"H- hi...Jongup."

After Jongup heard Daehyun's voice, his mind practically turned to mush. He couldn't remember a word he was planning on saying.

"Ah- h-hi...I...uh..." he stuttered as he opened his mouth to speak. He shook his head in frustration before suddenly blurting out his apology. "I- I'm sorry!"

He felt his face grow a few shades of red even though he was alone. His mom was out for the night and his stepbrothers weren't there to harrass him. Despite being alone, he embarrased himself over the phone and couldn't understand why he was feeling the way he was about Daehyun. Why was he so worried about what he thought about him and why did he kiss him the other night? He couldn't figure out what was wrong with him.

After a few minutes of awkward silence, Daehyun finally spoke again.

"You..." he began slowly as he took a deep breath. "You..and I need to talk. Can you meet me somewhere?"

Jongup didn't know quite what to say. He was quiet for a few seconds as he thought about it.

"Sure," he replied. "Where do you want to meet?"

When Jongup asked where they were to meet, Daehyun didn't even know. He hadn't thought it out that far. He was quiet for a moment.

"Do you like cheesecake?" he asked and Jongup cocked an eyebrow as a look of confusion came over his face.

"W- what?"

"I asked if you like cheesecake," Daehyun repeated himself and Jongup felt himself smiling a little.

"Yeah, why?" Jongup asked.

"Uh...do you know where we can find some cheesecake?" Daehyun felt like an idiot asking Jongup that question. He was pretty sure that Jongup was on the other end of the phone laughing at him. He wasn't so sure if he wanted to meet up with him after humiliating himself. Surprisingly, Jongup only chuckled slightly.

"You're really asking me that?" Jongup said and Daehyun fell completely silent, expecting Jongup to be condescending toward him. "I do know a place. You want to meet there?" Daehyun's face was burning now and he almost didn't speak as he nodded, forgetting he was on the phone.

"Y- yes, that'll work." Daehyun felt like a complete fool. "It's just...I haven't had any since I moved to Seoul and I really like cheesecake."

After the awkward phone call ended, Daehyun walked into his bathroom and looked in the mirror.

"Oh, ..." he said as he looked at the mess of hair on his head and his shabby clothing. "Before I leave I should at least change and comb my hair..." He changed into a pair of jeans and a T-shirt and ran a comb through his hair in an attempt to flatten the bed hair. Before walking out the door, he grabbed his phone and keys and slipped on his shoes. He walked around in an attempt to find the cafe Jongup had suggested they meet to no avail. He couldn't find it and luckily, after about ten minutes of searching, Jongup called him.

"Hello?" he answered and Jongup snickered a bit.

"You lost?" he asked and Daehyun stopped where he was and stared at the sky.

"Unfortunately, yes."

"Where are you coming from?"

"Seocho Apartments...not far from Sweet Notes Cafe."

"Oh, I know where that is. But you do know there is more than one way to get from the apartments to this cafe, right?" Jongup rubbed his scalp as he thought about the various streets he could possibly be taking before he spoke up again. "Well, where are you right now?"

"I'm right by that butcher shop that I've heard everyone complain about...Am I even close?" Daehyun asked as he glanced around at the buildings that surrounded him. Jongup chuckled.

"You're just around the corner from the place. Walk to the end of the block to the right of the shop and take a left. I'm outside, so you really can't miss it."

....................

"Don't say a word," Daehyun said as he approached him, eyes narrowed as his cheeks flushed slightly. Jongup turned away from him and giggled silently as he gestured for Daehyun to follow him inside.

As soon as they sat down at a table, the atmosphere became increasingly awkward. They sat there for a few minutes with Daehyun staring at a menu and Jongup staring at his hands as they rested on the top of the table. Soon, Daehyun found what he wanted and sat the menu on the table placing his index finger over the item. Seconds later, a waitress approached the table. He smiled at her and ordered.

"We would like two slices of cheesecake and..." he paused and looked at Jongup. "You want some coffee?" Jongup was staring at Daehyun's smile. He barely realized what he asked him but nodded anyway. Daehyun turned back to the waitress and completed the order.

"And two cups of coffee please," he said with a smile and the waitress smiled back as she bowed slightly before walking away. Jongup watched as Daehyun's smile faded once she was gone and he simply stared at the table, opting for silence after talking to the woman. Jongup found it odd that Daehyun would smile so easily for a stranger. He wished he would smile more often. As he found himself staring at Daehyun's lips while having these thoughts, Jongup shook his head and looked down at the floor.

"I...I'm sorry," Jongup said after a few seconds. He felt the overwhelming silence closing in on them.

"I don't need you to apologize," he replied. "I should be the one to apologize. I'm sorry I hit you."

"But I..." Jongup's voice fell silent as the waitress returned with their cheesecake and coffee. Daehyun bowed his head slightly and smiled once more at her in thanks. Jongup once again began staring at that smile. He had such a beautiful smile and Jongup couldn't understand why he didn't smile more often. When Daehyun looked back at him, Jongup shook his head in an attempt to once again rid his mind of the thoughts.

"I shouldn't have..." his voice faded as he glanced up at Daehyun's face to judge his reaction. "I shouldn't have kissed you..."

Daehyun plopped six sugar cubes into his coffee before stirring it and looked back at Jongup's face.

"I shouldn't have hit you."

"I don't blame you," he said as he placed fewer cubes of sugar into his own coffee. "I would have done the same thing if I were you."

Daehyun took a sip of his coffe and then picked up a fork and sliced it into his cheesecake and brought the chunk to his mouth. Jongup watched as Daehyun chewed the large piece and how his lips moved in the process. He shook his head again, Daehyun cocking an eyebrow and shooting him a questioning glance.

"That night I was upset. A lot of things happened in that day alone. I'm not sure how I would have reacted otherwise, but I'm sorry."

"But I kissed you..."

"I punched you in the face," Daehyun shrugged and took another sip of his coffee. He sat the cup down and looked Jongup in the eye, making him feel uncomfortable as he fought the urge to glance at Daehyun's lips as he spoke.

"Look, I'll say this once. I don't like you. If you have the slightest feelings for me, you should just give up. I'll just end up making your life hell if you don't. I've already put you in the hospital once."

"I...I think I should leave now," Jongup said as he attempted to stand up. Daehyun grabbed his arm and pulled him back to the table.

"You just stay here. I'll leave." He took one last bite of cheesecake and finished his coffee before going to the counter to order a whole cheesecake to go and paying for everything. Jongup just sat there and watched as Daehyun walked out the door and disappeared in the darkness of the street.

As soon as Daehyun was gone, Jongup turned around to face the counter again but instead came face to face with his step-brother. He gasped as he nearly fell out of his chair.

"Junho! Since when have you worked here?!"

He smiled as he sat in the chair Daehyun had previously occupied.

"I just started last week. Who was he?" he asked as he leaned on the table. "And why were you blushing so hard while talking to him?"

"I- I wasn't..." Jongup trailed off as his face turned a brighter shade of red. Junho simply grinned as he repeated the question.

"So who was he?"

"I- it's none of y- you're business," he stuttered in response. Junho shrugged as he patted Jongup's shoulder.

"Well, just to warn you, I don't get off work until around midnight and Taec is home." A look of worry replaced his smile as he looked Jongup in the eye. "Be careful if you go home, okay?"

Jongup nodded as his blush faded and his expression became one of fear. He didn't want to have to face his oldest step-brother. Taecyeon hated him and he couldn't understand why. It all started after Jongup's step-father died nine years ago and only got worse as they got older.

..................

As Jongup approached the gate in front of the house, he took a deep breath. He knew what to expect, but he didn't know what Taecyeon would do to him this time. He walked through the gate, took off his shoes by the front door and made his way through the threshold and the living room only to be greeted by an angry Taecyeon in the hallway. He tried to avoid being seen by him, but Taecyeon was already chasing him through the house. Jongup ran straight to the bathroom and swiftly locked the door behind him. As he slid down the door and his legs met the cold tiled floor, he could feel the wooden panel rattle violently as it was beaten by his step-brother. Streams of curses and insults were pouring from Taecyeon's mouth as he shouted through the door that acted as Jongup's shield. Jongup's face was soaked with tears as he tried to think of a way to escape.

..................

After about ten minutes of crying and listening to Taecyeon's steady insults and threats, everything fell silent. Jongup thought that maybe he left, but since he wasn't sure, he sat there and listened to the silence for half an hour longer. Thinking that he had truly left, Jongup wearily grabbed the door knob and pulled himself off the floor. Slowly, he unlocked the door and pulled it open before peaking into the hallway. Taec was nowhere in sight, so he took the opportunity to walk down the dark hall and into the living room.

"Yah! Shorty, where do you think you're going?!"

-------------------

A/N:

oooh drama :P and a cliffhanger haha.....but hey, it's an update...

still working on the rest of this...have no idea how long this story will be, but something tells me it will definitely not be over within 10 more chapters o__o;

anyway, word count: 1817 and the fourth most used word was cheesecake xD (random fact)

anyone wanna try to guess what's gonna happen next?......i urge you people to comment!...i want opinions and stuff so that i can improve and gain motivation to work on this when i'm free..it doesn't happen often that i have freetime this semester...most times i'm really lazy and sit in my dorm all day and sleep....

gotta draw a self-portrait later :/ and then i gotta read a short play and then i gotta study for a quiz in Japanese......fun stuff...

anyway..COMMENT~! lol i really want to know how you like the story and even if you think it's ridiculous, i want to know everything!...so tell me.

and now, pics of Junho and Taec for everyone to stare at :D

Cosmopolitan:

HIYA!!! Been awhile,.....anyway Maknae reporting for duty -salutes hyungie-
Coauther here, I'm basically shamelessly promoting a story that me and "hyung" are "betas" for HERE

We're also characters, can you guess which ones? ^^
Anyway, yes the first two chapters .....but it gets much better ^^ I PROMISE!!
Also, it's an EXO and SHINee fic (tiny appearances by B.A.P and MANY others though^^)
.....I think that's all, MORE TAECHO:

SO OLD!!!

NICHKHUN/TAEC