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Yoo Joonghyuk found his dearest dreamer at the dining table staring at a brightly colored flyer. Usually he wouldn’t have thought anything strange, but the weird, focused expression on Kim Dokja’s face slightly concerned him. Kim Dokja kept on glancing between the flyer and Yoo Joonghyuk. There were times when Kim Dokja would open his mouth, about to say something, only to quickly shut it and timidly look away.
Yoo Joonghyuk called himself a patient man. After all, he went through 1863+ regressions to be with Kim Dokja.
So suffice to say, he wasn’t willing to wait any longer.
“Dokja?”
Flustered, Kim Dokja looked up, slightly sweating and nervous. “Yes?”
“Is there anything you want to tell me?”
Yoo Joonghyuk watched as Kim Dokja bit his lip, once again glancing down at the flyer in his hands and back at Yoo Joonghyuk.
“Umm...not really.” Kim Dokja crumpled the piece of paper in his hand and shoved it into his pocket. “I was just…”
Yoo Joonghyuk sighed and held out his hand. “Give it.”
Hesitation was written all over Kim Dokja’s face. He reluctantly handed the wad of paper to Yoo Joonghyuk and pointedly stared away as Yoo Joonghyuk flattened it out. It was filled with pictures of food and hearts. He read the contents to himself.
“A soft opening for a new cafe.” Yoo Joonghyuk saw that Kim Dokja’s face turned even redder. “What’s there to be embarrassed about?”
“N-Nothing!” Kim Dokja buried his face in his hands. Seeing his dreamer so distraught was quite adorable, Yoo Joonghyuk quietly laughed to himself before patting Kim Dokja on the head. Kim Dokja let out a groan of protest, but leaned into the touch.
“I...I heard about it from my classmates. They went there and said it was good,” Kim Dokja mumbled, “I wanna try it too.”
“Then, what’s stopping you?”
Kim Dokja blushed and his hands dug into his pants, fingers clutching the fabric as if it was his only lifeline. “I don’t have anyone to go with.”
Yoo Joonghyuk hummed. “Why don’t you go with a classmate?”
“N-No!”
Yoo Joonghyuk raised an eyebrow at the rare hint of frustration from his dreamer. As soon as Kim Dokja realized how loud he was, he buried his face in his hands.
“Dokja?”
Kim Dokja took a deep breath before raising his head, his face bright as the tomatoes he disliked. “I-I want to go with hyung!”
Yoo Joonghyuk blinked before nodding and patting Kim Dokja on the head. “Of course, all you had to do was say the word.” He would fulfill any wish his dreamer desired. Something like this was nothing compared to what the dreamer went through for his incarnation.
Kim Dokja let out a sigh of relief. “I…I just didn’t know how to ask.”
“Never hesitate to ask anything of me Dokja. So, when would you like to go?”
“There’s no school tomorrow, so how about tomorrow afternoon?”
Yoo Joonghyuk nodded, already mentally planning to prepare everything he needed for tomorrow. “Fine with me.”
Yoo Joonghyuk and Kim Dokja stepped off of the subway together and exited the station to feel the brisk Seoul air hit their faces. Kim Dokja visibly shivered and stepped closer to Yoo Joonghyuk, who kept an arm around Kim Dokja’s shoulders.
“I didn’t think it would be this cold today,” Kim Dokja said as he tucked his hands into his coat pockets.
“You should’ve bundled up more.” Yoo Joonghyuk said as he unraveled the muffler around his neck. The next thing Kim Dokja knew, the muffler was around him, the warmth and scent of Yoo Joonghyuk comforting him.
“Thanks hyung.” Kim Dokja hid the brightness of his cheeks within the muffler as Yoo Joonghyuk led his charge to the street where the cafe was.
The outside of the cafe was decorated with the same hearts that were plastered all over the flyer. Yoo Joonghyuk opened the door for Kim Dokja and the pair walked in. The interior was even more colorful, with pastel streamers and heart shaped lamps hanging from the ceiling. Kim Dokja gazed in awe at all of the decorations while Yoo Joonghyuk spoke with the server about the reservation he placed.
The two were guided to a corner booth and they sat down on each side of the table. The waiter handed them their menus and they were finally left alone.
“What are you going to get hyung?” Kim Dokja asked as he looked over the menu. “I think I know what I’m getting.”
“I’m leaning towards the coffee and the biscotti dipped in dark chocolate.” Yoo Joonghyuk closed the menu and put it aside. “How about you?”
Kim Dokja turned his menu around and pointed to the picture labeled with ‘Cafe Special’ in big, bold letters. “The chocolate drizzled pancakes. I heard from my classmates that it’s really tasty. Plus a cup of hot cocoa. If you want to try some, you’re more than welcome to.”
“Thank you. It sounds delicious.” A bit too sweet for Yoo Joonghyuk’s taste, but he couldn’t say no to Kim Dokja’s earnest face.
A smiling waitress in a pink apron arrived a few minutes later. She bowed and took out a notepad. “Hello, I’m here to take your order. Are you ready?”
Yoo Joonghyuk nodded. “One coffee. Add one cream and two spoons of sugar. Also a side of the dark chocolate dipped biscotti.”
“Yes sir!” She grinned as she wrote down Yoo Joonghyuk’s order. When she turned to Kim Dokja, it was faint, but Kim Dokja could see her enthusiasm dim. “And you?”
“Oh, um,” He pointed to the pancake special. “This please.”
“Okay.” She scribbled it down and returned her attention to Yoo Joonghyuk. “Are you sure you don’t want anything else? We have really tasty desserts, it’s such a shame you’re only having biscotti and coffee.”
“No thank you,” Yoo Joonghyuk replied smoothly, “I’m fine. How about you Dokja?”
For some reason, the dreamer was pouting, arms crossed and...glaring at the waitress?
“A hot chocolate.” Kim Dokja said with a scowl.
“Mmhmm.” The waitress added it to the order. “Alright I’ll put in your order and be right back with your drinks.” She left with a skip in her step.
“Is there something wrong Dokja?” asked Yoo Joonghyuk.
The frown on Kim Dokja’s face quickly left and he smiled at Yoo Joonghyuk. “N-No! Nothing at all. I was just thrown off a bit, but I’m fine now.”
Yoo Joonghyuk narrowed his eyes at the blatant lie. “Alright then, just let me know.”
“Of course.”
“Now, tell me, how’s school? No one’s harassing you?”
Kim Dokja chuckled. “No, of course not. And school is fine. I’m doing well in all of my subjects, thanks to the extra tutoring from noona.”
Uriel really wanted their little dreamer to succeed, so she personally tutors Kim Dokja in every subject. At least they didn’t have to pay for cram school.
“Also,” continued Kim Dokja, “there’s going to be a field trip in a couple of weeks—”
“Your drinks are ready!” The waitress returned with her tray full of drinks. “One cocoa.” A hot cocoa was placed roughly in front of Kim Dokja, practically on the brink of spilling over. “And a hot, steaming cup of coffee for you sir.” The coffee, along with a saucer of sugar and cream, was gently placed in front of Yoo Joonghyuk.
“Thank you,” said Yoo Joonghyuk, eyeing the new shade of red on Kim Dokja’s face. What was ailing his dreamer? His attention was once again grabbed by the waitress who bowed.
“Please let me know if you need anything else.” The waiter said with a wide smile, “Anything at all. Please, call—”
“ Hyung .” Kim Dokja’s honeyed voice drifted through the air. Yoo Joonghyuk felt a foot nudge his ankle under the table and he turned to see Kim Dokja with a forced smile on his face.
“Hyung, did you hear me?”
“Sorry Dokja, I must have missed it. Can you repeat it?”
The edge of Kim Dokja’s lips twitched, and Yoo Joonghyuk’s eyes widened as Kim Dokja suddenly stood up and walked over to sit directly next to Yoo Joonghyuk on his side of the bench.
“Sorry hyung, maybe the cafe was too loud.” Kim Dokja clung to Yoo Joonghyuk’s arm. “Can you hear me now?”
Yoo Joonghyuk couldn’t help but ruffle his dreamer’s soft hair. “Yes. Now tell me.”
Kim Dokja opened his mouth, but paused as he looked to the side where the waitress was awkwardly standing. “Excuse me,” the tone of the dreamer’s voice was like frigid ice, “we’re having a private conversation.”
The waitress sputtered, “I-I’m sorry, please excuse me!” She scurried away to the kitchen, disappearing from their view.
“Good riddance,” muttered Kim Dokja. He relaxed his grip on Yoo Joonghyuk’s arm and slid his hot cocoa closer to him. He took a sip and let out a pleased sigh, leaning his head on Yoo Joonghyuk’s shoulder. “Try some of my cocoa hyung, it’s quite good.”
Yoo Joonghyuk hid his amusement as he accepted the cup from Kim Dokja. Just as he expected, the hot cocoa was overly sweet, matching the person who ordered it. After sipping it, he returned the cocoa to Kim Dokja and drank his own coffee.
“You don’t have to worry, you are the only one I see.”
“Hmm?” Kim Dokja tilted his head, his eyes blinked innocently, “What are you talking about hyung?”
Yoo Joonghyuk snorted and used the muffler around Kim Dokja’s neck to pull him close enough so that his lips were an inch away from Kim Dokja’s. “Jealousy is unbefitting of you Kim Dokja. You know more than anyone how much I went through for you.”
Kim Dokja’s breath hitched as Yoo Joonghyuk pressed his lips against Kim Dokja. Yoo Joonghyuk swallowed the whine that escaped his dreamer’s lips and practically pulled the smaller man onto his lap. Kim Dokja linked his arms around Yoo Joonghyuk’s neck and pressed himself closer. They separated and Kim Dokja rested his head against Yoo Joonghyuk’s shoulder, catching his breath whilst listening to the former regressor’s heartbeat. It calmed him down and Kim Dokja pressed a kiss to Yoo Joonghyuk’s neck.
“Feeling better?” asked Yoo Joonghyuk, rubbing small circles on Kim Dokja’s back.
“Yeah,” Kim Dokja mumbled, “Just hold me for a bit longer.”
They sat like that for a while, the sounds of the cafe turning into a dull buzz as they focused on each other’s presence. Yoo Joonghyuk pressed another kiss to Kim Dokja’s lips before gently pushing him off of his lap. Kim Dokja pouted.
“I was comfortable there.”
“If you stayed any longer, we might have gotten kicked out for public indecency.”
Kim Dokja choked while sipping on his hot cocoa. A napkin was offered and he snatched it to wipe his face.
Eventually a different waiter arrived with their food. Kim Dokja couldn’t hide his excited smile as the plate of pancakes was set in front of him, the chocolate dripping down the stack. Yoo Joonghyuk secretly took a picture before taking away Kim Dokja’s knife and fork.
“Hm? Hyung? You don’t need utensils for biscotti.”
Yoo Joonghyuk smirked. “Let me feed you.” He pulled the plate towards him. The knife glided across the pancakes until eight slices appeared. He stabbed a piece and held it to Kim Dokja’s lips. “Eat.”
Kim Dokja snorted before opening his mouth. He closed his eyes and waited for the pancake, but after a few seconds of waiting, he opened his eyes to see Yoo Joonghyuk taking a picture.
“H-Hyung!”
“Sorry, I couldn’t pass on this opportunity.” Yoo Joonghyuk gestured with the fork. “Alright, open up.”
Kim Dokja didn’t close his eyes this time and ate the offered pancake. He chewed thoughtfully before letting out a delighted hum. “Delicious. Another please.”
Yoo Joonghyuk quickly offered slice after slice of the chocolate pancakes and watched as Kim Dokja’s round cheeks gradually fattened. He looked like a hamster by the time he was done, munching happily on the pancakes.
When Kim Dokja finally devoured all of the pancakes, he let out a content sigh and rubbed his stomach. “Mmm, it was worth it.” A pink tongue darted out to lick his lips. “Perfect.”
Yoo Joonghyuk’s eyes zoomed in on the flecks of chocolate at the edge of Kim Dokja’s lips. He dipped his head and swiped at the chocolate with the tip of his tongue. Kim Dokja yelped at the wet contact, his hand clutching where he felt Yoo Joonghyuk’s tongue.
“Hyung!”
“Such a messy eater,” murmured Yoo Joonghyuk, his thumb tracing Kim Dokja’s lips, “What shall I do with you?”
Kim Dokja gulped and pushed Yoo Joonghyuk away. “W-We need to pay the check.”
“And afterwards?”
“M-Maybe.”
“Good enough for me.” Yoo Joonghyuk rose from his seat and offered a hand to Kim Dokja. “Shall we?”
Flustered, Kim Dokja accepted the hand and let Yoo Joonghyuk guide him. Their locked hands intertwined, a promise to never let each other go.