Work Text:
Working at a small cat cafe in a big city was certainly an interesting life experience and especially for Dongju.
As an ordinary student who needed cash for many things, he had to get it somehow, and he was under no illusion that he was repeatedly thanked during job interviews, explaining that they were looking for someone else or that something didn't suit them about the boy, derailing his chances for his career.
Son didn't give up at all - after each unsuccessful interview, he sent his resume to more places and did so until he succeeded.
Eventually, he ended up at a cat cafe that was already a good few years old, but its previous owner was taking care of it himself, not needing any help. Fate smiled on Dongju, however, and when they were looking for someone to help out there, he easily passed the interview, won the trust of the owner and the cats, then signed a job contract, able to start almost immediately.
All he had to do was survive a few days of training among the cheerful purrs and the owner of "Cat's Nap", and then everything was much easier when he found himself alone on the shift and doing better every day.
Before he knew it, it had been five months since he had started working here, although he felt like he had spent a lot more time here, especially when he had his hands full during each of his shifts, as the cats, a colleague and other customers definitely didn't make it easy for him.
His daily routine was to stand at the counter and clean the coffee machine while the cats ate their breakfast greedily, whilst some were still napping, if they weren't necessarily hungry. However, the best sight was always his co-worker, who would sprawl out on a vacant couch in the hall in the morning and sleep along with his furry companion, whose name was Prince for a reason.
"Woongie... Maybe you could help me carry cakes to the showcases, because I'd like to clean up what needs to be cleaned before the customers start coming down and the cats begin to freak out..." he said, standing right in front of a snoozing Yeo along with Prince, who was lying on his belly.
The sight was heartwarming, but when it came to work, Dongju didn't have a moment to look at the well-matched twosome and merely picked up the cat, who began to flutter gently before Son set him down, letting him run off to the first better place.
"Hwanwoong..." Dongju repeated, but again received no response from Yeo "I count to three... One... Two..."
When he said "three" there was silence. He sighed heavily and waved his hand, returning to his seat, but he felt nervous because this was almost always the case. If he wanted Hwanwoong to help him, he had to reach for other methods and pour some water into one of the cups, then walk over to the sofa, where he poured a few drops to wake up Yeo.
"Wh-what's going on!" Hwanwoong rose abruptly and almost flew to the floor, although he missed it at the last second.
"Woongie, are you going to help me with these cakes or not?"
Yeo didn't even have a clue what was going on around him - he had fallen asleep on that couch, so he didn't even know how many times Dongju had asked him to do the same. He nodded slowly, looked around the cafe and rose so that Son wouldn't wait for him any longer.
On the way to pick up the cakes, they got tangled up with a lot of purring cats at their feet, who were insistent on wanting to be stroked at times, so they had to be careful and ended up with Son carrying the baking trays, so Hwanwoong was taking the cats as well as pulling them away from Son so that he wouldn't accidentally trip over any furries.
The mission was successful - no cat stood in their way, while all the sweets were in the right display case, so that the next part of things was ready before the opening itself.
Hwanwoong was already about to return to the couch, carrying Prince with him, but Dongju, seeing the tactical retreat of the two, caught up with them and, above all, took Yeo the cat, who was rather unhappy at the thought of missing a nap and certainly not on the couch or with Hwanwoong.
"Nap limit used up" he said in a serious voice, crossing his arms "I already have enou-"
"Okay, okay, I'll clear the tables for you and make you your favorite latte~"
At times when Dongju became deadly serious and was ready to argue with Hwanwoong about the extent of their responsibilities, Yeo always tried to take the plunge and, above all, not mess with Son.
He might have preferred to lie with the cats for a while longer before the first customers started to gather, but he got down to business, grabbing a washcloth and a bucket of water when Dongju went somewhere in the back room and leaving Hwanwoong alone with a bunch of furries.
Yeo worked here for a little less time, but he was definitely far from a perfect employee, especially when he was together with Dongju on most shifts. He was aware of his flaws, but at the same time didn't dwell on it because he didn't have that much ambition. The monthly transfer and lack of trouble was enough for him, even if he was aware that he was just plain lucky, since Dongju could have gotten him in trouble for his behavior for a long time.
There were few tables, so by analogy Yeo didn't overwork himself, completing his task within minutes. The tables were clean, while he moved toward the coffee machine, where he intended to prepare a gingerbread latte, which was a local classic at this time of year.
Without hesitation, he added a lot of syrup to the glass and prepared the coffee and milk, carefully creating his masterpiece, which he still decorated with a smiling cat at the end. Hwanwoong loved decorating all the coffees, because he knew how people were delighted by it and often took pictures of their drinks or simply got enthusiastic at the table, giving Yeo a reason for any pride.
"Your latte is ready Dongju!" he called out in a melodious voice, placing the coffee on the table.
Son looked at his gingerbread latte and sat down on the couch, picking up a certain Prince who was perpetually keeping the two of them awake, also Dongju decided to put him down on the couch, just hearing the purr of the cat, who turned into a little ball full of joy at the thought of a potential nap.
"Prince seems to have decided to reserve a seat for me in the VIP lodge today..." he announced jokingly, when Son only glanced in his direction without commenting a word, "Of course, duties first, then naps with my favorite one."
"You just said that in front of a whole bunch of cats, oh well someone here seems to be destroying their reputation..."
The two burst out laughing, while Yeo managed to find a vacant patch of space between the cat and Dongju, not hesitating to stroke his fluffy favorite, who didn't complain at all about the amount of love Yeo was giving him.
"Every day we plot against you with the rest of you, you know we've had enough of you, honestly instead of one we have two princes here who sometimes forget where they are!"
"Really? But to plot like this against two of the world's most handsome princes?"
Then Hwanwoong felt Dongju jab him in the side with his elbow, but he didn't care because he was aware of his words. He smiled and gently poked the younger, who rolled his eyes and began to comb his hair with his hand, and at the very end he didn't hesitate to tickle his friend, who wasn't the least bit prepared for it.
"I surrender! I surrender!" he cried out, trying to dodge more attacks, but to no avail "Dongju! Please, just don't..."
"Anything else you have to say?" Son was unconcerned when Hwanwoong nearly crushed the Prince, who jumped off the couch in exasperation without interfering with the two's conflict.
Theoretically, Son wouldn't spare his friend and tickled him further, but both forgot their duties for a while. The time was soon right, and they could expect guests at any moment, who came relatively quickly today - just five minutes after the official opening.
Hwanwoong, who was lying on the couch with his hair disheveled, glanced nervously toward the opening door as Dongju hurriedly rose to rush to the counter, hoping only that through their foolishness they hadn't gotten into trouble.
Fortunately, their first customer rather pretended not to have seen the petty squabble, at which someone's lush imagination and thought too much might have been triggered. He placed his belongings on one of the chairs, heading straight to the young barista to consider his order and, above all, place it.
"I'll have a cappuccino and a piece of that blueberry pie, please?" He pointed his finger at the display case, waiting until only Dongju took his order and said he would bring everything in a moment.
Then the customer nodded and returned to his seat as Son took the cup right away, while Hwanwoong managed to get his hands on it as well as decided to help his friend by taking out the pie.
"Wow, Yeo Hwanwoong is doing something useful finally," he announced jokingly as the other smiled, slowly cutting a suitable piece of cake.
"You didn't expect that, did you? Well, you have to keep up appearances, especially when he came at the worst possible time..."
Dongju didn't even notice when there was already a cake standing on the plate, besides another one prepared for the cup, which Son soon put down as soon as he made the coffee. He was supposed to go by himself, but Hwanwoong decided to bail him out and took the cappuccino and pastry from under his nose, which he carried to the boy, who at that time managed to pull out his laptop and hurriedly tap out something on the keyboard.
"Cappuccino with blueberry pie for you~" he announced, finding a vacant seat on the table, being especially careful of their customer's equipment.
"Thanks..." he said, staring at the screen, although he managed to turn around as well as look nervously in the direction of one of the baristas, who paused because he expected that this wasn't the end of his duties at the moment "Er... I don't know if I should bother you guys, but if you had a moment..." he began uncertainly "Well, because if people started coming down here right away, I don't want to inconvenience you, and I urgently need someone's advice, and it just so happens that..."
Hwanwoong furrowed his brow and glanced at Dongju, who was polishing the cups with a cloth. Maybe they didn't have that much traffic during the opening hour, although Son himself wasn't sure what to do at that moment, since theoretically they didn't mind, but on the other hand, who knows what exactly that boy had in mind.
"It will really take you a moment? Probably less time than me..." he laughed nervously, then scratched the back of his neck, seeing how the two analyzed the situation "I'm Seoho by the way, I guess I should introduce myself first..."
"Hwanwoong, and this is my friend Dongju," he replied reflexively, no longer waiting for a reaction from Son, deciding to possibly help "What exactly is it about?"
"I don't know what kind of flowers to choose... I thought the choices were few and yet here there are too many... I don't know anything about it at all, but I can't think any longer because I have to be at work in two hours and by then I have to order that damn flower courier in the first place..."
When Yeo glanced at the display, he noticed a page for one of the local flower post offices, surprised that the boy there had a problem with it, although he didn't comment on it. Anyway, Seoho scrolled through the pages at his side and understood how this choice could be difficult, and Hwanwoong guessed that if he were to send flowers to someone by himself, he wouldn't be able to make up his own mind either.
Rather, Dongju watched them from afar, concentrating on minor cleanup, seeing no need for yet another person to advise Seoho on choosing flowers. Two conflicting opinions would be enough and things would probably get worse, which both Hwanwoong and Dongju did not want.
"How about the one with lilies and daisies? I don't know what occasion you want to send these flowers for, but they're really pretty..."
"I guess it's no special occasion... I mean I just want to apologize to someone important to me and I don't think I have a chance to do it in person, and these flowers..."
"We can help you think of something Seoho, I mean if you want, Dongju is great at writing such things, right?"
"Thank you, but I'd rather not write him elaborates or he'll get even angrier... In that case, I'll order this bouquet and figure out the rest myself, but I really owe you a favor..." he announced, looking at the bouquet Hwanwoong had chosen.
Then Yeo only smiled slightly and decided to leave Seoho alone, so he returned to Dongju and gently poked him on the shoulder to communicate his success and joke that the boy there was in trouble.
"Woongie, wish you didn't have to send me flowers home tomorrow as an apology..." he mumbled and dodged his friend, who had to restrain his laughter, especially when they weren't alone.
★"★"★
The closer it got to the afternoon hours, the traffic at the cat cafe was similarly heavier. Seoho wasn't their last customer, especially when half an hour after the newcomer left, more and more people began to come in, eager to enjoy a warm cup of coffee and meet the cats.
Hwanwoong exceptionally worked diligently today - it wasn't because of the morning incident, but just like that Yeo decided to be productive and not to annoy Son, who was impressed by his friend's attitude.
Every now and then he would run between tables, catch runaway cats and, above all, give up his naps on the couch when there was even an empty seat for a while, but Yeo didn't even take advantage of that, and made coffee without even asking if Dongju could manage alone for a while.
When they had barely two hours left until closing time and the customers were slowly getting fewer and fewer, Son was unable to remain silent any longer and pulled Hwanwoong by the sleeve of his shirt, wanting to talk to him.
"Is something wrong?"
"And what should have happened? Dongju, it would be appropriate to clear the table, in case someone else deci-"
"Are you sure nothing is wrong? You haven't decided to take a break since this morning and you're still doing almost everything..." he announced uncertainly as Yeo smiled broadly, feeling proud of the fact that Dongju noticed his efforts, even if it bothered him as well as surprised him all the time.
"It's just some special day full of motivation and willingness to work... Tomorrow don't even expect it anymore!"
Yeo ran off and actually went to clear the table when Dongju leaned against one of the walls as well as sighed, looking at his friend.
He never understood Hwanwoong and at work he irritated him more than once with his behavior, but this was no reason for him to dislike him. It was quite the opposite - he loved spending time with him and listening to his stories or complaints, because aside from his problems in fulfilling his duties, Yeo was a very likable person with whom spending time was really enjoyable.
Maybe outside of work they saw each other rarely due to university classes or other important matters, but many times they went together to the cinema or for some food, once Dongju even managed to persuade Hwanwoong to go to a musical with him when Dongmyeong got sick and was unable to go there with his brother.
Honestly, when he stood like that and stared at the hardworking Yeo, he couldn't take his eyes off him and, above all, stop thinking about their relationship. Somehow he never thought about it, because he was used to their routine, which today his friend decided to change and to knock Son out of his rhythm.
Through all of this, he didn't even notice when Hwanwoong returned as well as patted him on the shoulder, trying to discreetly give him a message so as not to cause a sensation and also not to make anyone uncomfortable.
"Look who came back to us, and not yet alone..." He smiled, looking toward the door.
Seoho had just shouted at the other boy, who had unwillingly failed to close the door, while one of the cats had decided to seize the opportunity and almost didn't come out if not for Lee's vigilance.
The two realized rather quickly that he was accompanied by the person to whom he had sent the flowers, as the blond guy, who was unfamiliar to them, was holding the same bouquet that, incidentally, Hwanwoong had chosen. Yeo felt even more proud of the fact that his help had been useful as Dongju tried to control his thoughts and stood at the counter to serve more customers if necessary.
"Are you saying they don't have only coffee here? Seoho, you know very well that I don't like coffee..."
"You know, well here they only have coffee and that's why we came here..." Seoho rolled his eyes "I'm kidding... I'll order you a hot chocolate, how about that?" Lee grabbed the wrist of the boy, who let out a murmur full of displeasure.
"Yeah, as if you didn't care about apologizing you wouldn't send me flowers and take me to a cafe after work where there's nothing but coffee" he announced, standing right in front of the posted menu board, studying carefully all the drinks that could be ordered "You're taking something Seoho?"
"Hot chocolate with marshmallows and whipped cream? It's so cold outside..." Lee snuggled into the blond man's sleeve, smiling communicatively toward Dongju, who nervously reciprocated his smile as Hwanwoong managed to pull out a mug to slowly prepare the drink for Seoho.
"I'll have lemon tea with ginger and honey in that case..."
"Hakie, but I was supposed to order you hot chocolate!"
"I beg you, let's not make an unnecessary circus here, apology accepted, okay?"
Then they returned to their seats, while Hwanwoong took out the marshmallows, taking the place of Dongju, who was carefully cutting lemon slices, feeling slightly irritated when Yeo disturbed him.
"Woongie, you don't have to annoy me yet-"
"Huh? Anyone else annoy you? Who do you think?" Yeo furrowed his eyebrows, then put his arm around him as well as glanced discreetly at the two they had just prepared drinks for, "Them? Why do you think exactly? We were only in the morning..."
"That's not what I meant..." he sighed heavily, putting the knife down on the cutting board to lean with his back against one of the cabinets "Maybe I don't know them, but I envy them a little? A little bit, to be honest..."
"Ah, Dongju, Dongju, Dongju, however, are you still heartbroken over Keonhee?"
"I won't comment on that."
Son was unable to hide his disappointment, especially when he sometimes had to deal with couples on his shift who reminded him of his ex-boyfriend every time. It may have been a long time ago, since he and Keonhee split up six months ago, but by now he was jealous of everyone in love, as well as regretful that things turned out this way and not the other way.
He repeatedly confided in his brother, other friends who didn't have to deal with Keonhee and, above all, Hwanwoong during their shifts, since it was Yeo who noticed his friend's grief when they handled the couples. Unfortunately, even grieving didn't help him, while words of support gave him encouragement for a while, but the next day he no longer remembered how he had promised others that he would finally move on and stop thinking about his ex.
Dongju couldn't dwell on the past any longer and focused on finishing the tea, although Hwanwoong bailed him out on that as well, and carried the couple's order to the table, to only prevent Dongju from feeling even worse. Son just looked in their direction some more with a sad smile, then took one of the cats in his arms to pet it and somehow comfort himself and pull away all the negative thoughts.
"If you'd like to leave early, you can go now, as if I can handle a bunch of furries and the rest of the customers until closing time," offered Yeo as he returned from the table.
"Stop it, I will never in my life leave you with cats and people alone..."
"Are you sure?" Hwanwoong preferred to ensure himself, although Dongju didn't need to speak a second time for Yeo to understand this "Okay, okay, but in return I'll make you hot chocolate and you'll watch after closing time as the cats run after me and fight for space near the bowl~" He patted him on the back as well as motioned toward Prince, who was just watching at the door, which meant not a moment's peace for the two baristas.
★"★"★
It was enough to say goodbye to the last guests to feel at least some relief when Dongju replaced the sign on the door and was able to sprawl on the couch in the company of the Prince, who was taking a good nap in his favorite spot.
Hwanwoong, according to his promise, was preparing a warm drink for his friend, although he didn't forget about himself, placing a second mug right next to him so that he and Dongju could drink hot chocolate together after work in solidarity.
"Today we had quite a day, if it wasn't the cats acting crazy so still those two queues outside..."
"Fortunately, it's all over, now you don't have to worry, by the way, you better drink your chocolate~"
Yeo didn't regret the amount of marshmallows and, above all, added a lot of whipped cream on top, smiling under his breath when Dongju simply reached for a long spoon to scoop it somehow before drinking his drink.
"This is something I don't think anyone would ever drink in their life..."
"Except you? After all, I know you love marshmallows and whipped cream!"
A gentle smile also appeared on Son's face, which was certainly a comfort to Hwanwoong, who was also thinking elsewhere, recalling the sequence of events from today. He was rather uninterested in the fate of a certain Seoho - he was glad that he could help and succeeded, but he was more focused on his friend.
He wanted to console Dongju somehow, to tell him again that Keonhee should have come to him long ago and asked for forgiveness and, above all, that he deserved someone better. Unfortunately, these words in the younger man's case were totally overrated - Son usually nodded and smiled falsely, so Yeo didn't even try to say it, because it made no sense.
Hot chocolate with marshmallows certainly didn't heal the wounds on his heart, but Hwanwoong had nothing to lose and knew that even such a trifle would make Dongju feel minimally better, especially when he occupied his thoughts with something else, while Yeo could move on - after all, he had formed a plan in his head that he wanted to carry out as long as they were still sitting in the cafe.
"Can you manage to watch the cats for a while by yourself?" he asked when his drink was also ready and he set it down on the table.
"Sure?" Dongju furrowed his eyebrows slightly, although this was no problem, especially when the purrs were already mostly asleep.
Hwanwoong hurriedly took off his apron and headed toward the utility room where they kept their things. He was very fortunate that Dongju had given up coming in here during his shift, especially when Yeo kept his surprise there, which was the usual improvisation.
He took everything he needed and with a slow step returned to the hall, where Son was impatiently looking around for his friend, who was holding something behind his back. Dongju looked at him with inquiring eyes, and then Yeo sat down right next to him on the couch and right in front of his friend's nose pulled out a small bouquet of roses and daisies and a box of his favorite chocolates.
Dongju's reaction was priceless - the boy didn't even know what to say when Hwanwoong was grinning from ear to ear, being even more proud of himself because, in addition to his hard work, he had finally decided to be brave and take the first step.
"Woongie? Isn't that a bit..."
"Don't you like them?"
"N-no, I mean yes, I like them, but what's the occasion? Like I have my birthday in two weeks..."
"It's not a birthday present! Can't I just give you a gift without an occasion?"
A confused Dongju took the bouquet in his hand and looked at the flowers, searching for any reason why Hwanwoong could give him such a gift, but relatively quickly connected the dots, reminding himself of Seoho, and worse, his ex-boyfriend and his own grief.
"You didn't have to... It's a nice thing to do, but the fact that..."
"Hey, I like you a lot, and if you think I did it out of some kind of pity, you're completely wrong! Maybe those flowers were a minor inspiration, but this is no joke! I like you! And if you don't mind, then..."
"Woongie, but that you are so serious-"
"Seriously, seriously, but if you still need time, I'll wait as long as you want," he announced calmly, placing his hands on Son's lap to sound a little more credible "And if you don't want to at all, then say so, after all, I won't be offended..."
It's not that Dongju didn't want to - it's just that he was perpetually stuck in a blind spot that definitely didn't make his life any easier, while when the opportunity came and someone extended a helping hand in his direction, he didn't know how to react.
He also liked Hwanwoong a lot and loved his personal charm, not to mention how their friendship so far involved many small gestures and in their own way they were very close to each other. They didn't need to make big changes if they decided to give each other a chance as a couple.
This wasn't a possibility he ruled out, although he was simply worried that Yeo would also change his mind after a while or something would go very wrong and the whole feeling would flee into oblivion, which was what he feared most now. However, while Yeo was cautious and tried not to force his friend to do anything by asking his opinion, so Dongju repeated in his mind that perhaps he really should move on and focus on the present.
"No, no one will wait for anyone..." he said, catching Hwanwoong's hands, "I like you very much too, and we can try, right?"
"True~" Yeo snuggled into Son's side, feeling the growing warmth and radiating joy they both couldn't get rid of "So what, this is our first date?"
"But that right here and now?"
"And why not? I bought you flowers, I made hot chocolate, I can still offer you the love of this gentleman." He picked up Prince, who was rather unhappy at the thought of an interrupted nap.
"I don't think the Prince is happy to hear your proposals..."
The two burst out laughing as they watched their favorite go toward the closed front door to sit down in front of it and, above all, avoid further adventures of the two.
Then Dongju sprawled casually on the couch and didn't even think twice about taking Yeo into his lap and letting him snuggle in. It may not have been the most comfortable position, but nevertheless the two's fatigue took over - they didn't know when they fell asleep until they woke up two hours later, realizing after the fact.
Their first date was literally an after-hours nap together in the company of cats, and honestly neither Yeo nor Son regretted anything at that moment.
★"★"★
Five.
The couple happily counted their next dates or rather those that took place at the unique cat cafe where they themselves worked, by the way. It's not that they didn't go outside this place - it's just that their short meetings before or after work brought the most fond memories for them and, above all, pleased the two the most.
Usually, their short dates at the cafe consisted of playing together with cats, drinking various drinks that Dongju came up with, but many times they ended up taking naps together, which was Hwanwoong's favorite way to spend time with his boyfriend.
"I think you probably stay up all night just to come here early!" exclaimed Dongju, seeing that a sleepy Yeo was already standing at the counter regardless of the fact that they still had two hours until the cafe opened.
"Maybe? I'm not complaining, especially when we can then spend even more time with each other..." He smiled slightly and approached Son, who kissed him on the cheek in greeting, after which Yeo grabbed his hand "I've prepared food for the cats, the coffee machine is also already ready to go... The question is whether you want to have something to drink, or right away-"
"A nap?" Hwanwoong merely nodded, as he couldn't have anything else on his mind at this hour.
Son just pulled off his jacket and as soon as he had the rest of his belongings off, he joined his boyfriend on the small couch without further ado, still looking around the room to make sure that the door was closed and, above all, the cats had no opportunity for mischief, even if most of them were also lounging in various places, also taking advantage of their free time to sleep.
Then they just lay comfortably in each other's embrace, closing their eyes and feeling that gentle warmth that allowed them to spend another moment together, unconcerned about problems or the reality around them. It was their favorite way to spend time, and they didn't delude themselves that they wouldn't be able to give it up now, although fortunately they didn't have to - they never lacked time for a moment of rest, which gave them energy and joy that they could spread with the rest of the world.
Taking naps together turned out to be their shared ritual, and the couple loved to joke that this was already the fate of the "Cat's Nap" employees, who had taken it over from their furry friends.