Gender-neutral pronouns
Coffee shop!AU
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No matter how hard you hard you try, you couldn't get the image of other lips pressed to your fiancè's. It was slowly killing you, as it flashed repeatedly in your mind. Your tears were endless, cascading down your cheeks and falling on your desk in a rhythm.
Why did you have to love him? Why did you have to accept his proposal, only to see it crumble before your very eyes? Why did you have to see him love another, three days before you are to be tied as one with him?
You wanted to unsee it all.
Take away your things and go, you bastard! Make sure we'll never meet again!
You gazed at the ring on your right finger, a symbol of your engagement with your ex-fiancè. You bit your lip down hard, and twisted the diamond ring out of your finger. It was high time to let go, even though it's hard.
The ring found its way to the wastebasket, along with rejected articles you wrote, courtesy of your boss. The moment you did, you heard your boss' secretary call your name.
You had a feeling that this would not end well.
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A long speech later, you were holding a box with all your belongings and waiting for a taxi to take you home and let you mourn.
You just lost your job.
Your articles were failures. I'm sorry, but I'll have to let you go.
You knew your articles were trash, but he didn't have to rub it on your face that they were complete failures. You have poured your everything through these articles, but, it wasn't enough.
In matter of 36 hours, you have lost your fiancè and your job.
"What could possibly go wrong?" you said, trying to insert some positivity in this negative situation, as you waited for ages for a taxi.
Drops of precipitate fell on the road and on you. It was a harmless drizzle at first.
Then, a downpour.
The box fell open, and all your belongings fell to the rain-stained pavement. You sighed in exasperation, tryimg hard not to cry as you gathered your things.
Once you gathered them all, you set toward a stately cafe, in hopes that caffeine would drown out all your unfortunes.
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"Welcome to The Owlery, what could I get you?"
A stoic, raven-haired man at the counter faced your drenched frame.
"Caramel Latte, tall—no, make it Grande. I need more caffeine than usual." you said.
"That'd be 410 yen, please." he deadpanned.
You rummaged through your bag for your wallet. It was nowhere to be found.
That's when it hit you.
You were late to work this morning because you walked from your apartment to your office. The reason?
You forgot your wallet at your apartment.
You cursed under your breath. Now, where can you get caffeine without money?
"Nevermind, cancel the order. Forgot my money at home." you said, mumbling the last part.
You shuffled toward a table topped with your damp office supplies and files. You sank into your seat, not believing the incredible luck you had.
No coffee, no job, no love.
Just perfect.
"Caramel Latte and Double Chocolate cake."
A coffee cup and plate made contact with the wood of the table, surprising you. You cancelled your order, not even a chocolate cake made it to your request of an order.
"I never ordered anything." you mumble, looking into the stoic barista's gray-green eyes.
"It's on me, don't worry. I can tell you're having a bad day."
He sat across you, pushing the cup and plate toward you. You sighed and took a sip from the caramel latte, wishing that this portion of caffeine wiuld wash away your sadness.
"Don't you have work?" you asked him.
He looked at you with a serious expression. He seemed to be doing something with the paper napkin on the table.
"My shift ended after you cancelled your order." he said.
The silence was awkward. None of you seemed to have the heart to talk.
Then, the stoic man managed to break the pane of silence.
"Mind telling me your problem, person-drenched-in-rain?" he asked.
You giggled at the nickname he gave you.
"That's a long nickname. (l/n) (f/n) is fine, Mr. Stoic Barista." you said.
"Well then, (l/n)-san, Stoic Barista-san seems to be a weird nickname. Call me Akaashi." he said, holding out his hand for you to shake.
You took it and shook it gently, making you smile a bit. Akaashi-san's stoic demeanor made you smile, even though he was all serious.
"So... Akaashi, here's my odyssey." you began.
You took a deep breath before you let it all out. With tears.
"You know that feeling that you love someone so much that it's hard to let go? Well, that happened to me. I really loved my fiancè. Then.. I... found out that he was cheating on me. Three days before the wedding. That's when it all began. I lost my job, lost my fiancè, and here I am, drenched by the rain with a latte and cake on the table paid by a barista because I forgot my money at home."
Akaashi handed you a handkerchief, for you to dry your unending cascade of tears.
"Take your time to move on. Cry your eyes out, watch Netflix shows while eating a whole tub of ice cream, read horror stories at midnight and laugh, read comedy and cry, write nonsense on paper and force a publisher to publish it, you can do all kind of things to forget him. You just need to move on, step by step." he said, with warmth in his small smile and weird advice.
You laughed at his humor-filled advice, smiling in the darkest hours of your life. This barista sure knew how to brighten up the gloomy 36 hours of your life.
"You're right. Does that mean that I can plot his murder while I'm at it?" you joked.
He burst in a fit of laughter, it was cute, you thought. It was the kind of laugh that was contagious, that made you chuckle also.
"See, you're doing it." he said, smiling.
Akaashi had that kind of smile that was rare, yet beautiful. He, who was stoic, had the most wonderful smiles you have ever seen. A sweet one, too.
He got up, and patted your head. He said he that he had to go, but he wished that you'd meet again soon.
Your eyes caught sight of the paper napkin on the table, that was decorated with a messy scrawl of characters.
If you feel sad, call me :)
01-****-**68
Akaashi Keiji
You looked at the checkered fabric that had dried your tears.
At least you had a reason to call him.
••••••••••
Coffeeeeeeee
Coffee shop!AUs are so cute ughhhh too much floof for my angst-filled soul
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-xen
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Flight (hq! x reader one-shots)
Fanfiction"Because people don't have wings, they look for other ways to fly" Take flight, soar high. One-shots made by yours truly, coalesxence.
