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Routine and repetition give structure to life, one might find comfort in it or wish to break free from it. One might wish to break free from it until they realize how much the stability gave them their sense of life. One might find comfort in it until they realize how much bigger life is outside routine.
As for Taehyun, he finds himself welcoming the stability, the feeling of knowing what to do, what to see and what to feel. Getting up on the same alarm every morning at 7am sharp, getting ready the same way, reaching the station early to get to work. Mostly, seeing the same person every day get in the same subway two stops from his own and getting off at the same one.
At first, Taehyun never noticed him until he dyed his hair a light silver, contrasting everyone else's dark hair and his own ash blue. At some point, he starts noticing the light-haired coming in at the stop, exiting with him and walking off the opposite direction after the station's 4th exit. The boy, who seemed around his age, started noticing him too, started smiling at him and eventually waving. Slowly, he became part of Taehyun's routine, a small greeting, a small goodbye.
After the exit however, they never did see each other outside the station. Taehyun went off to work at a cat cafe a walk away from the station and his routine continues. Walk in, the bell rings, greet his coworker Yeonjun hyung, update the owner and baker of the cafe, an older boy named Minho and starts off his day as the assistant baker of the place.
"Good morning, Yeonjun hyung! 3 egg tarts like usual please!" Soobin, an employee of a flower shop nearby who also happened to be Yeonjun's best friend, walked through the door every morning just to get some of their freshly baked egg tarts, "Hi Taehyun! How have you been? How is Dori today?"
"Soobinie, you never ask about Hobak, or Soonie, or Doongie? Why is that?" Minho asked from the back room, as Taehyun laughed at the accusation and replied that he was doing fine as usual, as every day.
"3 egg tarts coming up! And what about me Soobin?" Yeonjun teased.
"Well," Soobin was flustered, "I love all your cats equally, I swear! And hyung, I know for a fact that you're doing just fine."
"Run off with your egg tarts then. Tell Beomgyu and Hueningie I said hello like usual and tell them to visit soon, I'm tired of seeing you," Yeonjun said jokingly while ushering the taller out the door.
"Bye Yeonjun hyung! Bye Tae! Bye Minho hyung! Bye Dori!"
"LOVE OUR OTHER CATS YOU BUNNY-LOOKING BITCH!" Minho shouted as the other three burst into laughter.
As Yeonjun chats away while taking in new orders, Taehyun went back to tempering his chocolate, finishing up some dough Felix left in the fridge the day before on his shift. He thought about visiting the flower shop Soobin works in for a change, maybe after his own shift is over, his sister might appreciate something from there. Maybe a tulip, if they have one, he always thought tulips were pretty.
Sure enough, he went to visit the flower shop a few blocks away for the first time after his work day ended, only to be greeted by a strikingly familiar face.
"Hey! It's you! Blue-hair guy on the subway with the headphones!" Beomgyu gasped at the same time as Taehyun. "Silver-hair dude?"
"Hi Taehyun-ah!" Soobin greeted, it felt sort of weird, being the customer this time, sort of out of place. "You know Beomgyu?"
"No, well, I," Taehyun struggles. "We get on the same subway every morning."
"You're Taehyun?? The one who works at the bakery down the block with the egg tarts??" Beomgyu almost screeched.
"Blue-hair Guy and Heavenly Egg Tart Maker is the same person? Both which Beomgyu has described as Angels?"
"Hueningie, if you don't SHUT UP."
"Uhh, I guess? Nice to formally meet you, I'm Taehyun. Yes, the subway guy and the egg tart maker.
"I'm Beomgyu. Choi Beomgyu. Wait that sounded like James Bond. I was just pointing out that I have the same family name as Soobin hyung and Yeonjun hyung. Oh, I'm rambling again," Beomgyu paused right after making Taehyun laugh and tell him its okay.
"Can I have a single yellow tulip please? With a ribbon if possible."
"Ohh a flower? I didn't know you were dating Taehyun-ah," Soobin said.
"Ah, no, it's for my sister, hyung. She's been stressed with work recently and I thought she'd like one."
"Woah, you're so thoughtful Taehyun-ssi. You must be a great sibling to have. I have 2 sisters of my own. I love them to bits too!" The boy, if Taehyun's memories had supplied correctly, was named Kai, said with child-like excitement.
Beomgyu was uncharacteristically quiet, or maybe be was just quiet around new people. Well, sort of new people. Or mostly just people who he found really pretty, he can't help but look and notice his mannerisms. Ash blue hair guy was cute, he knew that, but Taehyun? That's a different story of beautiful and thoughtful, in a way that made Beomgyu question why he was having these thoughts about a mere stranger.
"Beomgyu, please get the ribbon from the back room. The blue one on the left box," Soobin snaps Beomgyu from his thoughts.
Soobin finished wrapping the flower, handed it over to Taehyun who left with a wave and a small smile with eyes that lit up like the stars, and then he was gone.
"Hyung, didn't you say Yeonjun-hyung said I should come over and I said I was too lazy? I take that back, I'll get the egg tarts tomorrow morning," Beomgyu's words rushed out of his mouth as he still stared at the front door of the store.
Soobin and Kai burst out in laughter, "Taehyun visits once and the Choi Beomgyu is already head over heels. What a wonder to watch."
"Tell Jeonginnie I'll switch shifts with him, I can- I need to come tomorrow, he can get Friday."
On the next morning, Taehyun was rummaging through his wardrobe to find something better than his usual grey sweatpants and graphic t-shirt. He settled on a dark green sweater with a cat graphic on it. He supposes it fits the theme of the cafe.
Beomgyu was doing the same, mostly wondering why the hell did he and his best friend Jeongin went out to buy so many plaid shirts that he barely has anything else. Eventually, he found a green and brown cardigan with bears on them from a while back and decided on that.
"Morning Taehyun! You look like you work in a cat cafe," was the first thing Beomgyu said as he stepped into the subway, finally being able to greet the younger by his name.
"You know I do, hyung. And for the record, you also look kind of," Taehyun trailed off. "Garden-ish?"
"Is it the green?"
"It's the green," he confirmed.
"By the way, I'm coming with you to the cafe today! Stealing Soobin's job of ordering egg tarts from you, might as well since I see you here anyways, right?"
"Yeah, sure! Yeonjun-hyung mentioned asking you to visit anyways, did Soobin tell you that?"
Their conversation flows easily as they walk out the subway and today, on a start of a different routine, Beomgyu starts walking Taehyun to the cafe with the excuse of getting their breakfast egg tarts. Taehyun doesn't mind the company.
~
On the second week of this new routine, it was broken. The subway passed by Beomgyu's stop without a sign of his silver hair and Taehyun couldn't have not noticed the absence of his daily cheerful greeting. So, he got off at his usual stop and waited. Maybe Beomgyu missed the schedule. Just wait for the next one. And just one more. And another and another until its been 30 minutes and Beomgyu still hasn't shown up.
Taehyun checks the clock on his phone anxiously as he realizes he's late for work and he hasn't contacted anyone. He couldn't even contact Beomgyu because for some stupid reason that he couldn't come up with, they still haven't exchanged numbers.
It also hit Taehyun that maybe, Beomgyu went earlier and didn't wait for him or maybe was waiting for him at the cafe. Just as he was contemplating leaving and getting to work, the train doors opened and a very messy-looking Beomgyu rushed out the door, with his shoelaces untied, hair unstyled.
"Hyung! You're here! Let's go!"
"Why are you here?" Beomgyu said as they ran towards the exit, "Shouldn't you- well, both of us- be at work right now?"
"You didn't show up and I was worried and I didn't know how to contact you so I've been waiting."
"Yah! Kang Taehyun! Don't do that! You're late to work!"
"I know! That's why we're running, hyung! Did you wake up late?"
"I did. I only woke up when I fell off the bed and realized I was late."
Taehyun laughed at that as they reached the station exit, "I'm gonna go now, I'm sure you should too. Hopefully Soobin hyung and Kai aren't upset with their lack of egg tarts today."
"Ah yes," Beomgyu scratched his head, "can't walk you to work today, Tyun."
"For the egg tarts?"
"Oh, uhm yeah, for the egg tarts. I'll be there tomorrow, I promise."
"And tie you're laces, Gyu hyung! You'll trip on them," Taehyun shouted as they walked towards their different places, "And you're contacts aren't placed properly!"
"I know! I will!"
~
The clock reads 5:07 pm and Beomgyu was running again. This time towards the cat cafe Taehyun works at. Hopefully, he thinks, that the younger hasn't got off work yet as both of them get off at 5.
"Hey Beomgyu! Heard what happened this morning, sorry we don't have egg tarts left at closing," Yeonjun greeted.
"Yeah no, its fine, hold on," he replied, breathing heavily, "is Taehyun still here?"
"So you're finally admitting he's not here for egg tarts?" Minho whisperes from behind the counter.
"What?"
"Hm, nothing. Taehyun's at the back, he'll come in a second."
"Gyu hyung? What are you doing here?"
"Tyun! Let's go home, we're free from work!"
"This isn't a prison damn, look at all my cats, this is literally heaven," Minho interrupted, "I didn't even scold Taehyunnie for being late this morning, maybe I should've."
"No, I love this place okay! But of course I want to go home too," Taehyun laughed.
"Can't relate, I live here," Minho pointed at the ceiling, his apartment being above the cafe.
"I'll leave now, I've left the ganache for Yongbok hyung in the fridge. Bye hyungs, let's go Gyu hyung."
As they sat in the subway, Taehyun asked, "Is this some kind of compensation for waiting for you this morning?"
"No, its an apology for this morning and compensation for not walking you to work this morning," Beomgyu smiled. "I'm stopping at your stop too today, meeting a relative. So might as well right?"
Taehyun hummed, "Okay then, apology unnecessary but accepted."
"Can I have your number? I mean, for contact purposes, that's what numbers are for, yeah."
"Of course, here let me type it in."
Truthfully, Beomgyu walked back to the station to get home right after walking Taehyun to his, but Taehyun doesn't need to know that.
~
Unknown: hi tyunnn this is beomgyu
Taehyun: got it, thanks for walking me home :))
gyu hyung: nahh its totally fine
tyunnie: see you tomorrow, eat well!
~
On the 3rd week of the not-so-new routine, Beomgyu started walking with Taehyun after work, not home but still together to the station. Another new routine. Whoever gets off work first picks up the other at their work and then leave together.
On the 5th week, when Taehyun arrived at the flower shop, Beomgyu asked, "Should we go out today?"
"Oh for dinner? Sure!" Taehyun's felt blood rushing to his ears and cheeks as he tried to keep it casual.
"Yeah, for dinner, whatever you want to eat, as friends," Beomgyu starts.
"Oh."
"Or whatever you want it to be," he finished.
"Oh."
"So... What do you want? To eat, I mean."
"Noodles, let's go for any noodles. And," Taehyun paused nervously, "I want it to be a date if you do to."
Beomgyu stared at Taehyun, frozen for a few seconds, then ran to the back room, "OKAY WAIT."
Kai who was watching everything go down from the corner waved awkwardly at Taehyun as Soobin gave him a thumbs up and a soft smile.
Beomgyu came back with a single stalk of blue tulip tied in silver ribbon and offered it to Taehyun, "Yes. I would love that very much."