The Prince And The Rose

22 - 6 am Sharp Sneak Peek

Natasha forced a smile, handing the grumpy customer his triple shot latte. "Have a nice day!" she said, purposefully making her voice a bit too chirpy and sweet. The man growled something rude, flipped her the bird, and took his drink.

She hated these early morning customers, with their miserably tired voices and perpetual scowls. As much as she enjoyed her job, it never quite made up for the rudeness some of these people displayed.

"What did that cup ever do to you?" Clint gestured to her hand. She realized she'd been clenching her hand around an empty coffee cup, and with a sigh she threw it away.

"Sorry."

"Don't apologize to me," her partner snorted. "Apologize to the line you're holding up."

"Shit!" Natasha grimaced and elbowed Clint, moving past him to take the next order. "Sorry about that."

The customer next in line was a scrawny guy with floppy blond hair and the kindest blue eyes she'd ever seen. He looked about her height, but he wasn't standing up straight; there was a curve to his spine that suggested scoliosis. "No problem," he said, smiling. He had a Brooklyn accent and a voice was disproportionately deep and resonant for his size. At least he was in a good mood. "Tall coffee, black, extra shot of caffeine."

She laughed. "You sure about that?" The size he was, that much caffeine would probably make him vibrate with excess energy all day. She entered his order in the machine anyway.

"Yep." He handed her a five dollar bill to pay, and she expertly rang up the purchase and counted out his change.

"And what's the name to go with this order?"

The guy grinned, starting to walk away from the counter. "Steve."

Natasha told Clint Steve's order and kept working.

She was surprised to realize, about an hour later when the morning rush slowed slightly, that Steve was still there, seated at a high table by the window with what looked like a sketchbook in front of him, his lips pursed thoughtfully. He'd probably finished his extra-caffeinated coffee a while ago, but he hadn't gotten up to throw away the cup. She wondered, absentmindedly, what he was drawing, but then Clint started making kissing noises in her ear and she had to turn around to smack him.

It was another half hour or so (a busy one for the coffee shop) before Natasha noticed Steve hopping off his chair, throwing away his empty cup, and making his way outside with his sketchbook in hand.

She told herself she wasn't disappointed; Steve was just a customer who happened to be nice at six in the morning and she didn't need to keep being curious about what he needed all that caffeine for and what he was drawing.

Never mind that the guy was actually pretty cute and had a smile to put the sun to shame.

As the weeks passed, however, little Steve with his extra shot of caffeine and sketchbook slipped her mind, and she worked the café much as she always did.

The coffee shop was Clint's personal business. It had been nothing but a small place on a forgotten street corner before his big break. Then, one ordinary Tuesday, Tony Stark had visited and liked the coffee and food so much that he bought him a new building and started sponsoring him. He wasn't going to turn up his nose at an offer like that when he was barely making a living with the place before, and now he owned the most popular coffee place in New York besides chain places like Starbucks. Tony still visited at least once a week to buy a breakfast sandwich and a caramel frappuccino, which was good for business and a lot of fun.

"Good morning, Natasha!" Tony liked to announce his presence as dramatically as possible; this Monday that meant that he strode through the door, whipped off his sunglasses, and tossed them across the room. A college student pulled her headphones out of her ears and sheepishly retrieved the glasses from the floor, obviously unsure what to do with them.