Pairing: Baekhyun x Reader feat. EXO
Genre: Coffee Shop AU, fluff, one shot,
Summary: A tea room in a quiet alley and a coffee shop that changed that.
Baekhyun was one of the baristas in the coffee shop that had opened up right beside your quiet tea room, and he always seemed to get himself in trouble. Whether it was messing up too many orders, or simply having to calm down after a few coffees too many (he always reassured you there was no such thing), he seemed to always find a way to visit you while you worked. The only problem that came with the mischievous man: the swarm of girls that always followed.
A/N: This is the first part of a series of coffee shop AUs I’m currently working on.
A new coffee shop had opened right next to your tea room. It was one of those cosy, beige and brown aesthetic ones. The kind that catered mainly to hipsters, coffee connoisseurs and melodramatic undiscovered writers. And much to your chagrin, the previously peaceful alley that seemed to have never left the times of cobbled streets and gaslight lamps, had suddenly become an Instagram attraction, bring boisterous ruckus with it, slowly killing the vibe of the place, and your sanity. The place would probably not have lasted very long, being placed in such a niche location that it was hard to find, but it did. There were multiple reasons for its survival and success. One of them being the wonderful coffee the place was serving, and the other being the cute baristas that owned the place.
They were nine gorgeous men, serving the best coffee in your little student town. And with the nine handsome men, swarms of girls happened to always be present. You swore that it was like none of them attended lectures at all. Some girls came by every single day, just to stare at whichever barista was working the shift. The swarms of people that came here day in and day out had also greatly benefitted your tea room. When there was no space in the coffee shop, the clients came to you in search of peace and quiet, and something good to drink. It did infuriate you however, that whenever you went in for a coffee (you needed it to function too), girls would sneer and whisper behind your back whenever any of the baristas would greet you directly. It was not your fault that you were next door neighbours, and simply had formed an acquaintanceship. You needed coffee, and they needed to get away from it.
It had just turned one in the afternoon when there was a commotion in your tea room. You looked over to the main sitting area, abandoning the new tea blend you were experimenting with. The girls started waving at the new comer, beckoning him over to their tables. He waved at them, and politely declined, making his way over to the counter you were working at.
You recognised the familiar soft brown eyes, warm and coffee coloured. You also recognised the strong smell of fresh coffee that the man had carried here on his clothes.
“Can I get a sleepy cinnamon blend?” Baekhyun asked, leaning over the counter to look at you in the eyes. A playful smile spread on his full lips, and his eyes were shining with energy.
“Isn’t it a little too early for that Baekhyun?” you asked, looking at his energetic self, feet bounding lightly, even as he did his best to keep still. His slender finders drummed over the wooden countertop.
“I had too much coffee.” Baekhyun smiled, his teeth showing, and his cheeks puffing out. He seemed very happy with the notion. He did love coffee, didn’t he? You laughed with him, earning yourself many glares from the spying girls looking your way.
“I thought you never have too much?” you asked playfully, enjoying the pout he was currently sporting. The boys had told you that one could never have too much coffee. You disagreed. Too much coffee made you fidgety, and it made your hands shake. As a tea maker, you didn’t drink too much of the energising beverage.
“I had eight coffees.” At his casual confession, your eyes widened into saucers. You were sure if you had as much coffee as Baekhyun, you would have gone mad already. He didn’t seem overly affected. In fact, he looked quite pleased with himself.
“The same coffee or different coffees?” You asked. Minseok would sometimes come here to dissipate his caffeine high after experimenting with different coffee roasts, after he had multiple cups of the same roast.
Baekhyun’s hands ceased their incessant drumming on your counter and made their way through his sandy bleached hair.
“I had six espressos and Minseok messed up an affogato and a mocha order.” He scoffed at the mention of his older friend. Minseok was the epitome of a coffee lover. It was unheard of that he would be the one to mess up on his own. He had always treated coffee making like a form of fine art, he was like Da Vinci honing his craft to produce masterpieces.
“Sleepy Cinnamon will not remove the caffeine from your blood.” You retorted, scoffing as he stood pouting like a pleading puppy.
“Please?” he asked, swaying from side to side like a child.
“Just one sleepy cinnamon?” You gave in, smiling lightly at the man, catching his eyes. You felt your heart skip a beat. The little reaction left you shocked, flustered, and you did not know the reason for why his eyes had looked so kind in that moment. For a split second you had seen the deep brown and felt their stare was too heavy.
“Junmyeon wanted to try out this week’s new blend.” He broke you out of your trance, clueless as to the eternity you had just lived out, an eternity that lasted split seconds, but felt like passing eons. You moved to the wooden box labelled rose blend and glanced over your shoulder. Baekhyun was leaning against the counter, nonchalant and beautiful. A small smile played on his lips, and a rosy blush covered his cheeks. You don’t have a doubt that the caffeine caused it, his heart must be pounding right now. Yours would be.
“It’s a rose milk tea I’ve been experimenting with recently.” You threw over your shoulder, and Baekhyun smiled mischievously, teasing your lips to smile with him.
“Do you want it to be?” You asked. The seriousness in your voice contrasted the sparkle in your eyes.
“Really?” He asked playfully, smiling widely at you, and you laughed, shaking your head and pouring the rose syrup into the tea and milk mixture. You made a sleepy cinnamon, breathing in the pleasant smell of vanilla mixing with sweet cinnamon. Baekhyun grabbed the teas from you. His lips began to form words, but they are never voiced.
A crash focused your attention elsewhere, and you turned to the sitting area, only to see one of your tea sets smashed to bits, the tray it rested on flipped upside down on the floor. You would have simply called it an accident, if not for the furious look you were receiving from one of the occupants, nor the smug smiles on her companions faces.
Baekhyun turned to look back at you, only to see the frustration in your eyes, as your hands balled into fists. It was particularly nice tea set, one of the new ones you brought recently, since your business has been doing better. Seeing it smashed to bits on the floor was frustrating. Especially since it was broken out of spite of a few immature girls. They were probably still in high school.
You and Baekhyun walked over to the table, a brush and dustpan in your hands, ready to clean up the mess.
“Are you okay?” Baekhyun asked the girls, and they nodded, satisfied that your conversation was over, and that his attention in focused on them and not you. “Oh dear.” You muttered, looking at the broken pieces of the tea set. The periwinkle blue china had a pearlescent shine to it and golden finishes. You had just brought it out this week, and two days in it was broken and unusable. Baekhyun crouched down on the floor with you, helping you pick up the larger pieces. He smiled softly when your eyes met. Then the smile was gone, replaced with a grimace, and blood was running down his fingers.
“I’m fine. It’s just a small cut.” He tried to explain himself, attempting to continue picking up the shards. You stopped him.
“Come, I’ll give you a plaster.” He followed you, cradling his injured hand close to his chest. Behind the counter, you pulled out some antiseptic cream and guided his hand to the sink to wash the blood away.
“It’s so cute!” he exclaimed when he saw the plaster you were about to give him. It had a cat pattern on it, since you thought that plain plasters were boring. They simply did not spark joy. And the glee on Baekhyun’s face when you wrapped his fingers with cat plasters, had brought you, and him plenty of it.
“Be careful now.” You told him in mock seriousness, before breaking out with a smile. The teas he had ordered had turned cold, and so you made them again, this time with Baekhyun looking over your shoulder, occasionally glancing at the table of girls, now madder than before.
“Bye Y/N.” He said once you handed him his order. You waved him goodbye, watching as the door closed behind his lean frame. Without missing a beat, the girls had left too. Closing your eyes, you slumped against the counter, and gave yourself a moment of necessary peace.
Later that day, barely able to stand on your feet, you made your way next door in desperate need of caffeine. Today had been a busy day for you. A book club made up of about twelve old ladies had come in around noon and had been sitting in the tea room for about three hours now, discussing some memoir, and repurchasing the same blends of ear grey and English breakfast, and on top of it all, they had eaten today’s batch of scones and were half way through the Victoria sponge. Baekhyun was standing behind the counter, filling the coffee press with more beans, his back turned to you. He had changed into a pristine white button up with a black apron tied around his waist.
“Baekhyun!” You called out happily, watching with satisfaction as he returned your smile.
“Oh, Y/N!” He matched your enthusiasm, leaning playfully over the counter.
“What can I get for you today ma’am?”
“Hm… A café au lait would be great right about now.” You told him, feeling the weariness in your bones. Your legs were stiff, and you wished for nothing more than to sit down and drink some hot coffee.
“One café au lait coming right up.” He told you before returning to work, a playful smile still plastered over his face, bring enough to light up the room. You glanced around the coffee shop, noting in disappointment that all the tables were taken. You would have to go and sit in your tea room. Maybe you could get away from the customers if you sat in the kitchen behind the open area. You turned back around, jumping a bit when you realised another barista was peering at you with curiosity.
“Hey Junmyeon!” You exclaimed, trying to calm your wild heartbeat. He laughed, brown eyes crinkling at corners and turning into little crescent moons. Your state of shock had amused him greatly.
“The new tea blend is great.” The older barista complimented, still smiling. “What’s in it?”
“Earl grey and rose syrup.” You answered. Your eyes darted to look over his shoulder, peering at Baekhyun, who was staring at your interaction with a mixture of amusement and something unidentifiable. Whatever it was, you had never seen him express this emotion before. Despite his smile, his brows furrowed lightly in a soft frown, and you watched him pout before turning back to your coffee.
“It’s really sweet.” Junmyeon’s comment ripped you from your trance, and it took you a second to register that he was still speaking about your new blend.
“I’ll try toning it down a bit.” You commented. When tea was too sweet you could not distinguish the different herbs that went into the blend, which was the whole point of making the blends.
“Maybe try boiling rose buds with the ear grey blend, and adding less syrup in?” Junmyeon was always so helpful. Since him and Minseok were the official co-owners of this coffee shop, he had to be the level headed and responsible one out of the nine friends. He reminded you a lot of a mum friend, with his advice and overall gentle but strict attitude.
“I’ll try that.” You peered over to once again look at Baekhyun. This time, he was holding a steaming cup of coffee in his hand and looking slightly irritated when Junmyeon did not completely move out of his way as he handed you your order. “Here.” He said, bringing your attention to him, before giving you a cheeky smile. “Thanks.” You took the cup from him, careful not to spill anything out and over yourself. As you were walking out, you caught a glimpse of Baekhyun playfully hitting his friend as Junmyeon burst into a fit of laughter, his shoulders shaking uncontrollably. A smile broke through on your face, and you had to stop yourself from giggling when hot coffee spilled over your fingers.
“You needed a new tea set.” Baekhyun proceeded to explain himself as you crossed your arms over your chest. A brand-new tea set sat on the table between you. It was made of white porcelain and the rims and handles were decorated with an elegant pattern of golden and purple lavender flowers.
“I could buy it myself.” You told him crossly. You had enough money to get another tea set. You looked once more over the new porcelain and sighed.
“I know.” Baekhyun told you, sincerity lacing his voice, as his soft eyes shining when looking into your own. Your heart was beating rapidly inside your ribcage, and you were sure it had rattled against your ribs a couple of times already. “Baekhyun.” You whispered, not trusting your voice to stay stable if you were to start arguing with him.
“Just accept it. It’s a gift.” He smiled and patted your hand with his own. Warmth radiated off of him in waves, and you were sure that if you were to endure much longer you would burn. The small act of affection didn’t last long. Before you knew it, he was bidding you farewell and stepping out of the quiet tea room, returning to the warmth and chatter of his coffee shop.
When the door closed, and you could no longer see his silhouette, a shudder went through you, and you realised, both with joy and terror, that maybe Baekhyun was not just a neighbour to you. Why were you so cold now that he walked out? Why was your heart banging against your ribs like a prison beating at the bars of the cell that separates them from freedom? And why for Baekhyun, of all people it could beat for?
“Excuse me.” The person behind you said, making you break away from the fresh pot of camomile tea you were brewing. The group of older ladies occupying the couches turned oddly quiet.
“Hey Baekhyun!” you greeted, turning to face him completely. He was swaying on the balls of his feet, his hands behind his back. A small smile played on his lips.
Behind him, the old ladies were looking at the two of you expectantly.Once more your foolish heart tried breaking free from its bone prison, attempting to run to the very man standing in front of you.
“How do you like my gift.” He looked over your shoulder at the tea set on the work counter, a cheeky smile brightened his face, making his cheeks puffy. You wondered whether he was real, and not just a conjuring of your imagination.
“It’s beautiful.” You told him honestly, smiling lightly.
“Don’t I buy the prettiest tea sets?” He teased you, making you laugh out loud as you agreed with him.
“I have another gift for you.” Your eyes widened in surprise, and you leapt forward, ready to refuse whatever object he was about to give you. One tea set was enough. What other gifts could Baekhyun possibly give?
“No more,” you pleaded. The playful look faded from his face. In its place was a seriousness that Baekhyun did not display in public often. His eyes remained gentle, but the gentleness played second lead to the conviction that swam in his eyes. From behind his back, Baekhyun took out a bouquet of white roses, wrapped together with golden ribbons.
“Thank you.” Was all you managed to say, stunned by the gesture.
“You’re welcome.” The seriousness remained on his face, and just as suddenly as he had come in, he was gone, leaving you holding the flowers, looking down at them in confusion.
You left the flowers on the counter, and made your way to the waiting ladies, only to find them still looking at you expectantly.
“Who was that?” one of them asked, her eyes resting on the roses.
“A friend.” You answered too quickly. The looks you received made you turn bright red. None of the ladies seemed convinced.
“Friends don’t give each other flowers.” Another one commented, her kind, washed out eyes resting on you.
“Then what is he?” your heart did not have an answer to this question, but the ladies sure did.
“I think he might like you.” One of them commented, smiling gleefully, eyes shining with what you assumed happy memories.
“That’s ridiculous.” You managed to blurt out when your heart made another summersault in your chest, banging against the confines of your ribs. It yearned for that to be the truth. But it simply could not be the case. Could it?
“Why.” The lady demanded, ready to start one of those talks about age and wisdom.
“There are so many pretty girls that come by their coffee shop.” You answered, feeling pathetic with coming up with such an excuse. You sounded like a teenager, and you sure as hell felt like one now, sitting with the older ladies, talking about boys giving you flowers. As if it was the first time.
“They may be pretty girls,” One of the ladies patted your hand gently, caressing the smooth skin with her wrinkled hand. The touch was soft and gently, and felt like silk against your skin, “But you are a beautiful woman.” She concluded, letting go of your hand, smiling at you in a grandmotherly way. You shied away from the compliment.
Later that day, you decided to pay Baekhyun back for the tea set and the flowers. The milk tea cake had just finished chilling in the fridge, so you packed it up, and took it over to the coffee shop. They would still be there cleaning, and the door would still be open. You walked in to see Chanyeol cleaning the tables.
“What do you have?” He asked, peering over at the box in your hands, “Is it for me?”
“I made milk tea cake. Share it when you’re done.” You told him, smiling at his curious gaze as he took the box out of your hands. He smiled brightly at you, before putting the cake on one of the clean tables.
“Is Baekhyun here?” You asked, hoping to catch a glimpse of him, but Chanyeol shook his head, telling you that he was out at the moment.
“Are you going home?” He asked, trying to lean on the broom he was going to sweep the floor with. It didn’t work as planned, since was so much taller than it. “I still have to close up.” You told him, before turning around and waling over to the exit.
“See you.” Chanyeol called behind you, his deep voice reverberating through the still air.
“Bye!” You called, waving at him through the glass of the shop windows.
Chanyeol was looking over at Baekhyun, shaking his head at his small friend. The boys were sitting in the now clean shop, looking at the now empty plates. Most of the cake was now gone. This happened often when there were nine people to feed. They were surely going to fight for the rest later.
“You really like her, don’t you?” Chanyeol commented, a serious look on his face. Baekhyun wasn’t laughing about it either.
“So what?” He asked, ready to get defensive to protect his tender heart.
“You two are so cute!” He exclaimed, crushing the smaller man in his embrace.
“Chanyeol!” Baekhyun wined, fighting to break free from his hold.
“She bandaged your hand, and then she brought us cake!” Chanyeol pointed out, glancing at the nine empty cake plates littering the tables.
“You gave her flowers and brought her a tea set.” Minseok added, waving his fork around, pointing it accusing at the younger man.
“It was my fault it broke in the first place.”
“It was the girls’ fault. They broke it.” Jongin reasoned, and Baekhyun could not argue with that. He did not physically break your tea set, but his presence did cause the girls to break it, and he had felt guilty. Jongin of course, had none of it, and pointed out that no one made the girls break anything, and that he should not feel responsible for the actions of others.
“She likes you too!” Sehun whined, eating his second slice, annoyed at his friend’s obliviousness.
“That’s why you’re eating cake now? Because she doesn’t like you?” Jongin laughed as Baekhyun stiffed another forkful in his mouth, before washing it down with come coffee.
“It was for everybody.” Baekhyun protested, pointing accusing fingers and Sehun and Junmyeon, who were eating seconds.
“It’s because you gave her flowers.” Chanyeol exclaimed, pointing at Baekhyun, silently accusing him of obliviousness and denial.
“Keep giving her flowers.” Sehun cheered, smiling widely at the prospect of more treats in the future.
“The cake’s good.” Jongin added, stealing some off of Sehun’s plate. Baekhyun could do nothing but pout at their antics, clearly infuriated, but unable to rebuke their arguments. He did like you. You made his heart race, and your little tea room had become an oasis of sorts, a place he could go to get away from the constantly busy coffee shop and the prying, flirtatious gazes of his customers.
He was broken away from his thoughts when the bell rang, signalling someone has entered. The boys turned to say they were closed, but instead of a late customer, they found Y/N, standing at the door with a sheepish smile on her face. Baekhyun stared at you, the echo of Sehun’s comments ringing in his ears, giving birth to a plan that would put the flirtatious gazes and all the whining he had endured from his younger friends to an end.
You had come back to the coffee shop, finally deciding to follow the ladies’ advice and set things straight with Baekhyun. You needed to know why he had bothered to purchase you a new tea set, and most importantly why he had come to give you flowers. The old ladies where right when they told you that friends do not give each other roses, and the serious look on his face, so uncharacteristic to the cheeky glint of his eyes and the happy smiles, had left you confused of his intentions. If there were any, that is.
“Have you closed up already?” Chanyeol asked, his booming cheerful voice resonated through the room, and you turned to smile at him.
“Yeah. How’s the cake.” You asked, still standing at the door, not wanting to intrude on their private conversation.
“Come have some.” Baekhyun told you, an unmistakeable mischievous glint shining in his eyes. You walked over to him, expecting a forkful of cake to be flicked at you. You expected to be the target of another one of their pranks, but you did not expect what would transpire within the upcoming seconds.
To your surprise, and the shock of all the other men, Baekhyun had stood up, towering above you just a little bit, before he swooped down, placing his lips softly on yours. At the contact, you stiffened, unsure of what to do, before relaxing a little. His hands found their way into your hair, tangling his slim fingers into the locks. Your hands in turn found his waist, and you ended up hooking your thumbs into the band of his black apron. The confusion from earlier was gone, and all that remained was your rapidly beating heart, aiming to match Baekhyun’s pace.
“So how is it?” he asked, the same mischievous glint in his eyes mixing now with the dusting of pink on his cheeks. You scrunched up your nose, pretending to think about it, before replying to his question, your tone equally mischievous.
“All I can taste is coffee.”
The boys roared into laughter, and the quiet street had suddenly found itself loud as a carnival as the baristas cheered and laughed at the scene before them, Baekhyun still holding you in his arms, laughing with them, high on euphoria as you pressed another kiss to his cheek.
