Minseok woke up with the taste of Luhan still on his lips. The taste of booze and confusion – if confusion had a taste that is – mingled with an immense feeling of regret. He shouldn’t have kissed Luhan, not when the other man was inebriated. He was glad that they had stopped at kissing, not by their own accord of course.

Minseok wasn’t certain he wouldn’t have gone into Luhan’s room with him or let Luhan into his own, thankfully the situation was rectified when one of Luhan’s co-workers came stumbling down the hall. Minseok, who was dead sober, broke away from Luhan and excused himself to his room at the intrusion. Watching through the peep hole he waited until he was sure Luhan was back in his own room before going to bed.

Now, sitting in the large conference room across from Luhan, Minseok was relieved they hadn’t gone further. Luhan was back to giving Minseok the cold shoulder, and Minseok was beginning to seriously doubt that Luhan even remembered what had happened the night before. Imagining what would have happened if Luhan woke up next to him made Minseok extremely happy at the way things turned out. Well, as extremely happy as he could be given the situation.

The property seller was clearly favoring Luhan’s team in the negotiation process, which probably had a lot to do with why Luhan was intoxicated the night before. While the Monday Enterprises team had offered to buy the seller dinner he had refused, probably because he was already meeting with Luhan’s team for dinner and drinks. After a night of wining and dining it was no surprise the man had picked his favorite.

Minseok and Yixing tried their best to convince the man, counter offering, answering his concerns with valid points and solid plans however his mind was already made. After a few hours in the conference room the seller announced that he had decided to sell the property to Lu Industries, causing the Monday Enterprises team to look solemn while they watched their competitors bust out smiles and congratulatory handshakes and pats on the back.

Minseok packed up his papers, making sure he told his team they had done a good job as they prepared to move on. It was time to get back to Seoul and away from this place, away from Luhan. As Minseok started towards the door, Luhan approached.

“Can I have a word with you before you go?” He said in a low tone.

“I don’t think so.” Minseok answered immediately, but his answer was contradicting everything that he wanted to say. He wanted to meet Luhan, he wanted to talk to him about the night before, and he wanted to ask how he had been. But he was sure nothing good would come from it other than more heart break, considering the fact Luhan seemed to hate Minseok more than ever at the moment.

Luhan looked mildly frustrated at Minseok’s answer, so he just said what he had to say right there. The Lu Industries team were largely ignoring their leaders action, as they were busy preparing the final contract document. Luhan spoke, his voice barely above a whisper “What happened last night was a mistake.”

Minseok blushed. So he did remember?

“It was a mistake I don’t plan on repeating.” Luhan reinforced.

“I doubt we would have the chance even if we wanted to repeat it, aren’t you going back to China.” Minseok muttered, cursing the fact he had said such a thing without considering how it sounded.

“I am going to be in Seoul for a while so we are going to run into each other, I can almost guarantee it. I want to make it clear that who I was three years ago is not who I am now.” Luhan swallowed, which Minseok noticed, watching his Adams apple bob “I don’t want to repeat that mistake because I don’t like you Minseok, I don’t trust you, and when I see you now it is for business and business only. Do you understand? I am not going to hold back on you or your families company because of my stupid mistakes of the past.”

“Loud and clear” Minseok whirled around, already done with the conversation. Luhan’s words were somewhere between a threat and a further reminder of how much he disliked Minseok. And they hurt. A lot.

What hurt more was the fact that Minseok only half believed any of it. Because if Luhan remembered the night before, he remembered what he had said, and Minseok believed there was some truth to his words -to his plea to spend the night together. Minseok already knew there was some truth in how much hearing those words meant to him. It was a mess, a bloody mess.

On the plane ride back to Seoul Minseok couldn’t sleep, work or focus on reading the novel Yixing shoved into his hand. The only thing he could focus on was a certain Chinese man, declaring his love in a hotel hallway late at night, pain and desire hanging in the air as his misery was communicated loud and clear.

***

Sehun had burnt through a good chunk of his credit limit, at least on one of his credit cards, as he bought half of the fashion line. It turned out Tao’s fashion line was not cheap. After his chance encounter with Tao he was only mildly shocked to find out that in the last three years the naïve boy from the backwater had made his dream come true. He was the star of the up and coming designer’s show, models walking proudly wearing his creations as hip hop music blared in the background.

Sehun was honestly impressed with what Tao had created. His menswear line was all clean lines and smart accessories. Thankfully it was not called Taoshion. Sehun had sat through the show after his mishap with the doctor (who smartly did not bother coming into the event). After the models had walked the runway Tao appeared to a standing ovation. Sehun clapped proudly, and then reminded himself to hunt down that private detective and ask him how in the hell he missed finding Tao if he was a f-ing fashion designer. But that could wait for later.

There was an after party, which Sehun stuck around for. He wanted to talk to Tao but that was difficult since the man was the center of the party. Sehun quickly decided that people in the fashion world were stranger than he initially thought. Their conversations were boring or outrageous, never in between, and they liked to touch people. Sehun was sick of people pulling at his arm when they spoke to him, or telling him he should model. He was sick of the whole thing so he was ecstatic when Tao stepped away from the party.

Sehun followed, hoping to catch him for a chat before he returned to the accolades. He didn’t expect Tao was leaving the party all together until he caught up with him outside the building, busy catching a cab. Sehun hailed a cab to follow him, he wasn’t about to lose this chance after three years of searching.

The cab travelled to a less than upper class part of Seoul. Sehun had guessed that Tao would be living the high life, or close to it, given the popularity he had displayed at the party. Apparently that was far from the truth as Tao alighted the cab and entered a shabby apartment building. Sehun waited until he was sure Tao was inside and followed. Maybe Tao was only visiting someone? Sehun checked the names on the buzzer, noticing that in fact Tao was a resident, apparently renting apartment 365. Sehun was a second away from pressing the buzzer when a piece of paper, taped above the buzzer, caught his attention.

For Rent: Unit 363. One bedroom, heat and water included.

The unit next to Tao’s. Sehun jotted down the information and put it to good use the next day (providing a fake last name, of course). Lizzy was the first person to realize Sehun was packing up all of his things.

“Are you that mad about that smelly sweatshirt?” She asked, staring as her employer’s youngest son was stuffing things into suitcases and boxes.

“Yep. I had to move because of you Lizzy.” Sehun replied.

He moved into unit 363 that afternoon, if you consider only taking part of your stuff moving in. Because he wasn’t actually going to live in such a shabby place. He was just going to use it to get close to Tao, like any normal person would do…or something.

***

“Can I come dressed as a giant ice cream cone?” Kwang Soo asked, riffling through a stack of papers.

“No.” Ji Hyo reached over and smacked Kwang Soo on the top of the head, “I said the theme was Nice Dreams Come True not Ice Creams Come True you dolt!”

“Ow! Noona, you didn’t have to do that!” Kwang Soo rubbed the spot where Ji Hyo smacked him “I just was trying to help out, liven the mood.”

“If you want to liven the mood you should stay home.” Jae Suk answered, Kwang Soo gave him a dirty look for the comment.

“Do you have the list sorted out Jong Kook Oppa?” Ji Hyo asked. It was a yearly planning headache, but it was worth it. Every year Monday Enterprises sponsored a large charity gala which was a major Seoul society event to see and be seen at. This year they were supporting several charities with an overarching idea of supporting underprivileged youth’s goals- giving them an advantage they might not otherwise have.

“Almost. Don’t you think we should invite the Lu Family? If you think about it this may be a great chance to scope out the competition, and if we don’t invite them it would be a social snub. Which we probably should do, but given the fact that the appropriate decorum would have us-“

“Are you an expert in social matters?” Suk Jin challenged Jong Kook. No matter what topic it was Jong Kook was always ready to share his expert opinion. His six friends liked to for always coaching them in everything, even if he had no background in the subject matter.

“Hey, I don’t see you suggesting anything!” Jong Kook shot back.

Ji Hyo had actually considered it. When Minseok had reported that Luhan was on his way to Seoul it was only a matter of a few phone calls to figure out that Lu Industries had their talons and sights set on a Korean expansion. With their wealth and power they would inevitably be present at a lot of social events that the Kang Family attended. Plus the cost to attend the event, a steep price per plate, would go to a good cause.

“I think we can bury the hatchet for one night. After all it will help the charities.” Gary spoke up, offering his opinion.

“I agree.” Ji Hyo said.

“As usual my Mongji and are on the same page.” Gary reached over and pinched his wife’s cheeks, causing her to swat his hands away.

Ji Hyo made a mental note that she would have to be sure to tell Minseok of the invite so he wouldn’t be surprised. The last thing she wanted to do was cause her eldest son pain. She was pretty sure he would understand the invitation and the gala was a large enough event where one could steer clear of another person if they wanted to. Hopefully he would be okay with it. Hopefully.

***

Jongdae was happy to be back at Monday Enterprises, even happier to possess an impressive title (Director of Financial Analysis) and have an office of his own. He was happy to see Suho too – and there were two people that were extremely happy to see Jongdae as well.

Irene and Taeyong were plying Jongdae with coffee and donuts and anything else they could possibly bring him as a thank you for coming back. Jongdae was not surprised to hear that Suho had turned into a bit of a hard in the last three years since Suho was kind of a hard to begin with. Suho expected a lot from his juniors because he expected a lot from himself. The problem was that sometimes he was very bad at how he communicated his expectations. Jongdae had often been that person who acted as a filter and helped ease the sharpness of Suho’s messages. Now that the filter was back morale was improving- apparently already in the first morning Jongdae had returned.

Suho asked for a lunch date and Jongdae agreed, if nothing else to further catch up on what had been going on at the company in the time he was away. They grabbed a bite to eat at a little diner in the neighborhood, a place that was packed with other salary men and women grabbing something to eat.

Suho was extremely upbeat and polite during the walk to the restaurant, even putting an arm around Jongdae’s shoulders as they walked. They had a lot to catch up on so neither man fell silent as they discussed business and the things that had been happening in their lives.

Once seated, waiting for their food, Suho risked breeching a topic that may turn out to be uncomfortable – and end badly. But he was happy, so happy Jongdae was back, he just wanted to let it all out on the table so to speak.

“I missed you.” Suho started, maintaining eye contact with Jongdae as he continued “And I was serious about a dinner date, if you can that is.”

“I can, but not now.” Jongdae answered, not bothering to elaborate on the reason why it wouldn’t work for him at the moment. Honestly he wanted to take things slow at the moment. He had just returned to the company, he wanted to reacclimatize himself with his job without complications.

“Jongdae…” Suho’s tone grew more serious “I have been thinking about it a lot and- well” He ran a hand threw his hair, biting his bottom lip it was evident it was hard for him to continue, but continue he did “In the last three years I thought a lot about what happened… in college.”

Suho waited for Jongdae to show some kind of sign of acknowledgement that he also remembered. When Jongdae nodded slowly Suho continued. “I know you weren’t interested back then. And I know I never looked your way again. But I want to…if you are interested now.”

Jongdae didn’t want to relive that night so many years ago, but Suho apparently had been reliving it constantly. It wasn’t really a surprise really, because that night changed their relationship forever. Jongdae tried to bury it, even if reminders of the outcome had chased him through the years.

It was junior year in college, the two of them were inseparable- ever since they had become dorm mates during freshmen year. They did everything together: enrolled in the same classes, and went to the same parties, studied together. It was no shock that feelings developed that were less than friendly and more on the romantic side.

At the time Jongdae had known that a relationship with Suho could never work. While Suho had everything Jongdae had nothing. His family was poor, he was attending on a scholarship. Suho knew nothing of it, because he was the type of person that befriended people of his own class; Jongdae didn’t want to lose him so he had never told the truth.

One night Suho had kissed Jongdae. They had attended a party and both drank a little, the buzz giving Suho courage he would not normally possess. Jongdae relished the kiss, the confession that followed, but he knew he had to turn it down and turn it down he did. He had told Suho he wasn’t attracted to him. At all. He never had been.

Suho had avoided Jongdae for a few days until the other man cornered him and begged him to not let Jongdae’s refusal ruin their friendship. After that Suho had never once shown any interest in Jongdae in less than a friendly way. Jongdae held onto that, because it had meant Suho would still talk to him and still be around him.

In a way Jongdae had built his own prison. He loved Suho so much he doubted he would ever find another man he would want as much as he wanted him. But he had screwed his chances up so long ago what could he expect? Suho was only abiding what Jongdae had requested – that they remain friends and nothing more.  Leaving Monday Enterprises three years ago had been a chance to escape that prison, to get away from what Jongdae had wrought for himself.  To get away from a possessive person who could be selfish – but would never act on it. A person Jongdae would never have a chance with again, a person that Jongdae could have had if he wasn’t so stupid. Now was his chance and with the years that passed he was ready to at least take it – or at least take the first steps to demolish his past mistakes.

Jongdae reached out and took Suho’s hand in his own, giving it a squeeze. Suho looked shocked at the gesture.

“I was wrong back then, for a lot of reasons.” Jongdae started slowly, thankful that the busy restaurant acted as cover for his words, making sure they were only heard by the two of them “Let’s give it a chance, but not yet. I need to find my footing hyung, I just came back.”

Suho nodded happily. “Find your footing, I’ll be waiting”

“Thank you.” Jongdae suddenly felt free, a feeling he hadn’t had in years.

***

Kyungsoo had somewhere to go after he left the office. Somewhere important. He hadn’t gotten much done during the day because he was a tad bit distracted. Okay, he was completely distracted. Because of some ugly, horrible creature that had taken his breathe away and made him feel all sorts of things that ended up with him in the shower that morning.

Kyungsoo knocked furiously on the apartment door, hoping Baekhyun was home- and that he still lived there. When the door opened he faced Baekhyun, who was dressed in plaid pajama pants and a grey t-shirt.

“Kyungsoo?” Baekhyun was surprised. Of all of the people who he thought would be pounding at his door he would never have guessed it was his ex-best friend.

Kyungsoo barged into the apartment, pushing Baekhyun aside. Spinning around to face a shocked Baekhyun he began his rant “I hate you! I hate you and your ugly and small apartment. I hate you and your stupid jokes and that stupid ing face you make when you mock other people. I hate that you can’t appreciate the Prince of Tennis, you stupid piece of . And I hate the fact you quit working with me because you can’t handle .”

Baekhyun was not about to back down. Kyungsoo had returned. The insults were back. They were back. But something had changed, intensified “Yeah, well I hate that fact you dated a guy who was clearly a male out for some office tail. I hate you stupid big eyes and how you stare at people like Satan. And I ing hate the Prince of Tennis it is the stupidest ing thing I have ever seen in my life.”

Three purposeful strides and Kyungsoo was on Baekhyun, pushing him against the closed door. Baekhyun’s back hit the cheap wood door hard as he reached out and pulled Kyungsoo closer, eagerly joining their mouths. He took Kyungsoo’s bottom lip in his own, parting Kyungsoo’s lips with force until he could slip his tongue in. Kyungsoo moaned and pushed forward like they were trapped in some sort of ed up battle. Baekhyun responded by quickly gliding his tongue over Kyungsoo’s eliciting another moan. It was all fast and furious, need and fire, hate and love mixed into a bizarre fury.

Kyungsoo’s hands were all over Baekhyun’s torso, pulling his shirt up. Baekhyun moved his own hands to Kyungsoo’s hair, pulling, tugging. Then he was biting, Kyungsoo’s bottom lip, then to his neck, pushing his collar away his teeth where nipping, grazing Kyungsoo’s collar bone furiously. Kyungsoo responded by shoving Baekhyun against the door again, this time letting his own teeth mark Baekhyun’s neck. It was painful, not breaking the skin, but leaving marks that hinted at ownership and hate.

Then they broke away, as quickly as they had practically leapt on each other. Both men panting hard, their clothes askew, their faces flushed.

“I hate you.” Kyungsoo was all fire as he caught his breathe “You are a great ing kisser Byun Baekhyun.”

Baekhyun didn’t voluntarily move away, he had to. Kyungsoo reached for the doorknob and pulled the door open, slamming it behind him.

Baekhyun stood in his living room, panting, for a few more moments after Kyungsoo stormed out. God damn it, hate making out with Kyungsoo must be what heaven felt like.

----------------------------

a/n- Yes, that’s right. Hate making out *what have I done*. Fits Baeksoo, ne?  

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