Work Text:
“are you gonna say something to him?” donghyuck watches as a man across the bar slides onto the high stool of the corner table, as always.
the man’s brows shift when his eyes land on a square piece of paper tucked under the circular base of a wine glass half full with a sweet red. he pulls it out, flips the paper open, and donghyuck’s heart beats triple time in his chest when the softest smile forms on the man’s face. the man looks up, trying to scan the bar for whoever left the note.
donghyuck turns around and decides to handle the dirty glasses. “don’t know who you’re talking about.”
his name is dongyoung and he sings at the wine bar twice a month during their open mic nights. he’s got a voice on him, and a daring repertoire of covers from whitney houston to adele. he started coming a couple months ago — hair lightly waved, huge round glasses on his nose, a thin silver chain with a tiny cross hanging between his collarbones and the open neck of a black v-neck, a loneliness to his eyes as he bled out short arrangements of amy winehouse songs with no accompaniment — and donghyuck really didn’t stand a chance. he’d never believed in love at first sight — would still call it fake if he was asked now — but when dongyoung finished ripping everyone’s hearts out and then gave the room the sweetest, shiest smile, it was as if time stopped.
dongyoung came back the next month singing rearranged alicia keys hits and donghyuck wanted to tell him that he’s great. so, like any other man afraid of rejection and unable to trust his coworkers to not publicly embarrass him, he wrote a little note and snuck it along with the small charcuterie board dongyoung ordered.
that day he wrote about how dongyoung could do so much more than sing at a little wine bar. maybe he added a sentence at the bottom in the tiniest letters he could manage complimenting dongyoung on his smile.
(maybe he finds something new about dongyoung to fall for every time he visits the bar and finds the confidence to mention those things in the notes).
and dongyoung had responded well, his eyes ballooning in adorable surprise before he smiled and tucked the note into his bag.
sometimes he looks around to see if he can guess who left the note, but donghyuck tries not to stare for too long and in the four months since donghyuck has been writing to him, dongyoung is yet to ask the staff.
donghyuck also tries to not think of the romanticism of it all.
“yeah, sorry, but i have to call out tonight.” donghyuck sighs as he leans his head against the rest. “i went to visit my family this morning and now i’m caught up in the aftermath of an accident on the freeway. haven’t moved in like half an hour.”
the bar owner’s voice is loud through donghyuck’s car speakers and he reaches out to poke at the volume button.
“well, there’s nothing you can do about traffic. i’ll see if jeno can come in. stay safe.”
donghyuck gives a thanks and another apology before he ends the call and his jazz playlist automatically starts playing again.
he never cares too much about taking off from work. on an ordinary day, why would he? but it’s a performance night and ever since doyoung started singing there, donghyuck has always made sure to be working on those nights.
of course, dongyoung isn’t always there, but donghyuck doesn’t want to miss out just in case he shows up. a part of him wishes tonight will be one of those days where dongyoung is too busy to participate.
that turns out to be not the case when donghyuck is finally back at his apartment after sitting in traffic for three hours and gets a text from johnny about how “it’s kind of funny that the love of your life is singing about being left alone and you’re not here”.
donghyuck sends him back a very sweet “fuck you too” and then follows up with “i’m sorry john i love you please send a video”.
he makes a mental note to buy johnny dinner or something when he gets a two minute video of dongyoung singing his heart out, looking very cute in a white tee under a colorblock pink and pale green cardigan.
he saves the video and then watches it another three times before he gets a little sad that he isn’t there to write a note telling dongyoung how cute he is.
in theory, he could leave now and make it to the bar in thirty minutes, but he’s already called out of work and he doesn’t want to blow his cover by showing up suddenly.
another text from johnny comes in saying “dude, you should just talk to him”.
donghyuck buries his face in the bear cushion he keeps on his couch, starts up love is blind, and sighs to himself. “i know.”
“hi.”
donghyuck doesn’t need to look down at his white knuckles to realize he’s clutching the neck of this beaujolais nouveau way too hard.
on the other side of the counter, dongyoung is standing there, hair newly dyed a milky brown and drowning in an oversized baby blue hoodie. he never dresses like he’s at a place that specializes in wine and donghyuck has no clue why he finds that so endearing.
(so he might be whipped over a man he’s hardly spoken more than ten words to; is that a crime?)
a secret kick to his calf from jeno restarts donghyuck’s brain. “hey,” he croaks. “you don’t usually sit at the bar. what can i get you?”
dongyoung shakes his head. “i put my things at a table as usual. i just…” he shoves his hands in the front pocket of his pullover. “you weren’t here the last time.”
stunned, donghyuck feels his heart skip a beat. “yeah. had some commute problems so i couldn’t come in.” not once did he think dongyoung would notice or care to the point of mentioning it.
dongyoung nods and goes quiet as he looks around.
“are you gonna pour that glass?” jeno stage whispers as he passes behind donghyuck who only then remembers he has a bottle in his hand.
blindly moving his arm back, he accidentally hits jeno in the side. “it’s all yours.”
jeno doesn’t even comment on how donghyuck is wholly distracted from his work because of a man, just takes the bottle with a heavy sigh (and probably a giant roll of his eyes).
dongyoung meets donghyuck’s eyes again then. he nibbles on his lip for a moment. “i missed your note,” he says. “i thought maybe you had gotten tired of me until i realized you simply weren’t there that day.”
heart racing so fast that he hears it in ears, donghyuck chokes. “w-wait…you knew? that it was me?” his first thought is that johnny must have told him, but even though he’s freaking out, he knows deep down that johnny wouldn’t do something like that.
doyoung nods, pink spreading over his face. “you’re the only constant. the people who come to each open mic night are different, the staff who work the days i perform are all different…except for you.”
“i—“ donghyuck swallows. “god, i don’t even know what to say. i…”
dongyoung smiles. “think on it and write me a note?” he says, a little playfully. “you can give it to me after i sing like always.”
when dongyoung takes his place on that stool in the corner, he sings ‘can we talk?’ by tevin campbell and sends not so secretive glances donghyuck’s way.
despite his head still feeling a little empty, donghyuck still finds a pen and scribbles something for dongyoung. he manages to grasp the confidence he always used to have when writing these notes and when dongyoung returns to the bar, he hands it to him personally.
“is it okay if i open it here?” dongyoung asks, only unfolding the paper after donghyuck gives his permission.
“‘my name is donghyuck. are you free next friday? i’d really like to take you out if that’s okay’,” he reads, smile brightening with every word. he glances up and donghyuck feels his heart explode. “it’s more than okay. to be honest, after last time, i decided if i wasn’t wrong about my secret admirer being you, then i wasn’t going to leave here without a date.” dongyoung blushes harder, embarrassed. he reaches into his pocket for his phone to type in the number donghyuck left at the bottom.
donghyuck matches the size of his grin. “yeah? and friday is good?”
his phone vibrates in his back pocket and he knows it’s dongyoung texting him so donghyuck has his number too.
“it’s great.”
from the kitchen, taeil brings out dongyoung’s order of a sweet potato and cranberry salad.
donghyuck realizes he should actually focus on work. “i’ll text you?”
dongyoung chuckles. “hopefully i don’t have to sing for you first.”
“how many times are you going to tease me about it?”
“as much as i like.”