UH - I swear I'm not dead or anything. School sucks, life sucks. What's new y'all?
─────────────────────────────

"I THINK (Y/N) WILL WANT TO SEE THIS"

Izuku agreed with Shouto, as both peered down at the envelope, the seal containing traces of glimmering hope and sleepless nights. Shouto's fingertips drummer against the marble. Each tap sent a hopeful spark to his heart. There was nothing in the world he wanted to see more than (y/n)'s happiness, and he knew Izuku shared the endearing sentiment.

"(y/n) ! That letter you've been waiting for arrived!" Izuku called out. It took around a millisecond before the ruckus began. The slam of a door, followed by heavy footsteps. Her excitement was expected. What wasn't expected , however. . .

"WHAT?! WHERE?!" Izuku had the decency to look away, even if the scenario had already been overdone in all his years of sharing a roof with her. With a hand tightly holding the rim of the towel, damp (h/c) locks left a trail of droplets, a remnant of her bath. Shouto simply sighed, he was used to this type of occurrence.

Despite that, his gaze couldn't help but linger, his oddly colored hues trailed the shape of her collarbone, to her delicately traced jawline. Soft and subtle, it appeared more fragile than a withering rose. Then, he reminded himself he was a decent human being, and looked away, following Izuku's actions.

Oblivious to the burning cheeks and bewitched stares ( as usual ) , (y/n) didn't take a more than a heartbeat to leap towards the envelope. Her fingertips fiddled with the seal, hoping to unravel a response as worthy of her countless nights of effort, and burned out sketchbooks.

( - 🍒 - )

Please , please tell me I at least got something. Having the opportunity to just participate was more than enough for me, really. But a girl could hope. A girl could dream. And a girl could fall. I was drenched, had bath foam sticking to my back, and was almost half naked. If that isn't desperate, I don't know what is. But I had to know. My letter was already late for some reason. I wasn't going to let my envy for Izu keep growing.

Seeing him work alongside such a successful designer always made me wonder what it felt like. I turned green with envy whenever he came home back late because he was working, or he left at dawn because he had an event to attend. Despite him not doing this for so long, he had already gotten his results , and prospered, and I was just at the starting line with mine.

A starting line that wasn't even assured. It was as fickle as a written line in the dessert sand, it could be easily blown away by failure, alongside my hopes and ambitions. Even if the envy I felt was enough to make emeralds jealous, he deserved all good things in the world. I was certain of that.

I fumbled to break the seal, unaware of what the future held in store for me. Paper found my skin, and the borders tinted a subtle blue from where I held it thanks to my damp hands. I didn't pay attention to the carefully engraved borders, or the formalities written at the start. That didn't phase me, as I speed read through the black writing.

Miss (l/n).. writing writing .. stuff I don't care about..

My gaze froze as I reached the middle of the letter, which highlighted something I didn't think would be recognized. We are terribly sorry about your late results, hence we had a bit of trouble on our end with contacting the other end, but we are very proud to congratulate you, (y/n) (l/n), in earning one of our most exclusive internships.

The wall clock appeared to move slower, the tick of the hands dragging behind. Or maybe it was my heart, which I was almost sure stopped all functions in me. An idle buzz surrounded me, like an invisible static. I knew Shouto and Izuku were asking questions in the background, but none of those mattered as my pulse leapt and the stars aligned for me. Things were finally becoming clear. I'll show them. I'll show them I don't need them. They'll never—

I stopped. I had to read it once, twice, and again to make sure my vision hadn't suddenly dropped in quality, or I was hallucinating. The contact information .. had to be wrong.

You will be interning with Mitsuki Bakugou, CEO of ZERO FASHION, a clothing brand that has taken the world by storm, and expanded in extraordinary ways. It is a grand learning opportunity, so we hope you make the most of it, Miss (l/n)

Ha..ha . The letter sat there , taunting me. The inky print mocked the irony of the situation, the contact information awaiting for my call at the bottom left of a piece of paper that could certainly assure my doom. It's not like he knows I'm Cherry Babe... But still, how was I supposed to feel about that?!

The smile on my lips was quick to stretch into a frown, spreading it's despair from my lips to the corners of my eyes, which dulled in a moment of weakness. I groaned, the shivering cold finally washing over me, like waves crashing against sharp, intimidating rocks. Difference was, I was anything but intimidating. I reminded myself I was still in a towel, and I was never able to finish my bath. Suddenly, I wished to be back in that pool of warmth, being pampered by the comforting scent of roses and peaches.

"(y/n).. what's wrong?.." for a moment , I had almost forgotten my best friends were watching. Thank the gods it was them, or else I would have preferred to be mauled by a hound dog than be seen in that state. Izuku's empathic gaze lingered over me.

His calloused hand reached for my still soaked (h/c) locks, as his lips turned downwards in concern. Shouto rest both of his elbows on the marble counter, raising an eyebrow at me. He was always unimpressed, and knowing him, he probably found secret amusement in my anguish.

"I'm going to intern in 'Zero Fashion' of all places" I groaned. Izuku bit his lower lip, a small hum following. Shouto held in a chuckle, as my hand found it's way to the back of his head.

"It's not funny! Do you guys know how awkward this is for me?!"

"I mean, but isn't that the company Katsuki Bakugou is in? You know, the man you've idolized for years, and have hopelessly romanced as well?" I saw the shit eating smirk fighting to appear on his lips, and I was close to choking him out. Cold, cocky motherfu—

"But let's look at the bright side! He doesn't know you're the one that uh, got into that small .. quarrel with him! You'll be able to meet Mitsuki Bakugou, one of the best designers in the globe! Well a—"

"After Toshinori, I know , I know"  I cut Izuku off, waving my hand dismissively as I could already guess half of what he was going to say. Not that I didn't appreciate his effort , of course. I traced my fingertips along the contact information on the paper, hoping the dull writing could give me some kind of sign on what to do.

It was petty internet drama, of course. But it felt so awkward, and the fact I had been able to offend my idol with such a stupid mistake was something that I could never live down, to be honest. The world was a colorful place, and I never failed to find the brightness in the midst of monochrome misery, but this was the one time I was stumped. There was a world of opportunities waiting for me, but oh god what if he finds out it's me.

"You're overthinking, (y/n). Which isn't very common of you." Now it was Shouto's turn to speak. His once smirking lips now frowned. He snatched the letter from my grip, skimming over its contents.

"This is great, (y/n). Why are you so worried? What if you don't even have to see him? You're working with Mitsuki, after all. You and Izuku the most gifted and hardworking people I know, and I'm sure that a simple .. man won't stop you from pursuing such a dream" he placed the letter back on the counter, shrugging. Even if his gesture was indifferent, I could sense a subtle bitterness when he referred to Bakugou. "It's just the internet. And it was a ridiculous mistake. The solution is simple: keep moving forward."

The heavy air between us felt lighter , almost feather like, with his words. Shouto went back to his original stance, resting his cheek on his palm. Izuku nodded enthusiastically , and I couldn't help but feel an overwhelming desire to hug them both. But that wasn't ethical at the moment.

There was still lingering worries in the back of my head, but he wasn't wrong when he said I was overthinking. It was only the internet. The internship was the opportunity of a lifetime, and there's no way I would throw that away for some mistake. Everyone makes them, right?

"You're right. You're both right. Thank you guys, I'll never be grateful enough for your support and advice." The tingling hope filtered through the air. It was almost palpable to me. Putting all the online drama aside, I made it. I earned that internship, all with my blood, sweat and tears.

I spun around in a leap, holding the towel together still. "Yeah! I can do this. It's going to be amazing. I'll be as good as Izu in no time, and I'll be able to make all sorts of wonderful designs for Sho." The bath called for me, and so did my will to fight.

You'll show them. You'll show them what you're really made of.

( - 🍒 - )

KATSUKI THOUGHT HE had turned his notifications off. The blue icon in his screen said otherwise though. His friends had already gone ahead, as he trailed behind them to see what it was all about. His thumb brushed the blue icon, as he entered the app. The home screen greeted him happily, if happily was with drama headlines and rumor pages. Katsuki rolled his eyes, remembering why he only entered the goddamn app to post announcements. What was the notification again? He clicked on the number of the corner of his screen, telling him there were many things to check on his social account, even if he only wanted to see one.

The young man could see his friends from the corner of his eye. Eijiro and Ochako happily chatted about things Katsuki couldn't reach, for his focus was glued on his mobile. Walking and paying attention to your phone was always a bad idea, too. Katsuki was able to have a grandiose traste of it as he bumped straight into someone, stumbling back as a stream of curses spat right out his lips.

"What the hell have I told you about cursing in the office, huh?!"

Fuck. Katsuki immediately recognized the voice. How could he not? Considering he's had to hear it for the last twenty years of his life. He wasn't even able to check his phone, as he shoved it back into his pocket to listen to the woman's scolding.

"Listen , old hag. I don't have time for this crap. I have shit to do." Katsuki spat. His fists twitched in growing irritation as Mitsuki flared up at him. Even with their height difference, Katsuki knew better than to let himself get too carried away with what he said to her.

"Do you think I give a damn if you have shit to do?! Remind yourself who you're speaking to, Katsuki. Lucky for you, I didn't come here to scold you for your behavior. I need to talk to you, it's important."

Fucking hell. From a second to the next , the blonde was being dragged away. Ochako and Eijiro glanced back at him, curious gazes following. They already had an idea when the yelling came into play, but seeing Mitsuki dragging Katsuki away reassured that this was something they did not want to get involved with.

─────────────────────────────

WELL WERE BACK YALL — somewhat. I'm sorry if this update is short or not the greatest but the next will be better ! That I promise. I hope you all enjoyed this though 💕 Also this is very unedited so please forgive any mistakes !! I'll correct any details later on in the day.

- takutea