perfection in your flaws - t. mitsuya

meeting you with your troubles

The bell chimes in when another customer enters the café, the majority of it already packed with a bunch of students and elderly people. you can't spare your attention to the new customer, having been occupied with mixing the concoction of syrups and chocolate into heavy milk. you do have your hopes on your co-worker though, who you'd left behind, but who's also terrible at handling customers.

honestly you didn't know why the owner had even employed him, his temper was straight-up frightening and your heart spins on anxiety every time you leave him alone. hence, you try your best to hurry and have him get back into the kitchen so that you could receive the orders.

The moment you step out of the staff-only door and hand the beverage over to your co-worker, subtly telling them to deliver it to table five- you see the corner most table occupied with a single person, it shouldn't be though. you walk to the corner of the aisle, scrutinizing to relieve your concerns of where are my brothers, they aren't unsafe, right?

but hiroshi and haruki are right there, sitting diffidently in front of the said stranger, though he looked quite familiar when you looked close. you quickly wipe your hands on your black apron, making your way over to the corner to take a look, curious.

hiroshi and haruki are efficiently chatting, the most they can at their age anyway, and the boy who sits with them, is who you notice to be the one you'd met the other day. that boy who came with the little girl. his arms are folded over the table and he's softly smiling at your two siblings, haruki's occasional bubbly exterior coming into view and hiroshi trying his hardest to contain the energetic boy. as a sister, seeing them so gleeful made your heart swell, filled with the maternal gratification you relished so much.

"hello sir," you speak, making the latter look up to meet your eyes. you'd say it was the first time you'd gotten such a close look at his face, and his divine lavender eyes that peered into yours.

"I was wondering why your brothers were there," he says, scratching the back of his neck in nervousness. his eyes double-taking a proper look on you, he asks, "do you mind if i..?"

"no, it's totally alright," you smile at him, your hands waving to symbolize nonchalance, "you live in the same apart right?"

"yes, right upstairs, mitsuya takashi."

"I see. I'm y/n."

then it falls to thin silence, however, mitsuya tries to make the most of it as he takes in your features; your subtle yet tired eyes, your hands that looked too calloused to be of a teenager's and your endearing gaze as you look at your twin brothers, whispering soft nothings to them. It had clicked him the moment he met the twins, why were they here? you must've had no one to take care of them back at home if you brought them here during work hours.

did you bring them here everyday?

It was hard to keep your eyes on the kids when you were diligently working, but it was the best decision, he surmised, to have your eyes on them it was the best you could do.

"anything to order, sir?" you ask after you tuck a strand of hair behind your ears- that mitsuya notices rather attentively- your notebook and pen ready to take note.

"a latte would be fine."

"coming right up."

then he watches your figure vanish off behind the counters, and your brothers eager to let him continue where he left off.

mitsuya knew he wasn't being very interesting, but the way haruki's face lit up every time he smiled back at him was fervent, and mitsuya couldn't help but feel the accomplishment creeping in when hiroshi burst out in a smile along with his twin.

they both looked the same, but were such different personalities that it baffled mitsuya. while haruki was so utterly cute, pink fanning his rosy cheeks and jutted lips spread in a small smile, hiroshi was composed and calm, brethren of serenity pooling under his fingertips like silver. while haruki's ruffled brown hair amplified his adorable appeal, gorgeous wisps falling over his cute little eyes; hiroshi's tender eyes added to his reserved charm, his bangs combed and styled in neat strands.

after he's done with the coffee and with entertaining your brothers, he briefly ruffles their hair- partly apologetic for ruining hiroshi's neat coiffure- but it was too tempting not to, he excuses. then mitsuya struts off to the counter, paying (that's just an excuse) as he strikes a small conversation to let you know just how amazing your siblings had been.

honestly, mitsuya was mesmerized at the compassionate glint in your eyes when you talked about them, and the minute spurt of pride that glazed you equally insecure lips. It was apparent simply by watching that you loved your siblings to bits, and if mitsuya could do anything to help, he knew he'd do it without a second thought.

"they're usually quite compliant, but I can't really keep them sat on one place for so many hours. besides, my superior doesn't really fancy it, but I had no choice," you say, expressing your concerns as you sullenly look over to your twin brothers. "I'm not able to give them the time they need, it feels like I'm extricating them from e good upbringing. it's distressing for me but there's nothing else I can do."

mitsuya's eyes fall over to them along with you, watching as haruki tries to fabricate tissues into an aeroplane and hiroshi simply peers- the amusement hidden beneath his sealed lips. and mitsuya thinks, he thinks; what if he could keep them with his little sisters? It would heave a great responsibility from your shoulders.

"you're doing your best, you know it right? If it's too much for you, I can take them both to stay with my little sisters," mitsuya offers, observing a leaf of hope that breeds on your lashes.

"sisters?"

"yeah, I have two younger sisters. the youngest is mana, the one I came with the other day. and there's luna, she's two years older," mitsuya informs, watching as your expression turns into one of awe, watching as your feet inclines to oscillate, but doesn't, instead you sport a smile of glee when you ask him, "so you take care of your sisters?"

"uhuh," mitsuya nods his head in affirmation, "I watch over them most of the time since my mom is busy, so it's totally fine if you leave your brothers with me,"

but trusting an almost stranger with your brothers that are gem of your heart, it wasn't as easy.

"I'd visit you tomorrow to meet your sisters, I'm sure haruki and hiroshi would be thrilled. I hope they can bond, so that I could leave them with you with no worries," you tell him. then you dip into a grateful bow, your hands clasped into one hold as you say, "thank you so much, mitsuya-kun."

"ah, please don't bow!"

mitsuya is scared to bits because you might bow in any unknown time and he's afraid he doesn't know how to handle so much of formal gratitude; but then you stand up, head tilting to deepen the dimples that stretch your cheeks into pellets, "thank you really, mitsuya-kun."

mitsuya would be lying if he said it didn't affect him, you didn't affect him; because his hands stutter midway when your eyes are barely visible through the tight-lipped smile you give him. and his fingers are cold when yours are pressing onto your own, poignant and beholden for the hope he's offered for your siblings.

"please, the pleasure is mine."