Chapter Text
Janus checked the time on his phone as he walked down the street. It was 4:45 PM on the dot. He was supposed to meet his brother Virgil at home in fifteen minutes so they could leave together to go to some concert. He was also supposed to pick up some pick-me-up caffeine for the both of them, but with his rotten luck, his usual coffee place was closed for repairs. So he had to search up the next nearest one and go there.
It wasn't the walk that bothered Janus, it was how stressed his brother was at him for being late. And when Virgil got stressed, he got pissy. Like he was then.
Just as he was rounding the corner that would lead him to the new coffee shop, Janus' phone vibrated. He clicked it on to see a text from no other than Virgil, skating across the notification bar.
Where are u????
With a groan, Janus unlocked his phone. He looked up briefly to see that he had finally reached the coffee shop: Down in the Grounds . The name of the place was horrible enough that he would have never gone there on his own accord, but his head was buzzing with the beginnings of a headache that could only be soothed by caffeine and he knew that Virgil would just become Karen Incarnate without his coffee.
As he opened the door to the shop, Janus shot a quick text to his brother.
just got here. shut up if you want your drink.
"Hi!" Came a cheery voice as soon as Janus stepped inside. "Welcome to Down in the Grounds."
Janus turned off his phone and shoved it in his pocket before Virgil could even start replying to his message and looked up at who spoke to him. Who he saw behind the counter made his heart stop dead in his chest.
The barista was short, and dark with tight knit curls that were so perfectly poofy and such a pretty brown that they looked like they belonged on the head of a child's doll. He wore golden, shining John Lennon looking glasses that were only outshone by his crooked smile. On top of that, he had on a black apron that just barely succeeded in even covering his plump frame.
"Can I help you?" Asked the barista while Janus just stood there helplessly.
The most beautiful looking person in the world was right before him and Janus was too much of a hopeless homosexual to even do anything. He was frozen in the doorway for a second too long before finally convincing his legs to move toward the counter.
"Ah, hello." Janus said. From up close he could see the nametag on the barista's ill fitting apron: Patton . His phone vibrated in his pocket, but instead of answering it he nervously fingered the trans pride flag button on his jacket.
Patton's eyes traveled to the button that Janus was messing with and his eyes lit up. "Oh, you're trans?" He asked excitedly.
"Well I don't wear this just for the appealing colour scheme," Janus shrugged and tapped the button. He then did his best to smile at Patton. Even though his heart had stopped just moments before, it then felt like it had been jump started and was running at 100 miles per hour.
From behind the register, Patton raised his wrist to show off a beaded bracelet made from the colours of the trans pride flag. "That's so cool! I'm trans too!" He pushed up his glasses, still smiling.
Janus felt his heart calm a bit at seeing that Patton was also trans. He couldn't help how his smile widened as he leaned an elbow on the counter. "While as wonderful as that is, I've got to meet up with someone soon." He said, and he felt his phone vibrate again in his pocket.
"Yeah?" Asked Patton. "Oh- yeah, sorry!" He gently slapped his palm against the side of his head and picked up a battered, little notepad and blue pen from off the counter. "Can I take your order?"
Quickly looking up at a chalkboard menu above Patton, Janus quickly recalled his brother's go-to coffee. "A large, cinnamon, dark chocolate latte." He waited until Patton finished writing it down before getting to his order, "And an iced Americano with four shots of ristretto and almond milk." He paused for a moment, watching Patton write. "You got all that? It'd simply be a shame if any cute barista got my order wrong and I'd have to stay here longer, chatting with them while they made my order anew."
Patton clicked his pen as he looked up from his notepad, "I got it," He giggled. "Can I have a name for the order?"
Janus thought that it was strange that he was being asked for a name since they were the only ones there. "Virgil for the latte and Janus for the Americano." As soon as he said that, he realized that Patton had asked for his name in an attempt to flirt back with him.
"Oh," Patton grabbed two, large cups from under the counter and scribbled one of the names on each. "And… Which one are you? If you don't mind me asking…"
With a smile, Janus pushed himself off the counter and reached for his wallet in his back pocket. "I'm Janus."
"What a cool name!" Beamed Patton. He put the cups down on the counter. "That'll be $9.45 then, Janus."
Janus pulled out a ten from his wallet and slid it across the counter. Patton put it in the register and grabbed his change, but as soon as he dropped it into Janus' palm, Janus put it in the tip jar on the counter.
"Thank you," Patton said, then he picked up the cups. "Shouldn't be long, I hope you're not late to meet your friend." Then he turned around and started to make the drinks.
"I wouldn't mind it," Muttered Janus under his breath. He watched Patton work for a few seconds, then turned around and leaned against the counter to check his phone. All of his newest notifications were texts from his brother. He rolled his eyes as he unlocked his phone and read them.
jesus. FINE. I'll shut up.
…. you know what I want right?
the old man says get him something. doesnt matter what
Upon seeing the last text, Janus sighed. Their highly caffeinated father was the one true reason why both Janus and Virgil were as big of coffee junkies as they were. He started them young on the stuff and always carried around a giant travel mug full of coffee (and also, what they later learned: alcohol).
it's going to take longer. You shouldve called
Janus texted back his brother and turned around. He kept his phone out in case Virgil texted again, "I've got another order here, sorry."
Patton, who was just finishing up one of the drinks, put a lid on it and slid it across the counter to Janus. "As long as we're open, you can order all you want. Don't be sorry. What else can I get you?"
"Considering that it's not for me, I don't care whether you give me a cup full of creamer or vanilla flavouring." Shrugged Janus. His eyes darted back to his phone, but upon seeing that Virgil had only read his text and nothing more, he clicked it off. "Surprise me."
"Oh-" Looking slightly caught off guard by the request, Patton nodded softly. "Alrighty then!" And he quickly grabbed another cup and got back to work.
"And? What do I owe you?" Janus leaned across the counter, cocking his head to the side. "Not that I don't love cheating small businesses out of their fair earnings, but it would be rather rude to do with you on the clock."
Looking over his shoulder, Patton gave Janus a smile. "Since you're a fellow trans person with a pretty name, it's on the house." He winked, then went to work on Janus' coffee.
Janus blinked in surprise. He felt his face heat up as he stepped away from the counter. "Thanks." He said, shoving his phone back in his pocket. If his brother texted him again, he wasn't inclined to care. He grabbed the finished coffee that Patton had given him earlier and turned it over to see whose it was.
Blocky scrawl on the cup read: JANIS, and it made him laugh. Usually Janus hated it when people misspelled his name, but the barista serving him was so kind that he didn't mind it. In fact, he didn't even point it out. Instead, he took a sip of his drink and sighed, it was perfect.
A little less than ten minutes later, the rest of Janus' order was finished and he was walking out the door with the three coffees in a cardboard cup holder. From the moment he stepped out of the crudely named coffee shop, he was aching to go back inside, but he knew all too well the shit storm his brother would throw if he showed up any later than he was expected to.
So Janus walked home with Patton on his mind and his hands full of coffee. And even when he arrived home and his dad and brother swarmed him for their drinks, he didn't mind. He didn't mind his dad's complaints that his coffee was grossly sweet and he didn't mind Virgil's anxious aggression at how they were going to be late to the concert. He didn't mind anything, mostly because he was too busy planning his next trip to the coffee shop with a dozen hopes that Patton would be working.
At the concert that night, every song sounded like a love song to Janus.