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anki-of-beleriand · 3 days ago

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- WHAT I WANT IS SOMETHING MONEY CAN'T BUY -

barista!wanda x fem!reader oneshot

synopsis: you've always been a nervous wreck when it comes to beautiful women. but after meeting wanda, the café owner's daughter, you made it your life's mission to clear up your reputation and get to know her better, but on one condition: you have to buy something from their store to let you speak to her.

word count: 7.9k words

tags: coffeshop au, fluff, comedy (i tried to make it as such), wanda is an ethereal goddess and reader is an idiot, vision is referred as victor in this, so many dialogues, people get interrupted most of the time, reader uses she/her pronouns

author's note: hi guys,,, this is the first ever fanfic i've ever made so i hope you like it🥲😸 this is inspired by the opm "tindahan ni aling nena" by eraserheads bc it's a banger (any filipinos in here? *taps mic a few times*) im planning to make more fanfics that are inspired by opm songs so if you guys want that, let me know!!😸😻

(p.s. it took me 6 months to finish writing this ffghfgfhgfhg😭😭😭)

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“Iryna’s Cafe and Pastries. Is this the place?” You huff as you look up at the sign above you.

”Yup. You remember my order, right?” Your friend Yelena asks through the phone, which in turn causes you to roll your eyes and hum unenthusiastically.

”Hey, watch your tone, idiot,” she says so sternly that you can imagine her pointing a finger at you, “you owe me after making me work overtime to help you. The least you could do is buy me some breakfast and coffee to get me through the day. Plus, it might be time for you to try new things, seeing you eat meal-prepped chicken and vegetables for a week and a half makes me sad.”

You grumble in response like a petulant child, even though she’s right. It was rare for you to try something new, with the reason that it might ruin your routine that always helped you function normally. You could say that your routine isn’t broken, so there’s no need to fix it, but you know that you’re lying to yourself.

Lately, it’s making you feel like a machine, going through the motions every time you wake up and fall asleep on the same bed. And now that the universe — specifically a blonde woman starving for a cinnamon roll and black coffee — is giving you the opportunity to change up your routine, you decide that you shouldn’t miss your chance to feel more alive than the last few weeks.

”You still haven’t answered me, you know,” Yelena pipes up after a few seconds of silence from your part. “I want three cinnamon rolls and a black coffee, you understand? Three cinn—”

”Glutton,” you interrupt before hanging up the phone.

Taking a few steps towards the door and pushing it, your eyes are met with a small yet cozy-looking shop. The rising sun casts a golden glow through each window and hits every nook and cranny, lulling you to a sense of comfort, comfort that makes you forget about your anxieties from ruining your routine the moment you stepped foot into this establishment. Once the door chime stopped ringing, your ears catch the faint hum of pop music that you’ve heard a million times from the speakers, causing you to absentmindedly hum along the lyrics as you look at the menu.

”Good morning, can I take your order?” A soft yet slightly raspy feminine voice on the other side of the counter asks. As your eyes drift back down to meet the cashier’s eyes, you’re met with a woman having soft and captivating green eyes. As you voice out the orders that you have for yourself and Yelena, you inadvertently take a glance at the tag pinned on her chest: Iryna. It’s not everyday you see a business owner also working as a cashier.

It didn't take long for someone to call your order number, which meant you had to walk back to the counter while typing a message to your co-worker. The familiar aroma of Yelena's strong coffee compelled you to put your phone into your pocket, your eyes roaming the tray in front of you to check if everything’s in place.

“Is everything to your liking?”

A new voice with an accent similar to the cashier gracefully blesses your ears, which led you to flick your gaze up to a different set of emerald eyes, yet not less captivating than the first ones you saw. No, somehow those shades of green had enough power to turn you speechless, which made you look like an idiot in front of the brunette woman, who's still holding up a soft, welcoming smile.

God, she has such a nice smile. Those slightly crinkled eyes that twinkled under the café’s fluorescent lighting, those upturned lips that make you feel like a friend rather than just another customer, which are… slowly turning into a frown? What—

Oh god. You've been staring at her face like a creep.

You begin to stammer as embarrassment fills your entire system, nodding while you try to form a single sentence that at the very least consists of words like “yes” and “thank you”. But of course, you fail to do that, because while you were blabbering incomprehensible nonsense out of your lips, your hands were shakily grabbing the bag of pastries, which led to toppling yours and Yelena's drinks, spilling it all over the floor.

”Oh shit, I’m so sorry, I-I didn’t mean to, shit—”

“No, no, it’s okay, it’s okay, Piet will clean it up. Pietro!” The woman reassures you, her accent still prominent, especially when she yells out an unfamiliar name. A tall muscular man quickly rushes towards the two of you, however you didn’t have the time to register his face as you hear the cashier loudly click her tongue out of exasperation (which was obviously directed at your clumsy ass). Thus, out of instinct, you tightly grip the bag of pastries and scurry off, still blabbering apologies out of your lips as you left.

And now, as you walk through the town of Westview, you nervously accept the call that causes your phone to ring obnoxiously.

”Hey Yelena, remember our breakfast? I…” You pause for a few seconds to get your bearings straight.

“Iaccidentallyspilledourcoffeeinthecaféandgotsoembarrassedandleft—” You manage to jabber out in one breath, just to be met with silence on the other end of the line.

After another five seconds of silence, you decided to speak up. ”Hello? Lena—”

”I will strangle you the moment you clock in.”

It seemed like the universe pitied you so much that Yelena decided to spare your life after that incident, which is (thankfully) one less problem in your life. Your current problem, however, is trying to erase that embarrassing moment in your brain. Even the most insignificant things become greatly significant when it even barely relates to that specific incident. Just a few hours ago, the tiniest coffee stain on your co-worker’s collar immediately reminded you of your insanely stupendous gay panic four days ago.

However, as much as you wanted to forget how you ruined your reputation, you couldn't bear forgetting the only memory that included her, with those emerald eyes that captivated your very heart and soul. And now, here you were, standing in front of the same building that contains the coziest café you've entered (and the most gorgeous employee you've ever seen).

The same relaxing ambiance from the first time you entered welcomes you when you walk towards the line of customers, although it's completely and immediately overshadowed by how nervous you are to be facing the girl. To be honest, this was an impromptu visit, but your mind persuaded you so much to see her again to talk to her (and maybe even clean your reputation). As a result, your mind is now starting to go rampant with anxiety.

God, what if she makes fun of me when she remembers my face? That would be so embarrassing and would hurt my ego more. But maybe she won't remember me, since she probably serves a lot of people and she could care less if I came back or not. If that's the case, then I wasted my time and energy coming here! I swear to god, I hope that's not the case—

Your thoughts get interrupted once it was your turn to order. As you walk closer to the counter, the same cashier from before, Iryna, greets you with a modest smile. You then start to notice her face scrunching up to scowl at you the more you stare at each other. Great, she recognizes you.

“Can I help you?” Iryna asks with an arched brow, her sass emanating from her figure so intensely you swear you could feel it in your own skin. You try to quell your nervousness before speaking to the intimidating woman. “I um, yeah. Can I just get a small latte?” You manage to murmur while you tap your fingers against the counter.

“You sure you can trust yourself with handling drinks?” The woman’s derisive reply causes you to wince, it’s clear that she hasn’t forgiven you. However, instead of scurrying away like you always do, you get the strong surge of courage, your feet now planted firmly against the wooden floors of the café as you take a deep breath before responding.

“Miss Iryna, I— I wanted to apologize for the commotion I made that day. I’m sorry for making a mess in your café, I just got really… overwhelmed that moment that I got really clumsy. I understand how hard it is to keep a small business from getting chaotic, and I’m sure how stressful it is to deal with a disruptive customer.”

Once the words register in Iryna’s brain, her eyes snap back up at you, piercing through your soul as she scrutinizes your very being. “Oh, I’m not the one you should be apologizing to,” she replies, making your head tilt a bit out of confusion.

“You should be apologizing to my kids, since they did all the work only for you to waste them,” she reprimands, “my daughter, Wanda, meticulously brewed and blended those two cups of coffee with all her love and passion, only for you to throw it away onto the floor like it’s nothing! And then my son Pietro had to clean up the mess you made! Do you know how long it took for him to clean up for your sorry ass?” She spits out as she points at your apologetic form, your confidence quickly fading as you shrink to yourself in shame.

Before she could add more salt to your wound, a different voice butts into your conversation. “Ma, that’s enough! Don’t talk to our customers like that!” The same woman who turned you speechless that day, who you figured is Wanda, tells her mother in a hushed whisper. You awkwardly look away as she tries to calm her mother down, the two women muttering to each other for a good amount of time.

Once Wanda managed to calm Iryna down, despite a little bit of indignation coming from the other woman, she tilts her head up to look at you, her hand not leaving her mother's back. “I'm so sorry about my mother, she has a bit of a temper when people try to mess up her store,” Wanda explains, her alluring eyes holding an apologetic gaze.

“N-no, it's okay,” you stammer, still not used to be gazing at a woman who is most likely sent by the gods to bless and curse you, “I understand why she's mad, I shouldn't have made a mess, especially since you worked hard on making those drinks for me. I really am sorry for making a commotion in your very peaceful and cozy café, I'll be less clumsy next time.”

After your apology, Wanda parts her lips out of surprise, since she really didn't expect you to apologize to her. She then closes her mouth after a few seconds before lifting the corners of her lips to form a gentle smile, which is immediately making you almost lose your cool again. “Thank you, but it's all good, really. It's clear that you didn't mean to make a commotion. Plus, it was pretty funny to watch you floundering for whatever reason,” she giggles teasingly, causing your face to heat up out of embarrassment, “why did you get nervous?”

Just as always, you start to struggle finding a believable explanation. There's absolutely no way you're telling her that you got nervous by just gazing upon her beauty.

But before you can even think of a lie, a silver-haired man pokes his head from the kitchen to call out for her. “Sestra, get off your ass and help me with these orders!” The younger brunette rolls her eyes out of mild chagrin before bringing her gaze back to you, her friendly smile back in what seems like a millisecond. “A-anyway, I shouldn't keep you here at the cashier counter for so long. I’m sorry again for my mother's crankiness, I hope she didn't scare away a potential regular in our store,” she giggles as her nose scrunches up in delight, “I should get going, it was nice meeting you!”

Even when she finally turns around to leave, your eyes never stray from her figure, too starstruck by her beauty that you didn't notice Iryna glaring at you.

“I'd appreciate it if you finalize your order instead of ogling at my daughter,” the woman rasps, which effectively bring your eyes back to her face. “I um, I actually came here so that I could talk to her,” you mutter sheepishly, as to which Iryna raises her brow, intrigued. “Well, you already did, and now I don’t want you wasting my time and just finish your order.”

“I know, and— and I will, I just wanna— if it’s okay for you— to introduce myself to her,” you immediately stammer, not wanting to miss this opportunity of seeing the woman again, so much so that you didn’t realize how desperate you were starting to get. “Please?” You ask as your face forces a sweet smile, which didn’t help your case since all Iryna sees is a weird and awkward grimace.

Wanting to end this draining conversation as quick as possible, Iryna huffs before replying. “Well, she’s going away in a few days, so you shouldn’t get your hopes up. But fine, I’ll let you introduce yourself to her only on one condition: You have to buy something from our store every single day. Is that a deal?”

The proposition surprised you, which obviously made you ask: “What?” “Hey, if you’re coming into my establishment just to flirt with my daughter, you might as well buy something to keep our business up,” Iryna shrugs with a smirk on her face, as if daring you to even decline the offer that gets you what you really want. And with that smug look on her face, it made you finally think about what you were doing.

Should you really let this woman capitalize off of you and her daughter just for a few bucks? Are you gonna really let her, in some aspect, control what you will spend your money on, just to talk to a girl who you barely know and would probably reject you once you get to know her better?

The answer is yes.

To be fair, the food here is really good, and I get why Yelena really likes this place. Plus, I can just give the food I bought to her as some sort of apology for not getting her a coffee four mornings ago, so it’s not like it isn’t worth it, you justify in your head before looking back up at the woman with determination in your eyes.

”Deal.”

Your fingers tap against the table as you wait for your coffee, your mind telling you to not look around the café in hopes that you would find the brunette woman that’s been lingering in your mind for the past week. Just as you agreed on, you came into the store everyday to buy something to eat before you go to work. You’ve had some doubts whether spending a few bucks on coffee and breakfast was worth it when you could make your own, but those worries immediately get silenced whenever you see Wanda smiling brightly at you, obviously happy that they gained another loyal customer.

It’s a miracle that you get to talk to her once in a while, even though it’s only when she brings your order to your table. You two have only talked about simple yet meaningful topics, like her talent for making delicious coffee and pastries (which always makes her get all shy), her occasional gigs where she sings as she plays the guitar in the café, and her dream of attending a culinary class once she has enough money in her savings, which you never forget to give her your support whenever it’s brought up. What’s not good, however, is that you haven’t really asked her out, always getting cold feet whenever you look at her with those emerald eyes of hers. You’ve never been good with getting any woman that you’re attracted to, how different will your current situation be?

A figure carrying a tray enters your peripheral vision as it walks towards your table, causing your eyes to fully look at it with eagerness. Your excitement dies down when you see that it’s not the owner’s daughter that greets you, but rather the owner’s son, Pietro. Your eyes widen when he smirks mischievously, seemingly noticing how you got your hopes up.

”Oh, thank you,” you mutter politely, not wanting to show how bummed you are at him giving you your breakfast. Unfortunately, he can see right through your act.

He doesn’t respond, only circling around your table as he maintains eye contact and grins. Halfway through his circling, he walks straight before facing the old lady that’s sitting at a table a few meters away from you. He stops in front of her with a friendly smile and placing the tray onto the table. Oh.

After saying the common niceties you hear from a server, he turns around and walks back toward your table, his polite smile slowly shifting into that annoying and smug grin that he has, which seems like it’s only reserved for you.

“You looked a bit bummed for a second there. Were you expecting someone else?” He teases, moving to take a seat across from you.

You roll your eyes before looking away, feeling a mix of embarrassment and irritation. “No, I just… thought that you have my order,” you reply, only for the silver-haired man to chuckle. “So if I did actually have your order, you wouldn’t have been sulking a few seconds ago?”

“… Yes.” He scoffs at your obvious lie. He then leans forward to be closer before murmuring lowly so that only you can hear it.

”Look, let’s be real here, you’re painfully obvious. You’re not slick, alright? You like my sister, Ma and I know that,” he comes clean, not without forgetting a bit of sass in his tone. You slump your shoulders in defeat as he rests his arms against the table.

”Is that why you’re here? To tell me to back off from your sister?” You mumble dejectedly, only for him to shake his head. “Nope, I’m here to tell the opposite.”

Your brows raise in surprise, which encourages him to continue. “I’m not supposed to tell you this, but she broke up with her ex almost a year ago for being a dick to her friends, and I want her to find someone new to meet. Someone that’ll treat her and her friends better, and I’m assuming that you will be that ‘someone’. You will treat her better right? I barely know anything about you to even know that you will.” He raises his brow for confirmation, in which you quickly nod. “Of course, of course I will, I won’t do anything to hurt her. And even if I do, I’ll make sure to be better,” you reply earnestly.

Pietro doesn’t reply immediately. Instead, he’s taking his sweet time scrutinizing you with his glaring, trying to see any hints of you lying. You start to think that their mother’s ability to intimidate you is hereditary.

Finally, after an awfully long silence between the two of you, he straightens his posture as his glare fades away, seemingly convinced at your words. “Alright, good, because if you break her heart, I’ll waterboard you using a pot of scalding hot coffee. Coffeeboarding, if you will.” He jests, although all you can do is nervously laugh along at his “joke” of a threat, since you’re super certain that it’s really not a joke.

His laughter finally dies down as he looks at you with a pleading smile. “So yeah, ask her out. I approve the idea of you two dating, you’d look cute together.” He flashes his charming smile, but you shake your head apologetically. “Sorry Pietro, as much as I’d love to, I don’t think I can.”

With that, his grin turns into a frown. “What? Why not?”

“Because, I obviously don’t have the confidence to talk to a woman. Plus, I don’t think she likes me like that. I’m just a customer to her, just like I am to you,” you huff dejectedly, pessimism taking over your body. Pietro shakes his head in disappointment in response.

”Don’t say that, Y/N.”

”It’s true—”

”No it’s not—”

“You can’t be sure of that.”

Pietro slumps against his seat at your insistence. He’s starting to feel that begging a customer to flirt with her sister isn’t all that worth it to argue about. But before he can even accept his defeat, a thought pops up in his mind. He straightens his posture again.

”You do know that it doesn’t take too long for someone to make coffee and heat up a croissant, right?” He asks, his confidence re-emerging, as to which you reply, “What does that have to do with anything?”

”It means that she’s taking her sweet, sweet time in there, making your coffee and that chocolate croissant real special just for you,” he points out while he uses a lovey-dovey tone in his voice, which doesn’t help him from convincing you.

”She’s probably just prioritizing other people’s orders first.”

“I guess you have a point,” he huffs at your possibly true justification, but he doesn’t waver, “but… have you ever seen me or any of our other employees bring your food to you?”

That catches your attention. Apparently, you yourself haven’t noticed that, since you’re too busy not making a complete fool of yourself when talking to her. And from the look on your face, Pietro knows that he’s got you now.

”Wait, are you telling me that you didn’t catch onto that until now? Even the fact that she sits down with you, and only you, every time to talk? You do know that we’re not required to have a five-minute chat with every single one of our customers, right?” He asks, a combination of amusement and genuine concern in his expression.

As much as you want to reply some sort of irritated retort, your brain is too busy processing what’s apparently been right in your face. How didn’t I realize that? Does that mean— No, no, that can’t be true, she just enjoys my company as a friend if that’s the case. Pietro’s just bullshitting… but maybe he’s not? Look at him, he looks so confident. So confident, in fact, that he could probably tell me that a gambling addiction is good for every kid to have and I’ll believe him. You ponder in your head while Pietro just patiently watches you.

”Sorry it took too long,” another voice enters, which you quickly recognize that it’s Wanda’s. “N-no, no, it’s alright, I’m not really busy right now,” you reply softly, looking at her with a warm smile. And with your gentle expression, her heart flutters

Wanda snaps back to reality, realizing that she’s still working. ”Is my brother bothering you?” She asks as she sets up your coffee and a plate of chocolate croissant on your table.

”When has he not?”

She chuckles softly at your reply while the other twin scoffs. “I suppose that’s a good point,” she grins as she straightens up, clutching the tray while tucking it between her arms and waist. “I wish I could’ve arrived earlier so that I could shoo him away before he could even say something remotely annoying,” she taunts with a cheeky grin. She decides not to mention that the reason she took too long was because she took another try at drizzling the chocolate syrup on the pastry in front of you, wanting it to be perfect.

”Okay, so rude,” Pietro scoffs, which only made you and Wanda giggle. “I was just talking to her about this bar called ‘The F-4’ that has drinks so fucking fantastic, I might consider being an alcoholic.”

”Pietro—” Wanda scolds him, but her brother doesn’t take it seriously.

”What? Sue me, Wanda, but you can’t deny and tell me that place isn’t fire,” He groans before turning his head to look back at you. “My sister here,” He points at her with his thumb, “She won’t admit it, but she can’t get enough of how they made a Cosmopolitan in that place. She could drink that thing for ages and she’d still want more.” You chuckle at the image that his words planted in your head.

”I mean, yeah, that place is great,” Wanda huffs, and Pietro grins at his sister’s defeat. “It is great, especially when you have a date, you can bring them there and have fun, you know?” Pietro raises a brow at you, and your eyes widen at his implication of taking his sister to that bar. You only give him a small glare and a subtle disagreeing shake of your head as a response. As a result, you don't notice the small frown that appears on Wanda's lips for a split second.

“Oh? Who's the lucky girl?” Wanda asks as she puts up a mischievous smile, quelling down the small fire of jealousy in her heart.

“I-it's nobody! Pietro’s just on another one of his bullshit again. Also, don't make that face, you look like him and that's not a compliment,” you reply as your face heats up in embarrassment. The twins only chuckle as you hide your face with your hand.

“Well, either way,” Wanda pauses as she places a hand just behind your shoulder, making you tense up yet still have the willpower to look up at her enchanting emerald eyes, “I’m sure that they're gonna have fun wherever you take them.”

You take a moment to blink before speaking. “Even when I take them to a landfill?”

Wanda giggles in response, making your heart flutter at the sound. “Maybe.”

“It's always fun whenever you're around, no matter what place you end up on.”

Even though the three of you share a moment of silence after she said that, it's for three different reasons. For Wanda, it's to send you the sweetest smile someone has ever given you, her cheeks a little red while her eyes twinkle with appreciation for the person she's talking to. For you, it's to use every brainpower to not fall unconscious because from her heartfelt words. And for Pietro, it’s to watch at how your interaction unravels, biting the inside of his cheek to stop himself from laughing and interrupting the scene happening before him.

You start to replay his words in your head. Is he telling the truth? Does she really like me back? She was flirting, right? No employee casually says that to a customer, and no friend says those words with that look in their eyes. Should I actually try and go for it? God, it’s gonna be so embarrassing if I do… but I can just invite her as friends first. Yeah, that’s a good idea. Okay, you can do this—

”Wan—”

”Wanda! Pietro! Stop bothering your customers and get back to work!” Iryna scolds her kids, her Sokovian accent slipping out. Pietro then briskly stands up, his sister stepping aside as he fixes the chair he once occupied.

”Anyways, we should get going, we don’t want your breakfast to get cold.” Wanda gives you a tight-lipped, bashful smile. “Were you gonna say something, Y/N?” Pietro asks with an insinuating tone, making Wanda look at you with furrowed brows. The small amount of confidence you once had completely vanishes as they stare at you, making you shake your head out of anxiety.

”N-no, no, it’s nothing important,” you reply as you wave your hand in dismissal, ignoring the disappointed glare the silver-haired man gives you. “You should get back to work, wouldn’t want to keep your mom waiting,” you grin at the small attempt of lightening the mood.

After the twins wave goodbye to you (not without Pietro shaking his head at you), you slump against your chair. Reaching for the perfectly decorated chocolate croissant (courtesy of a certain brunette), you take a bite big enough for the chocolate filling, sweet enough that it’s not overwhelming to your taste buds but actually makes you want to get more of it. Along with the decent amount of chocolate drizzle and the croissant that’s been heated up to the perfect temperature, making it crispy on the outside yet fluffy on the inside, the three creates a beautiful harmony as you continue chewing, savoring every flavor it brings. As much as it brings you comfort, it also brings you a sense of realization. She really did take her sweet, sweet time.

”God, I’m a coward.”

”Jesus, the reason why I never went back in this café was because I already have you as my personal delivery woman,” Yelena dramatically groans as she lets you pull her by her wrist, leading her to your now-favorite establishment.

”Oh, come on, it’s Saturday, it’s not like you’re busy anyway,” you reply at the petulant blonde. Your steps are more determined as ever as you get closer and closer to the café. “Besides, you owe me a favor for giving me a job I didn’t ask for.”

”And you decided to use your one and only favor to drag me along as a… what was it again? Right, as a moral support when you ask out an employee,” she rolls her eyes as she recalls your words yesterday during your lunch break.

”Hey, don’t belittle her as just an employee, Lena. She’s a really great friend and a really good baker,” you chastise the other woman.

Your tone only makes her scoff. “I’m not belittling her, I’m belittling you!” She continues after hearing you scoff in disbelief. “You’re telling me that you, a woman with a stable job in her mid-20s is scared of asking out a nice lady? That’s pathetic.”

”I know, I know, I’m just— I’m nervous, okay?” You confess through a heavy sigh, “What if she rejects me? That would make things weird between us. That would also mean that all those stuff I bought in their café just to talk to her isn’t worth it.”

Yelena only tuts at your pessimistic perspective before placing a hand on your shoulder. “Look, rejection’s a part of our lives. Rather than running away from it, be the bigger person and accept that not everything goes your way, and that’s okay.”

Your brows shoot up in surprise at the onslaught of motivational words coming out of your usually-brusque friend’s mouth, but you don’t interrupt her, since that’s the reason why you brought her here.

Yelena reaches her free hand to firmly hold your hand. ”The situation’s only gonna get weird if one of you makes it weird. The only thing you can do is be calm and politely respect her decision.”

You try to nod at her wise words, only for your head to be held still by her hands, which are now cupping your cheeks, slightly squishing them.

”Let me ask you this: Did you enjoy the times you got to talk to her when you go to visit her?”

You nod.

”Then all the money you spent for her were worth it, you know why? Because not only did you make a friend, you also supported her work, and if I were in her shoes, I would be super grateful to have met you.” She explains, making you perk up a small smile through puckered lips at her full support for you.

”You’re an amazing person, Y/N. If she says no, then that’s her loss. You can do it.” Yelena softly adds, her lips forming a warm smile.

As you thank her for the pep talk she gave you, you don’t notice the woman that was the subject of your conversation watching the two of you. The two of you also don’t notice the brief flash of defeat on her usually-bright green eyes once you spot her. “So she did have a date,” she thinks to herself as she watches you lightly jog towards her with a smile.

”Wanda, hey!” You greet her with a small wave once you were standing a few feet away from her. You frown slightly in confusion when you notice the lack of a certain garment. “You’re not wearing your apron, are you not on-duty today?”

The brunette bashfully looks down at herself, instinctively dusting off the beige trench coat with her hands. “Oh, yeah. Victor invited me to join him and our friends to go to Canada for a vacation.”

As if on cue, the universe answers your unasked curiosity when a tall, lean-figured man walks up and intertwines his hand with Wanda. Oh.

”Wanda, darling, are you all set?” The man asks with a prominent British accent, making him sound all prim and proper.

The other woman turns her head to look at him, a soft and warm smile graces her features as she stares at him. “Yep, I’m all set. I was just saying goodbye to my family.”

Once she realizes that you’re still awkwardly standing in front of them, she immediately turns to look at you.

”Oh, right! Y/N, this is Victor, my boyfriend. Victor, this is Y/N, my friend and our very loyal customer.”

The man, Victor, reaches for your hand to greet you politely after Wanda’s introduction. You could only give them a tight-lipped smile in return, not wanting to show the immense amount of disappointment you’re feeling.

”I shouldn’t keep you here for too long, I know you all have a flight to catch,” you manage to reply seconds after Victor lets go of your hand.

”Wow, I just introduced you two to each other and now you’re eager for us to leave. Do you secretly hate us?” Wanda playfully asks, her hand flat against her chest as if she was physically hurt by your words. You retort with a scoff.

”Oh definitely. I’m so happy that you’re gonna be gone for a while! Oh, I can’t wait to hang out with your annoying brother everyday!” You reply with a fake enthusiastic tone in your voice, as to which Wanda giggles at your obvious sarcasm. You can’t help but laugh along with her melodic voice. Your laughter dies down once one of Wanda’s friends call her from one of the cars parked outside the establishment.

”But seriously, you two have fun out there, and stay safe!”

From your earnest reminder, the couple can’t help but smile gratefully, but you’re too focused at the alluring woman standing before you.

You, Pietro, and Iryna wave goodbye to the brunette as the car where she’s in drives away. Once the vehicle disappeared from your line of sight, you let out a sigh as your shoulders slump in defeat. Pietro and Yelena, despite being strangers to each other, share a pitying look at one another before placing a hand on both sides of your shoulders.

If you were to wallow over rejection and/or heartbreak, where will you go and what will you do? Will it be:

A. A bar, where you could drink all your sorrows until you pass out;

B. In your own room, where you could cry in peace as you watch a cheesy rom-com, wishing it was you experiencing the happy ending the main characters get to have; or

C. In a café, sluggishly eating an almost-stale chocolate croissant at the table in the utmost corner of the area, not minding the concerned stares the employees and other customers give you.

Despite being in the same café where the notable realization happened, which was that the woman who caught your heart and attention without any effort was already taken, you still come back every day at the same time as before. You only come back because as much as hate to admit it to Iryna, their food has gotten you hooked, which actually made you the most loyal customer since you’ve visited for approximately five months now— Pietro’s words, not yours. You definitely don’t come back with the small hope of seeing a certain brunette again to give you perfectly-crafted pastries that always made your days special. Of course not, that would be pathetic.

But judging by your state, aren’t you already pathetic-looking?

Ever since Wanda’s absence, Pietro has taken the role of his sister, making every one of your breakfast orders with precision and skill he acquired after years of helping out their mother in her business. You appreciate the effort he always puts in every one of them and the fact that he always takes a few minutes off his time to chat and take your mind off of a certain someone. You love Pietro, he’s a great friend, but it would probably kill him if you admitted that you prefer every piece of Wanda’s scrumptious concoctions more than his.

Unbeknownst to your sorry ass, the older twin can see through your tight-lipped smiles, trying your best to always look polite whenever he arrives to your table. He doesn’t dwell on it that much, since he knows how it sucks to be rejected by almost every woman he flirts with. Rather than adding salt onto your wounded heart, he decides that he’d let you take your time in moving on rather than copying Yelena’s approach, which is to give you the good ol’ tough love pep talk. It’s good to have a balance, he thinks. You shouldn’t be pressured too hard or else everything might actually get even worse.

But around a month ago, he started to have some doubts if that was a good idea to handle things.

He shakes his head as he looks away from your unassuming figure, focusing on scooping ice in the freezer box in front of him. As he prepares another customer’s coffee, he bites the inside of his right cheek on impulse, contemplating whether or not he should go forward with a different strategy. Doubts and anxiety hinder his decision-making, but as he enters the kitchen, hidden from every customer’s curious gaze, his mind is finally set.

”I know you said that you love baking, but I think that this is overkill, sestra. You might as well sleep on the table at this point.” Wanda only huffs in response, not taking her focus away from the dough she’s thoroughly kneading.

Per the woman’s request, she’s been cooped up in the kitchen preparing batches of pastries after coming back from Canada just two months ago. She also asked her family not to tell anyone else about her return, still not ready to show herself to the public, wanting some time for herself while still being able to work. Although as much as her family respects her decision, they're pretty certain that it kills her to be stuck in the kitchen without socializing with her friends, too stuck in her own thoughts to even break the cycle of wanting isolation and craving someone's company.

“You need to take a break—” “Piet, I'm fine,” Wanda interjects, although neither one of the twins believe the words that came out of her mouth.

”God, you are stubborn,” Pietro scoffs. “You’re gonna burn yourself out one day, you know that? And when that time comes, who’s gonna help Mama when I start on my new job?”

Wanda mentally curses herself as she remembers. Right, Pietro got accepted to work in Oscorp and would be starting his very first shift next week. But what else is she supposed to do to move on from Victor?

”Come on, sestra, your friends are worried about you. Some of them even asked me if you’re okay since you barely respond to their messages.” Pietro walked closer to his sister, his voice laced with concern. “If you really want to fully move on from that cheating douchebag, you need to talk to people that care about you.”

He then placed a hand on her shoulder, making Wanda look up at him. Her eyes shined of uncertainty, and his heart broke at the sight. It reminded him of the times when she would look up at him for answers when they were little, her green eyes shining as the brimming tears reflect the light emitted by the kitchen lights.

Pietro uttered a soft “come here” before engulfing her in a warm hug, pressing his lips on her temple to give a semblance of comfort. Wanda gratefully accepts the gesture, and they both stay in that position for a moment, both relishing the feeling of love, care, and support.

Once Wanda pulls away with a sigh, Pietro gently pats her shoulders with a small smile. “Come on, you’re taking the day off,” the man instructs, causing Wanda’s eyes to widen, her lips parting as she prepares to refuse, only for Pietro to interrupt with a tut.

”That wasn’t a suggestion, that was an order. Ma and Pa wanted you to take a break from working.”

”Well, what the hell am I supposed to do for the rest of the day?”

After taking the last sip of your coffee, you place the empty cup and the used utensils back onto the tray to tidy up the table before you leave. You then get up from your seat and grab your bag before you go about your day like clockwork.

But before you could even reach for the door handle, a hand wraps around your wrist. Their grip wasn’t tight or anything. It was gentle, yet prominent enough for you to look back in confusion.

And what you saw was a woman who you never thought you would actually see again, let alone feel her touch like this.

Neither of you speak nor make any movement. Your lips slightly parted in surprise and bewilderment, while her eyes were so wide that you were concerned it would pop out of place. So many thoughts are running through your mind right now.

Why is she here? I thought she went to Canada with her boyfriend? Did she just get back today? Why is she holding my arm? Are her hands always this soft?

Instead of voicing out your questions, you only utter a single word.

”Wanda?”

”I— Y/N, hey,” the woman sputters. Just like you, she’s surprised why she just chased after you. Pietro said that it’ll be good to catch up with her friends, but she didn’t have to feel a sliver of panic when she saw that you were just about to leave.

”H-hey, how are you? It’s been a while since we last talked.” You try your best to keep your composure. You forgot how you get so easily nervous around this gorgeous woman.

Wanda only lets out a nervous giggle. “Yeah, yeah, it has.”

An awkward silence fills the conversation, which led to the two of you noticing that she’s still holding your wrist. But instead of letting go, Wanda’s hold tightens a bit, signaling a newfound source of determination.

”I actually wanted to… catch up with you. Piet said that you were free today?”

”O-oh, yeah, I am. But I was planning to get some groceries, but I guess that could wait.” You let out a small smile, which only made Wanda gulp nervously.

”N-no, no, I shouldn’t be on your way of your errands—”

”Hey, hey, it’s fine,” you reassure her, waving your hand that wasn’t captured by Wanda’s comforting hold. “Besides, I really wanna know how you’ve been. Maybe we can talk while I shop for groceries?”

Just at the mere image of talking to you while strolling through multiple aisles with carefree smiles on your faces, Wanda blurts out: ”What, like a grocery date?”

Both yours and Wanda’s cheeks redden once her words were fully processed.

”If… if you want it to be,” you mumble sheepishly as you finally take a risk of kinda asking her out.

Wanda lets out a relieved sigh as a gleeful smile envelops her face. “Yeah… yeah, I’d like that,” she nods eagerly, the red in her cheeks only getting darker, making yours do the same. A giddy smile creeps up on your face no matter how hard you try to keep your composure.

Just as you’re opening the door for her, she slides her hand down to hold yours, pretending that she doesn’t notice your hand tensing up for a second before squeezing hers.

Once the door chime rings, alerting yours and Wanda’s departure, Iryna walks up beside her son, who was watching the two of you with a smug grin.

”Was that Wanda? Did she finally take our word to take a break?” Iryna asks as she squints at the glass door, trying to confirm if that was her daughter leaving the café.

”Yep, and guess what, Ma? Y/N finally got to ask the girl out!” Pietro looks at his mother with victory gleaming in his eyes. “They call that ‘killing two birds with one stone’, yeah?” He raises his eyebrows twice proudly, which makes his mother scoff in endearment.

”As much as I feel relieved to finally settle those problems, I’m gonna miss bribing that woman to buy something from us against her will.”

Pietro chuckles at Iryna’s comment as she feigned sorrow. His wide smile softens as he looks back at the two retreating figures, amicably talking to one another with bright smiles on their faces.

”Don’t worry, Ma. I’m sure she still has a reason to come back here.”