Shouta Aizawa has inherited his parents' teahouse and is having trouble finding new staff. Y/N has quit her job and is about to end her life, when she sees the poster about the open position and decides to give life another chance.
TW: themes of sui...
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Shouta had no idea what to do with this crying woman in front of him. He felt bad for her, of course, but he had no idea what to do. Something must have really upset her, but he wasn't even sure whether he should ask again about what was wrong, if she was already reacting like this.
"I-I'm sorry, I don't k-know why I'm s-so e-emotional right now..." she muttered, trying hard to keep her sobs under control. Shouta felt really bad for her. And he didn't even know what it could be, because he never bothered to learn a single thing about her. He didn't know if she had family, if she was maybe married, if her parents were still alive, if she had any siblings, what she had done before this job, where she lived - nothing. And he really should have taken the time to ask.
"It's okay, don't worry about it. It's just... is there anything I can do to help or... or do you want to talk maybe? Not that I'm very good at any of this, to be honest..." Shouta muttered, but he stopped talking, as he heard some noise from Y/N's side of the table. It was the rustling of a yukata. Y/N was shuffling over to him, wrapping her arms around him and hugging him tightly.
Shouta didn't even know how to react at first, until he snapped back to reality and put his arms around her. That seemed to be the right thing to do at this moment, even though he was still a little taken aback by this sudden physical contact. But he didn't really mind, did he?
No, he didn't mind at all. He actually liked holding her. She always seemed like someone who was tough and sturdy and who could work a lot. Someone who was strong. At least to him she looked like that. Maybe that's why he found it fascinating that she appeared so strong and graceful at the same time. But right now she seemed so small and fragile and somehow so much more genuine.
Shouta pulled her a little closer, trying to make sure that she could actually breathe and wouldn't hurt herself with how she was slumped down against him. He moved his hand up and down her back, not sure if he was being awkward with this or not. He hoped he wasn't being awkward. Y/N didn't seem to mind either way, as she clutched the material of his yukata and continued to cry against his chest.
Shouta continued rhythmically rubbing circles along her back, staring out of the window. The branches of the apple tree in the garden were softly knocking against the window, as a light breeze was blowing. Shouta knew he should probably do something about that, but right now he had other problems.
Y/N was shaking with sobs in his arms. This was probably the first time that Shouta realized how thin she was. Sure, under a few layers of yukata and clothing it wasn't easy to see, but he could feel the sharp outline of her shoulder blades through his pullover and the yukata she was wearing.
Did she have enough to eat at home? Did she even have the time to eat with the long working hours at the teahouse? Was that maybe a problem? Or was there... was there maybe a loss in her family? Shouta knew what death could do to people. What losing someone could do to them.
