Lifestyle: College AU (Coffee Shop)
The Friday Sun had finally peaked over the horizon, glared down throughout the day, and was now starting to set. Momoi still hadn’t called Akashi and she was staring at his number on the piece of paper he gave her while lying on her bed.
“Look, just call the guy. You’re grinning like an idiot.”
Momoi puffed her cheeks at the other occupant in the room. Her childhood friend Aomine Daiki ended up going to the same college as her and would crash in her dorm on occasion. Today was one of those days.
Aomine was the first person Momoi told when she got home from work the other day when Akashi gave her his number. This wasn’t the first time Aomine had heard about this Akashi fellow. The guy sounded too good to be true with the way Momoi went on about him. There was no way a guy that was around their age was already as successful as he was. A quick Google search proved otherwise. The guy was top of his class in high school, graduated with multiple awards and honors from the university he attended, and landed a job at one the most prestigious companies in the region days after he graduated. Top that off with his rapid climb up to the top and the guy was basically a god. As an added bonus Momoi told him that Akashi told her he coached a children’s basketball team in his free time. Ever since he took over as coach his little team had won several championships. Go figure.
Aomine scowled. The guy still seemed too good to be true.
“I don’t really think he’s as great as you say? I mean, so what if he’s accomplished all of this stuff in such a short time? He’s probably an ass.”
Momoi gave a slight smile. Aomine wasn't jealous by any means, but Momoi was his best friend.
“You’re not worried about me, are you?”
Aomine snorted. “No. Why would I worry about a dummy like you?”
Momoi just rolled her eyes and then took a deep breath. “Ok, here I go.”
She dialed the number and the phone rang. A voice answered soon after. There was no turning back now.
“This is Akashi Seijuurou.”
His voice was professional, slightly tense.
“Aka- I mean, Seijuurou it’s me, Satsuki.”
“Oh, I’ve been waiting for you. It’s good to hear your voice, I was afraid you had forgotten about me.”
Momoi noticed an immediate change in his voice and blushed at his comment. He sounded at ease and genuinely pleased with the fact that she was the one who called him.
“Oh no, I just. . .” She trailed off, not entirely sure what to say.
She had a feeling he was teasing her.
“I just lost track of time,” she settled on, even though it was only partially true. She had been nervous too.
Akashi gave a small laugh on the other line. “I see. So when are you free, tomorrow?”
“I don’t work, so we could meet up at ten tomorrow morning?”
“Perfect. I’ll come pick you up.”
“Oh no, that’s ok! The university isn’t far from the coffee shop so I can walk.”
“Well then we’ll walk together, how's that?”
“I couldn’t make you do that. . .”
“On the contrary, it would be an honor. Please allow me to be a gentleman on your behalf.”
Well when you put it that way.
“Ok,” she responded softly.
“Goodnight, Satsuki. I’ll see you in the morning.”
The call ended and Momoi buried her face in her pillow, hiding the tinge of pink on her cheeks.
Momoi arrived a bit earlier than their designated meetup time. A lot earlier, actually. Fifteen minutes. She just, couldn’t wait. Akashi had texted her earlier that morning asking for the best meetup spot and she replied at the front of the dorms. She felt awkward sitting outside on one of the benches outside the dorm, her book bag next to her.. People kept looking at her curiously as they walked by. Not that she blamed them, she did stand out. Or at least she felt like she did.
She looked at the the clock on her phone. Only 3 minutes had ticked by. Of course.
Akashi pulled up to the school, parking his car. He noticed Momoi sitting on one of the benches and smiled.
I wonder how long she’s been waiting? He thought to himself as he got out of his car.
She looked nice today, with her hair in a low side ponytail and her sundress a light blue color. She was cute, truth be told.
He had approached the bench but she hadn’t taken notice, her gaze wandering elsewhere.
She jumped slightly, surprised by the sudden voice and turned around. He finally got a good look at her face, making note of the shimmer on her lips from her lip gloss. She looked like she was wearing a bit of mascara too. Not that she needed it, her eyes were beautiful without makeup.
“Good morning! I’m sorry, how long have you been standing there?”
“Not long, don’t worry about it. How long have you been here?”
She shrugged. “Oh, not long.”
The look on his face told her that he new she was lying. He made no comment.
“Are you ready? Do you have everything you need?”
Momoi patted her book bag that sat beside her on the bench. “Yep, ready as I’ll ever be.”
Akashi offered his hand. “Shall we, then?”
Momoi looked up at Akashi as he spoke. The two were walking on the sidewalk, almost arriving to their destination. Akashi’s voice was low, concerning.
“Yes?” Momoi asked, worried.
“I don’t want to alarm you, but there’s been someone following us ever since we left the university. Short blue hair, dark skin. If he follows us inside the coffee shop I’m calling the police.”
Momoi groaned. “Ugh, no, it’s fine. Dai-chan you idiot. . .” She mumbled the last bit under her breath.
“Yes. That’s Aomine Daiki, my childhood best friend.”
She turned around and called out to him. “Dai-chan, come over here and introduce yourself and stop following us like a weirdo!”
His cover blown, Aomine caught up with Akashi and Momoi.
Momoi hit him on the arm as soon as he walked up. “You dummy, we thought we were being stalked.”
“Hey, just looking out for your wellbeing is all.” He turned to look at Akashi eyeing him up and down, a small scowl on his face. “You must be Akashi.”
Ugh, this guy really is perfect.
“So you know about me, then?” Akashi questioned.
“Yeah, Satsuki doesn’t shut up about the handsome patron that comes into work.”
Momoi blushed, hitting Aomine again. “Dai-chan!”
The corners of Akashi’s mouth curled up into an amused smile. He wanted to probe at Momoi more but decided he could do that when they were alone.
“Are you two more than just friends?” He asked.
Both Aomine and Momoi laughed and Akashi raised an eyebrow. “I’ll take that as a no?”
“Dai-chan and I tried the dating thing once, and it just didn’t work out for us. We’ve been friends for so long that it felt like we were dating a sibling.”
Aomine nodded in agreement.
“Dai-chan’s dating someone right now anyway.”
On cue, Aomine’s phone buzzed and he pulled it out of his pocket. “Speaking of which, I gotta go. Keep out of trouble.”
Momoi rolled her eyes. “I don’t wanna hear that from you.”
Aomine gave Akashi a once over, gave some sort of grunt in what sounded like wary approval, and left. Akashi raised an eyebrow in response.
“Yeah, he can be a pain in my butt, but I love him.”
“Shall we continue, then?”
Momoi nodded in response and they continued on.
“Oh my god, have we been here for that long?” Momoi said, looking at the clock on the wall of the coffee shop. “I’m sorry for keeping you here with me for so long.”
The two of them had been there for a few hours already, the clock showing it was almost one in the afternoon. Akashi had been a great help to Momoi with her linguistics studies, and she was already beginning to understand it a lot better with his help. Studying had led to casual conversation and before they knew it, the time had just flown by.
“Nonsense, I’ve enjoyed your company. Since it is lunch time, Why don’t we go out to eat?”
Momoi shook her head. “Unfortunately I don’t have any cash on me right now. That’s why I didn’t get any coffee here.”
“Well then, it’s a good thing this is a date huh?”
“Well I hope so, otherwise I’m going to feel foolish for thinking otherwise this entire time.”
Momoi had been hopeful that their outing was a dating, but she figured it was wishful thinking on her end. She was pleased to discover otherwise.
“Lunch would be wonderful, then.”
“Perfect. I know of a good place close by.”
At lunch, in a restaurant that Momoi would never had picked on her own because it would eat her wallet whole, the two of them talked back and forth with each other, learning more than what they could during their brief moments together at the dry cleaners.
“Enough about me, though. What about you?” Akashi nodded at her.
“Oh I haven’t done stuff near as exciting as you, like travel or learn 4 languages. I’d bore you, I’m sure.”
Akashi rested his chin in his hand casually. “Try me.”
Momoi bit her lip at the way he stared at her. “Well I mostly do volunteer work in my free time.”
“A few places. A children’s home, LGBTQ youth center, and a soup kitchen.”
“Sounds like you’ve got your hands full. You must major in counseling, huh?”
Momoi rubbed the back of her head. “I’m that obvious, huh?”
Akashi gave her a smile that said, “Of course. I’m curious why you chose to take a class in linguistics, though. It’s not really related much to what you’re trying to pursue.”
“It just seemed like an interesting class to take, and thanks to your help I think I’m going to enjoy it more.”
“It was my pleasure. More importantly than all of this, though, do you really think I’m handsome?”
The sudden question caught Momoi off guard. “I- what?”
“Your friend said you talked about the handsome patron that comes into work, often. Do you really think I’m handsome?
“I mean, yeah. . .” She said in a quiet voice, her face flaming.
Akashi hummed in response, his eyes playful. He was teasing her. Momoi wasn’t surprised with how smooth he was, but damn? Did he have to make her heart flutter this much on the first date? Momoi wasn’t one to get nervous or blush easily, so this was completely new for her.
“I’m sorry, I pushed too far, didn’t I?”
“No, not at all! I just, don’t normally get this flustered. . .It’s a weird feeling.”
“Well I’d be lying if I said I didn’t feel nervous right now either.”
Momoi raised an eyebrow. Akashi’s demeanour said otherwise. “You are?”
He nodded. “Very. It’s embarrassing how sweaty my hands are right now. Keeping myself in check in front of you is a struggle.”
“You could have fooled me. You seem as cool as a cucumber.”
Momoi leaned forward slightly. “So, do you think I’m attractive, then?”
There was still a blush on her cheeks, but her eyes held a spark of mischievousness. Akashi leaned forward, the gap between them narrowing.
