Work Text:
"For this one, you either add ice to a glass to cool it while you work or," Alex paused to open the mini fridge under the counter and show RJ the frosted glasses packed in there, "use one that's been chilled."
RJ dutifully wrote something in his notebook and nodded.
"Now, put down the book and grab the shaker."
As usual, RJ was quick to follow instructions. He might have been a headstrong kid, but when he was dedicated to something he gave it his all. It was a quality Alex had liked about RJ ever since he first noticed it.
Once RJ set the shaker on the counter, Alex waved toward the collected ingredients. "Start with two hundred milliliters of ice."
RJ measured it out. Sometimes, if it was a drink RJ had made before, the younger man didn't measure. He was a quick study and had an excellent memory. But this was the first time Alex was showing him this drink, so RJ measured. Once the ice was in, RJ looked up at Alex with bright eyes.
God, he was so cute.
With a small clearing of his throat, Alex said, "Alright. Thirty milliliters Kaoliang. Thirty milliliters tea liqueur." He paused while RJ measured and poured the alcohols, then said, "Seventy milliliters green tea and thirty milliliters of milk."
This time, while RJ measured and poured and gave it all a big shake, Alex talked. He mentioned how RJ could switch out the milk or cream in a cocktail with non-dairy alternatives like oat, almond, or cashew, but he had to be careful of flavor and consistency. As long as those matched or were really close to the original recipe, RJ could make any of their drinks vegan.
"But if you put something like coconut cream in a drink like this?" Alex shook his head with a deep frown. "Don't tell anyone you learned from me."
Despite the serious tone, the joke landed perfectly, making RJ laugh. "I would never embarrass you like that, Alex," RJ assured him brightly.
Nodding, Alex motioned to the shaker. "Pop it."
RJ tapped the top of the shaker with the heel of his hand to release the seal and then flipped the lid off with an unnecessary flair, cutting a glance to catch Alex's reaction. Knowing the show was entirely for his benefit, Alex shook his head and rolled his eyes, fighting a fond smile.
"Ridiculous," he muttered, then slid a container of tapioca melon balls over. "Add about thirty milliliters of these to the cup, then strain the drink in."
Watching RJ finish up the drink, Alex had to admit that the kid looked like a real bartender. But who was Alex kidding: RJ was a real bartender. He'd been practicing for almost two years, always eager to learn a new drink. He'd subbed in for the restaurant when Alex was under the weather last winter, manning the bar all on his own. Now RJ was coming up on his twentieth birthday, often mentioned how he almost had enough money to move into his own place, and hadn't been their newest employee in months.
He wasn't a kid anymore. Hadn't been for a long time.
Running a hand over the lower half of his face, Alex forced himself to focus on the drink. "At this point you can add sugar or cream to taste, but it's bartender's choice. Or, it would be if you were the owner," he added before RJ looked too cocky. He grinned at RJ's pout. "White Dark's recipe calls for cream. If you have to make it vegan, we have a vegan cream in the back as well. Now, let's see if you can figure out how much to add."
He threw the boxed cream the short distance to his younger counterpart and inwardly smiled at RJ's unprepared, fumbling catch. RJ didn't drop the box, though, so it all ended well. He did cut Alex a withering glare before focusing on the cocktail in front of him. After only a few seconds of consideration, RJ uncapped the cream and poured about fifteen milliliters too much into the glass. It would make the drink too mellow in flavor and too thick in consistency.
No one learned without making mistakes, though, so Alex didn't correct him.
When RJ lifted his eyes to Alex for feedback, Alex merely waved to the glass. "Give it a sip."
Always eager to taste new recipes, RJ quickly did as instructed, only to wince and screw up his mouth. "It's. Um. It's not bad? It feels weird though."
"Next time, add about fifteen milliliters less cream. You made it too thick."
Nodding, RJ put the glass down and picked up his notebook to jot down the recipe —with notes—for later. Maybe if Alex was sneaky enough, he could catch a glance at the artwork RJ would draw of the drink. Really, the guy had no business being a bartender when he could draw the way he did, but he insisted this was where he wanted to be.
"What's it called?" RJ asked, glancing up from his book.
"A Green Pearl Milk Tea Cocktail."
"It looks like boba tea," RJ commented even as he wrote the name down.
"That's the point," Alex said. He gave RJ a few moments to finish writing, then motioned to the drink and supplies. "Alright. Pack up. Time to go home and get some sleep."
RJ pouted again, gripping his notebook tightly between his hands. "Can't we make one more?" He glanced at the clock and winced. "It's not that late…"
Alex huffed a laugh and crossed his arms, propping his hip against the edge of the bar. "We've already made three," he reminded the younger man. "Do you really want to learn or are you just trying to get drunk?"
That made RJ duck his head and scuff his shoe on the floor. Ah, so it hadn't all been about learning, then. Knowing how RJ's mind worked, it hadn't been about getting drunk so much as spending time with Alex, though.
It had been over a year since Alex read RJ's notebook—since RJ had confessed and kissed him—and he realized RJ's feelings for him were genuine. In that time, Alex had invited RJ to eat every few weeks, to a movie once or twice, and had even taken RJ to a theme park.
That last one, done alongside their boss Bai Lang and his boyfriend Jin Xun'an, had made RJ pull Alex aside and ask, "Be honest with me. Is this a double date? Are we dating?"
Alex had hardly been able to look at him when he said, "If you want us to be, then I guess we are."
So their relationship started to include kissing, holding hands, RJ taking the liberty of dozing off on Alex's shoulder mid-conversation, and even some inadvisable rutting in the hall outside of the storage room downstairs when the power went out. But all of that happened after work hours. Alex had been strict about not letting the relationship effect White Dark. So of course RJ came up with ways to circumvent that rule and stay close to Alex for 'work related' reasons. Bartender training being one of them.
"You don't want to get too drunk," Alex reminded RJ, reaching out to touch his shoulder and make him lift his head. "You never want to forget what you did the night before."
RJ smiled at Alex's less formal tone, then smirked. His eyes twinkled rebelliously. "Yeah. Who knows. If I blacked out, I might wake up having accidentally gotten married, like in the movies."
Alex rolled his eyes and motioned to the supplies. Without hesitation, RJ got to work cleaning up. He was quick and efficient after so long on the job and soon everything was clean and packed away. Then they both moved to the staff room, where they removed their aprons and changed out of their work shirts. Alex usually did his best not to look at RJ when they changed, because the last time he did, it ended with the aforementioned rutting on company property.
Still, he didn't have to look to speak. "You wouldn't get accidentally married."
"Hm?" RJ asked, his voice muffled in his shirt.
Alex finished pulling his own shirt on before explaining to the wall, "When I marry someone, it won't be an accident, and they'll remember it happened."
A metallic thud made Alex turn around to see RJ had collapsed into the locker—thankfully fully clothed. His face was already turning bright red, his mouth gaping open. "A-Alex?" he stuttered.
It was Alex's turn to blush, but he didn't take it back. "Not now, obviously. We should try living together first."
Now RJ's hands flew up to cover his face. "What the hell, Alex?!" he said in English, then, "Where is this coming from all of a sudden?"
Alex shrugged. "You keep mentioning getting your own place when I'm around to hear it. You want to get a place with me, right?" he asked.
If Alex didn't know better, he'd think RJ was about to have a panic attack. His face was fever red, eyes blown wide, mouth working soundlessly, hands switching from covering his face to gripping his hair and back. Finally, he let out an embarrassed sounding, "Right. I just—I didn't think you'd be so forward."
Another shrug and Alex crossed his arms over his chest. "Well, then let me be more forward. If you're ready to try living together, so am I. I'm inviting you to move in with me, He Qing Tian."
A whine escaped RJ's pursed lips a moment before he launched himself at Alex. The space between them was too small to give Alex time to stop the assault, even as a protest made its way to his lips. RJ wrapped his arms around Alex's shoulders, lifting up onto his toes to press a quick kiss just at the corner of Alex's mouth. He pulled back with an elated smile.
"You didn't even make me a Pink Lady first," RJ teased.
"Shut up about the Pink Lady already," Alex groaned with a smile, the conversation already a well-worn one. Before RJ could laugh at him, Alex pulled him into a hug and spoke into his ear. "Let's just go home."
RJ laughed and it was melodious—a sound Alex would not have thought possible when he'd first met RJ as an angry, rebellious teen. "Let me pack my things real quick."
…
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fin