Index:

(YJ) - Young Jae speaking
(DH) - Daehyun speaking
(BY) - Yongguk speaking
(JU) - Jongup speaking
(JI) - Jin speaking

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How long had he been laying there in bed? About five, maybe even ten minutes had probably passed after waking up. Was that really how long he had been in bed? Then again, he couldn’t really be entirely certain about his guess. After all, it’s not like he had looked at his alarm clock the second he woke up. There were still a number of things that needed to be done and yet.. he was just here, staring up at the ceiling. In a way, it was somewhat.. relaxing. Sure, it could be considered boring to some others, but for him, he was able to organize his thoughts a bit.

Since it was Saturday, he was supposed to be getting ready for the children that he was supposed to tutor today. Sadly enough, they weren’t going to be coming today. It turned out that there was a field trip today and both of them had been allowed to go, so basically, his schedule was free today. Was there anything else that he could do to keep himself busy? Maybe he had some chores to do o maybe there was something important that needed to be done. It was just weird to have a free schedule on a day that he was normally busy.

Well, maybe today, he could actually take the day to relax and catch up with friends. Of course, his thoughts did go back to what Jin had requested earlier in the week. Since Jin had wanted to get to know Young Jae, today seemed like a good day. Pushing himself up a bit, he looked around for a moment before reaching for his phone on the bedside table. Setting his elbow onto the bed, he propped his head up into the palm of his hand as he looked down at his phone. After unlocking the screen, Daehyun scrolled through his contacts before locating Jin’s name. Pressing the number, he scrolled here and there before he began typing up a text message. He knew that Jin preferred texts over phone calls, so it was probably best to just go with what he preferred. In a way, Daehyun felt like Jin was more likely to respond to him anyway if they were conversing through texts.

The second the text was sent, Daehyun let his head slip out from the palm of his hand, letting it land on his bicep. He closed his eyes, breathing gently as he let his hand dangle above his head. It probably would have been best to text or call Young Jae as well, but he didn’t know if Jin was free today. Sure, it would be rather nice to just hang out with Young Jae, but he also didn’t really want to bother Young Jae if he was busy. Was it because he was nervous about asking Young Jae to hang out with him? Possibly. He could just be using Jin as an excuse to gather up the courage to contact Young Jae first, but at least it was a step closer to possibly winning Young Jae over. He just needed to learn more about Young Jae so that he could try to find common interests between them.

It seemed like a good idea to him. Common interests did tend to make it easier to get along with someone else. He just hoped that things ended up going really well. If both Jin and then Young Jae agreed to hanging out today, then he could listen to Jin as he constantly questioned Young Jae about himself. It was the perfect opportunity for him to learn more about Young Jae without having to feel awkward around him.

Awkward..? Why did he feel awkward around Young Jae anyway? When he was younger, he had been full of confidence and was able to talk to anyone. Actually, he was still like that now. The only thing was that he was actually only awkward around Young Jae. Was it because he liked Young Jae? It did make sense in a way. Young Jae seemed to be the only one to have this sort of effect on him, but at the same time.. it didn’t make sense. Since he wasn’t as close to Young Jae as he had been when they were kids, he should’ve almost seen him as a stranger and yet.. he still acted as if he has known him his entire life.

Maybe that was it. Since he’s held onto his feelings for Young Jae all this time, then he’s been acting as if Young Jae has been the same since then. It wasn’t exactly the best idea for him to treat Young Jae that way since he’s older now. Somewhere along the line, he was going to have to learn to accept that Young Jae has possibly changed differently despite what he’s seen so far. So, if he hadn’t already thought of it, he should give Young Jae a clean slate. After all, if he didn’t do something like that, then he might find himself disappointed if he expected one thing and Young Jae did another.

Sighing, Daehyun moved his arm so that it was in front of him now. Opening his eyes a bit, he looked down at his phone, which was located below his pillow. There was still no response, though he shouldn’t really expect one so soon. If he recalled, Jin wasn’t a morning person, so it shouldn’t have been a surprise that Jin hadn’t responded to his text just yet. Rolling onto his back, Daehyun let out another sigh as he scratched his side a bit. Turning his head to his left, Daehyun frowned a bit. His memories of sharing a bed with Young Jae back at the orphanage seemed to have risen for some reason and he definitely missed that feeling of someone laying in the bed with him. It was rather lonely here. Maybe Young Jae wouldn’t mind sleeping over and possibly.. sleeping in the same bed as him. If it was just for one night, would Young Jae agree to it or.. was he being a little too creepy now?

Yeah.. he was probably being creepy now. Daehyun gave a slight smile as he looked back up at the ceiling. If things went well, then maybe, just maybe, he’d be able to share a bed with Young Jae once more. If not, then.. that was okay too. He shouldn’t let it get to him if Young Jae ended up going with someone else, right? Sure, he could be sad about it, but it was best to find a way to move on from it. Though.. it was usually easier said than done. Until it actually happened, then Daehyun wouldn’t be able to tell if he really could move on.

Well, for now, he shouldn’t really think about all of this. Sure, he had the time to figure out his thoughts, but now wasn’t really the time. For now, he should just enjoy the luxury of having a day off. Releasing yet another sigh, Daehyun smiled a put as he covered his eyes with his arm. Should he fall back asleep or should he continue to wait for a response from Jin? Though, now that he thought about it, it was probably best to wait for a response. He did, after all, text Jin first about a possibility of hanging out today. If he fell asleep, he most likely wouldn’t wake up from his ring tone that he had set for whenever he received text messages.

Moving his arm above his head, he stared up at the ceiling once more. It probably would have been best for him to go and cook breakfast, but he knew that Jongup wouldn’t wake up until around noon, maybe even later. He remembered that Jongup used to wake up early in order to catch the Saturday morning cartoons that played, but it seemed like he preferred to sleep for as long as possible now. Daehyun did recall that Jongup would sometimes be disappointed whenever he missed it, so maybe he should wake Jongup up just for today. At least it gave Jongup the opportunity to catch an episode he may not have seen on the computer already. Though.. it was probably best to just ask Jongup when he wakes up as opposed to just waking him up out of nowhere. If he recalled, Jongup had stayed up last night playing video games. There had been a number of sounds that had emanated from Jongup’s room, constantly waking him up throughout the night, so he could only assume that Jongup was exhausted now. Though.. some of those sounds didn’t exactly sound like the kind of sounds that would come from someone playing a video game.

A small, embarrassed, chuckle escaped from his lips as he covered his eyes with his hand. That was definitely not the kind of thought that he wanted in his head. He really only saw Jongup as a little brother and it’s pretty awkward to be thinking that his little brother did such things. Sure, Jongup was old enough to do something like that, but he would prefer not to have those kinds of images in his head. Smoothing his hair back, he returned his arm back above his head as he sighed yet again.

Another few minutes of laying in bed had passed before finally, he felt a vibration on his bed in the area next to him. Wait, a vibration? So his phone was currently on vibrate instead of ring? Lifting his head a bit, he looked down at his phone as he saw the now lit up screen. Moving his left arm back down, he picked up his phone as he raised it in front of his face. Unlocking his phone, he read the text message a bit before chuckling a little. It seemed like Jin really was ecstatic to learning more about Young Jae. He even came up with the time and place for where they should meet, which was probably why it took a while for Jin to respond to his text message. Though, he did wonder why Jin had asked for Jongup to tag along with them. Well, it was probably more fun with more people anyway, right? Jongup did know Young Jae after all and maybe it would make things less awkward this way.

Before he could respond to Jin though, he did have to ask Young Jae if he could come and hang out with them. After all, they were only really planning this because of him. Scrolling through his phone, Daehyun finally located Young Jae’s name before pressing it. He was about to send Young Jae a text message, but quickly paused for a moment as he slightly looked off to the side. Should he text or.. should he call him instead? Maybe.. it would be best to call him instead of sending a text. At least that way, he could hear Young Jae’s voice if Young Jae couldn’t come out after all. Though.. just that very thought made Daehyun feel like he was being creepy again. Could he help it though? He’s constantly though about Young Jae for the past thirteen years and now that they’ve reunited, Daehyun kind of felt like he needed to fill up that gap that had been created.

Taking in a deep breath, Daehyun shut his eyes and turned his head off to the side as he hesitated to press the call button. He knew that it needed to be done one way or another and through a call, it at least felt more personal. Somehow, after another few minutes had passed and he had unlocked his phone for the third time, he forced himself to press the call button. Daehyun nearly threw his phone off to the side, but he somehow managed to fight that urge as he pressed the phone up to his ear. He kept his eyes closed, his heart racing in an attempt to keep up with the situation as he listened to the ringing. Would Young Jae pick up? Was he busy at this very moment? Maybe he was just waking up now. These thoughts were what almost made him hang up, but the second he heard Young Jae’s voice, Daehyun’s throat instantly went dry. “Hello? Daehyun?” (YJ)

“Y-Yeah.. Um.. H-Heeeyy there..” (DH) What was that supposed to be?! Daehyun literally ended up smacking his forehead as he tried to regain his composure. Why was he so nervous?! He just needed to ask Young Jae if he wanted to hang out and that was that. It was simple and yet, he was somehow finding it as the most difficult thing to do. The awkward silence between them was nerve wracking and it must have been the same for Young Jae, since Young Jae soon broke the silence between the two of them.

“D-Daehyun..? Are you still there? Why did you call?” (YJ)

“Oh! Uh.. I.. I was wondering if you’d.. um.. if you’d like to come and hang out for a bit. I mean, Jin wants to get to know you a bit more since you’re a close friend of mine so I was wondering if you wouldn’t mind coming out to do that.” (DH) Daehyun shut his eyes tightly and bit his bottom lip as he listened to the sound of his own heartbeat and Young Jae’s calm and even breathing through the phone. Through his own embarrassment, Daehyun didn’t even realize that he was holding his breath. It wasn’t until he heard Young Jae’s voice was when he finally exhaled.

“I... I’m not really sure right now.. I have to figure out what I have to do today, b-but..! Um... Just get ready anyway, okay? I’ll try my best to see if I can come out today! Okay?” (YJ) The excitement was practically flowing through Daehyun as a large grin stretched across his face. It took all he had just to keep himself from practically throwing a fist into the air, of course.. he wasn’t really certain if it counted as a victory just yet.

“Yeah! That’s alright. We’ll wait patiently for you, okay? Take your time!” (DH)

“Okay. I’ll try to get back to you soon. I’ll call you in at most an hour.” (YJ) Before either one of them could say their goodbyes, Young Jae had quickly ended the phone call. Daehyun pulled his phone away to see that Young Jae really had hung up, which brought a bit of disappointment on his face. Still, that was alright. Since Young Jae was going to be trying his hardest to come out and hang out with them, then it was worth the wait. Just as he was about to pull the blanket off of himself, his phone quickly vibrated in his hand. Raising his phone back up, he unlocked his phone before looking at the text message and smiling.

Pushing himself up to a sitting position, Daehyun continued to hold his smile as he reread Young Jae’s text message. He could believe that Young Jae would end up calling him again later, so all he had to do was wait patiently. Pulling the blanket off of himself, Daehyun swung his legs over the edge of the bed before standing up onto his feet. He took the moment to stretch a bit before walking over to the window. Daehyun moved the curtains just enough to peek out the window, his gaze meeting with the city outside. He probably would have pulled the curtains completely out of the way to let the sunshine in, but he wasn’t exactly wearing anything at the moment. Could he help it? Ever since he went to bed at the age of fourteen, he’s been sleeping ever since. It was just more comfortable that way. Sure, he had to lock the door every night in order to keep people from walking in on him and creating an awkward situation, but at least he usually woke up early on his own anyway.

Looking around, he noticed that the weather was rather nice today. It was sunny with some clouds out and the traffic didn’t seem bad whatsoever, so today might be the best day to hang out today. With a small smile, Daehyun made his way over to the dresser and picked up the towel that he had hung on a hook by the dresser before making his way towards the bathroom.

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Daehyun let out a small, satisfied, sigh as he walked down the hallway. A shower was always nice to have, especially since it made him feel refreshed and clean for the oncoming day. He was currently dressed in something simple; a black v-neck t-shirt, a pair of black skinny jeans, a black rope bracelet, and a pair of white ankle socks. He probably would have worn a hat as well, but his hair was currently still a little wet and if he recalled, it was bad to wear a hat while one’s hair was still wet.

Stopping in front of Jongup’s bedroom door, he cleared his throat a bit as he turned the doorknob. Pushing the door open, Daehyun stepped into the room before shaking his head in disappointment. Despite the fact that Jongup had finally managed to get his room organized, Jongup still threw his clothes onto the floor. It wasn’t even in a pile or anything. It was just.. laying there. Well, that was alright for the time being. As long as Jongup managed to clean his room every now and then, he could let little things slide. Walking over to the window, he pulled the curtains open before making his way over to Jongup’s bed.

Placing his hands on his hips, he raised a single brow as he examined Jongup. As usual, Jongup was in a sleeveless undershirt and whatever pair of loose boxers he was wearing at the time, and just like most other times, the blanket had been kicked off of the bed. Ignoring the obvious tent that Jongup was currently pitching, Daehyun’s eyes were locked in on Jongup’s currently exposed abs. Jongup’s shirt was halfway raised, covering only Jongup's chest at this point. Of course, since the shirt was relatively tight anyway, it was still able to show just how muscular Jongup's chest was.

With a small frown, Daehyun raised his own shirt before looking down at his own stomach and poking at it a bit. Sure, he had abs of his own, but it wasn’t as well sculpted as Jongup’s was. He couldn’t help but feel a bit.. jealous of Jongup’s muscles. Sure, Daehyun used to work out often when he had the time, but now, he could see that Jongup had surpassed him. Well, one day, he could start working out again. Until then, he would just have to wait patiently and hope that Jongup didn’t become too buff.

The second Jongup began to move, Daehyun quickly lowered his shirt back down before looking up at Jongup’s face. Once he saw that Jongup was still sleeping, Daehyun let out a relieved sigh as he scratched the back of his head. He was glad that Jongup was usually the type to sleep for long periods of time, otherwise that would have been awkward if Jongup had woken up right then and there. Once he had recollected his composure, Daehyun soon turned Jongup onto his stomach before slapping Jongup’s bottom. “Jongup! Wake up!” (DH)

“Mmm..! 'Emme seep..” (JU) Jongup moved away from Daehyun and had attempted to fall back asleep, but an uncomfortable feeling down below pulled his attention. Lifting his hips a bit, he adjusted his private area a bit before letting his hips fall back down onto the bed. Sadly, sleep didn’t seem to be on the agenda for the day as Daehyun slapped Jongup’s bottom once again. Jongup let out a groan as he quickly pushed himself up a bit, arching his back as he angrily stared at Daehyun through sleep filled eyes. “Wha' s'it?! It’s Saturday!” (JU)

“Jin wants to know if you want to hang out with him, me, and Young Jae today. Interested?” (DH) Jongup let out a small whine as he fell back onto the bed, his face buried into his pillow. Daehyun patiently waited for Jongup’s answer, deciding to give Jongup about two minutes before he tried waking the younger male again. Finally pushing himself back up again, Jongup looked at Daehyun once more.

“Okay. I wanna come too. Should I go shower?” (JU)

“Yeah, go ahead. It’s best to be clean. Plus, it’ll calm you down with your.. morning problem.” (DH) Jongup rubbed his face a bit as he nodded. Swinging his legs around and off of the edge of the bed, he set his feet on the ground as he stared sleepily at the ground. He took a moment or so to get up to his feet before rubbing his side a bit. Jongup had begun to adjust his private area, but Daehyun quickly nudged Jongup’s arm, pulling his attention. “Hey. Don’t do things like that around others.” (DH)

“Sorry.. Can you go now?” (JU) Daehyun nodded before finally leaving Jongup’s bedroom. Jongup rubbed the back of his head as he let out a small sigh. He would have decided to stay home, but he recalled hearing Jin and Young Jae’s names being mentioned. He knew that Jin had a plan, so this had to be it and thus, he needed to tag along with them.

Of course.. he had a bit of a problem to deal with first.

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Sitting on the couch, Daehyun hummed quietly to himself as he looked up at the part where the wall and the ceiling connected. He was waiting patiently for Young Jae’s phone call as well as for Jongup to finish getting ready, so he was just merely sitting here, listening to his own humming. Daehyun probably would have made breakfast for them, but the place that Jin had suggested was a restaurant and Jin seemed to want to have breakfast together, so it would have been best to save their ingredients for now. Of course.. it probably would have been better to cook their breakfast as opposed to eating out and spending more money, but.. Daehyun didn’t want to seem like he was too poor to eat out. He did want to also make certain that Jongup had as much fun as possible. Since Jongup didn’t have a job, he felt like it was his job to at least spoil Jongup every now and then.

“Brother! Have you seen m-...” (JU) Daehyun turned to look at Jongup, but the younger lad had quickly stopped himself from embarrassing and exposing himself. Jongup was currently red, his gaze turned off to the side. Once Daehyun cleared his throat, Jongup instantly jumped in spot as he looked at Daehyun and quickly shook his head. “I-It’s nothing! I don’t need it right now anyway, so uh.. I’m ready. When are we leaving?” (JU)

“We’re supposed to leave when Young Jae calls me back.” (DH) Jongup slowly nodded before making his way back to his room. Daehyun smiled a bit as he looked back over at the television screen, which was currently off. He was rather curious about what Jongup was looking for, so maybe he should help Jongup look for it. Sure, Jongup said that he didn’t need it right now, but they had some time to spare while they waited for Young Jae’s phone call.

Coming to a decision, Daehyun nodded as he got to his feet. Daehyun stretched for a brief moment before making his way towards Jongup’s bedroom. Opening Jongup’s bedroom door, he had just stepped in before spotting a surprised Jongup. He could see Jongup holding something familiar but before he could tell what it was, Jongup had quickly hid it behind his back. “B-Big brother..! U-Um... What are you doing here?” (JU)

“I.. uh.. wanted to help you look for whatever it was you were looking for. Did you find it?” (DH) Jongup quickly nodded his head as he took a step back. He didn’t want to let Daehyun see what he had in his hands and he hoped that Daehyun wouldn’t pry about it. Of course, Daehyun’s suspicions weren’t about to keep him from doing what Jongup wished he wouldn’t. Taking a step forward, Daehyun closed the door behind himself before placing his hands on his hips. “So.. What are you hiding behind your back?” (DH)

“N-Nothing! It’s.. um.. It’s just a flashlight! Y-Yeah.. a flashlight!” (JU)

“I see.. and why, exactly, are you hiding this flashlight from me?” (DH) Daehyun could see that Jongup was trying hard to figure out an excuse to say. Jongup was relatively an easy person to read, especially after how long he’s lived with the younger male. It would have been easier for Jongup to confess, right then and there, with what he was up to but clearly, that wasn’t going to be happening. So.. the only thing he could do was either intimidate Jongup or force the item from behind his back. “Jongup.. You know how this works..” (DH)

“I-I swear! It’s just a flashlight! It’s not anything!” (JU) Folding his arms, Daehyun leaned on one leg as he patiently tapped his foot with a calm pace. Jongup looked around, his eyes trying so desperately to try and find a way out of this situation. Sadly, once he knew that there was no way of getting out of this, Jongup let out a defeated groan as he turned his head away and held out the object in hand. Daehyun stared at the object for a brief moment before his eyes widened and his face reddened.

“Is that..” (DH)

“Yes...” (JU)

“And whose is it..?” (DH) Daehyun waited once more, but he already felt the hesitation within Jongup as he continued to hold the object out to him. If it turned out the way he thought it would, then Daehyun already knew the answer to the question. Letting out another sigh, he stood firmly on both feet as he cleared his throat. “Well?” (DH)

“It’s... It’s yours.. I took it from your drawer when you were in the living room and... used it before I showered..” (JU) Daehyun shivered at the thought of Jongup using the same item that he did in order to... relieve himself. It felt wrong, but, well.. he did understand a bit. As a curious male himself, Daehyun understood that Jongup wanted to explore various.. methods of relieving himself. Though, now other questions began to roam around in his head.

“How long have you been using it.. exactly..” (DH) Daehyun bought the thing about two years ago and he normally made certain to keep it in good condition. Of course, at first, he did notice that there had been a sort of continual sticky feel to it from time to time. During that time, he had merely assumed that he hadn’t cleaned it well enough or he had forgotten to clean it altogether. However, after that, he began to notice that it felt more like it had just been freshly cleaned even though it had been in his drawer for about a week or so of no use. Then, there had also been the number of times that it hadn’t been in the drawer when he was about to use it. So, in a way, Daehyun had already somewhat suspected that Jongup has been using it. The thought just hadn’t really been all that strong until, well, today really.

“A year ago.. when I was looking for tape and you weren’t home.. I was curious! I didn’t know what it was and it felt really warm and nice when I stuck my finger in it..” (JU) A small sigh escaped his lips as he walked up to Jongup and took the item into his grasp. Jongup finally looked up, making eye contact with Daehyun as he quickly took another step back. “I didn’t mean to, I swear! I got curious and.. I.. I wanted to know what it felt like..” (JU)

“You shouldn’t use other people’s things without their permission. I could have gotten one for you too if you asked. I know it’s embarrassing, but uh.. I understand. We’re both men and we have certain.. desires that have to be satiated. If you want.. do you want your own?” (DH) Daehyun felt very awkward having this talk with Jongup, let alone offering to buy something similar for the younger man. Well, Jongup is already a young adult and as such, he should learn to stop seeing him as a little kid and let him make his own decisions. Of course, he still had to scold the poor guy every now and then. It was, after all, kind of difficult to see Jongup as an adult when he needed to be constantly nagged to pick up after himself.

“Can’t I.. keep using yours..? I-I mean..! We already don’t have a lot of money and, um.. it’s more.. convenient.. And, um.. I’m already used to using yours because sometimes it's really warm when I use it, so.. is that.. a-alright..?” (JU) Wait.. Warm..? The object was usually cold when he used it so... Daehyun shivered yet again as he pushed those thoughts away once more. It felt awkward sharing something with Jongup when it came to things like this. Had it been a boyfriend or a spouse, Daehyun wouldn’t mind sharing this object with them. However, since Jongup was his brother through his eyes, it felt very, very, VERY awkward. Though.. maybe, just maybe, he could attempt to turn a blind eye to sharing this object with Jongup. If he felt too uncomfortable as time progressed, then he would just buy another one and give the one that he was currently holding to Jongup.

“I guess it’s alright.. Wait. Was this the item you were looking for?” (DH) Jongup’s face was red as he hesitantly nodded. Daehyun was a bit worried now as he looked back down at the object in his hand. Had Jongup gotten the chance to.. clean it..? Looking back up at Jongup, Daehyun rubbed his arm a bit as he continued to feel uncomfortable with the situation. “Did you.. clean it at least..?” (DH)

“I cleaned it! I really did! I always clean it after I use it!” (JU) Well, at least Jongup seemed sure of himself. With a smile, Daehyun placed a hand on Jongup’s shoulder as he gave the younger male a firm squeeze.

“Good. You’ve been cleaning it well, right?” (DH) Jongup seemed to at least brighten up as he smiled and nodded happily. Daehyun was rather glad that Jongup was at least feeling a bit more comfortable. Since they’ve come to some sort of agreement, then they could at least drop the topic now and move on. “Alright. Finish getting ready, then wait in the living room. I’ll go put this back.” (DH)

“Okay.” (JU) Once Daehyun left the room, Jongup let out a heavy sigh as he fell backwards onto his bed. Covering his face with both his hands, he let out a small whine as he kicked his feet into the air multiple times. He really could NOT believe that he had been caught like that! Jongup had hoped that he wouldn’t ever be caught with Daehyun’s toy, but it was bound to happen sooner or later.

After putting the object back into its original place, Daehyun let out a small sigh as he sat on his bed. He leaned backwards, allowing himself to fall back onto the bed as he looked up at the ceiling. For some reason, he was feeling a bit sleepy now. It could have been because Jongup kept waking him up at night or it could have been him waking up fairly early, but it was becoming evident to him now that he was sleepy. He probably would have fallen asleep right then and there, but the second he felt his phone continually vibrating in his pocket, Daehyun instantly shot up to a sitting position as he pulled his phone out of his pocket. Pressing the answer button without hesitation, he quickly put the phone up to his ear. “Hello? Young Jae?” (DH)

“W-Woah.. H-How did.. um.. N-Never mind.. Anyway, I kept my promise! I found out that I have time to hang out today. Where are we supposed to meet and what time?” (YJ) Despite feeling awkward and sleepy within a span of at least ten minutes, Daehyun’s excitement was building up once again. Could he help it? Just the fact that Young Jae really was going to be able to come out and play was probably the greatest thing that’s happened this week.

“I’ll text you the address and time! I’ll see you there, alright?” (DH)

“Okay! Um.. I.. I look forward to it. U-Uh. see you soon!” (YJ) Once again, Young Jae had been rather quick to end the phone call. A small chuckle escaped Daehyun’s lips as he began to type up a text message for Young Jae. The second he had sent the message, his phone lit up, indicating that he had just received a text message. Looking at his text, he chuckled yet again.

Daehyun grinned a bit as he stared for a moment longer at his phone before putting it away. He wondered how Young Jae planned to make it up to him, but that could wait until later on. Until then, he could just let the suspense get to him a bit. Getting up to his feet, Daehyun finally made his way out of his bedroom. Once he was out of the hallway and in the living room, Daehyun’s eyes landed on Young Jae, whom was currently sitting on the couch. “Hey. Let’s get going now. We gotta get to the restaurant in less than half an hour.” (DH)

“Alrighty! Let’s get going then!” (JU) Jumping to his feet, Jongup jogged over to the front entrance, quickly putting his shoes on once he was within range. Daehyun followed after him, soon putting his shoes on once Jongup began to jump up and down in his shoes. Daehyun didn’t exactly understand why Jongup was so hyper all of a sudden, but it was probably a good thing. “Come on! I wanna eat already.” (JU)

“Alright, alright. Go on ahead and wait for me at the car.” (DH) With a nod, Jongup unlocked the door before jogging down the hallway. With a smile and a shake of his head, Daehyun grabbed his keys off of the key rack before stepping out into the hallway. Locking the front door, Daehyun quickly tested the handle before following after Jongup.

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Life didn’t seem all that bad. The people in the restaurant weren’t all that loud or obnoxious, school wasn’t too busy at the moment, and at least his job wasn’t so bad. Plus, his plans seemed to be set into motion. A small smile played on his lips as he set his elbow on the table and set his chin in the palm of his hand. While waiting patiently for his company to show up, Jin used his free hand to lightly tap his fingers on the table. He couldn’t wait until he saw the look on Daehyun’s face the second his plan went into phase two of his plan. By the end of the day, the two should hopefully be in each other’s arms!

If his plan really did work, then he must be some sort of love matchmaking god! That was a nice title, right? Then, that would mean that he would be able to match himself with someone as well! Okay, sure.. he has been lying about having a boyfriend to practically everyone, but that didn’t mean that he couldn’t get a boyfriend or a girlfriend with his super leet skills after this. Yep. Sooner or later, he’ll have the greatest spouse ever. He’d call them the greatest lover ever, but hey, that title belonged to him. He’s had a few.. lovers here and there that would scream his name in pure ecstasy, not that he was bragging about himself or anything.

 Okay.. so that’s never actually happened, but loud moans were close enough! Sitting back in his seat, Jin folded his arms as he nodded a bit. At least to him, it sounded correct. How was he supposed to know how love making worked? He’s only eighteen! His hormones just went at it as opposed to actually paying attention to what needed to be specifically done in order for both partners to be pleased.

“Hey. What are you looking so satisfied about?” (DH) Jin quickly pulled himself away from his thoughts as he saw Daehyun and Jongup taking their respective seats. A small grin crossed his face as he sat on the edge of his seat, resting his elbows on the table as he held the top of his left hand with his right hand. Finally, they were here! Sure, they were actually on time, but Jin wasn’t the sit quiet and wait type. That was most definitely one of the most boring things to do in a situation like this!

“Nothing much! Can’t wait to assault Young Jae with as many questions as I can throw in.” (JI) Jin had this devilish type of grin on his face as he lightly tapped his finger tips together. Daehyun didn’t exactly know if he should be worried about Jin’s actions or the fact that he had so many questions for Young Jae, but either way, it was almost a good thing that Jin was so excited about their meeting. Plus, as his thoughts thought of before, this would give him the opportunity to learn more about Young Jae.

As they waited patiently for Young Jae to arrive, Jin took the time to talk to Jongup about a few things regarding school. They did have a few classes together and Jin needed to make certain that he was doing the assignments correctly. It was easier than asking the teacher, considering Jongup normally did well in most of his classes. Sure, his only weakness was math, but Jongup was a smart person otherwise. While they did that, Daehyun constantly looked down at his phone, rereading the only two text messages that he had received from Young Jae. He was contemplating about texting him since Young Jae was already on his way here. Would it bother Young Jae if he started a conversation with him when they were going to meet anyway? Well.. maybe it would be best to keep it on hold for the time being.

While Daehyun looked out the window, lost in his thoughts, Young Jae finally entered the restaurant. He had been panicking for a bit while on the way here, but Yongguk wouldn’t drive any faster. Yongguk must have been doing it on purpose just to mess with him, but that didn’t matter now. Since they were now here, he didn’t have to worry about arriving any later than he already has. “I’ll get the table in the back. Have fun, ya?” (BY)

“Y-Yeah..” (YJ) Yongguk gave a simple salute before following after the hostess. Walking out of the host’s area, Young Jae looked around at the tables. It wasn’t that empty, but it wasn’t that full either. It was a bit surprising since it was a Saturday. Most people worked on the weekdays, so there wasn’t really much excuse as to why people weren’t eating out. Of course, it was probably best this way anyway.

Simply shrugging at the thought, Young Jae’s eyes instantly spotted the soft, pink hair that he had known Daehyun to possess. It was rather easy to spot the man since he was the only one in this room with light pink hair, but it looked relatively nice on him regardless. He did wonder if Daehyun constantly dyed his hair whenever his roots grew back in, but that could wait for a later time. Clearing his throat and adjusting his posture a bit, Young Jae took in a deep breath before he soon made his way over to the trio. The second he was close enough, he put on the best smile he could produce before raising his hand. “Hey.. Sorry I’m late.” (YJ)

“Big brother Young Jae!” (JU) Before Young Jae could even get into his seat, Jongup had jumped to his feet before pulling Young Jae into a tight hug. Daehyun looked up at the two, a grin playing on his lips as he put his phone away. He was rather glad that he hadn’t texted Young Jae when he had thought of it. If he had done so, Young Jae would have received his text the second he arrived, or at least, it seemed like that would have been the case. “You’re real! Wow..! I’m so glad that you and big brother Daehyun met again!” (JU)

“Y-Yeah... Um.. Do you usually call everyone big brother and big sister like before? You don’t just call them by their name now?” (YJ) Jongup pulled away a bit as he rolled Young Jae’s words around in his head. Young Jae found it rather.. troublesome to constantly say big brother or big sister in front of a person’s name, especially since Joungp was so close to Daehyun already. He thought that it would have been easier for Jongup to just say their names, but Jongup merely nodded as he grinned a bit. Smiling a bit, Young Jae ruffled Jongup’s hair before the two finally took their respective seats. “So.. Um.. Sorry for keeping you guys waiting.” (YJ)

“No, it’s alright! All that matters is that you’re here now and that’s good enough.” (DH) Daehyun’s excitement was evident as his grin seemed to never leave his face. Jin was quietly snickering to himself as he watched the scene progress and he probably would have been content with just that, but Young Jae had soon turned his attention towards Jin.

“So.. um.. You wanted to get to know me more, right..?” (YJ)

“Hm? Wha-.. Oh! Right! Uh.. Yeah, of course! Now..” (JI) Jin sat up in his seat as he resumed his previous position of having his elbows on the table. He looked at Young Jae, a smirk on his face as the questions he had prepared began to flow through his head. “So.. Do you have a boyfriend already? When’s your birthday? How many siblings do you have? What do your parents do for a living? Have you already lost your ity yet? Are you a top or a botto-” (JI)

“Jin!” (DH) Jin jumped from Daehyun’s authoritative voice, his eyes wide as he looked at Daehyun. Daehyun simply shook his head while keeping a stern look on his face. Well, he had to give it a try, but there went all of that fun. Letting out a sigh, Jin finally looked back at Young Jae, whom seemed to be trying to recompose himself.

“Alright, alright.. Oh, uh.. look at the time! I gotta get going. Anyway, Jongup, let’s go! Daehyun, Young Jae, it’s been fun, but, uh.. you two should keep hanging out together! You better do it too, or else I’ll get my revenge! Alright? Alright! Jongup, let’s go!” (JI) Getting up to his feet, Jin didn’t even give the two a chance to respond before getting Jongup to his feet and forcing him towards the front door. Daehyun and Young Jae watched the two for a brief moment, but once they disappeared behind the first set of doors, the two looked back at one another before awkwardly looking down at the table.

While those two were busy being awkward, Jin poked his head back in before quickly pulling Jongup along. They focused in on the two, making certain that they weren’t looking their way, before Jin and Jongup quickly made their way towards the tables in the back. Jin’s gaze landed on an empty table and was about to sit there, but Jongup had quickly spotted a male sitting all alone in a booth. Grabbing hold of Jin’s arm, Jongup pulled the younger male towards the booth before forcing him into the space between them. Jongup instantly smiled, leaning in close to Jin as he looked at the surprised male. “Yongguk! I didn’t know you were here too. How come you didn’t come sit with us?” (JU)

The second he said that, a sort of idea began to roll around in Jin’s head. Judging by Yongguk’s hesitation, a sly grin came onto his face as Jin pushed his way between the two. Grinning, Jin looked from Jongup to Yongguk, pointing an accusing finger at Yongguk. “I know why! You were intimidated by my dazzling good looks and you just couldn’t bring yourself to sitting with us, right?” (JI)

Yongguk stared at Jin with slight confusion before smirking a bit. Sure, he hadn’t even noticed that this kid was with the three, but that didn’t mean that he couldn’t play around with him a little bit. Leaning closer towards Jin, he reached forward with his left hand as he took a firm yet gentle hold of Jin’s chin. Leaning in just a bit closer, he teasingly came within inches of Jin’s lips as he brushed Jin’s bottom lip with his thumb. “Wow.. You figured it out so easily. I’ve always wanted to rock your world..” (BY)

Jin’s face instantly lit up as he quickly turned away in an attempt to hide his face. Yongguk chuckled quietly to himself as he leaned comfortably back in his seat, picking his cup up as he soon took a sip of it. Jongup didn’t necessarily understand what was going on, but he did end up believing Yongguk’s words. Luckily, Yongguk began talking before Jongup had the chance to question him. “All jokes aside, I’m supervising Young Jae.. like what you two are doing with Daehyun.” (BY)

“Wow.. Really? So you want Daehyun and Young Jae to be together too?” (JU) So.. that’s what the two were up to. Yongguk hadn’t really thought about getting the two together due to certain circumstances, but it was an admirable goal. Sadly, he couldn’t exactly say anything since Young Jae specifically told him not to tell anyone about his circumstances. With a small shrug, he picked up his menu as he began to skim through it.

“You two might as well order something.. They’re going to be eating too, so might as well. I’ll pay if you two don’t have any money.” (BY) Jin quickly turned back to Yongguk, refusing to believe that that had been a joke. He was just trying to win him over now and trying to become some sort of romantic Casanova or something! Though.. the sound of free food was always nice to have.

“Okay, thanks!” (JU) While those three were busy trying to decide on what to get, Daehyun and Young Jae were still awkwardly sitting at their table. Neither one of them had even taken a look at the menu, which was surprising for either one of them since they both liked to eat. In order to break the awkward atmosphere, Young Jae sat up a bit as he cleared his throat. Picking up the menu, he opened it up before looking at Daehyun.

“So, um.. what are you going to get?” (YJ) Looking up, Daehyun thought for a moment before picking up the menu in front of him. Opening it up, he stared with disbelief at the prices that the restaurant had. He wasn’t one whom ate out much, so the prices seemed completely outrageous when he could cook something similar for less. Plus, if he bought his own ingredients, then at least the dish would last him longer than a single meal.

“I’ll, uh... I’ll just get water and some egg rolls...” (DH) Water and egg rolls..? That was definitely not enough for someone like Daehyun. When they were little kids, Daehyun would usually get more than him AND Daehyun would take some of his food after he finished his plate. Plus, although it had been a few weeks ago, Young Jae also saw Daehyun eat more than just a few egg rolls despite eating just a few hours prior. So there was no way that Daehyun only wanted just egg rolls. Shaking his head, Young Jae quickly pulled the menu out of Daehyun’s hand before setting it off to the side. Daehyun stared on in confusion before looking up at Young Jae. “Why’d you do that?” (DH)

“No. I’ll order for us both and I’ll pay for everything, my treat.” (YJ) He refused to let Daehyun starve himself just to save a little bit of money. Young Jae knew that Daehyun was trying to save money, so the only thing he could think of at that very moment was to pay for the meal. It wasn’t anything big anyway, so Young Jae really didn’t mind if he paid for their meal. He just wanted to make sure that Daehyun was eating enough.

“I.. I can’t let you do that. I don’t want you to pay too much.” (DH)

“No, it’s alright! Let me do this Daehyun.. Please? You’ve helped me so much and.. I want to return the favor. Please? Plus, breakfast is important anyway! You should have a full breakfast so that you have energy for the entire day.” (YJ) Although it was something small, it was one step towards paying Daehyun back for all that he’s done. After all, if it hadn’t been for Daehyun, who knows what would have happened to him if Sungjong had gotten his way with him. Young Jae just wanted to express his gratitude in more than just a simple thank you.

Despite feeling bad about someone else paying for something for him, Daehyun couldn’t help but feel the sincerity from Young Jae’s voice. As much as he wanted to deny Young Jae’s offer, he soon let out a sigh as he caved into Young Jae’s request. Could he help it? When it came to close friends and certain requests, then there was just no denying them. Plus, breakfast usually was one of his most favorite meals of the day. “Alright... I’ll let you pay for it. Just.. nothing too expensive, alright?” (DH)

“Ah.. Let me handle the expenses. Just let me do the ordering, alright?” (YJ) Daehyun let out yet another sigh as he nodded. With a satisfied smile, Young Jae turned his attention back to the menu as he began to look through it. It was a bit closer to his standards of what he wanted in food and it seemed to be a lot more nutritional than the instant foods that the grocery store had, so hopefully the food here wouldn’t disappoint. “So.. what kind of foods do you like? Is there anything you don’t like or you’re allergic to?” (YJ)

“No, uh.. I’m fine with anything.” (DH) Good. That meant that he could test and see if the most expensive items on the menu was actually worth the prices or not. He could easily have this place shut down if it didn’t keep up with his standards, but then again, his tastes were different from most people. What may not seem rich and fine in taste to him might be the greatest thing ever to another person. So, it really just depended on how Daehyun judged the dishes. Judging by Daehyun’s cooking, he seemed to know what he was doing in the kitchen at least.

Once he decided on what to order for the both of them, Young Jae set the menu down just as the waiter came up to their table. Young Jae made certain to secretly tell the waiter their orders (drinks included) before their menu’s were back into the waiter’s hands. Once the waiter went off to fulfill their orders, he looked at Daehyun with a small smile on his face. He could see the curiosity and worry on Daehyun’s face, but there was nothing to worry about. “So, um.. I ordered for us.” (YJ)

“I know.. I saw.” (DH) And in that instant, whatever conversation they had to go by was completely gone. Yet again, that awkward atmosphere seemed to fill the area around the two as they sat uncomfortably in their seats. Every now and then, they would shift, but that was probably the most interactivity that was going to happen between the two. Daehyun felt bad about it, but he just couldn’t come up with anything interesting enough to talk about. He didn’t want to bore Young Jae after all and unknowingly to Daehyun, Young Jae was thinking the exact same thing.

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[[ My Own Thoughts:

I know this chapter took a while ;;..
Buuut I finally finished it >3<..
Fourteen pages as a bonus since it’s chapter 20 >3<..
So I hope it turned out well!

Comments are loved. x3
I like to know what everyone is thinking about the fanfic thus far.
Plus, it’s nice talking with everyone every now and then. x3 ]]