Taki's Cafe in Manhattan was an in-and-out sort of place.

It had the same character as most of the hipster cafes nearby: chalkboard menus, overpriced coffees, and indie music. What made it unique was it's dining room.

There were only four little round tables; two on each side of the pathway that guided the line. Each tiny table only sat two people, and even then it was cramped. 

This forced Taki's to be an in-and-out experience. Enter. Order. Pay. Pick up. Leave.

You didn't stop and look at the art on the wall or admired the view of the busy street. You didn't contemplate what you were going to order. You just knew.

It was for this reason that Taki's became the best place for brainstorming names for one's cat.

It had been months since the tragic passing of Chairman Meow. Magnus Bane wanted to say that he was over the death of his beloved cat, but in all honesty, he wasn't. His flat in Brooklyn was too quiet— too reminding. Any chance he had to get out of the flat, he took.

Nothing in particular lead him to Taki's at six in the morning. He could have picked any of the dozen coffee shops near his house. 

But he knew he needed a busy coffee shop.

Pad of paper and purple pen stowed carefully away in his bag, he entered the tiny coffee shop. 

If you listened carefully, you could hear a thousand different sounds going at once. 

There had to beat least a dozen different instruments in the song that was playing out of the old speakers. Two espresso machines were going: one steamed milk, the other grinding beans. One opening cash register. One order being taken. One mumbling customer, trying to comprehend the menu. Two people on their cell phones making "important calls." One phone vibrating in a pocket. The hum of the refrigerated pastry case. The hum of two mini-fridges behind the counter. Two conversations going on behind the counter. A slamming cabinet. Shuffling feet. The sound of wooden chair hitting wooden table. The sound of wooden chair sliding across carpeted floor. 

And the jingle of the bell as Magnus pushed the door open. 

He sighed contently. 

The sound wasn't too much.

"Alessandra?" a barista called.

Magnus mentally wrote down the name. 

A few minutes later, his own name was being called. He took the to-go cup and sat down at the table closest to the space between the espresso machine and the wall, where the under-paid barista would shout the name of a customer.

He pulled out the notebook and pen, scrawling Alessandra before he forgot it.

After an hour of careful listening, there were close to two dozen names written down. Some had already been crossed off. Others had stars.

Dante

CATerina

Kadijah

Gustavus (Gustavo?)

Vaclav (VaCLAW)

Vladimir

He had considering doing another play on words, like he had with Chairman Meow, but a straight-forward name is what this cat would need. 

Magnus tapped the end of his pen furiously on the pad of paper, trying to narrow down the list.

"Is that the names of all the customers?"

He looked up. 

An employee wearing the same grey aprons as his coworkers stood there. He looked genuinely concerned.

"Certainly not," Magnus said, leaning back in his chair. "This is only some of them."

"I— Why?"

"I will tell you why," Magnus said, "but first, your name." He read the boy's name tag. "Now is Alec short for something?"

"Alexander," he said, hesitantly. "No one calls me that though."

"Of course not," Magnus said, absent-mindedly. He bit his lip as he thought.

Alexander was a fine name.

He started writing it.

When Magnus looked back at him, he looked terrified.

Instead of laughing, like he usually would have when someone made a face like that, he just smiled.

"I'm trying to think of names for my cat," Magnus said.

"Your cat?"

"My cat."

"You're going to name your cat after me, are you?"

"Well, not necessarily," Magnus said. "That was a very conceited assumption."

"I—"

"I was joking," Magnus said. "Lighten up a bit, Alexander."

"No one calls me that," the boy said.

"You mentioned that."

"I should get back," the boy said.

"Well, I'll be here," Magnus said.

"Kennedy?" a voice called.

Alec hesitated before leaving.

By noon, Taki's business had slowed considerably. It proved Magnus' theory that people didn't drink coffee for the flavor but rather for the caffeine. He certainly didn't like the taste of it without some sort of artificial flavoring, cream, and loads of sugar.

The only name that continued to stand out on his list was Alexander, mostly because Magnus liked the worker. 

But it was getting late and there was stuff to be done around the flat.

Magnus started packing everything up. He trashed his cup and gave Taki's one last look before heading out the door.

He joined the mass of people on the edge of the sidewalk, attempting to hail taxi cabs. 

"Wait!"

Magnus turned around with a sudden feeling that the call was meant for him.

And it was.

Alexander was trying to cut across the sea of densely packed human bodies.

It took him a second because he made no attempt to push people out of the way.

How polite, Magnus thought.

"How can I help you, Alexander?" Magnus asked. Alec handed him a sheet of paper which was neatly folded, the creases obviously folded and unfolded throughout the day.

Inside, scrawled in red pen, were at least a dozen names.

Magnus read through them, mumbling a few aloud, just to see how they rolled off his tongue.

"Barnabas... Cayenne... Atticus... Judge..."

"There's a running list in the back of the cafe," Alec started. "Everyday you're supposed to write down the weirdest name of the day. I know it's stupid but if you're desperate—"

"Not desperate," Magnus said.

"—enough to sit at a coffee shop all morning searching for names," Alec continued, "this can't hurt."

"No, this is good," Magnus said. "Thank you."

And he meant it.

"So you've heard all of these names?" Magnus asked.

"Not me specifically," Alec said. "I heard Bender and Joplin."

"I'll definitely take these into consideration," Magnus said. "I should let you get back to work."

"I just finished my shift," Alec said. There was a suggestion layered beneath the statement.

"Well, in that case," Magnus said, "would you like to continue helping me brainstorm?"

"Uh, sure," Alec said. There was an undeniable smile on his face. "It might help if I could see the cat."

Magnus starting laughing.

"What?" Alec asked. He was suddenly concerned again.

"I haven't got a cat yet."

(Like this? Hate this? Check out Piano Days or my Shadowhunters Reading List for more TMI/TID fanfic)