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Reki walked into Sia La Luce the same way he has every morning for the past six months, groggy and uncomfortable with being awake at such an early hour of the day--next time he tries to schedule a class for eight am someone should shoot him on the spot. Going in during the early morning hours, order a bagel and a coffee with a quad shot, rush to class, and then repeat the day after.
So, it’s not all that surprising when he notices a little wrench in their daily plan.
As he entered Sia La Luce this morning, Reki’s gaze immediately locked onto the sight of a blue haired teenager standing behind the counter for to-go orders with a perfectly clean red apron on as he watched Kojiro point out all the buttons. At the sight of him Reki can feel the way his heart stuttered in his chest and began to beat rapidly within its enclosure like it wanted to get out and chase after the other man.
And then the man turns, and their eyes meet, Reki can practically feel the way his heart leaps into their throat and their body locks in place before looming shame creeps up their neck and he forces his gaze away. Staring down at the colorings on his high-tops rather than the blue haired man he got caught staring at.
‘He’s so pretty,’ Reki internally whines to himself while attempting to keep his eyes to himself, ‘how is anyone allowed to be that pretty and exist in public without having a mandated dress-down requirement.’ Reki is so busy having his internal panic he doesn’t notice that it’s now his turn to order--they also don’t notice that he is the first customer the barista got.
“Sorry,” he mumbled to himself while looking down at the little fold-up menu on the counter, barely noticing how the barista’s mouth quirked-up in a soft smirk. With a lost gaze, Reki looked down at the menu resting in his hand--despite his choice in drink not changing for the past few years he’s been going to the restaurant--before fully glancing up at the barista again.
“Do you have anything in mind?” he asks, attempting to be helpful despite Reki’s obvious helplessness. “Do you like bitter, sweet, thick?”
‘He’s so cute trying to be helpful while I’m being a dumbass,’ Reki internally bemoans, ‘he looks so eager to help me even if I’m probably the worst person to serve, not only is he so pretty I’m losing the ability to function but it's too damn early for me to stop it.’
Before they can embarrass himself any further, Kojiro, his usual barista and the owner of Sia La Luce, rounds the corner and beams at him. “Hey kid, Iced Macchiato with a slightly burnt bagel with strawberry cream cheese as usual?”
At this the sky-blue haired barista lets his cold eyes flutter towards Reki’s face, his features barely moving even as he regards the other boy in their entirety. “Are you a regular here?” he asks with a cutely soft smile directed towards Reki as it beamed at him--Reki doesn’t even notice how Kojiro turns to start collecting the bagels.
“Yuppers!” Reki says with a slight tinting of pink to his cheeks, not moving his gaze from the other man’s features. Staring at the man’s face is completely, unfairly pretty in almost every way, illuminated by the scent of freshly made bagels and freshly made strawberry cream cheese. The owner makes it especially for him every morning with the exception of weekends where he makes him a free lunch during study hours--it's a tradition of sorts. “Have been for a few years now.”
As they’re handed a packet containing a steaming bagel, Reki’s heart stutters once again in his chest when their fingers brush against each other without a moment’s notice; nothing preparing him for the sparks that run up and through his spine at the slightest touch the other man gives him. “That’s cool,” he mumbles while retracting his hand. “It's my first day working here.”
At this Reki lets out a little laugh and shoves his free hand into his pocket while the other clutches onto the burning pocket of food being held within his hand; barely containing himself when he watches the other teen turn around and grab a hot cup-sleeve from the collection--despite him having ordered a cold one.
“I noticed,” Reki whispered to himself, barely able to contain himself from ogling the other teen as he turned back around; a new and improved blush on his face. ‘I need to change cafe’s now don’t I? This is what Miya meant by burning bridges.’
“Sorry for being so noticeable.” He mutters with a small frown before continuing on anyway, scribbling on the sleeve. “One iced macchiato for–?”
“Reki,” they say while glancing down at the nametag pinned to the apron.
“I’m Langa!” he says while passing the cup over to another barista moving around the machines as if she knew them personally. Shaking his head, Reki knocks the lingering feelings of bisexual panic from within his veins and begins searching his pockets for the wallet he knew was in the front pocket. As they pull out a small wallet covered in skateboards and searches its insides for a few bills the barista cuts him off.
“Don’t worry about it Reki,” Langa cuts through with a hovering hand. “I’ll cover it!” he says with a beaming smile towards the redhead--making the embarrassment curdle within him as his infatuation with the stranger seems to grow stronger with each passing moment spent in the other’s presence. (Neither of them noticed how Kojiro slowly slid a twenty across the counter towards another man that had been watching them with a smirk.)
“It’s okay, I’ve got it!” Reki attempts, trying to pass the same amount of cash he always did to the new, pretty, barista.
“Just get me one of those bagels you get every morning tomorrow and we can call it even!” Langa says while calmly handing Reki his iced coffee with a hot sleeve on it. It makes them innately aware of his outfit and brings a trickle of shame down his spine--he didn’t exactly expect to meet anyone while out for his morning coffee, and he usually goes to class in comfortable clothes rather than pretty ones.
And while his overworn hoodie and distressed jeans are comfortable, they're not very: a pretty boy is staring at me and might never talk to me again purely because of how ugly they look. It makes him ashamed for not being anything more like Miya who never leaves the house without looking perfectly put together.
“Stop it Langa,” Kojiro mumbles while tossing another bag at Reki--extra cream cheese for him to add if there isn’t enough.
“It’s okay Joe!” He rushes with a soft laugh, “I don’t mind it.”
“Oi!” A voice booms behind him, making them all turn their heads to stare at the green and purple cat ears flopping down over their eyes. “You have a class in ten and you still need to drop me off at school!”
“Bye Reki,” Langa says while they slowly slink off towards the awaiting Miya on the other side of the restaurant; glaring evilly at them while they pinch and prod at each other as they both step outside.
“Doofus,” Miya says while he slides into Reki’s car--a gift from when he got into university--and props his feet up. “Your cup has something written on it.”
Glancing down at the cup in his hands, Reki brings it up to his face and begins to read the words nestled on the sleeve rather than his order: ‘Text me - Langa’ with a small skateboard drawn next to it.