Chapter Text
Nagi had never been a coffee person.
What was the appeal of coffee anyway? The times he'd tried it, he found it either too bitter or too sweet, sometimes too creamy or not enough; every single sip leaving a bad taste in his mouth. He'd never understood why others loved it so much, let alone went out of their way to wake up early just to freshly brew it or stop by a coffee shop each morning.
Too much of a hassle. Wouldn't water and fruit jellies do just fine?
Nagi didn't really understand the need for caffeine either. Why would anyone choose to be awake and productive when they could be drifting off under soft blankets and pillows without a care in the world, let alone force themselves awake for the sake of some number on a sheet of paper?
Nagi figured it was fine as long as he passed his assignments, though strangely he ended up getting good results with minimal effort, so he was content with continuing this way.
Despite this, he recognized that some people seriously relied on caffeine to make it through their day or long all-nighters, like his classmate Rin.
Rin drank black cold brews like his life was on the line in order to survive finishing his 24-page long essays in the ungodly hours of early morning, typing on his laptop with such delirious focus that anyone could've sworn he was possessed. Actually, maybe that explained why Rin was pissed off all the time.
Either way, it didn't sound like the healthiest practice - but then again, Nagi didn't exactly have the best working habits either.
Once he'd asked Chigiri why he liked coffee so much, as to which the other boy made a face and, eyeing him, replied, "Why do you like lazing around and dressing like that all the time?" Nagi had blinked and looked himself up and down. He didn't really see a problem.
Sure, he'd rolled out of bed without combing his hair and pulled on the nearest clean hoodie and sweatpants without much thought about matching anything, not that he had many different colours to match, but he didn't think he looked that much of an eyesore. Homeless at worst.
Though maybe he did next to Chigiri, who walked around campus looking like the halls were runways personally designed for him, stylish, effortless and put together all the time. The polar opposite of Nagi. But luckily, Nagi didn't care at all.
On this particular day, Nagi drearily woke up to notifications from said person blowing up his phone.
chigiri:
______
11:45 am
nagi
nagi
nagiiiiiii
nagi????
NAGI
omg i swear if you're still sleeping
WHY are you like this it's almost noon
11:46 am
3 missed calls
11:48 am
UGHHHHHH
...
meet me at that new cafe across from your apartment in 20
_____
Nagi groaned as the sunlight filtering through the curtains blinded his eyes, and pulled the covers back over his head again, but nonetheless miraculously found himself outside of Lock-On Café only five minutes after they were supposed to meet.
He didn't really feel like coming, as he never drank coffee or ate breakfast at all for that matter (though was it really considered breakfast if it were now the afternoon?), but he wanted to avoid Chigiri's spam texting and calling as he found it pretty bothersome.
He pushed open the door, greeted by the drifting scent of roasted coffee, sugar and cream. It mixed with the comforting hum of conversation, the soft clink of dishes and faded jazzy melodies that created a dreamy kind of atmosphere.
The interior of the café was stylish, bright and well-lit, with wide glass panes that filtered in the warm spring sunlight and various print designs lining the shelves of books and potted plants on the walls. The tables were charmingly hexagonal, sleek and white, and Nagi spotted Chigiri sitting at one out or the corner of his eye, sipping his iced coffee with such grace that he could be mistaken for a street model.
Nagi approached the front to eye the glazed honey pastries, which looked a lot more appealing than any coffee he could imagine. Behind the counter stood a boy with a friendly, hard-working demeanor, most notably with a little strand of hair sticking up from the top of his navy blue head like a tiny sprout.
He was stirring milk into fresh coffee, kindly explaining the process to another slightly shorter, younger looking boy, who must have been in training and shadowing for the day. This other boy most notably had sharp golden eyes and short red hair that was braided on one side, and he was repeating the measurements of the recipe to himself in a low mutter ("100 ml of milk, 100 ml of milk") with attentive obedience.
Then there was a third barista, violet hair swept up into a bun, through a few shorter strands framed his face. He presented himself with perfection, his apron not wrinkled in the slightest and an expensive watch around his wrist, but still looked approachable and polite. This particular boy most notably carried himself with all the confidence and prestige of not just a model employee, but a future CEO, but still maintained sweetness and humility amidst his charm.
And he was pretty. Strikingly so.
Though at this specific moment, he seemed to be moderately annoyed.
"Kunigami!..." The boy with the purple bun groaned, banging his fist against the broken coffee machine in frustration before letting out an exasperated sigh. "I swear I taught him how to run it properly before his shift ended, but clearly..." He shook his head tiredly, but despite that, quickly busied himself with fixing the machine.
Nagi watched him curiously, surprising even himself with his newfound interest, especially in something that wasn't sleeping or his video games for once - a stranger no less, though he didn't bother to question it.
Maybe it was the way the boy's hands worked the handles, swiftly, expertly, but still gently and carefully, or how attentive his gaze was to every detail of the shiny silver buttons. Or maybe it was the small furrow between his eyebrows, focused but undeniably... he wasn't sure how to describe it. Maybe...
...
...Endearing?...
Nagi then considered the unfamiliarity of the word as soon as he thought of it. He wasn't one for finding things particularly so, if anything, maybe Choki -
"Hi, can I help you?"
Nagi looked up towards the sound of the voice, blinking as his thoughts were interrupted.
Oh. It's him.
The barista glanced at Nagi expectantly, a touch of hesitant confusion and concern on his face. Nagi, still processing the fact that he was being spoken to, was at a loss for words and as such just stupidly stared back at him blankly. Shoot. He hadn't planned this far. Well, he didn't care to plan for most things anyways; it was too much of a hassle for him, but why did his response in this moment seem particularly important?...
"Uh... are you going to order, or?..." the boy trailed off, wiping his hands on his apron, about to turn back towards the coffee machine.
Say something.
"...Oh. No."
"Oh... okay?... Then, if you don't mind, there's actually someone in line behind you -"
That was the last thing Nagi heard him say before he awkwardly shuffled over to where Chigiri was sitting, who had already finished all of his iced coffee and was mindlessly swishing the ice around in the empty cup while scrolling on his phone. He glanced up at the familiar sound of Nagi dragging his feet. "Get anything?"
"Not really."
Chigiri laughed and folded his arms across his chest. "What do you mean, not really, either you order something or you don't," - and in the moment, Nagi kind of sort of wished he did. He hadn't really paid attention to the menu at all though.
"Next time," Chigiri conceded. "Which will be soon because this drink - he pointedly held up the cup - is the best five dollars I have ever spent on anything. I might have to drag you here on a weekly basis.'
Usually Nagi would complain, but this time he decided that coming to this cafe more often wouldn't be the worst thing ever. It was the sweet scent of vanilla and cinnamon getting to his head, surely. In usual Nagi Seishiro fashion, he let out a little affirmative hum and nodded.
Chigiri tossed away the empty cup, eyes widening as he checked the time on his phone. "Damn it. It's 12:30 already?? Nagi, we have half an hour to make it to our next lectures - think you can run to the bus stop?"
No. What a pain, he thought tiredly, though he quite wisely answered with a lazy 'mmm... fine" instead.
Chigiri was an exceptionally fast runner, his legs toned from hours spent working out and training, that of which earned him a spot on their university's varsity track team - though Nagi recalled him mentioning that he'd had a major injury when sprinting sometime back in high school. In any case, Nagi had no chance of keeping up with him.
In anything, really, since Nagi putting any effort into something at all was quite a rarity, though he thought he was pretty naturally good at being tall, non-attentive and empty-headed. He had a pretty sweet kill-to-death ratio on every online shooter he played, too. Surely that had to count for something.
When it came to running, however, or any exercise in general, Chigiri would be literal miles ahead before Nagi even had the motivation to step out the door. Just thinking about that made him feel like lying down, but he didn't really have a choice today, unless he wanted to be late to his classes for the third day this week.
Unfortunately for him, the other boy had already tied his long, sleek hair into a neat bun, hurriedly dragging Nagi by the sleeve towards the door. Nagi snuck a glance back at the barista working at the front counter from before, who was busy flashing the next person in line a perfectly practiced customer service smile.
Nagi noted that he didn't do the same for him, but honestly, why would he?... He was not particularly interesting or worth interacting with by any means, and he didn't particularly want others to. He was used to being essentially invisible, even receiving many shocked "Hey Nagi, you're also in my course?!..." from various peers many times, even now half way through the semester.
Even so, he wondered if he'd see the barista again the next time he came; while practically walking into the busy street if not for Chigiri yanking him back in time.
For some reason he couldn't explain, he'd hoped so.