The coffee shop had worked out to be a perfect cover for your assassin work, though you hadn't expected it to be so at first. But it was a social place, so you could pick up information, with so many people it was hard to remember one face, it was in the middle of the city so it was merely one of many coffee shops, and as you were the owner, you weren't necessarily expected to show up every day. Going along with the act when you did show up wasn't particularly hard, as you weren't expected to be all smiles and sweetness to customers—you could just be yourself. The baristas you had hired liked you because of this, as although you had said to be courteous to the customers, you didn't feel they had to be overly polite, and never had to hide their opinions or personality. After all, you spent a large amount of your time hiding a lot of things about yourself—there was no reason why they should have to do the same.
But there had always been one barista that caught your attention. Pein. From the moment he had stepped up to ask for a job, you had been curious. It wasn't because of his appearance—bright orange hair and an abundance of piercings didn't necessarily put him in the limelight—but just the way he held himself. The intensity in his eyes; the stoic expression on his face, and the very presence that he seemed to exude, all made you question as to what a guy like that was doing getting a job in a coffee shop. He could do his job well, there was no doubting that, but you got the feeling he would find it easy to do most things. Though the girls thought he was unusual, they gossiped when he wasn't there about how he was attractive, and you couldn't exactly deny it, either. Plus, when talking to him it just felt as if you understood each other. All your life you had taught yourself to keep your distance from people, especially being an assassin. But having never met anyone similar to you, you couldn't help but be drawn to Pein.
When you were told your next contract that night, however, you weren't as surprised as you might have thought. It was Pein. How many times had you considered the possibility that there was more to Pein than it appeared? True, he was working as a barista in a coffee shop, but then you were, as well—so the idea that he was using this as a cover couldn't be considered unusual. You hesitated at the chance that he might have got the job here to keep an eye on you, but you were careful enough to monitor everyone you dealt with at the coffee shop, and hadn't noticed him paying any more attention to you than was normal. They never gave you the reason as to why your contracts needed to be killed, so you couldn't be sure just what it was about Pein that had put his name out there, but regardless of what it was, you needed to carry out the job. It was the fact that you were unsure of that part that caught you out. You never got like this over a job, and tried to dismiss what you were feeling.
The next day you went into work as usual, having been planning out how you would carry it out all night. Even though you were pretty certain Pein didn't suspect you in the slightest, you weren't about to let your guard down. In this sort of situation, using a weapon was out of the question. He was in public, and there could be no suggestion of murder. No; if you were to do this, it had to be subtle, and obviously, with it being a coffee shop, that gave you the option of poisoning. You had chosen a slow acting one, so he wouldn't have a reaction right away—it wouldn't be until the day was over and he'd gone home that it would work, allowing you to avoid suspicion. With that in mind, you had gone on with things as normal, having organised the shifts so that you would be going on break at the same time as him. When lunch came about, you pointed it out, letting the others take over as you made two coffees for the both of you, slipping the poison into one as you headed into the break room.
But you couldn't deny the way your heartrate increased as you went inside and saw him sitting at the table. For some reason, you were hesitating in going through with this, even with this being your job. Why was Pein different? Though you had your answer as you walked to the table and put the coffees down, taking your own seat and glancing over at Pein as you did so. That look in his eyes once again caught you out, and all that ran through your head was images of what the poison would do to him. Staying silent, you stared at the coffee cups in front of you, unsure what to do, until, as Pein reached out for his, you made your decision without thinking, calling out a protest and picking it up yourself, explaining as you did so,
"That's mine—I don't do well with caffeine."
You just hadn't expected Pein to smirk in response, quickly standing up and walking to the doorway. Tensing as he closed the door quietly and came to sit back down, you remained silent as he eventually spoke up softly,
"Changed your mind, (y/n)? I have to admit, I'm glad. But I think we need to talk—so how about I help with closing, hm?"
YOU ARE READING
Akatsuki Drabbles
أدب الهواةThese are just little situations with the Akatsuki. I might expand on some if people particularly like one, but they're not big stories--I just find them fun to write. I'll be adding to them whenever I write more.
