Windfall (1) ; Nichkhun/Wooyoung
Finally, the long fic that I've been working on is done, and I feel incredibly accomplished. This is the longest one-shot I've ever written, split into three parts.
Title: Windfall (1)
Rating: PG-13 to R
Fandom: 2PM
Pairing(s): Nichkhun/Wooyoung
Word count: 11320 (total)
Disclaimer: This is only fiction.
Summary: AU, in which Nichkhun is a celebrity and Wooyoung is a waiter, and Jaebum, Taekyeon and Chansung make brief appearances.
Windfall: I
Wooyoung doesn't realise the two boys whose orders he's just taken are celebrities until Chansung comes up to him when he's preparing their drinks and whispers in his ear.
"Isn't that Nichkhun and Park Jaebum?" Chansung says furtively.
Wooyoung glances over and shrugs. "How would I know?" He doesn't keep up with such things.
Chansung rolls his eyes. "Because they're famous?" Have you been living under a rock all this while? is what he means.
"Then you bring their drinks."
"No way, I might mess up."
In the end, Wooyoung ends up being the one to serve the drinks while Chansung stares blatantly from behind the counter.
"Enjoy," he says, setting the cups on the table carefully.
The taller boy, the one with the pretty face who must be Nichkhun (even if Wooyoung failed to recognize him, the name at least is familiar - the idol star been the talk of the town ever since he burst into the entertainment scene half a year ago), smiles at him brightly. "Thank you," he says. Wooyoung feels slightly dazzled.
"Y-you're welcome," Wooyoung stutters, backing away slightly. He thinks his brain might have been fried a little, he's really not used to people smiling at him like that.
"You're doing it again," Park Jaebum says. "Dazzling people." He turns to Wooyoung. "Don't mind him, it's an occupational hazard."
Wooyoung is saved from answering when Taekyeon walks in, his entrance announced by the tinkling of bells and his distinct voice. "You won't believe it," he says as he heads straight for Wooyoung. "But I think that some old lady molested me on my way here." He shudders visibly.
"Er," Wooyoung says.
"Oh, you're busy," Taekyeon says, finally noticing the look on Wooyoung's face. "Oops, sorry, I didn't know." He smiles apologetically at Jaebum and Nichkhun, and then his jaw drops a little. "Are you - "
"I'm Park Jaebum," Jaebum says. "And this is Nichkhun."
"Ah," Taekyeon says, looking suitably impressed and embarrassed. "Right, I'll just go - somewhere - " He makes a series of odd gestures and disappears to look for Chansung instead.
"He's Ok Taekyeon," Wooyoung says awkwardly, somehow feeling as though he's obliged to explain the situation. "He's a regular here and we're friends."
"And you are?" Nichkhun says, leaning forward on his elbows and blinking up at Wooyoung.
"I have a name tag," Wooyoung says, gesturing to his chest where his name tag is pinned to his uniform.
There's a pause and then Park Jaebum proceeds to point and laugh hysterically at Nichkhun, who looks embarrassed and gulps down his coffee in an effort to appear nonchalant.
Wooyoung feels a little sorry for him. "I'm Wooyoung, Jang Wooyoung," he says.
Nichkhun flashes him that smile again and Wooyoung ends up making a strangled noise before escaping. Taekyeon and Chansung corner him immediately and demand to know what was said. Wooyoung is forced to narrate the entire conversation, but conveniently leaves out the part about how Nichkhun's smile is heart-stopping and how he's still suffering the after-effects.
Nichkhun goes back to the café for reasons he can't quite explain - there's something about it that's comfortable and makes it the perfect escape after a long day of activities.
"Whatever," Jaebum says when Nichkhun tries to explain himself. "I know it's that waiter you're really after."
On Nichkhun's fourth visit, when Wooyoung reaches out to set the cup of coffee Nichkhun ordered down down, he reaches out at the same time, and their fingers touch. It's electric, but that might just be Nichkhun's imagination. His senses can't be trusted because Nichkhun thinks he might be in love.
"Wooyoung," Nichkhun says, testing the words in his mouth. A perfect fit. Surely that means something along the lines of meant to be and destiny.
Wooyoung looks at him. "Yes?"
"What're you doing here?" Nichkhun asks.
"Working?" Wooyoung looks at him as though he's crazy.
"Why?" He probably is crazy. Crazy in love.
"Because I don't look forward to starving to death," Wooyoung replies, his brows knitting together. "And because I have no idea what else I can do anyway. Enjoy your coffee."
When Nichkhun meets Jaebum back at the company, he tells Jaebum that there's no way he's stop going back to that café even though the food and drinks are far from impressive.
"It's that waiter," Jaebum says knowingly. "I knew ever since you set eyes on him and went all dreamy."
Nichkhun kicks him, but does not disagree.
Wooyoung researches Nichkhun on the internet, because even though he will never admit it, he's interested in this boy with the arresting smile and sparkling eyes. He stays up the entire night, watching music videos, performances, interviews, and at one point - he blames it on exhaustion, the blinding glare of the laptop screen and temporary insanity - he even joins Nichkhun's fan club.
Finally, he staggers off to bed, his eyes tired and stinging. He falls asleep with Nichkhun's newest song stuck on repeat inside his head, a soundtrack to new beginnings.
"And I thought idol stars were busy," Wooyoung says when Nichkhun walks up the counter to place his order. It's his sixth visit in four days, and Wooyoung finds it more than just a little bizarre.
Nichkhun smiles and shrugs. "I make time to come here," he says. "I'm in between schedules right now, in fact," he says, looking down at his watch. "I have to leave in exactly ten minutes if I don't want to be late."
"Ten minutes?" Wooyoung says incredulously. "Why do you even bother coming?"
"I'll have one mocha, take away," Nichkhun says, ignoring Wooyoung's question.
Wooyoung slides his order across the counter and Nichkhun pays exact. The cash register pops open and when Wooyoung looks up after dropping the money in, Nichkhun is still standing there. Wooyoung stares at him. "Yes?"
Nichkhun turns around. There's no one waiting behind him. "There's no one behind," he says.
Wooyoung raises his eyebrows. "And so?"
"Are you allergic to conversation or what?" Nichkhun asks in exasperation, bringing the cup of coffee to his nose and inhaling deeply.
Wooyoung looks down at the counter top, but he can't help breaking into a smile. "Fine, I'll talk," Wooyoung says. "Why do you keep coming? And don't tell me it's because our drinks are good, because they're not."
"They taste fine," Nichkhun says, sipping the coffee.
"You're not answering the question - why?" Wooyoung says. "You're really weird, you know, or could it just be me?"
"You," Nichkhun says hesitantly.
"Impossible," Wooyoung says, attaching Nichkhun's reply to the wrong question. "I can't possibly be the only one who thinks so."
Nichkhun stares into the depths of his coffee, trying to think of what else to say. He wants to say that's not what I meant, but then everything could come apart. So instead, he reaches across the counter and the distance between them to tug at Wooyoung's hair.
"What?" Wooyoung says warily, jerking his head away.
"Some of it was sticking up," Nichkhun lies, pulling his hand back.
Wooyoung reaches up and touches his hair self-consciously. "Is it fine now?"
Nichkhun nods. "I have to go," he says reluctantly. "Have the rest," he says, handing the cup of coffee to Wooyoung, and waves goodbye.
Wooyoung takes the cup, and realises that it's almost completely full. Nichkhun barely drank, and Wooyoung looks up to say something about mean about wasting food but Nichkhun is already gone.
He hesitates before putting the cup to his lips and drinking, most definitely not thinking about indirect kisses.
The next day, Wooyoung is wiping the tables when Nichkhun enters the café.
"Hi," Nichkhun says brightly, announcing his arrival.
"We're not open yet," Wooyoung says without looking up. "No special treatment even for celebrities."
Nichkhun laughs. "Come on, don't be like this - I'll help you with the cleaning."
Wooyoung finally looks up, hiding a smile. "Really?"
"Really," Nichkhun nods, dropping his bag onto a chair and rolling up his sleeves. "Give me a rag."
"In that case," Wooyoung says, grabbing another rag from the counter and tossing it at Nichkhun, who catches it easily. "I guess you can stay."
When Chansung comes in for his shift five minutes later, he stares at Nichkhun with some surprise. "Is this some publicity stunt no one told me about? Or is this for some TV show?"
"He volunteered to help," Wooyoung says. "And I wasn't going to turn down help."
"I have to leave in five minutes," Nichkhun says, after checking his watch. "I don't suppose you can make an exception and make me coffee even though you're not open yet?" He widens his eyes and attempts a pout.
"That's not going to work on me!" Wooyoung shouts, covering his eyes to block out the sight.
He ends up doing it anyway, because Nichkhun resorts to clinging onto his sleeve and begging. When Wooyoung finally agree grudgingly, Nichkhun cheers and pulls him into a hug. Pressed against Nichkhun for that brief moment, Wooyoung realises how much danger he is in, as he feels his heart slowly slips out of his control.
Nichkhun insists on taking Jaebum with him the next time he goes to the café. When he turns up with a reluctant Jaebum in tow, Wooyoung doesn't look surprised to see him.
"It's you again," Wooyoung says.
"Hi," Nichkhun wiggles his fingers. He resists the urge to add a wink - he's been winking too much recently and it's almost becoming a habit. He needs to remind himself that Wooyoung is not one of his fan girls and his wink, as legendary as it is made out to be, would probably not work very well.
When Nichkhun finally manages to tear his eyes away from Wooyoung's face, he notices that Ok Taekyeon is there too. He's behind the counter, even though he's obviously not an employee. Chansung, Wooyoung's co-worker, is nudging Taekyeon, looking at Nichkhun and Jaebum with obvious interest.
"What'd you like?" Wooyoung asks.
Jaebum grins. "Nichkhun isn't here for anything on the menu."
Nichkhun sputters in shock and kicks him. "Shut up," he hisses. "I'm serious."
"What? Come on, surely he knows that you're interested? I mean, why else would you always be here?" Thankfully, Jaebum says this in English and Wooyoung obviously doesn't understand a word of it, considering the quizzical look on his face.
Nichkhun is about to reply when someone makes a loud strangled noise of surprise. It came from Taekyeon, who's gaping at Nichkhun, his entire face contorted into an exaggerated expression of shock.
"Oh my God, did I just hear what I think I heard?" Taekyeon says loudly, and it takes Nichkhun a few seconds to realise that he said that in English, with a perfect accent.
"Oh shit," Jaebum says. "He understood that?"
Taekyeon grabs Wooyoung by the shoulders. "Why did you not tell me?" he demands, in Korean now. Nichkhun feels numb with shock.
"Tell you what?" Wooyoung says, bewildered.
"That Nichkhun likes you," Taekyeon says excitedly, and Jaebum swears loudly, grabbing a handful of serviettes from the counter and hurling them at Taekyeon. As expected, the serviettes don't do much physical harm, but Taekyeon shuts up immediately, mostly from surprise.
"You idiot," Jaebum shouts. "You - whoever you are, you idiot - get out of there now." He repeats this again in English for good measure.
Nichkhun watches miserably as Taekyeon is pulled out of the café by Jaebum.
"Oh look - I have to clear a table!" Chansung announces at the top of his voice, and then promptly disappears as well.
Wooyoung is staring at him, and Nichkhun resists the urge to bury his face in his hands. He tries for a smile and shrugs, as though he has no idea what has just happened. Wooyoung looks at him for a long time, and Nichkhun hates that he can't figure out what's going through Wooyoung's head.
"So," Wooyoung says, finally. "What'd you like?" He smiles as he says this. Flustered, Nichkhun blurts out the first thing he sees on the menu, and as he watches Wooyoung turn around to fix his order, he feels like something has changed between them.
Wooyoung walks past a magazine stand, and Nichkhun's face catches his eye. He stops, turning around to pick the magazine up. It's a magazine for young girls, lots of pink and cute font screaming headlines about fashion trends and love advice.
A close-up photograph of Nichkhun is splashed across the cover, and the magazine claims to contain an exclusive interview with Nichkhun about work, private life and love. Wooyoung puts the magazine back down, pauses, picks it back up and ends up paying for it.
"You're hopeless," Wooyoung tells himself sternly as he lies on his bed at night, leafing through the magazine until he finds Nichkhun's interview.
"Completely hopeless, Jang Wooyoung," he says loudly, before picking up a postcard from his table and marking the first page of Nichkhun's section. It'll save him a lot of time hunting for the right page in the future, after all, it's the only section of the magazine he knows he'll ever read.
"We're closing in a few minutes," Wooyoung says when he sees Nichkhun pushing the door open as he's giving the floor a last go-over with the mop.
"I'm here to help you close up," Nichkhun says, looking very pleased with himself.
"I have Chansung's help," Wooyoung says, glancing at Chansung who's busy with drying a last batch of cups.
Chansung looks up and grins. "If he wants to help, I have no objections."
"And whose side are you on?" Wooyoung scowls and turns back to face Nichkhun. "Go home and get some sleep, aren't you tired? I'm sure you had a long day."
Nichkhun shrugs. "It won't take long."
"If you really want to help," Wooyoung says, reluctantly accepting the fact that Nichkhun isn't going to leave just like that. "Buy me something to eat."
Nichkhun smiles, a brilliant eager smile. "Give me five minutes," he says. "I'll meet you back here."
A few minutes later, Wooyoung is finally done for the day and he realises that Chansung is taking longer than usual.
"I'll lock up," Chansung says, waving a hand dismissively. "You can go ahead first."
"Are you sure?" Wooyoung says doubtfully. "I'm supposed to lock up, if the boss finds out - "
"He won't," Chansung interrupts, and glances at the door. "Look, he's back."
Wooyoung turns around and sees Nichkhun outside the door, smiling and holding up a paper bag. He waves and Wooyoung automatically lifts a hand to wave back.
"Don't worry," Chansung says, and his reassurance is all Wooyoung needs before he drops the keys on the counter, grabs his bag and joins Nichkhun outside. Nichkhun has bought him a doughnut and Wooyoung bites into it gratefully.
Nichkhun tugs his cap down lower, shielding his face from view. Wooyoung is suddenly aware that he is walking down the street with a celebrity. It all feels very surreal.
He nudges Nichkhun and holds out the doughnut. Nichkhun accepts the offer, leaning over to take a bite, their shoulders touching as he does so.
A chilly breeze sweeps through the streets and slaps Wooyoung across the face, as if to remind him that this is not a love story, as if to remind him that he is not allowed to fall in love with this boy, as if to say you stupid fool.
>> 2
MASTERLIST OF FICS HERE
Title: Windfall (1)
Rating: PG-13 to R
Fandom: 2PM
Pairing(s): Nichkhun/Wooyoung
Word count: 11320 (total)
Disclaimer: This is only fiction.
Summary: AU, in which Nichkhun is a celebrity and Wooyoung is a waiter, and Jaebum, Taekyeon and Chansung make brief appearances.
Windfall: I
Wooyoung doesn't realise the two boys whose orders he's just taken are celebrities until Chansung comes up to him when he's preparing their drinks and whispers in his ear.
"Isn't that Nichkhun and Park Jaebum?" Chansung says furtively.
Wooyoung glances over and shrugs. "How would I know?" He doesn't keep up with such things.
Chansung rolls his eyes. "Because they're famous?" Have you been living under a rock all this while? is what he means.
"Then you bring their drinks."
"No way, I might mess up."
In the end, Wooyoung ends up being the one to serve the drinks while Chansung stares blatantly from behind the counter.
"Enjoy," he says, setting the cups on the table carefully.
The taller boy, the one with the pretty face who must be Nichkhun (even if Wooyoung failed to recognize him, the name at least is familiar - the idol star been the talk of the town ever since he burst into the entertainment scene half a year ago), smiles at him brightly. "Thank you," he says. Wooyoung feels slightly dazzled.
"Y-you're welcome," Wooyoung stutters, backing away slightly. He thinks his brain might have been fried a little, he's really not used to people smiling at him like that.
"You're doing it again," Park Jaebum says. "Dazzling people." He turns to Wooyoung. "Don't mind him, it's an occupational hazard."
Wooyoung is saved from answering when Taekyeon walks in, his entrance announced by the tinkling of bells and his distinct voice. "You won't believe it," he says as he heads straight for Wooyoung. "But I think that some old lady molested me on my way here." He shudders visibly.
"Er," Wooyoung says.
"Oh, you're busy," Taekyeon says, finally noticing the look on Wooyoung's face. "Oops, sorry, I didn't know." He smiles apologetically at Jaebum and Nichkhun, and then his jaw drops a little. "Are you - "
"I'm Park Jaebum," Jaebum says. "And this is Nichkhun."
"Ah," Taekyeon says, looking suitably impressed and embarrassed. "Right, I'll just go - somewhere - " He makes a series of odd gestures and disappears to look for Chansung instead.
"He's Ok Taekyeon," Wooyoung says awkwardly, somehow feeling as though he's obliged to explain the situation. "He's a regular here and we're friends."
"And you are?" Nichkhun says, leaning forward on his elbows and blinking up at Wooyoung.
"I have a name tag," Wooyoung says, gesturing to his chest where his name tag is pinned to his uniform.
There's a pause and then Park Jaebum proceeds to point and laugh hysterically at Nichkhun, who looks embarrassed and gulps down his coffee in an effort to appear nonchalant.
Wooyoung feels a little sorry for him. "I'm Wooyoung, Jang Wooyoung," he says.
Nichkhun flashes him that smile again and Wooyoung ends up making a strangled noise before escaping. Taekyeon and Chansung corner him immediately and demand to know what was said. Wooyoung is forced to narrate the entire conversation, but conveniently leaves out the part about how Nichkhun's smile is heart-stopping and how he's still suffering the after-effects.
Nichkhun goes back to the café for reasons he can't quite explain - there's something about it that's comfortable and makes it the perfect escape after a long day of activities.
"Whatever," Jaebum says when Nichkhun tries to explain himself. "I know it's that waiter you're really after."
On Nichkhun's fourth visit, when Wooyoung reaches out to set the cup of coffee Nichkhun ordered down down, he reaches out at the same time, and their fingers touch. It's electric, but that might just be Nichkhun's imagination. His senses can't be trusted because Nichkhun thinks he might be in love.
"Wooyoung," Nichkhun says, testing the words in his mouth. A perfect fit. Surely that means something along the lines of meant to be and destiny.
Wooyoung looks at him. "Yes?"
"What're you doing here?" Nichkhun asks.
"Working?" Wooyoung looks at him as though he's crazy.
"Why?" He probably is crazy. Crazy in love.
"Because I don't look forward to starving to death," Wooyoung replies, his brows knitting together. "And because I have no idea what else I can do anyway. Enjoy your coffee."
When Nichkhun meets Jaebum back at the company, he tells Jaebum that there's no way he's stop going back to that café even though the food and drinks are far from impressive.
"It's that waiter," Jaebum says knowingly. "I knew ever since you set eyes on him and went all dreamy."
Nichkhun kicks him, but does not disagree.
Wooyoung researches Nichkhun on the internet, because even though he will never admit it, he's interested in this boy with the arresting smile and sparkling eyes. He stays up the entire night, watching music videos, performances, interviews, and at one point - he blames it on exhaustion, the blinding glare of the laptop screen and temporary insanity - he even joins Nichkhun's fan club.
Finally, he staggers off to bed, his eyes tired and stinging. He falls asleep with Nichkhun's newest song stuck on repeat inside his head, a soundtrack to new beginnings.
"And I thought idol stars were busy," Wooyoung says when Nichkhun walks up the counter to place his order. It's his sixth visit in four days, and Wooyoung finds it more than just a little bizarre.
Nichkhun smiles and shrugs. "I make time to come here," he says. "I'm in between schedules right now, in fact," he says, looking down at his watch. "I have to leave in exactly ten minutes if I don't want to be late."
"Ten minutes?" Wooyoung says incredulously. "Why do you even bother coming?"
"I'll have one mocha, take away," Nichkhun says, ignoring Wooyoung's question.
Wooyoung slides his order across the counter and Nichkhun pays exact. The cash register pops open and when Wooyoung looks up after dropping the money in, Nichkhun is still standing there. Wooyoung stares at him. "Yes?"
Nichkhun turns around. There's no one waiting behind him. "There's no one behind," he says.
Wooyoung raises his eyebrows. "And so?"
"Are you allergic to conversation or what?" Nichkhun asks in exasperation, bringing the cup of coffee to his nose and inhaling deeply.
Wooyoung looks down at the counter top, but he can't help breaking into a smile. "Fine, I'll talk," Wooyoung says. "Why do you keep coming? And don't tell me it's because our drinks are good, because they're not."
"They taste fine," Nichkhun says, sipping the coffee.
"You're not answering the question - why?" Wooyoung says. "You're really weird, you know, or could it just be me?"
"You," Nichkhun says hesitantly.
"Impossible," Wooyoung says, attaching Nichkhun's reply to the wrong question. "I can't possibly be the only one who thinks so."
Nichkhun stares into the depths of his coffee, trying to think of what else to say. He wants to say that's not what I meant, but then everything could come apart. So instead, he reaches across the counter and the distance between them to tug at Wooyoung's hair.
"What?" Wooyoung says warily, jerking his head away.
"Some of it was sticking up," Nichkhun lies, pulling his hand back.
Wooyoung reaches up and touches his hair self-consciously. "Is it fine now?"
Nichkhun nods. "I have to go," he says reluctantly. "Have the rest," he says, handing the cup of coffee to Wooyoung, and waves goodbye.
Wooyoung takes the cup, and realises that it's almost completely full. Nichkhun barely drank, and Wooyoung looks up to say something about mean about wasting food but Nichkhun is already gone.
He hesitates before putting the cup to his lips and drinking, most definitely not thinking about indirect kisses.
The next day, Wooyoung is wiping the tables when Nichkhun enters the café.
"Hi," Nichkhun says brightly, announcing his arrival.
"We're not open yet," Wooyoung says without looking up. "No special treatment even for celebrities."
Nichkhun laughs. "Come on, don't be like this - I'll help you with the cleaning."
Wooyoung finally looks up, hiding a smile. "Really?"
"Really," Nichkhun nods, dropping his bag onto a chair and rolling up his sleeves. "Give me a rag."
"In that case," Wooyoung says, grabbing another rag from the counter and tossing it at Nichkhun, who catches it easily. "I guess you can stay."
When Chansung comes in for his shift five minutes later, he stares at Nichkhun with some surprise. "Is this some publicity stunt no one told me about? Or is this for some TV show?"
"He volunteered to help," Wooyoung says. "And I wasn't going to turn down help."
"I have to leave in five minutes," Nichkhun says, after checking his watch. "I don't suppose you can make an exception and make me coffee even though you're not open yet?" He widens his eyes and attempts a pout.
"That's not going to work on me!" Wooyoung shouts, covering his eyes to block out the sight.
He ends up doing it anyway, because Nichkhun resorts to clinging onto his sleeve and begging. When Wooyoung finally agree grudgingly, Nichkhun cheers and pulls him into a hug. Pressed against Nichkhun for that brief moment, Wooyoung realises how much danger he is in, as he feels his heart slowly slips out of his control.
Nichkhun insists on taking Jaebum with him the next time he goes to the café. When he turns up with a reluctant Jaebum in tow, Wooyoung doesn't look surprised to see him.
"It's you again," Wooyoung says.
"Hi," Nichkhun wiggles his fingers. He resists the urge to add a wink - he's been winking too much recently and it's almost becoming a habit. He needs to remind himself that Wooyoung is not one of his fan girls and his wink, as legendary as it is made out to be, would probably not work very well.
When Nichkhun finally manages to tear his eyes away from Wooyoung's face, he notices that Ok Taekyeon is there too. He's behind the counter, even though he's obviously not an employee. Chansung, Wooyoung's co-worker, is nudging Taekyeon, looking at Nichkhun and Jaebum with obvious interest.
"What'd you like?" Wooyoung asks.
Jaebum grins. "Nichkhun isn't here for anything on the menu."
Nichkhun sputters in shock and kicks him. "Shut up," he hisses. "I'm serious."
"What? Come on, surely he knows that you're interested? I mean, why else would you always be here?" Thankfully, Jaebum says this in English and Wooyoung obviously doesn't understand a word of it, considering the quizzical look on his face.
Nichkhun is about to reply when someone makes a loud strangled noise of surprise. It came from Taekyeon, who's gaping at Nichkhun, his entire face contorted into an exaggerated expression of shock.
"Oh my God, did I just hear what I think I heard?" Taekyeon says loudly, and it takes Nichkhun a few seconds to realise that he said that in English, with a perfect accent.
"Oh shit," Jaebum says. "He understood that?"
Taekyeon grabs Wooyoung by the shoulders. "Why did you not tell me?" he demands, in Korean now. Nichkhun feels numb with shock.
"Tell you what?" Wooyoung says, bewildered.
"That Nichkhun likes you," Taekyeon says excitedly, and Jaebum swears loudly, grabbing a handful of serviettes from the counter and hurling them at Taekyeon. As expected, the serviettes don't do much physical harm, but Taekyeon shuts up immediately, mostly from surprise.
"You idiot," Jaebum shouts. "You - whoever you are, you idiot - get out of there now." He repeats this again in English for good measure.
Nichkhun watches miserably as Taekyeon is pulled out of the café by Jaebum.
"Oh look - I have to clear a table!" Chansung announces at the top of his voice, and then promptly disappears as well.
Wooyoung is staring at him, and Nichkhun resists the urge to bury his face in his hands. He tries for a smile and shrugs, as though he has no idea what has just happened. Wooyoung looks at him for a long time, and Nichkhun hates that he can't figure out what's going through Wooyoung's head.
"So," Wooyoung says, finally. "What'd you like?" He smiles as he says this. Flustered, Nichkhun blurts out the first thing he sees on the menu, and as he watches Wooyoung turn around to fix his order, he feels like something has changed between them.
Wooyoung walks past a magazine stand, and Nichkhun's face catches his eye. He stops, turning around to pick the magazine up. It's a magazine for young girls, lots of pink and cute font screaming headlines about fashion trends and love advice.
A close-up photograph of Nichkhun is splashed across the cover, and the magazine claims to contain an exclusive interview with Nichkhun about work, private life and love. Wooyoung puts the magazine back down, pauses, picks it back up and ends up paying for it.
"You're hopeless," Wooyoung tells himself sternly as he lies on his bed at night, leafing through the magazine until he finds Nichkhun's interview.
"Completely hopeless, Jang Wooyoung," he says loudly, before picking up a postcard from his table and marking the first page of Nichkhun's section. It'll save him a lot of time hunting for the right page in the future, after all, it's the only section of the magazine he knows he'll ever read.
"We're closing in a few minutes," Wooyoung says when he sees Nichkhun pushing the door open as he's giving the floor a last go-over with the mop.
"I'm here to help you close up," Nichkhun says, looking very pleased with himself.
"I have Chansung's help," Wooyoung says, glancing at Chansung who's busy with drying a last batch of cups.
Chansung looks up and grins. "If he wants to help, I have no objections."
"And whose side are you on?" Wooyoung scowls and turns back to face Nichkhun. "Go home and get some sleep, aren't you tired? I'm sure you had a long day."
Nichkhun shrugs. "It won't take long."
"If you really want to help," Wooyoung says, reluctantly accepting the fact that Nichkhun isn't going to leave just like that. "Buy me something to eat."
Nichkhun smiles, a brilliant eager smile. "Give me five minutes," he says. "I'll meet you back here."
A few minutes later, Wooyoung is finally done for the day and he realises that Chansung is taking longer than usual.
"I'll lock up," Chansung says, waving a hand dismissively. "You can go ahead first."
"Are you sure?" Wooyoung says doubtfully. "I'm supposed to lock up, if the boss finds out - "
"He won't," Chansung interrupts, and glances at the door. "Look, he's back."
Wooyoung turns around and sees Nichkhun outside the door, smiling and holding up a paper bag. He waves and Wooyoung automatically lifts a hand to wave back.
"Don't worry," Chansung says, and his reassurance is all Wooyoung needs before he drops the keys on the counter, grabs his bag and joins Nichkhun outside. Nichkhun has bought him a doughnut and Wooyoung bites into it gratefully.
Nichkhun tugs his cap down lower, shielding his face from view. Wooyoung is suddenly aware that he is walking down the street with a celebrity. It all feels very surreal.
He nudges Nichkhun and holds out the doughnut. Nichkhun accepts the offer, leaning over to take a bite, their shoulders touching as he does so.
A chilly breeze sweeps through the streets and slaps Wooyoung across the face, as if to remind him that this is not a love story, as if to remind him that he is not allowed to fall in love with this boy, as if to say you stupid fool.
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