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Would a fan of Dostoevsky like manga?
Jayce ponders this as he pours the latte someone asked for into a flimsy cardboard cup. No. No, he doesn’t think so . A man like him probably wouldn’t do with it. A shame that Jayce wasn’t like him .
Slim, pale, beautiful. Fantastic hair and sleek cane, elegant and poised with moles spattered all over his skin. Button ups and sweater vests, crisp slacks and wire framed glasses. Jayce was sure that if he searched for long enough, he could see galaxies etched into his skin, eternity shining in his soul.
“Coffee for Mel?”
He hands the coffee to a young woman who returns his warm smile before turning to browse the bookstore. A bell chimes. He freezes at the familiar sound of a tapping cane.
Tap. Tap. Tap.
Viktor walks into the shop and he is stunning, and he is shining, and the light frames him like a full body halo, and Jayce cannot bring himself to look away. Viktor knows what he’s looking for, though. He stalks forward, makes his way through rows and rows of shelves, and returns with a stack of books. He sets them on the table. Jayce busies himself with a cloth, wiping down the counters.
“Ehm, excuse me?” A lilting voice, not unkind though entirely neutral despite its pitch. Jayce nearly drops the rag when he jolts. Viktor adjusts his glasses.
“Oh, uhm…yeah! Sorry, how can I help you?” His usually confident smile falters, though he refuses to let it drop.
Viktor smiles back and he can feel his heart drop into his stomach. So much for not letting it fall . “Could I get…An iced chai latte, please?”
“Yeah, yeah of course! Anything else?”
“That’ll be all.”
“And the name for the order?” Jayce already knows. Of course he does. But he asks anyway.
“Viktor.”
Viktor. Viktor, Viktor, Viktor, Viktor, Viktor, Viktor, Viktor.
He gets to work on the drink, flitting about behind the counter, eventually spraying whipped cream over the top. Viktor likes an iced chai latte, and he likes lots of whipped cream. He’ll lick it right off the top, sometimes dip his finger in first to lick it off. If he’s hungry, he’ll get some lemon loaf to go with it. Cold, but not frozen, and definitely not freshly baked. He’ll set it down on the table and pick it apart to eat with his forefinger and tongue while he reads.
And reads.
And reads.
For hours and hours and hours until right before the store closes. And then he puts the books back like they were never even picked up in the first place.
It drives Jayce's boss crazy .
“ A brilliant mind like his should know not to read the books in store if he’s not going to purchase them !” His boss had crowed, a small ginger man with a brilliant mustache. It was true. Viktor would pick up any number of books—classics, text books, self help—but he would never bring them home. Jayce didn’t mind, of course. He could care less as long as he could look at the man; but soon enough he'll be in big trouble for not saying anything.
“Order for Viktor?” He calls out.
The pale man limps forward to grab the drink. Their fingers brush. Sparks fly. Jayce swears he could reach the stars. Are they stars? Jayce thinks that Viktor would be the sun, shining brilliantly, glowing bright; or maybe the moon, pale and regal. He’d be Jupiter, big and dark and far and lonely.
Viktor smiles at him and sits to read.
So, maybe he’s down bad. But who cares?
His boss, apparently. Jayce groans and takes a seat behind the counter. It’s never busy, and the shop is practically empty. Dim lamps cast a warm glow on the dark wood and wire furniture, vines and plants hanging and sitting on every available surface. Grabbing a coffee sleeve, Jayce drafts a list.
He knows Viktor likes classics. Textbooks. Smart people stuff. And Jayce is smart, sure, but when he’s reading for pleasure, he doesn’t find himself reaching for an engineering textbook. So what could he possibly recommend?
Okay, think.
Viktor wants tragic romance? The Song of Achilles. Easy. Safe. Jayce jots it down on the cardboard sleeve. He likes mechanics and building things, logistics…how about a dystopian? Gearbreakers. Perfect. Robots, lesbians, overthrowing the government, it should be a safe bet.
He goes on like that, writing a list of books similar—though less sophisticated than—the books Viktor likes. When he’s done, he stares down at the list. Okay. Awesome.
Now what?
Nothing. Now, nothing. He’s gonna go up to Viktor, and he’s gonna tell him he needs to start buying the books, and he’s never gonna see him again. That’s cool. It’s cool. He clears his throat. Stands up. But when he looks around…
Viktors gone. He groans.
˗,’☕’,˗
I’ve got him this time. It's around noon. Viktors inside, but he’d got his books straight away and just sat down. It’s fine, that’s fine. When he comes to order, I’ll just tell him politely! You’ve gotta buy the books, sorry man. Good. Definitely. Perfect.
Jayce sighs and looks down at the sleeve in his hand. So much for asking him out sometime.
“Are you…alright?”
Jayce jolts and drops the sleeve and his head snaps up. “Wha—yup! Yup, fine. I’m fine. Why do you ask?”
Viktor cocks his head and his eyebrows scrunch up. “You just sighed at the sleeve like it was uh…a letter from someone, breaking up with you.” Jayce swallows. Viktor raises a brow. “That’s…not what it is, is it?”
“No! God, no.”
“Then it is…” Viktor motions for him to continue with a simple tilt of his head, bracing himself on his cane. God, with his sleeves rolled up I can see his arm flex just slightly… Jayce flushes when he realizes Viktor's foregone the sweater vest today.
“It’s…a list.” He shakes his head. “Enough about me. What can I get you?” He smiles.
“I’ll have a chai latte, please.”
“Awesome. That’s iced, right?”
Viktor's brow raises a smidge and the corner of his mouth twitches slightly, an almost smile on his face. “Yes. How kind of you to remember.”
Jayce flushes. “Guess the gist’s up. I’ll have that right out for you… Viktor .”
The other man grins.
Jayce gets to work on the drink, externally flushed from embarrassment, internally panicking. I sounded so creepy! Why did I say that? Why did I do that? I'm such an idiot !
He pours the drink, clicks the lid on. Idiot, idiot, idiot, idiot, idiot… He stops just before putting the sleeve on, dropping his hand and pausing. He glances down at the one with the list on it in his apron. Maybe …
Before he can second guess himself, he slips it on the drink. Sharpies, I noticed you liked to read. I wrote some recs on the back of this sleeve, if you’d like them .
He stares at the cup.
He glances at Viktor.
He stares at his hand.
And he walks out from behind the counter.
“Uhm…Heres your drink.”
Viktor looks up at him, amused, but says nothing as he takes it from him. He nods in thanks. Jayce gives a stiff, awkward nod in return, and walks back behind the counter.
Oh my god yeah no just kill me. Why did I do that? I made it a thousand times worse! He starts aggressively wiping the counter, like he did the other day. Oh my god I’m so dead Heimer is going to kill me. And maybe Viktor, for being such a creep. Why would he care what I recommend? He’s way too smart for me. I’m such an idiot .
“I’d appreciate it if you could stop spiraling, for a moment.”
Jayce scratches the side of his hand on the corner of the glass display case, his hand slipping where he was wiping the counter in shock. He stashes it behind his back. “I’m so sorry, I don’t know why I—this is so—I’m such an idiot , I promise I’m not a creep, I’ll take the sleeve back if you’d like—”
“This is the opposite of not spiraling, don’t you think?”
Jayce shuts up.
“I’ll take the lemon loaf, please.”
Jayce nods. He opens the display case, grabs the sweet. Puts it in a bag that crinkles when you so much as look at it, and silently hands it to viktor. “You know, you are quite observant.”
Jayce sputters. “I’m…sorry?”
Viktor smirks at the side of his cup and gives the other man an amused look. “I mean, you noticed I liked to read. I wonder what gave it away. Me being in this shop? Or sitting and reading for hours?”
Jayce flushes and bites his lip nervously. “Like I said, it was stupid, so—”
“But you’re not. I’ve been coming for long enough to know that you do your homework while you work. And I’ve been coming here long enough to know that no beginners uni class teaches engineering so complex.” He raises a brow at a notebook sat on the edge on the counter. Jayces eyes snap to it before snapping back to Viktor, who shrugs. “Besides. The note was sweet. I’m not too academic to know that.”
Jayce's jaw drops a bit. Viktor slides a sleek white business card across the table. “Give me a call. In case you ever want to… talk , about these books.” He taps the bottom of Jayce's chin. “And shut your mouth. You’re too smart for that.”
He does.
And then Viktor walks away.
Jayce is pretty sure he stays the same cherry red the entire time Viktor sits reading. And then even after, when he’s putting the books back. To his surprise, Viktor comes back with a new stack. And he buys them.
It takes him time to build up the nerve to text the other man.
It’s only then that Jayce learns the stack Viktor bought were the ones he recommended.