Chapter Text
Orange hues sprawled over the little café’s floor, climbing up the walls and wrapping its warm fingers around chairs and tabletops. The soothing smell of coffee beans and pastries filled the air, mixing with the lingering scent of the organic cleaner Orion liked to use.
The elf tied his long minty hair in a loose bun and pulled on an apron, tying it around his waist. He went through the motions like muscle memory, washing his hands and starting up the coffee machine. He was just preparing a small cup of coffee for himself (and to test the machine, of course), when the little bell at the top of the door rang throughout the shop, causing Orion to flinch slightly.
A fairy fluttered in, clutching a paper bag that although tiny, was still a struggle for her little fairy arms. She flew up to the counter and dropped the bag on the counter in front of Orion.
“Breakfast,” she huffed, flitting over to sit on top of the pastry cabinet. “I know we have plenty of food here, but…”
Orion opened the bag. It was a small container labelled “pavlova”, though it was small enough to just be considered a meringue. He let out a soft huff of a breath.
“This is hardly breakfast, Iris.”
Iris scoffed and crossed her arms.
“You know I can't carry regular sized things!!” She exclaimed. “And. I bought this for you out of the kindness of my heart, thank you very much.”
Orion rolled his eyes and let a soft smile break his usually stoic complexion.
“Thank you.”
“You are WELCOME.”
It was fifteen minutes before opening. Orion busied himself with random tasks like fixing up the menu on the chalkboard, washing leftover dishes, and wiping down the front counter for the millionth and third time. Finally, the café officially opened, and the first customer walked in. They were a regular, and they greeted Orion and Iris by name before ordering their usual to go, a tall espresso and a croissant.
The morning went by as usual, with customers coming and going, ordering and eating and drinking and leaving. It was a fairly popular place, so lunch time was busy as always. Orion had fallen into autopilot, constantly doing something around the café, never taking a break.
But in the afternoon, something caught his eye as he wiped down yet another table. It was another customer, as he expected when the bell rang, but something about them was…different. They were an alien. Aliens were common in this city. The area had a steady population of nearly every species imaginable.
The thing that stuck out to Orion was the fact that this person was blue.
He had done research on different species and types of people to better accommodate his customers, so he knew all about this stuff. Blue means shapeshifter. Orion furrowed his brows as the new customer took a curious step inside, looking around in awe.
They had blue skin and hair, with lime green eyes and dark sclera. Their antennae had the same shade of green at the tips, and a small section of the front of their hair also shared that same hue. They appeared to be lost, as if they had just been wandering around the city and followed the scent of food.
Shapeshifting aliens were usually female, but this person seemed to be a guy. Orion didn't want to assume anything, so he observed while they walked up to the counter, listening as Iris took their order. Their voice was soft and cheery, but a little unsure as they pointed to the menu. Orion watched as the alien took a number to an empty table and sat down, swinging their legs. They were short, just a little shorter than himself.
Orion let out a breath and snapped himself out of his daze. He shouldn't be staring at customers like this. It's not a good look for him. He tore his eyes away from the alien and made his way into the kitchen, using work to distract himself.
Not minutes later, he found himself leaning on the counter, watching the stranger yet again. They had ordered a simple snack, just an afghan biscuit and water. He wasn't sure what he expected, but it wasn't that. The alien’s tail swayed contentedly as they ate.
“His name is Star, and yes, he's a guy.”
Orion jumped. Iris hung in the air beside him, a smug look on her face.
“You've been staring at him since he came in, dude. Ask for his number or something.”
Orion opened his mouth, then closed it again. Was he really staring?
“I…I was curious. I thought only the females were the shapeshifters.”
Iris raised an eyebrow at the subject shift, but played along. “What makes you sure he's a shapeshifter?”
“He's blue.”
Iris snorted. “You can't just say that, Orion, jeez!”
“He is!”
A few nearby customers turned to look at the two staff members gossiping behind the counter, but none of them cared enough to listen. Iris exhaled and spoke again.
“Look, chances are he's not gonna come here again. Either you go and talk to him now, or you stay back here like a pussy and never see him again.”
Orion considered this for a second. The fairy was probably right, as much as he hated to admit. The alien - Star - probably wasn't going to show up again. But on the other hand…
“Nah, I can't be fucked.”
Iris just stared at him in bewilderment.
“...I mean, I guess.” She sighed.
Then the day went on as normal. Star left, more customers came and went, then before they knew it, the café was closed again. The second the last customer left, Iris punched Orion on the shoulder. (Which was more of a tap than anything).
“Uh- what was that for?” Orion asked, rubbing his shoulder on instinct, since it didn’t actually hurt.
“That was for being a stupid dumb idiot.”
“Excuse me?”
Iris simply huffed and gathered her things, leaving Orion to close up.
Again, he worked on muscle memory. He had done the same routine every day for three years now, so it had become just another thing he had to do rather than a whole list of things. The autonomy gave him time to think. His mind wandered back to that customer from earlier, the one that caught his eye. What did Iris say his name was? Star? Seemed pretty cliche for an alien… He wasn’t even sure why he was so interested in him, why just that person stuck out to him. Customers usually just blended into everything else, and Orion was never good with placing faces. Something was just…different about Star. He couldn’t quite put his finger on it.
It was a moment before Orion realised he had been standing still for a while, lost in his thoughts with his hands in the dishes, under hot running water. What a waste.
Shit.
He quickly finished up and locked the cafe’s doors, heading upstairs to his own apartment. Letting out a long sigh, he slumped into his desk chair and covered his face with his hands. Stuff like that never happened to him. He wasn't the type to get distracted, so what was different today?
…
That alien boy.
As much as he hated to even consider the possibility, something about him had affected Orion. Iris had implied that he was attracted to the alien boy, but he wasn't so sure. He had heard friends describe “attraction” as warm and fluttery, heart racing and face flushing, but what Orion felt upon seeing Star was more what he would describe as curiosity or even unease. His chest had felt tight, and his entire attention had shifted to the alien when he had walked in. That didn't quite fit the aforementioned criteria.
He groaned and pushed his chair back, swinging it around and flopping onto his bed.
What was wrong with him?