Chapter Text
“Move!” The mint hair boy shoves his co-worker, Jeno, into the steel table making him spill the espresso he was holding in his right hand. Chenle had darted to the register and with the unanswered question as to why, Jeno scans the premises to understand his antsy behavior.
The answer is easily found. As the front door closes behind a pair of customers, they’re familiar regulars. Jeno sometimes takes their orders, Chenle, most of the time does. As the two walk up to the register, they discuss for a moment amongst themselves as they decide what to order. Chenle, ultimately waits by tapping his fingers onto the marble counter, displaying eager eyes and a wide smile.
“We will get two iced vanilla lattes and…” The taller boy looks over to his friend, silently asking if he wanted to add more to their order.
“Two cakes, any of your choice. He always has trouble choosing.” The other answers. Chenle shortly nods and takes note of the request.
To Jisung, he’s a mere nameless cashier. However, to Renjun, he’s the mere nameless cashier that has always provided Jisung with free food and drinks whenever they came by. He tested the waters by considering that maybe the treatment was for both of them. But, the one time Renjun had stopped by for a latte without Jisung, the mint-haired cashier looked him dead in the eye charging him six-thousand won without mercy.
Therefore, he came to the conclusion that the special treatment was only for Jisung.
“Okay, you’re set. Once this buzzes your order will be ready.” The boy slides a circular pager towards the customer and Jisung smiles shyly.
“Are you sure? I feel like I’ve never gotten the chance to pay when I'm here.”
Renjun takes this as a chance to glance over at the worker’s name tag. He reads — Chenle and he finally can place a name to the face that has been sneaking Jisung free goodies.
Chenle shakes his head without any hesitation, “I’ll call you when it’s ready.”
Jeez . Renjun can only roll his eyes after Chenle walks away. Jisung has homed the buzzer in his palms gently and motions to Renjun that they should find a table. As they walk out of line, Renjun leads and begins to talk about the blaring signs that should be addressed.
“Jisung, that guy is always giving you free stuff. Aren’t you interested in why?”
They find a table in the far corner. However, they still have a view of the barista counter where Chenle works. Jisung sets his stuff down, sitting across from Renjun. “No, I just think he’s nice.”
Renjun scrunches his nose from his response. “ Nice? That is way more than just nice. ”
Jisung unzips his bag and takes out his laptop. “What else is it, hyung?” Innocently asking the question as he had no further explanation for the barista’s behavior. Renjun took the initiative to explain that it was Chenle’s version of flirting.
“That dude. ” Renjun’s back faces the barista counter, he tilts his head once and attempts to conceal his obvious pointing. “Chenle, that’s his name, he likes you.”
Jisung’s lips curl up slowly, he covers his mouth and shortly a laugh escapes. His body begins to move with his reaction, finding Renjun’s comment funny as he stated his observation with such a serious tone.
“Hyung, that guy doesn’t like me. He’s just nice.”
“God.” Renjun smacks his own forehead, only for it to sting a couple seconds later. “I seriously need to strangle some sense into you. Jisung, if I were a barista and gave a random stranger free stuff each time they came by. Isn’t kindness a stale reason to explain that?”
“Maybe he knows I’m broke?”
“Jisung, every graduate student is broke. You’re not special.”
The timing is immaculate when the buzzer goes off. Jisung picks it up in silence as his facial expressions speak for himself. He walks over to the pick-up counter and the mint-haired boy is providing him with his order. There are a couple of other treats that weren’t ordered, such as tiramisu flavored macarons and a platter of assorted cookies. Jisung is about to comment on them, however, Chenle speaks first.
“On the house.” It’s almost as if it’s his favorite phrase.
Jisung tears his eyes away from the food and reads his name tag. “Chenle.” He says out loud, which startles the worker slightly. “Thank you. I appreciate it.”
Chenle shakes his head as this was nothing. However, he felt flattered by his acknowledgment as this was his first time furthering a conversation with the customer as their interactions were solely based at the register. “No, it’s nothing. Just anything for my favorite regular.”
“Oh,” Jisung tilts his head, “that’s why you’re always so nice. It’s because I’m a regular.”
“Yeah,” Chenle puts down the tray and adjusts his apron out of nervousness. “Obviously.”
“I’m Jisung.”
“I know, I remember writing it down when our systems were down that one day.”
“Oh.” Jisung grabs the tray with both hands. “You’re very talented.”
Such an awkward and endearing comment. Is all Chenle can think about. I want to get to know him badly. However, he keeps up his customer service persona. “I hope you enjoy the extra treats. I was unsure what you’d like, but I made sure there was enough for both of you.”
Jisung smiles, “My hyung thinks you have ulterior motives. I don’t think you do. I think you’re just really nice.”
Chenle’s smile slightly drops. His head slowly pans to their table where Renjun watches their conversation. Chenle feels his eye slightly twitch, he wasn’t going to have his café crush manipulated and be wronged in this situation as he has continuously placed himself in a position that could get him fired. In other words, no worker should be giving this much free stuff so often — even Jeno knows his limits.
“I— yeah. ” He looks back to Jisung and nods. “You just seem cool, familiar faces are what keep me going.” Chenle finds his excuse stupid, regulars are regulars — they keep the business going. He’s just a mere tool for labor.
“That’s so awesome of you. I admire your dedication to your job.” Jisung picks the tray up as a signal that he is ending the conversation. “See you around, Chenle.”
“Bye Jisung.” The mint hair boy waves goodbye to the customer as he returns back to his seat. Jeno, who creeps up behind Chenle, grabs him by his shoulders.
“Seriously? Regulars are what keep you going? You took Sohee’s shift the moment you heard that dude was sitting in the shop working.”
Chenle removes Jeno’s hands from him, walking back to the register evidently annoyed. “I can’t flirt with customers on shift. You know Johnny hyung will get upset.”
Jeno scans the area before he speaks. “That’s only if he’s here. Shouldn’t be a problem when he isn’t. Besides, it’s loserish enough to find that he thinks you’re spoiling him cause you’re nice. Everyone knows that’s more than nice.”
Chenle sighs, “Well, I’ll take it as a good sign. It definitely means he’s single.”
“Yeah, no shit.”
Back at the table, Jisung separates their extra treats evenly on the platter. Renjun stares with heavy eyes, they speak many words and Jisung is not interested in hearing them. “He gives me free stuff cause I’m a regular.”
“I am too, I never get free shit.”
“Maybe–”
“It’s not anything else, he simply likes you.” Renjun cuts him off, he begins to steal Jisung’s cookies and stacks them on his side of the plate. He even adds one more macaroon to create an imbalance between them. Jisung gives him an offended look. “What? It’s compensation.”
“I didn’t do anything.”
“Exactly, you’re not doing anything. If you go on a date with the barista, I can use you as my coupon to get discounted or even free things here.”
_______________________
After the conversation with Renjun, Jisung decides that maybe he should start paying attention to details rather than streaming along with surface level interactions. He typically hated when he spiraled into overthinking, especially when it came to strangers and since this was his favorite café – he didn’t want to make a fool out of himself when the barista was obviously working at the business long term.
But, since it bothered Renjun so much. He took the initiative to go to the café by himself and read Chenle’s moves. Ensuring to throw away the worker and customer perception when analyzing the situation.
It’s hot the day he goes, so he wears a red oversized t-shirt and some baggy pants to protect his legs from the sun. He knows this is a casual walk in – a test run by all means. Therefore he makes it known through his attire.
When he enters the building, there is a bit of a line. But, he can’t opt for the self-service kiosk as he had to view the situation himself. Jisung waits patiently, scrolling through various social media platforms to keep himself busy in line. There are two workers at the register, one of them being Chenle. The other, Jisung, is unfamiliar with.
“Next!” Unluckily, Jisung receives the unknown worker. Which is expected, he can’t request for Chenle’s assistance whenever he arrives.
He takes the time to acknowledge Chenle. Giving him a small wave and tiny smile as the boy inputted information from the customer he was serving beside him. Chenle returns the smile back and it follows with him biting at his bottom lip. Cheeks puffed with clear joy.
Jisung snaps back to reality after realizing the worker in front of him was asking for his order. “Um..large iced vanilla latte please.”
“Okay, that’ll be–Ow!” The cashier, also known as Jaemin, looks over to Chenle who had kicked his shin. Jisung is startled by the sudden reaction as he was in the midst of pulling out his card. Jaemin gives Chenle a side eye, clenching his teeth, Jisung can hear him slur the phrase.
“What the fuck man?”
After understanding there was a silent exchange of looks being thrown between Chenle and his co-worker. The cashier in front of him releases a defeated sigh. He grabs a pager, slapping it onto the counter and sliding it over to Jisung. “Your order will be ready when this goes off.”
Jisung looks down at the device, then to Jaemin, then to Chenle and finally back down to the pager. Renjun was right, he was totally oblivious. There was no way in hell a barista would go through the trouble of having his co-worker provide free stuff for a stranger on a busy day. In all means, he is risking his position as his colleague could easily rat him out for his sneaky behavior.
But, Chenle continuously smiles and it is not because he is great at customer service. There were feelings involved and he wasn’t shy to display them. He even gave Jisung two strong thumbs up as a sign that he was the one who covered him.
“Thank you…” Jisung takes the buzzer and leaves, pondering on when the treatment truly started. It must have hurt Chenle’s heart to hear that his actions were only depicted as kindness – he basically stepped on his heart and it was caused by his oblivion.
As he walks away. Jaemin nudges Chenle, “Don’t do that shit again.” He mutters.
“Sorry~” Chenle cutely apologizes, watching Jisung leave for the pick up counter. “It’s a hot day, the guy deserves a sweet treat.”
“Let me know if your boyfriend is coming for a treat when there’s a rush. That kick hurt.”
“ Not my boyfriend, my favorite customer.”
Jaemin groans, “Still? Gosh, I’m surprised he hasn’t caught on.”
“I know. I don’t think I’m trying hard enough.”
Jaemin shakes his head, “No, I think you’re doing enough. Next!”
_______________________
Oh . But he finally figured it out. Jisung wasn’t a pro at concealing knowledge. He registered the awareness that the information could change the trajectory of his relationship – or whatever this was, with Chenle. He wouldn’t be able to form coherent sentences or hide the expressions on his face as they revealed unspoken words.
“What are you on about?” Renjun interrupts Jisung’s inner panic.
Jisung is zoning out on their couch. He shakes his head in utter defeat and pure worry, “You’re right, Chenle likes me.”
“Yeah, I’m always right.”
The younger of the two sighs, he sinks into the cushion and pouts. “Why me though? I’m a regular like you.”
“Probably because you’re his type?” Renjun offers the consideration with a laugh. “Jisung, it’s not uncommon for people to make moves on people they’re interested in.”
“I just feel bad. I feel like I’ve been using him.”
“You haven’t, you’ve never been aware of his feelings.”
“But, am I that dense to not notice? How long has it been?”
“Um..” Renjun tilts his head to refer back to his memory. “Almost about a month now?”
Jisung springs up from the couch, looking at Renjun with his jaw dropped. “A month! You decided to bring up this conversation a month in!”
“I thought you knew!”
“Hyung,” Jisung puts his hands on his hips, looking to the side and scoffing. “Do you think I think that far? I have a paper due and when I go to the café my brain is freaking out over the same thing. Is my research good? Did I fix up the errors that were told to be corrected? Not , oh! I think that guy likes me because of the free stuff he gave me today. I genuinely thought I was this guy’s ‘chosen customer’.” He uses finger quotations over the last two words and sighs.
Renjun responds with mere silence, unsure of how to respond as he registered Jisung’s surface-level behavior towards the barista.
“Hyung.” Jisung whines, “I should take responsibility, right?”
“Jisung. You’re not obligated to return feelings for a stranger.” Renjun walks over to the couch and helps Jisung calm down by sitting them both down. “Only talk to him out of interest, not guilt. Because if you do it out of the second one, you’re only hurting him more.”
“I mean,” Jisung tilts his head, thinking about the mint-haired boy. “He’s cute. I can try talking to him and see where things go? I’m not against getting to know him, that’s a good start. Right?”
“Sure. Maybe it’ll help relieve stress from your work. I’ve seen you consuming too much caffeine, he can introduce you to drinks that’ll lessen the damage on your sleep schedule.”
“But I enjoy my ice vanilla lattes…”
Renjun scrunches his nose while shaking his head. “They’re really not good for you Jisung..”
“I’ll give it a shot, maybe I can wait for him until his shift ends tomorrow? I have some articles to look over and need to revise a section…I’ll basically be hitting two birds with one stone.”
“Yeah, that seems like a good plan.” As Renjun pats Jisung’s back, “He could be a good guy and you could score a pass to free stuff at our favorite café. Which luckily ended up being a cute guy.”
“You’re right,” Jisung nods, he points a finger to Renjun and shakes it slightly. “You always have good input. I need to start listening to you more.”
Renjun laughs, “Yeah, sure. Tell yourself that.”
_______________________
The next day Jisung prepared for a long day of focus as he woke up to suggestions from his advisor regarding revisions to his paper. In very minor words, he was told to curate a more concise review of his argument which meant he needed to utilize the brain power that barely existed in him. Jisung had a difficult time of either saying too much or too little – and during his time at the café, he would have to go through old drafts of content and stir up new edits to his paper which was not going to be pleasant.
However, he has to remind himself that he’s also there for Chenle. He wasn’t sure of how he was going to present the idea of furthering their worker-customer relation without it being odd. Was there a way to ask for a date from a customer service provider? He thought about asking him out for coffee as it seemed like a pleasant way of getting to know a person. That was until he realized that Chenle was surrounded by coffee beans all day, maybe lunch could be do-able.
So, he entered the door with two goals today.
- Fix up the paper that was eating his brain alive
- Hopefully put the car on drive with Chenle in it
Chenle is in the midst of clocking in, tying his apron as he walks toward the counter. He spots Jisung settling his belongings on a table, surprised to find him as it was almost thirty minutes after opening hours. He looks around, Johnny isn’t on shift today so he walks over to Jisung before heading over to his station.
“Hey.” He greets casually.
Jisung is sitting down with his laptop in front of him as he prepares his documents. He looks up, eyes widening as he wasn’t expecting a Chenle interaction so early into his mission. “Hey.” He responds calmly.
Chenle leans forward to take a peak of Jisung’s screen. “Work?”
“Yeah, lots of it.”
“Want a coffee? On the house. Did you have breakfast?”
Jisung nods, “Yeah I had breakfast. Coffee would be great.”
Chenle smiles, “Yeah, I can get that ready for you.”
The barista walks quickly to his station to prepare the drink for Jisung. He is familiar with his order as he consistently orders an iced vanilla latte whenever he visits. The assembly of the drink is easy as there’s no correct order in which it's made. Chenle grabs a glass and pours ice into it, he has the espresso machine running and the coffee is dripping into a separate cup. He pours milk into the glass and waits for the machine to stop dripping. After completing its serving, Chenle mixes a bit of simple syrup into the espresso and it is the last bit to Jisung’s order. He doesn’t stir as that’s Jisung’s job to enjoy.
He grabs a tray and begins to gather other treats for Jisung as he assumed the boy would be at the café for a couple of hours as the amount of tabs he caught a glimpse of were lethal. It was the least he could do. As his tray quickly filled with pastries, Chenle stops himself before he stacked the whole store’s inventory onto Jisung’s special order.
Jisung notices Chenle slowly walking over with a tray. It’s packed and he immediately stands up to help the barista out with the load. He gently grabs the tray, asking him to transfer the job onto him. Chenle and him both hold it, silently battling another.
“I got it.” Jisung whispers, Chenle looks up and attempts to fight without spilling the items. But, Jisung’s smile makes him so weak to where he let go without any knowledge of doing so. “Thank you.”
He successfully transfers the tray to his table and Chenle follows. “I thought you might need all of that for today. If there’s anything else you’d like, I can provide.”
Jisung sits down, he acknowledges that there are barely any customers and it is the best time to begin the conversation while it lasts. “I..you know. I come here often and see you a lot.”
Chenle nodded slowly, articulating the extension of his neck as he was nervous to hear Jisung out.
“Would you be interested in getting to know each other?”
Chenle is taken aback. He was certain that Jisung had no knowledge of his little crush, but he considers the moves he played with Jaemin yesterday had revealed too much. He wasn’t going to say no to his offer, in fact – he was sure that Jisung had no interest in him and he was going to be rejected when he finally got impatient with being a mere barista in his life.
“I would love to get to know you.”
“Cool!” Jisung’s face perks up, “Would you be okay exchanging numbers? I’ll add you on Kakao.”
“Of course.” Chenle scrambles for his phone and he finds it in the back pocket of his pants. He opens his messaging app and hands it over to Jisung. The boy quickly inputs his number and hands it back to Jisung.
“Talk to you later?”
“Sure.” Chenle smiles, his nonchalant act can only last for so long. He points to his station and places his phone into his pocket. “I have to start working, but can’t wait to talk.”
Jisung doesn’t have a chance to respond as Chenle quickly walks away. Except he heads to the farthest door that is only accessible for employees. He brushes it off until a couple of minutes later, he catches a faint yell and he assumes there is a victory being celebrated in the back. Jisung chuckles, picturing the image.
“What a funny guy.”
_______________________
Chenle doesn’t know what changed in the universe’s air for Jisung to finally recognize his interest in him. However, for the boy’s character, Chenle wonders if the conversation sprouted from acknowledging his crush. Or, out of pure intent of getting to know each other as friends.
Whichever it is, Chenle thinks of it as a win.
After completing his shift, Jisung had left and he assumed it was out of academic duties as the student focused intensely on his work. He didn’t request for a refill on his coffee and or showed interest in having a restock in treats during his three hour visit.
Chenle lays his entire body along the couch in his shared apartment. Waiting for a message from Jisung as he wasn’t going to be the one to kick off the conversation. He thinks he has been heavily desperate for Jisung’s attention ever since he became aware of his existence. He can’t exhibit any more desperation outside of his work persona as that was already enough.
“What are you doing?” Mark, his roommate walks into the living room with a towel hung over his neck. He has just gotten out of the shower and sits by Chenle’s feet on the couch.
“Waiting for a text.” Chenle responds, phone hovering above his face. “You know that guy I’m really into at work?”
“The cute customer you give free stuff to?”
“Mhm.” Chenle sits up and props his body against one of the cushions. He faces Mark. “I got his number today because he wanted to get to know me. I don’t really know what direction that sets us in. But, I don’t want to come off as overly excited and text him first.”
Mark purses his lips, shrugging his shoulders. “I don’t think texting first is an issue. It shows you’re interested in talking to him. Nothing wrong with that.”
“I just don’t want to come off as annoying. Also, he was busy working during my shift. I don’t wanna bother him if he has other important things to focus on.”
“Those are excuses.” Mark argues. “If you want a conversation to start, you text first and if he doesn’t respond maybe your observation of him being busy explains it. But, what happens if you text him and he responds? Even if the text interrupted whatever he was up to, I’m sure he can be a nice person to let you know.”
Chenle furrows his brows and puts down his phone. He crosses his arms and tilts his head as he looks at Mark for a couple of seconds.
“What?” Mark questions, putting his hands up in case Chenle was in the midst of plotting an attack.
“You convinced me and I hate it.”
Mark snorts, putting his hands down. He stands up from the couch and begins walking towards his room. “Let me know what happens tomorrow.”
“Yep.” Chenle responds, “Night.”
“Night Chenle.”
Chenle opens the messaging app and looks for Jisung’s number. He clicks on it and his thumbs hover over the keyboard as a wave of hesitation hits him. Chenle brushes it off as he wants to follow Mark's advice. He’s a grown adult, he can handle rejection or redirection. Or, he likes to tell himself.
Chenle: hey! jisung it’s chenle (:
He sets his phone face down next to him and snatches the nearest decorative pillow to hold. Chenle embraces it tightly out of second hand embarrassment. Why were crushes so difficult and embarrassing?
His phone buzzes. Chenle’s eyes immediately dart to its presence and hesitates to pick it up. He takes a deep breath and feels the couch for his phone. His eyes are closed while he slowly hovers his phone in front of his face. Opening his eyes, he is met with a new message.
Mark : any chance I left my water bottle in the kitchen? it's not in my room
Chenle groans exceptionally loud. He gets up from the couch and walks over to the kitchen where he finds Mark’s water bottle. He grabs it and heads over to Mark’s room. Barging in, the boy is sitting in warm lighting as he has made himself comfy in his bed to prepare for his sleep. “I thought Jisung texted me. However, it was just you who needed your water bottle.” Chenle places the item gently onto Mark’s bedside table.
The older snorts, “Sorry for killing your vibe. Did you get excited?”
“Obviously.” Chenle wasn’t going to lie.
Mark smiles, “Would you be upset if I sent you another text just to fuck with you?”
Chenle rolls his eyes and turns his heels to leave Mark’s room. He stands in the doorway with his hand grasped around the doorknob. “Go to sleep, hyung.” Chenle closes the door after and returns to his hyperfixation of his current one-sided conversation with Jisung.
He takes the time to get ready for bed during the waiting period. Chenle is able to complete a nice warm shower, dry his hair and get through his skincare routine. He doesn’t brush his teeth just in case he craves a little treat during the period of settling in as it typically happens. It has been about forty-eight minutes since Chenle has sent his message and the time almost strikes eleven p.m. He is debating whether or not he should call it quits.
Eventually, waiting makes him crave something. He assumes it's his coping mechanism to distract himself from the fact that he has finally intersected with his crush and it hasn’t fully digested that he just texted his number. It feels awfully surreal, he doesn’t know how long he’s been eyeing the guy as he naturally was attracted to him. The acts of providing free treats were unconscious, not out of specific intent – Chenle just really liked him.
He stands in the kitchen flamingo style while leaning over the counter. He snacks on a couple of chocolate crackers that he found in the pantry. His phone sits in front of him, silent and lacking messages. Chenle wonders when’s the last time he felt so loserish when it came to romantically liking people. It must’ve been a while , he surely thinks.
The boy shakes his head out of disappointment, assuming that Jisung wouldn’t text back for the night and goes to the sink to dust the crumbs off of his hands. He washes them with soap after, intensely rubbing himself as he couldn’t shake off the anxious thoughts that made their way into his head.
Brushing his teeth is the last thing he has to do in order to unlock sleep for the night. He heads to the bathroom, brushing mindlessly until his phone buzzes. Chenle looks down and reads the notification.
Jisung : hey chenle ! sorry for not texting you sooner, I got caught up with some research stuff and needed to fix it before I lost my sanity
Chenle almost chokes on the foam formed by his toothpaste. He immediately spits it out and gargles to attend to the message. He watches as Jisung types more, Chenle waits for his next message.
Jisung : are you settling into bed? I don’t want to bother you for the night if you have a shift tomorrow.
Chenle doesn’t think about the texting etiquette he wanted to follow. He immediately responds.
Chenle: hey! no worries, that sounds stressful. I hope everything was figured out :) I was about to rot in bed for a little until I fell asleep haha
Jisung : oh..I do that so often..I get you
Chenle : yeah…thank you for texting me back
Chenle: I’m sorry I don’t know why I’m thanking you
Jisung : I would never ghost you
Jisung : unfortunately I am a graduate student so I do get busy sometimes
Chenle : busy is good, I like how the café keeps me busy
Jisung : how long have you been working there?
Chenle: hmm…
Chenle: almost a year and a half
Jisung : oh wow
Jisung : I started going recently bc a friend bought me a drink there and I decided to bring my roommate there
Jisung : ever since we’ve been going
Chenle: the guy you’re always with right?
Jisung : yeah ! he’s very sweet
Chenle’s lips twitch as it tugs to the side out of annoyance. He tells himself he has no right to get jealous as he barely knows Jisung. In fact, the boy just said they were roommates. If he were to be realistic, he is roommates with Mark and there are no romantic feelings involved. Jeno would be heartbroken to hear if there was.
Jisung : are you sure it’s not too late for you? I’m not bothering you right?
Chenle : definitely not! I’m usually a night owl
Chenle smacks his forehead, he had an opening shift at seven a.m. Getting the shop ready was both physically and time consuming. He needed adequate sleep to get through the day. However, when would be the next time he’d talk to Jisung?
Jisung : oh okay :) just wanted to make sure
Chenle: yeah don’t worry about me!
His words cost him several hours of sleep. Chenle kept himself up with texting Jisung, exchanging information about another as they cleared the basics which moved them past the barista and customer stage. Chenle learned that Jisung was a graduate student pursuing his masters in sociology and was in the midst of completing his own research. It was tedious as Jisung had begun the outline months ago and now has reached the polishing stage. He admired his hard work, he brewed coffee for a living, expanding knowledge and sharing it to others made him like Jisung more.
It was also revealed to Chenle that Jisung is a year younger than him. Meaning, in technicality, Jisung should be using honorifics out of respect. However, Chenle asked him not to, he pictured a scenario of Jisung calling him, hyung . He came to the conclusion that it sounds better to hear his name come out of Jisung’s mouth as he would feel more connected to the younger boy even with the slight age gap.
Jisung : it’s almost three a.m…I should totally let you sleep
Chenle : yeah..I think I should get some rest. I actually have to open in four hours
Jisung: WHAT???
Jisung: why didn’t you say anything???
Jisung: omg i’m terrible..
Chenle: no! It’s cool, this was my decision to respond and talk to you
Chenle: I enjoyed it a lot
Chenle: thank you for talking to me :)
Jisung : of course..
Jisung: you’ll definitely need some caffeine for tomorrow
Chenle: oh no definitely I’ll make myself something
Chenle: iced green tea with lemonade and bits of dried strawberries are my favorite morning drink
Jisung: that sounds really yummy but I’ve never seen it on the menu?
Chenle: a chenle special
Jisung: would I be able to receive a chenle special if I come tomorrow?
Chenle : today* and sure I can do that for you
Jisung: got me with that correction..
Jisung: but, I’ll see you then :) get some rest chenle, goodnight !
Chenle: goodnight jisung (: see you tomorrow~
_______________________
“Christ.” Jaemin examines Chenle who lays half of his body on the cold counter at the front. He is in the middle of moping while Chenle presents himself half-dead. “Are you hungover? You could’ve called out.”
Chenle slowly lifts himself up. It hurts to extract his body from the cold surface as he was in the midst of drifting off to sleep. “Talked to Jisung last night, and slept at three in the morning.”
“No wonder you’re so puffy.”
“Fuck off.” Chenle groans, he walks around the counter and stands in the wet area that Jaemin had just mopped in. “Do I look that bad?”
“Honestly, I think you should just clock out for the day. You look like you’ve just completed a lunch rush and it’s only seven in the morning. You came late for the main cleaning anyway. Just skip.”
“Jisung wanted to try my favorite drink.”
“Green tea with dried strawberries?” Jaemin raises a brow as his reason was silly to beat his body over.
“With lemonade.” Chenle corrects.
Jaemin rolls his eyes, “Yeah, whatever it is. I can ask Sohee to come in today. Go home and get some rest, I think Jisung would rather have you snuggle in bed and take care of your sleep schedule instead of staying here so you can serve him your little special drink.”
Returning back to his bed doesn't sound like a bad idea. In fact, he’s been dreaming about going back to bed the moment he woke up for his shift. Chenle caves in, untying his apron as he begins to walk to the back to clock out. Jaemin nods in satisfaction, “That’s what I want to see. I’ll get Sohee on the line, don’t worry about the shop today.”
“Yeah, whatever.” Chenle groans, realizing he’d have to take a fifteen minute walk back to his apartment to get back into his bed.
As Chenle prepares to leave the building. Jisung stands outside and patiently waits for someone else to walk inside the café as he was too embarrassed to be the first one there. He knew Chenle would be opening. However, his appearance was mainly based on the fact that he was heavily sleep deprived. The desperation for a heavily caffeinated drink was necessary as he had a duty to fulfill. He was going to head to the library to continue polishing his paper as he would continue to rot in bed if he stayed under the sheets any longer.
As Jaemin finishes moping, he notices a couple of regulars waiting outside of the shop for opening. But, he particularly notices Chenle’s customer-crush and panics. His immediate response is to yell out for Chenle’s name to see if he was still inside.
“What!” Chenle screams back, every molecule in his body was annoyed that he was awake at this very moment.
“Jisung is here! That’s his name right?” Jaemin yells from the main floor. Chenle drops his employee card as he was in the midst of clocking out.
Chenle immediately picks up the flimsy plastic and runs out to the counter. He tries to scope out the view by changing his perspective through moving around the room. He finally does spot him, the black haired boy waits patiently on his phone for the doors to open. “Oh my god, I look like shit!”
“Yeah, go fucking home.” Jaemin shoots back, shooing him away. Chenle gives him an offended look. “Well, maybe you both look like shit if you went to sleep at three together.”
Speaking of the devil, Chenle’s back pocket buzzes and he checks the notification. It’s from Jisung.
Jisung : I think I see you :3
Jisung: I can’t stay for long..library calls
Jisung : I also might pass on the chenle special..I’m so sleep deprived…
Jisung : maybe if I come by next time I can try it?
He’s so exhausted. But the message makes Chenle smile, it’s automatic even though he feels his body deteriorating by the second.
Chenle: of course, it’ll be on the house just for you
Jisung : on the hose…you always makes me feel really special
Chenle doesn’t register the impact of the next message he sends.
Chenle: guess I can’t hide that you are
Jisung’s hands are frozen. Being hit with such a bold response made him.. shy . He couldn’t put it into words, but his heartbeat quickened only slightly. Maybe out of embarrassment as he let his heart get swayed so easily. Jisung takes a peek into the café, spotting Chenle behind the counter. Jisung’s eyes are immediately consumed by the sight of the boy laughing to himself, covering his mouth as he himself couldn’t believe his own message.
Jisung smiles and he can’t hide it. Chenle must like him so much. His feeling of responsibility began to fade as it turned into a small form of adoration. Also, he couldn’t lie — Chenle was really cute when he was giddy. It was even cuter knowing it was about him.
_______________________
After returning home, Chenle had knocked out and slept for eight hours. He woke up, groggy and feeling heavy at three in the afternoon as the light violated his eyes through his curtains. Mark had returned home from his internship, knocking on Chenle’s door as he saw on his location app that Chenle was home.
“Chenle! Have you eaten yet? Wanna grab food?” Mark’s fist has been kissing his door for the past two minutes. He wanted to include the younger as he knew if he came home with takeout, it would turn into a conversation of –
Why didn’t you get me food ? Or, that food doesn’t look that good. I’ll pass . Mark didn’t want either.
“S–Sure!” Chenle yells, finally responding. He pushes himself up as he falls asleep on his stomach. His arms wobble from attempting to use his strength after just waking up. “Give me twenty!”
Chenle detaches himself from his bed. Hauling himself to the bathroom to wash up his face. He takes a moment to register himself in front of the mirror, accepting the fact that he needed the rest as he would have not survived his seven a.m shift.
After refreshing himself with cold water, he walks over to his closet and puts on a comfortable outfit for lunch. Exiting his room, he finds Mark on his phone, ready and patiently waiting. Mark makes eye contact with Chenle and raises his brows. “Ready to go?”
Chenle is in a comfy brown hoodie that pairs with gray, washed out jeans. “Ready.”
Mark offers the idea of getting fried chicken, which Chenle wasn’t opposed to. As they make their way over to the nearest location, they are seated immediately and Chenle is still in the process of waking up and hides his face with his hood as he feels puffy.
“You skipped work today?”
“Clocked out early.” Chenle begins to explain, “I was exhausted to even stand. I honestly don't even know how I got the apartment.”
“Well, you made it in one piece.”
“I saw Jisung before I left.”
“Did you talk to him?” Mark questions.
“Over text, yes.” Chenle pauses before continuing as their waiter provided water. “I think he knows I like him. I don’t know what he’s up to though.”
“Maybe he wants to pursue you?”
“You think so?”
As they talk, customers stream into the chicken shop to enjoy a late lunch. Jisung, is one of them, with his classmate Donghyuck who was interested in tagging along. Donghyuck requests for a corner table, which so happened to be across from Chenle’s. Although, Jisung does not know that.
“I mean. He doesn’t seem to have any red flags so far. But, you just met him.”
Chenle sighs, “Do you think I’m trying too hard? I just–”
“Jisung-ah, how’s that guy you met at the cafe?”
Chenle’s eyes widened, it’s the most awake he’s been today. Mark becomes slightly startled, that’s until he takes account of the two figures that walk past them to sit at the table across from them. Chenle’s back faces both of them as they sit across from another at a two-seater table. “Is that?--”
Chenle puts a finger to his lips, telling Mark to shush as he wants to listen to their conversation.
“I think he’s cool. I don’t think he worked today because we stayed up late talking. I wanted to see him but he wasn’t there when I got through the door.”
“Awee~” Donghyuck stretches out the singular word. “You wanted to see him?”
“Well..yeah..”
Chenle covers his mouth with both hands. His elbows perch on the table and he has the urge to look over but he doesn’t wanna reveal his identity.
Donghyuck giggles at Jisung’s answer, “Are you attracted to him?”
“I think he’s good looking.”
“Is he your type?”
Please say yes. Please say yes. Chenle begs silently.
“I don’t really have a type. But, I think he’s pretty. He has mint hair, it looks good on him and I like when he gets excited over me. It makes me..feel appreciated that I can be wanted.”
Chenle wants to burst out into tears of joy. He clasps his hand together and silently cheers. Mark is not the best at hiding his facial expressions as he listens in to the conversation. Jisung’s friend notices, and locks eyes with Mark.
Mark hides his lips and his eyes begin to dart everywhere but Donghyuck.
Donghyuck laughs, “What do you think about that guy?” He questions Jisung, tilting his head towards Mark. “I think he’s kinda cute. You think he’s a foreigner?”
Jisung turns around and Mark registers that Chenle’s crush is looking in their direction. He covers his mouth and whispers to Chenle, “Don’t turn around.” Without any further instruction, Chenle wants to turn around. But, he listens to Mark.
After Jisung’s quick glance, he removes his eyes from Mark and notices the boy in the brown hoodie. He looks comfy and the fit of the clothing is up Jisung’s style. He wants to question the boy where he got it as he wanted to do a bit of research on the brand. He turns back to Donghyuck, “Would it be weird if I asked where he got his hoodie from?”
“The brown one? No, it looks cool.”
Jisung nods and stands up. He walks over to their table and Mark is attempting not to panic as his expressive self will make Chenle frantic. “Excuse me,” Jisung politely intrudes, “Can I ask where your hoodie is from?”
Chenle’s mouth drops as he recognizes the voice. He puts his head down, but Jisung can’t see as his hood covers him entirely. He is still, almost as if he’s a porcelain doll put on display and his first visitor just had to be Jisung. “Sorry, if that’s a weird question.”
Chenle takes in a deep breath, releasing the air slowly. He clears his throat and nods, “Um..it's from a brand called netherworld.”
Jisung takes out his phone, “Netherworld..” He repeats as he types in the name into the search bar. He finds the hoodie and realizes it's in stock. “Cool! Thank you so much, hope you have a great meal.”
“Yep..” Chenle snaps his head up as he thinks Jisung is already walking away. But, his hood falls with the sudden motion and reveals himself. Jisung was in the middle of turning his heels, that’s until he recognized the boy’s face and unique hair color.
“Chenle?”
“Fuck…” Chenle mutters. Mark is on the opposite end biting his finger out of embarrassment.
Jisung smiles, not aware of the situation. “I like your hoodie! I didn’t know it was you. Your fashion is really cool, I’ve only seen you in a polo and apron so this is new.”
Chenle covers half of his face with a sweater paw. He felt himself turning red from the compliment Jisung gave him and the fact he heard everything he said about him three minutes ago.”Yeah..my work attire doesn’t give me the chance to show off.”
“The hoodie you have on is in stock. Should we match?”
Chenle’s eyes widen and he’s staring directly at Mark who is unsure of what to do in this situation. He slowly turns his head to make eye contact with Jisung. “Sure..only if you’d like.”
“I’ll put it in my cart.” Jisung happily says. “I’m glad I was able to see you. I wasn’t able to this morning.”
“Yeah..” Chenle shyly responds, “I’m happy to see you too.”
Jisung smiles, “I hope you have a good meal, Chenle. I’ll text you later.”
Chenle is blushing madly. He doesn’t realize how much of an impact Jisung has on him inside and outside of the premises of the cafe they both deeply love. His heart goes manic, almost as if it's developing its own feet to escape into Jisung’s palms. “Text you soon.”
Jisung walks back to his table, satisfied that he was able to find the brand of the hoodie and encounter Chenle outside of work.
“Long conversation.” Donghyuck comments.
“It was him, mint hair barista.”
Donghyuck purses his lips, “No wonder he looked so shy. He was trying to hide himself from you.”
“You think so?”
“Man is down bad, that’s all I can say.”
At the other table, Mark scoots Chenle’s water closer to him so he can calm himself down. “Um, didn’t know he was such a flirt.”
“He doesn’t realize he is.” Chenle whines, “Why is he so cute…”
_______________________
When they arrive home, Chenle doesn’t change and sits on his bed in silence. He cradles himself in his hoodie, forcing it to engulf his entire self as he covers the fabric over his knees to hide his legs. Chenle can’t get over the sudden interaction, especially when a part of Jisung’s conversation involves him. He was a topic worth being brought up to others.
How could he contain his delusions when they were coming true?
“Chenle! Are you gonna hole yourself up in your room all night!” Mark yells from the living room, the older one doesn't know, but Chenle groans in response.
Chenle feels the surface of his bed to find his phone. He successfully grabs it, flipping it upwards to look at his screen of notifications.
Jisung: must be fate that we ran into each other…i thought i would have to see you with your apron on again
Jisung: I think I might buy that hoodie you’re wearing!
Jisung: we should get lunch sometime soon :D
Chenle immediately slaps his phone back onto his bed and holds his knees that are trapped under his hoodie. He rocks back and forth, feeling insane as Jisung’s messages made his heartbeat go over a hundred beats per minute.
“I should respond..” He tells himself, knowing it was the right move. He frees his legs from his hoodie and lays them flat on his bed
Chenle: yeah haha, didn’t think i’d see you there
Chenle: sorry if i was a little awkward, i slept all day today
Jisung: no worries (: i’m sure you had a long day
Jisung: you had a bit of bed head, it was cute
Chenle screams in silence, jaw dropping widely as he rolls around in his sheets from the sudden compliment. He was such a loser, Jisung made him so in love and they’re only getting to know each other.
Chenle: thanks…
Jisung: sorry..my thumbs were kinda just typing what I was thinking..
Chenle: no it's okay
Chenle: i like it
Chenle can see Jisung typing on his end, but it stops and reappears every few seconds.
“Jisung, why are you being weird?” Renjun questions on the opposite end of the couch as Jisung’s expressive self was distracting him from his show.
“I–I, Chenle..” Jisung tries to spit out, “I feel weird…”
“You have a crush on him, don’t you?”
“I just think he’s cute…”
“Sure,” Renjun raises his eyebrows, “whatever makes you sleep at night.”
It takes a moment for Jisung to finally respond.
Jisung : I'm glad..
Jisung: Am I allowed to compliment you?
Chenle: I won’t turn them down
Jisung: cool..
Jisung: can I take you out sometime?
Chenle grips his phone with both hands, the message automatically makes him stand from his bed and he gets a rush of dizziness from the sudden movement. He rereads the message, then begins to walk towards his door which results in him stubbing his toe. Chenle naturally responds with a plethora of swear words - but, he returns back to his device and realizes the message is real.
Chenle: what do you have in mind?
Jisung: you free tomorrow?
Jisung: i’m taking a rest day from academics
Jisung : i want to spend it with you
“What the fuck..”
Chenle: you can’t say those types of things
Jisung: what?
Jisung : the truth?
Chenle: you don’t know what you’re doing to me
Jisung: see me tomorrow and explain to me what i’m doing
Jisung : i’ll make sure to keep it up
Jisung: is that okay, chenle? :)
Chenle walks out of his room, slamming the door open and startling Mark who sits peacefully on the couch.
“Dude, what the hell you might put a dent in the wall opening it that hard.” Mark scolds.
“I need this man so badly hyung, you don’t get it.”
“He gets you this worked up?”
“He asked me out on a date.”
Mark stands up, “Dude..”
“Dude..”
Chenle looks down at his phone, the messaging app is still open and he finally builds up the courage to respond.
Chenle: it’s more than okay
Chenle: i’ll see you tomorrow, jisungie (:
_______________________
Chenle can’t stand still. Ever since his confirmed date with Jisung, he was not able to sleep for even a minute. He didn’t feel restless, but nervous. That’s why he arrived at their location fifteen minutes early, just so he could shake off the nerves. He could feel his heart wanting to crawl and reside in his throat because of how quickly it beated. Chenle didn’t care about being tmi – but he had two nervous shits because he wasn’t sure of how the date would go.
“Chenle!” Jisung has arrived, neatly dressed and evidently excited to see him. “I’m happy you came out.”
“I’m happy to see you..”
Jisung smiles, “Wanna head inside?”
Chenle nods and Jisung leads the way by opening the door for him. They make their way inside the small pastry store, the interior is covered in white and has a theme of two twin bears. One pink and the other brown that customers enjoy sharing on their social media. Jisung was aware it was similar to a café, but he couldn’t resist how adorable the furnishing was as he always felt warm when spending time inside the store.
“It smells really good.” Chenle comments while slowly spinning to digest the whole place. “I’ve never visited this place before.”
“I’m glad I can be the first person to bring you here. I was scared you’d be turned off since it seems similar to your workplace.”
Chenle shakes his head, “I’m happy I’m able to be here with you. I don’t have to worry about keeping things professional.”
Jisung’s cheeks rise with joy, “I'm happy too. Um, are you more of a savory or sweet person? I can grab us some stuff, I come here often so I somewhat know what’s good.”
“I like savory.” Chenle informs, “I trust your judgment.”
Jisung nods and heads over to the register while Chenle finds them a table. He’s unsure of how to act. By all means, he doesn’t know what he wants to get out of this date. Should he solidify their relationship? Are they only friends? Or, should he ask Jisung why he wanted to get to know him – there were always motives, weren’t there .
He was overthinking too much and he was aware of it.
“Chenle,” Jisung has interrupted his thoughts and has two drinks in his hands. He sets them down and slides one over to him. He sits across from the boy. “I got you a strawberry drink, something similar to that special you make yourself. I know it’s probably not the same, but I thought you’d like it.”
Chenle looks down to the pink drink, there’s a mint that floats at the top and he appreciates Jisung for being so thoughtful about his interest. He nods, “Thank you, I’m sure it tastes great.”
“They’re gonna bring over a couple of things, but they have to be heated up. Hopefully that’s okay.”
“Yeah, no problem.”
The sun filters through the windows in front of the store. Chenle is blinded by the sudden illumination invading his space. Jisung notices, covering the sun with his hands (which are fairly large). Chenle laughs, thinking it’s sweet. “I didn’t know you were such a romantic.”
“I–I” Jisung drops his hand for a second and Chenle is violated by the sun’s power. He returns his hand back to the position. “I just don’t want you to be uncomfortable.”
“I’m not, I’m really happy right now.” Chenle reassures. Curious, he extends a finger and brushes Jisung’s palm. It’s sensitive and closes automatically, Jisung laughs a little from his touch. “What?” Chenle questions.
“I just..I just think you’re cute.”
“It’s very dangerous of you to compliment me.” The mint hair boy expresses. “I don’t know if you know. But, I have a crush on you Jisung.”
“I know.”
“What are you going to do about it?”
“Take responsibility. I think you’re endearing, I want to get to know you more, Chenle.” Jisung’s words clear up every spiraling thought Chenle has had ever since they crossed the barista-customer label with another. “Is that okay?”
Chenle bites his lip, his finger turns into his whole hand grasping Jisung’s palm. He readjusts their position and holds the younger’s hand. “That is more than okay, Jisung.”
Jisung covers his mouth, eyes displaying a clear fondness for Chenle. “I’ll do my best to take care of you while getting to know you.” In other words, Chenle’s heart is safe with him. “Please take care of mine.”
“You don’t even have to ask.”