calicos and daisy chains | kjd
part of love notes— an exo ot9 valentine’s day special
⋆˙⟡♡ summary: your favorite barista takes you to paint some pottery.
⋆˙⟡♡ word count: 1.1k words
⋆˙⟡♡ content: jongdae x gn!reader | fluff | no warnings
Medium vanilla latte with oat milk, extra shot? I’m just kidding. I was wondering if you were free sometime soon to go on a date? I think you’re beautiful and I would love to get to know you better outside of our little morning routine. Of course don’t feel pressured to say yes or anything. I promise your coffee will still be as delicious as always. Jongdae
The first thing you notice about Jongdae is how good he smells.
When he gives you a friendly hug in greeting, you’re met with the smell of coffee and a hint of cinnamon, a bundle of warm and cozy deliciousness that immediately puts you at ease, reminding you of your favorite coffee shop. And of course it does, because well, Jongdae works there.
“It’s nice to see you out of uniform,” he jokes, gesturing to the cozy way you’re dressed versus the business casual you usually wear in the mornings.
“I could say the same for you,” you reply.
“It’s nice to be out of it. Let’s get inside, it’s freezing.”
The employee behind the counter guides you through the process of picking out some pottery to paint, letting the two of you browse the shelves for something you like. You wander indecisively next to Jongdae, looking for something that catches your eye.
“I already know what I’m doing for you,” he says, reaching out to grab a mug. “You know that we do discounts if you bring in your own cup?”
“I did not know that,” you remark, raising your eyebrows. “That would’ve been nice to know. Do you know how much money I spend there?”
“I kept meaning to tell you but it always slips my mind. What are you thinking about painting for me?”
“I’m not sure.” Your gaze passes over several plates, bowls and cups before finally landing on a figurine of a cat, curled up and asleep with a small smile on its face. You pick it up and hold it out to Jongdae. “This one kinda looks like you.”
“What?” Jongdae laughs, a loud clap of laughter that rings throughout the small studio. “You think so?”
“Yeah, smile with your mouth closed for a sec?” You giggle when his lips perfectly curl at the edges, similar to the small statue in your hand. “It’s a spitting image of you.”
“I like it,” he says. “Paint it good for me.”
The employee seats you at a table and sets you both up with a set of paints and art supplies. You start by painting the base of your cat white, planning out in your head where you want to put the calico spots. Jongdae is similarly concentrated, painting the entire base of your mug in a pretty, pale green color.
The silence is so comfortable that you don’t even realize that several minutes have passed without you saying a word to each other until Jongdae clears his throat softly. “Sorry, I got so focused I forgot that I wanted to ask you about yourself.”
You laugh, your paintbrush almost skittering across your project. “What do you want to know?”
“Well mostly I just wanted to ask if things are going okay at work,” he says. “I noticed that you’ve been adding an extra shot recently.”
“Oh,” you say quietly, focusing back on painting orange spots on your cat. “There was a pretty crazy deadline that I was going insane over. My boss had me pulling crazy hours because of other people’s incompetence. But it’s over now so I can sleep at night, so I’ll be going back to my regular amount.”
“That’s a relief,” he smiles. “You know it’s not good for you to drink that much caffeine.”
You snort. “Oh yeah? And how much caffeine do you drink, Mr. Barista?”
“Not that much anymore!” he protests. “Just one coffee in the morning.”
“And how many shots of espresso are in that coffee?”
“I don’t have to answer that.”
The conversation flows naturally. Jongdae makes you laugh until your cheeks hurt as you learn more about each other, your projects becoming more and more painted as time goes by. He starts to add a daisy chain to the bottom of your mug, and you add blush to the cheeks of his cat.
“What do you like to do in your free time?” you ask.
“I like to sing,” he admits. “I’m actually getting my Masters in music education so I can shift from this barista job to teaching vocal students.”
“Really? That’s incredible.”
Jongdae’s cheeks turn pink. “I’m glad you think so. There are some people who think that’s unrealistic, or that I’m just doing it because becoming a singer didn’t pan out.”
“Well those people are stupid,” you say. “I bet you’re a great teacher and an even better singer.”
The corner of his lips quirk upward in a crooked smile. “I don’t know about the teaching part yet, but I do think I’m a pretty good singer.”
“I’ll have to hear you sometime.”
He gasps in mock-surprise. “Are you asking me on a second date?” he asks, raising an eyebrow.
“Hmm… hold up that mug for a sec?” He does, and you pretend to inspect it thoroughly. “You did a good job. You earned yourself a second date.”
He pumps his fist in the air and you stifle a laugh with the back of your hand. The employee comes by to check your progress and nods at your projects in approval.
“If you’re satisfied with it I can take them from you now, then we’ll fire them and you can pick them up in about a week.”
“That sounds perfect, thank you,” Jongdae says. The two of you finish up and walk outside to the parking lot. “We have to come back, huh? That means we have to go on another date. At least to pick these up again.”
“Or I could just make you do it,” you quip.
“Do that and there’s no guarantee I don’t just run off with the mug. I think it’s a damn fine mug if I say so myself.”
You jostle his shoulder lightly with yours. “How else am I supposed to get a discount on my daily triple shot latte?”
“Double shot.”
“Triple.”
“Hey, you promised!” he whines.
You reach out and grab his hand, delighting in the way his protests die in his throat the second your skin comes into contact with his. “Let me hear you sing and then I’ll cut down on the caffeine.”
“Okay.” He rolls his eyes, but squeezes your hand all the same. “Deal.”
well, that was fun! want to try another?
main masterlist.
