“So which superhero are you today?” Jongin asks boredly, not even bothering to look up. He doesn’t need to look to know who is standing in front of him. Okay, that’s a lie—he definitely looked up and saw the man entering. He would also be lying if he says he isn’t expecting this particular customer. Their Starbucks is typically popular among the university students, so it’s always refreshing to see an occasional suit. 

The man is a regular whose name Jongin doesn’t know. He always comes in the evening and orders a vanilla latte with whipped cream, and would sit by the window with his laptop till the store closes. Sometimes, he would come with a friend, but even then Jongin could never quite catch his name. It’s quite frustrating, really—the man is exactly Jongin’s type, if he even has one. Men in suits are Jongin’s weakness. 

The first time Jongin saw the guy was when he was still pretty new at Starbucks. It was off-peak period and his co-worker had gone off for a smoke break, leaving Jongin to tend to the store alone. “Welcome to Starbucks,” Jongin chirped, his back still against the customer as he rearranged some items in the cabinet. “May I take your order?” 

“Vanilla latte with whipped cream, please. Venti,” the guy answered, his deep voice startling Jongin. Jongin turned to look up at him and studied the man closely. He seemed a bit too young to be in a suit, and Jongin couldn’t help but wonder if he was a CEO of some big company. The man had really nice eyes and pretty plush lips, and he had glasses on. Mm, glasses, my second weakness, Jongin thought, chewing on his bottom lip out of habit. 

“And your name?” Jongin purred as he gazed intently at the man.

“N-name?” The man spluttered, and Jongin nodded. He frowned as he thought about it, and Jongin nearly laughed. Why would anyone think about this? It was just a name. 

“Colossus…?” the man finally said in an unsure tone, and Jongin looked at him like he grew two heads.

“Colossus,” Jongin deadpanned, “like, the x-men dude.”

The man nodded seriously. “Jesus, you’re for real,” Jongin muttered under his breath. He’s had customers giving him funny names in the past week he had been working there, but it was the first time someone so seriously gave him the name of a freaking comic book character. And Colossus wasn’t really a popular superhero to begin with, so Jongin just knew that this customer was a huge comic book nerd. 

When the man collected his drink, he stopped Jongin for a bit, as if he had something to say. Jongin tilted his head in response and waited for the man to say something, but all that came out was a strangled noise. Jongin stifled a laugh and put a smile on his face instead. “Is there anything I can help you with?”

“...nothing. Have a nice day, Jongin-ssi. Thank you,” the man said, beaming at him and returning to his seat.

Jongin’s heart might have fluttered a little.

“Hello?” Jongin snaps out of his thoughts, a blush creeping up his cheeks when he realises how close their faces are. The man coughs awkwardly and jolts back.

“Sorry, you were daydreaming,” the regular mutters, looking at the menu. Jongin subtly rolls his eyes. It isn’t like the man is going to buy a different drink—he always orders the same thing. Always. Iced vanilla latte with whipped cream.

“That would be five tw-” 

“A mocha frappe, please,” the man cuts in. “Actually, make it two. Both with chocolate powder.” Jongin’s jaw nearly drops. Two months of ordering the same damn drink every single time he comes in, and now he suddenly has a different order? Jongin is more than surprised.

“Ah, okay. Name?” Jongin asks sheepishly, regaining his composure. Be professional, you dimwit.  

“Oh, Hulk,” the man replies, grinning. Jongin sighs exasperatedly as he turns to write the name on a cup. He has kind of given up on asking for a real name, but he’s still holding onto the hope that the man will give it to him one day. 

He puts on his best smile for the man as he takes the cash from him, but the man isn’t even looking at Jongin. He’s smiling dumbly at his phone, and Jongin clears his throat to get his attention, ing the change into his hands. “Your change. Thanks. Please have a seat, Hulk .”

“Thank you, Jongin-ssi,” the man promptly replies.

“Are you teasing me? You know my name but I still don’t know yours,” Jongin sulks, and the customer laughs.

“Your shift is over soon, right? Have a nice day and take care, it’s cold out today,” the man smiles, walking away. Jongin blushes at the man’s kindness and mumbles a thanks. He’s about to start on the drinks when one of his co-workers, Sehun, enters the bar area. 

“Thank ing god you’re here, I’m bloody spent. School was a horror—I’ll text you about it later. Anyway my shift has ended, so I’m leaving,” Jongin quickly says in one breath, taking his apron off. “Two mocha frappes with chocolate powder for the Hulk. Be generous ,” he adds. 

“It’s a slow day,” Sehun comments, taking the cups from the counter. “No vanilla latte today?”

Jongin shrugs in reply, going to the kitchen to fix himself a meal. It isn’t like he cares, anyway—not really. Sure, the man is attractive, and Jongin is more than curious as to why the man ordered two drinks this time when he’s alone, but it isn’t his place to ask. Hell, he doesn’t even know the guy’s name. 

The man comes in pretty often. Three times a week, sometimes four, most of the times alone, and always in a suit—probably coming from work. Sometimes, they make small talk about their day and comics, but every time Jongin asks for his name, he gets nothing. The man seems determined to play this game with Jongin.

 Every time he comes, he would sit at the bar stools by the window. But this time, Jongin notices as he walks out of the kitchen to change out of his work clothes, the man is sitting comfortably in one of the sofa seats near the back of the shop, where the workers usually sit at during their break. His back is facing the kitchen area, so Jongin takes a moment to admire the man’s back profile as he stares somewhat longingly out of the window. Waiting for a lover, perhaps? It causes an uneasy feeling in his chest.

“So many changes today,” Jongin notes to himself, chuckling softly. Taking his food out from the kitchen, he goes into the bar to make a mocha frappe for himself, adding a huge dollop of whipped cream on it. He grins, proud of his creation. He approaches his resting area and sets his food quietly on the table behind Mr. Superhero—as Jongin has dubbed him, although it’s quite a mouthful—and sits with his back facing the man. They are not booth seats, but Jongin knows the sofa is big enough to cover his entire body, so Mr. Superhero wouldn’t even know he’s there. 

Normally, he would go straight home after getting his staff meal, but after two months of waiting around for a name to this face, he’s fed up. He’s extremely curious as to what Mr. Superhero’s real name is, so maybe if he stays for a little longer, he’ll know…

“Noona! You’re here early,” Mr. Superhero exclaims, and Jongin frowns. Is he dating someone older or is that his sister? Jongin wants to turn to peek and see if they look alike, but he doesn’t want to give himself away. He quietly chews on his food and sips on his drink, straining his ears just in case he misses a name somewhere.

His phone lights up, and he glances at it to see a message from Sehun.

Oh Sehun
wow Jongin the heart-throb, pining
for someone? interesting 

You
Men like him are hard to come by
Gotta try somehow

Oh Sehun
you call that trying? lol good luck

You
I’ll have you know we’ve made a lot
of progress since we first met

Oh Sehun
whats the point of the progress if u
r not gg to use it to ur advantage???

“Don’t know your obsession with Starbucks… Mom’s been asking…” Jongin silently groans. He can’t catch anything they’re saying except for useless bits and pieces, but he now knows from eavesdropping that Mr. Superhero is indeed with his sister. Jongin stays there for an hour or so before the woman finally leaves, and he acts casual as he turns around to look at her. What the , they look exactly the same. He’s careful not to stare, and returns to finishing his food. As he finishes up the last drop of his mocha frappe, he whines quietly to himself. Still no name for the man.

He decides to stay to do his homework, since he knows he won’t get it done when he gets back home. He’s startled when the sofa chair behind him makes a sound—the regular is leaving. He wills himself not to look back just in case the man notices, and sighs heavily when the man is gone.

Mr. Superhero always stays until they close up, what’s so different now? Jongin’s not sure he likes the change.

The next day is a Saturday, and Saturdays are Jongin’s full shift days. He’s only a part-timer, but he knows how busy it can get with so little staff—and it’s also because he has nothing to do, so he may as well just work. Saturday is also his favourite day to work because Mr. Superhero comes in in the afternoon. Jongin still doesn’t know what the man works as, but it doesn’t matter to him although he is curious. Sure, they’ve talked, but it’s mostly about Jongin himself and comic books.

The more he thinks of it, the more he feels the man seems familiar, but he can’t quite put his finger on it.

He greets his manager, Minseok, when he enters the store. It’s surprisingly quiet on Saturday mornings, but the place fills up in the afternoon, so they have to prepare for that. “Minseok-hyung! Good morning,” he chirps as he puts his apron on.

“Morning,” Minseok replies. “Did your superhero guy come in yesterday?”

“Yeah, he did. But he didn’t stay till closing this time. Weird, right?” Jongin says, wiping the cups. Almost everyone in the cafe knows about his interest in the tall, suited regular, but Jongin doesn’t care. He’s the one who made it known, anyway. It’s fun to have something to talk about and look forward to during work.

Minseok opens his mouth to say something, but then he closes it and hums instead. Jongin raises an eyebrow at that, putting the cup down. He folds his arms and leans against the counter, staring at Minseok. “What?” 

“Nothing,” Minseok says almost too quickly, and Jongin knows he’s hiding something.

“Spit it out,” Jongin coaxes, “is it about Mr. Superhero?”

“It’s really nothing,” Minseok insists, and Jongin laughs at the way his eyes are darting back and forth. 

“Hyung, you’re really bad at lying, you know?” Jongin says. He purses his lip as he thinks of a way to make Minseok spill. “I’ll work full-shifts every day for two weeks during my break if you tell me everything you know about Mr. Superhero,” he promises, determined to know what his manager was hiding. 

Minseok looks at him, mouth agape. “Wow, you’re really serious about him, huh?”

Jongin shrugs, going back to wiping the cups. “It’s good money and I’m pretty sure there’s something you’re not telling me about him.” He gasps, setting his cloth down. “Don’t tell me I’ve been pining for a married man?!”

Minseok snorts as he cleans their coffee machine. “How about this: if you can convince him to buy any drink other than the damn vanilla latte, I’ll tell you what I know after work.”

Jongin grins as he moves towards the register to serve an incoming customer. “He ordered something different yesterday by the way, so you’ve got yourself a deal.”

“But,” Jongin starts, “is he actually married?” 

Minseok playfully throws a cloth at him and walks away.

When the regular comes in, Jongin has to do a double take. Mr. Superhero is not in a suit. Jongin knows he’s here with someone, but he can’t take his eyes off the man he’s interested in. He doesn’t have his hair styled like he normally does—it looks particularly soft and fluffy and Jongin notices that it’s actually pretty wavy—and he’s in a simple t-shirt and jeans. Jongin thinks he looks extremely cute today. Normally, he fantasises about getting wrecked by a certain man, but when he looks at this ball of fluff in front of him, Jongin wants to be the one to wreck him. 

He unconsciously his lips as he boldly stares at the man, and the person Mr. Superhero is with has to shout for Jongin to look at him. Jongin is startled, but he turns to the friend to smile. “Hello! Sorry about that. May I take your order?”

“Yes you may, Jongin-ssi,” the friend teases as he looks at Jongin’s nametag, and Jongin can’t help but notice how good-looking the friend is too. God sure took his time on them. “Two vanilla lattes please, one iced with whipped cream and one hot, for Baekhyun and Aquaman over here,” the friend winks, handing Jongin the money. Jongin has to resist the urge to roll his eyes, and he almost accepts the money before he glances at Mr. Superhero and remembers the deal he made with Minseok. 

“Would you like to try our new drink instead?” Jongin suggests, showing them the promotion menu. “It’s seasonal and-” 

“No thanks, just the vanilla latte please,” Baekhyun smiles apologetically. “The grumpy man here doesn’t like trying anything new. He just wants the latte.” 

“He ordered a mocha frappe yesterday!” Jongin retorts, and Mr. Superhero looks surprised, as if he doesn’t expect Jongin to remember, but then he makes a face.

“I didn’t like it,” the regular says, scrunching his nose up, very cutely in Jongin’s opinion. “Just reminds me of why I rarely ever try something new.”

“It’s a good drink, you just don’t know how to appreciate it,” Jongin says accusingly as he glares at him. The man grumbles under his breath and Jongin doesn’t catch it, because he’s too preoccupied with Baekhyun who is faux whispering into his ear. “Did he really do that?” 

“I was with noona!” the regular tries to reason, but the both of them pay no heed.

Jongin nods a few times. “It’s my favourite drink,” he sulks, taking the money from Baekhyun’s hands. He misses the way Mr. Superhero’s eyes linger on him as Jongin smiles warmly at Baekhyun.
 

“That’s the guy?” Baekhyun asks, sipping on his drink. The man in front of him nods once, a faint blush dusting his cheeks. Baekhyun whistles lowly as he looks at Jongin, giving him a little wave when the barista notices him. “He’s quite the looker. Pretty impressive, I must say, Park Chanyeol. And you ordered something different yesterday? And coincidentally, it’s Jongin’s favourite drink? Interesting…”

“It’s not like we’re together. He doesn’t even know me, this is completely one-sided,” Chanyeol grumbles. “And yes, I got the drink because Jongin likes it, so what?” he says defensively, “I ended up not liking it anyway.” He looks out of the window, uninterested in his coffee. He doesn’t even like Starbucks! Yes to coffee, but just not Starbucks. 

“He knows you, he probably just doesn’t recognise you,” Baekhyun corrects him. “And he’s definitely interested in you. Why won’t you just give him your name and save both of you the hassle? I know your dumb can’t tell, but I was so embarrassed to refer to you as Aquaman . Jason Momoa doesn’t deserve this disrespect,” he adds.

“I’m afraid that he won’t remember me even after I give him my name. Or better yet, that he’ll remember me as ‘that fat ferret boy’,” Chanyeol mumbles, resting his head on the table.

Who would remember a nobody from middle school? And Chanyeol knows he’s lost a lot of weight and gotten a lot taller since then, plus he ditched those hideous half-rimmed glasses—it would be hard for anyone from then to recognise him now.   “Anyway, I’ve been giving him my name through superheroes. He just can’t connect the dots.”

“I’m sure you weren’t that much of a loser in middle school,” Baekhyun simpers, and Chanyeol laughs at his words. “And also, how is he supposed to know your name through superheroes? Good lord, even I didn’t realise what you were doing until you told me. An acrostic, really?” 

“You’ve seen my photos and stuff from middle school. I was the loser,” Chanyeol immediately retorts. “And okay, maybe it’s stupid and I should at least give him a hint, but I’m kinda scared.” 

“Well, if it helps, I’d date you,” Baekhyun confesses, dropping the name issue, and Chanyeol rolls his eyes at his words. “You’d date anyone as long as they’re nice to you, Baek.”

“Can’t help it,” Baekhyun smiles. “How do you even remember him from middle school? I can’t even remember my classmates from then.”

“It was a small school, and Jongin is just… unforgettable. We were kind of friends. Besides, he hasn’t changed much since then. He still has the same features he had when he was in ninth grade,” Chanyeol explains, stealing glances at Jongin. Jongin catches him in the act and Chanyeol flushes, but the barista only grins at him. “Plus, I may or may not have found his social media.”

“You’re not even a fan of social media. You don’t even have accounts for anything except Facebook,” Baekhyun deadpans. “Anyway, you’re probably gonna be here till they start to close and I’ve got a hot date later, so I’m leaving at four-ish. Gotta get home and make myself look even more irresistible than I already am,” he says, stirring his drink.

Chanyeol doesn’t bother telling Baekhyun that he recently created an Instagram account to keep up with Jongin and internet trends. He figures he’ll tell him soon, but not at the moment. “Please remember to text me updates. And if you need me to bail you out on the date too. But not out of jail,” he jokes, finally tasting his coffee. He’s not a fan, but it’s decent enough for him to keep coming to see Jongin. 

“Yes, mom,” Baekhyun mocks, resting his head on his palm. “Hey, I haven’t showed you how my date looks like, have I?” Chanyeol shakes his head with his palm outstretched and Baekhyun hands his phone over. 

“His name is Sehun and he’s such a catch,” Baekhyun sighs dreamily. He goes on to talk about what a charming person this Sehun is as Chanyeol looks through the photos. At first, they’re all body shots or photos with his face covered in some way. Chanyeol is annoyed and he’s about to hand the phone back to Baekhyun, but there’s something awfully familiar about the person and that makes him look a little longer. When he finally gets to see the date’s face, he snorts, “dude, small world. Sehun is Jongin’s co-worker. They seem close, too.”

Baekhyun balks at that statement, taking his phone back to take another look at the photos. “No way. Then I promise to be the best wingman there is and get as much info as I can about Jongin,” he announces, clasping Chanyeol’s hands, and Chanyeol sighs. “Just focus on your date, Baek.”

“Give me a sec,” Baekhyun says, getting up from his seat. He walks towards an unsuspecting Jongin and flashes him a smile, “hey. So I actually have a date tonight, and my friend over there-” he tilts his head in Chanyeol’s direction, “-says that you know the guy. His name is Sehun. Jet black hair, hazel eyes, killer eyebrows...” 

“And what if I know him?” Jongin asks cautiously as he wipes his soiled counter.

“Then give me some pointers, please? I’m really interested in Sehun and I wouldn’t want to bore him,” Baekhyun answers, pouting and clasping his hands together. Jongin scoffs, turning his back on Baekhyun.

“I’ll tell you more about him if you tell me your friend’s name,” Jongin proposes. He’s surprised when Baekhyun politely declines and leaves him alone, but not before telling him to just go for it. He takes his phone out to text Sehun about his short conversation with Baekhyun, and looks at the pair sitting by the window. Jongin can’t figure out why the regular just wouldn’t give him his name. Even his friend is trying so hard to conceal his identity—why are they being so secretive? Jongin is convinced he’s secretly a famous person.

When Baekhyun leaves, Chanyeol is left alone with an empty mug and his laptop. He’s already done with his client work, but he doesn’t want to leave because Jongin is still working. He knows he should probably gather some courage to approach the barista, but he doesn’t know if telling Jongin that he knows him from middle school is a good idea. It sounds kinda lame to him, so he decides against it.

“What am I doing?” Chanyeol mumbles to himself, sighing. He can’t even bring himself to say a simple hello. Sure, they were kinda friends in middle school, but it was only because his friends were friends with Jongin. He and Jongin had barely talked then, if his memory serves him right. Will Jongin even remember him? 

He can’t deny that Jongin was momentarily forgotten throughout his high school and college days. It’s only recently that he’s seen Jongin again, after nearly ten years that he has decided to approach him. Of course it isn’t literally the first time in these 8-ish years that he has bumped into Jongin, but this is the first time that Jongin has noticed him too—and sadly, the man does not remember him. But Chanyeol can’t blame him since he knows he’s changed a lot, physically, but it still stings a little.

He’s feeling kind of disheartened all of a sudden and his mind is telling him to leave and just forget about Jongin, but there’s also something about Jongin that makes him want to stay. There’s something about Jongin that makes Chanyeol so inexplicably drawn to him, and it’s definitely not just because he finds Jongin handsome. He wants to talk to Jongin, but he doesn’t know how to talk to someone like him. Someone who has it all and doesn’t even need a person like Chanyeol in his life. 

Chanyeol is about to pack his things up and leave when someone sits where Baekhyun was, and he’s dumbfounded when he looks up to see Jongin. The barista shrugs, placing a drink in front of him. “It’s my break time,” he breaks the silence. “Were you planning on leaving?” Jongin pouts a little and Chanyeol can’t bring himself to say yes.

“No, I was just about to go to the restroom,” he says instead.

“Oh, don’t let me stop you then,” Jongin replies, getting up. “I’m just gonna get my food and I’ll be right back. You don’t mind, right? Me sitting here with you.” Chanyeol hurriedly shakes his head no and stands up as well, heading to the restroom.

When he comes back, there are three cups on the table. Chanyeol is puzzled, but he doesn’t say anything and offers a smile when Jongin notices him. “I got you another drink, since you’re done with yours,” Jongin says, gesturing to Chanyeol’s empty mug. “It’s on the house. The ma