Once in a while, he would get a day, an incredibly rare day, when he didn't have to wake up at 5 in the morning to prepare for some event. On those days, he'd sleep in, maximum until 8, as he found himself unable to sleep past then. He'd get up at ease and take his time getting ready to go to whatever he had planned.

Today was not one of those days.

It was only 11 in the morning and Junmyeon found himself dozing off seated in his chair. 

His day had barely begun and he was already exhausted. Well, considering that he had just returned from his trip to China on a late night flight, reaching the dorm at around 3 and having to wake up pretty early because a couple of EXO members were going to be doing a show for which the filming was in the morning, it was no wonder why he was considering just falling asleep with his eyes open.

He had gotten ready first and waited for Jongin and Yixing to get their hair and makeup done. He quickly found that it was not a good idea, as his eyes began to feel heavy and began to drop of their own accord.

He struggled to stay awake, telling himself that he'd get to meet VIXX's Leo and N, two people he'd been looking forward to being on a show with. Sadly, it didn't work.

Luckily, just before he actually nodded off, his phone rang and he ran to answer it without checking the caller ID. "Hello?"

"Suho-shi, this is Jung Eunji!" a cheerful voice on the other side of line said. 

He pulled the phone away from his ear for a moment to check the ID. "Oh, yeah, Eunji-shi," he said, trying to bring back some perk into his voice (ultimately failing).

"Hey, are you alright?" she asked him. "You sound tired."

"Oh, don't worry about it," he quickly assured. "I just need some coffee and I'll be fine."

"Coffee, huh?" She paused for a moment. "How about you and I go get that coffee once you're done with your recording?"

"How did you know I'm doing a recording?" he questioned.

"Oh, my manager told me," she said. "I had a schedule in Japan and then when I got back, you were in China." He nodded; he was aware of the scheduling conflicts that would happen. "Since we haven't been seen together for two weeks, maybe we should go get a coffee or something."

He nodded. "That sounds like a good idea."

He could hear her smiling. "That's great! Wait, you get off at 1, right? I'll meet you at the studio."

The call ended before he could say anything, and he was left staring at his phone. He wasn't a person who liked impulsiveness. He saw it as irresponsible and always preferred to have his entire day planned out beforehand.

And yet, her tendency to make plans on the go was something he didn't really mind.

***

He finishes the filming at about ten minutes to one. He cast a look at the clock and smiled. Just as planned.

Junmyeon gets out of his stage wear into more casual clothes before he stops. Was it too casual?

He turned around. "Jongin!" he called.

The younger idol poked his head out from behind the curtain where he was changing. "Yes, hyung?"

"Is this too casual?" Junmyeon asked, standing in front of him.

Jongin looked him up and down. "It's actually fine, hyung. Why do you ask?"

"I'm meeting Eunji-shi in about five minutes."

Jongin's eyes widened. "Oh, so that's what this was about," he said in a voice that made it clear he was trying to hide a smile. "Don't worry, hyung. You look good. Just make sure to take the mask and cap with you."

Junmyeon nodded before turning around. "Ask Yixing to take you two straight home. Manager hyung is meeting you guys there with your next schedule."

Jongin nodded, humming in agreement and then retreating back into the curtains to change. Junmyeon walked over to the bathroom door and knocked on it. "Yixing-hyung! I'm going out. Take Jongin and go to the dorm, and don't forget to get some more snacks at the convenience store, alright?"

The door opened a crack and a hand peeked out, holding a thumbs-up sign.

Grinning, he put on his mask and cap and walked towards the exit of the broadcasting studio. Waiting outside, in a mask and cap with a scarf herself, was Jung Eunji.

She put her hand up and waved when she saw him; he reciprocated by waving his hand as well.

"Did you wait long?" he asked.

She shook her head. "Not too long," she said. "My schedule did get off early so I took the time to explore this area."

"And no one recognized you yet?" Junmyeon was impressed.

"So, where do you want to go?" he asked, a little awkwardly as he didn't quite know this area.

He could tell that she was smiling behind her mask. "While you were filming, I found a coffee shop just a block away." He gestured to her to lead the way, but she stepped towards him and linked her arm with his and dragged him along.

As he was being dragged, he caught her manager in his peripheral vision. The older woman was laughing.

***

It was a nice little place tucked into a corner of the street, with two floors and full windows all around, making it seem like it was made of glass. Not to mention, the aromatic scent of coffee that wafted through his nose the second he opened the door.

He felt better almost immediately.

The two went over to the counter to stand behind another couple who was giving their order.

"Order whatever you want," Junmyeon told her. "I'll pay."

She looked back at him. "Is it really okay?" she asked. "I mean, I can still definitely pay."

He shook his head. "Let me pay," he insisted. "What kind of a man would I be if I let my woman pay on the first date?"

He paused as he let his words sink in. Come to think of it, today was the first day he had seen Eunji since the day their relationship was announced. It was also their first outing, actual first outing since the announcement.

It really was their first date.

Junmyeon pursed his lips. It didn't feel like a first date at all, in fact, it seemed like they'd been dating for months now.

He shook his head, thinking that it was fatigue that was messing with his head. Luckily for him, it was then their turn and he waited as Eunji gave her order which was one of the fancy named coffees.

"And you, sir?" the cashier turned to him.

"Just an Espresso," he said, taking out his card.

Eunji turned to him. "Just an Espresso?" she asked. "Isn't that too plain?"

He gave her an eye smile, considering she couldn't see his mouth. "I'm not in the mood for anything fancy," he admitted. "I just need some coffee in me to stop myself from falling asleep."

She seemed unsatisfied, but didn't push it any further. Instead, she moved to the side to see how the drinks were being made. Junmyeon shot a look in her direction before turning back to the cashier and handing her his card.

Their drinks were served on a tray that they carried over to a table near the corner of the shop, away from the windows. They pulled their masks down to drink, and Junmyeon could feel the questioning gazes of the few people there grow in excitement and whispers as they recognized the couple.

He closed his eyes as he took a sip of his coffee. Mission accomplished.

"So how was your China trip?" she asked.

He opened his eyes. "Hm, not too exciting," he admitted. "It was just a fan sign."

She raised her eyebrow. "Fansigns aren't fun? I thought they were the best thing about being an idol. You get to interact with the people who've been supporting you."

"I didn't mean it like that," he quickly said. "I do love fansigns. I love the fans, and I know it must be hard for international fans since their favorite idols aren't even in their country." He played with the cup in his hand. "What I meant was, this time it seemed mellow."

"Mellow?"

"The members were on their best behavior," he explained. "All of them were poised and polite, greeted the fans happily and cheerfully and took pictures with them."

"Isn't that what you guys always do?"

"Not really," he chuckled slightly. "We have the tendency to go nuts on stage and act like idiots, because we're enjoying. But this time, I think the scandals scared everyone."

She looked at him over her cup as he turned to look outside, part of him wishing his group would go back to the goofy playful guys they used to be and another part wondering why he was telling her all this.

She placed her cup back on the table. "Suho-shi," she firmly said, "I know that this arrangement of ours isn't the best, or the most comfortable one for that matter, but I actually want to try this."

"This?" he asked.

"I want to get to know you better," she said. "I'm not wishing for us to be actually official, but I do want us to be friends."

His eyes softened and he smiled, genuinely smiled. "It was nice to have someone to talk to just now," he said. "I think being friends is a good step."

***

A/N: Kinda short chapter I know, but I didn't want to force out words when they wouldn't come to me.

Suho views this entire charade of them being in a relationship as a mission, a mission to protect his group. And since it says that they just need to be seen together once in a while, when he saw the people whispering it meant they'd been seen.

One thing that irks me about idol relationship fanfics is that the second they're in a relationship, they literally give their entire time to their partner. Like, they're idols, very busy idols. They hardly get any time, and whatever time they have is spent contacting their parents. Its not going to be common for them to be able to take out enough time to manage a relationship on the side, so there would be massive gaps between each meeting. I just hate how this is never addressed.

Also, if he/she is dating a civilian, I expect there to be some conflict. Let's be real, none of us can truly fathom what idols actually go through with their training and schedules. The only ones who can truly sympathize with them are people in their line of work. We try, but we will never know, because that isn't our world. So if you were dating a world famous idol, won't you want their attention? And when they can't give it to you, won't it piss you off? Like why are all the people so understanding? Even when there is a bit of conflict its over in two seconds when they say "sorry, I'll try to make more time for you." I want to read conflict that lasts more than a couple of grammatically incorrect paragraphs thrown together just for the sake of having "tension."

Do any of you also feel this way?

Anyways, enjoy!