Archive of Our Own ^beta

Chapter Text

“He’s not mine.” Taeyong mumbled from the counter top he sat on, swinging his legs absentmindedly as he watched his co-workers help train the new hire, Jisung.

“Jaemin once took his order and Taeyong sulked for an entire week, even when he served him every day he came in after that.”

“I did not - ”

Yuta’s boisterous laugh echoed from the kitchen. Taeyong quickly threw a crumpled napkin through the open window that connected the kitchen to the dining area, and it was promptly thrown back.

“Hey! I’m cleaning here!” Renjun swung his wet cloth threateningly at the waiter, who mumbled a half-hearted apology.

Doyoung patted the new hire’s back. “So, welcome to our little, dysfunctional, diner family Jisung.”

*

Taeyong had been working at Sunshine’s for almost three years now. A little over a year ago, a tall man with round glasses and a book tucked under his arm walked into the diner and sat at the second booth to the right of the door.

“Welcome to Sunshine’s, my name is Taeyong! What can I get you?”

“I’ll have a coffee to start, thank you.”

Taeyong was enamored from the moment the customer looked at him, though he would never admit it.

“Right away sir.”

It only took a day for him to know that he put one milk and two sugars in his coffee. It only took a week to know that his order was smoked salmon eggs benedict with homefries, a bowl of fruit, an extra plate of sausages and bacon, and buttered toast on the side. It only took two months to find out his name.

“I’m Johnny.” The regular had blurted out one morning while Taeyong was pouring him his coffee.

“P-Pardon?”

“My name - It’s Johnny.” He had scratched behind his right ear, a small smile playing at his lips as he glanced from the waiter to his coffee. “I’ve known yours for a while now so it’s only fair you know mine too.”

“Well it’s nice to meet you, Johnny.”

Johnny brought a different book in every week to read while he ate his breakfast. The first week was Harry Potter and the Philosopher’s Stone.

“How’s everything?” Taeyong had asked when checking up on him for the first time.

“It’s wonderful, thank you.”

“And your book? Are you enjoying it?”

“Yes - It makes me think of my childhood. It’s good for nostalgia.”

Taeyong had gone home that day and had pulled out his own copy of the book off of his dusty shelf. It had taken him the rest of the week to finish it. By the time he had mustered up the courage to bring it up again, Johnny had come in that morning with a new book in hand - The Storyteller by Jodi Picoult.

Taeyong found himself at the bookstore that night, buying a copy of the same book. He had only gotten halfway through when the week came to an end, Johnny coming in on Monday morning with another new book. That time, Taeyong found himself with a brand new library card, checking out a copy of The Confessions of Young Nero by Margaret George. Buying a new book every week simply wasn’t going to be sustainable for the young waiter.

At first he thought Johnny was a history buff, given his choice in books but his theory was shaken up when the man walked in with a copy of Ready Player One the week after.

The biggest shock was when he brought in a romance novel that was written entirely through emails between co-workers. Taeyong found that The Boy Next Door by Meg Cabot was fascinating to read, but it unfortunately met the same fate as the others. Taeyong simply could not keep up. He returned every book after a week - unfinished but ready to devour whatever new story Johnny had with him.

Of course, they’d never actually talked about the books. They had their little routine; Johnny would come in at around 8:15 AM, and Taeyong would come over with the coffee pot ready. They would exchange pleasantries before asking if he wanted his usual, and Johnny would nod with a small smile and a ‘thank you’. Taeyong would deliver his food, then check up on him, asking him how it was and if he enjoyed the book he was reading. When Johnny left the restaurant after approximately 45 minutes, he always left a tip with two dollars extra.

Johnny came in every Monday, Wednesday and Friday morning. Neither of them had missed one of those days of seeing each other since the first day he had stepped into the diner.

One morning Taeyong had quickly slipped into the bathroom before finding Johnny at his usual spot, only, his coffee mug had already been filled and his book was already open in his hands.

“Ah, the new hire - he already took my order.” He had given Taeyong his signature small smile, though the waiter noted - it did not seem as bright as it usually did.

“Oh. I guess he beat me to it then.”

Doyoung had scolded Jaemin that night after they closed, all while making fun of Taeyong who vehemently denied his growing attachment to the regular customer.

“You’re in love with him.”

“I’m not in love with him.”

“You are so in love with him.”

“I’m not - he’s just, he’s - interesting, okay!”

“Okay well Jaemin, make sure that every day that Johnny comes in -”

“Monday, Wednesday and Friday.”

“- Yes, whenever he comes in, make sure Taeyong gets to serve him or else he’ll be sulking all day like today.”

“I was not sulking.”

“Yes you were.”

Weekends were the hardest for Taeyong. He found himself ready and anxious to go to bed on Sunday night in anticipation for Monday morning. He hadn’t thought much of them before, but he found he really did like Monday mornings.

Johnny had been visiting Sunshine’s for breakfast every Monday, Wednesday, and Friday consistently for a year and two months now, and neither he, nor Taeyong had ever missed a morning.

*

“Okay, so the Bacon Fest dish comes with eight pieces of bacon, two eggs, homefries, fruit and… Toast?”

It was Monday morning and the newest hire - Jisung - had his first real shift as a waiter in the diner.

“Remember to ask what kind of toast they’d like. And some people like their fruit in a bowl on the side and not on the plate.” Taeyong was helping him remember the most popular orders - though he had also made a cheat sheet for the young man to refer to when he was stuck.

“The fruit thing isn’t an option on here.” Jisung flipped through the notebook, his brow furrowed.

“That’s because it’s a Johnny thing.” Jaemin interjected as he made the first few batches of coffee before the diner opened. “Johnny likes his fruit in a bowl.”

“It’s not - It’s just an option. Some people might like it!”

“Maybe you’ll find your own Johnny here too Jisungie.” The smell of bacon wafted in through the serving window, a sly smile on Kun’s face as Taeyong glowered at him.

“I hope not.” Yuta joined in on their taunting. “If Jisung finds a Johnny I hope he at least has the balls to actually talk to him or ask him out.”

“I’m not in love with him!”

“I didn’t say you were.”

“Alright, alright,” Doyoung walked into the diner from his office, his hands up, motioning to stop the bickering. “We’re open now so this discussion is over. Taeyong - remember to take care of Jisung, and Jisung - if you have any questions, please don’t hesitate to ask.”

The waiters dispersed, occupying themselves with minor tasks such as wiping down tables, or organizing the condiments as customers slowly filled the diner.

The knot in Taeyong’s stomach tightened as he watched the clock hit 8. Johnny would be here soon.

“U-uhm, Taeyong?” Jisung approached him, a worried frown stuck on his face. “There’s a customer who keeps describing his usual, but I can’t figure it out - He won’t look at a menu.”

Taeyong glanced towards where the young waiter had come from, verifying which regular it was. “Ah him, his usual is the Bacon Fest - remember that one? He likes it with white bread, no butter, and peanut butter packets.”

“O-Okay.” The frown was still firmly in place.

“Hey,” The older waiter tapped the young man on the forehead, causing him to lose the tension in his brow and blink in surprise. “You’re doing great. I’ll help you with this one.”

Taeyong introduced Jisung to the customers - most of which were regulars at this hour, and who were more than happy to talk to the new hire. He helped him bring the food out, making sure the younger felt comfortable enough to start doing it on his own.

When Taeyong looked at the clock again, It was 8:30. His stomach dropped. For once, he had completely forgotten about Johnny. He’d been so occupied with Jisung that he hadn’t even noticed the man walk in.

But when he turned to the second booth on the right - it was empty. Johnny wasn’t there.

Taeyong looked around. Had he gone to the bathroom? - But there was no mug on the table. The booth was untouched since he had cleaned it earlier that morning.

Johnny had been coming in on Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays for a year and two months now. This was the first morning he’d ever missed.

Chapter Text

It was 10am.

Taeyong sat at the second booth to the right, chewing on his fingernails. He stared straight at the empty seat across from him, where Johnny would have been sitting with his morning coffee and book. Every minute that passed felt like an hour. Johnny had still not come in.

Would he ever come in again? Would the previous Friday morning be the last time Taeyong would ever see him? Had he found a new place to go to in the mornings? A place that made better coffee? Maybe a better waiter?

What if something bad had happened to him? What if he didn’t come because he physically couldn’t? What if he was hurt? Or lost? Dead?

Taeyong winced as he bit into his nail bed after successfully chewing off his index finger’s nail. He pulled his hand away, only to move on to chewing his middle finger instead.

Doyoung slid into the seat across from him - Johnny’s seat - wrenching Taeyong’s hand out of his mouth. The waiter tried pulling away but Doyoung held his hand to the table firmly.

“Stop.” The manager spoke once Taeyong finally made eye contact with him. “Worrying won’t do you any good Taeyong. If you can’t concentrate, I’m going to have to send you home.”

“No.” The waiter’s throat was tight. “Don’t send me home. If I go home it’s all I’m going to think about.”

Doyoung sighed, his grip loosening on Taeyong’s hand. He brushed his thumb gently over the other’s fingers.

“Fine. But if you need to go home, tell me. I’m sure he’s fine.” Doyoung stood up, patting the waiter’s hand as he left the booth.

Taeyong sighed. His hand came up to his face, his fingers twitching closer to his mouth by habit. He ran his ring finger over his bottom lip before resting his hand on his cheek, sighing once more.

10:15AM. Johnny was two hours late. If he would come in at all.

Taeyong grimaced at the thought, forcefully getting himself back up when his break time ended.

Serving customers was a good distraction, but it wasn’t enough. The thought of Johnny burned at the back of his mind.

The bell that rang when the door opened was the worst part. It took all of his strength not to whip around every time he heard it to see who was coming in. He would glance over his shoulder to look, but it was never who he hoped it would be.

“Hey.”

Taeyong whirled around, almost dropping the plate he had in his hand only to find Renjun greeting him as he arrived for his shift. The waiter sighed, mumbling a ‘ hello’ in response before putting the plate on the serving window for Kun to take and wash.

“What’s up with Taeyong?” He heard Renjun ask as he walked into the kitchen.

“Johnny didn’t come in today.” Yuta whispered but Taeyong could still hear them from the serving window.

“Oh. Shit.”

The waiter sighed for what felt like the millionth time that morning. He closed his eyes, and everything disappeared for just a moment. No customers, no coworkers, no worries. Just nothing, for that small moment.

“Taeyong?”

He opened his eyes to find Jisung in front of him, an apologetic smile on his face.

“I need some help again…”

Taeyong smiled. His hand squeezed Jisung’s shoulder reassuringly. “What do you need help with?” He was grateful for the distraction and for the slight feeling of normalcy from the new hire as the rest of his coworkers tiptoed around him, not knowing how to comfort him.

He wasn’t too sure on how to reassure himself either.

*

For a year and two months Taeyong would spend his Monday afternoons at the library. He’d head straight over after his shift ended and search for whatever book it was that Johnny was reading.

But today, he had no idea what book Johnny was reading. Or even if he was reading a book at all.

Taeyong chewed on his finger. He had to stop thinking like that or he really was going to drive himself crazy.

With no book to search for and read, he found himself at his apartment on the couch instead, staring mindlessly at the television as it played reruns of Jeopardy! . Usually he would be sitting up, staring attentively as he tried to participate even if he wasn’t very good, but today he was sprawled out on the couch, half watching and half staring at the ceiling.

He thought about finishing that book from over a year ago, the one he bought but never completed. He thought about cleaning his kitchen, even though he had just done that the day before. Sundays were his deep clean days, where everything was washed, mopped, dusted and organized, though he still managed to clean a little something every day, there wouldn’t be enough to feel as satisfied or distracted as he wanted to on this Monday afternoon.

He spent the rest of the day in a haze. He finally rolled himself off the couch when it was time to make his dinner, which he ate at his dining table, trying to feel a little more normal.

When he finished cleaning his dishes, he slumped onto the couch once more, wrapping himself in a blanket and flipping through the tv channels mindlessly until he landed on a corny made-for-tv movie. He watched until his eyes became heavy and he couldn’t hold them open any longer.

*

Like every morning that he worked, Taeyong was the second person to arrive at the diner, only after Doyoung who had the keys.

“How are you doing?” The manager asked when he opened the door for the waiter to come in.

Taeyong shrugged. He felt drained. He had slept but not well, evidence of that showing from the bags under his eyes, and his back was sore from sleeping on a surface that wasn’t his bed.

“You never know,” Doyoung patted the waiter on his shoulder. “Maybe he’ll show up today.”

“Johnny doesn’t come in on Tuesdays.” Taeyong knew that if he let himself get his hopes up it would be too hard to not be disappointed again. He just wanted Tuesday to be over already so it could be Wednesday. Johnny showed up on Wednesdays.

The rest of the staff slowly trickled in before their shift started.

“Mark!” Shouted Renjun, excitedly slinging his arm around the arriving waiter’s neck. “You’re back from vacation!”

Mark grinned. Out of everyone Taeyong worked with, he found he enjoyed working with Mark the most. He was bright, eager and never complained once about anything that went wrong. He was arguably the most positive person Taeyong had ever met, equal only to Kun.

“Hey.” Mark greeted the older waiter, who simply nodded in response.

“What happened to Taeyong?” He heard Mark ask when the boy thought he was out of earshot. Taeyong didn’t think he had looked that bad but from Mark’s apparent concern, he guessed it was worse than he thought. He didn’t actually remember looking into a mirror that morning.

“Johnny didn’t come in yesterday.” Renjun whispered.

“Oh really? And we don’t know if he’s-?”

Silence. Renjun had probably shaken his head in response. Taeyong moved away so he was unable to hear them, mindlessly wiping down tables and organizing the condiments before the diner opened.

It was another slow morning. Taeyong found himself chewing on his nails when he realized the time was a little past 8 o’clock. What was he thinking? He had said it himself earlier - Johnny didn’t come in on Tuesdays, he wouldn’t see him today, that is, if he was ever going to see him again.

Taeyong grimaced at this own thoughts. He was too worried about this. He didn’t even really know Johnny - not really. He knew he put one milk and two sugars in his coffee. He knew he preferred buttered toast without any other topping. He knew he held the book he was reading in his left hand and the fork in his right. He knew his hair was a light brown that matched the honey in his eyes, that he wore thin framed glasses with round lenses, and that he had a small silver stud earring in his left ear.

He knew that he had an affinity for striped sweaters. He knew he sometimes left his fork in his mouth when his book would get really interesting. He knew he smelled slightly of aftershave with a hint of vanilla and almond. Taeyong knew he liked it.

But what Taeyong didn’t know was Johnny’s birthday. He didn’t know how old he was, he didn’t know where he was born, he didn’t know anything about his family. He didn’t know what he did for a living, he didn’t know if he went to school, if he had graduated and if he had - what did he study? He didn’t know about any other hobby other than reading. He didn’t know if he had any allergies, or foods he just didn’t like. He didn’t know if Johnny liked cats or dogs, what his favourite season was or what his go-to show to watch on TV was.

He didn’t know if Johnny went home after his regular breakfasts at the diner to someone else. For a man he felt like he had known forever, Taeyong realized he really didn’t know Johnny at all.

And that was why Taeyong just wished his brain would stop thinking sometimes. The day was going to roll by even slower now, and even though he hadn’t wanted to get his hopes up - he was still disappointed when Johnny did not show up that morning.

But of course he wouldn’t - Johnny doesn’t come in on Tuesdays.

*

It was common for Mark and Taeyong to end their shifts at the same time. The older often drove the younger home, sometimes with Renjun if his shift aligned with theirs, though it was only Mark who was ending at the same time that day.

Taeyong was thankful he got to waste a little time before going home. The prospect of lying on his couch and watching corny tv movies again didn’t sound too appealing to him. He was almost disappointed when he arrived at the younger’s home, he enjoyed the company.

But instead of saying goodbye and hopping out of the car, Mark stayed inside.

“Are you okay?”

Taeyong was suddenly self-aware about how he looked again. His tired eyes, messy hair, his fingernails that had been chewed down to nubs. The older kept his gaze fixed straight in front of him, not responding as he could sense Mark observing him from his seat.

“What do you usually do to take your mind off of things?”

Taeyong shifted in his seat. “Usually I just kind of lose myself in whatever book Johnny is reading that week.”

“Then go home and read a book.”

“But I don’t know what he’s reading.”

“That doesn’t matter, you can never finish the books as fast as him anyway. How is he going to talk to you about the books he’s read if you’ve never finished one?”

Taeyong bit his lip. The younger had a very good point.

“Find your own book to read, then you can ask him if he’s read it.”

“And if he hasn’t?”

“You can tell him why you like it and why you think he might like it.”

Taeyong finally glanced at Mark, who was smiling at him softly. “The world doesn’t stop to wait for you Taeyong, you have to keep going.”

The older stared until he burst into laughter, making the younger giggle at his reaction.

“When did you get so wise, old man?” Taeyong pressed his hand onto his stomach in order to calm himself down. He hadn’t had a laugh like that in ages - another reason why Mark was good company.

“Hey, vacation can change a man.” The younger joked, opening the car door and stepping outside. “I’ll see you later Taeyong. And no moping! Okay?”

“Fine.” Taeyong agreed with a grin. The car door shut and he pulled onto the road. Rejuvenated by his conversation with Mark, he decided that he would not be going home just yet, instead, he was going to go to the library.

Monday afternoons would be when he would go to the library. He would get onto one of the computers, look up whatever book Johnny was reading that week, and then search for it in the appropriate section.

But today was Tuesday and Taeyong found that he quite enjoyed walking through the aisles, not looking for anything in particular, just browsing. He had accumulated four different books in his arms when he decided that he was better off just choosing one novel to read. He definitely would not be able to finish four in time to bring them back on their due dates.

He looked through each one carefully until he decided that Never Never by James Patterson would be the lucky book he would take home that night. He was making his way to the check out desk when he realized he still had the other three books in his hand.

He did a 180 degree turn, promptly walking back to the shelves he had browsed through, only, he didn’t actually remember where he had pulled the books from. He thought about putting them on a desk for someone to clean up, but the thought didn’t sit well with him and putting the books on random shelves was out of the question.

Taeyong pursed his lips, his eyes scanning the area for a solution. He spotted a very small shelf that leaned up against the giant ones, with various books scattered on it. They didn’t seem to have an apparent order, though he was still unsure as to whether or not this was where he was supposed to put the books that needed to be placed on their respective shelves. He didn’t have much time to think on it when someone started to talk to him.

“You can just put those there if you’re not going to take them.”

“Oh.” Taeyong quickly glanced at the man behind him as he scrambled to put the books on the shelf, embarrassed. “Thank you.”

The man had fluffy black hair, round glasses and a small, comforting smile, one that reminded Taeyong of - wait . He twisted to face the man, whose face seemed to light up.

“Taeyong!”

“Johnny.”

Taeyong was breathless, the sight of Johnny had knocked the air right out of him and suddenly all he could hear was the heavy pounding of his own heart.

“How are you?” Johnny asked, his eyes wrinkling as he smiled.

“I-I’m good - I mean just, wow - your hair!” Taeyong resisted the urge to reach up and run his fingers through it, though he even doubted his hand could extend that high.

He knew Johnny was tall, it wasn’t something you could miss when he walked into the diner, Taeyong had just never realized how tall. They had never stood beside each other before, but now here they were, face to face in the library.

“Yeah, my roommate dyed it for me during the weekend.” Johnny gingerly patted the bangs covering his forehead. He paused, his nose scrunching for a split second before he whipped himself around, sneezing into his arm and away from Taeyong.

The waiter already had a tissue in his hand when Johnny turned back around. Keeping a small pack of tissues in his pocket was a habit he had picked up from being a waiter, you never knew when you’d need one, and using a napkin from a customer’s table was not an option.

Johnny accepted the tissue and wiped his nose, which Taeyong noticed, was an endearing shade of light pink.

“Sorry,” He apologized, sniffling. “My roommate also happened to be sick, which means he so graciously gave that to me as well.”

Taeyong nodded. He live alone but that didn’t mean he hadn’t caught some type of cold from the boys or customers at work. That’s when the realization clicked. “Is that why you weren’t at the diner yesterday? You were sick?”

“Am.” Johnny scrunched his nose again. “I probably shouldn’t even be at work right now, but here I am. I did really miss my eggs benedict though.” He pouted and it reminded Taeyong of the sad face emoji on his phone.

“Well, it will be there tomorrow if you’re still feeling up for it.”

“I’m gonna have to be. I don’t know how many more days I can go without my perfectly smoked salmon eggs benedict -”

“-with homefries, a bowl of fruit, an extra plate of sausages and bacon, and buttered toast on the side.” Taeyong finished his order without flinching, and Johnny grinned. It had been a year and two months and it had never changed.

Though looking up at Johnny with his newly dyed hair and his slightly red nose, Taeyong decided that sometimes change was good. Change had brought him to the library on a Tuesday afternoon, and he was grateful for it.

“I should probably get back to work, so…” Johnny’s hand came up and fiddled with his earring as he took a step back. “I’ll see you tomorrow?”

Taeyong nodded. His stomach twisted into a knot at the anticipation of Wednesday morning. “Like usual.”

“Like usual.” Johnny repeated, grinning as he slowly backed away, almost bumping into a shelf as he turned around to head deeper into the library.

Taeyong held the book he had in his hands tightly to his chest. He bit his lip trying to suppress the smile that spread to his cheeks as he walked back towards the check out desk, a slight hop in his step.

He was going to be seeing Johnny again tomorrow.

Chapter Text

Doyoung opened the door to the diner that Wednesday morning to let in Taeyong, who, for the life of him, could not stop wiggling his shoulders.

 “Guess who I saw yesterday?” The waiter almost sounded like he was singing, causing Doyoung to raise a brow and stare at him.

Taeyong stopped moving, his face going deadpan when Doyoung didn’t answer. “Are you not going to guess?”

The manager stared at his waiter like he was an alien speaking in a foreign language. “J...Johnny?”

“Johnny!” Taeyong beamed, throwing his hands up in the air.

“What about him?” Renjun asked as he, Yuta and Mark entered the diner after hearing Taeyong’s exclamation.

“I saw him yesterday.” Taeyong giggled. Doyoung continued to stare at the waiter like he was a foreign object before finally blurting out, “Are you drunk?”

Yuta snorted, causing the others to chuckle. “Yeah, drunk on Johnny apparently.”

Taeyong turned a bright shade of red, biting the inside of his cheek to contain his smile as his co-workers began to sing a terrible rendition of Beyonce’s Drunk in Love.

The reality of their encounter the day before didn’t quite hit him until he was home, his ankles sore from the slight hop in his step ever since. The same scene kept replaying in his head, ‘I’ll see you tomorrow?’ Johnny had asked, with the brightest smile Taeyong had ever seen on him.

Tomorrow was now today, and Taeyong could barely wait. He would be seeing Johnny again.

“So, where did you see him?” Doyoung asked after they calmed down, smiling softly at Taeyong.

“The library. I went because Mark told me to.”

“See?” Mark wrung his arm around Renjun’s shoulders. “Told you I give good advice.” The young cook rolled his eyes, pretending to punch Mark in the stomach.

“He’s actually the librarian.”

“So, you’re telling me,” Yuta had a pained expression on his face, and Taeyong knew that he was connecting the ideas in his head. “You’ve been going to the library every week for the past year, on the same day, and when you finally go on a different day, you find out he’s actually the librarian of that same library.”

Taeyong pressed his lips together, embarrassed again. Yuta groaned. “You guys are so tragic.”

“At least you know what he does now!” Mark chimed but Renjun was quick to jump in. “Not really, I mean we still don’t know that much about him. He could be a student, or a drug lord - the mafia, who knows.”

Taeyong sighed, scratching the pads of his fingertips. It was like the butterflies in his stomach were having a party.

“I guess I don’t care,” He paused to see his co-workers beginning to gawk at his words. “He could be anything - anything - and I’d still be in love with him.”

Taeyong shifted his eyes from each worker’s face back and forth. To them, it was the first time he was admitting his feelings, but to him - it was the third.

The first time was after the fourth week of Johnny coming in to the diner. ‘This is crazy,’ Taeyong had thought to himself. ‘You don’t even know his name.’

But Taeyong knew his heart skipped a beat every time the mysterious regular smiled. He knew the exact motion his stomach would make on Sunday night at the thought of seeing him on Monday morning. He knew he was already in love with him.

‘You’re overreacting.’ He had told himself. ‘You just think he’s cute. This will all go away eventually.’

The second time he admitted it was that Tuesday evening, after running into Johnny at the library. He was curled up on the couch again, wrapped in a blanket and watching that night’s episode of Jeopardy!.

‘I wonder if Johnny likes Jeopardy!.’ He had said. A thought like this was not out of the ordinary for Taeyong, he often wondered what Johnny’s favourite snacks were, where on the couch was his favourite place to sit, if he had books just lying around wherever he lived. But what made this particular thought different from all the other times, was what he followed up with.

‘I could ask him.’ He had blinked. Johnny had always been a mystery to him, but suddenly, after having an encounter outside of pouring his coffee and serving him breakfast, he realized that Johnny was very, very real - and so were the feelings he had hidden all those months ago.

Doyoung was the first to speak up, almost breathless. “Well, finally.”

“It takes him almost a year to admit it.” Yuta tutted. He smacked Renjun’s shoulder - which was still covered by Mark’s arm - and Mark winced at the sudden contact. “Hey don’t you owe Jaemin money now?”

“Dammit. He doesn’t need to know, right?”

“It’s Jaemin. Taeyong will breathe and he’ll know.”

“Dammit.”

*

Taeyong had of course been expecting Johnny at approximately 8:15 AM. It was all he could think about the moment the diner opened that morning. What he had not been expecting was for Johnny to stumble in at 8:20 AM, with puffy eyes and a nose the colour of a cherry tomato.

“...Johnny?” Taeyong paused, waiting for Johnny to look up and acknowledge him. The regular had placed his cheek firmly on the cold table surface at his booth, making his glasses push up on his face though he forced his eyes closed despite the metal pulling at the skin.

“Johnny…” Taeyong crouched down to be eye level with Johnny and the table. Johnny’s eyelashes seemed to flutter in response. “Johnny are you okay?”

The regular’s moan was cut short as he slapped his hand to his nose, burying it into his forearm as he was overcome by a violent sneeze.

“Oh my god, you got worse.” Taeyong resisted the urge to touch Johnny, to run his fingers over the regular’s body comfortingly. “You shouldn’t have come in, you should have just stayed home.”

Johnny mumbled something into his arm. The fabric of the red and blue striped sweater he was wearing muffled his voice too much for Taeyong to understand.

“I’m sorry, I missed that?”

Johnny’s eyes popped out from behind his arm, red and watery and looking like he hadn’t slept in years.

“I wanted to see you.”

“Oh, Johnny,” Taeyong sighed, his voice hitching in his throat. Johnny had really come all the way to the diner just to see him, when he was obviously feeling terrible. Taeyong’s heart skipped at the thought. “You look ready to collapse. Did you - Did you drive here like that?”

“I’m not that reckless.” Johnny closed his eyes again. His voice was low, scratchy and his nose was completely blocked up. “I got here at eight and took some meds to feel better before coming in but... I guess I didn’t realize that one of the side effects... would be deliriousness and extreme... drowsiness.”

Taeyong furrowed his brows, concerned. God, he just wanted to wrap Johnny up in a blanket and make him soup, but despite the feelings he couldn’t ignore anymore, Taeyong knew that wasn’t option for him - he was still just Taeyong, the waiter at Sunshine's diner.

“You need to go home.” Taeyong whispered.

“Do you want to take him?”

Taeyong felt a hand on his shoulder. He stood up to face his manager. “W-What?”

“Take him home. He can’t drive like that.” Doyoung held up a hand before Taeyong could protest. “Jisung will be here soon, Mark will be fine until then. Get him in your car, drive him home, and put this in his fridge.” He gestured to the takeout bag he held in his other hand. Taeyong could tell just by the smell that it was Johnny’s usual.

“And his car?”

“Is safe here until he can come and get it. C’mon Taeyong.”

He could see the sparkle in Doyoung’s eyes as he finally gave in. He turned back around to look at Johnny - whose upper body was still sprawled on the table. Taeyong would have thought he had fallen asleep if he did not sneeze violently once more, causing a couple in the booth not far away to look over, slightly disgusted.

“Johnny?” Taeyong called to get his attention. “I need your address.”

Johnny began to recite numbers until Taeyong interrupted him. “-No, your home address not your… phone address.”

Taeyong could have sworn Johnny looked slightly hurt but it was gone in an instant as he gave him the address to his place. Taeyong inputted it into his phone’s gps before shoving it back into his pocket.

“Alright big guy, let’s get you up.” Taeyong ignored the almost silent snort that came from Doyoung as he gingerly touched Johnny’s shoulders. In truth, Taeyong was way too nervous to actually be touching Johnny, nevertheless driving him home when he was so sick that he almost seemed drunk.

It was obvious Johnny was trying to help, using as much strength as he could to get out of the booth, but his drowsiness made him weak, so he leaned on Taeyong for support. Taeyong himself did not realize how heavy a drowsy 6 foot tall man could be until that moment.

“Don’t come back in a hurry.” Doyoung passed the takeout bag to Taeyong’s free hand, the one that was not trying to support the big man leaning on him. If Taeyong could he would have smacked his manager right there in the middle of the diner.

He could feel the stares of his coworkers burn through the back of his head as he lead Johnny out of the diner and to his own car. He carefully placed the takeout bag in the passenger seat before coaxing a dazed Johnny into the backseat. Taeyong’s car wasn’t small, but it wasn’t big either and the backseat ultimately had more room - and more importantly, leg space.

Taeyong sank into the driver’s seat with a heavy sigh. He put his phone onto the stand on the dash, opening his navigation app. With shaking hands he gripped the steering wheel tightly. He was driving to Johnny’s home, with Johnny essentially passed out in the backseat. If someone would have told him this was going to happen back on Monday when Johnny hadn’t shown up to the diner for the first time in over a year - Taeyong wouldn’t have believed it, not in a million years.

He took another deep breath, steadying himself. He would do this for any of the diner’s regulars. It just so happened that he had a lot more affection for this particular regular than the rest.

“I’m sorry.”

Taeyong eyed the rearview mirror. He swore he’d heard Johnny mumble, but the regular’s head was slumped over, resting on the window, his glasses balancing on the edge of his nose. He was passed out.

Taeyong took yet another deep breath before he was finally able to pull out of the diner’s parking lot.

*

Johnny had practically fallen out of the car when Taeyong opened the door to wake him up. It wasn’t the way he had wanted to awaken him, but it was surprisingly effective. Johnny scrambled, holding on to Taeyong’s hand as he pulled himself out of the car, trying to stand up straight. Taeyong’s heart tingled at the warmth of Johnny’s fingers around his.

It seemed that Johnny had recovered a little through his ten minute power nap, though Taeyong still had to maintain his balance with the tall man leaning on him as they made their way up to Johnny’s apartment, the takeout bag from the diner in Taeyong’s free hand.

“Ninth floor.”

Taeyong pushed the button in the elevator at Johnny’s words. He would have driven any of the regulars from the diner home if they needed him to, but he definitely would not have brought them all the way to their apartment like he would with Johnny.

“This is definitely not the way I imagined you coming to my place for the first time.”

Taeyong’s breath caught in his throat. His skin began to tingle and he didn’t have to look into the many reflections in the elevator to know that his face was turning beet red.

“I- That was - Inappropriate -” Johnny stammered. “I’m sorry.”

Taeyong stole a glance into the elevator mirror to find Johnny’s face almost as red as his own.

“It’s fine.” The waiter’s voice was quiet, afraid that if he spoke any louder his voice would break and betray that he was definitely not fine, that with one sentence Johnny had managed to make Taeyong’s heart go directly up into his throat and plummet down into the depths of his stomach.

After what seemed like an eternity, Taeyong’s shoulder getting sore from supporting some of the weight of Johnny’s body, the elevator doors finally opened to the 9th floor.

“Number Nine-twelve.” Even with most of his weight being supported by the waiter Johnny still had enough strength to steer him in the right direction to his apartment door.

Taeyong watched Johnny fumble through his pocket for his keys for a good minute before he finally managed to get them out and into the lock on his door. Pushing the door open, Taeyong had no intention of actually going in until he realized that Johnny was not letting go of him and was still using him for balance.

Taeyong swallowed, trying to push his heart back into the deep pits of his stomach. He put the takeout bag on the first open counter he saw, still holding up the wobbling Johnny who somehow managed to stub his toe on the coffee table before collapsing onto the couch with a gasp.

He cursed as his face contorted in pain, and Taeyong bit his lip trying to hold in his giggles as he stood over him and watched. “Are you awake now?”

Johnny let out a sound that was the mix of a groan and a chuckle. His mouth opened to respond but was interrupted by the slamming of a door. Taeyong turned his head to see another very tall man, who looked more than mildly disgruntled.

“It’s not even nine a.m Johnny what the fuck.”

Taeyong recalled Johnny talking about his roommate the other day in the library - the one that had dyed his hair and also gotten him sick. He was visibly irritated, his messy blonde hair sticking up in various ways signaling that he had just woken up.

“Sorry.” Johnny groaned, not looking very sorry at all. “Yukhei, this is Taeyong - Taeyong, this is my lovely roommate Yukhei.”

Johnny’s roommate seemed to notice his presence for the first time. His annoyed frown disappeared like it had never existed in the first place, immediately replaced by the brightest grin Taeyong had ever seen.

“Taeyong!” Yukhei shouted his name like they were old friends that hadn’t seen each other in a long time. “Oh I’ve heard loads about you-”

“Shut up.” Johnny mumbled and Yukhei laughed. Taeyong wasn’t quite sure how to respond, he just knew if he spoke his heart might pop straight out of his mouth. Johnny talked about him? A lot? He desperately hoped they were all good things.

“What are you guys even doing here anyway? Are you - Wait am I interrupting something oh my god -”

“No!” Taeyong’s voice was a little louder than he anticipated. Johnny glanced at him before turning his attention back to Yukhei.

“No, dumbass -”

Taeyong, embarrassed by his little outburst, took the time as Johnny was explaining his situation to look around the apartment.

It was definitely not as clean as his own. There was an unnecessary amount of clutter; papers, CDs, jackets, hats, photos, and to his delight - books. But it was also comforting in a way he couldn’t really describe. The first word that came to him was ‘Home’.

“I told you those meds were powerful and not to take them!”

“No you didn’t.”

“Yes I did.”

“No, you didn’t Yukhei.”

“Okay. I might have thought it in my head but I still thought I told you.”

“I should get going.” Taeyong interjected in the roommates’ argument, effectively quieting them both.

“Right.” Johnny looked like he was about to try and get up but Taeyong pushed him back down.

“Stop. Get some rest. Your breakfast is in the takeout bag I put on the counter.” Taeyong started to back out of the apartment, feeling his blush creep up his neck as both the roommates watched him. “It was nice meeting you, Yukhei.”

“You too! Don’t be a stranger!”

Taeyong smiled as he turned to open the door to leave.

“Wait! I’ll see you on Friday?!”

Taeyong stopped, turning around once more to give Johnny a smile that he couldn’t seem to contain. “I’ll see you Friday.” He repeated.

*

Taeyong couldn’t help but think of Johnny as he sprawled on his own couch once he got home from his shift. After the endless questions from his coworkers’ about what happened on his little trip with Johnny, he felt drained. ‘Nothing happened!’ He had insisted, though no one seemed quite satisfied with his answer.

Near the end of his shift Yukhei had shown up to get Johnny’s car, popping into the diner to ask if he could get another one of Johnny’s regular meals to go.

“He wants another?” Taeyong had asked, incredulous.

“Ah, well,” Yukhei scratched the back of his neck. “He fell asleep after you left, and I may have, uhm, eaten it so… Yeah.”

The diner didn’t usually prepare their breakfast meals after 2pm, but ‘anything for my favourite brother-in-law’ is what Yuta had said, earning a light smack on his shoulder from Taeyong.

“Who is that?” Jaemin had whispered in his ear after arriving for his afternoon shift.

“Johnny’s roommate, Yukhei.”

“Does he need his own regular waiter to fall in love with or? Because I’ll volunteer.”

Taeyong had never wanted to smack so many of his coworkers in one day before. But despite that, he had pretended to be busy once the food was ready so that Jaemin could saunter up to Yukhei, takeout bag in hand.

“Oh, thanks.” He heard Yukhei say before the tall roommate looked over Jaemin’s head, raising a hand in goodbye to Taeyong, who smiled in response.

He had snorted when Jaemin came up to him, grumbling. “He barely looked at me.”

Taeyong was too busy replaying the day’s events in his head to concentrate on that night’s episode of Jeopardy!. He thought about the dynamic between the two roommates, he thought about the amount of books he saw on the shelves in their home, how Yukhei had told him Johnny had threatened him if he did not get another serving of his precious smoked salmon eggs benedict that Yukhei had devoured.

The thoughts did not stop even as he turned off the light in his room, curling up under his many blankets. Yukhei had said he had heard a lot about Taeyong, which meant Johnny talked about him. Unless of course Yukhei was just saying that to be friendly. Why would Johnny talk to his roommate about a waiter from a diner anyway?

Taeyong sighed and rolled over, staring at the glass of water he had on his bedside table for his slightly itchy throat before he finally fell asleep.

Chapter Text

Time usually passed by fairly quickly at work. Johnny would spend most of his time reorganizing returned books back onto their respective shelves, the alarm on his phone set on vibrate so he would actually remember to take his breaks on time.

But unlike many Thursdays, Johnny was not at work, he was at home, wrapped in his duvet like a protective cocoon and surrounded by crumpled tissues. He was still sick, and his roommate Yukhei was definitely going to pay for this one day.

He groaned his roommate’s name out loud. It only took a minute for Yukhei to open the door.

“What Johnny, what? ”

Johnny sniffed, his eyes watering. “I hate you.”

“I know. Please let me study. You can say it as much as you want later, but please - I need to study.”

This had been the fourth time Johnny had called Yukhei to his room that morning just to complain. It was only 11:00 AM.

Normally, Johnny would still be able to function while he had a cold, it took a lot to deter him from doing what he wanted to do. But whatever virus Yukhei had given him had rendered him a complete mess, unable to function like a normal human being, and even worse - had made him embarrass himself in front of Taeyong.

Cute, friendly, too-good-for-this-world Taeyong. Taeyong whose eyes sparkled when Johnny dared to look into them, Taeyong whose delightful laugh sent shivers down Johnny’s spine, Taeyong who witnessed him almost fall out of the car and stub his toe in the span of five minutes, not to mention the inappropriate joke that had slipped from Johnny’s medicated and drowsy mouth.

He’d spent so long trying to appear cool, calm and collected. That was all gone now, Taeyong was probably thinking about how much of an idiot Johnny was, a clumsy dork that needed to be taken home after taking meds that were too strong. This was all Yukhei’s fault. Johnny had to let him know, again.

“I literally haven’t even moved.” Yukhei crossed his arms over his chest, leaning on the doorframe. “Besides, it’s been a whole year since you met this guy, and thanks to me , you’ve finally seen him outside of that goddamn diner.”

Johnny kicked his legs out, signaling that he was not happy with that response.

“He’s even been in our apartment now. So you’re welcome.” Yukhei continued, rubbing salt in the wound. “What? It wasn’t according to plan? Were you planning on hiding all those plushies forever then if you guys got together?”

Johnny’s hand escaped from his cocoon, grabbing one of his stuffed animals and dragging it into his blankets, much like a frog catching a fly. He glared at Yukhei, who snorted.

“You’ll thank me one day.”

Johnny sniffed in response but Yukhei had already shut the door to his room. He would definitely not be thanking Yukhei anytime soon, and if the day could just go by a little faster so it would be Friday already, that would be great. Johnny was already tired of his own moping.

*

Though Johnny was convinced he had embarrassed himself in front of the waiter, he was still determined to see Taeyong that Friday morning. They had both agreed to after all.

He wouldn’t describe himself as better, but he was well enough to function, and he was definitely not making the same mistake he had on Wednesday. He was sharp, awake, and ready to not embarrass himself again.

Johnny hadn’t ever considered himself a creature of habit. He always loved trying new things, reading new books, going to new places, meeting new people. Going to Sunshine’s diner had been a last minute decision one morning after Yukhei hadn’t replaced any of the breakfast food he had finished the day before. Rather than going hungry, Johnny had simply looked up the closest breakfast place on Google maps.

It was supposed to be a one time thing. Johnny told Yukhei he kept going back because the food was just too good. And it was, he hadn’t been lying or anything, the food was really good, possibly the best he’d ever had. But it was the waiter that made him feel like the most important person in the diner that made him keep going back.

Johnny hadn’t once thought it would get as deep as it did. It was Taeyong’s job as a waiter to look after him, he wasn’t some special customer, he was just a guy who came in every other day at the same exact time ordering the same exact thing and left a good tip. Of course he would get the VIP treatment.

But there was something in the way Taeyong’s eyes lit up when he walked into the diner every Monday, Wednesday and Friday that got Johnny addicted. He couldn’t just not show up. He was beginning to suspect the blossoming of his own feelings one day when Yukhei had asked him something during one of their movie marathons.

“What’s a Taeyong?”

Johnny almost choked on his popcorn. “W-What?”

“A Taeyong. You whispered it when you were asleep on the couch last night.”

Yukhei’s gaze did not move from the TV as he sat cross legged in front of the coffee table, almost a little too close to the screen. Johnny stared at the back of his head from where he sat on the couch, no longer paying attention to the movie.

“He’s the waiter at Sunshine’s…” Johnny’s voice was quiet, wondering why the hell he had spoken Taeyong’s name in his sleep.

“Ah.” Was all Yukhei said before lifting the remote, pausing the movie and turning around to face his roommate on the couch. “Tell me about him.”

Johnny felt nervous being put on the spot. He hadn’t ever mentioned Taeyong to anyone else before. “Well - He - uh, works at Sunshine’s as - uhm - a waiter and - uh,” Johnny realized then that he did not know much about Taeyong, but Yukhei’s burning gaze made him feel the need to tell him everything he did know. “He knows my order by heart, he - he always says ‘here you go!’ whenever he pours my coffee, uhm - the apron he wears is kind of too big so he wraps it around his waist twice before tying it, his nails are always short because he chews them, he seems very interested in whatever book I’m reading, he taps one foot at the back of his other when he’s waiting on customers, he presses his lips together when he’s embarrassed, he wiggles his shoulders when he’s excited, and he -”

He stopped short when Yukhei raised an eyebrow at him. Johnny immediately threw one of the pillows off the couch, straight at his roommate. “Shut up!” He yelled, even though Yukhei hadn’t said anything. There was a hot prickle at his neck as his face started to heat up.

Yukhei burst into laughter, unphased at the pillow that hit him square in the face. “You’re so whipped.” Was all he said before turning back around and hitting play to continue watching the movie, leaving Johnny to his own thoughts.

Johnny had only been mad because he couldn’t deny it. Yukhei was right. But he wasn’t ever going to tell him that.

He opened to the door to the diner that Friday morning at exactly 8:15 AM. His eyes focused in on his booth, making it his mission to appear calm and collected after his little ‘incident’ two days prior. He had become an expert in trying to seem like he was not anxiously waiting for Taeyong to approach and say hi. He knew the drill, so he opened his book, Never Never by James Patterson and began to read while he waited.

It was on page 15 that he looked up at the clock on the wall. 8:40 AM and Taeyong had still not come by. Johnny looked around, catching the eye of one of the waiters - a young boy Johnny didn’t recall seeing before, with platinum blonde hair and wide eyes as he dashed to the other side of the diner, picking up a coffee pot and running it over.

“Hi, I’m so sorry,” The boy’s breath was heavy, he was obviously flustered. “I’m Jisung, welcome to Sunshine’s - or - No, wait, yeah that’s right. Sorry.”

Johnny was too taken by surprise to say anything, but Jisung continued talking as he flipped over the mug on the table upright and poured coffee into it.

“Anyways, you’re having your regular right? Sorry, that was a stupid question - of course you are. Anyways, Yuta already made it since he knows it by heart but -” Jisung put the coffee pot down on the table and pulled out his notepad, flipping to a page and showing it to Johnny. “- Taeyong wrote it down for me just in case.”

There was his order, written in neat little scribbles with harsh underlines where Johnny assumed Taeyong thought were the most important parts. Even his handwriting was cute.

“Where is Taeyong?” Johnny finally managed to ask what he’d been thinking since the moment he looked up from his book.

“Oh, he was really sick so we sent him home, Doyoung practically had to kick him out but he really wasn’t doing well.”

Johnny felt the warmth drain from his face. Not only was he disappointed that Taeyong wasn’t there, it was actually his fault. He had gotten him sick, and had made him miss a shift at work.

Yukhei really was going to pay for this.

*

“Just ask him for his number.” Yukhei said it like it was the simplest thing in the world to do.

“I can’t.” Johnny was sprawled on their living room floor, staring up at the ceiling. “I don’t even know if he likes me.”

He heard a huff and a clatter from the dining table and suddenly Yukhei was standing over him, looking down. “He literally drove you home and brought you all the way here when you were sick. Don’t give me that ‘I don’t know if he likes me’ bullshit.”

Johnny stared at a spot above Yukhei’s head and mumbled. “Well, I don’t know.”

He inhaled sharply as Yukhei put his foot lightly on Johnny’s chest.

“If you don’t ask him out I’m going to stand on you.”

Johnny looked at Yukhei, who was grinning. “You wouldn’t.”

He gasped as the pressure got heavier.

“Try me.”

The two stared at each other until the pressure on Johnny’s chest got heavier and heavier as Yukhei lifted up his foot that was still on the ground, balancing all of his weight onto his roommate. Johnny gasped and reached out, pulling on Yukhei’s dangling foot, causing him to crash down on to the floor with a loud grunt.

Johnny poked Yukhei’s side, making him flinch. He did it again, and Yukhei giggled. It wasn’t long before they were both laughing and squirming on the floor, though Yukhei was the first to give in.

“Alright, Alright! You win. Don’t ask Taeyong out and keep moping forever.”

Johnny managed to land another poke right in Yukhei’s stomach before responding. “I’m gonna ask him out.”

Yukhei grinned. “Well, fuck. Finally.”

*

Saying the words ‘ I’m gonna ask him out’ was easy, waiting for the weekend to pass and for Monday morning to come however, was not.

For the first time in his life Johnny couldn’t wait for his shift at the library to end on Sunday. He swore an hour had passed but when he checked the time on his phone only ten minutes had gone by.

Sure, he’d usually get excited on Sundays, it was the day before seeing Taeyong after all, but it had never felt this slow before. There was only so many times he could rehearse the same question over and over in his head before feeling like his heart would burst.

‘Would you like to go out with me, sometime?’ Maybe emphasis on a specific word would help. ‘Would you like to go out with me? ’ No, he needed to sound more sure of himself. ‘ Would you like to go out with me ? ’ No again, that one made it sound like there were other people trying to ask Taeyong out too. Which was a possibility, but Johnny didn’t want to think about that, so he didn’t.

“Are you okay?” Johnny’s co-worker, Sicheng, asked after watching Johnny stare at the library sticker on the spine of a book for a little too long.

“I’m fine.” Johnny shook his head, finding the right place for the book on the shelf.

“You seem distracted.”

Johnny shook his head again, not wanting to elaborate. “Just have a lot on my mind, that’s all.”

He could feel Sicheng’s stare out of the corner of his eye but he did his best to ignore it as he wheeled his cart of books away to a different shelf.

“It’s that guy from the diner, isn’t it.”

Johnny bit his lip. He was hoping Sicheng would have stayed by the book shelf he had left him at. “No I -”

“You know, I heard Taeyong was really excited when he ran into you here on Tuesday.”

Johnny whipped himself around. “How do you…?”

For the most part Sicheng was expressionless, save for the tiny smirk he tried to conceal. “My little brother works at Sunshine’s, remember?”

No, Johnny had definitely not remembered. He felt the heat begin to rise at his neck. “So… You know about…”

“How you stumbled into the diner medicated out of your mind? Of course I know.” There it was. The mischievous glint in Sicheng’s eye that Johnny had only seen once before, when he had told him he knew a great, calm, introverted guy who also needed a roommate a year and a half ago.

“I also know that Taeyong doesn’t shut up about you. So you should probably snatch him before someone else takes him.” And with an annoyingly cute grin, Sicheng walked away, leaving Johnny to his panicked thoughts. He had no idea if Taeyong had anything else going on, or even if Sicheng was just saying that to get him riled up. Either way, it worked.

‘That’s it.’ Johnny declared to himself, smacking a book down into its place on the shelf a little too loudly. ‘No second guessing yourself. You’re asking him out on Monday and you can’t leave the diner until you do.’

His stomach began to twist. He wished he could just close his eyes and wake up in the diner, looking up into the bright sparkling eyes of his favourite waiter. But of course, time wouldn’t give him that, and every second continued to feel like a whole minute instead.

Johnny sighed, putting another book on the shelf with a little less vigor this time. It was going to be a long day.

*

Johnny leaned his head on his steering wheel and took a deep breath. 8:00 AM. He was early, but he wasn’t quite sure how much longer he could wait until seeing Taeyong. His leg bounced incessantly. 8:05. Whatever, being early was fine, Taeyong probably wouldn’t even notice.

Slamming his car door shut, Johnny made his way into the diner. He made sure to look around this time and was relieved when he immediately recognized the back of the waiter’s head as he attended to a customer. Johnny slid into his regular seat at the second booth to the right, trying to not start bouncing his leg again.

He had only been sat for a couple of seconds before Taeyong appeared, a bright smile on his face. “You’re early.”

Johnny scrambled for a response as he watched the waiter flip over the mug on the table and pour some coffee into it. “Yeah I was - I woke up early. Didn’t really sleep well last night.”

“Oh? Why not?”

“I -” Johnny stared at the steam rising from his mug. There was no way, under any circumstance that he would tell Taeyong the reason he hadn’t slept well was because he was anxious to see him, and that he was nervous to ask one simple question. “- I don’t know.” He shrugged.

“Well, it’s good to see you aren’t sick anymore!”

Johnny looked up at Taeyong and noticed the slight redness in his watery eyes and immediately wanted to punch himself. He’d been so caught up in his own head that he’d completely forgotten Taeyong had gotten sick and it was his fault too. Well, technically Yukhei’s.

“Oh my god, Jisung told me you were sick on Friday, why are you working? You don’t seem to be completely over it yet!” Johnny thought he was just imagining the blush creep onto the waiter’s cheeks.

“I was hoping you wouldn’t notice.”

“Of course I would, I’m the reason you’re sick.”

“It’s fine! And technically it was your roommate since he got you sick in the first place.”

Johnny grinned. “I knew there was a reason I liked you.”

‘ Why did you say that?’ Johnny groaned internally, quickly looking away from the waiter’s wide eyes. ‘Dumbass.’

The awkward moment was cut short as the sharp voice of one of the cooks in the kitchen rang out. “Hey Taeyong! Are you gonna come and get his food or do I have to deliver it for you?”

With a noise that sounded like a mix between a whine and a grumble, Taeyong left the booth. Johnny exhaled slowly, trying to calm himself down in the short moment he had without getting distracted by Taeyong’s eyes.

In seconds the waiter was back, sliding his regular breakfast feast in front of him. Johnny thanked him, his stomach growling immediately when the scent hit his nostrils. He picked up the fork and automatically reached with his other hand to pick up whatever book he usually brought with him and placed on his seat when he arrived. Johnny frowned when his hand came back with nothing.

“Early, and no book?” Taeyong chuckled, music to Johnny’s ears if he wasn’t so goddamn embarrassed. “What’s got your mind so tangled?”

‘You.’ Johnny wanted to say. ‘God, it’s all you.’

But he didn’t.

“Probably just lack of sleep.” Johnny looked up at the waiter again, whose head was cocked to the side in the most adorable way, eyes filled with - concern? Pity? Johnny couldn’t tell which.

‘Ask him out. Do it now.’

Johnny opened his mouth and then closed it again, gulping.

“Excuse me?”

A customer near the booth signaled Taeyong, who almost jumped in surprise, like he’d forgotten there were other people in the diner aside from them. He immediately shuffled over, leaving Johnny to pick at his food, praying that his neck wasn’t as red as it felt.

*

The butterflies in Johnny’s stomach meant that he didn’t really have an appetite, but he shoved all of his breakfast down anyway. He didn’t want to give Taeyong another thing to notice that was different. Why was he so observant?

He thought his heart was about to burst out of his chest when Taeyong handed him the machine to pay for his meal. He almost pressed the wrong button his hands were shaking so bad.

‘You have to do it now stupid, DO IT NOW.’

Johnny handed the machine back to Taeyong when the transaction went through, and the waiter smiled at him. “Have a good day!”

He couldn’t say anything back. He just smiled as he got up, and felt his legs walk themselves out of the diner.

His hand wrapped around the door handle to his car but he did not open it. He squeezed the handle tightly before letting go, maybe a little too dramatically, and stomped back into the diner.

Taeyong was still at the booth, wiping down the table when he approached.

“Oh, Johnny!” He sounded surprised. “Did you forget something?”

“Yeah.” Johnny inhaled sharply. It was now or never and Johnny was choosing now . “I want to go out on a date with you.”

Chapter Text

“I want to go out on a date with you.”

Taeyong pointed at himself meekly, not believing a single word that came out of Johnny’s mouth. “M-Me?”

Johnny seemed surprised for a moment. “Well, yeah,” He looked around. Taeyong supposed he caught him off guard with his question. “There’s no one else here I would be talking to.”

“Sorry, I just -” Taeyong was feeling just a tad overwhelmed. Johnny just asked him on a date. He couldn’t believe it.

“It’s fine, it’s fine, I get it.” Johnny waved him off, backing away a little bit. If Taeyong hadn’t been staring into his eyes to see if this was real he wouldn’t of noticed the crestfallen look that was quickly blinked away. Johnny thought he was rejecting him.

“No! No, no -” Taeyong reached out, as if he was going to pull Johnny back towards him. “No, I didn’t mean - I just - Oh my god.” Taeyong took a deep breath, not wanting Johnny to see how frantic he was feeling. “I also… want… to go on a date… with you.”

Taeyong watched Johnny’s face, he could visibly see the gears working in Johnny’s head as he processed Taeyong’s words. He felt his own face light up when he watched Johnny’s split into a goofy grin.

“Holy shit - Awesome. I - Wow.”

“So, when…?” Taeyong scratched the pads of his fingers. The butterflies had arrived in his stomach already.

“Uhm, how about tomorrow? After work? I get off at four.”

“Yeah, sure. I’m free.”

“Awesome. I’ll pick you up at your place at seven then?”

“Yeah, okay.” Taeyong was starting to feel like a broken record.

“Here,” Johnny extended his phone in his hand, giving it to Taeyong. “Put your number in so you can text me your address later, okay?”

“Yeah, sure.” Taeyong winced internally at himself. He really had to think of something else to say. He prayed he would not drop Johnny’s phone as he typed in his number and gave it back to him, his heart taking a giant leap when their fingers brushed.

“So, uhm… I’ll see you tomorrow?” Johnny asked, a sparkle in his eye.

Taeyong nodded. “Yeah, of course. Tomorrow. On our date.”

The way Johnny chuckled and smiled had Taeyong paralyzed in place as the regular backed away, heading for the door. “Yeah,” He repeated. “On our date.”

The bell above the door chimed when Johnny left, and Taeyong could not move from where he stood. The sound of the bell seemed to ring in his ear for eternity. He could not believe that had just happened. Johnny, his regular customer, had just asked him on a date. Him. Lee Taeyong.

Taeyong jumped when he felt a touch at his shoulder.

“You okay?” Jaemin asked, his voice filled with concern.

Taeyong simply stared at him with wide eyes. It took him a minute to find his voice again.

“Johnny just asked me on a date.” He croaked.

If Jaemin had been holding something in his hands, he probably would have dropped it, but thankfully he hadn’t been carrying anything as his palms flew to cover his open mouth.

“No way.”

Taeyong nodded and slowly turned his head to look out the diner’s window, where his eyes seemed to magnetically connect with Johnny’s, who was sitting in his car. Johnny bit his lip and smiled, looking guilty that he’d been caught but he managed to pull out of the parking lot without causing an accident.

“Wait, dammit now I owe Renjun money.” Jaemin muttered to himself, causing Taeyong to bring his attention back to his coworker.

“Why?”

“I bet that you would say your feelings out loud before you started dating - I’m still mad I wasn’t there for that by the way - anyways, I also bet that you would be the one to ask him out first, so now I’ve just lost the money I won.”

Taeyong blinked. “I’m… Sorry?”

“To make up for it you should get Johnny’s roommate to come by again.” Jaemin smiled, a mischievous glint in his eye. “You said his name was Yukhei, right?”

Taeyong rolled his eyes and exhaled the breath he hadn’t realized he’d been holding in. The grin that spread across his cheeks was light and airy. He was going on a date with Johnny tomorrow.

Jaemin stared at him, still waiting on whether or not Taeyong was going to get Johnny’s roommate to come in.

“I’m going on a date with Johnny tomorrow.” Taeyong said before pulling out a tissue from his apron pocket and sneezing into it.

*

The carefree, happy demeanor Taeyong had sported at the end of yesterday’s shift was long gone, replaced by a splitting headache and the dreaded question of ‘what should I wear? ’ because even though he had managed to get more sick, he was still determined to go on his date with Johnny. He had waited too long for this.

Doyoung had him helping with various tasks in the office, as Taeyong refused to be sent home early again.

“You need to go home and rest, Taeyong. You can reschedule your date with Johnny for another day, he’ll understand.” Doyoung had already said this several times and Taeyong was now ignoring him instead of responding.

Doyoung sighed. “I think he can wait a little longer if you’ve both waited this long anyway.”

Taeyong stared at the computer and clicked a little too aggressively on the box under Mark’s name. He’d decided to give both Mark and Renjun the same shifts the week he was doing the schedules for. He knew neither of them would mind.

He could only hear his fingers clacking on the keyboard as he felt his manager’s gaze burn into him. He was relieved for the interruption in their tension when the sound of the door opening made them both look up.

Yuta came in, freezing when his eyes met with Taeyong’s, as if he hadn’t been expecting him to be there. He backed out slightly instead of coming in.

“Doyoung, can I talk to you?”

Taeyong lowered his attention back onto the screen. The kitchen just probably needed more supplies or something. Doyoung’s chair screeched as he got up, and Taeyong flinched as a wooden pencil lightly hit his brow, clattering to the floor.

He finally looked at Doyoung.

“We’re not done.” The manager warned before following Yuta out of the office. Taeyong stuck out his bottom lip but still begrudgingly finished the schedules like he had been told to.

*

By the time his shift was over he felt like his skull might explode. He arrived at his apartment and immediately changed into grey sweatpants and a black hoodie. He collapsed onto his bed and curled himself into his blankets. He had plenty of time to nap before he had to get ready for his date with Johnny. Taeyong wouldn’t let a little cold get in the way of this.

When Taeyong woke up from his nap his nose was stuffed and his mouth left a trail of saliva across his cheek. He threw the covers off his bed, feeling gross and sticky. This was not how he was hoping he would wake up. He was about to reach for his phone to check the time when he heard a loud knock coming from his front door.

Taeyong moaned and lugged himself out of bed, his feet dragging across the floor. He had to get ready for his date, this was not the time to interact with some neighbour who needed a cup of sugar.

His hand rubbed the sleep out of his eyes as he opened the door, a gesture to show to whoever was there that he had just woken up and was not happy about it.

“Taeyong?”

Taeyong froze. Oh no.

“Are you okay?”

He lowered his hand and met Johnny’s eyes. Oh no .

“Oh my god -” Taeyong ran his free hand roughly through his hair, suddenly very self aware that it was sticking up everywhere. He thought about the dry saliva he hadn’t quite wiped off his cheek and how he probably smelled of sweat. He had overslept.

And there was Johnny, staring at him through his round metal rimmed glasses, in a fluffy cream fleece jacket that Taeyong would have absolutely loved to wrap his arms around, looking better than ever, there to pick him up for their date and Taeyong had overslept .

“-Oh my god .”

Taeyong’s other hand also went to his hair, pulling at it and running away towards his bedroom as the door swung closed. He scrambled across his bed to grab his phone and checked the time. It was 7:04 PM. He whined. Why, why, why did his happen to him? Had he slept through his alarm?

Taeyong looked through his phone and collapsed on the bed at his discovery. He had been so tired he hadn’t even set an alarm. And he’d just closed the door on his very handsome date’s face. He kicked his legs in protest because this just wasn’t fair .

“Taeyong?”

Johnny’s voice was clearer than it should have been if he was standing outside the apartment. Taeyong realized he must have caught the door before it had closed shut and slipped in. He hurriedly pulled his hood up to cover his hair and aggressively wiped the saliva off his face and blew his nose. He left his room to find Johnny in the entrance way, picking at a tuft of fluff on his jacket.

“I just need ten minutes to get ready, I’ll be right there.” Taeyong made an effort to cover up his face, not wanting to embarrass himself even more. “You can come in and sit on the couch to wait.”

“Are you sure?” Johnny asked as he bent down to untie the laces of his converse. “You don’t seem well. You seem worse, actually.”

“I’m fine!” Taeyong coughed into his elbow and Johnny gave him a look as he took off his shoes and came into his apartment. Taeyong found himself subconsciously stepping back as Johnny stepped forward.

“You’re allowed to cancel if you’re sick, you know.”

“I-” Taeyong sniffed. “I didn’t want to. I’m fine, I swear!” He sneezed again and immediately ran to get a tissue. He came back to find Johnny had taken off his jacket and was sitting on the couch, staring at him. “I want to have this date.” Taeyong was determined to go through with this.

“Alright.” Johnny shrugged, a small smile playing at his lips. “I’ll wait for as long as it takes for you to get ready.”

“Awesome.” Taeyong grinned. “What should I wear?”

“Casual. Something you’d wear just around the house.”

“Okay. Ten minutes and I’ll be out. Actually, give me twenty I… need to shower.” Taeyong disappeared into his room to pick out his clothes.

Johnny said home casual but Taeyong still wanted to look a little nice. It was their first date after all. He ended up picking out black ripped jeans and a light denim button up, a combination of casual streetwear that still looked date-worthy.

As he left his room to head to the bathroom, he heard Johnny call out to him.

“Hey, is it okay if I look in your kitchen a little bit?” His voice rang out from the couch.

“Uh, sure.” Taeyong replied as he went down the hall to the bathroom. He wasn’t sure why Johnny would need the kitchen, they were going out right? Probably having dinner? Taeyong didn’t question it, maybe the man was just hungry.

Taeyong didn’t think he’d ever had a faster shower in his life. As much as he wanted to take his time and let the steam unclog his sinuses and not feel gross, he didn’t want to keep Johnny waiting. He got dressed and dried his hair. It wasn’t until he walked out into the living room could he smell the scent of food coming from the kitchen. It was faint due to Taeyong’s stuffed nose but strong enough that he could tell it was some sort of broth.

“What are you doing?” Taeyong entered the kitchen, where Johnny was stirring a wooden spoon into one of his pots.

“Making dinner.” Johnny said, as if it was the most obvious thing in the world.

“Are we not… going out?”

“Not anymore.”

Taeyong stuck out his bottom lip out of reflex and tried but failed to mask his disappointment. He looked up at Johnny who seemed fixated on Taeyong’s mouth but quickly moved his gaze back to the pot on the stove when he was caught.

“You said we could go on the date…” Taeyong was trying so hard not to whine, but he couldn’t help that it came out anyway. So much for keeping that side of himself tucked away. He figured if Johnny had stayed even when he had seen Taeyong in his gremlin-like state that he could get away with it.

Johnny cleared his throat, absorbed in stirring the soup. “We are on a date.”

Taeyong inhaled sharply, finally understanding. Johnny was trying to take care of him. As a first date. While definitely not the way he had wanted it to go, this was somehow better even in his current state of mess.

He hit Johnny lightly on the back as he peeked into the pot on the stove. “At least put some vegetables in there.” He scolded, reaching into the fridge and pulling out some carrots and various other foods to chop up.

“I didn’t want to touch anything I wasn’t supposed to.”

Taeyong snuck a glance at his date and smiled to find he was pouting. He thought it was absolutely adorable. “You can touch anything of mine.”

He froze immediately. That was definitely not what he had meant to say. The silence was broken in seconds by Johnny’s snickering.

“I didn’t know we were on that level already Taeyong.”

Taeyong smacked Johnny’s back again, a little harder this time, and his date gasped playfully.

He found his hand may have lingered a little too long so he quickly went back to chopping up the vegetables for the soup. Despite being hyper aware and a little antsy that Johnny was in his home, making him soup, Taeyong felt at ease. Johnny’s presence was comforting, and it filled a little part of his heart. He made sure to tuck that feeling somewhere safe, he wanted to be able to remember it later.

When the vegetables were added and the noodles were done cooking, the soup was poured into two bowls which Taeyong placed on a tray, and Johnny brought it out into the living room and placed it on the coffee table in front of the couch.

It wasn’t the way he usually had dinner, but Taeyong was more than willing to try something new with Johnny. Maybe eating at the couch while watching TV would be fun.

“Did you have a movie in mind that you wanted to watch?” Johnny asked as he sat on the floor, his back resting against the couch and his long legs stretching out from under the coffee table where their dinners sat, steaming.

Taeyong thought for a moment. “What time is it?”

“Seven twenty-nine, why?”

Taeyong scrambled for the remote. “Jeopardy’s on!”

He managed to turn on the television and get to the right channel in time for the show to start. Excited, Taeyong sat on the floor beside Johnny, wiggling his not-as-long legs out under the coffee table as well. This was definitely not the way he was used to eating dinner, though he was fascinated to learn that, maybe this was the way it was in Johnny’s home. Maybe he and Yukhei ate dinner together and watched TV on the sofa. The idea warmed him a little.

Taeyong couldn’t help himself as he recited the narrator’s introduction quietly, he’d watched the show enough to know it by heart. He heard Johnny chuckle but he was not sure if he had heard what his date had mumbled correctly. Did he just call Taeyong cute? It was probably best not to think about it, or Taeyong wouldn’t be able to properly digest his food with the butterflies in his stomach causing too much of a racket.

“Starring with the dances for two hundred.” One of the women competing on the show requested, and the host read out the answer.

“What is Hairspray!” Taeyong yelled out loud, a habit he apparently could not control while he had Johnny sitting right beside him. He heard Johnny chuckle again and Taeyong could feel the heat start to spread across his cheeks. He pretended to be very interested in poking a carrot that was floating in his bowl of soup.

“This trademarked donut is half doughnut, half this-”

“What is croissant!”

Taeyong stared at Johnny, eyes wide as both their voices rang out.

“What?” Johnny met his gaze. “I know my breakfast food.”

Taeyong couldn’t help but grin as he shyly turned back to poking at his soup. This was turning out to be even better than he’d ever imagined it to be.

*

“Your couch isn’t comfy enough.”

“Excuse me?”

Johnny took up the entire sofa, his legs extending beyond the opposite armrest. “You need more pillows or something. Or plushies. Or both.”

“Why? Does your couch have a plethora of plushies and pillows?” Taeyong, who was still sitting on the floor with his back leaning on the couch, turned to face Johnny, whose eyes immediately flicked away.

Taeyong watched as Johnny’s lips became thinner the more he pressed his lips together when he didn’t respond.

“How many plushies do you have?” Taeyong asked, suspicious. He giggled when he noticed his date’s neck getting red. Taeyong felt the butterflies return in his own stomach, though he tried his best to ignore them as he leaned closer and poked Johnny’s chest, repeating himself. “Johnny, how many plushies do you have?”

Johnny turned his head and mumbled into the pillow his head had been resting on.

“I’m sorry? I didn’t catch that?” Taeyong poked him again and Johnny squirmed. “Hello? How many?”

Johnny kicked his feet in the air before turning back to face the TV, pretending as if nothing had happened. “So, how did you like Never Never?”

“Never Never?”

“Yeah. The book you took out at the library last week.”

“Oh,” Taeyong was taken aback. He had no idea Johnny had even noticed the book he had been holding when they had run into each other at the library. Had it only been just a week ago? “It was good! My favourite part was when -”

“No! I haven’t finished it yet!” Johnny exclaimed, surprising Taeyong.

“You haven’t read it yet?”

“When I saw you take it out I… went and found another copy and took it out too. I was kind of busy over the weekend so I haven’t had a chance yet.”

Taeyong stared at Johnny, a grin stuck to his face. Johnny had wanted to read whatever Taeyong was reading. Somehow the role had been reversed, and now Johnny was trying to catch up with his book. It made Taeyong’s heart thump loud enough he was afraid Johnny might hear it.

Johnny was either actively trying not to notice Taeyong’s gaze or was actually trying to absorb himself in the Netflix show that was playing on the TV. Either way he soon sighed and gave in, glancing at Taeyong.

“Do you actually understand what’s happening in this?” Johnny asked and Taeyong shook his head.

“Oh good, me neither. Let’s watch something else.”

They were browsing for potential movies to watch when Taeyong sneezed, almost hitting his head right on the coffee table in front of him.

“Oh my god I’m a terrible date,” Johnny groaned and Taeyong shook his head in protest as he got a tissue. “C’mon, get up on the couch with me.”

Taeyong stared at Johnny. “But you’re taking up the whole thing.”

Johnny feigned offence but smiled, scooting back and showing that there was room for Taeyong to lie right beside him on the couch.

“But I’ll get you sick.” The butterflies were back in Taeyong’s stomach and boy, were they having a party.

Johnny shrugged, propping his upper half up with his elbow and patting the free space beside him. “I’ve already been sick, I doubt you could infect me again.”

Taeyong stared at the space, probably for a bit too long, but Johnny didn’t say anything. He took a deep breath, hoping Johnny would not be able to hear his pounding heart, and got on the couch, lying beside his date.

He scooted down a bit, so that his head wouldn’t block Johnny’s view of the television screen. He almost shivered as felt the ghost of a large hand on his waist.

“Can I…?” Johnny’s voice was soft, his unanswered question hanging in the air. Taeyong simply nodded in response, unable to properly form words.

The weight of Johnny’s hand on his waist was comforting. If someone would have told Taeyong a week ago that this was where he would find himself, in his own home, on the couch, with Johnny? He would have scoffed in disbelief.

They spoke minimally as they decided to just throw on a cheesy Netflix original movie neither of them had watched yet. Taeyong squirmed slightly, not quite sure what to do with himself. It wasn’t that he was uncomfortable - it was far from that. This was the most at ease he’d been with anyone, probably ever, but a certain tiny cook’s words kept playing in his mind.

“Are you uncomfortable?” Johnny whispered, as if reading the wrong part of Taeyong’s mind. “I can stop.”

Taeyong felt panicked as he felt the pressure on his waist lighten. “No!” He quickly grabbed Johnny’s hand and placed it back on his waist. “No, it’s not that it’s-”

Ignoring the heat flushing across his cheeks, Taeyong turned himself around on the couch in order to face Johnny. He noticed his date was also a little red on his neck.

“I just… Is it weird? To be this close? On a first date?” Taeyong was now acutely aware of just how close they were, how he could feel Johnny’s stomach moving against his, how his breath tickled Taeyong’s lips.

“Well it’s up to us isn’t it?” Johnny put his head down on the pillow, sharing it with Taeyong, who didn’t think he could turn any redder. “I’ve known people who have done a lot more on a first date.”

Taeyong blinked and pressed his lips together, embarrassed. “True.”

Johnny reached up from Taeyong’s waist and gently brushed some hair away from Taeyong’s forehead. “What’s on your mind?”

“I guess - I just - I don’t -” Taeyong was beyond flustered but his date’s small smile reassured him. “I feel like I’ve known you forever but I also feel like… I don’t know you.”

Pursing his lips, Johnny nodded. “I get that. Why don’t we get to know each other then? Johnny Suh’s A-M-A is now open.”

“A-M-A?”

“Ask me anything.”

Taeyong thought for a moment.

“Where are you from?”

“Chicago.”

“When did you move here?”

“I moved here for school like six years ago, got a degree in classical studies, and now I work at a library.”

“Classics? Why doesn’t that surprise me.” Taeyong found Johnny’s eyes too difficult to look at, often losing his train of thought when their gazes met. Though staring at his lips wasn’t much better. “Okay. Are you in any way, shape, or form, part of the mafia?”

Johnny blinked. “The mafia?”

“You’re not answering the question.”

“No?”

“That’s not a reassuring answer.”

“I can assure you that I am not part of the mafia.”

“Okay good. I don’t know if my coworkers would let this continue if you were.”

*

Taeyong found himself immensely enjoying just talking to Johnny for hours. He asked everything he wanted to ask, almost every thing he’d wondered about since the day they met, save for some embarrassing thoughts he wouldn’t say out loud just yet. Johnny asked him questions too, and he found an equal amount of delight in being able to look up into Johnny’s eyes and talk about himself.

When Taeyong seemed to be getting drowsy, Johnny nudged him to turn over. Taeyong obliged, and pretty soon the warmth of Johnny’s arm slung over his waist and the sound of his breathing lulled Taeyong to sleep.

He had no idea what time it was when he woke up, he just knew that the movie they had been watching before was not the movie that was currently playing. Taeyong yawned and moved to rub his eyes. His arms froze when he felt a gentle touch at the top of his head, and he turned to see Johnny, once again propped up on his elbow, watching him.

Johnny had just kissed the top of Taeyong’s head. He could already feel his cheeks burning as he turned over again to face his date. His heart skipped as Johnny’s eyes flicked from his, to his lips, then back up to his eyes again. He felt a slight thrill as he did the same, taking the opportunity to memorize the shape while he could.

They both wanted to do the same thing, that was obvious enough. “I’m gonna get you sick.” Taeyong whispered.

He half expected Johnny to sigh and agree, but instead, he smirked. “Try me.”

Taeyong’s eyes flicked to Johnny’s lips again, but he did not move. He felt paralyzed, could he really do this?

As if sensing Taeyong’s troubles, Johnny leaned in, testing the waters. He ghosted his lips over Taeyong’s, his breath hot as he spoke, “Yes?”

All he had to do was say one answer. Taeyong mustered up his strength, he thought his heart might burst it was beating so hard. “Yes.” He breathed.

Their first kiss was chaste, nothing more, nothing less, but to Taeyong, it was everything. Johnny’s lips were warm and soft, and the gentle press of the metal rimmed glasses on his face delighted Taeyong. He rested his hands on Johnny’s chest, surprised to find that he could also feel the beating of his date’s heart so clearly.

“I’ve been waiting an entire year for that.” Taeyong couldn’t help but whisper, and Johnny grinned.

“Well here, have another one.”

Johnny leaned down again, pressing his lips onto Taeyong’s once more. Taeyong couldn’t believe that it was even better the second time. Johnny lingered longer as his hand traveled up from Taeyong’s waist to cup his jaw, tilting it in order to deepen their kiss.

Taeyong felt a buzz go through him as they kissed again, and again, and again, each one somehow even better than the last. His hands grabbed at Johnny’s shirt, pulling him as close as he could possibly be.

When they finally broke for air, Johnny collapsed his head onto the pillow, and to Taeyong’s delight, did not move his hand from Taeyong’s face. Johnny grinned as he gently stroked his thumb over Taeyong’s reddened cheeks. “Do you think we could do this again sometime?”

“Kiss or date?”

“Both. Everything.”

Taeyong sighed, a smile playing on his own lips. “I could do this forever.”

He froze. Was that the right thing to say? Was implying a long term relationship on the first date not a good thing to do? Had he really just messed this up?

“Cool.”

All of Taeyong’s worries were flushed away as Johnny leaned in once more, stealing another innocent peck as he tried to contain his smile.

They each stared at the other, just taking each other in. It was peaceful until Johnny’s hand suddenly left Taeyong’s face, immediately making him miss it. Taeyong did not have much time to react as Johnny shoved his nose into his elbow, turning away from Taeyong as much as he could and sneezing into it.

Taeyong laughed and leisurely reached over to the coffee table, grabbing a tissue and handing it to Johnny, who accepted. “We’re never going to break the cycle of us getting sick like this.”

Johnny wiped his nose rather dramatically. “We’ve cursed ourselves!”

*

It was late, and despite Taeyong’s instance that he stay for a little longer, Johnny was putting on his jacket and getting ready to leave.

Taeyong pouted, snaking his arms around Johnny’s waist. “Thank you for this. And I’m sorry for getting you sick.”

“Don’t be.” Johnny smiled and leaned down, pecking Taeyong on the lips. “Besides, it was just a sneeze, we don’t know that I’m sick yet.”

“With our luck…” Taeyong muttered and Johnny chuckled. He had insisted on leaving because he said he knew Taeyong worked early in the morning, and that it was obviously past his bedtime because he was struggling to keep his eyes open. Taeyong had vehemently denied this, though his eyes had involuntarily closed while he had been talking due to his drowsiness.

“Hey” Johnny tapped Taeyong’s bottom lip as it jutted out. “I won’t be gone for that long.”

A wide grin slowly spread across Taeyong’s face at the thought. Tomorrow was Wednesday.

“I’ll see you tomorrow?” Taeyong asked, his eyes wide and hopeful.

Johnny smiled, leaning down to peck Taeyong’s forehead, as if he couldn’t resist kissing him one more time. “I’ll see you tomorrow.”