Chapter Text
"Your favourite customer is here," Hannah said, grinning.
Diana perked up. She smoothed out the apron she wore over her uniform and checked out her reflection in surface of the cappuccino machine.
"Making sure you look cute for Akko?" Barbara said, matching her best friend's expression.
"If she's coming all this way to see me, I'd be embarrassed for her to see when I'm not at my best." Nobody believed Diana's excuse; her smile gave her away.
The Luna Nova Café had a slew of regular customers. Some of them came for the coffee. Some of them came for the atmosphere. One regular customer in particular came time and time again to see Diana. Atsuko "Call me Akko!" Kagari tried to be subtle about why she got her coffee at Diana's workplace, but it didn't take Sherlock Holmes to figure out why she only came in during Diana's shifts. And it wasn't lost on Diana's co-workers that she looked forward to Akko's visits.
"You know, you can just ask her out on a date," Hannah said. "She's busting her broke-ass student wallet just to see you."
"Akko's a student?" Diana was surprised that her friends knew something about Akko that she didn't.
"You'd know that if you didn't get distracted by that winning smile of hers," Barbara said. "Speaking of Akko, she sure is taking her time getting to the counter."
"She's talking to her friends," Hannah said, her tone shifting not-so-subtly. "The St. Woodward crowd."
Diana peered across the café. Sure enough, Akko was chatting with a group of university students who were regular customers: Lotte, Sucy, Jasminka, Constanze. And Amanda.
"Did you remember to put extra love in Amanda's latte?" Barbara elbowed her best friend.
"If only Amanda came in as often as Akko does," Diana said slyly. "You would've won her over by now." Diana wasn't the sort of person to concern herself with the love lives of others, but at the moment she was eager to shift attention onto Hannah's long-standing crush.
"Uh-oh," Hannah said. "You shouldn't have teased me." She pulled out her phone and read out the text she was composing: "Hey Amanda, tell Akko to get her cute, little butt over to the counter and order already."
"Wh-what did you do!?"
Hannah gave Diana a look. "I practically narrated what I did."
"Cute that you have Amanda's number," Barbara said, never one to let anything slide.
Hannah ignored her. "You better get to the cash register and take her order," she told Diana. "Or take her to bed," she added.
Diana hurried over to meet Akko at the counter before her so-called friends could embarrass her any further.
Akko was waiting when she got there. "Diana!" Her joy at seeing her crush was inescapably apparent. "I'll have the usual."
"A caramel macchiato cappuccino and a chocolate chip muffin, correct?" Diana had memorized Akko's order in the first week of her visits.
"Yup!" Akko gave her a dazzling smile.
Before Diana could so much as take a step, Barbara was at her side. "I'll take care of her order," she said. "That way you two can talk."
"Wow! Thanks, Barbara!" Akko blew Diana's traitorous friend a kiss. Barbara made a show of catching it and returning one of her own.
Akko returned her gaze to Diana. The barista feigned indifference in front of her coworkers, but with Akko right in front of her it was impossible to deny that the girl was charming and, dare she say, attractive. Her dead-tired college student aesthetic was somehow endearing. Diana felt an overpowering urge to take care of Akko, tidy her up, get her out of those dishevelled clothes and...
Alright, Diana conceded. Perhaps I am interested in Akko. She cleared her throat, unsure of how to proceed. "So..." she said. "I hear you're a student."
Akko's eyes widened in surprise; Diana wanted to know something about her? "Yeah, I study pretty girls!" Akko winked at her.
"I beg your pardon?" Diana blushed. She could swear that she heard the shutter sounds from Hannah's and Barbara's phones.
Akko giggled. "I'm studying photography at Woodward U. Photographing people, mainly. And pretty girls are the most fun to take pictures of. Maybe you could model for me sometime."
"I'm afraid I'm too busy these days for such distractions," Diana replied. Wait, she thought, was she asking me out on a date? I should've said yes.
Akko changed tracks instantly. "Busy with what? What else does my favourite barista do with her time?" Her obvious intent was figuring out how to squeeze her way into her crush's schedule.
"I'm studying English at St. Beatrix University."
"St. Beatrix?" Akko looked aghast. "You go to that stinky school? Maybe I don't want to date you after all. Wait, uh, pretend you didn't hear that."
Despite the insult to the university founded by her ancestor, Diana found Akko's accidental admission and subsequent blushing to be positively alluring. She stifled a chuckle as she watched her admirer fumble the cash she used to pay for her order. Diana couldn't resist brushing Akko's fingers with hers as she handed over her change. There was no missing the shiver that ran through Akko's hand and down her arm.
"Just a moment," Diana said. "I forgot to write something on your cup."
"But Diana!" Akko said as Diana stepped away. "You don't need to put my name on the cup!"
Diana intercepted Akko's order from Barbara and grabbed the marker they used to write down a customer's name on their cup. With only the slightest hint of hesitation, she wrote her phone number on the cup.
"Here you go." Diana handed over Akko's order. "Have a nice day."
"What did you write? What did you write?" Akko's face lit up when she saw the number written on the side of the cup in Diana's delicate handwriting. "Dang right I'm going to have a nice day! I'll text you later!"
Diana smiled. "You better."