This very short coffee shop AU is offered to you by a prompt given in my writing class. Actually, the version I'll give to the teacher is shorter and the names are those of the actors so hopefully she won't notice it wrote it as a fanfic?

The title comes from the song "People Watching" by Conan Gray.


Obi-Wan had entered the coffee shop not hoping for anything. But alas, inspiration had eluded him for weeks now and when his best friend had recommended the place, there was no reason to refuse. He could still hear him laugh.

"If you don't find any ideas, at least you'll have a good time!"

And Quinlan had subsequently refused to explain himself. So here he was, in a deceptively normal coffee shop, drinking Earl Grey. The blue-eyed waiter had looked at him in disgust and he had deduced that the young man probably lived on black coffee. But he was older, his university days far behind him, and his stomach couldn't handle that kind of bitterness anymore. Besides, he was English. He could allow himself the cliché, he thought while taking another sip. There was nothing wrong with liking tea and watching football – yes, football, not soccer, because whoever had thought that it was a good idea to change a perfectly good name didn't deserve attention.

His friend had told him to come specifically at 10 A.M. on a Friday, but the place was almost completely empty, so Obi-Wan failed to see the point. He fished his phone from his pocket, ready to send Quinlan a bored text, when the young woman came in.

She was very stereotypically pretty: long brown hair tied in an intricate bun, dark eyes enhanced by a flawless make-up and fashionable clothes. She didn't hesitate before sitting in the corner, two tables away from him, and taking out her computer. A regular, then.

Instantly, the sullen waiter who had served him was by her side, leaning on the table.

"Hey, Padmé. Your usual today?"

"Oh, you're fast!" she smiled. "Yes, please."

"I'll bring it right away!"

He laughed in his cup. The young man was so eager to please her that it was both endearing and embarrassing. He had been like that once, he remembered wistfully, long before reaching the canonical age of thirty four. In any case, he was starting to understand what his friend meant. Things were getting interesting.

The waiter came back with a cup and a sugar-covered pastry, setting them in front of the young woman – Padmé.

"Here's your mocha latte. And a little something, don't worry, it's on the house."

Obi-Wan raised an eyebrow, quite certain that there was no deal of this kind advertised anywhere in the coffee shop. The price of infatuation was to offer pastries to your beloved, it seemed.

"Thank you, Anakin, that's so nice of you," she answered as she frowned at her screen. "I'll definitely deserve it when I'm done with this."

"What are you working on?" he asked, sneaking a look over her shoulder, eyes suddenly twinkling. "Do I see calculations?"

"I've had to take a mandatory maths course. Who knows what it has to do with political science… I'm not the best with numbers so I can't let myself fall behind."

"Want some help? I'm majoring in engineering so this is nothing."

"You would? Oh, thank you so much! But will it be fine? You're supposed to be working."

"There's almost no one here, it's alright," Anakin cut her off as he sat next to her, his light brown curls brushing against her ear. "Show me where you're struggling."

It was cute to see them almost touching, to notice how his blue eyes traced her face when she looked at the computer, to witness the way she put her hand on his arm every time she understood something. From the corner of his eyes, Obi-Wan spotted a dark-skinned man appearing behind the register, glowering for no apparent reason. When his eyes fell on the two, he visibly paled.

"ANAKIN!" he hollered. "Come back to work right now, or else!"

The young waiter jumped to his feet before turning to Padmé with an apologetic smile.

"Sorry, you know how he is… But, hum… If you want, we can uh… continue later in the library?"

"Sure! Is tomorrow at two good for you?"

"Yes! No problem-"

"Anakin, I won't repeat myself!"

"See you, tomorrow then!"

She waved in answer and Obi-Wan had to hide his smile in his half-empty cup. It had really been interesting. Now that he thought about it, he could even summon a sliver of idea. He scrambled to take his notebook out as fast as possible, uncapped his pen and began frantically scribbling on a blank page.

'A long time ago, in a galaxy far, far away…'


I. Wrote. Star Wars. Without angst ?