Chapter Text
"Leo!" Frost loudly yelled as he burst through the doors of the SeaCrest Coffee-shop.
What followed after was a tired, tired sigh from his long-time friend working at the counter. Said friend briefly paused at the machines to give the other a bemused glance.
'Frost' Marsh was a bit taller than average height, and lithe; days spent doing gymnastics back in high school having given him a bit of an advantage. Compared to Leo at least. He had rich, tanned skin, and his originally blonde hair color had been dyed a silvery white as usual. Some would say his hair was as white as snow even, though he preferred to keep the illusion up that it was naturally lighter. He had long lashes that danced over freckled cheeks, and a smile that practically radiated danger. His eyes were usually squinted in the tell-tale signs of mischief, the corners of them creasing in a way that they always did whenever he was happy.
The autumn air was usually quite chilly, but today of all days it had let up a little. So he dressed a bit warmer; a light gray sweater over a white shirt and some black jeans to boot. His old, ratty converse made a pitiful noise as he walked the expanse of the entrance to the counter in a few strides.
Curse his long, stupid legs. Leo found himself thinking.
Luckily there weren't many people in so early at this time of day, the store having only just recently opened for the morning. Leo himself was still finishing the last stages of prep for a few things, checking to see that everything had been filled and of course, making sure that the display case was properly stocked with sugar treats. The rush of the working morning crowd wasn't here quite yet, but soon, Leo knew that students rushing to school and businessmen and women alike would be eager to get their morning fill to prepare for the hectic day. He would welcome the chaos to distract him had he been in a better mood.
Early mornings were not his thing, but yet he had to be in bright and early anyway.
He must really hate himself to do this nearly every single day.
"God, Frost can you shut up for one day. Seriously, stop yelling!" His friend scolded him in a tone that leaned more towards fondness. But still he chastised him. "You're lucky we don't have a crowd yet. Hell, if you're gonna come to the store act like a customer, don't get me fired from this one at least." Leo rolled his eyes.
Leo himself had light brown-skin, and messy reddish-brown hair that was well, not the easiest to manage, the curly strands having practically eaten through a brush or two in his lifetime so far. His golden eyes looked up from behind the counter to meet pink ones. Or rather, pink contacts. Frost's eyes were actually more of a brownish burgundy color, but not many knew that, the other usually sporting his pink ones. And even more-so he was always sporting these really gaudy yellow heart-framed sunglasses. So it wasn't like most people noticed the difference in his eye color at all.
But still he adored them.
Frost had this weird thing of wanting to stand out but not stand out too much, constantly juggling between both. His contacts were special to him of course, the only places he usually didn't wear them were at jobs and when he went to university. But here in the cafe, it was comfortable and familiar, so he wore them from time to time.
Frost made a noise of fake hurt and held his chest. "Can i not visit my friend during his morning shift and say hello?"
"What did you break?" Leo quickly questioned. His face was void of emotion, rather deadpanned, as if he was already used to this. "Rather. what do you want? Or what did you do this time?" He turned away to fix his apron, checking the pocket to make sure his phone was still there.
"This time i- why Leonardo . Do you not trust me?" He practically pouted.
"No." Frost actually faltered at that. "Joking. I'm joking Frost." Leo assured him, a slight smile playing at his lips. "What did you actually need though, bud?" Though they were in university together, Frost was the youngest out of the two; having freshly hit nineteen he was....well, on the path to his third or fourth quarter mid-life crisis. The stress of school and life usually leading the other to procrastinate like crazy, which only amped up his well-hidden anxiety. Today though, he seemed a bit better. And Leo had a soft spot for making sure his friends were okay. Call him sappy but he just wanted everyone to be okay.
"Alright well first, can i get a chocolate muffin?" Frost quietly asked. "I swear I'll pay this time."
Leo was already behind the counter and pulling back the display case to get it. "Do you want the usual as well?"
"Mhm. If you don't mind."
And so Leo got to work, his hands moving along with the familiar motion of preparing a drink. The 'usual' for Frost was just a simple hot chocolate with extra sugar, but it was easy enough to make at least. He ducked behind the counter to open the display case, easily picking out one of the chocolate muffins to put on a plate for the other. It was still warm.
And as he ushered the sweet treat and the hot beverage on the counter he was careful not to forget the straw. The paper straws at that, and not the plastic ones. Frost would always make sure to specify about why business' shouldn't be using the plastic ones anymore and all that crap or whatever. He was just particular like that about the environment.
But still Leo indulged him.
With a flourish, he carefully placed it next to his drink.
Frost was quick to reach out for it.
"Now what was it you wanted to talk about?" Leo raised a brow. He eyed the doorway, just a quick check to make sure no customers were coming.
"Have you seen Sunny or heard from Quentin lately? I woke up today and Sunny wasn't in his room." He said as he went on about his roommate. "And well, I dunno." He said looking down at his drink. "I just haven't heard from Quinn in awhile y'know? Obviously i don't have a car and you live closer to him so... He's not drowning his sorrows at the pub again, is he?"
"Beats me." He shrugged as he handed the other his cup. “Though I heard he has some new cases coming up. That could be it.” He leaned on the counter lazily and watched as Frost took a bite out of his muffin. He seemed thoughtful.
Speaking of the other man though: Quentin was the designated oldest of their group, jet black hair and some rugged stubble to boot. He was in his late twenties, years of training to be a detective weighing heavily under his belt. Though pretty much all of their friend group went to university; some sharing a dorm while others rented a space together, Quentin was the one not currently in higher education. He merely lived nearby the apartment building Leo and Mickey rented together. The two having met him here and there until he stumbled one day into the coffee shop the friend group frequented. It was there that he quickly grew close to the others, seamlessly becoming part of the crew.
It was pure coincidence that two people in their friend group had nicknames relating to the weather though, but hey what can you do.
Leo hummed as his thoughts trailed to Sunny. "Last i heard about Sunny though, was that he was trying out for that new position part time? You know that one little office building with the stupid parking area downtown." Leo supplied, all the while Frost nodded.
"Yeah. But he didn't come home again last night though... I messaged him like crazy. Usually he yells at me for sleeping in and leaving my dirty dishes in the sink,-" "So you admit you're lazy. " "BUT, it was like super quiet this morning. It’s been this way for three days straight." He continued ignoring Leo's interjection. "I'm a bit worried."
"You know how he can be sometimes... He likes to sleep around. Not like we can do much about the lad.. He's his own adult." He said somewhat grumpily. They'd talked to Sunny about his habits more than they would've liked to. Sure the ginger-haired boy was the picture of kindness. Cute, funny and smart to boot. He had his dumb moments from time to time but he always meant well.
His radiance was what even earned him the nickname 'Sunny'. But he'd been hurt one to many times in the past apparently, opting only to hop from partner to partner these days. Leo just wished he did it a little less frequently than nearly every night though... Most times he'd slip away from his scandalous affairs and be home late at night or early morning, there to wake Frost up if he slept in too late. But those days he didn't come home, bed empty as a sign that he was still out... It was times like these when his friends were really worried about him.
There was always that nagging thought lingering in the back of their heads sometimes saying; What if he went home with the wrong person one night? What if he never came back because something bad happened? What if, what if, what if...?
Leo could feel worry pricking at the back of his neck already. But he tried to keep up a cool front, at the very least for Frost more-so than himself. He was the pseudo leader of their little group after all; the glue that held everyone together. Which also unceremoniously made him somewhat of the caretaker. He'd been deemed the mother of their group more times than he would've liked to admit. And while he wouldn't outright deny it either he hated to acknowledge that sort of thing out loud. He had his own pride to uphold too. But regardless , he was their rock.
Any of the boys could come to him to vent about their problems, and he’d be there for them.
“Listen, i'll try to call him soon if i can and maybe see what’s up with him. If he doesn't respond by midday then we can get the group together and brainstorm on what to do.” He’d prefer not to call the police if he could help it, but if they needed to then…
He shook his head.
Frost took a careful sip of his drink. “Alright, Lee.” Not missing the affectionate nickname the boy would sometimes give the other. Though it was as cute as it was creative he would admit. There’s not much one can do to make a nickname for a name already as short as Leo.
The bell above the door chimed, signalling the arrival of a new customer. The morning crew would be here any minute now. As much as he loved the other, it wouldn’t look too good for business if he was idling by the counter talking to friends. He sat up and dusted off his apron.
“Great. Now Lee -ave me alone. I got work to do. Scoot.” He waved his hands away. "I'll talk to you later."
Frost tsked and moved to grab his treats before he stuck his tongue out. With that he was on his way.
“See ya!”
---
---
Sometime after Frost had left things were running smoothly. Morning had come and the lunch crowd were well on their way to keeping him very busy. He moved mindlessly, the flow of the crowd and the subtle stress of trying to serve people in a timely manner kept him constantly ticking and going. Honestly, he liked always being on the move. It was a curse and a blessing in disguise that he did like being busy. Leo already struggled to pay rent, even though he split half the place with his childhood friend, Mickey. But they were both still pretty young, and had to pay for other personal necessities like groceries, clothes and school items. And well, rent didn't come easy even so between the two of them after all was said and done. Not to mention- He was always working at least two jobs; lucky to have something that was stable enough for awhile before he would move onto the next thing.
So far the coffee shop had been one of his longest jobs; a steady year of work practically making him a pro in the ways of the brew. He greatly enjoyed it of course, and there was already a set routine to it as well. There were some regulars he;d come to recognize over time, and he didn’t mind most of his co-workers. Also it paid decently well. But for now he would stick to it.
Eventually someone else emerged from the back room, their bright lavender dreadlocks making them stick out like a sore thumb. Said, locks were pulled up in one, some lightly falling over the back of her neck.
“Yo, Leo.” She lazily greeted him with a smile.
“Hey Mari, glad to see you're finally up and clocked in.” He snorted. “You’re lucky the manager is out today or she would’ve fried your ass over this. Again.”
“Annnd that is exactly why I did do this today.” The dark-skinned girl smirked.
Maria was a part-timer as well, though Leo of course worked more hours than most. Oftentimes she would be the one that was stuck with him the most, her carefree attitude was as inviting as it was a little annoying sometimes. But she got her job done well enough and never really gave him trouble, so the two would bond a bit over idle chatter when things slowed down. He supposed she was the closest thing he could call a friend here at work.
But it wasn’t really like they hung out outside of that or anything. They’d maybe share memes and a few short messages when off the job, some of said messages being about work and scheduling.
Regardless though he still liked her company as she could be very entertaining.
Mari brushed off her apron, making sure that everything was ok.
Leo practically rolled his eyes as he spotted a customer in line eyeing the other girl up. Mari, had a similar tired look on her face. Leo almost felt sorry for her whenever this happened. They made a little game out of it, just to see how many times the girl would be flirted with and hit on. She was literally just minding her business, being polite and serving people. Yet here was another guy in line, already shooting his shot. It was almost like she could never catch a break.
He watched as she tried to politely send the other on his way, wondering if she’d be ok. But hey, at least there were only two people left in the queue for now. Quite disinterestedly, he turned back to his post, but then he saw the next customer walk up in line.
This guy’s hair was blonde, a bright blonde. So much so that it could’ve almost given Frost’s white hair a run for his money. He had to look twice to make sure it was blonde, that’s how light it was. And it seemed natural at that.
His eyes seemed green… or gray? Grayish green was his conclusion, not really being able to tell quite well. And said eyes widened as he looked at him.
Leo gave him a concerned look, brows raising as his mouth set in a slight frown. “Sir…?”
Dimples.... The other seemed to note as he stared at him, obviously lost in his own thoughts. He had dimples. Cute.
Leo cleared his throat, catching the other’s attention. "Can i.... help you?"
The stranger seemed to finally realize that he was staring, cheeks flushing in embarrassment. "Right. Sorry." He said almost shyly.
Leo was taken aback at the rich voice that left the other. Sure he was tall and built like a tower, but for some reason the voice had surprised him. For one this guy looked, well how should he put this. Like a wallflower per se. He also had a slight accent it seemed, though he couldn't quite pick up from where.
“Um, what exactly would you like to get?” Leo said trying to get back on task. He waited patiently as the other eyed the display case.
“Hm, two brownies,” He pointed at the ones on display, careful to avoid the ones labelled with having peanuts in them. “And just a cappuccino please. Hot.”
“For here or to go?”
“Here.” The customer’s smooth voice answered.
“Okay, got it. That’ll be $6.20 total.” He said already moving to get to work on the drink. He could feel those eyes watching him as he worked, opting to dutifully ignore it as he let his mind prepare the drink. Once all was said and done he skillfully plated two chocolate brownies and handed everything over, taking the money in exchange. “Here you go.” He started to count up the change when the other waved his hands.
“Oh, no you can keep the change.” He quietly said. “Please.”
And he went to a corner of the cafe and settled down there. He took a moment to spread his laptop on the counter, and something that seemed like a notebook of sorts was also placed next to it. And then he just... sat there. He sat there and stared at Leo from his little nook, with all the subtlety of a kid in a candy store. He didn't even pretend to hide it, much to Leo's chagrin. Said worker found himself looking away in muffled annoyance, opting to deal with the register instead.
Mari gave him a questionable look as she whispered. “What was that all about?”
Leo shook his head. “No idea.”
“Hey.” She suddenly smiled, leaning on the counter as she looked at him. “Maybe they're interested in you. He definitely seems a lot nicer than any of the guys I get. A bit odd but nice.” She waved away her last customer with a smile, the figure hurriedly leaving to get to work.
“Don't confuse general polite kindness with flirting Mari.” Leo sighed checking the drawers. Ten... twenty.... thirty...
He heard her tsk somewhere to his left. “You should go talk to them. I can cover you for a bit, obviously.” She motioned to the rest of the room, everyone chatting away to their own groups and others left to enjoy their drinks and sugary sweets in peace. The store wasn't currently that busy, its patrons just chilling out.
Leo pinched the bridge of his nose. “Nah, you know i don’t have time for dating. I have other things on my plate. He seems okay and all but i’d rather not.”
The girl hummed. “Well, fine if you say so.” She gave him a sheepish smile. “Sorry for pushing it i guess.”
“No, you're fine it’s just.” He shrugged. “You know. Life.”
“Yea i gotchu.” She waved a well-manicured hand. She seemed wistful then. “If only i could find a nice guy or something. Maybe a nice girl. I’m not picky at this point anymore honestly.” She chuckled.
Leo huffed in amusement. “Hey, more power to you if you do find one.”
The two spent the rest of their time serving people that would drift in and out of the store, quiet conversation passing between them. Mari mostly kept to her phone, quietly playing songs for the two of them to listen to in between prepping drinks. Leo went on his break and came back, only for Mari to yawn next to him.
“Can you close up shop for me today? I need to head out a bit earlier to do some family related things soon.” She frowned. “ Sorrrry .”
“Fine. But you owe me.” Leo said. “Bring some more of that fancy banana bread your mom makes and perhaps I shall be persuaded.”
“ Banana bread isn't fancy. ” She laughed. “But I’ll see what i can do.” She winked. And then she blew a dramatic kiss in his direction, hastily leaving to go to the back rooms as he waved. And as the other customers started to eventually clear out, Leo found that he was watching the front doors, the sky's rich orange color eventually giving way to a darker blue.
It was getting close to closing time. And yet the customer was still there. And only then did Leo start to grow weary of the other. Most people had cleared out, leaving once the sun had started to set into a deep orange hue. But now the sky was a rich blue, hints of purple and pink still littering the sky. It was the switch right before everything became a dark deep indigo, and Leo, more than exhausted, wanted to go home and catch a nap before his short shift at the convenience store.
Carefully he cleaned up the counters and dried his hands, getting ready to remove his apron. But that was when he saw it.
His hand.
More importantly, his wrist.
The dull gray that once was on it, the same sight that had greeted his eyes everyday for twenty two years; was now a bright red. Out of the corner of his eye he saw the other shift in his seat, and for some reason the movement caught his eye. He looked up quickly to see that the stranger was getting up. He was heading right towards the counter at that. Leo stilled as he watched him, hand still held up as the red glow surrounded his arm. And it was like time stopped when the other offered him a sheepish smile.
"Uh, hi. The name's Chase. I-" He seemed unsure of how to continue from there, but Leo was still frozen, watching. "-I'll just show you... It's much quicker."
Leo could only stay silent as the other rolled up his sleeve.
A red mark was what met him.
He wasn't sure what he was exactly expecting to see, and somewhere in the back of his mind he knew that this was probably a possibility... but to actually see it was... he didn't know how to feel exactly. Betrayed by the universe? Bitter? Happy was probably the furthest thing he felt.
Leo didn't have to look at his own wrist to know that he had the exact same red pattern, this strangers' version being the perfect mirrored copy of his.
And for some reason the thought had Leo stepping back.
“Um, i know this is a lot suddenly but.”
He didn't seem to be good with his words, taking a moment to pull something out of his book. Which upon closer inspection he realized it was a sketchbook more specifically. It was a piece of paper, of course, because what else would be in a sketchbook? But this particular sheet of paper had something scribbled on it. It was a beautiful sketched piece of art, the subject of the drawing seeming to be drawn from a distance. It was a drawing of...Leo. It seemed to be when he was idle at the counter, his head resting on his hand as he daydreamed. It was probably during a time of day when there weren't many customers. And this 'Chase' guy was just watching him.
His eyes scanned the page, searching for... what he wasn't sure. As the minutes ticked by he knew even less and less of what to feel about the situation. But yet his eyes still roamed the page, ever confused.
And even further below it was a phone number. His full name scribbled under the digits.
Chase Rodriguez.
He wouldn't be one to pressure him into dating right on the spot though it seemed, opting to give him space. He had given him the paper with his number lest he decided he wanted to talk things out, but that was that. And so he returned his hands to his side, and away from Leo.
The stranger hastily left after that.
And somehow, even so, Leo felt sick to his stomach.