Chapter 1

"Here is your order, ma'am! One latte and one muffin to go!"

The woman barely paid Izuku any attention as she took her to-go bag and coffee from him, her face too buried into her phone. He could see her taking a sip on her way out, far too busy to even notice the crowd of people she almost ran over on the sidewalk.

Izuku sighed, nearly slumping over the counter. She was the last customer from the morning rush, and a particularly quiet and rude one, at that. Why did so many people have to be so rude in the mornings? And why did so many business people have to congregate here?!

"Sheesh, she was a little icy," Uraraka said as she stocked the display case with fresh muffins.

Izuku nodded, resting his chin on his palm. "I'm used to it, though. Almost all of our customers are in such a hurry to get to their jobs that they don't even smile." He frowned, his hand poking at his own cheek. "I wonder if it's me?"

"Aw, Deku! Don't take it too personally," Uraraka said, patting his shoulder. "Your smile is plenty warm enough!"

Izuku smiled crookedly at her. "You think?"

"Oh, most definitely!" she said. "Remember what I warned you about when you first asked for the job?"

Izuku sighed. "You said that your customers are either cold businessmen or loud teenagers."

And boy, was she right. On a Saturday morning, the place was filled with obnoxious teenaged girls all loudly gushing about the new coffee of the day and trying to act like adults. Izuku really hated the noise, but he found that he looked forward to Saturdays the most. At least on those days, there weren't moody adults who didn't even thank him for his service.

"And? What about it?" Uraraka urged.

Izuku frowned sadly. "Not to have high expectations."

"Exactly," Uraraka said. "Don't be so sad, Deku. There are nicer customers every now and then."

"I know," Izuku said. "I just haven't seen them, yet."

Uraraka patted his shoulder. "You will!" she said. "Just keep your chin up. I don't want you getting depressed again, you know."

Izuku wanted to crawl into a hole. He slumped even further onto the counter and sighed, his hands covering his eyes.

"Don't worry, Uraraka. I'm fine now," he said.

She hesitated, her hand still on his shoulder. "You haven't talked about him in a while, you know…"

Izuku groaned in his throat. "Uraraka…"

She lifted up her hands in surrender. "Okay, okay! I won't bring him up," she said. "But you took this job right after you guys broke up. I just wanted to be sure you were getting over him. In a healthy way."

"I am over him."

"Hmm… Well, if you're sure," Uraraka said. "Just know, that if you ever want to talk, I'm here, okay?"

Izuku sighed and nodded. "Yeah. I know." He looked up at her and gave a wobbly smile. "Thanks."

Uraraka smiled and opened her mouth to say more but stopped when Iida poked his head out of the kitchen door.

"Uraraka! You were supposed to come help me with these bagels ages ago!" Iida scolded, his hands flat and chopping in the air.

"Oops," Uraraka whispered. She squeezed Izuku's shoulder and then shuffled past Iida to get into the kitchen.

"Midoriya, can you clean out that empty display? We need to make room for the next batch," Iida said, adjusting his glasses.

Izuku nodded once. "Yeah, sure, Iida."

Iida nodded and disappeared into the kitchen, leaving Izuku to stare down at the crumb-filled display shelf that once held delicious and under-appreciated muffins. That businesswoman didn't even know what she was eating that morning.

Izuku pouted like a little child as he sank into a crouch to clean the shelf, definitely not muttering about how ungrateful the customers were around here. And he definitely not was thinking about his ex, who had graciously and sadly ended things in the nicest way possible because that was just the kind of person he was.

Oh, for crying out loud. He missed him. It had been months but he still found that he missed him. He needed a new hobby, a new focus. Something to occupy his mind. Or a friend. Someone to hang out with. Someone new to discover and have fun with and experience a whole new—

"Um, excuse me?"

Izuku startled hard and banged his head against the display case, a headache immediately blooming behind his eyes. His ears burned at the loud bang that echoed in the tiny café, and he shame-facedly scrambled to stand up, his hand rubbing the now small bump on top of his head.

"S-Sorry about that. Um, how may I help…"

Izuku stopped talking at the sight of the stranger that was now standing in front of him. He had red and white hair, a mysterious scar on his face–or perhaps a birthmark?–and beautiful eyes that were two different colors.

He was so handsome.

"Oh. Sorry," the man said, brows pushing together. "Are you okay?"

Izuku wanted the floor to swallow him whole.

"Ah! Y-Yes!" Izuku squeaked. "It was nothing! I'm usually this clumsy!" He laughed awkwardly and tried to keep eye contact, but the handsome stranger was so intimidating. "Um. So, w-what can I help you with?"

Geez, why was he stuttering so much? He hadn't been this frazzled since his ex first introduced himself so long ago.

Ugh, he really needed to move on.

Focus, Izuku! You have a customer!

The man looked up at the menu on the wall behind Izuku, his lips twisting as he pondered the options.

Izuku held back a sigh. While he was handsome, he was just going to be another cold businessman with no sense of politeness.

Should he try for another job? No, no. Uraraka and Iida were so kind as to let him work here while he was working on his degree. He needed this. It was a good change in pace.

"Um…" the customer finally spoke, seemingly unsure and hesitant. "I'm not really sure what to get. I've never been here before."

Izuku perked up immediately. "Oh! Well, uh. Is there a type of coffee that you like?"

The man tilted his head. "I prefer tea," he said.

Izuku smiled. "We have some hot tea options. On the left there."

He pointed to the very small selection of black teas, his smile turning a little shy as the customer simply blinked at them. Oh, boy. He hoped he wasn't about to get berated for how few options there were. Most of the people around this city preferred their fancy coffees.

"I'll take a black tea, and…" the customer said, and then he looked down at the display cases, his eyes scanning over the yummy-looking pastries on the shelves like they were foreign objects. "Um. I'd like to get something else, but I'm not sure what to get."

Izuku smiled politely, but he secretly wondered if this guy was okay. How could he not know what he wanted? Had he never eaten a muffin before?

"Well, we've got scones, muffins, macaroons, and they're baking some fresh bagels in the back," Izuku said. He pointed to the array of cookies on the corner shelf. "We also have cookies and stuff, if you like eating chocolate this early in the morning."

The man tilted his head at the options and then looked up at Izuku.

"What's your favorite?" he asked.

Izuku's eyes widened. "Mine?"

The man nodded, and Izuku put his hand to his chin as he gazed over the pastries. He always had a soft spot for muffins, but the scones at this café were amazing. He didn't know what Iida and Uraraka did to conjure such a recipe, but the results were phenomenal.

"Well, personally, I like the strawberry scones," Izuku said. "They go really good with tea, actually!"

The man nodded in wonder, seeming to like the options. He took out his wallet.

"May I also have two of the strawberry scones, please?" he asked.

Izuku smiled and nodded. "Of course!" He gave the man his total. "Would you like that for here or to go?"

The man gently dropped a few yen on the money plate. "To go. I have… somewhere to be."

Izuku's shoulders dropped a little. Everyone was always so busy.

Just like someone he used to know.

"No problem! I'll have your tea ready in just one moment!" Izuku said as cheerfully as possible.

He got the tea poured and grabbed two scones to put in one of the café's signature bags. He handed them both over to the customer.

"One black tea, and two strawberry scones!" he said.

The man nodded at him as he took the bag delicately from Izuku's grasp. Izuku was expecting the interaction to be over, but instead of leaving right away, the man bowed his head briefly.

"Thank you very much," he said.

Izuku felt his face heat up again. "N-No proble—Ah, you're welcome!"

The man gave one more nod and then turned to leave the café, the jingle above the door indicating that he was gone. Once he had walked past the windows of the café and was out of sight, Izuku slumped on the counter and groaned into his arms.

"That was so embarrassing!" Izuku whined.

"What was embarrassing?"

Izuku jumped at the sound of Uraraka's voice and looked up to see her head poking out of the kitchen.

"Oh, Uraraka," Izuku said with a whine. "I totally just made a huge fool out of myself just now!"

Uraraka rolled her eyes playfully as she pushed against the kitchen door with her back, her hands carrying a tray of freshly made bagels.

"I'm sure it wasn't that bad, Deku," she said.

"Ugh, but it was!" Izuku groaned. "This guy came in, and he was just way too handsome, and I got so frazzled and banged my head against the display case and then, I couldn't even speak right! I was muttering and stuttering and I probably sounded like a complete idiot and—"

"Oh, so he was handsome?" Uraraka teased, her smile huge across her face.

Izuku's cheeks burned. "U-Uraraka!"

"What? That's what you said!" she said, setting down the bagels and leaning against the counter. Her face was so smug, but Izuku couldn't even find it in himself to tell her off. She was completely right.

"W-Well, okay. He was… really cute," Izuku said, slapping his palms over his eyes.

"Oooh! Tell me more, Deku!" Uraraka said.

Izuku shook his head and sighed. "Why does it even matter? It's not like he'll come back here again." He groaned and fell forward, letting his forehead smack against the countertop. "I probably weirded him out too much for him to ever come back."

Uraraka patted his back. "Don't worry, Deku. I'm sure you didn't spaz out that much."

Izuku peeked up at her. "You think so?"

Uraraka hesitated and then smiled pitifully. "Well. We can always get you an online dating profile."

"Ugh…"

"Okay, the bagels are ready so next we have—Midoriya! Why haven't you cleaned out that shelf, yet?"

"Uwah! S-S-Sorry, Iida!"

Izuku dragged himself up to his apartment and sat down heavily on his worn-out couch. He tossed his backpack aside and stared up at the ceiling, allowing his drained body to completely mold to the lumps underneath of him.

It had been such a long day. Why did he decide to go back to school on top of all this? Why?

His night classes were great—he wasn't complaining about that. But the bills were piling up, and coming back to the empty apartment after working all morning and going to school all night was starting to get to him. The apartment was so lonely now.

He glanced over at the small end table next to the couch, eyeing the picture of himself and Eijiro.

They looked so happy together. Why did this have to happen?

Suddenly, he felt his phone buzz in his pocket. He groaned and pulled his phone from his pocket, reading the word Mom blinking back at him. He took in a deep breath and took the call.

"Hello?" he answered.

"Hi, Honey! How was your day?" his mother chirped.

Izuku rolled over onto his stomach, his eyes still on Eijiro's smile. "Fine, I guess."

"Aw, you sound so tired, sweetie," she fussed. "Are you okay?"

"Yeaah," Izuku said. "The day was just long."

"Is school giving you trouble?" she asked.

"Not really," Izuku said. "I like my classes a lot, actually."

"Well, that's a good thing, then," she said. "And you're eating well?"

"Yes, Mom."

"Okay. You know I just worry about you, dear."

Izuku sighed, his eyes tearing up. "I know. Thanks, Mom."

There was a brief pause before his mother spoke again.

"Have you spoken to him?" she asked.

Izuku's breath hitched, eyes flashing back to Eijiro's face on their picture. He reached out and grabbed the picture to get a closer look.

"No," Izuku said. "He hasn't called at all."

"Oh, Honey."

Izuku sniffed hard. "I-I miss him, Mom." He hugged the picture to his chest and curled around it as he cried. "I miss him so much."

"Oh, baby. Why don't you call him?" she asked.

"I can't," Izuku said. "He's so busy with his job. I don't want to bother him."

His mother made a sympathetic noise and allowed Izuku time to collect himself.

"Well, you know you could always come back home if things are getting too hard for you, Izuku," she said. "Your room is still yours."

Izuku wiped his eyes and managed a wobbly smile. "Thanks, Mom."

"Maybe you should quit that job and live with us again for a while," she said. "You don't sound like you enjoy it very much, anyway. Aren't the customers really rude?"

Izuku paused and looked down at the picture of himself and Eijiro, his heart feeling like lead inside of his chest. He really needed to move on from him. He was trying every single day to do that, but it was just so difficult to do. He needed a new interest or hobby or friend…

Suddenly, a flash of red and white filled his mind, and gray and blue eyes were staring at him gently.

Oh, right. That businessman. But he wasn't rude at all. He was almost too polite for his own good.

And not to mention incredibly attracti—

"I-It's not that bad, Mom," Izuku assured, putting the picture back down on the end table. "I, uh… I think I need the job. To move on from Eijiro."

His mom hummed. "Okay. Well… I'm here for you. You know that, right?"

Izuku smiled and wiped his nose. "Yeah. Thanks, Mom."

With puffy eyes but a refreshed resolve, Izuku made his way back to the café the next morning. He knew he shouldn't get his hopes up, but he had to believe that there would be at least one good customer out there.

He kept reminding himself of that polite businessman who came by the other day. It gave him the boost he needed to keep going.

Work started out normally—Uraraka asked if his face was okay, but he quickly glazed over that with a lie that he was just tired and didn't get enough sleep—and the customers came piling in for their obligatory hot and bland coffees.

They were rude, as normal, but Izuku kept his smile plastered on his face and did his best to not think about Eijiro. Although, it was very difficult not to.

Think about something else, Izuku told himself as he handed the last customer in line his coffee. Puppies, candy, chocolate… that cute stranger.

Him banging his head against the display.

Izuku felt his cheeks redden in embarrassment. How mortifying.

He slapped his hands over his eyes and sighed, hunching over the counter. He probably scared that man off for good. It wouldn't surprise him if he never showed up ever again.

This was why Eijiro wanted to break up, wasn't it? Izuku thought to himself. There was no way he wanted to be with a bumbling idiot like Izuku.

He sighed, wanting to disappear. If only he wasn't such a screw-up. Why did he decide to change majors like this? Why did he get this job? Why did he have to be so annoyin—

"Are you okay?"

Izuku nearly jumped out of his skin.

He whipped his hands back down to his sides and laid his eyes upon the very same businessman he met the other day.

He didn't scare him away? Why the heck was he coming back?! And stopping enough for chit-chat?

Oh, crap. Get it together, Izuku, he told himself.

"A-Ah, Y-Y-Yes!" Izuku stuttered, his face undoubtedly turning red again. "W-Welcome!" Oh, what the hell was wrong with him today?!

The man twisted his lips and paused for a moment, seeming to look Izuku over with scrutiny to make sure he was really all right, and then he reached into his pocket to pull out his wallet.

"The scones were very good. I would like to purchase two again, please," he said, pulling out some money.

Izuku straightened his back. "Really? You liked the strawberry ones?" he asked. When the man nodded, Izuku smiled. "Ah, that's great! Um, would you like some tea again?"

The man nodded once. "Yes, please. Although, could you add some sugar to it this time?"

Izuku smiled. "You got it!"

He quickly got two strawberry scones out of the display case and got the man's tea ready, adding in two packets of sugar. He walked back up to the counter and smiled at him, already feeling refreshed by the man's politeness.

"One black tea, with two scones!" Izuku chirped.

The customer gave a light nod, giving a quiet "thank you" as he placed money down on the plate. Izuku smiled and passed the to-go cup over.

The man's sleeve rolled up as he leaned forward and reached for the cup, and a dark flicker caught Izuku's eye. He glanced down at the man's wrist and saw a dark, purple hue painted against the man's pale skin.

Izuku's heart lurched. Was that… a bruise?

"Have a good day," the man said, bowing a little.

He retracted his hand, and the sleeve covered his wrist, hiding the purplish skin that hid underneath. Was Izuku just seeing things?

Izuku tried for a smile, his heart still alight in his chest.

"You, too!"

The man nodded in thanks and then left out the door without another word.

Izuku rubbed his wrists as he left, his teeth worrying his lip.

What… was that?