Bad Daddy

Chapter 2

Perfect hot cocoa weather apparently meant fancy artisan hot cocoa at a little cafe a few blocks away from the campus library that Danny didn’t know existed. Nakamura asked if Danny wanted to walk over, and Danny was relieved to agree. Even though Nakamura was Lily’s friend, Danny hadn’t been looking forward to getting into a car with a quasi-stranger. He had done that enough to last a lifetime.

It was only a few blocks, but they were long blocks, so it was a bit of a walk. Normally Danny wouldn’t mind since he was well-used to walking or public transit-ing pretty much everywhere, but it was cold and windy and he was wearing Clint’s coat, not his nice warm one, so he was shivering pretty badly by the time they got to the cafe.

He also felt kind of bad, because he was pretty sure Nakamura had driven to the campus library, but he had chosen to walk over to the cafe with Danny. So now not only was Nakamura also red-faced from the weather, but he’d have to walk back to get his car.

Great first impression, Danny told himself miserably, as they finally approached the cafe.

The walk over had been okay though. It had been too windy for much conversation, but Nakamura had asked how Danny knew Lily, which was a safe topic, and then he’d talked about his own relationship with Lily and her family in general. It was interspersed with funny stories that Danny might have teased Lily about later if he were braver and they had had that kind of relationship. His own responses got a little more stitled the longer they walked, but that was only because he had to focus on keeping his teeth from chattering.

Nakamura got to the door first and opened it, then held it instead of going right in. It took a second for Danny to realize that he was holding it for Danny. He hurried inside, unable to quell his sigh at the welcome rush of warm air.

“Much nicer in here than out there,” Nakamura said, pulling off his gloves. His hair was windswept but managed to look good, effortless in that dumb, model-type way that Danny, until just now, had figured didn’t actually exist in reality. “But I’m sorry.”

Danny didn't know what he was talking about. “What for?” He asked.

“Suggesting we walk in this. I didn’t realize it was that cold out until we were a few minutes in.” Nakamura ran a hand through his tousled bangs. “I would have offered to drive you, but I wasn’t sure how you’d feel getting into the car of a man you’d just met.”

“Oh,” Danny said, and he was glad he was already flushed from the cold, because Nakamura’s concern warmed him. Danny had gotten into the cars of plenty of men he had just met, often for not very long, but it wasn’t an experience he particularly enjoyed. “It’s okay,” he added. He was still freezing, but the warmth was starting to penetrate. “I’m used to the cold.”

At Nakamura’s sudden frown, Danny added quickly. “You know. Happens every year, right?”

“Right,” Nakamura said after a second. “Well, here, it’s time to warm up, yeah? Pick anything you like. My treat, like I said.”

Danny nodded. “Thank you, I appreciate that.” He was out of his element with Nakamura, because the man was a friend of a friend, and someone Danny wanted to impress, but at least Danny had learned how to accept being treated graciously without making it too weird. It was all about not looking a gift horse in the mouth.

This was a far cry from the interactions Danny usually had with men more powerful than him though. Those were all about him angling to get a meal or cash from them in exchange for the only thing Danny had to give.

He still didn’t know what Haru’s game was. What the man wanted.

Why he was acting so nice.

Danny looked up at the menu as a distraction from the worry, but his heart sank as he took in the hand-lettered chalkboard. All the menu items and prices were written in cheerful bubble letters that bled into one another. Danny couldn’t read them.

“Does anything look good to you?” Nakamura asked after Danny had spent too long trying to pick apart even one of the menu items. He sounded careful again, like he was worried Danny might bolt.

Danny was not making a good impression.

“Just a lot of options,” Danny said. He summoned up a smile. It wasn’t one of his best, but it would do. Time to just fall back on what he always did, when he was out with someone else and he couldn’t read the menu. Certainly Clint never minded the chance to jab at how even a simple menu was difficult for Danny to read. “Maybe uh, you could order for me? Since you know what’s good.”

“That’s a heavy responsibility,” Nakamura said with gravity. “Hot cocoa is serious business. Are you sure you trust me that much?”

Danny couldn’t help his startled look. Nakamura had to be joking. Right? “Sure,” he said weakly.

“Right,” Nakamura said decisively. “Then I accept my mission. Any allergies I should know about?”

Danny shook his head. “Um, no.”

Nakamura nodded, considering. “Are you a sweet person or a savory person?”

“I-I like both?”

Nakamura tapped his lips in thought. “How to do you take your coffee?”

“However I can get it,” Danny said bewildered, not at all expecting the deluge of questions.

“Not a picky coffee drinker, huh?” Nakamura asked, looking amused.

“Not, um, not really,” Danny said, stomach fluttering for no reason.

“Okay,” Nakamura said, and he really seemed bent on his “mission” to get Danny the perfect hot cocoa. “But if you had a choice, what would you prefer? Cream? Sugar? Black?”

“Cream and sugar I guess,” Danny said.

“Okay, one last question,” Nakamura said. “Do you like potato chips?”

“What do potato chips have to do with hot chocolate?” Danny asked before he could stop himself.

Nakamura laughed, rich and deep. “Nothing,” he said, shooting Danny a grin that made his ears burn. “I’m just learning what flavors you like. But I think I’ve got it. I’ll go order, if you want to find us a table?”

“S-sure.” Danny could do that. He curled his hands around the straps of his backpack and set out.

The cafe was busy but not overcrowded, which was sort of a miracle considering it was Saturday on a college campus. It was still on the earlier side of the morning though, just after ten fifteen, so Danny guessed that might be why. After some searching, he was able to find a small table right next to the window. It wasn’t his first choice, because it was colder near the glass no matter how well-insulated the window was. He hadn’t completely warmed back up yet. But he wanted to make sure he had a table ready when Nakarmura came to find him.

He kept his jacket on and sat down, hunching over and trying not to shiver. His insides were cold, which was the worst. It was so much harder to warm up when your insides were frozen.

In many ways, Danny had been lucky. He’d never spent time on the street. He’d always had a roof over his head. Sometimes he hadn’t been able to afford heating the room that roof belonged to, but what could you do?

“Here we are,” Nakamura’s voice said, and Danny startled, jerking his head up to see the man setting a tray down on the table. Two steaming mugs, one with a dollop of whipped cream and a caramel drizzle, and a little plate of cookies shaped like snowflakes.

Danny blinked down at the tray, then back up at Nakamura as he took a seat opposite him.

“I guessed on the cookies,” Nakamura said. “But they’re shortbread, and it’s hard to go wrong with shortbread.” He slid the cup with whipped cream across the table toward Danny. “And a salted caramel hot cocoa.”

“Thank you,” Danny said, immediately wrapping his fingers around the warm mug. It helped a lot. “That sounds, um, really good. What’s yours?”

“Mint chocolate cocoa,” Nakamura said, chuckling when Danny wrinkled his nose automatically. “Not a fan?”

“It’s okay,” Danny said. “I just think a lot of mint stuff tastes like toothpaste.”

“Fair enough,” Nakamura grinned. “If it helps, this is a mild mint. It’s more of an accent flavor.”

“If you say so,” Danny said doubtfully.

Nakamura opened his mouth, then seemed to rethink what he was about to say. “I’ll buy you one to try next time,” he said after that brief pause. “And then you can just get something else if you don’t like it.”

Next time? Danny wondered. He didn't understand why Nakamura was so sure about helping him out after knowing him for like twenty minutes. Lily must have really laid Danny’s incompetence on thick.

“Okay, next time,” he said instead of mentioning any of that. He was baffled by Nakamura’s smile in response.

It was unfair how nice a smile it was. Warm and open, like he was genuinely pleased by what Danny had said. Danny wasn’t on the receiving end of smiles like that very often. Sometimes he got encouragement from teachers, but that always felt like it was layered with frustration. Clint wasn’t a smiler. He smirked, had this hard little quirk of his lips when Danny said or did something he found amusing. It always felt a little mean, like Danny was the butt of the joke.

Nakamura felt different from Clint. From a lot of the men Danny had experience with. Just from their brief interactions so far, Nakamura didn’t seem like a man who smiled when someone else was struggling.

Danny distracted himself from tripping any further down that thought by unzipping his backpack to extract his business law textbook and the accompanying workbook. It was with some hesitation that he placed them on the table for Nakamura to see. There were dozens and dozens of color-coded sticky notes sticking out from the pages.

“Organized,” Nakamura said when he saw the book, sounding pleased instead of condescending. “That’s great, Danny. It looks like you’re really keeping on top of your class.”

“I try,” Danny said after clearing his throat. He wasn’t used to being praised for doing the bare basics. “The yellow stickies are for the pages we’re currently studying, and the blue are what we’ve already covered. The green ones are the ones I’ve been able to read ahead on, but the red ones I haven’t managed yet.” Nearly half the chapters were red, Danny noted miserably. He was sure Nakamura was going to notice and comment on it.

“Wow,” Nakamura said instead, looking surprised. “That’s… Danny, that’s a lot to cover on your own. It’s only a few weeks into your semester, isn’t it?”

Danny flushed. “I’m going as fast as I can, but there’s just a lot to read, with all of my classes.” Between his fourteen credits and Clint, it got overwhelming. Not that he was in any position to make excuses. “So yeah, uh, any help would be… good.”

“That’s not exactly what I meant,” Nakamura said after a moment. “But sure, I’ll help however I can. You’ve just got to do something for me, first.”

Of course, Danny thought, dread curling in his gut. Of course. He should have seen this coming. No one was nice to him just because. No one treated him just because. “Okay?”

Nakamura gestured at the mug Danny hadn’t touched, except to warm his hands. “You’ve got to try the cocoa and tell me what you think.”

Danny blinked down at the mug full of melting whipped cream. “Oh,” he said faintly. That was so far from what he had been expecting that it threw him off balance. “Uh, yeah. Okay.” He took a careful sip, mindful of the steam still wafting up from it.

It was…

It was really fucking good. Deliciously rich and just the right amount of sweetness. Danny took another sip, and let his eyes slid shut for a brief second, savoring.

“Well?” Nakamura asked, and a smile was playing around his mouth as if he could already tell Danny was enjoying his hot chocolate choice.

“It’s great,” Danny said, stomach flip-flopping. “Thank you.”

Nakamura’s smile brightened somehow. “Glad I picked out something you liked.” He pushed the plate of cookies forward. “A cookie too?”

It startled a laugh out of Danny. Nakamura was just… so far from what Danny was used to with high powered men. He reached for a cookie. “You drive a hard bargain, Mr. Nakamura.”

“Haru,” Nakamura said with a chuckle. “Please. Lily wouldn’t let me hear the end of it if she caught you calling me Mr. Nakamura.”

“Haru, then,” Danny allowed tentatively. “Okay.”

That got him another grin, and Danny was once again thrown by it, by how easily Haru doled out smiles. Danny knew he wasn’t special, that Haru must just have an easy-going disposition, but it was still… nice. To be on the receiving end of them.

Danny took a bite of the cookie. It was also delicious; crisp and buttery and not too sweet. Danny had skipped breakfast that morning, in too much of a rush to get to tutoring after oversleeping from the late night. It was a battle not to shove the entire rest of the cookie into his mouth. “These are really good.”

“Aren’t they?” Haru took his own cookie with relish. “I get these so often here that they usually ask if I want a plate whenever I order.” He took his own bite, chasing it with a sip of his cocoa. “Now then, why don’t you show me what you’re working on?”

Danny nodded, and fumbled for his textbook, opening it at the second yellow sticky note, Milton Industries vs Breccher Inc and turned the book so that Haru could read it before opening his workbook to the corresponding section. “I’m supposed to deconstruct Breccher’s defense,” he said. “It’s a three page paper.”

“Gotcha,” Haru said. “Do you have the paper done? I can check your work if you want.”

“Oh, um.” Danny looked at the table. “It’s not, um, written yet.” He had intended to dictate it to his laptop last night after he’d finished doing his reading, but…

Clint .

“Okay.” Haru nodded understandingly. “Notes then? I could help you get started?”

Danny swallowed his discomfort. “I don’t really have notes.”

“Okay,” Haru said again, but now he looked obviously confused.

This had been such a stupid idea. Forget impressing Haru, the man was going to walk away from this meeting thinking Danny was totally incompetent. “Could I, um…tell you what’s going to be in the paper?” Danny tried.

Haru brightened. “Oh, sure. Yeah, we could outline it together.”

“Right,” Danny said weakly. “Okay.”

Haru’s next nod was encouraging, his expression open.

Danny set his jaw. Might as well just get it over with. “Okay, so Milton is trying to sue Breccher for defamation, after Breccher released a statement alleging how a buzzsaw manufactured by Milton seriously injured a Breccher employee. Milton is further alleging that the buzzsaw wasn’t faulty and it was a misuse of materials that led to the injury.” He glanced at Haru, who gestured for him to continue.

So Danny did.

He went over the entire case as best as he could under pressure, and actually didn't stumble as much as he expected to. He did have to close his eyes a few times in concentration in order to properly recall the citations for cases used in Breccher’s defense, but he was able to continue along okay anyway. Haru didn't interrupt the entire time. Instead he alternated between bending his head over the textbook to follow along with Danny’s “paper” and staring at Danny.

Danny tried to ignore the staring. He could only imagine what Haru must be thinking, this high-powered lawyer listening to some dumb college kid who couldn't even read his own textbook for reference.

When he finished with his closing statement, he was met with silence. Instead of trying to deal with Haru’s obvious disappointment, Danny ducked his head, taking a gulp of his cooling cocoa.

“Um,” Haru said after a long moment. “Wow. Okay, uh…”

Danny winced. He must have really sucked. “It’s just a rough draft,” he offered feebly. “I, you know, I haven’t written the paper yet.”

“Uh, no,” Haru said, still looking a little stunned. “You definitely did. That’s—I’m a little surprised? Because you wrote the whole paper.”

Danny waited for the ‘but.’

“Danny...” Haru said slowly. “You… cited all those cases and quotes from memory. You didn’t reference your textbook or workbook at all.”

Danny bit his lip. He probably hadn’t cited something correctly then. Fuck. It was just so hard sometimes to keep it all straight. There was so much material to go through. “I’m sorry if I messed up.”

“Messed up?” Haru’s expression was a mix of bemusement and disbelief. “Danny, you just presented a whole paper, sources cited, orally from memory.”

Danny wished he understood what the problem was. “I’m sorry. I didn’t have time to type it up yet.”

“I’m sorry you didn’t,” Haru said, making Danny wince again. Then he continued. “Because that was excellent. If you had typed it up, you’d be done. It was well thought-out, well organized, you had a good delivery…” he tapped the textbook. “You clearly have a fantastic understanding of the subject matter, and it was obvious you did a lot of research into how the laws were being applied in the case. It’s going to be an excellent paper.”

“Oh,” Danny said, cheeks reddening. Haru had liked it then? He’d thought Danny had done well? “Thank you.”

Haru gave him a wry smile. “No wonder you were surprised when I showed up. You don’t need help at all, do you?”

“Lily meant well,” Danny said, shifting awkwardly. “I mean, I guess I maybe mentioned that studying took up a lot of my time. And she knows how much I’m struggling with statistics. She probably extrapolated from there.”

“Your studying really shows,” Haru said. “I can’t even imagine. I’ve been studying law for over a decade and I don’t think I could present something like you just did without at least referencing my notes.”

It hit Danny then that Haru not only thought Danny had done an okay job on the paper, but that he was actually impressed for some reason. It was a foreign feeling, and something like pleasure curled inside him as his cheeks grew hotter. “Thanks,” he managed, reaching for another cookie to give himself something else to concentrate on. He’d eaten the first cookie too fast between nerves and hunger, so this one he tried to savor. Skipping breakfast had been the right decision, but it had been near painful to do between all his activity last night, on top of not eating all that much for dinner.

Clint wasn't very generous with Danny’s ‘allowance’ sometimes. He bought Danny fancy things—which Danny couldn't sell, because Clint remembered each and every stupid watch and suit he had given Danny and insisted Danny wear certain ones whenever the mood struck him. He took Danny out to dinner, and paid for rent and tuition. It was just that Danny wasn't given a lot of spending money.

One of Clint’s terms of their arrangement was that Danny wasn't allowed to get a job. It was so that he could concentrate on school. Danny knew that was bullshit—Clint just wanted Danny more available to be at his beck and call. But that meant most of Danny’s allowance went to groceries and stuff. The bills Clint didn't cover.

There were things Danny wasn’t able to compromise on. Electricity, internet—he needed those things to do his schoolwork. But he tried to be as frugal as he could with food so that he was able to put a little into savings each week. It wasn’t a lot, but in the six months since meeting Clint, he had been able to save up almost five hundred dollars. And yeah, it meant going hungry sometimes, or waiting too eagerly for dinner with Clint, but having nearly half a grand for just in case was a huge deal. It was the most money he had ever had, all at once.

It was an important accomplishment. He was as good as out on the street as soon as Clint got bored of him, so the more Danny could squirrel away to prepare for that, the better.

A silence descended as Danny slowly ate his cookie and sipped his cocoa. Haru had a frown on his face, but it looked more like he was thinking about something, not that was upset with Danny, so Danny stayed quiet.

“Danny,” Haru said carefully after a couple of minutes. “Do you… mind if I ask why you’ve memorized your textbook?” He used a fingertip to flick through a few of the red sticky notes poking out from the pages.

Danny’s face burned anew and he hunched his shoulders.

“I’m not criticizing your study method,” Haru said hurriedly, before Danny could reply. “I’m extremely impressed. It just seems like a lot of work, especially since you so obviously understand what you’re doing. Do you do this for all your classes?”

“Yeah,” Danny admitted.

“How many classes are you taking?” Haru asked, still sounding careful.

“Just four,” Danny said. He’d tried to sign up for a fifth class, but the head of the paralegal department had said he wasn’t allowed to.

“Just–?” Haru blinked. “So uh, what, that’s twelve credits?”

“Fourteen,” Danny said, not sure why this mattered.

Haru mouthed ‘fourteen’ like he didn't believe it. Danny fought the urge to cross his arms defensively, angry that he felt hurt by the fact that Haru didn't think he was capable enough for four classes.

“Business law is three credits, my math class is three credits, I’m taking astronomy, which is a four-credit lab, and my language class is four credits.”

At least between last semester and this one, he had almost all his prerequisites out of the way. He’d have to take the next course in his language class, but aside from that, all he had left were the classes in the paralegal program.

“That’s really incredible,” Haru said. Danny frowned. What was so incredible about doing the bare minimum in college? Wasn’t four classes typical? “What language?”

“American Sign Language,” Danny said. It was straight-forward, he didn't have to worry about mispronouncing anything, and there wasn't the horrific stress of trying to figure out words written in a different language.

Danny was conversationally fluent in Spanish, having picked it up just from hearing it spoken over the years with a couple of different foster families and in school. The fact that he couldn't read or write it had nearly failed him out of high school anyway.

Haru looked at him for a long moment. “So Sign Language, business law, an astronomy lab, and a math class.

“Yeah.”

“What math class?” Haru asked, voice cautious.

“Statistics,” Danny said. “It’s a prerequisite for the paralegal program, but it also fulfills my math requirement for the degree.”

“Wow.” Haru ran a hand through his hair. “Yeah, okay, wow. I see why Lily was impressed.” Before Danny could think of a way to respond to that, Haru continued, smile turning rueful. “How badly were you humoring us both when you said you could use my help?”

What? This conversation was giving Danny mental whiplash. He was still so tired, and now that he had had a couple of cookies and the last of his hot cocoa, his stomach was reminding him that it was still very empty. Which was probably why he ended up blurting out, “I wasn’t. I-I’m falling behind.”

Haru looked a mix of astonished and horrified. “How?”

Danny swallowed and stared at the little table. He didn't say anything, because he didn't know what would come out of his mouth if he opened it. I’m so stupid that I can barely read or write. I’m memorizing my textbooks because it’s the only way I can manage to follow along in class. I’m spending hours and hours every night struggling through simple sentences.

Maybe it was because he was so tired and that his body ached from last night, but his eyes burned with shame.

“Fuck, listen to me,” Haru said quietly. “Listen, Danny, I’m sorry. I’m not questioning you. Or I shouldn’t be. I’m just surprised. I don’t think I’ve ever met someone like you before.”

“Okay,” Danny forced out, still not looking up. Big surprise there. How many fuck-ups did someone like Haru come across in his life?

“But I’m stunned to hear that a student of your caliber is falling behind somehow.” Haru’s fingers tapped on the table. “I’m happy to help however you think I can.”

That got Danny jerking his head back up. “What?”

“If you think I really could be of assistance, I’d like to be.” Haru’s smile seemed…gentle. “I can tell you’re going to go places. I’d be honored to help you on your way.”

“Oh,” Danny said, before his throat closed up.

“How about this,” Haru said. “I’ve already taken a lot of your time, and I know you’ve got to write down that paper. Let me give you my number. Then you can reach out to me when you’re available, and we can arrange another meeting. One we’re both planning for, where we can really sit down and talk this all through. Sound good?”

“Yeah,” Danny was able to say. “Sounds good.” He fumbled with his phone, pressing the button to add a new contact. “Ready.”

Haru gave Danny his number and Danny punched it in without trouble. Phones were easy, because the numbers were in specific positions. Then he paused. “How, uh, how do you spell your name?”

“About how it sounds, actually,” Haru grinned. “H-A-R-U.”

Keyboards too, were easy enough, if Danny knew what letters he was supposed to type. He wasn’t going to try to type out Haru’s full name, but four letters were doable.

It sank in that Haru actually did want to see him again. Danny hadn’t messed up so badly that Haru thought he was a lost cause. It made him smile down at his phone. It was a nice feeling, that Haru thought Danny was worth a little more of his time.

His phone chimed in his hand then, and Danny flinched. It was the specific chime that Danny set as Clint’s, so Danny always knew to check the message.

“Something wrong?” Haru asked.

“No,” Danny said quickly, looking down at his phone with dread. Clint couldn't want to see him again already, could he? Usually Danny got at least a day or two of respite.

Nerves made it harder for Danny to read the message, but at least it was short. Dinner at 7. Pack a bag.

So there’d be a meal at least, Danny thought dully, texting back an ok. A meal, and then he’d be the entertainment after, expected to stay the night. His stomach hurt just thinking about it. Clint had been demanding more and more of his time lately. Demanding more and more of Danny, too.

“Are you sure there’s nothing wrong?” Haru asked again, sounding concerned.

Danny shook his head, trying to shove aside his humiliation. “It’s fine. Just, uh, thinking about my schedule.”

“Okay,” Haru said. He didn’t look convinced, but he mercifully allowed the subject change. “About that—you wouldn’t happen to be free tomorrow, would you? I know it’s short notice, but the rest of my week is pretty packed. And I’d like to get started.” He said it apologetically, like he was worried about putting Danny out.

Danny glanced back down at his phone. He had until seven today to study, dictate his paper, and painstakingly go over it to check for typos. In between he had to make sure he took a nap at some point before showering and getting ready to be picked up for dinner.

“It’s obviously okay if you can’t,” Haru said. He rubbed the back of his neck and gave Danny what could almost be an embarrassed smile. “I’m eager to work with you. But we could schedule for later–”

“Sunday’s fine,” Danny said in a rush. If Haru was eager to work with him, Danny needed to jump on that. “Just, uh, in the afternoon? Is that okay?”

“Sounds great,” Haru said. “How about meeting for lunch? My treat, of course.”

Of course?

But it was another free meal. Danny wasn’t going to turn that down. “Yeah, that, uh, that works. If you’re sure.”

“Awesome,” Haru said warmly. “Twelve-thirty?”

Clint would definitely want Danny out of his hair way before then. “Sure.”

“Great.” Haru paused. “Would you, ah, like to pick where we went?

Danny blinked at him. He’d never been asked to choose before. He was always just taken.

“I just don’t want to pick a place too out of your way,” Haru explained. “Or a place you aren’t comfortable going.”

“I know a good Mexican place,” Danny offered. “Authentic and everything.” He didn't go very often, but once in a while he treated himself when he felt like he deserved a reward. He wasn't a regular by any means, but some of the waitstaff even knew him.

“Sounds great,” Haru said warmly. “Why don’t you text me the name and address and I’ll meet you there.”

“Yeah, okay,” Danny said, smiling tentatively back.

Then his phone went off again, the same it’s Clint chime, and Danny barely kept from jumping, immediately glancing down at the phone in his hand with trepidation.

It was a few lines of text this time, words that Danny didn't have the energy to read. It’d have to wait until he could connect to his earbuds and play the message out loud to himself. Which meant he needed to say goodbye to Haru.

Haru, who, when Danny glanced back up, once again looked concerned.

“I um, I have to get going,” Danny said, shoving his phone in his pocket. “I’m sorry, I just—have homework and stuff. Thank you though. For everything.”

“Of course,” Haru said. “I’m looking forward to seeing you tomorrow. Thank you for taking the time for me.”

It made Danny flounder. Nothing Haru said made any sense. “You’re welcome? I mean, thank you. For your time, and for the cocoa and everything.”

Haru smiled again. “Anytime.”