#also this show is randomly in a venue about a third of the size of the venue i saw them sell out just over an hour away in january

[wavernot4love]

just opened instagram to immediate whiplash when i saw this aka new dates .....

with YET ANOTHER thursdayband show in my immediate area???? the third in around ten months????? oh wavernot4love is going to be so very back this summer indeed

[kaistarus]

Clickbait: Chapter 3

Summary:  A lot of great things came with being a big name YouTuber, but along with those perks were some serious drawbacks. One of the biggest being your lack of personal privacy. Due to just one video, Kirishima's least well-kept secret has become a viral sensation overnight, and now he has to deal with the repercussions from both the YouTube community and the public. Hopefully, those he's dragging down with him won't mind...

Words: 4,418

Pairings: kiribaku, tododeku

First Chapter Here

“Oh, stop that.” Mina shooed his hands from his shirt, undoing the top button he’d been fiddling with since they’d left the apartment. “I spent money on this. Don’t wreck it before we even get there.”

“I still think I should’ve—”

“If you even mention that lime-green pineapple monstrosity I’ll have this Uber turn around.” Mina threatened with playful eyes.

Kirishima pouted. It wasn’t that he didn’t trust Mina’s fashion choices—charcoal did bring out his eyes—he just missed the familiarity of his statement pieces. He knew there was nothing wrong with dressing to impress on occasion, but too much effort made him nervous. At least his hair was still bright-red and spiked to perfection—a true Kirishima statement piece.

“I think you look beautiful in everything you wear.” Kaminari gave a thumbs up from the passenger seat.

“Instigator.” Mina huffed.

Kirishima let his head roll against the window in disdain, watching his breath fog the glass, cold from the car speeding through a Spring’s night. He focused on how the window shook against his temple, tuning out the sound of Kaminari dragging their Uber driver into a nonsense conversation. To be fair, the driver had asked about their week out of polite obligation, so he felt worse for himself at being subjected to Kaminari’s theory of ghost squirrels for the third time that week.

Around them the city was bustling. Cars and stoplights, venues and nightclubs, enormous advertisements; they lit up Los Angeles like every star it stole from the night sky. They passed misfits in street bands using dirty buckets and cheap guitars, strangers selling illegal products to oblivious tourists, and others promising talents that almost always fell short. After a few years here Kirishima had learned the area and discovered the patterns, but it’s diversity always brought a mystery he could never solve. The chaos that kept it alive and him with it.

It was a far cry from the town he and Mina had grown up in.

“We’re here.”

He hadn’t noticed the Uber driver pull over until Mina had him halfway out the car. They were dropped off in front of a five-story red bricked apartment complex that looked nothing like where Kirishima imagined Bakugou living. The plain exterior didn’t match his flashy, overly confident attitude in the slightest. “I’ll message Uraraka to let us in,” Kirishima said when they reached the vestibule.

“It’s like we’re back in college, eh?” Kaminari nudged him. “Waiting to get buzzed into a party?”

“Kirishima the only reason you’re getting into a party?” Sero smirked. “Yep, you’re definitely back in college.”

“He isn’t listed on here.” Mina interrupted. She was pointing to a list hung by the keypad, filled with names and apartment numbers.

“He probably doesn’t want followers randomly popping in.” Kirishima shrugged.

“Or maybe he doesn’t want the cops to find him.” Kaminari opened the main door when a buzz surrounded them.

“You better not say things like that when we get up there.”

“People need to know Kirishima,” Kaminari rolled his eyes at Kirishima’s stern glare. “Kidding. I’ll be a good boy.”

“What was the apartment number?” Sero asked as they entered the elevator.

Kirishima opened the messages from Uraraka and hesitated. “Uh… 420?”

Sero shook his head before pressing the button to the fourth floor.

“Look, man.” Kaminari placed a hand on Kirishima’s shoulder. “If this all ends up being a prank, I’m willing to fight a girl.”

“She’d kick your ass.” Sero snorted.

Kirishima quickly learned that although the building seemed simple—gray carpets, tan walls, no pictures or art—it was impossible to navigate. It took them nearly fifteen minutes to work through the winding halls—door numbers following no obvious order—before they finally arrived at apartment 420. And after the senseless excursion, Kirishima experienced he changed his mind; it was exactly the kind of place he pictured Bakugou living in.

The faint bass thumping passed the apartment door’s false wood shook the surrounding hall. Kirishima hesitated briefly before knocking, irritation from the senseless journey overpowering his previous nerves. The host's response time was quicker than he was expecting.

“Kirishima!” A short girl, soft edges and wide smile, pulled him into a tight hug—hold strong for someone her size. “I’m so glad you all actually came!”

“Yeah. Well, you know. I’m a fan of them. And you. A normal fan. Not a weird one”

Uraraka smiled, a knowing look in her eyes that made Kirishima uneasy.

“At least one of us is normal!” Mina linked their arms together. “I’m a huge fan of yours. Honestly, the main reason we’re here is that I’m like, obsessed.”

Mina gave Kirishima a subtle wink. She had promised him that she’d start paying off her debt tonight. She’d be anything he needed: wingwoman, distraction, comic relief, he names it and she’d play it. Obviously, he wouldn’t do that to her, but that wouldn’t stop her from following him around and doing it anyway.

“Wha—really?” Uraraka’s cheeks turned pink—pinker.

Mina grabbed Uraraka’s hands. “I binged you in one night. You’re amazing.”

“But you—I don’t—you’re so much more popular than me.”

“Like that matters. People are sleeping on you, girl.”

Kirishima wondered if Mina knew she could have the world wrapped around her well-manicured finger.

“Holy shit,” Kaminari swatted Kirishima’s arm. “Is that Earphone Jack?”

Several meters behind Uraraka was a girl decked out in rocker apparel, signature skull headphones hanging off her shoulders, leaning casually against a black leather couch. Definitely Earphone Jack. She was talking to someone else; a girl with long black hair dressed more readily for a wedding than a casual get-together. She seemed familiar—YouTuber?

“Good luck getting your man.” Kaminari gave a salute then beelined towards them.

Sero sighed. “I’ll try to keep him in check.” As he walked off, he called over his shoulder. “Try.”

Well, there’s a stress-factor he hadn’t considered.

“Oh!” Uraraka pulled away from Mina. “I should show you guys around.”

Kirishima could mingle himself, but it was probably better to meet through Uraraka considering his circumstances. Not that he had a choice since Uraraka was dragging him by the cuff of his sleeve before he could reply—Mina practically skipping behind him.

The apartment was decently sized—two-bedroom with a balcony—but the number of people made it feel smaller. He was impressed by how many of those people Uraraka speed dated them through on their short walk to the kitchen. He met at least twelve new people, and in the whirlwind could only remember half their names. Surprisingly, nobody brought up the video—except one girl, Camie, but it was more harmless teasing than anything malicious. Everyone was awesome and he wanted to befriend them all, but Uraraka had an agenda. Which wasn’t met until they finally reached the kitchen’s border.

“Todoroki!” Uraraka flailed her arms above her head. Eventually catching the attention of a boy with a botched dye-job and mismatched eyes—contacts probably. He emerged with a red cup in hand and a bored expression, giving the impression that whatever Uraraka wanted from him was already a waste of the guy’s time. Uraraka didn’t seem to feel this way because her attitude didn’t falter in the slightest.

“This is Mina.” She gestured towards Mina who waved, “and this,” she said with an emphasis Kirishima didn’t appreciate. “is Kirishima.”

Todoroki blinked once, twice. Unimpressed. Uraraka kept her smile wide, patient. Then she gestured towards Kirishima once more, this time she tugged once on her hair. Todoroki’s eyes widened briefly, and he nodded in understanding.

“Shitty Hair,” he said, monotone. “I’ve heard of you.”

Kirishima heard Mina snort beside him and he mouthed the name to himself. That was a little rude for a first greeting.

“Todoroki!” Uraraka swatted him.

“But isn’t that—”

“Sorry about him.” Uraraka waved him off and he narrowed his eyes, grumbling something into his cup. “This social butterfly here is Todoroki. He’s the Mystery Unsolved’s main editor. He’s also Bakugou’s roommate.”

Kirishima’s face heated up. If there was one person who knew the situation it’d be Bakugou’s roommate. Although this Todoroki guy looked like he could care less about anything and everything, especially Kirishima.

He wasn’t sure if that made him more nervous or less.

“Todoroki is the reason we’re able to have this surprise party.” Uraraka elbowed Todoroki’s side.

“As long as Bakugou knows it wasn’t by choice.”

“We all know you’d face Bakugou’s wrath if it meant seeing Deku happy.” Uraraka elbowed him excessively. Kirishima swore his cheeks brightened, but it was hard to tell with the dim lighting.

“How are you planning on surprising them?” Mina asked.

“Deku and Bakugou are out late researching some stuff for their next video. I told Deku he needs to come here to walk me home.” Uraraka pumped her fist. “Bakugou was pissed, but that’s normal.”

Kirishima raised a brow. Pissing off a man of honor before filling their house with people seemed like a terrible idea.

“Like I said,” Todoroki observed the rest of the party goers, “as long as he knows I had nothing to do with it.”

“Why didn’t you have the party somewhere else?” Kirishima asked.

“Bakugou is too perceptive for his own good,” Uraraka rolled her eyes. “To be honest, he likely already knows what we’re doing right now. He’s probably just humoring us, that asshole.”

“As long as he knows—”

A short jingle sounded from Uraraka’s pocket and her hands moved like lightning to get it out.

“They’re on their way!” She shook Todoroki’s shoulder. “It’s Deku. He says they’re on their way!”

She disappeared into the crowd, reemerging above everyone at the center of the room, assumingly standing on furniture. After garnering attention, she announced the ‘guests of honor’s’ arrival—odd word choice considering the apartment—and demanded quiet. The tall guy with the glasses he’d met earlier turned off the music while others huddled into respective groups. Any nerves he’d managed to bottle up came bursting back with a vengeance.

“Hey,” Todoroki made him jump. He had assumed the guy would’ve walked off by now. “I saw your video.”

“Oh… yeah?”

Todoroki didn’t respond. He remained as stoic as ever, but as the guy turned away Kirishima caught an icy glare.

“He hates me.”

“No,” Mina brushed off. “He just has that face.”

Kirishima shook his head. “No.” That guy hated him, which probably meant Bakugou hated him. He gulped.

The mixture of giggling and shushing sent jitters like electricity throughout the room. Mina squeezed his shaky hand and whispered into his ear, “ready?”

He nodded, but when keys jingling made someone squeal, he debated running. The door creaking and people shouting ‘surprise’ were the last things his brain took in before he briefly malfunctioned. Bakugou had pushed open the door, standing in the frame with those fierce crimson eyes and soft bone structure, he was a perfect contradiction. Somehow, he was even more attractive in person.

He was also shorter than Kirishima imagined.

And a lot louder.

“What the actual fuck round face!” Bakugou’s voice reached above the combined cheering. Beside Bakugou, Midoriya’s lower lip started to quiver.

This apparently was the expected response because even though Bakugou’s screaming could currently rival LA traffic Uraraka was closing in for a hug. Midoriya started busting out some serious waterworks, but Todoroki surprised Kirishima by giving Midoriya a comforting hug; even allowing him to snot on his shirt. It was an amusing display, and Kirishima briefly wondered if his friends looked this confusing to outsiders.

He’d been so lost in the scene he hadn’t realized Bakugou was staring at him until he was consumed by the fiery gaze, completely frozen in place. This was it, he thought, the moment of truth.

He didn’t know how to react when Bakugou turned away, lecturing Midoriya about being a ‘little bitch’. It was as if Bakugou had looked right through him.

“He really is just like they say, huh?” Mina laughed.

“They both are.”

“You okay?” Mina raised a brow.

“Yeah,” Kirishima half-smiled. “I think I need some fresh air.”

Mina looked skeptical but let him leave. Kirishima went to the balcony, assuming people would give congratulations for a while. He sat down and let his legs hang off the balcony, the bars close enough together that he could lean against them without fear. From there he could take in Los Angeles’ lights, and listen to the cacophony of poor driving and the occasional drunk from below.

He wasn’t disappointed Bakugou hadn’t made a scene. That combined with everyone else’s reaction showed him he’d been blowing this controversy out of proportion. He should’ve known a group of YouTubers would understand the situation—treat it maturely. If a part of him had fallen prey to Mina’s romcom ideas that was his own fault. Thinking Bakugou would’ve acknowledged him in the slightest was high hopes where Kirishima was concerned. Even with the entire internet throwing a spotlight his way he still couldn’t make an impression. He was still that same nobody from before the vlogs.

He could never escape his past.

The balcony door slid open. He hadn’t known how long he’d been stewing in his misery, but he knew Mina was probably watching the clock. He was ready to be dragged inside. There were people he wanted to talk to aside from Bakugou and he shouldn’t let his own worthlessness ruin Bakugou and Midoriya’s night.

“What the fuck are you doing out here alone?”

Kirishima’s grip on the bar tightened. He knew that voice, and it definitely wasn’t Mina. Knowing that he still wasn’t prepared to see Bakugou; eyebrow raised, and hands hung loosely in his hoodie pocket. Kirishima turned back around slowly—he couldn’t talk making eye contact.

“Could ask you the same thing.” Kirishima tried to sound cool, but he felt like an idiot. His face was warm.

Bakugou scoffed. “Too many fucking people. Needed some air.” He moved next to Kirishima and leaned against the balcony, looking out at the cityscape.

Kirishima nodded. “Same.” He extended the word awkwardly. He wanted to die. Kirishima fleetingly wished that Bakugou was acting peaceful and would surprise throw him off the ledge.

“Round Face invite you?”

Kirishima remembered him screaming that at Uraraka earlier. “Yeah…”

“Of course, she did,” then under his breath. “That meddling bitch.”

Kirishima found it odd he’d be calling his friend bitch, but he didn’t comment. “You’re not like… mad?”

“Why the fuck would I be mad?”

“Because…” Kirishima raised an eyebrow and looked at Bakugou. “The video?”

“Oh.” Bakugou rolled his eyes. “I don’t give a fuck. Your friend posted a video with a bunch of out of context shit for views. It’s not your fault the internet is fucking crazy.”

Kirishima stared at his shoes. “Out of context…” His eyes widened. “Out of context! Yeah! I’m so glad you understand, man. I thought it was gonna be impossible, almost unbelievable even.” He laughed a little too long. Bakugou narrowed his eyes.

“Right…”

“Yep,” he popped the ‘p’, leaning his head against a bar. “Anyway, I’m sorry for all the attention and rumors and memes… you know.”

“It’s whatever.” Bakugou leaned his chin onto his crossed arms. “I feel fucking sorry for you. You’ve got all the fanboys and fangirls. They’ve gotta be giving you shit.”

“Giving me shit?”

“Yeah,” Bakugou’s arms shot forward. “Cause like, you’re all peppy and social and nice and crushing on the anger management asshole? That can’t be good for your image.”

Kirishima snorted. He can’t believe that was something that crossed Bakugou’s mind. His heart felt like it was his entire chest.

“Peppy and social and nice?” Kirishima snorted. “That’s what you think I am?”

“Fuck off.”

“Well, maybe I am on camera.” Kirishima shook his head. “And trust me. My fans are very supportive of me. If you had a Twitter you’d get to see all the fan art I’ve gotten sent my way.”

“Oh? Well, if it has me in it. I’m sure it’s fucking fantastic.”

“It’s definitely… imaginative.”

Bakugou huffed out something akin to a laugh. Kirishima felt so soft. He couldn’t believe this was happening when just moments ago he was putting himself down. Bakugou was being so calm too; a complete flip from when he’d first arrived at the party.

“I’m going back inside. It’s fucking cold.” Bakugou pushed back from the railing. “You coming?”

Kirishima nodded. “Yeah, there are some people I need to—”

The balcony door slid open and Sero poked his head out.

“Hey, man. We should head out. That new BlackPink song came on and Uraraka started dancing on the coffee table. Denki’s drunk ass thought he could impress everyone by joining in, but now he’s on the floor and making a scene,” he seemed to finally process who was standing next to Kirishima. “Uh, sorry about the carpet.” Then he slammed the balcony door closed.

Kirishima should’ve known that the true disaster tonight would be Kaminari.

“Who the hell is Denki?”

“Uh, Kaminari? Blonde?” Kirishima shrugged. “You haven’t really seen my videos so—”

“Sparky?” Bakugou rolled his eyes. “Of course, that fucker would do some stupid drunk shit.”

Kirishima mouthed the odd nickname. What was up with those tonight?

“Sorry about that.”

“It’s fucking whatever. It was probably half Round Face’s fault. It’s usually her fucking the place up.” Bakugou sneered. “I’ll fucking kill her for it later.”

‘Murderer’ echoed in his mind in Kaminari’s voice, but he quickly shook it out.

“Right,” Kirishima looked to the door. “I should probably go collect my idiot. Congratulations, by the way.”

Bakugou waved him off. Their conversation wasn’t much, but Kirishima was on cloud nine when he reentered the apartment. Kaminari was easy to find, a small crowd gathered around him as he cried gibberish between sniffles. He clung to Mina’s hands while Uraraka apologized profusely to Sero.

“What happened to being a good boy?” Kirishima said kneeling beside him.

“It was Kill This Love, Ei. It would have been disrespectful if I hadn’t danced.” He cleared snot with his sleeve and Mina gagged, trying to free her hands. Kaminari clung tighter. Kirishima sighed, picking Kaminari up bridal style. In his peripheral, he saw Midoriya and Todoroki watching the scene unfold. Amongst the chaos, he’d temporarily forgotten Midoriya, one of the people he’d wanted to talk to most. Now that he learned where he stood with Bakugou he felt a lot more confident going over there with Kaminari groaning in his arms.

“Hey,” He cut in. “I’m Kirishima. I’m a really big fan of your videos.”

Midoriya smiled and Kirishima went momentarily blind. “Thank you! I’m a fan of your vlogs too. I’ve been watching them for a long time.”

Kirishima’s mouth fell open. No matter how many people told him they watched his videos he still couldn’t fathom it. The numbers never seemed real. He especially couldn’t process when people he admired thought he was worth watching.

“That’s incredible,” he struggled to find the right words. “Thank you so much I—"

“Ei, I’m tired.” Kaminari moaned.

Kirishima rolled his eyes. “Sorry about our child. We should’ve kept a better eye on him.”

“It’s okay. If it wasn’t him it probably would’ve been Uraraka.”

A ‘hey’ was shouted behind him and Kirishima laughed.

“That’s what Bakugou said, too.”

Midoriya looked surprised and Uraraka busted into their conversation. “You were talking to Bakugou? When? Where?”

Kirishima nodded towards the balcony. “A few minutes—”

Uraraka stomped off before he could finish. He heard a few curses mumbled under her breath and Kirishima was finally understanding how she and Bakugou meshed so well.

“Don’t worry about her,” Midoriya said. “She’s just… passionate.”

Kirishima smiled like he understood what that meant. The others started calling him front the front door and he frowned. He wouldn’t say his time with Bakugou a waste, but he wished he’d gotten more time with everyone else here as well.

“Don’t worry, I’ll see you around,” Midoriya said with a reassuring smile.

Kirishima wanted to believe him.

The elevator ride down was quiet aside from Kaminari’s obnoxious drunken breathing. Kirishima still wasn’t sure if tonight actually happened, or if he’d wake up tomorrow having it all been a crazy fever dream. Both options seemed equally plausible now that he was given time to process.

“The Uber will be here in five minutes,” Mina said as they exited the apartment complex. The temperature had dropped, a light breeze carried a new chill to the air. They huddled together on the curb while waiting for their ride, basking in each other’s warmth. Kaminari blanketed himself across their laps while Mina leaned heavily against Kirishima’s side, his arm wrapped snug around her. Sero opted to lye flat against the rough concrete, bones aching from exhaustion.

“I talked to Bakugou.” Kirishima’s voice cut through the silence. It wasn’t information they hadn’t known, but more a signal he was ready to talk about it.

Mina shuffled against him. “Good talk?”

“I think so,” Kirishima looked up at the few stars that fought against Los Angeles’ unforgiving lights; a humored smirk on his face. “He thinks the videos were out of context.”

Sero sat abruptly. “How.”

“I wasn’t going to debate it. I just took that miracle for what it was.” Kirishima shrugged, watching Mina play methodically with Kaminari’s hair. “Then we talked, and it was good.”

“You’re so cute.” Mina smiled.

“I mean,” Sero laid back down. “If he’s that dumb. You may be able to woo him just yet.”

Kirishima snorted and allowed the comfortable silence to befall them again, this time following them back until they struggled to get Kaminari ready for and in his bed. The emotional exhaustion that caught up to them was bone deep and aching, it left them crawling to their beds—Mina to the living room couch. Kirishima slept heavily, pitch-black fatigue that left no room for dreaming, only in the early hours did he catch a crimson stare chasing him into reality, invading his mind while on the cusp of consciousness. His brain was too muddled to comprehend it and it had fled his mind as soon as it’d come.

A kitchen melody of pans clanking and cupboards slamming told him somebody was already awake. The thick scent of fried meat wafting under his door had him throwing on the first sweats he saw and running out of his room. Sero was standing over a pan of bacon that sizzled and popped at the press of his spatula; the pan beside it warming up thick pancake batter. Kirishima’s stomach growled. He should’ve known it was Sero, nobody else could cook.

Mina was already eating at the kitchen island—showered, dressed, more put together then Kirishima could dream of—and was typing away on her sticker-covered pink laptop. It reminded Kirishima he was supposed to upload today, but he still had absolutely nothing planned. Mina gave him a quick smile and he decided he’d worry about that later. He had never missed an upload, so he’d figure it out one way or another.

He grabbed his favorite Crimson Riot plate from the cabinets—only for special occasions—and piled it with pancakes and bacon. Then he drenched them in a sea of syrup until he could barely tell there was food to begin with.

“Your sweet tooth is disturbing, Ei.”

“Everyone knows pancakes are just an excuse to eat syrup,” he said, taking the stool next to her. “Honestly, if you can even taste the pancakes, you’re doing it wrong.”

Mina gestured to his plate. “Good mood?”

“You know it.” He said through a mouthful of syrup. “Whatcha typing?”

Mina scrunched her nose at him. “Video ideas. I actually have a surprise.”

“Cause that usually works out for you.” Sero quipped.

“You shush,” Mina puffed up her cheeks. “I invited Uraraka over to collab with us.”

“What?” Kirishima leaned over excitedly. “That’s awesome!”

“Stop yelling!” Kaminari shouted from his room, muffled by walls. Kirishima rolled his eyes, but his smile didn’t falter.

“Yeah,” Mina smiled. “We talked about it yesterday. She’s getting busy with her channel because it’s comeback season soon, but she was free today.”

“Comeback season?” Sero asked.

“K-pop!” Kaminari shouted. “New music!”

“Get your lazy ass out here!” Mina called, getting an excessive high-pitched whine in response.

Kirishima was hyped. They’d never collabed with anyone outside the squad, so this would be huge for their channels. He was also just excited to spend time with Uraraka because based on yesterday he’d been correct assuming they’d all get along.

Now that he was thinking about last night…

“Hey,” Kirishima tapped his plate nonchalantly, “do you know why someone might call Kaminari ‘Sparky’?”

Sero snorted. “Probably because he static shocks everything he touches.”

Kirishima raised an eyebrow and on cue Kaminari stumbled into the kitchen. Cradling his head, he moved towards the sink, slumping forwards onto the counter he fumbled for the faucet. When he made contact a quick shock was heard and he pulled back with a hiss.

“Why does that always happen to me?” Kaminari cried, sliding down to the floor.

“That’s an old gag though.” Mina pointed out. “Like, wasn’t that Kaminari’s first meme?”

“Yeah, I’ve grown,” Kaminari called, lying flat on the floor. “Hey, if I just drink the bowl of pancake batter will it be the same as drinking water and eating pancakes?”

Sero kicked him. “Stop.” Then he turned to Kirishima. “Why? Who said that?”

Kirishima stared off into the distance. It was like he had all the pieces to a complex, funny looking puzzle, but he just wasn’t quite smart enough to solve it.

“Uh…” Their doorbell rang and he hopped off the stool. A perfect distraction. “I got it!”

Kirishima was so excited he didn’t even care that he hadn’t done his hair yet. Uraraka didn’t seem like someone who’d care about their appearances—at least he hoped not, Kaminari was hungover and whining in the middle of their kitchen.

“Hey, Urara… ka…” Kirishima had torn the door open with a huge smile that’d slowly fallen off his face. His eyes landed on the small girl he’d been expecting, all smiles and waving excitedly up at him. Then they landed on the guy slouching next to her. Kirishima had known who it was when the spiky ash-blonde hit his peripherals.

His fight or flight activated.

Uraraka raised an eyebrow. “Um… Kiri—”

He closed the door.