hi everyone! this is my first ever fic for voltron and i haven't written in like ages but i really really wanted to do something. hopefully i'll finish this one before my vacation ends! the prompt i used is "I write a bad pickup line on your cup every time I'm your barista" from cup-of-hot-coffee's job AUs post and it's really old but also really cute so here goes. just a disclaimer though- english is not my first language and constructive criticism would be v appreciated! hope you enjoy!
"Do you like him? At least a little bit?"
He doesn't. He tells her so.
"C'mon, Keith", Pidge says, leaning over the counter and grinning up at him. "I know you well enough to tell."
He knows she's right: as long as they've known each other, she's always caught on whenever he gets a crush even before he does, so there's no use in lying to her. This time, though, he isn't lying- he did like the cute barista that works part-time at the coffee shop across the street from Shiro and Matt's flower shop, at some point. He's past it, but he's not giving her the satisfaction of telling her that.
"Well, he's really cute," he concedes instead, propping his head on his hand, "but I definitely do not like him."
"Why not?" she asks, and she's still grinning, eyes wide with faux innocence. She knows exactly what there's not to like.
"You know why." Gorgeous as the guy is -Lance, reads his nametag-, he's annoying as fuck. Ever since he started working at Altea Café, where Keith has been a regular for as long as he can remember, he's been writing the worst pickup lines on his cup. Admittedly, they had been initially tolerable: the first time, when he'd found the if you were a fruit, you'd be a FINEapple ;) scrawled in blue ink on his cup, Keith had turned around to glare at the new guy, only to find himself blushing when the other man had smiled blindingly and winked at him.
However, they've been getting worse each time, which would be a lot more endearing if Lance didn't seem to have lost interest on actually taking him out: aside from the notes, he only ever talks to Keith to make fun of his hair or his fashion choices. As cute as he is, Keith isn't interested in allowing himself to be lead on, and Pidge knows this perfectly well, which is why he doesn't understand. "Why are you asking me this, anyway?"
"Oh, I was just wondering if you'd suddenly changed your mind about him. No big deal." She's smirking now, the little gremlin.
"Don't you have anything to do?" He asks, furrowing his brow and leaning back into his chair. Pidge just rolls her eyes affectionately and opens her mouth to say something, only to audibly shut it when the bell above the door rings.
They both turn toward the sound, ready to greet a customer, but it's just Matt, cupholder in one hand and his own drink on the other.
"Children!" A scowl replaces Pidge's smile, and Keith smirks at her. "Hey, what's up, a shipment of lilies was supposed to come in, like," he stops and glances at his watch, "half an hour ago." He pauses, takes in their now puzzled expressions, and furrows his brow. "I guess it didn't, then."
He sets the coffee on the counter and walks into the back room, telling them over his shoulder to grab theirs before mumbling to himself about delays, and Pidge sips her coffee and doesn't say anything else.
Keith kind of expects her to bring it up again at some point- she must have some reason to ask him about the guy despite knowing what his thoughts are, and he knows she's not one to drop such things so easily.
His predictions are proven right about a week and a half later, by the time he's ready to drop his guard on the topic, when they're both heading to the café on their day off from work and she's unexplainably chipper. They're about a block away from their destination when she giggles, of all things, and he eyes her warily.
"What's it with you?" He asks her.
She shrugs and gives him an unreadable look. "What, I'm not allowed to have especially good days?" Despite her slightly accusing tone, she's still smiling, and Keith rolls his eyes, shakes his head and tentatively mirrors her grin.
"Pidge, you never act like this when you're normal-happy. Seriously, what's going on?" He nudges her with his elbow, but they're already in front of the café's entrance and she just laughs in response and waves her hand in a dismissive gesture, shoving the door open with her shoulder. They walk in and get in the short line, and Keith revels in the fact that he doesn't feel his heart skip a beat anymore at the sight of Lance's dark, smooth skin, his chocolate hair curling around his ears and the nape of his neck, and his bright, smiling blue eyes.
Pidge doesn't say a word while they wait for their turn to order, but she's bouncing in the balls of her feet. He doesn't say anything, either.
When they finally do get to the front of the line, Lance looks him up and down, and Keith regards him with a flat look, prepared for whatever comment he'll make about his leather jacket or his ripped jeans or his messy hair that he's pulled into a low ponytail.
To his surprise, though, the comment doesn't come: when Lance's gaze meets his, the man freezes in place, looking at him with wide eyes. Keith doesn't know how to respond to this new development, but Pidge clears her throat from beside him, startling the barista out of his stupor.
"Oh, I-I'm so sorry, I don't know what... Sorry, hi, what can I get you today?" His voice is a little shaky, and his cheeks seem a bit flushed, and his smile is sort of strained, and Keith briefly wonders if he's feeling okay. Pidge doesn't seem to share his concerns.
She smirks at him, and his cheeks darken. "I'll have a large latte and a piece of chocolate cake. What would you like, Keith?"
Keith squints at her, but she doesn't even turn to glance at him, so he looks back at Lance and mutters his order of a large black coffee and a blueberry muffin, feeling overly confused even as they pay for their drinks and snacks, get them, and exit the café.
This time, Lance has written do you have a map? because i'm getting lost in your eyes on the side of his cup, and it's accompanied by a smiley face and feels somehow more genuine than most of the other notes he's found so far. Keith doesn't know what to make of it, or of Pidge's smug silence. He doesn't ask her.
hope you liked this! i'll update as soon as i can, but in the meantime you can come chat if you wanna on tumblr! i'm og-cinnamon! :)
