A Cup of Sweet Espresso, please? - Chapter 12
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 :: Chapter 11
It had been more than a month since he started working in the cafe, but Kevin still doesn't know much about the cafe's chef. Sure, they talk, but it felt like surface conversations. Rather polite and distant. Today was one of the few days where there weren't as many customers and thus Eli was called out (because there weren't many cakes to bake and Soohyun rather his workers interact than slack off in the staffroom).
Having nothing to do under Soohyun's watchful eyes, Kevin pouted while making his way back to the counter where the rest were. At the counter, he saw Dongho already eating a free slice of cake with Eli.
He giggled, nudging them both and teasing them both for being gluttons.
“He’s talking about you!” Dongho quickly said, stealing at least two more bites while Eli frowned in response.
“He’s talking about you!” The older retorted, clenching his teeth in mock anger at the waiter when the cake was finished. “Hey, who makes the cakes around here?”
“You! So I’m in charge of the eating.” Dongho cackled evilly, disappearing hurriedly to “serve a customer”.
Kiseop laughed at Dongho’s skipping figure, all hyped up from the sugar already. “How’s working at the counter, finally? It’s been like…weeks?”
Eli smiled, shrugging slightly. “Same? But well, better than the heat in the kitchen, definitely. So, is Kevin coping?”
Kevin realised Eli was directing the question to him though addressing him like he wasn’t in the conversation. Smiling with a nod, his gaze unconsciously shifted towards the man at the side of the café…
“Oh, so that’s the guy-”
“Nothing!” Alexander frantically said, suddenly joining in the conversation and blocking both of Eli’s air passages. “Nothing!”
Kevin smiled, deciding Alexander’s nervousness was just his way of conversing with Eli or something. He doesn’t know much about Eli, nor has he seen the other interact with his other co-workers a lot, but Eli was nice. If the friendliness of all the staff here was an indication. Judging from the love for sugar, just like Dongho, Eli’s personality was, also, probably pretty easy to guess.
“Don’t ruin my secret plans!” Alexander whispered with a glare, before giving a bright smile to Kevin.
“Xander-hyung~! Kiseop-hyung~!” Dongho called out sweetly. “Come do your job!”
Eli shifted back to the coffee machines with the other two baristas anyway, and Soohyun said he had a quick errand to run, leaving Kevin to his own devices.
Would it be a good timing to go out and see Kibum?
Oh, cakes! Kevin once had doubts that Eli could actually make cakes, seeing how cakes were delicate desserts and Eli was muscular. Trying the cakes little by little, 99% of the time because Dongho convinced him to be a partner-in-crime, the doubts just faded off. And he had always wanted to learn how to bake a cake. That would make mother’s day, father’s day, parents’ birthday, parents’ anniversary, his sister’s birthday, everything actually, so much easier.
“Are cakes easy to make?” Kevin slipped in the question after settling one or two orders, leaning against the counter and watching Eli bring out some cups.
“If you put your heart to it.” Eli nodded, cocking his head to a side with a curious smile. “Interested?”
Kevin pouted instantly, apparently not very pleased with the answer. “I tried it about three times, and I failed all three times. I somehow spoilt the oven on my last try, and my mother doesn’t dare let me near it anymore.”
Eli laughed heartily, trying to control his laughter but to no avail. “And here I thought you would be pretty good…I’m kidding, don’t take it to heart. But of course, you would need a recipe…”
Kevin was about to say he had a recipe every time he tried, when Eli started laughing at his innocent expression once more. “Hey!”
“All right, it’s just that you’re so fun to tease.” Eli rubbed his cheeks, apparently sore from laughing. Kiseop smacked his head and side-eyed him, shaking his own head at Eli’s usual jokes.
“He’s always been like that.” Kiseop rolled his eyes, smiling at Kevin. “Don’t mind him.”
“It’s also about practise.” Alexander suddenly piped in, continuing the conversation from whatever he heard. “Eli has been baking cakes since he was…I don’t know, was it seven?”
“Six.” Eli corrected.
-
“This world…” A sigh as a figure bent down, looking at a baby that was probably about four years old only. There was a note on the baby, and after reading it, the figure shook his head. “Parents died in the epidemic in the west, suspected to suffer from it to and thus left out here in this abandoned park. Poor little child, please don’t cry anymore, I’ll take care of you.”
Carefully scooping up the fragile little body, he didn’t mind the possible case of the baby actually being infected. He just couldn’t leave a baby out here, crying all night.
The little baby grew up quickly, healthily, into another independent orphan of the orphanage. He would have seemed like any other child, but his undying love for food always led him to the kitchen.
“Eli, do you want to sample today’s lunch?” A pretty volunteer in her early 20s knelt down to reach the six-years-old height, smiling brightly while ruffling the said boy’s hair. “Or today’s special cake?”
“Cake! Cake!” Eli said enthusiastically, extending both his arms.
The woman smiled, letting Eli circle his arms around her neck and then carrying the orphan. “Yes, yes, cake!”
Spending more time in the kitchen than with his peers, he was even allowed to beat the eggs and knead the dough eventually. Although it seemed like an anti-social behaviour to be in the kitchen than in the yard playing catch, the factors slowly build up and helped make Eli more independent. Even when left alone, the child with a bright personality never seemed to be depressed.
It sounds pretty silly, but Eli also had a huge crush on this pretty volunteer, thus not regretting his decision of staying in the kitchen. He even dreamed of marrying her when he grew up, and he watched many of the soap dramas on the shared television in the orphanage to know he needs a pair of rings too.
“Would you marry me?” He would even rehearse this line in front of the mirror, wanting to quickly grow up to be that “shoulder that she can lean on when she needs to cry”, or something along those lines.
But he soon grew out of it, and the volunteer no longer visiting the orphanage with her own family to manage.
Eli also liked sports a lot. Despite staying in the kitchen every time he’s back home in the orphanage, he took part in many sports events at school, gaining some muscles in the process. As such, he started being more able to protect people, and the first person he had ever protected was this new kid at the orphanage that attended the same school as him. All orphans usually attend this cheap, neighbourhood school, which surprising had rich kids attending too.
“Come on, why aren’t you talking?” A sneering voice could be heard, and Eli frowned at the tone. “Scared? Why don’t you call for mommy? Oh wait, you don’t have your mommy!”
Eli recognised him, that quiet, reserved new kid in the same room as him! The other eight and him usually talk a lot before bedtimes, sharing bedtime stories and whatnots, but this new kid ignores the chatter and falls asleep everyday.
Was it because he looked pretty cute? The rich kids usually don’t stir up trouble…The teachers do threaten them that things will get ugly if they dared.
“Hey…” Eli waved amiably, standing in between the other orphan and the group of rich kids. Well, he had never been one to initiate a fight. “Come on, isn’t there class later?”
Patting the shoulders of two of them with either of his hands, they swiftly dispersed.
Maybe it was his size, they never did harass the new kid anymore.
-
Kevin’s mouth fell agape. There were many reasons actually - the fact that Eli had such a complicated background, the fact that he liked cakes and he liked sports, and that he spends a lot of time in the kitchen but somehow sounded like a very warm friend at the same time.
The three baristas chuckled at Kevin’s dazed expression, probably lost somewhere along the long story.
-
And this is Eli's special chapter! :D
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 :: Chapter 11
It had been more than a month since he started working in the cafe, but Kevin still doesn't know much about the cafe's chef. Sure, they talk, but it felt like surface conversations. Rather polite and distant. Today was one of the few days where there weren't as many customers and thus Eli was called out (because there weren't many cakes to bake and Soohyun rather his workers interact than slack off in the staffroom).
Having nothing to do under Soohyun's watchful eyes, Kevin pouted while making his way back to the counter where the rest were. At the counter, he saw Dongho already eating a free slice of cake with Eli.
He giggled, nudging them both and teasing them both for being gluttons.
“He’s talking about you!” Dongho quickly said, stealing at least two more bites while Eli frowned in response.
“He’s talking about you!” The older retorted, clenching his teeth in mock anger at the waiter when the cake was finished. “Hey, who makes the cakes around here?”
“You! So I’m in charge of the eating.” Dongho cackled evilly, disappearing hurriedly to “serve a customer”.
Kiseop laughed at Dongho’s skipping figure, all hyped up from the sugar already. “How’s working at the counter, finally? It’s been like…weeks?”
Eli smiled, shrugging slightly. “Same? But well, better than the heat in the kitchen, definitely. So, is Kevin coping?”
Kevin realised Eli was directing the question to him though addressing him like he wasn’t in the conversation. Smiling with a nod, his gaze unconsciously shifted towards the man at the side of the café…
“Oh, so that’s the guy-”
“Nothing!” Alexander frantically said, suddenly joining in the conversation and blocking both of Eli’s air passages. “Nothing!”
Kevin smiled, deciding Alexander’s nervousness was just his way of conversing with Eli or something. He doesn’t know much about Eli, nor has he seen the other interact with his other co-workers a lot, but Eli was nice. If the friendliness of all the staff here was an indication. Judging from the love for sugar, just like Dongho, Eli’s personality was, also, probably pretty easy to guess.
“Don’t ruin my secret plans!” Alexander whispered with a glare, before giving a bright smile to Kevin.
“Xander-hyung~! Kiseop-hyung~!” Dongho called out sweetly. “Come do your job!”
Eli shifted back to the coffee machines with the other two baristas anyway, and Soohyun said he had a quick errand to run, leaving Kevin to his own devices.
Would it be a good timing to go out and see Kibum?
Oh, cakes! Kevin once had doubts that Eli could actually make cakes, seeing how cakes were delicate desserts and Eli was muscular. Trying the cakes little by little, 99% of the time because Dongho convinced him to be a partner-in-crime, the doubts just faded off. And he had always wanted to learn how to bake a cake. That would make mother’s day, father’s day, parents’ birthday, parents’ anniversary, his sister’s birthday, everything actually, so much easier.
“Are cakes easy to make?” Kevin slipped in the question after settling one or two orders, leaning against the counter and watching Eli bring out some cups.
“If you put your heart to it.” Eli nodded, cocking his head to a side with a curious smile. “Interested?”
Kevin pouted instantly, apparently not very pleased with the answer. “I tried it about three times, and I failed all three times. I somehow spoilt the oven on my last try, and my mother doesn’t dare let me near it anymore.”
Eli laughed heartily, trying to control his laughter but to no avail. “And here I thought you would be pretty good…I’m kidding, don’t take it to heart. But of course, you would need a recipe…”
Kevin was about to say he had a recipe every time he tried, when Eli started laughing at his innocent expression once more. “Hey!”
“All right, it’s just that you’re so fun to tease.” Eli rubbed his cheeks, apparently sore from laughing. Kiseop smacked his head and side-eyed him, shaking his own head at Eli’s usual jokes.
“He’s always been like that.” Kiseop rolled his eyes, smiling at Kevin. “Don’t mind him.”
“It’s also about practise.” Alexander suddenly piped in, continuing the conversation from whatever he heard. “Eli has been baking cakes since he was…I don’t know, was it seven?”
“Six.” Eli corrected.
-
“This world…” A sigh as a figure bent down, looking at a baby that was probably about four years old only. There was a note on the baby, and after reading it, the figure shook his head. “Parents died in the epidemic in the west, suspected to suffer from it to and thus left out here in this abandoned park. Poor little child, please don’t cry anymore, I’ll take care of you.”
Carefully scooping up the fragile little body, he didn’t mind the possible case of the baby actually being infected. He just couldn’t leave a baby out here, crying all night.
The little baby grew up quickly, healthily, into another independent orphan of the orphanage. He would have seemed like any other child, but his undying love for food always led him to the kitchen.
“Eli, do you want to sample today’s lunch?” A pretty volunteer in her early 20s knelt down to reach the six-years-old height, smiling brightly while ruffling the said boy’s hair. “Or today’s special cake?”
“Cake! Cake!” Eli said enthusiastically, extending both his arms.
The woman smiled, letting Eli circle his arms around her neck and then carrying the orphan. “Yes, yes, cake!”
Spending more time in the kitchen than with his peers, he was even allowed to beat the eggs and knead the dough eventually. Although it seemed like an anti-social behaviour to be in the kitchen than in the yard playing catch, the factors slowly build up and helped make Eli more independent. Even when left alone, the child with a bright personality never seemed to be depressed.
It sounds pretty silly, but Eli also had a huge crush on this pretty volunteer, thus not regretting his decision of staying in the kitchen. He even dreamed of marrying her when he grew up, and he watched many of the soap dramas on the shared television in the orphanage to know he needs a pair of rings too.
“Would you marry me?” He would even rehearse this line in front of the mirror, wanting to quickly grow up to be that “shoulder that she can lean on when she needs to cry”, or something along those lines.
But he soon grew out of it, and the volunteer no longer visiting the orphanage with her own family to manage.
Eli also liked sports a lot. Despite staying in the kitchen every time he’s back home in the orphanage, he took part in many sports events at school, gaining some muscles in the process. As such, he started being more able to protect people, and the first person he had ever protected was this new kid at the orphanage that attended the same school as him. All orphans usually attend this cheap, neighbourhood school, which surprising had rich kids attending too.
“Come on, why aren’t you talking?” A sneering voice could be heard, and Eli frowned at the tone. “Scared? Why don’t you call for mommy? Oh wait, you don’t have your mommy!”
Eli recognised him, that quiet, reserved new kid in the same room as him! The other eight and him usually talk a lot before bedtimes, sharing bedtime stories and whatnots, but this new kid ignores the chatter and falls asleep everyday.
Was it because he looked pretty cute? The rich kids usually don’t stir up trouble…The teachers do threaten them that things will get ugly if they dared.
“Hey…” Eli waved amiably, standing in between the other orphan and the group of rich kids. Well, he had never been one to initiate a fight. “Come on, isn’t there class later?”
Patting the shoulders of two of them with either of his hands, they swiftly dispersed.
Maybe it was his size, they never did harass the new kid anymore.
-
Kevin’s mouth fell agape. There were many reasons actually - the fact that Eli had such a complicated background, the fact that he liked cakes and he liked sports, and that he spends a lot of time in the kitchen but somehow sounded like a very warm friend at the same time.
The three baristas chuckled at Kevin’s dazed expression, probably lost somewhere along the long story.
-
And this is Eli's special chapter! :D