Chapter Text
NOW:
Rin Itoshi is eye level with the counter, inhaling the aroma of that life-giving mixture, the elixir of the gods, his reason for being.
No, these mere mortals would never understand his passion.
Chigiri walks in to see Rin staring at the coffee beans, and promptly walks out of the room - informing Isagi at the counter that "Rin's doing his weird sniffing ritual again."
It was not a "weird sniffing ritual". He was just appreciating the beans, like any good barista would. Unfortunately, Rin doesn't consider anyone at the Blue Lock Cafe to be a good barista.
"Ah. Well enough, then," Isagi responds. "I'll send out Bachira - he's better with the customers anyway."
Anyone could serve coffee. Even that lukewarm bee who only ever used a single brain cell at a time could wait on tables and ask people how their day was going, even if said waiter didn't realistically give a shit.
Rin sighed, and continued on with his noble work.
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THREE MONTHS AGO:
So, Rin liked coffee. A lot. He didn't see how there was anything wrong with that, as he had patiently explained to Isagi when interviewing for this job. Rin was a premed major, and it wasn't crazy that he needed caffeine like oxygen. He also, coincidentally, needed a job to pay for tuition.
Isagi had listened to him patiently, only occasionally looking away (to scan for exits, obviously. There was a chance that the teal-eyed man in front of him would suddenly snap and murder everyone in the room, because no sane person would be huffing the air in a coffee shop like it would get him high.)
"That's nice," Isagi said hesitantly, Rin staring at him as if he hadn't just espoused upon the wonders of coffee and the history of its widespread popularity across the world.
Isagi was pretty sure that if Rin wanted to kill him, he would've done so by now.
"But you haven't told me a single fact about yourself other than that your first name is Rin."
"I want to work here, and I can make coffee. Is that not enough information for you?"
How the hell had this guy gotten so far in life without a smidgen of communication skills? God, even Shidou got along better with customers, and he flirted with any and every man within a three-mile radius.
"Ohhhhh," Rin said. Isagi wondered if this interview might end up being successful after all.
"You need my last name to put on the employment form."
Isagi had to phrase this very, very delicately.
"Sir - Rin," he corrected, "What makes you think that you've gotten the job already?"
Rin stared blankly at him.
"My name is Rin Itoshi. If that helps."
"That's great for you, buddy, but I'm afraid - hold up, did you say Itoshi?"
Rin blinked slowly. "Yes. Did I not enunciate properly, or are you not paying attention?"
"Are you actually antagonizing me right now?"
"...Was I being too subtle?"
"No." Isagi forced a smile. Rin was so, so lucky that he was related to Sae, or Isagi would've fired him preemptively.
"I'll start filling out the paperwork now, if you don't mind," said Rin, pointedly checking his watch. Well. Sae was the manager, Isagi reminded himself, and also his friend. Admittedly, Sae hadn't said a word about having a brother or cousin or whatever Rin was to Sae, but the two couldn't be more different. The two were probably long lost cousins.
Isagi didn't know the etiquette for when you're meeting your manager's rude cousin, but he was indebted enough to Sae that even a distant relative deserved some respect.
Rin tapped his foot in annoyance as Isagi brought him the pen and paper.
"You couldn't have been any faster, could you?"
Fuck that. Isagi got to be the assistant manager (stand-in for Sae when he wasn't there) and was grudgingly accepted by all of the cafe's patrons. Isagi had singlehandedly made peace with both his employees and customers - even Barou and Shidou didn't mess with him. To accomplish these feats, Isagi had a herculean amount of patience. An impossible amount of self-control.
That was why he didn't throw the contract at Rin. That was why, in fact, he had gone and made Rin a cup of coffee, and Rin had sniffed it as if Isagi were trying to poison him (Isagi didn't. Not yet, at least), and declared it undrinkable. He'd said that the beans were mass-produced, that there was too much water in the brew, and why was there a saucer of milk by the cup? Did Isagi not know that cream and sugar were the reasons why no one appreciated the true meaning of coffee anymore?
Isagi would have barely kept himself from coming at Rin with a metal fork in his hand and a heart full of murder if Rin hadn't said that last part, but he had.
Thankfully, Hiori stepped in and noticed that Isagi was standing up, utensil in one hand, eyes gleaming, and decided that today was not the day to buy body bags. Hiori already had to stop by Target after classes to pick up gummies for his movie night with Karasu, and he was not going to deal with incinerating a body today, no sir.
Hiori held Isagi back by a fistful of shirt fabric, and Isagi nearly fell over. Rin simply watched this happen, unaware or uncaring that he was almost about to be killed in a coffee shop, of all places.
"This fucking - stupid - cream and sugar are fine! Was I too fucking nice for you or some shit - "
Hiori covered Isagi's mouth with the other hand and introduced himself to Rin as one of the employees.
"So. Yer the new hire, then?"
Rin nodded. Hiori inspected Rin, searching for any sign of agitation in his face. There was none. Isagi pulled Hiori's hand off of his mouth in the moment's distraction and started insulting Rin once more.
"Who the fuck hates cream and sugar?"
Hiori shook his head. Isagi was pretty coolheaded about most things, but was especially sensitive about the small stuff. Running him over with a motorbike was forgivable, but insulting anything he kept close to heart (not limited, but including: Studio Ghibli movies, soccer/Noel Noa in general, lobsters, his friends, or cream and sugar especially) would leave Isagi on edge around you for days afterwards. Rin was a new hire, though, so if he apologized, Isagi would get over it soon.
"Everyone who isn't braindead. There's no point in making coffee if you're just drinking it for the caffeine."
Never mind. Rin was going to be found knocked out in the garage tomorrow. Hiori sighed in anticipation of the mess that Isagi would make beating up the poor guy, although Rin looked like he could put up a fight.
"I'm going to let you in on a little secret." Isagi leaned in close to Rin's ear, and both Rin and Hiori flinched.
"No one drinks coffee because they like it."
Rin pulled at Isagi's collar to intimidate him, likely, but Isagi reacted on instinct and kicked Rin in between the legs. Rin didn't look like he would be getting up anytime soon, and Isagi stood over him triumphantly.
Hiori wondered if it counted as employee abuse if the employee retaliated, because Rin was holding out a leg and tripping Isagi, the latter falling on top of him, hands braced on either side of Rin's head to cushion the fall.
The bell over the door rang as none other than Sae Itoshi entered, carrying a leather bag that was overflowing with papers and a medical textbook in another. Sae squinted, trying to make sense of the scene in front of him.
"Rin?"
"Big bro?" Rin's eyes were shining with tears, but Hiori couldn't tell if it was out of relief or the fact that Rin wasn't going to be having intercourse anytime soon.
"Sae."
Isagi stood up, using Rin as a launching pad to spring up and embrace the older Itoshi. Sae was an old friend to Isagi, but they looked like long-lost lovers reuniting. Rin was watching all of this, and for the first time since the interview started, his jaw was clenched in anger.
Isagi finally released Sae from the hug, and reached up on tiptoes to tuck a hair behind his ear. Rin coughed loudly, and Sae remembered that his brother was here.
"Your assistant manager just assaulted me," Rin said. No one was fooled by his nonchalance, least of all Sae.
"And?"
Isagi giggled, a high, bubbly sound in the otherwise quiet of the cafe.
"Sae," he gasped out, in between laughs, "This is your brother?"
Sae looked pained to admit it, but responded with a muttered "Yes."
"How come he's such a fucking dick, and you're literally nicknamed the Prince of Jinpachi University?"
Sae shrugged. "I don't take responsibility for any of Rin's actions. I suppose I'm forced to bear the consequences, as well."
Isagi nods in solidarity, knowing now how deeply annoying Rin is.
Rin was going to kill everyone in this room, starting with Isagi, but Hiori held out an arm to stop him. "Shh," he whispered, watching Sae and Isagi catch up on each other's lives. "You're ruining a bonding moment for them."
Never mind. He was going to kill everyone in this room, starting with the cyan-hued fucker in front of him who was stopping Sae's brother from intruding on a brotherly moment, with someone who wasn't even related to them.
Isagi turned around, finally, to acknowledge Rin. The person who'd seemed ready to neuter Rin only minutes ago was now unrecognizable.
- He has a nice smile -, Rin thinks, and then wants to claw his own eyes out.
"Oh, right. Rin, you can stay as long as you don't fuck shit up, okay?"
Rin protests, saying that he won't be able to do so if his employer, or Isagi Yoichi as his name tag reads, keeps polluting his coffee.
Sae and Isagi keep talking, and Rin's protests fall on deaf ears.
"Well," Sae says, walking behind the counter and plucking a muffin out of the display case, "Have you already filled out the forms?"
Isagi does a double take, and sees the signed employment papers sitting on the table.
The employment papers that designate six months of work for the worker. Fuck, he'd only meant to grab the one-month ones, or maybe the contract stipulating that he could fire the worker whenever he wanted.
Sae patted Isagi on the back. "It'll be okay."
Meanwhile, Rin was shaking with barely restrained anger, and decided to make some coffee to vent his frustration.
Isagi turned towards Rin with a sigh, and looked back at Sae. "Are you sure we can't switch around brothers?"
Sae briefly considered this, then shook his head. "That's a crime."
"I know."
As Sae and Isagi were seriously discussing the consequences of burning official documents, a wonderful aroma filled the room. Rin held open the door with one hand and the tray with two cups and a steaming carafe in another.
He poured the coffee in complete silence, and for the first time, it felt like a ritual rather than an obligation. As if they were witnessing something sacred by watching Rin serve them beverages with tableware that had been polished after sitting in the back cabinet for far too long.
Isagi grabbed a cup, and swallowed it in a single, scorching gulp.
Rin was aghast. He'd made the coffee for him and Sae, so why the fuck was Isagi "nutcracker" Yoichi doing drinking it?
Isagi wiped his mouth.
Even knowing nothing about the art of coffee, about "single-batch beans" and only the sweet, faintly powdery aftertaste of Nespresso, Isagi could tell that this was good coffee.
"You're hired."
Rin frowned. He was scared of being attacked again (rightfully so - Isagi didn't forget grudges easily), but the scholarship wouldn't cover the next five years of chemistry classes, and Sae was staring at Rin as if seeing him in a new light.
"Fine."
Sae left without a word to Rin, a brief wave to Hiori, and another hug for Isagi.
Funnily enough, Sae had only been staring at the bruise on Rin's face, wondering when the last time was that his little brother had let anyone close enough to touch.
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