Chapter Text
Kaz Brekker was not your usual college student. He didn't leave assignments until the last day, he didn't stress over finals, he never left the house in sweatpants and a t-shirt. He was always put together, dressed in jeans and a properly ironed shirt, the answer keys to his next three exams hidden away in his computer and essays already written even before they were assigned. He didn't leave things to chance. If you asked any of his friends, they would call him a control freak. He liked to say he was born to be in charge. So, seeing him rush into a coffee shop with his hair messed up and shirt wrinkled was a once in a lifetime event.
The day had been one for the books. His alarm clock refused to work so he couldn't take a shower after he woke up. Then he had to run to his economics class to make it in time for the quiz, barely having time to catch his breath before the paper was placed in front of him. If that wasn't enough, his next class was relocated to the other end of the campus and at that point, he gave up on the day. With his most grumpy expression, he stomped towards the closest coffee shop to get some caffeine in an attempt to salvage the rest of his day.
Of course, there was a line. He waited for the people in front of him to order, tapping his feet as they listed off a long string of ingredients that should not have anything to do with coffee. He rolled his eyes as the girl repeated her order one more time - large skinny hazelnut macchiato, sugar-free syrup, extra shot, no whip, 67 degrees exactly - emphasising every word as if the barista was an idiot. As if she could understand if the coffee was anything other than 67 degrees. His tolerance for people was already low on a good day but today, it was non-existent. Thankfully, the line moved forward and it was his turn to order. He turned towards the barista to give his order - medium black coffee - but the words suddenly disappeared from his mind. Too busy mentally berating the girl's order, he hadn't paid any attention to the person behind the counter. The girl had golden skin, wide brown eyes that had a glimmer in them that told him she was too smart to be working here. Even though she had the uniform on, the same as all the other people working here, she managed to make the outfit look artsy and stylish. Her hair was braided, an intricate pattern based on the portion of the braid that he could see.
"Sir? I need your order, please."
Her voice brought him back to life and he suddenly realized that he had been staring at her like an idiot the whole time. She didn't look scared, at least, but she definitely did not seem very impressed by him. He cleared his throat, hoping his voice didn't come out too weird.
"Yes, sorry. Just a medium black coffee please, thank you. It's been one of those days, I didn't mean to make you wait."
What was wrong with him? Making small talk, apologising and saying thank you in the same sentence? Maybe this was a dream, after all. Or a nightmare. Maybe he was getting sick.
"It's alright, I know how hard it can be sometimes. Are you sure you don't want something with a little more sugar in it? A little sweetness may end up brightening your day."
The girl held up the pen to the cup in her hands, looking at him expectantly. He should say no, get his coffee and go far, far away from this coffee shop. Why was he even hesitating? Kaz prepared himself to refuse her offer but found it very challenging to speak the words. She looked genuine in her suggestion, trying to do something nice for a person she wouldn't even see again.
"I wouldn't even know what to ask for. I'm afraid I've never tried anything else."
It wasn't the complete truth. He had taken sips of the sugary drinks Nina and Jasper liked to order, always finding them too sweet to be considered coffee. He never enjoyed any of them and preferred his bitter drink every time. Today, though, he felt like giving it another chance for some reason. Everything had gone differently from what he had planned, he could take changing one more thing.
"How about this, I'll make you something that I think you will like. If you don't, I'll replace it with just black coffee. Free of charge, of course. Deal?"
She really was one of the good ones, still trying to convince him to take up her offer. She probably did this for anyone who came in and looked upset, tried to make them feel better the only way she could without imposing too much. In the end, it wouldn't cost him anything extra. He didn't have the heart to make this girl upset by saying no. It was the first time that he actually cared about how this stranger would feel if he wasn't nice to her and he didn't know what to do. He wanted to run away but he also wanted to stick around to see what would happen.
"That sounds fair. The deal is the deal."
The smile she gave him was warmer than the drink he had ordered, his mind feeling fuzzy as he paid for his drink. He moved over to the waiting area, trying not to make it obvious that he was trying to watch her as she made his drink. Surely, she couldn't know what he would enjoy. Kaz didn't even know what he liked in his coffee. He knew that he didn't like white chocolate or caramel drizzle and that was it. The barista looked comfortable as she moved from one machine to another, humming a foreign song to herself as she slowly collected the ingredients into his cup.
Finally she carried the drink over to where he was waiting, the smile still on her lips. He responded with the slightest curl of his lips, the equivalent of her grin in his terms. Before he got to say anything - not that he knew what he was going to say - the bell rang to signify a new customer. The barista moved back to the register with a bright "I hope you enjoy it", leaving him alone with the mystery drink.
Kaz picked up the cup, looking down at the floor as he walked out of the coffee shop. He didn't trust himself to be able to leave if he looked into her eyes again. He only took his first sip once he was a safe distance away from the small cafe, slowing down his steps.
"Holy fuck."
The drink was like heaven compressed to fit into a cup, the taste exploding on his tongue with flavours that he couldn't place yet. The bitterness of the coffee was still there, but it carried hints of something else. Something that he couldn't identify. He didn't know whether to be angry or impressed. Angry because she just ruined normal coffee for him or impressed that even without any information, she had managed to create his new favourite drink. He swallowed every drop, almost burning his mouth in the process. Just before he threw the cup into the trash, after making sure it was absolutely empty, he noticed the scribbles on it.
He hadn't given her his name so instead, she had made a small doodle of what he supposed was him. A stick man with furrowed brows and a frown, holding a coffee cup in his hands. Next to him was another figure, this one with long hair and a speech bubble that said "I hope you enjoy it".