Work Text:
Working in a coffee shop wasn't all bad. The free coffee was good, and the regulars were mostly good. The hours...well, the hours weren't great, but it fit in with Will's school schedule, so he really couldn't complain. He woke up, went to work, grabbed his free coffee and breakfast pastry, and headed to class. He had a routine. It wasn't exciting, but it existed, and the coffee shop made him enough money to cover all the expenses his scholarship didn't while still having enough left over to have a bit of spending money.
He liked his coworkers, even though El had the worst habit of passing him things telekinetically without telling him, so instead of him catching whatever she wanted him to, it often fell to the floor, and Max played the same song on loop if he let her control the store's music. Everyone had their quirks, after all. Will was sure there were things he did that drove El and Max crazy, too.
Tuesday afternoons were generally a quiet time at Upside Down Coffee. There were always a few customers, mostly students who also worked strange hours, but they trickled in and out, only just enough to keep things fresh and interesting. Will mostly used Tuesday afternoons to update the chalk boards and refresh the menus. El liked creating specialty drinks, and Will liked to draw, so their manager had allowed them to do a drink of the week chalkboard. This week's drink was an iced peppermint matcha latte that Will and Max had taken to calling Mindflayer Matcha. Will was sure it was going to be a hit.
He was just about to sit down with the chalkboard when the coffee shop door swung open. Will's breath caught in his throat as the most captivating man he had ever seen entered the coffee shop. Will couldn't look away, but he didn't know where to focus, either - since the man wasn't wearing a lick of clothing, looking felt vulgar. Inappropriate.
But then again, maybe he was wearing clothing. Will couldn't see any exposed genitals, or really, even exposed skin, since the man didn't appear to have any. Just...exposed, corded muscle, thick and ropey, like roots, glistening gently in the late afternoon light.
He doesn't have a nose, Will thought deliriously.
"What ah," he stammered, choking on his spit. He swallowed and had to start again. "What can I get you?" He asked, training his eyes on the cash register in front of him so as to not be distracted by the astonishing specimen in front of him.
"I'd like a large caramel macchiato," the man said, in a voice as thick and as rich as the drink he ordered. "Do you do whipped cream?" he asked.
Will nodded. They did, in fact, have whipped cream. He wanted to squirt it all over the man in front of him. And then lick it off. It would probably get stuck in the crevices...Will needed to focus. If he got an erection at work the girls would never let him hear the end of it.
"With whipped cream," the man said, and nodded firmly.
"Can I ah," Will stuttered. "C-can I get a name for the order?"
"Henry," the man said. His voice rumbled like thunder on a spring morning, heavy and full of promise.
"Henry," Will echoed, and felt his knees go weak. He had to lean on the counter to keep standing. "We'll get that right out for you." His eyes were still caught on the man-shaped tangle of vines in front of him and his heart thudded in his throat. Think of your Mom, he tried to remind himself. Think of the sappy expression on Mike's face whenever El makes him try one of her drinks.
Mike's lovesickness knew no bounds, and at this point, Will wasn't sure if he could even taste most of the concoctions El made for him. The last one had been so foul both Will and Max had refused to take even a single sip, but Mike had drunk the whole thing and proclaimed it the best thing he'd ever tasted. It was enough to turn Will's stomach, and the distraction was enough that Will finally felt safe enough to step away from the counter. He would just keep his eyes down, and maybe he would get through this without total embarrassment.
"You forgot to ask for his payment," Max hissed at him. "That's coming out of your paycheck."
Well, shit, Will thought to himself. At least I didn't get hard.
"You're a disaster!" Max whisper-yelled at him.
"I know, I know," Will muttered. "I'm working on it." Will stumbled into action, and began pulling the espresso, all the while stealing looks at the man who was...hovering slightly above the ground at the counter. God, Will wished he could do that too. It would be so much easier than having to walk everywhere.
Will bit his lip, and focused on foaming the milk. Normally, he would try to make conversation, while he made the coffee, but looking at Henry chased all thoughts from his head. Will could either make the drink Henry ordered, or he could be pleasant. There were simply no two ways about it.
He had just about finished steaming the milk when the kitchen door behind him slammed open and El stormed out, already yelling.
"What did I tell you Henry!?" She screamed, slamming a rag down on the table.
Henry turned mildly to face her. "I'm not here to bother you, Eleven," he said, very evenly. "I simply wanted to get a cup of coffee."
Will wiped the splattered milk off the counter, and poured a new batch, watching in silence as his coworker absolutely reamed the man of his dreams. His heart sunk. He had been hoping that if Henry's coffee was totally perfect, he would come back, and Will would be able to get to know him. If El was going to berate him just for walking in the door, that clearly was out of the cards. But maybe it was for the best. El seemed like she really hated the guy. If she hated him that much, it was probably for a reason.
"I don't need my big brother checking up on me at work!" El snapped. "Will, finish that coffee. I hope you charged him double for it."
"He didn't charge him at all," Max said.
El made another wordless scream, and stomped back to the register, where she slammed a seemingly random number of buttons before telling Henry he owed them fifteen dollars. Pre-tip. Will, preoccupied with pouring the milk into the espresso, missed seeing Henry pull out his wallet. Since he couldn't see any pockets, he was desperately curious as to where Henry was keeping it.
"Coffee for Henry," Will said, sliding the drink across the counter.
"Thank you," Henry said, and two of the ropes that comprised his fingers stretched out, and curled around the cup of coffee before picking it up.
"Show off," El grumbled.
Will felt his pants grow tighter.
"El," he said, very seriously. "I am going to marry your brother."
"There is something very wrong with you," Max said.