Good Morning Coffee – Seth Avett
-
Steve just couldn’t get a break, could he?
This customer was ridiculous, truly. They were gonna run out of sugar at the rate he was going, and they were a coffee shop. They ordered enough sugar to supply a whole neighborhood’s worth of sugar.
It was like each week he changed his order just so, adding a touch more or “oh yes please add whipped cream to that” (as if they hadn’t learned the first time that he absolutely needed whipped cream, even that one time he got a black coffee. Which, to be fair, made it not a black coffee).
Steve got the impression he was a funny guy, for all Robin laughed and laughed each time he came to the window. He made Steve wish they were the kind of coffee shop to ask for people’s names, or wish, for just a fleeting second once or twice a day, that he could hear well enough to actually take orders through the headset. And, damn him, this guy only came in during the morning rush and only through the drive thru. Steve didn’t really know anything about him, besides a guess at outrageous dentist bills and a glimpse or two of dark, curly hair piled in a high bun.
So Steve just made this man’s coffee around eight o’clock every morning, and wondered.
- - -
“Steve, you’re squinting.”
“Shut up Robin, I’m fine.”
“Have you taken your meds yet?”
Steve turned his back to her, eyes focused on the screen. Out of the corner of his eye, he saw Robin cross her arms.
“Steve, my beautiful friend. Take your medication.”
“Rob, really, I’m ok���”
Bells.
Steve turned around with a smile, launching into his spiel before he’d even fully turned around. And when he did, the words died in his mouth.
“Hello welcome to Groovy Gary’s—”
Dark curly hair. Silver rings. It was the sugar guy. He was. Wow. He was something else. He had tattoos, his outfit all black, piercings and bracelets and and and—
Reboot, Harrington, stop staring.
“Hi!”
Too chipper, Steve. Robin smothered a laugh from where she was covering the window, and Steve wanted to melt into the sticky floor.
“Hey there.” A shit-eating grin spread across his face and Steve was only sort of annoyed by it.
“How can I help you?”
Act natural Harrington, act natural. He tried to lean against the counter and put his hand directly into the cup of stopper sticks. Sugar-guy saw. Shit he definitely saw. Steve cleared his throat and raised his eyebrows.
“I was coming in for a coffee.”
Steve bit the inside of his cheek to keep from rolling his eyes.
“A coffee? I don’t know, we might be low, I’ll have to ask Robin if we have any in stock.”
A shit-eating grin.
“You remember my order?”
“How do you know it’s me making it?”
Sugar-guy glances around behind the counter. It’s only Steve and Robin, as it’s almost always only Steve and Robin. Except on—
“Except on Thursdays. That grumpy guy makes mine on Thursdays.”
Steve laughs.
“Keith.”
“He hates me.” His voice is full of despair, and Steve laughs again.
“Wow, what are you gonna do? You’re not every baristas favorite customer.”
“Am I your favorite customer?”
Steve pretends to think, tapping his finger against his chin.
“Well man, you never get the same thing in a row, but your variations are definitely interesting.”
“You know my variations?”
Sugar-guy is looking at Steve up through his lashes, hair pulled across his mouth, barely hiding the grin.
“Do you only eat sugar?”
Another laugh.
“Hey, I order black coffee sometimes.”
“Dude, you order it with whipped cream. That’s not black coffee.”
A car horn blares outside the drive-thru window. Robin comes up on Steve’s right.
“Sorry to interrupt, but Steve, it’s Mrs. Click. She’s spitting mad already, which I don’t how that’s possible because it looks like she just rolled out of bed. They wrong side of the bed, maybe.”
“Oh Jesus, ok.” He turns to sugar-guy.
“Hey, I’m sorry, I never got your order.”
“Oh, nothing for me today. Got something for you.”
Steve tilts his head and automatically takes the things Eddie holds over the counter. With a wink Steve barely catches, sugar-guy’s walking out the door. Steve looks down at the…napkin? The folded napkin. He unfolds it.
Eddie Munson 432-9090
Steve doesn’t stop smiling all day.
175 notes
·
View notes
THROWING THIS DOODLE AT YOU WITH AGGRESSIVE AFFECTION!!
Wanted to render it but ran out of time :') BUT PLEASE KNOW!! Your Rat son au is my Roman empire. I think about it at LEAST once a week, like the designs and concepts and characterization and UGH EVERYTHING!! ITS ALL SO GOOD!! AND UR STYLE?? IM FOREVER CONSUMING IT!!! Literally peek nostalgia, comfort, even thru the angst its just so perfect im-
and- and splinter just bring me so much joy. Hes so goofy and soft and I sob every time I see him, imagine getting like the most gentle and affirming hug- I would cry immediately.
AHHHH!! ANYWAY STAY AMAZING ZACH!! :D <33333
TRIONA
TRIONA. TRIONA I AM SHAKING.
OH MY GOD???? LIKE OH???? MY GOD??????? THOSE ARE MY BABY SONS OH MY GOD THEY ARE GORGEOUS AND COZY PERFECT AMAZING I AM FULLY EMOTIONAL
LOOK AT THEM LOOK AT THEMMMMM AHHHHHHHHHH I CANT STOP STARING AT THEM BUT ALSO HAVE TO LOOK AWAY BECAUSE I AM LITERALLY TEARING UP?????
I LOVE THAT U CAN TELL A STORY FROM JUST THEIR POSES AND POSITIONS LIKE MIKEY DEF CAME OVER TO PESTER DONNIE AND FELL ASLEEP ON HIS LAP SO DONNIE HAD NO CHOICE BUT TO STAY AND NAP TOO (cause its illegal to disrupt little brothers sleeping in ur laps of course, same rule as cats) AND THEN LEO WANDERED IN AND PROBABLY SMILED THAT AFFECTIONATE BIG BROTHER SMILE BEFORE CURLING UP BESIDE THEM THEN RAPH CAME A LIL BIT LATER WONDERING WHERE EVERYONE WAS AND AFFECTIONATELY CALLED THEM A BUNCH OF BOZOS BEFORE TAKING A SEAT WITH THEM (in a semi blind spot too the protective little baby) AND HE DIDNT MEAN TO FALL ASLEEP BUT IT WAS JUST TOO COZY AND AHHH
UGH AND THEN OLD MAN SPLINTER COMES TO CHECK ON THEM AND THOSE ARE HIS BABIES HIS LITTLE BOYS I AM SOBBING TRIONA I LOVE IT SO SO SO MUCH I AM BEYOND WORDS
48 notes
·
View notes