You Were Worth it

Chapter 11

"So when you're ringing in any kind of fried food, make sure you yell it back to the kitchen when you walk by. That way, they can get the fried stuff down as quickly as possible," Midoriya explained.

"I don't recall seeing that much fried stuff on the menu," Kaminari mumbled while looking through the paper menu he had shoved in the front of his apron. "Just the appetizers, some desserts, and fries?"

Midoriya nodded. "You only get three tables at a time during your first three months. After that, you can go up to five."

"Will I ever go over five?" Kaminari asked.

"If someone calls out of work, you might have six tables, but they'll never purposely schedule you more than five. It burns us out, and we don't pay enough attention to our tables," Midoriya explained. "You did really well on your first day."

"Thank you," Kaminari smiled. "It feels good to be out of the house and doing something again, finally. The last month has dragged on slowly. I kind of felt like I was in a loop for a while."

"Do you wanna walk down to the bar for a drink or two?" Midoriya asked. "Katsuki probably hasn't left yet since I usually have to wait on a few late tables."

Kaminari cocked a brow. "Are you allowed to drink?" He wasn't sure about recovering drug addicts. Was drinking something Midoriya should be avoiding?

"I can have a drink or two," Midoriya shrugged. It wasn't encouraged that he drank, but he had his rules. He would allow himself a casual drink with a friend or his boyfriend occasionally, but he would never use it as a mood stabilizer. As long as he followed his rules, he would be fine. "Let's close out our tips, and then we're good to go."

"Alright," Kaminari said. They quietly walked to the front of the restaurant, where they met the manager on shift. After the manager pulled their tips for the evening, they clocked out and headed out the door.

"I might need to remember to bring a spare change of clothes if I want to do anything like this after work. I don't think the white button-up, apron, and bowtie make a great socializing outfit," Kaminari mumbled.

"That's because you're looking at it all wrong," Midoriya chuckled. "Take off your apron and bowtie," he instructed while doing the same to himself. Midoriya opened his bag and shoved both of their things in there. "Pull your shirt loose. Don't untuck it; just pull it out a little."

Kaminari looked down before slowly tugging on the bottom of his shirt. It came loose but didn't fully come untucked. Instead of Midoriya telling him what to do next, he grabbed Kaminari's right arm before unbuttoning the shirt around his wrist. He rolled it up below his elbow before doing the same thing to the other wrist.

"I have your cuffs in my bag still. Do you want them?" Midoriya asked. He wanted Kaminari to be comfortable, so he wanted to give him the option. Since he rolled his sleeves up, his scars were completely exposed.

"No, I think I'm okay without them," he smiled softly.

Midoriya reached for the collar on Kaminari's shirt. "Final touch," he said while unbuttoning the top three buttons. "I told you. You were just looking at it all wrong."

"I guess you were right," Kaminari chuckled. He watched Midoriya loosen his shirt and undo some of his buttons before they continued their journey to the bar. "Thanks for helping me get that job."

"Thanks for taking it. Since you only wanted three days a week, it works perfectly," Midoriya frowned. He was thrilled Kaminari was taking the hours but didn't want to give them up.

"You're still working one day a week, right?"

Midoriya nodded. "Yeah, Katsuki agreed to me working one day. I couldn't just stop working. I would feel too guilty, and it would really mess with my mental health," he explained.