Chapter Text
Bifur was curious about the coffee shop across the street from Bofur’s toy store. It was new, had only opened a few weeks ago. Bofur – cheerful, talkative, Bofur with his easy laugh and quick fingers, had been in and out of The Golden Peach since its sign had first turned to “Open,” and was full of stories about the kind proprietor and staff, but Bifur hadn’t been in yet. It was a quiet Monday afternoon, the shop was quiet, and Bofur was fiddling with a color palette while keeping an eye on the door. So Bifur ventured out the door, clucking to Lettuce to follow him as he crossed the road and entered the little shop’s vibrantly purple door.
At this time of the afternoon, the shop was almost empty, with only a few students tapping away at projects or reading in the corners. Bifur went up to the counter, and stared at the boards with the drinks. If only the words would stop moving around so much! Lettuce, always well-behaved, sat quietly next at his feet, alert and ready if she felt she was needed.
The shop clerk, an earnest-looking young man with overlarge glasses and a great many freckles, asked him if he had made up his mind. Bifur shook his head.
“A few more minutes, please. I’m still making up my mind.”
The young man – his name tag read ‘Ori’ – smiled. “Take your time. Feel free to ask about anything – Dori always insists on using the Italian names for everything, as if plain English wasn’t enough.” He moved away from the register area, unobtrusively scrubbing at some non-existent dirt while Bifur puzzled out what he wanted, eventually getting a café mocha with extra whip cream.
Bifur took a seat at the counter while he waited for his coffee, Lettuce curling around his chair contentedly. The coffee looked delicious, practically overflowing with whipped cream, a pretty layer of shaved chocolate on top. Ori blushed as he put a teaspoon on the plate the coffee came on.
“I wanted to finish off the bowl of whipped cream.”
Bifur chuckled. “You don’t use spray cream?”
Ori looked scandalized.
“Of course not! Dori wouldn’t hear of it. Beating the whip cream is one of the fun jobs, though. Much better than cleaning toilets.”
This Ori was kind of cute – his nose scritched up something fierce when he joked. Bifur smiled. As Ori went back to the register, he turned back to Bifur.
“Do … you want anything for your dog? Maybe a bit of water?”
Bifur nodded. “A bit of water would be lovely. Thank you.”
Lettuce wagged her tail as Ori brought the water, and allowed him a few gentle scratches under her chin. Bifur smiled, then took a spoonful of whipped cream – delicious. He would have to come back here, and soon.