(Daehyun's Perspective)

During his break, Hyosung pulled Daehyun to the side and told him not to leave immediately when his shift was over because there was something she wanted to discuss in her office. Red flags went up in Daehyun's brain at his boss's more distant and annoyed tone that lacked all of her usual cheeriness.

Of course, this caused his brain to shift into panic mode, and the entire rest of his shift was contemplating what he'd done wrong to warrant being called into Hyosung's office. 'Did I somehow offend a customer earlier? Have I not been performing well enough? Have I upset my coworkers somehow?'

By the end of his shift, Daehyun was braced for the worst. That being that he'd somehow done something extreme enough to call for being fired, a thought that led to a whole different kind of panic in his brain. After Hyosung registered the knock on her door and called him in, Daehyun stood tensely, waiting for the inevitable words of his downfall.

They didn't come.

“Sorry I called you in like this buddy, but I need your help with something,” she declared. She stood from her desk, propping a hand on a poked out hip and running her fingers through her hair with a half smile on her lips.

That was the opposite of what he expected to hear. “Um, what do you need, noona?” Daehyun wondered quietly. He was feeling better about this already, and the panic in his brain died down to a muted flicker as his muscles relaxed.

“Well, Corporate's on my back about always having to send down a manager for Wednesdays. They want me to figure out someone here to promote to manager for Wednesdays so they won't have to send someone anymore,” she explained with a sigh. A tiny head shake and eye roll of annoyance, and then it became clear to Daehyun that Hyosung was annoyed with the higher ups and the situation at hand.

“I uh... How exactly am I supposed to help with this?”

“I'm asking all my workers who they think would be best suited for it,” she responded with a flick of her bangs from her face. “So, Daehyun. I want your honest opinion. Who do you think would be the best option?”

From what Daehyun could gather, managerial work was a conglomerate of multiple tasks that required a level head and decent knowledge on everything that was going on. Good at talking and listening in equal measure, capable of thinking on their feet, able to keep things held together, and able to precisely work the numbers.

All qualities that Hyosung clearly possessed, hence her status as the manager. But everybody else was a mixture. Daehyun put himself into deep thinking mode because he didn't want to suggest someone who wouldn't be a good fit! He ruminated out loud, more to himself than to Hyosung, while he drummed his fingers together.

A drawn out hum in thought. “Minjae's great with talking and organization, not so much with the numbers. He also has that broken arm and won't be back for a bit, so there's that...” If he didn't have that broken arm, Daehyun would probably be choose Minjae as his first pick. Minjae's station was at the front, taking reservations and seating tables, but he did it with an efficiency that Daehyun believed went hand in hand with what a good manager should do.

“Hyesoo's the opposite in that she's great with the numbers but reserved with the talking...” In that sense, maybe she was better suited for kitchen work, but her culinary skills were unknown. She was probably the only person at Shortstub's that was quieter than Daehyun. A manager who couldn't speak easily would probably be walked all over.

“Jaehan is well rounded, but definitely works the floor better than doing the money side of things...” He's always been more of a chatty fellow and could easily get along well with people from all walks of life. A good trait for a manager, but his monetary abilities were mediocre at best. Jaehan often complained that numbers were more of a headache than anything else.

“Byounggon's more interested in working the kitchen, but he's decent with talking, numbers and keeping things together...” While his skills would work for the opening, his multiple mentions in passing that he'd much rather be working the kitchen than the floor stuck out to Daehyun.

“Wonjun's a mess with time management but a pro when it comes to talking things through and is okay with the numbers...” If he didn't call out all the time for one reason or another, he'd be a good pick for the position. But since he's unreliable on scheduling, putting a position like this in his hands would be wildly irresponsible.

Daehyun grumbled, brows furrowed while his fingers picked up their pace. Kitchen staff would probably be off limits for this promotion since their section was an entirely different thing than the floor...

A faint chuckle sounded through the room, and that's when Daehyun recalled why he was doing this. “You can't throw everybody's name into the bucket for the running,” Hyosung said, an amused smile tugging at her lips.

“That's not what I was doing, noona,” he pouted. “I was just... working through my thoughts so I could make the best pick.”

“Your verdict?”

“Based on my observations of everybody...” Daehyun gave his final decision one last thought. How often would the numbers come up on a Wednesday? If things were ordinary, the likelihood that numbers would need to be part of it were slim. Even if the end of the month fell on a Wednesday, Hyosung always tried to get things figured out beforehand. “Jaehan would be your best bet, I think.”

“So you think Jaehan, got it...” Hyosung grabbed a pen and scribbled down his name on a notepad on her desk. “Thanks for your input, buddy! You can get home now, I won't keep you for any longer!” She was all bright smiles and cheery tones, and with the reassurance that he'd see her at work tomorrow, Daehyun walked out into the cold February weather and onwards towards the apartment complex.

Based on routine, he was on the way to Youngjae's apartment specifically since he'd gotten the invite. The only times he declined were if he'd previously told Zelo he'd hang out with him. Or the very rare occasion when Daehyun wanted to be alone, which had yet to happen.

It was a bit later than usual, but hopefully Youngjae would be understanding about it.

When he walked into the complex, he was met with the soothing sounds from Youngjae's piano. Daehyun had half the thought to just go upstairs and figure something else out, telling Youngjae that he hadn't wanted to interrupt his flow.

Daehyun always felt bad for interrupting him when he sounded so into what he was doing.

The other half said Youngjae's response to that would be him telling Daehyun that he should've knocked anyway and that he could easily get back into playing once Daehyun was inside and settled.

Daehyun decided to let the second half win and knocked on Youngjae's door. A surge of anxiety hit when the piano sounds stopped, but it was quickly replaced with the warmth that accompanied anything to do with Youngjae once his boyfriend answered the door and brightened.

“There you are, I was starting to think you'd gone up to your apartment instead.” He ushered Daehyun in and vanished into the kitchen, likely for tea. Daehyun hung up his coat and scarf by the door and gently sat down in the chair that was already placed by the piano.

“I'm sorry I'm late. Hyosung needed to talk to me about something,” he explained as Youngjae strode back in with the same mug he'd been giving Daehyun for weeks now. Maybe he'd ask why one day, but that time wasn't right now.

“It's fine,” he waved off, as he sat back down in front of the piano. “What did she need? Hour readjustments and scheduling?” After the ritualistic crack of his knuckles, he started from the beginning of the song he'd been playing when he'd been interrupted.

“No, actually. She was asking my opinion on who should get the promotion Corporate wants her to do.” After a satisfying sip of tea, Daehyun elaborated, “Something about needing to fill the managerial roll for Wednesdays when she's not allowed to work.”

“Did you consider yourself for it?”

Daehyun shook his head and took another sip. The thought that the promotion could be his honestly hadn't even crossed his mind...

Youngjae glancing over inquisitively was enough to coax words of explanation out of Daehyun. “I didn't even think about it, but... I'm fine with what I've got? I also believe others there are more qualified for it than me... Maybe that's why it didn't cross my mind.”

'Me and a managerial position probably wouldn't mix well, either. I can hardly manage my own life! How could I manage a restaurant, even if it was only for one day a week?'

“Makes sense,” Youngjae commented with a nod of understanding. Right as he was starting the next song, he abruptly stopped within the first few notes and slammed his fist into his palm. “Oh! I need to schedule a meeting with my boss before the end of the month!” he exclaimed, and the suddenness of it had Daehyun jumping in his skin and scrambling to make sure he didn't spill tea all over himself. With a gentle clear of his throat, he went back to playing. “Sorry for the outburst.” A tiny little laugh, sheepish in nature, passed through his lips.

For a brief second, the thought of 'adorable' flickered through Daehyun's mind, and he hid the smile from that behind his mug of tea. “It's fine,” he assured. “Um, why? If you don't mind me asking...”

“With the season change coming up, I need to rework my schedule. Spring to fall I get the weekends off to upkeep my parents' lake house,” he explained.

“...I see.” Daehyun tried to hide his disappointment at the upcoming routine shift by taking another sip of tea, and it seemed to work.

“Gosh, the first two weekends of March are probably just going to be me cleaning the damn place. Three months of dust and grime to clean...” Youngjae sighed, brows furrowing and slightly frowning. He shook his head to himself and let out a breath through his lips that vibrated his lips together. “I'll probably drag Jaebeom out there to help me,” he declared. “His help will be better than going it solo.”

Over a week later, and Daehyun's brain was still having a field day with Jaebeom. Not only was his brain not wanting to wrap around the fact that it was possible to be friendly with an ex lover, it was also trying to convince him that Youngjae was lying despite the auditory evidence Daehyun had.

'Jaebeom has a boyfriend, and Youngjae has me. He told me so himself!' Even in disregarding Youngjae's present relationship, the idea that he would chase a man who was already dating someone was preposterous! Besides, why would Youngjae have told him about having dated Jaebeom once so openly if he'd been sneaking around? By that logic, Youngjae's assurance that nothing remained other than friendship between him and Jaebeom was the truth!

As much as Daehyun wanted to trust in Youngjae's words, his brain was insistent on reminding him of what happened the last time he'd done that. Years of being strung along. His misplaced trust being shattered and abused. Painful months of being told he'd hallucinated it all...

His brain's logic was by example. Sunhwa had him, yet she still went for someone else. She'd done it, so why wouldn't Youngjae? She had to do it for a reason, right? Youngjae would find that same reason eventually and do the same thing, even if it wasn't with his friendly ex. Even with the trust that there was nothing between them, that didn't mean someone else wouldn't come up...

Jae hyung isn't the chicken , Daehyun. Just because she was bad to you doesn't mean other people will be.

Zelo's words shut his brain up momentarily, but it was soon trying to get back into it. Daehyun let out a troubled hum into his next sip of tea, disgruntled about his brain continuing to attempt comparing Sunhwa and Youngjae despite how much he told it otherwise. 'They're two completely different people, brain! We've gone over this, so please just listen to me for once?'

What silenced it was the concerned gaze from Youngjae and the words that left his mouth. “You good over there?” He smiled softly, and the way Youngjae looked at him had Daehyun's breath catch in his lungs for a moment.

“Oh, um. Yeah, I'm-” He mutedly cleared his throat. “I just... get lost in thought sometimes.”

“I can tell,” he chuckled. “Sometimes I wonder what it is you think about over there.”

Daehyun focused his gaze on what little remained of his tea. “That... depends on the day. Sometimes I uh, think about work. Other days I think about conversations I've had, or what I'll be doing later.”

Not a false statement. Just an omission of what was currently plaguing his thoughts.

Daehyun was far more willing to discuss the smaller things. But telling Youngjae about the warring parts of his soul was something he wasn't keen on doing. In fact, he'd rather erase those things entirely!

'It's not fair to Youngjae that my brain keeps on trying to convince me he'll be like her when he's so kind to me,' Daehyun lamented. As much as his brain kept on, his heart fought back with the urge to be held and cherished, despite how bruised and scarred it felt...

Even though he yearned for that, it was something he'd have to approach slowly. For the sake of his comfort, he'd be content with where he was and the tiny steps he was taking in the form of his occasional shy boldness!

Those moments where they settled on the couch after piano time, and Daehyun would brush their hands together in the silent hope that maybe they could hands or something. Scooting just a bit closer because as much as he'd like to cuddle up to his boyfriend, he couldn't just do that without permission.

Youngjae always caught on, which was a pleasant surprise for Daehyun each time! Youngjae would happily take his hand and pull him closer to where Daehyun would end up pulled against Youngjae's side with his cheek squished against his shoulder and an arm wrapped around him. Talking comfortably about whatever, setting up plans for when they had a shared day off or about whatever was on television. Youngjae's free hand taking one of Daehyun's and gently the skin...

At the closeness, Daehyun's face and chest would warm up, and his heart would start beating like crazy to the point where the heat made him dizzy. The type of heat that turned painful if he dwelled on it for too long...

“Once I get the lake house cleaned up, would you like to come out there with me one weekend?” Youngjae wondered, eyes bright and hopeful. “It's pretty relaxing and quiet, which makes it real easy to unwind from every day stresses!”

As much as Daehyun wanted to, he did work on the weekends. “That... depends on whether or not I can get the time off? Weekends are um... They're typically busy, so I'd need to give Hyosung plenty of forewarning.”

“That's fair. I hope that she'd give you the time off, though. You work so much already... You deserve a break sometimes!”

So long as Hyosung had ample amount of time to figure out hours, she'd probably be willing to let him have a break. She was all about not working oneself too hard and taking breaks as needed. Daehyun wasn't the type to take vacation time, but the idea that Youngjae was inviting him to share in peaceful solitude was appealing enough that he shimmied his shoulders around contentedly, hopeful that he'd be able to one day.

As Daehyun smiled into his last bit of tea, he wondered just what Youngjae got up to when he was out there. 'Is there a piano at the lake house that he plays? Maybe he takes advantage of the water and goes swimming? There's likely a television there, so maybe he flips through channels or watches movies? Maybe he reads books? Or maybe, since no one else is around, he sings?'

Despite Youngjae's lovely singing voice, Daehyun hadn't heard him sing once since New Year's Eve. Sure, he had been drunk and his memory was still a bit hazy on the details of the party, but Youngjae's voice stuck out from the get go, and he seemed to enjoy himself so much while they'd been singing karaoke together.

'I wonder why...'

“Hey, Youngjae?”

“Hmm?”

“How come you don't... sing while you play?”

“What?”

“When you play the piano, how come you don't sing along? I mean, from what I can recall, you have a very lovely voice, so um...” Daehyun flicked his eyes up, and Youngjae managed to catch his eyes for a second before Daehyun darted them to the side. “Why don't you sing?”

“I used to, actually. It's just that I'm not very good at multitasking,” he answered slowly, pausing his playing to rub at the back of his head with a chuckle. “If I sing and play at the same time, either my playing or my singing suffers. Since the playing comes more natural to me, I just do that instead. I'm not opposed to singing, though. In fact, I enjoy it quite a bit!”

Daehyun could relate to that. Back when he played, it took a lot of concentration to make sure his fingers were in the right place. So he only sang along to the songs that came second nature to his fingers.

'Does this mean if I offer to play, that he'll sing? I'd really like to hear him sing again...' Daehyun mused. 'Would he be up for that, though? I guess there's only one way to find that out...'

“If you'd like... I can um... I'll play so you can sing some?” he offered meekly. Youngjae's response was blinking, like he couldn't believe the words he was hearing. “So long as it's uh, a simpler song,” Daehyun tacked on. “My playing is- My piano skills are very rusty, after all...”

“Are you sure?”

“I'm- Yeah. I'm sure. If you're okay with it, that is...”

“Of course I am!” Youngjae lit up in the most breathtaking way. “I did offer my piano to you any time you wanted to play. Let me just look through my sheets...” He slipped the ones from the binder on the music rack back in their place in his sheet folder and began to thumb through them before stopping. “Actually, maybe you should pick since you're playing? I know all of the ones that have lyrics to them, so you don't have to worry about that.”

When Youngjae extended the folder to him, Daehyun set his empty mug on the little table and flipped through the sheets that were in there. A few titles caught his eye, some he remembered playing in his learning days. He picked two of those when he saw the sheet music to one of his favourites, and a tiny smile played at Daehyun's lips.

Back before he'd even met Youngjae and only knew him as the pianist on the first floor, Daehyun had written out his recommendation and stuck it to the door in the hopes that he'd get to hear it again because he'd always loved playing it himself. It was a bit more difficult to play, but if Daehyun left that one for last, his fingers should be used to the movements enough.

As he pulled the sheets for that song out, he quietly asked, “You... learned this song?”

Youngjae shrugged and offered a simple smile. “I liked it, so of course I learned it.”

That made Daehyun feel real nice, kind of floaty, and definitely warm! He grinned to himself as the two of them switched places. While he put the sheets in their place, Youngjae sat like an excited child, rocking his head from side to side to a tune only he could hear.

The first song he picked wasn't one he knew lyric wise, but he did know it piano wise. Daehyun hummed along to the tune, a habit from his days of playing in the school music room while waiting for Zelo to get done with his after school activities at the junior high so the twoo could meet up and go to Zelo's place for a little bit before Daehyun had to go home.

It was something he'd done for Sunhwa, too, once they'd started dating. She had debate after school, and Daehyun wanted to extend that kindness he always gave my best friend to her as well. The funk that thought put him in, of the recollection that she'd ended up more on his back about not studying like he should be and chose to waste his time in front of the piano, was brief because the lyrics to the song came and Youngjae's singing stilled Daehyun's thoughts entirely.

Drunk Daehyun really couldn't appreciate how beautiful Youngjae's voice was. He thought he'd been blown away back then, but it was an entirely different kind of awe right now! Just catching him from his peripherals was entertaining, as Youngjae was enjoying himself so fully. Dancing his fingers around to the tune, face scrunching up on varying notes, pointing his finger up to the ceiling on higher ones...

Definitely an expressive singer. No wonder he can't play and sing at the same time!

He cleared his throat as Daehyun flipped to the next song. Another song he didn't know the lyrics to, so Daehyun hummed along like he had the first one. When Youngjae's singing hit again, he was laughing a bit to himself but seemed so pleased all the same.

Vaguely, Daehyun recalled how panicked he'd been at some stranger at the New Year's party being incredibly nice to him. He didn't know what to do with himself, forgot how to harmonize and do anything vocally, but the enjoyment his singing partner clearly felt brought out that same kind of fun and lack of care in Daehyun.

At the time, he registered how stupid he felt in those moments to the alcohol in his system. Now Daehyun thought he got it, though. He'd just been attracted to Youngjae from the start. He saw him and thought he'd like to be a part of his life, even in the tiniest of ways. Like in a memory of having a good time at a party with some stranger he'd only learned the name of and nothing more...

Nearly two months later, and here they were as boyfriends. It's still a thought that had Daehyun confused because he didn't understand dating well, but Youngjae didn't seem to mind. Sometimes the way Youngjae looked at him was overwhelming and Daehyun had to hide himself away behind things, a mug or his hands, but Youngjae didn't seem to mind those nervous tendencies and instead embraced them.

When Daehyun rambled, backpedaling and stammering all over the place, Youngjae listened patiently and attentively until Daehyun completed his spoken thought before offering any words of his own.

When Daehyun's fingers wanted to scratch the nervousness away, fumbling around because constantly scratching was harmful and kneading the air like a cat was more healthier, Youngjae gently took his hands and his thumb over them until the urge went away.

Youngjae didn't pry, and he always answered Daehyun's questions with honest explanations that eased his troubled mind in the moment.

Even if Daehyun's brain tried to twist things around later, when he'd bring up the facts and lack of evidence other than examples from the past, it didn't know what to do other than repeat itself. The evidence had been in front of him back then, but he'd blindly trusted and ignored it. Now that he knww what to keep an eye out for, he refused to let his brain convince him of things without good reason.

'One day, I'd like to be able to tell him or show him how much I appreciate his patience and care. Maybe when I can finally erase the thoughts of the past, I'll be able to!'

Youngjae didn't tell him to stop once the second song ended, so the last song Daehyun picked was turned to. The one he'd played and sang so much back in his school days. Nervously, Daehyun cracked his knuckles and began to press in the keys to bring out the melody.

When Youngjae started to sing again, his enthusiasm was clear in how he swayed to the tune. Without any thought on it, Daehyun picked up on the words and joined in. He found it much easier to harmonize when he wasn't drunk and panicking!

Youngjae'd made it clear that he enjoyed Daehyun's singing voice, and Daehyun was definitely enchanted by Youngjae's, but their voices combining like this had butterflies fluttering in his heart.

As the last notes are drawn out, and Daehyun's fingers stilled over the keys, he spared a glance over at his boyfriend to see his dazed look. Fanning himself with one of his hands, and the words he breathed out were barely audible. “What a fantasy...”

Words that probably weren't meant to be heard, but the peculiarity of them had Daehyun curiously tilting his head. “A... fantasy?”

“Um!” Youngjae cleared his throat, cheeks flushing as he rubbed at the back of his head, and once more the thought of 'adorable' picked at Daehyun's brain. He got over the initial embarrassment of being heard quickly. “Yeah. Singing with you is like a fantasy.”

Those words hit Daehyun full force, but rather than hide how the words made him feel, he let it wash over him in satisfaction. He didn't bother to fight the grin that overtook his face or the way his entire being felt like it was burning.

Youngjae's eyes flashed with something akin to pride, then he spread into that dazzling smile where every bit of his face was in it. Dimples prominent, eyes curved into gentle crescents, cheeks rosy, and Daehyun swore there wasn't a sight more beautiful than this.

'I wonder if he thinks the same about me?'

--

A/N:

I woke up super ing late guys. I nearly slept Sunday away!

Also, if this was a Youngjae POV chapter, it would've been titled "Fantasy In Reverse" or "What A Fantasy Part 2"