#wanna puit them in my mouth

[hidden-otaku-stuff]

Universal (Hidden Corner series)

Hidden Corner: A series of fluffy, full-length one-shots detailing the lives of the employees who work at Hidden Corner featuring the various Haikyuu boys.

*Note: All one-shots take place in the same universe with the same characters.

Izanami is the Reader from Recommendations

Word count: 3.8k

Pairing: Time-skip!Osamu x female Baker!reader

Summary: One early morning on his way to work, Osamu walks past a café. The lights are on, and there’s no other sign of life anywhere else. Popping in, he discovers some of the best baked goods he’s ever tasted. But can you really fall in love with someone based on how their food tastes?

AN: Happy birthday Osamu! Yours was the second one-shot I finished of this series, but I held off to post this for your birthday 🥳

Masterlist | Menu

Universal

A wide yawn overtook Osamu as he made his way down the street. His hooded grey eyes scanned the horizon. Only a sliver of light had begun to cross the morning sky. He turned down the street, eyebrows furrowed at the sign of an open café. The warm golden light radiated warmth. Glancing at his watch, he nodded to himself. He had time. “Welcome to Hidden Corner!” A voice behind the counter chirped. “I’ll be with you shortly.” Osamu hummed, stepping further into the warmth. His eyes scanned the café. There weren't many people inside. In fact, there was only one other person. A male sat in the corner, his back to Osamu as he hunched over his laptop. “Hey, sorry to keep you waiting!” She entered, placing down a tray of baked goods before giving him a smile. “What can I get for you?”

Osamu sniffed the air, his eyes widening. “Whatever that is, I’d love one.”

She laughed, her eyes sparkling. “This? This is one of our specialty items, a German-influenced bee-sting cake. It goes great with a nice dark roast.” 

Osamu nodded his head eagerly, mouth salivating. “That sounds amazing. I’d love it.” 

“Will you be eating here or to-go?”

He glances at his watch again. “Here,” he decides. He didn’t need to be at the store for another twenty minutes. Osamu takes a seat at the bar, eagerly watching as she slices into the cake, the custard oozing out slightly as the barista lifts it onto a white plate. The barista places it in front of him beside a ceramic mug of dark coffee beside it. 

“Enjoy!” She chirps, before she goes over to check on the other customer. She brings over a mug of coffee as well as an apple square, placing it onto the table and giving the male a forehead kiss before returning to the counter.

Osamu eyed the pastry from the cinnamon almond top to the yellow custard sandwiched between the tan sponge. Carefully slicing it through with a fork, he savours the mouthful. Silver orbs widened, sparkling like a full moon on a cloudless night. “Excuse me?” He looks up at the barista. “But this is amazing.”

The barista grins, wiping down the counter. “Thank you!”    

“Did you make this?”

She shakes her head. “No, our baker actually just left for the day.” 

He hums, taking a sip of the coffee. His eyes roam the glass in front of the bar where there are trays of pastries. “Can I get a box of whatever you recommend?” 

The barista grins, “of course.” She turns her back to him, delicately filling the box. “There you go!” She passes the box over.

“What’s in here?” He pops open the box, eyeing the array of colourful pastries. The sugar-dusted, rose pastry caught his attention the most.

“In there you’ll have a few of our persimmon rose pastries, two guava pastelillos - or guava and cheese strudels, and miniature mango and dragon-fruit fruit tarts.” 

Osamu licks his lips. “That sounds incredible.”

“Enjoy!”  

****

“Back for more?” The barista teases, greeting Osamu as she wipes down the counter. He catches her name-tag this time. Izanami. Owner.  

He nods, breathing in the comforting scent of coffee beans. “Those pastries were so good.” Osamu scans the glass offerings one more, his eyebrows raising at the sight of the various mason jars and shot-glasses. “What are those for?”

Izanami glances over. “Oh!” She grins. “We’ve been trying to become more environmentally-friendly, which is why we started offering discounts whenever someone brings in their own mugs and stuff. But (Name) had a brilliant idea of using mason jars and these cute engraved shot-glasses for our cakes and stuff.” Izanami holds an empty one up, handing it to Osamu to examine. “They’re oven-safe provided that there aren’t any sudden temperature changes, and if they use it in-store, we can take it to the back to wash and use for the next time. Or, if they take it home and bring it back, we can either give them a discount.” She hums, examining another mason jar. “Plus they’re cute advertisements if they keep it anyways.”  

Osamu hums, “that’s a really good idea.” He shuffles his feet slightly, keeping his focus on the glass as pink dusts his cheek. “Is (Name) the baker?” 

By Izanami’s light-hearted chuckle, he hadn’t been as sly as he’d hoped. “Yes, she is.” 

Osamu clears his throat. “So! What options do you have for the shooters?” 

The owner leans against the counter, looking down at them. “We have a taster pack where you can get one each for a total of six different ones or do a custom pack of six. Of course, you could buy them individually as well.” She smirks slightly. “If you bring back twelve glasses, then we’ll throw in a free cake and coffee the next time you come in.” 

“Deal.” He grins. “I’ll take one of the taster packs for now.” He scans the drink menu. “And another dark roast, to-go please.”

“Make sure to bring your own thermos if you want a discount,” Izanami chuckles once more as she packages his treats. “Come again soon!” She sings, waving as he makes his way out the door.

*****

“Hey ‘Kaashi! Haven’t seen you in a minute,” Osamu greets from behind the counter, looking up as Akaashi enters Onigiri Miya.

“Hey Myaa-sam,” Akaashi grins. “I’ve been busy working and haven’t had a chance. Someone else usually comes to pick it up for me though.” 

Osamu nods before turning back to his ingredients. “Your usual then?”

“Surprise me.” 

Akaashi takes a seat at the bar, watching as Osamu moves around behind the glass. Gunmetal blue eyes sparkled mischievously. “That’s quite a few glasses you’ve collected.”

“Hmm?” Osamu glances at his friend, following his eyes to the assorted shot-glasses that sat next to the cash register. They were mostly hidden from customers except for where Akaashi was sitting. “Oh yeah. I really enjoy their pastries.”

Akaashi nods, leaning on his hand. “My girlfriend owns the cafe, I am there quite often.” 

“I didn’t know you had a girlfriend.” Osamu carefully shapes the onigiri for Akaashi who hums in response. Izanami pops into Osamu’s mind. “I make it a habit to go there in the mornings before I open up shop. Can’t imagine going anywhere else for breakfast if I’m being honest.”

“Oh?”

“Yeah! Their pastries are always perfectly made and are pretty unique. Haven’t seen them in any other cafes. And I love how environmentally-friendly they are, ya know?” Osamu’s eyes sparkled as he thought about the small cafe. 

Akaashi hides the small smirk behind his sleeve before clearing his throat. “You know they’re open 24 hours right?”

Osamu nods, wrapping the rice-ball. “Might stop by after I close up. I have to turn in the shot-glasses.” 

“Right, for the free cake and coffee?” Akaashi’s eyes glinted as he took his food, paying Osamu. “I’m sure you’ll have a nice time later, Myaa-sam.” 

“Thanks?”

“See you later, Myaa-sam!”  

****

“So, which of the shooters did you like the best?” Izanami asks as Osamu enters the cafe later that evening. Instead of being behind the counter this time, she’s sitting at the bar, going over some paperwork. 

“I think I’m a big fan of the raspberry chocolate one,” Osamu replied, mouth salivating as he reminisced. “The chocolate and raspberry was perfectly balanced and complemented each other.” He thought back to the other ones he tried. “Though the strawberry fool was really good too.” Osamu hummed, eyes shutting. “And the tiramisu,” he added. He tapped his chin for a second. “And the key lime.”

Izanami stifled a snort. “Hear that (Name)? He liked all of the shooters.”

Osamu’s head snapped up as you appeared from behind the counter, flour dusted on your cheek. “Well I’m glad to know that someone here appreciates my baking!”

“Hey, if I didn’t appreciate it, I wouldn’t let you have free-rein of the menu,” Izanami chided before looking back at Osamu. “This is (Name), our resident baker.” 

You waved at him from behind the counter before your (e/c) eyes widened, pointing at him. “You own Onigiri Miya!”

Osamu’s ears turned pink, realising exactly who the baker was. He swallows thickly. “That’s right.” 

Your eyes sparkle as you nod eagerly, facing your boss. “Iza! He owns the onigiri shop that ‘Kaashi and I go to!” 

“Oh really? That’s really nice,” Izanami smiles. “Speaking of, Yuuji should already be clocked in. I’m going to go check on him. Man the front for me, won’t you?” Osamu didn’t miss the wink that Izanami sent to (Name). He could feel the heat that crept through him now. 

“Whatever you need, boss-lady!” You chirped, waving Izanami off as she disappeared into the back. You turn back to Osamu, offering him a blinding smile. “What can I do for you, Miya-san?” 

Osamu shook his head, a pink dust settling on his cheeks, “you can just call me Osamu if you’d like.” 

If it was even possible, your smile got brighter. “Sure thing, Osamu! You can call me (Name).” You glance back down to the tray of pastries you had been spooning strawberry compote into. “Wanna taste-test something for me?”

Osamu’s eyes widened as he nodded fervently. “I’m always down to taste-test. What is it?”

You quickly pipe some yellow cream on top of the strawberry compote, sprinkled some demerara sugar on it and used a blowtorch to brulee the sugar. He watches with amazement at your fluid motions. Turning back to him, you place the completed pastry onto a clean white plate. “This is puits d’amour, or ‘wells of love’ in French. It’s mostly just strawberries, raspberries, and vanilla cream. Will you try it for me? I was thinking about adding it to the menu or maybe even just for a Valentine’s special.” 

Osamu picks it up gingerly, taking in the sweet smell of the pastry. As he bites down, his eyes shut. “This is so good,” he mumbled as he crammed the last piece into his mouth. You stifle a giggle, taking a napkin out and handing it to him.

“You got a little something there,” you tap on your chin before pouring a dark roast for him. 

He flushes brighter, taking the napkin and wiping away at the mess. He sips the dark roast, letting the dark flavor complement the abundance of sweet that bathed his tongue. “That was seriously good,” he grinned as he placed the empty cup down. “I would definitely buy that if it was offered on the menu.” 

Your eyes lit up. “Really?!” 

He nods eagerly. “Absolutely. Though that would definitely be cute for a special like Date Night or Valentine’s Day.” 

You hum, tapping your chin as you gaze back at the tray. “Maybe I’ll debut it for a holiday, get the couples coming in. And depending on how well they sell, maybe offer it more regularly.” You move to prepare a few more, packaging it up and turning back to him. “Here.”

Osamu raised an eyebrow, looking between the box and you. “What’s this for?”

“You seemed to really enjoy it. Maybe you could bring it to some of your friends or something and let me know what they think? Or finish it all! Whatever works.” You smile sheepishly. “Anything for a return customer, like Iza would say.” 

Osamu chuckles, raising the bag he had. “I was supposed to turn in these shot-glasses and redeem my free cake.”  

You sit on the stool behind the counter, spinning slightly. “You can always redeem it now if you’d like. I can prepare a custom-order for whatever cake or pastries you’d like.”

He hums, glancing at the display. Most of the pastries had sold out by now. “Surprise me,” he replies finally. “Come by the shop sometime soon. I need another taste-tester if you’re down.”  

Grinning, you nod eagerly. “Sounds like a great time.” 

****

“Hello, Myaa-sam,” Akaashi greets as the door to Onigiri Miya swings open. 

Osamu looks up, eyes narrowed as he jabs a finger at Akaashi, a grain of rice flying into the editor’s direction. “You knew, didn’t you?”

“Knew what?” Akaashi asks, blinking innocently at the restaurant owner. It would have worked if not for the small quirk of his lips. 

Osamu rolled his eyes, turning back to his rice as his ears glowed red. “Is she the one who’s been pickin’ up your orders for ya?”

Akaashi hummed, slipping into his usual stool before sipping on his thermos. “Perhaps.” 

Osamu scowled. “Are you tryin’ to set me up or somethin’?”

The other male only laughed. “Not at all.” Akaashi admits, his fingers twisting. “But (Name) is a sweet girl, isn’t she?” 

“Did you know her when she came in that one time?” 

“Um, excuse me?” 

Osamu jumped, whirling around to face you as his head crashed into the counter - hissing in pain. He cleared his throat, cheeks reddening. “Yes, hey, how can I help you?”

You stifle a chuckle. “I heard that this place has some of the best onigiri around. Think I can get some?”

“Of course, what’ll you have?”

“Three of your best!” You hum, scanning the menu. “Though include an unagi one, please. With furikake seasoning on the outside.” 

“Sounds good.” Osamu turned around, moving towards the counter only to trip over a bag of rice and stumble into the counter. His forehead smacked into the steel counter as his knees buckled. Osamu bit his lip to swallow back the groan, tears welling up in his eyes.

You snorted, biting your lip to hide your laughter. Unfortunately, the attempt was unsuccessful. “A-are you okay?” 

“Yeah, I’ll be fine.” He grinned, turning so that his back was to you as he squeezed his eyes shut tightly and clenched his fists. Both his head and foot hurt. A lot. Osamu let out a sigh, moving to make the onigiri for you. “Here you go. Hope you enjoy it.”

“I’m sure I will. I’ll definitely be back for more,” you grin, taking the box. “Bye!” You wave as you walk out of the door. Osamu sighed, rubbing his forehead with the heel of his palm. 

“That went well, Myaa-sam. Very coordinated.” 

Osamu glared at the editor who was perched at the counter. “Shut up ‘Kaashi.”

“Not at all,” Akaashi replied. “That was actually her first day at the cafe. I met her there later when I picked up ‘Nami.” 

Heat crept up Osamu’s neck. “Well thanks for the warning!” 

“Did you have a nice time though?”

Osamu pouted, turning his back to Akaashi as he molded the onigiri. “..Yes.” 

*****

“Iza says you come to the cafe every day?” Osamu jumps, looking up to find you perched at the counter in Akaashi’s usual seat. It had been a few days since you’d both officially met at the cafe. He flushes, before nodding. You beam up at him. “Great! What do you normally get and what have you liked the best so far?” In front of you was a journal, an abundance of sticky notes sticking out. 

Osamu tries to focus on the fillings in front of him, fighting off the heat that crept up through him. He had invited you to stop by, after all. “I usually just get whatever she recommends to me,” he says finally. 

You pout, pen tapping on the pages. “That’s not helpful!” 

He chuckles, nodding. He hated when Atsumu and his other friends gave him empty compliments in terms of his cooking. “Let’s see...I’ve tried the chocolate dipped sesame cookie. That was definitely an interesting one. I liked how that paired with the dark roast.”

Humming, you jot that down. “Maybe we should do a pairing menu,” you muse to yourself. “Like how fancy restaurants do with their wines.” 

“That’d be a good idea,” he comments, focusing on molding the onigiri. “I’m sure you get a lot of customers who don’t know what pairs well together in terms of coffee and cakes.”

Shrugging, you grin as you say, “Iza’s normally really good at convincing people to make the ‘correct’ choices.” You let out a soft giggle. Osamu nods, chuckling as he remembers the stories that Akaashi had told him about how he’d met his own girlfriend. You flit through your journal; Osamu can see photos of the pastries flashing by. “What else have you tried?”

He cleared his throat, thinking back. “I really enjoyed the beehive cake! That was the first thing I tried.” Osamu packages the onigiri he had been working on, calling the order number and handing it to his customer. “What type of onigiri do you want?”

You wave a hand, still looking at your book, “whatever you’ll have me try.”

 He grins, “your wish is my command, princess.”

Your head snaps up, heat creeping through your body. Clearing your throat, you avert your eyes. “So, pastries?”

Osamu nods, turning away to subtly hide his own blush. “The beehive cake was really good. I enjoyed how the almond and cinnamon complemented the custard, and how the dark roast Izanami gave me tasted along with it.” Humming, you jot down more notes. “You don’t do a lot of Japanese pastries, do you?”

You shrug, chewing on your pen-cap. “It’s not that I don’t do Japanese pastries, I just feel like European pastries can be difficult to find and they’re all so interesting not to try and make it.” You light up, picking up a box. “Speaking of which, I brought you something.”

Osamu glances over, placing down onigiri he had just finished for you. “What is it?” 

Opening up the box, you reveal powdered donuts. “These are beignets,” you explain. “You can eat these with fruit toppings,” you pulled out a mason jar of a raspberry-strawberry compote, “or chocolate. Or condensed milk. Or really any combination!” Two more mason jars were pulled out with the condensed milk and melted dark chocolate. He could still see the steam on the pastries. 

“You sure know how to spoil a guy,” he teases, putting the plate of the onigiri in front of you so you could taste. He slips into the seat to the left of you, silver eyes scanning the offerings. “What coffee goes best with this?”

 “Café au lait!” You perk up, pulling out a thermos. Osamu grabs two cups, letting you pour the coffee into the cups. 

Osamu plucks one of the beignets up, eating it plain. “So what type of pastries are these?” He asks, his cheeks bulging. You giggle, offering him a napkin to brush off the excess powdered that clung to his cheeks. 

“They’re French-influenced, but originate in New Orleans.” 

“New Orleans?” 

“It’s in the states.” 

“Ah.” He finishes it, sipping the coffee. Osamu takes out some plates, letting you decorate the other beignets for him to try. He watches as you gently spoon the compote over a beignet, drizzling a bit of the chocolate on top. “What inspired you to make these?”

“Princess and the Frog.”

He glanced at you with an incredulous look on his face. “The Disney movie?”

You nod, glancing up at him before going back to your beignets. “I love Disney movies, and I really like her character arc in that one.” This time, you were drizzling the melted chocolate and condensed milk over another beignet. You push them towards him, grinning as you wait for him to try it.

Osamu pushes the onigiri towards you. You both simultaneously take a bite out of your respective foods. Your eyes widen as you look up at Osamu. His heart skipped a beat at your excited expression. “I really like this filling! What is it?”

“It’s a tsukudani filling. I simmered some pork and seaweed into a mixture of mirin and soy sauce to make it.” 

Humming appreciatively, you quickly cram the rest of the onigiri into your mouth. “I definitely need to come here before each of my shifts,” you mumble. “This is so filling.” 

Osamu finishes the fruity beignet, trying a bit of the chocolate one. “Of the ones with extras, I think I like the fruit one the best,” he comments, sipping the coffee. “But both are super good.” 

“What makes it better?”

“I think it’s just the flavours. The dough is nice and fluffy, and takes the flavours well. The condensed milk is a little too sweet for me even with the dark chocolate, but the tartness of the raspberry balances out the sweetness of the strawberry and the coffee.” He smacks his lips thoughtfully. “Only change I could think of is maybe adding the dark chocolate so there’s a bit more of that bitterness to balance it out.”

“That makes sense,” you nod as you jot down his comments.

He turns towards you, leaning on his left hand. The plates of taste-testing were spread out in front of you, and the coffee cups sat in between both of you. His right hand rests on the table, drumming slightly. “What made you want to bake?”

“I just love sharing my food with people,” you admit softly. “I don’t really care to make sales. I just want to see people’s faces change when they try something I’ve created or change their moods, y’know?” You look at the box of beignets that you had brought over. “After all, food is a universal language.”

Osamu hummed, nodding. “I feel the same way.” He sips at the coffee you’d brought over. “I used to be a big volleyball guy. My twin is actually a pro right now.” 

“Atsumu right?” You ask, eyes raising to meet silver.

Osamu nods, nose wrinkled slightly, “yeah him. He wanted us to take the volleyball world by storm. Volleyball was fun and all, but that wasn’t where my passion was. I would’ve been eaten alive if I even tried,” Osamu snorted. “But food, that’s where I knew I could thrive. I love seeing people come in and trying my food, how their faces light up at the first bite. That makes me so happy, y’know?”

“Believe me, I know.” Tentatively, your hand reaches out to grasp his wrist. He looked down between your hands, releasing the coffee cup to slot his fingers between yours. 

You both sit in silence a moment longer, enjoying each other’s presence. Feeling less alone now that you’ve found someone that felt the same way you did. “I should go. My shift starts soon.” As you make a move to stand, Osamu squeezes your hand causing you to freeze in place.

Osamu glances up at you. “Come over to my place sometime.”

You turn, looking down at him with a bemused expression on your face. “Why’s that?”

“I’ll make you dinner,” he proposes, grinning. 

You tap on your chin, contemplatively. “Only if you let me make dessert.”

“Deal.”

*****

AN: Happy birthday Osamu! idk why but I find it so much easier to write for Osamu than for Atsumu 🤷‍♀️ and yes, that was Akaashi in the beginning scene! 

Izanami is the Reader from Recommendations 

All one-shots in the Hidden Corner series exist in the same universe where characters may interact with the ‘Reader’ from the other one-shots. I will be giving each ‘Reader’ a place-holder name when they are referenced in the other one-shots to ease confusion!

This will be a side-project, so new updates will generally not be scheduled!

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