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At the bar of The Purple Cat sat a man. He looked to be in his late twenties, possibly early thirties. He drank slowly, mindlessly scrolling through his phone. To an outsider, he might have looked bored, more bored than the bartender checking his inventory. And that was exactly how both the men, the patron and the barkeeper, wanted the scene to look.
If you spoke to most anyone, they would not describe Kaminari Denki as a calm person. He was always fidgeting with something or tapping his foot or drumming his fingers. He needed a little stimulation. He also was known for talking to anyone, anywhere, about anything. He once got into a twenty minute conversation with a waiter about the construction of a new baseball field. So, to friends, the scene at the bar would have appeared a bit...off. Kaminari fidgetted, but it seemed suppressed. He didn’t even speak to the bartender, either. Kaminari would have seemed sad to those who knew him. But he wasn’t sad. He was simply waiting.
Three years. Shinsou had been undercover for three years. Kaminari can still remember the day Shinsou came to break the news. He had showed up at Kaminari’s apartment during a storm.
“I’m going to be working undercover with the police. They want me to infiltrate quirk enhancing drug rings.” He spoke so plainly, so matter-of-factly. It was happening, and there was nothing either of them could do to stop it.
“I might not see you for a while.” He grabbed Kaminari’s hand. “Then again, I might. With the plan the cops worked out, you might be able to hang around a bit.” Kaminari nodded, tears forming in his eyes. Shinsou wiped a tear from Kaminari’s cheek.
“It’s going to be okay.” Shinsou wrapped him up in a tight hug. Kaminari nestled his head into the crook of Shinsou’s neck. “I’ll wait for you,” Shinsou whispered in his ear.
“I’ll wait for you too,” Kaminari almost sobbed. And then Shinsou was gone.
A year later, Kaminari found a flyer outside his door for the opening of a new bar called The Purple Cat. He had to say, he was intrigued. Could this be it? Was this the moment he would see Shinsou again? That night, he quickly made his way to the bar, hoping not to appear too eager. If this was it, he couldn’t be fidgeting about. He’d look suspicious.
Kaminari took a deep breath as he stood in front of the doors. This could be it. Resolutely, he pushed the door open. The place was packed. The cops must have done a pretty good job getting word around. He made his way to the bar. There were little paper menus scattered on the bartop promoting the specialty drinks. As Kaminari read over them, he was interrupted.
“What’ll it be?” Kaminari looked up to a face he hadn’t seen in a year. He wanted to jump over the bar and smother Shinsou in a hug, but he had to restrain himself.
“Uhhhh.” Kaminari quickly scanned the menu for something appealing. “I’ll do a... ‘Catnip?’” Were all the drinks cat themed? Shinsou nodded and walked off to prepare the drink.
A little over an hour later, Kaminari was signing the merchant copy of his receipt. He took the final sip of his drink and prepared to leave. The little paper napkin under his drink got stuck to the glass from the condensation. It fell onto the bar. On the underside of it, something had been written. The ink was a little smudged from the water, but it was still legible: Glad to see you -S. Kaminari had to stop himself from smiling. He looked up and caught Shinsou trying to discreetly stare at him. Both men looked away. Quickly, Kaminari took the customer copy of his receipt and scribbled something on it. He placed it directly under the merchant copy and left.
Shinsou walked over to take the receipt and place it with the others. As he grabbed it, he noticed something underneath it. He separated the papers and found a message: The place looks amazing :) -K. Shinsou let out an exhale from his nose. He glanced at the door, wishing it would open again.
In the present, Kaminari, once again, signed his receipt. He got better at intercepting Shinsou’s messages before they were completely waterlogged. This one read: I just don’t think you’re right. The books were way better. -S. Kaminari shook his head a little at the statement and scribbled his response on the receipt: Incorrect. The movies added depth to the world the books didn’t have. -K. He slid the costumer copy under the merchant copy and left, just as he had a hundred times before.
The walk home was quiet. Kaminari looked around the street, searching for a face that wasn’t there. A Face that likely wouldn’t be there for a long time.
He knew the day he could be with Shinsou wasn’t in the near future. There was work to be done, important work to be done. He would not jeopardize that. He wouldn’t let anyone ruin everything Shinsou had done. He just had to be patient. One day, he would hold Shinsou and never have to let go.
Until then, he would continue to sit at the bar, and wait for that day to come.