Imaizumi Shunsuke never looked forward to Christmas.
The temperature dropped dramatically in Chiba—which meant overcoats and fevers, which painted eternal pink cheeks on the teenager, which meant his blushing countenance made him even cuter to the multitude of girls, lining up to bombard him with their love confessions at the local coffee shop he worked in.
After stalkers and all kinds of strange love confessions that Christmas time encouraged, he never looked forward to working during the holidays. Imaizumi had grown so irritated with working at the coffeeshop, he almost quit.
But this year was the worst. This year there was something more annoying than his seasonal illness and more annoying than the crying girls that left the coffee shop when he didn't prepare their coffees with heart-shaped cream decorations.
This year, the most irritating thing of all was him.
#
The first time he met the boy who layered a red puffy jacket over a red button-up, all wrapped with a checkered black and red scarf, Imaizumi was irritated most by one thing: the way his redhead blended into the red-maroon walls of the coffee shop.
It was six-thirty in the morning, just two minutes past opening, and the coffee shop was still empty. Imaizumi sat at the counter, wiping down coffee cups in rhythm with the holiday jazz music filling the room when the redhead walked in.
The stranger looked around at the quaint interior while Imaizumi examined the boy's apparel.
"Oy, nice place. Love the paint job." The redhead took off his red earmuffs and motioned them to the coffee shop walls, "Whoever picked that color's got some taste."
The boy's accent confirmed Imaizumi's suspicions if his fashion hadn't already. No one in Chiba would even think of dressing like that. The flashy red was either a new fashion movement from Shibuya or this guy was going to be more annoying than he expected.
"I chose it."
A wide smile drew across the redhead's face.
Imaizumi started the coffee machine. "If you're going to order something to drink, It'll take a few minutes for the machine to turn on."
"Ah, then, I'll have something to drink." The redhead took a seat at the counter, smile still intact.
"And what would you like?" Imaizumi continued as he stacked the clean porcelain cups into a cupboard.
The stranger leaned forward, turning his head a little to the left and then to the right, following Imaizumi's movements. It took a few cycles of this before the barista realized what his guest was doing.
Imaizumi stood up tall and straight before him.
"Imaizumi Shunsuke!" The stranger read his nametag aloud. "What's good to drink?"
"I can make anything on the menu, or if something you want isn't on there, I can—"
"Oh? You're a barista!"
"…Of course." Imaizumi set down his towel.
"Sorry." His guest laughed. "When I walked in and saw you, I thought this was a host cafe or something."
If Imaizumi hadn't heard this before he'd be confused.
He wanted to argue that he wasn't just all looks—Imaizumi took pride in his barista training; he formed perfect hearts in coffee cups filled to the rim with, for the holidays, hazelnut, peppermint, or their famous fruitcake coffee.
He gripped his side of the counter and gritted a small smile through his teeth. "Unfortunately, I'm one of the shop's only good baristas. If you wanted a host cafe, there's one down the street I can point you to."
"Woah, I didn't mean anything like that! You're just…pretty good-looking, you know?"
Imaizumi sighed.
"I'm Naruko Shoukichi, by the way." Naruko loosened the red scarf around his neck as his own face reddened. "Can I have something to-go?"
"For you, a fruitcake coffee." Imaizumi picked out a paper cup and placed it on the counter.
"Huh?"
"I'm recommending a fruitcake coffee for you, Naruko."
"Woah man, woah—"
"You just called another man good-looking." Imaizumi worked quick, whipping one concoction of fruitcake flavoring with actual bits of cake before topping it with hot coffee.
"Cut me some slack! It's early." Naruko laughed.
Imaizumi shook his head, he poured the cream with a steady hand, forming a heart in the cup.
Naruko leaned across the counter for a better look. He let out a loud cackle.
"Who's the fruitcake!?" Naruko crossed his arms. "You're making a coffee with a heart in it for a dude!"
"Standard procedure." Imaizumi smirked. "Don't flatter yourself."
The barista set the cup before Naruko.
The smell of fruit and cake combined with sugary cream hit the redhead in the face, steaming his cheeks red. "How about you don't flatter yourself!?"
Imaizumi stifled a laugh.
Naruko's eyebrows pinched together and the boy crossed his arms once more. "What's so funny?"
The barista hid his smile with the back of his hand. "You're getting so worked up, that your face is turning red."
Naruko looked down at the heart in the cup of coffee in front of him, then at the barista. He wrapped a fist around the cup, dropped a few yen on the counter before him and stormed out of the coffee house.
#
When Naruko left, fruitcake coffee in hand, Imaizumi propped his elbows onto the counter with a sigh.
"It's been a while since you've put a heart in anyone's cup like that, Imaizumi." Teshima laughed as he emerged from the back kitchen.
Imaizumi scoffed, he picked up the wet towel and swiped it across the side of the counter where Naruko had been sitting.
#
The next time Naruko walked in was another just-after-opening six in the morning with a "Hey, Fruitcake!"
"Another fruitcake to-go?" Imaizumi asked as he turned on the coffee machine.
"Huh? Nah, that's my nickname for you," Naruko smiled. "You remember me?"
Imaizumi winced. Fruitcake. He looked Naruko in a red parka and red boots up and down, "Of course." He started the coffee machine and cleared his throat. "So, where are you from?"
Naruko sat down at the counter. "Osaka." He removed his gloves and the red scarf, placing them on the seat beside him. "Visiting family here for the holidays."
Imaizumi replied with an "I see" before turning to see Teshima peeking out at him from behind the back kitchen curtains. He narrowed his eyes at his coworker's thumbs-up gesture that followed. "So you're only here until New Year's?"
"Yeah." Naruko watched Imaizumi move from one cup to another, swirling the mix and steaming it, then reaching for the milk in the mini fridge below the counter. "Oh, Fruitcake."
"Hm? Yeah, I'm making the fruitcake coffee…" Imaizumi looked over his shoulder.
"Yeah, mind making that for here?" Naruko smiled.
Imaizumi felt his heart stop. He returned to his work suddenly and as he looked down at the cup, he caught sight of the smile that crossed his face in the reflection of the coffee.
From behind the curtains, he heard Teshima giggle.
He bit his lip, and wiped his reflection away with the heart-cream pattern he poured into it.
#
It had been days since Imaizumi last saw Naruko; the two kept in touch via texts or Facebook chats, but whenever a customer walked in, ordered a fruitcake coffee, or took a seat at the counter, Imaizumi wished it was the redhead.
The next time Naruko walked in was the afternoon after New Year's. The coffee shop was mostly empty at eight in the morning, so Imaizumi busied himself under the counter by sorting out teabags.
It took Naruko a while to find the hidden barista. "Hey Fruitcake, can I have a table for two?" Naruko beamed over the counter.
Hearing the scratchy Osaka accent stopped Imaizumi's heart. He jumped up without thinking slammed his forehead into the countertop—a sudden, aching moan and Imaizumi sank back down onto the floor, defeated.
"I-Imaizumi, are you okay!?" Naruko jumped over the counter and in the next second he was by Imaizumi's side. He wrapped his arms around Imaizumi, who in his pain, leaned all of his weight into the other.
Imaizumi let himself lean for two more seconds before sitting up on his own. "Table for two…?" The bump on his forehead throbbed, and he felt his heart sink. "Y-Yeah, you two can take a seat wherever is open."
Naruko leaned in.
"Geez, that was pretty flashy!" Naruko smiled. "You really know how to get someone's attention, huh, Fruitcake?"
"E-Excuse me!?"
"That table for two was for me and you." Naruko laughed, put an arm under Imaizumi's and helped the other boy up. "Don't you think you could use a short break?"
The other boy felt his knees go weak, he was suddenly glad Naruko was holding him up.
A/N:
Happy Holidays Kei! I have two gifts for you: this fic and cosplay photos we did to go along with it. Thank you for the detailed prompt—I've never written/cosplayed an AU before and this was the perfect opportunity to try it. I had a lot of fun and I hope you like them!
Cosplay photos here: post/106064135343/imaizumi-arisatounox-naruko-archtypic-photo
-Edit-1/2/15
The wonderful demondelaplace did a Mandarin Chinese translation with my permission, check it out here:
post/10f21f_4ff5a77