❧

“Refresh my memory, what are we doing here again?” Chanyeol asks, eyes trailing over the menu.

“Don’t ask me,” Sehun mutters while sipping his ice latte. “This was the nearest place that sold coffee! And since you seem to hate non machine-made coffee I figured this’d do just fine. Call it coffee therapy, if you will.”

Muttering something in reply, Chanyeol feels beads of sweat form on his hairline and groans. He and Sehun are both sitting in the back of the café in the far left corner. The heat is threatening to cook him alive but Chanyeol doesn’t have it in him to remove his suit jacket given the fact that it’s brand new. He taps his foot against one of the table legs in frustration when a baby suddenly starts crying two tables away. Upon closer inspection, Chanyeol notices they’re surrounded by three families, each with at least two children. He fights the urge to flip a table - he hates the sound of babies crying more than anything in the world. He turns to Sehun who is busy finishing up his drink. “Hey, are you feeling alright?”

Sehun raises an eyebrow while biting down on his straw. He doesn’t exactly regret choosing this place, however, he is beginning to get tired of people sending both him and Chanyeol weird looks wherever they go. Sehun doesn’t blame them, though; he figures he and Chanyeol stick out like sore thumbs anyway, given the fact that Sehun has got a gold-threaded tie hanging from his neck and Chanyeol is wearing a brooch (another new one, believe it or not) that’s cluttered with diamonds. Combined with the brand new and exquisitely tailored suits they’re both wearing, Sehun figures people are bound to stare. He still hates it, though. 

“Are you listening?”

Sehun jumps a little and curses when he accidentally bites his lower lip. “What? Sorry.”

“I asked, are you feeling okay?” Chanyeol repeats before reaching up to fix his neatly styled quiff. “You’re awfully quiet.”

Nodding slowly, Sehun carefully runs his tongue along his bottom lip. No blood, thank God. “I’m still feeling a tad bit down, to be honest, but hey, I’ll be fine.” He clears his throat when he spots at least six people gawking at him and Chanyeol in his peripheral vision. “Damn it.”

Chanyeol raises an eyebrow. “What’s the problem?”

“People are staring,” Sehun mumbles under his breath before hiding his face with the menu. Chanyeol quickly slaps it away.

“Let them stare, they’ve got nothing else to do anyway,” Chanyeol says before turning his head and sending their onlookers a stone cold glare. “See? Just stare back at ‘em and they’ll return to their own business like nothing ever happened.”

“My savior in need,” Sehun says in a sarcastic tone before downing the remainder of his latte. “Aren’t you gonna order something?”

Chanyeol wrinkles his nose in disgust. He’s never drunk 'poor-people’ coffee (as he likes to call it) in his life. “I’ve never had coffee for less than ten bucks,” he mumbles before turning a page, “any recommendations?”

“Neither have I, but you could try what I’m having,” Sehun gestures towards the empty mug. “Or, had.”

A waitress comes up to their table and briefly shoots both men a wary look before pulling out his notepad. Sehun instantly notices and clears his throat before averting his gaze. He wants noting more than to go about his business without carrying the burden of having God knows how many people stare at him wherever he goes. And Chanyeol, for that matter, but he knows the latter has grown used to constantly being stared at. Despite that, deep down, Sehun is almost certain that Chanyeol despises it as much as he does.

“I’ll have the, uh,” Chanyeol mutters under his breath before pointing at something written on the menu, “this one.”

The waitress nods. “Just one?”

Chanyeol nods. “Please.”

“Are you sure you wouldn’t like another one? We have a limited Christmas offer-”

Raising a hand, Chanyeol shakes his head. “One is fine, thank you.” Sehun can tell he’s already getting irritated.

The waitress mumbles something incoherent before jotting down Chanyeol’s order. The latter half expects her to walk away but she doesn’t. With a sigh, Chanyeol turns to her and looks her square in the eye. “Is there a problem?”

She shrugs before opening to speak. “In no way do I mean to sound rude or anything,” she starts, and Sehun almost chuckles when he sees Chanyeol’s agonized expression, “but what are you two gentlemen doing in a place like this?”

This time, Sehun speaks up. He figures Chanyeol’s too annoyed to say anything, anyway. “What do you mean?”

“No, it’s just that, well.” She isn’t saying a word but both Sehun and Chanyeol can tell that she’s eyeing Sehun’s tie and Chanyeol’s brooch with an unreadable look in her eyes. It’s not until her gaze lands on Chanyeol’s black and (solid) gold cane leaning against the wall behind the latter that she clears . “You don’t look like you…how do I put this, belong here, so to speak.”

Chanyeol rolls his eyes. “On one hand, I agree - my dad’s office has twenty seven different types of coffee and thirty coffee machines. However, we’ve been told that The Coffee Pot has the best coffee in the city, so.”

The waitress blushes a bit before standing up straighter. Sehun almost does chuckle. Leave it to Chanyeol and his unwitty compliments to make losers feel like winners. “Yes, well, thank you, sir, thank you.”

Sehun looks at her. “Could I have another ice latte, please?”

She mumbles something as she bows to excuse herself before rushing off. Sehun laughs into his fist when he sees Chanyeol’s pained expression. “You’ll need to get used to it.”

“I am used to it already,” Chanyeol groans, “it’s just that it happens every goddamn time, it’s annoying as hell.” He exhales before leaning onto the table. “However, I don’t think I’ll ever get used to people attempting to persuade me to buy or order more just 'cause, well, you know why. Anyway, where were we before we were rudely interrupted?”

Sehun blinks. “Rudely interrupted? Yeol, it’s her job-”

“Yeah, yeah, I know. Anyway, let’s back to you. I hope you’re not thinking of him, by the way.”

Sehun blinks again before in agony. “Thanks for reminding me, .”

Chanyeol squawks. “Hey, how could I’ve known? Look, he’s not worth your precious time, you hear me? Find someone who’s more on your level, you’re bound to find Mr. Right then.”

“Maybe I moved everything along too quickly-” Sehun starts and flinches when Chanyeol whacks him upside the head with the menu. “The hell?”

“I said, stop thinking about him, you didn’t do anything wrong, how many times do I need to say it?” Chanyeol growls. “You’re a smart frickin’ guy, don’t do this, okay? It’ll hurt like a , I’m telling you. We came here so you could forget about everything, not remember everything.”

Sehun nods. “Hey, by the way, I think she was totally into you.”

“Eh?” Chanyeol raises an eyebrow. “Who?”

“The waitress chick,” Sehun chuckles. 

“Oh, her,” Chanyeol says and rolls his eyes. “Looked like a complete and utter gold digger to me. Big nope. I wasn’t even looking at her yet I could tell she was busy ogling…well, us.”

“And your cane,” Sehun adds with a snort. 

“Like I just told you. Complete and utter gold diggers, Hun, you never want to associate yourselves with them.” Chanyeol shudders and mutters a quiet ’thanks’ when said waitress returns with their drinks, placing them on the table. 

“Thank you,” Sehun says and watches as she walks away. “She was sochecking you out.”

“Don’t tell me about it,” Chanyeol snaps before leaning in and taking a sip of his drink. He’s momentarily shocked at how good it tastes. He doesn’t tell Sehun, though. “I don’t have time for relationships, anyway.”

“Who knows, maybe she’ll come back later with her number on the tab,” Sehun says with a loud laugh and clears his throat when three pairs of eyes turn to look at him. He ignores Chanyeol’s pained groan when he feels something settle in the pit of his stomach. Chanyeol instantly notices, much to his relief and irritation.

“What’s the matter?” Chanyeol asks with his lips wrapped around his straw. “I swear, if it’s got anything to do with Jo-”

“I was just reminded of something that happened last week,” Sehun says quietly before taking a sip of his latte. “At uni. Nevermind, though, sorry.”

With a big sigh, Chanyeol shoves his half empty cup aside before leaning in. “Okay, let’s hear it.”

“Are you sure?”

“I’d be lying if I said I wasn’t a tad bit interested,” Chanyeol chuckles before locking gazes with Sehun. “Now tell me.”

Sehun runs a hand through his hair. “We, uh, we were in the main announcement hall and I got an email from one of my professors, to which I had to reply. Inevitably, and some some reason, Jongin ran off and into the hallway and apparently met up and talked with some random dude I’d never seen before.”

Chanyeol raises an eyebrow and his head to the right, a clear sign that he’s interested. “Okay.”

“And something fell out of his pocket and-”

“Holy ,” Chanyeol gasps and covers his mouth with his right hand, leaning back in his chair. “Don’t tell me-”

“-I picked it up and realized it was a piece of paper with a number written on it as well as the words 'call me, xoxo’, something like that,” Sehun says and balls his hands into fists at the memory. “At first I didn’t know whose it was but then I realized it was his, the…dude’s.”

“, man, this is getting interesting.” Chanyeol is practically bouncing up and down in his seat and Sehun nearly laughs because he doesn’t think he’s ever seen his best friend this excited before. “What happened afterwards? Did you sock him?”

Sehun can’t help but chuckle. “Yeah. I did. I mean , it was a ty thing of me to do, but I couldn’t help myself. He was so smug and unapologetic, that asswipe, I had to do something.”

“Ah, so he provoked you, then?” 

“Well, I don’t blame him, actually, because now that I think about it, Jongin never told him he was there with someone. I mean, he did, but he didn’t say ’my boyfriend’, y'know? So I guess the dude got confused and thought he was there with a sibling or something. I guess that’s why he advanced.” Sehun shrugs and clenches his jaw. “But still.”

“He didn’t even tell the dude he was there with you? He didn’t say ’my boyfriend’ or anything?” Chanyeol’s eyes are as wide as dinner plates and he lets out a long whistle. “, man. What an .” He shakes his head in disbelief. “You didn’t do anything wrong, my friend. Did 'that dude’, have a name, by the way?”

“I think his name was Mark.”

“If Mark didn’t know and wasn’t told that Jongin was there with his boyfriend, or, you, how on Earth could you possibly blame him for advancing? I’d do the same thing,” Chanyeol chuckles and quickly flails his hands in the air. “No, wait, let me rephrase that - I wouldn’t have, and would never advance on someone like Jongin, that bastard, I’m just saying, if I was hitting on someone…well, you get it.”

Sehun rolls his eyes. “I get the picture.”

“Point is,” Chanyeol raises his mug, “it’s not your fault. You were uh, how do I put this, protecting your territory, I guess. I swear, if you end up getting you expelled because of his stupid I’m gonna find him and strangle him.”

“Territory?” Sehun squawks. “He’s a person, not a-”

“There’s this spectacular thing called sarcasm, my dear Sehun,” Chanyeol laughs into his drink before downing the rest of it. “Damn, this was actually pretty good.”

“Is this your first under-ten-dollar coffee or what?” Sehun chortles while crossing his legs under the table, something that’s proven to be a difficult task given the fact that the table is much too low for his long limbs. 

“As a matter of fact, it is.” Chanyeol pulls out his pocket fold and proceeds to carefully wipe his mouth. “I should come here again in the near future.”

“First of all, why not just use the tissues they have here?” Sehun blinks before gesturing towards the box of napkins sitting in the middle of the table. “And secondly, you should. Definitely.”

Chanyeol wrinkles his nose before neatly stuffing the piece of white and blue-checkered cloth back into his suit pocket. “Who knows where those things have been. Anyway, I should come here with my father.” He clears his throat before arranging the (many) rings on his right hand. “Which probably won’t happen since he hates places like this.”

“I bet he doesn’t even know this place exists,” Sehun says with a huff before looking up at the ceiling. “I like the vines up there.”

Fixing his hair, Chanyeol quickly looks behind him to make sure his cane hasn’t fallen over (he has a habit of constantly checking his belongings, but in his defense, that thing cost a little over $500,000 and he really doesn’t want it to accidentally hit the floor. He figures it’ll take hours to glue all those diamonds back on). Turning to face Sehun, he looks up and nods. “They’re pretty. They look artificial, though.”

“Of course they’re plastic, .” Sehun smacks his forehead before sighing. “I want another latte.”

Chanyeol gapes. “That’s your third one! I feel sorry for your bladder.”

“What, do you need to be somewhere?” 

“No, no. My dad’s out of town at some business meeting so I’m in no rush. But I mean…nevermind. Go ahead.”

Sehun smirks. “Don’t lie, you’re dying for a second one as well.”

~~~

“See anyone you like?”

“Let’s find a table first before we do anything else, Jesus,” Jongin scoffs as his eyes scan the sea of (mostly occupied) tables before them, “calm down, Baek.”

Baekhyun shrugs as the door closes behind them. “You can hit on guys just as easily while standing up, it’s not difficult, but okay.” He puts his hands in the air before helping Jongin look for a table. “Jesus, it’s hot as in here. Is the AC broken?”

“What do I know?” Jongin says absentmindedly before he proceeds to take a step forward. Baekhyun puts a hand on his arm. 

“Not in the back, are you crazy?” Baekhyun asks with wide eyes. “The attractive dudes usually tend to hang out near the entrance, so let’s find a place near the door.”

“I figure it’s colder at the back,” Jongin says with a shrug before following Baekhyun to a table. Sitting down, he s his sweater. “, it must be something like a hundred degrees in here.”

“So, see anyone of interest?” Baekhyun asks, leaning in. His gaze is darting between every single person in his line of vision. “Any guys?”

“All I see is middle-aged women,” Jongin groans. “Unattractive ones, that is.”

“Look harder, or wait for them to come in through the door,” Baekhyun suggests before gesturing towards the door a few feet away from their table. 

“What do I do when I see someone, then?” Jongin asks, scratching his head and in disgust when he feels a bead of sweat travel down his neck. “You’re the expert here.”

“You make eye contact and wait and see if they stare back,” Baekhyun says as a matter-of-factly. “If they move on, you find someone else. Basically, be natural and casual. Don’t be awkward.”

Jongin fights the urge to facepalm. Despite Baekhyun’s attempts at getting him to ease up, he knows this whole thing is going to end on an awkward note. He can feel it in his bones. He looks around and attempts to find an average looking guy of interest, with little success. He does manage to lay his eyes on one guy but he quickly looks away when said guy proceeds to talk to a girl sitting across from him. His girlfriend, Jongin assumes. He sighs before looking at Baekhyun. “No luck.”

“No one’s gotten lucky in under a minute,” Baekhyun says flatly, “wait a bit. Guys tend to come in groups, so there’ll be a ton of them to choose from, isn’t that great?”

Mumbling a barely coherent ’sure’, Jongin averts his gaze and sighs in frustration when a baby starts crying in the distance. That’s bound to scare all the guys away for sure. He jumps a bit when a blonde waitress stops at their table and pulls out a piece of paper. He makes a mental note to stop zoning out 24/7 before looking up at her. “Uh, hi.”

“Hello,” she says, gaze darting back and forth between Jongin and Baekhyun, “what’ll it be?”

Jongin blinks and instantly feels a sense of embarrassment wash over him when he looks to his right and sees a menu lying an inch or two away from his hand. “Oh, um. I haven’t had a chance to check yet,” he murmurs and swiftly kicks Baekhyun under the table when the latter snorts, “but I’ll have an…uh…a latte. Yeah, a latte. Please.”

The waitress nods before scribbling it down. “And you?” She asks after turning to Baekhyun, who ultimately giggles.

“Seeing as my friend here owes me,” Baekhyun starts, “I have to ask; what’s the most expensive thing on the menu?” He tries his best to stop himself from giggling when he hears Jongin’s squawk of protest.

“This one,” she says while pointing to something on the menu. Baekhyun makes sure to angle the menu so Jongin can’t see anything, much to the latter’s displeasure. “The annual, limited edition Christmas special. It includes two bags of homemade Christmas cookies, a thermos-”

Baekhyun nods before interrupting her. “How much is it?” Truth is, he really couldn’t give a crap about what’s in the fancy Christmas package. At all. He just wants to piss Jongin off. And it’s working, seeing as Jongin looks like he’s seconds away from reaching across the table and choking Baekhyun to death.

“20 dollars, sir,” the blonde replies and Baekhyun lets out an all-too-loud laugh when Jongin’s expression melts into one of pure terror. God, Baekhyun thinks, we best friends just live for this kind of stuff.

Baekhyun quickly puts up a hand when the waitress moves to jot it down and stifles a giggle when Jongin lets out an audible sigh of relief. “Hold on, I’ve changed my mind. I’ll have a regular latte, please.”

The blonde blinks and mutters a confused ’okay’ before collecting their menus and walking off.

Jongin waits until she’s gone and quickly smacks Baekhyun’s hand. “You , you scared me half to death!”

“Did you honestly and truly think I’d get it? I ing hate gingerbread cookies and you know it,” Baekhyun titters before rubbing his hand. “Silly goose. Anyway, enough of that. Remember, we aren’t here for the coffee.” He turns around and carefully inspects every single person in sight. “See anyone you like?”

Huffing, Jongin shakes his head. “Only old- men and ugly women as far as the eye can see,” he mumbles under his breath. Realizing just how far away he’s sitting from the table, he grabs the edge of the table and scooches in closer. “Do you see anyone you like?”

“What about that dude over there?” Baekhyun asks, pointing somewhere behind an arrangement of plants. “The one with the black leather jacket, he’s cute, isn’t he?”

Jongin follows his index finger and squints. “Is that even a man?”

Baekhyun snorts before rolling his eyes. “Of course it’s a man, idiot. What woman sits with her legs that spread apart?” He ignores Jongin’s sound of protest and looks at the latter. “Get over there and say hi! He seems to be here alone, give it a shot!”

Feeling a lump settle in his stomach, Jongin clears his throat. “What? Just like that???”

“Yeah, hurry, get the hell over there before he leaves! What’s the worst that could happen?” Baekhyun places a supportive hand on Jongin’s shoulder.

Jongin looks at Baekhyun, whose eyes are glimmering with excitement, and bites his lip in worry. “That he thinks I’m a desperate loser? That he’s not into guys? That he thinks I’m weird? That I’ll leave feeling humiliated with everyone in here watching me?” He yelps when Baekhyun pinches him. “What? It’s true!”

“Shut the hell up, you’ve got literally nothing to lose. You’re attractive, he’s attractive, just give it a shot! Come on, I’ll watch you and cheer you on from behind the plants!” Baekhyun whisper-yells, tightening his grip on Jongin’s shoulder. “Besides, it’ll help you get over you-know-who if you’re lucky.”

“It’s shot in the dark, but okay, fine,” Jongin says and quickly puts up a hand when Baekhyun proceeds to jump up and down in excitement. “But, I want you to check that there isn’t anyone sitting across from or next to him. I don’t wanna go all the way over there only to realize he’s sitting there with his girl. Oh, and to make sure it really is a man - I can’t see , 90% of his goddamn face is hidden behind those weird- fake plants.”

“You’re a real load to have around sometimes,” Baekhyun huffs, letting go of Jongin’s shoulder, “you know that? Loosen up a bit, big boy.” He shakes his head in disbelief (and amusement) before moving to stand on his chair. “You owe me big time for this. Jesus,” he says while attempting to balance on the wobbly chair, “the things I do to get you a man, Kim Jongin.”

~~~

“…so that’s why you should forget about him,” Chanyeol finishes before shoving his sixth (empty) cup of coffee aside and stifling a burp. “It’s not rocket science. You’re worth so much more than some gold-digging, lousy middle class pixie boy.”

Nodding, Sehun uncrosses his legs and spreads them apart when he feels them beginning to go numb. “Thanks for that ten minute speech, Yeol,” he says sarcastically before looking around. “Jesus, this place is getting full fast. It was basically empty when we got here. And can’t they do something about the goddamn heat already? I’m practically melting.”

Chanyeol nods before also inspecting the sea of new people before him. It isn’t until he sees something in the corner of his eyes that he furrows his eyebrows. Shifting his gaze, he can barely make out something tall in the distance. At first glance he dismisses it as a statue, but his eyebrows furrow even deeper when said “statue” moves and he squints his eyes. Upon closer inspection, he realizes it’s somebody (some in’ lunatic, Chanyeol thinks to himself) standing on their chair for whatever reason. Something seems to snap at the back of his head when he spots a bright red mop of what he assumes is hair on top of said person’s head and he quickly clears his throat. “Hey.”

Sehun whips his head to the right to stare at Chanyeol. “Hm?”

Blinking, Chanyeol taps his foot against the wooden floor. “Nothing, uh. Hey, you know Jongin, that -”

“Don’t call him that, please.” Sehun eyes Chanyeol with a stern glare.

“Okay, sorry. You know Jongin,” Chanyeol corrects himself. He waits for Sehun to nod before continuing. “You know you mentioned him having a best friend, right?”

Raising an eyebrow, Sehun nods slowly. “I thought you 'couldn’t give two s’ about his best friend,” he says flatly. “But yes, he does. Why?” His eyebrows furrow when Chanyeol’s gaze suddenly shifts so the latter is subtly looking to their left. He begins following Chanyeol’s gaze but the latter quickly clears his throat again. “What?”

“Nothing, it’s nothing,” Chanyeol says quickly before wrapping his lips around one of the straws to his many mugs. “I don’t care, by the way. I’m just…didn’t you say there was something sort of…special about him? I think I remember you saying something along those lines a couple of days ago,” he adds while sipping the non-existent liquid.

“Special?” Sehun echoes and nods. “You mean the thing I said about his hair being as red as Ronald McDonald’s?”

Chanyeol’s eyes flash with something Sehun can’t identify. “Yeah, right, that,” Chanyeol says before taking another sip. “That’s cool, I wonder how often he has to dye it.”

“Yeah, talk about frequent trips to the hair salon,” Sehun chuckles before relaxing a little. Grabbing a napkin, he wipes at the sweat on his forehead. “Why’d you bring him up all of a sudden?”

“No reason. Enough about those two now, talking about them makes my money tremble,” Chanyeol says, making sure to keep track of what’s going on to his left. “Hey, did I ever tell you about the time when I dyed my hair blue?”

Sehun blinks. “You’ve never told me that.” He almost chuckles at the thought of Chanyeol with blue hair. It wouldn’t suit the latter, at all. Crossing his legs again, he leans in so he can hear Chanyeol better. “Tell me all about how you attempted to dye your own hair and subsequently failed.”

Chanyeol squawks. “How’d you know I did it by myself?”

“I’ve known you since we were in first grade; I know all about your terrible decision making skills,” Sehun snorts before leaning in closer. “No backing out now. Tell me.”

~~~

“So?” Jongin asks, looking up at Baekhyun. He prays to God the latter doesn’t lose his balance and split his head open. People are staring at them in every direction and Jongin feels himself flush. “What do you see? Is he alone?”

Baekhyun squints his eyes as he intently inspects the man in question. “Hm,” he says after a couple of seconds, “no girlfriend anywhere in sight, thankfully. And uh,” he squints harder, “there’s an empty plate in front of him, so he’s probably finished eating whatever he ordered. You better hurry and get your over there before he gets up and leaves.”

“Okay, okay,” Jongin rushes when an elderly couple walks through the door behind them. Reaching across the table, he lightly tugs on Baekhyun’s pants. “Hey, get the hell down before we get kicked out; people are staring. Make sure you don’t fall.”

After getting into a squatting position on his chair, Baekhyun quickly sits back down and crosses his legs. “No girlfriend, you’re safe. I did what you asked me to do, now get the hell over there, tough guy!”

Jongin swallows as he feels his heart pick up speed for reasons he can’t explain. “Are you sure? What if he thinks I’m weird? I didn’t come here for a re-”

“-a relationship, I know,” Baekhyun interrupts him. “I’m not saying you need to get together with him, by the way. Just say hi! And hopefully, if you’re lucky, you’ll hit it off! Now get over there before I find you another dude.”

Jongin remains glued in his seat and he flinches when a lock of hair from his fringe suddenly falls in his face. Reaching up, he attempts to place it behind his ear only for it to fall back again. With a huff, he turns to Baekhyun. “Do you have a comb on you? I’m gonna go to the bathroom and comb it back so I don’t look like an absolute moron.”

Baekhyun sighs in irritation before nodding and reaching into his pocket. “Here. You’re technically not supposed to share these things but what the hell,” he shrugs, “desperate times call for desperate measures,” he states before pulling out a black comb and handing it to Jongin. “If you’re not back in two minutes I’m gonna hit on him myself, just so you know.”

Jongin blinks before stuffing the comb into his pocket. “You…he…he’s your type?”

“He’s a guy, which means he’s got a , right?” Baekhyun smirks and lets out a loud laugh when Jongin quickly gets up.

~~~

“…so afterwards, I cried and decided never to dye my hair ever again,” Chanyeol concludes. “Seriously, it was awful, I contemplated staying home from school until my natural color came back.”

“Seriously?” Sehun gawks. “You’d need to stay home for at least five years!”

Chanyeol shrugs before running a hand over his quiff that’s beginning to fall out of place. “Point is, I looked bloody awful. Seriously, the only hair color that doesn’t make me look like a crackhead, apart from my natural one, is brown.”

“Isn’t your hair brown right now?” Sehun asks and leans in. “It looks black-ish brown to me. But I have no idea, these crappy lights in the back make everything look purple-ish.”

“No, you’re right,” Chanyeol nods before shooting Sehun a thumbs up. “It’s more black than brown since 90% of the suits I own are black or dark blue. I figure it looks better.”

“I recently re-dyed mine,” Sehun says before running a hand through his own blond hair. “I’m planning on dying it back to black soon, though. I think it suits me better, what do you think?”

Chanyeol nods. “Black looks awfully good on you, you look more matu-” he doesn’t get to finish his sentence when something in his peripheral vision catches his eye and he subtly turns his head to look to the left. His last word slowly dies out as he averts his gaze and sees a certain figure making its way through the crowd of people and tables a few feet away. Chanyeol follows said figure with his eyes for a few more seconds before he quickly turns his head to look at Sehun before the latter has a chance to take a look for himself. “Hey, sorry, but I really need to use the restroom.”

Sehun blinks. “Uh, okay.”

“What?” Chanyeol shrugs before gesturing towards the six empty mugs sitting neglected on the table. “I have a small- bladder, it ain’t my fault.” Turning around he quickly reaches behind the chair and grabs his cane before giving Sehun a small nod. “I’ll be right back, don’t you go anywhere, 'aight? No crying while I’m gone, by the way,” he chuckles (barely dodging Sehun’s palm as the latter attempts to hit him on the shoulder) before adjusting his brooch and walking towards the door marked 'WC’.

❧