Work Text:
Hongjoong never imagined he would go from a galaxy student, to struggling crew mate on a giant ship to turning said ship into a floating space coffee shop. Nobody could expect that really.
But there he was, some years later. After he bought the ship “Sunrise” and changed it into a floating coffee shop complete with calming music (thanks to San and Yeosang, his two siren friends) and plush chairs, he was a successful business owner, working with his friends. It wasn’t easy, setting everything up and having people from the various galaxies and space roads actually pay attention to them.
For Hongjoong, the pain, the troubles and tribulations were worth it. He was content in the place he was right now. With his friends and his ship, nothing could make him lose the happiness he earned.
Except for Park Seonghwa. The one and only, blond haired, lip ring having, coffee and muffin buying space pirate Park Seonghwa.
It all started one day when Hongjoong was the one in charge of opening the cafe. He set everything up, made sure that every table and chair was clean and stood behind the cash. For the first minutes (or was it an hour?) of standing there, only one or two people came in.
But then. He came in.
Walking in like owned the place, one hand dragging a sword behind him and other in the pocket of a long black coat. His hair was a pale blonde, with a fringe over one eye. He walked up to the cash register and looked at Hongjoong from under his hair.
"A medium iced americano and 4 chocolate muffins." He said, voice soft yet slightly rough around the edges. As if he just woke up.
Hongjoong looked at the display case and looked back at the blond male. "I'm sorry Sir but we're out of chocolate muffins and the next batch will be ready in about an hour when the baker finishes making them" The blue haired male noticed how his customer's eyes sharpened.
"Excuse me. I ordered an iced americano and 4 chocolate muffins. What do you mean you don't have any of them ready?"
"We don't Sir. We only bake the most important pastries like our croissants or breakfast sandwiches for the early morning customers. You would have to wait an hour for the sweet pastries to come out" Hongjoong said, his best customer service smile on his face.
"Do you know who I am?' The blond man asked and Hongjoong shook his head. He had a snarky retort on the back of his tongue but he bit himself before he could say it.
The blonde stranger huffed and suddenly Hongjoong had a sword pointed at his throat. It was so polished, the cashier could see his own reflection in the metal.
"Then look outside of your damned old ship and try to respect people who can slit your throat before you even say a word" The stranger threatened and with that he turned around and left the store.
Hongjoong stood dumbfounded, watching through the window he put in the ship, as a big dark brown ship rolled in their mechanical plank and flew away. The symbol on the side of the ship a white hourglass.
"Jongho!" Hongjoong called out, walking to the back where his trusty friend was currently making all kinds of pastries.
"Yes hyung?" The red haired male answered, as he turned to face his friend and boss, hands covered in flour and bits of dried out dough.
"Have you ever seen a ship with a big white hourglass on it made out of dark wood?" Hongjoong asked, sneakily eating a moonberry or two. They were in season after all.
But instead of a calm answer, he received a gasp and a worried look.
"D-Did...Did you see the Fever crew?" Jongho asked, voice trembling slightly. He wouldn't even imagine to speak this name normally. And his hyung seemed unfazed!
Hongjoong hummed, thinking. He heard that name somewhere. "You mean those pirates everyone's talking about recently?"
"Hyung! They're not just some pirates! They're the most feared and respected Space pirates Since the first space pirates were a thing!"
"So that's why that customer had a sword and a giant coat…" The blue haired male said and hummed. Jongho couldn't believe it.
"Do you really not care about this stuff? Who was it even? How did he look?" The younger asked, not cleaning the dough from behind his fingernails nervously.
"He was around your height, had blonde hair covering one eye, brown eyes and wore this long black coat. Oh and he attacked me with a sword. " Hongjoong sneaked some more moonberries into his mouth as he talked. On a second thought maybe he should be a little more freaked out about an attractive stranger threatening him with a sword.
More gasps from Jongho. The younger looked at his boss in mild horror. "That's the captain. Park Seonghwa. Why did the captain of Fever threaten you with his sword"
"Oh he wanted chocolate muffins and I told him like 3 times you didn't make any yet since we just opened."
"Hyung, we are adding chocolate muffins to the breakfast menu"
---------
Since that day Seonghwa came in everyday for one iced americano and chocolate muffins. Sometimes it was one muffin, sometimes more. Apparently it depended on how his crew behaved the day before. Like a treat after being good space pirates.
Good space pirates. That's words Hongjoong thought he'd never say. But here he was, after Seonghwa explained to him one day that what the crew of Fever was doing was taking resources and things from abandoned planets and selling them either cheaply for poor people or with massive price hikes for people who could afford entire planets.
Hongjoong questioned the legality of that many times. Basically every time Seonghwa talked about what his crew did.
"So Wooyoung got this blue aurorite and wanted to sell half of it to the second hand store on Gardenia and half of it to this one super rich guy living on Hyori. How self-centred do you have to be to name a planet after yourself?" Seonghwa said, looking at Hongjoong who cleaned cups and plates he had in the front of the cafe.
Those talks became common after Seonghwa came in drunk one time and talked for 15 minutes about how nobody understands him or listens to his problems cause he's the captain and isn't supposed to have problems. Hongjoong offered to listen to the blond's troubles but as a payment, the Fever crew painted a little coffee bean sun (the symbol of Sunrise) next to their hourglass. The cafe became a safe space for them and the Fever crew gave out free promotion.
"I don't know Hwa. But what Wooyoung planned sounds kind of like ripping people off." present Hongjoong said looking at his blonde friend. No friend was the wrong word to describe Seonghwa. He was something between friend and boyfriend and more than that all at once. It sounded cliche as fuck, like he was talking a fairy tale but it wasn't one. And Hongjoong truly had no words to describe what he shared with the blonde Captain.
"We're pirates Hongjoong. We are the grey area." Seonghwa said. "We had the conversation many times. What do you expect from us?"
"Nothing really. Except maybe a kiss from my prince Charming." The blue haired male teased. He said the same thing many times and every time Seonghwa leaned across the counter and kissed him.
Their kiss was slow, unhurried. Stopped only by the bell signalling that people were entering and 4 people lined up to the cash register.
Hongjoong smiled at Seonghwa and quickly took the orders for smoothies, cookies and other cappuccinos. He even dealt with one woman claiming that a peach smoothie but with bananas is a peach smoothie but with bananas and not a banana smoothie.
After the whole ordeal was over, Seonghwa smiled knowingly. "I will prepare you a bath in my house. I expect that I will see your blue hair in about half an hour" He said,kissing Hongjoong's cheek and walking out of the ship, into the docks where Sunrise was staying for the night.
And as if enchanted, right as the blonde was finishing the bath, Hongjoong walked in and threw himself on the Pirate. Seonghwa didn't even have to ask about Hongjoong's day, knowing that the warm water will make him talk.
Hongjoong could only smile softly, knowing that thanks to Seonghwa, he would be able to truly relax after his day.
And that was such a relationship between a feared space pirate and a coffee shop owner. Unlikely but very much loving and beneficial for both of them.
---------