The next night, Jinhwan drops Yunhyeong off at Donghyuk’s and Jiwon’s apartment before heading to the cafe for work, as usual.

“Hyung, have you made the two cups of cappuccino yet?” Junhoe asks, turning away from the cashier for a brief moment to check on Jinhwan.

"Yeah!" Jinhwan calls back a little breathlessly, sliding on both lids at the same time before calling the names of the customers Junhoe had scrawled messily onto the cups. Jinhwan smiles at the businessman who takes the cups from him before wiping the sweat from his brow and picking up the next cup from the counter. A few drinks later, Jinhwan feels a bump against his hip and smiles up at Junhoe, having cleared the queue at the cashier and deciding to help him out instead. Jinhwan pours milk into the caramel macchiato he’s currently making, caps it, and then calls out the name on the cup.

“Hanbin!” Jinhwan calls distractedly.

He pauses, stares at the cup, then to the line of waiting customers.

“Hanbin?” Jinhwan repeats, this time more confused than anything.

“Hey,” Hanbin answers, laughter evident in his tone as he takes in Jinhwan’s perplexed expression and steps forward to rest his arms against the tabletop. He’s wearing a cap today instead of a beanie, and his fingers poke out of his black sweatshirt to curl around the caramel macchiato Jinhwan is sliding over to him. His smile is what pulls Jinhwan in, though: easy and familiar.

“You’re back,” Jinhwan states, initially furrowed brows now replaced with a smile.

Hanbin nods with a grin. “I stayed back after class to play with some lyrics so I decided to come by again for a drink. My friend tried the caramel macchiato yesterday and said it was good, so yeah.”

Jinhwan’s just about to reply, but then a customer behind Hanbin coughs and sends Jinhwan an impatient look, which causes Jinhwan to flush and bow his head slightly in apology.

“Hyung! Help,” Junhoe whisper-yells, serving two coffees at once but then having to return to his post at the cashier because more customers had come strolling in. Jinhwan looks back at Hanbin, about to say something, but Hanbin beats him to it.

“Bad timing?” He says with a laugh, tipping his head at all the cafe visitors.

“You came at peak hour today,” Jinhwan agrees, starting up the blender for a bunch of smoothies. He doesn’t get himself, sometimes. If any of his friends from university (not that he has many, but still) tried to chat with him now, he’d have dismissed them right after he had given them their drinks and told them he’d catch up with them when he wasn’t so busy. But there’s something about Hanbin - Jinhwan thinks it’s that familiarity he saw in his smile - that makes Jinhwan want to keep talking to him, get to know him.

Jinhwan looks up when Hanbin doesn’t reply, just as Hanbin looks back at him with a smile. “I’ll talk to you later, okay? Your co-worker looks like he wants to smash my face into the cashier.”

Jinhwan looks over at Junhoe, who glances pointedly at the line of people waiting before glaring back at Jinhwan and Hanbin. Jinhwan flinches a little, feeling embarrassed. He opens his mouth to say bye to Hanbin, but the other boy has already backed away from the counter, cocking his head to the side one last time in acknowledgment before climbing up the stairs to find a seat. Jinhwan mouths a sorry to Junhoe before emptying the contents of the blender into a few cups, and when he gets an eye roll in reply from Junhoe he knows the younger boy isn’t actually angry, which causes Jinhwan to sigh a little in relief. Junhoe’s a good kid and he works so hard; Jinhwan really doesn’t want to be a burden to him.

About an hour or so later, Jinhwan decides to take a round around the cafe and clear some tables first, so he can help Junhoe clean the counter area later in hopes of closing up faster tonight. Jinhwan starts with the ground floor: stacking empty mugs onto his tray, wiping the tables and pushing in the chairs before unloading the mugs and plates into the sink and moving up to the second floor. It’s emptier up here, so Jinhwan clears up quickly: moving through the tables and chairs until he nears the floor-to-ceiling windows and a black cap catches his attention. It’s Hanbin, staring out the window at the crowded junction below, where people bustle around or huddle in groups at the traffic lights or dash across the street as the green man turns to red. He’s got his laptop open, earphones plugged in but left strewn across the table instead of snug in his ear, and he’s tapping his pencil against an open page of his notepad absent-mindedly when Jinhwan decides to make his presence known.

“Hi,” Jinhwan says quietly, fingers tightening in their grip on his half-full tray of dirty mugs and plates.

Hanbin turns at the sound of his voice, and the smile that curls at his lips when he sees Jinhwan is immediate.

“Hey,” Hanbin responds. “Peak hour over?”

Jinhwan nods. “About half an hour ago. The crowd usually thins out at ten.”

Hanbin hums, and before Jinhwan can stop himself, he asks: “Are you writing lyrics?”

Hanbin lets out a wry smile before turning back to gaze out the window. “Trying to.”

“Oh,” Jinhwan replies. He suddenly feels infinitesimally small, and also a little stupid. It’s as though he walked in on a private, quiet moment between Hanbin and his thoughts, and he kind of feels like an intruder. He takes a step back, about to apologise for distracting Hanbin and head back down the stairs, but it’s like the other boy knows exactly what Jinhwan is trying to do, and he stops him before Jinhwan can so much as get a word out.

“Isn’t that tray heavy?” Hanbin asks, glancing over at the tray in Jinhwan’s hands.

Jinhwan shrugs. “I was going to head back down and wash them - ”

In one swift motion, Hanbin plucks the tray from Jinhwan’s hands and sets it down on the next table before sitting back down in his chair. Jinhwan must look confused, because Hanbin laughs. “You said peak hour was over, right? I’m sure your co-worker can handle things downstairs for a little while.”

Jinhwan feels torn, torn between going back downstairs to accompany Junhoe and staying up here for a little while with Hanbin. But then Hanbin smiles at him, and it’s that stupid smile that has cheekiness and boyishness and warmth and familiarity all rolled into one that causes Jinhwan to sink into the chair next to him.

“5 minutes,” Jinhwan states firmly, more to himself than anything.

“5 minutes,” Hanbin repeats, and his teasing tone earns him a glare from Jinhwan. Hanbin laughs, and Jinhwan likes the sound of it: clear and carefree, like a laugh should be. “So what do you study?” Hanbin asks.

“Business,” Jinhwan replies.

“Practical,” Hanbin notes.

When you’ve got a kid to raise and rent to pay, everything in your life becomes practical is what Jinhwan thinks but doesn’t say. Instead, Hanbin is quick to ask another question. “How many years in are you?”

“This is my final year,” Jinhwan answers, and Hanbin’s eyebrows shoot up in surprise.

“You’re older than me? I have slightly less than two years left,” Hanbin says.

Jinhwan frowns. “Do I not look older than you?”

“Well,” Hanbin begins with a cheeky grin. “I guess it’s because you’re, you know,” Hanbin trails off, using his hand to illustrate short. The glare Jinhwan sends him is so exasperated Hanbin can’t help but laugh, eyes crinkling at the corners.

“Brat,” Jinhwan mutters, which only causes Hanbin to chuckle harder.

“How long have you been working here?” Hanbin asks again, taking a sip from his cup.

Jinhwan thinks for a moment. “Slightly under a year, I think.”

Hanbin rests his forearms on the table as he taps his fingers against the plastic cup. “So do you work for the extra income, or just to kill time?”

I work so that I can feed my son and buy him proper winter wear. “I guess you could say for the income,” Jinhwan answers dodgily. Hanbin regards Jinhwan for a moment, but Jinhwan is quick to ask him something else.

“Are you writing a song for class?”

Hanbin shrugs. "We have to submit a piece of writing every month, so this could be for next month or it might end up being something just for myself, you know?"

Jinhwan smiles a little, slightly envious but also in awe. "Being able to write your own lyrics is really cool."

Hanbin grins at the admiration in Jinhwan's voice. "I'm taking that as an indirect compliment."

This kid, Jinhwan thinks. His thoughts must reflect on his face, because Hanbin's grin is growing. Without thinking, Jinhwan leans over a little to peer at Hanbin's laptop screen, but flinches back hastily when he sees Hanbin's fingers tighten in their grip at the side of his laptop.

"I'm sorry," Jinhwan blurts out hastily, ducking his head in embarrassment at his own thoughtless behaviour. “I didn’t mean to - ”

“No,” Hanbin cuts in hastily, then scratches the back of his neck just like how he did yesterday, a nervous tick. “It’s fine, I’m sorry. Reflex. Do you, um, want to - ”

Hanbin lets his unspoken question hang in the air as he lightly pushes his laptop in Jinhwan’s direction. Jinhwan’s eyes widen, hands naturally moving to stop the laptop screen from being turned to face him directly. Both boys jerk their hands back a little when Jinhwan’s fingers accidentally brush against Hanbin’s.

“Sorry,” Jinhwan rushes out. “And you really don’t have to show me anything.”

Hanbin shakes his head slightly and pushes the laptop in front of Jinhwan before scooting his chair closer so that they can both look at the screen. Hanbin clicks open a couple of files, one a document with his lyrics typed in and another an audio file of the music he had made. He offers one earbud to Jinhwan, who mumbles a sincere thank you and fits it into his left ear.

Hanbin presses play, and a steady beat flows into Jinhwan's ears. He's anticipating a quiet, lulling vocal to accompany the song, but when smooth rap is what he hears instead, Jinhwan is taken aback by how seamlessly it fits into the song and also by how good it is. Out of the corner of his eye, Jinhwan sees Hanbin mouthing the lyrics of the rap, and it clicks.

“Is this your voice?” Jinhwan asks softly, but still loud enough for Hanbin to hear.

Hanbin’s mouth stills and he hesitates for a moment, but eventually gives in. “Yeah.”

“You’re really good,” Jinhwan whispers, even as Hanbin’s rap continues playing in his ear.

“Yeah?” Hanbin asks, and he looks so pleased and happy with Jinhwan’s quiet praise, like a little kid who did well on a test and made his parents proud. Jinhwan finds it endearing. When Jinhwan looks at him and nods, Hanbin flushes a little, flattered.

“Thanks,” he mumbles. “But I can’t really sing. You sing though, right? This song - and some of my other songs - would sound better if there was a vocal.”

The song comes to a close on a rhythmic beat but Jinhwan doesn’t remove the earphones, a part of him selfishly wanting to listen to more. “I don’t sing professionally, though. Don’t your friends sing?”

Hanbin shrugs. “Some of them do, but every song requires a certain voice, you know? I’m still searching for that voice, I guess.”

Jinhwan almost lets his desire to sing cause him to say something out of line, like maybe I could give it a try, but then his gaze chances upon the digital clock on Hanbin’s laptop and he pulls out the earphones in a rush because he realises he’s been sitting up here for more than 15 minutes. Hanbin looks up at him in surprise when Jinhwan hurriedly gets to his feet and picks up the dirty tray.

“I really have to get back down. Junhoe’s going to have my head; I left him alone at the counter for so long,” Jinhwan says, balancing the tray awkwardly as one mug slides dangerously to the right.

“Oh, right,” Hanbin says quietly, and he doesn’t meet Jinhwan’s gaze even as he stands to help right the mug on the tray. Jinhwan really doesn’t want to get ahead of himself, but there’s a reluctance in Hanbin’s tone that almost causes Jinhwan to blurt out a but I would really like to sit here and listen to more of your music with you.

“Thank you,” Jinhwan says, smiling. "And not just for helping with the mug."

Hanbin smiles back, familiar and genuine. "I know. It's funny, I don't normally have people read my lyrics, but somehow it's like I wanted you to read them."

Jinhwan feels warmth course through his veins at Hanbin’s words, smile widening and eyes crinkling into crescents. It’s been a long time since he’s been made to feel special. Hanbin is looking at him softly, even as Jinhwan turns and rushes back down the stairs, grabbing Junhoe’s wrist and apologising repeatedly when the younger boy stares him down from the foot of the stairs and all the way back to the counter. It doesn’t take long for Junhoe to start grumbling like a child, though, so Jinhwan knows he’s been forgiven.

Jinhwan’s wiping the display case half an hour to closing time when he feels a tap against his shoulder. “Hey.”

It’s Hanbin, voice slightly muffled behind the red scarf wrapped around his neck. Jinhwan smiles in reply. “Leaving now?”

Hanbin nods, and Jinhwan notices his gaze flick over his shoulder. “Oh,” Jinhwan realises, turning around to wave Junhoe over. “Hanbin, this is Junhoe, the resident brat,” Jinhwan introduces, reaching out a hand to mess up Junhoe’s fringe with a grin.

“Hyung!” Junhoe complains, ducking away from Jinhwan’s hand with a frown. His indignant response only causes Jinhwan to chuckle.

“Hey,” Hanbin greets Junhoe, pulling down his scarf so his voice isn’t muffled.

“Hi,” Junhoe greets back distractedly, trying to re-arrange his fringe. Still laughing, Jinhwan reaches up to help Junhoe, batting the younger’s hands away while claiming he was doing nothing but making it worse. Something makes Hanbin avert his gaze from the laughing Jinhwan and whining Junhoe.

“Okay, enough fussing. June is all pretty again,” Jinhwan teases as he tugs playfully at Junhoe’s cheek. Junhoe squawks indignantly, but Jinhwan dodges his attempted swipe at him. Hanbin watches them and can’t help but wonder how long they’ve known each other, and what their relationship is like. Jinhwan approaches Hanbin then, smile still intact.

“Sorry. I’ll walk you to the door,” Jinhwan offers. Hanbin follows behind, and Jinhwan pushes open the door, shivering a little at the chill from outside before turning to face Hanbin.

“Thanks for patronising the cafe again,” Jinhwan begins, ducking his head as though he had a scarf around his neck to shield from the cold. He looks even smaller than he already is like this, and Hanbin suppresses the sudden urge to wrap his scarf around Jinhwan’s neck.

“Thanks for coming up to talk to me,” Hanbin replies simply, but he means it. Talking to Jinhwan is so easy and addictive, just like coming back home to a childhood friend. It means even more to someone like Hanbin, who’s typically awkward with strangers and thus comes off as cold and unapproachable to those who don’t know him. Hanbin can’t see Jinhwan’s lips with his head ducked, but his eyes crinkle at the edges so Hanbin knows he must be smiling.

Hanbin steps out of the cafe, stops, then turns back just as Jinhwan moves to close the door. “See you tomorrow?”

This time Hanbin sees Jinhwan’s smile in full: bright and happy. “See you tomorrow.”

Hanbin grins, hollers out a night, hyung! and walks off briskly to the bus stop, enjoying the fading sounds of Jinhwan’s laughter at his dropping of the honorific.

Yeah, he’s definitely coming back again tomorrow.

-

A/N: I have such lovely readers; I'm going to reply to all of you now and hope I didn't miss anyone out!! Hope we can keep talking and thanks for reading :-)

kyungiiee: hope the wait was worth it!

shootingturtle: hope it met your expectations!

1988biased: haha I totally imagined Yunhyeong being an adorable little boy and Jinhwan's small size only made it better :-) and I had to include all the boys I love them too much welp. You're lovely and hope you're enjoying the story!!

Baravois: they'll be okay!!

brusaholic: haha you'll see as the story goes on!!

YuirZa: haha ty you commented twice even!!

MinMin_SL: ty!!

unicornsRreal: ty!! Hope the next chapter didn't disappoint you :-) and you are too sweet to be true haha thanks again!!

fujobaby: I'll update whenever I can, promise!!

1icehoneysam4: ohman your comment means a lot to me bc I miss the boys so much too so I'm really glad reading this makes you feel closer to them in some sense!! I'm suffering from withdrawal I keep re-watching the same unreleased videos from Mix and Match lol.

fazkei: ty for your kind words!!

dickwad: ty I really appreciate your kindness :-)

forebidden: hahaha you'll see!!

Jiah07: ty for your nice comment! I'm glad you feel that way about Jinhwan and Yunhyeong bc I was hoping to portray them as sweet and humble, so thanks again :-) haha and I like Bobby and Donghyuk too I about died watching Donghyuk's unreleased personality test; have you seen it?

esthieteentop: haha yes!!

pallalgk: hahaha ty for your kind words and I like that you enjoy reading this story :-) Yunhyeong is the cutest thing ever, and about Junhoe, you'll see!!