Chapter Text
it is when the elves have left the forests to build their startups.
When the dwarves have emerged from their caves to start their automotive empires
When the orcs have put down their axes and started using computers to improve their lives
And when humans live among them, as driven as ever.
Most of these stories are left untold, but some few find solace in the embrace of bricks and wood and glass. They are told over drinks, then take up residence in some strangers' memories.
In one corner of the city is a coffee shop, one thats only waking up when most are sleeping. A place where customers share their stories, vent, confess.
And Matts always loved hearing stories.
23rd September - Monday - 2024 - 11:35pm
The bell rings from out front, rains softly hitting against the glass windows that are half covered by curtains. Keeps in the heat. Neon lights reflect from a club across the street, cars are still passing by outside, Matt has grown accustomed to the noise of tires on the damp road and the occasional honking of horns. Brick lines the wall on the far side of the coffee bar, decorative wooden shelves sit to one side of the large window, a poster his mom had gotten him when he first opened the café sits on the other side, right in his eyeline, that had some cheesy line about needing coffee.
"I'll be out in a sec-oh, its you" Matt gives a small smile to Quinn, a regular who comes in every night without fail. A writer who only moves to the city because his two younger brothers did, he thought it would be a fresh start, from what? Matt hasn't been told yet. Quinn writes for an independent newspaper, where his skills are being used up on the wrong thing. Matts read some of Quinns short stories and theyre amazing, but instead of being able to focus on that he has to write pieces on politics and whatever group are going on strike yet again, there's been more of those recently.
Quinn looks how he usually does, bags under his eyes, pale skin, a little deathly. When Quinn had first came into the café Matt had assumed he was a vampire, apparently a common mistake that a lot of people made when they looked at Quinn, who is fully human and has no desires to be anything but.
"Hey" Quinn nods as he sits down, laptop already sliding onto the marble counter that cost way too much for Matt to even think about, all for the aesthetics, right? A notebook is placed up beside it, Matts peaked into it before while Quinn was writing, a few excerpts from the book he's apparently been working on for the last year, but is less than five chapters into it. 'it's a process, yknow' Quinn had shrugged when Matt first asked about it a few months ago, when his eyes looked a little less lifeless. But works beating his ass, his boss shoving the stories nobody else wants to write about onto his desk.
"The usual?" Matt asks, already moving over to the espresso machine. Quinn usually got a latte, sometimes if he was extra proud of an article or excerpt from his book he'd get a caramel one. The last time that happened was three months ago. Quinn gives a soft hum in confirmation, his eyes scanning the café walls like he usually does, nothing every really changes on them. Matt once hung up a new picture and as soon as he seen the unimpressed look on Quinns face he took it back down, to be fair it was yet another cringe sign about loving coffee so Matt couldn't blame him.
Matt tries his best to make the foam art look halfway decent, but it's his first drink of the night, and for some reason he always fucks up the first few, like his brain just forgets how to do what he's been doing for years.
Quinn doesn't seem to mind, or at least he never says anything about the circle of white in the middle of his mug that could be a heart if you tilted your head and were half blind and maybe never seen a heart before. He's quieter than usual, just giving a soft "thanks" when Matt slides the mug across the counter, his laptop opens and he's sucked into typing away. Or typing a few words and hitting the backspace button repeatedly. Finally after ten minutes he huffs out a sigh and closes the laptop.
"Talk to me, tell me anything" he groans, head moving down to press his forehead against the cool white marble, his coffee barely halfway gone, Matt knows he'll have at least another two before he goes home to not sleep and procrastinate his work assignment.
Matt leans against the counter behind the bar, palms pressed down, one foot crossed in front of the other. Theres a dark stain on the front of his t-shirt from where he spilt his first shift drink on himself. "Uh...my supplier made some sort of error and I dont have like, half the shit i usually have, so...praying no one comes in asking for some overcomplicated drink."
It earns a small snort from Quinn, which is a win "man, thats a bummer" he mutters before he's tapping his fingers against the closed notebook, eyes flicking down to it then behind him to look out the window. "Anything else?" Quinn asks when his eyes eventually move away from the rain stained glass. He takes another gulp of his coffee, a double espresso for his first one as usual, if Matt doesn't make it like that he gets a very grumpy writer sat across from him. Should Matt make him sign a waiver for the amount of espresso he consumes? Is it a dangerous level? Maybe. But he can't say no to that traumatised sad mouse face.
Matt shrugs "eh, uneventful. Nothing really happened since you were here last." He watches as Quinn nods, eyes darting to his laptop like it's holding him hostage. "Writers block again?"
Quinn lets out a sigh and nods "yeah, just...my boss wants me to write about the discrimination vampires have been getting in healthcare professions-and, like, important, I know, I feel bad for them, but like...same shit, different people, y'know," he shrugs before propping his chin up in his hand. "And then the books at a standstill, i still feel like the plot is going everywhere and nowhere, the characters don't make sense and i keep changing my mind on how i want them to act and look and...sorry, sorry, rambling."
Matt shakes his head "I dont mind, better you than me."
Quinn sighs, glancing up at the clock on the wall "how has it only been twenty minutes?" He groans, head dropping down again. "I need to be medicated or something." His head lifts to look at Matt with those sad eyes "hey..."
"No" Matts shaking his head automatically. It was hard enough getting certified and passing the courses so that he could run an establishment that serves food and drinks as a mage, since theres a risk that Matt could, like, add potions and spells to them? He doesn't get the logic, if he wanted to harm people with magic why would he go through the effort of putting it in something he has to spend money on? And he knows what Quinns asking for.
Legally, he can only put a relaxation or an energy potion in with the drinks he makes, and even then the customer would have to sign a waiver, Matt would have to use all freshly opened products, write down exactly what he put in. And its bad enough that the café gets checked by the FDA every two months.
God forbid a mage have an interest in the culinary arts.
"Why not?" Quinn huffs, slumping back "i wont tell anyone, it'll be our little secret." He's looking at Matt like he knows he'll say yes. But he can't.
"You know I cant, if theres even like, a spec that looks suspicious I'll be shut down, not allowed to open again, Quinn." It makes the writer huff again, rolling his eyes. Matt knows he can't do anything about it. "And who else is gonna make you coffee at 12am?"
"I could so make my own coffee." Quinn says "...i just prefer to not be in my apartment...nothing to do with your skills or how much better it tastes in here." Matt just nods "right, right, nothing to do with that at all," his eyes roll in amusement before he's turning back to the espresso machine, starting to make another shot of espresso when Quinns cup starts nearing its end.
"What if you just slipped me something after you shut?" It makes Matt snort, glancing over his shoulder to see Quinn giving him a hopeful look, hands pressed onto the counter, he looks paler than usual, probably hasn't been sleeping much, if at all. He knows work stresses him out, and he's heard all about Quinns brothers who both seem to be in weird relationships that has Quinn stressed out.
"You're asking me to be a potion dealer? Yknow, the thing that could send me to prison?" Quinn huffs again "you're not fun, at all."
"Sorry for not wanting to risk my livelihood for you, Quinn."
The writer runs a hand through his hair "after this drink I'm gonna go home, since someone wont even drug me when i ask...i thought we were friends Matt." Matt shrugs as he finishes the second latte, the foam art looking slightly better than the first one, looking more like a heart than a blob thankfully.
"Do you drug your friends?" Matt asks, moving around behind the counter, grabbing one of the redbulls he'd brought in at the start of his shift and chugging down half of it. Quinn shrugs "I would if they asked, just how good of a friend I am."
Matt rolls his eyes and nods "right, right...work been bad recently?" Sue him for being worried about his best customer, turned friend, but Quinn hasn't looked this stressed in a while (at least a month, but still)
Quinn nods, making a soft hiss as he swallows another mouthful of the hot coffee "mhm, and I have that first draft deadline for my book in like a month." His eyes instantly go back to his laptop, the thing that holds every single word he's types and retyped. "And how far along is it?" He pauses at Matts question, sighing and taking another sip of the coffee. "I wrote three Chapters."
Matt smiles and nods "that's good, that's really good, you'll be finished in no time." Quinn nods slowly "...I deleted them cause I didn't like it enough."
Matts face drops, eyebrows furrowing with a 'seriously?' look. "Hey, dont look at me like that! I need it to be perfect for the draft, I can't be risking this deal on an okay draft."
"Right...so where are you now?" Matt asks, arms crossing over his chest again, watching as Quinns face heats up a little. "Uh...five sentences?-Hey! No looking at me like that!"
"You went from three chapters to five sentences, Quinn, c'mon" Matt groans, huffing and shaking his head "its due in what, four weeks?"
"Three actually- well, three and a half. But I just...I write and then I overthink it and I get all in my head about how bad it is." Quinn looks pained. Well, he usually does but when he talks about his writing he looks ever more so.
"Okay, next time you get more than five sentences done you're gonna show it to me. Let me judge it and tell you if it's good or not." Matt moves back over to the coffee machine, is it dangerous for Quinn to drink 6 shots of espresso in less than an hour?
Quinn nods at the idea "and you won't lie? You'll tell me if it's bad?" Matt nods along, watching as Quinn slides the empty mug back over the counter, he has a Stack of the same ones for Quinn since he doesn't really like any of the other mugs Matt has. Apparently, coffee shouldn't be served in giant mugs or mugs with cats on them? So it's simple white mugs that barely holds the latte Quinn always orders.
"I'll tell you if it's bad, i promise. And I read all the time so you know I can tell what's good and bad. And bad writers rarely ever get far enough for a publisher to ask for a draft," Matt points out, glancing at Quinn and seeing the depressed looking man watching him make his final drink of the night. Quinns eyebrows furrow "well, that's not true, people read Colleen Hoover so..."
Matt pauses, "...don't ever say that name in here again." Quinns hands go up in surrender as his final drink is placed down in front of him. "My apologies."
Quinn seems to chug the third latte, finishing it and leaving the mug still softly steaming in front of him. "Okay, goodnight, or day? Your sleep schedule is just as fucked as mine, so...good day." He snorts as he slips from the chair, shoving his laptop and notebook back into his bag.
"Be safe, don't delete anything else you write before i can read it," Matt tells him, pointing his finger at the writer like he's telling off a small child.
"Okay, okay, see you tomorrow." Quinn mutters before slipping outside again, the soft ringing of the bell above the door echoing in the quiet space
00:37am
The bell rings over the door, a brunette who couldn't be any older than 20 walking inside, sliding up onto one of the seats, he looks shorter that Matt but, well...thats not too hard to do.
"Welcome" Matt smiles at the guy who looks awkward, like he's not sure he's in the right place. "For here or take away?"
"Oh, uh" the guys face turns a bit pink as he shifts on the chair "for here, i think". Theres small curved up pink horns on the guys head, he's in a BU hoodie and keeps checking his phone. He types on his phone for a moment before turning it off and leaving it down on the counter. "Sorry, just telling my boyfriend I got here, uh." His eyes scan the board above Matts head. His hands twitch like he wants to reach for his phone again. "Uh...what would you recommend?" His eyes fall back onto Matt.
"Depends on your mood, i guess?" Matt shrugs, glancing at the board behind him before looking at the guy again. "Do you like coffee?" Probably a dumb question for him to ask a customer, but a lot of people come in for more than just coffee.
"Uh, yeah," the guy nods a little "but I dont think I wanna be up all night, I have practice early tomorrow." Matt likes when customers talk to him like he knows what they're talking about. Practice for what? Matt isnt sure, but judging by the college hoodie he'd guess maybe football? Baseball?
"D'you like hot chocolate?" The guy almost lights up at the question, like Matt somehow solved his problems. "Oh, yeah. Hot chocolate sounds good." He's never seen someone so happy for hot chocolate...thats a lie, he's seen plenty of kids excited for hot chocolate but he hasn't seen any college students get excited for hot chocolate.
"Great," is all Matt mutters before he's moving to make it, he can see the guy repeatedly check his phone as he waits, eyes moving to the door, then the window, then back to his phone again. He slides the full mug over the counter, making the guy put his phone down.
"Thanks" he says softly, just offering his card to Matt without asking the price. As he taps the card Matt wonders if Quinn paid, not like it matters, he comes in nearly every night anyways. The silence is tense, it's not usually like that with customers but the guy is putting a downer to Matts mood, even more so than Quinn does which should be impossible to do.
"So, you're waiting for your boyfriend?" Matt asks, leaning against the counter. He could probably clean up as he's making the drinks but not enough people come in for it to be a problem.
The guy nods "yeah, he should be here soon." He glances around, "I honestly thought this place would be more crowded, yknow, since its the only coffee shop open after midnight." The guy looks confused, which, rightfully so. Matt thought it would be a bit more popular than it is, considering its near four big colleges, but he's fine with his semi-regulars and a less crowded counter.
"Yeah, but I guess more people want to sleep than stay up after midnight for coffee," Matt shrugs, the guy nods in response "makes sense..." he shifts in the seat and checks his phone again when it buzzes on the counter, he lets out a small breath like hes relieved then looks at Matt again. "Is it bad for business? Yknow, only being open at night?"
Matt shrugs "not really, there's regulars, yknow. And I can never sleep, so it was either open yet another coffee shop that runs on the same hours or, well...one that's open for the insomniacs."
The guy nods and sips at his hot chocolate, the silence that follows isnt as awkward as the first time, maybe he just needed to talk a bit for him to be comfortable sat there.
The bell rings above the door again, this time a blond man walks in, he's about the same age as the brunette in front of Matt, hair soaking from the rain. He has sharp features, a small nose, and pointed ears. 'must be an elf' Matt thinks. He watches as the blond slides onto the stool next to the brunette, his hand rubbing the others lower back. "Hey" he says softly, giving a tight smile before shrugging the bag on his back off, it hits the wooden floor beside him with a 'thunk'.
"Hey" the brunette mutters, eyes only briefly looking to the blond before he's looking back at his hot chocolate, fingers drumming against the marble. Matt looks between them, theres definitely tension there, something he's curious but won't ask about, God forbid he loses customers because he's too nosey.
"Sorry for taking so long, Leno was talking my ear off," the blond huffs, he's wearing a BC hoodie, the maroon standing out against his pale skin. The brunette shrugs "its fine," he mutters, Matts dated enough (not at all) to know that meant nothing was fine. "I was talking to, uh...the guy who works here, so..." he shrugs, taking a sip of his hot chocolate thats been slowly getting cold.
Matt decides thats his que to talk, looking at the blond "can i get you anything?"
The blond pauses, eyes going to Matt like he's just realised that someone does in fact work here, he shrugs "uh, surprise me." The brunettes eyebrows furrow beside him "what kind of order is that?" The blond shrugs "well i dunno what to order." He sounds exasperated, running a hand through his floppy hair.
"Do you have any preferences or allergies?" Matt asks, God he doesn't want a couple arguing in here, it would be bad for business...if there was anyone else actually in here it would be bad for business. The blond looks to Matt again, he's kind of watching him like he's some kind of threat, is Matt a threat? He's just trying to get the guys order.
"Coffee, iced" the blond shrugs, Matt just nods and moves to make it.
He doesn't say anything as he slides the iced caramel macchiato across to the blond. Who seems to be nice enough to mutter a 'thanks' before taking a sip. "What were you two talking about?" He asks the brunette, should Matt turn away? Wash dishes? Pretend he isn't listening to them?
The brunette shrugs "just asking if he gets a lot of people in here, nothing else really." The blond hums and nods "right..." his eyes move and meet Matts own, then move down, like he's assessing him. "You don't have a name tag." He points out, raising an eyebrow at Matt. Out of all the things he thought the blond would say, that definitely wasnt one of them.
"Oh, yeah," Matt nods, glancing down at his chest like he's making sure he didn't just sprout a nametag in less than a second. "Its only really me working here so I don't use one...I'm Matt."
The blond nods "Will" he says, then furrows his eyebrows together "you run it by yourself?"
Matt nods "yeah, well, I have one other person who sometimes works, Jamie, but he only works like...every few weeks? He's in Toronto right now, though, so..." the two are watching him, should Matt be saying all of this? He doesn't know, he's so used to talking to Quinn, and Quinn knows *everything* that happens here.
"...I'm Macklin" the brunette finally speaks again "just...thought you should know." The blond-Will, looks to Macklin, eyebrows furrowing before he's looking back to Matt. "Get a lot of drunk people coming in?"
It feels like he's being questioned up, and for what reason, Matt doesn't know, but he'll answer anyway. "A few, but I'm good with my fists." The joke seems to land well enough, Wills lips quirk up just a bit and Macklin snorts, "well, if your fighting is as good as your coffee, you'll be good." Wow, blondie might actually be nice?
There's another bout of silence that has Matt moving to the sink, the couple on the other side of the counter seemed like they were trying to avoid talking, a tension clear between them. Matt decides to just start washing the mugs Quinn used earlier, while still eavesdropping on the conversation.
"How was your day?" Will asks after a few minutes of silence, eyes focused on Mack as he takes a few sips of his iced coffee before he puts it down again. Macklin shrugs "eh, finished an assignment early. Practice was the same as always...coach went eassier on us today, so it wasn't too bad." Mack finishes the last of his hot chocolate, eyeing the empty cup "how was yours?"
Will sighs "I dont really wanna talk about it, one of my professors was a total asshole about an essay i wrote. And then practice ran later than normal, I'm just-" he slumps down in the chair, taking another sip of his coffee "-I'm tired, sorry Mackie."
The brunette shakes his head "its okay." His hand moving over to rub along Wills arm, giving it a gentle squeeze to try and ease some of the tension radiating from him. Wills phone buzzes on the counter, screen lighting up with an incomong call, he just looks at it then to Mack, who looks back. The buzzing continues, Will not bothering to pick it up until it finally stops.
"Your mom again?" Macklin asks, his demeanor changed from just a few seconds ago, now tense, eyes almost sad. His fingers tap away on the counter, his leg bouncing up and down. Will hums "yeah, she uh..." he trails off with a sigh, running a hand through his hair. "They're talking to you again?"
Will shakes his head "no, I mean...she called today and just...'anyone but a demon', thats what they said." Wills voice changes to mimic a womans, he doesnt look at Macklin, deciding to keep his eyes on his partially drunken coffee instead. "And then my dad called right after and we got into this big fight...I think they want me to get my stuff from the house."
Macklin tenses beside him, eyebrows furrowing together in annoyance "They're kicking you out?! Will, you know you dont have to do this." Mack tries to protest but Will shakes his head, his hand moving to grab Macks own, rubbing his thumb along his rough palms.
"I'm not gonna be a part of them anymore, i can't...I'm just relieved i have a scholarship and don't have to worry about money."
Mack almost winces "but still, they're your family..."
"You didn't hear what they said about you, Macklin-" Will cuts himself off with a sigh, fingers rubbing the bridge of his nose in frustration. Mack goes still beside him "what did they say?" "Just forget it."
"No, I wanna know what they said about me."
Will rolls his eyes again "just the usual bullshit, elves being holy creaturs and our immortality. Even if i outlive you..." he trails off again.
Matt can tell he really doesnt want to hurt his boyfriends feelings. He's heard that inter-species relationships can sometimes be tricky, some people still stuck in the past where you can only date in your species, elves were known for it, something about preserving their kind? Matt doesn't get it really, his mom was a mage his dad was a werewolf, he had countless friends growing up that were mixed-species, he doesnt get what the big deal is.
"Even if you outlive me...?" Mack asks, eyebrows raising, waiting for him to finish, he seems annoyed, but not with Will, with the situation his family is putting them through. "Even if I outlive you no elf would want to be with and elf that was..." Will sighs again, like its paining him to say the next part "an elf thats been...uh...'tainted by an incubus'." Macklin can only huff in response, the air thick with tension. The silence between them carries on for about five minutes, Matt tries to keep himself busy, or at least look busy.
"So this is it then?" Mack asks quietly, Will reaches over, trying to hold onto Macks hand, the brunette tensing up when he does. "It doesn't have to be-" "-You know our families are never gonna be okay with this."
"Doesn't mean we have to break up," Will huffs, scoffing and shaking his head "they don't need to know, we can just...we can pretend we broke up and keep seeing each other." Mack narrows his eyes at Wills idea "and then what? Keep us hidden for the rest of our lives? We're not like humans Will, we can't just like...elope without anyone knowing...and you know they'd never give you permission to marry me."
Will shakes his head "I don't need it, I'll...I'll sever my family ties, this can work Mackie, c'mon...please?" The tension is so thick it could be cut by a knife, who decides to have these arguments in an empty coffee shop anyways? Macks head shakes "you can't do that, you'll lose your immortality-" "-it'd be worth it to spend my life with you." Part of Macklin melts at that, the fact that Will would give up so much of his life just to spend it with him. But the other part tries to push that down, Will shouldn't have to choose between living forever and getting Mack.
"You know I can't let you do that." Macks voice is quiet, Wills watching him, looking for any sign that will tell him exactly what he's feeling. "You love me, I know you do, we're happy together Mack, so just...please?" There another moment of silence, Mack shakes his head an grabs his phone "I can't think clearly right now, I just...I'll talk to you tomorrow."
"Mack!" But the brunettes already slipping out of the coffee shop, the bell ringing above his head as he disappears into the damp cold night.
"Sorry you had to hear that," Matt almost jumps when Will speaks again, looking over his shoulder to see the blond had finished his drink, moving the straw around the empty cup. "Oh, its fine, I've heard worse," he hasn't but maybe it'll make the guy feel better "i hope you two can work it out though."
Will nods "thanks, I appreciate it...do you have any alcohol?" Matt pauses, is this guy even old enough to drink?
"Sadly no, I don't."
Will sighs "alrighty, uh...I'll pay for my drink then go, i guess."
As he watches the blond leave all he can think of is that Quinns gonna love hearing about this tomorrow.