Work Text:
“Hello! Welcome to Cafe Violatte! What can we get for you?”
Shoto has worked at Uki’s coffee shop since graduating high school. He needed a day job while focusing on his career as a streamer at night.
When he first stumbled across the new cafe, he wasn’t sure about the astrological-scifi-mystical aesthetics, but it was mostly pink and purple, so he thought it was cool. It definitely had the coziest vibes around.
Then when he saw the cute owner, he was immediately like, ‘Sign me up, boss, when can I start?’
Since then, he and Uki have become good friends, even close enough to flirt regularly, though there’s no real heat behind it. The two of them are jokingly competing for who can collect the most men among their regulars for their harems. (Uki’s winning by a landslide, but Shoto will steal them all for himself! …One day?)
Another reason Cafe Violatte was the most popular one in the area was because they did themes on Saturdays. Every other day of the week, it functioned like a normal coffee shop, but on Saturdays, anything went. Cosplay, host club, even a D&D day (at Shoto’s request), they had done it all. They even collaborated with a local animal shelter to do a cat cafe, which became one of their most popular events.
This next Saturday, however, was going to be the bane of Shoto’s existence.
“ A maid cafe ?!”
“Yeah, we're gonna look cute and probably get a lot of tips. You can reuse those thigh-highs from your rogue outfit or whatever. It’ll be sexy,” Uki stated.
“My mom found those, and it was one of the most embarrassing moments of my life! AHHH!” Shoto buried his face in his hands, already turning pink at the mortifying memory.
“Well then, here, what about one of the longer maid dresses? It might not do your ass justice, but at least you won’t be showing too much skin.” Uki showed him an example on his phone of a more conservative maid outfit.
Shoto huffed. “F-fine. I’ll do it.”
“Great! I just ordered it anyway. And don’t forget the thigh-highs! Boss’s orders!” Uki called over his shoulder as he walked away.
In short, Shoto was doomed.
The dreaded Saturday finally arrived, and Shoto begrudgingly put on the dress, thigh-high stockings and all. He eventually walked out with as much dignity as he could muster, despite wanting to hide his red, red face.
Uki let out a delighted laugh upon seeing him and made him do a full turn. “You look good, sweetie! I’m so glad it fits perfectly.”
Uki himself had on a short, lolita-style maid dress with a frilly skirt, white mesh stockings, and a lacy headband. He looked super cute, and Shoto knew the customers would just want to eat him up.
“Yeah, thanks. You look good too, Uki.”
“Don’t look so glum. You’ll scare off the customers. Just relax, okay? And maybe have fun? Oh wait, here comes the first customer. Good morning, master!”
Though at first he was nervous as hell, eventually Shoto regained his confidence. He got quite a few compliments from the regulars, though he couldn’t always tell if they thought he looked silly or cute. All of their customers left smiling and happy though, and Shoto was feeling better about the day in no time.
It got to the point that he no longer even minded the maid costume because he was too busy focusing on orders. The hours went by smoothly… until a certain stray fox wandered in.
“YO, BO’OMS! HAPPY MAID DAY!”
The one and only Mysta Rias walked in wearing a maid outfit of his own but with fox ears attached to his headpiece.
“Mysta, why are you wearing a maid dress? You don’t even work here,” Shoto asked while giving him a confused look. He probably should’ve known better by now to not question his dumbass best friend and regular, but the question still stood.
“I dunno, felt cute today. And I wanted to support you guys! I heard someone was being shy this morning,” he said cheekily.
“A little late for that, asshole. I am rocking this dress, and the customers love it!”
“Alright then, missy , try rocking these!”
Before he could move, Mysta quickly plopped something on Shoto’s head. The purple-haired barista tentatively reached up to feel it.
“Wait, are these… dog ears? You come in here and immediately wanna make me a dog boy? What the fuck, Mysta?”
“Hey, they complete the look. C’mon, it goes perfectly! Uki, come look at Shou!”
Uki came out with a tray of cookies for the bake case. He cheered when he saw Shoto’s new asset. “You got a tail to go with the ears, Mysta?”
“Bet. I already clipped it on him when he turned around.”
Shoto spun in circles, trying to get a look at the newest addition to his costume. He could see the end of a fluffy, dark purple tail as he turned frantically.
“Ah, ah, no touching! Boss’s orders!” Uki then happily cooed over how adorable his employee looked and slipped the fox boy a cookie as thanks. (“On the house. Don’t worry, they’re not too sweet.”)
“But why doesn’t Uki get any ears?” Shoto whined.
“Because I’m perfect the way I am, bitch,” he responded without any hesitation.
Shoto could only nod begrudgingly in agreement.
The door chimed, and two new customers walked in.
“Fuufuu-chan!”
Fulgur, Uki’s boyfriend, came in with another man they had never seen before.
“Uki, baby! I’ve missed you!”
Fulgur and Uki shared a sweet peck on the lips before Fulgur turned to introduce the new company. “Guys, this is my brother, Vox. He recently moved into town, so I wanted him to meet you all. And to show him the best place in the city, of course!”
“Hi, hottie! I mean, sexy—I mean, sweetie. Fuufuu-chan is my boyfriend, but there’ll always be an open spot for you in my harem. This is my employee, Shoto, and his friend Mysta.”
Shoto could only gape at his boss as his ears turned slightly pink from Uki giving him second-hand embarrassment. What did he just tell a stranger to his face?! Well, he wasn’t wrong, but why’d he have to go and say it?
The stranger had black, shoulder-length hair and striking rose gold eyes accented by bold red eye shadow at the outer corners. He wore a maroon shirt that brought out the red highlights in his hair and white slacks. There were some similarities in his and Fulgur’s facial structures and an apparent preference for red, but besides that, they looked pretty different. The man named Vox was kindly taking it all in stride and even chuckled at the unique introduction.
“Lovely to meet you all. My name is Vox Akuma. My brother spoke high praises about this place… and its owner, of course.”
Vox winked at Uki, and Shoto was amazed that Uki was still standing. He wasn’t even the main target of the wink, but he felt like he was about to have a heart attack. People that attractive should not be allowed to sound that sexy too. It was unfair! The world was clearly out to kill him today.
“Well, welcome to Cafe Violatte! Oh, wait, wait, Shou, you have to do the thing.” Uki nudged Shoto, prompting him to do today’s scripted greeting.
Shoto hesitantly bowed and said, “Welcome, masters! What would you like to order?”
“You. If you’re on the menu, anyway. I’m feeling peckish and could use a snack,” Vox smirked at the puppy in front of him.
Shoto’s cheeks and ears bloomed into an alarming shade of red, and he sputtered, “Wha—Bu-but I, I, I—”
Mysta cut in, “Right away, good sir. 10 bucks and he’s yours.”
“Done.” Vox handed over the cash and picked up the dog boy to throw over his shoulder.
“Fuck you, Mysta! You sold me out for $10?! You don't even work here!”
As he was carried away, he heard Fulgur ask Uki, “Then can I have you for dessert?”
“Fuufuu-chan~!” Uki holds out his arms and lets Fulgur pick him up bridal-style. Uki gives him a kiss on the cheek, and they rub noses. Shoto could practically see the cartoon hearts they were producing.
Meanwhile, he felt Vox pat the back of his legs as he said, “Let’s go. We’ve got lots to do.”
‘ WTF does that mean?! ’ Shoto thought.
“Vox, put me down!” He weakly smacked his back.
“That should be ‘Milord’ to you, but alright.” Vox reluctantly set him down in a booth in the corner before moving to sit across from him.
Shoto attempted to straighten out his clothes and doggy ears as he sat more upright. He let out a deep sigh before facing the annoyingly handsome man he was now hosting. “Is there anything you wanted to order besides me, milord ?”
“Hm, perhaps some tea. And cake, since you won’t let me eat yours for now.”
Shoto blinked a few times, only internally panicking slightly. “Wh-what’s your favorite kind of cake? We have quite a few flavors.”
“I’m quite partial to lemon cake actually. I like Victoria sponge, I like chocolate cake, I like rogue-flavored cake.”
Shoto furrowed his brow a little. “Rogue… flavored cake? Wait, what’s rogue-flavored cake?”
“Wouldn’t you like to know?” Vox responded teasingly.
Shoto felt like he was missing something. Did he mean rose-flavored? Why was this man being so confusing?
The black-haired man let out a hearty laugh at Shoto’s expense before finally cluing him in, “Isn’t your D&D class rogue? I heard from Fulgur that you dressed as one for a day.”
Oh. Oh! The rogue-flavored cake meant Shoto ! That was clever (not really). But at least Shoto understood now.
“You know stuff about D&D? Do you play? Hey, can I get some tea and two slices of lemon cake?” He waved down a different employee to get Vox’s order. The purple-haired barista was trying very hard to get the topic of conversation off of his stupidity. At least the man in front of him didn’t seem put off by it.
“Yeah, I actually just finished a campaign with some former roommates. Now, let me tell you about Baba. He’s the character I was playing as, and he’s a monkey…”
Shoto listened to him ramble on about the crazy adventures he went through on his campaign. Vox would occasionally pause, at first worriedly to see if he was losing Shoto. But no, the barista was quickly becoming enamored with Vox’s lively storytelling and his impressions (the man was talented too, damn it ), and Shoto would occasionally ask questions in between bouts of laughter.
He felt really at ease, tucked away in a corner booth, snacking on tea and cake as the two of them chatted. If this could be counted as a date, it was probably the best one Shoto had ever been on.
But all good things come to an end.
“Shoto, we need you back behind the counter. Finish up with your hubby and then get back to work.”
“W-we’re not together! We’re not even dating! What the fu—”
“You look like wife material in that dress. But I bet I’m actually the better malewife,” Vox said casually while sipping his tea.
“Shut up, Vox, or I’ll kiss you! I-I mean kill you, I swear!”
“Mhmm, sure thing, puppy. I hate to let you go, but will you let me take you out sometime? For dinner, I mean. Not to kill you… unless?”
“Haha, I’ll kill you first, you bastard. We’ll have a fight to the death, it’ll be romantic.” Shoto had a grin on his face, and Vox matched it.
“Give me your phone.”
Shoto was feeling playful and wanted to leave his company with something to remember. He got up out of the booth and stood in front of Vox. He slowly lifted his skirt, higher and higher, revealing the top of his thigh-highs and the lacy black garter that he was using to hold his phone. He liked it because it reminded him of his thigh holster which was both fashionable and tactical.
Based on the way Vox’s breath hitched for just a second, he liked it too.
The barista put his foot up on the bench, getting into Vox’s space a bit, and let the skirt fall with one stocking-covered leg completely exposed. He slid his phone out and held it out to the man who was watching him hungrily. Shoto felt powerful in this moment.
He watched with hooded eyes as Vox put his contact in. The man held his phone out back to him, but Shoto shook his head. Instead he leaned forward a little more and flicked his eyes down to his thigh garter to indicate to Vox to put it back himself.
The black-haired man was speechless for a moment. Then he exhaled forcefully before slowly reaching for Shoto’s leg.
Two could play this game. He didn’t go straight for the garter but instead ran a knuckle up and down his shin. He then stroked a splayed hand up the outside of his leg, making Shoto start to flush at the teasing. Vox ran his hand up and down the silky material a few more times, occasionally squeezing his calf, before finally sliding his phone back into the garter. He didn’t look away from Shoto’s face the entire time, watching closely for his reactions to his touch.
“Shoto!” someone called from the direction of the register counter.
“I’m coming!”
The barista was snapped out of the moment they were having. He’d forgotten for a minute that there was anyone else around but the two of them.
He put his leg back down and readjusted his skirt over it with a swish.
“I’ll call you?”
“You better, boy. If you don’t, I know where to find you.” Vox’s gaze burned.
Shoto was a little surprised by the sudden display of possessiveness, but it wasn’t entirely unwelcome. He shot one last bright smile at his unexpected date and turned to go back. He blew a kiss over his shoulder and walked away with a little more sway to his hips than he would have if he wasn’t being watched.
He finished his shift with a lot of teasing from his coworkers, but he couldn’t wipe the happy look off his face for the rest of the day.
Later that night…
> hey, this is Shoto 👋
> Hello darling. Did you miss me?