Work Text:
MC rubbed her eyes and stifled yet another yawn. It was a quarter past five and she struggled to stay awake. The cafe was so quiet and the espresso machine’s tempo change between hiss and grind kept lulling her to sleep and shaking her heavy head awake. She was so tired even her uniform agitated her. Every seam seemed to dig into her as she jerked awake to the next espresso’s grind. The only thing that didn't annoy her this early in the morning was the heavenly smell of all the fresh coffee and teas being brewed in anticipation of the day’s first rush. Compared to the dry and biting wind outside, the cafe was cozy and its air thick with aromas that promised to comfort and energize.
“Double mocha, extra walnut milk with a peanut butter drizzle,” the barista called out as they set down the coffee cup and turned back around.
MC shuffled over to the counter, her hand outstretched and her eyelids already trying to close themselves on her. She felt a larger hand brush over her own and she snapped back to being awake.
“Apologies–” “Sorry–” MC and the stranger spoke over each other, the hiss of milk steaming punctuated their exclamations.
“Please, go ahead, you look like you need it more–I mean–you–you seem very tire–sleepy. Your–ahem, please, I insist.” The gentleman was slightly frenetic and overly aware of any and every way his words could be taken. MC had to take a step back to look up into his eyes as their height difference and their proximity had her staring up at his neck without craning her own. As she stepped back, she took in his attire. It looked comfortable, but also a step above business casual. The dress shirt showed signs of wear beyond a trip from home to the cafe. The state of his entire outfit reminded her of when she’d visit Zayne near the end of a double shift.
“Thank you. Early work meeting. Earlier than usual.” MC responded as she took her drink off the counter and slid an insulation sleeve around it. “What are the odds that we’d have the same exact drink order anyway?”
The stranger’s ears grew slightly rosy, nearly matching his short crimson hair. “Well, I heard someone order it last week, so I tried it and now it’s my favorite.”
It was MC’s ears’ turn to grow warm. Luckily, her ears were tucked under her hair as it lay gathered in a simple low ponytail down her back. “That wouldn’t have been last Friday, was it?”
The stranger laughed softly, his lips barely parting as he nodded his head and looked sheepishly at MC.
The barista put the second drink down on the counter between them and gave them both a look back and forth before turning around and starting the next drink order. The line was starting to pick up and guests milled their way closer to the pickup counter in anticipation of their own drinks. MC plucked a sleeve from the stack and offered it to the tall man as he picked up his cup.
“Thanks,” he said as he carefully took it, pressed it open, and slid it around his cup with his thumb and middle finger. “Maybe I’ll steal another one of your drink orders next time.”
MC smiled and took the first sip of her drink, humming softly as the chocolate and peanut butter swirled around in her mouth and the placebo effect of merely smelling the espresso started to dispel the last layer of exhaustion. “I don’t know, this drink is kind of perfect. I think it’s your turn to come up with our new favorite drink.” MC’s heart skipped a beat as realized how informal the banter had gotten suddenly. I must be way more tired than I realized. Our drink? OUR drink?!
“No pressure,” he said after taking his first sip as well. There was a brief moment of silence between them before another customer cleared their throat to draw attention to the space being improperly occupied. “Well, uh, have a good day. I guess I’ll see you here again sometime soon.” He crossed the length of the cafe in a few strides, his long legs made quick work of the steadily disappearing exit path as yet another few people entered the cafe. He intercepted the open door with his shoulder so he could give her a wave goodbye before stepping outside.
The morning sun had begun to shine. A ray landing across the man’s face illuminated his golden eyes. They almost shimmered at he looked at MC.
MC felt her heart skip a beat again, but after a quick wave in return to her new cafe friend, she brushed it off as the double espresso taking its toll. She set her drink down for a moment to pull her coat around herself even tighter. She was very thankful Rafayel had thought to take all their winter clothes to the dry cleaners before the first cold spell hit. He claimed it was out of habit and that her outerwear accidentally ended up in the dropoff, but she suspected he wanted to make sure she looked her best if they were seen outside together. She didn’t really think of those kinds of things, but she was happy she had someone in her life that did. And appreciated that he’d foot the bill for it, too. The gentle scent of her freshly cleaned coat couldn’t compete against the woodsy and floral aromas of the cafe. It wasn't until she had stepped outside that the freshly cleaned wool filled her nose. She glanced around, even holding the door for an older gentleman exiting with two trays of drinks and a bag of pastries hanging off one wrist. As she stood outside in the bracing early morning, she looked up and down the sidewalk, across the street, and even toward a couple parked cars, but no trace of the crimson haired gentleman remained.