Work Text:
You took the job at the bakery on a whim, really.
You needed the money, the bakery was in need of a new employee, it was a win-win situation.
It wasn’t a terrible place to work, the owner (a sweet, older lady) was accommodating, your coworkers were nice, and the regulars were always friendly. The baked goods were amazing, albeit the coffee was, more often than not, less than amazing (you were experimenting in an attempt to make it drinkable, although the results have yet been in your favor).
While you enjoyed working at the bakery, you hadn’t planned on staying there for so long. You found yourself applying for the job in your second year of college, the bakery was close to campus and the slow afternoons often gave you the opportunity to study.
But soon you found that graduation had come and gone. You had grown accustomed to life at the bakery, even realized that you enjoyed working there. You enjoyed early mornings spent preparing displays of various baked goods, the smell of fresh bread, even the coffee machine that you were pretty sure was the root of all evil in your life.
Sometimes you wondered what life would be like if you had applied to big companies like your college friends did. There were nights when you felt as if you had made the wrong choice, staying at the bakery, instead of applying to a more acceptable job in society’s eyes.
In the end though, you knew that you would be miserable stuck at a corporate job. Besides, you liked your job at the bakery anyways. You especially liked it when your favorite regular came in.
The door swung open, the small bell attached to it rang, demanding your attention. The hazy afternoon light silhouetted the customer, casting golden hues across his broad shoulders.
“Welcome in, Nanami.” You smiled at the blonde businessman, his familiar pinstripe suit shifting as he made his way towards you.
“Hello, Y/n.” His deep voice spread throughout the empty bakery.
“The usual?” You asked, already knowing his answer.
“Yes, please.” He confirmed, his hands already reaching for his wallet.
“How’s work?” You asked as you rang up his order. It was always a sandwich and whichever pastry was deemed “pastry of the day” along with a small cup of black coffee (you’ve never seen him actually drink the coffee, you’re not sure if he ever has).
A tired sigh escapes his mouth before he can reign it back in, and you can’t help but smile at his unintentional honesty. “It’s the same as always,” was his only response.
You didn’t know exactly what his line of work was, other than his vague explanation of “making rich people even richer”, but you did know that it required a lot from the blonde man. It was evident in the dark bags under his eyes, the heaviness that sometimes creeped into his voice when he didn’t think others noticed (sometimes you would write encouraging notes on a napkin and place it with his order).
You handed him his receipt, sparks jolting up your fingers as they made contact with his. “I’ll be right back with your order.”
He thanked you, and when he thought you weren’t looking, stuffed a few bills into the tip jar. Your heart warmed at the gesture, a smile pulling quietly at your lips.
Nanami peered into the display case, looking at the pastries that hadn't been bought yet (today’s unlucky pastry was a rhubarb tart, you had only sold one so far to an elderly gentleman).
Assembling his order, you glanced at the man and asked, “Do you want to try one?”
He straightened, running a hand over the lapel of his suit jacket. The grimace flickered on his face for a split second before he responded, “No, thank you.”
“Yeah, I don’t know why the owner bothers to keep those on the menu, we barely sell them.” You handed his order over the counter.
He gave you an amused look as he took the bag in one hand, the small cup of questionable coffee into his other.
You paused, wracking your brain for things to say to keep the conversation going, ways to make him stay even just a minute longer.
In the end, you just wished him a good day and watched those broad shoulders disappear into the busy streets.
That was how most interactions with Nanami went, the tired businessman would order his usual and spend a minute or two talking with you, before politely leaving, only to return later in the week and repeat the process.
The interactions with him were always short, a brief moment that left a smile on your face.
xx
Sometimes, if you were really lucky, he would come in on his day off. Without his usual business attire, Nanami reminded you of an off duty model. His outfits usually consisted of soft linen pants and plain shirts, but he somehow found a way to make the simple outfits look expensive.
Today was one of those days.
The doors to the bakery opened just as you handed over a loaf of bread to a young mother. Your eyes cut to the entrance, a smile already working its way onto your face at the sight of Nanami.
The mom followed your gaze, “Oh, he’s so handsome.”
Her comment startled you out of your trance, and you smiled politely, unsure of how to respond to her comment.
Nanami approached the counter, and the mom left, but not before casting you a sly look, clearly thinking he was your boyfriend (you could only wish).
“Hi Nanami,” You greeted him brightly, trying not to stare at how tightly his white shirt hugged his arms.
“Hello Y/n, how’s your shift been?” A smile graced his lips and you silently thanked the gods for blessing your eyes.
“It’s been good. Not too busy, so I can’t complain.” You didn’t mention that your day was now better with him here.
He nodded his head, and the movement drew your eyes to his hair. When he was working, it was always precisely styled, not a single strand that strayed from its spot. But today, his hair was free, the soft locks of hair covering his usually exposed forehead.
It felt strangely intimate to see him this way, and your cheeks flushed against your own wishes.
“So, what can I get you? The usual?” You asked, hoping that he didn’t notice the fact that your body was having a visceral reaction to seeing him in casual clothing and fluffy hair.
His eyes skimmed over the display case, looking at the remaining buns and pastries. It was still early in the morning, so there was still a good amount of goods left.
“I think I’ll try the custard bun,” he pointed to the display.
“That’s one of my favorites,” You smiled at him, “Anything else?”
“I know,” he gave you a playful smile, “And I’ll also take a small black coffee.”
Heart stuttering in your chest at him remembering your favorite pastry, you rang up his total on the cash register. You accepted his payment, trying not to go feral over the brush of his long fingers against yours.
Something seemed different about him today. It was almost as if he was more relaxed, like a stressful weight had been lifted from his shoulders. The dark circles under his eyes seemed less harsh in this moment, and he moved with a newfound confidence.
“Oh, I’ll have it here today.” Nanami mentioned as you handed his receipt to him.
A shot of excitement sped down your spine at the thought of being able to spend more time with him. “Sure! You can have a seat and I’ll bring it out to you.”
He nodded and thanked you before settling down at one of the tables in the corner closest to your station. A giddy excitement fueled you as you assembled his order, turning on the coffee machine that was the bane of your existence.
As you waited for the prehistoric machine to spurt out his coffee, you took another customer's order. You handed the customer their receipt and told them it would be a moment's wait, all the while fighting the urge to glance at Nanami from the corner of your eye. Really, it shouldn’t be that hard not to stare at someone, and yet here you are.
Gathering Nanami’s order on a tray, you walked to his table, careful not to spill his coffee.
“Here you are,” taking the plate and mug off the tray, you placed them on the table, careful to avoid the fancy looking laptop he had set up.
His eyes met yours, “Thank you.”
You hesitated, the direct eye contact flustering you. “You’re welcome. Um, I’ll be over there… if you need anything else.” You internally cringed as you awkwardly pointed a thumb towards the counter.
Nanami, seemingly amused with your awkward stance, smiled and nodded his head before returning his eyes back to his laptop.
Spinning around and questioning every single ounce of social ability you had, you continued your day.
Customers filtered throughout the shop; teenagers coming in groups to study for exams, couples stopping by for a pastry on their way home, parents bringing their children in for a treat. You served them with a smile, energized by just being in Nanami’s presence.
Somehow, just being within the same vicinity of Nanami was enough to boost your mood. You weren’t entirely sure what it was about the man that affected you so much.
It wasn’t like you had a profound relationship with Nanami, he wasn’t someone who you spent hours and hours with. He wasn’t even someone that you saw every day. And yet, he was always kind to you. Always asked about your life, how your health was, how school was going (before you graduated). He went out of his way to talk to you during the short interactions you had within the bakery. Asking about your favorite pastries, if you had eaten yet, how your family’s dog was doing (you had mentioned owning a dog once before, and he brought up your beloved pet from time to time).
Maybe you just had low standards and liked anyone that showed you kindness.
But you also admired the man for his work ethic (although it did concern you, how much he worked). While most people would see him and just assume he was the usual grumpy office worker, you worked hard to get to know him beneath that exterior. There was a certain amount of respect and admiration that you had for him, mixed in with his beautiful looks and intoxicating voice, you were doomed from the moment he first walked into the shop.
Trying not to be obvious about sneaking looks at him (it was very obvious) you wiped down the counters and tidied your station. There was a lull in the steady stream of customers, and you took this opportunity to approach Nanami once more.
“Here, you look like you could use some extra energy,” You set down another cup of coffee next to his empty mug (you’re slightly surprised to find out that he actually did drink the shop’s shoddy coffee)
Unable to help yourself, your eyes flitted towards the open book on the table, snagging on the words “cursed spirits”. You paused for a moment, hand reaching towards the necklace you always wore.
This motion didn’t go unnoticed by Nanami. “I’ve never seen you without that necklace.”
Your hand dropped, “It was a gift from my grandmother. She was a superstitious lady who said that we needed protection from spirits. She always made these charms and insisted that everyone in the family wear them.”
You had questioned your mom about the charms, one time, asking if she believed your grandmother's superstitions. She had brushed you off at the time, but you had never seen her go a day without wearing one.
“She’s a wise lady.” Nanami broke through your thoughts, his sharp eyes lingering on the necklace before meeting yours.
You shrugged, “I don’t know if I believe in spirits, but the necklace always brought a sense of safety to me.”
“It’s a pretty necklace, it suits you.”
“Thank you,” you smiled at him, accepting the compliment. “Do you believe in spirits?” You questioned him, suddenly wondering why he was reading a book about the topic.
He didn’t seem like the type of man to believe in anything supernatural, but you didn’t voice that opinion.
“It’s hard to say,” his answer was vague and noncommittal, but something told you that there was more to his answer than that.
Not wanting to push on the topic, you just nodded in agreement. “Still, I’d like to think that if evil spirits existed, then there would also be good spirits.”
The blonde man was silent for a moment, studying your face. “I’m not too sure about good spirits existing.”
“You think there would only be evil spirits? Cursed spirits?” It was an uncomfortable thought, to only have spirits that brought darkness to the world.
“There’s a lot of evil in this world.”
“There’s also a lot of good,” you protested, suddenly feeling like you had to defend the hypothetical good spirits in this situation.
Nanami smiled at your outburst, “There’s a lot of good in the world because of people like you, Y/n.”
Your face warmed at his words, suddenly feeling embarrassed by the praise. “I don’t know about that…” you mumbled, unsure of how to respond.
He gave you a look, but his response was cut off by the sound of his phone ringing. You took a step back, motioning for him to pick up the call.
He ducked his head apologetically before answering the call. You watched with curiosity as he frowned immediately as the person on the line started talking (they were talking rather loudly as you could hear an animated and drawn out “Nanami~!” through the call).
He sighed deeply, pinching his nose through closed eyes. “Fine, I’ll be there as soon as I can,” and promptly hung up, even though the person on the other line was still talking.
You darted your eyes away, pretending that you didn’t just listen to his phone call (you were quite literally standing three feet away).
“Everything okay?” You asked, watching him close his books and laptop.
“I have to go back to work.” He muttered, his mood visibly dampening.
“Ah, office duty calls.”
He paused for a moment, hands slowly zipping his bag closed. “Not quite. This is a… different job.”
“Oh! You got a new job?” Your eyes widened. It suddenly made sense why he seemed less tired. “That’s great news, next time you visit I’ll give you a special celebratory pastry!” You beamed at him, already mentally planning on how to decorate it.
The smile on his face didn’t seem to reach his eyes as he stood up, shouldering his bag. “Thanks Y/n, I appreciate it.”
You nodded your head slowly, unsure of his sudden melancholic mood.
“I’ll see you later, then.” You smiled hesitantly at Nanami as he made his way towards the bakery doors.
He stopped and turned to say, “Stay safe, okay Y/n?”
He was out the doors before you could respond, leaving you with a weird feeling in your stomach. You watched him walk down the street without so much as a glance back, before he disappeared from your sight.
Trying to brush the feeling off, you turned around and got back to work.
xx
You didn’t see Nanami for a long time after that day.
Days had gone by without his usual appearance, and you had assumed things got busy at work. As much as he complained about staying late, it wasn't unusual for him to work overtime. But those days turned into weeks and you worried that he had gotten sick or injured. And when those weeks turned into months, you worried that maybe he just didn’t want to see you anymore. Worried that you did something to offend him in any way.
You picked up more responsibility in the bakery, coming into work more often than before. You told yourself that it was because the owner was getting older, and couldn't run the bakery like she used to, but deep down you were hoping that you would catch a glimpse of Nanami if you worked more hours.
Long days spent monitoring the store door, hoping to see the familiar slope of his broad shoulders. Greetings to customers felt ingenuine in your mouth, and your smile felt forced more often than not.
You were trying to accept the fact that you weren’t going to see him again, and you should forget your stupid crush (it wasn’t like you were even super close to him in the first place is what you told yourself). You reminded yourself of this over and over, but still, your heart didn’t seem to get the message.
Life moved on, you experimented with new pastries, set your mind to trying to create the perfect one for the summer season. You still fought with the coffee machine (the owner refused to get a new one, no matter how much you begged) and figured out that if you added the right combination of syrup and milk, you could make it somewhat bearable to drink (barely).
You met with friends and swapped life stories with them, trying to ignore the twist of jealousy whenever they mentioned their significant others. You picked up new hobbies and dropped old ones, did anything that would keep you occupied.
Sometimes you would find yourself searching the crowd, trying to find a familiar face. You swore you saw him, one day on a busy street. You spotted his familiar figure, walking alongside what looked like a student with pink hair. But when you tried to push your way through the crowd, they were already gone.
It was at that point that you seriously tried to forget about Nanami, concerned that you were so infatuated with the man that you were starting to hallucinate about him. You tried talking to new people, having friends introduce you to their friends.
But, for the most part, things didn’t work out. Dates ended ambiguously, where you both ended up ghosting each other. Or, they ended with you faking an emergency and escaping under the pretense that your “roommate broke her leg and needs to be driven to the hospital” (you didn’t have a roommate).
Maybe you were just meant to be alone, pining over a man who suddenly disappeared from your life.
You shook your head, sounding pathetic even to yourself. Sighing, as you finished closing the bakery for the night. You had sent your coworkers home early, insisting that you could finish by yourself. Something about being in the bakery alone had always been calming to you, always made you feel at home.
Grabbing your bag and switching off the lights, you stepped outside.
Only to stop in your tracks at the person standing in front of you.
“Nanami?” Your jaw hung open, eyes wide at the sight of him in front of you. He was wearing a tan suit with the ugliest tie you’ve ever seen in your life. You blinked rapidly, trying to determine if you had finally lost it and really were hallucinating.
“Y/n,” his voice confirmed that you weren’t hallucinating.
“What are you… where have you been?” You struggled to find the right words to say. “You completely disappeared for months, it’s been almost a year and- oh my god are you bleeding?” You lurched forward, noticing the large gash on the side of his shirt, red staining the blue material.
Panic filled your veins, coursing through your body until it reached your rapidly beating heart. “What happened? Who did this to you?”
“Y/n, I’m fine.”
“Fine? There’s a giant gash on your ribs and you’re fine? Seriously, what happened? Are you in a gang or something?” You took a step back, suddenly feeling wary.
Nanami scoffed, but immediately clutched his side in pain from the movement.
“See, you’re not fine. You can’t even laugh without bending over in pain.” You pointed out, trying not to sound smug. “Anyways, seriously you need to go to the hospital.”
“No, no hospital.” He immediately denied.
“That sounds like something a gang member would say.”
“I’m not in a gang.”
“That also sounds like something a gang member would say.”
“Y/n.”
“Nanami.”
He sighed, head tilting towards the sky with closed eyes.
Feeling slightly bad for arguing with an injured man, you tried for a compromise. “Okay, no hospital. But you’re coming home with me so I can at least clean it and bandage it. And explain what the hell happened and where you’ve been.”
Nodding, he complied with your compromise. You quickly guided him towards your car, thankful that your apartment wasn’t very far from the bakery. One tense drive later, you were guiding Nanami towards your apartment door, simultaneously hoping that none of your neighbors would notice you bringing a bleeding man into your home (they already thought you were weird enough).
Shoving your door open, you didn’t bother taking off your shoes as you guided Nanami towards your couch. You gently lowered him towards the cushion, cringing as he let out a small noise of pain as he sat down.
Seeing that he was settled, you quickly went to grab a few towels and the first aid kit that your parents had insisted you have when you first moved out on your own.
“Um, okay, I’ve never done this before.” You sat down next to him, placing the kit on the table. “But I’ve watched a lot of dramas so I think I can figure it out.”
Nanami huffed out a laugh, shaking his head. “You’re still the same as ever.”
Opening the kit, you grabbed bandages, gauze, antiseptic, and other materials you needed. “I’m going to have to open your shirt to clean it.” You told him.
He only nodded, hands moving to undo his buttons. You helped him shoulder off the shirt, cringing again as the gash came into full sight.
“Seriously Nanami, what happened?” You whispered, horror lacing your words as you gently wiped the blood off the skin surrounding the wound.
He didn’t respond right away, letting you wipe away the rest of the blood in silence (at least he wasn’t actively bleeding anymore). Placing the bloodied towel into a bag, you grabbed the spray antiseptic bottle your kit contained.
“You still wear your necklace?” His voice was uncharacteristically soft.
Your eyes met his, “Yes, I do.”
He nodded his head, “Good.”
Holding in a noise of frustration at the cryptic words from him, you uncapped the bottle. Letting him know that it would probably hurt, you sprayed a good amount onto the gash. To his credit, Nanami only let out a pained hiss as the spray made contact.
Placing the gauze over the length of the wound, you gently secured it at the edges with tape, careful not to press down too hard. Sitting back, you felt satisfied with yourself for successfully cleaning and dressing a wound without throwing up all over him.
“Y/n, do you remember when we talked about cursed spirits?” Nanami asked, his head still resting against the back of your couch, eyes closed.
“Yeah,” confusion filled your voice, wondering why he was suddenly bringing this up.
“Cursed spirits do exist,” his eyes opened, meeting yours.
You frowned, still confused as to what he was trying to say.
Noticing the visible confusion on your face, he continued, “Cursed spirits exist, and it’s my job to exorcise them.”
He went on to explain that there was a secret world of people that had abilities to see and exorcise cursed spirits. He was one of those people, and worked closely with a school that taught young students how to use their so called “cursed energy” and protect not only themselves, but others from cursed spirits.
You sat quietly as he explained all of this, absorbing the shocking revelation as best as you could.
“Did you ever work in an office then, or was that a lie?” You questioned when he had finished speaking.
“I did, I left the sorcery world after graduating and got a regular office job. That’s when I met you.”
“And now… you’re a ghostbuster?”
A surprised laugh escaped Nanami, his eyes crinkling for a moment as he shook his head. “Knowing you, I should’ve seen that comment coming.”
Your face warmed at his comment. His words held a sort of intimacy to them, that he knew your personality well enough to expect a stupid joke to lighten a tense mood. “So, I guess my grandma wasn’t just superstitious after all.”
His gaze landed on the charm dangling from your neck. Sitting forward, he took the charm in his hand, rolling it between his fingers. You held your breath as he inspected it, not used to being so close to his face. Your eyes darted around, looking everywhere other than his face.
Unfortunately because of your lack of common sense, you ended up looking at his exposed chest. He hadn’t re-buttoned his shirt after you finished cleaning his wound, and you were too focused on helping him earlier that you didn’t have time to admire his physique.
Swallowing the sudden lump in your throat, you had to practically rip your eyes away from him. His abs looked rock hard (you wondered if his fit body was a result of fighting spirits, or if he just enjoyed going to the gym).
“Your grandmother has cursed energy.” He gently let go of your necklace.
“What?”
“The charm on your necklace is imbued with cursed energy, a protective kind. It’s meant to make it so spirits avoid you, almost as if you’re invisible to them.”
Your mouth opened, shocked at his words. “Is that possible? If she has cursed energy, then do I?”
He shook his head softly, “I don’t sense any from you. At first I thought you did, but later on I figured out that it was coming from the charm, not you.”
“Is that why you kept coming back to the bakery? To figure out if I had cursed energy?”
“That’s… one of the reasons. I also really liked your bread and pastries.”
You eyed him suspiciously, not believing him.
“Y/n, do I seem like the type to keep eating at a place I don’t like.”
Pausing, you didn’t meet his eyes as you said, “I don’t know. I’m rethinking everything I know about you right now, so…”
His expression grew serious at your words, his eyes turning grave. “I’m sorry, Y/n. I didn’t want to drag you into the mess of the sorcerer world, and I never expected to go back to it either. I didn’t foresee myself becoming close to you, or that I would even…” he trailed off, turning his head to look out the window.
“You disappeared for so long, but you suddenly showed up again, what changed?” You asked gently.
The blonde man looked down at the space between the both of you as he considered his words. “I was on a mission tonight, one that could have ended a lot worse than it did.” He motioned to the newly bandaged wound. “It made me realize that while I never wanted to drag someone I care about into my messy life, I also don’t want to be apart from those I cherish. I don’t want to be apart from you.”
At that moment, the world seemed to stop turning for you. Your breath grew ragged in your chest as Nanami’s words echoed in your head, making you rethink every interaction you had with him. This whole time, you considered your affection one sided, a silly crush on a regular that was, perhaps, a little too nice to you.
“Me?” Was the only word you could seem to get past your lips.
“You.”
“You…. like… me..?”
“I like you.” He confirmed, amusement twinkling in his eyes at your very evident confusion.
“Since when?” you spluttered, suddenly needing to know the timeline. The thought of Nanami possibly having feelings for you before your insane crush on him began made your head spin.
He hummed, turning his head upwards as he thought about it. “Since the beginning.”
“The beginning? What is that supposed to mean,” you grumbled under your breath.
A warm hand landed on top of yours, surprising you as Nanami gently cradled your smaller one in his. “It means that from the first moment I met you, I liked you. And every encounter we had after that only fed those feelings even more.” He traced his fingers along your palm, sending shivers up your arm. “I knew that once I got back into the sorcery world, it would be dangerous for anyone close to me, so I stayed away. But, Y/n, I couldn’t get you out of my head. For almost a year, I thought of you every single day.”
“You shouldn’t have left,” you said softly, looking down at your entwined hands. “I thought about you so much, I felt like I was losing my mind. I seriously think I started having hallucinations of you.”
His words were soft, eyes shining with unspoken words. “I’m sorry, I was only trying to protect you from my foolish feelings.”
“If you think your feelings are foolish, then mine make me a complete and utter clown.” You told him with a deadpan expression.
Deep laughter filled your apartment, instantly making the space feel brighter than it had been in months. Nanami’s shoulders shook as he shook his head, the smile on his face making your heart beat so hard that you were certain he could hear it. It didn’t seem right that being close to him after all these months would make you miss him even more, and yet your heart ached as his eyes met yours.
“What’s that look for?” His voice was warm and gentle, deep in a way that made it sound as if he had just woken up.
“I missed you, that’s all.”
The smile on your face was, perhaps, a little too sad for his liking. His smile slipped slightly, his hand cupping your cheek with a gentleness that immediately made you feel safe. “If you’ll allow it, I’ll spend the rest of my life trying to make it up to you.”
His words were vulnerable in a way that you had only seen a few times in him before, when he was too tired to pretend to be a person who had his life together. The days that he would show up to the bakery right before closing, looking so exhausted that you would give him extra leftover pastries to take home along with a threat about taking care of his own health.
“Well, if you insist, who am I to turn you down?” Your words were nonchalant, but the bright flush on your cheeks told another story.
“Is that so?” He murmured, his face nearing yours.
You didn’t trust your voice to not fail, so all you could get out was a high pitched “Mmhm.”
His lips pressed to yours, soft and gentle. His other hand wrapped around your back, pressing flat against your spine. Giddy excitement flooded through you as you suddenly realized that this was truly happening, and not one of your daydreams.
You leaned in to him, wanting to be closer. Hands wandered across his still exposed chest, careful to avoid the newly bandaged wound. You slid one hand behind his neck, playing with the short strands of hair.
Nanami broke the kiss, planting a trail of kisses along your cheeks, chin, down to the side of your neck. You let out a soft laugh, the gentle push of his lips sending shivers down your body.
“That tickles,” you complained, pushing his chest gently.
He hummed in response, pressing a quick kiss to your lips once again.
Suddenly, a thought occurred to you.
“Hey, I have a question.”
“What is it?” he tilted his head slightly, evidently distracted by the way his eyes flickered down to your lips again.
“Do you actually like the bakery’s coffee? Be honest.”
His eyebrows furrowed, clearly not expecting that to be your question. “It’s not bad.”
You made a face, “It’s the worst coffee I've ever had.”
He shrugged, “You make it, so I like it.”
Well, you couldn’t even argue with an answer like that.