Jonghyun and Minho sat opposite Key and Taemin in the booth of a small, all-night café.  

The place was nearly empty, the only other occupants being an old man that talked to himself while he read the newspaper, and a couple that were giggling drunkenly at another table.  A couple of the waitresses were sitting idly by in one of the booths, taking a smoke break, while another one brought the four men their tea, setting a steaming cup down in front of each of them.  She gave them a faded smile, murmured "enjoy", and left.  Taemin picked up his cup and sipped shyly, eyes downcast, as he tried to ignore the waves of tension that were rolling off of Key.  

Key wasn't in a bad mood, per sé, he just wasn't in the mood for this.  It had been a long day and he was tired.  He took a drink of the tea, pleasantly surprised to find that it tasted better than he was expecting, then crossed his arms and legs.  "So, what do you two want with us?"  He asked, getting straight to the point.

Minho and Jonghyun, surprised by his abruptness, looked at each other.

"Uh, well, we just wanted to get to know you," Minho answered, uncharacteristically awkward.  He looked at Jonghyun for confirmation.

"What he said," the elder supported with a victorious smile.  He didn't see the way Minho hung his head, shaking it.

Key couldn't help a small, amused snort.  "Ok.  So, why do you want to get to know us?"

Taemin peeked over his cup as he drank, blinking his large, round eyes adorably with curiosity.  Minho couldn't help but notice, and his stomach did a weird little flip.

"Because you're both good-looking," Jonghyun replied with a shrug.

Key scoffed in disbelief.  "That's it?"

"What?"  Jonghyun asked, genuinely puzzled.  "What's wrong with that reason?  It's a good enough reason to want to get to know someone."

"It's a baseless reason."

"It's an honest one," Jonghyun countered.  "Tell me: how many times have you looked at someone and went, 'damn, I bet he has good morals', or, 'check out the values on him'."

"I... wha," Key sputtered.  He was used to this raptor being a typial idiot, but right now he was making a little too much sense for Key's liking.

"Why don't you tell me a little bit about yourself?"  Minho chimed in gently, the question directed at the silent Taemin.

The maknae immediately froze, his mug of tea stopping just shy of his lips.  "Uh... th-there's not much to tell."

"Leave him be for now," Key said quietly, evenly, having sensed his roommates discomfort.

Minho's brow furrowed a little in confusion, his head tilting as he suddenly wondered why the beautiful boy looked like a frightened animal.  Was he hiding something?  Either way, he'd have to let the questions drop for now.  So instead, he opted for a more mundane topic.  "So how do you like working at the club?"

Taemin relaxed slightly and took a sip from the cup.  "It's... not bad.  It gets kind of stressful when we get really busy, but I don't mind the work."

"That's good," Minho said, smiling gently and warmly.  "If it's any consolation, the stress doesn't show.  You're good at what you do."

Taemin mad a sound that was something between a laugh and a scoff.  "I'm a server.  It doesn't take a genius to be good at that."

"On the contrary," Minho wagged a finger once.  "I've been to establishments with a lot less volume and stress, and the service was slow and unfriendly.  Plus, they get my orders wrong half the time."  He suddenly looked comically thoughtful.  "I'm also pretty sure they spit in my food or dropped it on the ground a few times."

At that, Taemin let out a laugh.  However, he'd been drinking from his mug and managed to spray tea all over Jonghyun, Minho and the table.  Even Key laughed at the outburst.  Jonghyun and Minho looked momentarily surprised, arms raising up and back as wet spots appeared on their designer clothing, but they, too, were laughing.

"Mianhamnida," Taemin chuckled, using a napkin to dry his face and the table.  He was still smiling, though there was a blush of embarrassment on his cheeks.

"No worries at all," Jonghyun said good-naturedly.  "It's only tea.  I'm just surprised we finally got a happy reaction out of you."

Key smiled, shaking his head.  "Thank you for the tea, guys, but I think it's time we got going."

"So soon?"  Minho asked, eyes widening.  "It's only..." He looked at his watch.  "Three o' clock in the morning."

Key favored him with a smile.  "Right... 'only'."

Jonghyun stood.  "Thank you both for the pleasure of your company; I hope we can do this again in the future."

"Don't hold your breath," Key winked.  And with that, he whisked Taemin out the door, leaving Jonghyun and Minho with the tab.

Jonghyun and Minho sat in bewildered silence as the pretty pair exited into the night.

"So... what now?"  Minho asked.

"Now?"  Jonghyun's eyebrows went up, and he shrugged.  "Now I'm gonna go home and beat off."

"Are we giving up?"  Minho asked, nonplussed by Jonghyun's answer.

"No way!  Despite what Key said, we have our foot in the door now."  He drank the rest of his tea while Minho nodded.  When he was done, he laid some money on the table and got up.  "Alright, kaja.  I'll give you a ride home so you can beat off, too."

** A/N:

Thank you all for still being here!  This Noona/Unnie wasn't doing well, and had to spend some time away.  It makes me so happy to see messages of support, and know that you are all still with me.  Thank you. <3

Hope you enjoyed the chapter, and that I will be able to update again soon.

Narcotica out!  **