Chapter Text
*Rei*
Rei’s affinity for addiction would be the death of him. Yes, yes, smoking was bad for you, he’d heard it all before. And yeah, video games rotted your brain, but frankly life would be easier if his could rot faster. If the list stopped here life would be peachy. A mindless routine that he could use to count his days. Wake up, video games, smoke, eat, sleep. Repeat. Perfect. Some days neutralize target was added into the mix, but for the most part his days were the same.
Unfortunately his list of addictions did not stop there, and even worse, it was growing. Like caffeine, which he quickly discovered gave him a couple extra fever-dream hours in front of the TV. Not only that, but it boosted his all time records in whatever game he was playing and gave him the worst sleep of his life—something that came with an odd sense of comfort. If he wasn’t asleep, he couldn’t be ambushed. Simple as that.
However the new-found victory quickly faded, and he found himself waking up at the ass crack of dawn with a burning headache—one only remedied with coffee. The Betrayal. And then the worst happened.
Groggy and squinting against the headache, he hauled himself out of the bathtub and down to the kitchen, throwing open the fridge only to be met with… nothing. Nothing but a sad, likely spoiled carton of milk. Not a single source of caffeine to be had—no bottled coffee, no cans of energy drinks, nothing.
Sigh… figures.
Grabbing shoes, a coat, his gun and his keys he headed out to the closest convenience store he could think of. They’d have something there—he wasn’t picky. He’d just stock up on enough to keep him going for the next few days and everything would be fine.
CLOSED. Open at 9am.
WHAT?! What do you mean “closed”, what time is it? He checked his phone and was shocked to see 7:32 am staring back at him. He couldn’t remember the last time he was awake at this hour, and frankly he would like to keep it that way. This sucked.
His stomach growled, adding a vague nausea to his already persistent headache. Ramen for breakfast yesterday clearly wasn’t cutting it. Maybe they sold chips.
Ding!
Distantly he heard a little bell chime, and when he turned to see what made the sound his eyes landed on a lady walking out of a store, hands clasped around a steaming styrofoam cup. Coffee? Best to find out.
As he got closer he could see the sandwich board on the sidewalk, which read Kyu’s Cafe. As did the decal on the door, and the window. Probably coffee.
Ding!
The bell rung again as he pushed open the door, announcing his presence to his chagrin. No way to sneak around in this place, though realistically he knew the whole point was knowing when someone walked in. Still. Stupid bell.
Shoulders tense and ready for action, he stepped into the little shop and scanned the room. A window seat with cushions, and a couple bookshelves stood to his left, a mismatch of wood tables scattered here and there. The chairs were odd, a mixture of shapes and colors and patterns—there was even a few bean bag chairs in one corner. Rei eyed those. They looked so comfy, and it would be so easy to fall asleep– no idiot! This place could be dangerous. Just get your coffee and leave.
As a whole, the place was strange. Nothing really matched, but Rei liked it… at least as much as one could like a strange, potentially hostile place you go to assuage your caffeine addiction.
Obscure, echoey music played behind the swish swish of a broom, and the humming of the only person in the cafe. Rei, with his tendency to look down, noticed the white sneakers with mismatched laces first. The rolled cuff of their jeans just barely touched the top of their shoes, just as the hem of their shirt just barely touched the waistband of their pants. An apron was tied around their waist and– Stop it. He wasn’t here to observe people’s outfits, this was clinical observation, that’s it.
Male, 6’2, 180 pounds, blonde hair, solid muscle composition. Loose clothes means potentially armed. Dangerous if trained, though likely not a real threat.
“I’ll be right with you!” He said it without looking up, bending down to brush up the pile of dust on the floor.
Saying nothing, Rei shuffled to the counter to read the menu board, making sure to watch the barista out of the corner of his eye.
Mocha, Latte, Chai, Americano, London Fog… What the hell does this mean? Coffee! Yes that.
“Alright,” the man said, looking down at his apron as he brushed his hands off, “What can I getcha?” He looked up, smiling brightly, ready to take Rei’s order.
…Big, dark eyes… just an observation.
“Uhhh… coffee.” He’d never ordered a coffee before, but this seemed right.
The man’s eyebrows went up a bit, and Rei had a sudden thought that he might have done it wrong. Is that not how you order coffee?
“Uh yeah, for sure! You just want a drip coffee?”
“...Yesss…?” No clue, he had no idea what a drip coffee was. The only coffee Rei had ever had was the bottled shit from the store, the kind with more sugar than actual coffee.
“Ok, sorry you sound a little lost. Our drip coffee is just fresh-made black coffee, is that alright?”
“Black coffee?”
“...Ok let me ask you this. Do you want something sweet or something a little stronger, more bitter?”
All the shit he buys is sugary so… “Sweet?”
“Alright, now we’re getting somewhere! If you want sweeter coffees, we have latte options. A latte is espresso with milk and whatever flavor you choose, or we have mochas which are basically chocolate lattes… but those aren’t super sweet, at least not the way we make it here. If you want to venture away from coffee but still want caffeine then I could do a sweet chai latte? That’s always good. Or we have…” He kept talking, but even with the explanations Rei could feel his eyes glazing over.
What the hell is espresso? Or chai? Though he called it a sweet chai latte, and he said lattes were sweet coffee, so…
“...and personally I really like a dark mocha but–”
“A sweet chai.” His voice was still it’s normal gravely monotone, rough from infrequent use and the early hour, and it sounded fine to him, but the man across the counter raised his eyebrows further. It wasn’t his job to care what people thought about him in life, only to carry out their deaths. This man was no different. If he got an order tomorrow to take out the cheery barista at Kyu’s Cafe, he’d do it in a heartbeat. That was the job.
Still, the way the guy looked at him made him feel wrong. Besides, if he had somehow upset the man who’d be making his drink, the last thing he’d want was spit in it.
“Please,” he added, hoping this was the right thing to say.
“You got it! You want that hot or iced?”
“Iced.” All his energy drinks came from the fridge, so this was probably the right way to order.
“Can I get your name?”
Rei bristled immediately. Why was he trying to get personal, this was business only. A trade, money for caffeine. What was this guy’s angle? What–
“For the drink. It’s just policy man, helps me keep track of orders.” He gestured with a sharpie, holding it up to write on the plastic cup in his other hand.
Oh. I guess that makes sense.
“Rei.”
“Rei, got it.” He mumbled, speaking as he wrote on the cup. “Will that be all for you?” He looked at Rei expectantly, a friendly smile meeting is eyes.
“Yes–” Grrrrrrr. He paused as his stomach let out an embarrassingly loud growl. Had they not been the only two in the room, it likely would have gone unnoticed, but it was not Rei’s morning apparently.
“You sure about that? We have some pretty good food here if you’re hungry.” Again, Rei felt himself bristle against the barista’s tone. Though he was able to keep the color from his cheeks, he still felt a twinge of embarrassment in his gut. The barista was smiling genuinely, based on the crease by his eyes. Was that smile out of sincerity, or was he mocking him? Rei couldn’t tell.
He was very hungry though. After what was likely a few seconds beyond a socially acceptable pause, he gave the barista a curt nod. Yes, food would be good.
“Yeah, no problem! You can take a look at our board. I’d be happy to make you something! Or we have fresh pastries in the case, I made them this morning,” he said, gesturing to the left.
It went against everything logical to buy food made by this stranger. This stranger who frankly took too much interest in Rei for his liking. The smile, the laugh, needing Rei’s name? Sure, he needed it for the drink. Likely story. Rei didn’t trust this guy one bit.
But, as his stomach complained again, he caved. Only a little. The pastries were the safest option, as they were made before he came into the cafe. There was no way this likely false barista would have known he’d be in, so the chances of poison in the pastry case was slim. Probably. Fresh made food though? No way.
He stood there unsure of what he wanted, just staring, staring, staring… Why couldn’t he decide? And it wasn’t just this, it was about everything. Once he’d moved out of his father’s house he’d found he didn’t have a single clue what he liked. Life at the mansion had been five-star meals prepared by his father’s chef, thousand-dollar suits laid out by his father’s tailor, and orders for everything else. Learn this technique, master this weapon, wipe out this family. Do not think, do not question, do not hesitate. Yet here he was, on his own and doing everything he shouldn’t.
“How about I surprise you? I can ring you up now, you find a seat, and I’ll bring out your order.” If Rei even had it in him to care, he might have felt embarrassed by this interaction. This barista was still smiling patiently, and here Rei was wasting his time, unable to decide on a pastry. But he didn’t care, couldn’t care, and so he took out his card in response. He would eat the pastry at his own risk, poison be damned. He was hungry.
After accepting the payment, the man turned around to make Rei’s drink, blonde hair swishing as he moved.
Now what? Right, find a seat.
After a minute he settled himself on the bay window seat, giving himself view of the entire cafe and the street beyond the glass. As he waited, he took time to really look around, noting down all the details of the place.
The cafe was still, save for the clinking of spoons and the barista humming a quiet tune that almost matched the music playing from hidden speakers. Early morning light streamed in through the windows, and through the stained glass on the door, stretching a whimsical array of color across the deep brown of the wood floor. Little dust motes floated on the air, giving the place an air of slow, lazy calm.
Watching the barista move behind the counter was something in and of itself. He was humming and moving with rhythm, as if he didn’t want to dance in front of Rei but couldn’t help himself. He fit in here. Somehow, in the bright, disorganized beauty of the place, the man was a statement. Like a favorite piece of a strange, eclectic collection.
Rei could feel his muscles relaxing bit by bit as he leaned against the wall, and he had to shake himself back to normal. Stop it, you aren’t here to relax. Sit up straight, stay alert, and keep your eyes open.
“Okaaay,” the man said under his breath. Then with plate and cup in hand he started across the room. About halfway he completely misjudged how far he needed to move around a table, and Rei almost got up to do something, but with a precarious 360 he managed to save Rei’s order. With an embarrassed chuckle he set Rei’s food down on a little side table, and then paused, looking at Rei.
Wh– what does he want?
“Oh! Ah, sorry, I didn’t– sorry I wasn’t like watching you, I wanted to see if you like it, but that’s weird, I’ll just– yeah…” A bit of pink made it’s way to the man’s face and he shoved his hands in his pockets as he returned to the counter.
Idiot , he thought. He wasn’t sure if he meant it.
He inspected the food, but didn’t think too hard about it as his stomach growled again. It looked like a blueberry scone—gross, fruits and veggies—but it had sugar coating the top and in all honesty it looked pretty good. That and he would eat just about anything at the moment, but luckily the scone really was good. Taking that bite made him realize how hungry he really was, so he scarfed down what he could as if someone was going to come take it away. Wouldn’t be the first time. He washed it down with some of the chai and was surprised again by how delicious the drink was. It was so different from his usual energy drinks, but sweet just the way he liked it. Before he knew it, the scone and half his drink were gone. If he’d been poisoned then it was already too late, so he sucked down the rest of his chai and got up to leave. No point in sticking around, he had video games to play.
Before he got to the door a voice called from behind the counter, “Hey! How was it?”
Rei nodded, but the barista was turned around, reaching up to a high shelf, so he mumbled, “Good.”
“Awesome! Glad you liked it,” the man said, turning back around with a large jar of tea in hand. “You can just leave the plate on the cart by the door and I’ll grab it later.”
Taking the hint, he turned back to grab the plate and plastic cup, and walked towards the cart and trash can.
“The name’s Kazuki by the way.” Rei looked back to see a shy, lopsided smile, those dark eyes crinkled just a bit at the corners. He didn’t offer his name, the man already knew it, but with a straight face he raised his plate a bit in acknowledgement before walking out the door.
“Have a good one!” And the door shut behind him, an echo of the little bell still ringing in his ears. The barista’s shy smile still flashed in his mind, but he pushed it away. He’s unimportant. Still, Rei knew he’d be back tomorrow. For the caffeine, obviously.
***
Smoking, video games, and caffeine. These were Rei’s three addictions, the essentials of his life. And now, the cafe. The routine of his day to day life changed that day, though he tried not to think about it. Suwas do not think, do not question, do not hesitate.
Now, without thinking he got up before noon. Without question he made his way to the cafe down the street. Without hesitation he ordered the same thing he got everyday: an iced chai latte and a blueberry scone. Kazuki would ask how he was doing, or what his plans were for the day, and Rei would answer with as few words as possible. He would never tolerate this sort of exchange with another person, but Kazuki was different. Rei could tolerate him. Then he would nod to Kazuki and walk out the door, always followed by the barista’s voice wishing him a good day.
For weeks this was his life, and it was fine. Just the way it should be.
That is, until he made a disastrous mistake.