Work Text:
The windows of the shop on the corner were always dark whenever Koushi walked by on his way to and from work. The sign always read "Open," but the shop itself always gave off the vibe of being closed. It wasn't that there was a distinctly hostile aura to the shop, but something about it seemed… unwelcoming. For what should have been a friendly looking building, something about it deeply unsettled Koushi.
The shop itself was wooden- and mint green in color, the soft green paint chipping at random to reveal flecks of faded canary yellow. The trimmings of the building were painted the color of wisteria, and seemed to be more recently painted than the walls. There were no visible signs to indicate the exact nature and wares of the shop; the only sign Koushi could see was the nondescript "Open" sign in the window of the front door. Said door was painted jet black, the lone patch of void among the soft green and purple. It was this contradiction that both intrigued Koushi and kept him at bay.
Something else that bothered Koushi was the fact that he had never seen an employee in the store. Sure, it was difficult to see into the dim store without pressing one's face against the glass, but Koushi had also never seen anyone sweep the front steps or the sidewalk immediately outside the shop. The space around the corner shop was always pristine, almost supernaturally so. Whenever Koushi got close enough, he could see that the shelves in the windows were dust free and the multicolored bottles on the shelves were in perfectly arranged rows. The shop was perfect, immaculate. The only sign of wear was the chipped paint on the building. It looked as though the shop on the corner had materialized out of thin air, as if someone had ripped it straight from a painting. It left Koushi with a burning curiosity that begged to be sated.
But in order to do that, Koushi would have to work up the courage to actually enter the shop.
Which was easier said than done, in Koushi's humble opinion.
Every day there was a new excuse to not satisfy his curiosity. Koushi was running late to work, a traditional media art teacher at the local community college. Conversely, Koushi had a long day at work and was in no mood to stop on his way home. Then there was the nagging suspicion that the door would in fact be locked if Koushi tugged on the door. That had been the closest Koushi had come to actually entering the shop. He had almost put his hand on the handle and then chickened out. The list of excuses was near endless.
One of these days Koushi would do it. He promised himself that every day for three months. One day he would step up to the void-like door and step inside. One day.
***
Late October bled into November, the air crisp with rapidly approaching winter. Koushi had bundled himself up in his warmest scarf and mittens as he braved the chill, one mittened hand wrapped tightly around a travel mug of coffee. He kept his chin tucked into his scarf as the November 1st wind tugged at his hair and bit his cheeks. As such, Koushi's field of vision was limited and he failed to notice someone step into his path as he rounded the corner. Koushi collided with this very solid someone and stumbled backwards, his coffee flying as he fell to the sidewalk. Strong arms darted out, wrapping around Koushi and preventing him from fully making contact with the ground. Koushi barely registered the sounds of broom and travel mug clattering to the pavement, as lost in deep, dark brown eyes as he was.
'This,' Koushi thought to himself, 'is what it must be like to be enchanted.'
"I am so sorry," a deep voice cut through the fog of Koushi's mind. "I should have waited until you passed by the step outside."
Reality snapped back to Koushi. He focused, finding himself cradled in the muscular arms of a demigod with a square jaw and crew cut black hair that disappeared under a black and orange beanie. A demigod who was currently holding him like they were on the cover of a supermarket romance novel. Under normal circumstances, the bitter November wind that was biting his exposed face would have rendered Koushi's cheeks numb, but the heat of his flushed face kept the cold at bay. The other man seemed to realize the position they were in and, while having the grace to show some embarrassment, righted the pair. It was then that Koushi realized that they were standing outside the mint green corner store with the door made of void. That was one mystery solved; someone, in fact, worked in the store.
The man removed his arms from around Koushi and Koushi found himself missing their warmth already. He did his best not to pout as he stooped to pick up his now empty travel mug.
"I'm sorry about your coffee," the man was saying, rubbing the back of his neck. "I have some more inside the shop if you'd like to come get it topped off."
Nothing sounded more appealing to Koushi in his entire life, however…
"I really couldn't impose," Koushi replied. Yes, good. He could still talk. Score one for Koushi.
"It'd really be no trouble at all," the man insisted. "I'm the one who made you drop your coffee, after all. Follow me."
The man stooped down to pick up the fallen broom, giving Koushi an uninterrupted few seconds of bliss before standing upright. He gestured for Koushi to follow and made his way towards the jet black door with its nondescript "Open" sign. He pushed the door open, holding it open for Koushi. Handsome and a gentleman; Koushi would have to remember that one. Koushi climbed the stairs to the doorway, pausing at the threshold. It was odd, standing at the edge of the unknown. Koushi had spent months wanting to know what was on the other side of the void-like door, and now here he was.
'Now or never, Koushi,' he thought as he stepped, at long last, into the space that had occupied his mind for months.
The interior of the shop was as dim as it had appeared from the outside, but somehow was more cluttered than it appeared at passing glance. Tall display cases filled with bottles, crystals, and plants were tucked intermittently between towering bookcases overflowing with ancient tomes. Koushi could see a box of tightly rolled scrolls standing next to a display of candles and incense, one of which had been lit and was filling the space with petrichor. Taking all of this in, Koushi realized the contrast between the space Koushi was observing and the outside of the building did nothing to satisfy Koushi's curiosity.
The cramped shop interior quickly grew stifling and Koushi felt the pressing need to remove his outer layers. A disheveled black cat lounged on the counter, goldenrod eyes cracking open to observe Koushi as he unwrapped the scarf from around his neck. He rose, stretching and yawning as he went; he reminded Koushi of a Western cartoon cat, one that would be posed dramatically on the end of a broomstick.
"Look alive Kuroo, we have a guest," the man said, brushing past Koushi. The action sent a jolt through Koushi, as if a static charge had zapped him. Static zaps weren't supposed to leave a tingling feeling after the fact, were they?
"You named your cat Kuroo?" Koushi asked, eyeing the cat. Kuroo the cat gave him a smug look in return.
The man patted the cat on the counter before opening a door to what Koushi guessed was the break room. "No, I didn't name him, he came with that name."
"I see," Koushi murmured, walking into the break room. The carpet was the same forest green that the rest of the store had with intricate patterns sprawling like ivy across the floor. The cabinets and counter top were some kind of dark wood that Koushi couldn't name if he tried, but he did think that they matched nicely with the rest of the room. It took Koushi a minute to realize, however, that he hadn't told the man his name and was now just silently gawking at his interior design. "Ah, sorry, I never introduced myself. I'm Sugawara Koushi."
"Nice to meet you Sugawara-san," the man replied as he followed Koushi inside.
"My friends call me Suga. And you are?"
"Sawamura Daichi. I own the shop," the man—Daichi—said.
"Pleasure to meet you Sawamura-san."
Daichi grinned, "My friends call me Daichi."
Polite, handsome, and witty. Who was this man?
Daichi turned from Koushi and stepped up to coffee maker tucked into the corner of a nearby counter. He pulled the carafe from the hot plate and motioned for Koushi to hand him the travel mug. Koushi passed it off to Daichi, watching as he filled it.
"There's cream in the mini fridge and sugar on the counter if you'd like some," Daichi told Koushi as he passed the mug back to him
"If you don't mind me asking," Koushi began, stirring the cream and sugar into his coffee, "why don't you have any signs? I imagine it's hard to do business if no one knows what you sell, never mind knowing how to find your shop."
Daichi let out a low chuckle, a deep rumble that made Koushi's heart squeeze; he willed the blush to stay off his face. "I suppose that's a fair question to have," Daichi admitted. "It's never been a problem. My customers always know how to find me if they need me."
Cryptic. Nice.
"Is there a high demand for New Age… stuff?" Koushi asked.
"New Age is one way to put it I guess," Daichi said. "Not the way I'd put it, but that is a way to put it."
So he was one of those people. That definitely dropped Daichi a few hotness points.
"So how would you put it then?" Koushi pressed.
Daichi didn't answer right away, opting to bite his lip and squint in contemplation. Koushi took a sip of the coffee while he waited, marveling at the taste. It was hazelnut, but there was another taste there that Koushi just couldn't place. He glanced around to room, his eyes landing on a clock on one of the walls. He cursed to himself when he realized the time.
"I really should be going, I have classes to teach today," Koushi said.
"You're a teacher?" Daichi asked, escorting Koushi back through the door.
"I'm an art teacher at the local community college," Koushi explained. "And I am very late at this point."
"Before you go, I want you to take this with you," Daichi said, grabbing something from a nearby display case. Daichi stepped forward and pressed it into Koushi's hand.
Koushi eyed the item in his hand, a crystal on a plain silver chain. There was nothing special about the chain, but the crystal caught Koushi's eye. The crystal itself was a bright blue that seemed to glow when Koushi held it up to the light. The crystal was cube shaped, the surface smooth to the touch, Koushi's finger gliding over it with no resistance. "How much is it?" Koushi found himself asking in a voice barely above a whisper.
"For you, free," Daichi said.
That startled Koushi a bit. His eyes snapped from the crystal to Daichi, wide with surprise. "I couldn't," he started, but Daichi held up a hand to stop him.
"Consider it a gift," Daichi said, "for finally stopping in."
Koushi could feel his face turn scarlet; so, Daichi had seen him lurking. For months. Fuck.
Daichi continued, "And I do hope you stop in again sometime. I'd like to get to know you better."
Koushi's fingers curled over the necklace as he nodded. Daichi flashed him a wide smile in response.
"That's a blue fluorite crystal," Daichi explained. "It represents the highest state of mental achievement, boosting aptitude and discernment, the absorption of new information, and helping one work through complex issues."
"That sounded like an encyclopedia entry," Koushi murmured.
"Yeah, I suppose it does," Daichi agreed. "It's supposed to boost mental processes. I figured if you're a teacher, it might be helpful."
Koushi smiled gently at Daichi, "Thank you Daichi, that's really kind of you."
"You're welcome Suga," Daichi said. "Now, I believe you have a class to get to…?"
Koushi swore loudly, spinning around and running to the door. He gripped the handle, then remembered his manners. He turned back to a very amused Daichi and said, "Thanks again Daichi. For the crystal and the coffee." Not waiting for a response, Suga tugged the door open and sprinted outside. Hours later, after a long day of classes, Koushi would remember the necklace Daichi had given him. He would pull the crystal out of his pocket and smile at the memory of the man in the shop with the strong arms and the warm smile.
***
Koushi found himself returning to the shop often, fluorite necklace around his neck. If he didn't have time to stop in during the morning before class, he'd visit on his way home. Daichi was always present, either on the front walk or behind the counter when Koushi arrived. He would flash Koushi the same smile every time, making Koushi's insides flutter like so many cliché butterflies. Even if Daichi was assisting another customer, he would smile at Koushi before returning to work. That smile, Koushi would admit, was quickly becoming the best part of Koushi's day.
During his visits, Koushi learned that there was another employee at the shop: a tall, almost feline-like man named Kuroo Tetsurou. The first time Koushi met him, he commented that he had the same name as the store cat and received a loud, donkey bray of a laugh in response. Still, he was friendly enough and he and Koushi became fast friends. Daichi quickly learned that Koushi had a quick wit and a sharp tongue, and that, when in the presence of Tetsurou, it only got worse.
Koushi also learned that Kuroo the cat liked to come and go as he pleased and would not always be at the shop. Tetsurou explained that he and the cat didn't get along, and that whenever he was around the cat would vanish. Which was a shame in Tetsurou's eyes, because he loved cats. But on the days that Tetsurou had off, Kuroo the cat would be there to follow Koushi around the shop. He took to sitting on Koushi's shoulder as he browsed the tomes Daichi kept stocked, batting at the stray piece of silver hair that Koushi could never tame.
"You look like a regular witch," Daichi commented one day after Kuroo had scaled Koushi's arm to sit on his shoulder.
One mystery Koushi still hadn't solved was the nature of the shop. Koushi was convinced that the shop was a New Age medicine shop, but Daichi claimed it wasn't. Well, he said that Koushi wasn't entirely wrong, but he wouldn't elaborate further.
"You have a lot of books on medicinal herbs," Koushi commented one Saturday. He was sitting on the floor with a book on the floor and Kuroo the cat on his lap. "Are you sure you're not the owner of a medicine shop?"
"I'm sure Suga," Daichi called from the back room.
"So what kind of shop is this then?" Suga asked. He looked up at the only other customer in the store, a giant of a man that Koushi knew as Asahi. Koushi made a face at Asahi as a means of saying, "Back me up here", but Asahi merely shook his head and turned away. Koushi made a different face at Asahi's back before returning his attention to Daichi. "I've been coming here for about two months now and you still haven't told me what kind of establishment you run here." When Daichi didn't respond, Koushi added, "If you don't tell me, I'm going to start making things up."
"From what Daichi tells me, you already do that," Asahi remarked, not looking up from the display of tarot cards.
"He speaks!" Koushi cried. Snickering at Asahi's glare, Koushi scooped Kuroo off of his lap and looked the indignant cat in the eye. "What about you Kuroo? You'd tell me what kind of shop Daichi runs here if you could, wouldn't you?"
Kuroo reached one silky black paw forward and smacked at Koushi's nose. Koushi reeled back from the cat, frowning at the cat's nasally, smug meow.
"Furry little asshole," Koushi grouched under his nose before setting Kuroo down. "Guess you're too loyal to Daichi to spill his secrets to me."
"He'd sell me out for Taiyaki if he could," Daichi said as he reentered the sales floor and set a stack of boxes on the countertop.
Koushi snorted at that, closing the book and placing it back on the shelf. He watched as Asahi shuffled up to the counter with a tarot deck. Daichi and Asahi bantered for a bit before Asahi paid and left. The shop lapsed into a comfortable silence, Daichi leaning against the counter as he opened boxes, Koushi on the floor enjoying the view and absently playing with his necklace. After a few minutes, Koushi stood, stretching.
"Guess I better go grab some food," he said. "Want anything?"
"I'm good for now, thank you though," Daichi replied.
With a nod, Koushi went into the back room to grab his coat. He slipped in on and wrapped his scarf around his neck. He was in the process of pulling on his mittens when he heard a familiar voice from the sales floor.
"You really should tell him, Daichi."
It was… Tetsurou? Koushi was confused; today was Tetsurou's day off, so why…?
"I'll get around to it eventually," Daichi responded. "Besides, you're enjoying yourself."
"It's true, I am," Tetsurou said. "It's almost funny, how oblivious he's being about all of this."
"Hey, still here you know-," Koushi said, pushing the door open right as Kuroo the cat shapeshifted into Kuroo Tetsurou.
Time stood still.
Tetsurou. Tetsurou was standing exactly where Kuroo had been. The cat was gone and Tetsurou was right there. There had been no smoke screen, no bright lights. He was just there. He had been a cat not thirty seconds before. NO. There was NO WAY that Tetsurou had been a cat. But where had Kuroo gone? Where? Kuroo. Kuroo Tetsurou. "What the fuck is going on here?" Koushi shouted, looking back and forth between Daichi and Tetsurou.
"Suga," Daichi began.
"There was a cat here a minute ago and now Tetsurou's…." Koushi rambled, hands in his hair, gripping tightly as he began to pace back and forth. "There was.. There was a cat and now… WHAT THE FUCK?! WHAT THE FUCK!? HOW THE FUCK?!"
"Koushi!" Daichi yelled. "Stop, please."
Koushi stopped; Daichi had never used his given name before. Slowly, afraid of what he might find, Koushi turned on the spot to face Daichi. Daichi was looking at him with concern, brown eyes filled with sadness. Koushi could feel his heart crumble under the weight of that look. He never wanted to see it on Daichi's face again.
"Koushi, let me show you something," Daichi said, his voice firm, but calm, softer. Without waiting for Koushi's answer, he moved behind the counter. He opened a drawer and removed a stick from it. He showed it to Koushi, his expression shifting from guarded to expectant.
"What… what is that?" Koushi asked.
"It's, ah…" Daichi started, a little sheepish, a little embarrassed now, "it's my wand."
Koushi did the only sane thing he could think of in that moment, he started laughing hysterically. Tetsurou and Daichi exchanged alarmed glances.
"Glad to see you taking this so well, I guess," Tetsurou said.
"I've lost my god damn mind," Koushi mumbled. "That's the only explanation. I spent too much time inhaling paint fumes. This is all in my head."
"Koushi," Daichi interrupted. "This isn't in your head. This is real."
"You can't possibly expect me to believe that!" Koushi cried. "Daichi, magic isn't real! It… It can't possibly be real!"
"Koushi, please," Daichi pleaded, desperation bleeding into his voice.
And there it was, there went Koushi's heart. His will buckled under the affection he had for this man. With a sigh, Koushi shrugged his coat and scarf off, placing them on the floor in a bundle. He sat down on top of them and focused on Daichi.
"You have my undivided attention," Koushi whispered.
Daichi nodded at Koushi, whispering his thanks in return. He flicked his stick—no, wand—at the lights. Koushi jumped a bit when they dimmed, but said nothing. Next, Daichi flicked the stick—no, wand—at the door. It clicked, locking itself. With the lights dimmed and privacy ensured, Daichi closed his eyes and took a deep breath. As he exhaled, he opened his eyes slowly. There was an unearthly quality to them, as if they were glowing. He raised his arm and pointed the stick—no, wand—at the ceiling. The wand tip began to glow, a soft white light that left Koushi breathless. Daichi inhaled once more, and on the exhale, he moved his arm in a counterclockwise motion. Koushi gasped.
A trail of light flowed from the end of the wand, a line of starlight the enraptured Koushi. Daichi smiled gently at Koushi's reaction, flicking the wand to the side. The trail of starlight broke off from the wand tip. As it hung in the air unaided, Daichi moved the wand again, creating a trail of blue light. The blue light mingled with the white light, the tendrils of color mixing and shifting between the brightest white and the darkest blue.
"What else can you do?" Koushi asked.
Daichi's smile grew, waving his wand and suspending the light near the ceiling. He waved his wand again, this time at a nearby statue of a crow. The statue began to move, its movements stiff from a lack of proper use. It turned its painted marble head at Koushi, letting out a loud caw before returning to a frozen state. Once he was sure the crow wouldn't move again, Daichi lowered the wand and turned back to Suga.
"So, you can do magic," Koushi stated after a moment of silence. "Are you a witch?"
Daichi tapped the wand against the desk and the light near the ceiling dissipated. The lights of the store returned to their full brightness, reverting back to normalcy.
"To answer your question, yes, I am a witch," Daichi said. "We sell potion ingredients and other magic based items here."
"Kuroo?"
"A shapeshifting witch and one of my closest friends," Daichi explained.
"Can you shapeshift?" Koushi pressed.
"No, I can't," Daichi admitted with a laugh. "My magic is mostly based on transfiguration and illusionary magic."
"Pretty lights?" Koushi asked with a grin.
"Pretty lights," Daichi agreed.
"Have you always been able to do this?"
"Ever since I was born," Daichi confirmed. "Magic's been in my family for years."
"So everyone else who's came in here over the last few months have been witches?" Koushi asked.
Daichi tilted his head from side to side, thinking. "Most," he said. "There have been a few normies such as yourself."
"'Normies'?"
"Non-magical people," Daichi explained. "The normies who come in here are people who are way into 'New Age healing' and the like."
Koushi pondered that for a moment. "Can I try to guess who of your regulars are witches?"
"Be my guest," Daichi said with a gesture and a smile.
"The pudding head guy?" Koushi asked.
"Kenma, he's a friend of Kuroo's. He has some latent magically abilities, but is non-practicing," Daichi explained.
"The guy with the shaved head, Tanaka?"
"A normie, he just likes the shop."
"His friend with the hair? Nishinoya."
"Also a normie. They're both convinced that something in here will give them powers."
"The other guy with the hair?"
Daichi raised an eyebrow, "Bokuto?"
"That one!"
"He specializes in animal magic. He likes to work with owls," Daichi said.
"Asahi?"
"Specializes in future sight."
Koushi smirked, "Is that why he's so nervous all the time?"
Daichi laughed aloud at that, the deep, full body laugh that made his shoulders shake and his nose crinkle in a way that made Koushi's heart do a series of complicated acrobatics.
"Can I ask one more question?" Koushi whispered.
"You can ask me as many questions as you'd like," Daichi said, his own voice soft.
Koushi bit his lip; this wasn't going to be an easy question. "Why didn't you tell me sooner?"
Daichi must have anticipated that that was going to be Koushi's question, from the way that his shoulders slumped. He inhaled slowly, running his hands through his cropped hair on the exhale. "I didn't want to keep this from you," Daichi began. "But it's a lot harder to bring normies into the fold than it is to keep them out of it. I mean, how would you have reacted if I had told you right off the bat that I sell potion ingredients here? I didn't want…."
Koushi frowned, "You didn't want what?"
Tetsurou, who had been quiet up until that point decided it was the perfect time to remind everyone that he was, in fact, still present. "He didn't want to scare you off before he could make his move."
What followed could only be described as absolute chaos. A red-faced Daichi had immediately went for his wand while a cackling Tetsurou shifted back into a cat. Daichi chased Tetsurou around the shop in an attempt to catch the shapeshifter while Kuroo laughed that donkey bray laugh of his. This carried on for a few minutes until Tetsurou scaled Koushi's body and sat on his shoulder, triumphant. Daichi, agitated and panting, glared at Tetsurou.
Koushi, to his credit, had managed to keep it mostly together during the shenanigans that had followed Tetsurou's proclamation. But in that moment, he couldn't help but snicker at the affronted look on Daichi's face. He scooped Tetsurou off his shoulder and held the shapeshifted man out in front of him. "Is it true? Did Daichi keep the whole magic thing a secret from me because he likes me and didn't want to scare me off?"
"I am many things, dear Sugawara, but a liar is not one of them," Tetsurou said, and boy wasn't it weird to see a cat talk.
Daichi let out a snort of his own at that, "You? Not a liar?"
"I'm trying to help you out here, Sawamura, be a little more grateful," Tetsurou snapped. "Now, I'm gonna go to the backroom for a nap. By the time I wake up, I expect something to have happened. Sugawara, if you would."
Koushi set Tetsurou back down on the floor. With a flick of his tail, Tetsurou stalked off into the break room. Daichi and Koushi were alone. Inhaling once, then exhaling, Koushi turned to Daichi. He took careful, tentative steps forward until the two were standing toe to toe. He reached one hand up to Daichi's face and cupped his cheek. Daichi's eyes slid shut and he leaned into the touch. Smiling, Koushi pressed his forehead to Daichi's.
"It is a lot to take in at once," Koushi admitted in a whisper, "but you could never scare me off with magic."
Daichi pulled back a bit, studying Koushi's face closely. Koushi lowered his hand from Daichi's face, taking his hand instead.
Koushi continued, "I just need a bit of an adjustment period, is all."
It was Daichi's turn to cup Koushi's cheeks. Daichi caressed Koushi's cheek with his thumb, brushing lightly against the mole under his left eye. Daichi leaned forward into Koushi's space, eyes searching Koushi's face for a sign that he should back off.
"Can I?" he whispered.
"Of course you can," Koushi replied before closing the gap.
The kiss itself should have been nothing special. It was a chaste, gentle press of lips that only lasted for a few seconds before they pulled away from each other. But Koushi could swear, that in that moment, he felt a gentle spark of magic.