Chapter Text
“Right on time.” You let out a deep breath. You smoothed down your apron as you approached your boss who had just finished handing a latte to a customer. You greeted your boss with a wave. “Hey, Boss. I brought the keys back.”
“Thanks.” He held up his hand as you carefully threw the keys into his grasp. He looked behind you. “Hey, MC, did you hear from Carol?”
You nodded. “She might run a little bit behind but she will be here soon.”
“Is everything okay? Is she sick?”
You made a so-so gesture with your hand. “She was feeling a little under the weather yesterday, but she is doing better.”
As if she was summoned, Carol came in through the front door with the bell announcing her presence. She struggled up to the counter with a tote bag over her shoulder and a duffel bag in the other. She almost wheezes as she asks, “Am I late?”
“Only by a few minutes, but I’m not counting that closely. Just clock in and get to work. We have a lot of customers to handle today.” Your boss made a gesture to the incoming customers that came in through the door. He stepped out of the counter to head back to his office before turning back around to add. “Oh. Before I forget, both of you can head home after your shifts. I’ve got the store covered. For now, if you need anything, I’ll be in my office or in the back room going over our stock.
“Got it, boss,” You said while already setting things up to take on the incoming orders.
“Thanks, boss. Phew. This weather— achoo!” Carol interrupted herself with a sneeze. The bags on her jiggled with the movement making her look down at them. “Let me drop my bags in the break room. I’ll be right back to help.”
You were in the middle of the first customer’s order when Carol came back around the corner and joined you behind the counter. After that, things moved smoothly for both of you. One hot chocolate? Covered. Vanilla Cream Cold Brew? Right on it, sir. Vanilla Caramel Latte? It will be right out, ma’am. A regular flat white with almost milk? No issue at all.
With the two of you there, it was not hard to deal with the drinks even when there was a difficult drink order like the one person who came in and wanted to add every single syrup into one cup with three splendas. That one took a bit to do since they also wanted different drizzles among other add-ons.
Once they paid, both of you relaxed against the counter and just surveyed the group of customers sitting at the tables. One had a laptop and two notebooks out with their double shot espresso drink being moved with a 5-hour energy drink. That one must be a college student.
You looked over to see Carol snatching her orange crucifix from the warmer and inhaling two bites of it. Good, she was getting some food in her stomach.
Then, the front bell rang. You straightened up from your spot leaning against the back counter to go to the serving one.
“Good morning—Ah, it’s you!” You were about to do a regular greeting before you noticed who exactly walked in. Pierrot stood on the other side of the counter, reminding you of exactly how tall he was compared to you. He had a good few inches on you which made you tilt your head up a bit to talk with him. “I was hoping I’d see you earlier. Want something to drink, Pierrot?”
He nods and points at the milkshake on the menu. The strawberry, chocolate and coffee flavored one. You’ve had it before... it’s not really the best flavor combination. Something about the strawberry flavor just throws it off. It was better when you mixed it at home with vanilla or cookies and cream.
“A milkshake? Great. I’ll get that started for you.” Maybe he would enjoy the combo. If not, you can always give him your idea or find an excuse to find out more about his tastes. Is he more of a chocolate or vanilla lover? You gave him a quick smile and gestured over to the two empty tables at the cafe. “Have a seat over there and I’ll bring it over to your table.”
He nods and walks away from the counter as you turn to pull out the ice cream from the freezer. You pulled out both tubs before Carol came up beside you with a confused expression. She looked between Pierrot and the ice creams. “Drinking something that cold in this weather?”
“Would you really turn down ice cream even if it was winter?“ You questioned, pulling out the scooper from the drawer and wetting the metal with water from the sink.
“Well, I’m not drinking hot chocolate in the summer.” Carol mumbled before her eyes widened in sudden realization. She looked back at Pierrot and specifically his red costume before gazing at you with a teasing grin growing across her face. “Wait. Is he your—
“Hey, MC. Can you come over here for a second?” Your boss called out to you, interrupting Carol. You gave a look at Carol before setting down the ice cream scooper and walking towards him. You went to the employee swinging door of the counter where he was standing. “Did he buy anything?”
Oh. That’s why he called you over. You nodded. “Yeah, a milkshake.”
“Good. I don’t want those guys hanging out here without buying anything.” Your boss glanced over at the tables then he stepped back away from you.
You frowned, turning towards the tables where Pierrot sat to see him leaning his chin against his palm, staring at you fondly with a smile. He wiggled his fingers at you in a wave so you copied his motion with a small chuckle. You turned back to your boss who was staring in the same direction with a weird expression until his gaze went back to you. He leaned down and whispered. “Can you just let him know I would appreciate it if he didn’t hand out those flyers here?”
“Will do, boss.” You responded.
You twirled around, heading right back to the mixers where the ice cream tubs were waiting. Thankfully, the ice cream was a little more melted due to the time that the boss called you away. You took the time to scoop out hefty amounts of both flavors into the shaker. Then, you took one of the coffee pots and poured in the require amount.
You looked over at Carol while you put the ice cream away to see her going through the familiar motions of a vanilla cream drink for a young pre-teen. It was just steamed milk with vanilla syrup and whipped cream on it. Honestly, it was pretty nice to drink it during winter since it was warm.
You started to think about the warm vanilla milk as you turned around to the customer side of the counter. Maybe you could make—
Pierrot was right there at the counter and watching you with a steady gaze. You almost jumped. Almost. But you were distracted as his mask started to show a toothy grin the longer you stared at him.
“Pierrot, you almost scared me.” You said, walking closer to the counter and slightly leaning towards him which made his pupils shrink at the motion. You nodded behind him. “I thought you were sitting at your table.”
He’s so close to you. His yellow eyes and black sclera... focused on you. Before you could ask what was wrong, he grabbed your arm and gestured a clawed finger at you to come closer. Something about that ‘come hither’ motion drew you closer to him with no hesitation.
He crouched down and leaned over the counter with his eye never leaving yours for a single moment. Pierrot tilted his head to the side to whisper into your left ear as you gazed at his side profile.
“Is he... being mean to you, my liege?” His voice was deeper than the night before even in a whisper. The sound of it sent excited shivers down your spine.
“Hm. My boss? No, he’s actually quite nice. He just wanted to ask me about something and gave me a few reminders.” You didn’t want to tell Pierrot about what your boss had said, it would come off a bit rude. Your eyes linger at his neck ruffle with the black fabric on top and the yellowish-gold color underneath.
Pierrot continued to stare at you, his pupils dilating under your careful gaze. He quietly asked, “Will you... come tonight?”
“To the circus?” You smiled as he gave a shirt nod which made the bells on his hat jingle with the movement. “Yes, I made plans with my friend to go together tonight. I’m looking forward to seeing your show.”
“That makes me happy.” Right then, his gaze traveled down just a bit where your collar sat on your neck. A blush started to form on his cheeks the longer he stared. Ah, he must have noticed the color you chose that day. He let out a heavy breath, forcing his gaze back up and away from the burgundy collar. “Will you promise to use my ticket tonight, my liege?”
“I promise.“ You said it without hesitation.
Pierrot did not let go of your arm which made your eyes fall down to his hand where you could see the claws on your skin. Are they strong enough to pierce your skin? Could he scratch you? If so, how deeply? What would he look like with scratches? The ongoing thoughts made the inner part of you heat up while you trailed your fingers across the clawed fingers.
However, your attention on his claws made him pull back from you. He let go of your arm to bring his hand towards his mask and made a silly face. You smiled at him.
“What’s with the tickets, anyway? Why are there so many colors?“ you asked quietly.
He didn’t have time to whisper an answer before the cafe’s bell interrupted you. You turned your head to see a mother and her child walk in. Once the child spotted Pierrot, their eyes lit up in excitement. “Mommy, look! A big clown!”
You tried to hold back your laughter as Pierrot tilted his head at the child in mild confusion. “Haha. Lucky you, huh?”
“It’s true darling.” The mother guided her daughter around Pierrot even though she was reaching for his costume. “He’s quite tall, isn’t he? But his circus isn’t for children. It would give you nightmares.”
“No! Not fair.” Her daughter pouted. You watched as Pierrot twiddled his fingers down at her which made her sad mood disappear in an instant as she excitedly waved back at him.
The sweet moment was interrupted as a lady in a suit approached you quite angrily. She looked impatient as she tapped her hand against the counter to get your attention. “Excuse me! I don’t have all day. Can’t you see me standing at the counter? Bring me my coffee, no sugar.”
Before you could say anything, Carol stepped between you and the lady. Her hand slammed down on the counter as she brought the rude lady’s attention back to her. “Ma’am. My coworker is busy with another customer at the moment.” She plastered on the sweetest fake smile she could muster. “I can take care of your order if you could just wait patiently... behind the customer you cut in line.”
You started, looking over to see a short line had started. Oh no, how long did you leave Carol to deal with it on her own? You swore you didn’t even see anyone except the mom and child come in. You stepped away, giving a shaky smile at Pierrot. “Right. I should get back to making your drink. The elements for it should be ready now.”
It didn’t take long for you to assemble to drink. The only thing distracting you was Carol slowly going through the motions of making the rude lady’s drink in between the mother and child’s order. All the lady did was sigh loudly and check her watch every fifteen seconds.
Ah, you hated rude customers like that. Even if they have somewhere to be, they could have made a mobile order to have it ready to go or made one at home before they left for work. There is no need to act so uncouth in a cafe like this.
It made you disgusted to see how your friend, Carol, was being treated. Shouldn’t the lady know to not mess with what is yours?
You distract yourself by layering on the melted chocolate and drizzle along the top of the cup before putting in the mixture of strawberry ice cream, chocolate ice cream and coffee. You went heavy with the whip cream and secretly added some chocolate shavings and sprinkles to the top of it. If the boss cared about it, you could take the cents that it cost out of your own wallet.
You placed a striped straw into the drink and slid it towards Pierrot with a smile.
Pierrot handed you the money along with a small chocolate bar.
“Oh, is this a little ‘tip’ for me? Thank you.” The little piece of candy was enough to brighten your mood or at least drive the rude lady’s face away from your mind.
Pierrot seemed to share your distaste for the women as he gave her a long, hard stare before walking out the door.
You watched him go before looking down at the tiny chocolate bar in your hands.
Alpha is providing.
No! It’s just candy! Reign yourself in! You reprimanded yourself, trying to stop that line of thoughts in the way several therapists had encouraged. You had gone through so many since you were a child until one’s words finally made sense to you.
‘Don’t show your inner self until you can trust the other to cradle it with love in their hands. And until they can trust you to do the same.’
Ah, Miss Smith. The only one of the 12 therapists that actually helped. Too bad you haven’t seen her since you moved.
The thought tampered down the craving. ‘Pierrot doesn’t even know what you smell like due to your patches and collar. Maybe he would run away just like the others once he heard you were actually an omega. Maybe... maybe it was better to not get your hopes up.’ You thought to yourself even if something deep within you craved that and howled inside you to chase after the feeling.
But, Pierrot is so...cute. Every little action he does made you more attracted to him which wasn’t helping the fight against yourself mentally.
...You could only hope his way of showing up and leaving little presents means what you think it means. You fold open the chocolate bar and pop it in your mouth when you turn away, letting the sweetness coat your tongue.
It wasn’t as sweet as his scent...
...What would he taste like between your teeth?
“Ugh.” The rude lady’s nasally blurted out. She smacked her lips together in disgust. “This coffee is as awful as the service. I’m never coming back to this dump.”
“So sorry, ma’am.” Carol’s service voice dropped as soon as the door closed behind the rude customer. “I hope she keeps her promise.
“I know, right?” You responded in a monotone voice which made Carol snort. “The less people like that we have to deal with, the better.”
“So... was that your jester?” Carol leaned in closer to you with that familiar grin, bumping her shoulder against yours.
“Hm.” You smiled. The lingering taste of chocolate in your mouth made your grin wider.
“Ooh, I haven’t seen you smile like that before.” Carol teased.
You bumped her back and subtly checked her over. It didn’t look like she sustained any burns while dealing with that lady’s order. That was good at least. You whispered, “Thank you for stepping in to deal with that lady. I owe you one.”
“No, you don’t.” Carol waved it off. “You're already paying for a circus ticket tonight for me. It’s the least I can do.”
More customers came in as the morning shifted to the afternoon until Carol took her lunch break during a slow period. She rushed out with her purse towards the nearest fast food place to grab something quick.
It was pretty empty inside the cafe beside the college student that was still stuck there at their table with a second drink and half eaten chocolate croissant around their notebooks.
Then, the bell rang introducing a new customer into the cafe with a cheerful ring. You turned your head to greet them only to stop when you heard a familiar voice. “Oh? So this is where you work.”
Ah, great. The green one is back.
Harlequin sauntered in, looking around the cafe slowly like he was memorizing each tile and where the light was. His eyes traveled over to you. And once he caught your gaze, the smile on his mask grew.
He approached the counter with a graceful swish of his cape. He placed his elbows on the table then twisted his fingers together to rest his chin on them. He tilted his head at you.
You ignored his playful expression. “Good afternoon, customer. Do you want something to drink?”
Harlequin hummed. “Of course, I’ll take an iced coffee.”
“I’ll get that ready,” You immediately turned your back to him to start getting his drink ready. You were thankful it was a rather quick one to do. But something about Harlequin made you think this interaction wouldn’t be over as quickly as you think.
He leans on the counter watching you move through the familiar motions of making a simple iced coffee. You were shoveling ice into the cup when he decided to speak.
“You know, I didn’t know what he saw in you but...” Harlequin paused, waiting until you paused to look at him. He stuck his tongue out in the air like a snake tasting the air. His eyes sharpened as he stared at you. “I’m starting to get an idea.”
“What do you mean by that?” The night blooming jasmine scent returned like a caress around your shoulders like it was trying to lure you in. He stepped away from him which somehow made the smell disappear from around you. Was that just his cologne or was that his actual scent? It was confusing to try and figure it out.
Harlequin tilted his head. “Huhum. Nothing at all, dearie.” With that, he changed the topic, dropping his hands down onto the counter as he leaned on the counter with more of his weight. “So— are you finally going to accept my ticket? Now that Pierrot’s gone, there is no one to snatch it away~
“No.” You shook your head. “I already have one and I promised to use it tonight.”
“You sure?” Harlequin’s tone sounded like he was attempting to pout yet his mask still had that same sharp smirk. “It would be so much more fun if you used mine~”
“I’m sure it wouldn’t.” You mumbled as you poured the coffee over the ice.
“Hm?”
“Yes, customer?” You pretended that you didn't say anything as you pushed the lid onto the plastic cup. You presented it to him and pushed it across the counter towards him. “Here’s your iced coffee.”
“Alright, Alright.” He held up his hands like he was surrendering. “If that’s the case, I have a little something for you instead. I would love for you to wear it.”
What. What?
He leaned forward. “Here. I’ll put it on.”
Before you could think clearly, he steps closer and gently pins something to your collar with such effortless grace even though he had to lean in quite a bit to reach since he was not as tall as your Pierrot but—
“There we are.” You hear the claw of his glove click softly against something on your collar. You couldn’t see it but you reached up to feel something small pinned on your white collar. It felt vaguely triangle shaped? Was it heart shaped?
He chuckled under his breath. “I’m going to take you from him.”
What? You didn’t hear what he said clearly but something in his tone didn’t make you happy. “Excuse me?”
“Nothing, dear visitor.” Harlequin laughed again. “You’ll see for yourself.”
“Here’s the payment.” Harlequin kept his eyes on you as he picked up his cup and twirled on his heel. Then, he twiddled his fingers at you and made a little heart with his fingertips like a Kpop idol. “Make sure you don’t miss my show tonight, dearie.”
As Harlequin opened the door, Carol came rushing in with an ‘excuse me’ directed at the costumed performer. Harlequin barely glanced back at her before exiting the cafe.
“...Huh?” Carol glanced back at where Harlequin disappeared to and back at you. “What was all of that about? Are you trying to rope in two jesters?”
“No.” You replied bluntly.
Apparently it was too blunt since the sound of your tone made Carol laugh in shock. “Damn, you said that so fast! I got you something too, I’ll put it in the fridge for ya.”
Your mind was drawn away from the annoying lingering presence of Harlequin at the mention of a little gift waiting for you. “Thank you.”
You two continued working until the early afternoon. Then, your boss walked out from the storage room with three long scratches in his arm. The dragon tattoo he normally showed off that it’s inky scales marred by the claw marks. “Alright, you two can head home now since your shifts’ are about over. I’ll keep the shop open for another hour.”
You approached him out of concern. You didn’t consider your boss exactly a friend but he was sort of pack in a way. He treated you better than the previous bosses you have had before. “What happened to your arm?”
“Oh this? Something scratched me out back.” He grabbed onto his injured arm and spun it to look at the red marks. “I think it was a big cat or something.”
“Did you clean it already?” You questioned. It would be bad if something got infected. Plus, you didn’t know if you had bandages or gauze big enough for that kind of injury. Did he need the cafe’s first aid kit?
“You might want to get tested for rabies. You never know if that was actually a rabid raccoon or something.” Carol hissed at the wound, looking over it worriedly. “Because those are some big claw marks for some stray cat.
“I didn’t think it’s anything that serious.” Your boss admitted. “You know what? I’ll go get it checked if anything happens.”
“Okay. Maybe you can bandage it with the first aid kit before you leave.” You suggested. You looked up at the clock. “Anyway, we have to go. We’re heading to the circus tonight.”
“Sounds fun, tell me how it was later.” Your boss gave you both a smile. “Maybe I can check it out sometime.”
Carol started to drag you towards the system to clock out. “Sure thing, boss!”
You bit down on a laugh as you both clocked out for the night then waved at your boss who was leaning against the counter with his arms crossed. You both waved at him while he raised his injured arm to return the farewell.
“See you later!” You called out to him as Carol dragged you out into the afternoon air.
It was time to get ready for the circus. You couldn’t wait to see Pierrot’s performance.