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

Chapter 1

Ok, so Kirishima didn't have horrible taste in women. She wasn't exactly a model but Bakugou thought she wasn't half bad looking. And few people actually thanked HIM, the guy who made the food and shit, so that was new. Even so, something small bubbled up in the pit of his stomach, but he forced it back down like he always did. It was nothing, after all.

Kirishima and Bakugou turned to each other at nearly the same time, the blonde with a smirk and the red head with a timid smile.

"I haven't seen her before...maybe she'll become a regular?"

"Tch, fat chance. I bet she's here on a business trip or somethin' and will be gone in a day or two with your dating luck."

"Don't jinx it! And it wasn't that bad...ok it's been a while since I've been on a date but so what? You're one to talk about dating advice."

Bakugou bristled like a provoked dog, but managed not to yell at his roommate behind the register. Kirishima knew at this point that the blonde was 70% bark and about 30% bite, and even then he wouldn't throw at fit at their job at the risk of being fired. Again.

"Ok idiot, if she comes back, you better have her fucking phone number by the end of next week. If not, she'll have mine." Bakugou smirked at Kirishima's alarmed and blushing face. Did he give a shit about a date? Not really, but he enjoyed making things into competitions way too much to pass up the opportunity to win at something. Besides, he knew Kirishima sometimes had self-esteem issues that he rarely talked about, maybe this would force him out of his shell a bit. He was a jerk, not a complete asshole after all. Bakugou turned back around to face the counter, his expression neutral.

Kirishima pointed a strong finger at his coworker in acceptance of the challenge. "Fine! A real man doesn't back down from a challenge and I accept." Kirishima flashed a toothy smile, feigning confidence...but inside he was saying ohshitohshitohshitohshit....

The rest of the day was uneventful, the woman didn't come back, and eventually it was time to leave the shop to go home. Kirishima and Bakugou shared an apartment on the other side of town; it took three train stops to get there since neither of them had a car. Usually it was Kirishima that opened the shop since he was more of a morning person so he would end up getting off before Bakugou, who usually came in a few hours later and left when the shop closed in the late afternoon.

They had met in highschool, transferred in from different middle schools but both were good students who made it into special programs. Bakugou was problematic, often lashing out at anyone who he saw as a threat to his future successes and goals. He was excessively driven and consistently got top grades, but his social skills were severely lacking. Kirishima on the other hand was a social butterfly, but only managed to stay above water with grades and advanced classes. They managed to have a lot of overlapping classes, and one thing led to another when Kirishima begged the blonde to tutor him in the more challenging subjects. Bakugou eventually let his walled up superiority complex come down just a bit with Kirishima's natural charisma and empathy. They graduated together and went to different colleges, but still weren't far from each other. Kirishima was almost always the one to initiate hanging out and catching up, and Bakugou – as stubborn as he was – obliged about half the time, which was a pretty good turnout considering his sour attitude towards reliance on friendship. A series of events after graduation landed them here, working in the same town, at the same coffee shop, neither of which had been in their future adult plans; But sometimes things don't work out the way you anticipate.

The next day, Kirishima was at the coffee shop and setting up the usual necessities before normal working hours. Bakugou wasn't in yet, his shift started around 10. The red head had taken a few extra minutes to make sure his hair looked nice that day – even if his roommate and coworker always called him "shitty-hair" he was stubborn and refused to change it much between spiking it up, and putting it back in a casual headband. He was determined to get a proper introduction in today with woman...if she showed up that is. Their customer base was so boring, with the same pudgy office men coming in and giving off an air of false importance. Bakugou wasn't exactly the type to socialize much outside of work, and his other friends were already in relationships, so he was mostly on his own when looking for anyone interesting. He had tried dating apps, but those were mostly used for casual hookups rather than looking for long-term monogamous relationships. Kirishima was a sappy romantic at heart and wanted someone to watch movies with cuddled on the couch, while also having picnics at the park in the middle of the city and eating cheap ramen at places only his friends knew about. Sometimes he thought he was being too picky, or he had bad luck, or he wasn't manly and charming enough. He was 24 and still single, so any chance he had at talking with a pretty girl at the coffee shop was an opportunity he wasn't going to miss.