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Tsukiyama Shuu believed in soulmates. He loved the whole romantic notion that there was someone out there for everyone, and that eventually fate would pull them together. However he couldn’t help but be a little doubtful that he would ever find his own soulmate considering that his words happened to be one of the most generic phrases on the planet.
"Welcome to Starbucks, may I take your order?" asked a girl with short indigo hair from behind the counter. Her delicate features were drawn into a forced smile as she repeated the line that she had probably already delivered over a hundred times today.
Tsukiyama supressed the flutter of excitement he always felt when he heard those words. He didn’t want to get his hopes up but it never hurt to ask. “You wouldn’t happen to be my soul mate would you?” Tsukiyama asked, not being able to suppress the slight hopelessness that crept over his facial features and coated his voice.
The young lady’s eyebrows rose slightly in surprise at the seemingly random question, then her eyes softened in understanding as her hand unconsciously travelled to rest over her collarbone. “Sorry, no such luck buddy. Can I get your order anyway?” she replied, sympathy lining her voice as she poised a pen over her note pad.
“Non it’s okay.” Tsukiyama sighed and gave her a small smile. “I’ll have a venti dark roast black coffee merci.”
“Can I get your name?” she asked as she grabbed a cup for his order.
“It’s Tsukiyama.” He replied as he fished out his wallet to pay for the drink.
“They’re some unfortunate words you got hey.” The girl, Tsukiyama squinted at her name tag, Touka said as she took the money for his drink and handed him the change.
“Oi, it makes simply going to get coffee quite the nerve-racking task really.” Tsukiyama chuckled lightly with no real humour behind it as his scratched the back of his neck.
“Well good luck with finding them anyway.” Touka said as Tsukiyama moved off to find a table, she sounded like she really meant it.
This was how most of Tsukiyama’s trips to Starbucks went. He’d let his hopes build up as he approached the counter, he’d receive a ‘no’ accompanied by a sympathetic look and a black coffee then he would retreat to sulk alone at a far corner of the café. The routine was getting quite pathetic really but Tsukiyama couldn’t bring himself to break it. Every time he passed a Starbucks – and let’s face it that happens a lot – he couldn’t help but think ‘what if this one’s the one and I just walk by?’
Tsukiyama let out a sigh at his hopeless romantic tendencies as he drained the last of his coffee from the cup and stood to leave.
He was jarred out of his morose thoughts as a young man wearing a dishevelled Starbucks uniform dashed by him on his way to the door. The man was out of breath and his pale skin was flushed from obviously having run here, his messy black hair was obviously un-brushed and his lovely silvery grey eyes flashed in panic as they landed on an obviously unimpressed Touka as she stood with her arms crossed behind the counter.
“You’re late again Kaneki.” She simply stated as the young man, Kaneki, finally dashed behind the counter and desperately tried to tie on his apron as he took a cup from Touka’s hand and set to work making the order.
“I know, I know. Please don’t tell the manager. I couldn’t sleep last night and woke up late.” Kaneki pleaded as he set to work frothing some milk.
Touka visibly softened at the frazzled boy’s obvious distress. “It’s fine idiot, just try to get some sleep and make it to work on time for once okay? Your books can wait.”
Tsukiyama could hardly bring himself to take his eyes off of Kaneki as he slowly realized that he must look rather odd standing in the middle of a Starbucks staring openly at the young barista. Tsukiyama shook his head to clear his thoughts as he turned and made his way out the door, all too aware of the strange pull he felt as he left the building, almost as if he couldn’t bring himself to leave.
He would have to return tomorrow to see this young man again. “Kaneki” The named slipped out quite unintentionally, yet it felt strangely right as he said it. The thought of going back to see Kaneki filled his chest with a buzzing feeling of excitement. Yes, he would have to come back.
#
Tsukiyama stood in front of the Starbucks that he had been in just yesterday and fixed his hair for the thousandth time that morning, he felt like he was going to jump out of his skin he was so nervous. He had spent a good hour agonising over his outfit before is finally settled on white slacks and a purple argyle, not because he thought the outfit was right but because he was sure that if he didn’t stop he may actually have a heart attack. This was the most terrifying and exciting experience of his life so far and he was only going to get coffee.
He finally mustered up some shred of his usually calm and confident attitude and clung to it desperately as he pushed open the door and took a step into the sore.
His heart that was racing just seconds before seemed to slam to a halt as his eyes landed on the silver eyed boy behind the counter. Tsukiyama could barely form a coherent thought as he approached the counter on numb feet.
Kaneki lifted his head from a well-loved and worn book he had been reading when he saw Tsukiyama approaching, a sheepish smile stretched across his face as he placed the book down to greet the new customer.
A light pink blush spread across Kaneki’s pale cheeks as he locked eyes with Tsukiyama, he paused for a moment before he seemed to snap back to himself. “W-welcome to Starbucks, may I take your order?" Kaneki asked with a slight stutter, not having any idea just what effect those words were having on Tsukiyama.
Tsukiyama froze up, he couldn’t think of what to say, they had to be the right words he couldn’t mess this up, not this one. He had obviously been standing there silently melting down for far too long because a look of concern had started to form on Kaneki’s face. He opened his mouth to say something, anything.
“Are you my soulmate please you have to be” Tsukiyama half shouted before he clamped his mouth firmly shut and slapped his hands over his face. ‘oh no’ he thought to himself as a feeling of dread settled over him ‘I messed it up, I messed that so bad, damn it Shuu what the hell was that!?!? Why in god’s name would you say that!?!?’
Tsukiyama started to panic even more when he realised that Kaneki had frozen with a look of confusion and shock on his face. It was then that he realised that he had just shouted that in French. ‘Great now he probably thinks I’m insane, this is just perfect’ Tsukiyama continued to berate himself in his head.
“I am so sorry, I’m just going to leave, I’m sorry.” Tsukiyama hung his head and turned to leave. However he was stopped as he felt the sleeve of his sweater snagged from behind him.
“Wait please just wait.” Came and nervous and slightly desperate voice from behind him.
He turned to see Kaneki’s flushed face and steely grey eyes. “Is…is this what you just said?” Kaneki asked as he slowly lifted his left sleeve to reveal a string of French words scrawled the delicate skin of his forearm in rushed cursive. The deep violet colour of the words looked almost black in contrast to his milky white skin.
Tsukiyama was floored, there on Kaneki’s arm in his own hand writing were the stupid words he had blurted out what seemed like an eternity ago. Tsukiyama tore his gaze up from Kaneki’s arm to the bright smile that had settle onto his face.
“Let me see your arm.” Kaneki chuckled as he reached for Tsukiyama’s right arm, which he hadn’t realised he had been clutching.
Tsukiyama complied and actually felt himself fall in love when he heard Kaneki laugh as he read the cramped slate grey writing on Tsukiyama’s arm.
Tsukiyama met Kaneki’s eyes and felt his whole world shift. He had actually found his soulmate, the person he is meant to love and be loved by forever, in a Starbucks.
“What a strange way to say I’m supposed to love you.” Kaneki said as he took Tsukiyama’s hand and walked him over to one of the many identical round tables in the café, not even noticing Touka as she took Kaneki’s place behind the register with a genuine smile on her face.