Chapter Text
“If it isn’t Ethan Winters!” Heisenberg shouted as he stepped one foot out of his 1970 Ford Mavrick with a flourished wave, steel travel mug in hand.
The blonde flinched and dropped his keys, shooting him a glare as he scooped them off the ground with the hand a few digits short. “Fuck off, Heisenberg.”
The older man lowered his shades and grinned toothily under his mask. There was nothing like starting the day, as obnoxiously early as it was, with a nice view. He slipped a mask off one ear and took a big swig of his own black coffee, replacing it quick enough to hide a grimace at the taste before he strolled on over to the other man as he got the door unlocked. “Why would I want to do that? I got here at the crack of dawn to talk to you, after all.”
“If it’s about tearing out the wall, I don’t want to hear it. I told you it was a shitty idea and my opinion still hasn’t changed.” Ethan muttered, flicking on the open sign and heading in. “First, it’s probably not even legal. You’d probably condemn the building if you tried it. Second,” he raised fingers as he counted them off to punctuate his points. “our hours are different. I’m open in the morning. You’re open in the evening. I’d have to hire someone on to manage something like that and I don’t—” Ethan cut himself off as a customer walked in and put on a pleasant, totally fake customer-service voice that made Karl roll his eyes. “Welcome to Higher Grounds! What can I do for you today?” He quickly slid behind the counter and slid on a fashionable black apron, the kind with the little leather strap, before taking the man’s order.
Karl might not have been one for the fancy coffee drinks, but he had to admire the way that Ethan went about his job, effortlessly working contraptions and levers with a deft hand. It was no wonder the little place, opened by the younger man not so long ago, had begun to pick up local interest.
He took a seat and put his feet up on another of the chairs while he waited for the customer to leave. Of course, there was another, followed by another. Karl found himself pealing the little paper napkin rings off their napkins to make tiny paper cranes. One was hidden in a windowsill and the other was placed atop a brightly colored acrylic painting by a local artist. He was considering where else to put the remaining ones when he was interrupted by the clearing of a throat that caught him by surprise.
“You need to leave, Heisenberg. Seating is for customers.” The rather tired looking man, now that Karl saw him in the light, shoved the silverware into a black plastic bin and tossing the napkins. “Honestly, do you think little fairies just come out and roll silverware at night? Fucking Christ.”
“You look like shit, Winters.” Karl grit his teeth soon as the words left his mouth and came out more teasing than concerned. The phrasing wasn’t great either. “That’s not what… Tired. I mean you look tired.” Karl backed up a little towards the door. “I’ll tell you what. We’ll put a pin in it. You can talk it over with the wife—”
“Get out!” Ethan interrupted him with a loud bang and the clattering of silverware in the bin.
The sudden cacophony of noise nearly made Karl jump back a step as his eyes shot up, wide towards the blonde. Ethan’s eyes, much to his surprise, were filled with angry tears.
Karl stumbled out without another word and slinked his way to his cozy little bookstore/record store where he spent a good portion of the morning sulking. That was until he found himself being laughed at by his nightmare of a sister.
“You made the man cry!” Alcina cackled, trying to wave off the tears in her eyes with glee. “It tickles me that you’re so guileless, brother, honestly.” She was quick to compose herself and smoothed a hand over her skirt as she straightened herself right.
“The fuck’s that supposed to mean?” Karl growled and clicked his fingers on the polished wood of his checkout counter. He was jonesing for tobacco to cope with the anxiety he felt caused by Ethan’s reaction to him. While he’d been trying to quit due to a good deal of guilting by his nieces, it was days like these that made it seem near impossible.
Now the man felt guilt and confusion over what? He did not know. Karl was annoying, sure, but in a charming way, like a racoon found in a garbage can. It wasn’t like he did anything at all so severe as to cause furious tears in another by any means.
“Why do you think Daniela has started babysitting his adorable little daughter?” she asked, giving him a measured look from under a wide brimmed hat she generally sported whenever it was sunny.
“Because she’s been laid off and has been able to keep in relative isolation so she’s a safer option than any daycare right now.” he said with a hand wave and nod. That was obvious.
Alcina shook her head with a sigh. “Somehow you manage to be correct and still give the wrong answer. It’s remarkable, really.”
“And this is why mother never loved you.” He shot back.
“Mother never loved anyone but herself, dear.” Alcina’s eyes showed she was totally sporting a mocking smile under that mask as she stood and smoothed her dress. “Unfortunately, as fun as it has been to see my darling little brother, I’m afraid I must get to the recording studio.” She turned to the door, picking up her purse from a table covered in mountains of books.
“You know, Alcina. It’d be a shame if someone to T.P. that stone monstrosity you call a house.” he called after her. They both knew she was ignoring answering him just to goad him on.
She froze and flexed her fingers before glancing over her shoulder at him. “You mean to say you don’t even know there’s a toilet paper shortage?” Another heavy, dramatic sigh came from the tall singer he called sister. “Never mind. I’m sure you’ll find out sooner or later. Uh, yes, anyway. The little man over there’s wife left him. Now, I really must go.” She waved as she left, heels clicking the linoleum checkered floors. “Ciao!”
Well, damn. That changed a lot of things.