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Double: (adj.) Twice as much in size, strength, number, quantity or amount.
Espresso: (noun) A strong coffee prepared by forcing steam under pressure through ground dark-roast coffee beans.
Double Espresso: (noun) One of the many beverages that Sora Vaïve should never be given under any circumstances.
"And the Cat and Mouse Game Begins"
Tink-a-clink-a-link.
Axel counted to something like two thousand seven hundred and eighty-nine (he knew it was some odd number bigger than ninety (he wasn't that big on counting)) before the first caffeine-seeking customer stepped into the bar. Yeah well, Tuesdays were always ridiculously slow. It was only 7:15 in the morning though. But he knew Tuesdays were always doomed to be decceleratively slow. So slow in fact that Axel was surprised Leon didn't just decide to make every single Tuesday a day off altogether. It would take a load of work off their shoulders. Of course, to the boss man, that would undoubtedly be the most ludicrous plan of action ever ("Who the hell would not operate a coffee place on Tuesdays? Pretty damn random day to close shop, if you ask me."). He knew that Leon took his job as Overseer/Manager/Superior of The Fix veeeery seriously. Verily very. He was awfully career-minded, that guy.
That was not to say that Axel disliked Leon. No, no. Quite on the contrary, really. Much to the smug delight of the redhead, Leon seemed to (discreetly) show interest in many of Axel's charming anecdotes and outrageous tales, and he didn't seem to mind his spicy attitude and roguish behaviour (they didn't seem to piss the boss man off at any rate at least). The redhead was proud of the fact that he was able to not just tame the lion within Leon, but make him laugh at his cheap plastic jokes as well. He was one of the few people (read: probably the only person in the world) who could make Leon display some kind of emotion (the positive, not negative, kind of emotion, mind you). It was a fact that he loved to rub in Cloud Strife's face. Where Axel Onér (University Reject Extraordinaire) was the boss' best pal in the workplace, Cloud Strife (University Dropout Extraordinaire) remained the painful thorn in the boss' side.
Anyway, Tuesdays (like I was saying) were slow. The first customer who walked through the tinted double glass doors (fitted with an awesome welcome/exit chime, thankyouverymuchpleasecomeagain) had ordered a regular coffee to go and had already left in a hurry to get to work (the McDonald's down on Coronation Drive, by the looks of the dude's uniform). Bright sunlight was streaming through the glass doors, lighting the place up quite nicely. Thank the Lord the bar was indoors and air-conditioned. Summer was a killer season in Twilight City. Like, seriously. It had been known to start an outbreak of the bubonic plague. Honest. Fleas and rats multiply like rabbits in summer. Or so Axel liked to tell himself.
Axel sighed semi-dramatically (oh, woe!). Why in the name of Aladdin's lamp did he sign up for this job again?
"I know what you're thinking," Cloud muttered from beside him in dark disposition as he wiped down the bench top of the divider rather vehemently, his biceps and less-than-awe-inspiring arm muscles bulging with strain due to over-excessive cleaning. The counter was squeaky clean. Spotless. Immaculate. Freaking antiseptic. Really, there was no need to put a hole in the marble surface with such abrasive cleaning agents. But then again, Cloud had nothing better to do. Counter cleaner was probably his main role at the bar. Or something. "This is such a fucking bore," the blond continued, lifting up a cookie jar (Mrs. Fields ain't got nothin' on The Fix!) to swipe under it. "Can't believe I've been working here seven days a week for six months now. I totally fucking hate my stinking life."
Axel looked at Cloud, amused. He had one of those pouty-unhappy-grr-iamsoannoyedrightnow expressions plastered onto his face. It looked hilariously comical to the redhead for some reason.
"Sure looks that way to me, Strifey."
Cloud looked like he wanted to throw the cookie jar (Famous Amos, hell yeah!) at the offending redhead. "Don't call me that!" the blond snarled sharply.
"Or what? You'll cookie me?"
Cloud slammed the jar back down on the counter.
"Rawr! Someone's catty today!" Axel exclaimed with a huge grin. His acid-green eyes sparkled with something like unhidden glee. Oh yes, the young man truly revelled in other people's pain and frustration. Cruel, sadistic, immature bastard. "Does the poor little kitty cat want a huuug?"
Cloud flung the dish cloth at Axel with an ugh! of disdain. On a perfectly normal day, the redhead would have been able to skilfully dodge the soaring piece of fabric soaked in lemony fresh cleaning detergent (he always believed he had been The Flash in a previous life). This was not a perfectly normal day. So it kinda flew at him and hit him in the face with a dull splat (that sounded more like a dull 'phlup').
"Keep your lecherous hugs to yourself, you freak," Cloud hmphed, basking in a few golden moments of satisfaction ('Booyah! I hit him! 20,000 points to me, bitch!')
"Ew! Yuck! Ew, ew!" Axel pried the damp cloth off him with a thumb and forefinger and dumped it on the counter. "Damn, this kitty's got some claws! Me-ow!"
"Stop with the cat-talk!" Cloud yelled. "Do I look like a feline to you? I don't remember having any pointy ears and shit. I swear, those Loveless comics are getting to your fucking head!"
"Oh my god, stop screaming at me!" Axel shrieked theatrically, arms akimbo and flailing wildly. Then, he just sort of dropped them limply, shoulders sagging, head shaking sympathetically. "Man, Cloud, you really need to get laid. Or… something."
Cloud grabbed the cloth and started scrubbing the countertop again with renewed dynamism. "Yeah?" he grounded out between clenched teeth.
"Uh-huh. Totally."
"What? You offering?"
Axel stared at the blond, an eyebrow raised as though Cloud had just proposed some stupid proposal. "You kidding me? Two words for you, hot shot. No freakin' way."
The blond continued scrubbing, thinking to himself that maybe the redhead had a counting problem. "And here I thought you swung both ways," he muttered.
"I swing every way," Axel declared, enunciating the word 'every' by jabbing a finger at himself. "But you are not, uh, you know, swinging material."
Cloud looked up and stared with his what-the-fuck face.
"Wait, I mean you're… not worth to be… swung at? No, that's not it…" the redhead thought for a moment. "Ahah! Got it!" He pointed at Cloud for effect. "You are not worth my swinging efforts! Yeah!" Axel nodded happily, finally content with his elucidation.
Cloud's expression changed spectacularly. His grip on the poor, innocent little dish cloth constricted suffocatingly. (If it had any feelings, it would be yelling, "Goddammit, unhand me you cloth-killing bastard!")
"I mean, come on!" Axel jabbered on. "Have you looked yourself in the mirror lately?"
Cloud's eyes narrowed dangerously into slits. "And what the hell's that supposed to mean?"
"Nothing," Axel sniggered, indicating that he did not, in fact, think it was nothing.
"Man, you're fucking gay."
"Mmhmm," Axel mumbled, already losing interest in the conversation and not paying much attention to the sullen blond. "Yeah, uh, I guess," the redhead nodded, "Whatever you say, dude."
Cloud sort of growled. Axel grinned and tottered over to the small, tiny radio they owned (they being The Fix in general) and flicked the volume up. Some random song that sounded vaguely like a happy-feel-good tune out of a Friends episode (Love Song for No One – John Mayer) was playing. He briefly wondered if he should change the station to something that played emo/punk/Cloud-ish songs ("I bleed it out, digging deeper just to throw it away!"). Maybe his blond friend would appreciate it. But hey, the customers wouldn't (not that they had any in the bar at the moment, but whatever). He kept the happy song on.
The two sort of moped around behind the counter for the next few minutes. After awhile, Cloud seemed to have calmed down. He started muttering to himself. Or at least that's what Axel thought he was doing, until he realised that the blond was muttering lyrics in tune to the song on the radio.
"… searchin' all my days just to find you, I'm not sure who I'm lookin' for. I'll know it, when I see you…" Cloud half-hummed, half-sang under his breath, bobbing his head to the music.
"You know this song?" The redhead was surprised.
Cloud turned to regard his co-worker almost severely. "John Mayer, fool. Everyone knows his songs."
Not me. Axel shrugged. "Right. You keep tellin' yourself that, Strifeyyy-err-yyyyes! Ilikecardboard. Yes, yes, I do!" he quickly corrected himself.
Cloud sighed. He let it go.
I could've met you in sandbox… I could've passed you on the sidewalk. Could I have missed my chance, and watched you walk awaaaay?
"Where's Leon anyway?" Axel murmured, poking at a few random buttons on the cash register.
"Dead?" Cloud supplied helpfully.
"Naw, don't say that. You love him! Yes you dooo! Everyone loves Squaaaall! He's one hell of a stud muffin!"
"Stud muffin my ass!" Cloud scoffed. "I love him as much as I love you. Meaning, no, I don't love him, and yes, sometimes I wanna punch him in between the eyes because he gets on my fuckin' nerves."
"Ouch," Axel winced. "You wound me, Cloud."
"Oops, my bad," the blond shrugged uncaringly.
"Well, seriously though, check on Leon. Maybe he collapsed in the kitchen and died for real."
"I'd be overly joyous if that were true," Cloud muttered.
"You must be very disappointed then, Strife, to know that I am in perfectly good health right now."
Cloud resisted the urge to bang his head against the counter and knock himself out.
StrikethoughSquallendstrikethrough Leon(hart) had emerged from the kitchen (why the hell was he always so sneaky like that?!). He had a sheet of A3 paper in his hand (the heading read 'HELP WANTED').
"All hail the boss man!" Axel saluted Leon's appearance.
Leon tsked and shook his head. "Whatever, Axel. I'm putting this poster up by the doorway," he said soberly. "Then I'm heading out to attend an interview for about an hour. You two'll mend the bar, I hope?" He glared at the two as though daring them to disagree and say no. Pfft. As if they would.
"Yes, boss man, sir! Er, what interview's that? …Sir?" Axel was curious. It was only 7:28AM in the morning. Leon never left the bar in the hands of his employees at such an early hour. They only just opened up twenty-eight freaking minutes ago!
"You don't have to know, because quite frankly, it's none of your business," Leon said, heading to the front door and sticking the piece of paper to the wall with large globs of blu tac. "At least not yet, anyway," he finished. "Right, I'm off. See you guys in a bit," the man muttered, yanking the door open.
Tink-a-clink-a-link.
"This place had better be standing when I get back."
And Leon was gone
Less than a minute later, the door opened again and the chime went off.
Tink-a-clink-a-link.
Axel figured that they should get a new greeting chime. Preferably something that played the tune to some Freaky Fantasy IX music. That would be wicked cool.
Anyway, two customers walked through the doors. They were chatting away vociferously (well, one of them seemed to be doing enough talking for the both of them). Cloud looked up at the newcomers, rolled his eyes, whispered, "You handle these two, Axel. I'm gonna go hang out the back for awhile."
Axel waved the blond off. "Yeah, whatever. Go have a cigarette or something. Have fun. I've got your back, yo." The redhead winked. "Just make sure your ass is back here by the time Squall-poo gets back."
Cloud snorted, a small smile playing on his lips, and left through the kitchen door. Yeah, the dropout loved the daily banter he had with his colleague. It may get on his nerves sometimes (really, most of his irritation was feigned anyways), but it was probably the only thing that kept him sane in this dull, monotonous job. Axel was his lifesaver. Kinda.
Anyways, Axel was left on his own to mend the counter, having been deserted by his co-workers (which, as the redhead was about to learn, was a pretty good thing).
Back to the matter at hand, the two customers who had just entered The Fix had walked up to the counter and were now waiting for the barista (they really shouldn't be called 'baristas', more like 'coffee makers', but whatever) to take their order. Axel pretended to be busying himself with nothing in particular (yes, he was a busy man), then glanced up at them with (vague) interest when one of them cleared their throats. Ah, yes. They were definitely teenage kids (they were in school uniform), was the first thing the redhead noticed. Wow. Pretty unusual to have high school kids coming in at this hour. What was it? 7:34AM? Odd.
"Hello little dudes. What'll it be today?" he exclaimed with a huge smile.
The kid on the right with messy brown spikes of hair and freakishly huge ocean-blue eyes waved and returned Axel's mega smile with one of his own. "Hey there! Could I like, have a double espresso please?" he piped up in the most cheery, upbeat voice Axel had ever heard in his life.
"What he means is two espressos. Not a single with double the dose of caffeine," the other kid (blond, equally messy hair, equally blue eyes – albeit a shade darker) muttered lowly, looking like he wanted to strangle his friend but couldn't really be bothered to because it would probably take up too much effort.
Axel did a double take when he finally fully laid eyes on this second customer. Oh, man. Holy. Fucking. Hell. He was the most prettiest thing he had ever been given the chance to look at. He had this pale, soft, quietly mellifluous, just-a-tad-lighter-than-dark quality about him. Fucking pretty as an angel. Like, seriously. No one should look that pretty. It should be… against the law or something. Axel was suddenly insanely ecstatic. Something good actually happened today. This golden-haired kid walked in!
Tuesdays, he suddenly decided, were very awesome.
Then, he remembered he was taking an order. "Okay. Two espressos for you," the redhead nodded dismissively at the brunet. Then, diverting all attention, he turned to face the blond, flashing him with one of his trademark So Very Sexy Axel smile. "And what do youuuu want?" he purred enticingly.
The blond cutie frowned, not exactly amused. "Does my friend look like he actually needs two espressos?" he grounded out sarcastically.
Axel blinked, confused, then he glanced back at the bouncy brunet once more. Yep, he looked like a kid on crack. He was playing with the damn menu on the counter, dammit. No one actually looked at the damn menu on the damn counter. "Uh, no…?" he ventured cautiously.
"Exactly," Blondie said tartly. "Two espressos. One for me," he pointed at himself, "and one for him," he jabbed his thumb at his lively friend. Then, the kid shoved a ten dollar bill in the redhead's direction. "And that will be all."
Axel decided that he liked the kid immediately. He was straightforward, temperamental, demanding, gorgeously hot… and would probably play hard-to-get. But the fact that he was gorgeously hot goddammit outweighed that slight setback. Just his type of guy. Perfect.
He cashed the ten dollar note and returned the change (4 dollars and 40 cents) with a receipt.
"Uh, would that be to go? Or are you guys having it here in the bar?"
Brown-Haired Kid glanced at Blondie, shrugged, grinned. "We'll have it here. School doesn't start till like, eight-thirty anyways."
Axel nodded. "Take a seat, then."
And so they did.
Axel then busied himself with making the orders. It was almost second nature to him now. Working the coffee machine was easy as pie. But for some reason, his eyes were kinda glued to the back of his new object of veneration (he was seated with his back to the redhead, sadly). It made the job of working the coffee machine considerably trickier. But whatever. Hot kid. Must. Stare.
Several thoughts were running through his head at this moment and he wondered if it was possible to discretely stick his phone number to the blond kid's mug of espresso without the other kid knowing (not that he cared if the brunet knew or not). But then he realised that Blondie was probably far from the type to actually call up weird strangers working full shifts at a coffee bar who was technically five/six/maybe seven years his senior anyways. Well, Blondie had better become a regular then. If not for the sole purpose of discreet wooing and/or flirting, then for the sole purpose of ogling and admiring from afar. Blondie looked so hot. Pretty-boy hot. In fact, he looked something like a cross between Cloud and Jesse (like, that McCartney guy), which kind of verily freaked the redhead out. No. Scratch that. Cloud could never be as hot as Blondie, and Jesse could never be as pretty-boy as Blondie. Axel shook his head. Where had his brain gone? To sleep?
Anyways, he was finally done with making the espressos. With exact precision, he loaded the top of the two coffees with a dusting of cinnamon powder and white chocolate shavings and carried them over to the awaiting high school kids.
Brownie grinned at Axel as he came by and placed the two large coffees on the table where the two teenagers sat.
"Took you long enough," Blondie grumbled, grabbing his beverage.
"Don't listen to him," Brownie said with a friendly grin, "We've still got about an hour to kill till school starts. And it's just a five minute sprint from here." He sighed happily, taking a tentative sip from his steaming coffee mug. "Man, I'm so glad we found this place! We can now so totally come here like, every day before school for like, a quick breakfast! This place is awesome!" Brownie glanced around the deserted bar with eyes that seemed too überly wide to be normal. "It's quiet, roomy, comfy and awesome. Kinda has this certain ambience to it… Totally cool. And very awesome!"
"You said awesome thrice," Hot Blond Kid said dismally.
"Cuz it's triply awesome."
Blondie sighed. "S'pose so."
Axel shrugged, grabbed a chair and pulled it over, sitting at their table with them. Wasn't like he had anything better to do. Sitting and chatting with the customers seemed like a reasonable thing to do. Plus, hello? Hot blond guy to his right! How could he pass up this chance?
"You may think it's all quiet and roomy and comfy and stuff – hey, it's Tuesday – but it gets hella crowded in the afternoons on most days, and we almost always get swamped by the time evening comes 'round," he said, waving a hand in the air.
"Ah. Figures," the brunet nodded sagely, sipping from his espresso. "Tuesdays must be slow."
"Why, you little genius!" Axel exclaimed, then laughed. Blondie rolled his eyes, indicating that he did not, in fact, think there was anything very genius about his friend. He sipped at his coffee rather impassively.
"So, where are you guys from? Like, which school? Sundown State High? Or that private institution down the other way?"
"The one down the other way."
"Saint Alexandros' College?"
"Yup! Final year. We graduate in November."
"Man, you two must be loaded."
"Naw, he's the rich one," the brunet said, pointing at hot blond. "I'm on a half-scholarship. My parents are like, living in poverty or something."
Blondie rolled his eyes. "Yeah, uh-huh. You tell everyone that story."
"What? It's true, man! C'mon! You know it!"
"Dude. Like, what are you talking about? Your dad owns half the friggin' city!"
"Don't 'dude' me, dude! Dude, that's just- just… rude!" Brownie stopped short, blinked, then broke into a grin. "Wow, I'm a poet and I didn't even know it!" he sang.
Two seconds later, Axel heard the back door open and close. And then Cloud came through the kitchen door to stand behind the counter. "Axel, just what the hell're you doing over there?" he thundered.
Axel cringed, then scratched his head bashfully. "Uh, getting to know the customers?" he said, as though it were the most normal thing for him to do. Really, wasn't it?
Cloud rolled his eyes. Oh god, him and Blondie could totally be cousins! "Stop fraternising with them and get your ass over here where it belongs!"
"Right. Fine. Whatever." Axel looked apologetically at the two teenagers at the table, mouthed 'that guy is totally cuckoo' at them whilst pointing inconspicuously at Cloud, heaved himself out of his chair and stood, straightening his uniform and sighing overdramatically. "Well kids, enjoy the rest of your coffee. I gotta' go make my disgruntled colleague over there happy and stand beside him in that tiny space behind the stupid counter now and busy myself with… stuff. Later!" And yeah, the redhead couldn't help it. He ruffled Blondie's blond hair and walked off with a grin on his face.
Cloud was glaring swords and daggers and other similar pointy objects at him as he approached the counter. "Yeah, yeah, save it," Axel muttered. "Leon ain't here. Lighten up, man. Jeez. You just ruined a perfectly good opportunity for me to acquaint myself with the blond one over there." He pointed for effect.
"Acquaint?" Cloud looked incredulous. "In your dictionary, that kinda means 'flirt with, and eventually get into said acquaintance's pants'. Axel, he's like, fifteen!" he hissed lowly.
"Nuh-uh! Final year of high school. Makes him something like sixteen. Or seventeen. Or eighteen."
"You're like, twenty-four in a month."
"I like, don't really give a fuck."
"That's an age gap of seven years!" Cloud spluttered.
"Could be six."
"Pedophile."
"Moron."
"Idiot."
"Strifey."
"Argh! Shut up, go away. Don't talk to me." And Cloud stormed back into the kitchen, slamming the door behind him.
Brownie and Blondie glanced up from their conversation to look towards the counter. Loud noises. Hmm. Let's all turn and stare at the source!
"Er," Axel blinked. "Don't mind him. He's had too many emo pills or something."
The boys returned to their drinks and their tête-à-tête.
Something like ten, fifteen minutes went by. Axel was getting extremely bored.
"We're doooone!" Brownie announced, prancing to his feet and flourishing his arms indicatively at the empty cups on the table in typical 'ta dahhh!' fashion. Indeed, they had finished their espressos.
"Time to head off?" Blondie questioned, looking towards his friend inquiringly.
"Yup!" the brunet nodded, then grinned at Axel. "Gotta go, coffee man! School calls!"
And the two kids headed towards the exit. But then, just as they were about to pull the door open, Brownie caught sight of something on the wall.
"Hey look here, Rox!" he exclaimed excitedly, pointing. "Help wanted. See manager for enquiries… Hmm…"
And Brownie all but ripped the poster off the wall (it almost ripped itself in half, actually). The very poster Leon had just tacked on a few minutes before. Oh boy, the boss man would chuck a fit later on. Axel winced.
"I'm taking this, dude!" the brunet perpetrator yelled, and then, without further ado, he grabbed Blondie by the wrist and dashed out of the bar and around the corner, disappearing in a cloud of imaginary dust.
They were gone.
Actually, Brownie doubled back for a few seconds, screamed "Your coffee is the shiz, yo!" whilst waving the poster in the air like a cheerleader's pompom, and then disappeared around the corner again.
Axel wondered if giving him an espresso was such a great idea after all. In all seriousness, the brunet's energetic liveliness could spell the doom of his prestigious high school. Yes, he could so see the headlines of tonight's news. 'Caffeine-fuelled Boy Destroys Private High School'.
But that only took up two point five seconds of the redhead's thoughts before he started to wonder if he'd ever see the pretty blond kid again.
Author's Note: Axel needs to learn how to count.