This chapter didn't take as long as the last one, but it still feels like it's been forever. There's only one chapter left; hopefully, I can finish this before the end of the year. Also, I totally stole some lines from Hitch, if you've seen the movie as many times as I have you might be able to tell which ones.

The next morning Myungsoo finds himself unpleasantly awoken by the incessant ringing of the doorbell. He wants to ignore it and go back to sleep, but the longer it goes on the more awake he feels; whoever is behind the noise better have a good reason for disturbing him. Rolling out of bed, Myungsoo stifles a yawn as he scrubs his hand over his face in a poor attempt to wipe away the sleep before finally shuffling toward the door. The ringing is still going— almost tauntingly now— and he all but rips the door open, barely holding back a growl. The sound dies on lips, however, when he notices Woohyun and Hoya standing on the other side.

Once his sleep-clouded mind fully processes what's going on, it comes up with a long list of questions and the young barista sets off to get some answers. "What are you guys doing here... Together?"

"We met on the stairs," his best friend replies. Instead of elaborating, he holds up a small box, his lips stretching into a grin at the way the younger boy's eyes light up with curiosity.

"Oh." Suddenly Myungsoo isn't quite as concerned about getting the older boy to explain himself as he probably should be. Taking the box from Hoya, he moves on to the next question on his list. "Why didn't you call?"

"We did." Woohyun answers this time, a light chuckle accompanying his words.

"Oh." Myungsoo can't say he's really paying attention anymore; he has a strong feeling there are donuts from his favorite bakery down the street in the box in his hands and that's all he cares about right now. He nearly giggles in excitement when he opens the box and his suspicions turn out to be true.

As entertained as he is by his friend's reaction, Hoya starts to get a bit impatient and demands, "So are you going to let us in or what? We've been standing out here waiting for you to wake up for, like, fifteen minutes."

Myungsoo doesn't even bother responding this time— he just moves away from the door and starts heading for the couch, his focus now solely on deciding which donut to eat first. With his gaze stuck in the bakery box, he misses the amused glance his guests share as they step into the apartment. The young barista settles on the couch and finally makes a selection; now that he is no longer distracted he belatedly realizes he never got an explanation for this unexpected visit. His irritation at being woken up against his will was almost forgotten until now. Taking a huge bite of his glazed donut, he repeats his first question in hopes of getting a real answer. "What are you guys doing here, anyway?"

"Do you even have to ask," Woohyun shoots back, dropping into the seat beside the younger boy with Hoya following suit on the other side. "You had a big date last night. As the two most important people in your life, we deserve to know what happened."

"Yeah. So, how did it go— is Sungyeol in love with you yet?" Hoya seems rather excited for someone talking about their best friend's love life.

Myungsoo isn't sure Sungyeol trying to kiss him necessarily means he loves him, but he is more certain than ever of the older boy's interest in him; the possibility of that interest turning into something more is as thrilling as it is frightening. He can already feel his cheeks flooding with heat at just the thought of how close he had been to having his first kiss with the drummer. Having his friends' eyes boring into him isn't helping either. They can obviously tell by his reaction that something definitely happened last night and now there's no way they're going to let it go.

Still, the young barista tries to brush it off, his voice deceptively nonchalant as he shrugs and says, "I think you're getting ahead of yourself. It was pretty normal; there isn't much to talk about."

"I'm not an idiot, Myungsoo." His best friend doesn't hesitate to call him out, his expression almost disappointed. "Something obviously happened— you're redder than a traffic light. So, spill already."

Well, it was worth a shot. Cursing the older boy's persistence, Myungsoo sighs and begins recounting his time at the studio with the band. He purposely holds off on the most important part, starting instead with meeting Sungyeol's friends, noting how nice they were to him and how much they teased the drummer. Although they aren't as familiar with Reflex's music, Hoya and Woohyun are still genuinely excited to hear Myungsoo's surreal experience of playing for his favorite band— it certainly makes him feel a lot less like a dork. He isn't even embarrassed (ok, maybe a little) when he gets to the almost-kiss. The two men beside him seem to be completely absorbed in his retelling of the intimate moment; he's pretty sure Woohyun might have even squealed a little.

On that note, the young barista feels it's about time to end his little date recap. Munching on his donut, he sinks deeper into the cushions and says, "Not much happened after that."

"Wait, he didn't try to kiss you again?" Hoya looks quite baffled by the idea, his eyebrows dropping low over his eyes.

"No, I think he got too shy."

"I would've," the older boy boldly declares. From the stunned looks he receives, he realizes very quickly that they all aren't quite on the same page. Some elaboration seems necessary. Clearing his throat, Hoya clarifies, "I mean, hypothetically. You know, if I wanted to— which I don't. But if I did I would've tried to do it again."

Myungsoo has honestly never been more confused or concerned; if he didn't know any better he might think his best friend was confessing to him. He certainly sounds nervous enough, but with how well they know each other it seems highly unlikely. Still, the younger boy eyes his friend warily, his mind slowly making sense of the other's rambling.

The date doctor, on the other hand, barely acknowledges it. He squints at the flustered barista for a short moment before shaking his head and turning his attention back to his client. "Anyway, I think the fact that he didn't try to kiss you again says a lot about how he feels about you. He's obviously thought about it a lot; he wants the moment to be special and memorable because he really likes you."

"I guess..." None of that had ever occurred to him, but Woohyun seems so sure about it that Myungsoo can't help believing him. It is his job after all, he knows what he's talking about. So he should know the next step Myungsoo should take. "What do I do now? Should I call him? Or do I wait for him to call me?"

"There's no way Sungyeol's going to call you," the date doctor insists, nearly stopping the younger boy's heart until he continues. "He's way too embarrassed. But you could definitely call him instead and let him know you had a great time."

Having returned to his right mind, Hoya decides to rejoin the discussion. "Yeah, that'll make him feel a lot better about what happened. Maybe you could even mention something about doing it again, you know, so he knows he didn't scare you off or something."

Myungsoo didn't know his friend could give such helpful advice; he can't help wondering why the older boy made him hire Woohyun if he had this side to him all along. But then he remembers how awkward Hoya can get in social situations and everything suddenly makes sense again. He feels incredibly grateful, though, to both of them. He would've given up a long time ago if it wasn't for their support— actually, if he's being honest, he probably never would have even tried. Still, Myungsoo knows his best friend just wants him to be happy and this is his way of helping him find that happiness. And the date doctor truly believes that he and Sungyeol are meant to be together. The young barista can't say he always feels quite so confident about his chances with the drummer, but Woohyun never seems to doubt it.

However, he is sure he can trust their advice, which he promises to follow in the very near future right after he deals with the box of donuts on the table calling his name. Leaning forward, Myungsoo picks up the forgotten treats and carefully makes his next selection (sugar-coated and jelly-filled this time). But before he can take a bite, Woohyun stops him, wanting to make a speech to commemorate another successful date. The date doctor makes a big show of grabbing a donut and standing from his seat; it would be sort of inspiring if it weren't so ridiculous.

"Never lie, steal, cheat, or drink," he begins, way too loudly. "But if you must lie, lie in the arms of the one you love. And if you must steal, steal away from bad company. And if you must cheat, cheat death. And if you must drink, drink in the moments that take your breath away."

While Woohyun is beaming at what he must believe is a very touching monologue, Myungsoo and Hoya are sitting in stunned silence, almost identical looks of bewilderment on their faces. It seems like every time Myungsoo decides to put all his faith in the date doctor, the older man always finds a way to make him reconsider. How can one man be so incredibly cheesy all the time? The young barista has no idea and he doesn't think he wants to know either. Still, there is one thing he's curious about that his best friend must be able to answer and, turning to the older boy, he demands:

"Where did you find this guy?"

~*~

Despite his earlier promise, Myungsoo puts off calling Sungyeol well into the next day, his main excuse being that he's also too embarrassed; he still has a hard time just thinking about that night without turning red. Luckily, he has his work to distract him. At least until they close for the night, then he's back to fretting over whether he should call the older boy. The pointed looks Hoya gives him as they clean up the café are far from helpful and really only add more pressure.

"If I call Sungyeol right now, will you finally stop staring at me?" They're locking up the store when Myungsoo eventually caves, an exhausted sigh following his words.

Making sure the door is locked, Hoya punches in the security code before turning to his friend with a reasonably doubtful expression. "Are you actually going to call him right this second?"

Myungsoo hesitates for a second too long, somehow still surprised the older boy can call his bluff so easily. "W-well, I'll probably call him after I get home." His friend only raises an eyebrow in response, his silent stare wearing the young barista down even faster than before. "Fine, I'll do it now. Are you happy?"

Ignoring Hoya's overly-satisfied smirk, the younger boy pulls out his phone and finally makes the long-awaited call; the pounding in his chest is almost as loud as the ringing in his ear. The ringing suddenly seems to get louder until it sounds like it's right behind him and he turns to find Sungyeol walking toward him, his still-ringing phone in his hand. Myungsoo isn't a big believer of magic, but he's having a hard time figuring out how else this could be happening.

"Hi," he offers once the drummer is standing in front of him, belatedly ending the call. He is in too much of a daze to come up with something less lame.

"Hey." Sungyeol's greeting is just as short and uncreative, despite the little wave he adds at the end. He looks ready to say something else, but stops suddenly, his eyes traveling over to Hoya, who is standing fairly close to the two of them. Myungsoo follows the drummer's gaze and discovers his best friend staring at them with an almost disturbingly wide grin on his face; he had kind of forgotten the older boy was still there, to be honest.

"What?" Hoya asks when he realizes all eyes are on him, his lips now hanging down in a frown. A light seems to go off in his eyes as he catches on to the situation and he smiles once again, this time less creepily. "Oh, right. I think I need to lock the door again..."

The other boy makes a hasty retreat, although it isn't very far, and Myungsoo turns his attention back to Sungyeol, who looks reasonably confused. He has no idea what has gotten into his friend, but he will have to deal with that later, right now he tries to steer the conversation toward a normal direction. "So, uh, what brings you here? I hope it isn't coffee."

"No, it definitely isn't coffee." Much to the younger boy's relief, Sungyeol chuckles at his lame joke, genuine amusement shining in his eyes. There's a fond smile on his lips as he stuffs his hands in his pockets and admits, "I actually came to see if you wanted to hang out. You don't have to if you don't want to— I'm sure you're really tired and you just want to go home."

The young barista has no intention of turning down the drummer's offer— even if everything he's said is true— and he rushes to reassure him. "N-no, it's fine. I mean— I am pretty tired, but it's okay. I really want to hang out with you."

The grin that blossoms on Sungyeol's face is almost blinding, though he tries to conceal it by biting his lip, which Myungsoo finds that much more adorable. He would gladly spend the rest of the night drinking in this sight, but they've just agreed upon another sort-of date and they should probably be leaving now. Sungyeol appears to be on a similar train of thought as his gaze shifts over to Hoya, who isn't even pretending to mind his own business.

"You don't mind if I steal your friend for the rest of the night, do you?"

"No way," the older barista eagerly replies, stepping closer to the pair and back into the conversation. He slings his arm over his friend's shoulder with a smile that Myungsoo knows can only mean trouble. "You can even keep him if you want to, I'm sure he won't mind."

The younger boy is beyond mortified; he really wishes the ground would open up and swallow him whole. Or maybe it would be better if it swallows his best friend instead. Although Myungsoo would love to give the other boy a punch or two for embarrassing him, he is still trying to impress Sungyeol, so he settles for elbowing Hoya's side as subtly as possible while shooting the drummer what he hopes is a fairly innocent smile.

"We should probably get going now."

Thankfully, Sungyeol happily agrees and the two of them bid Hoya good night before setting off down the street. They've only taken a few steps when the other barista calls out, "Have fun!"

Myungsoo looks back in time to catch his best friend sending him an unbelievably obvious wink and he just knows Sungyeol saw it as well. Holding back once again, he makes a note to wail on him tomorrow.

~*~

Myungsoo doesn't really like to admit it, but he has a very bad habit of thinking with his stomach rather than his brain. His better judgement just always seems to disappear when he has food in front of him. So when Sungyeol leads him to a food stall toward the end of a busy street near the heart of the city, Myungsoo can already feel his rationality beginning to slip away. And when the drummer tells him he can order whatever he wants, he gets a very strong urge to ask him to marry him; luckily, the last few remaining shreds of his sanity keep him from making a huge fool of himself.

Putting all thoughts of proposals aside, Myungsoo scans the vast array of food in front of him, the scents wafting into his nose making it hard to think. His instincts tell him to grab as much as possible, but the logical part of his brain reminds him yet again that he is still trying to impress the older boy and it would be best not to show that part of himself so soon. He tries not to deliberate too long, since there are other people waiting behind them, and goes with the fish cakes. Somehow sensing he wants to order more, Sungyeol insists he get something else and Myungsoo can't bring himself to decline the offer; Sungyeol and food are probably two of his biggest weaknesses.

He asks for the skewered tteokbeokki as well, earning him a heart-meltingly bright smile from the drummer who opts for an order of fried dumplings. It isn't long before the woman running the stall hands them their snacks and Myungsoo eagerly his lips in anticipation for the delicious meal (and to make sure he isn't drooling). He is so focused on the food in his hands he barely notices Sungyeol casually pulling out a few bills and thanking the woman before leading them back onto the street.

The barista is just about to take a bite of his tteokbeokki when a thought occurs to him, a slight frown appearing on his face. "Wasn't I supposed to be paying this time?"

"This doesn't count— it's just a late-night snack." Sungyeol is quick to defend himself, his words somewhat muffled by the dumpling in his mouth. He makes sure to finish chewing before he continues. "Besides, I brought you here, it's only fair that I should pay."

"Still..." Myungsoo isn't quite ready to let it go; it is a bit childish, but he can't help feeling deceived. He also can't help the pout on his lips as he thinks about how the older boy distracted him with food and his dazzling smile.

Sungyeol is laughing at him now and although Myungsoo knows he should probably be at least a little embarrassed, he finds himself sidetracked by the drummer's soft chuckles. It's hard to be ashamed of his behavior when his mind is replaying the older boy's laughter like it's his new favorite song. Fearing Sungyeol will no longer take him seriously, the younger boy tries to take some control of the situation and turns to his date prepared to demand what he finds so amusing. He certainly isn't expecting to come face-to-face (in a sense) with a gorgeously golden brown fried dumpling. But that doesn't stop him from accepting the entire thing in one bite— it's instinctual, really.

Still, even as he starts munching on the (mind-blowingly delicious) dumpling, a flood of questions come rushing into his head and he looks to Sungyeol in the hopes that he can read them all through his eyes. That seems very unlikely, however, since all he gets in response from the drummer is his signature bright smile that almost makes him choke on his food. Miraculously, Myungsoo survives, despite his heart's refusal to beat at a more normal pace and he figures now is a good time to change the subject. Once he's finished chewing, he finally brings up his time at the studio, making sure to mention how much fun he had hanging out with the band as well as his desire to do it again in the near future. Sungyeol still seems a bit embarrassed about it, but he doesn't dismiss the idea of bringing the younger boy back to the studio. Myungsoo considers that quite a victory.

As they wander around the sparsely populated streets with no real destination in mind, the pair become engrossed in discussions about music, food, and whatever else comes to mind. Myungsoo really didn't think it was possible for him to fall for Sungyeol any more than he already has, but he soon realizes he might have been wrong. He's never had a conversation with anyone else that was exciting and comfortable at the same time; it's almost like talking to Hoya— only better. His usual awkwardness practically disappears, making him feel like they've known each other for years.

The most shocking thing of all, though, might be the fact that he nearly forgets about his food. That has literally never happened before. But Sungyeol is so interesting and funny and smart and sweet and, perhaps most importantly, he knows where to find delicious food, Myungsoo can't help but swoon over all that perfection. There is no denying he is in deep now.

And when their night inevitably comes to an end, the barista is understandably disappointed, even as his heart swells at Sungyeol's offer to walk him home. Of course, he tries to refuse the offer— and, of course, the older boy insists even more. Not wanting to turn him down again, Myungsoo gladly accepts, although he tries not to seem too eager; spending time with the other boy has become a bit addictive. So he drinks in every last second of Sungyeol's company until they reach his apartment building and their time together is officially over.

"I had a lot of fun tonight," Myungsoo says, not ready to go in just yet. He hopes he isn't being too obvious as he takes out his keys but makes no move to open the door.

"Yeah, me too." Sungyeol doesn't seem to notice, his smile filled with nothing but genuine delight. "We should do this again some time."

"I'd like that." Although his mind is telling him to play it cool, Myungsoo's mouth isn't interested in listening and the most gigantic smile finds its home on his face. Somehow, he has managed to impress the older boy, which is as much of a surprise as it is a relief. It gives him enough confidence to try teasing Sungyeol a little. "But only if I get to pay next time."

"You're never going to let that go, are you?" Propping his hands on his hips, the drummer raises an eyebrow in curiosity, an amused smirk on his lips.

"Nope," the younger boy replies, shaking his head. He's really enjoying this playful atmosphere.

The other boy lets out a breathy laugh as he steps closer and reaches up to pinch the barista's cheek. "You're lucky you're cute."

Myungsoo wishes he had something to say to that, but words are beyond him right now. His mind made a run for it the moment Sungyeol touched his face, leaving him gaping at the older boy. He is sure he looks anything but cute, but Sungyeol is still looking at him with the same fond expression he's had the whole night. And now he's caressing his cheek instead of pinching it. Myungsoo can already tell where this is going and, while he would normally wait to see what will happen, he's feeling a bit bold and decides to make the first move.

Before he can think it through or change his mind, Myungsoo leans forward and captures the drummer's lips. Or, at least, he tries to. In the almost nonexistent distance between them he manages to trip over thin air and headbutts Sungyeol right on the nose. The older boy groans in pain, his hands flying to his face as he tilts his head back.

"Oh my god, are you okay?" Myungsoo is utterly mortified, he has no idea how anything like this could happen. He is usually the only one who gets hurt because of his clumsiness.

Sungyeol finally looks at him again, slightly teary-eyed, as he takes hands away from his face. Thankfully, his nose doesn't seem to be broken. Through his pain he tries to reassure the younger boy. "Y-yeah, I'm fine. Don't worry."

Myungsoo still worries. He can only imagine how much the other boy's face must be hurting and it makes him feel worse and worse the more he thinks about it. This isn't at all how the night was supposed to end. All he can do is apologize and hope Sungyeol doesn't hate him. "I'm so sorry. I didn't mean to do that— I was just trying to kiss you. But I think I moved too fast or maybe my aim was off. Are you sure you're alright? Do you—"

His nervous rambling is suddenly interrupted by a soft chuckle from the drummer, who has that fond look in his eyes again. His fingers are gingerly touching his nose, but he's smiling nonetheless. Myungsoo can't say he knows what is going on, he can't recall saying anything particularly funny. He waits silently for an explanation and, soon enough, Sungyeol stops laughing and finally speaks.

"You're really lucky you're cute."