Joshua had never been kicked out of /anywhere/ before. He didn't even know you /could/ get kicked out of a McDonald's.
Yet there he was, standing outside of a McDonald's he wasn't allowed back into any time soon because he'd "caused a disturbance". The staff hadn't even listened when he'd tried to explain that he wasn't with the man with the rambunctious kid.
"I'm really sorry, I had no idea she'd move," the man apologised for what had to be the third time.
Joshua nodded and pulled his phone out of his pocket to have something to do with his hands. "It's fine, I just never got to finish my burger."
The man shot Joshua a sheepish look. "Sorry about that --"
"It's fine, I was pretty much finished anyway," Joshua butted in. The apology count didn't need to get any higher.
Joshua shifted his weight from foot to foot, unsure of what to do next. He should probably just leave -- that would be the logical thing to do. But, there was something about the man that made Joshua want to stay around him. There was something familiar about him, something oddly comforting even though Joshua was more than ninety nine percent sure he'd never even seen the stranger in his life.
Out the corner of his eye, Joshua saw the toddler pull on the man's pant leg. The man knelt down, and the toddler whispered something into his ear. The man straightened, blushed, and picked the small child up.
"Hey, uh, can I -- it's fine if the answer is no, look at me. I'm a mess -- that's not the point." The man took a deep breath. "Can I get your number?"
Joshua shoved his hands into his pockets, unable to come up with a suitable answer.
The toddler let out a peal of laughter and leant in to say something to the man again. The man chuckled in a way that sounded self conscious, then turned his attention back to Joshua.
"Right, sorry, that was weird. Hi, I'm Seungcheol, and little rascal here think's I should get your number. Or at least try make it up to you that I got you kicked out of McDonald's."
"Seungcheol, really, it's fine. Don't worry. New experiences build character."
Seungcheol's jaw dropped. "Are you telling me you've never been kicked out of somewhere before? Or just that you've never been kicked out of a McDonald's?" His tone was more than a little incredulous.
"I've never been kicked out of anywhere before."
Seungcheol's eyes where almost popping out of their sockets. "Damn, no wonder you look so awkward. It's no big deal, just don't come back here for a couple days or something. Really sorry if you were a regular."
Joshua chuckled. "It's fine, really, I was just walking around and got hungry. Never been here before. I'm Joshua, by the way."
"Well, Joshua, I really need to make it up to you, getting you kicked out of somewhere for the first time. I don't have much money on me at the moment, but I could give you a lift somewhere?"
Joshua should've said no, he really should have, but there was something familiar and trustworthy about Seungcheol. He found himself following Seungcheol the couple of metres to Seungcheol's car and reading him directions to the cafe off Maps.
("Are you sure it's safe?" Joshua had asked when he'd seen which car was Seungcheol's.
Seungchehoul had nodded. "Yeah, of course it is. It's got working brakes and decent tyres." Joshua tried not to wrinkle his nose up at the smell of cigarettes and the marks on the seats that were clearly from someone putting cigarette butts out on them. That would be rude, and Joshua wasn't rude.)
"Do you want to come in? They have really good coffee here, I'll pay for you. Driving me here was really too much. I'll even get the little one a muffin or something," Joshua found himself offering just before he got out the car.
He kicked himself. That was too much like flirting, wasn't it? It wasn't intentional, he was just trying to be nice, but it definitely had the potential to be interpreted as flirting.
"Yeah, muffin!" the toddler shouted from her booster seat in the back. Seungcheol let out a defeated sigh.
"I guess little rascal made the decision, didn't she? I'll pay you back somehow." Seungcheol cut the motor and undid his seatbelt, then twisted to help the little child get out.
The cafe was about half full, creating a good volume of chatter and quiet chuckles.
Joshua passed Seungcheol some money. "Just go up to the counter and order something for yourselves, I'll pick out a good table."
Seungcheol nodded and walked off, the toddler held tightly at his hip so she couuldn't go crawling under tables. Joshua looked around, trying to find a table away from everyone else. He saw Jun wiping down a table tucked away into a corner and decided it looked like a good spot.
Jun gave him a wolfish grin when he pulled out a chair and sat down. "You seriously need to get a life. Junghan doesn't get off for another forty five minutes."
"That's actually what I'm doing, Jun. Making a new friend, getting to know someone new," Joshua replied smoothly.
Jun chuckled. "Right, and are you playing a game to figure out how many different ways you can say that?" He straightened and shoved the sponge he'd been using to clean the table into his back pocket. Then he pulled out a pen and notebook. "So, what can I get for you today?"
Joshua shrugged. "Just a coffee, I guess. I had a burger before I came here."
Jun nodded as he wrote it down. "The usual, I'm guessing?" Joshua made an affirmative noise.
"I'll get that to you as soon as I can." Then Jun bowed to the seat a cross Joshua's. "Enjoy your invisible company," he smirked before walking off.
Joshua clenched his fist and shook his head. That smartarse.
When Seungcheol came to the table, toddler still resting on his hip and a strange expression on his face, Junghan was trailing behind. Seungcheol sat down, and placed the toddler on his lap. She squirmed.
"I'm not having you get us kicked out of a nice place like this, little rascal," Seungcheol told her. She pouted, but stopped wriggling about. Seungcheol pet her head and gave her a muffin.
Junghan placed two cups of coffee down on the table and placed a kiss to Joshua's cheek. "Shua, guess what!" he beamed.
"Do you know Seungcheol somehow?" Joshua asked. It wouldn't surprise him, Junghan knew a lot of people.
Junghan shook his head and placed two little pieces of translucent paper down on the table. Joshua recognised them as the paper used to check soulmate marks and thumbprints against each other. He leant in closer and saw faint black lines that traced out thumprints.
He looked from Junghan to Seungcheol then back to Junghan. "Did you two..?"
Junghan nodded. Seungcheol was watching the exchange with what look nervousness.
"Did they match?"
Again, Junghan nodded. "Jun checked them for us, he's gotten good at telling really quick if the mark and thumbprint match up properly." Joshua nodded slowly, he felt like a stone had just been dropped into his stomach. Seungcheol was their other soulmate. He'd just brought their other soulmate right to Junghan.
They were going to have soon.
(Joshua had gone along with Junghan until it was a good time to explain himself, to get Junghan to understand he didn't want to have . Then he'd brushed it under the rug and forgotten about it and just gone along with Junghan because it never seemed like a good time. And now he was going to have , probably sometime soon by the way Junghan was acting.)
"Are all three of us soulmates? Or? 'Cause I've got two marks."
Joshua and Junghan turned their attentions to Seungcheol.
"Well, Junghan and I are soulmates and both of us have two marks. And he compared our marks that aren't each other's and they're the same," Joshua answered.
"So, yeah." Then Seungcheol turned to the toddler in his lap. "Hear that, little rascal? These two men are my soulmates." The toddler clapped and shrieked, then went back to spreading muffin crumbs all over herself and Seungcheol.
"I should probably get back to work, it's still pretty busy. Shua, make sure Cheollie doesn't leave before I finish." Junghan kissed Joshua on the cheek, squeezed Seungcheol's shoulder, and strutted back to the counter.
"He gets attached fast," Joshua told Seungcheol, who was looking a little startled. Joshua assumed it was from Junghan calling him Cheollie.
"Really? How long have you known him?"
Joshua counted back in his head. "Not quite a month? I don't think."
Seungcheol nodded. "You seem quite close already." He seemed nervous. Joshua could understand why, the poor man was probably trying to figure out how he'd slot into Joshua and Junghan's relationship.
Joshua took a long sip of his coffee, trying to plan out something to say that would reassure Seungcheol.
"Don't worry, we'll get a specialist to double check it and confirm we're all soulmates, then figure it out from there. I've heard things just feel /right/ with your soulmate and work out," Joshua tried.
Seungcheol nodded, readjusted the toddler on his lap, and took a sip from his coffee. "I've heard that too. But, is it true?"
Joshua let out a dry chuckle. "Junghan can be a bit of a handful. He needs lots of attention. But mostly, yeah."
***
"You guys go on ahead, I've gotta have a smoke," Seungcheol told Jodhua and Junghan when they got out of his car at the hospital. It had been time for Seungcheol to return the toddler back to her dad's when Junghan's shift had ended.
Junghan smirked, "We'll stay, smoking's hot. Isn't it, Shua?"
Seungcheol scoffed. "It was a bad habit I picked up when I was younger. It's dumb, not hot."
Joshua nodded. "Exactly. Which is why I'm going on ahead."
Seungcheol smiled as he pulled a packet out of his pocket. "At least one of my soulmates has sense."
Joshua walked away, leaving Seungcheol and Junghan to the smoke. When he got into the hospital he went straight to the receptionist.
"Excuse me? What's the policy on the soulmate specialist here? Is it walk in or do we need an appointment?
The receptionist looked up from the monitor in front of her. "The policy?" She giggled, "Oh, dear, you aren't from around here, are you? As long as it's a public specialist, checking a match is walk in, due to the nature of soulmates. Anything else you need an appointment for."
"Could you point me in the direction of the soulmate specialist's office, then?"
The lady nodded. "Of course, but you'll need the prospective soulmate with you to be able to tell if it"s a match."
"In the car park having a cigarette," Joshua explained.
The lady gave Joshua an understanding look. "You'll want to get him out of that habit soon, especially if he's as young and handsome as you are."
Joshua fidgeted, he was going to try encourage Seungcheol to quit, but ultimately there was nothing he could do if Seungcheol didn't want to.
The receptionist straightened, back to business, and told Joshua the directions to get to the specialist's office. Joshua thanked her for her time, and went and sat in one of the chairs by the door to wait for Junghan and Seungcheol.
Joshua didn't have to wait too long before they came in. Joshua stood up when he saw them. "I know how to get to the specialist's office."
Junghan sighed in relief and pecked Joshua's cheek. "You're an angel, Shua."
Joshua walked a little behind the two, breathing through his mouth because the smell of cigarette /lingers/, and gave directions as they went.
It was less than a ten minute procedure before the specialist confirmed the three were soulmates.
Joshua had never felt dread settle in his stomach quicker.
===========
A/N:
This the most cheesy, unrealistic, rom-commy thing I've ever written.
Comments