Disclaimer: I own absolutely 100% of this, unless it belongs to someone else.

And I bet you thought I was joking about the hint. :-) Enjoy.

Oh, props to anyone who found the hint! I've heard it took a while.


The Patron (Eat In)

There is no way this could be happening now…

You want to run. Like right now. Like right fucking now, even though it's raining (it's pouring, my old man is probably snoring…) and you hate getting wet. And you can't stand the thought that this is happening because of a girl.

Or rather, THAT girl.

It's not like you don't like Izumi! Far from it! She has got to be one of the most tremendously beautiful women that you've ever seen, and that's saying something, because you once dated a model. (A hand model, but still…it kind of counts.) But the fact that you, Takuya Kanbara, master of flirting (self-proclaimed; want to try me?), are completely scared shitless because of…the girl who's standing right in front of you.

Shit.

Z

I decide that, due to the fact that the weather is horrible and Takuya must be soaked, he was probably cold. When I express the thought to Hana, she makes a crude comment about 'warming his bones the old fashioned way,' and I leave to ask him if he wants a drink. Or, I would have if he'd been paying attention.

After a couple of seconds of waiting, in which he seems to almost maybe be avoiding me, I clear my throat. He jumps faster than a scalded cat, eyes flittering about the room as he suddenly yells out "The answer is 42, Ms. Hadokin!" Then he seems to notice where he is, before locking eyes with me, face red and embarrassed.

I giggle. He stares, laughs nervously, then stares some more. It is…unnerving, to say the least. (Well, okay, it is kinda creepy.) I clear my throat again, making sure that he is definitely (maybe) paying attention before speaking. "So," I pause to get the right words (none of which are "Why are you staring at me?") "Takuya, did you want something?" (And failed.) He blinks like he's confused, and then looks at my uniform. Realization dawns on his face.

"Oh, you meant, like…from the restaurant. Huh. This is awkward." He mumbles, and I raise an eyebrow questioningly. "Oh crap. I think you heard that. You weren't supposed to." He covers his mouth, and then smacks himself in the forehead, leaving me to wonder if his sanity is still out in the storm. "Wait, that came out wrong. Still awkward. Let me try again." Then he slaps himself twice, makes a rewind noise with his mouth, and says, "I'd like an apple juice, please."

I nod and smile brilliantly like I was trained to do, inwardly thinking that was both dorky and adorable (adorkable?). Then Hana comes over, and because of our intense mutual dislike of each other, my training is chucked out of the window into the pouring rain, along with my smile.

-T-

Smooth as sandpaper, Kanbara.

That…you…fuck. Just…fuck. That didn't work. At all. You were totally going to run, like you said, but then Izumi was right there! And she was talking to you, and asking if you wanted something. So you were totally going to say something cool like 'yeah, an extra tall order of you to go,' but then that damn uniform had to be there! It's just so…distracting! (I mean, she just…it looks…damn. You hope the apple juice is cold.)

But, yeah, now you're stuck here until Izumi gets back with the apple juice. (Apple juice?! What were you thinking? Kids drink apple juice! You should've got something mature…like milk! No…wait!) To make matters worse, you're stuck listening to the coworker with dust stuck in her eyes – What was her name? Hammer? Hamtaro? Hamburger? Whatever. – who is going on and on and on about herself while showing no regard whatsoever for your personal boundaries.

Man, you're really hoping that your apple juice gets here like A.S.A. now.

-Z-

After I get the glass from the dishwasher in the back and fill it with apple juice, (seriously, how adorable is that?) I take some of the leftover pieces of cake that I was saving (and totally not stealing so I could eat them later) and bring them out front. Sure, it's a weird combination, but cake seems like a good way to say 'sorry you have to deal with my crazy, slutty coworker…and the weather…and my coworker. Did I mention her? Because I really am that sorry.'

Sure enough, I spot the two of them at the table, Hana vainly trying to seduce him with all of the subtlety (and ugliness/morbid fascination) of a train wreck. Ignoring her questioning glare, I set the drink down along with the cake slices, sitting myself down across from the two of them. Takuya flashes me a quick smile (which, for future reference, does not help boost resolve to not hug somebody for being a really great person who ignores stupid blond bi-…never mind.) before partaking in the ancient tradition of enjoying free food.

Of course, everything went downhill from there.

-T-

You don't notice the death glares flying across the table until you're well into your piece of cake. You defend yourself with the age old excuse of cake clearly being a gift from the gods of dessert, happiness, and high cholesterol (…yeah, it's as sad as it is true.), but it's still a pretty flimsy one at best. You decide to break the tension as smoothly as possible. "So," you say in between (now awkward) sips of your apple juice, "what's eating you guys?"

There's a moment where you swear that you heard a reply of "nothing yet" from the right, but you're not really sure. The silence stretches on and on, up to a point where you can't understand how it's lasted so long, before…uh…not-Zoe (Hamlet? Hampton? Handel?) speaks. "Nothing, handsome. It's just…you got me all wet" (you managed to suppress both a spit take and the urge to make a joke) "after that stunt you pulled when you came in earlier, and now I'm really cold. Mind lending me your shirt so I can warm up?"

You fail to see how that's an effective strategy, seeing as the shirt (as well as the magnificence that is your jacket) is still wet too, and voicing such thoughts ends up causing not-Zoe to pout and Izumi to laugh. (Of course, more death glares get thrown around because of that, but you got to hear that laugh again which, by default, makes it a win in your books.)


So...I was going to post this on Wednesday or Thursday, but life* got in the way. (*Life being an Agents of Shield binge watching session & college stuff. Mostly AoS tho.)

Love it? Hate it? Want more? Want it gone? Want to talk? Tell me in a review. I promise you won't regret it.** (**You will regret any jokes I leave in a reply though.)

See you soon (if finals don't kill me/my creativity first)!