Kyungsoo walked around his kitchen to find that there was nothing to eat. He opened every single cupboard to find that they needed to restock on food. The refrigerator was empty too, they didn’t even have any vegetables to make a salad for later. Kyungsoo sighed as he turned his head towards the window. The forecast had said that there would be rain, as of right now, it was just cloudy.  

He rubbed his temples as he considered his options. He could stay in and order pizza for later, then be foodless for the rest of the week. Or he could walk out, risk getting wet, and get food for the week and not go out for the rest of his day.

He sighed, unfortunately, the second option was much more logical. He wishes he could just text Minseok to stop by the market while he orders pizza, but Minseok is at his professor’s office hours. He doesn’t know how long Minseok will stay on campus. He might even stay all day to study.

Kyungsoo sighed as he walked to his room to put on a jacket and boots. He placed the hoodie over his head and grabbed the umbrella by the door. He had planned to stay in for the day, maybe sleep since his week so far had been so stressful. But, no, instead he is walking towards the closest supermarket in the cold. The good thing is, that everything was close by his home. Most of the places were walking distance and took no longer than twenty minutes to get to.

He arrived at the supermarket and quickly went into the produce aisle. He made sure to grab vegetables and meat that could be used for the week. He quickly walked into the other aisles and went into the one that contained baked goods, the mocha bread quickly caught his eye. He smiled and put some into his basket, Minseok would appreciate that. He put some juice in too, but didn’t really get more than what he needed. He passed by every aisle, just to make sure that he wasn’t missing anything.

He walked into the candy aisle and saw a familiar face as he got closer to the chocolate. The familiar face was looking over the sweets, face in obvious concentration over what he should get.

Kyungsoo gently tapped his shoulder and the younger turned around in surprise. Once he saw it was Kyungsoo, his smile began to show. “Hyung!” The younger greeted him happily.

“Sehun, I haven’t seen you since I graduated.”

Sehun had met Kyungsoo a year before he was set to graduate. Kyungsoo thought the younger was so lovable, he couldn’t help but get attached to him.

“I know! Why haven’t you called me?” Sehun responded.

Kyungsoo shrugged. “I been busy. How about you? Still going to school?”

Sehun nodded. “Yeah, I still dorm there too. I need one more year to graduate, then I’ll probably go back home.”

“Do you still wanna be a lawyer?” Kyungsoo asked.

Sehun smiled. “Yeah, I actually have an internship right now.”

Kyungsoo smiled wide at him. “That’s great to hear!”

“How about you? Do you have your café yet?”

Kyungsoo shook his head. “Not yet, but Minseok and I have been saving up for it. Once he graduates, we’re going to start looking for a place to set it up.”

Sehun bounced up and down. “I’ll be cheering for you.”

Kyungsoo laughed at the younger’s antics. He was still just as cute as he remembered.

“It was great seeing you, but I need to go.”

“Yeah, I want to go too before it starts to rain.”

Sehun gave him a little wave as he walked out of the aisle with two boxes of chocolate in his hand.

Kyungsoo put a bag of gummies into his basket then walked over to the cash register. He quickly paid for his items and placed them into the bag he brought from home, luckily everything fit well. He walked out of the store and quickly opened up his umbrella. It had begun raining while he was inside the store. It wasn’t too hard, but hard enough to get one very wet if not using something to keep dry.

He was ten minutes away from home when he noticed someone in front of him had been going the same route ever since he walked out of the store. As he looked closer, he couldn’t help but feel as though he knew this person. He began to quicken his pace to catch up with the individual and immediately recognized the brown jacket. His head was facing down to try to shield his face from the rain. He didn’t have a hoodie or umbrella and was getting soaked. Kyungsoo quickly caught up with the person and stood next to him, allowing the umbrella to shield the both of them from the rain. Baekhyun’s eyes looked up quickly to Kyungsoo, who merely gave him a small smile.

“What are you doing?” Baekhyun asked. He took a step a small step to his right, putting some distance between him and Kyungsoo.

Kyungsoo took a step closer to try and shield Baekhyun again. He didn’t want to see someone he knew catch a cold.

“Baekhyun, it’s me, Kyungsoo. You’re getting really wet.”

Baekhyun bit his bottom lip and quickened his pace. He got out from under the umbrella and into the soaking rain. Kyungsoo furrowed his brows, he wasn’t one to invade privacy, but it was also in his nature to care for others. He didn’t like seeing Baekhyun shiver as the rain drops hit his head. He matched paces with Baekhyun again, walking next to him. 

“We’re both going home. You’re getting soaked.”

Baekhyun looked ahead as he furrowed his brows. “I can take care of myself.”

Kyungsoo couldn’t understand why Baekhyun was behaving this way. Just a couple days ago, the both of them had gotten along so well at Chanyeol’s apartment. It was like a switch had been turned and the fun, bubbly Baekhyun was replaced with someone that he couldn’t even recognize.

“I never said you couldn’t. You just don’t have an umbrella and it’s raining really hard. ”Kyungsoo’s eyes went down to look at Baekhyun’s hands. He had some papers in them that he hadn’t noticed before. They were a little moist from the rain. “Your papers are getting really wet too.”

Baekhyun’s eyes widened and he lifted them up towards his face. He shook them as if that would suddenly get them completely dry. Kyungsoo noticed that they were job applications, although he couldn’t read for what.

“You’re looking for a job?”

Baekhyun pressed them into his chest, trying to keep them away from the rain. “Yeah, why?” Baekhyun turned his head to look at Kyungsoo. “You hiring or something?”

“No. What did you major in? Maybe I can help you.”

Baekhyun continued to stare at him as they walked home. “Not to be mean, but that’s none of your business.”

Kyungsoo kept his poker face, then looked ahead. If Baekhyun was going to be putting up walls, he wasn’t about to try and tear them down. “You’re right.”

They both walked in silence, Kyungsoo noticed Baekhyun was getting a bit fidgety. “What I meant earlier,” He suddenly blurt out of nowhere. “Is, that there is no work around here for my major, so I need to improvise.”

“Mmmmm.” Kyungsoo mused in response.

“I…didn’t mean to come off as rude.”

“Too late for that.”

Baekhyun flinched and looked down. “I…I’m sorry. I—“

Kyungsoo’s eyes slowly traveled towards Baekhyun. He was holding his papers tighter against his chest.

Baekhyun looked up at him and smiled. It wasn’t genuine, it looked broken. “I’ve just been a bit stressed. I didn’t mean to take it out on you.”

Maybe the move had a bigger toll on Baekhyun than he was letting on. He looked tired, as if there was something eating at him.  Maybe when all of them were together, it helped ease some of the tension he had been feeling. But now, he has job applications in his hand that he was willing to go through rain to get. Kyungsoo was never a mean person, a little on the tough side, but not mean.

“Don’t worry about it Baekhyun. We all go through sometimes.” Kyungsoo sent him a smile.

Baekhyun’s smile grew a little smaller as he looked down. “Sometimes we gotta go through hell and back.” He said it just above a whisper. Kyungsoo wasn’t sure if it was meant for him to hear, but he acted as if he didn’t.

The rest of the walk was quiet. Neither of them said anything until they finally reached their apartment. The both of them took the walk up the stairs and ultimately ended up at their front doors. Kyungsoo was about to enter his home, but a voice called out to him.

“Thank you for walking with me home.”

Kyungsoo looked over at Baekhyun who was opening his own door.

“You’re welcome. Next time, take a scarf and umbrella, ok?”

Baekhyun let out a tiny chuckle. “Noted. Thanks again.” He walked into his apartment and Kyungsoo did the same.

***

“Am I making it right Kyungsoo?” Lisa asked as she poured the chocolate chips into the cookie batter. Kyungsoo looked over her shoulder and saw that she was following the owner’s recipe perfectly.

“You’re doing fine.” He replied. “Just try to distribute it evenly.”

“But aren’t we going to stir it anyway?”

Kyungsoo shook his head. “No, we’re going to fold it in. That way, the cookies come out softer.”

Lisa nodded then quickly did as she was told. “How are you so good at this?”

Kyungsoo squeezed lemon juice into the cake batter that he was making. “Practice and passion.”

He heard the door to the kitchen open and Yunhyeong walked in. He had recently dyed his hair an ash gray and it was taking some getting used to.

Lisa looked over at him then looked away. “You’re here early.” She said in a happy tone.

“Minseok told me he wouldn’t be coming in.”

Lisa smirked. “You’re gonna make girls come in the day time now. You practically have your own fan club.”

Kyungsoo chuckled, he had to admit, some customers did come in just to see Yunhyeong. It wasn’t a bad thing, it meant more business for them.

Yunhyeong just shook his head as he tied on his apron. “You know that’s not true.”

Lisa looked over at him, giving him a mischievous smile. “I’m telling Jisoo.”

Yunhyeong laughed. “Tell her what? That I’m doing my job?”

Kyungsoo looked over at him. “I don’t think your girlfriend would like knowing that a handful of our customers come to look at her boyfriend.”

Yunhyeong let out another laugh. “They come to look at you too!”

Kyungsoo chuckled and went back to his task.

Yunhyeong looked at Lisa, “Tell Jisoo and I’ll tell Bam you’ve been crushing on him.”

Kyungsoo burst out laughing and let himself lean against the counter.

Lisa’s jaw dropped. “You wouldn’t dare.”  

Yunhyeong smirked as lifted up his eyebrow. “Try me.” He walked out of the kitchen and into the front to help Yugyeom make the drinks.

Lisa turned to look at Kyungsoo trying to regain his composure. “Kyungsoo, it’s not funny.”

Kyungsoo looked over at her. “It’s a little funny.” Her crush on Kunpimook was very obvious. He had noticed it a couple of weeks ago, but didn’t say anything about it. There was no point in bringing it up since it didn’t interfere with work in any way.

Lisa sighed as she placed the cookies she had just made into the oven.

“Hey, could you swap with Yunhyeong?” Kyungsoo told her. “I need you to help in the front while Yunhyeong can help me out here.”

She nodded as she walked out towards the front. Yunhyeong came in a couple of seconds, leaving Lisa to make the drinks with Yugyeom. Kunpimook should be coming in soon to help them with the drinks too. The new girl, Jeongguk, and Minseok will be taking the late shift, while Kyungsoo would be taking the day shift with everyone else. The eldest had a midterm today that would take place on campus. He couldn’t afford to miss it and had been studying for it since last week. As a result, he could only show up during the late shift and not the day. 

Kyungsoo didn’t mind working alone, he actually enjoyed it. But, if he were being honest, he liked working with Yunhyeong. He had the same passion as he did in cooking. Yunhyeong loved to cook and he was taking classes in culinary arts to become a chef. The both of them bonded quickly, Yunhyeong was eager to learn everything about baking in the kitchen. Kyungsoo was more than ecstatic to show him the recipes.

“Have you thought about your café yet?” Yunhyeong asked as he rolled some dough on the counter next to Kyungsoo.

Kyungsoo smiled. “Everyday.” He admitted, he placed the batter into a cake pan to put it in the oven.

“It must be cool to be so close huh?”

Kyungsoo looked over at him. “It’s really exciting. But, we still haven’t even found a location.”

Yunhyeong raised an eyebrow. “Really? Have you researched?”

Kyungsoo nodded. “Yeah, we have money saved up to leave a deposit, but we can’t find a place in our price range.” Kyungsoo looked up as he finished pouring the batter in the pan. “We’re barely getting started, after all.”

Yunhyeong grinned wide, “You know, by where I live, there is actually a little place that’s for lease. I don’t know if you would be interested to look, but its right in front of a school.” Yunhyeong lived in Seoul, that alone would be a reason to check out a space for lease.

“They’re selling a place in front of a school?”

Yunhyeong nodded. “Yeah, it’s in between a pizza place and a clothes store. I think it used to be like a shoe store or something.”

Kyungsoo chuckled. “Sounds interesting.”

Yunhyeong nodded. “I can give you the realtor’s number if you want. You can call and get more info on it. It’s also a couple blocks from a music hall thing.”

Kyungsoo laughed. “Like where they do concerts?”

Yunhyeong shrugged. “Kind of, they focus more on musicals and stuff.”

If Kyungsoo could get a place in front of a school, it would be more than perfect. Students would come out of class wanting coffee and Kyungsoo’s café would be right in front to quench their thirst. Or maybe, they would skip breakfast and want to grab a quick bite, they could go to the café and get a bagel or toasted sandwich. Kyungsoo practically squealed in delight at the thought.

“Can you give me the realtor’s number?”

Yunhyeong smiled wide at him. “Yeah! I’ll walk by it today and send you the number.”

Kyungsoo got home a couple of hours later. He hadn’t noticed how busy the day was because he had been too busy daydreaming. He spent the rest of his day researching other locations for sale on his laptop. He found another one close to the one Yunhyeong was talking about. It was in front of the musical hall he had mentioned, but in front of a school was a much better location. He didn’t notice how much time had passed until he heard the front door unlock. His eyes traveled down to the bottom right of his screen. “11:02” was he really on for that long?

Kyungsoo climbed onto his feet, his glasses practically falling off in the process. He slipped on his slippers and scurried to Minseok’s room. He sat on the bed and sure enough, Minseok walked in with his hair in slight disarray.

“How was it tonight?” Kyungsoo asked.

Minseok shook his head. “People started coming in 10 minutes before closing time. Most of them were big parties, we couldn’t just kick them out.” Minseok ed his pants and kicked them off quickly.

“How about your midterm?”

Minseok shrugged as he ed his shirt. “It was okay. I hope I did well.” He threw himself onto his back on the mattress and shut his eyes as he took an inhale.

Minseok must be exhausted. He had woken up early to squeeze in a little more studying, took a midterm, and then had to go to work. Kyungsoo looked at Minseok as he took steady breaths.

“You hungry?”

Minseok shook his head. “Jeongguk and BamBam bought me food. I think they could tell how tired I was.”

Kyungsoo laughed. “Yeah, they’re good kids.”

Minseok nodded, the pillow gently moving beneath his head. “It’ll be worth it though.”

Kyungsoo laid down next to him as he smiled. “I actually been meaning to tell you something.”

Minseok opened his eyes and turned his head to face Kyungsoo. “Hm?”

“Yunhyeong told me that there was a spot that’s for sale by where he lives. It’s right in front of a school.”

Minseok’s eyes widened. “A school?”

Kyungsoo nodded. “Yeah! He texted me earlier the number of the realtor.”

Minseok sat up quickly, smiling wide. “We can call tomorrow. If the price is good, we can leave a deposit and start using up our money to buy supplies.”

Kyungsoo quickly sat up with him. “We can start small, just buy a small stove and coffee supplies, then later, get bigger and bigger.”

Minseok smiled even wider, “Ok, we’ll call tomorrow. Maybe they can give us a good price on it.”

Kyungsoo threw himself back on Minseok’s bed, he looked up at the ceiling as he imagined his future.

Minseok laid down again as he let out a yawn. “I’m halfway through the semester.”

Kyungsoo shut his eyes. “We’re getting close.”

Minseok shut his eyes too. “Very close.”

The both of them fell asleep on Minseok’s bed. Kyungsoo wasn’t very used to sleeping with others, he actually avoided it all costs, but he didn’t mind if it was family. Minseok was just like his brother, so falling asleep next to him was comforting.

***

Kyungsoo woke up the next morning almost late to work. Minseok and he ran down the street to make sure that they could clock in on time. Just the thought that the supervisors would be late was a strange concept for Kyungsoo. They both clocked in with five minutes to spare, luckily.

Lisa and Yugyeom came in a couple of minutes afterwards. They didn’t get to see their supervisors panting for breath as they leaned against the counter. The day went on as usual, as customers walked in and out of the café. Some ordered pastries, while some ordered coffee. Nothing out of the ordinary.

Kyungsoo took the last batch of cookies out from the kitchen and placed them onto the display. He was about to return to the back, when he saw familiar faces enter into the café. The four that walked in laughed and joked as they teased each other. They walked up to the counter and yelled out for Minseok. “Mini!”

Minseok’s back was towards them, but turned around once he heard his nickname. He scrunched up his nose as he smiled. “What do you guys want?” he asked, teasingly.

Kyungsoo smiled as Jongdae spoke up first. “Is that any way to speak to customers?”

Minseok rolled his eyes. “What do you want?” He asked again.

Chanyeol laughed and walked in front, shoving his way through Baekhyun, Jongin, and Jongdae. “Yeah, let me have a grumpy little midget known as Kyungsoo.”

The three in back began to snicker, Kyungsoo’s mouth dropped and he walked in front of the counter. “You might want to watch yourself Park, I live right next door to you.”

“Who said that, it sounded like Kyungsoo, is he here?”

Kyungsoo threw a punch at the giant, but he dodged it quickly and ran behind Jongin. “Ah, Kyungsoo! There you are.”

Jongdae had a mischievous smile on his face and walked in front of the trio. “I actually do want a coffee though.” He said as he relaxed his features.

Baekhyun swiftly stood next to him, arm slinging around Jongdae’s “He needs it, he is addicted.” Jongdae gave him a look and Baekhyun smiled as he leaned into him. Jongdae rolled his eyes and looked back at Kyungsoo, who was still standing in front of the counter. “Can I have an Americano, please?”

Kyungsoo nodded and input the order. “Just black?”

Jongdae nodded. “Yeah.”

“Kyungsoo, can I have another cake please?”

Kyungsoo looked over at Baekhyun, eyes shining and smile wide. “It was really good last time. Where do you guys get them?”

Minseok stood next to Kyungsoo. “They’re not bought. Kyungsoo makes them every morning.”

Baekhyun’s eyes widened. “He does?”

Kyungsoo looked down at the register as he input the order. “It’s not a big deal.”

“Yes it is.” Baekhyun suddenly responded with a bit of a cutesy tone to his voice. Kyungsoo looked up to lock eyes with him. “They’re really good! You like to bake?”

“They want to own a bakery. Kyungsoo hyung is amazing when it comes to cooking. He can make anything!” Jongin suddenly burst in out of nowhere.

“Really?” Baekhyun asked.

Chanyeol nodded. “He makes the best cakes when it’s his own recipe. When he follows recipes they come out good, but his own recipes are amazing!”

Jongin suddenly tugged on Chanyeol’s sleeve and pointed to one of the cookies on display. “Chanyeol, I want that one.” He was using that “voice” he used when he was trying be cute towards his boyfriend. It made Kyungsoo inwardly cringe.

“Hm?” Chanyeol looked at Jongin then at the cookie. “How much for the cookie?” He reached for Jongin’s waist and pulled him in. 

“You guys are getting too loud.” Kyungsoo said just above a whisper, he was scowling in Chanyeol and Jongin’s direction. He grabbed the cookie and gave it to Jongin. “Consider it a gift to stop talking.” Chanyeol gave Jongin a triumphant smile as his boyfriend bit into the cookie with glee. 

“Maybe, I can try your recipe sometime, yeah?”

Kyungsoo looked over at Baekhyun who had his lips pressed tight into a smile.

“Uh…sure maybe.” Kyungsoo shrugged.

Kyungsoo saw Jongdae nudge Baekhyun and Baekhyun sent him a small glare. “I want to try a good cake.” He told him in a snarky voice. He shook his head and shut his eyes in a teasing manner.

Jongdae scoffed and looked back at Kyungsoo. “How much is it again?” Jongdae quickly took out his wallet and paid for the coffee and cake. But not before telling Baekhyun that he owed them the next one.

“Hey guys, that reminds me, what are you doing this weekend?” Chanyeol asked. Kyungsoo hadn’t even noticed Minseok had given him an iced coffee. He was now holding it in his hand and taking small sips.  

Jongdae looked over at him. “I’m off work, why?” He took a sip of the Americano and looked down at it smiling.

“How about you three?” He gestured towards Baekhyun, Kyungsoo, and Minseok.

“I’m not doing anything.” Baekhyun said.

“We have work.” Kyungsoo answered.

“But, get out at four.” Minseok was quick to add.

“We can go bowling on Saturday, then out to eat. What do you guys think?” Jongin asked with a smile.

Minseok smiled. “We can go.”

Kyungsoo looked over at him. Since when did he say he could go?

“We can go too!” Baekhyun answered.

Chanyeol nodded. “Okay! We meet at my house at five. Then I’ll drive all of us there, deal?”

Baekhyun nodded enthusiastically. “Deal!”

How did Kyungsoo get dragged into something without even saying a word?

 

“Did you really drag me into something without asking me first?” Kyungsoo asked as he leaned on Minseok’s doorframe.

Minseok laid in bed as he tucked himself in. “It’s not the first time, remember the carnival?”

Kyungsoo shuddered as he remembered the carnival. Kyungsoo had been crushing on a girl for months and Minseok set the both of them to ride the carousel together, without asking Kyungsoo how he felt about it. Needless to say, it was a horrible idea, he had eaten too much carnival food and had felt nauseous even before he went on. The spinning didn’t help and he threw up all over the horse he was riding. The girl never hung out with Kyungsoo or Minseok again after that.

“Don’t remind me.” Kyungsoo pouted as Minseok let out a laugh. “Next time I crush on someone, I am not letting you come with us somewhere.” Kyungsoo said as he let out a light chuckle.

Minseok looked at Kyungsoo from under the covers and slowly began to take them off to reveal a soft smile. “I actually…I been talking to someone.”

 Kyungsoo straightened up, “Oh?”

Minseok let out a light giggle, “It’s nothing serious,” he shrugged, “just getting to know each other.”

“Where did you guys meet?” Kyungsoo asked.

“In school, there was a group of Chinese students that transferred and one kept staring at me so I went up to say hi and got their number.”

“You’re barely telling me now?” Kyungsoo teased.

Minseok laughed. “Well, it’s nothing serious. Besides, we have bigger things to worry about, like how we got an appointment with the realtor.”  

Kyungsoo smiled. Once they arrived home from work, they called right away. Luckily she set up an appointment for next week.

“Plus, now we can look forward to Saturday after work.”

Kyungsoo scoffed and looked over at him. “Fine, you win.”

Minseok smiled as he reached for the lamp by his bed. “Night, Soo.”

Kyungsoo rolled his eyes as he walked into his room. He shut the door behind him and placed his glasses by the bedside table. He undid his bed and got under the covers. He reached for the lamp and shut it off, shrouding his room in darkness. He sighed, shut his eyes, and thought about today. How he got pulled into going out on Saturday and how they would be looking into their first place. He even thought about how a customer had been hitting on Yugyeom and instead of confronting her, hid in the back until she left. That kid was way too shy. His mind wandered until it suddenly got to Baekhyun. He opened his eyes and stared at the ceiling. Baekhyun had acted so friendly today. He had been playful and even used a bit of aegyo. It was so different from the Baekhyun that he had helped out in the rain. That Baekhyun had a big wall up and seemed so nervous. Today’s Baekhyun was silly and practically an open book. Kyungsoo shrugged it off and turned to his side. Maybe he had just caught him on an off day. He had probably been stressed over needing a job and had probably recently gotten one. He hoped that things were looking up for Baekhyun. No one deserved to be as broken as he had looked that day.

***

Kyungsoo never really considered himself an outgoing person. He didn’t mind staying indoors and keeping to himself, he was actually a little fond of the idea. But instead, he is stuck in the car with five guys who were singing their lungs out. He found it a little interesting how quick Jongdae and Baekhyun were assimilating with everyone else. He also found it a little cute how Baekhyun’s eyes lit up whenever a new song would start playing. This guy really loved to sing.

“Kyungsoo, sing along.” Baekhyun tugged on his sleeve as he looked over at him. “It’s more fun when everyone does it.”

Kyungsoo smiled, rolled his eyes and looked out the window.

“I bet you sing really nice.”

Baekhyun was also very persistent and persistence pays off. Kyungsoo later joined the rest of them in harmonizing to whatever song was playing on the radio.

“Ok guys, party’s over.” Chanyeol said as he shut the car off.

“Nope.” Baekhyun responded as he climbed out of the backseat. “Party is just getting started.”

Chanyeol climbed after him and did a weird pose behind him.

The rest of them got out and couldn’t help but laugh at the stupid antics. “Why did you guys meet?” Minseok asked, a playful tone to his voice.

They all walked into the bowling alley, it looked like an arcade with flashing lights everywhere. Kyungsoo saw there was only people his own age around, there was no one who was older. There weren’t any kids or parents and he can see why. The atmosphere had a young vibe to it, not really a family friendly place.

“Ok guys, let’s make this interesting.” Chanyeol said as they each put on their bowling shoes. “Let’s make teams.”

“Teams?” Jongdae inquired as he stood up.

Chanyeol nodded. “Teams of two. The winners don’t have to pay for their meal. The other four do.”

Minseok smiled. “I’m intrigued, how do we pick teams?”

“We close our eyes and reach our hands out. First person who we hold hands with, is our partner.”

Kyungsoo scoffed. “How will that work? Besides, you’re just going to aim for Jongin.”

“I have never heard of a method like that, sounds interesting.” Jongdae said as he smiled at them.  

“I won’t. I’ll just close my eyes and walk around until I feel someone’s hand and squeeze.”

“This isn’t going to wo—“

“Go!”

Next thing Kyungsoo knew, the five of them were walking around reaching their hands out for something to grab. Kyungsoo wasn’t really sure how he got friends like them, but he’ll admit, they made his life interesting. If you can’t beat ‘em, join ‘em. Kyungsoo shut his eyes and extended his arm for someone to grab. He suddenly felt a hand gently slide into his and Kyungsoo grabbed on tight. The hand did the same thing, their fingers meshed in between each other’s easily.

“Does everyone have their partner?” Chanyeol hollered out.

They all responded with a “yes” and opened their eyes at the count of three.

Kyungsoo opened his eyes to find Baekhyun looking at him wide eyed. He looked down at their hands together and pulled away. Baekhyun looked up at him and gave him a crooked smile. “I guess we’re partners.”

The six of them headed towards the bowling alley and sat down. There was six chairs for the rest to watch. They each sat according to their team, which meant Kyungsoo sat next to Baekhyun. Minseok went up first and Chanyeol cheered for his partner as he threw the ball. The game had officially started and they all began to get a bit rowdy as their competiveness began to kick in. Baekhyun got a lot of strikes, while Chanyeol got a lot of gutter balls.

“You’re really good.” Kyungsoo told Baekhyun as he sat down.

Baekhyun looked over at him. “I used to play a lot in my teens.”

“I never really bowled before.” Kyungsoo admitted.

Baekhyun tilted his head to the side. “I’m assuming your hobby is cooking?”

Kyungsoo scrunched up his nose a bit. “Yeah, basically.”

“Jongin mentioned you want to own a coffee shop?”

Kyungsoo nodded as he his eyes crinkled a bit. “Yeah, it’s just a dream Minseok and I have had since we started University.”

Baekhyun smiled wide at him. “That’s cute.”

“Do you have a dream?”

Baekhyun tried to hide the falter in his smile, but Kyungsoo caught it. He caught how he forced it to go up again.

“I did, kind of. But as of now, I got hired as a secretary.”

“That’s great! Congratulations.” Kyungsoo genuinely told him.

“Thanks. It pays really well.”

“Did you get your degree in business or something, that’s what I have mine in.”

Baekhyun shook his head as he grinned. “No, I have it in something else.”

“Soo, you’re up.”

The both of them had been so into their conversation, they didn’t notice it was Kyungsoo’s turn. They didn’t even notice Chanyeol getting closer. The ball was shoved in Kyungsoo’s face and he took it from Chanyeol’s hand. “Thanks, Yeol.”

Baekhyun cheered him on as he walked to the front, he got closer and the ball slid off his fingers easily. It rolled down and he got a strike. Baekhyun jumped off his seat letting out hollers of excitement. He bit his bottom lip as he smiled and jumped up and down.

Kyungsoo walked over to him smiling and rolled his eyes.

Baekhyun sat down, “We’re you hiding your talent this whole time?”

Kyungsoo shrugged. “I guess I was.”

“Have you ever bowled before?”

Kyungsoo shook his head as he let out a chuckle. “This is my first time.”

Baekhyun’s mouth opened and he tilted his head a little to the left, his black hair followed with it. “Maybe you have a hidden talent.”

Kyungsoo shook his head. “I doubt it, I just like to bake.”

“Do you really want to open up a café?”

Kyungsoo’s eyes shined as he spoke. “Yeah, Minseok and I are getting really close too.”

Baekhyun’s smile widened. “Then I’ll be cheering for you.”

The game continued for about another hour. Chanyeol claimed to be good, but kept on getting gutter balls. Jongin would get unlucky most of the time and the pins would disappear before he was even able to throw the ball. “It’s not fair!” He would yell out. “Your turn is over!” Chanyeol would yell back. He was very competitive, but in the end, Baekhyun and Kyungsoo won.

“Where do you guys wanna go?” Chanyeol asked as he drove on the street.

“Winners get to decide.” Kyungsoo responded a little smugly.

“Can we get Japanese food? I really like it.” Baekhyun answered. Kyungsoo nodded in agreement. “Japanese food sounds good.”

Chanyeol nodded as he took a left.

They all arrived at a little Japanese restaurant, famous for its sushi. The six of them walk inside after climbing out of the car. The smell of food wafted in the air and Kyungsoo couldn’t help that his mouth began to water.

“The sushi is really good here.” Jongin told them as he looked over the menu. His hand was placed over the table as he used the other to glance at the menu.

“The ramen is pretty good too.” Chanyeol said as he placed his hand on top of Jongin’s and interlocked their fingers.

“I’m getting sushi.” Minseok responds as he puts the menu down. “I haven’t had it in a while.”

“Me too.” Baekhyun exclaims, excitedly. “I love sushi.”

Kyungsoo is still looking through the menu. They have a lot of good food here, he can’t decide what he would like to get. He could try the sushi, or poke, or maybe get some tempura.

“Are you gentlemen ready to order?” Kyungsoo looks up to see the server staring down at them. He had on his uniform with a little tie and had blonde hair. It was obviously bleached, Kyungsoo could see the roots coming in.

Everyone ordered one by one, then it was Kyungsoo’s turn. “Uh…I’ll have…” He looked over the menu again.

“I can go if he isn’t ready.” Baekhyun responded, Kyungsoo mentally thanked him.

The server looked at Baekhyun and Kyungsoo didn’t miss the tiny glint that suddenly appeared in his eyes. Baekhyun looked up at him and he saw the server suddenly look a little nervous.

“I want sushi please.” Baekhyun told him calmly, a small smile playing on his lips.

“Of…of course.” The server responded with a friendly smile.

Kyungsoo smirked and wanted to burst out laughing. “I’ll have sushi too.” Kyungsoo said.

The server didn’t take his eyes off Baekhyun, even though Baekhyun had already turned around and had struck up a conversation with Jongin.

“I can take your menus.” The server took each of the menus one by one, but his hand lingered a bit on Baekhyun’s. Baekhyun retracted his hand quickly as he looked up at the server, eyes a bit wide. The server gave him a wink and Kyungsoo mentally face palmed.

Baekhyun leaned into Minseok as he looked away. The server walked away, but Kyungsoo didn’t miss how Jongdae stayed staring at him. He brushed it off and continued talking with Chanyeol. He can’t really blame the server. He had to admit, Baekhyun was attractive looking, but like in a friend way. He had noticed it right away when he had first seen him, he had a slender face and cute smile. It was no wonder the server was attracted to him. He could see why anyone would be attracted to him, except himself of course, Kyungsoo had always been into girls.

The server returned with their food in about ten minutes. He placed each plate on the table. They all thanked him as he did so.

“And last but not least” He got the final plate of sushi and placed it in front of Baekhyun.

“I told the chef to make it extra special for you.” The server sent a wink in his direction again. Baekhyun merely thanked him and continued looking at his food.

“If you need anything, you can just tell me, okay?” Kyungsoo assumed that the server meant that for everyone, but his eyes didn’t leave Baekhyun. Baekhyun merely twisted his mouth to the side.

Minseok placed his arm around Baekhyun, smiling at the guy. “We’re fine. Thanks.”

The server bowed as he walked away.

“This looks good.” Chanyeol exclaimed as he dug in.

It felt weird having a server hit on someone he knew right in front of him. Especially since the person he knew was obviously not interested. That thought aside, the sushi was really good. He had never come to this Japanese place before, Chanyeol had made a good choice in picking it. They all laughed and conversed as they enjoyed their meals. Kyungsoo didn’t mind being alone at home, but he also didn’t mind being out with friends. It felt nice to be able to hang out with others. He could ease his tension through conversation and laughs.

“Ah…I’m full.” Chanyeol remarked as he held his belly.

Minseok leaned back in his chair and took a glance at his watch. He let out a sigh, “I hate to be that guy, but it’s getting late and Kyungsoo and I have work tomorrow.”

Jongin stretched, “Yeah, the meal made me sleepy.”

Chanyeol called one of the servers over, she briskly walked towards them. “Your server is actually off shift, would you like something else?”

“No thank you, can we please just have the check.”

“Of course.” She walked towards the kitchen and came back very fast. Kyungsoo wondered if maybe they already had their check ready to go and they were just waiting for them to ask for it. Now he’s wondering how long they were here for.

Kyungsoo and Baekhyun smile as they see the other four split the bill. It was amusing to see how Jongin would try to weasel his way out of it by saying Chanyeol would pay for him too. Chanyeol’s mouth dropped open. “I’m not made out of money, Jongin.” Jongin smiled at him and that’s all it took for Chanyeol to drop in Jongin’s half. Chanyeol was so whipped, it was sometimes unbelievable.

The server came back in and took their receipt and money.

“Have a nice day.” She said as she waved them off.

They sent her a smile and walked out of the restaurant.

“It’s colder than I thought.” Baekhyun said as he shivered a bit.

“I didn’t park too far.” Chanyeol responded.

Kyungsoo would say they were halfway through the parking lot when they heard a voice suddenly call out to them.

“Hey!”

They all turned around and saw a guy approaching them. He wore a black hoodie and beanie.

Kyungsoo didn’t think he knew him and judging by how everyone else just stood there, he doesn’t think anyone else did either. It wasn’t until the guy got closer that he recognized him. It was the guy that had served them before, his blonde hair was now hiding underneath a beanie. Baekhyun stood motionless as the guy stopped in front of him.

“Um… I don’t usually do this, I swear, but it’s just…you’re really cute.”

Baekhyun rubbed the back of his neck with his hand as he looked away.

Kyungsoo had to admit, the guy had guts. Going up to Baekhyun while five of his friends watched.

The guy took his phone out and held it towards Baekhyun. “Would it be cool to get your number?”

Kyungsoo wasn’t really sure if he should continue watching, but he did.

Baekhyun let out an awkward laugh. “I’m not really interested right now, sorry.”

“Oh, that’s fine. Could I ask you out on a date then?”

Baekhyun’s mouth dropped, but he shut it. “I’m sorry.”

The guy pouted, but tried again. “Could I just have a quick kiss then?”

Baekhyun’s eyes widened and so did Kyungsoo’s. This guy was pretty bold.

“I…no.” Baekhyun responded.

“Just one and I won’t bug you anymore.” The guy said as he approached him.

Baekhyun took a step back, but the guy took a step forward. “Just one—“

Kyungsoo has seen things fast forward before, after all, he loves watching movies. But, he has never actually seen it in real life, until now anyway. Jongdae was in front of Baekhyun in seconds, while the guy lay on the floor, hand pressed on his cheek.

“He said no !” Jongdae yelled at him.

Baekhyun grabbed Jongdae by the shoulders. “Jongdae!”

“Next time I see you try to do something after he says no, I won’t hesitate to kick your !” The rest of them ran over to Jongdae to try and calm him down. “Jongdae, let’s just go, okay?” Chanyeol soothed.

Minseok grabbed Baekhyun by the shoulders and pushed him towards the car, Jongin held Baekhyun’s wrist and gently tugged him. Minseok turned around to face everyone else, “Guys, let’s just go.”

“Is he your ing boyfriend or something?!” The guy yelled back at Jongdae.

Kyungsoo and Chanyeol had just gotten Jongdae to start walking towards the vehicle when he spun around again. “None of your ing business, dip!”

“Jongdae, just let it go.” Kyungsoo told him as he and Chanyeol held him back.

“Getting all protective and over a friend. Bet you can’t even get laid with him huh?”

“Shut the up!” Chanyeol yelled at him. “Get the out of here!”

Minseok shut the door of the vehicle once Baekhyun and Jongin were inside and walked towards them. “Just let it go guys.”

Chanyeol clammed up quickly, but it was obvious he was beginning to lose his temper. Kyungsoo had never seen Chanyeol mad before, but he could imagine that it would be a scary thing to see.

Kyungsoo lead the both of them towards Minseok, his back towards the guy. Jongdae was obviously riled up, Kyungsoo could see it in his face and the way his fists were clenched. The guy behind them kept yelling obscenities, but Minseok and Kyungsoo kept a tight grip on Jongdae to make sure he wouldn’t do anything crazy. Jongin had gotten out to keep Chanyeol from running back and doing something to the guy.

Eventually, they all got into the vehicle and the guy walked away with a bruised cheek. Jongdae and Chanyeol were the most heated, the rest of them sat in silence. Their evening had just been ruined by an who couldn’t take no for an answer. Kyungsoo let out a small sigh as he looked out the window at the buildings passing by. No one said anything, it was silent. He looked over at everyone else and saw tension written on their face. Baekhyun looked the worst, he eyed the features on his face and saw that it was there again; that broken look he had when he saw him that rainy day. His eyes no longer held that brightness, they held fear. Kyungsoo had always been someone who wanted to care for others. He didn’t like seeing others sad, he was known as a caregiver or someone that could be relied upon. He couldn’t do much for Baekhyun, not now in such a heavy atmosphere, so he did the only thing he could possibly do in this situation. He gently placed his hand on top of Baekhyun’s waiting for a response. If Baekhyun retracted, he would place his hand back on his own lap. But Baekhyun didn’t retract, instead he slowly flipped his hand over, their palms meeting. Their eyes met and Kyungsoo gave him a small smile and slight squeeze of his hand. Baekhyun gave him a smile back, it wasn’t real, and Kyungsoo could see that. But, at least he looked a bit reassured, at least now he can know that Kyungsoo was there for support.