“I need the day off, Soonyoung. Will you just… please?”

            Soonyoung frowns. “I don’t know if I can do that, Joshua. We’re already going to be short-staffed because of Seungkwan and – one large Americano to go, ready! – we need all the help we can get.” Soonyoung replaces the frown with a smile as the customer comes to grab their drink, blushing as their fingers brush with Soonyoung’s. As soon as the customer steps back, tipping their wallet into the Tips bucket, Soonyoung turns to Joshua with a frown again. “Remind me again why you want the night off?”

            Joshua frowns, having already explained a million times. “It’s the talent show,” he starts, “I’m going to perform.”

            Soonyoung raises a brow. “And? I’ve worked the café and done the talent show plenty of times on the same night.”

            Joshua huffs, crossing his arms over his chest. “Jihoon will kill me if I’m not 100% focused on the show. He’s already angry at me because he couldn’t get out of it but Seungcheol did. Please, I am begging you.”

            Soonyoung shrugs. “He gave his spot to that Chan kid, not my fault.” Then his lips quirk up. “So what you’re basically saying is that you want to miss work because of Jihoon?”

            Joshua growls lightly, knowing what that stupid little smirk on Soonyoung’s face means. “Well,” he hesitates, “basically – yes.”

            Soonyoung grins, pushing himself off the counter. “Sure! You can get the night off hyung!”

            “Are you kidding me? Is this serious?” Joshua swats at a laughing Soonyoung. “Why did you make me freaking beg you?”

            Soonyoung laughs, dancing away from Joshua’s hands. He picks up the tray that’s set on the counter, using it as a shield. “Honestly, I just wanted you to admit that Jihoon was the reason.” He sticks his tongue out. “Now the next step is getting you to admit that you like him as more than a friend.”

            Joshua turns red, chasing after Soonyoung as he screams out, “I do not like him!”

            Soonyoung holds his tray up to cover his face, singing from behind it. “You liikee him, you wanna kiss him!”

            “Soonyoung!” Joshua hisses. He reaches from behind him, managing to grab onto a whipped cream bottle that was on the back counter. He points it at Soonyoung, his hand poised to aim. “Shut up!”

            “Joshua and Jihoon sitting in a tree, k-i-s-s-i-n-g – JOSHUA!” Soonyoung squeals as Joshua throws himself onto the other boy. Soonyoung falls against the counter, trying to cover his face as Joshua pushes down on the nozzle of the whipped cream. Joshua proves to be stronger than he thought, because he manages to lower the tray from Soonyoung’s face, spraying him directly in the face. Soonyoung laughs, shaking his head.

            Joshua gets whipped cream on his cheek, his grin wide and wicked, but then he notices – “Soonyoung! You’re not supposed to be eating the whipped cream!”

            Soonyoung grins, his lips over spilling with whipped cream. “What kind of café owner would I be if I let all this whipped cream go to waste?” he says from around a mouthful. He raises his eyebrows suggestively, his eyes shining mischievously. “You know, I’m sure you and Jihoon could find a lot of interesting things to do with whipped crea–”

            “That’s enough from you,” Joshua says, sticking the nozzle directly in Soonyoung’s mouth and pressing down. Soonyoung’s cheeks blow up, and he makes a light coughing noise, using the tray to try to push Joshua away. Soonyoung chokes on a laugh, shaking his head and causing whipped cream to land in Joshua’s hair as well. Joshua is about to open his mouth and speak when a voice interrupts him.

            “Huh, I must say, this is the weirdest thing I’ve ever seen in a café.”

            Both Joshua and Soonyoung glance up, Joshua’s eyes immediately catching Jeonghan’s.

            “Well,” Joshua his lips, his mouth dry suddenly, “you must not go to very many cafés.”

            Jeonghan laughs, leaning his palms on the counter. His lips form a smile. “Maybe, but I’m glad I go to this one.” He swipes at some whipped cream that managed to get on the counter. “Even if it is a little unsanitary.”

            “Um, excuse me,” Soonyoung says, whipping his mouth as he gulps down the cream. “This café is 100% sanitary and up to the law, thank you very much.”

            Jeonghan crinkles his nose, flicking his eyebrows up towards his hairline. “You have whipped cream in your hair.” He glances at Joshua. “You do too.” His brows furrow, and then he’s reaching forward, “Here, lemme just –”

            And then before Joshua knows what’s happening, Jeonghan has his fingers tangled in Joshua’s hair.

            Jeonghan glides his fingers through the soft strands, his eyes turning soft. “You have some on your cheeks too,” he whispers, his hand sliding down from Joshua’s hair to rest on Joshua’s jaw.

            Joshua feels like he can’t breathe as Jeonghan’s delicate hands trail over his skin – his cheeks, his nose, his jaw, his chin, his lips – and Jeonghan is lightly biting his lips as his thumb rests on the corner of Joshua’s upper lip.

            “Are you going to clean me too?”

            Soonyoung is shoving between Joshua and Jeonghan, the skin around his eyes tight although he keeps his smile teasing. Jeonghan blinks slowly at his hand, shaking his head lightly as he looks up at Soonyoung, who is now standing in front of him.

            “What?”

            Soonyoung tilts his head, pushing his hair away form his face. “Are you going to pet me like how you petted Joshua?”

            Jeonghan blushes, stuttering out, “I w-was n-not… okay, brat, come here.” And he grabs Soonyoung roughly by the hair, patting his cheeks a bit too roughly as he gets the whipped cream off.

            Joshua ignores the light fluttering he feels in his chest, ignores the tingling sensation that he feels on his mark. The corner of his lips burn with the mark of Jeonghan’s touches, but all Joshua can think of is Jihoon standing in front of him with sad eyes, telling Joshua, “Jeonghan will never love you.”

            Joshua repeats it to himself like a motto; maybe if he says it enough, he’ll finally believe it.

⚘❁⚘

            Joshua bites his lips as he looks at Soonyoung’s closed door, his voice distracted as he repeats an order to Wonwoo.

            “Wait, what do they want, hyung?”

            “Huh?” Joshau quickly glances at Wonwoo, who’s frowning in confusion. “Oh, they want an, um, orange Americano.”

            Wonwoo frowns. “We don’t make that.”

            Joshua sighs, letting his elbows fall onto the counter as he rests his chin in his palms. “Oh? Maybe they asked for something else. I don’t know if they even wanted coffee.” His gaze doesn’t waver from the door, his lip being pulled worriedly between his teeth.

            Wonwoo sighs exasperated, his gaze following Joshua’s. He purses his lips. “What’s going on behind the door, Joshua? You’ve been looking at it since me and Mingyu got here.”

            Joshua lets his gaze lazily fall to Wonwoo’s before he focuses back on the door. “Soonyoung has Jeonghan back there.”

            Wonwoo’s brows flick up in surprise. “Jeonghan? As in Angel?”

            Joshua’s lips form a straight line, his cheeks blushing at the mention of Jeonghan’s old nickname between the workers of the café. “Yes,” he mumbles. “And please don’t call him that.”

            “Well, what are they doing?”

            Joshua drops his hands, letting his forehead rest on the cool material of the table. “I don’t know,” he whines. “What if Soonyoung is telling him something embarrassing? What if, what if… oh I don’t know! I don’t know what they’re doing!”

            Wonwoo pats Joshua on the back of the head. “Okay, first of all, hyung, you have to calm down. Second of all, please get your nasty head off my table.”

            All Joshua does is snort, turning his head to glance at Wonwoo. “You’re telling me to calm down? What about you? Don’t act like there’s not something going on between you and Mingyu. I saw that tense look you gave him when he walked in.”

            Wonwoo freezes, his hand stilling in Joshua’s hair. His eyes form slits, his lips pursing. His voice is tight, his cheeks pink. “Nothing happened between me and Mingyu.”

            Joshua lets out a disbelieving breath. “Okay,” he says sarcastically, “and my name is Choi Minki and I have a pet dragon.”

            Wonwoo lets out a droll laugh. “Ha,” he swats lightly at Joshua’s head, “funny.” He sighs, removing his hand and rubbing it over his face as he lets out a low groan. “But seriously, nothing happened with me and Mingyu.” He bites his lip. “Nothing keeps happening, that’s the problem. I’m getting tired and I think so is he.”

            Joshua furrows his brow, glancing at Wonwoo curiously. “I thought you didn’t like Mingyu? Don’t you have a mate?”

            Wonwoo rolls his eyes. “That’s my problem, hyung. I like Mingyu more than I should. And as for my mate…” his lips form a straight line. “Let’s just say it’s complicated.”

            “Wow,” Joshua blinks. “We’re a sad bunch, aren’t we?”

            Wonwoo stands up straight as Mingyu pushes past the door, calling a flirty remark to one of the customers. His eyes never leave the younger boy as Mingyu makes a drink, his movements fluid. Mingyu stands up straight, glancing quickly at Wonwoo, who keeps his face neutral. Mingyu frowns lightly, averting his gaze and walking out without a word.

            Wonwoo sighs, deflating, leaning down and resting his head beside Joshua’s. He blinks, tracing a curved M onto the table as he avoids Joshua’s apologetic gaze.

            “Yep,” he agrees, “we’re the saddest bunch.”

⚘❁⚘

            “You want me to what?”

            Soonyoung sighs, shuffling with the papers on his desk. “I want you to help me.” He glances at Jeonghan from over the stack of papers, trying hard to make them fall neatly together and just making them crumple together in the process. He finally stops, flattening up the crumpled sheets on his desk. “I need to get Joshua and Jihoon together.”

            Jeonghan blinks, feeling something vile rise up his throat. Jihoon? What’s going on with Joshua and Jihoon? “I don’t understand.”

            Soonyoung sighs, glancing up at the ceiling. “Oh my god,” he mutters under his breath, “Joshua will kill me if he finds out.” He looks back to Jeonghan, not noticing how rigid the other boy is sitting in his seat. “Look, I know you and Joshua are, like, really good friends now, because you’re showing up every single day and you never order anything unless Joshua is here. And Joshua is my friend, I want him to be happy. I think he can be happy with Jihoon.”

            “And what am I supposed to do?”

            Soonyoung’s lips form a straight line. “Well, due to the fact that Jihoon runs away from me every time he’s here, I don’t know him as well as you. ” Then he mutters, underneath his breath, “Honestly, I just tried to pinch his cheeks one time and now he thinks I’m Satan.”

            Ignoring his last statement, Jeonghan states, “And? What does that have to do with me helping Joshua and Jihoon get together?” Jihoon comes here a lot? How come I’ve never seen him?

            “You could, I don’t know, help them admit their feelings for each other.”

            Feelings for each other? Okay, Jeonghan definitely feels sick now. There’s a tingling sensation on his wrist, a burning horrible feeling spreading from the center of his chest. “I still don’t understand what I’m supposed to be doing exactly. I can’t push them together.”

            “Well,” he glances around his office, “I don’t know, ask them out on double dates or something.” He looks at Jeonghan. “I just want Joshua to be happy, hyung. Can you help me make that happen?”

            This conversation is too serious for Jeonghan. His skin itches, his heart thrumming in his chest. Something aches in his chest, and he reaches a hand to rub over his heart. Jumping up to his feet and avoiding answering the question, Jeonghan trips over his feet on his way out. “Oh wow, I totally forgot I have to meet up with Seungcheol! I promised to take him lunch!” He smiles tightly at Soonyoung, who is looking at Jeonghan in confusion. “Bye!”

            “But Jeonghan, wait, what about –”

            Before he can finish the sentence, Jeonghan is slamming the door shut behind him, not quite sure why the prospect of Joshua and Jihoon together bothers him so much.