Work Text:
The day started gloomy with all the stormy rainclouds the world could hurl at them. The shop was thriving quite well to the weather, informative books and thoughtful baristas made for a relaxing time against the rapid raindrops outside.
In that late afternoon hour, the shop was remarkably empty, save for the two who were manning the bar-but-not-really portion, shelves of neatly labelled coffees and cocktails behind them. Everything was friendly for all ages and allergies.
He was glaring daggers at a nonexistent stain on a glass he was wiping clean. The nametag of his bottle-green apron proudly proclaimed N. Lambert , scrawled in straight and narrow handwriting. The silence, usually filled with whispered conversation, somewhat unsettled him.
The shorter and older woman beside Nate was checking the money on the register. She repeatedly tucked her black hair behind her ears because she couldn't be bothered to get it from its drawer to the counter. M. Mori was written on her nametag in swirling penmanship. It was impressive how she kept her composure at all times.
They both perked up when they heard the doorbell ring, the register and glass momentarily forgotten. His coworker's happiness may be more obvious than his, but it couldn't be denied that they both were waiting.
In walked the most beautiful and amazing woman he had the pleasure of knowing, stubborn brown eyes looking around the shop before settling on his coworker. He didn't forget to return the smile she flashed at him, as if they shared a secret between them.
“Mako!”
“What took you so long?”
Nate looked away as Mako hugged her sister. He had become jealous of the way his coworker had a reason to hug her. It was insanely irrational. He hoped that he was not blushing. He steered his thoughts from the less than appropriate thoughts that Jacqueline Pentecost brought to his life.
Calling her Jake implied a connection beyond a few in-jokes and hellos outside the shop. Their last names made for an uncomfortably formal greeting.
To be completely honest, he had no idea how hard he fell for her. Their first meeting was neutral, they swapped meaningless anecdotes over his black coffee and her tea. Her beautiful brown eyes had enchanted him even then. Those eyes definitely helped how he instinctively turned to her direction when there were others he could focus on.
He didn't like the direction his mind was going and walked away to the library-cafe portion of the shop, settling on a comfortable wing-backed chair. He read a pastry cookbook to pass the time.
She was unhappy at Lambert's exit and bit her lip. She was well aware of her sister's maddeningly handsome coworker. It has reached the point that the younger woman unflinchingly did housework for the last two weeks in exchange for his name.
She had a tiny idea how her bullheaded affection for him started. It was intimidating how hot he was when she first met him. The really-not-scowl on his face perfected the combination of dull light brown hair and hazel eyes. It usually irrationally hurt her sight. But not him.
Never him.
They had talked about everything and nothing. It was nice but not charged with chemistry. Their surprisingly many encounters might've helped. She learned to recognise his dirty blonde hair in a crowd of similarly coloured people.
It was unhinged and the last time she done that was at highschool.
Jake exchanged a couple of bills for her usual swirly white and sage green mug, filled with hot chocolate than her usual tea because the shop ran out of it. She sat down on a metal bar stool and began complaining about her craftsman guild. It was punctuated by a disbelieving scoff or a reprimanding glare from her onee-san .
The tirade was more tetchy than usual, a customer had uncannily resembled Lambert's military cut dirty blonde hair. So much for recognising him immediately. She had promptly shut down. Namani and Malikova’s laughter were still ringing in her ears.
Jake was well aware of the knowing gleam in Mako’s eyes and glimpsed outside to ignore it. She realized that she should've taken up Namani's offer for an umbrella even if the kid was annoying her. Sighing, she gave back the mug to Mako.
Jake turned around to see Chuck Hansen push open the door, scowling and ready to curse until kingdom come. He saw her and lightly punched her shoulder. She rolled her eyes and flicked off his fist.
Chuck was a temperamental asshole at the best of times, softened out by
A.) his professionalism,
B.) his family bulldog Max
and
C.) his weird brotherly affection for her.
He was probably relieving Mako, her sister had chosen longer shifts for God knows what. Jake made for her to take off her apron when her sister smiled.
It was, quite frankly, smug. She squinted at her, suspicion hopefully obvious on her face.
Mako turned to Lambert, who had appeared beside her out of nowhere, and waved him off.
"Lambert's free. He'll need help to choose which tea the shop needs."
Oh that sneaky—
He didn't know how he found himself walking beside Pentecost. Mori sent him off a full fifteen minutes before his shift ended to buy some tea. Tea that Pentecost knew the brand. The shop was… consulting .
They were in different umbrellas. She borrowed a black one from Mori. It mismatched with his gray umbrella with rainbow polka dots.
She looked sick at the idea of walking together. It was like she didn't want to be with him. Her ease with Hansen was making him fantasize punching him in the face. His other coworker may take offense with everything, but his heart was in the right place with a fuckton of insults. He could be better.
Oh no. Wrong direction. Back up, back up.
There was no conversation to distract him. He looked at her. It was the best mistake of his life.
She was lit up by passing vehicles who thoughtfully didn't speed by, splashing them on the sidewalk. She was breathtaking and he was trying hard to remember why he was walking with her.
A sigh. He realized he was walking faster than he would've liked from her. He quickly backtracked, ready to apologize when she scoffed.
She didn't mean to have her heart warmed by the way Lambert adorably ran back when he walked too fast for her. The walk was incredibly awkward, with her being put off by a sharper version of his really-not-scowl. She really wanted to talk, but the way he was tightly gripping his umbrella was telling.
She didn't mean to sigh. The way he worriedly tilted his head was incredibly cute.
She did mean to step closer. The umbrellas had to be held in wonky angles to cover them. He gently pushed her to the side to not block the pathway.
She could kiss him. She realized that he would reciprocate. It felt too fast for... whatever they were. Her heartbeat was syncing with the rain, harsh and fast.
She softly took his free hand and pressed it to her lips. It was peaceful. It was nice. Her heart calmed down.
He didn't let her go. He didn't push her away.
After an eternity of silence, he coughed his throat. She flinched at the sound and laughed. She let him lead her away. Their hands were clasped and a bit wet, no umbrella maneuver in the world could cover them.
It was the beginning of something new. The only thing she'd nitpick was that they could've chosen a sunnier day.
The day after that, Mako Mori was greeted by her little sister already up and about in their kitchen, a warm plate of spam musubi saved for her, tea ready for them.
“So…?”, she asked, scooping up one and eating it.
“You set me up.”
She shrugged off her little sister's accusing glare. She pointedly looked at the faint blush on the younger woman's face.
“ You used up all the tea. I had to fill up the gap. It was a coincidence.”
The tiny smile that managed to slip past her composed face hadn't truly impacted her imouto into forgiving her. Jake childishly pouted at her, unintentionally emphasising her blush. By now she had finished eating everything and slowly sipped her tea.
“So…?”
“... week .”
She couldn't hear her. She mimed being deaf and received a soft punch in her arm.
“We… we're going on a date… next week at—”
“If it's in another coffee shop I'm firing him.”
“Wha— no . We're going to this new art gallery in town.”
“Good, good.”
She tapped her little sister's shoulder in assurance. She was not expecting the hug. Mako sighed softly and tenderly rubbed circles on her elbows, just as they used to when they were kids.
The rain had come back again that morning, a relatively gentler version than yesterday's storm. It was sure to muddy up the sidewalk.
They didn't mind it. Not at all.