Chapter Text
When the bell chimes, allowing Felix to know that the first customer of the day has just walked in, he is still organizing the various types of bread, his back facing the door. There was a lot of traffic earlier in the morning, meaning that it has taken longer than usual for him to drive Minjun to school and then get back to the bakery, so he’s a bit late on his schedule. Luckily, as to predict such a disaster of early morning, that night he wasn’t able to sleep much, so he was down in the bakery earlier than usual and started baking the stuff for the day, which means that, by now, even if it’s still kinda early in the morning, he’s already rather tired. So, as he turns around, a pleasing smile on his lips, he really hopes the customer isn’t the middle-aged snappy woman who is the perfect representation of what in the States is called a “Karen”, he’s not in the mood for an infuriating scolding on being lazy and not on time.
The sight he’s presented with, however, is way more pleasant.
Still standing by the glass door, looking around and taking in the small shop, stands a man, older than Felix for sure, but most likely still in his twenties. Not that he can tell for sure, as the customer has a cap on and a mask for good measure, but his posture is strong, as well as his own figure. He’s completely dressed in black, the fabric of his tank top hanging loosely off his broad shoulders, fading into the full-sleeve tattoo he is sporting on his bulky left arm. If one of the grannies that visit the bakery were to see such a man walk in, they probably would have a small heart attack, unable to understand what was such a dark and visibly strong man doing there, but he can see the gentleness and hesitation in the other’s movements. Relaxing his muscles, Felix springs forward, getting in front of the variety of pastries showcased by the counter.
«Good morning… what would you like to have?» he asks, bubbly, trying to catch the customer’s attention.
Finally, the man turns towards him, acknowledging his presence. Under the cap, his eyes widen a bit, but Felix doesn’t know why.
«Whoa, I…» he starts, stumbling over his words «Umh, nice shop» he goes on, eyes trailing back to the room, the hand on which the sleeve tattoo ends coming up to brush the back of his neck.
His voice is rather charming, thick but still flowy and extremely sweet with a hint of musicality in it, like honey. Felix is rather used to describing someone with ingredients he is most likely to use when he bakes, seeing that it’s his work.
«Thank you» Felix chimes, pleased.
«I- I hope it’s not too early…» the man trails off again, stepping closer to the counter.
«Oh, not at all, as long as the sign at the door says “open”, you’re fine!» he exclaims, letting out a giggle for good measure.
The other’s eyes crinkle up, his smile hidden by the mask «Nice… is it possible to have breakfast?»
«Sure thing, order away» Felix smiles back, gesturing at the array of pastries «The drinks are up there» he then supplies, pointing at a chalkboard right next to the bread showcase.
The man nods slowly, observing the pastries closely with a critic eye, like he has to make the choice of a lifetime. Felix knows these kinds of customers, ever the indecisive ones. It’s endearing, though, especially when it’s a kid. For a second, his mind goes to Minjun and he instinctively hopes he’s having a good day at school, even though he was a bit late to classes due to the traffic. Felix was a bit sorry, but Minjun’s teacher, who came to retrieve the kid, assured him he was fine and the wide smile Minjun offered him melted away all his worry.
«Umh… sorry, but I’d like to order» the customer’s voice cuts through his thoughts, getting him out of his mind.
He finds himself smiling in a silly way into the void and he immediately composes himself, nervously wiping his slightly sweaty hands on his apron. He hates when he gets lost in his head, especially when there’s a new customer who doesn’t know it, he has always been scolded for it.
«Sure, sorry, kinda zoned out there» he flashes a little apologetic smile.
«Ah no worries, it’s probably my fault, I was taking too much time… but it’s ‘cause everything seems so good!» the man exclaims, surely beaming under that mask.
Felix can’t help but laugh at the child-like excitement, covering his mouth with a hand «Thank you»
The customer smiles back «So… I’d like to have an apple pie and a large banana smoothie… you do that too? I thought the sign read ‘bakery’, though my Korean is still bad so I maybe read wrong?»
«No, it does read ‘bakery’, you’re good, we just like to have a variety of stuff… well, just me really» he giggles «Eating here or taking away?»
«I’ll take it, thank you»
«Alright then, coming right up!»
Felix flashes one last smile before turning away, getting to work. He quickly gets the small, circular, pie out and packs it into a paper bag, placing inside a few napkins for good measure, and then moves to the drink. He really enjoys making smoothies, even if the equipment cost quite a lot he’s happy that he made that decision, in his opinion starting the day with a sweet drink is way better than chugging down something super bitter like coffee. In fact, as weird as it could sound, he doesn’t even sell coffee, just the usual small cup of brown coffee for the few customers that ask for it. From what he has noticed, the customer has kind of tired eyes, so he silently puts a bit more whipped cream on top than he usually would, hoping to make his day, just like he does with most of his customers.
«There you go» he announces, turning back to the counter and placing the order on it, right next to the cash machine «Your total is six thousand Won, card or cash?»
«Cash» the man replies, handing him the exact amount.
«Thank you… and this is all yours, have a great day!» Felix smiles, pushing the order more towards the other.
«Thank you and likewise, I’m surely gonna enjoy this… bye» he nods and then turns away.
The only thing that Felix can do is wave in tiny at his broad back ad he exits the shop, the bell chiming behind him. Well, what a way to start the morning, Hyunjin is surely going to squeal when he will tell him about the customer with a full-sleeve tattoo.
𓏳𓏳𓏳𓏳𓏳𓏳𓏳𓏳
It’s a bit late in the afternoon when the bell chimes and Minjun’s voice finally resonates into the bakery, drawing focus onto him. He doesn’t seem to mind, however, as he all but walks calmly towards Felix, who is serving a table right now, throwing himself at him even though he barely reaches above his hip. Behind him, Hyunjin, who usually steals all the attention, quietly walks up to them, a fond chuckle on his lips, car keys dangling from his long fingers.
«Daddy!» Minjun squeals in English, gripping the fabric of Felix’s pants.
«Hey kiddo!» Felix exclaims back, picking his child up with a bit of effort since he’s starting to get big, propping him against his hip.
Minjun may still be in his first year of elementary school, but the pros of having an Australian dad surely show. It’s not unusual for them to have conversations, or well, chats, since his child is still a six-year-old kid, in both Korean and English and Felix is always proud of how well Minjun does in both languages with little to no effort. He had grown to hate thinking about his fatherland when Minjun was a toddler, but then the latter had blabbed out a “Dada” as his first word and simply swept away every bittersweetness he felt.
«Thanks for picking him up, Hyunjin» he smiles towards his friend as his child plays with his long earring.
«Such a burden, really» Hyunjin rolls his eyes back at him, sarcasm dripping from his tone.
He flicks his long black hair away as he steps more towards Felix and pries Minjun away from his arms, the latter whining and pouting. His attitude hasn’t changed a bit since the first year of high school, that much Felix has to concede him.
«Come on Junnie, dad has to work, you know that» Hyunjin softly scolds the kid, who simply shoves his tongue out at him, crossing his arms.
«Oh, we never mind seeing Minjunnie so happy» one of the old ladies that is sitting at the table Felix was serving before Minjun had whisked his attention affirmed, reaching out to pet the kid’s dark hair.
«I’m glad» Felix chuckles «Do you need something more, ladies?»
«Stop flattering us young man!» another one exclaims, laughing a bit «We’re fine, we’ll be chatting here like the elders should do, go and serve the charming Hyunjin here, he seems like he could use something»
«You flatter me now, Haneul-ssi» Hyunjin replies, an indeed charming smile on his pretty lips.
With a chuckle, the blond-dyed young man bows slightly and then walks away, Minjun and Hyunjin soon behind him.
«You know the rules Minjun, go wash your hands and then put on the apron, or no snack for you» Felix says as he slightly pushes his child towards the back room after he gets behind the counter.
Without complaining, the kid skips towards the room, excited to have his mid-afternoon snack, like every day.
«I’m gonna have a strawberry smoothie, if you don’t mind» Hyunjin voices, briefly looking at the smoothie section on the chalkboard.
With a small smirk, Felix fishes the drink from behind the counter, which he has prepared in advance some minutes prior, knowing his friend way too well. The latter’s eyes light up, immediately grabbing the plastic glass and sucking on the straw.
«Felix, you’re an angel» he declares after he takes a long sip, his shoulders visibly relaxing as sweetness travels down his throat.
«I just know you way too well, and it’s the least I can do, considering what you’re doing for me and especially Minjun» Felix shrugs.
Hyunjin rolls his eyes at that, scoffing «Oh please, how many times will I have to tell you? It’s not like you can close the bakery to go and pick up your kid, nor you can let him come home alone in this day and age and we’ve known each other since high school, it’s well over eight years now»
«I get it, but still…!»
«I don’t want to hear a single word more from you, it’s already too much that I let you shove in my hands a free drink every day»
At those words, Felix perks up, getting reminded of what happened earlier this day. Flashes of black clothing and tired eyes pass through his mind and he finds himself trying to recall the exact tattoos on the sleeve, failing, much to his chagrin.
«No more words from me? Too bad, I really had something to tell you…» he trails off, smirking as he glances at his friend, who is well-known for being nosy.
«I take that back, I take it back!» he exclaims, in fact, already leaning on the counter as Felix does the same «Spill, you gremlin» he orders before sipping dramatically.
The blond chuckles, leaning forward on his forearms «Nothing much really, just had my very first sketchy customer this morning» he says vaguely.
«Lix, spill» Hyunjin pouts, clearly unimpressed by his act of conspiracy.
«Fine, fine… how boring Jinnie… but anyways, this morning I had just opened and was still arranging the bread as I was late when this customer walked in and… well… how to say it? He was a bit sketchy? But like, not really gang-sketchy, more like reserved-sketchy»
«So like a mob boss?» his friend supplies, seeming very invested.
«No, not quite… God Hyunjin, I’d be scared shitless if something like that was to happen… no, it was like… well, I really can’t explain, but he was dressed completely in black, cap and mask as well, which he didn’t remove, and he had a tank top and, Jinnie, a full-sleeve tattoo!»
Hyunjin gasped at the last words, almost choking on the drink «A full-sleeve?! Lee Felix, you should have snapped a photo or something, you’re so unfair!» he protests, pouting.
Hyunjin, tall, handsome and pretty Hyunjin, who could easily be a model, works partially as a tattoo artist, partly as a painter and partly as a dancer, meaning that, somehow, he’s always free and on the lookout for some inspiration and new designs. Felix sighs, amused.
«It’s not like I could’ve just gone out and said “oh sorry, my friend is a tattoo artist, at times, and he really likes to look at pictures of tattoos like a freak”» he mocks him.
Hyunjin shoves him away, a glare for good measure «I hate you» he declares just as Minjun runs back in, eyes sparkly and apron a bit askew.
Felix laughs at the view, fixing the item before taking a pastry out of the showcase, a piece of chocolate tart, his child’s favorite. He hands him a glass of water as well, ruffling his hair before nudging him towards the little table he usually sits and does his homework at. The elder ladies coo as he passes by, stealing caresses and small touches, babying him. Felix will always be glad to them for making Minjun feel the love that is close to what a grandmother could give. Ever since the previous owner of the bakery passed away, a few years ago, the old, sweet lady that had kindly taken Felix in full time when he had just graduated from high school, a newborn baby to look after, Minjun has lacked that figure, like, well, all the others, so he’s relieved that the elders always shower his child with love.
«Alright, Junnie is safe in his dad’s shadow, so my duty here is done… thanks for the drink as well, I’ll see you tomorrow» Hyunjin declares, straightening himself up and picking up his halfway-empty drink.
Felix mirrors him, stretching his shoulders «Thanks Hyunjinnie, have a safe drive back home»
«Yeah, no chances, I have a customer at the tattoo shop in fifteen, so home will have to wait a bit» his friend sighs.
«Good luck» the blond giggles.
They bid their goodbyes, Hyunjin yelling at Minjun to be nice, and then the bell chimes, signaling his friend’s departure. Minutes later, a new customer comes in, and Felix is drawn back to his work, having to take his loving eyes off Minjun, who is quietly doing his homework in his little corner.
