Work Text:
Hansol knew that hanging out with Seungkwan while he was sick was going to bite him back in the ass. Or rather nip at his nose as he caught influenza and was forced to stay at home due to his mother’s request.
Truthfully, he isn’t one to be absent for any of his classes. In fact, he would constantly force himself, no matter the sickness or the state of his well-being, to attend with a perfect attendance. But, of course knowing his luck, he just happened to be sick on the day of a test. Not just any test, though. His midterm.
There was no use in getting angry at Seungkwan for this little mishap, though Seungkwan kept apologizing profusely once he realized Hansol stopped letting him hug during their daily study group session with their other first year friends. Hansol just had to face the music and approach his teacher.
Thankfully, his professor was a saint and said that Hansol could easily make it up after he posts the test online for him to take. He might be playing favourites, especially since Hansol is in his department, is one of his best students, and just happens to be the head department chair of the college of sciences, but Hansol still considers himself lucky.
Currently standing, he has an 80 in his class. His older friends, especially Seungcheol and Jeonghan who are in the engineering school, would kill for such a grade in any of their courses, especially since they’re both fourth years, but Hansol believed that an 80 was unacceptable on many levels. Perhaps he was just overthinking the situation, as his friend Mingyu pointed out, saying how Hansol is just a first year and he shouldn’t worry too much about it, but Hansol was always the one to worry even in the slightest decrease of his grades.
If he wanted to keep his scholarship and a solid start on his goal to become Summa Cum Laude when he graduates in four years, which isn’t too difficult for him considering he was Valedictorian of his graduating high school class, he had to keep this grade above, at least, a 90.
Normally, Hansol would take his online exam in the comfort of his own dorm room. Considering that Seungkwan invited Seokmin and Soonyoung, he knew he should just take his laptop elsewhere as those three were the loudest bunch in his friend group. He settled for the coffee shop across the street. He’s not much of a coffee drinker, or a cafe goer either, but from the fact that research shows that people can be more productive with the sounds of a cafe and the smell of coffee being ground up, he figured it was the best place.
He found a little area in the corner of the cafe and sat down and placed his laptop on the table as he settled down with his muffin and Americano combo set. He took a sip and scrunched his nose. Hansol remembers why he doesn’t drink the caffeinated beverage, but he paid a good four dollars for the set and he’s a poor university student, so it was better than nothing.
As per usual, he went through the test easily, pulling out a scrap piece of paper — the notebook Seungkwan made him after their first week of being roommates — and writing down his work and checking over his answers. He was about halfway through the test when his laptop displayed the message indicating that his batteries were low. Hansol sighed, upset that his laptop ruined his mojo as he grabbed the charger from his backpack and looked underneath the table, only to be shocked that there wasn’t an outlet at the wall.
He pulled his head up quickly. As he gazed at the other tables near him, he failed to see an outlet in sight. “What kind of cafe for students doesn’t have hundreds of outlets?” he muttered to himself. Scanning the scene, he believed he saw the angelic white frame under one of the tables in the far corner on the opposite side of the cafe near the window. The only problem was that the table was occupied by a student already.
Hansol whined to himself. Though many would just see this as an opportunity to sit down and converse with a stranger, Hansol found this as a moment he could embarrass himself in front of the stranger and the other spectators.
--
Going to the coffee shop every morning was part of Hong Jisoo’s daily routine. His friends and apartment mates, Seungcheol and Jeonghan, commented how it’s probably because Jisoo was a hipster who enjoyed caramel macchiatos and the coffee shop ambiance. While he would like to defy the stereotype of him, the fact that he always went with his guitar and began writing lyrics with his glasses and occasional scarf around his neck, he was just molding into what they labeled him as. But there was no harm done, Jisoo rather embraced this.
He sat at his usual spot, to the right of the entrance door at the small table built for two as he put his guitar in the chair across from him and he was on his laptop, pen in his mouth, notebook on his lap, as he stared at the composition score program in front of his face. Jisoo adjusted his glasses and groaned to himself, scratching out the recent notes he took that morning before sipping his cup of caffeine in an upset manner.
Jisoo was stuck in a rut. A writer’s block, the worst thing he could ever stumble upon in life, especially since the composition was due by the end of the week. He knew that meant he was about to be sleepless for the next few days. He reached over and grabbed the handle of the guitar bag, unzipping it, making a face when he realized just how loud zippers can be as attention was drawn to him. Quietly, he pulled his guitar out and hid the bag under his chair, whining in the process as the headstock hit the wall, causing the guitar to produce a twanging sound.
He began tuning and happily smiled when he strummed and heard it was perfectly in sync.
As he was about to strum on his guitar, he was approached by Hansol who was sweating profusely, gripping his macbook close to his chest as he was panting.
“S-sorry to disturb you--” Hansol heaved.
Jisoo binked. “Um.. that’s okay, I was just--”
“I DON’T KNOW YOU, BUT I NEED TO USE THE OUTLET UNDER THIS TABLE, OKAY? MY LIFE IS ON THE LINE!”
Now, normally, Jisoo would just shrug something like a stranger asking to join him at the table for the outlet. But the fact that Hansol’s caffeinated coloured eyes were enticing, Jisoo was at a lost for words. He quickly snapped out of it and nodded at the younger, distressed one and Hansol sighed in relief, putting his laptop on the table before running over to grab his other belongings.
Jisoo blinked as he watched Hansol come back with his notebooks and a pencil behind his ear as he sat down with a deep breath. “S-sorry about this,” apologized Hansol for the second time.
“Really, it’s okay. Just do what you need to do.”
“I’m not disturbing you am I?”
“Well, I’m just writing a song, so it’s fine.” Hansol replied back with a nod as he unfolded his glasses and slide it back on the bridge of his nose and hummed as he looked at the screen, leaning his elbow on the table with his chin resting on his palm. Maybe Jisoo was overthinking, but he could have sworn that Hansol glanced up every now and then.
“Test?”
“Midterm,” Hansol answered, face glued to the screen.
“I thought those were done last week--”
“I was sick. But my professor is a saint, so I’m making it up right now.”
He glanced over at Hansol and hummed. “Second year?”
“First year.”
Jisoo snickered. “And you’re already freaking out over midterms?”
Hansol didn’t reply but his ears turned red, “I… I just want to have good grades…” he puffed his cheeks when he saw Jisoo trying to hold in more laughter but laughed when he realized how the light from the window shined at the perfect twenty degree angle that made Jisoo seem angelic. “Hansol, by the way.”
“Jisoo.”
“Second year?”
“Fourth year.”
“Dang, really? But we look the same age!”
“Thanks… I guess?” they both chuckled as they continued on about their business on their laptop, sharing conversations on the side of their work.
“Yeah,” Hansol continued, “I’m in biology right now, but I think I’m going to double major in statistics… or philosophy… or chemistry…”
“Well, that’s a lot of options you got there, First Year,” Jisoo smiled tauntingly as he pushed his glasses up and continued writing in his notebook. He had no idea why, but ever since Hansol sat in front of him about forty-five minutes ago, Jisoo suddenly had the means and motivation to start writing for his composition.
“I’m… I just really like learning!” Hansol pat his cheeks as he pouted to himself, mumbling how he sounds like such a nerd as Jisoo just hummed to himself and continued writing.
It wasn’t long until Jisoo offered to buy a sweet potato latte for the younger one as he was wrapping up his exam. Hansol gasped and tried to make an excuse before Jisoo smiled and just set it near his laptop. “Just take it. It’s a thanks for giving me motivation to write today…”
Hansol gave a shy smile and took a sip. “Motivation?”
“Yeah, I guess you were somewhat like a muse--”
The two paused at the words that came out of Jisoo’s mouth. Well, if buying the cute first year a latte and then calling him his muse wasn’t an obvious sign enough, Jisoo definitely felt like he was caught red handed.
Luckily, Hansol just smiled. “That’s good to hear… maybe I can be your muse tomorrow, too? I have a lab in the morning but-- afterwards?”
“I’m always here until my class at three o’clock,” Jisoo grinned.
Hansol smiled, jolting a bit when he received a notification that his laptop was fully charged. And just like the laptop, both Hansol and Jisoo felt fully rejuvenated and fully ecstatic with one another.