AN: got a request on Tumblr to write the start of a K AU where Shiro was a barista, and this was the result. Tempted to make a full story but for now this is all I've got.

One of his favorite things about the job was people's orders. You could tell a good deal about a person from the way they drank their coffee. And perhaps a little more shamelessly, a number of attractive young men came in on a daily basis, and Isana Yashiro was not one to look a gift horse in the mouth.

Recently, they'd gained a new regular that he was particularly fond of, for a number of very legitimate reasons. The primary of which being that said customer had saved his life a few days back, but that in and of itself wasn't the only thing spectacular about him.

Any Tom, Dick, or Harry could go about pulling people out of the way of oncoming traffic and look like a cool, suave adult while doing so. And Yatogami Kuroh had done just that, with his dark hair and seemingly stoic aura. Yashiro wasn't going to lie and say he hadn't gone completely red in the face when he'd been walking and then suddenly found himself pressed close to the other man's well-toned chest.

But he had soon learned that there was so much more to love about Kuroh when he had followed Yashiro to work, insisting on making sure he made it there safely. (You know, aside from the fact that he was gentleman enough to even offer such a service to a stranger, as well.)

See, the thing he loved most about Kuroh was the way he drank his coffee. Every day, without fail, he would order the same black coffee, as if trying to prove to the world, most of all himself, that he was the suave, cool adult that he seemed at first glance. And every day, without fail, he would take a very tentative sip of the coffee, and recoil, clearly still not used to the bitterness of the brew. Then, he'd look at the cup sadly, as if thinking to himself, "I guess not today, either," and get up, and grab a packet or two of sweetener to mix into the drink. On one occasion he'd even gotten creamer.

The way Kuroh took his coffee spoke volumes about the man he wanted to be, and the child he still was deep down inside. And, quite frankly, Shiro thought it was adorable. And, really, Kuroh might have had certain assets that were a kind sight for sore eyes. Shiro couldn't exactly be blamed for the subtle, but frequent, appreciative glances downward when his saviors back was turned, thank you very much.