Chapter Text
September.
Bakugou Katsuki doesn’t read.
He doesn’t read most of the contracts he signs as a hero. All of them are sent to his lawyer and notary, or perhaps his agent if it has anything to do with PR. In general, it is in very few instances in which Katsuki decides to read something by himself. If he doesn’t read the reports that guide his entire hero trajectory, imagine the most trivial and mundane things. Those get completely ignored.
So yeah, Bakugou Katsuki is not a man that reads frequently.
And no, it’s not because he’s stupid. He’s not, by the way. He didn’t graduate UA top of his class because he was lucky. Katsuki just thinks reading is a waste of time. Nothing that he has read in his life has really deserved his attention, in his humble opinion.
That’s why, now that he finds himself in a bookstore, it is only, exclusively, to accompany Sero, who does like to read. He follows the other hero through the complex aisles of shelves, which interest him as much as the next C list villain. Katsuki bothers to look at some of the book covers, but has no desire to inspect them. All in all, he walks through the store the same way a philistine walks through an art museum.
However, even though he dislikes being here, Sero had insisted that, before going home, he had to buy the newest book of his favorite saga. Apparently, the ending of the first part left him so intrigued he wanted to carve his eyes out just to know what would happen next. Not that Katsuki listened to his whole rant. He didn’t.
“So, the beginning mirrors the end of the story?”
Or maybe he did, but he’d die before admitting it.
Come on. The poor guy looked way too excited with this shit just to ignore him. Katsuki can be an asshole most of the time, but he knows when something is important for someone. Sero, who hides under a black baseball cap, moves his eyes from the shelves to Bakugou, and gives him a determined look the blonde would honestly rather see in the battlefield.
“Yes, dude! At first I didn’t realize. It was so obvious it was a parallel but it had been such a long time since I’d read the beginning that I totally forgot about it. When I read it on Twitter… God, I couldn’t help crying over how well it fit,” Sero said, both hands in fists to contain his emotion. Katsuki would swear he was seeing Kirishima’s spirit take over the tape man. “I am so excited to see what happens next! I got a feeling this part will be a lot darker, though.” Sero keeps murmuring with anticipation, and he wouldn’t be surprised if the man started doing backflips.
Katsuki can’t help his smile at how excited his friend was.
“Whatever you say,” he replies, trying to put back his angry mask on while they walk through more aisles, until they stop at the right place.
There, right above the shelf, is a sign that labels it as the fantasy and fiction section.
Sero rushes to it, but still takes a while while trying to find the book. Katsuki notices the writer is the number one best seller, and even has his own personalized section within. Marketing tactics, he supposes distractedly while dodging random civilians as he walks towards the other hero.
The books in question are on a very decorated shelf. He has to admit that, at first glance, it really caught his attention. However, that doesn’t mean he’s dumb enough to fall for shitty marketing ploys. Katsuki notices red streaks that turn into living flames tangling with green lightning on a mystical purple background.
In that moment he vaguely remembers Sero commenting on the saga being about magicians, sorcery and witches, or something like that. Not that he would know anything about it.
On the side of the decorated shelf is a poster much like a movie billboard, showcasing some type of creature. It is not scary at all, and looks more like a stuffed animal than anything supernatural, which is what he thought the author was going for.
The thing resembled a rabbit but, for some reason, also had a little horn to the side of its head. That confuses him a lot because, what the hell is it supposed to be then? Its color palette goes from a light blue to a deep purple. The rabbit looks enchanting, but he can’t help but feel there is just something wrong with its design.
Honestly, what the fuck?
Katsuki frowns, not really convinced with the quality of the story now. It seems more like something a teenager desperate for adventure would write. It’s a mix of magic, the same three supernatural beings he’s seen on screen the last 20 years, and many romance cliches too cheesy for him to read.
The sole idea of reading it puts Katsuki in a bad mood and he feels the annoyance grow in the palm of his hands.
Ah, now he remembers why he stopped reading. The number of books he burned during his teenage years would’ve made him the next Julius Cesar.
Katsuki looks back at Sero.
“So, you say it’s pretty good?” he asks, skeptical. How is it that a saga of two books — one only out for a week — had sold so many copies?
Sero turns around with the second book already in his hands. “Yes. Although I’m not gonna lie, it’s actually become quite popular because of Tik Tok.”
Katsuki gives him a look.
“I found it thanks to Uraraka, though. Honestly,” Sero says, before going on a tangent while Katsuki inspects the book.
In it, appears the back of a boy alone in the snow, so far away from the plane he seems unattainable for the reader. He’s in the middle of a storm, snowflakes looking aggressive even while static in the drawing and hitting the kids’ hunched back as if he carried the weight of the world in his shoulders.
Sero continues talking. Katsuki only pays attention when the other looks back expecting reassurance. After a few nods, Katsuki decides to inspect the first book. He’s surprised at how different the cover is from the second part.
The protagonist appears again, but this time we see him smiling ear to ear, next to the weird rabbit he’d seen on the other cover. The background seems to be a school entrance at the beginning of autumn, judging by all the orange leaves covering the ground. The kid looks simple, with green eyes and deep black hair. The rabbit, on the other hand, looks a lot more like a spectrum than something tangible. It also has red eyes, as bright as apples.
Katsuki compares both books and can’t help but wonder vaguely where the rabbit ended up in the second book. It seemed to be the kid’s good friend.
“Dude, look!” Sero calls out to Katsuki. “I told you! Check out Mikumo! Alone under the snow like a delinquent running from the law…”
The tape hero continues, modulating his voice like a narrator.
“I told you it was going to be a much darker second part! It’s impossible to out do the first book so the author probably took a twist for this one. God, I’m so excited to see how much of a genius this dude is.”
This is all very nerdy of him, Katsuki thinks.
“Is the author a dude?” he asks in a low voice, more to himself.
His eyes trace the book cover to two vague initials that leave everything to the imagination.
[ I. M. ]
Awesome.
“Ah yeah, but, people don’t know much about him. He prefers to be anonymous, you know? He’s done some Q&A’s here and there but mostly through his editor. Although, now that you mention it, I think he opened a Twitter account recently! To interact with fans!”
Bakugo raises an eyebrow and goes back to staring at the book in his hands. It’s thick, and judging by the font size, extensive.
“Well, I don’t know why someone would write anonymously when he’s top in sales,” he replies, not that interested. “A bit cowardly of him,” he adds, more like a truth than an opinion.
Sero, however, frowns at that. “Hey, everyone’s free to do what they feel is best. Maybe the guy just wants to live without being recognized by fans.” He stops, thoughtful, and then pouts. “Honestly, I’m kinda jealous. I also wish I could walk around without having to hide my face.”
Sero whines. At first, having a fanbase was fine, but with time and rising in rankings, he’s been overwhelmed by the attention in and out of the job. Katsuki gives him a side-eye look and can’t help but agree. He does love attention, but he hates dealing with people. Obviously, he’s not going to admit this out loud, much less in front of Sero.
He growls lowly and decides it’s enough for today, placing the book back in its place.
“Well, you finally got your shitty book. Can we leave? I still have to eat and shower, you know?” Katsuki spits, tucking his hands inside his sweatpants' pockets.
Sero, on the other hand, comes back to reality and nods. Before he starts walking to the register though, he turns to Katsuki.
“Wait, you’re not buying the first book?” he says, pointing back to the shelves.
Katsuki frowns and stares at him like he’s grown a second head. “Ah? Why the hell would I buy that stupid book?”
Sero doesn’t answer, and after a moment of silence, he laughs. Katsuki loses his shit at that.
“What the hell are you laughing at?!”
The other hero immediately shakes his head in denial. “Dude, you’ve been staring at it for so long. No one would ask so much about a book they’re totally indifferent to.”
Katsuki makes a weird face. “I was asking because you like it, idiot. That doesn’t mean I want to read it.”
“Aw, how considerate of you, Bakubro!” Sero dodges a hit and laughs. “Either way man, you should read it. I bet it’s a great book and if it's top in sales, there's a reason, don’t you think?”
“I’m not reading a stupid fantasy book. I have better things to do.”
“Oh, come on! You don’t have the right to criticize it if you haven’t given it a chance!” Sero says. He picks up the same book from the shelf. “I’ll pay for it. Read it and, if it’s not up to the almighty Dynamight’s standard then you can talk about my bad taste all you want and in front of everyone.”
Sero places the book in his hands.
Bakugou stares at him, annoyed, since he really doesn’t want to read a shit book. However, mocking Sero with Kaminari and Kirishima doesn't sound as bad.
“Fine. But, what the hell do you win in this?”
“The satisfaction of seeing you buy the second book all by yourself.”
Katsuki raises an eyebrow, skeptical. “I’d rather die than come back to this place and buy the other book. Prepare to fucking lose.”
“Oh, we’ll see,” the other says, as confident as he can be on the author, as he walks towards the register.
Katsuki can only look irritated. He’s convinced this book will suck and that at least, he’s gonna be able to make fun of his friend during the next two months.