ve seen the movie posters, right?” Toshinori asked, earning a nod from everyone in the group. “Those aren’t just screen captures from the movies Young Sero! I have to be able to represent the character just as well through photos as I can through a movie.” he answered as he motioned for everyone to follow him into the studio which was done without hesitation.

As they walked onto the set that he had been filming on, there was a scene set in front of them which, had Midoriya not known this was a filming studio, he would have thought Japan was being attacked by aliens or something. Everyone turned their attention to Toshinori as he strode onto set, putting his arm around a very friendly looking man who introduced himself as Naomasa Tsukauchi, the man in charge of making All Might’s costume designs for the movies. 

“Tsukauchi here was given some footage of the remaining contestants and he made hero outfits for you based on your personalities alone.” Toshinori explained, everyone’s eyes glittering as they thought of the idea of their very own hero costumes. 

“However!” Tsukauchi interjected “You’ll see those during the photoshoot that you have tomorrow. For today, you’ll all be wearing these training uniforms so you can practice what posing you’re going for.”

“I’m sure that also cuts down on the chances for wardrobe malfunctions.” Mina said with a quiet laugh which was met with a nod from Tsukauchi. 

Everyone was given the training uniforms which were blue with white lettering that was outlined with red fabric. The initials on the uniforms were UA, which Izuku chalked up to being the studios initials because he hadn’t really been paying attention to the signs that were outside before they pulled in. 

Tsukauchi pulled out lists for everyone and began handing them out after everyone was dressed which was detailed with the personality traits he felt stuck out the most in us, as well as what kind of hero he could see us as all together. Izuku waited patiently as he was handed his last, and read over the paper with a fervor he hadn’t known before. It’s always interesting learning how you appear to others on the outside, as well as assumptions they can make about you just based off of a couple minutes of interaction.

Midoriya’s read as follows: 

• Strong
  Honest
  Stubborn
  Compassionate
  A hero that could rival All Might

As he read the last sentence, Izuku could feel the breath get caught in his throat as he thought of the possibility of being able to be on the same level as All Might himself. Realistically, All Might was a fictional character that could not be rivaled nor replicated because the means to do so in the real world was impossible. However, given that Toshinori himself was like a father figure to Izuku growing up, the idea that he could be someone Toshinori would be proud of made him somewhat emotional. 

He shook it off as he set the paper in front of him, using the time he had been allocated to think of ways he could pose that weren’t direct knock-offs of All Might. He could feel his excitement growing the more he thought about the ways he could embody All Might without copying him. 

In the middle of his brainstorming, he was broken out of it with a hand touching his shoulder, causing him to start just slightly as he looked up. Toshinori Yagi himself was standing in front of him, the Golden Age outfit was even more beautiful in person, and somehow his cape managed to stay flowing despite the lack of air in the studio himself. He felt all words dry up in his throat, the idea of speaking seemed harder than eating sand at the moment.

“How are you doing Young Midoriya?” Toshinori asked, looking genuinely curious of what he was thinking of doing for the challenge. 

Izuku felt as though he was going to black out from all the fanboy energy manifesting in his brain but he wanted to treasure the time he was getting to talk with Toshinori in person.

“You know my name?” Izuku asked as he held the piece of paper close to his chest, which was met with another great laugh from Toshinori, the older man reaching down to ruffle his hair like he was a little kid he had met on the street.

“Of course I did, I watched the tapes with Tsukauchi after all!” Toshinori said as he carefully plucked the page out of Midoriya’s hand without much effort at all. “Ah yes! You are my successor! How could I forget you. Why don’t you show me some of your ideas?” 

Izuku froze as he stared up at the mountain of a man, suddenly losing the ability to speak as he listened to the words that Toshinori was saying to him. Of course, All Might isn’t saying this to him because he is great at acting or modeling or potential, it’s solely based off of a few minutes of footage he’s seen during the time of the competition, but how was he supposed to just pretend that Toshinori himself didn’t just call him his successor he-

He was pulled out of his ramblings as All Might shook his shoulder, looking somewhat concerned about the blank stare on his face.

“You good kid?” Toshinori asked as he bent down to be eye level with him.

Izuku nodded fiercely to snap himself out of the trance that he put himself in as he began to pose for All Might, his legs shaking slightly as he did so, not sure what All Might thought or if he would even like them. All that mattered to him was that he did well enough to not only redeem himself from the mistakes he had made last week, but also do well enough so that Bakugou could ignore him like he wasn’t there. He didn’t need any more disappointments or distractions during his time in the competition.

All Might had him go through the motions again, helping him angle his body in a way that would catch the camera's eye, or so that, when he moved, his back wouldn’t be towards the camera. With a few quick adjustments, Toshinori gave him a high five just as Tsukauchi had everyone gather around so that they could begin to take their action shots. 

“So, something that we didn’t reveal because we didn’t want to make you nervous is that you’ll be posing with All Might himself!” Mina said excitedly, watching carefully to see everyone’s reactions. 

“Having a pro on set with you shouldn’t make you nervous. When you start to feel like you’re losing your focus or you’re lost about what you should be doing, you can always mimic what Toshinori does. At the very least, you’ll be able to absorb a little bit of that confidence that he likes to exude constantly.” Tsukauchi looked pleased with himself as All Might laughed at his coaching. 

“For this one specifically, we’ll only have one person in the set at a time with All Might at a time. There are going to be special effects on this platform, as well as a need for focus from our cameraman, so everyone but Monoma, go wait outside for us.” Mina explained as she began to shoo everyone out of the room. 

Instead of sitting with his usual group; Todoroki, Iida, and Uraraka, he decided to go off to a quiet place in the parking lot so he could continue practicing what All Might had suggested for him. The hope was that he could gain some type of muscle memory before he got up on stage with All Might and his legs turned to jello. He could feel their eyes watching him, especially after the unexplained breakdown he had the other day while shooting, as well as how he isolated himself in his room for most of the day without speaking to any of them.

He didn’t want them to think he was mad at them, but at the moment, he had more important things to focus on and he could always apologize later. The more time that went on, the more comfortable he began to feel in his movements, though he wasn’t sure what kind of facial expressions he should go for. Heroes don’t always look super cool in the middle of battle because they’re busy trying to survive. However, since he was a model, he would be expected to look handsome as well as athletic and graceful all at once. 

Eventually, his name was called and he made his way onto set, fixing his uniform as he walked in, Toshinori greeting him with a smile and a slap on the back as they walked into the scene together. 

“So you’ll be posing as my sidekick so try not to steal the show, okay?” All Might said as he let out a loud laugh before nudging him gently. “Just kidding, I hope you steal the show, Young Midoriya! Any sidekick of mine deserves the spotlight, isn’t that right Bakugou?” 

Izuku froze as he heard him speak that name, his shoulders tensing as he looked behind him to see Bakugou standing behind the monitors in his usual place. He could feel his eyes straining from how hard he wanted to roll them, seeing him standing there wearing all black. Izuku’s eyes were drawn to the scarf he was wearing around his neck, the one that he had custom made for him. He quickly tore his eyes away from the scarf so that he could look anywhere else but the man that stood in front of him.

“ Not very professional being late to a shoot with a super famous actor .” Izuku thought to himself, almost saying it out loud as Bakugou looked up to see him. 

“You do know he’s not in the actual movie, right Toshinori?” Bakugou asked as he stuffed his hands into his jacket pockets. “But even if he was, I’m sure you would treat him like the hero instead of the sidekick.” 

Izuku didn’t respond as a woman from hair and makeup approached him, touching up his hair and she added some smudges and scuffs to his skin to make it look like he had been fighting in the fray along with AM. 

Midoriya got in position with AM and their shoot began, the camera clicking with every jump, kick, and punch they did together. During one specific set of frames, they hooked Izuku up to a harness much like the one AM had been wearing earlier when they first met him outside. He wasn’t nervous considering AM was so much heavier than himself and the harness held his weight just fine. 

However, he would come to regret that after the second to last frame was being shot. He felt something in the harness give, but he wasn’t sure if the jerk came from his descent after the shot, or if something was legitimately wrong. He had never used one of these things before but after a couple seconds passed and he was still secured in the harness, he decided it was just his imagination getting the better of him. As he let out a steady breath, getting ready for the last photo, they hauled him up just a little bit further for the climatic finish of the “battle” but as he reached the peak of his height, he felt another jerk before he could feel himself free falling onto the platform below him. 

His body hit the thin mats with a loud thud, the wind instantly being knocked out of him and it felt like all his insides were suddenly in places they shouldn’t be. As he lay on the ground, struggling to gasp for air, on set emergency staff began to crowd his area. He wasn’t sure if he broke anything because the pain of having the air ripped from his lungs was the only thing he could think about. As he looked up at the ceiling, he could see Bakugou’s face come into view as the medics began to sit him up so that he could get his breath back. 

Bakugou kneeled in front of him with a worried expression on his face, his eyebrows furrowed as he began to ask him questions.

“What’s your name?” Bakugou asked, waiting patiently for a response.

Izuku was in pain but what he was feeling right now was no comparison to the pain of being used and thrown away by someone who claimed they would protect you. He opted for looking down at his lap as he began to get his breathing back slowly but surely. The pain was beginning to subside but his headache had come back with a vengeance and he knew he would probably be bruised and limping the next day, thankfully it didn’t seem like anything he couldn’t handle. 

“Izuku, do you know where you are?” Bakugou asked again, his voice more worried this time as he peered into his face, his expression looking more frantic than it did before.

“Midoriya.” he barely managed to breath out, his voice coming out no louder than a whisper.

“What?” Bakugou asked as he got closer to him, carefully touching his arm to steady him.

Midoriya moved away from his hand as the medics stood him up as they began to flash a flashlight in his eyes.

“My name is Midoriya. Call me Midoriya.” he managed to get out, his chest still on fire as he sat down on a gurney. 

Realization flashed across Bakugou’s face as he processed what Midoriya had just told him and he stood there, staring at the smaller male, whose gaze was just as unflinching as his own. Izuku observed that he looked tired, his eyes were bloodshot which was unlike him, but he also couldn’t bring himself to care. Bakugou eventually straightened his jacket and left without so much as a word back to Izuku. Relief flowed through him now that Bakugou was gone but he had a feeling that his words would come back to haunt him, which left him with a bitter taste in his mouth.

-x- 

Eventually, he was cleared to go home after insisting that he didn’t need a doctor. Toshinori promised that he would make it up to him, given that it was his idea that they go up in the harnesses together for the photoshoot but Izuku assured him that there was no reason to feel guilty, and that it was payment enough to be able to step foot on the same set as the legend himself. 

He was taken home in a private vehicle for his safety and comfort, in case he changed his mind about going to a hospital but at this point, all he wanted to do was nap. He was excited to see how the pictures turned out, but for now, a nap and food was in order. 

-x- 

The next morning, Izuku struggled to get out of bed. He had only fallen about nine feet and he fell onto some sort of padding which was better than falling onto concrete or wood but he still hurt immensely. However, he couldn’t afford to forfeit the photoshoot for today because he would be disqualified if he didn’t participate. After a hot shower to ease his muscles, he hopped into the van along with the other contestants and they made their way back to the same site so that they could do their shoot in their hero costumes. 

Once again, everyone was forced to wait outside while everyone did their individual shoots and the top three got to keep the costumes that were made for them which Izuku was excited for considering they were made directly based on how they’re perceived by other people. However, the thing that was different from yesterday was that no one came back out after their shoots, they were probably being put into a different room to wait and that made Izuku anxious. This meant that there was something they didn’t want the other contestants to know, so they kept them separate. 

As usual, his name was called last, which he was not thankful for. Sitting on concrete did no wonders for his back and his aching shoulders. As he walked in, he saw that AM was not the one he was going to be taking photos with. Instead, there stood Bakugou Katsuki in all his shitty attitude in his hero costume from the movie he had starred in with AM. 

Izuku could feel the tension between the two as he walked to the dressing room, not even acknowledging Bakugou’s existence. However, the costume that was made for him made him audibly gasp. Everything about it was perfect, from the green color, to the red and black shoes (which seemed to parallel the ones that he wore everyday anyways) as well as the elbow guards. He couldn’t ask for anything more detailed or amazing. 

He quickly got dressed and made his way onto set, Bakugou meeting him in the middle of the platform, both of them standing an awkward distance away from each other as they waited for instructions from the director. 

“We aren’t making you go up into a harness today so you can stop being so tense.” Bakugou snapped, sounding as irritated as he looked.

“Believe me, Ground Zero, I would rather go up in the harness again.” Izuku said without looking at Bakugou, which earned an irritated grunt from the other man. 

The director walked over and told them that they could choose whether to go against each other or pose as sidekicks, at the same time, they both spoke up. 

“Sidekicks.” Bakugou said.

“Rivals.” Izuku said. 

They both gave each other an irritated look, the tension between them was very obvious, even the director was picking up on it. 

“Based on the look you’re giving each other, let's go with rivals, okay?” he said before making his way over to his station. 

Izuku flashed a self satisfied smirk at Bakugou which was met with an eye roll before they both got into position, the camera clicking as they began to move around one another. Izuku knew that working together as sidekicks wouldn’t work, not when they weren’t friends, or even close for that matter. He mentally shuddered as he thought of how cold Bakugou was when he told Izuku he didn’t know anything about him. Rivals work much better because they don’t have to pretend to be something they’re not. Bakugou isn’t in the competition, he has already made himself a spot for fame and fortune, but he saw him as a rival now. Just another person that he had to prove wrong. 

After their shoot, they both walked off set towards the dressing room but Izuku got there first, attempting to shut and lock the door so Bakugou couldn’t get in.

“What the fuck are you trying to do, Freckles?” Bakugou asked as he pushed the door open with an irritated grunt. Izuku could tell by his body language that he wasn’t in a great mood and he was sure that his comments weren’t going to help his temper but he physically couldn’t stop himself. Especially after the way he had treated him at the last photoshoot.

“What, you’re just so busy that you can’t wait outside while I change?” Izuku asked as he went to the dresser that held all his clothing. 

There was silence in the room before the door slammed behind Bakugou and he strode over to Izuku, staying a couple feet away from him as he began to speak.

“What the fuck is your problem Iz- Midoriya?” Bakugou demanded as he crossed his arms and waited for him to respond, the only sound in the room was his ragged breathing.

Izuku couldn't help the snort that came out as he looked at Bakugou in disbelief. 

“What the fuck is my problem?” Izuku spit as he threw his shirt onto the floor, taking off the mask he had been wearing in his hero suit. “‘ Y ou hardly know me; how can you judge what kind of fucking mood I’m in? ’ does that ring a bell to you at all, Bakugou?” Izuku asked, silently cursing himself as he felt the sting of his tears welling up in his eyes.

“Or maybe ‘If you’re not going to take this shit seriously, then leave. ’ does that jog your memory at all, or are you this way to all the people that you use?” Izuku said as he pushed passed Bakugou but his wrist was caught by Bakugou, who was looking down at him with an intense stare.

“Use? Who the fuck used who?” Bakugou snapped as he stared Midoriya down, his gaze unflinching. “I promised to protect you, not to put up with you going behind my fucking back.” 

Izuku had no clue what he was going on about and he wasn’t going to stand there and continue to be accused of something he didn’t do.

“If I’m getting in your way because of my lack of status, just eliminate me and make it easier for us all. But don’t walk around here and act like you’re the one who got hurt. Remember, only one of us told the other to leave, and I would never say something so cruel.” 

Izuku wrenched his arm out of Bakugou’s grasp as he stomped out with his bag in hand, unable to stop the tears from streaming down his face. 

Mina ran into him before he got on the bus and she stopped to ask him what was wrong.

“I’m sorry, I just really don’t feel good. I think I pushed myself a little too hard today.” Izuku explained as he wiped the tears off his face, trying to steady his breathing as he got onto the bus, pulling his hoodie on over his hero uniform.

He didn’t really care if Mina believed him or not, the only reason she liked him in the first place was because Bakugou was using him. Now that he’s put his foot down about being used, he doesn’t have to worry about Mina or Kaminari, or Kirishima being fake nice to him for Bakugou’s sake. Izuku almost hoped Bakugou would eliminate him out of spite, because the energy it took not to break down everytime he looked at him was going to wear him down over time. 

Izuku was aware that Uraraka had sat next to him, but he pretended to be asleep to avoid conversation with her. He was tired of being tired, and he was tired of feeling so much for someone who felt so little. It would only be a matter of time before his emotions would completely take charge and he would be kicked out of the competition. It wasn’t like he could tell her what was going on with Bakugou anyways. Everyone knew that he had a whole hero complex over Bakugou, but no one needed to know that his feelings ran much deeper than that. 

And he wasn’t sure how he could live with that.

-x- 

At the elimination round that night, Monoma was the one to go home. Most people saw it coming due to his refusal to work on anything that the judges had critiqued him on. He felt as though he was more experienced than most of the people in the competition, which included the judges, and he felt he didn’t need to work on anything. Todoroki, Izuku, and Uraraka were allowed to keep their hero uniforms as they placed in the top three and while Midoriya was ecstatic to keep the uniform, the memories made in them weren’t exactly the best. 

Midoriya sighed as he looked down at his best photo with Bakugou. They had been holding onto each other's collars, poised to hit one another in an explosive photo that made them look as though they really hated each other. The crew had included fire in the background of their shoot, making it look as though the area they had been fighting in was destroyed and he thought it had a charm to it. He dropped his hands to his sides as he waited for his row to start leaving.

As Izuku was leaving the elimination hall, Kirishima caught up with him and asked if he could hang back for a little while after the panel was over. Although Izuku could feel his anxiety welling up in his stomach, this would be a good opportunity for him to break off the pity train now. He still looked up to all of them as amazing models and actors and photographers, but that didn’t mean that they needed or even wanted to be friends with someone who lived such a different life than them. 

Kirishima brought him into the backroom where the judges used to deliberate who stays and who goes. Izuku sat there as Kirishima brought him some water and snacks, citing that he had heard what a rough few days he had been having with the shooting and then the fall that he had sustained while filming with AM. Izuku didn’t say much as he waited for Kirishima to explain why he wanted to talk to him in private. The longer crimson eyes stared at his, the more he could feel himself began to fidget. While he was usually able to work under pressure, that didn’t mean he was the greatest with people or trying to understand what they needed just from a glance like Kirishima was somehow able to do.

“So, what happened between you and Bakugou?” Kirishima asked, straightforward and honest as always. Izuku shifted uncomfortably as he played with the cap of his water bottle, not entirely sure how to answer that question himself. 

Izuku gave a small shrug as he looked up at Kirishima, fighting to keep the lump in his throat from forming again. With a quiet breath, he explained his side of the situation.

“He kissed me and then four days later, he was going off on me at the photoshoot about how I hardly know him and that if I wasn’t going to take this competition seriously that I should go home.” Izuku blew out a long breath, chugging his water bottle in the middle of silence between the two.

Kirishima looked stunned and he wasn’t saying anything, presumably because he thought that Izuku had more to say, which he did. 

“This isn’t the first or the last time I will be used by someone. I get it, everyone gets lonely and-” 

Kirishima cut off Izuku by holding up his hand, looking a mixture of confused and offended on behalf of his best friend. 

“Bakugou isn’t the type to use someone though, Izu. I thought you would have figured that out a long time ago.” Kirishima said, sounds skeptical as he began to eat his granola bar.

“Well you tell me what it looks like to you.” Izuku snapped as he angrily wiped at his tears. 

“One day, after Toga was kicked out, he told me that he liked me and he kissed me in the parking garage. Then, the next time I see him, he’s telling me I don’t know him and essentially tells me to fuck off. So you tell me what I should have figured out, I thought you would have figured out that I’m just as confused as you are by this entire situation.”

Izuku gripped the edges of his hoodie as he looked down, afraid that if he looked up, he would see or hear something that he didn’t want to hear. Though, he wasn’t entirely sure what he wanted to hear after all. If Bakugou wasn’t using him, then what was the reason for his behavior? And would that be a good enough reason for him to have acted the way he did. Izuku shook his head as he pressed his hoodie sleeves against his eyes, taking a deep breath to calm himself. 

Just as he began to stand, he could hear the door behind him open. Out of the corner of his eye, he could see that it was Bakugou and suddenly, it was even harder to breathe in this room than it had been before. Izuku opened his mouth to excuse himself when Bakugou spoke first. 

“Kirishima, get out. I need to talk to him.” Bakugou said, his voice sounding hoarse and Izuku wasn't quite sure what to do in this situation. 

Without another word, Kirishima got up and walked out, closing the door behind him. Bakugou took a seat where Kirishima had been. He shrugged off his coat and took off his gloves, sitting in front of Izuku. The rustling of his clothing was all that could be heard in the room. Izuku wasn’t sure how to breath. He hated himself for being excited because he was alone with Bakugou, but at the same time, the anxiety that was crashing into him was beginning to drown him. Izuku ran a hand through his hair as he looked up at Bakugou who was looking at him, though he just looked tired. There was no longer a fight to him, he looked calm and it threw Izuku off. 

“Midoriya I just need you to be honest with me. Can we talk about… whatever the fuck is going on.” Bakugou asked as he looked up at Izuku. 

Izuku could feel the irritation in his chest rise as he looked over Bakugou’s face, not sure how he should be feeling or if they should be having this conversation. Maybe it would be better if they never patched things up.

“ Why am I getting so upset?” Izuku thought idly. “ It was only one kiss so why does it hurt so bad when I think of how badly I want him even though he wants nothing to do with me. ” 

“I haven’t lied about anything. You kissed me and then the next time I saw you, you basically threatened to kick me off the show because I wasn’t taking it seriously.” Izuku snapped, crossing his arms across his chest, his fists gripping the material of his hoodie so tightly that he couldn’t feel the tips of his fingers. 

“So why don’t you be honest with me and just admit that you used me.” Midoriya said as he dug his nails into his hoodie, watching as Bakugou’s expression went from calm to irritated in an instant but he couldn’t stop himself from talking once he was upset, it was like verbal diarrhea and he couldn’t stop himself.

“You know, for someone who is so loved by everyone around you, you really are cruel, aren’t you?” Midoriya asked as he leaned forward, allowing both of his hands to rest against the cool table, trying to ground himself as he looked Bakugou in the eyes. 

“You could have just told me you weren’t actually interested in me. Instead, you make me feel like I could be special, and then the next time I see you, you spit on me. I’m an adult. I might be younger than you, but that doesn’t mean I’m incapable of talking things over with you like an adult.” 

Midoriya could feel his hands shaking both from adrenaline and from fear because he was endangering his spot in the competition by going head to head with him but he wasn’t going to allow Bakugou to make him feel like this entire situation was his fault. 

Izuku watched as Bakugou’s expression shifted from irritated to defeated. Bakugou ran a hand down his face roughly before his head came to rest in his hands, his voice barely above a whisper as he spoke.

“Because you kissed Todoroki.” Bakugou said plainly, his voice was softer than he had expected but his allegation caught him completely off guard. There was a silence in the room that seemed to go on forever as they stared at one another. 

“No, I didn’t, Bakugou.” Izuku said plainly, trying to keep the hurt out of his voice. “Who told you that?” 

There was a pause and Izuku could tell that Bakugou was looking over his face, to look for anything, anything that could tell him whether he was being truthful or not. 

“Todoroki did.” Bakugou said quietly, his crimson eyes not moving away from the teary forest green eyes. 

“No he didn’t.” Izuku said simply, refusing to believe the terrible lie that he had obviously come up with on the fly. “Todoroki has no reason to do that.” 

“Kaminari and Toshinori were there with me when it happened. He just casually brought it up, said that he confessed to you on the roof and that you accepted.” 

Izuku stilled, no longer rocking himself as he looked over Bakugou’s tired features. There was no way that he would bring two other people into his lie, there was no reason for Bakugou to be lying, but why would Todoroki do something like this?

“Bakugou, why didn’t you tell me?” Izuku asked, trying not to sound angry. “The things you said to me, the way you treated me-” Izuku could feel the tears spilling over as he covered his mouth, trying not to cry anymore than he already has in front of Bakugou.

“I didn’t think he had a reason to lie to me, especially when he doesn’t know that I like you.” Bakugou said as he ran a hand down his face before standing up, sitting in the chair next to Izuku.

“Can I touch you?” Bakugou asked quietly, causing Izuku to hesitate. 

He still wasn’t sure if this was the best idea. If he and Bakugou were going to fight frequently, he would never be able to focus but it didn’t matter what logical part of his brain was telling him to stop doing what he was doing because before he knew it, his head was nodding on its own.

Bakugou pulled out a tissue from a box near the fridge and carefully tilted Izuku’s chin before wiping off his tears, his eyes never leaving Izuku’s. Bakugou put the tissue to the side as he carefully brought Izuku’s face into his hands, Izuku’s hands dropping into his lap as he watched Bakugou carefully. He knew he was getting pulled into his orbit again, it was way too easy to do when he was around him.

Bakugou leaned in carefully, holding Izuku as if he might break, before kissing him with no hesitation. Just like before, Izuku felt like his breath was being stolen from him. He leaned into Bakugou, his hands holding onto the front of Bakugou’s shirt as if he might float away if he didn’t stay close enough to him. Bakugou’s hands were warm and safe, and Izuku felt his face heat up as he tasted his own tears on Bakugou’s lips though he didn’t seem to mind too much. Bakugou pulled away, carefully pressing their foreheads together and he began to speak calmly. 

“Look, I’m not the best with this shit. I’ve never even looked at anyone else the way that I look at you,” Bakugou said quietly as he stroked Izuku’s cheek with his thumb, “but I knew the things that I said were fucking awful and I shouldn’t have said them to you, mad or not.” Bakugou said as he carefully kissed Izuku on the forehead, before pulling him into a hug. 

“I was just so mad. I thought I was being played and I couldn’t express how I was feeling and I’m sorry. Ever since I said those things, they’ve been playing in my head on loop. I am so sorry Izuku.” 

Midoriya could feel himself leaning into Bakugou, gripping the back of his shirt as they held each other without saying anything else. Although he wasn’t sure if he forgave Bakugou quite yet for the things he had said, he could feel how sorry he felt in everything that he did. 

Bakugou pulled back slightly and gave him a soft, quick kiss, running his hands through Midoriya’s unruly curls before pulling away completely.

“I’m still confused though,” Izuku confessed as he looked down at his hands. “Why would Todoroki lie about something like that? We hugged on the roof because of what happened with Toga, it was his way of comforting me, but he never said anything even close to a confession.” 

“Because he likes you, dipshit.” Bakugou said as he watched Izuku’s expression, lightly brushing away the curls that had fallen into his face. “Like I said, I dunno why the fuck he would bring it up to us because we really aren’t supposed to be friends with the contestants.” Bakugou said with a shrug as he fixed his jacket once again, looking mildly uncomfortable talking about the situation. 

Izuku simply nodded as he listened to Bakugou speak, it wasn’t completely out of the realm of possibility. Todoroki and him had been close since they all decided to room together and he had probably misconstrued his intentions of friendship with a crush or something. He sighed loudly, feeling all the tension in his body disappear as he did so. Bakugou gently placed his hand on Izuku’s knee before he started to speak. 

“Look, I’m not one for labels and shit because it’s fucking lame and we’re adults but.. Uh..” Bakugou was rubbing the back of his neck and avoiding Izuku’s gaze which made Izuku laugh just a little bit as he watched him struggle with the words that he needed.

“I’m not one for labels either, so why don’t we just take this slow? For now, just know that I really do like you, but if we’re going to be together eventually, we really do need to work on communicating. Your temper is something I didn’t expect from Japan’s “it” boy.” Izuku said with a soft smile.

“Oh fuck off Freckles.” Bakugou said as he stood up, tugging his hand. “We get it, you’re right and I’m an asshole.”

“Oh, I already knew that you were an asshole.” Izuku said, causing both of them to laugh before Bakugou placed a gentle kiss on the top of his head. 

“You need to be getting back before everyone gets suspicious about where you are. If you need anything, there’s a staff member named Mei, ask her where I am and she’ll get me for you. Sounds good?” Bakugou said as he shoved his hands back in his pockets. 

“Oh how sweet, you’re gonna be like my own personal lap dog.” Midoriya said, stealing one last kiss from Bakugou before he left the room quickly, the butterflies in his stomach making him feel like he could float away at any moment. 

He carefully touched his lips as he stepped into the elevator that would take him back to his apartment floor. He was feeling selfish at the moment, wanting to take over Bakugou’s attention completely. If he could, he would have stayed in that room just a little bit longer, just so he could have a few more seconds of contact with him. 

As he came back into the apartment, his friends swarmed him, asking him if he was okay or if there was anything they could do for him.

“No, they just wanted to talk to me about the harness incident at the set the other day. I guess Toshinori wanted to make sure I was really, really, really okay!” Midoriya said as he got a pudding cup out of the fridge, though he avoided Todoroki’s gaze. 

He still wasn’t sure how to handle the information that Bakugou had given him and he wasn’t ready to confront that at all. For the time being, this was something that he needed to put into the back of his mind. The past few weeks, he had already been dealing with too many distractions and if Todoroki wants to make it seem like they’re dating, he just couldn’t bring himself to care. 

Todoroki gently tapped on his shoulder as Uraraka and Iida were absorbed in their own conversation off to the side.

As Izuku turned to look at Todoroki, he could see the smallest smile appear on the taller man's  face.

“Hey, it’s good to see you back to normal, wonder boy.” Todoroki said playfully as he pushed his hands into his pockets, looking somewhat unsure about what he wanted to say. “Can I… talk to you on the roof?” Todoroki asked as he looked towards the elevators. 

Izuku could feel himself tense, trying to decide what the best course of action would be. Todoroki was his best friend in this competition, but he didn’t want to throw off either of their concentration if Todoroki decided to ask him out or something. 

“I just wanted to know what’s been bothering you.” Todoroki said simply as looked over Midoriya’s face with a searching expression.

“You helped me a lot with my dad, I would like to be able to do something for you too, Izuku.” Todoroki gently brushed Izuku’s hair out of his face, his finger lingering on the back of his cheek for a couple seconds before his hand fell to his side.

Izuku wasn’t nervous at all when he was around Todoroki, there were no butterflies or shy smiles whenever he was touched by Todoroki, it wasn’t the same with Bakugou though. The only way he could describe being touched by Bakugou was electricity. All of his senses were at one hundred percent whenever Bakugou was around, it was like his body couldn’t shut down even if he tried, no matter how hard he tried not to be eager when he was around, his body would never listen to him. 

“Thank you for being so worried about me, Shouto.” Izuku said as he pushed his hair out of his face. “But I promise I’m okay now. There was just a lot of stress last week and I think it just bled into this week, especially with how poorly I did last week. I can’t really afford to be in the last two again.” 

Todoroki gave him a quick nod, his expression skeptical as the two of them moved to join Uraraka and Iida’s conversation about if Toshinori would make another appearance on the show given how close he was with the judges apparently. As Izuku sat down, Todoroki took a spot next to him and Izuku couldn’t help but be overly aware of how close he was. Their knees were touching and Todoroki was leaning against the couch with his arm draped over Midoriya’s section of the couch.

Uraraka shot him a questioning look while Iida was looking at Todoroki and Midoriya gave her an apologetic smile because, quite frankly, he had no idea what was going on either. He knew he wasn’t interested in Todoroki like that, but he wasn’t sure how to set boundaries with him when he wasn’t necessarily doing anything that crossed a line. 

With a resigned sigh, Midoriya took to leaning on the arm rest of the couch, giving him plenty of room between himself and Todoroki because he would be damned if someone else was gonna walk in and say that they saw them cuddling on the couch. His every move was already being watched because of Toga, he wouldn’t let them get the satisfaction of getting under his skin anymore.

-x- 

That night, for the first time in a week, Izuku went to bed with an empty mind. 

Chapter Text

Izuku’s POV

Izuku felt the dread wash over him as his alarm went off, another day jam packed with work without any breaks for rest. The only solace he could partake in was the knowledge that he had no longer had to deal with a moody Bakugou. Despite how much he liked him, he was not prepared, nor was he a fan of the angry streak he seemed to have in him. He stretched his arms over his head before bringing his feet over the side of his bed where he was met with Todoroki curious gaze… Solace broken. He forgot he would have to deal with.. Whatever was going on with Todoroki, he had questions in his eyes and Izuku was not prepared to answer any of them.
Silently, he got up and took a shower without a second glance at Todoroki. Once he emerged from his shower, he was informed by Iida that the functions for today would be put on hold due to the amount of filming over the past few days. It was a break for them and for the staff- with the exception of those who had to edit the footage from their photoshoots.

Izuku breathed a sigh of relief as he took a seat on the couch, quietly groaning from the bruises that had formed from his fall. He was lucky it was nothing serious but Toshinori made sure he knew that he would foot the bill for the hospital if it were necessary. As great as sitting in an emergency room with Toshinori Yagi sounds, Izuku wasn’t hurt nearly enough to warrant a trip to the ER. Not long after he sat down, his usual group huddled around with blankets and snacks of varying flavors. He opted to share a large pink blanket with Uraraka, the two of them leaning against one another as they dug into the popcorn she had made.

“So, what are we doing today, gang? Anything interesting you all have been wanting to check out?” Iida asked as he quietly drank from his juice box, his eyes bouncing between the three of them.

Todoroki let out a yawn as he sat next to Iida with a shrug. Todoroki was usually indecisive- or rather, he didn’t care what they did. If he didn’t like something, he wouldn’t do it. If he wanted to do something, he would do it without saying much. It was easy to get along with him like that. Uraraka spoke up after Todoroki’s noncommittal shrug.

“There’s this new observatory that just opened up around here recently, I remember Bakugou mentioned it in passing when we first got to the apartment. Apparently, it’s only a couple blocks over if you guys want to go there tonight!”

Her face flushed as she finished, very obviously embarrassed by her excitement, which made Izuku speak up in turn.

“I think that sounds like fun, we’ll just have to think of something to do to pass the time while we wait for the stars to come out, right?”

Iida nods as he stares down into his juice box, obviously trying to think up a concise itinerary for the group to follow for the day. Oddly enough, Momo made her way over to the small gathering and spoke up during the intermission of silence that the group shared.
“Actually, Sero, Tsu, and I were thinking of going there as well. Would it be alright if we accompanied you?”

Despite her initial hesitation on the show, Izuku could see she was becoming more and more comfortable with herself as the weeks marched on, especially with the encouragement of Mt. Lady and Mina. There were a little over half of the contestants left and she was definitely starting to become competition. Despite this, Izuku couldn’t bring himself to be cold or closed off to any of the people sitting in the room with him. There was a silent solidarity between the rest of the contestants, the competition was stressful enough without someone else trying to make it worse for everybody else.

Izuku offered her a smile as he gave her a nod.

“That sounds like a great idea, it’ll be more fun that way I think.” Izuku said.

Sero slipped in next to Izuku, slamming something that appeared to be badges on the table in front of him as he spoke.

“Check this out my dudes” Sero said as he picked one up, holding it up for everyone to see. “Toshinori gave these to me the day of the photoshoot. It’s basically backstage passes for us to go to the press release for the movie. VIP baby! It starts in about two hours. What say you!”

Sero looked pumped as he stood up, distributing the passes to everyone that sat in the circle.

There was a collective applause, which he took graciously as he dipped into a dramatic bow, his beanie falling off of his head as he did so.

“Looks like we found something to do for the rest of the days! Let's get going everyone.”

Suddenly, everyone had dispersed into their respective rooms, a flurry of clothing, makeup, and hair spray. In record time, everyone had gathered at the elevator and Iida was busy making sure that everyone had their badges on them. Izuku was almost vibrating as he stepped onto the elevator, putting his badge in his jacket pocket for safe keeping as the elevator made its smooth descent to the first floor.

A car was waiting for them as usual, probably called on by Sero or Iida, one of the two pseudo organizers of the group. They filed in and soon they were off to the press conference. Izuku took to looking out the window, having always enjoyed the look of the passing scenery. Sometimes, he would let his eyes unfocus and allow himself to focus only on the colors he would see, which is something he was doing at the current moment. Something was serene about not having to think too much, his imagination doing the work for him as he idly wondered what was in front of him as he rested his head against the window. The cool glass reminded him of the first time he had seen Bakugou outside of the competition, away from the cameras and guard down. They were on the way to his birthday dinner.
A soft sigh escapes Izuku as he closes his eyes, the slightest smile gracing his features as he feels the cool glass ease the warmth that pooled beneath his cheeks. Soon enough, he felt eyes on him. Izuku sat up, having lost himself in his daydreams as his wide green eyes were met with curious grey eyes. Todoroki had made his way to the seat next to him without him really noticing, a terrible side effect to his chronic daydreaming. He wouldn’t notice when things around him shifted, having used it as a coping mechanism for so long.

“You looked like you were about to fall asleep, did you not sleep well last night?” Todoroki asked, turning his body towards Izuku just slightly so they faced each other.

Izuku gave him a reassuring smile before shaking his head, his curls bouncing in and out of his vision as he did so.

“It wasn’t that, I just enjoyed how cool the windows are. Getting dressed in fancy suits and stuff isn’t something I’m used to, it’s kind of uncomfortable but I didn’t want to be dressed poorly for Toshinori’s new movie.”

Todoroki nodded as his eyes scanned over his face, Izuku suddenly becoming acutely aware of the close proximity of Todoroki before adjusting in his seat. The bus lurched to a halt, the rest of the passengers quickly filing out as the door opened but Todoroki stood still. For a moment, Izuku feels suffocated by the silence between the two of them, worried about every second that ticks by where not a single word is said.

Izuku stood, anxious to break off the eye contact with Todoroki as he adjusts his tie nervously. Todoroki follows his lead, his footsteps creating echo as the sole of his shoes meet the cold steel beneath them. Izuku lets out a long breath, collecting himself as he follows him off the bus. He watches Todoroki’s back as they walk in a single file line to get into the venue. He seems to be just as stiff as when they initially met at the beginning of the competition and he couldn’t shake the feeling that his avoidance of alone time with him was the cause of the sudden tension in his shoulders.

After the conversation he had with Bakugou, he didn’t want to risk letting Todoroki know that he was in the know of his bullshit story, but he also didn’t want to lose a friend over something so inconsequential. Another sigh left his parted lips as he handed his badge over to the security guard before being ushered into the venue. As the curtain parted, he was met with an amazing sight, one he never thought he would have the opportunity to see in person.

There was a large projector in the back, the image projected on it was the room where the press conference would be held, journalists beginning to fill in the seats, camera crews setting up around the outside of the seating and technicians bouncing from microphone to microphone, making sure all of them were working smoothly before the conference. Beyond that, in front of him lay rows of food, far fancier than anything he had ever seen before which had men and women flocked around it. All of them wore gorgeous gowns or suits, hair and makeup having been done to perfection. He fought the urge to pinch himself as he began to put names to faces, several actors and actresses were in the same room as him.

Todoroki glances back at Izuku as he stands in stunned silence. He gives him a gentle nudge forward, urging him to follow the rest of them to one of the tables that offered drinks. Izuku moves forward, almost completely numb to his surroundings as he does so. He smiles at Uraraka and Iida, who both held champagne glasses in their hands. He could feel a looming presence behind him but he wasn’t quick enough to turn around as he felt a large hand clasp him on the shoulder, a voice so familiar it sent electric shocks down his spine.

“There you all are! I was beginning to think Sero sold off all the backstage passes!” Toshinori’s voice rang out. Izuku looked up at him in awe, still unsure if he was dreaming or perhaps dead, having ascended to a heaven only nerds knew of.

“You gotta give me more credit than that, sir! I handed them out at the first opportunity!” Sero said, the slightest pout forming on his lips as he brought a champagne glass to his slips.

Toshinori let out a laugh before smiling down at Izuku, his hand still on his shoulder as he began to speak.

“And you, Izuku, how are you feeling? You took quite a spill, even I wouldn’t have been able to walk away from that one!”

Izuku opened his mouth to answer before he was interrupted by yet another familiar voice in the crowd, it was coming from over his shoulder.

“That's cause you’re getting old All Might, isn’t that right geezer?” Bakugou asked, coming to Izuku’s side with his hands shoved in his pockets.

He was wearing a sharp black suit, his tie sharing the same pattern as his hero uniform from the new movie. Bakugou’s eyes flicked from Toshinori to Izuku’s before looking back up again. Toshinori’s hand dropped from Izuku in favor of ruffling Bakugou’s already messy hair.

“Arm wrestle me any day of the week, son. I’d be more than happy to show you what geezer strength looks like!” he joked back before he was whisked away by one of the directors of the event. He gave them all a wave and a thumbs up before turning his attention back to the man at his side.

“So you’re close with him even off camera?” Momo asked, her eyes filled with curiosity as she motioned to his messy hair.

Bakugou took to trying to fix the mess on his head as he began to explain.

“I met him when I was still new, like you guys. I knew I wanted to be a model but I also wanted to get into filming, you guys already know how fucking difficult that shit is. I just happened to meet him at a dinner with Kirishima and the rest is history. More like a dad than anything, even if he can be fucking annoying.”

Bakugou finished as he pulled out his phone to look at his attempt to fix his hair. Seemingly satisfied, he shoved his phone back in his pocket as he adjusts his tie. He nods to the screen, showing a countdown of less than five minutes as he lightly stretches. Everyone followed his line of sight before looking back at him.

“Hey Bakugou, does it ever get easier?” Sero suddenly asked, everyone around him seemingly shocked at the question.

Though, Izuku couldn’t say he was exactly surprised by it. Sero was someone that used humor to deflect from the stress he was feeling and for some reason, the judges were very approachable. It could be that they were closer in age to them than most of the other guests that appear in the show. Izuku knew for a fact that Kirishima and Mina were playing matchmaker to some extent with himself and Bakugou, so he found comfort in them. Like he could trust them no matter what, even if he didn’t make it to the end.

Bakugou cleared his throat, his expression turning somewhat more serious- more so than usual.

“It doesn’t, to be honest with you. Once you make it, or at least appear to make it, there will always be people that will try to bring you down with them.” Bakugou looks away for a moment, his eyes squinting slightly as if he was thinking about what to say before looking each of them in the eyes and continuing. “You’re here because you want something, you’re hungry for it. Don’t let others get in your way, and make sure to look out for yourself. It might sound selfish now, but you won’t get far if you’re worried about stepping on everyone else’s toes.”

There was a silence in the group before Izuku smiled up at him, fighting the urge to nudge him in a similar gesture to what Toshinori did. It would look too comfortable.

“Thank you for your infinite knowledge on the subject of being a jerk, Bakugou.” Izuku said as he sipped his champagne to hide his grin. The group erupted into laughter, Bakugou’s eyes widening as he looked at the group openly laughing at him.

He could see Bakugou squint at him before rolling his eyes. He picks up a glass, throwing back the champagne before he nods up at the screen once again, beginning to make his way to the door that held the conference room. Izuku watched him as he walked away, admiring how well the suit fit him and how broad his shoulders were getting due to his intense workout routine for the upcoming movie. Before long, he was drug to the side by Uraraka, all of them taking their seats as their eyes were trained on the screen. Despite watching Bakugou’s face on the screen, he would never quite get over how different he was from a television screen to real life.

He almost seemed larger than life to him, until a couple weeks ago he began to think he was untouchable. Everyone in this room, including some of the contestants he was competing with were way out of his reach, and now he’s sitting in a room where he looks like he belongs. Where he feels like he belongs, and that’s all he ever wanted.

He sat in silence for most of the press conference, a smile coming to his face when Bakugou or Toshinori would say something funny or in relation to the competition, but the whole room seemed to feel the same pull that he did towards Bakugou. He had a pull of his own, an entire universe he had yet to explore- something to look forward to.

Lost in thought, his attention was snapped back as the room erupted in clapping and cheering as the stars made their way back into the room. Toshinori waved everyone off, still bashful at the amount of praise he was receiving despite the amount of years he has been in the industry. Bakugou quietly made his way back to the contestants, standing with his hands in his pockets next to Izuku. He took this opportunity to speak to him.

“You look really good in that suit, Ground Zero.” Izuku remarked, taking advantage of the noise of the crowd.

“You don’t look too bad yourself, Deku.” came his reply, not giving Izuku the chance to pose a question of the wild nickname before he gathered the group back up.

“We’re going to have another meeting with you all tomorrow so don’t stay out too late and Sero, so help me god if you don’t lay off the alcohol.” Bakugou said as he took a glass away from Sero, whose face had just the lightest hue of pink on it due to the sheer amount of alcohol he had consumed.

Bakugou motioned for them to leave, most of them relieved to get away from the noise and chaos that had consumed the small room on their return. Izuku hesitated for a moment, looking back at Bakugou who was watching him just the same.

Bakugou gave him a slight smile as he tilted his head towards the exit. Izuku could feel his heart skip a beat, offering him a small wave before walking out the door. There would be plenty of time to spend with Bakugou outside of their professional setting, but he would gladly and greedily soak in every glance and half smile he was given.

X -

Later that night, the group made it to the observatory that Uraraka had mentioned. Little did they know that when they stepped foot inside, they would be greeted with an empty observatory, save for the staff that greeted them enthusiastically. After a short conversation with the owner of the observatory, Bakugou had it rented out for them for the night and by the looks of the place, it was not cheap in the slightest.

“Look man, if I see him again, I’m giving him a kiss-” Sero said as he stepped into the elevator, unceremoniously tripping and landing hard against the metal floor as he does so.

“Sorry to break it to you like this Sero, but Bakugou might be one of the straightest men I’ve ever met.” Tsu said as she stepped over his limp body, a slight smile on her face.

“It wouldn’t matter if he was or not unless there’s consent. He might manifest his power from the movie and blow you up for even getting close to his million dollar face.” Momo added as she too stepped over Sero.

The rest of them piled into the elevator, Todoroki and Izuku helping Sero up and checking him over for injuries. None, thankfully, just a tipsy and uncoordinated Sero Hanta for the evening. Izuku idly thanked whatever deity may be above that the top floor was encased in glass. They wouldn’t have to worry about him going over the edge.

A ding signaled their arrival to their chosen destination. They all clambered out of the elevator, suddenly being face to face with the night sky in a way Izuku hadn’t thought possible before. The room they stepped into was dark but he wouldn’t have believed there were no lights on had it not been for the thousands of stars that poured light into the room. Along the edges of the glass were couches, telescopes positioned at each end of the room and it was all for them.

Somehow, they had all managed to be shocked into silence. At the height they were at, they were above the air and light pollution that plagued many of the night skies around Japan due to the large industrial capacity of the larger cities. Izuku couldn’t remember the last time, if at all, that he was able to see the night sky so clearly. Yet, he wished he was able to spend the night with Bakugou. He idly wondered if Bakugou enjoyed the night sky as much as he did, what the stars and the planets meant for him, and if he too believed that they had aligned in such a way that fated their meeting.

He sat quietly next to Uraraka and Tsu, who were staring ahead just as astonished as he was.

“Sometimes I can’t believe that we exist under these things.” Izuku said quietly, almost to himself.

“It’s kind of weird to think about how big these stars are compared to us and how many more stars there are than us.” Tsu said in response.

“And that all these stars are dead.” Todoroki said in a dead panned fashion, drawing everyone out of their astonishment in favor of laughing.

“Fantastic way to end the day Todoroki, death and the never ending vastness of the universe.” Iida said, a soft chuckle escaping him as he leans against the couch.

They all settled into silence after that, this moment of silence was needed for the days coming...

Chapter Text

All of the excitement from the competition and meeting the Toshinori Yagi had Izuku absolutely exhausted. He couldn’t remember the last time that he was able to climb into bed and pass out the moment he closed his eyes but that was the case after coming home from watching the stars. A happy sigh left him as he drifted off into a comfortable and undisturbed slumber.

In the morning, things were back to normal and he was woken up by everyone in the house yelling excitedly about receiving a piece of mail that would point at their challenge for the week. Izuku rose from his bed, stretching his arms over his head as he looked towards his opened window. The sunlight felt good on his skin and he could feel himself relax against the gentle morning rays that poured through his open window.

Despite the rough few weeks he had been having, at this moment, he felt as though everything was finally starting to go his way. Whether or not he won the competition, he had experienced so much since coming here and these were experiences that would help him reach his ultimate goal in the future. He had made a good impression with Aizawa and Hizashi, both of them agreeing that they’d like to work together in the future, and he also met and modeled with Toshinori who told him he was a “hero that could rival All Might”. Most importantly, he and Bakugou had managed to clear up their misunderstanding and he felt like he was one step closer to understanding him a little bit better.

He closed his eyes as his thoughts drifted as he allowed himself a few more precious moments of silence before the inevitable clamber of the main room would force him to get up for the day.
He felt a smile break out across his face, a content sigh leaving his lips as he indulged in the light he had finally found at the end of the tunnel. Naturally, he still struggled with a lot of insecurities and there would undoubtedly be times where he questioned his ability as the competition went on, but he had learned a lot of valuable lessons while on the show. If nothing else, being in the competition solidified for him that he wanted to chase being a model even if it meant having to work three jobs to make it happen. Some things are worth the sacrifice.

He did not make it this far from sheer luck, and that was something he was proud of himself for.

Just as he opened his eyes to debate whether or not getting out of his warm bed was worth it, the door to his bedroom was opened to reveal Todoroki standing on the other side. Izuku yawned and blinked away the tears that formed from his yawn as he gave Todoroki a lazy wave to signal that he saw him.

Izuku wasn’t entirely sure what to do with Todoroki yet and he decided it was best to wait until he had a clearer picture of what was going on rather than jumping to conclusions. Afterall, Todoroki had nothing to really gain by telling the judges that he was “dating” another contestant. If anything, that would make him more liable to make mistakes and be more focused on his relationship rather than the competition at hand.

Izuku rolled his eyes internally at himself because that was more or less what was happening to him. Except he was entangled with a… judge, rather than another contestant. He wasn’t dating Todoroki and he also wasn’t dating Bakugou so he would give himself a break on this mental battle, for now.

Todoroki strode across the room, giving a small nod as he sat down at the edge of Izuku’s bed. Izuku noticed that Todoroki had a small piece of paper in his hand.

“What’s that?” Izuku asked as he pointed towards the piece of paper that Todoroki held in his hands.

“The challenge note came in from Bakugou, so I came in here to show you.” Todoroki stated as he handed it over to Izuku.

Izuku’s eyes scanned over the words on the paper and a frown came to his face as he struggled to understand the hidden meaning behind the words.

“Acting up is the only way to get noticed. Which one of you will take the hint and get in character?”

It was signed with Bakugou’s signature at the end, meaning it was indeed a challenge.

“I don’t think it has something to do with acting because we just met Toshinori but.. Maybe it has something to do with the action shots that we did last week?” Izuku suggested as he handed the paper back to Todoroki.

As curious green eyes met steely gray eyes, Izuku realized that Todoroki had the faintest hint of a smile on his face. This was one of the first times that Izuku saw Todoroki show emotion outside of the characters that he would play on set for the sake of the photoshoots and for some reason… It made him feel nervous.

Izuku remembered how Bakugou had told him that Todoroki more than likely had feelings for him, but even if he did, he hadn’t said anything so that Izuku could reject him properly. Instead, the two of them were stuck in a weird limbo, neither one willing to move forward into the next space ahead in order to clear the air between them. It seemed to Izuku that Todoroki was perfectly happily staying in purgatory permanently, which was less than ideal for the both of them. At the very least, Izuku knew that he had to keep firm boundaries between himself and Todoroki until he was ready to face this issue head on.

Izuku heaved a mental sigh as he got up from his place on the bed, stretching out his tired limbs before turning back to face Todoroki.

“In that case, I should probably get up and get ready for the day.” Izuku said with a smile as he reached for the handle to his closet.

A motion caught his attention out of the corner of his eye and he could feel his body freeze, a slight frown coming to darken his features as he realized Todoroki was reaching out for him.

However, before Izuku had time to react, he heard a familiar voice from behind him.

“That is absolutely right, Izuku!” Iida said from the doorway with a smile. He strode into the room, having already been up and dressed since before the mail had arrived.

The slight irritation that had begun to bubble in his chest was quickly quelled as soon as he heard the other man's voice.

“Good morning Tenya!” Izuku said as the two exchanged a quick smile. “Do you have any idea what the challenge is about?”

Yet another familiar voice came from their doorway and Uraraka made her appearance with a wide smile on her face.

“I think we’re going to have to go head to head on a runway challenge! That would be my vote since I think Bakugou is purposely trying to throw us off with the whole ‘act the part’ thing in the letter.”

Iida nodded as he leaned against the wall nearest to the door as he adjusted his glasses.

“I believe it’s something like that as well, though it seems like the judges enjoy playing mind games with us. Though it might be more accurate to say that they wish to keep us on our toes, which helps us prepare for a number of different situations” Iida said plainly as he motioned to Todoroki as if to prompt him to suggest his own theory.

“As long as we don’t have to see my father, I don’t care what we do.”

Izuku had to hold back his laughter from the dry delivery as he rummaged through his closet looking for an acceptable outfit to wear for a potential runway show. A soft hum left his lips as he decided on long sleeve split color plaid button up and ripped jeans, deciding to forgo his signature red high tops and instead go with black lace up combat boots that Todoroki instead on him borrowing. Just as he had made his selection, he stood up to see Iida eyeing him.

Feeling slightly self conscious, Izuku decided to make a joke rather than let the look go unchecked.

“Is the shirt or the jeans that you have an issue with Tenya?” Izuku joked as he took off his shirt, causing Uraraka to look away at breakneck speed.

“I was just thinking that your personal style is very fashionable.” Iida said with a gentle smile before he roughly clapped Izuku on the back, which earned him an exaggerated groan of pain.

“The three of us will wait for you in the lobby, I believe they said we’re leaving in twenty minutes so you should use this time wisely.” Iida suggested as he motioned for Todoroki and Uraraka to follow him, both doing so without complaint.

Izuku heaved a sigh of relief that he could have some time to himself to think before he would be packed on the bus with the rest of the contestants. He was happy that he had managed to make friends with almost everyone that was in the house, despite it being a competition, and he knew for a fact that he didn’t want to lose that bond with Todoroki. However, it seemed as though the times that Izuku had shown him affection, platonic though it was, Todoroki had gotten the wrong idea.

He ran a hand down his face roughly, attempting to shake the thoughts from his head. He needed to be in top condition for the day so that he could do well on the challenge, no matter what that might entail. Todoroki could be dealt with at another time and until then, he would continue to try to be the best friend that he could to him despite the odd circumstances he found himself in.

Izuku brushed his teeth, applied what little skincare he had, and added some definition to his curls before heading out to meet everyone for the day.

Just as he walked out into the common room, one of the production assistants began to herd everyone into the elevator so that they could get to the location on time. Izuku jogged to catch up with Uraraka, the two of them linking arms as the elevator made its descent.

Whatever happened today, he was not going to let himself get overwhelmed and lose sight of his goal.

-x-

The bus ride was chaotic as usual but Izuku somehow found himself missing Monoma and his “organ snatching” talk, though Sero made up for it plenty.

“You mean to tell me you’ve never eaten sushi from a convenience store, Momo?” Sero inquired as the bus lurched to a stop in front of, what Izuku could only assume, was some sort of storage facility.

“The words sushi and convenience store are two things that should not be in a sentence together.” Momo replied, though it was obvious she was dodging the question.

“Okay look, the next time we get a little bit of off time, we are going to a convenience store and loading up on all the things you’ve never tried before. Which includes bagged pickles.”

Sero laughed at the expression of confusion and slight horror on Momo’s face as they began to get out of the bus single file.

Uraraka chimed in as she hopped off the last step, her long hair flowing in the wind behind her. Izuku could tell she always felt like a movie star whenever she got the perfect wind swept hair moment. It was enough to make him chuckle as he followed behind her closely.

“Bagged pickles are not even the best things you can find at a convenience store Sero, if you’re going to do it, do it right.”

“I don’t think there’s anything particularly right about a singular pickle floating in a bag, Uraraka.” Tsu responded, the two of them giving each other a look before bursting into laughter in unison.

Just as they had finished their outburst, Momo assured everyone that while she would not be indulging in pickles, of the bagged variety or otherwise, she would enjoy going to the convenience store and trying everyone’s favorite snack.

“Glad you all are having such a great time out here.” Bakugou’s voice cut through everyone’s cheers and the silence suddenly was deafening.

As helpful as Bakugou had been to almost everyone, he was still an imposing figure in the room and someone to be respected regardless of how encouraging he could be. There was a different aura about him than there was when it came to the other judges like Kirishima or Kaminari. They were both the kind of people that you could joke with while also maintaining a level of respect that was unspoken between all parties.

Bakugou had the sort of presence that made you want to explicitly demonstrate the respect that you hold for him, and in this case, it meant that almost none of the contestants would initiate joking with him. Izuku thought it was kind of funny, considering he knew that Bakugou’s humor was not fit for television given how expletive laden and dark it tended to be. Though it could also just be that everyone knew that Bakugou’s opinion on each contestant was something heavily weighed when it came to judging because he was the host; whatever the reason, the silence that fell over everyone was instantaneous.

Bakugou looked behind him before looking back towards the contestants, the slightest confusion evident on his face from how his brows slightly furrowed, curious crimson eyes scanning the crowd.

“Is this a funeral? Did someone die?” Bakugou asked as he struggled to understand why everyone was suddenly quiet.

“I think it would be more accurate to say something died rather than someone.” Izuku piped up from the back.

“The joyous atmosphere died as soon as you walked in.”

There was a silence before Sero cracked, despite covering his mouth, he could not hide the snort that came out of his covered lips. Sero cracking caused the rest of the contestants to follow, some laughing louder than others. Izuku also found himself chuckling at his joke as he and Bakugou shared a look of amusement with one another. Bakugou almost looked too stunned to speak at first, probably because it was coming from Izuku of all people, but that just added a layer to the amusement that he was feeling at seeing him so stunned. Bakugou was quick to recover with a roll of his eyes as he motioned for them to quiet down so he could speak.

“I hope for your sake that you can back up all that talk because today, that’s all we’ll be doing.” Bakugou stated as he uncovered the sign that had been draped in a black cloth to obscure the name of the building they were in.

The sign read “Acting Academy” which was met with mixed reactions from the cast. Izuku could see Todoroki’s broad shoulder deflate whereas Uraraka and Momo shared a brief look of excitement before they eagerly awaited the next words from Bakugou.

Izuku found himself feeling slightly anxious over the idea of having to get up on a stage in front of everyone to try and act out a character. Though he was able to do it while in front of a camera, there were a lot less prying eyes when he was posing for the photographer. Though there was no use in psyching himself out when he was going to have to do the challenge either way. He had to go into it with the same confidence that Toshinori and Bakugou did or he would never be able to expand his horizons in the industry.

“This week, you’ll be focusing on evoking emotion. Modeling isn’t just about looking attractive or showing off clothing, you have to be able to convey emotion with your body and your eyes. The point of the challenge for this week is to give you the tools to be able to draw out certain amounts of emotion on command so you can walk onto a photoshoot and be ready to go.”

As Bakugou explained the significance of the challenge, Izuku could hear footsteps walking up from behind him. Initially he believed that it was just part of the production moving around like they always did, but there were too many footsteps for it to be a cameraman trying to get a better angle. The sound caught the attention of a couple different contestants as they all looked behind them to see who was behind them and when Izuku’s brain finally caught up with what he was looking at, the breath caught in his throat.

Standing behind the small group of contestants stood Mirio Togata, Nejire Hado, and Tamaki Amajiki. In short, the three giants of the acting world as of late.

Izuku took a step backwards, all but falling over Todoroki as he took in the sight in front of them. Each of them were dressed in traditional Japanese clothing but the clothing was obviously from a timepiece ranging from the Sengoku period of Japan to the Meiji era.

What caught Izuku’s eye the most was that Tamaki Amajiki was wearing a hitatare, which was something worn by men during the Sengoku period. The coloring was gorgeous and almost perfectly matched his hair, with black patterning added to the dark indigo which helped to add depth to the garment. His hair was drawn back into a high ponytail in typical samurai fashion and a prop sword rested gracefully on his slim waist. Izuku loved this style, because although he would never say it outloud, Bakugou had worn something similar in a movie he had done about a sengoku warlord by the name of Shingen Takeda. It was around this time that Izuku realized he had a fascination with Samurai and feudal Japanese history. So naturally, Izuku was completely invested in his role and would go on to do much more research than he would ever admit, and he had firmly decided that you could not waterboard that information out of him.

His eyes shifted in wild admiration between the three of their faces and although they had a half a dozen people looking at them with absolute reverence, they all just gave them easy smiles and took to introducing themselves.

Mirio spoke first, taking a big step forward with a wide smile on his face.

“My name is Mirio Togata! I’ve been acting for a couple years and honestly, I’m a little embarrassed to admit it, but I was so excited when Bakugou asked me to be on this show for this cycle!”

Mirio’s voice carried easily throughout the room and Izuku made him wonder how seeing him doing a stage play would feel, how his voice would carry throughout the auditorium.

“That being said, I am also a super huge fan of you guys as well! When I first started acting, I would always get really nervous if there were more than two or three people judging my auditions. You guys are being watched by thousands of people and having to adjust in real time in front of the pros of your industry. I’m so excited to be working with all of you today!”

There was a round of clapping for him as he finished and he motioned for Nejire to go next and she did so without hesitation.

“Hey hey everyone! My name is Nejire Hado and I’ve been acting since I was a kid but I only just recently started working on other projects like fashion and modeling. Just like I have some things to teach you about acting, all I ask is that you teach me some things about modeling!”

She stepped back to her place in the line before playfully bumping Amajiki to the front. Despite his appearances, he seemed pretty shy for someone who enjoyed being on the big screen. With the slightest boy, Amajiki began speaking in a low tone.

“Hello everyone. My name is Tamaki Amajiki and I’ve been acting for a couple years now, almost as many as Mirio. I really like doing period pieces because it’s more of a challenge to channel a character who was alive hundreds of years ago.”

There was a pause before he slowly and awkwardly stepped back to his place in line.

“I look forward to working with you.”

And with that, the introductions were out of the way but Izuku was still just as starstruck. These people were giants in their industry and highly sought after because of their talent and they were telling amateurs that they wanted to work with them. Wow. Izuku could not conjure anything more elegant than that simple word. Just wow.

Izuku turned his attention back to Bakugou as he began to speak again, but he still felt light headed from the amount of excitement he was experiencing.

“The idea is that you’ll be broken into pairs with one group of three and that way you can work one on one with the mentor you get paired with to bring out as much emotion in your performance as you can.

At the end of your session, you will act out whatever it is that you decided with your partners and the four of us will judge based on your performance who wins this week. I think it might also be important to note that whoever wins this week will be given thirty extra frames this week for their photoshoot. Just in case one of you isn't feeling up to the task this week.”

Bakugou had an amused glint in his eyes as he picked up the clipboard that had been placed behind him. The big three made their way to his side, Nejire impatiently attempting to peek over his shoulder to look at who would be on her team which was swiftly shutdown as Bakugou was much taller than she was.

“Midoriya and Uraraka are with Mirio.

Iida, Todoroki, and Momo are with Amajiki.

Last but maybe least- hey, it was a joke, don’t shove me Nejire. Sero and Asui will be with our resident bully.”

Bakugou finished reading the names, tucking his clipboard underneath his arm before clapping his hands together to dismiss everyone. Before everyone was able to clamber to their positions with their respective coaches, Izuku noticed that Nejire was talking with Bakugou quietly. She was just as cute in person, if not prettier, and the way her kimono was moved when she walked made it look as though she was meant to always dress like a classic beauty. Her hair was put up in a neat bun, her bangs having been braided back against her head and were delicately held in place with baby blue hair clips. Her hands delicately folded and unfolded a sensu hand fan, occasionally using it to hit him with it playfully.

As Izuku watched her, he gathered from the blush on her face that this was more than just a friendly interaction between the two. A sick feeling began to claw its way into Izuku’s chest, causing his heart to beat a little harder against his ribcage as he observed the way she played with her hair and would oh so subtly place her hand on his forearm while talking. Bakugou had an easy smile on his face, one that he used for interviews and red carpet events, or so it appeared to Izuku. He realized then that the feeling bubbling up in his chest was.. Jealousy. He wasn’t even aware that he was able to feel such a thing until he saw the way Nejire looked at him.

Snapping out of it as quickly as possible, Izuku cleared his throat as if he could clear away the disgusting feeling that had settled in his chest. It felt heavy, like a weight had been added to the front of his shirt and he was also slightly embarrassed at how childish he felt at that moment. Like a child who wasn’t getting enough attention. His legs carried him forward and he pushed those thoughts from his mind. Afterall, he knew Bakugou wasn’t really into women, and after the misunderstanding that had occurred because of Todoroki, he refused to let something like this get to his head.

Instead, he walked up to Mirio to introduce himself and Uraraka was already standing there talking to him. As Mirio turned and his gaze fell upon Izuku, all the words that were in his throat suddenly withered and died.

“HOW AM I SUPPOSED TO TALK TO MIRIO OF ALL PEOPLE?”

The way his knees threatened to give out as he looked up at the older man, suddenly wondering how he was even still standing in this situation.

“Hey! You’re Izuku Midoriya, right?” Mirio asked as he held out his hand.

Izuku stared at the hand, dumbfounded.

“Not much of a handshaker, huh? I can respect that! Are you a hugger then?” Mirio asked as his hand dropped back down to his side. His smile was bright enough to blind Izuku permanently.

“I’m so sorry! My name is Izuku Midoriya and I want to become a model that can rival Bakugou Katsuki!” Izuku suddenly blurted, catching the attention of some of the other contestants around him.

“Woah! Now that’s a dream, and you’re so boldly declaring your feelings of rivalry in front of your rival!” Mirio said as he clapped Midoriya on the shoulder before looking back over at Bakugou who was still firmly locked in conversation with Nejire.

Izuku could feel the flush spreading across his face, up his ears, and down his neck and suddenly he felt as though the flannel he chose to wear was not the smartest choice. He took a deep breath before he stood up completely to meet Bakugou’s gaze and to no one’s surprise, Bakugou’s gaze was firmly locked onto the now completely flustered Izuku.

“Get a load of this kid, huh Katsuki? I might have to steal him away from the modeling industry.” Mirio said with a good natured smile plastered to his face. Izuku could tell that this guy was truly enjoying every moment of his embarrassment but there was no going back.

“Win this competition and then we’ll talk about being rivals.” Bakugou stated plainly, the corners of his mouth tilted up in the faintest of smiles.

“I don’t know if you want to take that one on, Mirio. Him and his merry band of models are some of the most motivated competitors we’ve had on this show.” Bakugou said as he shrugged before taking the opportunity to slip away from Nejire, making his way towards one of the doors on the far end of the room.

“We’ll regroup once everyone is finished. Your time starts now, so start moving more than just your mouths.”

The door shut behind Bakugou as he finished his sentence and everyone happily broke into the groups. Izuku could still feel the flush that had fallen over his face as he walked alongside Mirio and Uraraka.

-x-

The plot that Mirio, Uraraka, and Izuku had agreed upon was a tragic parting between two lovers, their chance at love cut short by a grievous wound that Izuku sustained in battle while defending their village from ronin. This particular plot was inspired by Izuku’s love for samurai, but also because Uraraka and Izuku both had a hard time showing very intense emotion to the camera, let alone to another person. Mirio thought it was a great idea and was happy to help them, especially because he had starred in more than one historical romance.

“I can see the angle you’re going for here! Pretending to die can be really difficult, especially when it’s from a more or less ambiguous wound.” Mirio said as he joined Izuku on the floor of their private practice room.

“How about doing something like that?”

Mirio motioned for Izuku to switch places with him, which he did. Izuku sat off to the side as he watched Mirio get into character. Mirio closed his eyes, took a couple deep breaths, and when his eyes were opened again, tears began to spill from half lidded eyes. Mirio gripped his “wound” with one hand, the other hand coming up to hold Uraraka’s as a cough escaped his lips.

Izuku was completely taken in by his acting, which was no surprise given what a big fan he was of him. His ability to slip into a character as ambiguous as a low level samurai dying was incredible to him. This is what it’s like to be a pro at something, there is no one else that can meet you on your level.

Mirio’s pained, ragged voice cut through Izuku’s internal dialogue.

“There is no time to weep, Sakura, I am not long for this world.” Mirio said, his stated.

He swiftly broke out of character to look at Midoriya, which admittedly rattled him. Mirio, who was still Uraraka’s hand, motioned to the way he was laying on the floor.

“From this angle, it’s really easy to take advantage of the way your head is propped up to make your breathing and speech sound a lot more ragged than it actually is. The other thing is making sure not to talk too much- you’re dying, not being sworn in as the prime minister.” Mirio sat up, gently returning Uraraka’s hand to her as he returned to his place at the side of their scene.

“Even though we can’t see a wound on you, I was so worried that you were actually injured because of the way you were breathing!” Uraraka said as she took a deep breath, letting it out with a laugh.

Izuku nodded in agreement, returning to Uraraka’s side as the two of them smiled at Mirio.

“In all honesty, I’m a really big fan of yours, Mirio!” Izuku said as a blush crept into his cheeks. There was something so embarrassing about meeting your heroes and so far, he’s zero for three on not making himself look like a clumsy mess. Bakugou, Toshinori, and now Mirio.

“What a coincidence! I’m a huge fan of yours too! Kaminari sent me some of the photos he did for your IT Japan cover shots and I was hoping you would still be here by the time this challenge rolled around. You both have such expressive faces, I just need to make sure you understand how to control them. Gotta shape you up so we can act together someday!”

Izuku’s flush only deepened at the praise coming from Mirio and he decided that doing his best in this challenge was the only way he could possibly pay Mirio back for his kindness. Afterall, this was another thing that he could put towards winning the competition and getting better photos.

“Okay! Enough of the chitchat, our time is limited.” Mirio said as he clapped his hands together, motioning for them to resume their scene.

“Let's run through some of the dialogue first before you jump feet first into trying to play dead while also memorizing your lines.”

Izuku gave a quick nod as he and Uraraka huddled around the makeshift script that they had made together. He was thankful that his partner was Uraraka, since he was probably the closest to her in the house from the beginning, so he wouldn’t feel nearly as awkward or judged for doing a scene like this.

The two of them ran through their lines, Izuku taking care to ask questions about the tone of certain words to make sure he was reading the room right during the scene. A soft hum came from his lips as he and Uraraka took turns annotating their script and he found himself having a lot more fun running through his lines than he would have initially imagined. It occurred to him that this is probably what Bakugou gets to do whenever he lands a role, and he could feel a smile tug at his lips as he thought of all the things Bakugou probably does to get into character. Though he is a very abrasive person, he is considerate of the people he works with, even if they are his friends. That was a quality he admired about him so much, his ability to put others at ease and adapt to the situations around him. More than beating him in some rivalry, he hoped to be able to emulate that about him one day.

For now though, he still has to worry about not getting kicked off the show every week, and that thought sobered up any day dreaming he was doing about Bakugou Katsuki.

Izuku and Uraraka eventually moved onto carrying out the scene while also acting it out which would lead to Izuku’s head resting carefully on Uraraka’s lap. He pretended to clutch his wound, moving his other hand so that it cupped her face, it made the scene feel a little more intimate in his opinion. He took a steady breath as he readied himself for the line he had coming up and to his surprise, he had little problem making himself cry. Now, the hard part was expressing exactly what his character was feeling in the moment. All the elements of the scene were there, he just had to get his words out.

“I am not long for this world,” Izuku choked out, finding that his tears made his speech slightly more desperate, which worked in his favor.

“Sakura, the only regret I ever carried in my life is that we did not find each other sooner.”

“You promised you would never go anywhere I couldn’t follow you, Nobu.” Uraraka choked out as she placed her trembling hand against the one that rested on her face.

“I will always find you again,” Izuku began coughing, clutching at Uraraka’s hands before he looked back up at her, the tears in his eyes making his vision less focused.

Just as Izuku went to say his last line, Mirio cut the two of them off before motioning to the door. Izuku’s eyes followed Mirio’s line of vision before they fell squarely on Bakugou, who was standing in the doorway watching the two of them.

“What did I tell ya, Katsuki? I am gonna steal these two diamonds in the rough away from you!” Mirio said with a smile on his face as he stood up, his arms crossed proudly across his chest.

Bakugou strode across the room, waiting to respond to Mirio until he was directly in front of him. Izuku couldn’t take his eyes off of Bakugou, who had changed outfits to something a lot less formal. He was dressed in a hoodie with jeans that were cuffed at the ends and his hair was down rather than being up in its usual style. Bakugou’s hair had grown out since the beginning of the season so it was slightly obscuring his eyes and Izuku thought he looked really cute like this. Izuku pinched the bridge of his nose as he physically forced himself to stop thinking about Bakugou, it was bordering on obsessive and was not good for his concentration today.

“Don’t get so cocky, Mirio, that’ll be your downfall.” Bakugou said, though he had a relaxed expression on his face, Izuku could swear he detected the slightest hint of irritation towards the older man.

Mirio simply laughed this off before he handed off the makeshift script to Bakugou. His eyes were immediately glued to the script and Izuku could feel himself getting a little impatient as he waited to hear what Bakugou had to think of it.

“I think this is decent but it’s missing something that will really tie it all together. Figure it out, you have twenty minutes before we get you costumes and then set you up on the main stage.” Bakugou stated simply as he walked past Mirio in favor of handing the script back to Izuku.

Izuku took the script from his hand, a smile coming to his face as he did so.

“Twenty minutes crybaby.” Bakugou said as he gestured to the tears that still lingered on Izuku’s face, but they both knew that the nickname had a meaning only the two of them could discern.

“Got it.” Izuku said with a small bout of laughter as he turned back to Uraraka to begin brainstorming a new idea to finish off their piece.

-x-

After drafting, a practice run, costumes, and setup on the main stage, the runthrough of their acts was going well. Izuku and Uraraka had drawn the short stick meaning they went last, and Izuku could feel himself starting to get more and more nervous as time passed. Between each act, the production would change things up on stage, as well as have Bakugou reintroduce the premise for filming and editing purposes and then take the contestants just outside the mainstage room to interview them about their experience.

The acts themselves weren’t that long, but making everything “ready for television” was making the process drag on much longer.

Iida, Todoroki, and Momo opted to do something similar to what was done in the previous week having to do with heroes. They did an action sequence that would see Todoroki and Momo saving Iida’s life from a particularly dastardly villain. Amajiki played the villain, which everyone agreed was fair because their group had been unevenly distributed with three people they had to write for but operating on the same time as everyone else who only had to write for two people. Amajiki could improve lines based on what they said rather than having them respond to anything he was saying. In the end, Todoroki seemed a bit stiff but Momo and Iida were right at home in their act, making Izuku feel as though he really had just seen a heroic rescue from the clutches of Amajiki.

Sero and Tsu took a slightly less serious approach, which was something that everyone expected from them. It made for an entertaining show, seeing the two of them put on a romantic comedy which was a series of comedic errors by the two of them which eventually led to Sero yelling that he was in love with Tsu and tired of her not getting the (less than subtle) hints he was dropping for her. Though Sero managed to slip into his role perfectly of a lovesick guy who just so happened to have bad luck at every turn with the girl he liked, Tsu’s performance seemed to be a bit lacking in that all of her lines were delivered the same. To Izuku, it seemed as though she just memorized her lines and repeated them the way she remembered them in her head. Izuku felt bad, theorizing that stage fright had gotten the better of her when having to step outside of her comfort zone.

Lastly, Uraraka and Izuku were finally up. Izuku wore a dark green yukata with black accents, a prop sword poised in his hands as the scene began. Uraraka stood off to the side in a slightly disheveled Kimono, her hair messily put up to make it look as though it was windblown by the raging winds that consumed the battlefield in front of her. The scene setup was relatively simple, Izuku opened with a small monologue of him yelling orders to the soldiers around him (in this case, Mirio and Nejire volunteered to be there for stage presence). After they got to their position, Izuku is fatally wounded by a prop arrow into his chest that he neatly tucked between his arm and his body.

As he staggered forward, Uraraka ran out of the wing of the stage to meet half way with Izuku before they both fell to their knees. Uraraka shifted Izuku so his head was resting in her lap and they clung to each other tightly, a detail Mirio said would make their embrace even more dramatic.

“Nobu,” Uraraka cried out, taking his hand into her own as she pressed a kiss to his knuckles. “You promised me you would never go anywhere I couldn’t follow you.”

Izuku reached up and carefully brushed her tears off her face, a cough echoing in the auditorium as his voice shook from his own tears that were welling up in his eyes.

“Sakura, my only regret in this life is that I broke that promise.” Izuku paused as his character attempted to regain his composure amongst grunts of agony, breathing becoming more labored as his wound began to consume him.

“I am not long for this world, but I will always find my way back to you, my treasure.” as Izuku spoke those last words, he brought Uraraka’s face to his own before pressing a fleeting kiss against her lips. Izuku could hear the gasps and squeals from the audience and it took everything inside of him not to laugh from the embarrassment he felt at having other people witness this.

And by kiss, he held her face in his hand and then when they went to kiss, he moved his thumb in between their lips so they weren’t actually kissing and neither of them moved their mouths.

There was a pause and then the light on the stage went off, signaling the end of their skit and the remaining contestants clapped and cheered, some of them throwing their props up onto the stage as makeshift roses.

Izuku rose from his deathbed, helping Uraraka up as he did so before they both gave a thumbs up to the crowd. Even though the audience was just the people he was competing against, there was an odd sort of gratification he was feeling from having done so well.

-x-

In the end, Uraraka won for best act and made a deal with Bakugou that they would split the extra frames so they both got fifteen. Izuku could not be more pleased with himself as he made his way to his private dressing room.

He carefully took off his microphone, setting it to the side until he could get changed out of the yukata that he was wearing. Just as he started to untie his clothing, there was a knock at his door and he resigned himself to not having a moment of peace. He opened the door, peeking out slightly when he realized it was Bakugou standing at the door.

“Can I come in?” Bakugou asked.

Izuku nodded enthusiastically as he opened the door so Katsuki could enter. Once he had done so, he closed the door and made a point of locking it so everyone would know that it was occupied. He was also just paranoid about production walking in on him changing which happened more often than he would like to admit.

As Izuku turned to ask Bakugou what the special occasion was, he was suddenly swept up in a kiss and suddenly, his back was pressed against the dressing room door. A surprised gasp left him as he clung to Bakugou’s hoodie so as not to completely lose his balance. Izuku could feel the way their bodies pressed together heatedly against the door, both of them breathing heavily as their lips searched for solace in one another. Izuku could hear how shaky Bakugou’s breathing was and he could taste their shared breath, enjoying the dizzying scent of his cologne as he got lost in him. The butterflies that were building in his stomach caused a smile to come to his lips as the grip on Bakugou’s shirt tightened.

As they parted for a brief moment, Bakugou pressed hasty kisses from the corner of Izuku’s mouth to his jaw, his strong hands pulling Izuku closer to him as his lips made their way to his neck. Izuku could feel that his face was on fire, his breathing having not quite recovered from Bakugou’s surprise attack as he pressed himself against the taller man. Bakugou’s lips stopped and Izuku buried his face in the shoulder of Bakugou’s hoodie.

The two of them stood there like that for a while, shoulders heaving as they both struggled to regain their composure. However, sooner than Izuku would have liked, Bakugou finally stood up and allowed his hands to rest on his waist while his thumbs idly rubbed circles before he spoke.

“I missed you.” was all Bakugou said, and Izuku could see the faintest blush begin to creep into Bakugou’s cheeks.

As much as he wanted to tease Bakugou, he knew that this was coming from a sincere place. He instead opted to place another fleeting kiss against his lips before pressing another gentle kiss against the apple of his cheek where the flush was the strongest. He enjoyed how warm Bakugou’s skin was against his lips.

“I missed you too, Katsuki.” Izuku finally replied as he hugged Bakugou again.

“Nice work out there today. I wasn’t sure if you’d actually be able to pull it off given how shy you get about shit like that. Good work.”

Izuku gave him a nod as Bakugou’s hands ran up his side which earned a shiver from Izuku who was still only wearing a yukata. After staying in each other's arms like that, Izuku eventually stepped away so he could finish getting dressed.

Izuku suppressed a chuckle when Bakugou turned around so he could get dressed without an audience. It was a sweet gesture and one he appreciated immensely. Bakugou, for all his sharp edges, which was an indiscernible amount, was someone who was considerate of the people around him. He was just emotionally constipated. After Izuku had finished changing, Bakugou reclaimed his previous position and had his hands resting firmly against Izuku’s hips. Though the proximity made Izuku blushed, he decided not to shy away from Bakugou’s affection.

Izuku ran his hands through Bakugou’s hair, amazed at how incredibly soft it was before he pushed it away from his face as he took in the other man's features.

“I like it when your hair is down like this. I don’t think I’ve ever seen you wear it down unless you’re just getting on set to start filming.” Izuku remarked as the older man leaned into his hands and it reminded Izuku of something a cat would do.

“I was supposed to get it cut today but my stylist had an emergency to take care of. I could have styled it myself but there wasn’t much of a point when all I’m doing is talking to the camera about what you assholes are doing.”

“Is that a new term of endearment I sense from you Katsuki?”

“Watch it, crybaby. Getting a big fucking head.”

Izuku chuckled at his last comment, the two of them resting their foreheads against each other as his eyes closed to enjoy the closeness and warmth between the two.

“Are you feeling okay, Katsuki?” Izuku asked as he moved his head to rest on his shoulder, swaying slightly with Bakugou in his arms.

“S’just family shit.” Bakugou stated plainly, his hand coming up to run his fingers through Izuku’s curls. Izuku felt as though his soul could ascend at this very moment, sleep only a word away with how wonderful every touch from Katsuki felt for him.

“Hardly hear from those assholes and then when I do, it’s nothing good.” Izuku could feel Bakugou shake his head, as if he was trying to shake thoughts away from his mind as a loud sigh came from the blonde.

“Is there anything I can do to help? Pat your head, call you a good boy, maybe?” Izuku joked as he raised his head to look up at the older man.

Curious crimson met amused forest green before Izuku felt himself getting sucked into Bakugou’s gravity once again. There was a silence that spanned between the two before Bakugou squeezed Izuku’s hips and pulled him in for another kiss. This one was not as desperate as the last, not nearly as searching. Instead, this kiss was filled with longing and Izuku was happy to meet him halfway. He could feel the way both of their hearts sped up as their lips met, Izuku using his free hand to cup Bakugou’s cheek. The warmth that blossomed in Izuku’s chest with every subtle shift of Bakugou’s body against his was enough for him to want to lose the key to his dressing room for a couple hours so they could be sealed away with one another without interruption.

Bakugou was the first to pull away, his heart still racing as the two of them once again rested their foreheads together.

“I’m always in your corner, you know.” Izuku said quietly, his words almost getting lost in the sound of their thundering pulses.

There was a beat of silence before Bakugou pressed a kiss to Izuku’s forehead before letting go of him altogether.

“I know,” he stated simply.

“Do me a favor and make sure to watch the news tonight, okay?” Bakugou asked as he carefully moved Izuku away from the door so that he could open it.

“Oh, sure!” Izuku said as he gathered the rest of his belongings and clipped his microphone back to this undershirt.

“Oh and by the way, don’t go believing whatever shit Mirio spouts. He’s trying to poach my rival before we’ve even started.” Bakugou stated as he opened the door and disappeared down the hallway.

Izuku was left feeling dazed, a warmth radiating from his chest as he made his way back to the other contestants.