Work Text:
To say that the night had gone to hell real quick would have been an understatement. It had started off quite comfortably, the sun dipping below the horizon and letting the cool, spring air begin to carve a path for the moon to kiss the trodden earth. You had been working the later shifts in recent months, the scheduling just meshing better with your other commitments, but yet every night the sight was still like a moving painting. All the raw emotion coming from the strokes of moonlight against the concrete canvas met only with the glow of the streetlights above, the calmness before the storm of the bustling morning day. You got to walk this natural masterpiece every night, watching how the rays fell and mingled with the constructed world, how the clouds parted to let the moon peek upon the lives of those beneath it. However, as your shift ended and you took the first few minutes of your walk, you were greeted by quite the adverse sight of your typical in-between hours. Clouds wove and patched together with a tightness that covered the streets in haunting shadows. Rain fell viciously, pounding and drenching all that dared stand beneath it as the wind grabbed at everything it could entangle itself with. The once cool air stung at the skin while the lights that once gave a soft warmth to the ground twisted and flickered against the harshness of the storm that had suddenly been conjured upon the sleeping city.
As you stood beneath the safety of an awning, hoping and waiting for the storm to be willed away by your selfish desires to gaze upon the moon— and, well, to not be stranded, wet, and cold for however long the storm would last— something seemed to call you. A glimmer of hope in the turmoil of the night’s emotions, a mix of enticing colors calling out to you with a familiarity that seemed to shield you from the swirling dismay above your head. You darted across the street, tugging your jacket and bag close to you. The lights seemed to dance to their own rhythm as you edged closer to whatever was calling you, their movements shifting and guiding your eyes to one singular place: a simple, glass door, trimmed from the inside with some sort of decorative design. You hastily grabbed at the handle and opened it, the sound of the raging calamity outside disappearing as quickly as it had appeared as a melody flowed out from the doorway and into the outside world. Stepping in, you heard the distinct click of the door closing behind you, a rattling of over-used bells, and a smaller click soon after, almost akin to a lock falling into place. You paid no mind to it as the tension in your body released as the soft music that had conquered the might of the rain entwined itself with your senses. Warmth filled your clothes and lifted the weight of water from you as you were pulled farther in. Smells of various foods seemed to visualize in the air as they danced to the slow but steady beats surrounding every facet of the room. Colors mixed together as if not expecting someone to walk in before neatly separating into their proper places, materializing the abstract beauty of simple colors and alternating patterns. Forms shifted from just ahead behind a small countertop as they worked effortlessly like they had been doing this for millennia.
You would have barely guessed this place was of your world as you felt almost completely foreign to the sensations blindsiding you at every turn of the head. The only thing that seemed to ground you was the singular, human-like oddity in the whole place; the only thing that stayed still as the rest of this world flowed with complete abandon. But yet, he still seemed out of place. His hair was like that of freshly fallen snow and melted into a distinctly shaped face from the warm lights cast from above. He easily looked as if he towered over just about everyone he met. He stared downwards into his hands where there was a small cup, steam floating from the substance within. The cup appeared like it was meant for anyone but him. He sat alone, not far from the entrance you had stumbled through, something about his solidarity unconsciously pulling you towards him. His head lifted as you took in a sharp breath, your body finally catching up to the reality you had been thrust into as from behind the counter a gentle but booming voice stopped you in your tracks.
“Another hungry nigh owl! Take a seat, darling, and we’ll fix whatever you like up!”
As if commanded to sit, you slide right into the other side of the booth the man sat at and grabbed one of the several somewhat sticky laminated menus. The pictures and words moved with your eyes along the page as if trying to keep your attention. Small clashes between silly little names like “Meat-ing the Day,” “Burnt out on Toast,” and “King’s Last Supper” warred on as you tried to find something that just felt right for the moment. All fighting ceased as a long, convoluted name strode right onto the middle of the page, a bright, pulsing design surrounding the whole thing.
“A Break(fast) in the Storm.”
“Well ain’t that the coincidence of the century, sweetheart! You came running in here like a drowned rat from that freak storm outside!” The voice that had ordered you to take a seat now stood next to you, the equally booming nature still present as it jested at your order. Wait, you had said that out loud? When had they even come over to take your order? “We’ll get that right out for you. Ooh! And for you, my silent friend, I’ll get some more coffee! Don’t be shy, you two!” You looked to where the voice had been speaking to watch a form dance around the counter and move about with grace and precision. As if moving through the divide between them, the form appeared next to the two and refilled the man’s cup of coffee, all the while humming a soothing tune. You tried to examine their face but all you could understand from it was a complete, unmistakable sense of care as they smiled fully and their eyes gleamed with tenderness. They placed another cup down and filled it to the brim, mesmerizing you with how hastily they filled it yet made no mess, left no drop wasted. The sound of the table connecting with something thrusted your gaze from the filled cup to the form standing next to you; they had patted the table to get your attention. “On the house to warm that little, shivering body of yours!” As if on cue, a frigid sensation cascaded down your back like rain and your hands latched onto the heated ceramic of the cup.
“Ahh… thank you…!” You let out as you raised the cup to your lips and drank. The liquid went down quick and with a heat that didn’t burn but bloomed warmth throughout your body. The form left you and the other man alone as they returned behind the counter, the now sizzling sounds of food mixing with the now upbeat, rhythmic accompaniment of the song playing. As you savoured the now tingling sensation of comfort in your stomach, you looked at the man across from you. He stared at you from behind his own cup, his brows knitted in a sort of analyzing way. It held a sense of questioning and contemplation like he was trying to understand what you were doing sitting in front of him. You gave a small smile as you spoke before taking another sip of your coffee. “Nowhere else to sit and you looked lonely; thought I’d give you some company.”
However, for a fact that you, the man, those that worked behind the counters, and anyone that would care to even give a passing glance would know: there was no one else here. Every seat was completely open other than the one the man was sitting in. No reason existed for why you had chosen to sit down here and no reason really mattered. You were merely existing at the will of whoever or whatever ruled over this small sliver of otherworldly paradise. And when you were done, or when they were done with you, you’d be right back out (hopefully) after the rain and cold of a stormy night had passed. So you let them guide your movements, your words, your emotions, thoughts, and desires. A small price to pay for temporary salvation, right?
The man let out a grunt as he quickly looked around the place. You closed your eyes blissfully as the music swayed back and forth in the air and the smells of your food became more and more temptingly pungent. You swore it was already on your tongue and filling your stomach with flavours and pleasures unimaginable. Your eyes opened onto the table before you, noticing a small picture now resting near the man’s hands. Even upside down, the picture seemed to make complete sense. The man stood next to a much shorter orange-haired boy, the latter jumping to be at head-level with the former. Even though he wasn’t smiling, the man looked incredibly happy.
“Cute kid,” you said, a fondness for children entangling into your words despite not having any children or really ever working with children in any capacity. You met the man’s gaze as he looked away from the photo as well. You tilted your head as he gave you a look that communicated “What?” Pointing at the photo you repeated what you had said, this time making sure to point directly at the smaller one. He gave another grunt, this time lower and more tired before spinning the photo around so it was right-side up. As it spun, you swore the image rippled and relaxed into something completely different than what you had seen before. Now, it was obvious that the two were the same age, both donning high school volleyball jackets. Your face scrunched as you muttered under your breath an apology for misconstruing the captured scene.
The awkwardness from your little mishap soon vanished as several plates of hot food were skillfully placed in front of you, each plate having a specific spot to call home on the table. The form let out a room-filling laugh as it witnessed how absolutely flabbergasted you were at the amount of food that had been dished out before you. They spoke back to the other that had been behind the counter, a much more contained but equally amused laugh coming from their direction. The form leaned in a bit, placing their elbows on the edge of the table and staring right into your eyes. In them you could see what was almost like a galaxy waiting to be explored, waiting to showcase all its beauty and secrets to you and only you. A thumb was jutted in the direction of the man across from you as they spoke in a hushed tone making it feel as if only you and them could hear each other. “If ya think ya can’t eat it all, perhaps share with your new-found friend here. I can already hear the grumblin’ in his stomach!” They leaned back off the table and gently pushed the man’s shoulder. He nearly toppled over into the booth from the action, something you didn’t think would be possible for his stature. “You shoulda ordered somethin’ else if you were hungry! Coffee may be warm but it ain’t compare to a stomach full of a hot meal prepared with love! Ain’t that right?” Both you and the other form agreed in unison, a soft, firm “Mhm” buzzing from your throats. The man recomposed himself in his seat before lightly deflating. They were most definitely right; coffee sure as hell wasn’t going to beat whatever it was that they had placed before you. As you dug in you heard the form leave with a hearty laugh and you looked up at the man. He had shrunk in size from tensing himself up and he was adamantly trying to not look in the direction of you or your food. You grabbed one of the extra forks you, for some reason, had and offered it to him.
“Do you want some?” You asked knowingly. His eyes darted from where he was looking to the fork, then the food, then back to the fork, then finally to you. His lips quivered a bit and hastened into a small pout like a dog begging for food. The obvious rumble of not the storm still brewing accompanied the gesture. You let out an amused huff that both felt like your own and someone else's before waggling the fork to offer it again. Within seconds he grew back to his original size and fervently grabbed the fork from your hand. You’re not sure how long you two ate for, but eventually all the food was gone. Both of you were full, warm, content, and absolutely unaware of anything that was happening outside of where you both resided. The plates seemed to lift themselves into the air and stack before wistfully trotting off to be washed. Your phone buzzed from within your pocket, breaking you from your stupor. The light from the screen shined against your face and reminded you that the world still existed as a text from your roommate read across your screen. The music that had been playing stopped.
2:47 a.m.
where the fuck are you?? are you stuck somewhere do i need to come find you
Oh, right. You should have been home like an hour ago. You looked up from your phone and saw the man mimicking your movements, an expression of concern on his face as he started to slide out of the booth seat. You slide your hand across the table to motion for him to stop. "What's your name?" It was almost a whisper, something deep in the back of your mind telling you not to speak aloud. The man looked at you once more, half in and half out of the booth. The forms watched you two from behind the counter, waiting, anticipating. He grabbed your hand and pulled you from your seat. The two of you walked to the door, the forms giving small, controlled laughs as the man pushed the door open.
"On the house for the two who discovered a new friend. Safe travels, and may we see you around the bend!"
"They weren't going to pay anyway. They never do 'cause you're too easy to sway."
The world outside was calm and smelled of fresh rain. Small puddles patterned the streets and the soft, circular glow of the street lights reflected back like windows peering in from another world. As you two took a few steps farther away, the man released your hand and turned to you. It hadn't really occurred to you but he really did dwarf over anyone. He leaned in enough to speak in a low, rumbling voice the answer that you and those that had been listening had waited to hear.
"Takanobu Aone." You offered your phone to him. He looked back questioningly.
"'Discovered a new friend'"? I think it'd be neat to maybe... experience each other not at 2 a.m. at…" You turned around to catch the name of the place you had just walked out. Nothing. An empty building that had a decrepit sign about being an old family-owned grocer. You slumped over where you stood as you tried desperately to make heads or tails of what you were perceiving now and what you had just perceived less than a minute ago. You turned to Aone as if he'd have the answers, but he looked just as confused with your phone in hand. He slowly handed it back to you, the screen on the newly created contact he had made. You hastily switched over to text your roommate if they knew about any diners in the area. Starting to walk away, you quickly spun yourself around to see that Aone was still standing there, dumbfounded, staring at the building. "Goodbye!! Thank you for the company!!" You yelled, exaggeratedly swinging your arm. He turned to you and nodded, taking one last glance at the building before turning in the opposite direction. Your phone buzzed and you checked the response you had gotten.
2:49 a.m.
dude what are you talking about??? theres no diner anywhere near us
A faint, soft laugh echoed in the night sky and a simple, yet groovy beat played as the lights danced with the shadows. Your walk home was uneventful, but you had at least learned to check the weather forecast next time you left for work. And perhaps also not to step into inviting buildings in the middle of the night.