Work Text:
There is a new barista at Casper’s favourite café.
It’s a cold, grey Monday morning. It’s been raining non-stop for weeks, making his already miserable days at the law firm even worse. And maybe Casper should be used to shitty weather, he’s Norwegian after all, but he’s always been a sucker for warm, sunny days. He wishes he had time for a vacation on a tropical island…
Casper walks inside the cozy coffee shop to hide from the freezing rain, typical for a December in Copenhagen. The bell above the door rings. He shakes his umbrella outside the threshold and enters the café, making sure to wipe his shoes on the doormat.
The shop smells of, what a shock, ground coffee beans and cinnamon. There is a Christmas tree in the corner, covered in red and green ornaments and tinsel. Mariah Carey’s All I Want For Christmas Is You is playing from the speakers, her voice too cheerful for the early hour. Casper wants to go back home and bury himself under a fluffy blanket, with a cup of tea in his hands. Only…
…he can’t. He’s a serious trainee at a serious law firm, aspiring to become a serious lawyer. So, he has to wake up at a serious (seriously awful) hour and drink serious coffee instead.
He walks over to the counter, summoning a polite smile onto his face. The barista is standing with his back turned to Casper. There is a pastel pink baseball cap sitting on the top of his head, clashing with the festive decor. Ridiculous, Casper thinks, amused. Who wears a hat inside? He clears his throat, trying to catch his attention. The guy doesn’t react and Casper rolls his eyes when he realizes he’s wearing earbuds.
He opens his mouth to say something and in the exact same moment, the barista turns around. He startles when he notices Casper, his bright eyes widening. “Oh, um, hi. Can I— Can I help you?”
He’s cute is the first thing on Casper’s mind when he looks at his face. His features are soft, boyish. His eyes are blue and there are a few blond strands of hair falling from under his cap. “Hi. Yes. I’d like a medium americano, double espresso. To go, please.”
Casper takes his credit card out of his wallet.
“Coming right up! It’s gonna be… 40 kroner.” He turns to the coffee maker and busies himself preparing Casper’s drink. Casper holds his card to the terminal, waiting for it to beep. He looks around the café. It’s not busy today. There is a middle-aged man sitting by the window, drinking an espresso. A young girl is typing on her laptop, a large, steaming cup on the table in front of her. Two elderly women are eating cake and chatting, their conversation getting drowned out by the whir of the coffee machine.
Casper checks the time on his watch. 8:46 AM. If he doesn’t get his coffee and leave soon, he’s going to be late. He taps his fingers on the counter impatiently, observing the working man. He seems a bit clumsy, his movements sloppy and not fast enough. Casper just prays he doesn’t spill his drink.
“Here you go”, the barista says, handing him the coffee cup with a shy smile. Casper smiles back despite his annoyance. “Have a nice day!”
“Thank you. You too”, he says and leaves the shop in a hurry.
He finds himself thinking about the blond when he walks to the café the next day. He hasn’t dated anybody in a long time, sue him for not being immune to a cute guy in an apron.
The pretty barista is at the counter when Casper enters the cafe. He’s wearing a cap in a different shade of pastel: today it’s blue. He looks up at the sound of the bell, smiling when he sees Casper whose heart jumps at the sight. There are dimples on his cheeks and he looks… adorable.
Casper smiles at him softly and says, “Hi.”
“Hi!”, he greets Casper, his voice a little breathless. The Norwegian’s smile widens when he realizes he’s flustered. “Welcome back. Um, how can I help you?”, he asks, cheeks pink.
Casper gets closer to the counter, a mischievous look in his eyes, and tells him, “I’ll have the same thing as yesterday.” If his theory is right—
“Uh, a medium americano, right?”, the barista says, his eyes avoiding Casper’s. Oh, he’s enjoying this.
Casper spots the name tag on his apron. “Yes, thank you for remembering, Holger.” Casper smirks when the blond trips over his own feet, going red in the face. He pays and waits for the man to make his coffee, his mood too jolly for a gloomy winter day.
“Here— here you go”, Holger stutters as he puts the Christmas-themed paper cup on the counter.
Casper smiles at him charmingly. “Tak”, he thanks him. “See you!”, he adds while walking out the door.
Through the window, he sees Holger waving to him timidly. He sends a wave back and almost slips on the icy pavement.
Hopefully he wasn’t looking, he thinks to himself, embarrassed.
Casper had a horrible day yesterday.
First, he spilled coffee on his white shirt right before an important meeting. Then, his boss scolded him in front of the entire office. In the evening, already back at his apartment, he realized he forgot to send an important e-mail.
And this morning, he woke up and looked through the window to see it had snowed overnight. He left for work later than usual and reached his car just to find it was completely covered in snow and the windshield was frozen. He had to take the bus to the office and didn’t even have the time to grab coffee.
So, absolutely understandably, Casper is grumpy. Not only grumpy, scratch that, he’s mad. Everything annoys him today and he has to wait for the lunch break to go to the coffee shop and try to fix his mood with caffeine.
When he finally gets the chance to slip out of the office, it’s so fucking cold outside he has to will himself not to come back inside right away. He left his beanie in the building so his ears are probably going to fall off. In fact, he can already feel them going red which means soon he won’t feel them at all.
In front of the café, he almost slips on the ice (again). He’s already irritated when he walks into the shop and the long queue further ruins his humour. He spots Holger behind the counter. He’s not alone this time. A girl dressed in the same apron as him is taking orders quite smoothly, her long braided hair tied in a ponytail on the top of her head. When Casper gets close enough to read her badge, he finds out her name is Coco. “Hi, welcome to our shop! What can I do for you?”, she greets him joyfully. He feels an incoming headache.
“I can take this one, Coco”, Holger says from behind her, his eyes locking with Casper’s for only a second.
The blond’s small smile makes Casper forget about his bad mood for a moment. Suddenly he’s not cold anymore. “Hello, Holger”, Casper murmurs.
“Hey”, the Dane greets him. “Why do you look like someone pissed in your coffee?” The words make Casper bark out a surprised laugh. Holger seems to realize what he said and blushes furiously. “Shit, sorry”, he apologizes sheepishly and Casper laughs again.
“It’s okay. I haven’t had coffee yet, actually. That’s why I came here. So if anyone can piss in it to make my day even worse, it’s you.” Holger chuckles awkwardly.
“Don’t worry”, he says as he starts making the coffee, “I kinda want to keep this job. Poisoning clients isn’t exactly the best strategy.”
“From what I’ve heard, drinking urine is healthy.”
“Oh, no, I think it’s a myth, actually.”
“Too bad.” Casper grins. Holger shakes his head but there’s a shadow of a smile on his face. Success.
Casper has been to the café every day for the last two weeks.
(“I’ll have the usual.”
“Do you think I have every regular’s order memorized?”
“No. But I think you have mine.”
“Idiot.”)
(“This suit looks really expensive.”
“Would you believe me if I told you it’s the same one they used in the latest Bond movie?”
“...No.”
“A shame.”)
(“Are you an accountant or something?”
“Ouch. No. I’m a lawyer. Are you a professional barista?”
“If I was… would I work here?”
“Probably not.”
“Bingo. I’m a sports management student. But I’m not very good at managing. Or sports, except tennis.”
“Well, you’re good at making coffee… Wait. I promise it was a compliment!”)
(“My name’s Casper by the way. I realized I’ve never introduced myself.”
“Wow, so rude. Do parents not teach their kids manners in Norway? …Actually, don’t answer that because I have a better question – were you named after that cartoon ghost?”)
Today is Tuesday and Casper does feel like he was chewed. And spat out.
He’s been sick since the weekend but he can’t really afford to take any time off right before Christmas. So, he’s been going to work with a runny nose and a sore throat, sneezing and coughing on everybody.
There’s been a lot of work at the office lately. Casper was stressed and overworked even before the Christmas season started but now every day at the firm is apocalyptic: important documents being misplaced, staplers being thrown at people, central heating being broken… Casper debates pretending to get locked in a toilet cubicle, like, five times a day.
Not even Iga’s gingerbread cookies can cheer him up.
During his break, he goes to get coffee. Holger’s coworker Coco is at the counter when Casper enters the café, wearing a navy blue Christmas sweater. He doesn’t spot Holger so he assumes he must not be working today. Swallowing his disappointment, he stands in the line.
A minute later, the blond does appear, holding a huge bag of coffee beans in his arms. His muscles flex around it and Casper’s throat is suddenly very dry (even despite all the snot and phlegm plaguing it). He doesn’t seem to notice Casper when he approaches the register and takes the next client’s order, Coco disappearing behind the staff door.
Casper can hear Holger’s laughter as the man orders whatever it is he’s ordering. He’s quite handsome, Casper observes. He’s getting impatient while he watches Holger talk to him for, in Casper’s humble opinion, way more time than necessary. But it’s only when he sees Holger blush that he loses it.
He clears his throat as he moves closer to the counter. “Um, excuse me. I’m in a bit of a rush, could you, please, hurry up?”, he says to the dark-haired man, a perfectly polite fake smile on his face. The man seems a little startled for a second before he becomes embarrassed. He finishes ordering and when he moves to the side, Holger glares at him.
“What is your problem?”
“I have no problem”, he says innocently. “I’m just in a hurry.”
“Sure.” The Dane rolls his eyes. “The usual, then?”
Three minutes later his coffee is ready. Casper grabs it from the counter and he’s off to the office, except…
When he takes a sip of his drink just a few steps outside the coffee shop, it’s not his usual order. It’s… sweet. And syrupy. Like caramel or something.
Casper hates it. Drinking sweet coffee is criminal. Coffee with milk is already bad enough but putting sugar in it? Jail!
Casper walks back into the café, irritated. Holger’s never messed up his drink before. Was he too distracted by that guy to pay attention to Casper’s coffee?
“You fucked up my coffee”, he tells Holger the moment their eyes meet. The blond furrows his brows.
“Huh?”
“It has, like, caramel in it. It’s disgusting.”
“Oh, sorry. The client before you ordered a caramel macchiato, I must’ve been thinking about it.” Or about him? Casper’s irritation only grows, despite Holger’s apology, joined by another ugly feeling.
“Whatever. Just… focus on your job instead of daydreaming about your clients.” Holger blushes but Casper can’t tell if it's out of embarrassment or anger.
“Are you seriously mad because I flirted with a client? You flirt with me all the time!” Realization dawns on Holger’s face. “Oh. You’re mad because I flirted with another client.”
“Listen—”
“You’re jealous.”
“You’re being ridiculous. I don’t care if you flirt with other clients.”
“Good. Because I’m going to.”
“Good.”
“Great.”
“Awesome.”
“...Do you want me to remake your coffee?”
“Yes.” Holger looks at him pointedly. “Please.”
The next time he’s in the coffee shop is on Saturday.
On Wednesday morning he woke up with a fever and physically couldn't go to work or even leave his bed until Friday. He has a lot of work to catch up on so he decides to take his laptop to the café.
And if he spends too much time in front of the mirror before he leaves, it’s nobody’s business but his.
There are only a couple days left until Christmas Eve and everyone in Copenhagen seems to be in festive spirits. Shopping malls are full of people looking for last-minute presents. The streets smell of mulled wine and fir. Casper tries to soak it all in before he leaves for Oslo to enjoy the holidays with his family.
The shop is packed. Casper orders a large coffee and sets his laptop down on one of the tables. It’s covered in a chequered cloth, red and white, and there’s a bundle of holly sitting on top of it. The place looks like if Santa Claus opened a Starbucks.
It’s lovely.
Casper smiles into his steaming cup. His coworkers make fun of him for liking Christmas so much but he can’t help it. It truly is the most wonderful time of the year.
He spends hours working in peace, undisturbed. Until…
The staff door opens and Holger walks out of it. He has a yellow cap on backwards, of course, but he’s also wearing a horrible green Christmas sweater and equally horrible skinny jeans. Casper sort of wants to kiss him.
Then he remembers that he should probably apologize first.
When he walks over to the counter, Holger is turned from him. He’s humming the song that’s playing on the radio (Last Christmas by Wham!) and moving to the rhythm as he wipes the coffee machine.
"Hi, um”, he starts. God, I sound nervous. “Hi, Holger?”, he repeats more loudly.
Holger turns to him, startled. His eyes widen slightly in surprise but he recovers quickly. “Oh! Hi.”
“I— I wanted to apologize. For the other day. I’m sorry, I was being an asshole. I just… I had a shitty day. It’s not an excuse, I know. But I need you to know that I’m sorry.”
“Uh, thanks, Casper. I actually—” Holger chuckles tensely. “I was worried you switched to another coffee place. Because… I haven’t seen you since the Caramel Incident. And neither has Coco—”
“You asked your coworker about me?”
“Yeah”, he stutters. “I was worried”, he repeats, “that we lost a regular.”
“Alright”, Casper says with a smirk. “Well, you didn’t. I was just sick. I had the flu”, he explains.
“Oh, shit, I’m sorry.”
“Not your fault. Unless you infected my coffee with not only caramel”, he fakes a shiver, “but germs as well?”
Holger laughs, sounding lighter. “I kinda need the money so…”
“Ouch! Am I just a wallet to you?”, Casper asks jokingly. Holger giggles when he clutches his chest dramatically and Casper’s heart soars.
It’s snowing heavily on Monday when Casper is driving home from work. He hopes it stops soon. He would really hate for his Tuesday evening flight to Oslo to get delayed. His mum would probably kill him if he was late for the Julaften dinner.
When he’s passing by the café, he notices a lone figure standing in front of the door. They’re holding their phone in a gloved hand, swiping on it with the other. Casper looks in his side mirror and parks by the curb. He rolls the window down, feeling the cold air hit his face. “Hello. Do you need a ride?”
Holger jumps at the sound of his voice, clearly not having seen (or heard) his car. “Jesus!”
“You are going to get kidnapped one day.”
“You sneaked up on me!”
Casper raises his eyebrows in disbelief. “Holger. I think all that Christmas music might have caused you to lose your hearing.”
“What?”
“I’m saying—
“What?”
“I’m—”
“Sorry, I can’t hear you! Do you think I should go to a laryngologist?”
“Are you—”
“Yes, I’m fucking with you.” Holger grins. Casper groans.
“You know what? I’m starting to regret offering you a ride. But, I’m a gentleman. So – are you coming?”
“Yeah, yeah, thank you”, Holger says sincerely as he gets into the vehicle. “Fuck”, he sighs. “I’m so cold.” His right hand is red and he starts rubbing it with the gloved one, trying to warm it up. Casper barely fights off the urge to take it into his own palm and puff on it.
“Why were you just standing there?”
“My sister was supposed to pick me up. But she just texted me that her car got stuck in a snow drift. I was going to call an Uber but I guess you will do.”
“Oh? I can still leave you here to freeze.”
“Nope. It’s too late. You have to drive me now.”
“Damn, what a hardship”, Casper says with a wide smile and Holger flushes. “Put your address into the GPS, princess.”
“Princess?”, Holger splutters.
“Yeah? You’re a passenger princess.”
Holger rolls his eyes. His cheeks are even redder than before. “Shut up.”
“You’re blushing.”
“It’s freezing.”
“Nah. You’re actually blushing.”
“Just— drive.”
They reach Holger’s house too fast. Casper already feels like he knows Holger and he only wants to learn more. All the talking and laughing, all the banter… It must be flirting, right? He’s not reading it wrong.
But he’s about to leave for Norway and Holger is not picking up a shift tomorrow. They won’t see each other for over a week.
“I— I’m going to miss your coffee.”
“Just my coffee?”, Holger prompts, his voice wobbly.
“No. Not just your coffee”, he mutters. He takes a deep breath and reaches for Holger’s hand, squeezing it delicately. He looks straight into his blue eyes and takes a leap of faith. “Can I have your number?”
Holger’s face lights up in the most beautiful smile. “Yeah”, he whispers. “Of course, Casper.”
Casper is giddy the entire drive back.
They text each other everyday. Casper’s sisters give him a lot of shit for it, constantly asking him about his new boyfriend.
“Why didn’t you bring him for Christmas?”, Charlotte asks with a teasing smirk.
“He’s not my boyfriend.”
“Yet”, Caroline insists.
He goes to a New Year’s Eve party with his sisters and gets drunker than he has in years.
“Godt nyttår!”, he yells into his phone when Holger picks up, minutes before midnight.
“Casper?”
“Yes!” He giggles into the speaker. “Are you at a party?”
“Yeah, Alma dragged me here and ditched me to make out with her boyfriend.”
“Awww…”
“...Are you drunk?”
Casper giggles again. “Yep.” He hears the countdown start, everyone gathering in a circle with champagne flutes in their hands. “I wish I could kiss you at midnight." He pouts.
Holger squeaks. “Fuck, you can’t just say that!”
“I can”, he insists stubbornly. “I mean it.”
“I’ll kiss you when you’re back in Denmark then.”
“You promise?”
Holger laughs softly. “I do.”
Casper is nervous.
He’s nervous before a date with a boy he’s fairly sure is in love with him already.
He’s a lawyer, for God’s sake, he should be able to handle stress! Get a grip, Casper!
He arrives at the ice rink about half an hour too early. He waits with his hands in the pockets of his jacket to stop them from fidgeting. It’s a sunny but freezy day. The sun reflects in the snow, almost blinding Casper.
When he finally spots Holger approaching, his heart almost jumps out of his chest.
The Dane’s smile is wide and bright, brighter than the sun. Casper finds himself smiling back automatically. “Hi”, Holger greets him. “Jesus, your dimples are so cute.”
Casper feels his cheeks heat up. “Hi”, he breathes. “Shall we?”, he asks when he regains his composure, offering his arm.
“Oh, you’re such a gentleman, aren’t you?”
“I try, dear.” They laugh. Holger loops his arm around Casper’s. “You have skated before, right?”
“You said you’ve skated before!”
“I didn't say I was good at it!” Holger says, down on the ice after another fall.
“Why did you agree to go skating then?”, Casper asks with a laugh.
“I—” Holger’s cheeks get pink. “I just wanted to go on a date with you…”
“Fuck, you’re so cute”, Casper says, awe evident in his voice. “Let’s go get hot chocolate. Your skating attempts are too pitiful to watch.”
“Hey!”
They walk through the park, cups of hot chocolate in their hands. Their free hands brush each other every once in a while as they walk, sending gentle sparks of electricity up Casper’s arm.
They stop by a frozen pond, soft rays of sunshine hitting Holger’s face just right when Casper looks at him. There is some chocolate on his upper lip and Casper wants to lick it off.
“You— You have something here.” He brings his hand close to Holger’s face, transfixed.
“Where?”
“Here”, he repeats and puts his thumb on the chocolate-covered spot, wiping the stain with his digit softly. He licks his thumb and Holger groans quietly.
“Are you trying to kill me?”
“I’m trying to make you kiss me”, Casper counters and smiles. “You promised.”
Holger chuckles, the sound like music to Casper’s ears. His eyes are shining. “You want me to kiss you?”
“God, yes.”
Holger puts his palm on Casper’s cheek, the material of his glove tickling the Norwegian’s skin. Their eyes lock and suddenly Casper is so warm. Slowly, their faces get closer. Casper closes his eyes.
Then, Holger’s lips are on his and Casper sighs into the kiss. He grabs the lapels of the Dane’s coat, bringing him closer. When Holger’s hand lands in Casper’s curls, he shivers. The kiss is sweet like a candy cane and warm like a fireplace. It’s like a late Christmas gift.
They both smile into it until they can’t kiss anymore. Holger pulls away slightly. “Satisfied?”
Casper shakes his head in denial and Holger laughs, bringing their lips together again.
It’s… magic.
December is here again. Casper walks down the street, enamoured by all the colourful lights decorating the shops. In the distance, he can see the coffee shop, glowing with warm yellow light.
The door opens and Holger exits the café, his shift finished. Casper smiles at him and hides a neatly wrapped package behind his back. Holger smiles back when Casper walks over to him.
“Hi, love”, the Dane says. “Merry Christmas.”
“Merry Christmas, darling”, Casper wishes him. Above their heads, there’s mistletoe hanging from the door. Casper glances at it and smirks, before pulling his boyfriend into a kiss.
Merry Christmas indeed.