Chapter Text
There wasn’t much that made the Agency particularly special. It was a run of the mill coffee shop tucked away in a quieter corner of the town with a relatively generic menu and average online reviews behind it’s name. However Atsushi was quite fond of it; it was a peaceful place to work. And no, he was not biased because it was the last place that would hire him after he almost tore down his last place of employment - that wasn’t the case! He was still new to the job, barely acquainted with his coworkers, but he was sure that he would do fine here.
Bright morning sunlight flooded through the glass panes, illuminating oak countertops and tables with a golden glow. The interior design was simple: dark wood, grey and beige stone, fake flowers and vines. Nonetheless, it was pretty. Atsushi’s shift started at 7:30AM, and the biggest rush of customers was during the morning hours, but that wasn’t much of a bother for him considering that he was a morning person. In fact, he was pretty sure he was the freshest of the three working today. He caught Dazai yawn a couple of times, and Ranpo was working a little slower than usual. So Atsushi considered that one win for himself, and the hours taking orders, making drinks, and cleaning tables seemed to go by quickly and comfortably.
That was until Atsushi heard the doors almost being torn open, followed by the loud thud of boots on wood. Startled, Atsushi whipped his head around to find the source of the noise - and once he located it, he was unable to look away. The man walking towards the counter stuck out like a sore thumb; he was a walking juxtaposition. Amongst soft beiges, browns, earthy greens, he was dressed almost entirely in a sharp black. Black pointed sunglasses, black turtleneck, black ripped jeans, black boots. The only pop of colour Atsushi recognised was the way his black hair faded into a subdued white. And amongst relaxed faces, smiles, and laughter, his expression was one of displeasure. His lips curved into a small frown and his eyebrows were furrowed as if he was... Annoyed? Angry? Disgusted? Whatever it was, Atsushi knew it wasn’t good and his mind trailed off into a frenzy of questions. Was he having a bad day or was the Agency something to do with it? Was he the reason he was so seemingly pissed off? But that didn’t make any sense, Atsushi had no idea who this guy even was. Or maybe —
His thoughts were cut off when he realised that the man in question was directly in front of him, waiting for Atsushi to take his order. Atsushi really hoped that he didn’t notice him staring. There was nothing he could do about it now, so he quickly composed himself to ask, “What would you like to order, sir?”
And if this man couldn’t get any stranger, he responds sharply, “Venti iced americano with eight shots of espresso.”
Eight? There was no way that anyone could genuinely enjoy coffee that bitter, that strong! Atsushi was insanely confused, tilting his head to the side quizzically. But he supposed it would be better not to ask. “Your name?”
“Akutagawa.”
Another sharp response, devoid of any sort of care in his voice. Huh. Atsushi tells him the price, Akutagawa pays, and he promptly goes to prepare the bitter drink that he is sure is cursed and from the very depths of hell.
Atsushi briefly considers putting some caramel or some sugar in the dark liquid he just concocted in an attempt to balance out the unreal bitterness of it. But judging by how annoyed the boy seems in the first place, he decided that he would be better off not making any executive decisions concerning the coffee. For his own safety.
Instead, he opts to write a note on the cup simply asking him why. That couldn’t anger him very much, right? With a black sharpie from the countertop Atsushi messily scribbles ‘Akutagawa’, and underneath ‘how do you enjoy your coffee so strong? you must have very tolerant tastebuds!’
Eloquently spoken, indeed. He calls out his name, and the boy comes to retrieve the cup, almost snatching it out of his hand. Before Atsushi has a chance to show off his customer service skills with a have a good day, or even an enjoy, Akutagawa is out of the door. Guess he’ll never know why he enjoys his coffee so bitter. Unless he comes back another day — then maybe he’ll have another chance.