It’s raining outside. Ten just gave him a goodbye wave before he walked outside and started to run without anything, but his sweater. Doyoung finished his work and sat on the bench, near the door. His boss had gone home one hour ago, leaving him with the red panda boy, but Ten also had gone home a while ago. Doyoung had the responsibility to keep the cafe safe until it gets locked for tomorrow. He sighed deeply, watching the blur-street from a watered window. He had an urge to bring his old umbrella today, but he ended up leaving it at the front door as Ten called him and joked about why should bring a pretty umbrella in this sunny day? He... was pretty sure believed Ten and ended up like this. He couldn’t blame Ten about it because he knew he will end up miserably if he follows Ten’s opinion. But, even he had known, he always follows the red panda boy’s opinion.

Doyoung’s phone buzzed as a new message awakened his phone monitor. Gave a ‘T’ to unlock it, Doyoung was grinning sweetly as reading the red panda boy’s message. 

From. Ten                

Do you still there? Do you want me fetch you home?

PS : Sorry about umbrella stuff before.

Chuckling softly, Doyoung typed the reply.

To. Ten

Yes, if you don’t mind.

PS : Hahaha. It’s okay.

From. Ten

Okay! Wait the red panda please…

I will come faster than a cat that running on the fire.

PS : Thanks!

Doyoung sighed. Ten was a red panda, resembling a red panda. That Thai-boy admitted that too, but he always brought some cat stuffs recently, that made Doyoung confused. And it’s new. Doyoung thought, Ten really met a real cat somewhere. He hopes that cat wouldn’t be like the eagle which threw the red panda away after he forced the red panda to stay in his cavern for a night. Poor Ten. But, he’s always cheerful, making Doyoung couldn’t do anything about it.

Time had passed, but Ten still had not come yet. Doyoung placed his bag on the cashier table, humming a new song from his step brother, who sent that yesterday via email. That was a good song, with a melodic tone and calm. Like a lullaby for Doyoung. The lyric was good too—after he killed his time, one hour or more, to translate it with the help of the manual dictionary, because it’s English, and he s with that.

The bell door rang, stopping Doyoung in track as a boy came in, shivering in his wet black coat. He glanced at Doyoung and sat on the bench that Doyoung sat before. Doyoung wanted to ask, but he closed his mouth and walked to the kitchen to make something. He smelled a scent of his special—not really—tea and came back to put it on the table the boy nearest. The boy glanced at Doyoung again and bowed his head.

“It’s free,” Doyoung mumbled. The man nodded, giving a warm to his body as he was drinking it a little bit. He whispered thanks and glanced again at Doyoung before glued his eyes at the tea.

“I’m Taeyong,” Doyoung blinked in two-three times and nodded.

“Doyoung,” he replied it merely, but friendly enough. Couldn’t unseen the Taeyong boy’s smirk after he told him his name, Doyoung shrugged and took a look at the tea, but it no longer there. The cup was empty. Doyoung was confused as Taeyong suddenly rose up and sighed.

“I’ll go,” before Doyoung could react, he’d disappeared in the cold rain.

After a long pause—or some minutes—Ten finally came with a soaked pants as he entered the cafe with a mad face. Doyoung went blank as Ten started saying nonsense about he had come here ten minutes ago, searching him but found nothing. Ten thought, Doyoung had gone home already, so he decided to leave to go to Doyoung’s house, but he returned as a strange mind appeared in his mind about why Doyoung didn’t lock their café. And here he was the rest Doyoung knew.

“But I was here,” Doyoung said, making Ten rolled his eyes in a shrug.

xxx

A sunlight brushed pass Doyoung’s eyes gently, stripping Doyoung’s dream one by one. The warm caressed his face and made a slight light at the back of his eyelids. Covering his face with full hands, Doyoung rolled his body to the right and aroused to find his shadow on the wall. His hair was messy, like a weed in Harvest Moon’s game that he really loves to play. A sudden empty feeling came as he remembered his memory card that disappeared when he was still Junior High School. Doyoung pulled his hair in frustration. He pursed his bridge nose as Popuri, the girl character with long pinky hair that he’d crush with, appeared in his mind. A hollow laugh escaped from Doyoung’s thin lips. He should have saved their marriage and their son, but his forgetful mind couldn’t tell where he put that small memory card in his room.

The breeze made the curtain swayed as a fresh air captured Doyoung’s nose. He could hear many honks from the window, making his morning were not calm as usual. Started his activity by stretching his arm slowly, he paused as his phone buzzed.

From. Ten

What do you prefer? Pink or Blue?

Frowning, Doyoung typed the reply.

To. Ten

For what? But I prefer Blue

From. Ten

Thanks!

Letting out a small yawn, Doyoung shook his head and stood up. His stomach growled. Doyoung cut his purpose from the bathroom to choose the kitchen instead. He made a small sandwich and ate everything with one bite. Feeling better, he continued his track. Washed his face and cleaned his teeth in a minute. He dried his face with a towel and walked to his old couch.

Before he could even sit on it, he walked again to the door as it’s knocked. Doyoung yawned again and opened his door, expecting to see Ten. But, there’s no sign of his red panda best friend. As a replacement, there was a boy who introduced his name to Doyoung yesterday noon. He was still wearing his black coat and a hat this time. Doyoung kept silent since he didn’t know what to do. The boy—or Taeyong—stared at Doyoung for a while and he showed his bag to the younger.

“I am moving,” he said. Doyoung could understand what he said in the first time, but what he couldn’t understand is why Taeyong told him that. He’s stranger for Taeyong and so was Taeyong for him. They just met yesterday and what they had shared were only their name and the tea that made by Doyoung.

Still in daze, Doyoung was shocked to find Taeyong was not longer in front of him. Confused, Doyoung turned around and got shocked again as seeing Taeyong was lying on his old couch. His bag was still clinging on his back, a remote in his hand. Doyoung walked closer. “What are you doing?” he asked. Taeyong gave him an innocent face and pouted. “I’m thirsty,” that was his reply. Doyoung frowned, didn’t get what he wanted. “I asked, what are you doing?” again. “This is... my place,” he added. Taeyong nodded in approval.

“If this your place, then I’ll say, I am moving in,”

“What?!”

“I am moving in. We’ll live together from now,” 

Having a stranger that told you only a name yesterday and now he suddenly moved in, you’ll think he is crazy. Doyoung shook his head furiously. He wanted to speak out his feeling, but Taeyong cut him off with his hand that pressed the TV on. He increased the volume and began to laugh at the gag-joke inside the TV. Doyoung’s frown was getting deeper as Taeyong’s laugh echoing in his house.

“Wait. No no no. What did you mean by that? How could you know this is my house?” then Doyoung continued to speak with his own words; his own word that only he the one who understand it; Taeyong could hear the younger blabbering something like ‘red panda’ and ‘cat’ and ‘eagle’.

“What I mean was. I move to here and... I just randomly knocked stranger’s door,” Doyoung facepalmed. Taeyong grinned at him and took off his black coat. He placed it near his backpack on the couch and walked inside Doyoung’s apartment a bit more for the owner’s likings. Before Taeyong could take the empty-glass to drink, Doyoung had already standing in front of him, spreading his arms; making a gate; to stop Taeyong. Taeyong blinked and tilted his head to the side. Doyoung shook his head again.

“You just randomly knocked anyone’s door and said to them you move in. You’re crazy!” Doyoung pushed Taeyong. Taeyong moved backward, didn’t against it. Then Doyoung continued.

“And what do you think you got my permission to do that huh?”

“Ouch, it hurts me. You should have done better to your customer,” Taeyong placed his palm on his chest and made a hurt expression. Doyoung squinted, what is this stranger trying to do? To fool him?. Doyoung pushed Taeyong again. Taeyong moved backwards dramatically.

“You aren’t my customer okay, you should go,”

“I can’t,” Doyoung shot him a look. Taeyong sighed and shook his head. He said the same word again, more sincere and Doyoung caught there’s a deep meaning behind it. But, he could careless this time. Doyoung is a type of person who enjoys eating alone—even though Ten likes to disturb his peacefulness—and doesn’t go well with a stranger. So, he just wanted to keep this image until he dies and it’s better for Taeyong to go.

“Why? You can come, then you can leave too,” Doyoung crossed his arms as he was narrowing his eyes. Taeyong sighed again and said the same word again. Doyoung let out a frustration by his mouth.

“Why? Why? Wh—” “Because you were the one who begged me to stay,” Taeyong said, louder with his husky voice. He was quivered and didn’t dare to look at the younger with his eyes. With that unexpected answer, Doyoung went still. He blinked and looked everywhere but Taeyong. He didn’t know why, but he... he strangely believed what Taeyong had said to him.

Taeyong cleared his throat and lifted his eyes to look at Doyoung in the eyes. Doyoung darted his eyes to the older. He thought he could see how Taeyong wanted to tell him more; maybe in the past he had amnesia or something; but what he found it was a wide-naughty-smirk. Taeyong clapped his hands in front of Doyoung, making him back to his sense again.

“It’s good, isn’t it?” the smirk was still there.

“What’s good?” Doyoung already knew the answer of that. But, his words just escaped sloopily like that.

“My acting,”

Doyoung ended up calling the police to bring the stranger out of his house.