Chapter Text
the fluorescent lights of "little critter" hummed a familiar tune, a soundtrack to soobin’s friday evening wind-down. it was similar to a music box, a soft little tune.
six o'clock couldn't come soon enough, but even as the last few customers trickled out, he found a quiet satisfaction in his final tasks. in the bunny section, his sanctuary, he gently refilled water bottles, his movements slow and deliberate. he smoothed the soft bedding in each enclosure, a small smile playing on his lips as a particularly curious rex rabbit twitched its nose. this was his element.
surrounded by the gentle thumping of paws and the soft rustle of hay, the usual knot of anxiety in his chest loosened. here, he wasn't the awkward, tongue-tied soobin who stumbled over conversations; he was the knowledgeable caretaker, the bunny whisperer.
he understood their needs, their quirks, their quiet charm. it was a world away from the sharp edges of social interaction that usually left him feeling drained. he often wished he could simply exist in this gentle orbit of soft fur and twitching whiskers forever.
never in his wildest, most carefully constructed daydreams could soobin have conjured the image of him walking through those automatic doors. the golden bell above jingled, a sound usually signifying the mundane arrival of another pet owner or a child eager for a new hamster. but this time, the sound seemed to vibrate with a different energy, a jolt that went straight to soobin's heart.
there he was, standing just inside the entrance, looking slightly lost but undeniably there, asking a bewildered teenager at the checkout for help finding the dog food aisle. his crush. the man who had occupied countless hours of soobin's thoughts, the subject of whispered fantasies during slow afternoons spent cleaning cages. god, help him.
soobin immediately stepped in, guiding jihoon in the right direction, blushing, unable to meet his eyes at first.
the dog food aisle, usually a place of neutral inventory for soobin, suddenly felt charged with an electric current. the raven haired male found himself instinctively backing against the towering shelves of kibble, the colorful bags a blurry backdrop to the intense focus of his crush standing before him. jihoon was tall, casting a gentle shadow, his hands tucked casually into the pockets of his jeans, a picture of effortless cool that made soobin’s palms sweat.
swallowing hard, the timid boy finally managed to string together a coherent sentence, the words tumbling out a little faster than he intended. “if… if you give me your number,” he stammered, his cheeks burning with a blush he could feel creeping up his neck, “i could… i could hook you up with employee discounts. and, you know, give you advice. on… on dog food.” he cringed inwardly at his awkward delivery.
a low hum rumbled in jihoon’s chest, a sound that sent a pleasant shiver down soobin’s spine.
“oh? really? that’d be cool,” jihoon said, a slight tilt to his head making his eyes crinkle at the corners.
then he reached into his pocket, pulling out his phone with a smooth, confident gesture that soobin found utterly captivating. “what’s your number? give me yours and i’ll give you mine, yeah? that way you can text me.”
the sound of his crush’s voice saying "text me" felt intimate, a promise of future connection. for four months, jihoon had been a distant star in soobin’s orbit, an unattainable ideal. he’d replayed their brief encounters in his mind countless times, longing for even a fleeting moment of genuine interaction.
now, here it was, a direct invitation. nervously, soobin tugged at the hem of his slightly too-big green uniform, the fabric suddenly feeling rough against his clammy fingers. he pushed his dark bangs out of his eyes, his gaze momentarily dropping to the worn linoleum floor before flicking back up to meet jihoon’s.
“it’s…” soobin recited his number, each digit feeling significant, a fragile offering.
jihoon’s soft lips curved into a playful, teasing smile that made soobin’s heart flutter. he almost felt like the character thumper from bambi. the two boys exchanged numbers under the dimly lit lights, one taller than the other.
“alright. text me later tonight, alright? gotta make sure beth enjoys her new food.” he gave a small nod towards the bag in his hand. “and thanks again for the suggestion. you really know your stuff.”
“anytime,” soobin blurted out, the word sounding too eager even to his own ears. he quickly followed it with a more casual, “you know? i mean, no problem at all.” he then awkwardly scratched the back of his neck, feeling a blush linger on his cheeks.
back in the relative safety of the bunny enclosure after jihoon had left, soobin’s breath hitched in his throat. he clutched his phone so tightly his knuckles were white.
“he gave me his number,” he squeaked out, the sound barely a whisper. his eyes were wide, reflecting the fluorescent lights in a dizzying sparkle of disbelief and elation. it felt surreal, like stepping into one of his carefully constructed daydreams. he was on cloud nine, floating, weightless, convinced that nothing could ever bring him down from this incredible high.
his fingers trembled slightly as he navigated to the group chat. he snapped a quick, slightly blurry selfie, his smile almost too wide, and then fumbled through his camera roll to attach screenshots of jihoon’s contact information, and sent a voice message, talking about their brief but exciting conversation. he typed out a shaky message, barely able to contain his excitement.
🐰🌸 club’s group chat:
soobin: guys! i did it! oh my god, i got his number
almost seconds later, his phone pinged.
gyu: no way ???????
taehyun: seriously? i’m so happy for you
gyu: only took you four months
soobin: i play the long game
gyu: goober
taehyun: our goober
taehyun: are you going to ask him out?
soobin: idk.. i’m scared like what if he rejects me
gyu: the worst thing he can do is say no, soobin, if he has no taste then he’s a fool lol
taehyun: we got your back too
soobin: should i wait a bit? i don’t wanna come across as too much
gyu: i think you should
taehyun: you should follow your heart
gyu: following his heart.. it took him 4 months taehyun
soobin: hey ):
gyu: ily but it’s true
taehyun: you should go home and eat dinner first
soobin: i’m craving icecream so bad right now, it’s all i was thinking about during my shift
gyu: dinner first! and then hop on rage shadow hunters, i’ve been wanting to play rank with u
soobin: okay, i’ll be on later
taehyun: text me when you’re home
gyu: me too!
☆ ﾟ ＊ ｡* + ＊ ･ ｡☆͙
the hot spray of the shower had done little to wash away the lingering fatigue from a long friday shift, but it had at least chased away the smell of pet food.
now, clad in his most comfortable, slightly oversized gray sweatpants, soobin shuffled towards his bed with its plaid comforter, the lure of sleep a powerful magnet. he nearly collapsed onto the mattress, his tired limbs heavy and uncoordinated.
in his near-horizontal descent, his arm swiped across the pillow, sending a small pile of plushies teetering precariously. among them was angel, his beloved rage: shadow hunters character, instantly recognizable with his adorably oversized chibi blue eyes and 2000’s styled spiky dark hair.
"ah, angel, sorry," soobin murmured, a genuine note of apology in his voice.
he awkwardly leaned off the edge of the bed, his damp hair brushing against the cool wood of the nightstand, and carefully scooped up the fallen plushie. the raven haired male cradled angel for a moment before tucking him back amongst his other treasures, ensuring he was positioned just so. these plushies weren't just toys; they were silent companions, sources of comfort in his often-anxious world. his sorta safe haven.
the dampness from his freshly washed dark hair seeped into the pillowcase, a slightly unpleasant sensation that soobin usually would have fussed over. but tonight, the exhaustion was all-encompassing. he simply hummed a soft, tuneless melody, a habit he’d developed in the quiet comfort of the bunny enclosure. he leaned back against the damp pillow, a sigh escaping his lips as his body finally began to relax.
with a languid stretch, he reached for his phone on the nightstand and turned it on.
🐰🌸 club’s group chat:
gyu: icb we lost that round
soobin: it’s okay, i just need to practice i’m kinda bad at the game since i’ve been working so much
gyu: you’re too sweet
soobin: do you wanna vc?
gyu: i would but i’m so sleepy
gyu: also i’m pretty sure taehyun muted the gc for the night aha
soobin: he definitely did
gyu: did you text ur crush yet?
soobin: no :/ i got anxious
gyu: soobin, it’s almost like 11 pm..
soobin: ik but.. i just idk
gyu: what’s bothering you about it?
soobin: what if he doesn’t even like guys
gyu: have you seen yourself
gyu: i mean
gyu: he’s probably not straight
soobin: idk
soobin: maybe i’ll do it tomorrow
gyu: okay, take your time ily
gyu: i gtg to sleep though
soobin: sweet dreams
gyu: goodnight
soobin locked his phone after texting beomgyu, and placed it gently on his chest, right over the frantic flutter of his rabbit like heart. he then turned his gaze upwards, his eyes tracing the familiar constellations of glow-in-the-dark stars that peppered his ceiling.
the boy had painstakingly placed each one years ago, a small, personal galaxy in his own bedroom, a comforting reminder of the vastness beyond his anxieties. a soft smile touched his lips as he gazed at the faint, ethereal glow.
for a few peaceful moments, he simply lay there, the rhythmic rise and fall of his chest the only movement in the dim room aside from his gaming pc. the earlier giddiness had mellowed into a quiet sense of hope, a fragile seed of possibility. and then, something shifted within him. a sudden, unexpected surge of confidence, like a warm wave washing over him, replaced the usual trepidation.
it was now or never.
the raven haired male took a deep, steadying breath, the air filling his lungs with a newfound sense of courage. the stars above seemed to shimmer a little brighter. with a decisive movement, he unlocked his phone, the screen illuminating his face, and his thumb unerringly found jihoon’s contact. he began type, thumbs swiping across the screen.
saved contact.
soobin: i know texting isn’t the best way, and i don’t mean to be weird.. but i just wanted to say, i’ve had feelings for you for a while. i was wondering if you’d like to go to the movies sometime, jihoon?
for a moment, all he saw was a bubble typing.. and typing.. and typing. then finally, there was a response.
jihoon: this is cute.. but you have the wrong number, sorry.
soobin: wait is this not—? [followed by a screenshot of jihoon’s contact info]
jihoon: no. this is yeonjun.
yeonjun? his classmate?
yeonjun. the name landed in soobin’s mind with a quiet thud, a stark contrast to the joyful anticipation he’d felt moments before. yeonjun. choi yeonjun. the slightly mysterious boy who always sat in the back corner of their english class, his gaze often fixed out the window, a quiet, almost invisible presence. so reserved that soobin had only heard his voice a handful of times. that yeonjun had just received his clumsy confession of feelings meant for his crush.
fuck.
a wave of intense mortification washed over the dark haired male. his carefully constructed confidence crumbled, leaving him feeling exposed and utterly foolish. how could he be so stupid? the glow-in-the-dark stars on his ceiling seemed to mock his earlier boldness. he wanted the floor to swallow him whole.
beomgyu’s text bounced around in his head.
gyu: the worst thing he can do is say no, soobin, if he has no taste then he’s a fool lol
the worst thing he can do is say no?!