"I'll make breakfast if you get the coffee," Taemin proposes to his best friend, Jongin. Both boys are lounging around on separate couches in the living room of their shared apartment, having just recently woken up. Jongin's clearly getting the short end of the stick since he has to put on real clothes and go outside, but he would take that over the risk of burning his wrist on the toaster oven like he did the last time.

"Yeah, sure," Jongin agrees. "The usual?"

Taemin nods and drags himself to the kitchen to rummage through the fridge. "You should go to that new drive-thru-only Starbucks that just opened down the road. Apparently it is super quick and efficient."

Wanting to get back for breakfast as soon as possible, Jongin quickly rinses off in the shower and then brushes his teeth with one hand while he tries to flatten the fluffy mess on his head with the other. "Don't forget your glasses!" Taemin reminds him before he steps out the front door, and he grins sheepishly when he dashes back inside to grab the gold wire-rim spectacles.

Taemin wasn't joking when he said the new Starbucks location was quick--Jongin had barely even finished saying his order when it had already popped up on the screen, and then he had barely pulled up to the window when it slid open and someone was handing him two drinks.

"Oh! Jongin, hi!" a bubbly voice greets him. He wasn't paying attention, but now that he turns to look, he sees it is one of his classmates, Seulgi.

"Oh hey, Seulgi. I didn't know you worked here," he says.

Seulgi urges him to take the two cups that she is holding and replies quickly, "I'll tell you all about it in class next week. Sorry, I've got some speed metrics to meet!" He carefully places the beverages in the cupholders and says goodbye before returning to his apartment. "Tae, you were not joking about the efficiency of that place! I've never gotten my hot chocolate so fast before. How do you think they do it?"

"No idea," Taemin shrugs. "I think I overheard someone talking about the ordering bot that is the real game changer."

"Ordering bot?" Jongin repeats. "What is that?"

As he plates the bacon, eggs, and toast, Taemin explains, "Apparently the place uses this human-like bot to take the orders. Or wait...is is just a human that is as accurate as a bot? I don't remember the details exactly. But it's interesting, isn't it? Most people would think its the baristas that have the most impact, but nope! People swear its the order-taker that makes the difference here."

"A human-like bot, huh?" Jongin muses. "To be totally honest, I didn't pay much attention to who or what was taking my order..."

The comment makes Taemin snort on his orange juice. "Classic Nini. Pay attention next time and let me know if you think it's a human or a bot!"

The next time comes sooner than Jongin would have thought, as he finds himself in line at the drive-thru the next morning. He's running late to meet his older sister, niece, and nephew at the park, so as an apology, he decides to pick up some treats.

"Hello, welcome to Starbucks, what can I can get started for you?" a soothing, honey voice asks him. Jongin doesn't remember this from last time, but admittedly, he had been half asleep. His eyes grow wide and he stutters out his order. Luckily, it doesn't seem like the boy-bot-whatever-he-is has any kind of reaction at all, so Jongin breaths out a sigh of relief. Really must be a bot. "Your order will be ready at the window. Thank you for visiting Starbucks, have a nice day."

Jongin's older sister is a little annoyed at his late arrival, but agrees to forgive him when the little boy and girl insist that Jongin is the best uncle ever for bringing treats. "Yah, you can't just bribe the little ones like this every time you make a mistake," she chides him. "You are going to teach them to have a soft spot for people who give them things!"

"Oh, I wouldn't worry about that, noona," he chuckles. "These kiddos love me for way more things than just the goodies I bring them--isn't that right?!" He scoops the two children into his arms and alternate attacking them each with playful smooches all over their faces. The stern look on his sister's face melts along with her heart; she truly does appreciate how much her brother loves her children.

"Where did you get these from, anyway?" she asks. "They're good!"

"Actually, I got them at that new drive-thru-only Starbucks location that just opened down the road from my place," he tells her. "It's the quickest coffee place I've ever been to! Taemin was telling me they use some sort of smart bot or something so it must have facial recognition or something to remember your orders, because when I went this morning, it had my order on the screen at the exact time that I said it! It's like it already knew what I wanted before I even opened my mouth. And then it takes them like 10 seconds to make all the drinks and prepare the snacks! Already waiting for me at the window when I pulled up." Jongin is so excited talking about it that his sister can't help but to laugh.

"You're talking about Kyungsoo, right?" she asks him.

Jongin raises an eyebrow in confusion and asks "Who is Kyungsoo?"

"Apparently that's the name of the order-taking bot, I heard my colleagues talking about it. They say he's pretty cute--do you agree?" she teases him.

"Uhhhh how do people think that a bot is cute?" he asks.

Jongin's sister rolls her eyes, nagging, "Oh honestly, Jongin, you aren't very observant, are you? Next time you go, try paying attention to what else is on the screen besides your order."

The curiosity is killing Jongin for the rest of the day, but he has enough restraint to not go back to Starbucks until the next morning, on his way to class at his university. This time he makes sure to roam his eyes across the giant monitor and sure enough, there in the top left corner, is an image of a boy, and man, if he isn't the cutest boy Jongin has ever seen. Jongin dumbly stares at the boy for a long time taking note of the name tag on his chest that sports his name in neat writing: Kyungsoo. He doesn't realize how long he has been staring until a car behind him honks. The noise startles him and he sheepishly holds up his hand in apology.

"Hello, welcome to Starbucks, what can I can get started for you?" That same voices asks him in the exact same words. And again, when he finishes ordering, "Your order will be ready at the window. Thank you for visiting Starbucks, have a nice day."

Seulgi hands him his drink at the window, looking surprised. "I didn't know you liked hot chocolate this much, Jongin. What is this, three days in a row now?"

Jongin tries to defend himself but ultimately fails. Instead, he turns the attention back on Seulgi by asking, "Yeah, well, what about you? How do you find time to study when you work so much?"

"I only work four hours a day," Seulgi explains with a laugh, "You just always happen to come here during my shift. Say...you aren't just here to see me, are you? Because sorry, but I have a girlfriend and I like her a little too much to be swayed by your attempts--"

She starts guffawing when Jongin sputters, "I-I'm not here to flirt with you! I know all about Irene and you know that I'm gay! Very much gay!"

"Calm down, I'm just messing with you. Your innocent personality makes it way too easy. Well, enjoy! You've been holding up our line enough," Seulgi dismisses him and he drives off, red in the face.

"Dude, can you even afford to go to Starbucks that much on your college-student budget?" Taemin asks Jongin as he sinks into his desk in the back row of History of Modern Dance 251. "Also, that is way more sugar than your dancer bod can handle. You should really consider curting back." The advice is punctuated by a series of jabs to Jongin's abs.

"My dancer bod is doing just fine, thank you very much," Jongin retorts, flexing his abs before Taemin's next assault. "I've just really been craving hot chocolate lately, and you know I believe in listening to my body."

Taemin pretends to be deep in thought and then a smirk blooms on his lips when he asks, "You sure your body isn't telling you that you're craving for Seulgi--" Lucky for Taemin, their professor enters the room before Jongin can retaliate.

To prove a point to both Seulgi and Taemin, Jongin does not go to the drive-thru Starbucks on Tuesday. By 2pm, though, he is regretting his decision when he can definitely tell that his body is in need of some sugar. "Is this what recovering drug addicts feel like?" he grumbles to Taemin during a short break in their dance practice. "I think I am suffering from withdrawals."

"Oh, stop complaining, you big baby," Taemin scolds his friend. "Your body wasn't used to having that much sugar that frequently in the first place--of course it is going to crash when you suddenly take away that energy source. You should really listen to me when I give you advice--I swear I'm only full of crap 50% of the time. Maybe try getting just a tall one tomorrow morning and slowly wean yourself off.

And so Jongin does just that, picking up a hot chocolate from Starbucks on his way to class on Wednesday morning. This time though, there is a change up to his ordering routine that he isn't prepared for. "Name for the order, please?" the Kyungsoo bot asks him.

"I-What?!" Jongin replies. Smooth, real smooth. Wait, why does he even care about looking suave in front of a bot? Just because he is cute, has the biggest, roundest eyes Jongin has ever seen, adorable heart-shaped lips, and these chubby cheeks that he just wants to pinch...

"Name for the order, please?" Kyungsoo repeats in the exact same tone and cadence, reminding Jongin that this is a computer program and he has nothing to be embarrased about. They must have updated the software to offer a more personalized touch.

"Jongin. Kim Jongin," he manages to say after letting out a sigh of relief.

"Your order will be ready at the window. Thank you for visiting Starbucks, have a nice day, Kim Jongin," Kyungsoo says, and Jongin decides he really likes this new enhancement to the Kyungsoo bot.

It isn't until he is laying in bed at the end of the day that Jongin really starts thinking about his life and his new-found fascination with the Kyungsoo bot. "Get yourself together," Jongin scolds himself, "This isn't 'Her'...you aren't falling in love with a machine. You still have your sanity." With that comforting thought, he falls asleep, imagining what it would be like to have Kyungsoo's heart-shaped lips smiling at him, eyes crinkling into crescents.

Jongin is a little too invested in his dream-date with Kyungsoo to wake up on time the next morning. He shoots out of bed and frantically throws his belongings into his book bag and Taemin shoves a piece of toast into his mouth on his way out the door. "Thank you!" he hollers to his roommate, voice muffled by the bread.

As he collapses into his desk, barely on time for Psychology 101, he doesn't notice the Starbucks cup that is sitting on his desk and he very nearly knocks it over. "Hey, hey, hey! Easy on the throwing around!" Seulgi all but yells. "Show a little respect for the beverage!" She saves it by picking it up and holding it while Jongin settles in. Then she tries to hand it back to him.

"Oh, is this for me?" he asks even though it obviously is.

Seulgi snorts, "No, I'm just holding my drink up to your face like a weirdo. Of course it's for you! I get a free drink on every shift but didn't want one today, and well, you didn't come in before class, so..."

Jongin's face gets a little warm when he says, "I, uh, already told you that I'm into guys, Seulgi..."

He is glad he is sitting down when Seulgi slaps him on the arm. "And I told you that I am happily in a relationship with my girlfriend, you dimwit! Can't a friend just bring a friend a hot chocolate without it being weird?" She slams the cup onto his desk for good measure and folds her arms across her chest. "Don't worry, I won't be doing it again."

"I'm sorry, I didn't mean to make things awkward," Jongin scratches at the back of his neck. "Thank you, seriously. I woke up late and didn't have time to stop by, so this is much appreciated." He thinks he hears Seulgi mutter a response under her breath, but he doesn't have a chance to ask her to repeat herself before class starts.

"Actually, I have something I want to ask you about your work, if you don't mind," Jongin says as they start to pack up their belongings after class is dismissed.

"Sure, what's up? You looking for a job?" Seulgi asks.

"Nah, I just wanted to ask you how that ordering bot works," Jongin explains.

Seulgi looks at him like he has sprouted a second head on his shoulder. "Uhhhh...the ordering bot?"

"Yeah, you know, Kyungsoo, the bot that takes the orders at the drive-thru?" his voice upticks at the end, because suddenly he feels like he really is the crazy one here.

A look of realization dawns on Seulgi's face and she smiles broadly when she replies, "Ohhhhh right, Kyungsoo bot. Sorry, he is just so realistic sometimes that I totally forget he isn't human. What about him?"

Jongin breathes out a sigh of relief that his sanity is temporarily validated. "This is going to sound really weird, but...is there somebody that the bot is modeled after? Like...is there someone that works at Starbucks that the bot was made to resemble?"

Jongin doesn't understand why the expression on Seulgi's face turns sympathetic. "You've developed a one-sided love with Kyungsoo bot, haven't you?"

"I-no-what is this, 'Her'?!" He manages to spit out, and it might have actually been believable had he not turned the color of a tomato.

"There, there, it's alright," Seulgi pats his shoulder in consolation. "If it makes you feel any better, I too find Kyungsoo to be very handsome, and I don't even like guys! Tell you what, I'll put in a good word with Kyungsoo bot so he'll give you an extra special greeting next time, ok?" She would have sounded sincere had she not started giggling afterwards.

"Stop that! Now you're just making fun of me," Jongin pouts, and Seulgi does start to feel a little bad.

"Noooo, not the pout! Seriously, come by the drive-thru at 10pm tomorrow night when we are closing and I'll put you out of your misery," Seulgi proposes. When Jongin looks ready to protest that her offer doesn't sound appealing at all, she laughs and assures him she is just kidding. "See you tomorrow!" she sing-songs as she walks out the classroom door.

"Let's take a breather, Jong, you are obviously not focused right now," Taemin commands as he himself slumps to the floor. "What's going on in that head of your's?" Although he is embarrassed about it, Jongin spills all of the details about the Kyungsoo bot and how Seulgi instructed him to come to the drive-thru at closing the next day. "I swear to God if she is going to make you kneel in front of that menu display and confess to a robot, I am never going to let you live it down," Taemin laughs. "I don't know what she's planning but everything's going to be fine, so please, let's make it through the rest of rehearsal?" And so Jongin releases the thoughts from his mind and refocuses his attention on dancing.

Jongin would be lying if he said he wasn't nervous on his way to Starbucks on Friday night. He found himself nervously repeating his hot chocolate order in his head like a mantra, as if he hadn't ordered it ever before. When he does finally pull up to the drive-thru right before closing, he is pleased to see he is the last customer for the night. He has calmed himself down enough to not make a fool of himself when he orders, but to his shock, he doesn't even get a chance to.

"Facial recognition activated," Kyungsoo bot greets him when he rolls down his window. "Welcome back to Starbucks, Kim Jongin. Would you like your usual order of a tall hot chocolate?" Jongin's jaw hits his steering wheel and he doesn't know what to say or do. Who is he and where is he, even?

When he doesn't respond, Kyungsoo asks again, "Would you like your usual order of a tall hot chocolate?" Jongin pulls himself together enough to reply affirmatively and then quickly pulls forward to the window to confront Seulgi about yet another update being made to the system's software.

"Yah, Kang Seulgi--" he starts to complain as soon as he hears the window start to slide open. He probably should have been paying attention because it is not Seulgi who brings him his drink.

"Tall hot chocolate for Kim Jongin," that very familiar silky voice grabs his attention. Torn between curiosity and mortification, Jongin slowly, very slowly, turns his head to confirm that his best dream (or worst nightmare) is coming true. Yep, there he is, Jongin's favorite Starbucks bot, in the flesh.

Jongin quickly turns back and hides his face in his hands, hunching over the steering wheel. "This is not real, you are not real, I am hallucinating, I have officially lost my mind..." he mutters to himself, hoping that any second now he'll wake up and discover he fell asleep before going to Starbucks. But no, real-boy Kyungsoo is very real and he is laughing at him now, an addicting sound that sends Jongin's heart into overdrive.

Aaaand now human Kyungsoo is leaning out the drive-thru window and into Jongin's car window, and Jongin shouldn't have turned to look, because Kyungsoo is even cuter and more precious up close like this. "Oh good, you're alive," Kyungsoo comments when Jongin whines and hides his face again.

"Yeah, and turns out you are too," Jongin sasses back, turning red when he realizes what he said. Kyungsoo clearly doesn't mind, though, as he chuckles again, resting his chin on his palm and openly watching Jongin struggle with himself. "You're Kyungsoo," Jongin finally says.

"I am," Kyungsoo confirms, "And you're Jongin."

"Y-yeah, I am," Jongin stutters in response. "So now that we've established that...what now?"

Kyungsoo holds up the cup of hot chocolate and says, "I would ask you out for coffee, but..."

"I like chicken!" Jongin blurts out, turning crimson afterwards. He'll be darned if he misses out on this chance to go out with Kyungsoo just because he already ordered a drink.

"Yeah?" Kyungsoo asks, lips quirking into a smile. And Jongin was so right, it really is the most beautiful thing he has ever seen.

"Yeah," he confirms. "You get off your shift soon, right? I'll just wait here..." The offer isn't weird, right? Kyungsoo definitely seems interested in going out?

Kyungsoo pouts as his eyes shift to the kitchen behind him and Jongin wants nothing more than to kiss it away. "We did just close, but the crew still needs to clean up all of the equip--" Kyungsoo starts to explain, but Seulgi can be heard hollering from the back, "Oh just GO on your date, lover boys, so I don't have to deal with your nonsense anymore!"

"Just a sec," Kyungsoo grins at Jongin and he watches as the barista runs away, tearing his apron off in the process. Not two minutes later, Kyungsoo is buckling himself into the passenger's seat of Jongin's car and giving him a kiss on the cheek. Jongin takes Kyungsoo to his favorite chicken place that night, but Kyungsoo insists on paying to make up for all of the hot chocolates Jongin has been buying.

*~*~*

"Papa, I can't believe that you thought Daddy was a robot," five-year-old Taeoh comments once his Daddy finishes telling one of his favorite bedtime stories. "I'm only five and I know that is silly."

"Yes, well, your Papa has always been very silly; that's one of the many things that I love about him," Kyungsoo coos, as he tucks his little baby bear under the covers.

On the other side of their son, Jongin snorts and tries to explain himself, "Yeah, well, your Daddy is an excellent actor, especially when it comes imitating a robot. Seriously! You said 'Facial recognition activated'!"

Kyungsoo chuckles and scoots closer to place a hand on his husband's cheek, leaning up to give him a peck on the lips. "If it makes you feel any better, I was so robot-like because I was so smitten with you that I didn't trust myself to say anything off-script. And I asked for a name for your order even though I obviously didn't need it because I just wanted to have a name to put with this handsome face. And you know that hot chocolate that Seulgi brought you was from me...I had to offer to work late to clean up the kitchen without her for a whole week to get her to agree to do it. So don't worry, I was just as much a fool for you as you were for me."

Jongin smiles gleefully and leans down to plant one on Kyungsoo as well, feeling as giddy about their love as he had felt back then. "Hey, me too! I want kisses too!" Taeoh protests between them, and both fathers attack their baby with smooches until he squirms himself to exhaustion and falls asleep. Jongin pulls the covers up to Taeoh's chin and takes his husband's hand to lead him to their own room.

"I love it when he asks us to tell our love story again," Kyungsoo sighs happily into Jongin's side. "It is definitely one of my favorite stories, too."

"Me too," Jongin agrees, placing a gentle kiss atop Kyungsoo's head as they settle into bed. "And just think, as he gets older and older, we'll have even more stories and memories to share with him."

Sleepily, Kyungsoo hums in response and Jongin swears he hears Kyungsoo utter one more thing before drifting into dreamland: "Soo bot, powering down."