Sebastian huddled into his thick jacket as he walked through the streets of New York. It was rather empty for New York standards (So not empty at all.) and he was just desperate to find a place that was warm, and not warmed by the bodies of tons of strangers. He pulled his slouch beanie down further and placed his hands back in his jacket pockets immediately, crossing a street and nodding his head in the driver's direction instead of waving like normal. He looked around for a place to eat that was decent, and eventually he found one he'd never been to, but the cold was really getting to him to the point he didn't even care anymore.
He didn't give himself time to check out the outer decor, just quickly swung open the door and nearly tripped as he walked inside of the warm, fairly empty shop. He righted himself and took his hands out of his pockets, looking around. It was a modern styled place, dark chocolate hardwood oak floors smooth underneath his feet as he walked further in. Few people were there, huddled on one of the black bonded leather sectional couch and chatting idly, one on a laptop, another on a tablet, not really talking much. At least, to the group. His lips were moving slightly and if you were close enough you could hear him muttering... Things.
Sebastian walked up to the pristine white counter and sat on the black bar stool with a white cushion, looking around some more as he removed his black hat. It was nice, not exactly what he'd been expecting. There was a white couch just like the other one about five to ten feet away, including the two end tables attached and a light fixed into it. Underneath them both were gray rugs and a foot away glass coffee tables, magazines and coasters spread about them, same as the end tables on the couches. The walls were a cool gray color, various pictures and mirrors all along them. He looked around for a few minutes, not noticing someone come from seemingly out of nowhere. (Or maybe he just wasn't paying attention?)
Apparently Sebastian was alone in that because she approached the group on the couch and cleared her throat, "Ya know, I'm sure I don't pay you to fuck around when we have a customer waiting. Especially when he's a new one. You guys suck at first impressions, you know that?"
In unison they all looked at Sebastian, who just kinda waved with two fingers awkwardly and avoided eye contact. The woman chuckled and went behind the counter, tying on a black waist apron and smiling at the brunet.
"Sorry about that, it's been a slow week with all the cold, and those idiots take it as "We don't have to work." and I can assure you that's not the case. I'm (Name) by the way."
"Sebastian." He responded with a small smile, "I understand, I was kinda warming up. I'm not even sure what..." He moved his hand about and looked around some more.
You chuckled, "Understandable. We don't look like a typical coffee shop. Usually you get a comfy type feel from small businesses like mine, but I've always adored the modern look, obviously. But yeah, you'll get this one on the house since A.) My staff thinks they don't actually work here, and B.) It's your first time around and you weren't served like, immediately." You gave him a reassuring smile and gestured to the menu in the counter.
In. The. Counter.
You noticed his surprise and giggled a bit, pointing to the guy with the tablet who had gone back to it almost instantly, "He's good for something. Go ahead and just sift through it, and if you find something, or things, that you like, preferably something more expensive than the rest because I'm taking it out of their checks, just tap on it and I'll get it for ya."
"Thanks..." He swiped through, chuckling at some of the pictures and gifs/short videos. Each item had one of the staff doing some silly face or pose or even stunts, and occasionally there'd be one with two people. He finally lost it at the one where the brunet with the unique beard took a sip of the coffee labeled "Black Eye" and jerked back, falling out of the frame and coming back up with his hand over his eye, looking back at the camera and uncovering it, revealing a "black eye" of his own.
You leaned over the counter to see what he was laughing at and chuckled, walking over to a chalk board, "'Nother point for Tony!"
"Yes!" The man at the tablet looked up with a bright smile, pointing at Sebastian, "You, my friend, have made an excellent choice in your sense of humor.
Sebastian cracked a small smile and gave Tony a nod before turning his head back to you as you went back behind the counter and looked at the group, "Three more points and Tony gets that bonus!"
A man that Sebastian previously didn't see popped up from behind the white couch, "Oh hell no, I am way funnier than that jackass!"
You just shook your head and turned your attention to your customer with a smile, "That's Clint, if you were wondering. He bakes all the muffins, cinnamon rolls, all that."
Sebastian nodded with a half smile and looked further through the menu, eventually settling on an iced tea and two cinnamon buns. You smiled at him and he smiled back, watching you as you fixed his drink and pulled the buns from their warm casing, setting them on a square white plate with an abstract black line of paint going down the middle. You brought him his order and Sebastian would swear until the day he died you winked.
"My favorite customer already."
His brows shot up a bit, "Oh really?"
"Totally. Iced tea and cinnamon buns are my favorite things for breakfast." You took off the apron and grabbed your own iced tea, moving to Sebastian's side of the counter and sitting on another bar stool, keeping one seat in between you both and tapping on the screen in front of your seat, pulling up a screen with a bunch of games. You didn't look up as you spoke.
"If you want to play a game while you hang out here, just tap the screen three times in the upper right corner. Thank Tony for that one later."
Sebastian did as instructed and smiled a little as he tapped on a bartender game. He played that as he enjoyed his meal, soon taking off his jacket and getting comfortable, not even noticing the time that passed. Eventually you stood up from your spot, unnoticed by Sebastian. You cleaned up his empty plate and refilled his tea every now and again, occasionally making talk with the gang. He eventually looked up and smiled at you when you were picking up his cup.
"How long have I been here?"
You smiled, "A while, but you can stay as long as you like. We aren't busy."
Sebastian smiled back and checked his watch, "I'd love to stay, but I have to go, like, now or I'll be late for work."
You wiped off your hand and held it out, "It was nice having you chill out here, a nice break from our usual jerk off visitors. I'd love to see you back sometime."
He shook your hand and smiled back, "I'll definitely be stopping by again soon. It's a nice place you got here."
"We're open from dawn till ten every day, so we'll be seeing you soon."
He pulled his hat and jacket back on, waving to you before heading out and baring the cold once more. You watched him go with your soft smile still on your face as you cleaned off the counters, the gang talking among themselves. You soon joined them on the couch and they began staring at you, making you stare back as you initiated conversation.
"I should fire you all."
"You had it covered." Tony said with a shit-eating grin.
"One of you should have had it covered when I was on the phone."
"Guy seemed to enjoy your presence more than he would have one of us." Clint said with a smirk.
"And just what are you insinuating?" You asked, narrowing your eyes and turning your head slightly at the group.
"We think that guy likes you. And you like him."
You facepalmed, "You all are idiots and I hate you. We hardly spoke, how the hell do you fuck faces figure that?"
"Normally you'd have told us to get off our asses and serve customers, but you did all the work." Natasha pointed out with her small, yet twisted smile.
"Well there's about five customers coming in right now, so get off your asses and do your jobs." You said with a sickly sweet smile to your friends.
xXx
Sebastian ran up to his apartment after work, nearly falling out on the carpeted floors once he stumbled in. Finally... Warmth! Damn cabbies, not wanting to stop...
He headed to the kitchen immediately after checking the thermostat, which read 75 degrees Fahrenheit. He quickly turned that shit up to a 78 (It made a difference, it did!) before he raided his fridge, not satisfied with the results. It was either a ham sandwich with just ham, leftover Mexican food from like a week ago, or...
Sebastian grinned as he shut the fridge and grabbed his keys and wallet, stuffing them in his pants before baring the cold once more. He ran back to the coffee joint, so glad he remembered exactly where it was as he opened the door again, the smell of coffee and baked goods invading his nostrils the second he stepped in.
Thank god this place was open after eight o'clock at night.
He took off his hat again and walked over to the same stool as before, looking around. The gang had vacated their previous spot, but the redhead woman from earlier was standing behind the counter, now on her phone. She'd picked it up and started typing furiously the second she saw Sebastian, holding up one finger as she finished her text. She set her phone in her waist apron and looked up at him.
"Back again?"
Seb nodded a little, already feeling awkward. It wasn't like it was earlier with you, who was kind and seemed to genuinely care about servicing him, whereas this woman was very uninterested in his existence.
"Didn't feel like grocery shopping yet."
"Natasha."
"Sebastian."
She took off her apron, "Well I'm off duty now. So either stick around for a few more minutes until (Name) starts her shift or come back tomorrow."
Sebastian watched Natasha go and tapped on the screen in front of him, continuing the bartender game he had enjoyed that morning. He chuckled as he succeeded at making a good drink and looked up at you when he heard your footsteps. You smiled apologetically, "That's twice in one day my staff have been assholes to you, I'm sorry."
"It's all good, I was kinda hoping to see you again anyway."
You smiled and hoped the blush you felt on the inside wasn't showing on the outside, "Oh?"
He nodded slightly, "Yeah, you're pretty cool."
You chuckled, "Well so far you're not half bad yourself. Would you rather have something on the menu or the Chinese I ordered ten minutes ago?"
Sebastian waved his hand dismissively, "I couldn't eat it, that's your dinner."
"Well I'm all for sharing." You said cheekily.
The customer huffed out a laugh, "No really, it's okay. Thank you though," He added quickly, not wanting to sound rude.
You chuckled, "Well alright then. You know the drill."
Seb did that cute half smile you were already loving before he selected a regular coffee with two sugars and one of the giant blueberry muffins. Instead of moving in front of the counter like you did in the morning you sat across from him after you handed him his dinner. You smiled and sipped on your drink, pulling away with a sigh.
"I like Mike's Hard Lemonade and all, but I wish I could, ya know, get at least a buzz off of it."
Sebastian cracked an amused smile, "Make yourself a real Lynchburg Lemonade and double up on the whiskey if you want a real drink."
You rose an eyebrow, "Sebastian the drinker? Or bartender, considering the game you've made your bitch."
He shook his head slightly, "Not anymore, I got a better job. Good stuff though."
"Hmm... Would Crown Royal whiskey work? It's my favorite kind of whiskey."
"Dunno, I've always used Jack Daniel's Tennessee whiskey. We could try it though."
You pulled a half smile and Sebastian swore on his not yet first born you just made bedroom eyes at him.
"'We' huh?"
Sebastian's cheeks flushed a light pink and he rubbed the back of his neck with his hand, "Uh, not... not together if you don't want, I just mean that... that I'd try it, you know-"
You chuckled, "Tell you what. You come here after hours next Saturday and we'll make it up in my apartment, see if we like it."
"You're inviting a complete stranger to your apartment to have alcohol?" Sebastian knew what that meant, he was a bartender after all. And though he found you attractive, he'd literally only met you that day.
"Well when you put it that way it sounds like you think it'll be a one night stand." You said with a knowing smirk, "It won't end up that way, pinky promise. We'll have a few drinks, have a few laughs, pass out on my couch an come down here for a nice Sunday hangover."
Sebastian chuckled and wrapped his pinky around yours, "Alright, I'll bring the whiskey and triple sec."
"You gotta kiss the end of your hand, dude!"
Sebastian raised an eyebrow, "What?"
Your mouth fell open, "You don't know the ways of a proper pinky promise? Dude, you wrap pinkies like we got going on now," Sebastian then realized his pinky finger was still firmly around yours, "And then you kiss the end of your hand at the same time as the other person."
Sebastian nodded and you both leaned in to kiss your hands, smiling at each other as you let go. Just as Seb noticed that once again your pinkies were still connected, the door opened and you both jumped slightly, breaking the bond your fingers had made. You smiled at the delivery guy.
"Hey Sam!"
The man smiled and waved, "Hey sexy! You haven't ordered in a while."
Sexy?
"Was on a diet. Now the wedding is over and I can live my life the way it was."
Sebastian felt his heart panic and he discreetly checked your left hand. He let out a sigh of relief as he realized there was no ring. He could work with you in a relationship, but married? That'd be awfully weird for him to befriend a married woman when one of the many things he wanted to do one day when he knew you better was get his head between your thighs...
Sam just laughed and set the bags next to Sebastian, "I remember now. How was it?"
"Horrible. The next wedding I'm going to is mine."
"Takes a boyfriend to do that."
You pouted and glared at your friend, "Ass."
Sam looked down at Sebastian, who was heavily focusing on his partially eaten muffin, and smirked, "I bet this guy here would date you."
Sebastian choked, making you instantly reach over and smack his back a few times. He took a deep breath and sipped on his coffee, his voice a little hoarse as he looked up at Sam.
"What?"
Sam just began laughing and you pulled out your wallet, "Jee Seb, I see how much you love me." Sebastian cursed himself. "Here Sam, get the hell out of my shop."
"Muffin for the road?"
You narrowed your eyes playfully and went to the chocolate muffin casing, placing it in a little paper bag and handing it to him, "I saved one just for you. See you later."
Sam took his money and muffin and left with a wave, rushing out of the shop to enjoy his muffin. You just shook your head and took the tray out of its casing for Steve to wash later, soon grabbing a fork and rejoining Sebastian at the counter. You opened your sweet and sour chicken and sipped it in the sauce, smiling at Sebastian.
"Don't stress over what you said, it was all just a little bit of fun."
Sebastian smiled a bit as he calmed down, "Yeah, sorry about that. I just wasn't expecting him to say... that."
You chuckled, "Yeah, Sam tends to do that. You'll get used to it if you hang out with us enough. He's over here as much as the gang when he's not working."
"So where's your apartment?"
You pointed upstairs, "On top of the shop. Admit it, my job is way better than yours."
Sebastian laughed as he finished off his coffee, "More steady than mine. I'm employed for a few months, then I have to hurry up and find new work before I run out of money."
"Actor?"
Sebastian nodded and proceeded to tell you about the play he had just finished rehearsing and was going to be performed very soon, and then accidentally inviting you to see it, again making plans to see one another on the day you met. But before Sebastian could retract what he said with a stuttered and embarrassing response you stopped him with a warm smile, saying you'd love to and you'd see it the first day of production, then take him out for a celebratory dinner.
Sebastian stayed way past closing time, still talking as Steve came in and washed the dishes from the day, still conversing about how he moved from Romania to Vienna when he was eight, and then to New York when he was twelve, both of you ignoring as the gang left for the night one by one. He was totally immersed in your stories about your childhood, laughing at your rather embarrassing tales, surprised most of them included the gang, who you'd met when you yourself moved to New York at age five.
You soon moved over to the white couch, Clint being the last to leave as he set up all his things for the early start the next morning. He smirked as he saw you two still talking, practically seeing the hearts in your eyes. He made sure to lock up the store behind him, because at the rate this talking was going you'd end up falling asleep together on the couch.
xXx
Clint was right.
You and Sebastian woke up at about five a.m. and decided blueberry pancakes was the way to go for breakfast.
Sebastian eventually did go home, but he came back an hour later, freshly showered and shaved with his sexy smelling cologne you admitted you liked.
A few days later you went to see Sebastian's play, then you took him out to dinner as promised. You then proceeded to go to every showing, treating him with dinner and dessert every time.
Sebastian took you out for lunch one day, and it ended with a hug that lasted just a tad too long for "friends."
And all that happened over the course of two weeks.
It was now Saturday, the day Sebastian was going to show off his skills as a bartender to you, though he'd already done it in the shop with that damn game. ("You have to be cheating. You had to have looked up the answers!")
Sebastian held the Crown Royal and triple sec close to him as he traveled to the coffee shop, a slight buzz in his stomach. Why were there butterflies? It wasn't like it was the first time he was seeing you...
Not seeing you seeing you. Because you weren't... You weren't dating or anything, you'd still only just met two weeks ago. It was just friends getting to know each other better, though Sebastian had already (foolishly) told you everything about him, nearly his social security and pin numbers, but he seemed to refrain from that somehow. You talked all day, every day, and even when Sebastian wasn't at the shop you were texting each other.
In the end, you probably knew Sebastian better than any of his friends that he'd had for years. He was hoping his carelessness wouldn't come back to bite him in the ass soon... Or ever... And that he knew you just as well.
He walked into the shop and smiled when he saw you waiting for him, something he'd done every day. He didn't always smile and it wasn't always a big one, but just seeing you did that to his mood. You smiled and gave him that one-fingered wave you did, doing the kissy face Sebastian really wanted to kiss.
Uh... No he didn't. No. You were friends. No kissing.
Yeah, no kissing...
He followed you up to your apartment, smirking as he realized it was designed exactly like the downstairs. You noticed his smirk and stuck your tongue out, and that totallydidn't make Sebastian's cock twitch in his tight jeans or anything like that...
"So how have the few hours away from me do ya? I think I almost died, myself." You joked as you took Sebastian to the bar where all the ingredients were at. He smirked and set down the alcohol, taking off his jacket and tossing it to the side, keeping his hat on for now.
You handed him the glasses and sat at the bar, smiling up at him, "You know, you're the best lookin' bartender I've ever seen."
Sebastian laughed as he filled the glasses up with ice, "Well thank you, I've been told a time or two by a desperate, newly-single woman who wanted to use me to drown out their sorrows with hot, sweaty, who-the-hell-are-you sex."
You giggled at the thought of Seb getting hit on by countless amount of women, "Did you ever do it?"
Sebastian looked away, chuckling as he poured in an ounce and half of the whiskey, fully bursting out in his cute laughter at your reaction.
"Oh my god, you did!"
He shook his head as he added the half ounce of triple sec to each glass, "No, I never did."
"Aw, you jerk! Makin' me think you got it on with lonely single women. Instead you're up in a lonely single woman's apartment making drinks."
"Yeah. guess I am. But you know, lonely single man has to have something to do with his time. Like squeezing lemon juice into these glasses."
You watched as he squeezed one lemon each over the glasses, listening to his story of when he first became a bartender.
"This was my first drink I sold. Sounds like something memorable, right? It's not."
You chuckled, "Embarrass yourself?"
"Big time." He said as he slipped the bar shaker over the first glass and gave it a quick shake, flashing you a smile as he poured it back in the glass. You stole his hat as he shook the other glass and slipped it on your own head, winking at him.
"Looks better on me, doesn't it?"
"I'm not gonna dignify that with a response," Seb smirked, adding a little more ice to the cocktails, "But back to that story. Everything was going great, first night on the job, got a simple order. What the hell could go wrong, right?"
He topped them off with lemonade before continuing, "I got to the lemon part, right? And so I squeezed the lemon, and I don't know where the hell I fucked up, but when I squeezed the lemon the juice went everywhere. In my eyes, mouth, hair, everywhere. And so here I am, pissed off, confused, and crying because there's lemon juice in my eyes. And then the chick I was serving left me a god damn pity tip, and everyone who ordered from me for the rest of the night stood away at least three feet."
He watched you laugh as he stirred the drinks, a smile on his own face as he added a lemon garnish to each of them. He pulled a chair over to his side of the bar and passed you your drink, smiling as you clinked your glasses together, "Cheers."
You sipped the drinks, Sebastian enjoying the way your lips wrapped around the straw, your moan of delight at his drink, the way you turned his straw from his cup and sipped from his, smirking at him after.
"I bet you're such a charmer, aren't you? Got a lot of tips at the bar?"
Sebastian shrugged and titled his head away a little, a nervous laugh escaping him, "I did, actually. I got hit on a lot, but I know better than to get involved with some stranger I met at a bar, especially when I work at that bar and see the same shit happen every night."
You smiled at him and he could have sworn you were closer to him when you spoke.
"Well what about some stranger you met at a coffee shop?"
Sebastian turned his head to you with a smile, "I can live with that."
Next thing he knew you were kissing him and he was kissing back, the drinks forgotten as soon as your tongues collided. Soon Sebastian's hands were cupping your face and you curled your fingers into his hair, the kiss sadly coming to a stop after. You kept your eyes closed and noses touching, sharing chaste little kisses every few seconds. Sebastian chuckled and kissed you again.
"I think we've been dating since the day we met," You joked.
Sebastian just snickered and pecked your lips, "I can live with that too."
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