Caramel // Min Yoongi x Park Jimin
✎...Summary : Min Yoongi, a barista at a local campus coffee shop, works with 2 loud, annoying boys and a manager that hides in the back with the chocolate chips. He manages to keep his life barely strung together until his eyes lay on a cute, lactose intolerant boy with sunshine in his eyes. His thoughts are plagued with Park Jimin and he wants to call him his. How? Simple. With a caramel macchiato.
↳ Pairing : Park Jimin X Min Yoongi
↳ Genre : Coffee Shop! AU, College! AU
↳ Extra Warnings : Tooth-Rotting Fluff
The blonde leans against the counter top, and watches the lazy trickle of early-rising students walk in and out of the cafe, sitting at different tables and sipping on drinks while hunched over laptops and notebooks. The soft clicking of keyboards and the flipping of pages mix well with the aroma of vanilla and cinnamon that wafts through the air, warming Yoongi down to his toes and leaving his mind at peace.
He sighs as he looks over at the tall male who just walked in with a backpack slung over his shoulder and the fringe of his red hair peeking out from under his black beanie. He has a smile on his face, one so big that it’s impossible for Yoongi to wrap his head around. It’s 9 am and someone has the actual mindset to smile? He will never understand.
“Honorifics. And you’re late. Again.”
Hoseok shrugs as he walks behind the counter and places his bag in the corner. In the back of his mind, Yoongi knows that Hoseok would trip over it at some point during the day, probably during a rush hour, but he doesn’t bother to mention it to the younger as he wraps the black apron around his waist.
“Seokjin-hyung wouldn’t fire me, I’m the best waiter here.”
“You’re the only waiter here.”
Hoseok shrugs again. “Still counts.”
Yoongi sighs as he greets another customer, taking their to-go order and turning towards the machine. Mornings are always pretty slow, so Taehyung isn’t really needed to man the cashier. Besides, Yoongi already has to deal with Hoseok, Taehyung would be just too much and he’s sure he’d lose it if he sees the boy before twelve.
There’s something soothing about the sight of watching the dark espresso rise in the cup, steam swirling into the air. He places a lid on top of the latest order and hands it over to the girl, returning her small smile as he passes her the cup.
“No problem.” He turns back across the counter to go greet the next customer. “Hello, what can I get yo-”
Yoongi stops mid-sentence and marvels at the sight in front of him.
A boy, looking not much younger than him, stands facing down at his phone, earbuds in under his beige beanie. His over-sized white tee doesn’t do much to hide his figure, his arms toned as well as the rest of his body. Yoongi tries not to stare.
The boy suddenly looks up, and his deep, sparkling brown eyes grow in surprise.
‘Oh my God’, Yoongi swoons.
“Oh, sorry! I thought you were still helping the other girl.” He says, tucking his phone into his pocket and taking out his right earbud. Yoongi doesn’t respond, still flustered by the boy’s incredibly good looks. And his voice is light and airy, like sweet honey-ecstasy to his ears. His heartbeat mimicks a heavy drum and the sound floods his ears.
“I-it’s fine..” He mentally curses himself as he stumbles over his words.
The other doesn’t seem to notice, or maybe he did and decided to not mention it. His smile grows a bit bigger though, and Yoongi hopes that the blush isn’t as intense as it feels.
“I don’t suppose you have any milk substitutes?”
Yoongi snaps out of his daze after he hears the question, and shakes his head a little too vigorously. “N-no, sorry, we don’t.”
Yoongi then again curses, this time Seokjin for not having any soy or almond milk. The stranger sighs and scratches the back of his neck. “Ah, it’s fine.”
It’s not fine. Yoongi has to stop himself from bursting out of the cafe to run to the nearest supermarket to get almond milk for the angel-like stranger that’s flipped him upside down in a matter of seconds.
“I’ll just take a croissant then.”
Yoongi congratulates himself for not stumbling over his words, but felt time slow when the other’s hand brushes against his, their fingertips sliding against each other as he slips the coins into Yoongi’s open palm. He smiles and walks off to the side, waiting for his order.
Yoongi stands there, the cool metal coins doing nothing to calm the heat that’s travelling up to his cheeks. What the hell is going on?
He shakes his head and places the coins in the register a little too rushed, slamming the drawer shut so loudly it makes him flinch. He seriously needs to calm down. His nerves are shot, his face is hot and he knows his ears are red which make him feel insecure and therefore, a bit skittish.
He places the croissant in the small paper bag (he looked for the flakiest, freshest one from the bunch) and hands it to the stranger, his earbuds back in. He takes the bag and smiles at Yoongi, his eyes turning into little crescents. Yoongi feels his insides churn and butterflies turn into hummingbirds.
Yoongi awkwardly looks away, and played with the hem of his apron, suddenly feeling very nervous. What was this feeling? He couldn’t stop his hands from shaking and his face was hot, beet-red in the reflection of the stainless-steel coffee pot that was still brewing. The stranger smiled and walked away, the bell jingling in his absence. Yoongi felt a pang of sadness, and regretted that he didn’t ask for the boy’s name. He sighed in defeat as he walked back to the register.
A loud crash sounded from the side and Yoongi turned to see a broken mug with spilled coffee splattered across the floor, and Hoseok groaning next to it as he wrestled his foot from his backpack straps. Of course.
That night, Yoongi barely got any sleep, his dreams haunted by the gorgeous stranger. He stayed awake all night, the boy walking through his head, his smile shining light that wasn’t there and his laugh was like a song that Yoongi would play over and over. He would do anything to see him again, and he wouldn’t make himself look like a fool. He would ask for the boy’s name. He wouldn’t look like a coward.
He was a coward. He was such a coward.
The boy came back, this time at 3:17, and Taehyung was the one managing the register. The one time Yoongi wanted something, Taehyung was actually doing his job. The universe was out to get him. The boy placed an order and Taehyung wrote it down, cracking one of his jokes with a smile as he jotted. His laugh resonated, and Yoongi literally smacked himself upside the head. He didn’t even know the boy’s name and he was already crushing on him. The boy turned and met Yoongi’s eyes, his smile growing bigger as he waved. Actually, it might even be more than a crush.
Taehyung handed him the small paper and Yoongi set out to work. On the note was messily scribbled spiced white hot chocolate with extra caramel sauce. Yoongi had made the drink thousands of times, but he never felt so nervous making any drink as he did this one. He wanted it to be as perfect as possible. His hand shook as he drizzled the caramel on top, and he hoped it would pass off as a messy-but-pretty design. Besides, the guy was going to eat it, so why care so much?
He tried to reassure himself as he walked past Taehyung and handed the boy his drink personally. He smiled and thanked him. Yoongi couldn’t help the blush that crept onto his cheeks, and he panicked when he saw the boy walking away.
The boy turned, his confused pout almost too cute to bear. Yoongi scratched the back of his neck as he stuttered out.
The boy smiled. “Park Jimin. And you?”
Jimin beamed, happy that he finally had a name to pair the face of the barista that caught his eye. “Nice to meet you, Yoongi.”
Yoongi blushed at the way his name slid off Jimin’s tongue.
It was way more than a crush.
Jimin had become a regular, chatting with Taehyung while Yoongi admired him from afar as he made a variety of drinks every day. What he noticed was that Jimin really liked caramel, it being featured in all of the beverages. He also noticed that Jimin and Taehyung were seemingly close, and his heart sank when Taehyung ruffled his hair as they both sat in a booth during Taehyung’s break. He muttered an apology when he got someone’s order wrong, his mood sour for the rest of the day. He finally confronted Taehyung while they closed up shop a few days later.
“You know Jimin?” He asked, sweeping the glass shards from another cup Hoseok broke that day. Taehyung snorted as he responded.
“Of course I know Jimin, him and I are practically soulmates.”
Yoongi’s look hardened. That’s true, the two were practically joined at the hip. Even as Yoongi found himself on social media more these days, Jimin’s twitter was filled with selcas of him and Taehyung, as well as what he dubbed inside jokes between him and his other friends. He almost liked a few (ok, maybe more than a few) pictures of Jimin, but he thought it would be weird that since they only met a few weeks ago, Jimin would find the barista from the coffee shop spamming his notifications. That’d be really fucking creepy, and Yoongi didn’t want to scare the boy off.
“We met in middle school, when he moved from Busan to Seoul. He had a crush on one of my friends, but turns out he was an asshole so I told him to fuck off and boom, best friends.”
Yoongi felt hope rise up in him. He cleared his throat and continued to sweep, even though the glass sat in a small pile on the side. “Best friends?”
Taehyung looked up, confused. “Well, yeah, what else did you think we were?”
Yoongi felt a blush make it’s way to his face. “Well, I didn’t know exactly, I thought you two were dating and I just kinda slunk off ‘cause I wasn’t sure..”
“O-oh..” Taehyung’s eyes grew wide and he dropped the rag on the table he was cleaning. He dried his hands on his apron and played with his hands. “Um, hyung, I don’t wanna offend you or anything, really, it’s just that... I’m straight, and I’m not saying that I’m like, a homophobe or whatever, it’s just tha-”
Yoongi’s eyes widened and his blush became more intense. “Not you, you fucking idiot! I meant Jimin!” He let the broom handle slip from his grasp in his haste to correct Taehyung.
“Oh! Well in that case, sure, I approve!”
Yoongi snorted as he bent back down to grab the broomstick. “You approve?”
Taehyung’s eyes grew hard as stone as he pointed a finger at Yoongi with a raised eyebrow. “I’m his best friend, so I have to approve of whoever wants him.”
Yoongi shrugged whatever, and continued to sweep at nothing. But as he kicked the glass under the fridge, he couldn’t help the smile at the fact that Taehyung thought that he was worthy of an angel like Jimin.
“Yoongi-hyung! Nice to see you!”
Taehyung had called for a bathroom break, but he was most likely playing Candy Crush in the janitorial closet again. Yoongi minded until he saw Jimin walk in, a smile that lit up the room plastered on his face. It filled Yoongi with this indescribable sunshine, and he couldn’t help but reciprocate the grin.
“Jimin-ah. It’s been a while.”
Yoongi joked before writing down Jimin’s newest order, a turmeric chai latte. He handed Yoongi the 3,000 won before walking to the table in the corner and sitting down under the sunshine. Yoongi would’ve kept staring for the rest of the day if it wasn’t for Seokjin rambling on behind him about how ‘his’ workers didn’t bother to actually work, his fire being extinguished by Hoseok’s comment about how he sits in inventory all day while stuffing his face with chocolate chips.
With Hoseok and Seokjin bickering, Yoongi took the opportunity to go out from behind the counter and serve Jimin the drink himself. He walked over to the boy, his knees suddenly feeling weak. He prayed that he wouldn’t end up sprawled on the floor, like Hoseok usually was. By some miracle, he made it to Jimin’s table, setting the chilled glass in front of him. Jimin looked up from his notebook covered in messily scrawled writing and smiled gratefully, bowing his head in thanks.
“Why don’t you stay for a while? We’ve never really talked except from across the register.”
Yoongi felt his heart stop and time slow. Why the hell was he so nervous about this? He just asked to talk, it’s not like he’ll have to get down on one knee.
“O-okay.” He pulled out a chair and sat down, across from the boy. He closed his notebook and shoved it into his bag that sat on the side before sitting back up and facing Yoongi, cradling the latte in his hands.
“So, what’s your major? I don’t see you around campus much.”
Yoongi sighed. “I finished my music production bachelor when I was 23, and I’m 25 now. The only reason I stay on campus is because my apartments really close to here and this is the best paying job around.”
“A barista?” Jimin joked before taking a sip. Yoongi rolled his eyes.
“I said best paying. It’s pretty easy work anyways.”
Jimin hummed, satisfied. “Well, you’re great at it too. I thought that I would piss someone off if I kept ordering different drinks everyday.”
Yoongi smirked. “I’m up for the challenge.”
Yoongi found himself engrossed in conversation with Jimin, all tension and nervousness melting away as they talked. Jimin seemed very laid-back and relaxed, his slight Busan dialect occasionally coming up in his speech. But Yoongi’s Daegu dialect often got the best of him as well, so he didn’t mind. He learned that he also worked part-time, only at a convenience store not far from here. He was also a literature major, but he had a burning passion for dance, something Yoongi admired. People these days aren’t really sure what they’re passionate about until it’s too late, and Jimin was young and chasing his dreams. Yoongi respected that.
“I guess you could say that coffee shops are where I think best? Back in Busan, it was the same. Except there, I had only one drink.” He giggled. Yoongi was interested. “What was it?”
“Ah, it sounds silly, but my friend recommended it to me, and she got me hooked on it.”
Yoongi shrugged. “Try me. Do you know how many stoners walk in before closing and they say literally anything that comes to mind? Some dude asked for a side of peppers with his cranberry milkshake, which we don’t have.”
Jimin burst into laughter, throwing his head back in a fit of giggles. Yoongi smiled, his laugh was so cute. It made him feel all light and smiley. Jimin sat back up straight and sighed, brushing his hair back. He faced Yoongi and smiled shyly, still a little out of breath.
“A cold brew caramel frappuccino.”
“That needs milk though, doesn’t it?”
“They had almond milk as a sub.” He sighed longingly. “Best coffee I ever drank.”
Yoongi put a hand on his chest, feigning offence. Jimin’s eyes widened and he laughed, putting his hand on top of Yoongi’s. He didn’t hear Jimin’s apology between his giggles, all he heard was his heartbeat in his ears as the heat from Jimin’s hand sent a flow of warmth down his body.
“I’m sorry hyung, your coffee is also the best.” He smiled. Yoongi smirked, secretly thriving that Jimin didn’t move his hand. “I know, idiot, I make them.”
Taehyung and Hoseok hid behind the large display of pastries and watched the two boys talk.
“So like, are they dating?” Hoseok whispered. Taehyung shook his head. “No, I gave Yoongi-hyung my approval only a few days ago.”
“Your approval?” Hoseok pondered. Taehyung rolled his eyes.
“I’m his best friend, I have to approve of whoever wants Jimin to keep him safe.”
Hoseok scoffed. “I’m Yoongi’s best friend and I let him do whatever he wants.”
Taehyung cocked a brow in question. “Yoongi-hyung does what he wants by himself. And besides, he doesn’t like you.” Hoseok pouted. “He doesn’t like you.”
“I don’t like either of you bumbling idiots.”
The two boys yelped when Yoongi appeared out of nowhere behind them. Taehyung coughed nervously. “W-where’s Jimin?”
Yoongi scoffed. “He went to class. Like a good person.”
Hoseok clapped and rubbed his hands together with excitement. “So, what are we going to do to get the good person and the incubus together?”
Yoongi’s eyes widened and he blushed profusely. “Shu-shut up..”
“He’s right though!” Taehyung nodded. “Jimin’s always texting what time you come in just so he can come over.”
Yoongi’s blush darkened tenfold and Hoseok giggled at his reaction, shutting up when Yoongi shot him a glare that would bury him if it could. He cleared his throat.
“So, all we have to do is do something nice for Jimin, get him all happy, then you confess and he gets even happier! It’s easy!”
Yoongi hated to admit it, but Hoseok’s words made a smile creep onto his face. The thought of Jimin happy made his heart flutter. Hoseok laughed again.
“Look, you’re smiling just thinking about it! You’re so whipped!” He pointed at Yoongi’s red cheeks. The elder stuttered and hit his hand, muttering to shut the fuck up. Taehyung leaned back against the counter.
“So, what do you want to do?”
Yoongi sighed and scratched his neck. “I don’t know, I just.. I want to make him happy, but I don’t know how.”
“Well, you’re a barista. Do something original! Like a make a drink that has 10 pounds of sprinkles!”
“Okay, first of all, he likes caramel, and second, I don’t want him bouncing off the walls and crashing onto the floor like you do.”
Hoseok shrugged as Taehyung thought, staring at the coffee machine in a trance-like manner. “Did he say what drinks of yours he likes the best? Make a mega-size of it.”
Yoongi thought back and couldn’t help but smile when he recalled Jimin telling him his coffee was the best ever. But that was after he said...
Yoongi gasped. “He likes cold brew caramel frappuccinos!”
Hoseok and Taehyung boggled at the mouthful that Yoongi exclaimed, and the eldest blushed before scratching his neck nervously. “He told me back in Busan, it was his favorite drink. They made it with almond milk though...”
Taehyung’s eyes lit up. “Well, there you go! Go buy some almond milk and make him a frapp!”
Yoongi smiled at the ground. Yeah, it was a good idea. It was a great idea, and he was sure that he would make Jimin smile with the small gift. His fantasies were interrupted by Seokjin bursting through the door, brown smears of what Yoongi assumed to be chocolate chips in the corner of his mouth.
Yoongi had called Seokjin for today off. Well, more like he called and told Seokjin he was sick, then hung up before he could hear Seokjin explode on the other side.
He wrapped himself up in a scarf and raised the bridge of his glasses that were slipping off before he walked out of his messy apartment.
It was June, but it was one of those windy days that made it feel like the middle of winter. There was probably a storm coming.
Yoongi walked down the street and past campus, eyes focusing on the dorm wing, wondering if Jimin was laying on his bed, nodding his head to the beat of his music while he jotted notes down in his book. He bumped into the lamp post and hastily muttered an apology before realizing it was a fucking lamp post.
Yoongi opened the glass door of the 7/11, the bell jingling and a wave of warmth hit him from the humming heater. He sighed as he unfurled the scarf so he could breathe better. He walked towards the back of the room, scanning the fridges until he found what he was looking for. He grabbed the small jug and walked up to pay. The boy scanned the item and Yoongi handed him a 5,000 won note.
“Hey, Jungkook-ssi, do we have any mo-”
Yoongi felt his back tense like a wire when he heard that familiar voice. Jimin walked in from the back and his eyes widened before he grinned. Yoongi hid the milk in the bag and at his side, and tucked it away at his side. He reciprocated the smile.
“Yoongi-hyung! I stopped by the cafe earlier, you weren’t there?”
Yoongi coughed. “Yeah, I’m a bit sick and I didn’t want to get sued for giving someone the flu.” Jimin’s eyes turned up and crinkled at the ends, his shoulders shaking as he chuckled. The other boy, Jungkook, smirked at Jimin and looked back at Yoongi, the smug look still gracing his features. Yoongi shrugged it off and walked out, pushing the door open and leaving with the ring of the bell.
“I’ll see you tomorrow, Jimin-ssi!”
Instead of walking home, he stopped by the cafe and went around back, thanking the gods that Jin was probably snacking in the inventory at the moment. He pulled out an ice tray and carefully poured the almond milk inside, setting it into the freezer for tomorrow.
Yoongi had wasted at least half the tray. He wanted the drink to be perfect, but sometimes he added too much whipped cream, and other times, he added too much caramel. He internally groaned when the blender spluttered and splashed the liquid onto him, staining his bright white shirt and his black apron. The drink dripped from the sides, making Yoongi’s fingers sticky. He cursed and threw the glass in the sink, washing his hands thoroughly.
He turned back towards the tray that sat next to the blender. He only had four cubes left. He sighed as he looked at the clock. They would open in about ten minutes. He was up for the challenge.
Yoongi added the ice cubes to the cold brewed coffee, and blended until it was light and creamy, the color change hypnotizing. He added caramel and fused it into a dreamy bliss to sweeten things up. The glass was chilled and Yoongi added a red sleeve to fancy it a bit. He was trying so hard to impress Jimin, it wasn’t even funny. He thought of Jimin’s face when he would see what Yoongi made for him. He hoped he would like it. He didn’t hear Taehyung walk in, and the younger stared for almost a minute before he realized what Yoongi was trying to make. He smirked and headed to his spot behind the register, just as the bell rang to announce someone’s arrival.
Jimin walked up, distractedly looking down at his phone. He met Taehyung’s eyes and smiled, opening his mouth to order.
“Don’t bother.” Taehyung smirked. Jimin seemed confused. Taehyung pointed behind him and Jimin peeked over to see Yoongi’s back turned, his hands busying with something in front of him. Jimin smiled and walked to his spot in the corner, tucking in his earbuds and resting his head on his hand as he watched the barista work. Taehyung shook his head, chuckling at his love-sick friend.
Yoongi-hyung better not screw this up
He drizzled the whipped cream expertly and reached the neck of the scoop to sprinkle chocolate chips on top. He sighed and stood back, admiring his work. It was perfect. Jimin had to like it.
He grabbed the cup and he thought he heard Taehyung chatting with the younger, but no-one was there, the cafe empty and quiet. Taehyung leaned against the wall on his phone, and looked up to see Yoongi confusedly looking around.
“He’s in the back at his table.”
Taehyung pointed. Yoongi looked over the top of the display and there he was, hunching over his phone as the sun kissed atop his head. Yoongi feared he would drop the drink from how wobbly his legs suddenly felt. Taehyung walked past and patted him gently on the shoulder.
Yoongi took a deep breath and exhaled gently, the walk to Jimin’s table seemingly taking years. The boy looked up and smiled at Yoongi, before his eyes fell at the drink in his hand.
“What’s that?” He asked, not seeing much since Yoongi was still standing. He pulled out a chair and sat down, sliding the drink across the table.
“I whipped up a little something for you.”
Jimin’s smile widened and his eyes sparkled with excitement as he looked down at the drink and back up at Yoongi. The elder smirked lovingly, heart racing a mile a minute. “Go ahead.”
Jimin took a sip and practically melted on the table, eyes rolling to the back of his head. “It’s so goooodd.” He groaned dramatically. Yoongi laughed as Jimin took the straw in again, plump lips wrapping around the top like a perfect slipper fit.
“Wait, I thought you guys didn’t have milk subs?”
“Well, I kinda bought some myself. I wanted to surprise you and I..”
Yoongi was interrupted by Jimin placing a hand on top of his, intertwining their fingers. “I love it. Thank you, Yoongi.”
Yoongi felt another blush creep to his face and he was left smiling like an idiot because of one touch. “You moron, look what you’re doing to me..”
Jimin laughed and his eyes gleamed with mischief as he took a swipe of the whipped cream and dolloped it on Yoongi’s nose. The elder’s eyes widened and he cross his eyes, Jimin’s laughter getting louder.
“You’re so cute, hyung.” He giggled.
Yoongi smirked and took the whipped cream off his nose, licking his finger clean. He took a bit of whipped cream and smeared it over Jimin’s cheek, making him pause, then giggle again, more comically.
Yoongi got an idea and took another swipe of the whipped cream, smearing it on Jimin’s lips. Before the boy could open his eyes again, Yoongi leaned over and kissed him. The taste of sugar and caramel infused the two, and Jimin melted into the kiss, holding Yoongi’s hands underneath them.
Jimin was screaming with joy in his chest, smiling into the kiss with pure glee. Butterflies flew and painted his cheeks a light pink. Yoongi felt at pure bliss with Jimin against him. He felt like he was flying, his fingertips gracing the silk that was Jimin’s smooth skin. His thumb rubbed circles in the back of his hand and he sighed when he pulled away, air calling. They rested their foreheads against each other, panting breathlessly. Cheers and whoops came from behind them and Yoongi turned to see Taehyung and Hoseok celebrating behind the register.
“Oh my god.” He groaned, massaging his temples as Jimin laughed. Yoongi cleared his throat.
“So.. Jimin-ah, I wanted to say that I.. I like you?”
Jimin kept giggling. “I think you’ve made that pretty clear, hyung.”
Yoongi groaned and smacked his head on the table. “I”m a mess, I don’t know how to do this shit..” Jimin lifted his head and cupped Yoongi’s cheeks, giggling when the older man pouted. “I don’t know anything either, but let’s just do this at our own pace, yeah?”
Yoongi smiled and nodded. He was beaming, happiness drowning out any other thoughts. The cute boy from the coffee shop was finally his, and he wanted nothing more than to shower him with kisses and scream it to the world. Jimin clapped his hands and grinned.
“Well, go grab a straw, I can’t finish this all by myself!”
This is by FAR my favorite thing I’ve ever written, and now I can say it’s totally worth staying up 14 hours for. (snack breaks were included)