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Despite fame having its rewards, it also has its drawbacks, and that's something Marius has had to learn over the years.
Since he started his career as a singer, people have treated him differently. He's someone important, whose opinion matters, and whose popularity is something people crave, which is why some individuals connect with him only for their own interests and not to form a genuine friendship.
It's hard to find someone who doesn't seek to approach Marius for ulterior motives. However, he is grateful to have become who he is now, someone who could fulfill his dream of being a singer and be admired by thousands of people.
Not everyone, of course, although he may sometimes forget that.
It's late, and Marius, although tired after rehearsing all day, knows that he doesn't have time to sleep at night. After all, even being a celebrity, he is determined to complete his art studies, and he only has a couple of days left to finish his art history assignment, which means a couple of sleepless nights ahead.
Vincent, his manager, is the one driving the vehicle towards his apartment. Marius looks out the window at the road, trying not to fall asleep, when he catches sight of an open establishment in the distance at the corner of the next street.
"Can you stop, Vin?" Marius asks in a yawn. Vincent looks at him with a questioning gaze but pulls over to the side of the curb. Marius smiles and unbuckles his seatbelt. "Thanks. I'll just grab a coffee and be right back."
"Oh, I also wa—" Marius shuts the door behind him before Vincent finishes the sentence.
The coffee shop is empty as Marius walks in, warm lights illuminating the cozy place, which has a couple of tables near the entrance and others towards the back. Marius approaches the cash register, where a guy is looking at his phone.
"Good evening," Marius says. The guy at the cash register looks up and curses under his breath.
The reaction surprises Marius, but… should it really? He is a celebrity, after all. The guy must be taken aback by his presence.
Marius can't blame him; he has that effect on people. So, he flashes one of his trademark smiles that usually makes fans scream when they see him on the big stage screen and places his order.
"I'd like a coffee, please.”
"Yes, of course," the guy says with a slightly forced smile. "With milk?"
Marius nods, taking a moment to study the employee's face more closely. He's attractive. Eyes of a lovely color, a beautiful smile, hair that seems soft to the touch. Marius inadvertently glances at the tag on the guy's apron: Luke.
"Yes," he replies, returning his gaze to Luke's face. "With milk, please."
Luke enters the order into the system and tells Marius the total cost. Marius pays with Vincent's credit card (he was the one who scheduled his rehearsal for the entire day, after all). Luke picks up one of the cardboard cups and a pencil, looking at Marius.
"Name?" Luke asks.
Name? Marius thinks. He's the only customer in the shop, so it's not really necessary, and Luke probably knows his name if he reacted that way to his presence. Is he... flirting? Huh. Marius must admire the guy's boldness.
"Marius," he says with a flirtatious smile. "But you can call me whatever you like."
God, he's good at this. Honestly, how could it be possible for people not to fall head over heels for him? His charm is both a gift and a curse. So many fans dream of a chance, but they won't get it. Marius feels for them.
"Okay," Luke says with a pleasant smile, jotting something down on the cup. "Your order will be ready in a few minutes. Feel free to take a seat if you'd like."
And he's being extremely kind too. Wow. Marius always elicits this from people. It's hard to resist people’s kindness towards him. He supposes he can accept it now. So, Marius complies and takes a seat at one of the tables near the entrance, keeping his eyes on Luke, who turns around to prepare his coffee.
A couple of minutes pass, during which Marius can't stop watching Luke. He's grateful that Luke has his back turned; otherwise, the employee would probably assume Marius has a slightly creepy side, something he wouldn't be proud of.
Luke returns to the counter with a cup of coffee and calls Marius over.
But... not as Marius expects.
"Max," Luke calls, holding the cup. Marius stands up on instinct and sits back on the chair a second later. Max?
He looks around, perplexed, in case he missed someone else in the shop who might be Max, but there's no one. It's just him.
"Max," Luke repeats, his gaze fixed on Marius. Marius points to himself with his index finger.
"Me?"
"Yes," Luke confirms, gesturing slightly with the cup in the air. Marius stands up again, still not shaking off the confusion. He accepts the cup that Luke hands him.
"Good night," Luke bids farewell. "Thank you for coming."
"Wait, why... Why Max?" Marius asks, utterly confused. Luke tilts his head, as if Marius is the one acting strangely.
"You told me to call you whatever I liked," Luke replies.
"Well, yes," Marius stammers. "But..." He was flirting . He doesn't say that. He doesn't dare. "Why Max?" he says instead.
"Well, it's an easy name to write and pronounce, and also that was the name of the dog I had when I was in school," Luke explains, happy.
Marius doesn't know how to respond to that.
He leaves the shop with the cup in hand and walks back to the car. Vincent jumps in his seat when Marius takes the passenger seat, his gaze still lost in space as his tired neurons try to process what just happened.
"I was falling asleep," Vincent comments, yawning before starting the engine again. "Did you like the coffee?"
Marius lifts the coffee cup to see the name Luke wrote on the surface.
MAX idk :/
"This has to be a joke."
+++
Fine, FINE. People get nervous around celebrities or those they admire. Luke probably didn't know how to react. Perhaps he acted strangely because Marius's presence caught him off guard.
Not this time, Marius decides. A second encounter with Marius would make him act more normally; it would make Luke feel calmer than the first time.
It's an excellent idea. That's why Marius coerces Vincent into driving him to the coffee shop around the same time as the previous night.
"Can you bring me a—?" Marius exits the car before Vincent can finish talking.
The coffee shop is empty again. Luke is at the cash register, just as Marius expected. Marius brushes his hair back, a gesture he often makes when nervous, hiding behind his attractive singer image to make people think he does it to look cool.
"Hey," Marius says, approaching Luke, who looks up from the book he's reading. "I'm here for another one of your exquisite coffees."
The guy furrows his brow, as if trying to remember something, and then his face relaxes. "Oh, you're the guy who came in at the same time yesterday."
Marius bites his lower lip to contain the amused smile threatening to form on his lips. It's adorable how Luke pretends not to remember him for a moment. As if he doesn't know who Marius is.
"The one and only," Marius decides to play along. God, are they flirting again ? "I wanted to ask what coffee you recommend."
"Why do you drink coffee at this hour anyway? You won't be able to sleep," Luke says. Is he concerned about Marius's health? That's sweet.
"Well, that's the point," Marius says. "Anything strong you recommend?"
"Probably an espresso.”
"Something... a bit sweeter?" Marius suggests, shyly. Luke smiles at that. His smile is dazzling, with a little fang that protrudes in the cutest way.
"You have a sweet tooth," Luke observes.
"Well, I... yeah.” It's embarrassing to admit it, but Marius supposes if he's going to order something, it should be something he can actually consume.
Luke prepares a coffee with cream and milk, handing Marius some sugar packets in case he wants to sweeten it even more. This time, Luke doesn't call him Max, so it's a win. Although, he doesn't call him Marius either. He just says, "It's ready," and leaves the coffee on the counter for Marius to take.
"Maybe he's shy?" Marius thinks aloud after he returns to the car with Vincent. "I mean... maybe he's too embarrassed to call me by my name because he feels it would be too intimate? God... that's adorable."
"Are the sleepless nights affecting you, Marius?"
"Shut up and drive," Marius orders with a pout, taking another sip of his coffee. It's almost as sweet as Luke.
+++
Marius finds himself returning to the coffee shop more often than he initially thought.
He doesn't even have to stay up some nights; he has started bringing coffee for Vincent too, which goes against his moral code. At least Vincent is happy. And Marius won't deny it: he's happy too to see Luke so frequently.
He always goes in the evening, avoiding running into fans and allowing for more privacy with Luke.
Even if Luke still hasn't called him by his name.
Marius is unsure if this is some kind of advanced flirting that he doesn't understand. He assumed that one of these days Luke would start calling him Marius, but he doesn't, and although Marius enjoys their short chats where they discuss trivial topics like the weather, or the customers Luke had during the day, or the sweets Marius likes to eat, the singer would really prefer to talk to Luke with him addressing him by his name.
"You can call me by my name, you know?" he says one night when Luke hands him his drink. Luke stammers for a moment, as if unsure of what to say. Marius doesn't understand what the problem is. Is he still shy about it? They talk almost every day.
"I..." Luke hesitates. Marius raises an eyebrow, and finally, Luke sighs, shoulders slumping. "I don't remember your name."
Marius doesn't find it particularly amusing.
The game of "I don't know your name" was a bit fun at first, but now it's awkward and Marius is annoyed. He intends to tell Luke, except that apparently his annoyance is visible on his face because Luke is quick to explain himself.
"It's not that I'm not good at remembering names, but yours, well, I didn't hear it properly, and then you told me to call you whatever I wanted, and, well, then you came so many times, and I was embarrassed to ask for your name again..."
Luke looks embarrassed, as if he genuinely regrets taking so long to ask for Marius's name, except that's not the explanation Marius was expecting.
"Wait," he says. "You really don't know who I am?"
Luke blinks. "Well, I... I'm sorry... Like I said—"
"No, I mean..." Marius gestures to his own face, pointing at it. "You don't recognize this face?"
"Um" Now it's Luke's turn to look confused. "Yes, you're... the one who always comes to the store when we're about to close."
Marius brings a hand to his mouth to conceal the impact this information has on him.
Wow . Well, this changes everything. It also explains why Luke never referred to him by his name, why he didn't ask for an autograph or...
"So," Marius' eyes widened in horror. "You never flirted with me?"
"What?" Luke leans back, alert, as if the mere idea of flirting with Marius was an abomination.
This can't get any worse.
"Why...?" Luke points at himself, looking horrified at Marius' suggestion. Then, his brow furrows, and his expression turns thoughtful. "Wait, why are you asking these questions? Should I know you from somewhere else? Have we met before?"
This is more than embarrassing; it's humiliating .
"Nope," Marius shakes his head vigorously with a forced smile. "Definitely not."
"You're acting strange. Hey, I should know you from somewhere, right?" Now Luke's gaze even reflects pity. God, Marius needs Vincent to knock him unconscious.
"Come on, of course not. It's... Don't worry." Marius takes the coffee Luke prepared earlier and raises it in the air in gratitude. "See you."
"Wait, you..."
Before Luke can form a sentence, Marius leaves the premises.
Marius gets into his car, disturbed by everything that just happened. In retrospect, examining all the interactions with Luke, Marius has really been acting like a weirdo. What kind of impression does the employee have of him?
"Damn it." Marius throws a tantrum, wishing he could erase all those memories from his head. It's so humiliating. He's not going to be able to sleep just thinking about it.
"You brought me coffee?" It's the only thing Vincent asks. Marius shoots him an annoyed look.
"Yeah, whatever, take mine."
"Thanks— Ugh." Vincent coughs after taking a sip of the cup. "How much sugar did you put in this thing?"
But Marius has stopped listening, sunk in his own misery. His ego had inflated, and now, with so few words, it had shattered into a thousand pieces of humiliation.
"I hate this." Marius whines in his seat as Vincent drives. He can't wait to wake up and find out that all of this is a dream.
He has a feeling that it won't happen.
+++
He returns to the coffee shop against his own will.
It's too embarrassing for Marius to face Luke again after what happened last time. He chose to hide and focus on his career to ignore the sting of humiliation that hits his chest every time the memory of Luke is evoked in his mind.
But Marius's plan to avoid Luke doesn't last long. After a couple of weeks, Marius finds himself back in the position he started: with only two days between recordings for the new album to deliver his final work. It's noon, and Vincent is driving from the studio to his apartment when Marius's stomach growls. He only slept for five hours, had a small breakfast, and is too tired and hungry to function, so he asks Vincent to stop the car on the next street to buy something.
Aware that going out in public at these hours is risky, Marius takes precautions. He wears a mask and a cap, then steps out of the vehicle with Vincent, heading towards the nearest coffee shop.
Which, of course, happens to be Luke's. Marius realizes this when he's just steps away from reaching the entrance, hating himself for almost instinctively coming here.
He swallows hard and forces himself to stay calm. This is nothing. Luke and he just chatted a couple of times. One more humiliation is not a big deal.
Marius opens the door and enters the coffee shop, where to his surprise, Luke is not at the cash register.
Oh . Marius realizes belatedly that they probably work in shifts, and Luke handles the last one of the day, so he's not on duty now. Marius feels like he can breathe normally again, although unable to shake off the tiny pang of disappointment at the realization that he won't see Luke.
At the cash register, he orders a coffee and a sandwich, which Vincent pays for. Marius sits at one of the tables, waiting for the order to be ready.
It's for the best not to have run into Luke. He probably should start going to a different coffee shop, considering everything. Although he wonders if a part of his subconscious wanted to see Luke one last time, even if just for a moment.
Lost in his thoughts, while Vincent talks on the phone at the other end of the store, Marius barely notices someone entering through the door and stopping in front of him.
It's only after Marius realizes that something is obstructing his field of vision seconds later that he looks up at the face of the person standing in front of him.
Luke.
"Listen..." he begins to say, but when he sees Marius open his eyes with fear that someone might recognize him, he reformulates his words. " Max . You..." Luke swallows. "I need you to come with me."
Marius isn't sure he understands anything of what's happening—from the fact that Luke is in the shop when he's not even wearing his work clothes to the desire to talk to him, apparently. Or does he want to get him out of there to avoid a potential scandal? Marius has no clue.
Nevertheless, Marius follows Luke's command, getting up from his seat and following Luke out of the shop, without giving Vincent a heads up. He can deal with Vincent later (he’s going to kill Marius for disappearing).
"What are you doing here?" Marius asks once they are in a more private place—a back alley, to be precise. At least Luke's perfume is pleasant enough for Marius not to notice the stench from the dumpster against the wall.
"You stopped coming to the coffee shop," is Luke's response, not quite answering Marius's question, but it aligns closely with what Marius was pondering just moments ago. "Why?"
"I've been busy," Marius lies, though not entirely. It has been busy weeks, but it's not the real reason he has deliberately avoided the shop.
"Did I do something wrong?" Luke's words alarm Marius, and for the first time since they left the shop, Marius turns his gaze to Luke.
He scolds himself for doing it because Luke looks just as attractive as the last time they met—or even more so, wearing casual clothes instead of work attire. Shame washes over Marius again, the memory of thinking they were having a connection when Luke clearly wasn't on the same page, and... Ugh . It's humiliating. Marius is used to people being interested in him; he wasn't prepared for such an abrupt rejection.
"You didn't do anything wrong," Marius says, determined to at least clear up the misunderstanding that seems to make Luke feel guilty. With his cheeks burning, Marius continues, "I stopped coming because... I thought we were... you know... flirting or whatever, and um, I felt a bit pathetic realizing that you don't feel that way, so I preferred, well..."
"I do feel that way," Luke replies firmly.
Marius stops talking, unsure if Luke is referring to what Marius thinks he's referring to.
"I think you're very attractive and charismatic, and..." Luke says, starting to blush as he declares what he thinks, with a furrowed brow, perhaps in an attempt to hide his own embarrassment. "And I didn't think you were flirting with me , and I panicked, and I thought you were upset because I didn't know your name, and..."
"You think I'm attractive?" Marius asks with a smug smile. Luke opens his mouth, closes it, and opens it again.
"Is that all you got from what I just said?"
"No, I also got the part where you say you're dying to go on a date with me."
"I didn’t..." Luke's furrowed brow disappears as he realizes Marius is teasing him. He rolls his eyes with a hint of a playful smile on his lips. "You're good at this; it's a bit annoying."
"So? Will you… go on a date with me?" Marius asks, much calmer than he's been for weeks , wondering how Luke would act after learning his name and possibly discovering his identity by searching him on the internet. From Luke's careful behavior, Marius has no doubt that Luke already knows.
"Yes, but..." Luke hesitates, and Marius wonders if it's because of the issue of his fame. Well, yes, dating a celebrity without causing rumors is challenging. He is confident that Vincent and his team can handle any potential articles that may be published if reporters spot them.
However, what Luke says next is, "I still don't know your name."
Marius blinks. "Huh?"
Luke nods. Marius… still hasn't fully processed what Luke is saying.
"But," Marius stammers. "You called me Max. Wasn't that to avoid possible attention from the public?"
Luke looks at him oddly, as if Marius had grown another head, but answers honestly. "I called you Max because it's the only name I've ever referred to you as."
"And why did you decide for us to talk in this alley?"
"Privacy," Luke shrugs. Marius looks at him in disbelief.
"I didn't tell you my name," Marius asserts, just to confirm. Luke nods. "You don't know what my name is."
Luke nods again, with a patient little smile. Marius huffs, and a laugh escapes from his throat.
He has to admit that talking to someone who has no idea who Marius is feels refreshing.
"Marius von Hagen," Marius finally introduces himself, for the first time in a long while. He extends his hand, and Luke accepts it, shaking it with his own.
"Marius," he repeats, with an adorable smile that makes Marius feel like the sun is smiling at him. Then Luke’s smile widens. "Hey, you share the same name as the famous singer—"
Luke stops talking halfway through the sentence; his smile freezes, and a cloud seems to darken his gaze as realization seems to finally down on him.
" Oh ," is all he says. Marius laughs.
+++
When the concert is over, Marius heads to the dressing rooms with a couple of staff members following him. His assistant hands him a towel to wipe the sweat from his forehead, and Marius thanks him, continuing to walk briskly backstage to find the person he's been wanting to see since the tour started.
Behind the doors, Luke is the first person Marius sees. Luke smiles when their eyes meet, and they both walk towards each other until they are enveloped in each other's arms.
"You did amazing."
"I missed you," Marius whines, hugging Luke tighter. He pulls back a bit to give him a brief kiss on the lips. "I'm so happy you could make it."
"I wasn't going to miss it for the world," Luke strokes Marius's sweaty hair. "I missed you too. No one has gone to bother me at the store when we're about to close."
"Are you saying you can't live without me?" Marius asks with a playful smile. Luke laughs and kisses him.
But he doesn't deny it.