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The tinkling bell over the door drew Gen’s attention away from the espresso machine as it always did, ready to call a cheerful welcome as was expected - what wasn't expected was just how attractive the customer that walked in was.
He was average height and build, but had the most striking red eyes Gen had ever seen. Even in the dim lights of the cafe, their color was stark against the pale blonde of his hair - handsomely pulled back into a half bun with a few stubborn strands left to fall over his eyes.
Gen almost messed up punching in his order - a pot of oolong tea and a pair of orange cranberry scones - far too busy appreciating the low timber of his voice and the way his black turtleneck enhanced his jaw line. If the stranger noticed, he didn’t say anything, accepting his table identifier and making his way to a booth off to the side of the cafe out of the way of most foot traffic but still within view of the coffee bar.
Appreciating the cut of the man’s trousers and the way his brown leather jacket seemed to amplify the breadth of his shoulders, Gen took his time preparing the tray for in-house orders, scooping the loose tea leaves into the yixing teapot before topping it with hot water.
He couldn’t shake the thought that the customer looked somewhat familiar, but when the beep of a new to-go order came he shrugged it off, figuring that he would have certainly remembered meeting someone that good-looking. Adding the plated scones and a teacup to the tray, he set it in the pick up area for one of the runners to deliver, taking a glance at the order screen. Wincing at the long list of flavor syrup shots and a weird combination of milks and sugars to match, he switched his focus back to work and away from handsome strangers.
It was a few minutes later when the sound of shattering glass drew his attention away from the milk frother, eyebrows jumping when he found the culprit - catching sight of embarrassed red eyes that quickly dropped to the shards of porcelain and puddle of tea at his feet.
One of the bussers rushed over, mopping up the mess with a rag and picking up the shards while the man apologized sheepishly. He kept moving to help, getting rebuffed each time, gaze shifting back to Gen with an adorably self-conscious flush to his cheeks.
Giving him an amused smile, Gen finished the drink he was working on and set it on a tray to be delivered before ducking down and grabbing a fresh teacup.
The walk over to the booth was quick and Gen internally squealed at the adorably sheepish look the other man gave him as he handed him the new cup. “I’m really sorry,” he murmured, red eyes askance and cheeks pink.
“No worries,” Gen smiled, “accidents happen.”
The other man gave a sharp exhale out his nose but nodded, a small smile curling his lips and giving his face a softer, more boyish charm.
Gen wondered just how inappropriate it would be for him to leave his phone number on the man’s receipt when he left.
Returning back to the bar just in time for a new in-person order, he smiled brightly, greeting the pair warmly and apologizing for any wait. They were somewhat indecisive, mulling over the menu and asking questions that Gen dutifully answered, noticing as another man came in and walked past the counter, making a beeline for the handsome stranger’s booth.
He was older and there was a distinct family resemblance - and Gen suddenly found himself second guessing leaving his number. It was one thing to flirt with a handsome stranger when you were at work, it was another to do so in front of their dad .
Ringing up the new order - two fairly simple lattes and a pair of pastries, Gen handed them their table identifier and started working on the drinks. Lattes were purely muscle memory at that point and Gen found himself wondering if Handsome Stranger would need a second - well, third - teacup for his new table mate.
Only to jump at the sound of shattering glass again .
He winced as hot milk sloshed over the frothing cup, nose wrinkling up as he finished and poured the two lattes. Looking over, he could see Handsome Stranger looking embarrassed, his father obviously giving him hell over breaking the cup - and while Gen couldn’t hear their conversation, he could tell the exact moment when the busser mentioned it was the second time, the older man nearly doubling over laughing and Handsome Stranger flushing scarlet with a, frankly, precious pout on his face.
Clucking his tongue at the fact that even the man’s scowl was cute, Gen dropped the lattes and pastries onto a tray and grabbed another tea cup and one of the thicker coffee mugs with a handle.
“So you can hold on tighter,” he said, grinning as he handed it to him, voice pitched with a teasing tone.
“I am so sorry,” the man said earnestly, mouth turned down in a self-conscious frown, and Gen’s heart gave a fluttering flip.
“Don’t worry about it, it’s just a cup. Not like anyone got hurt.”
“Yeah, buddy, you were just excited to see your old man!” the older gentleman cackled, accepting the new teacup and reaching for the teapot.
Shooting his father a withering look, Handsome Stranger cleared his throat, looking back at Gen with a far more pleasant expression. “Is it possible to get another pot of tea? He drinks like he’s been crossing the Sahara.”
“Hey!”
“Makes him pee like a pregnant chick.”
“ Hey! ”
The sound of Handsome Stranger laughing was worth ten tea cups, and the way it lit up his face was worth even more. Gen began to wonder just what he’d have to do to make him smile like that for him.
“Of course, another pot of tea coming right up!” He gave him a coy smile, “But if you break that I might have to arge-chay you~”
The look he received was surprised, but not unpleasantly so, and Gen darted back to the coffee bar before something truly embarrassing could come out of his mouth, like telling the man how attractive he was.
While he worked, Gen kept glancing back at the booth, a fond warmth growing at how well the two seemed to get along as well as a small pang at how distant he and his own father were. Any sour feelings were quickly overwritten by just how sweet it was to see the two interacting, and he idly wondered if Handsome Dad was the type to make their son’s partner call him Dad or refer to him by his first name…
He got caught up with a few more to-go and in person orders - several iced coffees, lattes, and hot chocolates sending him in several loops around the work area. He’d barely surfaced for air when Amaryllis walked by on her way to the kitchen, tray of dirty dishes propped on her shoulder, “Booth number four needs their bill.”
After printing out the receipt, Gen quickly signed it how he usually would, with a “have a great day <3” , pen hovering over the empty space beneath it.
He glanced over to the booth just in time to see Handsome Stranger throw his head back in a laugh and found his hand moving before he could stop it, jotting down his phone number and his name with another heart.
Setting it into one of the bill presenters, he looked up just in time to see the object of his current affections drop his third cup.
He stared, unsure if he needed to get his eyes checked.
Because from where he was standing, it looked like the man had held the mug up next to him while he laughed with his father and just let it go .
“What the hell was at-thay!? ”
Handsome Stranger looked up at him, eyes wide and confused, cheeks pink and mouth open in surprise. And fuck if it wasn’t adorable , but Gen was just annoyed enough to push past it. He was cute, but not cute enough to look past breaking three cups in less than two hours.
“Do you think it’s funny or something? It wasn’t even an accident that time, you just fucking dropped it! I atched-way you!”
“Shit, I am so, so sorry, seriously-” he looked to his dad for support but the other man seemed pleased to just let him suffer the consequences of his actions, more amused than surprised. “I keep… forgetting.”
“Forgetting what? ” Gen snarled, “ Gravity? ”
He rubbed the back of his neck self-consciously, giving a small shrug. “..Yeah, sort of.”
Gen stared, blinking in surprise at the unexpected response before suddenly realizing where he recognized him from. “Oh. You’re… Senku-chan.”
Senku-chan, better known as Captain Senku Ishigami - the youngest astronaut in JAXA history at twenty-five and the first man to land on the moon in more than five decades.
Gen had seen articles and video clips of the astronaut pop up on his feed - had even paused briefly to appreciate his handsome face before scrolling past in search of cat memes and celebrity gossip.
His first thought was “wow he’s way cuter in person” . His second thought was “oh fuck I was flirting with a national hero.”
“You just sorta get used to things floating after a while…” Senku added, awkwardly but obviously trying for levity.
Gen’s mouth worked uselessly for a few moments and he could feel his cheeks heating up, so he did the only thing he could think of and ducked down to wipe at the floor with the spare towel he kept tucked in his apron string, wincing when one of the shards caught the side of his thumb in his rush.
He kept sopping up the tea, hoping the nick wasn’t noticed, but luck was simply not on his side. Senku had knelt down as well, taking hold of his hand and squeezing the towel around the oozing cut. “I’m sorry about the cups, I can pay for them if that helps?”
Gen looked up, locking their eyes briefly before averting his gaze in embarrassment. “No, don’t worry about it, I have your bill right… oh, uh…” he looked up at the bill presenter on the table in horror, suddenly remembering that he had stupidly written his phone number at the bottom. Senku saw it, too, reaching up for it and only stopping when Gen grabbed his forearm. “It’s on the house! An apology for my rudeness.”
Senku seemed surprised at the panicked squeak in Gen’s voice, shaking his head and rising to his feet. “The least I can do is pay my bill, I broke three cups being an idiot.”
“Nope, no worries,” Gen tried to hold him back but astronauts were definitely stronger than baristas, even deceptively skinny ones like Senku, and he was able to shake off his hand and grab the presenter. Gen rose after it, trying to snatch it back only for Senku to flip it open and tuck his card inside, “Hey, you can’t just-”
His mouth clicked shut as he watched Senku’s eyes run down the receipt, stopping at the bottom, eyes widening.
Gen would have been completely fine if the ground had opened up and swallowed him whole right then and there. First he yelled at a world famous national hero, then he managed to make a complete ass of himself by asking him out.
In front of his father . Who was also a famous astronaut if he remembered correctly.
There was no way he was ever going to live this d-
“I can’t read it.”
“Huh?”
Senku was smiling, that same sweet, boyish smile from earlier, cheeks slightly pink and eyes soft, and Gen felt his heart melt . “Your number. It got smudged... I can’t call you if I can’t read it.”
“Oh, uh…”
“Here, I’ll give you mine.” Senku took the pen from the bill presenter, grabbing a napkin off the table and scribbling his number down before handing it to Gen.
Then he let go of the pen.
Gen looked to the ground, Senku looked to the ceiling.
They both looked back at the same moment, Gen grinning incredulously and Senku looking just about as embarrassed as Gen had felt a few moments before.
“I’ll just…” Senku cleared his throat, face scarlet as he knelt down to pick up the pen, awkwardly shifting it between his fingers. “Text me?”
Gen laughed, a sharp bark of surprise dissolving into giggles, and he brought his hand to his mouth to try and stymie it. Senku seemed pleased by the response, that shy smile coming back, and Gen shook his head fondly, glancing across the table to his dad.
“Can you make sure to keep him away from fragile stuff? I’m worried he’s going to drop something like a baby and our first date is going to be me bailing him out of jail.”
Handsome Dad laughed, shaking his head, “I’ll keep a close eye on him, but no promises that he won’t find another way to end up in jail.”
“ Hey! ” Senku called and it sounded so much like how his father did earlier that Gen could only laugh harder - missing the enamored look in red eyes or the way they focused on him.
“Gen! Where are my lattes for table seven?” Amaryllis called from the counter and he pulled out his phone quickly, shooting off a quick text to the number on the napkin.
“In case I drop it,” he joked, smirking at the way Senku’s brows pinched up at the tease.
Before he could say anything, Handsome Dad took the bill presenter and pulled Senku’s card out, replacing it with enough cash to cover it and then some, “Alright, Romeo, time to go before you drop something I can’t afford to replace.”
Senku looked like he wanted to argue but instead gave Gen a shy smile, “I’ll text you?”
Gen nodded, a flutter of disbelief still warm in his chest, “I’ll be waiting.”
It was several hours later when his phone buzzed in his back pocket.
Handsome Astronaut
I’ve only dropped my phone twice trying to text this
You free on Saturday? I’ll practice holding cups so I don’t ruin our first date.
Gen stared at the message, smiling so wide his face hurt as he texted back.
Only twice? I’m impressed
Saturday works - what were you thinking?
He hovered for a second before typing out another message.
And if I have my way you’ll be too busy holding my hand to drop any cups
Three little dots appeared and disappeared a few times and Gen wondered if maybe he’d been too forward.
After a brief pause, the dots returned and a new message quickly followed. Gen stared at his phone, heart practically doing somersaults in his chest as he read and reread the text message, knowing he must have the goofiest, giddiest smile on his face but unable to care.
He held down on the screen and gave a Heart reaction before pressing his phone to his chest.
Handsome Astronaut
Challenge accepted
Though fair warning I’ve been told I’ve got a death grip when I’m holding things I really like
Saturday couldn’t come soon enough.