Work Text:
Shrieks and babbles of excitement fill the lobby, and an array of kids in ridiculously colored t-shirts running amuk to the dismay of the chaperones creates a visual typical of early spring days. Tetsutetsu leans back against the metal screening table, bag stick clutched in his fist and a smile teasing his lips as he watches the scene unfold before him. It’s field trip season, and a busy one for the front lobby. Schools from all around the area come in to see the magnificent displays and exhibits of sea life the Yueii Aquarium has to offer.
And boy, the kids sure are excited. Tetsutetsu snickers. The chaperones of this group certainly have their work cut out for them- it’s a public school, and they’re from an hour or so out, so the kids are a bit...rambunctious.
The door beside the security station bursts open, and Kendou strides out. She’s got a clipboard in her hands, and her red side-pony bobs with a grace only she possesses as she crosses the lobby to the plump, mild-mannered teacher who watches the chaos of her students unfold with tired eyes. Tetsutetsu can’t hear what Kendou says from his post, but she scribbles something down, nodding along to the teacher. The elder woman pulls out an envelope from somewhere on her person- probably from the oversized sweater pockets if Tetsutetsu has to guess- and from it, reveals a stack of tickets. He watches Kendou count them one by one, nimble fingers flipping through the tickets with ease, before she tucks the stack under her arm and scribbles something else down. She’s always so...confident, practiced. It’s admirable, really, how well she commands the space.
There’s a loud thump, and the table rattles, jerking Tetsutetsu back to the present. Oh, right. His job.
“The hell is your problem? Daydreamin’ over there?” Kamakiri grumbles. He waves the guest through the metal detectors, lips turned into a frown and wand thumping against his thigh. Tetsutetsu huffs a laugh and rolls his eyes. He peers into the bag, poking his way around diapers and wipes with his stick before zipping it up and shoving it to the edge of the table for the guest to grab.
“Nah, man, just zoned out a bit.”
Tsuburaba snickers as he slides the baskets of keys and other miscellaneous personal affects his way. “Yeah, sure.” He looks pointedly to the lobby, where Kendou’s crouched and chatting with one of the school kids, who’s bouncing in excitement. Tetsutetsu feels his face warm and he scoffs.
“Yeah, yeah, can it, alright?”
All he gets back is another snicker, and Tetsutetsu sighs. Yeah, okay, so maybe he thinks Kendou is kind of really pretty. No big deal. It’s not like much can be done about it, anyway. They’re at work. Plus, dating someone that’s basically his supervisor is kind of probably a bad idea. Besides, it’s not like he doesn’t get to hang out with her ever. They’re friends, at least. That has to count for something, right?
“Who needs a break still?”
Tetsutetsu throws a glance over his shoulder. Kendou stands there with a hand on her hip, clipboard held against her chest. She gazes at the three of them with raised brows, lips pulled into a frown. “Bondo can cover a spot for a ten, but he leaves in an hour. So, any takers?”
Kamakiri shoves the security wand into Tetsutetsu’s chest and sighs. “I’ll go.” He stalks off, then, hands in his pockets as he stalks his way through the crowded lobby. Kendou hums.
“That takes care of that.” She stifles a yawn behind a fist. “I’ll go have Bondo pop over here for a bit then.” And like that, she’s off, bouncing around to the lobby attendants and ticket scanners. Tetsutetsu sticks his bag checking stick into his back pocket and shuffles into his new position with a sigh.
“Has Kendou even taken a break yet today?” he asks no one in particular. Tsuburaba rolls his eyes.
“Man, you’ve got it bad ,” he mutters. Another wave of guests flow through the door, and he directs his attention to the task at hand, leaving Tetsutetsu with his thoughts. “Miss, I can take your bag right here. Make sure you put your phone, keys, and anything metal in the baskets.”
Tetsutetsu watches the accompanying shuffle with a frown. What, worrying about his friend means he has it bad for her? He tosses another glance across the lobby, where she emerges from the coat closet-office area with a Yueii issue stroller that she hands off to a waiting cluster of guests, that dang clipboard still tucked under her arm. She hasn’t even made it back to the ticket office, huh? His brows furrow at that. She yawns again, hiding it behind a fist, before disappearing through the doorway again.
~*~
Soft chatter mingles with the gentle indie music filtering its way out of the old speakers screwed to the ceiling. Sweet and savory aromas warm the atmosphere, and Tetsutetsu feels his mouth water a bit. It’s his first ten minute break, before lunch, and he’s got a little bit of time to spare. So here he is, at the coffee shop across the way, hop skip and a stone away from the aquarium entrance.
From his place in line, Tetsutetsu can see one of the baristas at the skillet, cooking up some tamagoyaki. The display case is filled with other samples of their food options- varying cakes, both iced and not, some topped with fruits like strawberries or blueberries, colorful, veggie filled paninis, expertly dressed tamagoyaki, and of course, a confection of candies by the register. It’s a nice little shop, and they get a bit of a discount, sometimes, working at the aquarium. It sort of depends on who’s at the register, really, but Tetsutetsu has his ways.
“Hi! What can I get you?”
“Hey! I’ll have a black coffee, please, and a caramel latte- hot.”
The girl taps away at the tablet. “Anything else?”
Tetsutetsu leans against the counter, flashing a winning grin. To his delight, the girl’s face goes a bit pink. “I think that’ll be all for me today.”
The girl smiles back, gaze dropping down to his badge. “O-oh, you work at the aquarium?”
He looks down at his shirt, feigning surprise. “Oh, yeah, I do.” He grins again. “It’s super rad. Get to see all the fish whenever I want.”
“That is really cool.” Her eyes glitter in that way people’s eyes do when they learn of his workplace. Yueii Aquarium is highly esteemed, after all, and it’s a unique job to say the least. Still, Tetsutetsu doesn’t mention his exact title, because Security doesn’t quite hold the same charms.
The cashier pushes a few more buttons. “That’ll be four hundred and twenty two yen, please.”
He keeps his grin in check as he hands over the money. Hell yeah, discount! Score! Tetsutetsu scoots to the bar to wait, and let the next person in the queue get a chance to order. And then he waits.
Making coffee, it seems, is an artform. Watching the barista is akin to watching a dance- they grab the cups, slam them right side up onto the counter to a beat only known to them, and on their toes, sashay to the machines and start flipping switches, turning knobs, grabbing cartons of milk, cream, and pouring like a pro into dishes so silver they reflect the landscape as though it’s a print. Tetsutetsu’s drink is done quickly- black coffee is not hard to make, after all. He fills the extra minutes fixing it up with some complimentary honey, and watching for when the barista slides the second cup to him.
Perfect.
Tetsutetsu swipes the drink and starts towards the door. It’s a nice day out. The sun is bright and warm, and people mingle on the sidewalk, leisurely strolling to their destinations. Tetsutetsu dodges around them- the downside of a ten, is that it’s over quick. And he totally wasted half of it ordering coffee. So his journey back to the aquarium is a light jog, coffees cradled close so as to not spill them everywhere. That would not be great. He didn’t want to get burned, and wasting perfectly good coffee was horrible. Plus, the second cup was uh. Sorta for someone, anyway.
He makes it back in the nick of time and scoots his way through security. Tetsutetsu weaves through the guests to his usual station, squatting down to stash his coffee on the table’s lower shelf.
“Back from your break?” Kamakiri peers at him with a frown, arms crossed over his chest. He’s leaning against the wall, vibrantly colored fringe falling in his face. Tetsutetsu huffs a sigh and straightens, gaze sweeping the lobby.
“Yeah, yeah, just about. You seen Kendou?”
There’s a teasing snort, but Tetsutetsu doesn’t take the bait. Kamakiri sighs. “I think she’s in the ticket office.”
He whirls around and snatches the keys, ignoring Kamakiri’s very pointed glower. “Thanks, man,” Tetsutetsu says, keys jingling as he attempts to wrestle them with one hand, the other very much occupied with the caramel frappuccino, still piping hot. He gets the key- heck yeah- and jams it in the lock and twists the knob.
Inside, is chaos. Controlled chaos, but chaos nonetheless. Cash drawers popping open, the mechanic whirr of tickets printing, a babble of voices, overlapping over each other to create a mindless buzz in the background, and amidst it all stands Kendou, hands on her hips. Tetsutetsu gets that breathless feeling as he takes in the way the natural light from outside glows against her skin and shines on her fiery hair. He grins. “Hey, Kendou!”
Her gaze snaps to his, and he holds up the drink. “Gotcha something.”
Kendou’s brows raise, and she shakes her head, grinning. “What’s this?” she asks, as she strides over and takes it from him. Tetsutetsu shrugs, face warm.
“You seemed like you could use the pick me up.”
She takes a sip, eyes fluttering shut. “Mmhm. You even managed to get my favorite…” Kendou smiles at him, then, a sight that has his heart thumping. “Thanks, Tetsu.”
“Yeah, no prob, Kendou.” He rubs the back of his neck, grin way too wide, and she laughs. It’s a radiant sound, and Tetsutetsu can’t help but bask in it. His grin grows even wider, and he doesn’t even care about the heat in his cheeks. Worth it.
“Alright,” Kendou says, voice light with amusement, “get back to work, yeah?”
Tetsutetsu mock salutes. “Yes, ma’am!” He whirls around and flings open the office door, the peals of laughter ringing out behind him, making everything shine just a little brighter.