Chapter Text
Iceworld.
That was where Ace’s mind went when she took a long whiff of the rich smell wafting up from her mug. She’d been too young to appreciate coffee when she’d left Earth, but fending for herself on Iceworld had been a different story. Coffee had been like gold there. It had cost a fortune to get a single cup at the café she'd worked at, and she had perhaps contributed to the inflated price herself. She would always go in early to work under the pretence of sprucing everything up for the day, when really she'd nick a precious cup or two of coffee and gulp them down before anyone noticed. With the way she'd been treated and the minuscule wages she’d been paid, she’d figured she deserved it.
"Ace!"
She shook herself from her memories and saw Leela staring out Narvin's office door. “There is someone coming.”
Fear seized Ace’s heart. "What?" She hastily put a lid on the coffee grounds and switched off the coffee maker. “He’s not supposed to be back yet!”
“Never fear,” came a voice that was definitely not Narvin's.
Ace paused and breathed out a relieved sigh. "Brax, it's just you." Ace fell into Narvin's chair with a huff. "You could have given us a warning; I almost just had a heart attack!"
"My apologies,” Brax said, stepping into the office. “I simply thought you might need these." He held up a jug of creamer in one hand and a little glass container of sugar cubes in the other.
Ace grinned. “I thought we'd have to drink our coffee black!” Ace jumped up and grabbed the items from Brax. However, after a moment of thought, she stopped and stared at him. “But how did you know?”
"No time to explain. Now, I'm off to a galaxy very far away from here.” He nodded genially at both of them and then walked away.
“Ace, what has Braxiatel given us?" Leela asked.
Ace set the creamer and the sugar down on Narvin’s desk beside the coffee maker. Leela peered over her shoulder as Ace gestured grandly. “This, Leela, is what really makes coffee, coffee. Narvin drinks his coffee black—goes with his hearts, you know—”
Leela cracked a smile at that.
“—but normal, sophisticated humans like us drink coffee the right way, by adding cream and sugar. Let me show you.” She handed Leela the mug she’d already filled for her. “Take a sip of that.”
Leela sniffed and wrinkled her nose, then took a tentative sip. Her entire face scrunched in distaste as she slammed the mug back down on Narvin’s desk. “Narvin drinks this—this poison?” she exclaimed, staring at it like it was the root of all evil.
Ace chuckled. “Yep. Now you know why he’s so sour.” She added a few sugar cubes—no, better make it five, she thought, recalling Leela’s love for sweet things—and looked for something to stir the coffee with. She frowned, gazing at Narvin’s desk. Some kind of thin, pen-like stylus sat over to one side. Ace picked it up, testing its weight. With a shrug, she dipped it into Leela’s mug and stirred it around. She added a little French vanilla creamer and gave it one final quick stir before handing it back to Leela.
Leela took the mug slowly, watching Ace uncertainly.
“It’ll taste way better this time, I promise.”
Leela took a small sip, eyeing Ace all the while. When she pulled the mug away, there was a huge smile on her lips. “This is good!”
“Ha, see?” She quickly fixed up her own mug and extended it towards Leela. "Cheers, Leela!"
Leela stared at her with a confused frown. With a chuckle, Ace took Leela's mug and guided it to gently collide with her own.
It still didn't seem to enlighten Leela. "Why do you do that?"
Ace shrugged. “Dunno, it’s just a thing we do on Earth.”
Leela shook her head. “Earth traditions are silly.” Yet, she smiled and said, “Cheers, Ace!”
They both took long sips of their coffee. The taste was something like home, like childhood, like innocence and long, boring days all wrapped into one. Until that moment, Ace hadn’t realised how much she’d missed just having something familiar. Ever since she’d left Iceworld with the Doctor, every day had been completely brand new. But this, just the taste of coffee, was like the last shred of normalcy she could ever hope to have.
“Ace?”
Once again, Ace caught herself daydreaming and found that she’d been staring down into her mug.
“You look sad,” Leela said, staring deeply into her eyes. “Is this not what you wanted?”
Ace swallowed. There was something so ancient and wise in that look, something penetrating that made Ace feel like Leela could somehow read all of her thoughts like a book. A look like the Doctor’s, Ace thought.
Ace took another sip of the coffee, mostly to hide her expression but also because she was hoping that the caffeine would kick in soon and boot this sudden melancholy mood.
“Just thinking,” she said innocently. She nodded at Leela’s cup. “Come on, you’d better drink it while it’s hot. Lukewarm coffee is the worst!” Ace took another long gulp of her own coffee and smacked her lips, letting out a satisfied sigh.
A voice came out of nowhere. “Deputy Coordinator Narvin, I—”
Ace looked up and met the gaze of Agent Bence, a rather shy CIA agent with whom Ace had gone on a couple of missions. She grinned at him and held up her mug.
“How about some coffee, Bence?”
Standing still in the doorway to Narvin’s office, Bence ran a hand through his short shock of ice blonde hair, a nervous habit of his. “Did- Did you break into Narvin’s office to steal his coffee?”
“You bet.”
“He has been hoarding it all for himself,” Leela said solemnly, cradling her now empty mug.
Bence laughed nervously, but there was a twinkle of amusement in his eyes. “I, er…I’ve never actually had coffee before.”
“Come on in and try some. I’m sure there’s another mug around here somewhere…”
He held out a hand. “That’s all right, Ace. I’d better not. I wouldn’t want to be you when Narvin finds out.”
“He will not find out,” Leela said. “We will be finished before he returns.”
“All the same, Lady Leela, I appreciate the offer, but I am on duty.” He raised an eyebrow at Ace. “Aren’t you, too?”
“Nope! Day off.” Ace finished off her coffee with one last swig. She stood and reached for Leela’s mug, preparing to pour them both another cup.
“Lucky,” Bence muttered. He let out a long sigh. “This has got to be one of the most uneventful days I’ve ever worked.”
Ace looked up at him, setting down the coffee pot. “Really?” An idea started to form in her mind. “You know, it doesn’t have to be that way.”
“What do you mean?”
“Narvin isn’t here. Romana’s stuck in meetings all day. I say we liven things up a little.”
“Yes, I like this plan!” Leela exclaimed, standing beside her.
Ace cupped her chin in her hand. “I’m thinking…music. Leela?”
Leela grinned widely. “There are drums on Gallifrey?”
“No, but…” Ace turned to Bence. “You categorise the wardrobe, right?”
Bence frowned, eyebrows furrowing together. “Yeah.”
Ace felt the faint itching of the caffeine buzz, the feeling like she could do anything at that moment. She plopped back down into Narvin’s chair. “Then after another cup—or two—of coffee, I think I have an idea.”