Gift Fic for nightbaron079
To: nightbaron079
From: santa_johnny
Title: Excelsior
Pairing/Group: Ninomiya Kazunari/Yoshitaka Yuriko, Arashi friendship (sort of) + Toma
Rating: PG 13 (for swearing)
Warnings: strong language, slightly exaggerated characters
Notes: Dear nightbaron079, I sincerely hope you like the story I came up with - and forgive me in case I didn’t nail Yuriko. Also, I’ve never been to Excelsior Coffee and they are probably not even half as bad as depicted in this fic. And finally, a big thanks to K and A for the beta!
Summary: Nino could hear string music strike up, accentuating the light spring in her shuffle as she was approaching the counter... Until the music turned to pop and Nino realized it wasn't the woman's heavenly aura but the CD Ohno had finally remembered to put in 'to create a warm and comfy atmosphere'.
“Just a sec, I’ll be right there,” Nino said without looking up from his Nintendo, too busy to check who was currently considering a complaint while he was still busy finishing a level in his latest jump-n-run game. Nino was all about proper priorities and tending to customers was at the bottom of his list.
It wasn’t as if he was fulfilling his dream here at Excelsior Coffee, no. He was just killing time - and earning a little money to pay his rent - until he had an idea of what he actually wanted to do with his life. Nino just didn't feel like there was any point in investing emotionally in any kind of... real job until then.
Working for a franchise that sold shitty, overpriced coffee to people who hadn’t heard of Starbucks seemed as good as any other part-time thing, so here he was. Sure, the pay was an insult but he had flexible working hours, almost no responsibilities and plenty of time to play his video games - unless there was an annoying customer getting on his nerves by coughing to express his displeasure.
“And hold your breath, wailing won’t get you your coffee any faster so you might as well spare us both the bother, right,” Nino smiled sweetly, still without looking up. This wasn't some well thought-out twenty-hour puzzling-and-adventure game, so the stupid guy should be grateful. Of course, customers never knew to appreciate those little things.
When he heard an exasperated sigh, Nino continued, fingers flying over the buttons of his portable game console, “To be honest, if you're waiting for good coffee, there's a cute little non-franchise coffee house two streets over. Complaining about me doesn't make any sense at all. Right, Leader?”
“Eh?” he could hear Ohno say from where he was working on a sign for today's special offer. It was amazing what his shift manager sometimes came up with to advertise their special offers using just colored chalk and way too much time. Sometimes he would finish mere minutes before they closed, anyway, but everyone working at Excelsior Coffee had their own little trick to make time fly.
One had to, after all. This particular branch was rather small and dingy, despite its two floors, and despite Ohno's art. They had won several awards for the colorful menu design. That didn't make the stuff they were selling any better, though. If the coffee shop hadn't been part of a shopping street, Nino seriously doubted there would have been any customers at all - except for Aiba of course. As always, his roommate was sitting in his favorite spot - an old armchair with a good view of the restaurant's ground floor and especially of the counter area - hunched over his own game console. From time to time, Nino could hear the breathy giggles over the noisy coffee unit.
Today, there were also a few small groups of teenage girls, all of them deeply immersed in whatever they were browsing on their cellphones - it was always something 'kawaiiii', judging from the high-pitched group squeals.
Nino's thoughts turned back to the disgruntled looking customer before him. “By ‘eh’ he means I’m right. But…” he sighed as he shut his 3DS and finally looked up to face some random suit who looked just as generic as their café, “…seeing as you’re still here, you might as well place your order. Which horrid brew unworthy of the name coffee can I get you?”
The answer went unheard. As it happened, the poor sap opened his mouth just as the door chimed and an angel walked into the store, hair fluttering lightly in the breeze and all.
So what Nino made was a simple latte with some kind of syrup or other - couldn't go too wrong with that, he reasoned - while his gaze was drawn and kept by the beautiful woman standing there. She looked bored, somehow. But in a very celestial way.
“This isn’t what I ordered,” the guy tried to complain, but Nino shut him up with an impatient wave of his hand.
“As if that makes any difference; the shit tastes all the same, so… Thanks for visiting Excelsior Coffee, we hope to welcome you back soon,” Nino said in a flat voice while unable to draw his eyes from the love of his life, the Peach to his Mario, the Zelda to his Link…
She was so pretty in her light white dress totally inappropriate for the cold season and boots very much appropriate for it. Those long, satiny black bangs framing her heart-shaped face, the porcelain skin setting off those plump red lips drawn into a slight smirk, that slightly off look in her large brown doe eyes; Nino was even willing to forgive her for coming to such a shitty coffee place. Nobody was perfect but this creature came pretty close to perfection.
There was some kind of insult from the salaryman, but Nino wasn't listening anymore anyway. Instead he could hear string music strike up, accentuating the light spring in her shuffle as she was approaching the counter... Until the music turned to pop and Nino realized it wasn't the woman's heavenly aura but the CD Ohno had finally remembered to put in 'to create a warm and comfy atmosphere'. In Nino's opinion it only added some fake cheeriness to some stuffy café that smelled of burnt coffee beans and stale cigarette smoke most of the time.
Not that he had to fake cheeriness right now, hell no! He’d fart rainbows if he could possibly blow wind in an angel’s presence - which he did not, just to be clear - and the smile pulling at his lips came from the bottom of his heart instead of the punch line of a bad sarcastic joke.
God, she was coming closer, step-by-step, light as an elf. Well, she stumbled just before she arrived at the counter, but Nino could swear that he had never seen someone fall as gracefully as she did. Before he had a chance to react, she was up on her feet again, smiling. No broken teeth, no bleeding nose, thank goodness.
For all of his usual witty remarks and sharp tongue, at this moment nothing seemed to come to his mind. Or rather, he wanted to tell her that he had never seen someone as beautiful as her and that anything she could want from him she would get - free of charge. But the words wouldn't come out. Nino would have been content with a simple 'hi', but the thought was forgotten halfway form his brain to his mouth, drowning in the pools of her eyes.
She had to feel something, too! She just had to - it couldn't be that cynical old him felt this connection like it had hit him square over the head, and she didn't. Nino had never believed in love at first sight and all that bullshit. He had always laughed in the face of anyone even mentioning it. That was before, though. How could he have ever known he would experience it himself? This was it, the real deal. They were soul mates; he could feel it burning up his tiny little ice cube of a heart - so there was no way she couldn't feel the same way about a good catch like him.
Neither said a word, just looking at each other, and the moments were stretching into seconds - into an eternity that was over in the blink of an eye.
“Where can I find the washroom?” Her sweet voice put strings to shame.
“Mhm?” came his rather eloquent reply.
“The washroom. Where can I find it?” she repeated her question. This time, Nino’s love-fool brain was able to make some sense of it.
“Washroom’s for customers only, sorry…” he heard himself say, still smiling like an idiot. He had always been a smooth talker.
“Oh.” Nodding, she looked at their menu and wrinkled her nose. Of course their coffee wasn't good, she knew that, and it made Nino's heart call out to her even more.
“Yep, sorry. Nothing I can do about it.” What the fuck was wrong with him?! Why would he even think of selling sub-par drinks to the love of his life?! Why was he even talking about this?! He could already be on his way to Brazil or Vienna or Italy to get her the best coffees there were. It was barely good enough for her.
But like the angel she was, his beloved took it in stride. Her small sigh sounded super cute and there was even a small smile. “Anything you’d recommend?”
“Do you have good health insurance?” It was out before Nino could do anything about it. After all, it was the truth, wasn't it? You needed some good insurance - or a mouth devoid of taste buds.
“What?” She blinked at him.
Nino shrugged. “Our matcha latte is decent, I guess…” He was wondering what kind of shower gel she used.
He didn't get to ask. The woman nodded. “In that case, I’ll take the matcha latte.”
“You sure?”
“Look, I really just need to use your washroom…” Even her whiny voice was cute and he wanted to hear more; Nino just couldn't wipe the smile off his face.
“Okay, one matcha latte coming right up. Anything to go with it?”
“I…”
“Maybe a muffin?”
“Sure, why not…”
“Which one would you like?” Only very reluctantly, he moved over to the case with the food they had on offer today, as it meant taking his eyes off her.
“I… really don’t know. Surprise me. Can I just pay and you give me the key to the washrooms?”
From somewhere behind Nino came a hand with the washroom key, tied neatly to a soup ladle. “Upstairs, to the left,” he heard Ohno's sleepy drawl beside him.
And with a thankful smile, the woman took the key and dashed off.
“Great, Leader, you just ruined my groove.”
“My mother told me not to make women pee in public,” his colleague mumbled before yawning, not giving any indication that he intended to explain his statement any further.
“Your mom what?” Sometimes, just sometimes, he really wanted to know exactly how Ohno saw the world. It had to be different and often enough he was sure Ohno's universe was full of magic and its own laws of what was acceptable and what wasn't. Being shift manager, for example - no one seemed to know how his senior had gotten the promotion, least of all Ohno himself. He was a nice enough fellow, calm and inconspicuous, not really the leader type and rather happy to be able to continue drawing instead of bossing people around.
“Well, not exactly in these words. More like, treat women nicely. Making her pee here in front of everyone wouldn’t have been nice.” Shrugging his shoulders, Ohno slouched off again and left Nino alone with the choice of which muffin to pick.
~*~
In the end, it didn't matter which muffin he chose - his angel rushed out again, forgetting macha latte and pastry as well as paying, and vanished as suddenly as she had appeared before him.
The biggest question was not if he was ever going to see her again. They were destined for each other, so he would kick fate's butt if he didn't. But he was wondering about her. What was her name? How had she found him here? Would she have liked the muffin he had picked for her?
Nino's thoughts were still circling about that fateful encounter a couple days later. Ohno was busy drawing, Aiba barking out a laugh over something on his game console, when Nino was confronted with a young man of about his own age, with strong features, wearing thick-rimmed glasses, trendy clothes and an obvious MacBook travel case under his arm. Your typical hipster, if Nino knew people.
“Do you have wi-fi around here?” he asked rather haughtily.
There was no hurry to Nino's answer; let the guy stew a bit. He probably just wanted to show off his state-of-the-art MacBook. “Anything to drink?”
“So you do have wi-fi?”
Nino shrugged noncommittally. “Maybe. But this is Excelsior Coffee. You'll have to order something with it, you know. Taking up space without buying any of the overpriced drinks is very much frowned upon.” Just to make a point, Nino knit his brows and noisily tapped his fingers on the counter. Oh, how he loved pissing customers off and this guy was making his day.
“Fine, one glass of water then.” Ha, trying to outsmart him, did he? Nino already liked the guy but he’d rather bite his tongue than say that out loud.
“One wi-fi, one overpriced glass of water and what kind of coffee knock-off to go with it? I apologize for not making myself clear earlier but you’ll need to order something coffee-slash-tea-ish to dive into the world wide web in this establishment.”
Nino was putting on his sweetest smile as he watched the customer run a hand through his jet-black hair, obviously considering finding another hot spot. Eventually, he just ordered a cup of black coffee, no sugar, no milk.
“One black coffee for Steve Jobs here!”
The guy's scowl at that name made Nino grin even wider as he turned around to fill his order. It wasn't like there was anyone else behind the counter to do it, so the hipster could search for another Excelsior employee all he wanted...
“Everything? Do I really have to do everything myself?” he asked theatrically, then sighed. “Oh well, good staff is hard to come by, right?”
“Right. You're special.”
When there was a smirk he could make out tugging at the hipster's lips, Nino mentally hi-fived himself. You had to hand it to him, the guy seemed to be able to appreciate his wicked sense of humor.
“Voila. One black coffee for Steve,” he handed him the paper cup filled to the brim with their steaming hot house brew. “I hope the wi-fi’s worth it, highly doubt it.”
“It’s Jun. And your water can’t be that bad,” the guy reminded him of the other part of his order.
“I hope so, but you never know what these weirdo baristas do to the glasses. I could tell you stories, really…”
“In that case, make it a bottle. Just to be on the safe side,” Jun smirked, already searching his tight designer jeans for his wallet. Somehow, he seemed to be a decent guy and Nino allowed himself to laugh, causing Ohno to look up in surprise from his newest piece of art - the advertisement for their cinnamon-flavored hot chocolate.
Nino waved a hand at his shift manager to signal everything was fine and he could go back to drawing, but Ohno got up and walked over to where they were standing. “Is there a problem with my employee?” he mumbled, looking as ready to fight as he could in his ever-sleepy way.
“He's pretty straight-forward for a barista,” Jun chuckled, took the cup of coffee and the bottle of water and went to make himself comfortable in one of the armchairs at the window. The first thing he did, of course, was get out his MacBook Air that screamed 'I am cool and hip' at just about anyone who cared.
“Attention-whore,” Nino mumbled darkly, but had to stifle a laugh when he saw the guy make a face at the first sip of coffee, then proceed to get himself some milk and sugar.
Ohno was still standing there, Nino realized. “What was that all about?”
“Nino’s making new friends,” Aiba chimed in from his usual place, giving them a thumbs up before returning to his latest game.
Sometimes Nino wondered how Aiba managed to make ends meet - sure, he owned the apartment they lived in and, most of the time, Nino paid his rent in a timely manner but... but other than that, he didn’t know of any other source of income Aiba could possibly have. There was no way he had another job, not with him sitting here at Excelsior, playing his video games and chatting up other guests 24/7 - preferably those who brought their pets with them.
But all these thoughts were forgotten once the door opened again and the celestial creature from the other day entered the shop. She was just as pretty as Nino remembered, only this time she was wearing a dark blue knitted dress with red pumps, her hair tied back into a loose pony tail. Her face seemed a little flushed from the cold outside but she was smiling, although at no one in particular, as she approached the counter. This time, she didn’t stumble...
For a while, neither of them said a word - the angel smiling, Nino waiting with raised eyebrows for an order or a confession of her undying love for him. Her aura was illuminating - but, upon closer inspection, that could also be the light installed to trick customers into believing that their pastry was actually delicious.
“I forgot my matcha latte the other day. And my muffin,” she eventually broke the silence.
“You forgot to pay as well...” Not that he wouldn't have given her the order free of charge. Well, maybe he would have made sure she paid, Nino was a bit stingy like that. But if she had told him that he was the man of her dreams, then maybe he would have reconsidered. Those words would have been worth more than some mediocre matcha and baked goods, after all.
His words did draw a smile from her, though. It lit up her entire face and Nino felt like he had been hit by a truck - scrap that, an entire road train.
“How much would I have to pay for a fresh muffin and match latte?”
Nino's gaze was captured by the flowing movement of her lips and the soft lilt in her speech. He knew he was staring at her, but he couldn't for the life of him make the words come out. Nodding wasn't a problem, though, telling her it was okay and he was here and she was in the best care she could wish for through gestures. He had to look like an idiot.
“It's our daily special today, so here you go, miss. That's 300 yen total.” When Toma suddenly popped up beside Nino, he could have screamed. His colleague was still slightly out of breath and smelling of smoke and overpriced aftershave.
Of course. OF COURSE he had to show up now, missing the whole prep work, sleeping in, probably attending some casting without landing the role and then showing up just in time to ruin everything. Fuck his life!
Nino could only watch as the mystery woman smiled, paid for the venom they sold and left the shop with their so-called 'special' without Nino being a step closer to knowing who she was.
“You know what? I hate you, both of you.” Finding his voice again, Nino pointed an accusing finger both at Toma as well as Ohno, who looked a little dumbfounded while Toma seemed amused. “What are you doing here anyway?”
“Sorry, but I work here.”
He could have hit him right then and there, just for grinning like he knew everything.
“Oh right, so all of a sudden you work here. How nice of you to remember that at the worst time possible!“ True, he hadn’t said a word to his angel but he would have, eventually, if his so-called friends and colleagues had let him.
“Good seeing you too. And I did get the part, thanks for asking,” Toma chirped back, apparently unimpressed by Nino’s flare of temper. Well, they had known each other since kindergarten, so Toma had had enough time to learn how to deal with his quirks.
As such, Nino had no qualms about grumbling some more, “Couldn't you have stayed just a little longer and celebrated your part, then?! You just threw off my groove, man!”
“Don't tell me... you like the girl.” The grin he was faced with was downright devious.
Aiba sprung up and came over, “Oooh, Kazu, really?”
Nino was sure he would never hear the end of it.
~*~
Ohno was busy humming some random tune as he redesigned today’s special, drawing little elves and his interpretation of the Coca Cola Santa with his chalk while Toma was leaning against the counter, absentmindedly studying his script.
The café was almost empty except for Jun sitting by the window, slowly typing on his Mac and sighing every now and then, and Aiba, who was pressing his nose against their display, loudly mumbling to himself about the pros and cons of each muffin he considered buying. Nino was mere seconds away from offering his friend ALL of them, just to shut him up, but he didn’t, as he was well aware that this would ruin all the fun - and you couldn’t be so cynical to try to spoil anything for that big goofball.
Besides, his mind was somewhere else. With someone else. It had been four days since he had last seen the woman and, very much to his astonishment, he still longed to see her, to know more about her. So much for his hopes that all of this would eventually turn out as nothing but a short-lived… something.
“Maybe I'm destined for greatness,” Toma's voice suddenly broke the comfortable half-silence between them. Nino looked over, but it didn't seem like his friend was talking to anyone in particular. From the look in his eyes, he couldn't keep from bragging and/or daydreaming any longer. “Barista by day, super sex symbol actor by night...”
“Uh-huh,” came a noncommittal noise from Ohno.
“And I mean the director was a real fox. She knows what she's talking about. I'm sure I can still learn a lot from her...”
“I think Eriko might fit,” Nino realized he was thinking out loud when he heard the other guys' replies.
“Yeah, she could be an Eriko,” Toma readily agreed.
“Eriko-chan. Sounds cute,” Aiba nodded as well.
“Nah, don't think so,” Jun suddenly chimed in, not even looking up from his Mac.
Nino sighed when Toma already continued his ramblings right where he had left off. He was lucky that Nino was too distracted in figuring out mystery woman’s name to cut through Toma’s daydreams with sarcastic remarks.
“Tamiko then. Tamiko-chan. She is beautiful, after all, and…” he tried again.
“Uh-huh,” Ohno nodded, coloring one of the elves' hats bright red.
“Pretty uncommon name now, isn’t it? But I like it, she could be a Tamiko.” Good, Toma agreed as well, and Aiba clapped his hands - partly because he seemed to like the name and partly because he had finally decided on which muffin to pick. So that only left the store’s resident hipster.
“In case you’re still talking about that girl, she’s most definitely not a something-ko. Trust me on that one.”
So much for that.
“Nobody’s asking you. Go mix sugar in your black brew when you think we’re not looking and shut up,” Nino growled, already searching for a new name that could fit the woman capturing his thoughts. He was almost tempted to spite Jun by picking another name ending in -ko, but had to admit Jun had a point. She was too special, too angelic and extraordinary. “What about Moe?”
Jun just snorted, but eventually Nino glimpsed a nod from him.
Aiba smiled brightly. “Moe... And the cherry muffin with sprinkles, please, Kazu.”
Even Ohno agreed in his drawing, “Totally cute.”
“Seriously?!” This time it was Toma who gave him an incredulous look and a raised eyebrow. “That's pretty cheap, but you've always been frugal... Anyway, even though she was a couple years older than I am, she was amazing last night. Wow, I..”
“Now what’s wrong with Moe? I like Moe, Moe’s a pretty name and besides, I don’t know a single Moe who isn’t nice,” Nino tried to defend the name he no longer felt so sure about while he was getting Aiba the ordered muffin.
Toma only grinned and even though that kept him from bragging about his latest part or woman, Nino didn’t like it one bit. “How many Moes do you know in the first place?”
Touché.
Ignoring Toma’s question, Nino gave Aiba the muffin before tapping his chin. “What about Yuki. She could be a Yuki, right?”
Before anyone could complain, encourage or do anything else, the door opened and his angel returned. How had he not seen her coming? Had he really been too busy finding a proper name suiting her heavenly features that he had missed something so important like her arrival?
Okay okay okay. He would just ignore the three pairs of eyes belonging to three certain people who had better mind their own business just like he was to ignore his beating heart and that warm fuzzy feeling spreading from his belly.
This time! This time he would say something. Something profound instead of trying to sell her some of their watery shit and cake-mix baked goods… It was a small miracle that she would return to get more of that, anyway. So Nino had to make it count. Make an impression other than 'the guy not letting her pee or staring at her in a creepy way'...
“Welcome,” he was able to force out - not too bad a start, considering he could feel the other four's eyes boring into his back.
The woman smiled. She smiled at him and Nino felt part of himself melt. “Hi, can I get a matcha latte and a muffin, please, like last time?”
“You’re not collecting samples to send them to some lab because you’re about to sue us, are you?” he heard himself say and immediately felt like smacking his head - Toma did that for him before he left the counter and took a seat next to Jun, who joined into his giggle fit. Some friends and colleagues he had there, really!
But Aiba's thumbs-up and cheerful face didn’t help either; Nino could already feel his palms go sweaty as nervousness rose. Only Ohno had the decency to look away and pretend to be busy drawing. You could always count on Ohno.
Moe, Yuki, Ai, Keiko, Mao, Mai… whatever her name was, she sure looked puzzled, maybe even a tad bit nervous and Nino felt even worse for making her feel uncomfortable - yet again. He was such an idiot!
“No,” was all she said and Nino had to force himself to nod, slowly moving to get her order. So much for saying something profound.
Well, she didn't seem to be much of a talker, either - not that he’d held up much hope for her to strike up a conversation with a blabbering weirdo selling shitty coffee at some rescue shelter for homeless hipsters and hang-abouts on happy pills.
Okay okay okay, another try. “In that case… can I get your name?”
At this, Ohno coughed and mystery woman looked even more puzzled, not answering but not asking questions either.
“We’re having an American week and although matcha doesn’t sound too American, we’re trying the whole name-on-cup thing.”
“Hey, you didn’t ask for my name!” Aiba protested, just to cover his mouth in shock mere seconds later when he realized his mistake.
“You basically live here, I know your name, baka. But if it makes you happy…” Nino leaned over the counter and snatched the already empty cup from Aiba’s hand, leaving him only with the muffin. Impatiently, he scribbled the cub’s kanji on it and handed it back. “Better?”
This guy, really! But Nino knew it had been worth it when he heard a sweet giggle come from his angel.
“Yuriko.”
“Pardon me, what?”
“Yuriko,” the love of his life said again.
In all honesty, Nino had just wanted to hear her say it again. Again and again and again. So she was a Yuriko. What a beautiful name, just like her - and Jun had been wrong! Ha! He couldn't help but grin slightly as he carefully wrote her name, stroke for stroke, on the paper cup.
Then he turned to foam the milk for his angel's drink. “Okay, Yuriko-san. One matcha latte coming right up for you.” The steamer was steaming and Nino was hearing bells even over the loud clutter of the machine.
Until there were heavy footfalls approaching from the door. Wondering, Nino turned to see who it could be.
Heavy-set guy, dark look in his eyes.
Nino wanted to warn Yuriko... Too late. She let out a small squeak, being grabbed from behind.
Dishes broke, somewhere. Probably Aiba dropping his plate, muffin tumbling. Then rattling and a thud. Ohno, fallen down from his ladder. Jun and Toma… No idea what Jun and Toma were doing or where. Didn’t care either, so long as they were smart enough to hide, remain quiet.
Was that a gun in the man’s pocket?
His heart started beating like mad - not in the good way like seeing Yuriko usually did - Yuriko! How dare the guy hold her! Already suffering from severe lapse of taste, ordering at Excelsior Coffee... How dare he manhandle her like that, big, gloved hands and all. She deserved to be worshiped, treated like a queen! Not be taken as a hostage.
“Hands where I can see them!”
No way!
“Give me a coffee and all the money in the register!”
Nino considered jumping over the counter - too risky. Threw muffins at the guy's head, in the end. Confused him. Then jumped, get Yuriko to safety. Pulled her out of the guy's grip, jumped him, wrangling for the stupid gun. Pulled it free and hit the guy over the head with it. Almost went down with him.
Back on his own feet, saw Yuriko's eyes light up. Saw her smile at him only.
“Nino, you're amazing.” Voice of an angel...
“You’re safe now, Yuriko-chan. Now, less talking, more kissing.”
Didn’t have to ask twice. His damsel in distress closed her eyes, sigh escaping her beautiful lips. They locked lips for the very first time.
From a distance, could hear his friends and colleagues and hipsters cheer them on.
“It’s not spelled like that,” she didn't even whisper.
What? Who? Where? Nino blinked at Yuriko, not quite comprehending what she meant. And suddenly, the cheers had faded and he had never kissed her. Instead, he was still standing there, behind the shoddy counter, empty cup in one hand, black sharpie in the other. And then it sank in that she meant her name. Her name was spelled differently than what Nino had written on the cup.
“May I?” Yuriko gestured for him to hand over the sharpie, and Nino wasn't sure if the ghost of a smile on her lips was mocking, condescending or forgiving. He was hoping for playful…
“Oh…” was all he managed to say - and then silence.
Yuriko was still smiling but not saying a thing either. Was she waiting for something? What was he supposed to do? And why was he lost for words just the very moment he really needed them? Frustration started to spread as Nino continued staring like a creep, wondering how on earth he was supposed to get to know Yuriko a bit better without her pressing charges.
“You’re paying cash or with credit card?” At least he was giving her his best apologetic smile with it.
Not that it was helping much, Nino found, when she giggled again, handed him a handful of coins and turned to leave. Without even counting, he knew it was the exact amount she was due, so he wouldn't even have any kind of excuse to keep her waiting any longer.
As he was watching her back retreat, stunned and still somehow feeling like the connection between his brain and mouth had been cut, he wept inwardly. So much for making a real impression. How could she ever return after this episode?
“My my, you're the definition of star-crossed lovers, methinks,” Toma couldn't shut up - just this once! - and Nino couldn't help but throw the sharpie at him.
~*~
From not too far below them, they could hear the hustle and bustle of a busy market street with all its smells of cloves, cinnamon, incense, all its flickering lights in the falling dusk, all its shouts and mountebanks and chattering women and old men and wide-eyed children. Nino was expertly jumping from roof to roof, holding fast onto Yuriko's slender hand, her metallic beads woven into silken clothes leaving an ephemeral trail of light jingles. They had finally gotten rid of their pursuers, it seemed, so when he saw the sun half-set and a large red orb on the horizon from one roof, he slowed his steps.
Yuriko was still a bit out of breath, and so was he when he laid eyes on her, the semi-transparent veils revealing that smile he had fallen so hard for. And without another word, he bent forward, her arms going around his neck, until their lips touched in that sweet sweet sin--
“I’m sorry, but this coffee tastes like… I really don’t know, but I don’t get why you keep ordering this stuff?”
What the hell?! Nino abandoned his daydream of being Prince of Persia for his angel and huffed at the world in general. And for what? Just to hear Sho, the suit that Jun had dragged in there to complain about their exquisite coffee?
Nino had always been a little suspicious of salarymen, and still was, in all honesty - but he knew he liked Sho barely five minutes after he’d walked into Excelsior after he’d watched Jun’s friend spit his black coffee back out, apparently thinking that no one was looking.
Who could blame him, really - Nino worked here and wouldn’t touch the stuff he was selling to save his life. Every day that Aiba, who actually consumed that stuff, was still alive seemed like a small miracle. Heck, the fact that some people returned after their first order was a miracle! Even Toma who actually worked here had better things to do then spend his time at this establishment - just like today - but there were real people coming back and spending money at their store.
Just like Yuriko. His heart was fluttering like mad every time his angel walked in through that door, ordering the same brew and baked goods in her sweet voice, looking off and perfect at the very same time. Still, Nino couldn’t help but wonder why. The service was rotten, he had to know, and the stuff they were serving was basically an insult.
And yet she came back, again and again. Nino sometimes caught himself waiting for her face to show up just to make his day. He could deal with all the sarcastic remarks from Jun and Toma, just like he could take the encouraging words from Aiba or bedraggled looks he got from Ohno. All that was bearable, but he couldn’t forgive himself for missing one chance after another to ask her out. He would run out of them eventually.
Sure, he had no trouble envisioning chatting her up in various settings that got more and more obscure - admitting to her that he was indeed a super secret spy assigned to protect her, imitating Han Solo and his confession to Leia without the whole annoying frozen part thingy, putting Hugh Grant to shame by declaring his undying love to Yuriko with strings and all that shit, or even showing up in Super Mario gear to save his Princess Peach from Bowser's claws.
No problem talking to her, confessing to her and getting the girl of his daydreams. Reality, though...
“What to do, what to do...” Frustrated, he banged his head on the counter, too busy drowning in self-pity and despair to keep Ohno from patting his shoulder. Luckily, Aiba was too far away, otherwise he’d be in for another round of hugs ‘to cheer him up’.
“Why don't you just tell her that you like her? Come straight out with it?” Sho's resonant voice cut into Nino's train of thought.
Oh, nice! So even the guy who had come in for the first time only because Jun had dragged him here was well informed about his little quandary. It was always nice and comforting to know that people respected his privacy…
“Sakurai, right?” Nino cocked his head and slowly turned to face the suit knowing perfectly well what his name was.
The other nodded, patient smile on his face.
“If it were that simple, don’t you think I would have asked her out already? Why don’t you just drink up your coffee? Matsumoto can show you how it’s done.”
Sho seemed a little irritated and, for a split second, Nino was almost certain he’d get angry. Instead, Jun’s friend laughed. “Make real coffee and I might consider drinking it.”
“I like your coffee Kazu!” Aiba shouted from his seat near the window, once again giving Nino the thumbs-up. “But Sho-kun’s right, you should ask her out already. I - we - know you can do it!”
Just to shoot everyone down, keep those wise-asses out of his very private pity party, Nino snorted, “Right, because it's super romantic like that and I'll sweep her off her feet right away.”
“You're not a romantic,” Ohno's quiet drawl interjected - which got a snicker out of their resident hipster, who rearranged his limbs in a purposely cool pose, leaning back and pushing his glasses up his nose, but met Nino's dark stare head on.
He was just about to give all of them a piece of his mind, when the door chimed and in came his angel. Yuriko. She was wearing her hair loose like she did on most days, deep brown silk falling over her slender shoulders, framing her pretty face and her delicate features, the half smile that made her look younger than she probably was.
Why… why did she keep coming back here again and again? Her clothes looked a little extravagant but not in a cheap way. She had money, no doubt about it, but she didn’t come across like some spoiled society girl and…. and he still knew nothing about her. Nothing!
A heavy sigh escaped Nino’s otherwise tight-locked lips, which got him a puzzled look from Yuriko. She didn’t say a thing though but waited patiently like she always did.
“You’re not suicidal, are you? I’m not sure your insurance would cover death by coffee.”
“Or our insurance, for that matter,” Ohno chipped in, but Nino ignored him.
It wasn't too difficult to completely forget the world around him with this mysterious beauty smiling at him.
“I don't think I'm suicidal,” she was shaking her head.
Not a wholly satisfying answer, but at least Yuriko seemed to not be aiming for a lethal dose. He harrumphed, “Then please enlighten me why you're coming back to this place time and again? I mean, even that guy with obvious lack of taste over there - no offense, Sakurai - couldn't get a single sip of our brew down. How can you?”
This little tirade was probably more words than all the times Nino had talked to his angel combined. It wasn't the profoundest thing, but he didn't care anymore. Curiosity had won out - so there.
What he most definitely hadn't expected was Yuriko bashfully lowering her gaze to her hands.
For the first time ever, the rest of the café remained just as silent as the two of them. Heck, they didn’t even have the decency to pretend to be doing something other than eavesdropping!
Bad conscience slowly started spreading, first an uneasy knot in his stomach that slowly grew bigger and bigger with every passing second. Nino sure was used to pissing off customers, even made a sport out of it, but putting Yuriko on the spot just like that neither felt right nor satisfying. “I… I am sorry, I didn’t mean to… offend you. It’s just that I… hell, I don’t drink this shit and I’m usually all for stuff I get cheaper.”
He could make out a slight shake of her head when she lifted her gaze again, even though she still wasn't looking at him. “You're the one who recommended the matcha latte as decent. But mostly I come here to wait for you to finally ask me out.” Her tone was flat and emotionless, and when her eyes met Nino's they didn't betray a single word of what she had just said.
Nino, for his part, had to remind himself to close his mouth. The others however, including their newest addition, were clapping their hands in applause.
“You what?” he burst out. This was just too much, too much to grasp, and besides, too good to be true. He was a skeptic at heart, after all.
“Please don’t make me say it again.” Her blush did things to him he couldn’t possibly put into words. If he hadn’t been head over heels for her already, this would have been the moment to fall in love.
“But you must have known that I was lying after your first sip,” was all he managed to mutter.
“For crying out loud, that’s not the point!” Sakurai’s impatient interjection was annoying, true, but it did help.
“So… I take it you wouldn’t say no then if I asked you out to get some coffee, right?” Not the smoothest line he could possibly come up with, but hey, his heart was hammering in his chest and he felt as if he was mere seconds from passing out. Plus, he hadn’t tried to sell her more of their shit nor had he insulted her.
“Yes, I would,” Yuriko nodded, still blushing and looking prettier than ever.
Could this be true? Wasn’t he daydreaming yet again? Had she just agreed to a date? Had she really? Had she?
Before he could go crazy, Yuriko coyly added, “On one condition though…”
Which had Nino’s heart sink again. He had been right - whenever something seemed too good to be true it usually was. “I…”
“Take me somewhere they sell real coffee, okay?”
~*~
From: santa_johnny
Title: Excelsior
Pairing/Group: Ninomiya Kazunari/Yoshitaka Yuriko, Arashi friendship (sort of) + Toma
Rating: PG 13 (for swearing)
Warnings: strong language, slightly exaggerated characters
Notes: Dear nightbaron079, I sincerely hope you like the story I came up with - and forgive me in case I didn’t nail Yuriko. Also, I’ve never been to Excelsior Coffee and they are probably not even half as bad as depicted in this fic. And finally, a big thanks to K and A for the beta!
Summary: Nino could hear string music strike up, accentuating the light spring in her shuffle as she was approaching the counter... Until the music turned to pop and Nino realized it wasn't the woman's heavenly aura but the CD Ohno had finally remembered to put in 'to create a warm and comfy atmosphere'.
“Just a sec, I’ll be right there,” Nino said without looking up from his Nintendo, too busy to check who was currently considering a complaint while he was still busy finishing a level in his latest jump-n-run game. Nino was all about proper priorities and tending to customers was at the bottom of his list.
It wasn’t as if he was fulfilling his dream here at Excelsior Coffee, no. He was just killing time - and earning a little money to pay his rent - until he had an idea of what he actually wanted to do with his life. Nino just didn't feel like there was any point in investing emotionally in any kind of... real job until then.
Working for a franchise that sold shitty, overpriced coffee to people who hadn’t heard of Starbucks seemed as good as any other part-time thing, so here he was. Sure, the pay was an insult but he had flexible working hours, almost no responsibilities and plenty of time to play his video games - unless there was an annoying customer getting on his nerves by coughing to express his displeasure.
“And hold your breath, wailing won’t get you your coffee any faster so you might as well spare us both the bother, right,” Nino smiled sweetly, still without looking up. This wasn't some well thought-out twenty-hour puzzling-and-adventure game, so the stupid guy should be grateful. Of course, customers never knew to appreciate those little things.
When he heard an exasperated sigh, Nino continued, fingers flying over the buttons of his portable game console, “To be honest, if you're waiting for good coffee, there's a cute little non-franchise coffee house two streets over. Complaining about me doesn't make any sense at all. Right, Leader?”
“Eh?” he could hear Ohno say from where he was working on a sign for today's special offer. It was amazing what his shift manager sometimes came up with to advertise their special offers using just colored chalk and way too much time. Sometimes he would finish mere minutes before they closed, anyway, but everyone working at Excelsior Coffee had their own little trick to make time fly.
One had to, after all. This particular branch was rather small and dingy, despite its two floors, and despite Ohno's art. They had won several awards for the colorful menu design. That didn't make the stuff they were selling any better, though. If the coffee shop hadn't been part of a shopping street, Nino seriously doubted there would have been any customers at all - except for Aiba of course. As always, his roommate was sitting in his favorite spot - an old armchair with a good view of the restaurant's ground floor and especially of the counter area - hunched over his own game console. From time to time, Nino could hear the breathy giggles over the noisy coffee unit.
Today, there were also a few small groups of teenage girls, all of them deeply immersed in whatever they were browsing on their cellphones - it was always something 'kawaiiii', judging from the high-pitched group squeals.
Nino's thoughts turned back to the disgruntled looking customer before him. “By ‘eh’ he means I’m right. But…” he sighed as he shut his 3DS and finally looked up to face some random suit who looked just as generic as their café, “…seeing as you’re still here, you might as well place your order. Which horrid brew unworthy of the name coffee can I get you?”
The answer went unheard. As it happened, the poor sap opened his mouth just as the door chimed and an angel walked into the store, hair fluttering lightly in the breeze and all.
So what Nino made was a simple latte with some kind of syrup or other - couldn't go too wrong with that, he reasoned - while his gaze was drawn and kept by the beautiful woman standing there. She looked bored, somehow. But in a very celestial way.
“This isn’t what I ordered,” the guy tried to complain, but Nino shut him up with an impatient wave of his hand.
“As if that makes any difference; the shit tastes all the same, so… Thanks for visiting Excelsior Coffee, we hope to welcome you back soon,” Nino said in a flat voice while unable to draw his eyes from the love of his life, the Peach to his Mario, the Zelda to his Link…
She was so pretty in her light white dress totally inappropriate for the cold season and boots very much appropriate for it. Those long, satiny black bangs framing her heart-shaped face, the porcelain skin setting off those plump red lips drawn into a slight smirk, that slightly off look in her large brown doe eyes; Nino was even willing to forgive her for coming to such a shitty coffee place. Nobody was perfect but this creature came pretty close to perfection.
There was some kind of insult from the salaryman, but Nino wasn't listening anymore anyway. Instead he could hear string music strike up, accentuating the light spring in her shuffle as she was approaching the counter... Until the music turned to pop and Nino realized it wasn't the woman's heavenly aura but the CD Ohno had finally remembered to put in 'to create a warm and comfy atmosphere'. In Nino's opinion it only added some fake cheeriness to some stuffy café that smelled of burnt coffee beans and stale cigarette smoke most of the time.
Not that he had to fake cheeriness right now, hell no! He’d fart rainbows if he could possibly blow wind in an angel’s presence - which he did not, just to be clear - and the smile pulling at his lips came from the bottom of his heart instead of the punch line of a bad sarcastic joke.
God, she was coming closer, step-by-step, light as an elf. Well, she stumbled just before she arrived at the counter, but Nino could swear that he had never seen someone fall as gracefully as she did. Before he had a chance to react, she was up on her feet again, smiling. No broken teeth, no bleeding nose, thank goodness.
For all of his usual witty remarks and sharp tongue, at this moment nothing seemed to come to his mind. Or rather, he wanted to tell her that he had never seen someone as beautiful as her and that anything she could want from him she would get - free of charge. But the words wouldn't come out. Nino would have been content with a simple 'hi', but the thought was forgotten halfway form his brain to his mouth, drowning in the pools of her eyes.
She had to feel something, too! She just had to - it couldn't be that cynical old him felt this connection like it had hit him square over the head, and she didn't. Nino had never believed in love at first sight and all that bullshit. He had always laughed in the face of anyone even mentioning it. That was before, though. How could he have ever known he would experience it himself? This was it, the real deal. They were soul mates; he could feel it burning up his tiny little ice cube of a heart - so there was no way she couldn't feel the same way about a good catch like him.
Neither said a word, just looking at each other, and the moments were stretching into seconds - into an eternity that was over in the blink of an eye.
“Where can I find the washroom?” Her sweet voice put strings to shame.
“Mhm?” came his rather eloquent reply.
“The washroom. Where can I find it?” she repeated her question. This time, Nino’s love-fool brain was able to make some sense of it.
“Washroom’s for customers only, sorry…” he heard himself say, still smiling like an idiot. He had always been a smooth talker.
“Oh.” Nodding, she looked at their menu and wrinkled her nose. Of course their coffee wasn't good, she knew that, and it made Nino's heart call out to her even more.
“Yep, sorry. Nothing I can do about it.” What the fuck was wrong with him?! Why would he even think of selling sub-par drinks to the love of his life?! Why was he even talking about this?! He could already be on his way to Brazil or Vienna or Italy to get her the best coffees there were. It was barely good enough for her.
But like the angel she was, his beloved took it in stride. Her small sigh sounded super cute and there was even a small smile. “Anything you’d recommend?”
“Do you have good health insurance?” It was out before Nino could do anything about it. After all, it was the truth, wasn't it? You needed some good insurance - or a mouth devoid of taste buds.
“What?” She blinked at him.
Nino shrugged. “Our matcha latte is decent, I guess…” He was wondering what kind of shower gel she used.
He didn't get to ask. The woman nodded. “In that case, I’ll take the matcha latte.”
“You sure?”
“Look, I really just need to use your washroom…” Even her whiny voice was cute and he wanted to hear more; Nino just couldn't wipe the smile off his face.
“Okay, one matcha latte coming right up. Anything to go with it?”
“I…”
“Maybe a muffin?”
“Sure, why not…”
“Which one would you like?” Only very reluctantly, he moved over to the case with the food they had on offer today, as it meant taking his eyes off her.
“I… really don’t know. Surprise me. Can I just pay and you give me the key to the washrooms?”
From somewhere behind Nino came a hand with the washroom key, tied neatly to a soup ladle. “Upstairs, to the left,” he heard Ohno's sleepy drawl beside him.
And with a thankful smile, the woman took the key and dashed off.
“Great, Leader, you just ruined my groove.”
“My mother told me not to make women pee in public,” his colleague mumbled before yawning, not giving any indication that he intended to explain his statement any further.
“Your mom what?” Sometimes, just sometimes, he really wanted to know exactly how Ohno saw the world. It had to be different and often enough he was sure Ohno's universe was full of magic and its own laws of what was acceptable and what wasn't. Being shift manager, for example - no one seemed to know how his senior had gotten the promotion, least of all Ohno himself. He was a nice enough fellow, calm and inconspicuous, not really the leader type and rather happy to be able to continue drawing instead of bossing people around.
“Well, not exactly in these words. More like, treat women nicely. Making her pee here in front of everyone wouldn’t have been nice.” Shrugging his shoulders, Ohno slouched off again and left Nino alone with the choice of which muffin to pick.
~*~
In the end, it didn't matter which muffin he chose - his angel rushed out again, forgetting macha latte and pastry as well as paying, and vanished as suddenly as she had appeared before him.
The biggest question was not if he was ever going to see her again. They were destined for each other, so he would kick fate's butt if he didn't. But he was wondering about her. What was her name? How had she found him here? Would she have liked the muffin he had picked for her?
Nino's thoughts were still circling about that fateful encounter a couple days later. Ohno was busy drawing, Aiba barking out a laugh over something on his game console, when Nino was confronted with a young man of about his own age, with strong features, wearing thick-rimmed glasses, trendy clothes and an obvious MacBook travel case under his arm. Your typical hipster, if Nino knew people.
“Do you have wi-fi around here?” he asked rather haughtily.
There was no hurry to Nino's answer; let the guy stew a bit. He probably just wanted to show off his state-of-the-art MacBook. “Anything to drink?”
“So you do have wi-fi?”
Nino shrugged noncommittally. “Maybe. But this is Excelsior Coffee. You'll have to order something with it, you know. Taking up space without buying any of the overpriced drinks is very much frowned upon.” Just to make a point, Nino knit his brows and noisily tapped his fingers on the counter. Oh, how he loved pissing customers off and this guy was making his day.
“Fine, one glass of water then.” Ha, trying to outsmart him, did he? Nino already liked the guy but he’d rather bite his tongue than say that out loud.
“One wi-fi, one overpriced glass of water and what kind of coffee knock-off to go with it? I apologize for not making myself clear earlier but you’ll need to order something coffee-slash-tea-ish to dive into the world wide web in this establishment.”
Nino was putting on his sweetest smile as he watched the customer run a hand through his jet-black hair, obviously considering finding another hot spot. Eventually, he just ordered a cup of black coffee, no sugar, no milk.
“One black coffee for Steve Jobs here!”
The guy's scowl at that name made Nino grin even wider as he turned around to fill his order. It wasn't like there was anyone else behind the counter to do it, so the hipster could search for another Excelsior employee all he wanted...
“Everything? Do I really have to do everything myself?” he asked theatrically, then sighed. “Oh well, good staff is hard to come by, right?”
“Right. You're special.”
When there was a smirk he could make out tugging at the hipster's lips, Nino mentally hi-fived himself. You had to hand it to him, the guy seemed to be able to appreciate his wicked sense of humor.
“Voila. One black coffee for Steve,” he handed him the paper cup filled to the brim with their steaming hot house brew. “I hope the wi-fi’s worth it, highly doubt it.”
“It’s Jun. And your water can’t be that bad,” the guy reminded him of the other part of his order.
“I hope so, but you never know what these weirdo baristas do to the glasses. I could tell you stories, really…”
“In that case, make it a bottle. Just to be on the safe side,” Jun smirked, already searching his tight designer jeans for his wallet. Somehow, he seemed to be a decent guy and Nino allowed himself to laugh, causing Ohno to look up in surprise from his newest piece of art - the advertisement for their cinnamon-flavored hot chocolate.
Nino waved a hand at his shift manager to signal everything was fine and he could go back to drawing, but Ohno got up and walked over to where they were standing. “Is there a problem with my employee?” he mumbled, looking as ready to fight as he could in his ever-sleepy way.
“He's pretty straight-forward for a barista,” Jun chuckled, took the cup of coffee and the bottle of water and went to make himself comfortable in one of the armchairs at the window. The first thing he did, of course, was get out his MacBook Air that screamed 'I am cool and hip' at just about anyone who cared.
“Attention-whore,” Nino mumbled darkly, but had to stifle a laugh when he saw the guy make a face at the first sip of coffee, then proceed to get himself some milk and sugar.
Ohno was still standing there, Nino realized. “What was that all about?”
“Nino’s making new friends,” Aiba chimed in from his usual place, giving them a thumbs up before returning to his latest game.
Sometimes Nino wondered how Aiba managed to make ends meet - sure, he owned the apartment they lived in and, most of the time, Nino paid his rent in a timely manner but... but other than that, he didn’t know of any other source of income Aiba could possibly have. There was no way he had another job, not with him sitting here at Excelsior, playing his video games and chatting up other guests 24/7 - preferably those who brought their pets with them.
But all these thoughts were forgotten once the door opened again and the celestial creature from the other day entered the shop. She was just as pretty as Nino remembered, only this time she was wearing a dark blue knitted dress with red pumps, her hair tied back into a loose pony tail. Her face seemed a little flushed from the cold outside but she was smiling, although at no one in particular, as she approached the counter. This time, she didn’t stumble...
For a while, neither of them said a word - the angel smiling, Nino waiting with raised eyebrows for an order or a confession of her undying love for him. Her aura was illuminating - but, upon closer inspection, that could also be the light installed to trick customers into believing that their pastry was actually delicious.
“I forgot my matcha latte the other day. And my muffin,” she eventually broke the silence.
“You forgot to pay as well...” Not that he wouldn't have given her the order free of charge. Well, maybe he would have made sure she paid, Nino was a bit stingy like that. But if she had told him that he was the man of her dreams, then maybe he would have reconsidered. Those words would have been worth more than some mediocre matcha and baked goods, after all.
His words did draw a smile from her, though. It lit up her entire face and Nino felt like he had been hit by a truck - scrap that, an entire road train.
“How much would I have to pay for a fresh muffin and match latte?”
Nino's gaze was captured by the flowing movement of her lips and the soft lilt in her speech. He knew he was staring at her, but he couldn't for the life of him make the words come out. Nodding wasn't a problem, though, telling her it was okay and he was here and she was in the best care she could wish for through gestures. He had to look like an idiot.
“It's our daily special today, so here you go, miss. That's 300 yen total.” When Toma suddenly popped up beside Nino, he could have screamed. His colleague was still slightly out of breath and smelling of smoke and overpriced aftershave.
Of course. OF COURSE he had to show up now, missing the whole prep work, sleeping in, probably attending some casting without landing the role and then showing up just in time to ruin everything. Fuck his life!
Nino could only watch as the mystery woman smiled, paid for the venom they sold and left the shop with their so-called 'special' without Nino being a step closer to knowing who she was.
“You know what? I hate you, both of you.” Finding his voice again, Nino pointed an accusing finger both at Toma as well as Ohno, who looked a little dumbfounded while Toma seemed amused. “What are you doing here anyway?”
“Sorry, but I work here.”
He could have hit him right then and there, just for grinning like he knew everything.
“Oh right, so all of a sudden you work here. How nice of you to remember that at the worst time possible!“ True, he hadn’t said a word to his angel but he would have, eventually, if his so-called friends and colleagues had let him.
“Good seeing you too. And I did get the part, thanks for asking,” Toma chirped back, apparently unimpressed by Nino’s flare of temper. Well, they had known each other since kindergarten, so Toma had had enough time to learn how to deal with his quirks.
As such, Nino had no qualms about grumbling some more, “Couldn't you have stayed just a little longer and celebrated your part, then?! You just threw off my groove, man!”
“Don't tell me... you like the girl.” The grin he was faced with was downright devious.
Aiba sprung up and came over, “Oooh, Kazu, really?”
Nino was sure he would never hear the end of it.
~*~
Ohno was busy humming some random tune as he redesigned today’s special, drawing little elves and his interpretation of the Coca Cola Santa with his chalk while Toma was leaning against the counter, absentmindedly studying his script.
The café was almost empty except for Jun sitting by the window, slowly typing on his Mac and sighing every now and then, and Aiba, who was pressing his nose against their display, loudly mumbling to himself about the pros and cons of each muffin he considered buying. Nino was mere seconds away from offering his friend ALL of them, just to shut him up, but he didn’t, as he was well aware that this would ruin all the fun - and you couldn’t be so cynical to try to spoil anything for that big goofball.
Besides, his mind was somewhere else. With someone else. It had been four days since he had last seen the woman and, very much to his astonishment, he still longed to see her, to know more about her. So much for his hopes that all of this would eventually turn out as nothing but a short-lived… something.
“Maybe I'm destined for greatness,” Toma's voice suddenly broke the comfortable half-silence between them. Nino looked over, but it didn't seem like his friend was talking to anyone in particular. From the look in his eyes, he couldn't keep from bragging and/or daydreaming any longer. “Barista by day, super sex symbol actor by night...”
“Uh-huh,” came a noncommittal noise from Ohno.
“And I mean the director was a real fox. She knows what she's talking about. I'm sure I can still learn a lot from her...”
“I think Eriko might fit,” Nino realized he was thinking out loud when he heard the other guys' replies.
“Yeah, she could be an Eriko,” Toma readily agreed.
“Eriko-chan. Sounds cute,” Aiba nodded as well.
“Nah, don't think so,” Jun suddenly chimed in, not even looking up from his Mac.
Nino sighed when Toma already continued his ramblings right where he had left off. He was lucky that Nino was too distracted in figuring out mystery woman’s name to cut through Toma’s daydreams with sarcastic remarks.
“Tamiko then. Tamiko-chan. She is beautiful, after all, and…” he tried again.
“Uh-huh,” Ohno nodded, coloring one of the elves' hats bright red.
“Pretty uncommon name now, isn’t it? But I like it, she could be a Tamiko.” Good, Toma agreed as well, and Aiba clapped his hands - partly because he seemed to like the name and partly because he had finally decided on which muffin to pick. So that only left the store’s resident hipster.
“In case you’re still talking about that girl, she’s most definitely not a something-ko. Trust me on that one.”
So much for that.
“Nobody’s asking you. Go mix sugar in your black brew when you think we’re not looking and shut up,” Nino growled, already searching for a new name that could fit the woman capturing his thoughts. He was almost tempted to spite Jun by picking another name ending in -ko, but had to admit Jun had a point. She was too special, too angelic and extraordinary. “What about Moe?”
Jun just snorted, but eventually Nino glimpsed a nod from him.
Aiba smiled brightly. “Moe... And the cherry muffin with sprinkles, please, Kazu.”
Even Ohno agreed in his drawing, “Totally cute.”
“Seriously?!” This time it was Toma who gave him an incredulous look and a raised eyebrow. “That's pretty cheap, but you've always been frugal... Anyway, even though she was a couple years older than I am, she was amazing last night. Wow, I..”
“Now what’s wrong with Moe? I like Moe, Moe’s a pretty name and besides, I don’t know a single Moe who isn’t nice,” Nino tried to defend the name he no longer felt so sure about while he was getting Aiba the ordered muffin.
Toma only grinned and even though that kept him from bragging about his latest part or woman, Nino didn’t like it one bit. “How many Moes do you know in the first place?”
Touché.
Ignoring Toma’s question, Nino gave Aiba the muffin before tapping his chin. “What about Yuki. She could be a Yuki, right?”
Before anyone could complain, encourage or do anything else, the door opened and his angel returned. How had he not seen her coming? Had he really been too busy finding a proper name suiting her heavenly features that he had missed something so important like her arrival?
Okay okay okay. He would just ignore the three pairs of eyes belonging to three certain people who had better mind their own business just like he was to ignore his beating heart and that warm fuzzy feeling spreading from his belly.
This time! This time he would say something. Something profound instead of trying to sell her some of their watery shit and cake-mix baked goods… It was a small miracle that she would return to get more of that, anyway. So Nino had to make it count. Make an impression other than 'the guy not letting her pee or staring at her in a creepy way'...
“Welcome,” he was able to force out - not too bad a start, considering he could feel the other four's eyes boring into his back.
The woman smiled. She smiled at him and Nino felt part of himself melt. “Hi, can I get a matcha latte and a muffin, please, like last time?”
“You’re not collecting samples to send them to some lab because you’re about to sue us, are you?” he heard himself say and immediately felt like smacking his head - Toma did that for him before he left the counter and took a seat next to Jun, who joined into his giggle fit. Some friends and colleagues he had there, really!
But Aiba's thumbs-up and cheerful face didn’t help either; Nino could already feel his palms go sweaty as nervousness rose. Only Ohno had the decency to look away and pretend to be busy drawing. You could always count on Ohno.
Moe, Yuki, Ai, Keiko, Mao, Mai… whatever her name was, she sure looked puzzled, maybe even a tad bit nervous and Nino felt even worse for making her feel uncomfortable - yet again. He was such an idiot!
“No,” was all she said and Nino had to force himself to nod, slowly moving to get her order. So much for saying something profound.
Well, she didn't seem to be much of a talker, either - not that he’d held up much hope for her to strike up a conversation with a blabbering weirdo selling shitty coffee at some rescue shelter for homeless hipsters and hang-abouts on happy pills.
Okay okay okay, another try. “In that case… can I get your name?”
At this, Ohno coughed and mystery woman looked even more puzzled, not answering but not asking questions either.
“We’re having an American week and although matcha doesn’t sound too American, we’re trying the whole name-on-cup thing.”
“Hey, you didn’t ask for my name!” Aiba protested, just to cover his mouth in shock mere seconds later when he realized his mistake.
“You basically live here, I know your name, baka. But if it makes you happy…” Nino leaned over the counter and snatched the already empty cup from Aiba’s hand, leaving him only with the muffin. Impatiently, he scribbled the cub’s kanji on it and handed it back. “Better?”
This guy, really! But Nino knew it had been worth it when he heard a sweet giggle come from his angel.
“Yuriko.”
“Pardon me, what?”
“Yuriko,” the love of his life said again.
In all honesty, Nino had just wanted to hear her say it again. Again and again and again. So she was a Yuriko. What a beautiful name, just like her - and Jun had been wrong! Ha! He couldn't help but grin slightly as he carefully wrote her name, stroke for stroke, on the paper cup.
Then he turned to foam the milk for his angel's drink. “Okay, Yuriko-san. One matcha latte coming right up for you.” The steamer was steaming and Nino was hearing bells even over the loud clutter of the machine.
Until there were heavy footfalls approaching from the door. Wondering, Nino turned to see who it could be.
Heavy-set guy, dark look in his eyes.
Nino wanted to warn Yuriko... Too late. She let out a small squeak, being grabbed from behind.
Dishes broke, somewhere. Probably Aiba dropping his plate, muffin tumbling. Then rattling and a thud. Ohno, fallen down from his ladder. Jun and Toma… No idea what Jun and Toma were doing or where. Didn’t care either, so long as they were smart enough to hide, remain quiet.
Was that a gun in the man’s pocket?
His heart started beating like mad - not in the good way like seeing Yuriko usually did - Yuriko! How dare the guy hold her! Already suffering from severe lapse of taste, ordering at Excelsior Coffee... How dare he manhandle her like that, big, gloved hands and all. She deserved to be worshiped, treated like a queen! Not be taken as a hostage.
“Hands where I can see them!”
No way!
“Give me a coffee and all the money in the register!”
Nino considered jumping over the counter - too risky. Threw muffins at the guy's head, in the end. Confused him. Then jumped, get Yuriko to safety. Pulled her out of the guy's grip, jumped him, wrangling for the stupid gun. Pulled it free and hit the guy over the head with it. Almost went down with him.
Back on his own feet, saw Yuriko's eyes light up. Saw her smile at him only.
“Nino, you're amazing.” Voice of an angel...
“You’re safe now, Yuriko-chan. Now, less talking, more kissing.”
Didn’t have to ask twice. His damsel in distress closed her eyes, sigh escaping her beautiful lips. They locked lips for the very first time.
From a distance, could hear his friends and colleagues and hipsters cheer them on.
“It’s not spelled like that,” she didn't even whisper.
What? Who? Where? Nino blinked at Yuriko, not quite comprehending what she meant. And suddenly, the cheers had faded and he had never kissed her. Instead, he was still standing there, behind the shoddy counter, empty cup in one hand, black sharpie in the other. And then it sank in that she meant her name. Her name was spelled differently than what Nino had written on the cup.
“May I?” Yuriko gestured for him to hand over the sharpie, and Nino wasn't sure if the ghost of a smile on her lips was mocking, condescending or forgiving. He was hoping for playful…
“Oh…” was all he managed to say - and then silence.
Yuriko was still smiling but not saying a thing either. Was she waiting for something? What was he supposed to do? And why was he lost for words just the very moment he really needed them? Frustration started to spread as Nino continued staring like a creep, wondering how on earth he was supposed to get to know Yuriko a bit better without her pressing charges.
“You’re paying cash or with credit card?” At least he was giving her his best apologetic smile with it.
Not that it was helping much, Nino found, when she giggled again, handed him a handful of coins and turned to leave. Without even counting, he knew it was the exact amount she was due, so he wouldn't even have any kind of excuse to keep her waiting any longer.
As he was watching her back retreat, stunned and still somehow feeling like the connection between his brain and mouth had been cut, he wept inwardly. So much for making a real impression. How could she ever return after this episode?
“My my, you're the definition of star-crossed lovers, methinks,” Toma couldn't shut up - just this once! - and Nino couldn't help but throw the sharpie at him.
~*~
From not too far below them, they could hear the hustle and bustle of a busy market street with all its smells of cloves, cinnamon, incense, all its flickering lights in the falling dusk, all its shouts and mountebanks and chattering women and old men and wide-eyed children. Nino was expertly jumping from roof to roof, holding fast onto Yuriko's slender hand, her metallic beads woven into silken clothes leaving an ephemeral trail of light jingles. They had finally gotten rid of their pursuers, it seemed, so when he saw the sun half-set and a large red orb on the horizon from one roof, he slowed his steps.
Yuriko was still a bit out of breath, and so was he when he laid eyes on her, the semi-transparent veils revealing that smile he had fallen so hard for. And without another word, he bent forward, her arms going around his neck, until their lips touched in that sweet sweet sin--
“I’m sorry, but this coffee tastes like… I really don’t know, but I don’t get why you keep ordering this stuff?”
What the hell?! Nino abandoned his daydream of being Prince of Persia for his angel and huffed at the world in general. And for what? Just to hear Sho, the suit that Jun had dragged in there to complain about their exquisite coffee?
Nino had always been a little suspicious of salarymen, and still was, in all honesty - but he knew he liked Sho barely five minutes after he’d walked into Excelsior after he’d watched Jun’s friend spit his black coffee back out, apparently thinking that no one was looking.
Who could blame him, really - Nino worked here and wouldn’t touch the stuff he was selling to save his life. Every day that Aiba, who actually consumed that stuff, was still alive seemed like a small miracle. Heck, the fact that some people returned after their first order was a miracle! Even Toma who actually worked here had better things to do then spend his time at this establishment - just like today - but there were real people coming back and spending money at their store.
Just like Yuriko. His heart was fluttering like mad every time his angel walked in through that door, ordering the same brew and baked goods in her sweet voice, looking off and perfect at the very same time. Still, Nino couldn’t help but wonder why. The service was rotten, he had to know, and the stuff they were serving was basically an insult.
And yet she came back, again and again. Nino sometimes caught himself waiting for her face to show up just to make his day. He could deal with all the sarcastic remarks from Jun and Toma, just like he could take the encouraging words from Aiba or bedraggled looks he got from Ohno. All that was bearable, but he couldn’t forgive himself for missing one chance after another to ask her out. He would run out of them eventually.
Sure, he had no trouble envisioning chatting her up in various settings that got more and more obscure - admitting to her that he was indeed a super secret spy assigned to protect her, imitating Han Solo and his confession to Leia without the whole annoying frozen part thingy, putting Hugh Grant to shame by declaring his undying love to Yuriko with strings and all that shit, or even showing up in Super Mario gear to save his Princess Peach from Bowser's claws.
No problem talking to her, confessing to her and getting the girl of his daydreams. Reality, though...
“What to do, what to do...” Frustrated, he banged his head on the counter, too busy drowning in self-pity and despair to keep Ohno from patting his shoulder. Luckily, Aiba was too far away, otherwise he’d be in for another round of hugs ‘to cheer him up’.
“Why don't you just tell her that you like her? Come straight out with it?” Sho's resonant voice cut into Nino's train of thought.
Oh, nice! So even the guy who had come in for the first time only because Jun had dragged him here was well informed about his little quandary. It was always nice and comforting to know that people respected his privacy…
“Sakurai, right?” Nino cocked his head and slowly turned to face the suit knowing perfectly well what his name was.
The other nodded, patient smile on his face.
“If it were that simple, don’t you think I would have asked her out already? Why don’t you just drink up your coffee? Matsumoto can show you how it’s done.”
Sho seemed a little irritated and, for a split second, Nino was almost certain he’d get angry. Instead, Jun’s friend laughed. “Make real coffee and I might consider drinking it.”
“I like your coffee Kazu!” Aiba shouted from his seat near the window, once again giving Nino the thumbs-up. “But Sho-kun’s right, you should ask her out already. I - we - know you can do it!”
Just to shoot everyone down, keep those wise-asses out of his very private pity party, Nino snorted, “Right, because it's super romantic like that and I'll sweep her off her feet right away.”
“You're not a romantic,” Ohno's quiet drawl interjected - which got a snicker out of their resident hipster, who rearranged his limbs in a purposely cool pose, leaning back and pushing his glasses up his nose, but met Nino's dark stare head on.
He was just about to give all of them a piece of his mind, when the door chimed and in came his angel. Yuriko. She was wearing her hair loose like she did on most days, deep brown silk falling over her slender shoulders, framing her pretty face and her delicate features, the half smile that made her look younger than she probably was.
Why… why did she keep coming back here again and again? Her clothes looked a little extravagant but not in a cheap way. She had money, no doubt about it, but she didn’t come across like some spoiled society girl and…. and he still knew nothing about her. Nothing!
A heavy sigh escaped Nino’s otherwise tight-locked lips, which got him a puzzled look from Yuriko. She didn’t say a thing though but waited patiently like she always did.
“You’re not suicidal, are you? I’m not sure your insurance would cover death by coffee.”
“Or our insurance, for that matter,” Ohno chipped in, but Nino ignored him.
It wasn't too difficult to completely forget the world around him with this mysterious beauty smiling at him.
“I don't think I'm suicidal,” she was shaking her head.
Not a wholly satisfying answer, but at least Yuriko seemed to not be aiming for a lethal dose. He harrumphed, “Then please enlighten me why you're coming back to this place time and again? I mean, even that guy with obvious lack of taste over there - no offense, Sakurai - couldn't get a single sip of our brew down. How can you?”
This little tirade was probably more words than all the times Nino had talked to his angel combined. It wasn't the profoundest thing, but he didn't care anymore. Curiosity had won out - so there.
What he most definitely hadn't expected was Yuriko bashfully lowering her gaze to her hands.
For the first time ever, the rest of the café remained just as silent as the two of them. Heck, they didn’t even have the decency to pretend to be doing something other than eavesdropping!
Bad conscience slowly started spreading, first an uneasy knot in his stomach that slowly grew bigger and bigger with every passing second. Nino sure was used to pissing off customers, even made a sport out of it, but putting Yuriko on the spot just like that neither felt right nor satisfying. “I… I am sorry, I didn’t mean to… offend you. It’s just that I… hell, I don’t drink this shit and I’m usually all for stuff I get cheaper.”
He could make out a slight shake of her head when she lifted her gaze again, even though she still wasn't looking at him. “You're the one who recommended the matcha latte as decent. But mostly I come here to wait for you to finally ask me out.” Her tone was flat and emotionless, and when her eyes met Nino's they didn't betray a single word of what she had just said.
Nino, for his part, had to remind himself to close his mouth. The others however, including their newest addition, were clapping their hands in applause.
“You what?” he burst out. This was just too much, too much to grasp, and besides, too good to be true. He was a skeptic at heart, after all.
“Please don’t make me say it again.” Her blush did things to him he couldn’t possibly put into words. If he hadn’t been head over heels for her already, this would have been the moment to fall in love.
“But you must have known that I was lying after your first sip,” was all he managed to mutter.
“For crying out loud, that’s not the point!” Sakurai’s impatient interjection was annoying, true, but it did help.
“So… I take it you wouldn’t say no then if I asked you out to get some coffee, right?” Not the smoothest line he could possibly come up with, but hey, his heart was hammering in his chest and he felt as if he was mere seconds from passing out. Plus, he hadn’t tried to sell her more of their shit nor had he insulted her.
“Yes, I would,” Yuriko nodded, still blushing and looking prettier than ever.
Could this be true? Wasn’t he daydreaming yet again? Had she just agreed to a date? Had she really? Had she?
Before he could go crazy, Yuriko coyly added, “On one condition though…”
Which had Nino’s heart sink again. He had been right - whenever something seemed too good to be true it usually was. “I…”
“Take me somewhere they sell real coffee, okay?”
~*~