Work Text:
Kim was having a really bad day — scratch that, a really bad week. First, her roommate caught some kind of stomach bug, and she spent days trying to stay out of their room. Then she left her laptop in a lecture and wasn’t able get it back til that night. Plus, Jennifer twisted her ankle during cheer practice, and Kim knew that wasn’t about her, but they had a big competition in two weeks and she really didn’t have time to fix their whole routine.
By the time Emma called and asked Kim to cover her shift, she really should’ve said no. But her friend practically begged for help, and Kim could never say no to someone who needed her.
Maybe I should learn, she thought, staring at the line going out the door. She was so tired, and she just wanted everyone to leave so she could go home and sleep. That wasn’t going to happen though, not in a Starbucks next to a college campus when it was snowing.
“Next!” she called over the noise. “What can I…” She blinked once, then twice, and checked to make sure her jaw wasn’t hanging open. Because the woman in front of her was easily the most beautiful person she’d ever seen. She had pale skin and black hair that fell past her waist, and Kim wanted to run her hands through it. That’s a very inappropriate thing to think about a customer. The stranger’s black-painted lips curled into a smirk, and Kim shook her head a little. “Sorry. What can I get you?”
The woman’s eyes flickered briefly over her face. “I’m a fan of pumpkin. Let’s do a pumpkin spice latte.”
They weren’t technically supposed to do pumpkin spice this late in the year, but Kim found herself struggling to care. “Sure. Can I get a name for that?”
“Shego.” Before Kim could ask how she was paying, the woman took out a ten dollar bill and put it directly in her open hand, folding her fingers over it. “Keep the change, sweetheart.” She winked as she walked away, and Kim stared after her, mouth hanging open. Then she grabbed a cup and wrote She-go.
The next person in line had to yell at her three times before she took their order, but she didn’t mind at all. It wasn’t til that night that she realized the double meaning of the word pumpkin.
~~~
Shego came back a week later, and Kim was tempted to hide behind the counter, even though she wasn’t really sure why. “Welcome to Starbucks. What can I get you?”
“You know, I’m still a fan of pumpkin.” Shego’s eyes roamed over Kim’s face, in a way that made her think there was definitely a double meaning behind that word.
“We’re out of stock. But if we weren’t, I’d give you some.”
Shego raised an eyebrow. “Is that so?”
Kim felt her face turning red. “Um, what else can I get you?”
“Surprise me.” Kim smiled and took the offered credit card. “And the name is Shego. Without the dash, sweetheart.”
Kim fumbled swiping the card, and Shego smirked. “Without the dash. Got it.” She handed back the credit card and wrote it on a cup. Sheegoe.
~~~
“Shego!” Emma yelled. “Coffee for Shego!” Shego looked up at Kim, smirked, and went back to her laptop. “Hey Kim, do you have any idea who this is for?”
“Yeah.” She glanced around the mostly-empty shop. “I can bring it over. Cover me if anyone shows up?”
“Sure.”
Kim grabbed the cup and walked to Shego’s table. “Coffee for Shego,” she said, trying not to grin.
“Aww, do I get special delivery service? How sweet.”
Kim rolled her eyes. “Only because you didn’t get up when Emma called.”
“Maybe I didn’t hear her,” Shego said playfully. “Or maybe I just wanted to see your pretty face again.”
“Maybe I, um, uh—” She was saved when someone walked into the store. “I should go take care of that.”
“Shame. I would’ve asked you to sit and chat a while.”
Kim glanced at Shego’s laptop. “Aren’t you working?”
“I could always use a distraction. But you can go back to your boring job.” Shego paused, taking a sip of her coffee. Her lipstick left a black mark on the cup. “Maybe I’ll find someone else to distract me.”
Kim took a step back. “Check your name.”
Shego looked at the cup, frowning. It said Shegoe. “It’s spelled—”
“Sorry, I should get back to work. I hope that isn’t too distracting.” She walked away before Shego could see her smile, and Emma gave her a look that clearly said We’ll talk about this later. Kim ignored her and stepped into place behind the counter. “Welcome to Starbucks. What can I get you?”
~~~
“So,” Emma started, “what’s the deal with, uh, what was her name? She-something?”
“Shego. And there is no deal. She’s just a customer.”
“‘I wanted to see your pretty face.’ ‘I hope I’m not too distracting.’” Kim knew she was blushing, but the way Shego had said that she wanted to see her pretty face was just a little too much.
“It’s so not the drama.”
“Kim, don’t bother with the lies. You haven’t blushed once since you broke up with Jaime. And hey, if I wasn’t straight, I’d be fighting you for her.”
Kim groaned and buried her face in her hands. Emma was never going to let this go.
~~~
It was even worse when her boss pulled her aside three days later. “That customer shouldn’t be calling you ‘sweetheart.’ Let me know if she keeps it up and I’ll get her thrown out.”
Kim glanced at Shego, who was focused on her laptop, and quickly looked back at her boss. “I don’t mind. Or at least, it’s fine with her. If creepy old guys start doing it…”
Her boss laughed. “You know, you could do a lot worse for yourself, kiddo.”
He walked away, leaving Kim blushing. It was weird to say it out loud, but she didn’t want Shego to stop calling her sweetheart.
~~~
“Hi, um, what can I…” Kim tripped over the words, slowing down when Shego smirked. “What would you like to order?” Her voice was stiffer than she’d thought it would be.
“Don’t get all formal on me now, sweetheart. What do you like?”
“Peppermint hot chocolate,” she answered automatically.
“Well then, two peppermint hot chocolates. One for me and one for my favorite barista.” Shego winked, and Kim blushed bright red. She probably should’ve said something about how she wasn’t supposed to drink while she was working, but the words died in her throat.
She quickly swiped Shego’s credit card and held it out for her. But instead of taking the card, the other woman reached towards her wrist, running a finger over her gold bracelet. Shego’s thumb brushed against the inside of her wrist in a way that was either completely accidental or completely not. “This is nice. Where’d you get it?”
“It was a gift from my parents.”
Shego raised an eyebrow. “Not a boyfriend?”
“No, I’m, ah, single.” Before she could lose her courage, she added, “Also, I don’t date boys.”
Shego tilted her head curiously. “Whaddaya know? Neither do I.” She pulled away slowly, dragging her fingers over Kim’s wrist and hand. Shego didn’t break eye contact once, and Kim shivered. The other woman smirked and plucked the credit card out of her hand. “Have a nice night.”
Kim wrote Sheeeego on the cup out of spite.
~~~
“If I didn’t know better,” Shego said, “I’d say you were getting my name wrong on purpose.”
“Why would I do that?”
The other woman shook her head, but Kim caught a small smile on her face. “Here, give me the cup. I’ll write it myself.” Kim hesitated for only a second before handing it over. Shego quickly wrote something on the cup and gave it back to Kim. “Take a look, sweetheart. That’s how you spell it.”
Kim glanced at the ten digits scribbled on the side, then looked up at Shego. The other woman was already gone, but the smile didn’t leave Kim’s face for the rest of her shift.
As soon as she got home, she put the number in her phone and sent a message. It’s Shego, right?