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Shinsou strolled towards The Insomniac Cafe, following the directions on his phone. Even though he already knew where it was, he still ended up taking wrong turns and getting lost somehow, his sleep-deprived brain unwilling to cooperate with his need for coffee.
He knew the bags under his eyes were prominent, but working a forty-eight-hour shift to plan and execute an arrest would do that to a person.
The life of an underground pro wasn't at all what fifteen-year-old Shinsou had thought, that was for sure. But he knew that even if he had the chance to go back and change it, he wouldn't. Taking down scum and rescuing people from harrowing situations left him with a soft afterglow of pride that only faded when he failed. And it was impossible not to fail sometimes.
Now, he knew he probably shouldn't have coffee before planning to sleep, but he had realised a long time ago that one , it's effect didn't have as much of an impact on him which sort of sucked at times, and two , that he had at some point become addicted to the taste.
He finally arrived as the light of the morning sun began to cross the horizon. He slipped inside the cafe with no hesitation, blinking to adjust to the light. A warm glow filled the room, illuminating everything perfectly, but not leaving a blinding effect. Shinsou appreciated it.
He stepped towards the counter, searching through his pockets for his wallet. "I'll have a black coffee please," he ordered, too focused on grabbing his money to even look at the barista.
"I'll get started on that right away, Sir!" Shinsou paused at the sweet voice, slowly raising his head.
A man stood in front of him, smiling up at him- oh god, he was shorter than him. The way he smiled left crinkles under his eyes, the deep forest green sucking Shinsou in. He caught sight of the other's name tag- after he stopped staring at his freckles- which read 'Midoriya Izuku' in scrawling writing.
Spinning around the man began to make his drink, each step he took seeming like a dance as he expertly made the coffee, humming softly to himself as he did.
Shinsou's eyes travelled down, down, down , resting on the man's bottom clad in shorts. And not just any shorts. No, these were short shorts. He could almost feel his three remaining brain cells shutting down, ready to make their grand exit in a flurry of inappropriate thoughts.
"So, what's Shinsou Hitoshi, the underground pro hero Puppeteer, doing in a quaint little coffee shop like mine?" Midoriya asked, back still turned.
The question was enough to startle Shinsou out of his thoughts but not enough to make him drag his eyes away. His tongue weighed heavily in his mouth as he tried to determine how the fuck this man knew about his status.
"How do you know that?" he asked dumbly, basically admitting to being a pro in front of this man. Goddamn his tired brain.
Midoriya turned to him- Shinsou's eyes had thankfully moved to the other's face in time-, mossy curls bouncing gently as he handed the coffee cup to Shinsou before leaning against the counter. His black shirt strained against his chest and Shinsou suddenly found the muscles on his arms very interesting.
"Oh, I've followed all heroes since I was a kid. Wanted to be just like one, but apparently, quirkless people aren't very good for that type of job. I think I saw you in the sports festival before? And you were moved into the hero course in your second year. That doesn't happen often, so obviously I followed your journey," Midoriya exclaimed excitedly, hand gestures flying everywhere as he explained more, looking more like an animated character than a real person.
Shinsou took in the information slowly, sipping at his coffee as he did so. Midoriya waited patiently, starry-eyed.
The insomniac could feel the flutters of butterflies in his stomach the longer he stood there, this man who looked more like a pixie fairy than anything staring up at him.
"Wait, you're quirkless?" his mouth decided to spit out first and he almost groaned when a sharp gleam entered Izuku's eyes before his face split into a smile once more.
"Yep. I used to be bitter over it but I'm getting better. I mean, I did start my own coffee shop at a young age and it's flourished with me so can't complain." He shrugged. Shinsou wondered at the man before him, how it must have been to grow up with the one thing almost everyone had, the thing people asked about before your interests, hobbies, what school you went to. A quirk.
"I'm glad you've chosen to own it. People are too self-reliant on quirks anyways, they're only a nuisance." If asked, Shinsou wouldn't be able to tell you why he was being so nice to this man he had just met.
Maybe it had something to do with the fact he was both hot and cute as shit, with freckles dotted across his cheeks like stars in the night sky, and a smile made of sunshine. Or the way his laugh filled the pace around them, leaving no room for awkward energy, dispelling tension in an instant, with minimal effort. It could have just been the pull that Shinsou felt when being near him, the butterflies that fluttered impatiently in his stomach as he watched this man shrouded in every shade of green Shinsou could see.
Shinsou just knew he wanted to see the other even more, get to know him.
By the time they parted, Shinsou had stayed for far longer than he thought he would and they exchanged phone numbers just as a new customer came in.
Wishing him well, Midoriya engaged in an easy conversation with Ashido Mina, better known as Pinky with such ease Shinsou had to wonder if many heroes came into the shop. If they did, it was probably more for Midoriya himself than the coffee they served, even if it had been perfect, edging on the sweet side while also containing the perfect bitterness. A brilliant blend of flavours.
Shinsou had loved the coffee and was immensely glad he had gone to the cafe before he went home to crash.
It's just that now he had found something a little sweeter that he wanted to taste.