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Tommy had almost always been a barista. He needed to find new jobs every ten years or so, to ensure nobody figured out that he was an immortal. Most of the time he chose barista jobs, he had the skills and it was something he fairly enjoyed while having an almost unlimited number of positions available. The odd few times he couldn’t find one, he’d take on some labour jobs, fast food, janitorial, and he once took an office internship for a few years that he would never do again.
With as many barista jobs as he took though, he always found himself coming back to the same place, the Dream Bean Café. It had a stupid name and an even stupider slogan that had been drilled in to Tommy’s head after the endless years of working there. “Dream Bean, where we make your bean dreams!” Terrible, Tommy only repeated it to customers when the managers were watching.
But as stupid as he found it, he’d return every thirty or so years when he was sure the employees from his time had moved on and the current regulars wouldn’t know him. He’d be kidding himself if he said he didn’t know why. Despite how many years it had been since he’d last seen him, Tommy still hoped that his favourite customer would return.
Tommy missed him, they would always have a great time joking around together, it gave him someone to talk to during his shifts, and he would almost always be the last customer in the café when Tommy closed. Until he just up and disappeared one day. His visits had become a little more sporadic the past week but that happened sometimes, Tommy had figured he was busy and would be back to coming in almost daily the next week. Except the Thursday afternoon when he served him a caramel latte with extra caramel drizzle had been the last time he’d ever seen him.
After three years, Tommy figured he’d probably moved away and hadn’t told him. Seventy years later, Tommy wasn’t working at Dream Bean at the time, but figured he was in old age by now, maybe even dead. It always happened. People Tommy got close to, close enough to tell his secret, always passed away. He’d held the hands of too many people as they’d passed away.
One hundred and seven years after he fled L’Manburg, Wilbur Soot stepped foot into the Dream Bean once again. He smiled, seeing how not much had changed since his last time there. Sure the building was more modern and the equipment and furniture updated, but the layout was the same, the sign had the same design, and the decorations that hung around the shop were practically unchanged.
As he walked up to the counter, he half expected to see Tommy stood there ready to take his order, but of course he found someone else. A woman with curly white hair was hurrying around making drinks, looking to be the only person working at the moment. She gave Wilbur a smile and held up a finger, indicating that she’d be with him in a moment. When the woman was ready, Wilbur ordered his drink, a caramel latte with extra caramel drizzle, thanking her before moving off to the side and pulling out his phone while he waited.
When Tommy returned from the bathroom, he took over from where his manager Puffy was making drinks, letting her be able to take more orders. He picked up one she had already finished, turning it to find the label so he could call it out.
“One caramel latte with extra caramel drizzle for-” Tommy faltered, seeing the name written down, one he hadn’t seen in over a century. “For Wilbur?”
When he saw the man who stood up to claim the drink, he almost dropped it. Tommy would have recognized those curls, stupid beanie, and even stupider glasses anywhere. Wilbur stood there in front of him with an identical look of shock on his face.
“Fucking hell, Tommy?” he asked with a look of utter disbelief.
“Wilbur?” Tommy gasped back, closing his gaping mouth. “How are you even-? Are you-? There’s no way you’re- Am I dreaming?”
Wilbur chuckled lightly, shaking his head as he reached out to take the drink.
“I’d hope not because this would be a very weird shared dream.”
Tommy still stood there with his hand extended, turning to his manager.
“Puffy? I’m going to take my break now if that’s alright.”
She smiled and nodded in response, and he turned to Wilbur, asking him to go sit down while he quickly made himself a hot chocolate. As soon as he’d closed the lid on the almost overflowing marshmallows and whipped cream, he rounded the counter and sat across from Wilbur who smiled at him and took a sip of his latte.
“How the fuck are you here?” Tommy demanded immediately. “It’s been over a hundred years man, you should be long dead by now!”
“Tommy, you’ve had three whole minutes to think it over while you made your drink.” Wilbur sighed exasperatedly, lowering his voice as he leaned closer. “I’m immortal too.”
The short sentence hit Tommy like a pile of bricks. Of course it made sense, but he still couldn’t believe it. In all his years, he’d never met another immortal before. Yet here Wilbur was, sitting before him looking the exact same as the day he’d last seen him.
“You’re- you’re like me.” Tommy replied slowly. “But how come I haven’t seen you in a century?”
Wilbur looked down, a guilty look on his face. “I’m sorry Toms, I really am. The last time we saw each other, I was in danger of being discovered. I moved out of town and met two other immortals who I live with now. By the time it would have been okay for me to return, I thought you’d be gone. I didn’t want to come back into town and pass the café, knowing that I’d left without an explanation and would never see you again. Eventually I got nostalgic and sucked it up, and here I am. And here you are too.”
Tommy was flabbergasted. As if seeing Wilbur again and finding out he was immortal wasn’t enough, he’d also found out that he lives with two more immortals. In the back of his mind, a tiny part of him was jealous that Wilbur had a family, that he wasn’t alone. But after a moment Wilbur continued talking.
“Do… do you want to come home with me? Meet my family? If you wanted you could stay with us, I mean I know it must be lonely.”
Tommy nodded silently, trying not to let show the tears in his eyes threatening to escape. Wilbur smiled back at him, standing up to round the table and hug Tommy, and that was his breaking point. He sobbed silently into Wilbur’s yellow sweater for a few minutes, while Wilbur continued to wrap his arms around him.
At the end of Tommy’s shift, the two left the café for the train station, holding two drinks for Wilbur’s family.
“I’ve told them about you before y’know. Tech and Phil are going to love you.”