✧ paris ✧ discussion

Café De Flore is one of the oldest Café's in Paris, France. You can enjoy a warm cup of coffee outside, while people watching, or indoors, with the wonderful aroma's only a coffee shop could hold.

(Since they originally met in a coffee shop...)

Coco pushed up off her bed, her room felt stifling, like the walls were closing in on her. She'd been in Paris all summer long, yet she hadn't really gone out all that much. Only when her Aunt, or Uncle, were willing to take her somewhere, or if she was dying to get a cup of coffee. Which she was right then, anything to get out of her relatives flat. Coco should've been starting school that day, but something had happened to make the paperwork mess up, so she wouldn't be starting until the next day instead. The young teen pulled on a thin, fitted shirt, and a pair of denim capris, then her flip flops, before grabbing a bag and heading out her bedroom door. Her head turned both ways, looking for either her relatives, or the shadows(her bodyguards), neither of which seemed to be in sight, she breathed a sigh. Coco treaded lightly on the wooden floor, eased the front door open, and then ran to the elevators, they seemed to take an eternity to arrive. But when they did she slipped in and hit the Floor button right away. It didn't take long for her to make it to the lobby, out the revolving doors, and onto the street, only then did she breathe easy. A smile lit upon her face, she put her bag across her chest and walked towards the closest café, Café De Flore. It was her favorite so far, they were friendly, and she'd seen a cute coffee boy there a few times, but she'd yet to talk to him, instead she was always stuck with some old guy that liked to talk in French, so she understood nothing he said. Her nose scrunched when she thought of him, hopefully she would get someone else this time. A young guy bumped into her, she stumbled some, he apologized and went on his way, Coco was still getting used to the city, it was so much different than Spain. She reached the café and her hand pulled the door open, a bell tinkled abover her as she stepped inside.

Joey kept his head down as he walked down the sidewalk that lead to one of his favorite coffee shops in the city. Despite this being his second year living in France, he hadn't exactly ventured out to explore new spaces, so he normally stuck to Cafe De Flore for all his coffee needs. Out of habit, he brought his hands up around the collar of his jean jacket, trying to keep his neck covered as a light breeze drifted down the streets. It wasn't an awful day, but instead rather pleasant. The air was cool but not hot enough yet to make someone uncomfortable. With all honesty, Joey was dreading the thought of returning back to school today, which was why he was taking a small re-route to his favorite coffee shop; to try and brighten up the beginning of his day. The eighteen year old lifted his head when he began to smell coffee in the air, and he immediately saw the shop. A small smile curved onto his lips as he drew closer, and once his hand wrapped around the door handle, he couldn't help but let the smile become wider. This was his favorite place in the city, and yes, even though he almost always sat alone, that didn't stop him from wanting to dine in. Joey walked up to the counter and was greeted with a friendly smile, "Hi, can I have a cappuccino?" the worker nodded and told him his total, taking the cash that was handed to them and handing cash back to Joey before turning around to fix his drink. Joey stood off to the side so other people could order while he waited for his coffee.

The café was littered with people here and there, but it wasn't overwhelmingly crowded, Coco took a moment to look for her money in her bag, a guy went ahead of her and ordered what he wanted, she didn't really notice him at first. She made her way up to the counter, it was the old guy, and of course he greeted her in French. "Good morning," She spoke in perfect English, her parents made sure that she was fluent in several languages, but unfortunately French wasn't one of those. The elder looked down at her, his eyes judging her, Coco's cheeks blushed a pretty pink, and her lower lip trembled slightly. "I'm sorry, I just don't understand the language yet. I promise I'll pick up a book on your language this afternoon," Her tone was nervous, and she looked sad that they couldn't communicate properly. He grumbled something in French before gesturing to a notepad, she knew what it was for and wrote down her order, the guy in the back would translate for her. Coco pushed over some cash and then fell into line behind the guy before her. Ah why was it so embarrassing? She felt terrible, and almost wished that she hadn't ventured out after all, that is until she really noticed the guy in front of her. He was cute, and had on a jacket that looked comfortable, his eyes looked kind, and she felt that he wouldn't hurt a fly. Was he French as well?

"I need some caffeine... I am so happy that the day is over!" A head of blonde curls nodded in compliance with the thoughts that crossed her pretty little mind. Sharply manicured black and white marbled nails reached into her purse to fish out her Iphone and her slim headphones. "Might as well search for a café," Delilah thought to herself. She turned on some music that would be perfect for sashaying down a runway (specifically Demi Lovato's Confident) and she wandered the streets of Paris in search of some Cafe Au Lait. Just being a resident of Paris for about a week and a half, she still had a lot of digging and locating to do about the city, but Delilah would find her way one way or another. Looking from left to right, her eyes scanned every sign in hopes of finding a cafe. It wasn't until almost a half and hour later, she had almost run into a chair, lost in her own little world that Delilah found herself standing in front of a cafe. Her blood red lips turned up in a pristine smile as she pushed the door open. "Finally," Delilah muttered as she got in line, taking out her headphones. Delilah inhaled deeply, absorbing all of the flavors with her senses. "Now this is what I'm talking about."

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The city was alive that day, Rain felt a bounce to her step as she wandered the streets of Paris. Her mind was all over the place as she thought of a game coming up in Soccer, a ball that was coming up that she would be required to attend, a science project that she had to finish in two weeks, and then normal teenage stuff. As she looked in, and around shops she felt a headache coming on, she needed caffeine. She knew the feeling of when she was getting withdrawals, and this was one of those times. Rain quickly turned left and headed to her favorite café, the one that made the cute scenes with the foam of your latte, yeah that one. Rain walked briskly, only stopping for a moment to send an Instagram update on her phone, then she was back on track. She entered the cute café just behind another girl, one with blonde hair, and an almost swagger to her step, Rain's eyebrows shot up, now just who was this person in front of her? She looked like she might be around Rain's age, but she couldn't be sure. Rain also thought that she might of heard Demi resounding from the headphones that were dangling from the girls neck, nice taste in music. Though Rain personally preferred Korean groups, there were plenty of western artists she enjoyed as well.

Delilah moved up to the cashier as soon as it was her turn. She took a deep breath,"Salut chérie , je peux placer une commande pour le café au lait ? Merci." She said as her voice slipped out of her being in beautiful and mellow tones. Delilah had intensely put herself through many online videos and one course that she had paid for. The cashier shifted and oh my! was that blush on his cheeks? Oh no. Poor dear. Delilah handed the cashier the currency that she owed him and moved out of the way so that other people could order because they were probably like her and needed their fix for the day. She slipped out her phone and she posted a update to Insta and the Twittersphere, she went back to listening to her music. (Now to We are Young- fun. ft Janelle Monae ) She looked out onto the city and she wondered how she could have gotten so lucky. Oh wait, Delilah had worked her ass of to get to where she was now and now she was close to living out her dream of becoming a fashion designer/ model. She sighed in contentment, feeling secure in the road that she was taking, confident that she was taking the right path.

The line was growing behind her, and then they were moving forward, just as she was losing patience. Sometimes she wondered if she was meant for such things, perhaps she should hire an assistant? Someone to stand in line for her? The girl in front of her spoke French fluently, and ordered her drink. Rain was impressed, slightly, and watched as she moved to the side, Rain ordered her own latte in much the same manner, the boy behind the counter kept stealing looks to the blonde next to Rain. This amused her, so she leaned forward some to whisper to the girl that seemed to be the center of the barista's attention, "Don't look now, but you have an admirer," She spoke with a hint of amusement in her voice. It would be fun to see how this played out, would she flirt it up? Or would she shut it down? Rain was intrigued, and happy to have a distraction from her every day life and schedule.

Delilah soon got bored of her playlist and she switched off her music. She listened to the French folk songs that were playing softly in the background. Delilah started to think about home and her family, her friends and just what her life used to be. Delilah was then shaken out of her thoughts as she heard a whispery voice say,"Don't look now, but you have an admirer." Delilah looked toward the person who spoke to her, a girl, a cute girl at that. "Oh darling he wouldn't have a chance, but I'll play," Delilah said as she smirked at the girl. Why the hell not, Delilah hadn't had any fun since she had got here so she would kick off her evening the right way. Her order was called and she sauntered up to get it, tossing her hair over her shoulder and she looked over at her "admirer" and threw him a wink before going to stand back next to the girl whom had spoken to her. "You should come sit with me, you seem fun. I like fun," Delilah said, one hand on her shoulder before going to find a table near the window, carrying the cup to the table.

(Sorry bb!)

The girl seemed like she might be really confident, and Rain found herself wanting to know more. People that were in her range, which it seemed this chick was, well she liked those kinds of people around her. They could keep up with her games, and fun that she preferred, over boring dinners and playing hostess at charities. Rain's eyes followed the other teen as she sauntered up to the counter, confidence oozing off of her in waves, the boy that had been looking her way blushed before turning around. Rain smirked, then nodded her head slightly when the girl invited Rain to sit with her. I like fun too, she thought to herself, she went to the counter and retrieved her own cup before heading towards the table that had been picked. She sat across from the new girl, "I'm Rain by the way, and oh my God, that guy is WAY out of your league, he can't even look your way without blushing, its adorable, really." Rain put her straw between her lips and sipped her drink.

(Its okay Lee c: ❤️)
Delilah sat down at the table with her newly found acquaintance and brought her drink to her lips. "Oh yes that is delicious," Her taste buds were singing to Culinary heaven. That Café Au Lait was exactly what she needed. The new girl introduced herself as Rain. After Delilah removed her lips from the cup, her lipstick leaving a red lip print on her cup. She frowned at how much lipstick was on her cup and not on somebody's lips or cheek. Delilah looked up at her table mate and commented "That's hot, nice name." She happened to love the phenomena of rain, so it'll be easy to remember. Delilah chuckled lightly," Oh sweetheart, he'll never be in the same league as me. As a matter of facts, he can never get with me because one he's not female and two I would probably break the poor guy," Delilah leaned back in the chair with a relaxed position and she looked over at Rain," Darling~ I'm supposed to go out to party tonight and there is this fashion show I'm supposed to go to tomorrow and I was wondering if you'll be my plus one. You'll probably be able to score some sweet clothes at the show, not to mention some hot guys at both. What do you say?" Delilah flashed Rain a dazzling smile before bringing her drink of choice back up to her lips. She awaited the girl's answer because Delilah thought she would have fun and raise hell with her, but that was all up to what Rain said.

The atmosphere in the café was warm and cozy, making Rain all the more comfortable with where she was and who she was with. The girl was very much a flirt, that was obvious, Rain smiled slightly when she commented on her name. She rose both brows with surprise when she found out that this girl was into, well , other girls. That wasn't what she'd expected, not that Rain was against such things, she'd just not read this girl right apparently. She let her surprise slip from her face quickly and thought about the other girls proposal. "How can I go out with a girl that I don't even know the name of?" She questioned teasingly, her eyes crinkling slightly with her smile, "It sounds like a fun time, I suppose I could use some randomness in my life, why not? What time should I bready? And are you picking me up, or are we meeting there?" Rain leaned forward, her elbows resting on the counter, her lips wrapped around the straw as she sipped on her drink, her eyes looked over her cup towards the other girl, curiosity evident in her gaze, and something else.

Delilah saw the look on Rain's face and she almost chuckled, but she didn't. Oh so the light had finally went off in her table-mate's head that she was a lesbian. Good, now that her sexual identity was out of the way, the girl could decide to chill with her or not, the choice was up to Rain to make in that pretty little head of hers. Delilah took another sip of her coffee but then her ears perked up when Rain asked for a name. "Ha, I'm sorry love, that's probably an important piece of information that you need. I'm Delilah," Delilah said, flashing Rain a gorgeous smile. "Mhmm, so you've decided you're gonna hang with me, let's check to see what time it is." Delilah checked her watch on her wrist and pursed her lips before letting out a "hm" and then put her hand back onto the table. "So its currently 5:30, how does 7 sound?" Delilah asked, resting her chin in her hands.

Knowing a persons name before agreeing to something was certainly a plus, and Rain learned the other girls name fairly quickly, Delilah. That was a pretty name, and fit the girl before her quite nicely. Rain glanced down at her phone when Delilah inquired to the time, it was 5:29, so 5:30 was close enough. She nodded to Delilah, agreeing on the time. "That should give me enough time to get ready if I leave now..." It wouldn't give her time to go to the hair salon, but that was okay, she could make do by herself. Rain smiled at the other girl, not being shy at all, "I live at the Shangri-La Hotel. I'll be standing outside at exactly seven," She stood up, grabbing her drink as she did so, "Is there a color theme, or any sort of theme in general that I should be adhering to?" Rain liked to be exact when she could be, and this tended to be one of those times.

Rain's smile seem to light up the entire room, and Delilah was glad to be in the presence of a person who could do that. When Delilah heard that she lived at a hotel, her curiosity rose more about this girl. "Oh no hun, don't wait outside, it's going to be really chilly. I'll come and get you, like a real gentlemen," Delilah chuckled slightly. She thought about the girl's question and Delilah shook her head," No need to come with a matching color theme, just wear your hottest outfits. Tonight we're just going out to party and tomorrow it's a fashion show and well," She chuckled at this point," More partying." Delilah got up from the table and she grabbed her drink of choice, checking her watch again. "I'll see you at seven, cheri," Delilah smiled and winked at Rain before leaving the cafe and walking towards her apartment.

The weather was amazing in Paris, it was nice and cool, but not too cool, the sun was shining, its warmth was just enough to make sure that you didn't need a heavy jacket just yet. Leo had put a light sweater on Bae before leaving the house, and a fedora hat that made him look all the more cute. Leo had Bae's hand wrapped snuggly around one of his own fingers, and they were walking down the street. Bae had asked if they could pick up Neo, Bae's orphan friend, Leo sometimes volunteered to have him and Bae spend time with the little tike. He was so cute, and only a little older than Bae, the two kids got along tremendously. They were approaching the orphanage just then actually, and an older lady was standing out on the sidewalk with Neo, who was sitting on the sidewalk, pulling up grass from beside it, and scattering the green stuff everywhere. It seemed that the worker was instructing him to stop, but Neo didn't seem to be paying her any mind, and then he caught sight of Bae. It was all over with after that, Neo climbed to his feet, and his little legs started pumping as he ran towards Bae, arms wide, a smile on his face, and his voice yelling, "Baeeeeeeeeeeeeeee." The woman just shook her head with disapproval, threw Leo a wave, and went to go back inside the orphanage. "Hey there buddy," Leo spoke softly, giving Neo an encouraging smile. He instructed Neo to hold Bae's hand, and they walked towards a nearby café. Leo would get the little guys some hot cocoa before returning home, him and Bae had already gotten food at the market, the bags were in Leo's free hand.

Bae was in a great mood. He had his favorite hat (though in all realism, everything was his favorite) and his favorite jacket on, walking with his daddy to market. He had, of course, asked if they could have Neo be with them tonight, as he often did since he loved spending time with his best friend Neo. He skipped along with Leo as they went to the market and on the way back, he just knew they were going to pick up Neo, which made him so excited that he kept tripping over his feet and tumbling over. When they finally arrived at the orphanage, and he saw Neo run towards him, Bae squealed out, "NEO!!" and ran to him and wrapped his arms around him in a big hug. He giggled when Leo told Neo to hold his hand, reaching out to grab it with the biggest grin. When he saw the cafe they were going to, he got even more excited. "Appa, is have chocolate drink?!" he asked excitedly, bouncing even more.

Leon was busy in the back at the moment, preparing some desserts to restock in the front. He was in the middle of icing several cupcakes in a row with swift precision in a towering swirl. When he heard the tinkle of the bell on the front door, he set down his piping bag, wiped his hands clean, and moved to the front counter to help whoever was there.

Bae, Bae is friend. I'm glad Bae is my friend, oh food! Food, drink? Drink? Bae said chocolate, Neo had grabbed ahold of Bae's hand as soon as the two of them had finished hugging. They were walking towards a familiar building, it was wear they got sweet drinks sometimes with Bae's Appa. He felt excitement bubble up as they neared the building, "Choco!" He grinned at Bae, their excitement was evident, Neo was only this excited, and bubbly, when he was with his best friend. The bell tinkled above them as they entered the café, Neo giggled, and pointed at a chalk drawing of a coffee, "Choco!"

The waft of coffee and pastries caught ahold of Leo's senses the closer that they got to the café. He felt his mouth water some, this café had the best caramel macchiato in the city. He opened the door, and waited for the boys to go in first, before going in after them. The café was warm, and there was a low murmur of voices inside, house music played in the background. "Chocolate drink, yes Bae. We're going to get you and Neo something to drink, and maybe a snack?" Leo led the pair up to the counter and smiled towards the guy that was coming out from the back, "Hello, we'll have one caramel macchiato in a mug, please not a paper cup. Also, I need to hot chocolates with a few pieces of ice in each, as well as two large, chocolate chip cookies." Leo let go of Bae's hand, only for a moment, so that he could slide over some money to the barista, then picked his hand up again. "If it's okay with you, I'm going to take them and find a seat," Leo gave a friendly smile, and then went to a table with toddlers, helping them each into a seat. Though it seemed they were way more into talking to each other, than to him. Leo thought it was adorable to be honest, and was happy his son clicked with someone else so well.

"Choco!!" Bae agreed with a huge grin, skipping along with Leo and Neo as they went to the cafe, unable to stop himself from giggling in excitement at the drink he was going to get. Bae saw the sign he was pointed to and giggled even more. "Drink! Appa get drink!!" he cheered.

Leon gave his customary polite grin that he always gave when a customer approached, but it quickly changed to a real, warm smile when he saw the two little ones with Leo. They were the cutest little boys he'd ever seen, and when he looked at Neo, his heart just melted. "Ah, o-of course." he stammered out, blinking up at Leo when he heard his order and quickly ringing it up in the register before giving him his change. He moved to get together the three drinks, then got two large cookies that were fresh out of the oven, just cool enough to eat but still gooey and delicious. He put them all on a tray and moved to carry it over to where he could see they had settled down, the two toddlers chattering away to one another. "A-are they both yours?" he asked, glancing at Neo as he set down all three drinks and handed the boys the cookies. "Made them myself, lots of gooey chocolate." he told them, watching Bae squeal and immediately take a huge bite, smearing chocolate on the corners of his mouth.

Neo followed Leo to the table, he scooted to the edge of the chair he was placed on and set his arms on the table. "Hyung, I hungwy," Neo pouted slightly. that pout turned into a wide eyed stare as the barista set a huge cookie in front of him. "Kansamida !! Yah! Bae looook," the little guy turned to see Bae and his reaction, Bae had already taken a bite of his. Neo giggled, Bae had chocolate on his mouth, Neo took a bite of his too, smearing chocolate all over his cheeks and hands.

Leo sat at the table with the kids, pulled out his phone and checked his messages. The guest had cancelled, so he wouldn't be hosting after all. Leo wasn't too heartbroken over it, he has Neo to keep him and Bae occupied for the evening. He looked up when the drinks and food were delivered, "Oh, thanks," Leo shook his head with amusement at the duo in front of him, they each were a mess, but so happy that he couldn't scold either one. "Hm? This one is mine," Leo gestured towards Bae, "This little tike is actually from the orphanage down the street. We're just friends, we take him out sometimes so that he can see the world now and again." Leo really looked at the guy next to him, he seemed quite interested in Neo. "Hey, why don't you have a seat and talk to us for a minute?"

"Cookie!" Bae cheered around his mouthful of the delicious treat, grinning before reaching for his drink to pull it closer and drink from it. Leon had had the sense to put both cups of hot chocolate in plastic cups with a lid and a straw for them to drink, not wanting Leo to have had to worry about them spilling it everywhere. Bae drank from his hot chocolate thirstily, then moved to munch on his cookie again.

Leon glanced over at Neo, grinning when he saw how it took little time before he was covered in the chocolate. He reached to grab a napkin off the table and wipe Neo's cheek clean. When Leo said he was from the orphanage, Leon actually looked shocked. "Really? And he's still there? Who would dare to pass up such a cute little guy?" At Leo's offer to sit and talk, he glanced over his shoulder, but the other barista had just finished her break and taken over the register, so he moved to grab a chair and sit down. "Yeah, I can do that, if you don't mind. My name is Leon." he added , as an introduction.

The drink looked so swirly when Bae picked it up, it made Neo pick his up and shake it some, the liquid stayed safely in the cup. He slurped some of the liquid, it was sweet and went down easily. Neo looked at the man with all the symbols on his skin, he was wiping his face, "Neo messy?" He quirked his head to the side curiously. The man sat down and watched the man talk to Leo, the adults seemed to be talking, boring. Neo turned to Bae, "My cookie is big!" He held up the mostly still intact cookie for Bae to inspect.

Leo saw the hesitation on the Barista's face, when he sat down Leo felt more at ease. "Coincidence, my names Leo. Good name," He gestured towards Neo, "So you seem interested in this guy. Let me tell you, he's available for fostering or adoption. He does have an older sister, she's five. But she's already been adopted, the family didn't want Neo. Boys are a lot harder to get adopted actually, I did some research," Leo shrugged, he hoped he wasn't scaring the guy off with everything. But this was the first time that he had seen anyone interested in little Neo, he couldn't let the opportunity pass by.

"A little, but it's okay, I got it." Leon said, smiling over at Neo and seeing how he shook his cup. Definitely was a good idea to put it in a cup with a lid. he thought to himself. Otherwise, the drink would have gone everywhere. "Bae cookie was biggerer, but I eated it." Bae boasted with a grin, moving as if to take a bite of Neo's cookie.

Leon grinned and said, "Good name indeed." then quieted to listen to Leo as he talked about Neo. "To be honest, I am interested. There's been this.....gap in my life. Like something's missing. I thought at first it was homesickness, but when I saw Neo..." he shook his head and laughed. "It's the weirdest thing, but I saw him and it kinda clicked. That what I was missing was him. I'm a strong believer in fate, and I have a feeling that fate made it possible for us to meet now. I can't believe anyone would pass up the chance to have this little guy, but at the same time I glad no one else snatched him up, because I'd love the chance to bring him into my life....if he'd have me. What orphanage is it? I'll have to arrange some meetings with him and stuff, see if he likes me before trying to adopt him."

Neo's eyes grew large as Bae went to take a bite from his cookie. "Aniyo," no , Neo yanked the cookie back. Then he seemed to be lost in thought for a few seconds, he broke the cookie in half and handed Bae half. "Hewe fwiend," Neo then proceeded to fill his mouth with cookie, his cheeks poked out like a chipmunk. He turned to look at the new hyung, he was talking about visiting him or something. "Ywesh?" the answer was a bit squished since his mouth was full, cookie crumbles went everywhere.

Leo grinned, this guy, Leon, was all over looking into Neo! Which was awesome, Neo so needed a family. Leo would have maybe adopted the little guy if he had his own life together. It seemed like he was still trying to get on track though, and he didn't want to take his limited attention away from his own son. Leo watched as Neo and Bae interacted, they were such cute kids.

"Oh uh," Leo thought for a moment, "I believe it's just called Le Orphange. It's just down the street, I know you will have to fill out a bunch of paperwork, get a background check, home inspection, the works. It may seem like a lot, but it isn't that bad, and it looks like Neo wants you to visit," Neo was nodding his head adamantly. (short I know, sorry!!)

((psh not short at all! Besides, quality over quantity every time))

Bae grinned at Neo when he yanked his cookie away, giggling up a storm since he was only pretending to eat the cookie. He looked shocked when Neo actually broke the rest of his cookie in half and offered half to him. Bae took it and looked over at Neo, then wrapped his arms around him in a tight hug. "Neo is best ever! Thank!" before taking a bite out of his cookie and tugging his drink closer to slurp from it.

Leon listened intently and nodded. "Yeah, I figured there was a lot of steps. But it'll be worth it if I can take the little guy home with me." he glanced over at Neo again and smiled. While he might look a bit intimidating, it was pretty clear that his personality didn't match at all. "After I get off of work today in about an hour, I'll go to the orphanage to get the paperwork and start filling it out, and get everything together for the rest."

The little arms going around his body made Neo smile widely, his friend was the bestest, and he couldn't see himself without Bae. "Tanks!" Neo hugged Bae back, and then looked over at the hyung that seemed to have taken a keen interest in him. What did the guy want? And would it be a permanent thing? Or would he show up once or twice, and then disappear like everyone else? the only constants in his life were Bae and his Hyung Leo, and they were the most precious people in little Neo's world. Neo glanced back to Bae, "Look," He pointed a chubby finger towards an emo looking girl, his eyes wide, "She's felled in a fwire pit, she's got stuff's on her eyes."

Leo was proud of Bae, and the affection he showed so generously, that kid would humble anyone. He gave his son an affectionate pat on the head, before returning to the adult conversation that was taking place. "Sounds good to me, we're going to have Neo for the afternoon, so if you'd like to stop by and join us for dinner maybe? I mean if you're interested, then you could talk to Neo more, see how he interacts, and reacts to you. Bae and I would love the company," Leo was very interested in getting to know the guy better. If he was truly looking into being someone that was going to be Neo's parent, his permanent family, then they definitely needed to get to know one another better. Because Leo had no intention of disappearing from the little guy's life, this dongsaeng was very important to him and Bae both.

Bae slurped rather loudly from his drink, clutching it in his hands as he drank it happily, eyeing the whipped cream in it as if he could just imagine getting it...well, everywhere actually. If there was no lid, he would scoop it right out to lick. He glanced up when Neo got his attention, looking at the girl as he told him that she fell in a fire pit. His eyes grew wide and he bounced in his seat as he said, "nono, I know it is! It's the paint stuff on the face that adults get to wear! Right, daddy?" he turned to look at his father for confirmation.

Leon looked a bit surprised at how ready Leo was to invite him to his home. Granted, it was to get a chance to know Neo more, but still. He was, essentially, a stranger still. He must really care about Neo, to be so willing to open his doors to me and help us get to know one another. he thought to himself with a gentle smile. It really touched him, and plus, he was kind of also glad no one at the table was judging him for his appearance. Sure, people at the other tables sitting were looking at him funny, but who cared? They didn't have an adorable kid who could change his whole world. "I'd love to join you for dinner, in fact I'll do one better and help you cook it, if you'd let me. I'm working on getting my culinary degree, working here to pay for bills and whatnot." Leon said, glancing over at the boys again. "What do you think, guys? Can I come over for dinner?" he asked, wanting to see how they'd react.

People actually did that to their face on purpose? Neo looked quite confused, as well as worried. Maybe it was something adults could only understand, Neo cocked his head, very much interested in the entire idea of it. He kind of wished that someone would explain it to him, instead of asking however, he turned his attention to his drink. He flipped it upside down and watched as the liquid slowly started to drip out. "Bae! Bae looook, its dwipping," Neo giggled, and made a water like sound as a drop came out and splattered onto the table top. He glanced up when he heard the question being asked of him, his bottom lip went in his mouth as he thought about it. "Otay, if Bae say's yes?" He looked at Bae, wanting to know what his friend thought of the strange looking man beside them.

The girl the boys were pointing out was cute, and Leo frowned slightly, Neo sounded rude. The little guy didn't know any better, but it made Leo feel even more convicted that Neo needed a parent, someone to rear him. To teach him, to love him, to give him structure, and security. Bae quickly corrected his friend, and in such a cute way that Leo had to chuckle some, "Yes, that's called makeup guys. You will learn more about it when you get older. So, what do you both think about Mr. Leon coming over for dinner? Oh, yeah, I'd love help in the kitchen. Usually it's just me and little man here, and it ends up more on us, than in any actual container." Not that Leo minded, he and Bae had a lot of memories to cherish already, being full in that warm, familiar way, well there was nothing to top that.

Bae looked shocked when Neo started to drip his drink, and hugged his own drink close as he said, "No, Neo, not apposed to spill it! You waste! Make it go by forevah cause not apposed to drinked off tha table." he did his best to sound like he was scolding Neo, but ultimately just sounded really cute as he tried to teach his friend about what not to do.

Leon glanced over at the girl the boys were talking about and grinned. Despite all the makeup, she always came to the store and ordered the adorable panda cupcakes that he made to eat (a mix of dark chocolate and white chocolate/vanilla/buttercream for the frosting) all the time, not to mention all the cute accessories she had. He made it his goal to always make sure the cupcakes were fresh when she came, and if he was working, he'd inconspicuously check her wrists, knowing she was going through a tough time. Ever since the first time he offered her a cupcake, he'd noticed less scars on her wrists. They didn't go away entirely, he wasn't magic unfortunately, but she seemed to be doing better...at least a little bit. He returned his attention to the boys he was sitting with and reached out absently with a napkin to mop up the drink Neo was dripping and said, "I made that drink with a lot of love, you sure you wanna spill all that yumminess out on the table? It's much better going in a tummy to enjoy more." he smiled at Neo as he spoke.

Bae brightened as he chirped out, "If Hyung make food good like cookies, we get cook with us!" he bounced in his seat, then stopped when his drink sloshed and returned to gulping it down excitedly.

So spilling the drink was bad? Neo scrunched his tiny nose, and looked between Bae and Leon, he then put the straw up to his lips and slurped his drink, the sugar, cream and chocolatey goodness filled his mouth. Neo swallowed and then pulled away from the straw, a smile on his face, "Yessssh, Bae said it was otay!" He rose a fist high, as if he'd won some sort of trophy, then giggled, before almost falling out of his chair, he barely caught himself as he teetered near the edge, a squeak left his mouth, he grabbed onto Bae. Who then teetered as well, it was like a train wreck about to happen, tears immediately filled Neo's eyes, and he began to cry out as he started to fall again.

Leo noticed Leon looking towards the girl that the boys were referring to, he wondered what the story was there. Was it a friend of Leon's perhaps? Girlfriend? Old girlfriend? Or just a customer? One he'd never met? No, no his look said that he knew the girl in some way. Leo was so distracted by the girl and Leon that he didn't notice the dilemma the two boys were going through until he saw Bae headed toward the floor. Leo acted out of parental instinct, and dive-grabbed Bae, barely catching the tiny child before he hit the floor. "Whoo," He breathed, then he looked quickly to see if Neo was okay. Leo hadn't had time to catch both boys, and he just hoped that the crying that Neo was making was because he was scared, not because he was hurt. At the same time he was looking, he was also rubbing Bae's back and whispering soothing sounds to his son, trying to comfort him.

Bae lifted his head to look at Neo and Leon as Neo drank from his drink again. He nodded in satisfaction, knowing that Neo knew the thing about spilling drinks now. He had just moved to put the straw back into his mouth, when suddenly he felt Neo grab onto him, and he started to lose balance on his chair as a squeal left him. He clutched the drink tighter, not sure what to do as he fell, which caused the lid to pop off, and his drink to spill all over him right as Leo caught him and he burst into tears. "Is wetted." he whimpered as he clung to Leo.

Leon saw it happen in slow motion. It was like seeing the baseball flying in your direction during a game, time slowed and you could see the action needed to take. It was this little quirk that he'd developed playing that had come in handy when things had spilled at work, or at the college and he'd caught before it could spill, and it came in handy now as he saw Neo and Bae start to fall. Moving quickly, his arm wrapped around Neo and pulled him to his chest while his other hand automatically went out to secure Bae as well, his hand ultimately brushing against Leo's when he safely secured his son. "I got you, you're alright." he murmured softly as he held Neo safe and close, his hand withdrawing from Bae to rub Neo's back, doing his best to soothe Neo now that both boys were safe.

It took a few moments for Leo to realize that himself, and Bae, we're wet from his drink. So Bae's words did not register until seconds later. He had seen that Neo was safe and secure, so he no longer worried over the other boy. Instead only focusing on his son, "Shhh, it's okay. Appa will get you another drink before we leave. We can get you changed when we get home. Though," Leo was sitting up by this point, cradling Bae in his arms, "By the time we get home, we will more than likely both be dry." Leo smiled as he rubbed hands over Bae and soothed the small child. He kissed his sons cheek before glancing once more to the other pair of man and boy.

Neo had never felt as bad as he did about falling and making Bae fall with him. The cries and tears came unbidden, the entire thing had been scary, and he didn't like that he had put his friend in danger. Little Neo had his fists wound up in Leon's shirt, clinging to him, sobbing for some seconds, before eventually dying down to just hiccups. He had been stiff as a board, but the more Leon comforted him, the more relaxed he became, eventually burying bis face into the crook of Leon's neck. "I sowwy, not mean to, I sowwy." he repeated this over and over to his hyung.

Bae clung tightly to Leo for a few moments, trembling a little from the fear of falling and getting hurt. He was also pretty upset he'd spilled his whole drink and wasted it all, and he buried his face against Leo for a moment, rubbing his face on his shirt as Leo sat up and cradled him. "'Nover drink is good. Is all sticky though..." he murmured, lifting his head and licking his fingers that had some of the drink on them. "I get a drink wif stawbees in it?" he asked, looking up at Leo pleadingly. "Pwease Appa?"

Leon could feel the way Neo's body shook as he sobbed, so stiff at first but as he soothed him he seemed to relax a little until finally, he was down to just hiccups. Leon kept stroking his hand down Neo's back, glad that he was okay and unhurt. He scooped the little boy up and stood up, glancing over to see Bae had calmed as well. As Neo apologized, he patted his back and said, "Hey, it's alright buddy. We all do things on accident, it's part of how we learn and grow. You didn't mean to fall. Look see, Bae is alright too, just like you." he pointed over at the little guys friend to show Neo (if he looked) that his friend Bae was not hurt. "Me and Leo sprang into action like superheroes to save you, do you have a favorite superhero?" as he spoke, he heard Bae's request for a drink with strawberries in it and said, "I can make a hot chocolate with strawberry in it, free of charge since his drink spilled." glancing at Neo as he settled him on his hip, he asked, "Do you want to see how I make the drinks, Neo? You can help me put the whipped cream on top."

The stickiness was indeed there, Leo could feel it on both of them, his smile was genuine as he watched the little boy lick the chocolate from his skin. The innocence of a child could never be compared with anything else, in his opinion. The father shot Leon a grateful glance when he offered to make Bae another drink, on the house. "See? Appa and Bae's new friend is going to make a new drink, so no more tears, okay?" Leo poked Bae's cheek with affection, then stood with him still in his arms, almost mirroring Leon. The two men made a striking picture, both of them holding a tiny boy in his arms, most women would have swooned at the sight. Unfortunately, maybe? For them, there weren't any single, assumingly, women around to notice them. Leo moved Bae to his other hip and grabbed some napkins with his free hand, "Here," He handed one to Bae, mostly to pacify the toddler until they could get home. The napkin wasn't going to do much, but it would at least keep Bae busy until Leo had the chance to give him a bath. Leo looked on, watching Leon try to draw Neo into some real interaction, it would be interesting to watch the adult and child. Leo didn't forget his own son though, he was still murmuring comforting words, and promising fresh fruit as soon as they returned home.

Neo's cheeks were drying, and he soon was much quieter than he had been just moments before. Neo glanced towards his best friend, he indeed looked better, and he wasn't crying anymore, instead he seemed to be inspecting the drink that had covered him. Neo listened as his hyung Leon spoke, he was asking Neo who his favorite superhero was. "Pwobebwy Wee Men Ho(Lee Min Ho)! He's on tv wots," Neo liked to watch all of Lee Min Ho's drama's. He was distracted by their conversation however when Leon mentioned making a new drink, and was offering to let Neo watch. Neo thought about it for a moment, then with a tiny smirk, and a twinkle in his eye he looked sweetly up at Leon, wrapped his arms around Leon's neck, just before speaking, "I fink so, can Neo has dwink too?" He was fishing for a new drink, he put on his best face, the one that usually made adults fall for him every time.

Bae sniffled again and glanced over at Leon when his Appa said that he was going to get another drink. He managed a wobbly little smile as he looked up at his daddy and said, "O-okay, no more cwy." He reached for the napkin when Leo offered it and mimicked what Leo normally did when using the napkin and smeared it all over himself, getting a bit of the drink off, but mostly it worked to busy him so he wouldn't think about how sticky he was, exactly like Leo wanted. He snuggled up against his Appa after he got bored of the napkin, tucking his head up under his chin and wrapping his arms around him. He was still a little upset about spilling his drink, but since Leo had responded so quickly, he had been calmed before he could have a full blown meltdown.

Leon lifted a hand to dry Neo's cheeks as he glanced over at his friend, glad to see that the little boy was calming down more after realizing he was okay. He smiled when Neo said his hero was Lee Min Ho and said, "Ah, I'm a bit of a sucker for korean dramas, I liked him in Boys over Flowers." He had just started to turn to go behind the counter to make a new drink for Bae, when Neo pulled out all the stops on being heart meltingly adorable and asking for his own drink. A huge grin showed on Leon's face and he chuckled and moved to ruffle his hair with one hand as he said, "Of course you can." and moved behind the counter to show Neo how he made the drinks. He didn't let him get too close to the hot machine that heated the water, but after he put some strawberry syrup(made from cooking down actual strawberries when Leon worked, it saved the cafe some money and tasted better in his opinion) into the drink and ice cubes so it wouldn't burn Bae's or Neo's mouths, he let Neo have the whipped cream 'gun' and showed him how to use it so he could put whipped cream on both their drinks before he put a lid on them. "Tadah! Two delicious drinks." he announced, adjusting Neo's position on his hip before handing one of the drinks to Leo to give to Bae and holding the other for Neo.

Stickiness, whipped cream, and who knows what else, was on Leo, but he didn't complain, and just watched with amusement as Bae tried to get all of it off of himself. The napkin indeed did not do much more than to entertain both father and son, and was abandoned quite quickly. Bae's cuddling melted Leo's heart, he hugged the little one close, hoping to convey just how much he truly loved his son in that embrace. Leon and Neo were already behind the counter, remaking the children's drinks. Leo went to lean against the counter, Bae in his arms. "That's interesting," He murmured, curiosity clearly in his gaze, he murmured a sound of approval when the ice was added, so that the boys did not scald their tongues. He grinned as Bae was handed his drink, it looked very good, "What do you say Bae? Can you tell your hyung thank you?" Prompting his son to use his manners came naturally to Leo, he was used to teaching his son, it would help him develop into an outstanding young man one day, or so he hoped. "Now then, lets get you two home...." Leo looked towards Leon, "Will you be okay to leave?"

"Bwoys wif fwowes, me too!" Neo chirped happily, he sat down on the counter, watching Leon as he began making drinks. Neo was excited that he was getting another drink as well, the day had turned out pretty fantastic. He eagerly looked on, fascinated by all the mechanics that went into make such a yummy drink. There was a lot of swirling and swishing going on, he made several awed expressions as he watched. Glancing over, he noticed that Bae seemed fairly interested in his appa, not really in the process of the drink making. It made Neo kind of sad to watch the father and son cuddle, but he couldn't figure out why. Instead of pondering about it he turned back around, Leon was letting Neo help! Neo let Leon's hands guide his as they put whipped cream on the drinks, "Yay!" He cried out when it was finished, he clapped his hands before taking his own drink. "Kansamidaaaaa!" He chirped before taking a big gulp from his straw. He was already back on Leon's hip, he blinked his large eyes at Leon, "Ooo Bae house, wets go!"

Bae was utterly amazed by what went into making yummy drinks, watching with big eyes and several fingers in his mouth as Leon made two drinks. When he first got the drink, he immediately wrapped his hands around it and started to slurp noisily from the straw, and it was only after he'd guzzled several gulps down that he parted from the drink to give Leon a bright smile and say, "I tell Tanks!" and returned to drinking his hot chocolate, gurgling happily every now and then, having practically forgotten about his spilled drink.

Leon smiled, glad he had something in common with the little boy as he made the drinks. "Maybe we can watch it together one day." he offered, glancing at Neo as he let him help with the whipped cream. After the drinks were finished and Neo had his, Leon scooped him up again and settled him on his hip as he walked out from behind the counter. He opened his mouth to answer the question regarding if he could leave, but someone else answered for him. "Yes, he can leave early and go with you guys. Lord knows he never takes any time off. The shop will be fine so git." His boss walked over to the counter with a good natured laugh, her tone humorous. Leon blushed a little in embarrassment as he was basically ordered to take the rest of the day off. It was true that he worked whenever he had free time, so it probably didn't hurt to finally use one of his days he'd accumulated and take time off. "Well, I guess that's a yes." he said with an embarrassed chuckle. "Lead the way." he stopped only long enough to take off his apron and hand it over to his boss before moving to hold open the cafe door.

The girls voice was unexpected, Leo gave a nod, grateful that she was generous with giving her employees time off. He showed The group the way by taking lead, "So we were thinking homemade ramen for dinner? Or we could make pizzas? Whichever would be more tasty for you guys," He was gesturing to Neo and Leon, letting the guests have the choice. The streets were starting to crowd, probably people getting off of work early to enjoy the beautiful day. The thing about France, people valued quality time together, one of the many features that Leo appreciated. He turned a corner and barely missed someone walking around the same corner. He had Bae bouncing on his hip as he walked, "Bae you can play with Neo in your room while Leon and I make preparations for dinner, if you two want? Or you can hang out with us in the kitchen..." Leo knew how attached Bae was to him, so he never pushed him to be off and away from him, God forbid his ex try to take him overnight sometime or something.

Neo was sucking down his drink, until his head began hurting, when they began leaving. He watched all of the people passing by with interest, wondering where they were all going. Maybe they had mommies and daddies to get home to, or babies of their own. Neo felt tears prick his eyes, he used his free hand to rub his eyes, trying to get the water out of there. "Hyung?" He questioned Leon, can we has pizza? Neo like pizza!!" The thought of dinner distracted the little boy, he was no longer thinking of his forgotten family, or the fact that he felt abandoned. He was only thinking of how he could put cheese and pepperoni's on the dough, and maybe some bright veggies.

"Pissa!" Bae cheered out when his daddy voiced the option, chocolate milk dribbling out the corner of his mouth as he spoke around his drink. He loved pizza, especially cheese! "Cheese!" he gurgled out for good measure, snuggling up against his daddy. When it was mentioned that Bae could play in the room or hang out in the kitchen, he released the straw to say, "I cook too! Make yummy yums!" he lifted his hand for a brief moment to air punch but stopped when it felt like he would drop his cup and returned to slurp thirstily.

Leon grinned as he heard Bae, then Neo both ask for pizza. "Well, who am I to say no to those cute faces? Besides, I can impress you all with how I can toss pizza dough in the air." he said with a chuckle. It was something he had practiced just so he could say he can do it. "Pizza sounds fine with me."

With a chuckle Leo agreed, "Pizza it is, and the boys are going to be little chefs tonight. I can't wait to see your mad pizza skills Leon. Maybe you can teach Neo some of your moves," They were back at his house by that point, Leo let then in the house and showed Leon where his kitchen was, he sat Bae down on the counter, dropping a kiss on the toddlers head. He began pulling veggies, meats, and sauce from the fridge. "Left cabinet, can you get the flour and other ingredients we will need for the dough Leon?" he called over his shoulder. he grabbed two red peppers and then turned to the island, preparing to start chopping food up into tiny pieces.

Neo giggled, thinking about his hyung spinning dough. Why would he spin dough? It sounded like play doh, and maybe they could build castles with it. Neo squealed with delight when they arrived at Bae's house, it was his most favortist place to be, because he felt like it was how a home should be. The orphanage felt like a place, not a home. Neo put his chunky hands on either side of Leons face, "This Bae home, this my bestest pwace." He wanted Leon to take him seriously, and truly understand how much it meant him.

People were just getting off of work, or going home from school, so the streets were busy as the pair went off towards the café. You could see all different kinds of characters in Paris, but the musicians, they were Minnie's favorite. They worked hard, and for barely enough to put food on the table, but it was their passion, so they pressed on, and went out every day, in hopes of making someone smile. Minnie dropped some coins in a guitar case as they passed a young man playing an acoustic.

"Thursday is good for me," Minnie scrunched up her nose, "Pineapple is off the menu. I don't see how people eat fruit on a pizza. I don't mind some of the other kinds though.... veggie pizza is my favorite." Minnie, ever the one trying to be healthy. The duo arrived at the café only moments later, it would seem that they were faster than Minnie had thought. The corners of her mouth lifted as the warm, bakery/coffee scented air reached her nose. It was like coming home, she inhaled deeply as they entered, and got in line with the rest of the customers.

"Pst," She whispered with Nari, like they were on a secret mission, "What are you going to order to drink? I was thinking the Chai Frappe, but now that I look, maybe the Zen latte, or the mocha peppermint latte, ugh I don't know," She squeaked near the end, and sounded quite young, it was her being cute but frustrated, and she hadn't meant for it to come out. "Oops," She murmured, blushing. "Um could you help me decide?"

Nari couldn't help but eagerly look around as her and Minnie made their way to the café along the streets of Paris. Native Parisians walked the streets without a care as tourists from every inch of the world looked desperately around at their surroundings, maps in hand, squabbling with their families or friends who were with them. Performers of all kinds: mines, jugglers, and all sorts of musicians lined the streets as well with everything from glass jars to empty guitar cases open in hope that someone will notice their talent and enjoy their performances enough to contribute. Nari smiled as she watched Minnie drop some change in the guitar case of a young, cute acoustic guitarist, that was really nice of her. Nari decided to drop a few quarters and dimes in the case as well as they continued walking towards the café. She could see it from here, and her mind was already wandering with thoughts of fluffy pastries and green tea.

"Great, we can study at my house, I can order a large pizza from the local pizzeria. It's sooo good." Nari's mouth started watering again, but there was only about a few buildings left until they reached the café, she could persevere for a little longer.

"I'm happy to say that I, too, am a strict believer in non-pineapple pizza. In fact, I don't even like any toppings on pizza. Simple cheese and sauce on bread is one of the purest, most beautiful things in the world," Nari giggled. Nari breathed a sigh of sweet relief as they entered the café, she couldn't wait to indulge in some pain au chocolat and a cup of hot green tea. Nari and Minnie quickly got in line behind a short line of customers. Nari listened as Minnie asked what she should order and then gave a little sneak at the end. Nari chuckled lightly and raised an eyebrow.

"That was cute, does that happen often?" She noticed Minnie's blush and smiled.

"Of course I'll help you decide! Personally, I'm just getting a hot cup of green tea, I don't like coffee, but that mocha peppermint latte you mentioned sounds pretty good. Plus, it's getting chillier outside this time of year, so it might be fitting." The line moved quickly, so the girls were up at the counter before they knew it. Nari was up first to the counter, she decided she would practice her French a little and order in the language.

"Bonjour, un pain au chocolat and un thé verte, s'il vous plaît." The barista raised his eyebrows and replied in a heavy French accent,

"A chocolate croissant and a green tea? Coming right up, miss." This frustrated Nari a bit, but she couldn't help but laugh at the situation, her British accent was hidden in her French and the barista could obviously tell. She turned to her friend, who was behind her to her right.

"Minnie, have you decided what to order? Your turn."

The young girl felt heat rise up her neck at the question, "Only now and again. I don't mean to, I kind of slip into it sometimes..." Minnie smiled at Nari, "I can't wait for our study time. It sounds like it will be fun, thank you again for the help." Minnie moved up in line with Nari, they were about to be next, and Minnie still hadn't chosen what she was going to order. She thought about what Nari had suggested, it did sound fitting. Minnie glanced at the barista's behind the bar, running to and fro, grinding coffee, mixing drinks, it looked like so much fun! She wondered if she was destined to be a barista, making coffee sounded so fascinating to her.

Soon Nari was ordering in French, Minnie's eyes widened, "You speak so fluently!" She exclaimed, then it was her turn to order, "Um...." She blushed slightly, shy beyond measure for a moment, then she spoke up, "The mocha peppermint latte please, and a chocolate croissant as well." Minnie slid over some paper money, and told the barista to keep the change, she nodded to the barista before grabbing Nari's hand and hurrying away from the cute boy behind the counter. "Do you want to sit here?" She gestured towards a table with two chairs beside a broad window. The two could people watch with ease at that vantage, and enjoy each others company at the same time.

Nari watied for Minnie to order and noticed her friend intently watching all of the baristas rushing to churn out bunches of lattes and frappucinos at once, maybe Minnie was interested in the art of coffee making? " Amazing, isn't it?" Nari asked, breaking her friends trance. "How they can make all of those delicious drinks so fast. You seemed pretty entranced watching them, maybe you could apply for a job here? It could be nice to earn some cash doing something you're interested in. If you have the time."

After she had ordered, Nari laughed in surprise at Minnie's comment about her French. "Thanks, but I'm hardly fluent. That barista saw right through me. I'd love to get better though, now that I live in France, so I've been practing a lot." Nari watched Minnie hand over her money to the cute barista, who was definitely eyeing her as she slid the money across the counter. As her buddy swiftly pulled her away from the counter, both girls with their drinks and sweetly smelling chocolate croissants in brown paper bags in tow, Nari smirked at Minnie with wide eyes. "Minnie, that barista was totally checking you out! You should go talk to him, he's cute."

After the two girls were a safe distance away from the counter, Nari followed Minnie's gesture to a comfy spot in the café, two chairs around a small table against the brick wall right below a huge window which let in a soft light across the table. "That looks perfect, lets go sit down. I can't wait to dig into this croissant."

There was no thought in Minnie's head that the barista was at all interested in her, she looked at Nari with surprise when she mentioned it, then looked back at the barista who was eyeing her. Heat creeped up her neck, and into her cheeks, Minnie touched her cheeks, and then hurried over to the table with Nari. It was kind of a secluded spot, so they would have their privacy.

"I can't," She shook her head as she set her things down on the table, and slid her bag to the floor beside her. "I have someone... I mean," Minnie bit her bottom lip, "I don't have someone, but I have someone that I'm already crushing on. He's gorgeous, and sweet, and I don't even know if he likes me too, but I really, I mean really, like him." Minnie sipped her latte, "Anyway..." She was embarrassed by her little glib about the boy, Noah, that she liked. "I might apply here, the coffee making seems so interesting. Can you imagine? Being surrounded by your favorite smells all day long? Fascinating."

Minnie picked up the delicate pastry, she took a small bite, letting the buttery flakes melt against her tongue, she always found croissants delicious, especially when they had chocolate in them as well. She set the croissant down and took another sip of her latte as she peered over her cup at her friend. She smiled slightly, glad that they had run into one another at school, it gave both of them something to do, and someone to talk to.

Nari giggled girlishly when Minnie hurriedly dragged her to their secluded table and couldn't help but notice the pink creeping up Minnie's neck and onto her face, heck, anyone in the café could if they looked over. Luckily, no one was, everyone in the small, cozy little place was either very interested in sipping their coffee or tea, or typing away furiously on their laptops, you know, the typical coffee shop scene. Even the barista who had been not-so-obviously staring at the two girls ever since they left the counter had gone back to work, his manager had come out to find him daydreaming against the counter mindlessly scrubbing the same spot for at least a minute and had whipped him back into shape. Nari slid into the comfy plush chair once the girls had reached their secluded retreat in the back, immediately unwrapping her flakey, gooey treat and diving right in.

Nari's eyes widened when Minnie told her about her crush. "Oh my God, I'm so sorry. I had no idea, I wasn't trying to be pushy or a meddler or anything." She glanced back at their barista, who was now completely focused on whipping up a new batch of lattes for several impatient customers. "You know what, he's not even that cute. And the way he kept staring at us was kind of creepy." Nari raised an eyebrow slightly as she took her first sip of tea, and then promptly and not-so-subtly trying to cover up the fact that she had just burned her tongue. And it hurt. A lot. "I don't mean to be nosy or anything, but... do you want to talk about this crush of yours? Does he go to our school? Do I know him? What grade is she in?" She quickly snapped her hands up to her mouth when she realized how many questions she had just asked, and pink tinged her cheeks. "Oh no, I'm sorry! I don't mean to pry. We can talk about something else if you want." She gently shook her head at herself as she took another bite of her delicious pastry, she never wanted to be that person, but a little gossip now and then she couldn't help but be interested in, her life seemed so boring and ordinary compared to other peoples. And Minnie and her were getting to know each other more and becoming closer, maybe Minnie wanted to confide in someone?

Minnie giggled, Nari was now insulting the barista, on her behalf, it was all very amusing. She'd never had someone that did these sorts of things. Going out with Jae, or his friends, well, it was never like this. She was thankful for it all, to feel so normal, and like she was accepted. Minnie covered her mouth, almost spewing coffee everywhere when Nari asked if Noah went to their school, oh if she only knew. But maybe she did need to know? Wouldn't it be nice to get the feelings she had for the boy off her chest?

"Noah, that's his name. You're not prying, I-" Minnie swallowed, she wasn't one to really share her secrets, but this was one she was dying to share. "I would like to talk about him, if you don't mind listening?" She thought that Nari looked accepting, "He's cute, fashionable, in his own way," She laughed softly, "Noah is his own character, I don't really know how to explain him. Except that he makes my heart flutter, and my stomach squeeze in a delightful way. I feel all tingly when he touches my hand or shoulder, and when he speaks," A sigh escaped the young girls lips, "I have to admit, I hang on his every word. I don't know much about flirtation, but I think he's flirted with me. He reminds me of Korean dramas, and I have certainly fallen for him. But what if its a one sided love?" Minnie's eyes widened, and she looked very concerned. "If he doesn't like me..... well I suppose I'll have my first heart break." It looked like Minnie might shatter at the thought, she shook her head, not wanting to think of him not liking her. "What about you Nari?" Minnie sipped her latte, "Do you have a crush? Or a boyfriend perhaps?"

Nari couldn't help but smile when Minnie giggled at her attempts to bash the barista, she always felt really good when she knew she had made someone laugh. She felt like she was appreciated, something she surprisingly didn't really feel all too often. She laughed as Minnie covered her mouth to avoid what could have been a very messy spit-take, but considered the question that prompted it, was there something that Minnie wasn't telling her?

She grinned widely as Minnie began to indulge her in some details of her secret love, and was interested to know more. "Noah, hmm? That's a nice name, but I don't think I know a Noah. Of course I don't mind listening, I'm here any time you want to talk." She smiled, maybe that was a little too much for a girl she didn't really know all that well, but she couldn't really describe this bond she had with Minnie, maybe it was just her but she felt like they were pretty close already, and it had been just about an hour since they decided to hang out back at school. And she honest;y didn't mind listening, in fact, she much preferred listening to someone talk than talking herself, all of her friends knew that she was the person to go to if they needed to vent about a teacher, cry about a breakup, or gush about a new crush. Nari continued to smile her soft, gentle smile as Minnie described Noah and the feelings she had for him, it seemed like she really liked this boy. "Well, if he's touched you hand and shoulders, and you think he's flirting with you, then he's probably interested! Oh my gosh, minnie, this is so exciting! I'm happy for you. If he gives you those kinds of feelings-the fluttering of your heart, your stomach squeezing, and your body tingling- you should definitely go for it. He sounds like he's worth it." Nari said with an enthusiastic smile. "If you've fallen for him- and I hope you don't mind we giving you this kind of advice-you should definitely tell him how you feel. Even if it's one sided, I think it's better to just get those feelings out in the open, you never know what could happen." Nari giggled a bit when Minnie asked her about her own love life, which was absolutely nonexistent, at least at this point in her life. "No, no crush or boyfriend for me. I'm still kind of...figuring that sort of stuff out, you know? Besides, I feel like I would be way too busy for a relationship with my hectic schedule. Maybe if I met the right person, though...I don't know." She said pensively, honestly she had never even really thought about being in a relationship herself until just then, but, who knows? It was the city of love, and there were plenty of attractive students at her school. Maybe one day. She took another sip of her coffee, glancing outside the window.

The cup was warm in her hands, it felt good to have something to hold onto as she sat with her new friend, though it didn't feel new, it felt old. A kindred spirit! She was reminded of Anne of Green Gables, and her friendship with Diana, the two were always getting into mischief together. Minnie felt like she could do that with Nari, she felt as if she could spend many afternoons, just like this, with Nari as well. The two of them seemed to click, and they had this bond, almost immediately, it was unexplainable.

Minnie didn't want to have too much hope when it came to Noah, but she couldn't help but want to be his, to have him be hers. the two of them hit it off so well, and she was already imagining them taking walks in the park, riding bicycles together, having picnics, late nights under the stars, kissing before the Eiffel Tower. It was all so much, and yet so little. Minnie knew that she should reign in her imagination, but it was so hard to. When Minnie felt something, she felt it passionately, and it was tough for the young girl to reign in her emotions and feelings.

"Tell him?" She answered meekly, Minnie wasn't one for confessions, she was more of a daydreamer, wisher, hopeful thinker. Minnie wondered if she could come up with the courage to tell Noah of her feelings. She could certainly write them down... but to say them? "I-I could try. I don't know when though, we haven't talked in a few days..." She nibbled on her croissant some more as she listened attentively to Nari, and her vacant love life. Which in Minnie's opinion was tragic, she believed that there should at least be hope of one.
"Would it be too much for me to introduce you to one of my friends?" She wasn't sure if Nari was even up for dating, she had mentioned that it might be too much with her schedule. Minnie only wanted to help, and she had just the friend in mind for her new friend.