Chapter Text
"Yeah, yeah, I hear you," you shout to your friend (F/f/n), as you carry in a box filled with baking ingredients and utensils. "I'm going as fast as I can. These boxes are heavy, you know." The box in your arms slowly becomes less and less easy to carry as you pass through the back door of the small bakery you worked in. Once inside, the box is placed in a cleared out spot on the marble counter top just before the baking room.
"Oh, I’m sorry. Would you like me to help with that?" She smiles, bulking up her arms intensely. Her quirk, super strength, enhances the performance of her muscles and gives her the ability to pick up, throw, crush, or move something with ease. Her body moves swiftly to the loading truck, bringing in more inventory in minutes than you have in the past half an hour. (F/f/n) brings in the boxes while you open and sort through them, making sure that the place is set for when the bakers and owner arrive at 7 AM. At the beginning of every Friday, you are instructed to get to the bakery early in the morning in order to stock up and sort through the inventory. Luckily, you both finish the job about fifteen minutes before seven, so you're given some down time.
You wave goodbye to the delivery truck driver before closing and locking the back door the way you found it when you arrived there at six. "Thanks for deciding you'd help, even though I shouldn't be thanking you for doing your job. It would've gone a lot faster had you just used your quirk in the first place." You laugh, playfully punching your friend in the arm. She only laughs, moving some hair out of her face and readjusting her yellow work hat.
"No problem, man. What would you do without someone like me?" Once again, the muscles in her body flex, and she poses herself in a position to look similar to All Might. She comically mimics his all famous laughter, which sends the both of you into a laughing fit. Soon, you calm down, and begin to casually chat about random things. "Oh," her eyes fell, before rising to meet yours, looking slightly bothered, "by the way, I'm not sure I'll be able to hang out on Saturday. Before you freak out and get mad at me, I have a good reason. My dad is super sick, probably got one hell of a flu, and my mom leaves for my grandparent's house tonight. She's going to America for ten days, so she wants me to take care of my dad. Sorry I didn't tell you sooner." Her gaze is filled with pity and sorrow. You just sigh and smile.
"No need to explain. I know that already. My mom is leaving with yours, remember? Our grandparents are like neighbors." Your hand goes behind your neck, rubbing it nervously. You slowly bring your hand back, fixing the work hat that you despised. It was just a simple yellow baseball cap with red stitching.
(F/f/n) chuckles, nodding her head and placing her hand over her face. "Wow, I'm slow." The two of you laugh as you hear the front door open, and your manager walks in with his jacket over his arm and a key ring in his hand.
3 PM rolls around, which just so happens to be your least favorite time of any weekday. That's when UA lets the students out for the day, and all the snotty kids come here and make a mess of the place. They use their quirks, showing off to the other classes, or start picking fights outside, and even sometimes inside of the establishment. The bakery is new, too, so it makes a fine place for people without quirks to leisure as they please. However, the amount of delinquents that pass through this area could ruin business, and you'd be out of a decent paying job. Your manager, a very kind young man by the name of Koki Itō, says that it's really no big deal, but having to deal with screaming, yelling, fighting, and annoying kids every day gets old rather quickly.
"(F/n)," you hear loudly from behind you, the broom in your hand nearly falling to the floor. The voice is your manager's. He seems to be in quite a hurry. "I have to go home, it's an emergency with my son. I believe he is ill. I'm putting you in charge of the register." His voice is calm, yet he sounds very unsure of himself.
Swallowing hard, all you can really do is nod in understanding. He grabs his jacket from the back, and runs outside to his car, taking off in a total of fifteen seconds to speed off without a second thought. You place the broom back in its spot, lazily walking over to the register. Well, one of two, at least. Your friend (F/f/n) works another one to your left. She is busy with a customer, so you go unnoticed for the time being. Though, as customers begin to rush in, mostly kids from UA, you realize that the swarm is a lot less than usual. Of course, there are still about thirty people in the building, but that amount is a lot less than usual. Orders are flung at you left and right, yen being handed over carelessly, the cash register ringing constantly; it's absolute insanity for about ten minutes, then things start to mellow out.
"Not that bad a rush today, I see?" A familiar voice says as you slide money into the black cash register.
Your head rises from the machine quickly, a smile forming on your face. "Ojiro, what a coincidence to see you here, you regular." You laugh, smiling at the blonde boy in front of you.
His shoulders rise and fall as his tail flicks softly, and you call his normal order. "Thanks. I've got a friend outside, too, so do you think I could get something for him, too? Like, some taiyaki?" He points to a pair of premade fish-shaped pastries behind a glass display window while holding up two fingers.
You nod, grabbing his order from the small metal shelf behind me, the bag warm with fresh pastries. You slide the little glass window open, putting two of the oddly shaped pastries in it as well. You smile as you read him his total before grabbing the money from him while popping open the register with a ring.
"You should tell your friend to come in tomorrow or something. I'm not that scary. Plus, tomorrow is Saturday. You guys aren’t going to have school, and the bakery will be relatively slow." You conclude, a small smile on your face, curious as to who his friend could be.
A nervous smile comes to the boy’s face. "Well, he's not one for social interaction. If he doesn't have to be out in public, he's not looking for ways to be. He can be kind of an introvert sometimes, y'know?" His eyes drop slightly, looking kind of bashful.
"Why would he be so nervous? Any friend of yours is a friend of mine." A smile comes to your face as you push the bag across the counter to him, allowing him to grab it. With a nod, he smiles and walks out of the building, more and more people coming in as he leaves. (F/f/n) and you sigh in unison as the day begins to pick up quite suddenly. You try not to think much about Ojiro's friend, kind of getting nervous to meet him. If you ever get to, that is. Come to think of it, you never even asked for the kids name. That should be the first thing Ojiro said about his friend, but he didn't even reveal to you his name.
"You are so obvious, (F/n)." Your friend says, causing your head to turn quickly in her direction. "That Ojiro guy? You very obviously like him." A smug smirk covers her face as the two of you meet each other’s eyes.
You fumble with a bit of yen, dropping it on the floor. Quickly, you pick it up and look over at your friend. "Why would you even think of that, dude? We've only talked for like a week. I know nothing but his name, and he's not exactly my type." You sigh, handing a customer her change. She thanked you and took her small bag filled with goods to a small table just before the counter.
"You guys are literally always talking when he's here. He gets his food, finds you, and then leaves. He scopes you out." She says, causing your face to heat. You ignore it, though, thanking a customer for stopping at the establishment, calling their order back to the bakers. Once again, a sigh passes your lips as you look over at your friend.
"So, what? Maybe he just wanted to be friends with someone outside of his class?" You ask, crossing your arms, watching her take orders and call them.
She shrugs, a smile lingering on her face as she looks over in your direction. "Maybe. Or, maybe he likes you and you're just oblivious to it."
Finally, all the customers have been served for now, so you look at each other and cross your arms. "No. Again, he's not my type, (F/f/n)."
She laughs, shrugging and turning to face a man that walked through the door. "Whatever you say, (F/n)."
Closing time finally came about, and your body was exhausted from standing for nearly ten hours. No matter how much you work at this place, you would absolutely never get used to the amount of standing one has to do to make the amount that you do. Though, you’re quite thankful for the opportunity to work at such a lovely place. It may be boring, sitting around sweeping the same spot for an hour, or manning the register for long hours, and then having to scrub the ovens at the end of the day. It is a well paying job for someone of your age. Your hourly wage isn’t as much as what your mother makes, but whatever you earn is always a big help to support the two of you. Living in a run-down apartment in the back of the city is super sketchy, so the two of you do whatever you can to make more and more money to move to the nicer part. However long that takes you, you have no clue.
Suddenly, you’re pulled from your thoughts with a small jump, your phone ringing loudly from the back of your jean pocket. It’s Kiko, your manager. Immediately, you answer without hesitating, speaking before he even got the chance to. “Hey, (F/f/n) and I just closed and locked up shop.”
There is a slight pause on the other end of the line before the man speaks slowly. “Oh, good, good. Listen, can you tell (F/f/n) that I will be canceling work for tomorrow? Something has come up with my son and there isn’t much I can really do but hope for him.” He says, sorrow in his tone. As well as being the lead manager of the small shop, Kiko was also the owner. He had done this a few other times, though for happier reasons.
You take a second, thinking about what to say while standing outside of the small bakery, looking up at the gray sky. The clouds had been out all day, and you can tell it was going to rain soon. “I’m sorry to hear that, Sir. And yes, I would be able to tell her that. Thank you for letting me know. I’ll pray for your son.” You smile, hearing his light laughter on the other end. Even through the phone, you were able to tell how forced it must have been.
“Thank you, (F/n), you are very kind. See you on Monday, okay? Goodbye.” Without another moment, the line clicks, and he hangs up before you could get a chance to say it back.
You shrug it off, however, eyes looking around to see if your mom was in the parking lot. Most likely not, though you tried to stay hopeful that you wouldn’t have to walk. Walking was generally okay, until it started to rain. That’s when your mom would know to come get you, or there would probably be a petty argument at home. While you walk for right now, however, you decide that you should call your friend, knowing that she got off two hours before you did. You hold the phone up to your ear, waiting for her voice on the other end.
“Yo, what’s up?” She greets casually.
“Nothing, really, just walking home. But I do have some news. Kiko called me and said that because of problems with his son, work is canceled tomorrow.” You sigh softly, crossing the street and waving to the car that stopped for you.
On the other end, you hear her sigh with relief. “Thank God. I already planned on calling in sick because my (boyfriend/girlfriend) planned on taking me to that new horror movie around noon.”
A light laugh erupts from your throat. “Yeah, well I get to sit at home all day and be sad and bored.” You joke, looking up at the sky as tiny droplets begin to fall, hitting the pavement below you. Your eyes lower to the ground as you let out a silent sigh.
“Uh, liar, you have to meet with your boyfriend and his friend.” (F/f/n) says, laughing through the whole sentence.
Your face goes hot as you jog across another road, smiling at an elderly woman with her dog as they pass, going in the opposite direction. “How many times do I have to tell you, there is nothing between Ojiro and I. He’s just a damn customer, you swine.” The rainfall starts to become a bit heavy, and you dodge under a tree planted on the sidewalk to try and shield yourself from the rain. “Anyway, I don’t think it’ll happen anyways. I don’t have his number, I won’t be at work, yaddah yaddah yah.” A sigh passes through your lips as you suddenly see your mother’s car in the distance.
“You can think that it’s just a friendship, but I know my shit. Just go there around noon because they won’t have school. Noon is normally the time where all the boys hang out at the park behind the bakery, so maybe you’ll get lucky?” You can tell there is a huge smile plastered on her face by the way she talks.
“Ha ha, you’re so funny. I gotta go, my mom is here to pick me up. Talk to you later, jerk.”
Before I press end call , you hear one last word from her. “Bitch.”
Your mother’s car pulls up to the curb, and you hop in the passenger side quickly. “Thanks mom.” You smile, looking at her. She smiles at you, her eyes a bit distant as she begins to drive away from the curb.
“You know, I’m sorry that I have to, but I was called into work tonight. I’m only going for the extra pay, so I won’t be able to sit around and eat dinner with you before I leave. I’ll only be gone until eight, but (female friend’s mom) is going to pick me up straight from work.” Her voice is low and filled with emotions, but all you can do is nod your head and smile.
“No, Mom, it’s okay. I have to do some stuff for my biology class, anyway.” You smile, referring to your online schooling. Because the two of you are living the way that you are, you cannot afford a lot of schools around here, so the website you’re enrolled with provides you with all the resources you need to pass the standard high school classes. You remove your work hat and hold it close to you, looking down at your outfit; a pair of jeans, a worn out pair of (f/c) tennis shoes, and a black long sleeve shirt underneath your yellow and orange apron.
The two of you pull into the parking lot, and your mother smiles as she parks the car. “Well, in that case, I’ll see you next Monday. I love you, Dear! And good luck on your anatomy test this week.” She shouts, a dopey smile on her face. You can only give one back before slamming the car door shut. You try not to get wet as you hurry towards the building. The keys in your back pocket jingling as you swing the door open.
Upon entering, you wave hello to the desk girl, Lydia. The two of you never really spoke, but she was a pretty young woman you saw almost every day. Your apartment was on the third floor, so you always found yourself walking immediately to the elevator. Though, once inside, you see yourself in the reflective wall, standing there with no expression at all. The day begins to replay in your mind as a familiar lump forms in the back of your throat.
This time, I’ll be strong , you think to yourself. There is absolutely no reason for you to feel like crying, so why do you? The thought causes you to take another look at yourself in the mirror. Tears slowly well in your eyes, the stinging sensation making you want to blink. The door dings, causing you to quickly sniffle and walk down your hallway. You try the knob, not terribly surprised to find that the door is already unlocked. Oftentimes, when your mother was in a hurry, she would forget to lock it. Once you entered the two bedroom apartment, your back rested against the door.
You and your mother’s living situation hasn’t been exactly great since moving to Japan. Your past hasn’t been peachy either, but you still somehow manage to hold yourself together. Even now, as you kick off your shoes and look down at your mismatched socks, you know that it’s just how things have to be. As hard as it gets, you have to continue to roll with the punches. Life is the suckiest thing sometimes, but all you can really do is learn to grow up and move on with it.
Ensuring now that the door was locked, you tugged on the handle just in case. Afterwards, you sat down on the couch and began to mindlessly scroll through your phone. Through different apps, through texts from your friends, you chose to lay down. It wasn’t rare to find yourself napping on the couch. You’ve done it many times before, and today seemed not to be any different. You slowly leaned to the side, body slumping against the arm of the couch. Phone in hand, your body finally had the chance to relax; and it took the opportunity.
You wake with a start, eyes wide and looking around quickly. You hear nothing for a few moments before the sound of your alarm fills the room. A sigh passes through you as you shut it off. It had been your 5;30 work alarm from yesterday that was never turned off. “Shit,” you grumble while beginning to sit up. Your eyes look around the room. Almost immediately, you take note of the fact you had fallen asleep with your work clothes still on. A chuckle shakes your shoulders. Wow, I was exhausted, you think with a smile as you stand.
Slinking off to your room, your body feels as though it doesn't want to be moved. Though, as you begin to undress, you feel yourself slowly starting to wake up. A part of you wanted to stay in this morning. Normally, there wouldn’t be any reason to leave. However, waking up at 5:30 was unlikely to happen on any other Saturday. So, taking initiative of the early hours of the day, you slid on comfortable walking clothes and made your way towards the door. You knew of a coffee shop where you could get a drink to start off the morning.
“Alright,” you said to yourself, while sliding on your shoes with a small smile. As you opened the door, you turned to face the apartment one last time before making an exit.