Work Text:
Truthfully, Antonio hadn't known Arthur was working at that specific coffee shop. He knew Arthur was maybe considering working in a coffee shop somewhere, but Arthur had considered many things in the past and not gone through with them. It was luck that the coffee shop Antonio remembered enjoying on his last trip to England had closed (Arthur would never outwardly agree with this, but Antonio knows he secretly would). It was something greater than luck that sought out a caring local to sympathise with the dejected Spaniard. It was a nice cafe, they recalled to him, but a new cafe opened around the corner, and this one was cute. Of course he had to go.
Antonio understands what the local meant by cute immediately upon entering the cafe. It was like a set adopted from a romcom and decorated with vintage bits and bobs. The inside was kept pleasantly warm, nothing like the rainy streets of England, and the rain tapping on the windows blended with the tunes of somebody’s lo-fi playlist. The counter was made of laminated birch, but it was the man behind the counter who stood out to Antonio as making the cafe especially cute.
“Arthur!”
His voice carries through the cafe. It’s enough to alert Arthur and everybody not called Arthur all at once.
“I planned to meet you another time, but here you are! This is a surprise, hm? I come to, on the road over there, the cafe. Do you remember how I told you about the good cafe?”
“Why are you here, Antonio?”
“I am here to get a drink and some food. It will probably be one of the French foods you sell here, I don’t…” Arthur is not laughing along with him. “But now I am here to talk to my friend.”
“Yeah? Well, could you tone it down a bit. Please.” He’s glancing at the other customers behind Antonio, not keen on seeming too involved with someone so obnoxious.
“Arthur. You know, you look very cute in that barista outfit.”
Antonio knows how to make Arthur blush; he'd boast about it being one of his finest skills and Arthur would blush harder, but this wasn't the place.
“Right. Do you want to order something or not?”
Whether because of the blushing or another customer entering the cafe, Arthur would no longer entertain Antonio. He orders and seats himself at a table near the counter. It’s close enough that he gets to admire Arthur while pretending to read some book but not so close that Arthur could have him banned forever before he even gets to really try their menu. Ultimately, it didn’t matter much. Arthur escaped to the back of the cafe before Antonio finished his drink, and Lovino would be extra pissed if he learnt Antonio kept him waiting because he was busy pining over Arthur. He pulls on his coat and leaves as the rain slows.
~~~
“Lovino! You will never guess who I saw.”
“Who?”
Lovino clicks through the few channels available on the hotel TV. Nothing satisfies his interests.
“Arthur.”
“… We’re in England.”
“But he was working. In the cafe. Not the one I went to last year, this is-”
“Hey, I believe you. I don't need to hear the whole story.” The TV hangs on a cooking channel, not thanks to Lovino but rather because the remote may as well be older than him. “I am too hungry for this.”
Antonio gasps in a way so dramatic that Lovino swears it must be on purpose. It probably is.
“Lovino. You should come with me to the cafe tomorrow.”
“And watch you two flirt with each other and then be outraged when I tell you both to be quiet? I have put up with you for long enough.” Lovino shakes his head as if doing so would dislodge the memories.
“Hey, it's not like that anymore.”
Lovino only glares in response. It's intended to be mean but there's a genuine tint of ‘does this guy seriously not realise it's already like that again’ to it.
“Ah, I will go and get something for us to eat. Don't break the TV, Lovino.”
~~~
Of course, Antonio goes back. Sure, the food was okay and the coffee was nice but Arthur was there. The coffee could have been disgusting and he would still have gone back. Lovino surely knew this but Antonio doubted Arthur would let himself belive it.
This time there's a young lady behind the counter while Arthur makes the drinks. He doesn't notice Antonio walking in but his voice makes haste on demanding Arthur's attention.
“Hi Arthur! I told Lovino he should come here but, ah, you know how Lovino is.”
Arthur glances at Antonio, though definitely for longer than he intended, before turning back to finish making a drink.
“Why are you inviting Lovino?”
“You're working. I watch you work but I would get lonely eventually. Oh, Arthur! I should come in when you're on a break.”
Arthur places the drink on the other customers tray. He smiles at them and apologises for the wait. It's just a habit, the customer hadn't waited long at all.
“You gonna order or what? There's a line starting.”
He wasn't wrong. This day was busier than yesterday, and the cafe was already busy enough that most of the chairs were claimed. Antonio bashfully mumbles a few sorries at the people behind him and quickly orders the same thing he had yesterday. His embarrassment is cured at the glimpse of Arthur smiling before he promptly turns away.
Antonio is forced to sit further from the counter. He can barely see Arthur from this spot but at least he gets to say a rushed goodbye before he leaves.
~~~
Antonio goes back again. And again. And then some more. Sometimes it's busy and he only gets a brief conversation with Arthur. He sneaks in as many compliments as he can and Arthur politely groans at each one. On the days when customers were merely trickling into the cafe and Arthur's workload was small, Antonio would talk more.
Obviously there were still plenty of compliments. “Arthur, your hair is so pretty” and he'd respond with “well I haven't done anything new” or “I could watch you forever” in response to Arthur's third attempt of the day at prompting Antonio to order.
But, on these days, it wasn't just compliments. They'd talk about a lot. Antonio would laugh at the awful movie Lovino had put on to make fun of and then ended up crying over. He'd recollect old memories and speak endlessly about days gone by. Sometimes there wouldn't be much to talk about and Antonio was content simply asking about Arthur's day.
Then, one day, Arthur wasn't behind the counter. The young lady who took his place reported that he had called in sick. She didn't even wait for Antonio to ask first.
“He's sick? What with?”
Obviously she couldn't know, they were only colleagues after all, so Antonio would have to find out himself. He turned fast, almost walking into the customer behind him. It's not unusual that Arthur would get sick, in fact Arthur seems to be more prone to sickness than anyone else Antonio knows.
“You know what Antonio, I really am sick.” He didn't need to say it. His voice is gravelly, even beyond the slight static of the phone.
“I know.”
“I reckoned you might’ve thought I was calling out to get away from you.”
Antonio gasps. He makes sure it's extra dramatic so it can be heard in full force over the phone.
“Arthur! You would never.”
“That's what I'm saying. I woke up and I just felt absolutely rubbish, didn't I. Barely got out of bed and- actually where are you now?”
“I'm at a park. Uh, one of the ones near the cafe.”
“Have you already had your coffee?”
“No. No I left when I found out about you.”
“… You left without ordering?”
"The coffee is nice but I only really go for you."
Arthur is silent. He's silent for some time. Antonio knows he hasn't accidentally hung up but he checks anyways.
"You idiot." It's hard for Antonio to feel insulted when Arthur laughs so sweetly while saying this. "You beautiful idiot. Are you being serious."
"Yeah." He's smiling so much that he's sure Arthur can hear it.
"Oh Antonio. Look, I'll be back in maybe a week. I'd meet you before but I think I have the flu." He coughs as if to emphasis his point. "But I'll let you know when I'm back, okay?"
~~~
As promised, Arthur returns to the cafe a week later. He somehow looks healthier than before, probably appreciating the extra sleep. He isn't the one who serves Antonio, rather he leaves his position at the counter just to talk to him.
"We close at 4 tomorrow. If you get here around that time, I'll let you stay late."
"That is 4pm?"
"Well yeah, obviously. We aren't gonna close at 4am. Who's drinking coffee at 4am?"
"Hey, England is a strange country."
Arthur all but rolls his eyes. Still, he places a hand on Antonio's shoulder and brushes his thumb against him gently. The small gesture is enough to leave a light blush on Antonio's cheeks and he wonders how much worse he'd be after their conversation tomorrow.
"How are you feeling?"
Arthur groans. "I'm better. Well, no, I'm fine to work. I missed you."
Antonio wants to respond but Arthur rushes to attend to the impatient customer he may have abandoned to almost flirt with Antonio. He mutters an apology as he leaves, immediately back into his work voice.
~~~
Arthur is dashing around the cafe. He's trying to close up fast so that he can join Antonio but he's also trying to make this the opposite of obvious. He's failing. Antonio doesn't bother him. Arthur has probably planned this and Arthur planning something means he's overthought this a million times and then one more. He's willing to let Arthur approach this on his own terms.
“They have one song that plays on loop every day in here.” He's trying to make his approach seem casual. “I don't know why they can't put on the radio.”
“Does their star employee not get a say?”
“You're right charming you are. Y’know that girl who works here sometimes? The other day, she said to me ‘your boyfriend is a sweet one, isn't he’.”
Antonio grins. He realises he's never told anyone his name so they must all know him only as Arthur's boyfriend.
“Hm? And what did you say?”
“I said ‘isn't he just’. Well, if you're going to get me a reputation, I might as well make the most of it. They go on about how wonderful you are and then wonder how you landed this twat.” Arthur punctuates the remark with a chuckle. Antonio doesn't much appreciate his indulgence in self-depricating humour, surely Arthur would be frowning less if he was kinder to himself, but the other man’s smile was contagious.
“Nobody thinks that way about you.”
Arthur only needs to respond with an eyebrow raise. Maybe Antonio was getting a little too caught up in the moment.
“Some people think something like that but I don’t think that. You shouldn’t think that either.”
Arthur sighs. It’s his appreciation of Antonio’s praise that prevents him from continuing with this point.
“It’s been a long time since I’ve been called your boyfriend.” Antonio savours the warmth that fills him at the sight of Arthur’s reminiscing smile. He turns to face Antonio more, hoping there’s more to the thought. Antonio wants there to be more too but
“It really has. But-” Arthur’s voice catches in his throat and, instead, he laughs. “We were this nervous last time. I remember you saying how handsome I am, always flirting with me. But your face the first time you said you loved me, Antonio.”
“Hey! I had no idea what you thought of me. Sometimes you loved me and then sometimes I was the worst man on Earth.”
“We should- we could do that again. Being boyfriends. If you wanted.”
“Ah you are so romantic Arthur.” Antonio jokes but he'd be lying if he said this whole conversation hadn't left him smiling like an idiot. “I think we're already boyfriends.”
“Yeah but officially- you know what I mean.” He's silent again, wondering if what he wants to say is safe. “I've missed you, Antonio. A lot.”
“You could have reached out to me.”
“I know but… well, I didn't. I… honestly Antonio, right now I just want to kiss you.”
Antonio is surprised that Arthur would be able to say something to catch his breath. It's not enough to allow him to waste anytime tho. He lifts himself from his chair and leans over, lifting up Arthur’s chin and kissing him. He hangs for a second, and then a second more and then another. Arthur doesn't seem to mind. Rather, he's enjoying the moment too. They're mature enough to not exhaust each other of oxygen, unlike their first time but that was a long while ago.
“Oh, I've missed this.” Arthur hasn't pulled back yet. He doesn't want to. “You're as sweet as ever Antonio.”
Antonio reaches up to play with Arthur's hair. He plants a soft kiss on Arthur's forehead.
“I've missed this too.” Antonio stands back. He doesn't want to stray far from Arthur. “Can I stay at your house tonight? Please?”
“Lovino won't be impressed.”
Antonio shakes his head. “Do you think he has been impressed staying alone and I am here talking to you? He has survived worse.”
Arthur picks up the almost empty cup of coffee sitting alone on the table and takes a sip. He hums a surprised noise.
“This isn't as bad as I thought it'd be.” Arthur finishes the cup and leaves the table to wash it. “Come on then. I'll be five minutes.”
He hadn't realised how much he yearned to have Arthur back as his boyfriend. Antonio considers himself the luckiest man on Earth.