[Genre: comfort]
[Requested]
[Summary: He still comes back, even when lost.]
[Warnings: cursing]

~~~

He didn't know why he kept coming back to this coffee shop, didn't know what drew him here, but he couldn't shake the nagging feeling that something here was important.

He'd drank so much coffee over the past week that it was starting to affect his sleep schedule, and therefore affecting his work as an investigator. Akira was already on his ass about it, so he really should stop, but he couldn't help it. That constant voice in his head refused to stop.

He walked into :Re once again, the soft jingle of the bell above the door ringing in his ears and putting him in a state of ease.

The purple haired woman behind the counter looked up, her fringe covering one of her eyes, but he could tell she looked a little exasperated.

She sent a teasing smile his way and leaned against the counter.

"She's not here today, if that's why you're here."

Haise's shoulders sagged in disappointment.

Okay, maybe he knew one of the reasons why he kept coming by all week.

That reason being the cute waitress who he cried Infront of, who was nothing but calm and understanding when she had given him a napkin to wipe his tears.

He swore up and down that he had seen her somewhere before. It was like his mind was almost there, on the brink of remembering, but every time he got close, his head started to pound the same way it did whenever he tried to remember things from his past.

But, dammit, Haise wasn't anything if not determined.

Taking a breath through the nose, Haise smiled at the woman who was still smirking that teasing smile.

"That's Okay. Um, can I get a black coffee to go, then?"

She nodded, turning around to start preparing his drink.

Haise took that moment to look around, noticing a distinct lack of customers, other than the man sleeping at one of the tables with a hood pulled up over his head. He was always here when Haise came by.

"So, I guess it's been slow today?" He asked, trying to make conversation as to not keep the room awkward while his coffee was made.

The woman nodded, stepping away from the coffee pot as the liquid dripped into it.

"Yeah, you're actually our first customer since about 10:00 this morning. It's always slow on Friday around this time, which is why Y/N isn't working today."

Haise nodded, leaning against his side of the counter.

"I'm that obvious, huh?"

She shrugged, another teasing smile playing at her lips. "Little bit."

That made him flush a bit. He wasn't too experienced when it came to dating, or asking someone out, as far as he knew. The last crush he remembered having was a hallway crush on another investigator. That had been an awkward three weeks.

He never did get his name now that he thought about it.

Whatever, it wasn't important anymore. The man most definitely had a wife now, if he remembered correctly.

He returned his focus back to the woman behind the counter, who he still didn't know the name of.

"I just can't shake the feeling that I know her, y'know? Do you know anything about that? Maybe?"

The woman went to answer, but was stopped when the coffee stopped dripping.

She turned around and started pouring the hot liquid into a take-out cup.

"I don't know if I'm allowed to tell you that. I think it's something you have to figure out yourself."

Haise blew out a puff of air through slightly pouted lips.

"That's what everyone been saying for years."

The purple haired woman shrugged, handing him his cup.

"Maybe they're right. But, hey, it'll come back to you eventually. Just give it time."

Haise sighed forlornly, but nodded and smiled at her, taking the cup and preparing to leave.

"Thank you for the coffee, I'll probably be back tomorrow."

She nodded back, returning the smile.

"I'm counting on it."

~~~

Hairs did in fact return the next day.

He had the day off, which was rare for investigators, and he decided that he would like to spend it looking at the cute waitress again.

Wow, he was down bad.

He made his way to :re, opening the door and letting the soft jingle of the bell above the door ring in his ears.

No matter how many times he came here, the overwhelming scent of coffee still startled his nose, but it wasn't unpleasant.

He wasn't in his uniform today, instead sporting a soft dark blue sweater that he found in the back of his closet and a pair of black slacks that were rather snug on his hips, but not uncomfortable, and the legs were loose enough to where he could move them without strain.

Shirazu said all his casual outfits made him look like a nerd. Or a dad. Haise found that he didn't mind. The clothes made him comfortable.

He spotted the purple haired woman again before anything else, and when she looked up, she smiled.

"And he keeps his word. You're in luck, she should be here in about fifteen minutes."

Haise smiled softly and took a seat at the counter.

"Well, I'm relieved. I've been by myself pining for a week."

The woman rolled her eyes playfully. "Oh, how horrible."

Haise grinned to himself as she leaned against the counter.

"I'm telling you, it's been hell. I haven't felt like this in... ever, this is so foreign, but something about it feels familiar. I've been through this before at some point and it's driving me crazy."

The woman nodded.

"Yeah, it's gotta be rough. Being on the brink of memory but not quite grasping it."

Haise stared at the polished wood of the counter.

"It's like waking from a dream that you can't recall until the right thing shows up and you're reminded all over again, expect you don't know what it is."

She nodded again, getting off the counter and turning around.

"Black coffee again?" She asked.

Haise nodded. "Please."

It was silent as she brewed his coffee, the only sounds being the dripper as the hot coffee filled the pot.

He enjoyed quiet moments like these. Maybe this woman could be his friend.

The silence was interrupted by the jingle of the bell and Haise looked up, finally meeting the eyes he had been longing to see for a whole week.

She met his at the same time, hers widening in shock before settling into something more fragile.

She smiled at him, giving him a small wave.

"Hi." She said simply with a nervous grin.

Haise blinked, taking a moment before responding with his own wave.

"Hi." He breathed out.

A flash of something flickered through her eyes, it looked sad.

"Uh," she cleared her throat almost awkwardly. "Is the coffee to your liking?"

Haise furrowed his brows before gesturing to the woman behind the counter who had begun to pour his coffee into a porcelain mug.

The mug was set down as she let out a nervous laugh, scratching the back of her neck.

"Right, of course, sorry."

Haise reached his hand down to lift the mug to his lips, taking a small sip and then placing it down, giving her a smile.

"To answer your question, yes, it is to my liking."

He heard the woman beside him on the other side of the counter snort out a laugh.

"Touka." Y/N gritted out.

The woman, now Touka, continued to muffle her small buts of laughter, waving her hand nonchalantly.

"I'm sorry, it's just, you two are so damn dorky it's insane. I've never seen people as obvious as you guys are."

Haise flushed a soft red as he looked down at his hands.

"Um," Haise started. "I don't want to make you uncomfortable but..."

Haise slowly stood up, making his way over to the girl.

"Would you like to go out some time?"

Y/N blinked in surprise, before a slow smile began to form on her face.

"Yeah, I'd love to. Where were you thinking?"

Haise shrugged.

"I know a pretty great library in the 20th ward."

Her eyes flashed with brief sadness again before she nodded.

"Yeah, a library sounds great. Oh! Uh, my name is Y/N L/N."

She stuck out her hand in an awkward form of a handshake.

Haise chuckled and took her hand, shaking it politely.

"Haise Sasaki, nice to meet you, Y/N."

She smiled again.

"You as well, Haise."

He didn't know what she might have meant to him, he didn't know if he'll ever figure it out.

But he was willing to learn how.

With all his heart, he'd learn.

To be honest, I wasn't ever sure if I was gonna do a follow up to the original, but I feel like yo guys deserved to see Haise's point of view about everything, so here it is!