Chapter Text
The scent arrives differently from spring, life seems more lively and colorful, it frames new things and leaves you wondering what will happen for the rest of the days.
It was the time of flowers, it's simple to accept all the ones you see, there's no less or more, withered flowers are beautiful, those with a strange fragrance, even those that don't have a single petal.
That was Pure Vanilla's worldview.
"I'm so sleepy, it's so early..." A child beside him complained, holding his hand, his pink locks being caressed by the wind, his blue eyes closing in annoyance at pieces of branches and leaves that the breeze carried.
Pure Vanilla smiled, through the thin-framed glasses he wore.
"When you get home I can cook strawberry crepes if you want, what do you say?" The child almost jumped up excitedly and cheering, without letting go of the adult's hand. "But give it all your best, okay?"
"Boohoo, I don't like the other subjects, language and arts make no sense at all."
"It's a new year for you to try again, but you have to put in the effort." His hand moved to stroke the boy's head, ruffling his hair a little in the process.
Her younger brother, Strawberry Crepe, a lively and calculatingly intelligent boy, was the center of her life; he lived and worked so that the little one could live easily with him, after all, he was the only thing he had left, the last remnant of his far from perfect family.
"Good luck at work, Pure Vanilla!" the boy shouted with his hand outstretched before entering his institution, his backpack swinging from side to side.
The blond boy smiled, stepping away from the gate, continuing down the list of his life.
Pure Vanilla, on the other hand, was almost a lost cause, or as they used to label him due to his peaceful decisions, he was a medical student, his future as a doctor was bright.
Then came the arrival of his little brother. Vanilla didn't exactly have a stable family; his parents were separated and he lived with his mother. He was adopted as a child, and Strawberry Crepe was the new biological son, but...
He was born of infidelity, specifically that of his father and a different woman; that was why they separated shortly after his adoption when he was a child.
Vanilla's mother was sterile; it was going to be difficult to hide an illegitimate child anyway. Until his young adulthood and his time at university, he had never seen his younger brother, nor had he even estimated his age.
Until his father died, the boy was left adrift; at that time he was barely eight years old. His mother, grown with resentment, refused to take responsibility, and not even the boy's biological mother accepted the responsibility.
He still remembers it; it's etched in his mind like the scent of heavy incense in the lawyer's office. He was sitting in the couch, with his mother beside him, arms crossed, not hateful but with a difficult expression.
In the couch opposite him was Strawberry Crepe, with his hands in his backpack, his gaze lowered and concentrated, and his legs flapping noisily. Pure Vanilla had just come from a medical practice; his superior had a bad day, so he ended up scolding him.
He was tired that time too, but he couldn't help but smile, he leaned down to the child and offered him the package of sweet cream cookies he had been eating on the way.
Perhaps that's where he saw such an enthusiastic child, although the way the child was eating the cookies so quickly caused him almost immediate concern...
As if he hadn't eaten.
The problem only escalated soon after; the biological mother had disappeared, his mother refused to sign over custody of the child, and it all led to Strawberry Crepe going to the orphanage.
His empathy hit him so hard that time; he was adopted, he knew it wasn't easy, life was bland even with care, the hatred between the children was heavy, memories of being bullied several times abound in his mind.
He was lonely.
It may have been impulsive, Pure Vanilla at that time took the money saved for his thesis, verified the sum of inheritance money that his deceased father had left, and was thankful that the testimony did not frame the other mother as an heir.
It was enough to buy a simple one-bedroom apartment; with the rest he dedicated himself to contacting the lawyer so that the custody could be discussed and he would take it.
He dropped out of medical school and moved into his new apartment, even though his mother scolded him for what he was doing and tried to convince him otherwise.
He never backed down, he looked for work and secured his life as best he could, and soon after, the day finally arrived.
Strawberry Crepe looked up at him, with a suitcase in his hands and a backpack on his back, he was wearing a wool hat with cat ears, and was bundled up with three different jackets.
His face showed uncertainty, fear, courtesy, and a touch of harshness. Vanilla simply relaxed his gaze and smiled at him, opened the door, and told him for the first time that he was his older brother and that he would take care of him from that moment on.
"Wow, you're early, you can take care of the new boxes back there." A middle-aged man pointed at him, wearing an orange apron with yellow embroidery.
Pure Vanilla nodded, tying his short shoulder-length hair into a low ponytail, took off his cream-colored yellow sweater and tied on an apron of the same orange color with yellow embroidery.
He walked quickly to the warehouse, his sneakers squeaking on the freshly polished tiles. There they were, four sealed boxes with the logo of a plastics company, and two others that were open with packages of coffee in large bags.
"Check-up please." A girl next to him spoke, taking out the receipt for the products. Vanilla grabbed it instantly, adjusting his glasses while reading the statements, gently noticing the number of packages.
"Okay, I'll notify my comrade to pay." The blond man nodded, lifting three boxes. He was thankful the plastic was light, but he would suffer with the coffee.
Pure Vanilla worked in an internet cafe; people would come to order something while they could sit at the tables and do whatever they had planned to do, using the internet at the establishment.
And if not, they could go to the computer room, which was frequented only by students.
His job wasn't easy, on the other hand; he was in charge of the warehouse, cleaning the premises, and occasionally customer service.
At least the boss paid him well, perhaps because every time she saw him she mentioned how nice he was and because of the way he blushed when he smiled with those closed white eyelashes.
"I'm done with the boxes, I'm going to put away the things that arrived," Vanilla said calmly, his comrade nodded, tired of the routine.
"I hate spring, man. Have you seen those idiots, giving flowers to their girlfriends or boyfriends?" His fellow vented, making a face, while Pure Vanilla giggled.
"It's adorable, the way several people express their love. Should we adapt the place for this time of year?"
"Ugh! No thanks, I don't want to see lovey-dovey couples, who knows, they might get too comfortable and make a mess in the computer room, if you know what I mean."
Pure Vanilla raised his eyebrows, forgetting such a detail, and shrugged somewhat embarrassed.
"Do you have a girlfriend, Vanilla?"
"No, I don't have it"
"You always speak so highly of this era, and you're so kind and gentle. I thought you had found your ideal girl, like your soulmate."
"No... I couldn't, I have to take care of my brother, a girlfriend would be a bit of a problem, although I remember my time at university when I did think about it."
His fellow tilted his head, taking a bag of donuts from under the counter, and offered it to Pure Vanilla, who took a white chocolate glazed donut and put it in his mouth, still arranging it.
"They say that when you don't want it, fate gives it to you, how scary."
Vanilla ignored the comment; he had a busy day ahead of him, and besides, the donut was too delicious to answer.
A few light knocks were heard on the glass door of the premises; both employees looked up, noticing a woman who was barely able to stand on her legs and heels.
On top of almost his entire body was a pile of papers and books; the woman was holding it with both arms, trying to push the glass with her body.
"I'll go help," Pure Vanilla said, swallowing the last piece of donut. He pulled on the glass door, making the woman hesitate, afraid of giving it a false push. "Let me carry something. Will you be using the computer room?"
"No, no, I'm fine with a simple table..." The woman's voice was soft and timid. Vanilla took part of the stack of books. "Thank you very much."
The blond gasped, surprised to see the girl's expression; she was smiling with her cheeks softly painted pink on her softly pale and dull skin, her silky, messy white hair framed her face adorably, and her eyes were a jewel crimson.
She was very beautiful, she had a pure and delicate appearance.
After helping her settle at a table, he was able to get a better look at her full figure. She was wearing a pale green formal shirt, over which was an open dark green wool sweater that reached her waist, a black cylindrical skirt that reached above her knees, long, almost translucent grayish stockings, and low, pointed black heels.
Her hair was loose and with messy strands; on one side of her forehead was a flower brooch, a lily, which pulled some strands back.
She was beautiful, her own gaze turned shy, he turned his eyes towards the ground, to the sides...
"I'm fine for now, I'll ask for more minutes later."
The woman spoke calmly, taking a seat. Vanilla nodded nervously, returning to his duties like a robot.
Ah, his companion was looking at him with narrowed eyes.
"I've just confirmed the theory, that's why you should never say never."
"What, theory? What are you talking about?"
"Yeah, yeah, keep playing dumb." His companion smiled mockingly. Pure Vanilla opened his eyes halfway, self-conscious. For the first time that day, his normally uneven orbs, between amber and blue, were noticeable, and he looked directly at the girl who was now smiling as she moved her books.
Time now seemed eternal, curious, yet... stranger.
Pure Vanilla couldn't stop watching the girl, even when new customers arrived. he couldn't stop watching what she was doing, even when he tripped while serving other customers. At this point, it was obvious.
Finally, when the girl decided to ask, he came delighted, discreetly delighted.
"We have desserts, iced coffees, different tea sections... Which ones would you like?" Vanilla leaned forward, offering her the menu, watching as the girl scanned the products.
"Herbal tea sounds good, and a slice of chocolate cake." Vanilla almost forgot to write it down because he was staring at the girl, but gasped and jotted it down instantly. "Interesting... So Thursdays are two-for-one special?"
"Y-Yes! Since students usually come, we take advantage of that to get more customers and..."
"Great, then I'll come on Thursday too." The girl turned to Vanilla, making him blush slightly, something she didn't notice; in fact, she raised both eyebrows. "Is something wrong?"
"N-No, excuse me, it's just that..." Vanilla raised both eyebrows equally; the girl was watching him intently, waiting for his answer. "Uh, would you like your tea with or without sugar?"
"Oh, no sugar please!" She closed her eyelashes, smiling charmingly, which only made the blond man's heart pound even worse.
The day was clumsy, Pure Vanilla accelerated his movements, his mind wandered, he received two warnings from his comrade that he was using the utensils incorrectly.
In the end, when the girl had to pay, it was an unbearable ordeal; she was so delicate, so calm, she seemed like the divine image of a white bird, her smile faltered as she read the bill she was given.
"Can they be combined? I didn't know receipts could be redeemed, now I understand why this cafe is so popular."
"A-Ah, yes..." Pure Vanilla looked like a fool, an idiot, his voice trembled, he sighed, the girl again raised both eyebrows.
"Excuse me, do I look bad or something?"
"N-No, none of that!"
"I've noticed you looking at me for a while now... Is the smell of my perfume perhaps too strong? Excuse me, lilies are my favorite flowers."
"I like it." His words came out impulsively, uncontrolled, without foundation. Pure Vanilla opened his eyes and instantly blushed on his brown skin, ears, and neck.
His fellow, after the cheering, nudged him with annoying sounds.
The girl, on the other hand, relaxed her gaze and raised her eyebrows.
"Wow, that's so kind! I usually get told I'm annoying, that I spoil the atmosphere, and other things. They call me weird for everything I like, but it's nice to hear a compliment once in a while." The girl smiled, comforted and excited. "My name is White Lily."
"P-Pure Vanilla, nice to meet you..." He barely whispered, the girl raised her eyes, she seemed too excited.
"I'm sure we'll see each other more often! I hope we'll be good friends!"
Vanilla blinked, the word disconnected him a little, he hesitated nervously, his comrade making muffled humming noises made it worse.
"For sure yes..."
What a short story for a romance at first sight.
---
---
"And then we all did a big jump together!" Strawberry Crepe raised his fists, with one leg on the chair. Pure Vanilla was worried; the pink-haired boy had an ugly scrape on his knee. He gently applied gauze.
"You have to be careful. Are you sure you all won't get in trouble?"
"Of course not, nobody should find out anyway!"
The blond man smiled, sighing, and stroked his younger brother's head.
"How was your day at work?"
"Normal as usual, but... today was a bit busy." Vanilla frowned. "Do you want to get something to eat? Let's get some pineapple burgers."
"Hamburgers, yes!" The boy raised his fists again, pulling the blond boy's arm, almost dragging him to the door.
The night and its fragrance was humid; instead of flowers, the breeze was cold, creating an almost wet, tiring atmosphere, yet it was still fresh.
The crickets were talking to each other, the moon illuminated the short steps of both brothers as they talked and left the building.
They continued down the street, a fast food restaurant could be seen in the distance, not too far nor too close, Strawberry Crepe talked about what he saw along the whole stretch, pointing and touching as he walked.
"Take it easy, the food won't go anywhere."
The restaurant they usually went to was small; at night the interaction was almost calm, empty, just what you'd expect after a day of work or chores.
Pure Vanilla walked through the door of the establishment, with a Strawberry Crepe telling him about his taste and skill in statistics and robotics; he was so intelligent-
"I want to speak to your boss! Do you understand?! It's unbelievable that you're so incompetent with a simple request I made!"
That's where the peaceful day ended. The blond man adjusted his glasses, looking sadly at the staff: a new girl he had never seen working at the restaurant, and next to her an older woman asking him to calm down, probably his supervisor.
He felt sorry.
"Ugh, they're so noisy, it's annoying..."
"Perhaps we should wait a little while..." Pure Vanilla sighed, taking a seat at a table next to his younger brother, trying to distract themselves from the shouts of the unknown customer as they looked at the menu, as if they didn't know it inside and out...
Ah
"You're all completely useless...!" The blond man sighed, once again, his closed eyes subtly shifting towards the customer; perhaps he would regret what he was about to do...
"Look, let us make up for this mistake, you don't have to shout, please..."
"Hello, good night," the young adult smiled charmingly, breaking the tense atmosphere between the stranger and the staff. "I'd like two pineapple burgers here, I'll wait as long as it takes."
The older woman slapped gently the younger one in the back, sending her to the kitchen.
"Right away, let me make you an invoice..." She typed on the computer, worried, the customer felt like he was crossing his arms in annoyance.
"Hey, we're not finished!" Pure Vanilla quickly registered the person next to him; it was a somewhat older, thin man, a little taller than him, wearing a black turtleneck, over which he wore a silver necklace with an eye enclosed in a rhomboid, elegant pants of a deep dark blue and simple gray sneakers, his hair was tied in a high ponytail.
"It's been a tough day, hasn't it?" He raised both eyebrows, trying to lighten the mood of the stranger, who narrowed his eyes—sharp, aggressive blue eyes. "I think we can settle this here. There's no need to shout, especially not so late at night..."
"Tch, I just wanted to eat something, it's not my fault the staff are so incapable and getting my order wrong..." The stranger looked away, the strands of hair covering his face fluttering gently.
"Mistake? What did you originally want to order?" The stranger raised his eyebrows slightly but not completely, pointing to the illuminated sign above the counter, specifically an order. Pure Vanilla followed his gaze.
Ah, a chicken burger with onion rings...
"And yet, despite clarifying that I don't like pineapple, they gave me a beef hamburger. How am I supposed to eat that?" The stranger shrugged, anger returning to him, his blue eyes lowered their gaze and his thin lips pressed together.
"Oh? Pineapple burger, what a coincidence. Shall we do something?" The blond man held out his hand, asking the pale-skinned man for the bag with the burger. Somewhat surprised, the man agreed, raising an eyebrow. "Excuse me, a chicken burger with onion rings. And could you put this order on my bill? I'll pay for everything, no problem."
The older woman smiled with relief, thanking the blond man with her eyes as she nodded her head.
"Hey..." The stranger spoke again, pressing his eyebrows together.
"Don't worry, I'll pay for it for you. I imagine you had a bad day." Pure Vanilla smiled, his cheeks flushed, totally friendly, making the stranger completely relax his posture and gaze, uncrossing his arms, his thin lips parting slightly with a certain suspicion and curiosity.
---
---
"Here you go," Vanilla tilted his head, offering the taller one his correct order. He could finally see him completely, at least his face. His hair was so messy, the strands that fell across his forehead and face were white, the rest of his hair was a vibrant blue with messy black streaks.
He could see a little that the strange has other eyelash was white, as if he had really had a bad styling experience, but it gave him the right touch and suited him well.
He had to admit it, the man looked refined and handsome.
"I guess this means I owe you..."
"No, no, it's not necessary, I came with my younger brother and we both like these hamburgers."
The man frowned, pressing his lips together.
"Oh, you don't mind if I sit at the same table?"
The blond man opened his eyes, confused by the sudden request. Had he gotten himself into trouble or something? He simply nodded, raising an eyebrow, and saw the stranger's expression change into a dangerous, daring smile.
"Pure Vanilla, you took too long and on top of that you were talking to that...!" The named one made a sign by putting his index finger to his own lips, a drop of sweat fell down his cheek.
"Ah! Is this your younger brother?" The stranger spoke in an animated tone, smiling at the boy who twisted his mouth and raised both eyebrows somewhat defiantly.
Strawberry Crepe watched as his brother sighed, placing the tray with the two hamburgers and sauces next to an extra bag on his left side, sitting down opposite him as the stranger sat down next to him with complete confidence.
He had a bad feeling.
"Hmm, you two don't look that much alike! Were you lying~?" The stranger crossed his legs as he placed his food on the table, leaning towards Vanilla, who smiled uncomfortably.
"Ha... I'm adopted, my brother is biological, from my parents," Vanilla hesitated, uncomfortable. The blue-eyed man removed his smile, resting his chin on the back of his hand as he looked at his older brother.
Strawberry Crepe glared at him angrily.
"Don't bother my brother!" the pink-haired boy spoke, startling the blond boy.
"Ah hahaha, how adorable! I'm just a little curious, is it wrong to ask?" The stranger tilted his head, the strands of his high ponytail falling over his shoulder in a messy fashion, giving the impression that the black and blue strands were blending together to create the illusion of eyes.
"It's wrong to be nosy, my brother doesn't even know you!" Strawberry Crepe almost got up from his chair, Pure Vanilla was already eating his hamburger with his eyebrows raised, with his mouth full he raised his hand to calm the pink-haired boy.
"Oh~!, But I'm not a stranger, your brother practically already knows me from just exchanging words with me~!" The eloquent stranger closed his eyes, raising both eyebrows while with one hand he squeezed Pure Vanilla's arm and rested his head on his, being taller.
Vanilla pouted at the obvious drama.
"We don't know your name!"
"Wow, trivialities of no interest~"
"If we don't even know your name, you're practically just a stranger!"
"Ohhh~!, How rude~!" He wiped away a fake tear while smiling mockingly.
Pure Vanilla didn't say a word until he finished his meal; anyway, it wasn't as if he was going to run into that man again.
It was just a strange experience.
---
---
Never say never, the second time the theory could be confirmed, Vanilla frowned, his boss stood there, her striking orange satin suit vibrating in the cafe, her face puzzled and glancing between her employee and her business partner.
This business partner... just happened to be the man he had met yesterday, but now he looked different; he no longer wore that high ponytail, instead his hair was loose, silky and well-groomed, and an expensive dark royal blue trench coat protected him from the cold.
But he was still the same.
"My, my, if it isn't the older brother!" The now not so strange one smiled, making his eyes turn into half-moons and a soft blush settle on his cheeks.
Pure Vanilla probably dropped the cup of hot takeaway coffee on his comrade's leg.