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otagamerkorin · 8 years ago

Text

Coffee, Stage and Ink

Happy Belated Nagamas @crystalcaravanner! I’m your @fatesandawakeningss2k16 Secret Santa@! I’m so sorry this is late, but between technical issues and family stuff, my writing schedule got knocked completely out of whack. In return though, I ended writing you a good 60+ pages (cause apparently that’s how much it takes me to write a slow burn), so you’ll have lots to enjoy!

As it turns out, we actually ship a lot of the same stuff, so there are a couple different pairing hinted at in this besides the main one. Also, when I saw you liked Modern Au’s, the first thing that popped to mind was coffee shops and bookstores, so this ended up being a kinda mishmash homebrew of a couple different things. You’ll see what I mean :D

Two quick warnings:

1.) Certain plot points and bits of dialog connect heavily with Jekyll & Hyde: The Musical, specifically the 1994 concept recording. (AKA the best version.) In case you haven’t heard and don’t want to be a little confused, you can listen to it here. (Also, you should just listen to it anyways, cause it’s amazing (*~▽~) )

2.) There’s a fairly short scene involving sexual harassment at one point. It’s not on the part of any of the actual characters and includes some character development, but if you’d rather skip it there will be line breaks before and after it to warn you. There is also a few mentions of violence in the scenes involving the musical, because, well, it’s Jekyll and Hyde, but they take place within a theatrical context and are pretty easy to see coming. Other than that, it’s mostly fluff and fun.

I hope you like it!

“I said every little thing you do, we'll be laughing we can't hear you. Just try and help you see it straight. You were nothing but a fake. Nothin but a fake.”

The music paused with a click and the post of the rolling chair creaked loudly through the darkened room as Robin leaned back with a sigh, the glowing laptop screen before her casting shadows over her tired face. 2 weeks. 2 weeks the teacher had given the class to complete this project and her stupid butt had decided to put it off till the night before.

With a sigh she reached for her now cold mug of tea, glancing at the clock.

‘6:00 am huh? So much for sleep...’

She took a sip as she pressed a hand to her strained eyes, feeling exhaustion wash over her. Class didn’t start till 8:30, but her normal bus left at 7:15 and she still needed to print off all her materials in the computer lab. Then just a few hours of lectures and she’d be free for the week. It was times like these that she both hate and loved the fact she’d scheduled all her classes on the same day. With a groan her head thumped back against the chairs headrest. Just a few minutes of rest to get her eyes to stop blurring and then she’d get some breakfast.

The mug beginning to slip from her grasp is what awoke her. She hurriedly gripped it to keep from spilling the cold liquid in her lap, blinking at the light of dawn streaming through the window.

“....wait, what? Why’s it so light out? The sun shouldn’t start rising till...” She mumbled, turning toward the clock.

7:00

She stared blankly at the glowing numbers for a moment, brain still processing what she was seeing. A loud swear ripped from her lips as she leaping to her feet, chair falling with a thump. She immediately slammed the laptop shut, more or less throwing it into her bag, and began rushing around the apartment in a panic, snatching things up and stuffing them into the backpack. She quickly pulled on a hoodie, shoving her unbrushed purple hair out of sight into the hood, and stepped into a pair of boots she’d left laying about. A pack of Pop-Tarts snatched from the kitchen and she was out the door. She took the stairs 2 at a time, thanking the heavens for the fact that she only lived on the third floor. Booking it across the lobby, she shoving the door open and sprinting down the sidewalk. She rounded the corner and skidded to a stop in front of the bus stop, lungs heaving as she glanced around.

“D-Did I make it?” She huffed to herself. There was no one else at the stop, though that wasn’t all that unusual this early in the morning, and the bus was nowhere in sight. Giving herself a moment to breathe, she walked over to a nearby lamppost, gripping it for balance as she leaned to look down the street. She didn’t spot it in the oncoming lane and for a moment her heart leapt. Was it running late? Had she gotten here in time? Said hope deflated however when she glanced back to see the tail of said bus disappearing around the corner. She stared after it for a moment before slumping in defeat.

“Damn it...”

With a sigh she fished out her I-pod, slipping in her headphones as she scrolled through her podcast folder. She might have to walk, but that didn’t mean she needed to be bored while doing it. With the dulcet tones of Critical Role flowing through her earbuds, she started down the street. The walk wasn’t necessarily unpleasant. Being as early as it was, she wasn’t forced to push through any crowds, and the sunrise was casting everything in a pretty pinkish-gold glow. But at the same time she’d been up all night and hadn’t especially wanted to waste what little nap time she could have gotten on the bus getting there manually. And so she strolled along, brain attempting to decide whether to be angry about the whole thing, or just enjoy what good things the morning offered.

It was only by chance that the sign grabbed her attention. A flash of color drew her eye and she paused to glance at the chalkboard set up in the stores window.

Now hiring part and full-time

Check inside for details

The bright chalk got her tired mind whirling and she bit her lip in contemplation. It was true that her bank account was a bit lower that she was comfortable with lately and it would be a good idea to find a job soon. Glancing through the windows, she deduced that it seemed to be a café of sorts. While she couldn’t make out all the details with the light off, it seemed like a pretty nice place. With a sigh she jotted down the address and continued on her way.

“Come on Sleepy Head. Up and atum. You own me food.”

Robin gave a grumble, looking up with bleary eyes at the grinning blond figure looking own at her.

“Class over already?” She slurred, trying to rub the sleep from her eyes as she sat up.

“Yep. Man, it’s a good thing that you don’t snore. ‘Ol Professor Iago almost caught you a few times there.” Owain said, glancing over to where said teacher was speaking with another student.

“Yeah, yeah, good thing...” She replied with a yawn, beginning to shove things into her bag.

Robin had always been a good student. Got high grades, did her homework, paid attention on lectures. She sort of needed to be in order to keep up with all the history classes she was taking. To the rest of her classmates, little had seemed amiss in the morning class as she presented her finished project then diligently listening as they did the same.

But, when one’s body has had all of 5 hours of sleep in the last few days, you can only do so much before you find yourself conking out in 2nd period. Luckily, she also happened to share said class with Owain, who it turns out is pretty easy to bribe. Thus is how she found herself being kicked awake whenever the professor came by.

“What’s up with you anyway?” Said sunny haired teen asked as they made their way toward the student center.

“I’ve never seen you sleep. Like ever. And I’ve already been though a set of exams with you.”

“I kinda put of my project for Sociology class off till last night. Then spent all night working on it. Then had to walk cause I missed the bus. And, well, I think you get the picture.”

“My lord! Mrs. 3.8 GPA slacked off on an assignment?! The horror!” He gasped, dramatically throwing a hand over his heart as they stepped up to one of the snack carts dotted around campus.

“Owain, I swear to god- Oh, blueberry please- I’m going to whack you with something.”

“Oh like you could do much- Orange cranberry for me, thanks!- against a hero like me.”

Robin rolled her eyes as she paid for their muffins, handing over Owains as they walked. Finally free to let her mind roam, she though back to the café.

“Hey, Owain, do you know anything about cafes? I saw one on my way here this morning. Nice lookin place, lots stone filigree and woodwork on the storefront.”

“Huh, yeah. Pretty sure I know where you’re talking about. Been there a few times. I think I remember Yarne’s big sis working there? I think the place is called Emblem.”

“Emblem, huh? Interesting...”

“By the way, are you in pajamas?”

Robin gave a sigh, sizing the building up from across the street. With the lights on and with her head no longer half-muddled by drowsiness, the storefront seemed to give off an almost regal feel, the carving and woodwork illuminated every few feet by mounted lanterns she’d failed to notice at first glance. A large ironworked sign hung above the door, displaying what she could only guess was the cafes ‘emblem”. She glanced down at herself, trying her best to straighten her clothes. While she didn’t look completely like a mess, she was still dressed in slept-in clothes and her hair was slightly out of control. Unfortunately, classes and a few other school related things had run severely overtime that day and she doubted she’d have time to go home, clean up and then get back before the shop closed. So she’d just have to deal with what she had at the moment.

Taking a deep breath to steady her nerves, she marched across the street and opened the door.

The place was empty, though that might not be much of a surprise considering it was 8 pm on a Monday. Quietly, she closed the door behind her, stepping further into the room. Glancing around revealed not a soul in sight, not even a worker. She stepped up to the counter, carpet deadening her steps as she admiring the wood. It was a dark brown swirled with a slightly lighter caramel color, the entire surface polished to a near mirror-like finish. Pulling her eyes away, she leaned over, peeking down its length with a soft call.

“Hello?”

A blur of grey-brown hair shot up next to her face, accompanied by a cheerful call very close to her ear.

“Hi there! What can I do for you?”

The sound the poor history major made wasn’t unlike that of a haunted house goer as she launched herself backwards, tripping and nearly bringing down a chair as she caught herself. The newly revealed figure gave a yelp and vaulted over the counter, rushing to help her.

“Oh god, I’m so sorry! I didn’t realize you were standing so close! I really apologize.” They exclaimed as they helped right her.

“No really, it’s fine. I’m alright. No harm no foul.” Robin quickly replied upon getting a look at the stranger’s distressed face. Their look of distraught gave way to a relieved sigh and they smiled at her, stepping back to give her some space.

“Whoo, that’s good. So then, what can I get you?”

“Umm, I’m actually here about the sign.” She responded, jerking a thumb at the chalkboard in the window behind her.

If the person had been smiling before, well now they outright beaming.

“Oh, you’re here for an interview! Great! Gimme a sec to go get the boss. Hey, Chrom!” They crowed excitedly, rounding the end of the counter and darting through a set of doors with a shout. Robin stood there and blinked for a moment, taking in what had just happened, before shaking her head with a chuckle. Well, at least if she got the job she’d have some interesting company. She drummed her fingers against the counter, taking a look at her surroundings as she waited. The place was cozy, but not cramped, a number of long curved sofas resting against the windows providing plenty of leg room despite the small tables clustered beside them. A number of tall matching stools stood beside the counter. Toward the left side of the shop the room opened out into a sort of circular alcove, populated by more tables and comfortable chairs. The entire place was softly lit by several chandeliers with large orb-shaped lights, an interesting mix of music styles playing over the speakers.

Her attention was jerked away from her surroundings as creak of the doors signaled the strangers return.

“He’ll be out in a few minutes. Is here anything I can get you while you wait? I can make a mean caramel latte. It’s on the house. For, you know, scaring the snot out of you and all.”

“Oh, uh, yeah, that sounds great.” Robin replied, leaning against the counter. It probably wasn’t the best idea to have caffeine this late at night, but she could feel the rigors of the day weighting on her and the energy boost sure would be appreciated.

“Sure thing! I’ll get right on it.”

As the barista began scurrying about assembling things, Robin finally paused to get a good look at them. It was a girl, probably about her own age if not a bit younger, with thick greyish-brown hair pulled back in a ponytail that almost reached her hips. She wore a loose silvery grey shirt over jeans, partially covered by a long apron with large pockets tied around her waist.

“Almost done.” She announced, darting between the various machines as she made the concoction.

“Do you want whipped cream?”

“Ooo, yes please.”

The barista grinned as she finished the drink off with a generous helping of the fluffy white confection and slid it across the counter to Robin.

“All done! Here ya go. Oh, my name’s Kamui by the way.” The brunette announced, pointing to the small silver nameplate pinned to her collar.

“Thanks. I’m Robin.” She exchanged, taking a sip of her drink. It wasn’t too hot and just the right amount of sweet, sliding smoothly down her throat and filling her core with a warm fuzzy sensation.

“Well, nice to meet ya! We’ve been needing another worker for a while now, so here’s hoping you get the spot. Don’t be nervous when Chrom’s lookin you over. He might look big and tough, but he’s really a big softy. Guess you could say that about most of the people here honestly.” Kamui replied with a grin that Robin returned.

“Don’t go giving all my secrets away.” A voice playfully chided her, and they turned to see a man leaning on the end of the counter. He was tall and wide shouldered, with a smoothed mop of dark blue hair. He was dressed in a grey dress shirt and vest matching his hair, the sleeves pushed up over his elbows. He leaned over the counter to mumble something to Kamui and she gave him a little 2 finger salute before scurrying out a side door. With a smile he turned to Robin, offering her a hand to shake.

“Robin was it? My name’s Chrom, though it seems Kamui’s already told you that. I’m the owner of Emblem.”

“Nice to meet you sir.” She replied as she shook his hand. He gave a chuckle and nonchalantly waved a hand, as though dispersing the words.

“Chrom is just fine. No need for the sir. So, Kamui tells me you’re looking for a job?”

“Oh, yes I am. I have my resume right here if you want to look over it.” She quickly fished the papers she’d printed off out of her bag.

“Great! Let’s take a seat.” He gestured to one of the couches and they sat. Robin fidgeted a bit as she watched him read, taking sips of her drink. Despite his very welcoming behavior, she’d always felt a bit nervous at interviews and could the days stress coiling alongside the coffee in the pit of her stomach.

“Well, your credentials and references all seem to be in order.” He finally said as he set down the papers, and she felt the coil loosen a bit.

“I’ve just got a few questions for you. I see that you’ve done some work in a café before. How long ago was that?”

“Oh, that was when I was working in my high schools coffee shop. I was there for a few months. It was volunteer work for to qualify for highest honors though, so I was never actually paid for any of it.”

“Ah, I see. Do you remember any of the procedures and techniques you learned while you were there?”

“Most of them. It’s been a few years, so I’m probably a bit rusty, but I’m a quick learner.”

“Good to know. Ok, let’s see...”

Over the next few minutes he rattled off a few more questions, ranging from any serving experience she might have (a few jobs here and here) to what hours she’d be available (it varied, but many of their employees were students, so it shouldn’t be much of a problem). She felt her anxiety slowly waning, fading to a tiny buzz in the back of her head. Eventually though, he caught her off guard.

“Do you have any experience working with books?”

Robin had been in the middle of a sip when the sentence processed and she choked a bit in surprise. Managing to force down mouthful without coughing, she looked up at him with a bewildered expression.

“B-Books? I mean, I’ve always loved going to libraries and I worked at one for a while, but what does books have to do with the café?”

He returned her baffled look with one of his own for a moment. Realization suddenly lit up his eyes and he gave a small groan and smacked the heel of his hand against his forehead.

“I forgot to mention it on the sign, didn’t I?” He mumbled and Robin stared at him in utter confusion as he sighed.

“My apologies Robin. I meant to bring it up earlier, but it must have slipped my mind. You see, the position isn’t just for the café.”

“You’d also be working in our bookstore.” A voice chimed behind them, and the two turned to find a pair emerging from a pair of doors to their right, Kamui flanking the two.

“My name is Camilla, and this is my associate Takumi. It’s a pleasure to meet you Robin.” The woman continued, pushing a lock of wavy purple hair out of her face as she offered Robin a hand.

“Likewise.” Takumi added, giving a nod of acknowledgement.

“And I’m her partner, not a mere associate.”

“Now Takumi, when you put it that way it makes it sound like our relationship is a bit less that professional. Is there something you’re trying to tell me?” She replied teasingly, giving a little chuckle as his face flushed red and he mumbled “Damn it Camilla” under his breath. Chrom gave a cough to catch their attention and attempt to clear the somewhat awkward atmosphere.

“You see Robin, the café is only one half of the business. The other half is Valla the bookstore next door that Takumi and Camilla run. The two work in tandem with each other and employees are shared between them. Essentially you’d just be working in whichever one you’d be needed for the day. Normally there would be free access to come and go between the two, but they were closing up early today, so we closed the doors.”

Glancing over, Robin realized what he meant. The right side of the store widened out just as the left did. However, instead of ending in a mere wall, there was a number of door filled arches. Through the one the three had entered from, she could see a number of bookshelves stretching out of sight.

“Of course, if you prefer one to the other, we could assign you primarily to that one, but we just need to know you’d be alright with working both in case a situation arises where we have no one else we could use.”

“No, no that would be fine. I don’t really have a preference.” Robin replied, attention snapping back to the matter at hand.

“Well then, would you like a little tour?” Camilla asked and Robin nodded vigorously.

“Oh, I’d love a look around.”

The woman gave a chuckle and waved for Robin to follow as she set off through one of the arches. Robin quickly scrambled to her feet, careful not to spill her drink, and hurried after her, the others close behind her.

The bookstore was a marvel in and of itself. While seeming rather unassuming from the outside, it was actually quite large, the shelves stretching and twisting out of sight away from them. Looking up, she could see the signs of a second floor, a line of balconies looking down onto them. Despite it’s size though, it seemed just as warm and cozy as the café, lit by soft lamps with the bookshelves rising high over their heads and almost seeming to wrap around them.

“Impressive isn’t it?” Camilla chimed, chuckling when Robin nodded again excitedly.

“It’s been under our families care for close to a hundred years. Our parents ran it, and their parents before them.”

“Wow...” Robin murmured, practically feeling the history emanating from the polished oak shelves around her.

“If you like, I can introduce you to the rest of-“

“Are you implying that Nobunaga was a better leader that King Richard the Lionheart!?”

“Yes, and you know I’m right!”

Robin jumped a bit at the loud shouting that abruptly rang from another section of the store.

“Oh for gods sake...” Takumi sighed, pinching the bridge of his nose in irritation.

“They’re at it again.”

“Who’s what now?” Robin stuttered nervously and he waved for her to follow. The group made their way through the shelves at a steady pace, the voices growing louder with every step.

“Big brother, stop!”

“Y-Yes! Please listen to us Ryoma!”

Two high feminine voices called out as they rounded a corner, coming upon quite a scene. Two men were practically face to face, leveling near murderous glares at each other. The only thing that seemed to be keeping the two from turning the glaring match into a full out brawl was the two young girls practically wrapped around their waists, trying desperately to push them apart. Off to the side a slightly older girl with red hair watched in a mix of amusement and tiredness.

“Alright, what started it this time?” Chrom asked, crossing his arms with an exasperated sigh.

“A certain someone had the audacity to insult one of Japan’s greatest leaders.” One man replied, his long brown hair seeming to almost bristle in anger.

“It wouldn’t be an issue if you would just admit that King Richard had a more successful reign.” The other replied, brushing a lock of his wavy blond hair out of his eyes.

“Why, you-!” The first growled, trying to detach the girl from his waist enough to charge the blonde.

“Would you two quiet down? I’m trying to read.” A voice quietly drawled and Robin glanced over to see a younger blond boy sitting in a nearby armchair, eyes glued to a copy of the Silmarillion he held.

“Alright, enough of this squabbling. You have a new recruit to meet.” Camilla said, wagging her finger in disapproval.

“Robin, this is Ryoma and Xander, the leaders of our Japanese and British culture section. They have...a bit of a rivalry.”

“There wouldn’t be a rivalry if he would-“ Ryoma started, voice faltering as she leveled a cold glare on him. The two men glanced at each other and then inclined their heads to Robin apologetically.

“Good. Now, the two little ones with them are my sister Elise and Sakura. They take care of the health and children’s sections, respectively.”

“I’m not little, just youthful!” Elise pouted and Sakura gave a quiet chuckle, Camilla shaking her head fondly.

“As for the other two, Hinoka specializes in animals and Leo is our resident bookworm and fantasy expert. If you see him without a book in his hand, there’s something seriously wrong.”

“Sister, please.” Leo mumbled, blushing a little bit and hiding his face behind his book as Hinoka gave a snort of laughter.

“Most of the rest have gone home for the night, but I imagine you’ll meet them all within a few days.”

“A-Alright.” Robin replied, a bit overloaded by all the information. As Camila lead them off the staircase leading up the next floor, Kamui sidled up beside the slightly frazzled college student.

“Hey, about Ryoma and Xander, don’t worry about it. Both sets of my siblings are pretty weird, and kinda over the top, but they’re harmless.”

“Both sets??”

“Yeah, Takumi and his siblings? I’m their little sis. Other than to Sakura of course. I’ve got about 3 years on her. They’re my biological family. Then there’s Camilla and the blond bunch. They’re my brothers and sisters-in-law. My mom married their dad. I’ll never know she sees in that grumpy old man...”

��Kamui, do not speak ill of father. I know you’re not particularly fond of him, but that’s no reason to say something mean.” Xander scolded her, ruffling her hair in retaliation as he passed. The girl grumbled in reply and Robin found herself grinning in spite of herself.

The group showed her all the different sections of the store, the small stage in one corner and the baby grand piano sitting near the music books, before winding back around to the café.

“I guess that’s everything. Well you two, I’ve looked over her resume and she’s looking pretty good. What do you think?” Chrom asked, turning to the two managers.

“No objections here.” Takumi replied with a shrug and Camilla scoffed.

“So crass. I think she would make a fine addition to the group.”

“Well, that settles that.” Chrom said with a grin, reaching across the table to shake Robin’s hand.

“Welcome to the family Robin. When can you start?”

***

“Then a pump of chocolate, a bit of milk and we’re done, right?” Robin asked, cup in hand as she glanced over her shoulder at the other barista.

“Yep.” Dwyer replied with a nod as he rearranged the bags of coffee beans being displayed on one of the shelves.

“I’m surprised you’re remembering this all so quickly. Usually takes newbies a few days before they get it.”

“Hey, I told Chrom I’m a fast learner. Here’s your drink, Inigo. ” Robin replied with a smile as she finished the drink and slid it across the counter to the waiter. She couldn’t help but feel a bit of pride bloom in her chest at the lead baristas compliment. She‘d never seen anyone make drinks with as much speed and skill as Dwyer did, so getting praise from him felt nice.

“Thank you Robin.” Inigo chirped with a dazzling smile, brushing his bangs back as he took a sip. He gave a pleased sigh, lips curling in contentment.

“Ah, perfect. Just like you.” He hummed, winking at her.

“Ah, t-thank you?” She stuttered, taken aback. What in the world? Was he flirting with her?

“Oh, don’t mind him.” Maribelle, one of the supposed regulars, called from her table, not even looking up from her book as she waving a hand dismissively.

“He’s like that to everyone. And I mean everyone.”

“Yeah, he’d hit on all of my siblings at least one.” Kamui huffed in amusement.

“Hey, I was totally about to get a date with Xander till Camilla butted in.” Inigo announced, looking up from where he was wiping down a table.

“Just kept telling yourself that bud. “ Vaike snickered from his own table, taking another bite out of his pastry.

“Hey, at least I actually try and ask out the people I like. All you do is come in here every day and lounge around, waiting for Lissa to notice you.” The brunette scoffed, elbowing playfully at the blond as he passed.

“Inigo, not so loud! She’ll hear you!” Vaike shushed him, eyes darting around in panic.

“Besides, it’s not my fault I like her. Her cooking is amazing and she’s adorable to boot.”

“Did somebody call me?” A voice chimed as Lissa peeked out of the kitchen, apron smeared with flour and batter.

“Nope! All good out here! Sorry to interrupt you!” Vaike yelled, voice going a bit shrill. She cocked an eye brow at him and shrugged, ducking back through the door. The blond gave a sigh of relief and Inigo shook his head.

“Dear lord...”

Robin muffled her laughter behind her hand, head ducking to hide her expression. When she’d come in for her first day of work that morning, she’s anticipated awkwardness. That the staff and she herself would be sort of skirting around each other for a few weeks till they became accustomed. And yet, it had been the exact opposite. From the instance she stepped in the door that morning they’d been nothing less that open and welcoming, cracking jokes with her like they’d been friends for years. Even the regulars like Vaike and Maribelle had taken her in stride. Not once during the whole process did she feel nervous or out of place. It felt...right.

The keys jingled in Robin’s hand as she unlocked the door, whistling along to the tune in her headphones. She flicked on the cafes lights as the door closed behind her with a jingle (they’d finally gotten around to fixing the bell) and leapt over the counter. Pulling her speaker out of her bag, she stuck the suction cup on the bottom to a cabinet and set her I-pod play once they were synched. With that, she began setting up for the morning, wiping down all the counters, opening the doors into Valla and setting out the sweets Lissa and Gaius had prepared the day before.

She was in the middle of prepping the coffee beans when the tinkle of the doorbell met her ears. She swiveled around, confusion streaking across her features when she spotted no one in the vicinity. Wait, hadn’t the door locked behind her when she came in?

There was a movement in her periph and she turned just in time to see someone disappearing behind the bookshelves. A shiver ran though her, hair standing on end. The doors to the bookstore were still locked, but she’d deactivated the alarm on her way in. You’d only need to unlock the doors to get in. She’d caught a few details of the figure in the instant she’d seen them, but none seemed to line up with the appearance of any of her coworkers.

Who the hell was in here with her?

Quietly as possible, she crept from behind the counter, grabbing one of the weighty glass syrup bottles to use as a makeshift weapon, if it came to that. Keeping her steps light, she followed their footfalls into the depths of the shelves, catching a few flashes of them as they wove through the store. Realizing they were coming up on a dead end, she picked up the pace, rounding a shelf mere moments after they did in an attempt to catch them.

“Who’s-!...there?” She cried, her exclamation fizzling out as she found the reading nook before her empty. Where could they have gone?

Said question was answered as a hand closed over her shoulder. She gave a shriek and whirled around, instinctively swinging her bottle. The figure deftly ducked under it and the centripetal force pulled her along, barely avoiding smashing the bottle on a shelf as it pulled her into a spin. She gave a little one legged hop as she slowed, bottle clenched to her chest as her head spin.

“What in the hell was that about!? Are you trying to kill me!?” A gravelly voice hissed and she glanced over, vision clearing. A man stood before her, staring down the length of his narrow nose at her in anger.

“W-Who are you? How did you get in here?” She squeaked, trying to keep the fear out of her voice.

“How do you think? I have a key.” He replied, shaking said key set in annoyance.

“How did you get that?”

“I don’t know, maybe by working here for years?” He replied sarcastically, tapping the name plate pinned to his shirt, reading “Gangrel”. Instantly Robin felt a rush of shame sweep through her.

“I-I didn’t realize. I didn’t recognize you. I don’t think we ever met during my orientation.” She murmured, rubbing the hand that wasn’t holding the bottle over her shoulder sheepishly.

“Yes, well I don’t feel the need to attend such trivial events when my time could be better spent elsewhere. Such as organizing my section. Like I was intending to do before you decided to try and take a bottle to my head.” He replied snidely.

“I’m really, really sorry about this. I hope you can forgive me.”

He gave a scoff, waving away her words.

“You apologies are of no consequence to me. I have better things to do than worry about my opinions of a schoolgirl. Now if you would please...”

Robin was by no means a short person, but as he stalked over to her she realized just how tall he was, the man towering over her just slightly. He leaned down, eyes narrowing in a glare as he drew close to her face.

“Bugger. Off.”

Robin didn’t necessarily flee the scene but...no, no she fled like nobody’s business, legs pumping hard as she booked it away from him. She skidded back into the café in record time, lungs gasping for air. She stumbled behind the counter, setting the bottle back in place before slumping onto a stool and letting her head hit the polished wood with a whine. Oh, she had messed up. God she had messed up. She could only pray that by some miracle she didn’t get fired. And so she set about finishing her preparations, face burning red with shame the entire time.

It was close to an hour later when the jingle of the shops bell came again.

��Morning Robin.” Priam drawled, giving her a wave as he shucked off his jacket. She gave a half-hearted swish of her hand in response and he paused.

“Everything alright? You’re looking pretty warm. You feelin sick or anything?”

“No I’m fine. I just...kinda screwed up.”

“What, did you break a glass or something?”

“No, I just...I saw somebody come into the store earlier and I thought it might be an intruder. Turns out it was one of the staff and I almost wacked them with a bottle when they startled me.”

“Really? Who was it?”

“I dunno. Some guy name Gangrel. I’d never seen him before. H-He seemed pretty mad about the whole thing.”

She was startled when Priam gave a snort of laughter.

“Oh man, that’s priceless. Don’t mind Ol’ Gangrene over there. He’s been a grump since he first started working here. Try not to stress out about this whole thing. Trust me, we’ve had far worse that a bottle to the head happen. Arthur works here remember?”

She chuckled gently at the older man’s joke and he grinned, ruffling her hair as he passed to fetch his apron.

Maybe things wouldn’t be so bad after all.

It was a little more than a week later that Robin was put on opening again. Either this grumpy man named Gangrel really hadn’t mentioned the incident to anyone else or the other simply didn’t care, as Chrom had immediately praised her work at the end of the shift that day and asked if she could be their normal opener. Of course, she’d accepted, as it honestly worked better with her schedule than any other shift. She’d either be done before most of the lunch and evening rush came through, or wouldn’t have to deal with it at all in the case that she got assigned to Valla for the rest of the day. Plus she would have first pick on the playlist every morning. There was really very few downsides to the situation.

But despite that, she still couldn’t get the redhead out of her mind. She’d discovered from Priam that the man had worked there for the better part of 10 years and had almost always been the first one into the store every morning. Well, until she’d come along anyway. Which meant that she would be have to see him every morning and hope he didn’t get angry with her.

She flinched as she heard the front door in Valla open and glanced over to see said man coming through. He seemed to sense her gaze and turned toward her, staring coldly for a moment before striding off into the bookstore. She felt herself wither under his gaze, a thrum of guilt rolling through her. He was definitely still mad.

She sighed, reaching for the drink she’d prepared earlier. If only there was some bigger way to say sorry. A gift maybe? As soon as the liquid hit her lips, a lightbulb went off in her head. Coffee. It was super early in the morning, a good cup of coffee to help him stave off any potential drowsiness would be the perfect gift. Quickly, she shuffled through the brews for the day and found a nice one, pouring a large cup and storing the milk and sugar in their own separate little containers

Quietly, she carried her little peace offering through the shelves, heading for the tragedies section. As she reached it, she peeked around the corner. He stood with his back to her, pulling books from the shelves and rearranging them in some way that probably made no sense to anyone but him. Taking a deep breath she stepped forward and moved to say something. But the words caught in her throat and she stood there floundering like a fish out of water to the silent air.

‘Oh god, oh god! What do you say to someone who you almost smashed in the head with a bottle? What CAN you say to someone, like that?’

As she absentmindedly shifted her weight, the floor creaked. He whipped around like lighting, red eyes almost seeming to flash and she gave a squeak of fear, nearly dropping the cups. As his vision fixed on her however his fierce expression dropped into one of quiet annoyance.

“Oh, it’s you.” He drawled.

“What do you want?”

“I uh, I just noticed that it was really early in the morning and...”

“Yes, it is quite early and in fact I’m rather tired. So I would appreciate if you could get on with it.” He glared in annoyance and she flinched back just a bit.

“I uh I thought you might need a bit of a pick me up, being up so early in the morning and all. I-I didn’t know what you liked in your coffee so brought the milk and sugar separately in case you wanted it black. That-That’s it really. I’ll uh, just leave them here and get out of your hair then. S-Sorry to interrupt.” With that she carefully set the drink items on a nearby table and made her hasty escape.

She quickly finished her preparations and waited for the others to arrive. Gangrel never stopped by to throw the coffee in her face or anything so that was a good sign. Maybe.

She was about an hour into opening hours when Chrom poked his head out of his office, whistling to get her attention.

“Camilla just let me know they could use help with stocking. I think we’re good over here for the day so would you mind heading over there?”

She nodded and shucked off her apron, flattening out her rumpled shirt as rounded the counter and made her way into the bookstore. Giving Lilith a wave as she passed the register, the girl quickly wove her way back through the shelves to the storeroom. Gunter smiled at her as she walked in, reaching to heft a box of health and medical books off a shelf.

“Sakura need these over in her section, then when you’re done with that you can take the new shipment of musical scores over to Azura and Shigure, alright?” the old man asked and she smiled.

“Fine by me.”

She gave a little huff as he laid the heavy box in her arms. Adjusting her grip she shuffled out into the store, trying not to bump into any shelves or customers along the way. She paused as she passed a break in the shelves and caught a flash of red hair, turned to look in the classics and tragedies section. Gangrel was turned away from her, in the midst of conversing with a slightly frustrated looking customer over the merits of Hamlet over Macbeth.

“Well, you cannot deny that Lady Macbeth is one of the driving forces of the story.”

“Oh please. Surely you’re kidding. Ophelia is clearly a stronger protagonist than that old woman could ever dream to be.”

She shook her head at their bickering, her eyes happening to stray over to the table nearby. The coffee was gone. Glancing around, she found it sitting on a nearby shelf, half empty, and smiled.

Apology accepted it seemed.

“So, what brew is it this morning, Little Mrs. Barista?”

Robin shrieked, jumping so hard she slammed her knees against the table she was bent over. Her head snapped around, finding the older man leaned against a shelf and regarding her with a mildly mischievous amusement.

“A-Ah!”

His eyes focused in on the cup in her hand and he strode over to stand behind her. She froze, feeling her face heat up just a bit as he leaned over her and plucked the drink from her hand, taking a whiff.

“Columbiano eh?

“Y-You recognize it that easily?” She asked, eyes widening in surprise as he took a sip and rolled his eyes.

“I’ve worked here for 10 years and Leo drinks the stuff by the barrelful. I’ve learned the smell.”

She flushed a bit brighter in embarrassment, glancing away. For the last 2 weeks she’d been bringing the man drinks near daily, partially out of a still prevalent sense of guilt and partially because it was early as hell and caffeine could always help. Usually she left it on his table whist he watched silently and then made a hasty retreat or, if she was lucky, had it ready and in place by the time he got there. This was the first time he’d ever actually said something to her.

He took another sip and seemed to roll it around in his mouth for a moment, cocking an eyebrow slightly. Robin noticed and cleared her throat a bit to speak.

“I-I noticed you’d been tossing the out sugar, so this time I just put in some heavy cream.” She mumbled and he gave her a mildly impressed look.

“Hmm, seems you’re more observant than I thought. Good. I can’t understand how you people can drink anything that’s more sugar than liquid.”

“Uh, ok. I’ll keep that in mind. Um, I guess I’ll leave you be then.”

She turned and was halfway out of sight when there was a call from behind her.

“Has it ever occurred to you that you don’t have to go running off every morning like a terrified rabbit who’s about to be eaten?”

She turned back to the man in surprise as he swallowed another mouthful, boredly gazing over the edge of the cup at her.

“Oh, but I thought you were busy?”

“Most mornings yes, but for once I’m actually ahead of schedule. And for once I’m actually in good enough mood to deal with the foolishness of a certain barista. So, go get your drink and sit down.”

With that he more or less flopped into one of the comfy armchairs and plucked a book from the shelf as he went back to his drink. She stared for a moment and then, as though guided by a will not her own, fetched the drink she’d made for herself from the café and returned, awkwardly seating herself in the chair beside him. It was silent, punctuated only by their quiet sipping and the turning of pages as Gangrel read.

“What is your stance on classical novels?” The man chimed out of nowhere and she glanced over in surprise to find him still looking at his book.

“Um, I’ve never been a huge fan of them.”

He gave a disappointed sounding hum and she frowned, feeling the awkward sense in the room growing.

“B-But I have been working through Frankenstein in my free time. The original un-abridged version.”

He paused, giving her a side glance for a moment, and tilted his head seemingly in approval, turning back to his pages. She smiled just a bit and went back to her coffee.

It was the giggling that drew her attention as she passed near the children’s section. She’d been back on her way to the storeroom for another round of new arrivals, having been hauling books and drinks all over the store for the past three hours, but the cheering and laughter coming from further back in the shelves drew her in. She made her way towards the stage, the majority of the noise seeming to emanate from its direction, and as she rounded the corner sh was met with a sight she was in no way expecting.

Elise and the other co-leader of the section, Nowi, were standing atop the polished wooden performance area, the later dressed in a long star-covered cloak from the costume trunk they kept in the corner. Elise held a large story book with an image of a man with long blond hair on the front, as she read cheerfully to the crowd of children sitting before them. And, slumped in a throne next to them and wearing a crown, was Gangrel. He looked far less than pleased to be there, arms crossed and frown firmly creasing his face, and she had a sneaking suspicion he’d been unwillingly roped into the affair.

“The sorcerer raised the boy as his own up in a secret tower in the forest, wishing to keep the magic powers he possessed for his own.” Elise read, Nowi wiggling her fingers at the audience ominously.

“Because of this, the boy was lonely and longed for a friend.”

“Oh, lonely my as-ow!” the Gangrel as Nowi smacked him with her staff.

“Now, in the kingdom nearby, there lived a princess. She was sweet and polite, always well behaved and gracious. The prefect little princess...Or at least that’s what her parents wished.” Elise continued with a shrug and the children giggled. The girls gaze swept over the crowd and landed on Robin, still standing beside the bookcases at the back of the section, and her eyes lit up.

“And here she is now!” she called, flinging out an arm to point towards the older girl. Robin froze as the kids turned to look at her and Elise nodded for her to come over. She quickly picked through the crowd of fascinated children and stepped up on the stage. Nowi swept up behind her as Elise continued, plopping a tiara on her head and a cape over her shoulders.

“In truth, the princess couldn’t care less for balls and court etiquette. She much rather be out killing monsters, riding dragons and generally being the hero the kingdom needed.”

Robin chuckled and struck a heroic pose, the kids cheering for the “hero”.

“One day whilst exploring, the princess found a mysterious tower deep in the woods. It seemed to lack any way in or out, save for a window at the peak. So she did the obvious thing and climbed it using arrows from her quiver! Once at the top though, she was greeted by young boy, now a young man, who was just as surprised to see her as she was to see him.”

She nodded to Robin and the girl dropped to one knee before Gangrels chair, looking up with false bafflement at him.

“Good sir, what are you doing in a place like this? How did you get here?”

Gangrel remained quiet, glaring at her in annoyance, finally giving a sigh as Elise gave a vigorous ‘come on’ gesture with her hand.

“Dear princess, I have lived here my entire life under the watch of my father. I know no place, and no one, else.” He replied, rolling his eyes. Ignoring him, Elise forged on.

“The princess began to visit him frequently. They spent their days telling stories and generally enjoying each other’s company.”

“Oh princess, you are so brave! Tell me more about your exciting exploits!” the redhead continued, clasping his hands over his chest in fake interest, and she had to bite back a laugh at the sarcastically enraptured look he was giving her.

“Well, there was this one griffin I tamed the other day.” She replied, trailing off when Elise signaled to her.

“As time went on, they became the closest of friends. And maybe even something more.”

She waggled her eybrows at the kids and they giggled as Robin flushed a tiny bit and Gangrel gave a grumpy grumble behind her.

“But their happiness was not to last. One day, the sorcerer came back early and discovered the two together.”

Nowi tossed a wooden sword to Robin and the two began to duel, dancing back and forth across the stage.

“Then, during the resulting fight, to the young mans despair, the princess was pushed from the towers window and fell.”

Robin allowed Nowi to knock the sword from her hand and shove her, hopping backwards a few steps and overdramatically windmilling her arms. What she was not expecting was for Gangrel to leap from his chair and call out “No!” with a sense of panic that seemed almost too real. In her surprise she tripped and fell flat on her back with a “whump”, knocking the air from her. The girls paused to check on her and she gave them a thumbs up once her lungs started working again.

“Worried for the safety of his friend, the young man escaped his tower and set out to find her. He wandered through the forest for many days. After searching for so long, he finally came upon her. But his friend had been badly injured in the fall, blinded by the thorns at the bottom of the tower, and didn’t have much longer to live.”

The fallen barista kept her eyes squeezed shut as she felt someone kneel beside her and partially pull her into their lap. They gave a quiet sniffle with soft cry of “Princess” and she furrowed her brow. Was that really Gangrel? While the voice certainly sounded like the grumpy older man, the behavior was sure out of character.

“In his despair, the man wept over his dear friend. And then, a miracle occurred. As his tears fell upon her, the princess wounds healed and she awakened!”

Robin opened her eyes and the first thing she saw was Gangrel’s leaned over her, a smirk curled on his lips. The expression seemed to give him almost roguish good looks and, well, she had to admit that the man looked good in a crown, as though his wavy crimson hair was made for the express purpose of displaying gold upon his brow.

“Relieved to have his beloved friend returned to him, the young man declared his love and they shared a kiss.”

“Ooookay, that’s enough of that.” Gangrel declared, promptly dropping Robin and rose to his feet.

“Thanks for the help Princess, but I think I’m fine alone. See you around.”

With that he stomped away into the depths of the store, completely oblivious to the crown still nestled up top his head. Robin watched him go with a grin, trying to contain her giggles.

“Umm, or maybe not. Instead, the princess agreed that the two should stay best friends and that they would be together forever. The end!” Elise improvised, clapping the book closed to single the end. The kids cheered and Nowi helped Robin off the ground for a bow. As the children began to wander away, she handed back the girls costumes and helped them tidy up.

“Well that was...interesting. With as sour as his attitude is normally, I didn’t think he even knew how to smile.” She wondered out loud as they packed everything away, and the girls shrugged.

“Yeah, but it’s basically real sarcastic all the time, so don’t hold your breath waiting for a genuine one.” Nowi replied, rolling her eyes.

Robin bid them farewell and started off towards the storeroom, a little grin still on her face. Something about this encounter had just felt right. Like the universe itself had set up the opportunity for her to see the man in this new way. Maybe she was on the right track.

“I lead with pride, I can make us strong. I’ll be satisfied if I play along. But the voice inside sings a different song. What is wrong with me?”

Robin quietly sang along to the soundtrack Anna had playing over the speakers, making her way to the comics and manga section. She paused for a moment as she rounded a corner, adjusting the balance on the dolly she pushed, and when she looked up she was surprised to spot a familiar blond head sitting halfway down the aisle, staring at a thick book laying open on the ground in front of them.

“Oh, I didn’t realize you were working today Percy.” She chirped, 14 year old looking up from his book at her. The boy worked here on and off with his father on the weekends and during breaks, so she hadn’t expected to see him here after school on a Wednesday.

“Hey Robin. Actually, I’m not. Some people wouldn’t shut up in the library at school, and I needed someplace quiet to study at.”

The boy groaned, rubbing his head.

“Agh, this stuff just isn’t sticking. Why did the teacher have to assign us so many questions?”

“Whatcha studying?” Robin asked, pulling a row of One Piece volumes out of one of her boxes and began stacking them on the shelf.

“History.” He answered and she grinned over her shoulder at him.

“Maybe I can help. What’s the question?”

“Um, let’s see. ‘What notable thing did the Austrian army do in 1877?’”

Without even pausing in her arranging, she answered.

“They got confused and attacking another part of their own army, proceeding to loose around 10,000 troops. Buncha idiots.”

The boy looked up in surprise at her, then quickly checked the book.

“Whoa, you’re right! Ok, how’s about this one? ‘When was Pompeii destroyed?’”

“August 24, 79 AD. The eruption lasted a full day.”

“Right again! ‘How did the Mayan’s name their children?”

“They were named in association to the day they were born on.”

“’What has been history longest war?’”

“The war between the Netherlands and the Isles of Scilly. It lasted from 1651 to 1986 and, somehow, there were no casualties.”

This went on for the better part of an hour, Arthur asking the girl questions and her answering them without hesitation, no matter how difficult or obscure. Eventually he even had to turn to his phone when he ran out of questions in the book. They were so wrapped up in their game that they didn’t notice in the slightest when Azuma stood at the end of the row listening, left and then returned with Camila and Takumi to continue their eavesdropping.

“Leonardo da Vinci was known to have dyslexia and often wrote backwards.”

Percy slumped back against the bookcase with gleeful grin, lowering his phone.

“OK, it’s official. You are the master of everything history related.”

“Why thank you. I accept the title with pride.” She replied, pressing a hand to her chest in joking modesty.

The loud applauding form the end of the aisle caused them both to jump and they turned to see the previously hidden trio clapping happily.

“Congratulations on your achievement.” Camilla cooed and Robin grinned, rubbing the back of her head sheepishly as they walked up.

“Truly though,” The woman continued.

“That was quite a feat to behold. Your knowledge of historical events is exemplary. Have you studied it in the past?”

“Oh, actually I’m a history major. I’m working to get my doctorate so I can become a professor.”

The woman slowly smiled and looked over at Takumi.

“Are you thinking what I’m thinking?”

“If you’re referring to a solution to our little problem, then I believe yes.”

Camilla stooped forward and grabbed Robin’s hands, holding them to her chest pleadingly.

“Robin, would you consider becoming the leader of our history section?”

“Eh? The what?” She replied, staring at the older woman in confusion. Camilla gave a gentle laugh and explained.

“You see, each of the section leaders here in Valla are an expert of sorts in their respective field. For instance, Takumi knows just about all there is to know about archery and I personally am a romance aficionado. It allows us to better help our customers. And, for many years now, we never had someone with enough general historical knowledge to oversee the section. Until you.”

Robin bit her lip. Was she really ready for such a responsibility? She’d only been here about a week after all. Then again, Camilla seemed confident she was the right person for the job. Taking a deep breath, she switched her grip and took Camilla’s hands, giving them a shake.

“Ok, I’ll do it.”

The next few days went by in a blur. Since Chrom didn’t want to lose what he considered his best opener, she would open the store in the morning then move over to Valla for the rest of the day, unless one side or the other needed extra help of course. Thus was how she found herself recommending books on Medieval Scotland to a group of teenagers one afternoon. Wishing them luck on their reenactment costumes as they walked away, she gave a little wave and leaned against the shelf with a happy sigh. She was beginning to understand why the others loved working here so much. It was surprisingly fulfilling to be able to help people learn more about her preferred field.

“So, how is little miss barista’s promotion going?”

Her hair bristled and she narrowly held back a scream, hand clamping down hard where it was laying on the shelf. Once here heart stopped trying to escape from her chest, she turned and glared over her shoulder.

“You almost gave me a heart attack.” She hissed and the smirking man rolled his eyes, striding over.

“Oh please, enough with the hysterics. I’m the old fart here. If anyone should be having heart conditions, it should be me.” He casually replied, plucking a book on the Tower of London off the shelf, and she winced at the insult. Once the man’s humorous side had come into play, so had his penchant for self-deprecating comments. Seeing the seemingly proud man put himself down with such ease honestly made her a bit uneasy.

“I-It’s going fine.” She replied and he gave her a skeptical look.

“Really? No being stumped by anyone’s questions? No being harassed annoying buffoons who couldn’t tell the Eiffel Tower from the Tower of Babel? I find that rather hard to believe.”

“W-Well it’s true!” She insisted, feeling her annoyance flair.

“I’ve studied long and hard, so of course I’m gonna know tons for stuff. It’s gonna be my job to do so some day.”

He didn’t even look up from book, expression uninterested as his eyes scanned over the words.

“If you say so. But it’s only going to get harder from here. “

She gave a huff, her frustration bubbling up to the surface..

“If you’re just going to stand here and berate me, then you should just go back to your own section. All you’re is being a nuisance.”

The man snapped the book closed with a dramatic sigh, waving a hand dismissively.

“Fine, I can see when I’m not wanted. Good luck with your leadership role, little bookkeeper.”

“I’m not that small!” She called angrily after him as he leisurely strolled away. She gave a long slow exhale to calm herself before turning to re-adjust the books he had been fiddling with. A movement caught her eye and he turned to see Arthur walking past the aisle carrying the stepladder they used to reach the highest shelves while stocking.

“Careful!” She called as he stumbled a bit and almost knocked over a display. He grinned apologetically and moved on, careful this time not to trip over more non-existent snags in the carpet. She shook her head in amusement and continued on with what she had been doing, hearing the familiar groan and creak of metal as he set it up in the next aisle over. She moved up and down along the row, rearranging and alphabetizing the selections that previous patrons had messed around with and returned in the wrong order. It was a quiet and calming activity, almost therapeutic, and she found herself smiling happily to herself. She felt at home here.

The smile was wiped off her face as there was a shout and crash behind her, followed by a long drawn out creak. She spun around and froze, watching as the solid oak bookcase before her slowly tipped, all several hundred pounds of wood and books toppling towards her. Desperately she tried to move, but her legs remained rooted firmly in place as fear flooded through her veins, watching helplessly as it drew closer.

At the last second an arm wrapped tight around her waist and threw them both backwards, the owner flipping her around and curling themselves protectively around her as they hit the ground. The bookshelf landed no more than a foot past their feet with a crash that shook the entire store.

She could hear a voice yelling, but everything sounded warped and far away, as though she were underwater. She just lay there, face pressed to the chest of her rescuer, struggling to remember how to breathe. Her mind tried to make sense of what had just happened, feeling like her head was stuffed with cotton. It was the tightening of the hand protectively clutching her head that brought her to her senses and she finally made out the words being said somewhere above her.

“YOU COLOSSAL FOOL! THINK ABOUT YOU COULD HAVE DONE! IF I WASN’T HERE SHE MIGHT HAVE-!”

They cut off as her hands tightened in their shirt, slowly shifting to look up at their face. She was met with panicked red eyes looking back at her and her vision slowly cleared, making out ashen skin and crimson hair surrounding them.

“...Gangrel?” She whispered and he let out a relived breath she hadn’t realized he was holding. The sound of running suddenly met their ears and Chrom and several others rounded the café.

“We felt a crash all the way in the café! What happ-?!”

They froze when they saw the scene, eyes wide with shock. Gangrel looked up from her with a growl, turning to where Arthur still lay on his back atop the collapsed bookshelf.

“What happened is that this absolute buffoon fell onto one of the shelves and came but inches from getting this one pinned beneath it!”

As he yelled, Robin slowly looked back at the fallen bookshelf, staring as the reality set in. If she had been standing there, she would have ended up crushed...she could have...she could have died...

Gangrel looked down once more as he felt her begin to shake violently in his arms, her breath coming in short quick gasps. Her eyes welled up with tears and they began to pour down her cheeks, giving a rough sob every few seconds. He quickly propped them both up, brushing the hair back from her face to check her over for injures. Finding her mainly unscathed, he grabbed her face between his hands and made her look at him.

“Alright, enough of that. You’re fine. Stop crying.” He urged, and she tried, her honesty did, but the panic coiling in her gut was just too much and she continued to sob. He gave a sigh and gathered her a bit awkwardly up in his arms, her face pressed to his shoulder.

“You’re ok. You’re safe.” He said firmly, in his own grumpy, frustrated, caring way, and she latched onto him, holding tight as she tried to fight back the fear. The others looked at each other and moved around them, setting about quietly propping the shelf back up and assessing the damage. After a few minutes she seemed to calm down and pulled back with a little sniffle.

“Thanks. And sorry about your shirt.” She mumbled, glancing at the tearstained fabric. He just rolled his eyes and moved to help her stand.

“Just make sure the choice tomorrow is infallible. Now, up on your feet. We haven’t got time to just lounge around.”

She winced as she put weight on her ankle, feeling the bruises forming already and he gave a huff, wrapping her arm over his shoulders.

“Take her over to the café.” Ryoma called from where he was helping heft up the shelf.

“I’ll send Sakura over in a little while.”

It took a bit, but eventually she was perched on one of Emblem’s couches, an ice pack wrapped around her ankle. Gangrel had already left, scoffing that they were just babying her, but she couldn’t help enjoy the fussing the crew was doing over her just a little bit. It made her feel loved and safe and she couldn’t ask for more.

“Psst! Robin!”

She glanced over to the location of the loud “whisper”, finding Ingo standing at the end of the hall, gesturing her over.

“Um, would you mind coming over to the café for a bit? We seem to be having something of a problem.” He mumbled quietly to her when she reached him. The girls mind went into fast-forward, running through all the possibilities. Was there something wrong with the machines? Had a fight broken out? Was one of the customers being uncontrollably unreasonable? A lightbulb went off in her head and she grinned.

“Lemme guess. Lissa and Gaius’s sale on pumpkin spice items backfired, didn’t it?”

“Yes, there are people everywhere! Way more than we can handle on our own! Please, you gotta come help!” The waiter whimpered and she chuckled.

“Lead the way.”

She followed him quickly back to the other half of the store, immediately realizing just how in over their heads they really were. The entire café was absolutely stuffed with people, and she was pretty sure she could see the line stretching out the door and down the block. This definitely explained the overabundance of people in the bookstore today. Sighing, followed him into the crowd.

“Kamui, Dwyer and Priam can handle the counter. Right now, you, I and Charlotte need to deal with getting these guys their orders and thinning the crowd out a bit.” He continued and she nodded, taking the apron he offered her and tying it over the robes she wore. It was the afternoon of All Hallows Eve and all of the employees had chosen to don costumes for the day. Inspired by her little fairy tale adventure a few weeks back, she had chosen a mage. She quickly followed the swaying tailcoats of Ingo’s vampire outfit, weaving around the waiting patrons till she reached the counter. A frantic looking Kamui looked over, face practically melting with relief when she saw her.

“Oh thank god you’re here. Quick, take this to the group in the corner.” She said, shoving a full cup carrier and a box of cookies into the girl’s hands, pointing to a bundle of people standing nearby. She nodded and wiggled through the crowd, quickly delivering it to the thankful patrons, before hurrying back to the counter. It became a sort of relay race, the baristas handing the food off for to the three of them to deliver to the waiting crowd then hurry back for more. Luckily Charlotte, and her bit more revealing than necessary angel costume, were drawing parts of the crowd towards her, making it a bit easier for the other two to get around.

“Here you go! Sorry for the wait!” Robin chirped as she handed over a couples cappuccinos. They thanked her and with a smile she turned and started back for the counter. As she rushed past the line of waiting customers, something brushed up against her butt. She slowed for a moment, glancing around. Had she bumped into something? There didn’t seem to be any furniture nearby, but there were plenty of people, and she simply disregarded it as an accident.

Fetching another batch of goodies from Priams waiting hands, she retreated back into the crowd. As she passed the line once more, she felt something touch her again. Rather than a quick brush however, this time it was a firm squeeze. She stumbled forward a few steps and stopped, whipping around to look behind her. At first, nothing seemed out of place. Then she saw the man. He was partially turned to look back and his eyes were fixed firmly on her. She shuddered and darted away from him, finding the recipients of the food as quickly as possible. After smiling and ushering them out the door, she turned and gave a quiet curse. The crowd had closed in again and illuminated any alternate ways back to the counter. Unless she wanted to be shoving people out of the way, she’d have to walk back past the line.

Taking a deep breath, she steeled herself and marched straight for the counter. She was almost there, only needing to swerve around a large bulge in the line, when a hand clamped down onto her hip and pulled her up against someone’s side. She froze, looking up to see the man sneering down at her.

“Someone’s certainly looking cute. How’s about we get some drinks for ourselves and go find someplace to talk?” He asked and she flinched at the almost hungry look in his eyes. She’d seen this sort of thing happen with other members of the staff a few times, so she took a page from their books and drove an elbow backwards into his stomach. The man gave a huff, releasing her and she made a sprint for the counter. Kamui jumped a bit as she smacked into the wood, eyes frantic.

“Call security.” She told her, the brunette’s brows furrowing in confusion.

“What, why?”

“There’s a guy back there-” She cut off with a quiet curse when he saw the man trying to make his way towards the counter. Kamui gave a whistle to Gregor, currently sitting at the end of the counter, and motioned to the approaching man. The Russian nodded and as he began moving the through the crowd, the perpetrator caught sight of Robin once more. His eyes narrowed and he began to move quicker, making a beeline to them.

Feeling a jolt of fear up her spine, the girl turned and ran, squeezing through the crowd and breaking out into the bookstore. She sprinted past startled patrons, finally pausing to catch her breath, grabbing onto one of the shelves for balance. For a moment, she thought she was safe. Then came the stomping of heavy footfalls down the aisle behind her. She looked back to see the man turning the corner and gave a startled little yelp, taking off once more. He followed just yards behind and she was so frantic in her escape that she paid little attention to where she was going. Skidding around a corner, she gave a gasp. One of the stores reading nooks sat before her, enclosed on all sides. She had trapped herself. A deep huff sounded from behind and she spun around to find the man stomping towards her, gaze angry.

“Why you little...” He growled and she backed up, almost tripping over a chair. He reached out for her, and she flinched. Just before he could make contact however, there was a blur of movement as someone moved in front of her.

“Is there some problem here?” A familiar voice drawled and she looked up in surprise, finding Gangrel coldly staring the man down, arms crossed in annoyance.

“This ain’t none of your business buddy.” The man replied, lurching forward and grabbing Robins arm, trying to pull her out from behind the older man. Like lightning, Gangrel lashed out and grabbed the man’s arm, digging in his sharp nails. The creep gave a shut of pain and let go, Gangrel twisting his wrist painfully and roughly shoving him back. He hit a shelf and knocked a few volumes loose, looking back up at them in a rage as the redhead quickly pushed Robin back behind himself.

“Oh, you wanna fight huh? Oh, I’ll give you a-!”

He suddenly cut off as a pair of hands clamped down on his shoulders, turning to find Shura and Gregor staring down at him.

“Sir, I think you need to come with us.” The older grey-haired man rumbled while Gregor watched with an unsettlingly cheery smile. Before he could even get in a single word of dispute, they had dragged him off. Robin gave a sigh, turning to the man who stood besides her shaking his head tiredly.

“Thanks for that. I might have been in trouble there if you hadn’t showed up.” She chirped and he turned to her with an annoyed glare, reaching down to flick her on the forehead.

“Yes, you would have been. Can’t you keep yourself out of trouble for more than ten minutes, you bothersome child?”

“I’m not a child.” She pouted and he rolled his eyes before walking off with a scoff. She rubbed the sore spot on her forehead, but couldn’t help but smile a bit as she watched him go. Something told her she was beginning to grow on the old man.

She whistled along to the music playing over her speaker, swaying her hips as she finished off there drinks for this morning. It was a special strong coconut brew mixed with salted-caramel sauce that she’d been wanting to try for a while. At this point, she’d just begun using the older man as a guinea pig, testing all sorts of drinks on him. So far, she hadn’t gotten any disastrously bad reactions, so things seemed to be going pretty well.

Snatching up her phone, she sauntered out into Valla, still humming quietly to herself as she slid between the quiet shelves. She made a beeline for the tragedies section as always, eager to share her most recent creation.

“Thou, nature, art my goddess; to thy law my services are bound.”

She paused when she head the voice from up ahead and peeked around the corner, spying Gangrel alone in his section, stooping to pick something out of a box. As he straightened, he spoke again.

“Wherefore should I stand in the plague of custom, and permit the curiosity of nations to deprive me.” He wondered to the empty air and she cocked her head in confusion. Was he talking to himself?

“For that I am some twelve or fourteen moon-shines lag of a brother? Why bastard? Wherefore base? When my dimensions are as well compact, my mind as generous, and my shape as true, as honest madam's issue?” He declared, pushing the books up into the awaiting spot on the shelf. As he turned away from the shelf, he began to pace back and forth, seeming to argue to the empty space in a slightly crazed way.

“Why brand they us with base? With baseness? Bastardy? Base, base? Who, in the lusty stealth of nature, take more composition and fierce quality than doth, within a dull, stale, tired bed?”

Something about the phrase clicked, and a lightbulb went off in her head as she flashed back to the literature classes she’d so long ago. He was reciting King Lear.

“Go to the creating a whole tribe of fops, got 'tween asleep and wake? Well, then, legitimate Edgar, I must have your land:”

His voice grew, fists clenching as he got more and more into the monologue.

“Our father's love is to the bastard Edmund as to the legitimate: fine word,--legitimate! Well, my legitimate, if this letter speed, and my invention thrive, Edmund the base shall top the legitimate. I grow; I prosper:”

He threw his arms out with a shout.

“Now, gods, stand up for bastards!”

He jumped a few moments later when Robin began to applaud. He spun around, his already ashen skin paling when he saw her.

“Y-You were watching?” He stuttered and she nodded vigorously.

“Of course I was watching! That was amazing!” She cheered, and he turned away sheepishly.

“Yes, well-well don’t expect to see it again.” He grumbled as he went back to his arranging. She chuckled and settled into one of the chairs, sipping her drink.

“Really though, that was impressive. History facts are one thing, but I’d never be able to memorize stuff like that. You’d make one hell of an actor.”

The man went very still and she cocked her head, an idea tickling at the back of her mind.

“Gangrel, are you an actor?”

“I’ve...dabbled.” He mumbled in reply, scowling when he looked over to see her wide grin.

“But that was quite a time ago and only ever small time support parts. Nothing to write home about.”

“Well, even small parts are something to take pride in.” She replied and he sighed, snatching the cup from her hand and collapsing into the chair next to her.

“Do you ever stop talking?”

“Not really.”

He rolled his eyes as she chuckled and took a sip. His brows furrowed a bit when it hit his tongue, quickly swallowing down the mixture and giving her a side eyed glance.

“What did I say about the sugar?”

“Oh, it’s not like your diabetic or anything. A little bit of sweets every now and then isn’t gonna hurt you.” It was her turn to roll her eyes this time, shaking her head at him. That didn’t stop a smirk from stretching across his face.

“Oh no, I know just what you’re doing. You’re trying to make me breathe my last via your sinfully sweet treats. I can see right through your ruse.”

“You really think I’m trying to kill you with sugar?”

“Oh, most certainly. And who knows what other sort of troublesome things the youth these days are capable of?” He replied with a sarcastic shrug and she snickered.

“Oh my god Gan.”

The man froze and look over at her with wide eyes.

“W-What did you just call me?” He asked and, realizing what she’d just said, she awkwardly turned to stare at the shelves.

“Um, Gan I think? I mean, you call me nicknames all the time, thought it was time to give you one.” She replied, drawing back sheepishly when he continued to stare at her.

“I mean, if that’s ok. I can stop if you want.”

“No, no, it’s fine.” He said with a sigh, turning away from her as he took another sip of the drink. She grinned, leaning over to try and get a look at his face.

“Aww, GanGan, are you embar-?”

He slapped a hand over her mouth, brows narrowed with an unamused look.

“No, enough of that. The first was bad enough.”

“Alright, Gan it is!” She chirped jovially and he smirked a bit despite himself.

“That it is.”

“Ahh! Look out!”

She jerked around to look towards the shout, only to see something huge and furry bearing down on her. It bowled into her and she hit the ground on her back, the book she’d been holding flying out of her hand. The creature panted and began to lick her, its long wet tongue pulling her bangs up into long odd spikes.

“Victor! Come back!” the voice a called again and the thing, which she now recognized as some huge breed of dog, looked back, tail wagging cheerfully before leaping off of her and lumbering away down the aisle. A flustered looking young woman ran up close behind and knelt to help her off the floor.

“Oh, I’m so sorry! He pulled out of his collar somehow and I haven’t been able to catch him.” She squeaked, clutching the escaped pets leash and collar tightly.

“No problem. Let’s just go find him before he causes any more trouble.” Robin replied, both jerking around as a shout sounded from somewhere in the literature section.

“Or maybe not.”

Together the two rushed through the shelves, skidding to a stop when they found the culprit practically laying on top of Virion, running its tongue over the struggling man’s hair.

“Victor, no! Bad dog!” His owner called, leaping towards him. She almost got her hands on the animal, but he just managed to duck out of her grasp, pausing to give them a big doggy grin before disappearing around the corner.

“Ugh, my hair!” The French lit. leader whined, making a look of disgust as he took a piece of the limp locks between his fingers.

“Just go wash it out!” Robin shouted back to him as she and the woman rounded and gave chase.

“Yes, well the bathrooms here aren’t exactly equip with blow dryers you know!” He called back in indignation. They ran around for a good several minutes, finally pausing to look around in confusion.

“Oh, where could he have gone? He knows better than to do this sort of thing.” The owner murmured, twisting the leash in her hands.

“I’m sure he’s somewhere around here.” Robin assured her.

“He can’t have gotten into too much trouble.”

“Would someone care to tell me what this creature is doing in the store?!” Gangrel suddenly cried in the distance and she sighed. The dog was trying to excitedly jump on the man when they got there, its long curling tail knocking entire rows of books off the shelf as he tried to avoid it.

“Oh good, someone finally showed up to help.” he sarcastically drawled as they appeared in the entrance of the section.

“Now would someone kindly- agh! Get off of me you slobbery beast!” He gave a cry as the dog leapt up and licked a broad strip across his cheek.

“Victor! Victor, come here!” his owner called, whistling and clapping her hands. He turned towards her and started to trot over. The instant he saw the lease in her hands though, he picked up speed and almost knocked her over as he swept between her legs, narrowly avoiding Robins lunge for him.

“Ok, this isn’t working.” The girl huffed, tucking a wet piece of bangs behind her ear.

“Gangrel, head through the music section and try to lead him to history. We’re gonna have to corner him.”

The older man rolled his eyes but complied, darting out into the rest of the bookstore as she took off ahead of him. She planted herself at the end of her section, hearing the sound of running a few minutes later and found both Gangrel and the dog rounding the corner. She squatted, holding her arms out and bracing herself. The dog barreled straight towards her and at the last moment she reached out and wrapped her hands around its neck, letting her weight drop back and bring the beast down with her. It seemed surprised to have been toppled and wriggled in her grasp till she reached up and scratched it behind the ears. At that it melted into her arms with a happy huff, tail wagging away.

“How in the world did you do that?” Gangrel asked as he walked over, eyebrow cocked in surprise.

“My family has had a lot of dogs over the years. This isn’t the first time I’ve had to stop an escapee.” She grinned as the owner rushed over and quickly pulled the collar back onto the dog.

“Victor, you’ve been very bad! Don’t go running off like that again!” She scolded and the dog hung its head sadly.

“It’s fine. He’s a Caucasian Shepard right? I’ve heard how excitable they can be.”

“Yes, yes he is. Once again I’m so sorry for all the trouble.”

“No trouble at all. These sorts of things happen.” Robin replied, trying to brush all the dog fur off herself. After several more thanks you’s the owner left and Gangrel gave a huff.

“Maybe no trouble for you, but you’re not the one who got half their selection dumped on the floor.”

“Oh, calm down you grump, I’ll come help you clean up.”

They set off back to the stores far corner, Gangrel grumping and Robin rolling her eyes the entire way. They quickly went at replacing the books on the shelves, eventually moving onto adding the new stock once they’d gotten the place back to normal. As she reached over to grab another box, Robin’s eyes spotted something laying on one of the chairs nearby. It seemed to be a book of some sort, but it was too thin and worn to be any of the ones in the redheads section, potentially not even from the store in and of itself.

“Gan? What’s this?” She asked as she reached for it. He turned to see what she was indicating too and his eyes went wide, lunging for it.

“Don’t look at that!”

She snatched it away before he could reach it hopping back out of his reach with a chuckle.

“Ooo, what sorts of secrets are you hiding from me old man?” She asked and he lunged for it again.

“Give it back!”

“Oh come on, it can’t be that...”

She trailed off as she read the title on the front. Jekyll & Hyde: The Musical

“Gangrel, is this a script?”

“What it is or is not is none of your business! Hand it over!”

She gasped in realization, twisting an arm back out of his reach as she planted a hand on his chest.

“Are you in a play?”

He stared at her for a long moment before sighing.

“Yes, I will admit, I am currently participating in a production. Now give me that!”

He finally leaned forward enough to snatch it, smoothing the cover as he turned away from her.

“What part are you?” She chirped and he rolled his eyes.

“You don’t need to know.”

“Aww come on! I just want to know which character to pay attention too when I come.”

“You are not coming.”

“Why not? I just want to see you preform.”

“No, what you want to do is sit there and giggle to yourself when silly old Gangrel inevitably botches it.” He scowled and she frowned, placing a hand on his shoulder.

“Gangrel, you’re not gonna botch anything up. And even if you did, what makes you think I would just sit there and laugh at you?”

He gazed down at her for a moment and then gave a long sigh, turning away.

“Because that’s what they’ve always done.”

His voice was quiet and melancholy when he spoke, gently pulling away from her hand and turning his back to her. He moved to one of his shelves, straitening and adjusting its contents.

“This is...a private affair of sorts. The others do not know, and I would appreciate it if it would stay that way. Now, I...I have stocking to finish. Run along back to your own section.”

She watched him sadly for a moment then hesitantly turned and walked away, not even noticing when he looked back at her.

Today had been...weird. Sure it had started out normally enough. She’d come in, prepared the shop and then went to work on she and Gangrels drinks, a marshmallow mocha this time around. (She’d turn him to the sugar side if it was the last thing she did.) But then an hour had passed and the man was nowhere to be seen. She finished her own drink, then his own as well when it began to go cold. And still no sign of the grump old man. And thus was how she found herself absent mindedly wandering circles around her section a few hours later, wondering where he could be. In the past few months she’d known him, the man hadn’t been late once. A tap on her shoulder pulled her mind back to the present and she turned to find Camilla standing behind her.

“Robin dear, could you do me a favor?” She asked, the girl giving a surprised blink in response. Normally they were the ones running to the well-endowed woman when things went wrong. What in the world could she need?

“Or course, what is it?” She asked and the manager twisted a lock of hair around her finger sheepishly.

“Well, you see, Gangrel finally came into work a bit ago, but I think there might be something wrong with him. He isn’t looking too well. Unfortunately the old grump refuses to listen to anyone. I know you two are fairly close. Could you perhaps go talk to him?”

Robin sighed and gave a nod. That certainly sounded just like him.

She didn’t realize just how serious Camilla had been though till she laid eyes on the man herself. His already normally ashen skin was pale and she could see sweat forming on his forehead. His steps were slow and unsteady as he moved back and forth along the shelves. The man did not look well in the least. In fact, he looked about one stiff breeze away from keeling over. She hesitantly stepped forward, calling out to him.

“Gangrel?”

He shakily turned towards her, eyes unfocused and blurry as he spotted her.

“Ah, little miss barista. Was wondering when I’d see you today. What no drink this morning?” He jokingly chided and she frowned.

“Um, I’m not sure if you’ve noticed, but it’s not exactly morning anymore.”

He stared at her for a moment then shrugged, turning back to his books.

“Fair enough.”

She bit her lip, moving up next to the tall man.

“Gan, are you feeling ok. You’re not looking to good.” She quietly asked and he scoffed at her words.

“You are the fifth person to ask me that today and the answer will be the same: I’m fine.”

“Gangrel, you’re very pale as a ghost and you’re sweating like we’re in a sauna. I really think that you might want to have Sakura take a look at you.” She insisted and he gave a frustrated huff.

“It’s just a bit of a cold. I’m telling you, I feel fi-“

He suddenly cut off and his eyes went wide, face blanching to a bone white. In an instant he pushed past her and took off sprinting.

“Ah, where are you going?!” She called, giving chase. She followed him as he ran full speed through the store, finally disappearing through the door of the men’s bathroom. She stopped outside and pushed the door open just a little bit, pressing her ear to the opening. She winced as she heard the sound of retching from one of the stalls. She turned to where a startled Kellam stood nearby, instructing him to go get Sakura. She patiently waited outside the door and a few minutes later it swung open, revealing a rather exhausted looking Gangrel leaning against the doorway. He stared at her for a moment then looked away sheepishly.

“Alright, perhaps I’m a bit more ill than previously though.”

She sighed and helped the weakened man to a chair nearby, frown growing even deeper when she felt the heat radiating off his skin. Sakura appeared shortly thereafter carrying a medical kit. The little doctor-in-training took his temperature and checked his pupils with a pen light, scribbling her findings down on the notepad she kept with her. After a bit she sighed and stepped back.

“Gangrel, you seem to have walking pneumonia. I think it’s past the contagious stage, so we shouldn’t have to worry about the rest of the rest of the store catching it, but you should be a home resting right now, not at work.”

“Oh come now, it can’t be that bad.” He replied, only to break into a series of racking coughs shortly thereafter.

“I hate to interrupt him on his day off, but I’m going to call Yen-Fay and have him come take you home. I don’t want you riding the train in your condition.”

“Oh come now, surely you aren’t-”

She cut him off, holding a small hand up in his face.

“No, no if, ands, or buts. You are going home. Robin, keep an eye on him.” She continued as she pulled out her phone and walked away, already dialing the man’s number. Gangrel slumped back with a sigh, tiredly closing his eyes. Robin patiently waited by his side as Sakura returned with a damp cloth and a cup of honey drenched tea to help his throat, telling them it would be a while before Yen-Fay got here. Gangrel gave a huff, mumbling his annoyance under his breath and she shook her head, walking away once more to wait for the man. Robin remained firmly planted at his side, handing him the tea as his throat started sounding hoarse and adjusting the cloth whenever it began to slip.

“You know you don’t need to stay here the whole time. I can take care of myself.” He mumbled, giving her a tired look from the corner of his eye. She gave a snorting laugh, handing him the tea when he began to cough.

“Sure, cause pneumonia is something that just happens for no reason.” She replied and her huffed grumpily.

“Well, you don’t have to be snide about it.”

She smiled softly and patted him on the arm.

“Besides, you’re my friend. I want to make sure you’re ok and if you’re not, I’ll help you any way I can.”

He sleepily cracked one eye open to star at her for a moment before giving a chuckle and leaning his head back.

“Friends, huh? How sentimental.”

“Here are your cappuccinos and a blueberry scone! Thank you for your purchase!” Robin chimed, smiling as the customer accepted their order. The instant the person had started for the door, the purple hair girl slid the book further down the counter back in front of her, reaching for her own coffee. She poured over the words in front of her as quickly as possible, trying to will her brain into memorizing them. It had been only days ago that this semesters exam dates had been announced. And, as though it were some practical joke from a cruel god, all three of them happened to land on the same day. So there was no time to waste in cramming as much information into her head as possible, even if it meant bringing her schoolbooks to work. She took another sip of her drink, the bitter expresso flaring in her nerves.

“Um, Robin?” A voice called and she turned to see Gaius standing there with a fresh batch of pastries, so good looking she was almost afraid to touch them, ready for the display case. His eyes flicked between her and the drink, growing more concerned with every passing second.

“Isn’t that you’re third Red Eye in one shift? There’s no way that’s good for you. You’ll never be able to sleep tonight.”

“That’s kinda the point.” She replied, taking another swig as she mentally recited the long list of dates she needed to remember.

“No time to sleep when you’ve got 30 chapters to memorize. I’ll just do that after exams.”

The lead confections baker sighed, shaking his head as he moved past her.

“Ok, then. But don’t blame me when you crash harder than Ricken the one time we forgot to make his mocha decaf.”

She gave a little snort of a laugh and turned back to her book, flipping through the in search of the section about ancient Italy. Why Professor Iago though that knowing about the prevalence of bread theft in Pompeii was important enough to write an essay question on, she’d never know. As her fingers skimmed over the pages, she felt a slight gap in the smoothness of the book edge. Flipping to it in curiosity, she found something tucked between the pages. Had someone slipped it in there when she wasn’t looking? It seemed to be a note and as she unfolded it something that had been sitting within it fluttered to the ground. Her eyes skimmed over the note’s curling inked words as she bent to retrieve it.

Great Escapes Stage Company

7 pm this Sunday

If you laugh, I swear to god I will poison your drink

Cocking her head in confusion at the message, she turned to the item she’d picked up. It was a long, somewhat fancy looking ticket, the name of the production emblazed upon it in curling calligraphy: Jekyll and Hyde: The Musical. She grinned, tracing her fingers over the letters. Seems like the old man finally came around. A little warning bell went off in the back of her head, telling her to read over the note again. Her eyes paused on the date and she felt her heart sink. That was the day before her exams. There’d be no way she’d be able to go and still get all her studying in before the tests. But at the same time, Gangrel was entrusting her with his secret. This was a performance she couldn’t not go to. What oh what was she supposed to do now? The door opened with a chime and she slid the book out of the way, stuffing the note and ticket into her pocket as she turned to the newcomer with a smile. She’d figure this out later, when she wasn’t in the middle of the opening rush.

At least she hoped she would.

“So baby pull me closer, in the front seat of your rover, that I know you can’t afford, bite that tattoo on your shoulder.”

Robin tapped her foot along to the music flowing from the train’s speakers, silently willing them to get to her stop faster. There was a history book open in her lap, studying even now, but little of the information seemed to be sticking at the moment. ‘Probably nerves’ she supposed. She was running dangerously close to being late after all.

She sighed as they finally called her stop, slipping the book away and quickly making her way out of the station. It took her about 7 wrong turns and the use of the GPS on her phone, but eventually she found herself standing in front of an impressive wood and stone building. The staircase up to the doors was frames by a pair of large pillars and the windows shone brightly. The buildings name was painted on a sign hung above the large mahogany doors. Great Escapes Stage Company. She looked up at it, felling hesitant for just a moment before steeling herself. She was skipping an entire night of studying, so this play better be gosh dang amazing. Taking a deep breath, she walked in.

An usher quickly noticed her when she walked in and trotted over, informing her that this was a reservation only show. She produced her ticket and after a quick check to their list they marked it, leading her to her seat. By some chance of luck it turned out to be the perfect spot, close enough the stage that she’d be able to make out every tiny detail, but just far back enough that she wouldn’t have to turn to see everything. The lights went low and a spotlight appeared onstage, the director stepping out to say a few words. He thanked the actors who had worked so hard, as well as the audience who had come to see them. Robin stopped paying attention about halfway through, focus only returning as the curtains opened. A man stood partially turned away from them, writing in a journal that lay on a desk nearby. He spoke as he wrote, voice calm and low.

“In each of us there are two natures. If this primitive duality of man, good and evil, can be housed in separate identities, life will be relieved of all that is unbearable. It is the curse of mankind that these polar twins should be constantly struggling...”

He finished writing and closed the journal, giving a long contemplative sigh. He turned towards the audience and Robin froze when she saw his face.

Gangrel

His hair was slicked back and tied in a low short ponytail, eyes glittering as he tugged a pocket watch from the pocket of his well-tailored waistcoat and checked the time. There was the sound of a door opening and a nurse strode in from offstage, pushing a wheelchair bearing a patient. He greeted them with a soft smile and Robin could practically feel her brain shutting down. In the few months she’d known him now, she’d never seen him this way. His general attitude towards the world was usually one of grumpiness and at best of dark, occasionally self-deprecating, mischievousness. She had never seen anything beyond a smirk on his features and now here he was conversing calmly with a mental patient whist wearing the warmest of expression. He barely looked like the same person. And speaking of, he looked...handsome. Extremely handsome. The man cleaned up like a damn model and she couldn’t help but blush just the tiniest bit. It also certainly didn’t help when a few moments later he began to sing in a rich smooth baritone.

At this point it occurred to the girl that the man was playing the titular character himself and suddenly became much more interested. As the scenes went by, she discovered that the man had vastly downplayed his acting abilities in their chats. The level of his skill was paramount and she slowly felt herself being draw into the drama and mystery of the story. It wasn’t till about halfway through the play though that things really kicked into gear.

Gangrel, or Jekyll she supposed right now, stood before a long table, mixing ingredients and loading the bright red result into a syringe. He stared at it, giving a huff as he reached down to write in his journal.

“September 13, 11:56 pm. I have started this alone, and I must finish it alone. There is no longer a choice. I know that I must use myself as the subject of the experiment.”

He rolled up his sleeve and, with a deep breath, jammed it into his vein. He pulled it free and, holding a wad of cotton to the wound, turned to his notebook.

“September 13, 11:58 pm. It is done. I have injected 10 centiliters of the newly fused formula HJ 7. Pulse rate increasing.”

He cleared his throat a bit, giving a hard swallow.

“In my mouth a salty, bitter taste that stings the tongue. Warm in the gullet.”

Taking a step he seemed to stumble, leaning back against the table for support before he could fall.

“Light-headedness. Heat spreading strongly through my veins. A slight feeling of...euphoria.”

A dopey smile spread across his face and he gave a little giggle before shaking his head to clear his senses.

“No noticeable behavioral differences.”

Sighing once more, he moved to pace the length of the table as he sung.

“Now the die is cast. Nothing left to do. Time alone can prove my theories true. Show the world...”

He suddenly paused, pressing his hand to his chest with a look of surprise.

“My god, what’s this?”

He winced, hand fisting in his shirt as his shoulders hunched a bit.

“Something is happening, I can’t explain. Something inside me, a breathtaking pain! Devours and consumes me and drives me insane!”

His knees suddenly buckled and he hit the stage with a bang that made half to audience jump. He began shake and spasming with a scream, writhing on the wooden floor in anguish.

“Suddenly! Uncontrolled! Something is...taking hold! Suddenly! Agony! Filling me! Killing me! Suddenly! Out of breath! What is this! Is this Death!?”

Curling in on himself, his voice slowly became deeper and more guttural.

“Suddenly...look at me...can it be?...Who is this...creature...that...I...see?”

He slowly looked up directly at Robin and their eyes met, a wide almost predatory grin spreading across his lips. Her heart thumped heavily in her chest at the sight, practically stealing the breath from her lungs. His now loose hair fell into and around his face in a tangled mane, his eyes wild but focused. He had been handsome before but now...whew boy...

“Free...!!!” He growled, his voice practically reverberating in her bones, and then leaned back his head to let out an uproarious cackle, far more similar to what she was normally used to, but at the same time so incredibly different. He looked down at himself in marvel, twisting and turning in glee as though he’d never seen himself before. Perhaps he hadn’t, at least not in this form. Grin still plastered on his face, he began to sing.

“What is this feeling of power and drive, I’ve never know? I feel alive! Where does this feeling of power derive, making me know why I’m alive. Like the night, it’s a secret, sinister dark and unknown. I don’t know what I seek, yet I’ll seek it alone!”

He ran to the nearby coat rack and snatched the dark duster and top hat that lay there, whisking them on over his ruffled clothing and making a dash for the zig-zagging staircase that made up another part of the set. As he climbed, the desk below slid back into the darkness and the stairs pressed forward, hitting the front of the stage just in time for him to leap onto a roof set piece high above them.

“I have a thirst that I cannot deprive! Never have I, felt so alive! There is no battle I couldn’t survive – feeling like this- feeling alive! Like the moon, an enigma, lost and alone in the night. Damned by some heavenly stigma, but blazing with light!”

He jumped to the next roof portion and she practically felt her heart stop for a moment before he touched down lightly.

“It’s the feeling of being alive! Filled with evil, but truly alive! It’s a truth that cannot be denied! It’s the feeling of being Edward Hyde!!”

He threw his arms out triumphantly with another laugh that could only be described as one of twisted glee and another shiver ran through her. Well, if she had been interested before, now she was downright mesmerized.

She was on the edge of her seat the rest of the play, flinching at each of Hyde’s acts of villainy and growing just the tiniest bit teary eyed over Jekyll’s increasing distress over the situation. Finally, after many deaths and many more songs, Hyde stood in his darkened lab once more, surrounded by broken, disrepaired lab equipment and a large mirror sitting in the corner. He slumped against the desk, mirror reflecting his back as he gazed sadly at the spilled chemicals before him.

“It’s over now, I know inside. No one will ever know, the sorry tale of Edward Hyde and those who died. No one must ever know. They’d only see the tragedy, they’d not see my intent. The shadow of Hyde’s evil would forever kill the good that I had meant.”

Slowly he turned and slid to the floor, back pressed to the desk as he looked skyward.

“Am I a good man?... Am I a mad man?... It’s such a fine line between a good man and a...”

From the side there was a flicker of movement and she turned to the mirror, gasping when she saw his reflection slowly stand, a twisted smile painted across its face.

“Did you really think that I would ever let you go?”

Jekyll’s head snapped up to look and, though the man’s lips weren’t moving, she could see the bulge of his throat shift as Hyde spoke again.

“Do you think I’d ever set you free? If you do, I’m sad to say, it simply isn’t so. You will never get away from me.”

Jekyll leapt to his feet, expression simultaneously fierce and scared as he strode up to the mirror with a shout.

“All that you are is a face in the mirror! I close my eyes and you disappear!”

Hyde acted almost pleased by the answer, seeming to lean closer to the man with a crazed expression.

“I’m what you face when you face in the mirror! Long as you live I will still be here!”

“All that you are is the end of a nightmare, all that you are is a dying scream! After tonight I shall end this demon dream!”

The man startled as the desk was abruptly yanked back into the mist covering the stage, the revolver that had been sitting on it clattering to the floor as more large mirrors appearing all around him.

“This is not a dream my friend and it will never end! This one is the nightmare that goes on! Hyde is here to stay no matter what you may pretend! And I’ll flourish long after you’re gone!”

In a panic, Jekyll began to run between the mirrors, but Hyde followed, appearing in each as the man passed with a cry.

“Soon you will die and my memory will hide you! You cannot choose but to lose control!”

“You can’t control me I live deep inside you! Each day you’ll feel me devour your soul!”

“I don’t need you to survive like you need me! I’ll become whole while you dance with death! And I’ll rejoice as you breathe your final breath!”

He gave a cry, clutching his head as he rapidly switched between personas, waging a mental war against himself. He stumbled back to the original mirror, scooping the revolver off the ground and pointing it toward the reflection. He pulled the trigger and the weapon gave a loud click, the round catching in the chamber. He gave a frustrated shout, throwing his arms out.

“Damn you Hyde! Leave me be!” He screamed and the madman grinned even wider.

“Can’t you see? You are me!”

Jekyll gave a little sob, shaking his head.

“No! Deep inside-!”

He jumped as Hyde slammed his hands against the inside of the glass with a snarl.

“I am you! YOU ARE HYDE!”

“No, never!”

“YES, FOREVER!”

The doctor shook, his hatred towards his other aspect visually boiling over.

“Damn you Hyde! Take all your evil deeds and rot in hell!”

The man threw the revolver at the mirror and if fractured, splitting Hyde’s laughing image into many fragments.

“I’LL SEE YOU THERE JEKYLL!”

With that, the mirror exploded, knocking Jekyll to the round and showering him with glass as the stage went black. There was a moment of silence, then the audience broke into applause. Robin joined in, mouth agape in shock and awe. She barely remembered the next few scenes besides the painful clench of her heart as Jekyll ran himself through on his friend’s sword, freeing the world of Hyde’s presence forever. He slowly collapsed to the stage, bleeding out as his wife-to-be wept over him. The curtains drew closed, reopening after a bit as the curtain call began to feverish applause. Finally, Gangrel stepped onstage to a standing ovation. He bowed low with a smirk, eyes immediately finding Robin as he straightened back up. He grinned cheekily at her and she smiled back as the curtains closed. Leaping to her feet she rushed from the auditorium and, after a quick word with one of the ushers, was led backstage. She weaved through the actors that milled around, some giving her the occasional curious glance as she darted past. She stretched up on her tiptoes to look above the crowd, finally spotting a shock of red hair in a secluded corner. He was in the middle of shucking off his bloodstained waistcoat when she reached him, undoing the buttons of his shirt to remove the spend squib taped to his stomach.

“Dr. Jekyll?” She chimed jokingly and he glanced over at her with an annoyed frown, his eyes lighting up when he realized who it was.

“Heh, so little miss “Exams are coming” decided to grace us with her presence. How sweet.” He smirked, leaning back against the wall. His words were sarcastic, but with an undertone of fondness and she rolled her eyes.

“Yes, hardy har har. Robin is worried about her grades. That’s rich coming from as big a liar as you. “Just a small time support” my ass. That was some Broadway level skills up there.”

His smile faltered, expression morphing to one of surprise.

“W-What? You think that they’re... you’re not just playing a joke on this poor old man, are you?”

He narrowed his eyes at her skeptically and she gave an affectionate little huff, putting a hand on his arm.

“Gan, have you ever known me to lie to you? Yes, I really do think you’re an amazing actor. The performance was incredible. Oh, right!”

She dug into her bag, carefully pulling out a long bundle.

“I brought you these.”

She handed it to him and his eyes went wide. It was a small bouquet of bright orange and blue orchids, tied with a ribbon and stuffed into a little vial of water to keep them alive. He brushed his fingers over the soft petals and for just a moment that smile was back, soft and caring. Then the smirk returned, and he looked up at her with an eyebrow cocked.

“You do realize that that orchids are a symbol of love right?”

Robin’s brain practically burst a gasket, the mental warning bell going off as she gaped at him, struggling between the decisions to snatch them back or just simply running for her life. He grinned as she stood there floundering, leaning down with a coy look on his face.

“Why, little miss barista, are you trying to tell me something?”

“S-Shut up!” She squeaked and he let out a cackle, head thrown back as he clutched his prize. She puffed up in indignation.

“Well then, how’s the one laughing at who now? If that’s how you’re gonna react to someone giving you something, then I’ll just go home. I have studying to do anyway.”

She turned on her heel and had only gotten a few steps when his hand closed over her shoulder. His expression was one of seriousness when she glanced back.

“No, I’ll walk you home.”

It was her turn to cock an eyebrow, regarding him in mild confusion.

“What? Gan, my apartment’s like 10 blocks from here. I don’t need you to walk me.” She questioned, and he shook his head.

“No, we both know how much of a trouble magnet you can be and it’s nearly 10:30. I’d feel far more comfortable if I walked you there. Give me a few minutes to gather my things.”

She was surprised by the utter sincerity in his voice and gaze, taken aback a bit.

“A-Alright then.” She replied, nodding. As her head came up her eyes skimmed over his torso and she realized he was still shirtless. Cheeks growing warm, she looked away with a cough.

“Just, uh, go get dressed first.”

He glanced down and in the dim light she thought she saw his ashy skin flush for just a moment before he hurried away. He returned a few minutes later fully clothed and they set out. The streets were quiet and practically empty as they strolled along. There was an awkward silence between them, both trying to look anywhere but the other person. Finally it became too much for her and Robin spoke.

“Um, how did they do the mirror scene? Like, with the moving reflection and all?”

He glanced over at her and gave a little hum, smirking.

“Oh, is someone interested in the art of the backstage?” He teased and she rolled her eyes.

“Just answer the question Gangrel.” She huffed and he snickered, the air sufficiently broken.

“There’s projectors mounted into the frames of each the mirrors. It plays a recording we’d done of me ahead of time. They were programed to each start playing at a specific time as I moved past them.”

He gave an exhausted huff, rolling his eyes.

“I won’t even go into how many years that blocking took off my life. It had to be precise down to the second, or the timing of the entire thing would go to hell. Not to mention the fact that we came about two inches from killing a stage tech with that exploding mirror. Damn thing didn’t shatter properly during rehearsal and instead of fragments the kid almost took a chunk of it to the face.”

She winced at the image and cleared her throat, changing the subject.

“So then, how did you do the voice thing with the reflections? That wasn’t a recording.”

“I believe the correct term is throwing your voice, and it’s actually quite easy to learn, even for a novice such as yourself.” He replied with a smug grin.

“Well sweet miss, seems we’ve found yourself in the wrong place at the wrong time. How unfortunate.” A deep voice growled right behind her ear and she whipped around to find no one there. She turned back to the redhead with a glare and he snickered.

“Not funny Gangrel. You almost gave me a heart attack.”

“Yes, but you are impressed. This mangy old dog knows a few tricks.”

She scoffed at the reply, rolling her eyes.

“Well then, mangy dog, got anything else to complain about?” She drawled and he gave a sharp “ha!”

“Oh, don’t even get me started on not being able to wear a line because of those stairs. I nearly broke my leg when I fell off those damned roofs.”

His banter continued all the way to the door of her building and he paused as she stopped, looking up at the structure.

“Hmm, so this is where the little barista lives. Nice find.” He hummed and she scratched the back of her head.

“Um, thanks. I, uh, I guess I’ll see you later. Good night.”

She turned to walk into the building, stopping when a hand wrapped around her wrist. Glancing back, she found Gangrel looking away sheepishly, voice barely above a whisper when he spoke.

“I appreciate it.”

“What was that?” She asked and he stared at the ground, voice a bit louder.

“I appreciate it. The gift. And uh, you coming. It was nice to have someone to act for for once.”

Robin smiled, letting his hand slid down into her own and squeezing gently.

“Any time you need me.”

She slipped her hand free and started for the door.

“Thank you my dear.”

She glanced back to the soft voice, grinning when she saw him avert his eyes.

“An honest to goodness thank you? That doesn’t sound like the grumpy old man I know. Almost though it was someone else for a moment.” She chuckled and, with a little wave, moved into the building.

He let out a breath, voice low and husky when he spoke.

“For a moment, it almost was.”

“Good afternoon everybody. Hey babe.” Niles greeted them as he swept into the café, leaning down to plant a kiss on Kamui’s cheek as he tied on his apron. He was echoed by a chorus of greetings, pausing and turning when one voice remained silent.

“Um, Robin, are you ok? You’re not lookin so hot.”

The girl seemed to snap out of her daze and looked up at him. She had been sitting partially slumped on one of the stools, but now she straightened and gave him a grin.

“Yeah, I’m fine. Just a little tired from exams. I’ll be up and at ’em in a sec.” She replied, taking a sip of her drink. As he gave a nod and turned away, she let out a silent sigh. Well that had been a bold faced lie if she’d ever said one. She was outright exhausted, having not gotten a minute of sleep in the last 3 days. While she certainly hadn’t regretted going to the play last night, it had taken a significant bite out of her studying time and in retaliation she had hit the books for the next 8 hours straight, only stopping once the exams themselves kicked in. She was honestly surprised she was conscious right now and any attempts she had tried to rectify the situation, including the double shot expresso in her hand, had proved futile.

Trying not to let her legs shake as she stood, she started off into Valla, weaving through the shelves till she reached her post in the history section. The new delivery was sitting beside the shelf and she began to slowly unload it, struggling to lift even small piles of the thick volumes in order to put them on the shelf. Finishing with the upper shelves, she crouched to reach the bottom, a wave of dizziness sweeping over her from the sudden change in equilibrium. She leaned sideways against the shelf to steady herself, feeling the strength slowly go out of her, and she closed her eyes, trying to combat the dizziness. Just few moment to rest, then she’d up and about again...

...

A soft voice met her ears, pulling her distant mind back from the darkness.

“Have I become my work, and nothing more? I know that’s not what I’m living for...”

She listened happily to the smooth singing, snuggling deeper into the soft warmth bundled around her. It was said soft warmth that sparked her curiosity. She hadn’t been wearing a jacket or anything, so where was it coming from? With a struggle, she managed to open her eyes, blinking to try and clear her vision. She seemed to be in the bookstore, but this definitely wasn’t her section. Currently, she was curled up in one of the stores cushy armchairs, a few soft fleece blankets tucked around her. Mustering what little strength she had, she lifted her head and looked around. A cup of tea and a bottle of Advil sat on the little side table beside her and as she sleepily stared at them, the voice sang out again.

“Who are they to judge what I’m doing? They know nothing of the possibilities I see.”

Suddenly recognizing the area as the Tragedies section, she glanced over to find Gangrel siting in the chair behind her, quietly singing to the open air as he wrote up a list of new orders.

“Gan...” She mumbled and he quickly looked over at her, smirking when he found her blurrily staring back.

“Ah, so Sleeping Beauty awakens at last. Took you look enough.”

“W-What happened? How did I get here?” She asked, groggily rubbing a hand over her face. He frowned, giving a huff.

“What happened was that you passed out in the History section and Gregor had to carry over here.”

He rolled his eyes in frustration and leaned over, smacking her on the head a bit harder than perhaps necessary with his notebook.

“Sakura looked you over and said you ‘were showing acute signs of exhaustion, along with undernutrition and dehydration from an overabundance of caffeine in your system’. In simpler words, you haven’t slept in god knows how long and were trying to use coffee to keep yourself awake. What the hell were you thinking, coming into work like that?” He growled and she looked away sheepishly.

“I-I needed to pay for next semesters classes in a few weeks, and I didn’t want to lose today’s pay in case they ended up being more than I expected. I just though...”

He gave a long sigh as she trailed off, slumping back in his chair.

“You didn’t think, that’s the point. You could have gotten seriously sick if you had kept this up much longer. As it is, you’re gonna have one hell of a headache when that caffeine finally works its way out of your system. You’re lucky your body gave out when it did.”

“Sorry...” She mumbled and they sat there in silence for a few long minutes. As though he were one to talk. He’d done the exact same not long before. The girl finally clearing her throat to break the silence.

“So, how long was I out for?”

“About an hour since we found you.”

Robin groaned, moving to untangle herself from the blankets.

“Crap, I need to get back to my section and-“

She was cut off as Gangrel put a hand on her shoulder and pushed her back down.

“Oh no you don’t. You’re going to stay right here, drink your tea and get some more sleep. Doctor’s orders.”

“But Gan-!”

This time he gripped the top of her head and forcefully stuffed her back into the nest of blankets.

“No. Rest.”

She grumbled and snuggled deeper into the blanket pile, reaching out for the tea on the table. It was warm and sweet, tasting of raspberry and what was probably chamomile.

“So, did the others just sorta dump me over here or something?”

“No, I volunteered. Not many people come back this far and while I don’t know how deep of a sleeper you are, but it’s probably easier to do so when there isn’t a gaggle of people milling around nearby. Also, the customers might wonder if they saw an employee passed out in the middle of the store.” He replied simply and she smiled just a bit into her cup as he went back to his list. They sat there in a much more comfortable silence as he turned back to his book and she continued sipping at her drink. After a bit she gave a wide yawn and, setting her mug back on the table, nestled down, shifting so she was laying in the chair with her head resting on the arm. She relaxed, waiting for the drowsiness and tea to take over. And yet oblivion never came. She balanced right in the edge between sleep and waking for a good ten minutes, shuffling about in irritability as she tried to find the most comfortable spot. She gave a frustrated sigh, face half in and half out of the blankets. Drowsily, her eyes drifted over to Gangrel and she gave a quiet mumble.

“...Gan?”

“Hmm?” he hummed in reply, not looking up from his list.

“...Could you sing for me?”

He paused at this and glanced over, meeting where her eyes peeked up over the edge of the blanket, and gave a chuckle, shaking his head.

“Needy girl.”

He looked back to his list and she closed her eyes as his quiet voice drifted over them.

“No more talk of darkness, forget these wide-eyed fears. I’m here, nothing can harm you, my words will warm and calm you...”

As she drifted off, she could have sworn she felt to brush of lips against the crown of her head.

Whoever had invented this holiday was a complete and utter idiot, Robin decided as the 4th giggling couple today jostled her, nearly spilling the drink she was holding onto the ground. She glared after them, biting back her rage and continuing on to give Keaton his hot chocolate, handing it to them with a forced smile. The man gave her a sympathetic look and she gave a long sigh as she turned way. She had ever even heard of ‘False Confession Day’ before a few days ago, but god did this city seem to be known for it. Anyplace else, the day would probably be one of tragedy, full of malicious pranks and heartbreak. But not here, oh no. This city was prepped and primed to fight back against the weird holiday with as much love and ooey-gooey affection as it could muster, essentially transforming it into a secondary Valentine’s Day. She was beginning to regret not objecting to Camilla’s suggestion to have a sale to celebrate the ridiculous thing.

Another couple crashed into her from behind and she stumbled forward into a table, lucky not to crash into anyone in the crowded store. She gave a low angry growl, hands tightening on the edge of the table till her knuckles turned white, tying with all her might not to turn around and smack someone. She felt someone lean over next to her seeing a lock of Anna’s hair drift into view.

“You want me to take over and you go chill in Valla for a while?” She whispered and Robin gave a stiff nod.

“Well then, get going.” She replied, giving Robin a little hip bump to urge her along. The purple haired girl fled as fast as she could, whisking her apron off as she went. She stomped thought the store, couples shying away from her as she stared daggers at the carpet. It wasn’t till a flash of red caught the corner of her eye that she paused. She looked over, surprised to find a certain grumpy man, slouched in a chair on the edge of the self-help section. A copy of Much Ado About Nothing was clenched on his hands and he stared adamantly at it, seeming determined to ignore what was going on around him. Her frustration was temporarily averted as she stared questioningly at him. Gangrel rarely ventured from his own section if he didn’t have to, never even coming over to visit the café, so to see him someplace as foreign from his own collection as the self-help section was a mysterious event indeed. His gaze flicked up to her as she walked over, an even deeper furrow forming in his brows.

“Please tell me you aren’t involved in all this foolish romantic flaunting as well.”

She gave a sharp “ha!” and collapsed in the chair beside him.

“Not on your life.”

The older man slumped in relief, tucking a bookmark into the pages of his play.

“Oh thank god there’s at least one other sane person in this place today.”

“So, what are you doing over here anyway? Normally you’re pretty much a hermit.”

The man gave a sigh and riffled around in the bag under his chair.

“For some inane reason all these love-struck fools seem to think Romeo and Juliet make good romantic role models. I’ve had to deal with no less that 30 of those buffoons in the last hour. Let’s just say I finally had enough. If they want to coo and swoon over a bad example of romance that badly, they can do it by themselves.”

With a flourish he produced a sizable box and held it out to her.

“Would you like one?”

Robin flipped the lid open, cocking an eyebrow at the contents.

“Sure, but why do you have a giant box of macarons?” She asked as she fished a few of the pastries out. The man gave long suffering sigh, settling the box on the table between them and snatching one out for himself.

“A gift from my oh so dear sister. And a not so subtle hint that she wants me to “get out there”. Personally I think she should just mind her own business and stop sticking her nose into my private life. It’s not like they’d do me any good anyway.” He took an indignant bite out of the treat and Robin chuckled.

“Oh come on, a charming suitor like yourself must have plenty of admirers plying for your attention.”

He looked over with a very dead-pan look, eyes half lidded in amusement.

“First of all, no. And secondly, that’s not the dilemma.”

Robin blinked as his words processed in her head, then gave a little “ah”, going back to nibbling her macaroon. Smirking at her sudden silence, he leaned over.

“Well, since a certain someone seems so interested in prying into this mongrel’s love-life, it’s only fair that I do the same. So, does our little barista have anyone special hiding in the shadows?”

Robin gave a shrug, snatch another cookie from the box.

“Not really. Never been all that interested to tell the truth.”

Gangrel looked over in mild surprise, then settled back in his chair with a bemused expression.

“Well, seems we’re two peas in the proverbial pod.”

The two winced as a couple scurried past, practically glued at the hip. They were staring at each other like a couple of love-struck puppies and giggled loudly over some inside joke as they disappeared further into the store. Robin gave a long clenched exhale, pinching the bridge of her nose.

“You know, normally this wouldn’t bother me. I might not be that interested in it myself, but I’ve never had a problem with people being romance. Hell, I actually kinda like Valentine’s Day. I think its endearing, if a bit overbearing. But this is just plain stupid. What purpose does a holiday like this even have? As a practice run for actually asking people out? If you like somebody, just come out and say it.” She vented, Gangrel quiet beside her.

“Little miss barista...”

A hand suddenly came to rest over hers and she turned in surprise to find him very close, staring at her earnestly.

“I love you.”

There was a long moment of silence and then the girls head dropped down against her chest with a snorting laugh.

“Oh god, that was so good! You actually almost had me for a second there!” She snickered and he leaned back with a smirk, resting his jaw on his fist with a jokingly disappointed look.

“Oh, and just when I thought I might stump you.”

The girl sat up with a giggle, looking at him in amusement.

“Alright, alright, I concede. I guess it can be kind of funny, granted that you know it’s only in jest.”

He gave a little shrug of agreement and she glanced at her watch, giving a sigh.

“I should probably head back over to the café now. With a crowd like this, they need the extra help.” She stood grinning back at him.

“Hey, at least you can tell your sister you shared her gift with somebody. That should satisfy her nagging a bit.”

He gave an exasperated huff, shooing her.

“Oh would you just get going you bothersome child.”

She chuckled and he watched her back as she walked off, the jokingly annoyed look on his face falling. He fished the receipt he’d received this morning out of his pocket staring at it thoughtfully. Delivery for pick up: 2 dozen freshly made macaroons. He sighed, tucking it away and rubbing a hand tiredly over his eyes.

“Yes...in jest...”

Rattle, rattle...Tap tap tap

Robin turned curiously towards the noise, eyes widening when she found Kamui pressed up against the glass of the front door, looking in at her.

“Robin, I forgot my key. Please let me iiiiiin!” She pleaded, slumping against the transparent wall in a humorously depressed manner. Robin chuckled and leapt over the counter, keys jingling as she pulled them out of her pocket. She’d been keeping the doors locked through set-up ever since a group of soccer moms had invaded one morning an hour before open.

“I don’t think I’ve ever seen you here early before.” She chirped as she let the younger girl in, the brunette walking over and slumping into one of the chairs.

“Yeah, well I woke up at like 5 and couldn’t get back to sleep. Since everybody else was still asleep, and I’m pretty sure they would kick my butt if I woke them up, I just decided to come in ahead of time.” The girl replied, giving a little wave of her hand as she laid her head on the counter.

“Seems like someone’s not much of an early bird. Want a drink?” Robin asked, chuckling when the younger girl gave a sleepy nod. She got to work, moving her and Gangrels drinks onto the counter so they’d be out of the way. Kamui turned to stare at them, eyes narrowed.

“Are those both for you? Didn’t sis tell you to take it easy on the caffeine?”

Robin sighed, rolling her eyes. After her little exhaustion incident about a month back, both shops teams had limited her two caffeinated drinks a day max, a rule they’d been enforcing very strictly since.

“Those are for me and Gangrel. It’s a nice Irish brew I figured out a while back. You wanna try it?”

The younger girl looked over at her, seeming as though something wasn’t quite inning up in her mind.

“What?”

“Oh don’t worry, its non-alcoholic. The whiskey is replaced with a flavored creamer. I’m not getting us drunk this early in the day. Wait, are you even old enough to drink?” The purple haired girl asked and Kamui waved the question away.

“No not that. What do you mean it’s for Gangrel?”

“Oh, he and I have been having drinks. Guess I never really mentioned it to anybody.”

The younger girl stared, confusion painted thick across her face.

“Robin, Gangrel doesn’t drink coffee.”

Now it was the older girl froze, pausing in her drink making to slowly turn to look wide eyed at the younger.

“W-What? Are you sure?”

“Yeah, he hates the stuff. Has since the day I meet him.”

A thousand thoughts ran through the Robins head. She’d been having drinks with the man for months, and he had never once complained about anything beyond the sugar content of any given beverage. Had he been lying this entire time? Had he really been despising her creations? No, she knew him better than that. If he’d had a problem, he would have come out and said it.

“Robin?”

She was pulled from her thoughts by Kamui’s voice and turned to see the girl cocking her head in curiosity.

“Are you ok?”

“Y-Yeah, yeah fine.” The older girl continued, shaking her head hesitantly.

“Just...just thinking about some stuff. Lemme finish making you something.”

She turned away from the baffled younger girl, only one though on her mind as her hands flickered over the ingredients.

Why?

...

“Hmm?” Gangrel hummed, brow quirking as the drink hit his tongue. It was still warm and delicious, but something was off. He glanced over at the girl a bit down the row from him, currently stacking Greek history books on the shelf. For some reason he’d chosen those morning of all of them to actually help her in her own section for once, and it had taken them several minutes of organizing for him to actually take a sip of his beverage.

“Perhaps it’s just my senses finally failing me, but I don’t believe this is coffee.” He voiced out loud and she paused for a moment.

“I-I just wanted to try out something different this morning. It’s spiced apple milk tea.” She replied, gaze focused on the shelf. He gave a little snicker, reaching down for another book as he smirked.

“What, did you think all the caffeine was going to do me in? Sorry my dear, but it's going to take a lot more than that to take down this old fart.” He declared and she went still beside him.

“...Kamui told me you don't like coffee.”

Her voice was quiet when she spoke and he shrugged, not even looking up from his organizing.

“Well, she's not wrong. I'm never been fond of that black swill you call a drink.”

There was a whirl of movement as she turned to him, fists clenched with a cry.

“Then why did you drink it every time I brought it to you?!”

He paused, slowly turning towards her as a scowl creased his face. He set his drink on the shelf and slowly moved towards her, the girl stepping back instinctively as he drew close. For a moment he seemed to almost tower over her, casting her into his shadow as the two stood practically chest to chest. Then he leaned down close to her face and she flinched as he flicked her on the forehead and spoke.

“Now listen and let's see if we can get this through that thick skull. I don't like coffee. I like your coffee.”

He straightened and turned on his heel, giving a little wave and call over his shoulder.

“Now come along, foolish girl, we have a lot of work to do.”

With that he plucked up his drink and one of the delivery boxes, disappearing around the corner as she stood there dumbfounded. He drank it because it was hers? He liked it because it was hers? A wide grin speak across her face as she thought about it. He liked her drinks. Something about the idea made her happy, very very happy. A warm fuzzy feeling settled in her stomach and she chuckled just a bit to herself, settling a hand against her chest.

She suddenly became aware of the thudding beneath her palm and looked down questioningly. Her heart was pounding steady and hard in her chest, almost abnormally so. Odd. It wasn’t like she’d been running or anything, and lifting boxes wasn’t exactly something that normally raised her heartbeat. Was she having an allergic reaction or something?

Another idea flickered through her mind, another explanation. A realization. Her eyes went wide, cheeks blushing a deep red as she stared down at her tell-tale heart.

Oh.

Oh no.

“Alright, that’s gonna be a caramel macchiato, venti iced mocha and- Robin, watch it!”

Niles voice cut through her foggy thoughts a split second before the scalding liquid poured over her hand. She let out a cry and dropped the metal coffee pot, immediately turning and throwing open the door to the kitchen. Lissa, Gaius and Lon’Qu all jumped and whirled around in surprise as it slammed open and she sprinted past them. She darted to the sink and threw on the faucet, thrusting the stopper in and dunking her hand into the cold water.

“What happened!?” Lissa asked as the two cooks ran up to her, the third hesitantly hanging back to watch.

“I just got distracted and spilled some coffee on myself. It should be fine. I don’t think I got myself too bad.” She replied, waving away their worries. Hesitantly they went back to their work, glancing over at her occasionally. She let her hand sit in the water for a while more before withdrawing it with a wince. The skin was red and a little bit puffy, but it didn’t seem like there was any long lasting damage. Carefully drying it, she ventured back out into the main part of the café to find the others waiting for her, Dwyer holding a fist aid kit. He gestured to one of the counters stools and she hopped up, allowing him to gently take her hand.

“You’ve been distracted all morning. Is there something bothering you?” The lead barista asked, carefully treating her hand as the rest of the staff and regulars looked at her in concern. She gave a little awkward smile and waved dismissively.

“Nah, I’m fine. I think the caffeine withdrawal is just getting to me a bit.” She replied, trying to keep back the nervous chuckle building in the back of her throat. In truth, she hadn’t been able to keep a certain red-head out of her thoughts since their conversation a few days back. The realization that she feel something deeper than friendship from the man, while not unwelcome, had brought with it a whole slew of new dilemmas, ranging from her heart pounding so hard that she thought it might escape her chest to the flush that threatened to crawl across her face every time her thoughts turned to him. Honestly she had no idea what she was going to do about this.

“Maybe it has to do with the whole thing involving Gangrel the other day.” Kamui pipped up and Robin felt herself stiffen as the others turned towards the girl in curiosity. It was just like the younger barista to let something like that spill.

“What about Gangrel?” Niles asked and his girlfriend tapped her chin thoughtfully.

“Well, a few days back Robin mentioned the two of them had been having coffee together in the mornings.”

“Coffee? But that old grump hates coffee.” Charlotte replied, curls bouncing as she tilted her head.

“Well, he likes mine.” Robin mumbled under her breath, feeling a little flair of pride in her chest. The man had actually praised her latest drink (the same brew she had intended to give him the other day before all the tea business) pretty heavily. Turns out he actually had quite a taste for Irish whiskey. Granted, she had had to dig her nails into her hand in order to keep a fierce blush from appearing on her cheeks at his words, but it had still been a very happy event for her. Unfortunately, she seemed to have forgotten that Niles, who had come and perched on the stool beside her as he spoke, was notorious for having almost supernaturally good hearing. As the words left her mouth, he tilted his head towards her, the edges of his mouth twitching upwards just a hint.

“What was that you said?” He asked and she froze, mouth clamping tight as the others turned to look at her.

“I-I didn’t say anything.” She stuttered and he grinned wider.

“Are you sure? Cause that sounded a lot like “He likes mine”.

“Wait, he actually likes the stuff you bring him?” Ingo asked, eyes wide with surprise and Robin shifted about awkwardly, using her free hand to fiddle with a lock of hair.

“Well, I mean, he hasn’t thrown them out or anything. I wouldn’t necessarily say that means he likes them. He’s probably just been doing it so as not to hurt my feelings or something.”

“No, we all know that old man. If he doesn’t like something, he’s gonna tell ya. Which means you must have been doing something to impress him. How long have you two been keeping this up?”

“A few months. It’s just coffee between friends, nothing to freak out about.”

“I don’t know, you’ve been acting pretty flustered around him the last few days.” Niles replied with a knowing smirk. Robins gaze remained glued firmly to the floor and, despite her best efforts, a bright red flush slowly trickled up over her face and ears. There was a pause and then a chorus of excited shouts from various people rang out.

“You like him don’t you!?” Kamui cried and Robin’s embarrassed lack of response was all the answer the girl needed.

“Oh my god, I gotta go tell him!”

“No, no you don’t!” Robin squeaked, reaching out and wrapping her arms around the younger girl as she ran past, stopping her in her tracks.

“No one is telling him anything!”

“But how is he ever gonna find out if we don’t tell him?”

“He’s not, that’s the point! Stop squirming!”

“Is there a problem over here?”

The group looked up to see Takumi standing in one of the Valla entrances, watching them in confusion.

“Robin-!” Kamui began, only to have the older girl quickly clamp her bandaged hand over the smaller’s mouth, wincing at the twinge of pain it sent up her wrist.

“We’re fine, everything’s fine. Nothing to worry about. Please, for the love of god Takumi, just move on.” She cheerfully pleaded and the silver haired man cocked an eyebrow in bewilderment before trusting his better judgement and walking off. She gave a sigh and turned with a glare to the girl still trapped in her arms.

“If you promise not go running off, I will let you go.” She hissed, then sighed and released the girl when she gave a nod. Swiveling around, she pointed and swept her finger along everyone in the store.

“Not a word of this ever leaves this room.” She lowly announced and the group glanced around at each other before nodding hesitantly.

“But why? If you like him, shouldn’t you just go tell him?” Dywer quietly drawled and the girl sighed, pinching the bridge of her nose in frustration.

“Alright, let’s be serious here. What makes you think he would like me back? He’s ten years my senior and has already made it pretty dang clear he’s not looking for a relationship. I have no chance with him, so what’s the point in telling him and possible ruining the relationship we have now?”

The thought made her chest ache and she clenched at her shirt lightly. A hand rested on her shoulder and she looked up to see Ingo smiling warmly at her.

“Robin, coming from a romance expert like myself...” He began, turning to glare when Vaike gave a sharp snorting laugh behind him.

“As I was saying, I can tell that you’ve fallen for the guy and you’ve fallen hard. It’s not good to keep that sort of thing bottled up. You need to tell him. Sure, it might not go exactly how you may want it too, but I can assure you, it won’t ruin your friendship. I’ve never seen that grump more attached to someone than he is you. And who knows, you might be surprised but whatever comes.”

The girl stared at the floor thoughtfully for a few moments before sighing and looking up at them.

“But how?”

“That, we’ll all figure out together.” He replied, booping her on the nose and she smiled just a little bit.

“...Alright. But if you mess this up, I’m never making your orders right again.”

‘Thank god the siblings are giving me a ride home’ Robin though as she watched the snow flutter down thickly outside the window. It wasn’t a blizzard by any means, but she certainly wouldn’t want to have to walk in that mess. She took a sip of her hot cocoa, turning to glance around the room. Over the last few days they’d carefully shoved back the shelves around Emblem’s entrance, creating a sort of temporary over-sized alcove, pulling the piano over and strung decorations across the entire store. Currently there was a large silver Christmas tree sitting, shimmering with lights and ornaments, at the café’s back corner, shining over the gifts they’d piled there. The majority of both shops staff were milling around, snacking on the various treats the cooks had prepared and chatting cheerfully. Ryoma and Xander weren’t bickering once, Azura and Sigure were taking turns playing things at the piano, and Azuma was waxing philosophically about something in the corner. The jovial spirit of the room was practically infections and Robin found herself smiling. Not much of a surprise, considering it was Christmas Eve. Even Gangrel seemed to be getting into it, loudly cackling before snarkily replying to something he and Chrom were discussing by the counter. She was almost beginning to wonder if someone had spiked the eggnog when she wasn’t looking.

Said red-head finally broke away from his conversation and trotted over, flopping on the couch beside her. She looked over at him in amusement, chuckling as his eyes fixed absentmindedly on one of the shiny babbled above them.

“Well, someone’s in a good mood.” She chimed and he flashed a smirk at her.

“Yes, well this is one of the few times of year when I can bring myself to deal with the world’s general stupidity. Might as well take advantage of it.” He replied, before taking another chug of his own drink. She rolled her eyes and turned back to look at the snow, catching Ingo’s image in the reflection. As Gangrel turned to look at something the young man gave her a grin and two thumbs up. She scowled and jerked her head to indicate for him to stop, slipping back into a calm look as Gangrel turned back to them. Her fingers tapped in a steady rhythm against her thigh, trying to vent some of the nervous energy flowing through her body. Today was make it or break it. And, well, if it ended up being the later, let’s just say that this Christmas probably not going to be all that merry.

A movement caught her eyes and she turned to watch Lissa, Elise and Nowi all scurry over to Chrom and begin tugging at him.

“Can we do it now big bro?” Lissa asked and he gave a jokingly exasperated sigh before smiling fondly and nodding. The three threw their arms up with a cry of “PRESENTS!”, causing at least half the part to jump, and rushed to the tree. They quickly began to sort out the disorganized pile beneath, running to hand people their gifts as they came upon them. Robin herself and Gangrel blinked in surprise when both ended up with a decently sized pile of presents dumped in their laps. Once they’d been properly distributed people began to more or less rip into them at random. In the chaos Robin saw a few of her own gifts appear: A scarf for Gunter, a horse plushie for Hinoka, matching My Hero Academia beanies for Arthur and Percy. Some presents were more memorable than others, such as the personalized voodoo dolls each person received from Henry and Tharja. (Though, what was one to expect from the heads of the horror section.) She smiled softly at the few thoughtful things she herself received (particularly over a hairband, decorated with silk marigolds and forget-me-nots the same bright oranges and blues of a certain bouquet she’d given so long ago) and slowly the excitement began to wind down as the number of unopened gifts began to dwindle.

“Hmm seems some fool forgot the label.” Gangrel scoffed beside her and she glanced over from the corner of her eye, holding her breath when she saw him holding a present wrapped in royal blue. She watched carefully as he peeled the paper back and popped off the lid, cocking an eyebrow at the item within.

“What is this, some kind of twisted matryoshka situation?” He muttered as he lifted it out. It was a wooden box of a deep red color, carved with swirling patterns inset with gold leaf and polished to a mirror like shine. He undid the clasp on the front and opened it, revealing the deep purple velvet covering the inside. In its center lay an object wrapped in soft cloth. The items fine container seemed to make him pause for thought and he undid the cloth with care, eyes widening when he saw the object within. It was a thin book bound in soft leather, the words Phantom of the Opera embossed in gold on its surface. His finger shook just a bit as he ran his fingers over them then gently flipped the cover open, sucking in a sharp breath as he saw the series of signatures scrawled on the title page.

“This...” He breathed, almost at a loss for words.

“This is a first edition copy of the script, signed by the director and cast...w-who the hell could have...?”

He froze and the wheels seemed to turn in his head. Ever so slowly, he turned to look at her.

“...You?”

The girls brain suddenly seized up, panic flooding through her veins as the man’s eyes rested on her. She couldn’t do this. She couldn’t do this! She quickly stood and turned towards the doors into Valla, seeking an escape, any escape, from the situation.

“Wait!” Gangrel called, gingerly setting the gift down and leaping up after her. He caught her just as she was going through the doorway, grabbing her by the shoulder. She turned to look at him, the two standing beneath the arch as he stared down at her with wide eyes.

“Was this your doing?” He asked quietly and she stared down at the ground, unable to meet his eyes.

“I-I happened to find it while I was out shopping. I remembered you knew the music from the show, so I thought you might like it.” She murmured, fiddling with the pocket of her pants. In truth, it had taken connections from the entire café to track the book down in a little antiques shop on the other side of the city and it honestly made her a little light-headed thinking about how much of a bite it had taken out of her savings. But it was worth it as long as he liked it. Though she was beginning to doubt that a bit from the way he was staring at her.

“Like it?” He murmured, voice low, and she flinched. Here it came.

“Of course I like! I adore it!”

She looked up in surprise to find him beaming down at her, looking more genuinely excited than she’d ever seen him.

“Do you understand how rare this is!? I never thought I’d see one in my life! I don’t know how you did it, but bless the gods you did!”

He ruffled her hair ecstatically with a laugh and she grinned in relief, looking up at him cheerfully.

“I’m glad.”

A short whistle from their left caused them to pause in their exchange, turning to see the others to watching them in amusement.

“What are you looking at?” Gangrel asked with a little glare and Camilla chuckled, pointing a long slender finger towards the top of the arch. They looked up in unison and Robin froze. A green leafed sprig with white berries and decorated with a bow was pinned to the doorway directly above them. Her heart practically stopped at the sight and the implication that it brought with it.

“You know what that means ~” Elise chimed in a sing-song manner and Robin felt her cheeks burn as Gangrel sputtered beside her.

“We-We will not! If you think we’re going to follow some ridiculous social tradition just for your amusement-!” He squawked,

“It’s fine.”

The man whipped around at her calm voice, eyes wide.

“W-What?”

“I-It’s fine with me.” She repeated, looking up at him. Currently the vast majority of her mind was going into meltdown with panic and embarrassment. But one part, one tiny selfish part in the very back, gave a cry of triumph and seized hold of the reigns.

“Besides, you know they’ll never let it go if we don’t. So let’s just, uh, let’s just get this out of the way. Hold still...”

“Wait, wha-!?”

He froze under her touch as she gripped his shoulders for balance and leaned up to give him a little peck on the lips. They were soft and warm against hers, but she was only allowed a split second to enjoy the feeling before she hurriedly pulled back.

“I’m going to go get some air!” she announced and then spun on her heel and hauled ass into the bookstore, leaving him staring after her in shock, still stiff as a board. The shelves flew past her in a blur as she fled, delving deeper and deeper into the store. Finally she ended up in a far back corner amongst the autobiographies. She slowed to a stop as the rational part of her brain finally came back online and slid to the ground, back pressed against one of the shelves as she tugged her knees up to her chest and buried her face against them. She had screwed up. She had screwed up big time. She had only intended to give him the gift, to draw things out for as long as she needed till she was absolutely sure things wouldn’t backfire. But with one tiny plant and one stupid decision she’d brought everything tumbling down in a single fell swoop. There was very little chance of salvaging this, and it was all her fault. She felt tears prick at the edges of her eyes and gave a little sniffle. God, she was such an idiot.

She stayed sitting back in the rows for a good hour, curled in on herself. A sudden buzz from her pocket roused her from her thoughts and she reached in to grab her phone. She unlocked it, finding a message from Xander waiting for her.

We are going be leaving in a while. You left your jacket and gifts up here. Do you think you could come get them pretty soon?

Rubbing the tiny bit of wetness from her cheeks, she texted back.

Can I just meet you outside?

Sorry, the doors in Valla are locked right now. I’d open them for you, but Shura has the keys and he seems to have disappeared off somewhere. You’ll have to head back through the café.

She gave a deep sigh. As though her luck couldn’t get any worse today.

Ok, I’ll be up in a few minutes.

Alright. We’ll be waiting.

Climbing to her feet, she straightened herself out, hoping to look at least partway put together when she got up there. Taking a deep breathe to steel herself, she moved back thought he quiet rows. The sound of the celebration slowly began to bleed in through the silence and she peeked around a corner, glancing through the doors. She could see most of the goings on from where she was standing, and Gangrel was nowhere in sight. Had he left? Feeling a sharp sting of guilt in her chest for having ruined the man’s holiday, she darted out and hurried towards the archways. Just grab her coat and gifts and she could get out of there.

Just as she was beginning to past through the doorway, someone stepped in front of her with a soft call.

“Wait a moment!”

She gave a little jump and hurriedly stepped back to keep from crashing into them, dread flooding through her veins as she looked up to meet red eyes. The man gazed down at here with a conflicted expression and she held her breath. Here it comes. The rejection was imminent.

“I’d like to apologize.”

She left out the breath in a huff, eyes wide in surprise.

“You what?”

“I apologize for upsetting you. If I hadn’t stopped you when I did, we wouldn’t have ended up in that situation.” He softly replied and she felt her heart swell with hope. He wasn’t mad!

“No, no it’s fine! I’m not upset! I just got really flustered. It was no big deal. It’s just mistletoe. All for the fun of it.” She frantically replied, waving her hands in front of herself as though to physically ward off the sadness in his features. His expression melted into one of relief and then he grinned, reaching up to ruffle her hair again.

“Good, I can’t have my favorite barista angry with me. Who else would I have to make me drinks that are actually palatable?”

“Oh, I’m sure you could find someone. And even if you can’t, all that coffee couldn’t be good for you anyway, huh old man?”

He gave a loud laugh and pushed her head down, the girl giggling as her hair was messed even more and fell down over her eyes. As she was trying wriggle out of his playful grip, the man glanced up for a split second, a groan dropping from his throat.

“Oh, damn it all. Of all the times...Well, let’s get this over with.”

Just as her eyes were flickering upwards in question, he leaned down and, brushing the hair back from her face, pressed a kiss to her lips. It was her turn to go still and wide eyed, eyes still fixed upwards as she tried to process the shock. He lingered there for a few moments before nonchalantly pulling away with a quirk of his eyebrows.

“My apologies. It really is an absurd tradition, but as you said it yourself. They’d never leave us be if we didn’t get on with it.” He chuckled, and she remained silent for a long second.

“...Gangrel, you realize there’s nothing there right?” She quietly murmured and his head jerked upwards in shock, widening when he saw the empty doorway.

“What?! But I was sure I put it-!”

He abruptly cut off, mouth clamping shut tight with a clack of teeth as he looked back down at her in a panic. The realization came to her at an almost sluggish pace and she looked at him with wide eyes.

“Put it?...Gan, did you plan this?”

Slowly the panic slid from his expression, replaced instead with anger and sadness.

“So...so you know now, do you? Little miss history major has figured it out, eh?”

His voice slowly grew in volume as he talked and the rest of the party went quiet, watching the scene before them unfold.

“You want me to come out and say it hmm? Then fine, I will. I'm enamored with you Robin. There I said it. I’ve been in love with you for months. I'd rather argue with you, than kiss someone else. But what does it change? I’m still a mangy old hound and you’re a spirited young woman. What would telling you have done? Absolutely nothing. After all, who in their right mind would fall for a belligerent bastard like me?”

He was almost shouting now, face screwed up with emotion. He looked miserable and hurt, and Robin reached out with a small voice.

“Gangrel...”

He jerked way from her hand, shaking his head.

“No, no need to say anything. Just go, run along to your little friends and tell them about how creepy old Gangrel tricked you into a kiss. Go and get away from me, like I know you want to. Here I’ll even make it easier for you.”

With that he turned and began to move away into the bookstore. Like lightning, Robin lashed forwards and grabbed onto his wrist. The man stilled, trembling just slightly in her grip, not even turning to look at her as he spoke in a near growl.

“Robin, let me go.”

“...What if I don’t want to?”

Now he turned back to her, a hint of surprise shining through the anger.

“What?”

She looked up at him, eyes firm and determined.

“W-What if I don’t want to let go. What if I don’t want to get away from you? What if I don’t want to go tell my friends?”

She averted her gaze a bit, the smallest of blushes crawling over her cheeks.

“What if I didn’t have a problem with it? What if I maybe...wanted to do it again?”

The man turned to her fully now, all rage gone from his face.

“...Are you saying what I think you’re saying?” He quietly asked and she smiled, lips parting as she softly sung familiar words.

“My love, you know I live to see that dream come true, my world consists of it and you, together we can keep the dream alive.”

He smiled just a little and gave a tiny chuckle, then a bit of a cackle, before fully breaking into a bout of loud happy laughter as he threw his arms around her waist and lifted her up, spinning them around.

“It seems like Lady Luck has decided to come to me in spades today!” He declared and she laughed right along with him, wrapping her arms around his neck to keep her balance as they twirled. Finally he slowed and set her down, gazing at her with what she could finally declare as love.

“A shame I misplaced that plant. I’d have enjoyed to use it right about now.” He mused with a soft smile. There was a “twang!” of metal from over their heads and they glanced up to see a fork imbedded in the doorway, a bundle of mistletoe tied to it. They looked over to find Takumi, hand still raised in the down-sweep of his throw and he fixed a mildly irritated look on them, mouthing “you owe me.” Robin gave a snort of a laugh to accompany his cackle and looked up at him in amusement.

“They’ll never let it go if we don’t.” She joked and he grinned.

“Right you are.”

With that he swept his leg under her own and dipped her low, tangling his hand in her hair as he pressed their lips sweetly together. The party erupted in cheers behind them and Robin found herself grinning against him. After a few long seconds, he pulled back and smirked at her.

“After tonight, my little love, you will never forget me.” He crooned and she let her head fall back with a laugh.

“You and you’re theatrics.” She sighed and the hand holding her waist teasingly jabbed her a bit.

“Oh admit it, you like it as much as you like that wretched coffee of yours.” He replied with a happily exasperated eye roll and she chuckled, leaning up to press their foreheads together.

“Yes, yes I do.”

Songs in order of appearance (mostly from J&H):

Fake by Mystery Skulls

How Far it Goes from Moana

Closer by the Chainsmokers

The Transformation from Jekyll and Hyde:The Musical (1994 concept)

Alive from Jekyll and Hyde:The Musical (1994 concept)

The Confrontation from Jekyll and Hyde:The Musical (1994 concept)

His Work and Nothing More from Jekyll and Hyde:The Musical (1994 concept)

All I Ask of You from Phantom of the Opera

Possessed from Jekyll and Hyde:The Musical (1994 concept)

Lucy meets Hyde from Jekyll and Hyde:The Musical (1994 concept)

Also, since I feel like it was probably pretty hard to keep track of who ran what:

Fates:

Xander: Leader of the European culture section

Ryoma: Leader of the Japanese culture section

Sakura: Leader of health and medicine section.

Hinoka: Leader of animal section.

Takumi: Co-manager of bookstore. Leader of archery section.

Shura: Security guard

Azura and Shigure: Leaders of the music section

Arthur and Percy: Leaders of the comic and manga section

Kamui: Barista in the cafe.

Azama: Leader of the Philosophy section

Niles: Stocker and waiter in the cafe. Kamui’s boyfriend

Leo: Leader of the Fantasy section. Also general knowledge receptacle of the store.

Elise: Co-leader of the children’s section with Nowi

Dwyer: Master Barista and waiter

Camilla: Co-manager of the bookstore. Leader of romance section.

Charlotte: Waiteress (A very popular one at that)

Gunter: Storeroom manager

Keaton: Regular

Lilith: Cashier

Awakening:

Lon'Qu: Cook

Lissa: Pastry chef

Priam: Waiter and barista

Gangrel: Leader of the Classics/Tragedies section.

Henry: Co-leader of Horror section with Tharja

Kellam: Leader of the Mystery section

Gaius: Master Pastry chef

Robin: Jack-of-all-trades and Leader of the History section

Nowi: Co-leader of childrens section with Elise

Chrom: Manager of the cafe.

Gregor: Security guard and handy-man

Vaike: Regular

Maribelle: Regular

Ingo: Waiter

Owain: Student

Virion: Leader of the French lit. section

Anna: Cashier

Adversa: Gangrels half-sister

On a side note, the cafe looks a bit like this, but more open, whilst the bookstore resembles an odd combination of these three. (Just sort of warm and cozy, but also very labyrinthine, if that makes sense.)

#fatesandawakeningss #crystalcaravanner #fire emblem awakening #fire emblem fates #gangrel #my unit #I am not tagging all of you #my writing #secret santa

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