Work Text:
Gen’s dreary Tuesday started the same way it always did; too early, too damp and too much work to do.
As a psychology major, Asagiri Gen had his hands full at least 90 percent of the time. Whether it be assessments, assignments, tests or reports, it seemed he was constantly tapping away at his laptop, practically feeling the dark circles embed themselves under his eyes. His round, wire framed glasses weren’t doing him any favours in his opinion, but they were a necessity to see his screen so they had become accustomed to perching on his nose. On Tuesdays, Gen had a break from normal classes, which meant he could spend the day catching up on his assignments and trying to clean his apartment.
This particular Tuesday was a rainy, bleary April day, with grey clouds floating outside his window and the light tapping of raindrops interrupting his train of thought. He cleaned, he paced his apartment, he even put on music, but he coudn’t focus on the large essay he had to get ahead on today. Gen groaned and dropped his head onto the desk, defeated.
“Maybe I just need a change of scenery,” he muttered to himself, “And perhaps some caffine.”
With that thought in mind, Gen gathered his laptop and headphones into a bag, and changed out of his loungewear into something only barely acceptable for the outside world. Black track pants and a white sweater was hardly what he would call fashionable, but he wasn’t a popular guy, and anyone he knew would be on campus for the day anyways. Snagging his phone and keys as he left the apartment and locked the door, he pulled the hood of his jacket up over his two toned hair and made for the coziest spot he could think of. After all, a quiet afternoon at the Cafe seemed like the safest bet for today.
~~~
When Gen walked into the small cafe, he was affronted with the distinct smell of coffee and books. The quaint shop was his favorite place to be, with bookshelves reaching to the ceilings and tables and chairs littered all over the place, for studying and socializing alike. Large windows on all sides of the building would usually fill the cafe with beautiful natural light, but today it was as if he had stepped into a see through umbrella. The rain had picked up on his way here, with the occasional rumble of thunder signaling a spring storm was likely to come. Gen shivered; he hated storms.
Hanging his coat on a rack to dry, he stepped into line behind a couple, noticing the place was fairly empty. A few students lingered at tables, but the rush likely wouldn’t happen until after school hours. As he gazed around dreary eyed at a couple of table options, a deep, resonating voice had his attention snapping forward.
The barista had asked a customer what they wanted to drink.
And Asagiri Gen’s heart nearly stopped. Because this man was breathtakingly gorgeous.
A tall, pale skinned stranger was currently typing an order into the computer in front of him, the screen reflecting off his dark red eyes. His hair was wild and gradient coloured from light grey to dark green, currently tied back in a very messy bun with pieces falling out and framing his face. His build was slender, but strong, and his smile was as bright as the sun, with a mischievous glint to it that somehow suited him. Gen could feel blood rush to his face as he peered wide-eyed at this strange boy, his glasses slipping down his nose. Who was this man? If Gen didn’t know better, he would think it was love at first sight. But he had studied things such as that, and knew it was not to be.
Gen shook his head, trying to regain some control over his thoughts. Just because there was a handsome guy at the counter didn’t change his day plan whatsoever. He was here to work, not ogle! He could do this! He --
“Oi, two toned. Gonna order?”
A very red faced Gen looked up from where he was gripping his hands together in front of himself, and into a very red, very bemused pair of eyes. Because there was nobody else in front of him.
Because it was his turn to order damnit.
“I -- Uh, yes!” He muttered, stepping perhaps a bit too enthusiastically towards the man. “I’ll have... “
Suddenly, Gen’s usual Chai tea latte felt extremely, extremely lame.
“A black coffee! Large!” he blurted out, surprising both himself and the people around him. The barista cocked an eyebrow.
“Are you sure?” he asked, as if he doubted Gen’s ability to order his own coffee.
“Yes,” Gen replied confidently, raising his head just a tad to act as though he knew what he was doing. Oh god, what WAS he doing?
“Coming right up, then,” The man’s voice rumbled, “Name?”
“Gen,” he all but whispered. The man jotted it down on a cup and then poured his coffee into it - no flavouring or anything - and set it in front of him.
“Enjoy your black coffee then, Gen.”
The way this stranger said Gen’s name made his knees weak. He managed a polite nod, and teetered over to a table near the window, but still very close to the bar. This way he could maybe stare at the man as he worked, in a definitely-not-creepy way. Gen sighed loudly as he plopped himself into a chair, pulling out his laptop and opening his files for his essay.
There was no way he was going to get any work done.
He started typing, took a big swig of his coffee, forgot it was bitter and horrible, and started to choke.
~~~
Gen was not proud of himself.
Drinking black coffee had seemed like a cool thing to do when he said it. Now, as the way too hot liquid hit his throat, the bitter taste had him questioning coffee altogether. What kind of monster could drink something like this!?
He was coughing loudly, and had quickly pushed his chair back from his table as to not accidentally spew liquid all over his expensive laptop, but that meant he was now hunched over himself with both hands over his mouth, coughing and trying to swallow the vile liquid currently affronting his senses. His glasses slipped off his nose altogether and Gen let them fall to the floor, not caring at the moment if he could see or not. Quite frankly, he didn’t want to see this part of his life.
Suddenly there was a hand on his back, and another on his wrist, a strong firm grip that brought him back to reality. He had most of the coffee swallowed down by now, and the hand at his arm disappeared momentarily only to reappear in his line of sight with a glass of water. Gen took it gratefully, sitting up slightly and drinking the cold liquid with his eyes shut tight, feeling the relief immediately as it soothed his burning throat.
As he finished the water, he sat up straight and opened his eyes to thank the person kind enough to help him. Only to stare into slightly blurry, but unmistakably red eyes. The red eyes of the green haired barista, who was kneeling in front of him with a hand on his back and a smirk on his face.
Gen wished he had stayed home today.
The man chuckled, taking the glass of water from his slack hands and placing it on the counter as he moved in front of Gen to retrieve his glasses from the floor. Now the stranger stood to his full height, smirking down at the two toned boy in front of him as he cleaned off the glasses with his apron.
“I knew you couldn’t handle black coffee,” was the simple statement. Gen’s face was as red as a firetruck.
“I -- what?! How could you possibly know that?!” he spluttered, unsure if he should be offended or not. The man chuckled.
“I’ve seen you in here before, and you always order the same thing,” he commented, grinning as Gen’s jaw dropped slightly. “I usually don’t work the front counter, just make the drinks. I believe these are yours.”
The stranger leaned forward, much closer than deemed necessary, and slid Gen’s glasses delicately back onto his face. Gen was left staring, slack jawed, into this man’s beautiful eyes.
“Here you go,” The man continued, pushing another large coffee into view, “On the house.”
Reading the label, Gen identified a Chai tea latte sitting beside his computer.
“Thank you,” he whispered, taking the cup in his hands and sipping it, sighing contently when the sweet liquid washed away the remainder of the bitterness in his mouth, “I’m surprised you remembered.”
The man plopped into the seat across from Gen, still fixing him with that intense gaze that made him melt in his seat. “What I really want to know, Gen,” he said in his deep voice, “Is why you ordered a black coffee?”
Gen wanted to die.
The man was unwavering.
Gen sighed again. “If I answer you honestly, will you tell me your name?” he asked quietly. The green haired boy nodded slowly, calculatingly.
“Fine. I wanted…” Gen couldn’t believe he was about to say this out loud, “I wanted to seem cool. To you. You’re um… really cool looking. Well, not cool; hot. Okay, I’m gonna see myself out now.” he had said WAY too much. He was hastily packing his laptop into his bag, intent on going home to cry into his sofa, when a light touch grazed his arm. He looked up in shock to see a faint blush on the man’s cheeks, and a huge smirk on his lips.
“Don’t go,” he chuckled, “I appreciate your honesty. Frankly,” he tugged Gen back into a sitting position, but without the laptop as a barrier between them the man was leaning dangerously close, “I’ve been intrigued by you ever since I’ve been making you coffee. I’m thrilled we finally got to meet.”
Warm hands slid from Gen’s bare wrist, down his hand to thread themselves in between his trembling fingers.
“Nice to meet you, Gen,” he whispered into their shared air, “I’m Ishigami Senku.” Gen’s eyes were heavy, lidded with fascination and appreciation for a name that was so distinctly HIM.
“Senku,” he whispered back, “It’s nice to meet you too.” The man - Senku - grinned again, but it was less cheshire and more genuine this time. He still hadn’t untangled their fingers, but he did sit back in his chair slightly, giving Gen some room to breath, and process how close he had been to grabbing this man’s face in his hands and kissing him. Deep breaths.
“So, did you come here to do some work?” Senku asked, eying the laptop. Gen nodded.
“That was my intention, but I doubt I’ll get anything else done today,” he answered truthfully, earning a laugh from Senku.
“You have had a rather exciting day,” the man agreed, “And since my shift is almost over, I think I have an idea.”
“Yeah?” Gen looked up hopefully.
“Yeah. Why don’t you let me take you out for dinner later?”
Gen’s smile was instantaneous.
“O-okay,” he grinned, squeezing Senku’s hand tightly. Senku squeezed back.
“Cool,” the red eyed boy said, finally standing to leave. “If you’re going to stay here and finish up your work, we can go in an hour or two. Wait for me?”
Gen had decided he had been waiting his whole life for this man, but still managed an enthusiastic nod. Senku smiled and waved as he returned to work, and Gen opened his laptop once again to work on his report.
His eyes kept drifting to something much more interesting as he sipped his coffee, which seemed to taste sweeter.
~~~
Gen stops into the coffee shop every morning before class, and there is always a Chai tea latte waiting for him when he gets there. Sometimes he stops multiple times a day, just to see Senku, but is greeted with a water bottle shoved in his hands and a heartfelt lecture about caffeine ruining his sleeping habits, before he sneaks a kiss and heads to class.
Gen thinks his sleeping habits have much improved since Senku started sleeping next to him every night.
~~
~