yet another day of work for hwang hyunjin. he was surprised when minho told him that they would be training a new worker, but the cafe needed the help.
"ALRIGHT!!" hyunjin jumped at the sudden holler. he turned to see minho entering the room. a warning would be nice, but he supposed that was minho's way of warning him of his entry. "are you so excited to train the newest addition to the mosii team?!!" since they were working both morning and evening shifts today, it was quite early in the day. how many espresso shots did minho sneak already?
"i can tell that you are!" hyunjin yelled back. minho laughed and kicked the other on the back of the leg. "are they here yet?" hyunjin asked as he closed his locker. he turned to minho and began tying his apron.
"not yet," minho frowned, "i think she told mr. min she would get here half an hour before opening. we open in fifteen."
"unpunctual on the first day? not a good look.." hyunjin sighed and minho looked up at him.
"be nice. need i remind you of your first day?" minho glared at hyunjin who shuddered at the memory.
"right, sorry sunbaenim!" hyunjin bowed to minho who laughed and smacked him playfully on the head. the two laughed together until they heard the bell of the front door chime.
"oh shoot, i forgot to lock the door after i came in." minho looked to hyunjin and offered an awkward smile. hyunjin rushed out the the front and minho scrambled to get to his locker to put away his things and put on his apron.
"hi! sorry we're actually not open yet! my coworker forgot to- oh! hi, hari!" the girl smiled and bowed slightly. "yeah, we're not open, but i can still get you a drink if you give me some time to get everything out." hyunjin began to turn on the machines and take the teas and coffee grounds from their cabinets.
"oh no, actually i'm-" hari waved her hands, trying to explain why she was there.
"kang hari?" minho emerged from the employee back room. "that's your name right?" hari looked from hyunjin to minho and nodded. "i'm lee minho, this is hwang hyunjin." minho gestured to the taller boy.
"ah, we actually know each other, haha," hari laughed softly, "i met him and his boyfriend, felix, and then we ran into each other again a few times by chance after i moved here." minho turned his head wildly to hyunjin.
"boy-boyfriend? felix?" minho whipped his head from hyunjin to hari to hyunjin again. "like.. like lee felix?" hari slowly started nodding.
"uh, yeah.. i'm not sure if that's his last name, but i believe so.. felix isn't really common name here so i'd assume that's probably him.." hari looked to hyunjin, confused. hyunjin didn't notice this because he was too busy glaring at minho. giving him a warning look saying 'go along with it, or else.'
"oh!" minho turned his head back to hari but his eyes stayed on hyunjin. "felix, haha, right! yes that's the name of hyunjin's boyfriend, ahaha.." minho's voice was not very convincing, but with hyunjin's reassuring smile, hari didn't even notice. "haha, yes.. anyways! if you could follow me back here, hari, i'll walk you through the job and get you an apron and name tag of your own!" now it was hyunjin's turn to look confused.
"apron and name tag?" hyunjin raised his eyebrows at minho.
"yeah, you idiot, we literally just talked about having a new hire." minho spoke out of the side of his mouth, hoping the girl wouldn't notice their conversation. hyunjin's mouth held agape. oh my god. hari was the new hire? maybe he was too friendly last time they met. why would she apply here?
"ah, right!" hyunjin gave a tight lipped smile to hari, clearly holding back his true reaction. he continued this smile as his gaze followed hari and minho walking into the back room. the second they disappeared behind the door, he pulled out his phone and started frantically typing.
"OH MY GOD PLEASE HELP" - hyunjin
"HARI" - hyunjin
"THE GIRL FROM" - hyunjin
"ACTUALLY YOU KNOW WHO IM TALKING ABOUT" - hyunjin
"SHES A NEW HIRE AT MOSII" - hyunjin
hyunjin paced back and forth for a while behind the register before his phone buzzed in his hand. he almost dropped it while scrambling to open the reply.
"NO WAY" - yongbokkie ♡
"THATS SO" - yongbokkie ♡
"ARE YOU LYING??!" - yongbokkie ♡
"WHY WOULD I LIE" - hyunjin
"ㅠㅠㅠㅠ" - hyunjin
"this is insane" - hyunjin
"insane." - yongbokkie ♡
"i mean" - yongbokkie ♡
"at least she won't try anything since she thinks we're dating" - yongbokkie ♡
"right" - hyunjin
"everything will be fine" - hyunjin
"she's just going to be another coworker!" - hyunjin
"you got this hyun" - yongbokkie ♡
"yea" - hyunjin
"oh they're coming back bye" - hyunjin
he turned off his phone and placed it screenside down onto the counter behind him. the two returned from the back with hari's aforementioned apron and name tag.
"yeah, so everything is pretty simple! you've worked at a cafe before so it'll be a natural adjustment to you as well. " minho walked to hyunjin's side and leaned his back against the counter. "unlike this guy," he nudged the pink haired boy and chuckled. "on his first day working here, hyunjin compl-"
"alright! that's enough from you!" hyunjin put his hand over minho's mouth and smiled at hari in a forced way. "i'm sure hari is already sick of your voice!" this elicited a laugh out of the girl. "i know i sure am!" hyunjin patted minho with his other hand, as he was still covering the older's mouth. minho moved further away from hyunjin so his hand could no longer reach minho's mouth and smacked the younger on the arm.
"if you don't want me to tire out the new hires, how about you do the introduction next time, eh?" minho lifted his hand like he was going to hit hyunjin. hyunjin didn't even flinch. a joke between friends, you could call it.
~
the rest of the morning shift went normally. they opened, had their rush of students, workers, etc. getting their morning coffee before attending to the rest of their day. and then they slowed down. around the time the usual shift change would happen, the boys told hari she could go on a short break, since they would all be working both shifts today. minho told her she deserved an extra break oh her first day, and she complied very eagerly.
with just the two boys left, minho decided it was finally a good time to talk to hyunjin about the morning's events.
"hey, hyunjin," minho called. hyunjin hummed in response as he continued cleaning some equipment. "so this morning, hari mentioned felix being your boyfriend," hyunjin froze. shit. honestly he was hoping minho would forget about the detail in the frenzy of angry morning customers. "is she stupid, or am i? because how did i not know? how could you not tell me?" hyunjin turned around and saw minho's genuinely hurt expression. sure they were just coworkers a few years ago, but now, they'd definitely grown into close, close friends. close enough that minho would be understandably hurt at his friend hiding a relationship from him.
"minho, it's not actually.." hyunjin sighed and wiped his hands on the apron. "we aren't actually dating." hyunjin thought this would clear things up, but minho just looked more confused.
"what?" minho furrowed his brows and looked at hyunjin. his expression of hurt replaced with one of sheer confusion and slight irritation.
"me and felix met hari while she was working at her old cafe. she was baristaing for us and took interest with me," hyunjin rambled, trying to fully explain the situation before minho could say something. "she found me through felix's instagram, and dmed me, still interested. i turned her down again, making the excuse that i was dating felix. when we met again, i decided to keep up the act. felix is okay with it, too. but we are not dating." minho, though now more understanding of the situation, was still confused.
"but why did you have to say you two were dating? you could've just turned her down and moved on." hyunjin pinched the bridge of his nose and sighed. how many times was he going to explain this to someone?
"i have my reasons, hyung." hyunjin stated plainly and honestly quite rudely, not wanting to further elaborate. minho was clearly disappointed with this response, but he didn't push.
"i'm not interrogating you, hyunjin." he walked over the the younger boy, "the situation just confused me. you can tell me anything, you know that, right?" minho rubbed hyunjin's arm. hyunjin looked down and met his eyes. they were full of concern and sincerity. maybe he shouldn't have been so harsh with his words. but instead of apologizing, he simply nodded and returned to his task of cleaning. minho just sighed and also returned to his work.
~
hours pass and the unit neared the end of their shift. the customers slowed, a few stragglers coming in now and then. but they mainly just waited until it was time for them to clock out. hari was definitely tired from working a double shift on her first day, but she didn't want to show that to her new coworkers.
"don't worry, hari," minho called out to her as she slumped down into a chair with a broom still in her hand. "mr. min doesn't usually schedule anyone for both shifts unless they ask. we were just really short handed today." minho frowned when he saw just how tired she looked. but just as soon as she let her facade slip, she was smiling again.
"don't worry, minho! i'm feeling just fine!" she darted up out of the seat and continued sweeping. the three were getting everything ready for closing until they heard the entrance bell chime.
no way someone was really coming in right now.
"welcome to mosii cafe!" hyunjin instinctively said, standing up from where he was sat behind the counter. he dusted his hands off on his apron before looking up. a certain blond haired boy was standing in front of the entrance, smiling warmly and waving playfully.
"hi, hyunnie!" felix continued beaming as he walked over to the counter. hyunjin didn't expect felix to come by today. maybe he needed a ride home, but he would usually text before, letting hyunjin know. "hi, hari!" felix turned and greeted hari with a wave and a nod of the head as he passed her.
"what are you doing here, lix?" felix leaned across the counter, pulled hyunjin's neck closer to him, and made a kiss noise next to his cheek. what the fuck. when felix let go, hyunjin's face was just in complete shock.
"play along." felix whispered, barely loud enough for hyunjin to hear. hyunjin tilted his head in confusion, but then immediately fixed his face and acted like this was completely normal. "what do you mean? can i not visit my boyfriend before i head home?" felix pouted and feigned disappointment. hyunjin forgot his confusion, amusement taking over him.
"oh, come on, babe, you know that's not what i meant." felix did tell him to play along. but felix also forgot how smooth hyunjin could be. a chill went down his spine and he felt his stomach twist, but he kept the act. "you usually text before coming over. that's all." hyunjin lifted the counter and came out to meet felix. felix's heartbeat quickened unexpectedly as the other got nearer. this was his idea, why was hyunjin suddenly so in control of the situation? felix couldn't seem to find his words, but thankfully hyunjin was very into his role. "how was your day at work, darling?" felix's heart fluttered at the pet name. sure, the boys called each other things all the time, but this was surely new.
"ahem, it was.. it's was fine," felix stumbled around his words when the other walked behind him and snaked his arms around felix's waist. felix tensed up. yes of course they hugged, but this all just felt.. different.
"why are you so nervous today, babe?" hyunjin was leaned over next to his ear and his breath ticked the blond's neck as he spoke. hyunjin took a performative pause before speaking again. "ahh, is it because hari's here?" felix had completely forgotten about hari's presence. she was the entire reason he was going this, but in the moment he was only thinking of the the man who had his arms wrapped securely around him.
"it-it's okay felix. i'm not very conservative about skinship and such." hari noticed the mention of her name and spoke up. "and i'm definitely not uncomfortable about you two dating, don't worry." felix realized she was referring to the two of them both being men. something in her eyes did tell she was uncomfortable though. but felix chalked it up to it having to do with seeing the guy she was interested in cuddling up with his "boyfriend" in front of her.
"thanks, hari," felix tried to shake off the tense feeling and the nervousness around him. "you just never know." felix smiled a thin smile at her. hyunjin let go, and even though felix was panicking earlier, he immediately missed the embrace.
"do you need me to take you home? if you want to wait until we close, i can." hyunjin still spoke only to felix, leaning back against the counter.
"no, it's okay! i just wanted to come by to see you before you left." felix smiled at hyunjin so genuinely that hyunjin nearly forgot this was all an act. it was, right?
"okay, get home safe," hyunjin moved towards felix again and pulled him into another hug.
"i'll text you once i get home, okay?" felix's voice was muffled in the nook of hyunjin's neck. they let go and looked briefly into each others' eyes. this was their commonplace hug, but their eyes told a different story. something sparked in hyunjin's eyes, but felix cleared his throat and looked away. "bye, hyun." he turned and walked out the cafe, waving one last time through the window before disappearing down the street.
hyunjin sighed and leaned against the counter again, staring into the dark street that felix walked into. his mind and heart racing because of what just happened. how did he just act so casually? everything felt so natural to him, but still he had the feeling of nervousness around him.
"you and felix are very nice together," a voice broke him away from his rapid train of thought. "i can't believe i didn't realize before that you two were dating, haha."
"yeah, people usually assume that we're just really close friends." hyunjin pushes himself off the counter and takes the broom from hari. "you can just go home early today, me and minho will close up."
"oh nono, it's okay-" hari began to protest but hyunjin cut her off.
"i insist. it's your first day, i'm sure it's been rough as it is." hyunjin smiled warmly and reassured her.
"i- okay.." hari meekly let go of the broom and whispered a small thank you before heading into the back room from which minho came out of a few minutes later.
"nice of you to let her go home," minho pulled out a chair from one of the tables and sat. "are you sure you and felix aren't dating?" hyunjin whipped his head around to meet minho.
"what do you mean 'am i sure'? i think i would know if we were." hyunjin spoke rather defensively. minho, annoyed with his tone, just rolled his eyes and sighed in exasperation.
"don't think that just because i wasn't in the front when he came in means i didn't see or hear anything." minho sat up straighter. "you say you guys are just pretending, but that looked like more than pretend."
"then we must be really good actors, huh." hyunjin finished sweeping as if the conversation couldn't be more casual.
"yeah, good at acting like you don't know what i mean." minho stated plainly before getting up. "i'll leave early, too. you can handle closing by yourself." minho retreated into the back room again and let the door swing behind him.
if hyunjin wasn't confused enough before, he surely was now. he was glad the lie was going completely undetected by hari, but what minho said made him think: what if he's right?
what if it's more than just pretend?
~
"can i come over for a little tonight?" - hyunnie🥟
felix stared at the message notification on his phone for far too long. he should've known. he definitely went too far. hyunjin probably hates him now. god, why did he think showing up at the cafe was a good idea? hyunjin told him hari was working there now, so he just wanted to help hyunjin prove that they're dating. that's it right? that's the only reason he did that. maybe the kiss was too much. sure, he didn't actually kiss hyunjin. but he was really close to it. felix thought back to when he pulled hyunjin in closer to him. felix's hand on hyunjin's neck. his hair tickling against felix's face. felix's lips almost touching hyunjin's cheek. felix shook his head as if he could shake the thoughts out of his head.
"yes of course" - felix
felix kept replaying the moment in his mind. he kept thinking about the sudden switch in hyunjin's demeanor. shocked with himself when he found himself smiling about how hyunjin hugged him from behind and leaned down to talk in his ear. he decided to get up and do literally anything else to, hopefully, get his mind off of hyunjin. since hyunjin was coming over from work, and he worked two shifts today, felix was going to make dinner for the two. at least if there was food when they talked, some tension would be dissolved.
~~
author's note
hii again ahah,, sorry for disappearing yet again.. i just have a lot going on rn.. never knew i would live up to the fanfic writer life meme but here we r ahah,, i've been really busy and really sick recently so i'm truly sorry for not writing and updating as much as i promised :c i'm in my final week of school and final exams and grades r coming,, school is super important to me so it does take priority over this :c thank you for being patient and understanding always ! hope to update more frequently in the summer ♡ thank u
xoxo mosii~