I had a lot of fun writing this, so I hope you enjoy it as much as I did! Zutara Week 2016, Coffee.

Disclaimer: I have never worked at Starbucks, so I'm interpreting what they do from whenever I go there to buy something. My depiction of being a barista is totally a figment of my imagination.

They Met At Starbucks Every Day

Katara had started working at Starbucks on a Tuesday. She had walked in proudly, her nametag glinting brightly on her chest. She had spent the last ten minutes rubbing ferociously at it with a tissue, making sure it was completely clean. She knew everything from her training course, and she met every single customer with a bright smile. She took their orders, took pains to write their name correctly, and made the orders with a precision that only a Day One employee would have. Mistakes could be afforded when she was a senior employee and too valuable to fire.

Then he came. The grumpiest, angriest looking guy that she had ever seen. He was the only one that she didn't want to smile at. "One long black. Grande." Katara entered it in, trying to smile, but instead grimacing. "Your name?" She asked sweetly. His negative energy radiated off him in ways. "Zuko." "Your order will be right up." When she was finished with it, she called his name (Zoo-koh) and he took it without another word. He left, and Katara went back to the next customer, greeting them with a customary smile, brimming with her previous energy.

Every day for the rest of the week, "Zuko" walked in, ordered a long black, and walked out. Katara would take his order, prepare his order and give him his order. It became a sort of routine, to see his sad pouty face in the queue every morning during peak. It also became a sort of joke for her. Like a highlight of her work life - seeing this grump walk in and get his coffee, while she thought deeply about nicknames she could give him. She had other regulars, like Sunshine Boy, who was always so happy and ordered something different each of the times he came. But "Zuko" was most noticeable of all - with his signature angst face and dark suit pieces and accessories - most notably a burgundy scarf. He was like a dark spot on Starbucks sunny, happy interior.

After at least a month of taking orders from this guy, he finally actually spoke to her. "Hey." He said. "Hey." She replied. "One long black?"

"Yeah."

"Zuko, right?"

"That's me."

"It'll be ready in a minute."

When he left, "Thank you." Katara whispered, "Finally," and got back to her work. She didn't see "Zuko" until the next day. Nevertheless, it was an achievement for sure. She felt like patting herself on the back. Maybe in other month, they would speak in half-sentences, instead of two-word-combinations.

Two months in, she had managed to increase average number of words spoken by "Zuko" to three, and also managed to memorise exactly when he came in – from 10.50am to 11.00am – and most of the times when he walked in, Katara would just pass him the grande long black, and he would slide the money to her on the counter. "You read my mind." He said on the first day Katara whipped the drink out from where she had been keeping it, still pouting.

Katara shot a side grin at him. "You could at least be happier about it." He walked out.

Half a year into her job, the average had risen to a short sentence, and by then she couldn't contain the tone of triumph whenever he came along. One day, when he walked in at exactly 10.50am, she was about to pass him the grande long black, when he suddenly said, "and a caramel frappuchino too, venti, please."

Katara widened her eyes in mock surprise. "You, drink frappuchinos?"

"It's for a friend."

"Gotcha." She winked at "Zuko", noticing that he had turned to glance at a dark-haired girl standing outside looking at him. She quickly put his order together. She passed it to him. "Six months in, and you finally have some variety to your order." She said as he took it.

He fished around his wallet for some money. "It's going to be the same from here on out. I hope. Also, you counted?" He passed her two tens. She took them. She glanced back at the girl.

"Aalllrighty then. Your change." She dropped it into his waiting palm.

"Thanks."

So it was a grande long black and a venti caramel frappuccino now. Everyday "Zuko" came by with the same girl and ordered the same thing. Same time and everything, just a girl(friend) in tow and a caramel frappuccino to add to the bill. Katara was disappointed to say that now that the girl(friend) was with him every time he came to Starbucks, the average word count dropped to four words, and he always seemed in a hurry to get out. After a while, she thought, meh, don't need his pouty face to light up my morning every day. It was just fun to hear what someone so dark and withdrawn would say to a Starbucks employee he saw, like, every day.

The girl once went in with him. She had dark, straight hair, and dressed the same as her grump of a boyfriend, in all black. Her eyes always seemed to be narrowed and she thoroughly enjoyed winding her arm around his, and staying as close to him as possible. She never spoke to Katara herself, and "Zuko" never bothered to introduce her. Katara was hardly disappointed - this man's love life did not concern or trouble her in the slightest. And his equally moody girlfriend did not make her in any way curious in anything about her.

It was about one more year to serving up long blacks and caramel frappachinos to this (absolutely lovely couple, might she add) when he suddenly came in, storming straight up to the counter. Katara leaned to the side, looking for his girl(friend). She didn't see her. Katara was about to pass him the grande long black and venti caramel frappuchino when he slammed the money on the counter. "One grande long black, please." She quickly slid the frappuchino back to the side. She passed him the coffee.

"I'm sorry about her." She whispered, taking the money.

"What? Who's her?" He replied. He was even angrier today. He left without saying goodbye.

Katara figured things out for herself, though she personally thought that the guy was probably better off without some gloomy chick hanging off his arm. "Zuko" came again the next day, and she silently passed him the long black. He thanked her, and walked out. She watched him go, and moved on to the next customer, who she was glad to see, was Sunshine Boy. Today, he custom ordered something, and even though Katara was ninety-nine percent sure that it would taste terrible, she gave it to him with a brilliant smile.

Time passes fast as a Starbucks employee. A life of putting together coffees and teas really made the time fly by - and the hours after she saw "Zuko" went by even faster. Without her even realising it, it was her second year anniversary of working here, and her favourite Pouty Face walked in as per usual, just with a small bouquet of flowers. He wore all black, his expression was completely dark, and Katara was eager for his turn to come, she was eager to sarcastically note that it had been two years of giving him long blacks and as a celebration, she threw two marshmallows inside. He stepped up to the counter, and she passed him the drinks. He didn't pass her any money immediately after he took the drink, as per normal. Instead, he looked at her, then the flowers, then at her again. Then, he thrust them in her face, to the "oohs" and "ahhs" of other customers. Katara scanned the room. One old lady was fluttering a paper in front of her face, like she was going to faint at the "beauty of young romance".

"I don't need them anymore. You take them." Katara looked back at him. She was startled, and when he pressed them forwards a bit more, started and quickly took them, continuing to stare at him, completely perplexed. He slid the money across the counter. "Happy two years of working here." Katara gaped after him. The lady after him was one of the sources of the loudest "oohs!". "What a sweet young man, giving you flowers like that. Not every girl gets flowers from her sweetheart now a days." She cooed. "He's not my sweetheart," Katara smiled, but the lady just grinned knowingly as if she thought Katara was lying. "A little bit a advice sweetie, say yes. If he give's you flowers, it means any day now he'll propose! My Reginald did that, and trust me on this, dahling, a boy who gives you bouquets is a keeper!"

The next day, he came again. "Thanks for the flowers," she said. "I hope you enjoyed the marshmallows." He looked at her. "I don't like marshmallows." He left, while Katara stared, dumbfounded, after him. She shook herself to her senses, and cursed inwardly. She wasn't going to let this Grinch ruin her day.

The next few months passed rather uneventfully. Katara was really considering a different job, she had been searching for job opportunities in the papers. There was a tackboard at home covered in newspaper cutouts and resume drafts. But for now, Starbucks was enough. The day's at work no longer had the same novelty of working as a barista, so she would wait in apprehension till 10.50am, to see if "Zuko" would say anything to her at all, then either go through the rest of the day in triumph or disappointment.

The day after she scored a job interview, Katara was glowing. She skipped to work, and couldn't resist happily relaying the information to her customers, who all heartily congratulated her, except one snobby prune of a young woman. She had just sniffed, and ordered Katara to shut up and take her order. When the clock read 10.57, Grumpyguts walked in. She took his order and passed it to him at the counter, as always, and before letting go, said cheerfully, "I just did a job interview! I think I might get in!" "Zuko" looked at her through his mane of black hair.

"That's great."

"I'll get an answer in like, a month! Isn't it wonderful?" She gushed.

"Then you're not going to work here?" He asked.

"A girl can't live on Starbucks alone."

He nodded, and left.

Katara managed to score a few more job interviews, and they all went really well, except for one where the boss was a fat walrus and he asked her if she had an experience making coffee. She had said yes, she's been working at Starbucks for more than two years now, and the fat walrus of a man said, great! You're hired as my personal assistant. Personal assistant? She spent three years studying to attain a masters in Marine Biology, and she becomes a personal assistant? She had stood up, and said sweetly to the walrus, "Sorry, sir, but I did not work at Starbucks to gain experience increase my chances of getting a job as someone's personal coffee machine." And walked out.

She saw "Zuko" again the next day, and relayed the experience in great detail. He laughed, and left. It took a minute, but she realised that it was the first time she had ever seen him laugh. That was a tick off the bucket list under the category Social Skills. Also, he had great teeth. She looked at her own in disdain.

When the job offers came, they came three in a row. She would bring them to work, and look at them in her free time, trying to make up her mind. One was for work at an aquarium, the other work at an aquatic research centre, and the third as a biological scientist. She would close her eyes and point at a random offer, but then read through it and decide no. She read through every detail, and compared anything that could be made a comparison. She would walk home analysing every detail, stare at each of them on the bus, and keep them tacked up behind her computer whenever she worked on something online. It took a while, and a lot of careful, and extremely inconsistent thought, but in the end, she chose the first.

After she sent in her acceptance of the post at the aquarium, she informed her manager. She would have to work out the rest of the month, then she could begin her new job. She marked it on her calendar. It was a week of Starbucks to go. One more week of mixing drinks and pumping syrups, then she could study what she had been dreaming about and work in an aquarium, of all the wonderful places to work. She was counting down the days as she took orders. And on every one of those seven days, "Zuko" ordered a long black and said his thank you, before walking out. It was completely ordinary. She liked it that way. Starbucks didn't have to suddenly be the venue of some amazing memory, so there wouldn't be any ties between her and the cafe. Then finally, on her last day, "Zuko" walked in again. She passed him his long black again, extra slow now, since it was the last time, but he didn't leave immediately. "One venti caramel frappuchino please," he said, sounding more whimsical than normal; she suddenly realised that he wore something like a smile on his face. Katara hid the even bigger smile which was forming on her face. Her hand automatically went to work, and she easily recalled the ratios of pumps to ice, duration of blending. she topped it with a healthy dose of whipped cream and caramel sauce. She passed him the drink; he passed her the money. He was about to leave, when she grabbed his arm.

"Today's my last day," she told him. "I guess…thanks for letting me give you grande long blacks every day for the past three years."

He looked mildly surprised. "Good luck." He said. "It's been good. Tell one of your co-workers it'll be a grande long black and a venti caramel frappuchino from now on." Katara winked at him.

"Gotcha."

He walked out, carrying his long back and caramel frappuchino. Katara didn't need to watch him leave. At the end of her shift, she unpinned her name tag and folded her apron up. She laid the pin in the middle of her apron and checked her call card. She walked out.

The next day, she showed up at the aquarium, and worked the day as eagerly as any Day One aquarium employee would. Every day she bought a vanilla latte from the Starbucks downstairs.

Aaand its a wrap! Not really much of pairing, but it's still fun! I was inspired by a few posts I saw on the Zutara Week tag - first, a quote I saw on the amazingly gorgeous piece of fanart by tarasaldajeno. It's by Dante Basco: " They're soulmates. They are. Did you watch the show? But this is the thing, like, in life...you don't always end up with your soulmate. And that's alright. They still teach you things that are very important for the rest of your life."

Also, it was partially inspired by this awesome reincarnation fic under the tag by stunninghell. The story is so nice, and there was a little part about coffee which inspired this story :-)

xoxo,

2noobs