Note: Alternate Universe
December 11th, 2018.
Prompt 11: I'm a barista and you keep making weird faces when you drink the "Christmas cheer in a cup" coffee I make, why do you keep ordering it?
He made that face every time, Jonouchi noted from behind the counter.
His customer, a tall brunet man with a constant frown, had been in here for the past three days. He always ordered the same drink, the Christmas Cheer in a Cup, and made the same face every time he drank it.
The face was not one of pleasure or joy, but instead the man looked like he had sucked on a lemon.
His eyebrows furrowed and his lip twitched, but he continued to drink it.
Jonouchi was at a loss. He was used to customers verbally stating that they disliked a drink, but he had never had a customer repeatedly order a drink that they seemed to dislike.
He always stayed in the shop to drink his beverage and so Jonouchi could see that the man always finished the drink.
The blond was extremely confused.
The next day, the brunet once again entered the small shop and ordered the same drink.
"Are you sure you don't want to try anything else?" Jonouchi asked.
The brunet looked slightly uncomfortable at the question.
"No, thank you." He replied.
"Really? 'Cause I don't mean to be rude, but you don't seem to like it very much."
A look of shock passed over the brunet's features.
"What makes you say that?"
"Your face."
"Excuse me?"
"Oh, no, I meant like the face you make when you drink it!"
"And what face do I make when I drink?"
"It's a really weird face, it's like you just had a really sour apple, or something."
The tall man raised one eyebrow. "Do you make a habit of watching your customers drink when they're in your store, or am I just special?"
Jonouchi blushed slightly at the comment.
"Eh, no, you, eh, you're just hard to miss." He quickly responded. Cursing himself when the words left his mouth.
"Hard to miss?"
The guy was actually smirking at Jonouchi now, causing the blond to blush even more.
"Ok, one Christmas Cheer in a Cup it is then!" he laughed awkwardly, turning to his co-worker to give the order.
"No, actually, you're right, I would like something else."
Jonouchi turned back to his customer.
"Oh?"
"That drink is awful. I would prefer a regular Americano, please."
Jonouchi re-laid to order to his co-worker again.
"If it's awful, they why to do you keep ordering it?" The blond asked.
"It was the first drink you recommended to me here. You smiled when you mentioned it and I couldn't say no."
Jonouchi was blushing again.
"The second day you smiled at me when I walked in and I didn't want to say the drink was bad, so I ordered it again, and again."
"You ordered the drink for me?"
"I didn't want you to feel bad for recommending it in the first place."
Jonouchi felt warm when those words left the brunets mouth. He swallowed.
"Well, to make up for the awful drink, this one is on the house!" He grinned brightly.
"You owe me at least two more drinks in that case."
"Americano!" his co-worker called.
Jonouchi took a piece of paper from underneath the till and quickly wrote something down.
"Here's my number, text me sometime and I'll get you those two coffees then."
"Sounds like a plan." The brunet smirked, taking his drink and sitting at a vacant table by the window.
For the rest of the other man's stay, Jonouchi felt those blue eyes watch him.
Maybe his 'Holiday Cheer' wouldn't come in a cup this year.
Prompt list by Verobird on tumblr!
Next: We're neighbors and I just got locked out of my apartment, I was baking cookies that will burn if I don't get in there quick