Chapter Text
It’s a harsh winter Monday when Jeongguk steps inside the warm cat cafe.
He pats down his thick coat outside at the entrance and taps down his feet so all the snow can come off, before he steps inside the warm and good-smelling cafe. Not even a few seconds in, he’s attacked by an army of kittens, and the boy crouches down while giggling to greet them back.
“Hi there babies,” he coos softly, doing his best to pet each and every kitten, ruffling their soft fur and giggling when they all try to jump on him. They’re all so small, they can’t even reach his legs properly, but he helps them and sits them all on his lap, murmuring sweet words to them. It’s no surprise that the kittens love Jeongguk, since he’s been coming here for at least one year, and got to see them all from the first moment they were brought in, the old ones and the new ones.
Most of the cats here are either adopted or strays, and Jeongguk is really proud to know that. He loves this cafe, the workers here and their pastries and drinks, and the simple fact that they take in cats who need a home is simply heartwarming.
“Good morning, Jeongguk-ah,” Yoongi — the owner of the cafe and at the same time the usual barista — greets the boy with a small smile, wiping his hands on his white apron so he could ruffle Jeongguk’s hair fondly.
“Good morning hyung!” the boy chirped, looking up at the older man with a big smile, before returning his attention back to the kittens. Some of them jumped down clumsily and are now jumping on Yoongi, who as much as he wants to pet them, can’t because of all the fur that would get stuck on his clothes.
“The usual?” the barista asks as he tries to get down a kitten that’s got its small claws stuck in his pants. Jeongguk helps him with that and takes the kitten in his arms before humming and nodding eagerly, his tummy rumbling at the thought of the warm hot cocoa with cinnamon and his favorite butter croissants.
Yoongi thanks the boy for the help and ruffles his hair one last time before turning around to walk behind the counter, and Jeongguk decides that it would be a good moment to go sit at his usual table. For 8 a.m. on a Monday morning, the cafe is pretty empty today, only a few regulars here and there that Jeongguk simply remembers by their faces.
The boy sits down at his usual table by the window — an older cat named Nabi that took a liking to him from the first day she was brought in, following him and jumping to sit by the window next to him — and pulls out his laptop and textbook, splaying them out as usually before plugging his device in. Yoongi has specifically gotten him accustomed to a table that’s near an outlet so Jeongguk can easily plug in his laptop or phone when needed, and he couldn’t be more grateful for that.
His hyung has always looked out for him silently like this, and Jeongguk truly appreciates and loves him for this. Being his only friend, Jeongguk thought that the older man might get tired or annoyed with him, sooner or later, but he never did.
Even after six years, he is still around, and that’s something Jeongguk will never be able to thank him for properly.
“Here you go Gguk,” Yoongi says once he reaches his table, placing down the plate with his croissants, as well as his cup of hot cocoa. He also puts down a few napkins as he knows Jeongguk will need them, before he tucks his tray under his arm. “How is today going so far?”
Jeongguk thanked him with a wide smile, biting into his croissant before answering with a full mouth, even though Yoongi always reminded him not to do so. “It’s going pretty well so far. I’m almost done with my project on evolution of aquatic pathogens, and hopefully I’ll be able to hand it in tomorrow. Other than that, it’s good. Just waiting for winter break to start.”
Yoongi hummed, and patted Jeongguk’s shoulder, saying, “You’re doing amazing, Gguk. And, winter break is only two weeks away, so no need to fret.”
The younger one gave him a big smile, and a nose scrunch. “Thanks, hyung. Now go, you have a few new customers!” Jeongguk shooed the barista away, who left while laughing at the boy’s antics.
Before Jeongguk looked back at his laptop, he caught someone looking at him sneakingly. The blond haired boy that Jeongguk has previously seen around and knows that by now it’s a regular, and also the one who sees on the university hallways almost everyday. Jeongguk is pretty sure that the guy is not in uni, so his only answer is that he’s taking his masters right now, which is actually pretty attractive. Looking good and also smart? He’s a definite catch.
Catch for someone who is not Jeongguk, and has people fearing to come talk to him. Which, if you ask him, is pretty weird. But he’s heard the rumors...he knows what everyone thinks of him. Because of his longer hair, sleeves full of tattoos, piercings and black outfits he’s wearing everyday, he knows he doesn’t look the nicest person. But everyone else doesn’t actually know him, which is why he’s known around as a delinquent and a bad boy, when actually he’s none of that.
But then it would be his word against theirs, so Jeongguk has learned to just accept it and not say anything. It would be useless, anyways.
When Jeongguk snaps back to reality, he realizes that the blonde boy doesn’t look at him anymore. He’s concentrating on his laptop and phone, and Jeongguk decides to do the same. Decides to forget about the fact that the blond boy — that he also remembers as Jimin — is looking at him almost everyday that the both of them are here, without minding if Jeongguk catches him or not.
⟷
The first time Jimin saw Jeongguk was approximately one year ago. And he knows that not because he’s a creep, but because he saw him at 8 a.m. on Christmas Eve inside the cat cafe Jimin’s a regular at now. And unless you’re Jimin, to be up and about at 8 a.m. on Christmas Eve is not something you see in the usual University students.
He stumbled upon the cafe when he was in search of a place with free wifi so early in the morning and found SUGA’S CAT CAFE. He stepped in quickly, to both escape the harsh weather but also to hopefully find wifi faster, and he almost tripped on the boy that was crouched down and playing with the small kittens.
Jimin apologized quickly, even though it seemed like the boy hadn't even noticed him. He was too busy cooing at a small, brown kitten that he found pretty unique that he didn’t even notice Jimin was talking to him.
The man shrugged and went to find a tabe, pulling out his phone and cheering quietly when he found the wifi, but slumping right back when he saw he needed a password for it. He looked around quickly, and waved a hand at the single barista that was walking around the cafe.
“Good morning, what can I do for you?” the man asked as he reached Jimin’s table, empty tray under his right hand, small notebook in his left.
“Good morning! Uhm, sorry but, is it possible for me to use the wifi here? I really need to hand in an important assignment but the wifi home has some problems and I really need to hand it in” — he checks his watch and gasps — “-in five minutes! Please?”
The barista smiled in understatement, and quickly wrote down the password on his notebook before ripping the paper and sliding it to his new customer with a small smile. “Here you go, but keep it a secret. We don’t let just anyone use our wifi.”
Jimin smiled and breathed out happily, nodding quickly. “Of course, I’ll keep it a secret, I promise! Thank you so much!” he said, before quickly typing the password in his laptop and gasping when he saw it worked.
“Thank you, really!” he said once again, looking up at the barista. “Also! Can I have a double espresso please? No milk and no sugar.”
The barista — whose name tag Jimin only now had time to read — is named Yoongi, nodded once. “Sure, no problem. Something to eat?”
Jimin scrunched his nose and shook his head. “No thank you, it’s too early for food.” he said, earning a big smile from Yoongi.
“Absolutely agree,” he replied. “If that’s all, then I’ll be back soon with your coffee. Oh and, you should hand in that project like, now. You have two minutes left.”
Jimin winced and looked back at his laptop, saying a small ‘thanks a lot’ under his breath.
After his assignment was handed in, and his cup of coffee was half empty, Jimin slumped back on the chair with a sigh. He never imagined that he’d find a cafe open on Christmas Eve, that had both amazing wifi and amazing cofe. Jimin promised himself that he’ll come here more often.
The place is very cozy and very warm, and Jimin loves the minimalist but also warm style of the cafe. It’s really relaxing and comforting to sit in here, especially now because there are only four customers inside, and all that’s heard is the sound of keycaps and the sound of the cups hitting the table when they’re placed down.
Four tables in front of him, right in the corner of the cafe, by the window, sits the boy Jimin almost tripped on. He’s facing Jimin, but his head is ducked down, his attention completely on his laptop. But even with half of the laptop screen covering his face, Jimin recognizes the boy from campus.
He saw him around a damn lot, especially in the library, but all he knows is that his name is Jeongguk and he doesn’t have any friends from university — or so it seems. He also knows the rumors, which if you ask Jimin, are the most stupid things he has ever heard. There’s no way that Jeongguk does all that shit that people say, Jimin simply doesn’t believe it, and never will, till he’s proven wrong.
Which he won’t, but it’s whatever.
He’s pretty sure he’ll never see Jeongguk vandalizing cars or abandoned buildings, and neither will he see fucking girls left and right, lying to them and breaking their heart.
Jimin never got the chance to actually talk with Jeongguk, which isn’t surprising at all. They might walk around in the same university, but Jeongguk is, from what Jimin knows because of what he’s seen, majors in something that has to do with biology, while Jimin has already graduated with a major in organic chemistry and is now doing his last year of masters.
Jimin is snapped out of his thoughts when a calico cat suddenly jumps on the table behind his laptop, and meows at him, startling the boy for a little. He takes a few seconds to remember that this is in fact a cat cafe and is normal for cats to be around, and a small smile creeps up his lips.
“Hello there kitty,” Jimin murmurs, hand stretching forward to scratch at the cat’s fluffy ears, cooing at the animal softly when it rubs against his hand while purring. “Oh, you’re so adorable, and so beautiful.”
The animal meows in response, as if knowing what Jimin said, and only stays with him for a few more seconds before jumping back down, and walking elegantly at Jeongguk’s table, where he hops on and starts meowing at the boy, loudly.
Poor Jeongguk startles immediately, looking up with wide eyes that Jimin can see sparkling, but calms down once he sees the cat in front of him, and spares a few seconds of his time to give it his undivided attention.
Jimin watches them for a few seconds, and wonders, how could someone like Jeongguk be accused of such cruel things?