super junior: hot chocolate
hot chocolate
fandom: Super Junior
pairing: qmi
rating: pg
words: 2,095
cafe au. (barista!kyuhyun, baker!sungmin, and idk zhou mi is a customer??) kyuhyun has a crush--on someone who's already taken.
a/n: merry christmas! ♥ i feel like this is the most christmas spirit i've had in years orz
i hope you enjoy! ^^;
Christmas has always been Kyuhyun’s favorite time of year.
Usually, he hates festive things-they always bring the annoying, overly-enthusiastic people to the mall, and they’re such a pain-but there’s just something about Christmas that makes Kyuhyun oddly, irrationally excited; it makes him feel like a kid all over again. The coffee shop always feels exceptionally cozy, a warm refuge from the cold, and it’s a bit busier as customers flood in from the mall, often in search of hot chocolate-one of Kyuhyun’s favorite parts of the season. Whenever there are a few spare minutes, however rare they may be, he likes to make them for himself and just close his eyes and savor the taste of the rich, sweet chocolate.
He’s doing just this when he opens his eyes to see a face just in front of his, and he jumps, spilling his hot chocolate all over his lap and making a sound that almost resembles a squeak, and promptly falls off the stool he’s been sitting on in front of the cash register. He picks himself up off the floor hastily, feeling flustered, and (as he tries to ignore the hot chocolate in a puddle around his feet and seeping through the fabric of his clothes) manages to say, “Sorry, what would you like to order?”
“Don’t you think you should clean up first?” laughs the person across the counter, and Kyuhyun glances up at him as he stands up all the way, starting to smile sheepishly until he makes eye contact with the customer and freezes in place, smile half-formed on his face. They both stare at each other in probably the most awkward way possible and Kyuhyun feels like he’s locked in place by the other’s gaze until suddenly the customer looks away, cheeks coloring, and Kyuhyun does the same.
After a moment, he manages to say somewhat shakily, “Um. I’ll take your order now if you’d like. It would be rude to make you wait for me to change,” and watches the customer (who is still staring at a spot on the cash register intently) as he waits for him to say something; he’s skinny, but attractively so, wearing dark jeans that maybe seem a little too tight, a navy blue button-up shirt, and black, thick-rimmed glasses with no lenses (Kyuhyun kind of finds them pointless, but he can’t say it looks bad, especially on him).
But what draws the most of Kyuhyun’s attention is his vibrant, red hair, and he can’t stop looking at it, not until the customer looks up, clearly having noticed that he’s staring-it’s Kyuhyun’s turn to blush now-and he looks at Kyuhyun a little bemusedly before finally saying, “I’ll have two hot chocolates. In the smallest size you have, please.”
Kyuhyun nods and rings his order up, and he swears when the customer hands him his credit card-Zhou Mi is written on it-their hands brush and it sends a little jolt of excitement through him, for a fleeting moment, but then he reminds himself that it’s probably his imagination-and even if it isn’t, it’s not like it means anything. It’s silly of him to ever believe that it could.
It’s only when Zhou Mi (that’s what he assumes the customer’s name is-not that it matters) leaves that he realizes that there’s been someone waiting outside the whole time, facing away from the door. When Zhou Mi steps out, the man turns around and Zhou Mi hands him one cup before leaning in as the other man puts one arm around him, leading him away.
“You look ridiculous, you know,” says Sungmin from behind him as he watches them leave. “You’re just standing there and staring after whoever that was all longingly with hot chocolate all over your clothes and the floor-were you not going to clean that up, by the way? Because if you don’t, I’m not doing anything about it-and in any case, it looks like he has a boyfriend. But at least you know he’s gay! So maybe if they break up you’ll at least have a chance! It looks like he’s out of your league to me, though. He’s too good-looking for someone who never even bothers with his own appearance. Really, if you just tried-“
“Just go back to baking cookies, Sungmin,” Kyuhyun scowls, walking into the back room. “I have to change.”
Maybe they’re not actually dating, Kyuhyun tells himself uselessly as he mops the hot chocolate-covered floor, maybe they’re just good friends. Really good friends.
---
Zhou Mi comes back six days later. He still doesn’t really look at Kyuhyun when he orders for two, but this time their hands definitely brush when Kyuhyun passes the hot chocolate. Kyuhyun manages to smile and wave as Zhou Mi leaves, but it goes unseen-by the time the smile has risen to Kyuhyun’s face and his hand has just started to lift, Zhou Mi is already walking away, towards the same man from before.
Kyuhyun’s throat tightens as he sees the man lean in and kiss Zhou Mi right there, right outside, making Zhou Mi spill the hot chocolate and laugh a little, and he keeps watching them until Zhou Mi’s bright red scarf disappears, feeling hopeless and pathetic.
It’s three days later that Zhou Mi returns again, and Kyuhyun’s breath catches a little when Zhou Mi finally looks at him, giving him a faint little smile as he leaves-Kyuhyun wishes he’d really smile at him, one day-only to rejoin his boyfriend outside. Sungmin sighs, “You’re really kind of pitiful like this.” Kyuhyun sort of agrees.
Even so, he can’t help but continue to get excited as Zhou Mi (and his boyfriend, but Kyuhyun tries to forget that he’s there) starts coming daily. Little glances and smiles turn into nods and small talk; Sungmin tells him that it’s only because Zhou Mi is becoming a regular, but Kyuhyun can’t help but hope that it’s something more.
It’s a week after Zhou Mi starts coming regularly that Kyuhyun realizes that he’s been paying much more attention to how he dresses these days-not only for work, but really just in general, even when he’s only going out for drinks with Sungmin. Maybe he’s hoping that Zhou Mi will notice, or that they’ll see each other somewhere, sometime, but either way it must be a good thing that he’s been trying to take better care of himself. Even if it’s only because of his pointless little crush.
Zhou Mi hardly seems to notice, though-Kyuhyun doesn’t know why he expected him to-and Kyuhyun starts spending more time trying to fix his hair in the mornings (but he still refuses to use conditioner. He already feels like enough of a girl) in what must be a pathetic plea for attention that goes unheard. Sungmin seems both disgusted and pleased with him for it and tries to get him to wear eyeliner (“It’ll look so sexy on you!”), but the idea of that is just too horrifying to even consider.
Sungmin makes gingerbread men midway through December; Kyuhyun is not allowed to eat them, because Sungmin knows how much he loves them, cute faces and all, and if he takes even one for himself the rest are sure to be gone not long after. But it doesn’t stop him from slipping one into a little wax paper bag and giving it to Zhou Mi with his order without even being asked. When Zhou Mi looks at him confusedly, he just smiles (perhaps a bit shakily) and says, “We’ll just call it complimentary. You are one of our best customers now, in any case.”
“Thanks.” Zhou Mi says, smiling brilliantly at him. Kyuhyun smiles back, and for that one moment, everything is perfect.
---
Inevitably, Sungmin lectures him about his behavior later.
“Giving food away for free is not the way to win his heart, however much you might like him! And don’t even try to deny it,” he adds as Kyuhyun opens his mouth to speak, “I saw the whole thing. Seriously, Kyuhyun, it’s just kind of pathetic. He has a boyfriend. Even I don’t go for people that are taken.”
“So?” Kyuhyun mutters, pouting. “Maybe they’ll break up. You said so yourself!”
“I’m not always right. And either way, if you’re going to give him things, make sure they’re actually yours to give. I don’t appreciate having my gingerbread men just given away to someone. They’re special! They deserve more than being given away free of charge. It’s injustice,” Sungmin sniffs.
“You just have an odd emotional attachment to your pastries,” Kyuhyun snickers.
“Don’t laugh!” snaps Sungmin defensively. “And it’s not odd. It’s perfectly normal to care about what you create!”
“Not to the extent you do,” Kyuhyun laughs. “I’ve seen you talking to cupcakes like they’re real people. Really, we’re kind of even when it comes to being pathetic.”
There’s a customer waiting at the register, so he walks out of the kitchen, leaving Sungmin spluttering indignantly in his wake.
---
It’s Christmas Eve, and Kyuhyun is working. He doesn’t have anyone to spend tonight with anyway-Ahra’s with her new boyfriend and his parents are on vacation in France; even Sungmin is busy doing a holiday bake sale to raise money for orphans, and Kyuhyun is not allowed to be there because apparently he’s a disaster in the kitchen.
Zhou Mi hasn’t shown up since the day Kyuhyun gave him the gingerbread man, and somehow he feels like it just isn’t the same without him coming by every day.
Kyuhyun sips his hot chocolate, looking out the window at the empty, quiet mall; it’s sad how much he wishes Zhou Mi were here-so much that he can almost see him sitting on the side of the fountain, looking off into the distance. Kyuhyun stares at pretend-Zhou-Mi’s spot on the fountain almost longingly until he turns and then they’re staring right into each other’s eyes, and Kyuhyun realizes that this Zhou Mi is not his imagination.
Quickly, he grabs another cup of hot chocolate and heads out to where Zhou Mi is sitting in the cold, handing it to him and taking a seat on the fountain as well.
“Thanks,” Zhou Mi says. “You didn’t have to.”
“Don’t worry about it. What are you doing here all alone?” Kyuhyun asks. “It’s Christmas Eve. Shouldn’t you be with your boyfriend or something?”
It’s then that he notices that Zhou Mi’s face is tear-streaked, his eyes red; Zhou Mi is silent for a few moments before he says quietly, “Siwon broke up with me today.”
“I’m sorry,” Kyuhyun says, not completely sincerely.
Zhou Mi laughs, only a little sadly.. “It’s okay. I didn’t really like him all that much. But it still hurts a little, you know? Anyway, if you were wondering why I haven’t shown up for the last few days… It was because of him. Siwon’s always been a possessive person, so when I started coming here, he was really jealous of you, naturally. He was convinced you liked me or something-every time I came back out he’d be all ridiculously affectionate, like he was trying to make a point.”
“Oh,” Kyuhyun says uncomfortably, “well, I’m sure he had no reason to be jealous…”
“No, he did,” Zhou Mi grins. “Siwon is probably one of the most perceptive people I’ve met. As soon as I came out of the coffee shop that first day, he knew I was interested in you. That’s why he made me stop coming. But he realized that it’s not him that I like anymore-it’s you.”
Zhou Mi is looking at Kyuhyun right in the eyes now, perhaps a little apprehensively, and for a few moments Kyuhyun is speechless. Finally, he manages to stutter, “I-you-you what?”
“I-um, I like you, Kyuhyun,” Zhou Mi says, a little breathlessly, “I like you a lot.”
“Oh,” Kyuhyun says articulately.
“Does that mean you, um, don’t like me?” Zhou Mi looks more embarrassed than anything; his eyes are downcast, and his cheeks are a little pink. It’s kind of endearing, Kyuhyun thinks. “I’m sorry-um, if this made you uncomfortable-you don’t have to-if you want, I’ll just stop co-“
Kyuhyun leans forward and cuts him off with a kiss. Zhou Mi makes a surprised noise at the contact, but then relaxes into it, dropping his hot chocolate to the ground; Kyuhyun smiles.
Christmas really is his favorite time of year.
fandom: Super Junior
pairing: qmi
rating: pg
words: 2,095
cafe au. (barista!kyuhyun, baker!sungmin, and idk zhou mi is a customer??) kyuhyun has a crush--on someone who's already taken.
a/n: merry christmas! ♥ i feel like this is the most christmas spirit i've had in years orz
i hope you enjoy! ^^;
Christmas has always been Kyuhyun’s favorite time of year.
Usually, he hates festive things-they always bring the annoying, overly-enthusiastic people to the mall, and they’re such a pain-but there’s just something about Christmas that makes Kyuhyun oddly, irrationally excited; it makes him feel like a kid all over again. The coffee shop always feels exceptionally cozy, a warm refuge from the cold, and it’s a bit busier as customers flood in from the mall, often in search of hot chocolate-one of Kyuhyun’s favorite parts of the season. Whenever there are a few spare minutes, however rare they may be, he likes to make them for himself and just close his eyes and savor the taste of the rich, sweet chocolate.
He’s doing just this when he opens his eyes to see a face just in front of his, and he jumps, spilling his hot chocolate all over his lap and making a sound that almost resembles a squeak, and promptly falls off the stool he’s been sitting on in front of the cash register. He picks himself up off the floor hastily, feeling flustered, and (as he tries to ignore the hot chocolate in a puddle around his feet and seeping through the fabric of his clothes) manages to say, “Sorry, what would you like to order?”
“Don’t you think you should clean up first?” laughs the person across the counter, and Kyuhyun glances up at him as he stands up all the way, starting to smile sheepishly until he makes eye contact with the customer and freezes in place, smile half-formed on his face. They both stare at each other in probably the most awkward way possible and Kyuhyun feels like he’s locked in place by the other’s gaze until suddenly the customer looks away, cheeks coloring, and Kyuhyun does the same.
After a moment, he manages to say somewhat shakily, “Um. I’ll take your order now if you’d like. It would be rude to make you wait for me to change,” and watches the customer (who is still staring at a spot on the cash register intently) as he waits for him to say something; he’s skinny, but attractively so, wearing dark jeans that maybe seem a little too tight, a navy blue button-up shirt, and black, thick-rimmed glasses with no lenses (Kyuhyun kind of finds them pointless, but he can’t say it looks bad, especially on him).
But what draws the most of Kyuhyun’s attention is his vibrant, red hair, and he can’t stop looking at it, not until the customer looks up, clearly having noticed that he’s staring-it’s Kyuhyun’s turn to blush now-and he looks at Kyuhyun a little bemusedly before finally saying, “I’ll have two hot chocolates. In the smallest size you have, please.”
Kyuhyun nods and rings his order up, and he swears when the customer hands him his credit card-Zhou Mi is written on it-their hands brush and it sends a little jolt of excitement through him, for a fleeting moment, but then he reminds himself that it’s probably his imagination-and even if it isn’t, it’s not like it means anything. It’s silly of him to ever believe that it could.
It’s only when Zhou Mi (that’s what he assumes the customer’s name is-not that it matters) leaves that he realizes that there’s been someone waiting outside the whole time, facing away from the door. When Zhou Mi steps out, the man turns around and Zhou Mi hands him one cup before leaning in as the other man puts one arm around him, leading him away.
“You look ridiculous, you know,” says Sungmin from behind him as he watches them leave. “You’re just standing there and staring after whoever that was all longingly with hot chocolate all over your clothes and the floor-were you not going to clean that up, by the way? Because if you don’t, I’m not doing anything about it-and in any case, it looks like he has a boyfriend. But at least you know he’s gay! So maybe if they break up you’ll at least have a chance! It looks like he’s out of your league to me, though. He’s too good-looking for someone who never even bothers with his own appearance. Really, if you just tried-“
“Just go back to baking cookies, Sungmin,” Kyuhyun scowls, walking into the back room. “I have to change.”
Maybe they’re not actually dating, Kyuhyun tells himself uselessly as he mops the hot chocolate-covered floor, maybe they’re just good friends. Really good friends.
---
Zhou Mi comes back six days later. He still doesn’t really look at Kyuhyun when he orders for two, but this time their hands definitely brush when Kyuhyun passes the hot chocolate. Kyuhyun manages to smile and wave as Zhou Mi leaves, but it goes unseen-by the time the smile has risen to Kyuhyun’s face and his hand has just started to lift, Zhou Mi is already walking away, towards the same man from before.
Kyuhyun’s throat tightens as he sees the man lean in and kiss Zhou Mi right there, right outside, making Zhou Mi spill the hot chocolate and laugh a little, and he keeps watching them until Zhou Mi’s bright red scarf disappears, feeling hopeless and pathetic.
It’s three days later that Zhou Mi returns again, and Kyuhyun’s breath catches a little when Zhou Mi finally looks at him, giving him a faint little smile as he leaves-Kyuhyun wishes he’d really smile at him, one day-only to rejoin his boyfriend outside. Sungmin sighs, “You’re really kind of pitiful like this.” Kyuhyun sort of agrees.
Even so, he can’t help but continue to get excited as Zhou Mi (and his boyfriend, but Kyuhyun tries to forget that he’s there) starts coming daily. Little glances and smiles turn into nods and small talk; Sungmin tells him that it’s only because Zhou Mi is becoming a regular, but Kyuhyun can’t help but hope that it’s something more.
It’s a week after Zhou Mi starts coming regularly that Kyuhyun realizes that he’s been paying much more attention to how he dresses these days-not only for work, but really just in general, even when he’s only going out for drinks with Sungmin. Maybe he’s hoping that Zhou Mi will notice, or that they’ll see each other somewhere, sometime, but either way it must be a good thing that he’s been trying to take better care of himself. Even if it’s only because of his pointless little crush.
Zhou Mi hardly seems to notice, though-Kyuhyun doesn’t know why he expected him to-and Kyuhyun starts spending more time trying to fix his hair in the mornings (but he still refuses to use conditioner. He already feels like enough of a girl) in what must be a pathetic plea for attention that goes unheard. Sungmin seems both disgusted and pleased with him for it and tries to get him to wear eyeliner (“It’ll look so sexy on you!”), but the idea of that is just too horrifying to even consider.
Sungmin makes gingerbread men midway through December; Kyuhyun is not allowed to eat them, because Sungmin knows how much he loves them, cute faces and all, and if he takes even one for himself the rest are sure to be gone not long after. But it doesn’t stop him from slipping one into a little wax paper bag and giving it to Zhou Mi with his order without even being asked. When Zhou Mi looks at him confusedly, he just smiles (perhaps a bit shakily) and says, “We’ll just call it complimentary. You are one of our best customers now, in any case.”
“Thanks.” Zhou Mi says, smiling brilliantly at him. Kyuhyun smiles back, and for that one moment, everything is perfect.
---
Inevitably, Sungmin lectures him about his behavior later.
“Giving food away for free is not the way to win his heart, however much you might like him! And don’t even try to deny it,” he adds as Kyuhyun opens his mouth to speak, “I saw the whole thing. Seriously, Kyuhyun, it’s just kind of pathetic. He has a boyfriend. Even I don’t go for people that are taken.”
“So?” Kyuhyun mutters, pouting. “Maybe they’ll break up. You said so yourself!”
“I’m not always right. And either way, if you’re going to give him things, make sure they’re actually yours to give. I don’t appreciate having my gingerbread men just given away to someone. They’re special! They deserve more than being given away free of charge. It’s injustice,” Sungmin sniffs.
“You just have an odd emotional attachment to your pastries,” Kyuhyun snickers.
“Don’t laugh!” snaps Sungmin defensively. “And it’s not odd. It’s perfectly normal to care about what you create!”
“Not to the extent you do,” Kyuhyun laughs. “I’ve seen you talking to cupcakes like they’re real people. Really, we’re kind of even when it comes to being pathetic.”
There’s a customer waiting at the register, so he walks out of the kitchen, leaving Sungmin spluttering indignantly in his wake.
---
It’s Christmas Eve, and Kyuhyun is working. He doesn’t have anyone to spend tonight with anyway-Ahra’s with her new boyfriend and his parents are on vacation in France; even Sungmin is busy doing a holiday bake sale to raise money for orphans, and Kyuhyun is not allowed to be there because apparently he’s a disaster in the kitchen.
Zhou Mi hasn’t shown up since the day Kyuhyun gave him the gingerbread man, and somehow he feels like it just isn’t the same without him coming by every day.
Kyuhyun sips his hot chocolate, looking out the window at the empty, quiet mall; it’s sad how much he wishes Zhou Mi were here-so much that he can almost see him sitting on the side of the fountain, looking off into the distance. Kyuhyun stares at pretend-Zhou-Mi’s spot on the fountain almost longingly until he turns and then they’re staring right into each other’s eyes, and Kyuhyun realizes that this Zhou Mi is not his imagination.
Quickly, he grabs another cup of hot chocolate and heads out to where Zhou Mi is sitting in the cold, handing it to him and taking a seat on the fountain as well.
“Thanks,” Zhou Mi says. “You didn’t have to.”
“Don’t worry about it. What are you doing here all alone?” Kyuhyun asks. “It’s Christmas Eve. Shouldn’t you be with your boyfriend or something?”
It’s then that he notices that Zhou Mi’s face is tear-streaked, his eyes red; Zhou Mi is silent for a few moments before he says quietly, “Siwon broke up with me today.”
“I’m sorry,” Kyuhyun says, not completely sincerely.
Zhou Mi laughs, only a little sadly.. “It’s okay. I didn’t really like him all that much. But it still hurts a little, you know? Anyway, if you were wondering why I haven’t shown up for the last few days… It was because of him. Siwon’s always been a possessive person, so when I started coming here, he was really jealous of you, naturally. He was convinced you liked me or something-every time I came back out he’d be all ridiculously affectionate, like he was trying to make a point.”
“Oh,” Kyuhyun says uncomfortably, “well, I’m sure he had no reason to be jealous…”
“No, he did,” Zhou Mi grins. “Siwon is probably one of the most perceptive people I’ve met. As soon as I came out of the coffee shop that first day, he knew I was interested in you. That’s why he made me stop coming. But he realized that it’s not him that I like anymore-it’s you.”
Zhou Mi is looking at Kyuhyun right in the eyes now, perhaps a little apprehensively, and for a few moments Kyuhyun is speechless. Finally, he manages to stutter, “I-you-you what?”
“I-um, I like you, Kyuhyun,” Zhou Mi says, a little breathlessly, “I like you a lot.”
“Oh,” Kyuhyun says articulately.
“Does that mean you, um, don’t like me?” Zhou Mi looks more embarrassed than anything; his eyes are downcast, and his cheeks are a little pink. It’s kind of endearing, Kyuhyun thinks. “I’m sorry-um, if this made you uncomfortable-you don’t have to-if you want, I’ll just stop co-“
Kyuhyun leans forward and cuts him off with a kiss. Zhou Mi makes a surprised noise at the contact, but then relaxes into it, dropping his hot chocolate to the ground; Kyuhyun smiles.
Christmas really is his favorite time of year.