Oops! This image does not follow our content guidelines. To continue publishing, please remove it or upload a different image.
───── ⋆⋅☆⋅⋆ ─────
A
s the café settled into the quiet lull of the afternoon, Hanbin found himself with less work and more time to linger around the counter where Hao was stationed. The morning rush had ended, and the usual weekday crowd had thinned out, leaving the two of them with a rare stretch of time alone.
Hao was wiping down the counter, humming softly to himself, oblivious to Hanbin's gaze. His focus was broken, though, when Hanbin leaned against the counter beside him, arms crossed, watching him with a faint smirk.
"Enjoying the view?" Hao asked, glancing at Hanbin out of the corner of his eye.
Hanbin chuckled, rolling his eyes. "You caught me. You always put on such a show with your cleaning skills."
Hao let out a soft laugh, nudging Hanbin with his elbow. "Well, I do aim to impress, hyung."
Hanbin raised an eyebrow, noticing the glint of confidence in Hao's smile. "Seems you're getting bolder, Hao. What happened to that shy guy from the other night?"
"Maybe he's still around," Hao replied, his tone softer as he looked at Hanbin. "Or maybe he just feels like he can... you know, be himself around you."
Hanbin paused, caught off guard by the sincerity in Hao's words. He felt his usual witty response slip away, replaced by something warmer, something that made his heart race just a bit. "I... feel the same way," he admitted, the words coming out quieter than he'd intended.
They both fell silent, the air between them thickening as they held each other's gaze. It was one of those rare moments when the usual banter fell away, leaving only the unspoken tension that had been simmering for weeks. Hanbin cleared his throat, breaking the silence but not the closeness.
"So, about that party..." Hanbin began, his voice teasing but his eyes searching Hao's face. "Did you have fun?"
Hao nodded, a soft smile on his lips. "Yeah. Thanks to you."
"Oh, please. I'm sure there were plenty of other people you could've gone with."
"Maybe," Hao admitted, his smile growing. "But none of them are you."
Hanbin's smirk faded, replaced by something more genuine. "Hao, you're really pushing it," he murmured, though there was no threat in his voice.
Hao's smile widened, his eyes gleaming with a rare hint of boldness. "What? You can dish it, but you can't take it?"
Hanbin let out a low laugh. "Careful. You might be surprised what I can take."
They stared at each other, and the silence returned, but this time it was charged, thick with the tension they'd both been skirting around for so long. Before he could second-guess himself, Hanbin leaned in just a bit closer, testing the boundary between them.
