Chapter Text
The coffee shop between the university labs and the library is of acceptable quality and extreme convenience. There's only so many minutes in the time frame of the library's opening hours and he unfortunately doesn't have the time to spare to walk all the way back to work for a coffee.
The interior is perhaps a touch too bright and almost sickeningly cheerful for his taste but it's clean and he can smell that their beans are fresh and not burned. And the fact that all the workers are students means that normally no one asks any questions.
"Double espresso please." Doc shuffles some bills out of his wallet, glancing down at the menu to check the price of the extra shot.
"Really?" He looks up at the barista, who seems to be on his tip toes by the way he's braced against the counter. "Are you sure you don't want to order something actually good?"
"...I am a barista. I know good coffee when I see it."
This tiny insolent little man flips brushes his hair out of his eyes so he can look up at him better. Doc stands up a little taller. "Well I literally work here and I really recommend our vanilla latte as a prime candidate for 'good coffee'. Or our cappuccino, if you're in a hurry and want something smaller."
"Double espresso." Doc stares down at the smaller man, keeping his expression deadpan. "Please."
He takes the money that Doc slides insistently across the counter, counting it into the till. "Suit yourself." He sets the grinder to start filling the basket. "Not my fault if you taste buds hate you."
"Why do you even work at a coffee shop if you don't like coffee?"
"I like coffee." The basket clunks into the machine, water hissing. "I just choose to drink mine in a form that's enjoyable."
"And by enjoyable you mean adulterated with sugar and milk?"
"Exactly." The espresso is thick and dark as he pours it into the small cardboard cup. "Your double espresso, sir." The cup wobbles dangerously as it's pushed across the counter towards him.
"Thanks." The door jingles annoyingly as he leaves.
When Doc takes a sip it’s smooth, without any of the bitterness that usually comes from a distracted barista. It doesn't even last him the walk back to the library.
~~~
The cafe on the corner looks a little like pretentious hippie bullshit. It also looks like the perfect place to grab a coffee while waiting for Scar who is late for their study group yet again after being the one that insisted they study in the local park. While a place with no volume limitations was a great idea, Grian is already suffering from the spring sun shining in his eyes.
There's no bell on the door, the first indication of a cafe that appreciates their veneer of seriousness over practicality. Although he does have to admit that the aesthetics are immaculate, with their climbing potted plants in every corner and bordering the big front windows, vibrant against the polished dark wood.
The barista is faced away from him but he still recognises him. The espresso purist from earlier in the week. Grian grins to himself.
The menu is short and limited, all espresso drinks and locally produced herbal teas. At least they have the decency to provide all their options iced, to account for the summers here which feel unfairly warm, even on days like today which are barely a pale comparison of what is to come. And there's a blender behind the counter and a jar of what is clearly caramel, hand labelled in the fridge with the locally sourced alternative milks. Oh this is going to be good.
"Hello there.” He relishes in the way he spins around, brows furrowed as he startles.
"You." His name tag just reads 'Doc'. Grian's not sure if that's actually a name or some sort of pretentious nickname. "What can I do for you today?"
Grian tips up on his tip toes, looking at the equipment behind the bar. "Double caramel frappucino with cinnamon."
His arms cross across his chest, crumpling his stained white apron."We don't have that here."
Grian cocks his head to the side, letting the mock innocence roll off him in waves. "But if I ask for my latte blended with ice with two scoops of homemade caramel and a sprinkle of cinnamon then you suddenly know what I'm talking about?"
The man's brows draw low over his eyes, making him look even more severe than he already does. "We're in the middle of a rush. I don't have time to entertain such complex drink orders." Regardless, he starts ringing it up, sliding the eftpos machine across the counter.
Grian looks pointedly around at the empty cafe with a grand total of two inhabited tables and only himself in line, then scans his card with a flourish. "The customer is always right."
Doc pulls out the blender, nudging the fridge open with his hip to grab half and half and the little jar of caramel. "Not if the customer is factually incorrect. A customer cannot magically change the laws of physics just by stating it so."
Grian raises his eyebrows at the mans back as he packs the blender with ice. "Are you implying that coffee is codified in the laws of physics?"
He turns around, staring Grian dead in the eyes even as his hands fly over the espresso machine. "You're stupid if you think brewing coffee isn't half physics and the other half chemistry, which is already half physics itself. Three quarters physics."
"Ew. Science."
He scoffs, turning to pour the coffee into the blender and flicking it on, drowning out any further comment Grian could have made. Instead he just rests his chin in his hands, looking around the cafe as he waits.
"Your... drink."
It's gorgeous for something so reluctantly made. The creamy slush is piled high and crisscrossed with thick lines of caramel, dusted with a light scatter of cinnamon, enough for the scent to waft off along with the smooth smell of well brewed espresso.
"Thanks Doc!" He winks over his shoulder as he sidles out the sad, bell-less door.
The drink is, sadly (obviously) better than the standard ones at work, with real cream and rich caramel that melts on the tongue rather than sticking like the syrupy stuff does.
Scar, once he manages to track him down, scolds him through giggles for being the one that's late for once. Grian is not quite sure how he managed to spend thirty minutes getting coffee, but in his defence (and Scar agrees once he's had a taste) it's one of the best frappucino's he's ever had.