while most people despise waking up and having to work, jeno didn't mind. in fact, he actually enjoyed it.
sure, he wasn't too fond about the idea of waking up early in the morning but in the end, it was worth it.
he worked at a little bakery near his apartment that was owned by his close friend, lee felix. he had met the freckled boy in college and they had instantly clicked. as soon as they left college felix began working on his dream to open his own bakery, and he did. jeno was quick to accept when felix asked him if he'd like to work there.
jeno's best friend donghyuck also worked there with them, which made his job even more enjoyable.
the three of them worked there with another thai boy who was a little older than them and went by the name ten.
smiling at the thought of seeing his friends, jeno tied the strings of his apron around his waist before throwing on his coat. he checked the mirror next to his door and fixed his hair. he had recently dyed it a light blue and he felt more confident than ever.
he grabbed his keys and locked the door behind him before sending a quick text to felix to let him know he was on the way. it was only a five minute walk to the bakery and he arrived quickly, the bell above the door letting anyone who was in the bakery know he had arrived.
"lee, you're here!" jeno smiled at the sound of felix's voice and watched the blonde boy almost trip while running over to him. jeno chuckled and let felix engulf him in a hug. jeno wasn't exactly the biggest fan of skinship but nobody could resist felix, he smelled like sweet pastries and gave the best hugs.
"is anyone else here?" jeno asked, the two had pulled away from the hug and were now heading behind the counter and into the break room. felix shook his head and plopped down on the sofa.
"donghyuck should be here in an hour or so but for now it's just you and me, baby." felix winked making the pair laugh. felix was naturally flirty with everybody so jeno knew not to take it seriously.
jeno checked his phone and saw there was only ten minutes before the bakery would open. he decided to go make sure everything was ready for the day. he organized some pastries in a pretty pattern on a plate and put a glass dome over them to keep them fresh.
today was a monday which was always a busy day for them with adults grabbing some breakfast before work or college kids desperate for a coffee before class due to their messed up sleep schedules. jeno felt bad for them as he was in that position only a year ago, he really did, but he had to admit it was a little amusing seeing them pile in looking like a corpse.
the two boys leaned against the counters and talked while they waited for the next few minutes to pass. jeno then unlocked the door and changed the sign from "closed" to "open" and dramatically ran back behind the counter as if he had done the scariest thing ever, making felix laugh.
soon after the college kids and stressed adults began to make their way into the bakery. jeno started taking their orders while felix got to making the drinks and their food. jeno recognized some people as they had a few regulars and he greeted them with his signature eye smile.
they had been working for about an hour when a boy jeno had never seen walked in. he was intrigued by the boy's pink hair and the way he walked in with his head held high. he made his way to the counter where he smiled at jaemin.
"hi there." the male's voice was soft but captivating and jeno found himself zoning out. he felt felix nudge him in the ribs, bringing him back to reality.
"oh sorry, what can i get you?" the boy chuckled softly and rested his hands on the counter as his eyes scanned over the menu.
"i've never been here, how about you recommend me a drink?" jaemin tilted his head, still smiling, as he waited for jeno to respond. jeno thought for a moment before nodding.
"my favorite drink is probably our strawberry and vanilla frappuccino." jeno failed to notice the way jaemin's smile faltered at the word 'strawberries' as jaemin was quick to smile widely.
"sounds great. so you like sweet things, jeno?" jeno looked up from the cash register as he heard his name, raising an eyebrow. jaemin shook his head with a laugh and pointed to jeno's name tag. jeno blushed at this and continued typing jaemin's order into the cash register.
"that'll be 3.99, can i have your name?"
"jaemin." although jeno knew a few people named jaemin, the way the pink haired boy said it made it sound different.
"i'll let you know when your order is ready." jeno smiled and moved on to the next customer, taking their order. jaemin watched the boy from the other end of the counter. he made a mental note to thank doyoung for recommending this place to him, he wasn't lying when he said the workers were cute.
he felt a little disappointed when it was the other blonde worker who called his name and handed him his drink as he wanted to talk to the blue haired boy again, but he still smiled and thanked him nonetheless. noticing how there were no customers ordering at that moment, he stopped while walking past the cash register.
"i'll see you around jeno, i hope." jaemin winked and jeno looked up with wide eyes. jaemin smiled as jeno's cheeks turned a warm shade of red and he simply nodded in response.
felix waited until the customer had left before rushing over to jeno.
"so who's the boy?" felix wiggled his eyebrows at jeno, making the latter blush even more.
"stop, i don't even know him. i think he's new here."
"so you scored the new boy, nicely done." felix raised his hand for a high five and rolled his eyes when his friend left him hanging. he was about to continue teasing the shy boy when the bell above the door caught their attention and they saw donghyuck walking in.
"hey gays, any annoying customers today?" donghyuck threw his coat into the break room and tied his apron around his small waist, looking between his two friends.
"no but there was one interesting one." felix smirked and nudged jeno. donghyuck raised his eyebrows at this and crossed his arms before leaning against the counter.
"go on, i'm interested."
"felix is overreacting, there's just a new guy in town and he's nice." felix scoffed and rolled his eyes.
"you're not going to tell hyuck that this new guy already has the fattest crush on you?"
donghyuck raised his eyebrows and looked at jeno with a grin. "now this is some interesting news."
"guys relax, we probably won't even see him again." jeno shook his head and left the pair as a customer made their way over to the counter.
"wanna bet on it?" felix whispered to donghyuck.
"hell yeah."
a/n: AAAAH i'm so excited for this story, i really hope it turns out the way i hope :D
