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⇛ Hero's Soup
1:50pm

"Hey Sana?" Chan disturbed the girl from dealing with a customer, politely raising a hand to be excused. "I'm taking the fifteen minute break you told me about after I deliver this order," he lifted the coconut latte to show her, already pulling the apron overhead. "So just take over, it's not for long."

He ignored the glint of disgust in the female's eyes as she glanced over to where the innocent, freckled boy was sitting, shaking her head at how close her co-worker and the boy had seemed to be. "Fine," she muttered, returning a smile for the confused customer.

Chan only chuckled sarcastically before double checking the absence of customers in a line to his side of the counter before grabbing the latte for Felix.

"Lix," the addict spoke enthusiastically, fitting into a chair next to the younger. "Here is your latte, and it's on me," he nudged the boy's shoulder, and though his cheeks hurt, Chan couldn't stop smiling as he kept up close eye contact with the boy. "Thanks again for coming. I'm honestly fed up of this already, but then I remember that you made a promise to come here everyday."

"Yeah," Felix blushed, sipping his drink to ease his cheeks from their own excessive smile. "I keep my promises. How has the day been so far?"

"Meh," Chan shrugged, slumping in his seat. "Not bad I guess. It's just really, really uncomfortable being without my sweater for so long," he shook his head, glancing back at the counter, narrowing his eyes when he noticed how Sana had swiftly averted her gaze when she noticed the older's in her direction. "My co-worker is quite... interesting I should say."

"Hm?" Felix rotated to find who or what Chan was looking at, a slight sting finding its way to his chest when he noticed the alluring ginger behind the counter. "O-oh. Well at least you have a co-worker? She seems- she seems nice," he forced those words out, sinking his top lip into the latte in hope that that favored taste would take over the new bits of unnecessary jealousy.

"Hm," Chan scoffed before returning his gaze to Felix with a smirk. "No need to worry," he teased, winking at the younger, chuckling when Felix acted surprised from the comment. "Remember, I'm all yours, okay?"

Felix giggled before taking another big sip of his latte, Chan smirking at the white foam left on the boy's top lip. "Y-yeah," he stuttered, cheeks and ears burning from the blush that he couldn't manage to hide. "Aren't you on shift? How come your sitting here like this?"

"I get a fifteen minute break within each shift," Chan smiled, eyes tracing over each and everyone of Felix's freckles before sending a teasing chuckle towards the latter for the cute stain around his mouth. "And I took it so I could spend some time with you."

"Oh," Felix smiled, looking away. "Well um... what do you want to talk about? Sorry I'm so awkward- it's just, this place brings back so many memories, you know? They're happy memories, but it's what comes after them that hurts," Felix frowned, looking down and resting the cup against the table.

Chan's eyes fluttered to Felix's lips for a few seconds before he responded, his face forming back into its resting state, tongue subtly brushing over his lower lip as his hands stayed folded on the table. "Has Changbin ever kissed you, here?" He blurted, sighing at the question- the increasing amounts of anxiety growing in his chest not even enabling the boy to smirk at Felix's blush from the inquiry. Clearing his throat, he spoke again, "I just- I just want to know."

"What is it with you and kissing," Felix faked a chuckle, heart racing from Chan's sudden serious expression. "I mean- he may have kissed me a few times here, but why does it matter?"

"Oh," Chan's voice cracked as he responded to the admission. He ran a hand over his face before speaking again. "I was just curious, especially since you didn't answer the first time I asked you that question. You remember? That day at the park when we almo-"

"I remember, Chan," Felix thinned a smile, taking his latte to sip again. "Do you have a thing for kisses, or? I don't know,?I just find it a bit weird, that specific question."

Chan looked away, frowning subtly. Kisses- the one thing he hated but loved at the same time; kisses on the lips specifically.

Chan didn't know why but hearing the obvious truth that Changbin had kissed Felix before caused a slight sting in the boy's chest. And what bothered him even more was the fact that there was still an absence of valid reason in his mind as to why he tried to kiss the younger that day at the park.

Maybe he did so because the voices in his head had kept quiet for a few seconds, and his heart could finally take control and do what it wanted? But Felix was reasonably skeptical, so expectantly, it didn't happen.

The addict knew what it was like to kiss someone so passionately and intimately only to get attached to them with the dreaded result of heartbreak from that same special person. So with those several anonymous hookups, he didn't want to make that mistake again for the protection of his own heart and ability to love- like?- love...

But for some unknown yet obvious reason, Chan wasn't- Chan wasn't scared of getting attached to Felix. He really wasn't and as much as that bugged him- bugged the remaining weakened lustful voices in his head, his heart and body as a whole didn't mind it.

"I just- it's nothing," he forced a smile before looking back at Felix, eyes still fixated onto the boy's lips. Giggling genuinely, Chan stretched out a hand to the boy's face, cupping Felix's chin and bringing a thumb over the boy's top lip. "You have a little something here," he teased, collecting all of the latte foam with his finger. He smirked when Felix blushed from the contact, wiping the substance off on his jeans nonchalantly. "So cute..."

"What did you say?" Felix questioned nervously, wanting to hear that last, almost inaudible comment clearly. Yes, Chan had called him pretty before, and yes it got him all red and flustered, but in that tense moment between them, that compliment felt different. "I-I didn't hear you clearly."

"I said you're cute," Chan repeated, a small smile reappearing on his face. "Did he ever call you cute?"

"Well... um... earlier in-"

"Christopher!" Sana called out, catching the attention of almost all of the customers who in turn followed her gaze to the two boys on one of the tables. "It's been more than fifteen minutes, I need you over here." Although she dimly tried to speak professionally, high levels of disgust and irritation were present in her voice as she spoke to the new employee.

Chan only shot a sarcastic smile with a glare in her direction before returning his attention to Felix. "Bitch," he muttered, smiling genuinely when Felix chuckled at his low insult. "I guess I have to get going now... hug?"

"Hug," Felix nodded, leaning closer to give the older a well deserved, tender squeeze. "Have a good rest of the day. I'll leave when I'm done with my latte."

-

4:30pm

"Is he your boyfriend?" Sana inquired disrespectfully, not even glimpsing at Chan as the boy pulled on his sweater.

"What?" Chan arched a brow, glancing at the entrance when the sensor chimed as the two other workers walked in to take up their shifts. "What and who are you talking about?"

"Don't act stupid," she rolled her eyes, scoffing at the blonde. "You both were blushing and all that disgusting shit. That freckled guy, do you two have something going on?"

Irritated by the female's gestures, Chan rotated to face the girl. folding his arms with a serious expression as they stood face to face. "First of all, that guy, has a name. So if you don't know it, don't talk about him. And secondly, what does my personal life have to do with you? We literally just met today."

Sana rolled her eyes, smirking before looking back at Chan, eyes scanning his earrings and fuzzy hair, soon landing and resting on his pink, plump lips. Raising her arms in sarcastic defense, she spoke again. "I was just asking. But I mean if you two really have something going on, I still won't believe that you're gay..."

"The fuck you mean by that?"

"What I mean is that a hot guy like you can't just stick to one gender," she teased, giggling some. "And definitely not one person."

Chan scoffed when he heard that, almost gagging at the female in front if him. But it hurt- it hurt the way someone could use his greatest weakness so indirectly and probably unintentionally against him. And what hurt even more was the fact that she was right, mostly about the him not being able to stick with one person. That comment had such and impact on the boy because it was honestly the worst part of his issue; the part that he wanted changed the most.

Chan wanted to stick with one person- a person that gave him everything that he craved and needed emotionally, mentally... and physically. And so far Felix had gotten the closest to filling all those gaps... except one. The one that he genuinely needed to even get better. Because it was an addiction, and how could one heal an addict by just ridding them of the drug in one go?

Take for instance a food addict. They can't just stop eating. They just have to become disciplined and eat the right amounts at the right times. Or a drug addict; they can't just stop at once because goodness knows that the impact of such sudden withdrawal may be too much to handle. But they can work on themselves little by little until they become totally independent without it.

So why... why should it be any different for a sex addict? Chan knew that he wanted to change, but hookups couldn't change him. He needed someone to love him and be there for him. He needed someone to give him that pleasure at intervals, maybe as a reward or a present on good days. In that way he'd survive- he'd slowly become dependent on emotional and mental stability rather than mere sexual pleasure.

But Felix would never be up for that. Giving up his virginity just to help discipline a sex addict? Chan knew that just that thought was going against the values that the secretary stood for, so there had to be another way, right? There had to be another realistic way forward, even though it'd surely be more challenging...

Even though it'd mean that he had to find someone else...

"Fuck you Sana," Chan spat before walking away, already growing annoyed of the girl he'd most likely be seeing everyday. "Fuck you and what you think."