Work Text:
A bead of sweat trickled down between her shoulder blades. Her thighs were flushed, red and sticky.
It was barely 10:00, but Tsukino Usagi was already about to melt into the sidewalk.
Thank god Crown had air conditioning.
Stepping through the sliding glass took the edge off the oppressive heat, but not even central air was enough to fully combat the sweltering day.
Staggering across the arcade, Usagi collapsed face-first against the cool relief of the Formica counter.
“Motoki-onii-san,” she gasped, too hot to even whine, “I need a chocolate milkshake. Stat.”
But instead of the chipper reply of her favorite arcade employee, she heard the distinctive sound of a half-suppressed chuckle coming from her right.
Lifting her head, she took in the insufferable upperclassman who she suspected hung around the arcade for no other reason than to get on her nerves.
He arched an eyebrow, raising a steaming mug to his lips. “Doing alright, Odango Atama?”
Her jaw dropped.
“HOW,” she cried, feebly waving her hands. “How is it three zillion degrees out and you’re still drinking that?!?”
Mamoru lowered his cup, his expression all weary skepticism. “What would you suggest? A chocolate milkshake? That’s not exactly hydrating, Odango.”
“And you think hot coffee is?!?”
He shrugged a shoulder – still somehow perfectly coiffed despite the blazing heat outside. “I have a big test to study for. Not that you would know anything about that.”
She rolled her eyes, wondering not for the first time how someone so smart and so attractive could also be such an obnoxious moron.
“Baka, I’ll have you know-”
“Morning Usa! You’re here early.” Her retort was cut short by the late appearance of Motoki.
Leaning into the counter with a big smile, she twirled a pigtail around one finger. “Hi Motoki-onii-san! Would you believe that it’s too hot to sleep?!”
Mamoru snorted, but Usagi very maturely decided to ignore him.
“Even for you?? Wow, am I glad we have air conditioning in here.” Motoki grinned back and tossed his red-checked towel over his shoulder. “What can I getcha?”
“A chocolate milkshake, please! And a cup of ice with a straw.”
“Coming right up!”
Motoki bustled away, and Mamoru tapped the bottom of his mug against the counter. “Why do you need a cup of ice?”
She mimed zipping her lips.
Mamoru took another sip of his coffee, then lowered the mug. “You could have just ordered a glass of water, you know. Much more efficient than waiting for ice to melt, even in extreme heat.”
“Do you actually think you know everything about everyone, or are your mouth and brain just not connected?” she fired back.
He opened his smirking mouth but before he could reply, Motoki reappeared.
“Be right back with that shake.” He set a glass of ice and a red-and-white swirled straw down on the counter in front of Usagi, then threw a warning glance at Mamoru. “Try to be nice while I’m gone.”
Mamoru’s deathgrip on his coffee loosened slightly at Motoki’s admonishment, and Usagi seized her opportunity.
Snatching the mug with grabby hands, Usagi carefully poured the hot coffee into the ice, only spilling a little in the process.
“Hey!” Mamoru protested. “What are you doing, Odango Atama?!? I was drinking that.”
Jabbing the straw into the half-melted ice, she slid the glass over to him. “Right. And now it’s an acceptable temperature for human consumption.”
“But you added a bunch of water to the coffee.”
“Well as someone pointed out, when it’s this hot out you need some extra hydration or whatever.”
He shot her a dismayed look. “It's not an issue of hydration, it’s that watered-down coffee tastes inferior to regular coffee.”
Usagi blew out a breath, setting her bangs to flutter against her now-mostly-dry forehead. “If you’re that worried about it, just fill an ice cube tray with coffee and then freeze those for the ice. I bet if you brought in the trays, Motoki-onii-san would even do it for you.”
A slight furrow appeared between his brows as he stared at her. “…How exactly do you know all this?”
“TikTok, duh.”
He shook his head, turning his attention once more at the impromptu iced coffee she’d concocted.
He looked… almost dismayed.
With a small surge of guilt – maybe the baka was so cold blooded because he’d been a lizard in his last life and he actually liked to be overheated – Usagi sighed, waving a hand. “Look, if it’s this big a deal, I’ll ask Motoki-onii-san to get you another cup of hot coffee. I’ll even pay for it.”
“No… it’s okay.” Glancing between her face and the sweating drink, Mamoru took a tentative sip.
His sip lengthened as Motoki set a large chocolate milkshake down in front of Usagi.
“Okay,” he admitted, lips parting from around the red-and-white straw. “This isn’t as bad as I expected.”
Usagi took a long, celebratory sip of her own.
“Mamoru!” Motoki’s hands went to his hips as he took in the scene. “I’ve been telling you for weeks to try switching to iced coffee. What the hell, man?”
Mamoru took a cool sip of his coffee, then arched an eyebrow at Motoki. “What can I say? Odango Atama’s methods of guerilla coffee making proved more persuasive.”
As she watched the two friends squabble good-naturedly, Usagi tilted her head. Was it just her, or were Mamoru’s ears looking a little sunburned?
Rather than ponder the intricacies of Mamoru-baka’s complexion, she shrugged it off as the summer weather, opting instead to lick some whipped cream off her straw.
Still, through the rest of the summer, every time Usagi caught Mamoru with an iced coffee in hand – in an insulated mug with a metal straw, because of course the dork would – she couldn’t help but feel a smug sense of satisfaction.
Iced coffee: 1; Mamoru-baka: 0.