novus @chalkias - Tumblr Blog

overtones-moved-deactivated2019

decision

mattrmccormick

Birthday present for @cleanwhitelinens

pulveristenebris

{ Caffeine Fix } [ @chalkias ]

Take the order. Make the drink. Call it out. Rinse and repeat. Clean in between. Work always held a certain rhythm, and often it followed something along those lines. Some days the lines would get so wild one would think a coffee shortage were impending on the world. Other days, business remained so slow that the world seemed dead. This particular shift landed somewhere in the middle, a steady stream of customers running in and out. At the very least, Vanitas found relief in the fact he landed a closing shift this time. The morning rush tended to take a larger toll on him, as people seemed far less frustrating during evenings. Students who came in for studying generally stayed quiet enough, and most showed much more respect than the middle-aged assholes whose self-entitlement pissed him off to no end.

Some shifts passed slower than others. Some faster. This one fell in the latter group, and already a few hours had gone by. Thank fuck. He needed to get home and continue his current painting, plus Xion had mentioned planning to come over. He’d debated going out to avoid her visit, but he had nowhere else to be. And she knew that. Once she decided on something, there was really no getting out of it. She could be way more persistent than she looked. He wasn’t particularly looking forward to whatever lecture she had in store for him, but at worst he’d just have to pretend to listen.

As another stream of people came in, he turned his attention from cleaning back to the register. After this crowd, he’d take his break, then just a few hours until closing.

“What can I get you today?”

chalkias

The sun was just setting behind him as he entered the coffee shop. He tried to get away from the big coffee chains given they were always suffocating and raised the risk of getting recognized. This smaller coffee shop still seemed to be quietly bustling, but he was at ease. He pulled on the brim of his black beanie along his forehead to lower it before getting in line. While he waited, he looked at his phone, and the blues on the screen reflected against his own blue eyes. He was scrolling as if he was actively looking for something, but eventually locked his phone.

The people he worked with on his set were asking him why he suddenly made a disappearance again before a scene. He knew those messages would be coming, but he was waiting for a message of any sort from a someone. It’s been a long time since he had anyone to text or to even anticipate one. He raised his gaze and heard the barista asking for his order.

The barista looked like he should’ve been working at Hot Topic with his dark locks and bright eyes. None of that could be natural, right? Although, he shouldn’t be surprised anymore. The unnatural was the new natural in his world. “Ah, right…” He tapped his phone against his chin a couple times as his eyes scanned over the menu. He wished that brandy or rum was on the menu. “I’ll just get—”

“Is that Roxas Knight?”

Ah, shit.

Roxas visibly tensed up when he heard someone behind him whispering to another, and soon another person stepped forward to get a better look at Roxas. “It is him!” The quiet bustling was disrupted, and more than a few people began to approach him for autographs and pictures.

Roxas gave an apologetic glance at the barista, but there was a hint of need for some help. “Look, you guys have me mistaken…. I’m just a guy that wants some coffee.”

#I'm an ASSHOLE for taking this long