Izuku worried at his bottom lip as he sat at the booth in the back of Yuki’s cat café, jolting a bit as the bell over the door chimed, but it was just an older man in a suit. Today he was alone, no dads, no Yui-nee, just him as he waited for Toshi to show up. His sister had asked if he wanted back up, but he had declined. He had to do this himself, and anyway, Yuki had a kitchen full of knives and his family was a text away. He was pretty sure Yui-nee was hanging out at Dagobah beach just in case she needed to be close.

He fiddled with the sleeve of the green, blue and black plaid flannel shirt he had on over the white t-shirt. He wasn’t sure why Auntie Nem had picked black ripped jeans to pair up with it, and she had managed to get him a new pair of shoes that were mostly black with bright red accents. His curls were a little neater than usual, thanks to the leave in conditioner that helped with the frizz. For some reason, Yamada had been tearing up, saying something about him ‘growing up too fast’.

Izuku jumped again when the bell chimed, leaning over to peak at the door. His eyes widened at the teen with wild indigo hair that walked inside, lavender eyes searching the room before settling on emerald. He couldn’t believe that the string bean kid was still a head taller than him, lithe muscles showing under the tight black shirt he wore. A deep purple hoodie that was un-zippered almost hung off his shoulders and he had on worn black jeans that were fading closer to gray with black and purple tennis shoes.

The green haired teen blinked before he waved at him, “Hey Toshi!”

“Izu?” He walked over and slid into the booth across from him. They both fidgeted, an awkward tension filling the air between them, they hadn’t seen each other in person since that one night years ago, and there was no mask between them.

“U-Um, my name is Izuku Yamazawa.” He extended his hand across the table, “It’s really nice to see you again, i-in person I mean, I know we talk er text all the time so this isn’t really necessary-“

His rambling dried up as Toshi’s hand took his, “It’s nice to meet you officially too, Izuku. Or Yamazawa…sorry I’m so used to calling you Izu. You already know I’m Hitoshi Shinsou.” He gave him a small smile.

“You can call me Izuku as long as I can keep calling you Hitoshi, or Toshi?” He flashed a slightly wobbly smile up at him, tilting his head when the other teen’s cheeks tinted pink.

“Okay, Izu…are you wearing nail polish?” Toshi’s eyes were on the purple polish on his fingernails.

“Oh, um, yeah. My Auntie Nem and nee-chan invited me to a girl’s night last night. It’s pretty fun, we’ve done a couple since we were adopted.” He scratched the back of his head, “I know wearing nail polish is usually seen as feminine, but we shouldn’t push stigmas. If you enjoy something, you should do it, you know?” He rambled a bit before Yuki walked over to them.

“Hey, kiddo. Are you and your friend ready to order or would you like some more time?” She smiled, a certain look in her eyes that Izuku was pretty sure he’d seen in Midnight’s.

“Are you hungry, Toshi?”

“Sure, I’ve heard the food is really good here. You just serve American based food, right?” He asked, looking up at the woman.

“Yep! I was born and raised there. My mom is American and my father is from Japan. I ended up moving here with my dad when my mom passed, and we started the café. My dad leaves me to handle the place and he handles our coffee stock.” She smiled sweetly, “I had to beg him to add the cats, but it really upped our traffic and it gives the cats a great chance to be adopted. I actually had a surprise for you, green bean. But I’ll tell you after you eat!” She handed them each a menu. “I already know you’re getting milk, Izu, but what can I get you, sweetie?”

Toshi took the menu, “Black coffee please.”

“Can you actually get him an Eraser special, Yuki? He has to try it.” Izuku smiled up at her.

“Okay, one milk and one Eraser special. I’ll be right back.” Yuki smiled as she walked back behind the counter.

The indigo haired teen raised an eyebrow at him, “The Eraser special?”

“Eraserhead. He comes here and Yuki made him a special blend. She usually only serves it to him.” Izuku smiled as cats started to check them out, curling up on laps or beside them.

Toshi smiled as he pet the Russian blue on his lap, “I’m honored. So how’s your hand? You said it’s all healed?”

“Oh yeah!” He held out his right hand, showing him the scars, “It was a slow recovery but I can do everything I used to! I still have some issues with cramping and the cold, but that might be permanent. At least it’s manageable, and I got pretty good at writing and texting with my left hand anyway.” He wriggled his fingers before he jumped when Toshi took it in his.

“So, you should keep this hand warm, right?” His lips quirked in a lazy smirk as those lavender eyes met his. Izuku blinked, trying to ignore the heat that rose in his cheeks.

“H-Heat helps! I have a heating pad at home and I-I usually carry hand warmers in my pockets just in case it gives me trouble when I’m not at home.” The teen rambled, his eyes breaking away from the other’s gaze.

“So, what’s good? I don’t usually have American food…does that say Green Bean special?” He asked, pointing to the menu.

“Oh, yeah, it’s a cheeseburger with a side of deep fried green beans. I usually get that.”

He looked at him for a moment, “That’s…cannibalism.”

“Toshi!” He squeaked, smacking him with his menu, “I’m not really a green bean!”

He snorted as he leaned back, “Did I strike a nerve?”

“I said the same thing when he tried them for the first time,” Yuki giggled as she put their drinks down in front of them.

“Traitor!” Izuku gasped, a hand on his chest.

“I could always show him the pictu-“

“Don’t you dare! Please Yuki!” He pouted up at her until she snagged his menu, holding it between them.

“You’re not allowed to do that here! We’ve talked about this, that look is a freaking weapon.” She scolded, “But fine, I guess that should be Yamada’s job.”

He groaned, “Oh Kami he so will…”

“Anyway, Lavender, do you know what you’d like?” She smiled at the teen that didn’t look like he was trying to become one with the booth.

“Oh, can I try the green bean special, please? It sounds interesting.” He handed the menu back to her.

“Sure thing, same thing as our resident green bean. Did you want any dessert? I have a batch of Livewire muffins in the oven right now.” She wrote their orders on her notepad.

“Oh, you should try those, Toshi! They’re chocolate chip cappuccino muffins that have a shot of espresso in the batter. She named them after Yamada’s nickname for Yui-nee!” Izuku chirped happily, kicking his feet a bit under the booth.

Taken from Royal Road, this narrative should be reported if found on Amazon.

“Why is her nickname Livewire?” Toshi raised an eyebrow.

“She’s usually working on electrical gadgets and her Quirk…and how jittery she gets after her sixth coffee. I warned him when I met him what happens.” He shrugged as he scratched under the chin of the calico on his lap.

“Oh um…sure, I’ll try one.” His friend said as he glanced back up at Yuki.

“Good choice! Well, I’ll get cooking. Yell if you need anything.” She smiled as she went to the kitchen.

“So…” Toshi hummed as the cat under his hand nuzzled into his touch, “How is your scary sister doing?”

“Well, her first day at U.A. is tomorrow so she’s sorta nervous. She won’t admit it though.”

“I can’t believe she’s getting into U.A. without taking an entrance exam.” He shook his head, “I can’t help but feel jealous.”

“Oh Nedzu let her take the entrance exam though, I think I forgot to tell you. It wouldn’t have changed anything but she wanted to see what it was like.” Izuku shrugged, “She didn’t tell me what the test was though, since I’m not supposed to know for when I take it.”

He blinked, raising his eyebrows “You sound like you know…”

Izuku felt his lips curl in a grin similar to his sister’s, “Well, she has been teaching me how to hack for a while now. So I accessed the cameras in the testing ground. Let’s just say when you take the test, you’ll definitely want to fill out the forms to bring a weapon. Anyway, she made the test look like child's play and it gave me some ideas for what I can do.”

His friend was silent for a moment, “Holy shit, I thought you were this little cinnamon roll and now I know you’re really an imp.” He took a sip of his coffee before he sat up straight, his eyes widening, “What is in this?”

“Oh the special blend is made with robusta beans. So more caffeine. Is it too strong? Eraser drinks it like it’s regular coffee…” he fidgeted, he knew Toshi was usually tired due to his insomnia so he was hoping it’d help him wake up like it did with Aizawa.

“Oh thank Kami, this is amazing. Thank you for introducing me to my new addiction.” Toshi sipped it, a small smile curving his lips.

He chuckled softly, “Well, you probably shouldn’t get addicted, that much caffeine probably isn’t healthy…”

“Eh, you only live once so why not go out on a caffeine-fueled high?” he shrugged, taking another sip.

Izuku shook his head, a small smile curling his lips, “You can’t die before you get into U.A. Toshi, I gotta see you become a hero.”

“Okay fiiiinnee,” he huffed, “Anyway, you said you wanted to talk to something face to face, right? Is this where you tell me you’re really a villain and you want me to join your team?” he sent a quick grin his way, the tone in his voice teasing but the words brought back the teen's original anxiety.

“No! Of course not, I’d never ask you that, Toshi, I know how much being a hero means to you…” he swallowed, his throat suddenly dry as he rubbed his fingers on his glass. “Its just…I wanted to let you know something that…hasn’t been too well received in the past…and now that the whole vigilante thing has been hung up and I could meet you in person and have you know me…I um…I wanted to let you know…” he rambled out as he kept his eyes on the table.

“O…Kay?” He glanced up to see Toshi watching him, those lavender eyes shining with curiosity but also warmth. He took a deep breath.

“I…I’ll understand if you don’t want to be friends anymore, Toshi, I really will.” He fidgeted in his seat, worrying on his lip before he finally just blurted it out, “I’m Quirkless…”

There was a pause, Izuku had his eyes on the table as he waited. This was it, Toshi wouldn’t want anything to do with him, would he try to hurt him? Use him as practice for his Quirk because that was all a Quirkless loser Deku was good for and-

“So? Izuku, you didn’t care about my Quirk, hell, you’re the first person outside my parents to tell me I could be a hero. Your Quirk or lack of one doesn’t matter to me. You’re my best friend, you’re delusional if you think I’m letting go of you,” Izuku’s head snapped up to look into kind lavender eyes: no hatred or disgust or pity to be seen.

The younger teen blinked back tears, he’d been trying to cut back on the crying. “Really? You really don’t care?” his voice cracked at the question.

“It doesn’t change who you are, Izu. Oh man, you were a Quirkless vigilante! That’s so badass for a little green bean,” he sent that smirk at him again.

“Oooh yes, tease him! If he blushes he looks like an adorable strawberry!” Yuki grinned as she put their food down in front of them.

“I do not!” He squeaked, covering his face with one hand as the other flailed. His face heated at the deep chuckle across the table. “Anyway, can Toshi have a regular black coffee to mix the special blend in please?”

“She’s right, you do look like a strawberry.”

“His whole family says it. He’s just in denial.” Yuki giggled as she brought him a large to go cup filled halfway with coffee.

“Traitors, the both of you. I’m gonna move to America.” He muttered, taking a bite of his burger.

“Ha! Yui would never let you. And Yamada would cry.” Yuki smiled as she went to help a customer at the counter.

Toshi chuckled softly as he mixed his coffee, taking a sip. “Guess I’ll have to up my caffeine tolerance if I want to drink this straight. This is a lot more tolerable. You okay though? If you’re not comfortable with the teasing in person I’ll try to tone it down. Some might escape though, you’re way too fun to fluster.”

“I um, I should be fine. I can handle some teasing I think.” He mumbled as he ate.

“Good, so now that we can meet up in person, did you want to work out together?” Toshi asked as he did the same, holding up a deep fried green bean, “These are better than I thought they’d be.”

“Oh sure! With the break ending tomorrow, dad, papa and nee-chan will be busy with school and work so I’d love a workout buddy! We could even spar, but I’ll warn you, I fight dirty.” He grinned as he took the last bite of his burger.

“Oooh? Is the strawberry going to use his puppy dog eyes on me?” His lips curled in another smirk.

“The strawberry isn’t afraid to dislocate your joints,” Izuku adopted the monotone his sister used when she stated facts, popping a green bean in his mouth.

He barked out a laugh, “Ha! Guess we’ll have to see who makes it out on top. But honestly?” His voice dipped into a purr that for whatever reason made Izuku’s heart skip a beat, “I don’t think I’d mind having you on top of me.”

His face got so hot he was surprised steam didn’t come out of his ears; he started to stutter as Toshi doubled over in laughter. “Wh-what the heck, Hitoshi! You’re too young to talk l-like that!”

“I’m thirteen, Izu, Kami, your face was priceless I cant believe that worked!” His friend’s voice was still breathless from laughing before he grinned at him, “Dirty fighting like that, huh?”

He huffed, crossing his arms as he looked away, “You’re terrible. But that’s a really good idea if you can do that when you’re fighting. You might be able to startle a response out of the bad guys.” He couldn’t help but praise that, reaction-based Quirks were tricky to master and you had to be able to think on your toes to get the best use out of them.

“Why thank you. Midnight just released that one book on flirting techniques, and my mom bought it. I started to read it…I used to be innocent, Izuku, I swear.” He shook his head, sighing dramatically.

“I doubt you were ever innocent, Toshi. You’re too chaotic.” He snorted, flicking a green bean at him that the cat on his lap jumped to catch and scurry off with. They both stopped to watch it before Toshi shook his head.

“Okay…that happened. I thought he was watching our food a little too close.” He chuckled. It wasn’t too long before both their plates were clean and Yuki came back with their muffins and holding a box under her arm.

“Okay, time for the surprise! I hope you’re ready to die from cuteness!” She put the box on the table, taking the lid off with a flourish.

Inside were five kittens, all different colors and poofy fur, all looking up at them. Toshi put a hand over his heart as Izuku bounced in his seat, his hands over his mouth to contain a squeal.

“They’re Siberian cats and they’re almost four months old. I already asked your dads, and they said you can pick out one.” She held up one finger, before she smiled, “They’ve all been fixed and are up to date on their shots. They’ve already paid for you too, green bean.” She ruffled his hair before she had to leave to man the counter.

“Oh my Kami, Toshi, they’re so precious! How am I going to pick just one?” He smiled as they started to hop out of the box and roam around on the table.

“My parents are going to kill me…” He had his phone out, taking a video of the kittens. “But I really, really have bad impulse control with cats…and you should pick one that speaks to you, like there’s a pull, you know?”

He nodded as he watched them before the smallest one finally clawed it’s way out of the box, it’s fur mostly white with light gray markings. Izuku gasped softly when those eyes looked up at him, they were mostly a light blue but there was a ring of lavender around the edges of the iris. The kitten bounded over to him before jumping on his shoulder and nuzzling against his cheek.

“Or, you know, you let the kitten choose to adopt you.” Toshi grinned as he took a picture of them, his phone buzzing at his parents answer, “Oh good, it’ll be easier to bring one home now that they said yes.”

Izuku giggled as he reached up to run a finger along the kitten’s fur, “So, does one speak to you?”

The teen grinned as he lifted a kitten from his lap, one of the hoodie strings caught between razor claws. The kitten had smoky black fur with gray accents, it’s eyes a bright green. “I have been chosen by this little guy. I think I’m going to name him Viridian. What about your cutie?”

Izuku smiled as he held the kitten in his hands, looking into those beautiful eyes as she nuzzled his fingers and purred loudly. “Toshi, it’s my pleasure to introduce you to Violet.”