Chapter Text
“Hell no! I don’t have time for stupid shit like that!” A gruff voice shouted as he slammed his beer glass on the table. He ran a hand through his sandy blond hair, his eyes an intense red as he glared at the person across from him. Bakugou Katsuki, code name: Great Explosion Murder God Dynamight. More famously known as simply Dynamight.
“Aw c’mon Bakugou! Just give it a try! I promise you won’t regret it! Really!” A blond man with a lightning bolt-shaped streak in his hair whined. Kaminari Denki; code name: Chargebolt.
“Shut up, Dunce-face! Unlike you, some of us actually take our hero work seriously!”
“Wha – And unlike you some of us have a life outside of work!”
“What the fuck did you just say?!”
Before things could escalate further, a different voice spoke up, belonging to a man with flaming red hair and eyes to match, “Whoa! Let’s calm down now, yeah? We got kicked out of a restaurant just last month, remember? It’s unmanly as Pro Heroes, you know. You don’t want to end up with the news saying how you thrashed the place, do you?” He glanced at the ash blond beside him before looking across the table. “And Denki, try not to provoke him too much.”
Bakugou simply scoffed as he took a sip of his drink. The red-head sighed in relief; glad he’s managed to deescalate the situation – for now. Kirishima Eijirou, code name: Red Riot.
The other blond pouted childishly, “I just wanted to help… Bakugou is always drowning himself in hero work trying to beat Midoriya… Aren’t you stressed at all? Yeah, it’s good that you’re so dedicated, but you gotta learn to live a little, man! Work hard, play hard! Don’t you think so too, Eijirou?!”
Kirishima shrugged, “I mean, yeah, I think it’s good to know when to take a break from time to time and put your focus on something aside from work.”
“See? Even Eijirou agrees!”
“But…” he added, “A dating app is totally not Katsuki’s style.”
“That’s the point! He should try something new! Something fresh!”
“I mean, we’re Pro Heroes though, I don’t think dating apps would work for us. Plus, Katsuki’s really popular, if people find out he’s on a dating app, then everyone will try to match with him. Doesn’t that kind of make it pointless?”
At that, Kaminari smirked before lowering his head and chuckling; he made a gesture as if he’s adjusting his glasses although he has none. “I’m glad you brought that up.”
Bakugou’s eye twitched as he observes the other blond’s antics, “Did you finally short circuit your brain for good?”
The stun gun hero ignored that comment as he took out his phone and pointed to an app named ‘Twin Flame’. The icon looked to be a burning fire, split in the middle in two colors, blue of the left and red on the right.
“It’s the latest trending dating app! Twin Flame! After setting up your profile, the app analyzes your information and matches you with someone they consider to be the best match! The best part is that everyone’s identity stays hidden! They say it’s so you won’t start judging your matches through appearances. Plus, on other dating apps, some people like to stalk their matches by searching up their social media handles, but this way, you can’t! You have to actually talk to the person to get to know them! Then, if you both get comfortable with each other, you decide to reveal your identities on your own terms. Neat, right?!” The man continues his passionate explanation, “Not to mention, that’s not all! They have a bunch of unique features like mini games you can play together with your – ”
“Tape Arms is taking way too fucking long. I’m not going to sit here and starve so I’m going to order.” Bakugou is looking at the restaurant menu when he spoke.
“Were you even listening to me?!”
Kirishima simply raised his hands in surrender as Kaminari turns to him. “Hey, at the end of the day it’s Katsuki’s choice.”
Before Kaminari could get another word in, the door to their VIP room slid open revealing a disheveled man with black hair and eyes. He panted as he spoke, “Sorry guys! There was an incident right as I was getting back from patrol.” He walked into the room to sit at the table with the others. Sero Hanta, code name: Cellophane.
“Hey, no worries! These things happen with our line of work.” Kirishima reassured. “Was it anything big?”
Sero slides in the seat beside Kaminari. “Nah. It was just a petty thief, caught him pretty fast. No one got hurt or anything.”
“That’s good. Anyway, since we’re all here, let’s order. Nothing better than a big meal after a long day’s work!”
With that, the group called for the waiter as they order their food. The night goes on, and even after they had long finished their meals, they continued to converse in mindless chatter over a ‘few’ drinks. And if anyone saw Kaminari fiddling with Bakugou’s phone as the latter had his head down on the table, no doubt drunk; no one said a thing.
Your white coat swished behind you as you rush into the Emergency Room. You hastily looked around before approaching one of the beds surrounded by several medical officers.
“Is this the patient?”
The crowd turned to greet you as one spoke up, “Doctor! Yes, he is. He sustained a stab wound and he’s lost a lot of blood. We’ve done what we can, but we think it’s best to ask you to treat the patient.”
You give the unconscious patient a quick once-over, noting his rapid breathing and bandaged wounds on his abdomen. Without a word, you stand on side of the patient’s bed. With the sleeves of your coat already rolled up, you gently placed both your hands onto the patient’s chest. A soft golden glow enveloped the patient, and you felt the ends of your coat fluttering. You watch as the patient’s breathing gradually steady along with the beeping sound of the heart monitor. The others stood in awe as they watched you work your magic.
Retracting your hands, you stepped back and observed the now stabilized patient. “Okay, the wound should be all healed up now. I didn’t deal much with the blood loss since I’ve already used too much stamina today. So, make sure to give him a blood transfusion.”
“Understood! Sorry for calling you over when your shift just ended.”
“Don’t worry about it. Luckily, I hadn’t left just yet.”
“We really appreciate all you do for the hospital.”
You shook your head, “It’s my job.”
After bidding farewell, you picked up your things from your office before heading home. The drive back to your apartment building was nothing short of uneventful. However, your exhausted self was more than glad that it was.
Freshly showered and now changed into more comfortable clothes, you laid in bed and checked your phone now that your finally have a little free time. You smile at the messages you received earlier during the day before your own fingers move to reply.
[Yu-chan]
Heyyyyy, you’re probably busy saving lives right now but I just wanted to tell you that the date went great today!
HE WAS SO CUTE!!!!!!!!!!
We already set up another date
Anyways!
Tell me when you’re off your shift, I want to tell you all the deets! ( ˘ ³˘)♥
[You]
I’m glad the date went well!
I just got home a while ago (╥﹏╥)
Wanna call now?
Almost immediately, your phone started vibrating. You chuckled at your best friend’s lightning-fast response. You rolled onto your side before picking up the call.
[“My dear saintess! Do you know how long I was waiting for you?!”] Even through the phone, you could picture your friend’s pouting face.
“Sorry, sorry… You know how it is.”
[“Since your job is so important, I can’t even actually get mad at you! So, how was work today?”]
“The same as it always is. There wasn’t anything I couldn’t handle.”
[“Wow~ That’s my best friend! You’re so cool! Even the way you said that was cool!”]
You could feel the stress of the day slowly evaporating at the cheerfulness of you friend as you both talked about your day. Sakura Yumi was your treasured childhood friend. Yumi was a lively girl, and you found her energy contagious. More often than not, you would find yourself simply nodding along to whatever topic she decided to go on a spiel on. However, you wouldn’t have it any other way. Yumi was a great conversationalist, and you were a great listener. Eventually, the conversation ended up on Yumi’s date earlier that day.
[“And I have another date with him next week! I just saw him today, but I already can’t wait!”]
“It’s great that you seem to hit it off with him.”
[“Right?! At first, I didn’t believe it when people told me about the app, because – I mean, you know how dating apps go. Most people on dating apps just want to hook up. But now that I’ve experienced it myself, it’s definitely the real deal! Oh! I know! Why don’t you download it too? If we both get partners, then we can go on double dates and stuff!”]
“I don’t think I have time to date right now.”
[“Eh~ You don’t have to date anyone immediately. You can just download the app and chat with whoever you match with first. It doesn’t have to go anywhere. Besides, some people don’t match with the right person immediately anyway, it’s not like the app is omnipotent. A lot of people unmatch and the system connects them with new people until they settle on the right one. So, why not give it a try?”]
“I don’t know…”
[“C’mon, saintess~! It’s always work with you! The hospital’s been running you ragged, right? After all, healing quirks are rare. I get that your job is important, but you deserve a bit of fun and relaxation too. When was the last time you focused on something outside of work? I think this could be good for you.”]
You knew that Yumi means well, she always does when it comes to you. You trust her wholeheartedly, so you resigned yourself to your fate and say, “If you really think so… I could give it a try.”
Setting up a profile wasn’t complicated by any means, but Yumi insisted on helping and to put her on speaker while you fill in your profile details. At first, there was an identity verification process; no doubt to deter bots and those with ill-intent. Then, there were basic questions such as gender or age preferences, favorite foods, and the like. There were a few short answer questions asking things such as ‘what would be your ideal first date?’. When finally, you reach the final question:
[If you could describe your ideal partner in one word, what would it be?]
“What did you write for yours, Yumi?”
[“Hmm~? I wrote ‘cute’, obviously!”]
You chuckle, “Of course you did.” You stare at your phone screen a moment longer before typing in your answer.
[Ambitious]
[“Ambitious, huh? I totally get it! There’s just a certain charm about a guy who knows what he wants!”]
You pressed the submit button at the bottom of the page. The screen morphed to a loading page with a little pink flame icon in the middle, moving side to side as if imitating a real flickering fire. When the page loaded, there is a short text that read:
[Hello User, you’re almost done!]
[This last step is not necessary, but it will help us choose a better match for you! It will help us get a better grasp of your personality.]
[Will you allow us to use and analyze information on your social media and other public platforms? Rest assured we will only use information that are publicly available!]
[The trust and safety of our Users are our number one priority.]
[If you are unsure, you may click ‘do not allow’ for now. You may go to the settings tab and enable this feature if you change your mind.]
You blinked, “This sounds shady…”
Yumi only laughed, [“I thought so too! But if you think about it, social media sites sell user information all the time~! What’s another one going to do? More targeted ads? At first, I didn’t do it but after a few failed matches I thought, screw it.”]
You think about your social media accounts, you only post from time to time. You don’t manage any of them actively, if you ever post anything it’s typically regarding an outing with Yumi. So surely, it couldn’t hurt.
[Thank you! Please wait while we process and analyze your information.]
[After that, we will start our matchmaking process which may take from a few hours to a few days depending on your compatibility with other Users.]
[We will do our best to look for your other half!]
The next morning, Bakugou woke up with a hangover. He barely remembered how his red-haired friend had brought him home. Normally, he wouldn’t drink that much even if the next day was an off day for him. He hated to admit it, but Kaminari was right, he was stressed. He had been devoting himself to his hero work fully every single day ever since he graduated from U.A. And yet,
I still can’t beat that damn Deku.
His childhood friend had beaten him to the coveted seat of the number one hero. True, they both had resolved their differences years ago, but it didn’t change that they both aimed for the title of the number one hero. If anything, seeing his friend and rival simply made the burning ambition to reach the apex of the hero world all the greater. It wasn’t as if he didn’t want a chance to take a breather, but he felt as if he can’t lose focus now; he doesn’t want to get left behind. In fact, although he has an off day today, it wasn’t voluntary. Kirishima, his self-proclaimed best friend and co-owner of his agency, forced him to take a break. Bakugou had refused at first, but the red head had said something that he couldn’t refute.
“Look, if you keep going like this, you’re going to burn yourself out. Imagine if you tire yourself out so much that you collapse in the middle of fighting a villain. That’d be real unmanly.”
It was true, the last few days Bakugou could feel himself slowing down and he got exhausted more easily. In the end, he agreed to take a day off, albeit begrudgingly. He understood that if he were to get sick, it would simply hinder with his hero work even more.
He sat up in his bed before looking at the alarm clock by his bed to check the time, it was almost noon. He never wakes up this late, so he chalked it up to the alcohol. He picks up his phone to check the messages, wincing at the light of the phone screen as his head throbs. He squinted slightly when he spots an unfamiliar icon.
“Twin Flame? What the fuck is this?”
He racked his brain, trying to think if he had accidentally downloaded a random application onto his phone in his drunk stupor when a faint memory of a certain blond flashed across his mind.
“It’s the latest trending dating app! Twin Flame!”
His eye twitched, Did that fucker snoop through my phone? I’m going to blow him to pieces when I see him.
Somewhere, Kaminari feels a shiver run through his spine.
Bakugou was about to go and delete the app when a text message interrupted him. He promptly forgets about the app as he opened the text.
[Shitty Hair]
Yo, you awake?
I put some water and painkillers on your nightstand. You drank way more than usual last night so you’re probably going to feel awful.
[You]
I just woke up.
Bakugou looked to his bedside table and lo and behold, there was a pitcher of water, a glass, and a packet of pain relief medicine. He quickly took a tablet before downing a whole glass of water. His attention went back to his phone when it vibrates again.
[Shitty Hair]
Oh! How are you feeling?
[You]
Like shit.
[Shitty Hair]
Well, you have a whole day to rest
I know that you’ll still think about work even if you have today off, but don’t! Or there’s no point! Go do something to keep your mind off it.
Oh yeah, I stopped by to drop off some food at your place this morning, but you were still sleeping so I left it in the kitchen
[You]
Don’t baby me, shitty hair.
[Shitty Hair]
You’re welcome, man! ( ˘ ³˘)
Bakugou scoffed before he got out of bed and sauntered to the kitchen. He unpacked the meal Kirishima bought him and started eating on the kitchen island. He looked at his phone again, now just remembering the accursed app. He hesitated before he goes to delete it this time as he recalled the words of his friend telling him to occupy his mind with a anything but work.
It wasn’t as if Bakugou is averse to romantic relationships. He had tried his hand in dating over the years, some more serious than others, yet none of them had worked out. As a top Pro Hero, there were many who wanted to stand by his side, some were simply fame-seekers or gold-diggers, but there were some who he believed wanted a genuine relationship with him. And yet, those former partners of his would either find his personality difficult to handle or believe that the explosive hero prioritized his career more than their relationship. Bakugou couldn’t understand why it had to be one or the other, why couldn’t he prioritize both being a hero and his partner? Why did one have to take precedence over the other? He was strong, he could handle both. However, his partners seemed to disagree. After one too many cancelled dates, they would decide that they couldn’t be with him anymore. He even dated another Pro Hero, thinking she would understand, but she didn’t.
If he truly loved someone, he wouldn’t want to give them up for his career; just as he wouldn’t neglect his career like a lovesick puppy. And in his mind, if they truly loved him, they wouldn’t let his ambitions get in the way of their relationship. They would support him just as he would support them in their own ambitions. Was that too much to ask for?
And so, as he dug into his meal, he clicked on the app icon. He filled in his information and quickly answered the questions, not really thinking much of them. However, he took a moment at the last question.
[If you could describe your ideal partner in one word, what would it be?]
He thinks back to all his failed relationships. He thinks of the words they tell him, either crying or shouting, that he doesn’t care about them. That’s not true. He thinks. You just couldn’t keep up with me. With ease, he types a simple word.
[Strong]
He wanted a partner who was strong enough, one who could stand by his side proudly. Then, the app asked him for permission to use information obtainable through public platforms, he clicked ‘allow’ without a second thought. As a top Pro Hero, he lives his life in the limelight, with the public constantly trying to pry into his private life. He really didn’t think a random dating app could do much worse than mass media. The man cleaned up as he headed into his bathroom to shower. He left his phone on the table, opting to forget about the app after it told him to might take days to find him a match.
It was only a few hours later, as he was lounging on his couch, flipping through channels trying to find any semblance of entertainment to alleviate his boredom when a notification appears on his phone. He clicks on it as it opened up the Twin Flame app.
[We have found a match!]
[Usernames are randomized by our system to ensure anonymity.]
[Your assigned username is: Shouri]
[Your potential Twin Flame is: Tenshi]
You bit your lip as you stared at your phone, “Shouri…” All the app told you about your match was his gender and age. You weren’t going to lie; you were a little nervous. You’ve never used a dating app before, much less actually date anyone. As your brain tried to figure out if you should be the one to message first, a nurse calls out to you.
“Doctor!”
You quickly pocketed your phone and turned in your heel, “Ah, yes!”
Hopefully, whoever this Shouri is, he doesn’t message you anytime soon. If he does, you hope he’ll be patient enough to wait until your shift is over and not unmatch you before you even get to speak with him. That would be a shame.
However, right now, there are people who need you. As you go to tend to your patients, you don’t feel your phone vibrate in your coat pocket. The display lights up with a single notification with a dual-colored flame icon on the side.
[Shouri]
So, what made you download this shitty app?