Catalyst
By pure2ND
Chapter Three: Coffee, Chai, Chicks
He yawned widely, hearing his jaw crack in protest. Wearily, he rubbed at the dark circles etched underneath his bleary eyes. He had gotten barely three hours of sleep last night, let alone his usual ten. Maybe he should have just waited for the sunset, instead of getting up so freaking early. Now that he thought about it, he could always skip both altogether. But he had promised, hadn't he? And this one, unlike the others, really mattered.
Slumping down the brick pathway he had walked earlier in the morning, he forced himself to lift his head and look at the still dark sky. God, he needed a latte. He should have checked what time the sun actually rose in November instead of getting up at this ungodly hour. Ah well, he supposed he could always go wake the other F3, so he wouldn't have to suffer alone.
Reaching the end of the pathway, he encountered the heavy steel gate that kept the world at bay and the residents a higher entity. He rolled his eyes as he entered another security code that would allow him to leave. People could be so paranoid. He strolled through the gate, hearing it creak shut behind him. Suddenly, he remembered he had left his cell phone back in his room. Cursing, he turned back to the gate…and froze.
The previous day it had rained, but the walls surrounding the home were still dry, courtesy of the stone ledge running along the top. On the wall on one side of the gate was drawn a sunrise, and on the other side, a sunset. Rays seemed to emanate from the very bricks themselves. Color after color was layered, shaped, smoothed, until the sun itself seemed to be in front of him. The two drawings were distinctly magnificent, yet they were unmistakably a pair.
He walked forward until he was nearly touching the wall with the sunrise. Tentatively, he stroked the clouds, almost believing his fingers would pass right through them. When he lifted his hands away from the brick, the clouds were smudged and his fingers were covered in a smooth white powder. He rubbed them together slowly. "Chalk…" He murmured to himself, realizing what was in the box the girl had been holding the night before.
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"Yo, save me some of that coffee, dude!" Akira strolled across the grass toward the man sitting by himself at one of the cafeteria tables. He ignored the signs warning him not to lay so much as a finger on the grass. Like anyone would stop him.
Tsukasa lowered the cup he had tilted nearly upright in his desire for a caffeine fix. The two exchanged a hand slap by way of greeting and Akira slumped into a chair at the same table. He grabbed one of the numerous cups on the cafeteria table, glanced into it, then tossed it away disgustedly. "Are all these empty? How long you been here?"
Tsukasa shrugged and muttered ambiguously, "Awhile."
Akira frowned at this dour attitude, then brightened when he spotted two other familiar figures headed toward one of the other buildings. "Hey guys! Over here!" He waved at them enthusiastically, and the two men changed direction.
Akira repeated the customary greeting with the two, then immediately began babbling on about his latest conquest to Rui, who merely looked bored. Soujiro extended his hand to Tsukasa to greet him, but Tsukasa seemed not to notice. He kept on rubbing his fingers together and talking to himself under his breath. Soujiro leaned closer to better hear him, while Rui nudged Akira and indicated the other two. Silence followed until Tsukasa finally looked up to see his three friends staring curiously at him. "What the…?" He jerked away from Soujiro. "Dude, back off, okay?"
He shoved his chair back, causing it topple on the floor with a loud crash. Soujiro raised his hands in surrender, "Chill out. What's up with you?" He motioned for Tsukasa to sit down again, and followed suit himself.
Tsukasa leaned his head back and groaned, closing his eyes and rubbing his face tiredly. "Not enough sleep." He made no move to apologize, but the other three weren't expecting one either. Attempts to start up conversation fell flat on their faces, as no one could ignore the faintly snoring Tsukasa.
"Dude, new chick," Whispering conspiratorially, Akira leaned close to Soujiro across the table. He pointed out a girl ambling toward them, one of the first he'd seen actually using the sidewalk. "Over there."
"Hot chick," Soujiro whispered back, letting his eyes roam unabashedly across her body. "Wish she was wearing a mini and heels though. I bet her legs are bangin'."
The girl walked closer, her messenger bag bumping against her thigh with each step. Timing his move perfectly, Soujiro pushed his chair back, trapping her neatly between his chair and one of the next table over. The girl squeaked in surprise. Soujiro, ever the perfect gentleman, turned to look at her, a look of dismay on his face. "I'm so sorry! I didn't see you there!" He pulled his chair back and gave her his most winning grin.
She smiled and said softly, "That's okay." She resumed walking toward the Starbucks in the cafeteria without a backward glance at the four men.
Soujiro gave Akira a confused look. No girl had ever been able to resist his charm before. Akira just laughed. "I guess you're finally losing your mojo."
Soujiro flicked him off. "You wish," He chased after the girl, leaping over chairs in loping strides. "Hey, wait!"
The girl turned to wait for him. Soujiro stopped in front of her and brushed casually at a drop of sweat on his forehead. "I might have crushed something in your bag. Please, let me repay you by buying you a drink."
She leaned close and cupped her hand around his ear. Soujiro grinned toothily, knowing what was coming, and slid his hand down to her behind, pinching it and smiling cheekily to himself. Instead, she whispered, "You're never going to be able to live it down if I don't let you buy me a drink, are you?" Soujiro stared at her, his mouth agape. She grinned broadly, but it looked a little strained. "Chai tea latte, please. And get your hand off my ass before I knee you where the sun don't shine." So that was the reason for the gritted teeth.
Soujiro backed off a little and flushed, a rare sight. "Sorry."
The two strolled toward the Starbucks together, hands innocently held at their sides. No one was at the counter, but Soujiro slapped his hand once, and immediately a barista appeared. "What can I get you two?"
"Chai tea latte for her, and I'll take a large – black," The barista turned to make the drinks, and Soujiro looked down at the girl, who had poked him gently in the side. "What was that for?"
"You drink black coffee?" Her nose was scrunched up, disbelief etched in her eyes. "Isn't that stuff gross?"
He chuckled and tweaked her nose. "I don't insult your chai tea, now do I? I'll give you a sip of my coffee to try if you want."
She grinned and batted his hand away, "No thanks."
"Excuse me sir? Your drinks are ready. I'll charge it to your tab." The barista handed Soujiro the steaming cups and a few napkins, then returned to her trashy romance novel.
The girl reached for her drink and blew carefully to cool it a bit. She smiled up at Soujiro and murmured a quiet thank you.
"No problem. I hope I bump into you again." He winked at her.
The girl laughed, the sound ringing in the empty cafeteria. She nodded at Soujiro, then turned to leave, only to bump into someone else. She nearly spilled the tea latte, but a hand steadied it for her, and the man muttered, "Woah…"
She looked up slowly to see Tsukasa staring at her. She smiled brightly at him, but he didn't return it. Instead, he clenched her wrist tightly. "You woke me up."
She laughed again, twisting out of his grip. "Morning Tsukasa. Enjoy the sunrise?" And then she fled.