Work Text:
The telltale sign of another customer’s entry into the normally cozy little coffee shop on the corner of the street echoed through the loud, bright room as a sharp bell ringing. Just another person to add to the Christmas Eve chaos of the morning. That seemingly never-ending sound was really starting to get on a certain worker’s nerves.
“Great,” Yoongi growled under his breath, already beyond busy with a group of indecisive teenage girls. Hoseok just had to call in sick today of all days; everyone knows December 24th is always one of the most busy days of the year - if not the busiest - for the well-known yet relatively small-in-size cafe. Only Yoongi and the manager, Seokjin, were working at the time. Well, and another younger worker. But Yoongi wouldn’t consider him a worker because it was his first day of the job, of course. Of course , it had to be today of all days.
Not only were Yoongi’s hands full with dealing the onslaught of Christmas-time customers, but he had to help a new worker who had little to no idea what he was doing. How hard can making a latte be? This kid takes the easiest thing and makes it into rocket science, I swear! Yoongi thought silently.
“Hyung?” a hesitant voice called out from across the little area behind the counter where a certain utterly inexperienced ash-haired male was failing in his attempt to prepare a regular cup of black coffee.
“I'm a little busy,” Yoongi exasperatedly replied without looking up from the cup he was writing a name on. Three times and counting that Jimin tried to ask for help on a simple task, and it had only been an hour.
A few silent (yet not-so silent because of the crowd in the building) moments passed before the voice spoke up once again, “But hyung-”
“Oh my god.” Yoongi nearly slammed the cup down on the granite countertop but caught himself right before. The last customer of the group of teenage girls in front of him gave a concerned look but smiled nevertheless when she received her drink. The brunette spun around as the girls began walking away to help Jimin before another customer needed his attention. “What could you possibly need now?”
Jimin fidgeted as he ignored the eyes burning holes into the side of his head. “How do I do this?”
Yoongi gritted his teeth and rolled his eyes, completely done with this day already. “Can you not do anything? How the hell did you get this job?” he mumbled under his breath while swiping the cup from Jimin’s hands. “Watch closely because I have to get back to real work, and I won't show you again.” With a stern glare from the elder, Jimin was quick to nod in understanding. He stood close and watched over his hyung’s shoulder.
Of course, the line started stretching to the door again as bell after bell rang, signaling more customers even while Yoongi was away for a mere few minutes. Seokjin had started helping the people lining up when he noticed his worker’s absence. The brunette received a glare from his boss and friend when he returned to his post.
“You can't just leave randomly when people are waiting for your service, you know that right?” Seokjin asked with a raised eyebrow, refiling a mug for a man on a barstool at the counter with a warm smile.
Yoongi sighed and glanced over his shoulder at the youngest worker. “It's his fault, hyung. Why'd you hire a guy who can't even figure out how to make a cup of coffee? This a coffee shop, you know that right?”
Seokjin shook his head. “No, Jimin’s fine with what he does. Everyone's just nervous on their first day and will make mistakes every once in awhile.” The eldest disappeared through a door, carrying a tray of used dishes and mugs.
“Just nervous? Yea right,” Yoongi scoffed in disbelief with what he heard. “If I asked like that on my first day, I would've been sacked right then,” he pointed out once the manager returned from the room, now empty-handed.
“I don't make wrong calls when hiring people,” Seokjin shot back.
Before the brunette had the opportunity to reply, an all-too familiar voice called out for him. “Yoongi-hyung?”
Yoongi gave a pleading look to Seokjin, as if he was saying “see what I mean? Fix this”. Seokjin just rolled his eyes and nudged the younger. “Go on. I'll take over for a minute. Quickly though.” Yoongi was internally pleading that his boss would give him a break and take one for the team, but instead he was here, helping the new worker yet again. On what? On how much whipping cream to add to hot chocolate . Taking a deep breath to keep from bursting, the brunette slowly replied that it: a. did not matter, and b. did not matter .
“But, like… Ideally speakin-”
“Oh my god,” Yoongi groaned. “This much, okay? This. Much.” He was on his last straw as he added a dollop of whipped cream swirled on top of the chocolate drink. The last thing the angered man expected to come from Jimin was a cheeky little chuckle. It was rather quiet like he wasn’t intended to hear it, but it was there, loud and clear to Yoongi’s ears. “Is this funny to you or something? Because I'm not laughing.”
Jimin was quick to shut up, eyes widening as he shook his head in reply. “No, hyung. Sorry.”
“You better be,” Yoongi spit as he left the younger alone once again. Seokjin gave him an expectant look when he finally returned to the counter. Yoongi just shrugged him off. “That kid is either a complete idiot, or he's trying to get on my nerves. I don't know which one is worse.” Turning to the young boy waiting in line across the counter impatiently, Yoongi forced a smile on to his face while attempting to greet him and take his order.
At some point during the rush of the morning, it seemed as though Jimin finally started to get the hang of things. Thank god , the brunette thought to himself while walking by Jimin to bring a few plates to the sink. Of course, he wasn't perfect yet, and once Yoongi walked by again, he quietly stopped his hyung. When the elder spun around, Jimin fully expected to be yelled at, but instead he was met with a harmless raised eyebrow. “What?” His eyes were far from harmless, however.
“I... Uh,” Jimin stammered, “Need help.”
Yoongi’s shoulders fell at the words, rolling his eyes but nodding. “Of course you do. What is it? I swear, if you ask me how much cinnamon goe-”
“No, no, it’s not something like that.” Jimin chuckled, but his cheeks flushed lightly. “It’s actually a question.” Yoongi noticed an elderly woman walk up to the counter, and he quickly walked over to greet her. He kept listening to the younger male, however. “Do, like, people actually write their numbers on cups or napkins in places like this?”
Yoongi’s motions while getting a muffin for the woman faltered at the random question. “What do you mean?” The woman thanked him graciously when she got her order and paid, him returning it with a warm smile.
“Like…” Jimin paused, “If a customer likes their server, do they actually leave their phone number on their napkins? Or if a server likes the customer, do they leave theirs on a cup? Does that actually happen in real life?”
Yoongi gave the ash-haired male a peculiar look, trying to understand why that question mattered. “Why? Did a girl leave you her number or something? When did you have time to serve someone while trying to perfect your whip cream skills?” he joked.
“I won’t live that down, huh?” A shake of the head from Yoongi. “Whatever. And no, that didn’t happen. I was just curious. And stuff.”
This kid is completely weird, Yoongi concluded. “Ah… I guess it can happen. Some teenager left her Kakao username once for Seokjin-hyung, but that’s about it for us here.”
“Cool, cool,” hummed Jimin nearly the instant after Yoongi finished his sentence. “What abou-”
The male was cut off by the scolding voice of the manager, “Ya! Chim, Yoongi, get back to work. Don’t just stand there.”
“Hyung!” Yoongi didn’t look up from his phone. He was sitting on the customer side of the counter on one of the barstools, scrolling through Twitter while waiting for Seokjin to let him off. Only an older couple who were regulars at the shop remained. Their manager would no doubt stay to talk to them for a while, but hopefully he’d still let Yoongi go home on time. “Hey, hyung!”
The brunette groaned and called back, yet again without talking his eyes off of the blinding screen, “Aish… What is it, Jimin?”
The barstool next to Yoongi soon had another person in it - Jimin. There was a moment of silence. While waiting for an answer, Yoongi sighed and finally locked his phone, now gracing Jimin with eye contact. “I’m sorry for bothering you so much today.” A to-go cup with steam floating out of the opened top was closed between both of Jimin’s hands.
Another heavy exhale left Yoongi’s mouth before he responded, “It’s whatever. It was your first day, after all.” Jimin slowly nodded. The drink in his hands found its way in front of Yoongi moments later. “What’s this?”
“A peppermint mocha. It’s my way of saying sorry, and it’s on me.” Jimin smiled at the elder, who just gave him a quizzical stare.
Yoongi took the drink in his hands nonetheless and took a sip. It actually didn’t taste half bad. In fact, it was really good. “You’re telling me that you made this?” Jimin nodded in confidence. “Yea, right; you couldn’t even brew a cup of coffee two hours ago.”
“I could.”
“No, you couldn’t,” Yoongi insisted.
Jimin shook his head, still smiling. “I worked at Starbucks as a summer job during high school. I know coffee and tea and smoothies. I know all of that really well.”
The brunette set the cup back down on the counter and an angered look was sent the younger’s way. “So... you were just trying to annoy me the whole day?”
Jimin stood up from the stool before Yoongi could get mad at him anymore. “No, I wanted to get to know you more. Get closer to you, more like, I guess. But I have to go now. Happy Holidays, hyung. See you the 26th.”
Before Yoongi had the opportunity to grab that brat by the scarf and yank him back here, Jimin made a dash for the door after waving goodbye to Seokjin. He was practically seething as he took an angry sip from the drink Jimin made him. Hell if he was mad, it was good. The brunette caught Seokjin’s eyes, and the elder made his way over, leaning across the counter with a knowing smirk playing across his lips.
“ What ?” growled Yoongi, annoyed with the day once again.
Seokjin chuckled and tapped the side of the cup facing him with another all-knowing smirk. “I told you he was good with what he did. I don’t make wrong calls.” With another quiet laugh, the manager stood up straight and, as predicted, left Yoongi by himself to think to go over and engage in a conversation with the older couple in the corner of the shop.`
Glancing from the cup to Seokjin then back again, Yoongi raised an eyebrow while turning his drink around. Was there something on the cup that his hyung was pointing at a moment? “Oh boy,” Yoongi murmured under his breath when he saw that, indeed, there was something on the cup:
hyung text me, ok? :)
555-6734
Yoongi bit back a smile as he unlocked his phone again. Definitely not to add this brat as a contact. No, definitely not.