I just want Coffee (Hyun-Hyun)

[Xaire Rei]

"I seriously just want some coffee." That was really all she had came in there for. Sure... she knew that it was a changed store. But did she care? No...No not really. She really just wanted her gosh darn coffee, and she wasn't sure why that was so much to ask. But the rougher looking guys were teasing her again.

"Why don't you just get lost, Pipsqueak? This isn't a place for little girls." One of them mentioned. She growled inwardly at the shot at her height, but crossed her arms. "Oh yeah, cause hanging out at a bookstore/coffee shop combination makes you tougher than a sack of newborn puppies doesn't it?" She huffed. Idiots were idiots, but these guys seemed to be extra special.

"Please, you gotta be the toughest of the tough to hang out here." She glared at him, crossing her arms. "Yeah well I don't know of many gangs that would commandeer a bookstore!....Oh whoops, did I use too big of a word for you to understand again?" She was still really mad about their comment.

"Look shortie, maybe you should get lost or go sit in that corner over there where you won't be bugging anyone." She was totally fuming. "I'm not bothering anyone!" She insisted. She really wanted to deck him, but didn't get the chance as she was lifted by a taller boy and brought to a beanbag in the corner, dropped onto it. "Hey!" Laughter was the response as he walked back to his group. Xaire huffed and hugged her legs to her chest. Had to deal with jerks, and still no coffee.

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[HYUNWOO BAEK]

CRASHING IN AND breaking you to bits

    While it may be odd for sixteen-year-old kid to be working in such a place, the way Hyun filled his clothes and the way his eyes seemed to suggest a millenia of face-punching allowed him to blend right in. In fact, that was how he got the job. He had punched the previous guy's face in—or at least, that's how the story goes. 

    When he had seen the girl enter the store, a pang of worry surged through his nerves, like a lichtenburg figure and all its filamentous, violent branches. The thunderous laughter and cursing of the cafe's patrons matched it but as soon as he heard the girl's lightning-fast retorts, the concern withdrew itself into his hoodie's pocket. He couldn't help but worry for the customers that found themselves here. Hyun had known of the cafe's prior reputation and he felt sorry for perpetuating the now, less-than-stellar fame of his workplace. Whenever an unknowing customer would come in, he braced himself for the second-hand shock and hurt. He hid it when he could. Other times, he was forced to join in the mockery.

    Thankfully, he had heard the girl's order. While navigating through the lewd, moving bodies of the shop, he balanced the coffee on the palm of his hand like a pro. He was dressed for the part. Sort of. His work uniform was his usual hoodie. But ironed.

    Hyun stopped in front of the beanbag girl, the piping hot coffee puffing out hot steam. "Wanted a coffee, yea?" Hyun looked around, craning his thick neck to see if anyone was staring over their way.  "Sorry 'bout what's happened. Seemed like you made it out in one piece though, yea? Better than most people."

    He almost smirked, "By the way, want any cream? Sugar? Ton of these guys here like their coffee black, but I'm pretty sure they're just fakin' it and pretending to be tough. 'Cause that shit's nasty." At that, he eyed a guy down across the room, his glare piercing through the crowd. He relaxed and turned to face her again, looming over the beanbag as he extended the cup downwards. 

    "Careful, it's hot."

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[Xaire Rei]

She was still stewing. These people were so annoying. It seemed like most of the gang members in here were all bark and no bite. And it really, really irritated her. So it was natural that when another boy came to stand in front of her, she leered at him. "What do you want?" She barked. It was then she realized that he had a coffee in her hands, and his words confirmed his intentions. "A-Ah? Yeah... I did want a coffee...sorry about that I just feel really tense, at the moment." She explained. She momentarily cursed herself for being so quick to snap at people.

When he mentioned what had happened, she gave him a shrug. She was pretty used to it, actually, she got picked on for her size all the time, even if she was the same age group as a lot of people around her. She was always weaker, because she was too short to be considered an opponent by jerks. "Ah, it's okay. It's a bit annoying, but I just don't like people calling me short, that's all." Sighing, she added. "I'm Xaire. Not Shortie, or Tiny, or any of those other things." She mentioned rather wistfully.

But she was ranting again. To a poor stranger who didn't know her through a hole in the wall. Giving him a softer smile, she took the cup from him, suddenly remembering his question. "Yeah, black coffee is pretty disgusting." She agreed, wrinkling her nose a bit as she thought about it. Yuck... "I....like sugar and cream." She added quite awkwardly. Tough people didn't like cream as far as she knew. But right now, she wanted some. Nodding at his warning she giggled. "I know, I learned the hard way about hot drinks as a kid. I used to burn my tongue on hot chocolate all the  time." She explained, the memory sort of embarrassing as a whole. "Anyway, I don't know if I introduced myself or not on my little rant, but I'm Xaire. It's nice to meet you." She said. At least someone here wasn't a total idiot.

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[HYUNWOO BAEK]

CRASHING IN AND breaking you to bits

    Hyun was almost startled by the poison in Xaire's inquiry, yet no sign of disturbance surfaced on the nonchalance of his face. This was not out of the realm of experience for him, however, and he simply stood still, towering above the beanbag princess. He shrugged when she made amends, his broad shoulders heaving up and down as he shook his head. "No biggie. This whole place is tense, y'know. Not a place where I'd get a coffee... personally. Don't need to say sorry." They were seldom said in this god forsaken place anyway. Gangsters had their own ways of dealing with things and when they wanted to procure apologies, it wasn't necessarily the linguistic kind either. He had learned to forget the word in this side of town, clocking it out of his vernacular and pass the ropes.

    Although he had already recognized their height difference, it was only until she explicitly mentioned her less-than-favorite nicknames that he saw just how completely his shadow dwarfed her figure. "Then I'm gonna ask ya a favour too and ask you to refrain from any skyscraper comparisons. We clear?" He rubbed the back of his neck with his free hand. 

    He cringed too, the taste of his first black coffee still lingering on his withdrawing tongue, "One sec', aight?" Hyun craned his head back, a vein surfacing on his neck as he hollered, "DID ANY OF YOU FUCKS HEAR THE LADY? GET HER THE FUCKING SUGAR AND CREAM YA SHITS!" He cleared his throat, transitioning back into his usual self, "Uh, yea."

    Moments later, he received what he had so politely asked for, placing them in the coffee with regards to her preferences. His firm, steady movements held a friendly warmth, but perhaps it was simply the emanating heat of the beverage. In response to her story, he stuck out his  slightly swollen, red tongue, a war wound from an earlier coffee break, "I still do." He stretched his arm out, his big hand open for a handshake, "Nice to meet you too. I'm Hyun." He would have thought that the name belonged to a boy, but he knew his eyes weren't that bad. "Why'd you come here anyway? Don't know this place is kinda... Y'know, euuughhh?" Hyun knelt down before toppling himself onto the beanbag as well.

    "'Ey, this is pretty comfy! Kinda sick and tired of the whole standing thing."

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[Xaire Rei]

Listening to him, she gave a few nods. This place was always tense. But it was pretty much because of all of the Meat Heads that hung out around here. If only she could use her granted powers on them, well, they'd never call her tiny again. But she couldn't, so she sighed gently at the thought, turning back to continue to listen to Hyun as he spoke.

"Well, if you want me to be honest, I guess everyone is kinda a Skyscraper to me." She mentioned, puffing her cheeks slightly. Of course that joke had been made before. She was the little person, and they were all the towering buildings, going to heights she wouldn't reach.

"But, I won't call you one...so how about I call you something else instead...? Something like..." She thought about it maybe a bit harder than she should have. She loved giving people cute nicknames...who knew? They could become good friends, so why not a nickname? But for now...nothing seemed to come. Well, maybe it was because you didn't know what his name was, idiot.

When he asked her to wait a second, she nodded, watching as he called out gruffly to the others. It was then she realized he certainly knew how to get what he wanted around here. Or, in this case, what she wanted. She smiled. "Wow. Way to ask nicely." She mentioned flatly. But she was grinning, obviously impressed as she continued to hold her cup, waiting for the mixture to cool.

She laughed when he showed her his tongue. "Yeah, that looks about right." So his name was Hyun? She was distracted for a moment, when he asked why she had come here. "Hm? Cause I like the coffee here. I'm not gonna let a couple of dolts stop me from coming here because they like to pretend they're macho." He was obviously different. He didn't just run around bowling into everything like a bull like the other weirdos. At least, he didn't come off like that. She squeaked in surprise when she felt his weight shift the beanbag she was on, and covered her mouth, embarrassed by the cutesy sound. But she didn't seem bothered with the fact that he had flopped onto it.

"Eh? Yeah standing can get irritating." she agreed, looking down at the cup, when she gasped suddenly. "That's it! How about...I call you 'Hyun-Hyun'? Would that be okay?" She asked excitedly. She did love nicknames.

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[HYUNWOO BAEK]

CRASHING IN AND breaking you to bits

    The coffee here was good. After all, he had made today's brew and it had exceeded in all areas; his special "Hyunwoo Baek approved, scholarly-appraised rating system" rated it fifty uppercuts and twenty-six jabs. A little bit of pride, actually, a large amount of pride had snuggled alongside with him on the beanbag upon hearing those words.

   Hyun pouted, "I'm not a dolt, yea? And look," The pout maintained its pitiful curve as he spoke, "I'm macho! I've grown out of make believe unlike the other dolts, I think." Hyun laughed briefly, his rich voice filling out each note. 

    The boy raised an eyebrow at the squeak Xaire had unwillingly given life to. Leaning back, he stared at her almost critically before saying, "That was pretty cute."

    As his figure sunk into the beanbag, he pulled his arms together, snuggling them against his sides as he felt his seat take his shape. He had enjoyed the remarks she had punctuated his dialogue with and decided to take a self-imposed break—not that there were any real scheduled breaks and if there were, he had purposefully forgotten about them. 

    Nicknames, though. He had always wanted a nickname. Although he already had a few bestowed upon him by the motley crew around him such as Fists, Punchy, Fists McPunchy, The Iron Fist, and Tom, he always wanted one that was more on the... softer side of things. Hyun-Hyun would seal the deal.

    "Only if I can call you Xai-Xai. We got a deal?" He extended a firm hand. "Remember... this is a gangster's deal. Things could get dangerous."
    
    He smiled.

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[Xaire Rei]

At Hyun's mention of him not being a dolt, Xaire couldn't help but start laughing. She smiled at him, waving a single hand rather dismissively at him. "Nah, you're pretty cool." At his comment about the make believe, she groaned, leaning back into her chair with a sharp huff. "Then maybe you should teach these jerks about the real world." She suggested, laying back against the chair they were sharing.

At his comment about her squeaking, she blushed a deep red, crossing her arms and turning away as he stared at her, kind of like this . That was really irritating, those sounds she made when she didn't mean too. She sipped the coffee, still heavily red-faced as she looked down at it. "I-I'm not cute. It wasn't cute. I'm Xaire, and that was annoying." She said, squeaks gave her a much girly image then she wanted. Still blushing at this point, she opened an eye, in order to look at Hyun. Sure, she didn't want to look manly, but she wasn't a girly-girl, either!

But she would accidentally shatter her un-cute image in a moment, when he accepted her nickname. She giggled. He wanted to call her Xai-Xai? Welll....it was kind of cutesy. But...she also kind of liked it. She took another sip of her Coffee and nodded. "Sure, it's a deal! Gangster deals don't scare me!" she said, grinning. Calming herself with a deep breath, her blue eyes focused on the crowd in the corner for a moment, before she seemed to turn her attention back to Hyun. "So, Hyun-Hyun, how'd you end up working at a place like this? No one else want the job?" She asked, sincerely curious.

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[HYUNWOO BAEK]

CRASHING IN AND breaking you to bits

    He was cool. Or at least, she said he was pretty cool. Xaire's laughing had put him at ease and for the first time in awhile in this place, he felt the tension slip away from his joints. The blush that spread across her face took away the rest of his worries and he couldn't help but echo her earlier laughter. 

    "Hey, nothing wrong with being cute." Hyun puffed his cheeks out, placing his fingers on his pouted lips, his exaggerated display of 'cuteness' more of a mockery of the concept rather than its execution.

    When she agreed to the deal, he smirked, glad to have some proper company around the place. "All right. Didn't seem like you'd be scared." He leaned over, assuming an intimidating face, "You don't wanna know what happens to people who double-cross me." However, his facade quickly wore away into a smile of sorts, revealing its identity as a joke.

    The next question was interesting. At least, to him. It was almost coincidental, how Xaire stumbled upon the cafe. She had mirrored his own entrance: picked upon, thought of as a pipsqueak, the whole nine-yards. Instead of just shouting back, however, "I just punched the first guy who called me 'pipsqueak.'" He winked, "Maybe next time, you should too? If you wanna work here."

    "How about you? What do you do? For fun, or work... Not everyone works, I know. Not like I always wanna be here, anyway." Hyun sighed, stretching back onto the beanbag. "We don't really have customers, y'see. You're a rarity."

    He closed his eyes for a moment, the comfort of the beanbag sinking in.

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