Chapter Text
Oropher Books and Coffee shop – New York City
Thranduil had to admit that as much as he loved his little shop always buzzing with coffee-freaks or book lovers, sometimes both, days like this was just so easy to love.
It was coming down cats and dogs outside witch resulted in a slight hick-up in the amount of people that came in, instead of the constant stream of take away coffee orders he now had a few people just looking for some shelter from the rain cuddled up at their table with a cup of warm coffee and here and there a hot meal. Teens where huddled up at the back of the store with a good fictional novel in the lap also hugging at a cup of coffee or hot chocolate.
He didn’t mind the kids reading the books in store as long as they understood that if it picked up any damage that he would have to charge them, after all this was not the library.
So for the first time in weeks, Thranduil actually had a moment to take a look at the bills he has been avoiding all month only to pause as something outside the window caught his attention.
Outside hugging his face closer to the window and his back turned to the rain Thranduil saw a man having trouble to light up his cancer-stick.
The man seemed, well – superior in some way even though he was dressed in his black designer jeans a dark grey sweater with a double breasted trench coat drawn over it, his nearly black hair smoothed back into his neck making the tips flap up around his coat where it peeked out from under his black beanie. His high cheek-boned face was accompanied by a neatly trimmed goatee, with fine lips and deeply set eyes to dark to make out from where Thranduil was standing, he suspected that the man must be a business man of some kind, but he looked like he had a style of his own and he didn’t care of what people may think but what really caught Thranduil’s attention was the fact that he seemed stressed maybe even tired as he thought against the wind.
Thranduil expected the man to continue on his way after he finely got that cigarette lit-up but instead, the man leaned into the wall of the store and planted his foot against it, his hand holding his cigarette coming to rest on his lifted knee every time he lingered the smoke within his lungs.
By the time Thranduil realised that he was staring the stranger outside stabbed his cigarette bud out beneath his boot and “Oh shit his coming in!” Thranduil mentally panicked as he hurried to pretend that he was busy with the bills and was defiantly not staring just a second ago.
Stepping into Oropher’s, the store Bard have been threatening to come and see for himself after friend after friend told him about it, he was pleasantly surprised at what he had found.
It was not what he had expected from looking at the light-olive green painted store from outside with a wooden logo of a cup of coffee on top of a closed book, found above the door, the spine of the book holding the carved out words- Oropher’s.
The inside was surprisingly spacious with all kinds of light wooden furnisher set out on a tile floor in malty colours of browns, while the walls where made of smooth light brown coloured marble while large marble tiles came down in Colom’s against the walls in colour of dark torques greens and blues mixed in one with in every five feet.
The wooden tables where smooth with a try filled with sugar-boll’s and sugar cookies alongside, each in a small black bowl enough for at least two people depending on the table size. Above the lights where consistent of Dear antlers designed in a very appealing manner while folk music played all across the store.
A counter with bar stools where found on the other side of store across from the door with three people doing their best to keep up with all the orders coming in, though it was probably slower than usual as it was raining cats and dogs. And way on the other side of the store past a seat of glass windows and an open entrance the book department could be seen with all kinds of reading arias for you to sit down and read in store if you so choose.
But what really caught Bard’s attention was one of the three men standing behind the bar, very much interested at the bills beneath his nose. He was like no other man Bard had ever seen in his life, with pail white skin, dark thick eyebrows with silver white hair pooled back into a messy bun behind his head while dressed in a white t-shirt with the first two buttons at his collar left open exposing a smooth pail chest, along with an olive-green slim-fit-buttoned cardigan sweater left open. As Bard watched the man set down his mail and come out from behind the counter he was surprised to see the sweater hanging down all the way to mid-thigh alongside badge skinny jeans and black boot tomy-takkies.
“Are you meeting with someone, sir?” the man asked as he stepped closer and lifted a hand with three very unique rings set across his very slim, very long fingers, to move a stray strand of hair back into place behind his ear.
Smiling at the shade of grey eyes staring back at him, Bard shook his head lightly, “Afraid it will just be me, I was just taking a moment to take in your unique setup as your reputation precedes you.”
“It’s always nice to hear that we are reaching so many ears out there.” The man said as he showed Bard to a two seated table, giving Bard a glimpse at his name tag as he turned.
“Tell me, Thran-” Bard took a moment to look at the name tag one more time before making a fool of himself by pronouncing it wrongly, “Thranduil,” he said testing the foreign name on his tongue while looking up into toughs grey eyes, “Is it allowed to enjoy one of your books while in the coffee shop?”
“Yes, just know, that if it’s damaged in any way in the process you’ll have to pay for it?” Thranduil said kindly and was about to turn and get his guest a menu.
“And,” Bard said quickly nearly leaning over to grab the man’s hand just to get to look at his grey eyes a second longer and hear his voice one more time, “What would you recommend, anything of late you’ve read that might tickle my interest.”
Smiling Thranduil turned to look at Bard, his grey eyes hiding something behind them Bard was not quit shore of what, “And what kind of things usually tickles you’re interests?”
“Well, I seem to find you quite tickling…” Bard said as he held his breath not shore what the confession would bring or cost, but to his surprise the one of a kind man in front of him simply smiled, only the lightest of blush settling in on his high cheekbones.
“Mystery, murder and sex, the usual” Bard said after a moment of enjoying to watch the man squirm under his gaze, daring him to take up his offer.
“I think I might just have the thing.” The towering man answered and slapped a menu down in front of Bard before leaving into the book store.
This was unexpected to say the least, never had Thran expected this man to even notice him and now the dark stranger was making a pass at him! Very unexpected indeed…
Making his way through the different sections of the book shelf Thran snorted at the idea of having a moment with that man, he had too many responsibility’s, he didn’t have time to play around with the hot dark mysterious man offering things he can’t even bring himself to think about.
One night with that man and Thran knew he wouldn’t stand a chance to stay away, he could barely keep his eyes off him now, but he would, he would stop looking, stop string all together and just simply stay away completely, ‘well after he gave him this.’ Thran thought
Thran took a moment to look down at the thick novel he had pooled from the book shelf under the mystery section. It was one of his favoured books, he had a copy of his own in his book shelf upstairs, and he read it at least once a year usually over the festive season.
Taking a deep breath before he turned, Thran made his way back to the table where his very own mystery was waiting, he really was a very attractive man as the gloomy light making its way through the window and onto his dark features.
He hadn’t noticed Thran return until Thran placed the book down over his menu, drawing the man’s attention away from whatever he was looking at across the street.
“An old spy-novel?” Came the surprise as he looked up at Thran and that’s when Thran realised he had the strangest shade of dark olive-green eyes, like Thran had never seen before, he even wandered if it could be contacts but decided against it as it was just to unique.
“It’s a real good mystery, you know behind the murder and the sex.” Thran said with a smile, what would you like to drink, sir?”
“Bard.”
“Sorry?” Thran said with a frown.
“My name is Bard, as to being called sir.” The stranger- Bard said with another inviting smile.
“Well Bard what can I get you?” Thran asked again with his own smile.
“I here you have quit the collection of different coffee blends, I like my coffee strong and black, perhaps you can surprise me.”
“Very well.” Thran said as he once again turned on his heel and got to work on Bard’s cup of coffee, it was probably Tehran’s strongest blend, but Bard did say he liked it strong, surely if he didn’t like it he would say so, so Thran returned placing the cup down in front of Bard and smiled kindly before he turned to leave, this time planning on giving the table over to one of his waiters.
“Why an old spy novel, and not something more modern?” Came the question that brought Thran to a halt and forced him to face his own mystery once more.
“I just – well, you seem like a man whom appreciates the finer things in life, so to you it would be less about the high-tech gadgets and more about the people and their experience, older novels just stick to the people and the mystery other than the modern hoop-la.”
“Hoop-la?” Bard said more to tease as to a question.
“My sentiments exactly.”
This made Bard laugh all throaty and full heartedly, “You’re a mystery all on your own aren’t you Thranduil?”
“Look whom’ talking, enjoy your coffee.” Thran said as he hurried away, afraid that one more second would have him take a seat and never say goodbye, this ‘Bard’ was dangerous to the life he had finely found some balance to, he just couldn’t let this man close enough to let him loos that balance, not now.
Making his way behind the counter and back over to the bills he had left behind Thran kept an eye on Bard while paying his bills over the internet on the laptop he had set up behind the counter.
Bard had stayed much longer than Thran had expected, sipping at his coffee and reading his novel as he lounged on his chair near the window.
About an hour into his paper work after finishing off all his bills, Thran left to go check on a problem in the kitchen only to return twenty minutes later to find Bard’s chair empty, his loaned book and cup left behind on the table.
Taking a damp cloth Thran moved over to the table and paused at taking the cup to find not only was there at least half a cup left, but there was a note left in the book well into the first half of the novel.
Setting the cup back down Thran picked up the book and opened it up to where the note was found to find a rather appealing hand writing swirled down on the little peas of white paper.
This is really a good read, keep it for me if you can,
I’ll come perches it tomorrow.
-B. Bowman
Smiling Thran closed the book after folding over the top of the page gently too keep his place and tucked it under his arm as he picked up the cup and cleaned the table off with the damp cloth before heading back to the counter to place the book down in a safe aria before taking the cup back to the kitchen.
*.*.*
Bard returned the next day as he said he would, as did he the day after that, and each day of the next two weeks, he had indeed purchased that book and sat reading it every day he came in, ordering the same cup of coffee every time even though he never finished the entire cup and Thranduil was not oblivious to the fact that Bard flirted with Thran every chance he got, and yes maybe Thran flirted back but that didn’t mean he really wasn’t trying to stay away, it was just getting harder and harder the more Bard came around.
And then after nearly three weeks Thran came to clean off his table and keeping his newly found novel till he could perches it tomorrow only to find a business card as his note this time.
Care for a cup of coffee outside of work, maybe dinner?
Call me…
-B. Bowman
Bard’ neatly swirled writing left on the back to catch Thran off guard completely, one would think after all the flirting this would not have surprised Thran, but it really did, Bard Bowman wanted to spend time with him outside the coffee shop and that just wouldn’t end well, so he was sincerely grateful for the time he was taking off, at this precise time, in order to take some personal space up at the cost line as he did every year.
But that didn’t mean as he spent his days at the little house on the beach that Thran didn’t think of Bard, it was nearly all he thought about as he went about his days enjoying the off time and allowing himself the things he found he didn’t do as much as he should have…
*.*.*
“Welcome back boss!” Tauriel called happily as Thran made his way into the store after making his usual drop at the day-care around the corner, “How was your trip?” She asked taking half his luggage from him and helping him up the hidden stairs around the corner leading into the upstairs loft.
“Good, good finely got to finish that book I started in the beginning of the year, and the weather was nice, we spent an offal lot of time on the beach, I really saw a change in him, and it was just what we both needed.” Thran said smiling as he thought of the fun he had with the one person whom meant everything to him.
“See told you a break couldn’t have come at a better time.” Tauriel said smiling back as they sat the bags down by the door and returned back down stairs to get the day started.
“Any troubles while the cat was gone?” Thran asked Tauriel as he helped her get the chairs down from the tables and full up the sugar and biscuit bowls.
“None what so ever, though your friend has been here every day asking about your return every morning even though he already knew the answer.” Tauriel said with a too big smile for Thran’ taste.
“What friend would that be?” He asked playing dumb even though he knew very well that she was referring to Bard Bowman.
“Oh come now Thranduil, you know very well of whom I’m talking about,” Tauriel said with her hands on her hips, “that extremely hansom man coming in here every day, ordering the same cup of coffee he can barely get down just to see you.”
“It’s not like that…” Thran bluffed as he turned on the coffee pots and other appliances they would soon need for the breakfast rush.
“Thran it’s okay to have some fun every now and then, and that man is defiantly fun!”
“Tauriel, I have responsibilities, responsibilities I can’t move aside for my own wants and to tell Bard yes would just be leading him on, besides I’m shore he would lose interest as fast as he had come the moment he found out the truth.” Thran said a pang of disappointment tightening his chest at the mere thought of Bard losing interest.
“You can’t know that boss, he doesn’t seem like the kind of man just to back off.”
“How about you back off and get to work!” Thran hissed over his shoulder as he was toping up the salt and pepper canisters.
The silence that followed told Thran that Tauriel was considering to press the subject but that she knew of better as she stalked into the kitchen, the front door opening up as the other waiters poured through the door.
The day passed in a rush of never ending clients coming and going only slowing down barley just after three giving Thranduil his first chance of the day to sit down and catch a breath.
He hadn’t seen Bard today and suspected that he wouldn’t as it was way past the time he really came around, but maybe it was a blessing as Thran wasn’t really in the mood to let the man down.
As he took a seat his long fingered hands sunk down onto his forehead and into his hair as he tried not to constraint on the pain lingering in his feet.
“Long day?” Came a voice Thran knew all too well.
Looking up, Thran found Bard standing on the other side of the counter, dressed in dark blue jeans and a white buttoned shirt neatly tucked in with the sleeves rolled back to meet his elbows, a large smile spread across his strong face as he looked at Thran with toughs green eyes.
“Just busy, would you like you’re usual?” Thran asked finding his feet.
“Would you take the time to have a cup with me?” Bard asked frowning and Thran knew it was because he was trying to give Bard the cold shoulder.
“It’s really busy- ”
“Take a beet, boss,” Tauriel said as she took over from where he was working at making Bard’s coffee, “you haven’t sat down today.”
Glaring at his overly pushy waiter, whom he usually adored but not today, Thran stepped out from behind the counter and joined the man at the table near the back.
“You never called me…” Bard hinted as he took his seat watching the towering man as he stretched his long legs out in front of him, leaning back into his chair like every bone in his body was hurting.”
“Usually that’s when you’re supposed to take a hint, don’t you think?” Came the cold reply, but Bard wasn’t fooled, for the way Thranduil looked away as he hissed the words he knew there was more to this than Thran simply not being interested.
“So no dinner then?” Bard pushed in the attempt to see what this was really about.
“Look,” Thranduil said as he leaned closer, “you seem like a great guy, someone I could really grow fond of, but your timing is off, I have other responsibilities, responsibilities that I just can’t set aside so that I could go on a date with you.”
“The store seemed to do fine while you were gone.” Bard said trying to understand what the man meant.
“It’s not about the store…” Thran said softly his grey eyes once again finding his lap as he hugged himself, dressed pretty much like the day when Bard first came in except today his skinny jeans where black, with a white t-shirt with fine black stripes and a slim fit buttoned cardigan sweater left open to go with it in the same shade of black as this of his jeans, his silver hair was once again drawn back in a bun and the rings he never took off still accompanying his long fingers.
The more Bard looked at Thran the more he wondered what it would look like if Thranduil was to let his long hair down, or what it would feel like if Bard was to reach over and take hold of toughs long fingers. He really hoped that one day he would get the chance to find out.
“Look,” Thranduil begun, bringing Bard out of his fantasy, “my responsibility is about to walk in here and I won’t hold it against you if you change your mind…” he trailed off as he found his feet, causing Bard to sit up in the attempt to find his own feet but the look Thran gave him stopped him dead in his tracks, “In fact it would probably be best if you did, it would be best for both of us.”
Bard was left staring after Thran with his mouth hanging open in confusion as he watched him go, watched as Thranduil made his way over to the front door greeting a black haired woman with a kiss to her cheek as a little boy of about five crashed into his leg while calling happily “Ada!”
The woman he greeted was beautiful in every way possible dressed in a lovely flowing long summers dressed accompanied by a jean jacket and a brown leaver belt around her waist, her hair about the length Bard suspected Thran’ would be if he had to let it loos. At first he thought she was Thran’ wife but when she handed him the childes backpack and said her goodbyes with out any sine of affection Bard had to wonder if maybe she was the baby sitter?
The little boy on the other hand was something to behold, he had the same shade of silver hair as this of Thranduil cut to fall into his neck onto his little shoulders, over his ears and past his little dark eyebrows. By the way the little boy brushed at the hairs in his eyes Bard could tell he wasn’t very fond of the style as he clung to Thranduil leaning his head into the man’s leg and looking around the shop, smiling at the red haired waiter in a shy manner. He was beautiful to say the least and his eyes where even more mesmerising than this of Thranduil’s. Bard could tell by simply looking at the boy that Thranduil went out of his way to make shore the boy was well dressed and well taken care of.
He was dressed in the latest dark blue jeans with little white sneakers, along with a light blue t-shirt with some form of anime hero printed onto the front while he had his light green hoodie throne loosely over his shoulders for the walk over here.
So Thran was a Father, a Father trying to look after the interests of his little boy by not getting involved by the likes of Bard.
Bard had to admit it wasn’t what he had expected but what really bothered him was that Thranduil had thought he would just give up once he knew about the boy, But at the same time it made him wonder if he was to try and pursue Thran once again if the shop owner would still push him away simply because this time it was about fear and not about the boy…