Written for MyLadyDay for a tumblr prompt. I thought I'd post it here too, since there aren't all that many ShanksBenn stories.
Benn couldn't keep himself from looking up anxiously at the door every time the bell rang, announcing a new customer. It was just past seven in the morning, so the cafe busy enough he didn't need the distraction. He'd already messed up a customers drink order, something Benn hadn't done since his first week working here.
But he was more than three hours late. Hehad never been late in all of the months Benn had worked here, and though he had yet to meet a more annoying man, he couldn't help but feel a bit concerned. The man had no common sense whatsoever, so who knew what kind of trouble he'd gotten into? Benn had met Shanks on his fifth day working in the cafe, and since that day he hadn't missed a single day Benn had worked. According to his coworkers, who teased him to no end about his so-called "admirer", he never came in one days Benn was off. No one had any clue who he got a hold of the schedule every week.
Benn grit his teeth, while adding whipped cream to a customer's drink. That man was definitely his least favorite part of this job. And that was saying something.
He'd been laid off not long after the market had crashed and had been looking for work ever since. Finally, after realizing that any job was better than no job, he gave up looking for work that fit his qualifications and found a job as a barista in an independent coffee shop. He had never thought he would be working in a place like this at his age, but it paid the bills, and he supposed he enjoyed it, even if it was tiring. Benn worked from midnight until eight, five days a week, and the hours really took their toll.
The door suddenly burst open so hard the bell nearly fell off. Part of Benn relaxed at the sight of the familiar red hair and idiot grin, but mostly he was just annoyed. He wasn't sure if it was at himself for being worried about the obnoxious fool or the said obnoxious fool for making him worry. Probably both. Benn sighed, glad the line was long enough that he had a chance to compose himself.
Apparently, it wasn't long enough because Shanks noticed immediately when he got up to the register. Or maybe he was just being as optimistic as always.
"You were worried when I didn't show up, weren't you? You can admit it. I was too. I thought I wasn't going to make it before your shift was over." He grinned up at Benn unrepentantly, before scowling at the crowd in the store. "I like it better earlier though. Then it's just the two of us." He waggled his eyebrow lasciviously.
"Hi, welcome to Cups and Mugs. What can I get for you today, sir?"
"Aww.. come on, Benn. Don't be like that."
"Is this your first time here? I highly recommend the house blend."
"I get the same thing everyday. Have for months. I know you know what it is." Shanks pouted exaggeratedly, before brightening suddenly and looking at him consideringly. Did he always have to be so hyper? Benn had always wondered what he did for a living that lead him to get coffee just after four every morning. Despite the odd time, he'd never seen Shanks the least bit tired. He was always his irritatingly chipper self. Giving the man caffeine should be illegal.
Shanks looked slyly up at Benn. "You really did worry about me, didn't you? After all these months, you finally show you care." He put his hands to his heart dramatically. "I'm touched."
"One double Americano with double vanilla syrup coming right up." As always, Benn felt vaguely ill at the thought of Shank's choice of beverage. He grabbed a cup and wrote Shank's name on it, hesitated a bit, then added his phone number. Who was he really fooling at this point? "Your order will be ready shortly." He glanced up from the cup at Shanks, but he hadn't noticed anything different, still prattling on about how sweet Benn was to worry about him. Benn snorted as he made his way to the espresso machine. Who would worry about that idiot?
Instead of waiting for his drink to be brought to him like everyone else, Shanks followed Benn as he made the beverage.
"You know... You could just give me your number like I've been asking for months. Then if I'm late, you won't have to worry. 'Cause I can call you." Benn's habitual silence didn't phase Shanks in the least.
"Of course, I'd use it to convince you to finally go out with me, but it's not like you'd object to that. We both know you want me desperately. It's so obvious with the way you pretend like you don't know who I am everyday." Shanks grinned at him. "Most people would mistake it for extreme passive aggression, but I know sexual tension when I see it."
Benn continued to make the drink, paying no mind to the speech he'd heard a variation of everyday since he'd met Shanks. Hopefully, this would be the last time anyway.
He handed Shanks the beverage, allowing the brief moment of hand contact that he long since stopped avoiding. Benn smiled inwardly. The idiot was right. He really had lost a long time ago. He went back to the register without another word to Shanks, causing him to deflate a little. That had been the hardest thing to resist everyday. The brief moment of candid disappointment.
Benn was already taking the next order, when Shanks saw the number written on his cup. He had been almost out the door, but he turned around and met Benn's gaze when he noticed. The utter shock on his face quickly faded into unmitigated delight. Benn allowed himself to grin at him, before turning back to work. His shift ended in half an hour, and he had a feeling he'd be seeing Shanks soon enough.