If there was an unlikely pair to ever get along well, it would be Park Sooyoung and Bae Dahyun, not that they weren’t both great kids, but they were just so different that one would think they would never hang out willingly. And that is where most would be very wrong. Obviously, they met through Joohyun, but both boys ended up finding the weirdest things in common, for example, their love for massages, not the relaxing ones, the ones where they would be manhandled and needed back into place but get out of it walking funny because they couldn’t feel their body anymore.

Joohyun and Seungwan had tried it once, swore to never return if they weren’t in desperate need of one. Joohyun did return a few times, after some more gruesome games, but never for fun as the other two did. It was a wonderful thursday, the sun was shining, not a single bird chirping (it was after class), and classes had been not that stressful, Dahyun had the idea two days prior, when Jihyo went fishing, then he called Sooyoung and they set up the date. Jihyo had also gone one time, but found he preferred the chiropractor and the acupuncturist instead, the results were better for him like that. 

“May I have the honor of your company, mister?” Dahyun asks loudly with an exaggerated bow.

“Of course, my dear.” Sooyoung answers with a chuckle. “My ladies, please excuse me, I have prior arrangements.” He tells Eklie and Shuhua, who were talking to him on the way out.

“You two could go a little easier on the roleplay.” Elkie warns jokingly.

“Hyo might get a little jealous of his man.” Shuhua joins the play.

The boys gasp.

“We can’t have that.” Sooyoung tries to sound worried.

“What would it take to keep you ladies silent?” Dahyun asks conspirationaly.

The girls burst out laughing, the younger Bae was the funniest person they knew, even when he was trying to be serious. Just not when he was angry, but still. The boys didn’t resist much further, and the group started walking to the exit still laughing. They make small talk as the group walk to the gates, saying goodbye to the girls with big hugs before going their own ways. Sooyoung liked this, he enjoyed whenever he could be just the highschool boy he was, not bound by the weight his last name brought, sometimes he thought how it was to be Jihyo, a Park unbound by his grandfather’s greed.

“He isn’t that free, you know.” Dahyun says, not really looking at his companion.

“Who?”

“Jihyo, he’s a ‘free’ Park, but he isn’t that free. Not really.” 

“How did you know?”

“You were mumbling to yourself. It’s alright, though, I’m glad you are relaxed enough around me to not worry.”

“Well, I must say, you do hold a special place in my heart, Dubs.”

“Sorry, not my type.”

“Should I be hurt, offended or fight for you?”

“Definitely relieved, I mean, you don’t want to go fighting Hyo for my favors.”

“I surely don’t. That midget can pack a punch, zero out of ten, do not recommend.”

“Now you have to tell me what you did for him to beat you up.” The pale boy laughs. “He’s a saint.”

“I don’t wanna talk about it. Still gives me shivers.” Sooyoung exaggerates a shiver and both laugh. “How are you two doing, anyways?”

“We are doing great, could be a bit better, but given the circumstances, we are as well as we can be.”

“That bad, huh.” The taller boy sighs. “But you both love each other, it’s more than I can say for myself.”

“Hey, no! We don’t go there.” Dahyun scolds. “We hope for the best and try to forget that woman exists.”

“I’m still engaged to her, though. No matter where I run, I can’t really escape that.”

“Then we are going to get our muscles relaxed, focus on the pain those ladies are definitely bringing us and get out of there not feeling a thing.”

“Sounds like a plan to me.”

They laugh as Dahyun opens the door to the clinic for the taller boy. The Hyun brothers were known to be gentlemen, and Sooyoung learned, through his friendship with Joohyun, that it was a family trait, surprisingly, from their mom. Don’t be mistaken, papa Bae was one of the kindest men this world has seen, but mama Bae just had this natural way of paying attention to the details and acted rather then talked. It was unconscious, one would understand easily, they saw details and acted before thinking. All that made it very hard to not fall for the Hyun brothers, but both were committed already and Sooyoung sent a silent prayer for the other kids pinning for them.

True to Dahyun’s word, they were manhandled back into place, their muscles didn’t ache any longer, but they really didn’t feel their bodies either. Or much of anything other than the residual pain from their session, what other thing to do but go for some junk food, right?! They had their own place, a hole-in-the-wall burger place where the food was heavenly and the owner was funny, Dahyun was the one who had found it, and brought Sooyoung there after a particularly gruesome encounter with his family and his fiance. Joohyun had been tackled too hard and was under the nurse’s care (Seungwan beside him the entire time), and Seulgi was worried with Yeri, who had been about to fight another boy with Chaeyoung (the other boy was double their size combined).

It’s not that Dahyun and Sooyoung weren’t good friends, but they weren’t as close as Joohyun and Seulgi were. Something about playing together and bonding, whatever that meant, but Dahyun was a loyal friend and as good as they came. It helped a lot that he was funny and very bright, when he asked Sooyoung to come with him that day, the taller boy didn’t know what a great decision he had made, everything got even better when they arrived at the small shop, the owner, a burly woman with the heart of a child and chaotic friends who produced great stories, welcomed them with a big hug and a smile on her face. 

Sooyoung felt better the instant he was scooped up in those strong arms in the warmest and most loving hug he had ever received in his life so far. The stories the woman told them showed him she had been in some tight spots, but managed to get out of the craziest situations. That brought him some comfort, sort of a light at the end of the tunnel, telling him that he would be fine, despite his undesirable situation with his family. Dahyun was his adventure friend from then on, Sooyoung swore to never again hesitate when Dahyun asked him to come along, and to also make an effort to find good places to take the younger Bae.

“It’s been a while.” Mrs Sanches, the cashier greeted. “Chris, your boys are back!” She screams into the kitchen.

“Which boys?” Comes the answer.

“The tall and the short ones.”

“Get them a table and something to drink, I’ll be out with their food soon.”

“You heard the woman.” Mrs Sanches tells them.

“We don’t get to order?” Dahyun laughed, already knowing how this worked.

“Sure you do!” The woman gets a mischievous grin. “Just go there and tell her.”

“We’ll be taking a seat.” Sooyoung interrupts before his friend actually tries.

The woman behind the counter just laughs wholeheartedly, getting up to prepare the boys’ drinks. In this place, you get to order the first three times you come over, after that, they would already know what you like, and the chef would come up with a different burger each time you went over. They had few but faithful customers, and Chris always took the time to talk to each one, getting to know them and their preferences. It helped that the woman had a perfect memory, never forgetting the information she had received.

When Sooyoung feels his body being hoisted up and squeezed with love and affection, he reciprocates immediately, for whatever reason, Chris, or Christina Welsh the owner of The Lair, oozes a calm and uplifting energy in her hugs that got the boys addicted from the first one. Dahyun pouted a little but stopped quickly when he was pulled up right after. That hug was what was missing for Sooyoung to bury his regretful encounter from the previous weekend, having to be in the same space as Taeyeon took a lot out of him, and he was playing his first game of the season as well.

They talked a lot, Chris excused herself from time to time when someone came in, but this was almost an exclusive restaurant, as it was on a side street, just a small door between two flashy stores, easy to miss if you don’t pay attention. It was the best burger the boys had ever had, never the same, but never failing to make their taste buds explode and their brains stop working with each bite.