#one venty mocha please

[sandersstudies]

Gen Z teen, to herself: ugh god im such a weirdo and a freak and I dont understand any of these social rules everyone in here is talking about me and thinks im a weirdo :( I’m going to mess up my whole order and the barista will think I’m an idiot and I’ll be so embarrassed.

Gen Z teen, ordering at Starbucks: Hi, could I get a grande pink drink please? Thank you.

Boomer man, to himself: God I’m such a normal regular yet awesome guy. :)

Boomer man ordering at Starbucks: Hey, ehhh this one’s for the WIFE, y’know, she’s got some crazy thing she told me to say, heh I don’t know any of this stuff. Something called a White. Chocolate. Mocha. And, oh, she’s not done! Haha, this is a crazy one! She says Venti. with an Extra. Shot? And Cold. Foam. Sure hope you know what that is because I sure don’t! Ha ha! And for me, well, I’ll just have a nice normal regular ordinary everyday BLACK coffee. That’s the kind of guy I am!

[itsnotgray]

twins | mark estapa

…be nice. this is the first time i’m posting a fic.

thanks for the giving me the kick to write this @hischierhaze

and @thatintrovertedwriter here’s part one!

part two will come in a bit

now goodbye while i panic over peoples reactions

in which you and mark are two hotheads

it wasn’t like people didn’t know mark. he infamously had led the big10 in penalty minutes, was a good player to go along with said stat, and was incredibly easy on the eyes.

but it wasn't that people didn’t know you, either. “y/n” or rather “sunshine” as you were more commonly called, was a bit of a household name on campus. the irony in the name? you were anything but. known for not only leading the michigan women’s soccer team in yellow and red cards, but also the big10.

so safe to say, both of you were fairly known, and for quite similar reasons. yet, no one seemed to see your relationship coming.

you guys first met at a party during welcome week. the party wasn't exclusive, per say, but it was safe to say the majority of the crowd was athletes, looking for a safe place to party, ensuring no pictures would make their way back to their respective coaches.

you had been stumbling around the kitchen, drunkenly searching for the cooler your teammate had said she had hidden in the maze-like kitchen of whatever frat house you were in. but as you turned around, ready to settle for the bud light in the living room, you spotted your bottle of vodka in the grasp of a blonde boy.

and while this wouldn’t have pissed you off normally, the bottle had “property of sunshine” boldly printed on it in sharpie, so safe to say, you were a little more than pissed.

“who the fuck do you think you are?” you screamed, shoving your finger into his chest.“woah uh-” the blonde boy tried to get out, but you kept going. “drinking someone else's bottle of alcohol?! i mean i’d get it if it didn't have a name on it, but it quite literally says “property of sunshine” but apparently you just can’t fucking read, can you?”

the boy was silent for a moment, until he laughed. “you're- you’re sunshine? isn’t that ironic.”

“ha, ha. kind of like that’s the fucking point, dumbass,” and as his mouth drops from your comment, you take the opportunity to swipe the vodka bottle from his hands. “i’d say thanks for finding my vodka, but seeing as i found you drinking it, to that i say, fuck you,” and you staggered away, lifting the bottle to your lips, the boy staring longingly after you.

mark was completely and utterly fucked, to the point where it took him a moment to realize… he didn’t even get your name.

~ the morning after

now the day after the party, you weren’t doing too hot. safe to say, you definitely should’ve let the blonde boy keep your vodka.

as shitty as you felt, by the grace of everything holy, you managed to muster up enough strength to walk to the cafe, seeking a cure to the pounding headache and extreme nausea you were nursing after your bad decisions the night prior.

however, someone you didn’t expect to see in your place of solace? the blonde boy you had screamed at the night before, tucked into the corner booth of the cafe, seemingly in a state similar to yourself.

in a split second decision, you decided to apologize for your behavior the night before, regretting (only slightly, but regret nonetheless) how you had drunkenly handled the situation.

you quickly made your way to the bar to order. “can I get a venti iced caffe mocha, and a croissant?” and then shyly added on, “and another of whatever the blonde boy in the corner is having, please.”

“trying to shoot your shot?,” the barista asked teasingly. “trying to apologize,” you muttered back, backing up to wait for your order.

once they called your name, you quickly grabbed your order. you took a deep breath, turned around, and cautiously made your way to the boy.

once you got within a foot of his table, you accidentally made eye contact with him, before holding the drink out, and quietly saying, “here… this is for you.”

he apprehensively took the drink in his hands, but before taking a sip, he spun the drink, glancing at the name on the order. “just trying to make sure it doesn’t have your name on it y/n, wouldn’t want you to scream at me again,” he let out, words laced with an emotion impossible to detect.

“that’s actually what I came over here for. I wanted to apologize for acting like that. normally if that happened, i’d just move on with my night. it just pissed me off that someone decided to take the bottle, even though I had written “property of sunshine” on it,” you said, quickly word-vomiting your thoughts out.

“I get it, I shouldn't have taken alcohol that was clearly hidden. i promise to look before drinking next time, sunshine,” he stated with a matching teasing grin and tone.

“I know it’s probably a little late for introductions, but you wouldn’t mind telling me your name, seeing as you know mine,” you questioned. “mark, mark estapa,” he responded with a grin, teasing tone now absent, replaced with what you hoped to be a more genuine tone.

and with that simple utterance, you knew you were fucking screwed.

~ weeks later

in the weeks following your conversation with mark in the cafe, you got impossibly close. if you guys weren’t hanging out on “study not-date-dates”, or having movie nights cooped up in your room, you were constantly texting, constantly talking to one another. yet, you guys never spoke about the obvious feelings the two of you had for one another, both too nervous to actually broach the subject.

until after your first game of the season.

more specifically, it was on the way back from the first game of the season. a game in which, despite the team coming out on top, and you also managing to bag a goal, you also picked up your first yellow card of the season. a teammate had even declared as much, belting out a “sunshine is back in business everybody!” as the team left the field.

unknowingly, the social media admin had clipped the moment, even including a glimpse of your cocky, but tired grin.

mark was now a little confused. of course he knew you were on the soccer team. in fact, it was one of the first things he learned about you. but the fact that the team was where the nickname “sunshine” came from? now that- that was new.

he quickly shot you a text, waiting eagerly for a response.

miles away, your phone dinged with a text tone specifically reserved for your favorite blonde haired boy. at the sound, you quickly darted for your phone.

“sunshine’s lover booooy is texting her” a teammate teased, reaching over to ruffle your hair affectionately.

you groaned at the action, before opening mark’s text

“i never asked, but why do they call you sunshine?”

and at that, you froze, instantly hit with the brutal words of a past boyfriend, “you do realize how fucking unattractive that is, right? losing your shit like that isn’t as cool as you think- it just tells people that you have serious issues, you fucking psycho.”

while you almost considered lying for a moment, you knew the truth would be better in the long run.

“last season, i led both the team, and the big10 in yellow and red cards. because of that, they thought giving me a nickname completely opposite of my attitude on the field was the funniest shit ever. it doesn't help that my personality off the field isn't too different from me on it- only true difference is that im a hell of a lot less aggressive.”

and quickly followed it up with a message reading, “I'm sorry if you don’t want to associate with me anymore. I know losing your temper constantly isn’t the most attractive thing in the world, but I can't control it. I’ll leave you alone, if that’s how you end up feeling,” before shutting off your phone, prepared to lose the boy who had managed to weasel his way into your heart the past few weeks.

mark froze for a second. there’s no fucking way the universe led him to someone exactly like him. what was it that one tiktok ethan had sent him said- twinflames? there was no fucking way.

except there was. because she was on the other side of the phone, probably freshly showered after her game (which he had seen they had won 3-0), with her hair cutely braided to the side, like she often did during their movie nights.

once he came out of his daze, he glanced down at his phone again, seeing her most recent text- “I'm sorry if you don’t want to associate with me anymore. I know losing your temper constantly isn’t the most attractive thing in the world, but I can't control it. I’ll leave you alone.”

and he panicked, quickly hitting facetime.

you glanced down at your ringing phone, seemingly in disbelief, and a little scared, at hearing the custom tone.

“I THINK YOU'RE PERFECT! you losing your shit doesn't matter to me- in fact, im the same damn way. I dont know who the hell had the audacity to shame you for your attitude while playing, but fuck them. they do not matter. they're not the ones that play the game, so they don’t have a say in how you play. you are the most kind-hearted person i know, and your heart is one of the reasons i love you. if your in-game attitude really is that big of a problem-”

and then mark froze, seeing your stunned expression. “what’s wrong baby?” noticing the nickname slip, but not drawing attention to it.

“I-i, you- i- i love you too.”

“what?”

“you said you love me, and i love you too, unless you didn’t mean i them i totally didn't eit-”

“NO- i love you baby. I’d honestly go as far as to say I've loved you since I met you. something about your fiery attitude immediately had me hooked, and as i’ve gotten to know you, i've become downright infatuated.”

both of you were now grinning at each other ear to ear, a blush rising quickly to the both of your faces.

“wanna go on a date tomorrow?” you both blurted out at the same time. “let me plan it baby, promise i’ll impress you.” “okay- its a date.”

and if mark immediately texted ethan for date ideas after you hung up the call a few minutes later- well you didn’t need to know that.

[hugejk]

“Hold this” PG6

tiny little blurb tbh 😋

nun but fluff 💕

||______________________________________||

The day after christmas was always hectic for you. Getting gift cards and money as gifts because you didn’t really have anything on your list anymore. So spending the day going to various stores with your boyfriend was always the plan.

Waking pablo up early, already excited and ready to go shopping. Pablo was not a morning person, shaking him vigorously to wake him up.

“5 more minutes….” he said turning over taking a heap on blanket in his arms.

“it’s already been 20 minutes cmon” you said dragging the n. After you said that he finally sat up, his short hair barely messy.

“pablo stop giving me the stink eye let’s go already.”

“i’m not giving you anything” he said finally getting out of bed. going straight to your shared dresser and pulling out some jeans and a plain white tee. You gathered a few things, your wallet, those gift cards and money, lipgloss and eyelash glue.

Pablo stretched some more and got his shoes on, grabbing his keys and looked to you to make sure you were ready. Even though you’ve been ready for an hour already.

driving there was always you favorite part, you had your music on playing whatever was on shuffle, you and pablo have this tradition where whenever you go shopping you have to get a new starbucks drink to try. So when pablo pulled into the drive through you got excited.

As he pulled up to the speaker he realized he never asked you what to get, and as the lady on the other end started to speak he looked at you nervously.

“what is it this time?”

you unbuckled yourself and leaned over him and started speaking,

“can i get two venti salted caramel mochas please? Extra whipped cream on one of them”

pablo could never understand the concept of ordering drinks at starbucks, all the choices and sizes always confused him. So most of the time you did the ordering.

as he payed for the drinks you gave him a little peck on the cheek, you pointed to the window as the woman standing there had your drinks.

now you guys were on your way to the local mall to see what stores there was. You already knew what you wanted to get. pablo on the other hand, had no idea what he was getting or where he wanted to go.

as he pulled into the parking spot you pulled down that little mirror in the car (pls tell me you know what it is😭) and started checking your makeup, reapplying your sparkly lipgloss. pablo stared at you in awe, the way you looked just had him in a trance.

“alright let’s go”

“i love you”

“i love you too pablo” you said as you kissed him and opened your door getting out of the car. As pablo immediately walked over to you and took your hand in his you guys started walking over to the entrance.

“ooo look at that dress! do you think they have my size?” you said looking at a dress through a window.

“amorcito, we haven’t even seen all the stores.” he said with a little disbelief in his tone, in a blink he was in the store looking at a black sparkly dress with you.

“we can come back and look at it cmon” he said dragging you out the store. One store caught your eye, bath and body works. Your favorite store, they had everything! body wash, lotion, body spray, and candles. You dragged pablo in the store and immediately started smelling the body sprays they had on display.

“does this smell good to you? I like it” you said as you kept smelling a new scent they released, holding it to pablo’s nose as he sniffed it too.

“that does smell really good” as you looked at him a lady walked up to you guys asking if you needed a bag,

“yes!”

“no thank you”

you looked at pablo and took the bag she offered and put the body spray in the bag walking over to the candles and smelling them, pablo relentlessly followed you. As you continue around in the store you told him about work drama, asked him how certain things smelled, stupid questions. Pablo’s favorite part was checking out, as soon as he stepped out the store he told you he had a headache.

you reached in your bag and pulled out a little pouch with advil inside, taking him to the vending machine and paying way too much for a water. It seemed like pablo just couldn’t stop complaining as he started begging you to get some food.

you sighed and took him to the food court with various options for food, but he already was in line for a random burger place. You followed him and scanned the menu

as you guys finished eating you went to some random clothing store, looking through all the pants and shirts. Pablo behind you on his phone carrying clothes you want to try on. Holding a shirt up to your torso you turn around and ask him,

“does this look good on me?”

“of course it does, everything looks good on you”

“okay! here hold this” you said as he dragged on behind you his arms shaking from everything he was holding. You made your way to the dressing room and took all the clothes you had and went into a stall. Pablo finding a seat and still scrolling on his phone.

But this specific outfit had you questioning if you wanted it or not, you walked out and called for him,

“does this outfit make me look weird? i can’t tell if i like it or not, does it make me look fat? does it-“

you got cut off by pablo telling you that you look gorgeous in everything, you looked in the mirror behind you and put your hands on your hips. you walked back to your stall and put on the clothes you had on originally finally deciding what you were gonna buy.

walking with pablo to the register with him still holding everything you thanked him for his hard work. As the woman at the register told you your total, you pulled out your wallet until pablo had already had his card out and put it in the pay thingy (you know right? 😭)

you looked shocked, you had the money to pay for it but he payed for you anyways. She handed you the bags and you gave them all to pablo of course. And made your way back to the car.

||_______________________________________||

A/N: i got lazy towards the end 😜

[wardenparker]

Alright, I have come out of the woodwork and I will now be A Nuisance. For your microfic celebration, please give me whoever you think will be the funniest with the prompt "I'm not getting you coffee, your order is ridiculous". You are my queen and I would die for you immediately upon request thank you for existing 😘

I know this prompt is very, very old, but let's have some fun with it! Co-written with the lovely and talented @absurdthirst.

Dieter Bravo. 1,173 words. "I'm not getting you coffee, your order is ridiculous." (Warnings: cursing, flirting, mention of drugs)

"There are a couple of things where I draw the line." Just because you had been assigned to be Dieter Bravo's assistant on set for this film did not mean you were going to make yourself a laughing stock for the Oscar winner. You're a professional and you have your dignity, dammit. That's why you're standing in his trailer having this conversation right now.

Dieter narrows his eyes in confusion and looks around. "It's a drink order, right?" He asks. "I didn't ask you to pick up my blow or order a hooker." He pauses, "unless you know some?" He waits for to you huff at him and shakes his head. "Never mind." He pouts. "It's just a coffee. A coffee I need." He groans. "I'm fucking hungover."

"I'm not getting you coffee, your order is ridiculous." Looking down at the sheet of allegedly useful facts about the star, you read off the insane, often contradictory order listed there. "Venti, half-caf, triple-shot, soy, no foam, extra whip, extra hot, upside-down, caramel drizzle, with seven pumps of caramel syrup and seven pumps of mocha syrup, double-blended Frappuccino." You heave a heavy sigh and look back up at him. "It's literally impossible, that order. You know that, right?"

Dieter gives you a skeptical look. "I order it all the time, what do you mean impossible?" He snorts, pushing up off the small sofa that is provided in his trailer and moves over to the trash can. "Where the fuck is it?"

"You can't order an extra-hot Frappuccino. Frappuccinos are frozen." Still, you are obligated to try to help this man, and you purse your lips watching him root around. "What are you looking for?"

"My cup." He looks behind him, shooting you a glare and then pulls out a wet wad of paper towel and tosses it on the floor. "From yesterday. Before the studio sent me a defective assistant."

"It was down to melted ice, so I threw it out." It's flat out annoying to find him hot when he growling at you like a pestered puppy, but facts are facts. "Make this order make sense, and I'll get you one four times a day with no complaint."

"It was on the cuuuuuuup." He whines, throwing out a paper bag that probably held the sushi he had ordered yesterday when he suddenly had a craving and insisted his character loved tuna rolls. "Where is it?"

"I have the order right here." Again, you hold up your clipboard to show him the sheet of neatly organized information about himself that his regular assistant had sent over to the production company. Why she wasn't here, you don't know. "But you can't have a drink that's both frozen and hot, so it makes no sense."

"Can you just order my drink?" He huffs, whirling back around when he reaches the bottom of the can and there isn't that cup in there. You must have thrown it away somewhere else, which irritates him.

"Do you want it hot or frozen?" This absolute nonsense needs to be taken care of right now, otherwise this entire shoot is going to be as ridiculous as this moment.

"I want an extra hot Frappacino." He throws his hands up. "What is so hard about this?" He demands, looking at you like you are a complete idiot. This movie is a piece of shit, so it's fitting they hired the same caliber of people to work on it that they did to write it.

You're starting to actually question whether or not you know anything about Starbucks coffees in the first place or if you've just gone around on this so many times that you're actually starting to go a little mad. "You're getting a frozen drink." You decide, putting a stop to all of this craziness before your head starts to spin.

"Extra hot." Dieter nods, looking almost happy that you have decided to get his drink. He turns back to the table to grab his script. "Now I can learn these shitty lines once I have my coffee." He flips open the page and squints so he can try to read the small font. He needs glasses, but his vanity wouldn't allow that.

Groaning to yourself, you turn on your heel and open the trailer door again, cursing your stupid ass decision to ever become an on set assistant in the first place. "No," you mumble once you're out of earshot. "A Frappuccino is frozen, not hot."

Why do the hot ones always have to be completely off their rockers?

There is a certain routine that Dieter goes through when preparing for a role. He loves to find the character's voice. Repeating the lines in different cadences and tones, throwing his pitch until he feels that it reflects the character's personality. "How do you do it?" He warbles, sounding a little like Christopher Walken as he runs through the lines and huffs as he finds it too pitchy and waves his hand around again. "How do you do it?" He growls slightly, dropping his tone and making his voice more gravelly.

When you come back twenty minutes later from the Starbucks on the lot, it is after a world of conferencing with the very sweet barista who apparently made his convoluted as fuck order yesterday before the other on set assistant refused to work with him anymore. The girl had laughed, told you she steamed the milk for the drink to aerate it before putting everything in the blender, and just shrugged. 'Movie stars' she had intoned like it excused everything at all. "Coffee is here." You announce in your most neutral tone possible, while Dieter is prancing around his trailer talking to himself in as many different voices as he can muster.

"Oh thank God." The script is practically tossed over his shoulder as Dieter rushes forward to take the drink, straw already in it and immediately taking a large sip. Groaning as he swallows several mouthfuls before he sighs. "Perfect." He praises, eyeing you with a new found respect since you had gotten his order right. Coffee was life and now you are the bringer of life to him. Dieter tilts his head, finding it rather sexy when you roll your eyes. "Do you want to have sex with me?"

There needs to be a girl version of the saying 'Never stick your dick in crazy', because for just a split second, you actually consider it. Instead, shaking off the haze, you swallow down the impulse answer and pierce him with your most withering expression. "If you behave yourself, I'll think about it," you bargain, wondering if what you've heard about him being completely submissive is true.

"Amazing." Dieter practically beams at you, his cock twitching in his baggy sweats and he takes another sip of his venti, half-caf, triple-shot, soy, no foam, extra whip, extra hot, upside-down, caramel drizzle, with seven pumps of caramel syrup and seven pumps of mocha syrup, double-blended Frappuccino. "I'll be a good boy." He promises, content with his coffee and now daydreaming of having sex with you.

______

Master Tags: @pixiedurango @chattychell @winter-fox-queen @lady-himbo @artsymaddie @princess76179 @paintballkid711 @missminkylove @pedrosbrat @ew-erin @sarahjkl82-blog @sharkbait77 @justanotherblonde23 @lv7867 @recklesswit @mylittlesenaar @f0rever15elf @gallowsjoker @steeevienicks @athalien @sherala007 @skvatnavle @thatpinkshirt @jaime1110 @girlimjusttryingtoreadfanfics @goodgriefitsawildworld @greeneyedblondie44 @littlemousedroid @harriedandharassed @churchill356 @ajathegreats-blog @haylzcyon   @beardsanddetectives @kirsteng42 @ladykatakuri @adancedivasmom @madiebear @tanzthompson @emilianamason @bigsdinger @xocalliexo @pedr0swh0r3 @avaleineandafryingpan @charlyrmv @avidreader73 @iceclaw101 @loveslide @elegantduckturtle @becsworld @julesonrecord @its-nebuleuse @itsrubberbisquit @mikeyswifie @guelyury @lizzie-cakes @for-a-longlongtime @vabeachazn @purplerain04 @weho2kcmo @madnessofadaydreamer

My Masterlist!

[https-furina]

— café on the seafront. (500 followers event)

“bienvenue, dear traveler, to my quaint little coffee shop by the sea!”

welcome, my beautiful followers to https-furina’s 500 follower celebration event - café on the seafront! this is probably my most anticipated event, and i’m in love with this, but for this to be posted, it means i finally reached 500 followers! so i’ll start by saying thank you so much for helping me achieve this milestone, i created this blog to intergrate back into the genshin community after a year away but i ended up staying and producing content instead.

i’ve made some fantastic memories and gained so many new friends that i treasure with all my heart - i genuinely do not know where i would be without them. we’re officially halfway to 1k followers and that is just… mindblowing to me. sappy thanks aside, let’s get you a drink, hm?

special thanks to the @ecrin-de-litterature network & to @ryuryuryuyurboat for proofreading this event post !!

(note. the laws of coffee making don’t apply here, hehe have fun!)

#ACAFÉONTHESEAFRONT — event | order receipts

this event is: ongoing!

“can i take your order?”

— the name on the cup (character)

who is this order for? it can be anyone from the following region lists.

mondstadt; kaeya, albedo, diluc, venti. mona, jean, lisa, amber & eula.

liyue; xiao, zhongli, childe. ningguang, beidou, yelan & shenhe.

inazuma; scaramouche, gorou, ayato, thoma, kazuha, heizou. ei, yae miko, ayaka, yoimiya, kuki shinobu, kujou sara & kokomi.

sumeru; alhaitham, kaveh, tighnari, cyno, wanderer. nilou, candace, dehya & layla.

fontaine; lyney, neuvillette, wriothesley. lynette, furina, clorinde & navia.

khaenri’ah; aether. lumine.

— choose a size (genre)

small (platonic), medium (fluff), large (angst)

— choose a coffee (au)

espresso (normal), latte (modern!au) mocha (royal!au) americano (soulmate!au), cappuccino (college!au), flat white (zombie apocalypse!au)

— choose a milk (extra prompt) - optional (choose one)

dairy milk (hanahaki disease), oat milk (unrequited love), almond milk (character death), soy milk (established relationship), steamed milk (friends to lovers)

— choose an extra (reader gender)

foam (gn!reader), latte art (fem!reader)

“oh me, oh my! that simply won’t do, can’t i get you anything else?”

order a croissant to receive… a match up to a genshin character!

please provide me with your star sign, personality, hobbies, etc. & specify female, male or don’t mind (aka i’ll choose from either.)

order a macaron to receive… a vision!

please provide me with your personality & mbti (if you know it.)

order a pain au chocolat to receive… a song!

please provide me with your personality & hobbies.

order an éclair to receive… a rating for your blog theme!

you only need to be off anon to order an éclair so that i can see your blog.

“très bon! take a seat, i’ll bring your order over to you when it’s done!”

- you can order more than once! but please only have one order active at a time (please wait until i finish your ongoing order.)

- all steps are mandatory except for milk and pastries!

- please only order one pastry per order!

- a reminder that this is all for fun; i’m not going to bias if you order out of anon and match you to your favourites if i know who they are. do not order pastries if you know you’re not going to be happy with not receiving who/what you want!

© https-furina 2023 | please do not copy, re-upload or translate my works on any form of media and do not copy, edit or steal my event.

[atths--twice]

A Coffee Shop Christmas

An alternate universe in which Dana Scully owns and operates a coffee shop in which Fox Mulder is a frequent customer.

“Next in line, please,” Dana called out, smiling as a young woman and her child walked up to the counter. “Hello. Happy holidays. What can I get started for you?” 

“I want a hot chocwate,” the little boy said and Dana looked to the woman for confirmation before addressing the boy. 

“Do you want to have whipped cream and sprinkles on top of it?” she asked and his green eyes lit up as he smiled. 

“Yes! Yes! I wove sprinkos!” he said as he jumped up and down, the people in the coffee shop chuckling quietly. 

“Rainbow sprinkles, chocolate sprinkles, or red and green sprinkles for Christmas?” she asked and he frowned as he stopped jumping. He tapped a finger to his chin and Dana looked at his mother as she placed a hand over her heart; the sight of him too adorable. 

“I want wainbow sprinkos,” he said and Dana nodded. 

“Please,” prompted his mother and he nodded. 

“Pwease.” 

“You got it. Anything else? Maybe a cookie, or a marshmallow snowman?” 

“I have it, Mama? Da snowman mahshmawow?” 

“Oh, honey. I only have enough money to get the hot chocolate for you. I’m so sorry.” She smiled tightly at him and Dana shook her head. 

“Oh, there'll be no charge for it. Anyone who says marshmallow the way he just did deserves a special treat,” Dana said and the woman began to interrupt, but Dana shook her head, not wanting to hear it. “One hot chocolate with whipped cream and rainbow sprinkles, a marshmallow snowman, and for you, Mom?” 

“Nothing, I…” 

“What would you like?” Dana asked softly and the woman let out a deep breath. 

“I… I… really like peppermint white mochas,” she whispered, shaking her head. “But I don’t… I don’t want you to get in any trouble for-”

“Can’t get in trouble when you’re the owner of the shop,” Dana said with a smile. “You want a venti?” 

“Yes. Thank you,” the woman said, tears shining in her eyes. “Truly, thank you. It’s been… been a long time since I’ve… thank you.” She wiped her eyes quickly and Dana nodded, ringing up a child’s hot chocolate and then discounting it by fifteen percent. 

“That will be a dollar and twenty cents.” 

“No, but it’s…” The woman looked at her and Dana smiled. “Thank you, again.” She exhaled a shaky breath as she counted out the money, all in change. 

“Thank you. That will be at the end of the bar when it’s ready. Could I get a name please?” 

“My name is Sammy,” the boy said, pointing to his chest and Dana smiled as she took the change and placed it in its proper spots in the register drawer. 

“Thank you, Sammy,” she said, winking at his mom and then looking at her barista, Jane. “A hot chocolate for Sammy with whipped cream and rainbow sprinkles, a venti white chocolate peppermint mocha for his mom…” Dana raised her eyebrows and the woman nodded. 

“Sabrina.” 

“For Sabrina,” Dana said. “Also a marshmallow snowman, and two plain croissants. Thank you, Jane.” 

“You got it, Boss,” Jane said, bopping her head to the techno Christmas music that was playing softly. 

Sabrina stared at Dana, her mouth opening and then closing, tears in her eyes again. Dana smiled and nodded as Sabrina mouthed thank you and proceeded to walk down to wait for their items. 

“Next, please,” Dana called as she turned to look at the next customer and her heart skipped a beat. 

How had she not noticed he was there? 

“Good morning,” he said as he walked up to the counter with a smile and the scent of his cologne reached her nose. 

He smelled so good. 

“Good morning,” she replied, her heart now thumping in her chest at his proximity. 

“How are you today, Dana?” he asked as he laid down the armful of stuff he was holding.

“I’m fine, thank you, Fox,” she said and he grinned with a nod. 

“Delighted to hear it,” he said. “I myself am doing well.” 

“Good. I was just about to ask,” she said and he nodded again. 

“As you always do,” he said, smiling and separating the items into groups. “Along with my usual coffee today, I also need to purchase these and some gift cards. I was selected to bring holiday gifts to the women in the HR department and I thought, "What would be better than a cute coffee mug and a gift card to this fine establishment?” Seeing as I am always here, I figured I should know that it’s definitely a treat.” 

“It’s very thoughtful of you to think of me… my shop, I mean,” she said, her face flushing as she looked at what he had selected. “Wow… all of these?” 

“I didn’t clean you out, don’t worry,” he assured her, glancing back at the shelves. “I tried to match them, but also be mindful of taking too much.” 

“That’s… that’s very considerate. But I do have stock in the back if there is something you wanted in particular.” 

“That would be great. But, before you check on that, could you do something for me?” 

“Sure.” 

He leaned closer and she swallowed as she did the same, his cologne even stronger as she took a quiet sniff. 

“That woman there, with the little boy?” he asked quietly, looking to his left with his eyes only. 

“Yeah?”

“Could I buy her a gift card and have Jane covertly give it to her?” 

“You… you want to get her a gift card?” she whispered and he nodded. 

“Broke my heart when she said she only had enough for his hot chocolate and she wasn’t able to get anything for herself. You’ve helped, now I want to do the same.” 

She pulled back and stared at him, at this man she had slowly gotten to know over the past three months when he stopped in every weekday to get a coffee. She knew he was kind, attentive, and had even helped out a couple of times when there had been a spill or a demanding customer became too loud. This was different though and it caused her to fall for him even further. 

“Yeah. I can get that for you,” she said softly and he grinned. 

“Good,” he said, taking out his credit card. “Fifty dollars, please.” 

“Fox!” she said in surprise and he shook his head. 

“Twenty five for her and twenty five for the kid. Although, I’m sure the majority of it will be spent on him.” He handed her the credit card and, with shaking fingers and a lump in her throat, she put fifty dollars onto a green gift card with Happy Holidays! written on it in rainbow colored Christmas lights. 

“I’ll be right back,” she whispered, giving him back his credit card. 

Putting the gift card into an envelope with the amount written upon it, she walked over to Jane. Whispering in her ear what to do when the drinks were ready, she slid the gift card into Jane’s apron pocket. 

“Wow,” Jane whispered. “If I was straight, that man would be joining me for dinner tonight. All I’m saying.” She gave Dana a pointed look and then gestured for her to return to the register. Letting out a shaky breath, Dana nodded and walked back. 

“That was very kind of you to do, Fox.” 

“It’s nothing,” he said, shaking his head. “I’ve seen you giving out food without charging for it, or giving someone a steep discount on their purchases. It was only right that someone else lent a hand.” 

“Still it was kind and thoughtful. Thank you,” she said. He looked at her and smiled, her stomach flip flopping. 

“Did… did you want me to check in the back for any of the items for you?” she asked as a loud Ohhhh was heard from Sabrina and Dana looked over at her. 

She had a hand over her mouth and was trying to hold back her tears, not wanting to scare or worry Sammy. She turned her head and met Dana’s eyes, believing it was her who had given her the gift card. But when Dana looked at Fox, Sabrina’s eyes widened and she drew in a sharp breath. 

“Mommy!” Sammy said. “I got da snowman!” 

“Yeah,” she breathed and walked over to Fox, Sammy trailing behind her as he held his marshmallow snowman, smiling happily.

“Sir,” Sabrina said, stopping in front of Fox. “I can’t accept this… I don’t even know you.” 

“Sure you do,” Fox said, smiling at her. “I think you just don’t recognize me in my work clothes.” 

“What?” Sabrina asked, her eyebrows knitted together in confusion. 

“I’m one of Santa’s elves,” he said quietly. “When we’re out in public we have to stay incognito, hence the suit and tie you see me wearing now.” 

“You…” 

“I’m Fox, elf number 2525. I’m glad I have that one as twenty five is my favorite number, and I got it twice. I’m also glad when I can do something to make people happy. Especially those who may have lost the holiday spirit a bit.” He smiled at her and Dana had tears swimming in her eyes as she watched them. 

“Yeah,” Sabrina whispered, her hand running over the top of Sammy’s head. “I don’t… it’s been hard. This money will be so nice to have to get him a special treat and to take a moment for us, even though I still feel like I shouldn’t accept it.” 

“Oh no, you can’t give back an elf’s gift. Those are the rules,” Fox said and Dana laughed softly, wiping at her eyes. 

“Do elves accept hugs?” Sabrina asked and Fox nodded, opening his arms and hugging her. 

“Here are your drinks and croissants,” Jane said, placing the cups and a small bag onto the counter. 

“Oh,” Sabrina said as she stepped back and laughed out a sob. “I forgot all about them when you handed me that gift card. I got so flustered. Thank you. Thank you to all of you. You really changed my day. Changed both of our days. Sammy, can you say thank you to everyone?” 

“Dank you,” he said, giving them a sticky smile. 

“You’re welcome,” they all said and Sabrina took his hand, smiling at each of them as she picked up the bag and the drinks and walked out of the coffee shop. 

“Okay. Enough tears,” Jane said, rubbing Dana’s back. “I’ll get your drink ready, Fox. You want the usual or you want me to surprise you?” 

“You know what? Surprise me,” he said. “Just no-”

“Hazelnut,” Jane and Dana said simultaneously and he nodded as he pointed at them. 

“And I’ll go see what we have in the back if you tell me which items you want,” Dana said, blowing her nose on a napkin and letting out a deep breath. 

Five minutes later, four bags hanging from his arms that were each filled with a ceramic coffee mug, a travel mug, a bag of limited seasonal coffee, and a twenty five dollar gift card, Fox picked up his coffee and bade them goodbye. 

“Oh, wait,” he said, taking a taste of his surprise coffee. “Huh… that’s delicious, Jane. I want that tomorrow.” 

“You got it,” Jane said, winking as she began to make the next order. 

“See you both tomorrow. Thanks for your help, Dana.” 

“And for yours,” she said, the words she wanted to say to him feeling trapped in her throat. 

He nodded at her with a smile, walked out the door and headed toward the bus stop as Dana sighed, feeling like a failure. 

“Slipped past you again, eh?” Tom, the older gentleman who arrived nearly as soon as the coffee shop was open, asked as he came up to the counter for a refill. 

“I’m… I’m working on it, Tom,” Dana said, taking his cup and filling it with his usual half decaf and half regular coffee, her cheeks burning. 

“Huh,” Tom said, his tone disbelieving. 

“It’s complicated. He’s a customer,” Dana said, setting his cup down and staring at him. 

“True. But still,” Tom said, nodding his thanks as he walked back to his table and his laptop. 

Dana chanced a glance at Jane and saw she was watching her with a kind smile, but her eyebrows were raised in obvious agreement with Tom. 

The bell above the door jingled and Dana was happy for the distraction.  

“Welcome in. Happy holidays. What can I get for you?” 

____________________

“See you tomorrow,” Dana said to Jeff and Corinne, the mid-shift baristas, as they walked past her, buttoning their coats. 

“See you, Dana,” they both said and she smiled as they walked out the door. 

“I’ve got everything done in the back, lights off, doors locked,” Miguel, the late shift barista, said as he came in from the back untying his apron and tossing it into the small laundry cart. 

“Great,” Dana said, smiling at him. 

“Everything done out here?” he asked just as the bell above the door jingled and they both looked over in surprise. 

“What?” Dana asked as she stared at Fox, who had never been in the shop twice in one day and especially that late at night. “What are you doing here?” 

“I’m-” Fox began, his gaze moving from Dana to Miguel, who had moved quietly but quickly to stand beside Dana. 

“Everything okay?” Miguel asked, touching her arm. 

“Oh! Yes. It’s fine. This is Fox. He usually stops by in the morning.” 

“Ohhh. This is Fox,” Miguel said, his hand moving from her arm and Dana felt her face flush, sure she was about to be outed, knowing he had been discussed amongst everyone working in the coffee shop. “You’re the one who bought the gift card this morning for that woman.” 

“Guilty,” Fox said with a grin and Dana let out a sigh of relief at how Miguel had identified him. 

“Good man,” Miguel said, sticking out his hand. “Nice to put a face to the name.” They shook hands and then Miguel turned his attention to Dana. “What else do you need me to do before we close up?” 

“Oh, you’re…” Fox said, seeming to realize the place was empty and the lights were low. “You’re closed.” 

“Technically not for two more minutes,” Dana said with a forced laugh. “But yes. We close at eight.” 

“I didn’t realize,” Fox said. 

“Well, that’s because you’re not usually here at night, right?” Miguel asked and Dana cleared her throat. 

“Right,” she agreed. “Well, you can head out, Miguel. I’ve got whatever else needs doing out here covered.” 

“You sure, Boss? I don’t mind staying.” He gave her a smile, one she knew well as his teasing smile. “I could finish the small amount that’s left and you could speak to Fox.” 

“Thank you,” she said, placing a hand on his back and nearly pushing him toward the door. He grabbed his coat and scarf from the back of a chair, chuckling softly as he nodded. 

“Night, Boss. See you tomorrow,” Miguel said, pushing the door open. “Pleasure to have met you, Fox.” 

“You as well,” Fox said, waving at him and smiling. 

Miguel nodded at him and then looked at Dana, raising his eyebrows. Though he said nothing further, she heard everything he was not saying. 

She locked the door as he left, waving goodbye as he shivered and put on his coat and scarf before turning left and walking out of sight. 

“I hate to hold you up,” Fox said when she turned around. 

“You’re not. I still do have some things to take care of here.” 

“I could help? Make it faster?” He smiled and she drew in a breath through her nose. 

“Why did you come back tonight?” she asked softly. “I’ve never seen you here this late.” 

“Ahh, well,” he said, taking a deep breath and letting it out slowly. “A few reasons… but um…” He put his hands in his coat pockets as he rocked on his heels. “The women loved their gifts today.” 

“Oh, that’s great. You made good choices.” 

“Well, you helped.” 

“Hmm,” she hummed with a nod. 

“I wanted to tell you that they loved them.” 

“You could have told me that tomorrow when you came in,” she stated and he nodded. 

“I could have. Yeah. But…” 

“But?” she asked, her heart beating faster. 

“I wanted to tell you tonight. I wanted… I wanted to see you again,” he said softly and she pressed her lips together to stop from smiling. 

“Why?” 

“Because…” He sighed and shrugged as he gestured with his hands in his pockets. “Every day when I come in here, I work up the nerve to ask you something and every day I leave without doing it.” 

“Ask me what?” she whispered. 

“If you’d… if you’d like to have dinner with me. Or drinks. Or a walk in the park. Or… see a movie. Whatever you’d like to do,” he said softly, shrugging again. 

“You do?” she whispered and he laughed softly. 

“Yeah. And every day I chicken out. I…” He took a hand out of his pocket and rubbed it across his mouth. “I talk myself into it and then I tell myself that this is your business, where you work, and men asking women out at their place of business can be creepy and weird. I didn’t want to make you feel weird or uncomfortable, so I…” He looked at her and shrugged. “I leave without saying anything and then I kick myself over it all day.” 

“Well, I-”

“But today,” he continued, beginning to pace, and she raised her eyebrows. “Today when I gave the women their gifts and they all exclaimed over them, they asked where this coffee shop was and when I told them about it and you, it got really quiet. I thought maybe they didn’t like the gift or something and then Aurelia, this amazing woman who has been there forever, laughed and said that now it all made sense.” 

“What did?” Dana asked as he stopped pacing and looked at her with sheepish eyes. 

“She thought… that I had bought them here because we were dating,” he stated and for a second she stopped breathing. 

“Sh… she did?” she asked and he nodded. 

“I told her that wasn’t the case and they all looked at each other and asked me why the hell not? I… I laughed it off and said it wasn’t like that, but I…” He sighed and gave her a half smile. “I wished it was like that and I knew I only had myself to blame. I left their office determined to stop by here on my way home, but I forgot I had a late meeting and now… now I’m keeping you when you should be leaving. I feel like I’m making a huge mess of this and-”

“Fox,” she interrupted, stepping toward him. “You’re not the only one to blame. I… I also thought… I wanted…” 

“What?” he asked, his expression hopeful. 

“I thought saying something would be odd since you're a customer, but I…” 

“You what?” he asked, stepping closer to her. 

“I wanted to ask you if you’d like to see a movie. Or get dinner and drinks. Or take a walk in the park,” she said, shrugging and smiling slightly. 

“Yeah?” he asked, grinning happily. 

“Yeah,” she said with a nod. 

“Well, that’s… that’s…” 

“Yeah,” she agreed and he laughed quietly. 

“I know it’s rather last minute,” he said and her smile grew. “But, would you like to have dinner with me tonight? Or-”

“Take a walk and look at Christmas lights?” 

“Then dinner?” he asked hopefully and she laughed. 

“Yeah,” she agreed and he nodded. 

“What do you need to finish here? How can I help to speed it along?” he asked and she laughed, her heart racing with excitement. 

In no time, they were leaving the coffee shop and stepping onto the still busy streets, despite the hour. She adjusted her scarf and hat, letting out a breath that swirled around her like fine mist. 

“Main Street?” he asked. “Check out the store windows? There’s one store in particular I really like.” 

“The Company store?” she asked, knowing most people liked the windows they created, but something about them always felt too… modern to her. 

“No, although they are nice, just not to my liking. Too unfeeling or something,” he said as they began to walk towards Main Street. 

“I think that too,” she said with a nod. “The ones at Jasper and Company-”

“But Jasper and Company-” he said.

They both stopped walking and stared at each other. He grinned and she bit her bottom lip as she smiled back. 

“They’re nostalgic,” he said and she nodded. “Like you’re in someone’s living room and sharing Christmas with them.” 

“I completely agree,” she said and he grinned again. 

“Well then,” he said, offering her his arm. “Let's delve into a bit of nostalgia.” 

She laughed as she slid her arm through his and they continued walking down the street, talking about everything and nothing all at once. 

______________

“Next in line please,” Dana called out as she handed Jane the cup for the next order. 

She grinned when she saw Fox standing there, as always in awe as to how he seemed to sneak in without her knowledge. He grinned back as he approached the counter, a small bouquet of daffodils in a glass vase held in his hands. 

“Good morning,” she said, taking the vase from him and shaking her head. “What can I get for you?”

“The usual please. And also…” he said, leaning forward to give her a quick kiss. She smiled when he pulled back, grinning like a fool. 

“You are too much,” she whispered and he shrugged. “Thank you for the flowers.” 

“Thank YOU for the past three months,” he said quietly and she leaned forward, giving him another kiss. 

“I love you,” she whispered and he nodded. 

“I feel the same,” he said and she laughed. 

Setting the vase out of the way, she put in his order and rang him up. 

“Three dollars even, please,” she said and he shook his head. 

“You know, I thought there would be perks to sleeping with the owner, but I guess not,” he mumbled as he took out a ten dollar bill and handed it to her. 

“There are,” she said cheekily as she finished his transaction and handed him his change. “You get to sleep with the owner. Coffee still costs money.” 

“Yeah,” he said with a grin. “Capitalism. Am I right?” She laughed as he put his change in the tip jar and leaned toward her again. “One more kiss before I go?” 

She grabbed the lapels of his coat and pulled him closer, wrapping her arms around his neck and kissing him soundly. Jane wolf whistled and Tom laughed as he clapped appreciatively. 

“That one good enough for you?” she whispered as she pulled back and Fox stood frozen in place for a few seconds. 

“Yeah, that… hmm,” he said, stepping back and clearing his throat. “That’ll do it.” 

“Good.” 

“Your usual is ready, Fox. Once you can function again, that is,” Jane teased. He huffed out a breath, gave his whole body a shake, and walked over to pick up his drink. 

“Thank you, Jane.” 

“Uh huh,” she said, glancing at Dana and smiling. 

“Well,” Fox said, walking towards the door. “Well…” 

“See you later,” Dana said, waving at him with a smile. 

“Yes. Yes, you will,” he said, still looking a bit dazed. 

“Bye,” she said and he nodded as he walked out the door, Tom laughing softly from his table. 

Dana looked down at the bright yellow daffodils, smiling as she stroked her fingers across their soft petals. 

Two women laughed as they entered the coffee shop and her attention was diverted. 

“Hello. Good morning,” she said, feeling happy beyond what she could ever have imagined. “How can I help you?” 

[moonprismo]

╭︎ ✧︎ : 𝓶𝔂⁸︎𝓬𝓾𝓼𝓽𝓸𝓶𝓮𝓻𝓼 Ꮺ࣭

┆︎ 𝓌𝒽𝒶𝓉/𝒽𝑜𝓌 𝓉𝒽𝑒𝓎 𝓌𝑜𝓊𝓁𝒹 𝑜𝓇𝒹𝑒𝓇 𝒶𝓉 𝓈𝓉𝒶𝓇𝒷𝓊𝒸𝓀𝓈

┆︎☁️ •︎ 𝓯𝓵𝓾𝓯𝓯 // 𝓰𝓷!𝓻𝓮𝓪𝓭𝓮𝓻 // 𝔀.𝓬𝓸𝓾𝓷𝓽 : 𝓷/𝓪

┆︎𓏲࣪ 𝗂 𝗁𝖺𝗏𝖾𝗇’𝗍 𝗐𝗋𝗂𝗍𝗍𝖾𝗇 𝖺𝗇𝗒𝗍𝗁𝗂𝗇𝗀 𝗂𝗇 𝖺 𝗏𝖾𝗋𝗒 𝗅𝗈𝗈𝗈𝗈𝗈𝗇𝗀 𝗍𝗂𝗆𝖾. 𝗍𝗁𝗂𝗌 𝗂𝗌 𝗄𝗂𝗇𝖽𝖺 𝗐𝖾𝗂𝗋𝖽 𝖻𝗎𝗍 𝗂 𝗍𝗁𝗂𝗇𝗄 𝗂𝗍 𝖼𝖺𝗆𝖾 𝗈𝗎𝗍 𝗀𝗈𝗈𝖽? 𝖿𝖾𝖾𝖽𝖻𝖺𝖼𝗄 𝗂𝗌 𝗐𝖾𝗅𝖼𝗈𝗆𝖾𝖽

╰︎ ✧︎ : 𝓽𝓪𝓰𝓵𝓲𝓼𝓽 : @tinystarstay (𝗆𝗒 𝗅𝗂𝗅 𝖽𝖺𝗋𝗅𝗂𝗇𝗀)

⋆ ˚｡⋆୨𝖧𝗈𝗇𝗀𝗃𝗈𝗈𝗇𝗀୧˚

the customer that you remember because of his distinct appearance || you remember him because he sometimes forgets what he orders and likes it a certain way || manages to come only when your at work ((you know cause you asked people if they’ve seen him before and they say no))

“uhm..i’d like a grande iced white chocolate caramel macchiato, extra mocha drizzle with cinnamon powder on top & extra ice. and a warmed blueberry muffin”

⋆ ˚｡⋆୨𝖲𝖾𝗈𝗇𝗀𝗁𝗐𝖺୧˚

the customer that makes you blush and giggle like a school girl || his drink usually changes between a hot and an iced drink || he likes the way you make his drink because you look so focused and you’re quick

“may i have a hot chocolate today? a grande in a venti please with extra whipped cream. also 2 warmed chocolate chip cookies & a coffee cake.”

⋆ ˚｡⋆୨𝖸𝗎𝗇𝗁𝗈୧˚

the new regular customer || he doesn’t drink coffee and usually asks for suggestions and he usually gets what you suggest || he’s gonna be one that wants to try every drink first

“i really liked that chai you made me yesterday! i’d like one of those but big and iced. maybe add a little extra vanilla and an extra chai pump too. let’s add 2 double smoked bacons & a birthday cake pop.”

⋆ ˚｡⋆୨𝖸𝖾𝗈𝗌𝖺𝗇𝗀୧˚

the on and off again customer || you’d see him like every so often and he gets the same thing each time so you remember his drink || you both ended up following each other on instagram because he works as a bartender and goes live while he’s at work

“oh hey what’s up! can i get double tall hot french vanilla latte with whip. thank you”

⋆ ˚｡⋆୨𝖲𝖺𝗇୧˚

the customer that comes in with his cat || you also remember him because he never comes by himself, he’s always got his little kitty in this little bag and she’s always looking around || he’s very sweet and tips really good when you complement and boop his kitties nose

“hi there, can i just get a trenta lemonade with peach & strawberry inclusions. uhmm.. a croissant for byeol and a lemon loaf, please and thank you.”

⋆ ˚｡⋆୨𝖬𝗂𝗇𝗀𝗂୧˚

the juice customer || he told you specifically that he can’t handle coffee because of his acid reflux and when you told him you sell apple juice he was hooked || comes in orders and then dives right into whatever he was working on

“i’d like a venti apple juice with no ice.. wait. can i get it hot? i can? then a venti hot apple juice and 2 vanilla bean scones.”

⋆ ˚｡⋆୨𝖶𝗈𝗈𝗒𝗈𝗎𝗇𝗀୧˚

the coffee-holic customer || you worry about him sometimes || he already seems jumpy and with the amount of shots he gets in 1 drink is threatening sometimes || you once made his drink and tried it… you had no idea espresso could be so 𝖘𝖕𝖎𝖈𝖞

“i’d like to try something a friend of mine got once.. in a venti iced cup can i get 8 shots of espresso with extra ice… no no water it’s fine. that’s it~”

⋆ ˚｡⋆୨𝖩𝗈𝗇𝗀𝗁𝗈୧˚

the easy new customer || he likes sweets every once in a while but not all the time || he’s the customer you give extra shots/free pastries too || will sometimes bring you treats he made at home for being so nice

“i’d like a small iced americano with 2 sugars and extra ice. oh and a lemon loaf please.”

[lazylemons247]

My guy pretty like a girl

Summary

Steve wasn’t the best at the whole grammar and spelling thing he wasn’t good at when he was younger and he wasn’t good at it now and he accepted that. I mean he wasn’t in school anymore so does it really matter. So instead of actually trying to spell words or names he would just spell it wrong on purpose so he could just play it off as a joke. Whenever Steve spells something wrong people always assume it’s a joke anyways so why not just lean into that. 

Steve currently works as a barista at Starbucks and every time he gets a name for someone’s order he writes the most obnoxious version of their name ever. Sometimes it gets laughs out of people and others glare at him while they sip their coffee. It doesn’t really bother him though and he usually just moves on and takes the next person in line’s order. But today is a quiet day and he’s had low to no customers. Until the doorbell chimes and Steve meets eyes with the most beautiful man he’s ever seen.

———————————————————————————

Steve quickly looks away before his staring becomes off-putting to the customer. And he gives him a second to look at the menu. Then he looks back at the customer and notices a piece of paper in the customer’s hand.

Afterwards he asks ��Hey, welcome to Starbucks, what would you like to order?”

“I would like a mocha latte please,” the customer replies.

“And what size would you like, sir?” Steve asks.

“A venti,” Eddie replied.

“Will that be everything?” Steve asks while smirking.

“Can I also get a chocolate croissant?”

“And what’s the name for this order?” Steve asks.

“Oh, Eddie, my name’s Eddie,” he says.

Steve begins to make his drink.

“So.. what’s your name?”

“Oh my name's Steve,” he says as he points at the name-tag on his apron. “So is this your first time coming to this Starbucks”

“Yep, you’re right on the money about me not coming to Starbucks often. In fact I’m just picking this up for a friend,” Eddie says. 

“Seems about right,” Steve replies 

“What do you mean by that?” Eddie asks. Steve notices that Eddie’s eyebrows pinched in confusion in the most adorable way possible.

“I just meant that you don’t look like you’d order a mocha latte,” Steve says and immediately regrets it. What if he offends Eddie and he actually does like mocha lattes. He tries to read Eddie’s face to see his reaction to his comment but he couldn’t quite put his finger on what Eddie was thinking.

“What are you psychic Steve?” Eddie replies in shock. Steve mentally lets out a sigh of relief. “You’re 2 for 2 right now for knowing random things about me. One would think you’re my stalker or something.”

“I promise I’m not,” Steve says dumbly.

“I don’t know, that kinda sounds like something a stalker would say,” Eddie says coyly, “You’re not really helping your case Stevie,” Eddie adds. Steve stares at Eddie dumbly. Then Robin knocks him out of his trance by bumping him with her elbow and handing him both the coffee and the croissant. Steve then grabs a sharpie and writes “Edi” on the cup sleeve along with his phone number. Steve hands Eddie his coffee and croissant. Then watches as the gorgeous brunette winked at him as he strutted out of the store.

“Pick your jaw up off of the floor dingus,” Robin says.

“Shut up Robbie, you're acting like you weren’t gawking at that pretty girl yesterday,” Steve says defensively.

“I’m just saying if I have to see you flirt with any more customers I might just throw up.” 

End of Pt. 1

[silver138]

Perfectly Flawed - Chapter 15

word count - 1.8k

warnings - Canon-typical violence, some Google translate. The only word not translated is cariño, which is Spanish for sweetie. Again, as far as Google says!

Summary: Lina gets coffee and then to work on her first case.

I wake up to my alarm, stretching as I quickly turn it off. I shuffle into the bathroom and get ready for the day. As I prepare, I can't help but feel both excited and nervous. It's not a date or anything, just chill, girl... I think as I try to calm myself. After doing my hair and makeup, I finish by putting on a mostly casual outfit.

As I go to put on my shoes, I check the time, and see that it's quarter after 9. Chewing my lip, I debate with myself about whether I should give Spencer a text or not, when my phone chimes.

Hey Lina, I know it's earlier than the time we talked about, but I figured I'd head out now to get to where we said we'd meet. I hope I didn't disturb you.

Half-smile on my face, I text Spencer back.

Nah, you're ok, Doc. I was debating on texting you, as a matter of fact. I try to err on the side of 'early' rather than 'late'. So, I guess I'll see you as soon as the Metro gets there? Oh, also, did you want me to order you some coffee so it's there as soon as you get there?

Sliding my phone back in my pocket, I grab my coat and purse and head out the door, making sure it's locked. I start walking down the stairs to the sidewalk outside when I feel my phone go off again. Trying to suppress a smile, I check it.

Yeah, that sounds great, actually. See you soon, Lina. :-)

Grinning at seeing he's gotten into the emoticons, I text him back once more.

Did you want the same thing as last time, a venti black coffee?

Strolling down the sidewalk to my destination, I'm pleased to see that it's not as busy as I thought it'd be for a Saturday. Stepping into line, I feel my phone go off once more and check it.

Yes, that would be wonderful, thank you.

Putting the phone back into my pocket, I hitch up my purse higher onto my shoulder and wait. As I look around at the shop, I see a bunch of college students loading up on caffeine, probably in preparation to study. Sighing, I feel glad that in 2 weeks I won't have to worry about any more exams.

Slowly, the line winds down and it's my turn to order. I step up to the register and say, "Hi, could I please get a grande mocha and a venti black coffee? Name's Lina, L-I-N-A." The cashier nods and starts marking the cups, and I swipe my card to pay. After my order is in, I walk over and grab a handful of sugar packets and a stirrer, as well as some napkins.

I walk back and wait for my name to be called, and after a few minutes, I hear a call of, "Lina?" and see 2 drinks being slid forward. 

Grabbing them, I say, "Thank you!" and try to find an available table. Finding one close to the door, I settle in and set Spencer's coffee in front of the seat next to me and place a few napkins down, with the stirrer on top, and the pile of sugar packets next to it.

Pulling my book out of my purse, I start reading to pass the time as I wait. After about half a page, I hear my name being called. "Hey, Lina. Hope you weren't waiting too long." Spencer says as he walks up to the table. 

Grinning, I tell him, "Nope, only been sitting for a few minutes. Your coffee's right here, Doc," motioning next to me. 

He sits down, a small smile on his face as he starts putting sugar into his cup. "So, uh, how was-how was your morning?" he asks me, carefully stirring his coffee and taking a sip. 

I stir my coffee and say, "Oh, it's been ok. Quieter than during the week. I'm guessing I should relish that?"

He laughs and says, "Yeah, quiet can be pretty nice. Sometimes, it feels like those times are few and far between..." Taking a sip of my coffee, I feel my phone vibrate in my pocket. Eyebrows furrowing, I pull it out and see it's Penelope. Looking over, I see Spencer take his buzzing phone out as well, looking at it with a sigh.

"Like I was saying..." he says, before answering his phone with a "Yeah, Hotch?" 

I answer my phone, tentatively saying, "Hello?" 

"Hey there, my young Padawan. Work calls, and therefore, so do I. We've got a case." Penelope tells me. 

"O-oh, ok, um, I guess I'll be in as soon as I can, then," I say.

"Sorry for cutting your Saturday short, see you when you get in." Penelope apologizes, then hangs up. 

I look over at Spencer as I put my phone back in my pocket, and as he does the same, he says, "Well, duty calls, right?" I nod, and we walk out to the Metro, waiting for the next one into work.

As we sit on the bench, he looks a little melancholic, and says, "I'm sorry, Lina. I was afraid this would happen." 

I look at him a little quizzically, and ask, "Why are you sorry? We were called into work, it's not like you blew me off or something. I'm guessing this is the price you pay when you save lives."

"I, yeah, when you put it that way..." he says thoughtfully. 

"Besides," I say with a small laugh, "You did say we could hang out when we get back," 

"Well...yeah, yeah, I did. Sounds good..." he says, mood seeming to lift slightly. We sit there, making small talk as we wait for the vehicle.

When the Metro gets there, we board and sit together, still talking. When we get to the office, we're greeted by Elle and Derek, who give each other looks, raising their eyebrows, then turning to us.

"Reid, does any blood run through your veins, or is it all coffee by now?" Derek teases, pressing the button for the elevator. 

As we wait, Spencer thinks about it for a second, then turns to Derek with a creased brow and slight grimace, and says, "Morgan, you know very well that's a physical impossibility."

Raising his hand fruitlessly, then gesturing for us to board the elevator when it opens, Derek sighs and says, "It...it's a joke, Reid...never mind...anyway, how're your mornings' going?" 

I take a sip of my coffee, waiting for someone to respond, and when no one does, I remark, "Not bad. Far more active than usual for me, though."

"Yeah, that's for sure," Elle says with a nod. "Hopefully, you'll get used to it quickly enough, it's nice to have more mujer on the team." she continues, smiling at me. I bite my lip and nod, and I must have a confused look on my face, because she then says with a slight chuckle, "Women, cariño, it's nice to have more women on the team."

"Oh, ok. Sorry, I took Italian in high school, I, uh, I thought it would come in handy far more than it actually has..." I say, awkwardly shuffling my feet and looking down. 

"Hey, Songbird's multilingual. How about hittin' us with a little of that Romance language?" Derek says, grinning and wiggling his eyebrows a little.

I laugh and then stop for a moment to think, then say, "Ricordo solo un po' di italiano." After a moment, I say it again in English. "I can only remember a little Italian." 

With a chuckle, Derek says, "Hey, that's more than I know. Do you know any others?" 

"I, um, I know a few words of German," I say, shifting from one foot to another.

With a ding, the elevator opens, and as we walk out, Spencer softly asks me, "Wie viel Deutsch kannst du?" (How much German do you know?) 

His breath tickling my ear and sending shivers through me from the closeness, I manage a stuttery, "Ein bisschen." (A little bit.) 

He nods his head in acknowledgment, then smiles and says, "Danke für den Kaffee," (Thank you for the coffee.) before starting to walk off. 

Grinning, I call out, "Gern geschehen, Doktor!" (You're welcome, Doc!) and slowly walk in behind everyone, looking for Penny.

After everyone has walked into the room, I poke my head in, seeing Penny already at the table. Quickly making my way over, I sit in the empty seat next to her, turning to the screen. After we watch, Hotch pauses and says, "This happened in Beechwood, New Jersey. Mr. Fisher had ingested LSD one afternoon and didn't come down until 18 hours later."

JJ jumps in, "The hospital reported 6 other patients who ingested LSD in the last 24 hours. The hospital called the CDC, the CDC called us." 

Derek asks, "So, a bunch of people got spiked. What makes it a BAU case?" 

Hotch answers, "They each received 10 to 20 times the normal dose."

"It's enough to kill a small child." Spencer muses. 

Elle adds, "Or cause a grown man to kill him with a tire iron." 

JJ continues, "Of the seven victims, there was one death and one coma. This is from the hospital's security footage the same night Fisher lost it." She then changes files and unpauses the recording, showing a waiting room in chaos.

After a few seconds, Gideon says, "These people didn't get spiked. These people were poisoned." 

As that sinks in, Hotch looks around the table at us and says, "Wheels up in 20." 

We all get up from the table, and Penny says, "Here we go, your first case. I'll fill you in on what to do as we go, ok?"

As I follow her, Spencer jogs up to me with a duffle bag in his hand and says, "I'll, um, see you when I get back? Raincheck for, uh, hanging out?" 

Smiling at him, I nod and tell him, "Yeah, absolutely. Hope Jersey's good to you all, Doc." He jogs off, giving me a shy smile and a small wave. 

I turn to Penny, and she's looking at me with her eyebrows raised, open mouth turning into a devilish smile. When we get to the room she tells me she's dubbed the 'Command Center', she sits in her chair and puts her headset on. As I do the same, she tells me, "You know I'm gonna ask about it later, right?"

Previous chapter

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Story masterlist

[lemonmaid]

"Can I get?"

Barista AU, Comfort, Fluff. Just sweetness. One shot very short

It started off slow.

He was a usual customer, but this was the first Suguru had to deal with him.

"Heya! Can I get iced Mocha but add 1/2 pumps of white Mocha, two pumps of toffee nut, one pump of carmel, add whip, add drizz, oh also no foam".

Suguru looked at the man wided eye, cup still in his hand. "Okay, first. It's ice, so there isn't any foam... also, what size and can I have a name?".

The white-haired creep laughed, "Just testing ya. You look tired, also a venti size please, also name Satoru".

Suguru smiled passively aggressively, "Thank you so much Satoru, can I have next in line, please?".

The next day it was the same interaction.

"Hey! Can I getttttt... a vanilla bean Frappuccino, add three pumps of toffee nut, three pumps of carmel, one pump hazel nut, creme base, carmel walls, and carmel drizz drizz with carmel sugar toppings? Oh and venti sized".

Suguru looked at the clock. It was barely past 7 a.m. 'Does this grown ass man really need his milkshake at this time?'. "Okay, anything else?".

Satoru smiled, "nope but you're smile will make my day!".

Suguru just stared.

Satoru laughed, "Oh... that was a joke".

Everyday, for a month it was the same.

"Heya! Can I get-"

"Let me guess, a strawberry frap, add three pumps of caramel, white Mocha walls, extra strawberry, no classic add vanilla, light whip".

Satoru beemed, "yup!!".

Suguru chuckled, "anything else?"

"Your number?".

[tortoisebore]

i love ur little rambles so what do u think the losers coffee orders and music taste is (in hey sharpshooter or otherwise) 🤲

ooooo oooo ooo yes yes yes

((TORTOISE LORE on the days i have to work onsite at my job i almost exclusively set up shop at the coffee place across from the office & listen to my little music & drink my little beverages all day so this particular set of questions resonates with me so bad))

for consistency's sake coffee-wise let's say we're talking starbucks. i think most days sirius would go for something high in caffeine but with a little sweetness to it. a venti iced shaken espresso with oat milk and three pumps of classic sweetener, perhaps. maybe switch that classic out for chestnut praline at the holidays bc he's feeling festive. other days i think he'd want an absolute sugar bomb as a reward for getting through a rough week or bc he was really mature today and refrained from screeching at people in the street when they didn't walk fast enough & blocked the sidewalk when he was in a hurry. on those days he requires a big ole mocha cookie crumble frap or an iced cinnamon dolce latte with an extra shot for fun.

on his walk home he's listening to one of three playlists depending on the day. the first one is a fourteen hour pop girlie playlist that starts with style by taylor swift and ends with kiss me more by doja cat, with some ariana, gaga, spice girls, charli, no doubt, & even some abba thrown in the middle for spice. the second playlist is for mocha cookie crumble days and starts with your best american girl by mitski and features lots of phoebe, lots of taylor, lots of lana, some ethel cain for sure, some select fleetwood mac, maybe some stuff from the 1975's a brief inquiry album. it's all stuff he can dig into & be angsty with & have strong feelings to.

the third is a more generic thought-dump kind of playlist where he just throws in songs he likes. buttercup by hippo campus. the view from the afternoon by arctic monkeys. concussion by girlhouse. ilysb by lany. like....,.,moonage daydream. 6 inch. pink pony club. bring it on home. just a mix of vibes and genres & things he gets stuck in his head.

contrary to popular belief i do think remus is a coffee girlie and would pick a mug of good dark roast drip over tea any day. i think he's simple for the most part & would go after a good tall americano on days he needs the kickstart but a grande drip with light cream would be his everyday go-to. during the summers he switches to a cold brew or plain iced coffee with cold foam if he's feeling fancy. he likes to pretend he doesn't like the frilly expensive drinks but every time he & sirius get coffee together, sirius orders him a grande mocha with two extra pumps of mocha and whipped cream on top & he downs it in about eight seconds.

remus is a hozier stan confirmed. remus is a boygenius stan confirmed. he likes poetic lyrics more than anything so sirius puts him on mitski and taylor. i like the idea that his music taste was a little outdated most of his life bc his parents had a huge record collection that they inherited from his grandparents so he just....played music all the time as a lonely little kid looking for things to do. when he was nine the only album he listened to all christmas break was otis redding's the dock of the bay & that made him gravitate toward stuff like leon bridges & amy winehouse as he got older. he learned about spotify four years after everyone else did & still only has two playlists. his parents loved the 90s rock girlies and they listened to a lot of the cranberries and fiona apple CDs around the house, so all those albums are really nostalgic for him now. he puts sirius on jeff buckley & regrets it instantly bc literally all he does now is play remus' grace vinyl full-volume and remus is afraid they're going to get a noise complaint. you can hear it in the stairwell sirius the neighbors are going to get mad please

[royaltrashkin]

Person Ordering Coffee: I'd like a venti mocha with almond milk, one pump of hazelnut, and a drizzle of chocolate and a venti pumpkin spice latte with a shot of espresso for my friend here, please.

People: Look at this entitled piece of spoiled shit. You self absorbed cretin. You fucking stain upon humanity. I curse you and your entire family you disgusting selfish child of Lucifer. How very dare you speak. I am going to spend weeks mocking you on all my social medias you filthy degenerate.

Different Person Ordering Coffee: Hah! I'm ordering just a plain 16 oz - that's right, 16 oz, I refuse to say the dipshit name you officially call it in your store because I am an educated individual unlike your other customers - black coffee. I bet you never ever get anybody in here ever asking for a black coffee, because this whole world has turned into soft little crybaby entitled losers who scream and holler at the slightest inconvenience and demand respect and attention and accolades for the most mundane achievements. Not I, though, no, I, unlike anybody else who orders coffee, am a philosophical and logical genius of such proportions that I understand what an ounce is, and unlike those simpleton scum I have an actual palette for the sacred brown bean and enjoy the taste, I don't need to cover it with froufrou recipes. I bet you're so glad to have me as a customer, the only person in decades to have asked for something simple.

People: Oh my God. Is it He?! Is it Jesus the Saviour Christ returning? Are we being Raptured?

The Actual Barista: I need a goddamn raise.

[fictionkinfessions]

something really funny is that i knew a bunch of systems and kinnies (idk what alse to refere to people who kis as, im truly sorry if that offends anybody ) in most of my cannons.

i have three main canons -- a canon-canon one, a university au, and a apocolyspe au. and in all thre the same kinda people all showed up (ish).

in my canon-canon, i was very close with layla's system, collei's system , bennet and his mom, and childe's system. in my apocolypse au i got to know venti, xianling, razor, fischel well. its rlly funny how in one univrese i made friends with all the systems, but in another i made frinds with all the kinnies/furrys. in my university canon we actually had a club with all of us, the not-who-you-think-i-am gang. for systems, plurals, kinnies, furries, you name it.

i can remember how layla walked in with all these questions about sleepwalking, and how venti, espesso, and mocha all brought the name of their coffe to class -- plus of corse bringing tea whenever somehting else happend.

i know nobody else really plural or a kinnie or a furry here, and it really saddends me. i know theres always online but i forget rlly easily.

-kunikuzushi (scarmouch from genshin kin, tag as fictive please)

🐸

[fruitymocha]

My Sister Squishy’s Opinions on Genshin Characters, As a Non-Player: Part 1

For the sake of not offending anyone, please know that many of the opinions stated here were her attempts at being funny, and shouldn’t be taken too seriously

Also these reactions are ones from months ago that I happened to write down on the Notes app and finally decided to share on Tumblr (with my sister’s permission of course)

Anyway have fun with these :)

Travelers

She thinks they’re ugly

She doesn’t like Aether’s design in particular

She likes Lumine’s design better and says she’s “less ugly”

Venti

She said he looked like he was 13 years old

I vaguely remember her being confused if he was a guy or a girl

Sucrose

She said Sucrose was meh

As someone who loves Sucrose as a character, I am slightly offended ;.;

Bennett

She didn’t even say anything

She just made a disgusted face at him

I’m guessing she didn’t really like his outfit that much-

Razor

Initially she just said no comment

But then I showed her some memes, and now she likes his pants and clowns him for the “I like potatoes” voice line

That’s it for now, since I’d like to break it up into a few parts

You can look forward to other Mondstadt characters soon :) -Mocha

[itsbrandy]

Burnout Chapter 3

Word Count: 4.9k

End of Episode song: My Life - Billy Joel

Chapter 3: The Workshop

The workshop was packed full of Hollywood hopefuls that were each nearly 10 years younger than her. The space was interesting, to say the least, an old warehouse space turned meeting space with bright and stuffy fluorescent lighting that was reminiscent of a high school gymnasium. 

She sat with her ankles crossed in a shitty plastic chair in the middle of a conference room. The chairs were arranged in a long, wide oval and just about everyone had their phones out tapping away or scrolling on social media. She resisted her phone, worried that she would start reading Dieter Bravo stories in public. Instead, she sat with a Venti White Chocolate Mocha in her grasp. With an extra shot, of course. 

The coffee (and the sugar) made her a little jittery, but she needed the extra sleep after staying up late reading Dieter Bravo fanfiction and waking up early with too much nervous energy sitting in the pit of her stomach. 

Her partner hadn’t acknowledged her nerves, nor did he really say anything about her stunt with calling out of work and playing hooky for the workshop. She was sure that he was playing the role of “cautiously supportive, but really disappointed”. 

She dreaded how he would behave when she got home from the workshop. Maybe she would do something nice for him to get him off her back. He loved when she made steak and potatoes for dinner, a stop at Whole Foods might earn her points with him again and show him that she wasn’t a raving lunatic.

“Hey everyone!” a vibrant blonde woman entered the room with a commanding presence and knocked the woman out of her sad internal monologue about how best to appease her male partner. 

“I’m Claire,” the blonde continued. She looked at the woman where she sat at the center edge of the oval and narrowed her eyes slightly. “Oops! Sorry honey, this is where I am supposed to sit, you should move to the one across the way.”

The woman felt the heat of embarrassment crawl its way up her neck. 

Oh my god, I just sat in the instructor’s chair. Why the fuck wasn’t it marked? Why wasn’t it reserved? It doesn’t matter… I should just walk out of here now. I should cut my losses and drive to work and tell them that I felt well enough to come in after all. 

She spiraled internally as she grabbed her over-the-shoulder bag and her white mocha and marched over to the empty seat across the way. 

“Thank you!” Claire said happily. “Sorry to put you on the spot there.”

The woman didn’t buy the apology at all. She knew the type, knew the games that people like her liked to play. There was a definite possibility that Claire had planned this type of power move to establish herself as the authority in the room upon her entry, it was just her luck that she had fallen victim to the power play. 

She found herself growing insecure as Claire spoke. While they looked to be in a similar age bracket, Claire was thin in a way that would have pleased her own mother. Her face was frozen in time with the Botox that so many women in LA sought out and her lips were plump with filler. Come to think of it, her cheeks probably had filler in them too. 

Claire began by asking everyone around the room to stand and introduce themselves and describe their biggest reason for wanting to become an actor or actress. Luckily for her, Claire started questioning prospective actors on the opposite side of the circle and she had some time to think about her answer.

The woman couldn’t help but think something so truthful but insane that she couldn’t utter it. Or maybe she could if she found a way to phrase it right? 

I want to meet Dieter Bravo. No. Definitely not.

I want to be an actress so that I can be Dieter Bravo’s equal and meet him. 

Better, but still on the fangirl-y side. Oh shit, they're starting to go faster, and her turn is coming up soon.

I was inspired by Dieter Bravo to return to my dream profession and give it a genuine try.

And then it was her turn to speak. She stood proudly, with her Starbucks white mocha in hand and clearly said her name. 

“Welcome!” Claire said with a grin. “And your reason for wanting to become an actress?”

Shit, she thought. All of that time she had spent trying to think of an answer that didn’t sound insane. 

“I was inspired a long time ago to join the industry to provide representation for my community,” she said confidently. “And since then, I kind of put my own dreams on the backburner. But I’ve been inspired by my favorite actor.”

Claire smiled and so did the others around her. Apparently, after losing points with the group by embarrassing herself in the first two minutes of the workshop, she had won them back with her answer. 

It was how she felt too. She wanted to watch badass Asian women play roles that are outside of tokenism. This need had increased since she had originally set out to become an actress. 

The next activity was less interactive and more centered on the instructor, Claire. She spoke of her own personal story in the industry and listed a variety of roles that she had taken throughout the years. Some of her appearances were on popular tv shows, but yet the woman still found herself not recognizing her or remembering her from those shows. 

Regardless, as an instructor, Claire wasn’t all that bad, though it was obvious that the younger members of the workshop thought that she was dreadfully boring. 

Claire had a voracious approach to teaching about the industry. Her wide pink mouth moved at a thousand miles an hour, describing the ins and outs of the industry, the best way to get an agent, and how much time you need to dedicate to hunting for roles and opportunities.

The woman pulled out a notepad and pen from her bag and quickly took notes on everything that Claire was saying. After a while, it seemed like Claire was speaking directly to her and telling her all of the information because the others were not making an attempt to make eye contact or show their interest. 

Out of the group of 15 students, only she was making a real effort at taking notes. Others were on their phones or doodling, clearly just there to be told whether or not Claire thought they had a shot at becoming an actor or actress. 

After an hour of monologuing, Claire moved on to an exercise geared toward how you should dress for an audition. 

Once again, she went around the circle and had each and every person stand up and discuss why they chose the outfit that they did for the day. The woman had worn a tight-fitting green blouse and a pair of jeans, nothing too fancy, so she worried that perhaps she had made the wrong move. 

It was one of the only things that she remembered from her time before attempting to become an actress. She had learned that she should wear something tight and form fitting to show how her body looked as well as staying away from solid black or solid white. 

Just about every person in the room had dressed differently, in eclectic clothing with many textures and accessories or in the model standard white or black tank top. When Claire made her way to her, she complimented her outfit for being the only correct option for auditioning for a role in film or television so far, with a little bit of a disclaimer. 

“If there are instructions on the audition, you should follow those rather than sticking to this sort of simple but sophisticated look. They will serve you much better than the alternative. There are some exceptions though in Hollywood. It is said that Dieter Bravo once turned up to an audition in a bathrobe and still got a role, so anything can happen,” Claire said with a laugh.

The woman immediately brightened at the mention of Dieter and sat up a little straighter in her seat. 

“Oh, are you a Dieter fan?” Claire asked, putting her on the spot.

The woman’s cheeks burned pink. “Of course!” 

Claire laughed and moved on to the next person in the circle, motioning for them to stand up as well. “I like you; you and I are going to get along.”

She continued to critique the outfits of the workshop attendees until she finally arrived back to where she had begun in the circle. 

“And with that,” Claire said, clapping her hands together. “Let’s break for 15 minutes!”

The woman breathed out a sigh of relief that she no longer needed to be on the spot while she was blushing about Dieter Bravo. She took her cellphone out of her pocket and started clicking away at her notifications. 

In her inbox were five notifications from AO3 that fanfiction authors had responded to her comments, and she nearly squealed out loud with excitement. How cool! Her favorite authors had acknowledged her love for their fic and how they portrayed Dieter. She felt giddy from a compliment from someone else about something Dieter-related, wow, she was in deep. 

She composed herself and turned to her text messages. Something from her mom about a new study about cancer-related health scares or something that was meant to freak her out and stop eating red meat. 

She resisted the urge to be sassy and text her mom back, “Great! Love and I are having steak tonight!”

The helicoptering had grown tamer within the last several years. Ever since her mom had realized that she was picking “capable men” that could “take care of her” the only thing that she really nagged her about was her hesitancy to provide her with grandkids. Though, she suspected in recent years that this longing to be a grandmother was starting to wear off as her mother’s patience grew thinner and thinner. 

For the rest of the fifteen-minute break, the woman spent her time ignoring the text message from her mother and instead leafing through the available fanfictions for Dieter Bravo that were left to read on AO3. There were slim pickings. Some of them interested her but didn’t quite give her the immersion that she was looking for. 

Sure, being on a spaceship with Dieter Bravo would be really freaking cool but… he only acted as a space guy, he wasn’t like a real astronaut. And she was not very good at science, so there was no way that she would ever end up on a spaceship unless she won a sweepstakes or something insane like that. All this to say, it was a bit too much of a stretch for her. 

Still, with her options growing thin, she started to slide her finger across the glass screen of her phone and read the Spaceship fic that featured her and Dieter Bravo on a mission to Mars gone wrong. 

The interesting thing was that once she started reading about him, the stretch of belief in the possibility of her being an astronaut didn’t seem so silly. The setting didn’t seem so odd. And she quickly got over the obvious inaccuracies of the specifics of the story and instead put herself in the shoes of a woman who was lucky enough to interact with him. 

She felt her face growing warm and her body relaxing as she started to feel more comfortable. Each time Dieter would say something dreamy and sweet to the main character she would close her eyes and imagine him saying it to her. She could hear his voice in her head, sexy and sultry and filled with want. 

“Fifteen is up!” Claire called out with a deafening clap of her hands. “Let’s get back into it!”

Feeling more than a little bit embarrassed, the woman pocketed her phone and pulled her notebook and pen back out for the next section of the workshop. But instead of lecturing, Claire had switched gears and began to pass out sides for auditions to each of them depending on their gender. 

“These are sides, I’m sure you are familiar with them if you have auditioned before,” she said as she handed out the slips of paper. “I want you to go and spend ten minutes memorizing these lines as best as you can. Try to add a little bit of character to them if you can and then come back here to the circle. You can use your slips of paper for reference but try your best to fully memorize.”

The woman accepted her own side from Claire as she passed her and found herself thrilled to see a relatively passage on lovesickness placed before her.

She couldn’t have had a more perfect emotion to try to portray on a day like today. The lines were short, sweet and to the point and if she needed to fudge them slightly to get her point across, she had been taught that that was perfectly acceptable. Actors did it all the time. 

The group quickly disbanded, and all of the hopefuls started chanting their piece out loud over and over again, filling the space with mumbling, muttering, and a mad dash at memorization. Instead, the woman chose to remain in the seated area as most of the remaining corners and edges of the room were already occupied by the younger people that had moved faster than she had. With each passing minute, Claire yelled out how many more minutes that they had left to practice. 

“Nine!” Claire called out, impossibly soon. 

Fuck, I haven’t even started memorizing. The woman thought in a panic. Okay, focus damnit. It’s romance, it’s love sickness, say it to Dieter like you were saying last night or anyone really, your ex, your partner. 

She started repeating the words, over and over, while adding layers of emotion to them each time. It was just a paragraph of content, but somehow, she kept tripping up over the words. 

“Six!” Claire shouted out and an audible groan echoed from around the room. The interruption stopped her in the middle of trying to test whether or not the past three minutes of repetition had allowed her to successfully memorize the piece.

“You don’t want me, but I want you,” the woman repeated from her audition slip, tears coming to the corners of her eyes. “I’ve always wanted you and yet you don’t see me for who I am.” She flipped the piece of paper over to double check that she got the first two lines properly. 

She had.

Okay, this was coming easier than she had expected it to. She flipped the piece of paper over again to hide it from her view.

“Why can’t you see me? Why don’t you notice me when all I can notice is you?” she tested. “Will you ever choose me? Will I ever be what you want?”

She flipped it over again. Correct! And she was satisfied with the emotion that was coming through too. 

Just one last bit now, she thought. 

“Five!” Claire called out. “Five minutes left to practice your sides!”

“One day, I won’t be here anymore. I’ll have stopped orbiting you and started orbiting someone else. Will you want me then?” she said from memory. 

She paused, feeling the weight of the words a little too heavily. Once again, the words on the page had matched what she had said aloud. 

Satisfied with her work and not wanting to mess it up any, the woman set the page down and walked over to the water fountain to clear the tightness out of her throat. Along the way, she ran the lines through her head over and over, ensuring that she had it down. 

Meanwhile, as she passed the other hopefuls, they cursed and grimaced in their places around the room, unable to memorize on such short notice. The woman had practice though, she knew like a hundred pastry recipes by heart just from her job alone. 

“Three!” Claire announced. “This is your three-minute warning. When I give the one minute warning you should be heading back to your seats, everyone. Understood?”

“Yes,” the room echoed back to her. 

Somehow the woman had missed four, because she was too inside her own head or for whatever reason. She took her drink from the water fountain slowly and tried to clear her thoughts and become the woman in her audition script. 

She was the woman in the paragraph and the man she was speaking to was Dieter Bravo. And by whatever powers that be, she wanted him more than anything in this world. He was smart and handsome and muscular and everything that she had ever wanted. 

But he didn’t want her back and she could feel that feeling in her chest. It tightened and squeezed around her heart. How could he not want her back?

“Two!” Claire shouted. 

“Oh my god!” one of the girls from the corner shouted. The woman couldn’t tell you if the outburst was part of her audition lines or if it was out of pure panic that her piece wouldn’t be ready in time to audition for Claire. 

The woman made her way back to her seat and sat quietly with her audition side in her lap face down. She didn’t want to look at it anymore, didn’t want it to disrupt what she had already pieced together. She knew how she would feel if it were Dieter who was rejecting her. 

She knew what she would say, she would say exactly what the woman in the script would say…and probably some more. 

“One!” Claire announced. “Make your way back to your seats, please, everyone! You can still work on your memorization until I shout zero!”

Begrudgingly, the rest of the people in the room started moving inwards to join her and Claire at the chairs that were organized in the center of the room. They continued to murmur their lines quickly and desperately, hoping that in a panic they could securely memorize their pieces. There were a few others, though, that looked as confident as she felt. 

“Zero!” Claire said with a large, catlike grin. “Everyone please pass your sides in to me, no more working on your pieces!”

The woman passed her side to the left and around the circle the pile went until Claire had all of the pieces in her hands. 

“Great! Now do we have any volunteers to go first?” Claire asked the room. No, the woman thought. She was confident, sure. But not confident enough to volunteer to go first for anything. Maybe one day she would have that type of self-esteem. 

The first volunteer was one of the few that the woman had perceived as also pretty relaxed. It was a good quality to have, to not look like a shaking leaf when going in for an audition. 

Claire instructed the person to remove some of their more baggy layers and stick to the basic black turtleneck that they wore underneath. She couldn’t understand how someone wore such hot and heavy clothing in L.A., but somehow the person pulled it off pretty well. 

Their audition was fine, the side that they were given was not nearly as emotionally involved as the one she had been given, but it involved more characterization which she thought they had pulled off well. 

Claire seemed to agree, but she was also seemingly reserving her feedback until everyone had auditioned, similar to a real audition. The next person to volunteer also did equally well, and so did the next. While the others auditioned, she chose to recite the lines to her audition in her head to make sure that they were still there. 

Finally, after the fifth person auditioned, she decided to raise her hand and give it a shot. Out of a sliver of bravery or out of fear that she would forget her lines, she couldn't really say, but either way she was now in front of the rest of the workshop and Claire and ready to perform.

“You don’t want me, but I want you,” she said low and slow. Claire was not in front of her, but Dieter Bravo instead. He was being awful to her, smirking at her. He liked that she was chasing after him but didn’t want to reciprocate. 

She said her second line now with more pleading. Please Dieter, why don’t you notice me. She wanted to say. She could see him there, maybe his expression was softening, maybe he was starting to notice that she really did love him. 

Her next lines were hopeful. She played them off as a wish that maybe he could grant her before saying the final lines of her audition without that hope. If he didn’t want her, she would find someone else. There was no mention that she would be happier without him, though. She couldn’t help but feel that was terribly accurate. 

As she finished, Dieter morphed back into Claire, whose thin face was nothing but impressed with her performance. Claire even gave her a small, silent clap of the tips of her fingers together before scribbling some notes on her paper and sending her back to her seat. 

The rest of the auditions went quickly, and the woman tried her best to pay attention to them. It was difficult to keep her mind off Dieter, though, and the feelings that she had just had for her imagined version of him. He wouldn’t be that cruel to her, so she felt the need to start filling in the blanks of what would happen after that scene which started to get a little bit…distracting. 

“One day, I won’t be here anymore. I’ll have stopped orbiting you and started orbiting someone else. Will you want me then?” the last line of the audition piece.

“Yes,” he would say. “I want you now. I-I didn’t understand how you felt before.”

“How could you not?” she would say, with tears in her eyes. “Everything that I do, I do for you. I would give myself to you at a moment’s notice.”

“I don’t know how I didn’t see it before,” he would say, moving closer to her and placing his large hands on her forearms, pulling her closer to him. “I was an idiot for not seeing it. I don’t know how I didn’t see it.”

“I don’t know either,” she would say with a sniffle and a laugh, looking up at him from her shorter stature. 

He would stare at her lips then, his dark eyes downcast. Maybe he would slowly run his tongue over his own bottom lip in anticipation for their kiss. 

Then he would tilt his head down, slowly, and capture her mouth with his. 

“Alright! That is a wrap on auditions!” Claire said with her signature clapping to get everyone’s attention. “I’ve written down personalized feedback for everyone in the group on their audition. Some of you really impressed me and others need a little more work. I’m holding another session next week for those who wish to get some more practice.” 

Sheets of paper were passed out around the group and the woman checked her phone to see the time. It was just about time to break for the one-hour lunch. 

By the time her paper had gotten to her, Claire announced that it was indeed time to break, so everyone started to gather up their belongings. Then, the paper with her feedback arrived to her and her jaw dropped to the floor. 

Claire had rated her with a perfect score with only one comment about the positioning of one of her hands during one of the lines. Her comments were incredible, quick little jots of compliments that made her beam from ear to ear: 

“Made for the screen, facial expression - wow!”

“Born to be a star - so much natural talent!”

“I love how deep you dug for your emotions here. I got a little bit upset with how angry you were with me!”

And finally, circled in the bottom right-hand corner, Claire’s personal phone number with the words “Text me! I want to get you with my agent!”

She had planned to just stay put for the lunch hour and had even packed herself a small sack lunch with snacks, but she couldn’t just sit there after reading what Claire had written about her performance. 

Instead, she left with the rest of the group and Googled to see where the nearest Whole Foods was. Maybe she wouldn’t do steak tonight to please her partner after all, the meat wouldn’t do well in her hot car for the rest of the workshop. They had plenty of cream and cheeses at home, she could do a homemade alfredo of some sort? 

Whatever she made, it didn’t matter, she just needed to get to her car and let out the girlish scream that was clawing its way up her throat. 

An agent?! An actual Hollywood agent?! On her first day of actually trying at being an actress in Los Angeles?! The excitement was quickly replaced with anger at herself muddled with disappointment. For fucks sake why hadn’t she tried earlier? Could she not have been famous by now? 

Or - well, maybe not, maybe it was her lived in life experience that had started to give her the tools to act. She was just barely an adult when she had tried before. 

Her feelings were conflicting, and they left a bad taste in her mouth. Regardless, she drove to Whole Foods with her mind on making herself a salad from the salad bar and finding some ingredients for dinner. 

She pulled her car into the parking lot of Whole Foods and placed it in park with the biggest smile on her face. At first, she hadn’t liked Claire, but throughout the workshop she found herself appreciating her advice and insight and she loved how the advice started to seem like it was tailored for her. 

She made first for the baking and spices section in hopes of finding some breadcrumbs. They were completely out of them at home. 

Maneuvering the cart around the corner, she stopped dead in her tracks when none other than Dieter Bravo himself was standing right there in the spice aisle, looking at an assortment of spices. Or so she thought, he looked like him from the back anyway. The dark hair, about the right height, amazing body, almost everything matched up. 

“Oh!” She said instinctually. She hoped and pleaded internally that the stranger really was Dieter, but her hopes had already been dashed by the realization that he was clean shaven as he began to turn toward her. 

No, she was not lucky enough to run into her celebrity crush while she was shopping for groceries for herself and her partner. She would never have that kind of luck. 

The stranger turned to face her, surprised by her exclamation. He wasn’t quite Dieter, but he was pretty close. His skin was a little more on the fair side, his face a touch longer, and his lack of facial hair was jarring, but his eyes were an exact match.

“Sorry,” she said with a sheepish smile. “I just thought maybe I recognized you from somewhere. An old friend, you know.”

The man smiled at her. “I get that a lot, don’t worry. I have a pretty popular celebrity lookalike these days it seems.”

She laughed. “Yeah, actually. I was going to say you look a lot like Dieter Bravo-“

“-Dieter Bravo-“ he said at the same time with a nonchalant shrug. “Yeah, I know. I’m flattered really, but a little concerned it’s going to ruin my acting prospects.”

“Ah,” she said sympathetically. “I see how that could complicate things. If it helps, I’m kind of in the same boat. Hollywood has its token Asians; you know how it goes.”

The Dieter lookalike smiled. “I’m white so I don’t fully get it but with this I can totally sympathize. So, you act? Do you have an agent or anything?”

“Um, no, well, maybe?” she said honestly. “I’ve got something in the works, I guess, maybe. Don’t want to jinx it or anything!”

“Sweet! I just got my first agent a couple of days ago. It’s been kind of a whirlwind,” he said. “Oh, I haven’t even introduced myself, I’m Jason.” Jason reached out his hand to shake hers. 

“Nice! Congratulations, Jason,” she said. She introduced herself and gave him her name as well. 

He looked down at his watch as it buzzed and saw the time. “Shit, it’s later than I thought. I’m sorry, I’m on lunch right now. I would love to talk with you more, maybe we could grab dinner or something sometime? Could I grab your number?”

The woman was floored. Stunned even. She had been asked for her number plenty of times before but never by someone in L.A. like this. She always dressed too frumpy or was shopping right after work. Her partner never liked to go out, so she sat at home most nights and most weekends. 

“Sure,” she said with a smile. “Yeah, I’d love to chat more.”

Her reply was innocent enough, he was a colleague. An associate. And he just so happened to be the closest guy to Dieter Bravo to ever ask her out. 

Chapter 4 | Series Masterlist

[bonfire-at-the-crossroads]

It was like being lost in the Sahara, and seeing a mirage.

It cannot be - but yes, there it is. The mermaid with two tails.

Belfast for more medical nonsense. Don’t even get me started… they gave Brian the WRONG ADDRESS, so we drove around that traffic cluster-fuck for over an hour, and went back TWICE to the address on the paperwork.

The lady behind the desk finally decided to tell us “O. That’s wrong. The REAL address is…..”

I was spitting nails and banging my head on the steering wheel.

Eventually showed up where we were supposed to be, did his tests, and the nurse asked us to hang around for the next hour until one of the test results came back. “We’ll call you with the results in the next hour.”

We started walking up the road. It seems that all of Belfast was built between the years of 1871 and 1872. Nothing but Victorian buildings, all stuck together with postage-stamp size “gardens” in front. These are primarily filled with tall weeds, broken pottery and assorted rubbish. It could be beautiful. Charming. But nah - ireland. I know, I know - NORTHERN ireland. But the issues remain the same - not enough money, commerce, or WILL - to take advantage of the beauty which is there already.

Anyway

From behind a series of row-houses, a dumpster, and a couple of trees - there she was. STARBUCKS.

It did not shift into cloud and blow away as we walked closer. It stayed put. I walked through the door and almost burst into tears.

EIGHT YEARS. Haven’t seen a Starbucks - and here I am. Ordering a frappacino from two incompetent baristas. “Venti mocha frappacino with whipped cream”

Barista #1 - “cookies and cream frappacino. What size?”

Me. “No. Mocha. Not cookies and cream - forget the cream. MOCHA.”

Barista #1 - “what’s your name?” She writes it down and says “mocha Frappuccino NO CREAM” smiles asks “What size?”

I did NOT reach across the counter and punch her in the throat.

I smiled nicely - and stated my order for the fourth time. “I would like a venti mocha frappacino with whipped cream please.”

When Brian went to the counter and picked up my drink?

I got a small “grande” mocha Frappuccino with whipped cream.

It was not what I ordered four times in a row, but I have learned to be delighted with anything resembling what I want.

It was delicious.

The medical group never called. We walked back, knocked on the door - and asked.

“Sure, you’re grand. See you on the 19th for surgery.”

Gotta say - they’re not exactly inspiring a lot of confidence.