Work Text:
The waistcoat did its job in complimenting his tapered waist and the slacks accentuated his shapely legs without being too restrictive. Jin looked good -- dapper, even. His boss was a devilishly skilled seamstress, but he could never truly appreciate her handicraft whenever he looked upon his reflection in the dressing room mirror. Some days he could take the cringe pill without grimacing, but that particular day was not one of them. Were it a normal cafe, the classy butler uniform would have been completed as it were on his person, but no. He did not work in a normal cafe. Jin was missing two crucial pieces to his attire.
Withholding a great sigh born from great shame, Jin slid on a pair of cat ears. He then clipped on a tail to the belt loop behind. Litchi may as well hand him a clown nose to cherry things off. His locker shut with a click, and he was off to serve customers and looks. His surly attitude had him fired or rejected at prior establishments, but his countenance proved a surprising boon in this current capacity. Some people were into his -- and he quote -- "ice prince persona”. He'd witnessed a few of his colleagues plaster plastic demeanors to converse with the more forward bunch of customers and boy was he glad it weren't him. Jin was a one‑trick pony and content with that truth.
The first part of his shift went by without trouble or outstanding event. Service with no smile, swift and cold as ice. Things were going well, if he dared to say it. He found himself forgetting about the embarrassing cat ears and the cringe‑ass tail when he got into the groove, auto-piloting his way around tables and people. Then the entrance’s innocent bell chimed and in walked a group of teenaged girls: four of them, filing in like horsemen of the apocalypse.
"Wow... I've never been to a maid cafe before!"
"Oh, those kitty ears look so cute on her!"
"Hey, Makoto? When you said ‘cat cafe’, this wasn't exactly what I was expecting..."
"... I may have misread the flier."
Jin recognized his sister's voice frame one and booked it to the back of the room. He blasphemed under his breath. The cafe was a little far from the school that they all attended and not that reputable as far as he knew. Actually, he was a bit under the rock when it came to what was popular these days. Regardless, Jin gnashed his pearly whites. He couldn't be found out a waiter of such a dubious establishment. His tail swished in apprehension as he observed the gaggle of girls from his periphery. The group was being seated, still looking around this way and that at the different decor and whatnot, and if Jin kept trying to hide behind a monstera plant, he'd be spotted faster than discount sushi. He snatched up a platter as soon as it was set out on the counter and delivered a par fate of sorts to the proper customer. His mind advised him to stall his actions but old habits kicked in and the task was executed effectively without delay. Jin cursed his perfect work ethic. He prayed that one of his colleagues would attend to that section of the cafe whilst discretely keeping his back turned whenever he risked showing his face towards their table.
"Jin, cover table seven. I think they’re ready to order."
Jin closed his eyes and accepted his fate.
Whatever giggle‑inducing conversation the girls were having stopped as soon as he stepped within their sphere. Noel, Tsubaki, Makoto, and Mai looked at him all mystified like a unicorn had trotted up to them to take their order. *It's fine*, Jin assured himself. The light dash of makeup concealed his identity like a bullet-proof veil. Barring his name tag, he was just someone who happened to look a lot like the Jin Kisaragi the girls were acquainted with. Noel was the first to regain some composure, addressing the elephant in the room with commendable bravery.
"Um, Jin ‑‑"
"Food. Drinks. What do you want?"
When the quartet continued to gape at him and his cat ears, Jin was reminded of protocols, to which he then professionally added: “Nya.”
At the first sound of a chortle, he snapped towards Makoto, whose chipmunk‑like features were contorted into an unrestrained grin.
"What."
"Nothing! Just that you look a loooooot like someone we know. Anyhoo, I'll be having the Big Bang Smash Parfait!"
Jin hmphed at that. Impish as her toothy grin was, he was not ungrateful for the out Makoto just gave him. The remaining three exchanged glances amongst themselves before they smartly chose to follow with their friend's proposition albeit in varying degrees of uncertainty.
"A Poem Blue, please!"
"And I'll take the Galli-Acerola Outseal."
Jin dutifully scrawled each of their orders down, sharp eyes boring into the small writing pad. The item shivered in his hand. There was a beat before his attention slid onto the girl who had yet to state her order. Tsubaki flushed under the expectant pressure, her usually-collected gaze flitting over the menu as she apologized for her indecisiveness.
"Personally, I would recommend the Frozen Fruit Ice Blade," he supplied offhandedly. "That is, assuming you won't mind the citrus."
“Not at all, actually,” Tsubaki beamed at his suggestion, whereupon she promptly placed her order with great alacrity. For a split, uncharacteristic second, Jin found himself reciprocating a smile but caught himself before things got out of hand. Inwardly, he clicked his tongue at himself. It seemed the day was just riddled with little mishaps, he lamented as he went about his tasks. When he eventually returned to the girls' table to collect their tab, he shot Noel a pointed look.
"Don't stay out too late. I heard it's almost exam season for certain schools." His statement made him a hypocrite, but none of the girls felt the need to call their upperclassman out on the matter and left soon after in good spirits. Sour as he was at the start of the whole ordeal, Jin couldn't help but feel a bit of that lightness himself as he watched them go. The rest of his shift passed without further incident, miraculously.
Once back inside the locker room, Jin freed himself from the cat ears and tail and promptly changed back to his own clothes. All this suffering of his dignity was made worth it as he had received the month’s pay at the end of that shift. He took a moment to fix his hair at the mirror where he caught a glimpse of the clock's striking hands indicating the late evening hour. He couldn't get home any sooner.
Jin unlocked the front door as quietly as he could and stepped inside, back home. He took off his shoes then placed them in their rightful spot between Ragna's scuffed timbs and Noel's loafers. The foyer was but a platform that directly led to the living room that was also joined by the kitchen space after a bit. In the stillness of the room, a soft breathing could be heard from the couch. Jin turned to see his brother sprawled out upon the furniture, work clothes still on and a blanket spilt onto the floor. The blanket was brought back to its proper place covering his brother's sleeping form. Jin hesitated to truly tuck him in as it risked rousing him from his rest. His brother slept notoriously light “in case of emergencies”, as he'd explain to his siblings. Jin could easily recall the way Ragna would wave off any subject that pertained to his health. Part of him wondered if his brother =saw them still as gullible children, blind to his sacrifices and pains.
The sounds of Ragna’s occasional snores quieted as Jin crept away and into his brother’s room. It was pitch black inside save for the street lights that pierced between the blinds. Silently, Jin made his way towards the closet door that was left ever so slightly open. Hidden in the front corner of the closet was a jar: Ragna's secret savings in the form of a porcelain Dead Spike. Jin brought the object forth and set it down beneath a light beam that illuminated the slot on its dome. A payday for him meant food for Dead Spike. Platinum dollar by platinum dollar, he fed the porcelain figure half his earnings before returning it the darkness it came from. He was even sure to angle it so Dead Spike appeared absolutely untouched.
-end-