Work Text:
The blend is tailored to your mood
You say "Anything" out of shyness
But this cup is only for you
With a touch of heart-aid solace
Need a recharge? A reset?
We'll offer a moment just for you
Waving from the alley's end
Cafeteria
★
"Good Morning!"
"Morning" Shu mumbled, fixing his sleeves and making lemon ginger tea. Simple, but perfect for the weather. Some orange would make it tastier, but it seems the café was out.
"Cold isn't it?" Tsumugi said, rubbing his hands
"Wear gloves, you idiot"
"Ah yes, those...i forgot them at home"
Shu sighed
He was wearing his gloves, yes, he made them on his own
Silk, black...smooth and warm.
He looked like a detective, minus the café outfit.
Ah yes, the café uniform
Tailored to his tastes and others' approval, it was crafted with skilled hands. Green, beige, brown and many many shades of autumn. A shirt and tie below all the colour to still add a formal touch. A bright bow on the upper left to dilute said formality. Some sparks of red and little accessories to accompany the otherwise soft pallette.
Perfection, in condensed form
As he poured his first tea of the day, Shu felt at peace. Was it his new loyal customer? Or the fact that lemon ginger tea was just the best fucking thing in the morning? Both
"Can i have a cup too?" An awkward Yuta asked, carefully
"...Yes"
Yuta gently took out a cup from the kitchen and kept it on the counter for Shu to fill.
"I like our new customer"
"...I see"
Yuta tapped the counter
"He brightens up the place. I mean- not- not that it isn't bright but...brighter"
"Yes"
Shu's cryptic and short answers left very little room for conversation. Yuta took his cup of tea and went back to the kitchen.
★
Shu sat down and removed his gloves
"Whats a boba?"
"It is a small pearl made of tapioca and sugar, and fruit boba lacks tapioca, it pops on your tongue"
Mika sat in awe
"Waaah...ya know so much!"
Shu was on his break, eating a glazed donut beside him.
"Well, I work at a cafeteria"
"Ngah, still...i thought boba were jus' tiny chewy balls, they make em outta fruit too?"
Shu nodded
"Do ya have it on your menu?"
Shu paused
"I believe we do"
"Even the fruit kind?"
"Yes"
"Can I...can i order one?"
"Yes of course"
Mika suddenly focused
"...what kind do ya have?"
"Choice of tea: milk or black, choice of boba: tapioca or a fruit, and choice of syrup" Shu recited
"Oh wow, thas a lotta choices"
Shu sighed
"Take your time to think till the end of my break"
The raven nodded
The rest of the 10 minutes remaining of Shu's break, he just sat with his chin on the table, occasionally eating a bite of his cream roll, and otherwise admiring Shu's incredible talent of being graceful in everything he did...even if he was eating a donut...
Glazed donuts
Mika didn't really enjoy those
He didn't understand how someone could possibly enjoy a donut without chocolate or any sugary toppings other than one simple glaze on top. Less sweet, less fun in Mika's dictionary.
Shu had his own dictionary
Sugar was alright, as long it didn't linger on his tongue for too long. Glazed donuts, tea with no more than ⅓ spoon of honey, ¼ if its milk tea. Many would find it obnoxious how he used measuring spoons every time he had any sweet dessert...but he had always kept his measurements perfect.
Mika glanced back at his cream roll when Shu noticed a pair of gemstones staring at him like he was a God.
"My break ends now, so you may give your order"
Mika sat up
"Ngah...m still confused...i looked at the menu n there's too many syrups!" He cried
Shu sighed
Indecisiveness
"Can ya...suggest me a flavour?"
And Mika's very domestic way of having Shu choose his beverage was making Shu lose his stoic behaviour.
"...I assume you want to have the sweetest syrup?"
The raven nodded
"Well...in that case, I would suggest strawberry syrup, but to accompany it, choose a less sweet fruit boba...for your own good"
Mika ngahhed at the last bit, but smiled
"Mkay! Then fer the boba, I'll take cherry! n black tea!"
Shu nodded
"It will take a few minutes" and left
...
Mika was left by himself
He didn't like that
While he was a solo idol and lived by himself...it was a bit lonely.
Okay scratch that it was very lonely
To make it worse, he spent atleast a minimum of 20 minutes talking to Shu here...making him feel emptier when he reached home.
Lonely
Alone
That was no good
He wondered where Shu resided, was he nearby? That would be nice
No no you're looking in too much! He told himself
He's being clingy, its no good that way
If he clings too much, Shu will get annoyed and stop interacting with him. Yes, he must resist being so curious. Just swallow what information you are given and don't ask too many questions of the gorgeous café worker that you for some reason cannot quit thinking about.
His boba arrived and he sat sipping it slowly, slow enough for it to last till Shu's shift is over.
Oh no
Maybe he's being too weird
Maybe he should just be normal, finish his drink and leave like a normal - not attached to a staff member at all - would do.
Yes
Come on Mika, he told himself
You can do it
Don't be overly indulgent
He focused on the drink in hand and sipped away...at a normal pace.
He looked around, watching other people.
A very angry silver-haired guy, in café uniform was making coffee. A red-haired boy, calm and collected, was serving other customers. Another one Mika knew as someone Shu didn't enjoy talking to, was taking orders.
Wow
Thats a lot of people, he thought
Must not be lonely here
...
Okay he's doing a very bad job at trying to focus on something that isn't you-know-who.
"Can I get you anything?" Tsumugi asked Mika, who was staring into the void
"Oh- Uh no thank ya!"
Tsumugi chuckled
"Alright then"
"Wait-"
He turned around
"Yes?"
"Um...can ya...is it weird that whenever i come i sit here till when Shu leaves? Please be honest"
Tsumugi paused
"...No, not at all, in fact, its nice"
Mika blinked twice
"Ts nice? Havin' me here?"
Tsumugi nodded
"Yes, you make it lively...and it puts me at peace to know Shu is talking to someone properly"
Mika took some time to digest all the words
"...He...he doesn't talk to people? Whaddya mean?"
Tsumugi lowered his volume
"Well...he's been a bit...distant you see? From day one, he's kept everyone at a distance"
"Ah...so ya were worried?"
Tsumugi sighed
"Well...yes, usually i wouldn't be but it hinders his ability to hold a conversation you know? He can take orders and serve but...he's not very happy about it"
"He doesn' like workin' here?" Mika said, slowly
"No...but you're here, so its better" He smiled, "Keep coming, I hope you will"
Mika smiled
"Mhm, I sure will!"
With that, Tsumugi took his leave
★
Mika was once again, left alone with his unstable emotions.
Shu doesn't like working here
He makes it better
He makes it better?
So...its a good thing he comes here?
He never thought that deeply.
As he sipped his boba he realised he finished all the tea and only boba was left.
He frowned
He seemed so out of it today, overthinking more than usual and feeling so...far away from the world
He must've been super concentrated in his head, because he didn't notice a very delicate tap on his shoulder.
Mika almost made a squeak
"Don't look so surprised, Mika"
Oh
It was only Shu
"m sorry!"
"Save your apologies for when you need them"
"Huh?"
"Nothing..." Shu sat down across from, looking tired
He rested his chin on his wrists and closed his eyes.
Mika has never seen anything so normal, and so fucking elegant.
"Ya-ya okay?"
He answered with his eyes shut
"...Yes"
Mika traced shapes on the table
"...m...m not bein'- m not disturbin' ya am i?"
Shu opened his eyes
"No...not yet"
Mika's tone got calmer
"Not yet?"
"That is...I didn't mean that" Shu said, sitting up straight, "I am alright, and no, your presence is not a nuisance"
Mika didn't seem very convinced
And Shu took notice of it
"Mika"
"...mm?"
"Do you overthink?"
Mika looked up at him and nodded
A little surprised that Shu initiated a conversation
"Then you know what I have been doing the whole day"
"Ya...been overthinkin' ? About-" He stopped himself there. He can't ask too many things, he's already tired...
"You can ask me why, no need to be so formal" Shu said
"Mm...i don' wanna sound-"
"-like you are troubling me? Irritating me? Don't even joke like that Mika"
His soft and somewhat joking tone caught Mika off guard
"You are anything but troublesome...in fact, i will go as far as to say you are the opposite"
It was Mika's turn to sit silently and listen, not being able to dig for any reply.
"Do not think of yourself as a nuisance...your self esteem will go for a toss, and on top of that, you will never truly be at peace with yourself"
The raven just listened
"You will never like who you are and slowly, and surely, you'll feel empty, devoid of happiness entirely"
...
"I don't say this with the intention of making you feel wrong...I am simply...I am a little- " He stopped to run his fingers through his hair, looking for the perfect phrase
Mika already looked like he had been scolded
Of course, he hadn't meant to sound like he was scolding him...
"Mika don't lose yourself"
He looked up at Shu, who's flat tone and apathetic face was replaced by a face that Mika had never seen before. Melancholic.
And his tone sounded desperate, or maybe he was hearing things wrong.
"W-wot do ya mean by that?"
Shu pulled something Mika wouldn't have dreamed of
He extended his arm across the table to simply rest his fingers on the back of Mika's hand.
"Nothing. Be yourself. Forever"
Shu was so sincerely pronouncing every damn word
So softly
Mika's brain had stopped working
It was jammed with multiple words and ideas and it had blown a fuse.
If there was one thing that Mika was so sure Shu would never do, is physical touch. Like that one guy who Shu doesn't like told him, he was a distant person. Mika wanted to say something, anything, a noise even. But he couldn't...he genuinely had lost the ability to use his vocal cords.
Shu noticed Mika's mouth open with no words coming out and retracted his hand.
"As for...what you had asked" He cleared his throat, returning to his usual tone, "I had been overthinking regarding my job"
Mika woke up
"Wh- yer job?"
"Yes...you have may not noticed but...I am not fond of this at all"
Mika knew
"...Why not?"
"When someone's dreams are shattered and they are left to find something to replace it...they have to take up work they don't prefer"
Mika let out a ohhh
"Yer friend told me, that yer not happy with workin' here"
"Was it Aoba? He is not a friend...but, he wasn't wrong"
"...What would ya rather do?"
Shu sighed
"Be on stage, though even the phrase coming out of my mouth disgusts me"
"...Well, ya like sewing pretty clothes"
"That cannot earn me a living unless I work for a corporation...which I would like not to. And by myself...it would be, to put it lightly, a lot of work"
Mika nodded
"N lonely"
"And...that as well"
...
Silence
Should i bring it up? Mika thought
No
But maybe...he can help?
Cmon
Talk
Its the only way problems are solved
...
"I don't feel like goin' home anymore"
Shu raised an eyebrow
"Why not?"
Mika decided to spill all of it, like there was anyone else he was going to approach about it
"I live alone, n its really lonely. Used to be fine but yknow since I come here everyday n i talk to ya...when i go home...feels real alone"
"I make it worse?"
Mika shook his head
"Well- No not like that, i mean...wot i mean is...i like spending time talkin' to ya so much that when yer not there everythin' falls ap-"
And it hit him
Too late to back down
You've said it already, Mika
You can't put it down as a misunderstanding because it isn't.
And he knows it isn't
He realized Shu was looking right at him. He's already figured it out, just say the rest of it too.
The worst he could say is no?
Or...he could get up leave
Which Mika finds is just as bad as being yelled at
Tears find their way to his eyes
"m being stupid!"
H covers his face with his sleeves, or tries
"Mika"
He wouldn't uncover his face
"no forget what i was tryna say! i was- m not thinkin'! i can't think when- i can never think!"
He was probably too occupied in trying to force his tears back into his gland to notice a very soft hankerchief under his eye.
"If you never finish your sentence how will i know for sure that you are being stupid Mika?"
He meant to scold him, but his voice was too sweet
And so Mika cried even more
★
A few minutes of shameful tears and a worried Shu later, Mika removed his sleeves
Red cheeks and puffy eyes were definitely not on Mika's bingo card for today.
And a very concerned Shu wasn't either
"Can I-?"
Mika nodded in between sobs and was quietly embraced, buried in comfort and the scent of warm tea. He kept his face hidden in the other's neck as his sobs became less and less frequent.
Fingers gently ran through Mika's hair and he didn't even realise that in that moment, he had forgotten everything sad.
Every piece of sorrow and loneliness disappeared temporarily...all he could feel was peace...the kind of peace people very very close to your heart can provide.
Obviously, Mika had to pull away, he couldn't have stayed like that forever if he wanted to.
No words were said, but messages were conveyed
Shu fixed Mika's now tangled hair, and Mika stared at the floor, fiddling with his sleeves.
"Feeling any better?"
Mika nodded, holding the edge of Shu's sleeve tightly.
"You do not need to hold me so...I am not leaving just yet, Mika" Shu took a seat next to him and Mika obliged, leaving his sleeve.
"m...i dunno what to say" Mika said, his voice laced with sadness and a little bit of fear
"Bottling it will only make things worse"
"Ya already know wot im gonna say!" He said softly, but his internal conflict was audible, "Why do ya wanna hear me say it? It hurts!"
"Do you want to feel burdened, stepping into this place tomorrow? or do you wish to feel so incredibly afraid that you stop coming at all?"
Mika stopped fiddling
"...Do you want to stop coming here?"
Mika shook his head instantly
Shu's expression softened, something Mika had seen before but still wasn't used to
"It requires one minute of courage Mika, just the one"
Mika looked at the floor, then at the walls, then at the boba left in his jar
Right
He wasn't going to get rejected now
So why was he afraid?
Of what?
He took a deep breath
"m...i really really...i like ya so much-"
He would've burst into tears again, had it not been Shu's eyes keeping his emotions in balance
"n-nah! scratch that!" he shook his head, "i love ya! Really!"
Shu, despite knowing what was coming was surprised at the intensity.
"You do?"
Mika smiled, no gleamed with joy
He buried face in the other's shoulder again, this time, out of infinite happiness. Shu was right, it was a huge weight off his chest, and he felt lighter.
★
"Ngah wait!"
The next morning, Mika was once again, at his favorite place
He was standing at the counter where Shu would take his order
"What?"
"Ngah, jus' that ta didn't say it back!"
"Say what?"
"Yknow! From yesterday! Ya were supposed ta say it back!"
Shu paused to think
He stopped pouring tea halfway
"Oh, that"
Mika let out another ngahh
"Yes, right, its just as hard for me as it was for you, understand?"
"Ya said just once!"
Shu's cheeks were in contrast to his stoic tone
"Well- It-"
"Cmonnn!"
Shu leaned on his elbow
Mika stood on his toes to try and match their height
"Almost there Shu!"
"Let me-" He rested his face in his palms, "- try"
Mika stood waiting, smiling, and finally landing on his heels
Eventually Shu recovered
"Right...I...I love you as well...there"
The nervousness in Shu's voice made Mika giggle
"Don't- Mika!"
"m sorry! Ya were so focused!"
"Of course I was-" he stopped to take a deep breath, "-You are one step closer to making me lose my mind!"
Mika giggled again, leaning forward on the counter
Shu gave in and smiled
"Ah- Well- What would you like to order today, Mika?"
His eyes lit up
"Boba!"
"I better not see any leftovers in your jar this time" Shu said
"Yes sir!"
"And for the love of God, choose a less sugary syrup"
Mika thought
"Ngahhh choose for me pleaseee!"
"Again? How will you ever learn to decide if you make me choose for you everytime!"
Mika grinned like a cat
"I choose...for you to choose...for me...forever!~"
Shu scoffed, his expression betraying his words
"Why you- Alright, take peach syrup then"
Mika nodded
"Mkay! That!"
"Now sit, and wait"
Mika was halfway there when he turned around
"waiiitttt!"
Shu sighed
"What?"
"...Can i buy ya one?"
"You cannot keep buying me food, Mika"
"Ya should've written that somewhere yknow...since ya haven't, let me!" He exclaimed
Shu really didn't have a choice did he?
"...Clearly I should have...fine..."
"An' have it with me!"
"Yes, yes alright, now will you sit quietly?"
Mika jokingly saluted and sat down
★
"Waahh? How come your's is prettier?" Mika asked Shu, who's drink was more pink that Mika's
"I added apple syrup, its a warmer and darker toned colour than peach Mika, that is basic knowledge"
Mika ngahhed
"I knowww...let me take a sip"
Shu huffed
"No"
"But...ya said...that ya love me"
"Mika do not feign disappointment...it will not work on me"
Mika still fake sobbed
"...Ya...ya said-"
Shu slid the jar towards Mika
Mika quickly took a sip
"Mmm...s less sweet, but its super good!"
Shu, looking the other way, was trying to not show the fact that it made him happy that the other would say that.
"...Is it now?"
"Ya wanna taste mine?"
"No"
"BUT YA SAID- "
"You will not be shutting up unless i taste it?"
"Nuh uh"
Shu glared at the drink, and reluctantly tasted it
"It tastes fine...too sweet for me"
"Ahh...thas okay! Ya can just stick to yours!"
"As i was going to anyway" Shu took his drink back, scoffing as he did
But when Mika wasn't looking, he couldn't help but smile a little.
☆★☆
:)
The singing voice is about to fade away
Even if many times these feelings get lost
Give in this spring, we shall repeat this love again
With a kiss that will inspire your heart in this eternity
(not an official translation...translated by: KYM2020 & Mia on the English Ensemble Stars wiki)