Back at the coffee shop Chansung stood alone at the back alley, repeating tonight’s event in his head over and over again. He wasn’t sure himself why he felt the need to raise his voice at Taec back then. Tonight was no different than all the other days when the duo comes in. He and Taec would go back and forth with all this ‘I’m straight’ and ‘No you’ll see, I’m gonna catch you’ thing and they’ll leave after a while only to return the next day.

“Why the hell would he think that I’ll be charmed by Jay?” Chansung spoke to himself.

“I don’t get hooked on other guys. Hello .. I’m Straight!” he sighed, “Great, now I sound like a homophobe. Wooyoung and Junho would definitely slap me when they hear what I just said.”

“It doesn’t take a gay man to appreciate another man’s appearance,” Chansung said mimicking Wooyoung - granted if his friend were here annoyingly pointing that out to his face.

“Urrggghhh, what the hell is wrong with me?” The barista grunted. “What if they’ll never show their faces again and I won’t be able to apologize seeing that I don’t have any of their contacts – maybe I should’ve given that dork my number.” He thought silently, but soon regretted it.

“What the hell? Careful Chansung, he’s good. You almost got yourself in there a minute ago.” Chansung said shaking his body in fear.

-------------

“It’s been rather quiet huh without that stalker of yours around harassing us,” Chansung’s manager let slip past his tongue while doing the book keeping at the end of the till while the barista is busy cleaning the espresso machine.

Chansung immediately raised his eyebrows in surprise hearing his manager say that, remembering that his manager gave him an earful the time Taec came in while he wasn’t around and attacked the poor man with questions about him. “It has, but I like it .. can’t remember the last time our shop was this peaceful,” Chansung said trying to act cool in an attempt to hide his guilt over his tiny lash out at Taec.

It’s been a week since the event and the duo haven’t been coming to the shop since then. Chansung’s mind tells him he should be happy that he finally got Taecyeon to back off for good, but his heart and conscience tells him that he could’ve handled the situation better back then. “I wish there was a way for me to apologize properly to Taec,” Chansung sighed, thinking silently to himself.

As if a shooting star just passed by during his thought, enter Jay. “Hey man,” Jay greeted first.

“Hi,” the younger responded awkwardly.

“Look man, I understand why you raised your voice at my boy last time, but ever since then he’s been sulking and moping and grunting and lying around like a total invalid and it’s driving the whole house insane. Please .. can you just please come with me and see him,” the shorter man reasoned with Chansung.

Before Chansung could speak, he was quickly cut off by the other again, “I know you probably don’t want to have anything to do with him anymore .. I mean good riddance for you, am I right? But I am literally at the end my ways to get him back up on his happy go lucky feet again. Please Chansung … pretty please,” the friend begged.

There was a pang in his heart when Jay thought that Taecyeon not coming here again would be a good riddance for him because it wasn’t. Sure Taec can push all the wrong buttons in Chansung’s body whenever the other would come by and do his daily “fishing”, but Chansung never hated Taec – and for Jay to think lowly of him made Chansung feel a bit upset.

“I know your friend can be a tool many times than never, but I never hated him. So, no .. not good riddance.” The barista said offended.

“Uh sorry Chansung, I didn’t mean to offend you. It’s just I know how greasy strong Taec can come across as, that’s why I don’t blame you for cracking that time.” Jay said apologetically.

“I seriously don’t know what came over me that time as well. So if you need me to come help you get him back up then I’m down. Let me just finish my shift .. still have another 90 minutes.”

“Go,” another voice joined in which was none other than his manager’s.

“What?”

“Go, the place’s not busy at the moment anyway. Just change your shift to another day,” the manager kind heartedly offered. Maybe Chansung and Jay weren’t the only ones who wants to see Taec up and about again.

“Thanks. Hold on let me grab my things,” Chansung gratefully disappeared to the back room.

----------------

“I hope you don’t mind walking. It’s not that far up anyway,” Jay said as they started walking.

“No problem. So you two live together? Where do you guys live?” the younger inquired.

“7 blocks from the shop. You know that foster home up the hill .. well not really a hill. It ain’t steep enough to be called a hill. Technicalities, eh?”

“Yeah I know that home. Quite a number of kids living there, but the foster parents seem to be decent nice people. They’re a regular at our shop.”

“Really? Why have we never crossed paths before?” Jay thought loudly.

“Wait, you know them?” Chansung asked.

“Of course, we live under the same roof after all,” Jay answered casually.

“The same roof?” Chansung was still confused. It’s been weeks since Chansung’s known them – although not properly, but Chansung never knew their background. In fact, Chansung doesn’t really know them two buddies all that properly.

“They’re our foster parent,” the older said snapping Chansung out of his thoughts.

“You guys are foster kids?” the barista quickly asked surprisingly – not meaning to offend the shorter man.

“Yeah, we don’t really advertise it to avoid pity looks and discrimination.”

“No, I mean here I am thinking Taecyeon must know things about me from all his stalking and yet I don’t know anything about you two. Your age, which school you go to, do you work or not – nothing.”

Thinking it’s only fair for Chansung to know their living situation what with all the “harassment” Taec’s been doing to him, Jay slowly told the younger man how they ended up at the foster home.

“I never knew my parents since I was a baby. The adoption home said my mother immediately gave me up after I was born because apparently my dad was an irresponsible douche who took off when my mom told him she was pregnant. Not wanting to abort me, she gave me up instead – that was her parent’s condition on taking her back in. After spending 7 years in the adoption home, I was finally transferred to a foster home – but only stayed there for a year or two. I wasn’t really the best behaved kid around. This is my 5^th foster home. I came here two short months of turning 18. But these people were nice enough to let me still stay here until now by helping them around the house. I’m 20 by the way,” the older man added matter of factly.

“I met Taec 2 years ago, not long after I lived here. I found him sleeping in a park bench, said he ran away from home because his parents did not approve of his uality. That day I snuck him in the house but got caught 2 days later. I really thought that was the end of us – but as you said, our foster parents are decent people – nice enough to provide space for Taec as well. We’ve been brothers ever since. He works part time at some company doing some data entry stuff – pays enough to pay our bit in this house. He’s also 20 by the way.”

The moment might be wrong, but Chansung’s never been more grateful of his life and family than ever before. But there was also admiration that Chansung developed towards the duo. Having faced with such situation and still be able to lead a normal life in the end is somewhat admirable.

“Look, we don’t need your pity okay,” Jay said offensively seeing Chansung staying silent after what he just told the younger.

“I’m not pitying you .. in fact it’s more like admiration than sorry,” Chansung smiled.

“I believe we are here,” the younger continued when they stopped in front of the medium (decent) sized white house.

“Yes we are … are you ready,” Jay turned to face Chansung.

“Let’s bring that dork back to his feet,” the younger responded taking a big breath. “I hope I don’t regret this,” he continued thinking silently while stepping in to the house.

Note : Again credit to people who owns the pictures =D (poor edit on my part - used paint and no mouse, go figure >.<)

Beginning to slow down on the writing :S .. hopefully can still give quick updates. If I leave it for too long I'll end up never finishing it =.="