Work Text:
ATCHOO!
Kotoha sniffled from behind the counter. Winter has been approaching and the change in weathers has not done her any favors.
‘I might have to close early’ she thought, ATCHOO, ‘and maybe take a day off tomorrow’ she sighed.
Kotoha looked around her shop, 2 customers sat at separate tables.
It was only 4pm, nowhere close to closing time, and yet she could feel her eyes close as a shiver wracked her frame.
Dinngggg dinggg!
“KOOOO-TOOOOO-HAAAAA!!!” A voice wailed from the entrance.
Of course he would cause a ruckus every time he came in, of course he would shout when she had a day-long headache.
“Pipe down idiot!” Kotoha shouted, glaring at Umemiya with a glare that could have sent a grown man crying, but Ume’s smile didn’t even fade a little.
“How is my favorite little sister today?” He cooed, gliding across the café and Hiiragi trailed behind him with a pained expression.
“Having a headache because of you.” Kotoha mumbled, massaging her temples in an attempt to calm the throbbing.
“Are you sick Kotoha?” Hiiragi asked, his annoyed expression melting into one of concern after seeing her face, which probably looked as bad as she felt.
“I’m fine, just feeling a little under the weather is all” She replied brushing off the question
Immediately, Umemiya leaned over the counter and placed his palm on her forehead before she swatted his hand away.
‘Oii! QUIT IT!” she yelled at him
Umemiya made a kicked puppy face, making Kotoha feel bad for yelling at him but there was no way she would ever say that.
She figured out that her guilt was misplaced when he said,
“Why didn’t you tell us that you had a fever?” He asked in a wobbly voice.
“Because I don’t” She answered, annoyed again, but her nose betrayed her when she sneezed immediately after.
“Nope this will not do!’ Ume declared, before turning around to Hiiragi and saying something that was took low for Kotoha to hear and Hiiragi nodded and went over and started talking to the customers.
Before Kotoha could make sense of any of this, Umemiya strode around the counter.
“Sorry” Umemiya apologized solemnly, his usual grin nowhere to be seen.
Without warning, Umemiya tossed her onto his back and carried her out of the café.
“What are you doing?? PUT ME DOWN!!!” Kotoha struggled against Umemiya’s grip to no avail.
“Put. Me. Down.” She growled before breaking into a coughing fit.
Umemiya’s pace quickened, “No way am I letting my little sister work when she is sick” He said, almost to himself.
“Ughhhh. There are still customers!!! I need to wash the dished and clean the tables! I can’t just go home” She whined, hoping that Umemiya would just turn and go back to the café even though she knew that was impossible.
“Hiiragi will wait till the customers leave before locking up, and I will make sure the place is cleaned, you will only be able to come back after two days if your feeling up to it, no less” He said with a voice that didn’t leave a place for argument.
“Could you at least put me down?” She pleaded
“Nope!” His voice had gone back to the light tone again.
The steady pace of Umemiya’s footsteps made Kotoha’s eyes droop but a cold draft set a shiver through her body and disturbed her calm.
Umemiya seemed to sense this and suddenly stopped walking.
“I’m gonna put you down now.” He announced as a warning.
She slid from his back and stood on the ground but soon after, she lost balance and tripped. Strong hands caught her before she could kiss the ground and then put her right on his back again with one small difference, Ume’s jacket was around her shoulders, blocking her from the outside world.
The sudden warmth threw her off guard before she snuggled in the warm fabric and put her head down on Umemiya’s back and promptly fell asleep.
Umemiya laughed and continued walking toward the orphanage to place his tiered sister in Shitara sensei’s care for the next 2 days or so. The weight on his back remined him of all the times he has done this before, leaving a warm feeling in his chest even though he wasn’t wearing a jacket.
A few hours later Kotoha woke up in a bed at the orphanage under a thick duvet a silently thanked Hajime.
Sun streamed down from the window, waking Umemiya up.
5am.
He looked at the orangy-red sun that reminded him of so many things, the orange flowers next to Furin, the delicious sunny side up egg that Kotoha makes…
Shoot. He totally forgot! He was supposed to clean the café yesterday when Kotoha got sick and went home early.
Ahhh. Well, this was a good time as any to do it, even though he has never cleaned a café before he could ask someone for help if he needed it.
He swung himself out of bed and prepared for the day ahead.
One hour later Umemiya was on his way to Pothos with a very grumpy Hiiragi behind him. Umemiya contacted all the four kings, asking them who could help with his task but they were all busy except Hiiragi who said that there was no way he was leaving Ume alone with soap and a whole café (knowing what he did last time, you don’t want to know).
As they walked through the streets, they kept getting gifts from vendors and a lot of thanks for keeping the town safe, which put Umemiya into an impossibly happy mood which led to more stomach medicines for Hiiragi.
They approached the café with Hiiragi giving warnings to be careful with the utensils while washing but they both stopped dead in their tracks with they look into the café through the glass.
Everything was clean. They stepped into the café, the door was unlocked even though Hiiragi locked it the night before.
All the tables were cleaned and the floor was moped. The smell of soap hung in the air as the duo heard clinking of glass coming from the sink.
They walked further through the shop and spotted a figure standing at the sink scrubbing at dishes.
Sakura stood there, his white t-shirt half soaked, elbow deep in bubbly water and all his concentration in rubbing the dishes like personally offended him. Sweat clung to his hair suggesting that he has been in here for a while now, and his eyebrows drawn together with effort.
“Well someone is working hard!” Umemiya exclaimed, his grin widening at the sight.
Sakura’s head snapped in their direction, eyes widening with an expression of a child who was caught stealing candy.
“W-WHAT ARE YOU DOING HERE!” he stammered, his signature blush coating his face.
“The real question should be, what are YOU doing here?” Hiiragi countered, amused by their Kohai.
“I heard Kotoha got sick yesterday and had to leave early, and before she told me that she doesn’t like to come back to a dirty kitchen… so I cleaned it” He stated as if it was a fact and it was nothing out of the normal.
“Ahhhhh Sakura is warming up to Kotoha!!! Both of my little sibling are getting closer!” Umemiya laughed
“WHAT! N-NO! IM DOING THIS BECAUSE I OWE KOTOHA, NOTHING ELSE!!” He shouted, trying to justify his actions but from his sempai’s smiles he could tell that it wasn’t working.
Looking everywhere except Hiiragi and Umemiya, Sakura finished the last dish and dried his hands. Sakura grabbed his jacket from a chair that he left it on and zoomed to the door.
Umemiya and Hiiragi took one last look around the sparkling café before taking their leave as well.
2 DAYS LATER
“Are you sure you are feeling better?” Umemiya asked for the hundredth time as the café came into sight.
“Yesss” She stressed
She pushed the door open and herd the familiar bell ringing before taking in the room.
Spotless.
“Since when did you learn to clean like this??? Could I pay you to clean the café next time as well?” She laughed in surprise. As far as she knew, Ume didn’t know how to clean at all, but the last time the café was this clean was… never.
“I didn’t clean it” He grinned
“Then who did?”
“Maybe you should ask your regular customer Sakura?” He answered back handedly
“No. way.” She stated, but Hajime just shrugged. She would ask him later when he comes in for breakfast.
An hour later the shop was open, and Grandma Sato was already seated in a booth eating her food.
Umemiya left a few minutes earlier to tend to his garden so there was peace I the café again.
Rrriiinggg diinggg!
She looked at the door and greeted her usual monochrome customer who just grunted in reply before taking a seat in front of the counter.
She brought out the Omu rice that she had made before and watched as he devoured his breakfast, before asking, “The café looks so clean today, don’t you think?”
Sakura took a look around before shrugging and continuing his meal like he hasn’t eaten in days.
Now that Kotoha thought about it, Did he even eat breakfast yesterday?
But before she could turn that question to Sakura, he was out of his seat. He put the dishes in the sink and took his jacket.
“Thanks for the food. Bye.” He said without looking at Kotoha as usual, before reaching the door.
“Bye” She replied, “oh and Sakura?”
He turned to face her, his head tilted
“Thanks for looking after the café, it has never been cleaner!” She smiled as Sakura blushed and turned around before nodding.
He speed walked out of the shop and out of sight.
Kotoha laughed, Sakura was really something else.