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The guy that walked into the café was objectively attractive, with black, fluffy hair and a stoic expression resting over gentle features. The girl that walked in behind him was stunning as well. And that was the problem wasn’t it?
Well, it was Souta’s problem, at least. It wasn’t any of Jun’s business who Souta did or didn’t like.
Nao-kun, she called him. His face didn’t give much away, but she was far too clingy for them to be just friends. It was a doomed crush, Jun knew. He knew that Souta didn’t stand a chance and yet…
He always came into the cafe with her. Until one day, he didn’t.
⭒˚☆.⋆
“Welcome to Café Sugar Bunny,” Jun greeted Nao. It was the first time he had come into the café alone, a fact which Jun attributed to Nao’s overall look of exhaustion. “What can I get you?”
“Black tea, please,” Nao said. It was his usual order, so Jun just nodded and rang it up. “Is, uh… is your coworker not in today?” Nao asked.
Jun looked up in surprise. Nao had never asked after Souta before. “You mean Souta?”
“Oh, that’s his name.” A fond look crossed Nao’s face, softening his sour disposition.
“He’s on break,” Jun felt himself saying before he could think better of it. “He should be back in just a few minutes, if you wanted to talk to him.”
Nao paused for a moment, then shook his head. “No, no. It’s fine. How much do I owe you?”
“Don’t worry about it.” Jun waved Nao off. “You seem like you could use the pick me up.”
“Oh. It’s obvious?”
Jun nodded.
“Mm.” Nao paused. “Do you think I could get that tea to-go?”
“Of course,” Jun said, though he was a bit surprised. “What about Souta?”
Jun couldn’t read Nao’s expression, but the way he hesitated made Jun think. Then, it gave him an idea.
“Nevermind.” Jun put his hands up in surrender. “I’ll be right back with your drink.”
Before leaving for the kitchen, Jun snatched a marker off the counter and flashed a charming smile Nao’s way. He let the smile fade as the curtains closed behind him.
“This is a terrible idea,” Jun muttered to himself, snatching a to-go cup off the counter and uncapping the marker. He only hesitated for a second before scrawling Souta’s number on the cup. Honestly, Jun knew he shouldn’t be meddling in their lives at all, but he had a suspicion that he desperately wanted to put to the test. And if there was a chance that he was right…
Hopefully, Souta would forgive Jun after he found out.
He quickly poured the tea and hurried back out to where Nao was waiting, hoping to avoid Souta just as much as Nao was.
“Here you go.” Jun passed off the drink as quickly as possible, then escaped back into the kitchen in a whirl that left behind a confused looking Nao.
⭒˚☆.⋆
Nao returned a week later, having clearly not seen the number that was scrawled on the cup. At least, that’s what Jun had convinced himself to be the case. This time, Souta took his order, and Jun was certain he needed to try again when he saw the way Nao brightened in Souta’s presence.
“Hey, Souta.” Jun siddled up to him in the kitchen. “Mind if I take that order out for you?”
“Huh? Oh. I guess not,” Souta agreed, sounding disappointed.
“Great.” Jun swiped the mug from Souta’s hands, an ostentatious pink thing with a little matching saucer, and started out to the seating area of the café. He covertly slipped a piece of paper with Souta’s number scrawled across it out of his pocket and set it underneath the mug.
“Hi there,” he greeted Nao before setting the mug down on the table. Nao looked up in shock, a flash of panic coming over his face before he schooled his expression into something more neutral. “Enjoy.”
With that, Jun slipped back behind the counter and waited. It only took a minute for Nao to notice the paper, but instead of doing any of the number of things that Jun had been expecting, Nao scowled. Panic laced through Jun’s veins as he realized he fucked up.
He almost had a full on meltdown when Nao stood, still staring at the piece of paper, and walked over to where Jun stood at the counter.
“Did you need—”
“Why did you give me this?” Nao asked, a harshness to his words Jun was unaccustomed with.
“I’m sorry?” Jun wasn’t sure if he was apologizing or not, but it felt like the safest option. “I just thought you might want to talk—”
“So you gave me your number?”
Jun paused. He opened his mouth once. Closed it. Then opened it again.
In retrospect, he could see how it would seem like that.
“Look, I’m really not interested in—”
The rest of Nao’s sentence was cut off by the mirth of Jun’s laughter. “Oh, sorry. I shouldn’t laugh, that’s rude.”
“I was saying—”
“It’s just funny,” Jun cut Nao off again, earning him a scowl. “’Cause that’s not my number.”
Nao looked like the whole world had been shifted out from under him. His doe-eyes opened wide to stare at Jun. “It’s not?”
“It’s Souta’s number,” Jun clarified, trying to hold back another chuckle.
Nao looked down at the number like he was seeing it for the first time. Then, he looked back at Jun with a panicked expression. Jun couldn’t help but let out a snort.
“Souta’s?”
“Yep.”
“Oh.”
“But if you don’t want it—” Nao wrenched his hand back as Jun reached over the counter for it. Jun couldn’t stave off the cackle he let out as he watched Nao back away from the register.
Souta took that opportunity to come out from the kitchen.
“What’s so funny out here?” Souta asked Jun, glancing between Nao’s beet-red face and Jun’s tear-streaked one.
“Oh, nothing.” Jun dropped his voice to a conspiratorial whisper to say, “You’ll thank me later.”