Chapter Text
It had been a pretty normal day for Niki Shiina. He had just received his pay for his job as a baker, and just in time, he was able to afford his never-ending grocery store runs. Though he was able to eat leftovers at his job, they never seemed sufficient. The bakery was quiet; the only sound that was heard was a few late customers' conversations and the broom Niki glided across the floor. Niki’s panda ears wiggled as he swept. It was an hour until closing, and the bakery had a very successful day. The annual fall festival was tomorrow, and people flocked to the bakery to pick up sweets and treats for their friends, partners, and family. “Thanks for working so late, Shiina!” Niki’s manager said happily, drying off clean cups for the night. “It really is no problem, nahaha!” Niki was one of the, if not the, hardest worker at the bakery. He also worked part-time as a chef for goodness sake! Unfortunately, since he was a panda, the food bills ran high, and he needed to support himself somehow! His stomach growled. It was way past his dinner time.
It was thirty minutes until closing when the bell on the front door of the shop rang. “Welcome in~” Niki said happily, looking at the customer who had just entered. It was a decently tall man wearing a hood and dark clothes, clearly intentionally trying to blend in on purpose. He approached the counter where Niki stood and looked into the dessert display. “What can I get for you today? Anything look extra delicious right now?” The man smiled at Niki’s fantastic customer service and kept scanning over the desserts. “Um… I’m not really sure, I have never been here before…” Niki put a hand to his chin and looked at the guy before him.
He looked pretty young, maybe 5 years younger or so. His hood covered striking red hair and some type of ears that Niki couldn’t fully see. He was certainly a mystery and no normal customer! Usually, Niki would just recommend a simple bread or croissant, but he felt different. “Is there a specific occasion you are getting desserts for?” The grey-haired said, tapping his fingers on the counter. It seemed the redhead was caught a little bit off guard, and a slight blush crept up his face. “I- I um, yes!! For… a partner..” Niki nodded and recommended some traditional sweets that would be perfect for his occasion.
“Can I get a name for your order?” The redhead perked up. “It’s Hiiro!” Niki scribbled the name on the receipt ticket and started preparing the order. He assumed it was for the festival and chose some treats that had pumpkin, and threw in a freebie that was a slice of pandan cake. “For Hiiro! I threw in an extra cake, on the house!! A panda’s favorite!” Niki exclaimed, and Hiiro’s eyes sparkled. “Thank you!! I’ve never seen a cake like this before.. Or a panda actually..!!” Looking at Niki’s name tag. “Ah.. I get that a lot, actually! Pandas aren’t very common around here, nahaha~” Hiiro nodded. “Thank you again, Shiina-San!” Niki waved and the boy turned to leave, chiming the bell once again.
“That was a sweet boy,” Niki’s manager, Anzu, said, giggling at their interaction. Niki laughed, “Maybe it’s his first date! He seemed super nervous….” Anzu nodded, “Come to think of it, since he mentioned you being a panda, I haven’t seen any other pandas than you!! I guess you really are one of a kind, Shiina!!” She giggled. Niki sighed and shrugged his shoulders. “It’s not like I see many bears either!” He said, pointing at Anzu’s bear ears. Anzu wiggled her ears and spun around. They were definitely grateful to have each other as friendly, hardworking co-workers.
Anzu and Niki finally closed the shop and bid farewell as Niki locked the door to the bakery. He took a spare croissant that they had left over and started eating it on his walk home. His house was a short walk from the bakery, right between both of his jobs. It was a good distance away from the castle to not get caught up in royal activity, but not too far where he would be on the outer walls. His small hut was perfect for just him and his food, all he needed!
It had been a while since Niki had reminisced in the past. His parents bestowed the hut on him when he was younger, while they packed up to pursue being world-class chefs. Still, it made him upset; he didn’t want to think about it too long. Opening the door to his small, humble abode was refreshing after a long shift. Quickly putting his bags down and changing into more comfortable clothes, he made a quick dish to satisfy his hunger and settle down for the night.
With the fall festival tomorrow, he knew that his shift at the bakery was going to be hellish but totally worth it! Maybe someone will sneak him some festive stew! Though it was disappointing, he didn’t have anyone to spend it with other than his co-workers; there was always next year, right? This recipe looks delicious! Niki said, internally scanning through one of his newly bought cookbooks. He made a mental note and closed the book, going to sleep for the night, not knowing what would await him tomorrow.
-
The day of the festival arrived, and Niki could feel the autumn chill on his skin. His walk to work was a sight to see. Many decorations lit up the streets. Even though it was only the morning, he could tell that spirits were high and everyone was excited for the events today. Niki arrived at work, greeted by Anzu. He tied his apron on, ready to get to work. Anzu focused on making the pastries while Niki took orders and packed them.
A couple of hours in, the door chimed again and it was the same boy he met last night with another. “Hiiro-Chan! Welcome back~” Niki greeted, and Hiiro waved. This time he didn’t have his hood on and was less mysterious. He wore a brown sweater and dress pants, which were perfect for the autumnal festival. What surprised Niki the most was the fox ears on top of Hiiro’s head and big fluffy tail behind him. “Hi Shiina-San!!” a new voice said. It was a serval, it Niki guessed correctly from the blonde ears and black spots and thin tail. Niki waved at the two trying to connect the dots together. “I dragged Hiiro-kun back here so I could meet the person who made that delicious pandan cake.. It was so so so good!!! I love~” The boy said. Hiiro nodded and Niki looked shocked. “I’m so glad you enjoyed it!!” Niki clapped his hands together. “Umu.. This is Aira!! My partner!” Hiiro said happily. The serval’s face turned bright red. “Hiiro! You can’t just tell people that…” “Sorry sorry!!!” Niki smiled at their interaction. “We came to ask you a big big favor Shiina-san!” Aira said with wishful eyes. “Oh~ what is it?” Niki asked. “Hiiro’s family is throwing a big, big party and since your desserts were just so delicious we were wondering if we could cater some for their event!!”
Niki was speechless. He thought his pandan cake was just a token of appreciation, not a new marketing strategy! Of course, it would take it, though; it was great business for the bakery. Anzu walked out of the kitchen, greeting Hiiro and Aira, wanting to hear about the details of their dessert catering. “Of course we can!! Nahaha! What type were you guys thinking? How many?” Niki took out his notepad to write down any details that the two were about to explain. Aira put a hand to his chin and nodded. “I think about 30 cakes and 1000 small desserts!” Anzu and Niki went wide-eyed, and their jaws dropped. That would take them days to make! Looking at their expressions, Aira hid a little behind Hiiro and looked at Niki and Anzu. “Um.. I’m sorry.. Is it too much..?” Anzu piped up and shook her head. “No! Don’t worry! We are so happy to have a large order like this.. It might take us a few days though…” They all talked through the arrangements; it took awhile but they eventually got there. They didn’t pry too much about Hiiros’s ‘family party’ but clearly it was a big one.
When they heard the amount of money Aira and Hiiro’s family was offering for the desserts, Anzu and Niki were even more shocked. It was an amount that could keep the bakery afloat for at least 10 more years, and they could both start living more comfortably. “Hiiro.. Are you sure you want to pay this much..? It’s like… a thousand times what the actual price is..” Anzu said shyly, her bear ears drooping a little bit. “Umu! Of course! They are so delicious after all! I want my whole family to eat them!” Niki wasn’t sure what to feel, honestly. Excited that the bakery was going to be able to run more efficiently and stably, he was able to finally afford his never-ending grocery runs, but he was also curious about Hiiro’s family. “Thank you Hiiro-Kun, Aira-Chan, this means so much to us!” Hiiro and Aira looked excited and Hiiro nodded. “Nii-san said supporting local businesses is always good so we are just doing our deed!” Niki laughed and Anzu smiled.
They finally finished working out what types of desserts they wanted, including Niki’s specialty pandan cake. Surely a family of foxes would enjoy it, right? The fox and serval waved goodbye to the bakers and left for the bustling streets of the fall festival. Anzu squealed and squeezed Niki with all her might. “I can’t believe this is happening!!” She said ecstatically. It was her family's bakery after all. Anzu’s family took Niki in to help him financially after his parents left. Though Niki wanted to be a chef, not a baker, this worked sufficiently. “I can’t believe it either.. We can finally stop worrying about our money troubles.. Hiiro’s family really is a lifesaver! Nahaha~” “It’s like they’re royalty affording all of those desserts haha!” Anzu walked to the door, flipping the open sign to closed. The day had just started, and they were already closing for the day. “We'd better get our baking on!” Anzu said, high-fiving Niki as they both tied their aprons extra tight, getting straight to work on the extremely large dessert order.