Time with Yifan without bickering was something that Joonmyun found impossible to conceive. Though they have a few moments of bickering at the restaurant, Joonmyun is actually able to sit down and enjoy a few hours with the man he so often couldn’t even spend five minutes with without wanting to punch him in the face.

By the time they were ready to leave the restaurant, it looked like a whole team had been assembled to get them out the way they came in without making anybody suspicious. Exiting the restaurant, Joonmyun finally manages to clock onto where Luhan is sitting and he is fairly certain that Minseok is there with him. He doesn’t get to have a proper look though because once Yifan has a hand on his shoulder and steering him towards the car.

“I gotta admit, this is probably the most eventful meal I’ve been to in a while” Joonmyun says when he and Yifan are back in the car

“Exactly! No night is ever uneventful with me” Yifan replies and rolls his eyes when he hears Joonmyun snort “It’s true! Where else are you going to get being escorted in an out of a restaurant to not been seen by the outside, a great meal regardless of the price, and having to hide from co-workers in one night?”

“Alright, alright I’ll give you that” Joonmyun admits but wants to retract it when he sees how smug Yifan looks once again.

Thinking that this meeting- definitely not a date (and Joonmyun was willing to argue that until the day he died) - would be a disaster from the moment Yifan had originally proposed the idea, Joonmyun found himself being dropped off back to his apartment complex actually smiling and feeling like he was out with his brother or spending a lunch at work with Luhan and Baekhyun, not having spent the evening with Yifan a guy who he had wanted to just scream and punch on numerous occasions.

“We go back to square one after this” Yifan says “I got back to annoying you and you go back to getting frustrated”

“And here’s me thinking that after this we were all even and you would finally leave me alone” Joonmyun replies, adding an exaggerated sigh for good measure. Yifan snorts as the action and laughs.

“Please! I’m not going to be finished with you for a while! You’re much better company than other people I’ve been introduced, at least you know how to have fun and fight back”

Joonmyun takes that as Yifan’s attempt at complimenting him.

“I feel honoured that you have finally found someone who can give back just as much as when you open that mouth of yours. Really, it’s a great achievement”

“I’m so glad you feel that way! Now get out of my car” Yifan shoots back and Joonmyun grumbles to himself as he opens the car door

“You would think he would have some form of manners” Yifan heard him mutter before Joonmyun shut the door behind him and made his way back to his apartment.

“Sir if I may” the driver begins “I can’t help but notice that do have an extremely odd way of expressing affection to people”

Yifan doesn’t say anything in reply, he just smiles to the driver and keeps quiet, and not giving him the answer he may need to either confirm or deny his thoughts. Yifan spends the journey back to his house pondering the statement.

Knowing that he had most definitely seen Luhan and Minseok at the restaurant had been playing on Joonmyun’s mind since he had gotten home that same evening. At first he tried convincing himself that they had just come for a simple meal between work colleague and boss, but then he would remember that Yifan had mentioned the place was renowned for people who wanted to go on dates they wanted to keep hidden. It was a possibility, he couldn’t rule it out.

“Are you sure you’re alright Joonmyun?” Baekhyun asks

“Of course I am! Why do you ask?” Joonmyun replies, taking a deep breath in when his phone had buzzed for the fifth consecutive time during his break. No doubt from Yifan keeping his promise to annoy Joonmyun at every opportunity he got.

“Well for the last five minutes you’ve been sat there playing with your food and staring into space” Baekhyun points out and Joonmyun goes to answer but stops when he feels his phone vibrate again. Whipping it out from his pocket, he ignores all the messages that Yifan had sent him, typing out a quick reply and turning it off so that he couldn’t be bothered anymore.

Will you quit it?! I’m at work!

“The work is finally beginning to pile up, that’s all” Joonmyun reassures “Plus I have a couple of big interviews coming up, I’m just worried about messing them up”

“Ah don’t sweat it! If anybody can do a good job of those interviews, it’s you Joonmyun” Baekhyun says encouragingly and Joonmyun smiles gratefully. He wasn’t lying about the interviews and how nervous he was, but he didn’t want to tell Baekhyun he was worried because he suspected Luhan of being in a secret relationship with their boss.

“Joonmyun, boss wants to see you” a co-worker calls over to him as they settle down for their break

“Don’t you find it weird?” Baekhyun asks as Joonmyun gets ready to leave

“Find what weird?”

“That Luhan has been spending quite a lot of time hanging out in Minseok’s office lately” Baekhyun points out and Joonmyun pauses. Does her perhaps have an inkling that something could be going on? Should Joonmyun egg him on a little bit more to try and get it out of him? No. Speculation was dangerous and if anybody heard them, well, gossip would be spread quite quickly.

“He’s probably with him getting some last minute plans done before he goes off to China. This will be his first job as a foreign correspondent so I should imagine he just wants as much help as possible” Joonmyun tries instead

“Hmm, that’s true” Baekhyun mutters and shrugs his shoulders “It’s just a thought”

Managing to throw Baekhyun off of any suspicion he may have, Joonmyun makes his way over to Minseok’s office. Just about to knock on the door, he stops and presses his ear to the door when he hears what sounds like someone raising their voice from inside. He really should do it, but sometimes curiosity just gets the better of him.

“Look this isn’t easy for me to Luhan!” he can hear Minseok say and thinks he can hear Luhan scoff at his words

“Isn’t easy for you too? Coming from the guy who wanted to start this relationship in this first place” he retorts

“I did and I have no regrets but honestly, how much longer can we keep this a secret? If I keep calling you to my office then people will start to get suspicious! You don’t think neither Joonmyun nor Baekhyun have caught on in the slightest lately?”

“And you know exactly why we can’t go telling anybody! Come on Minseok use that brain of yours!”

Silence falls between them and Joonmyun presses himself up against the door when he hears Minseok sigh.

“Look, let’s just leave it for now, okay? We can talk about this later. Right now I have Joonmyun on the way to see me and you should leave before he gets here”

“Whatever” he can hear Luhan say and jumps back when he hears him walk towards the door.

Opening the door, Luhan has his gaze to the floor and only looks up when he sees a pair of shoes. Meeting Joonmyun’s gaze, he can tell that his friend knows, of course he knows, they weren’t exactly silent in their previous conversation.

“U-uh…” Luhan begins but the words just won’t come out. Instead he turns and runs down the hall. Joonmyun is caught in a predicament; if he doesn’t go after Luhan he’ll look like a bad friend, but if he doesn’t go and see Minseok then he’ll be late to the meeting. Stood there teetering between the two options, Joonmyun decides to throw caution to the wind and goes after Luhan.

“Luhan, Luhan open up. It’s just me”

Joonmyun was eventually able to locate Luhan in one of the staff toilets where he had locked himself in one of the two cubicles. He had just been stood there, trying his best to calm down, reassure himself that maybe Joonmyun hadn’t heard them; that he had overreacted and ran away for no reason.

“Luhan, please talk to me” Joonmyun pleads 

“H-how much did you hear?” Luhan asks

“… Only the end of your conversation, nothing else” Joonmyun replies and Luhan isn’t sure if he wants to laugh or cry. That was probably the worst moment Joonmyun could have eavesdropped onto the conversation.

“Luhan… please open up” Joonmyun pleads again and with shaking hands, Luhan unlocks the door and steps out, making no effort to look at Joonmyun at all. After that its complete silence, Joonmyun wants to say something, make some sort of effort to try and comfort Luhan, but he can’t find anything to say.

“He wants to tell everybody we’re dating. It’s been on his mind for a while but… well, you can understand why I don’t want to tell anybody” Luhan finally pipes up

“How long have you been dating?” Joonmyun asks

“Just under a year” Luhan admits and Joonmyun looks surprised- how had they managed to keep the relationship a secret for so long? “I was working my way up, having finally gotten out of translating texts. I thought he was cute, but even if I had felt anything for him in the beginning I never went further with these feelings. It was actually Minseok who relented and asked me out”

“And let me guess, you don’t want to reveal your relationship to anybody because you’re dating the boss?” Joonmyun guesses and Luhan laughs bitterly

“Could you imagine what people would think? They’d probably think that I only dated him to get the correspondent post I’m on now! I know Minseok wants to do it because, you know, we’re kind of stable in a secret relationship way, but I’m going to be in China for the next few months. If we tell people now it’s going to be very difficult” Luhan explains

“Well then how about you two come to a compromise?” Joonmyun suggests “How about you don’t have to tell the whole world but maybe close friends and family?”

Luhan thinks over his suggestion and eventually nods his head “Yeah that could work” he mutters and smiles as Joonmyun “Thanks”

“It’s what friends are for” Joonmyun replies with a smile “I hope you don’t mind if I go, I kinda have a meeting with Minseok to get to”

“Wait” Luhan says and grabs his arm “You… you won’t tell Baekhyun, will you? I-I don’t want him finding out unless it’s from me or he finds out like you did”

“My lips are sealed” Joonmyun promises as Luhan smiles and brings him in for a hug. Joonmyun slowly hugs him back and they stand there hugging each other until Joonmyun insists that he really needs to go before he’s late to the meeting…

I had to do this chapter. I couldn't just leave Joonmyun hanging and speculating whether he did see Luhan with Minseok or not... who doesn't love a secret relationship anyway? Plus it gives me something to play with in a later chapter! Mwahahaha!

Next chapter I'm thinking of introducing a vulnerable Yifan. Just you know... to play with your hearts a little... because I'm like that. And now I leave you with a post from Tumblr which I can only describe as perfectly summing up Suho's feelings towards Kris in this fic so far. Credit goes to lovertronic because this is amazing!

Until the next chapter!!