Archive of Our Own

The first time Gyuvin meets Ricky, Ricky doesn’t go by Ricky, Gyuvin is eighteen years old, not yet a freshman in college, and his mom enrolled him into a pre-college program for the summer. 

Gyuvin has been fighting a giant pimple on his forehead for the past four days, and he misses his dog. He’s fresh out of yet another break up and his heart has been broken a grand total of four times, but he forgets all about most of his problems once a beautiful boy with cool jewelry sits next to him during camp orientation. 

“I’m Gyuvin,” he says, waving and smiling a smile he hopes isn’t too wide or too friendly. 

“Quanrui,” the beautiful pink-haired boy says, half-smiling, his lips pink like his hair and awfully shiny, much unlike Gyuvin’s chapped ones. He gives a small wave back. “You can call me Rui for short.” 

“Okay, Rui. Hi. Where are you from?” 

Rui blinks, not expecting such open conversation immediately; weren’t teenage boys supposed to be unfriendly? Still, he answers anyway, hoping his Korean doesn’t sound too stilted. “I’m from Shanghai, but I lived in California for a few years. You?” 

“Oh, awesome! My brother’s boyfriend is from China, too.”

“Oh,” Rui says. “That’s cool.” He gets the feeling that Gyuvin, who’s openly talking about his brother having a boyfriend from China, who also doesn’t care that Rui’s from China, is not like other teenage boys he’s met. 

“Right? Anyways, I’m from Seoul. Where’d you get your necklace?”

Rui’s smile widens as he says, “My mom gave me it.”

They talk and talk and Rui offers Gyuvin his chapstick, which Gyuvin dutifully and gratefully accepts. He smacks his lips and gets a taste — strawberry. He thinks it’s oddly fitting for someone like Rui, who’s red and pink and kind. 

“You’re Strawber-Rui,” Gyuvin jokes, four hours into orientation. His English skills are going to come in handy now. 

“I hate you,” Rui says in English, but he’s laughing. He gets shushed by a camp counselor but keeps laughing anyway. 

And the rest is history. 

They become close friends, choose each other to room with at their shitty ass camp dorms, stay up late talking to each other and regret it when their 7 AM alarms go off. But they talk to each other until well past midnight, which manages to make their shitty little dorm room seem much less shitty. Even with the cockroaches. 

Gyuvin is deathly scared of cockroaches. 

Rui is also scared, but kills them for Gyuvin anyway. He puts on a brave face as he grabs four paper towels and stalks towards any bugs. Rui is a chronic revenge bedtime procrastinator. Gyuvin forces him to go to sleep and finish their work early by studying together, his study methods working surprisingly well for Rui, who was never really one for school or studying of any kind despite his smarts.

Gyuvin really loves mango, but once he learns Rui loves it too, he shares the last of the mango bingsu at the camp’s dining hall with an easy smile. Rui draws doodles of Gyuvin when he thinks Gyuvin isn’t looking, sneaking them into Gyvuin’s pockets or bed sheets or backpack for him to find later. For them to laugh at together.

Gyuvin learns that Rui’s favorite color is every shade of pink and he likes strawberries. Rui learns that Gyuvin really likes red and blue and black and white and he also likes strawberries. 

Somewhere along the way, Gyuvin realizes he’s in love with the way Rui is rich yet humble and hardworking, cute and soft on the inside but cool and vaguely intimidating on the outside, and his strong sense of self and attitude. Rui has an uncanny ability to let stressful things slide off his back so they’re more manageable to him. Gyuvin thinks he’s a magician.   

Somewhere along the way, Gyuvin realizes he’s in love. 

The two of them exchange all kinds of life advice and stupid jokes and memes and promises of being best friends forever. 

One day, it rains when they’re on their lunch break, and while Gyuvin and everyone else ducks underneath the roof of the pavilion that they normally eat at, Rui goes out onto the grass and twirls and twirls. Gyuvin eats his sandwich and shakes his head. He has to dry off Rui later before they both go to class.

“Why did you go out and do that?” Gyuvin asks as he rubs the towel harder into Rui’s hair. 

“I just love the rain,” Rui says with a shrug. They both laugh. 

It’s easy for two lonely teenage boys to become friends. 

It’s harder for them to stay in touch.

On the last day of camp, Gyuvin scribbles his number down on a piece of paper, and Rui holds it tight before he’s whisked away into a taxi, knowing he’s minutes away from nearly missing his flight. 

Gyuvin’s 7 looks too much like a 1, and his 3 becomes a blurry 5, smudged by the sweat of Rui’s palm and the shitty pen Gyuvin had used to write it. 

Rui texts and wonders why the recipient says he’s got the wrong number. It can't be.

Gyuvin waits and wonders why he never gets any texts — maybe Rui can’t text internationally or the firewall got to him or something? 

(Gyuvin’s heart gets broken for the fifth time.) 

The second time Gyuvin meets Ricky, Ricky does go by Ricky, Gyuvin is twenty seven years old, and he’s a single father of one. He hasn’t dated anyone in eight years and his heart has been broken a grand total of eleven times. Getting to have full custody of his son makes up for all eleven. 

“This is the best cat cafe in the whole city! Best reviews, and they donate half of their proceeds to homeless shelters.” Yujin points at the store as he talks, way too smart for an eight year old. Seriously. Gyuvin doesn’t know how he’s the father of a child who is miles more intelligent than him. 

“Yes, Yujinnie. You mentioned it to me, remember?” Gyuvin bends down slightly as he looks at Yujin with a bright smile, making sure to adjust the collar of Yujin’s raincoat so it doesn’t fold and poke at his neck.

“Yes, I remember.” Yujin walks up to the door of the cafe and points. “It has five out of five stars on Google. Excellent reviews.” 

Gyuvin smiles more at his son’s diligence; he didn’t look too far into the Google reviews himself, only skimmed them and made the call once Yujin begged him to, having asked all necessary questions over the phone with someone who somehow sounded vaguely familiar… but Gyuvin can’t put his finger on it. 

He can, however, put his finger on a camera button. “Yes, yes, Jinnie. Five out of five.” Gyuvin gestures towards the entrance and the flashing neon sign with an elbow. “Do you want a picture outside of the cafe?”

Yujin stands still, big eyes wide as he looks up and throws a peace sign. Gyuvin is quick to whip out his camera and take fifty photos in succession, then fifty more. 

“Our reservation starts now?” Yujin asks as Gyuvin walks to the door. 

“Now!” Gyuvin smiles, opening the door and watching his son waddle in with his bright yellow rain boots. 

“Finally,” Yujin whispers underneath his breath, with all the petulance of a toddler and righteousness of an emperor. 

“Welcome to Mao-Mao Cafe!” says the man at the counter. He has a bright smile and fluffy light brown hair, his smile growing wider as he looks over his desk to wave at Yujin. 

“Hi there,” Gyuvin says, walking over, placing a gentle hand on Yujin’s shoulder. He looks around, the cat cafe a lot more spacious than he thought it’d be, his eyes finding their way onto the cheerful counter guy again. 

“I’m Matthew. You’re Kim Gyuvin, correct?”

“I am,” Gyuvin nods, smiling back. Matthew has a very contagious smile, maybe even more so than Yujin.

“Great! Hello, Gyuvin-ssi. Thanks for renting out the whole place for today!” Matthew gestures at the door behind him, where Gyuvin can see a flight of stairs behind a gate. “The owner of this place, Ricky, who you spoke to on the phone earlier, is somewhere up there. He’s feeding the cats.”

“It’s my pleasure, really,” Gyuvin nods, craning his neck because he spots a cat standing at the gate of the door before looking back at Matthew, who’s still got a very genuine smile on his face. Gyuvin doesn’t know if he could smile like that for hours on end, glad he has the privilege of being an author who doesn’t have to meet anyone. Ever. 

“Yes, Ricky told me you rented it out for your son. I’m glad! Now, just as a refresher: there are four floors, each one with a different layout, and twenty cats total.” Matthew waves at the empty space of chairs and tables and countertops behind him. “The first floor is just a lounge area for us humans, as you can see. Usually the cafe and all of this floor is open, but at your request, it’s closed today.” He points at the door behind him again. “All of the cats are on the top three floors, and they’re all up for adoption.” 

Gyuvin feels a hand tug on his coat. He looks down with a soft grin, Yujin’s little face brightening up like a star once he has his dad’s attention. 

“Did you hear that, appa? We can adopt any of them.” Yujin’s eyes grow wider and wider the more he speaks. 

“Yes, Jinnie, I did.” Gyuvin pokes one of Yujin’s cheeks. “Remember, sweetheart, we can only adopt one right now.” 

“Only one?” Yujin pouts, cheeks puffing out even more.

“Only one,” Gyuvin says, although a part of him knows he might be swayed to adopt more than that. Four max — no, wait, three max. Wait. Two max. (Gyuvin is a weak man, especially when it comes to his son; he braces himself.) 

Matthew keeps on smiling, telling them that he’ll be off his shift soon. First he helps them with disinfecting their shoes and then wrapping their feet in plastic bags for the cats’ safety. At Yujin’s request, Gyuvin buys two bags of treats. Matthew laughs after Gyuvin says he knows he’ll probably have to buy lots more in an hour or so. 

“When I’m off-shift, feel free to reach behind the counter and take the bags of snacks or any cat toys yourself. They really like the laser pointer and dangly ones. All on the house!” Matthew claps Gyuvin on the back with the easy familiarity of best friends. “You’ve already left a generous tip after renting the whole place.”

“Alright, well, thank you for everything, Matthew-ssi.” Gyuvin smiles, bowing his head as Matthew puts on his coat and locks everything up. “I really appreciate it.” 

“Of course. Again, so lovely of you to rent out the entire place for your son. Ricky was very pleased that you booked our cafe, he really cares about the cats — and children in general.” Matthew bends down and waves at Yujin. “Bye, Yujin! It was nice to meet you. I hope you have fun!”

“I will,” Yujin nods, waving back. “Thank you, Matthew-ssi.” 

“Of course. I hope you come again.” Matthew bends down, whispering something in Yujin’s ear, before straightening up and winking at Gyuvin. Then he leaves, umbrella in hand, and Gyuvin’s attention is back on his son. 

“Jinnie, are you ready?” 

“Ready,” Yujin says, eyes sparkling as he holds up the bags of treats, his hands barely big enough to grab onto them all. 

Gyuvin is beyond careful as he guides Yujin up the stairs, sighing once he realizes there’s an elevator but deciding against using it — he needs the exercise, and Yujin really loves stairs. The second floor consists of one large room with multiple doors that takes up the entire floor. Yujin is a blur as he runs in, Gyuvin trying his best to follow closely behind. 

Immediately, Yujin sits on a platform where there’s cat beds and a mini pool table with a tuxedo cat lying right in the middle of it, petting the cat on the pool table and the other ones around him, talking to them in a soft voice, similar to the one Gyuvin uses with Yujin himself. 

Like any other concerned parent but especially as a single dad, Gyuvin wonders all the time if he’s done a good job raising his son. There are times when he looks at Yujin and can’t help but think his son would be better off without him, but there are other times when he looks at Yujin and can’t help but be proud of the both of them; now is one of those times.

Gyuvin chooses a chair near the back of the room as his perch, a gray cat lying on a cat tower beside him giving him a sleepy blink, and he smiles as he watches his son treat the cats with the utmost respect (pausing before petting them to make sure they want to be pet, having them sniff his hand each time, talking to them with all the wisdom of an eight year old.) He thinks maybe he did do an okay job after all. 

After Yujin spends a good twenty minutes on the first floor and somehow empties both snack bags, and Gyuvin’s taken yet another hundred photos, Yujin stares at Gyuvin with big pleading eyes and all the cats he’s been fattening up do the same. 

“Appa, can you buy more snack bags? And some cat toys? Please?” 

Gyuvin sighs, but he’s grinning and pinching Yujin’s cheek. “Of course, Jinnie. You’re lucky your dad is so rich.”

Yujin nods, his mouth in a firm line. “I know. Appa works really hard.”

“Yes,” Gyuvin says, ruffling his son’s hair while also trying not to wail about how cute Yujin is. “And so do you. I’ll be back, Jinnie. Don’t go anywhere until I return.” 

“I won’t. Not like I wanna move anyway.” Yujin laughs as a cat snuggles up behind him, its tail curling around his arm. 

“Right,” Gyuvin says, sneaking another photo before hurrying for the door.

He’s in such a rush that he knocks right into someone, sending the basket in their arms tumbling to the ground.

Gyuvin immediately bends down. “Sorry,” he says, picking up the bags of various cat treats and toys. When he straightens up, he’s met with a pair of all-too-familiar boba eyes, and a wavy mullet that’s now platinum instead of a faded red. The bags in his hands fall to the floor again. 

“Gyuvin?”

“Rui?”

“My Kim Gyuvin?” 

“Your Kim Gyuvin?” Gyuvin echoes, trying to wonder if maybe he’s allergic to cats and is somehow having the world’s cruelest and most realistic visual-auditory hallucination. The nametag on Rui’s shirt says Ricky in pink cursive font. He re-remembers that Rui’s favorite color was pink. 

“It really is you,” Rui says, his wide eyes widening even more. Gyuvin wonders if Rui’s eyelashes were always so pretty.

“It’s me. Do you go by Ricky now?”

“I do,” Rui — Ricky — smiles. “When you called, I thought your voice was familiar, and you had the same name, but Kim and Gyuvin are both common so I couldn’t be sure.” He bends down to gather the snack bags again, putting them in the basket and leaving it on a chair near the stairwell, where a white cat is sleeping soundly underneath. 

“...It’s been a long time,” is all Gyuvin can say.  

“It has,” Ricky nods, wiping his hands on the front of his shirt. Gyuvin finds himself unconsciously looking for a band on Ricky’s ring finger, doing a small internal dance when he sees there isn’t one, only chunky silver rings with swirling designs on his other fingers. Still similar in taste to what he wore nine years ago. 

Gyuvin has no idea what to do. He just keeps staring. He cranes his head, “Is that a tattoo? The one you talked about getting back then?”

Ricky smiles, his teeth showing as he turns and gives Gyuvin a better view. “I did. It hurt a lot.”

“I’m sure,” Gyuvin laughs, wanting to reach out and touch before keeping his hand still, remembering that they’re not eighteen anymore. “It looks great.”

“Thanks. I know you supported me wanting to get one.” Ricky turns towards the stairs. “I want to show you something,” he says, taking a step down. “Do you want to see?” 

“Yes,” Gyuvin replies, probably much too fast. But his heart is racing even faster, and there are so many questions swirling around his head he can barely keep up with his main thoughts, which consist of: Rui? Rui is here and real and just as beautiful as the day I met him? and I need to get snacks and toys for Yujin quickly!

Ricky smiles. Then he races down the stairs, and Gyuvin tries his best to follow. He leads them to the counter, and Ricky pulls out a drawer, then a wallet — black, leather, rose gold details on the front of it — and he fishes out a piece of wrinkled notebook paper from within one of its dividers. Gyuvin doesn’t recognize it at first, but once Ricky steps back towards him and unfolds the paper, his eyes bulge right out of his head.

“You kept this?” Gyuvin says, eyes flickering between the paper and Ricky’s face. 

“Of course I did.” Ricky hands the paper to Gyuvin, who’s still unsure of whether or not this is real. “You know, I texted you as soon as I got to the airport, but when I landed in Shanghai, I was told I had the wrong number.” 

Gyuvin stares at his ass handwriting and feels like going back in time and beating the shit out of his past self. “I always wondered why you never texted me,” he whispers, watching the way hurt bleeds into Ricky’s features. He’s quick to add: “But I never blamed you. Not once.” 

“I’m glad,” Ricky says, his voice as soft as Gyuvin remembers. “You know, you’re as kind as I remember.” 

“Kind?” Gyuvin laughs.

“Yes, kind.” Ricky shakes his head, in disbelief that Gyuvin is questioning his own tenderheartedness — seriously, Kim Gyuvin, the same man who became famous for writing a book featuring a single parent and their challenges with raising a child by themselves, the same man who stayed up late comforting Ricky when they were eighteen and had to wake up early every morning for grueling STEM camp courses. 

“I’m honored you think so. But if I was really kind, I would’ve written my number out better for you.” Gyuvin hands the paper back to Ricky, trying to ignore the way his heart does flip after flip when their fingers brush against each other for a few brief seconds. 

“I should’ve tried every possible combination,” Ricky frowns, folding the paper back into his wallet. Gyuvin watches the way the oversized pale pink shirt Ricky’s wearing gives him impossibly cute sweater paws, said paws even more noticeable as he puts his wallet back into the drawer. 

Immediately, Gyuvin’s struck with flashes of summer camp: Laughing and long nights and Ricky’s silhouette lit up by his phone, Ricky struggling to write his notes because of his long sleeves and Gyuvin pushing them back for him. 

“It’s alright, we were eighteen. You couldn’t have thought of that.” Gyuvin’s hit with a sudden burst of confidence as he leans over the counter and glances up at Ricky with what he hopes is a pair of adorable doe eyes. “You said I’m as kind as before… am I as handsome as I was back then, too?” 

Ricky’s face turns as pink as his shirt. He lifts up a cat toy from a basket on the desk, a small fabric fish, and smacks Gyuvin’s nose with it. “You’re as much of a tease as you were back then.” 

Gyuvin sneezes, straightening up from the counter with a grin. “Bickering with you was one of my favorite pastimes.” 

“And why is that?” Ricky folds his arms, looking even cuter. 

“Because your reactions are adorable.”

Ricky rolls his eyes. “You’re terrible. I regret telling Matthew you could have your pick of treats and toys for free. If you want to entertain these cats, you’ll have to pay.” 

Gyuvin keeps grinning, blinking rapidly to keep up a faux image of innocence. “If you do that, you’d be depriving my eight year old son of having a fun time.” 

Scoffing, Ricky grabs a basket of cat treats and plops a few toys in. “Not like you can’t afford to.” He walks past Gyuvin with a slight shove, making his way back towards the staircase. “I’m really happy, by the way. Thank you for renting out my place. I’m sure your son is happy, too.” 

Gyuvin hurries after him, pausing when Ricky pauses. “Of course. Yujinnie couldn’t stop talking about all the videos he’s seen of this place, and how you have a five out of five star rating. Impressive, considering how hard people are to please.” 

Ricky laughs as he goes up the stairs, careful step by careful step. Gyuvin tries very hard to not stare directly into Ricky’s butt as they walk up together, opting to glare down at his shoes instead. 

“Well, I’m glad someone so young appreciates my work,” Ricky laughs again, the sound like brown sugar syrup to Gyuvin’s ears. It’s a sound Gyuvin has only ever heard in his dreams since the day they last met. 

Gyuvin looks up and can’t believe that Ricky is real, then he glances around. “How did you end up owning a place like this anyway? I know it was your dream, but…” 

“It stayed my dream.” Ricky waits until they’re both at the top of the stairs, staring at the room where Yujin’s in, smiling when he hears Yujin’s laughter. “We’re at very different places in life right now, aren’t we?” His smile is almost sad as he meets Gyuvin’s eye. “You have a son, you’re an accomplished author, and you graduated with a double major in Ethics and Anthropology.” 

“You’ve kept tabs on me,” Gyuvin smiles.

Ricky shrugs, “Hard not to, when your face was plastered in every bookstore I went to. Meanwhile, I only recently got my Master’s. I taught Art and Music for a little while before I decided to open this place up. I might go back to teaching in the future, but we’ll see.” 

“I mean, teaching is one of the most honorable jobs in the world.” Gyuvin laughs when Ricky waves off his compliment. “Running your own business and taking care of so many cats is extremely difficult as well. You’ve always been well-off, though, right? Did your parents help with this?”

“They wanted to, but I refused.” Ricky’s smile turns wry as he waves an arm around with a heavy weight in his expression, the same kind of face he’d make back at camp when he studied all night and managed to ace nearly every test. “I started this place by myself and with my own money, much to their chagrin. They told me not to overwork myself, that they earned money so I wouldn’t have to work so hard. But I didn’t want to do this the easy way, so I left Shanghai and started this.” 

“That couldn’t have been painless,” Gyuvin says, taking the basket from Ricky’s hands after noticing how hard Ricky was gripping it, his knuckles turning pale. 

“I suppose not.” 

“It’s not, Ricky. You came to Korea to do this, and you came alone, I’m guessing?”

“Alone, yes. I had to leave so people who could recognize me or my parents wouldn’t be able to help me. I wanted to start from only the money and connections I’ve made myself. Seoul was my blank canvas.” 

“You’re too cool,” Gyuvin says, no doubt with stars in his eyes as he looks at Ricky. He can’t imagine being in Ricky’s position at all, can’t imagine leaving the only country he’s ever really known to start a business with unfamiliar people and an even more unfamiliar culture and etiquette.  

“Oh, stop it.” Ricky waves off the praise, then gestures towards the door with yet another adorable sweater paw, a great contrast to the tattoo scrawled across his neck. Gyuvin thinks that Ricky has always been like that — soft yet sharp, a canvas that only became more colorful the longer you looked at it. “Anyways, let’s go in? I’m sure your son misses you.” 

“Right. Let’s catch up properly later, yeah?” Gyuvin laughs. “I’ll make sure to properly add your number this time.”

“You better,” Ricky says, a pleased smile on his face. Gyuvin could keep looking at his face forever. But he’s a parent, and he loves his son more than anything, so he tears his eyes away from the mole right beneath Ricky’s eyelashes. 

Gyuvin nods furiously. “I’ll call you from my phone, and we’ll stand there and watch your screen light up. Just so zero misunderstandings can happen.”  

Ricky nods back. “Perfect.” 

(“Hanbin-hyung, I don’t understand why he hasn’t called me back yet.” Gyuvin sighs as he looks at his phone again, the empty notifications a slap in the face each time he checks. He sinks further into the couch, into Hanbin’s side. 

Hanbin hums, ruffling Gyuvin’s hair. “Rui was really special to you, wasn’t he?” 

“Yeah. He is.” 

“You really loved him.”

“I did, I still do. We even made one of those cheesy promises. We said we’d get married if we were both single by thirty.” 

Hanbin snorts, “Ah, young love.” He ruffles Gyuvin’s hair again. “Listen, Gyuvinnie. I’m sure it’s a misunderstanding. What if he’s busy? Or what if you wrote your number wrong?”

“But how will I find him, then?” 

“You might not,” Hanbin says, holding Gyuvin closer. “You might move on, and find someone new. Who knows?” 

Gyuvin thinks that a part of him might never move on. Or, maybe he will, but even then, he wouldn’t forget Rui’s toothy grin, the kind that took over his whole face when he was genuinely happy, or how much he loved eating strawberries and mangoes. He hopes the universe can bring them together again.) 

They walk in. Yujin is crouched on the ground, a cat on his back and a cat swirling around his knees. He does not look like he missed Gyuvin at all. Ricky laughs. 

Gyuvin smiles once he sees how happy both Yujin and Ricky are. He walks over to gently shoo off the cat on his son’s back, carefully tapping Yujin’s shoulder. “Jinnie, say hi to Ricky-ssi. He’s the owner.”

It takes a few seconds for Yujin to take his attention away from the cats, but as soon as he turns and looks up at Ricky, his eyes widen. “Hello Ricky-ssi. You’re very beautiful.” 

Gyuvin’s mouth hangs open. “Yujin, that’s n—”

Ricky bursts out in a squeaky laugh, startling a cat near his feet. “Thank you, Yujin. You’re very honest, huh?”

“I am,” Yujin nods solemnly. “Appa always told me lying is bad.” 

“I promise he usually has better manners than this,” Gyuvin whispers, covering his mouth, but he’s smiling because Ricky’s smiling and Yujin is looking up at Ricky like he hung up all the stars in the sky. (Like father, like son…)

“All good,” Ricky whispers back, his smile bright and wide, eyes turning into easy crescents. “I love children.” 

Gyuvin believes him. He thinks he can recognize the fondness in Ricky’s eyes as they both watch Yujin play with three different cats, feeding them all and scolding a particularly speedy, greedy calico for stealing the other cats’ treats. 

“You raised him well,” Ricky says, nudging Gyuvin with his elbow. 

Gyuvin huffs, putting down the basket on the sofa next to him as an excuse to avoid Ricky’s stare. “Oh, come on.”

“I’m being serious. Look at him with the cats, making sure they’re all fed equal amounts.”

Gyuvin looks. He can’t help the lopsided grin as he watches Yujin walk around the room, hand feeding the cats that are more bold and curious of him, or carefully placing treats near the shyer cats. “Yeah. He’s always been like that. Very understanding and smart.” 

“Hmm, I can tell. He’s very bright for an eight year old. He reminds me of you, you know.”

“Really? How?”

“Just what I said. Understanding, smart, kind, bright.”

Gyuvin glances at Ricky out of the corner of his eye before going back to watching Yujin. “Oh, stop. Your words are way too sweet.” 

“They are not. Now, stop watching Yujin and go join him.”

“Join?” Gyuvin raises both eyebrows at Ricky. “Aren’t I too old for that?”

“There’s not an age limit on who can and can’t play with cats. Besides, you’re not even old, you’re only twenty seven,” Ricky says, rolling his eyes. “I’m also older than you, so what would that make me?”

“Extra old. Basically ancient,” Gyuvin teases, absorbing Ricky’s scoff. 

“Sure... Just shut up and let me take some pictures and videos of you two.” Ricky shoos him away with a few flicks of his wrist. “I think they’d make for nice mementos you could frame or keep in your wallet, right? I have a polaroid downstairs as well, I’ll take a few of you two later.” 

“I guess I can’t argue with you when you put it like that.” Gyuvin thinks about his wallet, filled to the brim of Yujin’s pictures from various ages. “I can’t resist a good family photo.” 

“Every father’s weak spot,” Ricky snorts, but there’s no bite behind it. 

Gyuvin shrugs and smiles, accepting this, taking full pride in Yujin being his so-called ‘weak’ spot. “Alright, I'll let out my inner child.” He holds out his phone, poking lightly at Ricky’s shoulder with its popsocket. “Here, I trust your photography skills.” 

“You absolutely should.” Ricky snatches his phone with a wink. “I promise I’ll make this Naver-worthy.” 

“Right,” Gyuvin nods, pocketing Ricky’s wink deep, deep within the folds of his brain. He walks over to Yujin and bends down. “Jinnie, do you want to take some pictures with me and the cats?” 

Yujin blinks, looking away from the fat orange cat he’s been petting. It’s so fat the platform of the cat tower it’s laying on is tilted, and Gyuvin can only look at it and feel a little jealous, wishing he could live such a good, spoiled life. “Is Ricky-ssi not going to join us?” 

Gyuvin shakes his head, “Ricky-ssi is going to take the photos.” 

Yujin blinks again, turning towards Ricky, who’s smiling as he takes picture after picture, already going ham with the camera. “Ricky-ssi, do you not want to be in the photos?” 

Ricky points at the camera, “I want to take some family photos of you two. I can take some selfies or timed ones later, Yujin. Don’t worry.” 

Yujin nods. “Appa told me not to exclude people.” 

Gyuvin ruffles Yujin’s head, melting at the fact that his son has been listening to him, even if at times he pretends not to. “Very good, Jinnie.” 

Ricky looks up from the phone, his eyes meeting Gyuvin’s. “Your appa sounds like a really wonderful person.”

“He is,” Yujin solemnly agrees. 

“I bet.” Ricky smiles at Gyuvin, then looks back at the camera. “Say ‘cheese’!” 

Ricky ends up taking around thirty photos, and he takes around twenty videos of Yujin playing with the cats, very proud of a particular shot he gets: Yujin, standing with a cat half in his arms and half on the sofa, a cat weaving between his legs, and Gyuvin, a cat in his arms that doesn’t look particularly happy to be in there, being persuaded by a treat. 

When Ricky hands back the phone for Gyuvin to look over the photos, he bites his lip as he watches Gyuvin’s reaction, smiling as he watches Gyuvin laugh and replay some of the clips. Yujin makes grabby hands and Gyuvin leans down to show him, his smile only increasing, if that were possible. Ricky remembers that smile vividly, has seen it appear in his dreams more than a few times. 

If I knew my cat cafe would lead me back to you, Ricky thinks, I would’ve opened it sooner. 

He keeps that thought tucked into his pocket, unable to stop smiling, especially when Yujin hurries over to tug on his sleeve and ask for a group picture with all three of them. 

(“Rui, come here! The timer is about to go off.”

“Ahh!” Rui drops his pencil, hurrying over. Gyuvin watches him run across the room with a bright laugh. 

“Here, here,” Gyuvin gestures with his hand. When he swings his arm around Rui’s broad shoulders, he feels like it fits perfectly. 

The timer ends.

The flash goes off.

They both blink. 

“Do you wanna take another one?” Rui asks, zooming in on both of their half-closed eyelids, their irises gleaming red from the flash. 

“Nah,” Gyuvin grins. “It’s perfect.” He’s looking at Rui when he says so. Rui looks back.) 

They’re on the second floor now. This floor is decorated like an arcade with fake props and arcade games for the cats, such as pillows in the shape of arcade machines and a cushion shaped like a pool table, as well as real computers for visitors to use, each one only having cat-related games downloaded. 

It tends to be one of the more popular areas, and Yujin is immediately drawn to the giant Kirby-shaped beanbag. Or, more particularly, the giant Ragdoll cat lying on top of it. Ricky and Gyuvin take a seat on the sofa nearby, more than content to sit back and watch Yujin have the time of his life. 

“I swear the cat is nearly as tall as him,” Gyuvin laughs, taking a rapid succession of photos of Yujin playing with the Ragdoll. Ricky fears for his phone storage. 

“She probably is. Her name’s Mochi.”

“Mochi?” 

“Basic, I know.”

Gyuvin chuckles, nudging Ricky with the back of his name. “Now, I didn’t say that. She’s cute and the name fits her. I just want to bite her fluffy little cheeks.” 

Ricky laughs in agreement. 

A small brown-gray cat brushes against Gyuvin’s legs, and he bends down to play with it, giving it lots of head pats and ear scratches, smiling as the cat smiles back in contentment. 

“That one’s name is Bulgogi. Matthew-hyung was hungry when he named her.” 

“Bulgogi,” Gyuvin laughs. He pats Bugolgi’s little head. “I could just eat you up,” he says in a cutesy voice. 

Bulgogi purrs in response. Gyuvin gives her a few more pats before standing back up, watching as she makes her way towards Yujin. 

Ricky nudges Gyuvin with his elbow. “How have you been, really?” 

Gyuvin blinks, not expecting the question, looking to the side as he thinks of a proper answer. “To be honest, tired, but really, really good. I’m a lucky individual, you know?” 

“I’m glad you’re good.” Ricky tilts his head. “What do you mean by lucky?” 

“Well, becoming a best-selling author isn’t all about skill.” Gyuvin crosses his arms, "I got lucky because so many people loved my book and posted about it online, and some video reviews got viral. When I published my other books, there was a huge chance people wouldn’t receive them as well, but they did.” 

“I suppose that’s true.” Ricky thinks, but doesn’t say, Your good looks must have helped your promotions.

“Besides, I’m lucky because I got to meet you again.”

“Oh, stop,” Ricky laughs, shoving into Gyuvin’s hip with his own.

“I’m being honest, Ricky.” 

Ricky turns to look into Gyuvin’s eyes, and he melts at the raw sincerity in them, reveling in the breath of fresh air that Gyuvin has always been. It’s impressive how Gyuvin’s managed to stay so candid despite nine years having passed; Ricky truly wonders how Gyuvin has managed to pull off such a feat and stay so bright despite everything he’s been through. As such, Ricky can only memorize the curves of Gyuvin’s eyelashes and whisper, “I’m glad we met again, too.” 

And Gyuvin so badly wants to mention the promise they made when they were eighteen, but he decides to bite his tongue for now. He’ll know when the time is right. 

“Appa, look at how she’s laying on me!” Yujin calls, drawing both of their attention away. 

Gyuvin sighs in relief, more than happy to focus on his son, especially because he can feel his heart beating up a storm. Being near Ricky may or may not be slightly detrimental to his health. 

“She seems to really like you,” Gyuvin says, smiling as he leans in to pet Mochi, who’s purring happily in Yujin’s lap. 

“Can we take her home? Please?” Yujin’s eyes are wide as he asks, his cute face even cuter. 

Ricky nods. “You can bring any of these cats home.”

Gyuvin pokes Yujin’s nose. “Maybe.”

(“I wish I could bring all of these cats home,” Rui pouts, petting the stray cats circling in between his legs, his eyes shining with amusement as one leans into his palm, particularly enthusiastic about receiving head pats. 

“You should totally smuggle them,” Gyuvin says, his knees popping as he squats beside Rui. 

“I don’t know if the airport security would like that,” Rui laughs. “Or my parents.”

“Do your parents not like cats?”

“They don’t like most animals, really.” Rui pokes a cat on the forehead. “Says they’re too hard to take care of. But don’t they deserve homes? Just because there’s so many of them doesn’t mean they have to live on the streets.”

Gyuvin hums as he pets a black cat with a missing eye. “I’m getting the feeling we’re not just talking about cats anymore.” He knows that Rui grew up wealthy, but also knows that Rui's parents drilled it into him that good fortune comes from humble beginnings and hard work. Rui had told him about a scare they had before, how he and his sister nearly ended up homeless. 

“Cats and people both,” Rui nods. And he tells Gyuvin of his dream to open up a successful cat cafe, so famous that he’d be adopting out cats every day and be able to donate at least half of its profit to homeless shelters and other nonprofits in housing. 

Gyuvin thinks that he admires Rui as much as he loves him. Rui, who is so impossibly kind for a boy his age and should-be-spoiled background it can’t be possible.) 

They get through the other floors and Yujin somehow burns through ten treat bags, lots of toys, and a thousand pictures and videos, some of which end up on Ricky’s phone. 

“You’ll need to send me those later,” Gyuvin says pointedly, glancing at Ricky’s screen. 

Ricky looks away from Yujin, who’s currently having a staring contest with one of the cafe’s orange cats, and shakes his head at Gyuvin. “Of course I will.”

Gyuvin laughs. “This way we need to have each other’s numbers now.” 

“Well, even if we didn’t exchange numbers this time, you know where to find me.”

“That’s true.” Gyuvin looks around, rocking back and forth on the soles of his feet. “You know, I pass by this street all the time. One of my favorite bakeries is just a few blocks away. I don’t understand how I never once looked through the window and saw you, or never really looked at your cafe in general.”

“I guess you weren’t meant to enter until today,” Ricky says with a half shrug, his smile growing more and more teasing. 

“I guess not.” Gyuvin smiles back, but he’s mad at himself for being so stuck in his own head that he never bothered to glance at the cafe’s direction. If only he’d turned his face slightly to the left whenever he walked or drove to the bakery. 

“I remember you liked cats back then. Are you just not a cat cafe person? Is that why you didn’t pop in?”

Gyuvin shakes his head furiously. “I still absolutely adore cats, and I’ve been to cat cafes before. I just never really had the time to take a proper look into adopting any. Yujin has definitely asked about it, though.” 

“I’m sure.” Ricky smiles to himself, remembering all the times he’d asked his parents for a pet. “What about when Yujin is at school? You could sneak out and look then.”

“I tend to keep myself busy,” Gyuvin shrugs, embarrassed at his lack of a social life. “Although it can be a bit lonely when it’s just me and my books in the house. I suppose it’s a good thing that it’s the summer, so his school year is almost over.” 

“Lonely?” Ricky never would’ve thought someone like Gyuvin could be lonely. When they were eighteen, Gyuvin was beyond popular, always conversing with someone or surrounded by friends. It was Gyuvin who chose to hang out with Ricky beyond the confines of their dorm. 

“I mean, not to sound cringey, but yeah. Pretty lonely. I still meet up with my brother and a few of my friends sometimes, but getting recognized in public can be awkward for all of us, and raising Yujin has taken up a lot of my time.” Gyuvin crosses his arms, “It doesn’t help that a lot of people judged me for having a child so early. I lost contact with a lot of my so-called friends.”

Ricky’s face wrinkles up with both sadness and anger. “I’m sorry to hear that. Really. I don’t understand how they wouldn’t have any sympathy for you.” 

“Thank you. And me neither; they’re just assholes, I guess.” Gyuvin laughs. “Don’t get me wrong, though. I’m glad I realized who my actual friends are. Besides, I’m not lonely with Yujin, the house is just too quiet when he’s not around.”

Ricky nods, noting how Gyuvin’s hands are devoid of a ring. He remembers, through the power of a few searches on Naver, that Gyuvin and his previous wife had an amicable divorce, so it makes sense that Gyuvin feels lonely once Yujin goes off to school. A part of Ricky sincerely hopes that Gyuvin isn’t currently seeing someone, while another part of him wants to ask Gyuvin if he still remembers the ridiculous promise they’d made to each other as teenagers. But he swallows his words quickly. It isn’t the right time to ask. 

Ricky clears his throat. “You’re right, it can get lonely when you’re by yourself. I’ve found that my cats have given me really great company.” 

“Hmm. I might have to bring one home with me today, then.”

“You might,” Ricky smiles.

Gyuvin smiles as he meets Ricky’s eyes. “I don’t know if I’ll have an excuse to come back in here, then.” 

“You don’t need an excuse to visit me,” Ricky scoffs, trying not to sound too pleased that Gyuvin wants to keep seeing him, that Gyuvin doesn’t want to just say a quick hello before leaving. Ricky would hate it if they only exchanged numbers and their conversations would stay forever short and virtual, before they’d inevitably and eventually stop talking altogether. He’s not going to lose contact with Gyuvin again. 

“No, but I want a good excuse. How’s this: what if, to check in on Mochi, you come over to my apartment sometime?” 

“You’re inviting me to your home to check in on your cat and not for you or your son?” 

Gyuvin pokes at Ricky’s elbow. “Shut up, you know what I mean.”

“Ha. Yeah, I do.” Ricky glances at Yujin before looking at Gyuvin again. He hopes that this is a true invitation to once again be a part of Gyuvin’s life and vice versa. “Well, if you ever have any questions about Mochi and how to take care of her, just stop by.”

“Ah, see? Now I have an excuse to come here more.” Gyuvin pokes Rocky’s shoulder. “Other than you, of course.”

Ricky opens his mouth to answer, but then Yujin comes waddling over, a very vocal, clingy, and hungry Siamese meowing at his feet, along with Mochi, who followed him up the stairs from earlier. 

“Appa,” Yujin says, pointing at Mochi. “I want this one.”

Ricky laughs seconds before Gyuvin does. 

Gyuvin realizes, with more than a slight ache, that they’re on the last floor of the cafe, and it’s almost time for them to go home and have dinner. 

“I need to send you those photos,” Ricky says from behind the counter, leaning over so he can still properly see Yujin. 

Yujin is not paying attention to anything other than the fat orange cat at his feet, who somehow managed to slip past the gate. 

Gyuvin holds up his palm. “Give me your phone. I’ll add my contact and my KaTalk, too.” 

Ricky hands it over. “So bossy,” he says, enjoying the way Gyuvin’s face crinkles in embarrassment. 

“Just very desperate,” Gyuvin jokes, typing in his number and naming his contact “Gyuvin!” with a deer and mango emoji. Just to make sure his contact stands out. Just to make sure Ricky associates deers and mangoes with him. 

“Did you really miss me that much?” Ricky asks, leaning further over and smiling up at Gyuvin. 

“Maybe.” After adding both his number and KaTalk, Gyuvin takes a 0.5 photo of Ricky with the flash on, laughing when Ricky stays still for the pose and goes cross-eyed to look at the camera. 

Ricky takes his phone back, wondering if the way Gyuvin’s fingers linger as he hands it over is purposeful but also trying not to dwell on it. “What was that picture for?” 

“For you to send to me, so I can make it your contact profile photo.”

“I look scary!” 

“You look cute.” 

Ricky ducks his head to hide his smile. “Whatever. I’m going to get the adoption forms for you, as well as Mochi’s medical information. I’ll email everything to you as well.”

Gyuvin sees Ricky’s smile anyway. “Sounds good,” he says, smiling when he sees Ricky type on his phone and he hears his own phone ding! as he receives a notification. He won’t let Ricky slip through his fingers again. Not when their paths finally managed to cross. 

Gyuvin finally finishes filling out all the paperwork and hands it over the desk. 

“Mochi will be yours within the next week,” Ricky grins at Yujin, who’s so excited at the idea of having a cat he keeps jumping up and down at random intervals. 

Gyuvin makes a mental note to properly sit Yujin down and tell him about the responsibilities of owning a cat. “Thank you so much.” He shakes Ricky’s hand, trying to dedicate the feeling of his smooth fingers against Gyuvin’s own, and wonders if Ricky still has the ring Gyuvin gave him during camp. “It was really, really nice to see you again.” 

“You too,” Ricky says, his voice and eyes just as soft as his gentle grasp, and Gyuvin mourns the fact that they have to let go. 

“Again?” Yujin pipes up. “Appa, did you and Ricky-ssi already know each other?” 

“We did,” Gyuvin says. “I’ll tell you about it when we get home.”

Ricky laughs. “You can only say good things about me.” 

Gyuvin is genuine when he looks back up and says, “There are only good things.”

Ricky’s hair falls into his eyes as he smiles so widely his eyes nearly close. 

Gyuvin beams and feels like a schoolboy with a big fat crush again. He wishes he didn’t ever have to leave. 

At the door, both Gyuvin and Ricky linger, while Yujin skips in circles at the entrance. 

“You have my number and KaTalk now,” Ricky says, leaning against the wall. 

“I do,” Gyuvin says, knowing he’ll forever remember that the first message Ricky ever sent him was an emoji of a cat. 

“Then we’ll be in touch. And you still have to pick Mochi up next week.”

“I look forward to it.” Gyuvin takes a hesitant step backwards, that much closer to his car and further from Ricky. “Don’t be afraid to text me any time. I’m working on another book, and I could use the distraction.” 

“Another book?”

Gyuvin nods. “I’ll tell you about it next time.”

Ricky nods back. He waves, so softly it’s almost as though he’s afraid to disrupt the air. “I’m glad there will be a next time.” 

It takes almost all of Gyuvin’s willpower to turn around and walk away. At least holding Yujin’s hand makes the heartache in his chest dissipate, leaving only a small, Ricky-Rui-shaped hole behind. 

After a good night’s sleep and a day, Gyuvin tells Yujin a simplified story of how he and Ricky met. 

Yujin looks up from his coloring book to meet Gyuvin’s eye. “So Appa, you loved Ricky-ssi?”

“I did.” Gyuvin smiles. He bites his cheek, unsure of whether or not he should mention this, but he’d long since promised himself to be as honest with Yujin as possible. “Actually, I think I still love him a little bit.”

Yujin nods, setting down an orange crayon. “That makes sense. Isn’t love hard to get rid of?” 

“It is, if it’s genuine.” 

“Oh,” Yujin nods again, with all the air and wiseness of a great sage. He’s so cute Gyuvin can’t help but reach over the table to pinch his cheeks. 

“Do you like Ricky-ssi, Jinnie?”

Yujin makes a few more scribbles with a blue crayon before smiling wide. “Of course. Ricky-ssi is very handsome, and he let me play with all of his cats for as long as I wanted.” 

“Yes. Are you excited to get Mochi soon?”

“Of course," Yujin answers quickly, and Gyuvin launches into a proper explanation of why a pet has to be taken care of, and just how much responsibility it is. 

Later that day, Gyuvin gets a text. He checks his phone, expecting it to be either Hanbin or Gunwook, and nearly drops it into the sink after he sees Ricky’s contact appear in the notifications center. 

Ricky 🍓 (3:27 PM)

me and mochi say hi

[image attached]

If Gyuvin saves the selfie of Ricky and Mochi and stares at it for hours, that’s simply his business. 

Hao looks at the selfie Gyuvin sent to Ricky that morning, zooming in with an amused grin. “So this is the boy you met at camp and lost contact with? The boy who you promised to marry if you were both still single by thirty?”

Ricky nods, sitting next to Hao on the sofa and smiling when Hao nudges their feet together. “Can you believe it? It’s such a coincidence. Also, that last part was completely unnecessary.” 

“It’s almost like it was fate, and actually, it was completely necessary,” Hao laughs. “Did you know that Gyuvin is Binnie’s younger brother?” 

“What, really? You can’t be serious.” Ricky’s eyes widen into saucers. 

“I’m being so serious.” Hao shrugs, handing Ricky’s phone back to him. “It’s a small, small world, Quanrui. Hanbin’s Kim Gyuvin is your Kim Gyuvin.” 

Ricky glances at Gyuvin’s selfie, memorizing Gyuvin’s goofy grin and his fluffy, messy bed hair. “I’m glad it’s small enough for a chance like this.” 

“You know, you probably could’ve met Gyuvin earlier if you’d agree to hang out with me and Binnie once in a while.” 

“I’d rather not third wheel you two,” Ricky rolls his eyes, laughing when Hao pokes his stomach in retaliation. 

“Whatever, you punk.” Hao pinches Ricky’s cheek. “I’m glad you met him again.”

“Me too. I’m not going to let him go this time.”

Hao smiles. “I believe in you.” 

One week passes by in a series of texts and calls. Ricky sends Gyuvin pictures of his breakfast: pancakes with strawberry syrup, cakes with sliced strawberries on top, meals with multiple drinks of boba on the side. Gyuvin sends Ricky pictures of anything: morning selfies with atrocious bed hair, a rather fat pigeon he saw on a walk, Yujin falling asleep in a funny position. Whenever they call or facetime, Gyuvin is so elated he wonders if Ricky can hear or see him blushing through the screen while they talk, a part of him daring to believe that Ricky might feel just as excited. 

Two nights ago, Gyuvin had actually fallen asleep while telling Ricky about the plot of his newest book. When he woke up, Ricky was still on the call. He was greeted with the sight of Ricky bent over at his desk, the sun streaming in through his window and casting him in pale sepia, his smile soft and pink as he looked towards his phone and realized Gyuvin was awake. Gyuvin thinks he’ll never forget the way Ricky looks in the morning. After all, he hasn’t forgotten how Ricky used to look after startling awake to their camp’s communal 7 AM alarm, and he’s more than grateful he has a new memory of a sleepy morning Ricky to compare it with. 

(“Good morning,” Ricky had said. 

“Did you not sleep?” Gyuvin replied, yawning.

“I did, but I woke up before you. You looked so peaceful. You also snore.”

“Do not!”) 

Three days ago, Ricky had accidentally tripped on the carpet of his living room while talking to Gyuvin, sending his phone flying. They laughed about it afterwards for a good fifteen minutes. Gyuvin had asked Ricky just how dangerous his carpet was, and Ricky said that if Gyuvin were in his position, he’d also trip.

Gyuvin had asked if that was an invitation. Ricky had said it was. And Gyuvin, who is a grown ass man, had actually let out a noise akin to a screech. At least Ricky had responded to that with a squeaky laugh similar to that of a metal chair scraping against linoleum floor. 

Four in the morning is an unholy hour for someone like Gyuvin, who’s had a very consistent schedule for the past five years or so, but talking to Ricky seems to be a great catalyst for disrupting his usual pattern. Not that he’s complaining.

His clock blinks a menacing 04:08 AM at him, and it’s a Friday night — or, a Saturday morning technically — and he knows that he’ll have to wake up Yujin at their usual wakeup time of seven or eight in the morning, but this is worth it. Staying up to crack jokes with Ricky and talk about anything, literally anything, is worth it to him. 

Nine years between them seems to have done nothing to their dynamic. They bicker. They tease. Gyuvin sends Ricky cute animal videos. Ricky sends Gyuvin terribly unfunny memes that they both find hilarious. Gyuvin tells Ricky about his imposter syndrome after his first book got popular. Ricky tells Gyuvin about how his hubris had nearly cost him his dream of even opening the cafe. 

“How is talking to you so easy?” Ricky asks one day, as they video call during lunch. 

“I don’t know. I should ask you the same thing.”

“I guess some things can’t be explained,” Ricky says, chewing on his toast.

Gyuvin takes a bite out of his watermelon. “I guess so. They just happen to be like that.” 

They spend the rest of that call bickering about which fruit’s peel or rind would be better to eat: an orange, a watermelon, or a mango. Gyuvin almost feels his age around someone who’s not his blood family for the first time in a long time. 

“You know, you look happier recently,” Hanbin says, squinting at Gyuvin almost suspiciously during one of their get-together brunches. 

Gyuvin gulps down his orange juice in lieu of an answer. When his glass becomes empty, he gives a half shrug. “Do I? Really?” 

“You do.” Hanbin leans across the table. “What’s going on?” 

Gyuvin puts down his glass, deciding to tell his brother the truth. “Do you remember Rui from the summer camp mom sent me to?”

Before Gyuvin knows it, it’s time to go to Ricky’s cafe again, ready to add another member to his small family. Speaking of which, Mochi seems very content in her carrier, even pawing playfully at Yujin’s fingers as he sticks his hand through the holes on the side. It’s good for the two of them to get along. Gyuvin watches with a fond smile, careful to make sure that Yujin doesn’t get too bold and scare Mochi into accidentally hurting him. 

Ricky claps, bending down to look at Mochi before straightening up. “I’m so glad you’re giving her a home. I know you’ll take care of her,” he says, smile sweet as he looks at Gyuvin. 

Gyuvin nods, wanting nothing more than to take Ricky home with him as well. He’d take excellent care of Ricky and make sure that he’s fed well and entertained every day. Feed him strawberries and anything sweet. Gyuvin knows he has the means to probably pay for any expenses he, Yujin, Mochi, and Ricky would have for the rest of their lives. 

Come with me, Gyuvin thinks. “You should visit her sometime,” he says. 

“I would love to.” Ricky bends down again, trying to catch Yujin’s eye. “Yujin, would you like for me to go to your house and visit Mochi?” 

Yujin looks away from Mochi for a quick second. “Could you help me teach Mochi tricks?” 

Ricky nods and laughs. “I already taught her how to do handshakes. I could show you.” 

“Please come over,” Yujin is quick to say. He turns to Gyuvin. “Appa, did you hear that? Ricky-ssi taught Mochi how to do handshakes.” 

“Yes, Jinnie.” Gyuvin pats Yujin on the back gently. “It’s very impressive.”

Yujin hums in agreement, going back to playing around with Mochi. 

Gyuvin meets Ricky’s eye and they share an amused look. 

“Well, I guess you should go home,” Ricky says, standing up fully again. He’s almost Gyuvin’s height now, and Gyuvin distantly wonders when he outgrew Ricky, who used to be quite a few centimeters taller back then. 

“I guess we should,” Gyuvin nods, not making any moves towards the door. There are other customers around, but Matthew is tending to them, and the three of them are the only people at the front desk. Call Gyuvin selfish, but he can’t help the fact that he wants as much of Ricky’s attention as possible.

“Send me videos and pictures of her,” Ricky leans in, “and don’t tell the other cats, but Mochi has always been one of my favorites. One of the most well-behaved and cutest.” 

“Hmm, favoritism?” Gyuvin grins, nudging Ricky with his knuckle. “Aren’t parents not supposed to have favorite children?”

“Oops,” Ricky says while shrugging, his eyes crinkling as he laughs. 

Come with me, Gyuvin thinks again. “Ricky, I have a question to ask you, and you can always say no.”

Ricky holds up a palm. “Wait, before you ask me, I wanted to ask you something.” He’s biting at the inside of his cheek, a nervous habit he had nine years ago, as well.

Gyuvin smiles. “Go ahead.” 

“...Are you free on Saturday?” 

“Saturday? Well, I have to drop Yujin off at his friend’s sleepover birthday party. But after that, I’m free, yes.” Gyuvin feels the tips of his ears burn.

“Great, well, um. I was thinking of going ice skating, and tickets are cheaper on Saturday. There’s also an ice sculpture show that’s happening at a place near the rink.”

“Ice sculpture show? In May?”

Ricky nods excitedly. “Yeah, they’re doing it because there’s a larger festival going on, so they want the show to cool everyone off. Would you want to g—” 

“—I’d love to go with you,” Gyuvin interrupts, not bearing to wait any longer to answer. 

Ricky laughs, breathy and true. His eyes are basically honey as he looks at Gyuvin, who wants nothing more than to drown in their sweetness forever. “Okay, great.” 

Gyuvin opens his mouth when he feels Yujin tug on his coat. “What is it, Jinnie?” he asks, ruffling Yujin’s hair. 

“Appa, are you going on a date with Ricky-ssi?” 

Now Gyuvin’s cheeks are burning as well. He faces Ricky, whose face is also pink. “Um, I don’t know. Is it a date, Ricky-ssi?” 

Ricky leans against the counter. “It is,” he says. 

Gyuvin is about to say something when the ringing of a bell interjects — it’s the sound of the front door opening. He turns and takes a few steps back to make way for the new customers, then bows at Ricky. “Thank you for everything, Ricky-ssi. I’ll see you soon.” 

Ricky’s stare is bright. “Bye, Gyuvin-ssi. See you very, very soon.”

After they leave the store, Mochi’s carrier in one of Gyuvin’s hands and Yujin’s hand in the other, he glances down at his son and lets out a big laugh. “Jinnie, what did I tell you about eavesdropping?”

Yujin looks up at him with round, innocent eyes. “Appa, you were less than ten centimeters away from me. I wasn’t eavesdropping.” 

Gyuvin can only laugh harder. 

Gyuvin! 🦌🥭 (2:31 PM)

I think Mochi likes her new home!!!!!

[image attached]

Ricky 🍓 (3:11 PM)

she and yujin are getting along so well i’m glad!

Gyuvin! 🦌🥭 (3:29 PM)

[image attached]

I think so too :) 

Ricky 🍓 (3:46 PM)

wow i’m jealous of how spoiled she is

look at how smug she looks. little princess

Ricky 🍓 (3:48 PM)

[image attached] 

this is my cat, her name is taotao 

Gyuvin! 🦌🥭 (3:53 PM)

WTF you never told me how cute your cat is??

Ricky 🍓 (4:05 PM)

you should come over and meet her some time!

Gyuvin! 🦌🥭 (4:18 PM)

Haha!! 

Gyuvin! 🦌🥭 (4:32 PM)

I would love to!

But you should come over and see Mochi first 

Ricky 🍓 (5:10 PM)

of course

are you free on friday? 

the cafe isn’t open on fridays, so i’m free.

Gyuvin! 🦌🥭 (5:26 PM)

My schedule is quite free, being a freelance author and all. 

How’s 5 on Thursday? Yujin will be done with school by then!

Ricky 🍓 (5:28 PM)

perfect. 

see you then!

Gyuvin feels like a highschooler again, the way he’s nervously putting together what outfit he’s going to wear. He shouldn’t try too hard, considering he’ll be in his own home, but he wants to look put-together and hopefully handsome in Ricky’s eyes. 

“Can you please choose an outfit already?” Jiwoong says through the video call. “You look great in all of them.”

“But hyung,” Gyuvin pouts. 

“I like all of them. I was a model before I became an actor, remember? Just trust me.”

“I know. But that’s so unhelpful, you have to choose one.”

“Okay, fine. How about the last fit?”

Gyuvin stares at the cardigan and jeans. “I guess it could work.”

“I doubt Ricky will like you any less if you wear the ugliest thing ever,” Jiwoong snorts. “I mean, Taerae and Woohyun would still love me, even if I wore a bright yellow sweater with cheetah print on it or whatever.” 

Gyuvin rolls his eyes. “Shut up. This is different, I’m not dating Ricky just yet.”

“The key word here is yet.”

“I hate you.” 

“Hey, he’s the one who called your ice skating thing a date, not me.”

Gyuvin fights the urge to hang up. 

The doorbell rings.

Gyuvin rushes down the hall to answer it and reaches for the doorknob, smiling when he sees that Yujin is already at the door and dressed, bouncing on the heels of his feet. Mochi is right behind him, sitting on the pair of guest slippers Gyuvin had brought out for Ricky. It seems as though Gyuvin isn’t the only one in the household who’s excited about Ricky’s arrival. 

“Ricky,” Gyuvin smiles as the door swings open. “Welcome to my humble home.”

“You live in a large house in a private neighborhood in Seoul,” Ricky laughs, looking beautiful as ever, dressed in a simple black turtleneck and slacks, paired with a dark washed denim jacket. “I don’t know if this is exactly humble.”

“Well, I’m humble, so clearly it is.” 

Ricky steps inside, taking off his loafers immediately. “I don’t know if humble people call themselves humble.”

“They do now.” Gyuvin glances at Yujin. “Isn’t that right, Jinnie?”

Yujin shrugs. “What does humble mean?” 

Ricky laughs, a bright and squeaky sound, and bends down to pet Mochi as well as meet Yujin’s eye and explain what exactly ‘humble’ means and why Gyuvin is not the definition of it. 

From his place at the kitchen sink, Gyuvin has a clear view of Yujin, Ricky, and Mochi, who are all sitting on the living room couch. Yujin is half in Ricky’s lap and half on the cushion, playing with Mochi, who’s on the other side of Ricky.

Gyuvin notices how Ricky keeps a careful hand on Yujin’s waist to steady him and keep him from falling. He notices the fond way Ricky looks at his son. 

It’s a picture of all of Gyuvin’s favorite things.

He tries not to get too emotional as he continues washing a bowl of strawberries. 

“Careful!” Ricky laughs as Yujin runs around trying to catch Mochi. When Yujin ducks underneath the table, Ricky stretches out his hand to protect Yujin’s head from bonking into the wood. 

Gyuvin’s heart does a scarily large, scarily fast flip. 

(“Do you like children?” Gyuvin asks, reading over his essay for the tenth time. He’s bored of studying and doing homework and tries to ask the first icebreaker that pops into his head. 

Rui glances up from his own essay, meeting Gyuvin’s eye as he turns to face him. “I’m not sure. I have a younger sister, and I love her a lot. So I think so. You?”

“Same. I have younger siblings, and I love them to death.” 

“I know, I can hear you guys when you call.” Rui laughs. “I think it’s really sweet.” 

“...Thanks,” Gyuvin says, feeling his face flush. He hopes that their respective desk lamps are yellow enough and dim enough for the redness on his cheeks to not show. 

“No problem.” Rui smiles. “Hmm, yeah. I’ve always thought about being a teacher in the future, so maybe it’ll happen. I wouldn’t mind working with children.”

“I can see that. You’d be very gentle with them, I know.”

Rui smiles wider.) 

“So I’ll see you on Saturday? For our date?” Gyuvin asks, dawdling by the door, not wanting Ricky to leave just yet. Or ever.

“Of course you will,” Ricky says, putting his loafers back on with a big smile. He takes a series of small steps towards Gyuvin before leaning in and giving him a half-hug. “Thank you for today, I had a lot of fun.”

Gyuvin catches a whiff of Ricky’s perfume and feels a bit dizzy. “You’re welcome anytime.”

Ricky doesn’t know what stroke of confidence hits him at that moment, but he simply says, “I know,” then takes Gyuvin’s hand and gives it a light squeeze before he walks out the door. 

“I like Ricky-ssi a lot,” Yujin says from behind, startling Gyuvin out of his trance. 

“I’m glad you do.” Gyuvin leans down and picks up his son, giving him a grand spin around in the air, the both of them laughing. He puts Yujin down and laughs more. Yujin’s approval matters the most in the world, and Gyuvin is more than happy that he has it. “I like him a lot, too.” 

As it turns out, Gyuvin and Ricky are both shit at ice skating. 

“My knees are so bruised,” Ricky laughs, struggling to stand up, having to put nearly all his weight on Gyuvin as they interlock arms and hands. 

“I think my ass is bruised,” Gyuvin says, letting out a gasp when Ricky almost loses balance again. 

Ricky shakes his head, “I can’t believe I fell twice already. I’m the one who asked you to go skating!” 

“Well, I’ve fallen four times, so you can’t complain.” Gyuvin sighs in relief once he and Ricky are both mostly-stable again, making their way around very slowly, both of them hovering near each other and the wall. 

“Are you having fun, at least?”

Gyuvin looks over his shoulder, at Ricky’s pink nose and pinker cheeks, at Ricky’s earnest eyes, at Ricky’s pink scarf that somehow manages to compliment his all black outfit very well. “Of course I am. I actually haven’t done anything like this in awhile. Whenever I hang out with my brother or my other hyungs, or Gunwookie, we typically don’t really go out like this.” 

“Silly Gyuvin.” Ricky pushes on his skates so he propels forward. He holds out his hand, a little wobbly as he does so, but Gyuvin still thinks it’s one of the most romantic things anyone has ever done to him. “Here’s to letting loose and having some fun.” 

Gyuvin takes his hand. “Cheers to that.”

It isn’t like the movies, where one of them sucks at skating and the other is really good, so they have to skate facing each other and holding hands. It isn’t like the movies, where they’re both really good, and skate in perfect spins and twirls around each other. 

It’s like them: both a little unsure, but steady once they lean on each other. 

“Want to go look at the sculptures?” Gyuvin asks four falls and one hour later. 

Ricky nods. “I heard there’s a throne sculpture you can sit on.” 

“I’ll take lots of pictures of you on them, my prince.”

Ricky laughs as they skate towards the exit. He does a little bow, squatting inch by careful inch so as to not fall yet again. “Thank you, my dear knight.” 

Gyuvin stands and stares. “I want to lick the fish so bad.”

“Gyuvin, do not lick the fish sculpture.”

“It’s so smooth, Ricky. Look at all of those perfectly carved scales. Imagine the texture.” 

“Gyuvin, thousands of people touched those scales.”

“Just one lick. It’d be the world’s greatest popsicle.” 

“Gyuvin,” Ricky chides, laughing. 

Gyuvin leans in, his tongue sticking out. 

“I can’t believe you, seriously.” 

“How does someone even make that?” Ricky says, looking up in awe. It’s a sculpture of a phoenix, every bit of it beyond detailed, the textures of the feathers and fire almost life-like. 

“Patience and a little bit of insanity,” Gyuvin answers easily. 

“Every artist needs both,” Ricky nods.

Gyuvin hums, looking away to nudge Ricky gently on the arm. “Speaking of which, do you still draw?” 

“Sometimes.” Ricky scratches the back of his neck. “I mean, I get bored at the front counter sometimes, so I’ll doodle in a sketchbook.”

“I’m sure your so-called ‘doodles’ are masterpieces. I remember all of your drawings back from camp.”

“I can’t believe you still remember. Please forget any art I drew before graduating from university.” 

Gyuvin nudges Ricky again, “Oh, come on. I’m sure it isn’t as bad as you say it is.” 

“Hmm. Maybe. We tend to be our own worst critics.” 

“Yeah. Like, the person who made this phoenix sculpture probably looks at it and sees only the mistakes they made.” 

“Fair point,” Ricky says, reaching to touch the tip of one of the feathers. “I’d argue the mistakes make it even better, though. It just proves someone really made it with their own two hands.” 

“I agree,” Gyuvin says. “Although, if I ever published a book with a typo, I think I’d withdraw from society and go into hiding.”

Ricky laughs, and Gyuvin just wants so, so much. He wants to bottle up Ricky’s laugh forever so he has a jar of it. He wants to take Ricky home and cook him his favorite meals. He wants to tell Ricky just how much he missed him over the years, how Gyuvin had never looked at strawberries ever again without remembering Ricky, as well. 

“I want popcorn. Or ice cream,” Ricky says a few minutes later, as they continue walking around. 

“Ice cream? Right after ice skating?”

Ricky shrugs. “Are you saying you don’t want any?”

Gyuvin’s eyebrows shoot up. “Hey, now. That’s not what I said.” 

They fall into a burst of giggles, talking about which pizza toppings they think are best as they make their way towards the concession stands. It’s true that it’s cold tonight, but neither of them really notice as they lean into each other and fill up the frosty air with jokes and shared smiles and little nudges and pokes here and there.

Gyuvin and Ricky both take photos of each other and together, and when Gyuvin takes a photo of Ricky in front of a particularly breathtaking ice sculpture of a dragon, he can’t help but pretend to take more photos so he can stare at Ricky’s grin for a few extra seconds. 

“Thank you for tonight,” Gyuvin says once they arrive at his doorstep. 

“Of course. I had a lot of fun.” Ricky’s cheeks and nose are even pinker now.

Gyuvin smiles, fighting the urge to poke Ricky’s face. “I’m glad. Um, wait here really quick. I have something for you.” 

Ricky laughs. “Alright?”

The door opens and closes, and a few minutes later, Gyuvin comes back out, a bouquet of red roses and yellow daffodils in his hand. “Daffodils symbolize new beginnings,” he says, outstretching his arm. “I’m beyond happy that the universe decided to give us a new beginning after nearly a decade.”

“Gyuvin…” Ricky feels like tearing up, but he only smiles as he takes the bouquet, careful to not crush anything by grabbing it gingerly at the very bottom. “You didn’t have to.”

“I wanted to.” Gyuvin takes a half-step closer. “The truth is, I’ve been really scared of starting another relationship since my divorce. A part of me was always really frustrated that a lot of people our age don’t want to date anyone who has a child. And after I grew in popularity, I was frustrated that a lot of people were only interested in me for my money, or interested in an idea of me.” He takes another small step. “But Ricky, I know you aren’t like any of those people. So here’s to us.”

“To us,” Ricky says, taking a step closer as well. “I’m glad we met again.” He leans in, holding the bouquet to the side so it won’t get crushed, and presses a soft kiss on Gyuvin’s cheek, his upper lip brushing against Gyuvin’s eyelashes. 

Gyuvin feels like melting. “Are you okay with taking this slow?”

Ricky nods. “Of course. I’m not in any rush, Gyuvin. We have the time to get to know each other again, now.” 

“Yeah,” Gyuvin says, unable to stop the grin on his face from reaching his ears. “We do.” 

One month passes by in a series of more dates, more calls, and more texts.

At this point, Gyuvin has texted Ricky almost as much as he’s texted Hanbin, and he doesn’t know if that’s impressive or scary. Maybe a mix of both. 

Slowly, the number of strawberry or mango-flavored things in Gyuvin’s fridge starts to accumulate. Every time Ricky comes over, he always has a snack to offer, and nothing will beat the satisfied smile on Ricky’s face as soon as he bites into one. 

Slowly, the drawings that Yujin makes of his family starts to include four members instead of two: the new additions being one white cat with brown patches on its face and ears, and a white-haired man with brown eyes and a tattoo on the side of his neck.

Yujin gets good at drawing out the fancy letters of Ricky’s tattoo; Ricky has always wanted to be a role model, and when Gyuvin tells him that he’s definitely one of Yujin’s, he smiles when he sees the way Ricky’s eyes shine with unshed tears. 

Slowly, Gyuvin begins to reach for Ricky’s hand in public and in private without a second thought. He smiles when he feels their fingers intertwine. He smiles when he thinks about how Ricky did, in fact, keep the fake pink diamond ring that Gyuvin had given to him as a gag gift back during camp.

He smiles when he thinks about how he showed Ricky that he’d kept the old drawings Ricky had made for him during camp, the ripped out notebook pages wrinkled and slightly faded from age, but in otherwise perfect condition, as they were kept in a folder on Gyuvin’s bottom drawer. 

Nine years apart really didn’t seem to do much except want them to become even closer.

Gyuvin is on a walk to go to his favorite bakery and possibly stop by Ricky’s cafe. He completely zones out as he thinks about possible new plot points for his manuscript, and just when he’s about to land on a solid idea, he feels the first few drops of rain hit his head. 

“Oh shit,” he whispers to himself. He didn’t wear a jacket with a hood today. The rain starts coming down more. Curse Seoul’s summer rains. 

He books it towards Ricky’s cafe, holding his hands above his head as if that would do anything. For a second, he feels like a college or highschool student again, back before so many worries plagued him. He laughs as he sees other people scrambling to find shelter, smiles at the people sharing umbrellas with the people beside them. Friends, lovers, parent and child, siblings, whatever. It’s an endearing sight. 

His feet step in puddles and leave splashes, uncaring that his socks are starting to get damp, and when he pushes open the door to Ricky’s cafe and hears the little door bells jingle, he stands still and glances up. 

“Hello Matthew-hyung. Hi Ricky.” 

Matthew laughs. Ricky also laughs. 

“Hi Gyuvinnie,” Ricky says, his eyes curling into happy crescents. Gyuvin feels his insides warm at being called Gyuvinnie and tries to not let it show too much.

“I’ll get you a towel,” Matthew says, going towards the back. 

“I hate the rain,” Gyuvin grumbles, fighting the urge to shake his whole body like a wet dog. 

Ricky giggles as he walks towards him, brushing Gyuvin’s soggy bangs away from his face. “That’s too bad, because I love the rain.” And before Gyuvin can even process what’s happening, Ricky’s opening the door, stepping outside to twirl around with his arms outstretched. 

Matthew comes back with two towels. He hands them out to Gyuvin, then glances out the windows with a grin. “Don’t worry about him,” he says, gesturing towards Ricky. “He always does that.”

Gyuvin has a faint memory of Ricky doing the same thing when he was eighteen. “He still does, huh?” He smiles. “I’m glad.” 

Later, Matthew has to get more towels, and he bans Ricky from getting behind the counter until he’s mostly dry. Luckily, they have extra clothes in the back. Unluckily, they’re all cat cafe-related merch, and Gyuvin is stuck wearing a pink shirt with cat print for the rest of the day. 

“Couple outfits!” Matthew snickers, taking pictures of the both of them and their matching shirts. 

Ricky throws up an awkward peace sign for each photo.

Gyuvin loves him. 

Ricky 🍓 (1:10 PM)

gyuvinnie! 

you’ll never guess what just happened

Gyuvin! 🦌🥭 (1:12 PM)

What’s up? Good news, I hope

Ricky 🍓 (1:13 PM)

it’s good!

one of matthew’s famous boyfriends

the actor, not the singer

came to the cafe today

and he did a short instagram livestream 

and now there’s a billion people here 

the waiting room is full. and there’s a line outside

i’m typing all this frantically, i had to call my other part-timers too

Gyuvin! 🦌🥭 (1:15 PM)

That’s amazing news! 

Gyuvin! 🦌🥭 (1:18 PM)

Wait…

Is his famous boyfriend’s name Jiwoong?

And the other famous boyfriend’s name Taerae?

Ricky 🍓 (1:19 PM)

yes and yes

wait. how did you know?

Gyuvin! 🦌🥭 (1:20 PM)

LOL

Um, is Matthew’s Korean name Woohyun??

Ricky 🍓 (1:21 PM)

yes it is

are you saying what i think you’re saying?

Gyuvin! 🦌🥭 (1:22 PM)

When Jiwoong-hyung said one of his boyfriends

is named Woohyun and that he worked at a cat cafe

I did not know he meant Matthew-hyung…

Ricky 🍓 (1:23 PM)

connecting the dots… omg

tell jiwoong-ssi that i said thank you

i have to go now! it’s so busy

see you later <3

Gyuvin! 🦌🥭 (1:24 PM)

Of course!

Bye <3

They go on dates every other day. 

They go to a ceramics-making store on the side of some random street and make cups for each other, lopsided yet charming, and paint them as well. Gyuvin paints a cat on Ricky’s. Ricky paints a little deer on Gyuvin’s. They both leak when they try using the cups to hold water, so Gyuvin puts them on top of his fridge as room decor instead. 

When Gyuvin goes to pick up Yujin from school, Ricky is in the passenger seat more than not. When Yujin struggles with homework, Ricky is there to help him with it while Gyuvin makes dinner, or the other way around. Yujin says that Ricky is much better at drawing than Gyuvin is, and Gyuvin pretends to be hurt, but he knows it’s true. 

They go to the aquarium, and Gyuvin makes funny voice overs for each of the fish the entire time. Ricky draws Pokemon evolutions for some of the fish, and Gyuvin makes suggestions. They end up with absolute abominations of sea creatures by the end of it. Gyuvin buys Ricky a miniature whale plushie from the gift shop, and Ricky immediately names it Kevin because that’d apparently be Gyuvin’s English name. 

They go grocery shopping, which should be a menial task, but with Ricky, it suddenly becomes fun. They take turns guessing the unit prices of things and covering up the tag with their hands, carefully inspecting fruit before buying it, and making stupid puns out of the names of food brands. If Yujin adds color to Gyuvin’s life, then Ricky adds texture. 

Because Ricky is… fun. He might be a few months older than Gyuvin, and he does act like it, but he also knows how to relax and let loose, how to make Gyuvin feel more comfortable acting silly as well. Gyuvin has always been known for being a bit of a goofster, and while having Yujin made him tone down his humor and class clown tendencies, he knows that a part of his personality is being funny and acting funny and trying to make those around him laugh. 

Acting silly is good for the soul, Gyuvin thinks, and he hasn’t done it enough recently. 

Two weeks after Ricky’s cat cafe experiences a boom in popularity thanks to Jiwoong’s little stunt, they gather in one of Hanbin’s favorite restaurants, in a reserved room that’s private and away from all the other customers. Gyuvin, Taerae, and Jiwoong both stay unrecognized.

“The world is seriously so small,” Hanbin says with a loud laugh, Jiwoong and Taerae nodding along to his sentiment. 

Matthew shakes his head. “I can’t believe we’re all connected somehow.”

Hao sips at his tea, nudging Ricky with his foot. “It’s almost like we were all meant to meet.”

“That was so cringe,” Gunwook says, wincing when Gyuvin kicks him in the shin. “I mean, so true, hyung.”

Hao smiles, “Mhmm, that’s what I thought.” 

“I’m glad I told Jiwoongie to go to the cat cafe now,” Taerae says, dimples on full display. 

Ricky ducks his chin. “Thanks to you, we got more than double our usual amount of customers.” 

“Aww, so cute,” Taerae says. “You’re welcome, Ricky.”

“I’m sure it was a welcome change from the customers who go just because the owner is hot,” Matthew laughs. “You guys should see all the teenagers who come in after they see one of Ricky’s TikToks or his Instagram and Naver posts.”

“Please, not this story,” Ricky groans.

“I want to hear,” Gyuvin says with a laugh.

Gunwook leans in. “Me too.” 

“Me three,” says Hanbin. “I need to properly screen anyone that comes across Gyuvin.” 

“It’s for my safety and Yujin’s,” Gyuvin adds. “Hanbin is a good uncle.” 

“True,” Hao says. “But moving on, it’s time to embarrass Ricky.”

“Let’s go!” Gyuvin cheers. 

Everyone laughs. 

Gyuvin smiles when he feels Ricky’s elbow nudge him. Worth it. 

The two of them are back on Gyuvin’s doorstep.

“I can’t believe that all of our closest friends are connected in some way,” Gyuvin shakes his head for the millionth time that night. “I mean, Gunwook has been a huge fan of Hao-hyung’s singing for a long time. He was fanboying the whole night.” 

Ricky laughs. “I’m surprised that Gunwook recognized Hao, he’s been pretty good at staying anonymous.” 

“Well, trust Gunwook, local crazed fanboy, to recognize Hao by his hands and speaking voice.”

“I get it,” Ricky says. He smiles, eyes bright underneath the light of Gyuvin’s porch. “It’s funny, how everyone finally got to meet because we reconnected now.”

“Yeah, we get all the credit,” Gyuvin says, grinning when he sees Ricky snort at his joke. “I agree with Hao-hyung, though. It’s almost like it was fate.”

“Maybe we were meant to lose contact so we could meet again in my cafe. I think I rather like how things ended up, do you not?”

Gyuvin nods. “I do.” 

Ricky reaches for Gyuvin’s hand and gives it a light squeeze. He glances up. “We spend a lot of time on your doorstep.”

“We do.”

“But not mine.” Ricky’s eyes practically sparkle. “I’ll be sending you my address later. Pick me up on Friday? After you drop Yujin off for school?” 

“Of course. What do you want to do?”

“Let’s throw a surprise party. Just to celebrate all of our newfound friendships.”

Gyuvin grins, pleasantly surprised by the suggestion and overall beyond happy he’s found someone who fits into his life so easily, who seems to make everything make a little bit more sense. “Let’s do it. I’m sure Yujin will be more than happy to have any excuse to eat cake.” 

“What kind of cake does he like?”

“Chocolate.”

“We’re getting it,” Ricky says.

“Friday,” Gyuvin confirms, squeezing Ricky’s hand back.

“Friday.” 

When Gyuvin parks his car in the driveway and walks towards Ricky’s house, an open umbrella in one hand and exasperation in the other, he doesn’t know what to expect. He got Ricky’s text saying that Ricky’s waiting outside, but he can’t believe his eyes once he walks closer to the front door. 

What does he expect? From the first boy who ever stole Gyuvin’s heart?

Well, he doesn’t know. 

Gyuvin stops and takes in the sight of Ricky dancing outside as rain pours down, wearing a red dress shirt, black slacks, and undoubtedly designer loafers, his leather jacket twirling around and around his body as he swings it in his hand. 

Gyubin takes in the way Ricky smiles with his face angled up towards the sky, his squeaky laugh audible from where Gyuvin’s standing in awe, stuck in place because he’s memorizing the way Ricky’s fluffy hair, which is now a damp mullet that sticks to his neck, has loose strands which spin with each jerky movement he makes. He tries his best to remember how the rain and slight bits of sun cast Ricky in a soft halo, getting the feeling that he should be lucky to witness such a scene. 

Gyuvin has never been a fan of Seoul’s summer rains or storms, but the way Ricky’s skin seems to glow underneath the cloudy skies and nearby lights, his clothes completely soaked through, his laugh filling up the silence, his shoes growing muddier and muddier by the second, is enough to make Gyuvin wonder if perhaps there is something good about storms after all. He should’ve been looking closer all the previous times Ricky has done this, but at least he’s looking now. 

It almost feels wrong for Gyuvin to want to interrupt Ricky, but it has to be done. They have places to go. A surprise party for all their friends to throw. 

(If Gyuvin stands there for just a handful of extra minutes, watching Ricky with a smile made of amusement and fondness, that’s for nobody to know but him. People like Ricky, who’ve been through what they have, deserve a little fun in the rain sometimes. And people like Gyuvin, who’s so caught up in a busy world of raising his son and doing it well, in writing his books and occasionally becoming stuck in fictional worlds, deserve to just stand there and watch or dance and forget about everything else sometimes.) 

“Are you high or sleep-deprived or something, Ricky-yah?” Gyuvin jokes, walking towards him in large strides but making sure to leave enough room so Ricky can keep moving around. 

“Kim Gyuvin!” Ricky shouts, squinting at Gyuvin through the rain as he, predictably, continues dancing. His voice goes back to being soft as he says, “I didn’t know you’d be here so early.” 

“I dropped Yujin off before eight. It’s already ten past that.”

“It’s eight already?” Ricky stops dancing to spare a glance at his very naked wrist. “I thought it was still seven the way the sun hasn’t been out all morning.” 

Gyuvin’s close enough to get a good look at Ricky’s face, and where he half-expects to see red eyes and a droopy smile that speak of sleep deprivation, he only sees a bright stare and a genuine grin. “So you’re really not going crazy or loopy on three hours of sleep.” 

“I’m just high on life. That’s all you need, Gyuvin.” To prove his point, Ricky starts to dance circles around Gyuvin with all the grace of a drunkard, and still, Gyuvin thinks it’s one of the most funnily beautiful things he’s ever seen in his life. He’s always known that Ricky is creative and has an awful sense of humor, but he’s never really seen such an open and carefree side of him before, only in glimpses — not since they were eighteen. 

“Why are you in such a good mood?” Gyuvin asks, his eyes still following Ricky. It’s practically impossible to not look at what’s right in front of him. 

“I really love the rain,” Ricky says with a sigh, humming the tune to an unfamiliar song. “It reminds me of my mom.”

Now there’s a surprise. In the years that he’s thought of Ricky and the months he’s really gotten to know Ricky, Gyuvin has never heard him talk about little details regarding his parents, only vague anecdotes and throwaway mentions about how they supported his dreams, but didn’t want him to leave Shanghai or California. 

“Your mom?” Gyuvin repeats, voice careful, vaguely aware that he might be treading through murky waters. 

“Yeah. She used to take me dancing outside whenever there were storms like this.” Ricky smiles as he lifts a cupped palm towards the sky, rainwater slowly gathering inside. Gyuvin is glad to hear this little tidbit about Ricky’s mom, more than happy at how much they’ve opened up to each other during these last few months. After a few seconds Ricky flicks his wrist and splashes Gyuvin with the water he’d collected. 

Gyuvin blinks. “Hey!”

Ricky lets out a giggle, and again, Gyuvin feels the urge to keep all of Ricky’s different laughs in a jar for safekeeping. “Shanghai is beyond humid and it rained during the summer all the time.” His face is a little serious now. Nostalgic. He gives Gyuvin a tight smile. “Isn’t it nice?” 

“A little,” Gyuvin admits, wanting to make Ricky’s smile bigger — which, at Gyuvin’s appearance and assent, does admittedly become less tight and more lopsided. 

Summer rain isn’t cold like the rainfall during other seasons, which makes it only a little more bearable when it’s absolutely drenching him. But it truly is pretty. Ricky’s also pretty, Gyuvin thinks, if only for a split second, his mind unhelpful and lovesick as per usual. He clears his throat; he really needs to get it together. 

“I wonder how it tastes,” Gyuvin says, sticking out his tongue. 

“Good question,” Ricky says, sticking out his tongue as well.

They aim their open mouths to the heavens. Rain, as it turns out, doesn’t taste like much, but when Gyuvin sees the large smile on Ricky’s face, he thinks it might taste a little sweet. 

“Now you get it,” Ricky says minutes later, and Gyuvin is so taken aback by the honesty in Ricky’s words and face that he notices too late when Ricky whips around and lunges right at him. His umbrella gets knocked clean right out of his hands, and his ass gets thoroughly drenched. What a way to change the topic. 

“Yah, Ricky!” he yells, but it’s not angry and more surprised. It isn’t like Gyuvin is wearing anything nice — he’d just thrown together some basic pajamas to drop Yujin off and go shopping later, after all — but his brain is short-circuiting at the sensation of being tossed onto the ground. The very wet ground. 

“Here’s to living a little, to letting loose,” Ricky says, his laugh coming back full force, his legs lying on top of Gyuvin’s, his damp head of hair barely an inch away from Gyuvin’s nose. “Besides, I’m turning twenty-eight in a few months. I just want to feel young.”

And maybe Ricky’s laugh is a little contagious, because sure enough, Gyuvin finds himself joining him in his silliness, in laughing so hard his ribs ache. Gyuvin knows, somewhere in the back of his mind, that the two of them must look so, so stupid: two laughing young men, limbs tangled on the grass, hair and clothes clinging to their skin as rain pelts them. But he also finds that he doesn’t really care. He doesn’t owe anyone anything, doesn’t owe the world his maturity. He only owes himself and his son. 

“You’re still young!” Gyuvin says after a few minutes, his laughter finally dying down. “We both are. You’re not an old, old adult until you’re forty, and even more smart and responsible.” 

“That’s true, we’re not middle-aged yet.” Ricky straightens up, offering out a hand to Gyuvin. “Although, you act old, Gyuvinnie. It’s not a bad thing, though. Not at all. I get it, you’ve told me what you’ve been through, and even if you didn’t, I’d still get it.”

Gyuvin nods. “You do get it. But you know, I do act my age pretty often. I’m twenty seven and stupid and I have the body of a fit college student,” Gyuvin says, snatching his umbrella with one hand before taking Ricky’s with the other, getting up with a grunt. Unfortunately, his knees and hip both pop with the motion, which doesn’t prove his point. The world hates him. Really, it does. 

Ricky places his hands on his hips, laughing and squeaking once again, his blond bangs nearly completely obscuring his judgemental stare. “So we’re both going to pretend we didn’t just hear your bones creak and squeak?” 

“Don’t act like your bones don’t pop either,” Gyuvin scoffs, giving his poor knees a few pats. 

“Sure, sure,” Ricky says, swatting at Gyuvin dismissively. “You know, maybe you’re a grandpa and not a dad,” he muses, looking Gyuvin up and down with mock-disapproval, “and you’re dressed like one, too. I’m talking about your grandpa cardigan.” 

Gyuvin scoffs, feigning offense. “It’s a perfectly normal cardigan, and I’m sure it looks worse because I’m drenched. Whatever,” he says, rolling his eyes, but still grinning from ear to ear. “My clothes are covered in grass and dirt, and I grabbed it from the bottom of my closet, so I don’t care.” Gyuvin gives Ricky a critical look of his own, “Besides, why are you talking about my fashion choices like that? You’re always dressed like a rich asshole when you’re not wearing your cat cafe uniform.” 

“I dress like a hot rich asshole,” Ricky corrects, giving Gyuvin a wink and turning Gyuvin’s traitorous insides gooey. This is going to be a long, long day, he thinks again, considering getting into his car and driving back home to take a long, long shower. 

“Sure,” Gyuvin says, nudging Ricky’s shoulder. “Can we go inside and change? We’re supposed to go on a magical day of shopping and party-throwing.”

“A magical day indeed,” Ricky says, walking back towards the garage door, offering his hand for Gyuvin to take. Gyuvin does just that, smiling when their fingers slot together just right, a part of him wondering how it would feel if they were both wearing matching rings on their fourth fingers. 

“Do you have a list for what we need?” 

“I do.” Ricky punches in his code. “I need your help with everyone’s food preferences, though. I have no idea what Jiwoong-hyung and Taerae-hyung don’t like.” 

Gyuvin tucks his umbrella under his elbow and follows Ricky through the door, taking off his drenched shoes and socks in the mudroom alongside Ricky’s, trying not to smile too hard at how domestic this all feels. 

“Here,” Ricky says, giving Gyuvin a pair of fuzzy slippers. “Let’s get changed, then start with the list of snacks and drinks.” 

It’s gonna be a long day, Gyuvin thinks, but maybe not an entirely bad one. 

After they get changed and sit down with paper and pens on the table in front of them, Gyuvin writes strawberries and mangoes as the first two things on the food list. 

“Strawber-Rui,” Gyuvin says, echoing one of the very first things he’d ever said to Ricky. 

Ricky glances up with a small smile. He thinks they’re both ready now, that it’s time, that he can ask about the promise they made as kids. “Gyuvin, I need to ask you something.”

“Wait,” Gyuvin says, holding up a palm. He reaches for Ricky’s hand and gives it a squeeze. “I want to say something. Can I?”

Ricky nods. He squeezes back. 

“You’re twenty seven, I’m twenty seven. And we are both still young.” Gyuvin tilts his head. “Do you remember what we said to each other back at camp? What we’d do if—”

“—We were still single by thirty?” Ricky asks, biting his cheek. 

“Yeah,” Gyuvin breathes, feeling his stomach turn and twist, his heart burning with hope. 

Ricky bursts into laughter. “Silly Gyuvinnie. That’s what I was going to ask you about.”

“Okay, well, same wavelength.” Gyuvin laughs back. “Listen, we’re not single anymore, but we’re also not thirty years old yet. So, I want to revise our promise.” He takes a deep breath and holds onto Ricky’s fingers, still imagining what they’d feel like and look like with a ring on one of them. “I guess what I’m trying to say is, I want to marry you when we’re thirty.” 

Ricky stops laughing. He leans in and kisses the corner of Gyuvin’s smile. “I want that, too.” 

Gyuvin bursts into tears. 

Ricky starts laughing again. 

It’s gonna be a long day, Gyuvin thinks as Ricky dabs at his cheeks with tissues, but not an entirely bad one.