Work Text:
Denki knows he’s an unbearable morning person, he’s been reminded of it his entire life. But there’s just something about the opening shift at Bakugou’s cafe that makes him even more boisterous.
Mina sighs as she flips the sign. She looks exhausted as she slips behind the counter and leans on Denki’s shoulder. Kirishima usually takes this shift with him, but he’s at a conference for the week.
“How do you do this every day?” she asks. Denki smiles, shrugging.
“Just a morning person, I guess,” he says. Mina shakes her head, standing up straight when the bell above the door jingles. She walks toward the register, but casts a disbelieving look over her shoulder.
“ I’m a morning person. You’re a monster.”
Denki can’t hold in the full-bellied laugh as he steps into the back to pull the pastries from the oven. He delicately places croissants when the door jingles again. With a sunny grin he calls out without looking up.
“Welcome to King Explosion Koffee! We’ll be with you in just a moment.”
The person just hums. Not a morning person, then. Denki glances up and immediately freezes. It’s like everything happens in slow motion. He’s still holding the tray of croissants, Mina is handing a drink to a customer and nodding to the man who just walked in. He’s gorgeous and exactly Denki’s type and he’s about to miss his chance .
As if on instinct, Denki reaches out to tug Mina back toward him and drags her back into the kitchen. He sets the tray down and grips her shoulders.
“What was that ?” she asks and Denki shakes her shoulders.
“Did you not see him, Mina? I need this,” he says. Mina frowns.
“The guy?” she asks, leaning out of the kitchen to look at tall, dark, and tired with a pout. “ That’s your type, Kami? Really ?”
“Just let me have this,” he says. Mina rolls her eyes, grabbing the tray of croissants and bumps their hips together as she steps out to finish setting them out behind the counter.
“It’s way too early for bi-panic, Kami. He’s all yours,” she says. Denki runs a hand through his hair, regrets it, tries to fix the mess he’s made, and then jolts toward the counter when he realizes that the guy is still waiting.
You’d think that being pretty popular would make him immune to the effects of drop-dead gorgeous people, but you would be wrong. Denki stumbles up to the counter, a sunny grin on his face as he leans in. He just has to flirt. He’s good at flirting.
He can do this.
“What can I getcha?” he asks. The guy’s eyes give him a quick once over before he sighs and closes his eyes.
“What’s the strongest drink you have?” he asks. Denki tilts his head.
“Probably the Ground Zero,” he says thoughtfully. The man nods.
“Great. I’ll have that in the biggest cup you have with an extra three shots.”
Denki pauses, brows furrowing, hands pausing over the register.
“Uh--are you okay?” he asks. The man blinks slowly.
“Depends on your definition,” he says. Denki pouts, typing in the order anyway.
“That’s not a very good answer,” he says. The man cracks a little grin at that and Denki feels a warm sense of accomplishment he wasn’t expecting. He grins back. “Not a morning person, then?”
The guy leans in and Denki’s breath catches. He smells good, too, which is definitely a crime against Denki’s sanity.
“Does it still count as morning if I’ve been up all night?”
Denki blinks and his eyes dart between Ground Zero Guy’s eyes and lips a few times. He might bite his lip, too, but it’s all a blur. He can’t be sure. If the smirk the guy shoots him is any indication, though, he definitely did and damn if that isn’t the most embarrassing thing he’s done in a while.
“Uh--well--I mean…” he trails off before the words really hit him and he stares into those violet eyes in shock. “Hold on, you’ve been up all night and now you’re getting coffee ?”
He shrugs.
“Pretty typical Tuesday for me, actually.”
“Dude, I’m, like, super concerned about your health.”
The guy leaned in and Denki was about fifty percent sure it was because he was interested in him, but he couldn’t be sure. Not yet, anyway.
“I guess I’ll just have to keep coming by,” he says and Denki holds his breath. This dude is completely unfair. “Just so you can check up on me.”
Denki’s mouth is suddenly dry, his voice but a distant memory. He remembers the days when he could talk fondly. The days when he didn’t just stare at gorgeous people with violet eyes and lavender hair like a gaping fish.
Those were good days, he thinks.
“Yeah. I guess you will,” he breathes. The guy smirks as he leans away, waiting for something. Denki baltedly realizes he’s waiting to pay and get his drink. He fumbles with the register, taking the card he hands over and working on auto-pilot. “Can I get a name? For the cup?”
“Shinsou.”
Denki nods, writing it on the cup and shuffling to the machines. Mina is failing to hold in her giggles and Denki glares at her.
“If you don’t write your number on there I’m disowning you,” she whispers. “He’s totally into you.”
Denki frowns, looking between the cup and Shinsou. He’s typing something on his phone, completely casual nonchalance. It’s unfair. He bites his lip, looking back to Mina.
“What if he’s just like that?”
Mina squeezed his shoulder comfortingly.
“Kami, he keeps looking at you. And when you turned around he definitely looked at your ass.”
“He did?”
“Yes!” she said, shaking him and looking pointedly at the cup. “Now write your number on there!”
Denki nods, scribbling his number on the cup frantically before making the coffee. He puts the extra shots in, but he still grimaces as he thinks about how much caffeine Shinsou is about to consume.
He takes a steadying breath before turning to Shinsou and holding the cup out over the counter. Shinsou takes it and their fingers brush and Denki nearly drops the cup all over Shinsou’s shirt. Scrubs ?
Denki hadn’t even noticed that. He’s wearing scrubs. Denki’s stomach flutters and he doesn’t want to think about why.
Denki throws on his best smile when Shinsou looks up at him again. If he just keeps smiling he can make it through his conversation.
“Have a good day,” he says. “Come again soon!”
Shinsou smirks, humming with a little nod. He walks out the door and Denki can finally take a breath, his heart racing in his chest. He might not survive another conversation with Shinsou.
But he doesn’t know that he minds, either.
__
“I’m an idiot,” Hitoshi says into his phone, pacing around his apartment. His coffee sits on his table, still half-full. Midoriya laughs on the other side of the call because he's a terrible friend.
“You’re not an idiot.”
“A complete fool,” Hitoshi continues. Midoriya’s still laughing and Hitoshi can’t believe the one friend that managed to break into his life is. so unsympathetic.
“It’s not that bad!” He insists, blind to the absolute world-shattering stupidity exhibited by Shinsou less than an hour ago. “It sounds like he was interested in you!”
“Listen, I really don’t need for you to lie to make me feel better, Midoriya,” he says, running a hand through his messy hair. “I can’t just get a crush on every hot barista that smiles at me. I need for you to help me move to a different country.”
“Okay, just a couple problems with the plan, though.”
“Please, I’m all ears.”
“You’re already three years into your dream residency program.”
Hitoshi shrugs, taking another sip of coffee.
“I think my dad would actually think it’s more impressive if I do one at a different hospital. Start from the ground up.”
“You don’t have a crush on every barista who’s ever smiled at you. You have a crush on just one particular barista.”
“I’ve met him once , Midoriya.”
“Attraction at first sight is totally a thing.”
“I don’t even know his name !”
Midoriya pauses his teasing laughter at that. Hitoshi sighs.
“You don’t know his name? You didn’t ask for his name?”
“I was panicking and he wasn’t wearing a nametag, okay? I can never go back there.”
“Well, I mean…” Midoriya trails off and Shinsou waits, even though he knows that he’ll hate what he says. He can just sense it. “You kinda have to go back now, right?”
“Midoriya, I’m hanging up on you.”
“Wait!” he says with a laugh. “I’m just saying! You told him you’d go back, right? What’s he gonna think if you never show up again?”
“That he’s free of the creep that kept staring at him, maybe?”
“I’m sure he didn’t think you were a creep.”
“I look like a zombie on a good day and I just got off an overnight in the ER. There’s nothing attractive about that sentence, Midoriya.”
“You’re a good-looking guy, Shinsou! Don’t sell yourself short!”
“Be serious, here.”
“I am!” he insists. “We really need to work on your self confidence.”
“I’m confident.”
“In surgery, sure. But personally?” he pauses, like he’s waiting for something. “Tell me one thing you like about yourself that isn’t related to being a surgeon.”
“Uh…”
Midoriya sighs like he has the weight of the entire world on his shoulders and Hitoshi is, personally, a little offended.
“Exactly!” he says. “Do you even know how many people are into you? Like, the entire pediatric unit just to start.”
“They’re just being nice.”
“Shinsou, I’m saying this in the nicest way possible, but you’re the most oblivious hot person I’ve ever met,” he says. “The things I’ve heard people say about you around the nurse’s station? Just trust me. They’re basically all into you. Like. Into you , into you.”
Hitoshi lifts his cup again to take a sip while he thinks about this new information. He’s sure Midoriya is exaggerating, but he just isn’t sure how much just yet. That’s when he sees it. It’s a phone number. And what he thinks might be a picture of Pikachu.
Call me! <3
xxx-xxx-xxxx
He stares, processing. Midoriya is still talking, but he stops when Hitoshi whispers in awe.
“Seriously?”
“What? I’m not saying that it wasn’t nice of her to say that about you, it’s just, like, a little creepy coming from--”
“What? No, I wasn’t listening to you.”
“Okay, well, that’s rude.”
“No, I mean--!” he cuts himself off with another sigh, trying to calm his racing heart. It’s too early for this, or maybe it’s too late for this. Either way, he doesn’t have the mental capacity to deal with this right now. “I think...I think the barista wrote his number on my cup.”
“Really?” Midoriya gasps and Hitoshi rolls his eyes. “You’re gonna call him, right? Please tell me you’re gonna call him. I’ll go to your apartment and bother you until you do. Don’t think I won’t. I’ve got five hours before my shift.”
“What, uh, what if he didn’t mean to give it to me?”
“Who else could he have possibly meant to give it to?”
“I don’t know!” Hitoshi snaps indignantly. He looks at the number again and sighs. “Fine. I’ll...text him.”
“Acceptable.”
“Now I remember why I didn’t want to make friends.”
Midoriya laughs and Hitoshi really wishes he could hate him for it.
__
07:27 New Text to: Pikachu?
<Hey. It’s Shinsou. From the coffee shop. You gave me your number?>
10:13 New Text from: Pikachu?
<HOLY SHIT U TEXTED ME>
10:20 New Text to: Pikachu?
<Was I not supposed to? The cup said to call, I guess. Sorry about that. I can call instead.>
10:21 New Text from: Pikachu?
<NO!!! TEXTING IS FINE!!!!!>
10:21 New Text from: Pikachu?
<i didn’t mean like. that u couldnt text omg>
10:21 New Text from: Pikachu?
<i just didn’t think i had an actual shot with u at all>
10:21 New Text from: Pikachu?
<bc ur super hot and im me so like. u kno how it is.>
10:25 New Text to: Pikachu?
<I don’t think I do, actually.>
10:26 New Text from: Pikachu?
<ur not one of those hot ppl that dont kno theyre hot are u?>
10:28 New Text to: Pikachu?
<Is that a common sort of hot person?>
10:28 New Text from: Pikachu?
<oh thank god! so you do kno>
10:31 New Text to: Pikachu?
<I don’t remember saying that.>
10:33 New Text from: Pikachu?
<ur sending a lot of mixed signals here dude>
10:33 New Text from: Pikachu?
<shit wait are u ok being called dude??>
10:34 New Text to: Pikachu?
<I have no strong feelings either way on being called dude.>
10:36 New Text from: Pikachu?
<well thats a relief>
10:36 New Text from: Pikachu?
<so u were wearing scrubs when you came in right?>
10:38 New Text to: Pikachu?
<Impressive observation skills.>
10:38New Text from: Pikachu?
<ok a lot more attitude than necessary>
10:38 New Text from: Pikachu?
<r u a doctor?? u seem pretty young is all>
10:41 New Text to: Pikachu?
<Sorry. I’m a surgical resident.>
10:42 New Text from: Pikachu?
<ur cute so ill give you a pass this once>
10:42 New Text from: Pikachu?
<residency tho thats so cool!!>
10:42 New Text from: Pikachu?
<what hospital???>
10:43 New Text to: Pikachu?
<Hosu General.>
10:43 New Text to: Pikachu?
<Are you in school?>
10:47 New Text from: Pikachu?
<yeah! im doing my phd rn in ee>
10:47 New Text from: Pikachu?
<im workin as a research assistant too while im doing my dissertation>
10:47 New Text from: Pikachu?
<kacchan lets me pick up some shifts at the cafe to make some extra $$$>
10:49 New Text to: Pikachu?
<EE? Kacchan?>
10:50 New Text from: Pikachu?
<electrical engineering!!>
10:50 New Text from: Pikachu?
<yeah kacchan hes the owner>
10:51 New Text from: Pikachu?
<also i just wanna make sure b4 i get attached or w/e but like are u into me or are u just tryin to be friends?? im ok either way just wanna prep my heart u kno?>
10:53 New Text to: Pikachu?
<Definitely into you.>
10:53 New Text from: Pikachu?
<SERIOUSLY???>
10:53 New Text to: Pikachu?
<Suddenly I feel like that was the wrong answer. Should I not be into you?>
10:55 New Text from: Pikachu?
<i mean wow thats the real question huh>
10:59 New Text to: Pikachu?
<Are you always this confusing or am I just special?>
11:00 New Text from: Pikachu?
<i mean ur def special dude>
11:00 New Text from: Pikachu?
<i just really didnt expect that to b ur answer>
11:00 New Text from: Pikachu?
<like. i just wanna repeat how hot u are and how me i am>
11:01 New Text to: Pikachu?
<What is ‘how you you are’ supposed to mean?>
11:01 New Text to: Pikachu?
<How does being beautiful conflict with my alleged hotness?>
11:03 New Text from: Pikachu?
<WTF DO U MEAN ALLEGED>
11:03 New Text from: Pikachu?
<ALSO HOW CAN U JUST CALL SOME1 BEAUTIFUL WITH A STRAIGHT FACE WTF>
11:03 New Text from: Pikachu?
<i g2g im just gonna spontaneously combust ig>
11:05 New Text to: Pikachu?
<I don’t do anything with a straight face. I thought you understood that when you gave me your number.>
11:05 New Text from: Pikachu?
<FIRST OFF UR NOT ALLOWED TO BE HOT AND FUNNY THAT’S ILLEGAL>
11:05 New Text from: Pikachu?
<SECOND OFF I WAS JUST SHOOTING MY SHOT>
11:09 New Text to: Pikachu?
<Shooting your shot?>
11:10 New Text from: Pikachu?
<like i just gave u my number spur of the moment. in the hopes that u were interested. i wasn’t SURE or anything>
11:11 New Text to: Pikachu?
<Maybe I should start cuffing my scrubs if it’s not obvious enough.>
11:11 New Text from: Pikachu?
<ur killing me here dude ur not allowed to be hot and funny pick one>
11:14 New Text to: Pikachu?
<I don’t make enough money to change my face surgically yet, so I guess I’ll just have to stop being funny.>
11:15 New Text from: Pikachu?
<if ur not careful im gonna fall for u dude>
11:17 New Text to: Pikachu?
<Ever consider that that’s been my intention the whole time?>
11:17 New Text from: Pikachu?
<ok im gonna need a friend reference so i can get a detailed list of ur flaws>
11:17 New Text from: Pikachu?
<there has to be smth wrong with u like theres no way ur hot nice and funny>
11:20 New Text to: Pikachu?
<Do you want a list?>
11:20 New Text from: Pikachu?
<that would be much appreciated actually>
11:26 New Text to: Pikachu?
<I haven’t slept a full night through in years>
11:26 New Text to: Pikachu?
<I’ve been told I’m oblivious>
11:26 New Text to: Pikachu?
<I’ve also been told that the only committed relationship I’ve ever been in is with my job so>
11:27 New Text to: Pikachu?
<I can go on, if you’d like.>
11:29 New Text from: Pikachu?
<that last one was just mean! who told u that?>
11:30 New Text to: Pikachu?
<My little sister.>
11:30 New Text from: Pikachu?
<ok ig i get it in that case lol>
11:30 New Text from: Pikachu?
<shit i gotta go to the lab but ill text you later!! <3>
11:33 New Text to: Pikachu?
<Yeah, sounds good.>
__
“What the hell are you doing?” Bakugou shouts across the lab and Denki jumps, his phone nearly falling onto the desk where a hot soldering iron was perched on a stand.
“Uh! Nothing,” Denki says over his shoulder, laughing awkwardly. Bakugou glares at him, standing from where he's running calculations and stomps over.
"Who are you talking to? You've been distracted all week and it's pissing me off."
Denki holds his phone close to his chest, smiling awkwardly as he looks away. His cheeks flush as his phone buzzes again.
"Just...no one. I'll stay off my phone in the lab, promise."
Bakugou slams his hand down by Denki's arm and leans in with a glare.
"That's not what I asked, Pikachu."
Denki flushes again, avoiding meeting Bakugou's intense gaze.
"He came into the cafe last week and I gave him my number."
"You're just handing your number out to random strangers? Do you wanna die or something?"
"He's a doctor!" Denki says, frowning. "Well, technically he's a surgical resident. But still!"
"Doctors can be creeps, too, dumbass."
"He's not a creep, Kacchan! He's really nice." Denki scrolls through his phone frantically to find the one picture Shinsou had sent of himself. "Look, he's hot, too."
Bakugou rolls his eyes as he takes the phone. He scans the picture before he scowls.
"Oh, it's him."
"You know him?" Denki shouts, snatching his phone from Bakugou's hand and looking over the picture again with new interest.
"He's the nerd's friend."
"Midoriya?" Denki asked, tilting his head. "I forgot that he's doing his residency, too. What do you know about Shinsou?"
Bakugou just rolls his eyes, shifting to sit on the desk beside Denki.
"He doesn't say much. But he's not the most annoying person Deku hangs around, I guess."
"That almost sounds like approval, Kacchan," Denki teases. Bakugou growls, stomping back toward his desk.
"Whatever, just get back to work!"
Denki laughs, pocketing his phone and shaking his head as he turns back to his work and slips his phone in his pocket.
__
"You still don't know his name? You've been talking to each other for weeks," Midoriya says as he puts his bag in his locker.
He has the gall to look disappointed and Hitoshi huffs, shutting his own locker with more force than is probably necessary.
"I thought he would tell me and then he never did," he says, valiantly fighting off a blush. "At this point I'm kind of too afraid to ask."
Midoriya laughs at him and he glares back, grinding his teeth.
"What have you been calling him this whole time?"
"Pikachu, mostly."
" Pikachu ? Why?"
Hitoshi's fight with his blush is instantly lost as he shuts his eyes and sighs.
"When he wrote his number on my cup he drew a picture of Pikachu next to it," he mutters. "At least, I think it was Pikachu."
"That's actually kinda sweet," Midoriya says, sliding his coat over his shoulders."Maybe you should give him another nickname, though."
"I'm really not looking to take relationship advice from a guy who didn't realize he was dating his fiance for three months."
Midoriya sputters, flailing about and flushing bright red. Hitoshi smirks, reveling in at least making Midoriya suffer with him.
"Shocchan is...hard to read."
Hitoshi scoffs, shaking his head as he pulls on his own white coat.
"He kissed you."
"I thought it was an accident!"
"How do you kiss someone by accident?"
Midoriya covers his face with his hands, shaking his head and muttering something unintelligible. Hitoshi laughs and moves to walk out into the hallway. Midoriya trails after him with a little smirk that is completely undeserved.
"So, are you going there after your shift?" he asks. Hitoshi shoves his hands in his pockets, shaking his head.
"Let's see if I survive it before making any extra plans."
Midoriya laughs.
__
Denki unsubtly checks the time again and Sero laughs, leaning on the counter beside him. Denki frowns, looking away. There are no new messages and it's long past the time that Hitoshi usually shows up.
He doesn't come in every day, but he usually does on Tuesdays. Denki tries not to be too sad, because that's ridiculous. They've been talking for a few months, but finding times to go on dates has been difficult.
Sero grins at him.
"You're hopeless, dude," he says. Denki groans, dropping his face to the counter to hide his embarrassed flush.
"I know ," he says. "I'm just so used to seeing him on Tuesdays."
"He's probably just busy," Sero says, waving a flippant hand. "He's a doctor, he's probably got lots of doctor duties."
"He's a surgical resident."
"That really doesn't change the essence of what I just said. You're just moping."
Denki sighs, pouting and lifting himself up to rest his elbows on the counter. He can’t help but look at the door again, but holds back the little sigh that builds up in his chest, because he’s not that desperate yet.
"Can you blame me? He's so far out of my league, dude."
Sero rolls his eyes with a chuckle.
"He's not out of your league."
"But he is, Sero! He's so cool and collected and suave and I'm so... me ."
"You flirt with literally everyone you talk to. Sometimes without noticing. People like confidence!"
Denki sighs.
"Yeah, I guess."
Sero pats his back as he steps into the kitchen to pull the pastries from the oven. Denki checks his phone again because he is, at least, that desperate. Nothing.
The bell above the door rings and Denki sighs. “Welcome to King Explosion Koffee, what can I get started for you?”
Denki steps over to the register without looking up. He’s moping, but that’s nobody’s business but his own.
“The usual,” a very familiar deep voice says, and there’s a little smirk in his tone. Denki looks up, cheeks flushed. “I didn’t think I needed to order anymore.”
Denki stares at him in awe for another moment before he shakes his head and smirks back, leaning over the register a little.
“Maybe I just wanted to hear your voice again.”
Shinsou smiles, looking away for a moment before meeting Denki’s eyes again, his violet gaze so intense it sends a shiver down Denki’s spine.
“You don’t need to go out of your way to hear my voice,” he says. “Just tell me what you want to hear.”
Denki leans in a little closer, wiggling his eyebrows suggestively. Shinsou doesn’t react, but that doesn’t deter him.
“Maybe I want to get in your way, though.”
Shinsou steps closer and Denki realizes just how much taller Shinsou is compared to him and he feels his heart slam against his chest.
“You’re already there. What’s next?”
“Probably something indecent,” Denki whispers and Shinsou smirks at him.
“Is that so?” he asks. Denki freezes as Shinsou leans in, their noses nearly brushing. He lets his eyes close, waiting. There’s a gentle pressure on his cheek and he opens his eyes to see Shinsou pull away with a little smile. “I don’t put out that easily, but maybe you can persuade me.”
Denki reaches up, running trembling fingers over his cheek.
“Yeah. Maybe.”
Shinsou laughs as he hands his card over. Denki pushes his card back with a shake of his head. “It’s on me today.”
“Don’t you work here to make extra money?” Shinsou asks, still holding his card out. “I can pay. I appreciate it, though.”
Denki shakes his head, turning around and making Shinsou’s usual drink with a smile.
“Nope! I’ve gotta treat you, sometimes. Perks of being into a barista, right?”
Shinsou puts his card away, but he keeps his eyes on the ground. Denki thinks he might be smiling and he might look a little embarrassed, but he’s so hard to read, he can’t be sure. But the potential makes him a little giddy.
Sero walks out to place pastries behind the counter and winks at Denki as he does. Denki smiles back as he moves to the counter and hands Shinsou his coffee. Shinsou smiles, taking a sip with a little sigh. His shoulders relax and Denki’s stomach flips.
“Thanks, kitten,” he says in that soft, gravelly tone of his. Denki’s entire body goes still. He thinks he might stop breathing, too. Did he hear that right? Did Shinsou just give him a nickname? Did his sort-of maybe potential-boyfriend just give him a cute pet name?
His chest feels warm and his cheeks are violently red, but he doesn’t even care. “Um. I’ll text you.”
Denki nods robotically as Shinsou leaves the cafe in a rush. He must have somewhere to be, but Denki doesn’t even mind. He just smiles, feeling lighter than air. Sero laughs as he leans on the counter next to him.
“What was that?” he asks. Denki can’t pull his eyes away from the door, a dopey grin on his face.
“He called me ‘kitten.’”
__
“I called him kitten !” Hitoshi says, yells really, into the phone. Midoriya sighs on the other line and Hitoshi does not appreciate the blase attitude. This is a crisis . “I have to move. Tell my dads I love them,” he says.
“It’s not that bad.”
“It is that bad! Make sure to say something funny at my funeral, okay?”
“The first time I told Shouto that I love him, he thanked me and didn’t talk to me for a full week because he was embarrassed. Relationships are full of embarrassing moments. It happens!”
“We’re not in a relationship, Midoriya!” Hitoshi says, tone thin and too-high. “At least I-I don’t think we are. He hasn’t said anything. I haven’t said anything.”
“Just ask him,” Midoriya says, like a fool. “He seems really laid back. I’m sure he wouldn’t think it was weird.”
“But if we have been dating and I’m just as oblivious as you he’ll know !”
“And what’s the problem with that? Also, that was rude.”
“He thinks I’m cool and aloof. He’ll know I’m just tired and can’t string together a coherent sentence that isn’t about medicine to save my life.”
“If you end up dating, he’s gonna figure that out anyway, you know.”
Hitoshi sighs, letting his shoulders sag and pinches the bridge of his nose. Midoriya waits for him to speak, but when he doesn’t he laughs. “Just because you don’t want to hear it doesn't mean I’ll pull any punches.”
“I hate you and regret being your friend.”
“Aww! You just admitted that we’re friends! I have to go tell Shocchan! Good luck with Pikachu!” Midoriya chimes and Hitoshi sighs. He lets his phone fall to his side and sinks into his couch. He’s a mess.
But if he wants to be a mess with a boyfriend, he has to face the fear of rejection.
__
Denki yawns as his shift nears its end, stretching his arms above his head. He has to work in the lab tonight with Bakugou, and with the progress they’ve been making it’ll probably be another late night.
Maybe he can catch a nap before he has to be there.
Mina hip-checks him with a smile.
“Grab the register for a few minutes while I do inventory real quick.”
“Sure,” he agrees easily, walking toward the register and leaning on the counter. It’s been a slow day, but he and Mina were able to get everything deep-cleaned in the back, so it was a nice break.
It’s just a few minutes to the end of his shift when the door chimes. He smiles wide as he looks up, ready to say his usual greeting when all the air in his lungs stops. Shinsou stands in the door looking a little out of breath.
He’s wearing scrubs again and Denki can’t help but give him a quick once over. It really is unfair how good he looks all the time. “Hey,” he greets. “The usual?”
Shinsou looks around awkwardly, gripping the strap on his messenger bag. Denki frowns. He’s never seen Shinsou look nervous before. It’s kind of cute, actually.
“I’ll...just have whatever your favorite drink is,” he says, not making eye contact. Denki laughs, shaking his head.
“If you like the Ground Zero you aren’t gonna like my favorite. Lots of whipped cream and sweeteners. It’s more like a desert than coffee, really.”
Shinsou looks away again, shrugging one shoulder.
“That’s okay. I’ll try it anyway.”
Denki thinks he might need to have a conversation with Shinsou about adding adorable-when-nervous to his long list of positive traits. It is, as before, completely unfair. He shrugs, reaching out to tap Shinsou’s nose. He watches it wrinkle and grins as he turns around to make his drink without letting him pay again.
“Alrighty! One Chargebolt coming up!”
Shinsou laughs with a little eye roll at the name, but it sends butterflies through Denki’s stomach. He needs to focus. He has a plan. He knows what he needs to do, but he can’t be freaked out.
He takes a calming breath as Mina steps back to the front. He draws a heart on the side of the cup and goes to the counter. “Here ya go, babe!” he says, all bright charm as he holds out the cup.
Shinsou reaches for it before Denki’s words register and he freezes. Denki watches in awe as a bright blush moves up Shinsou’s face until even his ears are pink. Denki grins.
“W-what did you call me?” he asks. And he sounds embarrassed .
“Are you blushing?” Denki asks, ignoring the question. Shinsou looks at the ground with a little scowl.
“I asked you first.”
Denki grins, leaning down to place his elbows on the counter, twirling the drink in his hands and leaning in until their noses nearly brush.
“I called you babe,” he purrs. “I figured if you got to call me kitten, I should return the favor.”
“So you didn’t mind...that I called you that?”
Denki shrugs, shaking his head.
“I thought it was cute.”
Shinsou sighs, shoulders drooping. Denki smiles softly. He reaches out to put a finger under Shinsou’s chin to pull him in. Shinsou’s eyes widen as he steps closer until his toes hit the counter. Denki sets his drink down and leans over to counter to pull him into a kiss. “Do you mind being called babe?” he asks as he pulls away. Shinsou’s eyes flutter open and he shakes his head.
“No, I like it,” he says. “Uh--but...are we dating?”
Denki smirks, bumping their noses together.
“Well, I’d like to think you don’t just go around calling just any cute barista kitten.”
“Definitely not.”
“Then I think you’ve got your answer, huh?”
“Guess so,” Shinsou whispers as he pulls Denki in for another soft kiss. Denki hums until he feels a shove on his back.
“Go make out with your boyfriend someplace else,” Mina teases and Denki’s eyes widen as he looks back at her then flicks his gaze to Shinsou.
“Oh shit, I have a boyfriend !” he says, stepping back to leap over the counter, much to Mina’s displeasure. He snatches the drink off the counter and grabs Shinsou’s hand, pulling him out of the cafe. They round the corner until they arrive at the little alcove behind the shop. Shinsou’s back hits the wall as Denki leans in to kiss him again.
Shinsou kisses him back with a little hum for a moment before he pushes Denki’s shoulders back.
“Not that I’m not enjoying this, but, uh, could I ask you something?”
“Go for it, babe. I’m an open book!”
“Uh, I’m glad you like being called kitten, but could you tell me your actual name, too?”
Denki reels back, eyes wide.
“You don’t know my name?” he asks. Shinsou looks away, pouting a little and it’s ridiculously adorable.
“You never said. And you don’t wear a nametag.”
Denki looks down, realizing that he’s, once again, forgotten to ask Bakugou for a replacement. He feels the laughter bubbling up in his chest, pushing the drink into Shinsou’s hand so he can grip his stomach, peals of laughter falling from his lips. “I really didn’t think it was that funny,” Shinsou says. Denki shakes his head, standing up to press a reassuring kiss to his lips, still laughing a little.
“I’m not laughing at you. This is just something that would totally happen to me. It’s Kaminari Denki. But you can call me Denki,” he says. “Or kitten, if you prefer.”
Shinsou smiles.
“It suits you,” he says. “You can call me Hitoshi, then. Or, uh, babe. I guess.”
“Don’t mind if I do, Hitoshi,” Denki says. Hitoshi smiles, shaking his head as he pulls the drink up to sip. He immediately wrinkles his nose, shaking his head.
“Are you sure there’s any coffee in this at all?” he asks. Denki grins, reaching his hand up to run his fingers through Hitoshi’s hair.
“I told you so.”
“I really just thought you were overexaggerating.”
“Me?” Denki asks, scandalized. “ Never. ”
Hitoshi kisses him again, and this time it’s too sweet and a little warmer, but he doesn’t mind.