On the News - Shouji x Reader - part 3
part 2
Long time no see, I know, I'm sorry!!!! Hope you still like this chapter!
- Shouji -
Come out, come out, where are you hiding?
Now, we all know that only those with something to hide keep secrets.
How interesting, therefore, to find our dearest Tenta-lover gone from her apartment, gone from her job, gone from her usual neighborhood.
Thanks to our dear subscribers we know she left with Jet-Black Hero: Tsukuyomi. Is he the newest Heteromorph she’s set her eyes on?
Shouji watches as Shouto’s lawyer Murakami reads through the posts.
“I agree that we can sue, but it would work better for us if we could sue the actual person behind it. If we report them as a company, they’d be out of the country before any of it took effect.”
“So we take them down,” Shouto declares cooly. “No problem.”
“One problem,” Shouji points out. “We don’t know who they are or where they are. They use their subscribers to get the pictures and videos they need.”
“All of it?” Murakami asks. “An empire like that has to grow from somewhere. That picture of you and her, did you notice someone on that street back then?”
“No,” Shouji hesitates. “You’re right, we were alone.”
“We could let Mei analyze it,” Shouto offers. “She might have an idea.”
“We still need to lure him out of the shadows,” Shouji points out. “I have an idea.”
-
Shouji finds you at your new workplace, cleaning up a deserted meeting room.
“Need a hand?” He offers gently, but you still jump in surprise, your smile growing when you recognize him.
“Shouji,” you rush over to grab his hand and shake it. “I- Thank you! So much! I don’t know how I can repay you for any of this!”
“For what?” He asks calmly. “I’ve done nothing so far.”
“But Tsuyu-chan! A-and Tokoyami-kun! Oh, and Aoyama-”
“What have they done that you have me to thank for?”
Your eyes widen and you take a step back, pushing your hair behind your ear in a self-conscious manner.
“But they’re so nice to me,” you whisper before returning to your work at hand.
“I’ll be done in a minute,” you promise, “Or, I mean, you can go on, Tsuyu-chan is in her office. I’m sure you need to speak to her.”
“Actually, I’m here for you,” Shouji admits. “If you have the time, I need to ask you something.”
“Oh, of course, just a minute,” You stumble on the way out, almost dropping the tray with discarded glasses and bottles. Shouji steadies you with a helping hand, unable to keep from smiling at your clumsiness.
“Take your time,” he points out, pulling back, suddenly too aware of how close you are. “I’ll wait here.”
-
“A live interview?” You look at him with horror in your eyes. “I can’t do that! I’d make a fool of myself! And you.”
“Nishimoto-san is a nice person. The nicest interviewer I know, to be honest. She’s going to help you out in every way she can, but we need it to be live to get the leverage on News Daddy. These would be the questions she’d ask you.”
Shouji hands you the printout. “You don’t have to agree to this. You can also think about it some more. You’re safe here. If News Daddy doesn’t get more information on you, it will soon become a boring story, and something new will arise.”
“But you could put them away for good, right?” You ask, fiddling with your hands in uncertainty. “And you’re a Hero. That’s what you do.”
“I care about people. That’s what I do,” Shouji corrects you, feeling a little unsure about his wording, but the damage is done already.
Your eyes are warm as you take him in and he has to look away, refocus.
“You should know,” he clears his throat awkwardly, “That News Daddy has made you out as some kind of Heteromorph hater. Since he’s made racist remarks about us in the past, I doubt he’s got a lot of Heteromorphs following him, or at least following him with that intensity you’ve seen, but the thought has spread a little. I’ve been approached twice so far.”
Your eyes widen. “What did they do?”
“Nothing much,” Shouji swallows. “They talked bad about you, but at least the people who approached me would listen to my reasoning. You could be faced with backlash in the future, though. I want you to know that.”
You sigh. “Nothing new there.” You’re quiet for a while, and Shouji knows, he should get up and get going. He’s got places to be, especially if they want to catch News Daddy as quickly as possible, but he can’t just let you sit here, lost in your thoughts.
“Hey,” he reaches out to pat the back of your hand awkwardly. “Everything will turn out okay, I’m sure of it.”
“I’ll do it,” you tell him, clearly not hearing his words. “The interview. If it helps you, I’ll do it.”
“You should think about yourself, too.”
You shake your head. “No, I mean, sure, I’ll do that, but I’ll do the interview. I’ll be fine.”
-
Nishimoto-san does not exist in the same sphere as News Daddy, but she’s well-known and kind enough to take the job. Shoji waits until the interview is announced before he makes his next move, calling the number he got handed all those months ago. His memory is coming in handy again.
“News Daddy here, how can we help?” A friendly female voice answers.
“This is Tentacle Hero: Tentacole. You might have noticed that my so-called lover is about to give an interview to a respectable News Source. I wanted to give News Daddy a chance to interview me first. He offered.”
There’s Silence on the other end of the line, then some distant noise. Finally, a deeper voice answers.
“Tentacole, my friend-”
“We are not friends,” Shoji points out cooly. “Do not call me that.”
“Of course, of course. So Tenta-lover is giving an interview… interesting. Are you afraid of what she might have to spill?”
Shoji thinks of you, the softness of your smile, and how you tend to drop everything you’re holding at his sight. “I wouldn’t call if I didn’t,” he lies instead. “But I’m not going to talk to any of your henchmen. Meet me in person or don’t meet me at all. I’m sure I’ll find someone else willing to interview me.”
“Wait!”
Shoji smiles into his mask. This was easier than he thought.
-
- You -
Aoyama insisted on accompanying you to the interview, but now you wish he hadn’t.
He’s lovely, yes, and has become something like your best friend overnight, but he seems even more anxious than you in the face of what’s to come.
“Don’t look directly at the cameras,” he reminds you. “A-and don’t stutter.”
“C-can you quiz me again?” You ask, hoping it will calm him down if he’s got something to do. “Ask me t-the questions I’m going to be asked?”
“Absolutely,” Aoyama pulls the page from your hands with more force than necessary. There’s the sound of paper tearing, and you stare at him with wide eyes.
“I can fix that,” he insists. “Don’t cry, it will mess with your mascara!”
Your name is called before you can react. You cradle the ripped-up answers to your chest and throw one last look at Aoyama.
“You’ll do great,” he insists, though he looks just as unsure of it as you feel.
His phone rings. Your name is called again.
“I’ll see you on the other side,” you press through your lips, trying not to cry.
The last thing you hear from Aoyama is his voice as he picks up the call.
“Oh, hi Shoji!”
-
- Shouji -
His heartbeat slows to a stop as he listens to Aoyama’s bubbly voice on the end of the line.
“What do you mean she just went in?” He asks, looking down at the miserable guy sitting in the dirt. “I texted her. We have News Daddy, she doesn’t have to give the interview.”
Tokoyami looks up at him. “Go,” he insists. “We can deal with this guy.”
“Good lu-” Dark Shadow knocks out the guy before he can finish what he was trying to say.
-
Shoji is fast, but he’s not Iida.
His phone pings with notifications as he runs and when he has to stop at a traffic light, he pulls it out to check.
Yes, he’s too late. You’re already live.
Sighing, he opens the stream, unsure if he should run to get you out of this or run away from you instead.
Nishimoto-san, an elderly woman who interviewed him when he got the Peace Prize, smiles softly into the camera.
You look like a nervous wreck next to her.
“Oh dear,” Nishimoto-san takes one of your hands in hers and squeezes it. “No need to be nervous. What are you afraid of?”
“I tend to put my foot in my mouth,” you blabber. “Not literally, of course. I just don’t say the things the way I mean them.”
Nishimoto-san laughs. “Tell me about it. When I was your age, everyone told me I was too blunt. It’s hard, right?”
You let out a shaky breath of relief. “Yeah, absolutely.”
“Tell me a little bit about yourself.” Nishimoto-san hasn’t let go of your hand yet. “You’re from the countryside, right? My grandmother came from a small village, you might not know it-”
Shouji breathes a little easier as he listens and watches.
Your eyes sparkle as you reminisce about the wonders of your childhood. The dark forests, the warmth of your parents' love, and the curiosity that drove you to the city.
“And what do you like about our city?”
“Oh, it’s…” You hesitate, look up into Nishimoto-san’s eyes as if looking for the answer there, “I like how everybody can be themselves here. And I-I don’t mean just Quirkless or Heteromorph, but, like, if you want to dress completely in pink, no one bats an eye as long as you don’t hurt anybody, right? Or if you want to take a pottery class at midnight, you can find one. There are so many possibilities here I haven’t yet seen.”
Slowly, the interview moves from the city to the things you’ve experienced in the last few days. Shoji wonders if you notice. You seem calm, chatting like you’re talking to an old friend.
He reaches the studio, lingers around the back door.
Should he go inside? Or not.
“Not many of us get a chance to be saved by a Hero. Not that we want to get into danger for that, right?” Nishimoto-san laughs. “But what was it like? Can you tell?”
“I-” You look away, bite your lip in embarrassment. “I was really scared. I thought people had forgotten about me, that I-” You hiccup and wipe your nose before you force yourself to smile. “But then I heard a voice and I was so relieved, like you wouldn’t believe. I only realized the next day who it was that saved me, but from the moment I heard his voice, I knew I was safe.”
“Wow. And how did you feel when you realized it was Tentacole who saved you?”
You blink. “What do you mean?”
“Were you disappointed? Did you think it was someone else?”
“Disappointed?” You gasp. “Shoji’s the… I mean, Tentacole, he’s the best person to get saved by, I’m sure. Why would I be disappointed?”
Nishimoto-san waits for a second before she smiles. “It was just a question, dear. I can tell that you like him very much.”
You bury your head in your hands. Shoji wonders if you have forgotten that you’re on live television. You probably have.
“You can tell?” You ask, your voice almost like a sob. “I’m acting like a fool when he’s around. But who wouldn’t? He’s so-” You gesture helplessly and laugh. “Right?”
“Right,” Nishimoto-san laughs quietly. “I heard there was some ruckus, though. Someone called “News Daddy”?”
You tell her the story like one would tell a friend. Shoji slips quietly inside, your voice in his ear.
He’s not sure what will come of this interview. But his heart warms when he thinks of your face, trying to explain how you feel about him.
-
- You -
“And that’s it,” Nishimoto-san leans back in her chair, laughing softly.
You blink. She leans in to pat your hand. “You’ve been great. Like a natural.”
“Like a-” You look around, slowly registering all the cameras and lights and people looking back. You’re not sure how or when, but you’ve forgotten all about them, too focused on Nishimoto-san and the story you’ve told her.
“Oh god,” you groan. “What did I say? I said something embarrassing, right?”
“No,” Nishimoto-san laughs and pats your hand once more. “You’ve been perfectly natural. It was lovely. I wish I could interview you every day.”
She seems to spot someone in the crowd and giggles. “But it’s time for you to get out of the chair. Someone’s waiting for you.”
“Aoyama?” You get up, expecting to find him somewhere in the crowd, sparkling away.
Instead, you find Shoji, two arms crossed over his chest, the others relaxed.
Your heart leaps into your throat.
“Hey,” you hiccup as you approach him. “How bad was it?”
“Did you mean what you said?” He asks, his deep voice low, almost inaudible.
“I don’t remember everything I said,” you admit sheepishly, “but I’ve never been a very convincing liar, so…”
He nods, takes a breath. “Come,” he puts one hand on your shoulder, “you deserve to rest.”
“What about News Daddy?” You ask as he guides you outside. “A-and-”
“Everything’s fine,” Shoji says, his voice level, though his thumb rubs a comforting circle into your shoulder blade. “Everything’s just fine.”
- - -
Months later
- - -
You take the late-night train home, hoping to catch some sleep, though you stay awake, breezing through the romance novel your mother lent you.
They both watched your interview, and although they’re still a little wary of life in the big, bad city, they can tell you feel at home in Musutafu now. More than you ever have in the countryside.
“Hey,” someone approaches you as you walk up the stairs, “You were on TV, right? There was something about a fire and stuff…”
“Uh,” you nod, a little flustered, “I guess?”
The woman smiles. “You were so cute. My daughter was born heteromorph. She insisted we move to the city when she saw your interview. She’s not going to believe me when I tell her I met you.”
“Oh,” you beam back at her. “That’s amazing. Tell her I said hi!”
“I will and-” She stops before breaking into a bigger smile, nodding at something behind you. “But you’re being picked up, I see. I work at the City Library. Come say hi when you have the time.”
“I will,” you promise, before turning to where she’d gestured.
Sure enough, Shoji’s waiting by the coffee shop at the corner, his tall figure looming.
“Hey Stranger,” you approach him, “You won’t believe what just happened.”
“Hm?” He leans in, slips his mask off just to kiss you. “Are you going to tell me or do I have to guess?”
You take one of his hands in yours and squeeze it. “I’ll tell you,” you promise. “But don’t tell Aoyama. He loves to guess.”
“I’d never,” he slings one arm around your shoulders and pulls you in.
Just like that first night that he held you, you feel just one thing: safe.
-
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