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The first time Soonyoung meets Chan, the younger had his hair facing in different directions, looking like a hurricane just passed by his scalp and left it on purpose. Chan’s face was dusted with what seemed like dirt and chalk but his eyes were bright, brighter than any stars Soonyoung has ever seen. He admires the stars and to see Chan’s own eyes was such a breathtaking moment for the older.
“Uh, hi?” the younger squeaked, unsure of how to even explain what just happened.
Soonyoung was about to go home that afternoon, his body and head pounding as he sweats. He had just finished practicing a different dance routine. It wasn’t for anything, it’s just a thing he does whenever he needed to get something off of his mind.
As he passed by the science hallway, he heard a loud 'boom' and quickly ran to the direction of the noise. He regretted running not even a second after. His whole body ached and he's sure his body wanted to beat him up for beating it up. The lab was in the view after a few seconds of running and he opened the door, only to be met by smoke.
He coughs in his sleeve and covered his nose. A figure also came into view. It was a boy.
Soonyoung blinks for a few moments and looked around the lab. Some parts of the table was coloured black and there seemed to be some broken glass on the floor. It was a mess, that's for sure. Soonyoung focuses on the boy once more.
And that's how he got here.
"Are you alright?" he had asked, approaching the younger (well, he looks so much younger than Soonyoung) as he pats his pocket for his handkerchief. He eyes the tube with some liquid in it on the table where the boy was. Soonyoung wondered how that didn't explode while the whole place was basically a wreckage.
The boy seemed to notice him glancing at the tube and quickly hid it away from Soonyoung's line of vision. He clears his throat. "Oh, yeah! Yeah... totally fine," the boy answers with a sheepish smile and tries to laugh but it came out sounding so awkwardly that he had to clear his throat again. "Yes, I'm fine," he repeated.
Soonyoung's an observer. Many of his friends had said that before. Even though he doesn't voice out what he truly thinks, he can see even what's not-so-obvious for his friends. He analyzes quietly, only talking when his mind has gone over what he wants to say a million times. He notices very simple thing. Once his friend, Seokmin, coughed in a high pitched kind of way, Soonyoung immediately knew the boy was sick. Seokmin looked fine on the outside, smiling ever so brightly but Soonyoung noticed the quite dull and tired look on his eyes even if that was only for a moment.
So when he saw the lab (a wreckage, his mind says), the boy's face (a cute one, his mind says) and the tube (mysterious, his mind says), he knew something was going on.
Soonyoung practically shoved the handkerchief to the boy's face. "You look like you just had a paintball smash your face," he said and laughed quietly. The boy looks away and grabs the handkerchief.
"I was just... experimenting," he muttered.
Soonyoung hummed. "So, what's your name?"
The boy with the bright eyes looked at him. "I'm Chan."
"I'm going to treat you someday!"
"Oh, no. It's okay..."
"Eh, I don't have my wallet with me."
...
"I'll still treat you, okay? It's a promise."
"You're really persistent, huh."
The second time Soonyoung meets Chan, he was in a rush. It was a Friday morning. The birds were chirping and the wind danced along with the leaves as cars drive by. It seemed like it was going to be a good day. But not for Soonyoung. He was about to be late to his Music Theory class. A class where he practically naps at. But attendance was good on his resumé once he goes finding for a job. No one wants a tardy worker in their area. Atleast not Soonyoung.
He looked at his clock. It read 8:39 AM. God, he was more than half an hour late. The class was ending in 21 minutes. He huffed as he looked at the stoplight, the colour changing from red to green and the sign going from a hand to a figure walking. Soonyoung walked with other pedestrians and soon was on the other side. He decided that he's not going to class. One class will not affect my whole life, he tries to console himself. In all honestly, Soonyoung didn't really felt like going to class anyways. He also decided to go to the café he always passed by in the morning but never going in. Soonyoung always gets his coffee from the Starbucks nearby because most of the time, he doesn't even have time to choose where to go. So he's stuck with the Starbucks beside his apartment complex.
Blue's Café. That's the name of the coffee shop. The posters outside showcased some good-looking pastries as well as cute drinks. It seems like a good place for students, quiet and homey.
When Soonyoung entered, he's hit with a strong scent of coffee. It was refreshing and smelled really good. He quickly goes to the counter only to be met with the same eyes he had stared at two weeks ago in a very messy lab.
The eyes blinked at him and soon turned into crescent. It was Chan again. The boy who seemed to be doing something fishy at the science lab when it was an hour after science classes ended. He knew this because Wonwoo told him.
"Hello! Welcome to Blue's Café! What would you like, young sir?" Chan asked, tilting his head to the side a little bit. He was wearing an apron with the logo of the café and a white shirt underneath. His hair wasn't a mess anymore. To Soonyoung, it looked a lot like fluffy clouds, only the clouds are brown and in the head of a cute and young boy.
Soonyoung was about to answer when something seemed to hit Chan as he brightens up. "Ah!" he exclaimed. "Aren't you Soonyoung?" he asked with a wide smile. His eyes were shimmering and were so bright, Soonyoung can't help but be flustered a little.
The older scratched the back of his neck and chuckled. "Yeah, the one and only," he answered.
Chan smiled at him before going to the register. "What do you want, Soonyoung? It's my treat!" Chan said. "It's a small thank you for cleaning up with me even if it's just a little while."
"Oh, no, no. It's okay! It's really okay, Chan —"
"You remembered my name!" the younger boy said and clapped a little.
How can I not when your eyes are literally the brightest ones I've ever seen? Soonyoung's mind says.
Soonyoung cringed. He smiles at Chan though. The boy seemed to be a really bright kid. A happy one. "Ofcourse, I did," he chuckled. "Besides, your nametag says your name and I could've just read it," Soonyoung said and gave the boy a small smile.
Chan's mouth turned into an O. He pouted a little. Soonyoung won't admit it but it made his heart jump a little.
"Well, either way, I'm glad you're still talking to me."
That made Soonyoung blush. The younger looked away and Soonyoung can see the way his ears have turned red a little.
"Same goes for me," he muttered without him thinking.
Soonyoung was panicking inside his mind. Thinking of the many ways Chan might respond to his not-really-flirt-attempting-response. What he didn't expect was for the boy to turn into a tomato, his whole face turning red and his hands seem to shake a bit.
Soonyoung hears Chan mutter something under his breath but doesn't catch it right away.
"W-Well!" Chan suddenly exclaims, voice kind of wavery. Taking a deep breath and smiling once again at Soonyoung, who is still recovering because holy shit, is this cute boy really interested in him, too? Chan continued, "How about I'll give you our special today? It's one of the drinks I've been working on and I think it's pretty great, if I say so..." Chan seems to hesitiate. "But only if you want to..." his voice grew smaller and he stares at Soonyoung with hopeful eyes.
Soonyoung, being the big softie that he is, grinned at Chan. "I'll try it, but only if you're the one who makes it."
. . .
DID HE REALLY JUST SAY THAT?
Chan blinks at him with his mouth open. He closes it and smiles shyly at Soonyoung. "Ofcourse, you can just wait on the side," he said and Soonyoung had to bite the inside of his cheek to stop him from smiling. Seeing Chan shy was definitely going to be the highlight of his day.
Soonyoung was about to look away when he sees Chan swish a finger to the shelf full of jars containing many toppings. His eyes must've been playing tricks on him when he saw that the jar was flying towards Chan's hand. His eyes widens. Soonyoung quickly rubs his eyes, blinks and opens them only to see the same jar on the same spot of the same shelf. He blames this on the stress he got from school. He must be very tired if he sees such things. And even though Soonyoung's sure it was his eyes playing tricks on him, he wasn't 100% sure.
He was always curious. Always hungry for more information. His own curiosity had lead him into trouble but did that stop him? Nope, not even a little bit. So that was why Soonyoung decided that if he really wants to know more, he's going to go back here every now and then.
For the mean time, he checks his phone and sees that Seokmin left him quite a hefty amount of messages. It was mostly him screaming at Soonyoung for leaving him alone in Music Theory. It was a boring class, Soonyoung knew this, so he told Seokmin that he's going to make it up to him sometime.
"Soonyoung!"
A voice calls him and Soonyoung was sure he nearly broke his neck because of how fast he turned his head to where the young barista was. Chan was holding his drink and a paper bag was on the counter.
Now that Soonyoung looks around, no one really was there besides the old man reading the newspaper as well as two young girls gushing over something on their phone. There was also a student who seemed to be sleeping while their laptop was open. The café really looked like a magical place for a moment. Magical.
"Soonyoung?" came a voice again. Chan was staring at him with concern visible on his shining brown eyes. "Are you okay? You've been staring for quite a long time."
Soonyoung shakes his head. He looks up at Chan and smiles, hoping that it would send the younger some reassurance. "I'm fine, Chan."
"Good! Because you need to try this and tell me your honest feelings about it, okay?"
The older nods wordlessly and grabs the drink from Chan's hands. Their fingers touched a little and Chan flinched slightly and Soonyoung can see the visible dust of pink on his cheeks. Cute.
Soonyoung takes a sip from the cup offered to him. It was sweet in a pleasant way. There's bitterness too which was subtle and the way it blended with the sweetness was awfully good. Soonyoung thinks of how many calories this might contain (it had whipped cream which almost occupied the top of the lid and some syrup with toppings) but decided to drink it all. It felt as if there was something enchanting about the drink. It put his stress in to a stop and he feels so refreshed. This drink must've been made with magic to taste this good. Magic.
"So...?" Chan drags on. He was looking expectantly at Soonyoung, wanting him to say even a few words. The younger feels nervous as this is the first drink they launched which was made by him, the owner's very own cousin. "How do you feel?"
"I... I feel refreshed. I feel like everything's going to be alright today, tomorrow and forever. My stress level is suddenly below zero," Soonyoung tells him and takes another sip from the cup. He groans in satisfaction. "This is honestly the best drink I've ever had! Chan, you're amazing!"
The young barista blushes under the compliments thrown to him. He looked so cute with a flustered face Soonyoung can't help himself coo. "T-Thank you... I've been working hard on it for so long," Chan says and grabs the cloth near him to wipe the counter. "I'm really glad you like it."
"What did you even put in here?" Soonyoung asks, really curious. "It taste like magic!" he exclaims.
At the word magic, Chan stopped the movement of his hand and blinks. He scattered and looked around. He looked quite nervous. "A-Ahaha. I put normal ingredients ofcourse, you know because that's a normal drink here in this normal café. Haha..." he laughs nervously.
Soonyoung just looked at him with amusement before looking at the paper bag. "What's in here?"
"Oh, just some pastries my cousin made. He included some happy potion there."
The older furrowed his eyebrows. "Happy potion?"
Chan's eyes widens comically. "I-I mean cinnamon! W-We use happy potion as a name for cinnamon here!" he exclaimed quickly.
Soonyoung's mouth quirked up on the side. "That's cute."
Chan purses his lips and asked, "Why don't you give them a try, Soonyoung?"
The dancer grabs one of the buns inside. It was covered with 'happy potion' as Chan said and looked tasty. He takes a bite and moans.
"What the hell, how could I miss this all my life? Chan, this place is truly magical. Your foods, and drinks are the best and to think that I've been getting overpriced coffee from Starbucks is just..." Soonyoung shudders.
Chan smiles at Soonyoung for the nth time. "Oh, wow. Thank you, Soonyoung. I'm glad you're enjoying them."
"I sure will be here a lot."
"Hmm, I hope that's true."
Soonyoung did come often at the café. He goes there on Wednesdays and Fridays. It's been three months since his first visit to the café. He's gotten closer to the young barista, Channie, as he affectionately call him. He also met his cousin, Jeonghan, who owned the place and was seriously one of the best people Soonyoung met. The older gave him free snacks whenever he's in a good mood (which was almost everyday because of his boyfriend, Jisoo) and helps him with his homework sometimes.
Strange things happened throughout though. One time Chan magically summoned a pen when Soonyoung complained that he lost his. The boy didn't have his bag nor did his apron have pockets in them. It was strange but Soonyoung brushed it off. Another time was when it was a cold Wednesday morning. Soonyoung was about to go to class, decided that he would get coffee on the way when he sees Chan sweeping the pavement outside of the café. Soonyoung was about to say his good morning when Chan lets go of the broom but... the broom stood still on its own. It almost seemed like it was floating! Soonyoung rubs his eyes and was met by the sight of Chan waving at him with his usual bright smile, broom on his hand and the other waving. Soonyoung, once again, brushed it off.
"Wait, so you don't go to school?" Soonyoung asks. He's currently at his usual spot, Chan infront of him. He wanted to stay for a while before he has to go to the park with Seokmin. The younger wanted him to model for his photography assignment. Soonyoung was quick to tease the younger that he finds him attractive but Seokmin just stuck his tongue out and said that Jihoon refused to be his model so he had to go with the second best option, Soonyoung.
Soonyoung thought that Chan goes to his school because of their first encounter. Turns out that nope, Chan doesn't go to his school and he is not studying anymore. Soonyoung felt jealousy because the younger had more freedom than him but it melts away quickly.
The younger nods. "I already finished my studies early because of some... circumstances," he answers and takes a sip of his milkshake. Chan had a sweet tooth and would always drink the sweet drinks whenever he talks to Soonyoung at the café, topping it with so much whipped cream and sprinkles.
Soonyoung stretches his arm. "Wow, I want to finish my studies quickly so I can open up my own dancing studio," he says.
Chan brightens. "That's so cool, Soon. I definitely support that."
Soonyoung chuckles and ruffles the younger's hair.
Over the time they had spent together, Soonyoung developed a crush on him. Maybe it's because of the smile he always wear whenever Soonyoung was around. Maybe it was because of the way his eyes shines brightly and twinkle when he's happy. Maybe because it's the younger's laugh that sounded so good and Soonyoung swears he can listen to it for a long time and never get tired of it. Whatever it was, it definitely made Soonyoung whipped for the younger.
Jeonghan often teased him because of this. Commenting on the way that Soonyoung always does what Chan tells him and the way the older calls Chan so endearingly. He knew that he wanted them to be more than friends, Soonyoung would admit that. He would often act flirty with Chan, making the younger giggle but always dismisses it as the older's usual moves. Soonyoung doesn't know if Chan is oblivious or it's because he wasn't trying enough.
"What were you doing at school, then?" Soonyoung asks again, sipping at his green tea latté.
Chan visibly gulps. "Oh, I was just... uh... doing an experiment?" Rather than it sounding like a statement, it sounded more like a question. "My uncle's one of the teachers there. He allowed me to use one of the labs for my... experiment," Chan continues.
Soonyoung nods his head, accepting the younger's explanation. It's still didn't answer his question as to what he was experimenting about and what the liquid was inside the tube he saw. He didn't push on. Instead, he brushed it off (he's been doing this a lot lately, he noticed).
Chan was about to say something else when Jeonghan appears. He nods his head at Soonyoung as a greeting then turns to Chan. "I think one of our coffee machine is broken. Can you fix it for me?" he asks, his eyes glinting with something else. Chan looks at him then at Soonyoung before waving a hand at the dancer and makes his way to the backroom.
Once Chan was out of sight, Jeonghan takes a seat infront of Soonyoung and crossed his arms. He looks expectantly at Soonyoung, as if trying to provoke the younger. Soonyoung raises his eyebrows at him and takes a sip from his drink.
"So? When are you going to tell him?"
Soonyoung almost sputters his drink on the table. He chokes and grabs some tissue. He inhales then exhales for a couple of second before looking at Jeonghan, who's staring at him with amusement and his lips quirk up a little. If Jeonghan can ask such question, that just means that Chan's the oblivious one. He thought he was being obvious enough but it seems like Soonyoung needs a little more push before the younger one can notice him. Soonyoung's ears were burning and he can tell that it must be a bright red right now, an indication that he's kind of shy and embarrassed.
"What are you talking about, Jeonghan?"
The older rolls his eyes. "I'm talking about your crush on my cousin, Soonyoung," he responds and leans towards Soonyoung. "You can't hide it from me, Kwon. I can see what's happening on all four corners of this building."
Soonyoung's body shudders. He puts up his hands in defeat. "Fine, fine. You caught me," he says and sighs. "It doesn't even matter now. It sees like he's not interested, anyway," Soonyoung continues with a pout. Jeonghan clicks his tongue and rolls his eyes once more.
"Not interested, my ass," he mutters and groans. "God, you teenagers are a pain when it comes to this," Jeonghan says, drumming his fingers against the wooden table.
"You think I don't know that?" Soonyoung responds. "Besides, I'm pretty sure you were like this too with Jisoo," the younger says with a smirk.
Jeonghan returns the smirk. "Uh, no, Kwon," he says. "I confessed to him when I realized he was the one and didn't even hesitate," Jeonghan speaks and throws Soonyoung with a shady look. "Now, now. I'm not saying you should do it now. I mean, I wouldn't mind. But really, just do it, yolo, y'know?"
Soonyoung snorts. "Did you just say yolo outloud?"
"Not the point, Soon."
"Okay, okay. I get it. It's just that I don't want to rush things with Chan."
Jeonghan coos and pinches Soonyoung's cheeks. "Aw, look at you. Already caring about my cousin like he's your boyfriend," he says and wiggles Soonyoung. "That's cute, bud."
"Never call me a bud ever again," Soonyoung threatens the older as he glares at him with his hands on both of his cheeks, trying to massage them from the not surprisingly strong squishing from the older.
"Just promise me to love him no matter what, okay?" Jeonghan turns serious and looks at Soonyoung dead in the eye. The younger had never seen him this serious and makes Soonyoung shiver under the gaze the older was giving. Jeonghan was mostly a dorky (and bitchy) café owner who loves to love and spoil his boyfriend so much. Even though Jeonghan was the older one (even by a few months), he seems to be the childish one on their relationship compared to Jisoo who is also dorky but not as much.
Soonyoung didn't know what Jeonghan meant but either way, he nods and gives Jeonghan a small smile. He knew at the bottom of his heart, he would accept Chan for he is. Except if he's an anime hater (which he is not, thank the heavens for that).
Jeonghan sighs. "Chan never really had friends, too," he says, his eyes kind of sad. "He's had a hard time talking to other people. That was why I was surprise and really happy he finally got a friend like you," Jeonghan continues. The older really cared for Chan, Soonyoung observes. Chan once told him that Jeonghan fought all the bad guys when he was just seven and Jeonghan was eleven. 'Like he was Iron Man! Something blasted off from his hand!' Chan had explained. Soonyoung raised his eyebrow at this but just let it go, telling himself that younger Chan must've mistaken it for something else.
"He's such a nice and bright kid," Soonyoung says. "He deserves so much happiness." At this, Jeonghan laughs.
"You're whipped, Kwon."
"I can't help it, Yoon."
Chan comes back a few minutes later to the sight of Jeonghan and Soonyoung fighting over which of the Animal Crossing characters' the best one. The coffee machine he had just fixed with his... magic was well enough to start working again. Chan always says there's more pros than cons on being a witch. He giggles a bit before slipping beside Jeonghan.
"Obviously it's Stitches, our lord and saviour!"
"How dare you disrespect the holy Diana?"
"If I say so myself," Chan starts. Both Jeonghan and Soonyoung looks at him expectantly. "I would say it's Apple!"
Jeonghan smiles. "Ofcourse, you'll pick the cutest one," he says and pinches Chan's cheeks. Chan swats his hands away from him and pouts. This just cause Jeonghan to coo even more and laugh wholeheartedly. Soonyoung also chuckles at the sight of the younger pouting. He has to admit, Chan looks cute when he's upset and kind of sulky.
The oldest of the three stands up and asks Chan to move a bit so he can get out. "I'll make some more pastries for Auntie Choi. She said Seungcheol's been loving the spanish bread we've been making!"
Chan lights up. "Is he feeling well now, too?"
"Yep! Auntie Choi said he looks happier and stronger than before."
"Hmm, I hope he can visit us soon."
Jeonghan ruffles Chan's hair. "I'm sure he's eager to meet you again, Chan."
At this, Chan blushes. He looked a bit daze also. Soonyoung tilts his head to the side and furrows his eyebrows. Why is Chan looking so flustered? Who is this Seungcheol? Does Chan have a crush on this Seungcheol? Soonyoung's eyes widens. It can't be.
Jeonghan notices the look on Soonyoung's face and laughs inside. The younger seems to be troubled and Jeonghan smirks lightly. "Well, I'll see you two later!" he says and waves at them before disappearing to the back of the café.
Silence between two covers them. It wasn't uncomfortable nor was it awkward. It was just a peaceful one, a good one perhaps. Over the course of their friendship, Chan always showed Soonyoung how good the world can be. He liked that about the younger. He was always positive and always looking at the bright side when problems come. He honestly wonders who's the older one between them.
Chan once said he liked silence because it gives him peacefulness and time to think, to evaluate himself and have a better mood. Maybe that's why Chan's smiling right now. Chan looks so cute with that smile, Soonyoung decides. He liked it when Chan smiled so brightly it can counter Seokmin's smile.
Ping!
Speaking of Seokmin, Soonyoung's phone chimes and he opens it only to find his friend sending him a text.
- where are you ??
Ah, shit. He forgot about their supposed meeting.
"Hey, Soonyoung," Chan calls him.
Soonyoung perks up immediately. God, he's so whipped for this boy. Jeonghan was right. "Yes?" he asks and smiles.
"I was wondering if you want to go to the festival this Saturday? The one at central park?" the younger questions, a bit of nervousness visible in his eyes and his voice.
The older blinks and his mind stopped working. Is Chan asking him on a date? Oh my god, oh my god. This might be the best thing ever and his insides starts churning. He can't believe this. His crush, the very same boy he met about three months ago is asking him on a date! A date, oh my god. Soonyoung feels warm inside and his heart is beating so fast! He really can't believe this.
"U-Uh, if you don't want to, it's a-alright!"
That seems to snap Soonyoung out of his own inner monologue. Chan took his silence as a no and Soonyoung feels bad about that. The younger looks like a kicked puppy and Soonyoung wanted to punch himself for that.
"N-No! I want to go with you! Like really, really. I really want to go with you!" Soonyoung exclaims. Chan looks up again and beams, his cheeks kind of pink. Soonyoung wants to think it's because of the cold temperature the air conditioner is causing. His heart tells him otherwise.
"Yay! Thank you, Soonyoung! It's my first time going to that festival. I really wanted to go with you, too!"
Chan never really had friends. Jeonghan's words echoes in Soonyoung's head. He wants to make Chan smile and happy. To always feel loved, Soonyoung decides.
"I'm glad Chan — "
Ping!
Soonyoung's phone chimes again.
- dude srsly ??
- u gonna ditch ur bro ??? i thought what we had was real :(
Soonyoung rolls his eyes. He glances at Chan who was busy enjoying his milkshake, one of the few inventions he made in the last months. He wanted to spend more time with the younger but Seokmin has been yelling at him to be on time for this project and if he doesn't show up, he'll burn his PS4 as well as the shoes he bought with all the sweat and tears he shed for it.
Soonyoung stands up and Chan looks at him. "I gotta go now, Channie. My friend's expecting me and he will kill me if I don't show up," Soonyoung says sheepishly. "Sorry."
Chan shakes his head. "No, no, it's okay, Soonie! You should get going and meet Seokmin!"
Soonyoung goes for the entrance. "I'll see you on Saturday!" he says and waves for the last time at Chan. The younger waves back enthusiastically and even smiles at him.
It's only when Soonyoung arrives at the park when he realizes that he never told Chan about Seokmin.
"Finally!" Seokmin exclaims as he sees Soonyoung walking towards him. "I've been rotting here and was about to burst. My dick's about to turn into cheese."
Soonyoung waves at him. "Don't be overdramatic." The older looks around the park and sees that no one's really there. It was kind of weird.
"You know overdramatic is my middle name."
They began to start working and at one point, Jihoon shows up with food. Seokmin lights up at the sight of his boyfriend, immediately taking off so he can hug him. Jihoon almost falls because of the impact and had to use all his energy to keep them both on their feet. Soonyoung can't help but laugh. Jihoon glares at him.
As they eat their pizza (half hawaiian and half pepperoni), Seokmin starts talking about the festival.
"We all should go together! The grand finale is the fireworks which they said is magical!" Seokmin says. He had always loved watching fireworks burst in the sky, different colours and patterns dancing on the sky as they shine on his eyes.
Jihoon snorts. "They only said that so people can go," he says and munches on his slice of pizza. Seokmin eyes him knowingly and crosses his arm.
"They also said couples who kiss under the fireworks will be together forever," Seokmin says dreamily. Jihoon glances at his boyfriend, his ears turning red. Soonyoung always knew Jihoon wasn't really the most affectionate person he knew. But when he does something for Seokmin, he goes all out. Soonyoung already knows Jihoon's walls are breaking and he's honestly really entertained by this.
"Ah," Soonyoung mutters as Chan appeared on his mind. "I have someone to go with now," he says and chews on his pizza.
Seokmin and Jihoon looks at him, their eyebrows raised. "You have 'someone' now?" Seokmin asks and leans closer. "Like you have your boyfriend or girlfriend now?"
Soonyoung shakes his head, flustered at his friend's words. As much as he wants to refer to Chan as his boyfriend, they're not together. Yet. (He silently prays to all the gods to bless him and to give him the power he needs so he can confess to Chan).
"No, ugh, no. But I wish," he says truthfully to his friends. He doesn't really care. They don't know about Chan because he never talked about him to them. He doesn't want to risk getting embarrassed because of them (read: Seokmin). "He's a friend I met months ago," Soonyoung tells them with a shrug.
"Oooh," Seokmin says and nods to himself. "You really want to play this game, Soonyoung?" he says and looks at his friend.
Soonyoung raises an eyebrow. "What?"
"You want me to guess who this mysterious person is and find out who they are!" Seokmin exclaims. "You don't want to share them to us."
"You'll meet them on the festival, Minnie," Jihoon says and Seokmin beams at that.
He quickly hugs Jihoon and the older just pats his back. "You're a genius!"
Soonyoung looks at Jihoon, glaring at him. "I hate you, Jihoon."
Jihoon smirks at him and waves his pizza. "Whatever you say, Soon."
Saturday rolls over pretty quickly. Soonyoung heard everyone at school talk about the festival and the fireworks. Seems like everyone wants to confess their love on the same day. Chan's been on his mind for the past days. Soonyoung already knew he couldn't go to the café yesterday because of his busy schedule. He still wonders how Chan knew about Seokmin. Soonyoung thought of all the possible reasons. Maybe he talked about him but can't remember. Or maybe he told him he was meeting with Seokmin beforehand. Soonyoung's head hurts, honestly.
It was already five in the afternoon. The festival begins at six so Soonyoung has an hour before he has to go to the outside world. It's okay, he convinces himself, as long as he's with Chan. Soonyoung slaps himself mentally. You're so cringey.
The festival was about the summer solstice. The town's been pretty busy about the festival. Jeonghan told him that they got an order of two hundred milk buns to be fed to the people who are all attending the ceremony. Wonwoo, Soonyoung's friend, went to the other town to visit his boyfriend. The two of them usually celebrates the festival int heir shared apartment but this month is Wonwoo and his boyfriend's twelfth month of being together so Wonwoo decided to just go to his boyfriend's town rather than their usual skype call date.
Soonyoung realizes he's been surrounded by couples all year round. Jihoon and Seokmin's been there for a few years though. Even Jooheon and Minhyuk started dating this year. Wonwoo and his mysterious boyfriend (whom he calls Jun but Soonyoung never met him) are also there. Soonyoung can't help but be jealous. He also wanted to feel lovey-dovey too.
The dancer sighs and looks at his phone. He opens it and he suddenly stares at his homescreen. It's a picture of him and Chan, with the younger's nose splattered with whipped cream and Soonyoung's laughing at him, his hair covered in flour. It was that one time (and the last time) he went to the café's back room and him and Chan tried to make some pastries together. Jeonghan had borrowed his phone to call Jisoo because his phone was dead but once he saw the two having phone, he decided to take a picture of them. Soonyoung wants to thank Jeonghan for that endlessly.
Before he knows it, five forty-five rolls in and he's putting on his shoes, grabbing his keys before slamming the door behind him.
As he walks along the streets, he passes by stalls and stores selling many different things. One stand's selling mochis on the corner of the street. It was alone and no other stand was close to it. There was a woman behind the stall with some jewelry around her neck. Mochis reminded him of Chan so he decided to buy some.
"Hello there, young man," the woman behind the stall greets him. Soonyoung smiles politely in return.
"Can i have a dozen of this?" he asks, getting his wallet ready. As he glances down, the woman waves a finger and twelve mochis floats in the air before quickly going into the bag the woman is holding. Soonyoung quickly looks up before facing the woman who smiles innocently at him.
"You seem shocked, young man," she says. The woman's eyes twinkles.
"Y-You..." Soonyoung trails off, not knowing what to say.
The woman's eyebrows furrow. "You're not magic?" she asks confusedly.
Magic. That one word. Soonyoung shakes his head slowly. The woman brings her hand to her mouth, though she doesn't really seem concerned that a non-magic just saw her used something Soonyoung didn't know existed and was real.
"My, my," the woman says. "But you saw me when no one else could though, hm?" The woman clicks her tongue and leans in only to touch Soonyoung's forehead with her pointing finger. Soonyoung felt like something punched him in the stomach and after the woman puts away her finger, he felt very dizzy. What was happening? "Ah, seems like someone already showed magic to you, hmm."
Grabbing his forehead, Soonyoung squints his eyes. "What do you mean?"
The woman chuckles. "Oh, young man. Only those who have witnessed magic or magic themselves can see me right now," she says and smiles lightly. "And since you saw me, I thought you were magic or atleast witnessed it with your own human eyes," she tuts and swirls around, laughing. "Oh, this is so good," she mutters to herself.
"You mean witches and wizards are real?" Soonyoung asks, cautious of his words.
"Oh, yes, yes, even other creatures you humans don't believe in. Vampires, werewolves, fairies, even mermaids!" the woman exclaims. The woman then stops. "You can't see magic unless there's witches here. That must mean..."
The woman suddenly goes out of the stall and goes to where Soonyoung is. The dancer slightly panics and his body stiffens.
"There are only four witches in this area including me..." the woman says. She turns to Soonyoung. "Young man, do you know someone named Chan and Jeonghan?"
At the mention of the boy whom he likes and the older who always teases him, Soonyoung gasps. "You mean they're witches?!"
The woman laughs loudly. "Yes! Yes! You didn't know, did you?"
Soonyoung shakes his head. He stares at his feet, some kind of feeling starts to cloud his mind. Sadness? Betrayal? The woman's eyes soften. "It's normal, young man," she says. "We always need to either blend in with your kind or to live with ourselves away from you. Chan and Jeonghan just so happens to want to blend in and have normal lives."
Soonyoung nods his head. Maybe that's right. Even though Soonyoung had some feeling that Chan and Jeonghan might not be normal, the fact that they're witches just shocked him. Not in a bad way, though. It's not that he hates them. He can never bring himself to hate them. They were his friends, witches or not. They made him happy and content. He just feels sad that Chan and Jeonghan didn't tell him. He was their friend! Soonyoung wouldn't do anything bad to them. He could never...
"Now, now, young man. Go now and explore this beautiful festival. Maybe that'll clear your ind for a while," the voice of the woman says. She hands over the bag full of mochi to Soonyoung. "Since I like you, I added more. I hope it makes you feel better," the woman continues. She looks at Soonyoung, gives a small smile and before Soonyoung knows it, the woman snaps her finger and disappears.
Soonyoung was left alone, at the corner of the street with a paper bag in his hand and many other things on his mind.
It was already five fifty when Soonyoung spots Chan. His heart flutters. The younger was wearing shorts and a pink hoodie, his glasses present infront of his eyes and the smile he always wear was there. He looked really adorable and all Soonyoung wanted to do was to hug him so tight and give him kisses. Realizing that he'd been standing there for a moment, Soonyoung shakes his head and goes to where Chan is.
He stops in his track. Soonyoung wanted to ask Chan, to confirm if the woman's words were true. He didn't want to seem accusing. No, he didn't want that. He wanted to approach Chan as a friend. As someone who cares a lot for him.
"Soonyoung!"
Soonyoung hears Chan's voice and looks up. Chan was waving at him, his eyes sparkling and his smile was so big. The older decides to ask later. He heads to where Chan is and waves, a little smile present on his face. The younger seems really excited if the way his eyes looks around so giddily is a sign.
"Ah, I'm so glad you're here!" Chan exclaims and stands infront of Soonyoung before noticing the paper bag the older's holding. "Oh, what's this?"
"They're mochis," Soonyoung responds, all of the stress he had vanishing away just by the voice of the younger. "There you go," he says as he takes one out and stuffs them into Chan's mouth. The younger huffs and glares at him before chewing the mochi. Chan squeals and laughs.
"These are so good!"
Soonyoung's smile widens.
The two starts to wander around, munching on their mochis as they wait for the fireworks display. They were about to get out of the shooting rings stall when a shout causes Soonyoung to stop and look back only to be met with the sight of Jihoon and a clingy Seokmin.
"Hey, Soon!" Seokmin greets him while Jihoon just waves a little. Chan, who was beside him, goes behind Soonyoung, trying to hide away from the two strangers. Seokmin notices him and the glint in his eyes made Soonyoung snort. "Oh, hi there!" Seokmin exclaims and detaches himself from Jihoon so that he could take a closer look at Chan. "I'm Seokmin!"
At the name, Chan's eyes widens. "W-Wait, you mean —"
Seokmin winks at him. "Yes! The one and only!"
Soonyoung doesn't know what he means by that but he doesn't care. What he does care about was the way Chan had grabbed his arm, kind of tight, and pulling the older closer to him. Yes, he could get use to this.
Jihoon and Chan introduces themselves too with the older taking a liking at Chan.
The four of them then became a group and they walked around the streets. It was nearing eight which was the time for the fireworks display. Soonyoung can hear everyone gushing about it. Even Seokmin can't stop talking about it, mentioning things like the fireworks will act like arrows of the cupid and will make the person next to you fall inlove with you. Jihoon laughs at this while Chan just looks at him funnily.
"Me and Jihoonie will be at our usual spot!" Seokmin says, his hand already entwined with the older's. Soonyoung knows Jihoon likes to hold hand and he's sure Seokmin knows that damn well.
Soonyoung nods and Chan waves. "Bye bye!" Chan says and him and Soonyoung both watch the retreating backs of their friends. He then turns to Soonyoung. "Why don't we go up that hill for a better view?" Chan asks and before Soonyoung can answer, the younger's already dragging him to the direction on the hill. It was a quiet place, one where Soonyoung would often go to relax.
7:56 PM
As they make themselves comfortable, Chan says;
"I have something to tell you."
Soonyoung turns to him. His heart drums and bangs.
"What is it?" Soonyoung asks. He has a feeling that it's the same thing he's been thinking about all day.
Chan bites his lips. Soonyoung stares.
7:57 PM
"Well, I don't know...," Chan says, trailing off.
"Hmm?"
"I've been thinking about it lately," Chan says, his voice laced with nervousness.
Soonyoung hums. "C'mon, now. It's okay, Channie, you can tell me anything," he says, trying to calm the younger boy.
Chan turns to him.
7:58 PM
His eyes were bright as always. Soonyoung couldn't help but get lost in them. They were pretty, ones that Soonyoung can stare at forever.
"We've been friends for a while now, right?"
"Yes, Channie," Soonyoung answers.
"I want you to know that you don't have to stay friends with me after this," Chan continues. Soonyoung can see the sadness in his eyes.
7:59 PM
"Why not?"
"Just because."
"You know you can tell me anything."
"B-But..."
"No buts! It's okay, Channie, you can tell me."
"Soonyoung, I... I..."
8:00 PM
Fireworks started to burst in the sky. The colours are spread around, different patterns quickly occupying the sky. The sounds were so loud and the screams of delight coming from all the people present mixed with it.
If only Soonyoung can see and hear this.
But Soonyoung's ears were ringing. He can't hear anything else. He can feel the warmth radiating off of it. Possibly from the pounding of his heart. Soonyoung's staring at something that he wouldn't trade for anything else. Soonyoung didn't care about anything but the boy infront of him, Chan. He was blushing, biting his lips as he looks at Soonyoung under his lashes.
He couldn't help it.
Soonyoung dives in and grabs Chan by the arm, the younger squeaks and then turns to Soonyoung before soft lips occupied his. Soonyoung is kissing the boy with the brightest and prettiest eyes.
Chan melts as Soonyoung tightens the arms he had around his waist and his eyes flutters. Soonyoung kissed him and kissed him. Chan tasted so sweet, he tasted like the mochi they ate together and Soonyoung can't stop himself. Chan wraps his arms around Soonyoung's neck and loses himself into the sensation.
Soft breathes and panting. Chan's cheeks are dusted pink and Soonyoung looks at him so much adoration, his own cheeks blushing.
"Wow, I..." Chan starts, only to stop and giggle.
Soonyoung stares at him before chuckling softly. He grabs the younger's hand and entwines them together. "You're adorable."
"Oh, stop it," the younger says, still giggling. Chan stops and smiles at Soonyoung. "So...?"
"So...?" Soonyoung mimics him.
Chan rolls his eyes. "I just confessed to you and you stil didn't answer."
"Didn't my kiss already answer you? Or was it not enough?" Soonyoung asks, teasing the younger who blushes and looks away. "Now, don't be shy. I like you, too."
The younger looks at him and jumps before hugging the older tightly. The two of them falls to the ground, with Soonyoung's arms around the younger's waist.
They laugh together before standing up again.
"Hey, Chan..." Soonyoung says. He's going to ask the younger. It's now or never. "I also have a question for you."
Chan tilts his head to the side. "What is it?"
Soonyoung gulps. "A-Are you a..."
"A witch?" Chan finishes it off for him. Soonyoung blinks at him which made Chan chuckle. "Yoona told me," he answers the unsaid question.
"Oh..." Soonyoung only says.
"Does that bother you?" The younger asks, looking down at his feet. Soonyoung grabs his chin and makes Chan look at him before smiling softly.
"It doesn't. Besides, you bewitched me even before I knew you were a witch," Soonyoung confesses.
Chan snorts. "Did you just say bewitched?"
"I sure did."
Chan laughs at him. He then looks at their entwined hand. "Are we together now then?"
Soonyoung moves close to his face and before he kisses him he says;
"Yes, yes we are."
Chan flicks his wrist and it made the jar of flour go back to its place on the shelf. Soonyoung watches in awe as his boyfriend works. They're at the back room and Jeonghan wasn't there so Soonyoung let himself in so he can be with his boyfriend.
He hears the younger giggle. "You look so cute when you're in awe, Soonie," he says and goes to Soonyoung but not before he claps his hand and the apron tied on his waist unties itself and goes to the hat rack.
"You just look so amazing, babe," Soonyoung responds and high fives himself when Chan flushes at the pet name. The older opens his arms for Chan and the younger falls into the dancer's chest.
Chan pouts. "I look like a mess," he says. "Compliment me," he demands, looking at Soonyoung with his bewitching eyes.
This is not fair. It seems like Chan can also do hypnotizing as Soonyoung feels like he was falling into a bright place. The younger knew that he had that effect on Soonyoung so he always uses it to his own advantage. Though Soonyoung would've complimented him either way.
"Ah, you're so demanding," Soonyoung says and chuckles when Chan whines. "Okay, okay. You know you look cute with flour on your cheek. You might be a mess, but you're a cute mess," the older says and kisses Chan's nose.
Chan giggles and hugs Soonyoung. The door opens not even a second later and Jeonghan appears, a hand on his hip and looking at them with a raised eyebrow.
"Didn't I ban you," he points at Soonyoung. "...from entering here?"
Soonyoung purses his lips. Jeonghan rolls his eyes. "You two have only been dating for four months and you're already trying to dirty this room!" he exclaims. Jisoo appears beside him and chuckles at Jeonghan's expression. He waves briefly at Soonyoung and Chan before grabbing Jeonghan by the hand, which the older complied easily. Whipped.
The young couple looks at each other and chuckles to themselves before breaking apart so Chan can wash his hands.
They've been together for four months and it's honestly the best months Soonyoung ever had. He learned that Seokmin was also a witch ("Why didn't you tell me?!" "Because I always forget to tell you!"). A famous one that is. Well, all three of them were famous; Chan, Jeonghan and Seokmin. They've been travelling when Seokmin met Jihoon and decided to stay with him while Chan and Jeonghan had to go to the South and come back so they can settle for good and be together. Their coven is small but they'reokay.
"Oh yeah. Soon?" Soonyoung hums in response. "Have you ever wondered what I was doing at the science lab when we first met?"
Soonyoung tilts his head while playing with the protection amulet Chan had given him when it was their first monthsary. It will not let any harm get to you so don't lose it! He did wonder what the younger was doing. He was meaning to ask this months ago but it slipped his mind as everything on his mind was only Chan. The days did passed by so quickly. Chan said he was doing an experiment. "What were you doing, huh, little witch?"
Chan rolls his eyes at the name but didn't respond to it. "I was making a love potion."
Soonyoung's eyes widens. "A love potion?"
Chan nods. "Yep! One of the witches from the south told me that if I can make a love potion, then I can make every potion there is!" the younger exclaims. "Well, except the death and life potions but eh." It was true. A love potion is the third hardest potion a witch can make. The death and life potions cannot be made unless you have a valid reason and that a witch from the higher-ups have approved of it. Besides, the ingredients for those are hard to find.
"But you failed," Soonyoung snickers. Chan pouts at him before making a flicking motion. Soonyoung groans as he felt like someone had just flicked his forehead and he glares at Chan who just winks at him.
"Everyone in the building was gone when I first started. I thought everyone already went home," Chan says.
"Not me. I was working very hard to perfect my routine," Soonyoung responds.
Chan smiles. "You did perfect your routine," he says, referring to the dance recital Soonyoung had just two months ago.
"Yeah, and found you, the perfect routine I'll never get tired of."
"God that's so cheesy."
"Well, I hope you're ready for more."
Chan made the water faucet burst and the pans to clang against each other as him and Soonyoung kissed, contented.