Jaehyun was drawing his muse’s pair of lips. However, there was something off. He kept making mistakes at the corners of it and couldn’t go through it. He held the pencil tight, trying to draw and erase then draw again, but no matter how he tried, he got it all wrong. The boy groaned with frustration when he saw the latest lead overlapped last wrong one that was erased earlier.

When the boy realized that trying like this only made things become messy, he then accepted to stop. He sighed. Jaehyun couldn’t draw since his mind kept focusing in that table on the other side of the room, where the person that he had a crush on was sitting with another person.

With another man.

Surely Jaehyun adored his muse, but the boy was still conscious of right thoughts. With the said man’s attractive look, Jaehyun wouldn’t surprise if one day he saw the man sitting or going out with someone else, whether a man or a woman. That could be the one that loved him or the one that he loved. Also on that one day, Jaehyun would see the man talking lovingly, chuckling, or blushing when the other person caressed his hand. Just like what was happening right there.

The guy who came with his muse was also a good looking one with a bright face, smiling eyes, and a charming smile. He also got something of Japanese. His black hair was wavy and a bit long. The guy dressed up casually, looking active. For a moment Jaehyun thought he understood if that guy really had a special relationship with the beautiful stranger.

Jaehyun was ready to accept everything even though his heart sank at the thought. It was simply because he couldn’t stop those things to happen. It was because Jaehyun himself was really no one to the beautiful stranger.

However, if that was simply all then Jaehyun’s mood wasn’t this bad, and he didn’t have to be all distressed like this. There was something so strange between the two over there. He meant, his muse didn’t seem to blush with fondness, and his hand placing on the table didn’t seem to be held willingly. Jaehyun didn’t know what had happened before as he was late, but he guessed now those two were having a fight. It seemed to get worse since his muse looked more and more uneasy.

At first, Jaehyun was a little confused. The stranger could take the initiative to free himself from the situation that made him feel uncomfortable, but all he did was let the guy do whatever he wanted and only said something weakly that was just quickly interrupted. Unless... Jaehyun became worried. He hoped that the man wasn’t bullied or something.

Their fight seemed to culminate when the guy shouted at the stranger. The man and even some nearby tables were startled at his action. The guy was really angry, but somehow he still waited until others turned back to their things, then he continued what he wanted to say before finishing all and standing up, stormed out the room.

Jaehyun didn’t know when the door closed and those annoyed footsteps disappeared. The only thing he cared about was his muse sitting alone there. The man was so shocked at the guy’s anger and words that he sat still for a while. His eyes fixed on his tangled and untangled fingers placing on his lap. His stunning face of every day now looked so sad and gloomy. It was like a blanket of grey clouds covering the sky that was all clear and peaceful just a moment ago. And Jaehyun wondered what was happening inside that pretty head that made the stranger bite his bottom lip unconsciously but hard like that.

Besides, Jaehyun noticed that when the other guy left, the beautiful man grabbed the edge of the table, leaning forward. Maybe he wanted to catch up the guy. However, he then chose to sit back eventually and let the other go. Jaehyun didn’t know how to feel when he saw the man do that. The man must be really fond of that guy.

Just please don’t hurt yourself because of him… Jaehyun sighed.

Jaehyun looked at his unfinished sketch of the stranger. He thought today wasn’t the day for him to draw. His muse sat there sadly, having suffered something that made him heartbroken then there was no way Jaehyun had a mind to move his pencil. The boy sat blankly for a while before deciding that the event was enough and today would come to an end here. It was better for Jaehyun to collect his stuff and leave early. It was good for his mood, and somehow it would be good for the beautiful man there, too.

Having had all his stuff packed, Jaehyun was ready to leave. He was about giving the man his last look of the day, but then he frozed when he saw what happening there.

The man’s shoulders slumped forward, and his eyes filled with tears. He bit his lower lip and tried to stop himself from crying, but it wasn’t easy at all when tears rolled down on his flushed cheeks uncontrollably. The man wiped his face hurriedly, but tears just kept coming out more and more, like thousands pieces of a broken glass spreading all the way to the universe without a way to save them back. That wiping tears away with his hands only made the hot liquids smudge everywhere and become a messy on his face.

Jaehyun couldn’t utter a word or think even. He felt a pang in his heart as he looked at those tear filled eyes. After a while, the first thought that popped into his mind was that if Jaehyun could, he would do anything to comfort the man and bring his smile back.

The boy cast a glance at his sketch book in his hand, suddenly feeling nervous. He swallowed hard, making a decision.

When Jaehyun walked to the very table on the other side of the room, he had nothing in his mind but those chants of "Don’t stumble! Don’t slip!"

The boy's eyes were fixed on the pink hair that he was approaching, his heart was pounding so hard that people would hear it if they stood in front of him, and Jaehyun was sure that he looked like a walking tomato now. But he didn’t want to stop. He couldn’t stop either.

Jaehyun’s table wasn’t really far from the stranger's, but it was like he had spent a century to go there. As fluttering feelings were raising in his stomach, he now stood in front of the one that he had a crush on secretly. Jaehyun came to him. For the very first time, finally.

Without letting the stranger wipe away his tears and have a chance to look up, Jaehyun placed a small pack of tissue paper and a double paper on the table. And the next thing he did was simply flying out the room without a word.

That-was-all.

After having seen Jaehyun left the coffee shop hurriedly like that, that evening when Johnny came home, the older caught Jaehyun right before the boy ran back to his own room and hid there then asked. "What happened today?"

"Nothing, hyung. Suddenly I found that I forgot something." Jaehyun tried to answer naturally. The little he knew that the way his ears colored up quickly exposed all conversely. Johnny sighed exaggeratedly, pointing at Jaehyun's ears.

"If you want to say that, you should cover your ears first."

The younger whined, using his hands to cover his ears. Johnny burst out a laugh, asking again with encouragement.

"What happened this time?"

Jaehyun hesitated a bit, but in the light of the encouragement from the older, he said. "I came to his table today."

"What?" Johnny blurted out loud. "You did what?"

The younger shut his eyes for a moment before he opened them and repeated. "I came to his table today."

Johnny grabbed Jaehyun to their common room to sit down on the sofa right away. Seeing Jaehyun looking at him awkwardly, the older reassured him, saying a little teasingly.

"Alright, it sounds like a breaking news, but I promise you I’ll keep calm, so going on."

"I'm serious, hyung." The younger pouted. Johnny giggled back.

"It really is. Anyway, tell me. Why did it turn out like that?"

"That person today—" Jaehyun paused as he suddenly remembered something. "Wait, hyung. You've already known that."

"I know wh— Ah!" Johnny exhaled. "Are you talking about that your muse went there with some guys?"

"I can’t believe you do this to me." Jaehyun rolled his eyes.

The older chuckled. "Obviously I was about to tell you about that, but you rushed away." Johnny punched at Jaehyun's shoulder playfully when he heard a snort from the younger.

"There was something off. They walked in the shop like some friends, but then your muse kept asking the other guy for holding up something, and it seemed that he was really worried about the matter. The other guy insisted on doing it. He also said something like he would be honest with your muse today. Well, that's all I have."

The older noticed Jaehyun becoming lost in thought. He waved his hand before the boy’s eyes.

"Earth calls Jaehyun. Hello?" The older couldn’t suppress a snicker when he saw the boy startle.

"So, what happened there?" Johnny asked, this time becoming serious. Jaehyun sighed before started.

"They seemed to have a fight. That person, he looked really tense, but he didn’t try to stop that guy even when that guy shouted at his face then left him all alone. But it was not the worst part. He cried, hyung. He cried a lot. He cried at such a public place like that, at a coffee shop. He tried to wipe tears again and again, but it was just… He looks somehow fragile and vulnerable, and I know I don’t know anything about him, but I think he's not the type of person who easily shed tears in a public place like a coffee shop. He even tried to hide his wet face so no one else could see that moment of weakness. But he cried a lot…"

Jaehyun's voice became softer and smaller in the end, like he was talking to himself. The beautiful stranger’s face came into his mind, sad and full of tears in the gloomy afternoon then it lingered there, making his heart sink once again.

"That sounds bad." Johnny said, patting on the boy's shoulder with sympathy. "So, that’s why you came to him, hmm? It must be better since he had you to comfort him."

Jaehyun chuckle bashfully.

"Just don’t do something weird." The older said cautiously.

"I’m sorry, but I did."

"Okay, let me censor some of my words from now." Jaehyun giggled at the older's words.

"Well, of course I couldn’t let myself only watch him being sad and kept crying like that. But I wasn’t really sure what I should do. I, mm, torn away a drawing from my sketch book, one of those drawings of the first time I saw him. I wrote down a few lines on it and doubled it—"

"Whoo man~"

"Shut up, John hyung, I’ve not done yet. I went straight to his table and put it on the table along with a pack of tissue paper. Then…"

"Then?" The older man asked excitedly.

"… I ran away before he looked at me. The rest was like what you saw."

Jaehyun covered his face with his hands as the same time Johnny used his own shoulder to push the younger out the furniture. If Jaehyun didn’t regain his balance on time, he would have fallen on the floor. The boy was about to complain, but before he said anything, he received a flick on his forehead. Jaehyun pouted, holding his forehead while Johnny gave him a mock scold. "A fool as expected."

"I know, I know, I’m just a dumb boy. I won’t be surprised if he doesn’t come back to the coffee shop. I’m sure that he'll see me as some weird stalkers."

"You know it so well, huh?" Johnny teased. "But hey..."

"Yes, hyung?"

"What did you write in the drawing?"

Johnny looked at Jaehyun grabbing a cushion nearby and putting his face into it. The older heard a series of words that sounded like alien language as Jaehyun said on the cushion. Somehow, Johnny guessed this would be the funniest moment of the year for the younger boy.

"What was that?" Johnny asked again.

"'I like your smile. I hope everything will be alright.' That’s what I tried."

That’s it. Johnny burst out laughing really loud, like r-e-a-l-l-y.

It was easy to know how embarrassed Jaehyun was now. The younger hit Johnny’s side with the cushion in his hands, but it only made Johnny’s laugh get louder. Before the boy became all pout and sulk, Johnny managed to sit back and swept all the tears from his own eyes for laughing too hard.

"Don’t worry. You got it all done by the way." The older said cheerfully. Jaehyun wanted to hit him again.

It was when the air settled down a bit then Jaehyun heard the older. "Anyway, I think this might be a good step. Now your muse knows about the presence of his secret admirer."

"Yeah, he'll know about me as a weird stalker."

"Hey, then you would be the best weird stalker with golden hands that can draw things aesthetically he ever met. Want some evident? Go to the Jaehyun’s precious sketch book."

"Hyung, that was a nice try though." Jaehyun gave Johnny a mock applause. The older bowed at him exaggeratedly, acting like he was receiving some award.

The younger leaned on the back of the sofa, leaving his gaze to the ceiling aimlessly. Beside him, Johnny did the same.

The older hummed a little then said. "What’s your plan?"

"What plan?" Jaehyun chuckled sheepishly. He asked that, but he already knew what Johnny was talking about.

"Don’t answer a question with another question, Yoonoh-ssi." The older nudged his arm.

"Ah, I don’t know, hyung…"

"Don’t plan to stay away from the coffee house and never go back there again."

"Have you just read my mind?" Jaehyun looked at the older surprisingly. Johnny rolled his eyes.

"I know you so well, bro."

The boys fistbumped then laughed.

"Maybe you can get the answer for all these days wondering your feelings for your muse, if you go back to the coffee shop. That person seems like an attentive and understanding person, I think he’ll have an acceptable reaction. Besides, that you tried to comfort him today is actually a good attempt, you can earn an extra point for that. That person will feel your sincerity and at least not have the heart to be mad at you."

Jaehyun dimpled at the older as Johnny ruffled his hair. "Whether it's good or not, it's better for you to take the initiative."

"I’ll give it a try." Jaehyun replied softly.

Despite that, Jaehyun didn’t dare go back to the coffee shop or even go to somewhere around there for the next few days.

Johnny gave his pep talks every day when the older came home from work, but still Jaehyun couldn’t stop himself from hiding. Of course, Jaehyun really missed the beautiful stranger. He would like to see the man again. He would like to watch the man solving his homework or sipping a cup of milk tea macchiato while reading his favorite books in the sweet sunshine of late afternoon. He wanted to spend time beholding those sparkling eyes or rosy lips that made him draw carefully at every inch, the pink hair like a cotton cloud, or lovely slender fingers. However, there was no way Jaehyun could ignore the worry from his very first approach and the consequences of it. He didn’t want to face the fact that the man would hate him.

Jaehyun remembered the words of Johnny calling him a fool. Maybe he really was.

On a fine day near the end of the week, Jaehyun went to the coffee shop with a face mask. When Johnny recognized him, the older burst into laugh right away. Jaehyun just rolled his eyes, thinking that they would talk about this at home later. Now he had to order a drink quickly then flee upstairs before the older said anything that only make him consider and return home with embarrassment.

Jaehyun decided to go to the coffee shop today since he thought that the hiding time was enough. Perhaps now the stranger forgot him or even didn’t back to the place though the idea made him feel a bit down. Also, it was for the next week that would be the beginning of the new semester, and Jaehyun still needed to keep practicing to prepare for it.

He came to the place at the time that the stranger used to appear frequently. Jaehyun had a peek to the table of the other through the glass door and exhaled when he didn’t see the said man there. He then stepped into the coffee room, took off the face mask, and sat down at his favorite table.

The boy opened his sketch book, half sad and half bothered when he thought that he would have to find another inspiration from now. As Jaehyun turned each page of the sketch book slowly, the drawings of the beautiful stranger passed by his eyes and reminded him of every moment the man caught his heart for the past two weeks. The sight of the man sitting by the glass window replayed in his mind again, and he sighed. Jaehyun really missed him.

Jaehyun turned to the latest drawing, believing that this was also the last one. It was the saddest moment of that day when the man hung his head and cried silently. Jaehyun drew it unintentionally while he was sitting idly at home then suddenly thought of the man. Although some days had passed by, he still had a feeling of something tugged at his heart when he recalled the event. Jaehyun shook his head slightly, refusing to think more about it. Instead, he wondered if the man felt better now.

At that moment, a voice came out from somewhere near him.

Jaehyun startled a little. At first he thought that was some staff bringing him his drink. As usual, the boy didn’t look up but pushed his drawing stuff aside for the other person to put the drink on the table. However, it was strange that today Jaehyun had to wait longer than usual, but his drink was nowhere to be seen. He frowned then looked up.

The boy widened his eyes in disbelief.

"Hello?" The previous voice could be heard clearer now, really soft and pleasant sounding going straight to Jaehyun's ears, at the same time its owner’s stunning face and pinkish hair reflect in Jaehyun’s eyes, looking so real and closer than ever. The boy froze in place though his heart skipped a beat to another beat.

The person that had just voiced and was standing in front of Jaehyun at this moment was none other than the man that he had in mind all these days. That’s was his beautiful stranger. His very muse.

As if the man’s presence and greeting weren’t enough to take the boy’s breath away, the next thing was that his soft rosy lips was moving charmingly to say something. Jaehyun couldn’t focus on sound as there were some invisible fireworks blowing up around him and making everything hard to hear. He just sat there and stared dumbly at the man. It took a while for the boy to pronounce then. "Excuse me?"

Jaehyun saw the man smile at him sheepishly.

"May I sit here?"

I know there are some gaps, but yeah let me run away first ε=ε=ε=┏(;￣▽￣)┛

Btw thank you guys for reading this fic and leaving comments even. You all made my day. /u\ Love youuu♡