Chapter Text
Your arm began to burn for the sheer amount of force it took to mix this batter. It was surprising you didn’t grow arm muscles by the day. The smell of chocolate cake filled the cramped cafe, as the first batch almost finished baking. “Ayeee y/n, you’re gonna over mix the batter again!” Your boss, Gloria scolded you. She was well in her 80’s, yet she had more energy than your younger self. Though she was tough on you, you were forever grateful to her for giving you a job able to bend around your school hours. You were 3 weeks into your second year at To-Oh university, and worked at a small cafe right next to the school.
Today, your classes ended early so you were here helping Gloria prep for the lunch rush that usually came with a school full of hungry students. The cafe was more than popular with the students and locals, its Latin cuisine and baked goods were extremely rare to find around Japan. Gloria was the daughter of a long line of chefs who immigrated from Colombia to Japan, making their dishes for the people to enjoy. Unlike her family Gloria opened a bakery instead, opting for sweet and savoury goods over the elaborate dishes her family taught her.
“Y/n, mi amor, go to the cash while I finish up.” With a quick determined nod you left the kitchen, glad you didn’t need to mix batter any longer. As you walked to the front of the store, you noticed two young men waiting at the cash register. One stood straight, confident yet casual. He spoke with a loud voice easily attracting the stares of many campus girls in the cafe. He was objectively attractive, but your eyes weren’t on him. They were on the man next to him. He was hunched, back rounded under a white long sleeve as his hands were stuffed in his baggy jean pockets. His hair looked like a black mass that hadn’t seen a comb in years. He wasn’t speaking only nodding as his friend went on with his rant. Even from a distance you could feel the exhaustion radiating off of him, his eyebags proving your point.
You approached them with your practiced customer smile, friendly yet underwhelming. “How could I help you two today?” You spoke with fake enthusiasm as you looked down to take off your apron. “A simple black coffee for Light, please!” The light haired boy spoke, his tone sounding too cheerful. You nodded, finally sliding the apron over your head. “And for your friend?” You looked up as you finished your sentence, your breath catching in your throat.
His eyes boar into you with an intensity you had never felt. His irises held no colour, only darkness. The more you stared at him, the more you realized nothing on his person held color. His shirt, his pale skin, his charcoal hair, even the eyebags beneath his eyes lacked hues. The only exception being his pale blue jeans and… the slow blush spreading onto his cheeks. A smile crept onto your face, small, but realer than any smile you had given thus far.
“...Uhm.” Light’s interruption seemed to break both you and his friend back to reality, as both your gazes parted. With a quick nudge from his friend the man spoke. “...A slice of strawberry shortcake, please.” His childish order seemed to go over your head as you struggled with your next words. “N-name?” “Ryuzaki.” His voice dipped slightly as he said his name, as if he was telling you a secret. You nodded quickly, only giving him a quick glance before looking back at the cash register. It was Ryuzaki’s turn to smile as he watched you type in their order with a rosy blush creeping up from your neck.
The pair walked towards an empty table at the back of the cafe after Ryuzaki paid for them. He did invite Light afterall… and perhaps he wanted to make a good impression on you. “Quit smiling like that your freaking me out.” Light spoke rolling his eyes. “I don’t know what your talking about.” L responded his face going back to its usual blank expression. “Mhm sureee, do me a favour and ask for her number when she brings our things.” L watched Light’s smug face as he spoke. “Are you trying to distract me so I’ll forget my suspicions of you being Kira?” L’s said as he tucked his legs in his usual seating position. “W-What NO!” Light panicked as he hushed L. “Then let’s talk about the investigation.”