To my lovely reviewers:

InterludeLife, The Zubatman : Thanks!

pureshadow013: Yeaaaah, I wasn't sure if ogling was the best word there. I've actually never paired Gaius and Olivia together, so I wasn't sure how to write it... I can see how it would be really cute though. Now I'm kinda intrigued...

FireEdge: Awwww, thank you! And yeah, I tried to write a different kind of Robin here. Romance shy Robin will definitely make an appearance in the future though! I have such a (very obvious) sweet spot for Stahl. Whenever I try to find fanfiction for him though, it seems like there's never any there... Hence most of my fanfics. Thanks for catching that typo! As soon as my will to write starts to fray, my wriing follows closely after...

Cormag Ravenstaff: Romance cliches are the best. So cheesy and somehow endearing anyways. Also, I totally gotta read your fanfics. It's sitting on my list of stuff next to math homework. AnnaxInigo, huh? I can see it.

Aaaand now, enjoy!

"I'm just a little confused why you're here," Gaius said. "I thought you didn't like coffee."

Robin shrugged. "I guess there's a lot you don't know about me." The first coffee shop encounter was not quite going according to plan. It wasn't going poorly—Gaius's mouth dropping as he entered the shop sent Robin into a flurry of stutters so bad Stahl had to finish taking a customer's order—but it wasn't what Robin wanted. There wasn't any sudden revelation about his feelings or even a protective 'dunno how I feel about you working so closely with another man until all hours of the night.' The whole scenario was entirely underwhelming. "Now, what can I get you?"

"I want…" Gaius trailed off into a sly, eye-narrowing foxy expression. "I want you to tell me what a cappuccino is."

"A-a cappuccino, huh? It's a… coffee drink… with… milk?" Gaius just quirked an eyebrow at her. "Well, I'm not wrong. I think. Did you want to order a cappuccino?"

"Nah. I just wanted to see you squirm." With a grin, Gaius dug out his wallet. "Vanilla latte, extra vanilla." Tossing a glance over his shoulder, Gaius studied the café before turning to Robin with a slightly faded beam. "To go."

Robin glanced to Stahl. He was still washing mugs with his back to her. Pushing Gaius's money back to him, Robin shot him a secretive smile. "Just this once."

"Bubbles…" There was a little, foreign lilt to how he said her name, and combined with Gaius's little smirk that turned her knees to jelly alone, Robin felt as fluttery as a butterfly. "I didn't know you had it in you."

Slinking over to the metal fancy coffee making thing—expresso machine?—Robin bit down on her lip to stop her giddy grin from growing. Flirting. Flirtatious banter. Gaius had deeeefinitely just flirted with her. Like in the books. Maybe this coffee shop really was her big break. Maybe her mistake had been in being the girl who was constantly by his side. Maybe Gaius just needed a little bit of the 'our lives are drifting apart' to recognize his feelings. Maybe—

"Cup?" Placing a recyclable to-go cup in the expresso machine, Stahl gave Robin a pointed stare. "The expresso machine doesn't read your mind, you know."

Stahl popped her fuzzy bubble on the spot. Rolling her eyes, Robin sighed. "Maybe I'm not just telling the expresso machine what I want because that would be boring. And lame… And why are there so many buttons on this thing?" Stahl had showed her the expresso machine. Twice. Anna, their intimidating boss who spent most of her time in the office, even showed her how to use it. The giant metal horror still had far too many unlabeled buttons for Robin to work. It may well have been the sci-fi tech it resembled. Squinting at the machine, Robin almost breathed a little sigh of relief as Stahl caved and punched the correct button for her.

"I'm still not quite sure how you got this job." It wasn't nasty, but Robin wouldn't have faulted Stahl if he was a little frustrated by now. Even the coffee brewers were a foreign concept to Robin. After a week of night shifts and training, all Robin could reliably handle was pumping the syrups and washing the dishes.

"References. Also, nothing quite prepares you for the scrutiny of interviews like calculating the ratio of water soluble particulate matter to fluid while a panel of judges stare at you with their old bug eyes." Stahl granted her a confused frown as he stirred Gaius's latte. "What? Nationally ranked in mathematics. I'm smart. People always think the rom com stuff makes me stupid, but I'm not."

"Just really bad at coffee then," Stahl teased. With a final swirl, he finished his little coffee foam pattern. Stahl's drinks looked beautiful, just like the ones Lissa and Maribelle posted pictures of while they were out, and when he made them, it looked effortless. There was a reason Anna made him her partner. Beyond scheduling issues and being the only two student workers and other boring, logistical things. "Here, but next one I make for him, he's paying. You gotta be careful with that. If Anna catches you, you'll be struck dead on the spot."

Their boss had one rule, and that was money. Just flat-out money. "I told him just this once," Robin said. Fingers wrapped around the warm cup, Robin returned to the counter. "One vanilla latte, extra vanilla."

Gaius's return smile was definitely weird. How, Robin couldn't quite place. It seemed stiffer at the corners or maybe a little tighter around his teeth. Maybe this was the pivotal moment he finally realized his crush on her. Gaius swept the latte from her hands, brushing her fingertips and sending tingles up her arms. "Thanks."

Underwhelming, but Robin was patient. You didn't pine after a guy for about a decade without building some dedication. "I'll be by your house when I get off work to check your math homework," Robin called after him. However, Gaius was already almost out the door. With a little wave, her best friend was gone. Spinning back to behind the counter, Robin found Stahl frowning at her. "What?"

Shaking his head, Stahl sighed. "You need to learn how to make the coffee drinks. By yourself. Anna's going to test you by the end of the month. C'mere, and I'll show you the whole rundown again."

"That's not why you're all gloomy though. You don't like love very much." As Stahl crossed his arms, Robin sauntered over to the expresso machine. Stahl was a splash of tanned skin, bedhead, a penchant for coffee drinks, and by all novel rules, prime romantic hero material. There must have been a girl at some point. Which left… "What was it? The 'starving artist loves the rich girl?' Or maybe you were just the good guy in the love triangle? Or—"

"Or you could take advantage of my generous offer to teach you these coffee drinks again. It's conditional on not prodding into my love life," Stahl said. Burying his hands in his hair, Stahl only mussed it up worse than before. It was definitely a girl. His kicked puppy eyes answered that and made Robin feel a little guilty.

"It's not… I just… Romance gets me excited. Coffee's… kinda dull." The half-hearted complaint didn't stop Stahl from dragging her through each and every coffee procedure anyways. He enjoyed it. Robin could tell from the way his face lit up when he rambled on about the milk to expresso ratio. To her though, it was all gibberish. When the little doorbell finally jingled, Robin nearly jumped for joy.

Sully strode up to the counter with a broad wave at Stahl. Even though she and Sully went to the same school, Robin hadn't actually talked much to the girl. Always with her fellow lacrosse players, Sully didn't hang out with the math team, Gaius, or her brother, and those three things composed Robin's entire social circle. Up close, Sully, with her broad shoulders and built frame, was intimidating.

Robin smiled her sunniest 'how can I help you' smile at the girl on the other side of the counter. "What can I get for you today, ma'am?"

"Just a coffee. Black." With a toothy grin, Sully began to dig out her money. "No need to ma'am me. I've got a face nowhere near pretty enough for ma'am's. I know you right?"

Glancing back to Stahl, Robin's mouth dropped into a little o when the boy smiled at her. "Me? Oh. Uh. Yeah. I'm Robin." Well, this was weird. She had always figured she was coasting through high school more or less unnoticed. "We had… literature together?"

"Yeah! I'm Sully. Remember crazy old…" The doorbell jingled again, and as the blue haired boy from last night, the one who liked Sully, pushed his way into the café, Sully trailed off. Was she about to be a part of Sully and this boy's first meeting? Sully's little blush across her tanned face was already making Robin thrill.

Stahl rested a hand on the counter. "Sorry, but that coffee's been sitting around for a while, so I decided to brew you a fresh pot. If you want to go sit down—"

"You should just wait here." Fixing Stahl with a pointed glare, Robin turned back to Sully. This was her cute meeting, and Robin wasn't going to let anything ruin it. "It won't take too long, right?"

If Sully and Virion could just stand next to each other long enough to make small talk, Robin knew that'd be all they needed to get together. That's how it worked in the books. Stahl watched Robin try to communicate her thought as silently and discretely as possible. With a miniscule shake of his head, Stahl turned to Sully. "At least—"

"It'll be quick." Her voice sounded sharp and overly peppy, but Robin ignored Sully's tiny flinch at her sudden outburst. "You just stand here, and I'll take his order, and then the two of you can wait together."

Stahl granted Sully a warm smile. "Just do whatever makes you comfortable."

"Sometimes stepping out of your comfort zone—"

"I think I'll just sit down. Thanks," Sully said. Backing away from the pair with a distinctly uncertain expression, she began her way towards some of the cafe's rickety furniture.

Great. Good work, Stahl. "I'll bring it out for you," Robin said.

Before Robin could do anymore than fix Stahl with another glare, the blue haired boy was at the register. Up close, he was almost as pretty as a girl. His delicate mouth and long eyelashes were only masculinized by his strong jaw. "Hey! Welcome to the Ylissian Grind. What would you like today, sir?"

"Please, my sweet turtledove, you can call me Virion." Oh. Oh my. Well, she could work with mildly creepy poultry related titles of endearment. "And what name goes with a face as fair as yours?"

"R-Robin." Virion was looking at her, not in an inappropriate way, but with just the right degree of almost leer that Robin was beginning to feel a little warm. "Um… Coffee?"

"Only if you, my sweetest, darling angel, will drink it with me." And her composure just flew out the window.

Before Robin had to formulate a response, Stahl was at her shoulder. She could feel his warmth rather than see him, and the sensation was only more confusing with all of Virion's flattery. "Virion, do you actually want to order?" Stahl asked.

With a little sigh, the boy nodded. "A cappuccino." As he passed his money to Robin, Virion winked. "Now you, dearest—"

"U-um, if you want to sit down, I-I could bring it out to you. Your drink." The words were a stumbling mess, but given that it was the first time Robin had ever been hit on before, she supposed it wasn't too bad all things considered.

"To grace a mere student as humble as me with your presence, goddess, is a boon indeed." While Robin tried to will away the uncomfortable flush in her cheeks, Virion flounced away.

"If you want to avoid him next time, Virion comes in like clockwork right about now," Stahl said. "Anyways, c'mere, and I'll show you how to make a cappuccino again." Watching Stahl fix the cappuccino, Robin sighed. Coffee was just so… How could she focus on coffee when someone's love story could be starting in the café? Robin glanced out to the tables. Virion and Sully were on opposite sides of the café, the only two customers. They were so close and yet so far. "Here." Stahl placed a green mug in her hand. "And here's Sully's coffee. Don't forget to smile." Giving her a second mug, pink, Stahl gently pushed Robin towards the tables.

"Wait. Question. Virion and Sully. They always come in at the same time and order the same drinks?" Robin asked.

Stahl nodded. "I'm sure it's romantic, and you can tell me all about it when you get back. Coffee. Go."

Virion and Sully had to be coming to the Ylissian Grind for each other. Not that the coffee wasn't good, but the same time all the time, that was flat out of at least ten books in her collection and three movies besides. Robin glanced between the two as she walked towards Virion. According to the stories, all these two needed was a little push, and Robin knew just what to do. "Here," she said.

Resting the pink mug on Virion's table, Robin hurried away before Virion could acknowledge her. All the way on the other side of the room, Robin placed the other mug on Sully's table. "And for you." As the girl glanced up from her phone, Robin spun back to the counter.

Before Robin could even round the counter corner, Stahl was flitting at her side. "The mugs. You mixed their drinks. Just… hang on. I'll—"

"You just hang on. I'm doing them a favor." As Stahl frowned, Robin rolled her eyes and pointed out to the coffee shop. "Look. Look at them."

The only two in the café, Virion and Sully had pieced together what had gone 'wrong' while Robin was stopping Stahl from ruining her hard work. Now they stood in the middle of the café, finally talking. "See? Just like the—"

"I'm really not so sure about this." Stahl looked from Robin to Virion and Sully and back again. "If they wanted to be together, then they need to be honest with their feelings first. Pushing people when they aren't ready—"

Robin heard the sharp slap rather than saw it. Spinning from Stahl to the couple, Robin could only watch as Sully stormed away. Virion remained stock still in the middle of the shop, stunned expression plastered across his dainty features. Something had gone horribly wrong.

"Oooooo. That sounded like it stung." Stahl turned away from Virion with a wince and began to rummage through the shelves. "I think we've got plastic bags somewhere. We should fill one with ice for him."

"B-but… that doesn't make any sense," Robin said. "Why did she just slap him? I gave them the perfect mixed up order set-up. That works in nine out of ten movies." Stahl just shook his head with a sigh. "What? It's a fact."

Filling a small baggie with some ice cubes, Stahl zipped it up. "Maybe you should just consider it a lesson in meddling. Next time..."

Stahl trailed off as Sully stomped up to the register. Some combination of anger and embarrassment had turned her face as red as her hair, and it made Sully look even scarier than usual. "I need a to go cup," Sully said. She set her mug down on the table with an unceremonious ceramic clink and tight jaw. "Please."

"Of course," Robin said. While Stahl transferred Sully's coffee, Robin glanced over the girl's shoulder. Virion had slunk back to his seat, hand over his cheek. "Is everything okay?"

"He should be happy I didn't break his pretty nose." Sully's fearsome glare softened, and for a moment, she looked almost remorseful. "Said some weird stuff is all… Then he was looking at me all creepy… A-and then he started rambling about how only someone as grand and glorious as him deserved my number. Then I panicked. But he deserved it." With a little roll of her shoulders, Sully shook her head and grabbed her coffee. "Right. Well… Right. I'm going now."

As soon as Sully closed the door, Stahl whirled to Robin. "Next time you shouldn't just romanticize people's flaws away. Virion's a womanizer. Which you kinda ignored," Stahl said with a scolding frown. "And Sully's really insecure. She probably thought he was making fun of her, and given the way he talks, I can see how she got there."

Robin shrugged. "Well, of course I ignored that. If Virion likes Sully, then he's obviously going to reveal his true, non-womanizing personality her. It doesn't even factor." Stahl pulled a face, an unusual frown that somehow conveyed hesitance, incredulity, and disapproval. Something about her previous statement was wrong. "Unless… Unless this is their cute meeting. It's a hate grows into love story! Sully still seems to li—"

"Nooooo. That's not at all what I'm saying. I'm saying—"

"We can still fix this. Gimme that." Plucking the bag of ice from Stahl's hand, Robin edged around the barista and made her way to Virion.

Stahl scrambled after her, just catching the hem of her uniform shirtsleeve in his fingers. "Robin. Robin, what are you doing? I think we've done more than enough dam—"

"Just go stand behind the counter. I thought you didn't want to get involved," Robin said. It seemed simple enough to her. Stahl clearly didn't know what he was doing in the romance department anyways.

Stahl looked between Robin and the coffee machines with an uncertain half-scowl, half-pout. "Yeah, but this is a bad idea. These are real people's love lives you're messing with, not fictional characters you're writing."

Robin rolled her eyes. "Well, all that romance novel stuff is popular for a reason. People want to live it." Tugging her sleeve gently out of Stahl's grasp, Robin let the boy trail behind her as she approached Virion.

Virion's attempt to fake read his book was abysmal. Not only were his eyes not moving across the page, Virion's fingertips kept returning to stroke his cheek, now the color of a tomato. Robin dropped the bag of ice down on the table, and Virion jerked up. With a sad exhale, the boy swept the ice up to his cheek. "At least an angel such as yourself is here to comfort me after that grand debacle."

Virion really did pile on the womanizing hard. Well, she would make it work. It always worked in the books. "Sully's headstrong, huh?" Ignoring Stahl's warning sleeve tug, Robin sat in the seat across from Virion.

"I think just strong is more like it." Virion adjusted the ice against his cheek with a hiss. At least he looked remorseful. Perhaps Virion was leading man material yet. "But also headstrong, yes. I've never met a flower such as herself so immune to my many charms."

Robin leaned a little closer. "Can you feel yourself falling in lo—"

Stahl slid into her chair, nearly bumping Robin off before she regained her balance. With a quick apologetic grimace, Stahl fixed himself a little further away from her. "I think what my coworker was going to say was that you need to stop doing that." Torn between delight that Stahl was helping her and irritation—because that was not at all what she was going to say—Robin settled for giving Stahl an extra inch on the chair.

Virion fluttered his eyelashes in a very... feminine expression of exasperation. Robin was beginning to see how being around Virion could make her self-conscious. The boy's perfect skin already made her wonder if she needed to invest in moisturizer. "What could I possibly need to fix about my flawless, charming—"

"That. You need to stop doing that." Stahl leaned back in their chair with a sigh. "You can't brag about your many flawless charms or call people flower without making them the teensiest tiniest bit extremely uncomfortable. Sully's shoulders shot right up to her ears as soon as you guys really started talking. Probably at the exact moment you compared her to a graceful swan or something."

Virion pursed his lips. "That's actually one of my most successful—"

"No. No, it's not. Any girl who told you she liked being hit on by being compared to poultry is probably just being polite so you'll get the hell away," Stahl said.

Robin frowned. "But in books—"

"You got all squeamish the second he called you a dove or whatever. Tensed up faster than you could say 'No real person likes the poultry comparisons. Please stop.'" Stahl leaned across the table and frowned at Virion like he was a parent reprimanding a misbehaving child. "So please stop."

Virion shrunk a little in his chair. "Look. Sully liii…" Robin glanced to Stahl, who gave her an approving nod. "Likes you. But maybe the whole… flirtatious stranger steals her caged heart thing isn't what she's looking for. I mean, I love the trope. Sure, it has its issues, but—" Stahl cleared his throat. "But I think Sully would probably like being the one girl you didn't blatantly hit on a lot more. Aaaaaand…?" Stahl was giving her a face. "She woooould?"

"Sully would probably like to talk to you. You know, get to know you and stuff, because that's kinda important, too." Stahl ran a hand through his hair and glanced to Robin with a look so fast she almost missed it. "You could maybe… buy her coffee? Uh, next time? That's a thoughtful, romantic gesture you see in books sometimes, right?"

He was looking for her approval, Robin realized. Stahl was going to trust her judgement, and it made Robin smile. "Yeah. Uh, yeah. We could work something out with you, so that when she comes in we can just send her to your table, and then we'll bring out your drinks, and—Oh! Maybe we could decorate your table? That'd increase the odds of your success by—"

Stahl rose out of their seat, tugging Robin up with him. "Okay, Miss Matchmaker, maaaybe that's enough romantic scheming for one day. Don't want to overwhelm him."

Virion smiled at the pair. "Th-thank you. I never would've dared dream that such generous—Erm, no. Rather, I appreciate… your… help?" Robin gave the man a thumbs up as Stahl pulled her away.

When they were finally out of earshot, Robin let out a giddy squeal. "We did it. Oh, that was great, Stahl. C'mon. C'mon." Robin spun around to the boy and stuck out her fist.

Stahl simply blinked. "I'm sorry. What?"

"Fist bump? Gaius and I used to do them unironically, then ironically, and now unironically again. Who cares if it's a middle school remnant? Celebratory fist bump, go!" Robin grinned so broadly Stahl seemed almost intimidated.

The boy curled his hand into a limp, hesitant fist that Robin almost flattened when she smashed her fist into his. "You're very… happy."

"We were just a part of someone's love story. Of course I'm happy. What if they name their children after us?" That happened in books sometimes. Sure, perhaps that was a little much for high school students, but then Robin also never thought she would be able to participate in a love story other than her own. Maybe it was a day for reaching.

"Oh. Uh, oh my. Projecting for the long term, huh?" Apparently, Stahl missed the post-set up high.

"We should do this again." Stahl's face sunk into a hesitant grimace, and Robin bit back the urge to groan. "What? Why not? I thought we made a great team. I'll handle all the grand romantic gestures, you can be all boring and practical, and between the two of us, we'll hit the perfect blend of actual real-life romance."

"I'm not so sure meddling…"

"It'll be fun. Help get your mind off... things." Like the ex-girlfriend who broke your heart, Robin finished silently. If this were a movie, that motivation would be more than enough. Where was Stahl's willingness to hunt for true love again? Or his dramatic angst?

"Let's just see how Sully and Virion get on tomorrow. Then we can decide." Stahl nodded to the expresso machine. "In the mean time, why don't you show me how to make all the specialty drinks again." Ignoring her pout, Stahl guided Robin to the shiny metal contraption.

It was Friday, Sumia was setting up her microphone, and Robin didn't feel encumbered with a growing sense of dread. Gaius had told he would come to the Ylissian Grind tonight, but even that couldn't damper her mood as Robin spied on Sully and Virion. Everything was going smoothly. At least, Stahl insisted everything was going smoothly. There hadn't been any grand displays of emotion, heartfelt public apologies, or even much in the way of lingering eye contact, but according to him, this was 'normal.' And it was exciting Robin just as much as one of Gaius's smiles. "We probably shouldn't stare," Stahl said, plucking on her uniform sleeve.

"We? Are you staring, too? I thought you disapproved of all the… What was the word you used? Meddling?" Robin asked.

A light pink dusted Stahl's freckled nose. "It's still meddling." Ruffling his hair, Stahl suddenly seemed to find the floor much more interesting than her face. "Just… since we've already meddled and all, we can't really do much more harm now, so…"

With a little smile, Robin spun back to the register only to find Gaius waiting there. "Geez, Bubbles. Neglecting your customers already?" Spinning around to face out into the café, Gaius squinted into the small crowd. "So where's the happy couple sitting? No worries, Stahl. Robin's already told me the whole deal."

"Gaius thinks it's a good idea," Robin said. Actually, he had called it 'interesting' in a dubious tone, but Stahl didn't need to know that. "And they're over there. Cordelia was brilliant. She came in with Sully, and for a second I thought she wouldn't get it, but… Uh, sorry. Coffee?"

"Vanilla latte, extra vanilla." As Robin slowly worked out how to make his drink, Gaius handed Stahl his money. "So… do they give you breaks here? Are you allowed to come sit with me for a bit?"

Robin twirled to Stahl so quickly she nearly splashed Gaius's latte. With so much of her nights gone to work, it felt like ages ago she and Gaius had their last deep chat. After an agonizingly eternal moment, Stahl shrugged. "We're not too crowded. Just be back before the poetry starts, and make sure you look busy if Anna comes out." With a quick beam for the boy, Robin freed herself from her apron and bounced to Gaius's side.

Robin loved hearing Gaius talk, but she was finding it difficult to remain engaged in their conversation. While he was complaining about calculus, she was craning in her seat to catch a glimpse of Sully and Virion. Their fingers were literally inches apart on the table. At this point, the only things keeping her from mashing their hands together were Stahl, who would probably leap across the counter to stop her if need be, and Gaius, who was currently squinting at her. Because she wasn't listening. "Sorry. You were saying?"

"I was griping about polynomials. Scary, serious stuff, Bubbles. You need to come tutor me…" Literally inches. Two. Maybe three tops. Virion's fingers crawled a little closer. "Bubbles? Bubbles? Oi! Nerd!"

"Sorry, sorry, sorry. I just…" Robin gave Gaius a shoulder-rolling shrug thing that probably looked as awkward as Robin felt. "Polynomials suck."

"Right. Good. But yeah, I was thinking you could drop by my place, we could do some math…" It was like living a rom com. Robin could practically feel herself getting nervous as Virion's fingertips brushed Sully's. No slapping at the first contact. Robin breathed a little sigh of relief. "Bubbles?"

"Yeah. Polynomials," Robin said. She was far beyond discrete now. Leaning so far out of her chair that Robin could practically feel the judgement radiating off of Gaius and Stahl, Robin could just glimpse Virion's hand cover Sully's. "Yes!" At her squeal, Gaius's eyebrows flew to his hairline. "I mean… I love math. And I knew that would happen. I knew that. Gaius, I'll… be right back"

Before Gaius could respond, Robin whirled out of her chair. Biting down on her bottom lip, Robin barely contained her widening grin as she bounced up to the counter. Stahl watched her with a little twinkle in his eyes. "So?" she asked. "Has your faith in love been restored?"

"Mmmmm, dunno if I'd go that far…" Stahl presented Robin with a lightly clenched fist and a soft smile. "But perhaps a fist bump is in order."

Smashing her fist into his, Robin leaned across the counter. "Aaaaand?"

"And I could be persuaded to help you again. Maybe. But only if you learn your coffee drinks."

"Like it was ever a maybe." Her uncontrollable, happy giggle awkwardly fell off as Robin spun back to Gaius. He was looking back to the stage now, but there was no denying the flash of ginger as she spun around. Gaius had been staring at her. Things were finally, finally progressing, and she had even picked up an unexpected hobby to bid the time.

Per usual, I love reading your comments/criticisms/suggestions. Pairings are also open!