Chapter Text
It all seemed to happen in a blur. One minute, you were cleaning glasses in the back of the shop, and the next you're dragging the second most famous pro-hero inside to hide him from a bombardment of paparazzi and screeching fangirls.
Starting from the beginning of the afternoon; it was around four o'clock, and you were yawning into your elbow while you lazily spun a wet cloth inside a milkshake glass, trying to wipe out all remnants of milk that'd stained the bottom. Just ten minutes before, you'd been yelled at by the clearly stressed-out boss of the establishment, who was only a few years older than yourself but with many more grey hairs in her bushy brown hair. All because you'd dropped a glass on the floor. And it didn't even break!
Today had been busy. It was a Saturday, and another large-scale attack was occurring in the city centre. It'd been pre-planned, of course, just like most fights these days were, and once the information was buzzing around people like the plague, they'd decided to go watch. And where else would they get a nice lunch other than 'Yui's Coffee and Sandwich Shop'? Yes, as bland as a name it was, the interior was stunning and a variety of people, such as the elderly, school children, couples and even the occasional pro-hero enjoyed coming in to grab a bite to eat.
From 11am to 3pm, it'd been absolute chaos. While heroes were trying to defuse a huge situation outside between a civilian with a quirk that resembled a rhinoceros and a villainous-looking man with a large handlebar moustache that could turn itself into long, sharp blades, you and your co-workers were trying your damned hardest to feed the long queue of people standing outside. From just a chocolate-chip cookie to a full-blown meal of a jacket potato and cheesy beans, you were making everything.
And now you were utterly exhausted.
"Hey, Y/n!" a cheery voice filled the room, and you turned your head to the side. Standing there was the all-too-familiar Kimiko Ariyoshi, a bubbly yet occasionally air-headed girl with a pastel pink bob that almost put the beige-coloured cafe to shame. She always wore a bright smile on her face and spoke in a calming yet excitable tone that always left you in anticipation for what she'd say next, and every-so-often, she'd bring in a box of some sort of sweet treat to share out, whether it be chocolate doughnuts, flapjacks, brownies or whatever she felt like bringing. Overall, she was just a nice person, and whatever mood you were in, you couldn't bring yourself to be mad at her. So, despite how tired you were and how obviously-grumpy you were, you put on a small side-smile and waved. "Gosh, you look like you wanna go home."
"Yeah, you've got that right," you chuckled, watching her struggle to sit on the side counter. Her height, which was simply 4'11, was something she was occasionally teased about, especially when she struggled to sit on the counter along with the other staff, but she didn't mind. It just seemed to suit her cute nature. "I can't wait to go to bed."
"And isn't that a mood?" she smiled, taking one of the glasses off you and placing it in the cupboard beside her. "I assume Yui has put you in the kitchen for the evening."
"Nah, I'm just not in the mood to serve right now," you admitted, making Ariyoshi giggle. "Honestly, I've just spent four full hours serving because that bastard Nakamura didn't come in today."
"I thought he was ill," Ariyoshi said, cocking her head. You shrugged, rinsing your hands under the warm tap water after a fleck of chocolate from one of the half-eaten brownies landed on the back of your hand. "Is he not?"
"I doubt it," you muttered, reaching for another plate to wash and sit on the side to dry. "It's the seventh time this month he's supposedly been off sick. And last time? He posted a photo of him and his girlfriend in Tokyo on his Facebook literally the same day he supposedly had the flu."
"Damn... I'm surprised he's not been fired," Ariyoshi grimaced, and you nodded. "Then again, he is a favourite amongst the girls who come along, so I can't blame Yui for keeping him. More business, I guess."
"Yeah, and more bloody pain for me!" you complained, making her laugh even more. A smile appeared on your face; you enjoyed spending time with Ariyoshi, especially because she always lightened up the mood. "The ONE day we have hundreds of customers, that little rat is off."
"At least you didn't have to admit to a bunch of teenage girls that he wasn't in today," she pouted, fiddling with the strands of her apron. "God, I wish girls fawned over me like that."
"Kimiko, you're engaged," you reminded her, pointing towards the pretty heart-shaped ring on her finger. "Remember?"
"My bad," she giggled, admiring the ring and twisting it. It was something she did when she was nervous, and that was when you noticed her shoulders slightly hunched up and the pink in her ears, the two main factors to when she was nervous.
"Erm, are you alright?" you asked, and she turned her head quickly to nod. "You look worried."
"Oh, no!" she replied quickly, an expression of embarrassment on her face. "I'm just excited! There's a rumour going around that a certain pro-hero is in town right now."
"Who?" you asked, your ears pricking up. There were a few pro-heroes you really didn't fancy seeing, especially due to your past and your bad experiences with them, but then there were some you really adored and hoped to meet one day, such as Eraserhead, All Might, Ryukyu, Miruko, and-
"Oh, just a red-winged pro-hero by the name of Hawks," she grinned, poking you in the side teasingly. Your face went slightly pink; he was one of the few people you hugely admired, and although people didn't think you had emotional connections to people (you were rather blunt, so it was expected for people to think of you that way). However, Ariyoshi knew you had a softer side, and she managed to peel away each layer until she saw the true you. You couldn't lie, she was an amazing friend.
"Wait, really?" you asked, placing your glass gently on the counter and standing by the kitchen door. Sure enough, a hoard of people were running at full-pelt past the large cafe window, some with huge cameras in their hands, some with their phones and some just with their arms outstretched to grab something - or someone. Paparazzi never sat well with you; celebrities were people too, and those assholes just liked to pry into people's private business. It grossed you out. "Where?"
The cafe was pretty much empty bar a few tables of elderly people and a few students who visited on their way home from school, so you thought it'd be okay to leave for a bit. Afterall, Yui, Ariyoshi and two other staff members were there, so it wasn't like you were leaving them to be attacked by customers.
As soon as you stepped out of the door, you were almost trampled by another selection of people. You knew Hawks was the one to be okay with public attention, but this much? And after a long day of hero work? Nobody would enjoy that. Not even All Might when he was at his peak.
"Oi, watch it!" you yelled, only to be ignored by every single one of them. "God, get a proper job."
Rolling your eyes, you would've gone back into the cafe if it wasn't for a tiny whisper you heard from the left.
"Psst...."
Confused, you turned your head. Nobody seemed to be there... except for a small tuft of dirty blonde hair appearing from down a narrow alleyway where most of the trash went for you and the hair salon next door. Thinking it was just some weird man trying to assault you (which had unfortunately happened before), you sighed in annoyance and went to go back inside.
"Wait, please!" the voice then said again, and you turned, giving them a second chance. When their head poked out, it was then that you realised who it was, and your eyes widened in surprise.
Standing there - almost, it was rather he was poking his head out - was none other than the 2nd Pro Hero, Hawks. His dusty blonde hair was tousled and sticking out in odd places, and his usually-calm hazel eyes were darting around everywhere as if looking for someone who'd jump on top of him. It was then that you noticed the lack of wings; he'd most likely just been involved in a large-scale villain attack if he'd lost ALL his feathers, and that was why he looked so exhausted. A trickle of blood was even leaving his nose, and you gulped.
"Do you have anywhere I can hide for a bit?" he asked, scratching the back of his head awkwardly. "I really don't fancy getting photographed like this."
"S-sure!" you stammered, mentally face-palming for looking like an idiot. It wasn't usual for you to act like this, and the fact you had to be home in less than an hour was on your mind. You wanted to make sure Hawks felt safe and comfortable, but what could you do in forty-five minutes? You couldn't just leave him with Yui; she was in her mid-thirties, stressed as anything and had two children at home to look after. Ariyoshi was planning a wedding for her sister at the moment and was spending as much time as possible with her fiance before she went away to Korea for a month, so it'd be unfair to dump him on her. And the other two? Definitely out of the picture, it'd be stupid. One of them was seventeen and a student, whereas the other had a disabled brother they looked after all the time. "Come inside!"
You held out your arm in case he needed help, and he almost fell over. Your eyes widened as you tried to help him stand up properly, his balance rather wonky without his wings to support him. He quickly apologised, and although he was acting very out-of-character, you didn't care. A bruise was forming around his right eye, and you grimaced. His nose bleed was getting worse, and you called out for Ariyoshi to grab a tissue.
The elderly couple on table five didn't take notice; they were probably used to seeing beaten-up heroes all the time, and although they probably pitied him, they didn't openly say anything. Two teenage boys on table two looked over in awe, but once again, they didn't say anything. A group of girls quietly whispered among themselves on table seven, but thankfully, they didn't try and get autographs. Hawks was very thankful for that.
"H-here!" Ariyoshi stumbled, rushing over with a small box of tissues. Hawks thanked her, almost making a comment about her height but chosing not to say anything as he pressed a soft tissue to his nose. You lead him into the back staff-room, where Yui was sitting on her own. She glanced over in surprise, and you sat the poor man on one of the beige-coloured sofas. "Is there anything else you need?"
"A coffee would be nice," he muttered, his voice as rough as sandpaper. Ariyoshi nodded and rushed out into the kitchen, and you grinned as she tried to make a good coffee at top speed. "Two sugars."
"Rough day?" you asked, once again regretting how casual you came across. Then again, maybe he'd prefer that. He was human, after all, and casual conversation was something most people enjoyed instead of people yelling and screaming at you. Hawks looked up at you with a small chuckle before pushing another bit of tissue up his nose, attempting to stop the bleeding.
"Is it that obvious?" he asked sarcastically, and you gave him a small smile before sitting down opposite him on the other sofa, giving him space. Yui had gone into the main cafe area, most likely to make sure paparazzi didn't come rushing in to find Hawks. She was an intelligent woman, and she knew instantly he probably didn't want people to find him. "Yeah, threat of a bombing in a block of flats."
"Goodness," you said with a surprised expression, and he nodded. "Was it just you fighting?"
"Pretty much," he answered, ruffling a hand through his messy hair. "The heroes originally at the scene got knocked out. Their quirks weren't exactly the best in the world against those three, but they did get one of them arrested. I used most of my quirk trying to get civilians out of the building, but then one of them punched me, and I couldn't fly away so I had to fight until someone else came along."
"And did they?" you asked, cocking your head, and he nodded.
"Yeah, Miruko turned up at last," he said, a small smile on his face. "God, she always turns up late."
"Huh, I thought she'd be someone who's usually on time," you grinned, surprised conversation was so easy with him. He seemed to be someone who you just got along with straight away or you didn't, and thankfully, you were the former.
"Sometimes she is, sometimes she's not," Hawks said, smiling at Ariyoshi as she passed him his coffee. "Thanks, babes."
"No problem!" she exclaimed with a smile, giving him an enthusiastic thumbs up before going to serve the next customer, who was enthusiastically slamming their hand on the bell at the counter. "Alright, alright! Calm down, Miss Sekido! I'm here."
"Mm, you guys know how to do coffee right," Hawks murmured, taking another sip from the cup. You smiled and thanked him, honoured that THE Hawks complimented your cafe. "Say, do you have a name?"
"Nope," you replied sarcastically, and he playfully glared. "My parents never gave me one."
"I see, so you're THAT type of person," he said, and you furrowed your eyebrows. "In a good way."
"I was hoping it was in a good way," you grinned, and he returned the gesture before wincing slightly. "Oh, are you okay?"
"Headache," he answered, pressing his free palm to the back of his head. "God, that dude really hit me hard."
"Would you like some frozen peas for that black eye?" Yui suddenly interruped, poking her head around the door. "It looks nasty."
"Ah, thank you, Ma'am," Hawks said, standing up and taking the frozen peas from Yui's hands. You also followed and took his drink from him, only to receive a strange look from the winged-hero.
"Lay down on the sofa and get comfortable," you said softly, as not to anger his headache more. He did as he was told and did so, resting his head on two of the cushions laid out. You then rested the peas on his eye, and he flinched from both the cold and sudden pressure on his bruise. You then gently took the tissue from his nose, checking if it'd stopped the bleeding. Surprisingly enough, it had, and his nose didn't seem to be broken either. Which was lucky. You also added a heated pad to his forehead to help the headache, but you were concerned if it'd make it worse due to the two hugely differing temperatures on his face. Thankfully, it didn't.
"Aren't you lovely?" Hawks asked with a grin, taking a sip from his coffee again after you passed it him. You rolled your eyes and hid your flustered face with your hair, honoured to be complemented by such a high-up hero. "Glad I could've met you, Miss No-Name."
"Heh, nice to meet you too," you smiled. It was a genuine smile you hadn't shown a man in a long time... mainly because of who you were currently dating.
He wasn't that bad, he just didn't like it when you smiled at other men. So you learnt instinctively not to. But then again, he was fine with you smiling at women, so you weren't exactly sure why he did this. Another weird thing was that conversation seemed to flow so much better with Hawks than it did with your boyfriend. Maybe he was just an easy person to get along with.
Plus, would it really matter if you smiled at fucking Hawks, for goodness sake!?
"Sir, I've got a spare room upstairs if you need a place to stay," Yui then said, wandering back into the room with a key in her hand. Hawks glanced over and a small, thankful grin appeared on his face. "For free."
"Gosh, you don't have to do that," Hawks chuckled, sitting up but keeping the peas pressed to his eye and the pad to his forehead. "You're lovely even offering, so I'll make sure to pay back."
"Bless," Yui grinned, suddenly getting distracted by another customer. "Ariyoshi! Why aren't you serving?"
"Sorry!" she squeaked, appearing from out of the kitchen with a tray of milkshakes and hot drinks. "I was just finishing off an order."
You chuckled at Ariyoshi, unable to hide your smile, and you noticed a small grin on Hawk's face as he watched you all work. You wondered what he would've become if it wasn't a pro-hero, and you often thought about how quickly he zoomed up to the top of the hero list. At just twenty-two, he was number two. He was the man who went just a little too quick.
"Y/l/n, you can leave if you like," Yui then said, turning to you. Surprised that she was letting you off early, she then added, "He's waiting for you in the car park."
Ah. So Fumiaki was here to pick you up.
Ever since you'd started dating Fumiaki Hagiwara, the city's most popular baseball player, Yui seemed to have a strong disliking towards him. She never even addressed him by name; although she never admitted it, she seemed to be absolutely repulsed by him. It was weird, because you never really seemed to be enthusiastic towards him.
But you loved him, so you defended him with all your might.
"So your name's Y/l/n, is it?" Hawks then said with a grin, pointing towards you. Pouting, you nodded shyly, not exactly proud of your surname but living with it nonetheless. "Well, I'll see you around. Have a nice night!"
"You too, Hawks," you beamed, taking off your apron and hanging it up, revealing your casual black jeans and beige turtleneck. It was the closest thing to a uniform the cafe had, and you didn't mind. It was comfortable to wear and looked good, so you didn't care. Then, you pulled off your coat from the hook, grabbed your bag and rushed out the front door to make sure you didn't leave Fumiaki waiting.
And that's how it all started.