Work Text:
In the shadow of Jupiter, on the rings of Saturn is the most popular coffee shop on highway 52. Not that it’s your regular, asphalt road as it’s more of an invisible road paved with stardust. If you know where to look, you can see it there, circling around Jupiter and passing by Saturn before it slowly disappears to the vast space.
Not to worry because if you can’t find the right path, all you need to do is wait for the next train or bus. The driver is guaranteed to know something. You could also try finding a rest stop, a motel or a café and ask for advice but heavens know that innkeepers and all alike are cryptic as all hell when they want to be.
That brings us back to our small coffee shop.
Whalien 52, named after the highway it’s on and named by the man who is quite possibly the most cryptic of all.
Or, that’s what some people say, with their heads held high, and tiny, decorated, porcelain cups held delicately in between their thumbs and index fingers. Others raise their eyebrows and then frown, countless cafés and rest stops mixing together, names switching places with faces. They come and go with the universe in their eyes and they laugh at the cryptic words, haven’t heard that one before.
A few will laugh at the idea, maybe try to convince you otherwise. That is the crew of Whalien 52, both incredibly amused and surprisingly fed up with their boss’ reputation. It’s not nearly as bad as people seem to think and in the end, it’s not surprising if you’ve never heard of this man. Highway 52 has long since been overshadowed and mainly forgotten because of the new highway 34.
“Honestly Namjoon, are you ever going to do anything about this reputation of yours?” Yoongi asks, leaning against the kitchen’s black and white tile wall. His hair is grey, even if it was blue just last week, and his brown eyes are almost black under his too long fringe. The coffee in his cup is blacker than outer space, Hoseok swears and Jin rolls his eyes, wondering why he let the boys into his kitchen again.
Well. So far, so good. No one has set anything on fire which is an improvement to last month when Namjoon accidentally placed his paperwork too close to the stove and nearly caused Jin to have a heart attack.
“Hands off, Hoseok. These are for the customers. The lovely, paying customers without whom we would be bankrupt”, Jin says, glaring at the younger man who’s sneakily trying to snatch one of the cupcakes decorated with pink and white frosting. He pouts at the pastry chef and opts for sneaking his arms around Namjoon who’s nursing a coffee cup of his own in one hand, dark eyes skimming over the papers in his other hand.
“So… Taehyung called in sick and it’s Jungkook’s day off. I’m trying to find a new employee but Yoongi, I need you to fill in today”, Namjoon says, much less cryptic than what they tell you. Yoongi sighs dramatically. With how many times he’s ended up doing someone’s shift, he should be considered staff, even if he has his job as a freelancing composer.
“You know, I should get free drinks for this. I practically work here”, he mutters.
“No, Yoongi, you’re just a friend. Now go open the doors, pretty please. Oh and there’s cupcakes in the back for you but better make it quick or they’ll be gone by the time you get back”, Jin coos and sets the decorated cupcakes prettily onto a three tier tray before handing it to Yoongi.
“And while you’re at it, please take this to the counter, would you?”
Yoongi mumbles a reply, seemingly unhappy about his position as a jack-of-all-trades who doesn’t even get paid for it, but he takes the tray anyways.
An angry Kim Seokjin is a force not to be reckoned with.
And this is how it goes, day in day out, with the occasional food fights and small fires. If Jin has learned anything, it’s that having an endless supply of bandaids and first-aid-kits is a necessity when you have Whalien 52’s crew anywhere near a kitchen.
The first time Jimin walks into Whalien 52, he’s looking for a job, hoping to find a different kind of manager. Not very many places want to hire young, tattooed wanderers like him.
The coffee shop is not the smallest Jimin has seen but it could certainly be roomier. It looks like it was designed by a book enthusiast as most of the walls are hidden behind bookshelves and numerous books. Some look old with brown, worn covers and yellowed paces while others are new, untouched.
It’s quiet, no casual conversations to overhear and no clattering of dishes mixed with the coffeemaker and other things alike. Absentmindedly, Jimin brushes his fingers over the surface of a dark, wooden table and finds it spotless. The marble counter automatically draws his attention. An empty three tier tray sits there, next to some cups and plates. One of the black barstools is occupied by a man with bleached hair dressed in black jeans and a white dress shirt, sleeves rolled up to his elbows and top two buttons open to reveal a bit of tan skin.
Jimin clears his throat, giving his best smile to the man.
“You’re early, Mr. Park, but at least that’s better than being late”, the man says, lips curling into a one-dimpled smile. He gestures towards the empty stool next to him and Jimin sits down, leaning ever-so-lightly against the counter.
“I’m Kim Namjoon, as you may know, and I own this coffee shop. I was under the impression you wanted to work with me.”
Jimin nods, hopeful.
“Do you have any prior experience?” Namjoon asks, running his eyes over Jimin, taking in every detail from head to toe. He notices the three small stars in the corner of his eye, the words inked across his clavicle and the butterfly dripping color on his wrist. He can see the light behind his eyes as the flames licking his heart reflect through the amber in his eyes.
“No, but I promise I’m a fast learner”, Jimin replies and Namjoon considers his words before he nods.
“Welcome.”
The second time Jimin walks into Whalien 52, he’s looking for someone called Kim Taehyung. Namjoon told him to follow Taehyung at work for a few days before he would start, just to get the hang of things. According to the description, Taehyung’s most recognizable feature is his boxy smile.
This time, there’s enough people to cause a low, comfortable amount of noise. Jimin steps carefully past the people and leans on the marble counter, watching as a man wearing a pink apron focuses on placing the decorations correctly onto a cake. His eyebrows are knit in concentration and he’s biting his lip.
When he’s done, he smiles proudly and jolts a bit when he notices Jimin.
“Oh hello. I’m Jin. What can I get you?” he asks, smiling, and his almond shaped eyes crinkle at the corners. Jimin smiles back and explains that he’s looking for someone with a boxy smile. It earns him a soft giggle.
“You must be Jimin. Namjoon did say you should be coming around today. So, if you please follow me, I’ll take you to Taehyung.”
Taehyung is lively, and if Jimin didn’t know better, he would say Taehyung is a wanderer too. But his eyes are dark brown and he seems as down-to-earth as possible, considering he works at a space coffee shop called Whalien of all things.
When he notices the tattoos, his eyes go wide and then he asks where they came from, what’s the story behind them. Jimin shrugs and says that he really doesn’t have a story to tell, he just goes wherever the road takes him, and Taehyung laughs.
“Look, I have an elephant on my body!” he exclaims and pulls up his sleeve, pinching the skin in between two moles.
“It’s cute”, Jimin muses.
“Aren’t you two supposed to be working or something?” asks a whole new voice, not necessarily as deep as Taehyung’s but raspier, in a way. Jimin turns around in his chair, tilting his head to the side as he observes the man. He’s wearing light blue, ripped jeans and a black t-shirt, ink stains on the hands that hold a notebook and a coffee cup. His eyes don’t lock with Jimin’s but instead the tattoos and Taehyung is giggling, teasing the man, Yoongi, about suddenly being so shy.
Yoongi snarls back a response and with a whine, Taehyung gets up and to work.
Jimin breaks into a smile, gesturing to the now empty seat across the table from him. Yoongi sits down and he’s quiet and reserved but Jimin can feel the eyes on him.
“You’re new”, Yoongi finally says matter-of-factly.
“Where did you come from?”
Jimin smiles.
“Isn’t the line supposed to be did it hurt when you fell from heaven?”