Chapter Text
The lighting lit up the sky, followed closely by the loud cracking of thunder before once again leaving space to the soft pitter-pattering of rain.
Eijiro sighed; he didn’t like working the closing shift. It was slow and boring, with nearly no consumers and nothing interesting ever happening.
He put down the book he had been reading, running a hand through his hair: his ponytail was getting loose, letting soft strands of bright red hair frame his face delicately but he didn’t care to move them. Riot, one of the many cats laying around the Cafe, came up to him, head-butting his cheek gently, making him smile and gently pet his red fur. He let him run under his hand a couple of times, the way the animal’s body vibrated under his fingers comforting and relaxing just like the rumble coming from him.
Another thunder made him jump, drawing his eyes up to the clock hanging on the wall behind him. It was already time to close up and with the way the rain was coming down they barely had any clients.
Eijiro whined to himself as he thought about his forgotten umbrella, sitting idly right beside his apartment’s door; he could almost already hear his housemate’s teasing him about how drenched he will be once he managed to get back home.
He sighed as he went to turn the sign on the door from ‘open’ to ‘closed’, trying his best to not get drenched by the pouring rain outside and cursing a bit when a raindrop managed to go down the back of his work shirt, making him shiver and quickly go back into the warmth of the shop. He locked the door behind him, still grumbling under his breath as he tried his best to glare the storm away. Maybe if he stared hard enough it would have worked. Isn’t that how most superheroes found out about their powers?
A hiss behind him caught his attention, putting an end to his train of thoughts and making him smile slightly as he turned around.
A white fluffy cat was sitting on the table behind him, glaring daggers at him, one of her paws already up and ready to strike.
Eijiro chuckled a little, shaking his head, before reaching out and picking up the animal, “You really need to stop hissing whenever you want attention Blasty. People are going to think you’re aggressive!” He said, scratching behind the cat’s ears and giving her a soft kiss when she answered with another hiss, leaning into the touch.
He would lie if he said she wasn’t one of his favorite cats in the whole Cafe; he would have already taken her home if it wasn’t for the fact that Mina was allergic.
After a few minutes of snuggling, Blasty decided she had enough, jumping out of the red-head’s arms and scurrying to the cat tree in the corner of the store. He smiled watching as she climbed up and settled besides a sleeping Riot, her head going to lay comfortably on his stomach, before turning around and grabbing the rag and the disinfectant from behind the counter.
Throwing the worn piece of fabric over his shoulder he went over to the shop’s speaker, connecting his phone and putting on some music to listen to while he cleaned.
The soft notes of the guitar filled the air around him, mixing with the rhythmic even if hectic pitter-pattering of the rain; he quietly sang along to it, a small smile on his lips.
By the time he was almost done with all the tables it had been nearly an hour; he sighed moving once again one of the cats that had gotten between his legs asking for cuddles.
Maybe his coworkers were right, he did get way too distracted with things while doing chores, especially if those things were cats. But there was nothing he could have done against those big pleading eyes and purring balls of fur, what was he supposed to do, ignore them? He wasn’t a monster.
A lightning brighter than the others split the sky in two outside, interrupting his train of thoughts and catching his attention as the thunder immediately after completely covered the music still playing in the store. Eijirou frowned; for a second it looked like someone was sitting on the bench right outside of the shop, but between the reflection of the glass and the dark outside he was not able to tell if it was real or if it was just his tired brain playing tricks on him.
He threw the rag back on his shoulder, walking closer to the window and narrowing his eyes, trying to see outside; putting the disinfectant on one of the tables near the door, he cupped his hands and leaned against the glass. His eyes scanned the street outside, doing his best to see over the curtain of water coming down from the sky as his breath fogged the window slightly.
Then his eyes widened. There was actually someone sitting on the bench outside. He was hunched over in himself, the worn out black sweater not doing much to shelter him from the cold and rain, and he was shivering violently. From under the hoodie Eijirou was able to catch a glimpse of his face: he looked to be around his age, maybe younger; his nose was red and his lips were almost blue from the cold, his blond hair were plastered against his forehead, and his skin was way too fair to be healthy.
Eijirou didn’t even notice he had moved to quickly open the door and stick his head out, until their eyes met and he stopped breathing; red met crimson and he could feel his jaw going slack for a second: the guy was stunning.
“Uh… uhm, a-are, are, are you okay?” He asked, mentally facepalming. Not only did he stutter like a fucking idiot as if he wasn’t the one who opened the door, but it was even a stupid question. The guy was trembling like a leaf under the pouring rain wearing nothing but a sweater in November. Of course he wasn’t okay.
To his shock though, the guy surprised stare quickly turned into a glare as he clicked his tongue and turned away without even answering his question.
A drop fell into the neck of Eijirou’s shirt, making him jump and shiver slightly.
“Man, it’s freezing out here!” He tried again, going for a small smile when the guy once again turned around, “Do you want to come in?”
He knew he shouldn’t be inviting random people in the store after closing, especially when he was alone; he could almost hear Aizawa’s voice reprimanding him sternly in his typical gruff, tired tone, but the owner wasn’t here right now, and Eijirou couldn’t leave someone out in the rain alone when they clearly needed help. How pretty the guy looked had absolutely nothing to do with his decision. Nope.
“The shop is closed.” The guy answered, leaving Eijirou baffled for a couple of second. His voice came out gruff and shaking, his words interrupted by his teeth chattering, yet his eyebrow arched and his eyes almost held a challenging spark in them, as if daring him to say he was wrong.
“It is.” He confirmed smiling, his eyes crinkling slightly, “but for you I’ll do an exception.”
The blond’s stare turned suspicious as he let his eyes travel up and down the barista’s body, making his smile falter and his cheeks dust pink.
He narrowed his eyes, “why?”
“Uhm…” Eijirou looked away, hesitating for a second, “because it’s freezing and you’re drenched and I have a change of clothes in the back and could make you something warm to drink?”
The guy didn’t answer as he just studied Eijirou with mistrustful eyes, making him fidget slightly.
“No.” He dead panned finally, making the red-head’s eyes widen in surprise. He held his stare challengingly, crimson boring into red with a fire Eijirou hoped warmed up the guy at least a little bit.
A few second went by before Eijirou looked away, “Uhm, okay then.” He said, scratching the back of his neck and switching his weight from one foot to the other. “The offer still stands though, if you change your mind I mean.” He looked back at the guy on the bench, his body was trembling more violently as he tightened his arms around himself. “I’ll leave the door open.”
He sighed before turning around and going back inside, a shiver running down his spine as the warmth of the shop surrounded him once again. He grabbed the disinfectant he had left on one of the tables, bringing it back behind the counter with the rag; then he turned towards the different machines he had already cleaned, eyeing them for a second. Despite how much he wanted him to, he didn’t know if the guy would ever take him up on his offer but either way he wanted to be prepared.
He started up the main machine, deciding to prepare some tea before grabbing a few left over pastries and popping them in the microwave; as everything heated up he went to grab a dish, the ‘ding’ of the microwave greeting him on his way back.
He threw a look outside, seeing the guy quickly look away, opening and closing his fists in his lap as he bit his lip.
He turned back towards the bar, grabbing the mug of hot water and popping in a back of classic green tea.
Then the door of the shop dinged open.
Eijirou turned around as the sound of chattering teeth filled the room; the guy stood still a few feet from the door, hugging himself, a black backpack hanging from one of his hands and his body shaking. A small puddle was gathering at his feet. He looked around, eyeing the cats around him warily and pushing away riot when he went up to him to rub on his leg.
The red-head quickly went to pick the cat up, making the stranger take a couple of steps back.
“Sorry, he’s just very friendly and wanted to say hi” he smiled, cuddling the animal close to his chest. Riot purred, nuzzling his jaw and making his smile widen. The guy just shot him a glare before crossing his arms and looking away.
“Whatever.” He huffed, voice shaky, before arching a brow, “I was promised some clothes?”
Eijirou’s eyes widened, and he dropped the cat on a near by cat tree, his cheeks heating up a little, “Of course! Follow me.”
He started walking towards the small changing rooms in the back of the shop, shooting a quick look over his shoulder to make sure the blond was following him; he was just a few steps behind him, looking around with wary eyes and seemingly paying attention to his every move.
“Okay, here.” Eijirou announced after opening his locker, turning around with a small bundle of clothes in his arms. It was nothing special, just an old hoodie and a pair of black sweatpants, but he was sure pretty much anything would have been better than what the guy was wearing at the moment.
The barista studied the blond for a moment, making him fidget a little under his stare as he eyed the hight difference, “They might be a bit big on you, but I hope they’re still comfortable.” He added handing over the clothes.
The guy didn’t answer, just taking the bundle into his arms quickly and holding it close to his chest.
Eijirou just smiled, not minding the other’s attitude, and closed his locker before moving towards the door. “I’ll wait in the front, just come out when you’re ready.” He said cheerily, and closed the door behind him.
He took a second to take a deep breath; he was happy the blond had taken him up on his offer, the thought of what could have happened if he didn’t making him shiver slightly.
He tried to listen for the guy and heard some shuffling from the other side of the door. Satisfied, he went back to the front and grabbed one of the few wireless heated blankets they kept for both the clients and the cats, so that they could warm up when the weather started getting cold. He put it on one of the chairs near the counter, checking if it was charged and turning it on, before putting the still hot cup of tea and the warm pastries on the table in front of it.
As he grabbed the rag and went back to tidying up and cleaning, Eijirou’s mind started to wander, finding himself incredibly interested in the stranger just a room away. The guy looked way too young to be in that kind of situation and he couldn’t help but ask himself how he got there; how long had he been out there? How did he survive up until that moment?
After a couple of minutes the door to the back opened, and a blond head peaked out warily. His hair were pointing in every direction possible, still damp with rain, but his cheeks had gained back a bit of their natural color, egging away the sick paleness dominating the other’s face, and his lips were going back to normal.
“Hey! I made you some green tea and heated up some pastries, I hope that’s okay!” Eijirou smiled, turning his full attention on the guy. The red sweater seemed to engulf him completely, giving him sweater paws with which the blond was fidgeting slightly, and the sweatpants pooled slightly at his ankles. He’s adorable, was the thought that ran through the barista’s mind, bringing a blush to his cheeks.
“I don’t have any money.” The guy suddenly grumbled, bringing the read head back to reality.
Eijirou gestured dismissively with the hand holding the rag, “Ah, it’s on the house don’t worry! Dive in!”
Once again the other didn’t move immediately, just studying him with slightly narrowed eyes for a bit before tentatively walking to the table. The barista decided it would be better if he went back to cleaning, thinking that maybe not putting much attention on him would have made him feel more comfortable, but he could still feel his crimson eyes on him, catching his every move. Out of the corner of his eyes, the red head watched the blond slowly sit on the blanket covered chair and melt into its warmth. He let a smile take over his lips, cleaning the last few plates in the sink as he heard the the stranger pick up one of the pastries and look at it before giving it a curious sniff.
Cute.
“So,” Eijirou interrupted the silence between them, “What’s your name?”
The guy stopped chewing, the soft notes of The Night We Met by Lord Huron the only sounds to be heard.
“None of your fucking business.” He answered when he finished eating.
Keeping his back to him, the barista rolled his eyes, still smiling a little, amused by the guy’s attitude, “Interesting name, is it French?”
The guy raised an eyebrow, but Eijirou could swore he saw a corner of his lips curl up slightly, “Italian actually.”
The barista turned around, smiling and throwing the rag over his shoulder, leaning his back against the counter.
“I’m Eijirou Kirishima.”
“I didn’t ask.”
The red-head shrugged and the guy clicked his tongue, turning back to his tea. He didn’t think any attempt at making small talk would be appreciated, so he opted to just stay silent and finish the last bit of cleaning he had and put away all of the cleaning supplies, making sure they where locked away.
Afterwards he went near the counter and filled every cat’s food dish and water dish, fixed the litter boxes and pet the cats who demanded it, all with the blond’s deep stare locked onto him. He saw a few balls of fur trying to go up to the stranger, sniffing his plate or head butting his hand, but he did nothing but glare at them and gently push them away, making the other snicker slightly.
Eijirou tried his best to stay occupied a few more minutes, gazing to see if the guy had finished his improvised meal and was feeling better; the rain had finally calmed down to a slight drizzle, making him sigh in relief. After a bit he stopped, putting his hands on his sides.
“Okay!” He said with a smile, gaining the other’s attention, “I have to close up the shop, if you wait for me here for a second I’ll grab you my coat, -he posted to the changing room with his thumb- I get warm easily and I don’t live that far away, so I have no problem lending it to you!”
He didn’t wait for an answer, running to the back of the shop to retrieve the piece of clothing. He knew there was a possibility that he would never see anything he gave the guy ever again, but honestly he didn’t care. He opened his locker, grabbing the heavy, black coat and making sure the pockets were empty, before quickly heading back.
“Okay, so here’s my jacket, I know it’s a little old but I promise it’s-” He stopped, looking up as the bell over the door of the shop went off.
The blond was almost already one with the night, the electric blanket wrapped tightly around his shoulders disguising the bright red hoodie.
And if a few pastries were missing from the bar window, Eijirou pretended not to notice.