Conflagration

Chapter 1

Izuku glanced at the digital clock on the wall above the coffee machine, ignoring the slow, cheesy country music that had been playing on loop all day, or at least his entire shift.

5:48

The green-haired boy stood behind the counter of The Brisk Cafe,  a look of boredom in his eyes. He was leaning on his elbows, watching the last of their 'before dinner rush' patrons leave their seats along the walls of the vintage-looking establishment. Every time the front door opened and jingled the bell above it, cold air and the smell of rain drafted in from the calm, quiet evening outside. Even the thought of what temperature it was outside was more interesting than Izuku's hour-long streak of boredom.

No one had ordered anything in a while, but that was to be expected at this time of the afternoon. The only people left in the coffee shop around six o'clock were a handful of college students and a few writers, all too absorbed in each other or their work to be worried about how low the sun sat in the sky.

Of course, it wasn't Izuku's problem that the patrons would have to walk home at night, but it still worried him to know that most people going home that late were taking a dangerous risk. The crimes around the downtown area had spiked again for the first time in three years, which had, in turn, shot the twenty-four-year-olds anxiety levels through the roof. It helped that Tenya, one of his roommates, was a detective at the local police department, only because none of the thugs tried to break into their house after the navy blue-haired man caught and arrested one of them.

It only took around another half hour for the remaining guests to thin out, only leaving Izuku and all the chores he had to do as a result of being saddled with the closing shift. He looked up at the clock again, a dejected sigh slipping past his lips.

6:26

Izuku pursed his lips, gazing out of the large windows covering the front of the store. It began pouring, that type of rain that would soak you even if your car was right in front of the door. He groaned internally, hoping it would pass fast enough to be over by the time he finished locking up the cafe.

After a few minutes of silence, the young man grew unbearably bored. It wasn't exactly closing time yet, but Izuku decided to begin cleaning anyways. It's not like there'll be someone wanting a cup of coffee to go with their takeout. Izuku thought, walking through the 'employees only' door at the end of the counter. He was rummaging around the shelves for a bottle of Mr. Clean when he heard a sudden ringing from the dining area. He rushed to the door of the janitor's closet and peeked his head out, immediately blushing at the sight in front of him.

A blonde man with soaked clothes and large muscles had entered the building, shaking his hair like a dog and grumbling something about losing volume. The man looked around the empty coffee shop, his ruby red eyes shining with an unknown emotion.

Izuku covered his mouth and took a deep breath, fanning his face and trying to calm his alarmingly red cheeks. He stepped back into the small room to try and calm down, only to elbow the bottle of cleaning solution he was looking for and gasp loudly at the clattering noise it caused.

"Hello? Are you still open?"

Izuku quickly stepped into view, clearing his throat and straightening his apron awkwardly. "U-um, yes," He paused, moving to the cash register and finally making eye contact with the blonde. His heart sped up at the mere sight of the stranger's handsome facial features, which he no doubt used to his advantage if Izuku judged him upon the smug look he was giving him. "What can I get you?"

The blonde walked up to the counter, running a hand through his damp hair with a quiet sigh. "Medium spicy chocolate latte to go, don't even think about adding whipped cream." He grumbled, his voice conveying that he was irritated. "The name is Bakugo."  Red eyes met green, and for a moment, the man seemed peaceful. Only for a moment, though.