Chapter Text
Vessel's eyes fly open and he jumps up with a gasp. He momentarily feels the breath ripped from his lungs as his subconscious exits the dreadful memory it was just in. His heart pounds as he starts to come back to reality. He feels his soft blankets beneath his fingertips. He is safe, he is in his flat in London. He can hear the low roar of cars driving by the flat. He is safe. It was just a dream. He is safe.
Each time he blinks, he is transported back to that place. He forces his eyes to stay open as he counts each breath he takes, forcing them to each take as long as he can. It takes a few minutes for his breathing to go back down to normal. It was only a dream, everything is okay now. He is safe in his flat in London. Nothing is happening to him right now.
Vessel reaches out for the water he knows is on his bedside table and downs the rest of it. He rubs at his face and then reaches for his phone where it is charging. It is 4:27. Not terrible. This is the latest he has slept in almost a week, but he knows that he won't be getting any more rest tonight. He can't complain too much though, this gives him time to get to the gym for his daily workout before his shift at Eden starts.
Vessel never plans to get up early before work to get to the gym. He only sets an alarm for 6:30, which is the time he would need to get up if he was going right to work to arrive at 7:30. On these rare days, he would go to the gym after work instead of before. This would be completely fine with him, he rarely has other places to be after work anyway. However, his poor sleep schedule has made it so he wakes up somewhere between 4:00 and 5:00 almost every day. That means a pre-work workout almost every day. Sometimes he would go back in the afternoon after work if he really needed to clear his head. Good thing he works at a cafe, he can drink as many shots of espresso as he needs to make it through the day.
The first thing Vessel does after he pulls himself from the warmth of his bed is brush his teeth, then he makes his way to the kitchen to grab a premade protein shake out of the fridge to drink as he finishes getting ready. He dresses in a pair of grey sweatpants and a black hoodie, which he pulls up over his head to mostly block his face. He packs his bag with a change of clothes for work afterwards, a pair of black trousers and a sweater. He tosses in a bottle of water, a blue gatorade, and a protein bar as well for after his workout.
It isn't long before Vessel is out the door and on his way to the gym. The walk is only about 10 minutes from his flat, which he is thankful for because he almost always does this walk in the dark, well before the sun rises. Although it is unlikely that anyone is going to try to mess with a large 6'2" man with broad shoulders and toned muscles, Vessel doesn't like pushing his luck. He likely could take most people in a hand-to-hand fight, but he would be no match if someone pulled a gun on him. London is not always the safest place, and he definitely prefers to not have to spend too much time walking around in the dark by himself.
It is 5:06 when Vessel pushes open the doors to the almost empty gym. There are a few patrons around already, the usual group that likes to get their workout done early. Thankfully, the only other people who are typically at the gym by 5 AM to exercise before work are an antisocial crowd just like Vessel, which means he does not have to worry about trying to make small talk with anyone. They will all just silently nod in acknowledgement to each other and then continue to work out on their own. His fellow insomniacs also just want to be left alone.
He starts out this workout the way he starts every day, with a 30 minute run on the elliptical. Vessel absolutely hates doing cardio, so he has determined that the best way to do it is just by doing a short period of it every day. He has found this to be a much more manageable feat than doing a full day of just cardio instead. He doesn't hate it as much if he is exercising outside, but that is rare in London's winter weather, especially so early in the morning. The concussion on his legs from running also frequently flares up his chronic knee pain from an injury and surgery from years ago, so the elliptical is generally the better option. The metal music blasting in his earbuds makes it slightly more tolerable and hypes him up with just enough energy to get through the session.
After finishing his cardio, Vessel grabs the gatorade from his bag and drinks about half of it. He wipes the sweat off his forehead with the back of his sleeve. He takes a seat to rest for a couple of minutes before making his way into the weight room.
Today is an upper-body day. He always tries to alternate which part of his body he is working out in order to prevent too much muscle fatigue. He doesn't want to push his body to the point where he needs to take time off. He needs this in order to keep his mental health in check. He works out every day that he works at Eden, usually before work, which is every Monday through Friday. He has Saturdays and Sundays off of work, but will usually come workout on Sundays anyway. He tries to avoid the gym on Saturdays because that is the day it is always most crowded, but he will usually try to get some exercise in another way anyway. Those are usually the days he attempts to go for a jog outside, or will just take a walk if his knee is in too much pain. It isn't a true rest day because he is still getting some exercise in, but he keeps it light enough that he considers it to count as a day for letting his body have a break.
Vessel has always struggled with taking it easy. He has a bad habit of pushing his body to its limits, but has been working on using this outlet in a healthier manner. He loves to feel the ache from his muscles after a good weight lifting session. He loves the way his body has transformed in the last three years since he started regularly working out. He has been abnormally tall all his life, leading him to always be thin and gangly. When working on turning his life around, Vessel found love in working out and having the control to turn his body from skin and bone to pure muscle. It makes him not feel quite as small and weak anymore.
By the end of his workout, his head is mostly clear from the rough morning he had, waking up from yet another nightmare. He feels the subtle burn in his muscles from pushing his rep limits today, but he doesn't regret it one bit. Since he arrived at the gym so early, he had almost two full hours to exercise before needing to get ready for work.
He grabs the clean clothes from his bag and makes his way into the locker room to shower. By 7:10, he is heading out the door for his 15 minute walk to Eden. He snacks on his protein bar while he walks. He can't wait to get to work and have some caffeine on top of this.
Vessel ends up arriving at Eden about 5 minutes early, so he clocks in and unlocks the door. He turns off the alarm and gets his morning routine started. The first thing he does is start brewing the medium roast coffee of the day. It is a Guatemalan bean, which has his favorite notes of chocolate and caramel that come through its rich flavor. This is one of Vessel's favorite roasts they have. He grinds the premium house roast that is the current dark roast of the week, so that is is ready for brewing once the Guatemala is finished.
They always have a medium and a dark roast brewed, and roasts that they rotate weekly. Eden has two other stores throughout Eden and they roast their own beans at one of the other stores, which get shipped out weekly. They have about 15 different specialty roasts, with all of the beans coming from organic, sustainable, and family-owned farms. Eden has made it a mission to minimize their impact on the planet, while also serving the highest tier coffee they can get their hands on. It has paid off for them, the store has such loyal regulars and new customers that insist that Eden makes the best coffee in London. Vessel takes a lot of pride in being able to work at a company like this.
While the coffee is brewing, he makes his way into the kitchen to put the pastries that were prepared the night before into the oven so they will be fresh and ready to serve by the time the doors open. Vessel quietly hums to himself as he busies himself with setting up for the day. This is a very comfortable routine for him. After over 5 years of working at various coffee shops, this is a second nature to him.
A couple minutes before 8:00, Sam shows up, ready to unlock the doors and start his shift.
At 8:15, just like every morning, his first customer of the day walks in. It is Chester, a kind older man who comes in every morning to get two black coffees for him and his wife. There is never much conversation between the two of them, but Vessel appreciates the routine of making their coffees every morning, hoping that he is helping the two of them get a good start to their day.
The first hour is slow, as it usually is. Vessel takes this time to make himself a drink, deciding on a cortado today, in the mood for the strong espresso but also the smooth creaminess of the almond milk he steamed into it.
Business starts picking up around an hour into their business hours as usual. Vessel and Sam are still the only ones working today, so they get a little busy but it's nothing unmanageable. This morning is making out like a perfectly average day so far. After about a couple of hours of nonstop customers, things start to slow again and Vessel is finally able to take a few minutes to clean up his bar space and restock some supplies that got depleted during the rush.
A little while later, the door opens again and a new customer walks in. Vessel almost doesn't believe his eyes when he spots the man that walks through the door. It is the same man who came in shortly before close four days prior, II. The man with the beautiful blue eyes that have not left Vessel's thoughts in days. Honestly, Vessel never expected to see him again.
Vessel thanks whatever gods might be out there for the slightly warmer weather today because although it is still cold enough to need a coat, it is doable to get away without a scarf. Vessel was right about the neck tattoos he thought he spotted the other day. Beautiful, swirling pieces of art that delicately wrap around his neck and goes down to where his shirt is covering. This man is a work of art. He can't help but to wonder where this man works, where he can get away with having such visible ink covering him.
A smile lights up II's face when he sees Vessel behind the counter. It is a gorgeous smile, perfect white teeth showcasing the joy in this man's heart. Vessel gives himself a little shake, hoping to rid these thoughts from his head.
"Afternoon," Vessel greets. "How are you today?"
"Just great," he replies, the grin on his face not fading. "Glad to see you again."
Vessel's heart skips a beat at this. Why is he glad to see him? They had such a brief interaction multiple days ago. Vessel is only the barista who made drinks for him. Why would that have made such an impact on this man that he would care enough to say that he is glad to see him?
Unless he has been thinking of Vessel for the past four days, the way Vessel has been thinking of him. There is no way that is the case though. Vessel needs to stop thinking like this. The last thing he needs is an unrequited crush that is going to break his heart. There's no way anything would happen here anyway. Why is he even thinking about this?
"Good to see you too," Vessel composes himself enough to get back into customer service mode. "I guess that means the drinks were good," he attempts small talk.
"Ah, yes. They were excellent. We loved them!" Vessel can't help but to wonder who "we" is referring to. Friends? Family? A partner? Coworkers? "I guess that's why I'm back for more."
Vessel smiles at him. "So what can I do for you today? Trying something new?"
"I am just going to do a black coffee again. Do you recommend the medium or dark roast?"
Vessel glances back at the coffee urns like he needs to check what they are serving even though he was the one who selected and brewed them this morning. "The Guatemala is my favorite. It's the medium roast. Chocolatey taste and really smooth finish, not acidic at all. The dark roast is the premium blend house which is good too, but for me, nothing beats a well produced single origin," Vessel cuts himself off, sure that II doesn't want to hear him ramble for too long.
"I'll have that one then, I trust you know what you're talking about. Sounds perfect." II pauses to glance at the menu again. "Let's also do a hot white chocolate macadamia nut latte with oat milk, extra sweet please. Apparently the one you made last time was perfect, just sweet enough."
Vessel enters the drink into the system. "Oh good, I always worry about that. Some people ask for it extra sweet and then claim that it is way too sweet. To others it is never sweet enough. It's always hard to know how much is too much."
"Nothing is ever too much for this guy, believe me," II chuckles to himself. "For the last drink, can I do just an iced coffee with a splash of almond milk? Do you have any sugar free flavors?"
"Yeah, vanilla, caramel, and hazelnut," Vessel answers.
"Hmm, I think he would probably like caramel," II considers. "Can I just get a couple pumps of the sugar free caramel in that coffee?"
"Yes of course," Vessel enters that into his system as well. He can't help but wonder who that drink is for. It is obvious that the black coffee is for II and the extra sweet latte is going to the same person who got the extra sweet chocolate raspberry latte last time. This last drink is so different though, going from a matcha latte to a sugar free caramel iced coffee is a pretty drastic change. But, both of the drinks are iced, and in this weather most people have been getting hot drinks, so maybe it is for the same person. It is hard to tell though, and Vessel definitely will not be asking. That would seem way too intrusive.
"Any pastries to go along with that today?" Vessel pulls himself out of his thoughts to finish the transaction.
Something unreadable flashes through II's eyes, but he immediately shuts it down and offers a small, forced smile. "No, not today," he answers.
"Was is for II?" Vessel asks, knowing that is the correct name because he hasn't stopped thinking about him for days but not wanting to seem too forward.
II grins widely. "You remembered! Yes, it is II. Now, since you know mine, I think it is only fair if I can get your name?"
"Uh, it's Vessel," he tries not to blush, but he did stutter over his own name which is embarrassing enough.
"Thank you, Vessel," II grins at him and he taps his card to pay.
Vessel turns around to hide his blush and starts making the coffees. He starts with pouring II's steaming mug of Guatemala, which he hands to him to sip as the rest of the drinks are being made.
Vessel makes the iced coffee and puts it in a carrying tray, keeping it behind the counter for now. Then he gets to work with making the hot latte. Again, II's presence makes it so that his hands are too shaky to make good art with the foam, especially since oat milk is a little more difficult to work with than the dairy milks. Good thing this is going in a to-go cup that is getting a lid on it so the failed art doesn't need to be broadcasted to the man that Vessel is unfortunately crushing on. The drink will likely get tousled enough during transport that even if they take the lid off when II arrives at his destination, the art will be gone anyway.
He puts the latte in the carrying tray along with the iced coffee and passes it off to II, who adds his coffee. "Thanks, Vessel. The Guatemala was a good choice. So much better than coffee from home." II gives Vessel a sly wink and then turns to head out the door.
Vessel's face is burning red. Did II just wink at him? Vessel really doesn't understand this man. What does he want from him?
"He was cute," Sam pops up behind him, making him jump a little.
"Shut up, Sam," Vessel attempts to shut him down, turning away to clean the espresso machine, doing his best to focus on cleaning the espresso grinds out of the porta filter instead of his teasing boss.
Sam holds his hands up in a truce"I'm just saying. He has you blushing like a little schoolgirl. It's cute. Do you know him?"
Vessel shakes his head. "No. He came in a few days ago but no, I don't know him."
"Maybe you should," he suggests. "You could use to get out more. He definitely seems to be into you."
"No," Vessel immediately denies. "He definitely is not into me. He was just being friendly. I don't even know him. He's almost definitely not looking for anything with me besides coffee and you know that I haven't dated in years. It is not going to happen."
"It sounds like you have thought about this quite a bit," Sam pushes. "And anyway, you not having dated in years is exactly why you should at least consider things with this guy. He seems nice. He was flirting with you."
"There is nothing with his guy, alright? He is just a customer that I have seen twice. That is nothing more or less special than any other customer that passes through here," Vessel sighs and attempts to change topics. "You shouldn't be saying shit about my dating life, you also haven't been in a long term relationship since at least before I met you."
Sam smirks. "Just because I haven't been in a relationship doesn't mean I haven't had my share of lovely ladies to spend my nights with."
"Ew, let me remind you that you are my boss," Vessel pushes Sam away from him. "Go away and let me do my job."
"Ugh, fine," he huffs. "I'm just saying that it has been a long time, Vessel. You have changed a lot since I met you. It would not be the end of the world to officially move on. All I'm suggesting is to not reject things before they even happen just because you're scared. I just want what's best for you." With that, Sam turns and heads back into the kitchen, probably to finish up his weekly inventory.
Vessel leans against the counter and squeezes his eyes closed. He doesn't know why he is letting this customer affect him so much. It has been over three and a half years since his last relationship, and that ended catastrophically. It has been long enough that maybe it is time for him to move on. But, Vessel has also finally found that he is in a comfortable place in his life. He has a decent job doing something he actually enjoys and passes the rest of his time at the gym and making music. For the first time in his life, he has quiet and peace and he is not so sure he is okay with giving that up. He is content and doesn't think he needs a relationship. Yes, he has so much love in his heart that he wishes he could share with another person, but love is always a risk and Vessel doesn't know if it is worth it.
This doesn't matter for now, though. Right now, II is just a customer and Vessel is just his barista. There is nothing special about their relationship. But Vessel knows that II is going to remain on his mind until he hopefully sees him again soon.