"Here, Hyung," Hanbin set a coffee down in front of Jinhwan as Junhoe walked away.  

"Jerk," Jiwon snorted as he flopped down next to the freshman. "You okay, kid?"

The tall boy nodded, looking nervous. 

"I'm sorry you had to meet him like this," Jinhwan apologized quietly. Hanbin doubted anyone other than himself and the freshman heard him. 

"It's not your fault, Hyung." Hanbin went to run the eldest's shoulders. "You know how June is. He'll get over it. Dear lord you're tense! Was work rough last night?"

"Not particularly," Jinhwan said slowly. 

"Where do you work?"

Hanbin wondered if the freshman would always speak so quietly. 

"In a veterinary clinic," Jinhwan smiled tiredly. "My aunt used to work there and I hung out there a lot as a kid. So the boss was ok with hiring me."

The boy's eyes grew wide and he suddenly smiled. Hanbin had to hold himself back from cooing and poking the dimples that suddenly appeared. 

"That's so cool! I love animals!"

Hanbin chuckled. It was cute how the boy got louder when he was excited. Like a little kid. "Do you have any pets then?"

The boy blushed and nodded. "Yeah. Cats."

"Oh! Cats?! Are we watching cute cat videos again?!" Donghyuk asked excitedly, followed into the room by Yunhyeong, who held a plastic bag. 

"We brought snacks," the older of the two said by way of greeting. "Chanu, we weren't completely sure what you'd like, so we grabbed you some strawberry pocky. That alright?"

Chanwoo (Hanbin was great full to finally be reminded of his name) nodded but seemed surprised the older two had thought of him at all. 

Looking closer at them as Yunhyeong handed Chanwoo the pocky, Hanbin burst out laughing. "You two look like twins!"

Together, four of the boys laughed at the spluttering duo as the bell rang. 

~

Hanbin frowned and glanced around the lunch table. "Where's Chanwoo?"

"He said he had something to do," Donghyuk pouted. 

"But maybe will join us again later," Yunhyeong filled in, laughing and leaning over to kiss Donghyuk's cheek. 

"So," Jinhwan looked at the couple. "If- and I assume we are- but if we are bringing Chanwoo into this friend group, when are you two going to tell him that you're a thing?"

Hanbin nodded and looked at the two boys. "You're going to, right?"

For once, Donghyuk seemed quiet. He and Yunhyeong shared a look. "Well, soon, we hope. But, he's a sweet kid and we don't want--"

"To scare him away," A deep voice rumbled from behind Jiwon. 

Hanbin glared harshly at Junhoe. "Ready to play nice yet?"

Junhoe nodded and sat next to Jiwon, scowling when the older boy enthusiastically slapped his back. 

"Well, it would be better to get this over with quickly then. That way you don't trust him too much if he bolts."

"It's a fair point," Jiwon finally spoke up. "Horrible. But fair."

Hanbin nodded. He had high hopes, and didn't actually think they'd be let down. But the way Jinhwan had seemed to shrink into himself this entire conversation reminded him of how things weren't always what they seemed. 

Suddenly, his phone rang. 

"Dude, who calls during school?" Jiwon asked, laughing. 

After a quick look at the caller ID, Hanbin frowned. "Who do you think?"

The laughter was cut off and the table fell silent. Hanbin wished the cacophony of his thoughts would do the same. 

Hi guys,

Sorry for the long break between updates. Trust me, it wasn't something I enjoyed. My classes at school have just been super intense and I've had to put in more hours at work because nobody else ever shows up. It's so frustrating. I have very little free time, which usually turns into nap time. 

Anyways, I'd love to hear your thoughts on what's happening. What do you think June's deal is? Who called Hanbin? Where did Chanwoo run off too during lunch if he doesn't know anyone else? Was anyone surprised that Yunhyeong and Donghyuk are an established thing? I feel like you guys are always so quiet, but I love to read and respond to comments.

With any luck I'll see you soon. 

Love,

Ink