Big Book of Writing

Empty Cup (Kanayuki, SDRA2)

Prompt: https://otpprompts.tumblr.com/post/161707256577/person-a-is-a-barista-at-a-nearby-coffee-shop/amp

"Person A is a barista at a nearby coffee shop. They have grown fond of Person B, who they have a crush on. One day, when B orders their coffee, A writes their number on the cup. Bonus: B sees the number and keeps the cup so they won't lose it."

This is an art trade for KofukuMizu! I hope you like this fic!

***

Yuki didn't like his job very much. He was attending college nearby, but because of the amount of money he needed to keep himself clean and fed, he got himself a job at a coffee shop. Being a barista was a little stress-inducing, but he got lots of tips.

One of the main reasons why he wouldn't quit his job to find another was because of one of the regular customers, who he was sure was a college student like him based on her uniform. He didn't know her name or anything about her, but she spoke politely with a smile, had purple hair that faded into pink, and always ordered a latte with a tea cake.

Whenever he saw her come into the coffee shop, his heart rate always seemed to speed up. He couldn't lie to himself at all, he had a crush on this girl. He didn't know what classes she went to, but he did want to get to know her better. All he had to do was try and gather his courage.

Today, it was another slow shift. There weren't many people coming in, and Yuki was happy about this change of pace. While he was starting to brew more coffee, he heard the jingle of the bell above the door.

He turned to see who had entered, flinching when he saw it was the girl he was fond of. He began preparing a latte and a tea cake with a smile on his face. "Hey, miss! Same thing as usual?" Yuki asked, just to be sure.

"Hehe, you know me," she giggled in reply, and the barista nearly let out a sigh of relief. He fixed her coffee and poured it into a cup, but this time, he decided to write his phone number on the cup. It was a split-second decision that he hoped would work.

Afterwards, he put the tea cake into a small bag, and he gave the order to the girl. "Enjoy your meal!" he told her, and she thanked him as she went to a corner to do her studying while drinking. Yuki couldn't make his heart relax, no matter how hard he tried.

After nearly twenty minutes, most likely her studying before a test, she left the coffee shop. But there was one thing that stood out to Yuki: she didn't throw away her coffee cup.

Later in the evening, Yuki was exhausted from both working his morning shift and attending his college class. He was thankful that he at least had been able to get his homework done, and he hoped that maybe he could go out to get a sandwich or some ramen for dinner later.

All of a sudden, his phone began to ring. Yuki grabbed his phone to look at the caller ID, thinking it was his mom at first. However, the one calling him was an unknown number. Deciding the humour the telemarketer like,y trying to sell him stuff, he answered the phone. "Hello?"

"Hello! This is the barista from that coffee shop near the college, right?" a feminine voice answered. "Really, it was adorable seeing that you put your number on the cup."

Yuki nearly had a heart attack as he realized who exactly was calling him. "Uh, yeah, that's me! Haha, I know it's a cheesy way to try to get in contact with you," he sheepishly admitted. "You come by so often, I thought that maybe since we're attending the same college, we could be friends?"

The girl giggled on the other side of the call. "That's really sweet, you know. I guess getting some calls from you is better than getting calls from my sister all the time. I'm Kanade, by the way."

"Oh, I'm Yuki. Though I guess I do wear a name tag, so you already know that," he chuckled, starting to enjoy their talk together. "What program are you in? I'm in the video game design program, first term."

"I'm in a criminology program, third term. I've always had an interest in it since I was younger," Kanade replied. "It might be complicated, but it's pretty enjoyable. Is it the same for you?"

"Well, yeah! Sure, coding is pretty complicated, but if I can make stories and get little kids as happy as I used to be while playing games, then I'll be happy with that," Yuki answered honestly, beginning to smile.

"Ufufu, you really do sound sweet. Say, are you planning on doing anything tonight? I think it would be better if we talked in person, not as staff and patron," she suggested.

Yuki froze up and swallowed nervously. "Uh, I'm planning to head out to grab dinner, probably a sandwich or some ramen from the mart. I'm, the one with the green sign."

"A new mart opened with a blue sign down the road from the coffee shop. I've heard it serves soup and subs, why don't we meet at the shop and pick up something from there?"

"Sure, I can do that! I'll bring my own money, we'll pay for our own things."

"See you there!" Kanade hung up her end of the line, leaving Yuki flabbergasted at this turn of events. Not only did he succeed in getting in touch with the regular customer who he was find of, but he managed to score an invitation to buy dinner with her at a mart.

With no time to waste, Yuki got out of bed, pocketed his money and phone, and put his cost and shoes on. Eager to finally talk more with Kanade and be closer with her, the barista hurried out the door and began making his way to the coffee shop.

Just as he turned the corner, he spotted the girl leaning against the wall with a smile. "Took you long enough, Yuki," Kanade teased, smiling as she fell in step with him. "The new mart's over past the intersection. Come on, we should hurry before it gets too dark."

Together in their college uniforms, the new friends began to speed up their paces and went towards the intersection. The sun began to set over the city, and the two of them went off to investigate the new mart for supper.

***

Art credit: KofukuMizu on twitter