Chapter Text
Contrary to popular belief, Goro Akechi hates a lot of things, most things actually, and what he didn't hate he honestly didn't really care for.
If there's something he didn't care for is coffee, he didn't care for whatever beans were used or how hot the water was when it was served. He needed it to go through his day without passing out and that's the only reason he drank it.
And if there's something he hates is pancakes. He hates the unnecessary amount of syrup, he hates how boring they looked or how bland they tasted. It was overrated, really.
So why is he, a pancake hater and not-carer of coffee doing in this café during his lunch break ordering pancakes and a coffee so expensive it must be made with magical golden beans?
"Good afternoon, Akechi." The barista greeted him as soon as Goro stepped in the store. "You're a little late today, is everything ok? Did you get distracted practicing your order?" He smirked.
"Hello, Kurusu." Goro smiled politely, holding in the urge of smacking the other's face on the wood counter. "You look cheery today."
"My favorite customer just arrived, I need to be on my best behavior don't I? Pancakes and what shitty drink you came up with this time?"
"Hum." Goro pretended to think for a while. He would never admit it but he did practice his order. "Well, I want an iced venti caramel macchiato with not too much ice, heavy whipped cream, two extra shots of coffee, extra cream and an extra caramel drizzle. Think you can do it or should I call someone more experienced?" The barista wrote down the order before looking back at Goro, the cocky smirk never leaving his face.
"Bold of you to assume I'll deliver anything short of perfect. This is my domain."
"I'll wait in my usual booth. Try not to disappoint me too much."
You see, there was only one thing Goro hated more than pancakes, and that thing was named Akira Kurusu, he was the worst.
Goro didn't care for coffee at all but something this curly haired atrocity does to his drinks makes it good, and he hates that too. How dare he take something he didn't care for and make it into something actually good! How dare he turn his shitty into kinda-ok-days with just one drink!? He'll pay for that.
So that's why Goro made it his objective to come back every day and order the most complicated drinks he could possibly think of just to see Kurusu fail. Hating things was his fuel for everything, if Kurusu used his magic to just make all that disappear, what would be left of Goro?
The thing is, Kurusu never failed. No matter the amount of ingredients, overly-detailed demands, heck, even when he specified the temperature of the drink, the bastard never missed. It was infuriating.
"There you go, sorry for the wait, and of course, leave your positive feedback online, I'm sure our future customers will appreciate it." Kurusu put his order on the table after a while.
Goro closed his book and for the millionth time held in the urge to smack Kurusu's head against the table. "I see you're back with the heart-shaped cookies."
"I needed to show my appreciation to such a fan. My treat, of course." He winked. "Enjoy."
"Thank you so much, Kurusu." He said through gritted teeth, what he really wanted to say was "Eat shit and die, Kurusu.", but this works too.
After the annoying barista left, Goro took a sip of his drink only to find that it tasted delicious. He hates caramel, he hates cream, but somehow... Somehow it tasted, it looked and it even smelled delicious. Damn you, Kurusu.
Eating the cloud-like fluffy pancakes, drinking his perfect caramel disaster drink, even the red velvet heat-shaped cookie tasted amazing because, of course it fucking did... He stayed a little longer than he should.
"I take it you like it? Or was it not good enough for your sophisticated tastes?" Kurusu was leaning on the counter, watching Goro as he approached to pay.
"It was adequate. You still have a lot to improve, better luck next time."
"Ah, crap, I could've sworn I saw a grin on your face today, was I imagining things?" The barista rested his head on his hand.
"Maybe you need to quit, this job is making you crazy." Goro said while typing in his password, making sure the venom was obvious in his voice. "I'm sure they'll find a nice replacement that makes better drinks."
"heh, I'm sure you'd like that." Kurusu handed him the receipt and smiled brightly, his customer service smile™. "Have a nice day, Akechi, come back soon or I'll miss you too much."
"Eat shit and die, Kurusu." he thought again.
"I'll make sure to clear some of my schedule if I need more coffee." He said instead.
When he left the cafe and checked his phone, seeing the three missed calls from Sae-san and countless texts, his previous good mood turned into his usual "this is my fucking life someone please end my misery" mood.
Maybe he should get a coffee to go.