Taeil wondered in the midst of the elongated silence what the hell went wrong with him. He couldn't even glance at Johnny straightly without feeling as if he had harassed the boy, or calm the swarm feeling in his stomach. All he wanted to know was how it felt to be held. Or rather, hold someone else. He didn't think his reflex receptors would stimulate and actually act upon it. Under the table where they found a reserved table big enough to fit the entire group, even the slightest brush of Johnny's leg (at least, he's sure it is his because who else has legs as long as his?) had him nearly be into the cushion of his seat and hide forever. He wanted the night to end early already, he couldn’t bare the stuffy atmosphere.

Johnny – as observant as he always is with his friends – could tell something was up with Taeil too, and for some reason knowing that made him happy. He didn't know why exactly – but it was nice to see Taeil was as flustered and confused as he was. It was reassuring to himself to see even Taeil knew didn’t know what he was doing. He wanted to shrug it off and lift Taeil out of his small slump of questioning himself and the entire world’s existence judging based off his facial expression, but honestly, he enjoyed watching the scene unveil in front of him. He wanted to see how long it could drag out before Taeil said something about it first.

On the other hand, Doyoung seemed to be feeling the complete opposite. He didn't know what the hell was going on either, yet he also carried a heavy weight on his chest that convinced him he did. All he could hear was Ten's rambling accented voice and all he could see was Jaehyun listening intently. He wished he could read his expression, but it was either Jaehyun had gotten ridiculously good at hiding his emotions with a straight face or Doyoung really at reading expressions. And his pride wouldn't let him choose the latter.

"So he pulls me away right? Like the prince charming he is!" Ten swoons, fanning himself ridiculously, "And he tells the ugly guy... – wait, I don't remember what he said but whatever – he saved me! He pulled me away and if we weren't in public, I would've gotten on my knees and – "

'Keep it in your dreams," Yuta snaps back, dumping his fifth pack of sugar into his iced tea. Yuta’s bitter attitude was more complex than usual. At some points, it seemed like he was fine. Then abruptly he’ll start scowling and fighting Ten for no reason – but to Yuta, he felt he had tons of reasons to.

"Isn't that a little too much?" Johnny asks Yuta, eyeing the dripping cup filled with white dots swimming in the liquid, slowly piling to the bottom.

Yuta glances down at his drink – realizing he hadn't really been paying attention to how much sugar he's been putting into it, and frowns. A whole layer of sugar was at the end of the drink and he knew it was ruined. He couldn't really handle sweet things other than pastries and bread. He groaned even louder when Ten started speaking about Taeyong even more.

He had tried to explain to Ten his encounter with his "hero" when they left to Johnny's car, but in the midst of his story telling, he had realized he couldn't tell him anything if he didn't want to expose himself. He couldn't let Ten, of all people, be the first to find out that he's been hanging out with Hansol and not ironically either, that is. And he most definitely didn't want Ten – whose quick to see a person's feelings for another but when it came to himself – find out that he generally likes Hansol.

"I'm going to ask if I could get a new drink," Yuta suddenly gets up, "I'll be back."

His friends hum in response and go back to listening to Ten's exaggerative story of his encounter with the "21st century iconic hero" for the umpteenth time. Although he wasn't sure if either of the pairs were actually generally listening or just staring at each other secretively. Doyoung was pretty obvious of doing it.

Yuta walks around the diner and he realizes how sparse the diner is – aside from themselves of course, there were about three other tables taken, and a few old bust guys at the stools. And the only thing that can be really heard is their table resonating with Ten's megaphone of a voice and occasionally some abrupt laughter, and the sizzling pans and dishes being moved around in the kitchen. It feels a little strange.

Yuta takes a seat at a stool while he waits for the drink he asked for, spinning around his chair and looking around the diner. He admires the retro vibe from it, and could see why Taeil said to come here. It wasn't claustrophobically small or too wide, it was perfect in size and the atmosphere felt homey. The strange – yet enjoyable – feeling felt similar to something else that he couldn’t yet grab an understanding of.

The bathroom further down the hall opens and Yuta can't help but glance over to see what the noise was. His breath hitches, and for a moment he has to make sure he's seeing correctly and squints his eyes shut in hopes that'll remove the illusion. But when he opens them again, the figure is even closer, a white cap fixed over his head but his brown-blondish hair peeping out, fixing his hoodie and pulling up his jeans. Yuta feels himself flush – for his eyes had witnessed the amazing legs of the elder that is hard to distinguish in the typical school trousers – but he forces his head to look away. His peripheral view can see the body still approaching and oblivious to his presence.

Then he shocks himself when he abruptly stands up, peaking his head over to his friends' table. He sees that they were deeply immersed in some conversation trying to convince Ten that plums and peaches aren't the same thing (he didn't want to know how that was brought up in the midst of ten blabbering about Taeyong) – and Taeil suddenly agree that they are throwing everyone off – and turns his back to them.

"Hansol," Yuta calls out, making the boy stumble a bit. The tall boy doesn't turn around yet, instead slowing down his walk. He calls out his name again, "Hansol?"

Finally, the boy turns around. Hansol's eyes scan around the diner until they land on Yuta, whose smile is already stretched out. Yuta motions the elder to come closer, Hansol glancing back before he steps forward. Something about that makes him anxious, but he chooses to ignore it.

"Hi Yuta," Hansol says, his voice as smooth and soft as always, his arm resting on the table as his body leans on it.

"Hey," Yuta smiles as his drink suddenly arrives. He curses mentally at the bad timing.

"Are you here alone?" Hansol asks Yuta when he glances to the other side of the diner where a monstrosity of teenage yelling can be heard. Yuta laughs a bit, out of embarrassment, and shakes his head.

Hansol inwardly laughs and glances around the diner again, Yuta is unsure what to say too. He didn't expect to find Hansol here. Nor did he ever think from the entirety of meeting him that he'd ever have to consider what to talk to him about out of school. It felt so awkward – just as if he ran into a person from school in the groceries – a big part of him wanted to scurry away before the atmosphere became unbearable for the both of them. He surely didn't want to hurt Hansol or make him uncomfortable again. It still stung every time he realized he has to say "again" at times like this.

Not wanting Hansol to leave him either, Yuta finally asks him, "Did you go to the game?"

Yuta realizes Hansol has been standing up and pats the stool's cushion beside him, beckoning him to sit. Hansol obediently sits and shakes his head. Yuta shouldn't have asked a question he already knew the answer to.

"Did they win?"

Yuta shrugs, "I dunno. I left early."

Hansol hums in response, his fingers tapping on the table. Yuta peers down to his legs and sees their bouncing rapidly, too. Then Yuta peers over to where Hansol has been looking, stretching his head out just a bit so he can see where his vision is blocked by a plant decoration, to then see Taeyong and Mark seated across from each other, stacking the coffee milk packs on top of each other to build a pyramid.

"So you didn't come alone either..." Yuta says, his voice unable to hide his disappointment.

Hansol simply nods his head. He seems stiffer than usual – as if time went back to the first real encounter they've had, and Yuta hates it. He stretches his limbs out and knocks on Hansol's hat teasingly, hoping to ease the tight atmosphere.

Hansol looks over at him, his hand rubbing his head and his eyebrows slightly furrowed in confusion. Yuta simply smiles and Hansol, flustered, looks down at the table so he didn't have to see it.

"So you saw Taeyong and Ten kiss, right...?" Hansol suddenly asks, abrupting Yuta's fingers teasing Hansol's hat, a lame cover up to simply brush the hair that escapes underneath it.

Yuta scowls as he retracts his hand, "Unfortunately. It was the grossest thing I've ever seen in my life right after Taeyong himself."

Hansol frowns but unexpectedly chuckles a bit, "Don't say that about him."

"Oh yeah, I forgot," Yuta couldn't hide the pettiness of his tone either, "You are friends with that face."

Hansol stays silent for a moment. Then, he opens his mouth to speak, before shutting it closed again. Yuta bumps his shoulder with him and whines, "What were you going to say?"

"Ah – nothing, just – " Hansol takes a moment to think, his fingers no longer tapping on the glossy wooden table but fiddling with each other, "I don't know."

"Just tell me."

"It's nothing – just, I don't know," Hansol sighs and bites his lip a bit – Yuta tries his hardest not to let his teenage hormones let it affect him (but it seemed to be too late already) – and shrugs.

"I'm just happy for Taeyong. That's the shortest way I can put it."

"Happy?" Yuta raises a suggestive eyebrow, "Happy?? He looked like he absolutely hated it."

Hansol opens his mouth but shuts it closed again. Yuta groans.

"Please don't misunderstand Taeyong. He might be really rude to Ten but... He really needs him. You wouldn't understand unless you knew."

Yuta sighs, "He can be as rude as he wants with Ten for all I care. It's the fact that he keeps bothering the hell out of me because of – "

He stops speaking and Hansol looks up to see why he has. Yuta almost screwed up just now. If he had told Hansol the truth, he didn't want Hansol to become even more weary of him. He couldn't have Hansol doubt their friendship now – not when he's done so much to get to the point of intimacy with him. Yuta clears his throat, his eyes shakily looking elsewhere other than the boy sitting beside him, "B-Because of his looks. He's just so good looking, it pisses me off. Yeah."

Hansol eyes Yuta oddly, possibly catching on to his weird character, but deciding not to question him. He simply nods, "I think you two would get along well."

"Us?" Yuta laughs but then suddenly an idea pops in his head. Maybe they could. "Well, if you think so, I'll try to."

Hansol smiles softly, nodding his head and after a moment of silence, speaks again.

"No matter how much Taeyong bothers you, never tell him we talk."

Yuta looks over at Hansol, suddenly feeling... Upset.

"For the both of us, I think he's better off never knowing. You understand, right?"

Yuta wanted to yell in his face that he didn't. He couldn't understand. Of course he understood his own case, but for Hansol he couldn't think of a possible reason for why Hansol was so strict in hiding it from everybody. Well, everybody he understood now – but Taeyong? It was as if Hansol was the one doing the dirty deed of others for the sake of his pride.

"Yeah, I get you," Yuta flatly lies.

"I know you would," Hansol smiles and then the room roars in laughter again. They both glance over to where Yuta's table was, just catching the slightest glimpse of someone's head approaching.

"," Yuta mutters under his breath and turns to Hansol, seeing he was already on his feet and heading back to the bathroom.

Yuta doesn't know why he's feeling clingy to him. Maybe because he still had the guilty mind that wanted to make it up to him for all the pain he's caused (and will) recently. Or it might just be the effects of having a crush – you just want to be with them when you can.

Yuta grasps Hansol's wrist instinctively, turning his head to see a patch of hair look very similarly to Taeyong’s – then reel Hansol back to him just before he gets a chance to walk away.

"What are you doing?" Hansol whispers, once he hears a door swing open.

“I… I don’t know?” Yuta mumbles, his hands still clasped around his wrist, “I-I just didn’t want to be left alone – “

Hansol eyes him oddly, because Yuta sounded ridiculously… Chilidish, to put in the simplest way. The pleading eyes, such as the eyes of a lost puppy, the tight grip of his wrist that was afraid he might pull away, and maybe the anxious lip bite, Hansol knew there was something more to it. And idiotically, Hansol felt the same way.

The two stand up to hide before the two young boys walking their way can see them together, but just as they take their first few steps – a cold, thin hand comes between theirs, peeling their hold apart.

“What the hell are you doing to him?” Taeyong snaps at the Japanese boy, yanking his grip off of Hansol’s and tossing it back to his sides. His eyes look as a sharp of a mother predator staring right into their next meal.

Yuta gulps nervously, his eyes staring back to the face he had prayed and wept not to see again. He knew that no matter how hard he prayed not to – it wasn’t likely, but he wished he didn’t have to see his face so soon.

“Nothing,” Yuta mutters as he glances quickly at Hansol behind Taeyong, “Nothing at all.”

Taeyong turns around to see Hansol, clearly noticing Yuta’s eyes peek behind the tall boy behind him, then fall back onto Yuta. “You aren’t tired of hurting him?”

“Hurting?” Yuta can’t help but repeat, because consciously, he knows his honest answer would be yes. Yet he can’t help but glance back at Hansol and remember his words. The words he disagreed with but had no choice to go against.

Yuta snorts obnoxiously and pulls a fake smirk on, “Hurting? He’s damn lucky I take pity for him. He should be grateful I even let him be near my presence.”

The words not only sting for him.

“You think he’s the one being pitied?” Taeyong scoffs, “What’s sadder to watch a guy chase a guy he has no interest in? What’s sadder to watch a guy create a relationship made up from a lie?”

As he says this, Hansol’s ears slightly perk up. He looks over at Yuta, a hurt expression on his face. Yet, it seemed as if he wasn’t hurt with the idea that Yuta could be lying to him. Hansol stared at Taeyong’s back, as if he was the one being pitied. Yuta felt himself get curious, but jealous for no apparent reason. It was a stupid reason to get jealous over, but he wished Hansol would at least make an effort to let only him know he cares.

“H