#we may not be cats who fondly sniff one another’s butts

[batwynn]

[littlemissgot7]

sunbeam

Jaebum | 3765 words | pastry chef!au When a stray kitten shows up outside of Jaebum’s cafe, she’s determined to befriend it.

The cafe, tucked away in a not-so-busy corner of Seoul, was small and bright. Light filtered in through the large windows, bathing everything in the early morning glow of golden sun. There were little vases with sprigs of flowers on each of the tables, each in exactly the same place they’d been left the night before.

She smiled as she ran her eyes over everything, the golden light sinking into her skin and making her feel warm. She loved the cafe. It was the first place that she’d found since she moved to Seoul that really felt like home.

“Alright!” She clapped her hands together before grabbing her apron from behind the counter and neatly tying it around her waist. It was time to get things ready for their morning regulars.

---

It was her job to open the store in the mornings. That included making sure the register was prepped and everything was in the right place, but also that the sweet treats of the day were out for display. She poked her head around the corner into the kitchen, pausing for a moment to watch the owner of the cafe as he bent over the freshly-baked macaroons, piping delicate patterns over them.

The owner of the cafe was tall and handsome and perhaps one of the most talented pastry chefs in the city, but he was stern and sometimes intimidating. The other pastry chefs - Jinyoung, Mark, and Youngjae - were welcoming and friendly, if occasionally snarky, and always seemed unaffected by Jaebum’s strictness, though that may have been because they were used to it from being friends with him for years. She had joined the team a few months before to help on the storefront side of things. Jaebum liked being back in the kitchen; the others took turns manning the store, but things had gotten a lot easier for everyone when she started. She loved every minute - especially minutes like these, when it was just her and Jaebum in the shop and she could steal a few to watch him work.

She cleared her throat softly, stepping into the kitchen fully. It was to the side of the main store with large windows as well, and the light shone off his hair; he was ethereal.

“Sir?”

He didn’t look up. “Hm?”

“Are these ready to go out front?” She pointed to trays carefully lined with breads and pastries and miniature cakes, all of which were even more delicious than they looked.

“Yeah.”

“Okay!” She grabbed the first tray and carried it out to the display case, transferring them to pretty white plates as she hummed under her breath. Just another morning.

---

“Noonaaaa!” Youngjae popped into the shop thirty minutes before his shift was supposed to start, hopping over to join her behind the counter. She finished helping the customer there (who blushed profusely when Youngjae waved at her) before turning to the youngest pastry chef.

“Yes, Youngjae?”

He grinned, leaning back against the counter and shrugging. “Just saying hi!”

She rolled her eyes, wrinkling up her nose at him. “Why’re you so early?”

He shrugged again. “Just got up earlier today. I’ll man the counter for a bit.”

She hesitated. “Are...are you sure?” She didn’t want him to work outside of his hours, but she hadn’t had a break since she started that morning.

“Sure thing, noona! I don’t mind!” He pushed her away from the register, and she gave him a grateful smile as she headed to the back. She flopped down in a chair in the back office and let her eyes slip closed.

A second later, her eyes shot open. “Right!” She jumped back to her feet, sneaking to the kitchen and peeking in. Jaebum wasn’t there and Jinyoung was busy decorating a special order cake, so she grabbed one of the saucers and poured a little bit of milk in it, carrying it slowly to the back door to make sure it didn’t spill.

She’d noticed over the past week or so that a stray kitten had taken up residence in the bushes around the cafe. It looked small and malnourished and would whine and run whenever it saw her, but she was determined to help it. For the past few days, she’d been putting out saucers of milk for the kitten; at first, it wouldn’t come out when she was there, but it was slowly warming up to the idea of her being there - just not too close.

She closed the back door behind her and crouched down, placing the saucer of milk an arms length away from her. The kitten stared at her from the edge of the bushes. “Shhh, it’s okay...it’s okay...”

The kitten took one hesitant step out of the bushes and, when she didn’t snatch the milk away, it darted forward, clumsily licking up as much as it could. A smile blossomed over her face.

“There! See, I won’t hurt you,” she cooed, inching forward little by little. When the kitten realized, it’s head shot up and it stood completely still, staring at her with wide, terrified eyes. She slowly stretched out her hand, letting the kitten sniff her. “I just wanna help, little one.”

“What are you doing?”

The voice rang out behind her and she squeaked in surprise, whirling around, losing her balance, and ending up falling on her butt. In the process, her hand shot out toward the kitten and it, afraid of being hit, lashed out at her wrist before darting back to the bushes. She hissed, grabbing her arm and holding it still as she looked up at the person standing over her.

“Sir!”

But Jaebum didn’t look angry, like she thought he would; she could have sworn that something like concern flickered across his face. He reached down, helping her to her feet. He grabbed her hand and turned it over in his until her wrist was exposed.

There was a long scratch across her wrist, bright and red and slowly oozing blood. Before she had a chance to say anything, he pulled her back into the cafe, leading her to the kitchen. He stopped in front of the sink, turning it on and letting it run for a second until it was lukewarm before he slipped her wrist under the stream. She bit her lip gently; it stung.

Once he washed the cut, he let go of her hand, disappearing around the corner and reappearing with a first aid kit a moment later. He rummaged through it until he found a bandage and wound it around her wrist.

“Be careful with strays,” he said finally, his eyes darting up to meet hers.

She nodded slowly. “I know. It wasn’t her fault, though; I startled her.” She fidgeted. “I feel bad for her.”

Jaebum was quiet for a moment, just staring at her, before he sighed and turned to pack up the first aid kit. “You should get back to work.”

She straightened. “Yes sir!” she chirped, hurrying out to the store front.

Jaebum watched her go out of the corner of his eye, then turned and leaned against the counter. So she liked cats, huh?

---

Over the next couple of weeks, every time she went out to feed the little black kitten, she found a saucer of milk already out. At first, she thought that maybe she’d just forgotten to take in the saucer from the day before, but she snuffed out that idea by the second day. Two and a half weeks after it started, she finally discovered the culprit.

She peeked out of the window before going outside to see if there was already milk out, only to spot a familiar pair of wide shoulders and messy brown hair sitting on top of the picnic table. She opened the door, letting it shut quietly behind her.

“Sir?”

Jaebum glanced over his shoulder before turning around fully when he saw her. The kitten was cradled in his arms, rubbing its head against the inside of his elbow and looking overwhelmingly content.

“She’s really sweet once she gets over being afraid of you,” he said with a grin and she blinked. Her boss? Cuddling with a kitten? Her strict, no-nonsense boss? Cuddling with a kitten?

He shifted the kitten to his palm, holding it up and out toward her. The kitten wiggled it’s paws playfully. “Come say hi!”

She sat down next to him on the table and Jaebum transferred the kitten to her arms, but left two fingers there to absentmindedly scratch it’s head. When his sleeves got tugged up, she noticed long thin scratches across his wrists. She glanced at him, and the smile on his face made her feel warm.

“Um...I didn’t realize...you liked cats. I didn’t think you’d like that I was feeding the stray. But...you’ve been...?”

Jaebum laughed. “I love cats. Besides, you seemed to want to help this one, so I figured I would too.” He leaned back on his palms, staring up at the trees above them.

She picked the cat up, holding it at eye level. “Oh man, you are so cute, aren’t you?” She leaned forward, booping her nose against the cat’s and giggling before cuddling it back against her chest. “Jaebum, do you think...she could stay? In the cafe? She could be our little cafe pet!”

“Sure.” He didn’t hesitate.

“Really?” She hadn’t exactly expected for him to agree quite that easily.

“Yeah.” His soft smile was back and he leaned over, rubbing the kitten’s head fondly. “Youngjae’s allergic, but if he doesn’t forget to take his meds, we should be fine.”

“Thank you, thank you!” she chirped. “I’m gonna go make her a little bed out of a couple towels in the office, okay?” She jumped nimbly down from the table, cooing over the kitten as she took it inside, beaming.

Jaebum watched her go. Though he loved their new-found pet, it wasn’t the cause of the warm smile on his lips.

---

Youngjae whined at first when the kitten started staying in the shop, until Jaebum told him he could bring his dog in as well. Coco and Kunta got along fabulously and, when he didn’t forget his allergy pill, Youngjae was his usual happy self.

On this particular morning, she grabbed Kunta, holding her tightly against her chest as she wandered into the kitchen. Jaebum was the only one there that morning - Jinyoung usually worked mornings with him, but had a doctor’s appointment and the rest of the day off, so Jaebum was by himself. She leaned back against the counter, gently petting Kunta’s head as she watched Jaebum knead pastry dough.

He glanced up, his eyes first landing on the cat before moving up to meet her’s. “You know, she really shouldn’t be in the kitchen when I’m making stuff we’re going to sell to the customers.”

She pouted. “I’m done with prepping the store for opening and no one else is here and I’m keeping her in my arms so it’s fine!”

Jaebum just smiled, shaking his head slightly as he turned his attention back to the dough in his hands. He worked quietly and methodically and, when he was done, he placed the dough in a large bowl, covering it and leaving it to rise.

He brushed his hands off on his apron as he approached her, reaching out for the kitten in question. She let Kunta jump into his arms; he scratched the back of the kitty’s head and she almost immediately started to purr.

Having a kitten in the shop suited Jaebum.

“Hmm?”

“What?”

“You said having a cat in the shop suited me.”

She suddenly flushed bright red when she realized that she hadn’t just thought that and had, in fact, said it out loud in front of the actual person she was thinking about. She groaned, tucking her face in her hands.

“What does that mean?” He leaned against the counter next to her. When she didn’t answer, he nudged her shoulder.

She sighed, lowering her hands. “You just seem more relaxed than you used to. More willing to joke around. I dunno.” Her cheeks burned, but he laughed, dumping the cat back in her hands and washing his in the sink.

He grabbed a pan full of perfectly formed macaroons and began to pipe small paw print shapes on the top of them. She put Kunta down, shooing her out of the kitchen, and slid across from him, leaning over to watch him work.

“What’re you doing?” he asked after a moment, pausing to look up at her. There was a hint of teasing in his voice and she wrinkled up her nose.

“I like watching you work. It’s amazing. You’re so good at what you do.”

“It’s just practice.”

“No way. I mean, part of it’s practice, sure, but I also think you’re just inherently really talented. I mean, how else would you come up with recipes and designs and stuff the way you do? It’s seriously amazing!”

There was a beat of silence before he held the piping bag out to her. “Want to learn?”

Her eyes widened and her initial reaction was to shake her head furiously. “I’d ruin them!”

Jaebum smirked. “Probably. But I ruined a lot of pastries when I was starting, too.”

“Are...are you sure I can try?” The tips of her ears tingled. Ever since she’d started working at the cafe, she’d wanted to learn. She’d spent plenty of long nights trying to replicate delicate flavors and crispy pastry doughs in her small apartment, but this would be the first time doing so in front of Jaebum and suddenly her stomach was in knots.

“I think you’d be great at it.” His smile was back, the gentle one that reached his eyes.

Though hesitant, she tightened the apron around her waist and washed her hands diligently before standing next to him. He pressed the piping bag in her hands, wrapping his around hers to demonstrate how to hold it.

“Hold it gently, and don’t rush.” He murmured the instructions; he was close enough that she could feel his breath on her neck and her already-red cheeks deepened further. She bent over the macaroons the way she’d seen him do a hundred times, swallowing quickly.

Her first attempt was as much of a mess as she thought it’d be; it didn’t look like much except wobbly ovals that were barely filled in, complete with bits of icing coating the pan around the macaroon. She whined when she pulled away to look at it, but Jaebum grinned, picking it up.

“A beautiful first attempt!”

“It’s horrible!”

“It’ll taste the same as the ones I did,” he pointed out, holding it in front of her face until she took a bite. She licked the icing off her lips, trying to hide her smile (and failing miserably).

“It was only good because you made them!”

“You’ll get there.” He popped the second half of the macaroon in his mouth, pointing at the tray. “You should try again.”

Though she was horribly embarrassed and didn’t want to show him her failures, if it meant continuing this - this playful banter, this lighthearted lesson, this moment with him - she would gladly oblige.

---

When Mark and Youngjae walked up the sidewalk, they stopped for a moment when they saw what was happening in the kitchen through the big open windows. Jaebum was leaning over next to her, his hand over hers as he helped guide her to drawing the perfect paw print.

“Thank god.”

“Finally!” Youngjae agreed, putting his puppy down and letting her scamper around his feet.

“At least they’re doing something other than just throwing glances at each other across the cafe.” Mark pushed his hair out of his face, then shook his head and let it fall back down over his forehead.

“We’re gonna have to break them up though; the store’s gotta open and we’ve gotta bake.”

Mark bent down, rubbing behind Coco’s ears. “Let’s just wait til they’re done. There aren’t that many macaroons left.”

---

She started reading cookbooks and practicing techniques when she was home at night and whenever she had down time at work. She was determined, now more than ever, that she was going to learn to bake something that she was proud of so she could show him.

One day, during the slow hours in the afternoon, she was sitting at the counter with a cookbook and a sketchbook, yawning profusely. She never got enough sleep any more since she’d stay up baking, and it always hit her the hardest during the slow afternoons.

Kunta hopped up on the counter next to her, rubbing against her arm; she wanted attention.

“Not now, baby,” she mumbled, absentmindedly scratching Kunta’s back for a second before going back to her sketchbook. Kunta whined and flopped down on the counter, her tail swishing as she watched the empty store.

She slid down, resting her head on the counter as she doodled. She wanted to make something that both tasted and looked good, something simple and pretty that she could give to him to show him how serious she was about learning and would maybe hint at the feelings she harbored.

The late nights had caught up with her, though.

Just...just for a minute...just til my eyes...stop hurting...

She was asleep immediately.

---

Kunta hopped off the counter and trotted to the kitchen, meowing and circling Jaebum’s legs.

“Kunta, you’re supposed to be in the store.” Jaebum sighed, nudging her away with the side of his leg. “Please, girl.”

But Kunta just meowed louder, pushing against him as best as her little body could. Jaebum groaned, scooping her up in one hand and marching her out of the kitchen.

“Kunta really can’t be in the kitchen, so could you--” He stopped when he saw her asleep on the counter, her pencil wobbling loosely in her hand. He glanced down at his cat, who looked smug. Oh.

He plopped Kunta on the floor and she, satisfied that she’d gotten him that far, scampered off to her favorite corner to nap in a sunbeam for the rest of the afternoon.

Jaebum watched her sleep for a moment before shuffling over to her, slipping the pencil out of her hand. He slipped his arms around her back and under her knees, hoisting her up and letting her fall back against his chest. Usually he would have reprimanded an employee for falling asleep on the job, but...

He put her on the couch in the office and shut the door behind him as quietly as he could, resolving to let her sleep as long as she wanted. As he passed the front counter, he caught sight of the books and changed course to put them up, but stopped when he saw her sketchbook.

Drawings of pastries filled the top page, and every page before it. Cakes and tartes and bonbons and macaroons and candies, all sketched out with different decorations. Flowers, hearts, little cat paws... the designs were fantastic, full of life and care.

So this is what she’d been up to.

After a moment, he stacked the cookbooks and pushed them to the end of the counter. He went back to the kitchen with the sketchbook tucked under his arm.

---

She woke with a start. It took her a moment, but, when she realized where she was, she swore and jumped up, dashing out of the room and skidding to a stop in the doorway to the kitchen.

“Sir! I am so sorry, I didn’t mean--I swear, it wasn’t on purpose--I would never--!”

When he looked up, all she could see was the smile tugging at the corner of his lips, the one he was trying so hard to hide.

“It’s okay; you’ve been working a lot.”

“I--”

“It’s okay,” he repeated, turning his attention to the batter he was mixing; blueberry muffins, judging from the smell. “You should just go back to work.”

She bowed quickly and backed out of the kitchen, hitting her temple with the heel of her hand. “How could I have fallen asleep, I mean, really, what the heck is wrong with me I can’t belie...” Her soft mumbles trailed off when she got to the counter.

Her sketchbook was there, closed and placed neatly in the center of the counter. That wasn’t overwhelmingly surprising, but what was on top of it was.

A small round cake - chocolate, her favorite flavor - was on a little saucer. A beautiful flower had been piped on one side, bright and bold and surrounded by leaves. A thin heart, drawn in white chocolate, stood out of the cake and was dusted with powdered sugar. Her name had been piped on the edge of the plate.

It took her a moment before she recognized it as one of her designs, one of the things she’d been wanting to try to perfect for Jaebum. And next to it, placed neatly beside her notebook, was a small flyer for a baking and decorating class.

Her eyes started to sting.

Someone behind her cleared their throat; she whirled around, finding herself face to face with the head pastry chef himself. He was close, too close; she went cross eyed staring at the name of the cafe embroidered on his shirt and she took a faltering step back so she could look up at his face.

“Did...did you...?”

“I’m sorry I looked at your sketchbook.” Jaebum nodded toward it. “But those are beautiful designs. You’ve got a lot of talent.”

“I...” She blinked, shaking her head slightly as she tried to collect her thoughts. “And...and the class?”

“You want to learn to make these things, right?”

She nodded.

“It’s a place to start. We could go together.���

“But you don’t need it! You’re great already!”

“Yeah, but I want to be there to help you. I thought it might be more fun than your typical first date.”

“But you--wait, first date?”

Suddenly he seemed much less sure. “I mean, if you want it to be. It doesn’t have to...”

But she was beaming. She grabbed the cake and ran her finger through the chocolate icing before booping his nose, leaving a dot of icing there. “I would love to go to baking class with you on our first official date, Jaebum.”

He laughed, smearing a bit of icing on her nose as well. “Then it’s a date.”

“It’s a date!”

Across the shop, Kunta curled up in her sunbeam and purred.