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Over the years, multiple types of people have come through Alastor’s coffee shop.
Buck Shot Café rested on the corner of a quiet street where it was almost impossible to miss. With its large signage and colorful red awning, it stood out in such a way people couldn’t help but wander in. Plus, it was in a peak location. Just a few streets over from the local community college and a short walk from several nearby businesses whose workers stopped in every morning to get their morning caffeine fix.
Because of this, Alastor had seen his fair share of overly tired individuals stroll through the doors. Several groups of ragtag students came in at different hours, all overly loud as they talked to one another before ordering their lattes or cold brews. Then there was one woman who worked as a secretary at a little law firm down the street that came in every morning with the company credit card to get the entire office’s order. Occasionally, she would buy a pastry for herself to ‘compensate for the bullshit they put her through’ as she liked to put it before leaving in a huff.
Along with them, several other regulars would come in and chat Alastor’s ear off. Most of the time he didn’t mind them, though there were a few that he was tempted to ban from time to time. Like Susan, the widowed old crow that liked to come in for her black coffee, only to complain that it was too cold in attempts to try and get it for free.
But despite all of the people who chose Alastor’s establishment as their stomping grounds, there was one person who stood out to him as important. The only one he looked forward to seeing on a regular basis.
Samael Magne.
The man was a writer, often stopping in for hours at a time almost every day to work on his latest manuscript. He was small in stature, but his personality was larger than life itself. No matter what he always wore a smile on his face, cracking jokes with the other baristas or telling a funny little anecdote about whatever topic he seemed to be interested in at the moment.
Alastor could still fondly recall the day Samael stepped into his line, all bright smiles and sparkling blue eyes while ordering an iced caramel latte, joking that clearly he wasn’t energetic enough without his coffee. That interaction alone enraptured him. The way his smile stretched so wide it caused those dazzling eyes to crinkle at the corners… Alastor couldn't help but find him cute!
It eventually got to the point where Alastor was able to easily predict Samael’s schedule. He memorized it down to the minute so he could prepare himself for when the energetic customer would waltz through those doors, eager to hear whatever little tale or quip would come out of Samael's mouth.
Throughout their little talks and interactions at the cash register, Alastor was able to quickly learn a few things about Samael. The first one was that he actually despised his given name, preferring to be called Lucifer, a nickname from when he was a student ‘long ago’ as he put it.
For some reason, that little detail drew Alastor even closer to him. He wanted to dig deeper and figure out the reason why such a witty, charming man would happily go by a moniker meant for the Devil?
Finding out the reason why had taken quite a bit of time on Alastor’s end but after a few months of gentle poking and prodding, Lucifer finally admitted that back in his day, he had a rather fiery temper. His friends from that time had told him that whenever he was upset, it was like dealing with the King of Hell himself.
“You should’ve seen me back then. I was a mess, that’s for sure.” Bright blue eyes twinkled with mirth, staring off to the side with a fond expression on Lucifer’s handsome face. For a moment, it looked like he wanted to say something more, shifting his gaze to Alastor only to look back down at the floor with a little grin tugging at the corner of his lips.
When he finally turned back to Alastor, his smile doubled in size, lighting up his face so much that it almost hurt Alastor to stare at it. “Though I’ve calmed down now, especially since I haven’t hung around those guys in a couple of decades, haha...”
But that alone wasn’t enough to keep Alastor’s attention, at least not for very long. No, there were many other aspects that over the course of a few months he had learned about Lucifer that made him want to get to know the man more on a deeper level. Some of them were small like how Lucifer always ordered his drink either with a dash of cinnamon or with extra caramel in it. Or how this past fall, Lucifer would consistently tease Alastor that he needed to create a drink item that starred apples as its main ingredient instead of restricting them to pastries only.
Then there were other facts that usually left Alastor shocked or speechless when he had finally discovered them. Like how Lucifer got divorced just a month ago after being married for well over twenty years, admitting that he was closer to being fifty than he was forty. Or how he had a daughter that graduated from the college nearby. When Alastor was shown a picture of her, he had recognized her as one of the students who used to come into his shop almost every day, usually smiling from ear to ear as she ordered drinks for her study groups.
“Oh, you’re Charlie’s father?” Alastor had asked the question with wide eyes, cocking his head to the side as he took in Lucifer’s appearance. The resemblance between them was uncanny. Even down to the shape of their nose and the sparkle in their eyes. “I remember her. The non-profit major that came in with about four or five people every week for a study session.”
“That’s her! And I sure am!” Lucifer let out a loud laugh, slapping his hand down on the counter with a smile plastered on his face. “My little girl talked about this place often. It’s part of the reason I started coming by here in the first place. Whenever she called me, she talked about how much work she and her friends had done here and how good the coffee was. And I can’t say she was wrong.”
Lucifer shot him a little wink, causing Alastor’s face to heat up slightly before he turned away to prepare Lucifer’s order. He heard another chuckle from behind him, followed by the sound of retreating footsteps. When he finally gathered the nerve to turn around, he saw that Lucifer was at his seat, laptop already open, and leaned back as he waited for Alastor to call his name.
It was amazing how one conversation had filled Alastor with more joy than he was able to even comprehend. To know that something as small and mundane as grabbing a cup of coffee could lead a person like Lucifer to him. It was borderline magical, in a cheesy sense that he typically didn't care for. But he had no other way to describe it, mentally thanking whoever upstairs that their paths were able to cross this way.
Once he had learned that fact about Lucifer, Alastor felt his obsession grow a little bit more. To pass the time during Lucifer’s visits, he had taken up the habit of watching the smaller man write. Once Lucifer had his drink in hand, he would go over to the little table by the large window. From there, he would pull his laptop out of his briefcase, turn it on, and begin typing away while sipping on his beverage.
After about a month or so, Alastor had picked up on what some movements meant. For example, whenever Lucifer bit down on his bottom lip, it usually meant that he was immersed in a scene. In the zone, so to speak. He wouldn’t release the piece of flesh until he had finished or it was time for him to go home, whichever came first. There was also the way he would throw his hands in the air, clicking his tongue in frustration before he’d lean back in his seat with a huff. Bright blue eyes would be narrowed into slits, glaring at the laptop like it had done something to personally offended him.
Alastor wasn’t able to explain why all of these things made his chest flutter in a way it hadn’t before. Hell, he’d never really been interested in romance or dating in the past, but just the idea alone of Lucifer was enough to make his face flush in an unfamiliar way. Never approaching him, merely watching him from the counter of his shop.
But unfortunately for him, things started to change.
The day he noticed this had started off like any other. The same usuals came in and caused their early-morning ruckus including the same exhausted secretary with the whole office’s order. Alastor had even slipped her a second pastry on the house because the poor thing looked tired, to which she thanked him and left an extra large tip on the company’s card.
Throughout the rest of the afternoon, though, not much went on. It was approaching the early-evening, right around the time that Lucifer came marching through the doors, ready to crack his jokes and brighten the whole room with his smile.
But he never showed up.
Hours ticked by and no matter how many times Alastor looked towards the door, he never once saw a head of glowing blond hair. There had been a few close calls, but none of those people were Lucifer.
Which made him worry about where the smaller man was.
He knew it was silly, there were plenty of reasons as to why someone would skip a day or two out of their normal routine. Lucifer could’ve been laid up in bed sick, simply resting from whatever illness plagued him before moving on with his day. Or maybe he was at something that pertained to his writing. After all, he had informed Alastor that he’d already published a couple of books before. There was a chance he had a signing or something that whisked him away from the shop. Though he never told Alastor that or anything. But then again, they weren’t together as a proper couple. Merely casual acquaintances.
Nothing more…
When that realization sank in, Alastor’s body felt heavy for the rest of the day, like he was walking around with cinder blocks around his feet. He went through the motions of finishing his shift, but it felt so empty, hollowed almost and it wasn’t getting better. Even his employees realized something was off, asking if he needed to go home early due to illness or something related. But he had brushed them off, stating that he was merely in a sour mood and it would go away on its own.
Unfortunately, even after two weeks, the feeling didn’t go away. It became even worse, to the point where those same employees were now avoiding him due to how bad his mood had shifted.
That was what led him to his current predicament; sighing heavily while wiping down the counters with a scowl on his face. He had just finished sweeping the floor, only to notice he had wiped quite a bit of debris from the tabletops right back into the tiles beneath his feet. Fighting the urge to growl, he opted to take a deep breath in instead, glancing up at the clock that hung overhead.
The store was set to close in an hour. The other employees had already gone home for the day, more than happy to run out of the store when he said that he doubted they would get much business for the rest of the evening. That left him alone to lock up, clean the machines, and close the store down.
The sitting area had been empty for almost the last hour at that point, with no one bothering to come in so late in the evening. He had already given up hope that Lucifer would come in at all anymore, mentally chalking it up to something that was preventing the smaller man from coming by.
Back turned to the door, Alastor hummed a simple tune to himself as he set about cleaning the machines next. He was currently thinking about what he was going to do for the rest of the night. He had been in the middle of one of Lucifer’s books, a historical fiction that captivated him from the moment he picked the novel up. But at that moment, his mind wasn’t really feeling like reading. Especially from something that only served to make him sad whenever he looked at it.
But just as he was about to let out another huff, frustrated that he couldn’t shake the metaphorical rain cloud that was over his head, the sound of the door opening and closing reached his ear.
Turning on his feet, Alastor forced a smile to his face, saying the welcoming line on instinct before looking up.
“Welcome to Buck Shot, what can I get started for you…”
Stopping in his tracks, Alastor had to swallow the gasp that tried to come up his throat when he realized who was standing there. That mop of blond hair that he had found himself missing lately.
“Hey there.” A sheepish smile lit up Lucifer’s face as he adjusted his briefcase within his hand, taking a few steps towards the counter. “I know you’re closing soon, but I was hoping I could get a quick cup. If it’s not too much trouble that is.”
Blinking in shock, Alastor merely stood there for a moment. A part of him was certain that he looked absolutely ridiculous gawking, but he couldn’t help it. His eyes darted all over Lucifer’s form, searching for any sign of why the smaller man may not have shown up for the last couple of weeks. But outside of the bags under his eyes looking a little more pronounced, there weren’t many clues for him to go off of.
“Yeah, sure. Just, uh, gimme two seconds. Do you want the usual?”
Pushing himself away from the counter, Alastor quickly went over to the espresso machine. Faintly, he heard Lucifer say yes, but as his hands moved around to prepare the drink, the only thing he could hear was the sound of his own beating heart.
After a few minutes of making his order, he looked over his shoulder and noticed that Lucifer was at his usual window seat once more. Since it didn’t look like anyone else was going to show up, Alastor stepped out from behind the counter, walking the short distance to Lucifer and sitting down across from him.
They sat in silence for a few moments. Lucifer had given his thanks as he took the cup from Alastor but said nothing more as he slowly sipped on the drink. Alastor, on the other hand, was shifting in his seat, multiple questions springing up on the tip of his tongue.
“I guess you’re wondering where I’ve been, huh?”
The question caused his eyes to immediately snap up, staring into those bright blue pools that Alastor couldn’t help but smile at. Slowly, he gave a nod, biting on his lower lip for just a moment before looking away and mumbling, “It’s been a lot more quiet without you here.”
A hum answered him as Lucifer took another sip of his drink, looking down as he set it back down on the table before shifting his gaze back to Alastor. A flare of exhaustion rose up in Lucifer’s eyes, making him look a little older in the moment, but still sending a flutter throughout Alastor’s chest regardless.
“It’s been… a shit show, to say the least.” A heavy sigh escaped from Lucifer’s lips as he brought a hand up to scrub over his face, only to run it through his hair a moment later. “I did something stupid, and it led to a big fight with the ex-wife and all of that.”
Oh…
Oh.
While Lucifer hadn’t spoken about his ex at great length, there were bits and pieces Alastor had clued in on from what little Lucifer did mention about her. Apparently, their separation had been somewhat amicable, but as with any form of breakup, there had been plenty of bumps in the road regarding it.
“Do you want to talk about it or…?” He trailed off, offering what he hoped to be a comforting smile before waving a flippant hand in the air. “Do you just want to sit here and unwind for a moment?”
A soft chuckle escaped Lucifer as he lowered his hand back down. His eyes honed in on Alastor’s face, flicking over his features for a moment before he finally leaned forward.
“Well…” Lucifer started slowly, a hint of a blush rising up on his cheeks. The sight alone was enough to tug at Alastor’s heartstrings, as well as put a little seed of worry inside of his chest.
But, before he could say anything, Lucifer started to talk once more. The red on his face deepened a shade as he mumbled out, “I may have told her, like the idiot I am, that I was interested in dating again. Apparently, she felt like it was too soon and decided to rope my daughter into it.”
Cringing at the thought, Alastor’s hand twitched with the urge to take Lucifer’s and give it a reassuring squeeze, but he withheld. Watching as Lucifer let out another sigh before sitting back in his seat, keeping his gaze fully on Alastor the whole time.
“They both thought it was a little too soon, but I really like this guy.” Lucifer’s lips quirked into a grin as he stared Alastor down, almost as if he was looking into his soul. “He’s funny, smart, and to be blunt, easy on the eyes. But…”
This time Lucifer looked away again, the blush returning full force as it turned his face redder than a tomato.
Alastor would’ve been a liar if he said the confession didn’t send a pang of pain throughout his chest. But, a part of him was happy that Lucifer trusted him enough to confide in him, at least he could have that type of relationship with the other man.
Even if it was not what he wanted.
“I don’t think he knows just how much I like him.” When Lucifer picked up where he left off, Alastor snapped himself out of his thoughts. He looked back into those blue eyes, noticing something new was twinkling in them, giving them a sheen that made his heart flutter while Lucifer continued, “I mean, hell, I see him almost every day. But I never know what to really say around him. He always looks so serious, and it feels like he’s humoring me most of the time.”
“How so?” Alastor finally found the nerve to speak up, unable to stop his head from tilting as mulled over Lucifer’s words. “Surely if you see each other every day, then he would’ve picked up on something by now.”
This time, Lucifer all but barked out a laugh, gently slapping the table while shaking his head. Confusion filled Alastor at the reaction, causing him to furrow his brow as he calmly asked, “did I say something wrong?”
“N-No not at all.” Lucifer let out a breath as he wiped his eyes, tears had welled up in his water line, threatening to roll down his cheeks as he swiped them away. “It’s just… even with that guy sitting right in front of me he still can’t figure it out. That’s all.”
Wait…
What!
There weren’t enough words in the world to describe what Alastor felt. The only thing he could think to do was open and close his mouth rapidly. A few garbled sounds escaped him, causing a worried look to creep up on Lucifer’s face.
“I know, it must come as a surprise but…” Lucifer scooted his chair forward, bringing his hand over the table to gently rest it on top of Alastor’s own. The heat radiating off of him was nice, pleasant even. A simple touch that almost had Alastor melting in his seat as Lucifer went on, “The main reason I continued to come here was for you. I just felt something, you know? But I didn’t know what to say. When I realized all of this, I stayed away. Afraid I would fuck it all up…”
“But you didn’t!”
Alastor’s outburst caused Lucifer to jump back slightly, but he ignored it for the moment. Allowing a real, genuine smile to etch across his face. Joy flooded his entire system, making him feel downright giddy as he leaned forward. “I’ve been the same, but I didn’t know what you would say.”
A few beats passed between them before they both burst out laughing. Their combined sound filled the entire room as their shoulders shook, leaning over the table until their faces were but a few inches away from each other.
“So… did you come all the way out here to just confess or was there a little bit more you wanted to do?” Alastor asked the question slowly, not wanting to seem overeager or act like a hormonal teenager who has gotten a partner for the first time.
“Well, I know that you close soon. And I was hoping that if you’re free, you’d like to accompany me on a date. If tonight doesn’t work, then maybe tomorrow?” A bit of hope lit up Lucifer's face as he inched closer, his mouth but a hair's breadth away from Alastor’s own. “If that’s okay with you.”
“Gladly.”
Closing the distance between them, Alastor allowed their lips to meet in a brief, chaste kiss. While it didn’t last long, it was enough to send a wave of warmth throughout his entire being, and based on Lucifer’s reaction he felt the same way.
Getting up from the table, Alastor gave Lucifer’s shoulder a small pat, pulling away quickly as he made his way back towards the counter.
“I still have to clean up but,” shooting a wink over his shoulder, Alastor put a little more sway in his hips as he crossed the short distance across the room, moving to stand behind the counter once more, “when I’m finished, I want to hear everything you’ve thought about me over the last few months.
The sound of laughter filled the air once more, filling up the space and making it feel more lively than it had in the past weeks. When the sound finally died down, Alastor looked back at Lucifer, noticing the wide smile that rested on that handsome face.
“Sounds like the perfect date to me.”