Chapter Text
“Can I have some?” It was this innocent question that made Leon turn around.
It was Sunday and their mother, strangely enough, hadn’t gotten up yet. Leon didn’t think much of it. Mothers were allowed to sleep in too, weren’t they? He could take care of Hop for a little while.
At the moment he was preparing a cup of coffee for whenever their mother did wake and join them in the kitchen. If she wasn’t up by the time the machine was finished, he would simply leave it on her bedside table.
Leon pondered the request for a moment. Did he really want to give his seven-year-old brother caffeine? Hop was as energetic as any kid his age and Leon wasn’t sure if adding to that would be a good idea (nor did he think dealing with the consequences of such an action would be fun for either of them later).
“I don’t know...you might not like it.”
Hop stuck out his lower lip, eyes widening, to craft the most irresistible pleading expression.
Leon nearly rolled his eyes. “Fine.”
Hop perked up significantly.
“How would you like your coffee, Hop?” Leon asked, turning to check on the brewer.
The boy swung his legs back and forth underneath the table as he considered what he knew about coffee. He knew adults drank it a lot. Their mother would drink a cup in the morning sometimes if she didn’t feel like having tea.
Oh! He liked the smell of it too! Hop was also fairly certain that the darker the beverage was the more energy it would give you. This particular idea came from the fact that whenever they went out to one of the cafés in town, he’d noticed that the people ordering plain black coffee always looked the most tired.
He recalled last week’s trip to the café for lunch while they were out shopping. A rather peppy girl with a bit of a skip in her step had asked for so many additions to her drink Hop couldn’t even begin to recount them all. Surely she had no need for more energy when she had so much already. Although Hop wasn’t in need of an extra boost, he was curious about the effects of the drink.
Having made up his mind, he declared confidently, “Black. As dark as my soul!”
Leon gave him a blank look, then took a few steps to his right and opened the fridge door. “So, milk then,” he deadpanned.
Leon smirked at the indignant sputtering he could hear behind him. The stream of water the coffee machine had been producing finally tapered off and a soft beep beep announced the completion of its job. Leon took the full mug by the handle and carried it carefully to the dining table.
Hop let his eagerness get the best of him and he reached for the cup as soon as it touched the wood surface. Luckily for him, Leon slapped his hand away. Hop looked up, more surprised than hurt - Leon didn’t hit him that hard.
“It’s hot! Use the handle and blow on it first,” the teen warned. Hop nodded.
Reaching for the handle instead of the whole mug this time, Hop gently pulled it toward himself. He spent a few minutes blowing at the steam and waiting for the drink to cool. When he finally took a sip, it wasn’t scalding but it was definitely still too hot, so he waited a minute or two longer.
When Hop took another, longer slurp from the mug, he recoiled so violently he almost spilled the drink. It was so bitter ! Why would anyone subject themselves to that? And some people drank an entire cup everyday?
Hop felt his face twist in disgust. The taste on his tongue lingered long after the initial swallow and he could hear Lee sniggering at his expense. He didn’t notice the phone in his hand.
“Sorry, sorry,” Leon laughed. “Don’t be mad Hip-Hop. You wanted to try it, didn’t you?” Hop huffed and crossed his arms, pouting petulantly; he knew he asked for it, but...but he wanted to know! And Leon did try to warn him…
Hop frowned with disdain. At least now he could say with absolute certainty that he much prefers the smell of coffee in the air to the actual flavor of the drink.
“Have you tried it again since then?” Victor asked, leaning back on his hands. Hop shook his head.
“The café you went to...was it Tikal’s?” Bede asked.
Hop paused to think for a second, then nodded. “Yeah, I think so! I haven’t gone there in a while, though. You’ve been there?”
Bede made a noise of affirmation as he snapped a loose string off his pink pajama sleeve. “Opal took me last week.” He glanced to his right. “I passed Marnie on the way out.”
Gloria joined in on the conversation. “Really?” She was interested now. “They got anythin’ good?”
“...There’s a new item on the drinks menu,” Marnie said after a moment of thought. “I don’t remember what it’s called.”
“Blitz Canon,” Bede supplied for her. “It tastes like sugar married itself and had twenty cavity-inducing kids.” He scowled at the memory of the awful taste on his tongue.
Victor chuckled. “I guess you didn’t like it, then.”
Bede shot him a look and rolled his eyes. “No, I loved it!” He scoffed. “Really, it’s not the best thing they could have come up with, but I’ve had a few other things and they’re pretty good.” Marnie looked like she agreed with him.
Gloria grinned. “Sounds like a place I gotta see!” Victor knew she wasn’t just excited to see the place - she was going to try everything on the menu, even if it took her an entire month. They’d probably end up sharing and swapping treats and beverages, but he wouldn’t mind. He was also curious about the place that earned such praise from their more standoffish friend.
“Hm,” Hop hummed, “Maybe we can go tomorrow?” He looked around hopefully, but remembering that two of them would be leaving quickly dashed the elation. “...Or not.”
Bede shrugged. “You guys can go. We’ve already been, after all.” He glanced at Marnie, who nodded back.
“We can go together another time. Maybe next weekend?” she offered.
Hop turned to the twins.
Victor smiled slightly. “Since we live right down the road, Ma said we can stay all day. Just gotta be back before night.”
Marnie and Bede would be leaving around twelve the next day, as was the agreed time. Gloria and Victor lived close enough to be considered neighbors, so they had negotiated to stay as long as they could.
Hop grinned and pumped a fist in the air. “Sweet!” He cheered.
The five talked for a while longer. The two most familiar with Tikal’s Café recommended a few treats - Bede apparently liked their strawberry parfait the best, but Marnie preferred the chocolate cake served with vanilla ice cream on the side.
Hop, amazing host that he was, fell asleep first. Victor was the next to succumb to the darkness while idling on his phone, and Bede curled up by the wall.
Whether the latter was actually asleep in the cocoon he’d swaddled himself in, Gloria couldn’t tell. She was too tired to care. Marnie was already conked out by the couch. Somewhat begrudgingly, Gloria dragged herself to her feet in order to turn off the standing lamp in the corner of the room. Once the lights were out, she found an empty spot on the rug to settle on and joined her friends.