CAUTION: CONTENTS HOT

"So, what name did she put this time?"

Ren turned the paper cup in his hand to show his manager the name written along the side in bold, black marker.

"Ryan," he said with a grin.

"Why do you continue to let her do that to you?" the other man asked in disbelief.

"Because I think it's terribly amusing," he admitted, still smiling.

"She has to know who you are. Everyone in this city does. Hell, most people in this country do," the elder of the pair said in frustration. "She's absolutely doing it on purpose."

"Oh, I've no doubt about that," Ren chuckled. "But, you have to admit it's a little funny."

"The weird crush you seem to have on her is funnier, in my opinion," Yashiro snorted.

"It's not a crush," the actor objected, seemingly offended. "I merely find it interesting that she doesn't fawn all over me like everyone else does just because I'm a celebrity."

"If you say so," his manager shrugged.

"I've never even spoken to her beyond a word of thanks," Ren defended further. "I know nothing about her."

"Yet you still frequent that cafe for no reason other than the fact that she writes the wrong name on your cup and, more often than not, gives you something other than what you actually ordered. What did you even get this time?"

Ren took a careful sip through the lid. His lips smacked a couple times and his brow wrinkled in concentration.

"Caramel macchiato, I think," he said eventually.

"But you ordered an Americano with no cream or sugar, didn't you?"

"I always do," Ren stated.

"You're hopeless," Yashiro shook his head at the younger man. "Maybe, next time, you'll try asking for her number instead of a drink you'll eventually end up throwing away."

"I don't get it, Kanae, how has he not complained yet?" Kyoko asked her co-worker, her head resting in her hands as she leaned on the counter staring out through the cafe's large window.

"Who? About what?" the other woman looked over from the register.

She pointed out the window to where the tall actor stood on the sidewalk talking to his manager before the two of them walked off.

"Him, I gave him the wrong order again. I even wrote 'Ryan' on the cup," she explained.

"Wait," Kanae said, realizing what was going on. "You've been doing this on purpose?"

"Well, the first time wasn't," Kyoko admitted. "But he never said anything about it so I figured I'd see how many times I could get away with it before he complained."

"Why are you even doing that?!" Kanae groaned in disbelief.

"Everyone always goes on and on how polite and gentlemanly he is," Kyoko said, tilting her head to one side as she continued to eye the space the actor recently vacated. "I guess I was curious as to whether or not it was actually true."

Kanae raised an eyebrow, "Isn't this going a little beyond curiosity at this point?"

The young woman shrugged, but said nothing further. Kanae sighed and walked over to her, bending forward to place her head beside Kyoko's. Her mouth stretched into a mischievous smirk.

"You like him, don't you?" she said directly into her ear.

Kyoko jumped up from the counter, nearly knocking her head into Kanae's in the process. She stared defiantly at her co-worker who now looked triumphantly at her with her arms crossed. For added effect, she haughtily tossed her long, black hair over her shoulder.

"I do not," Kyoko denied vehemently.

"Sure," Kanae drawled. "You're only doing the adult equivalent of pulling his pigtails and calling him names in the schoolyard because you're 'curious,' right?"

"I'm not pulling anyone's pigtails!" Kyoko squealed loudly before realizing the customers were all staring at her and switched to a harsh whisper. "Why are you insinuating that I have a crush on him?!"

"For the love of-" Kanae sighed in exasperation. "He's an actor, Kyoko. A very attractive and successful one at that. No one would think less of you for it."

Ren looked at the cup that was placed on the counter for him. The name "Reina" was hastily written on the side in the customary black marker. He eyed the woman who stood on the other side of the counter that was purposely trying to look everywhere but directly at him. He smiled, feeling emboldened by her obvious discomfort at him not swiftly walking away as he usually did.

"You know," he began. "My manager thinks you're doing this on purpose."

He pointed to the name on the cup and watched as her eyes slowly slid in his direction, her mouth dropping open in shock. She promptly closed it, the corners turning downward in a skeptical frown.

"And what if I am?" she asked with thinly veiled irritation.

"I didn't think you'd openly admit it," he was momentarily taken aback, but recovered quickly. "At least let me live in the fantasy that you're just adorably clumsy. Don't kill the magic for me, Kyoko."

"Wh-how do you know my name?" Kyoko asked, turning pink at his 'adorable' comment.

He bemusedly pointed to the nametag on her apron and she looked down at it with a groan.

"What strange concoction did you make for me this time?" Ren brought the cup to his lips to sample the contents. "Tastes like a mocha latte with… vanilla?"

"Coconut," she corrected automatically, then snapped her mouth shut in embarrassment.

"Not bad," he took another sip. "Well, thanks for another interesting flavor adventure. I'll see you tomorrow, Kyoko!"

He gave her a friendly wave before sauntering out of the cafe to meet up with his manager who stood outside talking on his phone. Kyoko didn't realize she had forgotten to breathe until the two men walked out of sight. She also didn't realize that Kanae was standing next to her with the widest, most wicked grin she'd ever seen.

"What?" she asked, having finally caught her breath.

"He was flirting with you," Kanae continued to grin like a Cheshire cat.

"No he wasn't," Kyoko challenged. "He's just teasing me because he thinks he's found me out."

"Does that mean you're finally going to stop now?"

Kyoko's mouth widened into a smile matching that of her co-worker, "Not a chance."

"What do you have for me today, Kyoko?" Ren asked cheerily, eyeing the 'Remi' written on his cup.

"You'll just have to try it and find out," her lips quirked up on one side. "I guarantee it'll be like nothing you've ever had before."

"I'm not going to lie. You're beginning to scare me."

"Is that all it takes to scare you?" Kyoko teased. "I'm not even trying that hard."

He slowly raised the cup to his mouth, watching it warily the entire time. After taking a tiny sip, he tapped a finger against his chin in thought.

"How did you get it to taste like banana bread?"

"Trade secret," she said in a stage whisper, cupping one hand to the side of her mouth. "I'd tell you but, then I'd have to kill you. I don't think your fangirls would appreciate that very much."

Kyoko poked her chin out towards the small cluster of young girls who gathered just inside the front door, trying to take selfies with the actor in the background. He looked over at them and flashed a polite smile before turning back to the snarky barista.

"Another job well done, as usual," he raised the cup towards her in salute. "Same time tomorrow?"

"My work schedule says I don't have any other choice," she let out a feigned sigh of inconvenience. "I guess I'll see you then."

A week went by and they continued in the same fashion with one another, trading banter back and forth over her increasingly elaborate flavored drinks. Monday rolled around and Ren was back in the cafe at his usual time. By this point, he had stopped ordering anything altogether and just paid the price for a regular coffee and stuffed a number of extra bills in the tip jar. After exchanging pleasantries with Kanae, he stepped aside to wait patiently at the pick-up counter for his drink.

"We haven't gotten our latest shipment of flavor syrups," Kyoko apologized, handing him a cup on which she had written the name 'Royce.' "You'll have to make do with a perennial favorite."

"You know I'm going to at least try it," he reminded her with a smile.

When he tasted it, he was instantly taken back to his childhood and memories of his father handing him a steaming mug on a cold winter's night. It was hot chocolate. Not just any hot chocolate, however. This was the perfect harmony of chocolate and milk and... was that cinnamon? It was neither too hot nor too cold. Ren looked Kyoko dead in the eye as he drained every last drop from the cup in an instant.

Not breaking eye contact, he reached over and plucked the marker from where she still held it lightly in her hand. He pulled the cap from it with his teeth and began to scratch out the name on the side of the cup. Then, he began to write. Once he was finished, he replaced the cap on the marker and set it down on the counter beside the cup. With a wink and a smile, he left the cafe and a stunned Kyoko behind.

Once she recovered, she picked up the cup and marker-placing the latter in the pocket of her apron-to see what he wrote. He had crossed out the wrong name on the cup, replacing it with his own along with his phone number. She was about to scoff at his impertinence when she almost missed the message he included at the bottom.

This Saturday at 8pm? Call for details.

The cup clattered against the counter after it slipped from her fingers. Kanae, who'd been watching the entire exchange, picked it up to have a look. An amused snort escaped her nose at what she found.

"It's about damn time."

-END-

CHALLENGE ACCEPTED: So, I was challenged to write a coffee shop AU and was told that there was no way Ren would ever drink hot chocolate (I'm looking at you, Daamile). Well, I did it anyway (because I could and no one can tell me what to do) and aren't we all just a little richer from this experience? I know I am!

AUTHOR OUT