Work Text:
Subject: Meeting Review
Good afternoon Dynamight,
Thank you for your cooperation during our meeting today. Please provide your written statement for the public regarding your relationship with vigilante Riot to Miyoshi Moe via email at your earliest convenience.
Best,
Sakaguchi Yuuki
PR, Genius Agency
Katsuki would like to punt their PR department into the sun. Jeanist would disapprove, so he won't, but God does he want to.
He supposes it's partially his fault for being seen with Riot in uniform. Not like it was planned, he has a stealth suit to avoid this exact situation, but it still happened. The legal team doesn't care, their collaboration is approved by the Safety Commission, but PR's up in arms about it.
Public reception shouldn't matter more than doing my job, he seethes.
"Dude, you're staring at your screen like you're gonna murder it," Eijirou comments from across the room. "What'd it do to you?"
"Fucking PR's making me write a damn statement," Katsuki huffs, not looking up from the blank document on his screen. "Some fan got a picture of us from when you ran into my patrol route last week. PR's making it a whole thing."
"Oh, shit, dude. Like—Riot me?"
"What do you think?"
"Sorry, sorry, I just—was I even in costume?"
"How the fuck else would they recognize you?"
"I don't know, man! I just don't remember being in costume for that!"
"Hold the fuck on," Katsuki cuts in, holding a hand up while his other hand redirects from his document to his search bar.
It takes less than thirty seconds to find the image PR was so worked up about. And—
"Goddamn," he mutters. "You're right, you weren't."
In the picture, Eijirou is just wearing shorts, a hoodie, and a facemask, otherwise nondescript. It's not all that different from his vigilante costume. Different facemask, though, and a different hairstyle.
"Okay, I thought I was going insane," Eijirou responds with a sigh. The tension returns in next words," They still recognized me, though?"
Katsuki is silent for a moment, staring at the image. Different hairstyle, different facemask.
"Apparently they're pretty damn confident they did," he says, "but it just looks like you."
"What do you mean?"
Katsuki grins, pulling the document back up. "They want a statement about you in this picture, and it's not Riot. It's just you."
[attachment:officialstatement.pdf]
An image was shared online last week that many have presumed to show myself interacting with the known vigilante Riot. This image actually shows myself and my partner. Any other rumors from this image are baseless. If you are actually interested in the other person in the photo, he shares advice from his job as a personal trainer on his account @crimson_training […]
The statement takes three drafts of increasing censorship before it's ready to be shared. It goes out without issue, other than Sakaguchi catching him while he's filling out his patrol report.
"That isn't the statement I asked you for," she says, arms crossed. "You know that, right?"
"You said you wanted a statement about the photo," Katsuki says without looking up.
"I specifically said about your relationship with Riot in the email."
"Yeah, well, that's not what you were worried about in the meeting. I said what the photo was, that's what they're all actually bitching about."
"…Fine. And if there's still questions?"
"Put me on a damn talk show if you want me to answer more stupid questions."
"Okay. I'll send you the information once it's scheduled."
"Wh—" Katsuki looks up at that, Sakaguchi already walking away. "That was a fucking joke! Hey— do you hear me?! I'm not doing some damn—"
"Thank you for joining us tonight, Dynamight."
"'Course," Katsuki says flatly. His hands are folded over each other, planted firmly on his lap. Years of media training have him limiting himself to one piece of improper posture: a leg crossed over the other, ankle resting on his knee.
"So," the interviewer says, leaning over their desk. "We know you as a high-intensity Hero with no time to waste on frivolities. And yet you recently announced your relationship with one Kirishima Eijirou. Tell us about that."
Katsuki scoffs, grinning to offset it. "Not much to say. Met through work, got dragged to a couple lunches, and things went from there."
"So Kirishima's personal training is through Genius Agency?"
"Yeah, and he's damn good at his job. Helped me out after my injury last year once rehab cleared me."
"I see! Very sweet."
"Sure, something like that."
The crowd laughs. The edge of Katsuki's lip twitches.
The interviewer leans back. "You addressed in your statement regarding Kirishima that people thought he was the vigilante Riot in this photo." The screen behind them changes to a large-scale rendition of the photo that started the entire problem. "Why do you think that was?"
"Why would I know?" Katsuki shrugs. "Only similarities I see are the hair and the facemask. Neither of those are special."
"It is true that red hair alone isn't rare by any means, but you have to admit that both Kirishima and Riot style their hair very similarly." Another photo of Riot pops up beside the initial photo.
"Kirishima does that 'cause he's a nerd who likes the old hero Crimson Riot too much," Katsuki states flatly.
"Oh, Crimson Riot!" the interviewer interrupts. "Haven't heard that name in a while. I loved him when I was a kid."
Katsuki laughs. "'S where he got his trainer name from. Gotta guess a vigilante named Riot probably shares an interest."
"Very true," they laugh simultaneously with the crowd. "Well, that aside, tell us more about your relationship with Kirishima. I'm sure I speak for everyone when I say we're all very curious."
Eijirou is sitting on the couch with a cup of ramen when Katsuki gets home, watching a replay of his interview.
"You're kidding me," Katsuki grumbles.
"Man, this is the nicest you've talked about me in weeks, let me have this."
"I'll show you talking nice," he huffs, sticking his jacket onto a hanger. "Got them off our backs, though."
Eijirou turns off the TV before turning to face Katsuki. "You think I should start doing my hair differently? So people don't recognize me again?"
"I think you should let me sponsor you for a license."
"That's so much work, man," he groans, head tilting back. "This is so much easier."
"I'm not bailing you out of jail again."
"Okay, okay, I'll think about it."
Katsuki looks at him, lips set straight even as the corners try to tug upward.
He moves to the kitchen before Eijirou can see him smile. "Think about what you want for actual food, too, 'cause you're not just having cup noodles for dinner."