Archive of Our Own ^beta

Chapter Text

It was an early start, it always is with my profession. I was pretty used to waking up at 4 am and drinking an amazing coffee from the keurig i got for christmas. Normally I wouldn't own anything this expensive but when your aunt is tired of you always complaining about being tired and buys it for you, who am i to complain?
But for some reason it wasn't working, “Fucking fuck!” I yelled and hit the damned thing several times. This means one thing. Coffee shop coffee. Expensive shit that wouldn't keep me awake for 5 minutes.

‘This isn't a very adult thing to do, Kate,’ I reminded myself and took a deep breath. I showered and got ready for my day at the workshop. I had to unload my 4 wheeler from the back of my pickup and then off I went. Before the keurig era i would get coffee at a diner, the closest place to get coffee, though it was still a good 10 minutes away.

The man behind the counter looked just as tired as I was and honestly I didn't blame him. He was… an interesting character. With piercings in almost every possible place. He should never go around metal detectors.

“Large mocha latte please, hot.” he quickly wrote down my order and i went to the end of the counter to wait.

I couldn't shake the feeling that I knew him from somewhere, when I noticed his name tag it hit me. THE EDGELORD FROM HIGHSCHOOL. He was a grade below me and the weirdo everyone made fun of behind his back. He would insist his name was Skull, and that he was destined to rule over everybody. Eventually people did end up calling him skull because one day he showed up with a cup shaped like one and made a popular jock drink out of it. When it was discovered to be full of laxatives he was almost expelled.

As soon as my coffee was set down I grabbed it and bolted. I didn't particularly feel like having an ex-classmate recognize me. I avoided downtown for a reason.
The workshop was empty, I was always the first there. The shop had been passed down for generations, most of the family knew the skill, no matter how extended they were. Few chose to stay in the profession, like my brother who recently had a baby with his wife. An evil thing in my opinion.

The shop made a fair bit of money. Everyone, including myself, paid for the space whenever they used it. And when they sold something 10% of that would go back to the shop funds. Of course it wasn't just family that used it, but smithing was such a niche thing not many came here.

15 hours later I was blissfully back home. I ordered door dash and took a shower, letting my feet relax while I waited. I got a class at the highschool requested, which meant some extra money! I've been meaning to renovate my office and this was going straight to the fund.
I ate while updating my progress spreadsheet and hoped my Keurig fixed itself by tomorrow morning.

The Keurig still isn't working which made my morning infinitely worse. I had to dip into my grocery fund for coffee. I made the drive to the place and I dreaded seeing beau again. ‘Suck it up kate you're in your 30’s not a child’ i hated my rational self sometimes.

He wore the same bored expression as yesterday and I ordered the same as yesterday. I thought I'd escaped small talk but when beau set my coffee down he grabbed my attention.

“Here ya go kate,”

“Uh thanks beau?” He walked away to serve the next customer and I had to deal with nervousness creeping into my skin. God I hated coffee shop coffee.

Chapter Text

Several days into repeatedly beating the poor keurig I finally decided to give up and throw it away. I resigned myself to adjusting the daily budget to include coffee.

The past week I've gone Beau has always been the barista, I dreaded smalltalk every time but it never came. My brain never quite picked up on that.

This morning I was surprised with beau standing at the pick up counter, my usual coffee in hand and a grumpier expression than usual. It irked me sometimes.

“And what's this?” I was slightly irked by how well he knew my schedule.

“Your coffee…?”

“I can see that Beau, now can you tell me why you made it before I came?”

“so I can get through customers quicker,'' I eyed him and took the coffee, handing over the $5 I had prepped in my hand. He rolled his eyes as he took it and I left, slightly more annoyed now than when my keurig broke.

I'd much rather him just make it when I order it, not before. What if I hadn't shown up? Or wanted something different? I knew that would never happen, but he didn't.

Suddenly I remembered the jock incident and sipped the drink suspiciously. Don't get me wrong it's not that i think beau would risk losing his job to put laxatives in the coffee of a highschool acquaintance but…

“I need another winged penis!” I stared at the wall adjacent to me as my hand froze next to my ear.

“You need a what? A fucking winged dick? What are you gonna do shove it up your ass? No! You don't need another one Gloria,” she asked for the same thing a year ago. Back then I did it with no questions asked because who wants to know what their aunt 5 times removed wanted with a winged penis. But a 2nd one? That's where i draw the line.

“Kate pleeeeeease John slept with Riley and I need to attach it to his car or something,” I sighed and slumped deeper into my chair. I didn't know who John or Riley were and I certainly didn't want to see a winged penis cruising through the city on some dude's car. Imagine the parents passing with kids in the car, how would one explain that?

“No, I'm not doing it.”

“I'll pay!”

“I don't care how much you pay me, I'm not using my precious skills for that.”

“$250”

“No.”

“$350?”

“You can keep going higher but unless you have a couple thousand up your sleeve no deal.”

“$650, come on Kate we both know you'll do anything for some cash!” Wow, first of all, rude. I sighed again and pursed my lips. It would help. Could probably cover my damned coffee budget.

“Ugh fine! Now bye i have work to do,” i didn't wait for her to respond and just ended the call. Time to search the cast room for the winged penis container I made.

Even after I found the horrendous thing I put it off to the side, I didn't feel like looking at dick shapes at the moment. Instead I continued on with a commission I received a while ago. Some rich snob wanted a statue of a grotesque rat king and like hey, artistic taste is a thing, but when it looks like jellified rats i start questioning.

The day went on without a hitch, mostly. A woman and a child came in and thought just anyone could show up and take an impromptu class, especially 10 year olds. She got a little pissy when I informed her that 10 year old's don't have the physical ability to hold the tools needed. A small lie considering i started learning when i was 5 but she doesn't need to know that.

It was around seven when I finally decided to lock up and go home. Making a split second decision to grab some food from the closest place, the diner.

“Damn beau do you get any sleep?” I asked, walking in to see beau at the counter with the same expression as this morning.

“What do you want Kate?”

“Ahhh the Californian chicken with a smoothie.”

“What kind of smoothie?”

“Surprise me.”

“What size?”

“Surprise me.”

“God fucking dammit Kate,” beau mumbled walking away from the counter to get my food. I smiled at how easily annoyed he was.

Minutes later he returned with my receipt and a tray with my order. Looking at it I realized he made me the most expensive smoothie. Sly bastard.

Chapter Text

The door chimed and I knew instantly who it was. She was a creature of habit after all, and she got here within the same 10 minute time span each day. Her face matched mine and I handed her the coffee I had already prepared. Might as well make her day a bit easier right?

“And what's this?” I was a bit taken aback. People usually liked this stuff right? Why did she seem upset?

“Your coffee…?” I responded, hoping the interaction would be over quicker.

“I can see that Beau, now can you tell me why you made it before I came?”

I panicked,“So I can get through customers quicker,'' obviously what I did upset her so best just lie. She handed me the money and left, not even staying for me to give her the change. Never doing that again.

It took several difficult customers for my heart to go back to a normal pace but that didn't stop my mind from going a million miles a minute. I wasn't even sure she recognised me! Well she didn't seem surprised when i knew her name so she probably did, we only had a few interactions in highschool though, none of them good. I can still feel the walnut mango smoothie dripping down my back.

To say I was surprised to see Kate just as my shift was about to end would be an understatement. Technically i could have clocked out and passed her to a coworker but i'm a curious guy.

“Damn beau do you get any sleep?” what a stupid question, of course not.

“What do you want kate?”

“Ahhh the californian chicken with a smoothie.”

“What kind of smoothie?” please don't order anything walnut or mango.

“Surprise me.”

“What size?”

“Surprise me.”

“God fucking dammit kate,” i made her a large wildberry with extra whipped cream. Take that kate, spend an extra 50 cents on something thatll fuck with your blood sugar. She left after I served her and i immediately clocked out.

I wasn't expecting any more surprises that night. Just my daily foot bath and some crappy tv. Of course Turtle had to call.

“Hey big bro!”

“I told you to stop calling me that.”

“But you are.”

“Am not.”

“Last time i checked our parents hooking up and popping out a kid makes us related.”

“Are they married?

“Well no but-”

“Then there,”

“Ok but like anyways, remember kate? From highschool, the blacksmith kid?”

I sighed, “how could i forget?”

“Well she hasn't been responding to my texts and I'm worried about her. I don't live in the city anymore so could you pretty please check on her?”

“I can assure you she's fine, i saw her like an hour ago.”

“Pfft what no you didn't!”

“She's been coming to the diner everyday for like the past week.”

“Oh my god she's alive and she didn't tell me?”

“How do you two know each other anyway? You're like 5 years younger than us.”

“Oh I worked for her for awhile, helped me get the qualifications for my current job.”

“Ok. Do you need anything else?” I asked, not even bothering to keep my eyes open at this point.

“Could you bring her food tomorrow morning? She has a habit of skipping breakfast and you know how just coffee can mess up a person's stomach, ill pay for it just give me the amount and i'll send an address.”

“Do you even realize how creepy that'd be? Your barista suddenly showed up on your doorstep with food?”

“I… didn't think of that, i'll send her a text, she won't read it but I have plausible deniability.”

“Wow thanks for the excellent back up.”

“Anything for you big bro.”

“I told you-!” The phone beeped before I could finish. I squeezed the phone tight so i didn't chuck it at a wall.

“So… you know turtle?” Morning Kate isn't the brightest.

“ from the same church,” she laughed at that, of course she would.

“Wow beau, you? Church? Couldn't imagine you look like some christian mothers idea of satan,” fucking obviously

“Thanks Kate, i'll get going now,” i honestly wanted to go back home and sleep more before my shift.

“Hold on, I wasn't calling your piercings bad or anything! I like them.”

“I know,” she is part of the reason I got them after all.