Chapter Text
The flow in the café was normal, almost predictable as orders came in one after another and customers laughed at the pigeons performing little aerial acrobatics under Herbert's watchful eye
So after a while of perfect calm, most of them knew something was bound to go wrong. Things around here simply never stayed peaceful forever
Once the lunch rush had passed and most of the customers had left, several employees started picking up on a strange tension in the air. Muffled voices drifted through the kitchen walls. Something far sharper than an ordinary conversation, far too heated to be friendly
"You hear that?" Jeremy asked Gabriel, who had already turned toward the kitchen
"That's... odd" Tavish muttered while putting together one of the café's specialty drinks
Then the voices rose another notch. Angry words started breaking through the closed kitchen door, fragments of sentences becoming audible throughout most of the café. The customers at the back were still more interested in their meals and the pigeons, but the ones closer to the counter began watching the staff with open curiosity
"Nein, ich habe-"
"Я не это имею в виду!"
"Du hörst nicht zu"
The chaotic shouting switched between languages so quickly that nobody believed the two of them could possibly still understand each other
"Are they... arguing?" Paira asked, stepping behind the counter to grab herself something to drink
It was such a strange thing to say. Them? Arguing? It didn't fit. Not them
The kitchen echoed with the sharp clang of metal striking the counter. Maybe it was a pot, maybe a bowl- whatever it was, it had been thrown down with far more force than necessary. Then the argument picked up again without missing a beat, shifting between rapid German and seemingly calm Russian so quickly that nobody believed the two of them could possibly be following each other
The staff exchanged uneasy glances
"Nicht jetzt"
"Сейчас самое подходящее время"
The café seemed to grow quieter as more people began listening, whether out of concern or simple curiosity
"I think this is the first time I've ever heard them like this" Tavish muttered
"Yeah... same here" Dell replied
"Alright"
The calm voice was quiet enough that only the people behind the counter caught it. Then the kitchen door swung open. Herbert stepped out in one swift movement, as though his body had decided what to do before his mind could catch up. Without looking at anyone, he strode past the counter, brushing by his coworkers as if they weren't even there
"Herbert?" someone called after him
He didn't react. He marched straight to his office, disappeared inside, and slammed the door hard enough for the sound to reverberate through the entire café. For a moment, nobody moved
The customers looked at the staff The staff looked at one another
"...What just happened?" Jeremy asked, completely bewildered
No one answered. No one knew how
The next few hours and then the next few days brought them no explanation
Only something worse.
Silence.
At first, nobody could quite put a name to it. Everything still worked. Every pastry came out on time, the birds behaved as they always did, and the café's rhythm never faltered
And yet… Something was wrong
There were no more arguments. No raised voices. No slamming doors. Anyone waiting for a repeat of what had happened in the kitchen was left disappointed
It was simply... quieter
Not just quieter. Different. It was easy to notice if you'd known them before, and everyone had
Misha and Herbert weren't officially a couple. At least, not in any way either of them would admit. But their interactions had become part of the café's daily routine, something balanced between playful banter and something far more meaningful, always lingering on a line neither of them ever crossed, even as everyone else admired the quiet strength of their bond
The small gestures between them had always been constant. Shared glances. Quiet remarks. Straightening the other's apron without thinking. Finding excuses to stop beside each other for no reason at all
And then… It all disappeared
Herbert still cared for the birds with the same unwavering focus he always had. Misha still worked calmly in the kitchen, baking cookies and pastries as though nothing had changed. From the outside, everything looked perfectly normal, as long as you looked at each of them separately
But together? Together, they no longer existed
As they passed each other, not a single word was exchanged, and whenever interaction became unavoidable, it was brief and strictly practical. They no longer shared the glances that had once come so naturally. No one had ever questioned their closeness before, but now everyone noticed its absence
The other employees gradually found they couldn't ignore it anymore. Whenever they had a chance, they whispered among themselves, hoping to come up with some sort of explanation
"This is really weird" one muttered under his breath
"Weird" doesn't even cover it. This is downright unsettling"
Dell leaned against the counter, quietly thinking the situation over
"Something happened between 'em" he said at last "And it's affecting everybody"
"You're not exactly helping, you know?"
"I think I am. Gives us somewhere to start. Gives us somethin' we can work with"
"Even with all that control, they're still not talking to each other"
Because that's exactly what it looked like. Their silence didn't feel like the result of a passing impulse anymore, it felt like chaos, and the anger tangled up inside it. Like emotions left unfinished, spilling past the point where either of them could keep holding them in
A silence too carefully maintained to be natural. And too natural not to hurt.
It was as if they were both deliberately trying to erase the other from their space at any cost, leaving behind only what was absolutely necessary
It wasn't that anger had suddenly appeared. It was as though every trace of human affection had simply... disappeared
Each little thing meant nothing on its own, but together they became impossible to ignore. Even the conversations they were forced to have, asking someone to take the pigeons out of the kitchen, for example, felt painfully formal. Empty of warmth, stripped of the effortless ease with which they used to slip pieces of their native languages into every exchange, something they had both always taken such quiet pride in
Even though every word they exchanged was perfectly polite, none of it sounded like them
With every interaction like that, everyone found themselves wondering what had happened between them and more importantly, how they were supposed to fix it. Because they had to fix it
They had to find some way to bring their conversations back to what they had always been. Less polished. Less restrained. Free of that stiff professionalism that was so difficult to define, yet so painfully different from the passionate, effortless way they used to speak
Someone eventually noticed something else. The complete absence of eye contact
It was the sort of thing that escaped notice at first, but once you saw it, you couldn't stop seeing it. Herbert still watched his pigeons, the customers, the decorations on the walls, everything around him with the same meticulous attention as always. Misha still kept track of ingredients, baking times, and requests for fresh pastries with his usual quiet precision
But they no longer looked at each other
Their eyes never met. Herbert no longer smiled whenever one of the pigeons Misha had named landed on his shoulder, and Misha had quietly stopped baking the traditional German pastries Herbert had always loved decorating
"So... do we know what's going on yet?" someone finally asked after several days of this bizarre routine. By now, the staff had become almost embarrassingly obvious about watching the pair, and even the regular customers had begun noticing that something was very, very wrong
"I got nothing " could have come from any one of them, each answer carrying the same frustrating helplessness
They were all growing tired of standing around doing nothing, but none of them were willing to give up. There had to be a way to figure this out. Even Gabriel, flawlessly taking customers' orders with his usual professionalism, barely registered what he was writing anymore. His mind was somewhere else entirely
He never asked about it or joined the conversations, but even he couldn't ignore the atmosphere anymore. And, judging by the way both of the people involved behaved, neither of them wanted anyone else sticking their nose into it
Unfortunately for them… They worked with a bunch of incredibly nosy people. Gabriel created a group chat where the staff could post anything they managed to observe
And just like that, the unofficial investigation began. Despite everyone's good intentions, it spiraled out of control remarkably fast
At first, they only watched. They exchanged brief knowing glances. Someone noticed something, someone else confirmed it, another person added a detail of their own. Their first "meeting" took place in the back room, taking advantage of the storm outside that had kept new customers away
Jeremy leaned against the wall, Tavish sat on an unopened supply crate, and Dell simply stood nearby. Pyra made the rounds, handing everyone a mug of coffee
"Alright" Scout whispered, despite there being no one around to overhear them "Let's go over what we've got"
"They argued" Mick said. "One hundred percent"
"We know that already"
"But what were they arguing about?" Jane wondered
"Work?" Dell suggested "Makes the most sense"
"About what exactly?" Gabriel countered "Too much sugar in the coffee?"
"Maybe how they run their departments. A decision. Organization" Dell shrugged "Workplace disagreements happen. Sometimes they escalate"
Most of them stared at him in disbelief
"You seriously think those two are fighting over logistics?"
"It's one possibility"
"I think you've hit your head"
"Besides" Paira cut in, flicking Dell lightly on the side of the head "That's got to be the most boring explanation you could've come up with"
"But it is possible"
"No" she said flatly "Your brain's overheating from fixing the same coffee machine every other day"
Tavish let out a quiet snort, quickly disguising it as a cough
"I think somebody hurt the other's feelings" Jane said, leaning forward as though he were plotting something "Insulting a person's homeland is one of the greatest crimes you can commit"
"Then the question is... which one insulted the other?"
"Hmm..." Mick frowned "Herbert?"
"He's too careful with his words"
"Yeah... fair point"
"Then Misha?"
"Doesn't fit either. The man barely talks as it is. He spends more time thinking about what he's going to say than actually saying it"
Silence settled over the group
"I think something serious happened between them"
"We already covered that possibility"
"No, I mean... really serious"
"Such as?"
"Something emotional"
"That doesn't narrow anything down"
"Yes, it does" Scout waved a hand "It could be... uh... a secret. Or someone cheated. Or-"
"There was no cheating"
"How can you possibly know that?"
"Behavioral observation" Dell answered, wearing the faintly smug expression he liked to use whenever he was messing with the younger man
"I hate it when you talk like that"
"Dell means there can't be cheating if there isn't a relationship" Pajra interrupted before they could start bickering "But... maybe that's exactly it? Maybe one of them found someone else, the other found out, and realized they'd missed their chance to make a move"
She said it while sipping fresh coffee through the straw tucked beneath her mask. Pyjra had always been good at coming up with stories like that. She had to be, making up tales for children on the spot was practically part of the job
Just then, the door swung open
Everyone either froze like deer caught in headlights or abruptly jumped to their feet, trying to look busy
"So this is where everybody disappeared to" Miss Pauling said "Why is there only one person out front? I know nobody's coming in with weather like this, but at least try to keep up appearances"
Gabriel stepped over and held out his phone. She took it, narrowing her eyes as she skimmed through the group chat
"I thought something was going on..." she murmured "Next time, use my office, but please, not all at once"
She handed the phone back
"And add me to the group"
That was how the second meeting ended up taking place in Miss Pauling's office. The door was shut, voices were lowered, and the atmosphere felt more official than before, not because it needed to, but out of respect for her.
The owner of the office rested her hands on the desk as she looked around the room with complete focus
"So" she began "am I correct in assuming we have... a situation?"
"We definitely have a situation"
"And it concerns an interpersonal conflict between two employees"
"A very interpersonal one"
"What are the current theories?" she asked, completely ignoring the comment
"Work related disagreement"
"Personal grievance"
"I'm still betting it's something emotional"
Miss Pauling nodded with a level of seriousness the situation almost certainly didn't deserve
"Do we have any evidence supporting any of those theories?"
"No" almost everyone answered in unison
"Is this affecting the café's operation?"
"Theoretically, no" Dell said. "But in practice..."
"Everybody's distracted, and those two aren't talking to each other"
"So, officially, we don't have grounds to intervene"
"But, Flo-"
"As for unofficially" she added before anyone could protest "I don't recommend that either"
"So what, we're just supposed to do nothing?"
"Not yet. For now, keep observing. Figure out the cause, and don't be pushy. Once you have enough information, then you can consider stepping in"
Everyone returned to work, each carrying their own little theory while watching the two of them even more closely than before
As though they were one observation away from uncovering the whole truth. As though the answer was sitting just within reach, yet somehow none of them could quite grasp it
The first attempts to get information out of them started sooner than anyone wanted to admit. At first, though, they focused on only one side of the conflict. They weren't ready to approach Herbert yet, not because he mattered any less, but because he was... harder
He stayed shut away in his office longer than usual, and whenever someone spoke to him, his answers were precise and his gaze sharp. He discouraged conversation before it even had the chance to begin, and everyone who tried walked away feeling like they'd accomplished absolutely nothing
Misha was different. Calmer. More approachable. Even wrapped in that strange, heavy silence, he never pushed anyone away outright. So he was the one they went to first
Dell was chosen to make the first attempt
He picked a moment when the kitchen was relatively quiet and Misha wasn't rushing to finish another batch of pastries. He walked over casually, careful not to give the other man any reason to become suspicious
"Hey, Misha" he said, absentmindedly checking a piece of equipment on the counter
"Hello" Misha replied without looking up from the cupcakes he was decorating
Dell continued tinkering with the machine. A conversation was a conversation, but making sure everything was in working order was still his job
"Is everything alright between you and Herbert?" he asked "I've noticed... some changes in the way you two interact"
"You could call it that"
"If it's something that can be worked out by talking..." Dell hesitated for a moment "Don't you think it might be worth having that conversation?"
He honestly wasn't sure how else to approach the subject
Misha paused, setting down the piping bag in his hands. When he turned around, he didn't look annoyed. He looked... tired
"Everything is fine" he said calmly, without the slightest hint of defensiveness
Dell studied him for a long moment, as if trying to judge how much truth there was in those words
"I see"
He didn't push any further, even though he knew the matter was far from settled. Later, he updated everyone in the group chat about the conversation, telling them to wait before trying anything else
Jeremy, unfortunately, had nowhere near that level of patience. Unlike the others, he didn't wait for the right moment or spend time analyzing the situation. He simply walked up to Misha while the baker was finishing a special order
"So..." Jeremy began, leaning on the counter "Man to man"
He paused dramatically
"Did you guys have a fight or what?"
Misha looked up at him, one eyebrow raised for no more than a second
"No"
Jeremy narrowed his eyes
"No?"
"No."
"Then why are you acting like you did?"
"We aren't"
"Oh, come on, Misha-"
"Jeremy"
There it was, that quiet, gently corrective tone that somehow made it clear the conversation was over
"This isn't something I'm going to discuss with you"
Jeremy grimaced, clearly wanting to keep going
"Fine... but you're being weird"
"I know" Misha replied, turning back to his work "But you're weird too"
Pajra tried a different approach. Instead of asking questions, she let actions do the talking. Even though she'd been having a rough day herself, she'd managed to convince a few of the children to draw some pictures. Later, she carried the colorful, slightly crumpled pages into the kitchen
Misha looked up from his work at the stack of drawings she was holding
"For me?" he asked, sounding genuinely surprised as he walked over, wiping his hands on a towel
Pajra nodded and handed them to him. His eyes settled on one particular drawing. Two stick figures. One was noticeably taller than the other. Between them was a heart, roughly scribbled in uneven crayon lines by a child's hand
He recognized who they were immediately. There was never any doubt. But he didn't say a word. He simply looked at the picture for a long moment before, after several quiet minutes, setting it carefully on the high counter.
"Спасибо" he said softly
Pajra recognized the word. Thank you
She gave him a small nod before quietly retreating to the children's corner, where her own part of the café's work was waiting for her
Gabriel didn't try anything. He remained behind the counter, taking orders with the same warm, welcoming voice reserved exclusively for customers
But he watched. He watched them together, and he watched them apart. He knew far more than everyone else. He had always known what to look for, what details mattered, how to gather as much information as possible. Reading people had always come naturally to him
So he noticed the absence of the tension that usually followed an argument. He saw emotions left unresolved, but not uncontrolled. He saw a complete lack of impulsiveness
His gaze drifted from Misha to Herbert whenever either of them passed nearby. The corner of his mouth twitched ever so slightly as one thought settled in his mind. This was something entirely different from what everyone else thought
Meanwhile, the situation continued to gather momentum. The next day seemed perfectly ordinary at first. Misha was working on a particularly large order, while Mick helped package everything
Everything was running exactly as it should. Of course, it couldn't last
Herbert stepped into the kitchen
"That order is supposed to be for delivery, not pickup" the German said with a slight frown, his voice as matter of fact as ever
And yet… There was something sharper underneath it. Mick caught it immediately, even if Misha didn't bother looking up
"It wasn't marked that way" Misha replied evenly
"It was"
"It wasn't"
A brief silence followed
"I took the order" Herbert added "It was supposed to be delivery"
Only then did Misha stop what he was doing and finally look at him
"And I'm the one filling it" he said "The ticket says customer pickup"
The exchange was far too serious for something so trivial
"Maybe you should pay closer attention" Herbert said sharply "Or learn the language"
That comment was completely unnecessary. Everyone knew how hard Misha worked to build a life outside his homeland, and how much effort he put into mastering the language
The Russian narrowed his eyes. He picked up the order ticket again, read it one more time, then handed it to Herbert
"Maybe if you stopped writing like a doctor, when you not one" he shot back "you'd see you marked it as pickup"
That was… New
Misha only ever snapped back like that at rude customers, people who disrespected either him or his mother's recipes. What made their conflict so unsettling wasn't that they disagreed
It was how they disagreed
Herbert let out a quiet scoff, turned on his heel, and walked out as though nothing had happened. Misha simply returned to work
The moment Misha wasn't looking, Mick hurriedly updated the group chat with everything that had just happened. As expected, everyone reacted with disbelief
On one point, though, they all agreed. This was bad
None of them could figure out what was actually going on, and that uncertainty worried them more than the argument itself. Whatever it was, it was damaging something that had always seemed perfectly in sync, something none of them had ever imagined could fall apart
The following morning, before Herbert arrived to tend to the pigeons and while Misha had already been baking for hours, they decided to try again
Tavish came in earlier than usual, using inventorying the alcohol stock as his excuse, and headed straight for the kitchen
Misha was quietly stirring something in a mixing bowl, his hands moving with mechanical precision. Tavish didn't know much about baking
But he knew enough to tell that Misha's mind was somewhere else entirely. For a moment, Tavish said nothing, letting his presence settle naturally into the room.
"Misha" he said at last, his voice calm
"Да?"
"This isn't just some ordinary situation, is it?"
The Russian stopped stirring for only a second before resuming, as though what he was making demanded more attention than the conversation
"Maybe it isn't"
"Do you want to talk about it? I've been told I'm a pretty good listener"
Misha glanced at him out of the corner of his eye
"It's just... it's not like that"
"What's not like that?" the Scot asked after a long silence
"It's not what everyone thinks"
For a moment, Tavish wondered what he meant. Did Misha know they'd all been watching them? Had he overheard the discussions? Or had he simply figured it out on his own?
"So... it's not a fight?"
"Not that kind"
And that was all Tavish managed to get out of him
He let out a quiet sigh, stood up, and gave Misha a light pat on the shoulder before leaving the kitchen, still no closer to understanding what was really going on
Herbert was an entirely different challenge, and everyone knew it from the start
That was why no one had been eager to confront him. But now that Misha had stopped giving them any new information, they had no choice but to try talking to the German himself
The task was assigned to someone just as difficult to have a conversation with
Gabriel
Gabriel chose a less obvious moment. Herbert was refilling the pigeons' water bowls before closing time, making it look less like an obvious attempt to pry for information- even though that was exactly what it was
"How fascinating" Gabriel began, idly tapping his fingers against the counter "The atmosphere around here has changed lately, don't you think?"
"I haven't noticed" Herbert answered immediately
Gabriel fought the urge to smile
"Of course. Sometimes those kinds of changes come from simple... misunderstandings" He spoke lightly "The sort that can be resolved quickly, if people are willing"
Herbert set down the container of birdseed with a quiet thud
"This isn't your business" he said coolly, leaving no room for further discussion
Unfortunately, he seemed to have forgotten who he was talking to
"Perhaps not" Gabriel replied "Or perhaps it became everyone's business the moment it started affecting everyone"
"It isn't affecting anyone"
"Oh, but it most certainly is"
Herbert sighed and finally looked at him
"I'll handle it" he said, sounding as though he hoped that would be enough to make Gabriel leave it alone
"Oh, I don't doubt that"
Gabriel reached over, casually brushing a tiny feather from Herbert's shoulder
"I'm simply curious how long it's going to take"
With that, he walked away, deciding there was no point in pushing any further. He had already learned what he wanted to know
Herbert returned to what he had been doing, but some of the tension lingered, widening the cracks in the illusion of calm. The strain kept building
Whether they wanted it or not, a confrontation eventually became inevitable, as the rest of the staff reached the point where quietly watching from the sidelines, and a few carefully chosen conversations, simply weren't enough anymore
There had been too much tension, too many things left unsaid, and far too much of that unnatural silence
By the end of the day, everyone gathered before the two of them had a chance to leave the café. This had to be settled. Right here. Right now
"Alright" someone began "Enough"
Misha raised an eyebrow, while Herbert leaned against the wall a few feet away, facing the rest of the staff
The way they stood alone told its own story. Stiff shoulders. Carefully measured movements. They looked far too guarded for people who insisted nothing was wrong
"If this is how things are gonna be, then we damn well wanna know what's going on" Jeremy burst out "Because this is getting seriously annoying"
"Jeremy"
"No" he cut in immediately "Don't 'Jeremy' me. This has been going on for days, and everybody sees it"
"This has nothing to do with work" Herbert said
"This isn't about work" Jane spoke up, breaking his silence "It's about you two"
Silence settled over the room
"You've always..." Tavish started awkwardly "Y'know..."
"No, actually, we don't" Herbert snapped
"You've always been this close" Mick cut in "And now you're acting like you're ready to rip each other's heads off"
"This is starting to..." Jeremy glanced sideways "What was the phrase, Dell?"
"It's disrupting the team's dynamic"
"Yeah, exactly"
"You're exaggerating" Herbert said
"No"
Misha's quiet voice stopped everyone cold
For the first time, neither of them was trying to shut the conversation down, avoid it, or walk away. Herbert looked at him, as if weighing whether there was still a way to escape this
"It's not what you think" Misha said at last "I don't want to hide it anymore"
That was it. That was the entire argument. Not betrayal. Not resentment. Not work. Just two people who loved each other, but feared completely different things
"So tell us how it really is" Gabriel scoffed, only to receive a light smack upside the head that clearly meant, shut up.
Herbert looked away, while Misha met his gaze with quiet resolve. Herbert hesitated before giving the smallest nod. No one noticed it except Gabriel
"We're together"
The words hung in the air. For a heartbeat, no one reacted. It was as if the entire room needed a second to decide whether they'd actually heard him correctly
"...Holy hell?"
Herbert went completely still, refusing to look at the others as he waited for whatever came next. You could spend months, even years, with people, and still never truly know how they'd react to something like this
A faint blush crept onto both of their faces. Suddenly, everything started falling into place. Misha shifted awkwardly, as if he wanted to explain but wasn't sure where to begin.
"We disagreed" Herbert continued instead, briefly closing his eyes "because I didn't think our relationship belonged at work"
"But friends are family"
"Maybe that's exactly why they shouldn't know"
Several people glanced at Herbert with quiet understanding. They all knew his relationship with his own family had never been an easy one
"I wanted to tell you" Misha admitted "Just... without making it into a big thing"
"But to me, it is a big thing"
"But hiding it for this long shouldn't-"
"Maybe I value my privacy"
"I don't want to keep hiding it" Misha said, finally lifting his eyes "Not from all of you"
And there it was. The heart of their argument. Not anger. Not broken trust. Just two people caught between two different fears
One wanted to keep their relationship hidden, afraid of rejection and wanting to protect something precious from the outside world. The other wanted to stop hiding, to let the people they cared about know the truth and finally be able to share that happiness with them
The secret ceased to be a secret the moment the truth was spoken aloud
"Hold on!" Jeremy suddenly shouted, shattering the stunned silence "THE BETS! WHAT ABOUT THE BETS?"
"Who had this month?" Tavish asked immediately
"I dunno! We made those bets forever ago!"
"Didn't somebody write it down?"
"I thought you guys had a spreadsheet?"
"Technically speaking..." Dell rubbed his temple, already irritated by the rising chorus of voices "We first need to establish the official date the relationship began"
A broad smile spread across Herbert's face.
There was no judgment. No rejection. Just grins... and a room full of people suddenly very invested in winning a bet
"You don't have to" he said simply
"You don't understand how desperately we do" Mick muttered "I've got way too much money riding on you two"
While everyone else descended into a heated argument over the office betting pool, Herbert and Misha quietly reached for each other's hands. Their fingers intertwined. Neither of them said a word
They both knew that, despite the argument, despite the uncertainty and all the days of silence… Everything was going to be alright again
And somehow, that was the most beautiful part of all