A Vigilante Barista [Vigilante deku, dadzawa]

Chapter 1 - Coffee

[Third Person POV]
[2130 words]

The loud grinding sound of the coffee beans filled the small cafe, along with the bitter aroma of fresh ground coffee. It's a calming sensation when you sit in the warmth of a coffee shop knowing you don't need to freeze outside. Even though the sun had barely shown itself, the morning had begun.

The baristas hands moved quickly to prepare a hot cup of coffee, it seemed as if he had done it a million times. He carefully but swiftly poured the frothy milk into the mug in a way that formed a heart. The barista carried the mug over to the customers table and placed it down quietly, careful not to disturb him from his thoughts.

But the man looked towards the barista with tired eyes. 'Thank you...'

The barista gave him a simple nod, before returning behind the counter to clean.

The man sipped on the coffee and immediately felt rejuvenated. The coffee here was one of the many reasons why he loved the small cafe.

Since he worked during the night, coming to this cafe was convenient. It was open from 3am to 2:30pm everyday, and always clean and quiet. He had been coming to the cafe for a few weeks, every day after work.

He loved it even more when the green haired boy worked; he favoured his coffee. It was never too bitter, never too sweet. Never too hot, never too cold. He felt like he was reborn every time he drank the boys coffee, and he wondered how someone so young could be such a good barista.

The young barista walked around cleaning tables until they sparkled, and watered the stores green plants. The customer smiled, the atmosphere was perfect.

The barista glanced over at the customer. He liked how quiet he was, and how calm he seemed, despite it being 4 in the morning. He would never sigh, despite looking tired and lost in thought.

Many underground hero's would come for coffee in the early hours of the morning, this black haired customer happened to be one of them. He was a regular, he came every day and ordered the same cup of coffee, then sat in the same spot.

Work had been stressful for the hero. He was tasked with tracking down a stealthy vigilante that had been solving all the crimes and problems villains were creating. Not that anyone really cared; it just meant others had no work to do.

The store door flew open, and the little bell on the door rang. The barista looked towards the disruption.

'Izuku! Sorry I'm a bit late, I remembered we didn't have eggs!' A lady in the same uniform as the barista yelled.

The barista smiled, then signed 'that's alright' with his fingers.

The lady looked towards the customer and smiled. 'Good morning Eraserhead!'

'Good morning Nanami... you can just call me Shota...' he greeted with a smile.

'Okay Shota! Well, I have to go start baking. Have a good day!' She bowed, then ran off to the staff kitchen.

Izuku glared at the muddy footprints Nanami tracked into the store. He grabbed the mop from the staff room then began to mop away the dirt. When he was done, he tapped his finger on the hero's table to collect his attention.

The hero glanced up at the teen, whom quickly scribbled onto a note pad and slid it across the table. The hero read it.

I just mopped, try not to slip.

'Thanks kid... I understand sign language though, next time you can just sign it...' He smiled and slid the note pad back.

The teen picked it up and nodded, then got back to work. The hero sunk back into his thoughts regarding the vigilante. He wondered how he'd ever catch someone that had never been seen on a camera. He himself had only seen them once. He had no clue that the person he was searching so hard for had just made his coffee.