Author's notes:

Hello, this is my first fic. Though I have beta'd for many (Total Command, Unaccounted Variables, Universal Languages, Dost Thou Even Hoist?, Young Midoriya, What's in a Hoard?, Channel Divinity, etc. [PLEASE CHECK THEM ALL OUT ALL OF THEM ARE GREAT AND DESERVE LOVE])

Hopefully, I don't disappoint.

Less gooooooo!

Crossposted on Ao3

Quirks are an interesting phenomenon. How one species could have so many abilities spanning throughout its ranks is incredible. Everyone has their own, and even if they inherit a similar one from their parents the person using it always seems to make it their own. It's fascinating really, how everyone can have something to call their own and identify with it in a way that no one else can.

Except for those who never received one.

Midoriya Izuku was one of the unlucky few. It taunted him throughout his life. His peers turning against him, everyone else avoiding him or ignoring his existence completely. But even to those born quirkless, quirks were too fascinating to resent. Especially to a massive hero fanatic like Izuku. Thankfully there exists a place where the most interesting quirks are shown off, advertised, and pushed to their limits.

The UA University Sports Festival, where the soon-to-be heroes advertised themselves and their abilities, hoping to be taken to the next level of their career in heroics. Every year the events got bigger, more fantastical. It was a sight to behold, to say the least. Izuku couldn't take his eyes off of it for a second, absorbing all of the new information like a sponge. It was the same routine every year and he wished it never had to change. But it did.

Izuku lamented his lack of free time as he washed the dishes, but he couldn't ignore his responsibilities. He needed to take care of Safe Haven. His Safe Haven. The café he would go to whenever he felt down and where his mother would heal him with her words. She had named the café for this very purpose after all; to help people.

He smiled as he remembered how his mother poured her heart and soul into this place, not only to make a living but for everyone else she affected. Especially her baby boy. But now he was the one taking care of her. She could no longer work, so Izuku took over the establishment during his last year of High School. He didn't complain; he would break his bones in a million different places before he let the Safe Haven Cafe go under. Thankfully he had experience as he'd basically lived there for his entire life and was ready to take the mantle as it was abruptly shoved into his hands.

But even though he loved his job, he still regretted not being able to watch all of the sports festival, his inner hero otaku sobbing at not being able to see the tournament or the finals. But at least he got to see little snippets from the patrons that watched it inside his café. They knew of his love for heroes and quirks in general and showed him some clips, laughing at his excitement at every clip. There was a girl who could bring her drawings to life, a boy with exhaust pipes coming from his calves, and a boy with red hair with lightning crackling around his body as he destroyed the ring with one of his punches. Izuku would always be seen with a notebook by his side, filled with information on heroes and their quirks. He never hid his love for heroics and he wasn't going to start now. One of the most interesting students was a beautiful girl who pulled a cannon out of her stomach… A CANNON! She showed to be very resourceful in the race and the cavalry battle, pulling out whatever item she needed whenever she needed it. He sadly didn't get to see her battle in the tournament but he could imagine it was amazing with that quirk of hers.

'I'm just happy that they seem strong enough to hold their own… that whole situation at USJ must have been terrifying.'

To think that he used to believe he could live up to people like that, it was ridiculous for a quirkless person to become a hero. He realized it now, it didn't make it hurt any less but he still knew. But with Safe Haven, he would help people in other ways, be it as simple as a cup of coffee to brighten up someone's day or talking them through their problems. He was content with that.

It was getting late, Izuku started to pack up shop when he was interrupted by the sharp ring of a bell, signifying he had a customer. He was looking forward to rushing home and watching the sports festival now that he had time and it was all online, but he would never turn a customer down. He sighed in disappointment but kept a genuine smile.

"Welcome to Safe Haven, how may I help yo-" Izuku said as he looked up, only for his thoughts to be interrupted by that same girl with the same amazing quirk entering his café. Her onyx cat-like eyes almost seemed to stare through him instead of look at him. All Izuku could think when he saw her was...

'She looks so sad…'

"Oh! You are that girl from the sports festival!" Izuku said with his smile growing. 'Maybe complimenting her quirk would cheer her up?' "Your quirk is super cool! Do you pull objects out of your body? Where does it come from? Do you have like a separate dimension where you store objects to be used later? Oh man, think of all the possibilities with that that is so amaz-" Izuku cut himself off as he saw the eyes of the girl darken, it seemed to have the opposite effect of what he intended. "I-I-I'm sorry… I get carried away whenever quirks are involved. But it is great to meet you, how can I help you?"

"It's okay, um… I'm not sure what I want. What would you recommend for someone trying to relax and clear their head?." The ravenette gave a soft smile, but he could tell it was shallow.

"Alright, I think I have just the thing." Izuku knew all of the coffee beans in his café by heart, he knew how to mix them and he knew what would help in certain occasions. He began to grind the beans that he would need with finesse. It was easy to see that she was not in a good place, so he put in his all to help remedy it. Once the water was at the perfect temperature, he began the next step of the brewing process. He noticed the girl looking at him in awe and smiled, knowing that this was at least distracting her from the thoughts that taunted her before. Before the girl could even fully understand how it all worked, Izuku placed the mug in front of her with a proud grin. "There you go, a hazelnut blend. This should help calm your nerves. There's cream and sugar to your right if you need any."

"Thank you." The girl took a sip with an air of royalty, letting the bittersweet taste soak her tastebuds to see if it needed anything and decided to pass. Taking a seat at the counter across from Izuku, she closed her eyes as she the blend. She opened her eyes and saw him staring at her expectantly, hoping she liked his blend. "This is amazing, thank you so much, Mr…"

"Midoriya Izuku." His smile grew knowing that he could at least give her some good coffee.

"Mr. Midoriya." She said with a smile. "My name is Yaoyorozu Momo, it's a pleasure to make your acquaintance." Her smile fell after a while as she stared down into her mug, a comfortable silence fell between them as Izuku continued to clean up his shop. She saw him occasionally steal glances at her when he thought she wasn't looking. Usually, Momo would be irritated with a boy sneaking a peek at her, but she could see in his eyes that they were only filled with concern. 'Nothing lecherous like the purple bastard that was in her class. Seriously, how did he even make it into the hero program? Despicable...'

"Ms. Yaoyorozu, is everything alright?" Izuku asked with concern heavily showing in his features. Momo noticed that she was glaring at her cup and quickly tried to dismiss it.

"No no no, I'm fine. Thank you. I was just remembering something." Momo waved her hand to dismiss his worry, even though they just met she could still see that his care was genuine. It seemed like he wore his heart on his sleeve and never took it off.

"Would you like to talk about it? I know that we just met but… I want to help. I'm sorry if I am imposing but I couldn't live with myself if I didn't try to help everyone I can." Izuku spoke his heart, he always seemed to be butting into people's business. Sometimes they got angry but it was his natural instinct to butt into problems and try to help as much as he can.

Momo took a sip of her coffee and sighed. "I'm glad I'm in UA, it is a dream-come-true to learn where those we aspire to be frequented. But it all has been weighing down on me lately… It's a lot of pressure."

"I can imagine, especially with that attack at USJ. I'm just glad people like you were there to defend yourselves. Who knows what might have happened if you couldn't," Izuku pondered as he cleaned the last of the mugs to put on the rack.

"People like me?" Momo asked with wide eyes.

"Y-yeah." Izuku rubbed the back of his head in embarrassment. "Your quirk is fantastic, you were so level headed during the race and you always had something up your sleeve for every situation in the cavalry battle. You are amazing at what you do, from what I have seen anyways. I know you made it into the tournament but since I work here full time I wasn't able to see how you did. I was actually planning on seeing the rest tonight..."

Momo's eyes were wide with his declaration. She never expected anyone to say that to her, especially one that met her only a few moments ago. But at the mention of the tournament, she looked down in shame, remembering her quick defeat at the hands of Tokoyami. "You're exaggerating… I'm sorry to spoil the tournament but I was taken out in under two minutes." Her eyes darkened as she observed the swirls in her coffee, trying to distract herself from her utter defeat. "I failed miserably."

"Mmm…" 'So that is what this is about.' "I'm sorry, but I have to disagree. You were by far the most impressive student that I got the pleasure to see during the festival. I'm pretty sure everyone with eyes could notice the promise that you hold in being a hero. I truly believe that you are going to excel in any endeavor you choose to take in your future career." Izuku only told the truth, sincerity shined through his eyes at Momo. "Even if you didn't make it far in the tournament portion of the festival, you showed enough for everyone's eyes to be on you when it counted." Izuku smiled as he said that last bit.

Momo blushed at the green haired barista, not expecting this sort of praise from someone that barely knew her. She tried to respond but the words died in her throat.

Izuku cleared his throat as he blushed as well. "S-sorry if I said too much, It's hard to stop me when I start rambling. But if it makes you feel better I am a terrible liar." Momo chuckled but appreciated his sincerity.

"Thank you…" The clouds in her head started to clear a little, opening up some room for a ray of sun to poke through. She still had doubts but the nice boy's words hit her in the right place.

Another wave of silence fell upon them, until Izuku came to the other side of the counter and held out his hand. "Come over here, the beanbags are much more comfortable than these stools."

Scarlet invaded her cheeks as she stared at his hand before taking it, letting him help her stand. For the short amount of time he held her hand, she basked in its warmth. But it faded as he let go and started to walk towards the lounge area of the café which students would use as a base of operations for their study groups. A lot of the upperclassman mentioned this café and she was curious to see it, especially since it was so close to the dorms. But now she was learning that the Safe Haven Café was living up to its name. Even though she has known the barista for a very short amount of time, his sincerity made it so that she could somehow trust him. She took another sip of the delicious blend that he made and followed him.

Izuku exaggeratedly flopped face first onto the green bean bag. "I never get to use these even though I'm here basically every day. Sooo comfyyyy~" Momo laughed at his antics and softly sat onto a bean bag to not spill her perfectly made coffee.

Izuku turned around and got into a more comfortable position, now sporting a huge grin because he managed to lighten up her spirits more. "You wanted to relax, so I want you to try this out for me. Get into a comfortable position and close your eyes. Try to forget about the past two weeks; no USJ, no sports festival. Let go of the world and relax." Izuku closed his eyes and seemed to sink more into the bean bag.

Momo decided to oblige, closing her eyes and taking in her surroundings with her other senses. The delicious smell of the coffee, the sound of Izuku's soft breathing in the otherwise silent café.

It was serene.

After about five minutes Izuku opened his eyes and was about to speak up before he noticed that Momo was sound asleep. The exhaustion of the last two weeks was now showing its head as she softly curled up like a cat with her half-empty mug sitting by her side. Izuku smiled knowing that she was at peace at least for a little bit, feeling a little proud that he could make her feel better. He picked up the mug and put a fluffy blanket he had in the back over the hero-in-training so she could sleep peacefully.

For the next half hour, Izuku let her sleep. He cleaned everything and made sure the café was ready for when he returned the next morning. As much as he detested to do so, he gently woke up Momo. "Ms. Yaoyorozu, as much as I want you to get rest I need to close up the café."

Momo groggily opened her eyes and stretched with a yawn, again seeming almost cat-like in her mannerisms. Once she woke up a little more and noticed what happened, she blushed profusely. "I-I-I-I'm so sorry! I must have dozed off. That's so embarrassing… How long was I asleep?"

"Around half an hour, maybe a bit more. I didn't want to disturb you, you looked so peaceful." Izuku helped her up and handed her a to-go cup with another freshly brewed hazelnut blend. "You didn't finish your drink. I made a new batch so you don't have to worry about cold coffee." His smile was so bright it was hard for Momo to look directly at him.

Momo's blush never faltered as she mumbled out a small thank you, before suddenly remembering that this establishment was not a charity. "Oh! How much were these worth? I need to pay you before I-" Izuku held up his hand, stopping her in her tracks.

"Don't worry about it, it's on the house. I just hope I could help you with your dilemma." Izuku started heading to the door. "Plus, I would have to open up the register and I just locked it, I can't be bothered to open it up again." He held the door open and gestured for her to leave.

Momo was conflicted; this boy was too generous for his own good. She felt like she was taking advantage of him, but when she looked in his eyes she could tell that he had no regrets. He wasn't trying to score any 'brownie-points' with his generosity, he didn't have any ulterior motives. He just wanted to help a person in need. The grey-eyed girl gave a shy smile as she headed out the door, waiting for him to lock up before saying anything else.

"Thank you Mr. Midoriya. For everything. You could have just treated me as any other random customer and not paid me any mind, but you gave me your valuable time to lift my spirits."

"That is how I treat every customer in need." He pointed to the sign above him. "It's called Safe Haven for a reason, my mother wished this to be a place for people to heal. To feel, well, safe. I might not be able to become a hero, but I can sure as hell do what I can to help. Whether it be by acting as a 'therapist' of sorts, or…" He gestured to the cup in her hands. "A simple cup of coffee."

Momo was once again shocked at the sweet boy's words. "I see… well, if it's any indication I think you would have made a great hero." Izuku's bright green orbs seemed to sparkle with her words. No one, not even his mother believed that he had what it took to be a hero. Now he had confirmation that even if he couldn't risk putting himself in danger lest he leave his mother behind, he could keep doing this and help people with a smile.

Just as he always dreamed of doing.

Izuku wiped his eyes but beamed brightly at Momo. "Thank you. You don't know how much those words mean to me."

Momo smiled and nodded, glad that she could make him feel even a sliver of what he did for her. "You're welcome Mr. Midoriya."

"It's Midoriya."

"Pardon?"

"Drop the mister, it makes me feel ancient. I'm only 18, you know." This revelation came as a surprise to Momo, the way that this boy spoke made him seem much more mature than his age. Of course, she saw he was still young but never would she have imagined that they were the same age.

"Only if you call me Yaoyorozu, Midoriya," Momo said with a blush again finding its way to her cheeks.

"Deal."

They said their goodbyes and went their separate ways. Izuku heading home to take care of his mother, and Momo heading back to Heights Alliance; both assured that the paths they were taking for their futures were the right ones, and both wondering when they would meet again.

Author's notes:

I hoped you liked it, I am gonna make more of this so stay tuned. Leave a review if you have any criticisms, see something wrong, or just have something nice to say. Thank you!

See ya in the next chapter :D.