Lock knew his dear friend was already assigned to the University, however he couldn't help but ask around. Much to his dismay almost nobody wanted to talk about it, in fact next to no one even knew what he was talking about. Despite this, the poor blonde asked everyone he could find. Je was desperate to find it's location. After texting with Senji he concluded that even he didn't exactly know where it was, and he was there.
He came across a few people who hurried away from him when he mentioned the University. He cursed under his breath, thinking he'd never find the damn place.
After several hours of asking around for any scrap of information he could, he took a break outside a cafe. He ordered himself a coffee and began texting with Senji to see if he could get any information that could help him locate the place. Unknown to him, someone had been trailing him for the last hour or so.
the renegade blade | organizations » the soldiers of yaruma
The Soldiers of Yaruma is a rebel group about which there isn’t much information. It’s formed by extremely powerful individuals who are able to use unnatural magic. Their motives are unclear, but they have more than once interfered with the Hunt’s interests.
The number of members of the Soldiers of Yaruma is also unknown, but there is information on three members: Jacaranda Mbayi, Khione the Ice Goddess, and Aeneas Eliopoulos. These three are on the records of the Fort because they were previously Hunters.
All Hunters have orders to, upon encountering a Soldier, proceed to their absolute extermination. The Soldiers of Yaruma are easy to identify for their white and red clothing. Most of them have visible markings on their bodies, consequence of the usage of unnatural magic.
self inuldgent writes time IM GONNA TRY RLY HARD AAAAA also yeah this is the (starbucks) coffee AU no one asked for !!!
title grande or venti [ao3]
chapter chapter 1 coffee-cake pop hater [ao3]
pairing LPMM (slow burn?)
words 2551
summary A newcomer disrupts Mastermind’s baristia routine.
previous | chapter 1 | next
“Grande?”
“So, this one then.”
Today was going to be the start of one of those days. The type of day where at first it seemed decent, seemed perfectly normal, seemed like work would actually be completed on time—until there was a sudden rush of customers and from that point forward it just became clear that today would be one of those days instead. All patience and tolerance that one would try so hard to maintain broken down, defeated by a simple question which only required such a simple answer.
But Mastermind knew, after the customer paused, looking so helplessly lost still, he wasn’t going to get that answer.
In something of a last-ditch effort, he decided to gather up what remaining patience he had and tried to be helpful, motioning to the obviously placed coffee cups with the difference sizes on display. “So that one?” He pointed to the grande cup, the 16 ounces.
“Grande.”
“So, you mean the venti.”
“The venti.”
Very carefully, Mastermind controlled and paced both his voice and tone, “So, is it a grande or venti?” Little did the customer know that the slowness in his voice as he uttered each word was not for the poor customer, but for poor Mastermind on the edge of losing it.
The man had another moment, a longer pause, and a thoughtful hand was stroking his chin. Then his face lit up as if he were going to reply to confirm, but without saying anything he simply nodded.
Mastermind decided at that moment that he absolutely did not care anymore. “Venti coffee. 2.75 please.”
The moment he turned away from the front, all traces of a smile completely vanished. He could feel his brows furrow deeply and he was sure he was wearing a scowl. In this brief moment away from the customer, he pleaded with himself to get it together, to not lose it, to not snap at a customer. To find some relief and so that he would not snap like he knew he would, for the entire duration of prepping the order, he let loose a string of colorful words in his head all the while.
“Venti coffee,” Mastermind called out, not even waiting for the customer to get his drink before whirling around, going back to kiosk to prep more coffee. It was then he heard the jingle of the bell, signaling that there was a new customer—or customers if Lady Lucky decided to frown upon him. Actually, he wondered if it was just one of their regulars, as he had yet to see too many of them today, so he risked a peek, preparing to greet them if need be when instead he saw a new face.
The stranger, with his hand rubbing casually at the back of his neck, took a look around the coffee shop, seemingly sizing up the place as his face went through a series of facial expressions that Mastermind was too slow to catch to put too much thought into. In the time he spent glancing about the room, he also found an empty table and sat his belongings down, before sitting in the opposite chair of his things, which was facing the direction Mastermind was in.
Mastermind blinked a few times realizing he was in his line of sight and quickly scampered out of sight, not wanting to be caught staring. Once again, Mastermind was left with little time to ponder the newcomer, as he was swarmed by a group of girls who finally left their tables in a rush to order. He knew hiding would work on the stranger, who wasn’t even paying him any attention the slightest, but not these eager girls, ready to order. And so, he heaved a sigh and forced a smile.
“Welcome. What can I get started for you?”
>
The best thing about the closing shift… was nothing, really—not when he closed alone, anyway.
Which he just so happened to be doing tonight.
The only time Mastermind did not happen to mind this shift was when it was slow and there was a lack of customers. Mind you, he had had a good rush, enough to get him past the bulk of his hours on the clock until it just dwindled down to a halt for the most part. It was tiring work, but he didn’t mind cleaning so much as it helped him mindlessly space out as he kept busy.
With the lack of people bugging him, he had managed to get a good start on his closing duties, so he had time to do a little extra which he didn’t mind since he still had a decent amount of time left on his shift. He figured the floors could use another good mop, so he set to it. It was when he left the kiosk that something—someone caught his sight. A sleeping someone.
“Um,” Mastermind started, mumbling more to himself than to the newcomer. He wasn’t sure if he wanted to wake him or not at that moment. “Sir…?” Vaguely, he cringed because he was probably the same age as him, if not younger.
It didn’t seem Mastermind had much of a choice or to try any harder to stir the person (or to ponder what he could address him by) as he sat up on his own. The short, spikey hair man blinked groggily, and then stretched, back arching as he did so. “… time is it?” he asked slowly, voice laced heavy with sleep.
Mastermind swallowed thickly, finding that he rather liked that deep baritone of his voice. “Just about six.”
“Oh,” he shot up, looking vaguely alert now especially when he glanced about to see there was no one but him there. “Oh!”
Mastermind jolted too, but just as quickly recovered, holding up a hand. “it’s fine,” he assured, “it’s not closing time yet anyhow.”
“No,” the stranger shot back, looking something akin to a very thinly veiled annoyance. His hand snapped forward for his phone, scrolling through his screen searching for something. “I was supposed to meet someone,” he said, more to himself than to Mastermind. He fell silent.
Mastermind was not one for conversing with customers too often, besides their regulars, which is why he hesitated some in indulging the customer, “Oh? Well I can tell you that no one came to your table.”
“Really?”
He hesitated before answering, realizing that probably made it look like he was watching him the entire time. “… at least, I think so,” Mastermind said, trying to come off as aloof because maybe he was watching him—not the entire time though! And in that moment, he took the time to make an exit, as it looked like he wanted to keep talking. And Mastermind thought he had gotten off scotch free as he walked away, when a silence ensued, until the other spoke up once more.
“Yer still open, right?” He slurred, trying to still shake off sleep, rubbing at his eyes with the back of his arm.
Mastermind didn’t want to stop cleaning, moping with his back to the other. “Yeah, did you want something right now?”
The man laughed, a chuckle that made Mastermind slightly nervous but not because of any bad feelings or something. No, now that Mastermind had the time to think about it when he couldn’t during the earlier rush, he came to only one conclusion: he found him pretty damn attractive.
“Yeah, something for a friend but… What’s the drink of the day?” The man asked, squinting at the far away menu board.
“Nothing too special today.” Mastermind didn’t feel too bothered to pitch a sale and it was true anyway. “Just our usual brews. And you can come close too. The board won’t bite.” Mastermind laughed lightly, cracking a joke more so for himself than for the other, to try to chase away the nerves he felt.
He smiled at the invitation and followed him to the counter, but not bothering to look at the menu. “Then… what do you recommend?”
“You’re not a coffee person, are you?” Mastermind couldn’t help but to smirk.
His smile was quickly replaced with a frown, lips tugging downward into something of a pout. “Am I that obvious?”
“Anyone who comes into here knows what they want or has a general idea, because they’re a regular or come for coffee often anyway,” Mastermind held his smirk, moving behind the counter to check on his ingredients he had. After he straightened himself to lean forward on the counter, he continued, “And,” he pointed at the obvious coffee unenthusiastic customer, “those who don’t, don’t like coffee.” Mastermind finished, a teasing tone of knowing and smugness edging his words.
“Well no need to expose me like that,” the other man said, but from the way his lips quirked up again, and the playfulness dancing in his voice, it was clear that he was only joking.
Or at the least, amused by their little conversation, so Mastermind hoped. “I just call them as I see them. I’m right anyway.”
He didn’t seem to like that and challenged him with a threat, “Well, maybe I just won’t buy anything then.”
“You were going to for… your friend or someone? So I’d still get a sales from you.”
“Well, maybe I’ll just go to another shop.”
“The nearest shop is, surprisingly, ten miles away and also closing very soon too.”
Neither budged, both challenging each other with pensive looks, frowns, and sharp eyes, staring each other down. That was until a laughter bubbled—Mastermind wasn’t sure if it was the other guy or him, but it broke the silence and soon they were both laughing at their childish banter. Mastermind brought a hand to his stomach, doubled over, trying to subdue the chuckles that just wouldn’t stop as he watched this stranger he had never met suffer with laughter pain along with him. Somewhere, in the back of his thoughts, he might have thought how unusual it was he clicked with this guy, but it was a fleeting thought and right now was just so…
… fun and companionable.
“Well, when you put it that way,” and he made such a dramatic roll of his shoulders, turned up in a shrug, “I guess I’ll just have to buy from you.”
“Glad you see it my way,” Mastermind finished, doing his best to hide his smile from the man. “So what was this for your friend?” Even though they hadn’t talked about his drink, Mastermind went to preparing something anyway.
“Um, he actually didn’t want his drink anymore so just a pastry? Those damn cake pops. The chocolate one.”
He moved to the display case to grab one. “Sounds like someone has something against cake pops?”
Mastermind listened as he went into a spiel about cake pops and how it ruined one his health weekends or something or such he called it, and how he would get an urge to have one now and then all because of his friend and all Mastermind could do was roll his eyes at the ludicrous idea of it all, explaining how he respected the lifestyle but sweets were not to be resisted. All while doing so, he had finished a drink for the coffee-cake pop hater and realized that, while that would be a rather funny name to put on the sleeve of the drink, he determined that there would not be enough room to write that out and so, sent cake pop-hater a questioning glance.
“What is it?”
He wiggled the cup at cake pop-hater. “What’s your name? I had… an idea of something to write but it wouldn’t fit.”
The coffee hater stared at the cup with a mixture of curiosity yet wariness, looking as if he was unsure if he should be grateful or not. His face said it all, but he spoke up anyway, “You made me coffee?” And he reached for the cup.
But Mastermind pulled back, wiggling the cup again. “Name?” Mastermind would have scolded himself with how playful he was being, especially over a name that the customer didn’t have to give him, especially when Mastermind didn’t bother to write names on cups anymore only when it was slow or to not mix up a huge amount of orders. Maybe it was silly to push for it, he was only joking after all… mostly anyway. Just like they had joked earlier but he didn’t even know this person. But Mastermind only began to regret it as he watched coffee-hater shift on his feet, glancing away as he patted at the back of his neck. Had he… made him uncomfortable? They had joked some before but maybe he took it too far. “Look, it’s alright I was k—”
“Psyker.”
Mastermind was tense, staring apprehensively until he took in the fact that he had indeed gave his name.
It didn’t seem to register, so he prompted him, “Aren’t ya gonna write it?”
In a nervous bundle, he shook out of his little stupor and rushed to write Psyker’s name on his cup and, somewhat subconsciously now, passed the cup off to him along with the pastry. “2.75,” He blurted out.
Psyker must have noticed the switch in Mastermind’s behavior and offered a lopsided smile, tipping the coffee at him in a gesture that was meant to be thankful. “That’s for the drink, too right?”
“On the house. Let’s just call it a sample.”
Psyker didn’t seem pleased with that answer and when he pulled money out to pay, he left more than enough to cover the entire purchase. “I may not know coffee but I know the sizes at least.” (Mastermind was surprised to hear that, suddenly feeling a headache oncoming remembering earlier in the morning with the customer.) He mimicked Mastermind from earlier, wiggling the cup in his face. “This is a large so, grande—”
“Venti,” Mastermind couldn’t help but to correct, but the reaction was near instant and without second thought. But it helped ease his nerves once again, turning around he began to fiddle with some of the dishes he had yet to clean as that also helped to calm him down.
“Close enough,” Psyker snorted. “That’s not a sample size.” Coffee-hating Psyker, relented after, however, noticing how less tense he was after spewing out his little habitual response. “Anyway, I’ll just pay ya next time… because isn’t it your closing time?” He muttered a curse, suddenly looking guilty.
Mastermind did too, not realizing how much time had gone by with Psyker. And he whirled around, not fast enough to reply much less argue with him again about the money, just in time to see Psyker half way out the door, waving an arm up as a farewell. In that same moment, Mastermind looked down at the counter to see he really did leave more money than he should have, for both the drink and pastry. Way more.
Left alone, Mastermind stood in his little kiosk, quiet and dark, rushed with a sudden whirlwind of thoughts of the encounter. However, the main thought he focused on was that Psyker had said “next time.”
He tried to fool himself into thinking that he wasn’t looking forward to it in the slightest.
