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The coffee shop’s been making great business ever since they added the edition of cats. Usually a lot of girls come by after school or work to eat then play with the fuzzy critters, sometimes with their boyfriends or families, but there’s always this one guy who comes by himself and hardly says a word unless prompted. Tweek isn’t sure how to feel about it; he finds it to be rude that the man can’t even bring himself to be polite when he does speak, but he can’t really ask him to leave all because his bored expression and monotone voice gets to him. Not only that but all the cats in the shop absolutely love him and he isn’t even sure if the man’s a cat person or not! Sure he’ll pet them and let them sit on or near him but he never goes further than that, hell he doesn’t even talk to them either!
It’s driving Tweek nuts with suspicion, as if perhaps he brings something with him that gets all of the cats excited and barreling over to him and Tweek just hasn’t seen him pull it out yet. He actually asked him one day about it, his curiosity getting the better of him, and he didn’t expect an answer as he usually never gets one beyond, “I need a refill.” or “The usual.” when he asks questions beyond anything work related but the man looks at him thoughtfully with those stormy deep blue eyes before his nasally emotionless voice is filling the air between them.
“No, I don’t bring anything with me. I respect their space while giving them attention on their terms. When they’re near me no one else bothers them and I don’t tend to bother them so they feel safe around me.” As if on cue one of the fluffy maine coons, Furrest, bumps their head against the man’s hand, earning a gentle chin scritching.
It’s the most Tweek’s ever heard the man speak and he’s stuck in place, watching the scene in front of him. He wonders briefly if this man has cats at home with how kindly he speaks and interacts with them and he opens his mouth to ask only for the wrong words to come out, “What’s your name?” He berates himself immediately as the man chuckles deeply and lifts up a plastic coffee cup with his name scribbled on it in Tweek’s jittery handwriting, causing his cheeks to turn a bright pink.
“Craig Tucker, although I thought you knew that already.”
Tweek swallows thickly, blush darkening as he nods quickly, “Of course I knew th-that! Just- I wasn’t- I need to go! I have work to do!” He quickly turns and swiftly walks back over to the counter, making his way behind it before shutting himself in the back room where his family grinds down the coffee beans. He places his hand on the door and groans loudly, unable to get over the fact that he just embarrassed himself in front of the man- Craig. He wasn’t sure if he’d ever be able to face him again after such an embarrassing encounter but if the smirk he’d been sporting as he watched Tweek run off was anything to go by then he had a feeling this guy wasn’t going to allow this to be their only awkward encounter with one another. What had he gotten himself into!?