*Jongup’s POV*

"Yah! Shorty, where do you think you're going?!" was all I heard before Taec stalked toward me. I froze where I was. I had no way to escape as I was cornered in the one part of the room that didn't have at least a window. I backed into the wall as he approached me.

 "Where the hell have you been? Why are you coming home so late?" he asked in mock-concern. I knew he really didn't care about me at all.

 "I- I was w- with a friend..." I said as he got closer and I avoided his ominous glare."

 "A friend? What friend?" he scoffed as if it were impossible for me to have a friend. His face was mere inches from mine as he loomed over me.

 "I- it's none of y- your business..." my voice trailed as I realized that my defiance toward him would only make him angrier, my gaze fixed on the floor.

 “None of my business, huh?” As Taec spoke, I could practically hear the smirk that spread across his lips. I knew then that this would not end well.

 “Your little girlfriend?” he asked condescendingly.

 “N- no!” I grimaced as I cursed myself for responding so strongly. He didn’t miss the chance to tease me even more.

 “Oh, so it’s a boy then?” He raised his voice a bit as he continued to insult me. “So you’re gay? I knew you had to be since you were always such a wimp.”

 I don’t know why I reacted the way I did, but I felt the need to stand up for myself, even if it was out of brief courage and stupidity. After all, he was almost twice my size.

 “S- so what if I am?!” At this point I didn’t even realize what I was saying. By the time the realization dawned on me, I saw Taec’s fist flying toward my face.

 ………….

 Just as Jongup finished that last sentence, the door popped open and Zelo fell through it and onto the floor. He whined a bit as he looked up and smiled nervously as he rubbed the back of his head. Yongguk glared at the maknae before taking a few steps towards him and kneeling down. He grabbed Zelo’s shirt collar and pulled him up from the floor.

 “I thought I told you…” Yongguk stopped himself as he noticed there were tears running down the boy’s face. “W- why are you crying?” he asked as his brow furrowed.

 Zelo’s lower lip quivered as he began to sob.

 “J- Jonguppie-h- hyungie~” He shook himself free from Yongguk’s grasp and ran toward Jongup, pulling him tightly to his chest as he cradled his head. "Who could do something like that to my Jonguppie-hyung?!" Zelo's reaction caused Jongup's already misty eyes to stream tears down his cheeks. He had been trying to avoid crying while he told Yongguk about his situation, but the maknae crying for him just broke him. Soon, Jongup found himself sobbing into Zelo's chest as Zelo sobbed and sniffled while holding him.

 Yongguk became worried. He didn't know how to console the two boys. Suddenly, Yongguk remembered that so far, only one person had been able to calm Zelo; Daehyun. He rushed out the office to find Daehyun. Himchan noticed the look of panic on the manager's face as he passed him.

 "Yongguk, what's going on?" Himchan asked as he placed his magazine down. Yongguk stopped long enough to tell him that the maknaes were both crying. Himchan's normally nonchalant personality changed at that moment. He didn't like the sound of that. Why were the boys crying? He rushed into the office and Yongguk continued until he found Daehyun.

 "Daehyun, you have to help me. Zelo and Jongup are crying now...and you're the only one I know who can actually get Zelo to stop...please......help?" Yongguk placed his hands together in a pleading gesture as he pouted a bit. Daehyun didn't know what to say to that face, but he knew he couldn't turn him away. He followed Yongguk to the office and saw the two boys standing awkwardly in each other's arms in a bawling mess.

 At this point, everyone was very relieved to know that no customers had shown up so far. Yookwon, who saw everyone running back and forth in near-panic, decided it would be a good idea to flip the sign on the door to closed for the time being. No one needed to be in the cafe with all the insanity that seemed to have begun randomly. After flipping the sign, he found a seat in one of the booths in a corner to relax until peace returned.

 "Zelo," Daehyun began as he walked closer. "Why are you crying?" Zelo looked over at him and removed an arm from around Jongup's head in order to wipe a stream of tears from his face as he sniffled.

 "S- somebody h-hurt m- my Jonguppie-hyung~" he whined as he released Jongup's head and pulled Daehyun closer. Jongup tried to hide his face from him.

 "Jongup, are you...are you okay?" Daehyun asked, genuinely worried about him. Zelo suddenly jumped up and ran out of the room. Daehyun just watched the youngest boy as he disappeared. "What in the world...?" He then turned his attention back to Jongup who was still avoiding his gaze. Daehyun noticed a small movement out of the corner of his eye. He turned his head in that direction to find Himchan sitting at the desk. Himchan noticed him looking at him.

 "Zelo didn't want me to touch him much less talk to him," Himchan began complaining, disappointment written all over his face. "He called me 'Mr. Non-Pretty Face' again, and all because he didn't want to talk to me." He was pouting at this point and Daehyun couldn't stand it. He rolled his eyes before pushing Jongup down on the small sofa in the office and grabbing Himchan's arm and dragging him out of the room.

 "Go complain to Hyung, I'm sure he'll be of more help than me right now." Daehyun shut the door and locked it so that he could try to get Jongup to talk to him. "Jonguppie~" he turned his attention to the crying teenager and sat down beside him. Jongup was still facing the floor so Daehyun grabbed his arms and turned his body to face him. Jongup still refused to look at him. Finally, Daehyun grabbed his face with both hands and force him to look at him. Jongup's heart began to race as he felt his face burning beneath the hands.

 "I- I'm fine," he lied as he tried to pull his face away from Daehyun's grip.

 "Don't lie to me. You don't have to hide. Just cry. It shouldn't matter who sees it. They don't matter. Just cry." Once Daehyun finished his little motivational speech, Jongup did just that; he cried. He grabbed onto Daehyun without really thinking about it. Daehyun was taken aback by the sudden hug. He slowly lowered his hands until they rested on Jongup's shoulder blades before patting Jongup's back for a few minutes. Daehyun ended up holding the boy in his arms as he cried.

 After a while, Jongup had finally calmed down. He was still sniffling and wiping his face while Daehyun rubbed small circles on his back with his palm. He didn't want to tell him much more than he had already told Yongguk. He didn't even understand why he was telling him what he did; the words just kind of spilled from his mouth before he could stop them.

“…And that’s how I ended up at your apartment,” Jongup finished telling Daehyun about his encounter with his step-brother the previous night. Daehyun’s hand was still on Jongup’s back when suddenly the door flew open and Zelo ran in the room. He quickly retracted his hand and sat there staring at the maknae as he tried to figure out how he got in.

“Hyung~” Zelo cheerfully approached Jongup and put his arm around his shoulders. “You’ll be just fine Jonguppie-hyung.”

“Well, if you two are done being crybabies…we have work to do now,” Daehyun said as if the moment before Zelo’s interruption didn’t happen. He stood and walked out of the office, leaving behind a confused Jongup and a pouting Zelo. Daehyun’s personality immediately changed the moment Zelo entered the room. Jongup wondered which one of the two he witnessed actually was Daehyun. Zelo just looked lost as his best friend had just called him a crybaby.

……………….

Just when things were somewhat normal, or what Daehyun would think was close enough to normal, and everyone was setting up once more for the café to actually accept customers, the bells on the door chimed. The sound seemed to echo throughout the place as Himchan began to greet the person who opened the door.

“Welcome to…” he began to speak as he looked up and his eyes met those of an angry Choi Seunghyun.

“O- oh! I’m sorry, Sir!” he immediately bowed apologetically. “What brings you here, Sir?”

Daehyun was busy placing cakes in the display case until he turned around and noticed Seunghyun. He gasped and his hand clapped over his mouth as he ducked behind the counter and crawled to the back room. He wanted to avoid any and all confrontation with his former employer.

Zelo saw Daehyun on the floor and cocked an eyebrow. Then he noticed the expression of fear on his hyung’s face.

“Hyung, what’s wrong?” he asked with a slight pout as he began to worry about Daehyun’s wellbeing. No sooner had he asked did he hear the cause of Daehyun’s fright.

“Why is Zelo calling me crying?! What happened this time?” Zelo heard his cousin’s voice and smiled to himself before running out to the front of the café to meet him.

“Seunghyunnie-hyung~” he called as he ran around the counter and jumped on the man in front of him who simply huffed as he caught the tall teen. “You already know why I called you…I told you over the phone.” Zelo playfully poked at Seunghyun’s cheek as he pouted. Mr. Choi’s first reaction was, of course, to blame the manager; Zelo’s aegyo having no effect on him whatsoever.

“Bang Yongguk, get your out here now!” Seunghyun’s voice boomed as Yongguk winced at the sound of his name. He was hoping he wouldn’t think he had something to do with it; he was always the first person to receive the blame if Zelo cried. Yongguk didn’t understand. He took a deep breath as he straightened his vest and walked out of the office to approach his boss.

“Y- yes, Sir?” he said as he bowed to his superior. Seunghyun glared at him as he held Zelo away from him. Zelo tried his best to intervene, but his older cousin wouldn’t have it.

“What did you do to my little cousin?” he asked as Zelo grabbed onto his face with both hands and forced him to look at him.

“Hyung~” he began, “he didn’t do anything. I told you over the phone that someone hurt Jonguppie-hyung. Yonggukkie-hyung didn’t do anything to anyone. Why do you always blame him?”

Seunghyun felt his resolve crumble slightly as he looked at Zelo’s pouting face.

“But, you usually whine to me about Yongguk…about how he never gives you any att—“ He began to reply but before he could finish his sentence, Zelo covered his mouth as his eyes widened.

“H- hyung! Th- that’s not true!” Yongguk just watched as Zelo whispered into Seunghyun’s ear and the man nodded in understanding before apologizing to the boy. He had no idea what was going on and the beginning of Mr. Choi’s sentence sounded like something he needed to know.

Seunghyun looked at him and cleared his throat before apologizing for jumping to conclusions before asking Yongguk to get all the employees in the kitchen. He told all the customers that had managed to make their way inside that their coffees and other confections were on the house and that they could leave before Sweet Notes Café’s sign was once again turned to “closed” before he made his way through those swinging doors.

As he arrived in the kitchen, all the employees, including Daehyun, were lined up in the center. Daehyun was facing the floor hoping that the intimidating man wouldn’t notice him too much.

“Alright, Jongup where are you?” he asked as he scanned the room for any indication of the said person. Jongup hesitantly raised his hand as he walked forward. “I heard about your situation from Zelo. You’re not going home.” Jongup was confused at these words. Why couldn’t he go home? Not that he would really want to, but he just couldn’t understand why someone who barely knew him would tell him what to do. He just stared at the man in silence.

“Now, who here has enough space for an extra person to stay with you?”

Most of the boys in the room shook their heads as they couldn’t have another person staying with them. Yookwon was still living with his parents and working so that he could save up enough money to get his own place, so having an extra person was impossible. Jaehyo had a roommate that he didn’t really talk to and they shared a small two bedroom apartment. He was certain that his roommate would never allow a stranger to stay on the couch in the living room. Hoik shared a place with Baekho, but there was no room for anyone else in their crowded little roof-top apartment, otherwise they would have taken him in in an instant. Yongguk lived with Himchan and a third person they both knew little about in a two-bedroom apartment. They originally had their own rooms, but needed an extra person to help take care of the rent, so they took in this mysterious stranger and now share a room. Most times, Yongguk finds himself on their couch in order to avoid being around Himchan so often. Daehyun was the only person who was living alone. Upon this discovery, Seunghyun smiled to himself and pointed at Daehyun.

“Jongup will stay with you for the time being. I will come back in a few days to help him get his things from home.” Daehyun wanted so badly to deny the order he was just given. He didn’t want to share his apartment with anyone. He liked his privacy. Now, he was being forced to share it with Jongup. Of all people, it had to be Jongup.

“B- but, why—?” he began before shutting himself up. “I—yes, Sir.” Daehyun stared at the floor as he clenched his fists in the fabric of the apron he was wearing. He was not looking forward to this in any way. Jongup glanced at Daehyun and frowned. He was just as unprepared for this as he was but he had no intention of ever imposing.

………..

Choi Seunghyun eventually left and the day continued like it normally would, with the exception of the awkward silence between the new roommates. Every now and then, they would have to work together, but they rarely spoke more than five words to each other unless it involved a customer’s order.

By about 5:00pm, the bells on the door chimed once more. Himchan looked up and noticed Youngjae had come by. He smiled warmly at the boy and waved after setting the magazine down. Youngjae walked up to the counter as he returned the smile.

“How have you been?” he asked Himchan as he grabbed his hand across the counter. “I’m sorry I haven’t come by in a while.”

Himchan felt his face flush. “It’s fine…no need to apologize.” Youngjae was becoming braver the more days he was around his boss and felt that he should be bolder with Himchan. He pulled him closer to him and allowed his breath to ghost over Himchan’s cheek. He then placed a kiss on his lips and lingered there for a few seconds before pulling away and smiled yet again. Himchan just stared in bewilderment.

“How about this…we go on a date this weekend. Does that sound good to you?” Himchan gulped and nodded, eyes darting between Youngjae’s eyes and his lips. He wanted to kiss him again. “Okay then, this Saturday, around about 7:00pm? Is that good?” Himchan nodded once more as he stared at the boy’s mouth. Youngjae giggled as he lightly pecked his lips once more before he actually ordered his usual cappuccino. It took Himchan a few seconds to fully register what was going on. He took the order and made it himself before accepting payement. As he was handing the beverage to Youngjae, the boy’s hand wrapped around the cup, but his never left. He pulled Youngjae closer and kissed him this time. A very visible blush spread across Youngjae’s face as his eyes widened. When they parted, Himchan smiled sheepishly.

“I—guess I’ll see you this Saturday then,” he said as he released the cup and allowed Youngjae to take it. Youngjae smiled back before nodding. He walked backwards and waved for a few seconds before turning around and walking out the door.

Yookwon watched the whole scene and merely rolled his eyes before going back to wiping the spilled coffee that Zelo had knocked over before gagging and running away claiming that he was going to be sick if he saw “Mr. Non-Pretty Face kissing Hyung ever again!” It was ridiculous really.

………….

Later that night, after closing, Daehyun and Jongup walked back to the apartment together. The silence from before still lingered in the cold air. Jongup was cursing himself for not remembering to grab a coat before he ran away from his house. The weather was getting cold again and he hadn’t had the chance to think about getting anything to protect him from the elements. He walked slightly behind Daehyun and thought about the day’s events. He still couldn’t get his head around Daehyun’s switch in attitude toward him. One minute he was being nice and comforting, and the moment someone new walked into the room, he was being bullied and ignored. It just wasn’t adding up. He shivered suddenly which brought him back to reality. Daehyun noticed the shiver and tried his best to ignore it. He wasn’t happy at all that he now had a roommate in his one-bedroom apartment. He decided that the boy would definitely be staying in the living room. There was no way he was sharing his bedroom with him. Daehyun began to watch Jongup as they walked. Anytime the boy would come close to glancing at him, he would immediately avert his gaze to the sky. He noticed that he was walking with his arms wrapped tightly around his body and that he was staring at the ground. Jongup shivered again and Daehyun began to feel guilty. He couldn’t let him freeze, but he didn’t want to talk to him.

He removed his jacket and draped it over Jongup’s shoulders without a word. Jongup stopped walking and slowly looked from the jacket to the back of Daehyun’s head. Why was he being so nice to him again? He shook his head and noticed that there were now a few yards between them. He walked faster so that he could catch up with him.

Once they arrived at the apartment, Daehyun reached into his pocket to retrieve the keys. He unlocked the door and walked in, standing by the door as Jongup walked in. He then shut and locked the door before tossing the keys on the counter and removing his shoes. Jongup also removed his shoes and then stood there awkwardly as he held Daehyun’s jacket in his arms, unsure of what to do with the object. Daehyun turned around and noticed the boy just standing there staring at the jacket. He walked over to him and took the jacket. They made brief eye contact before he walked to the closet.

“It goes in here,” he said as his voice seemed to echo in the apartment, the silence finally being broken. “You can sleep where you slept last night.”

“Th- thanks…” Jongup’s voice wavered slightly. He wasn’t sure how long he was welcome in the apartment, but he was determined to avoid making Daehyun upset at all costs.

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A/N:

long chapter is long: 3408 words

o-o;

and technically, it's still not even finished xD

i just didn't want everyone to wait forever for an update and i figured this was long enough :P (you guys are happy right?)

anyway, so far, Jongup has explained what happened to Yongguk, Zelo was eavesdropping, & Jongup eventually told Daehyun......but the whole story is still not known >:] but don't worry, it will come out later...

and now, Jongup is living with Daehyun ^^ how do you all think that will go?..think it'll go well, or do you think it'll be one catastrophe after another?...

comments are wonderful people~ ^^ they sometimes inspire me to write more :P

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