Snowflake (Jackunzel AU)

Chapter One

Jack had never been a fan of spring or summer. He had a strong dislike for the heat and humidity that came with them, and, despite living up north in little Saint-Basile, it wasn't like like the stores had a need for air conditioning. (If they did, the relief of cold air was made up of several tiny plastic rotary fans plugged into the same power bar.) When the temperature reached its thirties, the air seemed to suffocate the town like a thick blanket.

But autumn wasn't too bad. The weather gradually chilled, red-tipped noses were the norm, and the abundance of sweaters Jack owned would finally come out from the corners of his closet. The town was littered with trees thick and thin and their leaves would fall peacefully to the ground, creating a warm-hued painting over the sidewalks and streets. No one really bothered to move the leaves out of the way except in mid-November, when the possibility of snow became a reality.

But snow — the indication that the coldest season was among them, the thought of another year coming to an end and a fresh one starting with what can be seen as an almost-literal blank slate? That was Jack's favourite time of year. The promises Old Man Winter brought with him every year were one of the reasons he hadn't left Saint-Basile yet. Those months made him feel the most at home.

"Jack, we have people waiting on two espressos and an iced latte. Ah yes, sorry sir—and a venti blonde roast. Black. No, wait, one brown sugar. What's taking so long?"

The boy was snapped out of his whiteout daydream by Mari's voice. He slid the iced latte onto the pickup counter and pounded his fist on the espresso machine – not for the first time – until he felt the vibrate of a quiet sizzle under his fist. "The machine was jammed," he called out, "but I got it going again. It'll just be another minute."

He prepared the coffee for one of the customers with a small sigh. He didn't even mind these midday coffee rushes, where Stardust Café made majority of its money. He knew the owner of this little place, Mari Kim, cared much about keeping it up and running for as long as possible. And with Stardust's signature seasonal drinks, why would anyone want it gone in the first place?

A few minutes after the coffee was taken to go, Jack poured the two black espressos into tiny cups with black-rimmed saucers and looked around at the tables, finding two girls in their teens waiting on their order. The one facing Jack piped up when he saw her walking towards him, a smile blooming on her face. All Jack could think about when she flirtily thanked him was that they're too young to be drinking old-people caffeine.

Even though he was away from the counter for less than a minute, the orders had piled through and Mari was already starting one of them. Jack shooed her away. "You need to stay on cash." His scolding was light, accented by his small smile and raised eyebrows. "Don't stray from your station."

Mari smirked and turned back to the register. "Of course. Wouldn't dream of it, Jack."

There were eight orders taped to his side of the counter. Jack never mentioned it to Mari, but one of his secret fears was losing an employee before hiring another. There were only three people working with Mari to keep the coffee shop up and running: Jack, who had been working there since he graduated high school; Flynn, the tall, brooding busboy that gave Stardust an endless supply of eat-in tableware; and Tony, the all-around waiter, professional mopper, and window cleaner.

Talk about putting that on a resumé.

The café had also undergone renovations earlier that year. Now, instead of a measly five seats (three of which were bar stools against the window) they could now seat up to eighteen people. How four people were able to manage such a store, it was quite a surprise to all the customers that visited, but Jack knew it wouldn't be enough for long. Sooner or later someone was going to up and leave them. It was 4:30; the rush had died down and Mari was cleaning the countertop with lemon-scented Lysol. He leaned on a part of the counter that wasn't wiped down yet. "Mari?"