A/n: part 1 was called "horchata"

                                                                                         Crust

"Mina, make sure you stir the apple compote, please. Your break is in fifteen, I believe when the proofing timer beeps."

"Okay boss!"

You are making crust and it has been a very busy Sunday. Your bakery had a boon somehow over the week, either due to Midnight the pro hero (Midnight! The pro hero!) stopping by and Instagramming her lapis legit slice or Present Mic's visit to get sourdough bread and then talking about it on air.

Present Mic found my cafe?

"Boss, has it beeped yet?"

You check your wrist on habit and swore and turned to the timer. I don't have a watch anymore and it was never set. "Sweetheart, you can go now. See you in 30, okay?"

"Alright, thank you!"

You hurry to the backroom and pull out the proofing sheet and it's fine, not overdone at all. "I still have it." You quietly say, mainly to yourself and there's an unease rolling in your stomach knowing that after everything, you still can keep track like that. You groan and place the tray on the island workspace before walking to the sink and splashing water on your face before patting your arms dry, lost in thought. It must have took longer than you wanted as a loud "Boss, I'm back!" snaps you back to the present. Your mouth is dry and you swallow and you say, "I'm in the backroom."

"Boss, are you okay? You look like you've seen a ghost." Mina is frowning and gently pats your back. "Go sit down at the front! I got the tray."

"Alright, Mina." You walk to the counter and you sit down, turning to face Mina. It's surprisingly clear for 4:39 pm. Mina follows you with the tray and turns the heat on the fryer next to the stovetop. "So, have you done your exams yet for UA?"
Mina smiles nervously and shakes her head. "No, but they're coming up soon."

"They're a lot later than back then." You say this mostly to yourself but Mina turns and fixes a questioning look on you.

"You went to UA?"

"Ah, Mina, the oil. It's probably too hot now."

"Oh oka- now you're distracting me!" Mina giggles and turns around to face the fryer, lowering the heat down a little. "It's okay though. You don't have to tell me. Could you help me with studying for the practical exam, like the heroes part?"

"Sure hon. Can you tell me about neighborhood watch heroes?"

"Uhmm... Oh! Those are the heroes that have a scheduled area to patrol, unlike heroes like All Might and Endeavor that have more flexible but irregular places scheduled to patrol. I don't remember what the term is for them, though." Mina pauses to drop a few blobs of dough into the fryer. "Ingenium is a neighborhood watch hero!"

"Yeah, good job. All Might and Endeavor would be called variance heroes. Do you want to go over hero classes and statuses?"

"Well, the main four classes are rescue, strike, recon, and flex!" Mina turns the frying dough carefully. "And for statuses, there's public, private, underground, and retired. Public heroes would be like... Endeavor and Ingenium! They serve the public and work in hero agencies and can be called in for emergencies at any time. Private heroes are hired, like bodyguards!" Mina scoops the cooked doughnuts into a drying rack laden with paper towels. "Underground heroes are a sister class to public heroes, but they never have a public debut, have limited released info, and records for them are usually private. And retired heroes are heroes that retire from the business, but can still be called in under special circumstances."

"You got it! Mina, I think you're gonna do fine, you know the basics they expect you to know for the exam. Just keep seeing that math tutor, okay?" You both laugh and you hear a quiet chuckle and you both turn around to face the counter, where Eraserhead was standing.
"Oh, hey Eraserhead! Feeling better?" You ask, smiling. When... did he get there? I didn't hear the door chime.

"Yeah, thank you again. Could I get a cafe con leche and... a ginger strawberry turnover." Eraserhead has a faint smile and is surprisingly good-looking when not beat up. "You know a lot about heroes." He comments, looking straight at you.
"Yeah? They were my topic for AP Research in high school." You flash a grin, hoping it doesn't look nervous before heading over to warm his turnover. Your stomach is in knots and you are counting in your head as you will your hands to stop shaking as you make his drink.

"Anyway, kid, if you have the potential, you'll get in. Don't sweat it too much."

"Ah, really? Alright, thank you, sir!" Mina turns off the heat on the fryer and glances at her watch. "Boss, I gotta go. Do you need me tomorrow?"
You shake your head, saying, "Nah. We're gonna be closed tomorrow. I'll see you at 5 pm on Tuesday, alright? Take some food home." You pass Eraserhead his order and give Mina a hug before waving her out the door.

The cafe is quiet and Eraserhead is sitting near the counter, checking his phone before setting it down and looking at you. "Why don't you have working hours published for the cafe?"

"I'm a workaholic! I like doing things when I can so I open when I want to." You return to your perch on your stool behind the counter, shoving your hands under your apron. "I also have a weird sleep schedule and both are partially the fault of my old job anyway."
Eraserhead raises a brow at that but doesn't pry.

"Eraserhea-"

"Call me Aizawa."

You smile and tell him your name in return. He faintly smiles and sips his drink, glancing away towards the wall. "Alright, well Aizawa," You say, placing emphasis on his name. "Did you happen to tell a couple heroes about my cafe?"
Your tone is teasing and Aizawa stifles a groan, placing his face in his hands. "I told them not to bother you and not to make a big fuss, but they did."

"They weren't a bother at all! Just unexpected, that's all." You feel a little better now, less tense. "The increase in business is good too."

The door opens and the bell rings and a familiar silhouette appears.

"Ah, Yagi! Welcome in. Do you want your usual?"

"Yes! Thank you, Pen." You flash him a look and he grimaces. "Sorry, habit." Out of the corner of your eye, Aizawa's face remains carefully neutral. So he doesn't know. Probably for the best, unless Yagi took the job. Things will get complicated then.

"Here or to go?"

"Here, please."

You pass him a blueberry muffin and mug full of chamomile tea. Yagi walks off towards the bookshelf and you hear creaking; Aizawa stood up and returns his mug and plate.
"Thank you." His voice is smooth and quiet and you collect the dishes off him, placing them in a bin under the counter.
"Thank you," you echo. "Stay safe out there, okay?"
Aizawa smiles softly and pats your hand before walking out of the cafe. You stare off after him for a moment before furrowing your brow and walking to the open sign, turning it off.

"Alright, why are you here?" You ask, walking over to Yagi and sitting down.
"I need... advice on if I should take the teaching job." He is visibly nervous and you really don't know what to say.

"I mean... It's really up to you? How much time do you have left?"

Yagi sucks his teeth, putting his head in his hands. "I have under four hours."

"Well, you need a successor, right? It'll help. Plus, it'll be a good job to have when you retire." You say, reaching out to hold one of his hands, rubbing circles into it. Yagi pulls away, wringing his hands together for a bit before going to drink his tea.

"I can't though. All Might cannot retire ye-"

Your voice is sharp and colder than you meant it to be, but you are angry.

"Yes, you can. All For One is dead. We made sure of it."

Yagi paled at those words and he has never been a good liar and you are cold, cold to your bones and dread is building in your stomach and everything feels too close, too big.

"There's a rise in villain activity, particularly with Trigger and organized villain groups like the League of Villains."

There is an unsettling silence and you want to get out.

"Yagi. He is dead... right?"

Yagi doesn't answer and you feel sick.

"We never found his body in the rubble and..."

He trails off and you know why he didn't tell you and you are ill. Your stomach is rolling and there is a drum in your head and you can count the seconds and know the amount of time to efficiently mash in Yagi's face, even without your quirk. "You told me he was dead, Yagi." Your voice is watery and stretched too thin and you can feel the tears building up behind your eyes.

"Why the hell would you..." You press your face into your palms, your wrist is searing and you remind yourself that you don't have a watch, you do not own any watches. "I need you to leave." Your anger has left you and you are tired, so very tired.

"I'm sorry, Pe-" Yagi quickly shuts his mouth and he softly says your name. "I'm sorry." He echoes, moving to the door.

The bell jingles and the door closes; Yagi is gone. You cry openly now, in frustration and anger and you don't know how to feel. Time passes and the tears stop and you get up. There is unease in your stomach as you lock up the cafe and go to text Mina that she won't need to come in on Tuesday.

You catch sight of the clock on the wall and bile comes up; you race to a trashcan and vomit.

The cafe doesn't open for three days.

A/N: honestly might do this into a book i mean i already have the chapters written in my notebook, just need to be typed :/