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“that’s your fifth mug of hot chocolate.”
gyuvin whines, limbs sprawling across the living room floor, “he smells like hot chocolate.”
there’s a weight placed on his hip, and his gaze snaps to zhang hao’s socked feet resting on him, like he’s a coffee table. or maybe a really scrawny and rectangular ottoman.
“how romantic, gyub.” is all the omega states blandly, not even making an effort to bring his eyes away from the tv. he brings his own mug to his lips. it’s filled with some sort of minty tea, as zhang hao had been the one to turn his nose up at his “goofy and childish” suggestion of hot chocolate.
hanbin takes a seat right next to hao after gently placing gyuvin’s own steaming mug of the sweet (and apparently childish) drink right next to his head.
“don’t be mean to the puppy.” he warns, “he’s infatuated.”
“he’s infatu-stupid.” hao murmurs, but his scent is bubbly and sweet around the edges, betraying his cold aura.
and gyuvin doesn’t care enough to turn away from his steaming mug of hot chocolate to tell him that what he said doesn’t make any sense. especially when all he can think about as the smell of thick and warm chocolate fills his nose, travels deep into his lungs as he takes in the biggest breath he possibly can, is the dainty omega from the cafe.
the only reason gyuvin was even at the tiny cafe, painted pink and filled with ribbons and bows everywhere, was because gunwook insisted that it had the best custard pudding in ‘the entire world.’
and while gyuvin can always settle for the dining hall pudding, even if there’s a gamble of it being too watery or too firm, park gunwook is insane about sugar. he’s also impossible to argue with, but that’s something gyuvin came to terms with when he’d met him back in primary school. not that gyuvin ever had an argumentative bone in his body to begin with, he’s always simply gone with the flow—rolled with the punches and let gunwook take the lead if anything went wrong.
nevertheless, the baby omega, addicted to anything and everything sugar-filled, dragged him to the cafe. he’d been unwilling to go in by himself after his alpha roommate swore the place off after their first visit, just because the omega behind the counter was ‘too pretty’ and had ‘the shiniest eyes and deepest dimples he’s ever seen in his entire life.’
it’s not like he could blame junhyeon anyways, he was in the same boat. instantly falling in love with a pretty omega at the same cafe.
if he thinks hard enough (which he won’t, because as mentioned earlier, that’s park gunwook’s responsibility) he may be able to theorize about some something something government implanting pretty omegas into the cafe something something conspiracy, but why would he ruin the magic? the possibility of the cutest little romance story between him and his future omega mate who smells like a sugar-filled cup of hot chocolate is the only thing that matters here. who cares if the government’s involved?
gunwook orders two custard puddings and doesn’t make any move to pull out his wallet when the cashier (who is definitely not the pretty-star-eyed-dimple-having omega who junhyeon’s in love with. in fact, gyuvin’s pretty sure he’s an alpha, and he’s got a severe case of bedroom eyes and a derpy looking smile) tells them their total, so gyuvin ends up paying. he shouldn’t have expected gunwook to pay anyways considering his tiny moon bag is only big enough to hold chapstick and a photocard.
they take a seat at a more secluded table, and while gunwook reapplies his chapstick, legs bouncing in anticipation of the supposed legendary custard pudding, gyuvin spots him.
curled up at the tiny table a few feet away from them is quite literally the man of all of his fantasies. while he’s not entirely sure yet if he’s amazed by him because he’s in love with him or because he wants to be him, he is sucked into an absolute trance.
he looks so cute and dainty yet sharp and cold all at the same time, it makes gyuvin’s vision spin with how many of the man’s details he keeps noticing. he’s got swoopy silver hair with two tiny little bow clips resting on either side and pouty pink lips that dip down as he scribbles something out on his ipad and he’s wrapped in a big puffer jacket that completely dwarfs his entire figure in the most adorable way. gyuvin thinks that maybe he could sneak a picture of his long, dainty fingers that poke out so cutely from his big jacket to wrap around his pencil and frame it. his nails are painted a mixed-matched combination of blue and pink and they sparkle when the light of the cafe hits them as he sweeps a piece of his hair away from his eyes.
there’s a moment there that gyuvin completely forgets that he’s sitting across from gunwook, in a cafe, waiting to get their plates of custard pudding. he’s utterly immersed into everything about this beautiful—gorgeous—otherworldly man next to them.
“two custard puddings.” gyuvin startles, his gaze snapping to the pastel pink plate being set in front of him. he follows the hand up only to find who must be the omega that junhyeon’s obsessed over, because his cheeks dip into deep craters and his eyes shine so brightly as he smiles, “enjoy!”
gyuvin glances at gunwook, whose hands are moving to grab his spoon but his gaze is fixated back at him.
“he’s the one.” he says right before stuffing an absurd spoonful of pudding into his mouth. gyuvin takes the moment to snap a picture of him, cheeks filled and eyes curled into happy crescents.
“junhyeon has good taste.” is all he replies with, because he knows that gunwook is too smart—too observant for his own good, and gyuvin knows the best way to avoid any and all confrontation with him is to shut the hell up.
gunwook swallows his pudding, his eyes lighting up in delight as he goes for a second scoop. gyuvin almost instinctively wants to order him another one just because he looks so happy eating it, and maybe when he goes to buy it he’ll get something for the pretty man at the next table.
yeah fucking right.
he cuts that train of delusion off immediately, instead fixating on finally trying the 5-star, park gunwook reviewed, custard pudding. the first spoonful is alright. it tastes…like custard pudding. there's no revolutionary difference from the dining hall.
something about the second spoonful hits different. maybe it’s because he magically got the perfect ratio of caramel to pudding, a rare feat that only happens one in every hundreds of spoons of pudding. or maybe it’s because the sweetest most delectable scent he’s ever smelled hits his nose.
it’s sweet and melty and warm, and he can’t quite put his finger on what exactly it is but it certainly is not the plate of cold pudding in front of him.
“do you smell that?”
gunwook’s eyes sparkle as he looks up, “what? the chocolate?” he points with his spoon somewhere behind him and gyuvin turns to see the bedroom eyes cashier plopping marshmallows into a pink mug, “yeah, i heard they make their hot chocolate by melting like two full chocolate bars.”
he watches as the cashier finishes the drink with a sprinkle of cinnamon and calls over junhyeon’s twinkle-eyed omega to serve it. and what gyuvin doesn’t expect him to do at fucking all is to bring the mug over and place it on the table next to theirs, you know, the one with the absolutely mesmerizing man at it?
the blond beauty’s face lights up so adorably and he smiles so brightly as the hot chocolate is set onto his table. it’s moments like these that gyuvin wishes he could paint or really draw anything more than a stick figure because he’s certain that with the right amount of dedication and artistic prowess, the image of the man taking the first sip of his drink—melted marshmallow stuck to his top lip as he sets the mug down—belongs in a museum. right next to the mona lisa. in fact, fuck the mona lisa, this man’s beauty should be broadcast across the world, put into history books so every generation can be graced by his addicting allure.
gyuvin swallows at the same time the man does, his lips curling into an adorable grin just before he darts his tongue out to swipe at the marshmallow staining his lips.
“kimgyu?” gyuvin’s gaze snaps back to gunwook, “isn’t it good?”
he takes one look at his barely touched pudding before grabbing gunwook’s empty plate and swapping them, “it’s alright. you can have mine.”
the younger omega rolls his eyes, “you have the worst taste, i swear.” and then he’s spooning into the pudding without complaint, “i bet you’d eat literal rocks and say they’re tasty.”
“if they’re tasty rocks, then i’d eat them.” he shrugs, “i prefer the dining hall custard.”
“you’re wrong, and that’s okay.”
gyuvin has no qualms with letting gunwook happily eat his plate of pudding and call him tasteless. especially since it gives him more time unabashedly admire the man next to them.
gunwook eats his pudding. the beautiful man drinks his hot chocolate. and gyuvin is just along for the ride.
eventually, twinkle omega comes by to retrieve the blond’s empty mug, just as gunwook scoops the last bit of pudding into his mouth. and as they sit around, procrastinating returning to the icy weather outside, something within gyuvin snaps.
it still smells like chocolate—hot chocolate, with melted marshmallows.
he takes a quick glance around the cafe, there's only two other occupied tables and both are very much lacking the signature pink hot chocolate filled mug, and behind the counter, none of the employees are in the process of making anything, just idly standing around and chatting.
gyuvin’s head spins as the smell invades his lungs.
he takes one glance at gunwook before moving his eyes to the blond, who’s suddenly packing up his things into a pin-filled pink backpack. and that’s of course when it hits him in full force.
warm and gooey melted hot chocolate, so thick and delectable, so sweet that it makes his mouth start watering. and it’s coming from him. the newfound love of his life, the alluring blond just feet away from him, is an omega.
and that leaves him here. lying across his living room, downing mug after mug of hanbin’s special hot chocolate. it’s not exactly the same as the omega’s scent. not as chocolatey, not at gooey, but it’s close enough. and it’s precisely what he needs to plan a visit to the cafe the next day, in hopes to see the omega once again.
as expected, the cafe is the same as the day before, except it’s lacking the particular puffer-coat covered figure of a certain omega and the smell of hot chocolate in the air. no worries though, because gyuvin orders a hot chocolate along with his order of custard pudding and takes a seat at the exact same table, leg shaking in anticipation.
the same omega comes to set his order gently on his table and the swirling scent of the hot chocolate envelopes him like a warm embrace, it’s enough to settle his heart that currently aches for the pretty blond omega. gyuvin spoons pudding into his mouth while taking sips of the hot chocolate in between each bite. as soon as his mug empties, he orders another, just to have the aroma of hot chocolate and melty marshmallows surrounding him.
finally, he pulls out his laptop, opens up a textbook and plunges headfirst into studying for his physics exam. delusion is a hell of a drug and if convincing himself to study includes the fact that the pretty hot chocolate omega won’t fall in love if he fails, then so be it. everyone has their own way of coping.
eventually, while he’s deep into his studies and drafting a passive aggressive email to his professor to ask what the actual fuck is he thinking putting a semesters worth of information on an exam when the telltale rustling of a puffer jacket jolts him back to reality. the captivating scent of the omega blends in seamlessly with the sugary aroma coming from the mug beside his laptop, intensifying as he receives his own mug of the heavenly chocolate drink.
gyuvin eases into the moment, basking in the scent and the sight of his omega. he’s an absolute vision in an adorable mini skirt beneath his gigantic puffer, and as much as gyuvin prides himself on being fairly level-headed and rational, he’s maybe going a little bit haywire over the omega’s long, pale legs, way too much of his thighs peeking out as he crosses them.
just like the day before, he takes out an ipad and starts scribbling around on it. gyuvin can’t see the screen but just watching his flowy yet calculated movements are enough to entertain him for hours.
and it does.
he basks in the omega’s scent while going back and forth between studying and sneaking peeks at the omega every now and then. he watches his tongue peek out his lips as he gets really focused, watches his fingers tap at the screen while his pencil recharges, watches him take the tiniest of bites out of his avocado toast.
a rough cough snaps gyuvin out of his short-skirt-blond-hair-omega-filled stupor, and he finds the twinkle-eyed omega holding out a plate towards him, half a sandwich and some chips on it, “you looked like you needed a snack.”
“oh—i—!” gyuvin stammers, hand hesitantly reaching for the plate.
“it’s on the house.” the omega assures him, a mischievous shine in his eyes, “just promise to come back another day for three more cups of hot chocolate.”
heat creeps into gyuvin’s cheeks as he mumbles out a quick thank you, quickly taking the plate from him. but, the omega lingers, his doughy scent finally hitting gyuvin’s nose. he smells like fresh bread, warm and buttery. perfect for a cafe like this.
“um—can i ask your name?”
“i’m taerae.” he beams, and somehow his mouth grows even wider across his face as he leans in closer, voice quiet as he mutters, “and the omega you’ve been watching for the past few hours is ricky.”
every single alarm that gyuvin has stored in his brain in case of emergency suddenly blares. emergency one, this omega—taerae—has seen him drooling and ogling over the beautiful blond omega—apparently named ricky—and has just (?) silently (???) let him make an absolute buffoon of himself? if taerae noticed and the only interaction with him that he’s had is literally him bringing mugs of hot chocolate to his table surely all the other employees have noticed which means that ricky himself may have noticed.
which brings us to emergency number two
his name is ricky.
taerae seemingly disappears into thin air after literally being the cause of gyuvin’s second most panic inducing moment of his entire life.
(the first being the elaborate fbi-level set up he, gunwook, junhyeon, and yujin (of all people) planned and put into execution to get zhang hao and hanbin to finally admit they’re in love with each other. gyuvin’s part of the plan had almost gone completely fucking wrong, leading hao to storm away from him and specifically go the opposite way of the restaurant they had hanbin waiting at. just thinking about it makes shivers go down his spine. gunwook would’ve skinned him alive if he hadn’t ended up convincing hao to ‘please, please, please just follow me—i’ll give you massages every day for two weeks!’
they’d settled on massages for three weeks and zhang hao and hanbin are now seconds away from marriage, buying a house together, and starting a family with ddungjungham as their first born).
nevertheless, he's been caught, exposed in the act of being absolutely down bad. with the last bits of his dignity, gyuvin hastily finishes the free food, plate clinking against the counter as he returns it. taerae’s there, tilting his head as a smug reminder that he fucking knows. but gyuvin will not give him any more satisfaction and quickly strides toward the exit, the bell above the door jingling with a mocking cheerfulness, as if the café itself is reveling in his embarassment.
the chilly air outside hits him like a brick, a stark contrast to the aggressive warmth surging inside of him. gyuvin practically sprints home, so caught up in his thoughts that he almost misses the entrance to his building.
once safely behind the closed door of his apartment, gyuvin leans heavily against it, chest heaving. he’s met with the most domestic of scenes, hanbin and hao nearly sitting on top of each other on the couch, a bowl of noodles being shared between them. his heart sinks at the thought that it could be he and ricky in the same scene, sharing the same salty noodles.
his cheeks radiate heat, and the swarm of butterflies in his stomach shows no signs of settling.
hanbin and hao turn to look at him with equal amounts of concern etched into their faces.
“i think i’m in love.”
(“you’d think he’d be an alpha with how whipped he is for this mysterious omega.” hao comments, shoving his socked foot into gyuvin’s buttcheek, with love, of course.
hanbin’s delicate and minty scent had been flooding the room for a while, working to get rid of the sour notes emanating from the omega sprawled on the floor, face buried into the rug. surprisingly, it even overpowers zhang hao’s scent that’s been bubbling with mischief and amusement ever since gyuvin walked in.
“i was raised by alphas.” gyuvin’s muffled voice answers, “i’m like—predispositioned to like omegas.”
sung hanbin, 23 years old and a little more than halfway through a degree in biology with a minor in sub-gender and sexuality studies, curtly replies, “that’s not how that works.”
“ yeah, that’s not how that works~” hao sings with the cadence of a four-year-old, “ omega-liker.”
“you cannot call me an ‘omega-liker’ like it’s a slur.”)
gyuvin, 20 years old, impressively whipped and atrociously down bad for an omega who probably doesn’t even know he exists makes the unfortunate choice to continue returning to the cafe. it’s not just because of the omega, alright? he’s got, like, studying and shit to do and the cafe is actually quite a nice spot to sit in for the day and sometimes taerae brings him free snacks!
ricky showing up every now and then at the table next to him is just an additional bonus.
and don’t let anyone tell you otherwise. especially not sung hanbin (and occasionally zhang hao), who certainly does not have to make a pot of hot chocolate every night while gyuvin talks his ear off about ricky’s pretty pink boots, or ricky’s new golden earrings that run up the entire side of his ear, or ricky’s glitter eyeliner that sparkles on the edges of his eyes.
(“does he even know your name ?” hao teases from atop the counter, legs dangling as he attempts to toss mini marshmallows into gyuvin’s mug from across the kitchen.
“ hyung.” gyuvin whines, “our wedding is in three months!”
his scent grows stronger, the corners of his lips rising in the most diabolical way, “oh, hanbinnie, our pup really is delusional.”
gyuvin pretends not to hear the exasperated sigh that comes from hanbin’s direction.)
“what the everloving fuck even is that?” taerae leans in closer, his buttery scent overwhelming even the mug of fresh hot chocolate he just put down, “these are hieroglyphics, gyuvin.”
gyuvin rolls his eyes, wrapping his hands around the warm mug, using it as an excuse to stop working, “ these are differential equations, taerae.”
immediately, he receives a sharp flick to his ear,“taerae-hyung, you little—”
“taerae!” the other barista/cashier/literally-who-is-this-guy? interrupts with his usual toothy grin, holding out a sandwich to be served. whoever he is, he’s just saved him from the grasps of taerae’s true wrath.
taerae instantly puts on his deep-dimpled, customer service smile and goes to retrieve the order.
it’s late in the afternoon already and there’s no signs of ricky showing up anytime soon. but, gyuvin still has twenty more questions on his study guide and he’s been banned from returning to the apartment until 7 anyways (something about hanbin and hao wrapping christmas presents, as if he doesn’t have both of theirs sitting under the tree in their original amazon packaging). so, he’s content to hang out in the cozy cafe for the evening. even sans ricky.
he’s got time to take a break, so gyuvin decides to clear his mind of differential equations and sip at his fresh hot chocolate. taerae and his coworker are chattering between themselves behind the counter. there’s a couple sharing an average at best pudding across the cafe from him, but the two are so cutely bunched up on one side of the table, that he can ignore their choice of dessert. there’s a group of students, who look significantly more stressed than him, papers and textbooks strewn across their booth. hopefully it’s not a horrific group project that he’s witnessing fall apart in real time.
and just as he rakes his eyes across the entrance of the cafe, the door jingles and opens to reveal ricky in all his puffer-jacket-wrapped glory. his omega.
ricky takes his spot at his usual table, pulls out his ipad, and spreads the scent of chocolate and sweet marshmallows, like it’s just something normal that gyuvin should be completely normal about.
spoiler: he’s not.
gyuvin dives into his usual routine of answering questions, rewarding himself with peeks at ricky (who, by the way, has got pink blush spread across his cheeks and nose today), and sending hanbin pictures of pouting puppies and messages whining about letting him come home.
he’s fully focused for a while until taerae comes by at the most perfect moment, right when he’s starting to get fidgety and peckish, to drop off a yogurt for him.
gyuvin has never been the most agile or graceful person, but he has, in fact, opened a yogurt lid before. actually, he’s opened fucking plenty of yogurt lids before with no problems. so there’s no real reason that he proceeds to open this yogurt container with all the grace of a bull in a china shop.
as if it has a personal grudge against his yogurt opening prowess, the lid resists. but, gyuvin is undeterred, twisting it with all his might to show this yogurt who’s boss.
a mistake.
with a cartoonish—mocking—pop, the yogurt container explodes. it splatters across the table, his textbooks and study guides, his hoodie, and—much to gyuvin's utter dismay—onto ricky. in the moment of yogurt-induced chaos, time freezes. actually, gyuvin’s pretty sure his own heart freezes, because it stutters in his chest making him choke on his own breath.
his eyes widen in horror as he locks eyes with ricky. the omega blinking back at him with the yogurt in question at the corner of his lip and on the tip of his nose. gyuvin would think it’s adorable in any other circumstance.
but for now, his first interaction with the love of his fucking life is dumping yogurt all over him after being the biggest idiot in the world and failing to open a lid like a normal person.
“i am so—so fucking sorry, holy shit.” gyuvin hisses out, barely able to breathe, “let me—i need—” he probably looks insane, glancing around the cafe and his yogurt-covered table trying to formulate a plan of action.
- run to the counter
- grab the entire container of napkins
- get the yogurt off ricky and beg on knees for forgiveness
(and for his number????)
he’s genuinely starting to write his will in his mind, planning on leaving all of his things and his dog to hanbin and hao since he clearly won’t have anyone else to leave them too, he’s quite literally destined to be alone forever. a stupid little omega who ruined his only chance at—
“it’s—” a squeaky giggle, “it’s fine!”
gyuvin’s eyes snap back to ricky. only to find the omega desperately trying and adamantly failing at hiding an onslaught of laughter. his eyes are so cutely scrunched and his cheeks are puffed out, the hand he’s holding in front of his mouth doing nothing to hide his clear amusement.
“it’s….fine…?” gyuvin repeats, dazed.
ricky beams, grabbing one of the napkins on his own table (because he’s smart and prepared ) and then gyuvin’s suddenly got his gentle touch wiping at his face, “it mostly got on you, huh?”
he belatedly realizes it’s the first time he’s really heard ricky speak. his voice is deep and smooth and is a perfect match to his chocolatey scent. and then his brain really catches up and he realizes that ricky’s touching him. (well, with a napkin. but, still )
“but—” he tries, “you have—”
“it’s just a little.” ricky assures him, folding the napkin to a clean side before bringing it to his own face and dabbing off yogurt, “besides, i needed to get this jacket dry-cleaned anyways.”
relief washes over gyuvin as ricky continues to smile, turning the disastrous encounter into something so terribly comedic. something that would simply only happen to gyuvin.
“i can pay for it—the dry cleaning…if you don’t mind?” gyuvin quickly offers, “i’m—i’m gyuvin, by the way.”
“ricky.” gyuvin is temporarily dazed by the glitter around his eyes and his scent growing sweeter by the second, “and it’s really no problem. you’ve kinda got a bigger mess to worry about.” ricky says with a glance towards his yogurt covered table.
gyuvin finally leaps into action, stealing the entire container of napkins off the counter (to taerae’s dismay) and starts cleaning off his table, trying to salvage as much as he can of his textbooks and papers. the entire time he feels ricky’s eyes on him, the omega abandoning his ipad to watch him clumsily wipe everything down. it makes his entire being burn in a terrible mixture of embarrassment and adoration.
“i don’t usually make this much of a mess.” gyuvin explains, just to fill the silence. his cheeks pink as he avoids ricky’s gaze.
“i’ll take your word for it.” he replies easily, “clumsy puppy.”
“ puppy ?” gyuvin exclaims, finally satisfied with the removal of all the yogurt, “how old are you?”
“twenty.”
“ i’m twenty.”
ricky snorts, eyebrow raising. he looks like a cat; unimpressed with its owner's attempts at playtime, “you look like a puppy.”
“you look like my soulmate.”
“you look like the love of my life.”
“you look like the peanut butter to my jelly, the mac to my roni, the—”
gyuvin is so caught up in their bickering that he doesn’t even notice the fact that he’s talking to ricky without his heart literally failing. his ears burn as he quickly turns to throw away all the soiled napkins, “whatever.”
("you spilled yogurt on him and he asked to marry you?" hao's eyes roll as he scoffs, "what is this? wattpad?"
"okay, maybe i was exaggerating."
"you live in a world filled with delusion."
hanbin, the best roommate in the entire world, sets down another steaming mug of hot chocolate in front of him, "let him dream, my love."
hao immediately jabs a finger right in the center of his forehead. gyuvin goes a little crosseyed trying to look at it, "kim gyuvin! we've been trying to reach you! if you hear this: wake up!")
the next time he returns to the cafe is to treat himself to something sweet after taking his first final. and by something sweet, of course, he gets a hot chocolate and curls up at his usual table, content with just warming up his hands and vibing in the cafe’s ambiance.
that is until ricky comes in, striding right to his table. gyuvin’s a little starstruck at his outfit today, he’s wrapped completely in a long black blazer and his long legs are covered in sheer tights, disappearing under a tiny black skirt. he looks like every single one of his fantasies blended into one.
“no yogurt today?” he asks, glossy lips quirking up.
“no yogurt.” gyuvin breathes, watching as he drops his bag and takes the seat across from him—at his table.
at this point, he thinks he’ll have to leave an entire section of his will to yogurt.
because of the absolute disaster, he’s got a literal angel across from him. the entire time he sips at his hot chocolate, ricky is there. he learns ricky is studying fashion, which explains what he’s always drawing on his ipad. he quickly swipes through some of his designs, showing gyuvin the full line he has planned for his final project due in a few days.
“you’re here and you have like 5 different pairs of pants due tomorrow?” gyuvin questions, suddenly concerned.
but ricky just shrugs, “i’m almost done.” he shoos away gyuvin’s panic, “and besides, why would i choose sewing over seeing the clumsy puppy at my favorite cafe?”
yeah, he owes every single minute of his life to yogurt.
he and ricky spend the next few evenings together at the cafe, curled up in the warmth, hushed whispers and giggles between them. it’s like they’re in their own world, nobody around them. it’s always just himself and ricky.
“your scent is really nice, you know?” gyuvin startles, eyes widening as ricky leans onto the table, head in his hands, “it’s like…vanilla? i think?”
the moment hangs in the air, gyuvin’s brain is stuck 3 minutes in the past and is desperately trying to catch up, "mine?" he finally gets out.
“yes, yours.” ricky sniffs.
his pride swells inside him, and as if it’s the most masculine scent even he squares his shoulders and proclaims, "vanilla ice cream,"
"that fits you," ricky replies softly, "i like it."
(just like every night he stays by hanbin’s side (to zhang hao’s absolute dismay) and gives him a detailed report of every interaction he had with ricky that day. it’s usually mundane information.
“he’s from shanghai!”
“he was wearing a crop top.”
“he pushed all his hair back!”
but today he lies in hanbin’s bed, specifically sandwiching himself between the couple, and dies.
“he said he likes my scent!” his voice trembles with pure infatuation, “ my scent.”
“i like your scent.” hao comments.
“who are you?”
“you fucking brat —” he’s lucky that hanbin knows his boyfriend well enough to quickly reach over and grab the incoming fist aimed right for his already decaying, soon to be mummified, body.
the same night he gets a single message from ricky. a selfie of himself holding a convenience store vanilla ice cream cone. he responds with a photo of his half-empty mug of hot chocolate.)
another evening at the cafe. another evening where gyuvin basks in ricky’s sugary sweet scent, the best reward he could ever ask for after completing his last final.
ricky does end up finishing his final project and eagerly swipes through pictures of his models and finished pieces for gyuvin to see. his scent swells with pride, sweet and milky notes spreading around them. he’s so giddy and bouncy and gyuvin thinks he would swallow an entire island if it meant he could see ricky like this every single day of his life.
he treats him to an order of custard pudding (ricky’s unfortunate choice) as a congratulations. just like with gunwook, his heart swells when he sees ricky’s cheeks fill with pudding, letting out a squeak of happiness.
“maybe you can be one of my models next semester?” ricky’s scent spikes with mischief as he bats his eyelashes, “you are tall.”
“you call me clumsy every day.” gyuvin quips back, stealing a spoon of ricky’s pudding, “i wouldn’t survive one second on that runway.”
he gets a pink tongue stuck out at him as a response.
there’s a comfortable lull in their conversation. ricky finishes the pudding and gyuvin swallows the last sips of his hot chocolate.
for the first time ever, he catches ricky’s gaze and he looks almost nervous. he’s just about to ask when the blond blurts out, “are you traveling? for the holidays?”
gyuvin slowly nods, “i’m going home for a bit, just to see my family.” ricky’s lips droop into a small pout, so he immediately tacks on, “but, i’ll be back for new years. my roommate’s friend throws an insane party every year.” he rambles, “are you—um—traveling?”
he watches the blond just barely shake his head, “honestly, i’ll be here.” he taps his perfectly manicured nail on the table for emphasis, “waiting for you.”
and at that very second is when gyuvin already knew he’d have to get something for ricky. with the help of hao and belated approval from hanbin, he orders a tiny little puppy keychain that arrives just before he leaves for the holiday break. he ends up staying up late to delicately wrap the puppy and leaves it with taerae at the cafe on his way out of town. his heart flutters on the train ride home, hoping ricky enjoys his gift to him.
김리키: kim gyuvin.
김리키: do you want me to cry?
강아지: merry christmas ☃︎( ˶ˆᗜˆ˵ )❆!
강아지: sorry you had to get it from taerae (ó﹏ò｡)
강아지: i left super early in the morning.
강아지: do you like it? ૮⍝• ᴥ •⍝ა
김리키: it’s just like you.
김리키: he’s been keeping me company.
강아지: :DDDDD
강아지: don’t miss me too much (•̀ ᴗ -) ✧
김리키: why would i ever
강아지: DDDDDDD:
김리키: ㅋㅋ
김리키: thank you.
김리키: his name is gyuvin.
강아지: :)
it’s only a few days after christmas when gyuvin’s steadily approaching the cafe once again. he’d left from his home early. only after his siblings teased him endlessly over the stuttered excuse of ‘something something gigantic crush, hot chocolate scent something something pretty omega waiting for him.’ that he’d given his parents. his omega has been aching each day, like something was missing. the result of a crippling addiction to ricky.
this chill of winter whips across his skin, turning his cheeks pink. but as he steps through the door, the warmth of the cafe embraces him like a comforting hug. the ambiance within is a cozy haven, and instantly he spots the only thing he’s been looking forward to.
the world seems to slow for a moment, allowing him to take in the sight of ricky, who looks like a winter fantasy. from this angle, he can just see his flushed cheeks and pink nose, but it’s enough to instantly ignite a whirlwind of emotions within gyuvin.
he approaches slowly, eyes locked on his target. before he can even reach him, ricky turns and their eyes meet. the omega’s face instantly brightens, his pouty lips morphing into a beaming smile that could melt every glacier in the world.
“gyuvin.” he breathes, sharp eyes watching his every movement as he sits, “i didn’t think you’d be back so soon.”
gyuvin, whipped and insane, replies, “i had a reason to come back.” a reason that undeniably involves a particular blond omega.
“hey lovebirds!” taerae yelps, the evil, toast scented omega sits atop the counters, playfully swinging his legs, “there’s mistletoe above your table, just saying!”
their heads both immediately snap up, only to see that there is in fact a branch of mistletoe right above them. in fact, they’re hung precariously all across the ceiling of the cafe like some sort of devious prank to get every patron to kiss each other. arguably, he wouldn’t put it past taerae to get some kind of sick joy from seeing the awkward interactions.
“kim taerae, are you insane ?” ricky’s hisses.
taerae simply shrugs, “i didn’t make the rules.”
“but you did hang 300 branches of mistletoe on the ceiling.”
instead of dealing with the potential situation at hand, gyuvin takes the moment to get a quick count of the mistletoe for himself. it seems like a better task to focus on for his own sanity and for his delicate heart that skipped several beats at the very real and very possible thought of kissing ricky.
there’s four placed in their area, one hung right above the front door.
“there’s like 10 of them, and to be fair, i only bought them. jiwoong hung them up.”
six are dangling around the biggest booth in the cafe, and there’s a trail of eight of them leading from the door to the front counter.
ricky bristles, “you both are insane.”
there’s even three in the hallway to the bathrooms. to be fair, he’s lost count a bit but let’s just add ten more to be safe, plus the one right above their table.
taerae rolls his eyes, “whatever, can you two just kiss already? i’ll give you free hot chocolate.”
gyuvin finally breathes, “there’s 33.”
“33 what? ”
he beams, pointing upwards, “mistletoe.”
gyuvin glances at ricky, his cheeks resolutely not burning, only to catch a glimmer of both amusement and uncertainty in his sharp eyes as he says, “you’re the biggest dork i’ve ever met.”
yet, despite his words, ricky's eyes crinkle at the corners as he speaks, cheeks spreading as his smile unconsciously grows.
taking a deep breath, gyuvin looks at the mistletoe above their table and then at the adorable form of ricky. ricky and his pretty ribbons and glittery makeup. ricky and his warm and candylike scent. ricky and his shy and stoic persona that's opened up into something more whimsy and playful.
he belatedy wonders what his life would be like if he'd never taken notice of the pretty omega sitting next to himself and gunwook—if he'd never gone with him in the first place, sticking to the dining hall custard pudding.
ricky pulls his knees into his chair and leans across the table. his face is inches from his own and gyuvin is maybe on the brink of his first ever heart attack, or maybe a brain aneurysm, because it's like all at once—his body shuts down. his heart stops, he doesn't breathe, there's not a single thought in his head besides " ricky, ricky, ricky, ricky, ricky..."
gyuvin's senses are overwhelmed, his vision blurs and only sense he has remaining is smell. he knows this only because the smell of hot chocolate becomes suffocating at this close distance. or maybe ricky's purposely flooding the cafe with his pheremones. regardless, gyuvin can't tell.
he actually can't do jack shit besides sit there and contemplate all of his actions leading to this moment.
what happens next is hard to follow and gyuvin can't really tell what's reality versus his oxygen-deficient hallucinations.
what he does know is:
- ricky leans in closer, propping himself up on one arm.
- ricky's long fingers curl so softly around his jaw, like he's a pane of glass, cracked and threatening to shatter.
- ricky's lips press right against the corner of his mouth.
- ricky's lip gloss is strawberry flavored and leaves behind a faint pink shimmer on his skin.
- he's so very insanely in love.
☃︎☃︎☃︎
강아지: it's insane that you don't own any hot chocolate
강아지: like none
강아지: zip...zero
강아지: what if i died? (ㅠ﹏ㅠ)
김리키: i'm in class.
김리키: order hot chocolate, use my card.
강아지: ur missing the point
강아지: u smell like hot chocolate
강아지: and yet
김리키: ???
김리키: kim gyuvin.
강아지: kim ricky ฅ^•ﻌ•^ฅ
김리키: i am in class.
강아지: i miss u
강아지: and as ur omega partner...
강아지: who's heat may or may not be soon
김리키: what.
강아지: i am asking respectfully. to consume your scent... (•̀⤙•́ )
김리키: your heat is soon????
김리키: when were you going to tell me???
강아지: i'm dying...going through withdrawal...
김리키: ...
김리키: check the door in ten mins.
강아지: pls marry me
강아지: ♡〜٩( ˃▿˂ )۶〜♡