Special

Birdfacts

Daniel and Matt went to the café almost every day after school to do their homework together or study for tests and exams. And while Daniel was seemingly feeling more comfortable around him, Matt found it slightly easier to come up with topics to talk about that weren't related to school. Despite studying he was actually enjoying the time in the café and he often walked Daniel home afterwards. The scheme that Joe and Jonathan were planning was moving further and further to the back of his mind where his brain cells were caught up in a daily debate on whether or not to discard that information and forget it entirely.

"The regular for you two?" the waitress asked. Matt also completely understood now why Daniel liked coming to this café to study. The waitress, who, as he had found out, was actually the owner of the café, made great efforts to make everyone feel at home there and she never got angry at them for staying for hours but only ordering one coffee each. In fact she actually didn't seem to mind it at all when people did their homework there or spent the entire afternoon studying. Many others from the school seemed to be doing the same, some people came to read and were lost in their fictional worlds for hours and then there was the 'senior corner' as Daniel liked to call it, a few elderly people who met up in the corner next to the cashier every day to just read the newspaper and ignore each other.

Daniel nodded in reply to her but Matt smiled shyly. "Excuse me but could I have something different today?"

The waitress raised an eyebrow and acted surprised. "But only because it's Thursday," she said and smiled back at him.

"Then I'd like to have a hot chocolate, please."

"Oh, that really is something very different. With whipped cream and marshmallows?" she asked and wrote down his order. Matt nodded and cursed himself for blushing.

"A hot chocolate with whipped cream and marshmallows?" Daniel asked when the waitress had left and Matt looked down at the table avoiding the other's gaze.

"I... actually don't really like coffee," Matt stuttered.

"Then why did you order it all the time?" Daniel asked and Matt couldn't help but smile at his confused expression.

"Because I didn't want you to think that I am a softie or something like that."

"Are you a softie?"

"Do your homework, mate," Matt laughed and pushed a pencil into Daniel's hand.

They were working in comfortable silence for most of the time, which was only interrupted when Matt asked a question or Daniel made remarks on the finished homework. As usual it took them almost two hours to finish everything and Matt leaned back in his seat relieved when it was all done. He took a sip from the now rather cold chocolate and smiled at Daniel over the rim of the cup.

"Thank you for helping me. It actually feels quite nice to be productive like that."

Daniel chuckled. "It does, doesn't it? You are welcome."

Matt watched the other scribble down some notes while he was finishing his drink.

"What are you doing?"

"Hm?" Daniel looked up from the paper. A strand of hair fell into his forehead as he tilted his head slightly. Matt did his best to keep a straight face. If someone asked him right then he would not be able to deny that he thought that Daniel looked cute when he looked at someone like that.

"I thought you were already done with your homework. You usually finish yours within like an hour or so."

"Oh," Daniel looked at his paper and back at Matt again, "I was just clearing up some explanations for formulas. It helps with the preparation for the exams."