Seungjun got off the train with a huff. He was glad to be home again, taking some time off from everything for once.
He still had to get a bus closer to home but his legs and back didn't want to sit anymore, so he just stood on the platform for a few minutes, taking in the air he hadn't breathed in for so long.

For the time being there, he had sworn to not go on his social media, at least not his main account, not wanting to deal with random people asking about where he was going after posting that he would 'take some time off'. But he did allow himself to stay logged in on his private ones, so he wouldn't miss what friends and family were doing, or just to look at some dumb memes or cute cat pictures.

Once he finally felt like he could sit again for longer than two minutes, he wandered over to the bus station, just in time for the next one that would head towards his house.

"I'm home!" Seungjun announced after stepping through the door, hearing nails scratching over the floor shortly after as white fur came racing towards him, jumping up at him excitedly.
Footsteps followed, revealing his father standing in the doorframe to the living space. "Welcome home," he greeted, pulling Seungjun into a hug as soon as he finished petting Vell.
When he arrived in the living room, his mother and sisters also greeted him happily, bombarding him with questions right after as if phone-contact had never happened since he last went home.
"You must be exhausted, go get some rest for today," his mother said after seeing her son yawn for the nth time since he sat down on the couch.
"Maybe I should," Seungjun shortly laughed. "I'll be going to bed, then. Good night."

His room had remained the same, maybe a bit more dust had accumulated in the time being, but nothing that had to be done instantly. He let himself fall onto his bed, staring at his ceiling for a good while before taking out his phone, a habit he probably can't put down any time soon.

Scrolling through his Instagram feed, he soon got a suggestion of a place he could remember just too well: the local animal shelter.

<em>Since when do they have an SNS?</em>

Without thinking much, he clicked on the profile, scrolling through the few pictures that were uploaded and read their descriptions. The way of writing was oddly familiar to him, and he wondered if his supposition would be correct, so he made it his plan for the following day to investigate it.

<em>Maybe he finally fulfilled his little dream.</em>

But as endearing as the pictures and the sweet descriptions of the animals were, Seungjun didn't want to look at them for too long, fearing that he would want to adopt every single one of the animals. He did, however, follow the account to continue watching the journey of the creatures in need of homes.

The next morning, the house was unexpectedly quiet. When he was living in his dorms, there was barely a quiet minute and it was odd not to have that anymore, but he also liked hearing nothing again for once.

When he got into the kitchen, the only person he met was his sister, peeking at him from behind a newspaper. "Morning," she greeted.
"Good morning," Seungjun answered, rummaging around the cupboards and the fridge to find some makeshift breakfast.
"Got any plans for your first day home?" his sister asked when he sat down at the table.
"Going around town, probably. I wanted to go to the animal shelter," Seungjun shrugged, filling his glass with orange juice.
"Oh?" A grin grew on her face. "Going to say hello to Minkyun?"
"He works there? Really?"
"That's what I've been told," she shrugged. "But shouldn't you know better? You're his friend, not me."
"Neither of us ever really talked about work and stuff."

The grin morphed into a giggle. "Well, I'm sure he'll be glad to see you again. It's been a while, after all."
"Yeah," Seungjun sighed, stirring his juice.
"Will you ever tell him?"
Seungjun tried to feign ignorance. "Tell him what?"
"You're blushing."
"That's not the answer to my question."
"You didn't answer mine either."
With another sigh, Seungjun let his head drop. He had told his sister about his crush on his friend already, which he had hoped would just ebb away if he stayed on enough distance. He thought wrong. "It would be so weird, though."
"You don't have to tell him instantly as soon as you see his face," the woman laughed. "But it can't hurt to try and get a little closer again, you know?"
"Maybe you're right..."

He emptied his glass, bid his goodbye and left the house on a direct way to the animal shelter. And even though he felt somewhat confident when he made the first steps, the closer he got, the more wobbly his knees seemed, to the point that he felt like he couldn't stand anymore when he was in front of the main gate.
After taking a deep breath, he made his way onto the property.
He would've felt maybe a bit too desperate if he just went in and look for Minkyun straight away, so he just wandered around a bit on the outside, looking into the large cages where he was met by beady eyes, begging for someone to take them home, make them family and love them.
It hurt Seungjun to see these animals, but he knew that the shelter was still a better place than somewhere on the street, so he told himself that he can't walk home with a kitten in hand, even if he wanted to.

"Can I help you?" a voice sounded from behind Seungjun.
"Oh, no, I just came to visit and look around," Seungjun said, turning around to see who was talking to him. Of course, it had to be Minkyun.
"Seungjun?" the slightly taller man questioned.
"Yeah... Hey, Minkyun," Seungjun softly greeted, already feeling a blush creep up his cheeks.
"Since when are you back?"
"Last night."
"Does that mean you're finished with your studies?"
Seungjun nodded shortly. "Since when do you work here?" he asked in return.
"Maybe about a year now? If you don't count the voluntary work at least."

Seungjun couldn't help but smile. Minkyun had always said he wanted to work in a job where he could help animals. And given that he had already taken in multiple animals from the streets himself, working in an animal shelter was just the perfect fit for him.
"Say, I'm almost on my break. Why don't you come in and we can talk for a bit?" Minkyun suggested.
"Sure."
With that, he was led to a small office room, a plate with "Park Minkyun" hammered on the door. The office wasn't the biggest, but still comfortably fit two or even three people in. But apart from the size, the first thing Seungjun noticed was the amount of sticky notes plastering the walls.
"What are all these for?" Seungjun asked, looking at some but not being able to make a lot of sense out of them apart from it being names or numbers.
Minkyun looked at him from the paper he had laying on his desk. "Oh, mostly names and numbers of potential forever homes, foster families, dates for vet visits and so on. I was always bad with planners, so I thought sticking it right in front of my face might help me be more organised," he told him before pointing at a chair. "Come, sit."
Seungjun was handed a glass of water as Minkyun sat down on the other side of the table.

"So, you finished your studies... Are you already applying for jobs?" Minkyun asked.
"Yeah, but only very slowly. I want a bit of free time for now, who knows when I will get that again," Seungjun told him with a laugh, "but a lot of people told me that those who you work with in the branch are total dicks, so I really hope I will get somewhere better than that."
"I'm sure you will," Minkyun cheered. "But how long will you stay here, then?"
Seungjun shrugged, "Depends. If I can find something near, I can stay here for a while longer. If not, I guess I have to move again."

Minkyun nodded, sipping his own beverage and taking a deep breath. "I know you said you wanted to take some time off," he started, "but could I ask you for a favour?"
"Of course, you can."
"You see, we're quite short on staff right now, for the amount of animals we have at the moment," Minkyun explained, "we have a few that walk the dogs or entertain the cats... but that sadly doesn't take a lot of work off us. So, if you're ever free or bored, would you mind helping out here and there?"

Seungjun was surprised at the question asked, but even after half of what Minkyun said, he knew that he would agree anyway. "Of course, I'll do what I can."

A relieved smile washed over Minkyun's face. "Thank you. I knew I could count on you."
"Do you need anything right now? I don't have anything planned for the rest of the day."
"Actually, yes," Minkyun hummed. "You're better at social media than me," he laughed.
"It was my study after all," Seungjun smiled, "but what's the problem?"
"Well, you see. The boss and I sat together and thought that an SNS might help... but it's just not working the way we hoped it would."
"The page seemed fine, though?"
"According to the statistics, not really," Minkyun sighed, "so could you take a closer look at it and maybe help us out on that?"
"Sure thing, shouldn't be anything I can't manage," Seungjun assured.

They sat together for the rest of Minkyun's break until he had to go to work again, letting Seungjun do his magic in the office while Minkyun tended to the animals.
Once left alone, Seungjun felt the blood rush through his cheeks, almost giving him a headache. Looking at Minkyun for so long, talking to him after such a long time, almost made his heart explode. It felt like the time where they hadn't seen each other just made his crush on the other even worse.
He buried his face in his hands, letting out a silent scream of agony in the hopes that it would make him concentrate again afterwards.

The rest of the day went by without too much happening, having Seungjun figure out statistics and strategies. Every now and then, Minkyun would pop in and check if everything was fine or ask if he needed anything.

"Thanks for helping out," Minkyun continuously repeated as he brought Seungjun to the gate.
"I didn't do that much yet," Seungjun laughed, "but I'm glad to be of help."
"Of course you are of help."
Seungjun left the property, turning around to look at Minkyun once more. "I'll be back tomorrow?"
"I'd be happy to see you here," Minkyun smiled. A smile that would always melt Seungjun from the inside out.
He felt giddy when he walked back home, the warmth of the image of Minkyun smiling not leaving his mind. He was still in love, after all.

A lot of the following days was Seungjun explaining the previously thought out strategies so he could make use of them himself. But soon, his work also shifted to taking care of the animals, often feeding them or walking a dog every now and then. Sometimes, he would also just sit down in one of the enclosures and not move for hours on end so the animal could get used to humans and start trusting them.

One of his favourite enclosures to stay in, was the kitten sanctuary. It was barely even two square metres big and most of the space was taken by litter boxes and a cat tree, but Seungjun managed to find a place to sit and have the kitten crawl all over him, getting used to living beings other than other cats.
He felt proud that the little creatures trusted him enough to climb up his shirt or to nap on his lap, and every time he had to leave, his heart broke a little bit.
Minkyun always assured him that kittens get taken in rather quickly and that he shouldn't worry about them not getting a home, but the little fluffballs just stole his heart anew every day.

But even though Seungjun spent every day, every spare minute he had, in the animal shelter, it felt like his relationship with Minkyun was going absolutely nowhere.
He knew that Minkyun was a bit dense in some departments, but Seungjun never thought that he would be so oblivious to Seungjun's obvious crush.

"You look tired," Minkyun remarked when Seungjun came by later than usual.
With a sigh, Seungjun wriggled himself out of his blazer and took off the necktie that felt like it was choking him. "I had some interviews today," he explained.
"Oh? How did they go?" Minkyun asked.
"Honestly, no clue. They are all so stoic, it's frustrating," Seungjun sighed, letting himself fall onto the chair in Minkyun's office. "I guess I just have to wait until they get back to me."
"I'm sure at least one of them will work out," Minkyun smiled, "you're good at what you're doing, and it has shown on multiple occasions already."
"Having a few Instagram followers won't really make an impression on those people..."
"'A few', you mean thousands." Minkyun shook his head, "and you also helped us out and it worked. Can't you put that on your resume?"
"Maybe next time," Seungjun laughed. "Anyway, what can I help you with today?"
Minkyun eyed him for a few seconds before turning around to one of the cabinets. "First, put this on. You don't want to ruin your good shirt, do you now?" he said, handing Seungjun a t-shirt with the shelter's logo.
"Thanks," Seungjun muttered, making quick work to change into it.
"And other than that, you can just hang out in one of the enclosures again, most work is done for now until they all get dinner."
"Oh, alright..." Seungjun muttered. "What about you, then?
"Just some paperwork and a few phone calls, nothing exciting."
"Good luck with that, I suppose," Seungjun smiled, getting up and making his way to the animals again.

This time, he found himself in a dog's enclosure, being greeted by it as soon as it heard the lock click open.
Seungjun sat down next to the dog's mat, having the animal on his lap shortly after, or at least as much as such a big dog could fit on his lap.
After a few times of throwing its favourite ball, and a lot of cuddles later, the dog finally settled a bit more, resting its head on Seungjun's thigh while wagging its tail lovingly.
With not having to put his all to the dog again and just petting it, Seungjun soon felt the tiredness wash over him. The T-shirt he was wearing smelled of Minkyun's perfume ever so slightly, probably having been in the office for a long enough time to take it on.
Seungjun still felt a bit like a coward, not being able to be true to his feelings and telling them to Minkyun, but he had no idea where they were even heading just friendship-wise either.

"Seungjun?" a voice called out softly with an amused tone, "if you want to sleep, you should do that in a proper bed, not in the dog's," the voice continued, now accompanied by a hand shaking Seungjun's shoulder.
"Hm?" Seungjun hummed, rubbing his eyes and trying to sit up a bit.
"Come on, let me bring you home," the voice laughed, which now Seungjun realised was Minkyun's.
Carefully, two hands pulled him onto his feet, though he could barely balance himself yet.
"I wanna stay," Seungjun muttered, leaning his head against Minkyun's shoulder.
"You can come back tomorrow. Maxi won't run away," Minkyun promised, guiding Seungjun out of the room.
"And you?" Seungjun wanted to know, his mind still hazy with sleep.
Minkyun still seemed amused by the other's nonsense. "What's with me?"
"Will you run away?"
"Of course not. Why should I?"

Seungjun didn't know an answer. Minkyun never ran away. He stayed while Seungjun was the one who tried to escape himself.
"Can I stay with you?"
"I still have to work."
Seungjun's eyes grew sad but he tried to catch himself quickly. "You're right. I should head home."

"Let me drive you, I still have a bit of time before my break ends."

Seungjun wanted to protest, but he couldn't even say anything as Minkyun took him to his office to grab Seungjun's blazer and his car keys.

"I assume you're currently staying at your parents house?" Minkyun asked.

"Yeah," Seungjun hummed, following the other to the parking lot. He was still tired and couldn't think of anything to hold a proper conversation, so he just tried to stay awake on the short way home.

Minkyun alse seemed to understand, staying quiet apart from softly humming along to the radio. Only when he parked the car again, did he speak up.

"Say, Seungjun," he started, "are you free tomorrow?"

"Tomorrow? Yeah, of course."

Minkyun seemed anxious all of a sudden, fiddling with the steering wheel. "Do you wanna hang out tomorrow? Outside of work, I mean..."

"I— uhm... yeah, sure, why not?" Seungjun nervously answered, once again feeling stupid for his heart starting to race at the mere possibility to spend more time with Minkyun.

"You don't seem too convinced..."

"No! No, that's not what I meant. I just didn't expect that," Seungjun quickly tried to clarify. "I'd love to, really."

A soft smile appeared on Minkyun's face, accompanied by a subtle pink hue on his cheeks. "Okay, I'll pick you up tomorrow, then."

"Sure," Seungjun agreed, "any plans on what to do?"

"We could go to the movies?"

Seungjun nodded shortly, "alright, I'll see you tomorrow, then," he smiled.

"Yeah, see you tomorrow."

Seungjun wanted to yell. His heart was beating out his chest and his legs turned pudding all over again. He knew he was reading too much into it but he couldn't help the butterflies from invading his stomach. Going to the movies was a simple activity any friends do, yet his head wouldn't stop spinning.

He knew it was probably a stupid idea, but the first thing he did was report to his sister and ask her for advice.

Of course, she first went on about him going on a date with his crush but soon took it more seriously. So, with still a bit of teasing, Seungjun's sister helped him to find a proper outfit and some general tips she hoped would help the other.

It seemed like his heart still hadn't calmed down when he went to bed, almost preventing him from sleeping, but after constantly reminding himself that he couldn't meet with Minkyun sleep deprived, he eventually fell asleep.

While waiting for Minkyun to pick him up, Seungjun paced around his room, reminding himself that it wasn't a <em>date</em> as his sister kept saying, and that he should just enjoy the time.

He was so in thoughts that his phone buzzing made him jump. It was just a simple text of Minkyun saying that he was waiting for him outside, but it was probably the fastest Seungjun had ever left the building.

"Fancy fit," Minkyun commented when Seungjun got into the car.

The latter let out a short sigh. "It's a bit much, I know. My sister insisted that I should wear it..."

"Understandable though. You look good in it."

"Th—thank you..."

On the way to the movie theatre they held some light conversations, deciding on a genre so they wouldn't take too long when they would stand in line

"What do you want?" Minkyun asked after getting the tickets and they moved on to the food and drinks.

"I'll probably just get some popcorn and a coke," the other shrugged.

"Should we share a big popcorn, then?"

"Sure, sounds good."

Without another word, Minkyun went to the counter and got their stuff, placing it on the table Seungjun was waiting at.

"How much do I owe you?" the latter asked, getting out his wallet.

"Nothing," Minkyun smiled, "I'll pay for today."

Seungjun just nodded in response, the butterflies in his stomach swallowing any word of rebuttal.

<em>Stupid love.</em>

They waited at the table until the auditorium