Chapter Text
Byleth has been working at Fódlan Brews for over a year when it happens. She’s heard the stories from her coworkers, tales of impossibly attractive men and women coming into the shop to order a drink or buy a pastry, but she herself has never been witness to such an individual. Truthfully, she doesn’t see the point. Why would one want to allow them self to go goo-goo over a stranger that may only appear once? Surely it’s a waste of time… At least, that’s what she thinks, until it happens to her.
It’s a brisk autumn morning in September, Byleth is just starting her shift, pulling on her black apron when she hears the door chime. She looks up to see a tall, redheaded man saunter into the café, a pretty blonde following behind. His auburn hair is vibrant and is styled in a tousled way that makes it appear that he just rolled out of bed, in the best way possible. He’s wearing a grey pea coat and black trousers that hug his long legs perf-
Byleth freezes, feeling her mouth go dry as she takes in the stunning man currently making his way toward the counter, toward her. He resembles a model on a runway and suddenly Byleth would like to be anywhere but inside this café. Her hands are sweating, and as she swallows it feels like she’s sending a clump of wet sand down her throat.
What the hell? This has never happened before. Sure, Byleth has seen her fair share of good-looking customers, but this man truly takes the cake. Heck, in all twenty-two years of her life, this is the best-looking man her eyes have ever beheld. And now that they have, and he is rapidly approaching her, her body is deciding that it can’t properly function. She is being reduced to a mindless blue blob in a matter of seconds.
Is this what her coworkers had experienced? Had they also felt like they were looking at an angel that had descended from Heaven? Because if so, then she was willing to take back all of the times she had called their stories ridiculous and childish. Because she gets it. Goddess above, does she get it now.
“By, are you okay?” It takes a few seconds for her to comprehend the question and pull her gaze from the redhead. She turns to where Hilda is wiping the counter to her left, looking concerned, if not amused. Byleth assumes she must have sensed her inner panic. Or, she hears the blunette choke on her spit when he removes his coat, exposing the white button up that stretches oh so wonderfully over his broad shoulders and taught body.
Byleth nods dumbly and Hilda snorts, before returning to her task.
Rotating herself to face forward again, she sucks in a sharp breath as she’s met with striking caramel eyes and a blinding smile. “Good morning,” he greets brightly. Oh, Goddess strike me down. Even his voice is hot.
Byleth attempts to return his smile, but she can feel how strained it must look. “Good morning and welcome to Fódlan Brews. What can I get for you?” She watches as his eyebrows furrow, eyes sweeping over the menu along the wall behind her. She finds her gaze traveling from his ridiculously handsome face to his strong jaw, then down his neck before pausing at the collarbones peeking out from where the top few buttons of his shirt are undone.
She truly can’t catch a break, can she.
She hears a throat clear and finally tears her eyes away from his chest to meet the icy blue glare of the blonde girl standing beside him. She shoots Byleth a withering look that tells her she’s seen all of her ogling. Great. She vacantly surveys the interior of the café before the redhead catches her attention again.
“I’ll have an iced Americano and a cinnamon chip muffin, please.” At this point she’s ready to pass out because somehow his smile has gotten even wider and he has dimples? She’s going to die here and now. “She’ll have- “
“A non-fat, sugar free, triple shot caramel latte.” The blonde cuts him off, smiling up at him sweetly and reaching for his hand. Byleth has to hold back a laugh as he swiftly moves his hand to run it through his hair before she can seize it. “Anything else?” When he says no, Byleth tells them she’ll bring their order over in a few minutes.
Her body deflates in relief as they finally leave the counter and find a table near the window at the front of the café. She takes a few moments just to gather her thoughts, and also just herself as a human being, before starting in on making their drinks. Once the drinks are finished, the muffin gathered, and her mental state somewhat pieced back together, it's time to leave her safe-haven behind the counter.
As Byleth approaches the table, she becomes aware that the handsome redhead is nowhere to be seen, which is probably for the best. At least in regards to her health and sanity. Assuming that he’s gone to the bathroom she lets her gaze travel to his unpleasant companion. She’s on her phone, scrolling through what looks like Instagram, a bored expression on her otherwise pretty face.
“Here are your drinks. An iced Americano and a non-fat, sugar free, triple shot caramel latte.” She sets the drinks, along with his muffin on the table before turning to leave.
“I see the way you look at him.” Byleth slowly pivots to meet the piercing glare of the girl. “I don’t blame you. Who wouldn’t be attracted to Sylvain? But you should know that it would never work out between you two. He’s rich, handsome, and extremely successful. He’s also on a date with me, so why would he lower his standards for someone like you?”
Wow, talk about a conceited bitch.
Byleth rolls her eyes so aggressively she wonders for a second if they’re going to get stuck in the back of her head, before opening her mouth to respond. The blonde plows forward without pause though. “I mean, I’m a model. I’m rich, famous, and beautiful. Sylvain and I are in the same league, so it would practically be a crime for us not to end up together. You on the other hand have none of those things. So, what does that leave you with?”
“How about a personality?” A voice calls from behind her. Byleth whips around to see the redhead, ‘Sylvain’ the girl had called him, approaching the table. His lips press together in a straight line and his eyes shoot daggers at the blonde. “That seems to be something that you obviously lack.”
“O-oh, Sylvain! I didn’t even notice you coming back.” The blonde’s cheeks flush pink in embarrassment.
“Clearly,” he mutters to himself. “Anyway, this date is over. We’re done.”
Byleth watches in amusement as the blonde gapes at Sylvain in disbelief. “B-but we just got here!”
“Believe me,” he crosses his arms across his chest and- get it together, By, now is not the time to be admiring his biceps. “After everything that I just witnessed, I think it’s pretty clear that the two of us aren’t going to work out. Also, your money and fame mean nothing to me. But hey, since you’re apparently so well-off, I’ll let you take care of the bill on your way out,” he goads with a sly wink.
She sits frozen for a few seconds before stiffly rising out of her seat and making her way to the counter. She looks so much like a kicked puppy that Byleth almost feels bad for her. Almost.
“I’m so sorry about this mess.” Byleth finds caramel eyes staring at her. “She had no right to say the things that she did to you and I’d like to apologize on her behalf. It seems unlikely that she’ll do it herself. I’m Sylvain by the way.” He reaches to shake her hand and Byleth tries desperately not to focus too much on the feeling of his large, warm hand enveloping her own. Goddess, get a grip. Actually, there are many parts of him that she would like to grip…
“Byleth. Nice to meet you.” Cool as a cucumber. Way to go, By.
He shoots her a smile, dimples and all, that makes her heart skip. Crap, abort, abort. He releases her hand and she can already feel herself slipping. “I should probably get going, but hopefully I’ll see you around. Under better circumstances of course,” he teases. The blunette finds herself dazedly nodding, unable to form a proper response.
As he retrieves his belongings from the table, Byleth makes her way back to the front counter where Hilda is no doubt waiting to get the juicy details about whatever the hell just happened. She barely crosses the threshold behind the cash register before the pinkette pounces.
“What was all of that about? That blonde bitch looked like she was going to punch me when I asked if she wanted her change.”
“It was nothing,” Byleth sighs in exasperation. Hilda raises an eyebrow, obviously not convinced. “Just some snobby rich girl overreacting. She thought I was going after her date. Which, I obviously wasn’t.”
“Oh my sweet, innocent, unaware, Byleth.” Hilda reaches up to pat her shoulder sympathetically. “I’m not trying to burst your bubble here, but I mean she may have had a legitimate reason to feel threatened.”
“What? Why?”
“Because, By, you were making eyes at him the second he walked through that door. And you never notice guys. But this, this was intense. I’m surprised he didn’t notice you practically undressing him with your eyes. You weren’t exactly subtle,” she grins slyly.
Byleth’s entire body flushes at Hilda’s words. Was she really that transparent?
“Oh relax. The only people that noticed were myself and blondie, and she’s obviously out of the picture now.” The pinkette clutches her hands to her chest in excitement. “This is your first L.A.F.S. customer! I’m so proud!”
“My first what?”
Hilda rolls her eyes in exasperation. “Your first ‘love at first sight’ customer, silly. All of us have had one before, and now you finally have too! We should go out and celebrate. I’ll text Claude and he’ll help me organize, and- “
“It’s not that big of a deal,” Byleth cuts in. “Honestly, he’s probably just a one-timer and I’ll never see him again anyway, so let’s just forget about it.”
“Oh my Goddess! You like him!”
“What? No!” Byleth denies quickly, too quickly. “I don’t even know him. How can I like him?”
“Stranger things have happened,” Hilda states with a shrug of her slim shoulders. “Besides, something tells me that it isn’t necessarily one-sided…” She trails off, and Byleth follows her gaze to the table that Sylvain once occupied.
She attempts to restrain the pinkette as she launches herself over the counter and sprints to the table by the window. Curiously, Byleth watches as she picks up what looks like a large stack of bills and a napkin? Hilda hurries back to the counter with the mysterious objects. She’s indeed holding a thick stack of bills and a napkin that appears to have writing on it.
“Oh, By! If you don’t want him, then I do. Read this!” She thrusts the napkin into the blunette’s hands, which are sweating for the second time today. Her voice comes out scratchy as she reads his note aloud.
Sorry again about the fiasco! And just for the record, she may be a model, but I think you’re far more beautiful than she could ever dream to be : )
Hilda shrieks and begins jumping up and down, shouting about planning a wedding. Byleth on the other hand thinks she’s going to asphyxiate right here, right now, in this very coffee shop.