Work Text:
All Through My Coffee Breaktime
For Luis Serra, the afternoon always brought a feeling of dread with it, in spite of the warm sun bathing the world in a honey-golden light. His stomach was always rumbling by this point, due to his last meal being breakfast at seven in the morning before his eight a.m. class. He knew that he needed to get food in order to focus better in his later classes, but that meant going to the main dining hall.
If there was one place on campus that Luis hated more than anywhere else, it was the main dining hall area. Even on its least crowded days, the best ones, the place was still overwhelming with echoey sounds, coming from all directions: Scraping chairs, plates and silverware clattering, and other students laughing together. For Luis, whose hearing aids picked up everything, it felt like he was listening to a million radio stations all at once that were constantly switching channels, blurring all the noises together into one, endless roar.
Typically, Luis took off his hearing aids as he ate, especially if he was trying to focus on his homework, but then he would have to deal with his tinnitus and the ringing that came with it. He also realized later on that, in the event that there might be a fire alarm or an emergency that occurred, he would want to hear what was going on around him.
So, reluctantly, he kept them in, even if they caused him to feel like his brain had just run a marathon, dizzy with exhaustion.
But today, as he stared at the towering, modern-looking building, with its sleek, white color and massive windows showing all the various people sitting at tables within, all he could think about was the nightmare of sound that awaited him inside.
His stomach turned at the thought of going inside and having to deal with all that noise while he ate.
“Mierda.” he muttered as he pulled out his phone. There's gotta be somewhere else I can eat. He was at his breaking point. He just wanted one day where he could eat without having to deal with so much fucking noise all the time. He quickly googled nearby restaurants or fast food joints, scrolling through each one to see what was best.
Eventually, he settled on a small, but charming-looking coffee shop. Raccoon City Coffee. From the photos they’d put up, it was painted a soft, sunny yellow, with potted plants lining the front window. Its logo featured, surprise surprise, a cartoonish-looking raccoon wearing overalls. When Luis found another picture of the menu, it seemed to have a decent variety of drinks and pastries.
The best part about it though, was that it was five minutes away from where he was now.
Perfect. Luis thought before running off without hesitation.
When he stepped through the door of Raccoon City Coffee, the first thing that Luis registered was the fact that it was blessedly quiet. There were only a few people in the shop, all sipping from paper cups and eating without any clanging silver utensils. Quiet jazz music without lyrics played on the speakers, and everyone’s conversations were soft and gentle.
To top it all off, the air was filled with the fresh aroma of roasted coffee beans, with hints of vanilla and caramel, and soft delicious honeyed pastries. It was like a warm hug wrapping around his lungs.
Luis felt so much relief that he could honestly cry. Thank god he’d chosen this today instead of the stupid main dining hall area.
He walked over to the countertop, ready to place his order. There was no barista there immediately, so he had a moment to spare in order to look over the menu and see what they had. He wanted to get something that would satisfy his sweet tooth. Not exactly a wholesome lunch, but he felt like treating himself after finding this place.
Just then, the barista walked out from the back and came up to the countertop. Luis felt his heart stop.
He was perhaps the most beautiful man he had ever seen. He was simultaneously incredibly gorgeous and absolutely adorable, a combination that Luis didn’t even know was possible. He looked like a classic American movie star, with sandy blonde hair, bright blue eyes, a structured jaw with cheeks that still retained their baby fat, and a muscular figure that was still just a tad bit scrawny.
Luis felt his heart pounding, his face was burning with the heat radiating off of his skin, and his stomach was doing a million blackfips per second. If there was one thing that Luis loved about America, it was that they had the prettiest men and women here. And this man might’ve been one of, if not the, prettiest he had ever laid his eyes upon.
Clearing his throat and regaining his composure, Luis stepped up to wait at the countertop. Before the barista could take his order, however, a young woman with short blonde hair and a sleeveless orange sweater came out from a door that read “Employees Only” on it, and tapped the man on the shoulder.
The blonde man turned to face her, and she gestured with her hands quickly before handing him a yellow notepad, and then walking back to the employees only door. The barista signed something back to her, before he looked back towards Luis, and offered out the yellow notepad to him.
Luis’s eyes widened in realization, and he gently pushed the notepad back before the barista could hand it to him.
The man looked up at him in confusion, slightly alarmed. Luis couldn’t blame him.
He began to sign quickly. “No need for that, my friend.” he smiled charmingly at him.
The man’s eyes widened, but he raised an eyebrow with a confused expression on his face. Luis paused. Did he misunderstand the situation?
Then, it occurred to him so suddenly that he wanted to hit himself. “Forgive me, I’m not from here originally. I’m still learning ASL,” he signed, correcting himself carefully.
The man’s eyes widened again, this time understanding what Luis meant. A smile blossomed across his face, one that made Luis’s stomach feel like it had just done a backflip with butterflies fluttering around inside. “You’re deaf?” He asked, signing to his ear and cheek.
“Hard of hearing,” Luis signed, before showing his hearing aids. “I got sick when I was younger. Weakened my ears.” He explained.
“Well, I’m glad to meet someone here who understands me.” The man signed, still smiling.
“You and me both, cowboy. You’ve got a name?” Luis asked.
“Leon. You?”
“I’m Luis Serra.” He paused, and smiled. “Guess I picked the right spot to eat today,” He smirked flirtatiously, and winked at Leon.
Leon’s cheeks turned incredibly pink, and he let out a rather bashful-sounding laugh. “What’s your deal?” He signed out.
“I’m just your average university student who happens to be quite the ladies man. And a gentleman's one too.” He added.
Leon only turned pinker, though this time his blush was turning into a deeper shade of red. Before he could say anything more, Luis felt someone tap on his shoulder behind him. When he turned to see who it was, he was met with the face of a rather cranky-looking man who did not look pleased to be held up in a line.
Though he hated the idea of cutting his conversation with Leon short, Luis turned back with an awkward expression. Leon straightened himself and blinked quickly, as though he’d just been woken up from a very pleasant dream. “What can I get for you today?” He signed.
Luis wound up settling for an Americano, and a slice of tiramisu. Once he’d received his order, he sat down at the table closest to the window, but he could not take his eyes off Leon as he attended to the next customer. Coming here today instead of trying to endure the main dining hall again was probably the best decision he’d made in a good while. He was able to enjoy a peaceful meal without the constant, nearly unbearable sound of the cafeteria, and he’d met an incredibly beautiful, handsome barista that he could talk with in sign language.
He continued to watch Leon until the young, blonde woman appeared again and gestured for Leon to follow her to the back, which he did.
Luis was pretty much finished with his meal by this point, and he knew he was going to have to leave soon if he wanted to arrive at his next class on time. He sighed, disheartened that he might not get to see Leon again for a while. Then, he noticed that he’d left the pen and yellow notepad on the countertop.
An idea formed in Luis’s mind, and after checking to see if anyone would notice, he quickly got up, walked over to the yellow pad, and scribbled down a note. Satisfied with what he’d written, he exited the shop, feeling a little lighter than he had before.
When Leon returned from the back, he felt his heart sink after he noticed Luis wasn’t there.
He supposed it wasn’t that big of a deal. He was just one customer. But even so, Leon couldn’t help but feel just a little bit sad. He was able to communicate with someone who wasn’t his family or close friends. Hell, he was able to flirt with someone in sign language for the first time. It’d been amazing.
Before Leon could wallow any further, he noticed the yellow notepad on the countertop had something written on it that wasn’t there before. His eyes widened, and he walked over and picked it up.
Written on the yellow pad was a sequence of numbers, alongside a note that said: Wonderful meeting you, Sancho. Shoot me a text when you’re not on duty? ~Luis Serra
Leon felt himself breathing out a soft laugh.
I can’t believe that guy. He thought. Even so, he still himself blush and his spirits lift. Before he knew it, he was putting Luis’s number into his phone in order to text him later.
Fin