Chapter Text
Shu could still recall that day with vivid detail. The sound of the rain. The ding of the bell above the cafe door. Every little thing was ingrained into his head.
How he ended up marrying the same strange man that had randomly came into the cafe asking for meat was beyond him, but he wouldn’t have it any other way.
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4 years ago
A gentle rain fell on the city, tapping against people’s umbrellas, rain jackets, or (for those more on the unfortunate side) bags or shirts held over their head in a vain attempt to escape the sudden moisture falling from the clouds at a rapid rate. Shu was inside the cafe after having finished classes, as he always was every Thursday night.
It was only 6:30, but he already wanted to go home. Sadly though, the ravenette still had 3 hours left of his shift. Being on his feet for 6 hours after sitting for 4 hours in the college doing back to back exams had been… exhausting, to say the least. As he glanced outside and noticed the suddenly cloudy skies had started to leak, he couldn’t help but sigh.
His coworker, Uki, looked over at him. “Forget an umbrella?” The co-worker teased, chuckling softly. “Or just wishing the day was over?”
Shu was snapped out of his thoughts, looking up from the ice he was scooping into a cup, noticing Uki pressing some coffee grounds and attaching the portafilter onto the espresso machine. The ravenette nodded. “If I’m being honest, the latter.” He half-heartedly chuckled to the purple haired individual.
Uki nodded, using his free hand to push back some of his bangs from his eyes before pressing the button to pull a shot of espresso into the cup he held in his opposite hand. “If you want, you can go on break a little early. Take a bit longer, if you need. I’ll fill in for you, I can do just fine by myself since it’s a bit slow.” The other male offered.
Shu looked up in a bit of surprise as he took the cup of ice over to the spout for the iced coffee, flicking the spout open and carefully filling up at least half the cup with the pre-made mixture. He shook his head, sighing, glancing back at Uki. “You sure? That’s a lot of work for one person.” He frowned, grabbing the flavoring bottle and gently adding in a bit of the flavoring before mixing it as the coffee was slowly added.
Uki raised an eyebrow at Shu as he leaned against the back of the front counter, crossing his arms. “Bitch, take a break already.” He said a bit more insistently, huffing slightly. “You had all those exams today and look like you’re about to fall over.” He added, his voice raising ever so slightly.
The espresso machine beeped as it finished, the purple haired male carefully picking up the porcelain cup from under it, and moving it over to the steam wand to carefully add the steam, continuing to talk as he moved with his usual fluidity and speed. “The rain’s keeping everyone inside anyway, it’s not going to get busy all of a sudden. I can handle it just fine.” Uki sighed, his voice dropping back down to its usual soft-spoken and slow cadence.
The ravenette sighed, closing his eyes again. Uki was always so stubborn… but he knew he couldn’t argue with the other. Knowing him, Uki would just physically drag him out by the ear regardless of whether Shu wanted to take a break or not. He then opened his eyes as he turned off the iced coffee spout, going over to where the milk was and carefully adding the milk to the top. “Fine, I will take a break after the next customer.” He agreed, albeit a bit reluctantly.
The other man smirked slightly, clearly happy he’d won. Uki then started on the art for the latte he’d been making, just doing a simple heart since he couldn't be bothered to do anything complex today. “Good.” He simply said as he continued to work.
Shu sighed, finishing with the iced coffee he’d been making, adding on the label and gently stirring it with a small twist of his wrist whilst holding the lid, then taking the cup over to the ‘pick-up’ counter off to the side and setting it down after putting on the cupsleeve and writing the name of the person’s order.
The bell of the front door then chimed, and in walked a… very different than usual individual.
Shu looked over to say the usual greeting, but his words seemed to disappear as he opened his mouth. Thunder rumbled gently outside, the closing front door of the building muffling it halfway through. Standing at the entrance was a slightly damp blonde-haired man.
He had his hair partially pulled back in a side pony, some sweeping (and kind of attractive) bangs covering a bit of his right eye, hair parted slightly on the side, and the one side that had the ponytail on it with a golden hairclip composed of three triangles together. And a pair of gold aviators with brown lenses sitting atop his head, said sunglasses dotted with droplets of what Shu presumed was from the rain.
The man was just wearing what looked to be a biker jacket… or was it a bomber jacket? Shu wasn’t sure, but he did think the fuzz around the collar looked like it could be warm, despite the fact the dude was literally wearing a sleeveless tight-fitting shirt that highlighted his uh… well endowed chest, needless to say. Was the guy cold? Shu remembered it being a bit chilly today. A pair of grey jeans that were also a little tight, though not near as tight as the shirt, and some black combat boots with these gold accent plates on the back them. To top everything off, it felt like he was some undercover idol since he was wearing a black face mask.
And that dirty-blonde colored hair…
“Earth to Yamino.”
Shu flinched a bit as he, for the second time today, was pulled out of his daze, looking over at Uki. “S-sorry. Yeah?” He responded awkwrdly.
Uki rolled his eyes. “Take that guy’s order then go take your break, alright?” He told Shu.
The ravenette nodded, turning back as the new customer approached the counter. He cleared his throat before he spoke, making sure to put on that ‘friendly customer service voice’ his boss was always scolding him about. “Hi there, welcome. How can I assist you?”
The blonde guy looked up at the menu, then at Shu, and back and forth. After a second, he rubbed the back of his neck. “This is a really odd question,” He started off, the voice making Shu do a double take. The guy was Australian, it seemed. Maybe he was a tourist? “Do you guys have like, meat? Or like plain bread or something?” He asked, looking at Shu again, his voice serious and yet also there was a hint of nervousness to it, his voice ever so barely imperceptibly shaky.
Shu thought about it a moment, frowning. “Well… not exactly.” He muttered. “The sandwiches are technically pre-made and packaged but, I can get you one that doesn’t have any sauce or spices on it and you can take the meat and bread off it.”
The Australian seemed to brighten up for a small second, but his face almost immediately returned to a non-chalant expression once more. “That would be appreciated, I’ll take it.” He said simply, not adding emotion to his voice. Though, on the inside, he was extremely happy.
After paying, Shu got to work on looking for one of the prepackaged sandwiches that was plain, which they rarely had in stock. He wasn’t sure why this person wanted only bread and meat, but far be it from him to question it. He found it after a minute, putting the food in a bag and giving it to the guy, who was waiting at the counter. “Sorry that took a while. Enjoy the food.” He told him, bowing slightly in apology.
The man took the bag, nodding. “It’s no worries,” He reassured him with a small smile. “Also, it’s not for me.” And with that, the biker walked out of the coffee shop, the doorbell jingling and Shu left standing there dumbfounded.
Uki ended up getting the latter’s attention, reminding Shu in a somewhat-stern, yet still somewhat soft, voice to go on break already. With a slight roll of his eyes and a muttered ‘Yes mom’ as a joke with the other, he grabbed his jacket from the back room and then headed outside.
The rain had picked up its pace a little, dripping off every edge of every little crevice and extruding pieces of overhangs, doorways and whatever it could, thunder rumbling in the distance. There was a slight chill in their air, Shu able to faintly see the condensation of his breath when he let out a large sigh, as he finally relaxed his shoulders for the first time all day. Studying for exams was irritating. He felt like he was running around constantly. It sucked, to be honest. “What I would give to be a streamer like those ones on the internet who get to just play games and have fun all day…” He muttered quietly to himself.
He then heard a sound further down in the alleyway, along with a soft curse. His shoulders tensed, thunder rumbling distantly again as he stood there. Shu glanced around, not seeing anyone but… he just knew there was someone there. He just couldn’t prove it.
After a hesitant second, he unfurled his umbrella, popping it open and walking further down the alley. After a few steps, he found a smaller bit of the alley on his right, and sitting there he saw a kitten in a wet box that seemed to be falling apart from the semi-heavy autumn rain.
Shu hesitated before approaching the box, kneeling down in front of it. He looked at the little black kitten inside, droplets of rain clinging to the poor creature’s fur and making it shiver. He sighed softly, reaching in and gently scratching the kitten’s head and underneath its chin. The little ball of wet fur meowed softly, but didn’t hiss or anything that told Shu the gesture he was doing was unwelcome. Though, the cat didn’t lean into his hand or purr, so he knew the cat wasn’t exactly happy either.
“Who would leave a cat this young out in the rain like this…?” He thought aloud to himself with a small frown. He wished he could take it back to work with him, but he knew he couldn’t. Reluctantly, Shu stood up and let his hand fall back to his side.
Maybe I’ll come back after work and see if it’s still here. He decided, before turning around and leaving the alleyway, heading down the street to the one vending machine he frequented since it had his favorite brand of canned coffee.
After another 3 hours of what felt like complete torture, but was really just an extremely slow day, Shu’s shift was finally over. He finished cleaning up station and replacing filters on the machines among other closing duties before leaving, Uki telling him to be careful on his way home since it was pouring down pretty hard now. There were barely any crowds in the streets, the heavy rain mostly having deterred people away. Thankfully though, as Shu left work the rain had stopped. At least, for now.
Shu had almost forgotten about the kitten as he was walking home, til he was walking by the alley and he heard meowing again. He paused, looking down the alley but this time was surprised to see another person, currently crouched down in front of the wet box.
The ravenette’s eyes widened as he saw the man crouched down was none other than the blonde he’d served at the cafe hours prior, the facemask pulled down, and a piece of the deli meat in his hand, holding it for the sopping wet kitten that was in the old wet box.
The guy must’ve heard Shu’s shoes scuff against the pavement, because as he turned his head, he didn’t look happy to see him. The guy narrowed his eyes a bit, trying to seem intimidating. “So you followed me?” He accused the ravenette, standing back up.
Shu was still trying to gather his thoughts but he snapped out of it when the other spoke, putting his free hand up in a surrender-like gesture, still holding his umbrella with the opposite one. “N-no, I just heard some noise in the alley and went to check.” He immediately responded, feeling nervous as he half-lied. “That’s all, I swear.”
The blonde hesitated a second before relaxing his face, a regular expression returning as he sighed, Shu stepping further into the alleyway. “Sorry if I scared you,” The man apologized, rubbing the back of his neck awkwardly as rainwater dripped from his bangs. “Been having people follow me lately… so I’m just wary is all.”
Shu frowned a bit at the blonde’s words. People following the guy…? Who in the world would follow this random guy? Regardless, he didn’t press. He just nodded and hummed softly in acknowledgment. “It’s fine, no harm no foul.” He reassured him.
Thunder rumbled as Shu glanced back down at the box, watching the small kitten in the box eating the deli meat and bread, that Shu had taken from a sandwich prior. He glanced back at the man. “So this is what the bread and meat was for?” He asked awkwardly as he approached.
The man blushed a bit, clearing his throat awkwardly and looking off to the side. “Y-yeah… I couldn’t just leave it out here without food. I want to take it home, but I drive a motorcycle. So I wouldn’t be able to properly transport the little guy back to my place.” He explained. That and the dorm master would kick my ass if I brought an animal in. Luca silently thought to himself.
Shu went over to the kitten, kneeling down and looking at it. Its fur was soaked, the little cresting mewling softly as it ate the food like a ravenous little beast but less threatening. He sighed, frowning a bit. “Leaving it in the rain feels cruel too… who would leave a poor kitten like this out here?” Shu muttered to himself, gently reaching into the box and carefully picking up the wet ball of fur, which started to squirm immediately upon being picked up, and hissing.
The blonde chuckled, walking back over. “Careful, he’s feisty.” He warned. “Nearly scratched my face when I was trying to feed him.”
Shu chuckled back, looking at the kitten as it continued to try and squirm from his hands, constantly meowing and growling at him. He was actually having trouble holding the dang thing. The blonde then approached, muttering something Shu didn’t quite hear, before taking the kitten from Shu carefully. The cat seemed to immediately relax, meowing softer in the blonde’s hands.
Shu looked over at the other male, his eyes widening a bit in surprise. This tough looking biker… holding a kitten. It felt like he was in some romance anime and this was some cliche romance scene where the protagonist gets feelings for the male.
The blonde then looked at Shu, giving him a small sideways smirk. “The name’s Kaneshiro by the way.” He introduced himself. “But you can call me Luca. Using my last name always feels way too formal.”
Honestly, Shu was stunned into silence. This random stranger… as interesting as he was, Shu just couldn’t wrap his head around what was happening. He gave his name? Just like that?
Shu cleared his throat quietly, looking off to the side with a nod. “Yamino.” He introduced himself as well. “I’d rather not say my first name though since I’m a college student, and I don’t know you or exactly trust you.”
The blonde perked up, his lavender eyes practically sparkling. “Oh pog! Me too!” He said excitedly, then blushed and cleared his throat before speaking again back in that deeper and more normal tone. “I mean uh, that’s cool. Me as well.”
Shu wasn’t sure what was going on anymore. This guy… didn’t seem as threatening as he had first thought. And he found himself intrigued to want to figure out more. After a second, Shu spoke up again. “Well, Kaneshiro… if you’d like, I can take it home with me.” He offered.
The blonde boy’s eyes seemed to light up, looking at the ravenette with a hopeful expression. “Wait, really?” He asked. “Are you sure? I feel bad asking.”
Shu shrugged, walking forwards and petting the kitten once more, now standing directly in front of Luca since the other was still holding the kitten. “I don’t mind,” He shrugged. “And to be fair, you didn’t ask. I offered.”
Luca looked down at the kitten in his hands, frowning before stepping forward. “Alright then… as long as he gets to stay somewhere dry tonight.” He reluctantly agreed as he handed it over.
With that, Shu took the kitten home with him, and him and Luca agreed to meet Shu at the cafe again, since Shu has the day off school and work, so that way Luca could take it to a shelter and see if it’s chipped or a just stray.
Shu quickly closed the door to his apartment behind him, quickly blocking out the pouring rain with a sigh of slight irritation. It just had to start bucketing down literally as I was climbing the stairs and didn’t have time to pull out an umbrella. He thought to himself, taking the kitten out from his hoodie pocket since he’d kept the little thing inside to stay dry when he was running up the stairs.
Shu then set the kitten down on the floor with a small sigh, looking down at it and its wet fur. Shu ended up getting a towel, drying off the creature first before himself. And that entire time… he couldn’t help but think about the blonde. Shu didn’t even get his number or anything, he just realized with a sigh, but he knew he’d see Luca again tomorrow… assuming the other did end up showing up at the cafe again.
Meanwhile, on the opposite side of town at his dorm, Luca was getting out of the shower and his eyes widened as he ran a hand through his hair as he remembered something.
“I FORGOT TO GET HIS NUMBER?! SERIOUSLY?!!!??”
END OF CHAPTER 1