Iron-Hawk Short Stories

Did It Hurt? (Coffee Shop AU)

AN: Just your basic coffee shop AU?

"I'll consider it later." Tony Stark stated as he kept his mobile device pressed against his ear. He heard the muttering of his agent on the other end.

"Mr Stark, I need a decision no-" Stark hung up the phone and sighed. He just wanted one day where he could do what he wanted, was that too much to ask? He shoved his phone in his pocket and continued to walk down the busy streets of New York. He took in a deep breath and glanced up briefly at the store signs.

There was a café just down the street; he could use the coffee. He briskly walked and opened the door to the coffee shop. A bell jingled and a barista turned their head to greet their new customer. The café itself was small and was not very busy but the smell of coffee was overwhelmingly amazing.

Stark walked up to the counter and pulled out his card out of his wallet. A blonde barista greeted him.

"What can I get for you?" The blonde asked as he tapped against the benchtop table.

"Just a medium iced americano to go." Stark ordered and watched as the blonde slid the credit card reader over to the man. Stark pressed his card against the scanner and watched as it blinked with approval. The barista smiled at him and picked up a plastic cup and a marker.

"Could I get your name for the order?"

"Tony." The brunette watched as the barista scribbled the name down. Stark walked away from the counter and went to sit on a nearby chair. He pulled out his phone and checked his emails as he waited patiently. Minutes later the barista called out his name and he went to the counter to pick it up. "Sorry for the wait, but here you go."

Stark just smiled and took his drink and straw before he left the café. He took a glance of the plastic cup and saw his name scribbled in cursive. Then he saw the small heart drawn to his name, he blinked and wonder what that meant.

He quickly shrugged it off and decided that it must have just been the mannerisms of the barista. He poked his straw in and took a sip of the blend. He couldn't help but appreciate the taste, there was a slight sweetness in the espresso that complimented the drink. Frankly, he was surprised that he's never heard of the café before.

[5 DAYS LATER]

Stark decided to return to the café once again to complete unfinished work that he had pushed back. He clung onto his laptop as he walked into the store. The familiar bell rung again and brought attention to him as he walked in. He walked towards the counter and surprisingly the same barista served him. He wondered if the blonde came in every day.

He opted to order something different today. "Hey, could I get an iced latte macchiato?"

"Sure." The blonde smiled at him as he picked up a plastic cup and marker routinely. "Tony...right?" Stark blinked, shocked that the barista remembered his name.

"Y-yeah, surprised you remember." Stark pulled out his card once again. The blonde laughed as he wrote the name down on the cup.

"We don't get too many customers since we're pretty small. The ones that come in are regulars." The blonde explained as he set the cup down. Tony pressed his card against the reader and watched as it approved the payment. "Are you going to be coming in often?"

"Depends." Stark said, the barista raised his eyebrow.

"Oh yeah? On what?"

"How busy I get." Stark regarded, the blonde nodded as if he accepted the reasoning. He turned and started on the drink. "Do you work here every day?"