AKUSAI MONTH: BERSERK
Day 01: Your OTP Quote

I have lived
a thousand lives
and I've loved you in each

- Nikki, accidentally mashing one poem and a quote together

Length: ~1800
Genre: Rom/Com
Summary: A small chain of random events paves the way for a meeting between two kindred souls.

Serendipity

Lea's sister, Jamie, had found her calling looking up at the stars through the lens of astrology. It had opened a door to everything considered new age. She believed in almost everything that transcended the traditional views on life and death, and she was always in search for new knowledge that reaffirmed her believes. Practicing her beliefs in a small town like the one they had grown up in was anything but easy. Having Lea near had helped. He became her guinea pig in everything from aroma therapy to Reiki. Regression was one of the things she loved the most. It was her definite proof that there was something beyond death and something before life. She had tried to convince Lea to do a session, but handling one life was enough. He didn't need the weight of more lives to carry on his shoulders.

With his mind partly filled with superstition and existential ideas he didn't understand, Lea went on with his life. At the age of thirty, he found his first real apartment. It was an okay apartment at an okay location, far away from Jamie's collective of friends who were just as into the whole new age hype as she was. Lea thought he'd love it, being on his own, and he did, for the first two weeks. It took him thirty years to realize how much he enjoyed being around people he liked, people like Jamie and her friends. He didn't say anything about it to anyone. He was under the impression that people his age should want a place of their own, and it was time to be like everyone else.

Lea walked out of his building, phone against his ear, shivering at the cold breeze that came with the drizzle of rain. He rolled his eyes at his sister's concerned tone of voice on the other end.

"No, I'm getting dinner now. Besides, it's an hour's drive to your place. I'll starve."

The universe had been telling on him again. Jamie knew that her baby brother was feeling blue and had been trying to convince him to come over for dinner the past three days.

"It's not fast food, alright? I saw a convenience store down the block. They probably have organically grown vegetables and veggie patties. Worst case scenario, I have canned tuna for dinner."

Boy, had that been the wrong thing to say. At least he didn't have to say anything else. Jamie took care of the conversation all the way to the convenience store. Tuna fish was a dying species. Lea's family were not partaking in the extinction of any animal in the world, not if Jamie could stop it.

Lea managed to get off the phone right as he entered the small convenience store. He'd have to walk in sideways to not tip things over. A cheerful song crackled through the old and small speakers in the store. Lea glanced at the cashier before he walked into the vegetable section. The cashier seemed far too interested in his cuticles to take notice of Lea. He leaned back in his chair and yawned while he reached for a pack of gum in the front pocket of his bright red uniform as soon as he got tired of looking at his nails. He was quite a remarkable sight with his blueish hair, his gaudy uniform and the bright pink bubble he blew bigger and bigger until it popped over half his face.

Lea chuckled quietly to himself, walking slowly through the small store and filled his cart with familiar and healthy vegetables, some fruit, frozen veggie patties, sodium-free hummus and whole wheat bread. By the time he made it to the check-out, the cashier had fallen asleep on the cash register, or so it seemed. He quickly sat back up when he heard Lea pick up his items.

"Evening," he said tiredly.

Lea simply nodded, a small smile on his lips. His eyes fell on the cashier's worn and scratchy name tag: Isa. Beautiful name. He'd have to remember it for later, when his tongue untied.

"Do you have problems with your cholesterol levels?" Isa asked with a deadpan expression.

"Sorry, what?"

"Your cholesterol levels, are they bad?"

"I, uh, I don't think so…"

"You eat like my grandmother. She started this new diet when she found out her cholesterol levels were too high. No animal products. Just vegetables, fruits, legumes."

"Yeah?"

"The nurses at the home complained about it. The diet made her gassy."

Lea tried to stifle a laugh, but failed and quickly cleared his throat to hide it.

"Sorry, I - I didn't mean to laugh. I don't, uh, get gassy eating this. I'm used to it. Eating, I mean."

"That's 41.50." Isa smiled politely.

Lea quickly dug into his pocket and eyed the change he found. He counted the coins slowly with slightly trembling fingers and reached into his other pocket for some badly folded bills.

"Here you go - oops!" Lea dropped a coin and it rolled over the edge and onto the floor on Isa's side. He was reaching new levels of clumsiness. It wasn't difficult for him to talk to people. He loved talking to people, especially when he had the chance to leave a good impression. It didn't show now. His mouth was dry and he kept rubbing the back of his neck sheepishly as he apologized for dropping the coin and watched Isa look for it. A part of him blamed Isa for being gorgeous and for catching him off-guard with the topic he had chosen to break the ice with.

Lea noticed a poor-looking shelf with a large sale sign advertising the movie collection the store had to offer. Buy two, pay for one. He didn't want to leave yet. He wanted to make a good impression on Isa to have something to build on when he came in the next time, and the time after that. The urge to make it happen was slightly frightening.

"You've got any good movies over there?" Lea asked.

"I don't think so. Here's your receipt."

"What kind of movies do you like?"

"Not the ones on the shelf, that's for sure."

"Right," Lea chuckled nervously. "I was wondering 'cause I'm having a night in and I'd like something to watch. It's been a while actually, since I watched a movie…"

"I think I can help," Isa said thoughtfully and slowly rolled back on his seat. He reached for a long, slim microphone attached onto a thick, faintly green square with four white buttons. It was the oldest intercom system Lea had ever seen. The speakers in the small store crackled loudly right before Isa's voice burst through them. "Brian, I have a customer who needs help with movies."

"No, wait, that's really not necessary… I was just‒"

"Don't worry. No one's into movies like Brian is."

"It's just, I was hoping that you'd recommend something. I don't think I need Brian's advice." Lea smiled awkwardly and his hand was back on his neck again.

"Huh." Isa turned to the microphone again. "Brian, never mind. The customer doesn't want to talk to you."

"That's not… what I meant," Lea trailed off and cleared his throat. "Look, listen. Let me just start over. Would you like to go and grab a cup of coffee with me? Some time? Maybe?"

What kind of idiot asks a person out when they're on the clock? Lea held back a wince at his bad timing and braced himself for a blank 'no'.

"Coffee with your cholesterol levels? Doesn't that affect your blood pressure?" Isa looked doubtful and somewhat concerned.

"I don't have any known medical condition that could worsen by consuming coffee."

"Are you allergic to animal products?"

Lea chuckled and tried to hide his amused smile behind his hand, but quickly gave up on it.

"I would love to discuss my eating habits with you over a cup of coffee or tea. I would love that very much…"

"Hmm. I'm closing today," Isa began, eying Lea suspiciously for a second. He tapped his fingers against the old intercom device in his hand. "Is it your treat?"

"Absolutely," Lea was quick to reply, adding a nod for emphasis.

The speakers crackled again.

"Brian, something came up, I need to leave early."

"Isa, what the hell?" Brian's muffled protest came from somewhere in the store. "What am I gonna do if we have robbers?"

Isa leaned the microphone closer. "Use the bat I got you for Christmas. It's in the storage room, right by the doorway."

They heard Brian move around at the back, looking for the bat. Lea was getting curious about this Brian guy who was an expert on movies. He might even try to make his acquaintance some day.

"Remember what we practiced," Isa said after a moments silence. "Did you find it?"

The speakers crackled and let out a loud beep as Brian got on the line.

"Yeah, I've got it. Does this mean you close tomorrow?"

"No, Brian. It doesn't. I'll take your morning shift on Sunday instead."

Lea waited patiently for Isa to work the kinks out of his deal with his co-worker over the intercom system. With each passing moment he grew all the more giddy. Maybe had been alone for too long, but he preferred to think that the 'click' was behind it. The 'click': the sound the universe makes when pieces of the puzzle fall into place and leaves behind the sensation of being at the right place at the right time with the right one.

"I'm sounding like a fortune cookie," Lea sighed at his own thoughts as he stood outside the store, bag of groceries in hand, waiting for Isa to change out of his uniform.

"Ready?" Isa almost skipped out of the store and threw his backpack over his shoulder.

"Yeah, I just have to stop by my place and drop off the groceries. I live a block down that way. I'll be quick, and then you can show me a good coffee place, maybe? I'm new around here."

"Sure."

"So, what were you thinking during your pause?" Lea found himself asking.

"The one after I said I'm closing? Three things: four more hours of doing absolutely nothing or hanging out with a stranger, if you fit the description of the Flower Garden Killer, and 'is it your treat?'" Isa counted them on his fingers as he spoke.

"Wow, there's a killer around here? Well, you don't have to worry about me being one. I faint when I see blood."

"Or maybe you have problems with your blood pressure. It's the most common reason for fainting."

It wasn't until six hours later, after sharing stories like long time friends, and Isa diagnosing Lea with every disease he had seen documentaries on, that it occurred to Lea that they hadn't introduced themselves. It had seemed odd once they did. They stood outside Lea's building, shaking hands as if they'd just gotten out of a formal business meeting. Thankfully, it didn't last long. The handshake evolved into a war; a war of thumbs.

Once Lea was back in his apartment, flopping down onto his bed, he wondered how many lives they had shared before for their souls to recognize each other at first glance.