Really, Baby (I Will Be Just Fine)

1

It takes exactly two minutes for Hoseok to grab napkins and ketchup near the condiments, but it only takes one for his seat to be stolen.

He’s sure his burger is still at his end of the table, and he’d even left the chair pushed out at an angle just enough to barely become a fire hazard, evidence enough that someone was definitely sitting there. If he learned anything from the horrors of high school, it was knowing when his seat was stolen without permission by a stranger in the Larkburger uniform with a backpack slung on one shoulder, as if just arriving for his shift. But it doesn’t really bother him, not really, because lunch with Yoongi and Namjoon was a regular thing.

Out of embarrassment, he kind of hopes he hadn’t left the seat uncomfortably warm.

The idea had been Namjoon’s to go to the burger joint just outside of campus for lunch, mostly out of pity because Jimin, who had an eleven to six shift today, had sent a number of pleading texts asking to save him from the godawful singing of one of his coworkers (Jiho was no reggae singer, but he seemed to think otherwise) and the blast of air conditioning that made his nose stuffy.

The Rush swept through just after they ordered their food, to their luck, but to Jimin’s dismay, the manager had ushered him back to work, sending him to the back to bag the burgers while Jiho took orders. Hoseok made sure to pull him into a head lock over the counter teasingly before grabbing their tray of food and hopping off the counter.

Now Hoseok has a pile of napkins in his hand on his way back to the table - an embarrassingly tall stack because he’s a poor college student in need of something to wipe his mouth that isn’t a roll of toilet paper. Although there’s a chance no one would mind, Hoseok is sure there’s written document that guys who use toilet paper for napkins are immediately stripped of their man points. On the plus side, the napkins are one hundred percent recycled, and maybe his future significant other will dig that.

Just as he’s about to reach their table, the stranger stands with his backpack and waves a goodbye, walking in the opposite direction and disappearing to the back. Hoseok stuffs the pile of napkins in his pockets, feigning casualty as he passes through the tables. It’s embarrassing enough that he’s stealing them behind the employees’ backs with the exception of Jimin, but getting caught by everyone else would definitely add to the humiliation and hinder his pride.

“Who was that?” Hoseok asks with a raised brow, plopping down in his seat. It’s warm, and yes, uncomfortably so.

“That’s Jimin’s best bud,” Namjoon responds around a mixed mouthful of hamburger, fries, and soda like some kind of human blender. Namjoon always argued that the flavors were meant to be eaten all together since they complimented each other. Hoseok’s theory is that Namjoon had an alter ego named Food Monster. “You know, the one that climbed out their window using a blanket and sprained his ankle? That one.”

“Kim Taehyung?” Hoseok asks