THE MOMENT
Everything was instantly wrong. Nathan took one sip of his coffee and shut his eyes to try and calm down. How hard was it to get a cup of coffee right? He breathed as the anger coursed through him, and he managed to let it be without engaging it. It helped that he was alone in his car. He'd popped into the diner to pick up his usual order, and he was about to drive away again when he took a taste and realized it wasn't what he ordered.
In the past, a less mature version of himself would've dashed in ready to throw the scalding coffee at the first waiter he saw for daring to be that stupid. Part of him still imagined that sequence of events just for the minor satisfaction the thoughts gave him. But, Glory's Diner was a regular hotspot for Super heroes and villains alike. All of them loved Glory and he probably wouldn't survive his anger.
That information, along with plenty of direct experience with how friendly Glory was helped keep him calm. If anyone ever was out to annoy him, it most certainly wouldn't be her. Accidents happened sometimes, that didn't mean she was intentionally trying to ruin his day.
He lingered in his car for a few extra minutes as his frustration subsided, then finally when he was calm, he got out to take the coffee back inside. One of the first lessons he learned was that his mind tended to compress time when he was angry. During one particularly trying experience he felt like he was simmering for almost an hour and it turned out to only be three minutes. He'd tried to be more mindful of it after that, and he kept an eye on the clock as he tried to relax; he was managing to calm down faster these days.
"Back for seconds?" Glory was passing the entrance as he walked in and greeted him with her usual smile.
"Uh, actually.. I think you got my order wrong?" he presented it as blameless as he could, while still blaming her. He held out the cup of coffee.
"Not likely," Glory giggled and shook her head. "Soul Brew, right? Nathan, honey, you've been coming here for years."
"But.. it tastes funny...," Nathan pulled the cup back and removed the lid. For years he'd been getting pitch black, bitter coffee. This wasn't that. It evoked a sense of sweetness in a way that couldn't be called a 'taste', and the coloring was warmer. "... and it looks.. lighter? Did you add cream?"
"Not without you asking," Glory giggled. "You know, I think you've been coming here so long you've forgotten what the Soul Brew is," she said.
"It's dark and bitter, just how I like it," Nathan nodded but Glory shook her head. She pulled out a menu from the front of her apron and gave it to him.
"We advertise it as, 'coffee that is exactly as dark and bitter as your soul'," she said.
"Yeah, that's what I like about it," Nathan said. "I want that, not this," he gestured with the cup.
"That's what you got, darlin'," Glory smiled and patted him on the shoulder. "You've been coming here so long, I think we rubbed off on you a bit." Nathan suddenly felt lost again. Were they still talking about coffee?
"I'm sorry, what?" he asked.
"I'll put it together for you," she winked. "Soul Brew is exactly as dark and bitter as your soul," she said. Then, she deliberately poked his chest. "YOUR soul seems to have lightened up some."