Chapter Text
It starts with a takeaway cup of black coffee.
Realistically, Alex doesn't have the financial means to support a caffeine habit on the go. He should be brewing individual cups of instant coffee in travel mugs and toting them around campus all day in order to save money. Living in New York, even if he’s not in the city centre, is far from cheap. But a long-standing caffeine addiction and a taste, however irresponsible, for some of life’s finer things lead him into The Federalist several times a week.
(Truthfully, the quiet, freckled barista who works mornings doesn't hurt either.)
The Federalist is an independent coffee shop a short walk from campus. There isn't really much that distinguishes it from the many others in the area, but the student body is apparently thirsty enough to keep them all in business. After all, caffeine is a powerful motivator. The coffeeshop has an eclectic interior decorated with a mixture of 20th century propaganda posters and 18th century portraits of influential politicians. It's kind of cute, kind of quirky, but still approachable. They make pastries and sandwiches, they make a variety of drinks, they play quiet indie music over the speakers. It’s nice. It's cozy.
Alex first came for the coffee, but - if he's being totally honest - returned for a certain gorgeous barista.
This guy is pretty, okay? He’s slim and compact, with broad shoulders and a narrow waist that’s only accentuated by the red apron he wears while working. It looks good on him, but probably anything would look good on him. Probably nothing would look even better, but Alex is trying not to be a creep.
His hair is always tied up under a baseball cap, but Alex is sure it’s glorious. It’s curly and from what he’s seen, looks very soft. He has the cutest ears that stick out a little, especially when he wears a cap, and has a couple of shiny silver studs along the rim of one ear. Not that Alex has noticed, or fixated on them, or anything weird like that. He wore a hairnet once, curls tucked up under it, and looked absolutely ridiculous. Alex swooned anyway. He has broad hands that Alex can’t help but notice as J takes his money or hands him a warm cup of coffee. There’s something unique about his good looks.
So Alex, who is technically a grown-ass man, definitely has a silly schoolboy crush. What’s worse is that Alex doesn’t even know the guy’s name. He wears a name tag pinned to his red apron, but it just says J. The rest of the letters are obscured by a turtle-shaped sticker.
The Federalist quickly becomes a part of Alex’s normal university routine. Some days he shows up with friends, some days he comes alone, some days he makes coffee at home to save money, but on the days he visits the cafe he keeps an eye out for J. Alex always tries not to stare as he stands in a long line of fidgeting students awaiting their fix. He always stares anyway.
Instead of writing Alex’s name on the cup, J always scribbles a small drawing on it before making the drink. The first one was a little hand giving a thumbs-up. On various days Alex has received a stylized sun wearing aviator sunglasses, a number of turtles, several different fish, a little hamburger, a squirrel… He might be going through the emoji keyboard at random, actually, and drawing inspiration for his simple little drawings. Alex is pretty sure he’s seen J do it for other customers, so it’s not like he’s special or anything. But it does make him feel special.
He also can’t seem to get rid of any of the coffee cups J’s drawn on. They’re too adorable. Instead, he totes them around campus all day and leaves them lined up in his small apartment, putting them on display in their living room.
Come to think of it, he’s definitely in too deep.
Shit.