The Clone
"Just blow my fucking brains out, won't you?"
Ignoring the clown's tantrum, "it's just a cafe, Jihn."
"It will kill me!" he exasperatedly said, "from boredom!"
In conclusion, you immediately got accepted into the Daily Grind Cafe, "besides, you might even get a new hobby—
a normal fucking hobby for once."
Jihn just gave in to your whims, maybe he really needs to try out new things.
The cafe you've applied to is just 5 blocks away, giving yourself enough motivation to get up out of bed. The earliest shift they have is at 6 am, "then after 1 pm, I could use my free time to practice shapeshifting," you thought.
The clown snickered, "Unless... you wanna stick to getting to know all of their measurements every goddamn time, mon ami."
The sound of bell rang as you opened the door to the cafe. Fresh faces greeted you,
"Um.. My name's Anthony, I'm the newly hired employee."
A woman in her 40s turned around, "Oh, hiii! I'll show you around the workplace and have one of my kids lay out the foundations you'll need in here," the person who replied, seemingly the owner of the cafe, gave a warm smile to you.
What a kind woman, you thought.
"Oh please, you're just not used to kind gestures," the clown said.
You immediately followed the woman, who introduced herself as Shirley Lewis. For some reason, that name was painstakingly familiar. The owner gave you simple rules to follow and reminded you that the customers are always right.
Jihn huffed, "fuck no."
She gently grabbed one of her employees and said, "This is Ben Reilly, he'll show you the ropes into making the perfect coffee, alright?"
The young man with dyed blond hair nodded his head at you with a smile on his face.
"Merde..." the clown muttered.
It's the Scarlet Spider.
"Thank you ma'am," you calmly replied, but inside, you were sweating profusely.
Ben Reilly...
Some says he's the better spider-man but everyone knew Peter Parker would always be the OG. It would mean that right now, he's living with Mary Jane somewhere out there in Portland.
I may be just biased since he's one of my favorites.
The clown was stunned, it was really, really weird to see fictional characters in the flesh.
Shirley just smiled and went back to her own work, "Hi, the name's Ben, which... you already know," the young man greeted you, "What's yours?"
"Anthony," you replied.
"So first day at work, huh?" he chuckled, "Oh, by the way, you should carefully watch how I make these drinks, they're pretty easy but the latte art takes practice."
You nodded and took note of every movement he made, which is not creepy at all.
"Hm.. this seems interesting enough," the clown said.
Seems like someone became a coffee enthusiast.
A lot of confusing and depressing events happened around this particular itsy bitsy spider. He was deemed as a clone and at the same time, the original Spider-Man in a different comic.
For you, it doesn't really matter what kind of existence he is, he just... exists.
After the briefing, you immediately started to get familiar with your workplace. Changing your attire into the cafe's uniform, apron, and all.
Plus, the disposable gloves you brought.
I'm not kidding. You can already make every possible drink there is on the menu, including the coffee art.
Thanks to Jhin, the new coffee addict.
Ben whistled, "Damn, you're a natural at this!" he beamed.
"Thanks," you happily replied, causing the clown to snicker.
Ben looks happier here, even after the fact that he already knew that he's just a clone.
The hurdles he overcame, his complicated relationship with Peter Parker, and the life he's proudly leading right now as the new Spider-Man.
Truthfully, you like his costume better.
"Ben, one caramel macchiato," a beautiful woman with blonde bob hair entered the cafe, "there's a new cute face here," winking at you.
You just smiled in return, not really knowing what to do. You're just an awkward sociopath.
She cocked her eyebrows and leaned on the countertop, "I'm Desiree, what's yours?"
"Stop harassing the newcomer, Des," Ben cut her off, "overbearing personalities can be exhausting."
She lightly punched spidey's arm, and a snicker was heard from the both of them.
They're good friends.
Another man came into the store, "Hey, one iced americano for me," another regular, "Des, Ben," greeting them.
Ben smiled, "His name's Buzz, don't worry he just looks mean but he's a nice guy."
Wait 'till you know about me, spidey.
It was an unfamiliar feeling, getting acquainted with them. You never had the leisure of befriending anyone back at your home, it just makes you all nauseous thinking about it.
Day after day, you're working on some dead body.
A change of pace isn't so bad at all, just don't mix them into your mess.
Jihn was unusually occupied with the newfound knowledge of coffee making, "Alright, you don't need any of my help anymore, wow," Ben just gaped at your skills.
Being admired by Scarlet Spider for something menial felt good, you thought.
Desiree and Buzz already left, leaving you and Ben with new customers. It was a monotonous job, but it pays. Plus you met a superhero.
Breathe, Anthony, breathe.
Deep down, you're still a fucking fanboy.
After the clock strikes 1 pm, your shift ends, "Anthony, it was nice meeting you and having you here, it'll be a great help to Shirley," Ben said.
To you, superheroes are a different kind of breed, always ready to help the masses.
That's why you admire them..
Because you once wished someone would save you from your insignificant, hellish life.
Pushing these thoughts aside, you smiled at Ben, "It was nice meeting you too," it was sincere and raw.
Ben was stunned for a minute and returned a smile, waving you goodbye.
"Hey Jihn, you still good?" the clown was suspiciously quiet.
Jihn only grunted, "Mon chéri, don't distract me I'm practicing a new kind of latte," now he's crazy for something normal, "It was nice."
"What's nice?" you replied.
"Meeting friendly people," he said bashfully and hurriedly added, "shut up, don't talk to me—
*CRASH*
A car flung at the clothing shop you just passed by, destroying everything in its impact, "Wow."