Suzume walked into through the glass door, the bell tinkling lightly above them. The music was idling, and the smell of fresh-baked goods blanketed the lobby. Late-morning sunlight shafted lazily through the windows, highlighting dust floating through the air. They'd never get used to how amazing the atmosphere was in Tanji Café.

"Hey, Suzume."

"Hi Roman."

"I told you, just call me Ro or something." Suzume snorted, dodging into the back room. There wasn't anyone in the cafe except Zinan, who was tucked far away in the corner. They were probably just hiding from Roman, who was caked with flour and various other baking ingredients. The ovens were on full blast, some sort of caramel sizzling on the stove.

Zume dropped their purse into the small shelving unit with their name on it and hung their coat on the rack. With a grumble, they donned an apron and a hat to keep their hair out of the way. Zume was never much of a hat person.

"Hey! Come check out what I'm making!"

"Alright, alright, just give me a second." They closed their eyes for a second, just one. Exhaustion was already creeping close, but they were used to that. Zume forced their way out of a fog, rubbing their eyes, and stepped out into the kitchen area.

"Alright, what's cookin', good lookin'?"

Roman grinned crookedly, a smear of what looked like vanilla extract creasing on his cheek. "It's a new recipe I've been cultivating! It's kind of like a coffee cake or a sweet roll. I'm gonna fill them with cream cheese filling and drizzle them with caramel!" He opened the oven triumphantly, letting out a wave of heat that carried a sweet, yeasty scent.

"Sounds delicious. Don't burn it. Did you find that list I left?"

"Uh, no?" Roman turned to them with a confused frown. "I wasn't here to open, that was Kuzih."

"...Huh?"

"Yeah, I just got here a half hour early to work on my recipe. Kuzih asked to leave a few minutes early, and you came in about ten minutes after that."

"O-oh." Zume leaned back against the counter. Their head spun. "Wait, so, was anyone else here with Kuzih?"

"No."

"Shit! How did we get so under-staffed?!" They let out a groan. "I should have come in."

"No, Zume, you're obviously tired as it is. You don't have to take care of staffing, that should be Dmitri's problem."

Zume sighed. "You're right. Thanks."

"Yep." There was a moment of silence.

"Hey, Ro?"

"What?" Suzume cocked an eyebrow. The smell of burning caramel finally reached him.

"Oh, fuck!" As Roman raced to take the pan of burnt caramel off the stove, Suzume cackled. "Quit mocking me."

"You're one funny guy, Ashiki." He bristled. "Oh come on, don't be such a guy. It's just a bruised ego; you needed the check anyways."

"Speak for yourself, my new recipe will be a masterpiece! The talk of the town!" he said haughtily. With his nose in the air, he set the smoking pan in the sink and took the rolls out of the oven, turning it off.

"Anyways, as I was saying. Did everything on the list get done?" Roman fished around the pocket in his apron, retrieving a beaten piece of paper. Brow creased, he turned it around, straightening it so he could read what was written.

"The strawberry and regular boba bubbles need refills, we've got some but not a lot. We could also use another batch of croissants, and probably some bagels as well. Other than that, it looks like everything is checked off." He looked up at Suzume, who was leaned against the cupboards now. "Uh, are you okay?"

"No," they sighed. "Whatever, it's fine. I only just got here, I'm not taking break. The cats, do their boxes need cleaned?"

"I'm not sure. Kuzih fed and watered them this morning."

"Good, good. I'll get started on the boba after you clean up. It's a mess in here."

"Yeah, I know, I know," Roman huffed.

Suzume went into the dining area, making a mental checklist. Alright, so the strawberry and regular boba flavors need refilling, like Ro just said, but he and Kuzih got most of the list. I'll have to check myself just to make sure. It's not that I don't trust either of them, but I gotta just see it with my own eyes. Then I'll know for sure.

"Hey, can I get another boba?" The murmur from behind made them jump. "Sorry."

"Sure, Zinan. It's okay, I just wasn't paying attention." They set down the watering can-- one of the philodendrons looked a little dry-- and went back behind the counter. "What kind would you like?"

"Uhh, normal." They set to making the drink.

"Is that Zinan I hear?!" Roman's squeal made both of them wince.

"Not today," Zinan groaned under their breath. "Can't I just avoid him for once?"

"I heard that! Not very nice of you, bestie." Ro popped his head out from the kitchen. He still hadn't wiped off whatever was on his face. Suzume really wanted to reach over and do it themself. But they didn't, because that would be weird. 

"For the last time, I'm not your bestie."

"Nonsense!" Throwing a towel over his shoulder, Roman came around to give Zinan a big side hug with an even bigger grin. The vitiligo around his face contorted with the force of it; Zume found themself staring at the way the line of dark to light skin morphed with his expressions. Embarrassed, they looked away.

"Get back to work, Roman, unless you've got everything cleaned up already."

"Sourpuss," he grumbled, calling "Ro!" over his shoulder as he disappeared back into the kitchen.

Zume chastised themself. How long had they been working with him, and they still couldn't even get his name right?!

"Here's your tea."

"Thanks. Hey," they added, after a moment's hesitation, "is there anything new on the menu I could try?"

"Hmm, I don't think so. Ro did just try out a new recipe if you wanna mess with that." They both could guess where that road would lead. 

"I'll take a blueberry muffin then." They wrinkled their nose and passed some money over in exchange for the muffin. "Thanks."

"Yup. Let me know if you need anything else." Zume cleaned up the workstation and went over to the cat area.

It was a cozy little nook, full of cushions and blankets. Everything was warm, neutral brown tones with pops of green and soft orange, and Zume adored it. There were cat towers, scratching posts, and toys scattered all over the floor. Special shelves scaled the wall, and there were cushions on top of the bookshelf. As they walked in, Hudson called out from his place on the cat tower. Thumbelina, their newest addition, was eyeing Suika's tail, twitching lightly, hanging off the side of the ledge she was on. Harold and Hugo, one mass of orange fur, were curled up together in one of the cat beds, and Hotaru picked up her head from where she was on the back of the couch, previously staring out the window.

"Hey, guys." They couldn't help a soft smile as they greeted all the cats, kissing Harold on his forehead, making sure to leave Gully alone as he slept soundly in the corner of the room. He was old and losing his sight fast, the poor fellow. 

With Thumbelina batting at their shoelaces, Zume scooped the litter boxes, accustomed to the stink. They grabbed a book off the shelf and were just about to take a seat when Roman called from the kitchen, announcing he was done cleaning. With a groan, they put the book back down. They probably would've fallen asleep anyway, and best not do that.

"All spick and span for you, Zuzu."

"Really, Zuzu?" They gave Roman a distasteful look.

"Okay, okay, I get it," he said with a laugh. "I'll handle the rest. Work your magic, chief."

"Don't drive off our customer!" Suzume rolled their eyes and their sleeves. Time to get to work.

~

Using the towel on their shoulder, Suzume wiped their forehead. It was hot back here. Sipping some iced coffee, they set the container of steaming boba in an ice bath to cool off.

"Boba's done," they said to Roman, before realizing he wasn't there. "...Ro?" A faint giggle came from the cat area; at the same time, Zinan hooked a thumb over their shoulder.

"Cats."

"Right." Crouching down on the floor, Roman was twitching a small yellow finch in front of Thumbelina and Sakura. They prowled and pounced after it, brightening Roman's smile.

"Hey, dingus. You're supposed to be watching."

He glared indignantly up at them. "There's not even anyone here except Zinan, and you told me not to bug them. Not that I take orders from you, I just decided to listen."

"Jesus, Roman, -"

"Ro."

"Right, sorry. Still, what if someone comes in, or looks in and sees no one there? What if they think we're not open?"

"Relax, Zume, it's not a big deal." They sighed.

"I need your help baking stuff anyway."

He popped up from the floor and tried to brush the cat hair off his clothes. "Well why didn't you say so?" They both headed back towards the kitchen again. Suzume paused, glancing toward the front door.

The storefront was mostly glass, but there were shades drawn when it was really sunny; they were about halfway down at the moment. A chalkboard sign stood outside on the sidewalk, the writing an attractive hand-lettering style similar to calligraphy. It had a couple of specials and advertised their boba, the best in town. Zume smiled. Yeah, they really did have the best boba in town.

Just then, a customer came in. A shorter woman, dressed in what looked like painting clothes. Her face was flushed, a toddler tugging on her hand. Zume quickly assumed their position behind the counter. Curious, Roman popped his head out of the kitchen doors.

"Welcome to Tanji Cafe, ma'am, how can I help you?"

"My son begged me to come," she said. She sounded so weary. "He really wanted your chocolate boba." The kid squealed and bounced up and down with excitement. "I know, it's a little odd for a kid to like boba."

Zume gave the mother a warm, sympathetic grin. "Not at all, miss. What would you like the boba in? We have decaf options," they added. A look of relief passed over her face.

"Great. What do you want, Keiro?" Suddenly shy, the kid tugged his mother's sleeve, cupping his small hand to whisper in her ear. She smiled fondly.

"Pomegranate acai milk tea, please." At that, Roman started to make the drink, his hands moving easily. He'd been here a while, definitely not a new recruit for sure.

"Alright, will that be all?"

"I'll have an iced coffee, with an extra shot of espresso."

Zume totaled her up and started on the other drink. A huge wave of sleepiness crashed over them. I gotta finish this. Then I can take my break. They set the two cups on the pick-up counter. 

"Here you go, ma'am. Enjoy!"

"Thank you. Say thanks, Keiro!"

"Thanks!" He tugged the woman's arm again. "Let's go see the kitties!"

Before they could say anything, Roman hopped out from behind the counter, more than eager to play with the kid and the cats.

"He's in a young mood today."

"Daichi!" They hadn't even heard him come in. The two friends hugged briefly.

"Hey, Zume. How's the shift been?"

"Uneventful, other than Ro burning a pot of caramel." They stood together and watched Roman play with Keiro, introducing him to all the cats. The tired mom plopped on the couch, and Hotaru, right on cue, sat next to her leg and chirruped.

"This place is really beautiful," Daichi murmured. Suzume studied him. Something seemed different today. He felt more appreciative, like something had opened his eyes a bit.

"What happened?"

"Our first years. I knew they had potential, but I didn't know exactly how much." He sighed softly, a puff of air. "They're really something. You'll have to come by and see them."

"What do you think of them?" He paused, really thinking over his words.

"They're rowdy, rough around the edges. Definitely need to whip them into shape. But, at the end of the day, they have a lot of talent."

They chuckled. "Don't go too hard on them. Wouldn't want to drive them off, would you?"

Daichi laughed. "Oh, these guys aren't gonna get scared off easily. At least, not Hinata or Kageyama. You should see the passion these guys have, it's crazy!"

"I think I do have to meet these guys."

"Yeah."

"Hey, is Suga gonna stop by? Asahi too."

"I'm not sure. I didn't see him leaving when I was headed out, maybe he stayed behind?"

"Can't imagine what for." Right on cue, the doorbell rang.

// ELLIOT'S INPUT
   hey, thanks for reading! let me know how you liked it, ik it was a long chapter. im planning on introducing characters a couple at a time, so it could be a couple chapters of introduction ♡ i was gonna say somethin but i forgor so maybe keep an eye on my mb if i rember LMAO

   please just dont drop off the face of the earth and never read 😭 comment, vote, promote, anything, i love interaction ok love yall bye !