Chapter Text
Hongjoong had sympathized with the other boy’s cause and made an effort to arrive at the café a little earlier. After all, he had seemed pretty serious about getting there ahead of time. If San was already there, great. If he wasn’t, Hongjoong had some assignments he could work on, so that would be fine too.
Fortunately, when he got there, the other was waiting for him by the door. It took a moment for Hongjoong to recognize him. He had never seen himoutside of practice, which meant every time he had seen and spoken to Choi San, he was in uniform, covered in sweat from head to toe, hair stuck to his forehead, and exhausted. The man who stood before him now was completely different from the one he knew.He looked like a real person.
San was wearing a simple white t-shirt with a dark denim jacket over it. His hair was parted to the side and up. One of his hands held his backpack, and with the other he waved at Hongjoong.
“Good morning!”
“Good morning. You look… different.”
“Do you like it? I dressed up nicely to see you today. I guess you’ve only ever seen me all worn out from training,” he said with a smile, pointing at his clothes.
“It’s definitely different from how I usually see you… Not bad.” He muttered the last part, as if he didn’t want San to hear it. “Let’s go in.”
Before Hongjoong could reach the glass door to open it, San stepped ahead of him and opened it first, gesturing for him to go in. Hongjoong walked into the café and headed straight to the counter, confident San would be right behind him.
“Morning, Yunho.”
“Morning, Hongjoong. The usual?”
“Yes, please.”
“And anything to eat?”
“No, no, I’ve definitely had more than my fair share of snacks this week. You know how it is, right?”
“You have no idea how much I do. I have to eat alI the leftovers here, you know?. Can’t let it go to waste, right?” he said smiling before stepping away to prepare the drink.
“Hongjoong-ssi.” San nudged him.
“What?”
“What should I order?”
“Hold on, there should be a menu around here.” He looked around until he spotted one on an empty table and handed it to San. “These drinks here have coffee, and everything in this first section is hot. Then these are the iced ones.”
The boy listened attentively while Hongjoong explained the menu items, pointing out the ones he had already tried and which were his favorites.
“And food? What do you like most?”
Hongjoong pointed toward the display case beneath the counter.
“Do you want something sweet or savory?”
“I’m not that into sweets, so I think I want something more savory.”
“What a shame. That chocolate cake is amazing and the donuts are really good too. But savory… hmm, I think their grilled ham and cheese is the best option. It’s great!
San stayed quiet, just watching the unusually enthusiastic Hongjoong talk about the items on display.
“Hongjoong.” Yunho called him over with his drink already prepared.
He stepped closer.
“That all?”
“For me, yes, but my friend is ordering too. San?”
“Hi. Mhm… Which Italian soda flavor do you recommend the most?”
“I think strawberry is the most popular, but my favorite is green apple.”
“Then I’ll have a green apple. And a grilled ham and cheese, plus a slice of chocolate cake.”
“Of course. Eating here?”
“Yes.”
“Someone’s hungry,” Hongjoong commented.
“Athletes have to eat well,” San replied simply while Yunho prepared everything.
A few minutes later, Yunho had everything ready and handed them a tray to carry to their table.
“Paying together or separate?”
“Together. I’m paying.”
Hongjoong contemplated arguing, he couldn’t just make it easy for San, right? But, before he had the chance, the bill was already paid. The two then headed to one of the empty tables. The café was a little emptier than usual, and Hongjoong silently thanked San for his “suggestion” to come earlier.
“I’ve never been here before. It’s a really nice place, and everything looks delicious.”
“Everything here is really good.”
San took everything off the tray and returned it to the counter. When he came back, he set his drink and sandwich near himself and placed the slice of cake in front of Hongjoong.
“For you.”
“What?”
“You said you really liked the cake, so I bought it for you.”
“But what if I didn’t want cake, San? What if I was on a diet?” he asked, offended by the younger boy’s audacity. Did people not respect their seniors anymore?
“Well, then we can work out together” San shrugged “But if you don’t want it, I’ll eat it. But you do want it, right?”
Every part of him wanted to refuse. He had agreed to the coffee, but cake? That was too much.
But this wasn’t just any cake.
It was the cake.
Without a doubt the best he had ever eaten, something he would never admit to his mother.
Hongjoong stared at the cake, and the chocolate slice seemed to stare right back. Yunho had cut a generous piece. The chocolate glaze practically glistened. He could almost hear it whispering in his ear.
Come on. Enjoy it. Eat the cake. Forget this guy. The cake is what really matters.
“I want it,” he answered, defeated, pulling the plate closer.
San smiled at his small victory.
The two began eating in silence, but San spoke again before long.
“My god, this is so good. Seriously. How have I never come here before?”
“That’s a good question.”
“The sandwich is amazing, and with the sweet Italian soda too. Perfect.”
Hongjoong laughed at the faces the boy made while eating, but quickly swiped the smile off his face when he realized what he was doing. He didn’t encourage any more conversation, and the two stayed quiet for a few more moments. It was San who broke the silence again.
“You got here early. You said you’d arrive at 8:40.”
“I woke up before my alarm, so since I got ready early, I decided to come.”
That was a lie. Hongjoong had deliberately changed his alarm so he would wake up earlier and not leave the younger boy waiting.
“Good thing I actually got here early, then.”
Silence fell between them again. Hongjoong took a long sip of his coffee. He always got grumpy if he didn’t have his beloved morning coffee. He couldn’t understand how San could be in such a good mood without a single drop of caffeine in his system.
“You don’t drink coffee?”
“I avoid it. It’s not very healthy.”
“I imagine it isn’t,” he said, taking another sip of his own, “but it’s not like I need perfect health for what I do.”
“And what do you do?”
“Photography. You’ve probably seen me with a camera in my little corner on the bleachers.”
Or maybe not. In truth, Hongjoong doubted the other paid that much attention to him. He was willing to bet all that talk about buying him coffee was just so Hongjoong wouldn’t tell anyone San had hurt him and ruin his reputation.
“Ah, that makes sense. Actually, I thought you did something related to drawing, since you’re usually sketching up there. I don’t always see you with a camera.”
Oh! So he did notice. And well, that was true. After a while, taking pictures of the same scenery had gotten boring, and now Hongjoong usually drew or studied while sitting by the soccer field.
“Well, anyway, I think taking good care of your health is important for everyone, even if you’re not an athlete or anything,” San said, returning to the previous topic.
“It’s not like I don’t take care of my health too,” Hongjoong replied dryly.
“Oh? And what do you do?” San asked with a smile. He was enjoying this more than he should, Hongjoong thought. “You did ignore my invite to work out together.”
“I sit next to a soccer field three times a week during practice to get some sun. It’s a very dangerous act in the name of my well-being, you know.”
The teasing tone immediately vanished.
San lowered his eyes, embarrassed.
Hongjoong felt his chest grow heavy seeing much the joke had affected him. Once again he remembered how, over the past few days, every single practice without fail, San had climbed to the top of the bleachers to apologize and offer him coffee.
“I already said it’s fine, San. Relax. If I hadn’t, I wouldn’t be joking about it, would I?”
“I guess not. Is it really fine? For real?”
“Yes. It was just an accident. Everything’s fine. You’ve more than made up for it” Hongjoong waved it off, and San looked noticeably more relieved, even though his earlier excitement hadn’t returned. Hongjoong didn’t understand why he cared so much about the other’s mood.
“Look, I have something to show you that I think will make you feel better.”
“What?”
Hongjoong bent down to grab his backpack from the floor and searched through one of the pockets until he found what he wanted. A simple sketchbook.
San watched curiously as he flipped through the pages, trying to get a glimpse of the passing images.
“Here.”
He placed the notebook open on the table.
“It’s the drawing you ‘ruined,’” Hongjoong said with air quotes.
The simple drawing from before, a man dressed in black with a hat and mask, had taken on a new form.
Hongjoong had extended the line that cut across the page and added another beside it. And another. And another. Several more, spreading in different directions and cutting across the page.
It was glass.
Broken glass.
The cracks framed the mysterious figure’s left eye, and San felt as though the man were staring directly into his soul. The shattered lines added even more mystery and danger to the figure.
“Wow. It looks incredible.”
San looked at the artist, genuinely impressed by his ability to turn a mistake into something so poetic.
Hongjoong couldn’t help smiling at his reaction.
“See? I told you it wasn’t a big deal.”
San finally seemed satisfied, and Hongjoong felt relieved to have finally resolved the whole situation.
He was the one who had taken the soccer ball to the face, but he was starting to feel guilty over how intensely the other had reacted.
The next few minutes passed surprisingly well.
Hongjoong enjoyed his delicious chocolate cake and beloved little coffee, while San also seemed to love his food, eating enthusiastically.
With the atmosphere lighter now, they made casual conversation about the weather, exams, and recent movie releases.
Everything was going better than Hongjoong had expected, so it surprised him when San suddenly announced he had to leave for class.
Hongjoong hadn’t even eaten half his food, trying to savor it as much as possible, but the things San had ordered seemed to have vanished completely. Not even a breadcrumb remained.
San gathered his things with the same usual enthusiasm Hongjoong still couldn’t understand.
“Before I go, there’s something really important I need to say.”
“What?” he asked suspiciously.
“I understand that you forgave me, and I’m happy about that, but I still hurt you. I don’t like hurting people.”
“I’m fine now, San. You don’t need to worry.”
“The bruise on your cheek still hasn’t disappeared.”
That was true. Though much better now, the faint greenish mark was still visible.
“If you ever need help with anything, call me and I’ll help.”
“That’s really not necessary, I’m—”
“I know. But I want to. That’s how my family taught me to do things. Promise me that if you ever need anything, you’ll ask me”
San’s face was serious. Very serious.
Hongjoong could clearly see how arched his brows were now that his hair was styled up.
San held out his pinky.
With a sigh, Hongjoong extended his own and hooked it with San’s.
“I promise.”
He could simply never ask San for anything, and agreeing would finally free him from the younger one’s insistence.
Even if he was less annoying now, it wasn’t like Hongjoong particularly wanted to keep him around.
“Great.”
San stood, grabbed his things, walked around the table to where Hongjoong was sitting, quickly said goodbye with a kiss on his cheek, and before the older boy could say anything, he had already left the café and was heading toward the university.
Hongjoong touched the spot where he had been kissed.
The audacity!
Not that he wasn’t used to his friends kissing him often, with Mingi being the main culprit, but from someone he barely knew, it felt strange…
Well… not that strange.
And it hadn’t exactly been a kiss. Lots of people greeted each other like that.
Hongjoong gave up trying to question the others' actions and turned back to his cake.
His peace didn’t last long.
“The last person I expected to see you with was someone from the soccer team.”
Yunho had appeared to collect the empty dishes. After grabbing the cup and plate San had left behind, he stood beside Hongjoong, waiting.
The café was quiet that day, and after spending so much time there, the two had become good friends.
“Don’t even ask how I ended up in this situation…”
“Well, it looked like you were enjoying your date.”
“Date?!”
“Yeah. He waited outside for you before you got here, you came in together, he paid for your food, and he even gave you a little kiss before leaving. I saw that! And I’ve worked here long enough to recognize a café date when I see one, Hongjoong.”
“But it wasn’t like that. He owed me a favor, that’s all.”
“If it was just a favor, then why were you smiling at him the whole time?”
“I… that’s not—”
“If you say so.”
“Yunho!”
“And none other than Choi San? Not bad. You two look good together.”
“You know him?” Hongjoong asked, pointedly ignoring the last comment.
“Of course. He’s one of the best players on the team. And one of the best looking too. Everyone knows him.”
“I didn’t.”
“So it was a blind date?”
If looks could kill, Jeong Yunho would have dropped dead in the middle of the café.
“I don’t know why you’re denying it. You’ve definitely gone out with worse guys.”
That wasn’t a lie. First dates at the café were common, and Hongjoong had had his fair share of them there…
“Look, Hongjoong. If you say it wasn’t a date, then I guess it wasn’t. But I’ll tell you one thing. It should’ve been. Ask him out.”
“Never.”
Yunho shrugged and went back to collecting plates and cups from the other tables.
He finished his cake in silence, trying not to think about the little kiss he had received or Yunho’s ridiculous suggestion.
Yes, they had eaten together.
Yes, San had paid for his food.
Yes, their conversation had been surprisingly pleasant.
And yes, the dates Hongjoong had had there weren’t all that different from this.
But even so, it had not been a date. The guy was straight.
After finishing, he got up and headed for the door, though not before Yunho noticed and called out from behind the counter.
“Bye, Hongjoong. See you tomorrow.”
“I’ll never come back!” he answered, knowing damn well he would be back the following day.