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The bell above the café door chimed softly as Sonny stepped in, the pink-and-white decor hitting him like a sugar rush to the face. PERFECT!
His senior had been working him to the bone all morning, dumping every menial task on him while they sat back sipping overpriced lattes. So Sonny had decided: if he had to fetch coffee, he was going to the most pastel, cutesy place he could find, and he was going to order something so sweet it could give his senior diabetes on sight.
The scent of sugar and coffee hit him first, followed by the faint sound of jingling bells and was that a meow? He paused, taking in the interior: frilly pink curtains, cat-themed decor, and servers in maid outfits.
Wait... servers in maid outfits?!
“Welcome, master!”
The greeting made him freeze, and his eyes darted to the source of the voice.
It was a boy. A boy his age, maybe younger, with ruffled, fluffy hair that shimmered in soft hues of lavender, cream, and pale yellow. The pastel strands framed his face perfectly, slightly tousled, as though he’d run his fingers through it a dozen times that day. His expression danced between confidence and reluctant embarrassment, lips quaking in what could have been a smirk or a grimace.
He was dressed in a maid uniform, frilly apron, cat ears perched delicately atop his head, and ribbons tied neatly into place. A small beauty mark rested just below the corner of his lips, drawing Sonny's attention to the faint nervous twitch of his mouth. And there, pinned delicately against the black and white fabric of his uniform, was a small name tag that read Claude.
For a moment, Sonny could only blink. His brain stalled completely, refusing to process what he was looking at. The frills, the cat ears, Claude. All of it hit him at once, and he just… stood there.
Claude, for his part, froze just as completely, like a deer caught in headlights.
It was his first week, and he still hadn’t mastered the whole 'smile and welcome them, no matter how mortified you feel' thing. His grip tightened nervously on the edge of the tray he’d been holding, and the silence stretched like a rubber band about to snap.
Sonny opened his mouth as if to speak but no words came out. He shut it again, cleared his throat, shifted his weight and still said nothing. Claude felt heat crawl up his neck and settle in his cheeks. Why isn’t he saying anything? Why is he just staring?!
Finally, Sonny coughed into his hand, the sound loud and awkward in the quiet space. “Uh-” he tried again. “Hi.” Claude blinked rapidly, forcing himself to straighten. “H-hi.”
The silence threatened to come back, heavier this time, so Claude fumbled for the rehearsed line he’d been instructed to say. “Welcome… what would you like, master... n-nya?”. As soon as the word left his mouth, Claude's face went a blazing shade of red.
If Sonny had been drinking water, he would’ve choked on it.
Claude wanted to shrivel up and disappear. “I-I didn’t mean...,” Claude stammered quickly, waving a flustered hand like he could erase the sound of it from the air. “It’s a script- I'm still... I didn’t-” he faltered quickly.
“I-” Sonny blurted, cutting him off before either of them could implode further. He held up his hands in surrender, his face red now too, though Claude wasn’t sure if it was secondhand embarrassment or something else. “I'll just... uh, pastries. Super sugary ones. And coffee.”
Claude's shoulders dropped an inch, relief flooding him that the moment had somehow moved on-if only slightly. Again he grips on the edge of the tray he has been holding to steel himself, “Excellent! Would you like to dine in or have it to take away…”, a slight pause hung in the air as he braced himself, tension building in his chest. Come on, come on you can do it, the pay is great. The owner has been nothing but kind. It’s not a big deal. The word lingered on his lips, a hesitant whisper, as though testing the very sound of it. “Master?”, the syllables barely audible, as if afraid the word might carry too much weight if spoken too loudly.
Sonny gave a small self deprecating chuckle, his eyes softening as he sensed the discomfort. “Sonny,” he said, offering reassurance with a hint of warmth. “Just call me Sonny. You don’t have to do all that.” Though if he mulls it over he doesn’t really mind the term. Wait stop, he shouldn’t think about this now. He quickly pushed the thought aside, focusing on keeping the moment light.
Claude hesitated for a moment, but as he looked at Sonny, something shifted in him. He saw the kindness in Sonny's eyes, the genuine reassurance. Huh, how considerate , he thought to himself. It made him feel a little less self conscious about the situation.
A soft chuckle escaped him as he shook his head, His fluffy hair brushing gently against his cheeks with the motion. There was almost an endearing warmth to the gesture, a subtle ease that hadn’t been there moments ago. “It's okay.” he said, his voice steady, carrying a faint trace of amusement. “It’s in my job description.”
With a bit more bravado, Claude straightened up, his confidence bolstered by Sonny’s easy demeanor. His shoulder relaxed as he leaned slightly forward, meeting Sonny's gaze directly. “So, what will it be? Dine in or take away, master?” He asked again, his tone steady and earnest, the last word spoken more clearly this time. It wasn’t teasing, just the sound of someone finding his footing, thanks to the unexpected consideration he’d been shown.
But the other has completely lost his footing. his composure crumbled with this change of demeanor. But he couldn’t let the awkward tension creep back in, not when Claude looked so at ease for once. “Take away, please!”, Sonny said quickly, scrambling to ground himself. “Something incredibly sweet. Very, very sweet. The sweetest thing you’ve got.”
Claude blinked, then let out a soft chuckle, his lips quirking up in amusement. “Geez, you must really like your sweets,“ he muttered under his breath, though there was no judgement in his tone. Turning towards the display menu, he gestured for Sonny to follow. “Alright, let me show you what we’ve got.”
What followed was nothing short of an impromptu masterclass on desserts, complete with a sprinkle of cat-themed charm. Claude pointed to each item, his voice smooth and enthusiastic. “Here's the Meow-caroon Magic, a stack of pastel macarons with paw print design. This one’s the Choco Catastrophe, a molten lava cake with chocolate paw sprinkles. Oh! This one is the Nya-politan Sundae, three scoops of classic flavors with cat-shaped cookies on top.”
And so he goes on and on without losing a single steam. That is until Claude paused dramatically, his hand resting over an illustration of the most extravagant looking pastry ever. “But… if you’re looking for the sweetest thing we’ve got, that’s the Sweetheart Meows-terpiece. It's a total sugar overload: a flaky, buttery pastry filled with strawberry cream, topped with rainbow-glazed icing, marshmallow whiskers, candy pawpads, and a tiny chocolate cat face perched right in the center. It’s adorable and delicious, a purr-fect treat for anyone with a major sweet tooth!”
Sonny blinked, still trying to process the whirlwind of dessert descriptions. He hadn’t expected the frazzled cat he encountered earlier to transform into someone so… professional and passionate. “Uh… yeah, that one,” he blurted, not entirely sure which dessert he’d just chosen but too fixated on the sole subject in front of him to care.
Claude clasped his hands together in delight and exclaimed excitedly, “The Sweetheart Meows-terpiece it is!”
Sonny drummed his finger idly on the counter, watching as Claude, still navigating the task with smooth practiced ease, reappeared moments later. He held a box wrapped in extravagant cat-themed packaging, all paws and whiskers in vibrant colors. The box had a transparent window that allowed a glimpse of what was inside, there sat the Sweetheart Deluxe-a-Meow. It looked so sweet, so perfect, it could easily cause a sugarcoma just by looking at it.
Claude carefully set the box down on the counter, giving it one last glance of approval before looking up at Sonny, “Here you go. One Sweetheart Meows-terpiece.”
“Thanks. That looks… uh, intense.” Sonny couldn’t help but grimace at it, yet it was the flawless weapon for his masterplan.
Claude exhaled sharply through his nose, just shy of a laugh. “It’s a fan favorite, I've been told.“ He says as he flourishingly sets the other item Sonny ordered just beside the box. “Enjoy!”
Sonny picked up the oversized cup of coffee, the cup sleeve bearing his name in neat lettering alongside a doodle of a cat’s face?
:3
That's really cute. Really really cute.
Noticing that Claude was already turning to leave, no doubt heading off to clean up or do whatever it was he needed to do. Sonny hesitated for a moment, but before Claude could fully disappear Sonny blurted out, “So, uh… is it part of the gig to be this cute, or is that just you?”
Claude paused in his tracks, clearly taken aback.
Sonny, feeling like he’d completely overstepped, immediately regretted his words. His face turned a deep shade of red as he scrambled to backtrack. Smooth. Real smooth casanova . Scratching the back of his neck in an attempt to recover he reasoned “I mean- you’re doing great! The cat ears, the ‘nya’- it’s, uh… memorable.”
His heart raced as he realized what he’d said. What the hell am I even doing? Sonny’s mind ran in circles. Here he was, a regular junior police officer, stumbling over his words in front of someone who was most likely just trying to do their job. You're in a maid café, idiot. It's not some random bar. You can't just start saying stuff like that... Sonny felt his shoulders tense, realizing exactly how out of place he probably looked in this pastel-themed chaos. He was a mess, he hadn’t even planned to walk into this café. He was supposed to be here for... sweets, not...
Claude stared at him for a long moment, his expression unreadable, before his lips pressed into a thin line. Sonny braced himself for a lash out, but then Claude's cheeks tinged pink. “Memorable, right.” his voice quiet.
“That's a compliment!!!” Sonny blurted out quickly, holding up his hands defensively.
Claude huffed, crossing his arms, though the gesture looked more defensive than annoyed. “Are you flirting with me right now?”
Sonny blinked, his heart skipping a beat. “I- what?! No! I mean, maybe! Not-” he sighed, his shoulders slumping. “Yes, I'm bad at this.”
Claude couldn’t stop the small laugh that escaped him, covering his mouth on a futile attempt to hide it. “Clearly.” with a raised eyebrow, Claude gave Sonny a once-over, his gaze lingering just a moment longer than usual. The uniform Sonny was wearing, the crisp police badge gleaming at his chest. He couldn’t help but smirk, a playful glint in his eyes, “Well, officer…” he said, the teasing tone softening the words, “Didn’t think I’d catch you slacking off, buying treats for yourself… and flirting with a guy while you’re on the clock.”
Sonny blinked, the heat rising to his cheeks for how many times it has been. What is happening today?
Still baffled by the turn of events he defended himself, “Well, I'll let you know I wouldn't consider this part of my duty. I’ve been told to run errands all over the place, not-” he paused, trying to reign his frustrations on the subject, “not… whatever this is.”
Claude hummed, noting the undertones of frustrations on Sonny's face, but he was still clearly amused. A little bit of teasing won’t hurt wouldn’t it?
“Pray tell, what is it you do then? Help grandmas cross the streets? Rescue cats from trees?”
Sonny, caught off guard by the unexpected shift in conversation felt his previous frustration start to fade. The teasing tone was disarming, and it felt more like a playful banter than an actual jab. “If you’re the cat in need of help, I wouldn’t mind one bit.” he said leaning in closer, his voice warm playfulness matching the one’s Claude is giving.
A full on chuckle escaped Claude, his face lighting up in a way that could mimic even the brightest stars. “You’re ridiculous,” he muttered, shaking his head. But there was no hiding the warmth in his expression. He was clearly charmed, the teasing nature dissolving into something softer much sweeter than the dessert Sonny has ordered.
Sonny stood there for a moment, taking in the sight of Claude's smile, the way his eyes crinkled at the edges. and for a fleeting second, Sonny wondered if maybe—just maybe—he was starting to get a little enamored. He couldn’t help but feel a pull, a strange flutter in his chest watching Claude laugh so openly. It was infectious and Sonny found himself smiling in return, even though the words he had just spoken were cheesy, and he was almost certain Claude knew it.
“Ridiculously honest,” Sonny said, his voice a little quieter now, the playful teasing turning into something more sincere.
Claude caught his gaze and smiled again, a little softer this time. “Alright, officer” he said, his voice still light but with a touch of warmth, “don’t you think it’s time for you to go do that… official ‘errand’ of yours?”
Sonny snapped back to reality. with one last lingering look, he gave a half-shrug and a small grin, clearly not in any rush to leave. “Yeah, guess so…“ he said as he turned towards the door. But then, he paused, his hand on the doorframe. He glanced back over his shoulders, “See you around, Claude?”
“See you around, Sonny.“ Claude's voice was soft, the use of Sonny's name foreign but yet strangely familiar. it rolled off his tongue easier than he’d expected, and he couldn’t help but smile a little more. “Thanks for earlier.” For not making fun of me, left unsaid yet understood all the same.
Sonny gave a small nod, still with a grin, before leaning back slightly, raising his hand in a casual salute. “Making a citizen’s day is part of the job description!” he added with a wink, then left the café, the door chiming softly behind him.
Claude stood there for a moment, his gaze following Sonny as he walked away. His hand rested thoughtfully against his cheek as he leaned against the counter, a smile still lingering on his lips. He's corny, Claude thought with a quiet chuckle. But there was something about the way Sonny was—so ridiculously honest—that made him hard to ignore.
A warmth spread through his chest, and he found himself hoping that their next meeting wouldn’t be too far off. Hey, maybe this job isn’t so bad after all.