Chapter Text
"Hot Chocoffee for...Varium!" The barista called, scanning the sea of people inside the coffee shop before taking another order and pushed the drink to the side for a moment while waiting for the customer to claim it. "Vanilla milkshake and oreo cheesecake for...Trisha!"
Unlike Trisha, who quickly claimed her order from the counter, Varium was still nowhere to be found to claim his. It also didn't help that he chose to not wait nearby and hear his name be called on a busy day.
Letting out an annoyed sigh, the barista decided to call for his name again before moving on to call another's order. "Hot Chocoffee for Mister Varium! Though I suppose it's not even hot anymore…" Mumbling the last part under heart breath with a click of her tongue.
"Is it one of those customers?" Lance, a fellow barista asked as he ground some coffee beans for an order while also preparing a frappe.
"Yep! Ugh, if this Varium guy doesn't show up soon, I'm going to use the megaphone to call for him." The barista huffed, tucking a strand of her lavender-colored hair behind her ear. She handed out another order but the Chocofee remained untouched.
A few more latte’s, macchiatos, and frappes later, and still no sign of the customer.
"Still no sign of your customer, Soul?" Lance asked again, checking up on her..
"None, nada, zero, zilch, nothing! Does this guy even know their name?" She remarked as she exasperatedly threw her hands out. "Did you even see what this Varium guy looks like? I've been calling their name for 15 minutes, and they still haven't claimed their order! His Chocoffee is getting cold and it doesn't taste as good when cold."
"Nah, I haven't. Too busy making drinks and all." Lance shrugged. "Anyways, you should probably stop looking for them. Might as well throw the drink out. And since this guy technically didn't claim his drink, we can act like they didn't buy it and split the money he paid between the three of us!"
"Lance, no, that's a bad idea." She quickly shot down his idea. "That's like, stealing, you know? Well, it isn't actually stealing, but— y-you know what I mean."
"It's not wrong if no one else knows." He smirked, wiggling his eyebrows.
"No, Lance. Just no." Soul shook her head, letting out a sigh. "How about you, Hook?"
"I wouldn't be opposed to splitting the customer's money between us." Hookfoot, the man behind the cashier answered with a goofy grin.
"Wha- no! I mean, did you see what Varium looked like?" She clarified, earning an 'oh' of realization from the man.
"Of course! I was the one who took his order, remember?" He replied, snorting.
"Great! Now is he deaf? If he was, I'd be a little more understanding." Soul asked and Hookfoot shook his head no. " What does he look like then?" She queried as he walked closer to him.
Hookfoot thoughtfully placed a hand under his chin. "Hmm...well, I recall he had black hair with a teal hair stripe down his fringe."
"How about his clothing? What was he wearing?"
"Isn't his hair enough?" Hookfoot raised an eyebrow.
"Well, yeah, but— It's more easier to spot him if I know his full appearance." She replied, scratching her cheek.
"Well, I don't remember. You'll have to make do with his hair. And besides, you should do as Lance said. Whoever that Varium guy is probably won't come back for that drink anymore. Unless he likes stale coffee." He answered before walking off to chat with Lance until someone came in and ordered again.
Soul frowned at the man before sticking her tongue out at him. It was a childish gesture, but what else could she do? She was annoyed with this customer and she didn't know what his appearance was except for his hair and every black-haired person she spotted already has their drink and are just either relaxing, reading, or working in their laptops.
She couldn't exactly blame Hookfoot either for not remembering what the customer was wearing. That would be weird if he did. Unless this Varium was wearing something very flashy that Hookfoot couldn't just forget.
Perhaps she really should just listen to them and throw the drink away. They were right, anyway. No one's going to come back for cold chocolate coffee. Well, there is the iced chocoffee but the customer ordered for hot so…
"Ugh...what a waste of ingredients. Atilla's not gonna be happy." Soul sighed, grabbing the disposable take-out cup and dumping its contents into the sink before throwing it.
The soft jingles of the bell signalled that a customer had arrived, causing the three workers to immediately make their way towards their designated positions as they greeted the person with a smile.
Lance however, froze up and quickly turned around, pretending to do something. Hookfoot and Soul gave him a questioning look before they turned their attention back to the customer.
It was a woman. One that seemed to be eating from a silver spoon since birth. And no, they were not assuming it. The woman herself made it very clear with her clothing and attitude. She was dressed fashionably in designers clothing, with accessories that shimmered under the light. Definitely not clothes one would wear to a coffee shop late at night, but maybe she was just going to order a cup to go after a bad long date?
Her eyes traveled left and right like a pendulum, seemingly examining the small establishment and then frowned. Was she perhaps looking for someone? Nevertheless, the woman made her way to the counter and Hookfoot enthusiastically greeted her.
Hearing her heels click, Lance dreaded her recognizing him. After all these years, she still hasn't let go??
"Welcome to the Snuggly Duckling, madam! Hookfoot at your service. Anything you would like from our menu?" He asked, giving the woman a polite smile, hoping to give a good impression. After all, people with expensive tastes were sometimes hard to please with their orders, especially the stereotype Karens. And they certainly don't need a Karen after a long day of tiresome work.
"Is there a Flynn Rider working in this coffee shop? I caught wind from someone that they saw him here with the uniform on." She asked, bending down slightly on the counter as she clasped her fingers together. She was lucky that no one was sitting in the seats beside the door where they could see the full view of her...rear end exposed due to the shortness of her skirt.
"U-uhm...no, ma'am. " Hookfoot nervously replied.
"Lance? Is he here? You better not lie to me." She firmly demanded as she glared at the burly man who looked like he was about to melt in fear.
Ah, crap.
"N-no!" He squeaked as he turned to look at her. The woman suspiciously narrowed his eyes at him and Lance recollected himself to give a proper answer. "No. No, he's not here. He only came to work once but got fired immediately."
The woman gave him a small sneer, then fixed her posture as she muttered something out of her breath before turning her attention back to the cashier. “Alright. I'll be having a Kopi Luwak coffee, then.”
Hookfoot frowned at her, “We don’t serve that kind of coffee here.”
“Well, then. How about an iced caramel macchiato? You serve that here, right?” She asked, giving him a mocking smile before fishing out a couple of gold bills and placed them on the counter. "Here, keep the change as you three's tip. Oh, and I'm ordering it for take out."
Hookfoot reluctantly rang the order up while Lance begrudgingly made the drink quickly, yet with precision. He made sure to not add too much or too little ice and just the right amount of milk and caramel, just as he remembered how she liked it, having done it time and time again before when he still worked for her. He also made sure not to spill anything and worked carefully and smoothly. After he was done, he gave the drink to Soul, who then gave it to the woman in an orderly fashion.
"Here's your Iced caramel macchiato, ma'am. Enjoy your drink!" She chirped.
The woman accepted the cup and took a small sip before her face scrunched in disgust. "Ew! Are you sure this is even caramel? It tastes like it should belong to the garbage. Ugh, I'm out of here."
The workers and some other customers who witnessed her actions, watched as she strutted towards the doors of the shop, pausing for a bit as she turned her head to look over her shoulder. "By the way, if Flynn comes back here. Tell him his ex-fiance wants her money back or else I'll have my father deal with him. The wedding preparations weren't cheap after all." And with that, she exited the shop but not before throwing her drink in the trash can next to the entrance.
"Sooo….who was that?" Hookfoot asked, as the woman's car disappeared into the sea of traffic..
"Who's Flynn?" Soul asked as well.
"That was Stalyan, Eugene's ex-fiance. And Flynn was Eugene's alias when we were still working for her and her father." Lance answered as he released his breath he didn't know he was holding. "Sorry about her behavior, fellas. Don't take her too seriously though, she was always a spoiled brat."
"I can see why Eugene left her." Hookfoot scoffed with a smirk. "Her attitude's garbage. Her looks can't even make up for it.”
“At least she gave us gold bills as a tip. If all rude people who come in give tips like her, then please do come again!” Soul joked as she took one gold bill from Hookfoot’s hands and pocketed it. “Rent is now covered!”
"It's not like that." Lance sighed, "Eugene...despite everything, he actually...liked her. I mean, if he didn't, he wouldn't propose, right? But then something must have happened and when the wedding was supposed to start, he grabbed me and bolted out of the venue and we left the country."
"He left her on their wedding day?" Soul gasped, bringing a hand to her mouth.
"Mhmm. He wouldn't tell me what really happened and why he left her but, yeah." Lance nodded. "I honestly didn't think she would hold on to that grudge for so long. It's been what? Four or five years ago?"
"Well, of course she'd still be angry." Soul replied in an angry tone. "No woman has to experience that— No one should have to experience that. Whether they truly loved each other or not, Eugene shouldn't have done that."
"I'm also quite surprised she hasn't ordered her goons to make his life miserable or placed a bounty on his head. I would have thought for sure that she would." Lance breathed out, throwing his head back.
"'Goons'?" Hookfoot and Soul echoed in unison. "Jinx. You can't talk until someone says your name." He laughed as Soul gave him a small glare, slumping down.
"Yeah, the public might not know this but Stalyan's father runs a secret mafia. Don't tell anyone I said this to you, though. Alright?" Lance answered, moving his hand across his mouth in a 'zip' motion.
“Yeah, you’re lucky she didn’t.” Hookfoot then felt a tug on his sleeve and saw Soul pointing at herself, making him chuckle. “Nope! I’m not saying your name. Lance, don’t say it as well.”
The female turned to the other with a small pout. “Sorry, I forgot your name.” Lance joked, with a huge grin.
Soul let out a sigh, ignoring her peers’ laughter as she propped an elbow up on the counter, bending down slightly to place her chin on top of her palm, silently looking around while listening to the soft piano music playing in the background. It’s such a shame that she joined the Snuggly Duckling crew a bit too late. She was sure Hookhand, Hookfoot’s older brother’s piano performances were more spectacular live.
She suppressed a yawn, smacking her lips before leaning her head down between her arms, watching the customers slowly walk out the establishment. And oh boy how she couldn’t wait for the last one to step out and close up shop. She couldn’t wait to go home and jump in her bed and turn into a cocoon of blankets. She didn’t used to be this tired, even after a long day, but with the sudden flurry of people coming in at the same time earlier, it burned her out way too much.
And the smell of coffee can only do so much to keep one awake.
“Thank you, come again!” Both Hookfoot and Lance called as the final customer of the day got up and left the shop, tossing his empty cup in the trash as he left.
“You can speak now, Soul.” Lance chuckled.
“FINALLY!!! No more customers!!” Soul cheered, throwing her hands up in the air. “We could finally go home.”
“Clean up shop first, lil’ lady. Then you can go home.” Hookfoot reminded, handing her a washcloth and bottle spray to clean the tables with. “After that, go sweep the floors. I’ll mop em’ after.”
“Work never ends!!” She whined, trudging towards the nearest table, throwing the excess trash away before wiping the spills clean. She moved to the other tables and cleaned them as well.
One last table. And then she’ll sweep the floor and then she’ll be able to go home!
Grinning excitedly to herself, she approached the table, prepared to finish her task when she noticed a small bag on top. Did someone accidentally leave their stuff?
Upon further inspection, it wasn’t just a bag who was still there. BUT A WHOLE PERSON.
“What in the world….uhm, sir?” Soul called, slowly approaching the person to find them deep in sleep. “Sir, wake up. The shop is closing up. Sir. SIR—”
“H-huh?!” The person jolted up, earning a squeal of surprise from the poor girl as he looked around. “Wait, what? Where am I?”
“You’re in the Snuggly Duckling Coffee shop.” Soul replied, watching the man stare at the table in deep thought. “Is...everything okay?”
The man didn’t reply but then he smacked a hand to his forehead, surprising her again.. “Ugh! That's right, I went here to get some coffee before going home despite being so tired and probably fell asleep while waiting.” He recalled, bringing the hand he used to smack himself down to his face in exasperation. “I’m so sorry..”
“It’s fine, uhm...sir…?”
“Oh, please, no need to call me sir. My name’s Varian.” Varian? “Speaking of which...I don’t think I’ve received my coffee either.” He didn’t? “Huh... must have forgotten to order and just went to sit on the table.”
“Did..did you order a Hot Chocoffee by any chance?” She asked.
Varian looked up thoughtfully before nodding slowly. “Yeah...Yeah, I think I did. Sorry, my memory’s a bit foggy. I was just so tired and I decided I needed more coffee to function.”
“Hah! I’ve finally caught you, Varium!” Soul exclaimed, pointing at him comically as he looked up at her in confusion.
“Excuse me?”
“Oh, uhm, sorry. It’s just, I’ve been calling for someone named ‘Varium’ for 15 minutes earlier and no one was coming to the counter.” She sheepishly replied, bringing her hand down and scratched her cheek. "And, uh, I'm assuming you're Varium seeing as you, uh, have the same order as him and have similar names…"
“Well," he chuckled, "my name’s not Varium. It's Varian. But I’m sorry for making you call for me and not responding and for sleeping until you close."
"Hey, what's all the noise?" They heard a voice ask and saw Hookfoot swerving around the counter to check on them. "Is that a boy I hear? Did your boyfriend come and pick you up and you're now flirting? Tsk tsk tsk, kids these days. Couldn't you two have waited til' your shift is over??" He teased, shaking his head.
"What the— Hookfoot, no!!" Soul sputtered with a red face. “And as if I’d do something like that. I don’t even have a boyfriend.”
Hookfoot let out a loud laugh, clutching his stomach. “I know, I know, I’m sorry. Just joking. I mean, you? Having a boyfriend? Hah! Impossible.” He wiped a stray happy tear from laughing too much and got a closer look at Varian, before gasping. “Oh! You’ve found Varium! Did he come back for his order? We’re closed now though.”
“O-oh, no! I didn’t, uhm...come back.” Varian shyly replied, glancing away. “And my name’s not Varium. It’s Varian. How did you take Varium from Varian anyway? I get that they sound alike, but not THAT alike.”
“Really? I could have sworn you said Varium…” Hookfoot thought, placing a hand under his chin before shaking his head. “Well, anyway, what are you doing here?”
“Well…” Varian blushed.
“Hey, what’s going on? Why are ya’ll slacking off? I thought you wanted to go—” Lance paused, looking at Varian. “Why is there another person here? Also you look familiar.”
“This is Varian. The customer I was looking for. Turns out, Hookfoot put the wrong name and Varium doesn’t exist.” Soul introduced as she crossed her arms at Hookfoot, looking at him with slight disappointment.
“Now, don’t say that. I’m sure there’s a Varium somewhere in the world.” Hookfoot playfully jokes.
“So, what is he doing here? The coffee shop’s closed.” Lance questioned as everyone turned to Varian, causing the poor guy to look even more embarrassed.
“Uhm...I..I, uh, fell asleep…” He answered, blushing.
Hookfoot and Lance stared at him for a couple of seconds before bursting into a fit of laughter, further embarrassing Varian as he hid his face behind his hands.
“Hey! Cut that out, you two.” Soul scolded them. “Don’t worry about them too much, Varian. They’re kids stuck in an adult’s body.”
“It’s alright. I’m...used to it.” Varian replied, rubbing his arm as he muttered the last part.
“Phew! HAHAHA! Sorry, sorry.” Lance wheezed, slumping an arm around Hookfoot as they used each other for support. “We didn’t mean to laugh so much, but, seriously kid! If you were that tired you should have headed straight home instead of going someplace else.”
“Yeah, what if you fell asleep somewhere else and got robbed or something?” Hookfoot supplied.
“If anything, I’m glad I fell asleep here rather than on a bus.” Varian heaved a sigh, leaning back. “If I didn’t leave the bus I was on earlier, I would probably have fallen asleep there instead. This coffee shop seems much safer.”
“You shouldn’t have overworked yourself so much in the first place then.” Soul piped in.
“I had to finish my experiments and write about them. I just couldn't bother to do them tomorrow when I have more work to do." He stretched his arms up, yawning. "Downsides of having a busy job."
"Still…" She frowned as the dark-haired man waved a hand dismissively.
"I'll be fine. I'm used to this by now. Being a scientist and a freelance inventor, schedules are always full. Not to mention this other job I have is equally as stressful." He replied.
"Oh, wow! Those are busy, yet impressive jobs." Lance gawked, clapping.
"Well, since we didn't really serve you your coffee, would you like us to refund your order?" Soul asked, earning alarmed expressions from her co-workers.
"No, it's okay. I did cause you some trouble by overstaying and the name trouble." Varian smiled as he stood up from his seat, fixing his clothes. His answer earned relieved looks from both Hookfoot and Lance.
"The name trouble was our— or rather Hookfoot's, fault. How about 50% of the money?" Soul insisted, earning another batch of alarmed looks. She inwardly smiled to herself, feeling her co-workers' glares directed at her.
"No, it's fine. Really, I insist. Keep the money." Varian replied as he grabbed his bag and put it on. "I must keep going now. I'm sorry I held you guys back from your shift. It was fun meeting you all. Goodnight!" Just as he turned to head to the door, a call from the only female made him pause and turn back slightly to look at her. "Yes?"
"I still feel bad that you let us keep the money from a drink you didn't receive. So, uhm…" Soul looked down as she fiddled with the straps of her apron, "will you please...come back tomorrow? We'll make sure to give you your order this time!"
Varian thought about it for a moment, carefully thinking if he wouldn't need to stay longer and do more research about his experiment before deciding that if he did need to do more, he'll just do it right here while drinking coffee. Nodding, he answered, "Sure, I'll be happy to come back. Besides, being able to drink both coffee and hot chocolate at the same time, sounds like a rewarding indulgence for me."
His answer seemed to please her as the girl started bouncing in excitement, clapping her hands. "Yay! I'm excited. Lance will make you the best hot chocoffee you'll ever taste!"
"I look forward to it." He chuckled before giving them a wave. "I must go now, though. See you all tomorrow."
"Have a safe passage home!" They said in unison, waving goodbye as Varian exited the shop, crossing the street and disappearing into the night.
"Now…" Lance started. His smiley expression turned into that of irritation as he looked at his only female co-worker. "WHY DID YOU KEEP INSISTING THAT HE TAKE THE MONEY BACK?"
"Oouch! Are you trying to make my ears bleed?" Soul whined, cupping her ears. "And as for why you ask? Well, consider this payback for silencing me for who knows how long earlier."
"You seriously wanted him to take his money back because I jinxed you?" Hookfoot deadpanned.
"That, and you two were practically trying to commit thievery by pocketing Varian's money and splitting it to the three of us." She replied, crossing her arms. "He paid for it, not gave it as a tip. Meaning the money belongs to the establishment. While it is also the same money that we receive during pay days, as long as it's not the owner who gave it to us, it's thievery."
"Boo! You're no fun." Lance pouted.
“Did you invite him to come again tomorrow so you could sneak in a free drink for him on account of the drink he didn’t get?” Hookfoot blankly guessed, earning a teasing snicker from the girl.
“No, but that DOES sound like a good idea~.” Soul replied, bringing a hand below her mouth as she gave him a teasingly smug grin.
“HA! Jokes on you, I man the cashier! You won’t be giving free stuff without me noticing, purple.” He shouted as he shook his head, walking off to continue his chores so he could tap out for the night.
“You are joking, right?” Lance whispered to her.
“Maybe.” She giggled, looking up at him. “But I did invite him to come back because I thought he was cute. And I’m not gonna let the fish swim away now, you know.”