Chapter Text
The lantern in front of the bookstore flickered, turning off for a few frightening seconds and you stared at them, unsure what to do if they went completely off, for you had to walk that way back to your car in hopefully a couple of minutes and this area of town wasn’t known as the safest one out there.
Your gaze lingered a little longer on the dim light that broke through the suffocating darkness, watching the soft, pure-white snow fall silently on the sidewalk.
The childish side in you prayed for the snow to stay, so it could cover up the ugliness of this damned city, but the rather reasonable part in you knew that if it would, you would probably slip on it and break something.
You sighed, shivering quite a bit and pulled your cardigan closer to your body, walking over to the heater to turn it up a few degrees, even though your boss wouldn’t like it if he knew that you heated up the little store, for it was too expensive and also, you were alone, you could just put on an extra layer of clothes.
You practically could hear your boss’ voice in your head, so you shook it, to get that damn baritone out of it.
After you warmed yourself up a bit you made your way to the little computer in the backside of the bookstore, going through the e-mails that gathered during the long day, but none of them were that important, only a few orders and one invitation for dinner for your boss, which you forwarded to your boss’ private mail address.
Sometimes you felt more like a personal assistant instead of the bookseller you were.
Another soft sigh escaped your lips, the urge to just go home already was so strong that you were really close to just doing it, ignoring the fact that the store closed only in another ten minutes and that you still had to bring in the package of new books which still stood outside since this afternoon.
The poor books were probably shivering inside their cardboard prison.
»Just get it over with«, you muttered to yourself, after all you would only have to be outside a few seconds, grabbing the package and then running inside again. You wouldn’t freeze to death in that short time. At least you hoped so.
You thought about getting your thick wintercoat out of the small break room, but once you would grab it you would also grab your purse and pack your things along with it and then you would walk out of this store and well, you just couldn’t do that, sadly.
You still groaned though, the packages were sometimes quite heavy, and no one was there to help you, for your only colleague left hours ago, claiming that she had a really, really important appointment, but you just knew from the glittering in her pretty eyes and the lightness in her steps that she would meet up with her boyfriend.
A grin appeared on your face, your thoughts wandering to the conversation you had with her earlier this day, how hard she tried to convince you of the so-called appointment.
She deserved it, though.
She deserved literally anything in the world, for she was one of the sweetest persons you knew on this whole planet and also one of your only friends.
As you wandered off to the door near the cash register, which led to the backside of the building and also the place where the postman placed all of your packages, God bless his heart for always doing so with a friendly smile on his face, even in this cold.
You hummed a simple song, hoping to brighten up your mood a little bit, but instant just spit out muttered curses as you opened the door and an icy breath of air got in your face.
And on top of that the light on the backside didn’t work. This day couldn’t get any worse, you thought to yourself, trying to adjust your eyes to the looming darkness, only then noticing the dark-clothed person sitting with their back against the wall, seeming to be dead.
Or asleep.
You gasped, gaze flickering around to look for, well, danger, since you still weren’t in the safer parts of the town.
But nothing seemed unusual, only the person and the faint smell of burnt flesh that lingered in the air and that you only recognized now as such, for the cold wind before had blown away all smells.
»Uh«, you said, still frozen to the place. »Excuse me? Are you okay?«
No answer from the person, so you gathered all your courage, which wasn’t much to be honest, and took some small steps, getting slowly nearer to the person.
»Is everything alright?«, you asked, a bit louder than before, remembering how people always told you that you spoke too quiet.
The person still didn’t showed any kind of reaction, and at this point you weren’t even sure if they were still alive.
»Should I call an ambulance?«, you muttered, only half asking the person.
You should call an ambulance. You really should, but you never did so before, and the building anxiety wasn’t really helping in this case.
Well, it was never helping in any case.
So you just lingered before the person, thinking about all the other choices you had.
Maybe they were only asleep? Maybe drunk? Or … or maybe a villain attacked them, and now they were bleeding and slowly dying while you just stood there dumbfounded.
In any way, some careful shacking could wake them, but wouldn’t that make possible wounds worse?
You bit your lower lip, knowing that you would have to get really near to check on them.
»Just do it«, you whispered, kneeling in front of the person and peering underneath the dark hood, startling when you found cerulean eyes staring right back at you.
»Uh, are you … alive?«, you tried again, wondering why they didn’t answer before.
»Barely«, the coarse voice of the person rasped and you decided that they could be a he.
»Should I call an ambulance, sir?«
While you were wondering if the ‚sir‘ was a little bit too much, he just laughed.
»Doll, if you don’t get your pretty ass inside your little store I will kill you. Leave me the fuck alone.«
»Excuse me?«, you gasped, not able to comprehend how he could speak so rudely while you were just trying to help.
You looked at him a little bit closer, wondering if he was a villain or just some wannabe thug, and noticed the purplish scar tissue beneath his eyes, roughly patched together with healthy skin, apparently with staples, which you noticed with a shiver.
That must hurt like hell. And he was bleeding beneath it.
»I could get you some band aids«, you offered. »Or some tea and pain killers, maybe? You don’t look good at all.«
»Are you dumb or something?«, he just asked with an eye roll and you decided that he must be the dumb one if he didn’t want help. This ungrateful bastard.
»Fine«, you muttered, standing up and grabbing this damn package, which was for once quite light, before heading in again.
He could die for all you cared.
In the warmth again you decided that he, in fact, could not die. Or should not die.
So you ran to the break room, grabbed one of the blankets laying around there for no apparent reason, a thermos with honeyed tea which you made only one hour ago, a mug and a package with cookies, since he also looked kind of hungry.
Your workplace sadly had no pain killers in their supply, but you were always prepared for anything, so you grabbed some out of your purse, thinking about only giving him one, but deciding instead on giving him all, since everything about him looked quite painful.
Balancing everything you went outside again, feeling his eyes on you as soon as you closed the door behind you.
He said nothing as you threw the blanket at him, which he caught with skilled hands. You placed the thermos, the mug, the pain killers and the cookies in front of him like some fucked up offering, holding up your hands after that in defense.
»I will leave you alone now. Don’t bother to thank me.«
Inside you realized you forgot the band aids which gnawed at you in an unspeakable way.
Just damn it all today, you thought, rummaging though your purse until you found the band aids with the little cats on them and stormed outside again, throwing them on top of the other things, which he was still staring at.
»Thought you won’t bother me again?«, he asked and you wondered if there was some amuse in his voice or if you were just imaging it.
»This will be the last time, for real now«, you said and he muttered something in this low voice of his that you couldn’t understand and maybe didn’t even want to understand.
»By the way«, you added, being done with his attitude and trying to sound as sweet as possible. »Fuck you.«
He cocked his head a little bit, the hood falling aways, revealing ink-black hair and an amused half grin. »Aren’t you a nice one?«
It was more of a statement than a question and you just huffed, already reverting back into trying to actually be the nice one. »I would also offer you to come inside and warm up on top of being nice and bringing you food and pain killers, but since you’re too dumb to accept it …«
»Maybe I want to accept it«, he said slowly and you shot him a quick smile.
»Well, maybe it’s too late for that now, sweetheart.«
»Damn«, he said, placing a hand over his heart. »You hurt me. Right here.«
Suddenly you felt sorry for him, not knowing why you were so pissed at him. Okay, you did know why, but still, he was hurt and hungry and dehydrated and cold, of course he would have an attitude.
»Listen, I’m sorry. If you want to come in, then … just come. I’m a little bit sensible to people behaving like they’re assholes, even when they’re hurt«, you declared, speaking way too fast for him to actually understand you, but he only shrugged, or rather rolled his shoulders, as if he tried to prepare for a fight or something and got up.
You noticed that he was a bit taller than you, so now you were the one peering up at him, instinctively stepping away, since you were standing a bit too close for your liking.
»Doll, I’m always behaving like this. Thanks for the offer tho.« He froze, cursing when he realized he thanked you, even though you said before to not thank you.
»Don’t mention it«, you grinned and he shot you an icy glare, to which you only answered with a chuckle.
»Didn’t catch your name before«, he said, leaning against the wall again and looking you up and down as if he was flirting with you, to which you could only snort. »I didn’t give it to you.«
»Catch a hint«, he sighed, rolling his eyes.
»How about you catch a hint?«, you retorted and he clicked his tongue at your childish behavior, which was, you had to admit to yourself, kinda hot. But only kinda.
»My name’s y/n«
»Nice name«, he said, not offering his, which made you a little bit anxious. And curious.
»Thanks, I chose it myself«, you answered without thinking, copying the tone of an internet meme.
He laughed, louder this time. »Interesting.«
Your cheeks were burning up when you realized he made fun of you. »It’s a joke! Damnit.«
From inside you could hear the voices of some customers, wondering where the staff was and you nearly hit yourself for leaving the store alone for such a long time.
Which wasn’t really long, to be honest, but that customers would have to wait is unforgivable in this industry. You would be fired by your thick headed boss. Instantly. Without question.
»I have to go now«, you said, already turning around on your heel and rushing to the backdoor. When you didn’t hear anything from him you turned around again, looking at him insecure. »Bye?«
»Bye«, he agreed, holding up his hand, not even bothering to really wave good-bye at you.
So he didn’t want to come inside, then. You sighed, closing the door behind you and facing the impatient customers who where on the verge of calling your boss, which you could luckily prevent.
When you finally got the last customer to leave you already worked half an hour longer that you initially should have to, and of course you wouldn’t be paid for overtime.
Someday you would quit this job, you decided quietly.
You needed another five minutes to gather up the courage to open up the backdoor and to look if he was still there, but when you did so, he was already gone, leaving nothing behind, not even the way too cute kitty band aids that you gave him.
You giggled at the thought of him using the silly band aids, how he would stick them on himself with a half-pissed expression.
At home, after taking a scalding shower and eating some left overs from last dinner, you snuggled deep into your soft couch, turning on the TV to watch some news and after that maybe one episode of a k-drama. Maybe even two.
The news were just the same as always, updating the common people on everything that happened today, mostly just how the great heroes prevented some crime, and usually always featuring the golden boy Hawks, whose smile never managed to reach his eyes.
You were already drowsing off to sleep by the monotonous voice of the reporter when you suddenly sat up, for he described how one of the lower ranked heroes failed to catch an known villain, named Dabi, who looked exactly like the young man you encountered earlier today.
The reporter made it sound like he was extremely dangerous, literally a walking menace to society. You shivered a little bit, wondering if he was really so dangerous and why he thanked you if he was a villain.
Even for being an asshole, he still seemed quite nice.
But then you just shrugged, switching to a streaming portal to watch a k-drama, deciding that it was not worth to think more about him.
It’s not like you would ever see him again.
At least that’s what you thought.