The first of god-knows-how-many in a series of AU drabbles centering around Auron and Rikku. It was mostly written because this fandom is just filled with so much angst and oh god I can't cope. Enjoy your fluff, and please be aware that the rating for this fic will likely go up eventually. This fic is also available on my ao3 and tumblr accounts as well. Enjoy!

Rikku adjusts her messenger bag over her shoulder. She's used to the feel of the heavy books weighing down on her, but coupling that with the six block walk from campus to the tiny cafe where she picks up shifts after classes was really starting to kick her ass.

"I'm so out of shape," Rikku whines to no one in particular. She's running late again (because when is she not?) and there hadn't been time to stop off at her dorm to unload her bag before work. She half considers just dumping the heavy textbooks out and calling it a day, but the ridiculous amount of gil she'd had to spend on them-even second hand- holds her back.

The sun beats down the back of her neck as she walks. She reaches back and brushes away tiny pinpricks of sweat, moving her mass of unruly blonde hair to the side to air off her skin. I'm nearly there, Rikku tells herself. Just one more block. She imagines sitting in the back of the house, plopped down in the freezer where they kept the pastry dough and fruit fresh. Out of the sun, out of the heat, and certainly not weighed down by ten pounds and six hundred gil's worth of Fundamentals of Engineering Thermodynamics.

Pushing open the door to Bean and Gone Cafe, Rikku steps inside and waves to her cousin, who's just finished ringing up a customer. Yuna offers Rikku a smile as she approaches.

The cafe is small but well kept, brightly lit with a quiet atmosphere. The walls are painted a soft creamy yellow and bear pictures of the city hanging in colorful frames. There's a wide counter and bakery display against the far wall, which is where Yuna is currently situated.

"Salvation!" Rikku moans as she feels the cool breeze of the air conditioner sweep over her.

Yuna's smile widens when Rikku slumps behind the counter and drops her bag with an unceremonious thump. "You could always get a bike," she offers.

"But bikes are no fun," Rikku immediately shoots back. She glances at the clock above their work station, and is beyond relieved to see that she has a whole five minutes before her shift starts. She settles down on the floor beside her bag, out of sight from any of the shop's patrons, and lets herself relax.

Yuna brings her hand up to her mouth to stifle a laugh. "What's wrong with bikes? I have a bike."

"They don't make any noise, for one. And you can only go as fast as you can move your legs, which is totally not cool." Rikku's eyes are trained on the clock as she speaks. She watches each tick of the second hand with rapt attention. Two minutes now.

Yuna rolls her eyes. She nudges the blonde with one foot, and Rikku lets out a squeal. "Go on and get up. Table three needs a refill."

Rikku groans but reluctantly clambers to her feet. "Alright, alright." She brushes off the backs of her shorts and grabs a mostly full coffee pot off the counter. Table three is on the other side of the room, a little corner table next to a window. There's only one person sitting there, a solitary looking man currently typing away on his laptop. He's a regular, she thinks, but doesn't know much about him other than that. The man's cup is placed near the edge of the table and Rikku can see that it's empty.

"You're not drinking decaf, are you?" Rikku asks as she approaches, holding up the coffee pot. The man barely glances at her before returning to his typing.

"No," he says shortly.

"Oh great," Rikku chirps. She doesn't appear daunted by the man's unsociable nature and pours a steady stream of coffee into his mug. He nods towards the waitress and offers her his quiet thanks.

He doesn't say anything else. Rikku sets the pot down and regards him curiously. "What's your name?"

He raises an eyebrow at her, staring sardonically from behind his glasses. Who wears sunglasses indoors? Rikku can't help but wonder. She crosses her arms and gives him her best return-eyebrow-raise, and the man eventually responds, apparently at a loss.

"Auron."

Rikku grins. She sweeps the coffee pot up off the table and gives him a cheeky smile. "See now, that wasn't so hard. I'm Rikku!"

The man grunts noncommittally. He's lost all interest in their conversation at this point, and has gone back to quietly typing. Rikku frowns, itching to hop closer and force him to look at her, maybe bonk him on the head a little, but management has been over this before with her (multiple times, in fact) and apparently bonking customers on the head is a strict no-no.

Which is extremely unfortunate, because some of them desperately deserve it.

She thinks that if only she weren't at work she'd give him a big piece of her mind. Because she was just trying to make conversation, who did he think he was anyway, and it's not like it'd kill him to smile.

"This isn't over," Rikku grumbles after she's back behind the front counter. She sets the coffee pot back down perhaps just a tad too hard, making its contents nearly slosh out even with the lid.

Not by a long shot.