Chapter Text
One of the best perks of his job was free coffee.
Sawamura Daichi was endlessly thankful for it, especially in the quiet moments of the early afternoon once the morning rush died down. It was Monday, just past one o’clock, and he was enjoying the relaxed atmosphere; he wiped the counter down til it shined, the shop empty aside from him, his coworker Asahi that was sweeping in the corner, and an elderly man reading the paper at a table near the window. Daichi took a moment to breathe deep, and ran a hand through his close-cropped hair, smiling as he took a sip of his own coffee. Perfect.
That’s when the sound of the bell over the door rang through the air.
A customer had come into the store, which, of course, wasn’t unusual in the slightest. What was out of the ordinary was how striking he was. A round, pixie-like face was framed with slightly messy hair, a pale, ash blonde color that Daichi didn’t often see. And his eyes--his eyes were big and warm, a stunning hazel, with a small beauty mark below one, framed by lush eyelashes and soft, full lips. He wore a simple, half-sleeve v neck, black to match his jeans; it somehow looked casual and classy at the same time.
The man was absolutely gorgeous.
He looked around for a moment, like someone that had never been there before, before his gaze fell on Daichi, a small smile lighting up his face. As he drew closer, the barista noticed that he seemed a bit tired; there were dark circles under his eyes, but they still sparkled with warmth as he paused, grabbed something from the case nearby, and walked up to the counter.
“Hi,” Daichi said, setting down his coffee and returning the smile. “What can I get for you?”
“A small iced soy chai, please, as well as this,” he said as he placed a sandwich beside the register.
God, even his voice is incredible. It was soft and smooth, and did something to Daichi’s heart that made him feel like a teenager all over again. “Sure thing. 850 yen, please.” The stranger handed him the money, and after he put it in the register, Daichi reached for the necessary cup and a pen out of instinct.
“May I have your name for the drink?” The other man smiled a little, amused, and Daichi flushed a bit; there were no other customers waiting to be served, and there was hardly anyone there at all. Writing his name down was hardly necessary. Did that seem flirty--? “Sorry--force of habit--”
“It’s fine,” he replied with a smile. “Suga.”
“Suga,” Daichi repeated, writing it on the plastic cup. “Coming right up,” he said with a smile that was just a bit brighter than usual, an extra spring in his step as he walked over to the bar to make the drink. Suga seemed content to watch him, patient and perhaps a little curious; Daichi pretended not to notice as he added the ice and milk. He carefully added the lid on top, handing it back to the other man with a faint hint of regret. He didn’t want him to go just yet.
“Here you go, Suga-san.” Daichi’s smile was genuine, and the one he got in return made his heart beat just a little bit faster. The customer squinted at Daichi’s nametag before speaking up in reply--
“Thank you, Sawamura-san.” The barista was caught off guard, just a little; Suga sounded like he really meant it, like Daichi had just done something wonderful instead of just taking his money and making a drink. Suga waved at him before turning around and walking away at an easy pace, the bell over the door tinkling with his departure.
Daichi let out a breath he hadn’t even realized he’d been holding. Asahi smiled at him knowingly as he continued sweeping.
I hope he comes back, Daichi thought. He felt dazed for the rest of the day, embarrassed even as he left the store in the early afternoon to head home; he’d caught himself daydreaming, of all things. He didn’t even know Suga; he felt foolish for being so drawn to him, but at the same time, it was... kind of nice.
Luckily for him, Suga was there the next afternoon... and the next, as well as the one after that.
When he walked in again on Friday, Nishinoya immediately shot Daichi a smirk from his position at the register. The supervisor was already making Suga’s drink as he waited in line, heart fluttering wildly.
“Looks like Daichi-san has a new favorite regular!” Nishinoya laughed, winking at Suga with a huge grin on his face.
“O-oh,” Suga said with a small smile, his cheeks faintly pink. Daichi shot a nasty glare at Nishinoya, desperately willing his own blush to fade as Suga made his way over to the bar.
“Hi, Suga-san.” Daichi was a bit bashful, and he focused his gaze back to the drink he was making. “Sorry if it's too forward, but did you move to the area recently? I haven’t seen you before you came in Monday.”
Suga’s answering smile was as warm as ever, if a little strained. Daichi noticed the dark circles under his eyes were still there--maybe even a little worse, and his face seemed a bit pale and thinner. Maybe he's under a lot of stress...?
“I did, actually. I started work at the flower shop around the corner a couple weeks ago, and found this shop on my lunch break one day.” He laughed quietly, scratching at his chin. “I... I really like it here, so I’ve kept coming in. It’s always nice to see you--um, and the other baristas too, of course,” he added quickly, cheeks tinged pink once more. “I guess the drinks aren’t bad either,” he teased.
Daichi laughed, and didn’t notice the knowing look that Asahi was giving him once more. “You’re too kind, Suga-san. You work over at... The Faithful Bluebell, right?”
“Yeah! Right around the corner.” His smile reached all the way to his eyes. “You can just call me Suga, though, if that’s all right.”
Daichi grinned in response, heart beating just a little bit faster as he spoke. “Sure. But only if you call me Daichi.”
Suga took the drink that Daichi handed him, tucking a lock of hair behind his ear. He was obviously pleased, the tips of his ears a charming pink as he smiled. “Daichi it is, then. See you around?”
“You bet.” He waved to Suga as he left the store, sighing contentedly and staring after him until Nishinoya broke him from his reverie in a fit of laughter.
“Oh man, you’ve got it bad, Daichi-san.”
“Get back to work,” he grumbled without any real malice, busying himself with cleaning the espresso machine.
“Daichi-san, that wasn’t a denial.”
“Nishinoya, stop, he’s gonna get mad--”
“Come on, Asahi, live a little!”
Daichi rolled his eyes and sighed, then looked out the door one more time before going back to work.
Things had certainly gotten interesting lately.
Suga woke up on the floor of the flower shop early the following Monday morning; every part of his body protested as he stood up. He ached everywhere, and felt like he’d barely slept at all.
Honestly, his life was kind of a waking nightmare, these days.
There was an undercurrent of hopelessness in his mind, a dark constant telling him there was no point in continuing. But Suga wasn’t ready to give up just yet, and he’d gotten lucky twice over when he found himself homeless in a brand new city where he didn’t know anyone.
One, he’d seen the Help Wanted sign being hung up in the tiny flower shop by a kind older woman that wanted to ease into retirement, and five minutes after approaching her, found himself with a job as a florist. Having income would make it possible to eat and find shelter once in a while, and he could sleep in the shop when he couldn’t. Maeno-san was delighted to have someone willing to take care of the shop during the mornings and come back to do the same at night; she was grateful to Suga for his open schedule and eagerness to help, but didn’t realize just how much she was helping him in return.
Two... was the coffee shop.
He wasn’t sure what to expect when he walked into The Crow’s Nest, but he figured that eating at least one meal a day was important, and getting lunch around the corner wouldn’t be a bad idea at all.
What he got was a cozy place with great chai lattes, excellent sandwiches, and the most handsome, adorable man supervising the weekday morning shifts that he had ever seen in his life.
Each visit, each chai latte, each sandwich and every single interaction with Daichi all made for a brightness in his life that he desperately needed, something to keep him going in the quiet moments, something to keep him strong when it fully hit him just how alone he was and how hopeless his situation had become. Suga had no family that could or wanted to back him up, no friends to bail him out, and no savings to find a real place to stay.
But he had a job, and he had his daily visits to the cafe--and for now, that was enough.
It was early, yet, only a little past five in the morning as Suga let himself into the small bathroom in the back of the store with a backpack slung over his shoulder. Staring into the mirror, he hardly recognized himself anymore--he looked so much worse than he had even a couple months before. He’d lost too much weight, was more pale than ever, the skin under his eyes dark with perpetual fatigue. Looking into his own eyes made his breath catch ragged in his throat--it was too much, and he broke away before he could begin trembling, before he could be overwhelmed. Now was not the time for tears. He willed himself to feel numb; apathy was his best armor against the situation right now.
Anything else was too painful to bear.
Carefully, he washed his hair in the sink with the hand soap nearby, drying it off with paper towels. He scrubbed at his face and body quickly with damp paper towels too, brushing his teeth and putting on deodorant from his pack, changing his clothes so he didn’t smell too funny. He looked like shit and he knew it, but at least he didn’t look stereotypically homeless--just exhausted. It made him feel a little more human, and people didn’t judge him so harshly that way; they just thought of him as a hard worker instead of something less savory.
He’d seen too many in his situation in the last few weeks get treated like garbage, and he didn’t want to make things worse for himself. Appearances are everything, he thought with a wry smile as he turned the light off and left the bathroom.
He ignored the rumbling of his empty stomach as he carefully began preparing the shop for the day; he tied his dark green apron over his clothing and began putting together several bouquets that had been ordered ahead of time. It was easy to lose himself in his work; the flowers offered him a comfort, a distraction that left him feeling just a little bit better while he was on shift.
At seven, he turned the sign on the door from Closed to Open, finding more small tasks to busy himself between phone calls requesting specific bouquets. Monday mornings were slow, and he didn’t get his first customer until someone walked in the door shortly after eight. That wasn’t too out of the ordinary--but what was unusual was that it was Daichi, of all people, holding a familiar drink in his hand.
“Daichi! Good morning.” The warmth in Suga’s voice was completely genuine; he felt a little foolish for being so enamored with a man he barely knew, but he felt like he really couldn’t help it. Not when Daichi smiled at him like that; warmth bloomed in his chest as the barista supervisor waved at him casually, though his cheeks were a bit flushed. So cute, Suga thought as he put down the flowers he was holding.
“Hi, Suga.” He scratched at the back of his head, smiling sheepishly. “I have a short break before I have to get back, so I thought I’d stop in. Um.” He held out the cup in his hand, blushing a little. “I hope it’s not too presumptuous of me--I brought you your drink a little early, on the house. But I hope you still stop by later,” he added quickly, looking just a little flustered.
“Oh! Thank you so much, Daichi--really, thank you.” It means a lot to me, Suga wanted to add, but he stopped himself on the first word, self-conscious about how earnest he’d probably sound. And yet, he couldn’t stop himself from reaching down to the bouquet he’d been working on, plucking out a long green stem topped with a small line of delicate blue flowers.
“Here,” he said as he held it out a bit shyly. “Um, it’s the signature flower of the store, a bluebell. In the language of flowers, it means ‘gratitude’.”
Daichi looked almost stunned as he took it, and carefully held it between two fingers. A soft smile tugged at the corners of his lips, his expression openly hopeful and full of adoration. “Wow. Thank you, Suga.” He laughed a little, bashful and embarrassed. “I hate to leave, but I really should get going before the baristas do something crazy while I’m gone. Will you... stop by later?”
“Of course! Thank you so much, Daichi.”
“No problem. Thank you for the bluebell; I’ll see you later,” he said with a small wave as he turned to leave.
On his way back to The Crow’s Nest, Daichi felt like he was walking on air. Suga stared out the door after him, heart racing as he sipped at his chai latte.
He was totally smitten, but maybe he wasn’t the only one...
When he walked back into the coffee shop with the bluebells gently held in his hand, Nishinoya zeroed in on it instantly, his whooping and cheering audible through the entire store.
“Yeah! Get it, Daichi-san!”
Daichi groaned. “It’s not like that--”
“Come on, I’m not blind--” Asahi clamped a hand over the shorter man’s mouth as Daichi tucked the flower into a pocket on his apron before he took his spot at the register. He shot a grumpy look at Nishinoya, and Asahi held his hands up in a placating gesture.
“He’s just, um, excited for you, you know?”
“You bet I am! Is he coming back later?”
“He is, and you better behave, or you’re scrubbing the toilet every day for the next month.”
“Of course!” Nishinoya tried to sound innocent, but it was ruined with a chuckle that he couldn’t contain. Asahi looked at him nervously; he knew the shorter boy better than he knew himself, and it was clear he was up to no good.
When Suga walked into the shop several hours later, Daichi was wiping down a table while Nishinoya manned the register and Asahi made drinks. The supervisor watched Nishinoya with narrowed eyes, but the interaction seemed totally normal as he took Suga’s money, wrote down his name on the cup and handed it over to Asahi.
Asahi didn’t even look at it as he made Suga’s drink; they all knew it by heart already. A moment later, the florist walked over to Daichi with his latte and sandwich in hand, greeting him as warmly as he always did. “Nishinoya-kun and Asahi-kun are wonderful,” he said with a small smile. “Are they students working part-time?”
“Nishinoya is, but Asahi graduated last year like me. We were on the same volleyball team in school. They’re a handful, but they’re good guys,” he said with a laugh. “I got them jobs here a few years ago.”
“You played volleyball?” Suga asked with a growing smile. “Me too! I love volleyball, I was a setter for my team in high school and college.”
Daichi looked pleasantly shocked. I think Suga might actually be perfect, he thought. “Really! That’s amazing! I was a wing spiker and the captain in the last year. I still play with some guys in the neighborhood sometimes with Asahi and Nishinoya when we can manage it. Maybe you could come too, next time?”
“I’d love that,” he said earnestly. “Let me know when you’re playing again, and I’ll do my best to make it.”
They chatted for a few more minutes before Suga excused himself; the florist was halfway out the door before he looked at the cup in his hand and saw what Nishinoya had written down.
Daichi-san’s Future Boyfriend!!
He made a slightly strangled noise and looked back at the register with wide eyes, his cheeks a vibrant shade of crimson; Nishinoya grinned and waved back at him. Suga waved shyly and made to hurry on his way, but he could hear Daichi yell “What did you do, Nishinoya?!” as the door behind him finally closed.
His heart beat just a little faster as he held the cup close to his chest, and his lips curved upward in a smile as he made his way back to work.
Daichi was wonderful, there was no doubt in his mind about it. The idea of dating him left him a little breathless; he felt his cheeks redden all over again as the thought of kissing him floated through his mind. But even then, a cold sliver of anxiety settled in his stomach, and he had to wonder...
What would Daichi think, if he knew Suga's situation?
He shook his head as he walked back into the flower shop. He could cross that bridge when they came to it--if they got there at all.
to be continued in chapter 2