A B C easy as 1 2 3

« If a) is a cat and b) is your desk, then c) is your tie …»

Minho frowned at the short message on the yellow sticky note, not getting the thing. Instead of thinking for too long, the tall young man headed to the author of the message, in the office across his. He entered the room, not bothering to knock beforehand and walked to the desk where his good friend seemed to be working hard.

“Mind to explain this to me, Taem’?” Minho asked, putting the sticky note on the computer screen.

“Uh?” Taemin looked up confused, but then his eyes saw the yellow piece of paper. “Oh… that. You didn’t get the thing, did you?” He asked with a playful grin and continuing his work on whatever sheets.

“The thing? What thing…? Look, I don’t have time for you sill…”

“Don’t think too much, hyung” Taemin interrupted. He put down his pen and stretched out, looking for the first time at his confused and annoyed colleague. “It’s very simple.”

Minho watched him suspiciously, arching a brow. Before he could speak the younger continued: “Okay, here’s another example: if a) is my scarf and b) is the window, then c) is a curtain.”

“What?” Was the only answer Minho could give. He opened his mouth in order to say something, but nothing came out. He just stood there, disbelieving and watching Taemin with his opened mouth. The younger only laughed at this “lovely” sight.

“Hyung, close your mouth you look like an idiot” Taemin shook his head before turning back to work, waiting for Minho to get back to his senses.

“Oh wait! There’s a link between the items, right?” Taemin suddenly heard. He looked up at Minho again, who now was thinking out loud.

“Sort of…” He mumbled, but it wasn’t heard since the other young man was making some strange theories and didn’t even bother to listen. Minho was now walking back and fort in the office talking nonsense.

“Yeah of course, if you hang a scarf on a window it makes a curtain… But…. Hey Taemin, what’s the link between a cat and my de…”

“You think too much, hyung” Taemin stood up and walked to Minho. He grabed him by the shoulders and guided him to the door with a small smile on his face. “Now, I’m sure you have as much work as I have, so please, don’t make thing difficult for us and let’s go back to work, shall we?” Taemin closed the door not caring about the older man’s protestations.

No matter how much he liked him and how much he wanted Minho’s company, business couldn’t care less about that and wasn’t going to be done by itself.

_________

It was lunch break when Kibum found Minho and Taemin vividly talking in the company’s cafeteria. He put down his tray on the table and sat on the only available chair, in front of the youngest. However neither of them had noticed his presence and kept on talking, and talking, and talking, and talk…

“YAH!” He yelled, giving them a start. “Can you just stop bawling? I swear your voices are son annoying” Kibum rolled his eyes and started eating his rice.

“I’m sorry hyung” Taemin quietly answered before taking a piece of meat in his mouth and slowly chewing it.

“What were you talking about anyway?” Kibum asked after a few minutes of silence, “you’re rarely that agitated during lunch break.”

“Minho’s having a hard time with the game” Taemin answered a wide grin on his face, which caused him to receive a small punch on his arm by Minho. “Ouch, meanie.” He mumbled with a pout. And then the both boys lost themselves again in their animated talking, as if Kibum wasn't even there.

“Wait, what game?” Asked Kibum. “Oh no…” His eyes went a little wide, looking at Taemin. “Yah! Don’t tell me it’s….”

“Yup! Exactly that same game” Taemin gave his best innocent look with his cutest smile ever, bravely facing Kibum’s disapproving glare. Sighing, the oldest of the three shook his head and continued to eat. “You’re well aware that this frog is too dumb for this, right? ” He said, ignoring Minho’s protestations, to which Taemin laughed enthusiastically.

“So tell me what the hell is the link between a desk, a cat and my in’ tie” Minho glared at Kibum, highly annoyed. He then took a spoon full of rice in his mouth, his huge eyes giving a I-dare-you-to-find-it look.

“I told you, you think to much!” Taemin reacted. “Why don’t you try by yourself?”

Swallowing his mouthful, Minho tried to think about something that would work for the game. He looked around the cafeteria, but saw nothing that could be good enough. He then noticed Kibum’s outfit and a flash of imagination came to him.

“Okay, okay, let me try this!” He said enthusiastically. “If a) is a peace of cloth, and b) is pink…” Minho looked at Taemin. “c) is Kibum!” He ended, pointing the guy next to him with a hopeful look and smile on his face.

“Nope!” Besides breaking his hopes, Kibum’s mocking tone irritated Minho to a whole new level. “If a) is a peace of cloth and if b) is pink, then c) is my jacket.” The playful smile made the younger want to slap his superior while Taemin was struggling to keep quiet and eat in silence.

“Try again” Kibum stood up taking his empty glass. “But don’t kill your brain, you may need it someday. I’ll be right back. You want something to drink?”

When he came back, Minho was still trying to get the trick... In vain.

_________

“Tell me again why you like that stupid… uh… thing” Kibum said, looking with exasperation at the struggling Minho with the photocopier. He slowly chewed on his bubble gum.

“And you tell me again why you have zoophile tastes” retorted Taemin. He was about to take his beloved coffee from the machine. The young man easily avoided Kibum’s attempt to hit him on the head with an innocent smile.

“Yah you wanna die? Jonghyun is not an animal, thanks” If Kibum’s eyes could kill, Taemin would have been buried since long ago. “Go help him instead” He pointed at Minho. “I don’t have the strength to keep calm in front of him right now.”

Taemin only laughed, taking the hot beverage in his hands. Of course he’d go help his clumsy Minho. The poor guy couldn’t even use half of the functionalities of his phone, how could he deal with a brand new photocopier? The young man slowly walked to the taller and showed him how to print the documents on both sides of the sheets.

Of course he’d help him, he’d help him every time he has the opportunity if that means getting a hug, or even any physical touch from Minho.

_________

Suddenly, things changed. Minho stopped talking to him. Or more like started to avoid him. At the beginning it was subtle, even Taemin hadn’t noticed it. However here he was, eating once again all alone in the cafeteria. Minho was with other colleagues and didn’t seem to mind Taemin’s stare on him. He wasn’t even paying attention on him. Sighing quietly, Taemin stuffed some rice in his mouth and chewed slowly. Was Minho mad at him for something?

“Stop thinking too much.” said a voice, followed by the sound of a chair being pulled. It was Kibum. “Minho’s just being the stupid bastard he usually is. Don’t mind and eat.” He took a mouthful of noodles and hummed at it’s taste.

“But still…” Taemin mumbled, pouting like a little child. “Have I done something bad?”

“Of course not” Kibum retorted almost immediately. “I told you not to mind, so do as I say” Kibum smiled at the younger and patted his shoulder. “I’m gonna put some sense in that empty head of his” he ended, glaring at Minho.

Quickly the mood enlightened and the two of them went on as if nothing was wrong, not noticing Minho looking at them with a small smile.

_________

The first note Taemin got was on December 1st.

If a) is Snow and b) is December, then c) is your favourite period, right?

Tell me if I’m wrong with my assumption, yeah?

The message was written on a sticky note he found out on the keyboard. Taemin frowned at it. He recognized Minho’s handwriting, but why would he write such a thing? Furthermore, after something like a whole month of silence? Sure he could be happy that Minho hadn’t forgot about his existence, but surprisingly it highly annoyed him.

When he saw Minho later he hit his head and went to eat with Kibum as usually.

_________

The second note Taemin got was the next day.

If a) is my silence and b) is your slap on my head, then c) is my apology to you.

I’m truly sorry, Taemin-ah…

That day Taemin just put the note next to the other and started working on some letters writing. He totally ignored Minho when he tried to approach him.

_________

If a) is music, and b) are coordinated moves, then c) is everything I can’t do as good as you

Taemin found himself blushing at this. So he wasn’t really alone the previous evening in the office when he decided to put some music on and have fun during work.

“That bastard! He saw me!”

_________

If a) is a face and b) is you, then c) is beauty…

You shall be aware of this.

If a) is music and b) is candy to my ear, then c) is your cute laughter.

It's like my favourite song ever.

If a) is a gift and b) is unknown, then c) is a surprise.

I hope you’ll like it.

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