breathe it in and we can fly

Posted originally on the Archive of Our Own at http://archiveofourown.org/works/16092971.

Rating: Teen And Up Audiences

Archive Warning: No Archive Warnings Apply
Category: F/F
Fandom: 少女☆歌劇 レヴュー・スタァライト | Shoujo Kageki Revue Starlight
(Anime)
Relationship: Saijou Claudine/Tendou Maya
Character: Saijou Claudine, Tendou Maya
Additional Tags: Alternate Universe - Coffee Shops & Cafés
Language: English
Stats: Published: 2018-09-25 Words: 3,781 Chapters: 1/1

breathe it in and we can fly

by thehaakun

Summary

Because Claudine’s known something for a while, something that she would never admit
aloud.

Claudine most definitely, most certainly, most assuredly, likes Maya.

---
[Kuromaya] Coffee Shop!AU. Claudine likes the taste of tea. And the taste of someone
else.

Notes

aaaah i'm really excited to do a coffee shop!au of my OTP <3 sorry that it's like partially
coffee shop au lmao you'll see as you read that it leans more towards tea

college!claudine + barista!maya

thank you for reading !!

See the end of the work for more notes

The first time Claudine decides to hit that new, quaint little café that opened up down the street,
she hopes that their coffee is cheaper than that damn Starbucks in the middle of campus. As much
as she craved a caffeine hit in the morning before class, she never really looked forward to the stab
at her wallet. And she wouldn’t mind a change of pace in her schedule too; it didn’t hurt to jazz
things up, try new things, and meet new people every now and then.
So on a bright Monday morning, Claudine adjusts her bag on her shoulder before pushing open the
door to the café.

And like all cafes, the aroma of coffee cascades into her senses, and as the door shuts behind her,
she tilts down her sunglasses to get a better look within. She meets, first, a short line to the cashier;
so as she waits idly in line, she glances across to the menu displays above, behind the counter.

By the time Claudine gets to the front, she casts a cursory glance to the cashier as she says, “Could
I have--”

And then she does a double take, eyes widening as she goes completely breathless.

Gorgeous. Beautiful. Absolutely stunning.

She can’t resist the impulse to completely take off her sunglasses as she stares, unabashed, at the
cashier; a woman her age, her brunette hair adorned with a violet bow at the back of her head and
two silver pins crisscrossed on her bangs. And then the eyes -- mon Dieu, Claudine thinks, who
even allowed this -- the color of lavender, as lovely as a spring violet in bloom.

“--you,” Claudine finishes, her brain shot blank.

The cashier raises her eyebrows, although a smile tugs at the corner of her lips. “Did you just ask if
you could have me?”

Whipped back to reality, Claudine furiously blushes. “N-no! I meant, I meant, could I have tea?”

“What kind of tea?” the cashier asks smoothly, a hint of amusement in her voice.

Claudine blanks on an answer again -- she’d completely forgotten what she’d meant to order.

“Um--”

“I could make you the house special blend, if you’d like.”

Claudine wants nothing more than to get away from this conversation as fast as possible, so she
says, “Yes, that’s fine.” She hurriedly tosses a five dollar bill onto the counter, quickly adds, “Keep
the change,” and then makes to turn away--

But then the cashier asks, “Could I have your name, miss?”

“I’m sorry?”

The cashier holds up a cup, a sharpie in her other hand. “Your name?”

Claudine can’t possibly imagine a worse first impression -- of course the cashier wanted her name
for the order, not because she was curious to know more about her or anything. Hopeful idiot.

“Claudine.”

The cashier smiles at her, and Claudine is quick to turn away, face burning as she shoves her
sunglasses back onto her face.

But after a few minutes, Claudine hears her name get called; when she steps to the end of the
counter and picks up her hot cup of tea, she finds her name written in neat, elegant cursive with a
heart at the end of it.
Then she glances up in time to see the cashier, turning away and looking behind her to shoot
Claudine another clever smile.

Claudine hurriedly leaves the coffee shop then, her face hotter than the steaming cup of tea in her
hand. But when she manages to pause and take a second to gather herself a block away, she takes a
cautious sip of her tea -- and finds it to be the most delicious drink she’s ever had. A hint of citrus
as an aftertaste, the drink itself filled with a variety of flavors that all bring a pleasant taste to her
tongue. As it warmed the center of her chest, she continued on her way to class, feeling rejuvenated
and more awake with each sip.

So Claudine finds it hard to focus on her classes that day, her thoughts always returning to the
coffee shop barista and her little smile.

---

Claudine manages to go two entire days without returning to the new cafe, but after hitting up the
campus Starbucks for two mornings and realizing that its overpriced tea is lackluster and pathetic
in comparison to what she’d tried before, she finds her resolve crumbling away. A part of her
craved that house blend from that damnably beautiful barista, as now nothing she tried could
possibly compare to the taste of absolute perfection.

So, of course, Claudine enters the cafe the next morning.

When she reaches the counter and takes off her sunglasses, the same barista from before stands
behind the cash register, flashing her another smile.

“Back again, I see. Did you like the tea?”

Claudine had prepped herself on the walk over; no way was she going to flounder about like last
time.

She gives the barista a look. “What do you think?”

“I think you did.” The barest hint of smugness enters the barista’s smile.

But Claudine knows how to play the game now; she’s prepared to turn the tables. Placing one hand
on the counter and sliding another five dollar bill towards the barista, Claudine leans forward and
says, “It takes a lot to impress me. I doubt you can impress me again.”

Like a game of chess, however, Claudine’s opponent makes her own move. The barista places the
tips of her fingers on the dollar bill, smoothly sliding it back across the counter and into Claudine’s
hand once more -- and Claudine feels her face heat up when the barista’s soft hand suddenly covers
her own.

“Then this drink is on the house, then,” the barista says, and then her hand is gone and she turns
away, leaving Claudine speechless.

So as Claudine walks to the end of the counter, tongue in cheek, she thinks of what she’ll have to
do to get this damn barista on her own level. No one could possibly be that smooth.

After a few minutes, she looks up in time to see the barista slide the cup of tea towards her across
the counter, that same infuriating clever smile on her lips.

Claudine raises her eyebrows, not at all willing to give any ground, but when she picks up the drink
and glances at the different name written upon it, she blinks.
“Maya?” Claudine asks, confused for a second.

The barista laughs. “That’s my name. Wouldn’t want you to forget it now, would we?”

Maya. Damn. The barista even had a pretty name, on top of her pretty handwriting and her pretty
face.

Claudine manages to find a comeback just in time; she leans across the counter once more, fixing
her gaze on Maya’s.

“I’m not that easy, you know,” she says, her voice resolute.

“Oh, I know,” Maya says with a chuckle. “But I’ll be here tomorrow morning too, Miss Claudine.”

Then she turns around and once more leaves Claudine to stand there, speechless with an intense
blush.

And God be damned, when Claudine manages to stalk her way out of the coffee shop with tea in
hand and she takes a sip of her drink, it is, in every sense of the word, as incredible and amazing
and wonderful as it was last time. Hell, she might even say it’s better than it was before. Claudine
begrudgingly admits that Maya’s tea really is just that good.

And now she knows she can’t have any other.

---

So of course, Claudine returns the next morning. And the next morning. And the morning after
that, and after that.

The cafe becomes a staple visit for Claudine before class in the mornings; she comes to understand
that Maya seems to always work the morning shift, and after some repeated visits, Claudine shows
up to see her cup of tea already prepared on the counter, her name written on it in Maya’s neat and
elegant cursive writing -- and always with a heart at the end of it, on the tail end of the e.

Maya serves her every morning with ease, poise, and elegance, and always with that clever little
smirk on her face. Claudine thinks it’s infuriating, but she comes back anyway; Maya’s tea is just
like nothing she’s ever tasted, and Maya herself, as much as Claudine hates to admit it, is like no
one she’s ever met.

At the end of one particularly rough day with an onslaught of assignments, Claudine thinks she’ll
spend time working away at her load of homework at the cafe. A part of her hopes Maya will be
there so she can ask for another cup of tea, but she also knows that it’s unlikely that Maya will
work a morning and afternoon shift.

So she can’t help but feel a little disappointed when she steps inside and there’s an unfamiliar
barista at the register; she orders a generic jasmine tea from the menu, not trusting the new guy to
nail Maya’s hand at perfection. Once she gets her drink, she settles down in a corner of the shop
and claims a small table for herself by tossing her papers and books upon it.

Claudine takes idle sips of her jasmine tea in between chapters of the textbook she reads, noting
that it’s a thousand times more disappointing than Maya’s tea. Pathetic.

Hours pass and evening settles in, warm orange sunlight slanting in through the shades at the
windows of the cafe. Claudine presses on, sighing as she takes notes in the margins of her texts,
marking here and there the points to consider, think over, remember...
At some point, Claudine feels a bout of drowsiness drape itself over her mind, and leaning her head
on her hand, she closes her eyes for just...a moment…

She doesn’t know how long she’d dozed off, but she’s startled awake when she hears the soft clink
of a plate on her table, and the gentle brush of a hand on her arm.

Blinking and momentarily dazed, Claudine looks up.

And immediately goes breathless, her heart doing a wild leap in her chest.

“Maya,” Claudine whispers.

Maya leans down next to her, with that ever present smile.

“Good evening, Claudine,” Maya says. “Working hard, I see,” she adds, and then she tilts her head
at the table. “Brought you some things that might help you.”

Breath catching in her throat, Claudine looks down to see a cup of tea and a plate with a neatly cut
slice of tiramisu cake, complete with a small fork.

“Oh, thank you,” Claudine says, momentarily thrown off guard by the generous gift of not only her
favorite tea but something sweet, too. She makes to reach down to her bag to grab her wallet, but
Maya’s hand suddenly reaches down to grasp her own.

Claudine looks up to see Maya’s face just inches away from her own.

Her brain goes blank.

“It’s on the house, Claudine,” Maya says quietly, her gaze steady. “Don’t worry yourself.”

And like all the times before, Maya leans away and turns around, leaving Claudine to gather her
wits and her thoughts and to calm the beating of her heart in her chest. The tea is as wonderful as
ever, the tiramisu the best she’s ever had; Claudine wonders if there’s anything that Maya can’t do.

---

Claudine comes to spend more of her evenings at that little coffee shop now.

And Maya comes to her in the evenings, sometimes in her barista outfit, sometimes in casual attire
of a gray sweater and white pants. Their conversations are always brief, for Claudine has to return
to her work, but Claudine manages to learn a few things about Maya over the course of a few
weeks.

Her parents owned the shop; it explained Maya’s almost constant presence. Her family had a
longstanding tradition of brewing tea and roasting coffee, with secret blends and drinks known
only to those who were meant to inherit the family’s line.

“I don’t offer the house blend to just anyone, Claudine,” Maya says one day with her signature
smile as she sits across from Claudine, her chin resting on her hands.

“It’s because I’m the best, I know,” Claudine says with a smile, and Maya blinks.

Then Maya chuckles. “Arrogance is unattractive, you know.”

“And yet you like me enough to keep giving me free drinks and free dessert,” Claudine says,
gesturing to the table between them, smirking as Maya finally seems caught off guard.
Shaking her head with a huff of amusement, Maya says, “Oh? Is that why you keep coming here?
For my free hospitality?”

Claudine sees the bait hanging in front of her; but she’s clever enough to know how to take it
without getting caught. “Maybe. Maybe it’s for other reasons.”

Maya makes to respond but then they both hear Maya’s name being called by one of her
coworkers; she goes to stand up, but leans down once more, her face inches from Claudine’s as she
says, “I’m not quite done with you yet, Claudine.”

“I don’t expect you to be, Maya.”

Maya, in answer, smiles back at Claudine, a glint of competition in her lavender eyes.

---

At some point Claudine has a partner project with her close friend, Futaba; at Claudine’s
suggestion, the two end up at the coffee shop after classes end for a day, the pair ready to get
started on their project for the week.

Futaba moreso agreed partly due to excitement at finally getting to meet the Maya.

“Geez, I just can’t wait to see her. You make her sound like she’s hot shit,” Futaba said, interlacing
her fingers behind her head as the two walk down the street.

“She’s hot, certainly,” Claudine admits, thinking of a number of other things about Maya. “And her
tea is...wonderful.”

Futaba rolls her eyes. “Her tea is so good you go there every morning, Claudine. I see that tea you
always bring into lecture.”

Red in the face, Claudine says, “I’m a person of good taste, Futaba. I’m not the one chugging Red
Bulls every morning, at least.”

Futaba sputters an indignant response as the two reach the cafe; pushing the door open, Claudine
does an automatic glance around and sees that Maya isn’t there behind the counter, so she gestures
for Futaba to follow her to her usual corner, and the two sit down and get to work.

Later in the evening, Maya does appear; she comes over to their table with Claudine’s usual cup of
tea and a slice of strawberry shortcake, and she offers a cordial greeting to Futaba.

“Wow, nice to meet you, too,” Futaba says, grinning, holding her hand out.

Maya glances at her offered hand, before politely returning the handshake. “Is there anything I can
get you?”

“No, nah, I’m good,” Futaba says, leaning back in her chair and crossing her hands behind her head
again as she winks at Maya. “Don’t worry, the project only lasts a week. You’ll have Claudine
back to yourself then.”

Claudine jerks her head up, face redder than the strawberry on the cake next to her. “F-Futaba--”

“I see,” Maya says, her face completely neutral as she glances from Futaba to Claudine. “Please,
make yourselves comfortable here, then. Call on me, if you need me.”

Once Maya is out of earshot, Claudine shoots her hand forward to grasp the collar of Futaba’s
jacket and tug her closer, glaring intensely into Futaba’s smugly smirking expression. “What the
hell did you say that for?” she hissed.

Futaba shrugged, her smirk growing even wider on her face. “Just helpin’ you out, is all.”

“I never said that I...I need a wingman!”

“Just because you never said it doesn’t mean you don’t need one,” Futaba says breezily, easily
detaching Claudine’s hand from her collar and leaning back once more. “You two have been
flirting with each other for months, c’mon. Pick up the pace, a little.”

“Screw you, Futaba,” Claudine says under her breath.

But Futaba isn’t wrong.

Because Claudine’s known something for a while, something that she would never admit aloud.

Claudine most definitely, most certainly, most assuredly, likes Maya.

---

At the end of the week, when Claudine returns to the coffee shop on her own, she has to wait a
little bit before Maya finally appears back in the shop; she glances up from her textbook to see
Maya once more setting down her usual cup of tea and a small plate with a slice of red velvet cake.

“Ooh, you spoil me,” Claudine says, already picking up her cup of tea -- it’d become more of an
addiction lately, what with finals coming up and the stress starting to pile up.

Maya rolls her eyes, sitting down across from Claudine. “How’d your project go?”

“Wonderfully, of course. Futaba can be a dumbass sometimes, but she’s never failed.”

With a chuckle, Maya says, “I would expect nothing less from the best.” She says the last two
words in a comical drawl.

“Oh, shut up.” Claudine gives a playful shove to Maya’s shoulder, and she laughs.

“I do have to say one thing, before I let you get back to your work,” Maya says, and Claudine hears
the change in her voice.

Then Claudine goes breathless when Maya slides her hand across the table to cover her own.

“I’m glad I get you all to myself again,” Maya says softly, her gaze meeting Claudine’s.

They stare at each other for a moment longer.

Then Maya stands up, taking her hand away from Claudine’s, and Claudine once more has to
accept the fact that Maya will always have the upper hand.

---

With finals looming, Claudine finds the cafe to be more akin to a second home as she spends more
of her evenings studying and slaving away at her notes and readings. Maya, of course, respects her
time and space, only ever interrupting to hand Claudine another cup of tea or a dessert or just a few
minutes of relaxing conversation.
One late evening, Claudine sighs, crossing her arms over her textbook and resting her head upon
them as she closes her eyes for just a second -- just a second, take a quick power nap and then get
back to work…

She awakens when she feels a light blanket settle over her shoulders, and she blearily looks up to
see Maya leaning over her again.

“Sleeping on the job, Claudine?” Maya asks, amused.

“Oh, dammit,” Claudine mutters, burying her face in her hands; her power nap had maybe gone on
for just a little longer than anticipated; her movement causes the blanket to shift on her shoulders,
and she hastily makes a quick move to grasp it before it falls to the ground. “Oh, you didn’t have
to--”

“I don’t mind. You’re working hard, after all.” Maya smiles at her once more, gentle and caring.
“I’ll get you another tea. Looks like you need some caffeine.”

“Yeah, probably,” Claudine says under her breath as Maya walks away; Maya’s kind and generous
gestures had become more numerous lately, and in the past month she’d refused Claudine every
time she tried to pay for any of her coffees or treats.

Not that Claudine objects, of course. She likes it. A lot.

---

Claudine manages to get through finals, and she thinks after her last exam, she’ll hit the cafe for a
relaxing cup of tea before heading home and crashing into bed.

So she enters the cafe late in an evening to see Maya at the counter.

“Finals go well, I assume?” Maya asks as Claudine automatically makes her way to the end of the
counter, where Maya lifts up the latch at the end of the counter to meet Claudine with her usual cup
of tea.

“I think they went well,” Claudine says as she leans against the counter next to Maya, but when she
takes the cup from Maya, she notices something different written on the little sleeve.

A phone number, neatly written on the little sleeve of the cup.

Claudine looks up to see Maya’s little smirk, corner of her lip upturned.

“A gift, Claudine, to congratulate the end of your exams.” Maya winks at her.

“You...are absolutely unbelievable,” Claudine says with a huff of amusement, shaking her head.
“What would you have done if I’d told you I’d thought I’d failed my exams?”

“I would have used this cup, then.” Maya reaches behind her and under the counter for another cup
of tea, with nothing written on the sleeve. “I’m always prepared, Claudine. But knowing you,
you’re the best. You would have never failed.”

Rolling her eyes and turning, Claudine sets the cup back on the counter, taking a step closer to
Maya. “You really believe that, hm?”

“Not believe. I know.” Maya mirrors her movement, the two standing almost chest to chest as
Claudine looks up into Maya’s gaze.
 They gaze at each other for a moment more.

Claudine breaks the silence, her heart racing a little in her chest. “Alright. What is it that you
want?”

“Who said that I wanted anything?” Maya asks in a low voice.

“...Oh, you think you’re clever, don’t you.”

“Clever enough to know that you’d forget the Closed sign outside and come in anyway.”

Claudine blinks, and looks around; the coffee shop is entirely empty, save for them, and she hadn’t
even noticed. Her face flushes red.

Maya chuckles, tilting her head forward a little, and Claudine’s breath catches in her throat now
that Maya’s face is mere inches away from her own.

“You just wanted me all to yourself, hm?” Claudine whispers.

“Of course,” Maya says in that same low voice that sends a shiver down Claudine’s spine; she
inhales a sharp intake of breath through her teeth when she feels Maya’s fingers gently interlace
between her own.

Claudine can feel Maya’s warm breath against her lips. They’re so, so, achingly close.

“...So what are you going to do now?” Claudine wants to make sure, first. Her gaze flickers down
to Maya’s lips, and then back up to her eyes.

“Nothing that you don’t want to.” There’s no smile on Maya’s face, now, but her hands remain
gentle.

That’s more than enough for Claudine. She takes one hand away from Maya’s to reach up and
grasp the collar of Maya’s shirt as she says, “Then shut up and just kiss me already.”

Claudine can feel Maya smile into their kiss, that same infuriating smile that she’d fallen in love
with over the months, and as she presses herself as close to Maya as she can, she thinks Maya tastes
better than any kind of goddamn tea in existence.

End Notes

i'm p sure someone's gonna be like why is this a coffee shop au if claudine just drinks tea in
the entirety of this entire fic
also me: i am that dumb bitch that goes to starbucks and buys tea b/c i hate coffee
kjsdghKJDGHKSDFG LOL also I feel like kuromaya are really tea drinkers too

thanks for reading!!!

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