Ateez Stories & Imagines : A compilation

Hongjoong • Coffee •

The atmosphere in the cafe was the same as it was every other day of the last 6 days that I'd stumbled in through the glass pane door with a soft jingling bell bringing the attention of the handsome barista to my form. The only difference about today was that rather than it being ridiculously early in the morning, it was a decent time of the day to be up and coming for a coffee.
The dark haired barista glanced up, mouth quirking in a surprised smile at me as I made my way inside.
"Hello Yeosang." I greeted his familiar smile with one of my own, lifting a hand slightly in his direction. He waved back before turning his attention back to the customer in front of him, hair framing either side of his small face below the beret that the cafe allowed him to wear on his shift. I'd seen him without it only once in the last week.
His low and silvery voice was audible even from the doorway as my eyes sought out the perfect seat, wrapping beautifully with the soft toned music emitting from the speakers above.
Something about this place was hard to replicate in words and thoughts, so I'd never bothered telling my friends about it, making it the perfect refuge for me today.
Settling on a table in the corner where warm sunlight streamed in and hit the vase of flowers on the table, decorating the surrounding tables and walls with a dazzling display of iridescent light and reflections, I slid gratefully into the soft cushioned seat with a soft content sigh.
Already the stresses that I'd been running from seemed to melt into nothing, replaced with the bitter aroma of coffee and accompanying sweet trace of freshly baked goods.
The warmth of the sun battled pleasantly with the cold chill that the end of winter had left hanging around in the air and I carefully shed the dark jacket I'd thrown carelessly on before leaving the apartment earlier, draping the heavy material over the back of my chair.
"Y/N." A familiar low voice greeted from above and I craned my neck up to see Yeosang standing with a steaming cup clutched in his slender fingers. Behind him a long haired boy glanced up briefly from his table, hands pausing mid way to the keyboard of the apple branded laptop in front of him.
I hadn't noticed the customer when I entered, which was unsurprising given he was all but hidden behind the white glow of his laptop screen, already completely immersed in whatever he was doing now that he realised the barista wasn't talking to him.
"Hey," I greeted him for the second time since walking in, nudging the chair opposite me out with my foot for him to sit down. He smiled and perched himself on it, glancing up at the counter which was thankfully empty of customers now.
"I thought you didn't have any more exams this week?" He asked, pressing the cup of brown liquid in front of me. Rather than the sharp smell of caffeine that I'd been expecting a sweet, chocolatey odour hit my senses in a refreshing wave. Eagerly I pressed the rim of the warm drink to my lips, tentatively sipping the liquid.
Sweetness exploded on my tongue, with a slight tang of spice mixed in to even out the assault of sugar and I smiled.
"I don't. I just needed to be away from... everyone else, for a bit." I murmured, peering into his warm eyes over the edge of the cup. He nodded slowly, the hint of a frown barely creasing the perfect expanse of skin above his eyes. It quickly disappeared, replaced with a gentle and comforting smile.
"Stay as long as you need. Bring the cup up when you're done." He leaned forward to pinch my cheek, fingers delicately squeezing the skin affectionately before he stood and hurried back to the counter where a tall boy with dark hair multicoloured green tips waited with a friendly smile for him.
More than likely a close friend or a work acquaintance, but whoever it was Yeosang was happy to see him. With a smile I returned my attention back to the warm drink in my hands as the two chattered in voices that were neither loud nor quiet at the front.
The cafe itself was fairly small, so sound travelled easily and the deep hued tones of their voices as they talked was enough to have the sleep I'd missed out on this week catching up to me, gripping me in the tight embraces of unconsciousness.

"Hey." A soft voice, one that was definitely not Yeosang's, brought me out of the sleepy haze induced daydreams I was swimming in. I peeked an eye open cautiously, violently shocked to find the laptop boy who had been sitting not far away earlier smiling cautiously down at me. "Sorry, I just wanted to make sure you were alright."
Concern rested in the chestnut brown depths of his endless gaze and I swallowed thickly, blinking rapidly to wake myself up.
I hadn't noticed earlier just how pretty he was, with soft and delicate facial features and a voice like honey. His legs were clad in tight fitting cargo print pants from which suspender straps dangled in loops below his belt line, a long sleeved jumper was tucked in to his waist at the front, the front was printed with an unfamiliar image of someone I presumed to be an artist. Multiple earrings dangled with surprising elegance from his small ears and a dark headband covered most of his forehead, his dusty brown hair curling over the top of it in a carefully arranged mess.
Overall his look was confusing when paired with such soft features and yet it somehow looked completely natural and perfect on him, like he was born to be a mixture of soft, intimidating, cute and hot.
"I'm fine." I squeaked, embarrassed at the length of time I'd been staring, open mouthed, at him. A smile danced on his lips and he nodded, looking for a moment like he was going to say something else.
In the space of time in which his lips opened and closed around silent words and I blurted out a nonsensical sentence to do with returning my cup to Yeosang, the air seemed to have suddenly heated by at least twenty degrees.
The chair protested in a loud squeal as I stood abruptly, fumbling for the handle of the cup that still had dregs of now cold hot chocolate in it. The boy stood back in surprise, one of his earrings swinging distractingly in his ears at the sudden movement.
Without a further word of explanation beyond my previous garbled attempt I all but ran to the counter, finding Yeosang already leaning over the counter with amusement glittering in his eyes.
"He's nice, you should talk to him." He offered advice as I shoved the cup into his hands, hoping he wouldn't see my hands trembling. A bubble of laughter rose to my lips, because that could possibly be the cutest person who had ever looked at me, let alone talked to me. I had no chance with someone like that.
"As my friend, you shouldn't be encouraging me into deluded daydreams." I muttered, pressing my palms over my eyes. Yeosang chuckled quietly, placing the cup into the cafe's sink with a soft clink of china on metal.
"Well I'm just your barista, not your friend." He teased gently, leaning back over the counter on his elbows. He cupped his chin in his hands, peering at me with interest. "Seriously Y/N, he's a nice guy. He always asks about you you know."
Surprised I dropped my hands, resisting the urge to turn and stare incredulously at the long haired boy who was probably sitting back with his laptop now that I'd rudely run away from him.
"Why?" Yeosang flipped his head in exasperation at my question, his dark hair barely shifting below the beret. He reached for a nearby jar, filled almost to the brim with cookies that were almost always displayed for a cheap price on the counter. He reached in and pulled out two, shoving one into my mouth to prevent any more idiotic words leaving it, delicately eating the second before answering.
"Because he likes you, idiot." I swallowed the sweet crumbs, swiping any remaining ones from the outside of my lips and fixing him with a look mixed between my irritation and confusion.
"He doesn't know me."
"Oh hey, Hongjoong-" Yeosang spoke quickly, eyes darting warningly behind me a second too late for the awkward cough that sounded from behind us.
I spun way too quickly, gripping onto the counter top behind to maintain my balance. The long haired boy, who I now knew to be Hongjoong, smiled uncomfortably behind us.
"Speak of the devil..." Yeosang mumbled, leaning off of the countertop like it was poison in his embarrassment at being caught.
Hongjoong flipped a single scathing glare over my head at Yeosang who quickly disappeared with his own cough, muttering something about refilling stock.
Wordlessly the look disappeared from Hongjoong's face and he stared sheepishly at me, rubbing the back of his neck in a display of his own embarrassment at the situation.
"Is it true?" I asked cautiously, wondering if he could see the hope in my words the way that I could. It was ridiculous, and based simply on one interaction, but it wouldn't exactly be the worst thing if the gentle boy was interested in me, for whatever deluded reason.
He let out a tiny laugh, looking smaller and smaller the longer he stood in front of me with red staining his cheeks with his own feelings.
"Yes. Though, I wouldn't use the words that Yeosang did. But his intentions..." Hongjoong swallowed and paused, chewing his bottom lip. "The simple truth is that every day you come in I can't help watching you order the same drink and rushing out, like the devil is on your heels."
We both smiled at that and some of my worries melted into a puddle at my feet, along with my heart at the way his whole face crinkled around his smile.
"And sometimes when I'm on my way home I see you, wandering around a park or up the street with this wonder filled look in your eyes. Like everything you see is something beautiful." He shook his head, eyes sparkling like stars. He was suddenly much closer than before, and my heart beat unsteadily in my chest.
"I..- You-" I stuttered, taken aback by his sudden confidence as he closed more distance between us, looking equally as unsure as he did confident.
"I think that you're beautiful and I'd like to get to know you better." At this point he was close enough for me to feel his warm breath fanning my cheeks and I could see the thick layer of eyelashes clinging to his eyelids. I hadn't noticed it earlier but a natural layer of makeup decorated his already smooth skin.
"I don't know what to say." He let out a laugh, more of a giggle than a laugh and leaned away, the confidence disappearing in the single slew of words from my mouth, replaced with a shy and abashed look.
"Sorry, I guess it's a lot to take on." He said softly, more so to himself than to me and instant guilt crushed me, spurring me to step forward and grasp his forearm.
"It is, but I'm just surprised. It's sudden and you're... well you're you." I sighed, releasing his arm quickly. He blinked, looking both surprised and amused, a shy smile lingering on his lips as his eyes found mine.
"I don't know what that means, but let me take you out to dinner tonight and we can talk more about it."