Minhyun waits with attentive ears, leaning against the tree in his backyard. It's early morning, chilly with the morning breeze as the crooning crickets formed an early hymn alongside whispering leaves. It's cold, but Minhyun didn't bother to ask for an extra layer of coat. Eyes narrowing with lids fluttering every time the chill of the winds came brushing onto his face, he let out a soft sigh and hide behind the concrete walls by the door. There was no concept of time in the clock-less yard, and while it was early enough that no other pattering feet could be heard after the ring of the bicycle bell - milkman, arriving in the wee hours where he roused awake every time, before stretching himself in his comfortable loft till the dull thud of the newspapers could be heard, tossed over the walls with expert ease by the newspaper boy six days out of seven in the week - it seemed like Hyunbin was running slightly late.

"Hyung? Minhyun hyung?!"

The first yell of the younger's voice, deep and gruff and wheezing, as if he just ran a mile because he was likely running late. Minhyun pushed himself off the wall and slipped out of his front gates quietly, and bite back the smile that formed all too easily whenever he saw his face. Because Hyunbin had a dashing smile, the sort that light up the world with that shiny glint of life in his eyes, messy tousled hair thanks to stylist of the passing wind at this hour of the day. Minhyun turned away, head held an inch higher in disregard of that despite the heat running up his ears, walking ahead without much of a greeting. Hyunbin's late and it's no longer news, but Minhyun was still mad whenever it happens.

And then came that casual bump of the shoulders, Hyunbin catching up to him with longer, faster strides ( despite the larger built, Hyunbin sure had longer legs ) in no time. Minhyun turned just ever so slightly, his feline-eyes tried a glare into those long, puppy eyes for just a second. Then he melt with a following sigh, turning away to focus on the path in front of him. He could feel Hyunbin's grin beside him even if they both made no move to address it, and Minhyun just leaned slightly into Hyunbin's side, carefully as they threaded along the concrete slabbed roads around town.

They first met at the end of Spring, where the trees were blossoming with flowers and life and bringing with them a waft of floral scent that itches his nose. He's always preferred the smell of fresh grass at the newly mowed lawns of the park, or the refreshing scent of green tea that his family loved to brew over afternoon tea on lazy weekends. Floral, while interesting, wasn't nearly as attractive to sniff as they were to admire, and admire he did. Finding a nice spot under their family's prided tree, Minhyun had gazed upwards to watch as the yellow flowers fluttered down from the greens with the puff of the winds. Shaking his head when some had landed on his nose, he startled to hear a stranger's laughter from the opened gates.

And that stranger, was Hyunbin.

With dark brown hair and long friendly eyes, an excited smile and deep voice, Hyunbin hadn't changed much since the day they met.  He's still a little clumsy, nearly tipping on his way through the opened gates because he somehow missed seeing the black, rusty bar hovering two inches above the ground; and just the other day on their stroll, while Minhyun was accounting his evening of watching a brand new episode of TV with his family, Hyunbin had suddenly disappeared, because he had slipped on a smooth, wet slab of concrete and sprawled on the ground.

Hyunbin still had that stupid look too, the sort that stretching his mouth into a large smile as his eyes soften, the kind that made Minhyun want to punch his fist into the softness of the younger's cheeks (lightly) just so that he wouldn't feel the burn creeping up onto his ears and milky white skin. Minhyun even mentioned it before too, in the exact words 'you look kind of dumb like this' when he tried to quicken his pace, and Hyunbin just hurried along with this dreamy look in his eyes that the elder have a giant soft spot for before saying 'yes hyung, I love you too.'

So yes, Hyunbin is still cheesy and all sorts of loud in his expression of fondness, but Minhyun only found himself falling deeper and deeper into it with each passing morning.

Their morning strolls are part routine, part adventures. Occasionally they'll diverge, seeking new paths to walk and places to explore. Once they e right-turn earlier into a small alleyway, and was rewarded with the fragrance of freshly baked bread. The store owner even gave them both a small sampler of their tuna bun, to which Hyunbin had cried foul under his breath because he's not the biggest fan of seafood. Minhyun doesn't really mind - he ate every single bit of it down to the last crumps, and Hyunbin's portion too, even off the crumps on the younger's fingers in satisfaction.

( And Hyunbin didn't complained after that, all too happy to be up close with his hyung to care about the bun. He probably didn't even remember the filling of the bun, just the fact that Minhyun had given him a quick kiss to his cheeks to cut his little whining. In short, it's a win-win. )

Most of the time, they stuck to their original route. A nearly full-hour of slow strolling, down the rows of expensive-looking houses to the main cross section before turning right, along the path of opening stores and increasing chatter of people to the small park, and then to the convenient store around the corner. Sometimes they'll grab something there too, well, mostly Hyunbin, before heading back on the route towards the brunet's home. The walk starts at Minhyun's and ends at Hyunbin's, and it's a fair trade off considering how their houses are just two blocks apart.

They're usually quiet on their strolls. Minhyun loved the comfortable silence when they walk in a tow, because it's different.

It's different from the silence at home in the afternoon hours, when mother is at work making hand-crafted postcards and calligraphy posters. The silence was a mix of an overhead fan whirring slowly as mother wrote neat alphabets onto the envelops and parchment paper, tip of her sharp writing tool scratching lightly. The scent of calligraphy ink wasn't his favorite, but it was fascinating watching her write, and his head bobs with each time she lifted her hand to dip the tip into the ink and back again. Sometimes his help was enlisted too, printing paw prints along the surface, making patterns like a cat had just trampled all over it. It's what he does best, anyway, so no complains about that, even if it meant a long hour of washing to clean his hands.

It's different from the silence in the evening, when the whole family sat by the living room, exhausted from the day's event as the news channel droned in the background. Sometimes it would be the latest episode of a variety program, to which Sojin would chirp in her two cents once in a while as the parents laughed. Sometimes it's this never ending makjang drama that mother was so fond about, and despite the soft grumbling from the daughter-father pair, four heads sat there engrossed in the thickening plot with passing hour.

It's different from the silence past midnight, when the stars are bright and Minhyun found himself sitting the roof of their house after a careful climb of the wooden ladder. The silence in the night held an air of loneliness as he watched the houses turn off their lights one by one, like flickering candles in the wind as everyone fell into slumber except him. He would took a longing look into the skies and admire the stars, singing a soft song to himself that only he would know, and then ponder just so briefly, what he should do with Hyunbin the next day before his lids felt heavy and he settled into sleep.

The difference lies in this habitual stroll and mutual awareness, in the shared glances and common line of eyesight. They marvel over the same quirky statues and giggle at the illegible stone plaques. They stare in amazement at new stores and poke their curious faces onto the windows of several stores just opening for the day. They looked at different things then at each other all the same, and Minhyun lightly bobbed the other's nose when he stared too hard, unabashed. Hyunbin's loud and bold and playfully affectionate, and Minhyun's soft and sharp and cold but tolerant all the same. It's perhaps in that middle ground of fitting into each other's flaws, that made for a perfect combination.

"Hyung, where shall we go?"

The same question, day after day. Minhyun purred softly, casting a long gaze down the small path to their left, an unexplored part of the neighborhood that they've yet to comb. He needed to say no more as Hyunbin lunged forward, this time with Minhyun chasing tails right after, their voice and laughter carried by passing wind.

"Minhyun! Minhyun-ah~ oh there you are! Are you going for a walk today again? With your friend?"

"Meow."

Sojin squats down, pulling her school skirt into her lap as she reached out to the soft fur of the white cat with a large black spot covering just one eye and extended over a ear. The pet mewled softly, rubbing its cheeks in familiar affection to its owner. Their family cat has been taking these leisure morning strolls every single day since the end of Spring, or at least, that's what she's told by her parents some day. Even during holidays, where Sojin was up and about and ready to play, the cat was long gone, the ends of his tail swishing past the gates before she could even catch him, and a dog's excited bark lingering in the air as it faded away. 

"You're having a new best friend, and it makes me sad."

Despite the pout on her face, she had laughed, lightly tickling under the chin of the small cat, which closed its eyes in satisfaction. The peace of the early morning - the start of a new semester too, for the seventeen-year-old high school girl - was disturbed by that loud bark and the call of a fellow female voice, high pitched and all in excitement. Sojin jumped up to open up the gates, and she could feel the graze of Minhyun's neat, soft fur brushing past her ankles and calves as it sashayed out of the open gate with grace to meet the large brown dog with fluffy fur. There's an excited 'woof', the dog pouncing in his place before its friend gave it a harsh headbutt, and the two settled down in their spot. 

Minhyun let out a soft mewl of satisfaction at the frown on Hyunbin's face as their owners chatted, raising one of his paws to press into the younger's cheeks, as if to ask if he's feeling fine. The dog opened its mouth, ready to bite on the soft paw just because, and Minhyun ended up half jabbing him once more before turning his focus away to the two girls. He recognized the other as Hyunbin's young owner, a girl that goes by the name 'Hyomin', a fellow schoolmate given their identical uniform. Minhyun had heard her name from time to time when he lazed in her room, listening to Sojin talk animatedly on the phone.

Their friendship was by occurrence, when Sojin heard from mother about Minhyun's daily stroll. Curiosity lead one to another, and soon the girls' friendship blossomed like the last bloom before creeping Autumn, but destined to grow for years to come. The male blinked slowly, settling into a comfortable position by resting against Hyunbin, stifling a yawn. It's interesting, he pondered despite the younger's whine at added weight, how friendships groom and grow from the smallest, unexpected meetings.

Like them.

And as the pets bid their owners goodbye, they their heels and proceeded down the usual path, drawing further and further away from the giggles of the high school students behind them. It's almost Autumn by now, with fallen, dried leaves crunching under their weight as they thread. In the distance, a bicycle bell sounded as they neared the main cross-section with each house they passed. Hyunbin bumped shoulders into Minhyun's smaller frame just so lightly, carefully, and opened his mouth.

"Hyung, where shall we go today?"

a/n: ta daa~ did any of you expect that? hehe. this is actually a really short one-shot, but i think it's length is pretty good for the story i wanted to tell. sorry i haven't been able to write a lot these days because i just started an internship, but i still have several stories planned out and i hope to get working on them soon. please leave me lots of comments, and i shall see you around on my twitter or curiouscat! oh before i forgot, this story is inspired by tumblr post. ♡ sng