Chapter Text
Katsuki watched as a man dressed in a green hero suit strolled through the sea of people towards the stage. He watched as murmurs of confusion rose. He watched as the man swiftly jumped on stage and took the microphone from Shoto’s waiting hands. He watched as the man took a slight, nearly imperceptible pause. He watched as the man took the metal mask off his face and smiled – an almost too sharp curl of lips, really –, at the crowd. He watched as the hero greeted the mass of people in the room. He watches when the hero goes to sit on the couch next to him.
He smirks when Deku half-turns to him. Lazily, he throws his head back on the couch and asks, “Had fun, nerd?”.
Deku’s answering grin is the only confirmation he needs, but it’s his words who truly cements what he already knows from years of exiting in the green hero’s vicinity.
“You have no idea.”
And in the crowd’s resulting explosion of disbelieving cries, their eyes bubble with mirth like they’re young and brothers again.
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Shoto watched with relative boredom as the interviewer tried, and successfully failed to calm the overexcited crowd. The man looked panicked enough that the hero considered standing up to help him, but then it wasn’t Shoto’s job to do crowd control. At least, not in this context, when there were no threats.
Also, he was feeling very cozy, comfortably squished between his friends. Actually, he was even a bit drowsy. It wasn’t his fault if Izuku and Yaomomo both felt so warm. He wondered if he could take a small nap right here and then. On one hand it was comfortable, on the other it was loud. He frowned.
He didn’t have to frown for long however, because Izuku finally finished his weird happy stare with Katsuki – which creepy by the way. Have any of you got any idea what a happy stare from Lord Explosion Murder looked like? – and was finally going to take care of the noise problem.
When Izuku stood up, Shoto didn’t even try to keep himself from flopping down onto his right side. He was on a couch, how far could he fall? It was a soft surface anyways. At worse, he’d fall on Katsuki. No big deal, B3 could take it, he was used to it and he took on worse on a daily basis.
So Shoto unceremoniously flopped to his right. Straight on Kastuki’s lap.
The blond looked down at him and raised an eyebrow.
It wasn’t a ‘Death awaits you’ eyebrow so it was safe. He stared back unblinkingly.
Shoto saw Katsuki starting to open his mouth – to throw an insult probably – but Izuku’s voice cut him off.
“Hello!”, said the hero.
Immediately, everyone in the room quietened down. “Thanks”, smiled Izuku, “I was getting a bit worried for our friend over here,” he gestured at the host, “we’re supposed to have an interview after all! So if we could stay calm so we can get started? I already made everyone late with my little stunt...”
Frazzled but relieved, the interviewer plastered a smile on his face and rose the microphone towards his lips to speak, “Thank you Deku for the help! Now, sit, sit, and let’s get this show on the road!”
His words spurred the crowd into action. Sounds of chairs scraping the ground, people moving and general clothes rustling could be heard in the next few seconds before all quietened down. The host went back to his seat, at a slight angle to face both the spectators and the four heroes who were comfortably nestled in a couch. Izuku went back to the couch and pulled Shoto in an upright position to sit between him and Katsuki. Only then did he realize that their seating arrangement left the poor interviewer closer to Bakugo, but it was already too late as the host started talking.
“Ladies and gentlemen, welcome to our exclusive interview this evening with our dear heroes and rising stars! Give it up for Ground Zero, Deku, Red Riot, Creati and Shoto!”
Despite being in the same room as the heroes for the past ten minutes, the crowd went wild, loud cheering and whistling resonating on the wall.
Yaomomo smiled calmly, “It’s an honor, really. Thank you for having us!”
The host laughed, “I feel like before talking about what really brought us all here, we should ask Deku about what happened a few moments ago?”, he shifted in his seat and leaning in, “I mean, everyone is dying to know, it was a huge shock! Was it premeditated?”
The green haired hero’s face scrunched up in hesitation and he shuffled in his seat, “I don’t know...”, he looked at his companions, “If it doesn’t bother you…?”
“Just get on with it, nerd. They’re were gonna ask the question anyways, better get it out now before it fucks up the whole interview”, drawled Katsuki.
Kirishima nodded energetically, “Yeah Midobro! In fact, I also wanna know what this was all about!”.
Izuku tilted his head, eyebrows slightly scrunched, “If you’re sure…”
The host exclaimed, “Perfect! Now, Deku, what just happened?”
“Well, it all started when I was walking in the convention this morning. I got here early because I wanted to explore the grounds and buy merch before the interview.”
“You buy merch?”, asked the interviewer.
All the other four heroes nodded and said slowly, with feeling, “He does.”
Izuku let out a bashful laugh and rubbed the back of his neck, “I do, yeah.”
Eijiro laughed, “He really supports other heroes!”
They all snickered.
“Guys, stop mocking me…”, whined Izuku.
The host raised his eyebrows, “I feel like I’m out of this private joke.”
Yaomomo shook her head, “Deku’s love story with hero merch could very well have it’s own series of endless interviews. I would recommend not trying to start this conversation today, as I’m afraid we won’t have time to finish it and you’ll end up gently kidnapped in Deku’s apartment, awake until tomorrow’s dawn, with him talking passionately about heroes and drawing charts on the walls.”
Izuku threw her a look of utter betrayal, “Es tu, Brutus? You betray me? Like this? In front of all these people? With no remorse whatsoever?”
Sharp bursts of laughter rose in the room.
The interviewer shook his head, “I’ll heed the warning Creati! Now Deku, I believe you were saying something about walking around the convention early?”
Izuku sat up straighter, “Ah yes! Sorry I got sidetracked.” The hero let his gaze unfocus as he thought. “I guess this story really started when I got stopped by this group of cosplayers...”