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Yukino took notice the second week into the semester. She always enjoyed meeting the new group of students. Some wanted to experience that campus coffee experience. Others were searching for potential study spots or meeting up with people. But some were bound to become regulars. Yukino noted two particular students were starting to visit her little corner of the cafe on the daily.
She noted the boisterous blond first. Sting Eucliffe quickly gained a reputation for having loose lips. He was a journalism major with some experience from high school. Yukino thought his little penchant for food and trouble was an adorable trait.
For all that he was loud and looking for the spotlight, he had a brain rattling around in there enough to quickly realize that Yukino was an observer and picked up all the gossip. Their new routine became clockwork. At exactly nine in the morning, Sting sauntered in. She slipped him tips and pointed him in various directions all while preparing his daily dose of triple expresso shot white mocha latte alongside two chicken and bacon breakfast wraps.
Sting jotted down all the details in a little leather journal and went on his way. His backpack was strung over his shoulders, coffee in one hand, wrap in another, and the second wrap clamped between his lips.
On a completely different vibe, her other daily visitor came right at opening. Rogue Cheney was a lean quiet kid who had heavy bags under his eyes, looming evidently from staying up all night coding. Yukino discovered he was computer science student who helped run the back end of the university’s website as a part-timer for the IT crew. He didn’t talk much, and Yukino didn’t pry. She just made him black tea served hot with exactly one sugar cube and a side of the grab-n-go triple berry parfait.
He took his order with a polite thank you before stalking to the most reclusive corner, a little table placed behind a tall pillar that hid him from anyone seeing him unless they purposely walked towards him. He lingered after finishing his breakfast, pitching the rubbish before pulling out a book to read for an hour. Once that hour was up, he slipped out of the cafe like a silent shadow.
So, it came to be that she expected to see Rogue when he unlocked the doors, watched him disappear for the day, and a few hours later, Sting would rush in, embracing the spirit of the sun and mouth rambling before he even made it through the door.
The first time Rogue didn’t show up, Yukino noticed. She instinctively readied the tea for his drink, only to realize she was alone. Despite her patience, the hours start to tick by without a single sign of the guy. It was only later that her jaw practically dropped to the floor seeing him.
Sting walked in just as usual, but at his side was none other than Rogue. At a glance, Yukino felt pity seeing Sting force him in. He showed no notable expression other than deadpan annoyance. But she noticed he didn’t seem to mind enough to stop himself from being dragged around.
“Hey, Yukino! I brought someone with me today. I want you to meet my roommate, Rogue!” he beamed. Yukino raised a brow. Suddenly, the picture in front of her seemed to morph. That knowing feeling ebbed to and fro as she flicked her gaze between them.
“Right… Just roommates, huh?” she mused. “Tell me when that changes.”
Rogue blankly tilted his head, not understanding at all, while Sting laughed.
“I’m not sure I get what you mean, but sure, sure. We can do that,” he said.
Yukino sighed dramatically as she charged each of their cards and started on their drinks. She’d bet her left kidney her inkling was right. Thankfully, no one was asking that of her.
Their joint breakfasts grew more frequent. Mostly, Rogue came in with Sting, but eventually, even Sting got a taste of his own medicine when Rogue started taking him to the cafe at his early time. Those mornings, they opted for a longer booth area along the wall. Rogue went on with his reading while Sting took a nap, head draped over Rogue’s lap while the other stroked his chin between page flips.
The first semester ended without much more development, much to Yukino’s bitter dismay. Winter settled over campus, and she fleetingly wondered how things would be when they returned. The thought got buried as she enjoyed the weeks without papers or projects or working at the cafe. On the cusp of the Spring semester, her first day back to campus was met by two familiar figures walking through the doors at seven.
She doesn’t even need to hide her smug smile. Sting and Rogue were holding hands, and she caught some very suspicious marks being poorly hidden behind two matching scarves, one with a white dragon and one with a black dragon.
“How is the roommate duo doing?” she asked with a glint in her eyes. Rogue made a high-pitched humming noise while Sting sheepishly sighed.
“Okay, so, we might not be just roommates,” Sting admitted.
“Yeah, I figured.” Yukino giggled to herself proudly for guessing that one right and started on the drinks.