Hot Chocolate and Snowflakes

by Gap Between the Lines

In winter Gilbert always slows down and visits a little coffee shop to drink hot chocolate and do his Uni work. This year, however, there's a shy new barista with violet eyes and glasses who Gilbert can't seem to get out of his head. Warning: unashamedly OOC Gilbert. Rated T because I don't like the letter K.

1. Chapter 1

Chapter One

He sat in a café sipping a cup of hot chocolate. The sky was clouded over outside, and it looked like snow was on its way. Gilbert smiled to himself, basking in the warmth of the drink as it slowly warmed up his fingers and toes; most of his friends were surprised at his winter habit of sitting in coffee shops and drinking warm drinks. Most people thought of him as the all-or-nothing type, making the assumption that all he wanted was a pint of beer and a party. That was true, but only up to a point- Gilbert loved to party and loved beer even more, but winter seemed to mellow him out. Instead of partying 24/7, he slowed down and just let himself recharge by drinking steaming mugs of hot chocolate and watching passers-by go about their business.

Sipping a bit more of the liquid, Gilbert returned his attention to the view out of the café front window. People in thick winter coats were shuffling by, hats and scarves bundled up to protect their faces from the winter chill. The shop opposite was lit up with Christmas decorations and fairy lights were strung up above the doorway. Children were pulling their parents over to admire the shiny new toys displayed in the store front and Gilbert couldn't help but smile a bit more at the familiarity of it.

He and Ludwig had done the same thing when they were younger, eagerly dragging their dad with them as they raced towards the toy shops. Those had been days of innocence and childish joy as they both picked out presents for each other and gazed in wonderment at huge plastic remote-controlled robot toys.

But that had been a long time ago, and now Gilbert was a fully grown adult at age twenty-two. Well, almost fully grown- he wasn't quite a mature role-model of a man, and the parties only served to prove that. It was true that he could still be mature if he wanted to, but there really was no point in being stuffy and uptight if you could have a good time instead. In his opinion, messing around and having fun was definitely more important that getting a job and moving on with his life. The only times he was reasonably mature was at times like these- where the sky was darkened with the first signs of snow and outside was far too cold to brave without drinking something warm first.

"Excuse me, sir, but are you done with that mug?" a timid voice asked from beside him. Looking up, Gilbert was met with two blue eyes hidden behind a pair of large glasses and longish blond hair framing a boy's face. Smiling a little, Gilbert lifted up his cup and offered it to the blond who took it with slightly shaking hands. Nodding his thanks, Gilbert turned back to the window as the boy shuffled off to the front of the café where the bar was located. As the tap turned on and the barista washed his mug, Gilbert stared outside at the pedestrians once more.

Five minutes of silent thoughts later, he gathered up his coat and put it on, wound his scarf around his neck and jammed his hat on his head. He then grabbed his wallet and, stuffing it into his jeans pocket, walked out of the café door. The bell tinkled merrily behind him until the door closed at his back, and Gilbert stood outside in the doorway for a moment, contemplating what to do next. A moment later, he stepped out onto the pavement and started walking towards his shared university apartment. A snowflake landed on his nose as he made his way through the crowds of Christmas shoppers, and he let his eyes crinkle in childish joy at the first snowflake of the year. Brushing it off his face, Gilbert looked upwards and noted the thousands of little white blobs floating down from the clouds. As much as he loved the snow, he knew that dawdling and staying outside would most likely result in him freezing to death while he played in the snow. So Gilbert plunged his slowly numbing hands in the pockets of his jacket and walked a little faster towards the distantly shining apartment building ahead of him.

So, like it or hate it? Tell me in a review and I'll give you a virtual cookie for your trouble. Unless you leave me a flame- in that case, I will steal the heat to thaw out my tub of ice cream.

Oh, I know, Gilbert is completely out of character. I don't care much- my story, my rules. ;) Though, if someone likes the story and I decide to continue it, he will become a little more like the Gilbert that we know and love.

Thanks for reading! :)