Coffee wasn't really Eliza's thing, but that never stopped her from making a mean cappuccino.

Business was just starting to slow down after the morning rush when Elizabeta finally got to work that morning. The weather was crap that day, which may or may not have explained the beanie that she had hastily pulled over her ruined hair before running outside. She woke up to her apartment ceiling dripping, which she of course had to handle before leaving for her shift. "Handling" it, of course, meant shoving a bucket underneath the drip and hoping it lasted until her lunch break.

Her bus ride to work hadn't gone any better- rain meant people who usually walked to get where they needed to go were riding, so it was crowded and it seemed as though more than one person had skipped showering that morning. Showering and deodorant, in fact.

Eliza ran inside, waving to the one other worker who was making his way to the back to talk to his grandfather, who owned the store. She tossed on her smock and shifted behind the counter, grateful to at least have a few moments to herself before she had to get working. Slow business meant busy work, which she supposed was preferable over the alternative- being yelled at by the usual stuck-up snobs that made up the crowd at a small coffee shop. After her smock was tied and her hair was pulled out of her face, she got around to just that. She grabbed the cloth soaking in the sink and got to wiping down the tables.

On her third table, she heard the tell-tale clinking that meant the door had been open by another customer. There was a familiar scuffle of boots, which meant it was still raining, and some sort of grumbling which reaffirmed it. Eliza turned around with a hopefully-honest looking smile on her face to greet the customer.

"Good morning! Lovely weather we're having, hm?"

The man was still removing his scarf, and finished that before bothering with responding. "I can't say I mind it too much. Rather preferable over the snow, I suppose."

She hopped behind the counter and went to switch the coffee machine back on. "What can I get you today?"

The man- who had one stray curl sticking out of his head that she had a feeling wasn't from the rain or humidity- furrowed up his eyebrow and stared up at the menu. "I… I guess I'll just have a 5 shot venti, 2/5th decaf, ristretto shot, 1 pump Vanilla, 1 pump Hazelnut, breve. Please and thank you." He went to dig through his wallet.

Eliza just watched him for a moment, before snorting and going to grab a cup. "That's all? Alright. Name?"

The man pulled his money out and laid it on the counter. "Roderich. Do you need that spelled?"

She snorted again and scribbled down the name. "No, but I do thank you for the vote of confidence. I did, in fact, graduate from high school, despite the menial job and minimum wage." It was at that moment she could hear her boss at the back of the shop.

"Eliza! Watch the tongue!"

She snorted at her stuffy, old Italian manager, but thankfully, the customer- Roderich- took no offence. In fact, he looked rather amused. "Well, I'm glad to hear that. My congratulations on passing high school. They don't let just anyone do that." He was scrolling through his phone, a small but definitely amused smile tugging at the corner of his lips.

A little, sardonic smile made its way onto her lips when she noticed. The moves she made next were slow and deliberate, almost mechanical. She was set on taking her sweet time while she made up his double shot of what the fuck ever. This guy was putting her in some sort of mood, and she wanted it to last, because she rarely got to have fun at this job, despite what most people probably thought. And besides, it wasn't often that she met someone with the same sandpaper-dry sense of humor that she had.

She attempted to make a rain cloud on top out of the foam that formed, but her art skills were sub-par, so she gave up on that quickly enough. Sneaking a peek over her shoulder, she set the drink aside and made a tall cup of black drip, laying the whip cream on top nice and heavy. That was good enough, right?

She turned back around with the same sardonic smile on her face, shuffling over to hand him his drink. "One 5 shot venti, 2/5th decaf, ristretto shot, 1 pump Vanilla, 1 pump Hazelnut, breve, for…" She squinted at the name she had scribbled moments before. "For…Broderich?"

He just gave her a dry look. "Excuse me?"

"You're excused. Broderich? Like the actor? Are you related to him? You look like you could be related to him. Nice cheek bones."

He didn't reply immediately, but rather turned a light shade of pink, which she found oddly satisfactory. But then he shook his head, and it might as well have been her imagination. "No, Roderich. Not at all like the actor." He sniffed, nose high in the air. "And I thought you said you had graduated from high school. I see that prestige was too much for you to attain."

Maybe she should have been offended, but she just snickered. He absolutely looked like the sort of person who used the word "prestige" in everyday conversation. She'd have her revenge as soon as he-

He took a sip, and the noise he made after that would have made it absolutely worth it even if she lost her job. He pulled away and made an over-dramatic gagging gesture. "Crude!"

She cackled and pulled his actual drink from under the counter. "Alright, I suppoooose that one's on the house." He sniffed once more, but she could tell he hadn't taken it too seriously. Which was probably for the best- she couldn't stand people who took things like that too seriously. There was a time and place for everything.

Roderich grabbed his drink and patted his mouth with a napkin, looking very- well, prestigious. She rang out his actual order, handing him the change and giving him a real smile. "Well, I hope you enjoy your venti-decaf whatever. And this weather- of course, I hope you enjoy that, too." She gave him a warm smile, tucking a stray piece of hair behind her ear.

She waited for him to turn and leave back out into the rain. Instead, he nodded, dropped a folded up bill into the tip jar, and gave her a look that she couldn't quite read. She raised an eyebrow, face turning pink at the attention.

"Would you like to go out for a coffee when you go on your break?"

She couldn't help it- she knew it was a serious question, but she busted out laughing. Go out? For a coffee? "Now why would I want to go out for a coffee when I can sit here and get paid to drink one?"

It took him a moment, but she could see the realization hit his face, particularly as a blush that creeped his way from his neck up to his cheeks. The proper young man rubbed at the back of his neck.

"Alright, that was a stupid question. I'll concede to that."

Eliza gave him a much warmer, much more sincere smile this time around. "Tell you what. I have something to do on my break, but I'm free at 4. How does that work for you?" She leaned her hip against the counter and crossed her arms over her chest.

Roderich nodded and smiled in return, looking all the more real and heartfelt. "That works perfectly for me." He copied her position and leaned against the opposite side of the counter. "So I'll meet you here around,say, 4:15?" He fixed his glasses, then wiggled his nose.

Her smile turned into a grin. "4:15. Sounds like a plan."

The young man nodded one last time, gave a small wave, then checked his watch and was out the door. Elizabeta watched him until his back disappeared beyond the next shop, before slipping back out from behind the counter to get back to wiping down the tables.

Despite the crappy start, her morning really wasn't turning out so badly after all.

A/N: Hello all! In case no one noticed, this is my first story in a loooong time, and my first AusHun. In fact, my first het story, as wow it is so short. A friend was writing me some PruCan stuff, so I asked her if she wanted anything in return. And here it is. Hopefully this gets me back into doing some writing, though it'll probably just be one-shots. Who knows, though- I don't like saying stuff like that because the opposite usually ends up happening. Either way, keep your eyes out! I might even write a follow-up for this little one-shot. And if you wouldn't mind, leave some feedback! I'm honestly curious on how this turned out, especially pacing-wise. I'd like to think this is the sort of relationship the two have- very witty and dry, but they're equals at the end of the day.
That's enough ranting. Ya'll have a good night! And wish me luck with my midterm tomorrow.