#mimi writes: matchlit

[izvmimi]

Matchlit

Summary: You and Katsuki Bakugou have been a little more than friends for forever, with everyone around you trying to push you together by any means necessary. You two however are relatively comfortable in this in-between space despite every force trying to make you a couple. Are you truly still each other's match when these circumstances change?

Pairings: Bakugou x Reader, Bakugou x OC

CW: arranged marriage, angst, friends to lovers, situationship, mutual pining, established relationships, blackmail

A/N: Crossposted on AO3! There are a number of OCs in this fic and a couple of subplots!

Chapter 1

Chapter 2

Chapter 3

Chapter 4

Chapter 5

Chapter 6

Chapter 7

TBP

[izvmimi]

Matchlit - Chapter 7

cw: none.

Masterlist

You’re back in the bathroom again, but this time you’re alone and the walls feel like they’re closing in on you and your best friends are pounding on the wall and your heart is pounding even faster in your chest and you can’t believe what you heard at all. Not for a second.

Is it real after all? How can he be engaged and yet have just kissed you? How could he not have told you? Aren’t you friends? How could he embarrass you like this? What does it all mean? 

“___, come out, it’s okay!”

“Or just let us in there with you, please! It’s fine.”

You hear them but it doesn’t register. All you can think of is the fact that Katsuki’s fiancée is a person that exists in the world, a real person, someone whose future husband you kissed, someone who is in a spot that you… covet? Covet is not the word for it… Covet is not the right word for what you feel in your chest, even if it’s technically true. 

You’re trying not to cry but the tears have started to cloud your vision anyway. You hug your knees, and try not to make a loud sound because it’s embarrassing and it’s your best friend’s birthday and who the fuck does he think he is to kiss you and plan to marry someone else?

Lili groans loudly and storms off, but you can tell June is still outside the door, pulled between the two of you. You can hear Lili call Izuku’s name, and you wonder what exactly she expects him to do. Take the door down? This is her apartment. Stop Katsuki from leaving? He has the right to do as he pleases. A kiss is not a promise. 

You can hear June slump down to a sitting position outside the door. She doesn’t say anything, there’s nothing to say, so the two of you sit, separated by a door in silence.

---

A million things run through Katsuki’s mind as his legs carry him away from the party faster than he can process his own thoughts. Should he really be dragging her so far away, grip tight on her fragile, never-worked-a-day-in-her-life wrist? Or should he be explaining himself to you instead, owning up to this awful outcome that isn’t his fault but sure as hell is his responsibility?

Does he have anything to apologize for?

“Katsuki!” Kasumi yells. 

He can’t hear her over how fast his heart is pounding in his chest. Now is not the right time. He’s not ready. He can’t hurt you. He can’t, he can’t, he can’t.

“ Katsuki! ”

“Kacchan, let go of her!” 

He couldn’t hear Kasumi but he hears Izuku calling from behind him and suddenly he’s snapped back into reality. His hold on her wrist lets go and when he finally looks at her, really takes her in, she’s flushed and angry, wrenching her arm away from his hold and holding it in her other hand. She holds it limp and Lili, close behind, runs over to her, tossing Katsuki an exasperated look for a split second, before she goes into medic mode. Kirishima stands for a moment, gives Izuku a look, then nods, and turns back into the apartment to make sure things don’t get too out of control.

“Hey, sorry to introduce myself like this, but I’m Lili, Katsuki’s friend, and it’s my birthday today, haha, but let me just take a quick look.”

Izuku pulls Katsuki away from the two women as Lili confirms that Kasumi is just bruised but not severely injured, then holds him by the shoulders.

“Okay, I’ve been nice for long enough, but you have to act normal,” Izuku finally says, sternly, and Katsuki realizes that if even Deku has switched to an assertive tone, he must really be falling off the deep end. 

“Fuck… I’m sorry,” Katsuki finally says out loud. The words come out quiet at first but he repeats the apology again, louder, as he realizes it’s true. He is so, so sorry about this mess. Truly. But the person he really wants to apologize to is still locked in a bathroom, unwilling to face the outside world again for the time being. 

“You better be,” Kasumi hisses as she takes her arm back gently from Lili. Running her hand through her long locks to resettle herself she stands a bit taller now. She’s in a silky red dress that hugs her figure perfectly, a tasteful slit up the side of her thigh, and dramatic eye makeup, and it’s clear she intended to impress. She does - she is striking, and Katsuki looks red-faced and distraught still, breathing just a little heavier as he tries to quiet down his panic. 

“I asked you specifically not to-”

“Then when !” Kasumi nearly shrieks back. Lili looks between the two of them, and then at Izuku. Izuku nods, then stands between the two betrothed, turning his back to Katsuki as he introduces himself just as charmingly as you’d expect the current chart favorite to.

“Hi! I’m Izuku Midoriya. Thank you for coming to my girlfriend and I’s birthday party! We didn’t expect you today, but any guest of Kacchan’s-”

“I didn’t fucking invite her!”

Izuku pauses just for a second, seemingly unfazed, but with his eyes now closed and a nearly incomprehensible flicker of irritation on his face, Katsuki can sense he’s getting irritated and quiets down for just a moment.

“Any guest of Kacchan’s is welcome.”

Lili gives Katsuki a piercing look and Katsuki folds his arms over his chest. If there were any credibility left for him, it’s absolutely gone now, and the worst part of it is that it’s for good reason. She’s right to look at him that way. 

Kasumi smiles and politely shakes Izuku’s outstretched hand, then looks over at Katsuki. 

“Are all your friends this charming?” Kasumi asks, raising an eyebrow at Katsuki. He scowls at her and Lili bristles for a moment but keeps focus. 

“So, if I heard correctly, you said fiancée earlier?” Lili asks. Izuku steps finally from between Katsuki and Kasumi and stands by Lili while Lili starts her line of questioning in the gentle yet assertive way she’s picked up at her clinic. “Since when?”

“Mind your business, Chatty-” Katsuki starts but the green of Izuku’s eyes is starting to shift when he glares at him and Katsuki lets his complaint fall to a grumble. Kasumi seems delighted to talk finally, and grins widely.

“It’s been a couple weeks, but it’s been something in the works for a few months.”

“Ah,” is all Lili responds with. She pauses for a moment, pondering, then asks Katsuki, “so you’ve known Kasumi for a while, haven’t you?”

“Absolutely not.” Katsuki replies. Lili and Izuku look towards Kasumi again and she nods.

“It’s true, we’ve only recently met. The arrangement is between our parents.”

“And you’re okay with that?” Izuku asks, his surprise poorly masked.

“No.” Katsuki says firmly. Kasumi rolls her eyes then folds her own arms over her chest, mirroring Katsuki. 

“I am perfectly fine with this arrangement, however odd this might sound.” Kasumi replies. Lili tenses but tries to keep her polite smile on her face. It’s not how she wanted to spend her birthday, and she’s not exactly sure what she feels about this girl already, but she tries to reserve her judgment for the time being. Izuku appears to have reached his limit by now, and takes Lili’s hand abruptly.

“Kasumi, would you like to join us for a slice of cake?” he asks politely. Lili glances at him as if to ask him what he’s doing but he has that smile again. “We have guests for our birthday and we wouldn’t want to keep them waiting in suspense!” 

Izuku sounds like he’s talking to Kasumi but it’s a warning to Bakugou and an explanation to Lili. The latter nods and laughs although the last thing she wants to do is bring this vixen back to torment her friend with her presence. 

“We have plenty of cake, yes. Come on in!”

Katsuki is in disbelief by the sudden turn of events. Even Lili seems to be giving in to Kasumi. Everyone seems to, and he cannot bring himself to go back into that apartment with the woman he actually loves and break her heart further. 

“I’m out,” he says. 

Izuku gives him a look but Katsuki has already turned his back and is halfway down the hall. Kasumi watches him go for a moment and seems pensive; Lili expects her to go follow him and is thankful that this drama will finally end, but Kasumi smiles widely, flashing rows of bright, white teeth. 

“I would love to meet everyone!”

Katsuki freezes for a moment in his stride, but resumes his pace.

---

What feels like ages later, Lili returns to your makeshift hideout and by now, her voice has just enough defeat in it that you almost feel bad for her, rather than yourself, and you steel yourself enough to remember that you are not so weak that you would crumble over a man.

Even if he is your best friend. Even if you harbor such strong feelings for him. 

“You don’t have to stay if you don’t want to,” Lili whispers through the door. “... I had to be nice so um, she ’s coming here, but I can sneak you out if you don’t want to interact,” she whispers. She doesn’t give you much more backstory than that, not tonight, and when you finally, with a sucked in breath, open the door to see her frowning, brown eyes pitiful and unsure, you accept that you probably don’t want to hear any more than that. 

“It’s fine,” you reply as your friends slip into the room and lock the door behind them.

Your voice comes out raspier than you hope and Lili sighs, then pulls you in for a hug. June pulls in as well and you remember that even if you lose one friend in the pursuit of more love, you’ll always have enough platonic love to fill you up.

---

“Thanks for staying,” Lili whispers to you a few moments later. You nod, swallowing down the last of your mixed drink (Sero’s ‘Beauty and the Beast’ special cocktail, which Katsuki prior to leaving had told him should be more aptly named the ‘Dumb and Dumber’), and force a smile. 

“Why would I leave?” you reply. “It’s your birthday.”

Lili offers you an understanding smile and squeezes your forearm gently. Your slightly tipsy gaze is now loosely fixed on Kasumi, who’s already made one round of introductions through you and all her friends, and is so charismatic she seems to glow in the corner of the room where she stands, barely obscured despite being crowded by your curious friends and acquaintances. On the side, you can see Mineta trying his way to force himself into the circle with no avail, and it would be hilarious if not for the fact that you’re still trying to ignore the pain in your chest. 

“She’s really pretty,” you offer, flatly and Lili scoffs.

“So? You are too.”

You laugh and nudge her.

“What?!”

“I didn’t mean it that way,” you reply. 

“Okay, but I did,” Lili replies to your amusement. The two of you leave your spot on the counter and fall onto the couch. June has disappeared by now in an apologetic hurry, tending to some other issue that neither of you are particularly keen to worry about. 

“I’m surprised he left,” you murmur finally, pulling your knees to your chest. The music is quiet enough by now to mask your voices as you talk in public, but not enough to make it hard to hear, and you rest your head on your friend’s shoulder, letting the alcohol confuse you further. 

Lili scoffs. 

“I think he knows he messed up,” she offers. There’s a small pause as your heart thumps. “But I will say I don’t think he genuinely meant to hurt you.”

You glance up at her. 

“Are you on Katsuki’s side, Lili?” you ask, with fake sternness in your voice. She tenses immediately, sputtering in shock. 

“I would genuinely stab him if you asked me to. And enjoy it.”

You laugh, and as you look up finally, you catch Kasumi watching you carefully. It’s for just a split second that your gaze connects, and she smiles brightly but it’s warm the way dry ice sears your skin at the touch. Your stomach turns and you look away first, then you regret backing down.

Lili notices your sudden movement and looks in the same direction you were but Kasumi is back to working the room. Denki looks practically enamored with her, unable to hide it and Jirou’s frown is deep enough that she looks like a sad clown until Momo pulls her away and thrusts another slice of cake in her face.

Maybe you imagined the look. It’s easy to demonize the person who you think is taking something from you, but you remind yourself that you’ve never really had him, now have you? Or if you had, time has passed and that window of opportunity has closed. Perhaps it’s good for you, and you’ll move on. Kasumi is not particularly sweet, but she’s undeniably captivating to look at and she showed so much interest in your first interaction that you can’t find fault with her. 

You must have imagined the animosity in her gaze. There’s no way she could know if even Katsuki doesn’t really know, and Lili truly never said anything to her as she swore to you. 

“I’m going to get another drink,” you say, suddenly and Lili looks at you in surprise, but nods. “Do you want anything?” you add, and she shakes her head no. As you rise, Izuku appears and takes your place, pulling her into his lap. You smile as you look back, thinking perhaps you won’t let your falsely started romance disrupt hers. 

Despite this, as you turn the corner to the kitchen, you can still feel eyes at your back and you know that again, they are an entrancing, regal shade of purple.

[izvmimi]

Matchlit - Chapter 1

cw: alcohol mention.

Masterlist

“I don’t think you’re staring hard enough, babe.”

The tease comes with a gentle bump of the shoulder, and your friend is now resting her chin on it before you can turn and react to her, looking in the same direction you were with a sly grin. You have two options at this juncture, to smile and let her get the best of you or to pretend you have no idea what she’s talking about. You are not staring at Bakugou Katsuki, across the bar, and you absolutely do not care very much for the way his biceps look under his shirt. He is just a friend after all.

“I don’t know what you’re talking about."

Lili puts a drink in your hand which you set down on the counter, before leaning against the counter to face her. Her brown eyes gleam under the bar’s lights, and she’s still smiling mischievously.

“That’s a long time to be staring at a buddy. A pal, if you will,” she says, with a sip of her drink. She adjusts her hair, then leans in close.

“Go dance. As friends,” she presses. “Maybe he’ll give you a friendly ass squeeze.”

With that, Lili mimes the action too just centimeters away from your own ass and that finally gets you to laugh. You’d do it back, but in seconds, she’s stumbled off, already clearly drunk and probably on her way to find her boyfriend. You make a mental note to make sure she actually finds Izuku in the crowded club before she gets kidnapped, then look back at Katsuki again. 

Admittedly, your friendship is strange, but so are many of his friendships anyway. Izuku, Eijiro… Katsuki just tends to make connections that are more intense than you’d expect, you tell yourself. If you are watching, it’s because you admire him, not because you love him any more than like a brother. 

It’s been years since you’ve met and your feelings haven’t changed.

You take Lili’s advice and make your way across the bar; Katsuki sees you coming and shifts Kirishima slightly out of the way - well, really shoves him - and makes space. Your arm loops around his in the crook of his elbow while he places his hands in his pockets. He smiles at you and you punch his shoulder softly. 

“Stop trying to look cool.”

“Trying?” he asks, raising an eyebrow. You pull at his cheek slightly, then let your hands join around his arm, encircling it. Kirishima looks and smiles and you pretend not to notice as he slips away.

Bakugou notices too.

“Are you using me as a shield?” Katsuki asks, looking around the club. As fun as low lights and loud music can be, the atmosphere is perfect for creeps. Even if you can fend for yourself, Katsuki often says that you are too polite. 

“No.”

“Where’s Chatty?” he asks. His arm remains steady in your hold as he downs his own drink, only the second of the night.

“Lili, ” you stress, “is probably wherever Izuku is.”

He raises an eyebrow.

“Looks like Deku is over there,” he points and you can see the young hero cornered by a group of drunk girls, the slightly inebriated, slightly bashful expression very evident on his face.

You frown. If she sees that, she’s almost definitely getting into an Uber and going home. You go to reach for your phone to check on her but Katsuki stops you with a shake of his head. At the same time, the music seems to change and it’s a song that you both know.

“Let’s dance,” he offers.

Or rather it’s a tell, not an ask. You spin onto the dance floor, and while Katsuki doesn’t really dance, he dances with you , the two of you swaying together side to side as the night ends.

---

Bakugou takes you home around 1 am in a taxi, insisting that he had work early in the morning and this would be the easiest way to get away from Denki, Mina and Sero, who would be out until dawn otherwise.

You accept the company, although a small part of you wishes you were dancing longer. He’s warm and safe, even now as you sit inches apart in the backseat, sharing a laugh about Mineta’s drawn-out negotiation for entry with the club bouncer (it’s understandably hard to justify letting in this odd cross between a pervert and a toddler).

Bakugou leaves you at  your doorstep with a promise to text you when he gets home himself, as though he were somehow at more risk than you; he rolls his eyes, but will nevertheless, and he is off, sobered enough to use his Quirk to take to the skies.

You mutter something under your breath about showing off but he can’t hear you, and you smile to yourself. 

As you get ready for bed, you realize your thread with Lili is filled with a wall of text, insisting she’s broken up with Izuku (no she hasn’t) for the fourth time that week, and you send her an exasperated-looking emoji in reply. She answers back with a pivot - did Kats stay over? - and you reply no, to which she replies - Lame - before wishing you a good night. 

She also has a busy schedule the next morning. You wonder when your entire class decided to conspire to force you and Katsuki closer together romantically, and admittedly it’s been on your mind more and more lately. 

What would it look like to be together - how would it feel to be more than friends… would it really be all that different?

It’s very obvious how differently he behaves with you versus others, that part you cannot deny. You round out his sharp edges and he makes you bolder, and it’s been like that since the day you met.

But that doesn’t always mean romantic love, because men and women can be friends. You are adamant about this. 

You and Katsuki are friends.

And yet, you wonder what he thinks of you as you lay yourself down to sleep. 

Katsuki is your last message of the night. 

Made it back safe. Sleep well. 

---

“When’s the next time you’re coming to see us?” Mitsuki asks, to which Katsuki immediately quips, “Never,” before scarfing down the rest of a convenience store sandwich. 

There’s a pause on the phone on the other line before Mitsuki growls.

“How are you still such a little shit to me despite everything?”

“Takes one to raise one!”

He sticks out his tongue slightly on the video call screening and his mother’s foul expression meets him, almost breaking out his taunt into a smile. 

Mitsuki rubs her temples and sighs. 

“Four weeks from now. I need you to clear your schedule and make your way home… your father and I have a very important thing to discuss with you and it’s better you be there in person for it.”

Bakugou narrows his eyes.

“Why can’t you tell me on the phone?”

Mitsuki shakes her head.

“It’s more appropriate in person.”

Bakugou doesn’t like this. His mother can say literally anything anywhere, so the idea of her refraining from being candid about anything is unnerving to say the least. He’d wonder if it were a death in the family if it weren’t for the fact that timing wise that didn’t make any damn sense.

“Fine. Text me the date and time so I can put it in my calendar,” he says. He pops open a can, and his mom frowns as she sees it on camera.

“Is that soda? You know soda is-”

“Goddammit, it’s sparkling water!”

---

“There are entirely too many people in this car,” Bakugou grumbles. 

Packed inside of a less than new but cheaply rented van are more young Heroes than should be off duty at any particular point in time, but it is summertime and all ten of you have been looking forward to this beach trip since its conception.

Well, some more than others.

The car crawls at a paltry 30 miles per hour despite being on a wide open highway, and Katsuki resists the urge to lean forward and tell Izuku to step on the damn gas or he’ll strangle him from behind. Lili sits in shotgun, giving extremely confusing directions to the anxious driver, and the tension in his shoulders is clearly visible, mounting every passing second.

“W-What’s the exit again?”

“Hold on, I have to answer this text from work,” she replies, barely looking up. Izuku makes a noise of frustration.

“Lili, I’m going to miss the exit,” he repeats.

Lili isn’t answering, engrossed in a reply and Izuku clearly starts to panic. June gives the name of the exit from behind just a second before Lili does, and Izuku turns hard , the car swerving suddenly and causing the rest of the heroes to lurch and complain in unison, Denki’s particularly loud “Bro, what the fuck?!” clearly standing out.

At the next rest stop, both are replaced.

Shinsou, now behind the wheel, complains incessantly about driving and about even being on the trip in the first place and June offers him snacks in the front seat to pacify him.

Bakugou steals a glance at you as you rest your head on Lili’s shoulder while she tries desperately to apologize to Izuku for stressing him out. There’s a smile on your face, despite the fact that your head is shaking from the animated way Lili defends her behavior, gesturing with her hands. He barely notices Kirishima who slides a little closer and rests his arm around his shoulder. 

“This trip is a good time to confess, by the way,” he says.

Katsuki shakes him off, then gives him a dirty look.

“What the hell are you on about?”

Kirishima rolls his eyes, then moves away to return to his seat next to Mina. Bakugou peels his eyes away, then checks his phone. His mother has sent a formal meeting invite to him through email which is strange. He can’t tell who the other recipients on this email are, if any.

This is too much, so he chooses to do what works best for him - ignore his mother’s shenanigans until they matter. He clicks accept to the invite and closes his eyes to rest for the remainder of the trip.

The beach house they finally reach is an odd combination of expansive and cozy and the young adults tumble in, the living room quickly taken over by haphazardly tossed bags, no one bothering to claim a room until later that night. 

Animals, Bakugou thinks under his breath, appraising the sudden explosive mess while he decides unlike the rest to claim a neat corner to deposit his things. 

Lili, Izuku, June, Mina, Kirishima, Shinsou, Denki and Shoto disappear out of the door almost immediately and only you hang behind to wait for him. 

“The mess is getting to you, isn’t it?” you tease as he approaches the doorway where you stand. 

Bakugou shakes his head.

“I’m not cleaning anyone’s shit up is all I’m saying.”

You laugh at his ever-grumpy demeanor and Bakugou follows you out, hands in his pockets as you meet up with the others.

The ten of you coalesce as a group in the center of the boardwalk, in the midst of the bustling crowd, and just as soon disperse - Kirishima and Mina breaking away first, hand in hand, and Izuku following behind Lili who looks initially like she’s wandering off alone. Shinsou, June, Shoto and Denki head in the last direction for the food court, and once again it’s just the two of you. 

The sun is starting to set and the reddish orange hue mirrors the colors woven in your sundress but doesn’t outshine them. Bakugou decides the color is particularly beautiful on you and wonders if this is the certain je ne sais quoi his mother describes in her clientele.

Orange is not the only color that suits you, but it is one of the best so far. Perhaps he is biased.

“I realized the other day we never really get the chance to dance together,” you bring up suddenly as you walk. Your voice is softer than usual as you laugh, and your fingers tuck your hair behind your ear. Bakugou wonders if for once you’re being shy around him and then he remembers what Kirishima has said and he can feel the sun’s rays on the back of his neck.

He should shut the fuck up.

“Got a little too drunk and got carried away. Don’t expect it to happen again,” Bakugou replies, shaking off his moment of embarrassment with a grin. You hip bump him.

“Admit it was nice.”

“It was okay .” He stresses the last word. You roll your eyes and look away, then your gaze settles on a shooting game. 

“Let me embarrass you real quick,” you offer, and the bashfulness is over, and you are kids again, racing to the top of a hill.

---

"Oh, how nice of you to get a prize for ___!” June points out as the group reconvenes, a giant cat hovering on Bakugou’s shoulders while yours are clear. You don’t have the heart to tell them you won this for him while he won absolutely nothing and nearly got into a fight with the game manager before remembering he was moderately famous so you laugh and go along with it.

Bakugou gives you a thankful look. Twin goldfish swim in a plastic bag in Lili’s right hand, and she and Izuku appear to be in a different world of thought, discussion ghte pros and cons of an automated temperature controlled fish tank versus a traditional fish bowl and a thermometer, nuances that clearly matter very little and far too much. 

Mina says something about fast food for dinner and the group agrees on burgers, fries and shakes for the night and scary movies until an arbitrary bedtime. Mina falls asleep on the couch, as do Lili and June in bean bag chairs set right next to each other, and Denki on the ground,  head resting on Shinsou’s lap as he texts, barely noticing the credits rolling on the screen.

By now Bakugou has been gone for a little too long and you go off to check on him, leaving Izuku to collect exhausted bodies and deposit them in their appropriate rooms.

Katsuki has conveniently picked the room furthest down the hall, but yours is only two rooms away. Despite the fact that the door is slightly ajar, you are still polite enough to knock instead of barging in. He doesn’t exactly startle, but you can see the muscles of his shoulders tense as you enter, and then he turns to see you, offering a smile. It’s a slightly gloomier one than usual, and you move your way to his bed to lay down.

“Did you have fun today?” you ask, crossing your ankles. He comes in beside you and pulls you close to him as though you were a teddy bear, back to chest, and you think for a moment that the door is open, and you look more ridiculous every day denying your relationship being more than romantic. 

“Yeah,” he whispers into your shirt.

“Then why do you sound so stressed?”

He lets go finally and rolls onto his back and you turn now, facing him. He looks at the ceiling and you watch him betray discomfort with the furrow of his eyebrows.

“I have to go home suddenly.” 

Your eyes widen.

“Now?”

He cuts a glance at you then pokes your head.

“Not now, dummy,” he replies. “But soon.”

“Are you having issues with your parents?” you ask. There’s no reason for him to be concerned really - although his relationship can be tenuous with Mitsuki, whose smile is heavy and indeterminate when she sees you, they get along well enough and have affection for each other. What could possibly be wrong now?

Bakugou himself has no idea, and sighs.

“Something feels wrong,” he thinks. “I feel like I’m going to be told some family member died or something.”

You tilt your head, not sure exactly what more to say than, “Sorry, I hope not, Katsuki.”

He gives you a glance, then smiles and kicks you gently. 

“Go do that soft shit elsewhere. I’m fine.”

You giggle and kick back, and he kicks you enough that you fall out of the bed, letting out a yelp.

“Katsuki!”

He peers over and brings you to your feet with a quick tug, a large grin on his face. 

“You’re not sleeping in here tonight, get the hell out.”

Your face flushes.

“I didn’t ask!” you insist but you run out quickly, lest anyone else hear and make assumptions.

“Yeah,  yeah,” you can hear him tease on the way out.

But if you did, he’d let you.

[izvmimi]

Matchlit - Chapter 2

cw: alcohol mention. day at the beach.

Masterlist

Perhaps you were more tired last night than you realized, because you were clearly the last to rise the next morning.

Upset with no one else but yourself, you are out of your room, grumpy but otherwise presentable by 11 am, and mercifully your friends have still left you with a warm breakfast wrapped in foil. 

“Welcome sleepyhead!” Lili calls from the balcony. She stands with Shinsou coaxing him to tell her something, she herself doesn’t know what, but there is a deeper frown on his face than usual and his lips are pressed tightly while she rubs his back sympathetically. 

Mina is painting her nails, a silly venture because you all plan to go to the beach in the next hour. Denki is looking at her feet with morbid fascination, enough that it’s slightly unsettling.

Izuku’s face is glued to the television screen, switched onto the local news, and while you take bites of porridge and bread, Kirishima wrestles the remote away from the young hero, reminding him that he’s on a damn vacation.

“I’m just trying to be aware of our surroundings!” he protests.

“I need you to fucking concentrate on chilling, man!” Kirishima yells back and Izuku frowns, which makes you burst out laughing.

Katsuki is nowhere to be found, but you can tell by the taste that he made at least part of the breakfast. The eggs are spiced subtly in the way you’ve been familiar with since early morning breakfasts at the UA dorms, deliciously familiar.

As you finish up your meal, you wonder if he’s still upset from last night, but remember that your friend is quite resilient even if he’s a bit ornery at times.

The ten of you head out to the beach as anticipated a short while thereafter, and you spend most of the time soaking up the sun and gossiping with June and Lili, while the remainder swim, read or play beach games.

“There’s no way that shit’s fair!” Denki yells as the third volleyball of the day pops after Kirishima’s harsh spike. “You’re supposed to be playing Quirkless!”

“I am!” Kirishima fires back, raising his palm.

“What the fuck kind of calluses do you have then, bro?!” 

“Are you calling me a fucking liar, bro ?” The normally easygoing redhead now stands with a fierce looking expression and the two glare at each other from the opposite sides of the net while Shoto reminds the group that they’re officially out of spare balls.

Lili from a distance, a book she’s not reading still in hand, glances over at the commotion then leans into the small three-person circle in the sand you’ve made to whisper.

“I swear I forget Shoto is here sometimes,” she giggles.

“Yeah, right?” June says, laughing a little too loudly and for a little too long. You and Lili give her a strange look and she turns suddenly to take a long sip of water. Lili wrinkles her nose further and you can see her mind working but she doesn’t say anything additional. When the three of you turn around again, Shoto is staring in your direction, and the two of you (with the exception of June who doesn’t turn) wave at him; he waves back, then heads back to the water for a swim.

You decide to change the subject.

“Is Shinsou okay?” you ask and June seems to pale even further but Lili shrugs.

“He won’t talk to either of us,” Lili says, slathering more sunscreen on her legs. She hasn’t dipped into the water once since you’ve gotten here, claiming she’s a bad swimmer, despite the fact that the UA Hero Course requires the basic skill, and despite Katsuki taking the time to chew her out extensively for being a first responder that’s nervous about swimming.

“I guess we’ll wait till he’s ready,” you offer noncommittally.

“What’s wrong with Boom Patrol over there?” Lili asks in return. “I’m surprised you’re not attached at the hip.” You cut a glare at her and she grins slyly. 

“Family stuff,” you reply, curtly.

Lili and June both shift to concern.

“Everything okay?” June asks.

You sigh. “I mean he won’t tell me details but apparently something important is going to be discussed in a couple days so it’s making him nervous.”

Lili crosses her arms.

“I hope he’s not sad throughout the vacation. That would suck.”

You nod. Katsuki really needs a break, and you do too given all you do, and hopefully he can push whatever’s going in the back of his mind just for a little while.

---

By evening the beach air is cool and salty but you are warm around a roaring fire. You sit across from Katsuki on the other end, and are flanked by Denki on one side and Lili on the other. June divides Bakugou and Kirishima, and Mina draws in close to the redhead. Shoto and Shinsou sit next to each other, cross-legged, and Shinsou appears far more bothered by this arrangement than Shoto is.

Kirishima clearly notices this and tosses a beer to him over the fire, which clearly upsets Izuku.

“Hey man, you look a little stressed, get started on drinking first!” Kirishima and Mina link arms while shotgunning theirs, while Shinsou puts his beer down in irritation.

Shoto asks him if he’s gonna drink that, and Shinsou gets up and squeezes between Lili and Izuku. Izuku gives him the slightest glare but says nothing while Lili gives him a quizzical look, whispering a “is everything okay?” and Shinsou saying something about a draft on the other side he’s trying to avoid.

Shoto looks at him and blinks but then cracks open the beer Shinsou’s left behind. June stares quickly at Shoto and then Shinsou and then downs her own beer.

“Do you have anything other than beer?” Lili asks, frowning. “Sorry to be annoying.”

“And yet you did it anyway,” Katsuki says, over the flames. Lili throws an empty can at him. 

“Can we not throw flammable objects over the fire?” Izuku asks, exasperated.

“Chill, Izuku, we’ve got Shoto here to put it out,” Denki laughs, the flush in his cheeks from him starting ahead of everyone else betraying his tipsiness.

“I only deal with emergencies,” he replies flatly. June stifles a laugh and Shinsou glares at her briefly. 

A few more moments of banter pass until Mina has the suggestion of playing Truth or Dare which has both Lili and Izuku share the same grimace in unison, Denki very excited, and Mina starting first.

“Okay, I’ll start and I’m picking…” She scans the group, and settles on Lili who already looks upset at being singled out.

“I dare you to submerge yourself over there in the ocean for a full 3 minutes.”

Lili’s mouth falls open. She looks to Izuku who gives her a sympathetic and useless look.

“I literally hate water and it’s dark and-”

Mina sticks out her tongue mischievously. “That’s why I asked you to do it, silly. It’s a DARE.”

Lili makes her way desolately to the freezing water, dips her toe in, looks again to Izuku to save her while the group stays with arms crossed, and sighs before running in.

“You LITERALLY perform rescues for a living!” Bakugou yells again, irritated.

“Fuck you!” she calls out in the distance, then disappears. The group watch, themselves holding their breath for the next three minutes, and she pops back up. Izuku lets out a sigh of a relief and helps her out and Bakugou rolls his eyes. You laugh, standing beside him.

“Why is she so dramatic?” Bakugou mumbles as Lili makes a show of shivering while soaking wet and Izuku deflects her complaints about her boyfriend not protecting her.

“Leave her alone,” you say, lightly. He shakes his head. “Don’t let her rub off on you,” he murmurs as the group rejoin the circle.

The next dare is Mina being asked to set her own acid on fire and Izuku groans while Lili tries to calm him down. The one after that involves a race between Kirishima and Denki along the sand which terminates in Denki slipping and passing out and a quick bout of unnecessary CPR.

“We’re switching to truth,” June finally decides after that.

And the first truth question is from Shinsou, who looks directly at her, and with clear vitriol in his eyes that the entire group can see, asks:

“How did you sleep last night?”

June pales, again, the flickering flames doing nothing to negate her ghostly visage.

“W-well…?”

Shinsou says nothing further, and June swallows hard. By now, it’s clear that something is up. 

Shoto is next up, and asks Kirishima his opinion on casual sex, which has the group’s eyes widen completely. 

“Dude, what?”

Shoto finishes his second beer. “Answer the question.”

Kirishima looks at Mina who is clearly flustered, and answers, “I-I think it’s fine? Maybe?” He turns and Mina is gritting her teeth. “No, actually casual sex is terrible.”

There is a pause, then the group bursts out in laughter.

“I guess since now we’ve moved to this part of the night,” Denki starts, rising up from his passed out position in the sand, he looks directly at you, and points.

“Tell us how you feel about Katsuki. Right now.”

His words slur but they’re still sharp and pointed. 

You’re caught off guard. For some reason, today, tonight , possibly because of the alcohol and the dark, and the fact that Lili looks cozily wrapped in a blanket as she rests against Izuku, Shinsou shifted to the wayside, and the crackling fire, you feel more vulnerable, and actually for once, pause to answer this question.

Your face is warm and you know it has nothing to do with the flames. When you look over the fire at the man in question, he is looking intently at you, lips slightly parted. You’re surprised he hasn’t rescued you by starting a ruckus, and it dawns on you that he too, for once, might actually want to know.

You stumble on your words for a moment, nothing coming out of your mouth.

“What do you want me to say?” you sputter out instead. There’s a sudden lump in your throat. Katsuki is already in a bad mood, you have to choose your words wisely you think; the obvious answer is ‘we are just friends’ but why are you not suddenly saying it? And why isn’t he saying it? And why are so many eyes suddenly on you?

Why is he staring at you?

“We’re friends,” Katsuki says finally. “Don’t ask stupid ass questions.”

Katsuki walks over and sits next to you.

“You drunk?” he asks. But instead, he places a hand on your forehead as if you were sick instead. You are not drunk. You are confused.

“Party foul!” Kirishima says, laughing, trying to keep the mood light. They switch back to dares, and Mina somehow manages to shotgun six beers at once. Your head spins. Lili and June give you and then each other a concerned look, and Katsuki decides to pull you aside to talk, slipping away from the rest of the party.

---

You’re not sure where Katsuki is taking  you, but wherever it is it’s in the wrong direction of either the van or the beach house, just away from prying eyes, the huddled bodies of drunken young adults becoming smaller and smaller in the distance.

“Katsuki, I’m okay, I just think the alcohol got to me, and I got a little dazed so - ” you explain as Bakugou continues to pull you along the sand at an oddly quickened pace.

He stops suddenly enough that you almost stumble and turns in your direction.

“Tell me.”

Katsuki stuns you for the second time that night. There’s a new pensive expression on his face, and you realize that you remember that look - the same one you recall from the day after he re-emerged from intensive care on that terrible day in second year, and woke up with a scar across the right side of his face and miraculously spared vision…

And you sitting right beside him.

You’re too far from the flames to be this warm, and the salty sea breeze does nothing to cool you down. The beach waves mount and crash against the rocks at the coast and your thoughts remain loud and clear nonetheless. You wonder when it became so often like this, your feelings muddled every time the two of you found yourself alone, but that’s the least of your problems right now.

“Tell you what?” you ask, your voice barely a whisper. 

You cannot possibly be this drunk. 

“There was something else you wanted to say, I could tell…”

Of course he can - he knows you almost better than yourself. And yet, Bakugou is uncharacteristically hushed too. You both mull over the moment yet again and try to collect your thoughts.

Bakugou realizes he’s still holding your wrist and lets go suddenly, and now you both stand and face each other.

You’ve heard your entire life that you and Katsuki were meant to be. You’ve taken that for granted because all friends are somewhat in love with each other, aren’t they?

“You’re important to me,” you offer.

Katsuki gives you a look that is meant to look you up and down, and the bottom of his lip quivers ever so slightly, and suddenly it clicks.

Important is not the word for it. It’s more than that. 

But you don’t elaborate. Instead, you smile like you usually do, turning off any emotions that risk falling out of line. 

And it seems like Katsuki is just about done with it, because suddenly he reaches over and cups your face in his hands.

“___,” he says your name, and it’s not harsh, or teasing or soft in the same way it’s always been. Your eyes widen as he looks into them, eyebrows furrowed as if he is deciding what the right route to take is.

And then he decides, and before his lips meet yours, you’ve realized which path you’re taking.

The waves continue to crash, and you can no longer see or hear your friends, and you are kissing your best friend for the very first time.

[izvmimi]

Matchlit - Chapter 6

cw: reader is mentioned by a hero name. suggestive situation.

Masterlist

Katsuki has dreaded this moment for weeks since this entire ordeal started but as Kasumi provides the necessary pressure to speak first before she speaks definitively, he realizes that the best thing to do is enlist the help of his best friend.

And as such, Eijiro is the first one to know.

In fact, at this very juncture in time, Katsuki is wondering if Kirishima really understands the gravity of what he just told him, because his mouth is wide open and unspeaking by the time Katsuki is done talking, and Katsuki is aggravated enough that he wonders if he should just shove his whole fist in there and take out all his shark teeth at once.

“You’re kidding, aren’t you?” is all Kirishima can finally come up with. Katsuki groans and throws the rest of his beer back then slams his glass on the table, causing both the bartender and the man next to him to give him alarmed and annoyed looks, respectively. Katsuki groans but makes a mental note to set it down quieter next time. Kirishima frowns. 

“What are you going to do?”

“There’s nothing I can do.” Katsuki says. “I’m stuck. Her family is too powerful and it turns out my mom practically sold me out to this woman.”

“I mean, what could she possibly have on you?” 

“A signed contract that I’ll go through with this marriage signed not by me, but by my fucking mom. Enough that it could potentially ruin all of her connections in the fashion industry, and honestly, my reputation given that these weirdos would run the media circus on me.”

Kirishima takes a big gulp of his drink as well.

“Sounds like a lot,” he starts, then leans back in his stool, gripping the sides of the seat carefully as he positions himself. He studies Katsuki’s profile carefully, watching his expression as the latter stares into his open glass then sighs. 

“Years ago, I wouldn’t have given a shit what others thought, but now...”

Kirishima nods. The brashness of youth fades with age somewhat and Katsuki has been humbled in more ways than others. Even if the initial boldness remains, that specific type of unabashedness is no longer something he wears as self-defense.

Silence sits between the two of them for another moment, and then Kirishima sighs loudly.

“Is she hot at least?” Kirishima asks. Katsuki turns sharply and glares at him, and Kirishima raises his hands up in defeat. “Listen, I’m trying to be optimistic!”

Katsuki rolls his eyes but does type in the characters “Oshiro Kasumi” into the search engine query, clicks on the first image, and slides his phone over to Kirishima. Kirishima’s jaw drops again.

“Fuck, dude,” he starts, a low whistle in his throat, but then he sees Bakugou’s scowl, and quickly whispers a ‘sorry’ under his breath. A few moments pass and Kirishima tries again.

“Listen, she’s hot, maybe she seems like she could be a bit on the sassier side but that’s nothing you can’t handle, she’s loaded… maybe this isn’t the worst possible situation for you?” 

Katsuki gives him a look.

“Do you want to marry her?” he hisses. The blood rushes from Kirishima’s face.

“That’s not the point and plus I’m obviously spoken for,” he replies. Bakugou cracks a smile at the latter half, but then it wipes off his face as his thoughts drift to you again. Kirishima doesn’t know the truth, even if he’s suspected that he has a thing for you, and Katsuki wonders if it’s worth saying anything now. 

His whole life could blow up at any time now though, so he finally fesses up. After all, that’s the only real complicating context here.

“I kissed ___. At the beach.” 

The weight of his words out loud seems to suck the air out of the room with its gravity, a whooshing sound that only he can hear. And then there’s silence. 

He hasn’t really thought about it until he said it out loud just now, has he? He kissed you. He pressed his lips onto yours, and wanted to do it again and again and again. Whether alcohol lowered his inhibition or not, he had wanted to, with all his heart, and honestly, perhaps much, much more.

His heart races for a moment then stops, and then Kirishima is shaking his head at him.

“Bro.”

Kirishima immediately understands his hesitation and knows very little can be said that Katsuki doesn’t already know.

Thus, there’s nothing more to say after that. The two of them finish their drinks in understanding silence.

---

“Thank you, Miss Rampage!”

The little boy accepts his dog semi-awkwardly from your hands - in fact, his pet jumps into him and nearly knocks him over, licking him fervently and the sight of the little boy giggling does warm your heart a bit. Searching for lost pets isn’t the most glamorous part of hero work, but a quiet shift means less danger for civilians and more time to think about what the subject of your next photobook will be. You consider the theme of complicated friendship, then shake your head before Katsuki can come to mind. Thoughts of him and how he feels about you are at bay for now, and as you return your communicator to the patrol control desk, you swipe away from the unopened text message from him, and call your friend instead. 

“Are you already at the bakery?”

“Fuck, I forgot which one!!!” June panics.

You laugh and text her the address as you hop on the bus downtown. The two of you are meeting up to collect a cake for Lili and Izuku’s joint surprise birthday party. It is neither of their birthdays, but they worked through them last week, one after the other, and you and June had vowed to rectify that for both of them -

With the help of the rest of Class 1A, of course. 

June looks out of breath by the time you make it outside of the bakery and you tease her immediately, as friends do.

“Did you actually run here?” 

June pouts. 

“I didn’t want to be late!”

“To pick up a cake?” you ask. Then you see the hickey blooming on her neck and burst out laughing and she catches your gaze then reddens.

“Listen, just don’t say anything!”

You vow to keep your mouth shut. Until then. 

The cake stays in June’s fridge and she indulges you in other desserts she made herself on her day off. Over a blueberry cake roll, you ask her more about how she finally managed to break up her situationship with Shinsou, and she finally reveals to you that she has yet to say anything.

You blink, then shove another forkful of cake into your mouth.

“This will end fantastic,” you say, sarcastically. June sighs and sinks into her seat.

“It’s not like I know how to break up with someone I was never actually dating,” she laments. She takes another sip of her coffee and the final drops through her straw are extra loud. She sighs loudly again, and you shake your head, mock disapprovingly.  

“Just tell him you’ve moved on.”

June twists her mouth to the side. “What if he begs me?”

You blink. You hadn’t considered that.

“Do you think he will?”

June tilts her head to the side. “Are you implying he wouldn’t?”

“I’m just saying!”

June breathes through her nose then laughs.

“I didn’t expect this to happen to me of all people,” she sighs. “Life comes at you fast.”

“You just gotta cum faster.”

June gives you a look and you raise your hands up. “Sorry!”

There’s a pause, and you consider that perhaps you should tell her what is troubling you rather than letting her be the only one to bear the brunt of all of the relationship-related teasing. The text you haven’t yet replied to seems to be taunting you every time you look at your phone, even though the banner is no longer up. 

All he asks is how you’re doing, and the truth is simple. Fine and not fine at all.

Again you distract yourself.

“Hey, do you think Hitoshi will make you shit yourself in public?” June’s mouth drops open and you laugh hard enough that you forget that your heart isn’t still.

---

The next day, nearly all of Class IA is hidden in Izuku and Lili’s small apartment by way of Iida’s trusty work in convincing Izuku to give him a temporary code so he could grab something for work. You and your friends have all been lying in wait for the past ten minutes, and are excited once you can hear the two’s footsteps, although somewhat disjointed and stumbling, make their way to to the door, but when the lights flip back on before anyone can scream Surprise, they’re greeted by a flash of yellow and blue All Might themed underwear, and both straps of Lili’s dress halfway down her shoulders. 

There is a split second of silent shock for nearly 20 people.

Everyone holds their breath, and Lili is the only one who gasps audibly but in a flash of green lightning, both of them disappear and the only indication that they’ve hidden away in their bedroom is the loud sound of the door slamming shut.

Another very, very pregnant silence settles in again, quiet enough you could hear a pin drop.

Then Denki and Kirishima both burst into laughter, Ochaco and Iida turn red as beets, June rubs her face and you stand there, holding an oversized cake with both their hero colors on it and unblown candles.

“These fucking-” Katsuki starts from the back, then Jirou, already exhausted, turns on the music as loud as she can. 

“They’re gonna have to get out of there eventually, so might as well start the party.”

Moments later, the two resurface, Lili making sure that she’s diametrically opposed distance-wise from Izuku in the room for the rest of the night, and Izuku reddening intermittently any time Denki or Sero glance in his direction. The night goes quickly and by the end of the night Lili and June have cornered you in the kitchen as you sip a beer and try to follow Mina’s drunk and rapid train of thought. 

Lili pulls you away flashing a smile at the circle of girls that have engulfed you, both hands on your shoulders, excusing you from Jirou who looks like she wants to go home and Momo who still manages to be standing, despite her lean across the kitchen counter which conveys how badly she needs to turn in for the night. 

June follows the two of you as Lili guides you to the bathroom and locks the door behind you. Your eyebrows furrow.

“What the hell..”

“Yes, exactly, what the hell?” Lili begins. You turn to June for support and she shrugs. 

“Is there a reason why you’re avoiding Katsuki?” she asks. “What did he do?  You’ve been acting strange since the trip and now I can literally trace a path where he’s following you and you’re making sure you’re not within 10 feet of each other for more than 2 minutes.”

You sigh. 

“Nothing happened.”

“Sounds fake.” June says, arms crossed and leaning against the bathroom door. Lili takes a deep breath, then ushers you to have a seat on the covered toilet seat.

Lili gives you another look, the look she gives when she’s hoping you won’t lie to her and you finally break. 

“We kissed, that’s all.”

June’s eyes widen, and Lili’s lips purse. It’s not an issue yet, but the fact that your lips still pull into a frown makes her anxious. 

“What happened after?” June says, softly. She’s leaned down into a semi-squat and she looks at you from below as you press your legs together and let out another embarrassed sigh. 

“Literally nothing. It’s like we’re pretending it never happened, but I feel like we can’t be friends anymore. Everything is in limbo.”

You try not to cry but when you look up at Lili, her lips are pursed, as though she’s making a mental calculation. Her hand presses lightly on your shoulder again, but then the music suddenly pauses outside, dwarfed by the sound of Bakugou yelling over the music. 

“No fucking way you showed up here!”

You find yourself moving faster than you expect, as you peek outside. A few guests are crowded at the entrance to the apartment, and Lili marches out first, trying to see who is entering her house and causing Izuku and Kirishima to try to shush Katsuki down. From your vantage point, you can just see his head pop out from the huddle of concentrated bodies, and you just see his back as you move closer. Lili pushes her way gently past Sato and Shoji, then finds Izuku and links her arm up with him, asking what the problem is. Izuku whispers something to her, and Lili’s eyes widen before she glances back at you, distress in her expression. 

Katsuki storms out and Kirishima follows him, the door slamming behind him. You don’t catch what’s going on as the two leave.

Curious, you make your way towards them as the crowd disperses, a few of the guests chattering among themselves in hushed tones. A couple eyes seem to linger on you, notably Mina and Ochaco’s curious expressions, and this puts you in slight distress. 

“What happened?” you ask Izuku.

Lili refrains but Izuku gives her a look, then turns to you. 

“Kacchan’s fiancée showed up.”

And the air is knocked out of your lungs. 

[izvmimi]

Matchlit - Chapter 3

cw: situationship, family drama.

Masterlist

The two of you keep mum.

After all, your kiss is not the climactic scene of a made for television teen romance, or a lusty, drug-addled haze in the back of a car.

To you, it’s something more akin to a hairline crack forming in the wall of a dam, through which there is now a trickle of a new class of affection, with the overall structure remaining sturdy and strong.

You returned to the bonfire that night as though nothing had happened and nothing more does happen, other than a single exchanged glance over the flames. 

Lili recounts the mini (and yet extremely polite) spat June had with Denki just moments earlier to you in a hushed tone. She doesn’t ask you what you talked about with Katsuki, and you don’t tell.

---

The trip ends without further mishap, although by now the entire group appears to have noticed the tension between Shinsou, Shoto and June.

You and Lili press her for information in the back of the van going home, out of earshot of the two mentioned men, which healthily distracts you from the fact that you want to kiss Katsuki again. Badly. It was all you could think about as you gathered all your things on the way out of the cabin with everyone else, distractedly piling on items into Izuku’s already overburdened arms just like the rest of the group as though he were a pack mule.

You thought desperately about the warm feeling of his lips on yours and the bitter aftertaste of beer and the texture of his tongue until - 

“You did WHAT?!” Lili shrieks and June nearly strangles her trying to muffle her voice. Mina whips around from her seat ahead with obvious interest and June and Lili both give her a wide smile to cover up the fact that they have the type of gossip that will spread through the former UA class like wildfire. 

Mina pouts at not being included, turns and goes tapping away at her phone, presumably to complain to Ochaco, Tsuyu and Hagakure in their group chat. June breathes a sigh of relief but when she turns Lii is giving her an intensely disapproving look.

“Wait, what happened?” you try to catch up.

“Stop thinking about dick and listen,” Lili frowns and you pout at her. Ironically, you are the only one not talking about dick in this situation as June reveals that she may or may not have slept with the #3 rookie pro Hero currently sleeping at the front of the van. 

Your jaw drops.

“In the same house as Shinsou?” you whisper.

Blood drains from June’s face as she grimaces.

“Listen, I didn’t intend to.”

“I didn’t even know you liked him!” Lili hisses. “What about your on-off thing with Toshi? I thought you were on again.”

June lets out a sigh, her shoulders slumping.

“Can we text about this instead?” she whispers back finally. 

The rest of the bus ride is spent quietly, with occasional hushed sounds and shocked looks in the backseat. Shinsou doesn’t look in their direction once the entire way home.

---

Bakugou, an incredibly eligible bachelor of age 28, finds himself standing in the living room of his family home just days after he kisses you for the first time, and staring directly in the face of possibly the most beautiful woman he has ever met.

And it matters not for a second.

He should have known when his mother asked him to wear something nice and get a haircut, and he already regrets complying, once it finally occurs to him that this isn’t just a strange woman in his family home, about his age and smiling at him in a manner that is polite but not warm. 

He resists the urge to ask her who the fuck she is, or the other people in his room that bear enough resemblance to her that it is clear that she is their prized daughter.

“Sit down,” Mitsuki hisses under her breath, nudging him in the ribs. He wants to turn and leave. His father sighs and pulls out a chair for his mother so that they can face the waiting couple with their annoyingly beautiful daughter in the center.

The older woman eyes him carefully then smirks. She’s dressed lavishly to the point of being slightly gaudy, unlike her daughter whose stare is fixed. Again, polite but not kind. Staring, as though she is assessing the situation. Her not-glare reminds him vaguely of himself and it makes his stomach turn.

“Mitsuki-neechan, why does it seem like your son has been ambushed?” she laughs. The blood drains from her face but she laughs back in turn, reaching behind her to attempt to yank him in the seat beside her. To save face, Katsuki sits, because he is older now and more mature, but he is angry enough to spit bile.

“He’s just not used to so many people, are you honey?” she turns to him. Katsuki doesn’t look at her because if he does he’ll say something and it will be foul. 

Masaru attempts to change the subject.

“We’re so happy you were able to come in despite the unforgiving weather these past few days.”

His counterpart nods, also uncomfortable by the exchange between the middle aged women, and hangs desperately to the change in tone. “It’s a lovely day today on the other hand.” 

“Your home is quite lovely,” he adds, looking around quickly, finding something to compliment. 

“Who the hell are you all?” Katsuki finally says in a gruff voice that is more curious than annoyed, and Masaru swallows a groan. 

The young woman doesn’t laugh, look upset or scoff, still even kilter. It unsettles him and he looks away from her to her mother who legitimately clutches the row of pearls on her neck.

“How uncouth,” she tuts, then looks at her daughter. “Why don’t you introduce yourself to Dynamight?” she asks.

The daughter gives her the hint of a glare and it is gone as fast as it’s there, to the point that Bakugou is not even convinced he saw it. But he did.

She smiles wider, and it is even colder. Political even. Her eyes are a royal shade of purple and piercing, in sharp contrast to your gentle ones, and she adjusts her hair a little too gracefully, dark silk placed behind her ear before she addresses him. 

Her voice is soft and controlled and she speaks in perfect diction. Katsuki wonders if she’s ever raised her voice in her life, whether in anger or in joy.

“My name is Kasumi. Pleased to meet you Mr. Dynamight . Or should I say, Katsuki-” Katsuki grimaces at the informality, “- since we’re apparently in the process of discussing marriage?”

---

The second the family leaves - Kasumi’s mother Hiriko giving far too many air kisses to Mitsuki for her to keep up - Katsuki can feel his fingers starting to spark.

And he doesn’t hold back.

“You must be out of your fucking mind, woman,” he hisses. Masaru’s head is in his hands and Mitsuki looks just as furious, standing to her feet.

“You’re nearing 30 and you have not a single reasonable marriage prospect because of your shitty attitude and you’re getting mad at me for securing you a near- princess ?!” 

“Who the FUCK asked for a princess?!” he yells back, fists clenched. Mitsuki grits her teeth.

“I don’t have to ask you to do what’s right for you!”

Masaru makes a sound in hope to de-escalate but both have terminated the conversation, parting ways immediately with a march in opposite directions. Bakugou slams the door as he leaves.

As he drives home, mind still racing, he tries to recount the last few hours. The reality as he recounts it is horrifying. 

He’s engaged, supposedly, to a woman he’s never met. To the daughter of a childhood friend of his mother that he’s never heard about and who he can clearly tell she hates yet wants so desperately to impress. 

He can’t think of anything that could be worse in this particular instance. 

Not to mention the fact that he’s just kissed you, and still needs to sort out what that meant to him. He can only run from these feelings for so long.

And perhaps he is running right into a brick wall. 

---

You awake on a day just like any other, indulging yourself with eggs on toast for breakfast before making your way out of the house.

Your schedule isn’t too busy this week - no missions and no patrol, so you can focus on your true passion, photography. Cameras in tow, you head out to the city to work on more snapshots for your portfolio.

Too many of your subjects end up recognizing you despite not being in costume, and you make polite small talk while thinking of a better disguise. You’d never really hated the celebrity status being a Pro Hero afforded you, but it did make things inconvenient at moments like this. By the time evening comes, you’re satisfied with the shots you have taken and sit in the park, texting to your groupchat as June defends herself for the tenth time this week.

You have to break it off properly with him!

We weren’t even dating!

He thinks you were!

A thought bubble arises then disappears. You consider de-escalating but then June starts an abrupt video call. 

“I’m not responsible for his feelings!” is the first thing that comes out of her mouth. 

Lili looks irritated but keeps her lips tightly pressed.

“She’s right,” you speak up. 

Somehow through the screen you can tell Lili has now shifted her attention to you and is mad at the betrayal. 

“Okay but I need him to stop calling me like I can fix this,” she complains. “Leave me out of it, whatever it takes.”

“You’re not even in it,” June says, and suddenly she gasps. “Shit, there’s a robbery, be right back.”

Lili sighs, then in a dejected voice bids her good luck.

“Break a leg or something. I mean don’t actually break the robber’s leg but don’t get hurt.”

You wave as Lili drops off the line as well.

You’re thankful you don’t have relationship drama, not knowing that yours may be brewing sooner than you think.

[izvmimi]

Matchlit - Chapter 5

cw: alcohol mention.

Masterlist

“Have you been able to reach June at all?” You ask, eyes fixed to the television screen as you try desperately to come up with a movie to watch that the three of you can actually agree upon. Lili is in the kitchen of your apartment and says something slightly unintelligible over the crackling of homemade popcorn and you shake your head.

“Never mind,” you whisper under your breath. Your stomach growls; you check the estimated time of arrival of your pizzas, and let out a frustrated sigh. Then, just as quickly, you chastise yourself, feeling shame at the irritability you’ve suddenly been letting set into your bones these past few days. You know all of it is for one silly reason, and you are deeply embarrassed that like a schoolgirl, you are stuck on one thing, a boy.

Lili arrives with three large bowls of popcorn balanced in her arms and sets them down on the coffee table, bending down to pick up the few stray kernels that roll off the mounds. You reach for a handful out of any one of the three, knowing that you’ll all end up serving yourselves from each other anyway. 

“Yeah, I don’t know why June isn’t responding but I’m going to assume she’s fine. It’s not like she’s been on patrol recently.”

“Yeah.”

Lili plops down on the seat next to you, folding her legs into a cross-legged position.

“Honestly, she’s probably asleep and forgot we were meeting this Friday.”

“I guess,” you sing, adjusting yourself a bit. You lean back into the sofa as well, and Lili tosses you the other end of the throw blanket. Like this you feel like you’re in high school again, even though you’re grown adults, having a sleepover while your heart secretly pines for the same boy since your days at UA. Perhaps you should say something to Lili, you think, but you can’t tell if she’ll admonish you or be just a little too supportive, especially given that you’re being actively avoided.

Don’t kiss and tell is the old adage anyway. At least not when everything is up in the air. 

Pizza arrives and between warm slices, you end up talking over the movie. Lili tells you about the patients she’s seen this week, including a little boy with a terrifying Quirk who was absolutely adorable once just a teensy bit sedated, and you tell her about your growing portfolio.

“Have you considered actually setting up an exhibition for once? Your stuff is too pretty not to share,” Lili encourages and again you come up with one or two reasons why it’s too much work, but part of you considers that it’s a welcome distraction from silly, inconsequential things like kissing and unrequited love.

“Maybe this time.”

Lili fake rolls her eyes but doesn’t press upon it. Soon another message pops up from June that shows the outside of a restaurant, and as both of you squint over the magnified photo on Lili’s phone, it’s clear that it’s one of the most expensive places in town.

“Todoroki,” the two of you say to each other in unison. 

Bring me a doggie bag, you type back to her. 

She sends a cheeky emoji and you shake your head. Lili sets down her third slice of pizza and sighs.

“Man, I feel so poor all of a sudden,” she says, forlornly. You laugh, and she laughs too, and it keeps the feeling that one of your longest, most confusing friendships might have finally come to a murky, nondescript end at bay. 

---

Katsuki hates being late, much more so when he knows his tardiness can be held against him, but Kasumi is poised and unaffected when he finally arrives and pulls out a gilded, high-backed chair, to sit across from her. She barely looks up at first, still looking at the waiter who is pouring out her favorite red wine, then acknowledges him politely with a glance through long, dark lashes. 

“Thank you for making it on such short notice,” she says evenly. Katsuki realizes he hates her voice, even though many would call her soft manner of speech elegant.

He doesn’t respond, instead pouring himself a glass of sparkling water from the bottle placed in the center of the table and throwing it back. She watches him as he swallows so intently, he wonders if she’s intrigued by the way his Adam’s apple bobs. 

“What did you call me here for?” he asks, now uncomfortable. This particular dining establishment is new to him and even the part of town is, and some of the table settings are overly elaborate to the point of being tacky.

In his humble opinion, at least.

Kasumi snorts in response to his gruff remark but somehow even that seems well-mannered. “To continue our conversation from last week.”

Katsuki glances at the menu, stomach growling, then looks back at her. 

“I’m not ready to announce our engagement.”

“Would you rather it be to your PR team before your friends?” Kasumi asks, before taking a sip of her wine. He feels a rock forming at the pit of his stomach as he thinks of how you’d feel hearing about his engagement on television before he got the chance to speak to you about it… or even face you again.

The waiter now addresses him and he’s thankful for the interruption, ordering the first entree that catches his interest. He responds with something in French which also manages to irritate Katsuki although he holds it in. His bad mood has nothing to do with the clientele.

“Give me until next week.”

Kasumi laughs, a musical sound that rivals the live violinist’s piece. Katsuki feels a headache coming on. 

“Why are you acting like this is a death sentence?” she says, leaning in.

Because it might as well be, he thinks, but doesn’t say. He’d rather die than tell you this news to your sweet, unsuspecting face.

“How close are all of you in the hero field?” Kasumi asks, only partially changing the subject as she reaches with finely manicured nails into the bowl of bread. Buttering a piece with a knife, painting it really, she again looks up at him waiting for his response and he can feel his neck turning warm. He wonders if that’s how she flirts, looking through those extra-dark lashes, keeping her voice soft, the movements of her graceful wrists appearing idle, but he is sure that she doesn’t like him, not one bit. She resembles a snake in the way she narrows her eyes at times, venomous in comparison to your earnest, honest nature.

“Turns out when you nearly get killed with all your classmates regularly you get pretty close,” Katsuki answers, matter-of-factly. He doesn’t reach for the bread basket, anticipating she’d try to ‘accidentally’ brush her soft hands against his.

“Who is your closest friend?” she asks.

“What’s with the direct questions?” Katsuki replies, immediately defensive. “We just met.”

Kasumi sighs.

“Is civil conversation so hard for you?”

Katsuki grumbles.The truth is he doesn’t have a good answer to that question. Kirishima probably, but also he acknowledges a strange bond with Izuku despite the fact that he annoys him, and then there’s you…

“Sir, your coq au vin?” your always just-in-time waiter responds. Bakugou’s ears redden as he hears the correct pronunciation. Turns out Cock-Oh-Vine is not exactly accurate, but if the waiter is making fun of him, Katsuki would not know from his professional, appropriately neutral expression. Kasumi on the other hand seems to read the sheepish look on Katsuki’s face, and it’s the first time he hears her real, genuine laugh.

---

By the time Kasumi makes it back to her penthouse hotel after her awkward, yet not catastrophic meeting with her husband-to-be, Hiriko is already sitting in her living room, in a bathrobe and Kasumi’s very own slippers, her eyes glued to a soap opera played at a volume louder than is acceptable for normal human ears. Kasumi can feel her blood pressure rise, but she holds a breath in, and greets her mother politely. 

Hiriko does not look up, unable to hear her daughter whose temporary home she’s invading, over the noise. Kasumi moves closer then taps Hiriko on the shoulder who jumps up nearly ten feet in the air before clutching her pearl necklace and calming herself down.

“Ah, it’s just you, darling!”

Kasumi considers reminding her that she lives there, not the other way around, but instead takes a seat next to her. 

“How was the dinner? I understand that he’s a tough nut to crack, however-”

“It was alright.”

Hiriko frowns, expecting more detail.

“That’s it?”

Kasumi cracks a half-smile. “Did you expect me to fall in love instantly, mother?” 

Hiriko scoffs. “At least try to love your husband.” Kasumi’s chest hurts at the very thought, but smiles sweetly. Hiriko takes a sip of now-cooled tea set on the glass table before her, then turns to her daughter again.

“Any useful information at least, then?” Hiriko asks.

“Yes,” Kasumi offers. She pulls her hair to the side and starts to braid the long tresses for sleep. “I think he’s in love with someone.”

Hiriko nearly spits down her drink.

“Ridiculous.”

Kasumi finishes the end of her braid before continuing while Hiriko waits for her patiently to keep speaking. Kasumi secretly loves when she’s quiet, holding her silence for just a few moments longer but then finally shares her observations.

“He has to be. I can tell.” 

Hiriko scoffs.

“Ridiculous. Mitsuki told me he had zero prospects.”

Kasumi rolls her eyes. “It seemed like Mitsuki would tell you anything you wanted to hear.”

Hiriko seems pleased by this statement although Kasumi does not mean it as praise. “That is true,” she replies haughtily. “However, you don’t have any proof.”

“The proof is the conversation I had with him. Why else would he be wanting to buy time?” If there is anything Kasumi has grown up knowing, it is that she is prime marriage material, even from a young age, whether she wanted this to be true or not. Money, brilliance, beauty so undeniable it could be a Quirk, you name it. She wouldn’t want to be so gauche as to call her station in life a curse, it had its advantages. Sometimes.

“Because men don’t like to be married,” Hiriko answers as if it is the wisest thing ever said. Kasumi says nothing but rises to her feet.

“Either way, it’s something to consider.”

Hiriko sets down her teacup just a touch too loudly and Kasumi winces.

“No, it truly isn’t. Whether he’s interested in someone or not, this arrangement has already been made.”

Kasumi can feel her pulse quicken again but she breathes in and breathes out and she’s normal again. Perfect.

“Sure. Anything you say, mother.”

---

With the three Heroes settled back into their normal routines in Tokyo, it turns out that not only is Katsuki tossing and turning in his sleep trying to figure out his life’s predicament, Izuku is too, overburdened by too much information and too many lines connected. Unfortunately for him, Lili can catch this immediately and sighs as she turns in bed, then looks directly at him.

“Tell me.”

If Izuku could freeze any more still, he’d turn into a block of ice.

“W-What do you mean?”

Lili tilts her head as though the question itself is somewhat silly, then moves closer to him, pressing her hand on his chest.. “What’s on your mind?”

Izuku shakes his head. “Nothing.”

“You’ve been sighing loudly since you came home, and you keep hitting me with the “oh, it’s nothing” and it’s been days .”

Izuku pauses, then smiles, gaze shifting to teasing. “I’m surprised you could notice anything else after how good I just-”

Lili narrows her eyes, and his smile fades. He twists his mouth to the side then looks to the wall. 

“I overheard something.” He finally admits. Lili shifts again, bending somewhat shaky knees to move closer to him and leans in as though he is about to whisper in her ear. And he does, even though no one else could possibly be in their bedroom.

Lili’s eyes grow wide as Izuku shares his information.

“No way,” she starts first, shaking her head. “There is no way that guy is hiding someone after all this time… first of all, who would even…” her voice trails off, and she deviates. “___ is gonna be crushed.”

Izuku’s eyebrows furrow. “Obviously, don’t tell her!”

Lili frowns, and opens her mouth to protest, but realizes she has very little information to go on. Instead she takes to biting her thumbnail, and Izuku mirrors her as though it isn’t a habit she picked up from him, and the two of them lay together in silence.

“Fine. I’ll keep it a secret.”

It doesn’t mean she won’t go on an investigation of her own.

[izvmimi]

Matchlit - Chapter 4

cw: none.

Masterlist

“Kacchan?”

“Shut the fuck up, Deku.” Katsuki quips instantly, without even looking at him, fiddling with the seating of his right gauntlet. Air whips past his face as the open aircraft they stand in continues to fly through the skies to their next destination, and his squint only makes his permanent scowl look worse.

Izuku sighs, used to the abuse although it has noticeably worsened in frequency in the past couple of days, adjusting his mask on the lower half of his face. He then settles into a deep squat, warming up his legs for the upcoming mission with repetitive exercises. Shoto looks up from his cell phone only because of Izuku’s sudden movements in his peripheral vision, his eyebrows furrowed.

“Hey, how long would you guys wait to contact someone after a one night stand?” he asks, suddenly, thumb swiping out of a messages tab.

Izuku stands still abruptly, then gives him a confused look.

“Since when do you have one night stands?” Izuku asks, genuine surprise in his voice. Even Katsuki is looking at Shoto now despite the fact that he’s acted like he couldn’t be bothered by literally anything, not even this mission the three of them are on today. 

“Since the beach trip.”

“What?!” Izuku exclaims. Katsuki’s eyes widen and Shoto shrugs.

“I guess it’s not really a one night stand, but you know what I mean.”

“WHO?!” 

Shoto tilts his head at Izuku in confusion.

“I thought everyone knew.”

Katsuki now finally is more irritated by Shoto’s behavior than by the sudden turn his life has taken.

“Which one of our classmates did you fuck Shoto?”

Izuku suddenly goes paper white, which forces Katsuki to say, “It’s not your girlfriend, doofus, not everyone sees her like you do.”

“‘Fuck’ is a strong word,” Shoto starts, and Katsuki, very annoyed by this conversation despite being thankful that the drama is a good distraction, walks towards him and puts a hand on his shoulder. Shoto looks at the hand on his shoulder, questioning, then looks right back at Katsuki.

“June and I had a moment.”

This news clearly knocks the wind out of the other two.

“You have to be kidding me.” Katsuki whispers under his breath, turning on his heels. “Shinsou’s gonna beat your ass, you know that right?”

Shoto shrugs.

“They aren’t official. Plus, I’d like to see him try.”

Katsuki blinks, then nearly doubles over laughing while Izuku blurts out a sound between horror and amusement. 

“Good point.”

---

Masaru whistles as he loads the dishwasher after a painfully quiet dinner and Mitsuki, who had previously stormed off angrily, now stands at the doorway of the kitchen, her arms folded close to her chest, and an apologetic look on her face. When he finishes, he sighs and finally acknowledges her, giving her a small smile.

“I’m sorry,” she offers.

Masaru shrugs. “You really shouldn’t be apologizing to me.”

Mitsuki bites her lip, and walks towards him, a bid for understanding in her eyes.

“You don’t understand how it is with her sometimes… it’s so hard to say no to her, plus our son has said he doesn’t really care, and in all honesty, it’s an excellent match-”

Masaru places a finger on her lips.

“If you’re so sure about it, why do you need to defend yourself so much?”

Mitsuki frowns and falls silent. 

“They’re royalty .” Mitsuki stresses.

Masaru chuckles. “How often does that matter in this day and age?” He moves past her gently to return to the sitting room, but his hand directs backward to take his wife with him, and she follows him out.

Both of them settle on the loveseat and Mitsuki lets out a loud sigh.

“You never told me about Hiriko,” Masaru asks. In all his years knowing his wife, he had never seen her yield to any other woman so naturally, and the sight has weighed heavily on his mind. Mitsuki grits her teeth.

“All Hiriko has done her whole life is try to prove that she’s better than me… I don’t know how despite this I’m the first one she thought of for such an important matter, or if it’s just the fact that Katsuki is so popular and she somehow wanted to get the upper hand in that…”

Masaru raises an eyebrow.

“Then call off the wedding?” 

“It’s a good match,” she repeats, not to him, but to herself. “Their family is rich. Kasumi is beautiful and well-mannered and can’t be scared off by him. This might be his only chance!”

Masaru sighs and leans back into his couch, and decides not to argue any further. Mitsuki presses close, resting her head on his chest for comfort. He allows her, his arm wrapping around her gently.

“We haven’t spoken in over a decade, but I owe a lot to Hiriko.” Mitsuki mumbles. “If not for her wearing some of my designs… it would have been harder to break through. Even if she’s always been so awful to me…”

Masaru says nothing but nods.

“This is a good idea,” she repeats.

Masaru just hopes she’s right. 

---

“Secure the area!” Izuku shouts, while Katsuki presses on ahead, gauntlets blazing, to meet their enemies head on. Shoto creates a wall of ice as requested to protect the few scattered civilians from the ongoing carnage before helping to triangulate the new crop of insurrectionists setting up base in Hachijojima. The New Hero Commission had been watching this group for a while, unsure if there was a need to intervene on the simple suspicion of bad activity, but once enough hikers had started to disappear, only one of whom had returned about 8 months later with profound personality changes and strange tattoos along their legs, the three had been called to investigate.

The timing seemed to have been perfect, because their first raid of the small community nestled where the mountains meet the sea coincided with the first hour in which the heroes arrived.

It’s a quick clean-up among the three of them for all the destruction the group of villains have caused. While Bakugou is securing quirk-neutralizing handcuffs on the ringleader, bound by Blackwhip, Izuku notices again that Bakugou is quieter again, focused on his task, and hasn’t even replied with his customary ‘Don’t tell me what to do!’.

Bakugou also decides not to participate in questioning, which is usually his forte, which gives a chance to Shoto to unintentionally torture the leader into revealing his entire plan by doing nothing more than staring at him and asking minimal questions. 

The quiet continues on into the evening, where Katsuki spends dinner in silence, glancing every so often at his phone. He also retires early, by 9pm, which isn’t strange necessarily to Izuku, but the fact that he doesn’t bother to make any snarky comment before turning in for the night is. 

“Something’s wrong,” Izuku finally says to Shoto.

“Yeah, June didn’t answer my text.” Shoto says, turning off the screen. Izuku frowns.

“Can we please leave your relationship drama out of work?”

Shoto raises an eyebrow. “You’re one to talk.”

Izuku looks as though he’s been hit, then physically shakes his head to change the subject.

“We’ve got to figure out what’s wrong with Kacchan.” 

Shoto sticks his phone in his pocket and stretches his arms over his head. “Maybe he’s tired. We just, you know, saved a city?”

“He’s not more tired than we are and he started acting strange on the plane,” Izuku insists. Shoto shrugs as Izuku starts to pace. “I feel like something bad happened that he doesn’t want to talk about.”

“So are you suggesting we ask about it when he doesn’t want to talk about it?”

Izuku’s lips press into a thin line. 

“Sorry.” Shoto says. Izuku glares just enough that Shoto sighs, eventually raising his hands in defeat.

“I mean we could probably go ask him anyway, it won’t be the first or the last time we’ve pissed him off.”

Izuku gives him a look, but realizes it makes perfect sense. The two of them leave their suite to see if they can follow Katsuki enough to corner him, realizing that his door isn’t completely open. Izuku pushes gently, saying his name quietly to warn him (and also bracing for blast impact) but as the door creaks open, the two realize that Katsuki’s standing at the balcony of his hotel room. 

Before Izuku can step further, Shoto holds him back.

“He’s on the phone,” he whispers. 

They turn to leave, but Izuku catches, far too many times, the words “relationship” and “not ready.”

---

No text back.

You purse your lips, then turn your phone over, adjusting yourself in your chair so that you can hug one knee, and resuming the work of editing your photos in the late hours of the night. Now that you’ve had a moment to actually go through your files in this brief respite from Hero work, you’ve realized that you’ve had a backlog of pictures, some you’ve taken more professionally and some casually, to file away appropriately. It’s late, and the truth is that you’re somewhat bored, and the thought of what happened just under a week ago still plagues you, especially in lieu of Katsuki’s suddenly diminished communication.

Perhaps you are imagining it. For all you know he could be in the middle of a dangerous fight, although you haven’t heard anything and you try not to think of the worst. Otherwise, he just is busy, or perhaps he feels weird too, that the simple act of kissing may have crossed some boundary that he now regrets.

You sigh and click through pictures. There’s a big picture of Lili and June hugging each other that you’re not sure they’ve seen that you file away to text to the group later, then a picture of Hitoshi and June, with his arms wrapped around her which makes you shake your head, and finally some aerial views of Tokyo which make you squint as you try to figure out the angle, until you realize Katsuki had flown you high up for these shots which makes your tummy hurt.

It’s time for bed.

You’re a little sluggish to rise but you’ll try to be active tomorrow morning and then your phone buzzes.

You doin’ all right?

You try to stop your heart from fluttering. This is your friend, nothing more.

Yeah. Are you being a hero?

When his speech bubble appears then disappears, you second guess yourself, wondering if you sounded too bitter, then try to follow it up with a laughing emoji. 

Something like that, is his reply. A pit forms in your stomach but he hasn’t said anything wrong.

Everything okay? You ask. There’s too much pause in between the read receipt and his response, but he replies, finally:

Yeah. I’ll see you soon.

[izvmimi]

hi mimi ! i hope ure having a great day or night ! I’m sorry if it’s rude to ask or if someone asked this already (I’m quite new to ur blog) but is Matchlit done? i love it sm it’s my recent fave !

( I <3 ur writing )

hfjjfj it’s been on hold for a very long time 😭 sorry!! i’m not completely sure i won’t continue it but i do need to figure out exactly where i want to take it cuz unfortunately i don’t plot my fics

thank you so much for your interest tho!! i’ll keep you in mind when i think about my next steps

[izvmimi]

Hi Mimi! I'm dropping by to say Matchlit is one of my favorite on going series, the plot is really interesting and the writing is beautiful and easy to follow

stop fjfjjfkffk this is so sweet ty!!! i feel bad cuz i feel like i’m not working on it as much since i feel like no one is reading it, which is clearly not true since you are! thank you so much again!!! i hope you have a lovely day!