Mysterious Mocha Man and Aiba: A Love Story (Aiba/Nino)
title: Mysterious Mocha Man and Aiba: A Love Story
pairing: Aiba/Nino
words: 700
rating: G
summary: Aiba's worked in the coffee shop long enough to have memorized the usual orders of most of their regulars.
notes: This is the third fic I started for this month's round of rainbowfilling XD It is written for the prompt "Frothy milk." Thanks to pinkpapyrus for telling me it wasn't stupid XD
Aiba's worked in the coffee shop long enough to have memorized the usual orders of most of their regulars. Most of them, he knows by name, but there's one guy who comes in every Tuesday and Thursday right around four pm who gives him a different name every time he comes in. He's short, with messy dark hair and a spark in his eyes that Aiba was fascinated by the first time he saw him.
Their exchanges go something like this:
"Grande soy mocha," the mystery guy will say, depositing the exact change (it's always exact change) on the metal tray.
"Can I have your name?" Aiba will say, cup in one hand and fat black magic marker in the other.
Then the guy will look up from the counter, grin, and give him a name. Sometimes the names are Japanese, sometimes they're foreign, sometimes they're the names of manga or video game characters.
Aiba will write down whatever name he gives him and tell him he can pick up his drink at the green counter to the right, and the guy will say "Thanks, Aiba-san," and walk away.
This has been the extent of their interaction, but for some reason Aiba finds himself haunted by thoughts of the Mysterious Mocha Man, as he calls him privately (and once out loud, but Jun laughed so hard that Aiba's decided to keep the nickname to himself in the future).
"Why don't you just talk to him?" Aiba jumps, startled, and realizes that he's been standing in front of the refrigerator daydreaming. He puts away the carton of milk he'd been holding and shuts the door, turning to see Jun fixing him with a look of mixed annoyance and pity.
"I can't do that!" Aiba says. He's a little embarrassed to have been caught, wondering if he's really that obvious.
"Why not? You talk to plenty of the other customers."
Jun has a point: Aiba's not one to be shy about chatting with their regulars, and he's gotten to know some of them quite well, but for whatever reason he's never taken that step with Mysterious Mocha Man.
Aiba's saved from having to respond by the beginning of the evening rush: a hoard of suit-clad business people descending upon the shop for the caffeine fix they'll need to survive the long commute home. He thinks about it later, though, wondering just why he's so afraid to talk to him. Maybe, Aiba thinks, he doesn't want to get to know him because then he won't be Mysterious Mocha Man, and there's something fun about having a crush on a stranger: you don't have to worry about the flaws in their personality if you don't know enough about them to know what those flaws are.
He explains his reasoning to Jun in the break room and just gets an eye-roll in response.
"You're way past having a crush," Jun says. "Your eyes get all sparkly when you look at him, it's like a shoujo manga or something."
Aiba blushes, busying himself with tying the strings of his apron.
"Maybe I'll try to talk to him," he says vaguely, and it seems enough to get Jun to drop the subject.
When Mysterious Mocha Man comes in later that day, Aiba fully intends not to deviate from their usual pattern, but MMM apparently has other ideas.
"Tall steamed milk with almond," he says, tapping his fingers absently on the counter.
"Huh?" Aiba says, incredulous.
"Tall steamed milk with almond," he repeats, the corners of his mouth turning up a little.
Flustered, Aiba concentrates on keying the order into the register.
"Come on," MMM says, tone playful, "you're not going to ask?"
"Ask what?" Aiba plucks one of the tall cups from the stack next to the register.
"Why I'm not getting my usual." He seems far too amused by all of this, and Aiba wonders if he's being played with.
"Why aren't you getting your usual?" he asks.
"Thought I'd try something new," MMM says with a shrug, dropping the exact change for his drink into the coin tray.
"Can I have your name?" Aiba says, magic marker poised against the cup.
"I'm Nino."
pairing: Aiba/Nino
words: 700
rating: G
summary: Aiba's worked in the coffee shop long enough to have memorized the usual orders of most of their regulars.
notes: This is the third fic I started for this month's round of rainbowfilling XD It is written for the prompt "Frothy milk." Thanks to pinkpapyrus for telling me it wasn't stupid XD
Aiba's worked in the coffee shop long enough to have memorized the usual orders of most of their regulars. Most of them, he knows by name, but there's one guy who comes in every Tuesday and Thursday right around four pm who gives him a different name every time he comes in. He's short, with messy dark hair and a spark in his eyes that Aiba was fascinated by the first time he saw him.
Their exchanges go something like this:
"Grande soy mocha," the mystery guy will say, depositing the exact change (it's always exact change) on the metal tray.
"Can I have your name?" Aiba will say, cup in one hand and fat black magic marker in the other.
Then the guy will look up from the counter, grin, and give him a name. Sometimes the names are Japanese, sometimes they're foreign, sometimes they're the names of manga or video game characters.
Aiba will write down whatever name he gives him and tell him he can pick up his drink at the green counter to the right, and the guy will say "Thanks, Aiba-san," and walk away.
This has been the extent of their interaction, but for some reason Aiba finds himself haunted by thoughts of the Mysterious Mocha Man, as he calls him privately (and once out loud, but Jun laughed so hard that Aiba's decided to keep the nickname to himself in the future).
"Why don't you just talk to him?" Aiba jumps, startled, and realizes that he's been standing in front of the refrigerator daydreaming. He puts away the carton of milk he'd been holding and shuts the door, turning to see Jun fixing him with a look of mixed annoyance and pity.
"I can't do that!" Aiba says. He's a little embarrassed to have been caught, wondering if he's really that obvious.
"Why not? You talk to plenty of the other customers."
Jun has a point: Aiba's not one to be shy about chatting with their regulars, and he's gotten to know some of them quite well, but for whatever reason he's never taken that step with Mysterious Mocha Man.
Aiba's saved from having to respond by the beginning of the evening rush: a hoard of suit-clad business people descending upon the shop for the caffeine fix they'll need to survive the long commute home. He thinks about it later, though, wondering just why he's so afraid to talk to him. Maybe, Aiba thinks, he doesn't want to get to know him because then he won't be Mysterious Mocha Man, and there's something fun about having a crush on a stranger: you don't have to worry about the flaws in their personality if you don't know enough about them to know what those flaws are.
He explains his reasoning to Jun in the break room and just gets an eye-roll in response.
"You're way past having a crush," Jun says. "Your eyes get all sparkly when you look at him, it's like a shoujo manga or something."
Aiba blushes, busying himself with tying the strings of his apron.
"Maybe I'll try to talk to him," he says vaguely, and it seems enough to get Jun to drop the subject.
When Mysterious Mocha Man comes in later that day, Aiba fully intends not to deviate from their usual pattern, but MMM apparently has other ideas.
"Tall steamed milk with almond," he says, tapping his fingers absently on the counter.
"Huh?" Aiba says, incredulous.
"Tall steamed milk with almond," he repeats, the corners of his mouth turning up a little.
Flustered, Aiba concentrates on keying the order into the register.
"Come on," MMM says, tone playful, "you're not going to ask?"
"Ask what?" Aiba plucks one of the tall cups from the stack next to the register.
"Why I'm not getting my usual." He seems far too amused by all of this, and Aiba wonders if he's being played with.
"Why aren't you getting your usual?" he asks.
"Thought I'd try something new," MMM says with a shrug, dropping the exact change for his drink into the coin tray.
"Can I have your name?" Aiba says, magic marker poised against the cup.
"I'm Nino."