“Daeun, is something wrong?”

I jump at the voice and almost knock over the steaming mug of coffee. “Geez, Yoonmi. Don’t just pop out of nowhere like that.” Settling back into my chair I heave a sigh while she scoffs and starts to walk the area of my office. 

“I did not just pop out of nowhere. I loudly called out my entrance and shut the door and I guess you didn’t hear. But seriously, you don’t look all that great. Did something happen?” 

Unfortunately, Yoonmi is a make-up pro, and not even the best concealer in the world could cover fatigue and get past her. The past few nights I haven’t slept soundly, and the blackish-blue bags under my eyes are a dead giveaway. I keep hearing that voice, keep shivering at the slick fear that shot through me just as I was going to meet Sehun at the agency.

Yoonmi paces quietly around, probably doing this subconsciously, busying herself with the paintings and the various books on the shelf. I immediately recognize this trick of hers. She’s VP of the Vampire-Human Relations department, and they do studies on behaviors of both the supernatural and the human as well as their interaction. According to a test, placing a human in an environment where it seems like no one is really listening will most times make him or her feel less pressured and more open. They use this method in court cases, interrogations, and the like. By not directly focusing all of her attention on me, is assumedly supposed to make me feel a lot better about expressing what’s on my mind. And it’s pretty damn effective, but I’m not a test subject and being in the business for around three years almost makes me immune to it.

“I’m just stressed. We’ve been getting a lot of complaints from people.”

“Ah, it must be hard as the Co-Director of SHC Korea.” She sympathizes, but I can tell she doesn’t fully believe me. “Anyway, how’s that bond going?”

I clear my throat and shuffle papers uneasily. “Good, I guess?”

She places her elbows on the front of my desk and smiles. “Just good? I thought that once you both realized your feelings for one another you’d be all over each other and-”

“Yoonmi.” She cracks up into laughter and I scratch the back of my head irritably. “That is not up for discussion.”

“Oh does that mean that there’s something to discuss?”  Yoonmi widens her eyes innocently (innocently my ) and leans closer. “Huh? Is there? Come on, tell meee...”

I’m about to tell her off, playfully of course, and maybe even nudge her with the tip of my shoe, but the door opens abruptly and Yoonmi stops her whining. Jongin stops briefly, hand momentarily frozen on the door knob, before he strides into the room.

“My cue to leave.” Yoonmi mumbles in a sing song voice and I glare at her. She pats Jongin’s shoulder on the way out and practically skips away.

Confused, he walks to my desk and I groan when I see the files in his hands.

“Is that-”

“More complaints? Cases? Budgets and costs? Yeah. Sorry about that.” He sprawls them out gently and I sink in my chair. 

“I don’t want to look through it. I’m tired.” I whine, not caring about how I sound like a kid who isn’t getting her way.

Jongin chuckles. “Suho wants the concerns dealt with, expenses calculated, and the cases looked through so you can start organizing field missions to the areas in question. By tomorrow.”

I slump even deeper. “What is he, insane? Tomorrow? I have absolutely no willpower to accomplish all this in a week, much less in a day.” Jongin pulls a chair up next to me and holds my hand between both of his.

“I know you’re tired and cranky,” I frown at this. He smiles. “I know that you haven’t been sleeping very well lately, and that something’s bothering you, but I’ll help you. Come on, I’m done with whatever I have to do today, and I’m free to help you read all these boring pieces of paper.”

With a sigh, I sit properly in my chair again and open up a file with my free hand.

“There we go.” Jongin says and presses a kiss on my temple. 

After reading sheet after sheet of concerns, Jongin teleports to various departments to try to deal with the flaws of the SHC. The majority were about the community not being safe enough, that there wasn’t enough officials on watch. Some of the less mentioned things were about creating more human defense contraptions. Jongin has to pass that one by Suho, and then Suho has to bring it up with the government as well as the Engineering department. 

While he’s away on those errands, I start on the SHC’s budgets and costs. I’m not excellent at crunching numbers, but the government didn’t place me under their care without teaching me how to shoot a gun, hand-to-hand combat, as well as giving Jongin and I the proper education we missed while traveling about. So I’m decent with organizing all our costs, though I still have to pass my findings along to Baekhyun, Head of Sales, who finalizes everything and changes what the SHC does accordingly so the agency doesn’t go broke. 

I move on to the field groups just as Jongin appears back in the room. He settles down next to me and I start jotting down places and names next to them, strategically placing certain vampires in specific areas based on their ability. A hand slips into mine and I glance at Jongin intently staring at my work.

“Did I mess up on something?” I ask, skimming through the words again looking for a possible flaw.

He shakes his head. “No. Can’t I just,” He looks at me with a small smile. “I can’t just hold your hand?” 

“Oh.” I respond, and for assurance, I hold his hand tighter before resuming the group organization. I can almost hear the smile that plays on his lips.

Around 8 PM, Sehun knocks on the door and says that he’s done with training so he’s heading home. I nod, and both Jongin and I say, “Night, Sehun” simultaneously and it elicits an intrigued expression from my brother who just nods, waves, glances back, and leaves. We finish everything about an hour later, and drive home. After several complaints I receive from Jongin for being too slow, he picks me up and slings me over his shoulder. I whisper vehemently that I can walk faster, just put me down, trying not to raise my voice in fear of waking sleeping neighbors. 

Once inside the apartment, I change and fake that I’m upset by heading into the room I used to occupy; Jongin pleads that he’s sorry but I’m enjoying it too much. He ends up following me in and snuggling next to me even as I try to push him away, managing to sling an arm around my waist anyway, and I don’t put up much of a fight. 

In the morning, I stuff the work files that we finished the night before into my purse. After I realize that it’s no use waking up a reluctant Jongin, I drive to the agency alone and enter the elevator, pressing the button for the twentieth floor. It rings open, and I enter the Superintendent level. Suho sits at his desk, fingers flying across the keyboard and writing notes down every so often. He seems a bit surprised to see me.

“Daeun. Is something wrong?”

“Nope, I just have everything you asked me to do.” I say as I place the heavy files on his desk. He raises his eyebrows at it.

“You finished this all last night?” He opens them, inspecting everything.

“Isn’t that what you asked me to do? I needed to finish all of this by today?” 

“No, this isn’t due until Friday, so you’re two days ahead. Not that it’s bad, it’s just I’m surprised you finished it so quickly.”

I open my mouth, close it, and laugh once. “Who did you give these to deliver to me?”

He leans his elbows on the desk and clasps his hands together. “Jongin. Why?”

I resist letting out the stream of curses that float around in my head. “He said it was due today. That little...”

“Ah, I see.” Suho laughs. “So that’s why he asked. He did say that you were a bit burnt out...well you’re free today and I guess tomorrow as well. You really have nothing left to do here, so go home and relax. Have some fun. You and Jongin have done nothing but work and work ever since you two came here. We’ll contact you if you’re needed.”

“You okay there, sis?” I hear as I gulp down coffee from the lounge room. Sehun’s wearing loose clothing with a towel around his neck, probably to go workout at the training facility. 

“Yeah. Great. Just great.” I mutter just as a head of blonde hair comes flying into view.

“Hey Sehun! Are you going to training-oh hey Daeun, long time no see...” Luhan exclaims and then quiets down after glancing at my expression. “Is she mad?” I hear him whisper to Sehun, who shrugs.

“Oh, by the way, do you know why Jongin was in such a hurry yesterday?” Luhan asks, sitting in one of the spinning chairs. Sehun checks the time, and excuses himself to head to training. I wave and Luhan follows suit. “He was working like a madmen, and usually he works at a normal pace.”

I shake my head. “I thought he just had a light load yesterday.”

“Nope. It was regular day’s worth. Just...why was he working like there wasn’t going to be a tomorrow...”

“Oh, Daeun, why are you in here? Jongin’s outside waiting.” Kris says as he fills a cup with coffee.

I bite the edge of the foam cup. “What? He’s here?”

Kris nods slowly. “Yeah...you didn’t know that?”

I don’t reply and I find myself rushing down flights of stairs. Once I’m past the entrance doors, I see Jongin leaning against the car. He looks unfazed, a slight smirk appearing at the edge of his mouth. For some reason, the toned muscles on his arms show through the white shirt that intensifies the color of his skin and hair and, and god, was he always this good looking? 

I blame it on the lighting.

When I draw closer, he pulls out a plastic bowl of mixed fruits, a small parchment bag full of pastries, and a smoothie. 

“It’s strawberry and some other stuff.” He says, pointing to the smoothie. “But mainly strawberry because I know you like strawberries.”

“Is this supposed to be an apology?” I ask, snatching the food from his hands and hopping into the passenger seat. He jogs over to the driver’s side and starts up the car.

“No, this is breakfast.” He says. “And this is the beginning of your two day break.”  

“Why?” I wonder. And he smiles.

“Because I can’t have my bond constantly tired and restless. It transfers over to me too, you know?”

“So you thought that making me believe that I had a whole work load due the next day and stressing me out in the process was the best way to earn a break? You could’ve just told me.”

“Yeah, I could’ve. But would you have listened?” 

I can’t say I have anything to add or argue to so I eat the food while Jongin drives and every once in a while picks up a piece of bread from the bag to nibble on. Throwing the trash into the waste bin right outside the building, we head up. 

With a full stomach, and teeth freshly cleaned and free of sugar, I plop into bed and Jongin follows a few moments later. I allow myself to bask in his warmth and slip an arm at the dip of his waist. He props himself up on an elbow and with his free hand, runs his fingers through my hair. 

“You know you can talk to me, right? That’s what a bond is for, we share the burden.”

I nod and bury my face in his chest. “Yeah. I’m just worried. And maybe paranoid.”

“About what?” He asks gently. “About being followed?”

I nod again. “The other day, I...I heard a voice talking to me. And I felt someone, something, watching me and I got so scared, Jongin. They said something about the Pure One. I don’t know what to do about it.”

“It’s okay. You’re safe as long as I’m here. I won’t let anything happen to you.” Jongin sighs. “I know that might not reassure you, but I’ll do whatever it takes to keep you safe. I don’t know who they are, but they won’t, can’t, hurt you.”

It’s faint, and I’m on the verge of sleeping, but I hear it. “Because what would I do if you got hurt?”

I haven’t slept better in all my life.

Oh the fluff XD. I just want to say thank you so much for reading and voting, and commenting because you guys are super sweet and awesome. I love it when you guys comment, it just makes me so happy. lol. Oh, and if there are spelling errors that you notice, feel free to tell me! For some reason I like when people point out my grammar issues (because my brain likes to think faster than my typing skills and then you just get a messed up sentence that I don't catch because I at editing), ah don't be afraid to friend me too:D. Anyway, I love you all!

(Is anyone else getting extremely antsy about exo's comeback?)