Scars That Mend - Kiribaku Emergency Services AU

Wingman?

My first day back at work came around faster than I thought it would. Somehow I'd managed to fill my time with meaningless activities - including cleaning my apartment top to bottom - and wasted enough days that I could finally return to work.

As I sauntered into the station on that drizzly Monday morning, I was met with the dazzling smile of our administrative assistant, Emi. She always had a grin on her face, and cracked jokes like they were going out of style. That drizzly Monday morning was no different.

"Morning Eijiro!" She said cheerily through a playful grin. "Thought you were fireproof, huh?"

"Morning Ms Fukukado." I laughed in reply. She was many years my senior, and I'd never been able to drop the formal address, even after working at the same station for as long as we had. "I might not be fireproof, but I'm healing up just as fast as usual."

"Nobody likes a boy who finishes fast..." She teased as I passed by her desk. "Just kidding!! Hahaha, tell old Grumpy Pants Shota that I'm still waiting on that date!"

"Yes, Ms Fukukado." I sighed, entering the break room. Hanta was in his usual position on the couch, though he'd fortunately remembered to set up his boots with his pants - the usual practice - to prevent tripping over himself again. "Morning Hanta."

He groaned in response, flopping onto his front. Whether he was coming to the end of a night shift, or just starting a day shift, his response was not out of character.

"We didn't get a minute's rest all night!" An excitable voice called from behind me. I turned to see Mei, another of our colleagues, entering the break room. Even from the distance, I could see that she was covered in a thick layer of soot.

"That bad, huh?" I asked sympathetically as I sat at the break room table.

"So many fires!" She screeched, eliciting a groan out of Hanta as he pulled a cushion over his head. "It was so exciting! Nights are usually so quiet and long..."

I vaguely tuned out as Mei continued to ramble, as she often liked to do, and stared at the duty sheet for the day. Mirio was also coming off a night shift, and Hitoshi would be on the day shift with me and Taishiro.

I smiled. I enjoyed working with Taishiro. He'd been my mentor when I first started working at the station, and he'd really helped me grow into the role. I discovered early on that he'd also been branded a hot head in his youth, but even seeing the patchwork of scars over his body hadn't done anything to change my ways.

"Ooh, you're on desk duty?" I heard Mei gasp. "Was your burn that bad? Can I look at it? What shape is the scar? Can I see?"

"Hatsume." Sero sobbed from the couch. "Stop."

My sakura-haired colleague shut her mouth, but didn't hesitate to cast a final glance at my bandaged arm before she headed out of the break room. I counted myself lucky that shift change would be soon, and I didn't have to deal with her all day. She was lovely, just...a lot.

I relaxed back in the wooden dining chair as Hitoshi and Taishiro appeared, the latter chatting Hitoshi's ear off about a new hole-in-the-wall restaurant he'd discovered. When he saw me, he trotted over, a laugh escaping him.

"Yo, Ei!" He greeted, offering me a fist bump. "Heard you went toe-to-toe with a big boy - and lived. Don't say I never taught you anything!"

"Chief Aizawa would beg to differ." I replied, stretching out my shoulder muscle. "He's got me on light duties until I can prove I won't throw myself out of the frying pan again."

"Ouch. Been there." Taishiro huffed. "Feels like it's been forever since we were on shift together! How've you been?"

I grimaced internally. It had been a while since I'd had a proper social life - outside of occasional drinks with Denki and the paramedics - and my dating life was...drought-level dry.