After the last message was sent, Hyunjin quickly got ready to leave.

He fished his hoodie and pants out of his closet and then slipped them on.
He picked up his bag after that, safely stowing his laptop, money, and gum inside.

However, Hyunjin paused as his reflection watched him put on his sneakers.
The dark blue Hoodie hid the lingerie set he was wearing. The one he had been looking forward to presenting to his viewers for the past two days.

But for the umpteenth time, the pair played into his cards. Hyunjin tore his eyes away from the reflection and brushed his hair out of his face. "What a fucking mess..."

Continuing to curse to himself, he closed the door of his apartment behind him and stuffed his headphones into his ears.
When they finally connected to his phone, the all-too-familiar melody of his favorite song resounded.

He made his way down the stairs of his apartment building... more or less reluctantly.

Yes, there was an elevator.
But even Hyunjin, who really wasn't the most athletic, could run up and down the whole 106 stairs three times until the elevator reached the bottom.

So he preferred to walk through the poorly lit, gray, and incredibly dirty stairwell rather than wait in the elevator.
On the first floor, he wasted no time looking in his mailbox, which was by now crammed with advertisements; but disappeared down the dark hallway and out the back door into the night.

A fresh breeze and the nightlife greeted him, sending goosebumps down his spine. A jacket would have been a good idea...
Nevertheless, the young man started walking again, now among the masses of people in the pedestrian zone.

Don't get Hyunjin wrong, life in Seoul wasn't completely terrible, you can get from one place to another within seconds, there are a lot of people (although that can probably be considered a negative point too) and a variety of attractions here.
But somehow in situations like this, he often falls into the feeling of being lonely and almost naked without anyone next to him.

Hyunjin walked on beat with the music, little white clouds leaving his mouth while exhaling.

His gaze lingered on the couples in the crowd who were in each other's arms as they held hands.
They were even kissing each other's cheeks with that lovesick eyes for each other.

God damn Hyunjin you're 21, how can you still think like a teenager!?
He cursed himself in his mind and shook his head slightly.

Being an adult is hard sometimes.
Especially if you're "stupidly romantic", as his friends told him.

More people mixed with the crowd, forming a tighter cage for everyone to march in. Automatically, Hyunjin pulled his shoulders closer together; his hands disappearing in the pocket of his hoodie.

Internally, along with his thoughts came the joy that the hangout of the group was only a few minutes away from his apartment.

For real, yes night sky aesthetics and such, but what the hell is wrong with people being so hectic all day? And why was it so freezing cold??

The crowds quickened his steps, pushing his lanky figure farther and farther forward.
Even through his headphones, he could clearly hear the loud stomping of millions of feet and vibrating of several conversations... it had something creepy and deeply unsettling about it.

Through the suction, it was almost impossible to change direction or exit in Hyunjin's case as he reached his destination.

So he went with the easiest method. Elbows out and push your way (politely) to your goal.

In front of him, the familiar building rose into the air.
A nondescript gray block like any other, plastered with advertisements and flashing signs.

With a few loud inhales and exhales he had recovered from the mini fight and straightened up.

The door opened on that movement, letting the boy enter the warmer room.

He took a few quick steps to the elevator and pressed the button.
While the button was blinking, Hyunjin took out his headphones and put them in his pocket.
Somewhere in the building, a karaoke bar had opened... and it was obviously not soundproofed.

He was all the more grateful when the elevator finally opened and there was no one inside. Hyunjin slipped in, pressing number five on the switchboard.
Another perk of this elevator was that unlike the one at home, it actually worked.
In moments, the elevator took him to the fifth floor.

The fifth floor.
Like every other in the skyscraper, not particularly exciting.
A few offices here, a few small companies there; but one of the doors was interesting to Hyunjin.

With a small smile on his lips, he pushed down the dark handle of the door and entered.

A scent of coffee beans, books, and pastries enveloped him that he would have loved to throw open his arms and shout loudly, "I'm home!"

He didn't, of course.

Instead, he nodded to the people behind the counter and scanned through the room. His gaze found the familiar figures fast.
No wonder by the appearance they had.

He meant that as a compliment...

Hyunjin walked over to the table next to the window, tip-toeing as he got closer.
Minho was the closest, therefore his victim.

„Boo!"
He shook the other's shoulders, screaming in his ear.

„Holy fucking shit!"
And earned a punch in the ribs. He groaned out in pain.

„What the fuck Minho?"
„I should ask that, what the fuck is your problem?" the brown-haired man asked, running through his hair.
„Scared the shit out of me..."

Hyunjin, still holding his side, went to a free seat.

"I regret coming here," Seungmin said. The male sat on the other side of the table, stirring in his steaming mug.
But his friends just shrugged, proceeding to nag each other.

Hyunjin made himself comfortable on one of the black leather high chairs, letting his backpack slowly slide off his shoulders.
The material beneath him felt like it was made for him and the smile on his lips grew.
His eyes wandered to the panoramic window.

No matter how many times he had been here and no matter how long he had lived in Seoul; the view from the teeming and brightly lit city was beyond breathtaking. Way better than what it looked like as he went here.

It must have been one of the thousand reasons why the café hadn't gone bankrupt yet.
„The Teahouse" was a refuge and meeting place for students and young people like him.
To get away from the stress and the standards outside.
Maybe also to spoil themselves with one of the cakes and cookies.
Some also came here just to crash and sleep in one of the sitting areas.
No kidding, the place was like a little paradise.

He had no time to daydream as Seungmin started talking.
„Changbin just texted, he'll pick up Felix and then get here."

Minho snickered and shook his head. "They will never go anywhere alone, will they?"

„I mean Felix wants to, but, and I quote: Felix needs protection, just look at him, he's so small."

"Changbin is babying him..."

„Tell me something new." Seungmin rolled with his eyes.
A waitress made her way to their table, doing her job and having a bit of small talk with the boys.

She knew them by now, the three or more months the group met up here.

And after a little wait, she brought coffee and cookies for Minho and Hyunjin; resulting in yet another dispute.

—

Even if it took a while, they both settled down and Hyunjin's laptop was now unfolded; an Excel chart visible on the screen.

„Honestly you're looking broke already, but what's that... how...?"
Seungmin pointed the falling viewer quote out, raising his eyebrow.

„I know, I know..." Hyunjin cried out, leaning his forehead against Minho's shoulder, who shook him off. His impulsive online-shopping spree showed in his finances, how embarrassing.

„Eyo mate~"
It suddenly sounded low next to him. Seungmin sighed out loud.

„Felix!"
Hyunjin's mood switched in seconds, as he turned to the right where his best friend stood with open arms.

A happy sigh left the two as the taller one fell into Felix's arms. "Yayyyy~" They jumped around a little, engulfing each other.

Meanwhile Changbin, just sat down next to the Singer, pretending as if he didn't know the other two males.

After the two had calmed down a bit, Hyunjin sat back down.

„How was work?" he asked, amused at the image of his friend clambering onto the chair with detours.

„Crappy as usual," the other replied, holding his grim expression for only a few seconds. "But we haven't seen each other in ages, have we?"
His with freckles decorated face light up, making him look like sun-shine in person.

But 'ages' only meant two days.

„Are you finished now?" Minho asked, looking around the café.

„No, actually-"

„Anyway, y'all order something so we can get back to this." Seungmin interupped, pointing to the screen.

—

„What am I going to do?" With questioning eyes, Hyunjin sank into the depths of his coffee, where his pitiful self was reflected.

„Moving would be an option..." Changbin said cautiously.

"Nope."
Came it back with a shake of Hyunjin's head.
Felix sighed with a shook of his blond hair.

Silence settled over the group. It has been hours now.
And the same thing kept happening: they say something, but Hyunjin rejecting it milliseconds afterward.

So they were staring blankly out the window, lost in their own thoughts.
"What else could you do?"
It was a fair question.

"Is there anything that could make you even more attractive?" Hyunjin turned to Seungmin indignantly that the other quickly added after, "From content, not your looks."

The male turned back to his cup, thinking.
"Not really..." He bit the inside of his cheek. "Subs are trendy but there are so many," he said.

Felix nodded, letting his dyed blond hair dance around his face.
"...Chan and Jeongin just have the advantage of being two." He began carefully.

Hyunjin couldn't argue with his words, whether he liked it or not. Even Changbin held back his simping words for the couple that seemed to ruin his friend's life.

But the two of them were just undeniable hot together.
When there are two of you, you can attract several types of people at the same time. The ones who like brats, the ones who want a daddy, the ones who want to watch a couple fuck like the camera isn't even there. The list could go on forever.

Then it hit Hyunjin like a flash.

His hand hit flat on the dark tabletop. "What if I get a partner too?"

But the group remained silent.

"Remember that one time you told me to do a stream with you?" Felix's tone just dripped with skepticism.

"Yeah yeah but that's different...you're my friend."

"You had to stop the stream because we both laughed so hard that people thought we were having some kind of seizure." Felix grinned at the thought of it every time.

"Just don't remind me!" Mortified, Hyunjin laughed as his entire face warmed up.

"Holy shit are you blushing?!" Minho slapped his hand in front of his mouth.
"Oh kiss my ass..."

"Can I get you guys anything else?" Suddenly, one of the female employees stood behind the two; that Hyunjin let out a very non-masculine squeak.

"O-one more tea." Felix blurted out through laughing tears.
"Another coffee for me, please" The muffled reply from the brown-haired one sounded, who was lying on the table with his arms above his head. "Sure I'll bring you that in a few minutes."
The girl smiled softly one more time before turning and walking.

"I hate my life..." Hyunjin sighed in complaint from under his arms.

"Oh come on, it wasn't that bad, " Changbin said with a big grin on his face.
In return, his friend sent him a death glare before sitting up.

—

While Felix finished the remainder of his tea, the other opened a blank document on his laptop. He moved it more in the middle between them so that everyone could watch what was on the screen.

After a few minutes of silence, and after the employee brought them both new drinks, Hyunjin turned to his friends. "So what's the plan?"

Under other circumstances, they would have laughed again, but the other's serious expression showed that he really needed their help. Again.

Seungmin reached for the pen to write on the screen.
"If we go with the idea of you finding a partner," he wrote along as he talked.
"Then we have a concept to work with at least..."
On the screen, written in big, blue letters stood the words "SUB X SUB".

A round of hums and nods went around their table.
Words could hardly express how grateful Hyunjin was that his friends were like that.
Because with everyone else he would have had to explain, they just knew.

Hyunjin, probably the biggest sub, had a thing for submissive boys; without a single exception.

Sure they made fun of him and his streams, but the fact that they were watching them (if you forget the weird part of knowing that) and paying attention to him as a person meant the world to him.

—

More hours passed and the despair Hyunjin arrived with slowly but surely formed into a plan. It became later and later, to the point none of them felt like they could form a real sentence anymore.

"What about we go with this, and if anything goes off road we'll fix it?" Changbin asked while yawning loudly. Everyone agreed and they began getting all their stuff together.

"I'll pay." Before anyone could protest Changbin had already took off to the counter and started talking with the person behind it.

"He's so stubborn..." Minho laughed, already walking to the door.

"Will you ever stop complaining about everything??" Seungmin replied, knowing that the answer was 'no' anyway.

—

So the group separated with a round of hugs in front of the building.

"We'll go through this together," Minho said, after parting from the slightly awkward hug with Hyunjin. The younger smiled at his words.

"I love you Hyunjin and if you can't pay rent anymore you can crash at my place," the Australian halfway screamed as he jumped to hug his friend. "I'm not that broke!" Hyunjin protested, squeezing Felix in his arms and burying his face in the hood of his sweater.

"Y'all are acting as if you will never see each other again..."

"Minho I swear to god let them be cute and stop complaining!" Seungmin glared at the older man, emphasizing the last word with a warning poke to his chest.

—

Felix still waved goodbye as Changbin dragged him away and Hyunjin walked the other way back home.

He didn't bother to put his headphones in this time, letting every small aspect work its way into his memory.
The empty coffee cup that laid on the ground and got kicked around, no one minding to pick it up.
The way the caged in Trees lost their leaves with every little blow of the wind, with every passing car or Bus.

He arrived at his district quick.

As he stepped inside the building, much to his dismay, not a single thing changed.
The temperature was the same as outside, making his whole body cold to the bone.

The sound of his sleepy steps echoed all the way up in the staircase. A random, beaten-up clock in the middle of his way showed the time.

Almost 1am. Damn.

Hyunjin sighed, climbing the rest of the stairs up and quickly entering his apartment.

Hyunjiiiiin
I'm back home
Sleep well <3

Lix
You too hun <3

His clothes left his body fast and Hyunjin threw them on the ground, telling himself that he'll pick them up tomorrow.
He continued his night routine and trotted to the bathroom. While a face mask dried on his skin, he picked his phone back up.

Bin
Probably gonna pull an all-nighter
anyway-
Y'all better sleep >:(

Minho
what kind of motherly shit is
happening rn?

Seungminnie
sleep tight and have
a beautiful nightmare
Also Minho, I hate you
<33

Minho
The youth of today
Is so disrespectful

It was satisfying knowing that his friends were safe and probably somewhat asleep at this point.

Yes, he might not be the most intelligent or the mom/dad-friend of the group, but still... he really loved them. And their rude comments. Or their behavior.

But Hyunjin on the other side stood in his bathroom, looking the other Hyunjin firmly in the eyes.

The toothbrush in his mouth almost falling out, he swore to himself that he would find someone with whom he could work with. To add more seriousness he pointed his finger at his mirror, scoffing as he realized what he was doing.

"Go to sleep..." The male mumbled to himself, dragging himself to his bed and plopping down in the soft sheets.

( pls don't kill me for taking this down okay??)
( I hope I could make it sound less fanfiction-ish and more realistic... at least a little?! ;-;)
( Don't forget to vote and comment chéries~)