Chapter Text
Today’s a slow day, [Reader] could tell as soon as they woke up from the alarm, dragging a lazy arm to turn it off:«Ughhh…» they groaned as they got up to get ready for work, putting up their hair before they checked the time and shit! They’re almost running late for the bus!
Thankfully [Reader] got on just on time, silently listening to music on their MP3 and zoning out, their mind still drowsy from having to get up quick, yet unfortunately, before they knew it, they were already at their stop, walking into the bakery and clocking in, not mentally ready for having to deal with customer service and over-caffeinated people
«Good morning [Reader], slept well?» their boss appeared from the back:«Good morning miss…» they yawned back before washing their hands:«I slept well, just feel drowsy is all»«Stayed up too late listening to music and whatnot again? Gosh you, you need rest to work properly!» the old woman scolded them with a disapproving look, almost like a mother:«Ah… r-right… What's the first task today again?» they diverted the subject, not wanting to let the older lady ramble on about “the youth” and their awful habits once more.
«There’s some desserts to move to the front of the store, some washing, mostly bowls and oven trays for now. Ah! Please make sure to check the amount of coffee grounds in the back during work today, whoever closed yesterday didn’t…» she sounded irked, but was likely just tired from waking up early to bake, [Reader] would have to be on their best behavior if they didn’t want to be scolded or sent home for the day.
«I’ll get to it, miss» they nodded as they tightened the apron:«I’ll check on the coffee first while you open the store» and that they did, checking on the coffee ground bags and ordered more from the delivery man who came every other day, washing some of the utility items in the back as well as some of the counters since cross contamination was something the owner thankfully took very seriously.
After some time the first few clients appeared, some even doing work from the cafe. The day sure seemed to be slow, not that they minded, that meant standing around or even sitting at times, reading a comic or having a drink with no issues. Some people in uniform sometimes got food there too, a few people from the Hell guard, some of the Cleaners too, hell, even Raiders sometimes were spotted at the cafè to grab a bite. Man was this place lucky since conflicts rarely started, thankfully.
[Reader] was putting some cake slices on the display when a group of three people walked in, by the uniform they were clearly supporters from the Cleaners. A tall and buff blond man, a sweet looking long haired woman and a guy with black hair with a hat on his head. They seemed familiar, likely having been there in the past for coffee before the place added sweet treats to the menu.
The trio seemed pretty tired as they got to the counter, [Reader] automatically assumed it’d be from work, after all they knew that being part of the Cleaners was both time consuming and exhausting. The blond man finally spoke:«Good afternoon… we uh… we’ll have three black coffees»«They added desserts, wanna get something?» the guy with black hair asked, followed by the woman with them:«I’m definitely getting something if you guys do so too»
The three seemed pretty close, at least [Reader] thought so by how they carried themselves around each other:«Ohh! Look at those cinnamon rolls» the woman turned to the blonde:«I had my eyes on those chocolate ones…» he lifted his gaze:«what are those called?»«They’re our chocolate covered kouign amanns, they’re pretty popular amongst chocolate lovers» [Reader] offered the man a small smile.
The blonde seemed to blush for some reason:«I… right, I’ll have one of those, the raspberry cinnamon roll for her and… what about you Follo?» the black haired guy, who was apparently called Follo looked at the desserts, clearly wanting to try them all:«Mhh… same as yours, they look pretty good» At which [Reader] smiles a little, they felt proud that the desserts they helped make on the daily were so well received by the people who tried them.
They wrote down the order and nodded:«Your order will be ready soon, will this be to go?»«We should sit outside, the day looks nice» the woman smiled a little, the blond nodded:«Very well, I’ll bring everything to your table in a minute»
In all honesty, [Reader] thought that the blond man looked pretty nice, but then again he was a client they had seen just a few times and didn’t even know his name.
After not too long, they brought everything to their table, the black coffees steaming hot, the pastries warm and inviting:«Thank you» one of the three reacted while the others reached for coffee:«I’ll be at the counter if you need me» they offered a polite nod before getting back to the register to serve another client.
The peace and quiet was soon interrupted by one of the clients pointing something metallic towards [Reader] unprompted, a robber. Damn it. Of course in the day they felt super drowsy and had little sleep.
The trio of Cleaners moved to get up quickly, clearly trained for such a situation, but before they even got to the man [Reader] had sucker-punched the guy and gotten out from behind the counter after pressing the emergency button. The man had made an awful choice, that much was clear.
He tried to get up, but was quickly stopped by [Reader]’s foot on his chest:«Awful idea, prick. Today’s not your day uh?» they tilted their head, clearly tired and not in the mood for any of this guy’s bs:«How about you behave and make it easy on yourself? The Hell guards are already on their way» to which the man squirmed a little before biting their ankle, making them get off quick and stumble back with a groan.
Unfortunately for the guy, the trio of Cleaners had already gotten behind him, blocking the guy’s way out, which was already locked from the emergency button regardless. He tried to make it past them, but the blond hit him in the back of his knees, making his legs bend and making him almost topple over, only to be quickly restrained by the younger Cleaners while the he held him still.
«Are you alright?» the man turned towards [Reader], who had already gotten up and was now dusting themselves off:«Yes, thank you for the help,.. the Hell guard will be here soon for him»«That punch was rather quick, you have great reflexes» the brunette woman complimented them:«I almost didn’t see you move»
[Reader] smiled a little, caught off guard and still having some of the adrenaline running through them:«A-Ah… thanks, I must admit I didn’t really think, I just went with my gut»«That could have gotten much worse, you did good» Follo…? smiled a little at them:«You ever think about joining the Cleaners? Your reflexes are good, with some training I bet you’d pass the physical tests easy»
«I uh… will think about it… don’t worry about the check, you helped a lot, I bet the owner will want to thank you personally, plus she already has to come out to talk to the Hell guard» they offered, slowly relaxing their shoulders:«Thank you, we’ll keep the guy at our table until then, it’s probably safer» the woman smiled at them, she seemed really sweet like [Reader] had assumed.
Not too long after, the guards walked in. The owner was already waiting for them by the counter while [Reader] cleaned up the tables around, just to have an excuse to listen in on the conversation, plus they’d likely have to testify too, so it would likely be convenient. By then their adrenaline had gotten back to normal, their heart now slowed down, yet a little excited, due to the quick punch they threw. They felt pretty proud of the situation. So much so that they didn’t notice the Cleaners getting up from their table, thanking them and saying they’d be back for the pastries soon enough.
And to think this was supposed to be a slow boring day for [Reader]