Instead of going to a bar and getting blackout drunk, Jongin was forced into bed at Yixing’s orders once they arrived home. The artist had tried to protest, saying that bed rest would do nothing for him; the only way Jongin would be able to forget the horrifying image of that purplish-brown color of his blood was through alcohol.

But Yixing sternly led the artist to his bedroom, despite it being early afternoon, and unapologetically pushed him onto the large mattress. “You promised me you’d stop drinking away your problems,” the manager reminded Jongin as he helped the artist take off his tawny coat and tossed it into the nearby laundry bin. “You’ve been doing so well for the past few months. Don’t succumb to the urges now.”

“You wouldn’t understand,” Jongin muttered under his breath as he reluctantly slipped off his sleek gray dress pants to pull on a pair of baggy, beige-colored sweatpants.

“What wouldn’t I understand, Jongin? That you’re willingly trying to poison yourself, just because you’ve come across another hurdle you’re too scared to jump over?”

The artist’s knuckles turned white as he tightened his grip on the blue-gray shirt he was currently pulling off of his body. God, sometimes, he wished he actually hated Yixing, so he could kick the manager out of his house without feeling guilty. Then he could drink as much as he wanted to, for as long as he wanted to, in peace.

Jongin needed that burning sensation of hard liquor to flow down his throat and make him feel alive. He needed the fiery taste of alcohol to sear his taste buds and send him into a state of nonsensical bliss. He needed his mind to fade to pure white, clean and unsullied. He needed to free himself.

But Yixing’s voice broke through the artist’s thoughts, as if the manager knew Jongin was dreaming about drowning himself in alcohol again. “Here’s your shirt. Hurry up and change,” Yixing ordered as he threw an oversized, navy blue cotton shirt at Jongin’s now bare chest.

The artist deftly caught it and slipped it on, smoothing out the wrinkles that appeared near the bottom of the shirt. Once he was properly dressed, Jongin crawled under the heavy duvet and settled comfortably against the squishy mattress. “You are so annoying, you know that?”

“Well, so are you. Deal with it,” the manager sassed back.

Fine, Jongin would humor Yixing this once and abstain from his alcohol cravings. If he couldn’t blank out his mind with white, then he’d have to settle for the blanket of black, despite how much he feared the intense darkness. Because, right now, anything was better than remembering the dirty, unnatural color of his blood.

Yixing helped tuck the duvet snugly around Jongin and smiled down at his friend when he saw the artist drift into sleep almost immediately. He wasn’t sure what had placed so much mental stress on Jongin, but Yixing absolutely would not allow the artist to spiral into alcoholism. Jongin had come close before, back when they were in Paris and he had first lost his muse, but the manager had caught onto the problem early on when he had noticed the number of wine bottles steadily increasing in the kitchen cabinets. Although Yixing had promised himself that he would take a step back and allow Jongin to freely seek his muse now that they were back home in Seoul, this was where he firmly drew the line.

After brushing Jongin’s bangs neatly to the side, Yixing closed the window blinds so that the bedroom was covered in semi-darkness with several slivers of afternoon sunlight still peeking through. He glanced once more at the sleeping artist before silently stepping out of Jongin’s bedroom and shutting the door behind him.

--

“You’re not busy today, are you?”

“Yixing, you’re my manager. You know I’m not busy,” Jongin deadpanned as he set down his empty water glass in the kitchen sink.

“I just wanted to make sure. In case you made plans with Sehun already, y’know?”

Jongin shook his head before replying, “Nope, not today. He’s busy doing some last-minute photo shoots for a magazine spread that’s being released right after Seoul Fashion Week.”

“Perfect!” Yixing beamed brightly as he hooked his arm with Jongin’s. “Jongdae was telling me about this new coffee shop that opened up while we were in Paris. He says it’s his favorite and I’ve been meaning to visit it with him, but he’s too busy with work to take me.”

“Jongdae is actually busy with work?” Jongin raised an eyebrow in disbelief. “I thought that was just his excuse to get away from us and play video games by himself in his room.”

“Of course not. He’s been working very hard while you’ve been moping around in your work room or hanging out with Sehun. You really should pay more attention to your brother.” The manager looked at Jongin reproachfully, but the artist only shrugged in response. He honestly could care less about what Jongdae was up to. “Anyway, that’s not the point. Since he can’t come with me, you're coming instead,” Yixing said, jabbing a finger at Jongin’s chest.

“But I don’t want to.”

“Too bad. As your manager, this is the schedule I’ve drawn up for you today and you’re going to fulfill it.”

“But I don’t even like coffee as much as Jongdae does,” Jongin continued protesting with his arms crossed over his chest. “I only drink it if I really need to.”

“Well, here’s some good news for you. They serve more than just coffee, so I’m sure you’ll find something on their menu that you’ll want,” Yixing answered flippantly as he began pushing the artist out of the kitchen and to the front hall, so they could put on their shoes. “It’ll be my treat,” he added with a wide grin.

“…Fine.”

The manager affectionately patted the top of his friend’s head while saying, “You’re such a good boy.”

“Shove off, Yixing,” Jongin grunted in exasperation as he ducked away from the manager’s hand. “I’m not a kid. Don’t treat me like one.”

“I know,” Yixing replied, still beaming as they walked out of the mansion through the front door.

The artist side-eyed his manager, who was in an exceptionally cheerful mood today, and then sighed deeply. He could never win when Yixing was like this, so there was no point in even trying. At the very least, he was getting a free drink, which was better than nothing. Jongin was still slightly miffed that the manager had barred him from getting drunk the previous night, but in hindsight, it was probably for the best. Alcohol meant Jongin would lose absolute control of his senses, which he couldn’t afford to do at this time.

It was possible he would lose more than he already had if he turned to drinking again.

--

“Here we are! Café Noir!” Yixing gestured to the coffee shop’s name that was printed in fancy cursive script on its front window.

“It doesn’t look like anything special,” Jongin commented as he critically looked over its exterior. “But I suppose I shouldn’t expect anything from Jongdae.”

The manager jabbed Jongin with his elbow, causing the artist to let out a yelp of pain. “Don’t be rude.”

“I’m not. I’m being honest,” Jongin retorted while rubbing his side. Yixing’s elbows were sharper than they looked and the artist was now more annoyed than ever. “Whatever. Let’s go in and get out. I have stuff to do.”

“Sure you do,” the manager replied while good-naturedly slinging his arm around Jongin’s broad shoulders.

The two then entered the coffee shop and were greeted by the warm, fresh smell of coffee drifting through the air. The café, true to its name, was themed with black and brown accents. Wooden tables and chairs were neatly organized around the spacious room, each decorated with a paper animal centerpiece. Round, black chandeliers hung from the ceiling, giving off warm amber light that lent to the coziness of the coffee shop. The walls were painted in black with several silver curlicues drawn in the middle, and the shiny, checkered floor was made up of alternating black and bronze tiles. A large glass case was by the cash register, displaying various pastries for sale. Several potted bonsai trees were placed along the windowsill, at the edges of the room, and on top of the counter where the cash register was. Despite not knowing much about interior design, Jongin had to admit that the place was quite unique and homely.

There was no line at the moment and a short, black-haired man stood idly at the cash register while humming to himself. He perked up when Jongin and Yixing walked up to him, and sent them a bright smile as he said, “Welcome to Café Noir! How may I help you today?”

“Hi, can I have a strawberry cream frappe, please?” Yixing asked after quickly perusing the large menu that was tacked on the wall behind the man.

“One strawberry cream frappe,” the man repeated as he pressed several buttons on the cash register. He then grabbed a transparent cup and a Sharpie before asking, “Your name, sir?”

“Yixing.”

After writing down the manager’s name, the man turned to Jongin and asked kindly, “And what would you like, sir?”

Jongin decided, since the weather had been chilly lately, he’d go for something warmer than a frappe or an iced coffee. “I’ll have a hot chocolate, please.

The man nodded as he took down the artist’s order and then picked up a brown paper cup. “And your name, sir?”

“Jongin.”

“Perfect.” The man finished writing Jongin’s name with a flourish and smiled at the two again as he relayed their total. Yixing handed over his credit card and took it back after the man swiped it through the cash register. “You can wait here while I make your drinks. It should take just a few minutes.”

While they waited, Yixing began telling Jongin about the newest television drama he had started the other day. The artist listened attentively, even though he usually had no interest in dramas. But it had been a long time since he and his manager had talked mindlessly about something like this, so he let Yixing speak on animatedly.

After several minutes, just as promised, the man finished preparing their drinks. “Careful, yours is very hot,” he told Jongin, who nodded and placed a black paper sleeve around the hot cup. “You two can take a seat at whichever table you’d like. Thank you so much for coming and I hope you enjoy the drinks!”

“Thank you!” Yixing replied with a smile. Jongin gave the man a slight nod and followed his manager to a nearby table that was decorated with an origami bear centerpiece and was stationed next to a large window.

Once they were seated and began enjoying their drinks, Yixing continued talking about the drama. The artist nodded along as he listened to his friend speak when he suddenly heard the man at the cash register say a name that he hadn’t expected here of all places.

“I missed you so much, Kyungsoo!”

“Baekhyun, I was here just last week,” Kyungsoo pointed out with an amused smile as he allowed the man to excitedly take hold of his hands.

“That doesn’t mean I can’t miss you! A week is too long without you,” Baekhyun proclaimed dramatically while pressing Kyungsoo’s hands to his chest. “Why can’t you visit me more often?”

“I have work,” the ophthalmologist reminded the other man. “I already purposefully freed up my schedule on Saturday so that I could come here to see you. What more do you want?” Kyungsoo asked with a laugh.

Baekhyun pouted childishly as he answered, “I want to see you every day, especially since it gets so lonely being at the shop by myself. Jinki doesn't have time to work here every day, so I have to man the counter alone and if I don’t see you, I have no motivation to do well.”

The ophthalmologist tugged his hands out of the other man’s grasp and used his now free right hand to flick Baekhyun across the forehead. “Don’t say that, silly. You’ve worked so hard to build this coffee shop from the ground up and make it successful. You can’t throw away everything, just because I haven’t been able to visit you as much as I did in the past.”

“I know,” Baekhyun replied with a sheepish smile. “But I still missed you!” the coffee shop owner enthusiastically added as he grabbed Kyungsoo’s hands again.

“Okay, okay, I get it,” the ophthalmologist answered with another laugh. His smile widened and he said, “I missed you a lot too.”

“Aw, really? Then all of my suffering without you this past week has been worth it,” Baekhyun trilled happily.

Jongin felt like gagging when he saw how shamelessly the coffee shop owner was acting around Kyungsoo. He never knew a person could be so forward, especially in public, and it made his skin crawl uncomfortably.

The ophthalmologist only laughed and then looked up at the menu. “What should I get today, Baekhyun?”

“I’ve been experimenting with the café miel lately,” the coffee shop owner said as he let go of Kyungsoo’s hands to point up at one of the drinks that was marked New on the side. “I can whip one up for you with less honey, since I know you aren’t a huge fan of sweets.”

“Sure, I’ll take it.” Kyungsoo began reaching into his pants pocket for his wallet, but was quickly stopped by Baekhyun.

“It’s on the house!”

“But that’s what you’ve said about every drink I’ve ever ordered from you,” Kyungsoo said, his voice tinged with exasperation. “You can’t keep giving me free drinks, Baekhyun. That isn’t fair to other customers.”

“But you’re different, because you’re my friend.”

“It isn’t fair to you and your business either,” the ophthalmologist continued as he brought out his thin brown wallet. “I’ve probably cheated you out of dozens with all of the free drinks you’ve given me.”

“Put that card away,” the coffee shop owner said sternly when Kyungsoo held out the shiny credit card to the other man. “This is my choice and you don’t have to feel guilty about it.”

Jongin snorted loudly, because it was so obvious Baekhyun was flirting with the ophthalmologist by giving him free drinks and acting like a simpering mess in front of him. Did the man not have any self-respect?

“Please, Kyungsoo?” Baekhyun begged while blinking cutely at the ophthalmologist. “I like making drinks for you. It helps me become a better barista. Think of it that way.”

“That doesn’t really—”

“Please?” Baekhyun repeated more insistently, his large eyes staring directly into Kyungsoo’s.

Oh god, Jongin felt like hurling as he witnessed this brazen display of flirting. It was probably the most cringe-worthy thing he had seen in ages.

The ophthalmologist heaved a deep sigh before resignedly placing his wallet back into his pants pocket. “Fine. In return, I’ll make sure my receptionist knows your appointments at the eye clinic are free and prioritized.”

“Wait, Kyungsoo, my measly drinks can’t compare to a medical appointment!” Baekhyun objected while simultaneously preparing the café miel drink for the ophthalmologist. “You’d be losing way more money than I would.”

Kyungsoo waved a hand, as if to brush away the coffee shop owner’s concerns, and replied, “I come here much more often than you ever come to the eye clinic. Trust me. It evens out.”

This favoritism was even more sickening to Jongin. It was how corruption started in large, powerful conglomerates. Once one person in power began to concede favors to another, it started a domino effect that would continue building advantageously for the main parties while everyone else was knocked down with more unfair conditions.

“You’re too nice to me, Kyungsoo,” Baekhyun stated with a shake of his head.

“Only because you are.” The ophthalmologist smiled brightly at the other man and a faint pink blush spread across Baekhyun’s cheeks.

“Here’s your drink!” the coffee shop owner announced, passing the café miel to Kyungsoo in a white paper cup. “Let me know how it tastes!”

“Will do!” The ophthalmologist looked at the gold-plated watch on his left wrist while picking up the drink with his right hand. “I’ve got to get back to the eye clinic now. I have a few papers to look through before my next appointment.”

“Okay, I’ll let you go. Come back soon! Don’t leave me for too long!”

Kyungsoo laughed once more and waved to Baekhyun before turning around to walk to the exit.

Jongin narrowed his eyes as he watched Kyungsoo leave Café Noir with his drink in hand while the coffee shop owner gleefully waved after him. Baekhyun even had the gall to blow a kiss towards the ophthalmologist, causing Jongin to choke slightly on a mouthful of whipped cream and hot chocolate. The heat seared the inside of his mouth and he quickly reached for Yixing’s strawberry cream frappe to down several gulps of the cold drink.

“Are you okay?” the manager asked worriedly as he reached over the table to pat Jongin on the back. “Be careful when you’re drinking something hot. Do you want me to ask the front for a glass of iced water?”

“No,” Jongin choked out after hastily swallowing the mouthfuls of the strawberry cream frappe. “It’s fine. I was just startled by a bird that was outside,” he fibbed after using a napkin to wipe away the whipped cream from the two drinks that had gotten onto his lips.

Yixing didn’t look completely convinced, but didn’t pursue the subject and took back his drink, sipping the sweet strawberry blend. The manager then continued his spiel, unaware that Jongin hadn’t been listening to him at all for the past ten minutes.

The artist tuned out the other male’s words again and looked darkly at Baekhyun, who was laughing loudly at something he was looking at on his cell phone. Something about the coffee shop owner got under Jongin’s skin and he didn’t like it.

He didn’t like how Baekhyun was so bubbly and happy. He didn’t like how Baekhyun was so openly touchy. He didn’t like how Baekhyun was so blatantly flirtatious.

Simply put, Jongin didn’t like Baekhyun, who was the complete opposite of the artist.

♈♈♈