Now Brewing; Minho/Key
It only takes a split second to bring about the start of something new.
Author's Note: these two drabbles were initially posted separately under the title "In A Split Second". i thought i would write a series of one shots about the important milestones of Minho and Key's relationship but i've failed horribly so i'll just post these together on LJ. hope you'll enjoy the fluff~ ^^
It was at a party when Kim Kibum and Choi Minho officially first met. Their eyes had been locked on each other for a tad too long that it would have become a staring contest if Kibum didn’t take the first move and walk to where Minho was standing alone, leaning against a wall with a large plastic cup in his hand probably filled with the punch spiked with vodka that Kibum himself had a number of cups of. Both of them had heard of the other before. They had too many mutual friends connecting the two of them and knew enough of each other to be termed as friends but the truth was, they never did meet each other personally until this party. It was strange that they even spotted each other; for one, Kibum had so many friends with him and was constantly entertained by their drunk antics, distracted enough that he most probably wouldn’t have ventured around the party.
Yet, when he had thrown his head back to laugh, Kibum momentarily caught sight of Minho at the far side of the room just when his friends, or more appropriately put, his hyungs, left him alone as they went someplace else. Kibum was curious. Why didn’t Minho leave with his hyungs? And just as the question popped into his mind, he saw Minho turning his head and the next thing he knew, Minho was looking directly at him. Kibum was a little shocked by the sudden eye contact, that much he had to admit, but it didn’t mean he was going to look away and pretend that nothing had happened. He was Kim Kibum, he was fearless. Turns out, Minho wasn’t one to be intimidated as well. He didn’t show any emotions on his face but he kept his eyes on Kibum too. There was something about the moment their gazes locked that made them feel like they were suddenly transported to a little world of their own, blocking out whatever that was happening around them. It was a funny feeling, finally meeting a person you have heard so much about and acknowledging each other’s presence, and neither of them seemed like they were going to end the moment any time soon. In fact, since Kibum was always the impatient sort, he decided to take the initiative and break the ice. Besides, there was something he needed to clarify anyway…
“I heard a lot about you, Choi Minho…” Kibum began, not at all feeling awkward or shy and nowhere near nervous, as he stood in front of Minho with a smile, “It’s weird how I’m only meeting you now.”
Minho returned an amused smile, replying as casual as can be. “Nice to finally meet you, Kibum.”
“Are you always this formal and polite?” Kibum asked, letting out a laugh that it was indeed true Minho was a well-mannered guy. “We’re the same age, aren’t we? Let’s just drop the formalities.”
Minho nodded and waited for Kibum to start the conversation again because he could tell the other had something to say. True enough, Kibum wasted no time in picking up from where he left off.
“So there’s this rumor going around…”
“About?”
"You being attracted to me.”
Kibum grinned as he noticed how Minho’s smile froze on his face, satisfied that he had caught Minho off guard.
“Relax… I know rumors are rumors, I won’t take them seriously.” Kibum said with an air of indifference and waved his hand about.
Minho’s smile disappeared as he stared intensely at Kibum. “Take it seriously, Kim Kibum, because it isn’t a rumor.”
Just like that, Minho had effortlessly turned the tables on Kibum. It was Kibum’s turn to tense up as his eyes widened with disbelief.
“You… don’t even know me.”
“It’s about time we get to know each other personally."
“I’m not interested in you.”
“Then why did you walk over here?”
And that was when Kibum knew he met his match… in more ways than one.
♡
Kim Kibum thought he knew what it was like to be in love. Apparently, he didn’t and it took a certain Choi Minho to help him realise this. After meeting Minho and getting to know him better, Kibum came to understand that he had the wrong idea of love all along. All his previous relationships (he had a fair share of them by the way) weren’t based on love and it hit Kibum that this was the exact reason why they had all failed. So when he found himself associating the idea of love with Minho, Kibum had a panic attack. He had completely freaked out because he realised the effect Minho had on him - an effect that made Kibum do and feel things he had never done or felt before.
It happened when Jonghyun, a common friend that connected Minho and Kibum together, was playing around with his new camera and had experimentally taken a random video of the group of them hanging out together without them knowing. And when that moron couldn’t figure out how to start the playback of the video he had just recorded as the two of them made their way back home together (they lived in the same direction), Kibum had decided to be nice by ending Jonghyun’s moment of stupidity, snatching the camera out of the older guy’s hands and pressing a few buttons to play the video for him. Yet, he found himself unable to pass the camera back to Jonghyun when his attention was caught by the first few seconds of the video… the seconds where the camera had captured the way he had looked at Minho when the other was sharing something interesting. Kibum couldn’t remember what it was though because he was obviously too busy admiring the speaker instead. He was honestly shocked at his own expression, caught completely off guard by himself. Kibum couldn’t even describe it; He never knew he actually looked at Minho that way let alone knew he was capable of showing such a look to anyone. It scared Kibum to no end, how he looked so inexplicably infatuated with Minho, and having completely no clue how to deal with the sudden awareness of his feelings, he chose the easy and only way out - Kibum ran away from the problem. He began avoiding Minho.
It didn’t help him at all though. Avoiding Minho made Kibum realise one other thing - he could actually miss the guy too. And that only made his feelings for Minho even more concrete. Finally, he had his feelings all figured out. Kibum couldn’t deny that he had fallen in love with Minho anymore. It not only drove him crazy but also drove him straight to where he knew he could find Minho - the café where Minho worked part time as a barista.
“Hey.”
No amount of preparation could have helped Kibum once he stepped into the café and met the eyes of the guy who he was now seeing in a different light. Because the truth was, Kibum did imagine the different scenarios that could happen, he had even run through what he wanted and had to say to Minho in his mind countless of times for each separate scenario. Still, all words that he had painstakingly memorised and repeated to himself were left forgotten with just one look from Minho. The walk to the counter itself was pure torture. So a mere hello was all Kibum could say to Minho as he reached the cash register where the barista was waiting to take orders. It was obvious that Minho was surprised to see him standing there but the other quickly placed on a polite smile and said his normal greeting in a monotonous manner.
“Hi Sir, what can I get for you?”
Stuffing his hands into the pockets of his grey blazer, Kibum bit on his bottom lip nervously, finding it difficult to make eye contact with the cold barista. “Minho… I-”
Interrupting Kibum once he heard the other call his name, Minho tapped the corner of the cash register impatiently and repeated his question differently, “How may I help you, Sir?”
Kibum finally met Minho’s eyes and let out a sigh, placing his order reluctantly as a defeated expression appeared on his face. “Can I get a Caffè Americano, Grande please?”
Minho simply nodded, fingers expertly tapping the touchscreen of the cash register to enter Kibum’s order while he questioned uninterestedly again, “Anything else, Sir?”
“Actually yes.” Kibum took in a deep breath, hesitating for a moment before finally deciding it was now or never - he had to take his chance. “I would also like 10 minutes of your time after you get off work. I know your shift ends in 15 minutes.”
Minho froze, both eyes and hands still on the cash register, clearly contemplating if he should entertain Kibum or not. It was only when he caught sight of another customer approaching the counter to queue behind Kibum that Minho finally broke his silence and spared his current customer a look.
“Fine.” Minho mumbled before he cleared his throat and spoke back in that annoying monotonous tone he used to deal with customers. “That would be 4000 won, Sir.”
As he pulled out his wallet and paid for his coffee, Kibum couldn’t resist a slight smile upon hearing Minho’s answer. This by itself was already half a battle won. And in about under fifteen minutes’ time, Kibum was going to go all out to survive and hopefully emerge victorious in the remaining battle.
♡
Kibum had been staring blankly at the remaining coffee in his cup when Minho plopped himself heavily down onto the cushioned seat across Kibum, his apron removed and work attire changed back into his casual clothes, and made it clear he wasn’t going to grant Kibum the luxury of time.
“You have 10 minutes.” Minho coldly stated, hands clasped together and resting on his lap, stature as formal as can be.
Kibum blinked, looking up and focusing his vision onto the guy in front of him before he breathed out and asked, “Are you going to be this unfriendly to me throughout the time I have with you?”
Minho raised an eyebrow. “You honestly expect me to be nice to you after you purposely avoided me for two weeks?”
“Minho, I-”
Already losing his patience when the conversation hadn’t even properly begun, Minho interrupted Kibum once again.
“Look Kibum, I got the hint alright? You practically vanished into thin air for the past two weeks, staying in contact with everyone but me and now you’re back expecting me to act as if those two weeks didn’t happen?” Obviously agitated, Minho questioned fiercely, trying his best to keep his volume down as he then said, “Kim Kibum, let me get this straight, I’m not a toy for you to play with depending on your mood alright.”
Kibum instantly shook his head, sitting upright in his seat. “You’re not, I know that, Minho. You’re not.”
“Then what are you doing here?” Minho demanded to know but went ahead with guessing the answer. “If you’re here to apologise, I really don’t think it’s necessary.”
Troubled, Kibum ran a hand through his blonde hair and admitted, “Saying sorry to you isn’t exactly what I’m here for.”
Minho narrowed his eyes dangerously. “Then why are you here?”
“I’m here to say I love you.” Kibum muttered out loud, his eyes looking straight at Minho and trying his best to read the other’s every expression as he confessed his true feelings, “And that I’m hoping, praying, that that’s enough for you to forgive me for avoiding you because I was an idiot who needed the time to sort out my feelings.”
Minho fell silent. And so did Kibum because honestly, what else could he have said? It wasn’t the lines that he had rehearsed to say to Minho but the message was loud and clear, the meaning was there and that was all that could be done. Minho’s expression was unreadable; in fact, he remained expressionless that it frustrated Kibum because it made the blonde feel so helpless and defenceless. And with every passing second, Kibum only felt more and more dejected, certain that he had lost his chance with Minho, that Minho wasn’t going to reciprocate his feelings, the very feelings he had when they first met. Kibum wanted so badly to leave, and he almost did just that but stopped when he caught a slight movement from Minho.
This slight movement came in the form of Minho lifting his wrist and pointing at his watch to announce, “Your 10 minutes is up.”
“That’s…” Kibum swallowed a hard lump that seemed to form in his throat. “That’s all you have to say to me?”
Slowly shaking his head, Minho leaned forward, taking hold of Kibum’s hand and holding it tightly in his as he completed his unfinished sentence while staring deep into the blonde’s eyes with his signature charming smile on his face.
“You have forever with me now, Kibum.”
Author's Note: these two drabbles were initially posted separately under the title "In A Split Second". i thought i would write a series of one shots about the important milestones of Minho and Key's relationship but i've failed horribly so i'll just post these together on LJ. hope you'll enjoy the fluff~ ^^
It was at a party when Kim Kibum and Choi Minho officially first met. Their eyes had been locked on each other for a tad too long that it would have become a staring contest if Kibum didn’t take the first move and walk to where Minho was standing alone, leaning against a wall with a large plastic cup in his hand probably filled with the punch spiked with vodka that Kibum himself had a number of cups of. Both of them had heard of the other before. They had too many mutual friends connecting the two of them and knew enough of each other to be termed as friends but the truth was, they never did meet each other personally until this party. It was strange that they even spotted each other; for one, Kibum had so many friends with him and was constantly entertained by their drunk antics, distracted enough that he most probably wouldn’t have ventured around the party.
Yet, when he had thrown his head back to laugh, Kibum momentarily caught sight of Minho at the far side of the room just when his friends, or more appropriately put, his hyungs, left him alone as they went someplace else. Kibum was curious. Why didn’t Minho leave with his hyungs? And just as the question popped into his mind, he saw Minho turning his head and the next thing he knew, Minho was looking directly at him. Kibum was a little shocked by the sudden eye contact, that much he had to admit, but it didn’t mean he was going to look away and pretend that nothing had happened. He was Kim Kibum, he was fearless. Turns out, Minho wasn’t one to be intimidated as well. He didn’t show any emotions on his face but he kept his eyes on Kibum too. There was something about the moment their gazes locked that made them feel like they were suddenly transported to a little world of their own, blocking out whatever that was happening around them. It was a funny feeling, finally meeting a person you have heard so much about and acknowledging each other’s presence, and neither of them seemed like they were going to end the moment any time soon. In fact, since Kibum was always the impatient sort, he decided to take the initiative and break the ice. Besides, there was something he needed to clarify anyway…
“I heard a lot about you, Choi Minho…” Kibum began, not at all feeling awkward or shy and nowhere near nervous, as he stood in front of Minho with a smile, “It’s weird how I’m only meeting you now.”
Minho returned an amused smile, replying as casual as can be. “Nice to finally meet you, Kibum.”
“Are you always this formal and polite?” Kibum asked, letting out a laugh that it was indeed true Minho was a well-mannered guy. “We’re the same age, aren’t we? Let’s just drop the formalities.”
Minho nodded and waited for Kibum to start the conversation again because he could tell the other had something to say. True enough, Kibum wasted no time in picking up from where he left off.
“So there’s this rumor going around…”
“About?”
"You being attracted to me.”
Kibum grinned as he noticed how Minho’s smile froze on his face, satisfied that he had caught Minho off guard.
“Relax… I know rumors are rumors, I won’t take them seriously.” Kibum said with an air of indifference and waved his hand about.
Minho’s smile disappeared as he stared intensely at Kibum. “Take it seriously, Kim Kibum, because it isn’t a rumor.”
Just like that, Minho had effortlessly turned the tables on Kibum. It was Kibum’s turn to tense up as his eyes widened with disbelief.
“You… don’t even know me.”
“It’s about time we get to know each other personally."
“I’m not interested in you.”
“Then why did you walk over here?”
And that was when Kibum knew he met his match… in more ways than one.
♡
Kim Kibum thought he knew what it was like to be in love. Apparently, he didn’t and it took a certain Choi Minho to help him realise this. After meeting Minho and getting to know him better, Kibum came to understand that he had the wrong idea of love all along. All his previous relationships (he had a fair share of them by the way) weren’t based on love and it hit Kibum that this was the exact reason why they had all failed. So when he found himself associating the idea of love with Minho, Kibum had a panic attack. He had completely freaked out because he realised the effect Minho had on him - an effect that made Kibum do and feel things he had never done or felt before.
It happened when Jonghyun, a common friend that connected Minho and Kibum together, was playing around with his new camera and had experimentally taken a random video of the group of them hanging out together without them knowing. And when that moron couldn’t figure out how to start the playback of the video he had just recorded as the two of them made their way back home together (they lived in the same direction), Kibum had decided to be nice by ending Jonghyun’s moment of stupidity, snatching the camera out of the older guy’s hands and pressing a few buttons to play the video for him. Yet, he found himself unable to pass the camera back to Jonghyun when his attention was caught by the first few seconds of the video… the seconds where the camera had captured the way he had looked at Minho when the other was sharing something interesting. Kibum couldn’t remember what it was though because he was obviously too busy admiring the speaker instead. He was honestly shocked at his own expression, caught completely off guard by himself. Kibum couldn’t even describe it; He never knew he actually looked at Minho that way let alone knew he was capable of showing such a look to anyone. It scared Kibum to no end, how he looked so inexplicably infatuated with Minho, and having completely no clue how to deal with the sudden awareness of his feelings, he chose the easy and only way out - Kibum ran away from the problem. He began avoiding Minho.
It didn’t help him at all though. Avoiding Minho made Kibum realise one other thing - he could actually miss the guy too. And that only made his feelings for Minho even more concrete. Finally, he had his feelings all figured out. Kibum couldn’t deny that he had fallen in love with Minho anymore. It not only drove him crazy but also drove him straight to where he knew he could find Minho - the café where Minho worked part time as a barista.
“Hey.”
No amount of preparation could have helped Kibum once he stepped into the café and met the eyes of the guy who he was now seeing in a different light. Because the truth was, Kibum did imagine the different scenarios that could happen, he had even run through what he wanted and had to say to Minho in his mind countless of times for each separate scenario. Still, all words that he had painstakingly memorised and repeated to himself were left forgotten with just one look from Minho. The walk to the counter itself was pure torture. So a mere hello was all Kibum could say to Minho as he reached the cash register where the barista was waiting to take orders. It was obvious that Minho was surprised to see him standing there but the other quickly placed on a polite smile and said his normal greeting in a monotonous manner.
“Hi Sir, what can I get for you?”
Stuffing his hands into the pockets of his grey blazer, Kibum bit on his bottom lip nervously, finding it difficult to make eye contact with the cold barista. “Minho… I-”
Interrupting Kibum once he heard the other call his name, Minho tapped the corner of the cash register impatiently and repeated his question differently, “How may I help you, Sir?”
Kibum finally met Minho’s eyes and let out a sigh, placing his order reluctantly as a defeated expression appeared on his face. “Can I get a Caffè Americano, Grande please?”
Minho simply nodded, fingers expertly tapping the touchscreen of the cash register to enter Kibum’s order while he questioned uninterestedly again, “Anything else, Sir?”
“Actually yes.” Kibum took in a deep breath, hesitating for a moment before finally deciding it was now or never - he had to take his chance. “I would also like 10 minutes of your time after you get off work. I know your shift ends in 15 minutes.”
Minho froze, both eyes and hands still on the cash register, clearly contemplating if he should entertain Kibum or not. It was only when he caught sight of another customer approaching the counter to queue behind Kibum that Minho finally broke his silence and spared his current customer a look.
“Fine.” Minho mumbled before he cleared his throat and spoke back in that annoying monotonous tone he used to deal with customers. “That would be 4000 won, Sir.”
As he pulled out his wallet and paid for his coffee, Kibum couldn’t resist a slight smile upon hearing Minho’s answer. This by itself was already half a battle won. And in about under fifteen minutes’ time, Kibum was going to go all out to survive and hopefully emerge victorious in the remaining battle.
♡
Kibum had been staring blankly at the remaining coffee in his cup when Minho plopped himself heavily down onto the cushioned seat across Kibum, his apron removed and work attire changed back into his casual clothes, and made it clear he wasn’t going to grant Kibum the luxury of time.
“You have 10 minutes.” Minho coldly stated, hands clasped together and resting on his lap, stature as formal as can be.
Kibum blinked, looking up and focusing his vision onto the guy in front of him before he breathed out and asked, “Are you going to be this unfriendly to me throughout the time I have with you?”
Minho raised an eyebrow. “You honestly expect me to be nice to you after you purposely avoided me for two weeks?”
“Minho, I-”
Already losing his patience when the conversation hadn’t even properly begun, Minho interrupted Kibum once again.
“Look Kibum, I got the hint alright? You practically vanished into thin air for the past two weeks, staying in contact with everyone but me and now you’re back expecting me to act as if those two weeks didn’t happen?” Obviously agitated, Minho questioned fiercely, trying his best to keep his volume down as he then said, “Kim Kibum, let me get this straight, I’m not a toy for you to play with depending on your mood alright.”
Kibum instantly shook his head, sitting upright in his seat. “You’re not, I know that, Minho. You’re not.”
“Then what are you doing here?” Minho demanded to know but went ahead with guessing the answer. “If you’re here to apologise, I really don’t think it’s necessary.”
Troubled, Kibum ran a hand through his blonde hair and admitted, “Saying sorry to you isn’t exactly what I’m here for.”
Minho narrowed his eyes dangerously. “Then why are you here?”
“I’m here to say I love you.” Kibum muttered out loud, his eyes looking straight at Minho and trying his best to read the other’s every expression as he confessed his true feelings, “And that I’m hoping, praying, that that’s enough for you to forgive me for avoiding you because I was an idiot who needed the time to sort out my feelings.”
Minho fell silent. And so did Kibum because honestly, what else could he have said? It wasn’t the lines that he had rehearsed to say to Minho but the message was loud and clear, the meaning was there and that was all that could be done. Minho’s expression was unreadable; in fact, he remained expressionless that it frustrated Kibum because it made the blonde feel so helpless and defenceless. And with every passing second, Kibum only felt more and more dejected, certain that he had lost his chance with Minho, that Minho wasn’t going to reciprocate his feelings, the very feelings he had when they first met. Kibum wanted so badly to leave, and he almost did just that but stopped when he caught a slight movement from Minho.
This slight movement came in the form of Minho lifting his wrist and pointing at his watch to announce, “Your 10 minutes is up.”
“That’s…” Kibum swallowed a hard lump that seemed to form in his throat. “That’s all you have to say to me?”
Slowly shaking his head, Minho leaned forward, taking hold of Kibum’s hand and holding it tightly in his as he completed his unfinished sentence while staring deep into the blonde’s eyes with his signature charming smile on his face.
“You have forever with me now, Kibum.”