for you, i promise.

"hey, did ya wait long?" he said as he offered your arm a friendly tap before taking the seat across from you. you shook your head in response, pointing to the view you were just partaking in.

"it gave me time to enjoy the scenery and plus i was early—" you glanced down at your watch. "and so are you."

"my grandmother always taught me to me punctual."

"well if i can gather anything, i can tell she's raised you right." he offered you a light smile at that. he reached for the menu on the table, flipping through the pages.

"per your wager on wednesday, i believe that this meal is on me. those onigiri were indeed, very delicious." you rolled your eyes, a smile creeping onto your lips.

"it was a flawed wager to begin with, anything that includes your rice is already above average."

"which is why i had no problem accepting the terms."

"yeah, yeah, yeah." you said, waving your hand. "if we get something after this, it's on me. it's not up for debate." he held up his arms in defeat, before turning his attention back to the menu. you both ordered shortly after, now resting in silence. it wasn't awkward, just present. your gaze wandered back out the window, watching the petals fallen from flowers drift down the street as people walked by.

"how's the shop been?" good. was your usual response, because it always has been. though you found yourself hesitating to say that, knowing that it wasn't 100% the truth.

"it's been…fine. still as busy as ever, and probably will get busier with the way the shop's been blowing up on social media." shinsuke gave a nod in response.

"and you, how's the farm?"

"the work doesn't vary much, which i like. it's mundane to most, but it keeps my day structured." you could only offer a light huff of the nose— such a shinsuke answer.

"how are you? outside of work that is." you both silently thanked the server as they placed your beverages on the table.

"wow, such a loaded question." you huffed, trying to come across light hearted.

"is it?" he was now giving you that stare, it was sharper than most of his silent glances. he had your full and undivided attention with the kind of focus that was hard to pivot away from. you couldn't hold his stare for long, the ice in your drink looking particularly captivating in that moment.

"are you asking because you know? or because you want me to tell you?" your voice was small and you hated it. the way osamu has come to effect you made you feel idiotic. shinsuke took that moment to give his coffee a cautionary sip, steam still rapidly rising from the mug. the light scorch on his taste buds told him it still needed a few more minutes.

"i think both would be beneficial to answer.. not just for me, but for you as well." your eyebrows raised as you rested your chin in your palm. "how so?"

"i know you're too busy coddling other people's feelings to come to terms with your own." your blinked long and hard as your eyebrows were now sitting furrowed on your forehead. you watched as shinsuke sat calmly, as if he didn't land the biggest right hook of the century. you couldn't even gather your thoughts as he continued to speak.

"i'm sorry if that was harsh. i only said it because i knew you'd be able to handle it." conveniently, the rest of the order came giving you time to come back to reality. you shook your head, waving it off.

"no, you're right. working hasn't exactly been the easiest over the past couple of weeks…" you voice naturally fading. "that noticeable, huh?" exposed didn't even come close to how you felt. you were usually at the forefront of your emotions, being to let people in at will. but here under shinsuke's microscope, it felt like he was able to by-pass all of that.

"to me? yes." he reached over to his coffee, taking a bigger sip now that the steam had settled. "to osamu? knowing him, his body probably feels the difference. it just hasn't caught up to his brain yet. there's a lot going on up there as im sure ya know."

hearing his name made your ears burn and your fingers twitch. and here you thought this was going to be some sort of normal get together. you should've known that shinsuke had something up his sleeve. though unbeknownst to him, he was just asking you simple questions with simple answers. you took a sip of water, hoping to quell the feeling of dryness in your throat.

"how long have you known?"

"probably as long as you've known."

your hand instantly smacked over your eyes, the feeling of embarrassment hitting you like a bucket of ice cold water. your cheeks exuded a beet red color as you could feel the heat pulsing through your them. you brought your drink up to your cheeks to try and combat the heat, although shinsuke could only chuckle at your antics.

"that's why i was kind of surprised to see him with someone else at the barbecue." a sigh left your lips, as you looked at the sandwich in front of you. your hand still shielding yourself from his gaze.

"yeah, that was a big nail in the coffin for me. the dates were whatever since anybody can go on a few dates.. but once she started showing up to the shop more often and going so far to invite her to the barbecue... i got a big reality check." a few moments passed, finally being able to give shinsuke a smile that didn't quite reach your eyes.

"but hey. ya win some and ya lose some, ya know? it's a direct result of my own actions. i've come to terms with it." he knew better than most being captain of inarizaki, always pushing his team to put the past aside and focus on the now. even though in his older years, he's grown to appreciate the memories.

"most of the healing is internal than it is the actual situation anyways." you took a bite of your sandwich, hoping that the excitement you had when you ordered it would spark up your appetite.

"meaning?" you waved your hand dismissively, not wanting to get into the semantics of your own image and societal norms.

"a bunch of wallowing in self pity just to get it out of my system. it's dramatic, so don't bother yourself with it." he only nodded, choosing not to push further than he already has.

"and if they start dating exclusively?" your chewing stopped, but only for a brief second.

"i'd learn to be happy for them. she's a perfectly pleasant person and boss' happiness is really what i care about. so if he's happy, i am too. even if it'll take me some time to truly get there." the sounds of the espresso machine and utensils on plates filled the silence as you both finished off your meals and much like he promised, shinsuke paid at the end.

"thank you for the meal, shin. next time we go out, it's on me."

"i'm surprised you're even considering a next time with how i ridiculed ya." you genuinely laughed, patting his arm reassuringly. "don't worry about it. heaven knows i needed it after trying to deal with it on my own. thank you, truly." he offered you a gentle smile

"ya headed back to hyogo?" you nodded, already dreading having to wake up early for the opening prep shift.

"i'll see ya on wednesday for drop off?"

"7:04am, be there or be square." you offered him a salute as you began to make your way back to your station. "text me when you get back!"

he waved you off, watching you round the corner before shoving his hands into his pockets. he shook his head, a quiet chuckle leaving his lips.

"when will those two knuckle heads learn.."

[sms: shinsuke 🍙🌾] i've made it back! we should go to that cafe again! though next time give me a heads up if i'm going to be in the line of questioning.... wwwww