A Cup of Sweet Espresso, please? - Chapter 11
Title: A Cup of Sweet Espresso, please?
Fandom(s) : U-KISS
Pairing(s): KeMaru
Rating: PG-13
Genre: AU, Romance (?)
Warnings: Awful!English
Author's Notes: This is a birthday present for lovelybrii12! Happy (belated) birthday! I don't know how long and how horrible it will be, but I intend to finish it because it's a birthday present! :D
Prologue :: Chapter 1a :: Chapter 1b :: Chapter 2 :: Chapter 3 :: Chapter 4 :: Chapter 5 :: Chapter 6
Chapter 7 :: Chapter 8 :: Chapter 9 :: Chapter 10
“Morning, Kiseop!” Kevin greeted brightly, yawning soon enough. “Sorry.”
“Nah, it’s okay.” Kiseop chuckled, before looking at his watch. “I think my watch’s malfunctioning. What’s the date today? May 4th? Or 5th?”
“4th was yesterday, silly.” Alexander said, stretching his arms tiredly. Kiseop did some grumbling, probably readjusting the small knob on the watch to change the date. “Come Kevin, you need some foundation to cover those dark eyes.”
Kevin giggled a bit, before walking to his daily make-up artist. “Yes, Xander-hyung~!”
-
Kevin took a quick short nap with his head on the counter table before opening. Dongho was whispering something to Eli, probably about smuggling some cake for himself.
“Tired, huh?” Soohyun smiled, speaking to no one in particular as he saw Kevin’s sleeping form. “So, are the rest of you awake?”
Alexander shrugged tiredly, while Kiseop nodded slightly.
“Where’s Dongho?” The boss frowned, craning his neck and looking around the empty café.
“He’s trying to get some sugar.” Alexander laughed softly, not wanting to wake Kevin up. “You know it, Dongho without sugar is a grumpy waiter.”
“Come on, cheer up.” Soohyun walked into the counter through the short gate and into the kitchen.
Alexander and Kiseop gave each other a glance before shrugging.
“Yay!” Dongho cheered as he skipped out. “Hyung says he’ll give up one cake so we can all eat! Coffee’s on him too!”
“Yay!” Eli grinned behind Dongho, doing a silly dance with the youngest crew member. “Let’s get Cookies & Cream Cheesecake!”
“No! I want Blueberry Cheesecake!” Dongho whined, reaching for it instead.
“Hey, I made the cake! Trust me, the cookies are especially crunchy today.” Eli beamed, reaching for the said piece of cake.
Dongho agreed at that note, and Soohyun gently woke the other waiter up.
“Huh, time to start?” Kevin rubbed his eyes cutely, before quickly clasping his hands over his mouth to hide his yawn.
“Nope, we’re having a sugar party!” Dongho giggled, running to hook arms with Kevin and bringing him to where the rest of the crew were. Eli started cutting the cake up and putting it on clean plates for everyone. “Hyung is feeling rich today~!”
“I’ll make you caramel mocha.” Kiseop offered, knowing Kevin never took coffee in his life before. “It’s the sweetest you can get. It’ll help keep you awake, even if it’s just a bit, too.”
“Thank you.” Kevin smiled gratefully, moving to get forks for everyone.
Dongho looked gleefully at the cake, oh, the sweetness of cake.
-
Kibum paused at the door before walking in, face wearing a frown when he saw Kevin approaching. It wasn’t what he usually did, causing Kevin to hurry over.
“Something wrong?” Kevin asked hesitantly, awkwardly standing opposite Kibum.
“I’m just…thinking.” Kibum shook his head quickly, smiling the usual warm smile and giving a friendly wave to the other workers as usual. “Something’s been bothering me, don’t worry about it.”
Kevin nodded, biting his lower lip as he wondered if he should question further. If he said he could be a listening ear, would Kibum tell him?
Lost in his own thoughts, the customer then made himself comfortable in the seat despite Kevin, setting up the table the same way he would. As the computer was starting up, Kibum rested the side of his head on the back of his hand with a small smile, looking at Kevin furrow his eyebrows in deep concentration.
“Can I-” Kevin caught himself before he could finish the question, realising Kibum was staring at him. Blushing furiously at the intense gaze, he quickly looked away and said he would get Kibum’s order in a minute.
Kibum, who would usually chuckle at the cute actions of Kevin’s and then concentrate on his own work, continued staring at the waiter’s back view today. The thoughts he had been replaying in his mind ran through once more, further reminding him about the barrier between him and the progress of his novel.
“Your coffee is here.” Kevin announced, carefully setting the cup of coffee on the table and accidentally spilling slightly due to the sudden angle change. Kibum watched as Kevin’s hand instinctively felt for the tablecloth in his back pocket, then calmly wiping away the coffee before stains could form. “Sorry for that. Enjoy your coffee-”
“Kev.” Kibum cut in with a approving smile. “You’re good.”
The waiter’s eyes brightened instantly, face expectant for a positive reply to his unasked question. Kibum nodded with a light chuckle, even giving Kevin a thumbs-up as if confirming once more.
“Do I get a reward for being a better waiter?” Kevin’s fingers pressed tightly against the tray he was holding, with a sudden boost of confidence thanks to the customer before him.
“Whatever I can do for you, I would.” Kibum smiled, gesturing slightly. “Go on, tell me what you have in mind.”
“Well, um, I just wanted to know what was bothering you.” Kevin giggled sheepishly. “You looked really concerned.”
Kibum took a second to figure out what exactly Kevin was referring to. Linking Kevin to his thoughts, he then burst out into a hearty laughter. Fingers moving skilfully onto his laptop, he clicked a few programmes before picking up the conversation from where he had left off. “It’s just…you.”
Kevin’s eyes widened infinitely, breath caught in his throat. Redness slowly crept up his cheeks, colouring them so bright he could even shame a rose.
W-What did that mean?
“I couldn’t think of a name for that character of yours I’m writing.” Kibum continued, missing Kevin’s flustered reaction. “However I try to think, your personality just seems so unique to your name. I don’t think it’s fair for me to just use your name, so I kept searching for alternatives, only to find them unsuitable. Is it okay if I named the character Kevin? I’m pretty much at my wit’s end.”
“Oh no, sure, go on.” Kevin replied, trying to hide his disappointment at how those hopeful words suddenly became such an ordinary meaning.
Kibum finally looked up from his work at Kevin’s reply, giving that smile that once more blew logical thoughts out of the waiter’s mind. “Thanks, Kev.”
“All right then…I-I have to go back to work!” Kevin nervously scratched the back of his head, having the smile stuck in his short-term memory for at least five seconds. He hoped he wasn’t too obvious in showing how that smile distracted him.
“Mm, will talk to you another time.” Kibum waved as Kevin scampered away, himself contented and ready to continue the story from where he had left it - this time with Kevin’s name in it.
-
^___^!