Like Who I Used To Be [Matsuda x Fem!Reader]

Great Progress, Greater Risk

She found herself staring, unable to go back to focusing on the case she had been researching.

Eventually, Matsuda seemed to have under the pressure of that gaze. Silent laughter radiated from his grin, "Okay, Okay. I'm sorry! Just stop staring like that. The intensity in those eyes could be an interrogation technique, hahaha."

Unable to reply for fear of making a fool of herself, [Y/ N] could only think about how the brightness of his smile could be used to light the room. A thought that was immediately followed by self ridicule over sounding like some cheesy love struck girl.

""W-w-well, y-you should b-be!" She spluttered, though her words were at least coherent, "La-laughing a-at m-m-me was rude, S-sempai!"

With a playful pout she buried her face in her work once more, this time to hide a rosy tint in her face.

"You're just pretending to be mad, right?" Matsuda smiled from his desk. No answer, "H-hey? You aren't actually mad at me, are you? You can't ignore me, I'm your mentor!"

At that, [Y/ N] finally broke into laughter of her own.

In the background, Ide and Mogi muttered a unified, "Idiots."

At that moment Aizawa appeared from the direction of his office, his expression and demeanor serious, "I'm afraid I need to ask for everyone's attention."

The laughter stopped quickly ceased at the change in the atmosphere of the room.

«Good. Thank you Aizawa. Now, is there a more secure room where we can talk?»

The voice came from Aizawa's phone. It was garbled with electronics, but the men's eyes went wide with recognition.

Matsuda's entire body tensed. His teeth ground against each other. His hands clenched at his sides. His feet shifted, ready (for fight or flight [y/ n] couldn't be sure). His eyes were wide, pupils dilated. Every minute expression on his face was so tense it twitched like a spring loaded trigger.

"Hang up..." He uttered quietly.

"Matsuda," Aizawa reasoned, "You know if he's calling us there's a -"

"I don't care! Hang up!" Matsuda was shouting now, something in him boiling into a rage like [y/ n] had never seen, "All those lunatics do is put people in danger!"

«A bit of risk is required to win the game» A clacking sound garbled through, «But a bit of risk is taken every day. We are the ones willing to use that risk for the sake of good.»

"Chief would agree," Aizawa stated firmly, invoking the greatest hero Matsuda knew to quell his anger.

"Well..."Matsuda seemed to wilt, "Maybe he would...but look where these guys got Chief..."

«I never met Yagami Soichiro, but he seemed like a man worth admiring.»

Matsuda was silent.

"Hey," The woman finally spoke up. The reaction Matsuda had had to the voice caused her some hesitation, but the need to defend her Sempai's state of mind gave her courage. He must have seen horrible things at the hands of the people behind this voice, "S-so...Voice-san? U-um...I'm guessing y-you're from the case that should not be named...

"And, I don't really know about the details, it can't be named, you know...now talking about it," Not stumbling was easier as she realized there wasn't a physical person to be intimidated by, "But I know it hurt Matsuda-Sempai. So, whatever he says, I believe."

«Are you done?» Even with the warping of the electronics, the voice sounded monotone.

"Um...Y-yes?" The female officer wasn't sure what else to say.