Because Valentine's Day is too far away.

Word on the grapevine is that our P5 guy's manga name is Akira Kurusu.

"The usual?"

"Thanks."

Akira nodded, turning from the counter and setting to work. Makoto sat on one of the barstools, resting an elbow on the counter and glancing around the cafe. It was remarkably empty for the time of day, but she supposed that it was because the place wasn't exactly suited to being an ideal hangout. The only other guests she saw, and rarely at that, were the rest of the thieves and some friends of the owner. "Here you go."

She accepted the steaming cup and saucer, smiling at the pattern of a small bike on the surface of the coffee. Akira shot her a knowing smile over his shoulder before turning back and collecting the utensils he used. Makoto nursed the cup and watched him work, falling into sort of trance after a moment. Evidently, Akira had been managing by the cafe for a good while now, if the way he was utterly lacking in hesitation was any indication. It made for a nice break than seeing him doze off in class or gallivanting around in costume. For now, he was just Akira.

That was nice enough.

Her train of thought was cheerily derailed by said Akira setting another plate down in front of her. This one held a cookie. She raised an eyebrow and smiled, finally taking a sip of the coffee. "You're spoiling me."

"I would never. It's on the house."

"Aren't you trying to make a profit rather than lose it?"

"Eh." He nodded towards the still-relatively-empty cafe, leaning casually on the counter. He might have looked cool if not for the apron. "The baked goods'll go to waste if we don't sell or eat them. Personally, I'd go with the latter."

He topped off his observation with a wink before turning again and checking the register. It was oddly sort of endearing when he...turned on the charm. Or tried to; points for effort. It was at this point that Makoto knew he had nothing better to do other than clean up or chat with her. She might have wanted the latter, but she had coffee and a free cookie to focus on now.

Akira snuck a glance over and saw that she had accepted the treat, smiling to himself and shutting the register. Minutes passed comfortably as the two went about their business. Slowly, Makoto pushed the now empty cup and plate towards him and stood, checking her school bag to make sure she wasn't leaving anything behind. Akira took the dishes with one hand, absently scratching the back of his head with the other. "...Want something for the road?"

"I wouldn't want to take advantage of your generosity. I'll see you tomorrow, Akira-kun."

"Uh-huh. See you at school, then."

Just before he could turn to drop off the dishes, she ducked in to grab his arm, letting her lips brush against his cheek. She smiled at the flash of shock on his face that he tried to mask with a wave goodbye. Adjusting the strap of her bag, she turned to the door and waved over her shoulder.

Short, yes. Simple, yes. Then again, that's basically what I do most of the time. This was simply based off a piece of fanart a friend pointed me to, so I suppose I couldn't really get a ton of mileage of it. I'll probably end up adding little bits and pieces when the mood takes me.

Hope you enjoyed. Till next time.