The moment that Jongup’s hands trailed up Daehyun’s chest and reached his collar bones is when the kiss intensified…

As soon as Daehyun’s hands slid back down Jongup’s sides and began fiddling with the boy’s belt is when Daehyun’s eyes widened suddenly and he shoved Jongup to the floor. He stared up at Daehyun in shock. Both of them were panting as Daehyun glared at the boy and wiped his mouth furiously with the back of his hand before he jumped up and disappeared into the bathroom.

Daehyun slammed the door shut, leaning against it, and covered his face with his hands.

“What the hell is wrong with me?” he asked himself in a tight whisper before moving to the sink and staring at his own reflection in the mirror. “It’s not like I’ll ever see him again…why do I keep doing this?” He sighed as he stared at his face for a few seconds longer before turning on the faucet and splashing his face with cool water.

Jongup, on the other hand, sat there in silence as he watched Daehyun retreat into the bathroom. He brought a hand to his mouth and lightly touched his fingertips to his lips. This time, Daehyun had kissed him. But he still forced Jongup away. At least this time he didn’t punch me. He thought to himself as he pulled himself up off the floor using the edge of the coffee table as leverage. And thankfully I didn’t hit my head on the table. He grimaced at the thought of having to go to the hospital again because of another head injury at the hands of Jung Daehyun. He liked him, and obviously, Daehyun felt something, too. Otherwise, he highly doubted that Daehyun would have kissed him. Something was obviously bothering him and Jongup was nice enough to leave him alone. He prepared his bed, the couch, and laid down to go to sleep.

By the time Daehyun emerged from the bathroom, Jongup was fast asleep and he let out a sigh of relief at the fact that he didn’t have to face him right away. Tomorrow morning is going to be weird. He thought as he gazed at the sleeping boy from the hallway. He ran his fingers through his hair as he turned around and walked back to his room.

………

The morning came quicker than Daehyun had wanted. The alarm rang loudly, resonating throughout the bedroom as the sunlight sifted through the curtains to land on his face. Grumbling, he sat up and turned off the alarm before getting off the bed. Once he made it out of the room and into the hallway, he reached for the bathroom door knob only to retract his hand when he heard the shower. He stood there silently for a few minutes debating on whether or not to walk in and use the bathroom as he had intended. Deciding to wait, he walked away with a sigh and shake of his head, his face turning red as he thought about the possibility of walking in on Jongup as he was coming out of the shower.  As soon as that image presented itself in his mind, he quickly slapped himself.

“Are you okay?” Startled, he whirled around to see Jongup standing in the hallway as he closed the door and dried his hair with the towel that was draped over his neck. All words seemed to leave him as he simply nodded and averted his eyes to the kitchen table in an attempt to avoid looking at Jongup’s chest. He walked quickly into the kitchen and began pouring himself a cup of coffee and refused to tear his gaze away from the window above the sink. Jongup simply smiled at the awkwardness that oozed from Daehyun before he shook his head with a snicker and walked away to get a shirt out of one of his boxes.

………

At work, they were even tenser than before, although it was mostly Daehyun’s fault. He tried desperately to avoid talking to or looking at Jongup for longer than a second. If he locked eyes with him or talked to him any longer than that, his face would flush and he would immediately run away in embarrassment. Jongup thought it was hilarious, but allowed Daehyun to avoid him. After all, he knew his reasons.

Himchan was grumbling as he tried to distract himself from his own thoughts, obviously failing miserably. He was staring at a magazine, but he wasn’t reading it.

“Hyung,” Yookwon said as he set his hand down on his shoulder. “Are you okay? You’ve been staring at this magazine for the last thirty minutes…and I can tell you’re not reading it because it’s upside down.” Himchan was startled for a moment and then pretended he didn’t know what Yookwon was talking about.

“I—I was just looking at the clothes the models were wearing. I wanted to see…if…You’re not buying this are you? Just leave me alone.” Himchan pouted as he glared at the same time. Yookwon wanted to laugh at how pitiful he appeared.

“What’s wrong, Hyung?” He nudged Himchan’s arm as he leaned against the counter next to him.

“I highly doubt you want to listen to me.” He narrowed his eyes as he turned back to his magazine, flipping it upright this time.

“Try me.”

Himchan let out a sigh as he closed his eyes momentarily. “Fine, but you’re going to hate listening to me complain. Don’t say I never warned you.” He closed the magazine and placed it on the counter before turning to face Yookwon.

“My boyfriend was flirting with my stylist last night.” He began as he played with the hem of his shirt, obviously getting upset at the memory. “First, I noticed the giant coming onto him. Kept smiling at him and then Youngjae ran into him and the man spilled his coffee on him! He did that on purpose, I swear it!” Yookwon wanted to laugh again, but held it in. He didn’t want Himchan to think he had lied to him.

“Hyung, are you sure about that? ‘Cause I know how you are. You get jealous really easily when someone so much as breathes the same air as you.”

“Don’t interrupt me. Anyway, that’s not all that happened,” he continued, pouting once more as his eyes exposed his displeasure.

………

Himchan arrived at the studio with Heechul leading the way. He bowed awkwardly to everyone he passed as Heechul kept a grip on his wrist and pulled him along until they reached the stylists. Himchan was surprised to see such a tall man standing before him. He gawked for a moment at the giant before he noticed Youngjae standing off to the side organizing the last shoot’s photographs. He smiled as he watched him for a few seconds before being brought out of his thoughts by the giant stylist.

“Kim Himchan-ssi?” he asked politely as he angled his head to get Himchan’s attention. He looked up at the giant’s face. He was handsome, so handsome in fact that Himchan decided he didn’t like him. Moments later, when Himchan was getting his hair styled by Minseok, the new makeup artist, he noticed Youngjae smiling as he talked with him. Because he kept trying to steal glances at his boyfriend, the makeup artist was beginning to get frustrated; he kept squirming and messing up his hair every time Minseok would fix it. Exasperated, he walked away to complain to Heechul.

The “giant thing”, as he so affectionately nicknamed the stylist, was constantly flirting with Youngjae. He kept touching his arm and leaning close to the boy’s ear to make sure he was heard. Himchan couldn’t stand it. Eventually, the giant walked back to his work station and left Youngjae to finish sorting the photos.

“That freakishly tall thing…who does he think he is?” Himchan muttered bitterly to himself as Minseok approached him once more. He watched as the tall man was holding a coffee in one hand and a phone to his ear in the other. Youngjae had just rounded the accessories table and was carrying a couple of boxes of film. Clearly not watching where he was going, he ran straight into Youngjae, spilling the entirety of the contents of the cup onto Youngjae’s chest. It immediately soaked through the shirt and onto his skin causing him to shriek as the hot liquid scalded him and film strips flew everywhere to be scattered along the floor. Tears sprung to his eyes as he pulled at the fabric to keep it from clinging to his body. The man immediately began apologizing.

“Oh my god, I’m so sorry,” he began as he tried to dry the shirt with the handkerchief he pulled from his pocket. “Oh…this isn’t really working. Maybe you should take this shirt off…” Youngjae’s cheeks burned and Himchan’s blood boiled. The moment that Youngjae removed his shirt and the stylist placed his own shirt over Youngjae’s shoulders made him livid. After he figured he had seen enough, he turned away, effectively pissing off Minseok yet again.

“Would you please, just sit still,” he spat through gritted teeth as he grabbed Himchan’s head roughly and forced him to face the other side of the room so he could fix his hair.

About half an hour later, the other model for the shoot showed up, causing Minseok’s mood to lift considerably. Himchan watched as he smiled brightly and ran to the new arrival.

As the shoot continued, Himchan noticed that Minseok had suddenly stopped being as rough with him when he was fixing his hair and makeup. He could tell that he was not exactly happy with how much squirming he was doing as he looked around in an attempt to keep an eye on Youngjae. Eventually, Minseok sighed heavily and rolled his eyes as he walked away from Himchan without a word. He approached the boy Himchan had watched him hug before and leaned close to whisper into his ear. The boy chuckled at Minseok before walking around him and in Himchan’s direction.

As the boy approached him, Himchan noticed that he looked familiar, but his attention was elsewhere. Even when he was standing directly in front of him, Himchan was too concerned with what Youngjae was doing near the tall man who was currently altering a few stitches in his outfit.

“Yah!” the boy in front of him yelled as he snapped his fingers in Himchan’s face. Himchan’s eyes finally fell on the boy’s face, realization barreling over him like a train.

“L-Luhan?” he stammered as his eyes widened and a smile spread across the majority of his face. This was Luhan, his idol. What was he doing here?

“Oh my god,” Himchan gaped as he took in Luhan’s appearance. He couldn’t believe he was standing in the same building as him. Luhan simply rolled his eyes and smirked.

“Himchan, right?” he asked as Himchan’s eyes shone with excitement. He nodded fervently and barely uttered a yes. “You should really listen to Minseok…he’s not very happy with all the movement you’ve been making.” Luhan reached up to move a few stray strands of Himchan’s hair and smiled again. His eyes crinkled and Himchan couldn’t help but to smile in return. He nodded and, satisfied with the response, Luhan walked away. He leaned in to Minseok’s ear before patting his cheek lightly and getting ready for the shoot. Minseok was smiling this time as he approached Himchan once more. He was finally able to fix his hair and makeup, and the shoot was successful. Once the distraction that was Luhan was no longer in sight, Himchan’s attention once again was on his precious Youngjae and the giant. Jealousy took over and he frowned at the pair. They looked so friendly as they leaned close together to view the pictures with Heechul. When his eyes met with Youngjae’s, he noticed that Youngjae was scowling at him. Why are you looking at me like that? What did I do? He thought as Youngjae returned his gaze to the screen.

………

Just as Himchan finished complaining about his night at work, the entire photography crew walked into the café. He pulled the magazine, that was still upside down, over his face as his cheeks flushed. Youngjae was looking at him with so much distaste that Yookwon didn’t know what to do. Maybe I should leave… he thought, but it was too late for him to leave. He ended up taking the orders instead of Himchan, who sat awkwardly ‘reading’ the magazine.

Yookwon noticed the tall man standing next to Youngjae and immediately recognized him from the description in Himchan’s story. He was very handsome and he and Youngjae were having several hushed conversations. He could see how Himchan would be jealous of the man. Once the coffees were ready, he handed the taller man his cup and immediately noticed the definite size difference between his own hand and the man’s hand. Looking up at the man, he realized that he was staring and that he probably saw his gaze lingering on the hand that was grasping the cup.

Yookwon shifted his attention to the third person standing just behind the pair. He barely noticed him standing there, clutching an itinerary to his chest as he glanced around the room. He resembled a panda, the dark circles under his eyes a stark contrast to his cheeks. His face was half-hidden behind the folder held in his grasp. Just as Yookwon was about to ask him if he would like to sit down, Daehyun walked through the swinging doors carrying a pan of cookies to be placed in the display case. The tall enigma took note of the new entrant and his eyes widened. Daehyun was placing the cookies in their assigned sections and happened to glance up right as the mysterious boy spoke.

“Dà Xuàn?” he asked as their eyes met. “Jīng Dà Xuàn?” Daehyun’s eyes widened as he stared in disbelief. Only one person knew him by that name and he hadn’t seen him in years.

“Tao?!”

Tao let out a squeak as he suddenly bolted from his spot in the center of the café, tossing the forgotten itinerary into the air in order to run towards the counter. He attempted to jump over it, but only made it about halfway. He immediately grabbed Daehyun and pulled him as close as possible, wrapping his arms tightly around Daehyun’s neck as he kicked his legs in the air in excitement. The sudden movement startled Himchan, causing him to fall from his stool, sending the magazine flying.

“T-tao…Can’t…b-breathe…” Daehyun gasped from beneath the boy’s arms as he tapped his shoulder, hoping he would release him. The giant saw that Tao wasn’t letting go, so he took matters into his own hands. He walked over to them and popped Tao on the head with the folder.

“Taozi, you hit me in the face with this,” he shook the item at his face. “Let him go,” he said sternly, his voice surprisingly deep. Tao looked up at him with a pitiful expression as he continued to hold Daehyun close.

“B-but..Kris Ge…” Tao said with a pout as he laid his head on Daehyun’s. Suddenly, the swinging doors opened again and Jongup made his way through.

“What’s going on….in…here?” His brows creased in confusion as he examined the current scene before him. Himchan laying awkwardly between the counter and the stool, two strangers at the counter, one of which was hugging Daehyun very closely. This did not make him happy in the least bit. Who the hell is he?

Himchan stared at the giant, whose name was apparently Kris. He glared at him, although he could no longer be seen above the counter.

Zelo soon showed up and stared at Daehyun and Tao.

“Why is there a panda on the counter?”

Daehyun tried to turn towards them, but the grip Tao had on his neck was making things difficult. Finally, he gave in and hugged him in return, but only long enough to pull him over the counter to force him to stand up.

“It’s been such a long time!” Tao spoke in Chinese with much enthusiasm as he finally pulled back and looked Daehyun in the face. When Daehyun responded, the rest of the employees at the café were shocked to hear him also speaking Chinese. How do they know each other? Jongup was about to go back to the kitchen and sent a glare over his shoulder at the panda before disappearing through the door. He didn’t like this Tao at all.

Soon after all the commotion died down, Daehyun was taking his break early so that he could catch up with Tao. Unfortunately, this left his work to Jongup.

“So, what have you been up to lately?” Tao asked as he sipped the latte he held in front of his face with both hands. Daehyun sat with his hands on the table, fidgiting with the napkins sitting at the center.

“I’ve been…working…and avoiding my mother,” he said rather awkwardly as he suddenly found the floor a much more interesting view.  Youngjae was nursing Himchan, who got up from the floor moments earlier to limp away from the stool. It seemed as if all semblance of the jealousy from before had dissipated from them both as they sat and watched the old friends reminisce.

Daehyun felt something touch his hands and immediately forced his attention to whatever it could be. Tao had placed his hand over his, stopping him from twisting the napkin any further. He glanced up at Tao who was smiling sweetly at him.

“Your hands are still as soft as before I see…still very pretty.” Tao’s hand glided smoothly over Daehyun’s and he honestly didn’t know what to do. His face began to burn a dark red as the compliment sailed into his ears. There was suddenly a clank soon followed by numerous thuds coming from behind the counter. Jongup, who had just arrived in the room just in time to hear the panda’s awful Korean, didn’t like what he heard and, seething with jealousy, began slamming things into their places. What the hell is his problem?

Kris on the other hand, was silently fuming from his seat at the next table. He was slowly crushing his coffee cup and staring at Daehyun as if he could kill him with that alone. He could remember hearing something about him before, but he had never expected to actually see him.

While Daehyun and Tao were in the midst of their conversation, Zelo approached suddenly and poked Daehyun’s cheek. Daehyun turned to look at the maknae.

“Daehyunnie-hyung? Why are you cheating on Jonguppie-hyung?” he asked with a slight tilt of his head.

“W-what?!” both boys chorused simultaneously. Daehyun nearly choked on air as he stared at Zelo, eyes almost as wide as saucers. “I-I’m not…w-we’re not…I…what?” Tao chuckled as he watched his childhood best friend and the boy behind the counter shared the same reaction.

“So,” Tao started speaking to get Daehyun’s attention again. “Were you cheating on him?” he gestured with his hand toward Jongup whose face had turned a very deep shade of red that spread to his ears. Tao smiled and Daehyun just stared at him.

“Are you kidding me? We’re not together!” Daehyun wasn’t sure why he felt that he had to clarify that, but as he said it, he glanced toward Jongup to gauge his reaction. He understood that even less. Why should I care what he thinks about what I say?

Kris decided to in again. He was growing tired of the flirting between the two and he really wanted to make Daehyun disappear. He stood up and strode over to Tao and placed his large hand on his shoulder. Tao glanced up to meet his eyes.

“Yes?”

“Tao, I think we should be going now, don’t you?” he questioned as his grip tightened a bit and he nodded his head in the direction of the door. He didn’t want his Tao anywhere near Daehyun any longer than what he had already witnessed. Unfortunately for him and Jongup, Tao had other ideas.

“Oh! Dae, let me see your phone!” a bright smile lit up his face as he held out his hand waiting for the device to be placed in his palm. Daehyun scrambled for a moment before finally pulling the phone out of his pants pocket and handing it to him. Tao immediately opened his contacts and input his information before sending himself a message with it.

A muted chime sounded from his own pocket before he retrieved it and saved Daehyun’s number in his own contacts. He smiled as if nothing was wrong, whereas Jongup and Kris were staring angrily at the scene before them. Tao got up from his chair and freed himself from Kris’s grasp to hug Daehyun once more.

“I’m so glad I was able to see you again,” he spoke quietly as he leaned his head next to Daehyun’s. “Keep in touch, okay?” Daehyun simply nodded. The pair then walked out of the café and Youngjae made his way over to Daehyun.

“So,” Daehyun jumped. “How exactly do you know Tao?” Youngjae nudged him with his elbow. He was genuinely curious. So was Zelo.

“Yeah, Hyung, how do you know him and why does he get your number so easily?” he pouted as he held out his own phone in Daehyun’s face.

………

After Daehyun went back to work, he noticed that Jongup was acting weird. He was avoiding him at all cost and refused to look at him if they were forced to work together. When they finally clocked out and headed home, they walked in complete silence. Daehyun was trying to think of a way to talk to him and ask him what was bothering him while Jongup walked with his head low and hands in his pockets.

Once inside the apartment, he opened his mouth only to have Jongup speak first.

A/N:

So..3692 words :D

I’m sorry I kept you all waiting for so long -_-; school is making things difficult…I have a project I have to get done before November and a portfolio to finish ;A; it’s not fun..

Anyway, I hope you enjoyed it ^^ and I’ll be working on the next chapter whenever the next time I get free time may be…

So…Tao is back in Daehyun’s life…and if you don’t know who Tao is to his childhood, you should read the prequel ;P it will tell you all you need to know about their past..

-meant4theflies