#you guys do not know how annoying it was to have to move queued items around oml

[bugeyedfreaks]

Was just adding some stuff to my queue on mobile and noticed some extra additions:

THANK YOU TUMBLR! YAAAAAY!

[prose-for-hire]

Under the Mistletoe

12 Days of Christmas: (kind of) Day Five

Pairing: Rupert Giles x reader

Request: Thank you for letting me know! I didn't want to resend just in case it actually went through. I was curious if a Giles one could be done where the reader has hung mistletoe all over to get Giles to give some kisses, but him being Giles, he either doesn't see it because he has a book in hand or he sees it and panics, so he doesn't "see" it. Finally, the reader just snaps and grabs some mistletoe, walks to Giles and holds it over his head. "For a guy who is pretty smart . . . where are my kisses?"

Requested by: @sword-sings-of-silver​

A/N: It’s gonna annoy me so much that this has been posted after Day six, but I didn’t realise I hadn’t queued it up and my Wifi was down so I’m sorry for not posting yesterday !! ❄🖤

You were in love. He was smart, witty and incredibly attractive. You had been driven wild with emotion whenever he was near. It had been almost two years now and you had yet to make any move. You didn’t know whether he felt the same which h made it hard to reveal your own deep feelings.

What you hadn’t realised was that he harboured such great feelings for you that he thought he may explode. He became nervous when your were around. You were so attractive. When you were in the room, his eyes were always on you. Until you looked his way and he diverted his gaze.

You were an assistant at the library, which meant you had a lot of time in the day with just you and Giles. Talking to him was so easy, so enjoyable. You were sure you had met your soulmate, in heart and mind. It was no secret that you loved Christmas and Giles, or Rupert as he insisted you called him, found it refreshing how enthusiastic you were. He had learnt so much about you, you spent most weekdays together and so he felt like he knew you like the back of his own hand.

At the beginning of December, Giles asked if you wanted to decorate this year for the holidays and you excitedly nodded and started to make a list of all of the items you would need to make it look much more Christmas-y in the room. You were beyond excited and your enthusiasm near made him melt. He adored you, wished he could spend even more time with you. Despite the fact you worked together. Somehow, it wasn’t even enough.

You were, of course, in on the knowledge of demons and the Hellmouth. You would have to, the amount of supernatural activity in that place would have driven you mad otherwise. Luckily, you had been classically trained. You had a degree in demonology and had originally started working there to track down a very rare tome you had wanted to research. However, you had met the man of your dreams and you loved being a librarian too.

You liked the kids that came in to save the world every now and again. They made you laugh although they were very nosy and asked you constantly about your love-life. They saw the way your eyes wandered over to Giles every time they asked.

Buffy, Xander and Willow had gotten tired of you both second-guessing the other’s intentions. So they hatched a plan. Just in time for Christmas. Xander, with a little of his Commando training still in his brain called it: Mission X-mas. Because they wanted to get you both to reveal your feelings by the time Christmas came around.

This was important because they had both found out that you were both spending Christmas day alone. They hoped if they pushed you into each other’s laps before Christmas break, they could enjoy their own holidays knowing that you may make plans together.

It was Monday morning, a day you wouldn’t usually enjoy however you found yourself increasingly enjoying it. Getting up in the morning were easier. It was the anticipation. It was seeing him. It made you smile as you packed the boxes of decorations in your trunk. You made a stop on your way to work and got in just in time. You had to make several trips with your boxes and Xander caught you in the corridor and offered to help. He muttered something about Santa’s grotto but when you asked him to repeat himself he said he thinks there’s a ghost in the room and then he sped off.

“Here, I brought you this” You offered him the to-go cup of tea you had picked up on the way to work. He smiled fondly and thanked you, offering to cheers with your cups. You met your drink with his and your eyes locked. The gaze you shared was so meaningful, so pure. You wanted to kiss him so badly it ached. He looked as if he was about to say something, but shook his head, thinking better of it. He thanked you again and offered to help you decorate. He knew this would make you smile, he loved your smile so much.

You sat together, discussing your weekend and the most recent demon problem. You finished off your hot drinks and sat in a comfortable silence together. You were so comfortable with him. You just wanted to tell him, but if you did you may lose moments like these if he didn’t reciprocate.

Suddenly, Xander ran in saying that he saw the demon summoner walking around Giles’ house that morning. Luckily, Giles didn’t ask why Xander had been there and just set off to his home. Not even a full minute after he left and you had barely opened up the first decoration box, Buffy and Willow soon followed by Xander slipped into the room.

“Shouldn’t you be at Giles’ house? With the demon summoner?”

“Ah, well, about that-”

“You were supposed to distract him not scare him!” Willow exclaimed, now worried about Giles who may think he was about to get seriously hurt.

“It got him out of the library” Xander put his hands up in surrender.

“whats going on here guys?”

“It’s Giles”

“What is it? Has he been possessed?” You asked, now worrying about him too. That would explain the draw he had. The effect he had on you. Maybe it was supernatural instead.

“well you could say that...”

“No you couldn’t” Buffy said.

“possessed by love” he said as the rest of you shared an eye-roll.

“Someone please explain” you said, moving your attention back to the box realising the situation wasn’t as serious as you once thought.

“Giles is in love with you!”

“Don’t be-”

“No really! He has a serious jones for you. Totally head over heels territory over here” Buffy confirmed. You squinted between them.

“Really?” you paused from looking in the box again. They nodded seriously.

“He just won’t tell you because he wants you to be comfortable at work”

“That’s so… sweet” you sighed dreamily and they all shared a look.

“So what do I do?” You asked them, really not sure why you were suddenly asking romantic advice from a bunch of high schoolers.

You looked in the boxes, pulling out a whole bunch of mistletoe. Everyone’s eyes landed on it and you all had the same idea at the same time.

You started to wind tinsel around the columns and sprigs of holly on different shelves. You made paperchains and decorated the tiny tree you had brought to sit on the librarians desk.

But the most important part was the mistletoe that you hung from every ceiling and every doorway. You stood with your back against the double doors to take in your handiwork and you did a little silent wish that your plan would work. You were second guessing yourself, getting cold feet. This was stupid. You had listened to teenagers that as far as you were away didn’t even date.

You shook your head at yourself, moving to go and tug some mistletoe down but just at that moment, he had returned grumbling something about Xander as he entered. That was it, there was no time to change it now. So you just let him take in the room. He loved it, mostly because you had done it. He moved to stand beside you and told you this. You shivered slightly as his body was close to yours. But he moved away too quickly.

You had both ducked under a bunch of mistletoe as you talked him through your vision for the decoration. You both looked up and then at each other. He every obviously saw it. His eyes widened as he moved away quickly. This confirmed what they had said to you. If he didn’t feel that way, he wouldn’t have so awkwardly moved away. It gave you hope. It made you smile to yourself softly. He went a bit quiet, pulling into himself to overcompensate for how much he wanted to kiss you.

It kept happening, you met under the mistletoe almost several times each hour. But he avoided your eyes, ducked his head and mumbled some kind of excuse. He was dying inside, he was so desperate to kiss you but he didn’t want to risk losing your friendship. It didn’t cross his mind that you had put them there on purpose.

For the rest of the day, he walked with a book, not looking up much. He desperately wanted to pull you into him, your lips meeting so perfectly. It was almost too much. He was desperate to be with you. To hold you. To be close to you. He wanted to keep you warm through the long winter. Wanted to be by your side.

It took you until almost the end of the day to properly work up the courage. But eventually you watched him start to get up from his office and you quickly got up to meet him in the doorway. The mistletoe hung directly between you. He started to look down at his feet and say something but you spoke first.

"For a guy who is supposed to be pretty smart... where are my kisses?" You smiled, leaning into him. He was surprised you could harbour these feelings.

“Well, ah, yes-” you rolled your eyes, pulled him into a kiss that he quickly returned. Your lips met, gliding over each other. Every move charged with such raw emotion. You both dropped what you had been holding to reach for the other. Wanting to pull each other even closer. To have each others skin against skin. His hand cradled your head and you ran your hands up his back. His lips were addictive, even better than you had imagined. He was an amazing kisser. Made even better because of how much care he harboured.

You backed into his office, smiling into the kiss. He cupped your face hungrily kissing around your lips and jaw before catching your lips once more. He had been dreaming of this and he didn’t want to ever stop.

However, at this moment Snyder walked in rolling his eyes at your decorations and pulled a large amount of paperchains from the ceiling. You heard this and moved apart quickly. You stepped out of the office to face him. Both of you a little out of breath. He snaps that your Christmas decorations are not regulation. He looks between you and scowls. As if he wanted to say something. To catch you out. But instead he just turns on his heels and leaves.

Which allowed you and Giles to slip back into the office, desperate to study each other’s bodies rather than the books you usually would. Your lips met again as he sat you on the desk, he adored the way you glowed under the Christmas lights you had just installed earlier that day. This Christmas was shaping up to be the best one yet.

[dalimoor]

So I went to the Pokémon Center

Yesterday me and my bestie @runeandmoon​ made the journey to the pop-up Pokémon Center in London. It was one heck of an emotional journey, but it was so worth it in the end. Because of how far away we live from London, and the horror stories about the queues, we had to set off at 5AM!

Blurry car selfie because I couldn’t hold the phone straight when we were moving, but hey. I don’t think we look bad for that time of the morning!

The time was 8:48 AM. We joined the queue, absolutely stunned that we’d got there before it had started snaking outside the shopping centre. But since the shop didn’t open till 12 PM, were in for a long wait.

Tragedy! Somewhere on the Tube, the Z-Crystal on my Mimikyu ita bag had got broken. How annoying! I had to bring my ita bag, though. I am the Mimikyu Superfan. I only really wanted the giant Mimikyu plush from the Pokémon Center. Would I get my prize? Only time would tell!

Queuing was boring, but we had some great conversations with cool people in the line in front of us. These two dudes were awesome people. Thanks for making the unbearable wait less unbearable, guys!

The girl and guy here were also pretty awesome. Especially when we started to edge forward ever so slightly and it got more and more busy. The queue was closed off at 11:31 AM, a full half hour before the shop even opened. I was glad we got in before that happened!

It was around here that some guy got caught queue-jumping and was thrown out by security. Wild. All in all, the security were all pretty cool, even though they were very keen to pack us in as tightly as possible. Every time the tiniest gap opened up in front, they’d hurry us forward. One guy was like ‘c’mon, move up. Don’t you want to get into the shop?’ Too soon.

The first appearance of Dapper Pikachu! I wasn’t near enough to get a proper photo. :(

There it is! The legends were true. The first glimpse of the Pokémon Center. It’s there, waaaaay in the back of the photo, You have to squint to see it, but it’s there!

Dapper Pikachu came out again. I still wasn’t in the right place to film or photograph him properly. But check out the guy desperate for a hug! As we were getting closer to the Pokémon Center itself, we needed all the joy we could get. The tweets were coming in thick and fast of everything that they were selling out of. London Pikachu crest pins sold out within the first 20 minutes of trade. Keeping my hopes up for my Mimikyu...

Playing Pogo kept me entertained for the majority of the queuing. During the wait, I got enough coins to buy the new Mimikyu backpack which I had to own.

@runeandmoon​ was playing Pogo to pass the time, too, and got this cutie for her trouble. Lucky!

The final furlong! 3:19 PM. Just shy of seven hours later, we’d made it.

We did it! We got inside! There was still a lot of stock, but the lion’s share of the exclusive stuff had already gone. No Londonchu hoodies, socks, plushies or pins. Shelves and shelves of Ludicolo, though. Who even wants Ludicolo? We did overhear a small boy being absolutely thrilled they had Alakazam plushies, though, which was really sweet. Every Pokémon must be someone’s fav.

But to my absolute dismay, there were no giant Mimikyu plushes left on the shelf. The only ones were already in other peoples’ baskets, waiting to be purchased. The staff said they had no more. I was devastated.

I’m smiling, but I’m about to cry here. It’s crazy, but I’d been up since 4:30 AM, queued for an ungodly amount of time and seeing other people with the one thing I wanted and couldn’t have was just too much.

But then. A miracle happened. Just as I was queuing to pay, a member of staff came out of a side door. They’d just had a delivery...

MY CHILD.

I absolutely bolted out of the till queue, elbowed past the people standing around the shelf that was being re-stocked and was like ‘I’M SORRY I NEED this’. I took one from the staff member and marched back to the till with my prize held high, shouting ‘WINNER WINNER CHICKEN DINNER’ because I was so sleep-deprived and a little bit insane at this point. But look how happy I am!

The staff in the store were all really friendly and doing their absolute best to make people happy. When I initially asked about Mimikyu stock, the guy who said they had none seemed genuinely gutted I’d missed out on my chosen item. The lady who eventually served me on the till was particularly sweet and clearly loved her job. Everyone was clearly trying their best and I’m not sure how they could have done anything better with the way things have been set up. The people working there can’t control the stock deliveries or do much more to deal with the huge, huge demand. The only thing they could do is put a time limit on how long you’re allowed to browse in the store, but I suppose that would be hard to police.   

The rest of my swag! Since a lot of the Dapper Pikachu stuff had sold out I had to get other things from what I initially wanted. I did want a crest pin for myself and a plush for a friend who had missed out on when he went, but neither were there. The only had one size left of these shirts, too. I hope it fits!

#TeamScorbunny.

How could I not? Scorbunny is super duper cute.

Was it worth it? Yes. It’s really weird how I don’t feel frustrated or upset about how long I queued. I did get a little bored, but not as much as I thought I would. I’m super happy I got my Mimikyu, so I guess that made it all worth it. Would do it again? Not this particular shop during the rest of its run, but a similar one in the future, sure. Because I’m apparently insane. I’d probably book a hotel the night before so I could go queue extra-extra early.

For anyone planning on going, I have some tips:

Get there as early as you can. The queue closes off well before the shop’s official closing time, often even before the shop opens. Unless you’re starting to queue at like 1 AM and you’re first in line, you’re generally looking at at least a six hour wait to get in. Basically, if you can’t get there early to mid-morning, don’t even bother.

Go with a friend. Company makes the wait so much better. Also, chat with the people in the queue around you. They’re stuck in the same situation, they’re Pokémon fans too and are probably cool people with interesting stories.

If you need the toilet, there ones near the queuing area. If you let security know, you’re able to leave the line to use the facilities. It’s even easier if you have the aforementioned friend to more easily keep your spot in line.

Bring snacks and drinks. It’s a long wait. You can slip out of the line to buy things, but the less you have to leave the line, the better. If it moves forward when you’re not in it, it’s easy to lose track of where you were.

Bring something to keep you entertained. Games console, phone, book, whatever. Again, it’s a long wait.

Watch the Twitter feed for the shop - they give a running update on stock levels, whether the queue is still open, etc.

And that was my crazy PokéCen adventure! Now I’m going to sleep for the next 3000 years.

[nautilusopus]

sorry this is a lot but I enjoy your opinions. G, P, U, W, X, Z

G - Have you ever had an OTP? If so, do you remember your first one? Who was in it?

Nah. I’m aggressively boring and uninvested in general in most romances so I usually just go with whatever’s canon and call it a day.

The closest thing I got to ever shipping in the past was being mildly surprised that people saw Link and Zelda as an item in Twilight Princess because they don’t really talk much in that game (they have maybe two conversations? Three if we count any presumed dialogue they might’ve had during the last boss battle when they’re on a horse together). I wouldn’t say I’m actually invested in it one way or another though. Link didn’t really have much of a personality until Wind Waker came along. 

P - Invent a random AU for any fandom (we always need more ideas).

FFXV AU where Noctis asks literally any questions at all about anything and interacts with the plot as an active participant in it instead of a copypasted emotional beat from FFX and thus doesn’t die at the end due to lazy writer caveat. (spoilers i guess) 

I am so so so so tempted to write this and the urge has been growing stronger over the last few weeks. I imagine fans of XV wouldn’t be too thrilled I’m writing fanfic specifically because I hate everything about XV, but y’all keep circulating posts about how writing fanfic to fix canon is totally valid!!! so I fully expect everyone to walk the walk after talking the talk. 

On another note, AU where Cloud never actually makes it to Midgar after Zack gets filled with lead, thus never meeting Tifa at and least screwing his head on semi-straight, and just wanders around in the wilderness as a weird amnesiac murderhobo in a perpetual fugue state. Hijinks ensue I guess.

Shit, I should write that. 

And now I have 48 fics queued. Look at what you’ve done. Are you proud of yourself?

U - Three favorite characters from three different fandoms, and why they’re your favorites.

alright let’s get the obvious one out of the way

Cloud because I used to fucking despise him and over time he really grew on me after I was exposed to his genuinely moving character arc and narrative that actively trampled every expectation I had about what it would be. Dumb asshole that unabashedly loves his friends, which is something that you rarely if ever see in other protagonists of his mould which is why it infurates me as much as it does when people (Square or the fanbase, it’s annoying either way) try to downplay it. That was one of the things that made him unique and compelling in the first place and you’re actively discarding it? Fuck you. 

It’s genuinely refreshing to see someone try as hard as they can and fail catastrophically in every possible respect, and then that’s just the result and he has to come terms with that pain as something shaping who he was instead of just learning a lesson and then getting over it. There are a lot of matter-of-fact moments like that with regards to loss and pain in VII but Cloud’s arc actually took one of said moments and made it extremely cathartic. 

I have a lot of fukken feelings about Cloud, man. That character analysis essay is officially four years old and the ETA on it is “whenever I guess”.

Azula from ATLA. I mean, I adore basically everyone in that series so I don’t even know which one I’d call my favourite, but I do think I ought to highlight Azula since a lot of who she is kinda gets overlooked. She’s like a family-friendly Eva character. 

It’s genuinely fascinating to watch her break down, and on a second rewatch you can sort of tell which beats fell into place where. Ironically, she considers Zuko the “favoured child”, and part of the reasons she utterly despises/loves/despises him as much as she does is because she tries to earn his approval in her own weird, sociopathic way. Then, when he inevitably bails, he not only rejects her, he goes and shacks up with even more people that consciously chose to love him, and for all her talent, after all her hard work, all she has is Ozai, who’s probably never loved anything in his life. The unfairness of it all. 

The breakdown she has at the end isn’t even anything new, really. It’s just the first time other people get to see it. 

Speaking of Eva, Shinji. DISCLAIMER: YES SHINJI MASTURBATED TO COMPLETION OVER ASUKA’S COMATOSE BODY IN A BLATANT DISPLAY OF NOT ONLY HIS GENERAL DISLIKE AND FEAR OF WOMEN BUT IN AN EXPRESSION OF HIS REFUSAL TO PROJECT AFFECTION ONTO PEOPLE BECAUSE PEOPLE CAN REJECT HIM, PREFERRING TO SEE ASUKA AS A PERSON-SHAPED OBJECT INSTEAD. THERE I HAVE ACKNOWLEDGED THE PROBLEMATIQUE ™ BIT NOW. CAN I LIKE THIS CHARACTER YET?

Shinji and Cloud have a lot of the same character arc, as I’ve mentioned probably more than a few times because I repeat myself a lot. Where Cloud is a more optimistic take on defining oneself on one’s own terms and as a result accepting that they can be someone worthy of love, Shinji’s side of that concept is waaaaaaaaaaay more cynical, in that Shinji kind of… doesn’t learn to do that in the end. Refuses to, in fact, to the point where it gets everyone killed. Also Kaworu is Zack if Zack actually had character development and if C//la/ck was actually canon. Where Cloud overcomes his fear of rejection by learning he is deserving of existence on his own merits, otherwise why would he have people that care about him in the first place, Shinji is crippled by it and spends most of the series screaming at anything that remotely resembles responsibility. For a guy that repeatedly tells himself “I mustn’t run away” his reaction to everything is almost exclusively to run away. 

Now, I’m not necessarily implying that if things had gone worse, Cloud might have masturbated to completion over Tifa’s comatose body, but like… I’m just saying.

(Though Aeris and Tifa were admittedly a lot more stable than poor Asuka or Rei ever were, as low of a bar as that may be.)

In case it wasn’t obvious, I clearly have a Type. And that type is a maladjusted child soldier screaming VALIDATE MEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEE from the top of the lightpole they climbed up to avoid their feelings, and they all deserve a good hug and a firm shove down a flight of stairs or two, in either order. 

W - A trope which you are virtually certain to hate in any fandom.

Love triangles. If I wanted to see a bunch of assholes do a bunch of petty bickering fueled by hormones and poor communication and pitting two people against one another for extremely asinine reasons, I’d lurk outside a high school. 

X - A trope which you are almost certain to love in any fandom.

Apart from the aforementioned Type ™ I have, people getting overwhelmed by gestures of basic human decency and the implications of that. 

Z - Just ramble about something fan-related, go go go! (Prompts optional but encouraged.)

God they did poor Luna so dirty. You could have replaced her with another fucking crystal or something and it would affect the plot about as much. Man, didn’t the selling point for FF used to be its rich, inventive storytelling? 

Come the fuck on, Square, you had female characters figured out in fucking 1992. This isn’t hard. 

[becauseiamnotanelephant]

Whirlwind

This morning was a hectic complication of activities. 

Up early. Not early enough to do laps, unfortunately.

Clean out the fridge. Water the plants. Shower. Wash all the dishes. Take out the garbage. Finish packing. 

Then, because I had oodles of time, went on a coffee (tea) first date. Kind of a good idea to go on a first date before you catch a plane, since you really have an excuse to get out of there in a timely manner. Honestly, I was a little too frazzled about time to be in a place to know if this guy is someone I’ll see again. TBD. This was also after I yelled at the police for completely blocking the Brooklyn Bridge bike path. I reminded them that “respect” was in their three-word motto. 

En route to work, where I left my bike, I got into another fight with a driver who was laying on his horn because someone cut him off. I told him I don’t give a fuck what happened - you honking after the episode was over serves no one. People live and work on this block and you honking all morning is really annoying. If you really thought commuting into the city in your car during rush hour was going to be smooth sailing, then you’re out of your mind. 

I didn’t say all that, but most of it. And i do think car horns should only be allowed for cases related to safety, not driver aggression. 

Running around continued. Had to resolve one thing at work, then buy ear plugs, and then run over to B&H for a new battery for my odometer. Ended up making it to the airport with time to kill. Which was good, because I had to make a few work related calls, including giving a recommendation for a former colleague looking for a new job. The new employer thought he was too slick that he couldn’t be trusted for his technical skills. I told the employer that the amazing thing about this guy is that he has the best schmoozing skills on the planet. No one would ever guess he is an engineer, and good at it, too. 

This was one of my favorite parts of the airport. “Chabad of the Airport” is the best thing I’ve seen all week. The second best (worst) thing was going through security. I was already in a feisty mood (clearly) but the nonsense at the airport is really draining. More than half the bags, including mine, didn’t make it through the initial screening and so they all needed to be inspected by hand (my issue was the bike food I had in the bag set off a red flag). I was about 6th in line, and after watching the couple in front of my, my head almost exploded. First of all, it was the most random assortment of carry on items I’ve ever seen.  Eight bars of soap. Ten paper bags for putting gifts in. A huge bottle of cream. A quart of another liquid. And a large jar of honey. Oh, and lest I forget - a full size pair of scissors. 

WHO ARE THESE PEOPLE AND WHAT ROCK HAVE THEY BEEN LIVING UNDER? These were not people who have never flown before - the husband was bilingual, and they were very well dressed and bejeweled wealthy people. But also fucking idiots. 

Finally in the air. 

Vacation is wonderful, even from the very start. I read an entire book today. And a book that really hit home in a lot of ways, or at least I felt that I connected to the author’s points. 

I got to Bogota after it was already dark, so my impressions thus far are limited. 

So far, the altitude isn’t really bothering me.

My ability to communicate in Spanish is basically non existent. It’s different enough from Italian, that I am mostly helpless. The cab ride from the airport was challenging. 

I landed here on the night of a holiday. Fireworks, people lighting candles in the street, and lots of celebrations. 

Traffic is in. sane. Might be partially due to the holiday, but even the famous BRT that I learned about queued for at least 100 buses. I mean, it was totally insane. And each bus was crammed full of people. Better on buses than in cars, but holy shit, that line of buses did not move at all. 

Hard to get a read on the neighborhoods, but the hotel said it��s totally safe and lots of people were out near a large park by the hotel. I got some dinner, walked around, and decided I really need to learn how to salsa. Enough is enough. 

The curbs here are ridiculously high. In NY, the curbs are about 6 inches high. Here, it’s over a foot in some cases. Still trying to figure this one out. 

[scripturienss]

Café au miel

Disclaimer: Digimon does not belong to me.

Notes: Part one of #digiOTPweek2k17.

Title: Café au miel on FF.net Rating: G Genre: Friendship/Romance Prompt: Every fandom needs its coffee shop AU. Word Count: 2,000

Monday

On Monday mornings, Yamato doesn't even look up when the bell chimes. It is one of the busiest days of the week and half their customers are groggy, more asleep than awake while the other half is buzzing with excitement and energy and he isn't really sure which is worse. He focuses on keeping track of all orders and not making a mess of himself, which helps the day go by faster and keep Yamato sane.

This is also why he doesn't really care about being in charge of the orders while Sora takes over the register, too slow to handle hot items so early in the morning. Being in charge of taking orders can be a challenge, especially when clients often stutter or stare (popularity comes with a hefty price, alas).

"Latte with a little honey, please. Oh, can you add that before the milk? Otherwise the foam is too sweet and the coffee is bland..."

"Can you get that?" Sora asks and Yamato is already on it. He trickles two teaspoons of pure honey into the cup and adds the piping hot espresso, making sure to mix it well before pouring the milk and foam. He throws a smattering of cinnamon on top and slides the drink up to Sora.

"Ja ne, Yasuo-san. Sora-san."

He barely catches a hint of pink and rolls his eyes.

Probably an art student, or something.

Tuesday

Sora is great with customers, she remembers their names, draws cute things on their cups and often gives them just a little extra whipped cream on their orders. She has a kind smile, the sort that girls return happily and boys receive dumbly, which in turn makes Yamato roll his eyes to the far side of his head. But every once in a while a boy will come in and make of her a fumbling mess and these are moments he treasures dearly, because it's so rare to see her look so decidedly flustered.

Yamato is usually polite and has a very good memory, which is an advantage when it's a busy day and everyone's queuing to be responsible for his headaches. But he's also impatient and sometimes downright refuses to engage with anyone outside strict protocol. This makes him an unfortunate target for high school girls who come and sit for hours at a time, ogling and giggling and sometimes writing down their numbers on napkins he doesn't even pretend to read.

"Hi!"

The girl before him is very pretty and Yamato is for a moment, completely taken aback by this fact. She's not looking into his face, instead concentrating on the extensive menu behind him and he has to make a conscious effort not to sigh.

"Would you like a few more minutes to look at the menu?" he asks in his best, most neutral voice. The girl shakes her head and smiles widely at him.

"No, that's okay. I'll have some raspberry-mint iced water, please."

"Coming right up."

"Can you crush the mint leaves? And give it a good shake before adding the raspberries."

He turns around to deliver her order and ring her up. The girl takes it and with the briefest of glances at his name-tag, shakes a hand saying, "Thanks, Yamoriko-san!"

Sora sneaks a glance. "Yamo-riko?"

Yamato makes an irritated, tsk sound. It's only Tuesday and he's already about to give up.

"Don't even think about it."

Wednesday

On Wednesdays Yamato takes the late shift because he's got evening class and needs his mornings to both rest and advance on his assignments. These are usually good shifts, fairly busy because it's also the day he checks on storage levels and next week's schedule for part-timers. It's not really his job, but his boss, Nadeshiko-san, has figured the other employees are kind of afraid of him so she won't budge.

He's finishing up the schedule when she comes in and he only recognises her due to the unusual, dreamy pink of her hair. She's holding several books in her hands and looks tired and still very pretty and Yamato forces himself to smile back when she does, peripherally, before settling in a table for two right by the window. It doesn't take long for her to be joined by a tall young man with short, dark hair and clear glasses. The girl looks happy to see him but Yamato looks away, searching for Sora.

She's staring at the scene as surreptitiously as she can, but a fierce blush betrays her face.

Yamato smirks. "Do you want me to take it?"

"Don't be silly," she snaps, scowling. It's not a good look for her. "I don't care."

He dodges a slap on his arm as he chuckles low at her denial. He catches the girl's eye for an instant and she smiles vibrantly at him, so much it flusters him into moving to the back office until she's gone.

Thursday

She comes by again on Thursday, wearing a yellow dress and a cute straw hat. Her shades are shaped like hearts and Yamato is ready to bet good money on her asking for the pink and sparkly frapuccino on sale. He's about to suggest as much when she glances briefly at him, waving at Takuya in the back.

"Welcome, what can I do you for today?"

"Japaccino," she says brightly. "Extra whipped cream!"

"No problem, but we'll have to—"

"Don't worry, I know it's extra," she slides him her payment and winks as he hands over her order. "Thanks, Yamaguchi-san!"

Yamato's eyebrow twitches. She is the definition of 'extra', if he ever saw it.

"It's not—,"

But she's already waving with her back turned to him, leaving him amidst a shower of barely-contained giggles.

Friday

It's Friday afternoon and the café is packed with college and high school students and a few friendly neighbours. He wasn't supposed to come in today but Izumi called in sick and he had time (the extra pay doesn't hurt and it's always good to have Izumi in one's debt), so he's helping out behind the counter while the rest wait the tables. The girl with pink hair is back again and this immediately annoys Yamato. She's sitting pretty at the table near the window, directly within his range of view. The same guy from before accompanies her and Sora doesn't take long in bringing in their order (green tea and chocolate cake for him, café au miel and a slice of carrot cake, presumably for her).

"I think that's his girlfriend," Sora declares glumly. It's normal to develop crushes on some of the regular customers, especially for someone so friendly like Sora. Megane-kun (as Yamato often refers to him) seemed to be friendly, a little spacey, med-student and veritable Good Guy, also the sort of man someone like Sora would be unable to resist. Unfortunately for her, he also seemed to be very taken by the pretty girl sitting with him (Yamato doesn't care about this, no matter how bright her smile is).

Yamato shrugs. "Most likely."

"You're supposed to cheer me up!"

"When have I ever? Besides, if you really wanted, you could just ask him out."

Instead of flipping him off (he would've expected nothing less of anyone but her), Sora loads her tray and turns back to their clients while the rest of the team pours, mixes, shakes and garnishes beverages of various types and sizes. Yamato has just finished handing over six double frothy capuccinos to a group of teenagers and is startled by a shock of pink hair that accompanies a permeating floral scent. It mingles wonderfully with the coffee, something he notes and then dismisses with flustered alarm.

"Can I help you with something?" he asks, not unkindly.

The girl leans on his counter, chin in hand. She's looking over at her table, where Sora is nodding at the young man who continues to shake his head and hands—they both look very flustered. "He's hopeless when it comes to these things. Do you know we've been here every day this week, just to see Sora-san?" When Yamato doesn't answer (he's too shocked to do so), the girl grins wickedly. "If this doesn't work, then nothing will. I knocked over his tea."

His mouth opens and then his lip curls. "We—she thought you were his girlfriend."

"Yeah? I hope he has a mind to clear that up." she says, laughing. Her eyes crinkle at their corners and Yamato tries not to stare. "Well, I'll be having a honey coffee to go then, please. You can add that to his tab."

He glances at Sora, who's shuffling her feet awkwardly while Megane-kun fumbles with his glasses. His friend seems to be more amused than malicious and so, despite himself, he serves up her order and writes it down on his own tab.

"Much obliged, Yaku-san."

"I'm not—,"

"Let me know how it goes!"

Saturday

To his credit, he's actually prepared for her this time (or as prepared as he can be, considering), so when she strides purposely to his counter (it's no coincidence he's on the register today, too), Yamato greets her with a cool, knowing smile.

"Welcome, what will you be having today?"

She eyes Sora in the background, who gives her a tiny wave that makes her brush prettily and when she looks at Yamato, she's remarkedly less composed.

"Jyou said he didn't pay for my coffee," she cuts right to the chase and Yamato nods, impressed.

"A token of Sora's appreciation."

"Sora-san didn't pay for it, either," her eyes narrow. "I checked."

"Our hospitality, then."

"I didn't know you were so giving."

"We're a magnanimous business. It was nothing."

"Well, in that case ... thanks for nothing, Yakamochi-san."

This is what he's been waiting for and judging by the roll in his eyes and the amused glint in hers, so has she. "It's Yamato."

"What is?" her eyelashes are so long, they brush her cheeks when she blinks. He thinks it must be on purpose and no-one should have the right, really.

"My name. Not Yaku, not Yamaguchi, not—,"

"Yamoriko?"

"Especially not that."

"I see," she says, tossing caramel rose curls over a pale, thin shoulder. "Well, ja ne, Yamato-kun."

Their fingers (his, mostly his, but she doesn't recoil) linger and never has the warmth of a steaming cup of coffee seemed sweeter. "You won't tell me your name?"

She leans over the counter, tip-toeing to kiss the air around him, just close enough for him to see the smatter of freckles on her nose and cheeks, smell the sweetness of her lip gloss. Too far.

"Sunday. Ask me again, Yamato-kun," and she touches her ear twice, grinning as she leaves the coffee store and he swears the air around her shimmers.

Sunday

"Espresso, steamed milk, honey and a just the right amount of cinnamon."

"A fine drink, if I say so myself."

"My compliments to the chef," she nods, taking the warm paper cup from him.

"Barista. I don't cook, really."

"At all?"

Yamato shrugs as he slides into the chair opposite her table, a macchiato sitting between them and saving him from being too idle. "I'm not averse to it."

"Where's your apron, Mr. Perfect Cup?" she asks, eyeing him with interest. He's wearing a crisp white shirt and dark blue jeans, ankle suede boots that give his casual look just a touch of dressy-enough. She looks devastating in a short denim dress, a pink cardigan around her shoulders lending to the blush in her cheeks and bringing out the highlights of her hair.

"I'm not working today." He's hiding behind his cup, taking a small sip and pondering over the next course of action. "Would you like to take a walk with me?" And he pauses, his smile working its way into his clear blue eyes. He touches his ear, twice. "Mimi-san."

Mimi is all smiles, white teeth and red apples in her cheeks. The taste of honey is sweet on her tongue. "I'd love to."