Chapter 34
The Ranka Nyan café was about as much as I expected out of a Japanese maid café. It had all the esthetic of a Victorian drawing room while also reminding me of my Uncle Vern's log cabin, black and white bathroom tiled floor included. There were parts of it that felt purposeful, like the stylish wall paintings of portraits and fox hunts and the occasional set of deer antlers, and parts of it that felt like a kitschy Japanese take on Western culture, like the niche French maid outfits and the bizarre choice in animals they decided to have mounted on the wall (I had already counted two sheep, an unicorn, three headless teddy bears, and a glass fox head before deciding to just roll with it). I loved every bit of it.
Everything in the café oozed personality, from the fine tea cups and walnut-marble furniture all the way to the hand-written letters hodge-podged onto the paisley wallpaper. A small part of me was itching to point out inaccuracies, like that maids didn't serve food and that the footmen, not butlers, were supposed to wear white gloves, but I kept my two cents to myself. It's not like I was the authority on English living, especially since my only facts were gleamed from watching six seasons of Downton Abbey with my mother. I had no right to fault anyone for trying to immerse themselves in something that they loved. Doing that would just paint me as a bigger hypocrite, like my mother.
Enamored, I barely registered that Izuku's arm had dropped from mine until I realized I had both hands to take snapshots of what had to be a Goldilocks crime scene. I was in the middle of photographing the macabre teddy-bears before I bumped into him.
"...Amaya?" Izuku uttered. I lowered my phone, glancing between Izuku and the short maid that stood as one of the greeters, sporting a pair of fluffy white cat ears sat on top of her lace headband. She was gorgeous, all tan and thin with dark purple hair and contrasting gold eyes so bright that I wanted to take reference shots of them for my next character design. Was she one of his friends? She must have been for him to use her first name like that- unless I was wrong and it happened to be her last name.
"What are you doing here?" Izuku asked the maid, her moment of panic changing into one of sharp disdain.
"This... is my day job," the maid sighed. "Apparently I look like this one cat-girl from Bleach, so they hired me on the spot."
"Omigod, I see it now! What was her name? Yor- Yoroi- something," I snapped my fingers, having been ages since I'd read Bleach, having borrowed it from one of my anime club friends in high school. "Well, if it's any consolation, she's one of the more badass characters of the series and really pretty, so not a bad person to look like."
The maid, now noticing I was there, narrowed her eyes at me like I was a piece of gum that was stuck to her shoe. "...Who's this?"
"Oh, sorry! This is Alyssa Blake. Alyssa, this is Amaya Shirogane."
"Nice to meet you," I offered my hand before realizing my etiquette snafu and quickly put it down at my side and did a short bow. So he did say her first name... Was she an ex? She looked a little young to be an ex-girlfriend, but my age math was terrible, and Izuku had told me that he's never gone on a date before even though everything seemed so well-planned out. Had that just been a line to make me drop my guard?
"How's Hitachi?" Izuku asked, Amaya's irritated expression wavering somewhat.
"He's fine. He's obsessed with the hero program you mentioned, so lately he's been training his butt off and studying harder than ever for the exams."
"That's great!" Izuku exclaimed before another maid with corkscrew pigtails came up behind Amaya.
"Nyamaya, purrrhaps you would like to show our guests to their table?" Amaya's expression shifted from annoyed to Stepford Smiler in a split second.
"Certainly. Right this way." I followed after her, suddenly missing the warmth and protection of Izuku's arm as we were seated, feeling miles away despite him being only a step behind me. Ridiculous. I was the one who made the mistake of unlinking my arm from Izuku's to try and take quick snapshots of the interior of the café. Now, I was longing for the softness of his cardigan and the subtle press of his bicep? What the hell was wrong with me?
"So... how do you two know each other?"
"It's a long story," Izuku explained. "Basically, her little brother tried to steal my wallet, we fought, and then I took them out to lunch."
"Wow. You treated people who tried to steal from you to lunch? I'd almost hate to see what you do to people you actually like-" I began before having an 'oh' moment and burst into a fit of nervous giggles, feeling my cheeks flush in embarrassment. "I guess I am, ha ha..."
"Yeah. He has the most flawed logic of any pro-hero I've ever met," the maid smirked before reestablishing her plastic, saccharine smile. Passing an unusual display of a realistic stuffed cat sleeping on a windowsill, I lifted up my phone to snap more reference pictures before I felt 'Nyamaya' usher over to me. "I'm sorry, but we ask that you not take pictures while you're inside Ranka Nyan Café."
"Oh. Sorry," I tucked my phone into my pocket, feeling a swell of disappointment and shame like a kid who had been caught scribbling on the wall with crayon. What kind of restaurant didn't let you take pictures?
"Anyways, that is a great segue into reminding everyone of the café rules. Just to quickly go over them for you: There is no flash photography of the interior or the other maids. You can, however, take pictures of your food or pay to take one photo with the maid of your choice at the end of your meal depending on which combo you decide to purchase-"
"Are we allowed to take selfies?" I interrupted, causing Amaya to break character for a moment.
"Selfies are fine." I relaxed at the loophole while she continued, "Do not touch the maids or you'll receive a kitty punch!" She did a cute, over the top punch. "We also ask you not to ask for any maid's real name or their contact information. We are not an escort service. Any harassment of the staff and you will be escorted out by security. Now then, what can I get you two to drink?"
Thrown by the fact that she had to mention 'escort service' in the warning, I was too flustered to read the menu, so I blurted out my default response, "Ice water with lemon, please."
"I'll have a milk tea."
"Wait- I change my mind," I corrected. Ice water with lemon was my mother's drink for when she didn't want to pay extra for refills. I didn't have to worry about cost this time, now that I was paying. I could order whatever I wanted. "Do you serve Earl Grey here?"
"We do."
"Perfect! I'll have that instead."
"Alright, Earl Grey and a milk tea for the nyaster and meowstress, coming right up! If you want to call for me, just raise your paws in the air and go 'nyan nyan'~" She demonstrated by raising her fists up to her cheeks and shaking them like cat paws. Izuku choked back a laugh before it disappeared in an instant under the maid's subtle glare. His laugh felt like poison as my cheeks burned. So far I had been riding a pleasant, nostalgic high from the arcade, but now I was coming down from it, left only with nervous adrenaline. A part of me that was still the closeted weeaboo cringed at the fact that I had walked in here at all. Outside of owning an anime body pillow, this was the highest level of otakudom you could reach- and had Izuku had just laughed at it. I almost felt offended on Amaya's behalf. What did people think of her when she told them she had this job? Did they think it was a fetish or dirty? Was Izuku lying about this being weird or worse- what if she's Izuku's fetish? the irrational part of me whispered, feeling an all consuming the need to push Izuku away and protect what was mine- like a kid who repeatedly got their toy taken away on the playground.
"...Alyssa?" I blinked, realizing that Izuku was waiting patiently for me to answer his question.
"Yes? Sorry, I checked out- what did you say?"
"I was asking if you were having a good time."
"Oh... yeah, definitely! I haven't been to an arcade in ages," I said before rambling something about how my father used to take my sister and I to Greatimes on the weekends, just trying to fill the silence.
"...Is everything alright?"
"Everything's fine," I denied. Just my own insecurities and anxiety coming back to bite me in the ass. Come on, Alyssa. Don't be that girl, the crazy jealous one who ends up paranoid and drives her boyfriend away with baseless accusations because you're insecure. It took you this long to even get him. Don't ruin it now! I fidgeted with my necklace, fingers finding the glass wings and soothed by the smoothness. "It's just... you said this place wasn't weird or anything, but you're laughing at that cute girl wearing a costume and being all cutesy."
"What?" Izuku sounded perplexed, trying to place how the conversation had gone from my father and I driving go-karts and playing Dig-Dug to Amaya. "Oh, no I wasn't laughing at her costume. I was laughing because she's normally very abrasive and suddenly acting cute threw me off. You thought I was making fun of her?"
"Yeah, maybe? I dunno..." I eyed the table, unable to meet his eye. "Sorry, I misunderstood."
"It's okay. You just seem... tense. Is it your stomach?"
"No, it's not my stomach," I scowled. Was that going to follow me everywhere now? "It's just... I don't know. I'm feeling a lot of feelings right now 'cause I've always wanted to go to a maid café, but that's seen as nerdy by most people, and I guess I'm just getting overly conscious about that. It's like- it's like you going to an All Might convention. I just have this huge lump of intense geek energy all welling up inside threatening to come out, and I don't want to scare you off with it and have you think I'm weird or something!"
"You don't have to be afraid. Just be yourself. Besides I already told you that I think it's cute when you get embarrassed."
"Isn't that just a way of saying you get off on making fun of me?"
"No way! I would never do that to you. I love that you're so passionate about things. I mean, you've been here for almost five minutes and already you have pictures of the decorations."
"Haa... you noticed that, huh?" I nervously rubbed the back of my neck. "You don't think they'll make me delete them, do you? I swear I'm not going to publish them on the internet. No one follows my posts on social media." Not on my personal account, anyways.
"I think you should-" Izuku began, "-buuuut maybe just don't tell them you have them."
"Why Mr. Pro-Hero, are you telling me to break the laws of the Ranka Nyan Café? So scandalous!" I teased, suddenly feeling less overwhelmed as Amaya came over with our drinks and set down the cups she carried on her tiny porcelain tray along with two teapots.
"Say 'nyan' for when you wish for me to stop," Nyamaya said as she began pouring, waiting until the tea was at the brim before I mewed, barely able to keep to reign back the realistic meow I had prepared. 'Don't be weird, Alyssa. Normal girls don't meow like cats,' I heard my mother's voice echo as I sipped from my steaming teacup and sighed, letting the warm, relaxing lavender-esque scent float over my tongue. Perhaps food was the answer for my anxiety. I took another sip before speaking up. "So... Nyamaya, what's it like working in a maid café everyday?"
"Super~ I get to wear a cute costume and can eat all the free food I want if a customer pays to eat with me."
"Someone can pay to eat with you?" I looked at the menu more closely. Under Maid Specialties, I looked down the list and spotted the 'customer's delight' order, also noting that there were additional options to order a dance, a performance, a slap, and a photo op- ...this still wasn't an escort service, right?
"You know, I was going to mention this the next time I saw either you or your brother," Izuku spoke up, unfazed by the strange menu items, "but I believe that Fat Gum mentioned on the forums lately that he's willing to take on new interns at his agency, if you're interested. He'd definitely be able to accommodate your food budget."
"Thanks, but I don't need your help. I'm fine where I'm at," she sniffed before grabbing his own separate teapot. "Say 'nyan' for when you want me to stop." Izuku watched as the cup was poured halfway before he meowed a shy 'nyan~' looking so adorable I wished I had my phone to capture the moment.
"Why would she need to know about food budgets?" I asked out of curiosity.
"Amaya and her brother's Quirks need food consumption for energy, so they have to eat a lot to be able to use them, but they can't really afford to keep up with it," Izuku explained with his usual enthusiasm, something I always thought was endearing. "I've been trying to create youth programs at work to encourage people to receive Quirk training in order to become heroes or go into Quirk-related fields, and Fat Gum is a really good promoter for that. I figured he'd be the best fit for her and her brother."
"That's ...great." So she was pretty, skinny and could eat as much as she wanted without it affecting her appearance, and was on a first name basis with Izuku. Fantastic. I swallowed a big gulp from my tea, scalding my mouth and tongue. Admiration at Izuku's drive to help the less fortunate lessened the sting as I blew on the cup and sipped more slowly. Growing up Quirkless and with a comfortable middle class life, I didn't have to concern myself with having enough to eat as a kid, much less worry about a Quirk affecting my body... Wait a second. "Amaya, how old are you?"
"I'm sixteen- and I go by Nyamaya here, if you purrease," Amaya corrected, causing my jealousy to deflate somewhat at the fact that she was a minor. Definitely not a girlfriend. "So are you two ready to order?"
Izuku and I both looked at each other and nodded. Ultimately there were three combos to choose from, price dictated by what extra amenities you wanted outside of getting an entrée, dessert, and a gift. Some combos let you have an additional photo with a maid of your choice as well as play a game with them while others let you have all the other items and a live concert by all the maids. Nyamaya was clear and calm when explaining all of the details, but I could tell I was working on her last nerve with all of my prying questions. "What exact kind of games do you play with the customers for the Kawaii and Super Neko-chan Deluxe combos?"
"You can choose either a video-game or a card game."
"Hmm... I'm kinda good on videogames. Oh, do you know Peanuts?"
"Peanuts?"
"It's like Solitaire on crack, only you play in teams. It's sometimes called Speed-Demon."
"Sorry, I'm not familiar with the game."
"Okay, then how about Bullshit?"
"Excuse me?!"
"Ah it's a card game where you- nevermind," I explained in a rush. What card games did I know other than Solitaire? Maybe I should have just ordered a song instead. This would have been much more enjoyable with more people. My friends from ten years ago would have loved doing this, going to a maid café and playing card games at lunch. Then it hit me. "Oh, do you know how to play Blackjack?"
"Blackjack...? Oh, do you mean 21?"
"Yes! So you know how to play then?"
"I don't but Kimiko, one of our other maids, does. She'll play you, but she's very popular and currently working her way through a tournament, so it'll probably be another one thousand yen to play her."
"I see..." I glanced at the menu in my hand, looking at the prices as I mentally calculated the totals in my head into American dollars. The biggest combo was by far the most expensive at fifty eight hundred yen, so that was a no-go, but the cheapest option was still basically twenty bucks a person, not including the extra five dollar charge for staying longer than an hour. I liked Blackjack, but I didn't want to play it that badly, and chances where we might get lucky to watch performance for somebody else's table. "On second thought, I think we'll just stick with the Happiness Neko-chan combo. I think the other packages are out of our price range."
"Are you sure? We can do one of the other combos-" Izuku began before I cut him off.
"I'm sure. I had no idea this would all be so expensive when I dragged you in here. I'm fine with going with the cheapest weeb package."
"Okaaaay, so that's the Happiness Neko-chan combo. What do you want to eat with that order?" Nyamaya asked.
"I'll have a... omurice," I said, unable to find anything else familiar on the menu that I could trust. An omelet-rice was plain and I knew from experience I wouldn't get sick from it, having made it at home dozens of times when I was just starting to cook Japanese cuisine.
"I'll have the same." Izuku announced.
"Great, and for dessert?"
"I don't know. This all looks so good," I hummed at the lists of parfaits, cocktails, and different kinds of cheesecake that would no doubt he high in calories, "but I don't think I'd be able to eat that much sugar."
"You want to share the dessert?" Izuku suggested.
"Can we do that?"
"Yes. If you look closer, there's a lovers special called the 'Aishiteru Ice Cream.'" Nyamaya pointed towards the picture of a scoop of vanilla ice cream that roughly translated said 'I Love You' ice cream.
"Sure, let's go with the... love ice cream," I managed as I felt my face ignite at the translation, fingers already finding and fidgeting with my necklace.
"Sugoi! I'll be back with your orders in two twitches of a cat's tail, nyan~ But first, I have one last surprise for you, but you both have to close your eyes to receive your gifts." Hesitant and curious about what she was going to do, I covered my eyes with my hands before I felt something slide over the top of my head. "Now open them." I uncovered my eyes and was blessed by the adorable sight of seeing Izuku wearing fluffy pair of white bunny ears. That had been the final straw.
"Oh my god-" I giggled, unable to fight back the absurdity of it all, "-you have bunny ears!" Izuku's face turned pink as his hands went up to feel the ears on his head before he pointed with a flustered expression.
"Y-You have... cat ears."
I pulled out my phone and turned on the selfie mode on my camera to the sight of sparkly, black cat ears. I laughed harder, unable to fight back the infectious giggles that wracked through my body. "Oh my gosh, these are adorable! We have to take a selfie together." My hand shook slightly as I held my phone up before waving him over. "Come on, Izu-bun. Get in on this!"
"O-Okay!" Izuku leaned in, wrapping his arm around my shoulder so that his head was nearly resting against mine. I relaxed into his embrace, holding up a peace sign into the camera. My reflection beamed back at me, cheeks round and rosy as the corners of her mouth stretching ear to ear when she realized that there was no falseness in Izuku's smile. I was being stupid. What was I so worried about? Izuku was here with me, not 'Nyamaya.' It was me that he was putting on fake bunny ears for, not her. A split second before the camera flashed, I was tempted to surprise Izuku with another kiss on the cheek but was unable to commit to it like before. He was still camera shy and probably didn't want to be surprised in public like that, but the thought that I could brought warmth into my chest.
"Don't worry. I won't post this on Facebook or anything," I smiled in reassurance. "Wouldn't want to mess with your 'macho hero vibe' by posting a cute bunny pic of you and risk breaking the inter-webs. I'll just send it to your phone instead."
"I wasn't expecting you to... I don't really see myself as macho anyways," Izuku admitted with a bashful smile, his fingers unlocking and locking together as he left on the bunny ears. My heart leapt for him. He called me humble, but Izuku himself was just as guilty. In fact, for the entire time I had known him, I hadn't seen him brag or boast about himself once, not even when he had slaughtered me at Hero! Royale. Not to mention he had been trying to get kids in need into the hero program and pay for my date with him, even when he was broke. He was just so sweet, I wanted to dip him in my tea. I wondered what more sides of him I could find.
"You know... we could still play Blackjack while we wait, if you're up for it," I suggested with a shrug. "I have a deck of cards in my purse. We don't have to play with the maid."
"That sounds like fun," Izuku said, eyes lighting up as I fished inside my purse before pulling out a mini deck of The Dog playing cards. "Aww these are so cute."
"Thanks. Can't remember where I got them from. Probably a giftbag or stocking stuffer I got decades ago," I took out the two Boxer Joker cards before I started shuffling the deck. "So you play Blackjack too, huh?"
"Yep." I frowned at the one-word response.
"Do you... play a lot of card games?"
"Sometimes."
"Like what?"
"Just trading cards and stuff. I used to play a lot of card games growing up. I got pretty good up until middle school. It's hard to keep going playing all by yourself," Izuku admitted before saying, "Hit me." I laid down a three of hearts.
"Tell me about it. You can only play so many games of Solitaire before it's just not fun anymore. Only reason I learned any of these other card games was because of sleepovers and family get togethers. Hit or Stand?"
"Hit- you mean with your mom and sister?"
I placed down a nine of Spades. "Twelve- no I mean with my mom's extended family. Her family is huge. I'm, like, the twelfth grandkid."
"Wow. Big family."
"Yep. I've got five aunts and four uncles, and almost all of them have kids. Now even their kids have kids," I took a sip from my teacup, dainty pinkie finger held out as I inhaled the calming fragrance in with one hand and played another card, showing a Jack with a Golden Retriever panting up at me. "Twenty Two. Limit hit."
"Darn it." Izuku's mouth twitched into a brief frown before dealing me in. "What about your Dad?"
"I don't really know his side of the family well. It's just me, Mom, and my sister- and maybe whoever my Dad was dating or married to at the time."
"So your parents are divorced."
"Ever since I was nine. I saw my dad every other weekend and on Wednesdays until college. From then on it was just special occasions or if I needed him for a repair job. You can thank my mother for how I turned out. I was mostly raised by her- hit me," I said and an eight of clubs appeared. "What about you? Do you have a big family?"
"Nah. Right now, it's just me and my mom. I'm all she really has left other than my Dad's side of the family, but they live too far away to really visit us, so I haven't really seen them much. I think they run a hot spring somewhere in Sapporo."
"That's cool. What about your father? Are your parents divorced?"
"No, my parents are still married, but I hardly ever see my dad. He works overseas but it's been almost twenty years since I've seen him last." The next card came and it was Ace of clubs with a black Labrador. "Nine."
"Wow... I can't imagine not seeing my family for years, much less one of my parents. At least I get to see my Dad for holidays like birthdays and stuff."
"Yeah... If not for a few family albums, I wouldn't have a clue what my father looks like. Honestly, I don't even remember his voice..." Izuku said, appearing thoughtful and pragmatic, like he was visiting memories he hadn't experienced in a very long time. "Sometimes I think he actually ran out on us, since he never comes home, but the checks keep coming in the mail. Mom keeps a brave face when it comes up but I can see the sadness in her eyes when I bring him up."
"I'm sorry, Izuku. That sucks... I can't imagine what you've been through."
"It's alright. I'm over it. It's ancient history. Besides All Might's been much more of a father to me than him, and my mom's been so supportive over the years. I'm lucky to have her." Then he slapped down a German Shepherd Queen of Hearts. "Oooh, nineteen. Hit or stand?"
I paused for a moment at Izuku's blasé attitude and then relaxed. Maybe it really didn't bother him that much, although it certainly explained a few things, like his obsession with All Might. "Hit me. I like to live life on the edge," I shrugged and Izuku dealt the final card, revealing it to be the two of diamonds. "OHHHHHH and the Bloody Queen is victorious!"
"Good game," he chuckled. "Wanna play again?"
"You know it. Deal me in. Winner gets first game." I declared, curious to know if there was anything more I could get out of Izuku. "So what about-" Suddenly the lights went down near the stage, spotlights focusing on the four maids onstage.
"Looks like we get a performance after all." We paused our game to watch as an electric guitar began strumming surf rock over the speakers, the familiar cord progression causing my hands to dramatically slap the tabletop, startling Izuku with my excitement. It couldn't be-! But it was. The opening bar of one of my favorite cartoons growing up along with several other superhero shows blasted across the mic as the other tables joined me as they raised their glow-sticks in the air and sang along to the opening lyrics.
When there's trouble you know who to call- Tween Titans,
From their tower, they can see it all~ Tween Titans,
Earthquake, lightning, fire, Dad,
No matter if the sitch looks bad,
Blind to the nostalgia, I almost missed the soft voice singing across from me, "...there is nothing I am afraid of~"
I sharply turned to see Izuku's growing smile as he finished the line. Rather than risk scaring him off, I mirrored his shy smile, encouraging him to join in on next verse, feeling the energy of a concert surging through me as I felt a burst of elation as we joined in the revelry.
Just call us in a loud voice- Tween Titans,
Half of your troubles will be gone- Tween Titans,
When you're lonely, we'll be there for you,
Delivering love and peace to you,
We'll be always be... forever,
Tween Titans, GO!
We finished together, shouting the final countdown as the maids wrapped up their choreography with a superhero pose. I pushed my hair back, knocking my kitty ears askew. "Oh my god! I can't believe you know about Tween Titans!" I beamed at him, unable to control my zeal at discovering yet another shared fandom.
"Of course! It's only one of the most groundbreaking superhero shows of all time!" Izuku exclaimed.
"I know! They're the whole reason I wanted to learn how to draw! Well-" I gushed, shaking my fists in excitement before I corrected myself. "-them, and Invis-o-Bill. Seriously, I can't believe you've watched Tween Titans. I didn't even think they showed that many American cartoons over here."
"You'd be surprised. I used to watch it all the time after The Mighty Adventures of All Might cartoon block."
"...You are such a mystery to me," I rested my head on my palm and leaned forward. If today had taught me anything, it was that I still knew next to nothing about Izuku Midoriya. I knew that he was kind and that we could talk for hours about heroes and comic-books, but I still knew nothing about his personal life other than him being a pro-hero and the little stories that followed that line of work. I didn't know what his favorite food was or where he grew up. The conversation just always seemed to veer off topic. "Tell me more."
"Well I don't know. I watched a lot of cartoons-"
"No, I mean about yourself, like where you grew up, your age, your favorite food, etc. We can talk about all that nerd stuff later- and trust me, we will be discussing what just happened here tonight -but I want to know more about you and your interests."
"Oh... Well, there's not really that much to tell," Izuku muttered, ruffling his already messing hair. "I'm twenty four years old and was born on July 15th. I've lived in Musutafu all my life until I went to UA and I moved into their dorms. Then I spent the next three years at college at SU University in Tokyo studying Criminal Justice and Business and then spent a year abroad in America... and my favorite dish is katsudon."
"Oooh yum," I commented, making a mental note of Izuku's birth date before reaching twenty on the playing cards. "Stand! Stand!- So what part of America did you go to?"
"All over. Boston and Rhode Island, mostly, but I spent a lot of time in New York. They have a UA campus up there in Manhattan."
"Oh cool- Six! -I've never been to New York. I don't think I could take the crowds."
"Yeah, it's definitely got an energy to it," Izuku admitted. "So what about you?"
"Ahhh let's see. You already know that I'm twenty six and from Mooresville. Born September 9th. I lived with my Mom and little sister and then part time with my Dad in Indianapolis and then Avon. Went to Purdue University and met my best friend Gabby. Flunked out of vet school the first semester and then pursued a degree in Graphic Design, aaaand my favorite dish is... macaroni and cheese with hotdogs."
"I'm sorry to hear that."
"What? It's not that gross."
"No no, I mean about the 'flunking out of vet school' part."
"Oh... that's alright. It worked out for the best. Organic chemistry was a nightmare, and now I don't have to worry about med-school debt," I joked before clearing my throat. "Uhh... Hit or Stand?"
"Hit." That was how most of dinner had gone. Izuku would deal and then I would deal while trading stories, and whoever got the closest to twenty one won the round; so far it had been six to four with Izuku taking the lead. One thing I really liked about watching him play was how natural he was with the cards. I liked watching his hands, how easily he handled their tiny flimsy cardboard despite being held by hands that had obviously seen a lot of wear and trauma over the years. No matter how many times he dealt, my eyes always went back to the scar that ran across his hand. Finally, my curiosity won out in the end.
"I've been meaning to ask but how did you get that scar on your hand?" Izuku's hand paused shuffling the deck before he pulled it back as if to cradle it.
"It happened years ago, back when I was still in high school. Before I got my pro-hero license, I used to injure myself a lot. I couldn't control my Quirk very well that just even trying to use it at a hundred percent would cause me to end up breaking every bone in my body. I would end up making regular trips to the nurse's office and get scolded by Recovery Girl for being so reckless." He held up his right hand. "You said you watched clips of me at the UA Sports Festival, right?" I nodded. "This was the end result of me being a little too reckless when I fought Shoto. The damage was so bad that Recovery Girl couldn't heal it correctly without surgery," he explained before quickly adding, "My hand works just fine though! It's just a little crooked."
"So that's what this is from... Must have been rough..." I hummed before I reached out and took his hand with an almost physician's critical eye, gently tracing my thumb over his calloused knuckles. Izuku's face went beet red, his Sacramento green eyes wide and unable to look away from the intimate touch. "Do you have any other scars?"
"A f-few. The most notable one is from when I broke my arm trying to defend a kid from a villain attack."
"Can I see?" I watched him in anticipation before he tentatively lifted up his sleeve to show the dark blotch on his arm that to a passerby looked like a large birthmark. I did a low whistle.
"I'm sorry if it grosses you out..."
"There's nothing wrong with having scars. The way I see it, scars are like badges of honor. They show hard-work and prove that we lived through our trauma... even the ones we can't always see on the surface," I absent-mindedly turned his hand over and began massaging his palm with my thumb. "You know, my dad used to come home to dinner having his fingers bruised and blistered after working on the house. Just because his hands were rough and calloused didn't mean that his scars were ugly. It just meant that he worked hard, that he had the hands of a laborer- and may have been clumsy with the hammer from time to time," I added with a chuckle. "The point is, judging from what you've told me, I can tell you worked hard for your scars. You should be proud of them."
Izuku gaze bore into, causing me to realize that I had been holding Izuku's hand for way longer than appropriate, I tried to let go but found that Izuku's fingers gently squeezed around it. I smiled while trying to keep my tone neutral, pretending like my actions had been natural and not something done out of sheer impulse, "Did uh anyone ever get to sign your casts?"
"Umm... n-no, usually I was out of the casts before they could be signed."
"That sucks," I pouted before quickly clarifying, "I mean, the only fun part about breaking your bones is that everyone gets to sign your cast afterwards. I didn't even get that privilege when I broke my arm."
"I see. So uh, how did that happen, if you don't mind my asking?"
"It wasn't anything extreme or heroic like saving a child. I broke my arm after falling off the monkey-bars on a dare when I was ten. I tried to reach out to a bar that was further away than I was comfortable with and didn't have the grip strength to back it up on the back-swing. Had the wind knocked out of me when I landed, so while I was crying on the way to the nurse's office, I looked like I was having an asthma attack on top of it. Even after all that effort, I didn't even get a cast out of it. It was just some sort of strap-on Velcro sling I had to wear around my waist over my clothes that just kept my arm still, so I couldn't even have anyone sign it."
"Sounds rough."
"Oh, I was traumatized," I deadpanned before chuckling to myself. "But I guess all wounds heal eventually, even scars. I just wish mine were more interesting. The only scar I even have that's visible anymore is on my wrist from when I burned myself on the oven rack trying to take a pizza out of the oven." My insides felt gooey at the sight of his warm smile, lips soft and thin as they stretched into a laugh at my half-hearted pout. I wonder if they were as soft as they looked... The spell broke at the sight of omurice and ice cream bowl being placed on the table. "Oh look, the food's here!"
"Great!" Izuku dropped my hand like a hot potato and rested his in his lap, snapping out of whatever trance both of us had been under. The omurice on the table looked so pretty with its intricate anime picture of a cat with ketchup, it was almost too good to eat. Almost, being the keyword here. Ravenous with hunger, I ate the whole thing in less than ten bites. The ice cream shared had a little cat girl draw on the saucer holding the bowl with a little heart-shaped chocolate on top of the two scoops of vanilla ice cream.
"That was really good. Ten outta ten. Would try again."
"It was really good," Izuku said, making sure his spoon didn't get in the way of mine, noting that he gave me the larger half of whatever bite I went for. Having been so used to sharing one dessert with my family at restaurants, it had completely gone over my head how couple-y this whole scenario was. It couldn't have been more romantic than if we had shared a milkshake with two straws.
"Because you humored me today and because I beat you at Blackjack, you can have the chocolate on top. The rest is on me."
"Oh no, I'll pay."
"Seriously, Izuku, let me pay. I have some money to burn and you already paid for me at the arcade. It's the least I can do. Plus you need enough fair money to make it for the eight o'clock train."
"Eight o'clock..?" Izuku trailed off, looking up towards the analog clock in a panic.
"Yeah, I know. Time flies when you're having fun-" I stopped, noticing the anxiety in his eyes. "-you okay there?"
"Fine! I just need to get my wallet and-" Izuku's hands rushed into his pockets, pulling out a mini stack of papers he had tucked behind his wallet and spilling them all over the floor.
"Here, let me help you-"
"No, I got it-" Izuku exclaimed, fumbling for the scattered papers. I ignored him and managed to grab a few that had flown out of his reach. They looked like flashcards, only with handwritten notes. I shuffled through the notecards, scrutinizing over Izuku's scribbly handwriting- something that I realized later was probably the result of having broken his hand and fingers so many times -reading the ones with the clearest text that I could translate.
'If the date is feeling slow, strike up a conversation that gets her to talk about herself. Girls love to talk about themselves.'
'Ask her about her interests- videogames, art, her comic, etc.'
'Guys should always offer to pay for the first date.'
'Hold hands for closeness.'
"What are these?" I asked confused on exactly what I was seeing. "Is this... a dating manual?"
"They're just notes! Pointers... in case things didn't go well..." Izuku muttered in embarrassment, his freckles contrasting with his redden cheeks. "I just wanted everything to go right this time. I already had them memorized, but I wanted to bring them just in case and you probably think I'm lame for doing something so-"
"Adorable!" I finished for him, finding myself gushing and practically giddy at Izuku's thoughtfulness. How could I have ever thought he was trying to reuse old dating moves and hangouts? Izuku seemed to misinterpret my candor for teasing, causing him to shy away and go into himself. "No, I mean that in a good way! To me, adorable and cute means affection for me or something I love. I like that somebody did research for this date, because frankly I have absolutely no idea what guys want and- wow, you had a lot planned." I read over the details, step by step, including food menus. "You were really going to take me out for American food?"
"Well, I figured you would be homesick after living here for a year, but it's not really that big of a deal-"
"You even drew little hearts and stars next to stuff you thought was important! That's so cute!" I exclaimed, unable to keep myself from squishing him into a big hug. I could hear him let out an 'oof' at the unexpected contact, suddenly being crushed like a flimsy ragdoll. "No one's every put in this much effort for me before. Thank you." It was like an intense pressure had lifted off of my chest. Izuku wasn't using a line or old dating spots to seduce me. He just did research like I did. God, I think I love him more now...
"It was n-nothing..." Izuku stammered before I let him out of the hug.
"This looked like it was going to be an amazing date. I'm sorry I ruined it by dragging you in here instead."
"I don't mind. This was fun. I never thought about visiting a maid café before... or wearing bunny ears."
"It was pretty funny having to ask the waitress to come over by meowing. Maybe next time we try eating at an American restaurant?"
"Next time," Izuku smiled, grinning wider at the words 'next time.'
"Just be sure to let me pick. I know you lived in America for a year, but let a true American connoisseur show you what constitutes as good American food."
"You got it." Izuku then gave the analog clock on the wall one last glance. "Wait. Before we go, do you mind sticking with me for one last thing?"
Author's Note: References today are Yoroichi from Bleach, Downton Abbey, Queen Maes from Steins;Gate, The Dog, Teen Titans, Danny Phantom, Sky High (more specificially the unmade sequel, Save U, which stands for university), and [technically] the Queen of Hearts from Alice's Adventures in Wonderland, along with Maidreamin, Shangrila, and Swallowtail, actual maid and butler cafés I used as references. (The Teen Titans theme is a mishmash of the English, Japanese, and translated Japanese lyrics of the song).
Wow, I can't believe it has already been a whole year since I started posting this fic. Right now, I am doing the kinktober challenge this year on the anniversary of my story "Muse" in a way of relieving frustration at the incredibly slow relationship burn for Izuku and Alyssa I have been hanging onto for 365 days, so my people in the crowd who are 18+, feel free to follow me on that side story drabble fic, "Stimulus." Here's hoping that I will be finished with this main story by next October.
