Original Stories Fan Fiction ❯ Cafe au Lait ❯ The kindness of a stranger ( Chapter 1 )
[ P - Pre-Teen ]
By: Aquapell 
A stray is found
Miscellaneous: Original Stories Fan Fiction | Genre(s): Shounen / Romance | Type: Shounen-ai | Uploaded On: 05.09.2007 | Pages: 1 | Words: 2.1K | Visits: 222 | Status: Work In Progress
A stray is found
Miscellaneous: Original Stories Fan Fiction | Genre(s): Shounen / Romance | Type: Shounen-ai | Uploaded On: 05.09.2007 | Pages: 1 | Words: 2.1K | Visits: 222 | Status: Work In Progress
Disclaimer: This is an original fanfic, and the characters are owned by Yukithefox, aka, Nady-kun, on Deviantart, and are only being used with her permission, therefore...I don't own it.
A/N: The reason I'm doing this fic is because basically, I'm far too nice for my own good. This is, at best, a promotion campaign I'm doing in hopes that more people will be interested about the characters and flock to her dA page to learn more. Her artwork can be found here
http://yukithefox.deviantart.com/
Enjoy the fic.
XXX
The cafe was a quiet place that sat on the corner of an old fashioned street paved with grey brick, and was a favorite place to find solace and a cozy atmosphere by many Osakan residents who wanted to unwind after a stressed day of work or school. If one took the time to look around, he could find a great view of the heart of the city, with many old buildings and small antique shops. This part of the city was almost cut off from the more busy parts of the town to avoid any unnecessary noise and traffic that might upset the peaceful setting. It was almost like a dream, how perfect the area seemed to be. A warmness just surrounded it and set the lined bakeries, restaurants, and cafe aside from the hectic hustle of the outside world and gave the allusion that it was something pulled straight from a storybook fairy tale. And the charming two-story cafe stood tall and seemed to be the very center of attention.
The people were as friendly as one could ever envision, and the waiters at the cafe acted as though they had known their customers forever, even the people being there for the very first time. They didn't just serve, but they talked with their customers like a good friend would.
The aroma of sweetened coffee lingered in the air, while the bakery next door added the luscious aroma of freshly baked bread. The cafe was decorated with warm tones of pastel blue and white. On the outside, there were large windows that allowed people to catch a glimpse of the inside of the cafe when the heavy sapphire blue drapes weren't pulled shut. On the porch of the cafe sat ten black iron tables and chairs, two chairs to each table. The tables had blue and white umbrellas above them, while the chairs were lined with cozy blue cushions. Now, as it was getting darker, due to the unforeseen forecast of rain, a candle was lit on each table and small lanterns hung around the cafe's porch area to give the front a low, golden glow. The colors gave a friendly, warm, and inviting feel , which was excellent for the customers who just wanted to relax.
On the inside, the clatter of dishes and the sound of classical music added to the mood of the area, as well as drowned out the soft patter of rain just outside the windows. Between the low, beautifully flowing music to the taste of the sweet and almost too-perfect coffee, the place was definitely surreal. But what was most striking to the customers were the waiters themselves that worked in such an environment.
A youth, around the age of eleven or twelve approached one of the tables in the corner that was ready to be served, and slipped a small notepad from the inside lining of his cafe uniform as large, cafe au lait-colored eyes looked over the three seated at the table. A gentle smile curved his soft pink lips, and the two white cat ears atop his short mane of milky white hair perked slightly. “Hi, I'm Milk, and I'll be your waiter...today...” His voice failed him as he stared upon three adorable kittens seated at the table and issuing him a rather interested look. “Oh, how cute!” The youth's smile widened as tiny mewls from said creatures reached his ears.
Before Milk could even do so much as blink, the trio pounced from their chairs and clung to him like tiny, furry magnets; and before long, found their way to his head, mewling eagerly and licking his milk-flavored tresses with their rough tongues. “Eh?” the confused boy stood, transfixed by a passing moment of shock, before instinct told him to run before much more than his hair was eaten. With that thought to flee firmly planted in his mind, Milk turned and broke into a run and crying desperately for help while only one kitten of a light grey clung to his head.
The boy's cries didn't go unnoticed by the other customers, along with a second waiter who had been wiping down a table when then commotion occurred. Soft, chestnut colored eyes were raised from his work to give attention to the noisy kitten, and a sigh broke free from his lips, as a hand was lifted to briefly sweep brunette bangs out of his eyes. “Stop serving the cats, Milk!” He barked quietly, putting on a glare to emphasize his point. “Don't you learn?”
Milk winced as he pulled the last kitten off of his head. “Sorry, Latte....but isn't our job to service the customers?” he asked, as his brow creased in confusion, and a pout settled upon his lips.
“Only the paying ones.” The boy named Latte sighed once more, before returning to his work.
While inside the cafe, the atmosphere was warm, cozy, and inviting, the atmosphere outside was a complete contrast. Torrents of rain fell from the heavens in buckets and sent the people who just happened to be caught in the storm running for the nearest available shelter.
Through half-lidded grey orbs, a boy, presumably around the age of twelve, sat in the ice cold rain with his knees pulled up to his chest, watching the people scurry around like ants to try and get back home. A tiny sniffle sounded from him, but went unnoticed by the people who made their way past him, and he frowned, pressing his back against the building behind him, as if he were helping to hold it erect. With a quiet sigh, the boy lowered his head, to rest his forehead lightly upon his arms in attempt to drown out the sight of the people who had everything that he didn't. They had a family. They all had homes...somewhere to go to, but no, he had none of that He didn't even have a friend who could be there to help him when he was down. And right now, he knew that he had hit rock bottom, and yet there was no one at all that he could turn to. He had been abandoned by his family, and now he began to realize that it felt as if the whole world had left him as well. With sunken spirits, the youth let the black cat ears atop his head lay flat against his skull, as a normal cat's would, and twitched his long, black tail to let it fall limply in a shallow puddle beside him.
He had been so deeply lost in his depression that he failed to notice the sound of approaching footsteps draw closer to him, along with the quiet clearing of the stranger's throat, who stood looking down at him. “Hey, um...You need an umbrella?” The slightly deep voice that carried a hint of warmth and softness drifted to the cat-boy's ears, causing them to perk up a bit as the orphan slowly lifted his head. The stranger had pointed, black wolf ears atop a contrasting mane of long, red hair that reached to his waist, warm, grey eyes, and wore a black, pinstripe suit. Judging from his appearance, he would have assumed that the red-head was a man of high status, and cared greatly about his looks, unlike the rest of the people who seemed rather out of place when around him. The wet boy said nothing, but seemed content to stare at the man in front of him through half lidded, soulless eyes, as if he was trying to see straight through him, before lifting his gaze to the bright yellow umbrella he carried in his hand.
The older boy tilted his head slightly and began to grow concerned with the lack of response, and the chilling look in the young boy's grey eyes. 'Is he alright?' The question floated momentarily through his head, but he didn't have long to ponder over it, before the question posed was met with a barely audible answer.
“Thank you.” Again, his tail thunked softly in the puddle near him, but he made no attempt to move. Several minutes passed, before a hand was offered out to assist him, and after a moment's contemplation, the purple-haired boy reached out and placed his hand in his, to be lifted up and pulled to his feet.
“You're going to catch cold out here.” The kind stranger smiled as the boy moved closer to him in attempt to find shelter from the rain that he so desperately despised. “I know of a place that you can go to warm yourself up, and maybe even get a bit of food in you. You must be hungry.” he quickly realized. After glancing the boy over, he could see that he needed a bit more meat on his bones, and momentarily wondered about what cuisine the poor lad had been living off of. “My name's Caramel, by the way.”
A slight nod was all that was given in response, and the boy cast his gaze to the slicked sidewalk. Before watching a trail of water find its way to the nearest storm drain. “I'm Coffee...” he quietly murmered.
The redhead rolled his eyes, before turning slightly and lifting the youth's chin slightly to bring his gaze upon his face. “You know, you should try looking at people when they talk to you. Are you that afraid of me, that you need to look away?”
“No.”
“Then why?” A soft chuckle erupted from the man's lips. “I may be a wolf, but I really don't bite. Sorry, but I prefer a nice, hot steak, over cold and wet kitty boys.”
A small blush colored the plum-haired boy's cheeks at the comment, before he nervously bit his lip. “I'm not...so sure if I can trust you.”
Caramel furrowed his brow slightly and let a tiny smile play across his lips. “Then tell me, Coffee....if you're alone in the world, without a soul to trust....what good would it do you to be uneasy of a stranger like me who was the only one generous enough to lend you a helping hand?” he questioned. “I bet many others passed you before I came along, and not one of them made any attempt to help you.”
Coffee shifted slightly as he tried to come up with a decent response to the given question, but only gasped in shock as a warm arm snaked around his waist, to pull him further beneath the umbrella.
“I'm not giving you any reason not to trust me, so what do you have to lose?” The wolf smiled gently as the shorter boy shivered slightly from the cold, as well as the closeness. “Well, then...shall we be on our way?”
Coffee raised his gaze to those warm, grey eyes, unable to read what was swirling within them, which was hardly necessary, because the look on his face showed it all. The man may have been a complete stranger, but he seemed to have good intentions, and since the offer for a warmer atmosphere and hot food was up for grabs, then he wouldn't be so rude as to refuse such generosity. With eager expectations of what was to come, Coffee nodded and actually offered a tiny little smile. “Hai.”
A/N: Aww, so cute. Boy, I had a hard time starting this, since I had very little to go on but the characters, and then, I really didn't have much on them, either. But anyway, the characters for this chapter belong to Nady-kun, who was gracious enough to let me use them. The only OC of mine I snuck in there was Latte. But I can assure you that there'll be more. Well, hoped you all liked it, and stay tuned for the second chapter!
A/N: The reason I'm doing this fic is because basically, I'm far too nice for my own good. This is, at best, a promotion campaign I'm doing in hopes that more people will be interested about the characters and flock to her dA page to learn more. Her artwork can be found here
http://yukithefox.deviantart.com/
Enjoy the fic.
XXX
The cafe was a quiet place that sat on the corner of an old fashioned street paved with grey brick, and was a favorite place to find solace and a cozy atmosphere by many Osakan residents who wanted to unwind after a stressed day of work or school. If one took the time to look around, he could find a great view of the heart of the city, with many old buildings and small antique shops. This part of the city was almost cut off from the more busy parts of the town to avoid any unnecessary noise and traffic that might upset the peaceful setting. It was almost like a dream, how perfect the area seemed to be. A warmness just surrounded it and set the lined bakeries, restaurants, and cafe aside from the hectic hustle of the outside world and gave the allusion that it was something pulled straight from a storybook fairy tale. And the charming two-story cafe stood tall and seemed to be the very center of attention.
The people were as friendly as one could ever envision, and the waiters at the cafe acted as though they had known their customers forever, even the people being there for the very first time. They didn't just serve, but they talked with their customers like a good friend would.
The aroma of sweetened coffee lingered in the air, while the bakery next door added the luscious aroma of freshly baked bread. The cafe was decorated with warm tones of pastel blue and white. On the outside, there were large windows that allowed people to catch a glimpse of the inside of the cafe when the heavy sapphire blue drapes weren't pulled shut. On the porch of the cafe sat ten black iron tables and chairs, two chairs to each table. The tables had blue and white umbrellas above them, while the chairs were lined with cozy blue cushions. Now, as it was getting darker, due to the unforeseen forecast of rain, a candle was lit on each table and small lanterns hung around the cafe's porch area to give the front a low, golden glow. The colors gave a friendly, warm, and inviting feel , which was excellent for the customers who just wanted to relax.
On the inside, the clatter of dishes and the sound of classical music added to the mood of the area, as well as drowned out the soft patter of rain just outside the windows. Between the low, beautifully flowing music to the taste of the sweet and almost too-perfect coffee, the place was definitely surreal. But what was most striking to the customers were the waiters themselves that worked in such an environment.
A youth, around the age of eleven or twelve approached one of the tables in the corner that was ready to be served, and slipped a small notepad from the inside lining of his cafe uniform as large, cafe au lait-colored eyes looked over the three seated at the table. A gentle smile curved his soft pink lips, and the two white cat ears atop his short mane of milky white hair perked slightly. “Hi, I'm Milk, and I'll be your waiter...today...” His voice failed him as he stared upon three adorable kittens seated at the table and issuing him a rather interested look. “Oh, how cute!” The youth's smile widened as tiny mewls from said creatures reached his ears.
Before Milk could even do so much as blink, the trio pounced from their chairs and clung to him like tiny, furry magnets; and before long, found their way to his head, mewling eagerly and licking his milk-flavored tresses with their rough tongues. “Eh?” the confused boy stood, transfixed by a passing moment of shock, before instinct told him to run before much more than his hair was eaten. With that thought to flee firmly planted in his mind, Milk turned and broke into a run and crying desperately for help while only one kitten of a light grey clung to his head.
The boy's cries didn't go unnoticed by the other customers, along with a second waiter who had been wiping down a table when then commotion occurred. Soft, chestnut colored eyes were raised from his work to give attention to the noisy kitten, and a sigh broke free from his lips, as a hand was lifted to briefly sweep brunette bangs out of his eyes. “Stop serving the cats, Milk!” He barked quietly, putting on a glare to emphasize his point. “Don't you learn?”
Milk winced as he pulled the last kitten off of his head. “Sorry, Latte....but isn't our job to service the customers?” he asked, as his brow creased in confusion, and a pout settled upon his lips.
“Only the paying ones.” The boy named Latte sighed once more, before returning to his work.
While inside the cafe, the atmosphere was warm, cozy, and inviting, the atmosphere outside was a complete contrast. Torrents of rain fell from the heavens in buckets and sent the people who just happened to be caught in the storm running for the nearest available shelter.
Through half-lidded grey orbs, a boy, presumably around the age of twelve, sat in the ice cold rain with his knees pulled up to his chest, watching the people scurry around like ants to try and get back home. A tiny sniffle sounded from him, but went unnoticed by the people who made their way past him, and he frowned, pressing his back against the building behind him, as if he were helping to hold it erect. With a quiet sigh, the boy lowered his head, to rest his forehead lightly upon his arms in attempt to drown out the sight of the people who had everything that he didn't. They had a family. They all had homes...somewhere to go to, but no, he had none of that He didn't even have a friend who could be there to help him when he was down. And right now, he knew that he had hit rock bottom, and yet there was no one at all that he could turn to. He had been abandoned by his family, and now he began to realize that it felt as if the whole world had left him as well. With sunken spirits, the youth let the black cat ears atop his head lay flat against his skull, as a normal cat's would, and twitched his long, black tail to let it fall limply in a shallow puddle beside him.
He had been so deeply lost in his depression that he failed to notice the sound of approaching footsteps draw closer to him, along with the quiet clearing of the stranger's throat, who stood looking down at him. “Hey, um...You need an umbrella?” The slightly deep voice that carried a hint of warmth and softness drifted to the cat-boy's ears, causing them to perk up a bit as the orphan slowly lifted his head. The stranger had pointed, black wolf ears atop a contrasting mane of long, red hair that reached to his waist, warm, grey eyes, and wore a black, pinstripe suit. Judging from his appearance, he would have assumed that the red-head was a man of high status, and cared greatly about his looks, unlike the rest of the people who seemed rather out of place when around him. The wet boy said nothing, but seemed content to stare at the man in front of him through half lidded, soulless eyes, as if he was trying to see straight through him, before lifting his gaze to the bright yellow umbrella he carried in his hand.
The older boy tilted his head slightly and began to grow concerned with the lack of response, and the chilling look in the young boy's grey eyes. 'Is he alright?' The question floated momentarily through his head, but he didn't have long to ponder over it, before the question posed was met with a barely audible answer.
“Thank you.” Again, his tail thunked softly in the puddle near him, but he made no attempt to move. Several minutes passed, before a hand was offered out to assist him, and after a moment's contemplation, the purple-haired boy reached out and placed his hand in his, to be lifted up and pulled to his feet.
“You're going to catch cold out here.” The kind stranger smiled as the boy moved closer to him in attempt to find shelter from the rain that he so desperately despised. “I know of a place that you can go to warm yourself up, and maybe even get a bit of food in you. You must be hungry.” he quickly realized. After glancing the boy over, he could see that he needed a bit more meat on his bones, and momentarily wondered about what cuisine the poor lad had been living off of. “My name's Caramel, by the way.”
A slight nod was all that was given in response, and the boy cast his gaze to the slicked sidewalk. Before watching a trail of water find its way to the nearest storm drain. “I'm Coffee...” he quietly murmered.
The redhead rolled his eyes, before turning slightly and lifting the youth's chin slightly to bring his gaze upon his face. “You know, you should try looking at people when they talk to you. Are you that afraid of me, that you need to look away?”
“No.”
“Then why?” A soft chuckle erupted from the man's lips. “I may be a wolf, but I really don't bite. Sorry, but I prefer a nice, hot steak, over cold and wet kitty boys.”
A small blush colored the plum-haired boy's cheeks at the comment, before he nervously bit his lip. “I'm not...so sure if I can trust you.”
Caramel furrowed his brow slightly and let a tiny smile play across his lips. “Then tell me, Coffee....if you're alone in the world, without a soul to trust....what good would it do you to be uneasy of a stranger like me who was the only one generous enough to lend you a helping hand?” he questioned. “I bet many others passed you before I came along, and not one of them made any attempt to help you.”
Coffee shifted slightly as he tried to come up with a decent response to the given question, but only gasped in shock as a warm arm snaked around his waist, to pull him further beneath the umbrella.
“I'm not giving you any reason not to trust me, so what do you have to lose?” The wolf smiled gently as the shorter boy shivered slightly from the cold, as well as the closeness. “Well, then...shall we be on our way?”
Coffee raised his gaze to those warm, grey eyes, unable to read what was swirling within them, which was hardly necessary, because the look on his face showed it all. The man may have been a complete stranger, but he seemed to have good intentions, and since the offer for a warmer atmosphere and hot food was up for grabs, then he wouldn't be so rude as to refuse such generosity. With eager expectations of what was to come, Coffee nodded and actually offered a tiny little smile. “Hai.”
A/N: Aww, so cute. Boy, I had a hard time starting this, since I had very little to go on but the characters, and then, I really didn't have much on them, either. But anyway, the characters for this chapter belong to Nady-kun, who was gracious enough to let me use them. The only OC of mine I snuck in there was Latte. But I can assure you that there'll be more. Well, hoped you all liked it, and stay tuned for the second chapter!