Kirishima x Reader // "Sometimes I'm Alone in a Crowd"

Chapter 1

The coffee shop was fairly busy, just like it was every weekday morning as people filtered in to grab something warm for breakfast before starting the workday routine. It was a small shop on the corner of a larger building surrounded by offices and stores in the middle of the city. They didn't sell a large variety of things, but what they did offer was well-made and fresh.

A man with bright red hair gelled into spikes and and a contagious smile stood behind the register, and had a surprising amount of energy for it being 8 in the morning. He always greeted customers cheerfully, which was probably why he was rarely the one off to the side making customer orders with as little social interaction as possible. That job was reserved for the man with spiky blonde hair and bad attitude.

"Hey, Bakugou, two more cheese croissants and a cafe late."

"Yeah yeah I heard you, shitty-hair."

Bakugou stood with his back to the customers in front of the counter, the look on his face making it seem like heating up pastries was his literal worst enemy.

"Bro, my hair is super cool and you know it."

"You know what would be 'super cool?' Not getting hair dye all over the fucking bathroom again. You still owe me a new towel." Bakugou's crimson eyes glared at Kirishima as he set the warm pastries down on the counter and hit the bell a little too hard, signaling the customers that it was ready. Kirishima avoided his coworkers glare with a sheepish smile.

"Heh...I said I was sorry, I promise I'll go this weekend and get you a new one."

The bell over the shop door opened to signal another customer. Kirishima turned around to greet them as he always did, but his tongue caught in his throat.

The woman that just walked in the door was someone he hadn't seen before, and he was pretty familiar with the regular stuffy office crowd that came in this early in the morning. She had dark red hair, in the sun it almost looked a bit purple, and he could immediately tell that wasn't her natural color from his own experiences in hair dye but it suited her well. It was short, above her shoulders, and framed her strong jaw-line. In dark business casual attire she stood in front of the pastry display, reading through the small signs with a tired smile, like she was still trying to wake up.

Kirishima thought she was pretty, hopefully it didn't show on his face.

"Hi there! What can we get for you today?" Kirishima leaned over the counter slightly to look around the display at the woman. She turned to him with that tired smile and dark sparkling eyes that were highlighted with winged eyeliner and just a hint of eyeshadow.

"Hi, good morning. Um, yeah, can I get a ham croissant and a medium roast coffee, no cream or sugar please." She dug through her small purse to fish out her wallet.

"Sure thing, coming right up!" Kirishimia took the cash handed to him and carefully counted out change. "Your order will be ready in a few minutes, you can pick it up down at the other end of the counter."

She took the change, and said a small "thanks" glancing up at him one more time before walking over to take a seat near the other side of the shop.

Why are Kirishima's hands sweaty, wasn't that a Bakugou problem? He wiped them on his apron before chancing a glance from behind the counter at the woman again. He hadn't even noticed Bakugou looking between himself and the new customer and piecing together the cause of the dumb look on the red-head's face while he made her order.

Kirishima had snapped back to attention to take care of another customer – a regular this time – while Bakugou rang that annoying bell and set the pastry and unsweetened coffee on the counter. He glanced over to get a proper look at her when she grabbed her breakfast. She looked up at him with the same tired smile and thanked him as well before walking out the door and around the corner.