KAISOO ONESHOTS

TEN TO ONE

Author: spudette
Description: Kai has been noticing a certain man coming in to the coffee shop every time he works. The shy man never seems to manage to utter a single word when Kai goes over to him to take his order, though. What's more, he has a habit of leaving not-so-discreet hints on his napkins that Kai should stop smoking. Kai is both at once intrigued and confused.

Tags: deaf!soo, waiter!jongin, fluff (as in super)

Word Count: 4.1k
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Ten...

Ten times he'd seen this man sitting there by the window during his Wednesday shifts so far. He was always staring out at the busy street, unbothered by the rest of the world around him. At first, he hadn't made much of his presence, but time and time again he'd appear, like clockwork, and claim the exact same seat. The small coffee shop had regulars, of course, but there was something strange about this one. On the first day, Kai had gotten a proper look at the man when heading to his table to take his order. He was a young-looking thing, with a rounded face and wide eyes. His dark bangs would always tickle his browline, causing him to flick his head to the side every few seconds. Perhaps the most distinguishing factor about this man was his full, heart-shaped lips. They'd stretched into a small smile when Kai had arrived. Wide, hopeful eyes had taken in his appearance, and the man had immediately turned his gaze downcast, as though suddenly embarrassed.

"What can I get you today?" Kai had asked in his usual polite tone, swiping a hand over his finely styled blond hair. He'd dealt with all sorts before, and knew that shy types needed a little coaxing.

The man's finger traveled across the small laminated menu and pointed at the hot chocolate, and flashed Kai a small smile.

"One hot chocolate. Alright. It shouldn't take too long." With a nod of his head, Kai was off towards the counter, unaware of the man's gaze following him. He prepared the hot chocolate, and brought it to the customer. The man offered him yet another smile, and began to carefully sip on his drink, without so much as a thank you. But Kai wasn't offended. Some customers had done far worse than forget a simple 'thank you'.

Some time later, when he returned to collect the man's money, Kai was mildly surprised to find a small folded napkin swan sitting on the table. He slid the bill across the small round table, and wordlessly, the man fished some bills out of his pocket and tended them to him. 

Once the man had left, Kai picked up the swan, getting a closer look at it. This man was skilled in origami, he noted. 

Nine...

Nine long seconds of silence followed his question. Kai had asked his boss if this man came on any other days of the week. His boss paused, seeming to think it over, before shaking his head.

"No. Now that you mention it, he doesn't. He only seems to come at the same time on Wednesdays" he stated, momentarily frowning. Then his expression lightened. "He must like you" he teased, giving Kai's arm a nudge. 

Kai just pursed his lips. "Yeah, right." The man wasn't coming here for him.

When the door gave a jingle, Kai poked his head around the corner to see the man come in.

"Well speak of the devil" chuckled his boss. "I dare you to ask him if that's why he comes." With a wink, his boss vanished into the back room. Kai was glad that he and his boss got along so well, although he suspected it was in part due to the fact that they weren't very far apart in age. 

Kai, being young, had never had much of a proper relationship before. He did not come from a wealthy family, and had to work two jobs to get himself through school. Between those three things, he didn't have much time to give relationships the slightest of thoughts. He did think this customer was kind of cute, but it would be inappropriate to make that fact known. There was just something vulnerable and innocent about him, but what was more, he remained just as much of a mystery as he'd been on the first day.