Chapter Text
When he woke up today to the sound of his phone at 5am, Dan Heng didn't expect anything out of the ordinary. Working in a coffee shop while trying to finish his assignments on time for university meant he was always operating somewhere between 30-50% a day on energy, so maybe this was it; he was so sleep-deprived that he was seeing things, on edge for nothing at all other than everyday stress and frustration from the mountains of work that wouldn't stop until university was finally over and he'd be able to get his dream job, or at least pick a job less monotonous and irritating than a coffee shop.
He wasn't even supposed to be in today; Sampo just had to call in sick, but Dan Heng was more than used to his nonsense by now, and knew he was most likely calling in because he found some sucker to rope in to whatever get-rich-quick scheme he had cooked up, or was selling something that was "totally legit guys". (How many cryptocurrency scams could one do without getting arrested?) He'd admire the drive to get paid better than this minimum wage pittance if it wasn't actively screwing him over today, and with this unsettling feeling that's come over him, he was almost tempted to find him and punch him in the face.
Dan Heng knew he was being irrational though. It wasn't entirely Sampo's fault; it's not like he'd have known this would happen today, not unless he somehow gained clairvoyant powers within the past 24 hours and decided to shove Dan Heng right in the thick of it, and somehow he doubted those chances.
No, without a doubt, Sampo nor anyone could've predicted today. As he begrudgingly shuffled through the doors, throwing on his apron and getting behind the counter next to poor March — his closest friend since nursery — all ready to take the orders for the tired workers needing a hot cup to get through their own miserable shifts, the artificial lights blasting his eyes just enough to mistake it for daylight.
It hadn't started too badly; honestly, up until March broke one of the coffee machines at ten am, he'd considered today to be pretty normal if banal as ever. Needless to say, the customer — a woman with tight blonde curls in a well-fitted black business suit — wasn't pleased.
"I have been waiting five minutes for one Americano, I have a meeting in exactly fifteen minutes, and thanks to your incompetence I'll be late!" The customer spat, glaring directly at March who was trying and failing to stem the flow of the leaking machine.
"Sorry! So sorry! We'll get you that coffee on the house!" March babbled, while Dan Heng marched past her, letting out a sigh as he opened up the machine. Water was leaking everywhere, mixed with coffee grounds, so he had to act fast, quickly removing and replacing everything as fast as he could while March did her best to calm this fuming blonde woman down.
Luckily, it was an easy fix, and soon enough, the rich aroma of fresh coffee emanated from the machine, pouring directly into the paper cup and all but shoving it into the customer's hands.
"Hmph. I'll be calling your manager about your incompetence after my meeting," She grumbled, storming off without even a goodbye.
"Thanks for stopping by," He refrained from rolling his eyes and instead just kept his tone as bland and inoffensive as he could.
As soon as the woman was out of the shop, he turned to March and saw her eyes watering.
"The nerve of that woman. If she was truly as late as she was claiming, why would she bother coming here for a coffee? Whatever." He rolled his eyes before sighing. "Look, I can handle things from here, so if you need to calm down, you can go sit in the back for a bit, alright? Go take your break if you want."
With a sniffle, March nodded, wiping away her eyes, "Thanks, Dan Heng. I know, she was being super weird and rude for no reason. I shouldn't let it get to me, but... and besides, I should get cleaning up..." Her voice drifted off.
"You don't need to explain it to me. I understand. Just go take your break. I'll clean up." He said quietly. March always hated making people unhappy; it's what made her a favourite of customers but also what made her struggle when unpleasant customers decided to make it their mission to upset her. She'd been like this ever since she'd toddled up to him that first day, clutching a big pink ball, her face lighting up when the quiet boy reading picture books decided to give her a chance.
March nodded again, grabbing one of the napkins and dabbing her eyes with it before retreating to the back. He was sure she'd be back to her sunny self in no time, she just needed to have an early lunch and time to compose herself. Nothing ever seemed to upset March for too long, which he suspected was thanks to her supportive parents. They'd taken her in as a baby, and the only hint she was even adopted was the fact they didn't resemble her looks in the slightest. The way they treated her though was proof that kindness and justice did exist in the world at least.
Yes, she'd be back in no time, showing Dan Heng some funny Tiktok she'd seen on her break and giggling away. He just had to get through this half-hour alone, which should be pretty quiet until lunch hit.
He got to work, grabbing a cloth and mopping up the water and coffee before grabbing a mop and quickly mopping up the small puddle on the floor. The rhythm of the mop going back and forth was almost soothing, watching the head swirl back and forth on the laminate floor and wiping away what was left of the mess made. He quickly headed to the back to dump the water as well as the bucket and mop, giving March a wave on his way back before heading back to the front, grabbing the cloth again and giving the counters a quick wipe down.
If only he hadn't been so absorbed in his work, maybe he'd have noticed the sound of the door opening. Maybe, just maybe, if he'd looked up then, he'd have been given enough forewarning for what was about to come.
"Hey." The voice was deep but quiet; if the shop wasn't so dead right now he might've not heard it at all.
"Good morning, what can I get for you today?" Saying it was almost an automatic response at this point, enough that he almost sounded like he meant it when it was really just programming from the job. The fact he was saying it while putting the cleaning cloth away, not even looking at the customer, somewhat disproved this. But in his defence, he was paid to make coffee, not to emotionally invest in every person that walked through the door.
In hindsight, he wished he'd somehow kept that distance.
The moment he looked over at the customer, he felt something inside him freeze up. The moment grey-green eyes met bright red, Dan Heng could feel something falling into place, like a puzzle piece slotting in effortlessly, yet he still had over a hundred pieces to go before he could see the full picture. Images flashed through his mind in the blink of an eye, so fast he couldn't make out more than those red eyes, watching him all while buildings crumbled, ghosts of hands and faces and screams rushing through his head, the thundering of footsteps, shouts ringing in his ears, a sword shattered, blooming spider lilies, warm blood staining his chest...
He couldn't do it. He forced himself to look at the top of this guy's head; it was a little trick he'd learned when eye contact got too much for him, giving the illusion of eye contact while not actually looking. It didn't completely kill the tension in his stomach, but it was something.
The all-black jeans and t-shirt under normal circumstances wouldn't have phased him too much — a lot of people work all-black these days, this wasn't the Victorian era and if this were a normal day, he'd have just assumed he was some sort of casual goth — but right now it almost seemed too fitting for this man. There was something almost colourless about him, with the pale skin, black hair, black clothes; only that red, that unsettlingly ruby red stood out, and he had to avoid them at all costs, or else... or else what?
"Coffee. Black. Large. I'll be sitting in." The man wore a smirk, as if he was holding back from laughing at some joke that Dan Heng wasn't in on.
He had to stay calm, had to ignore that twisting feeling, as if his organs were squeezing around and around in protest to this man's sheer presence. He wasn't going to smile, he'd just make the coffee and hope this guy wasn't a talker.
"Coming right up." His legs felt stiff as he walked, forcing himself to keep his eyes away from the man in front of him. He had to act normal, hold off on the panic until this guy was served and March was done with her break so he could hide away in the bathroom until he felt normal again.
Dan Heng felt a certain enmity with the coffee machine as he took his time setting it up, setting down a cup and saucer, then watching the brew pour into the little white cup. He glanced to the side, and— yes, those eyes were, in fact, still watching him. The man had his arms folded, glancing at him up and down, and if he wasn't so unnerved he'd be pissed off.
What was he looking at? Yes, he was wearing all-black too, but that was the uniform underneath the stupid coffee cup-patterned apron. It did fit a little too snugly, but the size up was too baggy for his liking, so he had to make do, so if he was mocking him in his mind he could mind his own business. At least Dan Heng just looked like an employee instead of some e-boy reject.
Even though the machine didn't break this time, watching it trickling slowly down made him almost want to throw the thing, but he just swallowed, held his head high and took the cup and saucer when he was done. He inhaled, marching back over to the customer by the counter, and set the cup down in front of him.
"£2.70. Cash or card?" He slid the coffee over to the man.
The man wordlessly pulls out his wallet, and Dan Heng briefly sees the design — black, with a red spider lily — and pulls a card out, holding it between two long fingers, tapping it on the card machine's screen before putting it back in the wallet and back into his pocket.
"Thanks." Now will you please get away from me? Dan Heng almost added, biting his tongue.
"It's cool. See you around, Dan Heng."
Time stopped in that moment. His veins turned into ice, eyes widening, while this guy just kept smiling, those eyes fixated on his face. He was probably loving it, given how the corners of his mouth were twitching, but he finally moved away, settling on a nearby table with his coffee, while Dan Heng stood frozen in place, trying to comprehend how the hell this weird guy knew his name.
They'd never met. They'd definitely never met. He'd remember a guy like him with no trouble, and it wasn't like he could've come in and overheard March saying his name or something, and they didn't do nametags here either... so how the hell did he know?
Was he stalking him? What did he want with him? Even now, when he turned around to avoid looking at him, he could feel those eyes on his back.
Damn it, when would March finish her break already...?
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