Title : (Un)Expected Beginnings
Prompt-# : 63
For : Layni17
Pairing : Minho/Jonghyun
Author : Anonymous until reveals
Word count : 6,542 
Rating : PG for a bit of cursing
Warnings : Minor character death
Summary : Minho was satisfied with staring at the frequent customer in his café until an unexpected incident spirals him into Jonghyun's life.
 

"You know, maybe if you approach him, you wouldn't have to stare at him all the time." 

Minho rolls his eyes at Kibum, his head barista from behind the counter. "I'm not staring."

Kibum is checking his watch while he speaks, "In the last 30 seconds, you haven't been."

"I am not staring." Minho insists and then moves from where he's not staring at the stranger in question from the corner of the counter to the cashier to check on the register. 

The door from the kitchen opens and out came their pastry chef with his fresh batch of bagels. He smiles at Kibum and then his boss, "Is your stranger here, Boss Choi?"

"He's not my stranger." Minho tells him through gritted teeth but Taemin just laughs it off and puts the bread inside the counter, "How long has he been staring this time, Kibum-hyung?"

"A minute longer than usual."

"You should just ask for his name." 

Minho grunts and hits his two employees on the back of their heads, "One, I can't believe you're actually keeping count and two, getting a customer's name during business hours is highly inappropriate."

"We can act like it's nothing." Taemin laughs and Kibum does the same while standing next to him. "And besides, Minho, there are many customers who probably doesn't just want your name, probably your number too." Kibum adds and Taemin agrees to it as well. 

"Stop it."

The bell rings and a beautiful woman approaches the stranger in question. The three people from behind the counter watches the exchange as the male with his blond hair and perfect jawline stands and gives the woman a hug and lingering kiss on the cheek. 

"Too bad he's straight." Kibum mumbles and Minho almost explodes right then and there, "Get back to work or I will cut your salary this month."

Taemin giggles then runs back into the kitchen while Kibum tends to another customer who came in. Minho moves back to the corner of the counter to take a glimpse (not stare) at the stranger who is now laughing excitedly with the woman with him. 

"It's rude to stare."

"I am not--! Ugh!" Minho makes choking gestures at Kibum before leaving the counter and taking his seat on the lone table in one corner of the café which he uses as an office table to check on the accounts and supplies of his store.

-----

Jonghyun enters the quaint café he's been frequenting lately and he orders his usual bagel with cream cheese and a cup of cappuccino before taking his seat by the window overlooking a huge tree with its leaves turning from red to yellow and falling into a pile underneath it. 

He's only recently moved to this part of Seoul after getting a new job as an in-house composer for an ad agency nearby. Given that he hasn't fully grasped the area yet, he's left to eat out and he's glad he found this store because at least, his breakfast is taken care of. 

He hears a slight commotion from the counter and he finds three of the staff talking animatedly and the two are just laughing at whatever the tallest with the large eyes is saying. 

They only stop when the bell rings and she enters the cafe. He stands and gives her a tight hug and a lingering kiss on the cheek. 

"Sodam-noona."

"Hey, you. Ugh, I can't believe this is the only time we met here. We're basically living in the same city!"

Jonghyun laughs while shaking his head, "You live 30 minutes from here, so it's not exactly near." 

Jonghyun hears a noise from behind him so he turns around to find the tallest guy (whom he's always assumed to be the manager) take the corner table to check on his laptop. Jonghyun shrugs and returns his attention back to Sodam, "How's Soo-hyun?"

"Still a bouncing 6-month old." She smiles at Jonghyun sweetly and holds his hand from across the table, "Want to babysit your nephew over the weekend?"

Jonghyun raises an eyebrow, "Noona, you know I don't know how to care for another human child."

Sodam flicks Jonghyun's forehead and laughs, "Please? You don't have to babysit him the whole day. I just really wanted to see this movie with my friend and I don't want to get a nanny if we will only be gone for a few hours."

"But that's..."

"Soo-hyun's a good baby. You can even stay here and I'll drop him off here, three hours tops, we'll pick him up here again. Please???"

"Why not drop him off to his father?"

"Jonghyun, he walked away the moment he found out I was pregnant. What makes you think he can take care of Soo-hyun? You're his godfather too. Should anything happen to me, he will be your responsibility."

"Quit talking like that. Fine, drop him off here on Saturday. If he makes a weird noise or something, I will call and ruin your day."

"Promise?"

"Yes, I promise to ruin your date."

"I love you!" Sodam screeches and she reaches across the table to hug his brother tight. 

"You're embarrassing." Jonghyun pries himself away from his sister, "I love you too." He smiles at her and she goes back to her seat. He notices that the manager has just passed by their table and is now talking to another customer next to theirs. "Oh, gosh. I haven't ordered anything yet, I'll be back." Sodam stands and rushes to the counter. 

Jonghyun watches as the manager talk to an elderly man asking for his sandwich to be wrapped up to go. The manager probably notices him because he looks his way and gives him a slight smile - The most beautiful smile Jonghyun had ever seen, he thinks. Jonghyun feels his insides burn so he turns away immediately, feeling like a huge dork because he could've smiled back for heaven's sake.

-----

"Saw that." Kibum grins when Minho returns to the counter to wrap up the elderly man's sandwich.

"Saw what?"

"Have you no shame? He's with his girlfriend. Why are you flirting with him?"

"Kibum, I am not--"

The kitchen doors open again and Taemin comes out with a fresh batch of pies, "What happened?"

"Minho shamelessly flirted with the guy." Kibum shakes his head as he prepares Sodam's drink. Taemin gasps, acting as scandalized as possible. Minho glares at them both. 

Taemin shakes his head and then checks the order slip. He takes out the banana creme pie and cuts a slice to help Kibum prepare the orders, "I'm guessing these are her orders?"

Kibum nods as he places everything on the tray. Taemin takes it and hands it to Minho who's already on his way out to give the takeaway to the old man. "Serve it to her."

"I'm the owner of this place."

"And I'm your pastry chef. Why are you telling me what I know already?"

Kibum laughs from behind Taemin, "You should hire more people."

"Why did Jinki have to miss work today, of all days?!" Minho grumbles in annoyance but takes the tray nonetheless. He gives the takeaway to the old man first before walking back to Sodam's table and placing her orders on their table. 

"Is everything complete?" He asks out of courtesy and Sodam nods, "Perfect. Thank you." 

"Enjoy your breakfast." Minho smiles at them before walking back to the counter with a grinning Taemin and Kibum waiting for him. 

"Don't say anything." Minho warns the two after he hands over the tray back to Kibum then returns to his makeshift desk in the corner.

Minho looks at the couple again. He smiles to himself thinking of the day that guy first walked inside his café a week ago and yeah, Kibum's right. He stares. Like right now.

"It's rude to stare." 

Minho looks up to see Kibum standing across him and Minho just shakes his head before going back to work.

-----

It's a quiet Saturday morning and it's been three days since Minho has interacted with the guy (okay, the guy's girlfriend) but he's glad he still isn't looking for a new café to eat breakfast in. He's checking the delivery list when the guy walks in, just as usual. Minho stays in his corner and watches him order his breakfast as per his routine. 

Minho finishes checking his list and steps outside the café when the same woman from three days ago rushes inside holding a baby. He ignores her and makes a call. 

He's still mid-way in his conversation with his supplier when the woman rushes out again and hops back inside a parked car. Minho finishes the call and heads back inside, this time his three employees are looking at him with sad eyes. 

"What now?"

Jinki, his only server and actually the assistant manager, gives him a squeeze on the shoulder, "They have a baby."

Minho looks at the guy's table and finds him playing with the baby. He looks back at his team with disbelief, "So he does. I don't care. Go back to work." 

He returns to his corner and starts to work. 

It must have been two to three hours of working when he hears the baby cry. He looks up and sees the guy frantically trying to calm the baby to no avail. After more than five minutes of the baby crying nonstop, the guy starts to make a phone call. This is when Jinki approaches him. 

"Minho, people are complaining. We have patrons who are studying..."

Minho nods and stands from his seat. He takes a few deep breaths as he approaches the table and then taps Jonghyun on the shoulder to get his attention. 

"Sir, I'm sorry but other patrons are complaining--"

"Please help me!"

Minho is taken aback by a second then nods, "How may I be of help?"

"I really don't know how to take care of the baby. My sister just left him to me and said she'll pick him up after she watches a movie."

"Sister?"

"Yes. My sister." Jonghyun sighs in disbelief then looks at the baby, "Soo-hyun, come on. Your mom promised you're a good baby."

"Let me help you." Minho removes the baby from his car seat and carries it, "Have you fed the baby yet?" 

"I tried but he won't take his bottle." 

Minho nods, "Come with me to the restroom. He might need a diaper change."

Jonghyun nods and follows Minho to the restroom with the baby bag. 

Minho tells Jonghyun to prepare a clean diaper and the wipes as he removes the baby's layers of clothes. He's never been more thankful for having a wide counter inside the restroom so he can lie the baby down to change his diaper. 

"You're good at this..." 

"Yeah. I babysat my brother's children before." Minho tells him. He expects the worst when he opens the diaper but he's relieved to find it just heavily soaked with pee and not laced with poo. 

He tells the other guy to watch how to change the diaper and to place back the clothes on the little guy. Minho is in the middle of buttoning the baby's clothes when the other guy's phone rings and excuses himself. Minho tells him it's okay then proceeds to finish dressing up the guy's nephew.

"Well, at least, he isn't your father, little fella." Minho tells the baby and the baby giggles. "You think I can get to know--"

The door slams open and Minho almost screams, "What happened?"

The other guy is now crying and absentmindedly trying to take the baby from Minho, "I... I need to go to the hospital. My sister got into an accident and I just... I need to go."

"You're a mess and I can't let you drive with a baby. I'll drive you there. Come on." 

Minho tells him to get all his stuff while he takes his keys and wallet. Minho walks to the counter while carrying the baby and Kibum grins at him, "You lock yourself up with him in the restroom and you come out with a child. Impressive."

"It's not the time to joke around." He takes his bag from under the counter's locker, "His sister got into an accident and I'm driving him to the hospital. Jinki-hyung, take over for me."

Minho leaves the café with the guy and his team watches them hop inside Minho's car, "That escalated quickly..." Taemin comments and Jinki nods, "Way too quickly."

"I hope the sister's condition isn't serious."

"Yes. And at least she's just his sister too." Taemin adds and the two older men agree.

-----

"It's Jonghyun." 

Minho looks at the rearview mirror and asks, "What?"

"My name's Jonghyun. Kim Jonghyun. I never got to introduce myself back there." Jonghyun tells Minho as he fixes Soo-hyun on his car seat, "My nephew's name is Soo-hyun, and you?"

"Choi Minho. I'm the owner of the café you frequent."

"What? Oh, you have to drive back after this. I caused you so much trouble already..." 

"Don't worry about it. Think of your sister first, okay?"

Jonghyun nods and checks his phone again for any updates. 

They reach the hospital less than 30 minutes after and Jonghyun runs inside the hospital leaving Minho with the baby. Minho, on the other hand, chuckles to himself as he carefully removes Soo-hyun's car seat from his car as to not wake the baby, "Thank goodness I'm a kind man, little fella. I could have kidnapped you and your uncle won't even notice." 

Minho walks into the hospital and asks the reception for Jonghyun. Once he's told that he ran to the emergency room, Minho makes his way there too. 

He finds Jonghyun talking to two police officers so he decided to just sit on one of the benches and check on Soo-hyun who is, fortunately, still fast asleep. Jonghyun is a crying mess after the conversation and Minho approaches him, "What did they say?" the taller asks as he leads Jonghyun to sit with him on the benches.

Jonghyun is in-between sobs when he answers, "They said an incoming truck lost its brakes and crashed at full speed on the side of my sister and her friend's car. They said it's not looking good for the both of them..." 

Minho pats Jonghyun on the back to try and encourage him, "Trust the doctors. Everything will be fine."

Jonghyun nods, "Yeah. Uh, Minho... Thank you. I think I can manage from here."

"I will leave when you get someone to stay with you and Soo-hyun. How about you call your parents?"

Jonghyun sadly shakes his head, "Mom died a long time ago and Dad bailed out on us before I was even born. It was Sodam who raised me despite being only 4 years older than me."

"How about friends or something?"

Jonghyun chuckles bitterly, "I will seem so pathetic but I just moved here in Seoul and most of my friends are in Busan. Technically, it's just me and Sodam here..."

Minho nods and leans against the backrest of the bench, "Then you're stuck with me."

Jonghyun sighs and looks at Minho, "Thank you." He smiles and leans against the backrest too, "What a way to start being friends, huh?"

"Yeah. Anyway, look after Soo-hyun for a while, okay? I need to call one of my staffs." Minho tells him then walks a bit away from Jonghyun. 

He's in the middle of his conversation with Jinki when he hears Soo-hyun suddenly cry and when he looks behind him, Jonghyun is already a crying mess on the benches. He ends the call and rushes to him, "What happened?!"

Jonghyun doesn't speak and keeps crying. Minho carries Soo-hyun as he tries to calm him back to sleep and walks after the doctor to speak to him, "Doctor, how's my friend's sister?"

The doctor shakes his head and then looks at Soo-hyun, "I'm afraid they didn't make it. They were already critical when they were sent here, especially the guy. The woman fought longer and harder but she died only minutes after he did."

Minho nods then returns to where Jonghyun is now silently staring on the wall across him. "Jonghyun..."

"What do I do now? Oh my god. Minho, I can't go in there... I can't look at them that way. This is a lie." Jonghyun starts to cry again and Minho bravely pulls Jonghyun into a hug and lets him cry on his chest, "I will help you with everything..."

Jonghyun keeps crying and Minho is thankful has fallen asleep too. After a few minutes, Jonghyun stops and wipes away his tears, "I... I'm gonna go see her now." 

"Do you want me to go with you?"

"Just stay here with Soo-hyun..."

Jonghyun smiles, albeit sadly, and then heads his way to the morgue. Minho calls Jinki again when Jonghyun has disappeared from the hall. 

'What's the update?'

"Not good. He just went to the morgue. Jinki, he's all alone. They're basically orphans and I want to help him. I want all of us to help him."

'Just tell us what you need.'

"For now, I will have to wait for him to come back first. I'll call you again."

-----

What happens after is almost a blur to the both of them. Kibum is gracious enough to drop by the hospital to take Soo-hyun with him first so Minho and Jonghyun can concentrate on dealing with papers for the release of Sodam's body. 

"Call us when you need us for anything. We're closing the café early today and Jinki just sent me here to get the baby first while we clear away the customers." Kibum tells them as he carries Soo-hyun with him, "Trust me, Jonghyun. I'm brilliant with children."

Jonghyun nods and smiles at him, "Thank you, Kibum."

Once Kibum leaves, Minho helps Jonghyun get a death certificate from the hospital and then get an autopsy certificate from the police since Sodam got into an accident. They then meet with the family of Sodam's friend, who turned out to be someone's she's only recently started to date. They both agreed to file criminal charges to the driver if the investigation comes out positive with other factors resulting to the crash instead of the initial report of how the truck lost its brakes. 

The day is almost over when they finally are able to meet a funeral director in the hospital after gaining the certificates Jonghyun will need in order to proceed with her funeral. He chooses for her to be cremated since he'd rather keep her with him than bury her on a rented lot for only 50 years. 

"We will have to wait until tomorrow before she's cremated." Minho starts and Jonghyun nods. 

"Do you want to have dinner?" Minho asks and Jonghyun looks at him and nods again, "Y... Yeah. I'd love that."

Minho drives to a nearby Japanese restaurant and they stay silent - only speaking when they ordered their food then kept silent again all throughout the meal. Minho breaks the ice once they're done to try and stop Jonghyun from over-thinking.

"Well, we have a few hours to spare. Shall we go check on Soo-hyun?" 

Jonghyun nods and Minho stands to foot the bill. They're on their way to the parking lot when Jonghyun takes Minho by the sleeve of his jacket, "We... We've only known each other for almost a day but I just... I'm thankful. I really am..."

"Don't worry about it. That's what friends do, right?"

Jonghyun smiles and they jump back inside the car to head to the café. 

-----

Soo-hyun is playing with Taemin when they arrive and Jonghyun is relieved to see his nephew laughing and giggling with the other guy. Kibum greets them and he tells them he will be serving them drinks because both of them had a long day. 

Jinki sits with them on the table and extends a hand to Jonghyun, "I'm Jinki and that's Taemin. We're very sorry for your loss and please consider us as your friends too. If there's anything we can do to help, we're ready."

"I..." Jonghyun starts but instead cries, "Thank you... I really wouldn't know what to do if I have to deal with this alone..." 

Taemin walks to the table with Soo-hyun in his arms, "You had a long day. You can let it all out, Jonghyun-hyung."

"A...ppa!" 

Jonghyun looks up to Soo-hyun reaching out to him and it's probably his first word so he cries again while reaching out to get the baby from Taemin, "Soo-hyun, I don't really know how I will raise you but I will try my best..."

"About that..." Kibum starts while he serves their drinks, "Mom's friend is a lawyer. She can help with the custody issue of your nephew."

"Sodam-noona already took care of that. Aside from being his godfather, we had legal documents citing me as his legal guardian if anything... Happens."

"That's good then." Kibum smiles, "Your nephew's such a sweetheart and I'm sure we'll be seeing more of you and him in the future, right Minho?"

Minho kicks Kibum on the shin and his two other two laughs, "Stop that."

"Don't worry. I love it here. And Minho's here, so I think I'll be here often."

"Ohhhhhh. Because of Minho, too?" Taemin smirks and Jonghyun shyly smiles, "He's a good friend."

"Ouch." Jinki clutches at his heart and Minho throws an empty packet of sugar at him, "Will you shut up?"

"Anyway, Jonghyun..."

"Yeah?" 

"I can drive you and Soo-hyun to Sodam's apartment to get some baby stuff for the little fella."

"Thank you. Can we go now? I have a copy of her apartment's keys. I need to talk to her landlady too..."

"Are we opening the café tomorrow?" Jinki asks and Minho nods, "I know the three of you can handle it."

"Alright." Jinki smiles and then pats Jonghyun's shoulder, "You will be okay, brother. We got your back." 

"Thank you." Jonghyun smiles at Minho's staff and they head to Sodam's apartment. Jonghyun tells Minho to head straight to her unit since Soo-hyun has started to get antsy while he heads to the building's office. 

Minho finds the studio-type apartment quite minimalist for a woman and he can already tell that the apartment is almost b with baby stuff. He sets Soo-hyun on his crib while he heads to the small kitchen to look for food. He finds prepared milk bottles in the refrigerator and he's glad he can just reheat them. 

While waiting, he decides to clean up Soo-hyun so he starts the heater in the shower and he's again glad to find all the stuff Soo-hyun will need to get cleaned up. He's already in the middle of washing Soo-hyun when Jonghyun walks in.

"Minho?"

"In the shower."

Jonghyun finds him carefully washing his nephew and he sighs in relief, "Can I watch? I'll probably have to do this everyday now."

Minho nods and Jonghyun sits next to him, "He's such a tiny creature..." 

"He's your tiny creature now, Jonghyun." Minho tells him and Jonghyun laughs, "That's right..."

Minho tells Jonghyun to grab a towel and they pat Soo-hyun dry carefully before setting him down on the bed, "Here's how you change his diaper, okay?" Minho shows Jonghyun how and then he shows him how to properly put clothes on the little boy. He then tells Jonghyun how to check the right temperature for the baby's milk before feeding him. 

"You're really awesome, Minho."

"Thank you." Minho smiles as he tells Jonghyun how to properly feed Soo-hyun as he tries to put him to sleep. They think the baby must be very exhausted because he hasn't finished the bottle yet but he's already sound asleep. Minho then carefully sets Soo-hyun down on his crib and shows him how to lightly tap on his thigh to put him back to sleep when he almost wakes up. 

"Hey, Jonghyun. I don't think Soo-hyun will wake up any time soon. Maybe you should stay here for the night and then I'll pick you up tomorrow so we can go to the hospital. Do you want me to go to your apartment to pick up some clothes for you?"

"No, you don't have to do that. We can just drop by my place tomorrow if it's alright..."

"It's fine."

"Again, thank you. You should go home and rest now." 

"I will. See you tomorrow."

-----

The next day has Minho taking care of Soo-hyun while he and Jonghyun are at the crematorium. Jonghyun is the one contacting friends and distant relatives for the funeral which will last for only two days.

It's only been two hours and Jonghyun is already exhausted from calling Sodam's friends and their relatives and explaining to each of them what happened to her and so on. 

Jonghyun sits next to Minho who's currently feeding Soo-hyun mashed carrots for lunch, "I can't do this anymore..." Jonghyun sighs next to him and unconsciously lies his head on Minho's shoulder, "I'm really tired..." 

"You should take a short nap. I'll keep watch."

"Heh. I've imposed so much on you already when we barely knew each other 48 hours ago."

"It doesn't matter. We're friends now and I will be here for you, okay?"

Jonghyun nods against Minho's shoulder and sighs, "I... Me and Sodam, we were fine on our own. When she got pregnant with Soo-hyun and her ex-boyfriend bailed, she took it all in a stride. She was like, 'I raised you when I was barely an adult. I can raise this baby on my own.' And she did... She did."

Minho sets Soo-hyun's food down and then turns to look at the other male, "She's an awesome woman, Jonghyun."

"She was."

"Is."

Jonghyun nods and starts to cry again. Soo-hyun looks up at Minho with curious eyes as to why his uncle is crying. Minho coos at the baby and tells him, "Your uncle misses your mom. I know you don't understand yet, but from now on, your uncle will take care of you. He's a complete amateur so don't give him a hard time, okay?" 

Soo-hyun giggles and laughs, Minho kisses the boy's forehead and then ruffles Jonghyun's hair, "Soo-hyun will be a good boy." 

"He already is..."

For the days that followed, Jonghyun attends to the guests while Minho takes care of Soo-hyun on the side. For a few hours, Kibum will trade places with him so he can check on the café then returns at night to stay with Jonghyun. 

Once the ceremony is done, Jonghyun takes the urn back to his apartment then plops on his couch while Minho walks after him carrying a sleeping Soo-hyun, "Where should I place him?"

Jonghyun groans and then walks into his room, "Here. And pardon the mess. I haven't had time to clean..."

Minho carefully places Soo-hyun on the bed and then faces Jonghyun, "What about Sodam's apartment? Are you gonna go there soon?"

Jonghyun nods, "I have to get Soo-hyun's stuff first. Her landlady said she paid until the end of the month so I have lots of time to clear out her place."

"Do you want me to help?"

"If I can impose again tomorrow, I hope you can help me."

Minho smiles at Jonghyun, "I've been with you for almost a week now, what's another day?"

"Yeah. Right..."

Minho raises an eyebrow and steps closer in front of him, "Is something wrong?"

Jonghyun shakes his head and smiles at him, "Nothing. Just tired."

"See you tomorrow, then." Minho waves a slight goodbye before walking out of the apartment. 

The following day was a little silent - not that the previous ones were actually loud and cheerful but for Minho, Jonghyun is unusually quiet while they take Soo-hyun's stuff from Sodam's apartment.

"Are you worried about Soo-hyun?" Minho asks while disassembling the crib, "I explained everything to my mom and she's very happy to take care of him."

"But she was here to visit you and yet here you are with me..."

"I'm gonna grab dinner with her later to make up for it. Besides, she's been nagging me to give her a grandchild for years."

"Your girlfriend? I never asked... But doesn't she mind?" Jonghyun asks, obviously apprehensive, as he packs all of Soo-hyun's clothes. 

Minho chuckles behind him, "Do I look like I have a girlfriend?"

"Who knows...?"

"Do... You think I want a girlfriend?"

Jonghyun stops what he's doing and looks up from the bag and finds Minho looking at him, "Uhmn... Probably."

"Yeah. Probably." Minho shrugs and then returns to his task. Jonghyun takes a deep breath then clutches his chest. His heart is beating frantically and it puts him in a panic.

They load all the stuff in the car then drive back to the café. Minho's mother is feeding Soo-hyun when they arrive. Jonghyun greets her politely and she gives him a tight hug, "Oh, your nephew is such a delight."

Jonghyun smiles and thanks her, "My sister has raised him well and I hope to do a good job too."

"You seem like a nice man and I'm sure you will do fine."

"Thank you."

"Mom, we have to take Soo-hyun now so I can drive them home."

Minho's mother pouts but hands Soo-hyun to Jonghyun anyway, "I really like your nephew and since I've been nagging Minho to give me a grandson, I hope you'll let me see Soo-hyun once you become boyfrie--"

"MOM! Bye!" Minho kisses her mother on the cheek then pushes Jonghyun out the door the hurriedly grabs Soo-hyun's bag before walking out and even while retreating, he can hear the loud giggling of his mother and the rest of his staff behind him. 

The drive back to the apartment was fairly awkward and Minho can tell Jonghyun's keeping himself busy by playing with Soo-hyun. He doesn't say anything and the silence continues when they reach the apartment. Minho brings most of the stuff while Jonghyun carries Soo-hyun and his baby bag. 

Jonghyun heads straight to the bedroom to put Soo-hyun to sleep while Minho starts assembling the crib back. Jonghyun steps out 20 minutes later to an assembled crib and a shirtless Minho resting with his eyes closed on the couch.

Jonghyun takes a cold drink out of the refrigerator then lightly taps Minho on the foot with his. Minho immediately opens his eyes and grabs his shirt hanging on the crib, "I fell asleep! I'm so sorry." He quickly puts on his shirt and apologizes again, "I was sweating and I--"

"It's fine. Here. Drink."

Jonghyun hands him a drink and sits next to him, "Uhm... Minho... About what your mother said..."

Minho swallows his drink then looks at Jonghyun, "What about it?"

"Boyfriend?"

Minho stays silent for a second as he tries to gather his thoughts. He sighs and nods, "Yeah. I'm gay and I actually like you. A lot."

Jonghyun stays silent for a few seconds and Minho stands from the couch, "I've liked you ever since you started frequenting the café and just so we're clear, I didn't help you all week because I have an ulterior motive."

"Minho..."

Minho smiles and ruffles Jonghyun's hair, "You told me I probably want a girlfriend... Well, yeah but I'd prefer a boyfriend. Look, I would have approached you still even if... You know." Minho sighs again and takes his bag, "I still like you and I would have confessed on a better time. Forgive my mother for that..."

"I... I'm not mad about that. But Minho..."

"Yeah?"

"I think I'd love to be alone for now."

"Of course. See you." Minho forces a smile then walks out of the apartment with a heavy heart.

-----

"You know, if he hasn't shown up in a week, he's probably grossed out by you." Kibum teases Minho who's manning the cashier at the moment. 

"Tsk, tsk. For all the things you've done for him, he had the guts to reject you? I mean, even if he's not gay - which I'm sure he totally is - he should at least try to go on a date with you." Taemin tells him as he places a new batch of cookies in the display. Jinki leans over the display from the other side and crosses his arms over his chest, "I still think Jonghyun needs more time."

"WILL YOU THREE GO BACK TO WORK?" Minho growls at the two behind the counter with him and he grabs a French bread to whack the other three, "Hey! I'm on your side!" Jinki protests while nursing his head, Minho scoffs at him, "You're just egging them on."

The bell rings while they're bickering and it feels like the world suddenly stops when they find Jonghyun walk in with Soo-hyun in his arms, "D-did we come at a bad time?"

"You came at a perfect time." Jinki greets him immediately then leads them to a table, "Is it your usual? I'll place the order for you."

"Y-Yes, please."

Jinki is grinning with the widest grin possible at Minho who is left stunned behind the cashier, "His usual, Manager."

"We only do self-order." 

Kibum jabs at his side with a grin too, "Why don't you tell him that?"

Minho sighs and tells Kibum to prepare the drink, nonetheless. He prepares the bagel with cream cheese personally and places it on a tray with the drink. He rings the bell for Jinki who's suddenly disappeared from the café. He turns to Kibum who's now on the phone, texting rapidly. "Take this to him."

"Wait. This is important."

"We're not allowed to use phones during business hours."

"And we're not supposed to get the coffee cold." Kibum retaliates without looking up from his phone.

"Ugh." Minho peeks into the small window of the kitchen door but Taemin appears to be very busy kneading the dough. Minho takes a deep breath and carries the tray to Jonghyun's table. He feels his heart getting heavier and heavier as he approaches Jonghyun who's currently playing with Soo-hyun. 

"Your order, sir." Minho greets him casually and places his food and drink on the table, "Is everything complete?"

Jonghyun looks at him straight in the eyes and shakes his head, "No. Something's missing."

"What is it?"

Jonghyun bites his lower lip and purses them tightly together before taking a deep breath and speaks, "You. I miss you."

Minho stays silent standing in front of him so Jonghyun continues, "Can we talk? Please? In private, if possible?"

"Of course you two can talk!" Jinki is suddenly next to Minho with a huge smile on his face. Minho turns to him with the most threatening look possible but Jinki seems unfazed by it, "I can handle the café for a while."

"I can look after Soo-hyun for a bit." Kibum interrupts who's suddenly behind Jonghyun, "There isn't a lot of customers at the moment anyway."

"You can talk in my kitchen." Taemin cuts in from behind Kibum, "I just placed the pie in the oven so I won't have anything to do yet. I can help out front."

"You hate working out front, Taemin. Don't be a liar." Minho argues but Taemin grits his teeth at him, "I. Can. Help. Out. Front."

Minho rolls his eyes and just grabs Jonghyun by the hand and drags him to the kitchen. The other three laugh as the other two retreats away from them. Jinki then side-eyes Taemin and Kibum, "Weren't you dissing Jonghyun earlier?"

"Were we?" Kibum asks innocently as he carries Soo-hyun. Taemin plays with the baby all the while acting naïve, "I was always team Jonghyun."

Jinki rolls his eyes too far back, he may have seen his brain's own eyes rolling.

-----

The kitchen, despite being airconditioned, has Minho sweating bullets now that they're alone. They have stayed silent for a few seconds after Minho dragged Jonghyun inside. 

"Look, y-you wanted to talk to me, so talk." Minho finally starts and Jonghyun takes a deep breath before speaking, "Well, you see... I..."

Minho leans against the kitchen door to block his staff's view, "If you're going to reject me, I will understand but I came to love Soo-hyun so I hope you can let me see him."

"Don't you want to see me too"

"Jonghyun, you're confusing me here. Please, talk since it's me doing it."

"I'm not... I'm not rejecting you." Jonghyun starts, Minho nods, "Okay, I'm listening." 

Jonghyun casts his gaze to the floor and continues, "I only asked to be alone so I can think because..." Jonghyun stops for a second then goes on again, "I like you too but I'm scared, no, worried that I'm not 100% into it since I might end up looking like I'm accepting you because I'm grateful for everything. Which I am, I really am." Jonghyun tries to catch his breath, he hasn't realized how he's speaking a mile a minute, "But y'see, every morning, when I wake up, I look forward to you picking me up with breakfast takeout and even if we eat in your car to the hospital or somewhere, I loved it. Every time... Every time I..." Jonghyun sniffs and wipes his eyes, still without looking at Minho, "Every time I take care of Soo-hyun, I think of you..." He chuckles in-between sniffles, "I even think of you while I change his diapers." 

"Hey, look at me." Minho tells him and Jonghyun shakes his head, "I can't..."

Minho steps away from the door and squats in front of Jonghyun, looking up to see Jonghyun's reddened face, "Well, how about now?" the taller boy asks and Jonghyun smiles, Minho does too, "So, you like me? A lot?"

Jonghyun nods, Minho continues, "You like me a lot, you'll go on a date with me?" the other male nods again, Minho smiles wider this time, "So, basically, boyfriends?"

"Hmn... Yeah." Jonghyun whispers and Minho pulls on his arm so he can squat in front of him too, "I didn't hear that."

Jonghyun pouts but speaks nonetheless, "Yes, boyfriends. We can be boyfriends." 

"Thank god." Minho sighs in relief, "I was sure you've rejected me already." He reaches out and cradles Jonghyun's face, his thumb wiping away the trail of tears on his cheek, "I've waited so long to touch you this close, Jonghyun."

"You can kiss me too, you know." Jonghyun teases him and Minho chuckles, "That, I will do." The latter grins and leans forward to kiss Jonghyun, they both sigh into the kiss and they can tell they're both smiling into it too. 

"Ahh! My pie is done!" Taemin suddenly bursts into the kitchen and Jonghyun pulls away from Minho immediately. His boyfriend pulls him into a hug and Jonghyun hides his face by burying it on Minho's chest, "There isn't even a ing pie in the oven, Taemin."

"And there will be now. Out of my kitchen, lovers. Shoo!"

Minho chuckles and then kisses Jonghyun's cheek, "Let's get out of here and grab a proper breakfast now, okay?"

"I'd love that. I'd love that a lot."

.end.


A/N: To the one who gave this prompt, I hope I was able to give you what you wanted.