Work Text:
Who would’ve thought I’d end up accepting to go on a coffee date with Tsukasa. No, not a date. A study session in a café. Why would it be a date?
As I expected, Tsukasa is already sitting. He managed to get one of those low tables with the couches as seats, which is in all honesty an incredible feat knowing how popular this place is with high schoolers. Or so I’ve heard. Tsukasa told me his sister was the one who recommended him the place, so neither of us had stepped foot inside before today. But, I’ll give it to him–or to Saki, really, she was the one who discovered the shop–it’s a nice place.
The place is really, really nice, actually. The place has a certain modern feel to it, simplistic decor… A few picture frames hanging here and there… A warm dim lighting… Flower pots… The whole place is practically covered in greenery, actually. It manages to have a certain grounding effect on me. Green is my favourite colour after all, but that’s common knowledge. I wonder if he had that in mind when choosing the place.
I can hear faint music playing in the background. A piano arrangement of a song. I don’t recognize it. Maybe I’ll ask Tsukasa about it…
The table Tsukasa chose fits really well in this whole place. There are a few green and white throw pillows resting against the armrests. They look pretty fluffy. Unlike the other tables in the café, this one is the height of the coffee table. It arrives just at Tsukasa’s knees. That stupid guy really had to choose the most impractical table to work on. It’s not like I’m going to sit on the floor in a coffee shop…
As I’m approaching the table, Tsukasa spots me and enthusiastically pats the cushion next to him, inviting me to sit down–as if I was going to keep standing if he hadn’t done that. Idiot.
“I hope I didn’t keep you waiting for too long,” I say quietly as I sit down next to him. Other people are also working here, there’s really no need to disturb the–
“Of course not!”
…
God damn it.
I feel my face turning red as quite a few people turn their head around to see the source of the obnoxious loud voice. Some of them shoot frustrated glances at us. Almost by itself, my fist meets Tsukasa’s shoulder as I add one more pair of eyes to the total looking at him.
“Inside voice!” I grit through my teeth
“Right…” he replies almost sheepishly. Maybe I’m imagining it, but it seems like our future star is actually embarrassed.
And so we sit side by side in silence for a little while, skimming over notes from our many different classes. The air feels almost tense for some reason. I’m not the most extraverted person, but it’s strange for Tsukasa to be so quiet. He is however the first to break the silence.
“You didn’t get anything to drink?” he asks, that caring smile on his face. The same smile he wears at the end of our shows as the audience drowns us in applause and cheering and he turns to us, almost teary-eyed sometimes. Some small details stick with me… for some reason.
“I-It might’ve slipped from my mind.”
“I’ll get you something then. What do you want?”
“I can get it myself.” I reply almost instinctively, having already set my mind on paying for myself before coming in here.
“My treat.”
How many times can I refuse before I start being a pushover? I decided to not test it out and end up mumbling after sighing.
“A vanilla latte…”
And so Tsukasa walks confidently to the end of the line, waiting to order. I’m almost certain I could hear him humming on the way.
Well, what’s done is done. I tie my hair into a ponytail so that it doesn’t get in my way as I’m hunched over doing my homework. It’s a habit I’ve developed recently. My hair is usually unkempt besides the front strands, which I usually tie at the end. It’s a simple enough hairstyle, it doesn’t require too much time out of my morning. And the others seem to like it. And so do I.
Tsukasa sits back down next to me with our drinks. He got himself a cappuccino. A little pompous in my opinion, but Tsukasa likes Italian food. Meanwhile, I’m pondering over a physics question.
Actually, I’ve been stuck on this question ever since Tsukasa got up. I’ve read it tens of times, but the numbers all seem to jumble up, I can’t concentrate. It’s not even like it’s anything hard, we saw the subject just a few days ago. But I might lose my mind if I read this question another time. Swallowing my pride, I turn to him.
“Hey, could you help m–”
My face contorts into a look of realization, then into reconsideration. Tsukasa is not really known for his outstanding physics understanding. Although to be fair, Tsukasa is really mostly known at school for being loud and a troublemaker. I chuckle softly and put my notebook aside.
“Nevermind…”
I’ll ask Rui when I get home.
I guess we drifted away from homework over time. We ended up chatting: Tsukasa told me about the new shows ideas Rui had told him about and the unending stunts Emu and he were planning on making him go through, and I told him about movies I thought we should watch together.
And by together, I mean the entire troupe… Of course…
This study session has been really unproductive. Even though his worksheets were spread across the table, Tsukasa didn’t once open his pencil case to write something down. Which means I have a one up on him because I at least tried to work, it’s not my fault that I’m with someone who sucks at physics.
But I had a lot of fun.
School has taken a bit of a toll on me, the workload increasing with exams coming up. And to put it nicely, I don’t have the most consistent sleep schedule. Theatre practices are always fun but this… this is different. And I don’t dislike it.
I’m enjoying myself. The nice atmosphere around us. The cozy couch. The soft piano instrumental. The warm coffee as it slides down my throat. That warm feeling in my hands. That warm feeling in my chest. That warm feeling in my cheeks. And when Tsukasa’s talking, I notice a foam moustache on his face which causes me to giggle and Tsukasa to look at me, puzzled, but smiling nonetheless.
Maybe Tsukasa and I should have weekly study sessions… or coffee dates…