Just moments after putting the jacket away in the closet, Daehyun remained silent and walked to his room. The only sound being the door clicking as it closed behind him and echoed in the living room. Jongup stood there by the door a little longer before he finally walked over to the couch that still had the pillow and blanket he had used the night before. He made himself comfortable on the couch and pulled the blanket over him as he sighed and stared at the ceiling. This was not going to be fun.

Once Daehyun was in his bedroom, he got in the bed and also stared at the ceiling. He hadn’t lived with anyone else since he had moved away from his mother. He wasn’t happy with how things turned out then, and he was certain that he would never be able to live peacefully with another person. He didn’t want to end up hurting Jongup, but it seemed to be inevitable. He stared at the ceiling for a few hours before sleep finally took over.

………..

Daehyun woke at 5:00am to noises in the bathroom the next morning. He didn’t know what it was so he grabbed the first thing his hand happened to land on. He made his way to the bedroom door, object in hand, and walked into the small hallway. He yanked open the bathroom door and found a figure standing at the sink. Daehyun’s first reaction at that time was to hit whoever it was in the head with the mystery item as hard as he could.

Jongup yelped as he suddenly felt something hit the back of his head. He angrily turned around to find Daehyun standing there holding a pillow.

“Why the hell did you just hit me with a pillow?!” he asked as he took it from him. Daehyun’s face flushed a bright red before he snatched the pillow back and left the question unanswered as he turned around to walk back to his bedroom. He felt completely embarrassed. Who even uses a pillow on a possible intruder?

After Daehyun slammed his door shut, he threw himself onto the bed and punched the pillow he had used to hit Jongup.

"What the hell was that Daehyun?" he yelled at himself as he buried his face into the blankets. He laid there for a few minutes as he caught his breath before pulling the blanket over himself and going back to sleep.

Meanwhile, Jongup didn't know what to think when he saw Daehyun's face turn that color as he ran off in embarrassment. He smiled to himself as he realized that Daehyun hadn't meant to hit him with a pillow. He was grateful, however, that it had been a pillow. He frowned at the thought before he finished up in the bathroom and made his way back to the couch.

……….

Two hours later, Daehyun’s alarm clock began ringing in his ear. He groaned and tossed his body sideways as he pulled the pillow over his ears. Jongup, who was already awake, heard the alarm and knocked on his door.

“Daehyun, we have to go to work soon,” he called through the door. Daehyun groaned once more as the noises from the device wouldn’t go away and Jongup knocked again. Exasperated, he sat up. Hair was sticking up randomly and there was an angry pout present on his face as he jerked open the door before Jongup could knock on it again. He glared at the boy in front of him who simply chuckled at his appearance. Daehyun shoved past him and shuffled to the bathroom.

……….

Once the two arrived at Sweet Notes, Daehyun avoided being around Jongup for longer than was necessary. There was too much awkwardness between them after he embarrassed himself earlier that morning, though he was sure that only he felt that way.

Jongup was making a cappuccino for a customer who was waiting by the counter. She apparently had no intention of staying in the café very long. Daehyun was just carrying a new batch of cakes from the kitchen and saw him handing the girl her coffee. He saw the two exchange warm smiles and suddenly he felt jealous. Was he jealous? Why would he be? He couldn’t figure out what was wrong with him. He frowned and Jongup broke his thoughts.

“Yah!” Jongup waved a hand in his face, startling him. “Why are you standing there looking like a kicked puppy?” Daehyun’s frown turned into a glare as he pushed past the boy to place the cakes into the display case, effectively ignoring the question. Jongup just stood watching him as he crossed his arms over his chest. After a moment, he just shook his head and walked back to Himchan to take care of the next customer’s order.

……….

Jongup’s brother Junho, the only one in his dysfunctional family who seemed to care, decided that he would check on Jongup without telling him he was stopping by. He was out with Taecyeon and one of his friends, so he didn’t want to tell them why they were stopping by the café when they asked about it. He didn’t want to risk Jongup’s life. The bell on the door jingled, and following it was the sound of Taec complaining about having to go inside the building. He apparently didn’t want to be in the café, but didn’t want to wait outside either. He just didn’t want to be there at all. Junho was continuously trying to get him to calm down as they entered. People were beginning to stare and Junho didn’t like being associated with Taec. He was nothing like him and didn’t like being compared to him. He had finally spotted Jongup when the swinging door behind the counter opened up. He was busying himself by helping Daehyun make the chocolates they had just began selling a few days prior. Junho found himself smiling as he watched his brother for a few seconds before the door ultimately closed again and obstructed his view. He was alive and seemed so enamored by Daehyun.

Just as he was about to leave the building, Zelo tripped over one of the girls sitting at a table near Taec. As soon as he tripped, he fell on Taec’s back, practically hugging him. He quickly let go of Taec and turned to apologize to the girl first. Taec obviously wasn’t happy. Junho placed his palm over his forehead as he sighed heavily. “,” he breathed as he walked over to his brother.

“I’m so sorry,” Zelo said as he bowed at ninety degrees to the girl a few times before he was suddenly pulled back by the collar of his shirt. Taec yanked him back and forced him to turn and face him.

“You little !” he began through gritted teeth. Zelo stared at the ground and tried to ignore the fact that he was scared. He didn’t understand what he had done wrong. “What the do you think you’re doing?”

Taec suddenly grabbed a handful of Zelo’s pink hair and yanked it back, forcing him to look him in the eye. A hiss of pain escaped the boy’s lips as tears began to stream from his eyes.

Junho attempted to stop Taec from harassing the boy any further, but was unsuccessful.

“Hyung, stop it… He didn’t do it on purpose. He’s just a kid…” Junho pulled on his arm but Taec simply pulled out of his grip and his hand tightened in Zelo’s hair. After making a few snide remarks, Himchan realized what was going on and, without thinking, grabbed a broom and rushed around the counter and slams the handle into Taec’s head, eliciting a squeal of pain from the older man whose grip on Zelo loosened in order to protect himself from any further blows. Himchan continued whacking him with the broom and cursing at the top of his lungs about how “he made his baby cry” and chased him out of the café, his friend right behind him and Junho apologized profusely. Himchan returned a few moments later, adrenaline still rushing as he approached Zelo and asked if he was okay. Zelo nodded hesitantly as tears continued to stream down his face. Himchan began patting his head awkwardly before he finally grabbed the boy and hugged him tightly to his chest, Zelo’s eyes widened at the contact.

“H-hyung?...”

“Shh…It’s okay…and don’t mind what he said, okay?” Himchan was cradling Zelo’s head.

“Hyung…you’re not…hitting on me right now, are you?”

Himchan pulled him away from his chest and stared Zelo in the face, expression pure shock.

“Wh-what?! No! ... I-it’s not like that!”

Zelo wiped his cheeks before crossing his arms over his chest.

“Seriously, what do you take me for?!” Himchan swiftly smacked the back of his head.

“Aish! I was just messing with you Hyung! You didn’t have to hit me…” Zelo whined as he rubbed the back of his head with a pout clearly visible on his face. Suddenly, Zelo threw his arms around Himchan’s shoulders and squeezed tightly.

“Thanks for saving me, Himchannie-hyung!” He then released him and ran off through the swinging door, leaving a very surprised Himchan.

“I…did I just…I’m not imagining this, right?” he asked as he glanced at Daehyun who looked just as surprised. “Zelo just called me ‘Hyung’…and not just once, but twice!” A large grin spread across Himchan’s face as he walked into the office to fill the fuming Yongguk in on what just happened. He didn’t scold Himchan for chasing Taec out with a broom, he was glad he saved Zelo. But, he didn’t like that he allowed Zelo to hug him. After Himchan went back to work, Yongguk crossed his arms and stared at the picture they took at the café’s grand opening that was hanging on the wall. It had been Seunghyun’s idea to start the place after all. He, Yongguk, Himchan, and the currently pink-haired brat were all there. When his eyes fell on Zelo, his gaze lingered a bit longer. He felt like a horrible person for feeling the way he did. He frowned at the thought and looked away from the picture and found Zelo standing there.

“Oh sh--!” he gasped as he clutched his chest and tightly shut his eyes for a second.

“How long are you gonna stare at the picture, Hyung? Shouldn’t you be working?”

Yongguk muttered something that Zelo couldn’t hear before he jumped up and yelled at him. Zelo ran off crying to Himchan this time, surprising him as he threw his arms around his waist causing Himchan's breath to catch in his chest.

After the maknae had calmed down and Himchan was once more by the register, the bells on the door chimed as a group of people walked in. Himchan had his head lowered as he scribbled a quick inventory for the day thus far. As a hand was suddenly placed on the counter in front of him, he stopped and stared at the hand a moment before looking up at the person’s face.

“H-hyung!” he gasped in surprise. “What are you doing here?”

“Well, hello to you too Himchan-sshi,” Heechul said with a smirk. “Anyway, I wanted to speak to you.”

Daehyun was just about to walk back into the kitchen when Himchan stopped him.

“Okay,” he stated with a nod before facing Daehyun whose eyebrow was cocked in question. “You can mind the register for a few minutes, right?”

“Look, Hyung, I don’t kn—“

“Just…stay here. I won’t be long.”

“B-but, Hyung—“

Before Daehyun could finish, Himchan had already walked away with Heechul. They sat in a corner not far from the counter. The four girls that accompanied Heechul were whispering to each other and giggling every so often as they decided to sit at the table nearest to them.

Daehyun didn’t care what they were talking about; he just wanted to be as far from that register as possible. He didn’t know how to work the thing, and he nearly panicked when one of the girls stood up from their table and approached him to place an order.

She ordered four lattes and Daehyun pressed buttons he assumed would work since they worked on the cash registers he had used in his previous jobs, but the drawer wouldn’t open. He eventually just took her money and gave her change using his own money. He made the coffees and had Yookwon bring them to the girls’ table. Another customer came to order something and, yet again, Daehyun found himself wanting to destroy the register. He lets out a loud sigh of annoyance when Jongup emerges from the kitchen.

“Are you having some problems?” he asks and Daehyun turns to glare at him.

“Himchan left me to use the register and I tried to tell him I didn’t know how to use it yet but he wouldn’t listen…so what do you think?”

Jongup nodded before pushing Daehyun away from the counter so he could try to open it. After pressing a few buttons here and there, the drawer eventually popped open. He stared at Jongup for a few seconds before getting the customer’s coffee. Just as Daehyun handed the girl her coffee, Himchan made his way back to the counter.

“Hyung!” Jongup began yelling at him as he smacked Himchan with one of his own magazines. “Why would you leave Daehyun with the cash register? You know he doesn’t have experience with it yet!” Himchan snatched the magazine away from the smaller boy and popped him on the head with it.

“Oh hush, you. Nothing happened and I was only gone for a f—“

“Nothing went wrong because I came out and helped him.” Jongup was glaring at him now. Daehyun just stood there awkwardly, glancing between the two as they argued.

Just as Daehyun was about to interject, the bells on the door chimed again that day. The three boys looked up toward the door to see Choi Seunghyun with his icy stare directed at them. Himchan’s hand was apparently wrapped in Jongup’s shirt collar, as he looked down and quickly released it before bowing to the man who just entered the café.

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

A/N:

well...this is certainly not where i had hoped to get with this chapter, but it's better than nothing...if i would have continued, it would be 2x as long and i haven't really found the time to work on it as much as i had hoped...and i'm just lazy -_- i apologize..

2379 words for this one....

just know, there is so much more drama coming up :P

poor Dae and his lack of skills with the cash register though lol......

not much else to say, so i'm gonna just leave this here and work on the next half....hoping to have it up before New Year's Eve...but don't quote me on that xD *fails*

in the meantime, you guys should read my HimJae oneshot :D (it actually has ...be happy)

as usual, comments are welcome and appreciated ^^

-meant4theflies