Original Stories Fan Fiction ❯ Cafe au Lait ❯ Klutz ( Chapter 3 )

[ P - Pre-Teen ]

Once the initial shock had passed, and realization sunk in, Caramel let out an unguarded sigh slip past his parted lips, and cast a glance to his white-haired nekojin as he quickly got back to work serving another table. “So...You actually like my useless Milk, hm?”

“That's not what I meant.” Coffee explained, with a slight frown, as he stood beside the auburn-haired wolf. It didn't seem like he'd be the type to jump to conclusions, but Coffee assumed that his previous comment could easily be interpreted in numerous ways. Which left him all the more reason to try and clear up that little misunderstanding as soon as possible. With a quiet sigh, he followed Caramel's gaze to the white-haired waiter, arching a slim eyebrow as a smile spread over Milk's as he talked to his customers.

“Ah? Coffee? Yes, I like coffee too!” Milk giggled rather childishly, while his head leaned slightly to one side, and the furry white ears atop his head perked up just a bit more.

Soft, chestnut-colored eyes surveyed the scene from a distance, and Latte gave a light shake of his head while holding back a soft chuckle. Milk may have been known for his naiveness, but it seemed painfully obvious for him to respond with a sentence that could just as easily be misinterpreted as Coffee's, while even being oblivious to Coffee and Caramel's conversation about him. As a small smirk danced across his lips, he leaned back lightly in his chair and drummed his fingers lightly against the table he had claimed as his own while on his break. “What a joke.”

Said boy's words went unheard by Caramel, while Milk's choice of words earned his full attention, and in a slightly dramatic moment, he lifted a hand to his cheek as tears of joy spilled from his closed eyes and ran along the curve of his cheek. “Oh.” The older male sighed and turned his head away from Milk. “My children are in love? Like, total kyah.” He was lost as to how quickly they could fall in love with each other, due to the fact that it was only their first day of meeting one another, but decided that fate had played its part in bringing his two nekojins together, and he could only wish the best for them. And already, plans for their future wedding danced in his mind.

“We're not related.” The grey-eyed neko pointed out, rather bluntly, while hoping to put an end to Caramel's delusions before they could get out of hand. A slight pout touched his lips as he stared at the man through half-lidded eyes.

Milk once again flashed a warm smile to his customers at the table he was currently serving. “Okay! One espresso, coming right up.” he stated, before bowing slightly, and earning a confused look from the violet-haired neko beside Caramel.

“...Coffee?” Coffee blinked slowly as he soon began to realize that Milk had not been talking about liking him at all, but the actual beverage, and glanced to the presumptuous redhead out of the corner of his eye, knowing that the wolf felt far more foolish than he did, especially after jumping to conclusions like that.

“Ouch.” Caramel muttered softly, and sweat-dropped, slightly embarrassed for thinking that Milk may not have been naïve when it came to relationships.

Latte focused his attention to the rain that was steadily drumming against one of the many windows along the cafe walls, and watched with little interest as people dotted the sidewalks, rushing to get out of the cold and wet weather, while some couples walked amongst them, under dark umbrellas, and shared small kisses, along with the romantic idea of getting caught in the rain. “Typical.” he muttered beneath his breath, and momentarily wondered why Caramel and Coffee would assume that Milk would say something that he was far too naïve to understand. But at least he had been entertained, if only for a short moment, and with a tiny sigh, he rose from his chair and wandered over to a table to resume his shift.

“Hmph. He's a strange one...your Milk.” Coffee sighed, after a few moments had passed, and Milk had wandered off to prepare said item for his customer. Well... “strange” for Milk was definitely an understatement, but the violent-haired boy held off any such comments that would most likely upset Caramel. The last thing he needed was a moody and possibly harsh wolf on his tail for saying something not so nice about the au lait-eyed nekojin. Momentarily, the thought of what sort of relationship those two had, floated to the forefront of his mind. Though, it couldn't be a very good one, if Caramel was always labeling Milk as “useless”. A soft frown touched at his lips before he tore his gaze away from the auburn-haired man.

“Now, don't say that.” Caramel huffed slightly and instantly adopted a slight pout on his pink lips, while his ear flicked slightly in irritation. True, Milk was a strange one, but seeing as how his agreement didn't need to be voiced, he decided to occupy his mind with much less troublesome things, such as his dear Coffee. No sooner had he thought up something to pull the conversation in a different direction, that his gaze was torn away from his plum-haired kitten, and to Milk, who had just returned from the kitchen with a piping hot cup of espresso carried on a decorated sliver tray. 'Speak of the devil.' He wanted to laugh at the boy's god awful timing, but he held his calm composure, instead, and glanced once again to Coffee as Milk drew closer, seemingly oblivious to where he was going. “Oh, behind you, sweetheart.” His voice carried a slightly worried tone, and his eyes widened slightly, seeing a train wreck waiting to happen. With Milk, it always did.

“Hm?” Coffee's reflex was just a bit too slow, and the instant he had turned to see what was behind his back, Milk collided with him; or more specifically, their heads.

A startled, “Oh!” was wrenched from the white-haired boy's lips, before the impact threw him backward slightly, and as he stumbled, he watched the cup of espresso launch itself off the tray and at Coffee, like a magnet, and he was helpless to stop it. In that same moment, the steaming contents of the cup splattered onto the taller boy, seeping through his shirt and burning at his chest and arms. “Sorry.” Milk almost whispered, in embarrassment, as he held the tray over his mouth slightly, while hot tears stung at his brown eyes and glided down his smooth, porcelain cheeks.

A look of horror mixed with that of pain was instantly painted on Coffee's face, before he opened his mouth and emitted a pained cry, turning quickly away from the bubble-headed boy. “BWAH!!!”