5:56 PM

“You’re looking a lot better than you did yesterday,” Jongdae says as he and Jongin stand next to each other by the espresso machine. When the brunet doesn’t answer he jabs his arm lightly. “Hey-”

Jumping five feet in the air, Jongin snaps his head up to look at Jongdae. “Yeah, thanks,” he says, hoping it wasn’t a question, before finishing up the cappuccino in his hands and handing it to the customer. He hasn’t been able to concentrate at all since coming in this morning, which is weird since he didn’t, in fact, drink anything before bed last night. Thankfully, his shift ends in five minutes, which is good news to him, since Jongin doesn’t think he’ll make it another ten minutes without a break.

“What’s with you, anyway? It’s not like you’ve got piles of essays flooding in every minute,” Jongdae laughs, turning the espresso machine off. “Besides, thanks to your lateness, I had to take all the deliveries, so you owe me,” he adds, winking at the brunet.

Jongin only groans. He isn’t even sure what he’s feeling at this point, which makes everything all the more weird. He knows for a fact that it isn’t your regular tiredness but he can’t put his finger on it. On the other hand, he figures he’s probably better off not knowing, so he tightens his apron and prepares to close the shop.

Except, just like usual, the store is pretty much sparkling clean, and Jongin knows that with Jongdae’s help they’ll be out before Baekhyun is set to arrive in less than fifteen minutes. Jongin watches Jongdae mop the floor by the tables and chairs as he remains glued to his spot next to the register, seriously wondering what it is that’s making his brain feel like it’s been replaced with an oversized marshmallow. Jongin is lucky that Minseok had to run out and pick up a few things earlier, since Jongin knows he’s in danger of getting sacked if Minseok catches him not helping. Not that Jongin really cares at this point.

After a few minutes, Jongin figures he should probably put himself to good use anyway, or at least make it look like he’s got things to do, so he turns around and inspects the second counter for any excess coffee dust. He finds none, obviously, and is about to ask Jongdae if it’s alright if he leaves early when he spots something in the corner, just behind the machine. Jongin soon recognizes it to be one of their mugs and slides it towards him, only for his eyes to widen in awe when he sees the cat-shaped foam on top of the now ice cold coffee. Jongin figures Baekhyun must have forgotten an order, but he can’t help but stare at how nice it is. Baekhyun made it to look like said cat stretched its body right across the rim of the mug, with eyes, ears and whiskers accentuated with cocoa powder. It doesn’t help that there’s a faint, white paw print floating next to it and Jongin fights the urge to squeal.

Now, even though Jongin is (sadly) aware of Baekhyun’s impressive latte art techniques, he can’t help but raise an eyebrow, since he’s never seen Baekhyun make anything 3-dimensional before. Upon second thought, Jongin is pretty sure that Baekhyun specializes in flat art, but he could be wrong. Either way, Jongin is pretty sure that Minseok wants the entire counter cleared before tomorrow morning, and he holds the mug up to his face. “Uh, what’s this?”

Jongdae pauses his mopping to look up. “Oh, that,” he says, face brightening up. “Isn’t it cool?” His smile makes him look as feline as the cat in the mug. “Took so many pictures, you should too.”

“Yeah, it’s--” Jongin takes another look at the mug, praying he won’t drop it. “Is Baek practicing new methods or what?” he asks, trying to sound casual and not too jealous.

Jongdae’s smile wears off and he stares at Jongin in confusion. “Baek?” he asks, looking at the brunet like he’s grown a second head. “Sehun made it, Baek hates cats and you know that,” he adds before going back to mopping the floor. “Told you Seok should keep hi- What’s so funny?” He blinks when he hears Jongin chuckle.

“Sehun made this?” Jongin asks, disbelief coating his words as he continues to stare at the cat, almost like staring intently will make it come to life and spring right off the mug.

Jongdae blinks, confusion evident in his features as he nods slowly. “Yes…?”

Jongin can’t help but chuckle again. “Have you even tasted his coffee?” he asks, hoping he doesn’t sound too cynical.

“Yeah, me and Baek both, including Seok,” Jongdae says with a nod. “Don’t drop it, by the way, since Seok wanted to use it on the first page of the website, and as a decoration-type thing to put on the counter, isn’t that neat?” He’s about to go back to mopping when he grins. “Did you notice he wrote the shop’s name in the milk? That guy’s the freaking boss, man."

Jongin blinks and, upon closer inspection, he notices that whoever made the latte in his hand has, in fact, written out ‘3KIM’ in capital letters and cocoa. The letters remain intact as they float around in the milky whiteness. “Wait, you’ve tried it? And you liked it?” he asks, a confused sound escaping his lips. He absolutely refuses the believe that Sehun, who nearly gave him nightmares with his coffee, made the masterpiece in his hand. 

"Duh," Jongdae replies, walking back to the counter. "I even asked Sehun to teach me how to make the cat, talk about impressing customers," he adds, putting the mop bucket down and wiping his hands on his apron. "What was that all about yesterday, by the way?" 

Jongin raises an eyebrow. "Huh?"

"Y'know, the thing I walked in on," Jongdae says casually, adjusting his glasses that seem to never stop sliding down the bridge of his nose. "You two grew close faster than Myeon and Taeyeon did, kudos to you two." He salutes Jongin, who only rolls his eyes.

"Oh that, it was...nothing," Jongin says, biting the inside of his cheek. He's pretty sure his face is the same shade as his apron at this point but he's not going to check his reflection in the coffee machine to find out. "It wasn't!" he exclaims when Jongdae only sends him a look. "We were just saying goodbye, that's all! We're not gonna see each other for like, a month, gimme a break-"

"Correction; a week," Jongdae chortles, shaking his head in amusement. "Good on you two though, this place could use some loving," he adds, leaning against the wall. 

"We're not together," Jongin groans before furrowing his eyebrows. "I don't get it though, he's been asking me to teach him since Monday." 

Jongdae shrugs. "So? What's wrong with wanting to learn stuff?"

"He served me a coffee with the milk heated at 20 degrees, unstirred," Jongin deadpans.

Jongdae's mouth forms an 'o'-shape and he goes silent. "Okay," he mumbles, scratching the back of his head. "Doesn't change the fact that he made that, though," he adds, gesturing at the cup still in Jongin's hand. "It was during our break, I even stood beside him and watched him make it." He yawns and checks the time on his phone. "He's at college now, isn't he?"

"How should I know?" Jongin chuckles, untying his apron. "Probably learning Biochemistry," he adds, chuckling when he remembers how bored Sehun had sounded when he came in yesterday. 

"That's what he majors in?" Jongdae asks in astonishment. "I mean, I dunno what the that is, like, at all, but it sounds cool as heck," he adds before his face lights up. "I asked if his wife was okay with him coming home with coffee stains on his shirt and he said yes." His cackle echoes for what feels like a full minute.

Jongin blinks before furrowing his eyebrows. "Wife?" he asks, clearing his throat when his voice cracks. "But he-"

"I mean, he didn't have one, but I was joking, y'know," Jongdae chuckles, running a hand through his hair. "He's got a ring on his-"

"Yeah, I know that," Jongin says quickly, balling his apron up and chucking it on the counter. "I-"

"Do you think maybe it's a way for him to get girls to stop hitting on him at school or what?" Jongdae asks in curiosity. "Like, chick repellent," he adds with a laugh. 

With a grunt, Jongin shrugs dramatically. "Probably," he says, putting the cup down. All he wants is to head home and take a five hour nap. "Is Minseok back yet? Where even is he?"

"In his cavern," Jongdae says humorlessly before removing his apron, accidentally stepping on it when it slides down his legs and onto the floor. "I'm gonna go now, fuzzball, enjoy yourself." He winks at Jongin and turns to leave, only to spin right back around on his heel less than two seconds later. His eyes are wide and his grin is still etched on his face. "Wait--" 

Jongin takes a step back. "The -"

"What if Sehun's only pretending to  to spend time with you?" Jongdae asks, cocking his head to the side. "AKA, he likes you?"

Jongin immediately feels his face heating up and, out of the ten million things he could possibly reply with, he chooses to say nothing. For ten seconds, that is. "Whattheheck-"

"I mean, think about it!" Jongdae says defensively, putting his hands up. "It's a way for him to spend time with you! It makes sense, doesn't it? It does!" He rolls his eyes at the brunet and looks at the floor. "Man, I sure did a good job mopping."

"Whywouldheinglikeme!" Jongin croak-garbles, flailing his arms in all directions, nearly whacking Jongdae in the face. He would add a remark about this solely being a result of Jongdae's 'ability' to detect romance in absolutely everything no matter what it is, but decides not to. With a shake of his head, he inspects the apron in his hands, pretending to pick at a loose thread as a way to avoid meeting Jongdae's eyes.

"Because you're sorta cute and really effing awkward?" Jongdae retorts, throwing his hands in the air. "Besides, you said he was handsome, so I win! I mean, if I were him I'd find a better way to flirt, but go him, I guess," he adds. "Do you have his number yet?"

"Well, he's got mine," Jongin mumbles, still not looking up. "He hasn't called or messaged, though," he says even quieter, not knowing why he's still talking about this. With Jongdae, to be precise. "Look, can't we-"

"That's because you haven't called or messaged, smartass," Jongdae says, shaking his head. "I know how guys work, okay, I know my . What did you guys even do yesterday?"

Jongin shrugs. "He made me an awful coffee, we had a minor food fight and then he had to leave for class and he offered me a ride home which I declined--" He flinches when Jongdae jabs his arm. "What the are you-"

"Hello," Jongdae exclaims in an annoyed tone. "The man of your dreams offers you a ride in his fancy car and you say no? Give him to me instead for 's sake," he huffs, crossing his arms. "No but seriously, that sounds to me like he wants you."

"Don't say it like that," Jongin moans, covering his face with his (dirty, very dirty) apron. "Stop making everything so much bigger than it needs to be, sheesh, he was only trying to be nice." He doesn't know if his heart is racing so fast because he's been holding his breath for the past minute, or because of reasons he'd rather not think about right now. "When does your bus leave?"

Jongdae stares at him. "We take the same bus," he deadpans before checking his phone. "And in like, two minutes so we'd better hurry our asses up." He makes a move to head for the door, only to stop in his tracks when Jongin doesn't even move an inch. "You coming?"

Jongin shakes his head. "I think I'm gonna--" His eyes roam around for the nearest grab-able thing. He finally settles for the sandwich grill and places a hand on the handle. "Stay back and uh, clean the grill," he says, sending Jongdae the most convincing smile he can muster. 

Jongdae sends Jongin a look. "Seok said we didn't need to do that," he says before shrugging and opening the door. "Suit yourself! See ya tomorrow, you still owe me for the deliveries, by the way!" he calls over his shoulder before the door closes.

How can one person run their mouth so goddamn much? Jongin thinks to himself before huffing and pulling out his phone. Even if the sandwich grill was, in fact, dirty, you'd have to pay him a good penny to actually clean it, considering how badly he burned himself whilst cleaning them last month. He bites his lip as he opens his contacts app and scrolls through the list, finally landing on 'S'. It's with a bit (to be exact, a lot) of reluctance and slight anxiety that Jongin finds himself putting the phone by his ear five whole minutes later. 

Sehun picks up after the first ring. "Hello?"

Jongin tries not to drop the phone in surprise. "Sehun, hi," he says dumbly, clearing his throat. "It's me, Jongin...from work." He doesn't even realize he's fidgeting with the hem of his apron until he accidentally removes one of the threads. 

"Hey Jongin," Sehun says cheerfully and Jongin can hear mumbling in the background. "How're you doing?"

"I'm...fine," Jongin says, gripping the phone tighter. "I mean, I'm fine, thanks." He mentally slaps himself before continuing. "Uh, are you at college? Are you busy?"

"Jongin?" Minseok calls from inside his office. "Who are you talking to?"

Jongin bites his lip. "My Mom!" he calls back before clearing his throat. "Sorry," he says and internally panics when he doesn't hear anything on the other end of the line. "Se-"

"My lecture ended like, five minutes ago so I'm walking to my car," Sehun replies. "Sorry about yesterday, by the way. Hope your face is doing well," he adds with a hearty laugh.

Jongin blinks before emitting a small chuckle of his own. "Yeah, no, I mean yeah, I'm fine...it's fine, I meant," he says, subconsciously patting his face. It's not as sticky as it was this morning, thank God. "It wasn't doing too well this morning, but thanks for asking since that made up for the shower I had to take at 3 in the morning, plus wash my pillowcase," he babbles, fighting the urge to slap himself for real this time.

"You started it, so sorry not sorry," Sehun says unapologetically and Jongin wants to slap him through the reciever. "Anyway, what's up?"

For a second, Jongin forgets why he even called in the first place. "Oh, right, I was wondering if you'd...if it wouldn't be too much trouble--" He bites his lip. "You know, come by the shop for a brief moment? Just...because?" 

Sehun is silent for a minute and Jongin nearly cries. "I'll pass it on my way home anyway, so sure," he says. "How was your shift?"

Jongin fights the urge to squeal. "Manageable," is all he says before he hears Minseok's voice calling his name. ", I gotta go, Minseok needs me," he says hurriedly, hoping Sehun can sense how apologetic he is before hanging up and opening the door, but not before cursing Minseok's entire existence. "Yeah?"

"Who are you talking to?" Minseok asks, emerging from his office with a cup of tea in his hand. "Is Jongdae still here?" he asks, eyebrows knitting together.

"He left like ten minutes ago," Jongin says sheepishly, internally cursing when he realizes he's still holding his apron. "Sorry-"

"Your shift's over so it's fine," Minseok chuckles, patting Jongin's back. "When's Baekhyun coming in? He's set to take this afternoon's delivery," he adds before pulling out his phone, presumably to call the redhead.

Jongin shrugs. He figures it's not far fetched to assume that Baekhyun is still at home and asleep. "I'm gonna be staying a little while longer, if that's okay," he says, only to perk up when he hears the sound of tires against gravel outside. He barely hears Minseok's question the delivery guy's earliness as he walks up to the back door and opens it.

Jongin opens the door the same second as Sehun parks his car a few feet away. It's black and shiny, just like Jongin had imagined it to be, and it doesn't take long for the brunet to notice that Sehun is quite literally dressed to match it; a black dress vest hugs his upper body with black loafers to match, not to mention the pants he's wearing look like something Jongin would wear to meet the president. Sehun's crisp white shirt perfectly matches the whiteness of the seats and Jongin can't help but stare as Sehun closes the car door and walks towards the shop.

"Was there a lesson on ballroom dancing at school today or what?" Minseok asks jokingly as he stares at the car with a hint of amazement in his eyes. He makes a remark about Baekhyun being 'so stupidly late' before checking his phone again.

"Something tells me you've never been inside a college building before," Sehun chuckles, his face lighting up when he lays his eyes on Jongin, who's still standing awkwardly by the doorway. "Hey!" he says cheerfully before retrieving his car key, pointing it at the vehicle and locking it. 

Jongin tears his eyes away so he's staring at the little patch of grass growing ten inches from his shoes. How long has he been staring, anyway? "Hi," he says, scratching the back of his neck, because he knows exactly what Minseok is going to ask next.

Inevitably, Minseok's eyebrows furrow. "You're not scheduled to work until next week," he says, looking at Sehun. "Did you cover Baekhyun's shift? He never told me anything about that," he adds, scratching his head in confusion.

"I'm not here to work," Sehun chuckles, shaking his head. "I have no idea about Baekhyun, though," he adds before nodding at Jongin. "Somebody called and asked me to come over on short notice, so--" He waves his arms around dramatically. "--Here I am."

When Minseok looks at him, Jongin clears his throat. "Yeah, no, I mean, yeah, I was just gonna...tell, or wait, no, ask him...something," he says slowly, feeling his face getting hotter with each word. It must be the Summer heat. "It won't take long, I...promise," he adds for good measure. Lifting his head a little, he sends Minseok a reassuring smile.

Minseok is about to reply when, out of nowhere, Baekhyun pops up behind Sehun, which nearly scares the living daylights out of the latter. "There you are! You're five minutes late, where have you been?" he asks sternly, although Jongin can tell he's forcing it like crazy.

"Sleeping," Baekhyun responds casually before his face lights up. "Hey, there's my favorite co-worker," he grins, throwing an arm around Sehun's shoulders and ruffling his hair, all whilst ignoring the taller's protests. "Is that your car, by the way? My, oh my." His eyes suddenly widen and he sighs. "Wait, who's taking tonight's delivery?" He practically shoves Sehun away and facepalms. " my life--"

"Baekhyun," Minseok barks, pointing to the empty space between him and Jongin. "Language!"

Jongin watches as Minseok practically drags Baekhyun inside before looking at Sehun sheepishly. "Sorry, they're always like that," he says before clearing his throat. "Here, you can, uh, come in if you'd like--" He moves aside to allow some space for Sehun to pass through. It's not a lot, though, and he has to blink twice to check if he just imagined Sehun's hand grazing against his own when the latter walked past.

"So," Sehun says, walking inside and stopping by the lockers. "What's up, little one?" he asks, cocking his head to side as he waits patiently.

Ignoring Baekhyun and Minseok's bickering in the distance, Jongin presses his lips together. Now that they're no longer outside, the smell of Sehun's perfume attacks his senses without a warning and he has to steady himself before continuing. "I was just-- Wait, what-"

"You are little," Sehun says, clearly expecting Jongin's reply, as he puts his hands up in defense. "Not in a mean way, but like, in a cute way," he adds for emphasis, ruffling Jongin's hair.

"I'm only an inch shorter than you!" Jongin retorts, ignoring Minseok when he hushes him immediately after. "Okay maybe like, two and a half, but still!" He sends Sehun the angriest glare he can muster. Sehun thinks he looks like a baby bunny who's just had his carrot taken away.

Sehun runs a hand through his hair in an attempt to fix it after Baekhyun's shenanigans. "Okay, you win," he chuckles. "What'd you want to tell me?"

The main door opens and a customer walks in, much to Jongin's relief. "Uh, I think Baek's gonna need the space out there, so maybe we should use Minseok's office since it doubles as a break room," he says quietly, making sure Minseok is still occupied with lecturing Baekhyun before slipping past the threshold, Sehun hot on his heels.

Jongin walks past Minseok's desk, which has got papers scattered all across the surface, before stopping at the espresso machine at the back. It's significantly smaller than the one they normally use (given that it only makes one coffee at a time), but Jongin figures it's better than nothing. When the door closes, he clears his throat. "Uh, we can use this one, I...think," he says quietly, figuring he'll be more than willing to take all the blame if Minseok were to walk in.

Sehun puts his briefcase down on one of the red couches and eyes the tiny espresso machine. "You wanna teach me again?" he asks, a smile spreading across his face; one that totally doesn't make Jongin's gut explode with butterflies.

"I...actually--" Jongin presses his lips together before nodding at Sehun. "I want you to teach...me," he says shyly, but he figures he can't be blamed since Minseok never went out of his way to teach him, unlike Jongdae and Baekhyun. "Yeah."

Sehun is silent for a minute. "Teach you?" he asks, raising an eyebrow, although his face is still glittering with amusement.

"Yeah, I mean..." Jongin looks up, nearly choking on his own saliva when he sees the fond look on Sehun's face. "I found the latte you made, the one with the cat-- It was really cool and I wanted to--" He closes his mouth and keeps his eyes fixated on the photo of Minseok's daughter on the latter's desk. He doesn't even realize how fast his heart is beating until silence falls between them, and he prays it doesn't break through his chest. "I mean...you made it, right?" He internally panics. "It was probably Baekhyun, sorry---"

"You're right, it was me," Sehun laughs and Jongin nearly collapses in relief. "And you want me to teach you?" 

Jongin nods. He figures that as long as Sehun's teaching skills are better than his own, he's got everything to go for. "Yeah!" he says, nodding enthusiastically. "If you want to, that is--" He doesn't even get to finish his sentence when, out of nowhere, Sehun is by his side and looking around. "Uh, do you-"

"Where do you keep the milk?" Sehun asks, turning on the machine. When Jongin hands him a carton, he unscrews the cap before grabbing a clean mug and a silver milk jug. He definitely doesn't miss the way Jongin turns away blushing when he proceeds to pour the milk into the jar. "Watch and learn," he chuckles as he places the jug under the nozzle of the steamer. "The key is to keep the tip as close to the surface as you can since you want as little air to enter as possible." He moves to stand closer to Jongin before turning the steamer on. 

"Why?" Jongin asks, watching with doe-like eyes as the milk spins around in the jug, creating a tiny tornado. He's done it countless of times before, but there's something about watching Sehun do it that makes the experience feel brand new. Over the smell of the milk being steamed, he can still smell Sehun's perfume as clear as day. 

Sehun angles the jug slightly before turning the steamer off and setting the jug down. "Since you want the milk to be as foamy and dense as possible," he replies with a smile. "I mean, you don't necessarily have to, but I like my cats in 3D," he adds with a chuckle. "Do you have a spoon, by any chance?"

Jongin is so mentally occupied with paying attention to Sehun's voice that it takes him ten seconds to process the latter's words. "Yeah, uh, here--" He grabs a spoon, which he hopes to God is clean, from Minseok's desk and hands it Sehun. He has to act like he isn't doing soumersaults on the inside when their fingers graze against each other. 

Sehun thanks him and takes the now filled coffee mug, angles the jug above it and slowly begins pouring the milk. It's a lot thicker and foamier than Jongin expected, and the latter watches in awe at the big white blob floating in the middle of the brown liquid. "Is that its body?" he asks, closing his mouth to prevent the animal lover inside of him from screaming.

"Yup," Sehun chuckles, lifting the jug a little so less milk comes out. He creates another, a tad bit smaller, blob and connects it with the first blob. "That's its head," he hums before letting only a little bit of milk drip down onto the smaller blob and, after leaning in to get a closer look, makes them perfectly triangular. After adding five more blobs, he stands up straight and smiles. "It's faceless but I think it's kinda cute," he says, sending Jongin a smile. "If the milk is too runny it's a good idea to let it sit for a moment to let it settle. But not too much, since it's really difficult to work with when it becomes stiff." 

"Are those its ears?" Jongin practically squeals, pointing to the tiny triangular blobs on top of the cat's head, nearly ruining it in the process. "That's so cute! Can I do the face? Please?"

Sehun chuckles. "Sure, but only if you help me find a toothpick," he hums, looking around. He finally spots a box of them on Minseok's desk and quickly grabs one. "Here," he says, handing it to Jongin, who accepts it eagerly. "Dip it in the coffee, let it dry for a bit and carefully paint the features." He watches with adoration as Jongin proceeds to lean in and draw what he assumes is an eye. 

While it may not be the prettiest eye he's drawn in his life, Jongin figures he can't be blamed given how much his hand is shaking right now. He doesn't even know why he's shaking, all he knows is that Sehun staring at him in his peripheral certainly isn't making it easier on him. Yet he manages to finish the feline's face, albeit half-assedly and whilst trying not to look anywhere but up, and he puts the toothpick down before grinning. "Look!"

"That's very nice," Sehun says with a nod. "Aren't you gonna do its paws, though?" he asks after a while whilst cocking his head sideways. Jongin thinks he looks absolutely adorable.

"Paws?" Jongin asks dumbly, mentally smacking himself in the face when he realizes that yes, cats do, in fact, have paws, and he swallows before picking up the toothpick again. He sees Sehun's shadow move as the latter stands up and hovers above him, which nearly causes him to drop the toothpick into the mug in surprise. "I-"

"Need some help?" Sehun asks, watching, probably in great amusement, as Jongin struggles beneath him. "It's alright, I always at this part at the beginning, anyway," he adds which totally doesn't make Jongin feel any better.

Jongin swallows again. "It's fine, I'm--" He doesn't even get to finish his sentence when, the next thing he knows, he's nearly jumping clean out of his own skin after feeling Sehun's warm hand on top of his own, grabbing his hand gently and guiding it towards one of the paws. Out of all the million things Jongin figured he could have said, he still chooses to say nothing, and he can only watch as he (or rather, Sehun, only Sehun) finishes drawing the three tiny lines on each paw, slowly but steadily. Well, as steadily as one can draw whilst shaking like a maple leaf in winter.

"Why're you shaking so much?" Sehun asks, but there's no bite in his voice. 

"I'm not! It's just...cold in here," Jongin murmurs, which couldn't be farther from the truth given that he feels like he's been dropped down a volcano, and Sehun bending down to rest his chin on his shoulder subsequently certainly isn't helping the feeling. At all. He can smell the taller's perfume more than ever now and Jongin has to constantly remind himself not to scream at the top of his lungs. 

"It's 70 degrees outside," Sehun hums, clearly referring to the open window as he continues to rest his chin on Jongin's shoulder, as they finish all four of the cat's paws together. He slowly raises his head and smiles when he sees their creation. "See! That went well, didn't it?" he laughs, ruffling Jongin's hair. 

Jongin has to take a few deep breaths to even summon the courage to stand up straight and, when he does, he immediately beams upon seeing the sort of mutated and overweight-looking, but still cute, nonetheless, cat below. He can definitely tell why he didn't ask Baekhyun for lessons. "Sorta, yeah!" he says, wiping his hands on his jeans. His right hand is still tingling, although comfortably.

Sehun chuckles before gesturing at the cup. "After you," he says, raising an eyebrow when Jongin's face falls a little. "What's the matter?"

"Nothing, it's just--" Jongin clears his throat, not knowing how to tell Sehun that he'd rather not risk getting food poisoning a third time no matter how adorable the culprit may look. Although there's something about the way Sehun is staring so intently at him from three feet away that makes him pick up the mug and bring it to his lips, and, the next thing he knows, he's taking a swig, but not before praying for himself mentally. Except he sort of regrets praying right afterwards, because the feeling of warmth that spreads through Jongin's body less than five seconds later is enough to make him forgive Sehun for his recent no-sleep and nightmare filled nights. Now that Jongin thinks about it, he doesn't remember the last time he had coffee this good (or cute), and he fights the urge to pinch himself because he doesn't think he can believe that Sehun actually made this. This. "Wow, I-"

"What'd you think?" Sehun asks with a smile, cocking his head sideways as he leans against one of the couches. A part of his fringe falls in his face which makes his eyes sparkle, at least according to Jongin.

"It's...amazing," Jongin says, almost at a loss for words. He soon realizes he should probably elaborate, so he clears his throat in embarrassment. "I mean, it's super good-- Wait, that's the same thing--" Damn it. "I like the balance between the milk and...coffee." He swallows and looks away, because Sehun is staring at him with that look again. To distract himself, he proceeds to take another sip, only to nearly spit it out when Sehun suddenly walks over to him. At first, Jongin thinks he might want a sip, so he mentally scolds himself for not sharing before holding the mug out to the taller.

However, Sehun doesn't even make a move to take the mug, so Jongin clears his throat. They're standing so close that Jongin can count the seams on Sehun's vest and, over the sound of Baekhyun accidentally dropping a plate in the distance, closely followed by Minseok's squawk of anger, Jongin can hear his own heart pounding in his chest. Not even the thought of his dogs playing as puppies can calm his frantic pulse. "Uh, we're planning on using your other...cat coffee as the header image on our website, but Minseok...probably already told you," he says, but it's so quiet that he doubts Sehun even heard.

Sehun does hear, and he only chuckles in response. "That's nice to hear," he says lowly and Jongin swears that, when he looks up a little, his face is a tad bit closer than it was a minute ago. When Jongin doesn't lean away, he angles his head as he tries meeting his eyes, which only results in Jongin's gaze sinking deeper into the floor (which normally would make the taller back away if it wasn't for the fact that the brunet's cheeks are literally the same shade as his apron).

"Why--" Jongin clears his throat, his voice barely even audible at this point. "Why'd you ask me to...come help you when you already-" His voice fades away and he goes back to staring at Sehun's polished shoes.

Almost as if on cue, a lock of Jongin's hair falls in his face, which makes Sehun that much more intrigued. He takes a small step closer until he catches the whiff of Jongin's shampoo, which smells like chocolate, as well as able to count the latter's eyelashes. They're perfectly splayed out, almost like a fan, and cast a delicate shadow across his cheeks. Even though Sehun can barely even see Jongin's face, he knows for a fact that what he can see, is enough to make him tilt his head sideways.

Now, Jongin doesn't really register what happens next, but what he is able to register before the door is thrown open, is the feeling of flowers blooming in his chest, closely followed by a loud shattering noise. He doesn't even need to ask to know that yup, he's definitely paying for it, as he watches Minseok eye the white shards on the floor with a horrified expression on his face. Now, in any normal case, Jongin would be the first one on his knees helping Baekhyun clean up the coffee and foam-stained porcelain, but in his defense, it's a tad bit difficult to do so much as move an inch when your entire body feels like it's floating on clouds. In the commotion, he looks up, at Sehun, who looks equally as apologetic (which isn't saying much considering Jongin is pretty sure he's looking anything but apologetic right now). 

"Look at this!" Minseok exclaims, flailing his arms around as he watches the brown liquid seep into the carpet. "What have you been--" He cuts himself off when his eyes land on the two in front of him, and he only mutters something under his breath before ordering Baekhyun to fetch the mop. "Christ. Look at my carpet!"

"I...uh, sorry," Jongin mumbles as he feels his head beginning to clear up. He fights the urge to tell Minseok that it's just a coffee stain, but he quickly remembers that his entire face is probably as red as Baekhyun's hair right now, so he closes his mouth and turns his face away. A part of him feels bad for accidentally ruining Sehun's cat, but he figures it shouldn't be too much of a problem, seeing as they've technically got a spare one up front. "My bad."

Baekhyun quickly returns with the mop and broom and, instead of looking all surly like he usually does when he's asked to clean up, he's got a -eating grin on his face and he simply shakes his head in amusement when Jongin and Sehun look at him. To say that Jongin has never wanted to launch him into the sun more than he has now would be an understatement.

"Yo, I heard somebody needed help with deliveries," Jongdae says as he walks in through the back door and, conveniently enough, lays his eyes on the three in Minseok's office the first thing he does. "Didn't know this was what you did on your knees, but okay," he chuckles when he walks in.

" off," Baekhyun growls as he scoops up the many shards and tosses them in the trash can. 

Jongdae simply shrugs before plopping himself down on one of the couches. "Hey, what's with you two?" he asks when he sees Jongin and Sehun. "What're you guys even doing in here? Did Seok choose to be nice for a day or what?"

"Hey," Minseok calls from another room, "I heard that!"

"Control yo' hoes, Seok," Jongdae calls back.

Jongin shrugs, cursing himself when he feels his face growing hot again. "We were just--" He nearly jumps out of his skin when he feels Sehun's warm hand grab his own. The cold metal on his ring makes him shiver but does nothing to help calm his reddening face. In fact, it only seems to make him blush even more and he nearly cries.

"If you're gonna , please don't do it in Minseok's office," Jongdae groans before pointing at Jongin. "Told you I was right," he says with a feline grin before nodding at Sehun. "Sweet car, by the way."

Jongin blinks. "What do-"

"About Sehun liking you," Jongdae says casually, making Baekhyun giggle. "Are you seriously denying it now?" he groans when Jongin only squawks in surprise. "Okay wait, look, I'll ask him--" He turns his body to face Sehun. "Do you like him? This man, right here?" he asks, pointing at Jongin 100 times per second, as if once wasn't enough.

Sehun raises an eyebrow, as if he definitely wasn't expecting that question, but he soon chuckles. "That's for you to decide," he simply says before sending Jongdae a wink. Baekhyun only cackles.

"You're not even a Kim," Baekhyun starts, standing up and brushing his hands together, "but you're more of a Kim that he is, that's for sure." He gestures at Jongin, who sends him a murderous glare. "You'll understand in no time, don't worry," he laughs when Sehun only blinks. "Wait, is it true that you pretended to just to get him to notice you? You cheesy- man, jeez."

"What can I do," Sehun chuckles, putting his free hand up in defeat. "But I guess it worked," he adds before leaning in and kissing Jongin's forehead. A wave of groans fill the air and he smiles when Jongin proceeds to bury his face in the crook of his neck (he figures he probably would've done the same thing if he had to deal with Baekhyun and Jongdae every day).

Baekhyun shrugs. "We're in need of some loving around here anyway, some real loving, so I'm fine with it," he says. "Just don't near the coffee machine or Minseok'll have a heart attack." He shrugs again. "Oh, and I don't ever wanna walk in on you pouring milk all over each other's shirtless bodies, just sayin'."

Sehun, Jongin and Jongdae all exchange rather horrified looks. "The do you and Chanyeol do in your spare time," the latter asks before shaking his head vigorously. "Don't answer that." 

Baekhyun shrugs again. "Well, Sehun's got a car so I doubt it'll be a problem," he says before the door is thrown open again. "Speaking of which---"

"Okay, everyone out," Minseok says loudly, his glasses crooked as he ushers Baekhyun and Jongdae out. The sound of annoyed customers fills the air during the few seconds that the door is open. "Except you two." He points at Jongin and Sehun, who gingerly take a seat on one of the many red couches. He eyes them both before throwing his hands in the air. "First you appear out of nowhere, then you go sneaking around in my office and, as if that wasn't enough, you break my things, as well!" He crosses his arms as he looks down at Sehun and Jongin. "Care to explain?" Now, Minseok may be a full four inches shorter than the both of them, but Jongin doesn't think he has ever felt as small as he does than whenever he's being scolded by his boss.

"They were doing things that couples do!" Jongdae yells from behind the door, which is closely followed by something along the lines of 'Shut up Baek, it's what couples do!' before there's nothing but silence.

Minseok's entire office is silent for a full minute, save for Minseok's occasional coughs of awkwardness, until he speaks. "Is this true?"

Jongin clears his throat because, if he's going to get sacked, he'd rather not drag Sehun down with him. "Yeah, but...like-" He scratches the back of his head and sinks deeper into the couch when he feels Minseok's eyes on him. "He was teaching me to make a...cat coffee and then...yeah-- I'm sorry-" When he's met with silence, he swallows. "I know we're not supposed to...date, I...guess, but I don't think that you think I'm-- Or, we're, the type to-- Nevermind." He closes his mouth and simply awaits his doom.

Minseok is silent for a minute. "I don't," he says simply, which makes Jongin blink. "Which is why I'm sparing you both," he adds before patting Jongin's shoulder. "You getting distracted from your job, that'll be the day," he chuckles. "Thankfully you've found yourself the hardworking type, so I don't see a problem with this."

Jongin blinks again, feeling a wave of relief coming over him. In fact, he contemplates pinching himself to see if he might be dreaming. "Wait, so-- You're okay with--"

"Kim Jongin," Minseok chuckles. "The guy who comes in fifteen minutes earlier to work everyday, who has never missed a day of work in five months, who's covered the most shifts since God knows how long, who constantly encourages his colleagues-" He pauses to pat Jongin's shoulder. "Did you honestly think for a minute that I'd doubt your work ethic just because you found love? Like I said, that'll be the day." He's about to walk towards the door when he stops. "Not to mention I've always thought we needed some love around here anyway. But that doesn't mean you get a free pass to hang out in my office, so scurry on home so you don't distract Baekhyun on his shift. And Jongin, make sure to wash your shirt and apron the minute you get home, I don't want my customers seeing that when they walk in."

With overly enthusiastic nods, Jongin and Sehun (who barely remembers to grab his briefcase in the commotion) hop off the couch and mumble a barely coherent 'Thanks' before practically throwing the back door open. They scurry towards Sehun's car, the latter unlocking the vehicle before entering, Jongin following suite, albeit reluctantly.

Once inside, Jongin exhales, his mind still trying to process the fact that he managed to keep his job despite the circumstances. Next to him, he hears Sehun put on his seatbelt and he's about to do the same when he suddenly chuckles. "Seriously, though?"

Sehun blinks. "Hm?" He stares at Jongin in confusion, yet fondly.

"You could've just come up and told me instead of pretending to at something you were better at than the rest of us, you know," Jongin giggles, shaking his head in amusement. Some people really do go all the way, I guess, he thinks before putting his own seatbelt on. He watches as Sehun turns the car on and giggles to himself when he sees that Sehun's legs are on the verge of being too long for the latter to sit comfortably behind the wheel. 

"Hey now, Princess, don't get cocky," Sehun says as he puts the car in reverse and backs out of his parking space. "And you learned how to make a cat latte, so don't complain," he adds before turning the corner and entering the main road.

"You did most of it," Jongin retorts, resting his head against the window. "Hope you can drive with one hand," he chuckles before reaching out and grabbing Sehun's hand and squeezing it tightly. The sunlight entering through the windows makes Sehun's ring look like a part of his finger is glowing. "How long are you planning on staying, anyway?"

Sehun takes his eyes off the road for a second to look at Jongin, who looks as cuddly as ever. "Probably until I graduate, I'm not entirely sure," he says before turning his attention back on the road. "But with co-workers like Jongdae and Baekhyun, probably until next week--" He hisses when Jongin nearly squeezes the life out of one of his fingers. "It's true-"

"They're my friends," Jongin deadpans, sounding as unapologetic as ever. "They but they're my friends," he adds for emphasis. Next to him, Sehun nods and he stretches. "You'll get used to them, I promise. They're just...weird with strangers." He's about to close his eyes when he blinks. "Wait, so where are you gonna go after you graduate?"

"Not really sure," Sehun hums, resting his hand on the wheel as they continue down the dirt road. "Why do you ask?"

"Cause then I'm coming with you!" Jongin says, resting his head on Sehun's arm, ignoring the latter's protests. He exhales, not even realizing how tired he is until he closes his eyes a moment later. "Where are we even going?" he asks, burying his face in Sehun's arm. He hopes Sehun is okay with having his white shirt tainted with coffee dust.

Sehun stares at the mop of auburn hair next to him in adoration before shrugging. "I've got schoolwork to do, so I was thinking my place," he replies, taking his hand off the wheel to run it through his hair. "Which is good since I'm in need of a study buddy," he adds, only chuckling when Jongin audibly groans. "You don't want to?"

"I hate studying," Jongin groans into Sehun's arm. "Why can't we do something fun? Like--"

"Then I guess you won't be meeting Vivi," Sehun says casually even though he's clearly trying not to smirk. "What a shame."

Jongin blinks. "Vivi?" he asks, looking up and nearly getting blinded when Sehun's ring casts a flare of sunlight right in his eyes. "Who's that?"

"My dog," Sehun replies and hisses when Jongin suddenly jumps up and down in his seat in excitement, nearly causing his arm to break off. He's about to say something else when Jongin makes a tired noise next to him. "We've got twenty minutes to go, so you should get some sleep, you look like you need it," he says, playing with a few locks of Jongin's hair.

"Cause somebody's nightmare inducing coffee made me need to take drastic measures," Jongin mumbles under his breath before yawning and sinking deeper into the seat. Except his eyes fly open a second later, causing Sehun to look at him. "Wait."

Sehun looks at Jongin with a curious glint in his eyes. "Yeah?"

"I want a real kiss," Jongin says with a pout, not even caring about the fact that he sounds (and probably looks) like a pre-schooler. "Please?"

"I would, but," Sehun starts, smiling to himself, "I'd be unable to stop and we'd probably crash into a tree." He opts to give Jongin's hand a squeeze instead, which apparently isn't enough since the latter starts tugging on his sleeve impatiently. 

"Or else I won't go to sleep," Jongin says whilst playing with a keychain dangling from one of the compartments in front of him. He feels the car some to a halt and he blinks in confusion before looking up. "Why'd you-" He soon forgets the rest of his words when Sehun, who somehow managed to find a red light to stop at, subsequently leans in and presses his lips against his own. "You smell like coffee," he whines after they break apart, courtesy of the godforsaken light turning green.

"Yeah, well, you smell like milk and cuteness, so we're even," Sehun laughs, barely able to avoid getting whacked in the shoulder before he's even able to finish his sentence. He continues running his fingers through Jongin's brown locks until the latter finally (to be exact, less than a minute later) dozes off next to him, and Sehun simply smiles to himself before turning a corner and speeding down the road.

THE END.