[Fic] Over Hot Chocolate And Coffee
Title: Over Hot Chocolate And Coffee
Pairing: Jongin/Yifan
Rating: PG-13 for innuendo and Sehun's mouth
Length: 1350w
Summary: red string of fate au! Not all threads leads to romance.
Jongin plays with the string on his ring finger - the red one tied in a pretty bow that will never come off, never disappear. His thumb travels in circles over it, around and around and around, never encountering resistance. It's not really there, just a piece of lingering magic that will always be present to remind him that his soul is irrevocably bound to another.
It's sweet, he thinks, to have that reassurance. Not everyone gets their string. Not everyone has someone out there in the world who will complete them. Jongin's lucky.
His eyes travel from the perfect twin loops that sit in the center of his finger, following red as it drapes off the small table, coiling a few times on the floor before continuing over dark tiles and toward the far side of the cafe.
The other end of Jongin's string is attached to the man sweeping the floor, a pressed white apron with coffee stains tied around his waist and his hair fallen in his eyes as he focuses on his task. Sehun was in Jongin's life long before the red appeared, long before Jongin even thought about what it would be like to have someone meant to be all his. They grew up across the street from each other, wreaking havoc on everyone in the neighborhood from the day they could walk to the day they packed all their collective shit and moved in together for college.
It was only a few months later when Jongin stepped out of the shower, glancing down to find a slice of red against his white towel. He never expected the other end of his string to be on Sehun's finger. They'd never been more than friends - as close as friends can be, but friends nonetheless. It's been years since then and they're still friends. Just as close. Just as entwined and content as they are.
Not all threads lead to romance.
The bell on the door tinkles over the dull chatter and Jongin's focus is broken, eyes flickering to the man walking inside and bringing a gust of winter wind with him. A smile spreads over Jongin's face as he half-stands, waving him over because Jongin already bought their drinks. He just hadn't been interested in drinking his until Yifan was here with him.
"Hey," Yifan breathes, shedding several layers of his scarf - red - before leaning down long enough to leave a soft, cold kiss on Jongin's already warmed lips. "Been here long?"
There's still steam wafting from their mugs and Jongin's thighs are cool from the chair. "No," he answers, wrapping his hands around his mug, string forgotten. "Besides, I was a little early."
"Distracting Sehun from his job again?" Yifan teases, sliding his expensive coat off broad shoulders and folding it over the back of his chair with his scarf before taking a seat. The buttons on his shirt pull tight over his chest and Jongin takes a sip of his hot chocolate to distract himself. Jumping his boyfriend in public isn't something Sehun would ever let him live down - no matter how attractive said boyfriend is and how amazing his hair may be styled or how much Jongin wants to curl up in the scent of his aftershave.
"Not enough to get him in trouble," Jongin says with a shrug. Sehun's boss, Minseok, has always had a soft spot for Sehun that Jongin abuses regularly. All he needs to do now is get Sehun to abuse that privilege by cornering his boss and kissing him senseless. They're both stupid in crush with each other but too dumb to see it.
Jongin met Yifan through Minseok. Well, technically through Sehun because Jongin used to come in daily to pester him, daring his friend to make him a coffee drink that he actually liked - something he still hasn't managed to accomplish. On one of those days, Yifan had come walking in, all long legs encased in leather and a white muscle shirt that dipped low on the sides. Jongin had stood by the counter, staring like a starstruck idiot with his tongue hanging out until Minseok walked out, running into Jongin from behind and sending him barreling into Yifan with his coffee in hand. Numbers were exchanged under the pretense of dry-cleaning and the rest just fell into place.
"I don't know why you still insist on coming here. You hate coffee and Sehun is big enough to take care of himself," Yifan comments, an eyebrow quirked. He finally takes a sip of his overly complicated coffee drink thing that Jongin can't even remember. Sehun has it written down and taped to the counter beside one of the coffee machines to save Jongin's dignity.
Jongin peers over at Sehun and Yifan follows . . . just in time to see Sehun trip over the broom because he'd been staring at Minseok behind the register.
"Nevermind," Yifan amends with a laugh.
"The hot chocolate is good though," Jongin comments.
"It comes out of a packet. They probably only carry it because of you."
Jongin shrugs, unconcerned. If Sehun had to work to make it, he's going to savor it. He slumps in his chair, stretching his legs until his shoes knock against Yifan's ankles. "Were we doing anything tonight?" Jongin inquires, head tilted as he regards the man across from him.
Yifan looks tired, but a smile pulls up on one side of his mouth. "I haven't planned anything, but yeah. Come over."
Jongin smiles, hiding it partially behind his cup. Spontaneous evenings with Yifan means it's a lot easier to coax him out of trying to take Jongin to an expensive restaurant in lieu of pressing Jongin into his uncomfortable leather couch and kissing him until he can't breathe. It means that Yifan's tough exterior drops and Jongin gets to see the soft underbelly that so rarely comes out. It means that Jongin gets Yifan to himself instead of sharing him with the world.
"I'll bring my jammies," Jongin teases. "We can have a sleepover."
Yifan clucks his tongue. "I hope you know I sleep naked."
Jongin snorts and Yifan laughs. Jongin's stomach swoops and his heart skips a few beats.
"If you two are done being gross, I need to clean this table." Sehun is standing there, a hand on his hip and a wet rag in his hand that's dripping on the floor.
"But we're not done," Jongin says, making his point by taking a slow sip of his drink.
"You're making googly eyes at each other and no one wants to see that shit."
"We do," Jongin states. Sehun scowls. "Oh come on, at least let us finish our drinks."
Sehun rolls his eyes and huffs before leaving and Jongin snickers into his drink.
"You two are going to kill each other one day," Yifan sighs fondly.
"Probably. So better use me while you can."
Yifan knocks his foot against Jongin's and the silence that falls between them is comfortable. It's serene, peaceful, even with the chatter of other customers around them. The hot chocolate warms him up from the inside and it's a nice breather in the midst of a hectic day.
Jongin and Yifan leave together, Jongin's hand tucked inside the pocket of Yifan's coat, fingers linked. They make one last stop at the register before they go.
"Hey Minseok," Jongin begins, "I'm not going to be around tonight, but you can just tag along with Sehun if that's alright."
"Yeah," Minseok chirps. "No problem at all."
Behind Minseok, Sehun's eyes have grown to twice their size and he's frozen. Jongin shoots him a grin and a thumbs-up as Yifan tugs him toward the door.
"What did you do?" Yifan asks as soon as they're out on the sidewalk, huddled together and walking towards Yifan's car.
"I asked Minseok if he could stop by and take a look at our leaky faucet."
Yifan looks affronted. "Why didn't you ask me?"
Jongin stands on his toes to plant a kiss on Yifan's cheek. "Oh sweetie, we don't have a leaky faucet."
Pairing: Jongin/Yifan
Rating: PG-13 for innuendo and Sehun's mouth
Length: 1350w
Summary: red string of fate au! Not all threads leads to romance.
Jongin plays with the string on his ring finger - the red one tied in a pretty bow that will never come off, never disappear. His thumb travels in circles over it, around and around and around, never encountering resistance. It's not really there, just a piece of lingering magic that will always be present to remind him that his soul is irrevocably bound to another.
It's sweet, he thinks, to have that reassurance. Not everyone gets their string. Not everyone has someone out there in the world who will complete them. Jongin's lucky.
His eyes travel from the perfect twin loops that sit in the center of his finger, following red as it drapes off the small table, coiling a few times on the floor before continuing over dark tiles and toward the far side of the cafe.
The other end of Jongin's string is attached to the man sweeping the floor, a pressed white apron with coffee stains tied around his waist and his hair fallen in his eyes as he focuses on his task. Sehun was in Jongin's life long before the red appeared, long before Jongin even thought about what it would be like to have someone meant to be all his. They grew up across the street from each other, wreaking havoc on everyone in the neighborhood from the day they could walk to the day they packed all their collective shit and moved in together for college.
It was only a few months later when Jongin stepped out of the shower, glancing down to find a slice of red against his white towel. He never expected the other end of his string to be on Sehun's finger. They'd never been more than friends - as close as friends can be, but friends nonetheless. It's been years since then and they're still friends. Just as close. Just as entwined and content as they are.
Not all threads lead to romance.
The bell on the door tinkles over the dull chatter and Jongin's focus is broken, eyes flickering to the man walking inside and bringing a gust of winter wind with him. A smile spreads over Jongin's face as he half-stands, waving him over because Jongin already bought their drinks. He just hadn't been interested in drinking his until Yifan was here with him.
"Hey," Yifan breathes, shedding several layers of his scarf - red - before leaning down long enough to leave a soft, cold kiss on Jongin's already warmed lips. "Been here long?"
There's still steam wafting from their mugs and Jongin's thighs are cool from the chair. "No," he answers, wrapping his hands around his mug, string forgotten. "Besides, I was a little early."
"Distracting Sehun from his job again?" Yifan teases, sliding his expensive coat off broad shoulders and folding it over the back of his chair with his scarf before taking a seat. The buttons on his shirt pull tight over his chest and Jongin takes a sip of his hot chocolate to distract himself. Jumping his boyfriend in public isn't something Sehun would ever let him live down - no matter how attractive said boyfriend is and how amazing his hair may be styled or how much Jongin wants to curl up in the scent of his aftershave.
"Not enough to get him in trouble," Jongin says with a shrug. Sehun's boss, Minseok, has always had a soft spot for Sehun that Jongin abuses regularly. All he needs to do now is get Sehun to abuse that privilege by cornering his boss and kissing him senseless. They're both stupid in crush with each other but too dumb to see it.
Jongin met Yifan through Minseok. Well, technically through Sehun because Jongin used to come in daily to pester him, daring his friend to make him a coffee drink that he actually liked - something he still hasn't managed to accomplish. On one of those days, Yifan had come walking in, all long legs encased in leather and a white muscle shirt that dipped low on the sides. Jongin had stood by the counter, staring like a starstruck idiot with his tongue hanging out until Minseok walked out, running into Jongin from behind and sending him barreling into Yifan with his coffee in hand. Numbers were exchanged under the pretense of dry-cleaning and the rest just fell into place.
"I don't know why you still insist on coming here. You hate coffee and Sehun is big enough to take care of himself," Yifan comments, an eyebrow quirked. He finally takes a sip of his overly complicated coffee drink thing that Jongin can't even remember. Sehun has it written down and taped to the counter beside one of the coffee machines to save Jongin's dignity.
Jongin peers over at Sehun and Yifan follows . . . just in time to see Sehun trip over the broom because he'd been staring at Minseok behind the register.
"Nevermind," Yifan amends with a laugh.
"The hot chocolate is good though," Jongin comments.
"It comes out of a packet. They probably only carry it because of you."
Jongin shrugs, unconcerned. If Sehun had to work to make it, he's going to savor it. He slumps in his chair, stretching his legs until his shoes knock against Yifan's ankles. "Were we doing anything tonight?" Jongin inquires, head tilted as he regards the man across from him.
Yifan looks tired, but a smile pulls up on one side of his mouth. "I haven't planned anything, but yeah. Come over."
Jongin smiles, hiding it partially behind his cup. Spontaneous evenings with Yifan means it's a lot easier to coax him out of trying to take Jongin to an expensive restaurant in lieu of pressing Jongin into his uncomfortable leather couch and kissing him until he can't breathe. It means that Yifan's tough exterior drops and Jongin gets to see the soft underbelly that so rarely comes out. It means that Jongin gets Yifan to himself instead of sharing him with the world.
"I'll bring my jammies," Jongin teases. "We can have a sleepover."
Yifan clucks his tongue. "I hope you know I sleep naked."
Jongin snorts and Yifan laughs. Jongin's stomach swoops and his heart skips a few beats.
"If you two are done being gross, I need to clean this table." Sehun is standing there, a hand on his hip and a wet rag in his hand that's dripping on the floor.
"But we're not done," Jongin says, making his point by taking a slow sip of his drink.
"You're making googly eyes at each other and no one wants to see that shit."
"We do," Jongin states. Sehun scowls. "Oh come on, at least let us finish our drinks."
Sehun rolls his eyes and huffs before leaving and Jongin snickers into his drink.
"You two are going to kill each other one day," Yifan sighs fondly.
"Probably. So better use me while you can."
Yifan knocks his foot against Jongin's and the silence that falls between them is comfortable. It's serene, peaceful, even with the chatter of other customers around them. The hot chocolate warms him up from the inside and it's a nice breather in the midst of a hectic day.
Jongin and Yifan leave together, Jongin's hand tucked inside the pocket of Yifan's coat, fingers linked. They make one last stop at the register before they go.
"Hey Minseok," Jongin begins, "I'm not going to be around tonight, but you can just tag along with Sehun if that's alright."
"Yeah," Minseok chirps. "No problem at all."
Behind Minseok, Sehun's eyes have grown to twice their size and he's frozen. Jongin shoots him a grin and a thumbs-up as Yifan tugs him toward the door.
"What did you do?" Yifan asks as soon as they're out on the sidewalk, huddled together and walking towards Yifan's car.
"I asked Minseok if he could stop by and take a look at our leaky faucet."
Yifan looks affronted. "Why didn't you ask me?"
Jongin stands on his toes to plant a kiss on Yifan's cheek. "Oh sweetie, we don't have a leaky faucet."