So, the prompt this was supposed to be based off of was a lot different than what it ended up being… but I like it anyway

Coffee# 1

Maka had always thought huge, big-name coffee chains were pretty ridiculous. Why pay five dollars for a coffee when she could make it herself in her new coffee pot for a fraction of the cost? Perhaps "new" wasn't the right word to describe it, but the man at the yard sale had called it "old but reliable", and when she bought it, his guarantee had been good enough for her…

"Old but reliable" my ass, Maka thought begrudgingly as she walked into the overpriced DeathBucks establishment down the street from her apartment one afternoon after sadly watching the coffee pot make a wheezing noise and begin to spark. Normally, she would just buy coffee from the machine at the university, but the whole reason she had bought the damn garage-sale-coffee pot in the first place was because the machine had been removed.

She waited impatiently in the annoyingly long line up in front of the counter. She was grumpy and tired from attending her early lecture (she had the good fortune of being saddled with all morning classes), and she knew if she didn't get some caffeine in her she just might break down.

"Coffee. Black," Maka said before she'd even stepped right up to the counter. She hadn't bothered hiding the disgust in her voice or covering the scowl on her face, but her bitterness faltered she looked up at the barista. The very unique looking, very hot young man behind the counter raised a pale eyebrow.

"Bad day?" he asked.

Her words tumbled out of her before she could even think. "Well, yes, as a matter of fact. My coffee machine broke, so until I can buy a new one I have to get my coffee from a money guzzling store where the lines are way too long and… Are you the only one back there?" she asked in disbelief, peering around the cappuccino machine. "That's unbelievable! I have work to do!" She hadn't noticed how her volume had steadily been rising until she was all but screeching in the man's face.

"I'm sorry, Pigtails. I know the world normally revolves around you, but as the guy who has to work this shift by himself, I gotta say it's pretty damn uncool to yell at me over things I can't do anything about," he said coldly, his red eyes bearing into her like a drill. Maka gawked at him, severely taken aback. Sure, maybe she shouldn't have directed her anger at him, but he was still being an ass about it.

She slapped down five dollars on the counter, snatched her change from him, and stomped off to wait for her order, cracking open her book for some reading on genetic anomalies. A minute later, the young man's deep voice called out loudly "Pigtails. Your coffee."

Coffee #2

There were fewer people in line next day, but still, only the, white haired, annoyingly gorgeous guy was working.

"Pigtails," he regarded her dryly.

"I could get you fired, you know," she told him bitterly. "Black coffee."

He wrote "Pigtails" on her cup.

Coffee #4

"What are you always reading?" he asked, leaning across the counter.

"Books."

"What kind of books?"

She noticed his name tag for the first time, partially because since that first day, she hadn't let herself look right at him for too long. Soul. Odd name.

"Books for school," she responded.

"What are you studying?" he asked.

Maka looked at him and pursed her lips. "Why are you so interested?" He shrugged. "Shouldn't you be filling orders?" Maka asked him.

"Kilik's got it," he said, gesturing to the other worker behind him. For the first time that she had been at the cafe, there was another person working behind the counter. He had greeted Maka with a good-natured "Hi, may I take your order?", which was a huge leap from Soul calling her Pigtails, and passed the order off to Soul, who was on drink duty. Maybe they realized he's too insociable to work the cash, Maka thought coldly, though she didn't entirely mean it.

Coffee #5

Maka opened her mouth to place her usual order, but Soul had already punched it into the register.

"Normally, I don't trust guys to order for me," Maka said. He smiled. He had sharp teeth, but Maka barely noticed them; she was too busy looking at his eyes. Although his lips were drawn back in an almost crude smirk, his eyes crinkled at the corners and filled with life. She paid, retrieved the steaming hot drink from Kilik, and sat down in her usual spot.

The red chair and small circular table she had claimed as her workspace was right beside a keyboard that sat untouched in the corner of the warm cafe and gave her a clear view of Soul as he moved around behind the counter.

Coffee #8

"Pigtails," he regarded her, nodding his head slightly. All traces of any negativity surrounding the name had vanished.

"Soul," she said, nodding back and fishing her money out of her wallet. Maka hoped she would still be able to afford her daily fix before the next week was over.

"What's your name?" he asked suddenly. She looked up at him, confused, then realized that, thanks to his nickname for her, he'd never bothered to actually learn her name. She contemplated whether or not she should tell him.

"Maka," she said after a beat. He smiled. Maka turned away, hoping he hadn't seen the blush that had risen to her cheeks.

Coffee#13

In addition to her change, Soul handed Maka a red, plastic card with the DeathBucks logo on it and the words "We love our loyal friends" written in gold cursive letters.

"What's this?" she asked, turning the card over in her hands.

"Rewards card. Employees can give them out to frequent customers," Soul responded. He was blushing, and so was Maka, but neither of them noticed the redness on the other's cheeks.

"Thanks, Soul."

"Hey, I work here too!" Liz, the other worker besides Kilik who seemed to share Soul's shift protested. Maka rolled her eyes slightly and thanked her, too.

Coffee #15

Maka was having trouble focusing. Her work load hadn't been too heavy lately, so she felt disinclined to power through it. Not to mention, she found herself constantly being distracted by the way's Soul's fingers drummed methodically on the counter as he took orders. She noticed how he would rake a hand through his hair when he was trying to figure out how to spell a customer's name, and how the scowl that rested on his face dropped for a split second when they made eye contact across the room.

When there was no line up, Maka pushed herself up from her chair and walked over to where Soul was leaning on the counter, looking bored as hell.

"Why do you always work this shift?" Maka asked. He blinked a few times, as if he couldn't fully register the question.

"Cause I'm always available this shift," he shrugged. "Why do you always come here during my shift?"

"Touché," Maka said approvingly.

They talked for a long time, only taking pauses whenever a new customer came in to order something until Maka left to meet Tsu.

Coffee #17

Maka had spoken too soon about having a light workload. Not three days had passed and she had been hit with three upcoming tests and a quiz, all scheduled over the same two days. She was so engulfed in her studying from the moment she sat down, Soul had to actually come out from behind the counter to set her coffee down on her table, causing her to look up at him.

"It was getting cold," he told her, peering at the papers and books that were crammed onto the small table in front of her. She noticed for the first time how tall he was.

"Thanks," she said, smiling gratefully. He shrugged and returned to his post.

Coffee#18

"How'd the first test go?" Soul asked.

"Ok, I think. I'll let you know when we get the marks back," Maka responded, holding out her money to him.

"I'm sure you did well. You were studying like crazy yesterday," he said assuringly. Maka's stomach did a flip-flop at his smiling eyes.

That day, she hung around longer than usual. A lot longer. Soul nearly spilt three different orders because he was so distracted by the adorable way Pigtails frowned when she had to double back and check something in her notes.

When his shift ended, Soul said good-bye to Liz, who had picked up a double shift for that day, and entered to the door marked "EMPLOYEES ONLY" to stow his red apron in his employee-issued-locker and grab his sweater and phone before his second job started up.

Maka was still there when sat down at the piano. He didn't notice her at first, and he was almost thankful for that, because he didn't think he could start playing with those gorgeous green eyes watching him.

When he finished playing his first song, and the music released its hold on him, he noticed her watching him. She had a dreamy, far away look on her face. When she realized he was looking back, she reddened and looked down at her books again. Why did she have to sit so close to the piano? More importantly, why did she have to be so goddamned distracting?

Coffee #19

"You play really well," Maka blurted out. Soul looked up at her, seeming somewhat dazed for a moment, then smiled a little.

"Thanks," he said, sliding her cup across the counter at her.

"Do you play every day?" she asked. She started shaking as she tried to fit the cap so it clicked softly on the lip of the cup.

"No," he said. "Just Monday, Thursday, and Saturday." He must have noticed her fidgety hands. "You okay, Pigtails? You look… kind of nervous," he remarked. She nodded and bit her lip.

"So, you get off at four normally, then?" she asked. He nodded, red eyes looking slightly unsure. Maka took a deep breath.

Just ask him, she thought. Now, do it now. Don't just stand their with your mouth open. Say something!

"Bye!" she squeaked out, then rushed out of the store entirely.

Coffee#20

After three days of avoiding every DeathBucks in the city and building up her courage, Maka walked into her usual cafe and slammed her hands down on the counter, making Soul look up in alarm.

"Uh, hey," he said, eyes wide. "Coffee?" He turned to pour the hot drink into one of the cardboard cups. Maka dropped her money on the counter. As she waited for her drink, hands busying themselves with the ends of her sleeves, she faintly heard Soul humming to himself. He pulled the cap off his sharpie and glanced back at Maka, his cheeks holding a pink tinge, then scribbled something down on the cup. When he turned back around and placed the coffee on the counter, Maka burst.

"Date. Today. You and me." Her words came out harsh and demanding. Her entire face was burning red. Soul stared at her and said nothing. After a few moments of silence, she deflated and stepped back. "Okay. Guess not. Sorry." No matter how hard she tried she couldn't string together a full sentence. "Bye."

She was halfway down the block when she heard a familiar voice calling down the street.

"HEY, MAKA!" she turned around to see Soul jogging after her, a cup in his hand. He reached her, a huge grin on his face, and held out the cup directly in front of her face. "You forgot your coffee." Maka stared at him for a moment, then looked at the cup. Written in thick black Sharpie was the word "Pigtails" with an arrow towards the opposite side of the cup. Hesitantly, Maka took the cup from him and turned it around to read "Date?"

So, this was kinda silly but really fun to write. Let me know what you think!