AKA the Dr Pepperony coffee shop AU that no-one asked for
It’s smack bang in the middle of Bruce’s only quiet hour when the girl comes in, that one blissful hour after the lunch rush is done but before the students roll in for their afternoon coffee study break. The essential chunk of time he needs to clean up a bit, wipe down the espresso machine, and generally get his shit together. It’s a ritual to him. Even his colleagues know it’s a sacred hour and never a good time to ask him for stuff.
The woman darts in, red-faced like she’s run here, and comes up to the counter with a wicked grin. As she sweeps her hair from her eyes, Bruce can’t help but notice that she’s exceedingly pretty. Like, possibly the most attractive woman he’s ever laid eyes on. Oh god. “Do you do that thing like in Starbucks where you write a name on the cup?” She asks without any preamble.
Bruce stares at her. Great. This is just what he needs right now. Time wasters. “No. We don’t exactly have the turn over to make it necessary.” He says, forcing himself to be polite even though there is a small puddle of spilled coffee on the counter that he’s desperate to wipe up before it stains the wood.
“Can you write a name on the cup?” She asks, her eyes sparkling with mischief. “Could you do it just for me? Please?”
Bruce sighs. “Look, why don’t you just go to Starbucks?” It’s a stupid request, really, but if this girl really cares more about the name Sharpied onto her paper take out coffee container than its actual contents, he isn’t keen to spend any more precious time on her. Probably just wants to fucking Instagram it, because apparently despite the fact that it’s 2016, people still think they’re going to get likes by Instagramming pictures of their name written on a shit cup of coffee.
“Tony won’t go there anymore.” She says with far more chirpiness than could possibly be necessary. “They kept spelling his name wrong.”
He doesn’t know who Tony is and he doesn’t at all care, but Bruce pauses, despite his acute lack of interest, and frowns. “How do you keep spelling Tony wrong?” He wonders. Sure, Starbucks is always deafeningly noisy, but still, it’s hardly the most complex name to handle.
“Oh, I hear it’s quite easy to do.” She says innocently. “When some kind generous person tips more for increasingly creative spelling errors. I’m Pepper, by the way.”
annaxmalina
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