Pairing: Coffee Shop Customer!Bucky Barnes x Female!Barista!Reader (only gender specific)
Summary: He was a cute customer that she couldnāt get out of her mind.
A/N:Ā Another little drabble that wouldnāt leave my head until Iād written it. Itās not my best but Iāve missed writing about Bucky! Based on this prompt line,Ā āItās been the longest year of my life.ā
Also, Iām too tired to beta this right so now apologies for any mistakes.
Warnings: Fluff, Coffee Shop!AU
Every Wednesday and Friday morning he sat at that same table, every week without fail. He usually turned up at ten AM on the dot, laptop and notebook in tow ready for a working session which led to him seldom leaving that spot before four in the afternoon. That same table was a space Bucky had carved out or himself, a spot that felt odd to her when occupied by any other customer, heād gravitated to it that first day and never sat himself anywhere else, even standing at the end of the counter chatting to her until its occupants left. She was never sure why he was so intent on that particular table - the one diagonally opposite the counter, one where she could sneak glances at him with her face half hidden by the baked goods counter, but be on full display when serving each customer - there were ones far bigger in size that would have provided a better working environment for him, but heād shook if off the one time she pointed that out to him, so she thought better of mentioning it again. He had his reasons and she was perfectly fine with that.Ā
At first sheād smile politely and ask him his order, make quick work of fixing it up for him and deliver it to his table. But as the weeks rolled by, their conversations increased in length, heādĀ ask her how her day was going and sheād ask him what he was working on, what project heād been assigned to this month. Sheād come to enjoy the prospect of her work shifts, grateful that sheād held onto them for so long. The thought of seeing Bucky had become the highlight of her week, not just for the interactions, but the giddy little butterfly feeling she had when she knew he was around, he brought a warmth and comfort with him and she reveled in the safety of it.
When heād stepped through the door that morning, he gave her a warm smile that turned her insides to mush in the most pleasant and divine way, āMorning Bucky, usual?ā
āYouāre a lifesaver.ā He seated himself at his usual table whilst she prepared his coffee and unloaded his equipment on the table, she knew heād been made redundant a few weeks ago, yet he still came in on his regular days like clockwork and used his coffee breaks toĀ search and apply or more work. As much as she loved seeing him, she worried about him not working, worried about how he might be coping and living and surviving, but knowing she didnāt know him well enough to ask him those questions, she just hoped or his sake something suitable would come along soon enough. She knew these companies would be crazy to not want to hire him.
The lunch rush was as bustling and hectic as usual, orders flying around like the Mad Hatters tea party and she was on the verge of fleeing the scene and taking a gulp of fresh air to clear her head. As she was bagging up a almond croissant to-go for the customer opposite the counter, thankfully the last in the once seemingly endless queue, she caught sight of Bucky answering his phone, face pinched and jaw tightened. She didnāt like the scene one bit, uncomfortable with the anxious look on the manās face. She handed over the paper bag to the customer with a āhave a nice dayā and cautiously watched Bucky again as she ran a clean cloth over the work surface.
The look of elation that overtook his face completely disarmed her, he was unbearably beautiful when he smiled so wide his eyes crinkled, sheād never seen anything so captivating.Ā
