The next few days bring no further sign of the three yakuza, something Shouta is all too happy about. He has enough to worry about with the coworker he usually closes with calling in with a bad case of the flu, leaving him to close the café up by himself.
The bell over the door chimes and he bites back the vicious curse that wants to escape. It's two minutes to close and he's already drawn the blinds and put the chairs up on the tables, are people stupid? (Trick question; the answer to that is always "yes", especially when it comes to customers.)
"Sorry, we're closed for the night," he says as he comes out of the back. "You can come back-" He stops as he sees just who is there.
"Hey," the purple haired yakuza says with a wave and a lazy little smile. He's not alone, accompanied by a man with long blond hair tied back from his face in a fancy looking fashion who looks at Shouta with a warmth in his expression that seems out of place given he's a complete stranger. "I'm Shinsou, this is Yamada. I don't know if you remember me, I was in a couple days ago?"
Shouta has been doing his best to forget that, actually. Guess it was too much to hope he wouldn't see him again. "If you have a complaint to make-"
"No, no, not at all," the blond man, Yamada, cuts in with a wide smile, the tufts of his little mustache quirking upwards with his lips. "No, we're here because... well..." He laughs somewhat nervously. "We're soulmates."
"...okay," Shouta says, thrown by the non sequitur. "Good for you? If there's nothing else, I have to close up."
"That's not what he meant," Shinsou says with a snort. He looks past Shouta. "Anyone else here, or are you alone?"
The hairs on the back of Shouta's neck stand up, and he's quickly taking stock of just what is within arm's reach. "Listen, I don't have the safe combination, so if you're going to rob the place-"
"Oh my god no," Yamada blurts. "No no no, we're not- there would be no reason to-" He slaps at the other man's arm. "Did you have to phrase it like that?"
"Like you were any better," Shinsou grumbles in reply.
Shouta glares at both of them, what little patience he had remaining after a long shift now completely shot. "Look, I'd like to go home so I can put my kid to bed on time, so you need to leave. Now."
The men exchange a startled look, then stare at him. "You're married?" Yamada asks with a frown.
"That is none of your goddamn business," Shouta retorts.
"I mean, it kinda is," Shinsou disagrees. He unzips his jacket and takes it off, Yamada following suit, and Shouta is about to start yelling because what in the actual fuck is happening, and then both of them roll up their right shirt sleeves.
It takes a second for him to process that the marks on their arms match the one on his, partly because of the color and detail they have that his mark lacks, and partly because Shouta is so used to looking at his upside down that seeing it right side up is weird. His hand goes to his own mark, currently covered by his sleeve. "I..." he starts, but no other words come free.
He's never fully bought into the romanticism of soul marks. Love is one of the most illogical things out there, and Shouta's seen just the kind of damage it can leave. He hasn't allowed himself to think much about who he might share a mark with, let alone that there might be more than one. The uncharitable thought that the universe has given him two soulmates so just one person doesn't have to put up with him all the time hits him, but he shoves it away. That doesn't help the situation he's in right now.
Namely, that his soulmates seem to know each other, and well at that. And if Shinsou is yakuza, it stands to reason...
Shouta sighs heavily and crosses his arms. "You two are going to be more trouble than you're worth."
When Nezu announced that Hizashi would be the one to lead the acquisition of the Shie Hassaikai territory and run it afterwards, he was not a hundred percent on board. Yes, Hizashi ran lead in reconnaissance of the territory when Chisaki took over and then when it initially floundered, but being in charge of operations for an entire city is a huge jump in responsibility – and that's not taking into account the fact that they're still not entirely sure whether it was only insider fighting that took out Chisaki or if an outside force was involved.
"I have faith in you, Yamada-kun," Nezu tells him when Hizashi brings it up in private later, the older man's beady eyes gleaming. "You've come a long way in the past few years, and I think you'll be able to handle this just fine." He takes a short puff from his cigarette. "Besides, you'll have Shinsou-kun with you; soulmates work best together and I have a feeling that sort of bond will be useful here."
What the boss says goes, and despite the occasional hiccup as they start moving in, things are going as well as can be expected. Some small pockets of low-level members that survived the initial blowout had the good sense to lay low after, and are all too willing to throw their lot in with a more powerful group that will protect them. There are some holdouts still, but their main spokesperson isn't quite bloodthirsty enough to fight their fellows who've switched sides, and so is willing to negotiate.
Then Hitoshi comes back from the first collection saying he's met their soulmate, and Hizashi briefly wonders if Nezu might be psychic.
Having more than one soulmate isn't common, but it's not unheard of either. There's all sorts of research and theories into how soul marks work and why they exist, but it basically boils down to compatibility. The universe gave you the same mark because you were, on some level, compatible. There were stories throughout history about soulmates who were the closest of friends, great lovers, even hated enemies – whatever kind of relationship you have is up to you and whoever else shares your soul mark.
It took a while for Hizashi and Hitoshi to get to where they are now. Seeing as Hitoshi had only been 17 and Hizashi in his mid-twenties when they met, he'd assumed their portion of the bond would be platonic. He also hadn't wanted Hitoshi to feel like they had to pursue a relationship if he didn't want to. Hizashi's not the most moral person, he wouldn't be in this line of work if he was, but he does have some lines he won't cross.
Hitoshi had looked at him like he was crazy when Hizashi had eventually explained his reasoning. "You're hot like burning," the then 19 year old had said bluntly. "If I'm not your type or whatever, fine, but if you're holding back because you think you need to or whatever, you're dumb as hell."
There had still been a few stumbling blocks after that, but despite the rocky start, their relationship is where it is now because of the work they'd had to put into it.
So Hizashi is nervous as hell and trying not to show it as they approach the café. The business files for The Daily Grind had some basic information on employees as of the last time it had been updated – which, given they were paper files and not digital, was a few months ago. There were no photos, unfortunately, so they'd had to do a little digging to match the possible names with their soulmate, Aizawa Shouta.
It's a downright miracle that they're able to prepare for this meeting at all, given soulmates generally tend to meet by complete chance. Sure, Hitoshi's met him, but that hardly counts; with how many customers the average shop sees in a day, Aizawa might not even remember him. They have a chance to start off on the right foot before bringing up the teensy tiny complication of their jobs.
"We're soulmates," Hizashi practically blurts out to the dark haired man (who definitely looks like he could do with a nap, Hitoshi was right), and all he gets back is a blank look.
"...okay. Good for you? If there's nothing else, I have to close up."
Hizashi could just about cry at that response. Fortunately, Hitoshi steers them back on track. "That's not what he meant," he says, the small snort of laughter at the misunderstanding getting him a bit of a dirty look from Hizashi. "Anyone else here, or are you alone?"
The slight shift in posture and the almost too fast to catch glance Aizawa gives his surroundings piques Hizashi's interest. "Listen, I don't have the safe combination, so if you're going to rob the place-"
"Oh my god no," Hizashi assures him hurriedly. "No no no, we're not- there would be no reason to-" He smacks Hitoshi on the arm. "Did you have to phrase it like that?" he scolds.
"Like you were any better," Hitoshi retorts, rubbing at the spot he hit.
"Look," Aizawa cuts in sharply, "I'd like to go home so I can put my kid to bed on time, so you need to leave. Now."
Kid? Hizashi frowns and exchanges a look with Hitoshi. There hadn't been any kind of family mentioned in the file. "You're married?" Hizashi asks, hoping for a negative. Maybe he's single, or divorced?
"That is none of your goddamn business," Aizawa snaps.
"I mean, it kinda is," Hitoshi says, unzipping his jacket and slinging it over his shoulder as he goes to roll up his sleeve. Hizashi does the same, bunching his jacket under his left arm while he rolls up his right sleeve and they both show off their marks.
Those dark eyes widen and his hand goes to his own sleeve, hovering right over the same spot where Hizashi and Hitoshi's marks are. A flurry of emotions cross his face, too quick to identify individually, before his mouth firms into a thin line. He gives a heavy sigh and crosses his arms, looking at them wearily. "You two are going to be more trouble than you're worth."
"Hell of a thing to say to your soulmates," Hitoshi drawls, but Hizashi knows him well enough to catch the hidden hurt in his voice.
"You come in right as I'm closing on a night when we're shortstaffed and you interrupted me in the middle of closing," Aizawa says shortly. "Soulmates or not, that pisses me off." He pauses for a second in deliberation. "Also you're yakuza. That complicates things."
They both stare, caught off guard. "How did you know that?" Hizashi asks, trying to sound interested and not threatened.
"Well he came in with a couple of local troublemakers and made my boss twitchy as hell." Aizawa nods towards Hitoshi. "And you seem to know each other so it stood to reason if one of you was yakuza, the other might be too."
Hitoshi looks at Hizashi with a crooked grin and quirked brows. "Pretty and smart," he says, not bothering to lower his voice.
Hizashi chuckles, both at him and the faint red hue Aizawa's cheeks have taken on. "You're right," he says to Aizawa. "We are. It's why we came at this hour, since we wanted to try and avoid an audience if possible." He smiles, trying to put him at ease. "Complications or not, we'd like to get to know you. If you are married, well, I can't say we're not disappointed, but we won't pressure you."
Aizawa stares at him, and Hizashi takes the opportunity to meet those dark eyes, hoping that he can tell that Hizashi is telling the truth. After a moment something in Aizawa softens and he sighs again, but quieter.
"I'm not married," he says, rubbing at the back of his neck. "My daughter... her mom left and she was raised by her grandfather. He got sick recently and couldn't take care of her anymore, so now I'm looking after her." He pauses, gaze flitting between them. "She's important, so if you have any problems with that... you should probably leave."
Hitoshi shrugs. "Not an issue. I was in and out of foster care as a kid; I'd have paid good money for one of my parents to actually give a shit." He slouches a little, trying to appear unaffected, but Hizashi smiles softly at him and curls a couple of his fingers around Hitoshi's in support. He returns the small smile and leans in slightly, their arms bumping against each other as their fingers untangle.
"We don't mind that at all," Hizashi says to Aizawa, who looks away from their hands with a glint of longing in his eyes. "Whatever kind of relationship we end up having, for better or worse, we share the same mark; it connects us. She's important to you, so that makes her important to us."
Aizawa's eyes narrow. "You're a romantic, aren't you?"
"Incurably," Hitoshi chimes in with a smirk, and Aizawa gives an amused little huff. Hizashi just rolls his eyes at them both.
"...I'll need some time to think," Aizawa says pensively. "This is... a lot."
That's understandable, though a little frustrating. "We can give you our phone numbers so when you're ready we can set up a time to meet," Hizashi suggests.
Aizawa nods. "That should work."
Hitoshi drapes his jacket over one arm and rifles through his pockets for a moment before retrieving a retractable ballpoint. "Knew I had that in there," he mutters to himself. Hizashi hands him one of his Yuuei business cards and Hitoshi scribbles his phone number on the back. He gives it back to Hizashi along with the pen, and he jots down his personal phone number and, on a whim, adds a little heart next to it.
"Here," Hizashi says, holding the card by the corner and offering it up for Aizawa to take from the other side.
Aizawa eyes it like one might a particularly dangerous animal for a moment before he steps forward and takes it gingerly, being careful to avoid skin contact. "Didn't expect you to have a business card," he quips.
Hizashi laughs. "We run a business just like anyone else," he says. "Marketing's a little different, but it's still a business."
"Hmm," is all Aizawa has to say on the matter. He pockets the card. "Well, I need to finish closing up, so..."
"We'll get out of your hair," Hitoshi finishes for him as he puts his jacket back on, prompting Hizashi to do the same.
"Ah," Aizawa says as they turn to leave. "I'm Aizawa. Aizawa Shouta."
We know, Hizashi doesn't say. Instead he just smiles, a fond thing that makes his eyes crinkle. "Have a good night, Aizawa-kun. It was a pleasure meeting you."
A/N: Hello all, we're back for another (slightly longer) chapter of me channeling my feelings about food service into Shouta lmao xD I dithered and and dathered for a bit on how exactly they all would meet since I didn't want to take too long setting it up and turn this into another longfic, but I like how this turned out ^v^
Hizashi: all right, let's make a good first-ish impression! :D
Shouta: *wonders why they're telling him the two of them are soulmates and then asks if they're there to rob the place*
Hizashi: TT∩TT
Anywho, hope you all enjoyed! If you did, let me know :D