I'm putting off coming up with ideas for my next multi-chapter fic so instead I'm writing a cheesy, fluffy coffee shop AU. Warning: I wrote this late last night so I apologize in advance for any typos. Enjoy. :)
Emma lets out a sigh as she pulls the door closed behind her quickly, the warmth of the small coffee shop surrounding her frozen body. She lets out a long breath before shaking her arms at her sides which until now had been clenched around herself to shield against the cold January wind. Having moved to Maine from Boston, the blonde is no stranger to cold New England winters but it definitely doesn't make her immune to the biting temperatures.
It was Emma's first week in her new town and she was just starting to explore the neighborhood; with the temperatures plummeting into the single digits she was in need of a place to warm up before work. She had just been hired onto the Storybrooke Police force and noticed this cute coffee shop on her way home the previous night and set her alarm thirty minutes earlier that morning to check it out.
Starting to pull off her gloves, she walks towards the counter, eyes looking up at the menu mounted on the wall. Tucking her gloves into her pocket and flexing her long fingers several times, she moves her hands to start to loosen her scarf. Already knowing what she is going to order she lowers her gaze to the woman behind the counter and her mouth opens but that's as far as she gets when she meets the other woman's eyes.
The barista, in a white button up shirt and black apron, is staring back at Emma with penetrating brown eyes. She is most likely in her late 20s, like Emma, and has dark brown hair that falls just below her chin and bright red lips curled into a smile. She is quite possibly the most beautiful woman that Emma has ever laid eyes on.
"Hi." Emma manages to get out with a small smile after a few silent seconds, eyes locked on the brunette.
"Good morning, what can I get you?" The brunette responds, her voice cheerful and professional.
"I, uh, good morning. Can I have a large hot chocolate with cinnamon and whipped cream?" Emma asks, finally removing her scarf, pulling her long blonde curls free, eyes still not leaving the barista's.
"For here or to go?" The brunette asks, smile still on her face as she moves her eyes away and begins to enter the order into the screen to her right.
"Uh, for here." Emma answers, starting to pull her wallet from her jeans.
"That'll be three fifty." The barista informs her and Emma pulls a $5 bill from her wallet and hands it over.
Dropping the change into the tip jar, Emma exchanges smiles once more with the other woman before moving to one of the small empty tables and, draping her scarf over a chair, starts to unbutton her coat. Sliding her coat off, Emma hangs it on the back of her chair over her scarf and sits down. She looks around for a few minutes at the cozy and quiet seating area. There are only six tables, two of which are occupied other than her own by one person each.
A few minutes later the beautiful brunette, large mug in hand, walks out from behind the counter and towards Emma's table.
"Careful, this is very hot." She says, when she reaches the blonde's table.
Emma reaches out and takes the mug carefully from the brunette's hands, their fingers brushing for a moment as Emma quickly places the hot mug on the table in front of her.
"Thanks." She says with a smile which the other woman returns before turning to walk back behind the counter. Emma has to try extremely hard not to let her eyes linger on the view.
This is not good at all. Emma says to herself as she turns towards her drink and closes her eyes for a moment, her thoughts not on the beverage. I can not have a crush on a straight woman. I am less cliche than that.
Opening her eyes again she places her hands around the mug, her fingers, still cold from outside, begin to tingle at the heat. She holds them there a moment before finally picking up the mug and bringing it to her lips. She takes a small sip, testing the temperature and she has to restrain herself from letting out a moan as the sweet beverage slides across her tongue and down her throat. It's sweet and warm and perfect and Emma is in absolute heaven. Closing her eyes again she takes another sip and feels the warmth start to spread through her.
As she takes her second sip, eyes closed, she feels as if eyes are on her and she opens them to look around again. The other two patrons are facing away from her, one has their nose in a newspaper while the other is typing away at a laptop. She turns her head slightly to catch a glimpse of the barista but she is, smile on her face, busy wiping down one of the machines behind the counter.
With a shrug Emma returns to her cocoa and takes another sip and in a warm, sweet trance, she finishes it quickly. Deciding that licking the inside of the mug is probably not appropriate, she pushes the mug to the middle of the table before pulling out her phone to check the time. She has about fifteen minutes until the start of her shift and the walk to the station is just under five minutes but she needs to leave now to give herself enough time to change into her uniform at the station.
Rising from her table, Emma puts her coat and scarf back on before grabbing the mug and bringing it over to the dishes bin. Pulling her gloves out of her pocket she starts to pull them on when the door chimes signalling the arrival of another customer. All bundled up and gloved, Emma makes her way to the door that has just shut and as she reaches for the handle she turns to look back at the barista.
Looking past the new customer, the blonde and the brunette lock eyes briefly with a quick smile before Emma turns back around and steps out into the cold.
The next day Emma is walking briskly down the sidewalk towards the cozy coffee shop as she slows to a stop in front of the glass window. Pulling her scarf higher up on her face against the wind, she peers in and spots the brunette barista, in a light blue button up today, smiling at a customer at the counter.
Emma watches for a minute, a smile creeping onto her own face as she watches the other woman make change for the older man in front of her. The brunette tucks her hair behind her ears and rolls up one of her sleeves that had started to fall down her arm before turning to the espresso machine.
Emma's stomach flips at the site of the other woman at work and, losing her nerve, shakes her head and tucks her hands into her pockets and continues down the sidewalk and to the station.
Emma manages to refrain from returning to the coffee shop for a few days but the memory of the hot chocolate gets the better of her and she finds herself stepping inside on her way to work again. The barista smiles brightly at her as she approaches the counter.
"Hi." Emma says after taking a deep breath to calm her nerves.
Why am I so nervous? Emma says to herself. Pull yourself together.
"Welcome back, what can I make for you today?" The barista asks.
Her remembering me is not helping. Emma thinks, trying not to sigh.
"Large hot chocolate with cinnamon and whipped cream, please." Emma responds.
"For here?" The brunette asks, almost sounding a little hopeful.
"Uh." Emma pauses a moment. "No, to go, please." She finally answers.
"Name?" The barista asks, grabbing a to-go cup.
Emma looks around for a seconds, slightly confused as to why she needs her name when she's the only one waiting for an order.
"Emma." The blonde finally answers and the barista smiles as she writes on her cup and moves to start preparing the drink.
Taking a few steps to the side, Emma glances down and the stack of local papers near the register, trying to look nonchalant. She glances up every once in awhile to watch the other woman as she goes about making the cocoa. She's wearing a white shirt again today and Emma thinks it's entirely unfair how a plain button-up white shirt can look so damn good.
"Here's your drink, Emma." The brunette says, startling the blonde who blinks several times before meeting the other woman's eyes. "Anything else?"
Oh no, did she just catch me checking her out? Emma panics to herself and at the same time the other woman saying her names is doing strange things to her stomach.
"Thanks, no that's it." Emma finally answers, handing over a $5 bill.
Dropping the change into the tip cup again, Emma shoots a half smile before turning and making her way to the door. It isn't until she gets to the station that she notices the small smiley drawn next to her name on her cup.
Whether it's the warm deliciousness of the cocoa with the perfect amount of cinnamon or the straining buttons on a shirt and the gorgeous smile, Emma finds herself not being able to resist returning to the coffee shop the next time she is working a shift that starts first thing in the morning.
On this third visit, snow is steadily falling outside and Emma stomps her boots on the mat at the door and brushes the flakes of her coat and beanie when she enters before making her way to the counter.
"Good morning." The barista, whose name Emma still doesn't know and doesn't know how to appropriately ask without being creepy, greets her with a smile. "Looks to be snowing pretty hard out there."
"Good morning. Yes, hopefully you have someone to help you shovel out front." Emma starts before quickly adding, "Not that I think you can't handle shoveling by yourself, I just mean, who likes to shovel snow, right?"
Oh god, Swan, shut up. Emma scolds herself, rubbing the back of her neck.
"Indeed." The other woman says, chuckling lightly. "I have someone I've hired to shovel for me when I need it."
"Good, good." Emma says, looking around awkwardly.
"Hot chocolate, cinnamon, whipped cream?" The barista asks.
"Yes. Please." Emma answers before jumping as her phone starts to vibrate in her pocket.
Quickly pulling it out she sees that it's her boss and swipes a finger across the screen and steps a few feet from the counter.
"Swan." Emma answers into the phone as quietly as she can as to avoid bothering the other customer she spots in the corner.
Luckily he only has a few things to tell her about her shift and she doesn't have to say more than a few words before she hangs up. Sliding her wallet from her pocket she catches sight of a pastry display that she hadn't paid much attention to in the past.
"I'll take one of those bear claws, too." Emma says, stepping back to the counter and finding her cocoa in the to-go cup waiting for her.
The barista lifts the display lid and pulls out one of the bear claws with a piece of wax paper and drops it into a brown bag, folding it closed and placing it next to the cup.
"That'll be five dollars." She says after entering the information into the screen at the register.
Emma pays, dropping a tip in the jar before shooting a smile to the other woman who returns it.
Cup in one hand and the small bag with her pastry in the other she steps out onto the sidewalk which is now lightly coated in snow, and begins her walk to the station. She only makes it a few steps before remembering the smiley drawn on her cup the other day. Looking down at her name on the cup she spots a new addition to her name. The drawing is simple but unmistakable as a swan surrounded by several snowflakes.
The smile doesn't leave Emma's face the entire day.
"Forget one piece of paperwork and suddenly I'm the gofer." Emma grumbles under her breath as she tries to refrain from actually stomping while she walks down the street from the station to the coffee shop.
It has been a few days since her last visit, having missed it that morning, realizing too late that she had forgotten to finish a report due that day. Her punishment is to go get her boss and her partner coffee at the shop down the street.
The sidewalk is slushy under her feet as she walks, snow melting and dripping off roofs and trees around her on the unseasonably warm day. She has forgone her winter coat, her uniform keeping her warm enough for the short walk under the bright sun.
Entering the shop, bell dinging overhead, Emma looks down as she stomps the slush off her boots on the mat. Looking up, she seems the familiar barista looking back at her. Her normal smile is gone as her mouth is open slightly. Emma starts to walk towards the counter and sees the other woman's eyes trail downwards and then back up, meeting Emma's as she stops in front of her.
"Hi," Emma says, trying to decipher the look the other woman is giving her.
"Hi." Is all the brunette says in response, running her tongue across her bottom lip quickly before blinking several times as if to collect herself. "Little late this morning." She adds, smoothing down imaginary wrinkles on her apron.
"Yeah," Emma answers, clearing her throat before adding, "Thought I could make it through a shift without you...your cocoa and cinnamon but I was wrong."
Still looking uncharacteristically nervous, the other woman bites her lip for a moment, eyes, moving down Emma's uniform again before continuing.
"Hot cocoa, cinnamon, to go?" She asks, her voice breathy.
"Yes, please and whipped cream." Emma answers, "And also two large coffees, one with cream and sugar."
The barista enters the information in the computer before turning to get started.
While her back is to her, Emma looks down at her uniform to look for anything out of place that might have caused the brunette to eye her up and down the way she did. Noticing nothing, the blonde looks back up to watch the other woman work.
"Have a good day, Emma." The barista says several minutes later as Emma picks up the cardboard tray from the counter.
Emma smiles at her, adjusting the tray in her hand, and turning to walk out the door.
"Hey, one of these has a drawing on it." Emma hears her partner say as she places the tray onto her desk.
Before her partner can grab it, Emma reaches for the cup, turning it so she can see what is written on it. Seeing the words and the drawing a huge smile breaks out on the blonde's face.
"Emma, what is it?" The brunette officer asks. "The other two just say the order on them, what does yours say?"
"Go away, Ruby." Emma responds, turning and holding the cup close to her chest.
"Oh, no," Ruby says, wolfish grin appearing on her face as she looks at her partner. "Let me guess. Cute barista has a crush on a certain uniformed lady."
"She does not have a crush." Emma says, defensively. "And I think she's actually the owner of the coffee shop. She was talking about hiring someone for snow removal. Sounded like she was the one doing the hiring."
"Uh huh. Well someone certainly has a crush." Ruby teases. "Come on show me the cup."
Rolling her eyes, smile still sneaking through, Emma sighs and slowly rotates her cup to show her insistent and nosy partner.
"'Officer Emma' and then what is that?" Ruby says, squinting at the cup. "Oh my God, it's a swan with a little sheriff star on it! It even has a little duty belt on! She totally likes you!"
"The straight barista does not 'like' me, Ruby." Emma responds, sipping from her cup. "She's just friendly. It's her job."
"Bull." Ruby responds, shaking her head and returning to her desk.
Sitting behind her desk, Emma places her cup down, drawing facing her, and she returns to finishing her report, mind wandering to the mysterious brunette.
"Oh, I can't wait for sleep." Emma says, palms rubbing her eyes before letting her hair down in the locker room at the station.
"I need a warm drink after chasing down the drunk idiot earlier before I head home." Ruby says across from her, shutting her locker. "Join me?"
"Your fiancee won't mind you being late?" Emma asks, turning to her partner.
"Nah, she'll be getting ready for her day." Ruby answers and then continues with a chuckle. "She hates it when I come home from a night shift and get in her way."
Exiting the station they hurry down the sidewalk, arms around themselves as the wind whirls around them. The sidewalk is slick and the light dim in the early morning. The two woman stick close together for warmth and to prevent the other from slipping on the icy path.
Both women are grateful when they spot the light from the coffee shop ahead and when they reach the door Emma pulls open the door and they stubble in together into the warmth.
Emma immediately looks up and spots the brunette behind the counter and smiles brightly.
Ruby doesn't miss the look on her friend's face, nor does she miss the matching smile on the brunette's face that immediately turns into a scowl when she notices that the blonde is not alone.
Ruby and Emma both shake out their limbs to get warm before making their way to the counter.
"Good morning." The barista says, politely but stiffly.
"Hi." Emma responds, a look that could be best described as 'confused puppy' appears on her face at the unusual mood on the other side of the counter.
"What can I get you?" She asks, her voice unchanged.
Emma pauses for a minute, still confused before placing her order, letting Ruby order for herself before adding "for here." with a hesitant smile.
The brunette punches the order into the computer before immediately turning to get started.
Emma stands at the counter a minute before Ruby pulls her arm to guide her to a table by the window.
"Oh man, you have to ask her out." Ruby whispers once they have removed their coats and sat down.
"What?" Emma asks, eyes wide. "Ruby she's straight, and as you can see, doesn't seem to like me more than just a customer."
"Emma." Ruby starts. "One, you have the worst gaydar I've ever seen, and two, that woman is so jealous right now I don't think I should drink my latte."
"What are you talking about?" Emma asks, confused.
"Think about it Emma." Ruby starts. "You only come in here before work, right?
"Right." Emma answers, eyes narrowed.
"Well, she doesn't know you are coming off a night shift. She doesn't know we work together. She thinks you are on your way to work and I am with you...first thing in the morning."
Ruby eyes her partner, waiting for her to put the pieces together.
"And, ask yourself, is she acting a little differently this morning than other mornings?" Ruby adds.
"Oh shit." Emma whispers just as the brunette in question makes her way to the table.
Emma looks up at her but she's unable to say anything as realization is washing over her.
"Be careful, these are hot." She says, her voice flat as she places the two mugs in front of them and quickly turns and walks away.
"Oh my God, this latte is amazing." Ruby says after her first sip, ignoring Emma who is just staring at the table. "Even if this is poisoned, what a way to go."
Emma continues to stare at nothing for several seconds, not listening to her friend.
"She's shooting daggers at me with her eyes, isn't she?" Ruby asks, snapping Emma out of her trance.
Emma looks up and the barista immediately looks away, grabbing a cloth to wipe down one of the machines.
"Yup." Emma answers, smile slowly creeping up on her face as she reaches for her mug.
"Wait." Ruby says, looking at Emma's drink. "What is that on top of your whipped cream? Is that a flower?"
Emma squints at the design that seems to be made out of cinnamon resting on top of the white layer on top of her drink.
"Yeah, I think it is." Emma answers.
"Oh...oh man." Ruby starts, looking up at Emma with a huge smug expression. "Your tattoo. It looks just like the tattoo on your wrist."
Emma turns her hand over to look at the ink on her left wrist and then back at her mug.
"Yeah, I gotta go." Ruby says, finishing her latte in a few more big sips and standing.
"You what?" Emma says, looking up at Ruby, there is too much going on right now and she can't focus.
"I need to get home." Ruby says, before adding, much louder than necessary, given that Emma is 3 feet from her. "My fiancee is waiting for me. She always worries about me after these late shifts!"
Emma stares up at her partner who she is convinced seriously needs to lay off the caffeine. Her mouth is hanging open slightly as she watches her friend quickly finish pulling her coat on before winking at Emma and turning and walking quickly out the door.
Emma is left sitting alone in the coffee shop staring at the door that has just closed, bell still jingling softly. She looks over at the brunette behind the counter who is looking down at the countertop, looking like she's desperately trying hard not to laugh. She doesn't look at Emma though so the blonde, shaking her head picks up her mug and takes a sip, closing her eyes.
As she places the mug back down on the table she looks up to see the brunette, in a red button up today, lowering herself into Ruby's vacant seat.
"Hi." Emma says, her green eyes locked on brown.
"Hi." The other woman says, and Emma notices she's holding something in her hand.
Before Emma can think to say anything more the bell over the door rings again and she looks up to see two bundled customers walk in. When she looks back to the opposite chair she sees that it's vacant again as the barista is walking back behind the counter.
Disappointed, Emma looks back at the empty chair and something catches her eye. There is now a napkin directly in front of her on the table with handwriting that she recognizes on it. Picking it up, her stomach flips. In the corner she spots a familiar drawing of a swan and directly in the middle 'Regina' is written followed by a phone number and a small heart.