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Hugo tapped his fingers against the table, calm, repetitive, trying to conceal his boredom. His drink was taking longer than usual. Which, mind you, the usual time wasn't short at all. This was why he had a coffee maker. Coffee makers didn't look at you oddly when you asked for enough pumps of syrup to kill a man, or ask “are you sure?” like he didn't know exactly what kind of ungodly concoction he had asked for.
God forbid a man have a sweet tooth, apparently.
He feigned indifference as he watched the barista behind the counter flail between the next customer and the coffee machine, which seemed to be emitting a somewhat concerning amount of steam. It was entertaining, actually. Maybe next time he'd see how many additions he could ask for before they actually asked him to stop.
“Excuse me?”
He was brought out of his idle contemplation by a voice, and a shadow suddenly cast across his table. He looked up, one eyebrow already raised, lips parting to ask what the person wanted, but-
No wonder he was blocking the sunbeams, because that man looked like he could probably bench press Hugo. With one hand. And no, he wasn't thinking about it, he was just... distracted. Pondering. It was a very normal thing to consider, actually. Everyone always evaluated how much other people could lift.
Belatedly, Hugo realized he may have been staring a little.
“Can I sit here?”
Yes, the cafe was currently quite busy. Normally, he would've made some polite excuse, subtly redirected him towards one of the other free chairs at another table, but normally he wasn't slack-jawed and staring at a man with a leather jacket that should have been illegal to look that good in. So he closed his jaw with a faint click, pasted an incredibly normal smile on his face, and gestured to the other seat like he was being magnanimous in his offer.
“Go ahead, I don't mind.”
That was a lie. He very much did mind. Usually, someone who wanted to sit by him would be chased off by a smile that was a little too sharp, like a predator looking at prey. Unfortunately, in this situation, it felt very much like a cat trying to face off against a bear.
Entirely oblivious to his internal monologue, the stranger offered him a very nice smile as he took a seat, cradling his drink in both hands. Now, you could tell a lot about a person from the kind of coffee they drank. From a glance, he'd peg the man in sunglasses as someone who took it bitter and strong, more for the caffeine than the taste. He knew the type. It was a shame, really. So many people were missing out on the intricacies of flavour that a good sweet coffee could have. The stranger lifted his drink to his lips, which let Hugo catch a glimpse of the receipt tucked into the cup sleeve-
Hot chocolate.
Well. That wasn't what he had expected. Again, he cast an assessing glance over the stranger, reevaluating. He couldn't see his eyes too well, but he could see the faint wrinkle in his nose that said the drink had probably been hotter than expected. Takeaway cups tended to have that effect, didn't they? How he despised them. It was his humble opinion that whoever invented styrofoam should be shot.
He was getting distracted. How embarrassing. He glanced back towards the counter, where he was treated to the sight of what looked rather like one of the flavor syrup containers had exploded. That wasn't ideal. Either he gave up on his coffee now, or he could strike up a conversation with the rather enigmatic stranger across from him. Decisions, decisions.
“So, how is the hot chocolate here?”
The way the stranger startled made it worth it, honestly. Hugo couldn't help the faint smile that tilted the corners of his lips, amusement at how the man seemed to take a moment to process that he was being talked to. His eyebrows had raised just enough to be visible over the top of his sunglasses, and it took him a moment to settle his expression into something a bit more normal.
“It's- It's good. Not bad. I've had better, though.”
So it hadn't been a one-off decision to get the hot chocolate. Hugo doubted it would've been regardless, but confirmation was always nice. Still, it was fascinating. A man who wore leather and sunglasses, with spikes on his jacket and all, who had hot chocolate as his drink of choice. Hugo wasn't judging, of course. Just... interested.
“Oh? Where would you say has better, then?”
It was easy for him to feign interest in the topic, rather than the man in front of him. He leaned forwards, head tilted to the side just a tad, his shoulders down and back. Open. Relaxed. Body language was so easy. Again, a pause while the other man collected himself.
“There's this teamilk place by Lumina Square. They do a chocolate teamilk that people say a lot of good things about.”
Chocolate... teamilk. Hugo couldn't say he had tried it, but it seemed like a combination that could probably work. He let out a hum as he thought, idly running his tongue over his fangs.
“I'll have to try it sometime. My little sister just loves chocolate, you see.”
Another lie. Vivian always turned her nose up when he brought back chocolates, which left him to finish them all off himself. Oh, the humanity. He'd have to bring back two chocolate teamilks, of which she'd undoubtedly make him finish both. That thought made it much easier for him to coax his face into a warm smile, and his words had made the stranger perk up slightly.
“Yeah? I have a friend who drinks all the weirdest flavours of teamilk. She got the chocolate one, took one sip and handed it to me because it was too boring.”
He could relate. Sometimes, when he and Vivian went to a restaurant, she'd order something that ended up being a little... interesting. Of course, the difference there was that she'd always swap her plate with Hugo's, so he'd end up being the one to choke it down.
“It could be worse. She could be making you drink the weird flavours instead.”
That got a laugh out of the stranger, warm and genuine, and despite himself Hugo's smile widened. They had something in common, besides the sweet tooth. He could imagine the other man scarfing down some odd meal because that mystery friend of his had asked him to, much like he himself did for Vivian (though, he would never be so undignified as to scarf something).
“Oh, she does, sometimes. She loves testing out concoctions on people.”
Did the stranger know some kind of witch, perhaps? It wouldn't be the weirdest thing Hugo had ever heard of. But the way he said it made it sound like he was being dosed with weird potions. Hugo wasn't entirely certain whether he should maybe be worried on his behalf.
Now, he had to consider. This friend that the stranger spoke of very fondly... who was she? A girlfriend? No. You'd assume there'd be a hint of colour in his cheeks if he was talking about a romantic relationship. If not that, then a prouder smile, or a lovey-dovey look. No, there was no trace of that kind of emotion, and Hugo was glad for it because the word 'lovey-dovey' alone made him want to wrinkle his nose in disdain. A colleague? Perhaps, but the affection in his voice spoke of more than just a work relationship. Perhaps family, though not in the way that made him feel as though he should say 'sister' instead of friend. If he had to take a wild guess in the dark... a biker gang, maybe. He did have that logo on his jacket that Hugo didn't recognise at a glance.
Satisfied in his assumption, Hugo sat back in his chair a little. Relationships between people were awfully interesting to untangle, after all. Of course, he could be wrong. He had already been wrong about the man once before. But that just made things interesting.
“If the hot chocolate here isn't so good, then what brings you here in particular?”
Call it professional curiosity. A fleeting interest in just what, exactly, might've drawn their paths to meet at this particular time, in this particular coffee shop. Meetings of chance were such a fascinating thing.
“Oh, well, it was my turn to go out for a coffee run for everyone, so... I got a hot chocolate for while I wait.”
It all added up based on what he had observed so far. The man was part of a biker gang (most likely), which meant he was probably from the Outer Ring. He could only admit a passing familiarity with the place, but it was probably safe to assume that there weren't too many coffee shops out there. So, a rotating schedule of who went to fetch coffee on occasion. Interesting. If it had been any other day, he may have encountered a completely different person.
Hugo did love serendipity, sometimes.
He tilted his head towards the counter and the stranger turned, finally noticing the absolute chaos that was going on behind the counter. There was so much blueberry syrup everywhere, and a barista who looked like she had just seen a war. A waste, honestly. Hugo definitely relished the way his jaw dropped open in surprise, processing the fact that he was most likely going to go back empty handed.
Then, stifling a laugh, Hugo got to his feet, hands placed in his pockets to project a deliberate air of nonchalance. A friendly smile on his face, one that he didn't quite have to fake this time.
“I doubt your friends would complain if you returned with teamilk and a story of the exploding coffee machine, no?”
There were always uncertainties at play, like there would be with any good plan. Would the stranger notice the offer? Would he take him up on it? Perhaps he'd just want to get out of there as soon as possible.
Thankfully, all that speculation was assuaged by an easy grin as the other man got up, nodding in his direction and politely pushing his chair back in.
“You've got to try the chocolate one. I promise it's good.”
Perhaps he should've thought twice about how easy it was to fall into step besides the complete stranger, who drank weird drinks for his friend's sake and ordered hot chocolate at a coffee shop. Maybe the stranger should've been worried at leading someone who's questions were a little too sharp, too fascinated by someone he had never met.
But sometimes, a lucky meeting could be just that - good luck.
“My name is Hugo, by the way. Pleasure to make your acquaintance.”
The smile he got in return made something in his chest warm. It was rare that he received a smile like that, teeth bared in warmth rather than hostility.
“Lighter, and likewise.”
The chocolate teamilk was just as sweet as he had promised.