Izuku's mind wouldn't turn off. It just couldn't. Camie? She must be a hero or something, because otherwise… worse, it was just a random woman and Katsuki was lying the entire time. Stringing him along for the fun of it like they were six again. It was just a joke.

He dropped onto his bed and hoped it would swallow him. Tears had blurred his vision on the way home so he didn't remember the trip at all. It was like a drug induced haze. But he was tired of crying. What was he even crying for? He yelled into his pillow, the tears stopped.

He had decided he would try and he did. He was abruptly furious. Angry because Katsuki had forgotten him and then remembered him, then used him or at the very least, lied to him. He gripped his phone and opened his messages.

You have a girlfriend and you didn't tell me? You've been kissing me this entire time and I almost let myself believe it was something. He hesitated before adding, I don't want an explanation, Kacchan. You have your life, I have mine.

His heart hammered without rhythm in his chest as he hit the send button. Then he showered, forced himself to eat one slice of toast, and fell asleep. As a robot would, he automatically went through his motions in the morning treating the day as Monday instead of Sunday. He checked the books, he checked stock, he roamed through the empty store and tidied up books that had been stuck back into the wrong places. It was nice, soothing, mindless work and his hurting brain had no chance to dwell on anything but the task.

Until there was a knock on the door. Izuku paused. He was certain he hadn't flipped the sign to say open, the door was obviously locked because the person would have just come in. He peered around the corner of a bookshelf and Katsuki was staring directly at him through the glass. His chest sank and clenched at the same time and he ducked away.

"I can see you!" Katsuki said loud enough that the glass door only distorted the words slightly. "Open this door." Izuku hesitated. He tried to ignore the swoop that rocked his insides at the sight of Katsuki Bakugou on his doorstep (well, his storefront really). And he looked mad.

So Izuku opened the door but he didn't step aside despite the intimidating figure that stood before him. Those fucking ruby eyes and pinched eyebrows he had studied everytime he caught a glimpse of Katsuki in the paper, on tv, in his store…

"What can I do for you?" Izuku put on his brightest customer service voice. He swore he saw Katsuki's jaw twitch.

"You sent me some bs text last night," Katsuki tried to walk past him but Izuku placed a firm grip on the door and stopped him. Katsuki looked mildly surprised but he stood his ground, two inches from Izuku's face. "And you don't want me to explain? Come on, Izuku. You knew I'd show up here."

"I don't know you enough to know what you would do." Izuku tilted his chin up in a show of defiance. It was physically painful, watching Katsuki like this in front of him. Katsuki looked wounded by his words, he took a half a step back.

"I really wanted to see you yesterday." Katsuki dragged a hand through his hair. "Camie, she's a friend. We had training together when I was at UA."

"Stop." Izuku shook his head. "I told you I didn't want-"

"Come on Izuku. I was kissing you because I wanted to." Katsuki gave a frustrated growl. "I didn't hide a girlfriend from you. She's my-" He gave a groan. "Okay, so the press is going to release some photos of us on a date, but it's not a real da-"

"Ha!" Izuku almost collapsed in relief. He was almost believing him, hope had swollen his heart painfully in his chest, and now equally as painfully, it burst; but he was right. He was lying. "And you date me in secret?"

"You weren't in my plans!" Katsuki stepped up to him again, begging him to take his words seriously. "I needed the scandal but, I like you, Izuku. I wasn't supposed to actually like you. And Camie was in place before I knew what I felt and I couldn't stop it because it was set up between our agencies. And she's my friend, this would help her career too."

"So she's here all of a sudden because?" Izuku drummed his fingers against the door.

"The agency wants photos sooner rather than later. We wanted to wait a while, because it would have looked bad if I was seen with someone else so soon after the breakup, especially someone I have a history with. The story we were going to sell was that we genuinely like each other, and genuinely liking someone so soon after a break up would have made the tabloids think I cheated on Ochako." Izuku didn't miss the irony. "Versus just, a fling that got everyone to stop thinking about how I hurt her or whatever. The rumours about you and me, it's dying down and they want to show that I'm moving on, to a more socially acceptable and more high profile relationship." Katsuki rolled his eyes as he said it. It wasn't enough for Izuku.

"I can't date you if you're meant to be dating someone else. I won't be your secret, Katsuki." Izuku held his eyes and didn't flinch even as his own words punched a hole through him. He could see Katsuki working up to say something else, so instead of letting him, he blurted, "It's okay, we're friends, right?"

Katsuki's mouth opened and closed like a fish. He exhaled audibly, frustration and relief. "Friends? Yea."

A little boy had stopped his mother whose arms were filled with groceries and he was jabbing a finger excitedly in Katsuki's direction. Izuku smiled at his innocent excitement and Katsuki looked to where he was staring.

He inhaled and stuffed his fists into his pockets. "Listen, Izuku. I won't be in town for a bit because of the whole Camie thing."

"Right." Izuku nodded. The mother had to adjust the bags and the little boy had a fistful of his shirt. She was nodding and glancing at Katsuki now.

"Can I text you?" Katsuki asked, and Izuku could see he was biting the inside of his cheek. It was cute.

"Yea, Kacchan. Anytime." Katsuki grinned, and Izuku felt a pang because he would miss those incisors and the way they snagged on his lips when he grinned too wide.

"See ya, Izuku." Katsuki gave him one last look before he spun and immediately walked up to the little boy and woman across the street. Izuku couldn't hear him, but she, with some convincing, allowed Katsuki to alleviate her of her bags and held the little boy's hand as he hopped up and down excitedly. God, he wasn't even in his hero costume, but he was making this little kid's dreams come true. He was so good .

So they texted. The following day he received ' Hey, how you doin today? - K'

He responded with ' I'm fine, shop's busy, how about you? - I' .

This is stupid. - K

I'll say. Working for a living? Whose idea was it? - I

Not what I meant, nerd. - K

Ah. - I

This photoshoot is stupid. I'm not some actor or some shit. - K

But you're a good guy, and you're helping a friend - I. Izuku had found that was the best way to justify their situation to acquire minimum pain.

I'd rather be with a different friend right now. - K

Izuku couldn't respond to that, because he was always under the firm belief that if you wanted to do something, be with someone, you would do it. There wasn't anything in his life that he hadn't done without actively thinking about doing it first.

The days blurred, their texts grew fewer. Izuku saw the photos of Katsuki and Camie sharing a coffee, on a park bench, kissing. He had resumed hiding away in his office once fans started coming in asking why he ended things, and why wasn't he fighting.

Izuku would laugh and say, "We're just friends." And it stung every single time like it had when he said the words to Katsuki.

Hey, nerd. - K

Hey, Kacchan - I. Izuku was tired, he was fighting to keep his eyes open.

Sorry I haven't been around. Had to fly to New York for a training thing. - K

Oh, that's super far away. - I. He wanted to add that he missed him, but really, how logical was it to miss someone you only started spending time with for a couple weeks?

I'll be back soon. - K

Izuku's phone lay against his chest, the message unread.

"Boss?" Ai stood in the doorway and Izuku yawned.

"Sorry." He said as he yawned again. "What's up, Ai?"

"I was wondering if you wanted to come out with Daisuke and I tonight to grab some drinks." Ai tucked her hair behind her ear where it promptly dislodged itself. Izuku blushed. He opened his mouth, unable to think quickly enough. "I mean-" Ai immediately began retreating, "I can see you're tired, I'm sorry. Maybe next ti-"

"I'd love to." Izuku shook his hands to clear his mind of haze and catch her attention. She paused.

"Really?" She looked afraid to ask for fear of him changing his mind. Izuku smiled his brightest smile despite the sleep weighing his eyelids.

The food was good, but not Kazu good. The beer was beer. He was maybe at the end of his second hoppy flavoured beer when Daisuke and Ai huddled behind their hands and finally looked at him. Daisuke swallowed thickly.

"Hey boss," He said cautiously. Izuku hiccuped. "Ai and I were thinking…"

"That you should probably go on some dates or something!" Ai blurted out, finishing Daisuke's sentence.

Izuku choked on air.

"Dates?" Izuku sputtered. "I'm not- I don't- dates?"

"Yea boss." Daisuke patted his back. "Since the whole," Daisuke blocked his mouth and stage whispered, "the Dynamight thing, you've just been a zombie."

"I have not!" Izuku hiccuped again. Ai and Daisuke gave him reproachful looks and Izuku sobered. "Have I?"

"You were checking your phone so often, you were practically plugged into it. Whenever someone asked you about Dynamight in the store, you'd blush so hard you'd go catatonic. And Daisuke and I saw he's dating someone else." Ai explained with a look of distaste in her eyes. "You don't have to take us up on this, but we know a couple people and we think you should let us set you up."

"No way." Izuku was blushing so hard his cheeks hurt. He supposed Katsuki did make it look convincing; even if he wasn't much of an actor.

"If not for you, for us!" Daisuke rocked his shoulder a little and Izuku's head bobbed. Daisuke's cheeks were a ruddy colour and Izuku knew they waited until they had enough beer to even bring it up.

"Are they serial killers?" Izuku fingered his empty mug, it made a grating sound on the surface.

"No!" They both said at the same time.

"Why do you have so many single friends?" Izuku narrowed his eyes in mock suspicion.

"It's only-" Ai held up her finger as she mouthed their names. "Two!"

"Two blind dates with my employees' friends." Izuku tapped his chin. He wasn't really considering it. But in the end, it was a good idea. Worst that would happen would be that they never see each other again. One date. Nothing mortifying could happen. "Sure. But I don't put out on the first date." He felt the blush crawl up his neck to the tips of his ears. "I'm sorry! That was probably inappropriate!"

Ai and Daisuke fell over laughing. Izuku's phone buzzed in his pocket with an unread message.

Night nerd. - K