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⇛ Hero's Soup
2:00pm

"Chris, you okay back there?" Sana crosschecked the absence of any waiting customers before strolling to the back, furrowing her brows when she saw Chan sniffling near the sink. "What's up with you this time?"

"I'm fine," Chan lied, washing off his face and patting a piece of tissue over the wet spots to dry off. "I'll be out in a sec."

"Something happened with that guy? You both looked really upset," she spoke before glancing back, sighing when the alarm chimed, alerting that more customers had walked in. "I have to go back now. You should come out too. Remember, you're still on shift."

"Yeah," Chan mumbled before leaning off of the counter, taking in few deep breaths as he tightened his apron before making way back to the front.

Chan stood behind of the counter stagnantly, a thin, forced smile spread on his face as customers gave him polite glances and nods. Now the boy was already having a bad day. From dumping his seven days of abstinence down the drain, to receiving that publicized embarrassment from Felix- it was honestly overwhelming. He just wanted to go home. He wanted to go somewhere and do the only thing that was keeping him sane when he didn't even meet Felix yet, with willing, anonymous strangers.

So with all of those urges and temptations to just burst out in tears or rants, Chan definitely didn't need to see that all too familiar face tread into the café. He didn't need to be reminded of one of the main reasons Felix was upset with him. He didn't ask for the internally growing, self-targeted disgust to be fertilized and cloud his mind even more. He didn't need to see Changbin...

Chan froze up, eyes going wide and lips parted slightly. It had been weeks since they had come in contact, and seeing the younger walk into his workplace just gave more evidence to his suspicions that Changbin was stalking him. "What the fuck," he muttered to low for his co-worker to hear, swallowing thickly. "This guy."

Changbin furrowed his brows as he walked up to the counter, narrowing his eyes at Chan with a confused look. "Sana, what's up? Get me the usual please," he spoke calmly, eyes never leaving the older's.

"The usual?" Chan muttered to himself, wondering whether or not Changbin was a regular customer. But he'd been working for a week and had never laid eyes on the latter, so it was mind boggling how Changbin could be so much of a consistent customer as to even have a set order.

Or was he just bluffing? No. He couldn't be. He couldn't be because Sana smiled and started small talk with the boy as she began setting up his drink, even giving him an extra squirt of whipped cream.

"Here you go, Binnie," the female chuckled, smiling brightly at the customer. "How are things? I missed you last week."

"I've been caught up," Changbin muttered, giggling as he handed the female his money. "Just really busy with work and all. But I'm back with regular programming."

"Good," Sana grinned, glancing at Chan then back that the other. "I have something I wanna tell you though," she smiled smugly, motioning a finger for Changbin to lean over the counter, she in turn drawing closer to him. Sana let out a breathy giggle near the boy's ear before bringing her speech to a whisper. "I've been seeing your ex here quite frequently..."

"W-what?" Changbin choked on his own spit, reflexively turning and widening his eyes at Chan before drawing his attention back to the female. "Wait, which one?"

"The most recent. I forgot his name," Sana shrugged, leaning away from the male. "More people are coming in so go have a seat. Let me complete two more orders and then I'll take my fifteen minutes."

Chan was confused at the pair's gestures as it was safe to say that they were most probably targeted towards him since all of the girl's glimpses and giggles were to his direction. "You know that guy?" He gulped before questioning, arching a brow when Sana nodded.

"Focus, Chan. We'll talk afterwards."

Chan nodded, placing his attention on the line forming in front of him. "Hero's Soup-"

"You know you don't have to say that every time, right?" Jeongin, chuckled at the overly formal employee. "You'll be seeing me a lot. So a simple good day will do. I'd like the regular coffee please. And... a cupcake on the side. I'm taking it to stay because I have an appointment in a few."

Chan smiled softly, nodding as he put the man's order together. "Here you go. I hope enjoy." He didn't know much about that male except for the fact that he visited that café multiple times on almost all weekdays. But the stranger seemed like a cool guy- and he was maybe the friendliest and most engaging customer that Chan had to deal with.

Jeongin sighed from exhaustion as he took a seat on an empty table, the one with those soft chairs just to the front of the window. He pulled out his phone to check the time before taking a bite of his cupcake, scanning the room from that corner to see if there was anybody that he was familiar with and would recognize him.

But there was no one that he really knew there- but one person seemed familiar enough though. That hoodie, it was the same hoodie he had seen on that guy who was marching out of the clinic on one of those days. It had to be the anonymous, agitated stranger... hopefully. Well anyone could have a hoodie like that, right? But what was the hurt in trying. There would be no harm to just walk up to that table and have a seat. Just to see who it was. Make a new friend?

Not thinking twice, Jeongin got up from his seat, taking all his food and belongings with him. Resting his items on the empty side of the table, he shot a shy smile at the stranger, hesitantly taking a seat. "H-hello," he spoke, voice holding an unmatched, new level of softness. The boy observed Changbin's confused yet welcoming expression. He honestly hoped it was that same stranger at the clinic... but at the same time he didn't, because he would never want to see that face sad or angry. It was too perfect. "Mind if I sit here?"

"Um sure?" Changbin answered, placing his phone face first onto the table, taking a sip of his coffee. "Do I know you from somewhere though?"

"N-no," Jeongin mumbled, taking a big sip off his drink in hope that the intense heat would give an excuse for the light shade of pink forming on his cheeks. "I just- I think i saw you before, but I'm not sure. So I thought, why not say hi?"

"Oh. May I ask where?" Changbin smiled softly, gaze melting into the other's. "I don't think I've seen you before."

"Um... at M&J clinic? I saw you leaving once. Well I think it's you that I saw... but you looked upset. And I was a bit worried, but you left before I could even see you or say something."

"Hm," Changbin hummed, narrowing his eyes in thought. "Can I ask your name?"

"I'm Jeongin. You?"

"I'm Changbin-"

"Binnie," Sana disturbed the two, eying Jeongin thoroughly, pursing her lips in confusion. "Who's he?"

"Someone I just met," Changbin replied, smiling at the male. "But um, Jeongin. Great talking to you, but could you excuse us for a sec? Please?"

"Y-yeah. Sorry," Jeongin stuttered, almost stumbling as he stood up with haste. His cheeks burned from the slight, unintended embarrassment as he stuffed the remainder of his cupcake into his mouth, staring blankly out of the window.

Changbin was actually really... cute.

"What is it that you were saying?" Changbin sipped his drink, glancing at the worker behind the counter then back at the female. "Felix came here?"

"Oh that's his name," Sana face palmed, chuckling. "But yeah. And before today, he seemed pretty close with Christopher."

"Christopher? Wait, you mean Chan?" Changbin arched a brow, leaning closer to the female on the other side of the table. "Are they together?"

"I know him as Christopher. And I thought they were together until today. It looked like Felix was pissed at him because they had some argument I think," she sighed as she spoke, glancing back at the counter. "But he gives off way too much whore energy to be in a relationship."

"Hm," Changbin scoffed, nodding in agreement. The admission that he had witnessed the dirty side of Chan on several occasions was stinging the tip of his tongue, but he wasn't about to spill such information to a simple employee that he just so happened to grow close to from his countless visits to that café for maybe about two years. "He looks like that kind of person. But Felix... I'll look into it."

"Yeah I guess so. But anyways I didn't take my fifteen minutes break to just sit and stare. Talk to me. Have you found anybody new yet?" Sana inquired teasingly, poking the other's arm and giggling. "Does Changbin have his eye on a special someone?"

"Nah," the male scoffed, shaking his head. "Not for now. I'm just focusing on myself for the time being."

"Yeah that seems like the best idea for real."

Jeongin was moping in his seat as he observed how Changbin was giggling in deep conversation with the female. Was he straight? Was she his girlfriend? Did Changbin find the encounter weird or creepy? Jeongin couldn't stop thinking and feeling foolish for his supposedly unnecessary, bold decision.

Sighing out of relief when he got that awaited text from Minho listing everything that he needed to get from the store that sold some fancy party items, Jeongin got up, flashing Changbin a faint smile and wave as he left.

"Flowers... balloons... LEDs?" He muttered, running his eyes over the text. "Let me just get this shit for Minho so I can go home."