Stupid, cheesy, rushed plot.

Fucking plot bunnies, yo.

It was a stupid job, he stuck out, and Zack knew that. Coffee barista didn't look like they could snap the customers in half, but it just so happened that Zack Fair had better people skills than the president. The customers loved him, especially when he put extra whipped cream and sprinkles on their drinks, and he got tipped more than the actual waiters. But he wasn't just here for the pay or the smiles. He loved to people watch, and a little cafe at the corner of Fifth and Main was perfect place to do so.

And it was a Monday when he saw him.

He had bought plain coffee, piping hot, in the largest cup he could get. When Zack had handed it over with a bright smile, the man only grumbled, his state quite obvious. The guy was either drunk or still trying to recover from one hell of a hangover.

Mondays were slow, especially at late-morning when the clock was stretching to eleven, so Zack didn't really have to worry that he was watching the customer closely and not paying much attention to his work.

The first thing that he had noticed was the man's hair. Flaming red, wild, yet calmed into a long rat tail in the back. There were equally red tattoos on his face- Or were they scars? -and his blue eyes were piercing and electric, despite being tired and groggy.

He watched as the slender man practically collapsed in an arm chair in the corner, sipping at his coffee and pulling a phone out of his pocket. He texted with one hand, looking quite annoyed and exasperated. Zack couldn't help but wonder…

"Medium chocolate frappe, extra whip!" came the bright tone of Tifa, the cafe manager, as she took an order. Zack immediately snapped back into action at the lunch rush, eyes constantly checking the corner where the man had been.

But within a few minutes, that red hair and those electric eyes were gone.

The rest of the day dragged by, Zack missing those disengaged eyes and that wild hair. He didn't show it, however, only being just as warm and positive to the customers as usual. But he didn't see any of them. That image of the man seemed to be burned into his retinas. The way he sat, slouched, holding his phone up to see it. Knees apart to be comfortable. The sloppy way he dressed in his suit, shirt untucked and tie loose. He seemed so carefree, but the way his eyebrows had scrunched together in irritation at his phone was… cute, almost…

And the man with red hair was back the next morning.

This time, he had come earlier, when there was more of a rush. Names were being scribbled on drinks, and Zack had grabbed the cup from Tifa, only to look at the name written on the side in her perfect swirling script.

Reno.

A name he had never heard someone called, but it wasn't very outlandish. That was a town in Nevada, right? Reno?

Before he could ponder the name too long, Zack filled the large cup with slow brewed coffee, moving to the counter and calling out the name, strong and loud.

"Reno!"

Damn, that felt good to say.

The red hair moved through the crowd, the owner of the wild hair once again looking haggard and very hung over. He slipped through the bodies easily, grabbing the cup. He made eye contact this time, stuttering in his actions at the friendly face and bright blue eyes as he grabbed his cup. Their fingers brushed and Zack immediately recoiled, jumping back in shock as the hot coffee hit the counter and splashed.

All over the front of Reno's white shirt.

"Fuck!" the redhead nearly shouted, grabbing his shirt and pulling it away to keep his stomach from burning. "Fuck, shit, fuck!"

Tifa was there in a flash, ignoring Zack's apologies to quickly grab a cool, damp towel and thrust it at Reno. "I'm so sorry, Sir!" she cut across, the other customers watching in shock.

Zack had never dropped a drink before.

Reno continued to splutter out mutterings and curses, dabbing up the drink as best as he could before giving up, dropping the towel on the counter and stomping off in a storm, furious that he had to change before work. Never accepting any of the apologies or offers of free drinks or pastries.

Zack didn't see him for a long time after that.

It was months, those piercing, angry blue eyes ever constant in Zack's mind as he went through his regular schedule. He felt awful for doing that, for getting rid of the one thing Zack had actually set eyes on. He had never wanted anyone before, but for some reason… For some reason, he wanted to see him again. He wanted to hear that voice speak more than just cuss words. He wanted a smile, a small "hello", or maybe a light conversation. But he was just fooling himself. Reno wasn't coming back to the cafe.

It wasn't the cafe where he saw him next.

Browsing through the grocery store, the pet aisle, Zack was quietly going through his list. He had his groceries, and now he was going to get dog food for his recently adopted puppy. The one he had named Reno. Childish, but Zack just wanted an excuse to say that name. When Tifa had asked, he said he simply liked the name and he was fond of the city. But that little hyper brown and white mutt couldn't really satisfy the need Zack found himself craving for the hung over redhead.

"Fuck!"

The sharp word made Zack freeze, halfway down the aisle of dog supplies. Wondering if he heard that right, he listened again, hearing that drawling, rough voice on the other side of the aisle.

"No, you shut the fuck up! I'm fucking done! This has gone on way too fucking long, Rufus! It's over, yo! Get that through your conceited brain, you spoiled rotten asshole!"

Zack really shouldn't ave been eavesdropping, but with the man's volume over in the cat litter aisle, he couldn't help but do so. He slowly pushed his cart forward and grabbed what he needed, still listening. Listening, because it sounded like Reno.

"Stop. Just stop. We're done." A pause, the sound of a bag of cat litter landing angrily in a shopping cart. "Fine! Fire me! See if I give a shit, yo! I quit. I'm wastin' my time working for ya anyway! I'd rather be flipping burgers!" Another pause, another clatter as cat food joined the contents of his cart. Zack was nearing the end of his own aisle, turning to the other, where that voice was coming from. "You don't fucking own me, Rufus! We're over! We're done, and I quit!"

Zack came into the aisle, his breath knocking out of his chest. Red hair. Angry blue eyes. Reno.

He watched as the man hung up, shoving the phone in his black slacks as he resumed his shopping, pushing his cart and muttering under his breath. He was walking straight for Zack, who was pretending to look at different toys filled with catnip, and didn't recognize him. That is, until he stopped, taking interest in the toys as well.

Zack's heart was slamming against his chest, sending up warning flags. What if he was still pissed about the coffee thing? What if his conversation had angered him more? What if he didn't recognize Zack at all? What if he hated him? What if-

"Wait a sec…"

His stomach dropped to his feet, Zack nervously looking down at the other.

"Yer that barista that spilled coffee on me. Zack?"

Shit. "Y-yeah… Sorry about that."

"Nah, nah, 's fine." He grabbed a packet of cat nip, adding it to his cart. "Ended up being the best thing that happened to me."

Zack blinked, suddenly very lost.

"Ya pro'ly heard me screamin' on my phone, didn't cha?"

I'd love to hear you scream some more. "Yeah, I caught that."

"Quit my ball n' chain o' a boyfriend, and my job. All snowballed 'cause I was late fer work, yo." He chuckled, eyes free from anger. Happy. "Sorry fer bein' such a dick at the time though."

He's gay then. Maybe I have a chance. "It's fine, really. All my fault. I'm so sorry."

"Hey, it wasn't nothin' a little bleach couldn't fix." His eyes darted to Zack's cart, then back up. "Name's Reno, by the way."

Trust me, I know your name. "Yeah, I remember."

"So… Ya workin' again soon? I might be stoppin' by when I don't have a hangover, yo. Coffee's pretty good. Hot and strong."

And suddenly, Zack got the feeling that they weren't talking about coffee.

"Uh, yeah…"

"Ya can get it t'-go, right?"

"…I don't see why not."

"Then let's go, hot stuff."

Well that was easy. "Yeah, just… we gotta checkout first…"

That got a laugh. And he had a good laugh. "Yer funny," he chuckled, leaning against his cart and bending at the waist, pushing the cart forward and striking a rather… seductive pose.

Zack's mouth was dry.

"I think you're doin' enough checkin' out for the both of us, yo," he teased, giving him a wicked smirk that made Zack get dizzy as he started to push. "Let's get goin' then, huh? I hate waiting."

And before he knew it, Zack was going up the stairs of an unfamiliar apartment complex, helping a far too seductive redhead with his groceries.

After that, Reno came to the cafe everyday to say hi to his new barista boyfriend.