"Where did you park?" Minghao asked when they reached a close stoplight, though, it was closer to Jun's house than his car.

"Uh, the part behind... You know, the..." Jun made gestures, the word he was trying to say slipped from his mind.

"The sign in the back?" Minghao cleared.

"Yeah... How did you know I drove my car?" Jun wondered.

"I guessed, if you didn't we wouldn't be going back to the cafe. You would have stopped me at some point." Minghao shrugged. Jun nodded at the analysis, it made sense.

"So you want me to follow you? Jun unbuckled his seat belt as they rounded the coffee place.

Minghao shook his head, "No, I'll be following you to your house and from there you're going to park your car then come tight back out so I can drive you to the place I have in mind."

Jun was about to get out, Minghao was parked perfectly beside his car but a realization made him freeze. "I was the one that asked you on the date right? Shouldn't I be driving?"

Minghao thought about how to reply, "You don't know where to go, so I'll drive."

Jun mumbled something about directions under his breath but got out if the car nonetheless

-

"So where are we going?" He stepped his foot through and into the car, pushing himself into the seat.

"A place I used to go when I was younger." Minghao locked the doors, checked his mirrors then drove off.

"You sure?" Jun worried if he was doing this to reassure Jun more it was doing the opposite "I-"

"I'm sure, I go there often. Not as much as before, but still a lot. I think you'll like it." Minghao waved off most of Jun's worries, leaving only the thought that Minghao might not have a good time.

"Oh, I just remembered, your name tags at the cafe. They aren't your real names. Why is yours The8?" He thrummed his fingers on the armrest, waiting for Minghao to reply.

"A sideways 8 is an infinity sign, it's kind of like a promise to myself that I've changed forever and won't change back."

"I'm sorry, I didn't want to remind you-"

Minghao's laugh both shocked him and calmed him down, "Jun you're thinking too much. I'm not going to break down, I've been remembering it every day for the past 10 years. Yeah, it messes me up a little, but I get over it." He assured.

"Okay..." Jun stayed silent for a while, thinking to himself. Minghao didn't say anything either and it reminded Jun of their first date.

"Where's your phone?"

Minghao took one hand off the wheel to pat his pockets. They weren't in his front ones so he felt the back. Fishing the device out of his hands he handed it to Jun then set his hand back on the wheel.

"Thank you." Jun gladly took the cellular device and pressed the power button. Swiping the lock screen to the right he met a code. "What's the pattern?" He tried a simple square, the phone buzzed in his hand, 2 tries left.

"Give me," Minghao held out his hand, once he felt the familiar weight he shifted it and held his thumb down on the screen.

Once Jun got the phone back he easily found the contacts button. "You only have like, 4 contacts," Jun stated.

"Really?! I didn't know! Thanks, everything makes sense now!" Minghao's sarcasm brought out a small laugh from both of them. "I'm not exactly a social butterfly." The car was slowing to a stop.

Jun's thumbs flew over the keyboard, typing in the digits before hitting the save button. He felt the slight jolt from the car being set to park before sending a small message to himself.

"Phone." Minghao held out his hand again then moved it towards his pocket. His door opened and closed, making Jun's do the same.

"You go to the storage unit?" Jun pointed towards the building. Shaking his head, Minghao grabbed Jun's hand and proceeded to drag him towards the side, past the building, towards the bridge they just drove on.

"Here?" Jun pointed down at the concrete slope, it was steeper than he would like it to be and the dirt at the end didn't look very inviting. He would turn towards Minghao and ask if there was another way but the sound of shoes scraping a wall was heard and the black snap back came into his view.

"It's safe Jun, just lean back and don't try to go too fast. I promise I'll catch you if you fall." Minghao's hands extended away from his body, smile comforting the fear inside the other.

With a step, he felt how steep the wall really was. His hand was in the dirt as his other foot joined its twin. He kept his hand on the wall the whole way down. Thankfully no red marks appeared on his skin, only white ones that disappeared as he dusted them off.

"Good job, see? You're fine and it's completely safe." He pat Jun's back before beckoning him to follow deeper under the bridge.

Jun admired the walls. Although he knew graffiti is a form of vandalism, the art was really amazing. "Did you decorate all of this?"

Jun's hands slammed against a wall, catching himself from impending harm. Minghao started cracking up but still made his way over to the poor guy.

"Decorated is a funny word." Minghao's laugh lessened and he helped Jun get his foot out of the hole. Once they were both steady, Minghao went back to where he was going. "But yeah, some of them are recent."

Jun avoided any more spots that could make him fall, struggling to keep up. When Minghao finally stopped it was on a platform made by another slope.

Jun let out a sigh, wondering if he could do it. "I haven't taken physical education in 9 years." He mentioned, making his way to Minghao. Grabbing the offered hand he was able to sit at the top.

"Yet you made it up here. This is the last of the struggle till we go back, I promise." Minghao made a motion and crossed his heart. Jun looked down at the ground below. It wasn't much different from the view of the first slope.

"Till we go back you say" Jun laughed, leaning back not minding the dirt.

"Well, you don't want to be stuck down here do you?" Minghao sat next to him and followed his gaze.

"What do we do now?"

Minghao shrugged, "I just felt like showing you this." He gestured to the open area.

"What do you usually do here?"

Another shrug, "I just come here to think most of the time. When I was little I used to stuff a backpack full of food and camp out here for a while." Jun was looking around, at the view.

There wasn't any water, just land. There were trees and tall grass on either side of the pillars. His eyes followed the dirt path between the graffiti-covered concrete poles supporting the structure above them. He could see the hole he tripped in.

"Did I ever ask you about your latest one?" Jun remembered the words from earlier and pointed towards the little artworks. Minghao was standing and held out his hand for Jun to take.

Being led to the farther side of the ledge was nice, the view seemed bigger when he was standing up and he could see more trees in the distance. Minghao was turned towards the wall and Jun instinctively followed suit.

As he stood next to Minghao he saw the swirl of blue and white, he smiled.

"The flowers." He said softly, he saw the hat on Minghao's head move and guessed that he was nodding.

"I didn't know who got them for me, and I didn't think I would figure it out anytime soon," Jun felt an elbow hit his side "So I thought that I could, at least, acknowledge who did it for me by painting it here. You know flowers don't last forever, but I wanted these ones too."

"That was unexpectedly really deep." Jun got out before laughing. Minghao went red but Jun comforted him, "Not that I hate deep stuff and phrases, I just wasn't expecting that you know?" He tried to explain best he could. "It feels nice to know that it's technically dedicated to me."

"I could go over it with white," Minghao commented causally, Jun's terrified look got him cracking up. "I'm kidding Jun, this'll stay."

Letting out the breath he was holding, he looked towards the pillars, "Are any of those like that?" He pointed, "Are any others made because someone did something nice for you?"

"No, I've always known who gave me what and who did something for me, so I never really felt a need to paint it on here."

"What would you have painted if you never found out I paid for your meal that time ago?" Minghao scratched his head, thinking hard.

"I don't know, I wouldn't have drawn money." He knew for sure, "I think that if I drew money it wouldn't give the same feeling. Maybe some sort of deformed coffee mug, or 'Q&A' I don't know." His ideas weren't the best when he had to really think about it.

"Don't you think you would have gotten in a lot of trouble if you painted the bridge?" He brought the question up consciously, he didn't want to trigger the bad memories for Minghao.

"No, no one really comes down here but the occasional homeless and me. I'd always run here, they would never find me. I don't even think they know you could go down here. It's a quiet, safe place that only a few know of."

"You, me and the hobos?"

"You, me and the hobos Jun," Minghao said in all seriousness before snickering. Jun joined in and soon the two were having breathing problems.

Making their way back to the center ledge, Jun's stomach made a noise and he remembered the plans he had for Hoshi earlier that day didn't go as he thought it would. He played it off, acting like he didn't hear anything.

Minghao had heard it, though, the low growl in the pit of Jun's stomach, "You didn't eat yet?" Jun felt the hard look Minghao gave off without even turning.

"I know it's bad but I woke up really late, and Hoshi was calling me to come to the cafe, I was going to eat before I went but someone came to my door and then my cereal was soggy and then I had to go because Hoshi was yelling but then when I got there you came and then Mingming came and then we came here and I never really ate." He uttered.

Minghao was worried about Jun's breathing, waiting for him to catch his breath before asking him more questions. "What do you feel like eating?"

"What do you feel like eating?" Jun countered.

"Just choose something," Minghao shoved him slightly.

"Can't we just drive around and look? I can't think of anything off the top of my head." Jun made his way down the slope, dirt flew everywhere, billowing and making Minghao look like he magically appeared.

"It's up to you, I'm paying" Minghao walked passed him down the dirt path, smirking to himself when he heard Jun's cries of protest.

"You're not going to pay for me!" Jun ran past, "Whoever gets to the car first is paying for the meal!" Jun stuck his tongue out but he forgot about the hole earlier. A falling sensation ran throughout his body and he felt his arm move in a way that wasn't all comfortable. Groaning he tried to extend his other arm to the floor but it never touched.

His feet were being properly set on the floor again and an arm was being wrapped around his waist. Jun looked to the left and saw Minghao gritting his teeth from carrying Jun's dead weight, trying to get him up again. He tried standing properly and nothing seemed out of place.

They walked a couple of steps together until they reached the second slope.

"You know I'm getting tired of these things" He felt Minghao's breath on his shoulder in short puffs.

"You're funny, go first. If you fall I'll be able to catch you." Minghao took Jun's arm off from around his neck and waited for him to get going.

Jun looked clueless for a second, this slope was a lot steeper than the other one and it was taller too, Minghao gave him a reassuring look, teasing him by saying he would get a rope if it was too hard.

Like before, Jun was able to get up on the first try, no rope needed. He reached his hand out for Minghao even though he was positive the other didn't need it. Minghao didn't let the gesture go to vain and took it gratefully.

After Jun brought him to his feet, Minghao checked the time. "When was the last time you ate?" He ushered then both to the car.

"Like... nine I think? I had a big meal, though-"

"A big meal nineteen hours ago."

"I'm not dying Minghao, don't worry. When was the last time you ate?"

"Twelve"

-

"I can't believe," Jun walked out of the buffet, laughing at Minghao's words. He pat his stomach and gave a series of burps loud enough to cause attention.

"C'mon Minghao did you really expect me to let you pay?" Jun grinned over his shoulder and looked for the car. He saw flashing lights and made his way over.

"It was a buffet, though! One of the cheaper ones too! I could have easily paid for us both!" Minghao threw the car door open, Jun slid into the passenger's seat.

"True, you could have. The point here, though," a familiar click sounded, "is that you didn't." Minghao's pout fueled his confidence, "See, this is exactly why you need to have more contacts, you'll be able to tell them in secret, what to do when you're trying to surprise a date."

"Yeah, yeah," Minghao grumbled something underneath his breath and Jun was sure that it was very un-Minghao like. He saw his building come closer and the feeling in his chest changed the slightest bit, just enough to let him know he didn't want the date to end.

"Did you wanna come inside for a while?" Jun unbuckled the strap and touched the handle to the door. Minghao raised his eyebrows back at him.

"Aren't you moving a little too fast there?" Heat rushed towards Jun's cheeks and his hand left the handle to cover his face.

"That's- oh my god that's- MINGHAO!" Jun's hands were flying everywhere and his feet were dangerous as well.

"Relax Jun! I was just messing with you. I would love to, but I can't. I have to help my sibling with ideas for college applications. Just call me if you ever wanna hang out okay?" He said through the window.

Jun wondered why he was still living with his parents but then remembered Minghao's separation anxiety. He waved the other off and watched his car disappear into the distance before entering the warm apartment building.

-

Jun woke up the next morning to his doorbell. It was 8:18, the number of hours he counted on his fingers was 7, not bad considering he got more than 10 the day before. Throwing his blankets aside, he made himself presentable.

"Hello again Joshua, how are you today?" Jun yawned into his hand and looked at the package, it was another flower no doubt, Jun was already planning on throwing it in the trash.

"Good, how about you Jun? Did you just wake up?" He handed the clipboard to the other, the same drill.

"Yeah, I actually woke up because of the doorbell, thank you, though. I would have gotten in trouble if I didn't eat again." He scrubbed his eye with the back of his hand, knowing what he said and not really caring. "It's a long story, take this tip," Jun swiped the 10 dollar bill off the drawer next to the door.

Some people would say that the way Jun slammed the door was rude but he did give Joshua 10 dollars. He shook his head when Joshua knocked on his door. "I'm not taking it back Joshua, just go and get your girlfriend something to eat.

He heard a muffled 'I don't have a girlfriend' through the door. He checked the peephole, finally using it for once, to make sure Joshua was gone. Only seeing the patterned carpet he smiled and made his way towards the kitchen for some cereal.

He eyed the package the whole meal, it was getting on his nerves. He wished he threw it out before he ate, but it would have been risky if Joshua was still outside. He chased the last bit of cereal around the bowl for a while before he finally got up and trashed it.

He scrolled through his contact list, almost tripping on the way to his room. He pressed call before throwing his phone on the bed, as well as his shirt.

"Hello?" The voice came through and Jun stopped for a while, he hadn't meant to call Minghao. Walking over to the phone again, he checked the name. "Hello? Jun?" Minghao called again.

"Hey, Minghao!" He shrugged and returned to the closet, trying to find a suitable shirt for the day.

"Hey, not to sound rude, but why did you call?" Jun pulled out a yellow and brown flannel from the closet and searched for a black shirt.

"Oh, I was just wondering what you were doing today" He found a shirt and light blue jeans with rips at the knees.

"I'm shopping right now, I don't know if I can hang out today, I have to clean around the house after this." Minghao sounded so apologetic and Jun came up with a plan.

"Where do you shop?" He finished pulling the flannel on. Spinning the keys in his hand his door opened and closed.

"I just got to Mansae Market," Jun grinned unknowingly to Minghao, he went with the plan perfectly.

"Great!" The only thing Jun heard before he pressed the end button were Minghao's empty threats.

"He can't kill me, now to walk or drive?" Mansae Market was around the general area of the cafe.

He looked up at the sky, it was a nice day, big, fluffy clouds that brought no threat of rain, wind was cooling his face. Walk it is. He whistled on his way.

"Junhui!" Mrs. Hana came out of her shop quickly so she could catch the boy. "Did Minghao like the flowers?"

A painting popped into his mind and he nodded, "He loves them."

"Told you they were his favorite flowers. What are yours?" She gestured towards the shop. Jun had to think about it for a while. They used to be magnolias but they reminded him of unwanted memories.

"I don't have one. If I did, though, it would be something common, simple. A flower that everyone knows yet it's not exactly normal. Are there any that give off that feeling?"

She smiled wide and Jun honestly found it creepy. Taking his arm, she dragged him into the store, past the young boy helping her, and directly towards the flowers on her mind.

"White roses?" He picked one up and twirled it in his fingers, he smiled and smelled the white flower.

"Roses are almost always the ones people think of then they are told of a flower." She passionately started, "These are becoming more popular, for the difference in color, but most people still like the original red. A common flower yet this one, not commonly asked for." She pushed the flower towards him some more and nodded her head.

"No, I couldn't." He began to move it back towards her but she gave him that stern look again.

"Take it. Give it to Minghao if you really don't want to keep it." She waved him off and turned her back.

Sneaking up to the young boy he saw earlier he tapped his shoulder. He seemed shocked for a moment, looking around as if he were being attacked.

"Calm down!" Jun panicked, "I just, want you to make it look like I took this-"

"Lee Chan you better not be listening to that Junhui! Leave him now and come help me with these bouquets!" Jun sighed and the youngster gave an apologetic look before running to help the lady.

Maybe he would just give the flower to Minghao.

Just as he entered the market, he saw a certain head of hair and turned his heels quicker than a kid on one of those spinning office chairs. He turned left into a small alleyway but the person he was trying to avoid just followed him.

"Is the flower for the one that hugged you yesterday?"

Jun straightened his back as he entered a more open space.

"No, the shop owner gave it to me for free." Jun was shocked by the stable sound of his voice, he was expecting himself to be shaking.

"You were going to give it to him, weren't you?" Jun finally faced Mingming.

"Yeah, I was."

"You like him?" Mingming asked he seemed sincerely concerned. Jun felt the urge to hug him and pretend it was all better like he never left.

"Yeah, I do actually," Jun said, staring at the flower, he just remembered that there were white roses in the bouquet he gave Minghao.

"More than you love me?" Mingming challenged that broke Jun from the trance he was in. There was something wrong about the sentence, he replayed it in his mind a couple of times. "Heh, I knew it-"

"Loved." Jun interrupted, "I loved you, I don't... love you anymore." He continued to shock himself as no waver disrupted his voice. "I don't like Minghao as much as I loved you, but I feel..." He looked down at the white rose again and remembered the gentian. "I'll get there."

Something in Mingming's face changed, it went from teasing to horrified. "Jun. Jun I still love you-"

"Yeah because when you love someone, you take all the money and belongings they gave you then walk out on them when it's time to get married. I'm sure you love me Mingming." Jun's sarcasm was sharper than a knife.

"Jun we were just moving too fast! I didn't know how to tell you-"

"Mingming, even if you do love me. I'm not taking you back, and I can't forgive you for walking out on the wedding day. Like I said," he took a step closer, he saw the tears forming in Mingming's eyes and a little bit of him believed the words said. "I loved you, but... I don't anymore." Jun shoved his way past the shocked ex, squeezing himself through the narrow passage, finally taking the shaky breath he needed.

He heard Mingming saying something but the crash of garbage cans disrupted his attention. Up the alleyway, he saw a familiar figure trying to set the trashcans back up. He rushed himself to hurry and help the guy.

"Were you eavesdropping?" Jun's blush spread across his face but not as much as Minghao's.

"Pfft, no I just, tripped is all. It happens all the time." He flipped his hair and wiped his hands on his jeans.

"Whatever, let me help you carry the groceries to the car, I don't really want to stay here." Jun looked down the alleyway, watching Mingming stare at them. He ushered Minghao to move faster, grabbing the plastic bags.

"Since you heard what happened back there, I want you to know, I'm not expecting you to say the same for me." Jun ended the awkwardness once they got to the car. Minghao was already inside and Jun had just shut the passenger's entrance, bags next to his feet.

"I-Jun I" Minghao started, but Jun shook his head.

"You don't have to say anything now, I'll wait for your answer." He crossed his arms behind his head and used them as a pillow.

"I never said I would give you a ride!" Mingahao's face reminded Jun of a certain pink head.

"Yeah, well." Jun waved him off with his hands, smirking when he heard Minghao's scoff. "I'm helping you with your groceries. I'll even help you clean your house!"