Chapter Text
It all started on a random september afternoon, at the bakery where you worked. the smell of freshly baked bread and cinnamon rolls, mixed with a faint aroma of freshly ground coffee, filled the shop. It was a little warm, and it definitely wasn't because summer was coming to an end, but the ovens
That same thursday, you served a blond man with blue eyes, he was fairly tall, with a well-built figure. You were surprised to see someone like him in a place as soft and cozy as the bakery, he contrasted with it so much
But hey, you didn't judge anyone, customers were customers, right?
“Could I get a muffin?” the blond man asked.
“Sure, we have vanilla, with chocolate chips, cinnamon and nuts, oh, and also we hav-”
when you looked into his eyes, you noticed his confused expression, you couldn't help but let out a small laugh.
“I just want a muffin” the blond man said after hearing your laugh.
“alright, take your time” you said with a soft smile
There weren't that many customers, to say practically no one, apart from a few people having coffee...
“are you from here?” you asked, trying to make some conversation with him.
“no, well, yes, more or less,” the blond customer answered
You were left a little speechless, you tried to make the atmosphere less awkward, but it seemed like you'd done the opposite, what kind of answer was that...? Luckily, it didn't take him long to decide.
“I want the blueberry muffin, and an Irish coffee” he asked
“Oh, sorry, we don't serve alcohol, would a black coffee be okay?”
He simply nodded
“To take here?”
Another nod, you could say he was a man of few words...
“Here you go, enjoy” you said with the same sweet smile you gave all your customers
You continued with your shift, serving customers, some nicer than others, taking trays out of the oven, cleaning tables with spilled coffee, till the blue eyed man approached the counter to pay, pulling out his black leather wallet
“is gonna be $4.35, cash or ca-?”
Before you could finish the question, he pulled out a ten dollar bill
“Keep the change” he said casually, putting his wallet back into his pocket.
“Really? Thank youu, you’re really nice!” you said happily.
“I'll come again, im Leon.”
He said it before walking out the door, just as mysteriously as he'd come, you went back to serving customers and continued with your work, this time a bit happier because of the tip
The days passed and he didn't come back, so you'd almost forgotten about him, but a week later, he returned
It took you a moment to recognize him, you saw too many faces every day, so remembering one in particular was a bit difficult. But his cold eyes helped you place him.
“Oh, it's you,” you smiled politely, trying to remember his name “Leon...?”
“I said I'd come back,” he was right, he said that
“I'm glad you came back, what would you like today?”
“A muffin, which one do you recommend?”
“Hmm, I don't know, maybe choclate?”
“Sure, and a black coffee”
Oh, that was easy. You assumed he'd like any muffin, as long as it was a muffin, but chocolate and coffee... whatever, you quickly served him
“Anything else?” you asked as usual
Leon remained silent, his finger tapping against the counter, quick and restless, seemingly without him noticing. You interpreted it as a no.
“hope you enjoy it”
From that day on, Leon, or ‘blondie’, as your coworkers called him, started coming to the bakery more often. well, only once a week. Sometimes he'd leave a tip, other times you'd talk about simple things, or you'd notice small changes about yourself that he'd somehow picked up on, like when you'd worn a new lipstick or changed your hairstyle.
It surprised you that a man would notice such small changes, but he's an agent, right? Agents are supposed to be observant
One thursday, as usual, Leon arrived, earlier than usual actually, but instead of finding you, he found one of your coworkers behind the counter. You didn't notice, since you were in the kitchen making some desserts.
“hello, what can I get you?”
“Do you have croissants?” Leon asked, looking at the display, he noticed there weren't any left, and still asked.
“Sorry, they're coming out of the oven right now.”
“It's alright. I'm in a bit of a hurry”
Leon turned around to leave. He wondered why you weren't there. Honestly, he didn't care much about the muffins or cookies. What mattered was that you were the one serving him, the one recommending things to him.
“Did she quit? No, she's always so charming, and this job suits her... Is she sick-”
Leon's thoughts scattered when he heard your voice.
“Leon?”
You had come out of the kitchen to put some cookies out, but you spotted a familiar blond head heading toward the door.
Leon quickly turned when he heard you calling his name, and saw you standing there with baking trays in your hands.
“Were you waiting for me? Sorry, I was making cookies”
he blinked for a few seconds “You make the cookies?”
“Yup, and muffins, and bread” -you said, pointing at them- “Are you in a hurry?”
“No, not at all,” he said, stepping closer to the counter
Your coworker stared at him in disbelief, he'd said he was in a hurry ten seconds ago
“What can I get you?” you asked
“Anything you made”
“Aw, I'm glad you like it” -you smiled, serving him a cookie- “Coffee?”
He simply nodded. Even though he'd been coming to the bakery for a while now, he was still rather reserved, and his answers were a little strange too. You'd asked what he does as an agent, and he'd told you that he killed zombies… maybe it meant something you didn't understand
Whenever you served him, you noticed something different in his eyes when his eyes were on you. Something you couldn't quite identify, somehow, his gaze had lost that coldness he'd had when you first met, that made you happy, maybe this place had softened him a little.
You were glad.
Today, Leon came again, as usual, you noticed the sound of his leather boots and quickly turned toward him, wearing your usual smile.
Leon smiled back, this time, it wasn't flirtatious or playful. It was something that felt more softer. that was new, you couldn't remember seeing him smile like that during all these weeks he'd been coming
“You look good while smiling, you should do it often” you said casually
Leon quickly ran a hand through his hair, you didn't want to think you'd said something wrong
“You know?” -you talked again, still completely unaware of what that was doing to Leon- “the first time you came here, you scared me a bit, you're always so serious”
you let out a small laugh- “whatever, what can I get you?”
he remained silent for a few seconds before blinking a couple of times and finally answering “Just coffee…”
“Sure”
The rest of the day went by as usual, preparing desserts, serving customers, some nicer than others. The day passed surprisingly quickly. Before you knew it, it was already time to close.
You put on your coat and grabbed your bag before leaving your shift. You noticed the sun setting, a warm orange glow bathing the entire street, once you stepped outside, you felt the coolness in the air, and the dry autumn leaves crunched beneath your feet.
Your superior, the same coworker who tried to attend Leon, was there, waiting for everyone to leave while smoking against the wall of the bakery. Actually you where the only one left, so you weren't sure whether he wanted to talk to you or was about to go back inside
“Hey, come here,” he called.
You simply walked over and stood beside him, leaning against the wall and slipping your hands into your coat pockets. Maybe he was going to scold you, you hoped it wasn't about accidentally burning the cookies...
“When are you going to realize?” he asked, taking a drag from his cigarette
You just looked at him, confused “Realize what?”
“Come on, that blondie”
“Leon?” -you still didn't understand- “he's a bit reserved, but he's very nice.”
“Pff-” he let out a mocking laugh “He's just nice?”
“What is it with him?”
he looked at you, genuinely surprised “Are you either really stupid or really blind”
The way he looked at you, like he knew something you didn't, was starting to annoy yo, what was he talking about, and why was he insulting you?
He brought the half-finished cigarette back to his lips and took a long drag before throwing it onto the ground and pushing himself away from the wall.
“I mean, why would someone like him want to come to this place?”
You thought about it for a moment- “I don't know what you're trying to say, he just likes what we serve...”
He simply sighed, as if he were gathering whatever patience he had left.
“Yeah, sure”
He turned around to go back inside, but stopped before he reached the door.
“just pay attention the next time he comes”
You frowned “To what?”
“To him”
And without saying anything else, he went back inside, you stayed there, staring at the door he'd just closed.
What were you supposed to notice?