Sasori stretched, blinking in the afternoon sun. His top button was already undone, heat from the day dissipating around his small office room.
He rubbed one palm against his face, feeling the sensation of dull, lifeless skin.
It had been a straining week. The redhead was feeling the brunt of it on his body now.
Thankfully, this Friday had quietened down. It was a little after lunch and many of his coworkers had already left or were out getting their food.
Invariably, the redhead had brought nothing to eat. He'd been topped up on hot drinks and water. Yet now his stomach let out an unmistakable growl.
Resilient as he was, Sasori would need food eventually. Glancing at his calendar, he realised he had no further meetings that day.
It was a light, spring day…It wouldn't hurt to get out the building for a while.
Making his mind up, the redhead snapped his laptop shut.
Before long he had strolled through the gate of the University building. The campus was quiet; most of the students on Easter break.
He decided to walk for a little, enjoying the feel of the April sunshine on his face.
Sasori liked to be inside most of the time. His work and passions meant his ideal day was spent at his desk, perfecting his creations…but occasionally, he could appreciate the change of scenery.
Inspiration had to come from somewhere, no?
He didn't naturally crave the company of other people though. He passed down a high street; too raucous, too belligerent.
The redhead carried on, turning down a side street. There was the University library, that had a cafe inside, on the ground floor. However, he had no desire to rub shoulders with his students right now.
He walked on for about ten minutes, until his chocolate-grey eyes alighted on something ideal.
Having slipped through a pathway, he found a quieter side street. A collection of shops dotted the view; bookshops, a children's clothes and shoe shop…and a smallish cafe. It was called the 'Orange Swirl.'
The name was peculiar indeed. Still, it looked pleasant enough.
There were a few other customers but Sasori knew when he came through the door he could settle down in the corner table by the window and carry on working here. He had a nice view of a collections of trees, the flowering blossom rippling in the slight breeze.
He could feel the warmth from the light on his face, but it wasn't right in his eyes. He settled down, opening his laptop.
The redhead hadn't made eye contact with anyone as he entered the store, watching where he stepped instead. He realised he'd need to order at the counter, so with a sigh, locked his laptop and made the short walk over to the counter.
There were two staff members working, one had his back to the redhead, making drinks at the coffee machine. A taller man with spiky black hair and muscly physique gave him a wide smile.
"What can I get you?" The man spoke with a playful intention.
"Uhh…coffee, regular coffee, please." Sasori said in monotone. He had forgotten, momentarily, that he wanted something to eat too.
"Coming up." The man said, ringing his order through the till. Sasori saw him glance to his co-worker. "An easier one for you that, Deidara." He smirked.
As he reached into his wallet to draw out his card, Sasori's eyes were drawn to the other figure behind the counter. The person named Deidara spun round, eyes flashing but with a relaxed countenance.
"Please Kisame; if you wanna switch all you have to do is ask, un." He jeered.
Deidara had long waves of blond hair which was pulled into a light ponytail. Sasori saw how it looped through a black cap and down his back. Although the ponytail was neat at the back, wisps of fringe poked through the front of his cap. His face was a little flushed, having made countless hot beverages behind the counter for the past couple of hours.
With a finishing flair, the blond added a sprinkling of dusted chocolate to the grand, fancy hot chocolate he had just made. The redhead looked at it and did a double-take; the whipped cream was modelled in the shape of a penguin.
Sasori raised his eyebrows. What in the world...?
"Like my bird, un?" A voice cut across his thoughts, bringing him out of his revere.
Sasori almost did a double take. The voice was playful and ever so slightly…alluring.
It caught him off guard.
Dropping his card on the floor, Sasori muttered to himself as he bent down to pick it up. When he stood back up straight, Deidara was standing right in front of him, holding out a fresh cup of coffee and giving him a bright smile.
"We'd normally bring it over to you, but yours is ready right now if you want it, un." He said casually.
Sasori accepted the cup, taking in the blond's face. Deidara was younger than he was, with vibrant blue eyes that were magnified by the black liner he had framing them. His skin was lightly tanned, and he was slender, yet the redhead saw a hint of muscle on his forearms.
The blond wore a black polo shirt, colours matching his cap. On the right side of his torso a small name badge stood out; the design was a red cloud, and in dark italic writing it had the name "Deidara" displayed. Indeed it was his name, then.
Sasori, a master of details, had took in this in within just a few moments. Hardly any time passed when he said in reply "Thanks. I appreciate you not making me wait."
The blond smirked. "Anytime, un." He quipped.
Sasori walked away from the counter with his coffee.
His brain felt strangely distracted as he sat down.
It took him a little while to get into the swing of working again.
•••
The redhead drained his cup, feeling somewhat rejuvenated from the caffeine. One of his student's project proposals was actually showing promise, for once. Sasori gladly wrote back to his student via email, with a few pointers of how he could demonstrate the outline of the brief more eloquently.
Feeling satisfied, Sasori stretched again. He had a weird feeling in his middle, like a dull ache…
He watched the cafe for a moment; a pre-teen girl and her mother were happily chatting nearby, the girl having enjoyed the hot chocolate.
Remembering the younger man who made the whipped cream penguin creation, Sasori glanced towards the counter. He couldn't see the blond…
The older staff member was taking off an apron and folding it up. He swung a bag round his shoulder, stowing his cap and apron within. As he watched, Deidara came out of the back room, carrying a box of coffee beans.
"You sure you don't mind?" Sasori heard the taller man say to the blond.
"Of course!" The blond nudged Kisame with his leg. "Get yourself off, un. I can handle things here."
"I owe you one Dei, thank you!" Kisame replied happily, zipping up his jacket.
"Don't mention it. Or maybe do! I may need a favour from you one day, un." The blond called out, as he stood behind the till.
With a thankful wave, Kisame exited the shop.
Sasori blinked. He went to take another sip of his drink as he surveyed the scene, and realised it was already empty. Damn.
Standing up, the redhead reconciled that dull ache with hunger. Ah. That was right, he was going to eat too.
He stood up, and went once again to the counter.
Deidara blinked at him; his fringe was completely covering one eye now. It must have come loose as he moved around.
"Hello again, un." The blond mused at the redhead.
"Hello…" Sasori repeated back. He ordered a ham and cream cheese bagel and another coffee. Deidara ran his order through the til.
"I'll have it ready soon for you, un. I'll bring it over this time, un." He said steadily. "I won't make you wait, mister…?" He trailed off, as intonation that he would have said the redhead's name.
Sasori clocked the meaning behind the words. "Akasuna." He said in a low voice.
The blond nodded. "Mister Akasuna" he repeated under his breath.
The redhead pursed his lips together, mouth feeling a little dry. He had given his name over so easily; what warranted purpose could he have to do so? The blond didn't really need his name to carry out the order; its not a like this was a Starbucks. Sasori surprised himself, a little.
Rubbing the back of his neck, Sasori stared at the blond. He then remembered the younger man had told him he was bring it over. Realising he was standing there like an idiot, he turned quickly on his feel and sat back down at the table.
The redhead's face was feeling warm, and this time it was no effect from the sun.
It was now approaching 4pm. The sunlight was still strong; passersby were meandering through the street. Sasori occasionally found himself people watching as he steadily worked through marking. He'd been able to clear a lot of the gumpft.
Bemused, Sasori considered that he could make a habit of this. Fridays were usually a quiet afternoon at the University; often he was one of the last to leave in his department. Many of the senior professors left early - the redhead being a doctoral student didn't have as much leverage as they did to make his own hours.
Still, he saw no reason why he couldn't work from elsewhere provided he got his job done.
He tapped the side of his cup, thinking…
He took in the atmosphere of this cafe, the smell of the fresh coffee and pleasant hum. He heard the blond man laugh as he chatted to some customers at the counter.
Yeah. He could get used to this.
•••