Tuesday
 

The next morning it takes Jongin forty-five minutes to pick out the best outfit that ‘conveys his alpha-status’. He eventually lends a pair of black slacks and a white long-sleeved shirt from Sehun. It takes another ten minutes for Sehun to take his hands off the hybrid because the pants hug his thighs just right and he wants to run his tongue along where the white collar of the shirt sits snugly against Jongin’s caramel skin.

*

Jongin looks agitated in the elevator, his look increasingly sour as they near Sehun’s floor. His tail hits the elevator wall in a sharp staccato. Sehun suddenly realizes he has no idea how Jongin will react if he runs into the person who’s been ‘tainting’ Sehun with his scent, and starts thinking this might be a bad idea.

*

Baekhyun is waiting for them by his office, clutching what appears to be a cat toy attached to a fishing rod, a devious grin on his face. Sehun can’t help but feel some satisfaction when Baekhyun’s eyes fall on Jongin (who stands at least a head taller than him) and the smile slides right off his face, the twinkle in his eyes quickly making place for apprehension. Jongin narrows his eyes at Baekhyun and walks up to him, making full use of his height as he breaches the smaller man’s personal bubble.

Baekhyun’s hand goes limp and the cat toy falls to the ground.
“Are you the prankster?” Jongin asks in a low voice.

Sehun has never seen Baekhyun intimidated by anyone and it’s starting to attract the attention of his other co-workers as they pass by the scene.
Baekhyun’s lower lip trembles a little. “Um, hi, I’m Baekhyun, I don’t-”
Jongin sniffs and scrunches up his nose as he steps away from Baekhyun again. “Not him. This one smells a little sour,” he announces to Sehun.
Sehun thinks Baekhyun’s baffled expression is frame-worthy.

*

Chanyeol, Minseok and 7 other colleagues are in a meeting in the boardroom so Jongin has plenty of time to vet Luhan first.

If Luhan is surprised by Jongin’s looks, he doesn’t show it, and after a few minutes he pulls out his phone to show Jongin a picture of Yixing (Sehun is mildly surprised to learn Luhan keeps pictures of a clothed Yixing in his phone).

Sehun can see the tension bleed out of Jongin’s shoulders as he’s talking to Luhan,

When Luhan is called out of the office, Jongin turns to him, seemingly satisfied with his findings. “Looks like the lion has this guy whipped.”

“I could’ve told you that, too,” Sehun remarks. Jongin makes his way over to Sehun’s desk, pressing a swift kiss on his lips right when Chanyeol walks in.

“Hey, keep the PDA to a minimum,” he says with a mock-stern voice. He shakes Jongin’s hand, letting his eyes rake up and down Jongin’s frame, obviously sizing him up. Jongin does the same thing, squaring his shoulders, his ears pointing forward attentively.

“I’m Chanyeol. I’m sure Sehun has told you plenty of wonderful things about me already so let me tell you right now – they were all true.”

“Yes, I can see that,” Jongin replies, voice dripping with hostility. They’re still holding hands, and to Sehun’s bewilderment, it appears they’re trying to crush each other’s fingers.

Sehun might not be able to smell pheromones but he can smell the testosterone, thick in the air, as his boss and Jongin enter a wordless battle. Before he met Jongin, Sehun never believed in love at first sight, but now he’s pretty sure he’s witness to something that could only be described as hate at first sight (which is strange because Chanyeol and Jongin are both the most laid-back people Sehun has ever met).

Minah’s knock on the door interrupts the silent exchange of glares between Chanyeol and Jongin. “Chanyeol, Minseok wants to see you.”

Chanyeol manages a forced smile as he finally lets go of Jongin’s hand. “Nice to meet you, Jongin.”

“Likewise.”

After Chanyeol leaves, Jongin directs his attention back to Sehun. “I really hate dog people.”

Sehun finally lets go of the breath he’d been holding for the past three minutes and looks at Jongin in exasperation. “That’s what this was about? Because he’s a dog person?”

Jongin seems a little put out by Sehun’s annoyance. “Well I am twenty percent cat,” he huffs.

“So, did you win?”

“Not yet.”

*

Luhan asks for Jongin’s help in unloading and distributing a new shipment of files from Spinner’s headquarters and to Sehun’s surprise, Jongin seems quite complacent, clearly feeling comfortable around Luhan. He makes a mental note to ask Luhan to introduce Jongin to Yixing, sometime.

*
One hour later, Chanyeol returns from the bathroom with a scandalized look on his face. “Sehun, kindly learn to control your cat.”

“Why, what did he do?”

Chanyeol is red as a tomato and sputters indignantly. “He- I was trying to pee in peace and he just STOOD there. WATCHING me.”

(Jongin sneaks up on Sehun by the ph