New Jersey.
’New Jersey’ is what is written on the side of the coffee cup. If there was ever a question of where the limit was, Namjoon has just found it.
What is surprising is that unlike the earlier moments when Namjoon couldn’t be bothered to deal with his shit head of a barista who kept rudely spelling his name wrong, now, he’s basically amused. Though really, he’s just more invested in how ‘New Jersey’ is a complete stretch, even to the best of imaginations.
Jimin can do better than this (or at least Namjoon has somehow convinced himself of this in the span of time that he’s known Jimin. Which is actually no time at all, considering they technically don’t know each other. Semantics).
It had been a nice start. Namjoon hadn’t even called Seokjin this morning and Seokjin, for one of the rare new trends he’s developed, hadn’t called him either. It meant a completely different morning for Namjoon, where he could head to work and not already feel rushed because of a client that had done something stupid or changed a document or hit their spouse with a pipe over a ‘dispute’.
For once, Namjoon walks out in the pleasant autumn weather, and actually has faith in humanity and people in general. It just keeps being a nice day, from walking into the welcoming scent of coffee and seeing his barista behind the counter with the other two baristas (Hoseok and Yoongi. Namjoon had discovered their names while Jimin was sick) work on the espresso machines. Jimin’s cheeks are a little flushed, and he practically bounces around behind the counter, smiling at every customer he meets as he takes their order.
Most of the customers, Namjoon realizes, are rude assholes. There is also the fact that he realizes, while standing in line and listening to a woman two ahead of him rambling to her secretary (presumably) authoritatively, that he used to also be exactly like these assholes. Today is different though. Today is a new day.
Today, Namjoon isn’t on his phone with Seokjin updating him on how marriage and romance are dead (with the only exception being whatever is going on between their secretary and Hoseok).
Today, Namjoon smiles when he finally gets to the counter and gets Jimin’s bright attention on him. Today, Namjoon notices how Jimin listens to him, how he does the same thing he does every day and Namjoon realizes he missed him.
It’s a strange feeling to realize that he’s oddly possessive and protective of a barista he’s never technically met aside from being separated by a counter.
It’s even stranger when Namjoon wants to linger, to pause and just say something more than “thanks” to Jimin after getting his perfectly made venti macchiato.
Then he looks at his coffee cup, reads ‘New Jersey’, and is turning around before he realizes it. It almost feels like it’s going well, seeing as Namjoon can finally get to the bottom of this and clear things up so that he can go back to the office and Seokjin’s anticipatory face and tell him no, café romances only exist in fanfic and in the strange warped reality their secretary somehow manages to live in.
Then Jimin’s face does something, and as Namjoon tries to say “it’s just the fact that you wrote my name as New Jersey and that’s seriously pushing it”, Jimin cranks up the espresso machine with cheeks bright red.
“I’m sorry,” Jimin says once the machine turns off, looking away with jerky movements. “What were you saying?”
Namjoon takes a breath to keep himself calm and proceeds with his quiet reprimand. “I was just going to say that you wrote my –“
The espresso machine screams back into life, this time steaming milk and Jimin’s face goes pink, looking over the espresso machine he is operating with the kind of expression saying ‘wow, what a nasty coincidence I turned this on at the exact same moment you were trying to communicate with me. How unfortunate.’
“I did what?” Jimin asks, looking up with a sort of innocence that Namjoon isn’t quite so convinced of anymore. In fact, it’s deteriorating quickly, despite how Jimin’s cheeks are either a suggestion of him blushing (to prove Seokjin’s theory) or indication of a horrific fever.
“You wrote my-“
“Tall triple shot soy caramel macchiato with cinnamon!” Jimin shouts, suddenly jerking over to the ‘pick up’ counter with the coffee he’d just made and leaving Namjoon extremely ruffled.
He’s going to be late. He has things to do this morning and if only Jimin would just-
“Can you just-“
“I’m sorry, what were you saying?” Jimin asks, accepting a to-go cup from Hoseok as he’s given another order. “Something about names?”
“You-“
The espresso machine roars to life along with Namjoon’s temper. Who does this Jimin barista think he is? Namjoon has things to do this morning! Meetings to go to, people to keep from strangling each other in their mediation sessions, Seokjin to scold for reading fanfic instead of doing his damn job and-
“Excuse me!” Namjoon calls over the scream of the steamer attachment as Jimin focuses on coffee and not Namjoon.
“I’m sorry, what?” Jimin asks, looking half guilty, and half pleased. This little shit. “We’re a bit busy this morning.”
“Yes, well, I’m busy as well-“
The steamer screams back on and suddenly, as Namjoon waits and feels his irritation crawl into his stomach, he catches the vaguely pleased look on Jimin’s face and realizes this, all of this, is on purpose.
As soon as the machine turns off, Namjoon doesn’t bother to be polite about anything and instead just loudly states, “my name isn’t New Jersey.”
“I know,” Jimin says, his smile positively radiant as he looks up at Namjoon with his eyes dancing right before he turns on the espresso machine again. It turns off as Namjoon stares in indignant shock and irritation. “It’s Namjoon.”
“Then why can’t you just-“
“I’m sorry,” calls Jimin as he rushes off to deliver his order, hopping behind a register as Yoongi slides to take his place at the machine. “Very busy today!”
It had started out as a nice day, and yet Namjoon just stands and stares at his barista in indignation as Yoongi watches him with a sort of lazy interest, fixing a few green tea lattes.
“He has a break during lunch,” Yoongi says amid Namjoon’s internal dialogue of how dare he?.
“What?” Namjoon asks, snapping irritably to the present and looking at Yoongi with a small frown.
“Jimin,” Yoongi says, nodding over to the barista smiling cheerful at disgruntled customers. “We’re usually less maxed out then.” The look Yoongi gives him looks pointed and eerily similar to something Seokjin might direct at him. Except Namjoon might usually ignore Seokjin whereas Yoongi’s look has him walking out the door, planning to come back later.
For reasons.
Seokjin actually takes his coffee from his hands this morning, turning the cup until New Jersey is visible at which point he laughs directly in Namjoon’s face, loudly enough that Taehyung starts laughing too despite how he has no idea what’s so funny.
“We’re getting lunch at that café today,” Namjoon tells Seokjin.
“Can I come?” Taehyung asks, perking up with eyes that are too eager and happy for the real world and a divorce lawyer’s firm.
“Sure,” Namjoon sighs, shaking his head and pulling his scarf off. Catching Seokjin’s smug look, he rolls his eyes. “Stop.”
“I didn’t say anything,” Seokjin laughs.
The problem is, Seokjin didn’t have to for the words I told you so to travel along the contours of Namjoon’s brain.
YOU ARE READING
❞Venti Macchiato, please.❝ minjoon ✔
Fanfiction[complete] Namjoon didn't know that sometimes, a barista is all it takes to make your morning routine skid to a halt and open your eyes.
