Work Text:
“Hey San, there’s a customer in line” Hongjoong looks up from his spot in front of the counter, wiping down the display cooler. He frowns softly at the spot that just won’t go away, wondering to himself whether Jongo remembered to make extra sandwiches. San nods, putting his drink down and adjusting his apron before going up to the till.
“Can I get a drink started for you, sir?” The customer nods and orders their drink, and San rings them through, writing their name on the cup, and smiling, dimple showing. He moves on to making the latte, humming a song to himself. Wooyoung keeps his perch, leaning against the drink bar, idly playing with a straw as he waits for San to finish his task.
San hands the customer his coffee and they thank each other before he turns back to Wooyoung who gives him a bright grin.
“San” Wooyoung says, tilting his head cutely ans grinning with a little adorable pout. Oh no, not the pout. What did he want this time?
“Yes, Woo?” San asks, tilting his head as well, wiping down the milk frother.
“I think i’d like to try an iced Americano” Wooyoung grins brightly up at his taller boyfriend and San snorts softly, shaking his head. Americano tended to be a little stronger than macchiatos and while Wooyoung was obviously no stranger to coffee, San wondered how hyper he’d get from this.
“No” They both hear Hongjoong’s opinion on the matter from the other side of the counter and they both cackle. Of course he’d disapprove, Wooyoung did tend to be a handful sometimes.
“But hyunggggg~” Wooyoung whines and they both giggle, Wooyoung flicking the straw at San.
“Only one, baby. Okay?” San tells the blonde and Wooyoung nods, accepting the offer. He knew better than to push it when Hongjoong was around. If Hongjoong wasn’t there, he’d probably order a second if he liked it. “Venti? That’s $4.25, Woo” Wooyoung nods, digging in the pocket of his red hoodie and pulling out a crumpled $5 bill and tossing it at San, who squeaks and giggles.
“Keep the change, cutie~”
“Wooyoung!” San giggles, shaking his head, punching the drink into the till, tossing Wooyoung’s change in the tip jar.
“Why are y’all flirting in my cafe? disgusting! ” Hongjoong snorts fondly, standing up to admire his handiwork, glass cleaner in one hand.
“You’re just salty you haven’t found your one true love, hyung” San teases him as he makes the espresso shots.
“As if i’ve got time for that, got me hands full with you two losers” Hongjoong quips back. He sets the bottle on the counter before pulling his mullet out of the ponytail and retying it up. San and Wooyoung both huff before laughing.
“You know you couldn’t live without me, hyung~” San coos, pouring the water into Wooyoung’s drink. “I get us the most tips out of everyone!” Hongjoong just scoffs, shaking his head.
San finishes up the Americano, passing it to his waiting boyfriend. Wooyoung was leaning against the wall next to the drink bar, waiting semi patiently. He sets it on the counter with a satisfied hum. Wooyoung grins.
“Perfect! Thank you Sannie~” He hums, sugary sweet as he grabs a straw and tearing the wrapper off with his teeth, much to Hongjoong’s shocked face. He shoves the straw in and takes a sip-a sip being downing literally half of it within five seconds. San shakes his head fondly, despite jaw dropping to the floor.
“Babe-“ San starts cautiously. “You haven’t even eaten breakfast today, you’re going to be positively vibrating”
“Might feel good later~” Wooyoung quips flirtily with a cheesy wink. San’s cheeks reddened and Hongjoong pretends to gag as he comes out of the freezer with some pastries.
“Babe!” San whines shyly, giggling. “So.. you liked the Americano then?”
Wooyoung answers that by slurping up the second half of his coffee in another five seconds.
~
Wooyoung was given a cup of water by san after he had finished his iced coffee and he was currently sitting in his booth by the window, one leg was up, foot on the chair across from him, the other one was bouncing. He sipped on the water, humming to himself as he waited for San to come retrieve him on his break or something.
Wooyoung briefly wondered if maybe he should’ve had breakfast because the coffee felt like it was burning a hole in his stomach but he couldn’t particularly bring himself to care. He pouts his lips and puffs his cheeks out as his leg bounces. He was bored .
Wooyoung gets up after downing the glass of water, and he tosses the empty cup in the trash, opting to lean his body against the counter.
“What’s up Wooyoung?” Hongjoong hums, turning towards the blonde boy, giving him a smile. His bracelet slid down his slim arm and glinted in the sun from the window as he tucked the pen he was using behind his ear.
“I uh, i finished my water” Wooyoung says plainly, fiddling with his hoodie sleep. He tilts his head, blonde bangs falling into his eyelashes. Hongjoong nods.
“Are you asking for another coffee?” Hongjoong asks. At that moment San wanders back out from the freezer with some extra whipped cream cans and grins brightly at Wooyoung. Wooyoung almost gasps at the beauty of his dimples.
“Are you?” San asks. Wooyoung shrugs and nods. It really was delicious. He’d never say no to coffee, even if he was jittery to the bone. He nods eagerly as his hair bounces. Hongjoong goes ahead and starts the espresso shots while San sets the whipped cream down with a soft little chuckle. “You’re like a little puppy~” San coos softly. Wooyoung huffs in mock annoyance.
“Thank you, Hongjoong!” Wooyoung calls, continuing to play with his sleeve. His stomach growled underneath the fabric and he couldn’t help but squeak in surprise. Well, that didn’t sound nice. San doesn’t notice and he continues on his daily tasks until Hongjoong passes the finished product to him to give to Wooyoung.
“It’s not a problem” Hongjoong chuckles, eyes crinkling up as he pats San’s shoulder gently. Wooyoung pokes his straw in and takes a sip- smaller this time- and hums in satisfaction. The cool liquid felt nice. He grins at San and nods, wandering back to his booth as another customer walks in the door. San waves and blows him a soft kiss and they both giggle.
Wooyoung sips his coffee slowly, nibbling on the straw. He’s trying to ignore the gnawing feeling in his stomach and the jittery feeling that runs through his veins. San had been correct and the Americano was stronger than the macchiatos he usually ordered, which led him to be affected much faster. And paired with the fact he hadn’t eaten anything, his body was going haywire. He pouts softly as his stomach grumbles again, foot kicking the chair in front of him.
The customer is still standing at the counter, wondering what he’s going to order for a moment. Hongjoong and San both smile politely as they wait for him to choose. Finally, it appears he does, and he saunters closer to the till, a polite grin on his face.
“Uh.. could I have a.. mocha please?” Hongjoong nods softly. The boy seemed shy, and he brushed his brown hair out of his eyes, eyes not meeting Hongjoong’s. He nods, seemingly proud of himself for ordering his own drink.
“Sure, what size?” Hongjoong asks, picking up the marker to write the boy’s name. “And could I grab your name for the cup?”
“Um.. medium” The customer says, nodding again, fiddling with his wallet. “I’m Yeosang” He gives Hongjoong a smile and the short man’s heart melts for a moment. Yeosang pulls his bank card out, waiting to pay as Hongjoong is momentarily enamoured by his shy customer.
“Ask if he wants whip, hyung!” San chuckles from the espresso machine, taking the cup. Hongjoong squeaks.
“Whipped cream on it?” Yeosang nods again with a soft grin, before he pays and moves to the drink bar where his drink will be finished once San’s done. He pulls his phone out and fiddles with it.
San sets thé mocha down on the counter and Yeosang turns with a pleased hum, and a soft smile, San’s dimpled one meets Yeosang’s eyes.
“Thank you” Yeosang murmurs softly, bowing his head as he takes his drink, sipping it softly.
“Ah, no worries, enjoy!” San grins brightly. Yeosang looked familiar to him for some reason, but he couldn’t quite put his finger on it. He tilts his head and hums softly as he watched Yeosang walk to sit down before he puts the whipped cream away. Yeosang sits at Wooyoung’s table.
Wooyoung was lost in thought and jumped with a squeal as Yeosang sits down, obviously not expecting anyone to join him- it wasn’t time for San’s lunch break yet.
“Yeosang! What are you doin’ here?” Wooyoung grins brightly, momentarily forgetting that he definitely had overdosed on caffeine. “You didn’t tell me you were back in town!”
“Ah, i didn’t? I must have forgot…” Yeosang smiles, feeling visibly more comfortable around Wooyoung than he was ordering his own drink. “I’ve been so busy cramming for exams i forgot to tell you i was graduating this month.” Yeosang chuckles softly, looking into his lap.
Wooyoung squeals in glee.
“Ah, Sangie! I’m so proud of you, you made it! Oh my gosh! Does that mean you’re back for good now?! i’ve missed you so much!” Yeosang was Wooyoung’s best friend, they had grown up together, and went to high school together and were practically inseparable. Wooyoung was like, the extrovert that adopted shy Yeosang, and Yeosang followed him like a duckling everywhere until graduation. Wherever Wooyoung went, Yeosang was always there. After graduating, Yeosang had gotten into college to study music and language, moving to another city for school. Wooyoung was worried he would be alone in the city but Yeosang has assured him that he’d be okay. They kept in contact, but Wooyoung’s boyfriend kept him busy and Yeosang was always studying, and with how introverted he was, it always slipped his mind to message more than a ‘Hi, I hope you’re well, Wooyoung~’ or a link to a new song he’d been enjoying randomly.
Wooyoung had briefly told Yeosang that his boyfriend had cheated, and that he’d met someone else but then Yeosang’s exams had started so he hadn’t had a chance to elaborate. Yeosang knew the Starbucks was Wooyoung’s go-to, though.
Yeosang nods.
“Yep, I’m back now! I’m staying with my noona until I find my own place.” Yeosang hums, sipping his drink, nose scrunching happily as he tastes the sweetness. Wooyoung grins brightly.
“Ah, that’s good! If you can’t find a place you can always room with me.. although you may get sexiled..” Wooyoung winks with a bright laugh. Yeosang’s cheeks color pink and he swats at Wooyoung’s hands. “Speaking of sex , Sangie, the boy with the dimples at the counter? He’s the one i’m dating now. He’s the Choi San.”
“Ah, I see.” Yeosang hums. Wooyoung takes another sip of his iced coffee, leaning down. His leg involuntarily bounces under the table. “He’s very good-looking, Wooyoungie. Does he treat you well?” Wooyoung nods, picking up his cup to chew on the straw with a happy blush.
“He makes me so happy, Sang.” Wooyoung grins, hand shaking as he holds the cup. Yeosang notices this and takes his hand, face in a cute little pout.
“You’re shaking, Wooyoungie.” Wooyoung huffs a pout. Was he? Was he shaking? He did feel a restless tingle under his skin, like it was itching for him to move around underneath it. His stomach makes a weird noise again and his blush turns pale. He really should not have had the second Americano. “Are you alright?”
~
“Who’s that?” San asks Hongjoong like he would know the answer as he leans against the counter with a hum. “He’s getting pretty close to my Woo.” Hongjoong shrugs, little tongue sticking out as he concentrates on counting their lid stock.
“I ‘unno, why don’t you go ask?” Hongjoong murmurs, not looking up from his work. San sighs dramatically. “Well it couldn’t do any harm.”
“I feel like i’ve seen him before, but i don’t know where. I know he’s not Woo’s ex.” San continues, huffing a piece of hair off his nose. “Have you?” Hongjoong shrugs. San sighs, adjusting his apron before he tends to the lady who’d just walked in and up to the counter.
~
Wooyoung lets out a soft whine, eyes going wide as his stomach grumbles. He presses a hand to calm it for a moment, like it would help. Yeosang takes the nearly empty cup out of his friend’s hand, and sets it down gently on the table.
“Wooyoung?” Yeosang asks softly, tilting his head in concern. “Are you feeling sick?” Yeosang, being the sweet boy that he was, was quite a perceptive fellow. Ah, he should’ve known by the way his friend was shaking. Wooyoung nods softly, face pinched. He felt bad, having to cut the happy reunion with his best friend short, but his gut really was not happy with him at that moment. He lays his head down on the table and Yeosang pets his blonde locks for a moment to soothe him. He wasn’t quite sure what else to do.
“G-go get San, please?” Wooyoung says weakly, pretty lips in a pout as he curls up in the booth. Yeosang nods and scrambles up quickly, mocha forgotten on the table. He quickly makes his way to the bar where San was. Hongjoong had disappeared to the office to check the numbers for the day.
~
“Oh, he’s coming here” San thought, head tilted to the side as he smiled politely at Yeosang, still very unsure of who the boy was, and quite protective of his Wooyoung.
“Hi, is there something you needed?” San asks.
“S-San?” Yeosang stutters. He appeared a lot more nervous than he did earlier and San didn’t know why- or how he was so familiar with his own name.
“Yes, that’s me.” San says, blinking.
“U-um, Wooyoung.. Wooyoung isn’t feeling well, and he’s asked for you. You- you are San, yes? His boyfriend?” San then springs into action, not caring what Yeosang’s relation to Wooyoung was in that moment as he nods, hurrying out from behind the counter to follow him to Wooyoung’s table.
“I knew I shouldn’t have given him that second Americano..” San muttered to himself, pretty much power walking to the table where Wooyoung was. Yeosang follows meekly.
San sees Wooyoung curled in on himself, head down on the table and lets out a soft coo of concern as he runs a hand through Wooyoung’s hair.
“Woo, baby, I’m here.” He says softly, as the shaking boy leans his head automatically into San’s hand. He didn’t feel particularly feverish. Wooyoung whines softly. San turns to the shy brunet standing next to him. “Yeosang, was it? What exactly, what exactly happened?”
“Um..” Yeosang looks down, fingers playing with the string on his hoodie. “Well, he was shaking and then he just looked really pale and laid his head down. He looks up at San with a little pout, still not meeting the barista’s eyes. San nods, taking in the situation.
“He didn’t say anything?”
“I asked if he was feeling sick, and he nodded” Yeosang says quietly. San pouts and frowns, but seemed to accept this answer, hands carding through Wooyoung’s soft hair. Wooyoung sucks in a soft breath. His leg was still bouncing a little, despite the rest of his body being unmoving.
“And how do you know Wooyoung?” San asks the question that’s been burning in his mind since they’d sat together. Yeosang really did look familiar.
“I-I‘ve known him since we were like, five. We went to school together, I’ve just moved back from college.” Yeosang explains, “We-“
His explanation was cut short by Wooyoung letting out a whine and San kneels next to him with a panicked frown.
“Sannie, I-“
“Uh, we’ll talk later Yeosang..” San says with a pinched voice, eyes worrying over Wooyoung, who’d suddenly lifted his head up. Yeosang nods, continuing to nervously play with his hoodie strings.
“Think ‘m gonna be sick… Wooyoung chokes out, standing up quickly, arms reaching out for San who takes them.
“Oh! Okay!“ San holds onto him, eyes going wide, and wraps an arm around his waist, to quickly lead him to the bathroom before he makes a mess on the floor and Hongjoong makes him mop it up.
“I-i’ll wait here” Yeosang mumbles.
Wooyoung stumbles, a shaky arm clinging onto San, who’s face was frowned with concern, no dimples to be shown. San opens the bathroom door for Wooyoung and leads them both inside as Wooyoung sucks in a whiny breath. His stomach makes another weird noise and San hurriedly helps him kneel down in front of the toilet.
Wooyoung sits there for a beat, panting before his stomach contracts weirdly and he gags over the water. San rubs his back, whispering gentle words. Wooyoung coughs and gags again and all three and a half coffees he’d consumed that day come splashing out. He whimpers a little, an arm protectively around his middle as it gurgles painfully.
“It’s alright Woo, I’ve got you” San murmurs, rubbing soothing circles into his boyfriend’s back. Wooyoung whimpers again as he starts to throw up a second time. “I regret giving you that last Americano..” San chuckles darkly. He’s reached his hand under Wooyoung’s hoodie to rub against the soft skin underneath, hoping that helped comfort the sick blonde a little more.
“Y-you can scold me later..” Wooyoung mumbles, sniffling. He reaches up to flush the toilet before leaning back in San’s embrace. “And Yeosang’s my best friend, you don’t have to worry about him” He adds on, signature grin- albeit much more weak- on his face. San nods, mouth making a soft ‘oh’ shape before it dawned on him.
When San had gone through Wooyoung’s entire instagram (You know, as new boyfriends do), that’s where he’d seen Yeosang’s face. Him and Wooyoung were both wearing the same school uniform in the pictures he’d seen, and there had been a couple of Yeosang skateboarding, one with both of them and a drone as well. San nods.
“Oh”
“He went to college after high school, I forgot to tell you about Yeosang didn’t i?” Wooyoung giggles weakly, nuzzling his sniffly nose into San’s shirt.
“Yah, Jung Wooyoung, wipe your face before you get your puke germs on my work clothes!” San, looking scandalized, wipes his shirt as Wooyoung sits back with his shrill giggle.
“Sorry, babe!”
“Is your stomach feeling better now?” San asks, still frowning in concern as Wooyoung nods.
“Mostly” He shrugs, feeling guilty. “ ‘m sorry for this.”
“It’s okay. I’ll lead you back to Yeosang and grab you one of Hongjoong’s teas, okay?”
“Okay” San stands up, and then helps Wooyoung up. He takes a paper towel and wets it, making sure to wipe Wooyoung’s mouth, much to the younger’s dismay.
~
Hongjoong did not know where San went. San did not mention if he was going on his break- he would’ve, he was a responsible employee despite letting his boyfriend drool and drape himself all over the counter. He pouts his lips in concern, looking around the cafe, but all he saw were a couple people in the corner minding their business and… was that the shy Yeosang kid awkwardly standing by Wooyoung’s table? Where was Wooyoung? They weren’t having a quickie in the bathroom again, were they? Because they were NOT subtle about it, and someone complained. And then they had walked out with San obviously tucking himself into his pants, apron undone and Wooyoung licking his swollen lips with a very telling smirk. Hongjoong had nearly lost his lunch just thinking about it.
Then he saw San and Wooyoung heading back to the booth, and yes they had come from the bathroom but they didn’t look debouched or oddly proud. San was leading Wooyoung with an arm protectively around his waist. San says something to Yeosang and Yeosang looks a little more relaxed, and San helps Wooyoung sit down. Yeosang sits down as well. The San makes his way back to the counter.
“Hey San, you uh. You mind telling me where you had gone off to?” Hongjoong asks, voice accusatory but still friendly. He wasn’t actually angry at San- who pales and squeaks realizing that he had been a little irresponsible.
“I’m sorry hyung, it happened so fast, Wooyoung was throwing up” San explained, cheeks flushing in embarrassment. Hongjoong nods in understanding- yeah, that definitely made sense with the way San was holding onto Wooyoung. And without missing a beat, Hongjoong is already reaching for a cup.
“I’ll make him some peppermint tea, yeah? Grab him some water and go sit down, take your break. Did you find out who Yeosang was?” San visibly relaxes and nods. “It was the Americano that made him sick, wasn’t it? It was his third coffee of the day” Hongjoong hums, reaching for a tea packet.
“He didn’t eat today” San replies, getting a cup of tap water for his boyfriend. Hongjoong ‘ah’s’ in response. “They’re friends, went to school together and Yeosang’s just back from college. I didn’t hear the rest of the story because my boyfriend doesn’t know how to take care of himself properly” Hongjoong snorts.
“Go sit down with them, San, i’ll bring the tea and a plain bagel for him to eat while his stomach settles itself.”
~
San settles himself next to Wooyoung, passing him the cup of water. Yeosang was sipping his mocha and the Americano cup had obviously been thrown in the trash. Wooyoung still looked pale and shaky, but he was animatedly talking to Yeosang, who was listening politely with a fond smile on his face. San rubs Wooyoung’s back softly as Wooyoung takes a moment to sip on the water.
“Thanks, Sannie” Wooyoung smiles, turning to look up at the barista. San smiles back, kissing his forehead gently. “You on your break now?” San nods.
“Hongjoong is bringing you lunch” Wooyoung pouts and whines, making eyes at San.
“I know what you’re thinking, but the reason you feel disgusting is because you skipped breakfast and drank three coffees, so you’re eating”
“Three? It’s only 12:30.” Yeosang observes, staring incredulously at Wooyoung. “Do you not remember senior year?”
“We don’t talk about that!” Wooyoung squawks, turning to Yeosang. “It was one time, and it was the cafeteria coffee!”
“You vomited on my history homework!”
“That was the worst class anyways!”
“I got a 0 because the teacher didn’t believe me even though i was at the top of my class!” Yeosang huffs and San chuckles. Because yeah, it seems like Wooyoung was always just Wooyoung. Poor Yeosang had to deal with Wooyoung’s antics his entire life. “But yeah, the cafeteria coffee was pure swamp water, i have no idea why you drank the stuff. I think you’re the sole reason they even brewed it.”
“So Wooyoung has always been a caffeine junkie, I see” San remarks and Yeosang giggles, soft cheeks stretching in a smile. San almost coos and how soft and childlike Yeosang looked when he smiled. Wooyoung lets out an offended squeak.
“I swear since he was like, 10” Yeosang snorts. San nods, shaking his head and patting Wooyoung’s hair. Wooyoung pouts like a child.
Hongjoong then shows up with the toasted bagel and a cup of tea for Wooyoung, setting it in front of him on the table.
“How’s your stomach, Woyooung?” Hongjoong asks, concerned, smiling fondly at him. He thought of Wooyoung like a kid brother. “If you don’t eat this bagel, I’m kicking you out”
Wooyoung huffs and whines before picking up half of the bagel to nibble on, opting to wait to drink the tea when it cools down a little bit. He could hear Yeosang snicker. San keeps a protective arm over Wooyoung, rubbing his back gently. Hongjoong then turns to Yeosang with a smile.
“Ah yes, Yeosang, i’m Kim Hongjoong, it’s nice to meet you. I’m the supervisor for this cafe, as well as a literal father for these two losers here.” Yeosang let’s out a soft giggle and nods.
“It’s nice to meet you too, Hongjoong” He says with a soft smile, looking up at the short barista. “I trust you’ve taken care of Wooyoungie well? He’s- he’s a little chaotic, I apologize.” San snorts and Wooyoung reaches over to swat Yeosang’s hand with his bagel.
“Yah, Kang Yeosang!”
“He’s a good kid when he wants to be” Hongjoong chuckles. “So Yeosang, you’re welcome to chill here anytime you’d like- Wooyoung practically never leaves. He’s been coming here since before he even knew San”
“Thank you, Hongjoong hyung” Yeosang says, a little shyer again this time. Everyone here was so nice, and it made Yeosang feel a little more comfortable, knowing that he wasn’t being a nuisance, and that they accepted and took care of his best friend while he wasn’t there to be the voice of reason for him.
“Now i’ve got to go back to work because well.. there’s customers, but if y’all need anything let me know, yeah?” And with that, Hongjoong took his leave and went back to the counter to take orders. Wooyoung leaned his head against San and pouted, petulantly setting the half eaten bagel down on the plate.
“Sannie~ I don’t want it” Wooyoung whined, looking up at the dark haired barista. “My tummy hurts”
“And who’s fault is that, baby?” San asked him, poking his cheek. Wooyoung huffs.
“Not mine!”
“Woo, baby, you’ve got to notice the signs in your body before it gets to this point and take care of yourself” San tells him, rubbing his back idly.
“Hey San, remember when you went to work with a fever and Hongjoong had to call me and make me drive you home in your car?”
“Fuck off, Wooyoung!”
Wooyoung cackles as San pouts, clearly scandalized and caught at his own game. Yeosang watches the banter with a fond smile.