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“So that’s one venti caramel frappucino, one tall hot chocolate, and a slice of the lemon pound cake, yes?” The cashier asked, to which Karl nodded. He had a very specific order he likes getting each time, but it was clear that this worker was new. He had to reiterate his order to her to be sure that she would get it right, as it was one of the larger ones as opposed to a simple drink before leaving.
The taller male leaned against the counter, waiting for his receipt. He smiled warmly at the cashier as she made sure everything in the system was correct, pressing a button to confirm it. “Alright, your total is twenty dollars and eighteen cents.”
Karl reached into his pocket, fumbling for his wallet. His eyes were wide when he realized where it was, or rather, where it wasn’t. One thing’s for sure, Karl didn’t have any money with him, and he was now expected to pay for the insane amount of food he had just ordered.
“Uh…” he gulped, looking anxiously around the establishment, “I seem to have forgotten my wallet.”
The cashier didn’t seem amused, glancing at his pocket and back up at his face. “I’m sorry, Sir, but we can’t make you your food if you don’t pay.”
“I know,” Karl chewed on his bottom lip, trying to think up an alternative. “I’m sorry, I don’t know why I left it today!”
The woman in front of the machine sighed, waving him off. “I’m sorry, but I can’t serve you. If you come back later on with your wallet then I can. Have a wonderful day—”
“Wait!” A voice called, the sound of plastic cups falling causing the other Starbucks workers to groan. A younger-looking barista came to the front of the desk, hair messily pinned back in a bun and eyes wide. He looked frazzled, tucking some raven locks behind his ear, then turned to the woman that was taking his order. “I’ll pay for him, okay? It’s on the house. Get his order.”
Karl was speechless, mouth open wide as the raven met eyes with him once more. He had a tag on his apron that said “Sapnap”, though only the first three letters were underlined. It was clear he preferred to be called by that nickname instead.
As the woman at the front ushered him away to take some more orders, Karl only found himself getting closer to the front counter. The raven boy stared at him with playful green eyes, leaning against his side of the granite.
“Hey, I’m Sapnap! What’s your name?”
“Um,” Karl began, clearing his throat. “Karl. My name is Karl. Thank you for paying for my stuff, by the way…”
Sapnap laughed, grinning light-heartedly. Karl didn’t miss the way he tossed his head to the side, the speckled skin of his neck being shown for only a brief moment. “No problem, man! I get it, we all forget our shit sometimes. I got your back.”
Karl hummed in response, eyes roving up and down the boy’s body. “I’ve never seen you around. Are you new here?”
“Training,” Sapnap confirmed, clicking his tongue. “About halfway through learning all the drinks. Do you know how hard it is to memorize those things? You need to know what ingredients go into what, how much of each you need to add for various drink sizes, and sometimes accommodate to what the customer wants if they have ‘special instructions’! It’s insane!”
Karl giggled, hand instinctively moving to cover his mouth. “Oh, you poor baby. Don’t worry, you’ll win the war.”
“The machines may as well be a battleground,” Sapnap shrugged, nails hooking under a few hairs on his slight stubble. He scratched his jaw, stimulating it for a moment before dropping that freckled palm back onto the surface. “The only reason I caught you standing there was that I’m about to go on lunch break. Wanna join me?”
“Sure!” Karl beamed, hearing his name get called from a different area of the counter. Sapnap shot him a quick wink, letting the brunet go to pick up his stuff. He disappeared to somewhere unknown, Karl having to deal with his own devices. He picked up his two drinks and his packaged slice of cake, carrying them over to a free table. He sat there for a few minutes, brightening up when he caught the familiar sight of the raven heading towards him.
Sapnap had hung up his apron, revealing the black shirt underneath. Karl couldn’t take his eyes away from his toned chest, defined pectorals being enunciated with the tight fabric. It was clear that Sapnap maintained some muscle, a couple of veins prominent on his arms. Karl found himself wanting to run his fingers over them, wondering how good they would feel under his soft hands. He bet they would feel great.
“So,” The raven began, presenting an extra straw from his pocket. “I think it’s only fair we share that frappucino if I bought it for you.”
Karl was about to protest, being very protective of his food, but he supposed sharing it just this once wouldn’t hurt. He slowly pushed the cup to the middle of the table, allowing Sapnap to press his straw through the whipped cream. He leaned forward, wrapping his lips around the small hole to taste it. Karl waited for Sapnap to be done, not wanting to have their faces be so close while drinking their fill.
“Mm, this is better than average,” Sapnap smacked his lips, eventually pulling back. “That means Quackity probably made it. He’s real good at doing the drinks with a bit of pizazz. Makes them taste extra sweet somehow. Good for some, bad for others. I think it’s good.”
Karl had latched onto his straw, tasting the drink while Sapnap was talking about it. He nodded in response, keeping a hand curled around the base of his drink. “Yeah, you’re right. It does taste better than normal!”
“You get to know who makes what around here when you have an acquired taste,” Sapnap explained, folding his arms. “We learn over time.”
“What are some drinks you currently know how to make?” Karl asked curiously, brow furrowed. Sapnap’s eyes lit up, both hands slamming down harshly on the table.
“Oh! I know how to make quite a few. I can make all the frappucinos, the pink drink, the one with the green tea, the one that tastes like gingerbread, the variations of hot chocolate… so basically anything that isn’t the special coffees right now.”
“Wow,” Karl breathed, taking another sip of his drink. “Think you can teach me all that? Then I won’t have to come and spend my money anymore!”
Sapnap raised an eyebrow, abruptly lurching across the table. He reached out and cupped a hand across Karl’s cheek, letting his thumb stroke over the underside of his lips. “Long as you keep these babies sealed,” he purred, voice low. “I’m not supposed to do that, but for you, I can make an exception.”
Karl blushed furiously, gaze landing on the thumb playing with his lips. “F-for me?” He stuttered, eyes wide. “Why me?”
“Because,” Sapnap continued, fingers sliding down to rest teasingly at the side of Karl’s neck, “it gives me an excuse to see you again.”
“W-well aren’t you blunt?” Karl snorted, head tilting instinctively to give Sapnap a better view of what he was working with. “We just met and you already want to hang out?”
“I mean, yeah,” Sapnap admitted, pulling his hand back completely. Karl had to admit that he missed the feeling. “Thought you were cute as soon as I laid eyes on you, knew I needed to help ya. I promise I’ll be good to you, mmk? I think it’d be worth it to get to know you, at least as a friend if nothing else works out.”
“Sounds good to me,” Karl confirmed, finding himself getting lost in those green eyes. Sapnap smiled, leaning in, breath fanning Karl’s skin—
When the loud voice of a worker interrupted them.
“Hey, Rookie, get back over here! You had a five-minute break, not double that with extra time to smooch!”
Sapnap pulled back, fingers sliding over Karl’s sheepishly. “That’s me,” he said softly, chair screeching against the ground as he got up. “I have to get back to work. I may or may not have fibbed about how long I had. Didn’t want to lose the chance to talk to you.”
“Understandable,” Karl nodded, pushing the hot chocolate toward Sapnap. “Here, you take this. It’s technically yours anyway, I just had it for later on. I don’t need it though.”
Sapnap smirked, reaching for the paper cup. He pulled it to his side on the table, green eyes centered on Karl the whole time. “Give me your cup, yeah?” He suggested, making a grabby hand motion for the frappucino.
Karl passed it to him without hesitation this time, watching as the raven presented a black sharpie from his pocket. He scribbled something on the side of the plastic, passing it back to Karl when done. “See ya around, cutie!” He called over his shoulder, bounding back toward the main counter.
Karl looked at his drink, eyes narrowed at the new ink present.
A series of numbers followed by a heart.
Sapnap.
A number he would never lose and a cup he would never forget.