Chapter Text
After that day at the cafe, there wasn’t a day gone by that the elusive Executor Muhyo didn’t visit.
It would have been great publicity for the Bakansa Cafe, but Muhyo had threatened the owner that if anyone bothered him while he was frequenting this shop at this particular time he’d make sure to send all their sorry souls to hell when the time came.
As such, the Executor and the cafe made a silent agreement. Muhyo had the cafe to himself in the mornings and would supply good reviews daily and not torment the rest of the staff.
After 11:00 a.m. when the cafe finally opened, Muhyo would silently leave and the work day would continue as usual.
The other people that worked at the cafe that was afraid of him at first eventually concluded that the executor wasn’t here to torment them anymore. More like tormenting one person in particular.
Muhyo requested that the “competent” barista who had made his order perfectly be made his personal server while he was there. At first, Roji tried to refuse, but the boss promised to give Roji a two-cent raise, so he eventually agreed.
Nobody dared disobey Muhyo, so he got everything he wanted. Well…almost everything…
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“What do you mean he’s late ?” Muhyo growled. The girl that had tried to take his order was not Roji.
She explained sometimes Roji came late due to transportation issues and that sort.
Muhyo wasn’t having it.
“He can just take the transportation portals. Or the trolley. They're stationed at every-”
The girl interrupted him. “The closest station for those portals is about a 15 minute walk from here…plus this district of MLA is going under construction for the next couple of weeks so they turned the portals off and stopped the trolley services…”
Muhyo hmpphed and looked away, nodding. She was right. Paige mentioned it offhandedly in an earlier call, but Muhyo hadn’t been paying attention that time. He hadn’t been paying much attention to anything at all…
“Um…sir?...Mr. Executor Muhyo?...?” The girl tilted her body to see his troubled expression.
Muhyo snapped out of his state and shooed the girl away with a quiet thank you. Absentmindedly fiddling with the hook of his umbrella, he stared at the Candy Shop across the street. The rain harshly blew against the big window, the plants against it also being abused by the downpour.
The people outside without their umbrellas ran inside the nearby clothing shops. It was a wonder how many people didn’t check the weather every day. You’d think people would take advantage of the humble weatherman on TV.
The Executor scoffed. If no one expected the rain today, that meant a certain someone had a high chance of also not checking.
Unlike all the other flies, the great Executor Muhyo had checked the forecast. He hopped off his seat and collected his umbrella, heading for the door.
Today’s forecast: Rainy with a chance of one lost idiot…
~~~~~~
“AUGHH” Roji screamed as he turned the corner and the cafe was NOT there. That was the third.. no fourth..
There had been a lot of times this had happened to him. The blond wondered if he was going to be lost forever. The fog and the cloudy skies made it hard to think positively, much less lift his mood…
He shivered from the sharp blast of cold wind as he covered his coat more over his body. He was going to be late for work…it was too cold outside…he was lost…and worse? Executor Muhyo might be waiting angrily right now..maybe wreaking havoc on the other staff in retaliation…!
He trembled but in fear.
Roji sighed, his feet already aching. He wished he hadn’t relied too much on those transportation portals to get to work. And the cute little trolly things. He wished he had enough money to get a bike. Or those fancy MLA Cellphones that had maps that tell you how to get to anywhere you want to go. It would be a lot better than his outdated flip phone that's for sure..
A teardrop fell down his face as he whimpered and went down another path. When another tear fell, he guessed he was more upset about this than he thought. After a few more “tears” started to drop on top of his head, he held out his hand to feel the sudden pour of rain. Roji groaned. Great. Just great…
~~~~~
Roji trudged miserably along the sidewalk, his hair and overcoat drenched, shoes uncomfortably filling with water. Now 40 minutes late to work, Roji was just about ready to give up, phone his boss, and attempt to find his way home when something was thrown at him from behind.
“Ah..! What-?” The blond turned to find a black umbrella on the floor. He bent down to pick it up and still kneeled, looked up to find Executor Muhyo emerging from the fog and walking up to him.
“Yo. What kind of idiot doesn’t take an umbrella on a rainy day?” The short boy grinned down at him. His sleek black hair dripped with water and his eyes shone cloudy blue hues as if they were rain clouds themselves.
Roji blinked in surprise at the sight of him. “M…Executor Muhyo..! You came all the way out here in the rain..?”
The shorter boy scoffed. “You think I was gonna let you bail out on making me my breakfast? Not a chance.” He turned on his heel and started for the cafe. “Now come on. You're gonna’ be holding the umbrella.” His black cape fluttered in the strong winds, the rainwater rolling off him like how it does on the black feathers of a raven.
Roji jumped at his order and scrambled to get up and get the umbrella open. He jogged up to Muhyo and held the umbrella above them, slouching slightly to make sure the shorter one was completely safe from the rain. (not that it mattered. They were both already soaking wet).
After a moment of silence, the rain pattering on the umbrella above them, Roji cleared his throat.
“Thanks for coming to get me…”
Muhyo stared forward, seemingly knowing exactly which turn to take despite the fog. “Yeah.”
A few more moments of silence followed, their shoes walking along the wet sidewalk at different paces. Roji’s shoes squelched uncomfortably. He made a complaining noise from the back of his throat.
The shorter boy sighed and reached into his pocket and pulled out a folded pair of socks. He handed them to Roji, not bothering to turn around.
The taller one took them and stared at them bewildered. “...You just have socks in your pocket?”
“Hey, if you want to walk around with fish jumping around in your shoes, be my guest.” Muhyo shot at him.
Roji stayed quiet for the remainder of the walk and just held the socks in his hands. He stroked the attached price tag with his thumb and smiled. Maybe he had been too quick to judge the executor again after all.
Since he was following Muhyo, he didn’t question when the Executor crossed the street almost on instinct, although Roji felt this was the wrong way somehow...
Eventually, they made it to the familiar street, but they were standing in front of the old Candy Shop with the fancy white lettering on the door. The warmth of the lights inside was inviting and homey. Inside the shop glittered with treats in jars, and comics displayed on the counter.
Roji blinked and looked to Muhyo, who looked to be in disbelief that he had subconsciously led them here instead of the cafe across the street. With a grumble, Muhyo turned and started walking towards the actual destination, Roji following closely behind.
~~~~~~~~~
The little bell rang as Muhyo opened the door to the cafe, wiping his shoes on the mat and whispering some chant that made the wards on the ceiling pulse their writings and flutter with the wind.
Roji was behind him, struggling to close the black umbrella and sticking it into the umbrella cover dispenser next to the door. The stupid umbrella got stuck in the dispenser, and Roji was desperately trying to pull it out.
Muhyo held open the door for him, hissing at the boy to hurry up while the manager stomped his way to the front door. Roji gulped as he looked up at the burly man; his sleeves were rolled up and everything.
Muhyo followed Roji’s gaze and turned around. Muhyo had to admit that the blond’s terrified expression was justified. The guy easily towered them both, and his huge red beard and red eyes didn’t help either. With a face like that, it was no wonder the manager had managed to turn this dump into one of the nicest and most professionally run places on the street.
As the executor was about to step in before the manager started chewing out Roji, the manager surprised them both by scooping up Roji in his arms and swaying him in the air.
“Oh, you are so lucky you made it here alright, boy!” His gruff voice undeniably cracked with emotion. “We were starting to worry!”
Muhyo was awestruck by this display of affection, being reminded of an equally affectionate old man as well.
The blond, meanwhile, had brightened up and had a goofy grin on his face; no doubt relieved that he wasn't getting in trouble after all. The rest of the cafe staff poured out from the back of the house and came to greet Roji as well, half of them to tears with relief.
The manager put Roji down and everyone began to ask him for help with this and that.
Clearly, everyone had missed Roji’s impeccable guidance.
As the barista was whisked away to the back of the cafe, the manager happily patted Muhyo on the back with enough force to almost knock him over. “My crew told me you went out looking for him! Thanks for bringing him to us! I'm sorry I wasn’t here earlier to help out.”
Muhyo shrugged and went outside to easily tug the lodged umbrella from the dispenser. “It’s no biggie. But you do owe me you know. You haven’t forgotten our deal right?” He teased, pointing at the freshly baked pastries inside.
The manager just bellowed out a laugh and held the door open for Muhyo. “Of course not! Anything for you, Executor Muhyo!”
“But I do feel bad for him, you know?” The manager sighed.
“I almost got lost in the fog earlier too, but it was like he full-on got stranded out there! Like in a jungle or something. It must be because he doesn’t know his way around town as easily as the rest of us huh?”
As the shorter boy wiped his shoes on the mat once more, he grinned up at the manager. “Yeah..maybe…” Muhyo paused and looked the manager up and down.
“ I don’t think I’ve seen you around these parts much until recently either, big guy.”
The larger man scratched his nose nervously. “Well, I took over this cafe for my old man a couple of months ago. I'm sure you've met him. But yeah I haven’t been living in this part of MLA too long either.”
Muhyo nodded as he stepped into the cafe and swished to sit at his usual table. “Makes sense. I was wondering what the hell happened that made this place jump in quality so quickly.”
Chuckling, the older man closed the door and took out gardening pruners to cut the dead leaves from the plants near the entrance. “You think so? I’m just trying to keep up with what my dad wanted. He was getting old and well…can’t run a place well when half your voice is gone haha..”
Muhyo folded his arms on the table and set his head down to rest. “Oh yeah, you should have seen it before you came here. Things breaking left and right. Food overcooked, coffee burnt and sour.”
“Yeah, I heard it was pretty bad. Half the staff quit due to some customer complications too…” The manager sighed and Muhyo tried to awkwardly clear his throat.
“But it’s way better now I hope! I mean your reviews have truly helped us out, Executor Muhyo. Can’t thank you enough.” The smile the older man gave Muhyo was genuine and his cheeks were red and joyous.
Muhyo looked behind him and grinned back. “Hey…you worked hard to get this place back afloat. You got talent, and therefore you gave these guys the potential to be better. That deserves some praise.”
_________________
Roji emerged from the back of the cafe smoothly as if skating on ice to Muhyo’s usual table. He did a stupid spin move and gently placed the drink and extra pastries in front of him.
Muhyo rolled his eyes, unable to stop the smirk spreading across his face. “Ok, twinkle toes. ‘Those socks holding up? Or did you already rip them in half?”
The barista just smiled knowingly at the Executor. It seemed like Muhyo still wanted to pretend he didn’t buy the socks just for Roji. Well…it would do him no good to go against what Muhyo wanted anyway.
“They fit just perfectly actually. Thank you again, M- Executor Muhyo, I don’t think I could have survived without dry socks..” Roji smiled gratefully and bashfully tugged at his green apron. He was all dry and his hair was nice and fluffy again.
The dark-haired boy huffed and looked away with a smile. “Yeah yeah. You can keep those by the way. I have enough pairs as it is.
“Anyways, why don’t you tell me what the hell this is? It smells delicious.” Muhyo sniffed the air again to prove his point, pointing at the drink on his plate.
Roji clapped his hands in delight. “Oh yes! It’s hot cocoa! Well, I should say hot cocoa with cinnamon, nutmeg, some white chocolate shavings, coconut shavings, marshmallow bubbles, orange zest-”
The barista’s rant was interrupted by Muhyo’s sudden fit of giggles. “ Orange zest..? Isn’t that overkill?”
Roji stared at him confused. The shorter boy irked and coughed, putting on a stern face.
“... I mean yes, just perfect. Mmm. Now shoo shoo, leave me to my breakfast in peace.”
He almost forgot he was supposed to be the ‘Elusive and Picky Executor’ known for the torment of all who dared to challenge him. Who liked ridiculously complicated orders and was mean and mysterious. It kept people away from him, just the way he liked.
People could get too chummy with the higher-ups of magic law anyway. (The idiotic flies that clung onto the ever-friendly and annoyingly flirtatious Judge Yoichi came to mind.)
The blond just smiled and left the shorter boy with an exaggerated bow and a twirl back to the back of the counter. Muhyo noticed the idiot had even rolled up his brown pants to show off the stupid socks more. The executor couldn’t help the smile on his face as he shook his head and dove into the delicious-looking doughnuts.
Before he could bite into one though, the barista came back with a clean towel. He handed it to Muhyo without a word and quickly walked back behind the counter. It was only then that Muhyo realized he was still dripping wet, and his hair had made a puddle of water on the table.
_____
Roji sighed as he gazed at Muhyo silently behind the coffee station behind the counter. Muhyo had dried his hair and had the white towel draped around his neck as he quietly ate his doughnuts.
His dark cape had been ringed out and thrown on the other chair across from him. Muhyo’s uniform was practical; a white dress shirt, red shorts, buckled shoes…
The blond had to stop himself from seething in slight jealousy at those… awesome MLS suspenders…..what he wouldn’t give to be able to earn one of those…
He felt kind of bad for thinking Muhyo would be “wreaking havoc” on the staff earlier. He knew Muhyo would rather keep to himself nowadays, and he was only really there to torment him now. It seemed Muhyo maybe took out his negative emotions on others, judging from that time he was feeling sad.
Roji grimaced and pumped his fist weakly in the air. For the sake of the cafe, I will do everything to please Muhyo!....Executor Muhyo!
As he thought that, Muhyo burped and excused himself, setting aside his empty cup and plate and dabbing his face with a napkin. Roji quickly spun into action, swiftly emerging from behind the counter to go and collect Muhyo’s dishes.
The barista took his time to gather the dishes, flashing the shorter boy a bright grin. “Was that worth the wait?”
Muhyo chortled. “Hardly.” But he slumped down on the table to rest his head in between his arms, clearly content with his meal.
Roji smiled at this and grabbed a towel from his pocket. He pressed the button at the top to release water and soap and began to clean what he could off the table, holding the dishes in the air with his fingers extended to hold their weight.
The blond stole a couple of glances at Muhyo as he cleaned. The shorter boy looked like he was on the verge of falling asleep. Almost like a kitten.
He shook his head, still unbelieving that this guy could have been any worse than the usual rude customers they got. Muhyo never threw anything or gave them fake money or whatever. And it wasn’t like Muhyo was really much of a hazard anymore either! According to some long-term staff, his attitude used to be worse somehow. That wasn’t a nice thought.
But surely Muhyo wasn’t a bad person, right? He did come to get Roji in the cold and foggy rain. He brought an umbrella for them to share too. And bought him socks beforehand!
Maybe Muhyo was a nice person deep down.
Roji glanced at the umbrella next to Muhyo’s chair, leaning against the leg and dripping the water inside of its plastic cover. “Ah, actually Executor Muhyo…Why was your umbrella closed when you gave it to me?”
“Oh, I thought it might hurt more if it was closed when I threw it at you. Hehe .”
Nope, never mind. Still a jerk.
….a nice jerk….
The blond sighed and put the wet rag on top of the dishes. He then pulled out another rag to dry the table with. He knew he was stalling. The curiosity to know more about this confusing Executor was overwhelming.
“So um…how old are you anyway?” Roji asked as casually as he could. He was trying not to sound offensive.
Muhyo opened his eyes and sat up, chuckling into his palm. “Probably older than an idiot like you, that's for sure.”
Roji did his best to hide his shock. Although he knew better than to assume his age just by his height (after all, most MLA citizens were not any taller) it was kind of hard to believe someone so childish could be older than him.
Well, he is an executor …. Roji didn’t understand how he kept forgetting that this guy was literally in the top ranks of the magic law world.
The blond smiled sheepishly at the shorter one, scratching his head. “Oh! Well, I’m 16 actually! I’ll be 17 in like a month though.”
Muhyo’s grin faltered, and he straightened up while looking away. “Ah…then actually I think we're around the same age.”
The taller one perked up slightly. So they were about the same age!
“Your birthday is next month too?”
Muhyo hid his face from the barista. “It's at the beginning of next year..”
This time Roji didn’t hide his shocked expression. Not like he needed to since Muhyo was facing away from him. He didn’t even know how to feel! He was older than the guy who bossed him around every day!
He was….older than….one of the most powerful executors…
Roji stifled a tear from falling at the thought that someone slightly younger than him had achieved such a huge amazing goal in life at his same age. And here he was…serving coffee at minimum wage…
As if reading Roji’s thoughts, Muhyo composed himself and faced Roji again with a smirk, he continued.
“Hehe…don’t sweat it too much. Not everyone can become an executor, you know. I would give my left leg to quit and work a talentless job like yours.”
After that statement, Muhyo paused and looked back out the window. “Well…almost talentless.”
The barista didn’t know whether to be happy at Muhyo’s half-compliment or to question the fact that the guy who had the most incredible job ever seemed displeased with everything about it.
Roji stared at the ceiling, adorned with hanging vines and expertly written wards. When he went to spritz them with water mist in the mornings, he always admired the pen strokes on the wards that protected the cafe.
He whispered for only Muhyo to hear, not wanting his boss to overhear.
“I kind of wish I had a job like yours though. Even if you say it's hard…”
The blond scratched his head again and stuck out his tongue in a small smile. “Heh. If only I knew how magic law worked.”
That was…interesting…
So Roji’s boss had been correct. It seemed Roji hadn’t been at MLA for very long. Or at least not in a while.
Muhyo looked back at the barista, taking him in with all his unruly blond hair and his dorky smile. Holding those plates like he worked at some five-star restaurant or something as the idiot kept staring at the ceiling.
Despite that, this guy had a lot of potential in him, Muhyo could feel it. A power. A strong pull to Roji made him want to keep talking to him. Teach him a few things, maybe help him find a better job if that was what he wanted. Something strange made him want to find more excuses to make him smile and make him annoyed at the same time.
Noticing the awkward pause in the conversation, Muhyo turned back to a half-eaten doughnut he had hidden in between his arms, taking another soft bite. “Hehe…yeah well.. next year I’ll be old enough to open my own office so…If a talentless hack like you ever needs help with a spirit I suppose I'll help you out. Maybe teach you a few things.
“....I’ll even give you a ‘free ghost execution + pastry’ coupon and everything.” Muhyo winked at the barista, which made the taller boy blush and smile at the small inside joke they had.
______________
After Muhyo left at the usual time, the rest of the staff had finished prepping for the rest of the day, and the cafe bustled with its usual clamor. For a rainy day, they sure had a lot of customers coming in anyway.
Roji was in charge of drinks during the usual workday, and taking orders when the rush died down. The usual mojo returned to him, and he could be as deep in thought as he wanted to be while he did his work. He heard the pattering of rain overhead of the shop, the constant dinging of the front door bells, and if he concentrated enough, the rustle of the wards on the ceiling.
He hadn’t even realized he had closed his eyes, remembering Muhyo under the umbrella. His black hair dripped with water, and his icy blue eyes seemed to know where to lead them in the thick rainy fog of that morning. Roji’s mind had emptied, and following him through the unfamiliar streets could have lasted an eternity and he wouldn’t have minded that one bit.
As if they were the only two people on earth, he had felt a calm that he couldn't explain. As if in his very core he would follow Muhyo anywhere; he would feel himself pulling towards him without even meaning to.
Roji periodically snapped out of his trance and looked down to find he had been continuously spraying the whipped cream until it dripped to the floor. Despite that, he felt relaxed and hazey. He looked at his shoes, now spilled with cream, and smiled warmly at the socks Muhyo bought for him.
The tug in his heart felt strong and almost familiar.
But it couldn’t have been familiar, could it?
After all, what Muhyo had done for him today was something Roji had never experienced before.
Maybe he was being too emotional over something so small. And insignificant. But this really was one of the nicest things anyone had ever done for him.
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