Work Text:
“Is that fucking Gally?” Thomas hisses at Newt as they cross the threshold of his once favourite coffee shop.
“I don’t know a fucking Gally. I do know a Gally though.”
“Don’t be a smartass.”
“But it’s so much fun.” Caring not for Thomas’s internal anguish, Newt joins the queue. Brits.
“I can’t believe he works here, I’ve never seen him before.”
“It’s a new job, he started last week”
“And how would you know that?”
Newt shrugs. “We’re friends.”
“I didn’t realise Satan was capable of having friends.”
“Lay off, he’s not that bad.”
“How did you even become friends?”
“Mutual friends. Shared classes. Group project. He’s alright actually, pretty nice.”
“Yeah well he hates me.”
“I sincerely doubt that.”
“During our first week I accidentally dropped my coffee while he was bent over and it drenched him. And his things. Including an essay he was about to hand in.”
“Oh my god.”
“I tried to apologise but he wouldn’t have it! And he’s been a dick to me ever since.”
“Well. Suck it up, I need a coffee.”
“He’s going to spit in my drink.”
“He’s not going to do that.”
“How do you know?”
“Because he’s not ridiculously petty.”
When they reach the front Newt gets a polite greeting and Thomas gets a perfunctory nod. Is not exactly friendly but it’s not mean either.
Getting their drinks, however:
“And Thomas? Try to keep it in the cup.”
“That was an accident I said I was sorry!”
Newt - laughing all the while - escorts Thomas out as he keeps sputtering his defence.
“You see? He hates me.”
“I think it was a joke.”
“That man is not capable of making jokes.”
“Drink your coffee.”
~~
Thomas keeps going back to the coffee shop. Not to see Gally, but on principle. This was his shop before Gally started working there and he’s not about to give that up now.
Most of the time it’s civil, if chilly. Sometimes there’s a snide comment from Gally (“my heads warm enough today”, “I have an essay due later if you can wait that long”) and once the name written on his to go cup was “clutz”.
Thomas does briefly consider reporting it to the manager, but he can admit that he deserves it a little, and he’s not trying to get Gally fired. That would really make the guy hate him. So he silently stews, he’s given up trying to argue back or defend himself.
But the strangest thing starts to happen. When Thomas arrives he finds his coffee already made and waiting. He supposes it makes sense, he’s in the same time every day and always orders to the same thing. But it still startles him that Gally knows his order and prepares it in advance for him. Probably so he’s out of sight faster. He tells Newt as such.
“I mean, why else would he learn my order? Why else would he have it ready? He doesn’t even know that I’m gonna come in for sure, he’s just making sure I’m in and out so he won’t have to talk to me.”
Newt simply says “You’re an idiot” and turns back to his book.
The next time he visits the coffee shop he’s having a very bad day. It’s absolutely torrential rain, he slipped in the mud, and he’s behind on an essay he didn’t even know they had.
Gally is waiting with the coffee when he walks in. “You look like shit.”
“Gee thanks.” Thomas doesn’t even look up, he doesn’t want to see the slight glee Gally will have at his misery.
“It’s on the house today.” The coffee is shoved at him and then Gally turns to the next customer. No chance to argue.
Thomas mutters his thanks and leaves. As he shields himself from the rain he thinks about why Gally was being so nice. He’s going to say I ran out without paying he thinks bitterly. Or maybe it’s Gally pitying him. Or the slim chance that Newt is right and Gally isn’t a bad guy. But the first is more likely, Gally doesn’t do nice things for him. Gally hates him.
Newt calls him an idiot again.
Thomas snaps the next week. He goes in, Gally has his coffee waiting, but this time he smiles at Thomas. Gally has never smiled at Thomas, as far as Thomas knows Gally doesn’t smile full stop.
“Okay what the fuck is wrong with you?” It comes out louder than he intends it to, and a few of the patrons give him a dirty look, but it’s Gally he’s focusing on. The smile falls slightly.
“What are you talking about?”
“You’re being weirdly nice and I don’t know why!”
The smile is completely wiped now. “Maybe I’m just nice.”
“But you’re not, not to me. You hate me.”
“I’m gonna take my break,” Gally tells the barista next to him before he removes his apron. Coming around the counter he grasps Thomass free arm and pulls him into the back room.
“I don’t think I’m meant to be in here.” Thomas looks around at the room, decidedly not looking at Gally.
“Forget that. You wanna talk about problems, what’s your problem with me?”
“I don’t have a problem with you.”
“You sure act like it, I’ve been trying to be nice and you just shut me down. If you don’t like me that’s fine but I don’t know what I could have done.”
“You’ve been a dick practically since we met. I made one mistake and you iced me out and then all those snide comments.”
“They were supposed to be jokes! Like you and Newt, you’re always joking with each other, I thought you liked banter like that!”
“But I spilled coffee on you.”
“By accident right? Or were all those apologies lies?”
This time Thomas can hear the teasing.
“You were being nice. You made jokes. You learned my order.”
“Newt said you were an idiot but man.”
“I’m not an idiot okay I’m usually very smart.”
“Smart enough to know when you’re being flirted with?”
“I wouldn't know. Nobody ever flirts with me.”
Gally’s sigh fills the small room, the exasperation seeping out of him.
“Oh!”
“There it is.” Gally smiles again, this time Thomas can notice how nice it is. How genuine. The way it reaches his eyes conveys everything he’s thinking.
“You’re probably sick of coffee, maybe we go for a drink instead?”