good morning, sweetheart || terukane

adoration

Two years went by quicker than Teru expected.

He kept his promise, or rather what he should have considered a deal. Despite graduating high school, he continued to work at the diner- in hopes that someday Akane would show up.

The two didn't talk at all during that time gap. Teru didn't have his number, and he thought he was absolutely stupid for not getting at least that before the boy left.

Both Suzuto and Aoi both refused to talk to him.

He knew Aoi didn't like him from the start. She only acted polite when they were around people or hung out together because of mutual friends. She admitted directly that she didn't like nor dislike him, and that her opinion on him didn't need to be further disclosed (maybe it was better that way).

He didn't even want to see Suzuto after the brunette had called him heartless without hesitation. He had a feeling he'd only be scolded- it was always those damn garden specialists. Sweet and smart on the outside, yet people filled with pent up anger. It was best to avoid him.

Mei didn't know Akane well enough to have his number, and neither did Shijima. The same went for his other friends.

So he went two years without any sort of contact. A little over two years, actually.

At some point, he began to lose hope.

He made sure to memorize any little thing about Akane from their past conversations. He still knew how much the boy loved cats, raspberry flavored candy, work, and success.

He had even asked his little brother and his boyfriend (who thought Teru was the worst and didn't really want to share their recipe. Mitsuba never seemed to like him. It wasn't like it mattered, though. Teru didn't like him either. They just learned to work together because of Kou.) to teach him how to make hot chocolate for when Akane came back.

When Akane left, he went as far as trying the hot chocolate Akane loved so much. It was good, but he wanted to make it better. No offense to Mei, of course.

But now he was left with just a mug of hot chocolate.

There were exactly three marshmallows in it.

("If this is for Aoi-senpai, make sure it's not too sweet!" Kou told him. When Teru asked how Kou knew who it was for, he only giggled.)

Though that didn't change the fact that it was just- there. It wasn't even completely filled.

("Aoi-kun doesn't like the cup filled to the brim. It needs to be just below that so it doesn't spill. He's very stubborn about how much he likes the cup filled." Shijima told him. "Don't bother asking why I know you learned for him. Akane-san told me to tell you. She knows as well.")

Most importantly, though, it was cold.

("I hate the cold," he remembered something Akane said from a random conversation of theirs. "I don't like when my food is cold, either. I drink room temperature water, even on hot days. It's just how I like it. It's how everyone should like it, actually.." and then he went on about how much he thought everyone should think the same. It was cute.)

He held onto the sides of the cup, looking down into its contents with an empty expression.

Akane wouldn't want a cold cup of hot chocolate.

Maybe he wasn't coming back, after all. It was already autumn. Maybe he had changed his mind, and what they had didn't mean a thing. Maybe Akane was the one who forgot about him, this time.

He supposed it was fair. It was his karma, wasn't it? He forgot Akane before, and so maybe Akane planned to leave- the same way he did before he got too curious.