A.N.: Decided to write a Homestuck coffee shop AU! I selected the pairing through a random generator... It actually turned out to be a pretty fun pairing to write about! vuv Hope you enjoy!

The young man, who happened to be working the early morning shift as a cashier, sat with behind the counter with his feet propped up, and his eyes staring idly out the window. He had an unlit cigarette in his mouth; he'd picked up the habit after reading the new John Green novel. His hands instinctively flicked towards his still boiling coffee every so often. He was the only one working this shift; his boss, after giving him an earful for flirting with a couple of "under age" customers (although they certainly didn't look underage), had decided to give him another chance and let him open up shop. It was 5:30 in the morning, and Cronus wasn't sure if his job was worth it anymore.

He sighed, taking off his work hat and running his hand through his greased back hair. He was debating between going back to his house and staying at work when the bell over the door startled him. He quickly whipped his feet off of the counter, expecting his boss to walk in and lecture him again. Instead, a woman who was fashionably dressed and was sort of short walked in, carrying a hardback book in her hands. He breathed out a sigh of relief. "Hello ma'am," he began, trying to sound suave, "What can I get you?" He noticed that her eyes were a shade of blue that was nearly purple. The corners of her mouth twitched slightly. "I'll have it black with two sugars, please."

He nodded at her, turning around and grabbing a mug off of the shelf. He walked with a certain confidence, obviously trying to look cool. That all went down the drain when he stumbled, slipping over a mere stray banana peel (probably the work of that damned Meenah). This time, the girl could not contain her boisterous laughter. Cronus was surprised at how loud this chick was. He scowled at her, before hoisting himself up with the counter and brushing himself off. He quickly made her coffee, and watched curiously as she made her way to a booth. He watched her for quite a while as she opened her book and sipped her coffee. After all, it wasn't often that anyone came in this early.

He noticed that her hair was blonde, nearly white. She was wearing a black button up jacket, and she had on a large white scarf. Her hair was adorned with a lavender headband, and she was wearing a flowing skirt that went just below her knees. She was wearing dark shades of lipstick and eye shadow. He cleared his throat. "So," he began when she looked up. "What brings you here so early?" The young woman looked briefly down at her book, then shrugged. "I like to get an early start." She studied him quickly. "I thought this place wasn't open until 7:00. It was a pleasant surprise to see the sign." Cronus fiddled his thumbs. "New idea in management. They feel it'll attract more customers."

The girl smiled. Cronus liked her smile; it was cute. "I'll certainly be stopping by more often." He grinned at her. It was at this point that he noticed what book she was reading. "You like John Green?" The girl looked surprised. "Yes. I find his works to be quite satisfying." Cronus lit up. "Have you read Looking for Alaska?" It wasn't often that Cronus found someone with his similar interests. "Yeah; it was a good book, although depressing. I suppose that's John Green for you." Cronus laughed. She continued, "Have you read The Fault in Our Stars yet?"

This led to an hour-long discussion involving books. When Cronus's watch made the familiar beeping noise, he looked down at it in surprise. "It's 7:00 already?" The woman sighed, gathering her book, as her coffee had long since been finished off. "I've gotta go. I have work in the mornings." Cronus sighed. "We'll, it was nice meeting you. See you tomorrow, then?" The woman nodded, opening the door gingerly. Cronus suddenly remembered something. "Wait! What's your name?" She grinned. "I'm Rose. It was nice meeting you..." She glanced briefly at his name tag "...Cronus." She gave him a small wave and bounded out the door. Later, when Cronus was cleaning her table, he noticed that she left a tip. Odd, he thought, no one ever leaves tips. Suddenly, he noticed a white strip of paper between the folds. On it was a phone number, written neatly in cursive.

A.N.: I hope you liked it! Please R&R c: (I seriously can't believe that there aren't more coffee shop AUs out there.. haha :D)