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Suguru peers over his new manager’s shoulder as he attentively watches him pour steamed milk into an off-white cup with the bakery’s logo emblazoned on the front. With a couple flicks of the wrist, a beautiful swan is floating on the surface of the coffee and given to a very obviously sleep deprived college student.
“You got all that?” Yaga asked, turning his head toward Suguru. “This is basically it, but sometimes it can get a bit crazy here. But you seem like a smart kid, so I’ll leave it to you to figure it out.” Suguru nods, putting his hair in a bun and rolling up his sleeves to get started on a new order.
Suguru’s frame looms over the espresso machine as he weighs out beans, grinds and tamps them, and prepares a vanilla iced latte with two shots for a bubbly-looking kid with a pink undercut. Suguru’s gaze lingers a bit too long, wondering if he really went through the trouble of dying his eyebrows pink, or if it’s really natural. The kid - who he learns is a regular named Yuuji - gives him a grateful smile as Suguru hands him his latte.
As the day trudges on, Suguru learns a bit more about the Jujutsu Bakery and Cafe. It was bought and founded by his father-figure of a manager Yaga a few years ago as a way to give back to his college town. The name of the cafe was given thanks to the baking abilities of his son, only known as “Panda”, with Yaga claiming his confections actually “tasted like magic.” After trying a seasonal almond pumpkin croissant, with just the right filling to bread ratio, Suguru is inclined to agree. He meets a few more of his coworkers as the day passes: Shoko, a junior majoring in neuroscience and a penchant for sarcasm helps him work the cash register (and supplements the would-be awkward pauses with stories about her girlfriend, Utahime, a sophomore majoring in international relations, he learns). Nanami, a tall, stoic man with a general disdain for labor but incredibly inventive pastry recipes, and Haibara, an energetic kid with the demeanor of an excited puppy.
His first week was rather uneventful, save for a group of soccer moms with mile-long orders on a Saturday morning. He learns about a few of the regulars, their preferences, and how often they come in. Whenever Yuuji came in, he was accompanied by a sullen, brooding man who spent most of his time giving noncommittal responses to Yuuji and the rest looking at him like he hung the stars. A green-haired girl named Maki comes in on Thursday nights to pick up one black coffee and one lavender honey latte, presumably for the girl he’s seen on her lock screen more than once.
However, Suguru learns one very important thing in the middle of a busy shift: when there comes rain, there will be a storm in the form of an annoyingly handsome and very deceptive Gojo Satoru. Upon first glance, his dazzling smile and unfortunately beautiful blue eyes conceal his whiny, narcissistic, and spoiled rich kid attitude with his mile-long ostentatious cafe orders of milk and sugar disguising as coffee.
“One double chocolate brownie and one large caramel latte with one shot of espresso, extra caramel sauce and non-fat sweet cream!” Haibara calls from the cash register. Suguru takes a moment to look up from his much simpler order of a cortado to throw Haibara a look of confusion. Haibara simply shrugs, hands him the order ticket, and wishes him good luck.
“Who the hell orders a latte that’s basically 90% milk and ice?” Suguru mutters, wanting to meet the supposed 10-year-old child and their mother who placed this order.
Suguru finishes his order and repeats the order in a booming voice only to be greeted by one of the most beautiful men he’s ever seen. Fitted in a white cashmere sweater and blue jeans, he looks like he’s walked straight out of a magazine. He throws a smile so blinding that Suguru has to squint, only to realize that the person who ordered this is not a 10-year-old child, but a grown man.
“Thanks so much Suguru!” he exclaims, squinting to read the fine print on Suguru’s nametag.
Suguru isn’t someone who lacks a brain to mouth filter. Given his major, he has to be careful and deliberate about what he writes and says. This however, is not a philosophy class. After a few seconds of staring, Suguru manages to choke out, “Why on fucking earth would you place that order in a coffee shop? That’s 90% milk and ice and one shot of espresso, that’s barely coffee!”
A crowd of girls, Haibara and Nanami stare at him in shock. A look of mild confusion briefly crosses the handsome stranger’s face before returning to that dazzling smile and taking an experimental sip of his order. Suguru wishes he could say the look on the man’s face wasn’t one of the cutest things he’s ever seen, but he’s only a very gay college student after all.
The stranger practically lights up after his first sip, beaming at Suguru and once again blinding him. “Suguru~ you complain about my order but this is delicious! Dare I say one of the best lattes I’ve ever had,” he swoons.
He drops a few dollar bills into the acrylic tip jar plastered with stickers, once again with his signature smile, this time with a wink. “That’s to show my appreciation. Thank you Suguru-chan, see you next time!” he calls as he exits the shop.
Suguru is only left staring in confusion at the exit, wondering what higher power he had upset to warrant this interaction on a Monday. His eyebrow twitches as he finally comes to his senses and realizes that this complete stranger had just called him Suguru-chan. He slams down the milk steamer cup with so much force the metal splits open with a loud crack. Yaga appears from seemingly nowhere to give Suguru a pointed glare, gesturing to the mess of milk and metal shards on the floor. Haibara shuffles over with a sympathetic look on his face, helping Suguru dispose of the scraps.
“I see you’ve met the famous Gojo Satoru.” he says. “He’s certainly one for first impressions isn’t he?” Suguru nods in agreement, still unable to process the audacity that this grown man had to saunter into a coffee shop, order what was essentially a milkshake, tack on the suffix -chan to Suguru’s name and leave with a stupidly beautiful smile. He had never encountered anyone so bold or unashamed to call him by his first name upon three minutes of meeting him.
To Suguru’s relief, the rest of his shift was rather uneventful, with the most notable thing being that the oven broke (for the second time). On his way out, he grabbed a box of blueberry scones, thanked his manager and started on the bus-bike-walk to his apartment.
“Who calls someone they just meet by their first name?” Suguru muttered to himself. “I mean, who does that?”
The following two days had gone so well that he had all but forgotten about Gojo and his ridiculous coffee order until a quiet Thursday afternoon. Out of the corner of his eye he spotted a mop of white hair and was once again assaulted by blindingly white teeth and a voice so demanding of your attention, it was impossible to ignore.
“Su~gu~ru-chan!” Gojo exclaimed, his smile growing even wider. “My favorite barista! I’m sure you can handle the order I’m going to throw at you today.”
Suguru sighed and mentally prepared himself for another coffee order from hell. He raised an eyebrow at Gojo and mumbled to get on with it already. What he didn’t anticipate was an even longer order that included a larger percentage of sauces and syrups than coffee, 15 (yes fifteen) ingredients and enough pastries to give someone instant diabetes. Suguru just stared at him in shock.
“Are you trying to speedrun a chronic disease? Have you ever eaten anything but sugar in your life? Why are you opening a strawberry hard candy while waiting for your sweet milk?” Suguru exclaimed as he started working on Gojo’s nightmare creation.
Gojo pouted, an expression of fake concern behind those glasses (who the hell wears glasses inside anyways?) and the (unfortunately very cute) downturn of his lips. “Aw, is Suguru-chan concerned for me? How sweet!”
In an effort to conceal his barely hidden annoyance and protect his sanity, he simply said, “No, but if your teeth fall off because of our sweets, I don’t want to deal with the lawsuit that’ll follow.”
That response earned a bright laugh from Gojo, clearly enamored with Suguru’s attitude.
“I’m glad to have such a handsome man caring for me,” Gojo replied, a wistful smile on his face. Suguru looked up, a huff leaving his lips and a small smile gracing his face as he tended to the order. After topping off another Gojo Satoru monstrosity with a few dashes of cocoa powder, he looked up only to be met with a stare so intense, Suguru felt like Gojo was about to burn holes through his head.
Suguru cocked an eyebrow and handed Gojo his order. He tapped Gojo’s hand to get his attention, only for Gojo’s face to turn fire-engine red and retreat his hand like he had been burned.
“Your order, good sir?” Suguru teased. Gojo scowled and grabbed his bag full of pastries and (barely) coffee drink. Gojo started to walk away, only to immediately turn back and slam his hands on the counter, startling Suguru.
“Suguru!” said Gojo. “From now on, call me Satoru, alright?”
Suguru nodded, a soft smile playing on his lips as he turned his attention to the espresso machine. “See you next time, Satoru,” he said softly.
–
The shifts that followed were rather uneventful, save for Gojo’s (now Satoru) occasional mile-long coffee and pastry orders. Suguru’s gotten used to the routine: Satoru comes up with a new stupid order, explicitly tells the cashier he wants Suguru to make it (even if there are other more capable baristas that can do so), waits for Suguru to personally hand it to him and leaves a very welcome tip in the jar after making some of the cutest faces and reaction noises Suguru has ever seen. Much to Suguru’s chagrin, he finds himself anticipating Satoru’s visits and lively banter, despite how much work his orders are. Though, he would never tell that to Satoru and risk him becoming even more clingy.
After another one of Satoru’s visits (this time with a large mocha Frappucino with six pumps of toffee syrup, extra chocolate sauce, extra caramel sauce, and “as much whipped cream as humanly possible”), Shoko raises an eyebrow at Suguru, her lips upturned in a small smile while watching Suguru aggressively clean the blender he had just made Satoru’s order with. Suguru felt the burn of her stare on his back and turned to her with a scowl on his face.
“Shoko, if you're going to say something, speak now or forever hold your peace.” said Suguru.
“You know, for all you complain about Satoru, you always indulge him one way or another.” said Shoko, wiping down the counter. “Do you actually care for him?”
Suguru flushed a bright red, turning his attention back to the aforementioned blender and scrubbing the sides with more care than necessary. Shoko let out a small laugh and turned her attention back to the counter.
“Hah? What are you implying?” Suguru scoffed, glaring at Shoko as he set out the blender to dry. Shoko shrugged, her lips splitting into a small smile.
“Why not just ask him out?” said Shoko, turning her attention to the customer ordering a cortado. Suguru went rigid, causing the espresso powder to spill over. He slowly directed his attention to a smug-looking Shoko with an incredulous expression on his face.
“What?” Suguru said, still in shock. “What do you mean ask him out? Are you just trying to see me embarrass myself?”
Shoko’s brows furrowed. “What do you mean?” she asked.
Suguru sighed, inserting the espresso puck into the machine with too much force. “I mean, I don’t even know if he’s gay or at least bi. Or even interested in me at all! What if I ask him out and he gives me the look straight guys give you when they get asked out by a gay guy? You know, the ‘I’m flattered but I don’t swing that way?’ And then he never returns to the shop because I made things awkward and I blew my chances with one of the most beautiful men I’ve ever met.”
Shoko stepped to the side to take another customer’s order, sidestepping Nanami as he placed a fresh batch of blueberry scones in the window. “Oh please, how could Gojo possibly not be interested in you? He comes twice a week to a coffee shop that’s a 15 minute walk from the main campus and only asks for you.” she scoffed.
“Plus, he always tips an inordinate amount of money when you’re here.” Nanami interjects, closing the cover on the pastries. “He’s left at least 20 dollars worth of tips for an 8 dollar coffee order when you make his stuff.”
“Not to mention when Haibara made his coffee once, Gojo looked like he had been shot in the chest. It was like watching an abandoned puppy waiting for its owner.” Shoko said, finishing up the cortado and handing it to the customer.
“Suguru, he exclusively comes when you’re here.” Nanami finished, walking back to the kitchen.
“He insists you make his orders, calls you by your first name and looks at you with so much gay yearning when you do it makes me wonder if I’m gay enough.” Shoko adds. “If he’s not interested in you, I’d have to wonder what he does when he is interested in someone.”
“He could just really like my coffee?” Suguru weakly supplies. Shoko shoots him a glare, to which he relents. Sighing, he ran his hands through his hair. “I don’t know Shoko. I haven’t liked someone in a while. I don’t want to mess this up.” Shoko gave him a warm smile and a small hug, which Suguru returned. “I like him more than I want to.”
“Listen, if you ask him out and it doesn’t work out, I’ll treat you to get drinks. If it does work out, we’ll all go out for drinks. Either way, you’re getting free drinks.” she laughed, turning her attention to another customer. Suguru buried his face in his hands, sinking to the floor.
“I really like him, Shoko.” he said feebly, his hair spilling over his shoulders.
“Suguru, I’m 100% sure he likes you back. The worst case is you lose someone who wasn’t worth your time anyway, which I don’t think will happen, and the best case is you get a boyfriend, someone who actually likes you this time.” Shoko said. “Now, please get back to doing your job before Yaga comes in.”
Suguru chuckled, settling back into his routine. After his shift (and another Satoru visit with another terrible order, more conversation and Satoru demanding Suguru’s number), Suguru walked back to his apartment with a small smile on his face.
Maybe it would be nice to allow myself this fantasy for a bit longer. Suguru thought, thinking about the way Satoru’s eyes crinkled when he smiled, or how he bounced on the heels of his feet waiting for his order, or how when he took a sip of what Suguru made, his smile was so bright it could power a building.
Yeah, I’ll let myself feel this way for a bit. Suguru mused, approaching his apartment steps and unlocking the door. After he showered, he laid in his bed and dreamed of bright blue eyes, a curious laugh and warm hands intertwined with his.
–
Somewhere between Satoru’s 30th and 35th visit to the coffee shop, Suguru and Satoru cross the line from friends to friends that sometimes flirt with each other and talk way too much. Suguru has gotten used to the kaomoji-filled “Good Morning Sugu-chan” texts from Satoru, the mundane pictures of his daily life in his classes and calls that start as a simple check in and eventually evolve into long-winded conversations about anything and everything. He learns about Satoru’s favorite food (Zunda and Cream Kikufuku), his favorite games, tv shows and what he was like in high school. They chatted for hours and hours until they were both too tired to continue and Suguru’s alarm clock blared at 6am, only for him to realize he had been talking to Satoru for eight hours. Every time Satoru complimented him, Suguru felt his heart soar in his chest. Satoru’s laugh made his heart feel warm and Satoru’s insistence on staying on call for as long as possible by diverting to a new topic was pushing Suguru to feel things dangerously out of “friendship” territory.
The phone calls morphed into video calls where Suguru would get to witness Satoru’s reactions in real time as he recounted details from class or responded to a sly remark Suguru made. Sometimes, they’d just study on call and Suguru would catch Satoru staring at him with a dreamy expression on his face, only to whip his head and return to scribbling on the paper in front of him. That’s not to say Suguru wouldn’t stare back, transfixed by the bit of Satoru’s tongue sticking out when he was concentrating or his sighs of exasperation when he couldn’t get something quite right. Satoru had only caught him once, raising an eyebrow and huffing out a small laugh, making Suguru’s heart thump in his chest.
Upon Satoru’s 37th visit to the coffee shop, Suguru learns Satoru’s a physics and math double major, aiming to go to graduate school. When Suguru asks him why, he’s treated to a ten-minute lecture on why he wanted to study space and how cool it is and did you know NASA just brought back space material that may explain the origins of the universe? Suguru kept telling himself that no, he didn’t find the twinkle in his eyes or blinding smile super cute, and no, he certainly wouldn’t keep indulging Satoru in topics he liked just to hear him talk. No, not at all, this is just what friends do.
“Who would have expected the magazine model to be so nerdy?” Suguru chuckled, handing him his order. He was treated with the sight of Satoru’s jaw dropping and the tips of his ears turning pink.
“It’s not nerdy, space is cool!” Satoru huffed, grabbing his order with more force than necessary. “What’s your major anyway? I hope it’s not something like business, which you honestly seem too good for.”
“I’m majoring in philosophy.” Suguru states, turning his attention to cleaning out the espresso machine. “I want a PhD, but if all else fails, I’ll truly live up to my major and become a barista.”
Satoru lets out a laugh. “You’re a philosophy major? You’re 100 times worse than me then! Nobody willingly goes for a philosophy PhD unless they’re okay with 6-8 years of Sisyphean paper hell.” Suguru nods, letting a small sigh escape from his lips.
“Unfortunately true, but nothing would make me happier.” Suguru says, a smile playing on his lips. “I used to be in engineering, but after a few months I realized I wanted to start living for myself for a change.”
“How noble of you Suguru, taking control of your destiny.” Satoru beams. “I come from a huge science family. Futuristic technology, academics, you name it, the Gojo family probably has it. I was lucky enough that I found physics and math interesting, but some of my other relatives were forced to switch after our family found out.” Suguru hummed, empathizing with the sentiment.
“My parents were big on job stability, so they pushed me to do engineering. They were a bit disappointed when I switched to say the least, but I think they realized I just wanted to be happier.” Suguru said, turning his attention to preparing Satoru’s order. It was a quiet day at the cafe and aside from three college students, Satoru, Suguru and Shoko were the only ones there. Suguru felt his voice echo across the walls, suddenly feeling too loud.
Satoru let out a noncommittal noise, his eyes wandering. “I just wish I was more…free you know? I’m always afraid that I’ll fail. It feels like I’m walking on a tightrope over a bottomless cavern with no end.”
Suguru nodded, turning to face him. “The fear of failure can be suffocating, but Satoru, you’re easily one of the most capable people I’ve ever met.” he stated matter-of-factly. Satoru’s mouth split into a smile so wide and bright Suguru saw spots after looking away from him.
“Is Suguru-chan giving me a genuine compliment? I never thought I’d live to see the day!” Satoru practically squeals. Suguru laughs and playfully punches him on the shoulder.
“What do you mean, I give you plenty of genuine compliments? Remember that one time I told you that you were better at Minecraft than I thought you’d be?” Suguru quipped. Satoru’s expression contorts into shock, claiming that underhanded compliments don’t count and that everyone was scared of the Endermen. Thank you very much! After the laughter dies down, Suguru completes Satoru’s order of a non-fat soy latte with extra whipped cream and 5 pumps of vanilla and hazelnut syrup. As he turns around, he sees Satoru staring at him with a fond expression on his face.
“You know Suguru.” Satoru starts, reaching for his cup. “Your smile really is so pretty. I’ve never told you but when I see you smiling on our calls, it makes me happier than I can describe. I hope I can make you smile more.” He turns on his heel and exits the cafe, the tinkling bell reverberating in Suguru’s head. Suguru sinks to the ground, hands in his head and his face extremely warm.
Shoko turned to look at him, her eyes filled with glee. “What does he mean by video calls, Suguru?” He mumbles a weak fuck off before she asks again.
“We might call once or twice or three times a week just to talk, and I may have missed a lot of sleep due to them.” Suguru supplies, not willing to talk any more.
“Did you guys call that one time you came to the 6am shift, messed up your first batch of orders and kept mumbling variations of “oh my god, I’m so fucked” to yourself?” Shoko asked.
Suguru thought back and realized that was the night Satoru told Suguru he was pretty with his hair down. Suguru’s face turned bright red again and mumbled “No comment.” Shoko smiled again.
“Are you sure he’s not gay? I didn’t know the words ‘your smile really is so pretty’ could be coated with so much gay yearning.” she quipped. Suguru playfully shoved her, a blush spreading across his cheeks.
“Get back to work Shoko, you have a Yuuji to attend to.” Suguru rebuffed, gesturing to said Yuuji (and his scowling boyfriend, Megumi).
“I’m serious Suguru.” Shoko responded, taking Yuuji and Megumi’s orders. “I think he really likes you. Why else would he say and do all these things? Did you see him staring at your ass when you bent over to grab extra vanilla syrup from the cabinet? Have you heard the things he’s said to you?”
“Those could mean anything.” Suguru said feebly, fiddling with the ends of his apron ribbon. “He’s incredibly nice to every single person here. He once said he liked your smile!”
Shoko gave him the most exasperated look she could muster. “I don’t think he thinks my smile is nice in the way yours is.” she said. “He thinks my smile is nice, but he thinks yours is the most beautiful thing he’s ever seen. There’s a big difference.” Suguru sighed, not wanting to argue any further.
“Ah, Geto-san, right?” Yuuji interjected. Suguru nodded, gesturing for him to continue. “Gojo-san is a teacher at the academy down the street that Megumi and I attend.”
“Gojo-san’s default setting is annoying, but for the past few months, the dial has been turned up to 11.” Megumi added, taking his order. “He keeps telling us he’s been ‘making progress with someone’ for around four months now.” Suguru gave him a pointed look as he finished off Yuuji’s coffee.
“He once spent ten minutes talking about how your eyes light up when you talk about something you like. Once, he taught class on no sleep and when someone asked him why he was so tired, he replied ‘he said my eyes were pretty.’” said Yuuji, taking his latte. “Sometimes in class his phone will go off and his expression goes flat when he realizes it’s not you.”
Megumi sighed. “The point is, Gojo-san’s been in my life for a while now. I’ve seen him with his fair share of partners - both guys and girls - and I can tell you he’s never liked anyone this much before. So please, do us all a favor, stop your mutual pining and put us all out of our misery.” Yuuji turned to Megumi, laced their fingers together and waved to Shoko and Suguru before exiting the cafe. Shoko turned on her heel, hands folded and one eyebrow raised.
“Please don’t start Shoko.” said Suguru, putting a hand up to stop her. “I…realize he might like me…but it just feels too good to be true.” Shoko put a hand on his shoulder, craning her neck to face Suguru.
“I know it’s scary, I felt the same way before I asked Utahime out.” said Shoko, a knowing look on her face. “She came from a wealthy, conservative family and I was scared of what would happen to me or her if we dated.”
“How did you get over that?” said Suguru, feeling his breathing getting faster. “Satoru’s entire family is full of academics and ultra-wealthy entrepreneurs. We aren’t cut from the same cloth.” Shoko turned Suguru to face him and wrapped him in a hug. After a few seconds, Suguru wrapped his hands around her back, steadying his heartbeat.
“I realized that I wouldn’t be happy without someone like her in my life.” said Shoko, patting Suguru’s back. “Even though we fight and sometimes don’t get along, she’s the best thing that’s ever happened to me. I wouldn’t trade that for anything.” Shoko released Suguru from her hug and patted him on the shoulder. “Satoru can be a bit of an ass, but there’s no doubt he loves you. Please plant one on him already and save yourself a lot of suffering.”
Suguru chuckled, wrapping Shoko in a hug once again. “Thanks Shoko. Really, I mean it.” he murmured.
After his shift, Suguru closed the cafe and started the walk back to his apartment. He thought about what Megumi, Yuuji and Shoko had all said. What if Satoru really does like me? What then? Do we start dating? Doing all the couple-y things like holding hands and going on dates?
As Suguru approached the steps from his apartment, he let his mind wander. He imagined what it would be like to wake up next to Satoru, share secret kisses in the storage room at work, card his fingers through Satoru’s soft hair and sent each other off with “I love yous” before the day started. Suguru imagined how Satoru would react if he surprised him with a box of sweets or a bouquet of roses, or how Satoru’s hands would feel intertwined with his own. Would they be soft? Would they have calluses from endless hours of whatever he did in the lab? If Suguru’s hands got too sweaty, would Satoru pull away? How would Satoru hold him, by the waist, or gently cupping Suguru’s face in his hands?
Suguru felt his heart race and a smile split across his face. I really am head over heels for him, huh? He mused, allowing himself to drift into sleep and dream of a warm smile, soft hands and the same dazzling blue eyes.
–
On a rare Friday night Suguru found himself at the coffee shop, it was practically deserted, save for a couple teenagers in the corner. Shoko had begged him to cover her shift, claiming she had surprised Utahime with concert tickets. Suguru had gladly taken the shift, having needed the extra money for groceries and the added bonus of seeing Shoko happy. With no new customers in the past hour and the rain slapping against the pavement outside, Suguru doubted he would have to do much work. Before continuing his mid-semester paper, Suguru paused and wondered what Satoru would be doing on a Friday night. Probably drinking his brains out. Suguru mused. Hope the idiot’s taking care of himself.
Around 5 minutes before closing, a suspiciously Satoru-like figure stumbled through the door, triggering the bell and Suguru’s attention. He paused sweeping the floor to give it a once-over and realized it was Satoru, just in a different form. His usually immaculately-curated outfits were replaced with an oversized Pochacco sweatshirt, gray sweatpants with questionable stains on them, and slides that looked like they were about to fall apart any second. Eyebags the size of purses rest on his face and his usual sunglasses were gone in favor of wire-rimmed prescription lenses that made him look even cuter, if that was even possible.
“Satoru? What are you doing here?” asked Suguru, making his way over to the animated corpse. “You look like you haven’t slept in days, are you okay?”
Satoru blinked once, twice and then backed away from Suguru like he had been touched by a hot fire. “Suguru? What are you doing here? What happened to Shoko and Haibara? Don’t they usually work Friday nights?”
Suguru nodded, still confused. “Shoko’s at a concert and Haibara’s feeling a bit sick. I stepped in to cover, I could use the extra cash anyway.” he said. “It’s…8:55pm on a Friday night. Please don’t tell me you’re here to get coffee.” Satoru looked up sheepishly and let a small laugh escape his lips.
“I have a project due in a few hours. Just needed an extra boost of caffeine to get me through the night.” Satoru explained. “Could I just get a latte with four shots of espresso?” Suguru looked at him like he had five heads.
“I am not giving you four shots of espresso at 9pm.” Suguru said, placing his hands on his hips. “I’ll make you something else instead. How do you feel about honey and chamomile?” Satoru whined and draped himself over the counter, pouting like a petulant child. Suguru wished he didn’t find it cute, but he was only extremely gay after all.
“S’guru, gimme. Pleeeeease…I just have to finish this project and then I’ll sleep in a few hours.” Satoru asked once again, his eyes practically shining. He jutted out his lower lip even further, but Suguru relented and began to make him a honey chamomile latte. Satoru sighed, slumping in one of the booths, ready to fall asleep at a moment’s notice.
As Suguru topped off the latte with a foam cat, he heard light snoring coming from the corner of the cafe. He craned his neck, only to see that Satoru had fallen fast asleep on one of the tables. Suguru looked around the cafe for the blanket Panda kept in his work locker for when he got tired. After finding the comically-large Pokemon blanket, Suguru walked towards Satoru, latte, blanket and croissant in hand. He carefully set down the latte and croissant in front of Satoru and draped the blanket over Satoru’s shoulders.
Suguru allowed himself to stare at Satoru for a moment. Were his eyelashes always that long? I didn’t realize he had a mole on his cheek. His gaze turned to Satoru’s lips and lingered on them for a bit, unconsciously inching his face closer to Satoru’s. His lips look so soft. I wonder what it would be like if I kissed them. After what seemed like forever, Suguru’s nose bumped the white-haired man’s, rousing Satoru out of his sleep. A playful grin danced across Satoru’s sleep addled-demeanor.
“Suguru, if you’re going to stare at me, at least do it while I’m awake~” Satoru drawled. “What, do you think I’m that handsome?”
“Yes, actually. I do.” Suguru responded without hesitation. After realizing what he had just said, Suguru motioned to apologize, only to be met with the sight of a blushing Satoru. Suguru didn’t realize it was possible for someone to turn that red. Satoru sputtered a shook, almost like a tea kettle. “Um, yeah, I think you’re really handsome. In case that wasn’t incredibly obvious.”
Satoru stared at Suguru. “Obvious? I thought you were dating Shoko!” he exclaimed, throwing his hands in the air. “I came today to ask her if you were dating so I’d know if I had a chance!” Suguru blinked owlishly at Satoru once, twice and then three times before realizing what Satoru had just said.
“Satoru, Shoko is lesbian.” said Suguru. “She’s been extremely in love with her girlfriend for like…3 years. That’s why she’s not here today, she surprised Utahime with tickets for their 3 year anniversary.” Satoru looked at Suguru like the sky had opened up above him. “What made you think we were dating?”
“I passed by the coffee shop once and saw you guys hugging! For way longer than friends hug by the way! She was patting your shoulder and you were rubbing circles in her back! How was I supposed to take it?” Satoru yelled, gesturing wildly around him. “After you called my eyes pretty and made my ridiculous orders and charmed me with your ridiculous smile I felt like I had been betrayed!”
Suguru pinched his brows and put his hand up to stop Satoru from talking any more. “So you’re telling me all this time, you’ve liked me back? That you didn’t just tell me I looked nice with my hair down or that my smile was pretty because you were being friendly? You’ve liked me this whole time?” he exclaimed.
“Wait wait wait. You like me back?” asked Satoru, as if that wasn’t painfully obvious by now. Suguru nodded, his ears turning bright red. Satoru let out a chuckle and soon, Suguru joined in with him. “All this time, we could have been dating, and we didn’t because we’re two idiots who can’t read each other.”
“To be fair Satoru, I just thought you were this flirty with all the people you met. Hell, I didn’t even know you liked men.” Suguru pointed out. “You just seemed like you wanted to get a rise out of me more than anything.” Satoru let out a noncommittal hum, his hand slowly reaching out to join Suguru’s across the table. Suguru felt Satoru’s fingertips graze across his, sending heat through his veins. Suguru froze, unable to process what was happening. Satoru hesitated for a moment before Suguru hesitantly intertwined his fingers with Satoru’s. Soft. His hands are really soft and warm. Suguru thought to himself, unable to stop the smile spreading across his face.
“At first, I just wanted to get you riled up. Seeing your face contort into disgust when you had to take another one of my orders was priceless.” Satoru said wistfully. “But, at some point, I realized I liked you, way more than a friend would. You know the night you told me my eyes were pretty I couldn’t sleep? The first time you smiled at me in the cafe I almost ran into the lamppost outside?” Satoru said, burying his hands in his face. Suguru laughed, the corners of his eye crinkling.
“Your students, Yuuji and Megumi, mentioned the first thing.” said Suguru. “If it helps, when you told me I looked nice with my lip piercing, I almost failed my exam that day because I couldn’t stop thinking about how you looked at me when you said it.” Satoru revealed his face, splotches of pink dotting his milky skin and started chuckling.
“God, we’re really both big gay idiots in love, aren’t we?” he said, resting his palm on his chin. Suguru kissed the back of Satoru’s hand intertwined in his, a solemn confirmation.
“Gojo Satoru, would you give me the honor of being the biggest pain in my ass and go out with me this Friday?” Suguru asked, taking Satoru’s other hand and lacing it with his own. “The new installment of that awful sci-fi franchise is having a midnight screening.” Satoru was practically radioactive.
“You mean, the premiere that’s been sold out for weeks?” Satoru squealed. “How long have you been planning this out?” Suguru mumbled a meek no comment until Satoru pried it out of him that he had bought these tickets a month ago and if Satoru hadn’t said yes, he was going to sell them. “Suguru~~that’s so sweet! Of course I’ll go out with you, I’d love nothing more.”
Suguru just stared at him, breathless. He made his way over to Satoru’s side of the table, heart racing in his chest. “Can I kiss you?” Satoru nodded with such vigor Suguru was afraid his head would fall off. Suguru gently took Satoru’s face in his hands and leaned in to kiss the lips he had been fantasizing about for nearly five months. Their noses bumped together and their teeth clicked, but when their lips met, it felt like fireworks going off.
“I’ve been waiting for so long for you to do that.” said Satoru, sounding out of breath before leaning in to kiss Suguru again. Suguru chuckled, dotting little kisses all over Satoru’s face. Two for both his eyes, an infinite amount for his cheeks, and to seal the deal, one on his forehead.
“Me too, Satoru. Me too.” said Suguru softly.
–
“Suguru! I’m going to need a large hazelnut latte with extra hazelnut syrup, whipped cream, chocolate sauce and extra sugar!” called Shoko from the cash register. Suguru sighed, getting ready to brew another nightmarish creation.
“Shoko-chan, is he on the menu today?” teased Satoru. “I’d also like some bread, if you know what I mean.” Satoru waggled his eyebrows suggestively at Suguru, who only gave him a pointed look before returning to the task at hand. After finishing, he handed the order to Satoru, who took a sip and declared it to be perfection once again.
“As per usual, my Sugu-chan makes the perfect coffee no matter how much he complains~” Satoru cooed, propping up his elbows on the counter to stare at Suguru.
“This is disgusting. This is objectively one of the worst coffee orders I’ve ever heard.” Suguru said, leaning over the counter to place a kiss on Satoru’s cheek. “It’s a miracle you haven’t developed any cavities at this point.”
“With a boyfriend as sweet as you, it honestly is.” Satoru said, reciprocating the kiss. Shoko made a gagging noise behind them, to which Suguru flipped her off. “Don’t be jealous Shoko-chan, maybe one day you and Utahime will be as cute as we are!” Satoru teased.
“What time did you want to go get dinner today?” Suguru asked, prepping another espresso puck for a customer.
“Whenever you get off work, honey~” Satoru said, his voice oozing with sugar. Suguru shot him an exasperated look before Satoru confirmed that 6:00pm was fine.
“See you then Sugu-chan!” Satoru yelled. “Shoko-chan, take care of Suguru for me until then!” Shoko gave a noncommittal wave before tending to the next customer.
“I told you he liked you, Suguru.” Shoko said. “I knew you guys would be great together.”
Suguru nodded, staring at Satoru’s retreating figure. “Yeah, I knew we would too.”