Chapter Text
🐰
Tap, tap, tap.
A pause.
Tap, tap, tap.
Another pause.
Tap.
Tap.
Tap.
The sound was almost mocking at this point.
He glared at the man making the sound, one of the shops few regulars, sat in the corner scrolling his phone and making that stupid sound, like Minho could just ignore it.
He couldn't, not when the image of jisung curled up on the mattress was still fresh in his mind, not when he felt like he'd caused the tears, not when it felt like the world was about to cave in on him.
Tap, tap, tap!
He glared at the counter while trying hard not to snap at him to stop the tapping.
The man wasn't even drinking anything anymore, he had finished his coffee ten minutes ago, and he was still here.
The strong smell of ground coffee beans drifted from the grinder beside him, the faint hum buzzing through his skull like an echo from another world.
Don't yell. Don't yell. Don't yell. If you yell your going to get an earful from your manager. Don't yell.
Though, not yelling seemed like a thing from a fantasy if this man didn't stop his tapping at that moment, he managed to keep his annoyance contained until the man stood up and finally left.
"oh thank god." Minho muttered as the door closed behind him.
Silence once again.
darkness engulfed the outside world, blanketing the streets in a thick shadow.
rain pounded on the windows like they owed money, thoughts of this being a quick sprinkle leaving his mind as soon as the thick drops started knocking on doors and windows.
the lights flickered once as thunder and lightning played in a delicate dance with each other.
"There is no way I'm walking home in that." Minho huffed. "I'd rather die than get wet right now."
The coffee machine hummed as it spurted out hot coffee into a cup under it. Steam curled above the cup in thin whirls.
The lights flickered again.
i swear to god if the power goes out I'm going to flip a table.
On queue the lights flickered again like a threat.
Lightning flashed in his vision to signal thunder following soon after.
A loud clap boomed outside as the rain pounded harder against the glass.
"This is bullshit." He muttered to himself, grabbing the coffee from the spluttering machine.
The Sugar rested in a cup beside the ice chest and the sweet syrups, that no one dared touch because they were way to sweet for the average alive person.
The only time Minho had ever had to use the syrups was when jisung came in wanting to try something new, he ended up absolutely loving it with his usual ice coffee.
A soft smile crept across his face at the memory of him sitting at his usual table while holding a small cup of iced coffee while waiting for Minho to call him to get his sandwich he'd ordered.
Minho had looked at him a shameless amount that day, he was caught a few times, but never received more than a shy smile and a few breathy laughs that made his stomach twist.
The lights flickered again, jolting him back to reality.
Right, sugar. I need sugar. He thought while reaching for the cup of sugar.
But the cup was empty, not a single grain left.
"Great." He grumbled sarcastically. "black coffee. My favourite."
excepting his fate he took a small sip of the drink.
Hot, bitter coffee flooded his taste buds, making him physically recoil from the taste alone, how hot the drink was a whole other world of awfulness, but at least it numbed the taste a bit.
"Ugh!" He spluttered. "That's bloody awful!" "I refuse to believe that some people drink that voluntarily."
Rain pounded harder on the windows as the wind whistled and slammed into the door.
*a few hours ago*
🐹
"Sung?"
"Yea?"
"Who was that at the door?"
"No one…"
"Jisung."
"It was no one."
"Jisung."
"I swear it was no one!"
"Han jisung, who was at the door."
"Just a friend."
"Where did this friend come from?"
"Um, no where?"
"Try again."
"Classes?"
"Could be true, but I can hear the lie, so try again"
He let out a small huff in defeat, "the coffee shop."
"There it is."
He curled tighter in his blanket.
"Is he why you keep going back to that place sung?" Chan asked.
Jisung gave out a small puff of air before answering, "…yea."
Chan watched him for a minute before a smile spread across his face.
"Ah, So that's what it was."
"What was?" Jisung asked puzzled.
"Is that why you've been walking around like you forgot gravity existed? or like you've just had your first kiss? Or like- "
"OKAY! I GET IT!"
He yelled, ducking his head into his pillow to hide his flush.
Chan laughed like it was a new joke that jisung told him instead of a confession that he'd been going to a coffee shop to see a guy he hardly knew but somehow had shown up to their dorm looking for him.
"Awww, Jisungies in love!" Chan teased as he put his had on jisung's head with comforting pats.
"Shut up." Jisung mumbled into his pillow.
But he never actually wanted chan to stop talking, because chan teasing him for liking someone was like glue on his already ruined porcelain.
It was like painting over the chips on his glaze, it was like getting dusted after years of sitting on that shelf, waiting for someone to notice him.
*present time*
"chaaan, it's raaaining!" Jisung whined while clutching his sweater as chan shoved him towards the door.
"You said you'd come talk to him later, and last I checked, which is right now, it's later." Chan replied shoving him harder.
"I'll get wet though!" Jisung protested.
"Take an umbrella." Chan countered.
"I don't own an umbrella!"
"Take mine then!" Chan chirped, reaching into his closet to pull out a dark green umbrella with dark pink stripes.
"You've got to be joking right now." Jisung deadpanned while looking at the devise.
Well at least my hearing aid will be dry.
"nope! Now come on, it's getting late." Chan chirped again.
"That's my point! It's dark! It's cold! ITS RAINING!" Jisung tried protesting while being shoved out, armed with nothing but the stupid umbrella, His phone, and ten buck that chan took from his wallet after getting the umbrella.
"Get a coffee while your there!" Chan yelled before shutting the door in his face.
"Great." He mumbled.
Rain pounded on the umbrella, he already wanted to go back home to the dorm and chan and his blankets.
"This is some bullshit." He grumbled.
A clap of thunder echoed of the buildings, almost making him fall over.
He screamed as lightning filled his vision and another clap of thunder sounded of like a gunshot.
"Oh I fucking hate it out here! It's cold, and it's loud, and I don't want to get my hearing aid wet, and it's bright and my socks are wet!" He mumbled shakily.
Lights of passing shops turned off around him as the night grew deeper, leaving him in only the street lights.
The passing cars grew fewer and fewer,signalling how late it was getting.
His hands grew shakier with the passing minutes as cold soaked deeper into his bones.
"Chan I fucking hate you right now!" He muttered.
Familiar warm lights shone in the distance, providing a little warmth in jisung's stomach when he saw the open sign still hanging in the window, and inside… was Minho.
He was strapped into an apron, sipping a coffee he clearly didn't like, because he would grimace after every swallow, while leaning on the counter and looking out into the darkness.
A sudden nervousness pooled in his stomach.
He technically did tell Minho that he would come talk later, but a quick glance at his phone said that it was well past the point he should come, and also no sain person would walk in the rain to just talk, so he already looked like a maniac.
Well, might as well go in, no sense standing out here any longer.
🐰
His coffee only got worse with every sip, bitterness stayed in his mouth for minutes after he drank, the after taste awful.
"Why the fuck do I even still have this?" He muttered at it.
There was logically nothing holding him back from just tossing it into the trash and letting himself fall asleep within the shop until morning.
So that's what he decided to do.
He looked around for the trashcan behind the counter, tossing it in with an ease only a university student could master.
He was about to celebrate to himself about his good aim, when the door chimed, startling him out of his skin.
He whipped around, ready to face off with some drunken student or an old lady just passing by, but to his shock and joy, he was met with puffed rosy cheeks, soft boba eyes, and umbrella being awkwardly folded inwards, he was met with a soft smile and loose curls, slightly damp at the tips.
Jisung…
Jisung's hands where visibly pink from the cold, his shoes where soaked through.
"Jisung?" He asked carefully. "What are you doing here."
Jisung shifted awkwardly, "I-um, I told you that I would come around to talk later?"
"Not at 10 at night! Good lord jisung get in here you must be freezing!" Minho half-yelled, while turning around to get a cup under the coffee machine and turn it on.
"You don't need to get me anything!" Jisung insisted.
"Nonsense," Minho replied.
Jisung stared at him while the coffee machine hummed and splashed out hot coffee into the cup.
He didn't fight anymore, just sat down at a table and looked at the floor.
"Do you want something else?" Minho asked from behind the counter.
"No… I'm just really cold." Jisung answered.
Minho turned to look at him, really look at him.
His nose was pink, his hands were wet and trembling from the cold, his shoes were noticeably soaked through, causing puddles to form on the shiny floor, his hair was slightly dampened at the edges, making him look like a soaked puppy dog.
"I can see that ." Minho hummed. "I can get a dry hoodie or something from the lost and found if you want?"
Jisung sat with that, considering for a moment.
"I don't want to wear clothes someone else owns, I don't know where it's been."
"We wash them before putting them into the bin, so I can at least tell you it's clean," Minho offered.
Jisung sat with it again, then looked himself over, eyes moving across his wet shoes, his cold hands, he glanced up at his damp hair and his soaked hoodie.
"Fine." He muttered. "But if it's gross im not wearing it!"
Minho chuckled, "okay princess, I'll get a very not gross hoodie."
At the corner of his eye, he caught jisung looking at him, stunned at the name, a blush further reddened his already rosy cheeks.
"You blushing?" Minho teased.
"No- I- it's- just cold!" Jisung stumbled.
"Sure, sure, whatever you say." Minho grinned as he turned into the back room to get the lost and found bin.
The room was dark except for the door lighting the way, on the floor there rested a cardboard box with 'lost & found' written across the side in black sharpie.
The bin itself was half filled, mostly housing kids toys or earbuds, even a few shirts, but right under that was a black hoodie with dark blue swirls on the cuffs and hem of the hood, it was slightly larger than he probably needed, but it would work for now.
He flipped it over to the back, observing if there was any stains or rips, there was nothing.
Perfect
Jisung's face lit up when he returned with the hoodie.
"I found this one," Minho hummed, throwing the hoodie at jisung.
"Thanks." Jisung said, catching it, then yanking off his own sweater, replacing it with the dry one.
He immediately hummed when the new fabric was properly wrapped around him, warmth sealed around his skin like a bubble.
Minho smiled gently from across the room where he'd been preparing coffee with cream and syrup. "Take off your shoes, they're soaked."
"They’re fine" Jisung muttered, falling asleep in the warm sweater.
"Are you seriously falling asleep right now?" Minho asked amused.
"No," Jisung answered sleepily.
The thunder boomed outside again making them both flinch.
"Y'know, whenever there's a thunderstorm, it's like it's raining stars from the clouds?" Jisung muttered.
"Go to sleep sung."
"But I'm not even tired!" Jisung smiled.
"Okay," Minho whispered quietly, letting him drift off. "You totally are but Good night princess."
Outside the rain was still pounding on the windows, lulling jisung into sleep.
Minho carefully approached so not to snap jisung from drifting off, placing the coffee beside him.
Sleep well.
Written by a human in Ellipsus.