Dejun x Joohyuk

@☭ Xiao Dejun "No, I've tried it before," Joohyuk said. Sungkyung, too, had offered him a bite every time she got her hands on the disgusting treat. "It literally tastes like toothpaste. Do you swallow your toothpaste or do you spit it out? That's what I thought." Taking Dejun's cup noodle, Joohyuk brought it up to the counter where he picked out half a roll of gimbap for himself so that he could accompany Dejun while he ate and line his stomach for the ice cream Dejun would inevitably force him to eat. While they waited for Dejun's noodles to cook, Joohyuk brought them to a table inside, against the window looking out to the street. "So when's the next round of your dance competition?"

@☭ Nam Joohyuk Dejun must not have heard Joohyuk correctly. Nasty? His mint choco ice cream? His most precious beloved flavor of ice cream? In his shock that his dearest alpha could say something so hurtful, Dejun squeaked to express his heartache, "No! It's really good!" he insisted, pouting as he was led away from the ice cream section and towards the hot foods. "Hyung, I think you just need to give it once chance," Dejun tried to reason with the older, thinking that it was probably because Joohyuk had some offbrand stuff that made him dislike the most wonderful refreshing minty flavor ever. "If I eat ramyeon with hyung, then will hyung eat ice cream with me? Mint choco ice cream! Please!!" he insisted, picking up the first cup noodle that he saw, "This one!" he said, "I want this one!"

@☭ Xiao Dejun Joohyuk made a face. He genuinely did not understand people who enjoyed mint chocolate ice cream, just like Sungkyung did—and it was exacerbated by her pregnancy, too. "That's nasty," Joohyuk said, pulling Dejun away from the freezers and back toward the large selection of ramyeon, stews, and fried foods. There were so many things for Dejun to pick from, and Dejun wanted /mint chocolate/ ice cream. "Can you eat something proper before you eat ice cream? It's not to put something cold in an empty stomach. I'll buy you ice cream after that, okay?"

@☭ Nam Joohyuk The convenience store was empty, luckily, except for the young worker who was more interested with playing on his phone than the two customers who just walked inside. Dejun glanced around at the options, clutching his stomach when he saw the rows upon rows of instant noodles. As much as he enjoyed the occasional treat, he knew that eating ramyeon so late at night would only cause him bloating tomorrow. Furthermore, Joohyuk's resolution to leave Common Grounds with him had Dejun giggling at the older's loyalty and sincerity towards his lattes. "I like working at Common Grounds. It's close to work for you and school for me. Plus, my coworkers are so nice there. I promise I'll eat hyung," he said, walking down the aisles without having fully settled on what he'd eat yet. "Hm, I want...oh! Mint chocolate chip ice cream!" he exclaimed, rushing up to the freezer section that housed his favorite flavor of ice cream. Dejun had yet to share with Joohyuk about his true love for mint chocolate chip, but he supposed there was no better time than now.

@☭ Xiao Dejun Did Dejun really feel safer at night? If he did, then all of Joohyuk’s effort wasn’t all for naught. He smiled, gesturing to the case of prepared foods again. “I’m the hyung. Let me treat you.” And, since Dejun would be eating, it didn’t feel right for Joohyuk to just sit there and watch him eat. Although he had been planning on stopping after his cafe earlier that night, Joohyuk started considering options for himself, too. “What do you want to eat?” he asked again. “Ramyeon? Soup? You’re still growing, you should be eating more. And if they won’t even feed you at Common Grounds, just look for another cafe to work at. I’ll follow you there.”

@☭ Nam Joohyuk Dejun technically did have a break throughout his shift, but if he had taken it, that would've meant a whole twenty minutes of having to sit in the back without getting to peek at Joohyuk even once. Store policy had it that workers on break had to stay away from the counter to avoid getting tasks. He had forgone his break and opted to stand idly at the counter while glancing at Joohyuk every other minute or so, which resulted in his grumbling stomach now. "They do...sometimes," he admitted. Joohyuk was too quick to offer to pay for him, and Dejun quickly tried to refuse in case the older thought he was trying to freeload. "It's okay hyung! If anything, you should let me treat you for always walking home with me. It makes me feel safer at night!"

@☭ Xiao Dejun Joohyuk's brows drew together. "You work in a cafe and you haven't eaten? Do they even let you eat there?" They arrived at the mini mart, and before Dejun could head to the fridge for the milk, Joohyuk pulled him toward the hot food counter at the front. "What do you want to eat? It's on me." Seeing how Dejun was only a poor part-timer college student who didn't even have time to eat nor watch trashy documentaries, it was hard for Joohyuk to just stand by and do nothing.

@☭ Nam Joohyuk Dejun wasn't slow at picking up cues, but never would he have guessed that Joohyuk was concerned about his weight. As far as Dejun was concerned, the alpha had the most perfect physique he'd ever seen. "But you look handsome no matter what!" he exclaimed, blushing when he realized that Joohyuk was actually saying it out of concerned for staying physically fit. "Oh, I'll be sure to save you a chocolate croissant next week," he said, changing the topic. Dejun wondered if Joohyuk had anything to say about his body, since the alpha had seen him before. "Ah, well...I haven't eaten yet," Dejun mumbled, "I might grab something to eat then."

@☭ Xiao Dejun Joohyuk had been hoping Dejun wouldn't bring up the croissant. His cheeks felt warm even in the cool nighttime air, and he rubbed at the back of his neck. "Croissants have a lot of butter..." he said, not wanting to finish the rest of his sentence. But when Dejun didn't seem to get it, Joohyuk cleared his throat to clarify, "I've been gaining weight... I have to keep fit and stay in shape for my job. But those croissants were really good. Maybe next week... I want a chocolate croissant next week."

@☭ Nam Joohyuk "Just milk," Dejun confirmed, "He needs it for his protein shake in the mornings, and...it's my turn to buy milk!" Joohyuk was such aa considerate alpha when he offered to accompany Dejun, which only further convinced the younger that this was his soulmate, no doubt about it. Dejun walked in the direction of the mini mart, leading the way just slightly ahead of Joohyuk, "Hyung, you only had your latte tonight. You didn't even get a pastry, are you not hungry?" Dejun asked, wondering if he could maybe sneak in a mini date into their impromptu detour.

@☭ Xiao Dejun Joohyuk frowned. Late as it was getting for him, he didn't want Dejun to run into someone with less-than-pure intentions on his trip to get milk. Besides, it was just milk. How far could the walk possibly be? "I'll go with you," Joohyuk said, glancing in the direction that Dejun pointed out. In the distance, the faint, glowing sign of an EMart could be seen. Besides, Joohyuk told himself, milk was cold and heavy, and Dejun was already his work bag. "What else does he need? Just milk?"

@☭ Nam Joohyuk "Wah, that's so scary! Imagine living next to a criminal-" Dejun started to muse aloud. He stumbled onto the inside again with Joohyuk's guidance, and giggled at the older's suggestion, "Okay, I'll do that hyung~" he agreed, wanting to show Joohyuk that he could put the same effort as the other did when he first started watching 'Playing Card Killer'. Dejun saw the corner of his apartment approaching, which felt like it had come even sooner than usual tonight. Thinking quickly on his feet, he pulled out his phone and glanced at it. "Oh hyung...I have to go pick up milk for Hendery," he said, stopping in his tracks. "Uhm...but the convenience store is that other way. Maybe you should...go home first?" he offered, fully expecting Joohyuk to take the bait and continue accompanying him.

@☭ Xiao Dejun "It's crime," Joohyuk reassured Dejun, pulling Dejun to the inside of the sidewalk again. The younger had a bad habit of straying toward the curb. "It's about people whose roommates commit crimes, like they've either committed them already or it happens after they move in. It's pretty good, and it isn't that long. You can watch it between classes or as a study break." By now, even if Joohyuk wanted to spend a little longer with Dejun, they were both so accustomed to the route that it seemed to take no time at all for Dejun's apartment to start appearing in the distance. "Oh, and 'The Melendez Brothers' is pretty good, too."

@☭ Nam Joohyuk "It's not that bad hyung, I'd rather have a busy schedule than nothing to do at all," Dejun said, having never really been one to entertain boredom before. Once they were outside, Dejun shoved his hands into his pockets again, rocking on his feet as he gazed up to meet Joohyuk's discerning gaze. It seemed that the alpha was particularly concerned about keeping him warm, though Dejun didn't know where that concern had stemmed from. It was a touching feeling though, which only fueled the idea that there was actually some feelings Joohyuk was harboring for him that he wasn't letting on. "What's that?" Dejun asked, "Is it a documentary series again? It doesn't sound like crime though, is it good?" Regardless if it was his taste or not, Dejun would commit to watching anything for the sake of having yet another talking point with Joohyuk. "How many episodes are there?" he asked, "Is it complete yet?"

@☭ Xiao Dejun "You don't even have time to watch shows now?" Joohyuk waved to the worker left behind the bar, who he learned was Yangyang, goodbye as he led Dejun out. Yangyang had been immensely reasonable for some reason, letting Dejun go right at eleven rather than keeping him behind to help clean the last of the equipment and close down. "Maybe you've got too much on your plate. Between school, dance, and work... I dunno. It seems like a lot." By this time of the month, it was still cold, and Joohyuk inspected Dejun's outfit carefully outside Common Grounds before he allowed them to continue their walk. "Well, now that Playing Card Killer is over, I've been watching 'Worst Roommate Ever'. Have you heard of it?

@☭ Nam Joohyuk It took a solid three weeks of seeing Joohyuk working in front of him at the same table spot every time for Dejun to realize that the older's visit to the coffee shop at night was /not/ a coincidence. Dejun had doubted that Joohyuk would make such time for him when he hadn't even requested for the alpha to do it, but now wouldn't be an appropriate time to ask him, lest Joohyuk deny his accusations and change his plans up entirely. Dejun kept glancing at the clock, eagerly anticipating his time to clock-out so that he could enjoy his walk home with Joohyuk. The older always wore his glasses when he was working, and it was such a dreamy sight. With no customers to keep him busy and having pushed a few of the last minute clean up tasks to his co-worker, Dejun stared dreamily at Joohyuk, his heart beating extra strongly in his chest as the feelings for the other started to well up and consume him once more.

At the end of the shift, Dejun bounded out to Joohyuk in his normal clothes, beaming as he waited for Joohyuk to pack up. "So that Playing Card killer special episode is apparently going to be put behind a paywall in a few days," he reported, picking up their conversation from earlier, "Good thing you told me to watch it soon after it was released hyung, or else I wouldn't know."

@☭ Xiao Dejun "I will," Joohyuk promised, waving Dejun into the building. "Go. I'll see you Monday." And, as promised, Joohyuk did see him on Monday, then Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday, and Friday evening again. As per his new routine, he would pack up his laptop after dinner on Friday and head to Common Grounds to do some work, chat with Dejun and then see him home safely. And then he did the same for the next week again, building the new routine into his schedule. His heart was at ease now that he knew Dejun wasn't walking home alone in the dark anymore, as if a burden was lifted off his shoulders.

@☭ Nam Joohyuk "It's okay, don't worry about it hyung," Dejun reassured Joohyuk, touched by the alpha's thoughtfulness for his job security. Dejun wouldn't be losing this job any time soon, even if he didn't do things exactly by the book. His managers were fond of him, and if push came to shove, he'd just have his baba buy out the shop to keep his position. All of this was for Joohyuk, and Dejun would do it in a heartbeat, without batting an eye. Not before long, they were back in front of his apartment again. He reluctantly swayed in front of the main entrance door, wishing to prolong their time together just a little longer. "Thanks for walking me home hyung," he mumbled, "You'll get home safe right?" he asked, as if there was some way Joohyuk could pre-deliver on a promise. A few beckons later, Dejun waved Joohyuk good night and went inside, beyond elated at how amazing this coincidental Friday night run-in with Joohyuk was.

@☭ Xiao Dejun "You said I could order it hot if I liked! How was I supposed to know that meant the store didn't actually offer it hot? You made it sound like an option!" Here Joohyuk was, inadvertently and singlehandedly causing the downfall of Common Grounds when the store auditors visited and found out Dejun did not know a single SOP because he was always messing around with them. "I did like it," he admitted, taking a familiar turn toward Dejun's apartment building, "but you shouldn't do it again. I don't want you to get in trouble." Slowing to a stop outside of the building, Joohyuk tucked his hands in his pockets and glanced toward the front door, gesturing for Dejun to go in. "Go on. It's cold outside."

@☭ Nam Joohyuk Dejun gasped when Joohyuk admitted to not liking pumpkin. Had he forced Joohyuk to order that by only recommending the one item on the list? Things would've gone really bad for him if Joohyuk still didn't like the pumpkin taste after all of Dejun's modifications. It was all too close of a call, which meant Dejun had to learn more about the alpha's preferences now to avoid messing up in the future. He giggled at the accusatory tone in Joohyuk's question, "Well of course I did hyung!" he owned up unabashedly, "I already told you we only serve that drink iced, but I made it for you hot. The normal amount of pumpkin spice and ube are supposed to be 4 pumps each, but I lowered it to one and a half of each for you. Also, I maaaayy have added just a touch more coconut than the recipe calls for." Dejun grinned as he recounted each careful step he took for Joohyuk, his words getting faster when his legs slowed down as he transitioned his energy across his body, "But it was worth it! Because you liked it!"

@☭ Xiao Dejun Joohyuk laughed, his breath coming out in cold puffs despite the months heading for the spring. "I liked it, he reassured the younger, keeping an eye on him to make sure he didn't bounce off the sidewalk and into the road despite already walking on the inside. He had no idea how Dejun still had so much energy after a long shift, especially one that ended at nearly midnight. Kids these days were just built differently, Joohyuk supposed. "I'm honest. I'm surprised too. I don't usually like pumpkin," he admitted, purposefully slowing down his walk ever so slightly to force Dejun into slowing with him, wanting to extend their time by just a little. It had been a long day for Joohyuk, but Dejun's happiness was infectious. "You adjusted it? You broke your SOP again?"

@☭ Nam Joohyuk "You don't?" Dejun repeated, learning some very valuable information about Joohyuk. If Joohyuk didn't live far, that meant he could make more visits to Common Grounds beyond his morning visits because it wasn't very much out of the way. He smiled to himself, thinking that Joohyuk wouldn't notice it at all, then stumbled a few paces as he was unscrupulously pulled onto the inner side of the street. "Mm, for now just one night a week. Fridays!" he confirmed, hoping that yet another coincidence might happen for him again soon. Even though it was chilly outside, being protected from the strong winds by Joohyuk's broad stature, along with having the alpha's company for him to keep, Dejun felt warmth all throughout his body. Even his cheeks didn't feel the knife-like cuts from the brazened wind. "Hyung, you really liked that latte right?" he asked, turning the next corner to get to his apartment, "It wasn't just a show? You can be honest! I'll adjust it to make it exactly how you like, you know?"

@☭ Xiao Dejun "No, I walked. I don't live far," Joohyuk said, beginning to amble in the direction of Dejun's apartment, readjusting the strap of his bag over his shoulder. Since Dejun had dropped the customer service act by now, Joohyuk did, too. "There were barely enough customers in the last hour to justify staying open. I hope your store owner realizes this." He reached out to pull at Dejun's elbow, directing him to walk on the inside of the street, away from the curb. "At least you only work one night shift a week, right?" Walking Dejun this once meant Joohyuk was going to have to keep it up for the rest of Dejun's night shifts now, meaning Joohyuk would have to throw around his own shifts a little. "Only Fridays?"

@☭ Nam Joohyuk Dejun couldn't believe it! Joohyuk had actually stayed until closing time! "Wah, you were really invested in your work!" he observed of the older, dropping the formalities as he shook his head while he stepped back to make room for Joohyuk to stand up and gather his belongings. "No! Not in the way at all!" Dejun noticed that Joohyuk had cleared off his entire drink, which was truly a compliment for him. When they went outside, Dejun had half expected Joohyuk to send him off after a wave good-bye, but there must've been a part of him that already knew the alpha well enough by now: he wouldn't just let Dejun walk home by himself if they were already together. Dejun laughed aloud, seeing the white puffs of smoke in front of his face from the chilly air, "That way!" he pointed, shivering just a little from his two top layers only, "Did you drive here tonight hyung?" he asked, wanting to see just how far he'd get Joohyuk along with him today.

@☭ Xiao Dejun When Dejun emerged all of a sudden, he had changed out of his uniform. Joohyuk glanced at the time on his laptop—was it 11 already? Still keeping up with his pretense of playing customer as he packed his belongings, Joohyuk said, "Are you closing already? I hope I'm not in the way." He settled the bill with Dejun's coworker, the one he was whispering furiously with earlier, and walked out with Dejun, unable to really hold back the gentle curve of his lips upward as he turned to face Dejun. Although he wanted to play around with Dejun, for a bit longer, it was chilly to stand around outdoors. "Which way are you going?"

@☭ Nam Joohyuk The rest of Dejun's shift passed by in a jiffy, as opposed to what he normally experienced. Any other time that a customer came into the restaurant and took a seat, Dejun would shyly pass by Joohyuk's seat and try to steal a glance at what the alpha was working on. He wondered if the older was staring at the back of his head while he took down another customer's order, though by no means did he offer the extensive modifications that were given to Joohyuk. At the end of the night, with nothing else but turning off the espresso machine and giving it a wash down left to do, Dejun glanced over at Joohyuk's table, surprised to find him still there. Perhaps being a police officer required a lot more due diligence than he thought. Joohyuk had been sitting there tapping away all night, his glasses still sitting atop the bridge of his nose while he slightly squinted at his computer screen in concentration. So handsome...

"Yah, go home," Yangyang said, grabbing the towel out of Dejun's hands, "I can tell you're just waiting for a chance to get off work and talk to the guy. Better do it before he leaves on you."

Dejun gasped, "You're right!" On top of clocking out, he still had to change out of his cafe uniform. Going into the back employee break room, he hung up his apron and changed out of the black long-sleeve that he was wearing. Putting the sweater that he originally wore to work back on and checking his appearance in the mirror, Dejun gave his face a few pats before going out to see if Joohyuk had somehow miraculously stayed those extra few minutes up till 11.

@☭ Xiao Dejun Dejun looked like he wanted to say something more—or maybe he was hoping for Joohyuk to say something else other than to comment on the coffee? The both of them had to get back to work, though, so Joohyuk only shook his head and offered Dejun another smile. "That will be all for now, thank you." He forced himself to focus on his work after that, allowing himself glances of Dejun working as a report milestone for himself. Dejun just looked so... bright, even when it was so late in the night. One by one, customers cleared out of the store. Joohyuk continued to work, waiting for Dejun to finish cleaning so he could bring him home.

@☭ Nam Joohyuk Hearing Joohyuk's feedback in person made all of his efforts worth it. In fact, Dejun had never thought that he'd take up a retail job in his life when he was back in China with his parents. Before getting his job at Common Grounds, he truly had no clue what it took to procure a cup of coffee, despite the many that his baba drank every day. Now he was even able to customize a drink for his most beloved alpha, and his hard work felt paid off. "Mm! I'm glad you like it!" Dejun hummed eagerly, holding the serving tray against his stomach as he beamed down at Joohyuk, "Is there anything else I can get for you before I go Mr. Customer?" He had a lot of things he wanted to say to Joohyuk, and probably even more things that he wished to hear Joohyuk say to him, but in that moment, Dejun was just too overcome with happiness to think much more on it.

@☭ Xiao Dejun Joohyuk had to go back to pretending he was working when Dejun began to approach the table again, typing out nonsense into his open document before looking up as if mildly surprised when Dejun set down his order. "Wow," he said, peering over the top of his glasses at the drink. "It looks like you put a lot of work into adjusting this for me." When Dejun did not leave, Joohyuk picked up the latte to give it a sip. Despite the use of oat milk, it was deliciously thick and smooth, not acidic just as he had once specified to Dejun. Joohyuk didn't love pumpkin normally, but he did appreciate how subtle the taste was when it was combined with espresso and ube. "The ube is very fragrant," he complimented, warming his fingers around the heavy cup. "I like how strong the coffee is. I wasn't expecting that in a latte. This is great."

@☭ Nam Joohyuk Once Dejun took down Joohyuk's entire order, he scurried back to the coffee counter, wanting to impress the alpha with yet another barista creation of his own formulations. First things first, Dejun knew that he had to do the right amount of coffee. He tamped two shots of espresso for Joohyuk as normal, then began to dress the cup. Joohyuk wanted oatmilk, which was less creamier than regular whole milk. Dejun had to make up for it somehow, and that came in the perfect replacement of the coconut shavings that were already supposed to go into the cup. He debated on whether he should add the original serving into the oat milk or if it was to be considered a double serving. Dejun sprinkled the coconut shavings into the oat milk, along with the ube mixture that would give the latte it's signature taste. The pumpkin spice syrup was halved, just as Joohyuk requested also. Once he blended it up, he added in the coffee shots and sprinkled the pumpkin spice seasonings over the top of the latte, like it was an art piece. At the end, with his brows knit together in deep concentration, Dejun added just a touch more of coconut shavings so that they would float aesthetically at the top instead of sinking right down. Carefully, along with the croissant that Yangyang had prepared for him at some point, he brought it over to Joohyuk's table again. "Mr. Customer!" he greeted again, "Your special seasonal latte and croissant is here~" Despite placing the drink and food down, Dejun lingered at Joohyuk's side rather than leave, clearly anticipating a live review of his creation.