Work Text:
Jaebeom is getting tired of drinking lukewarm water from the fountain on campus.
Despite this, he continues to forget to pour water in the ice tray at home, and his roommate Jinyoung doesn’t even bother reminding him anymore. He bought himself a mini fridge for this very reason, Jaebeom thought, and yet he, himself, still doesn’t do anything about his dilemma.
It was one of his freer days during the week, so he can totally do a quick stop at the convenience store and just get a pack of ice to go. He passes over the bridge connecting to the town center, spotting the entrance within distance.
Jaebeom’s eyes suddenly wander over to the shop next to it, a big red banner still plastered atop the doors. ‘GRAND OPENING’ it read in a modern, simplistic font, and a poorly warped image of milk tea with boba printed next to the words. Jaebeom cringes at the graphic work.
However, his gaze trails down towards the collapsible chalkboard placed right in front of the store. The writing was a little smudged, but it basically read something along the lines of buy one, get one free during their opening week. Jaebeom isn’t exactly sure when this place opened as he rarely takes the time to go out especially somewhere near campus, but he guesses he’ll give it a try.
He’s clearly never been to a lot of milk tea shops before as he enters the place with a questionable expression. It was clean and empty, the fluttering music echoes within the walls. It was really bright too, and Jaebeom had to squeeze his eyes shut from the contrast of the interior to the outside. The sky was cloudy today, the perfect weather for Jaebeom to just stay indoors.
Maybe they’re not doing well, Jaebeom surmises — but that was impossible, his campus goes crazy over boba. Hell, every fundraising booth along the main pathway consists of $2 standard milk tea flavor with really tough to chew tapioca pearls.
He almost swore off of the drink when Bambam forced him to ‘donate’ to his fraternity. Jaebeom was about to argue on the spot, but he didn’t want to embarrass his friend in front of his prospective bigs, like Mark whom he really admired. He still doesn’t understand the appeal of frats, and he most definitely did not take a liking to the milk tea culture either.
So it was a mistake to come in, and he could have saved five minutes of his precious time by grabbing the damn ice pack from the mart next door.
Jaebeom turns his heels back, but is stopped abruptly in his tracks by a boisterous greeting coming from the counter.
“Hi! Welcome! I’m sorry, I must have unlocked the door a few minutes early.”
Jaebeom glances towards the voice, warmth spreading onto his cheeks. He sees another college student beaming cheekily at him, an apron adorning his body and a name tag with a messily scribbled ‘YOUNGJAE ^3^’ filling up the space.
He has really fluffy hair, the ends curled in different directions and Jaebeom is suddenly self conscious of the cap that hid his unwashed locks. Sure, it was his most vacant day, but he had to suffer through one eight a.m class first thing in the morning, so was it worth it?
“Come again?” Jaebeom croaks out. He stands awkwardly on the other side, closer to the door than the register. He doesn’t know whether to move forward or keep still, but his eyes definitely want to continue staring at Youngjae.
“We open at 9:30, and it’s just about to be that time,” Youngjae looks at the wall clock to his left. He returns his gaze back at Jaebeom with his round specs molding his soft features, bowing slightly as an apology. “I had to prep a couple more toppings in the back, so I apologize for making you wait!”
“Oh, no. You didn’t.” Jaebeom mistakenly made himself sound apprehensive, but it was just the shock he felt in his fingertips that rendered his brain unable to process what was happening. “I wasn’t even aware of this place until… right now,” he admits in a low mumble.
“That’s totally fine! We did just open a week ago,” Youngjae assures him as he keeps, well, smiling. It’s the customer service voice on, Jaebeom believes, because no one should sound as sweet as honey early in the morning.
“Anyway, would you like a few moments to think of something to get?”
“Sure,” is all Jaebeom can respond with, walking a little bit closer towards the counter. Youngjae nods his head cheerfully, stepping aside as if it would give more room for Jaebeom to look. They had a Top 10 list on a piece of laminated paper sitting on the surface, and the entirety of their menu hangs right above them. Jaebeom feels sweaty, only really knowing oolong milk tea with boba, and nothing else. He tries to ask for help, but decides against it since he’s afraid of looking like a loser in front of someone like Youngjae.
“Would you like any recommendations?” Youngjae quips in a small, but bright tone. Jaebeom looks up suddenly, flustered cheeks obstructing a clear view of the employee. Youngjae has his hands behind him, and he rocks himself back and forth slightly with the heel of his shoes. His eyes were smiling, and his mouth was slightly apart in anticipation. Jaebeom hitches a breath, feeling even more musky with his unkempt appearance.
Youngjae doesn’t seem to observe him the way he does internally, as he keeps his attention solely on Jaebeom’s face. He steps closer, reaching his arm over to point at a few different drinks on the paper. Jaebeom follows his movements, mesmerized at the pretty fingers that Youngjae has, a couple of rings adorning a few digits. His skin was milky, smooth, and a few moles dotted themselves along his arm. He even smelled so pretty.
Jaebeom is a perv, and he shakes his head momentarily to rid himself of such thoughts all of a sudden. It’s been way too long since he’s found himself a date, let alone think of anyone in particular during nights he can’t sleep.
It’s just the hormones, don’t be too obvious.
“—So, is there anything from here that suits your taste?” Youngjae finishes what seems to be a speech that Jaebeom did not catch at all, not even a word. He scrambles for an answer, stuttering as his eyes search for any familiar words on the card. Strawberry , he sees, and says it out loud.
“Fruit Tornado Strawberry? Okay, excellent choice! ” Youngjae cheers in English, and Jaebeom finds himself letting out a soft chuckle after. Youngjae reciprocates a laugh, probably a little shy from what he had just done. Jaebeom holds onto the strap of his body bag to discreetly wipe off the sweat pouring out of his palms.
“Do—Do you go here?” Jaebeom musters up a question. Youngjae pulls out a card from his apron pocket and slides it into the ipad slot on the side. “Mhm,” he hums as he presses on the screen for his employee password.
“I’m a sophomore, studying Music with a minor in Education.”
“Wow,” Jaebeom slips, and his hand covers his lips just as fast. Youngjae laughs as he raises his eyebrow in question, “Why? Does it not suit me?”
“No, it does! It’s just,” Jaebeom falters, wanting to comment on Youngjae’s pretty, plump, rose colored lips and how he’d want to hear beautiful melodies coming through them, but that’s way out of line. Especially for sober Jaebeom.
“I’m a Music major too, but I picked Sound Engineering as a specialization,” he explains. "My name is Jaebeom. by the way," he adds.
“Oh, a hyung!" Youngjae acknowledges his name. "You’re graduating?”
Jaebeom’s face muscle twitches into an embarrassed smile with the way Youngjae’s ears perk up at his words. He meekly nods, biting the insides of his cheeks to prevent him from saying anything more that can influence him from digging into a deeper hole for himself. He’d like to know more about Youngjae, would like to hear about the intro classes he’s taking, and maybe offer him complimentary notes, a study date, anything—
“I’m sure it’s exciting to finally get out of this place, huh?” Youngjae interrupts his meddling thoughts. “I can only imagine what it feels like doing so many classical pieces of music you don’t care for, but need for a damned grade.” He rolls his eyes sardonically, groaning while doing so. Jaebeom couldn’t believe his ears as Youngjae cursed, but it made him all the more intrigued.
“I actually never took a classical music class, not that I’m not a fan. Kind of,” Jaebeom says airily, “I studied more of the technical side of things, like producing music and stuff.”
“Ooh,” Youngjae coos. He clasps his hands together and winks dramatically. “I’ll be sure to look out for your name on the credits of the next hit single soon, Jaebeom hyung.”
“Ah…” Jaebeom doesn’t know what to say, even his friends rarely compliment him like this in a sarcastic manner. Youngjae is arelly getting into his skin, and he’s not so sure if it’s a good or bad thing to happen. He watches the younger punch in Jaebeom’s order on the screen, his eyebrows scrunched up just the tiniest bit in concentration — dear god, why was something so minimal proved to be heart wrenching for Jaebeom?
His chest physically hurt from Youngjae’s cuteness, and he’s afraid when he leaves he’ll never get the courage to come back again and ask for something else other than a milk tea order.
“Did you want anything else, Jaebeom hyung?” Youngjae asks him politely, and Jaebeom shakes his head no. The transaction was almost over, and Jaebeom’s sudden high is nearing its full stop. His stomach lunges, wanting nothing more but to stay for a little longer and talk with Youngjae.
“Well, you’re in luck, Jaebeom hyung. We extended our BOGO offer until the end of this week, so you can get another drink of your choice for free!” Youngjae says excitedly, using his pointer finger to wag it in the air. “Do you want the same one or maybe something else you can give to a friend?”
Jaebeom looks slightly bewildered, remembering the sign he saw a while ago only stating that the promotional period was during the first week of opening. He couldn’t see any other signs in the store that mentioned this either. He gives Youngjae a suspicious look, peering his eyes at him until Youngjae bursts into loud laughter.
“Why are you looking at me as if I just snitched on you for not doing homework, hyung?” Youngjae cackles hard, constricting his tummy with his arms wrapped around them.
“The look on your face!” He wheezes even more. Jaebeom doesn’t understand what’s so funny, but Youngjae’s bellowing laughter overcoming the sound of the speakers was truly a sight to behold as well. He’s still truly confused as to why he’s getting a free drink, and he was about to let Youngjae know that they should probably clarify the sign at the front until he spoke again.
“You’re lucky you’re cute, Jaebeom hyung, or the girls will not give you a chance at all,” he hears Youngjae finally say normally. “Or the guys,” Youngjae mumbles afterwards, shying his gaze away from Jaebeom. He wipes a tear stain from his cheek from laughing too hard, and composes himself with a deep breath.
He doesn’t speak anymore, just allows Youngjae to brew in his own delight — which is a sight to be fond of, Jaebeom really thinks. Youngjae finally finishes the transaction, taking Jaebeom’s card from him to charge for the order. He even added a student discount on top of the freebie, and Jaebeom wonders if he’s gonna get himself fired from what he’s doing.
But with Youngjae’s looks, and the charm of that bright smile, Jaebeom highly concludes it is unlikely.
“Make what you like to drink,” Jaebeom tells him, sitting down on one of the chairs. Youngjae nods, setting off to make his orders. Jaebeom ponders on Youngjae’s words, overthinking his statement a thousand times over in his head it starts to hurt. It was a silly compliment, and Youngjae seems to be the type to flirt but not dive right in. Surface level, if you will, and Jaebeom pouts at that realization. He’s not that young for Jaebeom, but there’s probably already people in Youngjae’s life that he cherishes, and maybe has an eye for. In which he may still flirt with, but with more depth, and connection, and Jaebeom surmises he is just another customer to him.
Youngjae finishes the two drinks, with the one he chose himself looking purple and blended. Jaebeom stiffens in his seat as Youngjae approaches him with a grin. He had arranged the two drinks in a carry-on tray, and places it gently on the table. Youngjae bows down once more, hair bouncing with his movement, and lets up.
“Here you are, one strawberry with cheesecake foam, and the other is taro. With extra pudding, trust me on that,” Youngjae tells him, nudging Jaebeom on the shoulder. “Oh, here’s a stamp card by the way, just in case you like the drink, and come back for more.” Youngjae slides a pink stamp card close to him, one hole already punched out.
“Thanks, Youngjae,” Jaebeom starts. “But the other drink is for you, actually.
“Me?”
“Yeah, if you want. There doesn’t seem to be anyone else here yet, and it is something that you like, right?” Jaebeom suggests. He’s not sure if he can even slack off, and if there are security cameras guarding their moves Jaebeom didn’t feel the need to check.
“Oh, I— I can’t really drink it, though. I’m on duty,” Youngjae confirms his suspicions. “It’s okay! I’d like for you to try it if you want to drink it later or tomorrow. Pudding doesn’t harden as much as tapioca pearls, so it won’t be gross if you keep it in the freezer to chill.”
“Alright,” Jaebeom sighs dejectedly, failing to show his disappointment. He brought it upon himself, and it seemed like another customer was coming in already, anyway. He feels a little off now, standing up while holding the drink tray with his still sweaty hands. He tried, not as hard as he’d like, but he did.
Youngjae whips his head to the sound of the door being pushed in. “Oh, Jackson hyung, you’re early!” Youngjae seems to know the guy. Turns out, he wasn’t a customer. He was the other employee on shift with Youngjae, seeing the apron wrinkled in the guy’s grasp.
“Yeah, I didn’t want to be late like… the past couple of days,” Jackson breathes out, taking one look at Jaebeom. They both smile politely at each other, and Jackson sends himself off to the back to get ready.
“I’ll be off then,” Jaebeom says, standing in front of Youngjae. They were close to each other’s height, and so Jaebeom can almost decipher his sorry reflection on Youngjae’s lenses. He blinks too hard, looking down to save himself from further doom.
“Okay, Jaebeom hyung. Thanks for visiting the shop,” Youngjae proceeds. “Don’t forget your stamp card! There’s a link to a survey that you can fill out online for some feedback, and then just show us the screenshot next time, and you’ll get another free drink.”
“Will do,” Jaebeom lies, offering a tight lipped smile. He slides the stamp card in his pocket, waving a short goodbye to the younger. Youngjae does the same, a little more cheery than him, and so Jaebeom leaves with his heart unsatisfied, and a now grumbling stomach.
Safe from the view of the store, Jaebeom tries out the drink he chose, delightfully impressed at how it tasted. He continues walking on the street, not bothered to take the shuttle since it was still windy out. Jaebeom retrieves the stamp card from his pocket, mentally reminding himself to give it to Jinyoung or Bambam some other time so it doesn’t go to waste.
He flips it over, eyes searching for the link Youngjae mentioned until he reads a number marked in sharpie instead. He abruptly stops for the second time that day, and the students walking behind him curse under their breath as they collide with his back. He forgets to say sorry as he stares at the phone number right in front of his face.
Jaebeom has never finished a bunch of online homework as rapidly as he did today. He needed some kind of distraction not to look at his phone, his contacts, and the number he saved there. He wasn’t about to waste the remaining hours of his Thursday overthinking about a phone number, but he also had time sensitive quizzes due on Friday. He chose to finally fulfill the kind of studious man his mother had wished for him to be all these years.
He had been working in his room, but decided to take his laptop and himself to the living room and finish up there. Jaebeom didn’t realize that time had passed him by when Jinyoung entered the apartment with Yugyeom in tow. They were both sweating in their clothes, and Jaebeom scrunched up his nose in disgust as they sat in between him.
“Why don’t you guys shower in the dance studio instead? Jaebeom complains, swatting Jinyoung’s arms trying to slither itself around his shoulder. He bumps into Yugyeom instead who gives him a cheeky smile, so Jaebeom opts to stand up and find a safer, and less smelly area in the kitchen island.
“Too many people use it after practice, might as well come back here to freshen up,” Jinyoung replies. “Do you want to go first or me?” He asks Yugyeom.
“Up to you. It’s your bathroom, hyung.”
“ Might as well be yours too, Gyeom-ah,” Jaebeom blurts out mockingly, rolling his eyes at the two oblivious men in front of him. He knows Jinyoung can be non confrontational and passive at times, but Jaebeom didn’t think it’d be to this extent that he brings Yugyeom over almost every day with an excuse of him needing to shower immediately after dance practice. Jinyoung isn’t even a dance major, he just took one lower division class that still had a slot, and met Yugyeom along the way. A year later, Jinyoung is still practicing dance on the side with Yugyeom teaching workshops every now and then as a part-time job.
“Go,” Jinyoung decides for the both of them, ignoring Jaebeom’s statement. “Your towel is already in the bathroom.”
“Thanks, hyung!” Yugyeom sprints towards the bathroom, leaving the two roommates in awkward silence.
“Do you want me to find a new apartment or are we gonna talk about the elephant in the room?” Jaebeom starts teasingly, closing his laptop. Jinyoung crosses his arms, rests his back against the couch and huffs in response.
“There’s nothing between us. He is a dongsaeng,” Jinyoung says after some time.
“He’s not a minor, anymore.”
“Not the point.”
“Alright, so you’re just going to keep hanging out with him and letting him stay over a couple of days in a row because his dorm is on the other side of campus. Gotcha, nothing suspicious there, Jinyoung,” Jaebeom pokes him even more, from his seat, but his heart almost stops when Jinyoung spots the stamp card on the coffee table. With Youngjae’s phone number out in the open.
“What’s this?” Jinyoung says in surprise just when Jaebeom attempts to pry it off of his hands. The younger leaps from the living room to the kitchen floor, tip toeing while his arms are stretched upwards as he reads the phone number out loud. Jaebeom gives up, not wanting to play any more of Jinyoung’s games as his mind reels him back in to the situation he was clearly wanting to avoid.
“Flirting in milk tea shops now, I see? What’s his name?” Jinyoung prods, retreating his arms back to his side, but keeping the card to himself. “Did you call him yet? Do you have a date tonight, hyung?”
“No, what are you talking about,” Jaebeom scrambles a little flustered.
“You’re scared to, aren’t you,” Jinyoung didn’t pose it as a question, it was almost a fact and Jaebeom knew it. Still, he didn’t want to surrender so easily so he cards his fingers through still-damp hair and sighs. “I’m not. It’s just… maybe it was a mistake.”
“A mistake that he wrote his number on a stamp card? Jaebeom hyung, you know this isn’t supposed to be here unless he really wanted you to do something about it.”
And did he? Did Youngjae find him equally as attractive to make Jaebeom text him?
They stare at each for a few seconds, Jinyoung not letting go first with his determined expression. “You know you want to,” he mouths, a smirk playing in the corner of his lips.
Jaebeom thinks about it, thinks about Yugyeom using up his shampoo and conditioner because it smelled better than Jinyoung’s. He makes a choice right there.
“Keep the card. I have the number in my phone,” he finally relents, and Jinyoung pats him on the back with a proud grin on his face. Jaebeom gets his phone from his room, looks through the new contacts made as of that day, and composes a text twenty times in review before accidentally hitting send.
[4:10pm] Hey, it’s Jaebeom. I ordered something this morning from the shop. I was your first customer.
[4:15pm] hi hyung!! i thought you weren’t going to text me! hhhh
[4:15pm] finally found the /link/ to the survey? :3c
[4:16pm] sry for the late reply btw, i just got off work!!
[4:16pm] Yeah, haha. I was wondering if I can answer that survey in person. I have some things to say.
[4:16pm] Oh, you must be tired. It’s alright. I can ask again some other time.
[4:17pm] no no, if u can meet up outside the shop soon i’m down!!
[4:17pm] i haven;t changed yet tho so i might smell like milk tea
[4:17pm] how long will it take u to get here? o:
[4:18pm] Give me 15 minutes
[4:18pm] okie! get here safe^^
Youngjae did smell of whole milk and brewed tea, but Jaebeom actually inhaled it all in. He learned that Youngjae had Tuesdays and Thursdays off from school, so he uses the majority of his day to work a total of 16 hour shifts. His scholarship paid for most of his tuition, but rent was still a problem so Youngjae was glad to have found nearby jobs that didn’t interfere with his classes.
There were more people loitering about the town center as classes come to an end soon, but the two of them were able to find a bench that overlooked the campus from the other side. Jaebeom brought his blended taro drink with extra pudding as he rode the bus on the way here, almost finishing it in its entirety before they even came to his stop.
“So, rating from 1-10 with 10 being the highest, how would you rate your overall experience at the shop?” Youngjae asks him after they had gotten a few more fun facts about themselves once they saw each other.
“I would say it was a solid 9,” Jaebeom tells him, his hand dangerously close to touching Youngjae’s as it rests on the surface. He keeps it there, though, comfortable with the way they are next to each other. Youngjae feigns a look of disappointment, his lips curving in the most adorable way. “Why only a nine?”
“There’s always room for improvement,” he tries to say smartly. “It’s also my first time there, so my rating can always change.”
“Then, Jaebeom-ssi, what is there to improve on based on your observations from today?” Youngjae prompts him, turning his upper torso directly in front of Jaebeom. His legs were crossed, with one hand resting lazily on his knee and the other is playing with the ring on his index finger. Jaebeom gulps, keeping his leveled with Youngjae instead of his other body parts. His hair still looked so fluffy eight hours after they saw each other, and with natural lighting Jaebeom can make out the tiniest of pores surrounding Youngjae’s face. He noticed that he kept scrunching his nose whenever Jaebeom would speak, thinking that Youngjae may be unaware of the tic. It was so cute.
“The strawberry with the cheesecake foam was a little bit too sweet for my taste.” Youngjae’s eyes widen at the sudden honesty of the older, not expecting a real critic to come out of him, but he lets him continue. “But I really like the purple drink, and the extra pudding sure hit the spot.”
“You really drank both in a span of a day?” Youngjae says in shock. “I’m impressed at your lactose strength, if that even is a thing.”
“Well, I couldn’t let the cute employee down for recommending it to me. I thought it tasted best the day of making it, and I didn’t want my review tainted,” Jaebeom comments slyly, eyes shining.
Youngjae chuckles softly, patting Jaebeom’s hand that was next to him. He lingers a second longer than Jaebeom expected, but soon intertwines his hands together on his knees.
“Thank you for answering our survey questions, Jaebeom-ssi. The next time you visit, you will be treated with a different free drink! I recommend asking your barista for his other favorites until you pick your own,” Youngjae states.
“My pleasure, Youngjae-ssi,” Jaebeom plays along, smiling wide.
“Unless you want to get your freebie someplace else?”
Jaebeom misses a beat, leans back as his face scrunches in confusion.
“Like, say, the ramen place a few blocks away? I’m sure you like ramen, every college student does.”
“Wait,” Jaebeom shuffles for the words in his mind that his mouth couldn’t speak. “Are you saying you’re going to treat me out… for ramen?”
Youngjae watches the expression on Jaebeom’s face morph more and more into his own overthinking. He makes it worse by just idly staring, tilting his head for emphasis and trying not to laugh. Jaebeom is about to rip his hair right at the scalp for the way Youngjae was looking at him, dead serious in the eyes but his cheeks were puffing up.
Again, Youngjae laughs loudly. Even those walking by glancing over to see the commotion. Jaebeom feels warmth all over his face again, unsure of what was comical about his question, even concluding the fact that his existence may just as well be laughable to Youngjae at this point.
“Hyung, you’re way too cute,” Youngjae speaks, out of breath. “I was scared for a second that you thought me giving you my number was creepy.”
“Huh?”
“Jaebeom hyung, I think you’re really cute,” Youngjae repeats, “and I’d like to take you on a date if you’ll accept. Yes, I was asking to treat you for some ramen sometime. Do you like ramen?”
“I.. like ramen,” was Jaebeom’s lame response, but as the older one of the two he feels queasy having Youngjae ask all the questions. “It wasn’t creepy, I actually… feel the same. I want to pay for the ramen, though, you’ve done enough.”
Youngjae smiles, leaning his shoulder over Jaebeom. He stays put for a while, and Jaebeom for some reason eases into Youngjae’s presence near him. He thought the younger had fallen asleep as his head had fallen on him too. “Youngjae?” Jaebeom barely whispers, moving his head slightly so as to not disrupt the younger.
It was a mistake to do that. Youngjae, not moving any farther away from him, looks up. Their noses bump, and Jaebeom is almost cross eyed from being so close to his face. He can see the outline of his red lips, so plump, and so soft. It’s parted in a way that if Jaebeom just moved even half an inch closer, he was ready to kiss him senseless.
“Are you sure about paying for ramen?” Youngjae whispers back, eyes never leaving Jaebeom.
“Y-yeah.”
“Woo!” Youngjae retreats to his own space, leaving Jaebeom whipped out of air and out of his held breath. Youngjae clasps his hands together, and says eagerly, “I mean, we’re most likely going to split the bill because I’m stubborn like that, but there’s no backing out of this date, hyung!”
Jaebeom thinks this whole day was just a dream, but being able to hug Youngjae before they parted ways at the bus stop snapped him into reality. He really was so squishy, and yet firm with his arms. He felt their cheeks brush just slightly which made him shiver from the touch, it was intoxicating. They pick a time and date, and the location of their meeting was going to be at the very same bench. Jaebeom was going to meet Youngjae again in three days, and he was really glad that he finished his homework beforehand, so he had one less thing to worry about this weekend.