Jihoon’s apartment is neat and small, just like its owner. There is only one corner that is cluttered, a desk with a keyboard and music sheets spread over it and a microphone, along with various other equipment shoved into the small nook Jihoon had created. Curiously, Joshua notices, a box of dog food stands atop of some music sheets. Glancing around the small apartment, Joshua doesn’t see any sign of a dog.

            “It took me months to save for this equipment,” Jihoon says as he shrugs his sweater off. “So I would appreciate it if you didn’t mess with anything over there,” he gestures to his messy corner. “I’m just going to grab some stuff and then we can leave.”

            Joshua glances around the apartment, not wanting to sit down for fear of getting even a speck of dust on anything. Jihoon, noticing how tense Joshua is, rolls his eyes, walking over toward the desk.

            “Have a seat,” he says, “it won’t kill you.” He picks up the box of dog food, and pulls back some curtains, revealing a set of double doors leading to a balcony outside. Jihoon says nothing, slipping out of the doors and shaking the box until its contents spill over onto a bowl on the floor.

            Joshua says nothing, wondering what Jihoon is doing but then, a small brown dog comes sauntering from behind some plants Jihoon has, wagging its tail lightly as it plops itself directly in front of the bowl, patiently waiting until Jihoon is done emptying food. Jihoon brushes his fingers to the top of the puppy’s head, the dog barking softly as he happily digs into the food.

            When Jihoon comes back in, Joshua says, “I didn’t know you had a dog.”

            Jihoon shakes his head. “I don’t.” And before Joshua can express his confusion, Jihoon says, “My balcony connects to the neighbors balcony. Mong Gu over there belongs to my neighbor, but they’re never home so I feed him from time to time.”

            Joshua notices a few dog toys scattered outside, along with a dog bed laying on the floor outside, and figures that Jihoon does more than just feed Mong Gu. Deciding not to comment, he says, “Okay, you need help grabbing your stuff?”

            Jihoon makes a noise in the back of his throat, his cheeks slightly pink. “And have you touching all my stuff? No thanks.”

            Joshua decides that it’s safe to have a seat. As he waits for Jihoon to finish, he glances outside to see Mong Gu still happily munching at the food. Upon noticing Joshua, Mong Gu yips excitedly, running towards the glass door. He taps at the door with his paw, whining for Joshua to let him in. Joshua, taken by those big eyes, is just standing up to open the door when he hears a sharp voice from behind him say, “Don’t! He likes to chew up my pillows. These are the third ones I’ve bought this year.”

            Joshua turns to Jihoon with pleading eyes. “But he just wants to play.”

            Jihoon gives Joshua a hard stare, ignoring his statement. “I’m ready to leave.” He holds up a small backpack. “Plus, Mong Gu has to go back home now.” But he looks a little upset as they leave the dog behind.

            Contrary to what Jihoon had asked for, they end up picking up a pizza on their way to Joshua’s apartment. Joshua eats messily as Jihoon carefully picks at the slices while they watch television. Upon finishing, Jihoon announces, “I’m going to shower now, is that okay?”

            Joshua barely glances up from the television, waving greasy fingers at Jihoon, who just snorts as he picks up his backpack and walks off. Joshua is just picking up another slice when he hears the shower cut on, and it’s a while later when he hears it cut back off.

            “Hey, save me a couple of slices. I’m hungry again.”

            Joshua is shoving a pizza slice in his mouth when he glances up at Jihoon and then he freezes. Jihoon’s hair is dripping wet, his face scrubbed clean, his cheeks slightly pink from the warmth of the shower. He has a towel to his hair, rubbing it against his head as he glances from beneath his lashes at Joshua. He’s wearing a long shirt and even longer pajama bottoms, the bottoms curling around his feet. He frowns at Joshua’s frozen state.

            “You okay?”

            Joshua feels his heart skip back into place, stuttering out. “Y-yeah, here’s some pizza.”

            Jihoon clambers toward the couch, pulling his legs up beside him and grabbing some pizza. His pink lips part as his tongue flicks out to grab the stringy cheese, and all Joshua does is stare. Jihoon notices and says from around a mouthful, “You sure you’re okay?”

            Joshua feels his face heat up for some reason. He doesn’t know why, but it feels a bit stuffy in here suddenly. He rubs a hand over his heart, his mark prickling suddenly and frowns as he says, “Yeah, I’m okay.”

            Somewhere across the city, a pretty boy with long hair and shining eyes clutches at his heart, an uncomfortable feeling spreading over his chest.

⚘❁⚘

            Sunlight streams in through the blinds of Jeonghan’s windows, casting a heavenly glow on the sleeping boy. A voice that is distinctly not Seungcheol’s mutters from beside Jeonghan in a tired and irritated voice, “Can you shut the blinds?”

            Jeonghan opens one eye and squints against the brightness. He quickly glances at the clock on his bedside table and groans. “I think it’s time for us to get up.”

            Another voice whines and Jeonghan hears the rustling of blankets as they’re pulled high over someone’s head. “Do we have to?”

            Jeonghan is already pushing the blankets away from him, rubbing the sleep from his eyes. He glances at the two bodies on the bed. Chan is still curled underneath the blankets, blinking sleepily at the spot that Jeonghan was just in. On Chan’s other side is Vernon, who is sitting up and ruffling his hair as he looks around the room in confusion.

            Jeonghan laughs at their confused faces, causing them both to look up at him in a tired surprise. He reaches over and ruffles Chan’s hair, causing the younger boy to whine and pull the blanket over his head. “Come on sleepy heads,” he says as he walks over to the restroom.

            By the time he’s stepped back out, his face scrubbed clean and his breath minty fresh, he sees that Chan is in the exact same spot, his face buried in a pillow as he breaths deeply, indicating that he’s fallen asleep again. Vernon, on the other hand, is frowning at his phone deeply, tapping at the screen. He mutters to himself, “He hasn’t texted me. Why hasn’t he texted me?”

            Jeonghan frowns at Vernon. “Seungkwan hasn’t texted you back?”

            Vernon growls. “No! He hasn’t contacted me at all in two weeks!” He glances up at Jeonghan. “Have you seen him? When you go and see Joshua?” he asks in a desperate voice.

            “No, he hasn’t been there. I can ask Joshua what happened, if you want?”

            Vernon sounds relieved. “Yeah, yeah, if you don’t mind.”

            Chan, who opened his eyes halfway through their conversation, frowns into the pillows, but he says nothing.

            “Well,” Jeonghan says, “let’s go get some breakfast. I think I can smell something in the kitchen.” He sniffs. “And it smells a little burnt.”

            And sure enough, after Vernon and Chan have both washed their faces and brushed their teeth, all three of them step out of the bedroom to find Seungcheol toasting bread. Seungcheol, who looks tired and worn out, glances up at them briefly as they walk into the kitchen. His lips twitch into a frown as he sees Jeonghan, and he avoids all eye contact with the other boy as he addresses them, “I made toast.” His cheeks turn a bit pink. “I burnt some, though.”

            Chan and Vernon both still happily grab handfuls of food, not seeming too bothered as they shove it into their mouths.

            Seungcheol slides a plate towards Jeonghan, not looking up. “Here you go.”

            Jeonghan frowns as he observes his mate. His face is thin, his lips tilted down in a frown. Jeonghan tries to catch Seungcheol’s eye, speaking softly under his breath. “Hey,” he breathes, “you okay?”

            Seungcheol glances up, taking in his mate. His voice is just a little too casual as he says, “Are you going to be out tonight too?”

            Jeonghan, not knowing what that has to do with anything, says, “Yeah, I’m gonna go visit Joshua and ask about Seungkwan – for Vernon, you know.”

            Seungcheol hums, dropping his eyes back to the plate. “Jun and Minghao wanna come over for a date night.”

            “We can meet up later.” He clears his throat, causing Seungcheol to look back up at him. “You okay? You seem upset.”

            Seungcheol blinks, looking at Jeonghan with wide eyes. Jeonghan feels the familiar flutter from looking at his mate’s eyes. He feels his eyes soften, and he reaches up to brush Seungcheol’s eyebrow with his thumb, just like he always does. Seungcheol’s eyes flutter closed, and Jeonghan glances at his own faint mark. Suddenly, he feels a sharp pain in his chest and he hisses, drawing his hand back as he rubs a hand over his heart.

            Seungcheol frowns worriedly. “You okay?”

            Jeonghan huffs, rubbing at his chest. It’s been bothering him more and more recently, although the night before was the worst one yet. And he never feels the pain this frequently. “Yeah,” he huffs, still rubbing at his chest, “must be like heartburn or something.”

            Seungcheol grabs the hand that Jeonghan is using to rub at his chest, bringing it up to his lips. He presses a soft kiss to the back of Jeonghan’s hand. “Promise me you’ll go to a doctor if it gets worse?”

            Jeonghan throws Seungcheol a pretty smile, trying to shake off the uncomfortable feeling he has in his chest. “I promise.”

⚘❁⚘

            Jeonghan finds himself generally ignored as he sits in a chair at the café. Joshua is running around frantically, and despite the fact that it’s pouring rain outside, people keep pushing past the doors. Mingyu, who has a group of people eyeing him as he flits between tables, looks a little irritated every time the bell above the door dings.

            Jeonghan barely found a place to sit, and Joshua had come quickly with Jeonghan’s usual cup of coffee, explaining breathily, “Wonwoo is off, and so is Soonyoung, and Seungkwan is still out,” he’s already walking off, “so it’s just me and Mingyu.” He’s halfway to the doors. “I’ll see you in a bit!”

            And so Jeonghan sat quietly, sipping his coffee as he glances at the clock on the wall.

            It’s hours later when Mingyu finally pushes past the doors, without his apron. The top few buttons of his shirt are ed, his shirt on the verge of becoming untucked. He looks disheveled and stressed, his hair ruffled from his hands running through it. He quickly glances around the café, almost as if looking for something, ignoring the eager eyes of people sitting on the tables. Mingyu’s eyes light up as he finds the person he’s looking for.

            A boy that Jeonghan has never seen before sits in the back corner, hidden from view. He has dark hair that falls into his equally dark eyes. His dark eyes catch Mingyu’s and his face lights up with a smile. His smile is kind and he greets Mingyu with familiarity. Mingyu gestures for the other boy to walk ahead of him and they both leave the café as they talk in hushed whispers. The people watching Mingyu sigh dreamily, leaving bills on their tables as they quickly follow behind him.

            Jeonghan makes a mental note to ask Joshua about this, because from what Joshua has told him, Mingyu and Wonwoo are unofficially a thing.

            With Mingyu gone, things slow down a little bit. But Joshua is still swamped and Jeonghan quickly stands up and helps around. He shushes Joshua’s protests as he explains that he’s done this before. Before he knows it, the day is winding down and he’s gathered a hefty amount of money in tips.

            Joshua hands their last customer a wrapped pastry and a warm cup of coffee, his eyes bright as he chirps, “Thank you! Come again!” The customer shoves bills inside the tip bucket, their faces heated and shuffles out. As soon they’re out of sight, Joshua sighs, slumping against the counter. He looks up at an amused Jeonghan, blowing hair away from his face.

            “Crazy day, huh?” he says. “Thanks, by the way, for helping out.”

            Jeonghan shakes his head. “Don’t worry about it, I’m glad I could help.” He watches Joshua start to pull the bills from the tips bucket, counting them. Jeonghan doesn’t know from where Joshua pulls it out, but suddenly he’s placing a plastic box on the counter, discarding the lid and stuffing a cookie in his mouth. He glances up at Jeonghan, his eyes curious as he tilts the box towards him.

            “Are you closing early?” Jeonghan asks as he grabs a cookie.

            “No,” Joshua speaks from around a mouthful. “But after this, it’s pretty dead. Plus, it’s raining, so it should be pretty easy from here on out.”

            And Jeonghan realizes that he’s right, because they have maybe three people come in after that.

            Jeonghan is busy playing with frosting, drawing hearts and stars and diamonds atop some cupcakes while Joshua plays with the drinks, mixing various drink syrups together and sipping them cautiously. Twice already Joshua has choked, his eyes watering as Jeonghan slaps his back. He looks at Jeonghan with wide eyes. “Well this is a bad mix,” he says as he tilts the drink in the sink.

            As it is, Joshua is mixing caramel and hazelnut and chocolate into a cup. He glances at Jeonghan, who is drawing a heart with an arrow going through it on a cupcake. Jeonghan shrugs at Joshua’s questioning eyes and Joshua shrugs back, titling the cup back towards his lips. For the third time that night, Joshua chokes, muttering, “Too sweet!” as Jeonghan lightly pats his back.

            It’s then that it happens – the light flickers briefly above them, causing them both the glance up at the ceiling.

            “That was weird,” Jeonghan says.

            Joshua is in the middle of agreeing when the lights flicker again, just as a loud clap of lightning flashes above them. They stare at each other in confusion for a brief minute and then –

            Darkness.

            Jeonghan blinks, frantically moving his hands as he searches for Joshua. “Joshua!” he calls out, his fingers grasping at thin air. “Joshua?”

            “I’m here,” a light voice sounds from beside him. Jeonghan feels cool fingers land on his forearm and he hears Joshua fumbling in his pockets before the other boy pulls his phone out, quickly tapping at the screen before a small light floods the café.

            Jeonghan finds that Joshua is standing directly beside him – he can feel Joshua’s chest rise and fall with every breath he takes – and it makes Jeonghan’s skin prickle. The light from Joshua’s phone causes Joshua’s pupils to dilate as he glances around the café.

            “The storm must have caused the electricity to go out.”

            “Yeah,” Jeonghan says distractedly.

            “Well, we can’t leave until the lights come back on. I can’t leave here without setting the alarm and closing properly.”

            Joshua is still holding onto Jeonghan’s forearm. Jeonghan can see the flecks of brown in Joshua’s eyes. Joshua is speaking, but all Jeonghan can hear is his heart thrumming in his chest. “Yeah,” he says.

            Joshua raises a brow, looking slightly disappointed. “You wanna leave?”

            “I wanna – ?” Jeonghan blinks. “Wait, what?”

            Joshua frowns. “I asked if you wanted to leave. I mean, you don’t have to stay here.”

            “No! No, I can stay. I don’t have anywhere to be.”

            Something tugs at the back of his mind, a voice that sounds like Seungcheol’s saying, “Jun and Minghao wanna come over for a date night.” But he pushes that voice to the corner of his mind.

            Joshua flushes. “You sure?”

            “Yeah,” Jeonghan says. “I’d love to keep you company.”

            Joshua grins. “I think I can serve us some coffee, we have some still warm. And we can sneak some treats.” He lets go of Jeonghan’s arm, walking towards the table where he starts preparing two cups of coffee. He sets the phone on the table, the device glowing dimly. He glances back at Jeonghan. “Can you grab my phone and the tray of cupcakes please?”

            Jeonghan rubs at the spot where Joshua’s fingers were, trying to copy the warmth he felt, but his skin feels cold now, and he nods, reaching out to grab the tray and the phone. “Yeah, of course.”

            They walk out to the front, where they sit down at a table and start to eat. Jeonghan laughs as Joshua smears icing on his chin and nose. His fingers are also covered in icing and Joshua seems to disregard etiquette as he sticks his fingers in his mouth. Joshua’s phone lays between the two of them, illuminating their faces.

            “Oh,” Jeonghan says as he remembers, “I was wondering what happened with Seungkwan? He’s been gone a lot.”

            Joshua wipes his fingers on a napkin, his upper lip. “It’s his birthday.”

            And he finishes there as if that answers Jeonghan’s question, but Jeonghan keeps pressing. “And?”

            “Oh! Right, you don’t work here. Um, well Soonyoung gives everyone two weeks off when they turn eighteen. You know, to let them deal with their mark.” He hesitates and adds awkwardly, “Or lack thereof.”

            Jeonghan clears his throat, his cheeks pink. “Do you ever feel bad? Because of your – you know?”

            Joshua laughs bitterly and an uncomfortable feeling settles itself in Jeonghan’s ribs.

            “I guess at first, it kind of bothered me. Everyone here knows that,” – he falters for a second – “that I’m unmarked.” He eyes Jeonghan and his voice is soft when he speaks next. “But I’m starting to be okay with it.”

            Jeonghan thinks of the feeling he used to get when he looked at Seungcheol’s eyes, the feeling of being content and perfectly at home. He feels a deep sadness at the thought that Joshua doesn’t have that. “But don’t you get lonely?”

            Joshua starts picking at the cupcake but he glances up at Jeonghan as he speaks. He pauses for a moment, considering his words. “I guess,” he speaks slowly, “sometimes. But I’m not really lonely. I have Soonyoung, Seungkwan – everyone here.” His eyes soften a little, making Jeonghan’s heart skip a bit. “I have you.”

            Jeonghan feels short of breath, but Joshua’s next words cause him to snap out of his daze.

            “I have Jihoon now too.”

            Jeonghan’s question is tense, his voice high. He remembers Soonyoung pleading with him to help get Jihoon and Joshua together, and it makes his mouth twist. “Hmm, what’s been going on with you two?”

            The lights flicker briefly above them.

            Joshua blinks at the question, but Jeonghan definitely sees the beginning of a blush forming on the younger boys face. It makes his mouth twist even further. “Between me and Jihoon? N-nothing.”

            Jeonghan doesn’t know why he’s so tense, but he scratches at his wrist as he speaks, “Must be nice. Since you’re both unmarked.”

            Joshua looks uncomfortable. “Yep,” his voice is shrill, “both unmarked.”

            Jeonghan clasps his fingers together and leans forward. “But it’s not the same as having a mate, is it? I mean, something must feel different.”

            The lights flicker again.

            Joshua is staring at Jeonghan with wide, disbelieving eyes. His eyes scan Jeonghan’s face, an unreadable look to them. His eyes flicker towards Jeonghan’s mark and his eyes turn sad, his voice defeated as he whispers, “You know, I’m not so sure I believe in soulmates anymore.”

            And Jeonghan feels a sharp pain in his chest just as the lights come back on. The pain makes him take a sharp intake of breath as he rubs absently at the spot over his heart, not noticing that Joshua is doing the same thing. Both of them sit in the newfound light with heavy hearts, and Jeonghan doesn’t realize that precisely at this moment, the edges of Seungcheol’s name on his wrist blur away. 

a/n: thank you for reading! i appreciate every comment so so much! love you guys ~~