Chapter Text
Manami woke up to a loud crash, followed by a string of curses. He yawned, blinked the sleep out of his eyes, and checked the clock.
6:00 AM on the dot. He should probably open the doors now. The lobby smelled like the baked goods that Arakita and Shinkai had been working on since an hour earlier. The specials board was completed for the day, featuring Toudou’s calligraphy as usual. The syrups and such were all placed where they belonged for the day, which is what Manami had done before falling asleep at the counter.
He looked at the doors, then at the doors to the kitchen.
6:01 AM, said the clock.
He should open up.
Instead, his curiosity got the best of him. He opened the doors to the kitchen and poked his head in.
There was a bowl of frosting on the floor. Arakita was scowling, Shinkai looked mildly pleased, Toudou was howling with laughter, and Izumida was dutifully cleaning up the mess.
Toudou looked up in glee when he heard Manami come in.
"Manami, you missed it!"
"Shut up, Headband! Wonder Boy didn't miss anything," Arakita snapped, baring his teeth a little. "I just dropped the buttercream."
Manami watched as the two bickered before offering his help to Izumida.
"I got it," said Izumida. "The bowl Shinkai made him drop was pretty small.”
Manami turned towards Shinkai. "What did you do?"
Hearing Manami's question snapped Toudou out of his bickering with Arakita, and he turned, pointing dramatically at Manami.
"An excellent question from an excellent kouhai! You see, Shinkai —"
"NO, shut up! We aren't telling him!" Arakita protested.
Manami put on his best angelic face. The same face he used on his parents when he wanted something and knew they didn’t know how to say no. "Secrets don't make friends, Arakita!"
"Haah?! Why are you worried about making friends?" He scowled and pointed towards the lobby. "If you want to make money instead, you better go open those doors!"
Manami grinned as he turned to leave. That was when Shinkai finally spoke on the matter.
"I slapped his ass."
"Haaaaah?!"
Toudou was laughing again. Arakita looked somehow both furious and flustered, which was a new look on him.
"It's okay Arakita, everyone already knows you two are dating," said Manami.
"Yeah," said Izumida, standing from the floor. "Even the customers know."
"I have gotten a lot of questions," mused Toudou.
Arakita glared at Toudou. This was not a new look. Toudou jutted his chin out. Also not a new look.
"Don't glare at me like some heathen, I haven't told them anything!" Toudou stuck his tongue out. "Maybe I will from now on, though!"
As Arakita and Toudou started bickering again, Shinkai went back to teaching Izumida something about frosting consistency. Manami chose that moment to sneak out, slipping through the doors into the lobby. He made his way to the front, where someone was already standing, waiting for the cafe to open. As he turned the closed sign to open and unlocked the door, Manami decided that today would be a good day.
Today was not a good day.
Toudou had been teaching Manami how to make latte art, which he claimed was an important job for any barista. Manami didn’t see why. As long as the coffee tasted good, why did it have to look good too? But Toudou was insistent, and Manami was always too sleepy to argue about it. Being his senior, Toudou was much better at it; he had over a year of practice under his belt. Still, Manami thought that after a few weeks of working there, he would eventually start to get the hang of it.
He was wrong.
The only thing Manami could master was mountains. Those were popular with the tourists who wanted to take pictures of their coffee as they toured the real mountains, but they weren’t as popular as the requests only Toudou could fill, like flowers and swans and snails. For some reason, Manami never knew how to pace himself when pouring the milk, so his designs never came out. Toudou tried teaching him the “art of patience,” but it didn’t seem to be sticking. Manami just didn’t care about latte art enough to focus too hard. His self-proclaimed “Coffee-Senpai” never gave up, though. Manami had a feeling that Toudou was more concerned with the idea of being a senpai rather than Manami actually learning how to make pretty pictures, but it wasn’t an idea he ever voiced.
The lobby was empty, a rare occurrence, and they were taking a break from Manami’s practice. Toudou was still doing latte art, though, and the spider he was designing was coming out really well. Toudou moved with the grace of an artist, not just a barista, with steady hands and patience and a creative mind and all of the things Manami didn’t have that Toudou tried to beat into him with hours of practice. Manami sipped from his own drink and watched as Toudou ranted and raved about something to do with his boyfriend.
"The hairdresser wanted to cut it! Cut his hair! That's ridiculous!"
Manami nodded in agreement from over his own cup of coffee. It was a thermos he liked to bring from home and fill with plain black coffee when the day was slow. He didn’t particularly care for the sugary and sweet drinks he had to make so often. He liked the bitterness of black coffee and the way it made him want to grimace with every sip.
"Totally crazy, Toudou," Manami said. He hadn’t been listening before, but that seemed like a good enough answer for Toudou.
He nodded vehemently. "And she wanted to dye it black! I know I look good in black, and Maki-Chan would look good in anything, but still! His beetle hair is like his trademark! I had to rush him out of there before she could ruin his hair forever.”
Manami had never met Toudou’s boyfriend, so he didn’t know what “beetle hair” meant. It sounded interesting. He sipped his coffee again and let his gaze wander to the clock as Toudou kept talking. He still had a few hours before he got off. Once his shift was over, he would ride his bike for as long as he could take it. His legs were still a little sore from yesterday’s ride, and Manami reveled in the feeling.
"Anyway, I need you to bring this to him."
Manami looked up. "What?"
Toudou presented a cup and a lid, grinning triumphantly. "I need you to bring this coffee across the street to Maki-Chan. He works in that bookstore, Sohoku? Bring him the lid, but don't put it on; I want him to see my handiwork."
Accepting the cup, Manami smiled. "Okay, Toudou. I'll bring it right over."
"Don't take too long," Toudou warned. "I haven't told Fuku I'm sending you out."
Manami gave his most innocent face and nodded, looking all the part of a dutiful kouhai. "I'll be back soon!"
It was an empty promise; he knew it, and so did Toudou, but once Manami got excited about adventuring, there wasn't anything that could stop him. As much as he loved the coffeeshop, he loved being outside even more. He'd been cooped up inside for too much of his childhood, leaving him with a craving for the outdoors and the pain that could be found there. Plus, he hadn't had a chance to visit the bookstore. He wasn't a fan of reading, but he liked to explore new places.
Heading out proved to be a feat in of itself. The rain was coming down, something he hadn't noticed before, and it was chilly without his jacket. Still, the cold air biting at his skin made him grin, and he set off for the bookshop across the street with both Maki’s coffee and his own.
The shop in question was called Sohoku. It sported a red and yellow theme, which vaguely reminded him of McDonald's. A strange color palette for a bookstore. Manami smiled. That would make the blue HakoGaku Burger King, he supposed. Just another layer to their supposed rivalry.
Entering the shop was a pleasant experience, not unlike the feeling of walking into HakoGaku. When Manami walked into the cafe, he was hit with warmth and the smell of coffee. It felt like a home. The same feeling of warmth was there within Sohoku as well, but it had a mustier smell, similar to a library.
If HakoGaku felt like home, Sohoku felt like the home of your best friend that you spent several nights at.
Manami looked around. Shelves of books and some merchandise for various series was all he could see to his left, and to his right was the small cafe built into the bookstore. That café was the source of the Sohoku and HakoGaku rivalry that had apparently been long-standing for a few years. Although HakoGaku’s coffee was more popular, Sohoku had better sales with their baked goods, and customers often bought a Sohoku pastry to enjoy with their HakoGaku coffee. Apparently, the bookstore had come first, with the café being added in like an afterthought. At least, that’s what Toudou said.
Standing behind the counter of the café was a guy around Manami’s age — maybe a little older — with curly black hair. He was staring fondly at another slightly older guy, who appeared to be playing a video game intently. Neither seemed to notice Manami. Not many people were out in the streets on such a cold, rainy day, so neither café was getting much business that day.
Manami did another quick sweep of the store. There was no green hair in sight.
He made his way over to the café. When he finally took notice of Manami, the guy with the curly hair nudged the one with the game. The handheld was closed and set under the counter. Manami could make out their nametags now; the first person was Teshima, and the one with the game was Aoyagi.
“Hey, how can I help you?” Teshima asked with a grin. Aoyagi kept a blank face.
Manami smiled sheepishly. “Ah, I'm supposed to bring this to Maki. Could you tell me where he is?”
Teshima burst into laughter, and Aoyagi wore a tiny smile.
"I can't believe someone besides his boyfriend calls him Maki!” said Teshima, still laughing.
Manami frowned. “Isn't that his name?”
Teshima waved his hand back and forth in a so-so movement. “Kind of,” he explained, leaning against the counter. It looked like he decided the formality wasn’t necessary if Manami wasn’t a customer. “It's a nickname that, so far, only Toudou uses. His full name is Makishima.”
Suddenly, he turned and looked at Aoyagi. There was a quick moment where they just stared at each other for a second. Teshima’s face flashed in realization as if something had just occurred to him.
“Oh, you're right, Hajime!” Teshima turned to look back at Manami. “Toudou sent you, right?”
Manami wasn't sure what sort of exchange had happened between the two. He decided that he wanted to ask.
“Yes,” he said, agreeing instead. “I have a drink for him from Toudou.”
Teshima nodded, eyeing the cup. “Yeah, that’s what I figured. Hajime?”
Aoyagi gave Teshima another blank look.
“Oh, you're probably right!” Teshima said to him. Then, to Manami, “Try upstairs; he's training someone today.”
As Teshima spoke, Aoyagi pointed in the direction of the stairs. Manami nodded his thanks, and with another smile, he was heading in the general direction Aoyagi had pointed out.
Upstairs was very similar to downstairs. The shelves of books were made of the same wood, and the color scheme hadn't changed. Signs dictated where customers could find specific genres, and there was a small seating area with a few chairs in a corner.
A sudden crash startled him for the second time that day. He turned towards the sound, hoping that it was Makishima who had dropped something. Toudou had mentioned him being a little clumsy at times, right?
Instead, Manami was greeted by a boy with short black hair and glasses, sitting on the floor. He squinted. The name tag read Onoda.
“Excuse me,” Manami started, “Do you —”
“I'm so sorry!” Onoda shouted, jumping up to his full height. Manami felt himself blink in surprise. “I'm sorry to bother you with the noise! I slipped, and I didn't have the books stacked well enough, please forgive me!”
Onoda bowed, a perfect 90-degree angle, as if he'd had a lot of practice doing so. It was so weird.
Manami laughed.
“It's fine! I don't mind,” he assured Onoda. “What are you doing?”
Onoda grinned. “I'm shelving manga! Makishima gave me the job because I know how manga should be organized by each other! There's a really cool system that can be used if you know what you're doing, and—”
“Onoda,” a new voice interrupted. “You aren’t supposed to tell the customers about shelving rules, sho. You’re supposed to help them find what they’re looking for.”
A tall person with green and red hair stepped into view. Ah. Beetle hair. Manami understood. Just to make sure, he checked the person’s nametag. Makishima, it read.
“I like hearing about shelving rules,” Manami heard himself say. Which was weird, because Manami definitely did not care about shelving or manga. Why did he say that?
Onoda beamed.
Makishima took notice of the cup without the lid and grimaced. “Did Jinpachi send you with an apology coffee for me?”
Manami nodded and handed it over, along with the lid. Makishima looked at the art for a moment before putting the lid on.
“I don’t know why he never just puts the lid on for me when he does the same art every time I get mad at him,” Makishima said. Manami shrugged.
“Toudou is just like that,” he said. Makishima sighed and nodded. “Are you mad about the hairdresser?”
Makishima grimaced. “He told you about that? I’m sure he exaggerated. My hairdresser made a suggestion and Jinpachi freaked.” Makishima shook his head and sighed. “He thinks I’m going to his salon now, but that’s not happening.”
“My mom cuts my hair!”
Manami glanced back at Onoda, who seemed a bit too proud of that fact.
“She does a good job and she gets worried about other hairdressers messing up, so I don’t mind letting her do it,” he continued. “If you need a new hairdresser, you can ask her!”
Makishima smiled. It reminded Manami of the looks his parents gave him when he told them about all of the races he was going to enter once he wasn’t sick anymore. Not quite patronizing, but not quite encouraging either.
“I’ll think about it. Finish shelving that manga for me, will you Onoda?” he asked. He turned to Manami and raised his cup slightly. “Thanks for the delivery, sho. If you’re the person Jinpachi has been talking about, I’m sure it’s been hell trying to learn anything from him.”
Just like that, Makishima left, and Onoda and Manami were alone.
“You work at HakoGaku?” Onoda asked, his eyes wide. Manami smiled and nodded.
“I really like coffee! I wish I could go get one, but I’m at work for a few more hours, and then I have to catch an anime marathon I forgot to record– “
Manami didn’t know why he did it. He definitely wouldn’t have done it for anyone else, he thought. Weird, weird, weird.
“Here,” he said, holding out his thermos. “I made this coffee a few hours ago, but it’s a really good thermos. It’s still hot.”
Manami swore he could see stars in Onoda’s eyes.
“Oh! But, no, I don’t want to be rude!”
“Take it,” Manami said, shaking the thermos in Onoda’s direction. “You can give it back to me next time I see you.”
He didn’t know why he said that. He was beginning to realize that he didn’t know why he did most of the things he did.
Onoda took the thermos gently, as if he was afraid of breaking it. Manami wanted to say something else, but his phone suddenly rang. He pulled it out of his pocket and wasn’t surprised to see Toudou’s selfie pop up on the screen as his phone continued to play whatever pop song Toudou chose for his ringtone. He silenced it and put it in his pocket.
“I’d better get going,” he said with an apologetic smile.
“W-wait!” Onoda said. “I don’t know your name!”
Oh. Manami blinked. Maybe he should have introduced himself.
“Ah, Manami Sangaku,” he said.
“Onoda Sakamichi!” Another perfect 90-degree bow.
Manami smiled. He was doing a lot of that today.
“Nice to meet you, Sakamichi!”
The rain had stopped by the time Manami walked outside again, but the cold air still hit him hard as he walked across the street. Encouraged by the cold, and no longer held back by the rain, both Sohoku and HakoGaku had a line of customers. Teshima and Aoyagi appeared to have a system that Manami stopped and watched for a few seconds. Teshima made the drinks, and Aoyagi made the art on them. It definitely made it go by faster, and Manami considered mentioning it to Toudou.
When he opened the HakoGaku doors, Toudou’s head snapped up and a relieved look took over his face as he saw Manami. Despite the customers, Toudou stopped what he was doing.
“Did Maki like my art?”
Manami considered it.
“He looked at it for a second,” he said.
Toudou grinned triumphantly, putting a victorious hand in the air. The customer waiting to order facepalmed.
“How could he have not? It truly was one of my best pieces yet.”
Manami hummed as he slipped behind the counter. “Of course, Toudou! You’ve had so much practice with them, after all.”
Toudou visibly winced. “Well, look at how long this line is! You better get to work, Kouhai of mine!”
For the next few hours of his shift, Manami made coffee. He drew mountains. He cleaned spills. Mostly, he thought of black hair and glasses. And manga.
Weird.