Chapter Text
The first thing Kiyoko noticed about New York was how new everything was. Of course, she didn’t share this with anyone; she’d never been one for redundancies anyways, or for talking much at all, so when Sugawara asked her over coffee what she thought of the city she shrugged and took a small sip of her tea.
“It’s different” she said, and he leaned back on his seat with a melancholic smile on his lips.
“It sure is” he sighs, and his smile made Kiyoko remember her childhood in Miyagi, where houses were old and simple, and the tallest building had three floors, and the people were calm and didn’t walk like they were always running late. “You know, after all these years, one would think I’ve gotten used to New York, but still. I can’t help but miss home every once in a while. Have things changed much back there?”
Kiyoko pondered for a moment, and finally shook her head. “Not really” she said, and she knew he understood. Miyagi was a town of the past, after all, and nobody had managed to make it welcome the 20th century, at least not like America had. Kiyoko didn’t think necessarily a bad thing. Change and Miyagi had never been friends, and maybe it was supposed to go on like that. That’s why when people wanted change, they left Miyagi. Just like Sugawara had. And Sawamura, and Azmumane, and now her, too.
“Are you homesick, Shimizu-san?” Sugawara asked, raising an eyebrow playfully, and she glared at him menacingly.
“I’ve only been here a day, Sugawara-san”
“That doesn’t mean you can’t be homesick already” he pointed out, but Kiyoko ignored his claims.
“I don’t have the time or the strength to be homesick at the moment, Sugawara-san. I left Miyagi for a reason. All I can do right now is keep going”
Sugawara smiled, and gulped the last of his tea down in one swallow. “I was hoping you’d say that” he cleaned the corners of his moth with his napkin and stood up, gaze not leaving Kiyoko’s. “Follow me” he grinned, and left the diner to wait for her outside. Kiyoko paid for her coffee, left a small tip for the waitress and hurried out after Sugawara without looking back.
Meeting the Karasuno division in the Strategic Scientific Reserve managed to empty Kiyoko’s mind of all thoughts of melancholy and homesickness, and if you’d ask her to define it, she’d call it an American Miyagi. Inside the innocent-looking telephone company building, and in through the secret entrance, were the offices of the agency, with men in suits going back and forth, moving all the paperwork and shouting over telephones. She thought she recognized some faces from home, but she couldn’t be really sure because as soon as people spotted her and started whispering there was a booming voice from the end of the hall, that shouted in a familiar tone,
“Shimizu-san!!”
She looked for the source of the voice and came face to face with a man with short hair and a large build approaching her with a big smile on his face.
“Sawamura-san” she muttered, bowing her head to say hi, but he ignored this gesture and shook her hand excitedly.
“It’s been so long, but you haven’t changed a bit” he said, after releasing her hand. “How was your flight? Are you okay? How are you finding the city?”
“Daichi…” Sugawara warned him, but Kiyoko interrupted him.
“I’m fine” she answered, and Sawamura nodded
“We weren’t really expecting you until tomorrow, but now that you’re here I guess we could give you the tour of the place. You can leave when after that, though. You must be really tired.”
“It’s okay, Sawamura-san” she insisted. “I’d like to start working as soon as possible.”
He looked at Sugawara for an explanation, but he just shrugged, so he nodded respectfully. “Suit yourself. Asahi will give you the tour. Asahi!” he roared, making a tall man whimper and come near them. “Show Shimizu around, will you? I’ll be in my office.” The man nodded nervously, and Sawamura turned back to Kiyoko, and bowed. “Welcome to Karasuno. We’re glad to have you” he said, and Kiyoko watched as the rest of the men also bowed at her, repeating Sawamura’s words.
“Sawamura-san…” she started complaining, but he shouted “Carry on!” at the men, and everyone went back to whatever they were doing.
The man next to her coughed awkwardly, and she turned to see him fidgeting in his suit. She smiled at him. “Hello, Azumane-san, it’s nice to see you again”
Unfortunately, that only seemed to make him more nervous, and as he started stuttering Kyoko felt a small mile tugging at the corner of her lips. Despite her exhaustion, she was happy. Despite the distance from Miyagi, she had managed to find a piece of home.
Kiyoko’s apartment was small and foreign, but she was used to living alone, so she thought it wouldn’t be a problem. She was wrong. Experience proved that there were many setbacks to living alone in a foreign place. For example, the first time she tried making tea, she almost burned the house down, and on her second day of work, when Sugawara didn’t pick her up and she had to walk there, she got lost and it took her half an hour of wandering through the streets until she found the phone company building.
Upon entering the SSR building, silence followed her, sometimes accompanied by a series of whispers, and she scolded herself for thinking something would change now that she was in New York. Nobody approached her but Sugawara, Sawamura and Azumane, and two younger men, who Azumane introduced as Tanaka and Nishinoya, who’d been following her all day until Sawamura had shouted at them to leave her alone and she was able to finally get some work done.
The work itself wasn’t as exciting as Sawamura had made it sound when he called her in Miyagi to explain. She’d seen enough American spy films for her imagination to form an opinion, but as it turned out, the job actually included much more paperwork and no actual field work at all. Sawamura had promised she’d be called in as soon as an actual mission in which she was needed appeared, but for the moment she was stuck with paperwork and management.
And paperwork and management she could handle. Sure, they weren’t the most exciting things, but at least they were familiar, and a familiar act in such a foreign place was often appreciated, something to keep her grounded, something to keep her from succumbing to frustration, to make her keep a cool head.
She made a habit out of going to the automat near her apartment every day to have some tea, after the disaster with her own kettle pot. Sometimes the sight of the familiar faces would calm her, and even though the tea was tasteless and nothing like home, the chatting that filled the automat at all times relaxed her for some reason.
She sat down on the barstool on a particularly hard day of work and sighed, and the nearest waitress approached her to take her order.
“C-can I help you miss?” she stuttered, and Kiyoko sighed with exhaustion.
“The usual” she groaned, closing her eyes and leaning back on her chair.
Her response was met with silence, and Kiyoko waited for the waitress to leave, but when a minute passed and she didn’t hear the waitress footsteps going away, she opened her eyes to discover what was keeping her, and realized she’d never met that waitress before. She was young, Kiyoko realized, though she couldn’t be much younger than her. Her blond hair fell over her shoulders, and her brown eyes were wide-eyed, looking at her with pink cheeks. Kiyoko looked at her name-plate, and it read “Hitoka Yachi”. She must be Japanese too. Kiyoko was going to clarify what “the usual” meant, when the waitress interrupted her.
“I’m sorry!” she screamed suddenly, falling into a bow, and everyone in the restaurant turned to look at them.
Kiyoko motioned for her to get up, muttering “It’s okay, really…”, but the waitress kept her bow.
“I’ve never worked this shift, so I don’t know the regulars yet, I’m so sorry, I’ll try better next time”
Kiyoko sighed. “Yachi-san, please” she said, placing a hand on her shoulder to make her look at her, and smiled gently at the girl. “It’s okay”
If she thought this strategy was going to work, Kiyoko was very wrong, because the girl turned even redder and bowed again. “Thank you!!” she cried, and Kiyoko shushed her again, every patron’s head having turned to watch their exchange. She finally managed to make the waitress – Yachi – to drop the matter, and she waited for her to calm down while the people in the restaurant lost interest in them and went back to their meals.
“Sorry for that” said the waitress, fidgeting with her uniform. “The boss always tells me I shouldn’t make a scene in front of the patrons because of my uselessness, but I guess I did it anyway”
Kiyoko frowned at the girl’s sad look “I already told you it’s okay, Yachi-san. I don’t have a problem with telling you my order”
The girl smiled thankfully, but then she seemed to register her words and frowned. “How did you know…?”
“Your name? It’s written in your name-plaque” Kiyoko’s smile widened, and Yachi managed to get even redder.
“Oh. That’s right”
“My name’s Kiyoko Shimizu” she said, answering the girl’s inquisitive look. “And I usually have tea here.”
The waitress muttered “Kiyoko…”, and then she seemed to register her words, and cried “Tea!! Right!! Okay!! Wait a second!!” she said, and ran to the kitchen, leaving Kiyoko giggling at her stool.
Some minutes later, the waitress emerged from the door again, carrying with her a teacup with the utmost care. She placed it in Kiyoko’s table and she smiled and said “Thank you”
“It’s hot” Yachi warned her. “You should be careful”
“I will” she reassured her, moving the tea spoon through the tea to make it cool faster.
Yachi started fidgeting again, and Kiyoko was about to ask her if anything was wrong, when there was a shout from one of the tables,
“Oi, blondie, you ever gonna bring me my coffee?” said a man, middle-aged in a gray suit. Kiyoko frowned, and opened her mouth to shoot back, but Yachi yelped and scurried away.
“Coming!” she said, and seconds later she reemerged from the kitchen with the man’s order in her hands. Kiyoko watched as she placed the plates in the gentleman’s table, apologizing repeatedly, and watched as the man kept complaining for minutes. She was getting ready to intervene when Yachi finally managed to walk away, and settled in front of her with a defeated sigh.
“Are you okay?” she asked, concerned about the defeated look on Yachi’s face. The waitress shrugged, but her shoulders were still hunched.
“Sure I am. I kind of deserved that, I shouldn’t have neglected my job like that, he was on his right to demand-“
“Bullshit” Kiyoko snapped, and Yachi jumped wide-eyed at her words. Kiyoko felt blood rise to her cheeks. “Excuse my language, but that man needs to learn patience. And some respect, too”
Yachi raised her chin to look at her. “Do you really think so?”
“I know so” Kiyoko said, and tried to ignore the way her heart leapt when Yachi’s mouth curved into a smile.
“Thank you!” she beamed, and Kiyoko bit her lower lip to avoid breaking into a grin herself, and took a sip of her coffee to distract herself from the waitress’s bright eyes. As soon as the first drop of tea entered her mouth she froze, the liquid hitting her taste buds in a way nothing had in a long time. She swallowed the tea, the burn in her throat a comforting feeling, and opened her eyes to a rosy-cheeked Yachi, observing her reaction closely.
“Was it good?” she asked, with a lack of confidence. “I’m sorry, I know it’s not the tea this diner usually serves, it’s just- It’s my mother’s old recipe, and I thought you might enjoy it, I’m-“
“Yachi-san” Kiyoko interrupted her, and the waitress gulped.
“Yes?” she stammered. Kiyoko took another sip of her tea, and she couldn’t help but break into a wide grin when she looked at her.
“This is the best tea I have had in ages.”
Yachi perked up, and matched Kiyoko’s grin with her own, as bright as a summer day, and she instantly knew that she had just found another little piece of home.
Little by little, Kiyoko started getting used to the new city, and she acknowledged each and every habit acquired as progress, no matter how small. The first time she didn’t get lost on the way to work, she had a pleasant smile on her lips all day, and she heard some of her coworkers whispering how she seemed to walk straighter, with more confidence. The effect of that pride wore off soon enough, when she was sent to the bank to carry some papers and ended up in the middle of Central Park. Sawamura agreed when she came back that, for as long as she needed, Sugawara could give her a ride for work-related issues. “After all, we don’t want one of our best agents stranded in the middle of the river because she couldn’t find the coffee shop” he didn’t say, but his amused smile said it all, as well as Sugawara’s snickers behind her.
In the end, he became not only her driver (he refused to be called a chauffeur, reminding her he was driving her around because he wanted, not because Sawamura had said so), but one of her closest coworkers too. He accompanied Kiyoko to the automat one day, curious to meet the woman who made that wonderful tea Kiyoko was always talking about, and was so absolutely smitten by the flavor and the reminiscence of home that he promised to come back, seemingly unaware of Yachi’s nervous disposition and her being very obviously intimidated by him (Kiyoko thought it was cute. She found herself thinking that about the waitress a lot, lately.)
She easily got used to the paperwork, the only difference between her job then and the job she’d had back in Japan being the language, but she held on to the promise Sawamura repeated every few days. (“The Karasuno division is fairly new, so it’s normal we don’t have any field work yet. But I’m searching, and as soon as we do I’ll promise we’ll get you out there. The men will have to learn to do the paperwork by themselves” Kiyoko believed in the first part of the promise. She couldn’t see her younger coworkers learning to do anything by themselves, she was sure she’d have to find time for the paperwork as well when she started working in the field, but she didn’t really mind).
Despite her accomplishments in her day-to-day life, she never quite managed to learn how to use the kettle pot. She tried twice more, but her landlord warned her not to burn down the house, so she gave up on such a simple task. Yachi giggled when she told her, and that made Kiyoko’s embarrassment a bit more bearable.
“You’re mean, Hitoka-chan” she pouted, and Yachi blushed because of the use of her first name. They’d been on first name basis for around a week, but the waitress still blushed whenever Kiyoko used it. Which made her want to use it even more.
“Ah- I’m sorry” she said between laughs “it’s just I can’t believe you can’t even make tea at your own house”
“You’re not making it better”
“I’m sorry” she repeated, but she didn’t look sorry at all, a pleasant smile lingering on her lips. “It may sound selfish, but I’m
happy you can’t make tea at all, because you come here every day and keep me company”
This time, it was Kiyoko’s time to flush. “Even if I knew how to use the kettle pot, I’d still come here every day, you’re tea’s the best in the entire world. Besides” she added, smiling at Yachi “You’re not bad company yourself”
Yachi’s face lit up, and she gaped at Kiyoko with wide eyes and pink cheeks. Kiyoko couldn’t help but laugh at the sight.
Lately, Kiyoko had noticed, she’d been laughing more than usual. She’d never been an open person, and she was usually labeled as shy and inexpressive. However, there was something in the petite woman in front of her that made her want to smile more at the beauty of the world, and the beauty in the woman in front of her. She would have stared at Yachi forever, but she was pulled out of her thoughts by a booming voice, screaming. “Oi, blondie!
Yachi sighed, and Kiyoko frowned and glared at the middle-aged man trying to get her friend’s attention. “Him again” she
muttered, annoyed, but Yachi sent her a reassuring smile.
“Don’t worry, I’ve got this. I’ll be back in just a second” she said, and walked to the man who was calling her with the same
smile. The man complained about the food for a whole five minutes, and all Kiyoko could see was Yachi’s back, becoming more hunched every moment. Kiyoko tried following Yachi’s request to not worry about her, and took an angry sip of her drink, glare not leaving the man, but when she saw him pat Yachi’s behind when she was leaving, she stood up abruptly.
“I have to use the restroom” she said to no one in particular, and walked towards the corner of the restaurant where the man was sitting. She followed Yachi’s path, and as soon as she saw her disappear through the kitchen door she leaned next to the man’s table.
“I’m sorry, do you work here?” the man asked, visibly confused.
Kiyoko shook her head calmly. “Unfortunately not”, she answered, and in a swift move she pressed a fork to the man’s side while holding him in place with her other arm so he couldn’t run away. “I’m going to be perfectly clear now” she told the man, all gentleness gone from her face, and her tone angry and menacing. “This fork is pressed into your brachial artery. Once you start to bleed, you’ll lose consciousness in fifteen seconds, you’ll die in ninety unless someone comes to your aid. Now, given your recent behavior, how likely is that to happen?” the man whined, and Kiyoko shushed him. “Keep smiling. Now, to prevent this from happening, I suggest you find another place to eat. Do you agree?” The man nodded vigorously. “Good” she said, releasing him, and he released the breath he’d been holding. “Oh, and tip generously” she added, walking away.
Yachi came out of the kitchen to find the man running out the front door, and she called out “Sir, your food!” but it was too late. “I wonder what happened to him” she said out loud, and Kiyoko shrugged innocently, taking a small sip of her coffee. Yachi eyed her suspiciously for a moment, and was about to ask her if she’d had anything to do with that incident, when she noticed the rumpled stack of dollars that were in the tips jar, and she took in a sharp breath. “And he left all this money as a tip!?” she cried, and Kiyoko smiled mysteriously.
“Maybe he finally realized how good the service is here” she said, and Yachi was about to smile when realization dawned through her face.
“I really hope he doesn’t come back” she said, anxiety filling her face, but Kiyoko pressed a hand on her shoulder and squeezed.
“Don’t worry” she said with a smile. “I’m sure he won’t”
Yachi was about to question her, but as soon as she locked eyes with Kiyoko, her shoulders relaxed and she seemed to calm down. “I hope you’re right” she muttered…
“Trust me” Kiyoko said, and how could Yachi say no to that?
Kiyoko put on her coat as soon as she left the automat, and shivered as a cold breeze hit her, making her hair a mess. She was trying to comb it with her fingers, when she heard a familiar snicker, and she looked up to find Sugawara in front of her, leaning in his car, which was parked in front of the automat.
“Not used to American autumms, areyou, Shimizu-san?” he asked, and Kiyoko fixed him with a glare.
“There's wind in Japan, too, Sugawara-san” she snapped, and then frowned. “What are you doing here? Why didn’t you come into the restaurant?”
“There was no time, I just got here” he answered. “And I’m here to pick you up”
Kiyoko’s confusion didn’t seem to fade. “Why?”
Sugawara grinned, and Kiyoko noticed an excited glint in his eyes. “Daichi did it. Karasuno has its first field mission.”
The words sank in Kiyoko’s mind, making her heart skip a beat with an excitement she hadn’t felt in a long, long time. She realized she had unconsciously adopted a grin that matched Sugawara’s, but she didn’t try to hide it. “What are we waiting for, then? Let’s go” she said, and followed him into the car without looking back.