---

Day 3

"Hello, baby," Baekhyun says loudly as he brushes a hand down Kyungsoo's back. "Want to go out for lunch later?"

Kyungsoo feels his skin crawl at the petname. But I'd created this mess, he thinks. So now he must soldier on with it. "Okay," he replies with a huge fake grin plastered on, fingers stirring a spoon around his mug of hot chocolate. "You're paying."

Baekhyun pushes him further into the corner of the pantry, a smile of similar nature to Kyungsoo's adorning his own mouth. "Of course, that's a given," he bellowed with all his might, "I'm the man in this relationship after all."

That almost wiped Kyungsoo's face clean off any fond expressions as his inner self begins bludgeoning Baekhyun half to death. He catches himself just before that turns into a reality. You can do this, he chants quietly. You didn't take drama classes for nothing. They're to precisely help you deal with little s like him. His little prep talk gives him enough strength to lay a hand gently on Baekhyun's shoulder, and not clamp it around his neck the way he really wants to. "You're the best," he says through gritted teeth. 

From the corners of his eyes Baekhyun sees Joonmyun finally retreating back into the office, feet scuffing on the wiry carpet as he does.

As soon as he disappears around the bend Kyungsoo jumps back and away from him, face contorted in disgust. "Ugh, I hate this," the younger whines as he scrubs his hands exaggeratedly with lavender-scented sanitizer.

Baekhyun rolls his eyes. "It was your idea, not mine," he snaps, grabbing a pack of biscuits to smuggle back to his cubicle. "Why," he asks, suddenly looking hopeful, "do you want to call this off?"

"No," Kyungsoo spits. Baekhyun grimaces when some chocolate spittle flies out to land on the counter. "We're seeing this through. I need Joonmyun back."

"But of course, the best way to do that is to date another guy," Baekhyun deadpans. He shakes his head as he makes his way out. "You know, Do, I'm starting to believe that you really are better at advertising than I am," he says, pausing at the doorway, sarcasm so obviously bleeding out of his voice. "You can surely conjure up more spectacular crap than I can."

---

Day 7

"Byun, come sit next to me," Kyungsoo hisses when the guy tries to get away to take a seat next to Suji at the other end. "Joonmyun's coming in at any second."

"The things I do for you," Baekhyun sighs, looking forlornly at the pretty intern now chatting with ing Kim Jongin from finance. "I was this close to getting her to go out with me before you pulled me into your ty plans, too." He pouts, but nonetheless lands his onto the plush chair Kyungsoo has kept open for him.

Kyungsoo rolls his eyes, as he is wont to do wherever Baekhyun's concerned. "Don't think you don't have anything riding on this ty plan, honey," he snaps, even as he's pouring tea into the other's cup before serving himself. "Or would you rather I accidentally show everyone that thing I have in my Mac?" As he sets the pot back down, he smiles widely at Baekhyun, upper row of teeth on full display, eyes unblinking.

Baekhyun thinks it's the worst thing in the world. 

Just then Joonmyun walks in with their head of operations, chatting up a storm about some account or another which would rake in the big bucks for their growing company. He looks exceptionally dashing today in a well-tailored silver suit, black fringe coiffed elegantly across his wide forehead. The watch on his wrist is a Tag-Heuer, its face gleaming under the soft sepia lighting of the restaurant. Kyungsoo knows for a fact that it's a counterfeit. He was the one who had accompanied Joonmyun to that shady stall in Dongdaemun after all. Regardless, one could tell that he's on his way up the managerial ranks and has clearly made an effort to dress up today. Kyungsoo looks down at his own attire. It's clear to him that he's regressed to his self-grooming habits of yore. As in, no good at all. When he was with Joonmyun, he'd been the one who made sure that Kyungsoo was in line with how he'd perceived professional men should dress up. But now here he is, with a coffee stain around the rim of his jacket sleeve, and what looks like yesterday's grain of rice stuck to his pants.

Chanyeol said he needs Jesus. But really, he knows that he just needs Joonmyun. 

When he looks back up the guy's eyes are trained on him. As their gazes meet, Kyungsoo panics. Joonmyun was his first serious boyfriend. They'd ended on more or less amicable terms, but the let's stay friends talk did not happen. They haven't spoken beyond a passing hi in ages. So what does he do now? Should he give him a stink face? Should he go with a thumb's up? Should he flip him another finger instead?

He's just decided on being boring and going the nice-ex route by way of a friendly smile when a hand blocks his line of vision. Suddenly there's a feeling of a wet kiss on his mouth, planted with such flourish the smack it ends with whips all heads around to the pair. Baekhyun pulls away before Kyungsoo's reflexes could kick in to swat him away, but as he does he around his own lips inappropriately and Kyungsoo forgets what it was that he'd set out to do in the first place.

Baekhyun's already back to nonchalantly sipping on his tea, a smug expression on his face as he spears a piece of chicken from the platter in front of him. The table was silent for a moment, but then everyone shrugs and goes back to the food too. It's another typical mealtime of Exo Advertising & Co. Some similar transpires at every one of their monthly dinners. This is nothing new.

Kyungsoo certainly doesn't agree. This is new. It was not in their agreement at all. He's about to give Baekhyun a very painful lesson under the table when he chances a glance at Joonmyun and sees the subtle frown etched into the bridge of his nose. Is that jealousy I see?

So he retracts his hand back to his lap slowly as he judges that perhaps Baekhyun doesn't deserve to be infertile after all.

---

Day 10

Kyungsoo is two seconds away from shucking his laptop out of the window when Joonmyun drops by his desk with a cup of black coffee for him.

He's a bit surprised because it's 10pm and he'd expected to be completely alone in the whole building, much more so the office. 

"Still working on that?" Joonmyun's soft voice wafts over his shoulder and into his ear. 

It's Kyungsoo's favourite thing about the elder. He'd always had a talent with spearheading the presentation aspects of their projects when he'd been in advertising, his tone both coaxing and convincing when he's addressing clients. Of course, when he's just talking to the members of the team over dinner, nobody ever listens — Baekhyun in particular had enjoyed riling Joonmyun up by cutting in everytime he started speaking — but at the end of the day they all had great respect towards him.

This was perhaps why Joonmyun had been chosen for the promotion to fast track it to the top of the board of managers. He had so desperately wanted the job too. He was self-aware of the fact that he doesn't have the flair for advertising like Kyungsoo has with his out-of-the-box practicality, or Baekhyun with his so-outrageous-it-might-actually-work bullness. Leadership is a whole different ballpark altogether, and Joonmyun knows that if there was anything he could hit a home run at, it would be a position where this very quality would be heavily needed.

Kyungsoo was very happy for him at first. He didn't worry about the fact that at that point they were working on several things together. He had thought very naively that Joonmyun would remain involved until everything was done, and that he'd only make a complete transition into his new role once all the 't's were crossed and 'i's dotted on their multi-million dollar contracts. As it turns out, it had probably been the nail in their already musty, moldy, old coffin of a relationship.

Joonmyun had quickly withdrew from not only their conjoined work commitments but ultimately Kyungsoo's life as a whole as well. It was an abrupt change. Joonmyun's not known for his subtlety. Not then and not now, evidently, as he asks pointedly so is Baekhyun better in the sack than I am?

Kyungsoo would have choked if his throat isn't as dry as the sahara by then. "What the-" he manages after clearing up his airways so that sound could squeak out. "You haven't talked to me in how long, and that's what you choose to ask first?"

He's glad to see Joonmyun at least having the grace to look slightly ashamed. "It's just that you two have been all over each other." He scratches at the base of his collar absentmindedly. "Plus the thing I overheard in the pantry the other day and that indecent act of affection over dinn—"

"What does that have to do with you?" Kyungsoo asks, trying very hard to calm the storm inside his chest at where this is going. "Baekhyun and I are together. That's what people do when they're a couple. That includes," he continues, pausing as his mind flashes murderously to the memory of Baekhyun copping a feel of his in the elevator for Joonmyun's benefit sometime today, "public groping, don't you know?"

"Of course I know, we used to be like that too, remember?" Somewhere along the conversation Joonmyun's slipped down from perching on Kyungsoo's desk to being on his knees, hands sliding on the younger's thighs. "How did you move on from me so fast?" His voice is even softer now, and damn it all if Kyungsoo doesn't feel weak and oh , he thinks, as he sees the other man leaning in. Didn't think this thing with Baekhyun would work so swimmingly magnificently. Joonmyun's inching closer, so near he could see those long eyelashes he's missed so much and—

"Baby!"

Kyungsoo jumps in his seat at the sound of Baekhyun's voice traveling across the room. He turns around to see the guy wearing a beatific grin on his face, but from that dangerous glint in his eyes Kyungsoo knows that he'd seen what might have happened between him and Joonmyun, who is now sprawled on the carpet before him.

"I thought I'd check in on you and bring you out for breaktime coffee," Baekhyun says as he walks towards Kyungsoo's cubicle. "I could help you out with the pitch too."

Joonmyun dusts off some dirt from his black slacks as he nods at the new arrival. The atmosphere is tense, eventhough Kyungsoo knows he's not really dating Baekhyun. If anything isn't the fella supposed to help him get Joonmyun back? "It's okay, Baek. We're alright here, you can just go back home," he says, an eyebrow raised in a desperate message of stop being a and off he hopes Baekhyun would get.

(Of course he does. But he chooses to pretend he doesn't.)

"No, no, I told you not to overwork yourself," he chides, weaving his fingers through Kyungsoo's tugging him up and towards the exit. "I'll buy you caramel latte with mocha swirls on top, how's that sound?"

Kyungsoo loses the ability to respond because not only does Baekhyun remember the pansy way he prefers to have his coffee, but the smile he's sending his way is too damn bright and it had burned some of his brain cells off, obviously. He could only nod dumbly and let himself be led out by the hand.

Just before they turn the corner, Baekhyun spins around to flip Joonmyun a middle finger, smirking as he steps off into the night with an arm slung around Kyungsoo's narrow shoulders.

---

Day 15

"And here we have the advertising department, where you'll be placed for the duration of your contract."

Kyungsoo turns towards the glass doorframe in which Soojung the receptionist is standing with another guy. He looks a bit scared, poor man. Must be intimidating to have all twenty pairs of eyes in the room scrutinising you at the same time.

He bows all the way until his upper body's parallel to the floor, glasses almost slipping off had he not caught them at the very last second. "My name's Yixing, nice to meet all of you," he says as he straightens again, blushing from his near blunder. "Please take care of me."

Baekhyun's already there in a zap,  mouth moving a mile a minute saying god knows what, guiding Yixing to his new desk by the arm. Kyungsoo knows that he'd been the one to clean out the remnants of the old occupant off the cubicle, too. He'd seen Baekhyun carrying a boxful of cat pictures that had been tacked onto its walls this morning out to the dump behind their building.

And for the umpteenth time since they began dating, Kyungsoo muses at how likeable Baekhyun truly is. To everyone but himself, of course. Kyungsoo reckons that it's mostly because he finds him insufferable. First impressions last after all, and Baekhyun's had been a bad one. Although as he thinks about it now he couldn't for the life of him remember what sin it was that Baekhyun had committed that had incurred his unforgiving hatred in the first place. The man has been terribly helpful as of late.

Over coffee and a muffin (blueberry, also Kyungsoo's favourite) the other night, he had come to his senses long enough to reprimand Baekhyun for foiling Joonmyun's attempt at kissing him.

Kyungsoo thought he'd seen a flash of annoyance there in Baekhyun's eyes, and is he actually hurt about that? But then Kyungsoo remembered that that's not possible. Baekhyun and emotions? Please.

The guy, meanwhile, explained rather tersely that he was just trying to enhance how much Joonmyun wants him back. "You'll see," he said, shoving a spoonful of muffin into his mouth. "He'll be courting you like he's Mr. Darcy from tomorrow onwards."

And he was right. The past few days have been wonderful. Joonmyun's being discreet, calling him in the dead of the night and sending him flowers anonymously every morning sharp at 10am. Everyone thought that they are gifts from Baekhyun. Suji positively swoons everytime he so much as blinks now. He's earned himself the title boyfriend of the century around the department too, undeservedly so, Kyungsoo snides. But Baekhyun isn't much of a fan of the connotation either. "Pfftt," he'd scoffed. "You don't even like roses, doesn't he know that? The best boyfriend for you would get you carnations," Baekhyun said in passing as he ruffled the bouquet of white and red. "That or something like a bunch of knives."

How does he know so much about what I like, Kyungsoo had gawked silently then as he watched Baekhyun disappear into the pantry.

Now he keeps on watching as Baekhyun begins showing Yixing around. They look awfully friendly with each other already, Yixing's bewildered expression from before replaced with a cute dimpled smile as he follows Baekhyun everywhere like a puppy on a leash.  It's not even his job to do that, Kyungsoo sneers testily. Leave it to Suji. They stop at the downsized-version of the company's first ever successful ad campaign featuring Kim Taehee, the one people around the office claim would get you laid if you French-kiss it. "Of course, I wouldn't know if that's true," Baekhyun says, a hand rubbing at his own flushed nape. "You're welcomed to try if you want." Yixing guffaws at that, tellings of a blooming crush evident on his face. Hey hey, you better back the fu—

"Whoa, boss," Chanyeol exclaims as he waves a hand in front of Kyungsoo's face. "Better put a lid on on that anger. You're turning as red as kimchi."

Kyungsoo slaps his secretary's hands away and mumbles shut up and get back to work as he tears his eyes away from Baekhyun and Yixing being all Barney and Friends around the office, but Chanyeol either does not hear or refuses to acknowledge it.

"Your boyfriend sure is great though. Look at him go," he continues as he munches on client-issued samples of sunflower seeds. "You're a lucky gu—"

'I swear to god Yeol if you don't get off my case right now I'll chop your off," Kyungsoo interrupts. "Then I'll fire you too."

"I was just saying nice things about your relationsh—"

"Now!" Kyungsoo growls.

Chanyeol scurries away with his tail between his legs. He knows better than to take lightly any of Kyungsoo's threats, especially where balls and torture are involved.

---

Day 18

The meeting room is still empty when Kyungsoo enters, lugging with him the heavy materials he'd need for his presentation later.

It's a big day for him. He'd been working on this pitch for a great majority of the year, back when he was still brainstorming partners with Joonmyun and more. It had been taxing on the number of hours they'd gotten for sleep, but it wasn't as if sleep had been on their minds much whenever they'd stayed back late at the office on overtime. Hey, the relationship had been stale, but it doesn't mean they'd stop having . They'd more or less ed on every surface they could find. This very surface included, Kyungsoo thinks with a blush as he lays his things down on the cold glass top of the long boardroom table. But since they'd broken up three months ago, Kyungsoo's been shouldering the responsibility alone.

"You're okay there, Do?"

Kyungsoo jumps in his spot, a sharpie flying out of his hand to land with a thud on the floor below. He sees who it is, and groans.

"That's no way to greet your boyfriend," Baekhyun huffs as he bends down to pick the marker back up. "I'm just here to give you my love and support," he says caustically, then peeks at the miscellany of scrap paper and mock ad boards scattered across the table. "Hey," he grins when he spots something familiar, "you took some of my ideas on."

Kyungsoo groans again when he sees what Baekhyun's pointing at. "Yeah, yeah, they were great for the concept, alright? Now quit it with that -eating grin or I swear to god—"

"Hey," Baekhyun repeats. "I'm really not looking to get credit for anything here. I just think you did a great job," he asserts, a hand warm against the side of Kyungsoo's neck. The latter flinches a bit at the contact. Nobody's around, so why the hell is Byun being nice? "If anyone could sell cheesy kimchi," he shudders a bit at the thought of the blasphemous foodstuff, "it's you." 

Before Kyungsoo could stop gaping long enough to say thank you or more likely, what the happened to you, Baekhyun's already turned around on his heels to head out. He bows at the stream of board executives and clients filing in, sends Kyungsoo a small smile and a wink, and disappears. Kyungsoo only snaps out of it when his secretary's booming voice cuts through his daze, telling him to get started now.

Kyungsoo nods, faces his audience, clears his throat. As he launches into his plans for KimCheeJi, he couldn't help thinking that maybe he isn't alone in this after all. Maybe Joonmyun's gone, but Baekhyun has never left.

---

Day 22

The place is noisy from the sounds of the rowdy after-work crowd, already tipsy from too much soju and too little good judgement at only 8pm. Kyungsoo sits alone at the bar, nursing a glass of whiskey on the rocks, but has barely taken a sip out of it at all.

He's feeling down in the dumps, and he doesn't quite know why. He should be feeling great. The pitch went incredibly well, and despite the client's pokerfaced facade Kyungsoo could tell that he had been immensely pleased with what he had come up with to promote something any self-respecting Korean would probably never touch with a ten-yard stick.  Now he'll just have to wait for a final call from their side, and he'll be set financially for the rest of the year. He's almost certain that he has it in the bag too.

But the past few days have been miserable. It'd started with the post-pitch celebration that the advertising department had thrown on his behalf. 

He was the man of the hour, the guy who might have just landed the deal of his life. Sure, the product was questionable. But from the very first day that Do Kyungsoo had stepped into the hallowed halls of the advertising and marketing department of Donggukdae, he had wanted to be that guy who could sell fleas to a monkey. With this one he feels that much closer to this goal already. He was on cloud nine. 

He'd proceeded to parade around the room with an ego inflated to the size of greater Korea, receiving the pats on the back and words of congratulations thrown his way with as much grace as a drunken man could muster. Which is to say, not much. He'd barreled right into Baekhyun as he was trying to return his high five.

"Whoa there," he'd laughed, holding Kyungsoo up. "Don't hurt yourself there, babe."

Kyungsoo mumbled shut up into Baekhyun's suit but wrapped his arms tight around his broad chest anyway. "You smell nice," he said without thinking, practically sniffing Baekhyun in the middle of the office.

"Uh. Thanks?"

He shook his head vigorously before saying, "No, I thank you. Your ideas made the pitch for me. You're not that bad after all, Byun," he said, head resting on its side on Baekhyun's shoulder. "I think I like you."

"....what."

"You're cool, I like you," Kyungsoo repeated, eyes staring intently at Baekhyun. He saw the flush snaking up from his neck all the way to his face, and soon enough Baekhyun was blushing like mad. 

Then he'd heard it. Baekhyun's voice, so small he'd thought he had imagined it, saying I like you too, Soo.

Somehow that snapped Kyungsoo right back into soberity. He shoved Baekhyun away none too gently, the guy crashing flat into the wall behind him as it happened.

A flash of hurt passed through Baekhyun's features then, and this time Kyungsoo — even under the haze of alcohol — could discern it. Sorry and I don't know why I did that were on the tip of his tongue but Baekhyun beat him to it. He'd laughed again, messing up his hair the way Kyungsoo knows he always does when he's flustered. "I'm sorry, folks," he'd announced to their colleagues. "It looks like it's time I take Soo home."

"I could do that. His place is in my way."

Kyungsoo realized that it was Joonmyun who'd volunteered. He should be ecstatic. More excited than he was at that very moment, anyway. But all he could think of was that Baekhyun should be the one taking him home. "Joonmyun," he'd slurred in what he hoped was a disapproving tone. "Byun's my boyfriend, I want to go with him—"

"Thanks. That would be great," Baekhyun cut in. "I have to get some things done here, so I could do with some extra work time." He gave Kyungsoo a small kiss on the lips then, so tender the latter wanted to believe it wasn't ingrained into their stupid act of pretending at all. He'd wanted it to be real even as Baekhyun waved him away with a we'll talk about this tomorrow, babe.

Kyungsoo only recalls thinking babe, yes. I am your babe, before Joonmyun's hauling him back to his apartment. The next day he'd woken up in bed alone and in pain with a hangover. But he felt great because he reckoned he's finally figured out the difference between wanting and needing, and he knew now what, or rather who, he simultaneously wants and needs.

Until he'd arrived at the office to Baekhyun avoiding him.

Their plan so far has involved Baekhyun being the initiator of most of their PDAs. Kyungsoo had in fact suggested this so that he could appear more tsundere, and therefore not completely non-accessible to onlooking suitors (read: Joonmyun). It includes having Baekhyun take him out for breakfast at the canteen downstairs, or pop his head around Kyungsoo's cubicle to practically scream hello baby into his ears to alert everyone to the fact that they are indeed, a couple. He didn't know he'd started looking forward to them until neither of these things happened that morning.

Baekhyun's still an insufferable little , of course, loud and obnoxious as always. But he'd gone back to treating Kyungsoo as just an acquaintance, sticking to calling him Do instead of babe or Soo even when there are people around, and nodding his head by way of greeting instead of a kiss on the cheek.

At first he'd brushed off Baekhyun's sudden resurge of formality as him being preoccupied with his own pitch due the month after. He might have a lot on his mind and couldn't entertain their silly little game right now. But he's also gotten used to Baekhyun dropping by during lunchtime to ask him out for a bite. He's used to Baekhyun dragging him to the pantry for evening coffee. He's used to Baekhyun fetching him in the evening, Kyungsoo's coat already in his hand so that they could walk through the chilly streets to the subway station together. None of these transpired all week. Instead it seems like Baekhyun's transferred his attention to Suji, as Kyungsoo watches them walk out for morning break together yet again. It bothers him so much that he's been absolutely rampageous.

Chanyeol, who takes the brunt of his bad mood, laments the severe lack of Baekhyun around Kyungsoo. "Why are you guys being like this," he whines one day after Kyungsoo had hit him for the tenth time in a single hour. He reckons he's as depressed as his boss is about it, if not more. He has his physical health riding on their relationship working out, after all. "Don't break up, please," he begs. "For the sake of my heart and my fragile, delicate body."

---

Day 25

Kyungsoo stares at his face in the mirror of the men's bathroom. He's drenched in water, hunched over the sink to keep it from seeping into his suit as well. His hair looks like a hurricane ran through it, his eyebags having grown three times its normal size in as many days. You look like crap, Do Kyungsoo, he tells himself. And he's supposed to face the final panel in twenty minutes, too.

He hasn't been sleeping enough. On Saturday he'd spent the whole day fretting about why Baekhyun's refusing to be a very good pretend-boyfriend. On Sunday he'd worried greatly about whether his campaign for KimCheeJi would fly or otherwise, despite the sort of overconfidence he'd garnered after the pitch last week. Plus he'd also fretted about why Baekhyun's refusing to be a very good pretend-boyfriend.

"Damn you, Byun," he shouts out loud into the seemingly empty room.

He hears a door unlock, then suddenly Baekhyun emerges from one of the stalls. "You called?" He looks amused. Kyungsoo wants to punch. His expression changes to concern, however, when he sees the state the younger guy is in. "What happened to you," he asks as he grabs some paper towels off the dispenser. "Is this you worrying about the KimCheeJi decision today?"

Baekhyun's in front of Kyungsoo now, gently wiping away at his wet face. He's startled at this sort of affection. He should swat Baekhyun's hand away, shouldn't he? But then again there is also a crinkle of concentration furrowing in between his eyebrows and Kyungsoo can't help but to stare at it because Baekhyun is kind of bloody gorgeous? "Don't worry about it too much," he continues as he flicks his fingers through Kyungsoo's hair, putting it back into a style that's presentable. "It'd be a definite yes. I mean, they're already in love with you," Baekhyun asserts, yanking at the somewhat damp collar to correct the askewed tie that's limply hanging there, "how could anyone not love you?" He gives a small smile and a light squeeze to Kyungsoo's shoulders before letting go, taking a huge step back to get a substantial distance in between them.

This action doesn't go amiss to Kyungsoo. He snaps. "Why have you been avoiding me?"

"...eh? I thought that's what you'd want me to do?" Baekhyun hesitates before going on. "We're at the tail end of our.... agreement, anyway. The night Joonmyun took you home—"

"Nothing happened."

"....okaayy. But didn't you want something to happen—"

"Not anymore," Kyungsoo blurts. He looks at the floor as he tries to think of how to say the things he really wants to to Baekhyun. Looking at the man would only muddle his thought process.  "Listen," he begins, taking a deep breath to brace himself for what comes next. "I told Joonmyun off that night. That he shouldn't bother with me because I won't bother with him anymore because I.... I think I'm starting to really lik—"

"Little Boss, there you are!" Chanyeol booms as he bursts in. "I've been looking everywhere for you." He spots Baekhyun there, reads the atmosphere between the two guys. "Oh my god, did I interrupt something important?"

To Kyungsoo's surprise and utter indignance Baekhyun shakes his head. He was about to confess to him and he thinks it's unimportant? I was just about to go see Suji is all he says as he sends a gaping Kyungsoo a final encouraging glance. "You'll do great as always. I really meant it when I said you're the best at advertising. You could charm anybody with that talent of yours." And with a wave of his hand and a swish of his hair, Baekhyun leaves.

Chanyeol laughs awkwardly after a while, breaking Kyungsoo away from his own thoughts of putting a 100-year curse on Bae Suji. "Well, that was odd," his secretary ventures cautiously. "Wasn't couple-y at all. I guess you guys didn't make up."

Kyungsoo sighs heavily as he straightens his black jacket down, fixing its lapels down over the sleeves of his dress shirt. "I might have ed things up."

"Well," Chanyeol says, mind elsewhere as he thinks of ways to cheer the other guy up. He needs to. He couldn't survive another week of physical abuse by the wrath of Kyungsoo's fists. "Maybe you could get him to go out for dinner with you?"

"Too boring."

"Buy him something he likes? He's always been fond of musical theater, maybe you should get a couple of tickets to the new one opening this week?"

"Too predictable. I'm starting to see why I'm the advertising maestro here and you're not."

Chanyeol just smiles through that insult, although you is reverberating so strongly inside his head that he couldn't think straight for a few seconds. So he says jokingly, that maybe Kyungsoo should put his proclaimed maestro skills to good use and advertise himself. "Make it a Why You Should Keep Do Kyungsoo as Your Boyfriend campaign," he suggests, regretting his words immediately when Kyungsoo's only reaction is to stare at him for a good couple of minutes.

It's the worst thing in the world.

"Actually, that isn't a bad idea," Kyungsoo says quietly. Chanyeol wonders if he's hallucinating because Kyungsoo's saying one of his ideas makes sense, but suddenly there he is next to him, giving him a grateful slap on the arm. "Not bad at all." Kyungsoo smiles widely then, upper row of teeth on full display, eyes unblinking.

I was wrong, Chanyeol thinks as he feels a shudder creeping up his spine. Now that's the worst thing in the world.

---

Day 28

The music explodes into a crescendo before it abruptly ends at the same time the screen goes black.

Kyungsoo fiddles with the hem of his suit jacket in a corner of the boardroom, the most nervous he's been at any pitch. Baekhyun's seated at the opposite end of the table. Kyungsoo gathers enough courage to try to scrutinize the other's reaction to his little presentation, but could see nothing in the blue-black dimness of the room, illuminated only by the blank light of the projector.

"So," Baekhyun says after a long, excruciating pause. "You blackmailed me into coming here using the same video excuse again so you could show me this?"

".....yeah. Did you like it?"

Kyungsoo hears Baekhyun clearing his throat, then the scrape of a chair as he stands up. "Well, from an advertiser's standpoint that was horribly made. The graphics, dear lord," he complains as he starts to walk to where Kyungsoo stands. "Did you get Chanyeol to do that bit for you?"

"...well, I might hav—"

"And the choice of music. Was that Chanyeol's doing as well?"

"Was it that horrible, damn it, I knew we shouldn't have used his stupid mixtap—"

"But the worst bit is the content."

"....you hated it?" Kyungsoo's voice comes out in a squeak.

Baekhyun is closer now, leaning back on the edge of the table as he shakes his head. "No." He rummages around in his pocket and fishes out a USB drive. "It's just that I might have to sue you for plagiarism." He dislodges Kyungsoo's away from the machinery and slots his own in.

Lo and behold, something horrendously ugly comes up on the white vinyl screen. Reasons Why You Should Choose Byun Baekhyun, the neon green ad flashes over a picture of the said guy smiling, two thumbs up framing his face. The Best Boyfriend this Side of the Atlantic. Underneath it is a post-script so small Kyungsoo almost missed it, but when he did, he couldn't decide if he should laugh or cry because it says Joonmyun really .

"The last thing especially," Baekhyun says as he flips through the slides. Kyungsoo thinks he catches because I'm hotter than Joonmyun is and because you're hottter than Joonmyun is on a couple of them. He tries not to snort because Baekhyun actually looks serious right now as he finally finds the one he wanted to focus on. "That's the one," he points to the screen.

I like you. A lot.

"See, exactly the same," Baekhyun whispers against his ear, hands on Kyungsoo's waist turning him around. Then suddenly he's kissing him chastely, their real first kiss, and Kyungsoo just wants to die because it feels so nice. Baekhyun doesn't push him any further though, fingers fluttering across the side of his cheek to run down his neck. 

Kyungsoo groans in fond annoyance when Baekhyun continues on just brushing their lips together. He wants some action now. So he takes control and yanks Baekhyun further in, sticking his tongue in when the guy goes oomph from the sudden impact of their chests colliding. Kyungsoo lets his hands roam free all over Baekhyun's body, realizes that he's been missing out on a lot because that is amazing, and he wonders why Baekhyun's obsessed with touching everybody else's asses when he could just touch his own. He growls at that mental image, horribly , but Baekhyun's withdrawing and he doesn't know why. 

"Whoa there babe," Baekhyun pants out breathless as he rests his forehead on Kyungsoo's. "As much as I'd like to test out that I'm great at  theory you proposed, I'm not really a sleep with someone without dinner kind of person. Don't give me that face," he huffs when Kyungsoo throws him a look of disbelief. "I really am not. So let's take it slow, okay?"

---

Day 30

"Slow my , Byun," Kyungsoo snipes.

"Hehehe ," Baekhyun giggles as he pulls his now very real boyfriend in to cuddle, hands massaging at Kyungsoo's sore bottom.

Kyungsoo slaps them away, then pushes Baekhyun's head into his shoulder.

(because Do Kyungsoo is never the snuggler, oh no. You snuggle in or you leave, no compromises.) 

As they doze off in and out of sleep, Kyungsoo remembers something. "For a second there I thought you were dating Suji."

"Huh? Why?"

"Well, you guys were being so chummy—"

"Oh that?" Baekhyun's laugh is warm against Kyungsoo's collarbones. "She kind of ships us or something. She was helping me with the slides."

"....she was?"

"Yeah, you beat me to it, but I've had the template down since we started 'dating'." His voice is tinier then, but Kyungsoo hears the I've liked you for a long time loud and clear.

His heart hammers against his chest like crazy. He ignores it, though, because he isn't done with questions.

"So you weren't serious about wanting to ask her out?"

"I really did want to. Thought I didn't have a chance with you. And girls are great too, you know," Baekhyun points out. "Okay, so she might need help with her colour scheming. But she's funny and smart. Crazy beautiful."

Kyungsoo scoffs and makes to move away in a sudden fit of jealousy, but Baekhyun secures his arms tighter around his waist to keep him in place. "None as beautiful as you of course," Baekhyun murmurs, landing a soft kiss against Kyungsoo's jawline. He doesn't need to glance down to know that Baekhyun's looking at him with starry eyes. He thinks he might puke from both happiness and disgust if he does, too, so he'd rather not take that chance.

"You're worse than cheesy kimchi," he chooses to mumble against Baekhyun's hairline instead. He's itching to say I think I love you anyway, but Baekhyun's snoring already.

He'll save that pitch for another day.

---

 

 

 

D-Day minus one

(The hallway's deserted.)

(The clock on the wall says it's a little after 9pm.)

(Baekhyun walks into the frame, stopping in front of Kim Taehee's lipstick ad.)

(He glances left and right, checking if the coast is clear.)

(He takes a deep breath, steps forward, and gives the poster a big, wet, lip-smacking kiss.)

The video pauses. Kyungsoo swivels around in his chair to face Baekhyun, looking immensely self-satisfied.

"Now will you help me?"

Baekhyun groans. He's backed into a corner. He has no choice. "Alright," he admits defeat. "But gods, this better get me laid."

(And what do you know. It did.)

---

 

 

A/N: im sorry prompter i at following prompts and i only just realized it's to get back at, not to get back orz

hope you're not terribly disappointed though