Chapter Text
it was warm outside naples international airport.
the moment you stepped out into the heat, dragging your suitcase behind you and hiking your bag higher up your shoulder, you squinted at the sight of the burning hot sun in the cloudless sky, grunting in irritation as you wiped the sweat off your brow bone. everything was overstimulating—the sounds of locals yelling in italian, suitcases clacking against concrete and the smell of blazing asphalt wafting through your nose, not to mention the subtle aroma of cigarette smoke that hung in the air; it was enough to make you dizzy and desperate to find the car your brother had sent for you.
damn it, you internally said, when a local pushed past you by bumping into your shoulder, hard enough for your bag to slide off into the crook of your elbow. you fought back the urge to turn around and give him hell using what little italian you’d learned on the plane, but ultimately decided against it when you noticed a man down the road waving at you.
“thank god,” you whispered, clutching your suitcase tightly and making your way towards him. the sign in his hand clearly had your name on the front, and the car he stood in front of was the same one your brother had described, which meant you’d finally be out of this sizzling heat soon.
the man set the sign inside the vehicle and jogged slightly, giving you a friendly smile as he did so. you assumed he was middle-aged, simply due to his thinning hairline and the belly that protruded over his pants, but his appearance was hardly any of your concern. in fact, you were grateful for his presence, especially when he casually took your suitcase from you and warmly said, “miss y/n, yes?”
“yes, thank you,” you huffed out a breath of relief, following him as he stuffed the luggage into the boot and opened a door for you, gesturing for you to take a seat inside. once again wiping your forehead, you climbed into the backseat and sighed when you felt the air conditioning blast onto your face, cooling you down considerably.
despite the fact that you were dressed in shorts and a tank top, you were still slick with sweat, your thighs sticking slightly as they rubbed together from the heat. your hair, tied into a ponytail at the crown of your head, had a few strands sticking to your forehead which you quickly pushed back with your sunglasses, using them as a makeshift headband. setting your bag down beside you, you groaned and relaxed on the seat, finally allowing yourself to breathe properly after the chaos of the airport and baggage claim. i’m so exhausted.
you failed to notice the man climb into the driver’s seat, until you felt the car begin to move and you heard him ask, “was your flight okay?”
“it was good,” you answered, swinging your gaze around the car in search for something.
he seemed to have noticed through the rear view mirror, because the man then grinned and popped the centre console open. “there’s cold water bottles here, please feel free to have one.”
“you’re an angel,“ you breathed out, reaching down to grab a bottle and twisting the cap open in a rush, chugging down the cool liquid in relief. once finished, you immediately felt your mood get about a million times better now that you were no longer being cooked alive, so you relaxed in your seat and put the empty water bottle in your bag to throw away later. “how long is it to the amalfi coast?”
“about an hour and a half, please relax,” he said, giving you another kind smile—enough for you to return it.
reaching to your side, you dug through your bag in search of two objects; your phone, and a travel guidebook you’d picked up at the airport. setting the latter down on your lap, you quickly turned your phone on and began browsing through your texts and calls, unsurprised to see a few from your brother and your parents.
deciding you’d rather talk to somebody who wouldn’t ruin your mood in seconds, you dialled your brother’s number and pressed the device to your ear, thumbing the guidebook with your free hand as you awaited his answer.
“hey! i was just gonna call again— did you land?”
“yup, i’m officially in italy,” you said with a smile, hearing sounds of chatter and laughter behind him. “in the car heading to you now.”
“great! everyone’s been asking about you and why you’re coming in a day later—”
you groaned, rolling your eyes. “you know i had a final—”
“of course! don’t get me wrong, i love bragging about my little sister being an oxford student.”
your face paled. “please don’t tell me you’ve been saying that to everyone.”
he chuckled heartily. “did you think i wouldn’t—”
“jun!” you groaned once again, rubbing a mortified hand down the side of your face and sinking further into your seat. “that’s so embarrassing—”
“what, i’m just proud of you! besides, if i’m not bragging, mom and dad are; so there really isn’t much of a difference—”
“you guys are terrible.” you muttered, face heating up.
“sure, sure! anyway, you better get here quick. we’ve delayed a whole day of festivities just because of you.”
you glanced at the window at that, watching buildings and cottages and trees and mountains go by as the sun reduced its intensity and the occasionally large cloud appeared. that, along with the lack of humidity in the air assured you that you’d left naples and were now safely on your way to the coast. “sorry about that. how’s misaki?”
“keeps asking where you are.” jun replied, grinning at the mention of his fiancée — you could hear it through his voice. “oh hey, she’s got a nephew about the same age as you—i think i mentioned him before.”
“the pro-hero, right? yeah, you did.” glancing back down at your book, you thumbed through its pages, seeing sticky notes and scribbles and pages you’d bookmarked that you’d found the most interesting, smiling softly in excitement at the thought of exploring these places. “dynamight, right? misaki talks about him all the time.”
“he’s her pride and joy, ‘course she would. he’s a great kid—kinda standoffish and a bit aggressive, but definitely not rude. brought one of his friends along, too; another pro. you done your research on ‘em?”
you rolled your eyes at the fact that your brother seemed to know you so well. “of course i have, though it’s not like i needed to do much research anyway, the guy’s on the news like everyday. plus, misaki’s practically told me everything about him already.”
“great, then you guys can get along!”
“i doubt it,” you snorted, remembering all the articles you’d read about pro-hero dynamight—also known as bakugou katsuki. “we’ve got two completely different vibes. i think i’m gonna stick with naomi the whole time.”
he scoffed at you. “dude, you think i forced you out of your apartment so you can stick to our cousin the whole time?! you’re in italy!”
“i’m in italy for your wedding, in case you’ve forgotten,” you reminded, though staring down at the guidebook, you couldn’t help but add, “although i do want to explore.”
“great! explore with the other twenty-somethings, while us grown-ups have some fun!”
you scowled at that. “right, i think that’s enough. i’m gonna hang up now. bye, jun.”
“bye, my sweet younger sister—”
you hung up then, snorting as you tossed the phone back into your bag. then you leaned back and stared out the window, a small smile on your face as you watched the rocky mountainside appear, as well as all the houses and stone buildings carved into it. before you knew it, you’d pulled the window down, leaning out slightly to finally see the sea and the coastline staring back at you from way down below, the wind lapping at your face in a refreshing way.
italy.
-
the car slowed to a stop in front of towering iron gates, thrown open to reveal a villa spilling over the cliffside like something straight out of your guidebook. sunlight glared off of terracotta tiles and cream-coloured walls, and cascades of bougainvillea spilled down balconies like splashes of paint. even from the car, you could smell the sea on the breeze, mingled with garlic and basil drifting from somewhere within the open courtyard.
the driver killed the engine, and the sudden quietness made the hum of voices beyond the gates even more noticeable—laughter, the clinking of glasses, and a guitar being strummed lazily somewhere overhead. you stepped out, having stuffed the book and your phone back into your bag, sunglasses on the bridge of your nose to shield your eyes from the afternoon sun. your sneakers crunched against the uneven cobblestones, but it felt nice. the courtyard was alive; aunts in sundresses huddled over espresso cups, kids darted around a stone fountain, and waitstaff hurried past with trays of wine glasses and antipasti.
and there they were—your brother, leaning casually against the fountain, sleeves of his white button-down shirt rolled up and hair blowing off his forehead due to the wind as he grinned the second he spotted you; and misaki, the beautiful bride, radiant even in something as simple as a white sundress as she chatted with your parents, blonde hair cascading down her back in waves of yellow gold.
when seeing them, your shoulders relaxed.
“finally,” jun grinned, pushing himself off the mountain and strolling towards you, arms spread wide. “the guest of honour arrives!”
you rolled your eyes at his words, hugging him back when he embraced you. the man was as tall as ever, towering over you while he pulled you into his chest, enough for you to groan in a faux display of disgust at having to show such affection to your sibling. “it’s your wedding, how am i the guest of honour?”
“because it may be my wedding, but everyone seems to be asking about you,” he retorted, leaning away whilst still gripping your shoulders. his boyish grin was charming as ever, despite the man having turned thirty recently, and he gave you a look down in assessment. “i take it the italian sun hasn’t been suiting you?”
“i need to hop in the shower immediately,” you grumbled, pushing your sunglasses up to rest on your head.
“y/n!”
that familiar voice had you smiling, grin only getting wider when you saw your brother get shoved away and the face of the beautiful bride replace it, beaming at you with her red eyes and sharp canines. “you’re finally here!”
you stumbled back slightly when she hugged you in a way that was almost suffocating, holding you so tight it was like she thought you might run away. but, like always, the woman smelled sweet and her skin was soft, once again, despite being two years older than your brother. raising your arms, you embraced her back, smiling softly. “it’s nice to see you again. you sure you aren’t having second thoughts yet?”
jun frowned. “hey!”
misaki giggled, releasing you to give you an affirmative shake of her head. “unfortunately not, i’m about to be tied to your brother for life.”
“that’s quite unfortunate for you,” you teased, patting her on the shoulder. “but not for me, since you officially become my sister soon.”
immediately, her smile wavered and her eyes began to water, emotions as unstable as ever as she exclaimed, “god, i love you so much, you’re so adorable!”
before you could respond, though, the woman continued, “which reminds me, you have to meet my sister and her family! give me a second, i’ll call them here super quick!”
“of course.”
the moment she disappeared, your gaze landed on your parents, who were both giving you small, warm smiles, their gazes filled with affection and pride as they eyed you down, patiently waiting for you to acknowledge them next.
with a sigh and a grin of your own, you made your way over to the couple and greeted, “hey guys. it’s been a while.”
that was all it took for your mother to wrap you up in her arms and cry out, “honey, i’ve missed you so much! why don’t you visit us more during the holidays—”
“mom, i have to study. also, i’m twenty-five now,” you reminded her, giving her a firm pat on her back. “i think you have to start opening yourself up to the idea of being away from me more.”
she sniffled, violently shaking her head. “how could i?! you’re my only daughter—”
“dear,” your father interrupted, gently holding your mother’s shoulder and shaking his head at her dramatics. “our daughter’s very busy… you know, since she’s a student at oxford—”
“dad!” you groaned, moving past your mother to greet him. his arm wrapped around you and he chuckled, thoroughly enjoying how irritated you got whenever he brought that up, “i’m just proud of my oxford-student daughter—”
“but you don’t have to keep bringing it up!”
“wish they bragged about me that much,” jun added, shaking his head in disappointment. “you’d think being a lawyer would warrant some boasting—”
your father rolled his eyes. “but did you study at harvard?”
jun winced. “okay, there’s no need to be an ass about it.”
the group erupted in laughter at the sight of your annoyed older brother, and your father finally released you from his clutches then, glancing back when the sound of footsteps caught his attention. “oh, misaki’s returned.”
indeed, the bride had seemed to return, and behind her trailed three people.
“y/n!” she beamed, holding your hand out and pulling you along with her so you’d be closer to them. “meet my sister and her family!”
the first person you saw was a woman who was the splitting image of misaki, only older. with spiky, blonde hair and crimson eyes, she appeared quite intimidating at first, only to completely throw you off when she grinned widely and exclaimed, “oh my, you are just beautiful! my name is mitsuki!”
“it’s really nice to meet you,” you greeted, bowing slightly, your shoulders rigid with awkwardness.
she rolled her eyes, immediately moving to envelop you in a hug. “come on, we’re family! don’t be so stiff around me, honey!”
at her bubbly personality, you couldn’t help but relax, warm smile spreading on your face as you too, returned her embrace with one of your own. “of course, thank you.”
when she released you, your gaze landed on the second of the group—a brown-haired man, about the same age as mitsuki, dressed in shorts and a polo shirt, a pair of glasses on the bridge of his nose. he too, greeted you with a friendly smile, though his demeanour was much calmer than his wife’s. “it’s nice to meet you, my name’s masaru. we’ve heard a lot about you, y/n—all good things!”
you groaned at that, shaking your head at the thought of your parents and brother talking about you and your university nonstop. “i’m sorry, my family can be a bit extra—”
“nonsense, i’d brag about you if you were my daughter, too!” mitsuki grinned, and then she glanced behind her and added, “which reminds me, this is my son! katsuki, say hi!”
your gaze trailed behind mitsuki, and it only seemed to go higher and higher when the tall, muscular man approached, expression indifferent.
bakugou katsuki was handsome—you could acknowledge that, and he was definitely much better looking in person than on television or social media. his ash blond hair seemed more golden under the sunlight, crimson irises burning holes through your own, hands tucked into the pockets of his shorts. a soft, white tee clung to him under an open button-down that he wore like a jacket, sleeves rolled up to his elbows to reveal pale, veiny arms, every inch of the material outlining his muscles in a way that had you tearing your gaze away from his body. he too, had a pair of sunglasses hiked on his head, gaze dragging down your body as if in assessment.
you forced a smile. “it’s nice to meet you. my name’s y/n, i’m jun’s sister—”
“yeah,” he grumbled, cocking his head to the side slightly, scanning your face like he was trying to memorise it. “i know.”