maybe | hitoshi shinsou x reader

~chapter 11~

When you wake up the next morning, your brain feels like it's stuffed with cotton balls.

The sports festival had been...weird. Pretty fun, then scary, but overall just weird.

Bakugou won, just like he said he would. Against Todoroki, even. That was probably the most surprising part.

It's like, when someone rants and raves like a madman that they're the best and number one and could crush everyone with their pinky, or whatever, you don't actually expect them to do it. Like, delusions of grandeur and all that. But Bakugou won. At least, he won the fight.

But he couldn't make Todoroki use his fire.

So, at least in his eyes, it wasn't much of a victory at all.

But instead of getting sad and moody—you know, like a normal person—Bakugou became incensed and angry, explosive (heh) personality outshining his achievements by leaps and bounds. It got so bad they had to restrain him for the awards ceremony. It looked like Hannibal Lecter had wandered into U.A. and stolen first place for himself. Which, while funny in theory, was a bit disturbing in practice.

Todoroki got second. It was kind of disappointing, seeing him lose, because after all the nail-biting tension you'd been excited to kick back, relax, and watch Bakugou get knocked down a peg. But alas, things didn't go as you'd hoped. Though they didn't go as Bakugou had hoped either, which was a fair consolation prize.

Tokoyami got third. Iida should've been standing on the podium with him, but he had to leave early. Not sure why, but it probably had something to do with that phone call he got. After he'd stepped out to take it and come back he was...different. Iida doesn't smile much, more the type to express himself through gestures than his face, but you don't think you've ever seen him like that. It's hard to even describe. Sad, shocked, hopeless, crushed. Just looking at him made you hurt, too. And his once boisterous voice was reduced to something quiet and almost monosyllabic. Just one quick, panic-tinged "I have to go. I'll see you at school later," and he was gone. It reminded you of the way he acts whenever Midoriya uses his quirk and bruises so hard he bleeds. Not to
mention the gratuitous bone-breaking.

You really hope Iida's okay.

And you can't even call to check up on him, because you hadn't gotten around to exchanging numbers; it just hadn't seemed of vital importance at the time. But now it is, and you're cursing your past self for the oversight.

But there's another thing you have to worry about right now. Something more prevalent, something that's looming over the horizon, and something that you should really start getting ready for.

Work.

You'd completely forgotten about it, what with yesterday's, well, everything. Staying at home to binge watch/read whatever's closest would be much more preferable, but that's not something you can afford. Literally. There's groceries to buy, bills to pay, etc.

So off to work it is.

~~

You burst through Bean Town's doors, barely on time and sweating like crazy.

You may or may not have gotten lost along the way. Or gotten caught up with a cute cat. Possibly two. But it's fine! You're (miraculously) on time! And that's what counts, right?

This is going to be so much harder than you first thought.

The barista you vaguely remember from your first visit is still manning the counter, just as lifeless despite the early hour, and barely gives you a glance before turning their attention elsewhere. Namely their phone, which they fiddle with while you catch your breath. For someone enrolled at a more sports-oriented school, you're not in good enough shape. If only you could just fly everywhere.

After giving you an appropriate amount of time to stop panting like a dying cat, the Barista calls out toward the back "Karage! The newbie's here!" There's a lot of soft thumping and what might be the breaking of a plate before the old man from before emerges from the back—the owner, if memory serves.

"Ah yes, you," he says, because he didn't ask for your name the first time you met. Or anything, really. Now that you think about it, that whole interview(?) process was really sketchy. Kind of late to back out now, though.

"Um, yeah. I'm [l/n] [y/n]. Nice to meet you." There's a short pause, before you add, "Sir." How polite are you supposed to be with him, anyway? Should you bow? You're going to, just in case.

Karage, because apparently that's his name, laughs an old man laugh. "Karage Iiji." He holds out his hand for you to shake, and you do. His palms are rough and calloused, speaking of years of experience. Experience doing what, you're not sure.

The handshake goes on a bit longer than is comfortable before Karage tears his hand away to pinch the bridge of his nose in a much more dramatic fashion than necessary. "Forgot to grab your uniform on my way down here," he explains, before snapping his fingers. "Ah, but this is what nephews are for." And that's all the warning you get before Karage yells much louder than you thought a man his age would be able to.

"Toshi!"

You flinch, even if you half-knew it was coming, and have to keep yourself from covering your ears.

"What?" someone in the back, presumably Toshi, yells back.

"The new kid's here! Grab their apron and name tag and bring it out, would ya?"

There's an audible huff before Toshi answers, "Sure, sure." Karage just grins at you, pleased.

Turing toward the tired barista, Karage says,"[l/n], Yakitako. Yaki, [l/n]."

Yakitako gives you a listless salute without looking up from their phone.

"Ah, nice to meet you, too," you tell them. They nod back.

"Hey, Uncle," Toshi says while nudging open a door with his hip, his arms filled with aprons, hats, and a few other—

Ah, wait a second.

That's a familiar head of hair.

"I didn't know which one you wanted, so—"

There's a beat of silence, as he recognizes you back. Shinsou Hitoshi. Or rather, Toshi.

The silence lasts a while. Not too long, but enough to be noticeable. And in that while, Karage manages to figure something out.

"Ah, so you two know each other? It's a small world."

Yeah, uncomfortably small.

Shinsou looks at you, face blank and closed-off, every ounce of the easiness he had seconds previously vanishing in an instant. It's such a fast transition, relaxed to guarded, that it's almost startling.

"No," Shinsou says, dropping the assortment of fabric and whatever else he was holding on the nearest table. "Not really."

And then he walks back into the back without another word.

Oh, wow. This is going to be so much harder than you first thought.

~~

A/N: sorry for the short chapter! and the semi-cliffhanger thing!!! things have been busy lately and finals and some other school things are around the corner for me so i've been stressing >>;