VOID [Katsuki Bakugo x OC]

Rule #10: If Possible, Go Viral

♪

 "Your little stunt yesterday is front page news."

The noise of the greenroom lurched to a stop at the sound of Ine's pinched voice.

An opening band played their short set onstage while elixir warmed up and stretched, but their brief pocket of peace burst like a bubble when Ine slammed the door open and stomped in, red-faced. "Viral. Worldwide," she added, "In twelve different languages, and counting."

A tablet screen burned in front of Cade's face, suddenly blinding her as she looked up from her coffee. She blinked away the light burn from her eyes, raised a perfectly manicured brow as her vision focused, and she read the headline in English:

A Match Made in Hell:

Japan's resident bad boy finds love in abrasive rocker Cadence Yamaguchi, lead singer of the band elixir!

Click the video below to see her go ballistic on a fan!

Gaping at the unflattering stills of herself and Kat, Cade pried the tablet from her mother's taloned grasp and showed Katsuki, who sat beside her and absently ate spicy Cheetos from a bag settled between his crossed legs. "So what?" he grunted, fingers caked in excess red flavoring. His bad arm draped across his lap, holding the bag of Cheetos in place. "Tell those fuckers to mind their own goddamn business."

It took every spare ounce of self-control that Cade had left to not facepalm in front of her mother, and she settled for a tight grimace. Did Katsuki not think before he spoke? His sassy mouth was going to get them both in trouble, and she knew it.

Ine's claws clenched into fists at her side, and Katsuki watched the taut muscles in her face tense, rippling like bugs under the surface of her porcelain-smooth skin. "Her life is their business, Dynamight," Ine hissed, leaning down to sneer at him. She paused only a breath away from him, her teeth bared as she seethed, "And you are just another replaceable thing if you can't do your job."

"Which is what, exactly?" he said coolly, cocking an eyebrow. "Bodyguard? Or professional kiss ass? Because I'm pretty sure my contract said I have to protect Cadence Lyric Yamaguchi. Not your damn feelings."

A bomb could drop in the greenroom and no one would've moved an inch. The only sound came from the faraway stage, faint echoes of a performance. Katsuki had effectively declared war on Ine in one conversation, and he didn't even care; after her bullshit in their hotel room that morning, he'd had enough of her and her fuckery. He sneered when she said nothing back.

Ine wrenched the tablet from Cadence's hands and left the room, slamming the door behind her. A picture of some one-hit-wonder fell off of the wall, shattering on impact. No one moved to clean the glass.

"Smooth move, Dynamight," Dorian said, breaking the silence and nodding approvingly. He stretched his arms and fingers, preparing for their set despite his mother's little outburst. His sunset hair had been styled to be 'purposefully rumpled'. "You've certainly made Ine Yamaguchi's shit list tonight."

Katsuki glanced at Cade, who had her face buried in her palms. "Fine by me," he said, "I'm not backing down." He adjusted in his chair, making sure to keep Cade in his line of sight at all times.

"She won't either," Aria reminded him from across the room, where she perched on the back of a rumpled couch, drumming on her knees with some taped-up drumsticks. Her eyes were closed and her tongue stuck out of the corner of her mouth, obviously practicing some pattern from their setlist. Kyoka and Hitoshi flanked her on either end of the couch, looking bored as hell. Chord laid on the floor nearby, cramming in a last-minute nap.