Work Text:
Oikawa Tooru hated Starbucks.
The line was always too long, and the baristas tended to mishear his name, and they never got his order right even when he gave detailed instructions. But desperate times called for desperate measures, and on that particular Monday Oikawa was already late for Organic Chemistry and he needed his morning caffeine hit. So, with a heavy heart, he trudged into the Starbucks accross the street.
"Welcome to Starbucks, can I take your order?"
"I'd like a venti quad ristretto whole milk latte, 3 scoops of vanilla bean powder steamed in, 1.5 pumps of peppermint, 2 packets of honey, extra hot, well stirred, light foam… with no sleeve and a stopper, please," he recited.
He waited for the widened eyes, the clenched jaw. But the barista didn't react. "Will that be all?"
"Yes." He handed over his money. "Thanks, um,"--he read the guy's name tag--"...Tobio." Oikawa stood and watched while Tobio made his coffee. He worked attentively, following Oikawa's order to the tee, and called out his name when his coffee was ready.
Oikawa reached out for the cup and took a sip, aware of Tobio watching him with bated breath. "It's perfect," he said. Tobio's eyes lit up, and he gave a small genuine smile that seemed to change his entire face. Oikawa's heart gave a jolt. He thought, as he sipped his hot coffee, that he'd maybe like to see that smile again.
He came a couple days later. Tobio was working there again.
Oikawa headed to the counter and, when asked to give his order, said, "A venti quad ristretto--"
"The same thing you ordered the other day?"
"Yes, that's a--"
"A venti quad ristretto whole milk latte, 3 scoops of vanilla bean powder steamed in, 1.5 pumps of peppermint, 2 packets of honey, extra hot, well stirred, light foam with no sleeve and a stopper?" he recited, word-perfect from memory.
And that was the moment Oikawa fell for him.
Shaken up, he went to sit at a table. The more Oikawa watched him, the more he liked him. Tobio prepared coffee with utmost precision, putting care into every single cup. His attention to detail, the wholeness of his devotion. Oikawa wondered what it would be like to be loved by him, to be touched with those expert hands.
Tobio sensed his gaze and glanced up, meeting his eye.
He quickly looked away, blushing into his coffee. He couldn't be sure, but when he looked up again Oikawa thought he saw pink staining the barista's cheeks.
Oikawa decided to skip class and spend a little more time at Starbucks. Fuck Chemistry, he was busy having chemistry with a ridiculously cute barista.
Oikawa leaned against the counter. "So, when do you get off work?"
"6 pm."
"You have any...plans...tonight?"
"Not really."
"...is that so?" Oikawa said, with a grin. But Tobio was already walking away.
Before Oikawa left, he scribbled a note on his napkin, then looked up and made eye contact with Tobio. He gestured at his trash and then got up and left. Tobio walked over to the table, slightly annoyed. Why didn't Oikawa just throw away his trash?
Something scribbled on the unused napkin caught his eye. Call me, followed by a heart and a phone number. Tobio guessed Oikawa had left behind a note he'd wanted to give someone.
Well, too bad. Tobio wasn't going to go running after him. He'd have to write a new one.
Tobio threw the napkin in the bin.