The Art of Roasting Coffee Beans and Entitled Heroes

Chapter 1 - Surprise Me

The sun shines through the coffee shop's big windows, bathing the establishment in the beautiful, golden light of the early morning sun. When looking at different buildings, it was the big, antique-looking windows that really won Izuku over in the end. While this location wasn't quite in the heart of the city, the building was truly a sight to behold. 

As far as renovations went, a lot of work had to be done on the building before Izuku could even think about opening up for business. While it was an older building, the place had lots of charm and character that couldn't be found in any of the other available spaces the realtor had shown him. 

So far, the cafe has been a huge success. Whether it was the quirkiness of the building that drew in customers or the drinks themselves, Izuku didn't care. He had lots of customers who seemed to enjoy coming there, and that's more than he ever dreamed. He'd been extremely anxious about the possibility that he might not get customers after all the work and money he had put into renovating and restoring the building. But so far, everything was going perfectly. 

He'd elected to paint the shop's interior a pretty sage green color and had many different plants hanging around the room's perimeter. There was a second-hand piano in the corner of the shop that kids liked to come in and play cute little songs on, and the aroma of coffee and baked sweets always hung in the air. All in all, it was a cute cafe with a nice and cozy atmosphere that people seemed to enjoy. 

He'd elected to name it The Little Leaf Cafe. It was a nice play on the plants that filled the space, as well as tea- if that was your thing. As far as drinks went, Izuku was always experimenting with different recipes and flavors, so the drink selection was extensive. And while he'd never been blessed in the cooking department, baking seemed to be one of the things he was good at, so the pastry case was always full of delicious snacks and sweets. 

It's early Monday morning, and Izuku is working through his opening tasks. He makes sure to water all the plants, get the expresso machines warming up, and then heads into the back to start baking that day's selection of pastries. The first two hours of the morning roll by quickly, and by the time six a.m. rolls around, the pastry case is nearly full, and his opening employee comes in through the back door. 

"You have to stop scheduling me in the mornings," Shigaraki laments upon entering the back room. He shrugs off his black sweater and grabs one of the aprons from the rack. 

"You said you had open availability," Izuku smiles. "Plus, I like to make sure no one is stuck opening all the time since I know none of you like mornings that much." 

He has a total of three employees; Izuku originally tried to run the place entirely by himself but quickly realized how fast he'd get burnt out if he tried to keep that up. 

Shigaraki puts on the apron and then ties his light blue hair back out of his face. "Smells good in here," he notes as he heads to the front of the cafe. Izuku follows him out with the last tray of pastries. "What did you make today?" 

"A few different kinds of danishes and a new bagel recipe. Strawberry swirl is what I'm calling it." 

"Sounds... interesting." Shigaraki leans against the counter as Izuku puts the tray in the display case. After that, he unlocks the door and flips the sign in the window from 'closed' to 'open,' signaling the start of their day. Not long after they open, customers are coming in, and a line forms in front of the counter. Izuku and Shigaraki easily fall into their everyday routine- Shigaraki operates the register while Izuku whips out the drink and food orders. 

The morning rush comes and goes, and then there's the slow lull before lunch. Izuku goes out onto the floor and wipes down a few of the tables, sweeps up some messes, and then heads back behind the counter. Shigaraki is lazing over the side of the counter, looking at something on his phone when Izuku returns. Shigaraki smiles at something on the small screen.