Archive of Our Own ^beta

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Unlike a lot of people his age, Pac could say he had the perfect job. Had he been younger he would have had no idea what a 'perfect job' was, but in his late 20's, Pac had pretty much accomplished a dream.

And to him, his perfect career wasnt found in the actual work he did, but in the place, and the people.
Pac worked in this lovely little store, discreet and tucked away between two buildings that towered it.
From the street view the little store was always covered in stupid stickers and graffities, potted flowers were layed out on the sidewalk like a path to the little glass door. The facade was painted a welcoming pale yellow and the tall arched windows made it look more like a home than a business.

Thats what it felt like to Pac, a home. The inside of the store was always lively with music, from an old little radio that often needed repair. But what gave it its life was the constant banter between Pac and his friends, the laughter of children... A simple work day resembled a chaotic family reunion.

This is almost what it was, a family business. The 'Favela', unofficial name of a business that was too small to even need a name, was owned by who Pac considered his family.

Himself, Bagi and Cellbit were the ones who had started this dream together, there was also Mike, who didnt work there at all but had helped with rent and paperwork. Some time after their little shop was created, Felps had been hired. And they were proud to say the man had joined their family.

Point being, Pac loved working at the Favela. Loved it so much that his friends had to force him to take days off more often than he thought was necessary. But he worked there almost everyday, tending the shop, being a cashier alongside Felps and Bagi.

Cellbit, however, didnt work in the shop with them. Though he was often hanging around the property, Cellbit was unfit to work in the front, as he hated interacting with customers. He became somewhat of a makeshift accountant, managing everything that had to do with stocks, vendors, everything to do with the finances.

Pac was a polar opposite. He loved tending the shop. He loved chatting with Bagi and Felps during empty hours. Loved scanning someone's articles as fast as possible, making a game of it. Loved meeting new people and making small talk with customers.

However he could not say he quite 'loved' watching the kids make a mess of their business.

Like clockwork, around 4pm he heard Bagi raise her voice behind some aisle where he couldnt see her, tone clearly anxious.

"– Richas! How many times do we have to tell you? You cant eat the shop's food, filho!"

Pac chuckled, listening in as the shop was weirdly calm and empty. Bagi appeared in Pac's line of sight when she pushed a whining Richarlyson to walk towards the front desk.

"– But mãe, I didnt eat anything! I just drank a soda, I was thirsty!" The child protested as he dragged his worn out shoes against the tiles.

Bagi pushed him behind the desk and made Richas sit with her dad, which made the kid sigh dramatically as they sat on the Richas-sized stool next to Pac's.

Pac ruffled his hand through his son's hair and shot Bagi a questioning look.
"– Why dont you send them out back to sit with Em?"
He asked. The girl had been, as per usual, quiet and calm all afternoon as she sat in the reserve in the back, most likely drawing and listening to music.

Bagi rolled her eyes and grabbed the mop that stood proudly against the wall. Which made Pac realize his kid had most likely spilt her soda they were talking about.

"– You know how they are. Last time we left them alone in the back they started fighting with a table and a flip-flop." She said with an hint of amusement, Pac laughed in return and let her take her leave to go clean their son's mess.

Those were the reasons he loved his job, everything revolved around family.
As Pac leaned over to switch the music on his tiny radio, listened to the repetitive sounds of Richarlyson messing with the cash register, he saw the door open out the corner of his eye.

Usually Pac wouldnt have frozen like this, if only for the reason that he did not recognize the man who walked in. Being a local convenience shop, the Favela was frequented by locals, neighbors, people that Pac and his friends had known for years. Those were the advantages of living in such a small town.

But Pac froze there, mouth slightly gaping as the man who walked in had stolen all his attention, and his breath away.
The man was tall, probably a good few inches taller than Pac. He was bald, with a strong jawline and a crooked nose, Pac could see glimpses of rough scars that littered his face, the man was intimidating to say the least.
But beyond that, he was dressed in a white tanktop and some jean shorts, accordingly to the heatwave outside. Pac couldnt help but stare, and feel his face go warm as he recognized how muscular the man was, how large his shoulders were, how tight his shirt was...

"– Pai! Who's the bald guy?! Why are you staring?!"
By the time Richas whispered-yelled this near Pac's ear, the man in question had turned behind an aisle out of their sight. Pac blushed shamefully and smacked his son's arm gently. He glared at his kid, a silent reprimand for her loud and rude remarks.

After a painful minute of stressing and wrestling Richarlyson's chaotic antics, the guy in question finally walked his way towards the front. He set his articles on the table for Pac to scan and he pretty much stood there without saying a word.

Pac though, couldnt even focus on what articles he was scanning, too busy discreetly looking at the handsome customer from behind his little screen.

"– Mister! Have you always been bald? Were you born bald? Can I feel your head, mist-?!"
Pac slapped a hand against Richarlyson's mouth, holding a curse on the tip of his tongue. The kid licked their dad's hand and wrestled out of his hold.

"– Richinas! Go help Bagi and Em in the back, shoo!"

"– Help them with what?!" Richarlyson shouted as he stepped outside the desk and towards the back of the shop. Pac glared at him with an hint of an anxious smile that led the kid to have pity on his mess of a father. Richas walked away and Pac let a sigh of relief escape him.

Pac turned back towards his customer who had been watching the scene with a glint of amusement in his eye, a little smile that looked good on his tough face. The cashier almost imagined the act of slapping himself at the discracting thoughts.

"– Um, sorry about my kid, theyre a little rude sometimes." Pac said, not daring to look the stranger in the eye. He continued to scan the articles, bashfully looking down at his tiny screen.

He heard a deep rumble, a quiet laugh, and looked up at the mesmerizing sight. As their eyes met he couldnt look away anymore. His eyes were hazel. Twinkling with a little bit of joy...

"– Dont stress it, I have a son their age, I get it..." The man said, in a voice so deep it echoed against Pac's skull, like a ricochet, making his poor heart accelerate.

Pac sighed deeply without breaking eye contact, in a way that must have made him look like a lovesick puppy. But the man kept looking at him and his smile grew slightly, his expression shifting to something like curiosity.

Snapping himself out of his thoughts, Pac spoke once again with a tremble in his voice.
"– If you dont dont mind me asking, are you knew in town? I dont think I've ever seen you around here before?" The cashier knew he was forgetting to scan the man's groceries, he'd gotten too busy looking in his customer's eyes like nothing else mattered.

"– Oh, yeah! I moved here recently and saw your store while on my way back from the gym." He said with a little smile. His gorgeous eyes flew away towards the windows, almost like he felt nervous under Pac's intense stare. A little pink crawled its way on the man's cheeks and Pac wanted to kiss it away.

"– Um, you should come back again, soon... I- I mean, what? Forget it, that's stupid!... What I mean is..." Pac felt the weight of the words stumbling out of his mouth almost like he was coughing his heart up and out of his chest, straight onto the floor.

Shit, what was he saying?! This man was just a new customer and he was acting like a god walked in. He needed to get himself together, this was ridiculous. He had always been prone to catching feelings easily, and he had a thing for buff men, he knew that much. But this was the first time he was tripping over his own feet for someone he had just barely met.

The man looked in Pac's eyes, shock, followed by nervousness and then an awkward smile overtook his face. Not to mention the pink that gently covered his face was fading to red.

"– No, I- I mean yes! I'll come back here, definitely, I um, live close-by so it makes sense... um, my name is Fit, by the way!" He said, his voice going up an octave or two from what Pac could only label as nervousness. Fit. Yeah, Pac decided he liked that name a lot. He also liked knowing he caused the blush and the crooked smile seemingly stuck to Fit's face.

"– So um, how much?" Fit asked, looking away once more. He had talked again after Pac had stood there silently gaping for about a minute. Fuck, he must have looked stupid.

"– How much what? Sorry?" Pac had no clue what he had just asked him, he felt like stuck in a bubble, hearing the name Fit, Fit, Fit, over and over again.

"– My groceries, how much do I owe you?" Fit asked, and giggled, a laugh full of amusement and affection for the foolish cashier. Pac looked down at the articles layed before him and his screen where the bill was displayed. And the pinkish bubble around him popped, leaving him almost suffocating on real air. Oh! The groceries!

After they awkwardly laughed at Pac's distracted demeanor, Fit had payed and picked up all his things in his little plastic bag.

"– W-well, goodbye, have a good rest of your, um, day, yeah..." Pac said, not daring to look at Fit in case that would send his brain floating through another dimension.

"– Thanks, um... See you soon, Pac."

Before Pac's brain could catch up and his heart calm down, Fit had rushed out the glass door. For a second the cashier stood there frozen, wondering how the guy had known his name even though he had never had the chance to tell it to him.
Then he looked down to his little pin that displayed his name, the one stuck to the front pocket of his work uniform. The interaction had completed shaken up his brain, what the hell was happening to him?!

Before Pac could sink any deeper into his own embarrassment he heard a bunch of giggles coming from the back of the shop. As he turned around he noticed that Bagi, Richas and Em were stood there, staring at him very mockingly.

"– Tio Pac! Is the bald man gonna be my step tio?" Little Em shouted at him, a comment that made his face go infinitely warmer than it already was.

"– Dont say that, panada, I already have too many dads i dont need more!" Richas answered, grabbing her sister by the arm like the idea had stressed him out.

"– Its okay, maninho, maybe he can be your tio too! Your step tio or something!" The little girl shouted with a tone of voice more excited than Pac had ever heard from her. He proceeded to bury his burning face in his hands in hope to disappear from this cursed place.

As Richarlyson and Empanada started to argue about tios and pais and whatever they were on about, Bagi finally stepped forward to tournent her best friend. She leaned against the counter and clapped sarcastically with a wheeze. Meanwhile Pac refused to look away from the palm of his hands pressed against his eyes, almost painful.

"– Meu deus, that was really, really sad to watch Pac, even for you. Youre lucky Tubbo isnt around to see this he'd never stop teasing you about it." She said, hardly containing her laughter in between each word.

Pac groaned and let his head hit the countertop, now hiding his -still- red face in between his arms, folded on the desk right next to where Bagi was leaning.

"– I dont know what happened Bagi! I'd never felt that way about a random stranger, seriously... He walked in and i felt like all my organs were wrapped in coton candy...!"

Bagi audibly made a face and fake gagged at the gross metaphor.
"– How romantic, Pac..."

He heard the kids rush towards their parents in excitement and finally looked up at the harsh world outside of his own arms, blinded by the light, for a second.

"– Are you really in love, pai? Like IN LOVE!? Your face is so red, pai! Am i really getting a step-pa, or a step-tio or...!" Richas shouted at him before Pac could even calm down from his shaken up state.

"– Love at first sight, they must be soulmates, thats so cool tio!" Em interrupted her sibling, jumping in place with excitement.

Pac felt like he was about to explode, so he ruffled both of the kids' hair and stepped out of behind the cash register, walking towards the front door.
"– I need some fresh air, Im taking five, Bagi...!"

The woman must have taken pity on him cause she stopped the children from following Pac outside and instead stepped behind the counter, still smiling at her kids' playful arguing, and at her best friend being a gay disaster.

Pac breathed in deeply in and out once he was outside. Though he quickly realized the heatwave wasnt offering much 'fresh air', it still helped clear his mind a bit.

Man, he really hoped he'd see Fit again, no matter how much embarrassment he'd put himself through...

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Chapter Text

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A little less than a week later, and Pac had still not stopped thinking about Fit.
Worse than that; his friends, the kids, and anyone who knew about the situation had not stopped nagging him about it.

Richarlyson and Em had been the source of all his tormenting, telling nearly everyone they knew, including the others who worked at the shop, Mike as well... They had even told some of the other kids they knew. Even Sunny who luckily had not yet shared the badly kept secret with her dad.

Apart from thinking of it everyday, once Pac had cleared his head he had come to the realization that the encounter with Fit was the most embarrassing thing that had ever happened to him.
And so he swore that if the customer were to ever come back he'd act like a normal human.

Besides, this whole situation made him feel insane. Pac had liked people before, has been awkward, he's had first dates, first kisses, first relationships, all were unbearably awkward at times.

But he had never felt like that : Like he saw a stranger walk in, was struck by lightning and thrown in cold water all at the same time. Talking to Fit had completely set him off balance, off track.
Like it was possible for a man who, at the time, he didnt know the name of, to completely captivate him and make his heart vibrate the way it did.

When Richarlyson had used the words "in love" Pac had completely brushed it off like it was ridiculous. Because it was, the guy was a complete stranger!
But when Empanada had pestered him about "love at first sight" for the dozen time that week he caved a little. Pac had never believed in love at first sight. How could you love someone you didnt even know?

However, it was hard to deny how much he had liked Fit. If it was only for the man's appearance, his way too shiny eyes, his deep voice... He had liked his laugh, that felt like an earthquake reverbrating in Pac's chest, liked his little awkward smile, the flustered tone his voice took...

So maybe love at first sight was ridiculous, but Pac had to compromise with a crush at first sight, definitely. Even though the word "crush" felt stupid and childish compared to the electricity that ran trhough his body when they had talked. But...

"– I mean, how do I even know i have a shot? I dont even know if he's into guys... Maybe I made him uncomfortable last time, I mean.."

Felps stood straight, almost stretching to his full height and smacked his magazine against the desk. He looked at Pac, annoyed yet amused.

"– Mano, Pac, you came on so strong last time, if he was straight he would've ran out the store, screaming..."
Felps said with his nonchalant usual tone, which always succeeded to calm Pac down.

Pac sighed, defeated.
"– Well, he mentioned he had a son, he might already be, yknow... taken."

"– You have a son, and you've been painfully single for a while." Bagi stated, stepping around the aisle where Pac was currently mopping. Pac sighed, this was one of those moments where the store was empty and the kids were in school. One of those moments where Pac was stuck being bullied by his friends.

Realistically he wasnt supposed to be working right now, not on the clock. Bagi and Felps were in and there was no need for three employees, especially if the kids were not around. But Pac just loved his job that much. Also, he might have been around the store at all time since he didnt know when or if Fit would come by again.

"– You two are really hyping me up. I need to be more normal the next time I see him, so no wingmaning or whatever you had in mind!"

He glared at Bagi specifically, the one who had witnessed the whole thing originally, and had been way too excited about it all. The woman rolled her eyes and walked towards the back, taking advantage of the fact Pac was working off the clock to take way too many breaks.

Not to mention Pac had been mopping the same spot on the floor for the past 20 minutes, pondering. It was the spot where Empanada had once dropped mapple syrup and the stain had never really gone away, only faded. So really there wasnt much work to do on a day like this.

Pac was just contemplating letting go of the mop when he heard Felps gasp, right before the front door audibly opened. When Pac twisted his neck to look at the entrance from his spot, he felt that same lightning drop directly on his head.

Fit had walked in, in a similar white shirt and shorts from last time, with a heavy backpack and a slightly reddened face. His eyes went straight to Pac's and he smiled, in a way that made Pac forget all his doubts about this.

Fit waved, a short tiny movement, that looked very unsure. Pac waved back and looked away before he'd smile too wide, blush too much, and look stupid again. But before he could think of how to approach him, Fit beat him to it.

"– Hey, its you again..."
Pac had maybe forgotten how deep Fit's voice was, how the rumbling in his words sufficed to bring Pac's heart to a beating mess. This was so stupid, he was going insane.

Pac leaned against the shelf, fakely confident. "– Yeah, me again, I work here. Glad you came back."

Fit bit his lip and laughed, a cute little laugh that made him close his eyes and Pac nearly passed out when he noticed the way Fit covered his lower face with his hand when, an habit way too cute for a grown man like him.

"– Don't flatter yourself, I'm here because I need to buy vegetables.." He said with a smile and a tone that could only be described as flirty. Pac's entire stomach flipped, looped and did a backflip. So he stepped away from the shelf, not willing to distract the man too much.

"– Please do then, I wont keep you away from the vegetables." Pac answered, and as he did, he saw Fit's eyes scan him up and down. Fit turned around abruptly and muttered something. Pac saw the man's ears go redder than he'd thought possible and felt all the more proud of himself.

"– Be careful though, Fit, the floor is wet." He said with nothing but mischief in his voice.

Knowing that Fit wouldnt answer more than a hum, Pac walked towards the front desk where he was excpecting Felps to be sitting. Except he turned to see an empty spot, Felps' magazine still laying there near the cash register.

Pac scoffed as he imagined his coworker had rushed in the back with Bagi so they could leave him alone with the handsome customer. He couldnt find it in himself to be annoyed, though he would absolutely throw a tantrum at them later.

Once Fit had reached the front desk with his little basket full of fresh vegetables, Pac found it a lot easier to focus on his job now that he had flirted with Fit and regained confidence in himself. Though the man's presence still made everything in Pac scream, a thing he wasnt sure what to do with yet.

"– Sooo... All these fresh ingredients, I didn't take you for a man who cooks, Fit." Pac said, with this same flirtatious tone they had earlier. Fit looked up at him bashfully and giggled again.

"– Eh, I have a few tricks up my sleeves, I know my way around a kitchen." Pac couldnt help the thoughts of Fit in an apron that rushed through his head. Fit's expression shifted to something open and genuine. "But I'm buying the essentials for soup, my son is sick and he wont eat anything else."

Pac froze for a second. He felt like Fit was opening up to him once more, once again about his son. Pac smiled at him as he finished scanning the articles.

"– Man, I'm sorry for you, when my kid is sick I practically have to tie her down and force-feed her some stew. Who knew a fever could give a child so much energy."

Fit laughed at that, doing that charming thing again where he covered his mouth with his hand. Pac must have stared at him a little too hard because his laughter stopped suddenly and Fit matched this intense look in his eyes Pac couldnt define.

"– Luckily, my boy loves soup, and he's pretty calm... I'd love to keep chatting but I cant leave him alone for too long..."
Fit said, hesitant, almost like he didnt want to leave yet. But now that he had bought what he needed and payed, he didnt have a reason to stick around either.

If Pac were a stronger man, he'd ask for Fit's number, ask him out, or organize something stupid like a playdate between their kids as an excuse to see him. But Pac was weak, especially when it came to a pretty guy like Fit.

"– Alright, enjoy your soup, then! See you soon, Fit!"

Fit bit his lip into a wide smile again, something that Pac was starting to find way too endearing. He wordlessly waved at the cashier and walked outside with a red face. And if Pac had caught Fit looking back at him through the window, that was for him to cherish.

Once Fit had stepped out and was out of view, his two coworkers burst out the back door almost like a timed bomb. They had these obnoxious smiles on their faces and Pac felt the need to dunk his head in a pool.

"– Pac! That was way less pathetic than the first time, way to go!" Bagi said as she rushed towards him, almost ready to ask for the details, if only she hadn't eavedropped on the whole thing.

"– Congrats, bro, Ive never seen you flirt like that, youre better than i thought!"

Pac slammed his head against the desk, multiple times, to get them to shut up, and to calm his racing heart

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It was early in the morning at the store when Pac had been doing restock and inventory, listening to pop on his phone. Late enough for the summer sun to have risen outside, blinding the man through the windows. He could already feel the air around him picking up the suffocating warmth.
But it was early enough that there was barely no one in the streets, the sounds of cars were replaced by the loud chirping of birds.

The man had been all alone in the store listening to some radio hit tune, when he heard the sound of little feets approching the front door, audible among the birds' calls.

"– Good morning uncle Pac! Bom dia! The queen has arrived!"
Sunny announced, loudly, as if trumpets had accompanied her entrance.

Pac turned around to face them, delighted, and dropped his inventory sheet onto a nearby shelf, in favor for a clumsy and less than graceful salute.

"– Good morning, My Princess, its a pleasure to see thee in my humble shop on this day. Does thy father know thee are here?" He giggled through his clumsy old english, humoring his niece with her royalty obsession.

Pac looked at her expectantly with a little hand motion, inviting her to continue the silly play. After a minute of silence from her and a mouth wide open in confusion, Pac caved and asked them, this time in normal words, if their father knew they were here.

"– Oh! Yes! He got started on a project and told me i could visit you if i was bored." She responded with a bright smile. Pac nodded and nearly reached to ruffle her hair before he realized she'd probably throw a tantrum if he happened to ruin her tightly pulled back buns that crowned her head like an halo.

Sunny's dad, Tubbo, who happened to be one of Pac's best friends while also being Bagi and Cellbit's younger brother, owned a mechanics & tinkering store right across the street from the Favela.

Which meant that one of the first things the kids were taught years ago was to cross their street safely, as a lot of back and forth was to be predicted.
Sunny specifically, as much as she loved watching her pa work, often came by to visit or play.

Tubbo was always the first person up, carrying a cup of coffee everywhere he went. He was so much of an early bird for a young dad who went out to drink and party regularly. As a result of this, Sunny had the most impressive sleep schedule Pac had ever seen a child so tiny maintain.

"– Is my Panada here?" They asked with a joyful little bounce in her step. Her eyes narrowed behind her big sunglasses as they looked around suspiciously. "Or Richas..?"

Pac almost laughed at the change of tone. He picked up his inventory task again.
"– Richas is with Felps today, he wont be here. But Empanada should arrive soon, when Bagi clocks in."

Sunny nodded approvingly. She and Richarlyson had never quite gotten along, even though he was her best friend's sibling. If they were forced to coexist in the same room, they would ignore each other. Even though Richas' ignoring seemed mocking while Sunny's was more passive aggressive.

Pac had tried, at first, to help the two kids get along. Sadly he was quick to realize their personalities just clashed too much. While Sunny was a sensitive girl who often hid her feelings, Richas tended to be oblivious to people around them, being impulsive and careless. Both kids were incredibly dominant and stubborn, though they both cared so much about their family and friends. Pac thought maybe in the end, it was their similarity that had sparked this dislike.

"– So, uncle Pac," she climbed onto the desk with difficulty, lifting her little legs to sit on top of it, so she could look down upon Pac. Though she was still shorter than him, but all was relative. "I heard you have a namoradoooo..." She said with the rythm of a mockery and with a smirk.

Pac rolled his eyes. Sunny and Em told each other everything, and he knew that Sunny had heard of this. He knew she hadnt told her pa yet because his life had remained peaceful and free of any of Tubbo's antics so far.

"– Not a namorado, Sunny, not a boyfriend. He's just... A friend."
Pac cringed at the clumsy classification. Acquaintance would have been more adequate, as he had only spoken to Fit twice, and not for very long.
But everytime he reminded himself that Fit was still barely more than a stranger, he felt even more ridiculous. Fit was a stranger when Pac had first gotten lost in his eyes and felt his stomach twist with something similar to 'butterflies' or whatever the saying was. He had never understood it.

Sunny shook her head and tsk'ed at him, like a real Queen ready to throw him in the dungeons.

"– Riiiight, like my pa is 'friends' with mr. Fred and mr. Ollie." She said sarcastically.

Pac almost barked out a loud laughter. Fred and Ollie were two of Tubbo's coworkers. Though Fred had been working with him in the shop for over a year now, and Pac was pretty damn sure they had been a thing, on and off, a situationship; Ollie had showed up only more recently.

Where Fred was very introverted and kept to himself, sometimes maintaining this professional aspect that would put people off, Ollie was different. He was just as shy and introverted, but he was funny, clumsy and unsure, he was charming in a nerdy way. Something that had very much enticed Tubbo since day one.

Now, Pac wasnt one to judge, but he wouldve defined what Tubbo was doing as; playing with their feelings. Even though he knew Tubbo genuinely liked them both, in a way. It was just a funny spectacle to watch from across the road, though most likely a terrible work environment.

"– Your pa's kind of a player these days, Sunny-Sun..." Pac stated in a distracted tone, much more talking to himself than to the girl.

Sunny smacked her little hand against the ringing handle of the cash register -much like Richarlyson would- to get her uncle's attention.

"– You're changing subjects! Tell me more about your special friend...!"

Pac cringed at the use of the term 'special friend'. Fit was maybe not a friend but, god was he special. The cashier slid behind the counter where Sunny contorted her body from her sitting spot to keep her eyes on Pac.

"– And how about I send a free coffee your way and you stop with your questioning, Sherrif." He proposed, as a very unoriginal bargaining chip. He knew she knew he would've offered her coffee regardless. But Sunny seemed to accept the meaningless bargain and nodded, satisfied.

Though Pac didnt believe she'd stop asking him about Fit he turned to the wall behind the desk where a little coffee machine stood proudly.

There were two reasons that lead them to have a coffee machine for employees and friends; first, Cellbit. The man was a fan of coffee and the lack of access in the store made his work slower, or so Cell claimed. Unlike his twin, Bagi who did not care for coffee and had argued it was too big and useless of an argument. Pac and Felps had been neutral to the argument, so they left it there for a while.

And then about a year later, Sunny threatened them to 'sue the store' if they didnt get a coffee machine. All the employees caved, simply because Sunny really was their princess, who reigned over them with her cute eyes.

Smiling with nostalgia, Pac pourred the black brownish drink in a plastic cup, about halfway. He then reached into a mini fridge under the machine where he'd stored the milk, cream, sugar, caramel syrups and sprinkles and such childish ingredients.

He always made a show of making Sunny's cup before her amazed eyes; laying the cream and caramel and such aesthetics in a patterned way that was reminiscent of Pac's tags. Such a intricate design for something the kid would swallow under a minute, but it was worth her entertainment.

Only, her eyes would be tracking the cup of coffee with amazement if not for the door opening that distracted her. She gasped, a joyful kind of gasp which caused Pac to forget about the coffee and turn around to see who had interrupted their morning rituals.

Before Pac could even register who had walked in, he saw Sunny, from her spot on the counter drop to the floor in a hurry, nearly flying towards the door. She kind of threw herself against the customer, making them both stumble back between the open door and the wall.

"– Uncle Fit!!" She shouted with excitement. Pac was frozen, as if he hadnt just watched his baby niece throw herself in Fit's arms, of all people... his brain lagged behind as he watched the scene.

"– Sunny! Pff, you scared the hell outta me!" Fit gasped the sentence as he breathed heavily. The girl diregarded his fright and held her hands up at him, as if asking to be lifted.

But instead of lifting her, Fit simply opened his arms like a safety net, letting her climb up against his torso like he was a cat tree. Once Sunny had climbed and thrown her arms around the man's shoulders with ease, Fit secured his arms around her, and she looked like a content little backpack you'd wear on the front instead of the back.

Pac watched it all in a haze and imagined the two had probably done this about a hundred times, noticing how natural the movement came for them.

Fit turned towards Pac, making Sunny turn with him by proxy.
"– Sorry, Pac, didnt mean to make a scene. This young lady wouldnt know manners if it hit her on the nose."
Like miming his statement, Fit booped Sunny on the nose to which she giggled and jokingly punched his hand away.

Pac was in awe. Fit apparently knew Sunny and he was so familiar with her. So kind, so cute and parental towards her. He supposes this is how others viewed Pac's own interactions with Sunny.
Seeing Fit treating his beloved niece like the princess she was made Pac a little too warm, a feeling that was accompanied with the intense beating of his stupid heart.

"– You, uh... You know Sunny?"

Fit looked at him with confused but amused eyes, he nodded and got cut off by the girl in question.
"– Fit is my bodyguard!!" She shouted excitedly. Her tone was similar to when she'd show off a new plushie or new dress.

Fit shook his head in disbelief with a grin.
"– She means unofficial babysiter, dad of her best friend, and uncle, I guess..."

Pac understood the uncertainty in the man's tone, as it had been the same for himself. One day he was Tubbo's friend and the next he was Sunny's uncle, seemingly out of nowhere.
The girl didnt get along with adults well, so the title felt like a privilege.

Pac mustve been staring at Fit with this daydreamy expression because Sunny audibly gasped and started looking between the two men back and forth, something that made Pac pretty anxious.

When Sunny started to giggle, like she knew a secret no one else did, Pac panicked and looked back towards the girl's untouched cup of coffee. He jumped on the distraction.

"– Princess, your coffee!" Pac called out as he lifted the plastic cup next to his own face to warrant her attention. It worked like a charm, soon she was jumping out of Fit's hold and onto the counter to grab her precious drink.

Pac held it way above her reach and finally lowered into her hands when she was stable in front of him.

Sunny accepted the warm drink, holding it with her two little hands. She glanced back at Pac, then at Fit, and Pac again with a pout, eyes narrowed, suspicious.

Pac shoo'ed her away from the counter as politely as he could. Sunny hopped off the counter, barely spilling a drop of her coffee before she hurried off to the back of the store, where she most likely was gonna spy on them.

When Pac turned back he was surprised to see Fit had been looking at him with a shy smile. It made Pac smile back without fail. Even if the silence was starting to be too much, he couldnt do anything but look in Fit's eyes.

"– So, how do you know Sunny...?"
Fit asked with a tone that did nothing to hide how flustered he was, Pac chuckled. He looked through the window at Tubbo's mechanic shop, like asking the neighboring business to be his witness.

"– Well, I've known Tubbo a while, and he works in that store across the road. Sunny comes here to hang out all the time."

Fit nodded in acknowledgement, glancing briefly at the mechanic shop almost to make sure Tubbo wasnt watching them.

"– Im starting to notice, your store is a bit of a kindergarten. Maybe I should bring Ramón next time."
Pac recoiled at the name. Fit had never told him his son's name before, though he had heard the name from Sunny once or twice.

"– Please do, I'm sure Sunny would love that... The other kids too, they're all very sweet. Hey um..." Pac paused, brain overworked, overworked by all the ideas he had of how to make Fit stay a bit longer. Before he realized Fit had walked in and talked to him, with no intentions to walk towards the shelves and buy his groceries yet.

"– Um, would you like a coffee? On the house." Pac offered, with an awkward smile. Now, technically, customers weren't supposed to get coffee from their machine, it was a staff only kind of thing. But seeing as Fit smiled, blushed and stepped closer to the desk, Pac couldnt care less about their policies.

"– That's very thoughtful, Pac, but I can pay its okay..." Fit let both his hands rest against the desk, for balance, Pac didnt think they'd ever been so close. In a moment of madness he imagined reaching over and grabbing Fit's hand, but he pushed the thought away.

"– Well, we don't sell coffees, its for staff, and friends, and y'know... um, no need to pay for it..." Pac explained as he had already grabbed a cup and started the machine again. "Milk? Sugar?" He asked.

Fit chuckled audibly, probably in response to the cashier's nervous rambling. "– Just a black coffee. Thank you, Pac..."

His voice, Pac's name in his voice, was sweet and enchanting and everything Pac had imagined. And he had imagined a lot.

He pourred the coffee in the cup, and fought the muscle memory of reaching for the milk bottle. He didnt know many people who drank black coffee, and something about it was intense and attractive, just like Fit.

"– Here you go, sir." Pac said, putting a fancy and stupid voice on the 'sir'. Fit laughed as he reached for the cup. Their fingers brushed when Fit took the drink out of the cashier's hand and it took everything in Pac to calm his racing heart.

"– Thanks Pac, I appreciate it..."
There was something intense and decisive about his tone. As he took a tentative sip of the drink, his eyes stayed fixated on Pac's. The plastic cup obstructed the lower half of his face, almost like a mask would. Pac could only stare back in his hazel eyes, hypnotizing like staring into a fire.

When Fit lowered the cup and exhaled quietly, like he was trying to expulse the warmth that burned his tongue out of his mouth, Pac's gaze drifted downwards. Pac couldn't help but stare at Fit's lips, gaping open and slightly reddened by the burn of the coffee.
Pac knew that Fit had seen where his eyes had landed, he was sure of it. But Fit said nothing, just smiled, quite a bashful and shy smile in fact. That shyness did not extend to his eyes, his eyes were half-lidded and shining with something Pac couldnt ponder on.

Because next thing he knew, the door opened, causing his and Fit's weird staring challenge to break apart, almost like they had both dreamed it.
Bagi entered, accompanied with Cellbit, who was carrying a tired Empanada on his back, and visibly wasnt happy about it.

Bagi's face lit up when her eyes landed on Fit, standing there with a cup in his hand, standing so close across Pac, only the desk separating them. Both men's faces were tinted in pink and the scene was definitely incriminating.

"– Oi Pac, youre giving out free coffee to customers, you better pay for the-..." Cellbit started, clearly oblivious to the tension in the air. Bagi punched him in the arm subtly to get him to shut up.
Em woke up like the tension had shaken her.

"– Tio Cellbit shusssh! This is tio Pac's namorado...!" She whisper-yelled near Cellbit's ear, whose face turned pale at the girl's statement.

Fit looked at them; discomfort evident. Even though he had no idea that the three people standind in the doorway had heard way too much about him this past week.

"– Um, good morning..." He said, uncertain. The way a customer would great a cashier. Fit looked in Pac's direction and showcased all his confusion in one swift stare.

Pac frowned at his colleagues and his niece who were standing there. They took the hint and retreated towards the back of the store, while they faked awkward hushed conversations. Pac thought they had probably come across Sunny hiding behind a shelf when they went eerily silent.

"– Um, so... Sorry I wasted your time. Honestly I didnt have anything to buy, I was just, um... I was just around in the neighborhood... I wanted to drop by and say hi, but uh..."
Fit mumbled quickly, almost losing Pac's focus when he started biting the top of his cup gently, the same way you'd bite your lip nervously. Fit took a quick gulp of his coffee, trying to appear unbothered though his cheeks looked bright red.

Pac sighed a shaky laugh at Fit's display of anxiousness. It was quite charming, something that Pac had never considered before.

"– N-no, you didnt waste my time, I, um... Please, feel free to come say hi anytime it was a pleasure to see you. Um, come get free coffee anytime!"

Fit smiled at him, so bright it almost blinded the poor cashier, and killed his heart in the progress.

"– Thank you, Pac, you're so sweet... I..." Fit paused like he had forgotten what he was about to say, or was uncertain. "...We should, uh, get coffee together sometimes, yknow?"
He said with a nervous trembling in his voice that lead Pac to be all the more captivated with each word.

Pac chuckled and leaned forward a little, leaning his balance on the desk separating them. He caught his lower lip between his teeth and saw Fit's eyes ricochet between Pac's own eyes and his mouth multiple times, back and forth. It made the fast pace of his heart pick up in intensity.

"– I'd love to. Whenever you want, big boy."

The tension between them had come to a peak, and like the bursting of a bubble Pac had realized too late how stupid his words sounded.

But to Fit, not so much it seemed. Before Pac could really snap out of his embarrassment, Fit had gone completely red, stuttered and mumbled some rushed rushed goodbyes and was out the door in an instant.

Pac sighed, but the smile on his face was planted there, no matter how hard the adrenaline was crashing down. He felt like a man on top of the world, like nothing could bring him down if his own stupid brain hadnt. He felt euphoric.

"– My uncle Pac and my uncle Fit are gonna get married, i need to tell Ramon!"

That crash came in the form of his tiny niece's loud childish statemens. Fuck.

.