Type: IA x Yuma

Requested by IA-AriaOnThePlanetes

Author's Note: This one took me a long time, only because I had so many ideas and I wasn't sure which to use. I was (no joke) going to write (still my idea and I plan to use it, by the way) a story where IA's parents are murdered and she's sold off to a brothel and Yuma saves her...but those have been done a lot...then I came up with this while drinking coffee and twirling a ribbon between my fingers.

~~~~~

Friday afternoons were always the same. I'd be sitting in the local café, my fingers wrapped around a warm mug of some sort of hot beverage, watching my friend scramble around behind the counter, crafting coffees.

He rushed, but that was part of his nature. I smiled to myself. He was a pretty good barista, though. It had interested him, even though he was only doing a job for the money. He managed to land a job that he liked.

I pushed my pale blond hair out of my eyes and brought the steaming mug to my lips, watching him. This Friday afternoon, this whole evening, really, was supposed to be different than every other Friday. It was my birthday, after all, and he had promised something special.

Me and him weren't really anything more than friends, at least, that was what he thought. I liked him, actually liked him, but I hadn't told him. I was also maybe just a bit too curious about his personal life, but he was cool with that. After all, we grew up together.

"Hey!" He waved to me from behind the counter as a customer pulled a bill of of their pocket. "I'll be there in ten, okay?"

I nodded, grinning at him. "No rush, okay, Yuma?"

"Rushing's part of my nature, IA, you know that," he laughed softly, taking the money from the customer and handing back the change. "Besides, today's your big day and I want to make it special."

He got back to work and I drank down the hot chocolate he had made for me. It was amazing, to say the least. There was a hint of coffee in the chocolate and some mint was laced in, as well. Yuma had added a generous topping of whipped cream on top, dotted with flecks of cinnamon powder as well as cocoa powder. I could say that the best part of all this was that it was free, but that'd be a lie.

"Mmm," I was indulging in the drink when I felt a hand on my shoulder. I squeaked in surprise and turned to my right to see Yuma looming over me. He smiled as my blue eyes met his greens.

"You're certainly enjoying yourself," he smirked, crossing his arms.

"It's amazing!" I gushed. "Can you make them like this every time?"

He chuckled. "I made it like that 'cause it's your big day."

"My 'big day' comes yearly," I grinned.

"So you want an annual amazing hot chocolate?" He walked around the small, coal coloured round table and sat down in the chair opposite mine, his elbows on the table and his hands clasped.

I giggled. "Sure, why not?"

"Anyway, you almost done?" He asked. "I know, I shouldn't rush, and really, there isn't a rush, but...I'm sorry."

"Hey, it's fine," I reached forward and clasped his arm, trying to comfort him. His pale pink locks fell over his eyes and he looked down at my hand.

"I should just not say anything," he said.

"I don't want to hear you say that," I snapped. "We're friends, Yuma."

"Right," he nodded, exhaling. "I'm sorry. Finish your drink, I want to take you someplace."

"Mmhm," I nodded and glugged the now lukewarm drink down. I plunked the mug down and grabbed a tissue from the small dispenser lying to my right, wiping my face.

"Done?" He asked, smiling.

"Yeah," I said. We got up and left the café. I walked right alongside Yuma, following him quietly through the parking lot and his car.

"You took the bus, right?" He asked. I nodded. We stopped in front of the front passenger seat's door and I watched as he rummaged through his pockets for his keys.

He pulled them out and unlocked the door swiftly, pulling it open. Before I could get in, he embraced me tightly.

"Happy eighteenth, IA," he said.

I nodded, my head against his black shirt. He always gave the most amazing hugs, like he wanted to lovingly squeeze the life out of you. The way his arms were coiled around my small body made my heart race. We hugged every now and then, less than we used to, but I wished that he'd hold me like this forever.

Slowly, I slid my arms up and around him, clasping his back, hugging him, though nowhere near as tightly. He laughed softly and pulled back, tousling my hair. I got into my seat, using a hand to hold my long locks as I sat down.

"I like how you braided it," Yuma commented as he got into the driver's seat. I smirked at him, tugging at the two braids I had, one on each side of my face. The rest of my hair fell back, past my thighs.

"I braid it like this all the time, silly goose," I playfully swatted his arm. He started the car.

"And I compliment it every time," he grinned.

"Where are we going?"

He exhaled, leaning back and drumming the steering wheel with his fingers, slowly getting the vehicle to slither out of its parking spot.

"I had a lot of ideas," he said. "You know how I am. Indecisive and always rushing."

"Please don't rush on the road," I cautioned. "I don't want to die."

"Calm down, you're not going to die," he said that with a laugh. "It's not like this is some short story written by a sadistic writer that looks happy at the start but is going to have a bad ending."

I blinked. "Where did that come from?"

"Huh?" He looked at me. "I don't know...anyway, I had a lot of ideas, but I decided on one. The best one."

"The best one?" I repeated. "Please, drive carefully, Yuma."

"I am, I am," he insisted, leaving the parking lot and driving down the road. "So anyway, I chose the best place. The most affordable place. In fact, it's free!"

"What?" I scowled at him. "Cheapskate."

"Aw, come on, IA, you and I both know that you can't stay angry with me for long," he pinched my cheek. I crossed my arms, unable to keep a smile off my lips.

"Is it a long drive?" I asked.

"Nope, not too long," he said. "In fact, were almost there."

"Hmm," I looked out the window as we passed shops and buildings. Their density slowly decreased as he drove, and soon, we were driving past the beach.

"Don't press your nose to the glass," Yuma said, only slightly serious. "You'll squish it."

"Noses don't get squished like that," I said, sitting back and crossing my arms.

"You wouldn't know, yours is exceptionally squishy," he reached over and pinched my nose, his eyes still on the road. I yowled and pushed his hand away.

"You pinch so hard!" I pouted. "You should be someone's aunt, or grandma. The cheek-pinching kind."

"But I pinch more than just cheeks," he snickered.

"Are we going to the beach?" I asked, glancing out at the boundless canvas of blue. It melded with the darkening sky, which was streaked with brilliant reds, purples and oranges.

"I was actually considering the beach," he smiled. "But then I scrapped that."

"Okay," I said. "How much longer?"

"Be patient, now. It's my job to rush," he waggled a finger at me. "I have an idea."

"Oh?"

He braked at a stop sign and looked both ways. "Twinkle, twinkle, little star."

"Huh?"

"It's a sing along," he offered a deadpan expression. "So sing. Along."

I rolled my eyes. "This is just the kind of thing you'd come up with."

"Twinkle, twinkle little star!" He insisted, giving me a nudge.

"How I wonder what you are!" I drawled.

"Up above the world so high!" He sang.

"Like a slice of chocolate pie," I giggled. He gaped at me.

"What? That makes no sense!" He started panicking. "It should be meringue pie!"

"Oh, so that's what you have a problem with? Nothing wrong with how I completely obliterated the last line of the lullaby?"

"Ha! That's not the last line, the actual poem is much longer!"

"Well, unless you plan on putting me to sleep, I'm not in the mood to hear it," I blew a raspberry at him. He started laughing at me.

"You're such a kid, IA," he grinned. "See, this is why I love dragging you around the city in my car. You're better than the radio."

"Are we there yet?" I asked. "Feels like we've been driving for hours."

"It hasn't even been half an hour yet."

"This looks like your neighbourhood," I frowned, looking out the window. "Wait...this is your neighbourhood...and there's your building..."

He chuckled sheepishly, stopping by the side of the road and pulling a cloth out of his pocket. I frowned at him. He smirked deviously and grabbed my shoulders, pulling me forward. I yelped and tried to push him away. He blindfolded me and pushed me back into my seat.

"Don't take that off, okay?" He said, his tone lighthearted. "I don't want to give anything away."

I sighed and nodded. He continued to drive.

"So were you just driving around all this time, not actually heading to wherever it is that you want to take me?"

"I'd never do that," he said. I felt the car stop. A door opened, but it wasn't mine. It seemed to be Yuma's. I heard it close. Slowly, I reached for the handle when my door suddenly opened and Yuma took my hands, slowly pulling me out of the car.

"Where are we going?" I asked. "No, wait, where are we right now?"

"You'll see," he put an arm around my shoulders and led me somewhere. I didn't really know where we were or where we were going, but we were indoors somewhere, I could tell.

"This must be some cruddy free place, like you said," I mumbled. "The ground feels grimy against my shoes."

"Don't worry, it's not that bad!" He waved my comment away.

We kept walking, and he led me past many doors. Then, we walked into one area where I heard a ding and felt that distinctive rising feeling in my stomach that you'd only feel in elevators.

"Is this a hotel?" I asked sheepishly. "Is it actually some super fancy, expensive place? We're you kidding about it being free? You didn't spend all your saved up money for me, did you?!"

"You'll see, IA, don't worry," he squeezed my shoulder. "I'd only offer the best to my best friend."

"This is getting weird," I mumbled, unsure of what to expect. The elevator stopped and he led me out and down a long, straight path.

"This is carpet," I said. "Where are we? I demand to know!"

"One sec, kiddo," he stopped and I heard a door being unlocked. He pulled me in and I yelped, nearly falling forward. He wrapped his arms around me, holding me back.

"You okay?" He asked. I felt his breath against the nape of my neck. It made my knees go weak.

"I'm fine," I said. He sat me down on what felt like a sofa. "Are you going to take the blindfold off?"

"Calm down," he chuckled, reaching behind me and untying the cloth. I blinked and looked at my surroundings while kicking my shoes off.

"This..." I glanced at the mauve sofa I was seated on, the grey carpet on the floor, the glass table in front of me. "This is...this is your apartment!"

He fell onto the sofa, beside me, and started to laugh like a maniac, his head thrown back. I scowled at him.

"I told you it was free!" He stifled his laughter. I punched him in the shoulder and he stood up.

"What the hell, Yuma?" I yelled.

"Stay right there," he smiled. "I've got something for you."

I bit my tongue and decided to give him a chance. He walked over to his balcony door. It was comprised of many glass panes, over which hung burgundy curtains that had been parted slightly. He drew the curtains and let the setting sun's light spill through. The light's colours exploded off of his glass table and it looked magical, almost. The colourful light made the sparse, fine specks of floating dust in the air glimmer, like fairy dust. I gasped softly at the beauty of the sight. Yuma just grinned at me.

"Not done yet," he said, walking past me. "There's something I need to do in the kitchen."

"I'm coming with you!" I said, getting up and scurrying after him, down one hall and into a cozy kitchen lined with cabinets. Yuma stuffed his left hand into his pants pocket and started opening cabinets, one by one.

"You know I've got forty different kinds of coffee, right?" He glanced at me, a twinkle in his catlike greens.

"You've bragged about your ingredient collection before," I said, crossing my arms. "Every time I visit, you spend at least ten minutes talking about it."

"Well, I'll only spend a minute this time, 'cause it's your birthday," he grinned. "Forty kinds of coffee, five different kinds of cocoa powder, various powdered spices including but not limited to nutmeg and cinnamon, sixty mugs, thirty varieties teas, ten different kinds of whipped toppings and creams, various garnishes, lots of milk and water..."

"That's enough!" I stopped him.

"Right," he nodded, walking over to one cupboard and pulling out two identical black ceramic mugs. He looked at me, a smug expression across his pale face. "You're not allowed to watch. It's my secret recipe."

"Being with you is like being on a caffeine roller coaster," I mumbled.

"Hey, I like how that sounds!" He waved a spoon at me before shooing me out. "Now go! Shoo! There's two chairs in the balcony, go take a seat!"

I groaned loudly and shuffled out of the kitchen, watching as Yuma turned his back to me and started pulling ingredients out of the cabinets with impressive speed. I peeked from the doorway, silently admiring him as he worked away, heating water and milk.

"IA?" He turned to look at me, an amused smile on his face. "What're you doing, silly? I'm not that nice looking, am I?"

I felt my temperature rise as my face took on a scarlet hue. "I-I..."

"I know my barista skills are godly and it's difficult to avert one's eyes, but my techniques are secret, so I'm afraid you'll have to go," he leaned against the counter, crossing his arms.

I tried to stop myself from raking my eyes up and down his figure but it was difficult. When I finally snapped out of it, his whimsical grin refused to let me go. Every single one of his smiles was so amazing, and he had hundreds of different grins.

"I'm sorry, I'll go," I said, quickly scampering away, towards the living room and then right out into the balcony, where there were two brushed silver patio chairs. I plopped down in one and slouched a little, relaxing myself.

I closed my eyes and propped my feet up on the balcony railing, sighing softly and soaking up the last rays of sunlight. In my head, I pictured Yuma, smiling like always. Sure, I liked him, and I liked him a lot, but I didn't easily get flustered around him. We had known each other for so long, and that made it easier for me to stay calm and mask my feelings.

I asked myself when I'd tell him. I wasn't really sure, but I wanted to take my time while also not taking ages. We were best friends and I didn't want that to change if I confessed to him. He could always say no, I knew that.

"Are you sleeping, IA?" I heard Yuma's soft whisper and I opened my eyes and turned to my right. He was standing by me, two mugs in his hands. Once he saw that I was clearly awake, he smiled and sat down, handing a mug to me.

"Thank you," I said, looking into the cup. "It looks a lot...plainer than what you usually make."

"I assure you, this isn't commoner coffee," he had a wry smile on his lips. "Anyway, I'm sorry for being such a disappointment."

"Huh?" I watched as he leaned back and quietly sipped the drink, his eyes set against the sky. "What do you mean? Yuma, you haven't disappointed me."

"I really wanted to take you to a fancy restaurant," he mumbled. "Then I was thinking, maybe something less fancy...then I thought about taking you to the beach...but I brought you here."

I looked at him. His pale pink hair fell over his eyes. The mug's rim and body hid his lips. I knew he wasn't smiling.

"I just want to spend time with you," I whispered. He nodded slowly.

"Sorry, my plan isn't even fully executed yet..." He glanced at me. I furrowed my brow.

"Your plan?"

"It's nothing," he said with a small smile.

"Okay..." I nodded. We both silently watched the sun sink below the skyline, marvelling at the trails of colour it left behind.

The sky was a dark blue when Yuma put his empty mug down. I was still hugging mine to my chest. He groaned softly as he got to his feet and stretched his arms.

"Are we going inside?" I asked.

"I gotta grab your gift," he said, winking at me before walking back into his home. "Sit tight, 'kay?"

"Okay," I said, watching as he disappeared and came back into view moments later with a small box in his hands.

"Here it is," he said, sitting down and holding the box out in front of me. It was a coral coloured box, about the size of the palm of my hand.

"What is it?" I looked up at him.

"Just open it," he said.

I took the box from his hands and quickly pulled the top off. Inside was a long, pink ribbon.

"A...ribbon?" I questioned, taking the soft fabric in between my fingers.

"So you can tie up all that hair," he teased. "There's so much of it."

I frowned at him. "Thanks," I said.

"Hey, it's symbolic, you know," he shrugged. "Here, let me see it."

He took it from my hands and stood up, walking around my chair so that he was behind me. I tilted my head forwards as he braided my loose hair into a large braid. His hands worked skillfully in my hair, which wasn't really a surprise. When we were younger, he often playfully braided my hair for me.

"Remember?" I smiled in spite of myself as I recalled the memories fondly. "You used to braid my hair...and it was always uneven."

"I remember," he said with a soft laugh. "I've been practicing for today."

"What? Really?"

"Really. There, it's done."

I felt him tug on my hair gently before walking around and leaning against the balcony railing, his hands in his pockets as he smiled at me. His hair blew in the breeze and we kept looking at each other.

"Thank you," I said, smiling back and standing up. I took a step towards him and he took two towards me.

"Happy eighteenth, IA," he whispered, wrapping his arms around me. I hugged him back and closed my eyes, cherishing the hug as being something more than just friendly.

"Thank you," I repeated. "And I'm not mad about coming to your home for tonight, and I'm not angry with the ribbon, either. I love it. Really."

"Like I said, it's more than just a ribbon, it's a symbol," he whispered into my ear, not letting go of me. "How much longer do you plan on hiding it, kid?"

"Huh?"

"I know you love me," he continued to whisper. Goosebumps peppered my body and my heart started pounding.

"But...how..."

"If you know someone for thirteen years, you can read them like this," he chuckled. "IA, I love you, too. This ribbon is for just that, and it worked. It made you think back and remember the times we spent together, and it'll remind you of tonight."

"Y-Yuma..."

He pulled away and grinned at me. I felt tears forming in my eyes, tears of happiness.

"I've loved you for a while," he said softly, stroking the hair near my scalp. I closed my eyes and stepped closer to him. His back was pressed against the balcony railing. "I wanted to make this day perfect, and I know I kinda failed, but at least I made you happy right now, right?"

"You didn't fail," I answered. "I wasn't disappointed before, but now I'm thrilled. It all makes sense in the end."

"Mm...does it?" He pressed his forehead to mine and I put my hands on his shoulders.

"Does this mean we're not friends anymore?" I said suddenly, stupidly.

"We're special friends," he replied, his nose now against mine. I could feel his warm breath against my face. I thought about hugging him, being hugged by him, every day, or all the time. "Friends that crossed that boundary of love and fell deeper...and I promise, we're only going to fall deeper and deeper and deeper..."

"And we're going to kiss?" I whispered. He chuckled.

"You're so cute," he cupped my face with one hand and pulled me closer with the other. I grabbed fistfuls of his shirt, hanging onto him, scared yet excited, completely enthralled.

I tilted my face higher, my eyes closed, hoping Yuma would guide me, like he guided me into his apartment blindfolded, like he guided me for thirteen years.

Of course, he didn't leave me hanging. His lips met mine and we melded together in a sweet, caffeine-laced kiss, right there, under the twinkling stars, in the barista's balcony.

I could extend the kiss, and I was going to make it kind of spicy, but the cuteness was killing me (and it continues to slaughter my feels mercilessly) and so I cut it right there...

I love this oneshot because I love Yuma, I love IA, I love IA x Yuma and I love love LOVE coffee.

And Yuma kept trying to break the fourth wall...there was this thing when he was leaning against the balcony railing, IA tells him to be careful and he laughs and says this isn't a tragedy...I deleted that line. >.>