Chapter Text
Cody was wiping the counter of his family’s coffee shop down towards the end of a regular autumn afternoon when the front door opened rather more violently than normal, the bell ringing in protest.
He glanced up, slightly wary of incoming trouble. Maybe one of his brothers had had a bad day at school or work or something.
Nope, that’s not any of his brothers coming in the glass door with a gust of cool air. Of course not, it’s the most gorgeous redhead that Cody’s ever seen.
Cody clenched his fingers, glad they’re hidden in the cloth still pretending to wipe at the already spotless counter as his gaze is fixed on the slim redhead currently somehow storming towards the counter without a single stomp and with a pleasant smile fixed on his face. Cody could almost see the furious air roiling around him.
The bell above the door rings again, and Cody retained enough brainpower that he glanced towards it. A broad-shouldered man with dark skin and long dreadlocks came sulking in, clearly trailing behind the redhead.
The other man caught up to the redhead before they made it to the counter, and went to speak. “Ben…”
“Ah!” The redhead held up a single, commanding finger and continued his march forwards. “No.”
The darker man slumped again and stuck his hands in the back pocket of his jeans, clearly obeying the command, minimal though it was.
The pretty redhead arrived at the counter and Cody gave himself enough of a mental slap upside the head to be able to smile at him while speaking.
“Hello, welcome to 212th Street Coffee Shop. What can I get you today?”
The slim man doesn’t even bother looking at the menu. “A large chai tea with four espresso shots and three sugar, please and thank you.” He handed over a crumpled ten-dollar bill.
Cody’s eyes flicked over his shoulder to the other man, as they clearly came in together, but the redhead didn’t even twitch at the non-verbal question and the darker man didn’t look up, so Cody simply rang up his change and handed it back over.
“It’ll be just a moment.”
The redhead nodded, and the two men moved over the three or so feet until they were standing at the receiving end of the counter.
Cody watched them out of the corner of his eye as he put the order together. The darker man peered over the redhead’s shoulder towards the baked goods on display, apparently going to speak again. The redhead again held up a single commanding finger, and the other subsided once more, without even a word spoken between them. It was certainly an interesting relationship dynamic.
Cody put the large cup on the counter, and the redhead took it.
“Thank you.”
Cody nodded back. “Not a problem.” He didn’t end with his usual ‘have a good day’. Somehow he thought it may not be received by the roiling storm cloud masquerading as a polite human in front of him. Somehow.
The redhead retreated to one of the tables alongside the wall of windows that looked over the street and the colourful park on the other side of it. The darker man slumped into the other chair, twitching with the need to say something, but clearly refraining.
Cody had not been so entertained by a customer in ages.
The duo remained silent, and Cody pretended not to blatantly watch them by wiping down the coffee machine very slowly. Very slowly. He hoped that no one else would come in until he got to find out what was going on.
The redhead took a large gulp of his drink, then another. Then he set it down on the table, very deliberately, folded his hands and set them on the table as well, and pinned the darker man with a stare.
“Speak.”
“Well, you see Ben, it wasn’t really that big of a deal in the first place. I don’t know what the cops were all on about.” The man waved a hand around very nonchalantly, the gold sleeve tattoo on his upper arm an interesting contrast to his dark skin.
“Quin! You were arrested for getting into a fistfight with four other people in a public shop! You’re lucky that Captain Fox somehow likes you and just held you for a few hours instead of actually charging you!” Despite his sharp tone, Ben’s voice does not get any louder whatsoever. Nor did his body so much as twitch.
“Yeah, but they deserved it!” Quin leaned back in his chair and crossed his arms, his dreadlocks slipping over his shoulders. He somehow looked like Cody’s younger brothers did when they were explaining why they shouldn’t get in trouble at school to their father. Despite having several inches both in height and breadth on the slim redhead, it was clear who was in charge there.
“Even if they did,” Ben held up a hand, “And knowing you, they very well may have, but I still had to come get you! In the middle of the afternoon during the workweek! You’re lucky Shaak even let me leave! You know better than that!”
Quin slumped forwards and rested his forehead on the table. “Fair enough. ‘M sorry, Ben.”
The redhead rolled his eyes. “I know, Quin.” He studied the back of his friend’s head for a moment. “Just don’t get caught next time, okay? I know you can do better than that.”
“Got it loud and clear.” Quin bounced up out of his seat grinning. He pressed a kiss to Ben’s temple. You’re the best, Ben.”
“Yeah, yeah.” The redhead waved him off. “Go on, I know you’ve got someone to meet.”
The dark-skinned man laughed before heading out of the shop with a spring to his step.
Ben stared into space for a minute before slumping down in his chair and rubbing both hands over his face. It looked as though he was muttering to himself, though Cody couldn’t make out what he was saying.
He was still sitting like that when another customer finally came in and Cody got pulled away.
The next time Cody looked up, both the pretty redhead and his drink were gone.