Macchiato - BNHA Fanfic

3 - Sweeteners

♦~~~~ Shoto's POV ~~~~♦

It was Rush Hour on a Monday. I was already tired from reading the new comics that came in the mail yesterday. My brain was running slower than it was usually.

Luckily, my muscle memory was enough to carry me through making the orders being thrown at me. Izuku had understood that I hadn't slept much and told me he'd take my shift at the front desk. I was grateful, but as usual I wasn't quite sure how to let him know that. I popped the cap onto the cup I just got done filling. Stuck a straw in it and called for the name written in sharpie on the side. Done, and now, repeat.
I tried not to yawn as I noticed the tacky feeling of my gloves rustling against the skin of my hand, the rumbling of the people around me. I was very aware of Bakugou's quick movements next to me, he always seemed to have more energy than anyone else here. At one point Inko switched with Izuku and her telling us was drowned out by the cafe's unending noise. I was used to it though.

The time came where that one difficult customer usually comes in. Deku had told me his name- Monama? Momona? Manoma?? I couldn't remember it, but it was on the tip of my tongue. A bit later than on the clock, the loud man was at the counter. But he seemed less enthusiastic than usual, even though I couldn't quite read the features on his face. Inko greeted him as kindly as her son usually would. I inadvertently halted in my work to watch what was going on, but the interaction was brief and curt, contrasting the usual banter that would occur whenever Manoma was here. Bakugou bumped into me and told me to get back to work, a deep grumble in his voice. He and the customer glared at each other but Bakugou took a deep breath and looked away. I didn't see what happened with Manoma, but Katsuki told me to make an order which I could only assume was his.

Again, I was in the midst of the machines, pushing, pouring, popping, calling, and I went back to the casual humdrum of my job. Nothing of note.

♦~~~~ Deku's POV~~~~♦

It was a bit nerve-wracking not being at the counter at the time that Monoma would usually show up. He was one of our most upsetting customers, mostly because of the weird relationship he and Bakugou had. He seemed like a nice guy under all the rudeness and the mockery, but sadly him and Kacchan just seemed to be completely unable to get along. Bakugou never told me what it was exactly that happened between them that made them so close yet so... Far?
I looked up at my little sister, who was scarfing down the meal our mother had prepared without a single word. She looked so invested in eating, as if that was the only thing that mattered to her. I glanced down at my plate- It was still half-full, but I felt a knot in my stomach thinking about the kind of argument that might be happening down there. The walls were too well isolated for me to hear much apart from a very slight humming from downstairs. I was fiddling with my fork as I usually do when I'm worried at dinner or at lunch. Hina took a loud breath inbetween bites and sighed deeply, reaching for her glass of water, when she seemed to notice me.
"Izuuuu-" she inhaled, it always sounded like she was about to sneeze when she called me like that. I looked at her and smiled. "Ku!" she finished, beaming back at me. She had a few missing teeth, but it only made her look more adorable. "What's wrong?" she asked with an overtly happy tone, catching me off-guard. I nearly dropped my fork!

"Nothing, sweetie. I'm just worried about the cafe."
"Mom said we were doing well though!"
"We are, we are! I just hope that..." I paused, searching my words. "I hope that Bakugou and Shoto are handling things well. That's all."
Hina looked at me and leaned her head on her hand, looking a bit confused. "Well, you trust them, right?" she grinned. "Are you going to finish your food Izukuuu?"
I blinked a few times and furrowed my brows playfully. "What? You haven't even eaten all of yours! Stay out of my plate!" I laughed and tugged my plate closer. She leaned across the table, fork in hand, trying to aim for my food. "Come on! What would Mom say if she saw you!" I laughed, grabbing her wrist and she pouted dejectedly. "Aww! Cmon! Give me food or you don't love me!"
I raised a brow and released her arm, before stuffing as much food as I could into my mouth, leaving my plate nearly empty. She gasped offendedly as I painfully chewed and swallowed the food. I ate a few of the last remaining bits, leaving a singular molecule of food in the center of my plate. I pushed the plate towards her with a grin. "Here, you can have it. I'm done." She stared at me in disbelief and stuck her tongue out. "You're nasty!"
"You still have food in your plate!"
She snorted and finished her own food, and I looked at her with my head in my hands, my mind wandering back to the cafe. It was probably all sorted out by now- Nothing to worry about, and my sister was right- I trusted Shoto and Kacchan, even if Kacchan could be very hotheaded, he was getting better at managing his anger recently. Once my sister stood up, I reminded her to make sure she had all she needed in her bag so she wouldn't be late for school.

I tried to savour the last few minutes I had before I had to go back down.