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The bell over the door let out a gentle chime, stating that someone had just walked in.
Y/n looked up from the register, her black mask covering her smile. She watched the blonde boy walk in, his usual goofy expression plastered on his face as he walked up to her.

"Good morning L/n-san" he spoke, waving at the girl.
She quickly deflected his attention away from her as she pointed to the hand sanitizer on the side of the register.

"Good morning Kaminari, remember to disinfect your hands before you go around petting the cats" she said with a cheery tone. The boy immediately complied, making sure to clean his hands properly, knowing Y/n would probably scold him if he hadn't.

"Table for one?" Y/n asked, just as a tabby cat made its way on to the counter and started pawing at her arm. She smiled petting him, making sure her attention was equally divided between the cat and her friend.

"No no, I'm hanging out with a few others. A table for five would be nice, they should be here any minute" Kaminari said, looking around the café. It was quite early in the morning so there weren't that many people there and most of the cats were still asleep, lying lazily on the chairs, shelves and beds.
It was pleasantly warm inside the café, a nice contrast with the chilly morning air from outside.

"Alright, come with me" Y/n gently lifted the cat, putting it back down on the ground before walking past it and guiding Kaminari to a large rectangular table of a soft beige colour, six lilac chairs sitting around it. He sat down and eyed Y/n as she made her way back to the register, waiting in case anyone else was planning on showing up.
Kaminari sighed as he watched an orange cat sniff his pant leg and run away.

"Every time" he muttered in defeat, slouching his shoulders forward.

"I think it's the static that puts them off" Midoriya grinned, appearing in front of him.

Kaminari looked up at the three boys standing in front of him, happy that he didn't have to wait for long. Kirishima sat opposite him, Midoriya next to the redhead and Bakugo at the end of the table, so he was in between Kirishima and Kaminari.

"Did you come together?" Kaminari asked, sitting up straight and resting his arms in the table.

"Bakugo and I did, we met Midoriya on the way" Kirishima said, pointing over at the boy with the green hair.

The four of them easily fell in to conversation, mostly concerned about the coming up exams. They were currently in their last year at UA, having gone through two years of agonizing practice and fighting. But now they were on their way to ending their UA course.

"Katsuki!" Y/n beamed, suddenly noticing the ash blonde and immediately recognising him, even though his back was facing her. Bakugo whipped his head around, his red eyes narrowing at the girl calling his first name. She rushed to his side, slinging her arms around his neck from behind and resting her chin on the top of his head.

"GET OFF Y/N" he shouted, only receiving a slap on the back of the neck from Y/n.

"Don't shout, you'll scare the cats" she hissed, glaring at him from the top of his head. The other three snickered.

Y/n and Bakugo had always been friends. He had had a crush in her when they were tiny, which brought him to protect the girl due to him being the one with the amazing and powerful quirk between the two. Once Bakugo's little crush disappeared, the two were left with a strong sibling type of bond and even though he never showed it in front of others, the blonde held a deep respect and feeling of fondness towards the girl.
Bakugo, in fact, had been the one to introduce Y/n to Kirishima, Kaminari, Sero and Mina, bringing them all to the cat café she worked at one day or another. Midoriya on the other hand had always known Y/n too, but they had never gotten very very close due to Bakugo's hatred for the green haired boy.

"So, will it be only you four?" she asked, eyeing the table.
Kaminari quickly shook his head to say no, holding up one finger.

"We're still missing Shinso" he said, making Midoriya nod.

"Ah, alright, I'll go put some food out for the cats. I'll come back for your order soon" Y/n smiled. She ruffled Bakugo's hair before leaving.

"I love her" Kaminari whined as soon as Y/n left, resting his forehead on the table, his arms sprawling forward.
Midoriya laughed, covering his mouth with his hand, watching Kaminari wail. Bakugo glared daggers at the blonde, letting out a 'tch' sound under his breath. The same tabby from the register made his way over to the group, walking around their feet and rubbing its side on their calves until he jumped up on Kirishima's lap.

The four boys were too distracted by Kirishima gushing about the affection from the cat to notice the chime of the door and the appearance of the boy with the violet hair behind them.

"Hey" he said.

Midoriya nearly jumped out of his skin as he heard the deep voice, turning his head around and looking up at Shinso.

"Hi, Shinso" he waved. Bakugo nodded his way as did Kirishima.

"Hey! Shinso, come sit here" Kaminari grinned, patting the chair next to him.

Shinso gave off a small smirk, making his way around the table and sitting down near the blonde with the goofy smile, his eyes wandering to the ground. Most of the cats were waking up and had started walking around, jumping up on tables and climbing up cat trees. He watched them meow and mess around, his smirk slowly falling into the tiniest soft smile, his tired eyes also looking a little more relaxed.

Shinso had been in the hero course for the past two years, having been bumped up from the General Studies course. He became friends with Denki first, half way through their first year and eventually ended up meeting the rest of his class and also class 1-B. He wasn't used to having so many people around him, especially people that didn't hate him for his quirk.
He didn't trust them at first, but by now, he had become part of their group and would regularly hang out with them.

"I'm back! Are you ready to order?" Y/n said, pinching the bridge of her nose over the top of her mask. Her eyes scanned the group, stopping on the boy that hadn't been there previously, his messy indigo hair pointing in different directions. She watched him keep his gaze on the ground, mindlessly following the cats' movements, his hand going down to pet one of them on the head.

"Ah! Shinso, this is L/n-san" Kaminari gushed, placing his head in the palm of his hand, his happy eyes staring at her. The boy, Shinso, looked up from the ground, turning his head towards the girl standing on the other side of the table, behind Bakugo. His violet eyes met hers, his soft expression quickly turning in to a more careful one.
Y/n caught his eyes narrow just slightly as he watched her.

"I don't believe we've met, I'm L/n Y/n" she introduced herself, pulling her notepad towards her and resting it on his chest.

"Shinso Hitoshi" he replied, giving her a small nod.

"So, are you boys ready to order? I believe school for you starts soon" she questioned, raising an eyebrow at them.

Y/n placed in their orders, and dropped them off behind the bar so they could get made. She walked back over to the boys and limply put an arm around Bakugo's shoulder.

"So, how's it going at UA?" Y/n asked, curious as to what was going on in school. A small wave of nostalgia passed through her body, sending a shiver down her spine. Bakugo sensed it and softly rested his head on her arm, a soft breath leaving him.

"I'm so screwed" Kaminari sighed, his hands covering his embarrassed face from the pretty girl.
Midoriya looked up at Y/n's raised brow and made sure to explain, so she knew what Kaminari was talking about.

"We have our mid-term exams coming up, both written and practical hero ones" he said. Y/n nodded in understanding. Her attention turned to Shinso, who was currently sitting with a black cat on his lap and another one standing in front of him on the table, his paw gently tapping on his wrist. Y/n let out a light chuckle, getting Shinso to look back up at her.

"They seem to like you" Y/n commented, making Kaminari face the purple haired boy.

"Aw man, they don't even get close to me" he pouted.

"L/n-san, order is ready" called the voice of the lady standing behind the bar. Y/n sped off to the back, picking up a tray and placing the drinks on the tray. She made her way to the table and gently placed them in front of the boys. Shinso whispered a short 'thank you' as she put his cup of black coffee in his place.

"Alright boys, drink up. I don't want you blaming me for being late. Aizawa-sensei would kill me" she laughed, gently patting Bakugo and Kirishima's shoulder. She then left, giving them a small wave, making her way back to the register, ready to greet the next clients, a trail of cats following her feet like lost ducklings.
Shinso eyed the small creatures meowing at her as she walked, trotting around her, their tails gently swaying in the air.

The four of them kept an eye on the time as they finished up the last bits and pieces of their breakfast. Bakugo quickly collected the money from everyone and walked over to Y/n, handing her the money.

"I'll talk to you later" he said, his voice softening to a tone he would use only with her. Y/n nodded, quickly pulling her mask down and pecking the boy on the cheek before pulling it back up. She watched the boys grab their bags and leave, waving to all of them.

Kaminari pounced on Bakugo's back, rattling him as they walked, his cheeks stained with fat tears.

"She kissed you, what about me?" he cried, making Bakugo feel particularly pissed.

"LEAVE ME ALONE DUNCE FACE, SHE DOESN'T WANT YOU" he shouted, shaking his body from one side to the other in an attempt to make the electric boy jump off. Shinso watched their interaction in amusement, even though his facial features didn't really give off the idea that he was having fun. However, spending his morning before going to school with cats had really brightened up his mood. He mentally thanked Kaminari for coming up with the idea of going to the cat café, even though he was starting to suspect that it was only to gawk at the girl. Nonetheless, he had enjoyed receiving all that attention from the furry beasts.

Y/n's day went by pretty normally. She had seen a few regulars come in, greeting them heartedly. By the time the sun was starting to set, she was neatly folding up her apron and putting it in her locker at the back of the room.

"I'm going Kaori!" she called, grabbing her bag and slinging it over her shoulder, waving in to the café. Kaori, the lady who owned the cat café popped her head out from under the bar where they made the drinks and waved, a bright smile on her face.

"Alright Y/n. Be careful and say hi to your mother for me" she replied.
At the mention of her mum, Y/n's smile fell, but by then she had turned around and left the café, the small bell chiming at the movement.
She walked down the road, her hand clasping on the strap of her bag tightly. Her gaze followed the pavement dearly, the sunset making it a pleasant hue of orange, until she found herself in front of the famous school UA. Her legs stopped moving, her body turning towards the immense building, its presence towering over anything else in the area, sending a looming shadow over Y/n.
She noticed the doors open, probably letting the teens out after a long day of school work. Her eyes followed the many laughing faces that came out of the big entrance, the pairs that would walk off together, the friends jumping around, others mischievously playing around with their quirks.

"Kiri for the last time. I AM NOT LETTING YOU PLUG THE MICROWAVE IN ME" shouted Kaminari, running away from the redhead who was hot on his trail. Y/n watched them disappear down the road in to the sunset, Bakugo slowly walking behind the two. Even from the opposite side of the road Y/n could tell he was annoyed by his friends' antics.
Y/n resumed her walk, her legs finally starting to walk again. She shook her head, trying to make the thoughts of 'what could have been' disappear.

She eventually made it to the front door of her small apartment.
Y/n unlocked the door to the flat and walked in, gently placing her shoes at the foyer and dropping her keys on a small table at the entrance. She stood still, taking in the deadly silence and the cold emptiness of the small apartment.

"I'm back" she whispered, knowing all too well that no one was there to hear her.

First chapter down! I hope you enjoy! ~Ali