Early Mornings - KiriBaku

20

It's been a week since the cute, angry, blond told Kirishima to go fuck himself and leave. After he'd left it took about a day for him to understand what had happened.

Eijirou tried multiple times to write an email to Bakugou explaining that he really hadn't known, that it was just an odd coincidence. He couldn't figure it out though, he just wasn't sure how to say what he wanted to say.

He spent a week confused, sad, and, quite frankly, a little frustrated that he couldn't bring himself to quit, and that he didn't know how to tell the barista he was sorry and that he really likes him. Nothing was said to his employers about what happened, but he mentioned it to Cherry while they were out for lunch.

"Kirishima, you've been quiet all week, are you alright," Cherry asks softly. "Did-did she say or do something to you?"

Looking up from his meal, which he's hardly touched, Eijirou quickly responds, "No! No, no, it wasn't-nothing happened at work! I swear! Everything's going great at work, I love my job!" The response is rushed, panicked.

"You don't need to lie dear, the job is shit. You seem like a good kid, and as someone who has stayed working at this hell hole for ten years, I'm very aware of how awful it is."

"Huh? Then why do you stay?"

She smiles softly, "Because I was a scared kid who met another scared kid and I made the decision to try and help him. Katsuki is a good kid but he hides behind an asshole demeanor because he doesn't want the people in his life to get hurt and he doesn't want to get hurt again either." There's a moment of silence where she looks Kirishima in the eye and places one of her hands on top of one of his on the table, "We haven't known each other long dear, but you remind me a little of him, and I don't want to see you get hurt either."

There are tears in his eyes from the stress and anxiety building inside. "God, Cherry, I met this cute blond a little before I got this job, and everytime I'd see him my heart would hammer at my chest. It became a routine to go in to the Cafe he works at to start my day, and I was trying to flirt with him, and I think he was flirting with me, but having this job ruined it." He runs a hand through his hair like he's trying to push the anxiety back. "I got this stupid job so I can afford all my stupid bills, but God, I regret sending that email. When I saw him last week...he seemed so angry, and I didn't even realize why until the next day, after I had talked to my Moms and to my friend."

"Oh," she only sounds a little surprised. "So, you've met him?"

"Yeah, and I get it. I get why he's angry at me, he thinks that I knew all along who he was, and now I'm just this stupid ball of anxiety. I don't know how to tell him that that's not the case, that I really like him, and that I wasn't just fucking with him." Kiri's hands are shaking, his leg is bouncing and it looks like his weirdly sharp teeth are going to tear right through his lip as he bites it to keep himself quiet.