Chapter Text
Against all odds, you’re the agency member selected to serve as a reporter on the red carpet at the biggest gala of the year. There will be musicians, actors, and a plethora of other celebrities in attendance. The very thought of having to interact with those kinds of people makes you extremely nervous. It’s an amazing opportunity, of course. You just hope you can live up to the public’s expectations.
You end up spending the week before the gala drafting interview questions. You’ve decided to lean into a more fun and lighthearted type of interview. No doubt, the guests in attendance will be accosted with all sorts of personal questions throughout the night. You hope it’ll be refreshing for them to get asked noninvasive questions.
As for your attire, you’ve been provided an agency-regulated outfit to wear. It’s a suit—rather luxurious, but nothing too eye-catching. Ultimately, the celebrities will be wearing far more flamboyant and attention-grabbing outfits. You’ll fade into the background, with any luck. Despite that knowledge, however, you’re a bit nervous. You’re not a stranger to being on camera, but the thought of your interviews being posted to YouTube makes you pretty anxious. Unlike live television, platforms like YouTube can immortalize content. Your embarrassing moments will live on forever. You grimace to yourself. No pressure, right?
Amazingly enough, you end up being fine. You get to meet and speak with famous figures like All Might, Shoto, and even Shota Aizawa. The interviews aren’t awkward, somehow. You do notice the celebrities all relax after you ask your first stupid question. They don’t seem to expect things like: “What’s your favorite thing to do in your free time?” or “Favorite movie to watch at 3 a.m.?” That only makes the interactions all the more pleasant. You even receive murmured words of gratitude from a few of them.
You’re scrutinizing your reflection in a handheld mirror provided to you when there’s a sudden presence in front of you. Admittedly, you haven’t had much of a break between interviews—the red carpet has been rather busy the entire time. You decide to take advantage of the moment’s respite you’re given. “One second,” you decide to murmur, removing a stray eyelash from your cheek before taking one final look in the mirror and handing it to the assistant standing behind you. “Okay. Hey, how are you?” You look up, only to find yourself staring at Kaminari Denki. The Kaminari Denki: the idol with over thirty million listeners and sold-out concerts across the world. You’re certain that you’re going to fumble your words several times in front of him. It’s not even like you’re a fan of him—you’re just brutally aware of how immensely popular he is.
“I’m good,” Kaminari responds, an easy smile on his face. You take a moment to look him up and down, raising an eyebrow at the sleek white suit he’s wearing. It’s perfectly fitted, unsurprisingly. There’s an expensive watch—likely worth more than your entire salary—on his wrist. “It’s crazy to be here.”
“I’m sure!” you remark, wincing at how your voice sounds. It sounds a bit too much like your fake customer service voice. You take a deep breath and try to recollect yourself. You’re supposed to be here; you have the experience needed for the situation. “It’s not your first rodeo, though, is it?”
“Nope,” Kaminari answers, pushing a piece of hair out of his face. Cameras flash around the two of you. Kaminari is certainly used to it. You, on the other hand? Not so much. You’re blinking stars out of your eyes as you try to listen to him. “I was at last year’s gala, too.”
“Lucky you,” you say with a strange mix of sincerity and humor. Thankfully, you’re holding onto a placard, so you aren’t tempted to do anything stupid with your hands like shooting finger-guns at him. “Hey, what’s your best tip for not making a complete fool of yourself on the red carpet? I’m asking for a friend, definitely not for myself.”
Kaminari laughs at that. “You’re doing just fine, don’t worry!” He’s just as cheerful in person as he is depicted online. Well, it appears the Internet is sometimes right about things, you think to yourself. Kaminari squints for a moment, evidently contemplating what to answer with. “My biggest tip, though… I think I’d just try to remember that everyone here is human. We’re all nervous. Some are just better at hiding it.”
“That’s a pretty good tip, actually,” you acknowledge with a nod. “Alright, well… Do you have anything coming up that you’re looking forward to? I’m sure the audience would love to know.” You lean back towards the camera and wink. Kaminari blinks at you for a few seconds, as if distracted.
“Well, I do have an album coming soon,” the idol starts, a mischievous smirk growing on his face. You can practically feel the paparazzi off to the side waiting with bated breath. “But I can’t share the details.”
“Not even for me?” You put on your best puppy eyes and you swear that, for a moment, Kaminari’s facade cracks. You’re quick to reassure him that you’re just joking, however. “Kidding, of course. That’s great to hear. I’m sure your fans will be pleased. I’ll have to give it a listen.”
“Will you?” The idol seems pretty surprised and you’re not sure why. It’s not like the offer is tedious or taxing. It would be easy enough—you listen to music a lot throughout your days.
“Sure,” you shrug, suddenly feeling a little flustered. “You’ve been very kind. You’re pretty cool and down-to-earth, too.” You’re sure that your expression may be falling a little far away from professional respect, but you can’t quite control it. Kaminari is just so easy to talk to.
“Thanks.” You’re not sure what else to say—especially when faced with his insistent gaze—so you look down at your placard for any last-minute questions you can throw in. Your eye catches on the one stupid question you wrote down and you huff a laugh.
“Okay, so… one last question,” you say to the idol. Thankfully, Kaminari doesn’t seem annoyed at the prospect. He seems pretty easygoing, all things considered. His agreeableness makes your job much easier, admittedly. “Pancakes or waffles?”
“Pancakes, one hundred percent.” You gasp in mock offense and place a hand over your heart. Kaminari crosses his arms over his chest and rolls his eyes good-naturedly. “I see you prefer waffles. Can’t imagine why.”
“Waffles are fu— amazing, excuse you,” you say, only slightly fumbling in your attempt to censor your cussing. The idol notices and grins. “Do pancakes have pockets? Didn’t think so.” You smile smugly. Kaminari looks entirely indignant at the thought.
“So?” Kaminari asks. “Pancakes can just as easily have syrup and toppings—” Before the idol can finish his sentence, someone places a hand on his shoulder and whispers in his ear. Kaminari nods and then turns back to you, an apologetic expression on his face.
“I’m sorry, I have to get moving,” he frowns, as if genuinely bothered by the idea of ending the conversation. You immediately shake your head to reassure him that he doesn’t need to apologize. If anything, you should be the one apologizing.
“Sorry for keeping you,” you grimace, taking a moment’s glance around your immediate area. It’s as if your surroundings are crashing back down on you and you begin to realize the scale of the entire event. It was easy to forget when faced with Kaminari’s intent gaze. “Thanks for the interview.”
“Of course,” Kaminari responds, looking frighteningly sincere. There’s an unreadable expression on his face as he stares at you, apparently incapable of tearing his eyes away from you. Eventually, there’s someone at his shoulder again and the idol nods. He turns back to you. “Love ya.” Kaminari grins and winks.
“Love ya,” you respond habitually. The idol then walks away, evidently on to the next media outlet or celebrity. You wait a few moments before turning back to the camera and putting your head in your hands. The placard slips to the ground and, in your embarrassment, you don’t even notice. You’re too busy imagining the angry Tweets from Kaminari fans. Ugh.
Against all odds, you manage to get rid of your unease and go through the motions throughout the rest of the night. Thankfully, you’re only working the red carpet—not the whole event itself. So, instead of going into the rather fancy event hall, you can traipse back home and wallow in your embarrassment and humiliation. (Why did you ask him about pancakes and waffles?!?)
When you get home, you make yourself dinner and have a bit of dessert for surviving that red carpet unscathed [well, your pride isn’t unscathed, but that’s a different story.] You’re dreading the media attention you might have received, but ultimately, you decide to open Twitter anyway. Kaminari is trending, unsurprisingly. However, it seems there’s another tag trending: #DoubleVisionReporter. Dread coils in your chest and you click on the tag before scrolling down to the first Tweet.
@kamisimpsimp
a valid reaction to kaminari, tbh
[reporter.gif]: A GIF of you turning to look at the camera and putting your head in your hands.
2.8k comments | 114k retweets | 498k likes
Heart racing, you scroll down to the next Tweet.
surprised pikachu face | @kamipikakami
guys i think i might have to side with the reporter on this one… waffles are absolutely better than pancakes
1k comments | 230k retweets | 670k likes
jj | @dendendenki
In response to @kamipikakami
are you fucking WRONG
207 comments | 49k retweets |107k likes
surprised pikachu face | @kamipikakami
In response to @dendendenki
#TeamWaffles
24 comments |2.4k retweets | 8.9k likes
no. 1 kaminari stan | @narinaridenkki
Kaminari seemed rly comfortable,,, thx reporter-chan for taking care of him 🙏
80 comments | 6.9k retweets |43k likes
alex | @kaminarunaronari
In response to @narinaridenkki
“reporter-chan” 💀
2 comments | 8 retweets |23 likes
Well, those aren’t so bad. You were expecting far worse, honestly. You continue to scroll—which, in hindsight, is your fatal mistake.
stream lightning by kaminari! | @heyheyh3y
okay but is it just me or was there some tension there…
[interview.jpg]: A screenshot of Kaminari standing next to you during the interview.
657 comments | 34k retweets | 107k likes
just thinking abt kaminari | @denk1kam1nar1
In response to @heyheyh3y
kaminari looked whipped fr
14 comments | 673 retweets | 1.3k likes
stream lightning by kaminari! | @heyheyh3y
In response to @denk1kam1nar1
RIGHT ?? mf glanced over his shoulder at the reporter as he walked away…
8 comments | 201 retweets | 877 likes
just thinking abt kaminari | @denk1kam1nar1
In response to @heyheyh3y
kaminari seemed flustered when the reporter winked, too 😭
0 comments | 4 retweets | 60 likes
i said what i said. | @urfavescouldnever
this is why i love kaminari denki—his gay ass is just so immensely relatable.
[lookback.gif]: A GIF of Kaminari walking away, but not before turning to look over his shoulder at you once more. His cheeks are ever so slightly pink.
7k comments | 403k retweets | 1.2m likes
jj | @dendendenki
In response to @urfavescouldnever
to be fair, i’d be looking back at the reporter too… he’s hot
409 comments | 3k retweets | 18.2k likes
i said what i said. | @urfavescouldnever
In response to @dendendenki
that’s factual
0 comments | 21 retweets | 451 likes
Admittedly, you’d never noticed that Kaminari looked back at you. It’s not like that means much, though. There could be a million different explanations for that. Perhaps he just wanted to make sure his assistant was walking behind him. Surely that’s it.
Surprisingly enough, people seemed to be mostly complimentary of your interviewing skills. That’s good, you think to yourself. You certainly hadn’t expected for people to be commenting about your looks—you figured you would slip to the background when standing next to Kaminari.
You think about the Tweets you just scrolled through. Ultimately, you wish they were true—that Kaminari was actually interested in you. That’s nothing more than a desperate hope, though. It was an interview and nothing more.
You drown your doubts in ice cream and watch the rest of the award show. A few of the artists you listen to are in attendance and you’re curious to see if they win anything. Kaminari ends up winning an award and you smile at the ecstatic look on his face. The rest of the event passes rather slowly, as there are frequent commercial breaks. You find your eyes slipping closed more often than not and it doesn’t take long for you to drift off into sleep.
You’re woken by a loud buzz from your phone. You sleepily reach a hand out and grab your phone, turning it on and wincing at the sudden brightness. It seems you slept for a few hours. There’s a notification sitting on your lock screen. You frown and tap it.
Unknown Number: hey, is this the reporter from doublevision?
Immediately, your heart begins to race. Was your number leaked? You don’t remember ever sharing that information, but you could have slipped up somewhere… You’re so preoccupied that your next few responses are subconsciously typed and sent.
You: um…
You: who is this?
Unknown Number: kaminari denki
You can’t resist a disbelieving laugh at that. This asshole woke you up from your much-needed nap… just to pretend to be Kaminari Denki? That’s hilarious. It’s also immensely frustrating, but somehow, you’re feeling generous today and you don’t immediately cuss them out.
You: haha. nice try.
Unknown Number: wdym i’m literally kaminari denki
You: and i’m the mf president
Unknown Number: i’m being serious 😭
You: yeah, me too, dude
You: you def have the wrong number methinks
Unknown Number: i’m actually kaminari dneki//????!?!??!?
You: yeah sure, kaminari dneki 🤨
Unknown Number: shUT UP
Unknown Number: hold on
Unknown Number: you can block me after this if you want
You: why would i do that when i can just block u rn?
Unknown Number: WAIT PLS
Unknown Number: [selfie.jpg]
You frown and squint at the attached photo. Surely enough, it’s Kaminari Denki. He holds a peace sign up to the camera and there’s an easy smile on his face. You’re still not convinced, however. The picture could easily be an older one. This is clearly just a fan trying to mess with you.
You’re almost about to shut your phone off when a glimmer in the picture catches your eye. You zoom in, only to find Kaminari holding the award that he just won a few hours ago. You blink, convinced you’re seeing things. When you look at the photo again, you realize that he’s wearing the white suit from earlier. You’re still a bit unconvinced, so you zoom in on the clock conveniently located in the corner of the shot. 20:35. You glance down at your watch and a shiver rolls down your spine. Sure enough, the time is the same. It appears this is actually Kaminari Denki.
Fuck.