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midnight-writ3r · 5 years

Text

Caramel Latte

Pairing: Lee Taeyong x genderneutral reader

Genre: Fluff, slight angst, love confessions, getting together

Wordcount: 2.5 k

Inspired by: My soft hours for Taeyong and a coffee at 10 p.m.

Summary: Only at ten p.m. in the evening and over a cold Caramel Latte, does Taeyong understand his mistake.

A/N: Y´all first things first, Taeyong is one of my ults and I squealed while writing this, so I hope it´ll turn you super soft and smushy as well <3

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"Night, Y/N, don't forget to close the backdoor, when you're done."

You wave a lazy hand at Yuta, "That happened once and it was years ago. Will you let it go?"

"I was terrified! Imagine someone stole the coffee machine, or worse", Yuta frowns and shoulders his bag, "The curtains."

You laugh, eyeing the dark blue velvet curtains, hung around the coffee shop. They are the most expensive element in the whole establishment and Yuta would most definitely not hesitate to kill a man in favour of keeping them safe. They clash with the cheap, wooden tables and the many, small plants littered around every available surface. Yuta loves it though and, judging from your frequent customers, he's not the only one. Plus, the coffee is good, you know that yourself. You're the one making it after all.

"I get it, I get it." You chuckle, "now get out of here and home. You've been here since 5 am."

Yuta huffs as he looks at the clock in one of the corners, reading almost 9 p.m. now, "Yeah, maybe I'll try to take things easier tomorrow."

You agree with a nod, completely aware that Yuta would never take things easy, as long as the world still allowed it, "Greet Sicheng from me."

Smiling at the mention of his roommate, Yuta says: "He misses you, you know."

"I'll make sure to visit soon." Sticking your tongue out, you cause him to laugh softly, "but you're making the coffee."

"The things you ask of me." He wipes the back of his hand over his forehead in a dramatic fashion. Then, he gives you one of his beaming smiles, "Good night Y/N, get home safely, okay?"

One last time, you give him a nod and then, he is out of the door. The bell that adorns the doorway chimes away and you're enveloped in silence. Outside, the world is already drowned in the calmness of night and you huff, leaning against the wooden counter-top. No problem. You just have one more hour to go, then you can go home as well. The last hour of the day is never immensely busy but Yuta argues that it pays off in the end.

Waking up the coffee grinder, you sit in one of the seats, checking your phone. Some of your chats have a notification bubble next to them, but you ignore most of them for the moment. As you scroll through them, your thumb hovers over Taeyong's name. He changed his profile picture. It's a selfie of him, with a coffee in his free hand and a pleased smile on his face. Cute. Your throat gets tight and your eyes sting a little.

You quickly scroll past the chat, to get to your best friend and roommate's contact. In moods like these and hours like those, you can't imagine talking to anyone else. Unsurprisingly, there's already a message waiting for you:

Johnny: I still have some chocolate pie left over. Do you want it?

You: Duh, who are you talking to.

You: Besides, I still haven't done that thing they do in the movies. When their hearts get broken and they sit in front of the TV, to watch rom-coms and eat a container of ice cream.

You put your phone aside and let it ding away, in favour of making yourself a cup of coffee. People keep telling you that it isn't wise to drink coffee at such a late hour, since you wouldn't be able to sleep. Well, newsflash: you can always sleep. There's nothing that beats the taste, though. You lean over your phone to check Johnny's reply:

Johnny: I can go buy ice cream, too if you want. Plus, they have the Kissing Booth on Netflix now.

You snort.

You: Netflix and chill, who? We're doing Netflix and cry.

Johnny: To each their own.

Johnny: Jokes aside though, how are you feeling?

You take a deep breath, hovering your thumbs over the screen. How are you feeling? That's a good question. It's not quite like in the movies, where you feel like crying your heart out all night. Everything just feels a lot duller. Somehow, you just don't feel very complete. As if someone ripped your heart out and now, there is a tiny hole that lets in the cold air from outside.

You: Idk John, it's all still so fresh.

Johnny: I mean, it happened just a few days ago, so I'm not blaming you.

Johnny: We're worried though. Mark and I. You know we're there to talk if you want to, right?

Your heart warms up a little at the mention of your other best friend. Mark and Johnny had always been able to put a smile on your lips, no matter what. This time around though, you find yourself helpless. Find that not even the silly jokes your friends make are enough to get you out of your head.

And all that thanks to Taeyong.

You want to hate him, but you know that that would be absurd. Just because you had been crushing on him for over a year, doesn't mean he has to automatically reciprocate those very feelings. Sometimes, love is one-sided and that's natural. It doesn't hurt any less though. You can still remember his face, when you finally gathered the guts to tell him; you had never seen him so very terrified. He had barely managed to rasp out a small 'I'm sorry, I can't', before storming out of the room. Ever since then, you hadn't talked at all.

Which is ridiculous, because the two of you always talked. Any hour, any day, any occasion. Despite not knowing him for as long as Johnny, Mark or Yuta, there had never been anyone who made you feel at home as much as he had. You had done your homework together, had shared clothes, had watched movies and broken down plots, characters and everything there was to be criticized. You had read the stories you wrote, to him, while had let you listen to every track he composed, without exception. When he wasn't at your place, you were usually at his. When you fought, both of you would hurry to apologize by the next day, just because being without the other didn't feel right.

The two of you were soul mates, but then you had to destroy everything.

You: Thanks boo, I really appreciate it <3

You: I'll just finish my shift and then come home.

You: There better be some of that pie left.

Sighing again, you shut off your phone and close your hands around the warm coffee mug. There's that ache in your chest again. You had promised Johnny and yourself to stop thinking about him – stop thinking about that day – but that is so way easier said than done. You wonder what he's doing right now. If maybe, he already has someone to complete his heart and he's with them right now. The thought crushes you even more, so you shake your head to get rid of it.

Thankfully, a pair of girls come into the coffee shop at that moment and you're momentarily distracted. They stay for a while, after getting their order and chat a little with you. You put on your best smile, hoping it's enough for now. Another handful of customers come and go and suddenly, the clock reads 9.56 pm. You resist counting the seconds, or running to the entrance to lock up a little sooner, because that chocolate pie is really calling for you by now. Johnny even sent some pictures. Mmmmh.

You're in the middle of cleaning off the last couple of cups, when the doorbell chimes again. Looking up, you check who would dare to walk in last-minute and your breath gets stuck in your throat. Your hands grip the edge of the counter and you try to keep your eyes from watering. What is he doing here?

Taeyong looks as stunning as ever. His hair is styled neatly, brows sharp and a denim jacket slung over his shoulders that you always liked on him. There's a flower in his hand: a delicate white one, which he gently holds between the tips of his fingers. His eyes are the worst though – they look so sad and apologetic that you want to hit your head against the wall. Despite his usual calmness, they're red around the edges and as you don't want to read too much into that, you look away.

"What-" you clear your throat, "what can I get you?"

He hesitates for a second, before sliding into one of the seats at the counter. The flower is placed on the counter-top next to him, patiently waiting, "A caramel latte please."

You nod, "there's still some left, one second."

Pulling the jug from the coffee machine, you empty the remains of the coffee into a clean cup. Adding a little bit of caramel syrup, sugar and milk, you slide the cup across the counter. He thanks you with a strained, little smile and takes a sip. To your surprise he makes a disgusted face. He seems to attempt hiding it, but you still see it.

"What?" You ask, mildly offended.

"Nothing it's just", he huffs a gentle laugh, "it's cold."

You frown, taking the cup and taking a sip of your own. It is cold. And not in a very delicious way.

"I'm so sorry, I'll make a new one-"

"Y/N."

You turn to look at him. As soon as your eyes meet, you feel like looking away again, "W-what?"

"I thought about what happened", he mumbles, playing with the petals of his flower, "About what you said to me and I-... I wanted to apologize."

You bite the inside of your cheek and shake your head, "No Tae, you did nothing wrong. I should be the one to apologize. I just threw you off guard with all my dumb feelings, even though I should have known-"

"Please Y/N", he hurries, his eyes a little panicked now, "Don't take it back."

Your eyebrows furrow, "Huh?"

"I-" he gulps and looks down at his hands, "I made a mistake. It's true, I was taken aback by your confession, but that doesn't mean it was unwanted." You watch him closely, as he takes a few deep breaths, to collect himself, "The truth is, I'd never considered anything like this. With you, everything seemed to go so easy – so natural. The idea of a relationship was so strange, because I just didn't feel like we could get any closer.

I was scared of having to change the way we were, because I've never had a friend like you. I didn't want to loose you." running a hand through his hair, he gives a frustrated groan, "but then, the last days I started to think – really think – what it would be like. You know, having you as- as a partner and uhm- being your boyfriend."

He's getting all flustered now and your confused heart can't do anything but flutter at how cute it is. It's thumping so loudly, you're barely able to make sense of the words he says.

"In retrospect, to be honest I think that we already were a couple." he laughs nervously, "I realized that if I were to share every aspect of my life with someone else, there never was another option apart from you. You understand me, never judge me, you make me smile – make me feel like I don't want to be anywhere else. W-what I want to say is", he makes sure to look at you and from the corner of your vision, you see his hands shake, "that I like you too. And refusing you was the biggest mistake I've ever made."

You're frozen, staring at him, as he waits for you to say something, "Tae... I..."

"I've broken your heart and I- I could never apologize enough for that, but-"

"Tae, hold up a second." you stop him, before he can start rambling, "You-you're not mad at me?"

"Mad?" Taeyong's eyes widen as if that was the most ridiculous thing he's ever heard, "Are you kidding? I could never- I miss you. More than anything else. I want things to turn back to the way they were but... different. Maybe with a bit more couple-stuff, you know?" he shrugs awkwardly.

You can't help but laugh at him and his big, pleading eyes, "Couple-stuff, eh?" you lean against the counter, feeling your heart flutter as he leans in as well, "and what would that be?"

"We could start out small." he proposes, his hand creeping towards yours. With a smile, you intertwine your fingers.

"And how?"

Taeyong leans in even further, his eyes flickering to your lips every other second, "With a kiss, maybe? That's very couple-ish."

You stifle a grin, "Yeah okay, sounds good.

The distance between the two of you closes in a heartbeat, lips connecting like rain-drenched rose petals. Taeyong tastes of the cold coffee and something so distinctly Taeyong that you can't help put press a little closer. His hand wanders to your neck, as you continue to kiss, supporting you and guiding you at the same time. The two of you move slow, taking as long as you need, for time is on your side tonight. All the feelings you had already hoarded for each other flow between your connected mouths and it's something, you thought you could never have. Everything feels like a dream. But Taeyong is right there, and he holds you, even as you finally pull apart.

"Wow", Taeyong mumbles, his nose still grazing yours, "Yeah, that was all that was missing, I admit it."

You chuckle softly, leaning in a second time, to steal another kiss that he willingly gifts to you, "I want to get used to this."

"Me too." he admits and then his eyebrows shoot up, as he remembers something. The next thing you feel kissing you aren't Taeyong's lips, but something equally soft, "I brought you this. Johnny said, if you want to win someone over you have to bring them something that reminds you of them."

You eye the flower lovingly, as you twirl it between your fingertips, "You talked to Johnny, huh? Traitor."

"Yeah, I owe him a grande Pizza Pepperoni now." Taeyong huffs.

"Good, because I'm definitely in the mood for Pizza." You declare, starting to clean up the coffee shop. He watches you with his well-known, little kitten-smile. Once you locked up the front door, you step back towards him, standing between his legs and pressing your foreheads together, "And I bet it tastes a lot better, if I share it with you."

–*– FIN –*–

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