#i was juggling two ideas around for a while and i rly was going back and forth but ive 100% settled on this one now

[honeydots]

i've been dipping my toes into experimenting with borders, lately 🌿

[collecting-stories]

Sunny Boy - JJ Maybank

Request: i rly hope ur taking requests🥺 a pre-relationship jj imagine where the readers pretty innocent and has a cute style and jj does love it but let’s kie dress her for a kegger one night and jj is speechless and way more protective than usual

A/N: So I kind of got an idea and ran away with this, I apologize. Reader is genderfluid and has body dysmorphia. The reader in this goes by they/them and JJ calls them ‘boy’ twice. (gender fluidity is different for everyone and I based this off my own preferences though I do go by she/her almost exclusively.)

Outer Banks Masterlist

///

However it was classified, your ‘style’ consisted heavily of band tees, one-piece bathing suits, a worn in pair of knock-off vans from target, jean shorts, and baseball caps. And sure, the shorts were as short as Kiara’s but nothing else about your personal style necessarily lent to you being feminine in the traditional sense. You didn’t get a lot of attention from the guys, outside of being their friend or someone they saw like a sister. On one occasion JJ had even claimed you were like a brother to him. Which wasn’t exactly the image you wanted him having in his head.  

It wasn’t that you cared what anyone else thought of you, because you really didn’t, it was just that sometimes you wanted JJ to look at you the way he looked at Kiara or any of the girls who came to parties the pogues hosted. It was probably stupid, you told yourself on multiply occasions, but you wanted him to want you. You wanted to be more than ‘best friends’.  

“Wear something cute, that’ll get his attention.” Sarah suggested, holding up a bikini top that was pink gingham.  

“They shouldn’t have to put themself on display just so someone likes them. If he doesn’t want to be with them based on who they are then he’s not worth it.” Kiara remarked, pulling a crop top over her bikini.  

“Being the ‘they’ in this convo I would just like to point out that I wouldn’t mind the whole ‘she’s all that’ makeover...even if it’s just for a night.” You commented, picking up Kiara’s discarded maroon bikini and holding it against your chest.

“Did I hear the word ‘makeover’?” Sarah smiled, “Cause I have wanted to put you in a bikini for ages.”

“Thanks but I’m interested in JJ.” You teased and Sarah stuck her tongue out at you.  

“You can borrow the maroon one if you want, or I have a others in the drawer.” Kiara said, waving her hand over to the dresser in the corner.  

“It’s okay, I have a bikini at home. Besides, you have a smaller chest than me.” You had bought a bikini at the beginning of the season last year when you were feeling especially feminine. You’d never actually worn it because the feeling had passed as quickly as it came, but you kept the suit just in case you ever had that feeling again.  

“I do not.” Kiara replied, looking over at you.  

“Either way...are we taking this party to your house so I can work my ‘makeover skills’?” Sarah asked, looking between the two of you.  

-

The party of three did move to your house where you let Kiara and Sarah help with your outfit. Sarah lent you her high-waisted jean mini-skirt to wear over the powder blue underwire bikini that you owned. You didn’t look like yourself in the mirror but you did look exactly the way you said you wanted to, like all the girls at the beach that always caught JJ’s eye.  

John B was the first one to see you when you showed up with Kiara and Sarah at the party. He jokingly whistled at you and you rolled your eyes, giving him the finger in reply.  

“Wow,” John B laughed, “can’t even give a compliment.”  

“Is whistling a compliment?” You asked, letting him pull you into a hug.

“You don’t want him to answer that.” Sarah replied, smiling cheekily at her boyfriend.  

John B kept his arm around your shoulders as he walked the three of you down the beach toward the party. Someone had music going but you weren’t paying much attention to it, eyes scanning the crowd for JJ. You wanted to see him see you.  

You got your wish too, as you stepped down to where the keg was set up JJ looked over, eyes going wide at the sight of you dressed more like Sarah Cameron than yourself. He’d seen you in dresses occasionally and there was the year in ninth grade that you were really into makeup but you’d never been in an outfit like this.  

He almost choked on his beer as you stepped out from John B’s arm to greet him and Pope. JJ beelined it in front of Pope to give you a hug. “Hey, you look hot!”

“Seriously JJ,” Kiara rolled her eyes at his compliment, “that’s just as bad at whistling. Could you not objectify people?”

“I’m not objectifying them, am I objectifying you?” JJ asked, pulling away enough to look at you.

“Well, you directed that question at my boobs so...” you said, avoiding looking down to where JJ’s eyes were fixed. He glanced back up at you, biting his lip in an attempt to look innocent.  

“Okay, I would like a hug,” Pope announced, pulling JJ away from you, “and not in a creepy way.”  

“I wasn’t being creepy!” JJ objected, glaring at Pope as you hugged him.  

You were feeling comfortable enough as the night went on, surrounded by friends and kids you knew from the island who knew you. But then the beach started to get more crowded, people you didn’t recognize joining the kegger. You weren’t the only one who was growing increasingly annoyed with the newcomers, JJ was hovering closer and closer to you as the beach got more crowded. You didn’t mind, his presence took your mind off your growing feeling of discomfort over your outfit.  

You had been on board with the idea when Sarah had first suggested it and assured Kiara that you were totally comfortable, that you felt as much like yourself as you always did. But as the night wore on you were beginning to feel less and less like yourself and as people continued to talk to you all you wanted to do was leave.  

“Hey, sad boy, you okay?” JJ asked, coming up beside you. He offered you a drink and you shook your head.

You smiled at the term, JJ always called you boy and it always made you feel better. It was just an instant moment of calm and reassurance. “I’m alright, just feeling a little weird.” You replied. You glanced down at your chest before looking back up at him.  

JJ had been the first person you’d come out to in eighth grade. You had expected him to be the least understanding of you friend group but he was arguably the most. Last year he’d taken the ferry with you to Chapel Hill for your first pride celebration, happily sporting a rainbow painted on his cheek. He’d been surprisingly willing to read articles you offered about genderfluidity.  

“You want my sweatshirt?” JJ asked, he was definitely enjoying the top but he knew how you felt about your chest. You’d told him at homecoming in ninth grade when you burst into tears because of the way your dress fit your upper body.  

“Would you?” You had wanted to impress him. Sure, he was a great friend but you wanted more than that, you wanted him to see you as more than that. But you couldn’t take glancing down and seeing yourself in the bikini top you were wearing. The emphasis on your chest was making you feel sick.  

“I’ll be right back.” He kissed your cheek and then disappeared back into the crowd to find his sweatshirt, leaving you alone again.  

You looked around for someone to talk to and frowned when you made eye contact with a tourist who was making his way over to you. The last thing you wanted to do tonight was occupy some random guy’s time. He didn’t know you were feeling bad and he definitely wasn’t looking to act as therapist tonight. He was just some tourist, here for a week or two and then gone, looking for someone to party with and you definitely fit the bill tonight.  

-

“Hey, sorry about losing it on that guy,” JJ said, stepping over a piece of drift wood and sitting down next to you in the sand, “I know you’re capable of standing up for yourself or whatever.”

“It’s okay.”

“Just pissed me off, seeing him with you.” JJ admitted.  

“Well,” you shrugged, looking down at the sweatshirt you had borrowed from JJ, “back to normal so I don’t think that’ll be an issue.”  

Unsure what to say, JJ dug in the sand with a stick near his foot, “I liked the new look.”

“That was kind of the point.” You admitted, shifting so that you could look at him. “I was hoping if I dressed like Kiara and Sarah, you’d notice. That you’d think of me that way.”  

“I liked the look,” JJ repeated, “but you don’t have to dress like them. I do notice you. I think of you a hell of a lot more than I think about anyone else.”  

“What?” You sat up a little straighter, surprised at what he said.

“I notice you.” JJ confessed, shrugging as if it was the easiest thing in the world to admit. “When you get super competitive with John B about who’s better at surfing-”

“I am.”

“Yeah you are.” He laughed, “or the weird insistence you have to juggle anytime you see a fruit bowl even though you’re absolute shit at it. Or how you always have like an arsenal of stuff in your backpack-”

“You never bring sunscreen!”  

“What I’m trying to say is, yeah I liked the way you looked tonight but you don’t have to dress like that to get my attention...if that’s why you were doing it. You look equally as hot in what you usually wear.” JJ replied. Sure he’d said dumb stuff about you being like a sister to him before but you guys had been in eighth grade back than and he was a lot stupider when he was thirteen. He wasn’t that stupid anymore.  

You laughed, “thanks.”  

JJ put his arm around you, pulling you into his side and kissing your head, “my sunny boy is back.”  

“Shut up!”  

“I’ve liked you for a while now...I’m just not really good at this stuff.” He shrugged.  

“As opposed to what other stuff?”

“You know...I’m highly skilled in other areas.”

“Aw, gross JJ is back, just when we were having a moment.” You teased, smiling at him.  

He smiled at you before looking back at the party going on, “do you wanna go?” JJ asked, setting his cup on the ground and standing up.  

“I don’t want you to have to leave.” You replied, knowing that JJ always loved beach parties. More than anyone else.

“Honestly I’d rather have pizza and watch a shit movie with you.” JJ said, offering you his hand. You let him pull you up.  

“Extra cheese?”

“Is there any other kind?”  

-

taglist: @maplelattes22 @poguesrforlife  @freckled-and-daydreaming  @chasefreakinstokes @millie-753 @fangirlwithme @alex12948 @howdyherron @katherine097 @tangledinsparkles @tragicmisfits @carbonated-beverage @mariofgreengables @damonsalvawhore27 @ssprayberrythings @dopedoodes @dolanfivsosxox @belledutchess @poguelifeeee @jjsthumbring @faded-blue @parkerpetertingle @thebookwormlife @jolomez @timotaychalabae 

[cvastals]

i brought forrest in like a month n a half ago then panic dropped him bt hes back w a vengeance......... this intro is fully jst copy n pasted from when i originally posted it bt . tosses it out anyway in case anyone hasnt read it before winks n struts into the sunset

* zethphan smith-gneist, demiboy + he/they | you know forrest abbott, right? they’re twenty-two, and they’ve lived in irving for, like, their whole life? well, their spotify wrapped says they listened to bizarre love triangle by new order like, a million times this year, which makes sense ‘cause they’ve got that whole golden retriever excitement when someone strikes up conversation, paint streaked overalls worn without care, polaroids of places travelled scattered across the wall thing going on. i just checked and their birthday is october 23rd, so they’re a scorpio, which is unsurprising, all things considered.

background.

for 10 years it was just forrest and his mama lydia in their cozy little trailer at lilac ridge, he’s never met his dad who left as soon as he discovered she was pregnant, not really interested in raising a kid with someone who struggled to get by even while working three jobs

from a young age forrest had to take care of himself since his mama worked sm, but he always got the concept that it was for him to live a good life and necessary for them to get by, she rly showed it well by making sure he knew how much she loved him whenever she cld b around :’)

it was around this time that things were starting to look up - his mama met a really nice man named marcel n while things moved really fast for them they seemed to be a perfect match, soon she was engaged and giving birth to triplets and they even moved into his place in aquila drive, everything was coming up roses

unfortunately as soon as things were good they sort of came to an immediate crash - lydia n marcel tried for another bebe before their wedding but she ended up having a miscarriage :( this sort of sent her into a depressive spiral for a really, really long time

it was bad enough that marcel eventually had enough, she wouldn’t take her medication, wouldn’t talk to a therapist, couldn’t even get out of bed, so he said she had to shape up or go back to their place in lilac ridge, and stubborn as she was she packed everything up that night and the 5 of them went back to their little trailer, this time with a lot less room and a lot more responsibility on forrest’s shoulders

since he was about 14 he’s juggled an abundance of jobs to help his family, it was especially hard when they moved back to lilac ridge, he mostly took care of his little brothers and mum when he could but he had school and work on top of it, it rly was the sort of stress no one shld go thru but he did at a rly young age for quite a long time

details.

still lives at lilac ridge w his family, his mum got a pretty well paying job as a psw but it’s still difficult when u have three 12 year olds running around so forrest watches over them a lot while working as a tour guide at the aquarium, selling art pieces at community events, and odd photography jobs, whatever will put money on the table

grew up incredibly shy and pretty anxious, he’s just used to people leaving so it’s hard for him to trust but he’s also a classic golden retriever boy, if people give him an inch he’ll take it right away but he struggles with approaching people himself, definitely wasn’t too popular in school bc of this

did a double major at the community college for photography and visual arts :yum:

he tries not to doo Too many photography jobs cuz he loves it more as his escape than anything, travels around irving a lot to find random locations and will just spend hours taking pictures, u cant see any of the walls in his tiny bedroom theyre jst covered in his own pictures and art

could paint for hours too tbh, does a lot of art classes whenever he has time and money to spare

has never been in a relationship or even with anyone, the most he’s done frankly is casual make outs at parties or wtvr, always kinda chickens out if it ever goes any further……….. has not picked up on the fact that hes a demisexual/demiromantic king<3 probs doesnt even kno what that is LKSHDGKLHSDG

bc of this wtvr friendships hes made hes definitely romanticized, frankly by accident, he can just grow attached quite easily and since hes demiromantic anytime hes ever had a crush on someone its been ppl hes close to n has learned to trust. it confuses him a lot. LKSDHGKLHSDLG

constantly walks around in paint covered clothes.

obsessed w 80s pop its easily his fav genre (taste)

ok i think thts all……….. i hv rn……………….. lks around hands on hips

connections.

childhood friends!!

also ppl who forced their way into his life, basically jst approached him first n as soon as they showed him any sort of kindness n affection he was automatically like . ok we’re attached fr life sis<3

neighbours at lilac ridge?? mayhaps??

ppl at parties who’ve made a move or he’s hooked up w but when it came down to the Nitty Gritty he was like . oh………….. i think my mums calling me……….. i gtg……………………….. jst no explanation. LKSHDGKLHDSGL

i rly lov the idea of him hvin someone he loves to use as his muse……. either fr his art or photography<3

mayb someone who he actually was almost in a relationship w once upon a time bt it jst didnt work out, timing was off or he backed out cuz he felt bad that he probs cldnt give them his full attention w helping his family etc.

coworkers at the aquarium!!

old college classmates/ppl who take art classes w him??

ok i think those r all the ideas i hv rn. we can also brainstorm. lets get wild.

[dragimal]

TROS thoughts? TROS thoughts.

just some thoughts abt TROS and the trilogy as a whole. I don’t actively talk abt SW much so this’ll prolly be p disorganized, but I just wanted to throw some thoughts to the wind lmao. also thanks @cobwebbing for bullying me into watching TROS as quickly as possible and also yelling abt all these jumbled thoughts with/at me

overall I rly liked it! with a lot of criticisms! and I’ll expand under the cut

so, as usual, everything reylo was p spectacular. Rey trading off her light-saber to Kylo? that last bombastic kiss? Kylo fading into a force ghost to presumably reunite w/ his family? the mutual healing of one another-- and in particular, Kylo not only sharing his own life-force, but that which Rey had previously gifted him for the stab wound??? the DRAMA! the ROMANCE!! I was going absolutely (mentally) HOGWILD during those scenes, AAAAA I couldn’t have asked for better! Rey and Kylo are totally gonna have a force-ghost honeymoon and I’m here for it

my one big criticism w/ anything involving them was Palp being Rey’s grandad. Star Wars has always had weird hangups abt bloodlines, so it felt very fresh to see the protag be a whole-ass nobody-- u don’t need to come from some line of force-sensitive heroes/baddies to be somebody! ANYBODY can be somebody if they choose to be! yeah, she technically still renounced her “evil blood” to be a good person, but it felt a lot cheaper than just letting her be a nobody that chooses that path. I feel like there’s a nugget of good to be found in her adopting the Skywalker name at the end (y’all know I’m a sucker for adopted family~), but compounded w/ all the other hangups w/ bloodlines, it kinda felt like another affirmation that only Skywalkers can ever be the big important heroes or something, idk

that all said, I don’t hate Palp’s existence in TROS, I just don’t want him related to Rey in any way. tho his existence was still a bit awkward at parts (Snoke was a clone? who were all those cultists in the stands around the throne? how did he even survive the first trilogy?? hello???). but overall I rly liked the idea that the reason Sith kill their masters is for some reincarnation-death ceremony. when u hold that against the fresh new cast of heroes in this trilogy, you get this theme of, “evil ideals are always the same-- stagnant and unchanging. good must evolve and grow to combat it.” if that makes sense? I just rly like that implication

it was weird how easily Kylo seemed to drop any connection to Vader? like when Rey knocked Vader’s mask on the ground, I thought Kylo would either feel angry that she almost destroyed it, or betrayed by the reminder that he was never rly talking to Vader anyways, or SOMETHING, but he kinda just left it there in the snow? it was just strange, after all the build-up

now aside from anything involving Rey and Kylo, everything else was..... well, it was abt as I expected. which wasn’t good, coming off the heels of TLJ’s treatment of anyone that wasn’t Rey, Kylo, or Luke. while JJ and Rian do a fantastic job w/ reylo stuff, they seem to just let everything else fall to the wayside, which is unfortunate in a lot of ways

for one, Finn is one of my favorite characters in SW as a whole, and it’s heartbreaking to see his character arcs fall apart before they even start (post-TFA). he has so much depth and potential-- enough to even be the main protag, as some have pointed out. while I don’t agree that he’s a better foil to Kylo (and that’s not just my reylo bias, like they rly don’t have the same personality chemistry or thematic conflicts imo), I could totally see a SW trilogy centered around him instead (tho idk if I’d be able to properly doctor the script to THAT degree on my own... 🤔...)

either way, Finn’s potential was rly squandered the last two movies, and I’d love to see that rectified. I’ve always been disappointed that Finn immediately went to shooting other stormtroopers in TFA w/o any hint of hesitation, so I’d ideally like to give him some conflicted feelings during TFA to start off with. then, I’ve always thought his plot in TLJ should’ve been focused completely on stormtroopers-- no casino, no fox-horse racing or anything. he and Rose would IMMEDIATELY sneak onto the FO ship from the beginning of the movie as undercover stormtroopers, gathering info for the Resistance and trying to shut down the FO’s tracking tech, while also feeling out the thoughts of fellow stormtroopers. maybe some troopers would be gung-ho abt the FO, while others would like to rebel but are too scared, while others still had never considered the option of rebellion until Finn planted just a little seed for them. however, by the end of TLJ, his efforts might’ve *seemed* useless, like the FO might’ve killed off any defecting stormtroopers. then we’d hit TROS, and Finn might be a bit colder, and bit more willing to kill stormtroopers, b/c even if he could convert them, he wouldn’t be able to protect them, so he might as well end it as quickly as possible. but THEN he’d meet the former stormtroopers-- not just strangers this time, but some of the troopers he’d met while on the FO ship in the previous movie! they’d escaped, and his efforts weren’t for naught! his actions still mattered, and continue to matter as everyone moves forward!

also, can I just say, fucking weird that Finn’s suddenly force-sensitive?? I’m not necessarily against him being force-sensitive, but I’m attached to the idea of an important character that doesn’t have any significant connection to the force-- he was just a talented dude! but even then, I think I’d be more open to it if not for how it was introduced. apparently, the only reason he (or any stormtrooper, as far as we know) defected is b/c the force told them to. no personal decisions based on morals or logic or even basal fear, just some “force-instinct”. that’s just.... so insulting to his character and the potential for stormtroopers, I’m reeling lmfao

Poe is an interesting case for me b/c I don’t feel any particular way abt him. like, he’s fine? but I care far more abt reylo and Finn than I do Poe, so I haven’t put as much thought into how I’d change his arcs, BUT I do have a few ideas. since I’d nix Finn’s casino trip in TLJ, I’d have Poe kinda take the helm of that-- rather than a slow crawl thru space on low fuel, the Resistance’s problem would be their space-jumping tech (+ the FO tracking them of course), so they’d have plenty of fuel to jump, but for some reason they’d have to recharge or re-fix something after each jump? so it’s more like a lil space roadtrip for Poe’s plot, where he’s jumping the Resistance to different planets, hiding their ships somewhere before the FO catches on, and waiting until the can jump again to the next hiding spot. all the while, Poe’s keeping in touch w/ Finn, trying to keep the FO off their tails for just a little bit longer, or gathering info on their plans. I rly liked Poe’s TLJ arc of, “sacrificing a few for the cause is actually kinda shitty,” so I’d like to keep that, like maybe he makes a few risky decisions while running? and then later, when Finn tries to sacrifice himself to the FO’s canon (in this case b/c he thinks his efforts w/ the stormtroopers didn’t work, so maybe he can do just this one thing--), Poe’s like Oh Fuck No and smacks him outta the sky. so Poe has this moment like, “wow, perhaps I’m not as ok w/ all this sacrifice as I thought? also I might have a crush?😳” and then in TROS he’s coming to terms w/ his crush on Finn (and Zorii’s like, *nudges* “OH-HO??~”), but Finn’s still a bit broken up over how everything w/ the stormtroopers turned out in TLJ, so he’s been difficult to connect to. then when Finn meets the former stormtroopers, he gains back some of that confidence in connecting to others, and he finally *sees* Poe for the first time in a while and it’s all romantic and junk heheh

tbh I don’t actually feel particularly strongly abt finnpoe as a pairing, BUT I rly like the potential it has for Finn and Poe’s respective character arcs, and especially how it could so lovingly tie into TROS’ theme of, “we are only as strong as we are together, and together we can beat this.” unfortunately, that theme in and of itself is also kinda awkward coming on the heels of TLJ, where the Resistance was abandoned by the galaxy when there was only a small fleet of FO forces to deal with, yet the galaxy comes to aid when there’s a fuckin billion FO ships w/ PLANET-DESTROYING TECH on-board each?? I know the 2nd movie’s supposed to be a low point, but the huge turn-around in TROS just doesn’t make a whole lotta sense to me, and I don’t know how to fix that one lmao

Rose is.... a difficult one. I rly want to like her b/c I love Kelly and she has cute moments, but TLJ already didn’t give her a lot to work with, and she had insultingly little to do in TROS. I think that perhaps she’d work well as Poe’s thematic foil in TLJ? Rose’s sister was one of the ones sacrificed under Poe’s direction, so she prolly wouldn’t be too pleased w/ that, and would bring up counterpoints to Poe’s risky maneuvers w/ the Resistance whenever they check in w/ him. then when Poe goes to rescue Finn from the canon, Rose’s words are what play thru his head. for TROS, I’d gladly replace C3PO or Chewie (or both) w/ her, lmao. I can’t necessarily think of an arc for her, but TROS was already juggling so many anyways, I think it would’ve been fine for her to maybe be a lynch-pin for the squad-- someone trying to hold everyone together through these dire circumstances, but everything starts to fall apart... until some significant moment where she helps pull everyone back together, thus completing the theme of the film. also I would’ve felt FAR more distressed if it was Rose that was supposedly on the destroyed transport ship (tho that scene was already kinda stupid like... why couldn’t Rey sense that Chewie wasn’t on there... hm..)

the Hux betrayal was obvious even from as far back as TFA, but it was weird he was replaced by a nobody we never met before and don’t care abt lmfao. I mean I don’t rly care for Hux at all, but I care even less for this stranger who has no personality lmfao

[addcests]

mocha and mustaches in may

INJECTS ESPRESSO SHOTS DIRECTLY INTO MY BLOODSTREAM im so sorry it’s been months life i s  ha  r d 

ALSO THANK @cnrb FOR THEIR ART OF MY FIC IT GAVE ME SOME MOTIVATION TO FINISH WHEN I WAS RLY DISCOURAGED

title grande or venti [ao3]  chapter chapter 3 mocha and mustaches in may [ao3] pairing LPMM (slow burn?) words 2278 summary A newcomer disrupts Mastermind’s baristia routine. The newcomer falls asleep... again.

previous | chapter 3 | next

SPECIAL OF THE DAY: Caffè Mocha

We combine our rich, full-bodied espresso with bittersweet mocha sauce and steamed milk, then top it off with sweetened whipped cream. The classic coffee drink to satisfy your sweet tooth.

. . .

Psyker had had a long day.

He could recall a certain someone nagging him in the back of his head about not juggling the course load he was taking currently, but it was only days like these that he’d actually heeded said nagging. Psyker brought up a hand to the side of his neck, rubbing at it wearily as if pressing against the skin would massage away the tiredness blurring the edges of his vision. As he walked along, he contemplated hitting up the gym, as he would most days but at the moment he just couldn’t muster the strength to even think about all the repetitions he’d push himself to do. Instead, he found himself before a familiar see through door, windows covered with well-placed ads of new coffees and pastries.

He exhaled a soft breath, watching the door fog up from the puff of warm air. A smile made its way to his face as he reached for the door’s handle, nudging it open gently as he was welcomed with the equally familiar jingle of a bell’s tune, greeted and wrapped in the warmth and cozy atmosphere that he knew only this café could provide.

And as much as he would rag on about coffee to Mastermind, the smell of the grinded beans was almost therapeutic. The rich and smooth flavors’ scent filling his nose were so bold that he swore he felt a little more pep in his step from the smell alone—coffee be damned.

Entering the coffee shop was his favorite, taking in the smells, the sounds and meshing in a ball of chilled, relaxing aesthetics.

—why, if only his roommate could hear him now.

He shook that scary thought from his head as he proceeded onto the next favorite part about visiting the shop; the entire reason he’d visit in the first place. (Lately, anyway.)  

“No, as I said before, that drink is without coffee. But I can add coffee if you’d like, for an additional charge.”

Or, perhaps, it’d be better to say not what he came to the shop for but for whom he came to the shop for. Right on cue, Psyker picked up on the blatant lack of patience he heard laced in Mastermind’s voice the first time they had met. It seemed to happen without fail, the annoyance prickling and dripping in each syllable of his far too done voice on almost any given shift Mastermind had.  

He felt sorry for the poor thing.

“No! … no,” he could hear Mastermind trying to restrain his voice. “No, we do not offer these drinks in the trenta size.” Psyker forced back a chuckle, listening to Mastermind try, once again, to come off as less of a… well, asshole losing any remaining patience.

In any case, it was days like these that—when Mastermind was busy with the unfortune of having difficult customers and when Psyker was feeling a little worn—he was happy to simply find himself an unoccupied table, somewhere that would be in Mastermind’s line of sight lately—and sit there, not wanting to further stress him.

He placed an elbow on the table, using it to prop up his chin and gaze aimlessly at the sea of people around him.

Normally, Psyker didn’t find the appeal of just sitting around and doing nothing—but when it was here, just sitting around wasn’t as novel as he thought but the weary Psyker found his opinion changing as of late. Itching to be productive, the atmosphere was great for getting busy. He could get work done too, free from distractions at home. However, by the time he assessed what it was he needed to do, he pulled off his puffy red and black winter jacket that he bundled himself in and placed it down on the table, folding it to make a makeshift pillow.

It wasn’t the first time that the shop’s soft beats over the radio, mixed with the mindless white noise of people chattering, had lulled him to close his eyes a bit and just rest.

Psyker’s final thought that crossed his mind was how it was ironic he could still find the café quaint enough to fall asleep in, despite Mastermind’s irritated voice fading into the background until sleep had claimed him.

>>> 

When Psyker finally woke from his slumber, the first thing he noticed was that his neck and back hurt and felt stiff, and that thought was then followed by the fact that he was drooling into his jacket, which meant he wasn’t using his pillow. Which meant he wasn’t in his bed at home.

The next thing Psyker noticed was that, upon realizing he was not at home, he jolted awake to find that he was in the little chair in the now quiet, and empty, café that Mastermind worked at.

Mastermind…

“—shit!” He cursed under his breath, because this was the second time he’s done this now to Mastermind. What time was it even? He rubbed at his heavy eyelids, forcing them to open as he peered down at his way too bright phone screen, cursing again as he fumbled with it to turn down the brightness only to drop it in his haste. Quickly, he lunged for it only to come short when he saw long limbs blocking his way.

“Hey, careful. You’re going to ruin the drink I just made you.” Mastermind glanced down then quickly averted his gaze to the tray he was carrying, steadying it.

Meanwhile, Psyker tried his best to calm his beating heart, thumping from jolting out of his sleep suddenly but also from the shock of Mastermind appearing out of nowhere before him. “You scared me!” he whined aloud.

Mastermind ignored Psyker’s outburst and placed the tray on the table, then easily bent down to where Psyker was, rolling his eyes as he simply picked up Psyker’s still too bright phone and offered it to him. “You dropped this,” Mastermind snarked, lips quirked up in a smile now.

Psyker could tell that hidden behind that smile, Mastermind was trying to force down a smirk, especially with the amount of sass he could detect in his voice, as if he were trying to mute a laugh that threatened to spill over. “Gee, thanks.” And then he made a face, something akin to playful annoyance because it wasn’t as if he couldn’t get his own phone! So, he voiced that.

Mastermind picked up on his sour face and a small chuckle slipped passed his lips as he turned his head the other way, feigning as if he hadn’t just laughed. But Psyker totally noticed. “That so? Well, you didn’t. I am trying to clean up and close, you know.”  

It wasn’t hard to hear the playful tone Mastermind was chastising him with, considering how late it must have been and that he was interrupting the process of closing down the shop. Again. “Oh… !” Psyker bit back a curse in the presence of Mastermind. “I didn’t mean t’ fall asleep again, I was, ya know, just waiting.” He ducked his head, mumbling under his breath as he explained.

Mastermind seemed taken aback by the sudden genuine reply Psyker offered but it was true! Psyker noticed Mastermind fidgeted a bit before slowly replying, “I know, I saw you, but it was really busy today… I appreciate you stopping by though!”

Psyker looked up from his defeat somewhat timidly, meeting Mastermind’s gaze and upon the words sinking, he positively beamed at the barista’s response, the corners of his lips tugging up just a bit that he was sure would not go unnoticed.

The way Psyker lit up seemed to throw Mastermind off as he fidgeted once again, holding eye contact with him until he began to fidget again, eyes averting from Psyker’s and smiling, albeit a bit awkwardly, in return.

The exchange between the two fumbling males was every bit of awkward both sides felt it to be. Why? They weren’t sure themselves, probably, and Psyker certainly was unsure but because it felt so they found themselves smiling in the companionable smile despite one another and themselves. In fact, a small laugh surfaced, escaping from Mastermind, each one light and bubbly, without any embarrassment. This seemed to dispel the slightly awkward tension the two were holding onto, as he tried to look Psyker in the eye once again. “Hey now, don’t let another one of my perfect drinks go cold on you.” Gingerly, he sat the tray opposite of Psyker’s belongings that were scattered rather haphazardly on the table, choosing to bite back a comment on the mess. “You look like you could use it on the trek home.”  

Psyker seemed to snap out of his trance as well, eyes trailing Mastermind’s movements as he placed the drink before him. “Hoh, what’s it today?”

“Just a mocha, not too many shots though because coffee this late isn’t a smart idea.” Mastermind paused for effect, “And because I wouldn’t want to offend the coffee-hater.”

Now Psyker’s lips pulled into a smirk of playful rebelliousness as he offered Mastermind a toothy grin. “Coffee tastes horrible.” Despite saying so, he pulled the cup to his lips and before taking a sip murmured, “you’ll never let that go huh?”

There was no verbal response. And there was no need. All the barista did was shift his weight on one leg, crossing both his arms over his chest as he offered the coyest smile Psyker had ever seen on the male yet. Still silent, he wore an upturned smile, not kind but instead playful with how he raised his eyebrows while tilting his chin up with just the right amount of defiance to still come off as teasing. All of this to suggest just what Psyker had said earlier—that there was no way he’d let this go.

Psyker’s heart jumped to his throat, just a little.

… particularly, because the jump-starting smirk Mastermind gave—was still giving him damnit—just a few mere seconds ago was now being replaced by quivering lips, forcing back an obviously muffled laugh as he bit down on his lips to stop the sound from escaping.

Unsure of what could possibly be so funny in such a short span of time, Psyker bristled just a little. “A-and jus’ what’s so funny?!”

Mastermind tilted his head the other way, hardly trying much at all to hide his laughter at this point.

“Well! What is it?”

Still, Mastermind would not yield, refusing to answer him.

“Have I somethin’ on my face… ?” Because that was the sneaking suspicion that Psyker was getting what with how Mastermind was now staring at what felt like his face. (And given how he could hardly hold eye contact earlier, he was like almost one hundred percent sure.) Suddenly feeling self-conscious, he swatted at his face and then placed a hand to his cheek, holding it there.

“N-not there!” Mastermind murmured out between chuckles hidden behind his hand.

Not there on his cheek, Psyker figured, so he moved his hand across his face towards his mouth and—he blinked because, “really? Whipped cream?” Psyker ran his tongue across part of his upper lip and tasted more of the vanilla sweetened substance.

After what seemed like forever to the slightly red Psyker, Mastermind ceased his laughing fit enough to finally speak. He stood upright, shaking his head, “I’d only put a small dollop, unlike the kids who wants a whole handful helping of the stuff, but still you managed to get a cream-stache.”

Whatever taunting reply Psyker had in mind was interrupted by the rough vibrations of his phone against the table nearest them. “Oh?” His eyes grew wide when he realized, again, what time it was and that it was probably his roommate wondering where the hell he was. Mentally, he cursed. A lot. “This is becoming a really bad habit,” he mumbled offhandedly, more so to himself than to Mastermind.

At first, Psyker couldn’t tell if Mastermind was offended, upset, or confused. Or all three. Before Mastermind could jump in, he decided it’d be best to clarify, “My staying late. I mean, it’s not bad. For you!” Psyker stumbled over his words and inhaled, taking a quick sip of the mocha he’d been holding. Licking his lips he tried again, “I don’t mean to keep holding ya up like this. It’s…”

… just so nice to be around someone like you.

Psyker didn’t feel so bold with those choice of words, syllables dying on his lips as he suddenly felt self-conscious and nervous again, but for different reasons than earlier.

Again, Mastermind looked like he wanted to jump in to speak, but this time he refrained, eyes darting down. Pensive or upset, Psyker was at a lost to differentiate the two.

“It’s just a lot of fun you know.” Psyker tried again, cutting through Mastermind’s silence, this time offering a lopsided smile and nudging Mastermind gently to catch his attention in hopes of getting him to look up again. “You’re a pretty great guy.”

Fidgeting Mastermind finally stopped to look up at Psyker. There was some hesitation, but a smile graced his features eventually. “You’re not bad yourself, Psyker.”

“Thanks.”

“… for a coffee-hater anyway.”

They shared a knowing look, one of inside jokes and laughs.

Psyker found that, despite the nickname being true, it was really starting to grow on him.