Archive of Our Own ^beta

There's a boy that comes to their coffee shop from time to time.

Now, as a general rule of thumb, Taehyuk doesn't interact with customers more than necessary - thank you, crippling social anxiety - but something about him is different.

It's not even the fact that he seems to have caught Jun's attention - Taehyuk himself has caught Jun's attention, and he really wishes he hadn't - but more his red string.

Or, well-

red strings.

He's completely tangled in three red strings, and Taehyuk's only seen things like this a few times before.

Because, see - soulmates are meant to like each other. Strangers have straight lines, a to b, and romantic partners have strings that dance over their hands in loose waves.

The only reason this boy's strings would be this tangled is if he and his soulmates are on bad terms.

Very bad terms, from the looks of it. Taehyuk's string is tangled up to his elbow, as is Jun's, but one of the boy's strings wraps around his neck.

What happened here?

The boy's name is Jaewon, Jun informs him, staring at Taehyuk with his patented "are-you-smoking-cocaine-in-the-break-room" look. His name is Jaewon, and he's a kind and shy kid who Jun really likes.

More fucking power to him, then - Taehyuk hasn't met a single person Jun will admit to liking - but that doesn't help him at all.

Because, okay, Taehyuk's a little bit of a matchmaker.

Just a bit.

He likes seeing soulmates get together, likes seeing their smiles and someday seeing them as a couple, and seeing someone with strings tangled this badly just makes him sad. 

But he doesn't exactly have many options to confront this boy about his soulmates.

That is, until one of them walks right through the door.

It's pouring rain outside, and Taehyuk glowers at the pavement, only half-focusing on the machine he's supposed to be cleaning. The doorbell rings, and he turns his attention to the door, only for his eyes to widen at the sight of Jaewon and a boy he doesn't know.

The boy who's responsible for the string tangled up to Jaewon's elbows. 

He sneezes, blond hair dripping on the tile, and Jaewon frowns, pulling him up to the counter. 

"Ah... is Jun-ah working today?"

"Nope," Taehyuk replies, resting his chin on his hand. "But I make a better latte than him anyways, so it's okay."

The blond kid grins, bouncing on the balls of his feet as he surveys the menu, and he sneezes once more before ordering two hot chocolates - one decaf, and Jaewon frowns at that - and dragging Jaewon to a seat in the corner.

They look like they're happy enough, Taehyuk notes, so why are their strings so tangled?

It's always harder to help soulmates who don't get along (and no, he is not thinking of a certain asshole) so he lets his mind wander as he makes their hot chocolates, unsure of what to do next. 

He could try to set them up?

Hm. Maybe.

Eventually, he just gives them extra croissants.

"You two are a cute couple," he hums, and Jaewon chokes on his hot chocolate.

"We're not- we're not a couple," he wheezes, and blond-kid pouts.

"Ah, hyung, so cruel... I thought you cared about me!"

"Dae-"

"I'm joking," Dae grins, resting his chin on his hand. "We're not together."

"Really?"

Jaewon chokes a second time, and Dae reaches across the table to pat his back, never breaking eye contact with Taehyuk.

"Why did you think we were?" he asks, and Taehyuk shrugs.

"Doesn't matter. Enjoy your cocoa!"

Once he's back at the counter, he can't hear what they're saying, but after a moment of conversation, they both laugh, one of the strings around Dae's ring finger dancing over his knuckles.

It's always nice to see soulmates getting along. 

(also, out of self-preservation, taehyuk decides not to tell rose that two out of four mayhem members came to his store. contrary to popular belief, he does, in fact, like living.)

"So, let me get this straight."

Jun stares at him, visibly unimpressed. "Your grand master plan to set them up was to give them bread and tell them they looked like a couple."

"Yes," Taehyuk confidently replies, and Jun stares at him, expression blank.

"You're terrible at this."

"Wha- I'm sure it worked!"

And he is. Whenever he sees MAYHEM on t.v., Jaewon and Daehyun's strings coil around their fingers, loose and cheerful. 

"Mhm. And this has to do with your magical powers?"

"See if I ever go drinking with you again," Taehyuk mutters, turning his attention back to the machines. "I go one time because noona promised me chips, and I got plastered and didn't get my chips."

"You're a lightweight."

"You're a punk reject."

Taehyuk flips him off behind his back before turning to the register, plastering his best customer service smile on his face. "Hi! What can I get for you?"

"Ah..."

Jaewon smiles at him, and the silver-haired man next to him - Minsoo, if Taehyuk recalls correctly - jumps up a few times to get a better look at the menu. "Hi! Can I get a cinnamon latte with as much espresso as you can legally give me?"

Jaewon stares at him, mildly horrified, and Taehyuk privately shares the sentiment.

"Oh, and he'll have a decaf hot chocolate," Minsoo continues, thumbing in Jaewon's direction.

"Ah- hyung-"

"Daehyunnie-yah told me you're not allowed to have caffeine after four," Minsoo smugly replies, and Jaewon mumbles something that sounds suspiciously like "traitor". "But I can!"

"Hyung," Jaewon mumbles, and Taehyuk's gaze drifts to the string knotted and tangled around his biceps. 

Ah.

"Decaf cocoa and hell drink!" Taehyuk calls, and Minsoo grins, leaning over to ruffle Jaewon's hair.

"See? I told you I could stay up until three!"

"That's not a good goal," Jaewon miserably replies, and Minsoo bursts into laughter.

"Make your own orders," Jun snaps, and Jaewon's eyes light up upon seeing the dark-haired barista.

"Jun-ah!"

"Ooh," Minsoo teases, leaning over to poke his cheek. "Is this your boyfriend?"

"Um-"

"No," Jun simply replies, whacking Minsoo with a rolled-up magazine. "Go sit down."

"Wh- where did you get that?"

"I carry it to deal with the day's morons," Jun simply replies, and Minsoo sputters, rendered speechless as Jaewon drags him to a table.

Taehyuk glances at the pair a few times as he prepares their drinks, and they seem to be arguing over something - or, well, Minsoo's arguing at Jaewon. 

Same difference, really.

Jaewon isn't the confrontational type, Taehyuk thinks, and Minsoo most definitely is - what is it they say about short people having bigger tempers because there're fewer places for the anger to go? - so it's about as two-sided as it's ever going to get.

Minsoo's weird, Taehyuk decides.

"I don't like him," Jun murmurs, and Taehyuk cranes his neck to stare at the dark-haired barista, eyes narrowing as he tries to make out who he's staring at. "The white-haired guy. I don't like him."

"You just like Jaewon," Taehyuk snorts, and Jun whacks him with the magazine. "Ow!"

"Ssh," Jun hisses, and Taehyuk rubs his head, falling silent as he stares at the pair at the corner table. 

Jaewon's grinning at something Minsoo said, and the silver-haired man gesticulates wildly, the earlier argument completely forgotten. He looks besotted, and Jun leans over to stare at Taehyuk, eyes stone-cold.

"You're not doing it again-"

"I'm absolutely doing it again."

"You can't keep giving out couple's discounts," Jun points out, and Taehyuk grins at him.

"Are you gonna stop me?"

"Eventually, yes."

"But today?"

"No, but-"

"Great! Time to go set up those two."

Jun watches him through hooded eyes as Taehyuk approaches the pair, a pair of pastries and drinks in hand. "Here's your coffee!"

"Um," Jaewon points out, staring at the pastry as if it's going to spontaneously grow teeth and eat him, "we didn't order pastries."

"It's on the house," Taehyuk winks, and then, to make it believable, "I love seeing cute couples around here."

"Oh, we're not-"

"Isn't he the cutest?" Minsoo grins, and Jaewon's face turns a rather impressive shade of fuchsia. "Ah, so cute-"

"Hyung!" Jaewon squeaks, and Minsoo shoots him a "fuck-you-I-want-this-pastry" look. 

"Cute," Minsoo repeats, a bit more fervently, and Taehyuk grins as he leans forwards to squish Jaewon's cheeks. "Isn't he cute?"

"Yep!" Taehyuk agrees, and Jaewon's blush deepens until his face is the same shade as his hair.

"Cute," Minsoo continues, studying the younger man with the sort of determination reserved for someone having an epiphany, "and hot. Very hot. You're very hot, Jaewon-ah."

"Wha- hyung- I-"

"Very hot," Minsoo repeats, squishing his cheeks a few times for emphasis. "But also cute. I don't get it."

"Ah-"

Neither one notices Taehyuk slipping away, and for that, he's grateful.

Of course, those two were the ones Taehyuk suspected would be easy to fix.

The third - the one wrapping around Jaewon's neck to the point of strangling him - that one is a different story entirely.

The location speaks volumes about Jaewon's thoughts about his third soulmate. The love's been there for a while, but something's stopping him from this one in particular - something's strangling their relationship.

And as soon as Jaewon and Dongho walk into the store, Taehyuk knows what it is.

There's none of the detente Daehyun and Minsoo were so skilled at, and, if Taehyuk's guess is right, the string's only tightened since he last saw Jaewon. Whatever the issue is, it's just getting worse.

"Why are we here?" Dongho asks, and Taehyuk's silently glad Jun isn't here - if for no other reason, then so the tattooed barista won't smack Dongho with a coffee mug. "We have work, Jaewon-ah."

Jaewon withers under the scathing words, but he makes a valiant effort at bouncing back. "Because we need coffee!"

"What can I get you?" Taehyuk asks, giving them his brightest smile. "A coffee? A cocoa? My number?"

He's only mostly joking.

"A latte and a hot chocolate," Dongho replies, visibly unamused.

Oh.

He's another Jun, then.

Taehyuk whips up their drinks in a flash - it's late enough that nobody's there - and brings them over to their table, serving them with a winning smile. Jaewon immediately dives into his, whipped cream winding up on his lips and nose, and Dongho takes a sip from his, lips curling into a small smile.

Time to ruin their good mood.

"I think it's so nice how sweet your boyfriends are," he remarks, and Jaewon chokes on his cocoa.

"What?" Dongho asks, and Taehyuk frowns.

"You're not boyfriends? I thought for sure you were..."

Jaewon looks like he's trying to simultaneously inhale and cough.

"No," Dongho simply replies, taking another sip of his latte.

"Are you sure?"

"You're a very nosy barista," the elder remarks, eyes dark and cutting. Taehyuk's smart enough to hear the implicit threat - "it would be a shame if someone reported that" - and, okay, maybe he's a little scared of D.Min.

A lot scared of D.Min.

Like any normal human being, he gets the fuck out of dodge and goes to hide behind the counter, pulling out his phone to text Rose. Out of the corner of his eye, he watches as Dongho and Jaewon talk, and after around thirty minutes, they leave, Jaewon's lips curled in a grin and Dongho's expression as dull as ever.

Taehyuk's sure the string around his neck is slightly looser.

rose:

tae

tae

taehyuk

did you sEE

the way they LOOKED AT EACH OTHER

dmin looked so FOND

you cant convince me they arent dating

you:

...

i mean. you’re not wrong.

rose:

what does that mean

tae

tae

taehyuk

don't you dare leave me on read lee taehyuk

tAEHYUK WHAT HAVE YOU DONE