young kafé pt.2!au

*

As requested both a long time ago and recently, I have somehow spurted out a sequel to the day1 * jaehyungparkian young kafé story! Been listening to some french 30's and 40's café music and american 20's and 30's jazz/'calm music' to stir myself up, lol

Anyway... Hope y'all enjoy! ;D <3

(I apologize that this was so laaaaate T^T I was at marching band (all day) for awhile, and I kinda slammed my fingers in a window on the day this was actually supposed to go up, so yolo XD)

***

the lights were dimmed when jae stumbled into his apartment. as always, he tripped over the crease in the rug that greeted him at the door like a faithful dog (he payed it no mind), and then he set his guitar case beside the divan, on which he finally settled down with a lengthy exhale and an outward toss of his aching legs. he'd have to make the walk to and from the cafe daily, he reminded himself, and the thought itself left him with a feeling of dread. a small draft passed through the room and ruffled the sulking man's collar, creasing his clothing. the window was open. jae slid his fingers over his chest to rid of the crease riddling his upper body and froze. So... So soft?.. his clothing was usually coarse, or at least knotted in places... as his eyes cautiously moved lower and lower, jae counted every breath he took like a conductor swaying his arms to a set beat. when his gaze finally stopped to hover over the material of a plain white dress shirt with vertical blue stripes, his mind did a double take; that's right, he had met young k -- brian -- today. Oh, Brian... I have to make sure to return his shirt when I come to work tomorrow! the musician's nose wavered over the fabric, wrinkled up in disgust. Better wash it, first...

the young man begrudgingly set his feet on the floor so he could lift himself from his comfortable position and made his way over to the washroom. the multi-purpose lavender soap was taken out of the drawer for the first time in ages, was doused in water and used to scrub away at the grime on the faded shirt. jae's forehead was welled in sweat. he didn't care. all he knew at the moment was brian — his overwhelmingly charming new boss, the one who was refusing to leave his brain despite all the attempts to keep him out of there — and this was brian's shirt. Brian's shirt... I can't believe I was wearing his shirt... jae's hand movements slowed while his heart pranced at an unusually speedy pace. Shit... What have I become? Some chick in a gothic novel?! the distraught man was forced to wash his hair when his denying fingers found refuge in his mussed locks.

*

an hour had passed from the moment he first lay on the divan, and there jae was again, thinking about a certain alluring man all while staring at the ceiling. jae wasn't homosexual... he wasn't homosexual at all!! so why were a man's bassy voice and gentle fingertips playing on repeat in his head like the record blasting tino rossi's rendition of "poeme" with the crackly needle dancing along its smooth surface on the stand beside the lamp? Goddammit, Mark! It's all your fault!!!

and just as jae passed his fingers through his freshly-washed hair for the millionth time that evening, he heard the lock on the front door click, and then the sound of footsteps carried over to him from behind the small wall unnecessarily making itself comfortable in front of their door to obstruct vision of the living room. jae's groan echoed around the cramped living area in a grumpy: "great. he's back..." fists clenched, eyes squinted, the man slipped off of the divan and stomped over to the door to grab his roommate by the strap of his satchel bag. "you sleazy bastard! you've finally done it! now take responsibility for your actions!!"

"hey, hey! what did i ever do to you? i only just came home and you're already attacking me." mark's hands rose to wave around before he tried to tug his satchel away from jae's tight grip.

"what did you do to me? you infected me with your false beliefs, is what you did to me!!"

"what the hell?!"

"don't play innocent with me, tuan. i've always accepted you for who you are, but you never let me be myself in peace — always pestered me about goddamn lies and how i'm 'just denying the truth' — ALL BULLSHIT!! now because of you i'm in this huge shithole of a brain mess and can't get back in my own mindset!!"

the younger man's eyes were wide set in a question, and soon his mouth became an "o" to complete the look of surprise. "still have no clue, my man."

"you see this?!" jae was extremely frustrated: why couldn't mark just let on already so he wouldn't have to say it all out loud?!! "this... THIS is what i mean. 'my man.' yeah, i'm not 'your man' — i'm not any man's man, and i've never been that way — but now... but now my new boss is so goddamn... just... yeah. you know what i mean!!"

"what... he seduced you?" mark's eyes grew wider still, and a stray strand of gelled-up hair fell over them like a fainting duchess. "you have to file a case against him if he harassed you!!!"

jae's hand rose to unceremoniously smack his own forehead. a sharp hiss followed. "no, ya dimbit, i'm fucking gay for him!!"

his roommate's mouth sculpted itself into an "o" once more; this time in a gesture of understanding. "oh..." his eyes grew sneaky and cheeks hollowed in as his hands slipped into his pockets. "i see..."

"what do you fucking see, tuan?!" jae's snarling face matched the fist raised in fury beside his face. "my fist coming at you?"

mark didn't even flinch. his arms crossed, shoulder rested against the door, legs crossed, too. "i see you letting loose that veil you've kept over your true feelings since the beginning of the world."

jae was too busy slapping his beaming roommate's shoulder to retort.

*

"welcome to young kafé! what would you like today, sir?"

jae looked up at the owner of the familiar voice, finding himself staring at a just-as-familiar face which immediately brought a tremor to his already fast-beating heart. "hello there, brian." he couldn't help but smile when said café owner sat down in the chair across from him at the tiny circular table with the tiny plant and tiny honey pot and tiny sugar jar which he occupied, and when the man placed his chin on his rough-looking palm and sent over the most dazzling grin jae had ever seen, the musician nearly let his throat bubble up with a giddy giggle. nearly...

"hello there, jae."

jae thought that maybe, just maybe, he could get used to the heart-wrenching sensation he got from that in some time. Hopefully soon, he thought to himself. Hopefully right   n o w...

"jae?"

the man being called for with a sway of brian's free hand finally shrugged himself out of his daydreaming state. "huh?.."

"you're drooling." jae froze when he felt young k wipe the corner of his mouth with a handkerchief, shoulders raised, lips pouted outwards in confusion at his own reactions. "there. now you look decent enough to go on stage," younghyun half-joked, half-instructed, all while sending his own freshly-baked batch of heart-eyes to meet the older man's love-struck gaze.

"a... ah." jae clattered up, nearly dropping his chair in his hurry to get his sorry ass away from the man he was so unexpectedly crushing on. he didn't need any more slip-ups -- his brand new job was worth more than his newfound romantic confusion -- and he wanted to simply prove to himself that he was in control, to brian that he was capable of working with determination, and to mark that he was not gay. so his feet trudged away from the table after he sent his boss a salute and a hushed, "yessir."

the lanky man's figure was trailed by a pair of creased eyes and a faint grin of admiration. "why does this man intrigue me so damn much?.." younghyun tilted his head to the side as if resetting an hourglass and watched as the object of his curiosity unpacked his instrument and tuned it with his long legs crossed over a tall stool set at the center of the young kafé's prized veranda. "i wonder if i'm--"

*

jae busily packed up his guitar and got ready to leave the veranda to make way for the next group of artists who would be taking over the stage. a smile tugged at his face. though it was quite early in the morning, the café was already bustling with interactive customers -- many of the audience members' eyes did not leave him for as long as he was singing, their hands didn't stop clapping no matter how long he drew out his thank yous or rests between songs, and the rookie was thankful for that. such unprecedented support had definitely helped him ease into a more comfortable position on stage.

the musician suddenly felt a hand rest on his shoulder, and soon a single word, "stay," melted into his ear, a voice of hushed tones, of a ragged grace not many possessed. it was young k.

jae's head nodded of its own accord, nervous fingers clutched at a lone guitar case strap, lips twitched up into an unknowing arc. younghyun looked on, acting unfazed. but oh... he was fazed alright...

"as you request, boss."

younghyun's attempt at an unbothered expression fled, replaced by a twinkling set of teeth. "compliant, i see."

"for you, always." jae's hushed tone met deaf ears, and he shook away brian's confused "mm?" with a wave of his hand. "why am i staying again, mr. kang?"

younghyun's raised eyebrow immediately made way for a clear forehead. "you're singing with me, of course."

Did I hear him wrong?!! flashed in the shocked man's mind. Maybe I need an ear piece as well as spectacles...

brian, however, truly felt his heart skip a dozen beats at his own nerve. "you hear me, mr. park?"

"sorry--" jae cut himself off in fear that he may truly make a mistake. "once more."

a humor-filled sigh preceded a strangely seductive phrase, made so by a gruff, bass-filled voice and fingers lightly tracing jae's shirt collar. "sing with me."

*

"mark... i'm gay."

the man who had been called looked up from his newspaper and shook it out as if it needed a good dusting while jae moved into the living room after kicking his shoes off of his feet. "yes. and?--" his bespectacled eyes returned to the yellowing paper immediately.

"and..." jae groaned. he was definitely in a dejected mood right now, and the best he could do was talk to a homosexual about his newfound homosexuality. Great... Now that's not gonna be biased at all... "and-- and i just don't know what to do..."

with a sigh, mark set his reading spectacles to the side as his attention shifted to the disgruntled man in front of him. hands ready to comfort folded the newspaper in half and a warm body turned in a solitary chair to face a man with pouted lips and glossy eyes. the american-taiwanese man's stern tone did not match his deceptively soft exterior look, however. "well, what have you been doing so far?"

"..." jae took a few seconds to gather his thoughts together. his head still seemed pretty blank, though. "uh... i mean, i've kind of been panicking?? he--" the lanky man felt his cheeks warm up but kept talking anyway before he could lose his streak of courage. "my boss asked me to sing with him. and he wanted to sing al jolsen's 'all alone' -- and you know how important that song is to me..." jae's heart eyes only twinkled brighter as he said what he said next. "and you know... we didn't sing it quite as fast as al does... we took it down a notch, made it more intimate, more breathy. and the contrabass was pulling at the strings in my heart because his voice was such a melody beside it, and the violins were drawing a smile on my cheeks, and after the performance... after we left the stage... he told me i was the first and only person he ever sang a duet with on that stage... he said he wouldn't have it any other way." jae's throat constricted; he could no longer go on.

mark looked at him with a softness in his eye, and the musician felt a newfound ease creep into his heart. "maybe that means you two feel something special." the young man's lips were drawing up in a fond grin, his newspaper left abandoned on the table as he got up to pat jae's bony shoulder. "give it some time; you'll figure it out if you take it slow."

suddenly jae thought that maybe talking to a gay person about gay things wasn't so bad... those few words were enough for now. "hey... thanks."

mark's lips tilted upwards a bit more. "no problem. i've been there before... just don't worry and don't rush. be yourself. alright?"

jae's head tilted down in a gratuitous nod.

*

"encore!! encore!~"

brian looked over at jae with an enormous grin plastered on his face. it was currently the older man's turn to take a break, so the owner of the café had taken over the veranda with his fingers professionally balanced over the keys of the pristine grand piano which constantly decorated the stage. at the notion of a second chance to perform, to perform at the will of the audience rather than through obligation to keep his café musically occupied, the man decided to have some fun. so of course he gestured for his four-month-long employee (his favorite employee, at that, not that he would ever admit it even though it was damn obvious) to join him for a duet.

younghyun still didn't know why he allowed himself to open up to jae, to make him the only person with whom he sang duets on his priceless young kafé stage, that one special person to whom he could offer his voice as a harmony in a place so dear to him, in a place so... untouched. he knew he was attracted to the older man... but still. a few hours of knowing the guitarist and BAM! there went his prized veranda duet virginity. now four months had passed of them being acquainted, and nothing much had changed. it was as if jae had sprung into his café and shot him with a cupid's arrow -- young k was most definitely in love, and there was no denying it; especially when his heart was aching to draw the musician closer and closer with every day that passed (they had gotten to know each other better by talking whenever they were free, by stealing secret glances, ordering favorite teas and coffees and treats for each other when the other was performing... but he wanted something MORE, something CLOSER YET) -- and the café owner simply let himself roll with the tide at this point. he knew about the underground homosexual societies hidden beneath la, but he had no need for them any longer. simply being attracted to a man like jae was enough to keep him satisfied. he didn't need a bar full to the brim with dancing men, a pleasurable moment, a one-night 'time of his life' anymore; seeing jae every day (except the weekends) was his saving grace from breaking (shitty) laws, seemingly...

jaehyung's face brightened and he immediately rose from his seat when he saw younghyun's signal. as soon as his eager feet carried him up the small set of stairs leading to the veranda-stage, a whispered, "what are we singing, mr. kang?" left his grinning lips.

"i was thinking of only instrumentals for today. what are you up for?"

jae's heart twitched along with his fingers, and he shyly uttered out, "freelance?"

younghyun's brows lifted in a secretive gesture of How did you know I wanted that? What are you doing to me, Park Jae Hyung??! his lips tittered up into a grin, teeth shone with a sparkle similar to the one accenting his sharp eyes, and his fingers formed into a gorgeous chord which smoothed over his reply of, "how did you guess my thoughts, mr. park?" like butter over warm bread.

jae only smiled.

soon enough, his guitar was back in his hands, the café dwellers were settling in their seats with eager eyes and waiting ears, and both performers were sending each other looks of confirmation (with a bit of... a L O T of... adoration laced in between).

"ready?"

jae nodded.

"good."

then they began. jae strummed chord after chord, slowly, haltingly, his fingers lingering on the frets and smoothing over the strings for that satisfying sound of metal sliding over fingernails. young k hummed, waited, joined in after a bit. jazz. jazz and the sounds of intertwining harmonies, straying notes, off-beat wanderings in the sake of musical creativity. it was all so free, so banded together and taken apart and sewed back together, and jae was loving every second of it. younghyun was surprisingly good with his fingers -- the guitar was in his dictionary, the piano was in his thesaurus, the bass was in his blood -- and the older man couldn't help but imagine those skilled hands tracing over his body some time later. his motions halted, lip grew slack, eyes glossed over. Well... Damn.

brian only continued to play, a twinkle in his eye and a prance to his fingertips. the break in the guitar strumming only brought the café owner to a well-placed piano solo, gave his mind some room to roam, to think of his fingers twirling through jae's matted black hair -- the man, unlike most, did not bother to gel back his messy locks, and younghyun was living for it -- and tugging the man's face closer and in for a heart-melting kiss. the speed of the pianist's fingers rose and rose, matched the beat of his heaving chest; a sweat droplet fell to his straining hand, tongue lifted to lick at his upper lip, eyes flickered over to the man watching him in awe from beside the piano. his teeth unintentionally gripped onto his lower lip as he concentrated, hot, h o t, jae in his sight and music in his mind, frantic, quick, forte, allegro -- presto -- prestissimo, even -- and then jae was joining in once more, as quick as him, just as fast, just as needy, heating up, wanting... but soon younghyun felt his strength faltering, his fingers aching, and even the sight of the guitarist's staring eyes and parted lips wouldn't keep him together for much longer. so he sent jae a few nods, signalling how many beats till their stop -- four -- four more... and then they both halted, caught their stolen breaths as the audience burst into applause, into coos of "bravo" and "bravo bis!"

jae sent younghyun a breathless smile, and the man felt his heartbeat falter.

*

jae walked into his apartment with a sigh. it was unusually quiet -- mark would usually be playing a record by this time -- they had gotten enough complaints from the neighbors for jae to know from the past -- and the glasses-clad musician peeked into the living room in worry. "wh-- matt?" indeed, there stood matthew kim with mark all wrapped up in his arms, their lips dancing together, eyes closed and ignorant to jae's presence. Did he forget that I'm coming home earlier than usual? jae thought to himself while trying to erase the image of mark and his man out of his mind. "guess i'll leave you two to it, then..." jae whispered to himself and grabbed his key back out of his pocket. the males interlocked in a passionate kiss took no notice. the musician's guitar stayed beside the door while his feet carried him outside, where he locked the entrance to his home and leaned against the wall for a second. after letting loose a sigh, he went off to stretch his legs -- he could use some more exercise after the semi-lengthy walk back home from his workplace, right? Agh... What a bother...

the musician's weary feet carried him to the small patch of grass and trees which this part of l.a. liked to call a park. it was quite undersized, but not too shabby, and jae was actually okay with it being not so big in proportion: the less pollen and chlorophyll, the safer his nose was from allergies, itching, sneezing excessively, the like. a bench awaited his aching legs, and the man happily fell onto it with a mighty exhale. his eyelids dropped, mind collapsed into a daydream. strangely comfortable, jae dozed off within a heartbeat.

"hey." jae was stirred awake by a low yet smooth voice issuing from above him. "you need a place to stay?"

his lips spread into a sleepy smile, eyes still lightly drawn shut, lashes playfully brushing his cheeks. "brian," he dreamily breathed out. "you're the man."

the addressee felt his cheeks bloom with a smile like they seemed to do whenever jae was around. Then can I be your man for the evening? he was tempted to say. but instead, his lips folded into a satisfied, "of course i am." his hand reached out, and, with a grunt which signaled the man sitting on the bench to open his eyes, brian gripped jae's hand which soon rose towards his so he could help the sleepy man up.

"but truly... thank you." jae didn't make a move to let go of brian's hand. not like either of them minded. "my roommate has his partner over..."

"understandable." brian smirked and raised his brows. "they gettin' it on?"

jae drowsily huffed out a laugh. "most definitely." a station wagon passing by caught them by surprise with its blaring horn and their hands ripped apart.

*

"so... i see you like music..."

"i thought i made that pretty clear."

"mm... maybe you did. maybe you didn't." jae's fingers deftly rifled through the stacks of records adorning younghyun's wall. he was suddenly so full of energy! it was an enjoyable sight for brian — the man wished it would never end. he'd put on a vinyl custom-made with some of his favorite songs, and it softly circulated denny davis and roy fox and his orchestra's "what a difference a day made" in the background, a light atmosphere emanating from its gentle yet slightly crackling sounds. just the sight of jae's hands sliding along the vinyl covers brought butterflies to the man's chest, ants to his arms, moths to his stomach. "you have quite a variety."

"yep." 

while jae continued his excited search through the countless shelves lining brian's living room wall, the younger man unnoticeably slunk closer and closer to him until his breath gently landed on the older's nape. jaehyung stilled, arms raised to reach for the highest shelf, breath catching in his throat. Oh man... two sturdy arms gently rose around his torso -- jae could just barely see them out of the corners of his eyes, all blurred because they were out of the range of his spectacles -- stopped, seemed to be indecisive in whether they should land on jae's body or not. the older man gulped, steeled himself; his arms lowered until they were laid out atop younghyun's, hands guiding his boss's to rest on his flat stomach. 

brian finally eased up, relaxed a bit. his arms tightened slightly, grin tugged at a relieved mouth. "which is your favorite? you can have it."

"i-i-- i mean--" jae stuttered out, fingertips nervously tracing those calloused hands comfortingly holding him. "i like jo stafford, i guess..."

"done." one arm left the man's torso and sought out a record right before jae's nose, the one his eyes had nervously snagged the artist's name off of not a second before. "it's yours." warm air against jae's ear, thin lips almost touching his skin, and then it was all gone -- brian was off to hide his flustered face with a call of, "make yourself comfortable while i put on some tea."

shaken, the lanky man stood frozen a few seconds before he finally staggered over to the love seat, where he plopped down quite unceremoniously. his eyes roamed the wall in a dreamlike state. had that really just happened? his heart was just about ready to leap out of his chest, he didn't know what to do...

"you want some earl grey?"

jae snapped out of his daze and sent a soft smile to the host while sitting up more politely on the love seat. "sure thing."

brian smiled at him and was off to the kitchen once more. jae took the time to get himself together. Just be yourself. Be yourself, and don't you rush anything, Jaehyung Park. Take it slow. Don't you dare burn your tongue on that tea Brian's making you... 

the tea was out in no time, set on the coffee table on a tray with sugar and honey set to the side.

brian sat beside jae on the love seat and nervously turned towards the older man. "jae..."

"yes?"

the younger man seemed to debate with himself internally before he finally squeezed some words out of his throat. "let me be frank with you. i--" his hands, previously jittering in his lap, flew towards the guitarist's, gently gripping them. jae's heart leapt for the millionth time that day. "i--"

"i love you," jae impulsively whispered, his lips parted so his voice was breathy and unexpected.

brian's eyes grew slightly big, his eyebrows rose, mouth opened a bit. but, not a second later: "i love you, too."

"i love you...~" jae leaned forward, his eyes pleading for it to not be some sick joke, for it all to be real, for brian to be accepting and free and at least a bit homosexual and just-as-in-love, and soon he got his answer.

"saranghaeyo...~" and brian's eyes fluttered shut, breathy exhale met jae's mouth, hands traced all the way up to the musician's hair. lips met lips.

jeanette macdonald's "isn't it romantic" floated through the air. the teapot stood on the coffee table, forgotten. jae and brian gave each other all they had.