Coffee Shop (Free! AU)

Pairing: Makoto Tachinaba x Rin Matsuoka

Summary: the moment when Rin realizes that this was a very special coffee shop indeed

disclaimer; I own nothing

Coffee Shop

Makoto x Rin

If there was one fixation that Rin never understood (other than obviously anything involving mackerel), it was Haru's fixation with one particular coffee shop. When he wasn't out at the pool, Haru sometimes would disappear and head over there.

He tried asking Rei and Nagisa about what was so special about it. Rei informed him that the quality of drinks was always sublime and beautifully crafted. Nagisa said that he was there for the sights since there's always something nice to look at, which earned a harsh jab from Rei though Rin had no idea why.

Regardless, he chalked it up as pure amazement (Haru moving anywhere where he couldn't swim was a novelty in itself) and tried hard not to dwell on it any longer.

But when Haru succeeded in disappearing to get another damn coffee, the redhead was fed up with his curiosity.

One day he decided to just go to the damn place and see what the hell was so good about it.

And boy, did he see alright.

'Holy shit.'

"Good afternoon!" the barista said with a bright smile.

The kind of bright smile that made his face flush into the brightest red imaginable. Rin felt his mouth slack, all intelligible thought swept away from his mind.

'Hot damn, he's cute…'

"My name is Makoto. How may I serve you?"

And it took a moment too long to realize that this gorgeous green-eyed Adonis was talking to him.

"Uh, j…just a caramel macchiato! That's it!" he shouted at a decimal too loud, resisting every urge to slap his face.

So fucking smooth.

Still Makoto just smiled and did not mind that outburst. "Of course. What's your name?"

He was so tempted to give a fake one because he's so embarrassed. He felt his head drop, forcing himself to man up and just say it. "R… Rin."

Makoto considered the name, repeating it softly against his lips, before writing it down on the cup. "Alright then! I'll get it ready for you in just a moment!"

'Don't worry. I can definitely wait if its you.'

Then he bit the side of his cheek, shaking his head of such thoughts. He was just a barista for god's sake. There was no need for him to be freaking out like this.

Though admittedly he never saw a barista that looked quite like him.

'No, he's a goddamn human being. Get your fucking head straight. You are not a some stupid school girl.'

Then he raised his head to look at him, hoping that actually seeing him would help erase his strange thoughts and bring things into perspective.

After all, he was still a normal guy, a guy who had wide, powerful shoulders, had a perfectly messy mop of brown hair, the deepest green eyes he had ever seen…

"Here you go!"

Rin blinked, looking down at the drink and then back to look at his face, bowled over by that gentle smile.

'Just shit.'

Then when he realized he was gaping at Makoto like a fucking goldfish, he dropped his head, grumbled his gratitude, and took the drink, not trusting himself to have enough composure to speak.

"Have a nice day!"

"Yeah… you too…" Rin mumbled, nearly sprinting out the door to hide his flushed face and increasing embarrassment.

Just why did he have to be so goddamn cute? Rin never lost his composure so badly before. He could only imagine what Makoto thought of him. He was probably talking to his other coworkers about him being a weirdo or something…

'I am never going to that place again. So embarrassing…'

He popped the lid off his drink, hoping to burn away the memory of his embarrassment.

But the moment he opened it, all he could do was stare.

On top of his drink there was something written in caramel syrup.

'Enjoy.'

But that wasn't the only thing that caught his attention. It what was written underneath it. He leaned into the cup, believing he was seeing things. He blinked once, but the image stayed.

There was a number.

A motherfucking phone number.

A goddamn, motherfucking phone number from, most likely, the person that made his drink.

He didn't need to think long to guess who it could possibly be.

He resisted every fiber of his being from squealing like some dumb schoolgirl. He fished his phone out of his pocket and fumbled to call the first person he could think of. "HARU!"

"Did you meet Rin?"

Makoto ceased wiping the counter too and blinked, looking up to see a Haru impassively staring at him.

"I have met quite a few named Rin," he answered, tossing the towel over his shoulder. "Are you referring to a particular one?"

"Rin. Red hair. Sharp teeth. Kind of like a shark," Haru rattled off. "He's the friend I told you I swam with."

And Makoto knew exactly who he was taking about. His face lit up, and he smiled. "Oh! So that's Rin? Yes, I did see him! He seemed nice."

"He can be, I guess." He paused a moment, calculating his words before asking bluntly, "Did you really give him your number?"

Then Makoto's face suddenly burst into a bright red. "A-ah yeah, I did. He seemed cool and kind of cute so…"

"And you wrote it in syrup?"

Makoto only became even more embarrassed, rubbing the back of his head. "Y-yes… I couldn't help it. It seemed like a good idea at the time…" Then a thought passed through his head, the sort of thought that added a glow to his eyes. "Oh, since you two are friends, do you think he'll call me? Or visit again?"

Haru was momentarily taken aback by that too bright gaze, his eyes shining with so much hope and wonder.

Haru only shrugged his shoulders. "Beats me."

All that he did know was how much Rin was spazzing afterwards. All he could do was talk about how some coffee-making Adonis gave him his phone number.

And repeating it over and over again.

It was a no brainer who this so called ridiculously attractive green-eyed barista could be. In fact that was one of the reason why he came to this coffee shop so much in the first place.

Haru cast his eyes around, watching as a gaggle of women staring at Makoto, giggling softly to themselves.

He only sighed. Despite Makoto's appearance, he could be so innocent. He rarely realized the stares and attention he drew, how men and women alike would drop dead if Makoto so much as looked at them.

Such an oblivious nature demanded some sort of protection.

"You should start wearing a paper bag to work…"

"What was that, Haru?"

"Nothing." He sipped his coffee and glanced back at his best friend, hearing him resume cleaning the counter, humming cheerfully to himself.

And it was because of that goddamn shark.

Honestly, of all this gentle human being could have fallen for, it had to be Rin.

Though there could be worse people. He was firmly against Nagisa hitting on him, knowing better than to trust that innocent face. He was definitely against him from hanging out with Kisumi by himself, especially in consideration to Kisumi's overly affectionate nature.

As for Rin?

He paused a moment and looked back at Makoto, at the light warmth still on his face, the glisten in his eyes.

He supposed they would be kind of cute together.

"If only you guys could make orca shark babies…"

"Haru, honestly what are you talking about?"

"Nothing. Just nothing."

A/N: AU based off this cute fanart:

berselium dot net slash post/ 100527976741 / wafflesex-coffee-shop-aus-are-important