(no subject)
Written for kat8cha on the first round of strudy_exchange. Eljay was a douche and deleted the whole post when it sent first time around idk why :|
Title: Café St. Rudolph
Pairing/Characters: Akazawa/Mizuki, Atsushi/Yanagisawa, Nomura (Yuuta+Kaneda
Rating: PG-13
Warnings: Kissing, and violent uses of coffee pots
Disclaimer: Konomi Takeshi. Not mine. Sucks.
Summary: Welcome to Café St. Rudolph, where Nomura finds out something he didn’t want to know.
Notes: Thank you to my darlings MNMS&G for giving me this idea, especially to M who was my beta.
The bell rang. A customer walked in, greeted by a chorus of "Irasshaimase!" She sat down in one of the tables and Yanagisawa attended to her.
Same old, same old, Nomura mused from behind the cash register. Atsushi came up to him and asked for the bill for table seven. "Seven, seven," Nomura leafed through the scraps of paper on a large pin next to the register. Pulling one out, he read through. "Two lattes, a chocolate cake and a peach tart. That the one?" Atsushi nodded. "Hurry up 'cause the guy looks like he's gonna beat one of us up if we don't."
"Gimme a threat I haven't heard of before," Nomura rolled his eyes and punched in the orders, finalizing the bill. Pushing the print button, Nomura grabbed the bill, put it on one of the small silver plates with 'St. Rudolph' engraved on them, and handed it to Atsushi, shooing him off. Nomura sighed. Really, maybe he should get another job. Being behind the counter was boring, and he didn't get to go flirt with the customers, like Yanagisawa or Atsushi could.
He wished someone would flirt with the cash register guy.
Nomura sighed again. At least he had a job that paid, he had an apartment he could stay in, he didn't have any debts, and he ate three meals a day. Life was... well, it wasn't bad, so that counts as good.
Yanagisawa came up moments later, handing Nomura the order slip. "Waiting for her husband, da ne," he whined. Atsushi, who had come back for change, hit Yanagisawa at the back of his head. It always made Nomura laugh. "Just shut up and keep working, Shinya," Atsushi said, bringing the change back to table seven. Yanagisawa stuck his tongue out at Atsushi.
It was always like that between those two; Ever since Atsushi's employment, Yanagisawa and Atsushi had been trading crazy banter between them. Usually it was done with good humor. Then again, Yanagisawa annoyed Atsushi in more ways than one. Nomura had found it rather amazing that Atsushi still hung out with him.
Shaking his head at the two, Nomura turned to the window to the kitchen. "Mizuki-san, we're running out of peach tarts," he said. Nomura heard the pâtissier’s acknowledging grunt. He handed the slip of paper to Kaneda, who made the coffee. "Café mocha with extra whipped cream-- I'm on it," he said, smiling, handing back the order slip. Truth be told, Kaneda creeped him out. He was a quiet kid, and did what he was told, but something told Nomura to stay clear away from him. The quiet ones were always most dangerous.
Nomura took a tray from the stack behind the display counter, slid the glass door open and fished out the second to the last plate of peach tart. Usually, it would be the strawberry tarts that went first, but Nomura read in the newspaper (a magazine, actually, that talked about fortunes and horoscopes) that today will bring changes, difficulties and irregularities. So it explained why the peach tarts went first. Nomura then took a fork and a knife, cleaned them with the towel that hung nearby for that purpose and set them on a crisp white napkin with the café’s logo, neatly beside the plate with the tart on. He brought the tray to Kaneda. “Ring the bell when you’re done and Yanagisawa’ll pick it up,” he said, returning to his position behind the cash register. Nomura hadn't had the chance to sit down when a voice boomed behind him.
“Where is Mizuki.” It was the manager, Akazawa. And it wasn’t a question, either. Carefully turning around, Nomura replied, “In the kitchen, sir.” While Akazawa was rightfully the owner and manager of St. Rudolph, most of the power and control came from Mizuki, the cook, the chef, the pâtissier, and whichever titles else he preferred. Nomura thought of both as equals when it came to authority, however. And usually, Akazawa lets Mizuki do what he wanted, but there were those rare moments.
With Akazawa’s tone of voice, this was one of those times.
“There are a few files that need to be organized inside the office, Nomura-kun,” Akazawa said. “See to it that they are filed away in the cabinet in the proper order. I’ll have Kaneda man your station.” Nomura nodded and scooted away to Akazawa’s office at the back.
He didn’t know what was worse: working out there behind the cash register, or in this tiny office with a tiny window that had a crap view. But at least he got paid. Getting paid meant money. Money meant he could pay off his rent and buy food for him to survive, and maybe a new shirt every other month, and the occasional movie. That was most of Nomura’s motivation.
Trudging, Nomura began leafing through the stack of folders on Akazawa’s desk. He left out the two, three folders lying open on the middle; obviously, Akazawa still needed them. But the rest, he started organizing. Now, usually, it would be easy to organize files in a filing cabinet. Unfortunately for Nomura, Akazawa’s cabinet looked as if it had been abandoned since the 70’s and no one bothered to correct the disorder. Sighing audibly (a small respite from not working in a place where customers would see you), Nomura started reorganizing, renaming and rearranging the files already inside the cabinet before he added the files on Akazawa’s desk.
Nomura was on the last few folders when the office door opened rather forcefully, making him jump, eyes wider. Mizuki was first to enter, looking royally pissed followed by Akazawa looking the same.
“I told you not to purchase those refrigerators!” Akazawa said sternly, seemingly wanting to shout but not being able to because of the customers in the café. He shut the door as Mizuki turned around, wagging an accusing finger. “I told you a hundred times-a hundred!-that the one we’re using had been repaired at least thrice-thrice!-this month alone, and it’s still! Not! Working!” Mizuki yelled. “My precious ingredients are wasting away inside that infernal machine, while you sit here and do nothing! Absolutely nothing! Obviously I had to do something!”
Sometimes, Nomura hated being the one everybody forgot existed. He was alright with it, practically used to being ignored. Nothing interesting happened around him anyway. This, though, although interesting, was particularly scary and might cost him his life, and Nomura didn’t even think to breathe.
“The equipment you bought was just too much, Mizuki!” Akazawa shouted, knowing that none of the customers and the other employees would hear them fight from this room. “It was too expensive and too excessive! It does not fit our budget! On top of that you even ordered for a new oven? That’s just ridiculous!”
“Yes it does fit the budget! Did you think I didn’t check? I am not that kind of an idiot! And it is neither expensive nor excessive; it’s just the right thing we need! I’m not going to sit around and let the ingredients go to waste while you sit here and do nothing!” Mizuki yelled back. His cheeks were red from anger, nostrils flaring. This, quite possibly, was the scariest face Mizuki had put on yet. It was right up there with his creepy all-knowing smile that sent cold shivers down your spine. “And that new oven is not ridiculous! We’ve been using one so old, your grandmother is probably a hundred years younger!”
Akazawa looked as if he was about to strangle Mizuki. He took a few steps closer, backing Mizuki up the wall. “The point is, you should not have done what you did! We have procedures in this café, and you’re not even the manager!” Although backed up against that wall, Mizuki didn’t look like he was going to let up. It was like watching a cat and dog fight. “I did it for the best of the café, you thick-headed oaf! I bought those equipment because a manager of a café, honestly, you fail, Akazawa. You’re unreasonable and you don’t even do anything for the café!”
Nomura gasped when Akazawa suddenly lifted his hand and slapped Mizuki across the face. The room was still for a moment, Mizuki’s hand was on his red cheek, wide eyed at Akazawa who was glaring down at him. It was only when Nomura dropped the folders he was holding on to that the two of them noticed him.
“What are you doing here?!” They both said at the same time. “Get out,” Akazawa barked. “Get out!” Akazawa really didn’t need to yell at Nomura again, who darted out of the room, running straight to the cash register. He looked pale, his glasses were askew and Kaneda was looking at him weird. “Nomura-san?” He asked curiously. “Are you alright? Something wrong?” Nomura let himself calm down for a while before finally responding.
“No, I’m fine.”
---
Nomura sighed, leaning on his mop. Mizuki had walked out yesterday afternoon, after spending an hour arguing with Akazawa in the tiny office. Nomura had thought things calmed down and they finally worked out a compromise, but the door suddenly opened, startling him and the customers and the rest of the staff. And Mizuki? Mizuki walked down stiffly, shouting, “I quit!” and walked straight out the door. By this time, everyone knew what Akazawa and Mizuki had fought over. Atsushi had said it was a stupid thing to fight over. Kaneda had agreed.
Yuuta, however, was devastated by Mizuki’s departrure.. Yuuta was Mizuki’s protégé, of sorts. He was assistant to the chef and learned most of Mizuki’s secrets in baking. He came to work looking distraught, shoulders hunched. “What are we gonna do without Mizuki-san?” Yuuta whined, slumping over one of the tables. It was a good hour before opening, and the five of them-Nomura, Yuuta, Kaneda, Yanagisawa and Atsushi-were doing the morning rounds; mopping the floor and cleaning the tables and setting up the chairs and writing the day’s specials on the signboard.
“For one, you’ll have to be in charge of the kitchen for now,” Atsushi said, lifting the chairs off the tables and setting them off the floor so Yanagisawa could wipe the tables. “At least until Mizuki comes back, or Akazawa finds a replacement.” Yuuta whimpered. It was most likely because if Akazawa would get a replacement, Yuuta wouldn’t get free tastes of Mizuki’s cakes. It wasn’t a secret that Mizuki spoiled Yuuta. A lot. Kaneda took the more optimistic approach. As always. He pat Yuuta on the back and said, “Don’t worry. I’m sure Nomura-san would help you!”
“Hey,” Nomura poked Kaneda with his mop. “Don’t go involving other people!” Not that he wouldn’t help Yuuta. Seemed it was one of the things he did best. Help around with the smaller jobs. Like filing cabinets or washing apples. As long as he was useful, it was okay, though. Especially during times like these. “Maa, maa, Nomurin~ don’t be so stingy, da ne!” Yanagisawa looped an arm around him and mussed up his hair. “Yeah, what the duck said,” Yuuta said, throwing a crumpled paper napkin at Nomura who swatted it away with his mop.
Unfortunately for the lot of them, said paper napkin bounced off to Akazawa’s chest, Akazawa who just came in for the morning, still looking very irritable and angry from yesterday. “Get back to work! All of you!” He snapped, glaring at each of them before marching off to his office at the back.
The five of them kept quiet for a while longer, after they heard the door to Akazawa’s office close. “Sheesh,” Kaneda was the first to speak. “He sure does have a stick up his ass, that Bakazawa.” Four pairs of eyes locked on Kaneda, staring in disbelief. “What?” He blinked at them. And the five of them laughed, getting back to work before Akazawa came back out and fired them all.
---
It was three days later, and everyone felt the gravity of Mizuki’s departure. Yuuta had panicked the day before when the fridge suddenly conked out and they had to get rid of the spoiled ingredients. Understaffed, Nomura had asked Kaneda to man the register again while he went out to buy Yuuta the things he needed to bake.
“This really can’t continue on,” Kaneda groaned. They had fewer customers today, the news of Rudolph’s chef quitting halved the number of customers they got. And they didn’t even have that many customers to begin with! “I know what you mean,” Atsushi sighed, seated on one of the chairs near the counter. Nomura was playing with the buttons on the cash register, and Yuuta and Yanagisawa were playing card games in the kitchen. “There’s gotta be something we could do,” Nomura said, stretching.
The lone customer in the café raised his hand, signalling for the bill. Atsushi got up on his feet to fetch it, shoving Nomura aside from the register so he could actually do something, and brought it to their customer.
Business today, was really crappy. Really crappy.
“I bet Mizuki-san wouldn’t come back unless Bakazawa apologized,” Kaneda said, fixing himself a cup of coffee, just so the coffee wouldn’t go to waste. “I agree,” Yuuta said, emerging with Yanagisawa from the kitchen. Yanagisawa looked like he lost another game or three.
“Please come again,” Atsushi told the customer who just left. He came to the register with the customer’s exact payment wearing a frown. “This sucks!” He crossed his arms across his chest. “Totally,” Yanagisawa said, standing next to Atsushi, who put his head on Yanagisawa’s shoulder, who put his arm around Atsushi’s waist, which surprised Nomura greatly. He looked at Kaneda, who signalled not to ask. Yuuta looked as if he knew it had been going on for a very long time already.
Well, that was nice and all, but what were they going to do about Mizuki? They obviously couldn’t function all that well without him, and they certainly did not want to wait until Akazawa realized it. “Guys, we need a plan to get Mizuki back here,” Nomura announced.
“Oh, you mean force Akazawa to an apology?” Yuuta rolled his eyes, arms crossed. “I don’t think we’re getting that, after Mizuki kicked him out of their apartment.”
“Their?”
“Huh?”
“Mizuki did what?”
“Tell me you’re kidding.”
The four of them stared at Yuuta as if he’d gone crazy. He blinked right back at them. “Don’t tell me you guys didn’t know Mizuki-san and Akazawa lived together,” he said, unbelieving. Another string of questions assaulted Yuuta. Since when? How? Why? Are they married? Was either of them insane?
“Guys, that’s not the issue here!” Yuuta supplied, backing up and inching towards the kitchen. He was saved when the bell rang and two girls came in. Atsushi and Yanagisawa made a run for it, but Atsushi tripped Yanagisawa, so he was the one who led the ladies to their table.
“That’s not fair, da ne,” Yanagisawa whined, moving back to behind the counter, joining the other four. Nomura gave him a pat on the back. Kaneda handed each of them a cup of coffee. “Let’s just go back to the task at hand,” Kaneda said, taking a sip from his. “If we could get the two of them together, I’m sure we’ll be able to think of something that would resolve their problems.” Nomura and Yuuta sighed in unison.
“Easier said than done, kid. Easier said than done.”
---
For the rest of the week, customers trickled in and out of St. Rudolph. They got lucky one day when a group of college girls came in and ordered a lot of Yuuta’s cakes. Twice. They said they all liked his cakes. It made Yuuta blush. He was getting better in making cakes, which was good. He didn’t keep adding more sugar to the recipe, either. Mizuki would have been so proud of him.
Nomura was just glad that he brought his mini-fridge along a few days earlier so they had someplace to put the excess ingredients and some of the cakes. It didn’t have anything but a Tupperware full of mould and a few cans of beer anyway.
Kaneda and Nomura both took turns in helping Yuuta in the kitchen. Atsushi kept audibly complaining how they all had to share roles in the café whenever Akazawa was around. It earned him a few deadly glares, but he survived. Yanagisawa said he was doing that to annoy Akazawa and get him to hire Mizuki back, da ne.
One lazy afternoon, when no customers came in the café, the five of them found themselves playing cards at the table in front of the counter.
“Why don’t we do that trick where one of us asks both of them to meet us at a certain place, but ditch them so the two of them would get stuck together?” Nomura asked, calling the bet. “But that’s so predictable,” Yuuta said, doubling the bet, making Kaneda tsk. Kaneda folds, Yanagisawa calls and Atsushi lays out the final card. They all show their cards and Yuuta groans. Atsushi laughs, and collects his winnings.
“We could always kidnap the two of them and lock them in a room with no windows or any other means of escape. Cliché, but it always works,” Atsushi said. “Of course, we’d have to make sure there’s nothing in the room they could use to kill each other. A few days in there would probably get them to their senses.”
Nomura took the cards from Atsushi, cut and shuffled the deck and distributed. “Where are we gonna find a room like that, though?” He asked, laying out the first two cards and throwing in his bet. “The pantry out back is big enough for two,” Kaneda said, peeking at his cards again and tried hard to keep a straight face. “That’s a lovely idea. Now, all we have to do is set a date when we kidnap the two of them and stuff them in there,” Atsushi said, keeping the perfect poker face.
“Mizuki-san is going to that opera tomorrow,” Yuuta said, throwing in his bet. “We could do it then. It starts in the afternoon, though, so if we want to nab him, we’ll have to do it before the show starts.” Nomura wrinkled his nose as he laid out the next two cards. “Isn’t tomorrow a little too early?” He asked. “Nah, tomorrow’s great,” Kaneda said, calling the bet. “The sooner we get Mizuki-san back, the better.” Yanagisawa added another hundred yen to his bet. Atsushi did the same. “That’s true,” nodded Yuuta. Even after being praised, he still didn’t feel confident enough with his cakes.
“Well, it’s agreed then,” Atsushi said as Nomura laid out the last card. “I suppose,” Nomura said, showing his cards. Everyone followed suit. “Kaneda and I could take on Akazawa, and the rest of you could fetch Mizuki,” Nomura said, shoving the betting pool towards Atsushi’s direction. “Right! I can’t wait,” Kaneda said, almost bouncing in his seat.
“Yosh! Let’s call it a day,” Yuuta said, standing up. “What, we’re not done playing yet, da ne!” Yanagisawa complained, but he stood up as well as the rest. Kaneda pat him on the back. “There, there. It’s alright. I lost a lot today, too,” he said, heading to the staffroom with Yuuta to change. “Don’t forget about tomorrow, alright?” Nomura said, gathering his cards. “What about tomorrow?” Yanagisawa blinked. Nomura raised an eyebrow. “Weren’t you listening?” Yanagisawa shook his head. Nomura groaned and shook his head. Atsushi thwapped him at the back of his head. “Idiot Shinya,” he said. “Don’t worry, I’ll fill him in.” The look Atsushi gave Shinya was, in a word, scary. Nomura would hate to be the receiving end of such a gaze. “See you tomorrow, then,” Atsushi waved, dragging Yanagisawa along with him.
---
So, it was finally the day after. Nomura sat on his chair behind the register. Kaneda was at his usual spot, making a fresh pot of coffee. Atsushi wasn’t around, but he told Yanagisawa to stay behind at the café, just in case Nomura and Kaneda needed help. Yuuta had gone ahead to detour Mizuki and get him here. He said he would call Kaneda if they had him. That would be their cue to subdue Akazawa and drag him to the pantry. Thankfully, there weren’t any customers around in the afternoon as well.
The three of them sat waiting in the café, waiting for the call. The air was tense. Yuuta could call any minute now. Nomura and Kaneda panicked a little when Akazawa went outside the café to smoke. He’d been doing that a lot the past week. They both sighed in relief when Akazawa went back in, looking at them weird. It was also relieving when Akazawa didn’t ask where Atsushi or Yuuta was.
Finally, after a long, agonizing hour of waiting, Yuuta finally called. It was Atsushi, using Yuuta’s phone. He said they had a hard time subduing Mizuki, but they had him tied up in a cab on the way to St. Rudolph’s. “You better hurry, Mizuki looks like he’s going to eat Yuuta alive already,” Atsushi said before hanging up. Kaneda nodded at Nomura, who looked at Yanagisawa. Yanagisawa flipped the sign on the door so it said “Closed.”
Nomura made his way to Akazawa’s office and knocked lightly. Kaneda followed close behind, as well as Yanagisawa. He opened the door when he heard Akazawa tell him it was okay to come in. “Sir?” Nomura poked his head in. “There’s something we need to speak to you about,” he said, coming inside the office, heading straight for Akazawa’s desk. Kaneda and Yanagisawa were right behind him. Akazawa raised an eyebrow at the three of them. “What is it? I’m busy,” he said. “Well,” Nomura looked cautiously at Kaneda, who looked at him and nodded. Nomura nodded back and looked at Akazawa. “I really hope you could forgive us for doing this,” Nomura said. Akazawa leaned forward, “Doing what exactly, Nomura?”
“This,” Kaneda said, who was standing beside Akazawa now, promptly knocking him out with an empty coffee pot. “Awesome, this thing didn’t break, Kaneda said, looking at his pot in wonder. “No wonder it makes great coffee.” Yanagisawa poked at the unconscious Akazawa. “Is he dead, da ne?” Nomura shook his head, but he was amused. “Nah. Let’s get him tied up and in the pantry before Mizuki gets here,” Nomura said, reaching out his hand for the rope Yanagisawa had brought with him. Kaneda grabbed the rope first, saying, “I’ve always wanted to do this to him.” There was a glint in his eyes. It was freaky, but at the same time, Nomura thought it was cool. When they finished tying Akazawa, they pushed him off the desk and carried him out. Nomura noticed a sheet of paper falling on the ground as they hauled their boss out of the office. He picked it up and pocketed it. It looked like something he could use for blackmail.
Carrying the tied up and unconscious Akazawa to the small pantry wasn’t such an easy job. For one, he was too heavy for just Nomura and Kaneda to carry, and Yanagisawa had weak knees. They finally resorted to put Akazawa on the small cart they used to transfer the sack of coffee beans from the delivery area to the kitchen. It was easier to get Akazawa to the pantry with the cart. They were loading Akazawa in the pantry when Yuuta called again, saying they were at the delivery area with Mizuki already. Kaneda dashed out to help them carry Mizuki.
“Unhand me! Let me go! I said let me go, you uncivilized brutes!” Mizuki was growling, hissing, yelling and kicking when Yuuta, Atsushi and Kaneda carried him in. He was obviously lighter than Akazawa. It also took them a longer time to get Mizuki in the pantry big enough for him and Akazawa, but once he was in, they closed the doors and locked the pantry. Yanagisawa even pushed a table in front of the pantry. “Just to be sure, da ne!” He had said.
Nomura, Kaneda, Yuuta, Atsushi and Yanagisawa stood in front of the pantry afterwards, listening to Mizuki’s threats. The first few minutes it was just Mizuki yelling, but Akazawa must have regained consciousness and began yelling at Mizuki to stop yelling. Kaneda actually laughed when they heard the two fighting again. They couldn’t exactly understand what the two were saying. Sure they were yelling and sounded angry at each other, but the wooden doors obscured the words so they could only guess what they were talking about.
It went on for about a good hour. Yanagisawa and Atsushi had gone out front to clean up at the café. Kaneda made them coffee. Yuuta and Nomura sat on the ground, watching the pantry. “Are they done yet?” Kaneda asked when he came back with mugs of freshly brewed coffee. “Nope, they stopped yelling but they’re still talking inside. You could hear them talk, but we still can’t make anything out,” Yuuta said. Kaneda sat next to Yuuta, a little too close, Nomura noted. He ignored that fact and fished for his handkerchief in his pocket. Instead of cloth, however, Nomura brought out that piece of paper he’d picked up earlier.
“What’s that?” Yuuta asked, leaning close. Nomura just stared at the piece of paper, jaw open. “No freaking way,” Yuuta grabbed the paper from Nomura, looking at it with disbelief. “Whoa,” was all that Kaneda could say.
The three of them looked at the pantry, wide-eyed. It was awfully quiet now, and they couldn’t hear either Mizuki or Akazawa shouting, nor were there any sounds of the two struggling to get the door open. They looked at each other again. Yuuta nudged Nomura. “I think you should open it,” he said. “Yeah, you’re older than either of us. You open it,” Kaneda agreed, nodding. “That’s stupid logic!” Nomura whined, but Yuuta and Kaneda shoved at him more. “You do it,” they insisted.
Nomura stood up, groaning. Sometimes, he hated those two. Cautiously, he made his way to the pantry, pushing the table away. He pulled out his keys to unlock the pantry doors. Slowly, very slowly, Nomura opened the door. The instant the doors were fully open, Nomura’s jaw dropped. Again. And he was pretty sure Yuuta’s and Kaneda’s dropped, too.
Mizuki was pressed against the walls of the pantry and Akazawa was clearly on top of him. And they were both making out. How it was possible with their hands tied behind their backs was beyond Nomura, but there they were, in front of him, making out, Mizuki moaning as they kissed.
Nomura heard Yuuta and Kaneda snickering behind him, and he couldn’t help but laugh along with them. It was only then that Akazawa and Mizuki noticed that the pantry doors were opened. They broke their kiss and looked at Nomura, wide eyed. “So I guess the two of you are back together now?” Nomura asked, feeling a little awkward watching them make out in the pantry, at the same time wholly amused by the whole scene. Mizuki glared at Nomura as a reply. “Close the goddamn door,” Mizuki said, and Nomura was glad to oblige, and didn’t bother hiding that stupid grin on his face.
---
The bell rang. A customer walked in, greeted by a chorus of "Irasshaimase!" She sat down in one of the tables and Atsushi attended to her.
Same old, same old, Nomura mused from behind the cash register. Except, Nomura had a silly grin on his face as he watched Mizuki and Akazawa talking by the entrance of the kitchen. He shot Kaneda a glance, who grinned right back at him.
“I still can’t believe they had sex in the pantry. That’s so… creepy, da ne,” Yanagisawa said, watching Mizuki and Akazawa too. Nomura shook his head and snorted. “As if you and Atsushi hadn’t had sex in closets before,” he said. Yanagisawa looked at him wide eyed. “Hey! How’d you know that, da ne? That’s supposed to be secret!”
Nomura couldn’t help but laugh.
Title: Café St. Rudolph
Pairing/Characters: Akazawa/Mizuki, Atsushi/Yanagisawa, Nomura (Yuuta+Kaneda
Rating: PG-13
Warnings: Kissing, and violent uses of coffee pots
Disclaimer: Konomi Takeshi. Not mine. Sucks.
Summary: Welcome to Café St. Rudolph, where Nomura finds out something he didn’t want to know.
Notes: Thank you to my darlings MNMS&G for giving me this idea, especially to M who was my beta.
The bell rang. A customer walked in, greeted by a chorus of "Irasshaimase!" She sat down in one of the tables and Yanagisawa attended to her.
Same old, same old, Nomura mused from behind the cash register. Atsushi came up to him and asked for the bill for table seven. "Seven, seven," Nomura leafed through the scraps of paper on a large pin next to the register. Pulling one out, he read through. "Two lattes, a chocolate cake and a peach tart. That the one?" Atsushi nodded. "Hurry up 'cause the guy looks like he's gonna beat one of us up if we don't."
"Gimme a threat I haven't heard of before," Nomura rolled his eyes and punched in the orders, finalizing the bill. Pushing the print button, Nomura grabbed the bill, put it on one of the small silver plates with 'St. Rudolph' engraved on them, and handed it to Atsushi, shooing him off. Nomura sighed. Really, maybe he should get another job. Being behind the counter was boring, and he didn't get to go flirt with the customers, like Yanagisawa or Atsushi could.
He wished someone would flirt with the cash register guy.
Nomura sighed again. At least he had a job that paid, he had an apartment he could stay in, he didn't have any debts, and he ate three meals a day. Life was... well, it wasn't bad, so that counts as good.
Yanagisawa came up moments later, handing Nomura the order slip. "Waiting for her husband, da ne," he whined. Atsushi, who had come back for change, hit Yanagisawa at the back of his head. It always made Nomura laugh. "Just shut up and keep working, Shinya," Atsushi said, bringing the change back to table seven. Yanagisawa stuck his tongue out at Atsushi.
It was always like that between those two; Ever since Atsushi's employment, Yanagisawa and Atsushi had been trading crazy banter between them. Usually it was done with good humor. Then again, Yanagisawa annoyed Atsushi in more ways than one. Nomura had found it rather amazing that Atsushi still hung out with him.
Shaking his head at the two, Nomura turned to the window to the kitchen. "Mizuki-san, we're running out of peach tarts," he said. Nomura heard the pâtissier’s acknowledging grunt. He handed the slip of paper to Kaneda, who made the coffee. "Café mocha with extra whipped cream-- I'm on it," he said, smiling, handing back the order slip. Truth be told, Kaneda creeped him out. He was a quiet kid, and did what he was told, but something told Nomura to stay clear away from him. The quiet ones were always most dangerous.
Nomura took a tray from the stack behind the display counter, slid the glass door open and fished out the second to the last plate of peach tart. Usually, it would be the strawberry tarts that went first, but Nomura read in the newspaper (a magazine, actually, that talked about fortunes and horoscopes) that today will bring changes, difficulties and irregularities. So it explained why the peach tarts went first. Nomura then took a fork and a knife, cleaned them with the towel that hung nearby for that purpose and set them on a crisp white napkin with the café’s logo, neatly beside the plate with the tart on. He brought the tray to Kaneda. “Ring the bell when you’re done and Yanagisawa’ll pick it up,” he said, returning to his position behind the cash register. Nomura hadn't had the chance to sit down when a voice boomed behind him.
“Where is Mizuki.” It was the manager, Akazawa. And it wasn’t a question, either. Carefully turning around, Nomura replied, “In the kitchen, sir.” While Akazawa was rightfully the owner and manager of St. Rudolph, most of the power and control came from Mizuki, the cook, the chef, the pâtissier, and whichever titles else he preferred. Nomura thought of both as equals when it came to authority, however. And usually, Akazawa lets Mizuki do what he wanted, but there were those rare moments.
With Akazawa’s tone of voice, this was one of those times.
“There are a few files that need to be organized inside the office, Nomura-kun,” Akazawa said. “See to it that they are filed away in the cabinet in the proper order. I’ll have Kaneda man your station.” Nomura nodded and scooted away to Akazawa’s office at the back.
He didn’t know what was worse: working out there behind the cash register, or in this tiny office with a tiny window that had a crap view. But at least he got paid. Getting paid meant money. Money meant he could pay off his rent and buy food for him to survive, and maybe a new shirt every other month, and the occasional movie. That was most of Nomura’s motivation.
Trudging, Nomura began leafing through the stack of folders on Akazawa’s desk. He left out the two, three folders lying open on the middle; obviously, Akazawa still needed them. But the rest, he started organizing. Now, usually, it would be easy to organize files in a filing cabinet. Unfortunately for Nomura, Akazawa’s cabinet looked as if it had been abandoned since the 70’s and no one bothered to correct the disorder. Sighing audibly (a small respite from not working in a place where customers would see you), Nomura started reorganizing, renaming and rearranging the files already inside the cabinet before he added the files on Akazawa’s desk.
Nomura was on the last few folders when the office door opened rather forcefully, making him jump, eyes wider. Mizuki was first to enter, looking royally pissed followed by Akazawa looking the same.
“I told you not to purchase those refrigerators!” Akazawa said sternly, seemingly wanting to shout but not being able to because of the customers in the café. He shut the door as Mizuki turned around, wagging an accusing finger. “I told you a hundred times-a hundred!-that the one we’re using had been repaired at least thrice-thrice!-this month alone, and it’s still! Not! Working!” Mizuki yelled. “My precious ingredients are wasting away inside that infernal machine, while you sit here and do nothing! Absolutely nothing! Obviously I had to do something!”
Sometimes, Nomura hated being the one everybody forgot existed. He was alright with it, practically used to being ignored. Nothing interesting happened around him anyway. This, though, although interesting, was particularly scary and might cost him his life, and Nomura didn’t even think to breathe.
“The equipment you bought was just too much, Mizuki!” Akazawa shouted, knowing that none of the customers and the other employees would hear them fight from this room. “It was too expensive and too excessive! It does not fit our budget! On top of that you even ordered for a new oven? That’s just ridiculous!”
“Yes it does fit the budget! Did you think I didn’t check? I am not that kind of an idiot! And it is neither expensive nor excessive; it’s just the right thing we need! I’m not going to sit around and let the ingredients go to waste while you sit here and do nothing!” Mizuki yelled back. His cheeks were red from anger, nostrils flaring. This, quite possibly, was the scariest face Mizuki had put on yet. It was right up there with his creepy all-knowing smile that sent cold shivers down your spine. “And that new oven is not ridiculous! We’ve been using one so old, your grandmother is probably a hundred years younger!”
Akazawa looked as if he was about to strangle Mizuki. He took a few steps closer, backing Mizuki up the wall. “The point is, you should not have done what you did! We have procedures in this café, and you’re not even the manager!” Although backed up against that wall, Mizuki didn’t look like he was going to let up. It was like watching a cat and dog fight. “I did it for the best of the café, you thick-headed oaf! I bought those equipment because a manager of a café, honestly, you fail, Akazawa. You’re unreasonable and you don’t even do anything for the café!”
Nomura gasped when Akazawa suddenly lifted his hand and slapped Mizuki across the face. The room was still for a moment, Mizuki’s hand was on his red cheek, wide eyed at Akazawa who was glaring down at him. It was only when Nomura dropped the folders he was holding on to that the two of them noticed him.
“What are you doing here?!” They both said at the same time. “Get out,” Akazawa barked. “Get out!” Akazawa really didn’t need to yell at Nomura again, who darted out of the room, running straight to the cash register. He looked pale, his glasses were askew and Kaneda was looking at him weird. “Nomura-san?” He asked curiously. “Are you alright? Something wrong?” Nomura let himself calm down for a while before finally responding.
“No, I’m fine.”
---
Nomura sighed, leaning on his mop. Mizuki had walked out yesterday afternoon, after spending an hour arguing with Akazawa in the tiny office. Nomura had thought things calmed down and they finally worked out a compromise, but the door suddenly opened, startling him and the customers and the rest of the staff. And Mizuki? Mizuki walked down stiffly, shouting, “I quit!” and walked straight out the door. By this time, everyone knew what Akazawa and Mizuki had fought over. Atsushi had said it was a stupid thing to fight over. Kaneda had agreed.
Yuuta, however, was devastated by Mizuki’s departrure.. Yuuta was Mizuki’s protégé, of sorts. He was assistant to the chef and learned most of Mizuki’s secrets in baking. He came to work looking distraught, shoulders hunched. “What are we gonna do without Mizuki-san?” Yuuta whined, slumping over one of the tables. It was a good hour before opening, and the five of them-Nomura, Yuuta, Kaneda, Yanagisawa and Atsushi-were doing the morning rounds; mopping the floor and cleaning the tables and setting up the chairs and writing the day’s specials on the signboard.
“For one, you’ll have to be in charge of the kitchen for now,” Atsushi said, lifting the chairs off the tables and setting them off the floor so Yanagisawa could wipe the tables. “At least until Mizuki comes back, or Akazawa finds a replacement.” Yuuta whimpered. It was most likely because if Akazawa would get a replacement, Yuuta wouldn’t get free tastes of Mizuki’s cakes. It wasn’t a secret that Mizuki spoiled Yuuta. A lot. Kaneda took the more optimistic approach. As always. He pat Yuuta on the back and said, “Don’t worry. I’m sure Nomura-san would help you!”
“Hey,” Nomura poked Kaneda with his mop. “Don’t go involving other people!” Not that he wouldn’t help Yuuta. Seemed it was one of the things he did best. Help around with the smaller jobs. Like filing cabinets or washing apples. As long as he was useful, it was okay, though. Especially during times like these. “Maa, maa, Nomurin~ don’t be so stingy, da ne!” Yanagisawa looped an arm around him and mussed up his hair. “Yeah, what the duck said,” Yuuta said, throwing a crumpled paper napkin at Nomura who swatted it away with his mop.
Unfortunately for the lot of them, said paper napkin bounced off to Akazawa’s chest, Akazawa who just came in for the morning, still looking very irritable and angry from yesterday. “Get back to work! All of you!” He snapped, glaring at each of them before marching off to his office at the back.
The five of them kept quiet for a while longer, after they heard the door to Akazawa’s office close. “Sheesh,” Kaneda was the first to speak. “He sure does have a stick up his ass, that Bakazawa.” Four pairs of eyes locked on Kaneda, staring in disbelief. “What?” He blinked at them. And the five of them laughed, getting back to work before Akazawa came back out and fired them all.
---
It was three days later, and everyone felt the gravity of Mizuki’s departure. Yuuta had panicked the day before when the fridge suddenly conked out and they had to get rid of the spoiled ingredients. Understaffed, Nomura had asked Kaneda to man the register again while he went out to buy Yuuta the things he needed to bake.
“This really can’t continue on,” Kaneda groaned. They had fewer customers today, the news of Rudolph’s chef quitting halved the number of customers they got. And they didn’t even have that many customers to begin with! “I know what you mean,” Atsushi sighed, seated on one of the chairs near the counter. Nomura was playing with the buttons on the cash register, and Yuuta and Yanagisawa were playing card games in the kitchen. “There’s gotta be something we could do,” Nomura said, stretching.
The lone customer in the café raised his hand, signalling for the bill. Atsushi got up on his feet to fetch it, shoving Nomura aside from the register so he could actually do something, and brought it to their customer.
Business today, was really crappy. Really crappy.
“I bet Mizuki-san wouldn’t come back unless Bakazawa apologized,” Kaneda said, fixing himself a cup of coffee, just so the coffee wouldn’t go to waste. “I agree,” Yuuta said, emerging with Yanagisawa from the kitchen. Yanagisawa looked like he lost another game or three.
“Please come again,” Atsushi told the customer who just left. He came to the register with the customer’s exact payment wearing a frown. “This sucks!” He crossed his arms across his chest. “Totally,” Yanagisawa said, standing next to Atsushi, who put his head on Yanagisawa’s shoulder, who put his arm around Atsushi’s waist, which surprised Nomura greatly. He looked at Kaneda, who signalled not to ask. Yuuta looked as if he knew it had been going on for a very long time already.
Well, that was nice and all, but what were they going to do about Mizuki? They obviously couldn’t function all that well without him, and they certainly did not want to wait until Akazawa realized it. “Guys, we need a plan to get Mizuki back here,” Nomura announced.
“Oh, you mean force Akazawa to an apology?” Yuuta rolled his eyes, arms crossed. “I don’t think we’re getting that, after Mizuki kicked him out of their apartment.”
“Their?”
“Huh?”
“Mizuki did what?”
“Tell me you’re kidding.”
The four of them stared at Yuuta as if he’d gone crazy. He blinked right back at them. “Don’t tell me you guys didn’t know Mizuki-san and Akazawa lived together,” he said, unbelieving. Another string of questions assaulted Yuuta. Since when? How? Why? Are they married? Was either of them insane?
“Guys, that’s not the issue here!” Yuuta supplied, backing up and inching towards the kitchen. He was saved when the bell rang and two girls came in. Atsushi and Yanagisawa made a run for it, but Atsushi tripped Yanagisawa, so he was the one who led the ladies to their table.
“That’s not fair, da ne,” Yanagisawa whined, moving back to behind the counter, joining the other four. Nomura gave him a pat on the back. Kaneda handed each of them a cup of coffee. “Let’s just go back to the task at hand,” Kaneda said, taking a sip from his. “If we could get the two of them together, I’m sure we’ll be able to think of something that would resolve their problems.” Nomura and Yuuta sighed in unison.
“Easier said than done, kid. Easier said than done.”
---
For the rest of the week, customers trickled in and out of St. Rudolph. They got lucky one day when a group of college girls came in and ordered a lot of Yuuta’s cakes. Twice. They said they all liked his cakes. It made Yuuta blush. He was getting better in making cakes, which was good. He didn’t keep adding more sugar to the recipe, either. Mizuki would have been so proud of him.
Nomura was just glad that he brought his mini-fridge along a few days earlier so they had someplace to put the excess ingredients and some of the cakes. It didn’t have anything but a Tupperware full of mould and a few cans of beer anyway.
Kaneda and Nomura both took turns in helping Yuuta in the kitchen. Atsushi kept audibly complaining how they all had to share roles in the café whenever Akazawa was around. It earned him a few deadly glares, but he survived. Yanagisawa said he was doing that to annoy Akazawa and get him to hire Mizuki back, da ne.
One lazy afternoon, when no customers came in the café, the five of them found themselves playing cards at the table in front of the counter.
“Why don’t we do that trick where one of us asks both of them to meet us at a certain place, but ditch them so the two of them would get stuck together?” Nomura asked, calling the bet. “But that’s so predictable,” Yuuta said, doubling the bet, making Kaneda tsk. Kaneda folds, Yanagisawa calls and Atsushi lays out the final card. They all show their cards and Yuuta groans. Atsushi laughs, and collects his winnings.
“We could always kidnap the two of them and lock them in a room with no windows or any other means of escape. Cliché, but it always works,” Atsushi said. “Of course, we’d have to make sure there’s nothing in the room they could use to kill each other. A few days in there would probably get them to their senses.”
Nomura took the cards from Atsushi, cut and shuffled the deck and distributed. “Where are we gonna find a room like that, though?” He asked, laying out the first two cards and throwing in his bet. “The pantry out back is big enough for two,” Kaneda said, peeking at his cards again and tried hard to keep a straight face. “That’s a lovely idea. Now, all we have to do is set a date when we kidnap the two of them and stuff them in there,” Atsushi said, keeping the perfect poker face.
“Mizuki-san is going to that opera tomorrow,” Yuuta said, throwing in his bet. “We could do it then. It starts in the afternoon, though, so if we want to nab him, we’ll have to do it before the show starts.” Nomura wrinkled his nose as he laid out the next two cards. “Isn’t tomorrow a little too early?” He asked. “Nah, tomorrow’s great,” Kaneda said, calling the bet. “The sooner we get Mizuki-san back, the better.” Yanagisawa added another hundred yen to his bet. Atsushi did the same. “That’s true,” nodded Yuuta. Even after being praised, he still didn’t feel confident enough with his cakes.
“Well, it’s agreed then,” Atsushi said as Nomura laid out the last card. “I suppose,” Nomura said, showing his cards. Everyone followed suit. “Kaneda and I could take on Akazawa, and the rest of you could fetch Mizuki,” Nomura said, shoving the betting pool towards Atsushi’s direction. “Right! I can’t wait,” Kaneda said, almost bouncing in his seat.
“Yosh! Let’s call it a day,” Yuuta said, standing up. “What, we’re not done playing yet, da ne!” Yanagisawa complained, but he stood up as well as the rest. Kaneda pat him on the back. “There, there. It’s alright. I lost a lot today, too,” he said, heading to the staffroom with Yuuta to change. “Don’t forget about tomorrow, alright?” Nomura said, gathering his cards. “What about tomorrow?” Yanagisawa blinked. Nomura raised an eyebrow. “Weren’t you listening?” Yanagisawa shook his head. Nomura groaned and shook his head. Atsushi thwapped him at the back of his head. “Idiot Shinya,” he said. “Don’t worry, I’ll fill him in.” The look Atsushi gave Shinya was, in a word, scary. Nomura would hate to be the receiving end of such a gaze. “See you tomorrow, then,” Atsushi waved, dragging Yanagisawa along with him.
---
So, it was finally the day after. Nomura sat on his chair behind the register. Kaneda was at his usual spot, making a fresh pot of coffee. Atsushi wasn’t around, but he told Yanagisawa to stay behind at the café, just in case Nomura and Kaneda needed help. Yuuta had gone ahead to detour Mizuki and get him here. He said he would call Kaneda if they had him. That would be their cue to subdue Akazawa and drag him to the pantry. Thankfully, there weren’t any customers around in the afternoon as well.
The three of them sat waiting in the café, waiting for the call. The air was tense. Yuuta could call any minute now. Nomura and Kaneda panicked a little when Akazawa went outside the café to smoke. He’d been doing that a lot the past week. They both sighed in relief when Akazawa went back in, looking at them weird. It was also relieving when Akazawa didn’t ask where Atsushi or Yuuta was.
Finally, after a long, agonizing hour of waiting, Yuuta finally called. It was Atsushi, using Yuuta’s phone. He said they had a hard time subduing Mizuki, but they had him tied up in a cab on the way to St. Rudolph’s. “You better hurry, Mizuki looks like he’s going to eat Yuuta alive already,” Atsushi said before hanging up. Kaneda nodded at Nomura, who looked at Yanagisawa. Yanagisawa flipped the sign on the door so it said “Closed.”
Nomura made his way to Akazawa’s office and knocked lightly. Kaneda followed close behind, as well as Yanagisawa. He opened the door when he heard Akazawa tell him it was okay to come in. “Sir?” Nomura poked his head in. “There’s something we need to speak to you about,” he said, coming inside the office, heading straight for Akazawa’s desk. Kaneda and Yanagisawa were right behind him. Akazawa raised an eyebrow at the three of them. “What is it? I’m busy,” he said. “Well,” Nomura looked cautiously at Kaneda, who looked at him and nodded. Nomura nodded back and looked at Akazawa. “I really hope you could forgive us for doing this,” Nomura said. Akazawa leaned forward, “Doing what exactly, Nomura?”
“This,” Kaneda said, who was standing beside Akazawa now, promptly knocking him out with an empty coffee pot. “Awesome, this thing didn’t break, Kaneda said, looking at his pot in wonder. “No wonder it makes great coffee.” Yanagisawa poked at the unconscious Akazawa. “Is he dead, da ne?” Nomura shook his head, but he was amused. “Nah. Let’s get him tied up and in the pantry before Mizuki gets here,” Nomura said, reaching out his hand for the rope Yanagisawa had brought with him. Kaneda grabbed the rope first, saying, “I’ve always wanted to do this to him.” There was a glint in his eyes. It was freaky, but at the same time, Nomura thought it was cool. When they finished tying Akazawa, they pushed him off the desk and carried him out. Nomura noticed a sheet of paper falling on the ground as they hauled their boss out of the office. He picked it up and pocketed it. It looked like something he could use for blackmail.
Carrying the tied up and unconscious Akazawa to the small pantry wasn’t such an easy job. For one, he was too heavy for just Nomura and Kaneda to carry, and Yanagisawa had weak knees. They finally resorted to put Akazawa on the small cart they used to transfer the sack of coffee beans from the delivery area to the kitchen. It was easier to get Akazawa to the pantry with the cart. They were loading Akazawa in the pantry when Yuuta called again, saying they were at the delivery area with Mizuki already. Kaneda dashed out to help them carry Mizuki.
“Unhand me! Let me go! I said let me go, you uncivilized brutes!” Mizuki was growling, hissing, yelling and kicking when Yuuta, Atsushi and Kaneda carried him in. He was obviously lighter than Akazawa. It also took them a longer time to get Mizuki in the pantry big enough for him and Akazawa, but once he was in, they closed the doors and locked the pantry. Yanagisawa even pushed a table in front of the pantry. “Just to be sure, da ne!” He had said.
Nomura, Kaneda, Yuuta, Atsushi and Yanagisawa stood in front of the pantry afterwards, listening to Mizuki’s threats. The first few minutes it was just Mizuki yelling, but Akazawa must have regained consciousness and began yelling at Mizuki to stop yelling. Kaneda actually laughed when they heard the two fighting again. They couldn’t exactly understand what the two were saying. Sure they were yelling and sounded angry at each other, but the wooden doors obscured the words so they could only guess what they were talking about.
It went on for about a good hour. Yanagisawa and Atsushi had gone out front to clean up at the café. Kaneda made them coffee. Yuuta and Nomura sat on the ground, watching the pantry. “Are they done yet?” Kaneda asked when he came back with mugs of freshly brewed coffee. “Nope, they stopped yelling but they’re still talking inside. You could hear them talk, but we still can’t make anything out,” Yuuta said. Kaneda sat next to Yuuta, a little too close, Nomura noted. He ignored that fact and fished for his handkerchief in his pocket. Instead of cloth, however, Nomura brought out that piece of paper he’d picked up earlier.
“What’s that?” Yuuta asked, leaning close. Nomura just stared at the piece of paper, jaw open. “No freaking way,” Yuuta grabbed the paper from Nomura, looking at it with disbelief. “Whoa,” was all that Kaneda could say.
The three of them looked at the pantry, wide-eyed. It was awfully quiet now, and they couldn’t hear either Mizuki or Akazawa shouting, nor were there any sounds of the two struggling to get the door open. They looked at each other again. Yuuta nudged Nomura. “I think you should open it,” he said. “Yeah, you’re older than either of us. You open it,” Kaneda agreed, nodding. “That’s stupid logic!” Nomura whined, but Yuuta and Kaneda shoved at him more. “You do it,” they insisted.
Nomura stood up, groaning. Sometimes, he hated those two. Cautiously, he made his way to the pantry, pushing the table away. He pulled out his keys to unlock the pantry doors. Slowly, very slowly, Nomura opened the door. The instant the doors were fully open, Nomura’s jaw dropped. Again. And he was pretty sure Yuuta’s and Kaneda’s dropped, too.
Mizuki was pressed against the walls of the pantry and Akazawa was clearly on top of him. And they were both making out. How it was possible with their hands tied behind their backs was beyond Nomura, but there they were, in front of him, making out, Mizuki moaning as they kissed.
Nomura heard Yuuta and Kaneda snickering behind him, and he couldn’t help but laugh along with them. It was only then that Akazawa and Mizuki noticed that the pantry doors were opened. They broke their kiss and looked at Nomura, wide eyed. “So I guess the two of you are back together now?” Nomura asked, feeling a little awkward watching them make out in the pantry, at the same time wholly amused by the whole scene. Mizuki glared at Nomura as a reply. “Close the goddamn door,” Mizuki said, and Nomura was glad to oblige, and didn’t bother hiding that stupid grin on his face.
---
The bell rang. A customer walked in, greeted by a chorus of "Irasshaimase!" She sat down in one of the tables and Atsushi attended to her.
Same old, same old, Nomura mused from behind the cash register. Except, Nomura had a silly grin on his face as he watched Mizuki and Akazawa talking by the entrance of the kitchen. He shot Kaneda a glance, who grinned right back at him.
“I still can’t believe they had sex in the pantry. That’s so… creepy, da ne,” Yanagisawa said, watching Mizuki and Akazawa too. Nomura shook his head and snorted. “As if you and Atsushi hadn’t had sex in closets before,” he said. Yanagisawa looked at him wide eyed. “Hey! How’d you know that, da ne? That’s supposed to be secret!”
Nomura couldn’t help but laugh.