When Leeteuk entered the restaurant, he scanned the dining area quickly and hurried over to the table when he caught a glimpse of Zhoumi who was waving to get his attention. “I’m so sorry I’m late. Wook wouldn’t go to sleep, he keeps complaining about his throat hurting. I think he is catching a cold,” Leeteuk rambled nervously as he sat down. He felt bad for being twenty minutes late, which only added to his already quite frazzled nerves. He had sent Zhoumi a text to tell him he would be late, but it still didn’t quell the guilt he felt.  

“It’s okay, Jungsoo, don’t fret,” Zhoumi chuckled, looking the younger man over. He was wearing dark jeans and a simple white t-shirt, his hair slightly ruffled without looking bed-heady. “You look good,” he complimented, smiling at the blush that rose on Leeteuk’s cheeks. 

“Thank you,” he murmured as he looked down at his menu to hide his face behind his bangs.

“I have already decided what to order so just take your time deciding, I don’t mind waiting even longer,” Zhoumi teased good-heartedly.

“Don’t tease,” Leeteuk whined, slowly beginning to feel more comfortable in the older man’s company. “I’ll have the chicken,” he decided quickly, while Zhoumi grinned at him.

Zhoumi called a waiter over and placed their orders before turning his attention to the gorgeous nanny. “So, how are things with the kids? I got the feeling that you really love them from what you’ve said.” He was genuinely interested seeing as it seemed to mean a lot to Leeteuk.

“I think it is going better now. Remember I told you about Donghae being so angry with me?”

Zhoumi hummed. They had talked on the phone a couple of times to keep in touch until their actual date and Leeteuk had been so consumed with the situation with Donghae that he ended up telling Zhoumi all about it and how he wasn’t sure how to approach the situation in the best way possible.

“Yeah, he had a meltdown two days ago because Hyukjae called me umma. It was kind of intense so I ended up calling Heechul and Hangeng for backup while Kangin and I talked to him. The poor thing has a hard time wording what he feels, so it’s not really weird that he has been so angry. I think we managed to get through to him, though. He is just scared. I think they all are in some way,” Leeteuk said, sadness clear in his eyes.

“Wookie doesn’t seem scared to me,” Zhoumi said dryly, clearly remembering the toddler’s surprise attack on him.

“No, not consciously. He doesn’t remember Sora specifically but he remembers the feeling of waking up to a vital person in his life missing, so he is definitely not unaffected by the situation. But I think it helps that I am there,” Leeteuk said before realising how that sounded. “I didn’t mean to boast or-“

“I know, relax Jungsoo,” Zhoumi said with a smile and a wave of his hand just as their food came. He thanked the waiter before continuing. “But I think you are right, I think it helps that you are there,” he agreed.

Leeteuk blushed and smiled softly in reply. “What about you? Is there any interesting fashion trends I should know about?” Leeteuk inquired, his smile taking on a teasing edge.

Zhoumi couldn’t help but laugh in response. “No, I think you are doing pretty well without help from a fashion guru. But if you were asking about my work, I am having a fashion show in Japan in a couple of days. I’m flying out the day after tomorrow and I’ll be gone for 3 weeks, so I’m afraid a second date will have to wait for a while,” Zhoumi told him.

“Oh, well, that’s good isn’t it? I mean, not the part about waiting, but the part about going to Japan? Doesn’t that mean that your collection will be available more places?” Leeteuk asked curiously, not sure about how the fashion industry worked at all.

“Yes, it does!” Zhoumi exclaimed, having a hard time concealing his enthusiasm now that Leeteuk had shown an interest in his work.

Leeteuk laughed at his expression, his eyes lit up like Christmas lights. “Please tell me all about it.” He found he liked the happy expression on Zhoumi’s face.

When the waiter came to take their empty plates half an hour later, Zhoumi had talked about using Japanese models versus Korean models, how this season saw more skirts and dresses than pants for women, the colours that he predicted would make it big this season as well as his plans to open up a little boutique in Tokyo. “I’m so sorry, I’ve been talking forever,” Zhoumi said once the waiter left, looking sheepish and a little regretful.

“That’s okay, I think it’s great seeing you talk about something you are so obviously interested in. Seems like you chose the right profession,” Leeteuk grinned.

“Well, yes, but still… You had to listen to me talk about the difference between beige and cream,” Zhoumi deadpanned. He knew that he could get a bit carried away when it came to fashion and his career and he was aware that not everybody found the intricacies of fashion as exciting as he did.

Leeteuk just laughed at him. “You can order something with a lot of chocolate for dessert to make up for it,” he winked, hesitating before reaching across the table and placing his own hand on top of Zhoumi’s. His stomach dropped when Zhoumi looked down at their hands with something that was more shock than surprise. “I’m sorry, I didn’t-“ he spluttered, trying to withdraw his hand as he realised he must have misread Zhoumi’s signals.

“No, don’t be,” Zhoumi said quickly, sending him a reassuring smile once he had regained his sense, taking the smaller man’s hand in his again. That was the moment the waiter decided to come and ask whether they wanted dessert or the bill. He looked at their intertwined hands in distaste but didn’t say anything. Once he left again, Leeteuk sighed deeply, the waiter’s glance making him uncomfortable.

“It wasn’t that I didn’t want to hold your hand, I was just… surprised,” Zhoumi explained softly.

“Why?” Leeteuk asked with a frown. Wasn’t this a date? Why would it surprise Zhoumi that he made a move to get a little