Work Text:
There is very little in life that Seung-gil Lee likes. Mornings are definitely not one of those things. Granted, not a lot of people like mornings, but Seung-gil looks like he dislikes them much more than everyone else.
One particular day Seung-gil seemed to hate mornings even more than usual was when he found that he had to walk an extra block to get coffee because his regular coffee shop was closed. It was also Monday, which was never fun.
He grunted in annoyance as he walked past the closed coffee shop. Mornings were terrible, coffee made them slightly less terrible. He needed some coffee as soon as possible to make his morning somewhat tolerable, so he went to the other coffee shop that he hadn’t bothered to go to yet for it was less convenient for him on a normal day.
He walked into the shop which was empty other than a guy humming with earphones on as he wiped the counter that seemed to be around his age. He walked up to the counter and waited for the guy to notice him, when that didn’t happen, her cleared his throat loudly.
The guy looked up abruptly, practically tearing his earphones off and smiling sheepishly. “So sorry about that! We never get customers this early so I wasn’t really expecting someone to be here!” the guy said, still smiling with a bright smile. “What can I get you?”
If there was anything more annoying for Seung-gil than mornings it was morning people. “Coffee,” Seung-gil said, his face expressionless. “Black.”
“Size?”
“Medium.”
“That’ll be 2.75.” The guy said in a chipper voice, making Seung-gil wonder how he had so much energy so early in the morning.
Seung-gil handed him the money as the guy spoke up once again “What’s your name?” making Seung-gil furrow his brows further “To write on the cup I mean.” he clarified.
“Oh, Seung-gil.” Seung-gil said, wondering why it was necessary when he was the only person in the shop.
“Cool. Mine’s Phichit. Oh, but you could probably see that on the name tag.” Phichit said, rubbing the back of his neck, still smiling the bright smile that was annoying to Seung-gil. Phichit’s smile faltered for a moment when Seung-gil’s expression stayed stoic. He smiled again, though this time it seemed forced. “I’ll, um, go make your coffee. Sorry.” Oh, Seung-gil had hurt him. How stupid was it to be affected by something someone you don’t even know did. People shouldn’t be that sensitive. He was surprised though, to find that he actually felt kind of bad for hurting Phichit.
“Yeah, thanks.” Seung-gil murmured letting out a huff as he looked at his phone. It wasn’t that there was much interesting on his phone, it was just that Phichit was too much for him in the morning and he needed a distraction from his energetic presence, it was annoying him.
“Um, Seu- sir?” Phichit said, making Seung-gil look up from his phone. “Your coffee is ready.”
Seung-gil reached to the paper cup that Phichit was holding up and their fingers brushed as he was taking it from the barista’s hand.
“Have a nice day!” Phichit chirped, smiling yet again at Seung-gil.
“Uh, you too.” Seung-gil said, walking out of the store. He took a sip of his coffee and something on the cup caught his attention. He stopped in front of the glass window of the shop and read the writing.
I think you’re cute.
Seung-gil would never admit it, but he couldn’t help the blush that crept on his face.
*
*
*
Seung-gil paused in front of his regular coffee shop, which was properly functioning today, and he kept walking.
I’m going there because the coffee is better, Seung-gil thought to himself.
Again, he wouldn’t admit it, but he knew that wasn’t the real reason.
He walked into the shop, making the little bell at the door chime. Phichit looked up from behind the counter, smiling brightly when he saw Seung-gil. Why he smiled, Seung-gil couldn’t understand, he was nothing to be excited or happy about. “Hey! Good morning!” Phichit said.
“Hi.” Seung-gil said.
“Medium black coffee?” Phichit said, smiling still.
“Yeah,” Seung-gil said, slightly curious as to why Phichit remembered his order, he must’ve had a lot of other customers throughout the day. “You remember my order?”
“Yep,” Phichit said, popping the p. “I also remember your name, Seung-gil.” He added, smiling brightly.
“Oh.”
“That’ll be 2.75.”
“Yeah, here you go.” Seung-gil said, the exact amount of money already in his hand.
Phichit took the money from him and got to making his coffee, still smiling to himself and humming an unfamiliar melody.
“Does your face not hurt?” Seung-gil said before he could stop himself. This wasn’t something that happened a lot to Seung-gil, he usually calculated his moves before actually said or did things. “Sorry… Just,” Seung-gil said. See, this is what happened when he didn’t calculate what he was going to say before he actually spoke. “You just smile a lot.” He muttered. He felt stupid. Why did he even say that? He should've kept his mouth shut and waited for his coffee in silence.
Phichit had halted in his movements and looked up from the coffee machine. He had a bewildered expression on his face until he burst out laughing. Seung-gil could feel his cheeks starting to burn and hoped to whatever god there was - if there was one - that Phichit didn’t notice the blush that was bound to be on his face. “No, it doesn’t actually.” Phichit said when his laughter calmed down. He was looking at Seung-gil, who was deliberately avoiding Phichit’s gaze. If Seung-gil had not been trying not to meet eyes with Phichit, he’d have seen the intrigued smile on Phichit’s face. He'd have seen that Phichit found him interesting and maybe even endearing. “You should smile more.” Phichit said, going back to making Seung-gil’s coffee.
Seung-gil shrugged, “I do smile,” He said, “when I have a reason to.”
Phichit hummed in acknowledgment, finally finished with Seung-gil’s drink. He put the lid on and held out the cup for Seung-gil to take. “I don’t think you need to have a very elaborate reason to smile. You’ll be happier in life if you can smile without a specific reason. Not having a reason not to smile should be reason enough to smile, don’t you think?”
“I have no idea what you just said and frankly, I don’t really care that much.” Seung-gil said, taking a sip of his coffee.
“Still not fully awake, huh?” Phichit chuckled. “Well, I hope you have a nice day! Come again.”
“Thanks, you too.” Seung-gil said, taking another sip of the coffee. He walked out of the shop before glancing down at the cup looking for the sentence that Phichit had written. He wouldn’t admit this either or maybe wasn’t even aware of it yet, but he really hoped that Phichit had written something on the cup again.
You’d look a lot cuter if you actually smiled, you know?
Seung-gil frowned at what Phichit wrote, but that didn’t change the fact that it made his stomach feel funny.
*
*
*
This time, Seung-gil didn’t even hesitate in walking past his ‘regular’ coffee shop. It didn’t feel right to call it his ‘regular’ now, because, well, it really wasn’t at this point, was it? He didn’t try to persuade himself that it was because of the coffee. For the first time in his life, Seung-gil didn’t even think before doing something, for this, he didn’t need to. He was going there because he wanted to, he didn’t need to have a specific reason.
“Hey,” he said, as he walked in the shop. The shop was empty yet again, yes it was a small shop so it was understandable that they wouldn't have that many customers but Seung-gil hadn’t seen anyone other than him in the shop, and it made him wonder if they even had any customers. Then again, it was only his third time there, and it was very early in the morning.
“Good morning!” Phichit practically sang, smiling, which wasn’t a surprise to Seung-gil anymore, it would actually be surprising now to see him without a smile.
Seung-gil groaned before shushing Phichit. “Too loud for this ungodly hour, please stop.”
Phichit giggled (yes, giggled) and Seung-gil wouldn’t admit it but he thought it was adorable “Okay, you grump.” Phichit said. “Medium black coffee?”
Seung-gil nodded and handed him the money for the coffee. Phichit seemed extra chattery this morning, for some reason unknown to Seung-gil. “I can’t drink my coffee black.” Phichit was saying. “I put a lot of milk and also sugar to actually be able to handle coffee.”
“Adding milk to your coffee, even if you don't add the sugar, makes for more than 13 times the calories,” Seung-gil said, keeping his eyes on his phone. He didn't really care for the calories but Phichit seemed like the type that would care. The milk was unnecessary and this was just another reason why.
“Why do you even know that? I’m the barista here,” Phichit said, looking at Seung-gil in shock, as Seung-gil merely shrugged.
“Why do you not know it?”
“Fair enough,” Phichit said, chuckling as he finished up Seung-gil’s drink. “Your coffee’s ready.” He held the cup out for Seung-gil again. Neither of them seemed to care that he didn’t really need to do that as the counter was right there and he could’ve just put it there. Seung-gil raised his eyebrows a little bit as he thought of this but didn’t mention it, maybe this was just what he did with everyone, he couldn’t think of why he would do that, but it’s not like this was actually important. Speaking of, why was Seung-gil even thinking about this unimportant detail?
“Seung-gil?” Seung-gil hears Phichit call out. Oh, right, coffee. Shaking his head as if shaking away his thoughts, he reached for the cup in Phichit’s hand, their fingers brushing, the small contact making Seung-gil’s heart jump, which was confusing to Seung-gil.
“Sorry, I guess I zoned out for a moment.” he apologized. Sorry? Had he just said sorry? Was he getting sick? Why did he feel the need to apologize about that, of all things?
Phichit laughed softly. Seung-gil stared at him for a moment, thinking that it might be one of the purest sounds he’s ever heard. “It’s fine, you seem a little out of it today,” Phichit broke him from his trance. “A lot on your mind?”
Nope, just you, Seung-gil thought, surprising himself once again. “Uh, yeah.” He said, with furrowed brows. “I’m gonna be late.” He said. He didn’t have anywhere to be, he just wanted to not feel awkward. “Bye.”
“Okay! Have a great day Seung!” Phichit said, with his signature bright smile. “Sorry, is it okay if I call you Seung?”
“Yeah, whatever,” Seung-gil said, feeling his cheeks get warmer. What was wrong with him?? He should've been annoyed that Phichit didn't call him by his proper name, you weren't supposed to shorten Korean names, it didn't work like that. So why did he not feel annoyed, at all? “You too, have a nice day.” Seung-gil added, before turning on his heel and heading outside.
Once he was out the door, he looked down at the cup to see the now familiar handwriting adorning it.
I hope I get to see your gorgeous smile soon…
*
*
*
The next day, Seung-gil walked to the coffee shop again. He was feeling way too cheerful this morning, for him anyway. He didn’t know where the energy came from, but he just felt good. Maybe he didn’t even need the coffee that day. Woah… Nope, that was going too far.
He walked into the shop, looking at the counter where Phichit normally stood. Normally was the keyword here, as Phichit was not standing there at the moment. “Phichit?” Seung-gil called out, walking towards the counter. Someone came out from the door at the back of the counter, which Seung-gil guessed was the storage room. It wasn’t Phichit. It was a black haired guy that seemed to be around Seung-gil’s age, maybe a couple years older.
“Hi! It’s Phichit’s day off.” The guy said. “And, um, we’re actually not open for another half hour…” He added with a nervous chuckle, pushing his glasses up.
“What?” Seung-gil’s eyes widened. “But I’ve been coming here every day at around this time?”
“Ohh, are you Seung-gil?” the guy asked. “I’m Yuuri, I work here with Phichit.” the guy added with a small smile.
“How do you know who I am?” Seung-gil asked, his confusion clear on my face.
“Oh! Phichit mentioned that you came in at around 8.30 and that he didn’t have the heart to tell you that we opened at 9!” the guy, Yuuri, let out a nervous chuckle, making Seung-gil raise his eyebrows.
“But why?” Seung-gil said, well, murmured really. “Okay, um, thanks anyway, in that case, I’ll leave you to get the shop ready for the day.” Seung-gil said, turning his back to Yuuri and starting to walk away.
“No, Seung-gil, wait!” Yuuri called, “I can still get you your coffee, I’m mostly done with the preparations.”
“Okay, thanks. Can I have a med-” Seung-gil started to say before he was interrupted by Yuuri.
“A medium black coffee, yeah, I know” Yuuri smiled at him.
“Does everyone know my order?” Seung-gil said, his disbelief in the situation clear on his face. He left the money for the coffee on the counter and asked to use the restroom. After being pointed in the right direction, he stood in front of the restroom mirror, trying to find some sense in what was happening.
Why did Phichit not mention that the shop was closed the whole time he’d been there? It must’ve been inconvenient for him, no? And just how much about him had Phichit said to Yuuri? Why? Why would Phichit even talk about him?
Seung-gil splashed his face with water, internally scolding himself for dwelling so much on these happenings. He didn’t actually care to know why Phichit hadn’t thrown him out when he could have, it was just weird, he probably just did that so that it wasn’t awkward for either one of them. And Phichit probably talked about so much that Seung-gil just happened to be one of the hundreds of topics.
Seung-gil walked out from the restroom and spotted Yuuri behind the counter kneeling down in front of the drawers, most likely restocking them or getting something from them. “Your coffee is on the counter to the side.” Yuuri said before looking up at Seung-gil “Oh, and, Phichit told me to make your drink in that cup, apparently he writes stuff on your cups and he didn’t want to miss a day or something like that.”
“He wrote it beforehand and left the cup with you for you to put my drink in?” Seung-gil said, the shock clear in his voice and on his face.
“Yep.” Yuuri said, amused.
Seung-gil picked the cup up and looked for Phichit’s writing.
Sorry I couldn’t be there today, hope you have a wonderful day! Don’t miss me too much ;)
*
*
*
Seung-gil let out a sigh of relief when he saw Phichit before going in the shop, he would not have been able to go in if it was Yuuri’s shift today as well.
“Good morning, Seung!” Phichit chirped. “I missed you yesterday.” He added with a wink.
“Hey, Phichit.” Seung-gil said, taking off his gloves and stuffing them in his pocket. “You could’ve told me that the shop wasn’t open yet, you know,” he added looking at Phichit pointedly.
“Yeah, I could have,” Phichit shrugged, “and you could’ve come in later when we’re actually open, now that you know. But since neither of us chose to do the alternative, I think it’s safe to say that neither of us cares that the shop is actually closed.”
“Yeah, I guess so.” Seung-gil said, now leaning on the counter.
“Oh!” Phichit said, “I have your coffee ready.”
“You have my coffee ready?” Seung-gil repeated, with his eyebrows raised. “Are you trying to minimize the time you spend with me?”
“No!” Phichit exclaimed. “I’m sorry if you misunderstood! Why would I ever-” Phichit babbled before Seung-gil cut him off.
“Chill, it was a joke.” Seung-gil said, keeping his expression solid as usual.
“Oh.” Phichit said, rubbing the back of his neck. “That was stupid of me then.” He murmured.
“No, it was funny” and cute, Seung-gil added in his mind. He was getting more used to calling Phichit cute in his head.
It was silent for a while. It wasn’t an uncomfortable silence, quite the opposite really, with Phichit keeping his eyes on Seung-gil until he called him out on it.
“Is there something on my face?” Seung-gil demanded, snapping Phichit out of what seemed to be a trance and making him burst out laughing.
“No.” Phichit said, shaking his head. “It’s just that… You were smiling.” Phichit said, beaming.
“Was I?” Seung-gil said, all emotion fading away from his face. “I didn’t realize.”
“I should, um, make you another cup of coffee, it’s probably cold now.” Phichit said looking at the cup in Seung-gil’s hand.
“What, no, it’s still warm.” Seung-gil said, his brows furrowed.
“No, just, give me your cup, I’m gonna make another!” Phichit said, leaning over the counter to try and grab the cup out of Seung-gil’s hand.
“Why? It’s unnecessary and a waste of time.” Seung-gil said holding the cup away from Phichit, who now had a leg over the counter. Phichit lunged for the Seung-gil’s coffee, knocking it over in the process.
“Oops,” Phichit said with a nervous chuckle. “I guess now I have to make you another.” He added with a bright smile, which was met by a deep frown from Seung-gil. Seung-gil bent over to pick up the cup from the ground after being assured by Phichit that he’d mop the floor before opening.
They were silent after that, the only noise being Phichit’s furious scribbling on a new cup. Seung-gil had to admit that it was an adorable sight, Phichit’s brows were furrowed in concentration, his hair had fallen over his eyes, and his tongue was sticking out in concentration.
Seung-gil averted his eyes when Phichit went behind the espresso machine to prepare Seung-gil’s drink. He really had to get a grip of himself, staring at someone due to cuteness wasn’t like him.
“Here you go.” Phichit said, hiding over the freshly made coffee to Seung-gil. Seung-gil’s eyes were on Phichit’s fingers, subconsciously awaiting the small contact that he was used to. However, when their fingers did touch, Seung-gil still felt as if he was caught off-guard.
“That really was a waste of time.” Seung-gil said as he took the coffee from Phichit’s hand.
“Nah, it’s fine. It was a bad idea to make your coffee before you got here anyways.” Phichit said, waving his hand dismissively. “Well, have a nice day, Seung, sorry for making you wait for a new cup of coffee.”
“It’s okay, I wasn’t in that much of a hurry today so…” Seung-gil trailed off. “Have a good one, Phichit.”
“Thanks!” Phichit responded, smiling brightly, making the skin near his eyes wrinkly.
Seung-gil turned around, sipping his coffee. It was obvious that Phichit made him another cup to change what he wrote, nothing else made even the slightest sense. What had he written the first time that he wanted to change?
He paused outside the door, as he always did (it was almost habitual now), and read the familiar handwriting.
I knew you’d be cuter with a smile but damn…
Seung-gil felt his cheeks warm up, that had been happening a lot lately, as he hastily started to walk away from the shop.
*
*
*
For the next couple days, Seung-gil kept on going to the coffee shop every morning, growing more and more used to Phichit being the first (and sometimes only) human that he interacts with that day. Although, despite getting used to Phichit’s presence, he would still be caught off guard by the things Phichit wrote on his cups. And he still blushed at most of the things he wrote.
Talking to you (even if it’s only for one minute) is the highlight of my day. That was on Saturday and Seung-gil had actually waited for the shop to be open that day so there were other people and they hadn’t got to talk as much as they usually did.
The coffee shop was closed on Sunday and despite gradually feeling more desperate to see Phichit throughout the day, he couldn’t do anything.
I love hearing you say my name, was on Monday’s cup.
I really wish I could make you smile again, that was a sight to behold, was what Tuesday’s cup said.
You’re gorgeous, on Wednesday was the shortest message he got from Phichit, but also one of the ones that made him blush the most.
Thursdays, as he’d found out the week before, were Phichit’s off days, so to save him and Yuuri from the awkward conversation that they would have had, he went to the shop that was closer to him.
He’d told Phichit on Wednesday that he wouldn't be going the shop the next day, because he didn’t want him to leave a cup with Yuuri once again. It was just awkward for him and Yuuri, even if Phichit didn’t seem to care.
*
*
*
Seung-gil walked into the coffee shop, the bell at the door ringing as he opened it, making the Thai boy behind the counter look up. “Seung! Hi! Good morning!” He said, with his signature bright smile.
“Hey, Phichit.” Seung-gil said in a much calmer voice than the barista. “You’re extra energetic today.” He noted.
“Yeah, it’s a nice day, isn't it?” Phichit said with a smile.
Seung-gil shrugged as he said, “I guess it’s alright.” Phichit nodded at Seung-gil’s response, picking up a cup. He hovered over it with his pen for a couple seconds before writing something down.
“The usual, right?” Phichit asked and Seung-gil merely nodded in response. Seung-gil was slightly taken aback by the word because even though he did technically have a usual, just hearing it like that was weird.
They were silent as Phichit made his coffee, usually, they’d talk even if it was just small talk but maybe they both had other things on their minds.
“Your coffee is ready.” Phichit said, holding the cup out at Seung-gil. Was that a blush on Phichit’s face?
“Thanks.” Seung-gil said. Had he done something wrong? Phichit was a lot quieter than normal. Not to mention that he had barely looked at Seung-gil that morning. Especially after he finished writing on the cup. “Uh, have a nice day then. I’ll see you tomorrow.” He said before turning around and taking a step when Phichit grabbed his arm.
“Wait, um, could you maybe not wait till you walk outside to read it today?” He said, still not quite meeting Seung-gil’s eyes.
“What?” Seung-gil said, surprised. “You see me when I read them?”
Phichit nodded at that, finally raising up his head to meet Seung-gil’s eyes, making Seung-gil sure that the barista indeed had a blush on his face. “Yeah, I mean, you do read them right outside the door, so it shouldn’t really come as a huge shock that I’ve seen you when you’re reading what I write on your cup.” He said, before turning his face to the side again. “Anyway, just read it Seung.”
Was Seung-gil also blushing? Would that mean that Phichit had seen him blush at his words before? Yeah, Seung-gil would definitely be blushing now. “If you want me to read it when you’re also here, why are you not just telling me? What’s the point of writing on a cup if I’m gonna read it with you next to me?” He said, his voice uncharacteristically soft.
“Stop questioning and just read it.” Phichit said. “Please…” Seung-gil thought he looked and sounded so vulnerable that he did as Phichit said and let it go, looking down at the cup.
I like you. Go out with me?
Seung-gil looked up at Phichit who was smiling expectantly, a little nervousness showing in his eyes. “Well?”
Seung-gil nodded a little at first, not being able to do anything else. “Yes,” he said, his voice cracking a little, making him blush even more than he already was. he cleared his throat before speaking again “Yeah, I’d like that.”
Phichit gave him the brightest smile Seung-gil had seen from him so far and moved his hand from Seung-gil’s arm and put it on top of his hand. “You’re smiling.”
Seung-gil was indeed, smiling. It was a faint smile, but it was there. “Well, I have a reason to now.”
*
*
*
There is very little in life that Seung-gil Lee likes. Phichit Chulanont, is one of them.