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The first time Hyunwoo doubts himself is when he steps into the same small cafe he’s been visiting with Hyungwon over the past few months, feeling stressed and wondering if going alone was really the best idea. He shuffles into the short line before he can duck out of the cafe, eyes glancing towards the menu as he fiddles with his phone, waiting on a text he isn’t sure will come.
“Hyunwoo!”
The second time Hyunwoo doubts himself is when he looks away from the menu and towards the counter to whoever had called him. Behind the counter was Hoseok, leaning forward and pushing the laminated menu towards Hyunwoo with a curious look. It took Hyunwoo a second, maybe two before he pushes himself forward, stumbling over his foot before catching himself on the counter and pointedly ignoring the huff of soft laughter from the male. If his ears were burning red, he could just blame it on the gym session prior instead of the embarrassment from looking stupid in front of someone so pretty.
“Have you already picked something out? You looked a little zoned out as you were standing there,” Hoseok says with a smile and Hyunwoo wants to bolt out of the cafe the moment he was called out for being so unfocused. He forces himself to stay put, standing straight and clearing his throat with a cough before glancing up and away from the menu, putting his phone into his pocket and taking his wallet out.
“Yeah, I - sorry, long morning, ” he mumbles, already sliding over the money as a hand reaches up to scratch the back of his neck, “I’ll just take the usual.”
If Hyunwoo had looked up, he would’ve seen the way Hoseok had smiled softly at him as he keyed in the order. Instead, he finds himself picking at the stray threads on his sweater, needing a distraction for his fidgeting hands as his change and the receipt is passed towards him.
“You can take a seat at a table, I’ll come by with your drink in a minute,” Hoseok tells him with a gesture towards one of the empty single seat tables by the window. Hyunwoo nods a thanks, turning away to find the nearest empty seat to slide into. He calls dibs on a seat at the end of the long table, overlooking the street below the cafe. His fingers start drumming away a beat, doubt eating up at his stomach before a ping of an incoming text momentarily gives him a distraction.
hyungwon: answer your door i have news
hyunwoo: i’m not at home right now, is it important? i can take a call if it is
hyungwon: anything i have to say is important but let’s focus on the fact that you’re not at home at 8am
hyungwon: i can’t believe this
hyungwon: what about me
hyungwon: does this mean there’s a chance you won’t even be at home when i come to steal your coffee machine???
hyunwoo: don’t you and minhyuk have a coffee machine? what happened to that?
hyungwon: minhyuk broke it trying to cram seaweed into it
hyungwon: don’t even ask :/ i still can’t believe i’m dating him
Hyunwoo was in the middle of typing out a response, brows furrowed (because who tries to put seaweed into a coffee machine?) when there’s a clink next to him and a steaming cup of coffee is gently pushed closer. Hyunwoo looks up from his phone, a ‘thank you’ dying on his lips at the smile of the other male.
“Here’s your Americano, and one second,” Hyunwoo barely has any time to react before Hoseok is suddenly leaning closer into Hyunwoo’s space and Hyunwoo holds his breath, stone still until Hoseok’s index finger is prodding the space between his brows until it smooths out. There’s another one of his blinding smiles and Hyunwoo feels like his heart is melting, “you were frowning so much I was worried that it would end up permanent. Your face is really nice, so it would’ve been a shame.”
Hoseok adjusts his apron, taking a step back. He looks like he wants to say something else, mouth parting before Kihyun steps out from the store room behind the counters, waving around a clipboard, “Hoseok! Get your ass back to the register or I’m making you help Changkyun with the coffee machines.”
There’s a loud and indignant hey! from somewhere in the storage room and Hoseok shoots Hyunwoo an apologetic smile (and Hyunwoo is losing track of how many times Hoseok has directed a smile at him today, but he feels it’s close to twenty now) and waves, “you should stop frowning at your phone so much, it’s not good for your skin,” before he runs off to the counter, narrowly avoiding a slap from Kihyun with the clipboard. Hyunwoo watches him laugh loudly, head thrown back and eyes crinkling before turning to his coffee, taking a sip before remembering he left Hyungwon on read.
hyungwon: are u making heart eyes at hoseok again
hyungwon: respond to my text or i’m telling the gc you’re making heart eyes at hoseok again
[ +3 messages in listen to my mixtape -jooheon ]
hyungwon: hyunwoo is making heart eyes at hoseok again
jooheon: he is??? how do u know?????
hyungwon: he’s not responding to my texts
jooheon: doesnt that just mean he’s busy??
hyungwon: he always answers my texts unless he’s making heart eyes at hoseok
minhyuk: oh that’s smart wtf
minhyuk: wait what are you doing when you never answer my texts :( ?
hyungwon: i’m sleeping or ignoring you
minhyuk: :((((((((((
hyunwoo: i was drinking my coffee, not making “heart eyes”
hyungwon: ok sure whatever u say :/
jooheon: hyunwoo!! is changkyun at the cafe?
jooheon: can u tell him i said hi and that i made him a mixtape?? i called it ‘honeyed love’
[ hyunwoo has left listen to my mixtape -jooheon ]
Hyunwoo shuts his phone off with a click, setting it aside before returning his attention to his coffee and to Hoseok, who was now busy showing Changkyun how the coffee machines worked. He turns his attention away from them, worried that he would get caught looking when a sheet of paper stuck under his coaster catches his attention. He sets down his coffee, gently sliding the paper out and smoothing it under his fingers.
It was smudged from how hastily it was written, but Hyunwoo manages to make out what the letters are saying.
I know we exchanged numbers a couple months ago and we text all the time and talk even more at the cafe but I was wondering, do you want to go for coffee sometime? Like just the two of us. Wave to me if you want to! ;) :)
- Hoseok, just in case you couldn’t tell
When Hyunwoo doubts himself for the third time, it’s when he turns in his seat and meets Hoseok’s eyes. Hoseok looks hopeful, lips pushed into a pout and he tries to look distracted by playing around with the menus. Hyunwoo waits for Hoseok to meet his eyes again before he raises his hand, waving it long enough to see Hoseok’s features go from hopeful to ecstatic, his pout replaced entirely with the brightest grin Hyunwoo had seen from him.
Hyunwoo returns Hoseok’s grin with a smile and a start of a laugh before his phone pings for the second time in the morning.
[ hyunwoo has been added to listen to my mixtape -jooheon ]
minhyuk: hyunwoo tell jooheon to stop making cheesy mixtapes for changkyun
minhyuk: if i have to hear signal by twice one more time i’ll noose myself
jooheon: you’re just jealous my crush appreciates my mixtapes while your boyfriend doesnt even accept ur dick pics
[ hyunwoo has left listen to my mixtape -jooheon ]
“Hoseok, have you seen my jacket? The leather one?” Hyunwoo asks, toweling his hair dry as he walks into their bedroom. Hoseok, long having given up on getting ready to go meet their friends for coffee, curls up further into the comforter with a soft whine.
“Can’t we just stay home today? I’m tired , I’ll even text Hyungwon we won’t make it,” Hoseok lets his head pop up from the warm comforter, eyeing Hyunwoo appreciatively before schooling his expression into puppy eyes, “please?”
Hyunwoo pretends his heart doesn’t stutter at the sight of Hoseok pouting as he pulls a shirt on, throwing a pair of jeans onto the bed for Hoseok to wear. “We’ve already postponed this enough times, I feel bad. Let’s just go for a while and then we can come back home.” He crouches to sift through a pile of clean clothes, making a note to fold them as soon as possible before he tips over from a sudden weight clinging to his back.
“Then five minutes, spend five more minutes in bed with me,” Hoseok says, arms wrapping around Hyunwoo as he nuzzles into his drying hair, “I promise I won’t try to blow you as a distraction.”
“You said that last time, Hoseok.”
“But I mean it this time!”
And when Hyunwoo doubts himself for the fourth time, it’s when Hoseok is tugging him into bed with a smile, hands sliding up his shirt to pull it off as he presses a chaste kiss to Hyunwoo’s lips with a promise of ‘five more minutes’.