Chapter 2: Starbucks
October 2nd, 2014
Closing time for Køhler's Koffee was nearing after a long day with a lot of rush. The Bondevik siblings were occupying their last minutes of work with building a castle of gift cards, Nathan was counting the day's income, again, and Tino had sold the last latte of the day. Upon the exit of the last customer and the store's clock ringing six times, Mathias danced to the door and changed the sign to 'closed.'
"Today was the busiest day of the year," Emil complained.
"You say that every day," Lukas responded and snatched the card out of his brother's hand before adding it to the castle.
"But hey, we're closed tomorrow," Tino added. Emil let out a sigh of relief. "How much did we get today, Nathan?" Tino walked over to the man at the cash register and glanced over his shoulder.
"Yes," Nathan replied in his deep, monotone voice without looking up from the cash in his hands. Tino continued to wait for an actual answer until Berwald appeared from the kitchen. He made his way over to Tino and sat in the stool next to him, yawning.
"Ber, don't tell me you're tired already," Tino gave him a sunny smile and put his hands on both of Berwald's shoulders.
"I cleaned each table about eight times each," Berwald tilted his head backwards to look up at Tino. "Carry me home,"
"I don't know, I kinda have to drive, too," Tino laughed.
"You can try,"
"Hey, hey, guys!" Mathias's voice was so loud, it made Nathan look up from the wad of currency he was holding and nearly sent Lukas and Emil's card castle to the ground.
The Dutch cashier gently put the money away and cracked his knuckles. "This better be good, Køhler,"
"Just come over here and look," the Dane pressed his face to the front window. "The new building is almost finished!" The five others walked over to take a look. Sure enough, the new building project that had started back in late August was almost done and being painted. There was a 'coming soon' sign, that hadn't been there that morning sitting out on the window.
"I wonder what it will be," Lukas thought out loud.
"Hopefully a restaurant," Tino replied. "I'm getting sick of fried chicken,"
"How can you get sick of fried chicken?" Nathan asked. "Tasty and cheap."
"And unhealthy," Tino complained.
"Maybe it's going to be a Subway," Mathias suggested, interrupting Tino.
"Maybe Chinese food," Emil insisted.
"I hate Chinese food," Lukas grumbled.
"Chinese food hates you," Emil glared at his brother.
A man, sporting a bright neon yellow shirt and a pair of glasses, appeared from inside the building holding another sign. Everyone went quiet for a moment, except for Lukas who muttered something about neon shirts being a terrible invention. They watched eagerly as the sign was hung, but then there was a gasp.
Coming Soon: Starbucks
Silence plagued the room as everyone slowly turned and looked at Mathias. He continued to stare out the window with his hands and nose touching the glass.
Tino finally spoke up. "There's nothing to worry about, right?" He patted Mathias's back. "We'll keep our customers."
The man from before had walked back outside and looked directly at the six of them staring out the window. He began waving and shouting something.
The Nordics began waving back, each forcing a smile. Nathan, instead of acting nice, punched the window hostilely. He continued to smile, though looking mildly concerned, and then almost hurriedly went back into the soon-to-be-Starbucks. "Stupid glasses man with bad fashion sense," Nathan muttered.
"There's no way Køhler's Koffee would fall due to that blabbering nonsense." Emil hissed.
Mathias withdrew himself from the window. "You're right!" He declared, climbing onto the nearest table and standing before the rest. "We have amazing coffee made with love, loyal customers, attractive Germanic accents, and donuts. We cannot lose to some lame, well-known and popular coffee shop!"
"Yeah!" the rest agreed enthusiastically. Mathias removed his work hat and slammed it down onto the table. The five others watched in terror as he slipped and fell onto the castle of cards subsequently.
Less than a week after the Starbucks' grand opening, Køhler's Koffee was deserted. Even their neighbors, Matthew and Francis, abandoned them. They would come by in the mornings, but then Mathias would see them walk across the street to the Starbucks. After the couple of customers during the early mornings leave, it would be as if they were closed.
The Bondevik brothers grew bored of the lack of business and began spending their time playing slap-tag or doodling on the chalkboard. When Berwald wasn't cleaning up after them, he feasted upon donuts and surfed the internet with Tino.
Mathias paced around the same table for hours, occasionally glancing at the door. Tino had asked if he was okay twice, and he swore he was. Nathan was perched by the front window in a nest made of his jacket, scarf and napkins, glaring at the building across the street. Tino and Berwald swear they haven't seen him blink once, and they hear him talking to himself from time to time. Nobody dared ask if he's okay or speak to him. They all knew he wasn't alright.
All was quiet, but the silence was broken when Mathias slammed a fist on the table that he was pacing around. He gained everyone's attention and spoke after a cry in pain from his now-sore hand. "I've had enough of this self-pity!" he declared, his right eye shed a tear. "We need to get rid of that over-priced, bean-water store and that gross Alfred Jones!"
"How do you expect us to do that?" Emil asked, sarcastically. "Bake him a cake and write 'leave' in pink icing on top of it?"
"We stuff the cake with weed and watch him after he eats it," Lukas added.
"No, I have a better idea," Nathan chimed in, getting up from his nest. Everyone stared in silence up until the point Nathan was dashing from behind the counter to the door holding a rather large axe in his hands. Tino laughed, expecting a 'just kidding' that would not come.
Emil and Lukas were to first to chase after him. They managed to grab Nathan as he was exiting the shop. "I will dismantle this establishment, board by board!" He screamed before Berwald approached him from behind and took him from the siblings' hands. He was dragged back into Køhler's Koffee as everyone standing in a 100 meter radius stared at them, horrified.
"You can't just attempt to vandalize!" Mathais gripped at him. "Where did you even get this axe?! You're not a fucking Viking!" Mathias jerked the weapon away from Nathan. "Go home, all of you, I need time to think and act."
Berwald was the first to arrive to work the next morning, and the first to find Mathias Køhler, shaking and pale, lying by the entrance. Berwald kneeled down in front of him.
"Mathias, what happened?"
"I broke into Starbucks,"
"And you…"
"Brewed all their coffee,"
"And proceeded to…"
"Try drinking it all," Berwald sighed; he didn't know how to react. "I can't feel my legs, Waldy."
Another sigh. "Let me help you inside," As Berwald dragged his boss in, Lukas and Emil pulled up. Berwald had finally gotten him inside when they walked in. Lukas was in one of his 'off-work-and-feeling-hot' tops and wearing eyeliner. Emil was slightly dressed up, too, only more casually.
Emil burst into uncontrollable laughter when he took one look at Mathias. Lukas kneeled down next to him and lifted up his upper body.
"Mathias, what's wrong?" he whispered, exaggeratedly pulling off a concern tone.
"Luk," he whispered back, looking at his life-long friend in the eyes sadly. "Why are you wearing makeup?" Lukas put a finger over his lips to cut him off.
"Shh, that's not important right now," Mathias nodded. Emil, who had grown silent, made an annoyed sigh. "Brother, please, let me handle this," Lukas took a short glance at Emil before he looked back at Mathias. Emil pouted and sat down. Berwald continued to stand and watch his coworkers, confused and interested, but mostly confused.
"I tried to take them down, Luk," Mathias coughed. "They're too powerful, with too much coffee to drink," Lukas suddenly dropped him, sighing in absolute disappointment.
"Nice going bæ," Lukas removed his coat and draped it onto Mathias. "Now sit tight, Emil and I have a better plan." Lukas walked out with a preppy posture to his walk, Emil followed behind. Mathias gently uncovered his face from Lukas' jacket.
"That little shit…"
The two returned about half an hour later in a rather shameful looking walk into the store. Mathias looked up from his blanket-jacket. "Did it work?" he asked.
"Well, you see," Emil responded. "Things were going well at first,"
"I ran in and accused him of leaving me and the baby," Lukas added.
"I forgot two of my lines,"
"But my fake tears made up for it,"
"But then that half-cooked loaf of bread played along!" Emil threw his hands up in the air in frustration.
"Everyone cheered for 'Miss Baker' and Alfred Jones' 'engagement', to sum it all up," Lukas reached into his pocket and pulled out a slip of paper. "He gave me his number, too,"
Mathias suddenly stood up, walked over to Lukas, grabbed the piece of paper out of his hand and shoved it in his mouth. "No, he didn't," he whispered, swallowing it. He went back to lying in his spot without another word.
"Guys!" Tino burst through the door, holding a box. "Sorry, I'm late. I was baking a cake."
"You can't be serious," Emil walked over and opened the lid of the box, revealing a chocolate cake with the word 'leave' written in pink icing on top. "Pink icing and all,"
"Did you remember the weed?" Lukas asked.
"Are you nuts? Why would I have weed or any access to weed?" Tino looked at Lukas and mouthed 'yes' at him. Lukas grinned and gave Tino an approving nod.
"I don't think he's just going to pack up and leave just because the cake told him to," Mathias sighed.
"Yeah, he would have to be high to do something like that," Tino replied, mockingly. "Hey, Ber,"
Berwald looked up from the table he was sitting at and dozing off on. "Hm?"
"Come with me to deliver this cake,"
"Sure,"
As Tino and Berwald started towards Starbucks, Tino hummed and smiled at about everyone on the way in. Alfred Jones greeted them just seconds after they had arrived.
"Hello, aren't you two from the shop across the street?" he asked.
"Yes," Tino replied.
"We are," Berwald added, awkwardly. "We have something for you," Alfred looked at the box, curiously.
"I'll have a look-oops!" as Alfred reached for the box, he somehow managed to knock it from Tino's hands. Tino watched as his box of cake fell to the ground. "Wow, I'm sorry," Alfred picked up the brown-and-pink splashed box.
Tino went speechless and laughed nervously, pointing to his ruined cake. On the other hand, Berwald was furious. He grabbed Tino's wrist and pulled him out of the shop.
"Berwald, what's gotten into you?" Tino whined. "Why are you so angry?"
"Aren't you angry?" he responded, letting go of his wrist. "He ruined your cake,"
"Are you kidding? That thing was made ruined," Tino complained. "My cooking sucks, but do you think he'll still eat it?"
"He looks like the kind of guy that would eat off the floor, but if he doesn't, I will make him,"
"Geez, okay," Tino laughed. "I don't think we can go back now," The two shrugged and strolled into their own shop.
"How did it go?" Lukas asked when the two entered.
"He broke the cake," Tino replied.
"He… Broke the cake?" Lukas repeated.
"Tino means he dropped the cake," Berwald corrected.
"Well, guess we're out of ideas," Mathias cried from the floor.
"Not quite," Berwald said, walking to the back room.
Køhler's Koffee, with their new sign that read 'Free donut with every purchase', got their normal business back the next day, if not more business than usual. After the morning rush, while Nathan, Mathias, and Lukas danced and cheered, Berwald approached Tino on his way back to the kitchen.
"Sorry about your cake, Tino,"
"I told you it's fine," Tino laughed. "Besides, we have business again," A package was suddenly thrown in front of Tino; both workers looked up in surprise to see Alfred Jones in front of the counter. Everyone else was too distracted to see in come in, and he more-than-likely ignored the 'no Alfred Jones' sign on the front entrance.
"So, I couldn't help but try that… That… Big chocolate thing," Alfred seemed a little loopy, obviously getting the hit from the cake's ingredients.
"The cake?" Tino grinned at Berwald and looked back over at Alfred.
"Yeah! Like, at first I wasn't going to try it but then I did and it tastes like my brother's cooking and I ate all of it. Do you know Matthew? He works next door at that bookstore." Alfred babbled out, giggling a little. Tino patted him on the shoulder.
"You're Matthew's brother? You guys do look similar." Tino told him.
"Yeah,"
Berwald slowly extended his arm and touched the box he had thrown in front of Tino. "What's this?"
"Oh I made a cake for you, to say sorry for dropping yours'," Berwald immediately shoved it off the counter. Cake splattered all over the floor and Alfred's shoes.
"I'm not," Berwald replied, keeping eye contact with Alfred.
Author's note: Just a couple of things.
One being I do not claim ownership of Hetalia, the characters, Starbucks, Subway, or any other works included in this fanfiction.
Two,"I will dismantle this establishment, board by board!" is a Spongebob reference.
Three, when Lukas calls Mathias "bæ", he isn't using it as a term of endearment. This literally means poop in Danish.
Lastly, saying that, Lukas cares very much about Mathias and that will very much come out in later chapters and their past together.
Hope everyone had an amazing week! I'll bring another chapter next Thursday. Until then, bye!