๐ง๐๐ซ๐ ๐ ๐ง๐๐ซ๐ โฆ ๐ญ๐๐๐๐ฌ๐ก๐ข ๐ก๐๐ฆ๐๐๐ ๐ฑ ๐ซ๐๐๐๐๐ซ
>>> includes: female reader, no anatomy specified besides reader having hair, reader is absolutely brilliant but embarrassed of it, kind of a meet-cute vibe all throughout. tadashi and reader are both awkward and crushing on each other a little bit and they're very cute. a part two is currently in the near future! enjoy:) (masterlist) (part two)
day one: meeting you
"welcome to the lucky cat cafe." tadashi's pavlov'd response came from behind the counter at the sound of the entrance bell ringing. he had his back turned to the door and whoever walked in, busy operating the ancient espresso machine his aunt cass refused to get rid of. by the time he turned around the customer was already standing at the counter, absentmindedly fiddling with her fingers. he began speaking the typical barista script before his eyes even met their face: "what can i do for-" looking up at them for the first time, his words caught in his mouth. he had only stumbled over his words terribly a few times in his life, but this particular instance definitely took the cake. he stared, mouth slightly agape and eyes wide. he was fumbling to remember how his typical line went before he accepted defeat, shook his head, cleared his throat, and said with an embarrassed awkward chuckle: "sorry about that. long day.. uhm, what can i get for you, ma'am?"
tadashi could say with full confidence that standing before him was the most gorgeous girl he'd ever seen in his entire life. from the very top of her head all the way down to her shoes, she was all around perfect. he fumbled with his notepad and pen, struggling to regain control of his motor skills and the burning blush creeping up the back of his neck up to the tips of his ears. he managed to stop gaping and tried to make his face look as normal as possible as he gave her his full attention, but was still visibly embarrassed and in awe.
the girl giggled awkwardly, a little embarrassed. not for him like you would think, but for herself. she thought maybe she had scared him by standing at the counter instead of waiting for him to turn around before approaching it. maybe her hair was messy, maybe she had something in her teeth, maybe he could just sense that she was the biggest nerd ever. "uh- hi, i've never been here before, so i'm not sure what's good.. what would you recommend?" her voice was gentle and smooth but timid, like she was talking to a small child or a deer. her response was not what the boy was expecting her to say, and also he was only half listening because his mind was screaming with 'oh my gosh she's so beautiful i sounded so stupid how could anyone stutter that many times in a single sentence', but luckily for him, his aunt had owned the bakery since before he was born, so he knew the menu and his favorite things on it like the back of his hand. he quickly recovered himself and put on his practiced customer-service confidence.
"well, i personally like our hot caramel macchiato. but if you're not a coffee person, we have the best smoothies and teas on this side of san fransokyo." he smiled, leaning his forearm casually against the counter. now that he wasn't looking at her like her skin was blue, she noticed how nice his face was. now she was a little flustered, her realization making her blush a bit. "uhm.. i'll trust your word on the caramel macchiato." she said, too embarrassed to want to stand there saying 'uhm' any longer. so he wrote her order down and she paid in cash, which he decided he really liked. no one ever paid in cash anymore, so it was intriguing to him that she did. soon after the initial interaction, she was sitting at a small round table by the window, nursing her macchiato quietly and looking out the window like she was waiting for something or anything to happen. at every opportunity he had tadashi glanced her way, blushing each time.
he felt like he had been transported back to being twelve years old and having his first crush, not being able to look at her without wanting to kick his feet with admiration and glee. she didn't stay for long, finishing off her drink within the hour and leaving her cup neatly on the table, which made him like her that much more. at the end of his voluntary shift, when the cafe was getting ready to close for the night, aunt cass found him at the counter with his chin in his palm staring at the door like he was willing someone to come. "you might as well have told her you're in love with her." she said, wiping down the counters behind him. tadashi shook his head, chuckling under his breath. "i'm not in love with her." but he really did hope he'd see her again.
day twelve: learning you
even while attending the san fransokyo institute of technology full time as robotics major, he began picking up extra shifts at the cafe under the guise of wanting to help aunt cass, but really every single day he hoped to see that girl again. and luckily for him, his little plan worked, because he did see her again. he saw her twice in the first week she had come in, and two more times after that. unfortunately for him, cass was usually the one who ended up taking her order, which reduced him to only being able to watch from afar. but one fateful friday night while he was working the closing shift post-classes at the institute, she came in. it was seven pm when she walked through the door, and tadashi had to physically refrain from leaping for joy. he made sure he was the one at the register this time, offering her a toothy, genuine smile in greeting.
"nice to see you again," he said casually, his body language and tone confident despite the fact he felt like his heart was audibly beating. she didn't expect him to remember her like that, so she was shocked by his words. she quickly recovered her face of surprise and smiled back shyly, unable to hold his eye contact. "hi, thank you. uh, you too." he smiled. "what can i do for ya tonight?" he was unconsciously leaning onto the counter again, like he was gravitationally pulled to her. she noticed, but thought she was overthinking and chose not to say anything. "i'll just have a hot chocolate. uhm, with whipped cream too please." "coming right up." he smiled, hurriedly scribbling the last words of her order onto his notepad, which she noticed had robot and cat stickers on the face of it. 'cute.' she thought to herself.
an hour later and twenty minutes before closing she was still sitting at the same window table she claimed every time she came to the cafe, looking out at the bustling city streets, building lights, and cars honking as they drove by. her fingernail traced an idle circle over and over on the polished wooden tabletop, her mind far off in another land. she was pulled back to reality by the sound of the chair across from her being pulled out, the sudden sound startling her and making her jump a bit. she looked up to see tadashi's kind eyes and heard him say, "sorry! didn't mean to scare ya," as he sat down, scooting into the table a bit. "i'm sorry, do i need to leave? i completely lost track of time, i'm really sorry-" she said all at once, cheeks burning in embarrassment and eyes trained solely on the table as she stood, beginning to gather her purse and garbage.
"no, no, you're okay! really, it's no worries," tadashi said quickly, just barely reaching out his hand as a gesture to stop her. she looked to him surprised, hovering in an awkward halfway position of standing and about to sit back down. "i just thought i'd come chat for a bit, that's all! you've come in here a few times and i've never caught your name.." he looked at her with a sort of genuine openness and curiosity on his face, making a friendly gesture for her to sit down if she wanted to. so she did. "oh. right. i'm (y/n)," she said as she timidly sat back down, like a prey animal who couldn't quite decide if she was comfortable or not. "(y/n).." tadashi tested her name on his tongue, "it's nice to finally meet you. well, you know, like-- talk to you." he laughed breathily, making her laugh as well. "yes. it's nice to meet you too, uhm.." she trailed off, giving him a look that said 'and your name issss..?'
"oh, i'm tadashi! tadashi hamada." he stuck out his hand for her to shake. her eyes flew open in childlike wonder and surprise, a small gasp parting her lips. "tadashi hamada?!" she exclaimed. "oh my gosh, i've read so many of your papers," it was like she had been struck by lightning in the best way possible. she was instantly lit up with glee and passion and awe, rambling her thoughts all at once with her hands and a full smile on her face. "i've followed your work for months now! i read your last beta-testing log on the medical assistant robot, and oh my gosh that is genius! i mean seriously, hyperspectral cameras for full-body assessment, using carbon-fiber and titanium plates for the skeleton? ugh, come on! that is amazing! in theory, it'll be resistant to deterioration!" she gushed, completely wrapped up in her amazement that she was sitting in front of one of her greatest academic inspirations. that was, until she saw the incredulous look on his face. she suddenly felt very small, and very stupid.
she quickly and awkwardly shut up as tadashi gaped at her, her inner light dimming with the overwhelming embarrassment of herself as she slumped back in her seat. "sorry. that was probably weird." her cheeks burned and she wished she would just evaporate on the spot. meanwhile, tadashi. was. in. love. not only did she look like she came straight off a runway, but she was passionate, apparently very intelligent, and understood the work he was doing! could she get any better? he quickly fixed his face and began trying to fix his mistake, feeling bad that he had made her feel bad. "no! no no no no no that's not it at all! i mean, i mean i'm amazed! and- and honored that you care about my work! you're in robotics?" he was smiling now, like a child who had been given free reign in a candy store.
"who, me? no no no, that's not- uhm, that's, that's not the case. i'm uhm, i just.. i mean i'm not even from here so-" tadashi watched as she stuttered and stumbled over her words, deciding that he could listen to her talk for the rest of his life and be perfectly happy. meanwhile, (y/n) really wanted to evaporate now. she slumped deep into her chair and covered her face with the sleeves of her sweater, feeling how hot her cheeks had grown in the span of like, ten seconds. she took a deep breath and peeked from behind her fingers at him to see him laughing lightheartedly, feeling glad he wasn't the only one who stumbled when they talked. unfortunately for (y/n), tadashi's energy was contagious, so she began to giggle too, if only at herself. "ugh, sorry.." she said through her soft laughter, adjusting her body to sit straight in the chair now.
"no, i'm just- i'm not even from here, you know? i came here for school, got an apartment and everything but.. now i'm not even sure if i'm going. i mean, the offer they sent me was great but.." tadashi nodded in understanding, giving her a look of sympathy. he leaned his elbows on the counter and rested his face in his palm, completely immersed in her words. "what school sent the offer?" "the san fransokyo institute of technology." now it was tadashi who lit up. "that's where i go!" he said excitedly, smiling with all thirty two teeth at the joyous feeling of relating to her. "the institute doesn't really send out invitations. even i had to apply!" he said, genuinely starstruck by this girl in front of him. "wow. you must be like, รผber-smart then!" he complimented her, looking at her in curious awe.
"well, i mean i guess so.." she mumbled, embarrassed. "you guess so?" "it's just that.. i don't know. i graduated highschool when i was 14. after that i tried going to a local college near my home but.. nobody liked me. they said i was a 'know-it-all'. and i mean, it's not like i was ever condescending or boastful! i can't help that academics come easily to me." she said, nearly pouting at the thought of how people had treated her. she looked up at tadashi through her eyelashes, her arms hugged around herself. "sorry. i don't mean to brag or anything." "no, no you're not bragging at all, trust me. i totally understand. y'know, my little brother hiro, he's a genius too. he just refuses to do anything with that big 'ol brain of his." (y/n) giggled and nodded knowingly. "i get it." tadashi leaned back in his chair, crossing his arms across his chest casually. "so.. if you're not from here, where are you from?"
they were swept into flowing conversation instantaneously. the clock behind them read eight-thirty, then nine, then nine-fourty five, and before they knew it it was eleven oclock at night, well past closing time. cass had managed to close down the entire cafe and turn all the lights off but one without them noticing before she snuck upstairs, smiling to herself at the clear infatuation her nephew had for this girl. they were laughing together about a time tadashi was programming his medical robot helper to perform a basic fracture reset and accidentally got himself punched in the face when (y/n)'s phone buzzed in her purse, drawing her attention away from the conversation for a moment. it was a text from her roommate asking where she was, and that's when she realized how late it had become.
"oh! oh my gosh, it's so late," she laughed breathily, standing from her chair. she was absolutely high on endorphins from the wonderful time she spent with the barista / literal robotics genius boy, and was all but giggling at nothing as she gathered her purse. "i really had better get going. i'm so sorry to keep you up like this," she said, giving him a shy but not repentant look. he waved his hand at her as if to say 'oh please', and helped her gather her cup that had not been touched nor thought about in nearly three hours. "it was my pleasure, really. it's been great getting to know you." he smiled, watching her as she slung her purse over her shoulder and stood straight, facing him. for a moment they only looked at each other, smiling softly and being on the cusp of words. when tadashi spoke, so did (y/n), and they laughed, fumbling over the courtesy of 'you go first' 'no really, it's okay, you go first' for a minute before tadashi decided he would go first for real.
"alright," he chuckled, shifting on his feet. "i just wanted to say that.. you don't have to shrink yourself for other people. you've shown me that you are beyond smart, and that is nothing to be ashamed of," he said, visibly trying to find the next words to say. he deliberated for a moment before softly chuckling through a sigh, shaking his head in disbelief at his boldness for what he said next; "look, next monday there's a showcase at the school. it's like a science fair. everyone just comes together and looks at what their peers have accomplished over the semester. i'd really love it if you came with me- just to give it a shot. see if you like it there. because truly, you would be the perfect fit."
his words were gentle and genuine, his eyes gazing into hers in an almost pleading way while still giving her the space to choose for herself. she was caught on words for a moment for multiple reasons, one of them being the onslaught of compliments and reassurance he had just given her. eventually she sighed a sigh of excited acceptance and said: "yeah, okay. that sounds nice- uh, really good." tadashi smiled wide, beyond happy that she agreed. "yeah?" he asked. "yeah!" they laughed in unison as tadashi set her cup down and fumbled around in his pockets for a pen. "here, uh- i'll give you my phone number. just call me when you get a chance, and then we can talk more about it whenever you want." he hurriedly scribbled his number onto a napkin he snagged from the napkin tray on the table before carefully folding it into a square and handing it to her.
she stuck the napkin in her purse and nodded, smiling brightly. "okay! i will. uhm, and thank you so much for- for y'know uhm, the hot chocolate and, and the conversation of course. i really.. i had fun." she said finally, smiling warmly up at him while settling on those words to end the night. "the pleasure was all mine." he said, bending at the hips to give her a clumsy but playful bow. she giggled and stepped to the door, pushing it open and feeling the cold san fransokyo air immediately rush to kiss her face and tangle in her hair. she looked over her shoulder one last time to the boy who was standing there watching her go, a million unspoken words and a silent understanding hanging between them like an invisible thread. she simply smiled and waved goodbye in a small motion before leaving the store; and leaving tadashi standing in the mostly dark cafe with hearts in his eyes and cupids flying above his head. all he could say to himself was: "wow."
