h_itoshi | Caramel Macchiato [Oneshot]

Title: Caramel Macchiato
Fandom: Six TONES
Pairing: Jesse/Taiga
Rating: G
Wordcount: 1969
Notes: I have never written juniors before in my life. And suddenly I wrote the G-iest fluffy fic I've ever written about a pairing, AND it's coffee shop au, what? Hope it's okay~
Summary: The new barista at Jesse's favourite coffee shop can't seem to get his name right.

Starbucks is expensive. That is the simple truth. But it's situated the perfect distance from school to pick something up and drink it before you get there, and caramel macchiato is delicious, so Jesse indulges it more often than not.

So often that he can tell immediately that the barista handing over a take-away cup to a girl in a beige trenchcoat is newly hired. He's tall and young and has pretty long brown hair. Long enough to be kept in a tiny ponytail which looks a little ridiculous, and Jesse eyes him for a moment. He's not exactly the type that works at this particular shop, most of the others girls between 25 and 30, and this guy can't be much older than Jesse himself.

“Can I help you?” The barista asks, and Jesse pulls his headphones down and steps closer.

“Yeah, a tall take away caramel macchiato.” He orders without having to look at the menu, and the guy smiles and nods and stretches for a paper cup.

Jesse digs out his wallet while looking at the name tag decorating the barista's dark green apron. Kyomoto.

“What's your name?” The guy asks, permanent marker in hand.

“Lewis.” Jesse says automatically even though no one but his teachers call him that.

“Okay.” There's another quick smile as the guy writes his name and then accepts Jesse's money before getting to work making his drink. He's a little slow, but Jesse figures that's okay when you're new. Besides, the lecture he has today is pretty boring and he can always look at Shintarou's notes if he's late.

The doorbell announces someone else entering the store just when the barista finishes his order, setting the lid on smoothly and then holds it out for Jesse with a smile that is contagious enough that Jesse gives a lopsided smile back even though it's before nine and he's half unconscious still.

“Thank you, please come back.” The barista smiles, and Jesse mumbles thanks before heading out so that the business man behind him can get his caffeine fix from the smiling guy too.

It's not until he's about to throw his empty cup away outside school that he reads what it says and he stops and stares. It's western letters, but he's not sure whether to laugh or be upset. It says “Louise.”

The next time he goes to that particular Starbucks, it's after school with his friends, because Hokuto insists he needs to try their seasonal pumpkin latte and Juri doesn't want to study.

“That looks like a guy we should know.” Hokuto comments half-loudly as they wait for their turn to order from the same barista that named Jesse Louise.

“Don't think we do?” Jesse asks, raising an eyebrow.

“Maybe we should get to know him.” Juri grins, completely filthy as usual. “The ponytail's pretty cute.”

“Juri, get a goddamned girlfriend or something.” Jesse tells him, rolling his eyes since Juri drops these comments about everything that moves and looks decent.

“I'm too young for commitment.” Juri says easily, and Jesse's just happy Shintarou's not here to start a fight about that.

It's their turn to order anyway. Hokuto flirts, of course, and Juri's not much better as they order their lattes and “something sweet” and ask counter questions like “what's your name?”, and Jesse's a bit ashamed of them even though he never normally is.

He listens to the answers though, and has to say he's impressed by the professionalism even though the guy blushes a little as he gives them his name with a small smile.

“It's Taiga.” He says as he counts Juri's change, and Juri mouths “score!” over his shoulder to Jesse while Hokuto waits with his latte.

“You two can go outside you know.” Jesse tells them as they hang around taking up space. “I can order coffee on my own.”

“You just want your alone time with the cute guy!” Hokuto says too loudly, but then heads out the door since it's actually a bit cramped, Juri following after a comment about boys with ponytails that Jesse hopes nobody heard.

“Hi, welcome.” The guy, Taiga, finally greets Jesse, looking a little relieved that the other two are gone. Or maybe Jesse just makes that up. “Caramel macchiato?”

He asks before Jesse barely opens his mouth, and it makes him wonder if he's ordered from this guy more than once without knowing.

“... Yeah.” He agrees, and Taiga smiles before accepting Jesse's 1000 yen bill and smoothly counting the change.

“Your name again?” Taiga then asks as he picks up the marker, and Jesse tells him Lewis again, this time careful to make the pronunciation clear. Lewis, not Louise, even though he can see how that mistake was made last time.

“Are you a natural brunette?” Taiga asks when he hands him his coffee after a minute or two, and Jesse's so surprised he doesn't accept the cup first.

“... Yeah.” He says, and Taiga blushes a little as he seems to realize he's not supposed to ask his customers questions like that.

“Nice.” Is all he says, and Jesse takes his cup. “Thank you, please come back.”

“Thanks.” Jesse says, a little confused but a little flattered, and heads outside to meet up with his friends, who've already switched subject from random gay flirting to soccer.

Jesse's a little distracted still, so it takes him a minute to look at the name on his cup and he rolls his eyes. It's Louise again.

The third time Jesse goes, Taiga's not there, and he finds himself a little disappointed. He tells himself it was because he'd decided to tell the boy how to spell his name right and nothing else. The fourth time, Taiga is there, but he's busy with a group of giggling girls ordering decaf lattes and take-away muffins, and Jesse's not too happy this time either, even though the name on his cup is properly written in katakana like any normal person would write it.

Eventually, he's heading home from school with Kouchi, discussing their latest class rather seriously and Jesse has no thoughts of coffee at all. Until someone comes out right in front of them from Jesse's standard Starbucks, and he automatically glances inside and sees a hint of a brown ponytail.

“Hey, you want coffee?” Jesse interrupts Kouchi mid-sentence, and it takes Kouchi a few seconds to understand what just happened.

“Uhm... Not really, why?” He asks, frowning and looking between Jesse and the Starbucks sign in suspicion.

“I'll pay?” Jesse offers, and Kouchi shrugs, still seeming to wonder about Jesse's motives, but follows Jesse into the café.

There's no customers ordering right now, and only some of the tables are occupied. Jesse assumes it's because it's 2 in the afternoon a Tuesday, but he doesn't mind as Taiga looks up from wiping something with a towel and he smiles and something in Jesse's stomach jumps.

“Hello.” Taiga says, and Jesse's a little impressed that Taiga still recognizes him after like two weeks.

Kouchi groans quietly behind Jesse and mutters something about 'of course', and Jesse pointedly turns to him and loudly asks what he wants to stop Kouchi's mind from jumping to conclusions.

“Uhm... a mocha latte, or something?” He says after having looked at the menu for a long half a minute.

“What size?” Taiga asks with a small smile and Jesse can't be more grateful that he's not here with Juri or Hokuto this time.

“Whatever he's having.” Kouchi thumbs at Jesse, then scoots over to look at the cakes.

“A tall then?” Taiga asks, focus turning to Jesse.

“Yeah, sounds good.” Jesse agrees, wondering if it's already done that he's having caramel macchiato.

Taiga seems to wonder the same thing. “I was about to ask if you wanted the usual, but then I remembered you've only ordered from me twice.” He says, laughing a little, but there's a tiny hint of a blush on his cheeks and Jesse smiles.

“Yeah, the usual is good.”

Taiga glances up at him with a small smile and Jesse's about to say something, even though he has no idea what, when Kouchi interrupts him.

“Hey Jesse I want a fruit roll, can I have a fruit roll?” He asks, looking up with a smirk that has Jesse making a mental note not to offer paying for Kouchi again.

“Sure, whatever.” He says, but sighs a little. “Apparently we want a fruit roll too.”

“Absolutely.” Taiga agrees, adding it to their receipt and lets Jesse count his money while he gets a bag for the cake.

Then it's time for names.

“Kouchi.” Kouchi says simply, already reaching for his bag with the cake, and Jesse watches Taiga write, normal hiragana.

“And...?” Taiga looks up at Jesse expectantly, and Jesse can't help but wonder how Taiga remembers what he wants and how many times they've met but not his name, that he's written twice.

“Uhm, actually, you keep getting my name wrong.” Jesse tells him, a little awkwardly since he doesn't want to embarrass him, but even though Taiga blushes a little, his smile widens.

“Yeah?”

“Yeah. It's Lewis, not Louise. That's a girl's name.” Jesse explains, and he hears Kouchi snort a laugh behind him.

“Sorry, I'm not too good with some of these foreign names.” Taiga says smoothly. “Maybe I could get your first name right?”

Jesse gapes for a second, wondering if that was a pick up line or not, until Taiga looks away with an embarrassed smile.

“I'm sorry, that was so bad, wasn't it?” He asks, purposely not looking at Jesse as he shakes his head. “You're just... Sorry.”

“It's Jesse.” Jesse finally says, almost tumbling over the letters of his own name in his hurry to say it, and Taiga looks up again, a little surprised. “J-e-s-s-e.”

“I know how to spell that.” Taiga says softly, quickly writing the name on the cup and then hurries to the espresso machines to make their coffees while Jesse's left a little confused and embarrassed and a bit fuzzy.

Kouchi elbows him. “Hokuto told me there was a cute barista who was totally into you but you wouldn't see it. Ask for his number.”

“Shut up.” Jesse mutters, willing himself not to blush too.

After a minute, Taiga sets both their drinks down on the counter, and Kouchi picks out his one while Jesse's too busy looking at Taiga to know what he grasps.

“Thank you, please come back.” Taiga smiles, still looking a little embarrassed.

“Maybe I'll come back tomorrow morning.” Jesse says before he can stop himself. “Maybe you could get your phone number right.”

Taiga's eyes widen in surprise, but Jesse'd be damned if he doesn't look a little impressed too. “... Maybe I could.”

He smiles and then there's another customer coming through the door, and his focus shifts, but Jesse feels warm and fluttery for a good half an hour from that smile anyway.

“Hey Jesse.” Kouchi says with what looks like half the fruit roll in his mouth after they've gotten out the door, pointing at Jesse's cup. “I think he did know how to spell your name.”

Jesse turns his cup around to see the writing, and he can't help but smile, because really?

It says “Jesse Lewis” with a little heart drawn under it.

“Hokuto's going to melt into a puddle of romance-freak goo when he hears this.” Kouchi shakes his head, but Jesse can't stop smiling long enough to care.

~*~