#+ the fact semi walks in still sleepy to fulfill her routine

[michyeosseo]

Yoon Hae Young as JANG SE-MI LADY DURIAN (2023) 1.12

[turquoise-stones]

Cinnamon Coffee

Shinsou x fem!reader

A/N: hey ya’ll I’m looking for shinsou fanfic inspiration, so if ya’ll have something you want to see dm me (no lemons plz). I wrote this a year and a half ago and there hasn’t been a shinsou fic since so... long overdue

. . .

Shinsou often blanked out most of the daily coming and goings of his day. After all, his daily routine was rather simple. Going out for coffee in the morning, going to class, going for a jog, then returning home to his beautiful... cats.

The hero in Shinsou's story was coffee. His endless sleep deprivation was especially apparent in the morning, and his wake up cup was the only way to look semi-alive. But how does a broke high schooler afford to buy coffee every morning?

With that in mind, he came to the realization that his true hero was the girl who he saw pretty much every morning. She seemed to be his age, and was the daughter of the owner of a cute little coffee shop called Red Bean Cafe, which served pastries and coffee at a jaw-droppingly affordable price. Not only that, but the customers all seemed to adore her.

Shinsou would specifically take a detour away from school to grab a deliciously simple cup of black brew from that cute barista. She made it best, regardless of the price. But as much as he wanted to get to know her better, he always had to hustle to class.

The familiar tinkling chimes greeted his ears as he walked into Red Bean one normal morning. The sun was just starting to peek out from behind the clouds, casting the small shop in a tranquil, golden glow. It was moments like these that Shinsou tried to remember, and not take for granted in his busy day.

There were just a couple sleepy looking people sitting in the cozy booths. The barista, (y/n), as her nametag said, was quietly frosting cookies at the counter.

There was something magical in the way she looked, cast in that gentle light. Her hair swayed slowly around her face as she moved, hands expertly squeezing swirls of frosting onto cookies. The cute way she leaned back to take a sip of coffee before pushing her glasses up and returning to her work caused warm fuzzies to emerge in Shinsou's heart.

As she noticed him come in, a cheery smile bloomed on her face, and she waved sweetly at him. He greeted her with a small smile as well. It warmed him up inside to know that she recognized and was happy to see him.

As he neared the counter, she set her frosting down and whisked away into the kitchen, quickly coming out with the signature takeout cup. She had a mischievous glimmer in her eyes. Before he even opened his mouth, she gracefully slipped the coffee across the counter to him.

"House blend, no sugar, no milk." She had a playful smile on her face, voice still quiet as to not disturb the other patrons. His wide eyes turned into a soft chuckle as he paid.

"Thank you..." He really had grown quite fond of her. Not just because she supplied him with his morning dose of energy, but for some unknown reason, he had started looking forward to just seeing her in the mornings. Maybe it was the adorable way her melodic voice would tinkle when she called his name out for coffee pickup, or maybe the way she smiled so purely to greet him as if she was as happy to see him as he was for her.

Yes, he found himself entranced by that girl. And judging by the way her eyes sparkled as she talked to him, he was sure that his feelings were reciprocated.

With a satisfied smile on his face, he took the warm cup in his hands and said a thank you before turning around to continue his walk to school.

"Ah, please wait a moment sir..." Her quiet voice came. He noticed the cute way she called him sir, even though they were practically the same age.

"Hmm?" He turned around, letting his sleepy eyes return to her. Her hair fell over her eyes as she fiddled with the ends of her apron.

She seemed to regret her spontaneous outburst for a second, before she fumbled with a rather large cream topped cookie and stuck it out to him with an embarrassed look on her face.

"I-it's on the house. I hope you like cinnamon." She stuttered, blushing slightly, looking down. Little did he know, she knew exactly who he was, he was in the Sports Festival after all. His handsome features had instantly drawn her in, and his determined personality and straightforward words kept her hooked.

But she knew that it was rather weird to just tell a stranger that you knew them, but she did want to get to know the mysterious purple haired boy. Thus, an offering of a cookie. Shinsou let out a tired chuckle and took it from her trembling hand.

"I love cinnamon. Thank you very much." He reached out, purposefully brushing his fingers against hers for a second before accepting her gift. With a parting smile at her flustered form, he left the cafe. God, she was just too cute.

. . .

Since that day, Shinsou had wanted to make the sweet barista a part of his daily routine as well, not just her coffee. But he found himself unable to stay and chat with her because she had other orders to fulfill. He noticed with a smug sense of pride, that she never gave anyone else an extra cookie.

So one day, he dragged his sleep-deprived body out of bed early enough actually spend time in Red Bean, instead of just grabbing a cup and beelining out.

The familiar bells tinkled as he pushed the door open for the hundredth time. She waved energetically from behind the counter, frosting cookies before rush hour.

"Good morning sir! You're so early today!" Shinsou had once decided to ask her to call him by his name, but he enjoyed being called sir a little more than he should of. Little did he know, (y/n) was just avoiding the fact that she had mildly cyberstalked him.

It was another beautiful sunrise lit morning, and not a single person was in the shop. The cafe looked straight out of a fairytale, and the center of attention: she and her cheery presence fit in perfectly. He glanced at his clock, it was barely past six.

With a small wave, she slipped into the back, he assumed to grab his prepared cup of house blend, and wrap up a cookie for him. He never ordered one, but she always gave him a yummy pastry. He thought they were so tasty anyway that he didn't have the willpower to say no.

But he didn't like the fact that he took cookies for free (even though she wrapped one up every day without hesitation), so he always made it a point to pay in the form of a tip, a caring fact about him that she quickly noticed.

Silently, the perfect amount of money was given, and the coffee was passed over. He hesitated a moment, not really knowing if he should talk to her here, and opted to simply settle down in a cushy chair.

He munched on the flavorful cookie, aimlessly looking at her bustling figure, frosting-coated fingers brushing a speck of sugar off her nose.

She noticed his gaze with a small smile, noticing that he was actually sitting down, before making the decision to put off cookie making for a moment, and joined him instead.

With a quiet huff, she plopped down in the seat across from him, giving him a nervous smile. He tilted his head to the side, taking another bite, watching her settle in and sip some coffee of her own. There was a comfortable quiet in the air as if they were old friends having a day out, instead of strangers. Today, it seemed as if the cafe was for the two of them and the two of them only.

"Try the coffee out... I put a little extra something in it." She chimed quietly, soft voice blending in effortlessly with the dreamlike quality of the room.

He raised an eyebrow over his raised cup, before cautiously taking a sip. The dark, rich, familiar flavor of the mysterious Red Bean house blend washed over him before a deliciously sweet spice snuck in on him in the end.

"Mm... you put cinnamon in it." He mused, before taking another long sip, savoring the new flavor. It was quite a tasty change from his daily routine.

He thought she looked so adorable, with her chin in her hands and elbows on the table, leaning toward him slightly to get a good look at his reaction.

"What do you think?" She asked with a slight smile on her expectant looking face.

Looking at her doe eyes, he smirked slightly, a naughty idea crossing his mind. He set the coffee down, leaning in closer to her until he was inches away from her face.

She flushed, with a wordless stutter, confused at his sudden proximity. But she didn't pull away, opting to stare at his glimmering eyes instead.

"If you want to know so bad... why don't I let you try some?" He murmured, before pressing his lips against hers.

He didn't see her eyes widen in surprise, as his were closed to enjoy the moment. She felt his mildly chapped lips tint hers with the bitter touch of coffee, before a sweet taste of cinnamon. She hesitantly moved her lips against his, liking the feeling of having him so close. All too soon, he pulled away, leaving her dazed.

"What do you think?" He rasped quietly, looking with satisfaction at the trance-like expression on her face.

"I- er... uh... good? I-It was really sweet..." she sputtered.

He raised his eyebrows at her in amusement.

"S-shinsou... don't look at me like that..." She chattered, her burning embarrassment scattering her thoughts. While she considered the purple haired patron extremely attractive, she never thought that he would ever kiss her.

"Oh, so you do know my name." He stated smoothly, leaning back with a smirk.

She hid your face in her hands, cheeks burning as she realized her slip up.

"I-I... well, you're kinda f-famous! A-and... I write it on your coffee! And yeah!" She sputtered, shaking her head and rocking slightly in her seat.

"I like the way you say my name... I think I even prefer it over 'sir'..." He took another quick sip of coffee, causing another firework of red blaze to erupt over her face. After a moment of silence, she spoke again.

"W-why did you kiss me?" She mumbled out. "That was my first kiss..."

He quirked up an eyebrow, feeling a little guilty. But he couldn't have helped himself.

"I was your first kiss? Sorry I didn't ask... but I'm glad I took it before someone else did." He smirked, after realizing that she wasn't really angry. He leaned an elbow against the table, resting his cheek on it, playfully looking at her.

She looked down slightly in embarrassment, twiddling with the ends of her hair. She shifted a bit, before brushing her hair back and looking up.

"Well... now what?" She fidgeted awkwardly. Shinsou leaned forward, smoothly lifting a pen out of her breast pocket. His proximity to... that area caused her to blaze a blush that outshone the sun.

He scribbled his number down on a napkin before sliding it over to her.

"Call me and maybe I'll answer that question." He smiled smugly. (Y/n) nearly fainted at how smooth this boy was being.

Just then, a tired looking patron walked into the shop, looking around for the missing cashier. Sending Shinsou a final flustered glance, she snatched up the tissue and scampered away to the cash register.

With a satisfied look on his face, he scooped up the remnants of his food, before slipping out the door.

Taking a sip of his delicious drink, he decided that this adorable little cinnamon roll of a girl would definitely become a part of his daily routine.