Archive of Our Own ^beta

Chapter Text

Kuina always struggled to wake up in the mornings, her body was not built for sunlight, she favored the night, shadowed corners and really dark coffee just to keep her awake.

But oh well, you can't be a beautiful woman and remember to do grocery shopping.

Which was exactly why she was going out of her house in a much earlier hour than she was used to. Two things that lately she had the tendency to avoid, early mornings and crowds.

Before the accident it was different though, Kuina basked in the presence of other people as a reminder she was still alive, but now she preferred the quiet and silence of her own home.

(It ached a little to be alone, but even when she was with other people there was the ever present feeling of something missing.)

Despite those tendencies she still needed coffee to function, the clients would complain if a cafeineless Kuina threw a shoe in their face every time someone was rude or insensitive, which working in retail meant a lot.

There was a coffee shop near her house and dressing in a simple coat and jeans, Kuina went on her way to get the precious beverage that would save her job and a few lives today.

It was cold outside, a very cold morning which would then turn into a very cold day. The type of day that made every single worker hate having to go to work, Kuina was not an exception.

While being grateful that she had a stable job, having to smile while wearing a tank top in the cold didn't exactly strike her as the ideal job and the store's dressing cold didn't change even in the harshest winters.

(It was clear that the customers who went there weren't exactly focused on shopping)

Kuina sighed as soon as the coffee shop was on sight, the prospect of a warm coffee warming her own rambling mind. She cleaned her boots at the entrance, waiting until the snow came out of it.

While she couldn't say she was a regular, she was also not a stranger to Seven of Hearts Coffee Shop(strange and long name aside), she liked going there and most people would just call it Seven.

And by most people she meant herself and the very few customers they had. It wasn't a popular cafe, it didn't even have great coffee and despite the whole card theme, the atmosphere wasn't very impressive either.

Kuina was sure that there was another great coffee turning around the street, one that was probably blooming with caffeine addicted workers.

Any sane person would be in this imaginary cafe, but she liked this one. And here was the weird part, there wasn't exactly anything to be liked, but still, with her this little coffee shop managed to be so familiar that it ached.

Like she was supposed to know something about it, but it just didn't come to mind.

She ordered her usual coffee, Americano to keep her on her toes. The barista, a tall, thin guy, with messy hair and awkwardness as his main traits recognized her face.

(Not that he would have much trouble remembering the same three people that came here)

"Kuina, right?" He asked. She nodded, smiling along.

Something about this guy made Kuina happy to see him, he was the furthest thing away from her type, she did prefer tall

people with mysterious looks and even though he was not unattractive, Kuina's happiness was most likely to come from the fact that she thought she had seen him before somewhere.

"Oh, Ann" The guy chipped in, excited to have another customer.

Ann.

That was the name of the woman Kuina had now her full attention turned to. It was rude to stare, one of the few lessons her father bothered to teach her, one of the ones' that stuck till this day.

It was rude to stare, he would say, but Kuina had always loved looking at beautiful people.

And this woman was the definition of beautiful, with short hair, tall and perfect skin. She walked towards the barista, with a grace that should be forbidden before 10 am. Kuina just couldn't stop looking.

There was also something a little bit mysterious about her, maybe because she seemed so stoic, like the type of person that didn't smile a lot or just didn't occasionally interact with other people.

She was serious and beautiful and it made Kuina delirious, apparently delirious enough to try to rhyme words, what was she supposed to do next? Write a poem?

Embarrassingly enough the notion of writing a poem to this mysterious stranger was not exactly unwelcoming, Kuina genuinely thought she deserved all the great poems from all the greatest poets.

A shame that the written word has never struck her as much as the visual arts did.

"You came early today" The barista chipped in, still working on Kuina's Americano.

The lady nodded.

"I finished my shift just now. " Her voice was as beautiful as the rest of her, in a rich low tone that almost made Kuina's toe curl.

She was being so gay that it was ridiculous.

"Vanilla latte, Arisu" She ordered, muttering a strange name Kuina had never heard.

She glanced at the barista and his nametag.

Arisu.

The name made her feel like Kuina should know this person, like a classmate, someone you shared memories with. But

she didn't, she had no idea who this Arisu was.

Except that he made her feel welcome and even with his horrible coffee, it was always worth coming back.

"Coming right up, Ann," He answered.

Ann.

Kuina smiled a little, forming the syllables with her lips, hiding under the fact that she could see the woman, Ann, but Ann couldn't see her from her position at the counter.

She hadn't seen her eyes yet and Kuina desperately wanted to. She wanted to see everything about this strange woman, mysterious and stoic and totally her type.

"Kuina" Arisu called upon her order.

She was right next to him in seconds, it was a big counter considering only one person worked there.

"Thank you, Arisu" Kuina said, feeling a little bad for only knowing his name now.

Arisu smiled and then proceeded to stumble his way into making Ann's coffee again.

Kuina was very tempted to turn around and introduce herself, but while she couldn't exactly say that she was shy, she also

wasn't insane or crazy. While Ann was so beautiful that it made her heart ache, she also didn't really seem very approachable.

Hot, tall, mysterious and very intimidating.

So she dejectedly walked to her place besides the counter, hiding under the shadows, drinking Ann's image and hoping that she would look back.

Arisu had a hard time with the Vanilla Latte from what Kuina could see, it required a skill in making latte's that he simply did not possess. But Ann didn't seem to mind waiting, she was patiently standing at the front.

She was taller than Kuina. Dressed better too, with clothes that looked expensive, looking at the details in her clothing she could tell that Ann worked for the Tokyo PD, forensics it read on her shirt.

Kuina was hoping more along the lines of a rich CEO, but working for the police didn't make Ann less hot, she doubted that there was something that could ever do that.

"Ann" Arisu called, with the furthest thing from a vanilla latte in his hand.

It was sweet when Arisu called them by their names. He had terrible handwriting so Kuina could only guess that the written word in her coffee was meant to be her name.

Ann grimaced while sipping her coffee, but as soon as Arisu turned around her expression completely changed, faking a smile out of appreciation.

Kuina thought it was cute that a forensics expert accustomed to seeing death daily would fake a smile just to not hurt an inexperienced barista. She was no less intimidating but it certainly made Kuina smile.

In a twist of fate, Ann looked at her at that exact moment, Kuina still smiling and with her coffee untouched. They seemed to share the same concept of never enjoying this place's drink but refusing to get coffee anywhere else.

When the woman sat down it was one seat from her, given that it had only one other person in the place it was a little bit weird, but she didn't mind.

Kuina decided that Ann would sit next to her someday, even if it meant tasting Arisu's incredibly bad Americano every single day at 6 am.

Chapter Text

Kuina came back. 

Many, many times. And she went from weekly visits, to daily drinking Arisu's terrible coffee, which, concerningly, was growing more and more on her. 

With thorough observation, Kuina found out Ann wasn't an often customer, her shift normally ended at 7 AM, which was exactly one hour before Kuina started her own. They sat in silence most of the time, but it was totally worth it. 

Sometimes she caught Ann staring too, probably just looking in curiosity, but it made Kuina excited in a way she hadn't felt for a long time. The days she was not there though were a bit boring. 

But she could always count on Arisu for entertainment, like just now when he was trying, and failing, to get the machine to work again. 

To his credit, it was an old coffee machine, one that was in need of retirement apparently. Kuina arrived a little bit early today and she did not regret it for a second, watching Arisu struggle was by far more amusing than anything she had at home. 

"I give up. '' He huffed from below the counter with the machine on it. "I might have to call an assistance company or something, I have no idea what I am doing."

It was so disappointing to not get her very watered down version of an Americano today, she could not be more excited to taste the lack of sugar and coffee in her mug. 

Irony aside, she did feel kind of bad for the guy who was just trying to make an honest living, it really wasn't his fault that he was not a good barista. 

"Maybe you could make it the old way?" Kuina pitched in.

Arisu looked like a lost puppy when he was sad and it bothered her way more than she could admit. 

He simply stared at her suggestion. 

"You don't know how to do that, do you? " She guessed. 

Arisu had the decency to at least look ashamed. 

"All right. " Kuina left her job on the table. " You are so giving me free coffee for this. "

As soon as she put her feet on the floor she knew it was not the best idea, if it took too long she might come in late to work. But late to work meant seeing Ann for longer, so that was the only benefit she truly needed.

Making the coffee the old way wasn't ideal for a coffee shop, but since not many people came here, they could buy some time with this idea. Arisu called some assistance guy while Kuina worked on her own coffee. 

Getting two shots of espresso and boiling the water was the perfect way to start it, in no time she had the only ingredients she needed to make a good Americano. Granted that it was her first time making it this way, since the first thing she did after getting a paycheck was buy an espresso machine.

But it was not bad, she thought while sipping her coffee behind the register.

Not bad at all. 

And of course, because the universe was addicted to catching her off guard, Ann arrived at that exact moment. Eyes glancing curiously when Arisu was not the one to greet her this time. 

She perceived now that this was a possibility of her early decision of helping her favorite barista out, but Kuina just did not give it any more thought. Of all the things she did not want to do, messing up Ann's coffee was definitely one of them. 

"The usual?" She asked, unable to hide her excitement.

"Yes, please." Ann's tone was always polite, but a little detached. 

The right amount of elegance and aloofness to keep her interesting. Kuina worked on her latte right away, Arisu was probably at the broom closet, which he pretended to be his office, so she couldn't ask for help. Making a latte wasn't supposed to be hard. 

But nonetheless she was still nervous and being the victim of Ann's gaze didn't make it easier. She checked twice to see if she had everything. 

The milk, the syrup and the expresso. Because she was used to making coffee it wasn't difficult, but the milk part was a challenge for sure, she had to use an immersion blender to foam it up, which took twice the time. 

Ann didn't seem to mind though, curiously watching her while she worked, looking so pretty that it should have been a sin. It was sinful to look that good after a shift. 

"Here you go." She offered with a smile.

While getting her coffee, Ann's hand touched her's for a millisecond but it was over way too soon. She had cold hands, it reminded Kuina of the saying "Cold hands, warm heart".

"Oh." The forensics expert exclaimed."This is for sure an improvement."

Her comment was mostly directed at Kuina's drawing of a suit in her cup. She drew a little 5 at the top and bottom, with a club suit.

"Did you like it?" Kuina couldn't help but fish for compliments.

Ann nodded and approached at the same time. 

"I can actually tell that what is written is my name." She confessed in a hushed tone. "Are you going to be the new barista?"

Now, Kuina wasn't normally one to get hopeful over nothing, but there was somewhat a hopeful tone in her voice. It could be just because she made decent coffee, but a win was a win. 

"Sadly, this is a one time experience." Answered she. 

Ann's eyes flickered with disappointment. 

"Well, I better enjoy my Vanilla Latte then." 

When she was about to leave to sit at the counter, Kuina decided that this was now the time to be very, very stupid. 

"I can make you coffee any time though." She said stupidly.

And to make it all worse, she winked. Kuina fucking winked at her. Ann didn't show much reaction besides a raised eyebrow and what she could only assume was her own version of a polite smile.

Internally she was dying, her heart beating wildly against her chest. There was no reason to explain why she did what she did, no good motive besides pining desperately. 

Kuina never felt so stupid, but she did get a reaction from Ann besides the occasional curious glance, so it could still be counted as a win. 

The barista version of herself, the one that in an alternative universe would see Ann constantly, would definitely try to write her number on the cup and throw charming smiles in her way. She was glad that after the accident she was no longer that brave.

Kuina was very conscious of the scars she had in her body, the ones that not even her make up skills could hide. Would Ann mind that she had scars? 

What was she thinking? She wouldn't get far enough with Ann for her to mind or see anything, it would continue like this, they would see each other often, but Kuina would never dare to make the first move. 

No one wanted to date someone that was broken. And she most definitely did not want to date anyone. Ann was simply her current attraction and just that. 

Nothing else. 

Eventually she had to go back to work, her actual job that paid the bills and would most definitely be one of the main topics in her future therapy sessions.

To say that it was bad working at this little store in the mall, well that would be just the biggest euphemism, like saying that failing down on boiling lava would result in a small burn.

This store was her boiling lava, and Kuina was walking through the doors, conscious enough that all she wanted was to go back outside. The only thing going for them was that outside meant cold harsh winter, inside it just meant cold and harsh people. 

Kuina was someone who just hated being cold at any capacity, so that was the current motivation she had for not running back to her house that had no heater. 

"You are late. '' Her manager said first thing in the morning.

She just gritted her teeth and smiled. 

You are such a dick was what she didn't say but what she definitely would on her resignation letter. 

The uniform didn't consist much besides a tank top and very tight pants, it was the worst uniform in the entire mall. Not surprising considering the great management this place had. Her aisle was on the make up products, this store had a little bit of everything but nothing was truly good.

She was pretty sure that if anyone tried using this product it would result in a catastrophic allergy, she herself had no interest in trying it out. Like any other sane person, if she needed anything she would just buy it from all the other stores. 

Kuina was busy pretending to restock and organize products so she didn't have to sell anything to anyone when she saw a familiar face. A familiar woman with short hair, the woman had sunglasses on so she couldn't immediately tell if it was Ann.

The products were left on the floor the moment that woman walked in, clearly her priorities were not doing a job where she was underpaid and objectified. 

It was Ann after all, who was looking around, dressed in the same fancy coat and high boots, as if she needed any help looking taller. Her elegant demeanor had a stark contrast with the store, reminding everyone why this was hidden amongst the better looking stores in the mall. 

She approached when she saw Kuina, finding a familiar face amongst all the cheap products and even cheaper decoration. 

"Hello, miss." Kuina said in a chipper voice. "Can I help with anything?"

The odds that Ann would buy something were the same as a meteor striking the earth and since that already happened, maybe in a hundred years Kuina would be able to sell her some fake eyelashes. 

"Not really, thank you." She said, 

It was the closest they had ever been, she could smell Ann's expensive perfume from this distance and it was way better than all the things they sold here. 

"Well, why are you here then?" Kuina didn't dare to hope, but if she wasn't going to buy anything then there was a chance....

"I thought I saw you in here." She interrupted her line of thought. 

Kuina looked at her, the sunglasses were beautiful but they covered her pretty eyes, everything about her was pretty, not in the lovely way, though she supposed Ann was lovely, what made her beauty striking was that it was laced with sharpness. 

Like a beautiful knife. 

"Were you following me?" She stupidly asked, because she could only ask stupid questions when the other woman was around.

Ann lifted her hand with a bag in it, the bag belonged to the store at the front.

"I needed a new lipstick."

Unconsciously Ann brought Kuina's attention to her lips, her very full, very lovely lips. She used a dark shade of lipstick, one that matched her entirely, Kuina gulped, still looking at her lips. 

"Can I help with anything?" She asked as soon as she was able to regain her focus. 

Ann smiled and if she noticed anything, she didn't comment. 

"Well, you did promise me a vanilla latte anytime. "

Was she flirting? Kuina couldn't tell.

"I mean I can make coffee in the kitchen we have here." Leaning in, she whispered. "Given the quality of the products you might end up with skin cancer though."

It earned a smile from Ann. 

"While that is a wonderful offer." The smile was still on her face." I had kind of a different idea."

"Which one?" She found herself asking without thinking. 

Ann was about to answer when she stopped to look behind Kuina's shoulder. Following the direction of her gaze, it landed on her curious manager that was staring at them both. Probably wondering when and how did Kuina meet someone like Ann. 

"Well, nevermind." She said after a while. "You are still on your work hours. I don't want to interrupt."

Please do interrupt, she almost begged. 

"Can I have your number then?" Kuina was being bold, but at this point she had given her that liberty.

"You are at work." She stated."You won't use my number."

"What if there is a death nearby?" Kuina asked, placing her hands over her heart."I might need a forensics expert and If I don't have your number the killer might get away."

Ann smiled once again, it was the third time that she managed to make her smile today.

"Well, I guess you can't catch them all."

She was definitely teasing Kuina, but she didn't mind at all. Her head was spinning with excitement, in fact, she was sure this whole interaction made her day. Granted that she did not have Ann's number after all, the woman left just after said sentence, walking graciously away from the store, but still.

A win was a win.

Chapter Text

Rizuna Ann was not a woman of many words.

Besides presentations and meetings, she thought there was no use making small talk. Her grandfather had told her when she was little to not be like her parents and make herself a fool, when there is no matter to be discussed, don’t talk.

It was the first contact with philosophy
she ever had, the first time someone told her an information that would actually prove useful in her adult life. So until today, Ann did just that, when there was nothing to be said, she said nothing.

It never proved an issue. Until she met Kuina.

Her brain was the one who just didn’t shup about Kuina, any attempt to focus on her work had proved fruitless, all she did was conjure images about the girl, her wellbeing, her current occupation. There was not one part of Kuina that Ann didn’t feel like knowing about.

She was a naturally curious person, but even then she could tell that this curiosity was a part of an infatuation. One that was growing to be concerning if the pounding of her heart when Kuina was around offered any indication.

Ann had no trouble before, acting upon similar infatuations, but Kuina was different. Maybe because she was a different type of woman than Ann would go far, lacking the cynicism that was so prominent in her previous partners.

Kuina was like the sun, better yet, like a vanilla latte. Sweet, can keep you awake with thoughts and Ann desperately needed a sip every morning to end her day well.

But like a vanilla latte, she could be just as addicting. Which was insane considering they didn’t even know each other well, in fact besides sitting at the same counter and occasional glances, they were strangers in every sense.

So Ann was very bothered by that and could not concern herself with caring about her work. She wanted to see Kuina, to hear her voice.

She wanted to visit Arisu’s coffee and drink his terrible version of a vanilla latte.

It was strange to care. So why did she?

Ann felt that there was a variable she was overlooking, how could she care so much about people she didn’t even know? She didn’t even like latte that much, but something about that place just felt familiar, not in a good way or a bad way, just familiar.

Arisu must have bought the place recently, she thought, since he appeared to not know much about coffee himself, she wanted to ask him about it, but felt a strong urge not to. Even though he appeared happy and carefree, Ann knew that he had some demons himself.

The way he smiled carried a certain sadness of those who lost something along the way. She could almost diagnose him with survivor’s guilt without even trying, he just oozed of someone that needed a sense of purpose, something to live for.

Kuina was different in that sense, though no less interesting. It didn’t seem like there was anything broken in her, but maybe that was just because she hid better than most, a characteristic of someone who had been hurt for a long time.

Looking at them objectively they were puzzle pieces that in some chaotic way fit in her own puzzle. Racionally she shouldn’t engage with them, damaged people with damaged people could only cause more damage. But then again, Ann simply didn’t care.

So against her better judgment, once again she went into the cafe.

And to her disappointment, Kuina was not there, she was the first thing she searched for as soon as she opened the door, but there was no sign of the girl at the empty cafe. Arisu was the only one there and as usual he beamed as soon as he saw Ann, smiling largely.

Ordering her usual she sat by waiting for the latte, in the same place as always. Looking around came as an instinct, searching almost unconsciously for the person who wasn’t there.

“She is not here today,” Arisu explained, handling her coffee.”Probably because of the snow, some of us don’t have big fancy cars you know.”

It made sense, although not pleasant information. When they saw each other at the mall Ann couldn’t help but notice Kuina’s outfit, the short clothing that fit so well in her body, a beautiful sight but very inconvenient for the cold. She was sure that that place must be breaking at least three regulations of workplace security.

She could visit her again, at the mall, Ann thought, but immediately shut down the idea, it would be creepy to do so, they weren’t friends, not even colleagues. Kuina was simply someone she saw every single day, at the same time, same place. So what did that make them?

Why did she care so much?

These questions remained unanswered no matter how much she thought about them. Drinking her coffee, Ann considered her next course of action, she could either go home and have some much needed rest, or she could possibly do something else, something that would maybe make a difference in someone’s day.

“Arisu.” She called him.”Do you by any chance make deliveries?”

Rarely had Ann experienced such a sensation, the inability to focus on her work. All she could think about was a certain girl she frequently met at a coffee shop. It was bothersome, she decided, to care about someone like that, someone that she didn’t even know.

Why didn’t she come? Was she okay? Did she enjoy the coffee? Should she have picked a different one, could Kuina be tired of drinking Americano? That was a stupid line of thought though, as if Arisu’s coffee could actually taste like an Americano.

She found herself caring about the smallest of details, Kuina was a new addition in her life that suddenly made her days better. She had found herself more willing to wake up and go to work if she knew that afterwards she would be met with warm coffee and a smiling girl.

Ann was of the mind that company, while convenient, was a choice, not a necessity. But she could understand why her co-workers seemed so desperate to leave work to meet other people now, something she used to find appalling was exactly what was happening.

She couldn’t wait to leave her work to meet Kuina, even if they didn’t talk, her presence was soothing and the fact that she was gorgeous didn’t hurt either.

Alas, there were still some hours of work to do. It was only 3 AM and her unity had been called to investigate a body. Ann had always loved her job and after the accident it became her safe place, besides Arisu’s cafe, it was the only place that managed to bring a sense of familiarity along.

When inspecting dead bodies, Ann knew who she was and what she was supposed to do, something that these days was not that common for her.

Grabbing her utensils she left the lab, the car was already waiting outside and the snow fell at a bigger rate than yesterday. She hoped Kuina was safe and tucked into bed. Ann didn’t mind going out in the cold, which was good, considering that right now it could fit into the descriptions of her job.

There wasn’t much at the crime scene besides a dead body. Ann hated any accidents that took place in winter, the snow just made everything so much harder. It hid any traces, it kept the body in a better condition but it also made the skin rigid and harder to cut and analyze.

It was a man this time, a big man. He was dressed in a coat and boots, so that meant he was prepared to go out, diminishing the chances that he was dragged here or murdered at home.

There was also nothing else around, if she considered no one moved the body, he might just have fallen down, but the boots were made for snow walking, so Ann could eliminate this possibility for now. Her first guess would be murder, because of the weird position the body was in, but it was nothing to be sure of.

“A man.” She started her analysis.”Late thirties, seemingly healthy, unlikely to have fallen down, the position of the body also indicates that the fall was not spontaneous based on the turning of his feet. Cause of death:unknown.”

She turned off the recorder.

“There is a doctor here.” The officer that drove her to the crime scene said.”He said that he got a call, probably because the victim had a hospital card on him, but his wallet and other belongings still haven’t been found.

The man he referred to came along, passing by the crowd that gathered. It had always fascinated Ann how civilians could stare in shock at dead people they knew nothing about. Said doctor was tall, with a sharp look in his eyes.

“Are you his doctor?” She asked.

“Not really.” He said.” I am a doctor, but we were actually at the same hospital together. I wrote my number on the back of his hospital card when we met and just now got a call.”

Someone must have called him in an attempt to call the hospital and he came to check if what he said was true.

“Rizuna Ann. “ She introduced herself.” And you are?”

The man had a concerning smile, a gleam in his eyes as if he knew something that no one else did. It could be perceived as arrogance, but Ann didn’t quite associate that with him, he didn’t seem arrogant, just calm and confident.

“Shuntaro Chishiya.” He replied.

“Mister Shuntaro, we are going to make a few question now regarding Mister Morizono Aguni.” The officer said.

Ann hurried to leave the building, it was 6:30, her usual leaving time. It was funny that the thing she had to be looking forward to the most during her night was going to a little cafe to see someone that she was infatuated with.

The irony of the situation didn’t fail her.

She got into her car, keeping the windows closed because of the cold. The pavements were still covered in snow which made driving an even bigger challenge, Ann had a speed problem, for the many things she had extreme patience to, driving was not one of them. Neither did she want to be patient, she was not at fault, everyone else just drove so slow.

The doctor, the one they had interrogated, was leaving the building too. He had been brought in after they met at the crime scene, sufficient to say, he was the main suspect. But Ann doubted he was the killer, he just didn’t seem stupid enough to kill someone and stick around at the crime scene.

Guilty or not, it seemed he did not have a car and would be walking in the snow.

Going against her better judgment and her work place ethics, Ann pulled over next to him, opening the window.

“Where are you going?”

The white haired men smirked, she was sure that he annoyed most people and most definitely had done the same to her coworkers on his interrogation.

“Isn’t giving the suspect a ride against the politics or something?”

It was, but she felt a little bad for him. He willingly went to his own interrogation and spent the entire hour there, it was more than what most cops could say about their suspects.

“Well do you want to walk in the snow?”

Chishiya seemed to consider for a second and then proceeded to open the door.

“I really hope you don’t get in trouble for this.” He says, putting his seatbelt on.

“I won’t tell you if you don’t.” Ann looked sideways to see if there was any car on the street.

“I will make sure to remember that in my confession.” He said in what she hoped was a terrible joke. “Hey, do you mind if we stop by and get some coffee? I was kind of up all night with the whole suspect of a murder thing.”

Ann smiled.

“I know just the place.”

Chapter Text

“For the cold.

Wear a jacket!

Ann, from the cafe.”  

It was written in the note Arisu delivered, along with a smile and a hot coffee. Kuina simply couldn’t stop reading, she couldn’t stop looking at the short lines and sharp handwriting.

A small note, something so simple but that didn’t fail at making her giddy with excitement. 

Ann.

Ann had sent her a note. Ann had sent something for her. Ann, Ann, Ann.

Her entire mind was consumed by Ann. Not like it normally wasn’t, but this time it just felt different, Kuina knew logically that she was deeply attracted to her, she was very sure of that, however this took things to a next level.

Because it meant that even if just a little, Ann thought of her too. The possibility just filled her head with all kinds of scenarios, one’s that made her heart beat faster and faster, her cheeks starting to burn. 

She should definitely get back to work now, her manager was looking at her in a disapproving way, the way her father looked at her sometimes. It awakened a need to shamefully apologize, to this day she still hated disappointing people, even those that deserved being disappointed.

Kuina kept her happiness to herself, hiding the coffee so she could drink later. It was a cold weather and the uniform definitely didn’t help but she was too happy to care. For the remaining hours of her shift, she was the happiest she could ever be.

Even when she had to leave, even in the cold of night. The snow gathered along her shoes, freezing her toes and her lungs, even then, Kuina was happy, she couldn’t not be. 

Ann had thought of her. Ann bought her coffee.

Ann. 

Kuina was at the cafe in the early hours, the earliest that would still be considered acceptable. If someone paid close attention, they would be able to tell, by the anxious tapping of her legs, that she didn’t sleep at night. Way too preoccupied with thinking of a certain dark haired girl to fall asleep. 

Kuina had spent the night trying to think of everything, what she would say, what she would dress and most importantly, how Ann would react.

If she said thank you in an honest way would she dismiss it? Would she appreciate it? It was maddening not to know.

Arisu was still organizing the tables when she got in, clearly surprised to see her there so early.

“Hey.” He said softly.

When it was just the two of them Arisu smiled less, but more genuinely. He didn’t try as hard to look happy.

“Hey.”She replied, just as softly. 

They were similar in that sense, both using masks that protected them from the outside world. While Arisu pretended he was happy, Kuina could pretend she was fine, she was so good that even in her own heart it was hard to tell the difference.

They sat in silence for a while, waiting until there was someone else. Kuina decided that she would be fine if Ann didn’t show up, it would in fact be better, because then she wouldn’t be forced to think too hard about the complicated feelings that roamed her mind when she was around. 

Her heart simply was in critical danger of failing. And Ann didn’t make it easier when she did in fact show up. 

Just as striking as usual, all dark hair and red lipstick. Ann was a constant reminder that the world was unfair, there was no such thing as equality, Kuina wholeheartedly believed that no one could ever compare in any sense. 

And while she was still beautiful as always, she also looked a little softer, her eyes judging just a little less than before. 

Kuina was surprised to find that she didn’t come alone, there was some guy next to her. A silver haired man, she tried not to think much about the implication, looking for some sort of similarity between them, maybe they were siblings?

Any other option left a bitter taste in her mouth. If they were friends it would still be no better than lovers, because she wanted to be the sole focus of Ann’s attention today, and maybe for all the other remaining days of her life. 

As usual Arisu greeted them with happiness, not the fake kind, the genuine one. It was funny to see that while he did seem happy to see other people, a part of him wasn’t really there with them, remaining far away in his own mind. 

“Hello.” Ann greeted back.

The man waved his hand in careless fashion. 

“Is this your friend?” She asked, curious. 

Maybe not the polite way to strike up a conversation but she was too intrigued to care.

“Not exactly.” The woman answered.

“I am Shuntaro Chishya.” He attempted to introduce himself.

“How did you two meet?” Kuina asked again before he could elaborate.

“He is the main suspect in my new investigation.”

Well that was sure something that left everyone(the other two people in the room) shocked. Kuina looked in disbelief, he seemed way too lanky to be able to kill someone, she was pretty sure that she had more muscles than this guy.

“Don’t say it like that.” He complained.”Makes people think I actually murdered someone.”

“Well, we are still investigating.” Ann said and noticing everyone else’s expressions she added:”He probably didn’t do it. 

“I was just trying to help him.”Chishiya explained.”First I got hit by a meteor and now I am accused of murder.”He said with a crooked smile.”This is just not my year is it?”

Despite her initial impression, Kuina felt an immediate fondness for him, one that she felt for those that were extremely unlucky. She tried to dismiss her concern that he and Ann could be more than friends, it helped that while he wasn’t ugly, she knew she was prettier than him. 

“It’s the hair for me.” Kuina said to lighten the mood.”Makes you look suspicious.”

That earned a smile from him. 

“What do you do for a living?” Asked Arisu cleaning the table.

“I am a doctor.”

“Doctors make the best killers.” He said.”They know the right places to hit.”

Arisu had a point and she could definitely understand why the police thought he was suspicious. 

“Ann, what did you say was the cause of death again?

“I didn’t say it, because it’s confidential information.”

“We are not gonna tell anyone.” she promised hoping to move the woman’s heart puppy eyes.

It was sad but she really didn’t have anyone to tell. Ann seemed to be considering whether she would say it or not, seemingly to have decided she spoke moments after. 

“Well, I guess if you guys really want to know.” She leaned in closer to them, dropping her voice lower.

Kuina felt tempted to look down at her lips, they were close now, all four of them, but there was only one person that she could focus on, the prospect of thinking of anything else other than Ann’s lips was sinful.

”You’ll just have to read tomorrow’s newspaper.” she said it with a smirk.

Kuina could tell that what she said was frustrating, based on Arisu’s and Chishiya’s reaction, but she could not point out what they were talking about before, too distracted to remember.

So instead of saying something foolish, she decided to do what she came here to do in the first place.

“Thank you for the coffee Ann.” She noted at the worst moment possible.

Kuina was hoping to thank her in a moment alone in which she would have added something funny and flirty and Ann would reply with a cynical(but also kind of flirty) phrase. And no this moment did not include having any of the boys nearby, or anyone else for that matter. 

“It was nothing really.” She waved her hand dismissively.”Arisu did all of the work.”

“What are you talking about?”Said bartender exclaimed.”You ordered the coffee, paid for the delivery and drove me to the mall. You did all the work.”

Kuina looked at Ann surprised, the woman refused to meet her eye, calmly sipping her coffee. To everyone else she must have appeared composed, as usual, but Kuina knew her manerisms enough by now to tell that this was Ann’s way of blushing. 

She pressured a bit more, still looking at her, always looking at her.

“It just seemed like it was going to be a cold day.” She justified.”And you didn’t show up to get your coffee. “

The fact that Ann noticed her absence made butterflies dance in her stomach, made her dizzy with happiness. Not in a million years did Kuina think that she would have a chance with a woman like her and she didn’t mean that in a self pitying way, Kuina knew she was nothing short of beautiful, and had always been aware of the way people looked at her.

But there was just something else about Ann, something that made her different, uninterested in the outside world, everything else seemed to bore her deeply. So a common girl from Tokyo shouldn’t be different.

However, Ann had been receptive to her advances so far, granted that she didn’t exactly throw herself at the woman, but she was very friendly and even flirted once. Besides, there was no way Ann was straight. Kuina would bet her life on that. 

Her cell phone decided that this was the moment to ring loudly, the alarm reminding the unfortunate fact that she had to stop pining and go to work.

“I have to go.“ She said.”Unfortunately some of us are not done with work yet.”

“I can give you a ride if you want.” Ann offered quickly.”The snow is too thick to walk on.”

Once again she caught Kuina by surprise.

“I have to go to the mall anyway.” 

Thankfully that was said before Kuina could be too happy about it. It was fine really, Ann was just giving her a ride because she had to buy something, nothing to be disappointed about, no reason at all. 

“You are gonna give me a ride too, right.” Chishiya said making his presence known. 

Kuina could sometimes forget that there weren’t only two people in that room.

“If I recall you asked to stop by to get coffee, not stop by, get coffee and drive you home.” Ann argued in the same logical tone she always used. 

Chishiya was ready to make his case but Kuina felt the need to defend him, she didn’t know why but he inscited the protective side of her. 

“It could be fun to have him around.” She mentioned carefully.”That way you can know where he lives and if he is indeed the killer, you can catch him at his own house.”

Ann made an annoyed sigh but complied nonetheless. It was cute really, even though she looked intimidating, all her actions had nothing but kindness written all over them.

Even compared to the people she dated before, Ann was kinder, thoughtful. Although she didn’t look like she gave meaningful gifts, they were practical one’s. Instead of flowers, she got coffee, which for some(Kuina) meant way more than anything else in the world. 

She shouldn’t get her hopes up. But maybe just maybe, Kuina could summon the courage of asking her out when they were alone again. Maybe Ann wouldn’t say no and maybe even if she did, she would be kind about it.