Chapter Text
The smell of cinnamon and vanilla filled the air as soon as the door opened. Y/n glanced around her favorite place in the world as she headed behind the counter to start her shift. Local artwork covered the walls and instrumental music played softly over the speakers. Y/n immediately headed over to the backroom to grab the watering can for the plethora of plants that riddled the coffee shop.
“Good morning Alpine,” y/n says to the fluffy white cat sleeping on one of the boxes in the back. She found the kitten when she was taking out the garbage after her shift one day—the poor thing was so dirty she thought it’s coat was brown—then she brought it in and got it cleaned up. Y/n’s apartment doesn’t allow pets of any kind, but she wasn’t the type of person to throw the poor thing back to the streets!
She named the fluffy kitten ‘Alpine’ after the snowcapped mountains she once visited with her family as a child. Y/n had managed this café for two years now and she was very close with the owner, Mr. Omari. After explaining the situation—she really just pestered her boss about it—he relented and deemed Alpine the coffee shop’s mascot. Business actually improved when people realized they could come to pet the cutest cat in New York.
New York.
A bustling place with far too many people in Y/n’s opinion. But it was home. This café was home. Y/n used to dream of being surrounded by people who knew everything about her. She wanted to be someone who’s life was constant, never-changing, and just.. well, homey. It took years to figure out who she wanted to be and eventually she figured it out.
She found her dream and chased it into reality.
Y/n wouldn’t call herself a lucky person by any means. Growing up, life was pretty hard. She’d faced bullies and her parent’s divorce. The trip to the Alps was the last time her family ever felt normal. It’s only fair that things would finally be going in her favor.
There’s a small ring as the front door opens and her coworker comes in.
“Hey Y/n!” he hollars. “Did you hear the news?”
“Probably not,” she responds while coming back to the front with a filled watering can. Y/n goes through her daily morning routine of checking the plants scattered throughout the inside of the shop and begins watering the ones that need it while her coworker, Isaac, debriefs her.
“Tony Stark tried to buy the shop from Mr. Omari!” Y/n’s eyes widen in disbelief as Isaac breaks down in a fit of laughter. “I guess the boss told him off and banned him from coming in again.”
Y/n lets out a laugh of her own. “Serves him right! Tony never stops pestering me about the quality of this place and how we need upgraded machines.”
“Yet he comes in almost every day.”
“Yet he comes in every day,” Y/n corrects.
The two continue their chatter back and forth as they continue preparations for the café to open. Y/n grabs the A-frame chalkboard sign—the shop name, The Quiet Roast, is beautifully scripted on the top—and doodles on it with today’s special drink. Finally she places it outside and flips the window sign to ‘open’.
“We’re in business!” Y/n shouts back at Isaac who gives her a thumbs up. Within the next couple hours, the coffee shop begins to slowly fill up.
The Avengers have been regulars at The Quiet Roast for as long as Y/n has worked there, so she’s far from surprised when a small group of them shows up for coffee in the late morning. While most people would freak out over the sight of the “Earth’s Mightiest Heroes”, Y/n finds that within the café they are just as normal as someone from the street.
When Y/n first began working at The Quiet Roast, it was her hope to establish a set routine in her life and feel at rest in the chaos of the big city. Within the first week, some of the Avengers showed up for coffee! Y/n was shocked to see them—as anyone would be!—but she quickly decided that they would have no authority in ruining the peace that she was working so hard to create for herself.
This shop was the perfect place for Y/n to be herself, and no one would be allowed to ruin it.
Not even super heroes.
It was Hawkeye, Black Widow, and Captain America who had first come into the shop. The trio was dressed casually. Steve even went as far as wearing a cap that truthfully did nothing to hide the fact he was the famed legend.
They had arrived within five minutes of the shop opening and Y/n was the only one on shift. She was so determined to keep her peaceful environment that she even went as far as asking for the heroes names upon taking their coffee orders.
Y/n could tell that they were shocked at being treated so casually, and she realized that it must be quite a rare occurrence. She held her ground however, and cast away any knowledge she knew about these people from her mind.
They’re just customers, she would repeat to herself over and over throughout their time in the shop.
Eventually, they left and Y/n took quite a bit of pride in being able to prevent any upheavel in the little routine she’s carved out for herself. Until the same group showed up again the next week.
Y/n took the same mental stance and held strong to the ordinary things she desired. “Remind me your names?” she said to the group as they ordered. Natasha smirked as she shared her name as though she had caught on to Y/n’s attempts at normalcy.
Maybe they thought she was messing around, but truly she didn’t care. She was just happy to protect the softness of her life.
Eventually the group became regulars in the morning and Y/n became concerned about her coworkers and the customers of the shop ruining the peace of the building by fanning over the group. So she did what any good manager would:
Y/n held an emergency meeting.
“If you see the Avenger’s in the shop, you may not treat them as heroes!” she firmly explained. “They are only to be treated as the regular customer.”
There were some questions and confusion of course, but Y/n explained how The Quiet Roast should be known for the peace in which it holds. Hell, it’s even in the name. ‘Quiet’. Meaning ‘no drama’. Y/n explained that they should have a place where they can go to enjoy a good latte without having to worry about the rest of the world.
“These people have saved our city more times than we can count. We owe it to them.” And with that, everyone agreed. The staff even went as far to inform their customers not to treat the Avengers any differently. If they were to cause disruption by disturbing the heroes, should they ever be in the café, that person would then be banned.
And there was no trouble.
At some point, the trio of Avengers realized that The Quiet Roast truly was a safe place for them to hide away from the problems of the world. They must have spread the word to the rest of the team because the others began to come as well.
Sometimes Sam Wilson would land right outside the café doors and retract his wings into his suit before entering. He refused to pick a favorite drink—choosing instead to try a different drink every visit.
Thor would sit in a seat by the window for hours. He only ever ordered hot lattes, and sometimes he would sit for so long that he used his powers to heat up the drink again. Y/n could never figure out how he did it, but it always made her giggle a little to look over at his cup and see it steaming once more.
What had started as Y/n trying to protect her own peace soon turned into her protecting the peace of every customer who entered the building.
And she loved it!
Y/n smiles as the group of Avengers walks in this morning.
“Welcome back!” She beamed as she took a sip of her own latte that she made for herself. “What can I get everyone?”
It was kind of a pointless question because Y/n knew all of their orders by heart after the years of them coming in for coffee. But she liked to ask anyways. In fact, Isaac was already starting on their orders.
Y/n looked around the group and mentally recalled each of their orders. Sam would ask her to make something he’d never tried. Natasha prefers matcha. Steve would get his regular, overly sweet, blended frappe.
And… Bucky Barnes?
Y/n had known about Steve’s friend’s return. He was broadcasted on every news station for a couple of weeks. No one really knew the full story behind how he was brought back from the past, but Y/n supposed that it didn’t really matter.
Not in The Quiet Roast anyways.
“We’ll just get the usuals,” Steve responded cheerfully.
“I want whatever you’re drinking!” Sam piped in with a pointed finger towards the glazed mug Y/n was sipping out of.
“I don’t know, Sam.. This drink is a little too sophisticated for you,” Y/n bantered. In reality she was just drinking a basic white mocha, but it would be funny to watch Sam take a sip and realize how boring it was.
“Try me,” he said smugly.
Y/n smirked and looked over to Issac who was watching the exchange while waiting for the blender to finish. She raised her mug toward him briefly in a mock toast—the familiar gesture as a silent request to make the same drink.
“And it looks like we have a newcomer today? Who’s your friend Steve?” Y/n asks.
“This is Bucky,” Steve introduced him. Bucky smiled kindly at the introduction.
“Welcome to The Quiet Roast, Bucky! What would you like to drink? If you want black coffee I’m sending you back to the tower to hang with Stark,” Y/n joked.
Bucky caught on to her jesting and snorted in response. “I don’t think he’d put up with me much. I’ll actually just take a hot chocolate.”
“Not man enough for an americano?” Sam pesters.
“At least he’s not indecisive,” Nat pipes in for the first time.
Steve ignores their quips and gives Y/n a pointed look. “Make sure you add whip cream onto his.” Then he goes to find the group a table.
Bucky rolls his eyes and follows without objecting.
Natasha strolls up to the counter to pay and chat with Y/n while Isaac finishes making their drinks.
“So…” she drawls as she leans forward. “Any luck finding yourself a date, or do I need to help you out?”
Y/n scoffs. “I thought you knew me better by now?”
“I know you well enough to understand that you might need a little help in that area,” Natasha replies with a wink.
“I like this little life I’ve carved out for myself, thank you.”
“Suit yourself. So how much do we owe today?”
Y/n waves her hand dismissively. “You brought me a new customer. It’s on the house.”
Natasha learned over the years that it’s not up for argument with Y/n whenever she tries to treat them to something. When Y/n goes to help Isaac finish up the drinks, Nat is quick to sneak some extra twenties into the tip jar. Then she heads over to join the boys at the table.
“She’s pressing you to go on a date again?” Isaac asks as Y/n begins steaming the milk to make the last drink: Bucky’s hot chocolate.
“Ugh, yes!” Y/n enjoyed the light teasing with her customers, Natasha especially. At some point, the assassin got it into her mind that Y/n needed to start dating, and she wouldn’t back down. Sometimes Y/n wondered if she wasn’t truly teasing her. What if she was serious?
But Y/n had grown to like her little life. It’s a lot of work to fight for something like consistency in the craziness of this life, but she had finally done it.
No person would change that for her.
“Maybe we should go on a few dates to get her to back off?” Y/n suggests to Isaac.
He barks out a laugh so sporadic that a few customers turn their heads at the disruption.
“Sorry Y/n, but you’re really more of a sister to me,” he cackles.
Y/n smacks his upper arm. “I wasn’t serious you oaf!” She shakes her head and lets out a laugh of her own. Gathering all of the prepared drinks onto a small tray, Y/n heads over to the group.
“What was that about?” Natasha asks as Y/n places the matcha in front of her.
“I asked Isaac out since you think my single life is so terrible,” Y/n explains with a laugh. “Didn’t work out. I guess I’m doomed to the simple life.”
Sam’s eyes widen and he looks back to Isaac. “You’re interested in your coworker?”
“No, Sam. I’m not.” Y/n laughs even harder at his confusion. “Natasha needs to be taught a lesson.”
Y/n sets down Steve and Sam’s drinks then realized she forgot the whip on Bucky’s.
“You guys talk some sense into her. I forgot your whipped cream Bucky.”
“Oh it’s fine, don’t worry—” Bucky tries to claim.
“Nope! Be right back.”
The Avengers continue their conversations and Y/n adds some whip to Bucky’s drink. She sees Alpine wander out from the back to greet the customers with curious sniffs.
At The Quiet Roast, all of the drinks are made in in-house cups. A variety of cute mugs and glasses decorates the wall behind the register counter for the employees to grab as people order coffee. Sometimes customers even have a favorite mug that they prefer to sip out of.
Y/n finds it hilarious when people will come in and claim their friend’s favorite mug in an attempt to mess with them. She’s even helped to prank some of the regulars by telling their friends what time that regular comes in, just so the friends can sneak in early to claim the specific cup.
One of Y/n’s favorite things is hearing the laughter among friends over those simple things. She loves all of the little things that makes this place feel more like home.
The business is picking up a bit more with people coming in over their lunch break to relax or even work on their computers. Isaac takes over the register and Y/n heads back to the Avengers table to drop off the last drink before jumping in to the art of latte making.
“One hot cocoa with whipped cream!” she says as she goes to set the cup down. Bucky reaches for the mug at the same that Y/n sets it on the table and their hands brush slightly at the overlap.
“Oh, my bad!” Y/n expresses. She was glad it didn’t spill. “Enjoy your drinks!”
The group all express their thanks and wave as Y/n returns behind the counter. She rushed into helping Isaac with all the drink orders coming in and misses the way thay Bucky looked at his hand with disgust as though he was burned.
The rest of the day goes by without a cinch and Y/n jokes around with the regular customers. A few new people come in to grab a coffee and Y/n is quick to explain the “celebrity rules” that they have. Of course, they understand and respond kindly, appreciating the fact that The Quiet Roast protects the privacy of it’s regulars.
Eventually Stacie comes in to take over for Isaac for the afternoon shift, but Y/n stays all day to help.
She stays all day every day because this is the place that she found the peace that she craved since she was a child. And she really loves her job!
When time comes to close up shop, Y/n leaves the job to Stacie. She gives a quick pet to Alpine then heads home.
Alpine had been more closed off for about six months or so, but she was still very much considered the café mascot. She just didn’t like to be pet very often. Things were probably better that way. A new café rule even had to be created about not picking up the fluffy white cat. Alpine slowly went back to normal after that.
Y/n always assumed that someone had tried to hold the cat despite being hissed at, but thankfully Alpine seemed to be doing much better around people.
Every once in a while, the cat would choose her favorite customer—at least that’s what Y/n called the situation—where she would go and sit next to the person until they left.
One of the regulars, Mr. Hedrick, made a competition out of the whole situation. He was the owner of a small bakery on the same street. Mr. Hedrick decided that whoever Alpine favored for at least three consecutive days would get a free pastry from his bakery! Business improved for both of shops after that.
Y/n was in charge of relaying the winner to Mr. Hedrick. Truly, Alpine was the only reason that life had been as good as it was. Mr. Hedrick’s creativity was just the cherry on top!
As always, Y/n’s evening at home was.. pretty basic to be honest. She opened the fridge to find an old jar of applesauce and leftover chicken from three days ago. (She really needed to toss that.) Y/n often didn’t have time to cook, but when she could finally find a couple hours to whip something up she found herself with a lack of finances to make anything sustainable. Truthfully, she was scraping by. But none of that mattered because she was living the life that she had always dreamed of living.
This apartment was just a place for Y/n to lay her head. The Quiet Roast was her home.
Y/n closed the fridge with a sigh and opens the freezer to grab a leftover pastry. A couple weeks ago, Mr. Hedrick’s had some overstock that he was looking to get rid of and he first offered it to Y/n. She gladly took it home with her to freeze. Maybe Y/n didn’t eat as much as she should, but that’s besides the point. She was happy.
She rested well as always and couldn’t wait to spend another day greeting her customers.
The next morning comes by and Y/n finds herself smiling as she makes her way back to the café. It was supposed to be a beautiful sunny day and the plants at home work needed the extra rays. She was also hoping to see one of the Avengers pop in so she could throw in some extra teases. Last time Bruce showed up for coffee, Y/n snuck him a free pastry and flirted with him just to watch him squirm.
In her defense, Nat dared her to!
It was hilarious.
Y/n opened up the shop as usual and greeted Alpine with a quick kiss to her head. Setup went smoothly and business was slow enough this early that she was able to make herself a drink and sit in a chair by the window to watch the sunrise.
Beautiful.
Eventually the bell above the door gave a quiet ring as it opened and an Avenger stepped in. Just like I hoped! Y/n thought. If it was Tony, she’d pretend to kick him out again.
Y/n looked up to see Bucky Barnes walking in with a look of determination on his face. It was almost concerning to see.
“Good morning!” Y/n greeted with a small wave as she stood up. She headed over to the register as she continued the casual morning conversation, taking notice to the fact that Bucky had come alone. “Couldn’t keep away from our hot cocoas, huh?” she teased.
“Something like that,” he responded as he walked up to the counter. “I actually wanted—”
The door rings again effectively cutting him off.
“Hello world!” Isaac announces as he steps into the café.
“This place really is your whole world, isn’t it?” Y/n pokes his arm while he rounds the counter. “I don’t think you do anything outside of this place.”
“Says you!” Isaac fires back with a laugh. “When was the last time you didn’t work from open to close?” Y/n gawks in mock offense at the statement then turns to Bucky.
“He’s lying,” Y/n states defensively. “I went—I go out… sometimes..” she brushes a strand of hair behind her ear.
Isaac fakes a couple coughs. “Ough—liar—ough ou.” Y/n rolled her eyes at his antics.
“I’m sorry about him. What can I get for you?” she asks Bucky.
“I’ll, uh, I’ll just take the same as yesterday.”
“Sounds good to me! Why don’t you grab a seat before we get too busy and I’ll bring it over to you,” smiled Y/n. She started making the drink right away and noticed that Bucky had scarcely moved from the counter—he had only moved a couple of steps back.
Bucky was a hard person for Y/n to get a read on. He was so… awkward wasn’t the right word. He was just different from everyone else. Maybe it has something to do with his return from the forties, she thought.
“Y/n, I’m gonna get started on some restock in the back. I noticed that Carol will be coming in later and can help cover front if you need it,” Isaac explained.
“Yes sir,” Y/n mocked a salute to him. Everyone at The Quiet Roast knew she was the one in charge when the owner wasn’t around, but she didn’t like to be the person to make others feel less. Y/n actually appreciated it when her coworkers took initiative to do what needed to be done. Rarely did she ever need to give step-by-step instructions on how to keep up the café because the people who worked there genuinely loved their jobs.
“Here’s that hot cocoa for you,” Y/n sets the mug on the side of the counter closest to Bucky. “You know you can tell me the truth right.” Y/n says genuinely as Bucky picks up the mug. She leans in closer and whispers, “Did Steve ditch you on a run?”
Bucky lets out a rough laugh and shakes his head no. He stares down at the whipped cream in his mug.
“Good because I’d have to increase the price of his frappes if he was bullying my customers.” Y/n’s curiousity peaked when Bucky continued to stand there unmoving. “Did you need anything else..?” She stated slowly.
He was acting so weird from how the Avengers usually were when they came through.
Bucky looked up at Y/n with the same determination she had seen before Isaac came in.
“You’re actually…” his words died off. His next words were spoken carefully as though a bomb might go off if he said something wrong. “You’re my soulmate.”
Y/n lets out a laugh and start cleaning the steam wand she used for the hot cocoa.
Unbelievable, she thought.
“Yeah right,” she chuckled. “Did Natasha put you up to this?”
Soulmates were made known to each other upon their first moment of physical contact. Each person would then receive matching marks on their body based on the place where they had experienced that touch. It wasn’t always something that people experienced in their first meeting with their soulmate either.
Y/n once had a friend who had known her soulmate for a full year before they ever made physical contact with each other. Then they suddenly each had a daisy on the inside of their right wrists.
Not everyone had a soulmate and Y/n certainly never expected to have one—so much so that she barely even payed any attention to the stories of how people found their love.
Besides, Y/n worked in customer service. She brushed hands with people and bumped shoulders all the time. Even if she did have a soulmate, and if he just so happened to come to The Quiet Roast, she doubted she would know who had been the cause of her mark.
“Did you not notice the mark?” Bucky asks.
Y/n was blown away by his determination to make her fall for this ruse, but she wasn’t about to play along with what had surely been a plot by Natasha. She put everything from the machine back in it’s place and looked up at Bucky. Y/n was a patient person, but Bucky had barely even earned the right to poke at her in this way.
“I don’t have any marks,” she stated sternly, but still with kindness in her tone, “and even if I did, it could’ve been caused by anyone. You saw how many people were in and out of here yesterday. Go back and tell Nat that you played the part wonderfully, but I can’t be tricked into going on a date. In any case, I work all the time and don’t have time for anything outside of cueing shots and steaming milk.”
Y/n shoots him a wink and starts making a fresh pot of french press for a regular who will be coming in soon.
Bucky frowns and sets his mug on the counter. “I’ve only made physical contact with three non-Avengers since I became a part of the team: a doctor, a 15-year old, and now you. I don’t even bump into people on the streets.”
Y/n rolled her eyes as she listened. Boy was he determined.
“Yesterday when I came in with Steve, Nat, and Sam, you brushed my hand with yours as you handed me my drink. I was shocked, but didn’t think anything of it. Then this morning I went on an early jog with Steve and he noticed a black mark on my shoulder. He explained to me how I have a soulmate.
“Soulmates aren’t something we were taught much about in the forties, so he had to explain to me what SHIELD had explained to him. I didn’t understand at first, but… Well.. you’re the only person I’ve touched. Now here we are.” Bucky states as though it’s the most simple thing in the world.
The next thing Y/n knows, Bucky is turning slightly and lowers the collar of his shirt over his left shoulder to reveal a small soulmark of a mug filled with whipped cream.
“You have the same mark,” he says.
Y/n’s thoughts come screeching to a halt.
“I have a what?” her eyes widen and she rushes to the back. Isaac looks up and sees her pass him in a flurry. “Cover the front.” Y/n points up to where Bucky is standing with a look of shame.
Isaac makes his way up to the front to watch for customers and Y/n goes straight to the storage wall of extra pitchers that she always catches her reflection in as she walks past. She pulls down the collar of her own t-shirt to glance at her back shoulder in the distorted reflection.
The exact same mark is there.
Y/n lets out a shocked gasp at it’s sight and covers her mouth with her hand to prevent herself from squealing. For the first time in ages, Y/n feels frustration bubble up and she has to force herself to take a few deep breaths.
It’s okay, she thinks to herself in encouragement. Nothing will disrupt this for me. Especially not an Avenger.
Y/n takes a couple more minutes to compose herself then strolls back up to the front to help Isaac. Business would be picking up about this time.
Bucky is still standing in the same place as before, and Y/n smiles at him as though it was her regular day and he was regular customer.
“If you have your drink, feel free to take a seat somewhere,” she told him. He looked at her for a moment longer before turning and leaving the coffee shop, hot chocolate forgotten.
Isaac glanced over at Y/n with worry. “Everything okay?”
“Of course!” Y/n forced a smile. Then she went back to work.