“I seriously need new joycons,” Luhan groaned, his hands waving in the air to emphasize his distress, “the drift has become too much for me to bear at this point.”

“I need to to get new ones too,” came the somewhat hummed reply, “but really mine only give me issues when I need to open a menu, other than that they’re fine so I can wait.”

“Why would you make yourself suffer like that?”

“Because I don’t like spending money,” came the blunt reply, causing the shorter of the two to chuckle.

“Fair enough, you are about to become a broke college student afterall.”

“I’m glad you see my logic,” Tao yawned as he spoke, “I’ve almost completed the college student starter pack with deadlines and exhaustion, all that’s left is being dirt poor.”

Hearing the yawn, Luhan immediately grabbed hold of Tao’s arm and began to redirect the path that they were walking in, “Well, it seems today’s your lucky day Mr. Tao because I know the perfect place to help put some energy back into your system.”

“So you’re not leading me to an alleyway where you can murder me and take my stuff?”

“If I would want to do that, I wouldn’t make it obvious,” came the reply without missing a beat.

Giving a smile, Tao just shook his head as he willingly let the brunette drag him off. He had been talking to the other for about two weeks, and they had pretty quickly settled into an easy friendship filled with banter. Honestly, it was a relief how well Luhan took to Tao’s brand of humor since it had, in the past, been more of a deterrent than something that others wanted to enjoy. Which, to their credit, made sense since sarcasm and bluntness could be a bit...harsh to some people. But it was just nice to have someone other than really just his family who could both not be put off by it but also enjoy it.

“What is this place exactly?” Tao inquired as he shifted his backpack a bit.

“It’s a nice cozy cafe by campus, it’s family owned so this is the only one. But they make the most amazing drinks and pastries,” Luhan replied, making them take a left as they left school grounds, “The atmosphere there is also pretty good, calm and homely and warm. I think you’ll really like it there.”

“I look forward to it.”

Tao tried to keep track of where they were going, having never really been to the city that the college was in. Aside from the dorms, the buildings around the college were a mix of food joints and other places for shopping. He had explored a bit, going into a little bookstore that was run by a sweet middle-aged couple where he managed to purchase some interesting books on art or novels that caught his eye. There was also a thrift store where he had gotten some actually pretty nice clothes (and it was cheap too so that was another plus). Art supplies bought at one place, a quick coffee at another, looking at random knick knacks at others, there were plenty of places that Tao had visited, but he knew that there was still a lot to see in this new city. And one of those places being a supposedly lovely cafe? Well, it was easy to say that Tao was at the very least intrigued to see the place.

Luhan chattered away, pointing out other places along the way which Tao filed away to potentially visit later. But, eventually, they came upon a small, but decently sized, building that Luhan stopped at.

“May I present to you Cosmic Blend, a wonderful local cafe with exquisite drinks and wonderful sweets,” the shorter student said, dramatically giving his hands a flourish in the air as he gestured to the building.

Eyes scanning over the place, Tao had to admit that at least on the outside, the cafe did seem to live up to the description of “homely, warm, and cozy”. The name was written in simple, but charming, cursive with mahogany paint against a cream colored background. There were little tables outside with cheerfully bright flowers, and a big window that also had the name placed on it but at the same time gave a peek into the interior of the cafe. From what Tao could make out, the inside mildly looked like the “stereotypical cozy K-drama” cafe. But, really, it did look nice.

Walking up to the door, Luhan opened it before turning around, giving Tao the universal gesture for “after you.”

A nod, and as soon as he set foot in the building, Tao was hit with the smell of coffee and baked goods. Looking around, he took in the walls that were covered with photos and artwork. But, as his gaze swept around the place, he paused when he saw a person sitting at a standup piano. Fingers flying swiftly but gracefully over the keys, the person was producing masterful, calming music that honestly Tao was a bit surprised that he hadn’t noticed when he entered. But, maybe that was the point of it, just having some nice background music that wasn’t too intrusive. It was...nice. Huffing a bit of a sigh, Tao felt some of the stress that had been slammed upon him.

“Alright there Tao, whaddya want?” Luhan’s voice cut through his thoughts, causing the other’s gaze to finally shift to the shorter student, “coffee, black or sugary? Tea? Hot chocolate? Water? Pastries? Sandwich? The options are endless.”

Skimming the menu behind the counter, Tao just managed a “Uh, a large hot chocolate I suppose.”

“Cool! Go grab a table, I’ll order for us,” making a shooing motion, Tao made his way to a table as he watched the other call for the barista.

Plunking down at a table by a wall, Tao pulled out his laptop to check on the work that he hadn’t finished the night before. Though, he didn’t get very far until a voice broke through his thought process.

“College work?”

Jumping a bit, Tao whipped his head around and saw that the person who was playing the piano had now turned to face him. A dimpled smile graced his face with a bright sparkle in his eyes.

“Uhm, yeah,” a gesture to the laptop screen, “just...boring stuff that I have to do.”

“Hmm, but stuff you have to do,” the smile grew a bit, like there was an inside joke somewhere.

“Mhm,” a nod before Tao shifted his gaze downward, an awkward silence quickly forming with his mind not knowing what to add as a reply.

“Taking a break is good too,” again, Tao’s eyes drifting back up, “work too hard and it’ll hurt.”

“...Yeah…”

The other’s gaze was contemplative, his dark eyes sharp as if t