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A shudder ran through Alex as he consumed the last dregs of too-cold coffee, murmuring muffled gibberish under his breath, flicking through note-filled papers in a flurry of activity that left leaflets fluttering and skating across the ground, disturbing late night patrons that grumbled lightly, their mean tone betrayed by sympathetic smiles directed at the tiny student, tousled curls that Lafayette was itching to touch as he picked up the cold mug, replacing it with an identical steaming beverage. Well, almost identical – If he’d called out John on weaning Alex off the caffeine slowly since 3pm he was sure he’d be met with vehement denial.
“Your mane is everywhere little lion – What are you working on that has you in such a tizzy this late at night anyway?”
The French rolled gracefully off his tongue; Lafayette relished the ability to converse in his home language, and Alex’s ability to speak it more so:
“Oh, Laf? What are you doin here?”
Grinning at the boy’s lack of attention, Laf ducked Alex cheekily on the head, waving at the newly placed coffee mug before dancing off to clean the tables of the most recently departed customers, groups splitting payments before dissipating throughout the night like a biscuit crumbing into a cup of tea. It had been a good business day, students flocking in to gossip and celebrate for those who had ended, everyone slowly wrapping up for yet another year.
“He still going?”
Hercules had started moving to the corner table where Alex sat hunched over even before Lafayette had nodded in response, his face a little grimmer as he looked at the clock just inching past 10:30 – 8 hours of caffeine and study made for a buzzed Alex, and the petit genie was positively vibrating with energy.
Hercules’ rough Spanish rose above the humming of the coffee machine as both John and Lafayette looked up to a frantically gesturing Alex, his voice harmonizing with Hercules’ rumble in light Spanish, a smile splitting his face in pure happiness while frantic gestures cutting through the air – Another research finding, if Hercules’ proud-yet-exasperated expression was anything to go by.
He’d become a sort of adopted something, John supposed – A pain in their ass they couldn’t help but love since day one, when he’d flown into their establishment, thrown his work down and remained silent at work in his nest of papers, until Hercules had looked up from where he stood cleaning under the counter to see the tiny college student positively beaming from the other side of the bench, almost jumping with excitement. It had taken multiple minutes for Alex’s rants to lose enough momentum that his non-stop verbose had become a verbally legible explanation, words fumbling over each other as Alex described something wonderfully complex, words rolling out of his mouth, lilting words John was sure some of which had been Latin.
Alex had stayed ever since really, John supposed, his mouth twisting dryly as he tuned in again to Hercules’ Spanish, interrupted by Alex’s higher voice every now and then, before he fluttered him arms in a semblance of a wave goodbye and threw himself back down at the table, rustling through more papers of endless writing.
“I give him 20 minutes, 30 max, before he crashes,”
Looking up worriedly, Lafayette strode over to where Hercules and John had assembled, a jaunty wave thrown over the shoulder to their last customers (aside from Alex, naturally) not betraying his concerns at all.
“And how long ago should have he succumbed to the lull of sleep?”
“Maybe 8? 8:30 if someone was really hittin’ the caffeine.”
While Alex’s work-a-holic tendencies were made clear from day one, it was only after repeat visit’s that the true depth of the issue had been made clear to the boys: Alex was obviously ready to put everything in front of his own health. Unlike the animal from which Laf derived his nickname, Alex picked at his food in the manner of a mouse; unrolling pastries, and peeling back layers of Lasagna that were placed in front of him, the plate flattening the papers in front of him until he ate it under the careful supervision of one of the boys. Even the regular customers had weighed in on his care, muffins bought and requested to be deposited on his table.
As the clock ticked over to 11, Hercules, Lafayette and John joined near the front counter, nodding to each other as they strode over to their designated station, sweaters, blankets and brush at the ready.
“Hey, nO – Not again?!”
Alex kicked fruitlessly against Hercules broad chest, relaxing ever so reluctantly as they made their way up into the flat above the snug little café, each limb weakening sluggishly, as if a sedative was gradually dripping down his spine, a sudden warmth curling around him as his hands were gently pushed through a sweater that got drawn over his head, mussing up his hair.
“I sw’r, ‘M gon’ g’t up soon, j’st, ‘fter a br’k.”
Sleepy protests were shushed gently as weakly kicking legs got wrapped up tightly in a blanket burrito, the student drawn onto the three boys laps as they leant and lay upon the couch, draping themselves over cushions and armrests.
“J’st y’ wait, I’ll ch’nge th’ w’rld.”
Indulgent snickers escaped mouths twisted against laughter; not that they had any doubt their Einstein would do something ridiculously epic with his adulthood, just not now, with his hair being twisted into 2 neat braids down his head, his jaw slack and mouth ever so slightly open, puffs of breath escaping as he was lulled gently into sleep, tense muscles massaged into looseness by Hercules’ calloused fingers, which anchored Alex pleasantly as he drifted away into sleep.