Work Text:
Kotoha was standing behind the counter as usual when the door jingled open, and she turned her gaze towards it to see Sakura stumbling in. He had become a regular ever since that first day she met him, so it was normal for him to come in. However he didn’t usually look this exhausted, so she was a bit worried about him.
“Sakura are you okay,” she asked, her voice filled with concern, as she stepped out from behind the counter and stepped towards him.
Sakura hadn’t gotten much sleep last night but had just enough energy to make it to the café. He didn’t want to admit that to her so, “I’m fine,” is all he replied. He trudged towards one of the stools.
Behind him Kotoha sighed, then returned behind the counter. Rather than immediately starting to make the omurice she already knew he was going to order. She just watched as Sakura sat down at the counter and struggled to keep his head up.
He found enough strength to lift his head up to look at her, curious why she hadn’t started making his breakfast yet. The concern in her eyes was palpable, and it scared him to a degree. At one point her pity would’ve infuriated him, but not only did he not have the energy to get angry. He knew she was being sincere, and while he still wasn’t used to the notion of people genuinely caring for him, it was becoming easier to accept.
“You can barely keep your eyes open,” her eyes quickly darted to the larger booth in the back before they came back to his face, “Go rest for a little bit in the back, I’ll make sure you’re up in time to get to class.”
He wanted to argue, but he was too tired for that and as a result didn’t fight her when she came around and led him to the back. He laid down in the larger booth as Kotoha went back to the counter to continue working. As he was laying there with his eyes closed, he felt an odd feeling, one that he wasn’t sure he’d felt in a long time if ever. It took him a moment to realize what exactly this feeling was, he felt safe here. Though as he slowly slipped into sleep, he wasn’t sure if it was the café itself that evoked this feeling. Or if it was the presence of the first person who treated him with compassion and was as much a part of why he kept coming back.
It was a quiet morning, so luckily Kotoha didn’t have to worry about shushing anyone who might’ve come in. With the little bit of free time she had afforded to her, she went over her own textbooks. She’d have to change into her own school uniform and leave for school a little after Sakura would need to. She briefly looked over her shoulder at the clock above the cupboards and saw that she’d have to wake Sakura up soon if he was going to eat breakfast before he left.
Setting down her books, she carefully made her way over to the booth, trying not to wake him before she reached him. Once she got to a spot where she could see him, she stopped herself right before she gently shook him awake. He looked so peaceful as he slept without worry, and she found his sleeping face kind of cute. She knew she had to capture this moment, so she silently pulled out her phone and quickly snapped a picture. Then after it was safely stowed back in her pocket, she proceeded with her original goal and gently woke Sakura.
He sat up, still a little groggy, but now much more alert than he had been when he first came in. Kotoha was still standing just a few feet away from him, “Did you still want some breakfast before you needed to leave,” she asked.
He checked his phone and saw that he had only slept for about 20 minutes, and thus still had enough time to casually eat a meal before he needed to rush off to class. So he nodded, and Kotoha smiled as she got to making his omurice while he moved back to one of the stools. He muttered a quick thanks to her as she was cooking, probably hoping she wouldn’t hear it. She did but decided to pretend like she hadn’t. She placed his finished food in front of him and watched as he wolfed it down like always. And like always she was flattered by how he ate it like it was the most delicious meal he’d ever eaten.
He left almost the instant he finished, and Kotoha hummed as she washed off his plate. Once she was done and dried her hands, she grabbed out her phone and brought up the picture she had taken before. She was still staring at it when the door jingled again and Granny Sato meandered in. “Well what’s got you in such a good mood,” she further announced her presence by asking.
Kotoha blushed a little at the revelation of how obvious of a pleased look must have been on her face. She quickly shoved her phone back into her pocket, and flashed a smile, “Oh it’s nothing, was just looking at a photo I took.”