Chapter Text
In hindsight, packing all his worldly belongings into his car and just running away probably hadn’t been the best plan. Between gas, food, and hotel hopping his meager savings had only gotten him so far. To a small nothing of a town called Elysium to be exact. Where he spent the last of his money on a motel room and Chinese takeout.
He needed a job. The issue was, that after “working” for his father, he wasn’t exactly qualified for much. He was quick, he knew sign language, and most of the people he had come across commented that he was friendly. Not great, but it might land him something if a place was desperate enough.
He got on his laptop and did his best to scrape together something that could almost be considered a resume. When he gave up, it wasn’t anything too impressive, but it was the best he could do. He sent it out to as many places in this tiny town that he could find that were hiring. He didn’t have high hopes of hearing back, but it was better than nothing.
He hears back from Styx Cafe three days later. They’re willing to overlook his lack of any sort of experience because he knows Sign Language. He agrees to come in for an interview the next afternoon. As soon as the call ends he begins tearing through his clothes for something that would be okay to wear to an interview. He didn’t think he would get this far so he wasn’t exactly prepared.
There are a few hiccups during the interview, as is to be expected. His bright orange hearing aids are easy to spot. He explains, multiple times, that he isn’t Deaf just Hard of Hearing, and no, it wasn’t going to be an issue. He was pretty sure they were going to turn him away, as most places did, because of his disability. So he was pleasantly surprised to get a call telling him he was hired.
Sunday marked the start of his training. It was fun and he took to it quickly. He asked about the notepad that was glued to the front counter. It was explained to him that there was a regular who came in during the work week that needed it. HIs name was Charon, he was Deaf, and Hermes would be able to recognize him by his hat.
By the end of his first shift on Sunday he had a pretty good handle on things. HIs coworkers were nice enough, even if they did exaggerate their speech too much for him to be able to read their lips, he knew they meant well. When he gets back to the motel, he finds himself looking forward to tomorrow.
He is a pleasant sort of exhausted when he falls into the borrowed bed. It’s something he hasn’t felt in years and he loves it. He sets an alarm for three am and settles in to sleep. Tomorrow he will meet Charon, and that will be the real test.
Blaring music pulls him out of a deep sleep at exactly three in the morning. Ultimately he decides against hitting snooze and begins to get ready for the day. Dark shirt, dark jeans, and actually brushing his hair instead of leaving it a mess. After a moment of looking in the mirror, he moves his hair to cover his hearing aids.
He shouldn’t be self conscious of them anymore, they help him so much and he’s had them so long, but he is. It’s mostly because he’s in a new place, and until people get to know him, it will be this disability that defines him. With his hair in place, he heads for his car.
His second morning rush is exactly that, a rush. Just this side of overwhelming, but busy enough to be fun. All the while he kept an eye out for a tall man in a sun hat. The issue was, that compared to Hermes everyone was tall.
Sun Hat Guy shows up toward the end of the early rush, and he finds that Eurydice was right. He is tall. At least a head and shoulders above everyone else in the cafe. Charon who always ordered a large black coffee with tree sugars. The only other person in this town that knew Sign Language. Hermes was overjoyed.
He covered the notepad with his hand when Charon got to the counter. From the sharp look it earned him, he probably hadn’t made the best first impression. Charon lifted his hands, but Hermes beat him to the punch.
“You C-H-A-R-O-N?” He asks before he can be interrupted, “Take Coffee Black With Three Sugar?”
“You Sign?” Charon countered looking almost baffled.
He grins and pulls his hair away from his ear for a moment, “Hard Of Hearing. You?”
Charon brings his index finger forward from his ear to his mouth, “Deaf.” Then, almost as an after thought, “Yes, Large Black Coffee Three Sugar.”
He nods along and puts the order into the system before getting to work on it. On his way back to the register he grabs a chocolate glazed donut out of the display case and puts it beside the waiting coffee.
“On House.” He says when Charon hesitates.
“Thank You.” He replies. He takes a moment to leave a tip, and then he’s gone into the fog and rain like a phantom.
It doesn’t occur to Hermes until after his shift ends that he didn’t give Charon his name. Oh well, there is always tomorrow. Charon is a regular, and Hermes is such a state that he probably wouldn’t be leaving Elysium for a while. He had time, for once.