“Good morning!” Simon‘s voice filled the interior of the small coffee shop, cheerful and full of energy. Leaning onto the counter on his elbows, he haphazardly let his hands flap about, waving at you excitedly.

Standing tall and proud in your ill-fitting barista apron and matching hat, you glanced at Simon, expression indifferent. Already punching his order into the register before he could begin to recite it, you simply watched as he spoke in extreme detail about what he had done this morning.

Which was, frankly, not a lot. Nothing ever seemed to happen at 6 a.m. in the morning.

Despite this, Simon still managed to turn his quest for the butter knife into a thrilling tale which somehow included a boss battle with The Door To A Nondescript Cupboard. And, he insisted, butter was a key component of his breakfast even if he would’ve been late to class had he not found the butter knife on the counter behind him.

Order rang up and prepared just as he finished speaking, Simon‘s smile grew a little wider at the sight of the discount you always gave him. “A discount for little ol’ me?” With a soft gasp and fluttering lashes, he tapped his card against the card reader with a flick of his wrist. “It must be my lucky day!” He added, winking at you before grabbing his finished drink and taking a seat nearby.

Frankly, it was a miracle that you were working at this coffee shop in the first place. Between the two of you, Simon has always been the more talkative one. But, even though your expression rarely changed from one of calm indifference, your tolerance for nonsense was much lower than his own. Years of experience as your friend has also taught him that it wasn’t unusual for you to get violent if pushed.

Watching you handle a couple more customers, Simon was just about to begin his classwork when he heard a commotion at the counter.

“The sign says buy two get one free!”

The customer’s shrill voice cut through the peaceful silence of the cafe, capturing the attention of everyone within. Standing up straighter, they crossed their arms, lips twisting into a disgusted scowl. “I ordered two. I should only be charged for the price of one. Does this place only hire idiots?”

This…could be bad. Briefly glancing at the customer, Simon’s attention remained focused on you. To anyone else, you looked like a model service worker. Expression serene, you looked like the last bastion of defense between the customer and manager, unshakable and perfect. To anyone else, there was no need to intervene, but Simon knew better.

Someone’s going to get hurt, and it sure as hell wouldn’t be you.

Squaring your shoulders, you stepped around the counter towards the customer and Simon immediately shot up from his seat. Rushing to place himself between you and the customer, he rested a placating hand on your arm.

“But, hey!” Simon smiled, gesturing to another drink on the menu that the deal didn’t apply to. “Doesn’t the iced honey matcha latte look even better than the iced cherry chai?” Smile unflinching, Simon looked desperately at the customer, hoping to communicate with his eyes that they should back off before things could get any worse.

Just drop the topic here! Please!