#you're really gonna hit me with that on a random thursday like okay. great

[party-lemon]

listening to foundations for the first time and hearing the line "he was there the day the towers fell" is a core memory for me

[that-crazy-five-foot-two-chick]

Summary: Winry sat in the optimal place to study in the school cafe for the entire fall semester. Then spring came, and suddenly some self-entitled twit who dressed like off-brand Gerard Way decided it was his territory. He was so not going to get off easy.

Rating: T

Word Count: 1.8k words of coffee shop/college AU with a side of enemies to almost-lovers

A/N: It's finals week, I posted this on Ao3 at almost 5am, and if the rest of the sentence didn't make it obvious, I'm writing from unfortunate experience. Not beta-ed or proofread, although I happened to see one thing to fix when I woke up this morning. Feel my raw power. Rawr.

It wasn't that big a deal.

It kind of really was, though.

Every Thursday morning during the fall semester, Winry sat in the same spot at the same school coffee shop. It was the spot sent by the entire patron pantheon of cram papers. Maybe one person didn't need an entire booth, but it was in the corner, and the tops of the bench seats had opaque plastic barriers that just so happened to be perfect for minimizing excess visual chaos. For the most part, there weren't loud conversations, and the jazz music that came through the speakers helped her tune out people ordering coffee. Add to that the fact that she could use campus flex dollars and not her own bank account that was begging for mercy, and it was the perfect spot to get papers done.

But apparently not this spring.

As soon as Winry walked in, she noticed him in the corner. Some emo wannabe guy on his computer. Probably on Reddit complaining about how women didn't appreciate the amazing pics he sent them on Tinder. Or at least, it was a fair guess based on the sour look on his face. Why did this guy of all people have to steal the holy grail spot? Ugh. She was still gonna get her coffee, darn it.

"You know the deal, Sciezska. Medium roast with a shot of espresso and vanilla creamer."

"On it! You paying in flex?"

"Yeah." She scanned her student ID and lowered her voice. "Who's off-brand Gerard Way in the corner?"

"Who's Ger—"

"The punk kid."

"Ohhh. I can try to get his number for you, if you want."

"No, he looks like a total tool! And not the kind I like dealing with!"

"Which means you think he's hot. I didn't think you were into that type, but you're not wrong."

"For the last time, no, Sciezska! He took my spot! And I'm trying very, very hard to keep this to a stage whisper, but if you keep trying to set me up with some random creep, I won't be able to!"

A distinctly male voice grumbled, "I'm not a creep."

"Keep telling that to the girls on Tinder. I'm sure they'll understand eventually."

"Yeah, and I'll bet if you look at your 'Live, Laugh, Love' sign a little more, you'll understand it eventually." He mumbled something under his breath.

"What was that, Mr. Nice Guy?"

"Lay off, it's eight in the morning. I said the only reason I even have a Tinder account is because my roommate stole my phone while I was going to the bathroom."

"Well, if you didn't want it, why didn't you delete it?"

"Eh, I figured if I really got sick of being single one day, it'd already be there."

"Never would have guessed you were single," Winry said dryly.

"Come on, it's way too early to be rubbing that kind of crap in. Who says I'm not fine with being single anyway?"

Sciezska timidly spoke up. "Medium roast with espresso and vanilla creamer?"

Winry thanked her as red jacket boy continued. "'Edward Elric, Bachelor.' Almost sounds as good as 'Edward Elric, Bachelor of Science.'"

"B.S. degree. Sounds about right."

"About time you stopped acting like I'm an idiot!"

Winry snorted. "That's not what I meant."

"Hey!"

"And with that, I'm going to go find some other spot to write my paper."

Edward, as his name apparently was, scoffed and mumbled something that sounded like "good riddance". Maybe the librarians wouldn't get on her case too much for bringing in coffee.

-----

A week later, Winry walked into the cafe, assuming the circumstances of the previous week were an anomaly. They were not.

"Medium roast with a shot of espresso and vanilla creamer," she grumbled and sulked in the direction of the corner seat.

"Hey, don't start with me again, blondie. I've had a whopping four hours of sleep and I can't promise you'll like what comes out of my mouth."

"We're at a coffee shop. Get some coffee. I can't help it if you're too hung over to be polite."

"Now look, genius. I did not stay up until 4 A.M. working on a stupid chem paper for that sadistic pyromaniac excuse for a professor just for some random chick to accuse me of being hung over."

"Oh."

"Yeah. And for your information, coffee doesn't really help me wake up. It just helps me focus on homework." He lifted up his empty cup and gave it a shake.

"That's the weirdest thing I've ever heard."

"ADHD is a weird thing, and yet, here I am."

"Huh, interesting."

"Now if you'll excuse me, I'm going to pick up where I left off with the same stupid ten page paper I started last night."

"Oh right. Sure," Winry stammered. "Listen, I'm really sorry I just assumed things about you. It was wrong of me, and I'd like to make it up to you, if that's okay."

Edward eyed her suspiciously. "What do you have in mind?"

"Well...I could look over your paper once you're done writing it? I've got a paper of my own to write while I'm waiting, and I can sit right across the table here so you don't have to come get me. I won't try to talk to you or anything. Neither of us need that kind of distraction."

"Alright, alright. Get your coffee and sit down. The girl at the counter's been up there waiting for a good minute or two while you've been at confessional over here."

"Wait, she has?" Winry's eyes widened, and Edward laughed at her expense. He was kind of attractive when he wasn't scowling...wait what? She pouted and got up to retrieve her coffee. When Winry returned, she plopped down on the bench opposite Edward and opened her laptop. Peeking out from behind it, she added, "By the way, I'm Winry. I figured you ought to at least know the name of the person who's proofreading your paper."

"Well, Winry, you're the one who volunteered." The corners of his mouth twitched upward. The two worked on their assignments in silence, occasionally speaking up when necessary.

-----

Edward was in the corner again the next week as well.

"Hey, Edward! Mind if I join you for homework again?"

"Normally, I'd say no, but you didn't bother me too much last week, so you might as well." He turned away slightly.

"Great! Have you gotten your coffee yet? I didn't see a cup, and you got something the last two times."

"Eh, I haven't been here long. If you're going up and getting yours, would you mind ordering a caramel macchiato for me?" He asked, sliding his ID across the table.

"Yeah, no problem. I'll be back in a sec."

She returned and slipped his ID back before pulling out her computer. "Do you have anything for me to look over this time?"

"Not this week. But if you have anything you need looked over, I can do that, too."

"Actually, I do, if you wouldn't mind."

"Winry, I just volunteered. Just send the paper to my school email. Mine's 'elricedwa'," he instructed as he proceeded to spell it.

"Medium roast and a caramel macchiato?" Sciezska called out.

"Coming!" Winry replied and turned to Edward. "I just sent it, so you should be able to start while I'm getting our stuff." Eyes glued to his laptop, Edward gave a thumbs up.

Once she returned with their drinks, Winry sat down and wordlessly set Edward's drink next to him.

"Thanks," he muttered distantly. His lips mirrored the words he was reading. Though his lips weren't plump by any stretch of the imagination, they were shapely. His steely concentration made the air leave Winry's lungs. To top it all off, the first rays of sunlight came through the window just right, hitting Edward's hair in a way that made it positively glow.

What was she thinking? Those were only the sorts of things people thought when they had a crush. She'd only had two positive interactions with him, including this one. ...well, maybe it was a crush. She could certainly do worse than someone with a questionable fashion sense. After all, he worked hard, and he got good grades, if the quality of his writing was any indication. Okay, fine. He was also drop dead gorgeous, if you could see past his clothing choices. Yeah, she had a crush.

"Did you hear anything I just said?"

"...no."

"Figures. I finished reading your paper. It's not bad, I just left a few suggestions for sentence structure. Now I am going to enjoy my caramel macchiato." He took off the lid and breathed in the steam with his eyes closed, nearly drooping into the cup in content. When he opened his eyes slowly, Winry was awestruck by the similarity between the color of his eyes and his drink.

"What?" Edward furrowed his eyebrows.

"Nothing. I didn't say anything. At all. Nope."

"Okay." He shrugged. She reopened the document and went through his suggested edits. Gnawing her lip in concentration, she leaned forward a bit to settle in and tackle the editing.

"...hey, uh, Winry?" Edward gulped. "Are you going to drink your coffee?"

"Oh! Yeah, I almost forgot. Thanks, Edward!" she smiled.

"No–no problem. And you can call me Ed, you know. Most people do. Except for that excuse for a professor that calls me pipsqueak. Can you believe he's my advisor? I mean, come on, I'm a grown man. I'm not that short."

Winry made a poor attempt at containing her laughter. "Okay then, Ed. Prove it. Stand up."

"Fine." He slid out of the booth and stood. Winry followed suit and appraised their respective heights.

"Well, I'd hardly call you tall, but you're at least taller than me by a few inches, for whatever that's worth."

Edward grinned as if he had won some sort of prize. "Time for shorties to sit down now!"

"Watch it now. You're not too far from that label yourself, mister."

They both returned to their positions in the booth and worked steadily for the next hour. At the end of that time, Winry closed her laptop. "Ed, are you okay? You seem distracted."

"ADHD. I'm always distracted," he dismissed.

"No, like, are you sick or something? You did get more than four hours of sleep this time, right?"

"No comment." Ed's mouth twitched. He mumbled barely loud enough to hear, "Wouldn't have mattered anyway."

"Are you sure? If you're not feeling well, I can drive you over to the health center."

"N-no. That's not it." He exhaled, then slid a napkin across the table. His hands trembled slightly. "Anyway, here's my number. In case you need me to look over a paper. Or whatever. I've got a class soon."

Winry blushed, but tucked the napkin in her laptop. "Thanks, Ed. See you next week?"

"Yeah. Next week."

-----

Winry: This goes with your major, right?

Edward: Blocked

[midnightswithdearkatytspb]

Better Than This: Your Song (Sebastian Stan x Musician! Reader)

Pairing: Sebastian Stan x Reader

Rating: PG

Warning(s): Fluff

Word Count: 1222 (Including Lyrics)

Info: This is day 4 of 7 writing drabbles based off of songs that reminded me of my Mum. Bey @coffeebucko and Lily make an appearance!

Synopsis: It’s a pretty rough time of the year for siblings Y/N and Bey, but they have an amazing support system who do everything they can to make them happy. Even if it sometimes includes random musical moments and tap dancing shoes.

Day 4 - Your Song | Elton John

The SoHo café was bustling with people coming and going, enjoying the Thursday sunny weather, before the weekend hit. Fragrances of coffee, teas, baked goods, and fresh fruit clung to the air, as Y/N listened to a story Lizzie told her and Bey. Lizzie’s hands moved in big motion making the smoothie from the bowl the three of them shared go flying in the air, making the group cackle.

“It’s so fluffy, I’m gonna die!” Bey picked their cellphone up and looked at the screen, then smiled fondly. Lizzie looked at Y/N eyebrow raised, Y/N just smirked and took a sip of her coffee. Seeing her sibling so happy meant so much, especially after how life had treated Bey in the past few years, seeing them happy was great.

“Rue, would it be okay if I went and hung out with Lily? We can finish getting the rest of my back to school clothing.” looking hopeful at their older sister Bey smiled at Y/N, who bit her lip before she reached for her wallet. Opening it Y/N pulled a credit card out and slipped it across the table over to Bey.

“Use Sebastian’s card, don’t spend too much though. Text me once in a while.” Bey jumped from their seat kissing Y/N on the cheek followed by waving goodbye to Lizzie, making the older woman laugh. Once Bey was gone Lizzie reached over grabbing her friend's hand and gave it a loving squeeze.

“Let’s go get our nails done and you can tell me about the proposal, catch me up on how you really are doing.” Y/N followed after Lizzie getting up from their table, grabbing Bey’s and her shopping bags that they had accumulated that morning. It felt good to have a friend like Lizzie.

Y/N had just gotten a gel manicure done seeing as she still had to play her violin and having acrylics scratch against the delicate strings just wasn't an option. She has remembered once saying he loved the matte natural look on them, so she had gone with that and forest green on her toes. After splitting ways with Lizzie promises to get together at yoga next week she had finally made it back to hers and Sebastian’s shared apartment exhausted.

Throwing Bey’s bag by the front door and hanging up her purse on the hook behind the door, Y/N was taken by surprise when she looked into the living. Their apartment was covered in sunflowers on every sturdy surface it seemed. Walking more into the apartment the fragrance making her smile she found Ellie had a sunflower pinned to her collar.

The sound of piano playing from her music room pulled Y/N from her thoughts. Cerberus and Ellie followed her down the hall where the found Sebastian sitting at the piano surrounded by even more sunflowers, the opening notes to one of her mother's favorite songs caught her attention.

“It's a little bit funny this feeling inside

I'm not one of those who can easily hide. I

Don't have much money but boy if I did

I'd buy a big house where we both could live.”

Sebastian was singing, he was actually singing to her and he never did that. He would maybe hum here and there, but he was sitting at her piano playing it while singing one of her favorites.

“If I was a sculptor, but then again no.

Or a man who makes potions in a traveling show.

Oh I know it's not much but it's the best I can do. My gift is my song,

And this one's for you.”

Slowly Y/N found her feet leading bed closer and closer to the piano bench.

“And you can tell everybody this is your song.

It may be quite simple but now that it's done.

I hope you don't mind,

I hope you don't mind,

That I put down in words,

How wonderful life is while you're in the world.”

Y/N sat beside Sebastian on the piano bench, her back facing the piano bench where she could see the sun coming in shining on the sunflowers that littered the music room. Sebastian continued to play.

“I sat on the roof and kicked off the moss

Well a few of the verses well they've got me quite cross

But the sun's been quite kind

While I wrote this song

It's for people like you that

Keep it turned on.”

Sebastian bumped his shoulder in Y/N getting her to look into his eyes as he sang.

“So excuse me forgetting

But these things I do

You see I've forgotten

If they're green or they're blue

Anyway, the thing is, what I really mean

Yours are the sweetest eyes I've ever seen.”

Y/N found herself smiling as she too started to sing though if she were honest, Sebastian had the better voice perhaps.

“And you can tell everybody this is your song

It may be quite simple but

Now that it's done

I hope you don't mind

I hope you don't mind

That I put down in words

How wonderful life is while you're in the world

I hope you don't mind

I hope you don't mind

That I put down in words

How wonderful life is while you're in the world.”

Towards the end, Y/N laid her head on Sebastian’s shoulder making her fiance miss a note on keys, causing her to laugh. Sebastian smiled looking down at Y/N kissing the top of her head, making her smile more if it were even possible. He had been spending months learning how to play that song after she told him her mother used to sing her this song as a lullaby.

“Lily, I think we just walked in on a musical.” Bey stood in the doorway to the music room with their girlfriend by their side. They had matching smirks on their faces while they started at the couple. Sebastian turned his body around so now both he and Y/N were facing the same direction, his face going red from blushing.

“Dude if we are, I totally forgot my tap shoes.” Lily pretended to look forlorn at the thought but making Sebastian rolled his eyes with a smile.

“It's cool, you can borrow mine, they should fit.” Bey grabbed Lily, pulling them toward their room, leaving Y/N and Sebastian along once again.

“Thank you, thank you for the flowers, thank you for remembering the song and singing it to me and most of all thank you for choosing to spend the rest of your life with me.” Y/N looked down at left and Sebastian’s right hands, her engagement ring shining late afternoon sun that was poking through the drapes. Sebastian kissed her temple again and whispered I love you.

“No it’s me who should be thanking you, you are always there to pick me up when I’m down. You don’t ask for much. I’m the luckiest guy Y/N, I know that and when you walk down the aisle, I know it’s going to be the best day of my life.” removing his hand from hers he took it and wrapped his right arm around her body, pulling her even more closer to him, basking in their love.