Chapter Text
Creme Brulee has been up all night, practicing the song over and over.
At his piano, blinking back the sleepiness as he tried to stay conscious.
He can't get it perfect. And it has to be, only for Linzer.
‘My love, my muse…’
Creme Brulee physically scoffed as his mind talked.
“Don't ever say that again.”
He said sternly into the silence.
Just like Linzer, the important words are kept in his mind, locked in his heart.
But the words that he didn't mean seeped out.
‘She always knew what to say…’
“How did she always know?!”
Creme Brulee exclaims with rage, bashing his hands on the keys with flat hands.
The air hummed with a thrumming sound.
Never fists, he thought.
He would never hurt her like that, right?
But how can he be sure?
When he's the culprit here.
The one who ended it all.
Creme Brulee sighed. He needed to clear his mind, get away from this dusty, untouched, undiscovered song.
He needed coffee.
As Creme Brulee made it outside of his studio apartment, the sounds of a bustling city wiggled into his ears.
It helped the overwhelming thoughts go away, one way or another.
As he strolled along the street, a wide scarf curved around his neck, awkwardly so, the cold tickled him and made his dough freeze.
His long coat almost covered his hands, and his pants were comfortable on his legs, not too tight or loose.
He explicitly remembers in elementary school, getting tailored for performances, dressing rooms, mic checks, all for the school's talent show.
Then, as he stood aside on stage right, in the wings, his young eyes would gaze upon Linzer for the very first time.
She would recite a little poetry piece, one she put together.
It was silly and funny, so characteristically childish with her little voice.
Creme Brulee, for the very first time, didn't have his sights set on music.
He didn't care about being stellar.
Even as a little boy, everything inside him stopped when Linzer came into frame.
Painful and aching love for her.
His little heart couldn't handle it.
But somehow, he got through it.
“Please, wait.” Spoke the mechanic button for the crosswalk.
Creme Brulee looked up from the device, facing the coffee shop right across the street.
It was a quaint little brewery, right in the downtown area.
He liked going over here, to just escape the loud city and lights.
It bothered him, the disruption and annoyance.
He needed music.
Nothing else. Right…?
‘How long is this wait…?’ Creme Brulee thought.
Then, as the words wandered in his head, his eyes moved to one glimpse of somebody.
A redhead. No wait, a crimson red.
A…crimson red.
Creme Brulee’s eyes widened, and a drop of sweat dripped down his face.
He was sweating in 48 degree weather.
‘Calm down, she's just a friend…’
‘Everything is fine. Friends. Friends…”
As Creme Brulee is staring at his shoes while chanting the word ‘friends’ repeatedly in his mind, he tentatively looks up again.
Linzer is staring at him, right directly at him.
The cookies around him start to move quickly across the crosswalk, somewhere to be, somewhere to go.
They all zoned out of his focus as he was left there, stunned.
The cars in front of him zoom, and Linzer is cut out of focus.
‘Oh…oops.’
He awkwardly says in his head.
His right hand shifted in the controlling fabric of his long coat, apprehensively reaching for the mechanical button again.
“Please, wait.”
He would gladly wait.
Though his heart said otherwise.
Now that he’s across the street, he's met with the coffee shop.
He walks in, the little bell atop the door ringing.
“Welcome!”
Exclaims a distant worker in the back.
He walked up to order at a persistent pace, almost like a criminal escaping the sight of the police.
And in this case, Linzer was holding the cuffs.
Creme Brulee put in his order:
A venti Iced shaken espresso with no classic syrup, 2% milk with vanilla sweet cream, topped with whipped cream and caramel bits.
Crisp, creamy, and sweet.
He stood there tensely, feeling the constant tickle of someone's eyes on him.
“Enjoy!”
Said a smiling worker, placing the coffee on the counter.
Creme Brulee nodded respectively, a bit too shy for something polite.
He turned around and was immediately met eye-to-eye with Linzer.
It was like he was there again, seeing her for the first time off stage.
The spotlight, or rather the sun that pierced through the window, made her glow.
Their paths have converged, fates have crossed.
To meet again.
‘Friends…friends…’ Creme Brulee repeated.
Linzer waves, but not a ‘wave’.
It's a wave with a tilting of the head, a sweet smile on the matching, painted red lips.
He is doomed.
He sits down across from Linzer, eyes averted and cheeks lightly dusted with blush.
Just bashfulness.
That's what it was.
He wasn't attracted to her; he liked her as a friend. Just friends.
“So, are you nervous for the performance?” Linzer interrupted suddenly.
“Oh yeah, I am.” Creme Brulee answered, clearing his voice. His right hand extended, reaching to grab his coffee.
As the object came closer to his face, his eyes moved up.
He was then met with this:
Linzer slightly leaned over the table, chin in right hand, elbow supporting, left arm lying on the table in a horizontal position.
Creme Brulee’s eyes widened again, and as he sipped, a little too fast for comfort, a caramel piece hit the back of his throat before he could bite on it. He coughed erratically.
Linzer's expression twisted into one of sincere concern as she reached over to pat him on the back and hold out a napkin.
Creme Brulee took it, coughing into it as he squeezed his eyes shut.
Linzer leaned back in her seat, letting him handle the rest.
The piece flew out easily, landing in the napkin net.
“Thank you.” Creme Brulee mumbled.
Now that Creme Brulee sat up straight and composed himself, he finally got a good look at Linzer.
Linzer wears a dark cobalt blue wool sweater, accompanied by a dark grey scarf that settles comfortably on her neck. Her pants are dark denim wide-leg jeans, and her shoes are black ballet flats.
It’s very casual, to say the least.
Though in Creme Brulee’s eyes, she looked beautiful in anything.
Creme Brulee smiled softly as he held a better posture, bringing up his coffee and taking a delicious sip.
“Well, you don’t seem too nervous to me,” Linzer commented, a subtle chuckle escaping her.
“Not while you're here.” Creme Brulee spoke, candid and earnest.
Linzer’s eyes widened, her expression melting from slight surprise to sincere appreciation.
“So…I haven’t asked in a while, but have you been keeping up on my novels?”
Creme Brulee locked up a bit, a quivered breath escaping his mouth.
“Yes…I have. All of them, in fact.” Creme Brulee admitted, a bashful blush overcoming his cheeks.
Linzer’s eyes yet again widened, her mouth agape.
Linzer’s speechless response quickly turned into a few soft scoffs and then a gleeful chuckle.
“Oh my… you're something else, Creme Brulee.” Linzer grinned, shaking her head side to side, her hand reaching out to grab her black tea and take a sip.
“How so?” Creme Brulee asked with a lift of the brow, his lips tilting in a smile.
“Well, after you break up with someone, you usually don’t stalk them like that,” Linzer spoke, a mirthful grin on her lips. She then set down her fragrant cup.
Creme Brulee physically froze and let out a grunt of air, as if he had been stabbed.
“I-I wasn’t stalking-!” Creme Brulee interjected, his voice way too stumbling to be deemed innocent.
“I was just joking. Jeez, lighten up a little.” Linzer shook her head slowly again, bringing her fragrant tea back to her lips.
Creme Brulee also took the time to sip his creamy coffee, his eyes averted to the tapping of his left foot.
Maybe he was stalking. He pondered and thought about it in place of the silence between them.
‘I was only curious…nothing more.’ Creme Brulee justified in his head.
However, there was a small part of him that felt like he just lied to himself.
“The weather's awfully cold for February, isn't it?” Linzer reported, her head turned to the side and looking out the window towards the windy view of the cloudy and cluttered skies.
“Yeah. It really sucks that I have to wear this scarf.” Creme Brulee tugged with his finger at the wide, fuzzy scarf hugging around his neck, his eyes blinking a few times.
As if on cue, Linzer laughed again, though this time for a few beats longer.
“What?” Creme Brulee asked, a subtle smile on his face.
“You look funny, that’s all.” Linzer rejoined, taking a sip of hot tea to tone down her amusement.
“We should go outside.” Linzer proposed, her smile coy.
“Hm? Okay.” Creme Brulee agreed, a small nod moving his head up and down. His right hand grabbed his half-finished coffee.
Both cookies got up, with Creme Brulee leading the way and opening the door for Linzer.
Linzer walks through the open door, giggling a small thanks.
They step into the brisk air, immediately accompanied by the soft draft.
As Creme Brulee closed the door, his left arm was immediately conjoined by Linzer’s right arm.
A flushed expression plagued his face, though his rosy cheeks were covered up by his wide scarf.
“Come on, it’s better this way,” Linzer commented, her arm strongly clinging to Creme Brulee’s.
As both cookies strolled down the street, the air enveloped them and made their dough decrease to a tingly chill.
As a result of Creme Brulee’s susceptibility to any degree of cold, he instinctively tightened his arm around Linzer.
Out of the corner of his eye, he swore he could see Linzer faintly grin.
“Kitty!” Linzer suddenly announced, letting go of Creme Brulee’s arm unexpectedly and running forth to the cat.
“So cute…” Linzer cooed, a sweet smile playing on her painted red lips.
The cat is slightly scrawny, though still plenty fed.
Its fur is a soft dark grey color, its eyes a soothing cobalt blue.
“You must be extra cold in this weather, though…” Linzer said with concern, her eyebrows curving inward.
“I could use my scarf…” Creme Brulee squatted down next to Linzer, setting down his coffee as his hands were already starting to undo his scarf.
“That should work.” Linzer chuckled, a friendly smile welcoming her lips in a blink.
Creme Brulee wrapped his scarf around the grey kitty, blue eyes blinking in curiosity at the new warm feeling.
Linzer smiled benignly, her hands coming around the small body and lifting it with her arm strength.
“Hm…I think it's a boy…”
“How do you know?” Questioned Creme Brulee, grabbing his coffee with his left hand and standing up.
“Well, I took a peek when I was picking him up.”
“I see…what will we name him?”
Creme Brulee asked with a slightly boyish curiosity.
Linzer chuckled.
“It’s not like he's our cat.”
Linzer glanced at the wrapped animal in her arms.
“Though I don't see a collar or any sign of ownership.”
Linzer tilted her head at the grey-furred cat.
“Hm…Earl.”
“Earl? Earl Grey tea?”
Creme Brulee questioned.
“Exactly.”
Liner reinstated.
“Hm, smart.”
Creme Brulee agreed.
Linzer’s left arm held the cat steadily as her right hand came to pet Earl’s fuzzy head, scratching behind his ears.
“C’mon, give the cat a pet!” Linzer giggled, taking a minute step towards Creme Brulee.
“Alright…” Creme Brulee gave in with a small smile, lips now unguarded without a scarf.
Creme Brulee’s right hand came to pet the cat’s chin, Earl’s rumbling purr being heard immediately.
By the keen attention and loving affection of both cookies, Earl was in bliss.
Earl’s tail swatted slowly from side to side–underneath the scarf.
Creme Brulee moved his hand on auto to the cat’s ears as well, itching just right.
As that happened, both Linzer’s hand and Creme Brulee’s touched for a few moments, their fingertips touching with each other's moving itch.
Creme Brulee averted his gaze reflexively, his cheeks already flaring up in seconds.
What was considered to be slight contact was, in fact, incredibly overwhelming for him. Still, his mind berated him for overreacting.
Creme Brulee’s right hand stroked the soft grey fur for a few moments more before his right arm fell slowly, his attention now directed to his left arm as he lifted it.
He pulled down his sleeve and unveiled his left wrist, glancing at his watch.
6:00.
“6:00?!” Creme Brulee croaked, his voice cracking under the loud announcement.
“Oh yeah, you should get going.” Linzer pointed out her tone, much opposite from Creme Brulee’s outburst, was a subtle and curious one–her head tilting slightly.
“Yeah…I have around 40 minutes for rehearsal and then 20 minutes of doors open for the audience…”
Creme Brulee calculated, Linzer's crimson eyes blinking as she analyzed each word of information he translated from his mouth.
“Do you need a ride or anything?” Linzer tilted her head.
“Oh no, it's fine. I'll just call a cab.”
Creme Brulee responded, already turning to look for one out on the road.
“Do you need your scarf?”
Linzer looked down at the cat in her arms, realizing Creme Brulee's scarf was not really his anymore.
“Uh, no, it's alright. I prefer scarves without the additional fur.” Creme Brulee uttered a repartee, the silly way of each word making Linzer push out a giggle.
“Well then, I'll wash it and then return it to you after the show,” Linzer promised; a satisfied smile on her perfectly red lips.
“Sounds great!” Creme Brulee exclaimed as he shuffled towards a nearby cab that slowed down beside the curb.
He opened the door and settled in, placing his coffee in the cup holder.
After exchanging directions with the driver, he turned his head to catch a final glance towards Linzer.
She stood there, coddled cat in arms, smiling on her lips with her right hand waving slightly.
The sight of her almost distracted him from the paper gift bag he hadn't noticed before, placed right next to her.
Was that his gift? He would find out sooner than later.