✻|| 𝓡𝓮𝓿𝓮𝓻𝓲𝓮 ||✶ - 鬼滅の刃

【𝓩𝓮𝓷𝓲𝓽𝓼𝓾】

↠Modern AU
↠Fluff
↠Fem Reader

Word Count - 1412
Fika - Published 09/03/20

Fika: Drinking coffee along with eating something sweet.
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"You come here often?"

Blinking up from your slouched position behind the countertop, the beaming charismatic smile of a young man had burned at your tired eyes. Maintaining the lazy glance, you were far too tired to deal with yet another flirtatious customer so early in the morning, so your reply was made short and sweet.

"Well, I work here, so I think I'd have to say 'yes'."

Well, let me rephrase that: your reply was short—quite anything but sweet really. That didn't stop the man from continuing with his previous attempts, leaning far up against the barrier separating the both of you. It made you question his intelligence, because surely your hinting was quite obvious to the fact that you weren't interested whatsoever.

His eyes seemed uninterested to the long listed menu sitting beside you, and with each passing moment it was almost as if he was awaiting a different response. Unfortunately, you had no plans to try and appease the man, because this was only the start of your shift, and you couldn't give in already to the stress of the day. He was simply just wasting your time.

It was a shame that the small café was pretty much empty at this moment, so there was no impatient line behind him to quickly push him away. You were stuck, and the blonde only kept his stupid grin, taunting you—urging you to snap. Sucking in a deep breath through clenched teeth and hastily counting down from ten, you regained that professional composure of yours.

"What would you like?" Hardly a question, your fingers drummed impatiently against the lacquered countertop, your slightly overgrown nails tapping eerie rhythms onto its surface. He still seemed oblivious, leaning closer to you.

"Well, it would be great if I could get your number!"

The tapping stopped, your palm smacking harshly to the surface while biting back a scowl. He still had the audacity to continue. Glancing around the small shop, you assumed because of the non-existent crowd that your boss was busy off doing something else. So you were forced here, with a fleeting patience.

Deciding the best course of action—despite it being against what your boss would say—you spun on your heels to walk off and disappear down into one of the storage rooms for a moment of peace. Before your heels could click once more along the linoleum to round the corner, his voice called out, this time with a nervous twinge to it.

"W-Wait! I'm sorry, don't go!" You shot a narrowed glance from the corner of your eye, noticing how he had so desperately thrown himself across the counter to call down the hall to you. His golden eyes filled with regret, you turned to face him arms akimbo. Bowing his head in a silent apology with his messy blonde hair falling over his eyes, you took the rather hasty gesture to finally return to your position.

"I'm sorry... It was my friends who forced me to come in here, they wouldn't stop pestering me about it unless I did so." Immediately, glancing over his shoulder you could see two other figures sneakily watching through the storefront windows. Once your eyes scanned over them—one with dark burgundy hair and an oddly-shaped scar on his forehead, and the other with dark blue hair and a rather feminine face—they were quick to advert their gaze.

Covering your mouth as a soft smile curved along your lips, you quickly ushered him to stand up. It seemed at the slight change in your aura eased his dewy-eyed expression, as it sent his heart pounding hopelessly away in his chest. You seemed even more beautiful at this moment, and the mere fascination Zenitsu had harbored by walking past your working figure each morning now morphed into something greater.

He never took the nerve-wracking chance to actually approach you, but now that he finally acted upon it, it was way scarier than he had imagined. He barely knew what to say, and at this point it was all he could do to maintain that easygoing appearance of his. So even though you were covering that slight smile of yours, he could see the faint upward curve of the corners of your lips, and he was ready to bolt.

That is, until your voice spoke up yet again. It calmed him in just the slightest, even if it was brushing aside his previous useless attempts, and built up his courage to respond back. "It's alright, I've been in the same boat." Your quiet giggle sounded like music to his ears, and at that moment he completely forgot what was happening. "Now, did you really want something?"

His pink lips parted to reply, but not a single sound escaped as you simply stared at him in question. Was it something you had said? He looked even more nervous, for his cheeks were flushed a rosy red and his sunset eyes glimmered back at you with an unreadable emotion. With the lack of response, it had become quite awkward once again, so you glanced back at his two 'friends' to see that they were already gone from the windows.

Flicking your gaze back onto his stunned form, you reached up to snap your fingers in front of his face to get him out of the little trance. He jumped, blinking a few times before that same goofy smile grew on his face. "I'll have a coffee, one just as sweet as you!"

Yet another flip of his personality, and you didn't know where the truth was in his words. Surely he was just messing with you yet again, even if the influence forcing him to do so was gone, but it bothered the hell out of you. Gone was all traces of politeness you had shown, for now this meeting was becoming annoying.

So complying as if it would force him out of the shop as soon as possible, you quickly grabbed ahold of an empty cup to search for your darkest roast. You made sure to brew him a fresh cup too, for it would be just as scorchingly hot, and maybe it would burn off all the irritating comments on his tongue and shut him up.

While pouring out the deathly black liquid into his own personal cup, his sweet voice caught you off guard, and although you almost missed and poured it over your own steady hand, it made your conniving resolve falter. Carefully lowering the cup, you stared deep down into its bitter contents, your own frowning visage upon it's surface reflecting back at you.

"I mean it, you know. You're really pretty..."

The radiating warmth of its contents tingled at your fingers, and upon slipping a protective sleeve onto the cup, you left your own mark along with it. Exchanging the mere drink for his own payment, no last words were given, and it left you feeling guilty—for truly you began to think he wasn't that bad of a guy.

Holding tightly to the paper currency in your fingers, you watched him give a small nod before disappearing out onto the busy streets with what was left of you. Perhaps you'd never see him again, for this whole occurrence might've enlightened him to the fact that this was forced, and it certainly wasn't the pleasantest of greetings.

However you had a feeling, that maybe you could give him a second chance if he were to reach out again—this time on his own accord. And you'd let him have the opportunity, for now it was all a waiting game.

So as Zenitsu trailed along after his loud friends down the crooked sidewalk, his hands grasped tightly to the beverage you had made him. Upon taking a few sampling sips, it certainly wasn't what he cared for, but nevertheless he made sure to finish it anyways. Calloused fingers rubbed against the paper, and feeling a slight shift in it's shape, he finally glanced down to inspect.

A ripped scrap of paper had peeked out of it's cardboard holder, and curiously slipping it from its confines, the scribbly handwriting brought a bashful smile to his lips.

"XXX-XXXX-XXXX —[F/N]"

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Celebrating a special birthday for Agatsuma Zenitsu, our timid dorito! He'll always win over our hearts with his sleepy (yet weirdly attractive) combat skills.

Happy Birthday Agatsuma Zenitsu!
(っ ◔◡◔)っ ♥