Chapter Text
It was a normal Thursday night. The amount of customers was no more, no less than a typical, average night. There were only two workers manning the front counter since no one ever had availability on Thursday night.
Hajime was always the one making the drinks on Thursdays since Sakusa was a disaster at making them…though, his customer service skills weren’t much better. Hajime wasn’t even sure why Sakusa was working, but at least he showed up and made an attempt to get through their shifts. Being a barista wasn’t Hajime’s favorite thing in the world, either, but it was a way to make a little extra money so he could afford more than the bare minimum while he completed his sports science degree.
Hajime put the finishing touches on a drink, called out “Akihiko,” and had moved on to the next when he heard Sakusa hiss, “Absolutely not. I am not writing that on this cup.”
Hajime was about to turn to see what Sakusa was talking about but a timer went off, commanding his attention. Once finished, whoever Sakusa had been talking to had moved away, because there was no line and his coworker was watching him. Hajime noted a twitch in his eye, and could only imagine the kind of expression that hid behind his mask.
He completed the next order, a medium iced coffee with extra milk. He popped the lid on and set it on the counter, furrowing his brows when he saw the name. He glanced at Sakusa who rolled his eyes and gestured angrily towards the customers in the shop. Hajime looked out and saw three people waiting for their order. One was an older woman. Another was a man who looked about his age, medium-length brown hair, parted down the middle, and brown, down-turned eyes. He looked like he could use a bit of a caffeine-fueled pick-me-up, but he seemed almost too relaxed to be the one who would have given such a name. The other person waiting was clearly friends with the brown haired man. He also had medium-length hair, but it was a silvery blond that brought the sparkle out in his hazel eyes. He had a mole under his left eye that moved upwards when he smiled expectantly at Hajime.
Hajime sucked in a breath at that smile, but then remembered the situation at hand. “Iced coffee,” he said simply. The woman looked at him, unamused. The one with brown hair gave a small, almost sympathetic smile, and the silver haired man just kept waiting, almost buzzing in anticipation. “Iced coffee,” Hajime repeated again, more insistent.
“Just say the damn line and get it over with,” Sakusa groaned behind him, pulling his hat down over his eyes as if he was the one who would be embarrassed.
Hajime bit back a sigh and stared at the three waiting customers. “‘Birds aren’t real!’” he called out. The woman somehow looked even more disgusted, and the brunet shook his head. The last one, the one with the silver hair and bright eyes, let out a laugh that sounded almost ethereal.
He stepped forward and picked up his cup. “They’re actually drones,” he deadpanned to Hajime, before shooting him a wink that made his heart skip a beat. Hajime mentally shook himself and moved away to work on the next drink–for Ennoshita.
Maybe it wasn’t such a normal Thursday, after all.
One week later, Hajime was finishing a drink when the bells above the door chimed, and he saw the two young men enter the cafe. His current customer had questions about her drink and by the time their interaction was finished, he found he’d again missed the man’s order, though he did hear Sakusa growl, “Pick a different name.” The silver-haired gremlin simply chuckled and shook his head.
Ennoshita stepped forward, gently nudging the man out of the way, breaking the staring contest that had started between him and Sakusa. “I’m sorry that my friend continues to be a bit of a nuisance,” Ennoshita laughed, wincing only slightly when his friend shoved his shoulder in protest. “He’s really harmless. Can I get a plain black coffee, please? For Ennoshita.” He smiled warmly at Sakusa and Hajime blinked. There was just the tiniest life to Sakusa’s eye and, if Hajime didn’t know better, he’d think that he may have had a smile under the mask.
Hajime schooled his expression, lest he ruin Sakusa’s mood, and read the orders. They were simple and identical to last week.
He braced himself as he looked at the iced coffee drink, not sure what ‘name’ he would find this time. The pair had moved to the pick up counter, and Ennoshita was standing a little off to the side of his friend, refusing to make eye contact with Hajime. Sakusa was deliberately ignoring the entire exchange, staring at the street light outside the window.
“Iced coffee for…’I like your shoelaces’?” Hajime called out, thankful that it was only the two men waiting this time. The silver-haired man brightened, and shot both Ennoshita and Hajime a conspiratorial look.
He leaned in close to Hajime, allowing him to catch a whiff of his delicious-smelling cologne, and picked up the drink. He gave another wink and then, in a stage whisper, “Thanks. I stole them from the president.” He stepped away with a laugh and Hajime couldn’t help a bemused smile. Ennoshita had turned a bright red and Sakusa, despite staring out the window still, appeared to be covering a cough behind his hand and mask. Hajime had the distinct impression he was missing the context but chose to pay it no mind.
“We’ll see you next week,” the gremlin called as they left the cafe, waving goodbye with his free hand.
“I would rather not,” Sakusa grumbled, but Hajime ignored him, giving a half-wave in response.
For the next couple of weeks, the pair would continue to come in and the silver-haired man would always order first. A few times, Ennoshita would start to call him something else but would be cut off by his friend slapping his hand over his mouth. It was as if he suspected–accurately, if Hajime was being honest–that if Sakusa learned his name, his fun would be over.
He kept coming up with different things like, “Bigfoot is a government cover-up” or “Elvis is alive and under witness protection.” Sakusa would growl, Ennoshita would smile–making Sakusa melt and the one time Hajime decided to point it out, he had nearly been stabbed–, Hajime would sigh and call out whatever ridiculous thing was written, and the gremlin would laugh and smile and wink and Hajime was lost. Somewhere along the way, he began looking forward to their weekly visits.
There was a lull this Thursday before the two now-regulars came in, so when the bell above the door rang to signal their arrival, Sakusa took advantage. “I’m making the drinks. You take their order.” Before Hajime could agree or disagree, he was being shoved in front of the register while Sakusa moved to the drink making station, tightening his apron along the way.
The pair watched the exchange, and the silver-haired man gave a confused laugh. “Changing your roles up?”
“Wasn’t my decision,” Hajime told them with a shrug, but picked up a cup and marker anyway. “What can I get for you?” As if he didn’t already know.
Hajime nodded along as the man recited his order. He paused, pen poised, and looked up to meet his bright, sparkly gaze. “Can I have a name for your order?”
The silver-haired regular tapped his chin, deep in thought, while Ennoshita stood waiting. Hajime noticed Sakusa stiffening out the corner of his eye, as if he only just realized that by demanding to make the drinks, he’d now have to say whatever ridiculous thing was written.
“You know,” Hajime said quietly, “you can always just give us a fake name.”
Ennoshita sighed behind his friend. “I’ve said the same. There’s nothing wrong with a good old ‘Hugh Jazz,’ you know?” Hajime nodded. He was the one working at a coffee shop; he’d heard them all.
“Yes, but those are boring!” the gremlin whined with a fake sigh. He stared at Hajime again, and his expression immediately changed from mischief to something…else. “Besides, I like watching you get flustered.”
Hajime sputtered as the man laughed, shaking his head in defeat. “You can write Suga. I have a feeling that if I tried to push my luck tonight, your coworker would probably dump my coffee on the counter instead of calling anything out, anyway,” he said finally.
Hajime quickly wrote the name on the cup then looked up expectantly. Ennoshita seemed too surprised that Suga had dropped the game to remember that he was next in line to order. Hajime cleared his throat before asking, “What can I get you?”
Ennoshita and Suga left with their coffees a few minutes later, and Sakusa pushed Hajime back to the drink line. “I hate making drinks,” he grumbled. Hajime chuckled as he wiped down the counter. Suga. The gremlin finally had a name.
“Don’t ever let me volunteer to make the drinks again,” Sakusa snarled at Hajime in greeting a week later.
“It was just two of them and they weren’t that bad,” Hajime said as he tied his apron. “I don’t get why you’re working anyway. Aren’t you rich?”
Sakusa rolled his eyes and didn’t respond. In fact, he gave Hajime the cold shoulder for almost their entire shift, which was fine since they were busier than usual. Hajime didn’t let his coworker’s foul mood bother him. He kept an eye on the door, though, waiting for Ennoshita and Suga to arrive until it was well past their usual time.
Hajime started to worry that they may not come tonight. He had really come to enjoy and rely on Suga brightening up his Thursday evenings and would miss him…he shook his head. No. He didn’t even know him. He was just an annoying regular. He shouldn’t be disappointed he was probably not coming. He finally forced himself to stop looking up at the bell, and focused on the drinks.
About ten minutes from closing, the crowd had dispersed. Hajime had pushed Suga’s absence to the back of his mind, but that changed when he saw the order for one iced coffee with extra milk. He froze in his tracks and looked up, seeing the two friends standing by the pick up counter.
Suga smiled and gave a wave, while Ennoshita nodded his head. Sakusa was standing at the register watching him curiously. A woman stepped up to the register to order but Sakusa snapped a short, “In a minute,” and she stepped back in surprise.
Hajime frowned at him, but he just kept watching, clearly waiting for something. He made the coffee quickly and looked at the cup and…immediately flushed. ‘Can I get the hot, buff barista’s phone number?’
Hajime felt three pairs of eyes watching him and he turned away, leaving the iced coffee on the counter, unannounced and unclaimed, while he worked on Ennoshita’s drink. Sakusa huffed and decided to focus on customer service for once, while Hajime moved around the drink line, working quickly.
“Black coffee for Ennoshita,” he called out, handing it to the man directly.
He then picked up the iced coffee, cradling it in a napkin. “And an iced coffee for the gremlin,” he finished, holding the drink out to Suga.
Suga tilted his head slightly, still smiling, but it didn’t reach his eyes like it normally did. Hajime gestured with the drink again and finally, Suga took it, nodding, but saying nothing. “We’ll see you next week,” Hajime told them with his best smile and stepped away.
The two friends headed out of the coffee shop, and he watched as Ennoshita patted Suga on the back in comfort. He kept watching them through the windows and saw the moment Suga took notice of the napkin. He stopped in front of the streetlight and looked back into the coffee shop, making eye contact through the window. Hajime gave him a wave and there was that smile he was used to. Suga waved back before carefully pocketing the napkin.
>From unknown number:
Hey~!
We should get together sometime (◠‿・)—☆
<To Silver Gremlin:
I get off at 8. Your treat for making me put up with all of those ‘names’
>From Silver Gremlin:
Totes fair! (*＾3＾)/～♡
I never caught your name… (^～^;)ゞ
<To Silver Gremlin:
I don’t know. I kind of like ‘hot, buff barista’
>From Silver Gremlin:
(；^ω^）
<To Silver Gremlin:
Iwaizumi Hajime
>From Silver Gremlin:
See ya Thursday Iwaizumi!!! (ﾉ◕ヮ◕)ﾉ*.✧