The Art of Roasting Coffee Beans and Entitled Heroes

Chapter 4 - Obsession

Katsuki prides himself on his cooking abilities. He's always been good at throwing together awesome dishes out of whatever ingredients he has in his kitchen without recipes to guide him. 

So how hard could it be to figure out what's in the mocha Izuku keeps making him?

Fucking hard, that's what. 

The process takes nearly two weeks. In those two weeks, he scours the internet every night before bed, trying to figure out how Izuku makes that stupid coffee taste the way it does. It can't be that difficult or have that many different ingredients. It's a fucking mocha that he whips up in less than five minutes, for Christ's sake. 

But every night, he thinks he has the recipe down, and every morning, he strolls into a different coffee shop and tells the baristas exactly what to make. And every morning, he's left with a disgusting-ass mocha that he doesn't finish. 

Something that should also be noted is that Izuku is majorly underselling his abilities. Regarding coffee prices, Izuku's were on the lower end. With the quality of the drinks he made there, he could be charging an arm and a leg, and people would still pay for them. But, of course, Izuku was underselling himself. That's the way the nerd's always been. 

After a lot of trial and error, Katsuki finally receives a drink that tastes almost identical to the one Izuku makes. Part of him still thinks it's not as good, but that's neither here nor there. Doesn't matter. He finally got his damned drink. 

The first sip tells him that it's the right drink. But there are no butterflies in his stomach. 

On the second sip, it tastes just as good, but still no weird tingly feeling in his chest. 

By the third drink, he's beyond frustrated. 

Everything is perfect. He finally got it right, but everything is still so wrong. Why doesn't this drink make him feel the same way? It just doesn't make sense, no matter how he looks at it. Why the hell doesn't the drink make him feel the same way?

Katsuki decides that tomorrow, he must return to The Little Leaf Cafe. This way, he can settle shit once and for all. He'll be able to figure out why the hell Izuku's coffee makes him feel differently than any other coffee.

* * * 

The following day, it's perfectly sunny and even a little warm as he walks to the cafe. He keeps a brisk pace, eager to get this over with once and for all. The minute he steps through the doors, Izuku's head whips around, and their eyes lock across the room. Katsuki sucks in a breath and struts up to the counter. It's just Izuku today behind the counter, but the cafe is full of customers and light chatter. Soft lo-fi music plays in the background, creating a pleasant, light atmosphere.

"Same thing as usual?" Izuku asks. "Or can I make you something different?"

"Make me something different this time," Katsuki replies, interested in seeing what else the nerd can come up with. 

"Anything in specific you're wanting to try? Or can I pick? I kind of have something I wanted to try out."

"Just something different; I really don't care." Katsuki shoves his hands into his pockets and focuses on the counter space between them. 

"Alright, give me just a little bit, and I'll have it right out!" 

He grunts in reply and leans back on his heels as he watches Izuku work. The nerd's wearing a light blue polo that's about a size too small, giving Katsuki a perfect view of Izuku's muscles as they flex and move beneath the fabric as he operates the expresso machine. His eyes catch on his forearms as he holds the small milk pitcher below the steamer. Part of him feels silly for watching Izuku so closely, but his back is turned, so there's no one to catch him staring so creepily.