Chapter Text
Silence.
A dangerous silence.
Not because the apartment was empty.
Quite the opposite.
It was occupied by two university students who had lived together long enough to understand each other's habits.
One was currently studying.
The other...
"...I'm bored."
Shoto Todoroki didn't look up from the thick economics textbook balanced on his lap.
"So you've said."
Bakugou Katsuki let out a dramatic groan loud enough to shake the couch cushions.
"No, you don't understand."
"I do."
"No, seriously."
"I know."
"My brain is melting."
"You'll survive."
Bakugou rolled upside down until only his legs hung over the back of the couch.
"I've finished my assignments."
"I know."
"I cleaned the apartment."
"I noticed."
"I even folded your laundry."
"...Thank you."
"And now I have absolutely nothing to do."
Shoto calmly turned another page.
"Read a book."
"I'd rather explode."
"That's unhealthy."
"So is this boredom."
Another long silence settled over the apartment.
Bakugou picked up the television remote.
Nothing interesting.
He opened a game.
Played for three minutes.
Quit.
Opened another.
Quit again.
He even considered cleaning the kitchen...
Before deciding he'd rather suffer.
Meanwhile...
Shoto hadn't moved.
Not even once.
The only evidence he was alive was the occasional page turning.
Bakugou narrowed his eyes.
"...Are you a robot?"
"No."
"You blink less than statues."
"I blink enough."
"Liar."
"I blinked thirty seconds ago."
"...You counted?"
"I noticed."
Bakugou threw a pillow.
Without lifting his eyes from the book...
Shoto caught it.
"...Show-off."
Silence again.
Exactly four minutes and thirteen seconds later...
Bakugou groaned for what felt like the hundredth time.
"I'm dying."
"No."
"I am."
"No."
"I can literally feel my soul leaving my body."
"It'll come back."
"Tch..."
Shoto sighed quietly.
He finally closed his book.
"You've been trying to entertain yourself for almost an hour."
"So?"
"So perhaps..."
He paused just long enough to unknowingly alter the lives of several people.
"...get a hobby."
Bakugou blinked.
"A hobby."
"Yes."
"I have hobbies."
"Screaming isn't one."
"I DON'T SCREAM!"
The apartment echoed.
Shoto stared.
"..."
"..."
"...You just did."
Bakugou clicked his tongue.
"Tch."
Shoto reopened his book.
"I meant something productive."
Bakugou crossed his arms.
"...You'll regret saying that."
"I doubt it."
"No."
A grin slowly spread across Bakugou's face.
"You definitely will."
---
Twenty-three minutes later...
Bakugou sat cross-legged on the living room floor.
Phone in hand.
A brand-new social media app glowed on the screen.
He'd downloaded it purely out of curiosity.
Scrolling...
Scrolling...
Scrolling...
"...People actually spend hours doing this?"
His thumb paused.
Most profiles looked the same.
Coffee.
Travel.
Selfies.
Food.
Pets.
He snorted.
"Boring."
Then...
An absolutely terrible idea entered his head.
The kind of idea that should have been ignored immediately.
Instead...
Bakugou grinned.
"Oh..."
"This could be funny."
He searched for a royalty-free aesthetic photo.
A young woman standing beneath an umbrella.
Face turned away.
No identifying features.
Perfect.
He uploaded it.
Name: Aiko.
He hesitated at the age.
"Eighteen would be suspicious..."
He tapped.
23.
Occupation...
"Freelance Illustrator."
Bio...
His fingers hovered over the keyboard.
Then typed:
> Coffee. Rain. Cats. Late-night conversations.
Bakugou stared at the completed profile.
"..."
"...That's actually convincing."
He laughed to himself.
"This is stupid."
Exactly why it was entertaining.
Behind him...
The bedroom door opened.
Shoto walked toward the kitchen, carrying an empty glass.
He glanced at Bakugou's screen for less than a second.
"...New account?"
"Yeah."
"What kind?"
"Just social media."
Shoto filled his glass with water.
"Making friends?"
Bakugou almost laughed.
"God, no."
"Then?"
Bakugou shrugged.
"I'm bored."
"...Reasonable."
He took a sip of water.
Then returned toward his room.
Halfway down the hallway...
He stopped.
Without turning around, he said,
"Try not to get scammed."
Bakugou rolled his eyes.
"As if."
The bedroom door clicked shut.
Bakugou looked back at his phone.
One harmless joke.
That's all.
Message a few random strangers.
Mess with a couple of arrogant guys.
Get a laugh.
Delete the account.
Simple.
No consequences.
No victims.
No lasting effects.
He tapped Create Account.
The profile went live.
Somewhere else in Tokyo...
Two phones vibrated almost at the same time.
One belonged to the young CEO of Midoriya Holdings.
The other...
To the equally infamous CEO of Inferno Group.
Neither paid much attention to the notification.
Not yet.
Bakugou stretched lazily, tossed his phone onto the couch, and smirked.
"...What's the worst that could happen?"
...
The universe, unfortunately, had an excellent sense of humor.