Chapter Text
- “Thank you so much for choosing Coffeecrad, we hope to see you again!” Kazuto says, trying to sound as cheerful as he could while handing the customer his mocha frappuccino
- Why anyone would want to drink a frappuccino of all things during winter, on such a cold and rainy day, was beyond his understanding
- Still, he got paid to work without questioning, and the client was always right anyways, so he did his best to keep his poker face intact until the man walked out of the shop
- As soon as he was out of sight, though, Kazuto sighed and looked at the clock on the wall for the 100thtime of the evening
- Time, he decided, was very, very cruel
- The hands on the clock had barely moved since the last time he glanced at it, and he was starting to think this was some kind of sick joke the universe was trying to pull on him
- As if being a broke college student wasn’t enough of a joke already
- And having to work at Coffeecrad to be able to pay for his tuition and apartment rent
- And being behind on most of his classes because as soon as he gets home, he just crawls under the covers and doesn’t come out until the next day
- He was in the midst of brooding over his shitty life while scrubbing angrily at a mug just for the heck of it, when the bell on the front door chimed, signaling another customer had walked in
- He paused his scrubbing momentarily, took in a deep breath to calm his nerves and prepared to put on his fake-welcoming grin
- But when he turned around to face the newcomer, his grasp around the mug loosened and it fell loudly on the sink
- She walked in beautifully – chestnut hair gathered up in a high ponytail falling in waves down her back, cheerful hazel eyes that seemed to light up the entire room and smile as radiant as the sun after a particularly heavy storm
- In the middle of winter, she was spring, warming up and shedding light on everyone lucky enough to be in her presence
- His eyes followed her movements attentively, his mouth gaping at her as she moved to stand behind the counter
- “Hum… Good afternoon?” she said tentatively with an awkward smile
- He finally snapped out of it, a jolt running up his body and his cheeks warming up at the realization that he probably looked like an idiot
- “O-Oh! Good afternoon! What can I get for you today?” he quickly wiped his hands on a cloth and walked up to the cash register
- For her, the smile he put on was definitely not fake
- She seemed to relax a little at that and smiled a bit wider as she asked for a hot chocolate with extra whipped cream
- In all of his months working at the coffee shop, he doesn’t recall ever preparing a beverage with as much passion as he did for her
- He tried his hardest to perfectly place the cream and even went as far as to get two marshmallows from his secret stash to put them on top
- His hands were all clammy when he finally handed her the cup and his heartbeat skyrocketed when she offered him a cute “Thank you,” with a gentle smile
- “Also… I know it’s probably not allowed, but I was wondering if I could leave this here?” she asked as she handed him the money, her other hand holding onto what looked like fliers
- “Sure! Of course!” he answered without thinking, grabbing the papers from her and placing them on the counter for everyone to see
- He completely ignored the crucial fact that his boss refused to have propaganda on the shop – how could he ever say no to her when she asked him so sweetly?
- “Thank you so much!” her smile widened more – which he didn’t even think was possible – and she finally bid him farewell as she walked out of the door
- Winter hit him hard again
- Curiously, he picked up one of the fliers – and saw a picture of her crouching down next to a dog, giggling with her eyes closed in delight as it licked her cheek
- He almost choked
- Asuna Yuuki, it said, followed by her contact number and a slogan of ‘A walk a day keeps the vet away! Let me walk your best friend for you!’
- Without even realizing it, he’d already tucked the piece of paper safely inside the back pocket of his jeans
- “You know, Kuro could really use a dog walker…” Eugeo suggests during lunch the next day as he looks at the flier, a barely disguised smirk on his face
- Kuro, his 3-year-old black and white Siberian Husky, barks happily, as if agreeing with Eugeo’s statement
- Kazuto flushes, “No way am I gonna call her and ask her to-”
- “Oops, my finger slipped,” his best friend says as he waves Kazuto’s phone on his face
- Kazuto watched mortified as it rang, “EUGEO, YOU DID NOT JUST-”
- “Hello?” comes an all too familiar voice from the device and Kazuto swears his soul leaves his body
- He trips over himself to grab the phone, kicking a chair in the process
- Said chair hits a plate that falls to the ground and shatters loudly
- “FUCK- I mean, hello?” he squeaks into the speaker, desperately wishing for a bolt of lightning to just strike him down and put an end to his misery
- “…Hello?” she repeats, more wary, “Is everything… Is everything alright?”
- “Hum, yeah, hi! So, you dog walk- I mean, you walk dogs right? Oh wait, that’s a stupid question, it literally says that’s what you do on the flier- Okay, so, the thing is I have a dog – his name is Kuro – and he insists he wants you to walk him- I mean, he can’t really talk so I guess he barked it and I somehow understood? Kind of? And you know what? I should probably hang up, I’m just making a fool of myself-”
- It starts out as a small giggle, but soon enough she’s full out laughing on the other side of the line and Kazuto wonders if that’s a good or a bad thing
- “I-I’m sorry, it’s just… That was really funny,” another giggle, and he suspects she’s wiping away her tears, “I’d love to walk Kuro! If you tell me when and where I can pick him up, I’ll be there!”
- Somehow, he’s able to recompose himself and go over the details with her
- When he finally hangs up with a stupid grin, Eugeo has his face buried in his hands as he suffers from second-hand embarrassment, “You, Kazuto Kirigaya, are an idiot.”
- He’s so over the moon after the call that he pays Eugeo’s comment no mind, going about his day with renewed purpose
- When the day comes for him to finally meet with her again, she recognizes him from the coffee shop – and he’s an awkward mess
- But for some unknown reason he couldn’t begin to understand, she finds it adorable
- And Kuro seems to instantly love her as well, which is a bonus
- As such, he finds himself contacting her more and more often with the excuse of hiring her dog-walking services
- With Eugeo standing on the background, going completely nuts at how much of a dork his roommate was
- “I am going to yeet myself out of this window right this instant if you don’t grow a pair and ask her out already!”
- It goes on like that for well over two months, until he decides to take his best friend’s advice (Eugeo: “FINALLY!”) and find the courage to try his chances
- Much like the first time they met – and remembering her order in his heart – he prepares a hot chocolate with extra whipped cream (and two marshmallows)
- And he patiently waits for her in the park near his house, where he usually drops Kuro off with her before going to work
- But that was his day off and he’d planned to actually go on the walk this time around
- As soon as he sees her silhouette in the distance, he starts getting anxious
- But Kuro just gets excited, his tail wagging and his ears perking up when he feels her presence
- “Alright, boy… Time to work your magic,” Kazuto whispers as he crouches down and unleashes the Siberian Husky, who happily runs towards her at full speed
- “Wow, Kuro, slow down!” she laughs when Kuro practically jumps on her and starts licking her face nonstop
- Kazuto watches from a distance as she pets him, hands running through his thick fur while she coos at him adorably – until her hands suddenly stop near his neck
- He immediately knows she must’ve felt what he had attached to Kuro’s collar prior to coming there, and he starts fidgeting nervously on his feet
- Asuna takes out the small piece of paper from the collar and unfolds it carefully, quickly scanning the contents
- ‘You + my idiot owner = a date?’
- Her wide, hazel eyes look up to meet his
- Both of their faces flush a deep crimson – his definitely from embarrassment and hers? Well, it could be from the cold, but he certainly hopes it’s for the same reason as his
- He takes in a deep breath and forces himself to close the distance between them
- She gets up and meets him halfway, Kuro hot on her heels
- Kazuto offers her a lopsided grin as he extends his hand to give her the hot chocolate, “Kuro didn’t really let me look at the message while he was writing it. Mind sharing what it said?”
- She presses her lips together, clearly trying to hold back her own smile as she takes the cup from him, “Something about a date with his idiot owner? His words, not mine.”
- “So that’s what you think of me, Kuro? I should be hurt, but I expected it all along.” he shakes his head in mock hurt and Asuna snorts
- He never thought it was possible for a snort to sound so cute
- “And… Did you give him an answer?” he asks, trying his hardest to be nonchalant but failing miserably when his voice cracks at the end of the sentence, “Not trying to pry, of course!”
- She fixes him with a knowing look, “I did. I told him his owner was not an idiot…” she pauses, her lips pulling up into a small smile, “And that I would very much like to go on that date…”
- As soon as his brain processes her answer, his tense shoulders relax and his whole expression lights up with a grin
- “See, buddy, I told you we wouldn’t have to resort to plan B!”
- “… wait, what? What’s plan B?”
- He just laughs it off as he leashes Kuro once again
- “Nothing important…” he shrugs, his free hand reaching out to hold hers and intertwine their fingers together
- The way she tries to hide her blushing face under her red scarf is something he vows to never forget