yay we're in the 20s! Finally. You can thank Lea/haekass' tropes list for this one, without her encouragement this wouldn't have been written so quickly. If you haven't checked out her new story Demons Strictly Cash do so!

“I’m gonna do it,” Donghae says, voice set with determination as he lays out his work clothes. “I’m gonna ask him out tomorrow.”

“Bull you are,” Somin replies, her voice tinny through the phone’s speaker. “You said that last week. And the week before that. And before exams last year!”

“I mean it this time,” Donghae groans, flopping back onto the bed. “The time is right. I can feel it!”

“If the stars aligned it’s only to laugh at your love life,” Somin says flatly, pausing for a moment before laughing. “Okay I didn’t mean to sound that mean, but really! If you do then great, go you, but your track record says this is another false confidence thing.”

If Donghae had known her for any less than his entire life, he’d block her. “If we go by my track record then I’m gonna die alone.”

Somin cackles and Donghae sighs, already knowing what’s coming next. “You won’t be alone! You’ll have me and Jiwoo.”

“Third wheel and less,” Donghae says, rolling his eyes with a fond smile. “Thanks but no thanks. We can’t all find love by twenty four. You both have actual jobs! Careers!”

“Yeah, because you’re a nerd who thought postgrad was a good idea. Which it is. Or will be. In, like, ten years when your income is better than ours combined.” Somin giggles at his dejected groan. “Just relax! There’s no rush or, deadline for these things. You’re not adulting because you’re doing more prep to be a better adult. Maybe your love life will be the same.”

“Maybe,” Donghae sighs again, rolling over to stare out the window. With the lights on, all he can see is his messy post-shower hair. “We’ll just have to see.”

Donghae messages Somin as he puts his bag in the corner of the café’s back room. ‘Yeah, no, don’t think I’ll ask him today.’

The reply is almost immediate. ‘ I TOLD YOU!!!!!!’

Trying not to laugh, he types back ‘Anxiety says no!’ and turns the phone off, shoving it into his bag. Checking he has his nametag on, he heads to the front counter and helps Yoseob unpack the desserts.

“Morning,” he greets, grabbing a box of vanilla slices. “How was your esky?”

Yoseob snorts and delicately shuffles a lemon tart off a spatula and into the display counter. “OSCE. I hate my life and instead of ruminating on things I should’ve did or said, I’m gonna channel it into giving my best faces to caffeine-deprived s.”

Donghae gives an empathetic wince and unloads the slices, careful not to bang Yoseob in the head with one. “Sounds like a plan. So glad I didn’t do med.”

Picking up another box, Yoseob raises his eyebrows. “Are you ting me? I’d rather die than do law, oh my god, so boring. No offense.”

“None taken,” Donghae grins, glad to have a friend for the Saturday morning shift. “Is Kyuhyun coming in today? I thought he mentioned it last week.”

“That prickly bastard? If he comes in for a morning shift I’ll stab him before he stabs me,” Yoseob says seriously. Donghae laughs, but the sound trails off as he realises it wasn’t a joke. “What?” Yoseob shrugs at Donghae’s confused glance. “He’s not a morning person.”

Before Donghae can reply, loud knocking startles him into almost dropping the eclairs. A woman is standing outside the door, banging her fist on the window furiously. “Wow. It’s not even 8 yet.”

Yoseob sighs and points at the closed sign. “Ignore her, she’ll only be like, 4 dollars. Not worth it.”

“It’s gonna be that kind of day,” Donghae shakes his head. “If the stars are aligning they can piss right off.”

Yoseob barks a clipped laugh, “If they aligned they’d burn this place to the ground and let us piss off with the cash.”

By 10 o’clock all Donghae wants is to bang his head against the wall and pass out. And preferably wake up covered in money.

“Excuse me, I ordered decaf, not this !” a man shouts, furiously waving his drink. Donghae knows for a fact the man did not specify decaf, because he’d been on the phone during his entire order and Donghae always repeated the order back.

“What sizes are there?” a middle-aged woman asks, standing right next to the sample sizes.

“What do you mean I can’t use this coupon?” a teenage girl narrows her eyes at him, shouldering her way past a confused elderly man who’s just trying to order a pie.

“Your order is on your cup, sir, sorry we can’t do exchanges. Small, medium and large, miss. The coupon expired two months ago, miss. It isn’t valid anymore,” Donghae says, the words