Work Text:
It’s not the first time Morgan has encountered Red Robin trying to acquire coffee. The keyword there is trying. But this takes the cake. Morgan is an excellent barista and can pride herself on her customer service, but some things just cannot be fixed with coffee.
The only upside, she thinks inanely, is that at least she has pictures this time.
Eight days ago:
The first time, the only proof she had was the security footage. Morgan had barely even seen them. The entire encounter lasted maybe four minutes. The fake bell had chimed as the door opened into the otherwise empty shop. Footsteps, and then a tenor voice asking for what would have been an alarming number of espresso shots if Morgan herself had been more awake.
She was adding the last espresso when a shockingly loud alert pierced the near silence.
“Fuck,” her customer sighed, and door chime sounded before the coffee was on the counter. Morgan whipped her head around to see the caped figure disappear onto the rooftops.
She stared blankly at the cup of dark roast with – actually she had lost count of the espresso shots – that nobody sane should want at this time of night and wondered if that had actually just happened.
Four days ago:
It was evening the second time., Morgan wasn't the only one on shift, but Reilly was back in the storeroom. Two days prior, she had ended up checking the lone security camera mounted in the shop two days prior, unsure if her half encounter with a late night customer had a) actually been a super hero, b) been a cosplayer, or c) been stress induced hallucination. c)C seemed less likely, and the footage had proved the existence of an actual being presumably supposed to be Red Robin, but did not explain either the presence of a) an actual superhero or b) a really good cosplayer with a grapple gun in Dubuque.
The lunch rush was long over, and the Tuesday evening scene was never busy. A pair of regulars working quietly at the corner table, and some walk-ins over the past hour. Morgan was humming a harmony line to her voice memo app while cleaning one of the machines. She looked up as the door chimed to see a young adult in what was possibly the softest looking hoodie she had ever seen approach the counter.
It wasn’t until the customer reached her that she registered the domino mask.
Look. It was a really soft hoodie.
“Hi, could I get a large dark roast with seven espresso shots,” said Probably-Red Robin. Same voice, same order. Just under the number of shots baristas would balk at. Same featureless credit card, too.
Another person – also in an immensely soft hoodie – appeared at Probably-Red Robin’s side as Morgan put a lid on the drink and slid it over the counter. The door was still chiming.
“Don’t order more–” The new person – Morgan was fairly certain this was Wonder Girl or yet another excellent cosplayer – elbowed Probably-Red Robin as he took a long sip of the drink. “Damn, too late.”
Probably-Red Robin looked smug as nimble fingers took the lid off the cup, pulled an energy drink can out of the hoodie pocket, and poured it into the coffee. A third person appeared at their side as Morgan was still processing that horrifying action.
The newcomer was, like the other two, in an absurdly soft looking hoodie. The hood was up, but the yellow domino mask was clearly visible to Morgan. That, plus the speed, made Morgan very confident these were the actual Teen Titans in her cafe.
Almost Certainly Kid Flash – unless the hero was Impulse again now?--– grabbed Definitely Red Robin's cup and took a large gulp before making the most disgusted face.
“Rob, you choose the worst flavors. This tastes like where hope goes to die,” the hero proclaimed, before draining the rest of the cup. “We gotta go.”
And with that, the three heroes vanished, the empty coffee cup sailing gracefully through the air to land in the trashcan.
It wasn’t until that night that Morgan realized her memo app had recorded the entire odd encounter.
Now
Morgan stared helplessly at the cat on her counter.
“Look, I am not giving you coffee.”
The cat gave a displeased grumble. Red Robin’s costume looked very odd on a cat, and not the most comfortable. While the outfit had clearly shrunk? transformed? with the hero, the cowl – not a domino this time! – didn't look like it was the right shape for a cat's skull.
“You're a cat. I'm not giving you caffeine. Yes, I get that you're usually human, I figured that out when you ordered coffee. It's toxic for cats and I do not want to tell your friends I accidentally killed you.”
Thankfully, the video call the the cat had initiated – the cat! Morgan isn't over that – chooses that moment to connect and Most Definitely Wonder Girl appears on Morgan’s phone screen.
“Hello?” Wonder Girl sounded wary and confused at a call from a stranger.
“Hi, I’m the barista at the cafe you met Red Robin at last week and um. There's no good way to say this. Red’s a cat.”
“He’s a cat?” Wonder Girl repeated.
Morgan nodded, “A cat. And isn't listening when I say that caffeine is toxic for cats.”
Wonder Girl looked as if this was the most unsurprising thing Morgan could have said, but also not quite convinced of the situation. “And you're sure he's Red Robin?”
“Well I certainly don't know your phone number. Red was the one to call you. Plus the outfit is pretty convinc– oh, hold on.” Morgan turned so the frame included her and the cat. “Please come get him. I do not want to find out if this is a health and safety violation.”
Wonder Girl looked delighted at the sight of the now very disgruntled cat. Morgan doesn't blame her; Red Robin is adorable. “We’ll be right there.”