"So what's next?" Mathias asked, buzzing with excitement as his eyes bore into Lukas. Lukas didn't know why, but the reunion of Mathias and his apartment seemed to breathe a new life into the Dane. There was no room for dark bags and tired eyes on his face. Lukas could not relate. He pondered the question for a moment, trying to think of a way to pass the time without exerting any more energy. He was already drained. 

"How about some coffee?" Lukas suggested, recalling the moment he was ripped away from his precious caffeine when they fled the safe house. He was beginning to feel the effects of caffeine withdrawal. They also hadn't been to their regular coffee shop in quite some time. He had started to feel like he had been betraying his baristas. 

"Oh- where it all began- ye ol' stomping grounds-" Mathias sang in a weird, old-timey voice in an attempt at humoring the Norwegian. Lukas rolled his eyes.

"Will you just- change into clothes that fit you so we can go" Lukas shot back, exasperated with the thought of having to wait longer before he could sip on a freshly brewed cup of dark roast. He would usually tolerate the silliness but the headache was starting to set in and his eyes were beginning to feel as though someone had poured salt into them. 

Mathias quickly ran out of the kitchen and into what Lukas assumed was his bedroom. The Norwegian proceeded to wander back into the living room, beginning his second attempt at digesting all the tchotckes, books, and odd artworks residing in the room. He looked up onto the ceiling and smirked as he was met with an image of his own face. For some reason there was an old victorian mirror simply stuck onto the ceiling. He wasn't sure if that was Mathias' doing but he was amused nonetheless. 

 A minute or so passed before Mathias came bouncing into the room, having changed into his own clothes. Lukas recognized the red jacket. Mathias was wearing it the last time he saw him in the cafe. "Ready?" Mathias asked, grabbing the front door handle. Lukas let out a nod and proceeded out as Mathias held the door open for him.

They strolled onto the street and began walking, enjoying the open air as they reminisced on days in the coffee shop where they shared a moment or two. They never really spoke to one another but they had shared moments of glances and the occasional overheard conversation from an absolutely wild coffee shop patron. Lukas recalled the day he saw Mathias spill his entire coffee on his lap and then proceed to shovel the remaining whipped cream off his trousers and into his mouth. 

They had been walking quite slowly, not really paying attention to the world around them but instead self-indulging on nostalgia and finally recognizing the inevitability of their pairing. Arriving at the coffee shop snapped them out of this bubble, reminding them that reality, in fact, did exist outside their unusual, quixotic relationship. 

Upon walking into the shop the two baristas working squealed. "Lukas! Mathias! You've returned!" one of them yelled, excitedly waving before turning around to begin making their drinks. It was nearing 11 o'clock, so the line was virtually nonexistent. Mathias immediately ran across the cafe to the employee door and hugged one of the girls who had already sprinted to say hello. Lukas simply waved. They had agreed previously that one of their favorite things about the shop was the personable employees. It always felt like a little family. The regulars typically knew one another and the baristas never forgot a regular's order.

Lukas watched on with a slight smile as Mathias questioned the girl about her studies at university. He was so ridiculously friendly that Lukas simply could not understand how his brain functioned. The Norwegian paid for their drinks as the two continued to catch up. It was a minute or so before Mathias called Lukas over to the conversation.

"Did you study at the university too? Ruby here is working on a dissertation about Children's Literature in Francoist Spain and I'm sure she would love to hear some advice" Mathias explained. Lukas paused for a moment, not really sure how to approach the topic. 

"Since I specialized in Microbiology I did a thesis instead of a dissertation but one thing I can suggest is managing your time properly. Do all of your research really early. If you do that, when you sit down to write it will be a thousand times easier" he suggested, recalling one of his friends not sleeping for a week to write his dissertation in the six day period before it was due. The barista thanked him and Mathias beamed, glad he could help in some small way. 

Lukas handed the Dane his mountain of sugar with a side of coffee and proceeded towards the corner by the windows where the two typically sat. It felt weird, sitting down where it all began with entirely new lives. There was something so pure about the unspoken bond that had been between them before this entire situation. Although now they actually knew each other and it was delightful, it came with the acknowledgment that they were involved in something far greater and more stressful than they were prepared for. There was always the lingering thoughts of the potential court cases, legal issues, and criminal investigation. That's why the coffee shop was such a sanctuary. It felt as though the events in the lab had never transpired. It was some sort of time campsule, where they could go back and pretend that things were the way they used to be, but this time familiar with each other. 

The two got comfortable in their seats before they both decided to scoot a little bit closer and share a table. The disparity between Mathias' coffee and Lukas' typical order was amusing. The two looked down and shared an amused glance. 

"I'll try your order if you try mine" Mathias dared, smirking slightly as he recalled the horrific looks Lukas often gave his vanilla and carmel whole-milk latte with whipped cream and caramel drizzle. Lukas was a black coffee snob and proud to admit it, but was actually quite curious about what Mathias' monstrosity tasted like. 

"Deal" Lukas shot back, much to the delight of the Dane. Mathias handed him the surprisingly tall drink and watched on in anticipation as Lukas brought his lips to the edge of the cup. A sip later and Lukas had jerked his head back, utterly disgusted with the severity of sweetness that had just assaulted his taste buds. "Oh my god that makes my teeth hurt its so sweet! You do this every day? There's barely any coffee in it!" 

Mathias laughed as the Norwegian proceeded to place the coffee back down on the table and continue to cringe at the sweetness. He let out a lengthy breath before taking a sip of his typical order. The sweetness was balanced out by the bitterness, and Lukas' tastebuds returned to a sense of normalcy as the pain of excessive sweetness was whisked away. 

"Your turn" Lukas exlaimed, now disturbed knowing what Mathias put himself through every day. Mathias looked down at the cup of black coffee and shuddered at the idea of drinking it. 

"Wait- you have whipped cream on your face" he suddenly blurted, pointing in the vague direction of Lukas' face in an attempt at prolonging the inevitable. Lukas swiped his ring finger first across his right cheek, then across his chin, finding nothing. 

"No no-" the Dane interrupted, "just let me get it." Lukas shrugged, figuring it would be easier for Mathias to get it anyway. It was only when Mathias got suspiciously close to his face that he knew he was being tricked. Lukas rolled his eyes as soon as Mathias connected their lips, anticipating the move from lightyears away. 

"Got it" Mathias said, backing away with a flirtatious smile. Lukas shot back a death glare. He was not a fan of PDA and the coffee shop may have been having a slow day, but it surely wasn't empty. 

"You're just avoiding your side of the deal. Drink the coffee you cliché dunce" Lukas demanded hastily, pushing the Dane away and back onto his own chair. 

"You got me" Mathias admitted, putting his hands up in defense. Lukas concealed a smile as Mathias slowly lifted the mug to his face. He stared into the brown abyss, suddenly regretting his decision to make this bet. He had never had coffee without sugar in it, nevermind coffee without milk. 

Upon sipping the drink, Mathias let out what can only be described as a croak of agony. He stuck his tongue out of his mouth in horror and almost immediately grabbed his own drink, sipping furiously in an attempt at relief. Lukas could not help but burst out laughing at his reaction. 

"That's what you get for being corny" Lukas exclaimed, eliciting a chuckle from Mathias. 

"You must live a sad, sad life if this is your coffee order" Mathias shot back, looking down at Lukas' mug like it had just killed his entire family. 

"I quite like my life right now actually" Lukas admitted with a smile. 

"Agreed."

-

YO Yo yo In the coming weeks I probably wont be able to update because the beginning of May is nearing towards exams. But that post-exam isolation period should hopefully have us up and running. For now, I hope this is enough. Thank you for reading! Hope you enjoyed.