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The soft scent of caffeine filled the air and wafted into Kakyoin's nose as soon as he opened the door to the café he had decided to visit. It was a relatively new building and he never treated himself to anything so he thought he might as well check it out. The lights were a warm yellow colour, and with the sweet aroma, chestnut finishing on the wood walls, and soft leather chairs scattered around, the area looked welcoming.
Sighing contently, Kakyoin flicked the red noodle of hair away from his eyes and looked up at the menu. It was scribbled with neat, curvy writing in chalk and garnished with cute sketches of various drinks. Many of the drinks had weird names he didn't recognize as someone who didn't generally visit cafés, and so he decided to order a simple steamed milk. Unbeknownst to Kakyoin, the upcoming encounter would change his life.
Stepping up to the cashier, he nervously ordered, "One steamed milk please." A deep voice asked from above, "What size?" Startled by the voice of the barista, - shouldn't they be delicate, ready to take your order, speak in a soft voice and gently serve you a steamy hot drink? - Kakyoin looked up quickly. At a height of around 5'10", Kakyoin didn't consider himself tall but he wasn't short either. However, the man in front of him dwarfed him. Not only was he tall, his body was thick and beefy, his hair dark and curly, and his eyes a piercing blue shade. He was, to put it simply, gorgeous in every way possible. Kakyoin, completely awed by the man, mouth gaping, muttered a weak "Y-yes" to his barista's question. Face turning red, he stumbled over his words, correcting himself, "I-I mean, medium please." He quickly paid and scrambled away, feeling more than embarrassed at his awkward mishap in front of a man so beautiful. His heart pounded deep in his chest and he let out another sigh as he sank into a soft leather chair.
Kakyoin felt his eyes wandering to the area where the baristas prepared the drinks, searching through heads. It didn't take him long to find the man, as he was so tall he stood out like a skyscraper among townhouses. Staring at the man for seconds that felt like minutes on end to Kakyoin made him feel as if he was floating in heaven and being graced by an angel. Well, not really, because the man didn’t resemble the typical petite pale angels represented in the media, but because of his beautiful presence, Kakyoin knew the man was his own type of angel. It was funny to him that such a large guy would work at a café but he decided to not question it – it wasn’t like he minded anyway, because then he got to sit encased in comfy leather while gazing upon him. The man had to stoop down to reach the espresso machine and pour it into Kakyoin’s cup. The steamed milk poured out, smooth and creamy, with dollops of foamy bubbles on the top.
"Medium steamed milk!” The voice boomed from behind the counter, holding the cup in his hands. Even his hands made a medium steamed milk look like a small. Heart skipping a beat, Kakyoin played with his hair noodle nervously as he slunk up to the counter and sheepishly grabbed it out of his hand. He placed a lid on the cup after admiring the texture of the steamed milk foam for a few seconds, and turned to leave, feeling clammy and warm. The man made him so embarrassed, but he couldn’t help it. He had never seen someone quite like him before. Just as he turned to walk away, Kakyoin snuck a glance back at the man’s chest, searching for a nametag. The black shirt he wore was tight and his pecs seemed to press against the apron he wore over top of the shirt, looking as if they were going to burst from the clothes if he were to flex. Kakyoin was in awe, but quickly remembered he was searching for a nametag, not awkwardly staring at a beefy guy’s chest.
Jotaro.
"Jotaro…” Kakyoin whispered, admiring the way the syllables sounded rolling off of his tongue. Pulling the collar of his green school uniform up in an attempt to hide his red face from onlookers, he pushed himself out of the door with warm steamed milk in hand and fluffy thoughts about how Jotaro would smell like coffee beans and syrup clouding his mind.
-
Kakyoin made it a habit to stop by the café often. He would walk there after school, seeking warmth from the cool rain, and sit in the leather seats with a sketchbook and his milk. He became a ”usual” there, being able to have small conversations with Jotaro about how delicious steamed milk was, or how interesting it was to try a shot of pumpkin. He would speak quietly to the man, talking of spices and dairy and everything delicious. Kakyoin would then relax and draw while drinking and calmly admiring Jotaro from a distance. Although he would chat mindlessly with him, Kakyoin knew they weren’t anything more than acquaintances as friendliness was an important skill to have in order to work in a café. If you weren’t sweet like the steamed milk you serve, you would have to go. Charming demeanors were important to attracting customers. It was just a part of business.
One day, a dark, gloomy day to be specific, Kakyoin felt at home sinking into the seats. He had become quite accustomed to his schedule of walking to the café, drinking, and going home. He had been freezing on the walk home and was certainly craving a steamed milk and was delighted as he wrapped his hands around the warm milk. Upon ordering earlier, he realized that Jotaro seemed a little different. A little perkier and redder, less stone-hard and more down-to-Earth. It was almost as if... He was happy to see Kakyoin? No. He was just hoping so. "The usual with a shot of vanilla please." Kakyoin ordered in a sweet voice while Jotaro smiled and simply commented, "Sounds good."
As he sat in his chair sipping his steamed vanilla milk, he pulled out his sketchbook. The corners were wrinkled from being shoved in his backpack. He kept his eyes on Jotaro while doing so and a bright idea crept into his head: he was going to draw him. Kakyoin drew in soft light lines, outlining first his head and sketching in darker lines the harsh jawline and pointed noise. His pencil traced its way around the dark curls in his hair, shading them in with ease.
"Ahh..." He groaned as he accidentally drew a large line over Jotaro's light eyes. Reaching for the eraser proved to be a bad idea and upon grasping it he knocked over the milk with his elbow, letting out a surprised cry. The milk spilled over his lap, wetting the pages of the sketchbook, and dripped over the smooth leather onto the floor. The noise Kakyoin made alerted Jotaro. "Oh no." Jotaro said as he approached Kakyoin, grabbing the tassled fabric broom hanging on the wall on the way. It was designed to soak up the rogue liquids that he probably often saw on the café floor.
Swipe, swipe. The broom's soft movement made a noise as it swept across the floor. Kakyoin apologized for making Jotaro have to clean this mess, which elicited a quiet "No problem. It's my job, anyway." Once he was done, he leaned the broom against the wall and looked at Kakyoin.
"You seem to have gotten it on yourself - and your book!" Jotaro looked a little upset (or was he worried?) and grabbed the soaking wet book. Kakyoin felt his heart stop as the giant hands grasped at the pages. At this rate, he would see the photo! Outstretched hands reached for the book but it was pulled out of reach as Jotaro brought it closer to his face to look at the drawing.
"Kakyoin... This is..." He covered his face with shaky hands. "I-I know! I'm sorry, I... I..."
Jotaro placed the book on Kakyoin's knee. "Your art is very pretty." His deep voice sounded... impressed?
"B-but isn't it creepy that I drew you?" Kakyoin's voice shook and grew higher with each syllable he spoke. He didn't want to hear the answer.
"I think it's cute." Heart speeding up at the word "cute" Kakyoin removed his hands and looked up into the piercing blue eyes that had seemed like clouds hiding emotions instead of skies. They swirled this time with love and happiness. "R-really-" Kakyoin couldn't finish his sentence as he felt lips wrap around his. Jotaro had bent down and was kissing him straight on the lips.
This was exactly what Kakyoin had wanted ever since he had first laid eyes on the man. Big hands cupped Kakyoin's smaller, paler face. He felt perfect, his lips soft and confident. Hands grabbed onto Jotaro's dark curls and the man's scent swirled around the smaller boy. He smelled exactly how he had imagined: like coffee, spices, and warm milk. It was inviting and Kakyoin wanted to fall right into his big arms. When Jotaro pulled away and stood up from leaning down (Kakyoin was still on the leather chair, after all) he stretched and smiled. The dark cheeks were home to a scarlet blush. Kakyoin smiled back. "You're perfect," he said gently.
"I love you." Kakyoin blurted out and stood up to face him.
"I love you too, Kakyoin." Jotaro smiled and then looked embarrassed as he noticed the lineup of people at the register. "Um. I think I should help them." Kakyoin nodded, his red noodle of hair bouncing with the movement. "I-I'll see you tomorrow!" His voice was high and happy and he turned to leave, grabbing his wet sketchbook on the way. As he pushed his way out, this time, he reminisced upon the sweet scent of Jotaro, the feeling of his lips against his own, the quick heartbeat in his chest and the happy smile plastered on his face.