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It was already close to midnight when Changbin’s future husband came in. Sitting behind the cash register, Changbin had spent the past two hours waiting for him, as he did every Thursday night.
“Behold, what angelic creature comes to visit me so late at night!” he exclaimed as he jumped off his stool.
Hyunjin only shot him a fleeting smile before he walked right into the aisle with the cup noodles. Technically, Changbin wasn’t supposed to know his name. He only knew because Hyunjin had come in with a friend once and the fox-faced boy had called him by his name when he’d tried to get Hyunjin to pay for his snacks. Hyunjin had done it, too, effectively winning Changbin’s heart.
Watching Hyunjin move around the store, Changbin already knew what he was going to pick. A pot of cheesy ramen and two eggs, though the eggs weren’t a given. Nothing too spicy. A drink, but not before Changbin reminded him to get one. After half a year of Hyunjin coming in late every Thursday night, Changbin had his order memorized to a tee.
Also, because he was deeply, flamingly in love with him. He’d already grandely confessed to it a couple of times, too, but Hyunjin only ever rolled his eyes at him.
Buzzing with anticipation, Changbin watched as the shiny knot of black hair on top of Hyunjin’s head moved down the aisle and then the rest of him reappeared, approaching Changbin at the counter.
“One cup of ramen, two eggs.” Changbin scanned the items as he named them, ignoring the way his skin buzzed where their fingers brushed as Hyunjin handed them over. “Do you want a drink with that?”
Hyunjin blinked, slow to turn. He looked a little more tired than usual, dragging his feet as he walked over to the freezer section. He came back with a pouch of iced tea and a cup preloaded with crushed ice.
“Ah, you picked lemon tonight!” Changbin picked up the pouch with the tea and scanned the barcode. “An excellent choice! Very refreshing, just like the sight of your face so late at night!”
Hyunjin rolled his eyes, but Changbin could see the corners of his mouth twitch and that was what he was doing it for. To make Hyunjin laugh after a long day. Or maybe, for Hyunjin, it was the beginning of one. Changbin didn’t know him well enough to ask, but he was pretty sure Hyunjin’s sleep schedule was about as messed up as Changbin’s own.
“If you need anything else, just let me know,” he finished with a waggle of his eyebrows.
“Thank you.” Hyunjin’s voice was deep and raspy and soft with the late hour, his eyes seeking out Changbin’s. That was another reason Changbin had decided they’d get married in the future. Hyunjin never avoided his eyes like most customers did, treating him as if he was a machine and not a real human they were interacting with. Hyunjin always looked him in the eye.
Changbin took the opportunity to wink at him, enjoying the little huff that left Hyunjin’s lips and, more importantly, the way his ears turned pink.
He finished checking Hyunjin out and watched as Hyunjin carried his meal over to the high table running along the front window. Dumping his backpack onto one of the stools, Hyunjin went to fill his cup with hot water while Changbin picked up the microfibre rag they kept under the counter and wiped down its surface. He wanted it to at least look like he was working a little bit before he went over.
While Hyunjin waited for his ramen to cook through, Changbin gave his roommates the latest news.
[changbin] 11.51 p.m.: he picked lemon today \_(^_^)_/ !!
[channie-hyung] 11.52 p.m.: That’s great, Binnie!
[j.one] 11.54 p.m.: just ask him whether he’d let u suck his dick already
Huffing, Changbin locked his phone and left it in the drawer below the register before he made his way over. He wiped down the top of the high table for alibi-purposes, slowly working his way to where Hyunjin sat, nibbling on his noodles as he scrolled on his phone. His finger stilled as Changbin came to a halt next to him and Changbin smiled. He placed a small, foil-wrapped chocolate heart next to Hyunjin’s cup of noodles before he moved along.
He’d almost reached the end of the table when Hyunjin’s voice rose up behind him, “Changbin.”
Changbin startled. He didn’t know why he hadn’t expected Hyunjin to know his name. It was printed right there on the name tag pinned to his chest.
Slowly, he turned around.
Hyunjin held the chocolate heart up delicately. “What’s this for?”
Changbin kneaded the dust rag in his hands, plastering the brightest smile he could muster onto his face. “You looked a little down today, so I thought some chocolate might cheer you up.”
Hyunjin looked down at the heart, keeping it between both palms. He didn’t say anything so Changbin did, “Of course, it’s also a confession of my undying love for you! A marriage proposal, if you will!”
“Another one?” Hyunjin raised an eyebrow at him, the one that held a shiny silver piercing.
“As many as it takes,” Changbin allowed his smile to soften. “Third time’s the charm, right?”
Hyunjin snorted and shook his head and kept the chocolate heart in one palm as he picked his chopsticks back up. Feeling accomplished enough, Changbin took his rag and himself and returned both to their rightful spot behind the cash register.
He dawdled around on his phone until Hyunjin got up from his stool and, the cup with the rest of his tea in one hand, made his way towards the door.
“Have a good night, star of my night!” Changbin called after him as the electric doors slid open.
Hyunjin shot him a smile before he left.
Changbin spent the rest of his shift in high spirits. It was rare that someone came in after Hyunjin, far into a residential neighbourhood as they were, so he spent most of the time restocking the shelves and pulling the perishables from the fridges that had reached their expiry date.
Jisung and Chan would be delighted if he brought them back his spoils of gimbap triangles and strawberry milk. As soon as the clock hit 2 a.m., he grabbed his backpack from the back, clocked out and started locking up.
He was just getting to the lower lock on the front door when a voice piped up behind him, “Changbin.”
Changbin startled so bad he dropped his keys. “Fuck!”
Clutching his pearls, he ducked down to pick them up before he turned around. Also to have something akin to a weapon in case he was about to get mugged. He nearly dropped his keys a second time when he saw who it was that had waited for him to come out.
“Hyunjin!”
Hyunjin startled. “You know my name?”
Changbin coughed, embarrassed at having been caught. “Your friend called you that once.”
“Oh.” Where Hyunjin’s shoulders had pulled up, they relaxed.
“What, uh, what are you still doing here?” Changbin frowned when he looked towards the bus stop across from the store. “Did you miss your bus?”
“No. I mean yes, technically, but—” Hyunjin’s eyes were bright and shy and his cheeks were pink and he wasn’t looking away from Changbin for a single second. “I kind of did it on purpose.”
Changbin frowned. “I’m not sure I understand.”
Hyunjin shook his head, looking a little breathless as he stepped closer. “Did you mean it?”
“Did I mean what?”
“That you’d marry me.”
“Of course.”
Hyunjin flinched at Changbin’s immediate response.
“I mean,” Changbin cleared his throat, rubbing the back of his nape, “it would probably be nice to get a coffee first or something, but—” He shrugged. “Of course, I mean it.”
Hyunjin shook his head. “Why? You don’t even know me.”
Changbin couldn’t help but smile. “I know enough.”
Hyunjin only raised a questioning eyebrow at him.
“I know how you like your ramen. I know you’re a dancer.” Changbin pointed at the logo on Hyunjin’s zip-up hoodie. Lee Dance Studio it said in cursive lettering. “I know you’re the most beautiful man I’ve ever seen in my life and you’re never going to steal my favourite spicy chips from me because you don’t like spicy food like that.”
Hyunjin blinked. “And that’s enough?”
“For me, definitely.”
Hyunjin nodded. “Yes.”
“W-what?”
“Yes. To the coffee first!” he corrected himself when Changbin beamed at him. “The jury’s still out on our marriage. You’d have to meet my friends first. Survive Minho-hyung’s shovel talk.” Hyunjin’s tone was serious, but Changbin could see the twinkle in his eye.
It prompted him to scream, “I’ll fend for your hand, whatever it takes!”
Hyunjin laughed and if Changbin had thought his crush had been embarrassing before, there was definitely no going back now.
Taking the joking lilt out of his voice, Changbin said, “There’s a 24-hour coffee shop two streets down from here. If you’d like to go…” He offered his arm.
He didn’t expect Hyunjin to take it, but things were different this late at night. Neither of them could be blamed for what they decided to do after 2 a.m.. Changbin just knew he was not going to let this opportunity slip through his fingers, not if Hyunjin was down.
“I’m down for that,” Hyunjin said in that moment, as if he’d read Changbin’s mind.
Changbin just took that as further proof that they were meant to be. “Walk with me then, my beautiful man!”
Hyunjin rolled his eyes, blushing, but walk with Changbin, he did.