Devoted Son
The Days of Caffeine and Candy Kisses
“You said you’d go!”
Doojoon cringed at the pout being directed his way. When Yoseob didn’t get his way, he could be right up there among some of the worst for tantrums. They were never the usual definition of a tantrum, either. He didn’t scream or throw things, didn’t cause a scene. He pouted. And his pouts were on a nuclear level. Even the newest trainee, Hyunseung, couldn’t deny a Yang pout. And Hyunseung was one of the most antisocial trainees Doojoon had ever met. He was entirely too quiet for their line of work. Well, if he wanted to go solo, at least… But Doojoon really didn’t know what he wanted. He’d never really spoken to the kid one-on-one. His interactions with him were limited to watching Yoseob work his magic, getting Hyunseung to accompany him and Doojoon on any number of outings. Sometimes Yoseob just dragged Hyunseung off alone, usually on days when Doojoon was exhausted and more irritable than usual.
“Yah!”
A sharp whack to his shoulder brought him out of his wayward thoughts - and a lingering sting to the affected area. Rubbing his shoulder and scowling down at the pouting boy, Doojoon deliberately stepped away from him. “No way am I buying you caffeine or sugar when you’re already psychotic enough to turn violent. Go bully Kikwang.”
“I’m not bullying anybody!” Yoseob’s pout switched to a scowl of his own, mood shifting like a switch.
“You’re being a brat because I won’t go out with you tonight, and you just hit me.” Doojoon answered dryly, frowning down at him. “I told you last week I couldn’t go with everyone tonight. I promised my dad I’d be home.”
Doojoon knew the moment the fight went out of his smaller opponent, because Yoseob literally looked like he’d been deflated. It was the one trump card Doojoon almost never used; he hated bringing his parents into an argument that had come up over something as stupid and trivial as a er or cup of coffee. Tonight he hadn’t intended to use it as a trump card. He really had promised, and having Yoseob angry with him was nothing compared to how disappointed his parents would be if he wasn’t there tonight.
Sighing, he hooked an arm around Yoseob’s small shoulders and squeezed gently. “Look, I’ll come get you and Kikwang after school tomorrow, okay? We’ll walk here together.”
Yoseob continued to pout, but Doojoon knew he’d brought the risk of a nuclear pouting blowout down from red to at least a yellow. He leaned down, lips near Yoseob’s ear. “If you don’t stop pouting and agree to let me come pick you two up, I’m going to kiss you again.”
That did the trick. Yoseob’s expression changed in a heartbeat. “No!” He said quickly, and shook his head. “I’m good! No reason to… to give everybody a show, right?”
Doojoon stood back a step and observed the nervous giggling that bubbled up in his vocal partner. He had to admit, it was a little disappointing that Yoseob would be so eager to avoid a kiss. Then again, he wasn’t sure he wanted to put his feelings for the other boy on display in the company, either. It was already going around that the two were heavy with the skinship, something that couldn’t be denied considering how much Yoseob hung on him.
“Seobie!” Kikwang jogged down the hall to the two of them, Junhyung following behind at a more leisurely pace. “Are you guys ready to go?”
Doojoon opened his mouth, ready to explain himself again, but Yoseob cut him off. “He can’t come. His parents want him at home.” Glancing up at Doojoon, he waved a little and hooked an arm through one of Kikwang’s. “See you tomorrow.”
Junhyung lingered as the two started off, standing near Doojoon. They both stared after the hyper friends. “You know people are starting to talk.”
“I know,” Doojoon said softly, still watching Yoseob’s retreating backside as he got further away. Tucking his hands into the pockets of his jacket, he rocked back on his heels and exhaled sharply. “If something develops for real, I’m going to talk to the company. I want to know if it’d be allowed or not.”
Junhyung watched him walk away with surprise. If he was already thinking about whether the company would allow him to date someone within the company, he must really be serious about Yoseob. Doojoon usually didn’t do something without thinking first, especially when it had potential to affect his family or future.
Sighing, he shook his head and turned to follow after Yoseob and Kikwang. “I hope you know what you’re doing, Doojoon..”
---
Yoseob frowned as he walked to the back of his parents’ restaurant. He’d had a good time with Kikwang and Junhyung, heading for a movie and then roaming some of the food stalls outside for awhile. They’d goofed around a bit, getting Junhyung into a rare silly mood, but Doojoon had been at the back of his mind the entire time.
He picked a table near the back of the restaurant to eat his dinner at, feeling strangely bereft. Normally by the time he made it for dinner, he’d been with Doojoon for several hours and was on a high, sometimes without the aid of caffeine or sugar. Today, while he’d had a pretty good day and had gotten to hang out with Kikwang, he just didn’t feel very high. He felt rather low, actually.
Eventually when his mom brought him his food and he dug in, his mind shifted focus onto school, training and food. He did some of his best thinking when he was eating. Well, he thought he did at least. Kikwang would beg to differ.
When the door chimed and a couple took a table near the front, Yoseob didn’t really notice. The restaurant was fairly full, even after the dinner rush, since it was a weekend. There were plenty of people coming in to eat and he wasn’t helping out tonight; his mother had insisted he go home and rest when he finished eating. One thing he’d learned early on in his life was not to argue with his elders.
“Doojoon! You made it!”
That got his attention. His spoon hovering in midair halfway between his mouth and the bowl, he looked up in time to see a very familiar jacket and backpack pause at one of the tables near the front. The tall brunette they belonged to hugged a man, then stooped to hug the woman sitting across from him.
“Of course I made it, Mom. It’s your birthday!” The backpack came off and dropped to the floor, getting nudged under the table with one black sneaker. As the brunette dropped into a seat with his back to the window, Yoseob got a shock.
“Aigoo, my son is always so good!” Doojoon’s mother pinched his cheek gently, making father and son laugh. She let go and patted the spot she’d pinched, smiling at him adoringly. “Such a good boy…”
Doojoon grinned at her, then bent over to retrieve a small box from his backpack. “Sorry I was late. It came in today and I wanted to make sure I had it…” He muttered a little sheepishly. Pushing the box in front of his mother on the table, he glanced at his father, for the first time looking a little anxious. Anxious but excited.
Yoseob frowned as his mother passed by him to deliver food, blocking his view for a few seconds. When she was gone again, Doojoon’s mother was holding up a tasteful looking sweater, eyes wide in surprise. “Oh, Doojoon…”
As his father clapped him on the back, Doojoon shifted in his seat and launched into an uncertain explanation. “I was going to get you the new book by that author you like, but I saw you looking at this in the mall awhile back and changed my mind..” He paused, biting his lip as his mother continued to look at the gift. “They ran out and I had to wait for them to get a new order in…”
“I love it, Doojoon,” his mother reassured him, folding the sweater neatly so she could tuck it back in the box. When the lid was closed again, she looked at her son in concern. “How did you manage to get enough money to pay for it?”
Here Doojoon looked even more sheepish, fidgeting a little. “I saved up,” He glanced at his father and grimaced apologetically. “Some was from last year’s allowance.. But most of it was from the money I got during New Year.”
So that’s why he’d been checking his phone so much lately… Yoseob suddenly felt a little guilty for giving him grief, however good-natured, over having his phone glued to his hip. He’d been worrying over his mother’s gift and whether it would come in on time.
The birthday dinner progressed at a leisurely pace, with Doojoon and his parents relaxing and talking about how school and training were going. Yoseob finished his dinner but didn’t leave right away, watching the little family. He’d often wondered what Doojoon’s parents were like. He’d been to the other boy’s home, but his parents were usually working or asleep, and he was never there very long.
The Yoon family left once they’d finished their dinner, Doojoon walking just behind his parents. Yoseob helped his parents the rest of the night, much to his mother’s chagrin, before going home to study and sleep.
Caffeine & Candy Kisses is essentially the prequel to WIB, but about Dooseob instead of Junseung. I've gotten a lot of questions about that..
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