Sorry I'm late! I should be able to get both this chapter and the final chapter of Curtisson Week out today, yesterday was... busy. I still have a bit of a headache from all the reading I did. But! Don't worry about that! Here's Day 6's prompt: Coffee! *Slaps Sven and Burt on the head* These boys can fit so much coffee in them; they've had at least a cup for every day I've been writing for them. Let's give them more! I'll see you at the bottom of the page!
Burt Curtis had a mission. It wasn't assigned to him by the chief, the right hand man, or any of his other superior officers; no, this was a mission of his own creation, and the sooner he could complete it, the better things would be in the future. Hopefully. If only he could get started already… but starting was difficult when the key player of his mission was the most oblivious man in the entire Toppat Clan.
Leaning against the wall of the cafeteria, legs crossed at the ankles and his phone in hand so that he could subtly keep watch without making it obvious, Burt kept his gaze on one Sven Svensson, third in command of the Toppat Clan. The short blonde man in blue was sitting with some other elites, talking more than eating about something or other. He knew Sven was intelligent, hard working, and diligent; unfortunately, he was also dumber than a bag of rocks.
Burt had a crush on Sven. It was an open secret, with everyone seeming to understand Burt's feelings aside from his actual crush. Burt wanted that to change, though, and he knew that if Sven couldn't catch the subtle looks and gestures he'd been throwing his way, then Burt was going to have to take a direct approach.
He'd come up with this plan nearly a week ago: asking Sven out for coffee, somewhere where no one would know who they were. They'd wear casual clothes, something that could blend into the setting, but something wholly different from the dress shirts and ties that made up their uniforms; most of all, though: they wouldn't have to keep that formal distance between them, the one expected of a liaison and his boss. To the untrained eye, they would be equals, and as equals, Burt would find a way to lay things out for Sven, share good, non-work moments with him, then hit home with the big questions: do you want to (hold hands) go out with me?
Burt just needed a way to get the ball rolling, and it seemed that day would be today as the other elites got up to go back to work while Sven stayed behind, having realized that he hadn't actually eaten much of his lunch.
Burt tucked his phone into his pocket and walked up to Sven. "Hey, Sven."
Sven jumped a little, his pale cheeks flushing a bit as he stopped eating his raggmunk. "Hello, Curtis." He said Burt's last name a bit pointedly, likely to remind him that they were in a professional space. "Is there something you need?"
Burt chose his words carefully; he needed to look casual, but not too casual. "How's your day been?"
Sven raised his eyebrows. "It's been fine," he replied slowly. "...How has your day been so far?"
"Good. Some weather, huh?"
Sven blinked and glanced out the window. The sky was a deep blue, cloudless and promising a good, dry heat for the summer day. "It's very nice outside," Sven replied.
Burt hummed in acknowledgement. "Do you want to get coffee with me?"
"...Yes," Sven said, squinting his eyes at Burt. "I do. Let's go." Sven quickly ate the last bit of pork and lingonberry jam on his plate before tossing it in a trash bin and walking away. Burt grabbed his wrist, letting go quickly when Sven shot him a look. "Well? The break room is this way," Sven pointed in the direction he was going for emphasis.
"I meant outside," Burt said quietly. "Do you want to go out to get coffee?"
Sven blinked again. "Why on Earth would you want to do that?" He asked, seeming genuinely confused. "We have coffee here. Besides, it would be dangerous to go out into the city; people could recognize us as Toppats and arrest us- or worse, follow us back to base and arrest everyone!"
"Sven-"
But Sven was on a roll now. "Honestly, Curtis, that's the most impractical idea I've ever heard you come up with, and you've come up with a number of those. I thought you hated going outside, anyway. If I didn't know any better- which I don't, by the way- I would think you're allergic to the sunlight. As for myself, while I'm not allergic to sunlight, I'm not particularly keen on it, either. In Sweden, the sun only comes out for two or so months, never setting, but for the rest of the year it's almost total darkness, which can affect the mood of those affected by it. I was always more partial to the darker months back home; the sun hurts my eyes and burns my skin, and-"
"Svensson, are you done with your lunch yet? We need to-" Carol Cross thankfully ended Sven's tangent with her presence, stopping between the two men and acknowledging Burt blandly. Burt doffed his hat, repressing a sigh. Well, this mission was a failure. He'd have to crawl back to his office and lick his wounds for a bit before coming up with a different plan-
"Apologies, Cross," Sven said quickly, flushing more deeply. "Curtis was just asking if I wanted to go out to get coffee- out, as in 'out into the city', and I was just explaining why that was a completely impractical idea-"
"Wait," Carol held up a hand, looking at Burt out of the corner of her eye. "He asked you to go out for coffee?"
Burt pressed his lips into a thin line. Carol would definitely know what that meant, and she was probably going to lord it over him for weeks.
"He did," Sven nodded, "which is impractical because we have coffee in the breakroom, so there's no need for us to-"
"Actually," Carol cut him off. "I was going to tell you as we went, but the coffee machine is… broken."
Sven and Burt both blinked at Carol. "It is?" Sven finally said. "Which one?"
"All of them," Carol answered a bit too quickly.
Sven gawked at her. "All of the coffee machines are broken? In the entire base?"
"Yep."
Sven groaned and pressed a hand to his forehead. "Oh, now what will I do? I was going to get some before going back to work…"
Carol gestured at Burt. "Why don't you go out to get some with Curtis?"
Sven considered this. "I suppose…"
Burt blinked in excitement. Was this actually going to work-?
"We should go around and bring everyone who wants coffee as well, if the machines won't be fixed for a while."
Goddammit, Sven.
Luckily, Carol was quick to say: "We don't need coffee here. We'll be fine. You and Burt should go. Alone. Right now."
Sven looked stunned. "R-right now? But I have work-"
"I'll get someone to cover you," Carol answered.
"But what if we're recognized?"
Carol gave him a half eyed look. "Don't wear your top hat, then. Wear a disguise, or at least dress casually. You have other clothes, don't you?" Sven's face slowly turned red. "Sven," Carol repeated, "you have other clothes. Right?"
"I'll help him come up with something," Burt said before Sven could start screaming. "Come on, boss. Let's go together."
Sven's face was still red, but he finally nodded shortly. "Fine. Let's go quickly, so we can both get right back to work."
Burt nodded, then glanced at Carol. She waved him off, but the look in her eyes was very clear: you owe me one.
Burt doffed his hat again in acknowledgement, then led Sven out of the cafeteria, hoping that this date would be worth getting Carol Cross involved. Who knew what she might want as compensation if things didn't work out…
Good news! Chapter 7, the final prompt of Curtisson Week, will continue with this chapter! I just have to write it out and post it, and then it'll be done! I hope you're looking forward to it!
Raggmunk, the lunch Sven is eating today, is a potato pancake served with pork and lingonberry jam. Lingonberries, apparently, taste like a mix of cranberries, raspberries, and red currants (which I think are like raisins?); they're sour and bitter when raw, but can be sweetened and made really appatizing for a lot of people. The more you know! What Sven says about sunlight in Sweden is true, too: apparently, the sun stays up in the sky at all hours between the end of May and the middle of July (called the midnight sun), but for the rest of the year, it's dark almost all the time, with hardly any sun at all. Do with that information what you will.
I like to imagine Sven just... doesn't have any clothes besides, like, three versions of his usual suits. He's an elite, why would he need anything else? Unfortunately, this makes it difficult to "dress down". Poor Sven.
Carol Cross sometimes does favors for people, but she expects payment for her kindness. I wonder what price she'll extract from Burt... Poor Burt just wanted to take Sven out for coffee...
Anyway, I'll see you in a few hours for the final chapter of Curtisson Week! Leave a review and tell me what you thought. Until then!
