Espresso
Pairing: MatsumiyaLength: 1975 words
Genre: Romance, AU
Rating: G
Summary: A man, a barista and a coffee shop.
A/N: Because of this photoset and of this person who urged me to write this during my review for jlpt. Now that's it's over, here, have some classic coffee shop AU for these cuties.
The first time Nino saw him enter the coffee shop was from his periphery-he remembered a man who stood still by the entrance door, seemingly sniffing the aroma that surrounded him. Being the new barista in the shop, Nino paid him no heed-thinking that the man was probably crazy and obsessed with coffee-so he continued to study the beans and which to use, all laid out in front of him.
The next few times Nino saw the man piqued his interest in more reasons than one. He knew that the man was a regular customer, frequenting the shop during their down time. Several times had the customer walked in, ordered coffee that Nino usually made for him, and-dare he say it-stared at him while he was working.
It wasn’t as if Nino was being full of himself but he couldn’t deny that he was happy with the attention, especially since the man was extremely attractive-definitely his type. He was always dressed down to a simple tee and pants but he wore them impeccably well, which Nino appreciated because of the way it hugged the man’s full arms and butt. He kept his smile to himself, focusing on preparing his espresso shots, trying to impress the man with the nice ass.
They haven’t exchanged any pleasantries but was civil enough to acknowledge one another every time. Nino always got that small head tilt with a raised coffee cup whenever he would accidentally look over at him, acknowledging his work and he would smile back.
So, it wasn’t an overstatement to say that Nino was shocked when he went to work the next day and saw the same man behind the counter-apron on and equipped with all the equipment he hadn’t seen before.
“…good morning?” Nino tentatively started, shifting his gaze towards his co-worker, wondering just what on Earth was going on. The attractive man turned to look at him with an amused smile.
“Ah,” Nino watched as his co-worker scrambled to introduce them to each other. “Matsumoto-san, this is Ninomiya Kazunari, you may know him already.” It took a moment for Nino to process the introduction and realize that he was being introduced to possibly a senior.
Nino still tried to think of who this man might be but bowed nonetheless, “Pleased to meet you,” And in a spur of the moment, he thoughtlessly added, “…senpai.”
The man, Matsumoto-san, laughed quietly at that while Nino’s co-worker looked like he was trying his best not to facepalm. “Well, I guess you can also call me that. Enchanté, Ninomiya-kun.”
It took a lot of Nino’s energy not to make a face at his co-worker’s reaction but all confrontational thoughts flew out the window when he noticed how Matsumoto-san was carefully studying some roasted beans.
The sheer focus on the man’s face as he felt, smelled and tasted some beans enthralled Nino that he couldn’t help but stare. Matsumoto-san must’ve felt his gaze because as soon as he was done grinding the beans, he called out,
“Ninomiya-kun, could you help me move these over there?” Matsumoto said, pointing at the farthest table, secluded and the perfect place to practice-at least in Nino’s opinion. Nino nodded and helped moved the equipment to the perfect spot.
Watching Matsumoto work on brewing coffee was like watching a chemistry experiment. All the things he did were precise-from the heat of the boiling water to the amount of water to be poured. Nino silently watched-making sure not to ogle-as Matsumoto worked his arm pouring hot water over the ground coffee, making two cups and offering him one with a soft smile.
“Do you usually make coffee like this?” Nino couldn’t help but ask as they took a seat to enjoy the brew. Jun hummed a yes in response. “That’s interesting and new in this day and age.” Nino added.
“I love having control over the taste of my coffee, don’t you?” Matsumoto raised an eyebrow at him. “Go ahead, take a sip, you’ll know what I mean.” He said and Nino was glad to do so. The taste was richer and bolder than most of the coffee brews he’s had before. It was strong but smooth on his tongue. His reaction must’ve shown as he heard another soft laughter come from the man beside him. “Good?”
“Wonderful, Matsumoto-san.” Nino responded, taking another sip of the coffee. “I’ve never made or had coffee like this before, I’m more of a machine and espresso kind of guy.”
Matsumoto smiled, an eyebrow quirking up. “I’ve noticed.” He said, confirming Nino’s suspicions that he was indeed being watched intently for the past few days. “And please, call me Jun.”
“Jun-san?” Nino tried hesitantly. The other man made a face and shook his head. “…Jun-kun?” He tried once again, being less formal which earned him a smile and a few nods from the other man.
“That’s more like it. Alright, why don’t you try doing this, Ninomiya-kun?” Jun insisted more than asked.
“Uh, just Nino is fine.” He said, Jun nodded. Nino gathered all the equipment Jun had and frowned, “I don’t think I can do as well as you did though.” Nino admitted with a short laugh.
“It’s worth a shot.” Jun snickered as he did a bad pun. If they were close, Nino would have rolled his eyes but alas, they only formally met a few minutes ago so he opted to be a bit more respectful and laughed.
“I’m laughing because we just met and I don’t want to be rude.” He explained, earning a much louder laughter from the other man. Nino grinned, proud that at least his companion looked like he was having fun.
Nino tried to do the ‘pour-over-coffee’ method-he paid enough attention to Jun to actually understand the process and was doing well on his own. Although he did notice the gaze that was directed to him by the other man, thankfully, he worked with grace under intense pressure-the pressure being Jun’s attention.
When Nino felt the silence was too loud, he decided it was time to start talking. “How long have you been a coffee person, Jun-kun?” Nino asked.
“A while. It’s a hobby.” Jun shifted his position, placing his elbow over the table and resting his cheek on his knuckles as he watched Nino work. After a pause, Jun said “You look really good, making coffee.”
Nino almost dropped the coffee filter but managed to get a hold of himself as a blush threatened to creep its way up his cheeks. This man was coming on strong and Nino wasn’t prepared. But it didn’t mean he won’t play along.
“What can I say, I’m a good-looking guy. You would know, wouldn’t you?” Nino boldly, a challenging smile playing on his lips. He noticed how Jun’s eyebrow quirked upwards at his comment, obviously knowing what he meant but not denying any of it. “I hope my coffee’s as good as I look.” He played along with a smile.
Once finished with filling the filter with the ground coffee, Nino started to pour the hot water over it. “This is a walk in the park.” He chuckled but noticed that Jun was shaking his head, amused. “No?”
Jun shook his head once again, getting up and standing directly behind Nino-he was taller by about an inch which made them proportional. Nino’s heart pounded madly in his chest as Jun placed a hand over his, gripping it and said, almost in a whisper, “Don’t strain your wrist. Move your arm, like this.”
Nino’s pour was guided by Jun’s strength who was standing too close for comfort. The man was coming on too strong and Nino was definitely not prepared. His wit and cleverness needed room to breathe and with Jun standing so close to him, his mind was mush. It didn’t help that Nino already found him attractive from the beginning and now the same man who he’s been secretly crushing on was making moves on him.
“Slowly.” Jun continued, in a low whisper that Nino could swear he felt Jun’s breath next to his ear that sent shivers down his spine. “Pull out that flavor.” He added.
Just when Nino thought he was finally going to pass out from the proximity, the hot water ran out and the pour was finished. He felt Jun’s hand linger on his own before taking a step back and Nino finally let out the breath that he didn’t know he was holding in.
“Great. Let’s taste it.” Jun clapped his hands together, getting back to his seat like nothing happened.
Nino couldn’t believe it but he got himself together and poured two cups once again. He gave one to Jun and waited for the verdict. “I hope it fits your taste. Not sure how that turned out as I got distracted mid-pour.” He said, feeling like he’s going to vomit his heart out but wanting to appear cool.
“I’m not going to apologize if that’s what you’re hinting at.” A playful glint passed through Jun’s eyes and a smirk graced his lips as he took a sip. A pause. “Mmh. Flavorful. Just need to be a little bit stronger.”
Nino took a sip as well and as expected, it really was a bit too weak as compared to Jun’s brew. “I guess I need more practice with traditional brewing.” He said, cleaning up the coffee mess on the table.
“Is that your subtle way of asking to see me again?” Jun decoded, Nino shrugged and gave him an innocent look that made the other man chuckle. “You seem promising. I might just take you in.” Jun let out, standing up and walking towards the counter from which they previously came from.
Nino shook his head, that Matsumoto-san was a mystery. He was about to bring back all the equipment when his co-worker came to offer some help. “I haven’t seen Matsumoto-san that interested in a long time. I guess he took a liking to you.”
“Well, I’m glad. Seems like he’s a senior who can teach me a lot of things.” Nino smiled, that was one thing he was glad about. He saw his co-worker raise an eyebrow at him.
“Are you serious?” His co-worker finally did his long-awaited facepalm. “He’s not a senior.” The guy said. “He’s the owner of the shop.”
“You’re joking.”
But the blank face that stared back at him was a face that clearly told him that he wasn’t kidding. Nino’s eyes widened and he rushed towards the counter, just in time to see Jun taking his apron off and getting ready to leave.
“MatsuJun-san.” Nino called out as realization dawned on him. He only knew the boss by his portmanteau and was too overwhelmed with awe and amazement to put all the pieces together. Jun looked back at him, surprised but amused.
“Ah, look who caught up.” Jun chuckled, walking over to Nino who was still dumbfounded. “Pleasure to meet you, Ninomiya-kun. I’m Matsumoto Jun.” He grinned.
“Damn. I’m so sorry for being stupid.” Nino responded, hanging his head low, embarrassed. He just flirted with the boss! Well, granted that said boss was also a flirter and was actually the first one who made a move on him. All his thoughts were halted, however, when he felt Jun brush his bangs aside which made him look up-the hand staying and softly touching the edge of his cheek.
“Don’t worry about it. You’re cute anyway.” Jun winked. “I’ll see you tomorrow then, Nino.” He ended, tracing Nino’s jawline, ending with a soft touch on his chin before turning and walking out of the coffee shop doors.
His touch, his smile and the smell of coffee on him is probably going to keep Nino awake that night.
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Okay, I'll let you in on a secret. This has the potential to and might be my first chaptered Arashi fic. I have two more of these lined up in my brain but haven't written them yet. So that's a huge might, right there. Let's hope that I don't get lazy halfway through. Hahaha. For you, Ats! You know I'm weak so here! ~ ♥ ~
But shit, I hope you guys got the small hints of coffee in their personalities. I researched on this, okay~ I want it to be subtle but recognizable hahaha~