"Awe, cutie! Who do you like better, your mama or me," Taeyong asked, cooing as he bounced the baby on his lap who giggled and squealed back at him.
"Urgh, don't ask him that," Jaejin said. "Obviously, it's his mama. Right, Minjun." He blew a kiss at his baby before finishing his coffee.
Taeyong laughed and adjusted Minjun in his lap. "I still can't believe you're a mom," Taeyong said and chuckled. "And that Minjun is so big now. He can almost support his neck on his own."
Jaejin hummed. "It's crazy. It's reality," he said, capping his lipstick and tucking it into his Prada bag. "I'm a full-time mom and you run this cafe."
"Yeah." Taeyong looked around, the green plants popping against the light wood tables and the treats deliciously bright in the display. Back in high school, they were both determined to have high-position corporate jobs. Now they've just married alphas that do.
"Did you hear about Mrs. Wong?"
"Hm? What did she do now," he asked and tickled Minjun's chubby cheeks.
Jaejin smirked. "It wasn't her who did anything," he said and leaned closer. "Apparently, Mr. Wong filed for a divorce."
Taeyong's attention snapped away from Minjun, gasping. "What?"
"I know," Jaejin shook his head and leaned back, crossing his arms. "I thought Mrs. Wong would be the one to file for divorce. But I heard he got some omega pregnant and wants to marry them instead."
Taeyong whistled. "I can't imagine Mr. Wong cheating. He's so quiet."
"Yeah, that's because Mrs. Wong kept walking all over him. And what's the point of marrying an omega and not having children?
Taeyong nodded. "Yeah. Alphas who marry omegas want big families," he repeated. A few people in their social circle had divorces and the omegas were replaced with the alpha's new mates. This was the harsh reality of marrying up the ladder.
Taeyong shrugged. "At least we don't have to see her ever again."
Jaejin nodded. "Yeah, thank gods. I swear, did you see how she acted at Minjun's 100-day birthday? I seriously wanted to slap her."
"I would've liked to see that," Taeyong chuckled.
"Maybe if I see her again I will," Jaejin smirked and checked his phone. "Ah, we should get going," he said and stood up, draping his white mink coat over his shoulders.
Taeyong nodded and carefully lifted Minjun up, pouting as he kissed his cheek. "Bye Minjun. Uncle Taeyong will miss you," he said and nuzzled him.
"Stop scenting him," Jaejin teased. They both strapped Minjun into the stroller.
"I can't help it. It's just so chubby. And this onesie is so cute," Taeyong cooed as they covered him with blankets and the wind guard.
"Get your own baby," Jaejin said. "I know you and Daehyun are having too much fun with the process."
Taeyong blushed and rolled his eyes. "I'll see you later, okay? Call me," he said, ignoring him.
"I will. I'm planning on hosting a small dinner so I'll let you know," Jaejin said and they hugged briefly.
Taeyong held the door open for them, cringing at the gust of wind. Jaejin flagged down his driver, who jumped out of the car and helped with the stroller. "Bye, Taeyong."
Taeyong waved. "Bye!" He closed the door and waved as they drove past the cafe down the one-way street, before shaking his head fondly.
He cleared up their drinks and rinsed them in the sink behind the counter. Jaejin will definitely tease him when he finds out he's pregnant.
The sign above the door swung violently, knocking off any flurries that attempted to settle. With his supplier late this morning in dropping off the pastries and one of his employees calling in sick, he considered closing early, doubting that any office workers would trek to the cafe in this weather.
He spritzed the boxed plants on each table with a watering can, wiping away any droplets off the beige wooden tables. He stepped back and looked around, taking in a deep breath and his stomach lurched.
The warm scent of coffee permanently soaked the walls, a comforting scent now difficult to endure. Taeyong placed his hand on his stomach. Hopefully, the sensitivity would pass. At least the crisp freshness from all the plants, even the fake ones hanging from the ceiling, balanced it out.
As Taeyong put the watering jug away, cutting through the whistling between the door hinges, a loud crack echoed. Taeyong whipped around, gasping as the cafe sign hung on its last hook and with a final blow, broke free and crashed against the sidewalk, a yelp jolting him into action.
"Oh, no no no!" Taeyong shoved the door open blocking his face from the wind with his arm. Looking up, Taeyong gasped, his heart sinking.
Missing the sign by a step, a man fell on the pavement, mouth agape, shopping scattered. The man stared at the sign before looking up at him.
"Oh my goodness, I am so sorry!" Taeyong stepped over the sign and held his hand out for the man. "I had no idea this would happen. Please, let me help you. Are you okay?"
The man took his hand, heaving himself up. "I'm okay," he said and shovelled his shopping of paint tubes back into his plastic bag. "I asked the Gods to send me a sign I bought the right stuff. Though, they didn't have to hit me over the head with it," he said, laughing.
Taeyong's terrified expression cracked and he covered his mouth, laughing. Thank the Gods he wasn't going to make a big deal about this.
He looked down at his broken sign. 'Cafe Dalmin', the Goddess of the moon and omegas. Taeyong smiled brighter. Of all the signs.
Another gust of wind blew and Taeyoned wrapped his arms around himself. "Please. Let me offer you something warm? It's the least I could do."
The stranger nodded and smiled a pearly, bright smile. "Sure."
Taeyong set the cappuccino with a small biscuit on the table before sitting down with his own tea cradled in his hands.
"Thank you," the other said politely and picked up the cup, taking a sip. His eyebrows shot up and he pulled back, nodding slowly. "This is amazing. The best I've had."
"Oh, no need to be so polite. Thank you, though," Taeyong said, chuckling into his mug. "You speak really well," Taeyong said. Most Foreigners usually have a hard time figuring out formalities. "Are you Korean?"
"Actually, I am," he said, pleasantly surprised. "I'm from Incheon. I'm surprised, most people think I'm a foreigner."
Taeyong smirked. "Your Korean is too good to be a foreigner," he said with a wink. The other hid his gleeful smile with a sip of coffee. What a charming boy. "What's your name?"
"It's Nam Kwangsun."
"Nam Kwangsun?" Taeyong squinted as he drew out a long sip. "Do you go to SSNU by any chance?"
Kwangsun raised his eyebrow. "Are you a psychic?" he teased. "Yes, I do. I study Western Art there."
"I knew it." Taeyong laughed, covering his smile with his hand. "My brother studies the same thing too. Do you know Park Seunghyeon?"
Kwangsun's eyes widened. "Wait. You're Seunghyeon's brother? What a coincidence."
"Must be fate," Taeyong insisted and they both laughed.
"I remember him telling me about one of his studio mates who always wears a neon orange jacket," Taeyong said, pointing to his jacket, hanging off his chair. Now that he saw it on, it looked great on Kwangsun; he didn't know why Seunghyeon hated it. "It's a great colour on you."
"Thank you," Kwangsun said and patted his jacket. "Yeah, it's a pretty good jacket, but I'm trying to save up for another one. Which is currently a total bust."
Taeyong furrowed his brows. "How come?"
"I just quit my job at a bar near my house," he sighed. "The hours weren't good. I work best at night."
"That's a shame. I'm sorry to hear that." A light bulb went off in Taeyong's head and he smiled slowly. "If you're looking for a job, why not work here?"
Kwangsun blinked. "Really?"
Taeyong nodded, leaning back. "Of course. I've been looking for new staff anyway. And it's even better since you're Seunghyeon's friend."
Kwangsun paused for a moment. "Yup. We're friends," Kwangsun said, stiffly. "But, what about a resume? I mean, I've worked at cafes before, but still."
"Well, you can email it to me later." Taeyong bit the inside of his cheek. Today was truly a day of divine intervention. "What do you say? You can try for a week, and if you're not interested, no hard feelings."
Kwangsun dragged his thumb against the rim of his cup, unable to tear away from Taeyong's convincing look. Taeyong raised his eyebrow as a final attack and he faltered.
"Sure, why not," he chuckled.
"Perfect," he cheered, clapping his hands together. "Let me get you my card and we can discuss further."
"Seunghyeon, do you want apples?" Taeyong asked, cutting a small piece and feeding it to Daehyun over his shoulder. Daehyun held his waist tighter and nuzzled his jaw, relishing in Taeyong's soft purrs.
"Uh, I'm good," Seunghyeon said, obnoxiously staring at the ceiling as he picked up his bowl of cut fruit. "Can you guys not be so clingy?"
"No," Taeyong snapped and let out a dramatic sigh. "I've had a bad day and I need my Alpha to make it better," he whined and pressed back.
Daehyun chuckled and nuzzled his hair. "You don't seem too upset though," he said and dragged his hands down Taeyong's hips. "In fact, you seem lively."
Taeyong giggled and tilted his head to one side, his alpha's scent tempting him.
"Bleh," Seunghyeon scoffed. "I'm going to join Myungsuk and turn the volume to max in case you two—" He cut himself off with a wave of his hand.
"Wait, I actually wanted to talk to you," Taeyong called out. He wiggled for Daehyun to loosen his grip and cleared his throat. "I hired someone today."
"Already?" Daehyun asked.
Taeyong hummed. "Yup," he said and turned to Seunghyeon. "He's actually one of your friends. Nam Kwangsun?"
Seunghyeon's face unexpectedly soured. "What!"
Taeyong dropped the knife and apple from Seunghyeon's shriek and placed his hands on his chest. "What?"
"You hired Nam Kwangsun?" Seunghyeon scrunched up his face, scowling. "What the heck, Hyung? I hate him! Take it back."
"I can't just take it back," Taeyong said, resting his hand on his hip. "And if you hate him so much, why do you always talk about him?"
"Because"—Seunghyeon threw his hands in the air—"don't you see how he dresses? Literally the opposite of professional."
"Have you seen how you dress?"
Seunghyeon scoffed. He turned to Daehyun "Daehyun-Hyung," he whined. "Speak to your husband."
Daehyun plucked an apple from the plate, looking away. "I don't get involved in the cafe. Taeyong runs his business the way he likes."
"Thank you, honey," Taeyong cooed and whipped back around. "Listen, Seunghyeon. He's experienced, and strong. You know I need that," he said and placed his hand on his stomach for emphasis.
Seunghyeon's eyes flicked down at his hand and he deflated. "Fine," he groaned. "But, you better make sure our schedules don't line up," he ordered and spun on his heels, exiting the kitchen.
Taeyong sighed and leaned his head against Daehyun's shoulder, looking up at him. "I don't know what I can do about that," he whispered and opened his mouth.
Daehyun fed him a piece and returned his arm around his waist. "You'll be fine," he said and nuzzled his temple. "You're my strong-willed mate. You know what you're doing."
Purring, Taeyong pressed his nose against Daehyun's neck. "Yeah, I do," he hummed. "Speaking of which." Taeyong trailed off and turned around, wrapping his arms around his neck. He let his intentions waft with his scent, his mate the only one able to sense the intense sweetness.
"We should go upstairs before Myungsuk catches us," Taeyong whispered.
"Galactica is on. He won't leave the couch until it's done," Daehyun pointed out.
And without room for any further protests, Daehyun tilted Taeyong's chin up, closing the gap between them with a warm, deep kiss.