The Perfect Shot
Summary: You’re a barista who’s been tasked with training the new hire. Little do you know that you’ll be training one of the biggest names in Super Hero history...
Warnings: angst, fluff, shy!Reader, romance, teasing, low-self esteeem (reader), jealousy, enemies to lovers trope, female!reader
a/n: Hey everyone! This is my first time writing an Ice Break fanfiction so warning: it might be shite! >_< 97!Devin Walker doesn’t get a lot of love on here (for...reasons tbh???) No disrespect to the Walker family intended. I just really love Ice Break lol. Feedback is welcome! I might make this into a series. idk yet tbh
Word Count: 3,017
Saturday started off like any other: your alarm went off, you showered, and headed downstairs to grab some breakfast. The smell of French toast sticks, maple syrup, and bacon permeated the house; it was really hard to resist. Was it your favorite breakfast? No, you very much preferred when mom made pancakes, but this was the next best thing.
“Hey sleepy head, good morning,” your mom trilled when you entered the kitchen, a smile on her face.
“Morning, mom” you yawned.
“Hey missy, cover your mouth when you yawn,” your dad sternly said, peering up from the newspaper he was reading.
“Sorry dad,” you groaned and rolled your eyes. I literally just woke up. Is it an actual crime to yawn? You thought to yourself as you grabbed a plate from the cabinets.
“So, kiddo, you have any plans today?” your dad paused, folded up his newspaper to make conversation with you. He took a sip of his coffee.
“Erm, not a whole lot planned? It’s really just like every Saturday: work, come home, study. Erin invited me out to a party tonight with some kids from school, but I’m not sure if I feel up to it,” you placed your plate on the kitchen table and started pick at the French toast stick.
“Aww, sweetie. Is everything okay? You’re in high school - you should be out with friends. You know, it’s okay to have fun once in a while,” your mom came over to put her hand on your shoulder.
You gave her a reassuring smile back. She was right; this WAS the time to have fun with friends, party, and maybe even meet cute guys. Yeesh, that thought was...something. Truthfully, you’ve always felt out of place in this small town. You were never particularly popular or even good looking for that matter; average at best! No one ever asked you out to any of the school dances or admitted to having a crush on you. You just really wanted to go through the motions until you graduated high school. Maybe then life would get better for you?
Once you were finished with your breakfast, you put your plate in the sink and headed upstairs to check your IM before heading off to work. You had one message and it was from Erin.
BRClov3R_93: OMG. You’ll never guess who’s in town!
Lilac_Kitten: ?
BRClov3R_93: DEVIN WALKER AKA ICE BREAK
You’ve heard of him before: he was that ice hero that literally ALL of your female classmates were going crazy over. Erin especially. The inside of her locker was LITTERED with everything Ice Break. It was like a crazy shrine to this kid. You never understood the hype. He was probably a douche bag in real life anyways. Most celebrities were.
Lilac_Kitten: Oh, that’s cool.
BRClov3R_93: Just COOL?!? Y/n this is a once in a life time opportunity. I mean, what are the chances of him coming back to Newbury Park?! Me and the girls are going to try and find him in town. We’re going to skip on the party at Nick’s tonight. You want to come with us??????
Lilac_Kitten: Ahhhhhh I’m okay. You guys enjoy.
BRClov3R_93: Booooooooo I’ll let you know if I give Devin kiss ;)
Vomit. You’ll never understand what Erin sees in that guy. He’s not even that hot!
You check the clock. Shit I’m going to be late if I don’t leave now. You log off and head off to work.
As crazy as it sounds, you really enjoyed going to work. You were a barista at the only coffee shop in town, the Panama Treasures Cafe. It was run by a couple who actually was from Panama City. Every shift, you’d learn a little more about their adventures, brewing a cup of coffee, and most recently, how to pull the perfect shot of espresso. It was REALLY challenging but you felt like you were getting the hang of it. Knowing how many grams and how fast a pull was coming through was still tough. Lupe, one of the owners, would always tell you, “making the perfect shot of espresso is a lot like being married. You have to know the right amount to put in, the type of bean you’re working with, and most importantly, you have to be patient.” This analogy sounded like a reach to you, but you soaked up every word she said when it came to espresso making.
“Hey Lupe and Renato - sorry I’m late!” you rush in to the shop. It’s quiet for a Saturday morning. The regulars are there: George, the old man who always orders a small black coffee and cheese danish. Rylie, the young college student who is there for like 12 hours every Saturday studying. However, you knew within the next half hour or so, the shop would be slammed with customers.
“Y/n that’s the third time this week! You gotta get better at being here on time,” a short, wirey-haired woman popped up from behind the counter. She put her hands on her hips. “The Saturday morning rush is happening soon and we gotta make sure we’re ready, Y/n. You know this. Don’t make me call your parents.” You roll your eyes again.
“Yes, Lupe. Sorry - I’ve just been...distracted,” you bite your lip.
“Well, being distracted stops right now. We have a new hire who’s going to be with us for a little bit,” Lupe said.
New hire? Since when? And why didn’t Lupe or Renato tell me?
“Oh, that’s so exciting. Are you sure that the Saturday morning rush is the best time to train a new hire? It gets really busy. Not that like, I should be telling you how to run your business or anything. It’s just like, it can get overwhelming, you know?” you said.
“Sometimes the best way to learn is under pressure. That’s how the best espresso shots are made, right?” Lupe winked at you. This was absolutely a weird straw man analogy, but okay. You heard the shop door open and the bell ring. In walked a familar face: he was tall and a little on the lanky side, golden blonde hair with slight blue tips, and a charming smile you’d know anywhere. It was Devin Walker.
“Hey, Mrs. L!” Devin waved. “Looking very pretty today, as always.” Lupe chuckled and blushed.
You rolled your eyes again. Blergh, what a kiss ass. He must talk to everyone that way. What a tool.
Devin turned to face you. Oh God, here we go...
“And what might your name be?” Devin asked. You tried not to make eye contact with him.
“My name is Y/n,” you responded flatly. He stuck out his hand to shake yours, you indulged him.
“Well, Y/n, it is an absolute delight to make your acquaintance. I am very excited to be under your tutelage,” Devin beamed. You just glared at him.
“Yep! It’s a really great time here and you’ll learn a lot,” you quickly responded.
“Y/n, please show Devin around and make sure he knows how to at least brew the coffee,” Lupe asked you.
“Never fear, Mrs. L! I’m a speedy learner,” Devin winked.
Holy shit. What is with this guy? Typical celebrity: thinking charm and flattery will get them anything.
Lupe headed to the back rooms to stock up before the rush which left you and Devin by yourselves behind the counter.
“Okay, hot shot, let’s set the record straight: I will, under NO circumstances, be influenced by your flattery. You think you can just saunter into this shop and use whatever Hollywood charm to wrap people around your little finger. Well guess what? That shit doesn’t fly with me,” you snapped.
Devin put both hands up defensively, “woah, woah, woah. Y/n, you said, right? Okay, I’m not trying to charm anyone here. I’m just here to learn what it’s like to be a barista. It’s for a commercial I’m in!” Of course it was. You didn’t think for a moment that this kid new anything about hard work.
“Alright, you better roll up your sleeves and put some elbow grease into things then, Ice Boy,” you crossed your arms.
“Yes, ma’am. You’re the boss!” Devin just smiled back.
Training Devin Walker during a morning rush on a Saturday went just as well as you thought it would: it didn’t go well. At all. The first issue was Devin didn’t know how to properly ring customers up yet, write the name or drinks, or help out with making the drinks. You had to stop what you were doing in the middle of filling orders to help him work the register. This created a massive back log of customer orders. You also had to tell Devin how to do things mutiple times, which got really redunant after a while. Not to mention, you had to put up with all of the angry customers who were in a rush. To add insult to injury, Devin was able to to just smooth things over by talking with people. He’d crack a joke here, wink at someone there. That’s all it took for an irate customer’s mood to completley shift.
Must be nice, huh? Having all the money and looks in the world. So much so that working a minimum wage job was just field research for Devin. You could feel resentment bubble up in your body.
Unexpectedly, a tall, stunning blonde girl entered the shop. It was none other than Emily McDonough - head cheerleader and class valedictorian. She took one look at Devin and her jaw dropped.
“OH MY GOD. STOPPPP. OH MY GOD. OH MY GOD. It’s Ice Break!” Emily let out an ear-piecing squeal.
“Hell yeah, dude. It’s me, Ice Break. Always nice to meet a fan,” Devin smirked. Emily and Devin were holding up the entire line talking about God knows what. After a while, Emily finally slipped Devin Walker her number, and that’s when you finally lost it.
“Devin, can I speak to you?” you marched over to where he was standing.
He looked back, “huh? Oh yeah, yeah. What did you want to talk about?”
“Uhhhh, I was thinking somewhere a little more private??? Maybe??” you cross your arms, looking up at him. He was just so...tall.
“Oh, oh yeah no doubt. Oh hey, Emily, was it? I’ll hit you up later,” Devin winked at Emily before walking back towards you. Emily let out another excited squeal.
“Devin, back rooms. NOW,” you snap. You open the door to the back office. Lupe nor Renato was there. Good, you thought to yourself.
Devin plopped on one of the office chairs, legs spread wide in a casual way. Almost as if he was in his own living room. Your blood was boiling at this point.
“Do you think this is a joke??? Working here??? Lupe and Renato have spent their entire lives building this palce up and you’re just treating it like it’s a field trip!” you start to rip into him.
“Hey now - that’s not way I see things. See, I think we made a really good team out there...”Devin began.
“A - what? Are you dumb??? I had to fix all of your mistakes, train you, AND make all of the orders while you just stood around and flirted with the customers,” you were shouting at this point.
“Okay, okay, I see that you’re mad. I get that. Yeah, yeah we had some, um, nasty customers. And I wasn’t as fast of learner as I thought I was....”Devin began to shrink back a little.
“Oh? You think?? You Hollywood Heroes are all the same. You think you can just flirt and charm your way to the top while the rest of us work our asses off. Must be REALLY nice to get everything you want while the rest of us have to earn it,” your face started to get hot. You could feel tears begginning to well up in your eyes. Devin stood there awkwardly.
“Umm, yeah. This whole thing...me working at the shop. Dude, I didn’t mean anyone harm. I just got a commercial gig from my PR guy and he recommended I work at an actual coffee shop to get the experience. True, yeah, I do get what I want...mostly, but YOU’RE not being completely fair in your judgments! Just because I’m making mistakes on the job, doesn’t mean I’m not working my ass off right now,” Devin had a point; of course he did. You were both working the same job and it’s not like he wasn’t trying.
“And so what if I flirt a little? It’s not illegal to do that. Bartenders do it all the time! Okay, I’ll admit, I could absolutely be taking this job more seriously. I’ll make a deal, I’ll be more serious and you can be...nicer? Is that fair,” Devin winced and stuck out his hand in an effort to make a bargain with you. You crossed your arms, looked at him for a bit, then sighed.
“Fine. It’s a deal. Just like, please listen a little better. Okay?” you gave his hand a firm shake.
“Scout’s honor,” Devin beamed. Fine, okay. You had to admit he was really cute and you were starting to see why girls liked him.
Although it wasn’t smooth, the rest of the shift went so much better than the first. You could see that Devin was taking things more seriously this time. He got the hang of working the register by himself, leaving you to focus on fulfilling orders. He even managed to fulfill a few orders himself! Just the regular brew coffee, tea, and smoothie orders; it was too busy to teach him things on the espresso machine.
After a while, the influx of customers died down, leaving you two by yourselves in the store. You’re not entirely sure where Lupe went off to. Taking care of other business in the store, maybe? You let out a deep sigh.
“So,” Devin began. “What was that about me not working my ass off again? My glutes are practically KILLING me.” You let out a laugh. Devin nudged you with his arm. “Oh, so she CAN smile?” he teased.
“Fine. I was wrong about, you’re actually...cooler than I thought,” you mumble.
“I mean, I do have ice powers babyyy,” Devin takes one hand and makes a little snowflake appear out of thin air.
“You’re so corny!” you chuckle. “Maybe this question is a little disrespectful, but what’s it like having...you know...powers?” Devin pauses for a moment to think about the question.
“No, yeah, man. It’s sweet as hell! You can like, make cool ice sculptures, freeze a pool - my dad hates when I do that, by the way - put out fires. I think the best thing about having powers is that you can actually help people, like in a big way. And I think that’s the most important thing to me,” you can see Devin look earnest; he was telling you the truth.
“You’re...humbler than I expected?? All of my friends are like REALLY big fans of yours. I always thought you were just another smug asshole, but...you really surprised me today. I guess now I’m the smug asshole,” you shrug.
“Hey man, I get it but you know what they say, don’t judge a book by it’s cover. I do know ONE way you can make it up to me though,” Devin gives you a look. You roll your eyes.
“Okay, I’m listening,” you reply.
“Alright, so, I’m always wanted to learn how to make that fancy latte art. That machine looks scary and loud though. Can you teach me?” for a moment there, you thought Devin was going to ask you a different question...
“Uhhhh, sure? That’s simple. And pro tip, if the milk steamer is loud, that means your not holding it right,” you both walk over to the machine. Thus, begins the milk steaming tutorial. You stand behind him, showing Devin how to angle the steel milk pitcher and what temperature it needs to reach before it’s ready. Of course, by touch, it’s hard for him to gauge how hot it is because he absorbs heat easily, but eventually, you both find a method that works for you. You go into great detail about how the consistency of the milk is important in creating the latte art. You’re not sure how many hours passed by, but soon, you realize it’s an hour before close.
“Okay, you have at it and keep practicing. I just need to start closing things up,” you giggle. You really hate to admit it, but Devin Walker has really grown on you. As he’s fumbling with the steamer wand, you can’t help but steal glances at him; he has this cute little scowl when he’s focusing.
“Hey, Y/n, I think I got it it down pat! Come take a look,” Devin takes your hand and guides you over to a bright red latte cup. You feel your heart race. You’ve never held hands with someone before, let alone a cute heartthrob. The palms of his hands feel warm, but his finger tips are a little icy.
You look down at the contents of the cup; inside is a perfectly shaped latte heart.
“Well, how did I do?” Devin grins. For a moment, you gaze into each other’s eyes. You looked at Devin intently, taking in every detail from the tip of his nose to his piercing blue eyes. You felt your cheeks heating up.
“It’s, no - you’re perfect,” you whisper, just under your breath. You look up to gaze deeply in Devin’s eyes. Suddenly, you feel Devin’s hands wrap around your waist as he starts to pull you towards him. In an instant, your are both locked in a passionate kiss. His lips feel warm against yours, soft.You pull away to look up at him, one hand still cupping the side of his cheek. Both of you, still lingering close to each other.
“Woah,” Devin remarks, flabbergasted.
“Yeah,” you stare into his icy blue eyes.