#krilliams

Waking up before dawn had never been a problem for Nihlus. No matter the planet or biome he was predisposed to cresting with the sun, or suns, whatever the case might be. Even on the Citadel, he awoke before the artificial daylight seeped into the sky. He considered this knack a useful trait, especially since he worked as a barista.

Spectre Cafe had come highly recommended to him by a former roommate. Situated in the upper wards, the cafe catered to the elite early morning crowd; kava, tea, coffee, kaf, and the quasi-toxic sludge elcor loved. Nihlus was damn good with a kava machine and could make the fancy foam designs humans and asari loved so much in their drinks. He’d breezed through training and was loving his job—until Tela quit.

Nihlus didn’t resent Tela for quitting, seeing as the asari matron had provided ample notice. He did resent Saren, the cafe owner, making zero efforts to replace her. Rather than seeking to hire a new employee, Saren seemed intent on making due with a skeleton crew. Nihlus had been shoved into the role of manager and barista, while Kaidan was simultaneously busing tables, washing dishes, and ringing people up on the cash register. Jondum, the bookkeeper, had even been pressed into service front of house, something the introverted salarian loathed and unsurprisingly, was terrible at doing. 

Nihlus glared over his shoulder at Jondum, his own hands flying over the kava machine as he foamed up a fifth large kava for a massive order they’d just received from the turian embassy. “Bau! Where’s my triple shot coconut creme latte with vanilla?”

Jondum slowly poured brownish-white liquid into a to-go cup before managing to pump syrup into it at an even more languid pace. 

Nihlus’ subvocals growled in barely suppressed irritation. “Bau! Step on it!”

“I’m going as fast as I can without having made a latte before,” Jondum replied in a snarky voice. His dark eyes remained fixated on the syrup pump. “Your shouting won’t help me learn any quicker.”

 A human female with long, ebony hair leaned over the counter toward Nihlus. She wore a black harness over her shoulders and chest, leaving her taut stomach bare before it disappeared into tight spandex leggings, leaving little to the imagination. Typical human work-out attire he’d been told. It’s definitely working for her, Nihlus thought. Were the cafe not so slammed, he might have been tempted to flirt. As it was, all he had time to do was register that she was attractive before trying to send her along. 

He stuffed plastic cups into a holder. “The line starts back there,” he informed her with a jab of his thumb. “Cutting isn’t appreciated.” 

“Where’s the bathroom!” the human demanded in response to his flippant dismissal. 

Nihlus glanced back at her. Her dark dark eyes glared daggers at him, teeth bared. Why did he somehow find that attractive? I need to get laid, Nihlus privately considered. Spirits, it’s been too long. Aloud he said, “The bathroom is in the back, behind the water fountain.”

“Thank you.”

Nihlus didn’t watch her leave, focusing instead on handing off the embassy order to a volus in a delivery uniform. Turning around he nearly bumped into Kaidan, who was standing ramrod straight with his apron out-thrust. “I need to take a break.”

Nihlus gawked. “Are you joking? You can’t leave now! We need you on the register.”

Kaidan looked on the verge of tears. “I have a headache and I’m taking a fifteen minute break! Breaks are mandated by Citadel ordinance and I need mine now. I need fifteen minutes and aspirin!” The last part came out in a screech.

Nihlus reared back under the force of the tirade, taking the apron as Kaidan rushed out. “Just you and me for the next fifteen minutes,” he called to Jondum. 

Jondum looked up from where he was carefully steeping tea. “What?”

“You heard me!” Nihlus snapped, storming over to the register. “Fucking cheap nothi Saren,” he seethed under his breath. “Understaffed as fuck and where’s that prick? On vacation. Spirits damned son of a—What can I get for you?”

The attractive  human woman in tight spandex quirked a brow. “Caramel macchiato.” She glanced over Nihlus’s shoulder as a loud crash and metallic clink echoed behind him. 

Nihlus closed his eyes and counted to ten. I’m going to kill Bau. 

“On second thought, maybe just a large latte,” the human amended. 

Nihlus opened his eyes. Up close, the human was even more attractive. Lithe figure, trim waist, strong arms, full lips and deep brown eyes the color of coffee. Nihlus stamped down on an appreciative purr. “One large latte coming up.”

He decided to take a page from Bau’s book. People could wait for their drinks. If Saren lost some credits this morning that was his fault for being a shit businessman. Nihlus heated the milk—or whatever the imitation substance was—before mixing it with the caffeinated brew. Feeling inspired, he used the excess foam to draw the human a flower shape in her drink. 

Her eyes widened in delight when he handed it to her. “Wow. This looks great. Thank you.”

Nihlus gave her a flared mandible grin. “Don’t mention it.”

The rest of the morning flew by at a rapid pace. Kaidan returned in a far better mood and they closed early. Early enough that Nihlus decided to hit the new bar that had opened up near his residential complex. 

He took extra care to oil his plates and pick an outfit that would accentuate his waist and eyes. He wasn’t expressly seeking to end his overlong celibacy, but should the opportunity arise, he wouldn’t turn it down. 

Clad in an emerald green tunic with a jet black jacket and leggings, Nihlus strolled into the Normandy Lounge. It wasn’t quite late enough to be crowded, but the bar was doing a tidy business. Nihlus eased his way up to the chrome bartop, flagging down a human bartender. 

Her hair was pulled back in a tail and makeup had been applied to her eyes to give them an alluring, dusky feel, but Nihlus instantly recognized her from earlier that morning. Given the way her lips pulled back in a bright smile, she’d recognized him, too. 

“Hey!” she greeted, leaning forward. “Coffee guy!”

There were worse monikers, Nihlus supposed. He rumbled in affirmation, matching her lean. “That’s right. Should I call you work-out girl?” He winked. 

The human chuckled. “Fair enough. I might prefer Ashley.”

Nihlus grinned. “Nihlus Kyrik.”

Ashley cocked her head. “Nice to formally meet you, Nihlus. Can I get you a drink? I can’t do any fancy art in it but I make a mean dextro cocktail.”

“Gimme your best,” Nihlus said. 

That night was memorable for more than the drinks. He and Ashley had ended up dancing and sharing beers when her shift was over. They both had an interest in poetry and target shooting at Armax Arena. When artificial night began to turn to artificial day, the pair had found themselves back at Nihlus’ place tangled up in his bedsheets. 

When Nihlus blinked awake, it was late morning—possibly early afternoon. The spot next to him in bed was still warm, but Ashley was nowhere to be seen. 

He sat up in bed, body still pleasantly loose and satiated from the night before. 

“Morning, sleepy,” an amused voice called from the doorway. 

Nihlus turned. 

Ashley leaned against the doorframe, her bare legs crossed at the ankle. His green tunic from the night before hung loosely over her shoulders, drooping nearly to her knees. 

I’m one lucky turian, Nihlus considered, subvocals drumming in arousal.