My Lost Omega [BL]

It was good to be before time, but coming over half an hour early could be a bit too much, no? With that in mind - or rather, with such an excuse - Axel turned his steps, entering the coffee shop across the street instead of the office. Caffeine might not be a good cure for anxiety…

But a bit of extra time to calm down before meeting his new coworkers would do him some good. Plus, there were likely to be some pastries in a coffee shop, no? Then perhaps they would help.

The tiny bells at the door chimed softly as Axel pushed the door, announcing his arrival. The inside of the coffee shop was stylish and cozy, with red brick walls, dark wooden counter and tables, and black leather couches to sit on. With the nutty, roasted aroma of coffee wafting in the air, and soft, dimmed warm lights, it felt like stepping into another world, so different from the loud, bright, busy street outside.

"Can I help you?" a cute barista with a short black ponytail smiled at him from behind the counter.

"Ah, well…" Axel glanced at the menu above. There were all sorts of craft coffees listed there, with different brewing methods, half - and that's a generous estimate - of which Axel couldn't even comprehend. It would be interesting to try them sometime, but perhaps not now, not when he was already weak-headed thinking about his first day at work. "Uh, maybe a macchiato?"

"Of course. With which coffee beans?"

"Uh… regular?" Axel scratched his neck. Maybe his stop by the coffee shop was not a good idea after all, because the blank expression on the barista's face only made him even more nervous and embarrassed…

But the smile quickly returned to the barista's - 'River', as the name tag said - face. "Of course! Our shop's most popular, was it?"

"Ah… Yes. Takeaway, please." Axel exhaled with relief, instantly giving the shop five stars in his mind for the customer service. He fixed his tie, watching the flowers as River moved on to prepare his order…

The flowers?

Axel tilted his head.

He thought that River was wearing a long-sleeve, colorful shirt under his black T-shirt at first, but it turned out he had a whole meadow tattooed on his arms instead. There were cornflowers, poppies, dandelions, buttercups, white clovers, to name the few. The wildflowers he remembered from the fields near his family's summer house, ones he picked to make a bouquet for Elias all those years ago…

"There you go. Would you like anything else?" River's question pulled Axel out of his thoughts.

"Ah, thank you," he forced his eyes off the flowers, and lifted his head to meet River's jet black eyes. They were a good few inches below his, as the man was a shortie. "Something sweet to go with it would be nice…" he paused, casting a glance at the glass display, "Uh, so much to choose from. What would you recommend?"

"Hmm. I don't know your personal taste, but…" River pulled one of the pastries out, and presented it to Axel, "How about the poppy seed tart? It's my newest creation, only put out today, so I'm curious about your opinion!"

"Oh? You made it?" It was a bit surprising.

What was even more surprising though, was what River said next. "Perhaps not this particular tart, as my employees help me with the baking these days, but it's my recipe! It's my shop, you see, so everything here is by my design!"

"O-oh? Is that so?" Axel blinked a few times, so taken aback that he was temporarily at a loss for words. It was so unexpected, that he didn't realize that he muttered out loud, "I didn't know Omegas could be business owners?"

In response, River arched his brows, his smile faltering a bit. "There's no law against it anymore," he calmly stated, "And even if there was, that wouldn't be a problem. I'm a male Beta."

"A-ah, I'm so sorry!" A light flush instantly blossomed on Axel's cheeks, and he rushed to apologize and explain himself at the same time. Gender could be a sensitive topic, especially for Betas, who were often overlooked, or treated as a 'grey mass'. "It's just because your face is so cute… And your height is… I mean."

"No worries," River shook his head with a chuckle, the smile returning to his pink lips, adorned with a single side labret piercing, "I get that a lot. But, not only Omegas can be, ahem, cute or… relatively short. It's just my genetics."

"Hahah, well, good genetics then!" Although still a bit embarrassed, Axel joined in on the laugh. Good thing River didn't seem to mind, it would be sad if he'd have to avoid the coffee shop so conveniently located right on the other side of the street from his new office! "Well, I'll take the tart then. Takeaway, please, paying contactless!"

"Of course." River carefully placed the tart into a small paper box, and punched the numbers on the register. "I guess I won't be getting any feedback then…"

"I can stop by later!" Axel instantly reassured. "I'm now working across the street, you see?"

"Oh? Then can I expect a new regular customer?"

"Yes, for sure!" A wide smile brightened Axel's face. He stuffed his wallet back in his pocket, picked his coffee and the sweet treat, and turned back to the exit, making the bells chime once again. "Goodbye, and thank you for today!"

The short exchange lifted his mood despite its awkwardness, taking his mind off the stage fright typical for the first day. Humming a cheerful tune, he left the coffee shop behind, crossing the street and entering the office building. With his back turned, he hadn't realized that as soon as he left, the smile vanished from River's face, replaced by a much darker, colder expression, as he stared almost unblinkingly at Axel's back…

Only when the door bells rang once again, and another customer walked in, did he exhale, rolling his shoulders as if shedding unknown weight. His jaw relaxed, and the smile returned - practiced and polished to the perfection, his polite 'customer-face.' Charming, but entirely fake.