Cat Boy

05 | conduction, convection, and radiation

"Hey, can I ask you something?"

Vernon sighs, putting down his pencil. He gives himself ten seconds to gather patience from the atmosphere like a fairy. It's not that he's intolerant—this is the fifth time he's heard the question, copy-paste, word-for-word, and it's only been fifteen minutes since they started.

"Ask away," he says with a hint of a sigh in his voice, and Daehyun leans forward curiously. She's definitely more restless than he'd imagined, and physics is not something that can keep her attention for long.

"Is Joshua an adult?"

He blinks, looking away from the page and at her. Despite the many repetitions, this is a first. The other questions had at least been science-oriented. "Is that what was on your mind when I explained the modes of transfer of heat?"

She shrugs, a tiny, embarrassed smile on her lips. Well, at least she has the decency to look embarrassed. Vernon sinks into the chair, and rubs at his eyes tiredly. It's seven in the morning, and he's never been much of a morning person.

The café has a completely different air at this time. He's gotten used to being there before opening time, with Joshua, cleaning up and getting ready for the day, but this is the first time he's had a third person here at this time. The second time, if you count the time he had had to bring Daehyun over for Joshua to appeal for Wonpil's number. It's calmer, somehow. The tiny place looks nicer without people, he thinks. Without too many people.

"As in, is he eighteen?" he asks, turning his attention back to the question at hand. He knows that even if he doesn't answer her, she's going to keep thinking about it through the rest of the study session, which would ruin the whole point of the study session. She might not even let it go and pester him about it every few minutes.

"No, as in does he pay taxes and stuff?" Daehyun asks.

"Um, he is eighteen, but I don't know about the taxes part. I don't ask," he says, and frowns. "I don't think so, though. Parents handle that kind of thing, usually, and this café is technically not his."

He's secretly relieved Joshua's not there to listen in to their conversation. He knows from experience that he would be preening himself like a bird if the opportunity arose.

"Hm." Daehyun picks up the pencil he had set down and tries to spin it. It doesn't work. "Do you guys live alone, then? No supervision?"

"My parents think Josh is responsible enough for the both of us, so yes."

"Is he?"

"Sometimes."

She grins, and Vernon feels like he's looking at something he's not supposed to see. He lowers his eyes quickly, pretending to study the text on the page in front of him. "Does he go to college, then?" Daehyun asks. "I know some people in school are eighteen—I'll be eighteen by the time graduation rolls around, too—but I don't get the whole school student vibe from him."

"One of these days, you'll have to explain to me what exactly a 'school student vibe' is," he mutters. "But yeah, you're right. He goes to art school—evening classes, usually, so we can switch shifts when I get back from school. The crowd is slower during session, though, and we have more people to help out."

"So it's just you two during the holiday season," she murmurs, nodding. That's twenty percent more interest than she's shown for the entirety of their fifteen-minute long session. Why do I even try? "Doesn't it get boring?"

"Not really," he answers, giving up on trying to steer her thoughts back to thermodynamics. "It's actually kind of nice here during the holidays. It's cooler during the summer, and warmer during the winter." He shrugs. "It's cozy, it's nice, and it's quite literally our second home. Joshua and I come down here during the colder days in January when our apartment gets chilly."