Chapter 10

Coffee

Izuku woke up with a yawn before realizing that there was something missing. He looked at the clock and saw that it was 6:50.

'Crap! I'm going to be late!' Quickly, he shot to his feet. He was going to get his uniform from his closet, but he noticed that it was already hanging over the back of his chair at his desk. Not really thinking much about it, he grabbed it, got a towel, and went to the bathroom to get in the shower. Since he was in a rush it didn't take him too long.

When he got to the dinner table there was already food set out for him. It was soup, but it was something he had never had before. When he it tried, he thought it was amazing. He assumed that his mother tried a new recipe.

After he was done, he cleaned his bowl and spoon and then went back to his room to get his backpack. Izuku opened the front door and saw Ritsuko standing there. Seeing her so suddenly startled him, making him jump a little.

"Perfect timing, Izy. I'm going to drive you to school so you aren't late," she told him.

"O- oh, okay!" He followed her to the black motorcycle she drove. After she got on, he carefully got on the small space behind her. They both put on a helmet, and she started to drive forward.

Thanks to the bike ride, he was able to get to UA before the first warning bell. He surely would have been late if she didn't get her bike. The boy got off the bike and handed the black helmet to her. She took hers off too before taking the one she provided him.

"Did you like the soup?" she asked before he walked away.

"It was really good!" he said.

"Good, I wanted you to try it so that I could maybe make it in the future," she told him. "If you want; if not that's fine too."

"N- no, that would great!"

He didn't think that she made, but it made sense to him now. It explained why it was unfamiliar to him. Plus, his mother would have told him if she were trying a new recipe. He smiled at her before hearing a whistle. When he turned around he saw Kaminari, Kirishima, and Mina.

"How did someone like you get such a hottie, Midoryia?" the blond asked teasingly. It made him blush like mad.

"Yeah, who is she?" Kirishima inquired.

"Sh- she's a f- friend!" Izuku stuttered out. Then Ritsuko pushed him lightly towards them.

"Don't be late," she warned before putting her helmet back on and driving off. Then Kaminari put an arm around his shoulders.

"Dude, you gotta tell us how you scored such a girl; her body was perfect!" he said.

"You should introduce us to her sometime!" Mina said excitedly. "I bet she's super cool!"

"She is," he admitted absentmindedly. It made his blush get worse.

"Let's get this flustered guy to class!" Kirishima said, taking the lead to the classroom.

When they got there, the first warning bell went off. Now he had five minutes to sit at his desk and wait. He saw that Uraraka was staring at him, but then she turned to continue chatting with Iida.

~~~

Izuku made his way to the front gate and saw Ritsuko waiting beside her bike. When she spotted him she waved him over. He quickly went over to her.

"Hey," he greeted with a smile. It made a faint smile appear on her face as well. Behind him, the same three from this morning approached them.

"Hello, beautiful!" Kaminari flirted. "How are you doing this fine evening? Oh, by the way, I'm Kaminari!"

"Oh, and I'm Ashido!" Mina said with excitement.

"I'm Kirishima!" the redhead said. Ritsuko stared at them before speaking.

"Can I call you Kami, you Shido, and you Kiri?" she asked, pointing to them in the respective order. They all nodded in agreement.

"'Kay, my name is Ritsuko. Now, I'm going to take Izuku home. Maybe I'll see you guys again," she said. Izuku saw Kaminari get a little jealous, but he smirked.

"Well well, Midoryia's got fairly close. She's calling him by his first name," he teased.

"Ooh, you might be onto something," Mina pointed out.

"I- It's nothing like that!" Izuku said with a mix of nervousness and defensiveness. The light blue haired girl stepped over to Izuku and pulled the boy to her bike. She handed him his helmet before getting on the bike and putting hers on. He got on the bike behind after placing his on his head.

The light blue haired girl wasted no time in getting the motorcycle moving. However, instead of going directly to his house, they stopped at a café that was on the way.

"Order whatever you want," she told him.

"W- wait, I can't do that!" he protested.

"Please, I got left over money from that race on Saturday. I want to use some to repay you for buying me things since we met," she explained. After thinking it over, he finally agreed. That being said, he ordered a coffee and a big chocolate chip cookie they were selling. Ritsuko ordered the same cookie, but a different drink. She paid for everything once they had their orders, and they went to a table that was outside. He saw her take a sip of her coffee before he did from his own.

"May I try yours?" she suddenly asked. Hesitantly, he slid his cup over to her. Ritsuko took the cup in her hand, making sure to keep her pinky off of it. After bringing it to her mouth, she took a small sip. Then she placed it down in front of him.

"It's pretty good," she said before taking another sip of her own. Izuku pouted a little and took hers when she was done drinking it. He put it his lips and tried her coffee. To him, he thought it tasted pretty good. When he was done, Izuku set the cup down in front of her.

"What kind is that?" he asked. He wanted to know so that way he could get one on his own time.

"It doesn't have a name. This café lets you make your own, I just tell them what's in it so they can make it," Ritsuko explained to him. He didn't go to this café very often, so he didn't know about that.

The forest haired teen nodded and took a sip of his drink. "Oh. Can you maybe write down the ingredients for the coffee. I really like it, and I kind of want to get it myself."

"Sure. I'm glad that you don't mind sharing either," she pointed out. It took him a second to registered what she said, and he was in the middle of drinking his coffee too. The thought of his lips being right where hers were made him blush. He quickly took the cup away from his mouth and set it down. Izuku looked to her and saw that she had that small smile again. Seeing it made him relax slightly, but his cheeks still remained pink.

"You get flustered too easily,"she told him.

"I- I don't mean to," he mumbled.

"Don't worry, I think it makes you look cute."

He blushed again. "Th- thanks?"

Things between them got quiet after that. They both finished the cookies and the coffees they got after a few minutes. It allowed them both to think.

'Thank you, Kaito,' Ritsuko thought. Using his advice, she was showing her emotions more, and she was opening up a bit too. One main reason she didn't express herself too much was because she hated being read like a book. It made her feel vulnerable when people could, and it made her uncomfortable. She didn't like seeming vulnerable because it made her feel weak, and she didn't want others to think of her as such. If there was one thing she learned from being involved with villains it was to never show weakness in front of others. Villains will take advantage of it with no hesitation. Once they are aware, they sink their claws in and never let go.

Ritsuko looked over to Izuku and saw that he was nervous. The girl guessed that the silence was beginning to make him a bit uncomfortable. To help him out to an extent, she decided to continue conversation. "Can I let you know something?" she asked. He nodded. "Your hair is really soft."

"Th- thanks," he stuttered.

"I wouldn't mind touching your hair again to be honest," she said.

"I wouldn't either," he mumbled quietly, her ears barely picking it up. She had the idea that he didn't intend for her to hear him, so she didn't say anything about it. Although, she did keep what he said in mind.

"I need you to know something," Ritsuko said, making him lift his head. "This will be the the last time I see you for a few days."

"Wh- what, why?!" Izuku sounded sad and confused. He became really worried for her all of a sudden.

"I told you yesterday at the park... about the prisoners they keep. I want to be with them for a few days to make sure they are as comfortable as they can be," she explained. He have her a nod.

"Alright, I understand that..." Izuku paused for a moment. "You know that I can help you, right? I can get you and Kaito out of there; the others too!"

"You don't have to; you will get hurt," the blue haired girl said as she stood up. "I'm going to go home now. Do you mind walking home?"

"No, not at all! When can we meet again?"

"I'll let you know, I have your phone number after all. If that fails then I can just drive to your house."

"Oh, okay, that works," Izuku told her. She began to walk away, but she looked over her shoulder for a moment.

"Don't do anything stupid," she warned before walking to her bike. He saw her get on the motorcycle and drive off.

Izuku waited a few minutes before getting to his feet and starting his walk home. As much as he wanted to spend more time with her, he was glad that she let him walk home alone. It let him have time to think. Mostly about her.

'How can I get her out of there?' he questioned himself. 'Maybe I can offer a place to stay so she doesn't need to go back. Kaito too. Although, what about the people trapped there?' The boy put a hand to his chin in thought. He went over several different ways he could get them out as he went down the sidewalk.

~~~

It was late at night now, and the girl was in her room and laying down on her bed. Her new phone was in her hand. Ritsuko learned quickly on how to use it thanks to Kaito. Then she realized that she never texted Izuku, so he didn't have her number yet. She opened his profile and pressed the text button.

Ritsuko: Hey

It took a few minutes, but the boy eventually responded.

Izy: Who is this?

Ritsuko: Ritsuko

Izy: Oh how are you

Ritsuko: Good. I just thought that I would text you so you had my number

Izy: Thanks! I need to know something real quick. Its so i can get you and kaito out

Ritsuko: What is it?

Izy: Does anyone in the league know about your treehouse hideout? I was thinking that you could tell me where the league is and you two could stay there

Ritsuko: Maybe

Ritsuko left it at that. She placed her phone on the nightstand before standing up. The tall girl heard the cellular device go off after a few seconds, but she ignored it for now and went out into the hall and walked quietly. She stopped in front of a door and gently knocked.

"Come in," a voice said on the other side. Slowly, he pushed the door open and saw Kaito sitting on his bed. He was writing something down on a small notepad.

"What were you writing?" she inquired. The brunette turned his head to her.

"A list. I was going to go out and get some stuff. Do you want anything?"

"Oh, we're almost out of chocolate chip cookies. Also, if the sale isn't over, you should get that frosted cake we saw a days ago."

Kaito started writing quickly in his notepad, "Oh dang, that's right!" After he was done he turned so he was facing Ritsuko. "What did you come in here for?"

"Has Haze gotten suspicious yet? He never liked me leaving the hideout because he always assumed I was up to no good."

The brunette put the tip of his pen to his chin, "Haze has always been suspicious ever since you tried to leave the league last time. Geez, he got you in so much trouble then."

Ritsuko let out a sigh, a displeased expression on her face, "Don't remind me."

"Honestly, I don't know. I can never tell what Haze is thinking. If I were you, I'd be really careful from here on out; more than you already have been."

"Alright, thank you," she said with a nod before going to the door. Before exiting, she turned and said, "Keep an eye on Haze for me please." The older teen nodded his head, and the light blue haired one left the room.

When she got back in her room, she laid down and took the striped hyena stuff animal into her arms. The girl shoved her face into the stuffed animal with a smile. She was so grateful that Izuku had bought the hyena for her and that he was trying to get her and Kaito out of their situation. He was doing so much for her, and it made her really happy.

She hoped that nothing would happen to him for being so determined. All he wanted to do was help her.

Word Count: 2370

~ Posted March 7, 2020