(Daehyun's Perspective)

Hyosung still refused to tell Daehyun the details on why he was promoted. All she gave whenever he asked was that he was most qualified and not to worry about it. Then she'd pat his shoulder and give him a thumbs up and a wide smile.

Since she'd asked all coworkers about their thoughts on the promotion, that meant Daehyun probably got it because over half of the ones asked thought he was best suited for it.

While he was curious on just what his coworkers saw in him to suggest him for the promotion, he would probably never know. Hyosung wouldn't say anything, and talking with his fellow workers was right out. They were all congratulating him with bright smiles and said if anybody here deserved it, it was Daehyun. If he questioned their judgement, wouldn't that be rude?

So far, he'd managed two Wednesdays. He had an initial distaste for being in charge, but thinking back on it, they weren't too bad. It was a strange shift for him to make, but as Hyosung, Zelo, and Youngjae all said, the more he did it, the more used to it he'd get.

Daehyun's phone contacts had to have doubled at the very least! Being manager, even for only one day a week, meant that having the numbers of all workers was a must in case last minute scheduling needed to be done. So far, it hadn't happened, but Daehyun was more baffled that most of them were just engaging in friendly conversation with him through messaging.

Maybe because they did it with Hyosung, they thought it was alright to do with him? He wasn't terribly opposed, just confused, but most of them probably thought he led a pretty boring life. If Wonjun's supposed motto of 'there's more to life than work' was anything to go by, at least.

If Daehyun was being honest about it, he had more of a life than Hyosung did. She worked full shift every day except Wednesdays, so she definitely didn't have a lot of time to herself. Daehyun, on the other hand, only worked full shift on Wednesdays, spent a decent portion of time with his best friend or his boyfriend, and also had a hobby he partook in.

Turning off the anxiety in his brain about messing up was simpler than he thought. Once he convinced it of the pros, it was more than willing to cooperate. Those pros being a promotion meant a raise and more hours, which meant more money to set aside for his parents, which equated to the debt being cleared sooner, which finalized to being able to get them out of his life quicker.

His brain was more than willing to turn off the panic button once he rationalized things that way!

Thankfully, he'd received no disappointed phone call after sending in February's payment. Either it was an acceptable amount, or they realized that they weren't going to be getting astronomical figures from their son. Whatever it was, they seemed to be satisfied, which is all Daehyun could ask for. He might be a bit wary about it, but the relief of not being chastised far outweighed it.

His hours were rescheduled and arranged different since the start of March. Not terribly, just the addition of full shift on Wednesday instead of first shift. Hyosung initially tried to get Daehyun to take a second day off alongside Tuesday to make up for that fact, but he assured her that he didn't need it.

Which of course got him the response of, 'Tell me if you do, buddy, and I'll make it happen.'

Based on how she acted, Daehyun figured she'd be more than willing to give him the time off if he asked, especially since he'd probably accumulated quite a bit of unused vacation time over the years. Whenever the time came that Youngjae invited him out to the lake house, Daehyun would try cashing in on that. So long as he didn't try to take advantage of it on the regular, things should be fine.

But whenever this did happen, he'd be sure to rearrange as best he could rather than just not work for three straight days. Take a first shift on that Friday instead of second, only taking Saturday off, then be back in time for second shift on Sunday. While a longer break would probably do him good, he just didn't know what to do if he wasn't working because he was currently out of yarn and hadn't yet gotten more.

I got a potholder out of it. A potholder that looked like it'd seen better days right off the hook, but it worked for its purpose of grabbing pots by the handle, which Daehyun did often when he made his nearly daily dinner of ramen. Not so much for setting pots on because you apparently need a particular type of yarn for that?

March routine dictated Daehyun's time was split a bit differently. Saturdays and Sundays were spent with Zelo and Jongup until work time. Weekdays were still relaxing times downstairs with Youngjae, but an hour later than usual on Fridays. Having the weekend off meant an hour was added to the rest of his days to make up for it.

Daehyun left work that Thursday afternoon prepared to spend a quiet evening in Youngjae's apartment. After clocking out and saying his goodbyes, he stepped into the clear air outside. He was thankful winter season was on its tail end because it was much nicer to walk through the slightly warmer springtime than it was in colder winter temperatures.

'I ought to invest in an umbrella soon, since the rainy season's coming up...' He didn't like driving in inclement weather, so he was going to avoid it if he could. 'I'll pick up some more yarn when I grab that umbrella.'

When he arrived, alerting Youngjae to his presence with a gentle knock on the door, Daehyun could've swore he smelled food...

'Did he decide to have dinner early instead of waiting until after I left to make my own? If that's the case, should I leave? I don't want to interrupt him while he's eating, but I can't exactly retract my knock...'

Youngjae flung open the door, bright as ever. “There you are, I just finished everything!” Before Daehyun could even say anything, Youngjae ushered him in with badly concealed excitement. At being led in, Daehyun saw that Youngjae had set the table for two, food already plated up.

Daehyun's brows twitched together, and his lips pursed slightly as he racked his brain trying to process the situation. 'Have I done something to warrant being invited to a home cooked dinner? Recollection says no... What's going on here?'

“What's... this for?”

“Do I need a reason to cook for my boyfriend?” He responded, and despite how he tried to play off the question as more casual sounding, there was a concealed worry in his words.

So... Youngjae did this just because he could? No reason behind it other than Youngjae just wanted to do something nice for him? Daehyun's brain swam around in conflicting emotions of being flattered yet confused. Appreciative that something was done for him but confused on just what he'd done to deserve it...

Youngjae scratched at his cheek almost nervously. “If you need a reason to feel better about it, you can think of it as a bit of a congratulations on your promotion?”

Daehyun had taken the dinner at the end of February as that among other things, but he didn't want to deny the way Youngjae swelled with hope and anticipation. He also didn't want Youngjae to get the impression that he was unappreciative because the fact that he'd cooked dinner for him just because he could had Daehyun feeling all sorts of warm...

“Let me just-” He nervously his dry lips, and Daehyun let his fingers twirl around each other while offering what he hoped came across as a thankful smile. “I'll go wash up?”

Youngjae matched Daehyun's smile with one of his own. “Of course!”

While he ran hot, soapy water over his hands in the bathroom sink, Daehyun hoped that Youngjae wasn't the type of chef to cook with loads of flavouring. He didn't think Youngjae would be a bad cook if his baking was anything to go by, but if he used a plentiful amount of seasoning, Daehyun would just be silently suffering. Too much flavour made his mouth hurt and his tongue swell based on the amount, and the last thing Daehyun wanted to do was make Youngjae feel bad when he'd only wanted to do something nice.

This turned out not to be something he needed to worry about! After sitting down and taking that first nervous bite, Daehyun found it to be pleasantly bland. Not so bland that it held no flavour, but the amount of seasoning was very sparse and practically nonexistent. Just the way his mouth liked it! The happy little satisfied hum that Daehyun unintentionally did caused Youngjae to swell with pride and accomplishment.

“So how was your day?”

“Uneventful on my end,” Daehyun answered. “During my break, I got a rundown from Jaehan on a customer he'd had who complained about her salad so much that Hyosung had to be called to settle the matter.”

“Was it just a bad salad, or...?”

Daehyun shook his head, needing to swallow the bite he'd taken before he could respond. “The salad was fine. Prepared fresh, as they all are. The complaint was uh, that her caesar salad wasn't stabbed enough?”

It'd certainly confused him when Jaehan had told him about it, and it was no surprise that hearing this woman bicker about a salad not being stabbed a particular amount of times led to Hyosung being called in.

“Must have been a literature major,” Youngjae snorted, cutting into his own chicken a bit more and took his bite while staring down at his plate.

“I don't know?” Daehyun shrugged, deciding it'd be best to put no effort in figuring out how literature equated to salads. “Hyosung smoothed it over by convincing her that it's more fun to stab your own salad. Why get a pre-stabbed salad when you can get the satisfaction of stabbing your own? According to Jaehan, that answer satisfied the lady...”

Honestly, Hyosung found the strangest ways to smooth over problems. But that part of her is just one of the many reasons she's a suitable manager!

“How about your day?” Daehyun wondered before gingerly shoving another cut piece of chicken into his mouth.

He'd unfortunately asked mid chew, and Youngjae covered his mouth with the back of his hand before swallowing it down and giving his answer. “Baked goods were flying off the shelves today, so Yongguk manned the counter and machines while I slaved away in the back kitchens.” Despite his wording, his tone gave no indication that he was displeased by it.

In fact, Daehyun would believe it if Youngjae said it was what he preferred! Youngjae had complained to him once about not liking the days when he was at the counter and making drinks...

“Nothing interesting going on at the coffee shop?”

Youngjae tapped his chin and gave a little hum of thought. “Well, I did witness some biker lady trying to flirt with Yongguk while I was on my break,” he said. “She was falling all over herself trying to get him to notice her, but she failed and ended up leaving.”

“Was he just not interested, or...?”

“He's head over heels for his girlfriend, Jieun,” he answered with a grin. Then he darted his gaze away before mumbling through another bite, mouth covered by his hand. “If he was single, though, that lady probably would've been pretty disappointed to find out that Yongguk is nothing like he looks.”

“What's he like?”

He waited to swallow before responding. “He's a big softie, but you'd never guess it by looking at him. He looks way more fierce than he actually is.” Youngjae chuckled. “I've known him since I was in junior high, and the only thing that's changed about him is the addition of lots of tattoos and piercings. That's probably why people think he's so intimidating...”

So Yongguk was the type of person who was nothing like he outwardly appeared. Gave off the vibe of a bad boy but was in truth the opposite. He and Youngjae been friends for years, and he had a girlfriend named Jieun that he cared for deeply...

As Daehyun scooped some more mashed potatoes into his mouth, nodding absentmindedly at Youngjae's explanation, he mentally logged those things away.

“Both he and Jieun have actually asked about you and have expressed a want to meet you,” Youngjae dropped, albeit a bit hesitantly, and Daehyun nearly choked on his bite with the two mental notes on how someone could choke on something like mashed potatoes and the much more frantic note on why he was being asked about.

'Is it because I'm Youngjae's boyfriend, and they want to make sure I'm worthy of being with their friend?'

“If that's something you want to do,” he added on hurriedly. “If you're not comfortable with meeting them yet, that's okay. But... they both mean a lot to me and I'd like to introduce you to them one day. Same with Jaebeom.”

He declared that with such a hopeful glint and smile that Daehyun couldn't help but match with his own. “It... would have to be on one of my days off, but... I'm fine with that.”

The idea that Youngjae wanted Daehyun to meet people who were close to him caused a nice feeling to bloom in Daehyun's chest. There was a clear bond between the two, and Youngjae wanted to deepen that by making Daehyun even more a part of his life. How could Daehyun not smile at that?

But it was also kind of a bummer. Here Youngjae was wanting to further integrate him into his life by introducing him to valued friends, but Daehyun couldn't do the same. Zelo was in Youngjae's friend list beforehand...

Daehyun doubted that Youngjae counted his parents in that list of people close to his heart. He dealt with them because they raised him and nothing more from what Daehyun could tell. With how often they pestered him about getting a girlfriend, the likelihood of him being introduced to them was incredibly slim, and Daehyun had no problem with that.

Youngjae had also mentioned an older brother who was married during one of their idle conversations, but he wasn't in close contact with either his brother or his brother's wife, so they probably weren't on that list either. He spoke of Youngwon and Hyunmi less than his parents, but he didn't exactly bring his parents up often.

Daehyun didn't really speak of his family at all. He was an only child with parents that never wanted a kid to begin with. He was well aware of how they'd respond. Disgust, angry and exaggerated yelling from his appa, disappointed and condescending tones from his umma... His happiness was never something that mattered to them, so they wouldn't suddenly start caring. Especially for something they made sure Daehyun knew they disapproved of in the past.

For both him and Youngjae, it was best if Daehyun kept his boyfriend far from that side of his life. Just as Daehyun was trying to distance himself from it, he anticipated the day in the future when he could finally sever that obligation. That day may be far away, but it was something to look forward to!

When they were both finished with dinner, Youngjae tried to take care of cleaning it all up on his own, but Daehyun would rather be helpful than just sit around. After all, it was made for him and he'd feel bad if he didn't lighten the load somehow. Even when Youngjae tried to convince him that he was fine with getting it himself, Daehyun assisted where he could, and Youngjae eventually conceded when he realized Daehyun wasn't giving up on it.

Despite the need for a clean environment stemming from years of a yell fest at even the smallest mess, the act of tidying things up and cleaning put Daehyun's brain in a good mindset of accomplishment. Or maybe his brain felt so pleased at doing it because it meant he wouldn't be in trouble, but whatever it was led to a brain feel much better than wandering contemplations!

By the time things were completely cleaned up, it was already past when Youngjae normally ended his piano time. Rather, they ended up on the couch like they did afterwards. Daehyun's cheek squished against Youngjae's shoulder, Youngjae's arm kind of wrapped around Daehyun, the two of them idly commentating on whatever show Youngjae put on...

In these types of moments, Daehyun felt relaxed and warm. His worried still plagued him when he was alone, finally being able to catch up to him and whisper those what ifs at him, but he'd found a suitable way to tune those out. He still had his apprehensions, but powering through them had gotten him to this point.

So long as he didn't dwell on things, then his brain didn't have the chance to manipulate that warm happiness into a searing pain!

A few episodes of the show they'd been watching, and Daehyun glanced up at the clock. It was approaching the time he hopped into the shower, and as much as Daehyun didn't want to get up, he knew he had to. “I... should probably get going,” he said, slightly dejected because he was comfortable and in no way wanted to clamber back up to his apartment just to sleep on his blanket pallet. But it had to be done, so Daehyun reluctantly pulled away from Youngjae and made the move to stand.

“Yeah, I guess so,” Youngjae sighed. “I do have work tomorrow after all.”

Instead of just waving from the couch like he usually did when Daehyun left in the evenings, Youngjae walked him the few steps required to the door. Maybe because it was nighttime now rather than the usual evening departure?

“Um... thank you for dinner. It was very good...” Daehyun twirled his fingers around, staring at them a bit awkwardly before hesitantly bringing his gaze up to Youngjae.

“I'm glad you liked it!”

There were so many different feelings that swirled around in Daehyun's soul. Fear at how attached he was to Youngjae. The warmth that twisted from elation to pain burned with a passion and alternated so quickly that Daehyun couldn't figure out whether he should be hurting or happy currently. Then a strong pull that wanted Daehyun to dare to get closer, dare to do something that would surely have his head spinning in a flurry of emotions...

Seeing Youngjae in front of him, so pleased and accomplished with himself, determined the outcome. Everything shut down, and before Daehyun could contemplate possible consequences or repercussions, he leaned in and pressed a quick kiss to Youngjae's lips. Nothing more than a peck, but the fire that lit inside because of it had Daehyun feeling dizzy from the heat.

Youngjae's response was immediate and allowed Daehyun's brain no time to panic on whether he'd overstepped any kind of boundary. “I should cook dinner for you more often if that means you kiss me!” Youngjae beamed, almost breathless as he lit up like he won the world.

“Oh um, that's not- You don't have to do that...” Daehyun responded, soft and muted as he returned to twirling his fingers around to battle the nerves. He didn't bother to fight the upturn of his lips, but he did find it oddly overwhelming to keep his eyes on Youngjae. It was a different type of overwhelming than he was used to.

'He's so beautiful...' At that thought, Daehyun shyly glanced away.

“That so, huh? So it's okay if I... do this?” Youngjae slowly brought his hand up and gently held Daehyun's cheek in his palm before leaning in, eyes twinkling in a way that caused the burning feeling in Daehyun's heart to intensify tenfold. As Youngjae rested their foreheads together, lips just a breath a way, he observed Daehyun's response, searching for consent to continue or the request to back up.

'He treats me so kindly at every turn...' That sort of treatment had Daehyun's heart hammering against his ribcage, feeling like a trapped bird with how much it fluttered. Without sparing it anymore thought, Daehyun nodded his consent because he was certain words would fail him if he tried to say anything.

At that, Youngjae brimmed with happiness, and Daehyun's eyes slipped closed right as he felt Youngjae's lips press tenderly against his. Daehyun met back with only a slight hesitance, and he inwardly reveled at how Youngjae pulled him the tiniest bit closer. Daehyun stumbled forward just a smidge, and he caught himself by clutching his fingers into Youngjae's shoulders.

The fire inside reached a point where Daehyun thought he was going to combust on the spot, and the unfortunate reality would be that dwelling on this later would end up more painful than anything. But for now, he was going to shelf that thought and just appreciate this for what it was! In the future, he'd try not to think about it so the memory wouldn't be tainted.

--

A/N:

SOON.