Hello all! I originally posted the first chapter (this chapter) to my tumblr (mashfords) and planned on posting subsequent chapters there as well, but then I remembered that I had this account and decided to move it here for better readability. So tada! Welcome to Kisses and Cappuccinos 2.0! This is a Stiles/Malia Alternate Universe fic - everyone is human and they've already graduated college. Malia and Kira are roommates.

Disclaimer: I did not come up with the idea for this story. I found a prompt in the "stalia shippers club" tag (credit to hailmaliahale!) that was just too cute to ignore and this is what happened.

Okay, now that that's all out of the way, here we go! Enjoy :)

Chapter One: First Day

She moved as quickly and efficiently as she could in the cramped space behind the counter, trying not to bump into her coworkers or spill hot coffee down her front as she served up order after order. She was genuinely surprised at how well she was doing, especially since it was only her first day.

"Hey Malia, how're you holding up?" called Kira, her best friend and fellow barista, from where she was expertly spraying whipped cream on top of the frappuccino she had just finished making. "It sucks that you're getting slammed like this already."

"Yeah, no, it's fine. It's better to just jump in with both feet, right?" Malia replied, pulling the permanent marker from its home behind her ear and scribbling the next customer's name and order onto a cup. "Besides, I asked to start as soon as possible. The faster I can work on paying off my student loans, the better."

Kira nodded, laughing, "Amen."

Malia smiled, taking a moment to forget about all of the stress that her day - and life, really - were packing on. She took a deep breath, taking in the scent of freshly ground coffee and baked goods, observing the patrons sitting in armchairs and at small tables, doing work or talking amongst themselves. Working at a coffee shop hadn't exactly been her dream just-out-of-college job, but she hadn't really had a choice.

She'd only been able to hold out for a few months before her roommate - Kira - had forced her to get off her ass and apply at Greenberg's. It was far from The Dream, but it was still something.

The brunette sighed, in the middle of replenishing the coffee beans in the machine when she noticed something in the corner of her eye. Turning, she saw someone pushing their way frantically to the front of the line - a cop, brandishing his badge as if that was justification for his actions.

She and Kira exchanged a look.

One of the younger baristas, a college junior named Liam, was at the register to greet him, and by the tone of his voice, she could tell that he was just as bewildered as the others were.

"Did you seriously just cut in front of all those people like that?" He demanded, incredulous.

The cop seemed slightly taken aback. Whether it was at the question or his tone, Malia couldn't have been sure. "Well, yeah, but look - I'm kind of running late, really late, and need -"

"Don't you think there are a dozen other people in here who are in the same position as you right now?" Liam shot back. "It's almost seven in the morning. What makes you so special?" He was heated, and totally out of line.

But then again, he supposedly had a history of anger issues so it was to be expected.

Before Malia knew what was happening, Kira's hands were on her arms, steering her towards the register in an attempt to diffuse the situation. She didn't have time to protest. "Take over before he gets himself arrested," she hissed. Malia opened her mouth to respond, but Kira just flashed a pleasant but nervous smile to the cop, leaving her standing there awkwardly.

Malia cleared her throat, leaning towards Liam. "Uh, Liam, I think Kira needs your help with something…" she whispered pointedly, hoping he'd leave without a fight.

He muttered something that sounded suspiciously like 'asshole', and shuffled off to find another task to do.

"Sorry about that," Malia said to the cop finally, exhaling heavily as she brushed her hair out of her face and looked at him. For a moment she allowed herself to really look; he was only a few inches taller than her, with messy brown hair, broad shoulders, and a lean build that looked good in his police uniform.

She was so caught up in his appearance that she hardly noticed that he was talking to her. "No," he was saying, "he's right. Total dick move, right?"

Her first instinct was to agree with him, but with her bottom lip caught in her teeth, she held her tongue. Kira would probably have a coronary if she heard another inappropriate comment directed towards a customer this morning.

A customer cleared their throat, and she suddenly remembered what she was really standing there for. "Oh my God, I'm sorry. You're still in a hurry. How can I help you?"

He blinked then, and she realized that he had been lost in his thoughts, too. She wondered momentarily what he'd been thinking about. "Right, uh, the coffee I came here for." he pulled out his wallet. "Can I have six of those? House blend. Black."

"Six?" Malia repeated.

"Yeah, I like to have one every two hours just to keep my wits about me while I'm filing paperwork." He smirked, amused, and Malia rolled her eyes, ringing him up. "I was sent by the station."

"BHPD's very own Coffee Boy," she acknowledged, taking his money and handing him his change. "Can I have a name for the order? Or would you prefer Coffee Boy?"

"Stilinski," he replied simply, before moving out of the way so the next customer could order. Smiling, Malia wrote the name down, her eyes lingering on him a moment longer than necessary, before finally giving the next person her full attention.

—

She was out of breath and soaking wet through her coat when she finally ducked into Greenberg's the next day, creating a puddle around her on the floor as she stopped to catch her breath, pushing her hood off her head.

"Hey! I just mopped that," Liam scolded, stopping his wiping down of the counter to glare at her.

Malia muttered an apology, her eyes finding Kira standing a few feet away by a table, chatting up a boy with dark hair and the likeness of an overgrown puppy. Her boyfriend, Scott McCall.

As she was making a beeline for them and shrugging off her coat, Kira finally noticed her. "Oh, there she is. Malia, there's someone I'd like for you to meet."

The brunette's eyebrows furrowed as she came to a stop next to her friend. "But I already know - oh." Her mouth hung open slightly as she stared at the third person in the group. It was the guy from the previous day, the cop that had skipped the line and pissed Liam off.

No wonder they were sitting so far away from the counter.

"Coffee Boy," she murmured on impulse, causing a number of eyebrows to raise questioningly. The cop merely laughed, straightening up in his chair.

"Good, you remember me," he said, grinning. "And while I'm not opposed to the nickname, I prefer to be called Stiles. Stiles Stilinski."

"Malia Tate."

"You two have met?" Scott chimed in, looking confused.

Kira nodded, a small smile on her lips as well. "Mhm. Yesterday. He was causing problems and she handled it like a pro." She winked at Malia.

"I was not causing problems!"

"You cut in front of like a dozen people!"

Malia laughed at their banter, though she couldn't take her eyes off of the guy - Stiles. What kind of name was that anyway? She shook off the thought, suddenly distracted by the way he looked in that uniform again. He was in early today. She noted the empty mug on the table in front of him. "Can I get you a refill?"

"No, no, we'll get it. Sit." Kira insisted, grabbing her boyfriend's arm and dragging him off to get more drinks.

The brunette couldn't help but think about what her friend was doing. It was pretty clear that she wanted them to hit things off - whether it was for Malia's benefit or her own, she still hadn't put a finger on. But Malia draped her coat over the back of the now vacant chair and sat down nonetheless.

She was supposed to be working, but the shop was otherwise empty - slow for a Thursday morning. And besides, it couldn't hurt to talk to him for a few minutes.

"So how long have you been working here?" Stiles asked after a moment of silence.

"Technically two days," she admitted, shrugging. "Kira was the one who put me up to applying. Do you come here often?" It was odd that she'd seen him twice now, but maybe he had been a regular long before she had started working there.

Stiles leaned back in his chair. "Most days, yeah. During the week it's on coffee runs, but sometimes I come to do work, or read, or just check out some of the live shows." He explained. "The coffee's pretty decent, too."

Malia couldn't help but smile as he cracked an amused grin, completely bemused by how comfortable he made her feel even after a few minutes.

She couldn't tell if it was because that was part of his job - to make people feel comfortable, and safe - or because he was genuinely not an asshole, despite what Liam thought.

Maybe he was the reason, deep down, why she had been so quick to take the extra shift this morning - maybe subconsciously she had hoped to see him again. And as fate would have it, here she was. Sitting across from him, still wet from the rain. She didn't know whether she should yell at Kira or hug her.

She'd really have to think about it.

"Hey, Stiles, you ready to go?" Scott had returned with two to-go cups of coffee, Kira at his side. Malia glanced at the big clock on the back wall - it was a quarter to seven.

"Yeah, sorry," he added, looking back at Malia as he stood up and pulled on his jacket. "Duty calls."

Malia fought the urge to roll her eyes, her lips twitching. "Until next time, Coffee Boy."

Stiles shook his head. "You're never going to let that one go, are you?"

"Nope," she told him matter-of-factly, wiggling her fingers in a little wave as he and Scott turned and left the shop, disappearing into the downpour. Malia turned, intending to get to work, only to be stopped by Kira standing in her way.

She was grinning way too big.

"What?"

"You know what."

"Kira, I only just met the guy. It's nothing," Malia shook her head as she walked around her friend, but she couldn't help but second guess herself.

It was nothing. Right?

Kira was on her heels. "Well, he was all for coming to the show tomorrow night when I told him that we were going to be there."

"He likes the shows here," Malia said dismissively.

"He likes you."

Malia felt her cheeks burning as she glanced at Liam, who was standing just outside of earshot. But it was a small coffee shop - he'd probably seen and heard everything anyway. "Can we not do this right now?"

Kira held her hands up in front of herself defensively, surrendering. "Okay, okay, I'm done. Don't bite my head off. I love you."

"I love you, too," she sighed, shaking her head as she tied her apron around her waist and moved to take a customer's order at the register, trying her best not to stress over the fact that she - sort of - had a date. Tomorrow. With some guy she just met (and her best friend and best friend's boyfriend).

This was going to be interesting.