"So, what's the update on your guys' hours?" Dowoon asks as they're sitting down for lunch,

"We're graduating, don't worry." Brian says with a smug smile and Wonpil laughs,

"Oh really?"

"Yeah, Jae already has 25," he snickers,

"Brian has 15, but he keeps telling me he'll figure that out and it sounds sketchy," 

"How the Hell did Jae gain 10 on you?" Sungjin asks,

"Library loser," Brian answers and Jae nudges him,

"Mean," and Brian throws an arm around him while laughing,

"I'm kidding," he assures, swaying with Jae before the other shrugs his arm off and it settles on the back of Jae's chair.

"But you guys haven't even been volunteering that long... How did you guys get into double digits already?"

"Connections."

"Favouritism from teachers," Jae answers,

"Crazy how you already have that much done..."

"Yeah, well, we're out of connections so we start long hours tonight,"

"What's tonight's work?"

"We're going to the address Sungjin gave,"

"Oh, they'll probably give you extra if they like you enough."

"See, that's the issue, I'm going with Brian," and the group laughs,

"I'm likeable!" Brian tries to defend and Jae wants to say "too much for my own good". 

"Hm, depends," Sungjin comments and Brian says,

"Oh yeah, 'cause you're such a ray of sunshine in everyone's life," and the group laughs, Wonpil so amused he starts clapping.

"Oh by the way, nice solo yesterday Jae," Dowoon comments and Jae glares at Brian,

"Did you somehow take a video?!"

"No, we were there," Dowoon answers,

"What, why?" Brian asks,

"You asked Sir in front of the class, and we knew Jae was going, so we couldn't not go," Sungjin says,

"And you guys didn't say hi or anything?"

"Wonpil got hungry,"

"You were hungry too," Wonpil defends, pouting at Sungjin,

"But yeah, good job," 

"Thanks, we got 8 hours from it,"

"Wow, Sir loves you." Dowoon says and Brian shrugs with a smug smile,

"It's a bassist thing."

"He gave me 8 hours too, you're not special," Jae says,

"Your voice is though," is a reply Jae doesn't expect and he takes a mouthful of food to avoid tripping on words to reply.

"So Sungjin, about this random place, is it hard?"

"Depends,"

"What do you mean?"

"It can be hard, but I think it's a good experience,"

"Why are you always so vague?"

"I am not, I'm rather direct,"

"He thinks it adds intriguing mystery," Wonpil says with a chuckle,

"Yeah well, someone's intrigued," Dowoon comments and Wonpil awkwardly clears his throat, kicking him lightly under the table.

"Will you guys show up tonight too?" Jae asks,

"Nah, I got plans," Dowoon says,

"Yeah, me too," Sungjin adds and Wonpil accompanies his echo with a nod.

"I think you guys will enjoy it though, I did."

"Interesting. Now I look forward to it,"

"Oh, find Nakjoon when you're there,"

"Nakjoon?"

"Yeah, he'll hook you up with some hours, just tell him I sent you,"

"Wow, look at you and your connections. You're kinda cool afterall," Brian jokes and Sungjin winks at him and Brian teasingly starts freaking out and the group laughs.

"Oh," Jae says once they arrive at the address Sungjin wrote.

"A homeless shelter," Brian reads, and they look at the building. It's one they passed by before but never really took in, never looked at for too long. They enter, Brian holding the door open for Jae, and are immediately greeted by a young man wearing a smile and apron,

"Hi, welcome," he says, and the politely greet back. Brian's looking around while Jae reads his nametag. He taps Brian's shoulder and whispers,

"That's Nakjoon," and Brian notices too and approaches him,

"Excuse me,"

"Yes, how can I help you?" he asks, arranging some boxes,

"We're actually friends of Sungjin," 

"Oh!" he looks at the duo before introducing himself,

"Hi, I'm Nakjoon,"

"I'm Brian,"

"Jae," and he shakes their respective hands,

"Are you guys here to help too, then?"

"Yeah, sorry for not knowing, but what exactly are we helping with?" he shows a warm smile as he replies,

"Follow me, I'll show you."

The shelter smells like outdoors. Not bad, it just smells like sun exposure, like clothes that have been worn a few times more than usual, like the absence of permanence.

"So, welcome to our little shelter. It's not too extravagant, but we do take great pride in what we do here." Brian and Jae are looking around, silently greeting people with a nod and a smile,

"Since Sungjin sent you, I guess you guys are some good people. Sungjin usually visits here with his other friend, Wonpil, so I hope you guys maybe become part of th community." Nakjoon brings them to the kitchen,

"So, everyday we serve hot food. Breakfast, lunch and dinner, and anyone is welcome to come by and grab something warm to eat. I'm actually glad you guys are here 'cause Wednesday is usually really busy,"

"Really? Why's that?"

"It's the middle of the week, sometimes people restock on food. We just serve them the food, give them a place to eat and we also host bingo and simple games, necessities being the prizes. Some of our regulars decide to take the food and go back to the streets, don't wanna eat here, so we just let them." Brian and Jae nod.

"It's actually approaching dinner time, so do you guys wanna get a quick training session?"

"Yes please, would definitely appreciate it." and Nakjoon nods, telling them to follow him to grab some aprons.

"Curious, why were you so quick to accept us?" Jae asks,

"If Sungjin sent you, Sungjin trusts you. Sungjin's been volunteering here for almost 2 years, so I doubt he would send anyone here if he didn't think they would help."

"Great, that's not pressure at all," Brian says and Nakjoon laughs,

"Nah, it's nothing too hard. Do you both want to be in the kitchen to start? 'Cause we need to get cooking,"

"Yeah, that's fine," and thus commences their tutorial.

They greet the chefs, and are told their primary job is to cut the vegetables, cook the rice and plate the food which is pretty simple.

"Sungjin volunteers here, huh?"

"It's nice to know. Makes me proud to be his friend, you know?"

"Yeah, definitely... But did you catch it?"

"He brings Wonpil," Brian answers and Jae nods with a cheeky smile. Those 2 had something that they would always play off as nothing. A familiar yet foreign concept to Jae and Brian. 

The task they're given is fairly easy until they get to the onions and Brian looks over at Jae who's cutting with a pout and tears streaming down his cute cheeks.

"JJ," 

"Hm?" he looks up, tears in his eyes and Brian wants to squish his face,

"You okay?" he asks, amused,

"How are you not crying?!" and Brian laughs before he walks over to Jae, taking his cutting board and the rest of his onions back to his place,

"I'll do the rest of these, just do the carrots,"

"Okay, I won't argue on this one, my eyes hurt," he says, squeezing his eyes shut as the tears keep running,

"Cute," Brian comments, really quietly and Jae's too busy complaining about the pain to hear him.

They're washing the dishes, Brian repeatedly telling Jae to be careful when washing the knives, when Nakjoon enters the kitchen,

"Hey, everything okay, guys?"

"Yeah, the chefs are really nice. We're gonna start plating soon,"

"Okay, great. Can I steal one of you guys to help with the games?"

"You wanna go?"

"Sure," and Jae dries off his hands before following Nakjoon. 

The kitchen has a window for plate pick-ups and is open so that Brian can see Jae and Nakjoon make their way to the small stage. Jae has to host the bingo, and while Brian starts plating, he frequently looks at his friend who is trying to call the numbers enthusiastically, cheering cutely when someone gets bingo. He looks content, a smile on his face as he speaks into the mic, explaining rules from the cue card Nakjoon gave him. Brian usually looks out for Jae, but that doesn't mean he thinks Jae can't hold his own. He knows he can, knows Jae's strong and independent, isn't scared of new things. That's why he knew he could ask Jae to solo, that's one of the reasons he fell for him.

Once Jae's done hosting several rounds of bingo, he returns to catch them finishing up the plates.

"Okay, so, how we do things around here is our guests have a chip which they trade in for a meal. This is to avoid giving out multiple plates to the same person, because it is hard to keep track, you know?" Nakjoon's giving everyone instructions, mainly for Jae and Brian because the other volunteers seem used to the routine,

"We like to give them an experience similar to a restaurant, which is something many of them may not have experienced. So we serve the food to them, letting them stay at the tables, refilling their drinks when needed. Ask them what option they'd like, which is either chicken or pork, and give the correct plate." Jae and Brian nod,

"It is dinner, and one of our busiest days, so try to be prompt, but don't rush. And Jae and Brian, when the initial serving is done, things have slowed down, I encourage you to talk to the guests. They're kind, open to conversation, and it's not that fun eating alone when you're surrounded by people,"

"Okay,"

"Got it." 

Jae watches Brian serve while he's serving. Brian's still in his apron, placing the correct plates in front of the people with a kind smile and a greeting, maybe a comment about the food. To Jae, he's always attractive, but it seems heightened when he's working hard.

They manage to overcome the initial rush, and things eventually slow down, so they decide to talk to some people. It's awkward at first, randomly sitting down with someone who may just be trying to enjoy the meal. But getting to know their stories is worth it. The fact that someone doesn't look homeless, because homeless doesn't uphold an appearance is reaffirmed as Brian and Jae start talking to people. The ignorant preconceived notion that homeless people are just too lazy to get jobs is also highlighted as Brian meets someone who lost their job and subsequently home after an accident that left them disabled. Jae converses with a teen who ran away from home because the streets was better than their family house. Nakjoon watches as the 2 put in the time to talk to people, and makes a mental note of that, wearing a small content smile.

Brian's in the middle of talking to the daughter of a single mom when a fight breaks out. At first, it's just verbal, but it's loud nonetheless so Nakjoon and a girl named Jimin go to help the situation. But soon, the sound of chairs falling to the ground, and rough words cause Brian to get up and help too. Jae watches as Brian jogs to the fight that's gotten physical, and tries to break it up, put some distance between both parties but that gets him caught up in it. He gets hit once before Brian decides to resort to holding one of them back while Nakjoon keeps the other one at bay with a hand on their chest. Jimin's talking to both of them, asks one of them to leave - a regular Brian assumes because she uses his name. Jae's worried at that one punch that landed, so he excuses himself from his present conversation and approaches Brian, Nakjoon's apologizing and telling him that sometimes that happens, usually with that regular, and Brian tells him it's nothing to apologize for. 

"Bri," and Brian turns to him,

"Nakjoon, could I get some ice and a bandage?" and Nakjoon's about to ask why, but noticed Brian's started bleeding,

"Yeah, I'll get them for you," Jimin answers and hurriedly gets them.

"Thank you," he grabs Brian's wrist,

"We'll be back," Jae says and Nakjoon says,

"Yeah, take your time," Jae drags him away before halting and then coming back,

"Where are your bathrooms?" he asks and Nakjoon laughs,

"Out this caf, down the hall and on the left before the entrance."

"Thank you!" Jae replies with a smile, and continues to pull Brian along. Brian looks at way Jae's holding his wrist, smiling at it the whole way to the bathroom. 

There's a counter in front of the mirrors that Jae tells Brian to sit on so he can take care of the small cut on his face,

"Weird,"

"What?" Jae's cleaning the cut, as Brian swings his legs as he waits to be patched up. 

"You're not telling me I was dumb for butting in,"

"It wasn't dumb, I'm just taking care of the aftermath." and Brian looks at him, stares until Jae's eyes trail from the cut to meet Brian's. They look at each other for a couple of moments,

"Was I pretty cool then?"

"Not really, you could've dodged the punch," 

"Let's see you try to break up a fight then," and they laugh.

When Jae's focused, Brian's noticed he sticks out his tongue just a bit, like when he's doing school work, reading, trying to nail a guitar riff.

"Okay, done." he says, placing the bandaid on, and lightly smacking Brian's check but hard enough to make a sound,

"Ow!" Brian cups his cheek with a pout that Jae finds adorable,

"What was that for?"

"For not dodging the punch and now you have a cut. You're always telling me to be careful but look what happened to you!"

"How was I supposed to know he threw a hard punch?" and Jae turns away, already exiting the bathroom,

"We still have people to serve, hurry up Kang!" he says and Brian hops off the counter,

"It's such a tiny cut," he mumbles before following Jae, wishing it was bigger so they could stay like that just a bit longer.

After dinner and another few rounds of bingo that Brian hosts with a bandaid on his cheek, they stay to help clean up the tables and wash the dishes. By the time they're done, the moon has replaced the sun which they notice from the windows. They're talking to Nakjoon about today, how they enjoyed their experience.

"Thank you, seriously, both of you were great help today,"

"No problem!"

"Sorry about that fight again,"

"No, no, don't apologize," Brian assures with a smile.

"I hope to see you guys again,"

"Yeah, I definitely think we'll come back, with Sungjin and Wonpil one day," Jae replies and Brian nods,

"After this graduation quest, we'll come back for sure," he says as he hands Nakjoon their forms, 

"Graduation quest?"

"Oh, yeah, that's why Sungjin told us about this place," Jae starts,

"We need to submit at least 40 by Friday. Well, now it's like 20 for me, plus 10 for Bri,"

"Oh," Nakjoon says, pen pausing on the form as he modifies the numbers. He signs them off and hands them back,

"10?"

"11?" Brian reads, and they look at Nakjoon, shocked,

"You guys worked really hard today. It was nice seeing you guys converse with the people like they're just normal people. A lot of them haven't felt that way in a while after being constantly ignored on the streets, so you deserve the extra hours." 

"A-Are you sure?" Jae asks and Nakjoon laughs,

"Yeah, definitely. Plus, Sungjin called me earlier today. Told me to give you guys some of the extra hours he's put in here, but also told me not to tell you."

"Aw," Brian coos, picturing their friend wanting to help them out but not admitting it, like usual. 

"And Friday is quickly approaching, so, I hope you guys get the remainder done!"

"Thank you!"

"Oh, the extra hour for Brian was to compensate for that punch he took today," and they laugh,

"Thank you, again, Nakjoon. Will definitely see you soon,"

"Hope so! Thank you guys, too,"

The duo profusely thank Nakjoon for his generosity and hospitality, thank him for the experience and for what he continues to do for those who aren't as fortunate as they are. They head to Brian's car, exhausted and stretching, Jae complaining he still has homework to do and Brian saying he's so hungry he might pass out. They talk about how lucky they've been with the hours, even if today was they longest they've worked. It was a good experience that they promise to revisit once they submit their hours. 

They don't go out for dinner this time, Jae saying it's okay and that he should probably start his biology homework so they part ways after a noisy car ride with them singing along to the music with the windows rolled down.

Bri Bri: home!

Jae doesn't see that text until a couple minutes later because he was figuring out the solution for one of the questions.

JJ: okay!

JJ: go eat

and he receives a Snapchat from Brian, and it's a photo of him slurping some ramen with a caption of "already ahead of you" and Jae screenshots it. He has the excuse of being Brian's best friend and needing embarrassing photos of him for birthday posts or maybe just blackmail. But he usually doesn't post the screenshots he has of Brian, just keeps them for himself. 

Bri Bri: yo why'd you screenshot

JJ: why do you eat like that

Bri Bri: ?? wdym

JJ: you pocket everything in your cheeks

Bri Bri: ok you are NOT the one to be judging me for this

Bri Bri: have you seen yourself eat??

JJ: lol no, who eats in front of a mirror?

Bri Bri: i-

JJ: do i eat like that fr??

Bri Bri: YES

Bri Bri: lookin like kirby when you eat

JJ: you take that back.

Bri Bri: whats wrong with kirby 

JJ: he inhales EVERYTHING

Bri Bri: but looks cute as heck doing it

and Jae smiles at his screen before telling himself Brian doesn't mean anything by that.

JJ: i mean

JJ: i guess

Bri Bri: lets smash soon

Jae snorts, and continues laughing at the messages that follow not even a second after

Bri Bri: WAIT

Bri Bri: I MEAN LIKE

Bri Bri: SUPER SMASH BROS YOU KNOW???

JJ: yup. got it. :)

Bri Bri: i think i should start thinking before i interact with people

JJ: yeah, agreed

Bri Bri: we haven't played that in a while

JJ: yeah ik cause it always ends in bickering

Bri Bri: everything between us ends in bickering

JJ: mmm sometimes we have our moments

Bri Bri: and that turns this into a bicker.

JJ: what no

JJ: i'm just Saying SOMETIMES we're just chilling and don't fight

Bri Bri: ok you right

Bri Bri: that's our peak lmao

JJ: our times of peace? LOL

Bri Bri: precisely

Bri Bri: did you eat yet

JJ: i will soon i need to finish this dumb lab

JJ: i'm mad hungry tho

Bri Bri: whatre you gonna eat

JJ: idk theres no food here 

JJ: probably gonna have to cook or something

Bri Bri: knowing you, you're gonna opt to sleep rather than cook and eat

JJ: then you know me well, best friend ;)

Bri Bri: whatre you craving

JJ: idk 

JJ: OH 

JJ: nuggets. with honey mustard YUM

Bri Bri: interesting... now i want nuggets

JJ: didnt you just eat a pack of ramen?

Bri Bri: 2 packs ;) 

JJ: LOL good

JJ: ok ok i gotta finish this lab

Bri Bri: kk message me when you're done

JJ: okay!

And Jae goes back to working, setting his phone down, distraction coming in intervals as he remembers Brian's suggestion to smash, which then leads to Jae thinking about how their friendship has been consistent for years. Even when Jae developed feelings for Brian, he made sure it didn't effect the friendship. That's why he doesn't want to confess, it's always scary because he might lose his best friend as a result. But sometimes he thinks Brian likes him back, but that must be too good to be true.

It's almost half an hour after that text conversation when Brian messages again,

Bri Bri: open your front door

JJ: ?? 

Jae looks out his window and sees Brian's car in the driveway and goes downstairs. He opens his door and there stands his best friend, in some sweatpants and a plain black tee.

"What're you doing here?"

"Making sure you eat," he answers before extending a bag of McDonalds and turns to walk back to his car,

"Bri,"

"No need to thank me-"

"Did you get dipping sauce?" Jae asks and Brian pauses before throwing his head back in laughter and Jae smiles because he made him laugh.

"Yeah. 4 honey mustard in the bag,

"4?"

"Yeah, you got 20 nuggets, JJ, I didn't want you to complain about no more sauce." 

"I wouldn't complain-" Jae looks at Brian who's wearing an unamused expression,

"Thank you," he says, sincerely with a cute smile,

"You didn't have to," he adds,

"I was craving nuggets too. Plus, I debated for like 20 minutes if I should get them and decided yes for both of us," and Jae laughs lightly.

"Where're yours?"

"In the car. Why would I bring my nuggets to your doorstep?"

"Oh, you got them bagged separately,"

"Yeah, yours is a combo, so. Yes, your drink is iced tea," 

"Thank you!"

"Anytime. Don't skip meals," he reminds and Jae smiles,

"Kirby doesn't skip meals." he says and Brian laughs as Jae puffs out his cheeks and pretends to be the cute pink character, his light pink sweater aiding in the cuteness.

"So cute," Brian comments, but he's far enough that Jae doesn't hear it,

"Good night, Bri!"

"Night, JJ!"

"Thank you, again!" and Brian opens his car door,

"Don't forget to text me when you reach home," Jae says as he's through his doorway,

"Will do!"

Brian reaches home, content because Jae sends him a Snapchat of him eating the nuggets which he screenshots.

Bri Bri: home

JJ: and screenshotting 

Bri Bri: payback for earlier

JJ: fair. 

They continue talking for a bit before Jae says he'll continue the lab, being almost done. Brian smiles at his phone and thinks maybe he should've really gotten some nuggets for himself too.

AUTHOR'S NOTE:

Hi Hello, my name is Zen! :) uwu if you didn't catch the ending, brian went out to mcdonalds solely to make sure jae ate, didn't get himself nuggets at all lol. also my update times??? yes??? thank you for reading! please leave any thoughts, I'd love to know.

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