As promised, Kirishima visited Hero's Bakery frequently.
It wasn't hard to do, after all, his internship was only two streets away and the walk was nice, especially as the leaves started to fall and crunch under his feet.
Every day, Kirishima came in and sat at his usual spot in the café, and ordered something with caramel in it. Uraraka had said that Bakugou worked on the best caramel dishes and drinks so he wanted to try everything there was to offer.
Plus, caramel was nice with the chilly fall weather. It made him feel soft and warm inside.
He hadn't had many chances to talk with Bakugou since their first meeting mainly because the pastry chef was in the back working most of the time. Even if people griped about his attitude, he was great at what he did, and created some of the most brilliant, awesome works.
Kirishima wasn't fooling anyone, he was definitely interested in the guy.
The first time he returned, Bakugou was nowhere to be seen, but a single piece of caramel cake was ready to go in the display case at the counter. Obviously, Kirishima had purchased it on sight and enjoyed it just as much or even more than the first time.
The second time, there weren't any extra slices of the dessert in the stand so Kirishima had asked for a caramel macchiato. He watched as Bakugou came out from the kitchen to work on the drink at the machines.
Kirishima observed as the man quietly carried out his order with efficiency. He paid close attention to the chef's hands as they flitted about the brewery, and once he finished the drink and handed it off to Kyouka, he looked out across the shop and red eyes met red.
Kirishima beamed and waved. Bakugou scowled and retreated back into the kitchens. Kyouka apologized for Bakugou's behavior and Kirishima told her there was nothing to apologize for.
He was just happy to catch a glimpse of him before leaving for work again.
After the third time, the instances of catching Bakugou working seemed to blur together and Kirishima only seemed to see him on and off depending on the flow of customers that day. If there were a few people, Bakugou seemed more at ease. And, generally, if there were more people in the store, Bakugou was nowhere to be seen.
Even if others had a problem with him, there was just something about Bakugou that drew Kirishima in, past the angry scowls or rough exterior. He enjoyed the chef's pastries, that was for sure, but, he knew that alone wasn't it. Something about the man made Kirishima want to come back for more. Maybe it was the way he carried himself in such a manly way or the absolute devotion he had for his craft.
Maybe it had to do with the sweet smell of caramel that surrounded him.
Kirishima verified the smell one afternoon as he sat in his regular seat twirling a pencil in his hands and squinting at his notes. His boss had asked him to finish his project by the end of the week, but he had some difficulty with working on the paperwork portion of the assignment.
As he stretched and looked out the window at the few people rushing from place to place, there was the soft sound of plate placed on wooden table. He looked at the cake in front of him and then up expecting Kyouka, but came face to face with Bakugou.
"Baku—"
"Shitty Hair."
Kirishima felt his face turn red and he laughed nervously. "Wouldn't hurt to know the names of your regulars, Mr. Killer Caramel."
"—it."
"Huh?" Kirishima asked, mouth tugging up at an odd angle. He didn't really know how to act now that the elusive Bakugou was suddenly in front of him with no warning. The last time they'd met, they had a counter between them, but now, there was nothing and Kirishima could distinctly smell the sweet scent of—toffee, was it? He wanted to breath it in, lean closer into the chef to really make sure it was there.
"I never got it, I said," Bakugou snapped, furrowing his brows and staring down at his cake rather than at Kirishima. "Your name."
"Oh," Kirishima mouthed, then smiled. "It's Kirishima! Kirishima Eijirou."
"You have thick fucking skin," Bakugou continued.
Kirishima blinked. "You think?"
"Whatever, just shut up and eat the damn cake," Bakugou snarled, pointing at the dessert and making as if to walk back to the counter.
"But, I didn't order anything?"
"Cake's on the house," he responded, gruffly, then louder— "Round face said you've been spending way too much fucking money here."
"Round..." Kirishima repeated before realizing he was talking about Uraraka. "Aw, that's real nice of you guys!"
Bakugou grunted in response. Kirishima picked up the fork, sticking it into his mouth and looking up at the chef curiously.
"Are you on break?"
"Yeah."
"Want to talk a little?"
"About what."
"Anything!" Kirishima laughed, setting his work aside. "Uraraka has told me a little about Kyouka and Iida, but, she's hardly said anything about you!"
"What, you use to work here or something?"
Kirishima thought about it. "Mm, something like that?"
"Hm," Bakugou grabbed the chair across from Kirishima and flipped it around before sitting across from him. "Alright then, Kirishima, why'd you quit?"
"Ahah, I didn't quit, I just had to go back to school! Then, I had to work on finding an internship... which I did, so I'm here again!"
Bakugou grimaced. "You're so fucking smiley."
"Is that bad?" Kirishima asked, without expecting an answer. He cut the cake slice with his fork. Bakugou watched him silently.
"I wasn't lying when I said this is amazing, by the way," Kirishima commented as he ate a piece. "I think your stuff would be really popular in the fall, when it's colder."
"No shit."
Kirishima chuckled, feeling a soft morsel melt in his mouth. "Do you want some?"
"Huh?"
"Some cake."
Bakugou stared at Kirishima in quiet judgment. "You're asking if I want a slice of my own fucking cake."
Kirishima shrugged, picking up another piece on the fork. "It's good, so. I wanna share."
Bakugou's frown seemed to smoothen out a little and he gave a little half shrug of his own before leaning forward and snatching the cake that was already halfway to Kirishima's mouth with his teeth.
"H-hey!"
Bakugou smirked, licking his lips of frosting. Kirishima followed the movement as if entranced. "Not bad."
"Excuse you," Kirishima stammered, trying to recollect himself. "I think it's great."
"I meant you, Shitty Hair," Bakugou snorted as he stood up to leave.
"Me? Wait, wh—"
"Your calculations are all wrong there," Bakugou pointed in the direction of Kirishima's bunched up notes. "Not bad, but it could use some work."
With one last goading smile, the chef made his way back to the kitchen and Kirishima was certain he had turned at least half a shade redder than his hair. He had completely misinterpreted what Bakugou had meant when he had said that and now he looked like a fool.
He was so gay.
It was only after Bakugou had left completely that he forgot he had planned to ask the chef more about himself. At the very least, he hoped that Bakugou hadn't noticed how flustered he had gotten.
YOU ARE READING
Customer Service
FanfictionWhen a new pastry chef with striking red eyes and golden blonde hair shows up at Kirishima's favorite bakery, he's instantly captivated by the man's desserts and charms. There was just something about Bakugou that drew him in, past the angry scowls...