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On days like today, the only thing that could cure Hoseok’s mood were strawberry cheesecake, cuddles from Yoongi’s puppy, or a good lay. Considering it was 3 in the afternoon and Yoongi was currently in Japan for some stupid work’s thing, Hobi was on the hunt for the nearest cake shop he could raid.
He blamed Yoongi for all of this mess of course. After all, Hobi wouldn’t have his whole day thrown off kilter if his best composer and best friend were in his studio, instead of the poor excuse of a replacement trying to write something half way pleasing to listen to. The poor sap was failing miserably at his job, but was successfully getting on Hobi’s last nerve.
Sure, it wasn’t the most professional thing to do, storming out only two hours into their session in demand of a break and some fresh air, but it was either that or tearing the pitiful composer a new one and throwing through the studio window. So cake was the reasonable option.
He didn’t exactly know where he was going however, so often choosing to delivery in his cravings rather than venture out for them, mostly thanks to being held captive by his workaholic best friend. So Hoseok found himself sort of wandering, a little too determined for a lost person, but with enough motivations to make his aimlessness look intentional rather than forgotten child. He wasn’t really looking at the names of any of the passing stores, finding that most didn’t actually give any indications what the store really was anyways. Instead, he was more focused on looking inside the windows, hoping to find a place that looked warm and inviting enough to quell his irritations, or at least offer him a good enough cake option.
So far, he wasn’t having much luck, most places in the main city looking too businesslike and aesthetically pleasing to actually be comfortable, too much dark woods and industrial lighting to give him the hope his peace wouldn’t be disrupted by instagram hipsters. No, he wanted something that would make him smile, something sweet enough to make him forget the god awful day he’d been having, something that gave the aura of fruity cake (and possibly have some as well).
It was half an hour into his searching and near the end of his optimism that a beacon of pastel yellow and cutesy paw-print decals caught his eye. On approach, he notices a small climbing contraption in the window, one that was made to look like a flower, with a sleeping fluffy cat curled up in one of its leaves. ‘Ragdoll’, the sign on the shop door read, something about the name familiar to Hoseok, buried far enough in his brain that he couldn’t quite put his finger on it. It seemed fitting to the theme, what with the board outside the door explaining that it was a cat café, with ‘a ple-fur-a of furry friends and sweet treats to make your visit a purr-fectly content’. Cute.
It was enough of an appeal to have him venturing into the store, the sweet tinkle of the bell adding to the enticing smell of cream pastries and a distant mummer of cheerful customers. The front of the shop was rather simple, a mix of light yellows and baby pinks, nothing but a front desk and a white door with a few cat theme decorations upon the walls. Behind the desk sat a rather pretty man, with matching bubblegum pink hair and glossy full lips. When noticed Hoseok’s arrival, he beamed wide and kind, eyes scrunching up into crescents, cheeks bunched cutely.
‘Hi! Welcome to Ragdoll!’
‘Er hi,’ Hoseok tried to reply warmly, smile crooked and voice shaking, feeling rather out of place walking into a place like this alone. This was definitely a hot spot of cute lunch dates and group days out, not somewhere you’d find a burnt out dancer looking to unwind. Or maybe it was? Hoseok wasn’t to know.
The pretty receptionist didn’t seem to mind him being there, just as friendly as he imagined them to be with anyone else.
‘First time?’ He said reassuringly, standing up and leaning forward on the desk.
‘Is it that obvious?’
‘Sort of, but that’s ok. Everyone who’s come here has had a first time.’
‘Probably not on their own though,’ Hoseok half laughed, ears burning red with self consciousness.
‘You’d be surprised actually!’ Pretty boy chirped, eyes warm and nowhere near as judgemental as Hoseok expected them to be. ‘This is a safe haven for a lot of people y’know.’
‘Do you have strawberry cheesecake?’ Hoseok blurted out, sounding smaller than he intended to.
‘We certainly do, with heaps of fresh whipped cream and a kitty called marshmallow who will try and steal it from you!’ Pretty boy giggled. It made Hoseok smile too, finding his bright aura comforting.
‘That sounds nice.’
‘Brilliant! How long would you like to stay for?’
‘Erm, I…I don’t know? How long…’
‘You look like you could do with half an hour of kitty cuddles,’ pretty boy winked, pressing buttons on the touch screen till below him.
‘Ok. Yeah. Sure. Do I actually get to touch the cats?’ he asked nervously, pulling his wallet from his back pocket.
‘Of course lovely! Only if they approach you though. We ask that you not pick up or restrain the cats at any time, and as much as Marshmallow may give you the cute eyes, try not to feed any of the cats more than a fingertip’s worth of cream.’
Hoseok nodded, feeling a little giddy at the prospect of petting some cats and eating some cake. Surely this would be a good replacement for his Holly cuddles remedy, and cake was a sure way to pick up his mood.
Needless to say, his hopes were high, so when he was lead through the door and taken over to a free table, he couldn’t help but smile at the friendly atmosphere around him.
The rest of the café very much followed the theme of the front desk area, but with the addition of more climbing frames and shelves along the walls, off-white chairs, tables and benches around the room, all littered with the odd customers and a selection of cats of every breed. The whole room was bright and bordering on garish, but something about it was perfect to Hoseok.
As soon as he was sat and left with a menu, he began to scan for object of his desires, spotting a mix of drinks he was more than tempted by along the way.
This place was feeling almost too good to be true right now.
‘Hi! Welcome to Ragdoll.’
Hoseok looked up towards the velvet husk of voice, and found possibly the most beautiful smile he’d ever seen grinning dimples down at him.
‘Er h-hi…’
He felt like he was looking into the sun, eyes stinging from being so wide and unblinking. He knew he probably looked rather foolish, mouth agape and eyes bugging, but Hoseok couldn’t help but stare at the beauty before him. The gorgeous man in question was talking to him, but there was a ringing in his ears that too president over actual words. Because Hoseok was experiencing the most cliché, Ron-com love at first sight moment bullshit in the whole of existence, and his body was not prepared to function through it. His server was tall, honey toned, with plush lips spread over a perfect smile, a koala like nose he found oddly attractive, and half moon eyes creased at the corners that Hoseok could happily get lost in.
He was in the midst of mentally writing poetry over this man’s face when he realised his server was looking at him expectantly, somewhat concerned by Hoseok’s dazed silence.
‘Sir?’
‘Hmm?’
‘Are you ok?’
‘Yeah, I- yeah, sorry. What did you say? I’m sorry, I-‘ Hoseok scrambled, the embarrassment of his lovestruck moment now flooding his face and ears bright red. Luckily, Mr Heaven-sent didn’t seem to mind, only smiled softly and went through his speech again.
‘It’s ok, I’m guessing its your first time here.’
Is he really that obvious?
‘Aha er, yeah.’
‘That’s ok. As I said, my name’s Joonie, I’ll be the kitten serving you today.’
‘Kitten?’
Joonie wiggled his head side to side at the question, the tinkling of decorative bells bringing Hoseok’s attention to the dark grey kitten ears nestled into his soft silver-white hair, accented with the smallest of baby blue ribbons.
It took every ounce of concentration that Hoseok had not to let his mind drift with the pet name ‘kitten’, especially now that he’s just realised that Joonie is in a fucking maids outfit.
It was lilac and silky, with complimentary lace wrist cuffs and a dusty pink petticoat, accented with cornflower bows and periwinkle rosebuds. The way it stretched deliciously over his full chested made him look like a ribbon ready to be unravelled, Hoseok feeling like a starving man staring down a full banquet with all the trimmings. But he was a respectable pervert at the end of the day, so politely replied with a squeak and tore his eyes back to his menu.
‘Can I get you anything?’
Hoseok’s horny gremlin brain snickered.
Instead, he tried to order, mumbling his way through asking for a slice of cheesecake and a coffee, thinking it best to keep his eyes away from said beauty’s face and chest, but regretting his choice instantly, making short eye-contact with heaven sent thighs instead and suddenly having a craving for a caramel shot in his latte.
He managed though, without embarrassing himself too much more, receiving a kind smile from Joonie as he repeats his order back to him before sauntering off towards the bar area of the café. That was when his brain began to catch up with him, replaying every minuscule fumble and gawk in high definition, all for Hoseok’s torture and pessimistic anxiety’s pleasure. He’d made a right idiot of himself, and he just knew Yoongi would never let him forget it if he’d have been here.
Just as the shameful blush reached the collar of his T-shirt, something grey and fluffy made its way into his lap, climbing and settling under Hoseok’s palm with a sort of lazy determination that reminded him of his best friend. The cat looked up at Hoseok expectantly, seeming unsatisfied until he began to pet him, looking utterly bored still but proceeding to purr.
Oh yeah, there are actual cats at this café.
Despite making the biggest fool of himself that Hoseok had ever managed, the café visit was actually serving its purpose. He was relaxed, earlier grievances completely forgotten about now, with a fluffy friend in his lap and a sweet treat on the way, all with the added bonus of a beautiful person to keep him company (in what moments they were going to interact).
‘OK Hoseok-ssi, here is your coffee, and your strawberry cheesecake,’ Joonie smiled, sweet tone in his voice a juxtaposition to the deep gravel of his voice. It was making Hoseok all warm and fuzzy, enjoying the sound of his name too much coming from those lips.
Wait-
‘How do you know my name?’ He asked, it suddenly dawning on him that he hadn’t introduced himself once, yet Joonie had addressed him. Twice, actually.
‘Oh, erm,’ Joonie stuttered, a soft blush rouging his cheeks as he smiled shyly. ‘I know you.’
‘You do?’
Hoseok was sure he would remember knowing something this attractive, his memory wasn’t that bad.
‘Well, not personally as such. I know your work.’
It was unexpected, to be known by anyone at all, let alone someone who he may come across in his everyday life, but Hoseok was flattered to say the least, ducking his head shyly as Joonie complimented him and fussed.
‘My apologies, I’m sure you came here to relax, not listen to me blab on,’ Joonie half laughed, tucking a stray hair behind his ear and knocking his ears enough to make them jingle. Hoseok was sure that sound was going to haunt his dreams for the foreseeable future.
‘It’s ok, I’m enjoying our conversation as much as I’m enjoying this little one’s company,’ Hoseok smiled, gesturing to the ball of fur that had refused to leave his lap since it’d found it.
‘You’ve definitely made a friend there. Suga doesn’t normally approach the customers, and especially doesn’t sit in their laps,’ Joonie chuckled, resting his weight onto his hip and reaching down to scratch behind the kitty’s ear.
‘Guess I’ll have to come back again. Wouldn’t want Suga to miss me,’ Hoseok laughed, a little too forced, but Joonie didn’t seem to notice.
‘I guess you’ll have to,’ Joonie practically purred, giving Hoseok a coy smile before excusing himself to another table.
Hoseok watched as he weaved his way around the tables and chairs, watched how his skirt rose with the sway of his hips, sometimes catching on the back of the seats and exposing a slither more of mouthwatering thighs bulging from the tops of garters. It was a maddening display to watch, and thoroughly hypnotic, so it was no surprise that Hoseok found himself making excuses to return the next week. Then the week after that. Then every week for the next two months.
He told himself it was because of the cake, the one he barely remember eating but enjoyed the lingering taste of on his tongue after he left. He tried to make excuses and say it was good for his health, the calming qualities of a cat’s purring good for his heart after a stress-filled week. Not that his heart was exactly calm whenever he visited.
They were only reasons he gave to himself (since he didn’t tell anyone where he was going) so he didn’t feel like a complete loser for stalking some poor waiter he was crushing on.
But he was crushing, and crushing hard.
Every time he visited the café, his eyes would involuntarily start to scan the room until he spotted Joonie, his tense shoulders dropping in relief when he found him smiling at another guest. He even had a special table that had become a habit to sit at, one that gave him the best view of the restaurant (just the restaurant…), whilst still being open to the room, and open to conversations. In his visits, he’d become accustomed to the menu, and had developed a list of his own favourites, whilst sneakily finding out Joonie’s aswell. He’d also learnt that Joonie was short for Namjoon, and they were born in the same year, and had even studied at the same university in Seoul. He’d picked up some of Namjoon’s habits over time aswell; noticed how he’d widen his eyes when his smile scrunched them up, how he would start bouncing on his toes when he was excited or passionate about something, how he always wore the grey ears no matter what uniform he chose that day, how he seemed to favour the deep mauve coloured uniform with the white and silver trimmings and matching underskirt. Hoseok swore it was because it was the shortest out of his selection, but Joonie claimed it matched his hair and ears the best. They’d talked about their personal lives more with each visit, mentioned about their hobbies, their pets, their favourite books to read and films to watch. Namjoon wasn’t as much a chicken as Hoseok was when it came to horror, but he did share his love for wildlife documentaries. They gave each-other recommendations and checked in the next week, as if they were old friends catching passing moments to talk.
It didn’t go unnoticed by the staff either. The pretty boy receptionist, that Hoseok had learnt was called Jimin, didn’t even bother to go through the same script with him anymore. Instead, they made friendly small talk, even joked with each other, Jimin fond of teasing Hoseok for the googly eyes he gave Namjoon.
‘It’s not like that,’ Hoseok would whine, knowing damn well it was.
‘Sure it isn’t. Because I’m sure it’s Suga’s loving that keeps you coming back on a regular basis,’ Jimin would tut, rolling his eyes and clicking his tongue.
Well, at least it was only the café workers that noticed his behaviour.
Or so Hoseok thought.
Yoongi was back in town before the café trips became apart of his routine, but that didn’t stop Hoseok from sneaking off for early lunch every Tuesday afternoon. At first, he made some excuses, saying he had some out of office meetings or a shop he needed to go to before the day ended, but after a couple of weeks, he just left when he wanted, figuring no one cared since no one asked.
So when the next Tuesday came around and Yoongi brought the usual coffee and croissants into the studio, Hoseok was more than a little stunned to hear his ask about his latest crush.
‘Crush? I-I don’t know what you’re t-talking about.’
‘C’mon Seok, I know you, and I know you’re crushing on someone.’
‘Not crushing,’ he grumbled, keeping his eyes fixed to the croissant he was spreading jam on.
‘So there isn’t a pretty, buff waiter you’ve had your eye on at all?’ Yoongi stated so casually, as if he hadn’t just dropped a bombshell on Hoseok.
‘How the hell- have you been following me?’ Hoseok screeched, contemplating throwing the pastry at him. Yoongi only laughed at that accusation, completely unphased by the banshee performance his friend was currently putting on.
‘So you admit, you’ve got a crush?’
‘I’m not saying anything more until you explain yourself!’
‘That’s fine, you don’t need to tell me. I’ll just come with you on your weekly cat cuddle session,’ Yoongi grinned, far too innocently for the glint in his eye.
Hoseok knew his protests were futile, but that didn’t stop him from trying his hardest. The last thing he needed was to be shown up in front of Namjoon, especially when he was so close to plucking up the courage to ask for his number. But Yoongi had other ideas, clearly. When the time that Hoseok usually left came about, Yoongi stood and got himself ready to leave without any prompt at all. It was freaking Hoseok out if he was honest, quietly questioning if Yoongi was some sort of psychic with how much he seemed to know. Like the time Hoseok left, for instance.
And the exact location of the café he frequented.
It was jarring, and left Hoseok speechless the whole way there, practically stumbling over his own feet as he followed Yoongi right up to the door and to the front desk.
Jimin didn’t seem at all shocked at Yoongi’s presence, but it did surprise him to see Hoseok alongside him.
‘Oh! Hey Yoongi, hey Hoseok, I didn’t know you guys knew each other!’ He beamed, obviously missing the mental breakdown Hoseok was not so secretly having. Yoongi’s demeanour didn’t really change either, chirping a polite hello back to Jimin before walking straight through the café door without any guidance. It was as if he owned the place, and it wasn’t helping to dismiss Hoseok’s psychic theory either.
Yoongi was walking with purpose, straight toward a door that Hoseok had never really looked at until now, one that read ‘Private’ its clear gold writing.
‘Hyung, don’t-‘ Hoseok tried, but it was useless, since Yoongi was already half way through the doorway before Hoseok could finish the sentence. That didn’t seem to matter though, since he would have been cut off by the bright greeting from inside the office. The person inside knew Yoongi apparently, and sounded rather fond of him, besides the endeared irritation they had with his intrusion.
‘If you’re going to bother me at work, you could at least bring me some lunch!’ They whined, voice baritone but strung high with their petulance.
‘You literally own a café hyung,’ Yoongi bartered, striding further into the room and out of Hoseok’s eye-line. He was almost too scared to look inside, but thought he could at least peak since Yoongi was shy with his intrusion.
As he peered around the doorframe, he took in the sight of what could easily be identified as an office. It was all sleek and business-like, most furniture there with a purpose rather than decoration or style. And in the middle of the room, behind a desk, sat Yoongi on top of a man. A rather handsome man at that.
Hoseok caught himself wondering if ‘pretty’ was a requirement in the job description here.
‘Oh you’ve brought a friend with you for once!’ The human chair jibbed, soft full lips pulled out into a rather adorable smile. He was handsome in a soft sort of way, none of his features sharp but still fierce looking. He could easily have been a model, would probably look natural on the front cover of a magazine, a stark contrast to his position underneath Yoongi’s ass.
‘Hyung, this is Hoseok. Hoseok, this is my boyfriend, Seokjin.’
‘B-Boyfriend-?’
This was the first Hoseok was hearing of a boyfriend.
‘Yes, boyfriend.’
‘You’ve never mentioned a boyfriend before.’
‘Yes I have!’
Yoongi looked almost fearful, body shifting away from the man now glaring at him.
‘Oh really? Are you trying to hide me Min Yoongi?’ Seokjin asked, voice on the edge of stern.
‘N-No hyung, I would never,’ Yoongi replied meekly, a sight Hoseok had never seen before. It would be funny if it weren’t for the harsh stare he was receiving from Seokjin. Just as it was turning scary, the glare cracked, and Seokjin burst into a peal of laughter.
‘Oh Yoongi, you’re too private for your own good! Keeping me away from all the important people in your life,’ he pouted, giving his best puppy eyes. Yoongi mumbled something unintelligible, looking more stubborn than actually hurt at the comment, but his huffing went unnoticed as Seokjin’s attention turned onto Hoseok once again.
‘Luckily for me, Joonie isn’t as shy with giving information over!’ He giggled, shifting his boyfriend back to his feet and standing up from his chair. Once stood side by side, Hoseok could see how tall the handsome man was, especially when stood next to his human doll of a partner. It was kind of comical to look at, and made Hoseok idly wonder how he would measure up next to Namjoon.
By some weird set of fate, he didn’t have to wonder for too long, as he and Yoongi were ushered to a table back in the public area of the café while Seokjin went on a mission to find the waiter of Hoseok’s desires.
‘Hyung, what’s going on here?’ Hoseok whispered furiously, feeling a little annoyed at how blind sided he felt.
‘We’re having lunch,’ Yoongi replied rather plainly, unfazed and seemingly enjoying Hoseok’s confusion. That didn’t exactly help with Hoseok anger either, the urge to kick him under the table sparking up, only to be quashed by the arrival of Namjoon and Seokjin.
‘Hoseok, hey! It’s good to see you again!” Joonie beamed, dimples deep and welcoming, if not a little faltered by the audience they had.
‘Joonie, is this the twink that’s had you all flustered lately?’ Seokjin laughed, scooting into the spot next Yoongi and practically doubled over with the joy of seeing Namjoon flounder and splutter.
‘H-Hyung!’ Namjoon gasped, blushing furiously, eyes wide and bouncing between the three men sat at the table.
‘Hyung, that was mean!’ Yoongi scolded, words watered down by his own giggles. ‘Don’t embarrass them like that!’
‘I couldn’t- I had to- it was too tempting,’ Seokjin cackled between breaths, eyes watering at the kicked puppy look on Joon’s face.
Namjoon looked almost childlike as he pouted, shuffling his feet as if he wanted to stomp them in protest.
‘Joonie I’m sorry,’ Seokjin sighed, not at all sounding sorry. ‘You’ve just been so caught up on him, someone had to take that step for you!’
‘Wait what?’ Hoseok blurted amidst the chuckling, whining and scolding. He looked to Namjoon for some clarity, but was met with averted eyes and a flushed face. Seokjin was no less help, face just as pink and laughter rearing again at the sight of Hoseok’s confusion. It was Yoongi who finally gave in to his questioning, waving off Hoseok long enough to order some coffees and give Namjoon the chance to retreat.
‘You’re not the only one with a crush, Seok. You’re just the only one who’d been private with it.’
‘I don’t understand.’
‘Joonie would sound like a damsel lost in love whenever you’d visited,’ Seokjin eventually added, still trying to catch his breath from his giddiness, but over the most of his giggles. ‘He’d swoon and sigh about how dreamy you were, made sure he looked perfect for when his pretty producer came in for his strawberry cheesecake.’
There was a look of disappoint on Yoongi’s face that Hoseok missed, one probably due to his predictability, but he was none the wiser. It was as if the world around Hoseok fell silent, the only thoughts running through his head being he talked about me? It was surely niave to be so shocked by the admission, but he just chalked that up to low self esteem and not wanting to be presumptuous. Either way, it always felt good to hear a crush was reciprocated, even if it was in the form of slight mockery.
That didn’t matter though, because Namjoon liked him. He liked him back and he was coming over with coffee while looking like an angel in lilac lace.
He didn’t wait to ask for Namjoon to confirm it, could tell enough from the redness of his ears and worrying of his lip. Instead, Hoseok came out with the question he’d been wanting to ask for the longest time, words he’d imagined to be more eloquent in the end, but still held all the meaning he wanted them to have.
‘Namjoon-ah, will you go on a date with me?’
‘Finally,’ Namjoon sighed in return, smile wide and nod sure.
Hoseok ignored the gagging sound Yoongi made.