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She was in Takeshi’s house – well, at least he called it a house; it was more of a mansion. Masa hopped out of the shower and dried herself thoroughly as her thoughts rambled through her head painfully. A week ago she had been recruited by Takeshi to be his gay boyfriend – she accepted believing it wouldn’t be so much trouble, but now she was an employee at the King’s Café and she was even living in the guy’s mansion.
But part of her didn't mind all that much, to be considered a guy. Her rent to live with Takeshi was low and the conditions were much better than where she'd been living before. Takeshi. Masa felt a light flutter in her chest at the thought of the name. As much as she liked him, though, she wasn't allowed to like him. She was a guy to him, someone he'd never see as anything more than a close friend or a brother. But maybe it was better to have a one-sided love with someone. That way, you couldn't get hurt.
“How troublesome,” the brunette murmured. She dressed quickly in the clothes (and ace bandage) she’d brought along, threw a towel over her head, and trotted back to her room. It was now 5:00. In fifteen minutes they had to meet at the café. A groan escaped her. Messily drying her hair with the towel, she collapsed back onto the bed. Fifteen minutes. She could still sleep. In a matter of moments she was asleep, out like a light.
A light, permanent frown curving his lips, he undressed and dressed in his attire – a sharp looking though comfortable suit he enjoyed wearing during the first day of the troublesome week. Unlike his employees who wore black suits, he instead adorned one of a dark navy blue. He liked to think of it as a non-verbal statement of saying he was the man in charge, which he was, though he was more than happy to split some of the commitment with Takeshi, the cook.
Dressed and trimmed nicely, the manager strolled down the stairs and into the kitchen where he prepared a sour-cream bagel with a slice of salmon draped over the top. “Ittadakimasu!” he said quietly and took a wholesome bite. Though he’d never admit it to his friend, he was always saving room for lunch time with the employees – Takeshi always prepared a fabulous meal and Masa generally gave them some music to enjoy while they ate. It was much more enjoyable than his current bagel, but it would do for now.
He arrived at the café at 5:15, right on time. Grinning to himself, Luka unlocked the employee back door and pushed into the café. It was silent amongst the tables and chairs. Just looking upon the space gave him chills. To think that they’d started up this place only a week ago. But they still had so much more progress to make, so many more things to do. Hopefully the celebration trip he was planning for the weekend would bring his crew together enough to make it all happen.
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The full, black tiled bathroom big enough for a family of five to get ready in comfortably at the same time might be a bit excessive for most people, but it was a norm for him. Being a member of the prestigious Katayama family meant that Takeshi grew up with some of the finer things in life which included (but not limited to) big houses, fast cars, many family vacations, and over-sized bathrooms. It's not that he was opposed to small houses; it was just one of those things where mom and dad were like, "Do you want this?" and he had no issue saying, "Sure!"
He did all he need to do in the bathroom. He showered, brushed his teeth, styled his hair, and by the time he had finished with all that it was about 4:50. He walked back into his bedroom, and pulled out what he was going to wear for the day. He put on his boxers, undershirt, work pants, white short sleeve button down shirt, his socks, and his shoes, and he pulled out a black apron that he'd put on when he got to the cafe. He looked at the clock for another time check. It was now 5:00, which meant it was time to go.
He walked out to the kitchen of his house, and to Takeshi's concern, Masa wasn't down yet. With the exception of this moment, Masa had been a God sent. If it wasn't for him, Takeshi would have had to marry that bi- not nice woman his parents had originally wanted him to marry, and just in time, too. Any one could see that she and him had absolutely nothing in common. First off, she was a morning person... Need he go on? That, and she hated him as much as he hated her. The only reason she was for the marriage was because he had one more zero next to his net worth than she did. So, finding a guy nice enough to hire as his gay lover was the best thing to happen to him since finishing cooking school. For only ¥7500 (about $75) a month, he has "proof" that he is gay (to his parents anyway), and he doesn't have to marry the wicked, morning person. Who said money couldn't buy happiness?
Now, if only he'd hurry up and get down here so they could leave. If he wanted to carpool to work, he'd have to get down to the kitchen, in like, one minute so they could be at work on time. "Masa!" He hollered in the general direction of Masa's room. "It's time to go if you want me to drive you to work!"
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After staring at that fan for ten minutes, he rolled off his side of the bed and stared at the wooden floor for another five. When he was certain his mind was in the right place, he bent over and kissed Miki on the forehead. Her sleeping breath didn't change in the least, her brown curls fluttering around her face as she dreamed. She was a pretty little actress. They had been engaged for quite a few months by now and he swore she was one of the luckiest things that could have ever happened to him. Beneath the blanket was her six-month-swollen tummy and he bent to kiss that too before getting up.
Taking his suit from the closet, Sora wandered into the bathroom, showed, dressed, and finished the rest of the morning activities. Dark hair slicked back with water, he grabbed an apple from basket in the kitchen, went to the front to put on his shoes, and quietly left the house to depart for work.
King's Cafe was just another building to many, but the ravenette consided it a second home. Rolling his sleeves up as he entered through the employee entrance, he wordlessly set the bar to his liking before he looked up at the manager. "Good morning, Mr. Jun!" Sora said with all the brightness he could muster before leaning against the bar in a casual manner. "It seems very hopeful for our success today."
"Masa!"
The brunette bolted out of bed, twirling around as the sound of her name jerked her from her disturbing dream. "What? Who? Where?" she sputtered quickly before realizing she was standing alone in the middle of her room. A sigh escaped her. It had only been her dream. Nobody was really calling her. But there was Takeshi's voice calling up to her room and for a stricken moment she realized that he had been the one to abruptly pull her from her slumber. "I-I'm coming!" she yelled back, struggling to flatted her hair which had taken it upon itself to stick out in every direction. Giving up on the fly-away strands, she raced down the stairs two by two and upon entering the kitchen nearly crashed into the cook. At the last minute she side-stepped and skidded to a halt, hair a mess and tie askew.
“I’m here,” she panted, flustered. “Sorry. I fell asleep. Again.” This wasn’t the first time she’d done this and she was quite sure it wouldn’t be the last. Masa clamped her lips shut and gave him a slight bow of apology. What he must think of me, I don’t want to know…
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(Lux_Disraeli: it’s still very early in the morning, around 5:15 when the employees are still arriving)
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Akivashia hit the run trail beside her apartment complex popping her head phones. She reached the the trail head walking over to the clearing. She checked her watching cussing herself as she darted towards a crowd forming up She hated being late to her yoga class it ment having a bad view. She managed to get a spot up front checking her watch once more. After her class she bolting back to her apartment hopping in the shower singing to herself as the water rushed over her. Her five alarm went off as she turned the water off. "Great I am running late." She hurriedly got ready and ran out the door texting Luka -You'd think i's be not late always ^.~. Also do you want me to come see you after I meet with this agent? She flipped her phone closed rushing into the office building.
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The lugging figure buried within mountains of blankets shifted, rolling over to his side and away from the teeth-clenching drone of the alarm clock. It was another day to stumble out of the warm comforts of the bed to serve the dimwitted customers of his day job, another day to fake a smile for the bigger dollar, another day it was. Fantastic. Jiro gave all attempts to ignore the ongoing chirping on the blinking box sitting on his night stand, shutting his eyes tighter as if the sleep would return to him if held tight enough. Again, this was only failing him and hurting his eyes. The ringing calm to a sudden halt, ending in a thump by the palm of waking man, who rose from his bed in groans and aching shoulders. He blinked once, letting his lids linger shut before opening them again; regaining his composure and tossing away any hint of sleep his body whined for before shutting the bathroom door behind him.
Ten minutes had passed until Jiro returned into his sleeping quarters, partially in uniform and awake enough to not give in temptation of slumber yet again. His iron pressed coat hung on a small hook attached to the wall alongside his full length mirror, where he passed by pleasantly with a smirk. "Mn, you look good today; as always." The words escaped him as naturally as they come, looking back at his haughty reflection before stepping over to the kitchen. The blackette fixed himself a cup of coffee, keen that he had put two sugar cubes and the exact amount of creamer. He brought the cup to his lips, sipping casually as his almond brown eyes trailed over to the clock to his right; the King's Cafe would be expecting his arrival soon. It was time to make haste.
Jiro had stepped over to his mirror for the third time that morning, pulling on the coat that would complete his job attire; a black suit. After briefly adjusting the cufflinks of his shirt, the man met his eyes once more and smiled. Using the tips of his fingers, he brushed away stray bangs of hair away from his eyes then followed the same process through various areas of his hair. Perfect. "Ganbatte," He spoke again to his reflection before shutting off the lights and closing the door behind him.
The morning had barely awaken itself as the waiter walked down the dimly-lit streets, and he cursed himself quietly as did not expect morning's chill and forgot to bring himself an extra coat. No matter, he was going to be indoor for the most time anyhow. It was only moments after when he arrived to the cafe, walking down and entering through the back entrance. He looked up, catching a glimpse of his manager before turning drawing his attention away. There was no need for greetings, it was too early for that.
She turned over, fighting against the sleep that clouded her vision, to see the digits on the alarm clock. After a few moments she was able to make out the number five, followed by a twelve. She closed her eyes again, allowing her breathing to even out once more, happy in the knowledge that she hadn't overslept too drastically. She felt her hand slip protectively to her rounded stomach, tracing absentminded circles on it with the tip of her finger. She frequently found herself wondering what their baby would be like. If it would have his high cheekbones with her rosy complexion? Or his almond shaped eyes and her neat little nose? Or would have his talent at public speaking, coupled with her complete inability to play music instruments? Or his calm, reserved temperament and her caring, honest personality?
She felt her mind beginning to drift off into a semi-conscious dream and forced her eyes open again to stop herself falling asleep once more. She sat up slowly, trying to prevent the mild dizziness she often felt when she woke, up as a result of her progressing pregnancy, allowing the blanket to simply fall from around her. She planted her feet on the hard wooden floor and, ignoring the complaint from her back as she stood up, she padded gently through to the bathroom. Asuri switched on the shower, allowing it to heat up for a short while, before getting in. The warm water poured pleasantly down her shoulders as she massaged strawberry scented shampoo and conditioner into her scalp. She must have spent about twenty minutes in there, simply enjoying the relaxing pitter-patter of the water and the soft, warm steam that rose around her. Finally, she got out and dried herself, having breakfast in her bathrobe before selecting an outfit and dressing. She blasted her hair with the hairdryer until it was bone dry and dragged a brush down its length to style it. She neatly outlined her eyes with an eyeliner pencil and applied mascara, lip gloss and blusher.
Asuri stepped out into the crisp January air with her big fluffy coat pulled tightly around her and locked front door behind her. She glanced down at her watch, reading six twenty-one off the display. She smiled softly to herself before beginning her journey to King’s Café.
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He reached his key rack, and pondered which car to drive today. It only took a second to decide to pick up the keys of his Prius. How were any of the others even an option? It's too early. His Prius was reliable and the one he always used to get to work; Plus, he'd rather put mileage on it than his Ferrari. Oh, the problems of the rich and wasteful.
He takes his keys of the rack and heads toward the garage door. He opens the door and holds just long enough so it wouldn't shut in Masa's face and letting go only when he was sure the other had the door. He unlocked the car, got in, and waited to make sure Masa was ready to go. Once he was, They were off to work. Well, Takeshi didn't see it as work. He loved his job. No. His career. Cooking had always been something of a stress reliever for him. If something bad happened that day, he'd come home and cook to keep his mind off of what was ailing him. Got into a fight? Make some rice balls. Get a less than appealing mark on a test? Bake a four layer cake. The girl he's had a crush on since he laid eyes on her in middle school rejecting him in favor of his best friend? His family came home to banquet worth of food. It was just one of those things that calmed him, and as long as he wasn't punching walls and all the food he made didn't go to waste, his family was alright with his stress reliever.
He sat in silence while he drove. He didn't have much to talk about, and frankly, for him, it was way too early to be having a full on conversation. Really, all he needed was a cup of coffee with a double shot of espresso to get him moving, but he wouldn't get that until he got to work, which he was now pulling into the parking lot of.
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((Sorry if this post was kind of god-mody... I just kind of want to get to the cafe. :'D))
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"Alright, lets hit the road then," Takeshi said, once more bringing her from her silent daze.
Masa followed him quietly, making haste so not to make them any more late than they might have been. They took the Prius, which was by far her least liked car out of all of them. It was small and cramped and she had always liked the feeling of driving with the wind in her hair. Sticking her head out the window of the car was not going to happen. Agitated, she refrained from speaking a word on the trip in fear her true feelings toward the car would come out - getting on Takeshi's bad side was something that she had so far managed to avoid and today was not an exception. Her throat was dry by the time they'd reached the King's Cafe. Not wasting time for him to shut off the car, the brunette quickly opened the door and jumped out. Hands in pockets, she shuffled into the cafe.
Several minutes earlier after Luka arrived, he'd been greeted with a text from Aki. Yeah! You're always welcome, Aki. No need to ask. - He quickly texted her back, not wanting to waste any time he could have a short chat with her. But he knew she was probably busy and there was the possibility that he wouldn't hear from her until later. It was a disappointment, yet it only made seeing her ten times better.
"Good morning, Mr. Jun!" came Sora's voice from the bar. "It seems very hopeful for our success today."
"Tch. Morning person." Luka gave the young man a light wave before looking back out the front window where his attention had been drawn. A couple moments later Jiro appeared, but the manager made no attempt to talk to the guy. Honestly, if Jiro didn't want anything to do him him, then he would respect that.
Another minute passed before Masa came shuffling in the door - he could be sure that Takeshi wouldn't be far behind. "We're opening in thirty minutes!" he called, voice booming throughout the cafe. "Carry out any preparations needed. I'll be upstairs if you need me." Grinding his teeth out of habit, Luka turned on his heel and bounded up the stairs towards his office.
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((ah sorry for the wait! and Walking-Travesty, you're fine ^^ I don't mind))
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