Chapter Text
Geordi stood in front of the coffee shop counter and squinted as hard as he could at the blurry little menu on the wall, zooming in by another fifteen percent on his Visor. It was one of those quirky little vintage coffee shops where everything has to be written in chalk including the sign outside ("Espresso Yourself <3") which was currently being scrubbed clean by the pouring rain. Normally Geordi doesnt like these types of coffee shops as he can't afford a twenty dollar iced coffee, but today he was forced to make an exception.
"What can I do for you?" said the barista, nonchalantly flipping through a sports magazine.
"Um" Geordi said, scanning through the torturous menu. The list contained a frappuccino, a nitro, a mazagran, a cold brew, decaf, doubleshot, and a chai (all variations of iced coffee, and each one equally foreign).
"What's a mazagran?" He asked.
"It's like an iced coffee with lemon and rum."
Geordi thought it over and decided today wasn't a rum sort of day. He could barely stay standing as it is, to be honest. He's been lightheaded all day. "What about decaf?"
She sighed and looked up from the magazine, glaring him up and down. "It's like an iced coffee. That's decaffeinated."
Geordi decided it was probably time to leave. He gritted his teeth as the cold rain washed over him and angrily sat down beside the awful little sign, that was completely blank by now. "Why are there so many iced coffees anyway!" he asked no one in particular, kicking a tin can away. The street was empty, the sky was white, and rainwater gathered in filthy puddles. there was a bad metallic smell in the air.
"Who decided one iced coffee wasn't enough! It's not that hard, people!" He said even louder, standing up and kicking the can again. "Coffee! Ice! That's it! two ingredients!" He added, walking up to the can again. "All I want is just...it's just" he suddenly gripped his throat and began to cough uncontrollably, to the point where tears nearly ran down his face. It was a wet type of cough, where you can feel the slime in your throat trying to get out.
"Oh god.." he said hoarsely. "I'm nineteen. I should know how to order a iced c-coffee by now." He was suddenly filled with rage, and kicked the tin can as far away as possible. It clattered and rolled down the street. Geordi sat back down on the wet curb, putting his head in his hands.
'There's a lot of things I should probably know how to do by now' he thought, thinking back to the look in the barista's eye, and trying to scrub the incident from memory. His head felt hot and slow, like it was stuffed full of cotton balls. Nothing really made sense, anymore. As he looked up at the wet, cold world around him, it occurred to him that he was lost, and not just metaphorically. He was cellphone-less, with no idea on how to get home.
Geordi stood up and rubbed his arms, suppressing the urge to cough again. His soaked clothes clung to his skin in a cold, deeply unpleasant way. He was about to be on his way when a glance through the coffee-shop window made him pause. There, in the corner, sat a man with seemingly twenty different drinks on his table, and he was halfway through one of them. While that in itself was sort of weird, the weirdest part was that the man was whiter than paper, which gave him an almost sickly appearance.
In a haze, Geordi stumbled back into the building, tracking water across the wooden floor. He approached the stranger and quietly, casually sat down at his table, feeling the surreal yellow eyes look up at him in confusion. The irresistible craving for coffee surged through his veins and he picked up the nearest drink, brought it to his mouth, and began to drink, maintaining complete eye contact all the while (not that the stranger could see his eyes).
The stranger, who's name was Data, tilted his head to one side as he watched Geordi down the entire cardboard cup. He was pretty sure this was out of the ordinary for humans, and struggled to come up with an appropriate response. He opened his mouth, then closed it, then said "Who are you?"
Geordi paused, lowered the coffee, and reached out a hand. "G-Geordi" he smiled.
"Nice to meet you, Geordi" Data said, shaking it. "I am Data."
With a nod, Data's new friend went back to what he was doing, and Data resumed his frappuccino. Now that that they're friends, Data figured, it was ok for Geordi to eat his food.
It wasnt long before Geordi put down the empty cup and grabbed another, spilling half of it on the table as he drank. "H-hey Data" he said. "how c-come you've got.. like... twenty d-drinks there?"
"Ah" Data acknowledged. "You see, I am experimenting with different flavours."
"Yea?" asked Geordi, pressing himself against the wall. He was freezing.
"Indeed. Because I have never had coffee before, I decided it is best to try a wide variety of assortments in order to determine which is the most suitable. In addition, this establishment is run by a friend of mine, so in doing so I would also be supporting a small business."
Geordi found himself trembling, not only from the cold, but the coffee jitters as well. He felt both hyper and exhausted all at once. Outside, the rain grew worse, and a loud clap of thunder startled him. Leaning back against the wall, he closed his eyes, and tried to figure out what to do. Suddenly, the urge to cough overwhelmed him again, and he did so loudly and painfully, his back shaking as he continued uncontrollably. The few people in the shop besides him and Data glanced and turned away. When the coughing ceased, Geordi put his head down on the table, wanting to die.
"Are you alright, Geordi?" Data asked after a pause.
"Yea" mumbled Geordi. Data reached out and put two fingers on his forehead.
"You are thirty nine point two degrees Celsius" he said. "A high fever. That answers many of my questions."
Geordi whimpered in response.
"It is best that you go home and rest. That helps to alleviate flu-like symptoms."
"It's n-not that easy Data. I'm lost."
"we are at five five one five Melrose Avenue"
"that's a l-lot of fives" Geordi said, licking off some of the spilled coffee off the table.
Data blinked and stared at him for a few more seconds. "Perhaps I should call you a taxi."
"Perhaps" said Geordi, as Data took out his cellphone and dialed a number. Geordi heard Data's muffled voice, the pounding of the rain against the glass, the general coffee shop chatter around him, blending into one stupid noise.
"The taxi is on it's way" Data said.
Geordi closed his eyes, and found himself relaxing ever-so-slightly. "D-Data.. I have something to ask"
"Yes?" asked Data, throwing away Geordi's empty coffee cups that fell on the ground.
"Why are you so white?"
"It is because I am an android" Data said. "technical limitations prevented my creator from giving me a more human skin tone." He tilted his head back and finished the final coffee with disturbing speed. It was as if he was just pouring it down a drain, rather than having to swallow it.
"Oh" said Geordi, suddenly remembering he was an engineering major, and subsequently, that he had an assignment due. It wasn't long before the taxi was here, and Data helped him stand up, lead him out of the shop and into the parking lot, opened the taxi's wet door for him, and payed the driver.
"Wait" Geordi said, gripping Data's arm as he was about to leave. "Come w-with me, please."
"Do you not have anybody to look after you?" Data asked, now finding himself.. more motivated to help.
"No" Geordi said, barely above a whisper, and Data quietly sat down beside him and closed the car door. Him and Geordi were friends now, and it's important to help your friends.
The engine revved to life, and the car began to move. It was somehow late at night already, and the windshield wipers were gliding back and forth against the glass, wiping away the raindrops. Data felt Geordi lean against his shoulder, shivering, but nearly falling asleep.
"Geordi, are we friends?" Data asked, just in case.
"Best friends" Geordi mumbled. The taxi rumbled down the strange dark streets, until the surroundings slowly became familiar, and Geordi's student housing apartment came into view.