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Red Son wasn’t a coffee guy. Well, that was because he never had coffee before. For as long as he’s been alive, he always thought the hot and bitter drink wasn’t worthy enough for the son of the Demon Bull King. He often heard from his friend and technical cousin, MK, that it could be mixtures of syrups and sugars for different flavors. Coffee could be hot or cold or at room temperature. Caffeine was why people drank it. Some people would drink it in the mornings to feel awake for the day, others would drink it at night to stay up and work on projects or work. That was partially why Red Son finally considered trying it one day.
The other part was to shut MK up about it.
“You have to try this one, Red!” The boy would say after coming back from his favorite coffee shop, Jade Dragon Cafe.
Red Son would roll his eyes in response, “No thank you.” Then looked back down at the blueprints he was working on.
Eventually, the prince had to stay up later than usual while working on a project. Though his parents were known as royals, he wanted to run his own business. He was a welder, but a mechanic in general.
Buzz. . . Buzz. . .
A groan.
Buzz. . . Buzz. . .
. . . Click .
He felt drowsy and his eyes ached at the morning sunlight. When his vision was clearer, he noticed he wasn’t in his bedroom. He was in his workshop laying on his desk. In front of him were some parts for the vehicle he started the night before.
Shit .
He got up and fixed himself—brushing his hair and pulling it back into his usual ponytail, finding the bathroom, and brushing his teeth to get the morning breath off of his tongue. Then, he changed out of his dirty apron. As he was, he heard a knock on his door.
“Red Son!” MK beamed, making the demon prince wince. “Okay, I know how you feel about coffee, but you have to try this one! It’s an iced peppermint mocha with whipped cream and—”
“Not today, Noodle Boy.” Red Son groaned as he rubbed his throbbing brain. He called MK ‘Noodle Boy,’ referring to his noodle delivery job.
“Oh, sorry,” the boy spoke softer. “You look pretty tired, Red. How long did you stay up last night?
“Not long.”
“The bags under your eyes tell a different story.”
The prince grumbled and nearly shut the door in his friend’s face.
“Wait!” MK grabbed it. “Why don’t you get some coffee with me? You could really use it.”
Red rubbed the bridge of his nose. “Don’t you already have some?”
“I meant for you . Besides,” the Noodle Boy paused to slurp his drink. “I want you to meet my friend there.”
And that was the beginning of an emotional rollercoaster that the demon was not prepared for.
When the two boys pulled up to the Jade Dragon Cafe, Red Son seem almost appalled at the sight of kawaii plush and porcelain dragons that peered at him from the flowery windows. A chime sounded as the glass door opened, catching the attention of the young barista behind the counter.
“Oh! Hi again, MK!” She greeted. She had short, black hair that was tied up into two small buns. Her hair also framed her soft features, highlighted with green. Come to think of it, Red Son noticed a lot of green in the shop. Well, it was the Jade Dragon Cafe. “Who’s your friend?”
“Mei,” MK dragged the prince by his arm to the counter and gestured to him. “This is Red Son. Red Son, this is Mei!”
The girl—Mei—gasped and leaned forward on the counter. “Nice to meet you, Red Son! MK’s told me a lot about you.”
He would reply, except he was too busy being enchanted by the young woman’s emerald green eyes.
He hated them.
He hated how they sparkled in the candlelight of the cafe as she talked. He hated how they paralyzed him as if they belonged to Medusa and he was her most recent victim. In fact, he hated them so much that they made his blood boil to his cheeks.
“Uhm, Red?”
The voice snapped him out of his thoughts. He quickly stiffened and tugged on his coat collar to cool himself down. Then, he cleared his throat.
“Y-Yes! One— One small black coffee, please.” He tried uselessly to brush off the stutter in his speech.
“Really? Just a black coffee?” Mei tilted her head, then shrugged. “Alright then. I’ll have that for you in a minute.”
MK nudged the demon in the arm as she walked off and chuckled. “Dude, what was that?”
“What?” Red Son shifted his eyes. “What was what?”
“You completely froze! And your face turned redder than your hair.” He leaned in to whisper. “You like her, don’t you?”
He sputtered a response. “What? No! I could never like someone as low as a barista. You read the signs wrong. You have to remember that I’m a demon , I don’t like anyone like you pathetic humans do.”
The boy gave a nod, but his face read ‘Sure, keep telling yourself that.’
“Here’s your coffee!” Their attention snapped toward the girl. She held out a small cup with a dark green, paper holder around it. “That’ll be $2.99!”
MK pulled out his wallet, catching a glimpse of Red Son’s hesitation to reach out for the cup. His fingertip just barely touched Mei’s, causing him to flinch before quickly taking it from her hand.
“. . . Thank you.” He mumbled loud enough for her to hear.
“You’re welcome!” She smiled back. He hated that smile and that face. He hated how bright it was, and he hated how he was able to look at it without squinting. Most of all, he hated how it squeezed his heart and made his stomach do flips.
She waved to them as they left the shop, wishing them a good day and that she’ll see them soon. That’s when Red Son had his first taste of coffee.
“Well, what do you think?” MK asked, leaning to get a better view of the demon’s reaction.
“It’s bitter.” He said. “Maybe I’ll come back for something sweeter.”