maybe | hitoshi shinsou x reader

where the story was going

A/N: In all honesty, I've lost a lost of the thread in terms of where I wanted this story to head. I know the mc was going to intern with Hawks, and would definitely have had an effect on the plot going forward, though how large that effect would've been I can't say for sure. Most of what I remember is in the little things. I'll be breaking these sections of little things into parts. They'll have titles pertaining to the characters or situations they explain, and you can skip to and from any you wish. They're not connected, so there's no worry of missing something if you don't read every little detail. All the same, I hope that you do read them all! I put a lot of care into writing them, after all.

Here we go!

~~KARAGE~~

Karage was...not a former villain, necessarily, but he definitely did some petty theft and vandalism and whatnot. Certainly, he had contacts in the underworld--the type where he always knows a guy who can get stuff done, you know? Eventually, he gets arrested and spends some time in prison, and he would go back to doing the same old things, but when his sister dies and leaves him with custody of her son, Hitoshi, he works hard to put that past behind him. His actions affect more than just himself, after all (this is the first time he's ever felt like they do, but they certainly have in the past as well).

It's hard, at first, to stand on his own two feet without relying on more...illicit means of gathering funds, but he manages, somehow. He ends up with quite a bit of credit card debt and a few more gray hairs, but he manages. Toshi gets to go to school with good clothes and a decent book bag, and that's what matters most. Really, his whole life has started revolving around this kid, though sometimes he's painful to look at (he has his mother's eyes).

At first, he's working long hours doing manual labor. And that's fine, though the pay could be better, but it keeps him from Toshi--and that bit is not fine. Hitoshi is, what, something like six at this point? Definitely not at an age where he should be so independent. It's because of this that Karage starts looking into starting his own business.

Accruing the capital to actually buy a place and get it running seems like an insurmountable task, especially when he wants to be situated in a part of town that's not too bad in a building without a history of mold and with an apartment overhead to house him and his kid (because Toshi is his kid now). In the end, though, it's not as difficult as he would've thought. He takes out a loan--or two or three, but who's counting?--and receiving help from some of his more unsavory contacts doesn't hurt as well. With the good will he's built over the years, there are a few that are happy to help set him up a bit--so long as they get paid back. It's an investment, but it's one born of camaraderie, if that makes sense. Karage's happy to take the assistance either way; he really needs the help.

And so Bean Town is born! It's not a safe haven for villains or anything, but Karage knows who paid his bills, and if he sees any familiar faces he knows to keep his mouth shut, you know? It's not like they've ever harmed anyone who's come into the cafe anyhow; Bean Town is sort of like a neutral PVP zone. Though there are tons of civilians who come through as well, normal people who are just going about their day and whatnot, so Bean Town isn't exclusively funded by the money of villains, or even just plain old criminals.

~~YAKITAKO~~

Yes they're nonbinary! I saw a lot of people asking this, and I wanted to clear it up first and foremost. I know I answered a comment or two about it at one point, but those aren't nearly as visible as putting it right on the page of the story. Also, I believe at one point or another there's a page that refers to them as she or her or something, but that was definitely a result of my phone's auto correct and not a conscious decision on my part.