Taeyong wiped the inside of the mug, twisting it around and around, the cloth squeaking against the dry surface.

Seunghyeon nudged his shoulder. "Will you stop that?"

Taeyong blinked at him. "Stop what?"

"Being lost in your thoughts." Seunghyeon glanced around and leaned in. "Seriously, Hyung. You might be jumping to conclusions."

Last night, Taeyong had barged into his room to lift the weight of his discovery off his chest. And while Taeyong could brush it off after talking it out, this time he couldn't let it go.

"You're right," Taeyong sighed and set the mug down. "I have other things to worry about."

"Yeah," Seunghyeon chuckled. "Like, I don't know? Your baby?"

Taeyong hummed. "True," he said with a hum. "Also you."

"Me?"

"Well–" Taeyong picked up another mug, drying it. "You've been kind of jumpy lately. Is everything okay?"

Seunghyeon stared at him before picking up the dry mug. "I'm fine," he said and set it on the shelf. He wasn't about to tell Taeyong he was posing naked a few nights ago for a project.

Taeyong would be scarred, and Seunghyeon did not want to deal with that freakout. He didn't know which part was worse. That Seunghyeon posed naked for Kwangsun, Kwangsun did the same thing, or they took these pictures were going to be portraits.

"Are you sure?" Taeyong asked, handing him the mug. "Your vibe is off."

Seunghyeon snapped his head back, scrunching up his nose. "Ew, don't say that."

Taeyong glared at him. "I can say whatever I want."

"Well, don't." Seunghyeon stuck his tongue out. "It's gross."

"Excuse me?" Taeyong stomped his foot. "This is my establishment. I will kick you out."

"Oh yeah?" Seunghyeon glared up at him, hands on his waist. "I'd like to see you try."

"Woah, Woah." Kwangsun walked out from the back, stepping between them while holding up a fresh tray of matcha tiramisus. "All fights gotta happen outside."

Taeyong laughed, and Seunghyeon scoffed half-heartedly. His focus drifted from the tray down Kwangsun's arms, where his bicep disappeared under his sleeve, the fabric clinging to the muscle.

Seunghyeon tore his eyes away, busying himself by putting away the rest of the mugs. Since they took the pictures, every time he'd see Kwangsun, his naked body would flash in his brain. With his broad shoulders and chiselled abs and strong arms–

"Dammit," Seunghyeon scoffed, furiously raking his fingers through his hair.

"Are you okay?" Taeyong asked, pausing his conversation with Kwangsun.

"I'm fine," he muttered. His cheeks heated up when he felt Kwangsun's eyes on him, and a similar shudder ran down his spine.

Maybe he was spending too much time photoshopping the picture. It wasn't like he wanted to remember every detail of Kwangsun's body. But he didn't want to make things weird. And was pretending it never happened more awkward? Seunghyeon set another mug on the shelf. If they were going to work on these paintings for months, it was better to acknowledge it, right?

Taeyong took the tray and set the pastries in the display case, and Kwangsun sauntered over, swinging his arm around Seunghyeon's shoulder. "What's on your mind, kitty?"

Seunghyeon side-eyed him and pursed his lips, trying to ignore the touching. "I don't know," he hummed, a smirk growing on his lips. "Thinking of maybe painting you flabby."

"What?" Kwangsun gawked, stepping back. "Why would you do that to me?"

Seunghyeon snickered at his exaggerated pout. "Because they didn't have gyms back then." Seunghyeon cracked a smirk and squeezed Kwangsun's arm. "This is a lie."

Kwangsun burst out laughing, and weight washed off Seunghyeon's shoulders. "Then I'll cover up the dots on your back."

"Eh? What dots?" Seunghyeon looked over his shoulder.

"Yeah. Right here." Kwangsun poked his lower back hard, and Seunghyeon squirmed. The pressure was too painful to tickle. Did he do that on purpose?

"I don't have dots on my back," Seunghyeon huffed, smacking his hand away.

"Yeah, you do," Kwangsun laughed and held a triangle up to his eye. "It's like the Illuminati sign."

"Oh my Gods," Seunghyeon groaned. "If you put the Illuminati symbol on me, I'll beat you up."

"But it adds spice to the art," Kwangsun insisted, waving his hand flamboyantly. "It could add a million won more to its value. Don't you wanna hang over some rich guy's toilet?"

Seunghyeon choked. The idea of his naked body hanging in an ultra-fancy toilet with Kwangsun's body hanging in another bathroom was something. Seunghyeon burst out laughing, muffling his mouth with his hands. That was such an insult, but like, for both of them?

"I mean, if they're the highest bidder, I don't care where they put our paintings," Seunghyeon said and nudged Kwangsun's shoulder. "Just get back to work."

This was much better than pretending they didn't know each other's bodies. Now, all he could imagine was some pretentious rich guy staring at Kwangsun's abs every time he took a piss.

Seunghyeon buried his face in his hands, cringing and giggling.

The bell above the door chimed, and Taeyong peeked up over the display case. His face lit up, hearts floating above his head. "Welcome. What can I get you, sir?

Daehyun slipped off his sunglasses and smirked, and placed his hand over Taeyong's. "One Americano," he said and leaned in. "And the company of the beautiful cafe owner."

Seunghyeon rolled his eyes when Taeyong giggled. He glanced over and caught Kwangsun's raised eyebrow. "That's Daehyun," Seunghyeon whispered.

"He's exactly how I imagined him to look," Kwangsun whispered back, smirking. "A generic rich businessman," he whispered.

Seunghyeon gaped, covering his upturning mouth with his hand. He glanced over his shoulder. Daehyun was considered a conventionally attractive alpha. In other words: Basic.

"I can't believe you said that," Seunghyeon added, whipping back around, cupping his cheeks. "I can't unsee it."

"Did you just notice?" Kwangsun asked, holding back a grin. "I mean, it looks good on him," he shrugged. "I'm not hating. I like how they both got that minimalistic look going on. They match. Like us."

Seunghyeon raised his eyebrow. "We match?" He gave Kwangsun a once-over. Obviously, they did in their beige uniform and aprons, but not any other time.

"Yeah," he said with a grin. "We both look like dying art students."

"Oh." Seunghyeon fondly shook his head, snickering. "That's 'cause we are."

"Seunghyeon, Kwangsun, I'm going now. Will you two be okay?" Taeyong asked after pulling away from Daehyun and untying his apron.

"Yeah, obviously. Just go and enjoy," Seunghyeon said and turned to Daehyun. "Seriously, Hyung. Make sure he rests properly."

"Don't worry. I intend to."

Grinning, Taeyong hurried to the back. Seunghyeon would love a spa day too. Rubbing his shoulder, he stood up straighter.

"Hello, you're Daehyun-nim, correct? I'm Nam Kwangsun." Kwangsun held his hand out to Daehyun, topped with his usual charismatic smile. Seunghyeon smirked. Daehyun wasn't that friendly to strangers.

"Ah yes," Daehyun said and shook Kwangsun's hand. "I've heard about you," he said. "Thank you for taking care of Taeyong. You've been a great help."

Seunghyeon blinked. Why was this? Why was Daehyun being nice to someone other than family?

"No, it's nothing," Kwangsun said, oozing faux modesty. "Taeyong-nim is a great boss. He's the one taking care of me, really."

Seunghyeon rolled his eyes. Kwangsun didn't have to dial his charisma to the max. Though, he was good at it.

Taeyong reappeared with his bag in hand. "Myungsuk's still upstairs. Tell him we've left, okay?"

"Okay, I will," Seunghyeon said and shoved Taeyong around the counter. "Now go have fun and relax. And melt all your stress away, got it?"

Laughing, Taeyong stumbled away from him. "Okay, I promise," he said and waved at them. Taking Daehyun's hand, they both left the cafe, leaving it serenely quiet.

Until Seunghyeon spun around and crossed his arms, marching back around. "You are so fake."

"How was that fake?" Kwangsun asked, leaning against the counter. "I am just a nice person."

Seunghyeon squinted at him. "If you're so nice, then you won't mind if I don't paint your muscles," he said, laughing as Kwangsun gasped and protested.

----

Myungsuk stirred his drink with his straw. The red strawberry syrup swirling with the milk, making a soft, cohesive pink. He took a sip, taking a moment to enjoy the sweetness. "What was I saying again?"

Insoo chuckled as he held his iced mocha. "How you like hugs?"

"Oh, right." Myungsuk nodded. "Yes. I like tight hugs," he said, squeezing his shoulders in. "But only from certain people. Otherwise, if I don't know their pheromones, it's terrifying," he added and held up his fingers, counting. "I prefer my family, Daehyun-Hyung too, and you,"

"Me?" Insoo asked.

Myungsuk smiled and nodded. Insoo glanced down with a small smile, and Myungsuk focused on his drink instead, his heart skipping. "I feel safe with you," he mumbled before taking a long sip, filling his cheeks.

"I see," Insoo said and leaned forward, smiling around his straw.

What a surreal experience this way. After Myungsuk recovered from his meltdown, Insoo continued to come in. And instead of acting like nothing happened as Seunghyeon and Taeyong thought he would, Insoo asked questions and wanted to get to know Myungsuk. All of him.

Myungsuk giggled and wiggled his toes.

"Um, Myungsuk," Insoo started, setting his drink down. "I wanted to ask you something."

"Hm?" Myungsuk sat up, tilting his head.

Insoo shifted in his seat. "I wanted to ask why you're not in University. Did something happen?"

"Did something happen?" Myungsuk mumbled. He frowned and looked at the window, staring at the customers on the balcony. How could he explain that to Insoo? Where would he start?

Insoo held his hand out to him. "You don't have to tell me if you don't want to."

Looking down at his hand, Myungsuk gnawed at the inside of his cheek before taking it, lacing their fingers together.

"Before I started high school, my grandma died," he started, keeping his eyes down. "That's when I got diagnosed. I didn't go to school for a year. I just"– he shrugged–"couldn't."

Insoo squeezed his hand, encouraging him to go on.

"Thankfully, when I did go back, I had my own teacher, and we tried to squeeze the three years of high school into two. But, it was really lonely, and my parents never talked about it, but it was really expensive. So I worked really hard to make it worth it."

Myungsuk squeezed his eyes tight, focusing on recounting the story without feeling it. "The closer I got to the Suneung, the more stressed I was. And then, the day of the exam, I just–" Myungsuk shrugged and grabbed his drink, washing away the ache in his chest.

"Since I was done with the high school curriculum, my school let me graduate early. I go to a hagwon at my own pace and work here, and I'm doing much better," he sped through and locked those memories back into its box in the corner of his mind.

Insoo nodded and squeezed his hand again. "I'm glad you're doing a lot better now," he said with a gentle smile. "You're really strong, Myungsuk. I don't think I could've done that."

Myungsuk shrugged. "I did what I had to."

"Well, I'm really glad you did; otherwise, we wouldn't have met," Insoo said, and Myungsuk blushed as Insoo rubbed his thumb against the back of his hand. "Also, Dr. Kang wouldn't be asking about you."

Myungsuk's head jerked up. "Dr. Kang asked about me?"

Grinning, Insoo nodded. "Yesterday, I bumped into him, and he was asking about you."

"That's surprising." Myungsuk drew his shoulders in. He doubted he made such an impression on him. Especially since Insoo said, he was swarmed by people the rest of the conference. Myungsuk didn't even say anything smart. He just ran off.

"I don't think so," Insoo said. "He said he doesn't see enough omegas in events like that and that he's sorry that he scared you away."

When Myungsuk opened his mouth to correct him, Insoo smiled. "I told him it wasn't his fault." Myungsuk closed his mouth and nodded.

"What else did he say?"

"He asked if you were okay and if you were applying to SSNU."

Myungsuk stared at Insoo. "SSNU?" Myungsuk rapidly shook his head, squeezing Insoo's hand. "I would never get in."

Insoo leaned over and let out his pheromones. Subtle, but enough of the earthy warmth to soothe Myungsuk. "I think you can. No, I know you can," he said and smiled. "You are so smart, Myungsuk."

"Not really," Myungsuk mumbled, sinking into his seat. "Only about space. And Galactica."

"And that's what University is about." Insoo grinned. "Once you're in SSNU, all you have to know is space." Insoo gently tugged his hand; Myungsuk instinctually leaned over as much as the table would let them. "I believe in you, Myungsuk. I know you can do it."

Myungsuk stared into Insoo's sparkling eyes, his pheromones encircling him in an embrace. Myungsuk's own sweet fruity scent started to spread, mixing with Insoo's.

Gulping, he opened his mouth to speak but couldn't find words, distracted by his instincts purring deep within him. Instead, he subtly nodded. And as if Insoo already knew everything Myungsuk wanted to say, Insoo smiled. His wonderful, celestial smile.

Looking away first, Myungsuk sat back into his seat, his face burning. Insoo cleared his throat and turned away, their faces pinker than Myungsuk's drink.

Peeking up, Myungsuk gasped when he caught Insoo's glance, and they both hastily turned away. Myungsuk bit his lip while Insoo rubbed the back of his neck. A sheepish giggle coming from both of them.

"Right–" Insoo cleared his throat. "I should head out if I want to make it to class on time."

"Oh, right," Myungsuk said and pulled his hand away. Frowning at the sudden emptiness, he folded his own hands together. "I'll walk you out."

They got up, and Insoo grabbed his bag, his Giya keychain hanging from the lanyard wrapped around one of the straps. Myungsuk wiggled his toes at the sight of it.

Myungsuk led Insoo down the stairs, where the cafe was much busier and louder. Cringing, Myungsuk grabbed his earphones and stuffed them into his ear as he pushed the front door open.

"Text me later, okay?" Insoo asked.

"I will," Myungsuk said, and when Insoo didn't leave, he shuffled his feet.

"I should–"

"You should–"

They snapped their mouths closed, Insoo's blush reaching his neck. Myungsuk giggled and waited a moment before trying again. "See you later, Insoo."

"See you later," Insoo said, smiling and started to walk down the hill. Myungsuk stood at the door, waving harder each time Insoo turned around until he turned onto the main street and out of sight.

Sighing heavily, Myungsuk turned around and back into the cafe.

Myungsuk headed to the counter and grabbed his apron, watching Kwangsun pack a lunch box and Seunghyeon rinse glasses. Myungsuk sighed.

"Uh oh. That was quick," Kwangsun said, cracking a smile.

"What was?" Myungsuk asked, furrowing his brows.

"That sigh," Kwangsun said and turned to Seunghyeon. "Insoo left a minute ago, and he's already sad."

Seunghyeon chuckled. "Oh, to be young."

"What are you two talking about?" Myungsuk crossed his arms. "Don't talk about me like I'm not here."

Kwangsun handed the box to the customer and turned around. "Your sigh. That was an 'I miss him' sigh," he said.

Myungsuk frowned and shrugged. "That's right. I do miss him. Is that wrong?"

Seunghyeon opened his arms, and Myungsuk leaned into his chest. "No. We're just teasing," he said, chuckling. "Like, when did you manage to get a boyfriend without my help?"

Kwangsun smirked. "You say that like you're some guru."

"I know things," Seunghyeon scoffed, pointing his nose up.

Myungsuk looked back and forth between them, tugging his sleeves over his hands. "Insoo isn't my boyfriend."

They whipped around to face him. Myungsuk cringed, tugging his sleeves.

"Wait, you guys aren't?"

Myungsuk nodded.

Seunghyeon gritted his teeth. "Oi, what's he waiting for? I swear if he's stringing Myungsuk–"

Kwangsun held his hand up to stop Seunghyeon before turning to Myungsuk. "You know he's head over heels for you, right?"

Myungsuk blinked at him. "He is?"

"Of course," Seunghyeon defended. "I mean, look at you. You're so cute, and you guys are so into what the other is saying. And the way he looks at you when you're not looking is just so cute," Seunghyeon gushed and shook his head. "I'm surprised you're not boyfriends yet."

Staring at the two of them, Myungsuk pressed his hands to his chest, sucking in his breath. "How do I do it?"

"Do what?"

"How do I make Insoo my boyfriend?"