Chapter Text
To say Inigo was anxious was possibly one of the biggest understatements one could have made.
He was fifteen minutes away from finishing his shift, and positively shaking.
"Inigo, sure you don't need a cup? You're quivering like a scared puppy." Kjelle leaned over, and passed the ginger an order. No earrings.
The ginger shook his head as he took the cup and placed it beside him, adding cream to the top of somebody's hot chocolate. "No, no. I'm fine." Put a cap on the drink, and handed it to the young brunette girl who seemed to be staring at pretty blonde waiting outside. He smiled, and winked. "Good luck."
The girl blushed, and whispered a thank you as she ran outside, beaming. He grinned as he made up the next order. Little things like that made him feel better.
"You - Java Chip Frappucino Blend! - You don't look fine." Kjelle replied, as he passed by Flavia to hand her another order. Today was exceedingly busy for some reason, so poor Kjelle, who'd volunteered to work the till was constantly taking orders.
Inigo sighed, scrawling a name onto a cup in his possession. "Remember my phone call yesterday?"
"Yeah?" Kjelle turned to face him, but got called back to the till. He took the order, and passed it to the ginger beside him. Flavia called out the drink, and took a sip from her thermos, enjoying the few seconds rest. Cordelia was in the staff room with another worker who he couldn't recall the name of. They started work when Kjelle and Inigo finished.
"I started a dog walking thing, it was about that. I'm meeting them after work."
"Oh yeah?" Kjelle snorted, holding back a laugh. "Good luck with that."
"What's that supposed to mean?"
"You're not exactly the strongest guy around, Inigo. I don't even know how you manage two dogs when you could barely lift the new coffee machines." Inigo sputtered, nearly dropping his drink. "You're so...delicate."
"Delicate??" Flavia burst out laughing at their exchange, surprising the customer she'd just handed a drink.
Suddenly, Inigo and Kjelle's phones both began to buzz.
"Sweet!" Three O'Clock. Kjelle took the next order, handed it to Inigo and ran to the back, to get their replacement. Inigo filled up the drink while he took the next order, nearly tossing it to Flavia. The two came back, Kjelle already wearing his jacket. He tossed Inigo's hoodie at him, who caught it skillfully. He turned off his alarm, still buzzing in his pocket, and grinned.
Slipping past Flavia, who clapped him on the back and wished him luck, he headed out with Kjelle, waving.
"I'm not delicate." Were the first words out of his mouth once they left the noisy café. Kjelle rolled his eyes.
"You're not strong either." Inigo elbowed him in the ribs, though he barely even flinched. They walked for a while, and arrived at Olivia's at about 3:24. To Inigo's surprise, Gerome was already there, or rather, he must have been, because Minerva was outside. Kjelle snorted. "Tell me that's not the dog you're supposed to walk."
Inigo just sighed and nodded pitifully. Kjelle clapped him on the back, and chuckled. "Good luck with that one. Maybe you should hit the gym with me." Inigo sighed again, but smiled.
"As though I could keep up with you, Mr. Bodybuilder. Your whole workout is insane!" The brunet laughed, and started to slowly walk forwards, heading towards the aforementioned gym.
"Have fun! Tell your mother I said hi!" His sarcastic response was accompanied by an arm lifted in a half-assed attempt at a goodbye, and he turned the corner.
Inigo groaned, and looked down. He locked eyes with Minerva, and felt a shiver run down his spine. Shuddering, he headed inside, exhaling at the familiar sound of the bell as the door opened. Gaius greeted him, grinning.
"Hey kiddo!" Inigo jogged up to the counter, and accepted an awkward one-armed hug over it. "What're you doin here?"
Just as Inigo was about to answer, Gerome emerged from one of the backrooms. His face flushed instantly. Gerome was wearing a quite tight shirt, and one of the hottest leather jackets he'd seen in ages. He was still wearing sunglasses, to Inigo's continued frustration.
"Oh, Gerome, hey." Gaius grinned, and nodded at him. "That's the kid I was telling you about." He told Inigo, who was still trying to pretend he wasn't staring. Gerome, having apparently just noticed the younger ginger started for a moment, before standing beside him. He didn't smile, but he wasn't frowning either.
Gaius' eyesbrows perked up. "You're right on time," Remarked Gerome. "Good."
"Uh, y-yeah!" He snapped back into reality. "I, uh, I saw Minerva outside."
"Right." Gerome didn't take off his glasses, but Inigo just knew he was looking him in the eye. "One hour, remember?" He nodded, face still dusted pink. Then he stopped, thinking.
"It might not be my place, but doesn't your shift last more than an hour? Is it alright to leave her out there for that long?" Gerome paused, and Inigo panicked, worried he'd overstepped. He sent an anxious glance at Gaius, who up until now had been watching the exchange with amusement in his eyes. He nodded at his son reassuringly, but before he could do anything else, a ping sounded off from the kitchen, and he dashed into the back.
"I suppose it wouldn't be fair to her. What would you have me do?"
Inigo honestly hadn't expected him to agree. "Well, er, there are kennels that run a doggy daycare kind of thing, the leisure centre has something similar though, I- uh, or she could stay with us until you were done," He averted his eyes now. "You could get a lift...O-Of course these are just suggestions, you don't have to pay them any mind..." He trailed off, and silence fell upon the duo.
He could almost feel sweat forming on his brow, and he was sure if anyone had been watching, they would've thought this all silly. But to Inigo, caught in the pressure of Gerome's silence, it was the most stressful thing he'd done in years. Since he was 13.
He stood there, wondering what was going through Gerome's mind, when suddenly, the bell rang.
"Hello dear!" In came Olivia, all smiles and sunshine, who stopped short upon seeing the scene before her. Inigo whipped around to face her and fix a grin on his face, glad for the distraction.
"Mother!" Olivia walked over and kissed his cheek.
"I wasn't interrupting anything, was I?" Peeking at him from the corner of his eye, Inigo saw that Gerome looked ever so slightly flustered.
"N-No, we were just talking." Pink eyes flitted between them, before widening with realisation.
"Oh! Oh, alright." Shifting around, she tried to peek over their shoulders. "Is your father in there? I'll go help." And so she hurried into the kitchen.
"Er, sorry, about that." Inigo began backing up. "I'll just take Minerva and go...sorry." As he backed up, Gerome stepped forward, an arm slightly raised, as though to stop him.
"Wait." He did. "I...will accept your offer. Should your ah, parents agree." Inigo felt a smile creep up on his face, but he covered it up by pretending to scratch his nose.
"Okay. I-I'll uh, see you then." Grinning, he gave Gerome a thumbs up, before backing out, shaky legs nearly carrying him into the wall.
He laughed nervously, and sped out of the store. Thankfully, Minerva barked right at that moment, distracting him enough that he couldn't see the strange look on Gerome's face.
He knelt down beside her, and shuddered. She really was a sight. He offered her a weak smile, and she made a noise that sounded like a growl, and he faltered. She sniffed at him, watching with disdain as he took her leash, but she followed him without protest, and they began walking.
He could only hope Biscuit would keep Minerva distracted.