"W-Well, you're definitely hired," Luhan stuttered after what seemed like years of awkward silence that choked all four of them in the shop. Luhan was glad that no customers were around to see him just hand out a job as he did, especially not the ever eager fellow senior, Chen who would always visit just to "chat" with Suho.

"Am I?" Sehun whispered timidly, eyes focused on the suddenly interesting hardwood floor of his favorite cafe.

"Of course you are! Welcome!" Kyungsoo sang.

"Yeah, let's get you up and ready for tomorrow. Or, would you rather Luhan do that?" Lay suggested, pausing to titter away like a schoolgirl. Sehun raised an eyebrow, unaware of just what he tried to insinuate.

"No, it's ok. Actually, if it's ok with you, Luhan, can I have a talk with you about all that's happened?" he rejected kindly. Kyungsoo and Lay shot each other matching looks that anyone could read as what happened? What did they do last night?

"Uh, yeah. Come, you know the way back to the lounge. We''l talk there," Luhan offered, gesturing for Sehun to find his way back to the employee's lounge. "Guys, we're really short on manpower, so, if you can, take care of the store extra nicely. Oh, I think I see a group of customers coming right now. Go, go. Fighting!" Luhan addressed Lay and Kyungsoo and he scurried to join Sehun in the back. The mischievous smiles stretching across the pair's face as their manager and close friend departed from their sight revealed just what they were thinking would happen.

"I think he's manpower enough for him. I think he'd wear him out actually," Lay scoffed.

"Haha, yeah. He'll take care of him in no time. Free service," Kyungsoo agreed.

"How does he expect us to run a store if we're gonna hear moans and groans in two seconds?" Lay asked as he watched the crowd of about nine approaching. Kyungsoo shrugged nonchalantly, the same mischievous grin plastered o his face.

"Let's just do this for him. We can always bug the living crap out of him later." Lay nodded as the crowd burst through the door like a score of locusts descending on precious crops.

"Hey, what did you need to talk to me about?" Luhan inquired, plopping down on one of the plush white couches that scattered the room, his legs sprawled over the arm of the seat, in no way professionally.

"I know that you heard the conversation last night," Sehun began.

"What do you mean? Not really. All I know is you seemed more than a little upset," Luhan responded, a look of sincere curiosity spreading across his face. "Are you going to tell me what happened?" Silence. "You don;t have to if you don't want to," he added shortly afterwards, his face reddening at the sight of the melancholic Sehun. This was not the usual, confident but silent Sehun Luhan had pined over. This was someone new before him, stripped, raw and bare, in dire need of support for whatever he had experienced in the last few days.

"My mother died and my father just lost his job. Now, he's sinking every cent he has into the funeral. I'm flat out broke. I have no where to go. That's why I came here," Sehun admitted, his eyes welling with moisture as he spoke. He stared directly at Luhan, seeing more than Luhan, searching for a friend that he wouldn't regret opening his heart to. That was something Luhan had never done before. It was far too dangerous. He could never open what was welded shut so long ago; but, he was willing to allow someone, his crush, his love, to open up to him without any reservations or judgment. Maybe in time he could open his too. He wanted to pour his heart out to Sehun right then, despite the risks and the repercussions. He thought it worth the risk. But, this was not the time. He had to listen, so he did. "I don't know what I'm going to do anymore. I was so sure of myself but I guess that money really does buy the confidence. It's not even really about the money. It's about being alone, you know?" He didn't pause for long but Luhan nodded silently, allowing him to continue. "I hope working here will at least bring me closer to some people I can actually call my friends. I had some but now that I'm broke, I don't know what they'll think of me."

"If they were real friends, then they wouldn't care either way." Sehun sniffled as the tears came streaming down his face. Shaken, Luhan reached for some nearby tissues and tossed them gently to the younger boy who was sitting across from him on another of the white sofas.

"Even so, I really need some fresh blood. I realized that everything had gotten so stale. I didn't like it."

"Maybe this whole thing was a blessing in disguise. Not that death is in any way happy- or losing your job for that matter. But look at it this way, events are never what's good in life, it's the effects of them that end up being the best things we as humans can ever experience."

"Yeah, you're right. I mean, it's tough knowing you mom is dead but, like you probably heard, we all saw this coming, Cancer. It was just a matter of time."

"Ah, I see. But that doesn't mean you should close your heart up. You should always see what's coming to you for the better- not just for the bad."

"Well, aren't you Mr. Optimist?" Sehun smirked, his eyes now twinkling with a sudden, new light. He had found a friend. Just a friend. For an instant, Luhan swam in the warmth of his chocolate brown eyes that lit up like stars.

"Of course. You'll learn that while you're here. This is all one big happy family and, most of the time, we learn more about each other than we'd like to admit or have liked to know to begin with."

"Oh yeah?" Luhan nodded, eyes closed and a small grin curling his lips in a way that tease Try me.

"Like did you know that Kyungsoo can cook some really good dinner, but, he only saves it for his boyfriend, Kai?"

"Hmm, he does look like the domestic type. Give me something else; that was weak." Sehun stuck his tongue out at the older boy, urging him to continue spilling secrets.

"Oh, restless are we? How easily you lighten up. Good, good," Luhan teased cheerfully. "Hmmm, let's see here. did you know that Lay likes to read fluffy fanfics with his morning coffee? He's always thinking of things to try out with Kris like dates and stuff."

"Oh, really?"

"Nae."

"What about that other fellow, the one that kinda gave me his dinner from the night before the other day?"

"Oh, you're talking about my stepbrother, Suho," Luhan stated more solemnly than he had intended. The thought of his stepbrother made a shiver run down his spine. He loved him dearly but he was becoming more and more of a nuisance lately and he didn't want him ruining what little chance he thought he had with Sehun. Not now.

"That's his name? Interesting guy for sure. It takes balls to come up to someone, flirt obnoxiously, and then barf on them. By the way, thanks again for the clothes. Oh, when do you want them? Sorry, I totally forgot to bring them with me today. Sorta flew over my head."

"Yeah, my stepbrother is a strange thing for sure. Now he's someone I know everything about-unfortunately. Just kidding. I love Suho- most of the time. He's definitely like a real brother," Luhan admitted, playing with the lanyard around his neck as his mind faced a long stroll down memory lane.

"So, how did you guys become stepbrothers? Marriage?" Sehun asked inquisitively, leaning on the edge of his seat as if he were watching a thriller.

"Well, we're not even stepbrothers, really," Luhan began,"He had come from a rich family, one of the richest in Seoul but his vexatious parents gave him up, just like that. They didn't care for him. She had gone through all the pain of carrying him in her stomach for 9 months, held him in her arms at delivery and less that a year later, gave him up for adoption. My parents, desperate for another child and close friends of his parents decided to take him off of their hands-bypassing the whole adoption system- and bam, he was my stepbrother just like that. Just like a real brother we did and still do fight, laugh, and cry together. But recently, he's been giving me and more trouble. I don't know what it was but last year he started to change little by little. Now he's a sarcastic little something. But don't call him little. He'll go ballistic," Luhan explained, chuckling at the last words because he remembered all the times he had called his stepbrother short and the latter would instantly remark, "'I'm not going through years of torture here at school with you to call me short. I'm simply fun size. Just no ladies or guys has decided to take a bite. Hmph."

"Oooh, I see. That's nice of you guys," Sehun stated in awe.

"Wow, you're really into that- a little more than you should be, dork. So, any other questions before I teach you the ways of the world known as coffee and boba? You know, it's so extensive and rigorous; You have to put coffee in a cup filled with tiny lil balls and ice and hand it to the customer. I know, that's absolutely rocket science!" Luhan commented sarcastically. Sehun laughed with him, all tension and awkwardness of the previous, grim atmosphere long dissipated.

"Nope. I'm good. Thank you. Come on, let's go watch me mess up," Sehun joked as he led the way out of the lounge, turning back, the same twinkle still in his eye, to make sure his elder was following him.

"You mess up and I'll have to punish you," Luhan chuckled as he followed the younger boy into the view of the store front.

"As if being vomited on wasn't punishment enough. I should get worker's comp for that or something," Sehun continued sarcastically as he took his place behind the counter.

"Ha, in your dreams. Get to work, the others, Lay and Kyungsoo here, will show you how it's done. They're the best." The pair beamed at the unexpected compliment, forgetting all about bombarding the two with questions about what had happened behind that closed doors. Judging by the lack of lewd screaming, they doubted much of anything of interest had happened between the two but their curiosity was not satiated- it just had to wait.

Luhan smiled as he watched the trio work, Sehun adapting to the new situation and job seamlessly. However, his mind kept replaying all that had just happened-the breakdown of Sehun, the family conversation and the back and forth quips that flew through the air. It had all been so easy. It was as if there was no pressure at all that he were speaking to his crush, the one he had gone after so many times before in the past few weeks and had failed miserably at getting with. It was natural- being there with Sehun, talking with him, hearing, not merely listening to, him as he broke down and renewed in all of about 10 minutes. Was it really love he was feeling? I think it's gone much farther than liking him at this point. He's so natural, so nice now that I've actually talked to him. I'll have in no time. I want him more than ever now. I must have him. He's too good to go to waste. he thought, planning the months before they even approached.

Months passed. Sehun had become more comfortable and had even deeply befriended Kyungsoo and Lay. They often sprayed each other