"...And that's about all there is to running a bar! Pretty easy, yeah?"
Byleth glanced at him, confident that he had retained everything. After all, her explanation had been pertinent! Byleth had opened all their cabinets, gesturing to each one and rapidly explaining which one was which. Despite her quick speed, he had actually seemed to follow her train of thought as she showed him how to work the cashier, where the good bottles of beer were, and what were the favorites. That was a first! When Byleth had trained the other bartenders, they'd needed a couple of explanations over and over again.
Not him.
"Think I got it, Teach," Claude shrugged nonchalantly, and Byleth chuckled in amusement. He'd been calling her that nickname the whole time, and Byleth didn't really mind it. "Oh, and I'm assuming all of the cleaning stuff is in the back, yeah?"
"Yeah. I'll show you around the back room another time," Byleth said, satisfied. Normally they had to test their employees, but Byleth was far more interested in Claude himself than the bar's amenities. "We don't normally let employees know about this until they've worked here for awhile...but...well, we've got a special supply right here in the fridge for us bartenders."
Byleth swung open the doors, revealing a large fridge of cooled beers. She gestured to their stash, proud.
"Ah, nice," Claude grinned appreciatively, peering into the fridge's contents before shutting it. "So it's not just you and I that work as bartenders, then?"
"Ah, no way. But it was supposed to be just me today," Byleth informed him. After all, it wasn't a weekend, so they generally weren't super busy. "There's Leonie, Shamir...and me. Oh, and you too, now."
"So basically...two other people."
"Three including my father," Byleth added, but then sighed heavily as he glanced at her with a cocked eyebrow. "My dad is picky, and we also lost one of our bartenders because he went to go 'onto his destiny' or something like that. Took some mask that was left behind by some drunkard before leaving. Rather ominous about it...Anyway, we're kinda short handed."
"Yeah, well...it's a good thing I came around," Claude reminded her with a wink, placing his hands behind his head casually. "Right?"
"Right," Byleth nodded, wiping off the cabinet one more time. She glanced up to him, a bemused look in her eyes. "You know, it really is a good thing. I've never seen my dad so happy about recruiting another bartender, he even smiled. He was right to be so happy.."
"Glad I could fulfill your expectations," Claude smirked, but his eyes held a questioning gaze in them. "Your father doesn't smile?"
"Ah, not really," Byleth shrugged, sitting down to look at him better and rest before they really opened. He followed her, taking a seat as well. "Any day he does smile is a miracle."
"I don't mean to offend, but you haven't smiled during this conversation either," Claude said gently, and Byleth's eyes widened in surprise. She placed her hands on hips, furrowing her brow.
"I haven't?"
"No? Sorry, maybe I shouldn't have said that," Claude ran a hand through his brown hair awkwardly. "It's the first thing I noticed. I guess it seems rude, I didn't mean to pry-"
"No! No, it's fine. I guess I just didn't notice that," Byleth reassured him, placing a hand on her chin in thought. Huh. Apparently she had picked that up from Jeralt. No one had really brought that up before, but then again, Byleth didn't have many friends, so... "Huh."
"Well, just like how your father's smile makes you happy...I think your smile would light up his day as well."
Byleth looked up at him as he stood, and she smiled.
"Yeah. You're right."
The clock ticked to six o'clock, and the Eisner bar was officially open. Byleth flipped the sign off of closed, and they both took their spot behind the counter. Byleth waited, tapping her foot on the ground when Claude nudged his foot lightly against hers.
"What?" Byleth asked, letting out a light chuckle. His smile grew wider, and he continued to nudge her foot with his. She backed up, but he continued to follow her. She shook her head in amusement as he lunged for her foot.
Her back hit the counter, and Byleth's eyes widened as she had nowhere to go. He put his foot atop hers, and they laughed together.
Ding! The little warning of trilling bells rang as someone opened the door, and Claude backed away from Byleth. The customer was one of Byleth's regulars; Raphael , who normally ordered food instead of beer. He grinned, waving at Byleth.
"Heya! I'll take a large fries," Raphael requested, sitting down in one of the stools. His shirt was unbuttoned at the top, his raging muscles desperate to escape their constrictions. Byleth chuckled and began preparing the food. "Oh, ya got a new bartender?"
"Yeah, this is Claude. Claude, this is Raphael."
"Hey," Claude greeted, his glance switching between Raphael and Byleth in fascination. "Can I get you something to drink?"
"Nah, I'm fine. No worries!"
Ding!
A multitude of people entered the bar, and Byleth shrugged. She hoped Claude was ready...
Things were about to get a lot busier.
YOU ARE READING
Race Against Time
Fanfiction"BYLETH, YOU'RE DYING." Those were the words Byleth Eisner had heard her entire life...but it had never rang true. She had always known that the doctors were wrong, that she was going to keep living, but the fear of death was constant. Born with a h...
