Cue Minseok as the mysterious barista

Quiet and stoic, handing out rare smiles when he’s in a good mood, to a kid buying a cookie or someone who obviously needs it

Exchanging as few words as possible within his transactions

He’s worked so hard to train to be the head barista – he doesn’t own the place yet, but he’s waiting for the owner to grow tired of managing the affairs so he can take control

Cue customer Jongdae

Coming in for the wifi when his breaks, even though he doesn’t need it because he’s “just writing” he shouldn’t need the internet he should really focus

But what if he finishes and he wants to post something what if he wants attention

Sure that’s the reason why he clings to his laptop bag as he orders a drink

(But it’s really a distraction, he wants to write but he’s stuck, no inspiration, maybe getting out and watching some people move around will help, coffeeshops are nice places for that, right?)

He doesn’t look up from the counter when placing his order, distracted, a bit nervous, thick-rimmed glasses weighing heavy on his ears when he tries to think about that instead

What if they have regulars this is a really small place he probably stands out doesn’t he he’s not a coffeeshop person what is he even doing here he’ll probably just wind up looking at pretty pictures online and talking to friends the whole time

So he’s a little surprised when he looks up and sees such a kind smile, handing him back his receipt

“What’s your name?” The boy with his hair swept back asks, and , he can’t remember, he’s too interested in his face and how his eyes are watching his closely

“Jongdae,” he says, and when he looks down to the cash register, he can’t stop looking at him, his smirk lingering as he punches in a code. “I’m Minseok, I’m glad you found our place.” (Because of course, he does know the regulars and he doesn’t recognize Jongdae, he’s sure this is his first visit – and he likes his glasses, his cheekbones, so he pauses, seeing how uncomfortable the boy is) “Go get comfortable, I’ll bring you your drink, okay?” And Jongdae nods, a little out of it, but he supposes this must be a normal thing, that or the shop is pretty empty, no one came in after him, Minseok is the only one working but he must know that he has the time

It

Couldn’t be that he knew he was uncomfortable or anything ha that’d be dumb to assume why would such a cute boy pay attention to him like that

So he gets his change and finds a nice armchair that’s close to an outlet, there’s a fireplace that looks inviting but he’s already set his things down here and wouldn’t it be odd if he just moved?

It’s fine

It’s still warm here it’s nice this chair will be perfect for writing creativity and flow of course he can feel it

He has the word document open, and he stares at it for a few moments before opening a browser, and it feels like as soon as he does, his coffee slides onto his table from a hand with pretty fingers along with a napkin and half of a small muffin

“I... I’ve never seen you here before, so... I’m not supposed to give these out, but I ate the other half and I thought you might

want to try it? It goes well with

That type of

Coffee

Trust me I know I’m

I work here

Yeah

Um

Enjoy okay?”

And by the time he leaves Jongdae is blushing like mAD because there were so many words spilling out of his perfectly curved mouth so quickly and when he’s sure he’s in the back room he exhales through his nose in a little giggle, biting his lip and fiddling with the corner of the napkin

Minseok is back behind the counter, helping a woman figure out what to drink this afternoon, but his mind is back to his encounter back to the boy with half of his muffin, so confused at how easily the words came, or at least how easily they came to his lips, how he couldn’t stop himself, he’s usually so quiet

He picks at the muffin as he keeps staring at his screen, a few crumbs off his finger as he switches back to his canvas, squinting at his words, managing to type a few sentences before coming to a complete halt again. He deletes half hus words and holds back a groan, he’s in public, the pretty boy is close, but it’s so frustrating and maybe he should have sat by the fire

But he takes little chunks of the muffin as he keeps staring, managing to get a few words into some awkward-sounding sentences, and it takes him longer before his focus is broken and he’s back to a twitter feed, scrolling through posts he’s already seen at least three times

And that’s when he glances over the top of the screen and he sees him wiping a table down, and he watches him as closely as he can without being completely obvious (which he’s still sure he’s being), watching the way he leans over and the fabric of his dark green apron rests against the table, how his dark hair matches the coffee in his mug

He manages to look away before Minseok looks up, but even if he thinks he imagines it he feels the barista looking at him, and he blushes as if he had noticed him staring at his thin body reaching across the table

And he feels his face heating up so he pretends to be extremely invested in something on his computer, typing very quickly all of a sudden

And the feeling goes away, but he doesn’t know that Minseok is still watching his eyes flick back and forth across the screen

Of course, Minseok doesn’t know Jongdae’s only spitting nonsense into his 164 followers at record time but instead wonders what had finally inspired him on that word doc he’d kept closing

He wipes his hands and goes back to the counter when someone walks in

And then more people come and he has to stay there, and he notices how he doesn’t offer to give anyone else their drink from anywhere but behind the counter

***

Jongdae can’t come in for another few days, he has work and responsibilities, but when he goes in again he’s hoping that he’ll be there, that maybe he’ll catch him when no one else is there

But then again he hopes there are a lot of people, so he doesn’t have to be disappointed when he doesn’t offer to bring him his drink again

Luckily, neither happens

He doesn’t let himself think about why Minseok smiles at him (because obviously he’s nothing special, he probably missed him grinning at everyone else), and instead clears his mind as he goes to the back of the shop to sit, catching himself when he almost sits down where he’d sat the last time before correcting himself to sit by the fire (he caught it soon enough not to look stupid, he hopes)

When Minseok brings him the coffee, Jongdae finds his eyes first this time, and they’re as dark as possible, dark eyes lined with soft lashes that flicker up as soon as the drink is safely on the table

“I -- I was wondering why you didn’t sit here the other day.” He says, and to himself it sounds like a complete jumble, but Jongdae smiles back and he doesn’t feel so weird about blabbering about nothing and so he tries it again, before his thoughts are even clear (he usually checks the register thrice before even announcing the price, just to be sure) “It’s... Where I sit when I’m on my break... Before I worked here I’d read... Do homework and stuff, it doesn’t get too hot, but it’s warm... Don’t --- Don’t fall asleep, okay?”

Jongdae giggles endearingly, and Minseok swells with pride for whatever reason, maybe because he’d thought he could never make that happen - he’d just looked so quiet, maybe that’s why he wanted to talk to him so much, he’d seemed so stiff and unsure and he’d just felt compelled to welcome him in so he’d stay forever

Jongdae’s able to maintain eye contact with him for just a little longer this time, and it makes both of them blush before they finally turn away.

***

Minseok’s heart jumps slightly when he hears the bells and looks up at the door announcing Jongdae coming into the shop a few days later, and he looks up from wiping down the counter, his eyes meeting the ones behind the glasses before Jongdae looks away quickly. Minseok’s eyebrows furrow slightly, trying to figure him out, wondering why he didn’t smile back and why he seems just as shy as he did the first day he met him

He finishes wiping up the spill on the counter by the time he gets to the register, and he slips the washcloth in his apron pocket (his button-up is a speckled white, he can’t afford stains) and asks him what he feels like drinking.

It’s the same order again, and he isn’t very surprised

Or at least, he supposes he shouldn’t be

Once again, the place is pretty empty, so he figures he can get away with bringing him the drink again, and he feels like he should let him sit as soon as he can because he looks cold, it’s raining outside, he really hopes he didn’t have to walk all the way here from wherever he comes from

He doesn’t even think to consider it weird how much he thought to look after him even though he’s only seen him three times

But he doesn’t sit by the fireplace, like he wants him to, and he sits closer to a window - to watch the rain coming down even though it’s easy to hear on the roof

Jongdae neglected to bring his laptop and instead only has a small notebook, maybe to discipline himself into writing and only writing, taking notes and trying to write a vague outline

Minseok makes his drink carefully, glancing up now and then, but Jongdae’s back is to him for the first time, and he doesn’t like it

He did it on purpose though, because there was no way he’ll let him see him if he accidentally starts crying and his face gets all red

He doesn’t want Minseok to see, much less see and worry (which he reasons he definitely wouldn’t, why would he care about him when he’s only seen him three times) so he has himself faced the other way, which of course means he can’t periodically make sure it’s still Minseok’s shift, but he decides it’s enough to be here, to have seen him walking in

He has his notebook out and he’s jotting a few lines he’d thought of, almost poetry instead of actual writing, something to look at later and maybe make something out of

He’s still scribbling determinedly when his drink is finished, and Minseok hardly wants to interrupt any of his ideas so he quietly slips his drink onto the table when his bangs are blocking him from view

But Jongdae notices, still, and even though he doesn’t want to lose the thought he turns quickly to say thank you, but he’s already halfway back to the counter and he’d have to say it loudly for him to even hear

He’s turning halfway in his chair trying to decide if it’s worth it when Minseok steals a glance back, and his smile is so understanding and calm and sweet that when Jongdae gets out a thanks his voice cracks

Minseok’s smile drops off his face but he nods in understanding

But Jongdae feels so guilty, because even if Minseok didn’t like him or he didn’t think he was special Minseok was sweet and of course he’d be worried, why would he do that, why would he make him worry

He should have just stayed at home where his sour mood wouldn’t affect anyone else

He finishes his drink as soon as it’s cool enough so he can leave, and he’s disappointed because he wants to stay and absorb this place into himself but doing so would take Minseok too and he can’t let himself do that

He gets out the door when Minseok busy serving someone else, but he doesn’t see him look up and watch him until he’s farther than the windows will let him see

And for the rest of the day Minseok is a bit distracted, trying to figure out why he was upset and why he still came in if he was on the verge of crying

***
 

Next time he comes in, almost a week later, he tries to visit at a time when the coffeeshop is sure to be busy, so Minseok (the name rings in his mind, trying to repeat it over and over light voice, the prettiest voice he thinks he's ever heard) has no choice but to serve him like anyone else

This decision, of course, is the product of staying up too late, too many days away from the shop around the corner, too much worrying about what the petite boy really thinks about him (and what he really thinks about him).

He probably did it out of kindness the first time, maybe even the second, because he must work all the time and he wants to keep him as a returning, loyal, paying customer, and being nice to him will get him to come back, maybe even some tips

The third had to have been of pity, Minseok must have been worrying that Jongdae thought it was normal, that he expected it, that it had become a routine and if anything he had let him see that he was unhappy and Minseok would have felt guilty for breaking the habit on a day he might be vulnerable

He’s sure that he’s been inconveniencing him for long enough

But he still wants to see him, he just wants to break the pattern so he doesn’t feel like he has to make him feel special anymore

Minseok sees him in line, four people deep, and accidentally smiles widely in his direction, cheered up from the crowd of people trying to get their morning coffee fix

Jongdae completely misses it though, reading the chalk menu, and Minseok supposes he’s glad, it was probably a really goofy grin

But he smiles again when it’s his turn to order, and he has his usual already halfway plugged in by the time he starts speaking.

He scrawls Jongdae’s name on a cup once he’s paid, and he’s a little amazed that Minseok is able to remember. “I’ll call your name when it’s ready, okay?” He says easily, and hands it to a younger boy that steps out of the back room that Jongdae hasn’t seen before.

It’s only morning, but Minseok hopes he’ll stay all day; even if he knows that’s probably impossible.

He finds the armchair by the fire once the taller but less mature boy calls his name and he gets his coffee, and sits with hos notebook even though there are other people sitting closer than he usually likes.

~

It gets close to his breaktime, and Jongdae is still sitting there, but the man in the armchair next to Jongdae has left, leaving a space for Minseok to sneak in.

Ten minutes to go and he’s planning how to get over there, but not what to say

Sure, he has a lot of things he wants to say, but he’s not going to just yet, and he supposes the words will come to him once he’s close to him, like they have so far

He slips into the armchair effortlessly, with a little sigh, like he’s right at home, and as soon as Jongdae looks up at the sound of his voice he starts talking, and he can’t decide if it’s for his benefit or his own.

“I need to help train the new employee later this week... It’s weird, we don’t have many new team members. You’ve... Probably noticed, it’s usually just me. But -- we’re getting more popular, I needed the help.”

“Do… You know anything about him?” Minseok hears Jongdae speak, and he lets his eyes slip closed, relaxing into the seat.

Jongdae hopes that he actually was talking to him, not into the fire, and he regrets it immediately, he’s not even a regular yet, Minseok was probably just complaining to complain, not to have a conversation with a guy he’s only seen four times.

“Oh, I was the one to interview him. He’s like... 18? 19? He’s quiet... Did you see him? He’s cute.” He opens his eyes just enough to watch Jongdae’s face, and it makes him more upset than it should that he nods in agreement. “His name is Sehun... He seemed like he’d be easy to teach, and work with... I just… I just don’t like sharing.”

“Hm?” Jongdae asks, tilting his head slightly, not understanding what he means.

“The people that come in... They’re my people.”

“Oh, I’m yours?” He’s bold, chuckling at him a little, but he doesn’t even notice until after his reply.

“Oh, you’re definitely mine. More mine than the others.”

When Jongdae can breathe again he hears Minseok ask about the other day, when he’d been so downcast, if whatever had been bothering him had turned out alright

Then they’re talking, talking a lot - about Jongdae’s friends and Minseok’s sister and laughing about something cute a kid had said to Minseok earlier this morning, and he’s ten minutes over his break and it must be Sehun calling for his help when the pace of customers picks up again before the barista even thinks about getting up to leave

“I... Really should get back... Trust me, I’d rather keep talking with you. Sehun doesn’t talk much. If you need anything, I’ll be up there, alright?”

Jongdae gives him a shy little wave, wishing Minseok could stay with him longer, to keep warming him up with his soft voice

When he’s back behind the counter, grinding beans and pumping syrup, he can’t stop thinking about Jongdae, about what goes on behind those glasses he thinks are so cute.

***
 

“I probably shouldn’t need to point him out...” Jongdae says, walking to the coffeeshop with a friend he’d confided in about the gorgeous boy with the green apron. “He’ll probably be the only one working... You can’t say anything, okay?” He says seriously as they round the corner and they can almost see through the window.

His friend nods, and they only manage to get halfway through the door because the shop is so crowded

He’d planned it this way, of course, so Tao wouldn’t get too close to Minseok, just in case it became obvious that he’d been wanting a second opinion

“He’s there, the one behind the counter --” he says quickly, in Tao’s ear, and he makes his glance slow so Jongdae won’t be nervous about getting his attention yet.

“Him? Wow, he’s adorable...”

Jongdae wants him to stop looking so intently in the next second, but Tao starts squinting.

“Didn’t you say he had dark hair though? Did he dye it? Those colors work for him, that’s cute.”

So Jongdae looks up himself, and laughs a little because the new boy is taking orders now, while Minseok’s back is turned

“No, no, the other one, that’s the new boy he was talking about... I forget his name.”

Tao grins. “Must be some coffeeshop... I understand why you come here so much.”

Minseok looks up and waves excitedly to Jongdae, and he squeaks a little - Tao is the only one to hear but it makes him smirk and so Jongdae’s glad when Minseok has to go through the beaded doorway into the back room, just so he’ll stop looking in his direction

The new boy winds up taking their order while Minseok is still fetching something from the back - But as soon as he walks out and places the extra cups on the counter, seeing him at the register, he pulls a face and lets him see, pointing a subtle finger at him and then jabbing it back to himself – a very clear “Mine.”

Tao doesn’t notice, or see Jongdae blushing

They sit down together, and even as they’re talking Jongdae’s eyes keep searching, keep waiting for him to pay attention, to look in their direction

He’s scared him off, Minseok thinks, mixing a latte, he brought a friend so he doesn’t have to talk to him, that’s it

But that’s quite the opposite of what Tao is encouraging Jongdae to do - stop being so timid and ask him out on a different date - “I guess you can’t just ask him out for a cup of coffee,” he snickers - supporting the interest Jongdae has in Minseok, and claiming to have seen him glancing in their direction

“Should I spill my drink so he has to come over here?”

***
 

Tao starts attending the coffeeshop frequently too, but their schedules haven’t matched up again to go in together

Jongdae wonders for a while if Sehun is the one to deliver him hot drinks, if Sehun won’t let Minseok serve Tao without getting jealous

But then he corrects himself before letting himself even think for more than a second that that’s really what Minseok is thinking, he probably just wants his tips

As soon as Jongdae walks in the door, Sehun takes his post at the register, but when he looks up and recognizes him, he moves aside and switches jobs with Minseok immediately, tugging him by the arm to get him to put the warm milk down

“The usual?” Minseok asks, a finger hovering over the buttons on the register with a raised eyebrow, and Jongdae’s running on Tao’s advice to go with his instincts and finally allow himself to believe that he’s teasing

He nods, fingers combing through his hair, and asks for the muffin he’d eaten on his first visit

“Go sit down,” Minseok urges, shrugging off the extra money for the pastry, and he obliges, plugging in his laptop next to the fire

He hardly has it when he hears some snickering behind the counter, and he looks up to watch Minseok pushing Sehun through the string of beads as he picks up Jongdae’s drink again, shaking his head

As he walks over he notes how red his neck is

And forgets to breathe for more than a few seconds

“I warmed it up a bit,” Minseok says when he pushes the muffin onto the table, rubbing the back of his neck, reddening it further. “Should be... A bit better that way. Do you need anything else?”

Jongdae pushes his hair out of his eyes and reassures him he’s all set, squirming a little because he’s putting pieces together like Minseok’s blushing at Sehun’s teasing and his eagerness to help in a way that they obviously don’t fit

And his eyes flick over to the armchair where he’d sat a few days ago for less than a second but he notices

And now he’s squirming, wringing his hands a bit and laughing nervously, “I’d totally sit if I could, b-but I need to teach Sehun some extra things during our down time today... Soon, okay? But you should get to your writing, I’m sure if you focus on it it’ll be great.” He gives a little thumbs up before walking away

When he’s back at the counter Jongdae hides his face and whimpers, just a little

He’s so cute, his teeth are so white when he smiles, smiles that seem like they’re just for him, his hair sweeps in such a pretty bump on his forehead so he can still see the way his eyes crinkle when he smirks, he always makes his drink perfectly and it seems like he makes everything with such care and he thinks that he really does love working here, with the apron tied around his small waist, in the dark jeans that fit him so well and the white button-ups that he pushes up to his elbows to show toned forearms

And Jongdae sinks low in his chair because he’s been so stupid, falling completely for someone who’s too perfect to ever look at him

He supposes it’s not his fault for falling, just for falling so hard and so fast and giving himself any notion of him returning any of the emotion he’s feeling in a sudden flood

So he gets it out on the word document instead, letting it flow out of his fingertips and out of his mind, trying to transfer what he’s feeling onto paper

And Minseok sees him staring intently at the screen and wants to read it so badly, just knowing he’d use pretty words for detailed plotlines and it makes him really frustrated that he’s too nervous to ask him anything about it

He’s seen so many people come in this shop for ideas and for inspiration and not a single one has been completely focused but not a single one has taken such interest in him

So he makes a promise to himself

And he’s already failed once by the time Jongdae leaves, wiggling his fingers bashfully as he pushes the door open

***
 

Minseok begins to realize that, after all, Jongdae decides when he comes into the shop – Minseok would want to see him every day if he could, but he only drops by occasionally, and he gets through the next full day wondering where he works and what he does when he’s not in the shop with his computer or notebook and imagining where he lives and hitting himself for being such a creep

And he’s totally not anticipating it when Jongdae comes in half an hour before they close before dinner on a weekday, looking tired from the entire day and he wonders how he can still look so cute and thoughtful after most likely working a full shift someplace

Sehun is wiping down the empty tables so Minseok sidles easily up to the register to greet him, bending over to rest his elbows on the counter, dropping his chin in his hands and staring adoringly up at him

He hums a bit as if making a decision but settles with the same order as always, and he chuckles and plugs it into the register with one hand, still staring at Jongdae with his hand in his palm.

“I don’t know why I even ask~” He says lightly, standing up slowly and covering his mouth when he yawns. “Go sit, I’ll --”

“No, I... I’ll...” He stumbles as he interrupts him, his heart pounding against his ribcage. “I’ll watch, y-you looked lonely.”

“Did I?” He grins, twirling around to get a mug and pressing a button to fill it with a flourish.

“I mean... Sure, when I came in, yeah...”

Minseok is smirking to himself, smug and pleased, stirring the extra ingredients together and using a toothpick to draw a design in the foam of his cup.

When he slides it over the counter, he watches Jongdae’s face light up, his hands encircling the mug delicately.

“Did that turn out well? I’ve been wanting to do those for ages... But I’m really no artist.”

“No, no, it’s cute...” He smiles wide, staring at the circle of hearts with interest. “I like it a lot.”

Minseok picks at the corner of the countertop, biting his lip and letting his eyes drift off to the stack of paper cups on his right. “Ah... But you know what - what’d make me stop being so lonely?” He draws a circle with his washcloth on the counter, finally looking up at him through his eyelashes.

“Mm, what’s that?” He’s trying to keep himself from blushing, but he really can’t help it at this point, it’s a lost cause, and he knows his ears are probably maroon by now

“I think... I think Sehun can go home after he finishes busing the tables... Will you stay to lock up the shop with me? I’d make it worth your time, maybe we could get something to eat...?”

Jongdae forgets to breathe again, but remembers to nod, remembers to smile, pushing his hair away from his eyes as he rocks back and forth on his feet

Minseok snorts, and tilts his ear towards him. “Is that a yes, handsome?”

He covers his mouth with his hand but his eyes twinkle at him, crinkling his nose just slightly. “Definitely a yes.”

Minseok looks so proud of himself, and Jongdae can’t help the broad grin that pulls at his lips.

It takes him awhile to decide to drink the pretty coffee, sitting on bar stool Minseok had dragged from across the shop so he could sit by him while he cleans up his work area, but as soon as he’s finished Minseok whisks the mug away to clean, hangs up his apron, and leads him out the door, his shyness completely forgone, and holds the door for him before fishing the keys out of his pocket and locking it shut.

He slips on his jacket and grins at Jongdae to break the silence, looking around. “Do you have any ideas? The bookstore just down the street has a cafe, if you want to try?”

“Oh... I work there. With the books.” He adds quickly, a toe in the dirt of the path.

“Right down the street from me?” His nose crinkles, and Jongdae holds back from squeezing him because he really is the most adorable thing he believes he’s ever seen. “All this time?”

Jongdae nods, embarrassed, but Minseok just slips his arm in his and leads him there anyway.

“Then I think that’s fair.”

***
 

It’s a week later and he’s taken him out two more times when he’s shelving some books, fixing the order and making sure everything is sorted out correctly

He’s focused but his mind is drifting off a bit, which he doesn’t correct, such a mind-numbing task doesn’t deserve his full attention

But when he’s almost finished shelving the last fantasy romance novel in the young adults section, he feels surprisingly strong arms around his waist in the tightest hug he’s felt for ages, and if he hadn’t jumped from being so startled it really would have been perfect, he thinks.

“Afternoon~” Minseok says, kissing Jongdae lightly on the cheek and letting him go, holding his hand tightly in his. “How are you?” He asks, eyes excited and scanning his face eagerly

“Sleepy,” he pouts, squeezing his hand

“Sleepy?” He asks, leaning against the shelf with one arm and smirking curiously at him. “Is that... Something I can help you with?” He teases, so bold.

Jongdae laughs loudly, turning and pushing Minseok’s back to the shelf, his arms on either side of his head.

Minseok’s eyes scan his quickly, back and forth across his face as his breathing quickens

Jongdae leans in so his lips are just brushing his, tilting his head so their noses line up

“I’ll visit you again soon,” he breathes, starting to lean back from where he has him trapped and flustered, grinning so smugly at the reaction he’d gotten

But Minseok grips his collar and pulls him in, pressing his soft lips against his own and feeling him tense with surprise, almost immediately relaxing as Jongdae’s lips curl up and his arms snake around his thin waist

And he’s first to lean back, teasing him in retaliation

“Of course you will~” He sings. “You wouldn’t be able to resist, would you?”

Jongdae shakes his head, pressing a kiss to his forehead. “Now go sit down, I’ll find you a book.”