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Zeal likes his coffee microwaved.
He knows it is weird. How could he not when everyone he told his unusual preferences to looked at him with confusion or disgust? He understands that people argue over food preferences all the time, but the backlash he receives for his particular choice of coffee makes it feel almost criminal.
His best friend, Freodore, or Freo, is the most opposed to his drink choice. The smaller guy respects Zeal as an individual: the taller man is a musical genius, a beast at video games, and, most of all, kind-hearted. Zeal often makes sure that everyone around him is comfortable, leaving a positive impression wherever he goes.
And yet, the only time Freo openly disrespected Zeal was over microwaved coffee.
“Get well soon, Ginjoka.” was the first thing Freo muttered after learning about Zeal’s preferences. Since then, whenever the two friends engage in their usual playful debates, the
Freo lands a finishing blow by ridiculing his “revolting” coffee habit.
Microwaving your coffee was not a common thing, Zeal came to learn. His process? He would prep his instant coffee, mix it with water, store it inside the refrigerator, and stock up enough for the next few days to come. It is efficient, okay?! If he is craving coffee, all he has to do is grab a cup from the refrigerator and microwave it. See? It is quite easy!
Okay, maybe it is not the best way to drink his coffee, but look on the bright side! At least he is not sipping his microwaved coffee through a plastic straw, right? I mean, who in their right mind would do that?
Maybe... Zeal Ginjoka…
Oh, he vividly remembers the distraught face on Freo when he revealed this habit of drinking his coffee. He looked at him as if Zeal had just committed a culinary war crime. His friend’s expression was a mix of horror, disbelief, and personal betrayal, as if Zeal had insulted his ancestors and cursed his whole bloodline with this doomed sanctity of morning beverages forever.
Having enough of Zeal’s questionable coffee habits, Freo demanded he go out of the apartment, ranting about how Zeal needed to experience “real coffee”—whatever that was supposed to mean.
“Freo? Do I really have to go to a cafe?” Zeal groaned into his phone, holding it at a slightly tilted angle as he dragged his feet down the sidewalk.
“Yes.” Freo replied firmly, his face stern on the screen, dramatically lounging across his bed in the background. “You’re committing a grave sin, and I’m here to pull you out of the darkness.”
Zeal let out an exaggerated sigh. “But going to a cafe is not really going to help…”
“At least it’s better than microwaving your coffee AND drinking it hot using a plastic straw.”
“But the straw is reusable!” Zeal defended, holding up his index finger as if that justified everything. “It can withstand the heat!”
“I don’t care!” Freo snapped, shooting him a look of utter betrayal. “You’re going to be exposed to a different form of coffee. I don’t care if it’s from a corporate cafe chain. Anything is better than that .”
The black-haired man had hoped to spend the afternoon cocooned in the comfort of his apartment, wrapped in a blanket burrito, and sipping his microwaved coffee in peace. But here he was—in public—because his much shorter best friend was monitoring his caffeine redemption arc via a video call.
“Are you really going to watch me go through this in real time?” Zeal muttered.
“Yes.” Freo replied. “Now, don’t you dare close the call, or I will have Seible come to you. Seriously, if I were not out of the country, I would personally drag you towards that cafe.”
Okay, Zeal is glad that Freodore is not physically here.
The walk to the cafe was silent, minus the silent murmurs of Freodore, quietly ridiculing his friend under his breath. Zeal chose to ignore it, deciding that pretending to be deaf was the greatest option for now.
Tucked beneath the shade of tall trees, the cafe radiated a warm, modern charm. Large windows revealed the cozy, softly bustling interior. Wooden accents and railings on its exterior blended effortlessly with its surroundings, while the warm yellow lights cast a gentle glow inside the structure, as if the place was welcoming him.
As he stepped through the door, temperature-regulated air greeted him as the sound of quiet chattering, clinking of utensils, and the gentle hiss of the coffee machine doing its job filled the room. There were only a few people inside the building, but the atmosphere was impeccable.
Zeal’s eyes looked around with slight awe, admiring the plants scattered throughout the room and the soft lighting overhead. Lost in the charm of the space, he did not notice he had already arrived at the counter until…
“Excuse me, sir? May I have your order now?” A voice—smooth, clear, almost angelic—cut through the haze in Zeal’s mind.
Am I in heaven?
Zeal was fairly certain he was still in the land of the living, but the figure right in front of him made him question that certainty.
Towering over the counter was a stunning young man, his appearance almost otherworldly. His snow-white hair shimmered under the cafe’s bright lights, and his blue-green eyes sparked with warmth, making Zeal think this individual looked more like a celestial being than someone who walked on earth.
Despite his ethereal looks, he wore a simple black shirt and jeans, with a brown apron draped over the front—clearly showing him as one of the cafe’s staff.
“Sir? Are you okay?” That beautiful voice brought him back to reality.
“U-uh! S-sorry, uhm, I-I was looking at the menu.” Zeal stammered, chuckling nervously as he pretended to look at the laminated sheet trembling in his hand.
The man let out a loud yet melodious laugh. “Sorry to break it to you, but you’re holding the menu upside down.”
That was the most beautiful laugh Zeal had ever heard in his life.
Though feeling his cheeks and ears slightly burn from embarrassment, he decided it was all worth it just to hear that man let out the most pure and enchanting sound he had ever heard.
Am I really sure that I’m not dead?
Zeal slightly gulped. “U-uhm. S-sorry.”
Seriously, why is my voice shaking?
It’s as if I’m presenting my college thesis in front of the panelists once more. I graduated five years ago! Get it together!
“I-I’ll have a black coffee.” He blurted. Zeal watched as the man’s nose scrunched, possibly from disgust. Okay, maybe not the greatest first impression… but oh my, this man is cute.
“Okay, one black coffee for…?” The man asked, pausing, pen ready to write down his name on the cup.
“Z-Z-Z”
Come on, Ginjoka, tell this pretty man your name, and you can enjoy this coffee in peace .
“Z-Ze—”
“Jill”
...
....
......
Jill? Seriously?
You’ve had the same name since birth and now you forgot how to say it? What is wrong with you, Zeal Ginjoka?!
“Well, one black coffee for Jill coming up.”
Zeal rarely cursed, but…
Fuck my life .
“That is the most embarrassing yet hilarious stunt you just made, Zeal.” Freo chuckled through the screen, finally speaking up once Zeal sat down on the corner of the cafe.
With a dramatic sigh, Zeal slumped down onto his seat, dropping his phone onto the table. His head followed, resting face-down on the wooden table.“I couldn’t help it! I literally witnessed the most divine person I have ever met.”
Despite the slightly distorted audio of the video call, Freo could hear how down bad his friend was for the white-haired cafe staff.
Freo chuckled, leaning back on his pillows. “I only told you to try out a different way of drinking coffee, not fall in love at first sight with the staff there.”
Zeal only let out a small grumble, his voice so deep it made the wooden table beneath him vibrate.
Freo watched, amused, as his typically composed best friend had a small gay panic meltdown—over a man he had just met.
“If you could see the way his nose scrunched when I told him I was ordering black coffee…” Zeal murmured, lifting his head slightly just enough to speak before his head collapsed to the table once more.
Freo smirked. “He’s probably disgusted by your coffee choice.”
“It was worth it though.” Zeal sighed dreamily. “His little scrunch was the cutest thing I have ever seen since the black cat I met in Kyoto two years ago.”
“Oh wow,” Freo snorted, “You’re seriously whipped for him.”
“I didn’t even get to see his name…” Zeal whispered in defeat. “And I gave him the wrong name. Jill, Freo. I said my name was Jill .”
Freo sighed, defeated, slightly embarrassed for his friend. “Relax, Jill . Maybe he’ll fall for the shy guy with the fake name.”
Zeal was about to bury his face into the table for the umpteenth time when that soft, angelic voice interrupted his spiral to his demise.
“Excuse me,” his beautiful voice met his ears. “One black coffee for…Jill.”
Standing beside his table was none other than him—the celestial cafe barista himself, holding a cup with both hands. The soft glow of the cafe lights emphasizes his white hair, making it shimmer once more. His lips curled upward in a wide smile as he gently placed the drink down in front of Zeal.
“Oh—uh—thanks.” Zeal stammered like a grade school student confessing to his crush for the first time, his cheeks instantly flushed red.
He could have used the opportunity to properly introduce himself, saying what his true name was. Could have asked this beautiful man in front of him for his name and maybe used this chance to ask if he wants to hang out. What did he do instead?
He remained silent, staring at the young man in front of him.
Without another word, the cute staff let out a small smile before he walked away, calm and unbothered. Zeal, however, was very much bothered.
On the phone screen, witnessing the events that transpired in front of him, Freo raised an eyebrow. “Was that him? Did he just bring you your drink?”
Zeal blinked. “Y-yeah?”
Freo’s eyes squinted, tilting his head slightly. “Wait, why would he bring it to the table? That place uses those little buzzers, right? The ones that beep when your drink is ready?”
Too caught up by his idiocy, Zeal simply let out a nod, his expression blank. “...Oh. Really?”
“So why did Mr. Celestial-McGlimmerEyes-Who-Stole-Zeal’s-Heart-In-10-Minutes personally walk across the cafe to give it to you?” Freo asked, now visibly intrigued.
“I’m… not sure.”
Zeal stared down at the coffee, unsure of the answer to Freo’s question. Why did the barista bring the drink over personally? When he turned his attention to other customers, they did have the self-serve buzzers that his best friend was referring to.
And yet… here he was, hot black coffee personally delivered by hand with the staff that he is adoring.
Still confused, Zeal reached for the cup, preparing to take a sip. It was warm, comforting—and then he noticed the sleeve. The plain brown cardboard had something noted across it:
kaelix
xxx-xxx-xxxx
wanna hang out, mr. jill? ;)
Zeal froze.
Then he blinked his eyes once more.
His entire body tensed, the cup trembling in his hands.
He let out a tiny, stunned sound—something between a squeak and a gasp—his face turning into a deeper shade of red with every second that passed. His ears were on fire. His heart was doing backflips in his chest.
He had no idea how to process what he was seeing.
Did that actually just happen? Was this real life? Was he really not living anymore?
Still in a daze, Zeal slowly looked up from his coffee.
And their eyes met.
Kaelix stood back behind the counter, waiting for another customer. But the moment their gazes locked, the staff’s lips curled into a knowing smile. Then, he lifted one hand, thumb and pinky extended into a playful call-me gesture.
And to top it all off, he winked.
He winked.
Zeal felt his breath caught in his throat.
He quickly looked away, not wanting the staff, or Kaelix, to think that he was a weird customer deliberately staring at him. His hands cupped the coffee, mentally screaming in his mind.
“What happened, Zeal?”
Oh—right. He was still on a video call with Freo. He totally did not forget about him.
Zeal slowly lifted the cup towards his lips, doing his best to compose himself. “Oh, there was just… a customer who was being weird. Nothing to worry about.”
He was that weird customer.
But Freo does not have to know that. Right?
Apparently buying the lie, Freo nodded with a satisfied smile. “Well, I’m glad that you actually followed my suggestion.”
And for once, Zeal could not even argue.
He was genuinely grateful Freo had pushed him to visit the cafe.
Because if someone had told Zeal Ginjoka a day before that his bizarre love for microwaved coffee would lead him to meet his future husband, he would have laughed in your face.
Oh, future husband ?
That is a story for another time.
Right now, Zeal had one very important thing to do.
Tell Kaelix his real name.