Work Text:
Port Macchiato had been a favorite place for the students of the nearby Bungaku University to both frequent as customers and to work as employees after classes. It paid well (for the struggling college students, anyway) and the environment was always so warm and welcoming. Merely walking into the establishment seemed to ease away the stress of finals and 400+ due essays (unless that’s what you came there to work on), if only for a short time.
Dazai didn’t enjoy coming into work for either of these reasons. He liked working there, and despite sharing later afternoon shifts with the annoyingly small redhead from his writing class, he wouldn’t trade his shift out for the world even if it depended on it. Because the brunet’s shift was the exact time his favorite classmate would order they’re usual and sit in their same spot for studying and finishing assignments.
3:58 and Dazai is already waltzing in, trying to hide his excitement as he tied his hair and apron behind him and punched the clock. Chuuya (the short redhead in question) was already adding whipped cream and sprinkles to a customer’s order, one of their newer items this month, and calling out for a random woman to pick up their order.
The charming smile he gave her died the minute he turned to see his co-worker, “Oh great, you didn’t get hit by a bus like I wanted after all…” the redhead groans.
Dazai only chuckles and takes his place at the cash register, “as much as we’d both enjoy that, it would mean that you’d have to find a new partner, and I can’t work here if I die~.”
Chuuya would have explained just how much fun he’d have finding a partner that wasn’t an asshole, but anything he says now probably won’t even get through one of Dazai’s ears for a while (not that anything Chuuya says ever does to begin with).
Because it’s 4:00 now and Dazai’s true reason for working at Port Macchiato walks in.
Atsushi Nakajima is a veterinary science major at Bungaku who was sweeter than anything on the cafe menu. With kind, innocent heterochromatic eyes, a soft smile, and that adorable little voice, full of honey and hope and all of the soft things in the world, it was hard not to like him (unless you were Atsushi’s unfortunate roommate) let alone fall in love with the student.
Oh and how Dazai fell hard.
The silver-haired boy quite literally had him at ‘hello’ last year and ever since then, Dazai became a soft-spoken, nearly on the verge of stuttering, mess. To think that the ever cocky and confident creative writing major was able to be willingly knocked down to Earth like that by Atsushi was almost incredible. Even the mention of the boy’s name seemed to have Dazai freeze up and morph into a flustered disaster. It was a miracle Dazai never acted so badly in front of his little crush.
Said crush came in every day at four, order his usual, sat in the same window booth and took his laptop and note from his messenger bag, then left at around eight or nine. Sometimes, Atsushi would fall asleep in his seat by accident and Chuuya or another coworker would often go to shake him awake so that he could go back to his dorm in time, as Dazai had mentioned something about Atsushi having a fear of being out past ten, as he always had the strange feeling that he was being watched during that time.
Little did the boy know that he was being watched over by his secret admirer on those nights from a safe distance until he returned to his dorm safely. Stalking and being a creep, Chuuya called it. Playing guardian angel for his beloved Atsushi-kun, was always the brunet’s counterargument.
“Afternoon, Dazai-san!” Atsushi beams when he reaches the counter, cue Dazai’s heart melting instantly.
“And a wonderful afternoon to you too, Atsushi-kun!” Dazai coos back, causing the boy to chuckle a bit. Chuuya rolls his eyes and Dazai can hear him making vomit noises behind him but he doesn’t pay any mind, “green tea with daifuku today?”
It’s the boy’s usual and his melted heart sinks into the pit of his stomach when Atsushi gives a cute nervous little laugh at that, “Ah, I must order that a lot, huh?”
“You could always try something different if you like,” Dazai points out, afraid that the boy might feel guilty about his regular order, “but there’s nothing wrong with having a usual, you know!”
Atsushi ponders it for a moment, a pout to his soft, supple, lips and a finger tapping against his chin as he contemplates the offer. Dazai secretly wishes he could take out his phone and snap as many pictures as he could of that look, maybe even save one as his new lock screen…
He snaps out of his thoughts in time to hear Atsushi say, “Well, trying something new couldn’t hurt! What would you recommend?”
What would Dazai himself recommend? Atsushi genuinely wanted a recommendation from him? He nearly considered fainting for a moment out of sheer excitement, but then Atsushi would be left with an unanswered question and it would be all his fault. Would Atsushi be weirded out by him? Maybe he wouldn’t come to the cafe anymore if Dazai was there...would he hate Dazai for passing out?!
The barista manages to collect himself and manages to let the answer flow out as smooth and as clear as silk, “Well if you’d like something as sweet as daifuku, a slice of castella would be perfect. And if you’re interested in trying out our new bubble tea flavors, I think you might like peach or honeydew~!”
He watches the veterinary major’s violet-golden eyes sparkle with interest and he can’t suppress his smile even if his life depended on it, “Oooh, those sound delicious! Can I order castella and honeydew bubble tea, then?”
“You certainly can, Atsushi-kun~!” Dazai giggles, ringing up the order and gives Atsushi his change back once he’s paid, and waves him off as the boy sets up his little work corner in his usual seat. Out come the laptop and a smaller stack of paper than yesterday, which can only mean he’s been working really hard with his little rat observation projects (Atsushi had mentioned it before when Dazai had gained the courage to ask about his studies last week). He smiles in the younger’s direction, wishing he had could stomach the courage to tell him how proud he is of Atsushi for being so studious (despite himself) and maybe even give him a gentle pat on the shoulder for encouragement in case it was needed.
“Just tell him you want him, already,” Chuuya growls, already taking over what Dazai should be doing and getting a fresh piece of castella ready, “What’s the worst that could happen? It’s fucking Atsushi Nakajima. He’d go out on a date with anyone just out of sheer kindness. Surely his biggest stalker knows how hard it is for him to say ‘no.”
Dazai rolls his eyes, finally snapping out of it so he can start Atsushi’s bubble tea, “These things take time, chibi. I simply have to make sure he’s charmed enough so that it’s easier to sweep him off his feet~.”
“Yeah right, Sure you- oh, Atsushi we were just talking about you-”
Dazai immediately tenses up and turns around, careful to keep the blender steady. All he’s met with is the tiny redhead snickering at his reaction, for Atsushi is in the exact same spot he had been in a minute ago, “Very funny…”
“Shit, you really have it bad- they weren’t kidding!” Chuuya whispers like its the biggest discovery of a lifetime and his co-worker considers dumping the tea over his for a moment, but getting fired and not having an excuse to see Atsushi anymore stops him from physically doing so, but the mental image is still there.
“Seriously though,” Chuuya finally comes down from his laughing high, “as much as I can’t stand your ass...I think the kid’s kindness might manage to rub off on you. But it can always rub off on any other lucky idiot that goes off to ask him out before you~:”
That’s Dazai’s biggest (worry) concern, but he tries not to show it as he shakes his head and barks a laugh, “Oh you’d like to imagine that, would you? My crushing defeat when Atsushi walks in with his new plus one?”
“And it isn’t you? Yeah, that would be hilarious...but even you don’t deserve something that heartwrenching. Especially considering all of the opportunities you’ve had to confess and get it over with…”
Chuuya gives his co-worker a quick look that seems to swim with annoyance and what looks to be pity and sets the castella next to an empty cup for Dazai’s tea. Another customer walks in and he opens the adjacent register for them.
There’s a scowl on Dazai’s face for a moment as he realizes that his ridiculously short co-worker is right, and another look over his shoulder at his crush seems to suck him into finally giving in and making a plan to ask Atsushi out later before he leaves.
It’s now or never, really.
~
Nearly five hours pass, filled with the usual hustle and bustle of filling out new orders for the customers, serving them, cleaning around a bit and wishing them good evenings as they walk out whether they’re sincere or not, (some of the women that came in today were particularly snooty, and Dazai would much rather wish them the worst experience with karma). Dazai’s finished preparing the last black tea of his shift before Tachihara comes in to take over when he realizes that he’s the only one currently behind the counter. He stops for a moment and looks around the rest of the cafe just in case he’s cleaning up an empty table, but there’s no sign of red hair anywhere.
But one more look again and there’s a clear splash of silver hair by the window that catches Dazai’s eye...
Dazai’s eyes widen a fraction when he comes across Atsushi’s sleeping form. Usually, he would be fawning over the sight, with how his little nose cringles as he sleeps and his plump cheeks appearing even more plump with hoe they rest against his folded arms..but now that he was the only one in the cafe until ten, he was downright panicking. Maybe another customer would be kind to wake him? Ah, but it wasn’t like the cafe was closing just yet, as Port Macchiato always closed at 2 am on weekdays...and today was Friday, much to the brunet’s dismay…
Maybe Chuuya was in the back rooms with their other co-workers, was what Dazai tried to reassure himself with, and if they were he could simply go back and...and…
And what? Ask one of them to go and wake up Atsushi for him?? God, he’d look like an idiot, and Chuuya definitely wouldn’t live it down if Dazai took the time to ask someone else to do something so simple, all because he was too in love and too nervous to even go so far as to touch the other student out of fear of the unknown!
Well, on the bright side, this could be a step forward into his plans...at least he’d be able to spend a bit of time alone with Atsushi...and finally see if that soft milky white skin of his really is soft when he finally goes up to hake his arm awake...or maybe he could gently caress his cheek awake as Atsushi’s eyes flutter open softly...those long lashes brushing over his cheekbones as he looks deep into Dazai’s eyes with a tired smile and a sleepy call of his voice as he apologizes for sleeping and thanks him for waking him up. Dazai would chuckle and tell him that there’s no need to apologize for anything like that...and then...
Dazai clutches his chest, desperately trying to shake the fantasy out of his mind so that he doesn’t actually pass out before Atsushi wakes up late and nervous. He decides to occupy his mind with calculations instead:
The clock in Port Macchiato reads 9:53, meaning it’s seven minutes until ten. Atsushi’s dorm is a good ten minutes away or so, depending on the color of the one street light he crosses to get back to the college campus itself. Add that to how long it usually takes for Atsushi to pack his things up and get ready to leave (average of three minutes if Dazai remembers correctly- which he does, considering it has something to do with Atsushi) that’s around 13-15 minutes for the boy to get home, but it would still be past ten before he reaches his front door. It’s past ten, but maybe it won’t be too bad considering it won’t be close to eleven.
The brunet takes in a deep breath and puts himself on auto-pilot, walking over to the boy’s booth and...stares at him for a few minutes. Waking up such an adorable and comfortable little thing feels like something so blatantly illegal Dazai is almost half expecting a police car to pull up in front of the cafe and book him.
“Ah…” Dazai starts as he opts for verbally waking him...his heart isn’t ready for physical after all, “At-Atsushi-kun? Atsushi…~” he sing-songs nervously.
The aforementioned is still sound asleep.
A few more seconds in and Dazai tries again, a bit louder than before, but once again nothing happens. It’s at this point Dazai moves a bit closer, thinking maybe the veterinary major can’t hear him well.
“Atsu-ACK!!”
Atsushi shoots up immediately, eyes blown wide and cheeks dusted a hard red. For a moment Dazai thinks he’s having a panic attack with how quick he’s breathing and with how his dilated pupils are moving around the cafe.
“O-oh! D-Dazai-san!” Atsushi exclaims, clinging to the barista's arm once his surroundings clear up, “Oh it’s just you...oh thank god. What time is it?”
It’s almost hard for Dazai to find his breath, as the boy is touching him without even realizing. He’s gripping his arm rather hard with blunt nails, but the brunet’s far too focused on how his fingers still manage to feel so soft against his skin. Perhaps they’d feel softer if his bandages were off.
“Well, it’s 9:54 right now so-”
Dazai doesn’t get to finish as Atsushi’s panicking again, rushing to pack all of his things and through his empty cup and plate away, muttering things along the lines of “hurrying up,” and, “I can’t believe I fell asleep,” and “finding a better shortcut so that I don’t get back too late,”
It’s when Atsushi sounds like he’s on the verge of tears and comes close to nearly dropping his laptop on the floor (Dazai knows he doesn’t have the money to buy another one either, and it’s the only way he can watch the rats on live camera while he’s away) that Dazai forgets everything about being nervous and holds Atsushi by the shoulders.
“Calm down, calm down, Atsushi- please.” Dazai chuckles to hide his own nervousness. Instantly the boy calms down, eyes swimming with guilt and lip trembling a bit. It’s the worst look Dazai has ever seen on his face yet. And his chest swells painfully when he realizes that, technically he’s to blame for it.
Well...so much for getting closer to Atsushi. He practically made him cry, the boy probably would never want to face him again.
“Ah, I’m so sorry.” Atsushi finally sighs after an almost painful silence, “It’s just- I usually leave before ten and I guess I overslept, and I meant to order another bubble tea because it was really good and I thought the sugar rush I got from the cake and the tea would keep me up long enough so that I wouldn’t fall asleep…”
A single hiccup erupts from Atsushi’s throat and Dazai already knows that the boy is genuinely close to tears now, and his heart is already starting to break, piece by little piece, “And...it’s not even about leaving late anymore it’s my observation buddies...I-I’ve been really concerned about Ivan lately and not only did I miss anything important on the live feed, but now I have to walk out after ten which is an even worse case scenario...and-and, what if something bad happened to Ivan or even Fyodor and I wasn’t there in time to get to them? I’ll fail the entire course and-”
“Why don’t we check on them together when I take you home?”
It’s silent again, and the neighboring tables are glancing at them now, two girls on the other booth behind Atsushi are excitedly whispering something about someone being a total gentleman and Dazai’s more confused than what he’s ever been yet. Looking back down at his crush, he realizes that he’s just as confused...or maybe that’s surprise…? Whichever it may be, he’s really just glad that Atsushi isn’t upset anymore.
“I...you’d do that for me? Walk w-with me back to my dorm?”
Oh.
Oh crap.
Oh dear god, he had said that last thing aloud, hadn’t he?!?
Now Dazai’s pupils dilate and once again he can’t breathe, but not because of his embarrassing realization, no. It’s because the boy is downright ecstatic. He’s back to his usual happy expression where it looks like his cheekbones are going to explode out of his milky white skin with how hard his smiling, all warm and open-mouthed due to how surprised he still clearly is. His cheeks are a much warmer red that does much better favors for his skin compared to the embarrassing red streak from a few minutes ago.
Basically, Dazai can’t take back the offer even if he wanted to. And he definitely didn’t want to.
“Of course, Atsushi-kun!” he laughs again, “really you can always ask me to be an escort for you whenever you need one!” Ah, perhaps he’s going a bit too far and his feelings are getting the better of him...but who knows where this experience will lead?
Well...judging by what Atsushi does next, apparently it will lead to something rather amazing.
The veterinary major leaps up from the booth and embraces the tall barista, “Dazai-san, I can’t thank you enough! Gosh, I really can’t... this means the world to me!”
Is this...is this what heaven truly feels like??
Dazai’s more than sure the silver-haired boy can feel his heart hammering in his chest with how close he’s pressed against it. He’s almost...almsot like Atsushi’s hero in a way, or at least that’s what it feels like at the moment. It’s a pretty good feeling too, and Dazai finds himself so lost in it that he doesn’t even realize he’s holding the other by the waist until Atsushi finally pulls back.
“No need to thank me, silly!” Dazai dismisses him sweetly, taking the chance to ruffle his hair- dear god it’s just as soft as he imagined- before placing the same hand against his shoulder, “now get your things so we can get going! Ah, and I’ll give you another castella slice on the house while I’m at it!”
“Oh, D-Dazai-san you don’t have to-”
The barista is already walking back to the front counter as he calls over his shoulder, “Ah but I insist! It’s really no trouble at all, you know!”
He suddenly stops in his tracks when he sees a little take out box with a slice of castella already packed inside sitting on the top of the counter’s display case, and yet no other Port Macchiato worker was anywhere in sight. Where had it come from?
Dazai decides to question it later and snatches it up before clocking out and hanging up his visor and apron on their rightful hooks by the counter. Tachihara would be here with another co-worker for the last few hours that the cafe was opened, right now he had a cutie to escort home. Was he still nervous? Absolutely! But there was no chance in hell he’d back out now, especially considering he went from zero to hero for Atsushi in a matter of three minutes and managed to receive one of the softest hugs from the veterinary student yet.
Said student is already waiting by the door, eyes sparkling when Dazai turns around and finds himself gazing into those pools of gold and violet. The colors seem to swallow him whole as they look at each other, and five seconds feels more like a wonderful eternity until he remembers what he’s really supposed to be doing.
“Ready to go, Atsushi-kun?”
“I-I am!” he stutters, how cute, he sounds so adorably nervous, “I really want to make sure Ivan’s okay...and now that you’re coming with me I feel a bit more at ease about him...a-and walking out at night too, since I have company with me this time…”
Dazai only hums in approval sweetly as his heart soars, holding the glass door open for him as he holds the castella in the other hand. Soon they walk out the door and into the starry night of Yokohama together. He’d make sure to pay for the slice in Atsushi’s stead tomorrow...or not...
Unbeknownst to Dazai, Atsushi looks over his shoulder before they round the corner, and mouths a ‘thank you’ to a certain redhead coming from the back room. He mouths a ‘go get ‘em, tiger!” followed by a knowing smirk and a thumbs up.
A sigh leaves Chuuya, as he takes money from his wallet to pay for the castella he left on the counter...along with enough to cover the small case of daifuku for himself for once his shift ends.
“He breaks that kid’s heart? I’ll kick his ass for sure,” he mutters half-heartedly.