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It’s 10:42 when Kei walks briskly into the coffee shop - ten minutes before his next class across campus, and twenty-five before he’ll actually get there.
But thoughts of how his professor will probably yell at him after class are lost in the cesspool of thought swishing about in his skull as he steps in line for the sweet salvation that’s his morning coffee. The fact that the customer in front of him takes a minute longer than usual to articulate the one drink he’s ordering registers somewhere in the back of his mind, but he’ll be pissed at it later once he has the energy.
Two minutes later, when the customer before him (finally) leaves with his drink Kei steps forward and feels the world spin just a bit as he does so.
“Welcome back to Nekoma Café, may I take your order?”
As per usual, he’s faced with the same barista he always seems to run into whenever he goes here. Tetsurou, as his name tag says, is one of the more distinctive employees of the coffee shop - but that’s solely due to his wild bedhead and omnipresent grin, of course.
Kei doesn’t return the polite smile he’s given. “I’ll have a double-shot cappuccino with almond mi—“
Before he can stop himself to correct his mistake, Tetsurou does it for him. “So it’s the usual, then?” he asks with a slightly wider grin.
A bit taken aback from the interruption, Kei nods and holds out his bill. “Yeah, the usual.”
As Tetsurou disappears to the side to start preparing his drink, Kei internally kicks himself for making the same stupid mistake again - he’s been to this café at least a dozen times. As much as it irked him in the beginning, he should know that they don’t serve almond milk by now. The only place accommodating to lactose-intolerance is a café back in Sendai, but god forbid he take a three-hour train ride for a cup of coffee.
Two minutes later, Tetsurou comes back with a drink and change in his hand. “Here you go,” he practically lilts as he hands the goods over to Kei, “come again!”
Kei mumbles a quick ‘thank you’ before quickly half-jogging out of the coffee shop, slightly reinvigorated now that he managed to get a cup of coffee before passing out. As he steps out of the café, he takes a sip of his drink, reveling in the feeling of the beverage going down his throat—
Wait.
Is that…almond milk?
Kei adjourns his coffee chug prematurely to look at his cup in mild surprise. The wasn’t the usual shitty lactose-free milk they normally try to shove down his throat, this is almond milk like in Sendai - no, even better than the cheap ones they sell in Sendai.
There’s a hint of nostalgic comfort sparking in Kei’s chest, but that’s quickly smothered as he remembers the situation he’s currently in. He makes a note to ask about the almond milk they get after his class once his professor’s done lecturing him, maybe he’ll get some on the way home.
.
It’s 1:15 when he returns to the café, which is strikingly less busy than it is in the mornings. A plain coffee shop that only serves beverages isn’t exactly the type of place to anything but a grab-and-go lunch. At least it makes it easier for him to ask about the milk without feeling pressured to make it quick.
Oddly, it’s not the same bedheaded barista that’s waiting for him by the counter - not that he’s bothered by it or anything. He glances at his name tag - “Kouzume”.
“Welcome to Nekoma Café, may I take your order?” This barista’s a bit more on the quiet side, Kei notes. But that only makes him feel more comfortable talking to him.
“I’m here to ask about the almond milk cappuccino I was served earlier today,” he begins, feeling a bit out of place, “I was wondering if you buy a particular brand or if it’s store-made.”
Kenma’s eyes drift to the side in thought, lazily rolling around to process Kei’s question. A couple of seconds later, his pupils widen slightly in recollection. “Oh, we don’t serve almond milk here.”
Kei frowns in confusion. He opens his mouth to comment, but he doesn’t get anything out before the blond barista continues.
“The almond milk was brought in by another one of our employees, Tetsurou. I think he bought it just for you.” He scratches his neck absentmindedly. “He should be back sometime soon, he schedules his breaks so that he gets back around the time your classes end.”
Heat prickles across Kei’s face. “H-He wha—“
”Kenma! That’s so not cool, dude!”
Kei jolts and turns around to find Tetsurou, casually dressed and standing by the entrance with a half-eaten sandwich in hand. There’s a voice in the back of Kei’s head that comments on how the barista uniforms definitely don’t do the employees any justice, but he quickly shoves that aside as Tetsurou’s face quickly goes from flustered shock to bashful dumbfoundedness as he turns from Kouzume to Kei.
“Good luck,” Kouzume says before promptly taking off his apron and heading to what’s arguably the employee break room, ignoring Tetsurou’s heated glare with practiced nonchalance.
Kei doesn’t know what to think when his eyes shoot back down to his feet as Tetsurou makes his way around to the back of the counter and slips an apron on. Soon enough, he’s across the counter and they’re back to the usual setup.
Only exponentially more awkward.
“So, uh,” Tetsurou begins, hand on the back of his neck and eyes refusing to meet Kei’s. “I get the milk from a small vendor on the way to work, I just saw it and since you order it all the time I just thought I’d…you know.”
“I see,” mumbles Kei, staring hard at the weekday coffee special written on the chalkboard in front of him. “…So it’s not a grocery store brand.”
Tetsurou must’ve sensed the disappointment in his voice, because he’s quick to reply. “I-It’s not that far from here I swear, I could show it to you sometime if you’re free or—“ He’s just as quick to cut himself short once he realizes what he said.
But that doesn’t stop Kei’s eyes from darting up to meet Tetsurou’s, pointedly ignoring how his stomach flips at just how flustered he looks at the moment. “W-What?”
Tetsurou’s eyes only seem to widen at the eye contact, but he doesn’t look away. “W-We could meet up sometime! You know I can show you the milk guy and maybe we could get some of our own milk to drink - I mean you could get some of your own milk to drink, y-you know since your lactose intolerant and all.” His eyes widen before darting away as he realizes what he’s said. “N-Not that I know your lactose intolerant or anything even though we’ve never talked before I just assumed because I looked it up once by coincidence and—“
“Okay.”
Tetsurou stops.
He’s still for a few seconds before looking back up.
“What?”
Kei fidgets with the rim of his jacket, hoping the heat on his cheeks isn’t painfully visible through his rather pale skin. “You can show me where to get the almond milk sometime.” His voice came out significantly quieter than he hoped it would.
It’s silent for a few seconds before Tetsurou nods slowly in acknowledgement, looking like he’s trying to convince himself of what he’s just heard more than Kei. “All right.”
“…What time does your shift end?” Kei asks after a moment.
“I get off at 4:30. I-It’s fine though you don’t have to wait I can just tell them—“
“I-It’s fine.” Kei cuts him off. “I was going to do my report here anyway.” He gestures to the laptop bag slung around his arm. He feels significantly more conscious coming back up to meet Tetsurou’s disbelieving gaze. “I can wait.”
“A-All right.” Tetsurou’s stare makes Kei feel even more on the spot, it’s as if he believes Kei will disappear if he takes his eyes off of him for even a second.
“I’ll, uh, go sit over there.”
“Sure.”
“What’s the wifi password?”
“NekomaCafe123, no spaces with a capital N and C.”
“Thanks.”
“You’re welcome.”
Not knowing what else to say, Kei forces his legs to walk him over to the table in the corner of the café, feeling Tetsurou’s gaze linger on his backside. When he sits down and sets up his laptop, Tetsurou’s standing still by the counter, staring straight ahead of him with a distant look of disbelief that’s so ridiculous it almost makes Kei laugh.
He manages to keep it up until Kenma emerges from a side door five minutes later with a console in hand.
“Congrats on your date.”
“Oh shut up.”