Chapter Text
“Do you mind if I roll down the window?”
The driver’s surprised eyes flicker to glance at Sero in the rear view mirror before focusing back on the road. “Huh? Oh, sure. Of course.”
Sero grins as he presses the button to let in the fresh ocean air. He breathes deeply, closing his eyes.
Whatever nerves he had been feeling leading up to this day– well, they’re definitely still there, but at least he’s away from the sweaty train station crowds and headed towards a city that somehow has a tolerable degree of humidity even this late into summer. That, and the fact that he doesn’t have to pay for his cab fare; the studio paid an actual taxi to pick him up as soon as his train from Tokyo arrived. What a dream.
It had been a risky move, signing up for a gig like this. There’s a strong chance it will be a total bust; after all, it’s reality television, which from what he has seen seems to thrive on drama and exploitation. At the same time, the studio producing it has a pretty decent track record of creating entertaining-but-not-in-a-dark-way content that Sero genuinely enjoys watching. And it certainly helps that Aizawa– a retired defense attorney with a killer track record, and current coffee shop owner –had looked over his contract.
“You won’t have any control over how they edit what they film,” Aizawa had warned. “But if you feel uncomfortable at any time, the contract stipulates you are allowed to leave the show at any time and you will still receive the base compensation.”
Sero let out a sigh of relief at that. “So… you think I should do it?”
Aizawa leveled him with a bored stare. “Do you want to or not? I need to know so I can cover your shifts while you’re gone.”
“Fair enough,” Sero had laughed. “Yeah…. Yeah, I wanna do it.”
Aizawa smiled in that tired way of his, and gently squeezed Sero’s shoulder. “Have fun, kid.”
And that was that, really. Aizawa was able to get coverage for the shifts at the cafe– he only worked there part-time anyway –and his freelance illustration work was unaffected since he could do those projects from literally anywhere as long as he had his laptop and tablet with him.
So for the first time since he was a small child, he’s headed to a charming coastal town, where he will live for the rest of the summer and into early fall. And for the first time ever – he’s going to live in what’s practically a damn mansion .
The house doesn’t even have more than a couple floors– but it’s still sprawled out on a large property, and it’s clear even from the outside that there are several bedrooms within. There is a lush garden in the front yard next to the broad driveway, and the nearby sound of gurgling water as if there is a nearby koi pond; fitting, considering the somewhat traditional Japanese look of the place.
“Wow,” Sero exhales as he exits the car, bowing when the driver hands him his luggage. “I can just go in?”
“Yes, sir,” the driver nods. “You’re the first to arrive. The others will be here shortly.”
“Huh,” Sero says. “Cool. Thanks for driving me.”
The driver smiles and bows, and hands Sero a key to the house. There is an electric green sign on the front gate that says yueii in elegant lowercase cursive.
His home for the next three months.
***
He was right about the koi pond. There’s a rustic wooden pathway that winds through bamboo stalks and crosses over a small body of clear water full of fat orange and red fish.
“Hello,” Sero whispers to them in greeting before he remembers there are, indeed, cameras on him. He blushes and finally goes to the front door to unlock it, and smiles at what he sees.
The genkan is large enough to fit several pairs of shoes and bags, and leads into a living room with two long plush blue couches and a wood fireplace. There’s a television in one corner and a chic keyboard in the other. Huh. Someone in the cast must be a musician.
Sero ventures further into the house, smiling wider and whispering an awed, “ Amazing ,” when he gets to the open concept kitchen. There’s a dining room table big enough to fit at least nine people, and a kitchen island with enough counter space so multiple people can cook simultaneously. The fridge isn’t fully stocked, but even still there are more groceries than Sero can typically afford when he doesn’t have enough commissions– more often than he cares to admit –and the only reason he doesn’t whimper in relief is the fact that he knows the cameras are rolling, even if the house is otherwise seemingly quiet and unoccupied.
In a long hallway there are a series of bedrooms. Sero slowly walks by each door, reading the names until he reaches the end of the hallway, where he finally comes across his own name.
“Todoroki,” he murmurs to himself, reading his neighbor’s nameplate, his eyes widening with surprise. The Todoroki name is not very common, and happens to belong to a very wealthy and influential family. But surely no one from that lineage would be on a reality tv show?
Sero internally shrugs it off and enters his room. There is a twin-sized bed, a dresser, a desk, and a bookcase. The circular window near the desk overlooks the seaside below. Sero stares out of that view for a few moments before he begins to unpack until he hears the front door open and close.
“ Hellooooooo! ” comes a chipper voice.
Sero feels his nerves settle back in, his heart beating just a little faster. But he smiles, too, jogging back to the genkan before sliding to a stop in his comfy house slippers.
“Hey!” He greets a small blonde with a black lightning bolt in his bangs. “I’m Sero.”
“Sero!” The small blonde drops his stuff in the genkan and tackles Sero into a hug like they’re old friends. “I’m Kaminari.”
Sero laughs and pats his back. “Good to meet you, man.”
“You too!” Kaminari chirps. “Give me a tour?”
Sero agrees enthusiastically, even though he only just literally arrived moments before his fellow castmate. They only just discover there’s a damn heated pool in the backyard when another voice calls out from the front of the property.
Next is Kirishima, a very friendly and very muscly redhead who is a personal trainer. His crimson eyes light up when he sees the extensive equipment in the gym, and that there’s even a sauna. He smiles and blushes when Sero compliments his expertise, and promises that he can help train Sero; Sero has never been a member of a gym, he just goes off of YouTube videos on his apartment to save money– not that he feels the need to volunteer that information.
Then there’s Shouji: a taciturn product designer with warm, dark eyes. He’s even bigger than Kirishima, though he stands with an intentional slouch; likewise he has an attractive, wide mouth, but when he smiles it’s more with his eyes and less with his lips.
They all settle in on the couches in the living room and chat while they wait for the others to arrive one-by-one: Bakugou is a perpetually-grumpy professional chef but is objectively hot enough that he easily captures everyone’s interest even when most of his contributions to conversation are unintelligible grunts. Aoyama is a sparkly makeup artist and stylist with a penchant for speaking French, and in many ways he is Bakugou’s complete opposite– except for the fact they’re both blondes –yet more than once Bakugou glimpses at him with curiosity, especially when Aoyama rambles about French cuisine.
Things start to get really interesting, though, when the final three castmates arrive.
Sero immediately recognizes the shock of purple hair when Shinsou opens the front door.
“Oh my god, dude ,” he grins and leaps up from the couch, pulling the latest arrival in for a tight hug.
“Of course you’re here,” Shinsou drawls with a smirk, though his shoulders visibly relax like he’s relieved to see a familiar face.
“You know me, I’m a hopeless romantic,” Sero winks.
“You too know each other?” Kaminari asks brightly, very obviously looking Shinsou up and down.
“We’re friends,” Shinsou replies, blushing at the attention.
It’s not a lie– they are friends, and have a lot of mutual friends back in Tokyo too. Sero usually sees Shinsou when he performs with his rock band, usually sticking around to go bar hopping with his bandmates. Sero and Shinsou also used to hook up quite a lot back in their early twenties– which they ended mutually and amicably a few years ago –but that doesn’t seem super chill to announce at the moment, considering they’re all ostensibly there to find a new partner.
The next cast member to arrive is Midoriya, an adorable and freckly grad student and adjunct professor at a prestigious university. Like Sero, he also immediately recognizes one of the other boys– but it is a significantly more tense exchange.
“Deku,” Bakugou growls.
“Oh, h-hi Kacchan,” Midoriya stutters with a flimsy wave.
“Tch.”
“Deku?” Kaminari repeats with a tilted head. “Kacchan?”
“Old nicknames,” Midoriya says with a shaky laugh. “W-We’ve known each other since we were little kids, but we haven’t seen each other since high school.”
There’s an awkward silence, which is blissfully broken when the front door is unlocked again.
“ Ah, bon !” Aoyama says cheerfully. “This should be the last one.”
They all look toward the door in anticipation, and let out a collective gasp when they see who walks through.
Sero hadn’t been mistaken– the person who is going to be his neighbor for the next few months is in fact a member of the infamous Todoroki family. Not just any Todoroki, but Todoroki Shouto . As in: the youngest of billionaire tech CEO Todoroki Enji’s four children, and a successful restaurateur and high fashion model. His face is somehow even prettier in-person compared to the countless magazine covers he has graced; his natural half-red-half-white hair only adds to his stark, cold beauty. His black turtleneck is tasteful yet clings to his lithe body in a very, very distracting way. He regards the rest of the boys with unblinking, heterochromatic eyes.
Sero doesn’t believe in love at first sight, but… shit.
“Hello,” Shouji says finally, breaking the spell that seems to have fallen over them all. “You must be Todoroki. Welcome to Yueii.”
“Thank you,” Todoroki says politely, stiffly.
There is a chirp as the tablet on the coffee table lights up with a notification. Shinsou, who is sitting closest, picks it up and reads aloud.
“‘Welcome to your new home for the next few months! While you are staying at Yueii, we hope you learn more about yourself, find friendship– and even romance. Tomorrow you will begin training for your work in the coffee truck, but for now please enjoy your evening as you settle in and get to know one another.’”
Kirishima slumps back into the couch. “Good, I’m starving!”
“Ugh, I forgot we have to work while we’re here,” Kaminari whines.
“They said we’ll each only have to work like one shift per week. Suck it up, sparky,” Bakugou says, rolling his eyes.
Kaminari pouts, but otherwise looks pleased at the new nickname.
“I dunno if there’s enough in the fridge for all of us to have dinner,” Sero says. “Wanna just order delivery or something?”
“Yeah, that’s a great idea!” Kirishima grins.
“Does anyone have dietary restrictions?” Shouji asks. It’s clear that out of the group he’s definitely the calm and collected one.
After some conversation, they rule out certain cuisines based on everyone’s preferences and order five large pizzas with various toppings. Todoroki, Sero notices, does not object but also doesn’t look very happy with the decision.
Sero hopes he comes off as smooth as gets up to sit next to him and introduce himself. After he does, he asks, “What’s your favorite food?”
“Soba.”
“Cold or hot?”
“Cold.”
“Nice. Same here. Next time we order in I’ll suggest Japanese.”
Todoroki nods, but otherwise doesn’t respond. Hey– better than nothing, Sero supposes.
Everyone is surprised that Todoroki ends up using his credit card to pay, and refuses to split it with anyone despite them incessantly insisting.
“It’s my father’s credit card,” Todoroki shrugs. “I use it when I want to piss him off. So. I use it quite often.”
That elicits a laugh from everyone. Kirishima clasps Todoroki on the shoulder. “You’re a funny dude, Todoroki.”
Todoroki tenses at the contact, though the corners of his lips twitch in amusement.
When the pizzas arrive Kirishima and Shouji help set up the boxes on the kitchen island and everyone gathers around the dining table once they’ve served themselves. Kaminari suggests an ice breaker, so everyone goes around and says why they decided to be on the show. For the most part, obviously, people say they want to find romance– but they also are looking to make new friends and have new experiences.
When it’s Sero’s turn, he blushes and looks down at his plate. “Yeah, I mean, same here. I wanna meet new people, and get out of my comfort zone… But I’d really like a boyfriend at the end of this, too.” He looks up tentatively, relaxing when everyone seems to be smiling kindly at him. He glances at Todoroki, heart sinking at how absolutely bored he looks.
Sero shoves down his embarrassment and grins, gently kicking Todoroki’s foot under the table. “Hey, what about you Todoroki? Why’d you decide to come here? Besides pissing your old man off, I mean.”
Todoroki scowls at him while everyone waits with rapt attention. He huffs out his next exhale. “I’ve lived by myself in Tokyo high rises my whole life. I was… curious, about living in a smaller coastal city, with roommates. And my mother always liked the beach, from what I remember as a child.”
Sero feels his heart melt. “That’s a good reason.”
Todoroki smiles, just a little bit, completely unaware of the fact that everyone else is staring at him with heart-eyes.
They collectively agree to have an early night after washing the dishes since everyone is tired from traveling and the day’s excitement. As Sero gets ready for bed in his room, an envelope is slipped under his door. Sero raises his eyebrows, and picks it up to open.
Hello! a note begins, along with a smiley face. We hope you had an enjoyable first day at Yueii. Please find enclosed stationary you may use to write a letter to one cast member whom you felt left the strongest first impression on your heart. This letter will remain completely anonymous, so don’t hold back!
Sero blinks for a few seconds before reading the instructions to turn in his completed letter in the mailbox outside his door, so the producers can collect them at the end of the night and distribute them before everyone wakes up the next morning. He jostles his leg restlessly as he sits down at his desk, knowing exactly who he’s going to write to but having no clue where to start.
Fuck it, he thinks when an unproductive twenty minutes pass. He puts his pen to paper and refuses to let himself overthink.
Hey Roki!
It was really great meeting you tonight and hearing more about you. I really liked your answer about why you decided to be on the show.
I’m sure you get this all the time but: I think you’re very lovely and would be stoked to get to know you more. I feel like I have a million questions… Did you enjoy school? What’s your favorite movie? Do you like manga?
Well, I really hope that I get to find out all of that and more. I hope you have a good experience at Yueii!!!!
<3
There. That’s like... cute, right? Not creepy? Before Sero can second guess himself, he slips the letter in the envelope and places it inside his mailbox.
Despite his giddiness from meeting so many cool gay guys in one day and despite his elation that he gets to stay in an awesome house and get paid for it, the exhaustion catches up to Sero quickly. He falls asleep almost as soon as he lays down in bed.
When he wakes up, he drowsily checks his notifications on his phone before he remembers last night’s assignment.
Suddenly wide awake, he hops out of bed and scrambles to open his mailbox.
Empty.
Ah. Well, that stings. Eight other people in the house, and apparently Sero hasn’t caught anyone’s eye.
He allows himself to feel sad about it as he brushes his teeth and does his skincare routine, but when he’s dressed for the day he puts on a smile and heads to the kitchen where he already smells someone cooking breakfast.
One day down. Eighty-nine more to go.