Chapter Text
Goro stalks into Leblanc with the force of a hurricane.
“Please tell me you have the curry with some extremely strong onions today,” he says, voice echoing in the empty space – well, empty apart from Sakura-san, the man watching him with a bemused expression.
“You okay, kid?”
Goro, very much not a kid, is very far from being okay. “And your lightest blend coffee, please,” he adds, stepping over to his usual seat by the bar.
Sakura shakes his head, but calls out, “Throw some more onions in, kid!”
It takes Goro a moment to realize that he is not the one being called out to – there is another boy in the small kitchen area of the cafe, just about peeking his head out to meet Goro’s gaze for a moment, before he ducks back.
Huh.
Meanwhile, Sakura trails over to the coffee station, beginning the process of grinding the beans.
Goro chooses to call out to him, aware that his voice won’t travel over the sounds of the machinery. “Did you hire someone other than Sakura-chan?”
Her presence in Leblanc is more customary after all; Goro is used to her tapping away at her laptop, curled into a ball in one of the booths, and equally used to her pulling faces at having to do the dishes once in a blue moon, when there happen to be five or more customers in Leblanc at the same time.
She has some biting comments, but they are more the entertaining variety than not. Her silence also helps, Goro has to admit, making it easy to consider her part of the ambiance of Leblanc rather than another person that might – the horror – try to talk to him when he is trying to get away from people.
Sakura-san not included of course; the man seems to have a sixth sense for when to leave Goro on his own and when to prod him into light conversation.
Sae-san inviting him to this cafe a couple months ago really was the best thing that happened to him in recent memory. Much better than what his other so-called friends are getting up to these days, he thinks moodily.
The owner snorts. “Unlike Futaba, this guy is actually here to work.” He points his thumb back towards the kitchen. “Don’t be scared to give him a piece of mind if he messes up your order.”
Goro’s lips curl into a smile. “Sakura-san, I could never.”
“Sure.” Goro might have given a colorful review, the one time where Sakura-san was out and he ended up getting served a coffee by his daughter, yes, but it was nothing personal.
It might have contributed to the one-sided rivalry Futaba Sakura declared on him though.
Sojiro Sakura finishes the coffee at a familiar pace, allowing Goro to briefly relax into his seat. He does have to get on the road much earlier than usual, unfortunately, but that doesn’t mean he has to rush this experience.
He can’t believe he got off work earlier today for this – well, getting off earlier to be able to squeeze in a visit to Leblanc before his other appointment is quite the necessity, really. Especially if he wishes to walk back to his flat with his sanity intact tonight…
“Here you go,” Sakura says, depositing the drink. Goro thanks him in a quiet murmur, taken in by the smell – less potent than usual, just like he asked. Hopefully this will help bring out the flavour of onions even more, he thinks.
He really hopes it does.
Onions worked wonderfully last time, after all.
“How is that curry doing, kid?” Sakura asks, wandering off. Goro inhales the coffee some more, taking his spoon and swirling the contents inside around, not particularly inclined to drink just yet; it would be too scorching to do so.
“-shuffled around a couple ingredients, but I think it tastes alright,” he hears a new voice.
The new barista, he thinks. Could be another relation of Sakura – the man is terribly invested in his adopted daughter, Goro wouldn’t put it past him to pick up another one.
He doesn’t sound young, but appearances can be deceiving.
“Messing with the recipe already? Well, let me see…”
Goro continues listening idly, ignoring how his phone pings with a new message. If it’s Makoto again, trying to make sure he doesn’t bail, she has no reason to worry. He is not the kind to stand someone up.
That doesn’t mean that he will enjoy the experience though.
“Huh.” Sakura sounds reluctantly impressed. “You really are better in the kitchen than with the coffee machine.” Goro quirks an eyebrow. “Alright, kid,” the man says, walking back out of the kitchen, being trailed by his new employee, “I’m gonna head out for a smoke – Akechi’s one of our regulars, so I trust you to take care of him,” the way he looks between Goro and his worker, doesn’t make it any clearer which of them is supposed to take care of the other.
Thus, Goro teases, “Am I supposed to show him the ropes?”
Sakura huffs, shrugging off his apron. “He has to learn somehow.” He gives a stern look to the barista by his side. “Even you can’t mess up plating some curry once it’s done, can you?”
Goro wonders what that’s about, especially as the boy – young man, really, someone likely his own age – grimaces.
“Sure, Boss.”
Sakura nods, and before long, he is out the door, leaving the two of them in silence.
Babysitting a new face in Leblanc, Goro muses, what has life come to?
He takes a surreptitious sip of his coffee, now cooled enough for him to do so – and takes his sweet time in studying said newcomer.
Dark, messy hair; likely someone in the habit of tugging at his fringe or running a hand through his locks. Average height, but with a slight slouch in his posture, trying to blend into the background when there is very little for him to blend into. Glasses, unobtrusive and unassuming; and although the green apron hugs his figure like it was specifically designed with him in mind, Goro wouldn’t think it remiss to see him anywhere from a dollar store to a bar to a flower shop – he just seems utterly mundane.
He’d be a wonderful robber or a con artist, Goro thinks. A thief of a thousand faces – none of them his real one.
He chides himself a moment later; work seems to be following after him, no matter where he goes.
He puts down his cup with a decisive clink of porcelain. “Well,” he begins, “since Sakura-san left you in my care… Are you familiar with the placement of the cutlery?”
He receives a huff. “You don’t need to baby me, I had a look around earlier.” The barista shifts on his feet, still far away from Goro; his tone is wry. “Boss’ just upset because apparently I ruined a bunch of expensive beans this morning during training.”
Goro pulls a face, familiar with the varying stock that Leblanc stores; and just how astronomical the cost of some blends can get. “Perhaps not the wisest move, to start with the expensive ones.”
“How was I supposed to know they were expensive? They all look the same…”
Goro gives him a look. “Do you, perhaps, not work in a coffee shop?” He gestures around blandly.
A shrug; the barista sticks his hands in his pockets. “I mean, I just started.”
“Why would you choose to work at a coffee shop?” Goro can’t grasp even the idea. There are cafes where such expertise is not required of course, but a place like Leblanc? A place known for its highly specific catering? “When you don’t have the required skills?”
The barista gives him a look this time. “Why would I only choose to work somewhere where I know everything?” Well, knowing everything is really a trite concept; something most individuals of intellect can recognize is simply not possible- “Why would I limit myself to only a couple select jobs when I can learn something new?”
“...I suppose, that is true,” Goro murmurs, sipping at his coffee. “Sakura-san is a master of his craft – you can learn a lot from him.”
“Yeah.” A half-smile on the barista’s face. “He is… pretty great, I guess.”
That was not a lot of enthusiasm.
“I’m sure he will forgive you for the stunt with the coffee beans,” Goro adds. “You should see what his daughter gets up to; you really have a high bar to reach if you truly want to make him irritated.”
This time, it’s an actual smile. “But that’s Futaba.”
“You’ve met the gremlin already?” Goro raises his cup, as if in a toast. “I shall pray for your sanity to stay intact.”
“Don’t be like that, she’s great,” despite his words, he is grinning. “Futaba’s actually the reason I got this job. We’ve been online friends for a while.”
Huh, so not an adoptee then.
Sakura-chan expanding her circle of acquaintances? And here Goro thought that she only talked to her cat.
“So I’m pretty sure I’m already infected,” the barista continues. Goro raises his eyebrows. “My name’s Ren, by the way. Ren Amamiya.”
“Goro Akechi,” he introduces himself in turn. “It’s a pleasure to meet you.”
“Pleasure’s all mine, since you’re the customer on my first day of work and you’re not cussing at me for doing everything wrong,” Amamiya returns cheerfully.
“For one, you haven’t actually done anything for me to be upset about,” Goro tells him, “seeing as you haven’t finished making the curry I ordered just yet. For two-”
“Oh yeah, one second!” Amamiya is quick to dash back towards the kitchen – Goro doesn’t smell anything burning; on the contrary, the smells that accompany some slight sizzling sounds are quite delicious.
Amamiya sticks his head out a second later, walking back into view, this time, coming to a stand closer to Goro. “Okay, I’m here.”
“Does that not need your constant attention?” Goro wonders.
“Nope. It was almost done cooking when you got here, so I just need to let it stew for a couple minutes while the new ingredients get all mixed in,” Amamiya leans his elbows on the bar, propping his chin up. “What’s the deal with the onions anyway? You came in like there was a horde of shadow monsters on your heels and only onions could save the day.”
Goro snorts at the strange description. “You know, that isn’t far from the truth.” Amamiya tilts his head. Goro debates on telling him or not; but unloading his baggage on a stranger who might be a frequent provider of coffee for him in the near future… Well, Sakura-san knows a lot more about him than the man might have originally wanted to, and it’s not like he ever stopped Goro. “It’s kind of a long story,” he says instead.
Amamiya gestures around. “I have nothing but time.”
“No important duties demanding your attention?” Goro asks sarcastically.
“Well…” Amamiya hums, mock-serious. “I guess I could scrub the bathroom for the fourth time today… Or clean the cobwebs off in the attic… Or destroy some more coffee beans…”
“Please don’t,” Goro tells him.
Amamiya shrugs, still smiling. “I have to learn somehow,” he says and that makes sense… However just thinking of the amount of wasted coffee beans makes Goro’s heart ache. “I’ll just pay Boss out of pocket for them or something.”
Wait, what?
“Can Sakura-san not cover the cost of your training?” The question is leading to an even worse one; seeing as how few people frequent this place, adding a new employee, thus a new paycheck to the costs of the store is- “Does Leblanc even turn a profit?” And if it doesn’t- “Is Sakura-san going bankrupt?!”
Goro cannot take the destruction of his favorite place in the world. He will not stand by this; if necessary, he will personally make sure to spend half his paycheck here, and convince Sae-san to do the same-
“Futaba’s in charge of the finances,” Amamiya says, which doesn’t ease Goro’s worries; he has seen her bid on figurines online before. “But Leblanc is not gonna shut down any time soon.”
“Still,” Goro says, heart beating heavily. Amamiya sounds so confident, so sure of himself, it’s hard not to believe him… But does he even know what he is talking about? Goro has never led a business himself, yes, but just trying to imagine how this place is still floating on by…
“They are actually planning on some online advertisement? To get more people to come here and stuff.” Amamiya tugs at his fringe. “That’s why I’m here too, so Sojiro can get a break.”
Oh.
That’s…
“That’s a wonderful idea,” Goro croaks out. Online advertisement – ensuring Leblanc’s qualities as one-of-a-kind stand out. There can be a lot of charm in ‘undiscovered’ gems…
However, that will also mean his favorite place will be populated with people.
“You don’t sound too happy about that wonderful idea,” Amamiya points out, a silent prompt in his words.
Goro sighs. “Well, it’s no secret that most of my enjoyment of Leblanc comes from being able to distance myself from… Well, people.”
“Ah.” When Goro glances at the barista, he is holding both his hands up, straightening from the bar. “Should I get further away?”
He is obviously joking, but the underlying implications make Goro flush. “Oh, please, that’s clearly not what I meant.” He swirls the last of his coffee, staring into the cup for a couple seconds. “Leblanc is… a sanctuary. Always present, always welcoming… Always full of delicious coffee.” His lips pull into a smile which he turns into a smirk as he glances at Amamiya. “I expect you to uphold that standard, since you’ll be working here.”
Amamiya’s eyes are strangely steely. “I’ll do my best.”
“You better,” Goro tells him imperiously, before drinking the last few sips of his coffee. This way he won’t have any left for the curry, for the coffee-and-curry combo that is the staple of Leblanc… That’s an easily salvageable issue, usually, but seeing as Sakura-san is currently indisposed…
Goro hums, turning on Amamiya again, scrutinizing him. He was right in saying that he does have to learn somehow…
“Would you mind fixing me another cup?” Goro asks airily.
Amamiya startles, blinking at him owlishly. “...I don’t really know how?”
“Sakura-san showed you, didn’t he?” An uncomfortable nod. “So you only have to replicate what he did.” Goro casts his eyes about the shelves, looking for a cheaper brand. “If you use the beans from the second shelf in the middle, I believe that shouldn’t be too hard on the finances either.”
“...are you sure you would want to drink something like that?” Amamiya asks, still very slowly.
“I am the customer and I am always right,” Goro says, challenging.
“I can’t charge you for that though,” Amamiya says, still frowning. “It wouldn’t be fair.”
Goro pointedly doesn’t think of all the times Sakura-san snuck in an extra coffee for him on days he spent way too many hours sequestered in one of the booths, pouring over work relentlessly.
“I’ll pay only a fraction – half a cup,” he says, the idea taking shape in his head. “That way, the cost isn’t only on your shoulders.”
Amamiya inhales softly. “Why would you do something like that for someone you don’t even know?”
“It’s an investment, Amamiya-san,” Goro tells him, “like I said, I expect you to learn how to brew excellent coffees when I come here. If the price of that is suffering through the results of your learning process, then so be it.” Amamiya doesn’t move, his face expressionless. Goro huffs. “I’m not an expert on the brewing process like Sakura-san, but I can tell you about coffee as someone who can at least differentiate between the beans.”
Amamiya’s lips curl. “So I’m just in the hands of a coffee snob?”
He is still not moving, something keeping his body tense… Goro bites the inside of his cheek, mind racing. This is not enough to move Amamiya, clearly, so…
He glances around, more out of superstition than genuine need. “Don’t tell this to Sakura-san,” he whispers, leaning over the bar, inadvertently inviting the barista into his own space, “but I drink instant slop coffee nearly every day.”
Amamiya gasps, theatrically putting a hand over his mouth. “Akechi-san! Are you saying you… Don’t live to honor the beans?!”
“I am unfortunately too addicted to caffeine to give a fuck about quality at all times,” Goro says with a straight face, drawing out a surprised, breathy laugh from Amamiya. “Really though, if I did, I would spend even more of my salary on coffee than what is considered acceptable by society.” Goro hums, leaning back satisfied with taking that edge of mistrust away from Amamiya’s gaze. “I am simply lucky enough that my addiction is socially acceptable as well.”
“Uh-huh.” Amamiya grins, then, a beat later, a shadow travels across his face. “So you’re sure you want to try it?”
“How much can you truly fuck it up?” Goro counters, which startles out another laugh. Goro raises an eyebrow.
“You don’t really look like someone who swears a lot,” Amamiya explains.
Goro keeps eye contact, even as his expression turns more fixed. “Appearances can be deceiving.” Just like he thought earlier – although Amamiya’s comment does make Goro wonder as well; just how much being in Leblanc lowers his walls in front of others? It’s not as if he never swears in front of strangers, but seeing as he is occasionally the spokesperson of the office, he tries to keep himself from speaking or acting out in public.
Not that he has many incidents these days – he’s not a dumb teenager anymore.
“...true.” Amamiya’s murmur is almost lost. His next words aren’t. “You said I should try this blend, right?”
Goro follows his outstretched hand and nods.
“Okay,” Amamiya nods to himself. “I’ll check on the curry first and then…” He trails off, glancing at the coffee machine with some trepidation.
“If it makes you feel better, I’ll sugarcoat my words since it’s only your first day,” Goro offers.
Amamiya snorts. “Please don’t. If I wanna be more than a glorified dishwasher, I really should learn.”
Very true.
Amamiya sweeps away, leaving Goro alone with his thoughts for a minute or two. He checks the time; if this coffee experiment doesn’t take too long, he’ll be there for his appointment with more than enough time to spare.
Goro settles into a position with a slightly better vantage point than before. If Amamiya’s words about online advertisement ring true – if more people discover Leblanc’s charm, then he only has a limited time to still enjoy all that the cafe has to offer, including the peace and quiet.
Amamiya is an anomaly in his usual routine, but as long as he serves coffee that doesn’t qualify as poison, he may be worth keeping, Goro reasons. After all, how hard can it really be to get coffee right?
***
Making coffee that doesn’t come pre-packaged and ground into powder requires more than simply pouring hot water on it and flavouring it according to one’s tastes.
Goro knew this. Theoretically.
Amamiya also seemed to know this, as he fiddled along with various parts of the coffee machine – the whirring sounds were all the right ones, Goro thinks, not a single irregularity to be found.
And yet, the result is…
“...lackluster, to say the least,” Goro admits, holding the cup aloft.
Amamiya winces. “...yeah.” He stares down at his own cup, which he hasn’t even tried yet. He shakes his head. “Just… It’s whatever, give that to me,” he reaches a hand out towards Goro, who rears back, holding his cup defensively.
“What do you want to do with my coffee?!” It’s mine, he wants to add, just shy of hissing at the barista.
“Probably pour it down the drain,” Amamiya grumbles, tugging at his bangs.
Now Goro does hiss for real. “No fucking way!”
Amamiya gives him a skeptical look. “Akechi-san, you shouldn’t pay for something like that-”
“You’re not taking my coffee – you haven’t even tried yours!” Goro argues. “Besides, while I did start by saying it is lackluster, I didn’t say it was undrinkable.”
“...okay?”
Goro goes on, not relaxing one bit. “The flavour profile is off, yes – I am fairly sure it shouldn’t taste this acidic and the blend is supposed to have a subtle undertone that’s missing, but the aftertaste is potent-”
Amamiya wrinkles his nose. “And that’s a good thing?”
“-and I appreciated your attempts at a latte art,” Goro finishes, glaring at the barista.
He just shrugs. “One of my friends really got into non-permanent art during winter and I was crashing on his couch at the time.”
“I don’t believe Sakura-san ever tried to do anything of the sort,” Goro tells him. Another new feature that can be advertised, no doubt… Perhaps even Amamiya himself could be part of the advertisement, his inner voice advises, sounding a lot like Ann – give him a little make-over and let him become the face of the place.
Another shrug. “My friend’s much better at it.”
“Have you had much practice?” Goro asks innocently.
“Not really.”
“And your friend?”
“...has been an artist since childhood.” Amamiya sighs. “Okay, I get it, I’m not getting better without trial and error.” Goro smiles.
“I’m glad I don’t have to spell it out for you even more.”
“Can we call this experiment a bust?” Amamiya asks. Goro opens his mouth to argue, but the barista is faster. “Your curry should be done cooling in a moment too.”
“Oh, it’s done already?” Come to think of it… Conversing with Amamiya is surprisingly pleasant, but he does have places to be, people to meet – Goro checks his phone again – somewhat soon… “I’ll have to get going within the next twenty minutes, thus if you could get it for me…?”
“You still haven’t explained what the deal is with onions,” Amamiya calls back, even as he moves to get Goro’s curry.
His lips curl. “I told you, it’s a long story.”
To his surprise, Amamiya is back sooner than expected; bringing a plate heaped with still-steaming curry. It smells delicious and Goro can just about make out the onion slices hidden in the sauce.
“Then tell me the short version.” Goro stops salivating at the plate long enough to glare at him. “Come on, Akechi, I let you bully me into making mediocre coffee,” Amamiya teases, leaning on the bar again.
“Such a big word, where did you learn it?” Goro grumbles back, but alas, the food is still too hot for consumption. “The onions worked last time; now I’m using them as a precaution.”
Amamiya blinks. “Are you haunted by vampires or something…?”
Goro snorts. “That’s garlic, not onions.” Garlics have a potent smell as well though… Too little too late, unfortunately, Goro thinks. He will just have to stick with his current option. “No, it’s worse: I’m going on a date.”
Amamiya tilts his head. “A date.”
“A blind date,” Goro corrects, just about refraining from rolling his eyes. “My dear friends have apparently grown concerned about my love life.” Or lack of it, as Makoto not-so delicately put it. Goro doesn’t pout, because that’s not a very adult thing to do, but part of him really wants to. “And their solution is setting me up with the worst candidates they can find.” He taps the side of his bowl with a beaming smile, “Thus, the onions.”
“You’re trying to sabotage the date?” Amamiya asks, leaning on the bar. “Why? You haven’t even met the person yet?”
“Like I said, it’s a precaution,” Goro repeats, glaring pointedly. Amamiya just keeps eye contact, the asshole. “I don’t trust my friends’ tastes.”
“It’s that bad, huh?”
“You don’t know the half of it.” And now that he’s gotten started, Goro finds it easy to continue. “Last time, I went out with this model-”
“Wow.” Amamiya deadpans. “That must have been so hard for you.”
“-and she spent the whole evening crowing about how good we’d look together.” Goro knows he’s handsome; he puts effort into his appearance, even on days when he wakes up with little energy to face the world – doing his skincare routine and picking out clothes that suit his body and mood have a way of leaving him more a person of his own right, than a skinwalker just trying to blend in with normal people. “I’m not looking to be anyone’s next PR project.”
“That’s fair,” Amamiya nods. He surprises Goro by not offering another comment, rather, asking, “The onions were a dealbreaker for her?”
Goro’s lips curl into a smile, despite himself. “I might have gone slightly overboard. Onion soup, onion garnishes, deep-fried onions…” And the latter is terrible on his skin, yes, but Mika’s grimaces were worth it.
Amamiya chuckles. “What if your current date loves onions?”
“I have breath mints in my bag,” Goro admits. On the off-chance that Makoto’s friend is a better choice than Ann’s co-worker… Well, not that he thinks it will go much better but it can’t be worse than a dinner with Mythic Bitch Mika, right? Goro doesn’t even understand how Ann came to ask Mika, since, last he checked, those two hated each other… Then again, Ann could be terribly charming when she wanted something.
He wrinkles his nose. Ann wanting something – all his friends wanting something is precisely what landed him in his current predicament.
“Uh-huh.” Amamiya plays with a lock of his hair again. “Doesn’t really sound like you wanna enjoy the date.” Astute observation, Goro thinks, but he goes on before Goro can comment. “Got any other tricks up your sleeve?”
“Why are you so interested?” Goro shoots back, color climbing to his cheeks.
“Because people are always so desperate to impress their dates – and here you are, hot and single and very determined to mess up that first impression,” Amamiya’s grin is everpresent, and he speeds by the compliment so fast, Goro almost doesn’t catch it.
“Well, I was coming up with some other ideas,” he starts cautiously.
Amamiya leans across the bar, excitement written all over his face. “Uh-huh.”
“There are several ways of coming across as a bad date, of course,” Goro says, thinking of Mika again, “like never shutting the fuck up about yourself…”
“A true classic,” Amamiya agrees, nodding seriously.
Now Goro’s lips are twitching. “I played around with the thought of faking a work emergency if it gets too bad.”
“Devious,” Amamiya comments, eyes glittering.
“But my friends would lynch me, unfortunately. Thus, I am left to obnoxiously check my phone every five seconds.”
“You could also do an accent or an impression,” Amamiya says. Goro raises an eyebrow, questioning. “Like, a really annoying one – you know how sometimes people like others better if they don’t talk?”
“Huh.” Goro smiles slightly. “Not a terrible idea – if I can remember to keep the rouse going, of course.”
“Leave something stuck in your mouth,” Amamiya advises. “That helps with breaking up your speech.”
“What an idea – have you had to change your voice before?”
“I did theater for a semester,” comes the answer. A couple minutes ago, Goro couldn’t quite imagine Amamiya on a stage; rather, as part of the crew helping the actors work their magic, but he supposes extras are needed everywhere. “We did all sorts of weird stuff.”
“I’m sure.” Speaking of mouths… Goro has been ignoring the delicious-smelling curry for too long. “If you have any more ideas, feel free to share them,” he says magnanimously, before taking a bite.
His eyes flutter closed, as the flavour hits.
During the last couple months of him coming to Leblanc, Goro thinks that he has cycled through all kinds of curry that Sojiro Sakura can make – even came to the conclusion that not all of them fit his own tastes; some being too spicy to truly enjoy – and this is supposed to be the same base recipe that Sakura-san always uses, isn’t it? It shouldn’t be different. The addition of the onions shouldn’t make this much of a difference in the flavour profile… But they are not the only addition, are they?
Amamiya changed the recipe somewhat – and Goro can taste the difference.
Unlike with the coffee however, this is a bafflingly positive one.
He can’t help humming, chewing slowly. Admittedly, his palette skews towards milder flavours and curry is usually anything but; yet, this feels like it was tailored just for him.
In a way it was, of course – but there is something about the symbolism of this being Amamiya’s first day, his first curry, of Goro being one of, if not outright his first customer.
He blinks his eyes open, meeting the barista’s gaze. “I can see why you were hired,” Amamiya seems to be holding his breath, as if Goro’s words weren’t an affirmation by themselves, “this is quite delicious,” he adds, watching the cloudy haze of Amamiya’s eyes turn into something focused.
“You think so?” Amamiya glances down, tugging some more at his hair.
Is he serious, Goro wonders, but perhaps the disaster with the coffee is affecting Amamiya more than he lets on – it’s not like Goro knows him well.
Have to spell things out for him, he thinks, keeping the annoyance from leaking into his voice. Well, keeping some of it. “Do you think I would say so if I didn’t think that?”
Amamiya shrugs, but he does raise his head a bit. “I dunno, maybe you fell for my roughish charm at first sight and this is your way of flirting.”
The statement is so blatantly out of pocket and ridiculous, Goro doesn’t manage to keep from laughing out loud. “Oh, please don’t flatter yourself,” he says, grinning, “Is it so hard for you to take a genuine compliment? And here I thought my honesty about your brew would not leave you with misconceptions.” Speaking of coffee, he is quick to take another sip.
Amamiya watches him, still looking like he might pounce on Goro’s coffee to try to pour it out. “Apparently you’ll drink anything with caffeine in it, so.”
“Rude much,” Goro grumbles, wrinkling his nose. “I am not a big fan of energy drinks, thus not everything caffeinated.” He takes another glance at the cup, untouched, on the other side of the bar. “You’re really not even going to try it?”
Amamiya shrugs.
“Then I would like to have that one as well,” Goro declares. Now this gets a reaction out of the barista.
“I don’t think I’m supposed to sell the same customer a third cup of coffee in less than an hour. Wouldn’t that be bad for your heart?”
“You’re so considerate,” Goro murmurs, thoughts straying to strangling Amamiya to get to the coffee. “You really have no reason to worry however. I know my own limits.”
It usually doesn’t cap out at half a dozen cups a day, after all.
You have to choose your poison, Goro has decided back when he first received a paycheck. And all things considered, caffeine is not the worst one he could have chosen to stick with; like he told Amamiya, being dependent on coffee is quite a normal condition for most working adults, young and old alike. Goro is simply blending in better with his coworkers when they can complain about the lackluster office coffee, or rejoice during a meeting at the thought of getting to drink from the tiny cups that the interns bring in.
Interns who are only just younger than he is. People who look at him with envy or adoration, depending on their own delusions and ideals.
It never fails to register in him, how out of place he looks with his colleagues and yet, how much he doesn’t fit in with the crowd of his peers.
“Fine, I’ll try it.”
Goro is shaken out of his thoughts by Amamiya’s angry exclamation – why would he be so upset about taking Goro’s coffee? Although, he supposes, it really wasn’t his just yet; and perhaps this way the barista will let go of the ridiculous notion that he has no talents whatsoever in this business-
Because as much as Goro enjoys Sakura’s cooking, losing out on the culinary experience that appears to be Amamiya’s own would be a substantial loss indeed.
“...huh.”
Goro glances up to see Amamiya thoughtfully sipping his own brew. He raises his eyebrows in a silent question.
“I mean, it tastes like coffee,” Amamiya says, staring into the half-empty cup. “Sojiro kinda made it sound like…” He trails off.
“As we have established, you have zero taste when it comes to coffee,” Goro tells him flatly. Amamiya gives him a reproachful look. “I’m simply stating a fact; just as I told you before that I will drink whatever you end up making, because it is coffee at the end of the day.”
Amamiya huffs, but the next time he begins to contemplate his drink, he doesn’t seem nearly as troubled as before.
That’s good, Goro thinks, taking another bite of the onion-filled, delicious curry, which is also really, really good.
It does end up being the highlight of his day, to no one’s surprise.