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30 AU Challenege:
12 – Regular customer AU
"Alucard stop frowning and put a smile for crying out loud, you are scaring off the customers."
His boss Integra whispered harshly making him groan in annoyance. Alucard hated the days that he worked on the cash register, he was forced to act nice and suppress the urge to yell at every rude customer that came. He looked to his boss glaring down at her but Integra wasn't intimidated by him.
"You put me here knowing full well of how I act around people, so deal with it." He said out loud not caring that he was heard by the customers or not. Integra opened her mouth to say something but closed it when she saw a customer coming to the counter. She looked back to Alucard and glared back at him.
"Just behave yourself or else." She warned him before going to the back.
Alucard turned to greet the customer who unknowingly saved him from Integra's lashing. He was met with a short blonde girl, who had pale skin and bright blue eyes. It was wasn't her that made him stare at her for a moment but the fact that it wasn't the first time she came here. She was one of their regulars and if Integra knew that he had scared off one of their loyal customers, he was sure that he will find himself staying in this damned café with extra shifts and no off days.
"Welcome to Hellsing café what do you want?" He said in a nonchalant voice, that's the best thing he can give her. She didn't seem to be bothered by his attitude.
"One black coffee, please." She said with a smile, Alucard just grabbed a cup and started to write her order down.
"Seras, right?" He asked before writing it down, the girl's eyes slightly widened.
"So you do know my name?" She asked sounding amazed.
"You are a regular here." He looked at her with a raised brow. "Why do you sound surprised?"
"It's just that…" The girl gave him a weary smile as she found what she wanted to say difficult. "You don't seem like the type who would give a damn about someone's name, let alone a stranger whom you only see once every few days."
To her relief, Alucard wasn't offended by what she said and she even earned a small chuckle from him.
"Well, you are not wrong."
After that Seras paid, then went and sat on the chairs near the windows to wait for her drink. Alucard waited a moment before going to prepare her drink just so he can see her struggle on climbing the tall chair. It always was fun to see her act as if she was on a mountain and when she did reach the top she would throw her hands up in victory only to pretend that she was stretching when someone looked her way. Seras coming her and doing all that was one of the few things that made his shift easier to go through. He turned to prepare her drink and called her name when it was finished.
"One black coffee." He said handing the cup to Seras who didn't look so thrilled. She still gave him a smile.
"Thank you."
As she walked away back to her seat, Alucard kept his eyes in her not for the sake of seeing her struggle again to set on the long seat but for something that he always sees when she comes and orders the same drink. When she finally sat down, he saw her stare at her cup before lifting it up to her rosy lips to take a sip, then quickly pulled it away with a grossed look on her face.
"What are you staring at?" Asked Integra who sneaked up behind him to see what he was seeing, Alucard was surprised by her but was annoyed.
"Nothing." He said as he went back to his work. Integra however, did not believe him so when she kept looking she saw that he was looking at Seras. A smirk came to her face as she looked at Alucard.
"Is someone having a crush?" She started teasing earning an eye roll from Alucard.
"I'm not crushing on anyone." He said in an irritated tone.
"Then why were staring at her?" She asked her grin never leaving.
"She is just…"For the first time, Alucard didn't have an excuse. Why was she staring?
"…Just?" continued Integra waiting for his answer.
"Just …interesting." He said in a low voice still not looking at his boss and doing whatever he was doing.
"Uh-huh and that doesn't mean you are crushing?" She asked rhetorically before Alucard could say anything Integra walked away still laughing, which made him even the more irritated. He looked to where Seras sat again and froze when he caught her staring. Their eyes met and when Seras realized that she was caught she blushed and gave him an embarrassed smile with a small wave, which made Alucard feel sudden warmth to spread in his chest.
"I'm not crushing." He repeated more to himself than Integra.
A couple of weeks had passed since his conversation with Integra about Seras but he didn't give much thought into it and every time the thought of that little blonde came to his head he would shake it off. Alucard even started to work in the back when she came around just so he could avoid her. Integra must have gotten an idea of what he was attempting because one day he found himself working at the cash register taking customer orders all day, and when he attempts to sneak back using the excuse of getting more coffee beans Integra would quickly catch him and sends someone else to get them. So here he was still standing in his place when Seras came to the café right on time. He knew what she would order that's why he prepared a cup to write her order for Black coffee but stopped when he remembered how she always gives a disgusted face when she drinks it, which rose up the question, Why?
"Hello, I would like one black coffee please." Said Seras with a smile as she reached for her wallet to grab the money.
"Why?" Alucard question made her freeze and looked up at him confused.
"Pardon?"
"Why do you always order black coffee?" He asked feeling a bit better for finally asking the question that has been bugging up for so long.
"B…Because I want to drink black coffee?" Seras answered unsure if it was the right thing to say. Alucard narrowed his eyes at her as if trying to see something.
"Then why do you look do disgusted whenever you drink it? And from the looks of it you never even reach half the cup let alone finish it." And there it was the surprise in her eyes at being found out.
"Is…is it really that obvious?" She said lowly looking at his co-workers who seemed too busy and wondered if they also know.
"Yes." Answered Alucard bluntly. "So why do you order it if you don't like it?"
Seras averted her eyes in embarrassment, struggling to say what was on her mind and the line that was forming behind her didn't calm her anxiety but Alucard didn't seem to care about the line of customers and just wanted his answer. Seras took a deep breath and licked her lips before answering.
"My friends always tease me for drinking sweet beverages, like a milkshake and not drinking coffee like the people my age do, so I tried to do so every day." She said with a weary smile that slowly flattened. "But I never seemed to be able to go through with it, it's just too disgusting! I can't understand how people drink that!"
Alucard stared down at her for a moment before he finally spoke.
"You are an idiot." What he said made her, the customers behind her and his co-workers froze. Alucard just insulted a paying customer, with that realization one of the coworkers went to get Integra. But that didn't stop Alucard.
"You waisted not only your money but some of our coffee supplies that someone else might have actually finished and enjoyed it, just so you can try and impress people who don't matter?" He didn't wait for an answer and continued. "I admire your determination but after so long you just look pathetic for giving in to their pressure."
Seras opened and closed her mouth several times trying to come up with something to say back to him but didn't find anything. He was right, why was she trying to change herself? for people, she calls 'friends' but isn't really close with them in any way just so she can prove them something as stupid and trying to drink black coffee? Seras did feel like an idiot. She didn't notice as Alucard changed the cups from the regular paper cup for her hot coffee to the plastic one for cold beverages and started to write something down on it.
"This drink has coffee in it but it still sweet." He said as he turned to leave but stopped and gave her a look. "Go set and wait until I call your name and for crying out loud stop trying to set on the long chairs, it doesn't help you look mature, more like a child with your feet always hanging in the air."
That made a red blush a spread across her face as she stomped away from the small giggles and chuckles of the other customers. She sat on a table that was still close to the window as she kept mumbling of how his words weren't called for and that he should have at least said them quietly, instead of saying them out loud for the whole café to hear. After a while from setting there Seras realized something, why was she listening to him and waited for him instead of being offended and walked out to never coming back.
"Seras!" Alucard called her name, pulling her out of her thoughts and turned to look to where he stood with a grin on his face. Seras stood up from her chair and started walking towards him still glaring, angry at what he said but was ignored as Alucard handed her the drink, which she didn't order.
It was a layered drink with white at the bottom but it slowly turned brown as she looked up, at the top, there was a small mountain of whipped cream with what seras assumed was caramel circling it. Seras just stared, the drink didn't only look pretty but delicious too.
"Don't just stare at it try it." Said Alucard making her jump. Seras licked her lips nervously as she took the beverage and took a sip from it and the moment she tasted it her eyes widened in shock at the sweetness despite the taste of coffee it was delicious. She pulled her lips away from the straw as she looked up to Alucard.
"It's delicious!" She said with such a big smile and spark in her eyes that made that warmth come again but he pressed it down as he kept his cocky grin.
"It's Caramel Macchiato." He told her. "If you liked it that much then order it the next time you get her, but if it wasn't me in the cash register then ask for me."
"Why can't I just ask the person who is there to make it?" She asked confused, making Alucard cross his arms and scowl.
"Because none of them knows how to do it like me." He said not caring that his other co-workers heard him. Seras wanted to roll her eyes but the drink was too good she let his attitude pass.
"Alright, then I will." She then reached for her bag. "How much is it?"
"It's on the house." He said making seras look at him shocked.
"I can't possibly just-" Alucard lifted his hand to cut her off.
"You are a regular customer who despite not liking the coffee you still stayed loyal and came to our café. And now that we finally found something you like I can't just let you pay for it." He explained, which made Seras smile bashfully.
"Then, thank you so much Alucard." Hearing her call his name made The warm feeling worst and a small blush to taint his cheeks. Seras's phone rang making her jump, she looked at it.
"Oh no, I'm late for work!" She walked away but before leaving she gave Alucard one final smile and wave.
Unconsciously Alucard waved back to her with a small smile on his face. That girl was really…interesting.
"So…Still not crushing?" Said Integra from his right as she kept staring at where Seras went making Alucard jump.
"Stop doing that!"
I hope you guys liked this one and please don't forget to check out "Oxford Not Brogues" version of this AU!
Bye bye!
Next story: Time traveler AU