Chapter Text
Suisei had never liked winter. Whether it was because of the frigid weather, the lack of sunlight, or the shorter days, she did not know. If she was being perfectly honest, she wasn’t even sure why she had decided to work during the coldest season of the year. That wasn’t meant to say that she hated winter, but she definitely preferred being somewhere else over this freezing hell-hole.
It just didn’t suit her, that was all.
Unfortunately, she couldn’t find anything to eat. She was supposed to have some sort of breakfast today, but she had forgotten to stock up on groceries. As such, she had nothing to nibble on, and no way of getting more than a few bites of something else from the bakery. A shame really, for she was really craving ramen. Sure, it was an unusual food to start the day with, but it definitely filled her stomach up.
‘What time did my shift star—’ Her train of thought was interrupted when her phone vibrated in her pocket, promptly answering the question of when her shift would start. She quickly slid it out, turning off the alarm hastily.
"Guess I should start preparing for when we open I guess…" She muttered to herself. She walked over to the counter to retrieve her apron, but before she could even touch it, someone grabbed onto her shoulders from behind.
"Don’t forget your apron!" a voice boomed from behind her. The words made her jump slightly. Spinning around, she glared at the culprit.
"Oh. It’s you. How did you get in? I didn’t hear you enter," she questioned, shooting Miko a questioning stare, almost as if she was accusing her of something.
Miko chose to ignore the question, instead grinning widely, waggling her index finger at Suisei. "You wouldn't want to make the same mistake twice, would you? I would hate for anyone to think you couldn’t serve drinks properly."
Suisei groaned inwardly, though outwardly she just rolled her eyes. It’s going to be another one of those days, isn’t it? "Fine. Just don’t go doing anything stupid now, okay? Ina will have both our heads if you break something again." She turned to put on her apron, grumbling to herself about idiots and their dumb ideas.
It wasn’t until a sharp tug drew Suisei away from her thoughts that she realised that Miko hadn’t let go of her arm. Staring up at Miko questioningly, she asked, "What are you doing?"
Grinning, Miko responded,"Now isn’t it obvious? We have things to do. Now come on, hurry up and get to making our drinks!" she exclaimed. Her grip on Suisei’s arm loosened ever so slightly. "We can do it together, right?"
"Yeah, I’m going to have to pass on that one, you and I both know what happened the last time you suggested that."
Miko snorted in amusement. "Come on, I didn’t exactly suggest we do it together, I was more suggesting that I should help you. Come on, there’s no reason to be such a stick in the mud about this."
She leaned forward so that her face was directly in front of Suisei’s. "I mean, we’re friends, right? Best buds? Can we trust each other and coexist without getting into fights every single day, hmm?"
"I wouldn’t exactly call us friends… more like… business partners. Also, you’re the one who starts the fights every time with your shenanigans," Suisei retorted, crossing her arms.
"You wound me with your words, Suisei." Feigning hurt, Miko got down on her knees, clutching her stomach.
"As if. Shut up, idiot." As she spoke, Suisei finished putting on her apron. When it was finally on, she quickly fixed her hair. "Now stop yammering and order something before I kick you out."
"Hey! Are you really gonna give me that kind of talk to my face, huh?" Miko said, sticking out her tongue childishly. Suisei rolled her eyes again.
"Well, yes. What else am I supposed to say?"
"Oh I don’t know, maybe a thank you or something for all the trouble I go through for you?" Suisei’s heart fluttered ever so slightly when she heard Miko’s response.
"Fine, whatever." Taking a deep breath, Suisei started setting up all the equipment. She took out some of the different blends from their fridge, along with two cups and a carton of whipped cream.
Miko stood near where Suisei was standing, watching intently as the blue-haired girlplaced everything they needed on the counter.
When the bluenette noticed that Miko was still hovering around her, she blushed lightly. "Can you just order something already?"
With a grin, Miko stepped closer. Reaching out, she gently pinched one of Suisei’s cheeks.
"Are you blushing~? Is it because I’m cute? Is it because I’m pretty?" Miko cheekily probed. Suisei’s following blush only added fuel to the fire, causing Miko to giggle gleefully.
She pulled Suisei’s cheeks between her fingers, earning a small shriek of protest from Suisei.
"Is this better?" Miko teased.
"Stop touching my face! I swear you’ll regret it later!"
"Sure, sure, whatever you say, Suisei~. You might not realise it, but I see through you~."
With those final words, Miko pulled away from Suisei, directing her attention towards the signs showing the menu. Groaning, Suisei buried her face in her hands.
Why am I letting myself fall victim to this lunatic? she thought to herself, shaking her head. There was no point thinking about it any further than that. She would only be digging her grave even deeper.
"Oi, Suisei! I’ll have uhhh…"
Suisei turned her attention towards the person currently calling her over, ignoring the slight twinge of guilt in her chest at how easily her name escaped Miko’s lips. "A vanilla latte with extra whip cream please. Oh, and don’t forget to throw in an espresso shot, some milk, and… " she trailed on, looking at the cupboard full of ingredients, trying to find the perfect amount of ingredients for the latte.
"…and add a dash of peppermint."
Suisei raised an eyebrow. How many things does she want? Sure, she was used to Miko’s antics, but this was definitely new territory for her.
However, before she could begin taking down all the flavours on a notepad, a familiar voice cut across the air, "Coming right up! And don’t worry about paying for those~!"
Looking up, Suisei saw a familiar purple-haired bespectacled woman walking towards the counter. "Eh? What are you doing here so early boss Ina?" Suisei asked.
Ina smiled sweetly. "Just thought I'd pay a little visit to my favourite employee~. Well, maybe not exactly my favourite, but I'm sure I would if they were here~. Anyways, how is my favourite employee doing?" Suisei held herself from rolling her eyes, but not the same could be said about the sigh she directed at her boss' silly words.
Ina simply waved her hand dismissively. "Please I don't even need to ask if it's true." Ina said. She then glanced at the two and grinned. "But anyway, do you want me to give you two some time alone?"
Suisei flushed red instantly, and she looked over towards Miko, hoping to get a clue as to how she was going to react. She expected many things, ranging from a smug grin to a teasing look. What she didn’t expect, however, was for Miko to look completely mortified from Ina’s light teasing.
"WaiT WHAT!? Eww, NO!" she shouted loudly.
"No," Suisei grimaced.
There was silence for a few moments until Miko gasped, cheekily grinning at Ina. "Ah, right! I totally forgot about something, Ina! How much would you charge per shot?" Miko asked, grabbing Suisei’s shoulders in excitement, causing her to squirm uncomfortably.
“Like I said, don’t worry about paying for those. They’re on the house, as always.”
Miko shook her head. "That's not possible. You're too kind Ina~" she said, smiling brightly.
Rolling her eyes, Ina replied, "Just take it. You'll only need about... half of your savings to cover the cost of all the drinks you've consumed thus far.Not to mention you’ve never paid for them before, so why start now? Besides..."
The corner of Ina’s lip curled upwards slightly. "It seems like you two are enjoying this.
Before Miko could respond, Suisei cleared her throat and interrupted her, "Anyways, you should probably go find a seat. You already know how popular this cafe is."
"Right, right." With a chuckle, Miko turned around, and headed towards one of the tables to grab a seat. When she reached it, she plopped her butt onto the chair and leaned against the table, her head tilted upwards as if in thought.
"Hey Suisei…" She broke the silence, glancing at Suisei. "Do you want to go somewhere after your shift or…? Like Karaoke or something!"
Suisei’s eyes lit up, her cheeks flushing red. "Ummm…"
"I mean, we could go somewhere quiet, like…my room or something," Miko added, looking down, slightly embarrassed. She felt like her ears would start turning red.
After a moment of silence, however, Suisei’s response came. "Y-Yeah! Definitely." she managed to get out before turning away. Honestly, she didn't know how to deal with situations like these anymore. They were just… so embarrassing!
"I’ll be waiting for you then!"
Why couldn’t she just say no when someone asked her to do something? Or better yet, why couldn't she turn down the offer and not agree?
"Okay then," Miko said, slowly getting off the chair. She walked over to Suisei, who was still turned away from her. "What about right now? We can go somewhere."
"Uhh, well, I guess…" Suisei replied, turning around and giving Miko a puzzled expression.
"Come on, what happened to 'no', right? It's a big change of pace, right? A little excitement wouldn’t hurt~"
"Yeah, but…I need to ask the boss and everything…" she said, almost at a loss for words.
"You can take a break for the rest of the day! I can hold down the fort while you two go on your little date!" Ina cried from the other side of the cafe, not letting up on her teasing.
Upon hearing that, Suisei’s face flushed yet again, feeling even more conflicted about the whole situation. On one hand, she wanted nothing more than to go out with Miko. On the other hand, it wasn’t exactly a date. It was more like a friendly hangout. But it had to be at least something close to a date…right?
As she pondered about the pros and cons, her gaze quickly landed back on Ina, whom she realised was looking intently at her.
She stopped short when Ina gave her an encouraging nod before returning her attention to the counter.
Suisei sighed quietly, her back faced towards Ina. Pushing her hair behind her ear, she responded,"Well…if you really think it's okay Miko." As a final word, she added, "And thanks again, Ina."
"Of course!" Ina grinned, "Just be sure to give me all the details once you're done with that~!"
Without even waiting for Suisei’s response, she started ushering the both of them out of the quaint little coffee shop.
As they left, Suisei spared one last glance backwards at the coffee shop. The door closing caused her to sigh softly.
"Alright Miko. Where are we headed?”
Miko paused momentarily, before grinning widely. "I was thinking…why don’t we head back to my place for some… ice cream? Either that or we head to karaoke.”
Pondering for a while, she soon came to a conclusion, “Karaoke it is!"