Barry Allen (theflash) wrote in momadness_log, @ 2022-01-16 19:52:00 |
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Entry tags: | ~inactive: barry allen, ~inactive: ben hargreeves |
Who: Barry and Ben
What: Barry needs food
When: Before Zari and Ray returned
Where: Sally’s
Warning: Low/None
Status: Completed via Gdoc
Barry was starving. He spent a lot of energy when he ran all over the place (all over the world, really) as he searched for Ray and Zari. And he hadn’t slept in… quite some time. So what he needed was a coffee and some high-calorie food, and then he could start back up again. The best place to find those things was the bakery in New Asgard where Ben worked. --Ben being there was definitely a bonus.
Arriving in a flash in the lobby, the red lightning after him quickly disappeared as he came to a stop. Of course, he wasn’t in his Flash costume, but his street clothes. Hopefully no one else noticed--but the place looked fairly deserted. Maybe it was an off time?
Barry smiled as he stepped up to the register. “Hey.”
A little zing of ozone hit Ben squarely in the back of his jaw. He'd been around Cisco when Barry zipped in, so he recognized the sensation. Honestly, it left a giddy feeling in his stomach, like he imagined being on a rollercoaster might be. Granted, he'd never done that, but he'd looked up videos and had some idea. The store was quiet, so he'd told Cath he could watch the front while also reviewing the weekly inventory against the upcoming orders for the next couple of weeks.
He approached the counter with an answering grin. "Hi! Let me guess: an extra large mocha latte and a baker's dozen of butter cashew cookies?"
“Am I that predictable?” Barry asked. He had the money that the portal had given him, though it was probably going to go pretty quickly, considering how much he had to eat to keep up his energy levels. He felt a little guilty at how much he’d already taken from the Facility’s pantry.
“Wait, don’t answer that,” Barry grinned, giving a wave of his hand. (A slow one. Not a threatening vibrating hand a la Thawne.) “But yes, I’d love a mocha latte - can we throw an extra shot in there? - and a baker’s dozen. Maybe… mixed? Whatever flavors you think I’d like?”
Ben laughed—he'd liked Cisco's friend from the moment they'd met—and went over to the complicated coffee/espresso machine he only barely felt like he could use. But he could manage one mocha latte, right? No disasters for him! Without asking, he used whole milk and set it to start streaming. The way he figured it, the calories never really counted when a body could burn through them faster than they could get them in most of the time. He then grabbed a small box and critically eyed the back of the display case. "Are you sure you trust me with your cookie choices? Not that you can go wrong with any of them, in my opinion. I might be a little biased, though."
“Well, I know we’ve only recently met, but I think you’ve got my best interests at heart,” Barry teased, grinning good-naturedly. “Besides, you’re an expert here. I know that nothing tops the baked goods in this shop, so anything made here’s gotta be good, right?” He leaned against the counter as Ben moved over to the display case. He’d practically lived on food from Sally’s since he’d been here. Not only did Ben work there, and Barry had spent a lot of time with Cisco, but everything he’d tried at this shop was absolutely delicious. And Barry needed the calories to keep going. “Unfortunately, I think I’ll need to take those cookies to go.”
"And if I didn't, it would make Cisco sad, and neither of us want that." Ben laughed and started loading a variety of cookies in the box with pieces of tissues between each one, just like Cath had taught him. There was a mix of everything, ranging from too sweet to handle to just the right amount of salt or heat to balance things out. Nothing Ben hadn't tried himself, however—but he'd tried pretty much all of them at this point. As it turned out, he was pretty much a calorie vacuum, too. Just not at all for the same reasons. He closed the box, but didn't seal it with the little stylized sticker like he usually did, mostly because he knew it wouldn't stay shut for long.
The machine made a low hissing sound, prompting Ben to hurry back to it. He was extremely careful as he set the espresso drip going—it went super fast—while he got a good froth on the milk. Maybe it was just the nature of Barry he'd observed so far, but Ben had always pretty much assumed the order wouldn't have been the dine-in kind. The fact that he'd announced/clarified it made Ben look up at him quizzically. "Oh? Where are you running off to next? More secret missions?"
"Very, very true." A sad Cisco was to be avoided at all costs. Barry was always in awe of how Cath seemed to know exactly which flavors would pair well with one another. Salt, heat, sweet... she had herbs and fruits and dairy and chocolate and caramel... all mixing in different pastries and dishes. It was like magic. Maybe Ben's boss was magic.
"Do you like working here?" Barry asked, watching Ben take such care with the order. It was something to make conversation. But then the question came up about where he was headed. "Uh... no. Not exactly. Still looking for Ray and Zari." Barry hadn't slept in a couple of days now, still running the search even though Cisco was feeling more dejected than ever.
In an instant, and before Ben could answer, his smile faltered and then guttered entirely. "Oh. Yeah, I—" He frowned at the espresso machine, instantly mad at himself for forgetting. What kind of person did that make him? Zari and Ray were Cisco's friends, and he knew his boyfriend cared about them deeply. Guilt dropped heavy in his stomach, yanking his thoughts away from what he was doing, so that it took him a few seconds to realize he was scalding his finger on steam. He breathed in sharply, but somehow managed to not drop the steamed milk all over the place.
In fact, he was very quietly able to make Barry's drink while his skin throbbed in a way that felt like penance for being so careless about the people in Cisco's life. Ben set the drink on the counter and shoved his smarting hand behind him. "It's on me. Since you're out there doing the good work and stuff."
Barry watched Ben’s back as the other man worked at the espresso machine. He raised an eyebrow when Ben trailed off, and wondered if he’d said something wrong. Of course, Barry’s brain wasn’t really firing on all cylinders at the moment, so he didn’t put together that Ben might have felt guilty. And he didn’t really catch that Ben had burned himself on the steam, because while Ben’s skin was smarting, Barry’s attention was on the box in front of him. He opened the box, trying not to think too hard about it, and snatched a cookie to eat while he waited for the mocha.
“What?” Barry asked, surprised. “No, I can pay for it,” he insisted. Though, if Ben fought it, he wouldn’t argue more. Seriously.
"I insist. You're out there trying to rescue people, and I'm just manning the coffee machine." Ben laughed, but his smile had a certain self-effacing twist to it. "It feels like poor taste to say 'happy hunting,' but I'm not sure what else would fit in a situation like this. Maybe good luck would be better, so let's go with that."
“I’ll take all the luck I can get,” Barry said with a soft smile. He lifted the mocha with another, “thank you,” then grabbed the box. “I’ll see you soon, all right? We’ll pin Cisco down for a movie night or something. He’s been working far too hard.” With another smirk, Barry turned to leave the cafe.
Ben had an appointment to keep with a cup of ice and maybe the first aid kit, so he only chuckled and nodded before Barry moved away from the counter. "I think I can talk him into one of those things, but I'm not sure about the other. Come back when you need another carb-and-caffeine load. Be safe out there, Barry."