Chapter Text
Did you hate your job? No, not really. Did you hate your coworkers? They could stand to be a little more competent most of the time, but still no. Did you hate the people you regularly had to deal with between 6am and noon? Almost no.
Almost.
Sure, waking up obscenely early without even having the opportunity to bitch at the sun for being too bright really sucked a lot of the time. But the little café you practically managed was actually enough to be worth it, it was a chill little place, sort of out of the way, and most of the people you dealt with were polite and quiet.
Save for the mob of hipsters that rolled in around ten, demanding ‘secret menu’ items, and then getting fussy when you physically just didn’t even have the means to make them happy, all because Starbucks was suddenly too mainstream and apparently there was nowhere else to go. But even those idiots didn’t make the ‘almost’. Oh no. That pleasure was reserved specifically for Seto Kaiba.
Usually you could duck away into the back and find something to do, leaving your poor miserable coworkers to deal with him. Sometimes you even felt a little guilty, until they opened their mouths and the only thing that came out was “uhhh”. Christ it was pathetic. You weren’t particularly intimidated by him, not really, you just didn’t feel like you deserved to have to deal with his prissy attitude at 7:30 on the occasional morning he stopped by.
Even Mokuba stopped by sometimes by himself, and on a general note you actually like Mokuba. He wasn’t nearly as much of a prude, he willingly held conversations with you, and that lead the two of you to having some kind of close acquaintanceship. But the simple pleasure of enjoying Mokuba’s company was not enough for you to willingly deal with Kaiba.
So when he strode in through the front door, you frantically looked for someone to take over the front, deflating visibly as no one was to be found. Dammit. Well, as least he brought Mokuba along, maybe he’d be more civil in front of his younger brother.
“Hey you,” Mokuba greeted, flashing his teeth in a wide grin. “How’s work so far?”
Bless him he was an angel. “You mean before you walked in?” you offered playfully, secretly directing it at the one looming over Mokuba rather than actually at him.
But he took it in good grace… well as much as he could until Kaiba stepped in.
“We’re not here for small talk, I need to get to work.”
Dick. “So what’ll it be then,” ya fuckin’ prick. You smiled though, hoping to at least irritate him with your pleasantness. And since you already knew what Kaiba Jr. wanted, you turned your smile upwards politely.
“Just black coffee.”
“Uh, I’m actually getting ready to make another pot,” you replied, and you weren’t lying, that’s what you would have been doing provided someone else had been around to cover for you.
“What’s wrong with it?” he demanded, though at least with a moderate tone that didn’t echo off the walls.
You grimaced, figuring he’d insult you for being an idiot and screwing up a simple pot of coffee. “I made it a little too strong.” Which was true, and it had been a stupid mistake, so you just prepared for the string of foul words you had assumed he’d throw at you.
“There’s no such thing.”
Your brow furrowed in confusion, but instead of questioning him further you simply obeyed the deepening scowl and scrawled their names on a pair of cups. You took his card and swiped it before handing it back over the counter. “Well, just let me know if it’s too strong,” you offered, because now he couldn’t say you hadn’t warned him.
“I told you there’s no such thing.”
Whatever. Jackass. Since no one else had stepped into the line you went about ordering someone else around and got to pouring Mr. High and Mighty’s coffee into the fancy paper cup. You handed that one over first so you could help with Mokuba’s, pausing to make sure Kaiba didn’t hate his first.
You didn’t say anything to him, and he didn’t say anything to you about not liking it. Though, he did pass you a twenty dollar bill and walked off, telling Mokuba he’d be waiting in the car. You stared down at the bill in confusion, then back up at the younger brother. “What’s this for?”
Mokuba simply smiled and stated that it was a tip.
“A tip for what?”
“He liked it, and probably expects you to serve him again the next time he’s here.”
Good thing you were there every morning. “Jesus, why doesn’t he just eat coffee grounds then?”
The other smiled as his drink slid across the counter in front of you and you passed him a straw. “I really wouldn’t put it past him,” he stated. And even as he walked out you still weren’t sure if he was actually joking or not.