So, this is for Alix, who won a bet I wasn't involved in but I said I'd write a prize for the winner. That was a year and a half ago, but hey, let's not mention that...
Anyways, Alix, here you go, that Belvius fic you asked me for.
It wasn't that I didn't like the guy. On the contrary, I was actually quite interested in him. According to the rest of the staff at the Starbucks I now worked at, the man came in everyday at four, ordered the same drink, and then sat down in the same place for the next hour and a half. The team had even taken to putting a reserved sign on his table around that time, just to make sure his spot was always free.
The man stood on the opposite side of the counter, waiting silently for his drink. I handed over the coffee (plain americano) and he handed back the exact change. He wordlessly retreated to his table, sat down and got out a notebook. He didn't write in it immediately, taking a quarter of an hour to read through whatever was in there. Maybe he was a journalist, or even an author, either way, I was curious as to what he was using his time here for.
It was exactly forty two minutes before he got up. I noted the time, seeing how unusual his rising was. It broke his pattern, so of course we (me and Jenna, the girl working the same shifts as me) noticed instantly. He came over to the counter once again, bringing his empty coffee cup.
"Excuse me, do you think I could get another of these?" He gestured to his cup and I blinked.
"Uh, yeah, sure." I quickly made up another of his coffees, still a bit thrown off by his odd behaviour. Well, it wasn't really fair to call it odd, but for me it was. We went through the exchange again, but this time he gave me a small smile as he dropped coins into my palm.
"Thank you ever so much Belimicus," he said, confusing me even more.
"Uh, how do you know my name?" I replied without thinking. It was an automatic response to having someone say your name even though you only ever uttered the same few words at each other.
"Your name tag." He was silent once more, returning to his table and his notebook, this time with a smile on his face. Jenna edged toward me, drying her hands on a towel.
"Weird," she said. "Wonder if something good happened to him today."
"Yeah, maybe," I agreed, still watching him as he wrote.
"Well, if he feels inclined to buy more coffee then don't turn him away Belimicus!" she chuckled as she went back to her own end of the counter. "Hey, put your name tag on, the manager will kill you if he sees you've left it on the side."
Afterwards the man returned to his usual pattern, and I thought that there would just be the one different turn of events. At first it seemed that that would be the case, but life never stays still for too long, or else things would be too boring. The second time the pattern was broken was over three weeks from the first, and far messier.
Everything was fine. The man came in, got his drink and sat down. Ten minutes later and there was a sudden shout of cursing followed by apologies to the other customers, and I glanced up to see his table knocked to the floor and hot coffee pooling around it. I ducked out from behind the counter and headed over to make sure things were alright.
"I'm so sorry, would you mind helping me with this Belimicus?" the man asked, gesturing to the mess.
"Sure," I replied, a little bit weirded out that he was so familiar with me despite us barely talking, yet also fine with it. I grabbed a bunch of paper towel from behind the counter and halved it, mopping up the floor alongside the man.
"I really am sorry about this," he said. "I guess I leaned on the table a little too hard or something."
"Don't worry about it. Look." I held up the small metal bolt I had just found on the floor so that he could see it. "Someone's been playing with the joints again. This happened a while back as well, it's not your fault."
"Oh, that makes me feel a better." He smiled and my fingers tensed around the bolt briefly, before I dropped it into the pocket on my apron. "Could you pass me my notebook please?" I followed the direction his index was pointing and saw the closed pad lying there, parts of it soaked with coffee. I lifted it up gently, cautious of it tearing in my hands, and handed it over to him. As it passed my eyes I managed to read the name on the front of it.
When the floor was suitable dry I located a wet floor sign to place by the fallen table and made up another coffee for the man, as compensation for the 'equipment malfunction'. "Well, I think I'm going to go for today," he said, flashing me a smile, "seeing as my table is unavailable right now."
"Ah, okay. We'll have your table fixed by tomorrow Salvius."
His eyes widened as I said his name. "How did you know–"
I pointed at his notebook.
"Oh. Well, thank you for your help Belimicus. See you."
The third incident happened barely a week later. From the very start our interaction was different.
"Afternoon, Salvius." We had taken to calling each other by name, and I didn't consider him a total stranger anymore. Floor drying bonds people, you know? "I'll just get you your coffee." Before I took even a step away from the counter he stopped me, and I froze out of shock (you have to understand, for Salvius this was a completely abnormal thing to do, and it came out of nowhere after all).
"I was thinking of trying something different today," he said whilst tapping his fingers on the countertop. "What would you recommend Belimicus? Like, you personally, before you start offering me whatever the special is today," he smirked, instantly knowing what I was going to say.
"Uh, well…" It took me a while to remember to reply, and when I did I was hesitant to suggest the drink, not knowing whether he would like it or not. "My favourite is pumpkin spice latte I suppose… but it's really sweet, you might not like it…"
Salvius smiled at me with his head slightly tilted, the way it was sometimes when he was writing (whatever it was that he was writing). "How will we know if I never try it?"
I quickly turned away as I felt my face redden and I set about making the seasonal drink, glad that it had been around for me to recommend. Honestly, I looked forward to the autumn every year, just because of this one drink (oh, and Halloween, I love that too). "Here," I mumbled, sliding the cup across the counter in exchange for his money. Out of the corner of my eye I watched as Salvius had an experimental and probably fearful sip of the drink. The edges of his eyes scrunched up and his mouth turned downwards and he quickly turned his head away to cough rather violently. "Are you alright?!" I asked, caught off guard by his reaction. "Oh god you don't like it? I'm so sorry, I'll give you a refund and pay for it myself–"
"No, Belimicus it's fine," he replied, stopping me from rambling on about how sorry I was. His voice sounded a little forced but I think he wanted me to ignore that, so I did. "It's just sweet as frick is all. I better go sit down now."
"Yeah, you probably should." I grinned and he returned the smile, heading off toward his table. I backed away from the counter a little, turning to face the other way as I ran a hand through my hair and letting out a low sigh for some reason.
"Belimicus."
What, you didn't think this incident was over, did you?
"Yes!" I replied slightly louder than necessary, jumping out of my skin as Salvius appeared at the counter again. If he was surprised by my yelp then he didn't show it, keeping both his face and voice deadpan.
"I have encountered an issue with my table. It's not there."
"What?" I leaned out over the counter to get a better look at where his table would usually be, and sure enough, it wasn't there. Then I remembered. "Damn, the manager rearranged the seating yesterday. What on earth possessed him to move your table as well?"
Salvius shrugged. "No idea. But there's nothing we can do about it for now. I'll just have to sit here." And with that he placed his latte on the far end of the counter and pulled out one of the high stools, hopping up onto it. He smiled (it was more of a smirk actually) at me and brought out his notebook and pen, beginning his usual process.
"Do I ever get to see what's in there?" I asked, innocently enough.
"Maybe…" he murmured, moving the book ever so slightly closer to him. I decided not to press the matter. I was curious, sure, but it really wasn't any of my business and personal privacy wasn't something I ignored.
We didn't talk much after that. Salvius finished his latte in silence but would smile when I looked his way. When I faced away to make someone else their coffee I swore I could feel his eyes watching my every move, but when I turned back he was engrossed in his notebook. It was probably just my imagination.
"Belimicus?"
I was in the market place when I heard my name being called. I looked up to see Salvius headed toward me, a mildly surprised smile on his face. I stared at him, finding myself in an unprecedented situation. We had never seen – let alone talked – outside of Starbucks before and I wasn't too sure whether he still counted as a customer or not.
"What are you doing here?" he asked as he reached me, stopping a polite distance away.
"A friend was supposed to meet me," I replied, "but he never showed. So I kind of just thought I'd take a look around by myself." I scratched the back of my head sheepishly and something fell on my fingers. I looked up. "Is it raining?"
A few drops of water were falling from the sky, increasing in quantity quite rapidly. Soon a light drizzle had formed, not yet enough to bother people but wet all the same.
"We should go inside," I suggested, knowing full well that this was the type of shower that would get exponentially worse.
"There are hardly any shops around here, and they're all closed on Sundays," Salvius said, frowning. When he saw me looking at him, somewhat confused, he smiled again. "What? It's old fashioned around this area. You didn't know?"
I shook my head. "I don't live anywhere close to here. It's two buses and a twenty minute walk between this market and my house." As I spoke the rain became heavier, soaking through my clothes. I really should have known better and worn a coat at this time of year.
"A twenty minute walk? In this rain?" Salvius clamped a hand on my shoulder. "I don't think so. Look, I live near here. We'll go to my house and I'll give you a lift home, okay?" The look in his eyes made it clear that I wasn't allowed to refuse, so I nodded. "Good. This way."
Salvius wasn't joking when he said he lived nearby. It took us less than two minutes to get to his home, one in an entire street of cottages. You know, like those quaint little things from the fairytales. As we made our way there I realised just how short Salvius was compared to me, a fact I had never really notice before. Then again, I was taller than most people, so it shouldn't have been such a surprise.
"Here we are," he said. "Did you want to come in for a drink?"
"No, I thinks it's best I went home," I replied. Salvius' face fell slightly. Was he… disappointed? If he was he didn't act like it, unlocking his car with the keys he already had out. (For the record, he drives a tiny silver Fiat that I whacked my head on the doorframe of. I made him swear never to mention it.)
"Belimicus, save me!" Salvius slouched into Starbucks and sat at the counter, resting his head upon it. So I rested his fresh coffee on his head. "What was that for?" he asked, sounding offended as he bolted upright (I managed to move the cup away in time before any of it spilled).
"Don't put your face on the counter, I'll get in trouble. Now what's the problem?"
Salvius groaned and made to flop down again, but stopped as he saw me looking down at him. He just sagged in his chair instead. "It's my parents. They're coming to stay with me for a while and I just know that they're going to pester me again about moving because they think I don't have any friends here!"
"And what do you want me to do about it?"
"Just have dinner with us! Show them that I do have… friends."
"Er, okay…"
"Thank you," Salvius said intently, clasping my hand in his. "You have no idea how much it means to me that you'd do this."
"Alright, alright," I sighed, for some reason tired from dealing with his strange behaviour. "Now give me your money so I can give you the coffee!"
Salvius leaned against the doorway as I pulled my jumper into a more comfortable position.
"Thanks for coming tonight."
"My pleasure. Your parents aren't nearly as bad as you make them sound," I said. Salvius groaned again, like he always seemed to do when he remembered they were here.
"You haven't known them that long. They'll stop acting polite as soon as you're gone." An expression crept onto his face, one that made me immediately wary of what he was going to say. "I know: why don't you stay here until they leave? Then they'll have to mind their manners the entire time!"
I chuckled at his ridiculous proposition. "No Salvius, I have my own house to live in." I took a step outside and toward my car (that I had borrowed from a friend as compensation for standing me up at the market). "I'll see you tomorrow. Bring your parents. I'm sure they'll enjoy the coffee!"
I walked away, laughing at the horrified face Salvius was pulling as he imagined himself taking his parents to Starbucks.
I stared at him.
"What do you mean…" I said in a low voice, "…you 'don't do Halloween'?"
Salvius' face split into a grin that he tried to hide behind his hand. "Oh my god, you look so offended," he said, barely holding back his laughter.
"I am offended! How could you?! Halloween is the best time of year for kids, after Christmas and Easter! Free sweets! No one judging you for dressing up! Late bedtime! It's amazing!"
"I guess that makes you a kid then Belimicus," he said, still laughing.
"Take this seriously! Alright, you're coming to my place on Halloween and I'm showing you how it's done! Got it?" He opened his mouth to refuse and I jabbed him in the forehead with my finger. "You don't have a choice."
"Well someone looks grumpy today," Salvius said, resting his chin on his hand.
"Yeah, well apparently I'm not allowed to 'attack' customers, even if I know them personally. So here." I slid a piece of paper across the counter. "The letter of apology my manager made me write."
Salvius grinned as he read it, looking up at me with a mischievous glint in his eyes. "I am definitely framing this and hanging it in my hallway."
I glared. "Don't you dare."
I smiled smugly and placed the Xbox controller on the sofa beside me. "Salvius, you suck."
"No, you just cheat!" he retaliated, pushing me to try to make me fall over, forgetting that I was stronger than him.
"I don't, you're just really bad at this game. Now, which way is the bathroom again?"
"The door on the left," he replied, sulking in the wake of his defeat. I got up and went into the hall, managing to make my way down half of it before I saw something that I recognised far too well.
"Oh my god!" I shouted in surprise, then proceeded to slump to the floor in a ball. Salvius came rushing out of the living room with a panicked look on his face. He froze as I glowered at him. "I can't believe," I growled, "that you actually went and got that letter framed!"
It took a moment for him to process what I said and link it to the apology hanging on the wall, but when he did Salvius just laughed.
I pushed the cup across the counter. "On pumpkin spice latte for you, Mr I-Hate-Halloween-And-All-Sweet-Things."
"Hey, I never said I didn't like sweet things," Salvius feigned hurt as he took his cup.
"You choked the first time you drank this," I reminded him. "I didn't think you'd ever order it again though."
"I was just surprised by how sweet it was," he said, taking a sip of his latte. "Sweet as frick."
I stared at him in silence for a while, and he made a point of ignoring me. My eyes narrowed.
"You just admitted you hate Halloween."
"With the way you're acting," he smiled and I felt my face flush as he looked down into his drink, "I could grow to like it."
The light on the kettle switched on and it began to heat the water for tea. "Salvius, I can hear you've changed the channel," I said, returning to the living room. "I'm gone for ten seconds and you change it. Seriously?"
Salvius twisted to look at me over the back of the sofa. "I don't want to watch football."
"And I don't want to watch The Great British Bakeoff!"
"My house, my rules," Salvius said, waving the remote at me to emphasise his authority. "Now sit yourself down and watch."
I huffed but did as he said, intending to leave when the kettle finished boiling. Then I forgot about it.
"Belimicus, weren't you making tea?" Salvius asked as he realised I wasn't going to do so.
"Yeah, I was. Now shush, I'm watching Bakeoff."
I could feel Salvius laughing beside me but was too interested in the show to say anything to him. The sofa shifted as he got up. "Okay, I'll make tea. I guess it is sort of my turn to make the drinks." And he continued to laugh that wonderful laugh of his.
Life went on like this, a peaceful existence where Salvius and I grew closer. But then there was Halloween.
He arrived at my house in the early evening, just as I was putting out some extra decorations. I waved as he got out of his car. "Hey, Salvius. Come help me. Stick some cobwebs by the door please!"
He looked sceptical. "Do I have to?"
"Yes." I threw a stick at him for daring to question me. "My house, my rules."
He must have gotten the joke because he laughed and put up the webbing without further complaint. "Okay, you can come in now." I held the door open for him, then pushed it closed with my foot once he had passed, using my hands to steal his bag.
"What costume did you get?" I asked, pulling the clothes from the bag. I held them up to study them. "A Roman?"
"It was the only thing I could think of," Salvius said. He looked down briefly, then back up at me. "What are you going as?"
"A king. I've done most costumes already, so I'm running out of ideas too."
"A Roman and a king, huh?" Salvius smiled, but behind his eyes there was something else, a sadness that he couldn't bear to mention. I chewed my lower lip and handed the costume back to him.
"Go and get changed." Salvius nodded and headed off to the bathroom. I made toward the stairs, but on the way I caught sight of something on the floor: Salvius' notebook, lying open and facedown. It must have fallen out of his bag when I took it.
"Why'd he even bring this?" I asked aloud, despite no one being there to answer. I picked it up and was going to put it back in his bag, but then I saw it. My name.
My curiosity overcame me and I decided it was finally alright for me to read what was in the book. After all, Salvius and I were practically best friends now. I lifted the book high enough that I could read the last entry.
It's Halloween. Apparently one of Belimicus' favourite days. Maybe this year will actually be fun.
"What is this, a diary?" I raised an eyebrow and flicked back a few pages.
Belimicus is addicted to Bakeoff. I have created a monster. Also, he likes bears. I guess that makes sense.
"Idiot," I said, smiling at how interesting he seemed to find me. I really didn't think I was all that special.
I flicked back again, reading some entries and not others. He seemed to have documented every little detail about each day he had seen me, even if it was only at Starbucks. It was actually a little weird. Then I found a passage with a far different tone than the others.
Today Belimicus told me about a boy at his old school, who someone once called 'Cogidubbles' by accident and it became his nickname. Belimicus doesn't like him very much.
I have to be careful. There's no way that boy is anyone but Cogidubnus, and he might not be like Belimicus. He might be like me. He might know. I must avoid him at all costs.
"What's that about?" I wondered. "Did they know each other or something?"
I continued to read back, but the novelty of finding out what was in the notebook began to turn sour. Salvius' notes were still happy, but I was beginning to get nervous. The very nature of this diary was suspicious, not to mention he knew things, about me and my life, things I was certain I hadn't told him, and secrets I would never share. And then I reached the very first entry with me name, from back in late August, when I had first got the job at Starbucks. It was short, but it carried a weight unlike any of the other entries.
I found him. I found Belimicus.
There was a gasp from behind me and I whirled around, dropping the notebook in the process. Salvius stood there, dressed up with a fearful expression on his face. He moved toward me and I automatically stepped back, maintaining the distance between us.
"It's not what it looks like..." Salvius said, his voice comeing ou as a hoarse whisper.
"Really? Because it sure as hell doesn't look like the kind of thing a friend would write!" I continued to back away, My eyes fixated on Salvius. ""What do you want with me?" My back hit the wall and I slid down to the floor, incapable of moving anymore. Was everything a lie? All we had done, all he had said, all I thought he would maybe – just maybe – feel for me?
"Oh Belimicus," Salvius said, kneeling beside me. "My dear Belimicus. You really don't remember, do you? What we had, all that time ago? We were together, but the I did some bad things - terrible things and you…. you were gone for such…. such a long time." Tears began to flow from his eyes. Why? Why was he crying? What couldn't I remember? "But you're here now, finally. I know I have no right to be forgiven for what I did, but please, let me have this second chance… I…"
The next three words cut through the air between us, so new and yet so familiar.
"…I love you."
I lifted my head to meet Salvius' eyes, feeling my hesitations and doubts suddenly crumbled away. Whatever we had before, whatever things he was talking about, I still couldn't remember. But there was one thing I did know. It was something comfortable, something I had known the moment I saw him sitting in that corner in Starbucks but was too afraid to admit this entire time. I took Salvius face's in my hands, gently lifting it up and wiping the tears from his eyes. Slowly I brought my lips down to his, a light kiss that sent warmth rushing through me. It was a sweet taste. Sweet as frick. I pulled away and smiled.
"I love you too."