𝐖𝐀𝐒𝐓𝐄𝐋𝐀𝐍𝐃𝐒 𝐎𝐅 𝐓𝐈𝐌𝐄 ━ five hargreeves

5│FASHION DISASTER

"Only passable? I thought I did an outstanding job."

"You got a little tense at the therapist mention and you were a bit cold when you were talking about me."

"Well, can you blame me?" the boy asked with a huff. "It's not exactly easy when someone claims that the person you love isn't real."

Dolores' expression softened and she caught his hand in hers which was quickly followed by three consecutive squeezes. "Well, in that case that was an A-plus performance. Coffee?"

"Please."

"Unfortunately Griddy's is now a crime scene but I think I have a decent substitute in mind," the brunette said with a faint smile. As she led him out of the room, she added, "and for the record, I love you too."

✧✧✧

The coffee shop they next stopped at was a more modern version of the one they had frequented as kids. It had a very cramped— but somehow still roomy— feel with couches and low tables instead of booths and chairs. It had a very brown aesthetic with similarly colored metropolitan paintings on the walls and brown-colored books on the bookshelves. Instead of being dark and dingy, however, the large, glass windows that looked out onto the street and adjacent outdoor seating area let in plenty of light.

There was a college-aged barista working at the counter and she hardly batted an eye at their seemingly unorthodox order of black coffee and everything-but-the-kitchen sink. After paying with money Five had leftover from the sixties— Dolores hoped no one would notice— they found one of the comfortable couches by the window and sat down.

"I'm assuming there's a story behind this place, too?" Five asked as he took in the décor. "It looks more like a shithole than Griddy's does and that's saying something."

The brunette tried to be mad at him— she really did— but she couldn't fight the amused smile that crept on to her face. "This is where Sam, Brittany and Eric would come after their shifts," she explained, "they were all older than me and liked pretending they were mature for their age so they hung out with the college crowd, or tried to. Everyone here's too tired and stressed to care that people who look like high schoolers are ordering odd beverages."

The boy eyed a few of the college students diligently typing away on some of the nearby tables. "Why didn't we come here first?"

"It closes around seven," she answered promptly, "besides, I didn't want it to be shot up. When we do save the world, I'm not going to be the one dealing with a grumpy Brittany." She paused, looking thoughtful. "You know, now that I think about it, Brittany was my first version of you."

He turned back the girl and gave her and gave her an amused look. "You had practice?"

"I never thought of it before now, but yeah, I did. Brittany's very snarky, sarcastic and short-tempered— and she loves coffee. I would not want her coming to work without it."

"Why don't you try mentioning some of my good qualities?"

The brunette laughed. "Which are. . .?" she teased him, causing the boy to huff.

"My quick wit and amazing charm. I am a genius, after all."

"Right," she answered dryly, though her expression grew thoughtful again. "Brittany did act as though she hated her brother but I know she loved him." She left the like how you treat your siblings unsaid, though Five still unusually fast sips of his coffee to hide his discomfort. 

With his mouth still burning slightly, the boy set down the ceramic mug and quickly changed the subject: "so, what's our plan for the hospital?"

Rolling her eyes at his tactlessness, Dolores drank some of her own coffee before she answered, "well, I was thinking we could pretend to be interns from Meritech delivering an order. They'd probably let us see the files. I'm sure they work with the prosthetics company. I mean, it is a hospital."