It seemed like Taekwoon was sleeping worse and worse lately, and he wasn’t sure how to fix the problem.

He’d tried sleeping earlier, trying to stay up later to get himself a bit more tired, exerting himself before he slept, and as a last effort, he tried a light sleeping pill. Nothing was helping and, every night, he fell asleep late and woke up early after having a restless sleep.

It was starting to get to him.

Like usual, Hyosonn was out of bed when Taekwoon got up the next morning, but this time he didn’t even bother stopping in to the kitchen to grab food to go. He just got in his car, stopping at a coffee shop near the office and getting a large coffee to hold him over for lunch. By the time he settled in his seat he already felt drained, though a head peeking over the divider immediately pulled his attention.

“Woah, you look rough…” Wonshik said, frowning a bit. “You okay?”

Taekwoon nodded, pointing to his coffee and attempting a friendly smile. Wonshik narrowed his eyes, not sure if he should believe the other man but sighing and letting it go. He thought for a moment, reaching down and grabbing one of the croissants on his desk. Handing it over to Taekwoon, Wonshik shrugged.

“I bought two,” he offered easily, Taekwoon looking up at him before hesitantly taking it.

“Thanks…” he mumbled in reply, setting the pastry down on a napkin and looking back up to Wonshik. “Do you… need something else? Any help?” he added, Wonshik looking at him before shaking his head.

“No, I’m cool,” he replied, nodding and letting the silence remain as Taekwoon kept staring at him. Eventually Wonshik’s nodding started to feel awkward and he stopped, pursing his lips. “Right. Well don’t strain yourself today, okay? Get some damn sleep.”

Taekwoon turned back around to his computer, reaching over to take a bite of the croissant. Wonshik only smiled, settling in his own seat and getting to work.

For a while, Taekwoon managed to work without an interruption, getting through a lot of the things he needed to do without much of a problem. It was refreshing and, despite the fact that he was tired, he actually felt a bit energized. Maybe it was because of the coffee. He was even tempted to work through lunch, and he was about to until he heard Wonshik’s voice behind him again.

“Wanna run out for a quick lunch?” he asked, Taekwoon spinning in his chair to face the other man. Maybe it was the first time he’d actually seen Wonshik standing fully in his view and not blocked by a wall, or maybe it was because he was actually hungry, but for a moment he honestly considered taking Wonshik’s offer. He stared, mouth open before he simply shut it and shook his head. Wonshik raised a brow.

“You sure?”

Taekwoon nodded.

Eyes narrowed, Wonshik shrugged just a bit before turning and walking out.

“Suit yourself,” he replied with a little sigh, leaving Taekwoon to work through his lunch break.

Now that Taekwoon was alone he turned back to his computer, filling out a few forms that he’d been meaning to get done. Everything went well for a while, and he actually managed to accomplish quite a bit.

Then he crashed.

Not his computer, but his body.

A mixture of not getting enough sleep and the caffeine of the coffee finally running out and Taekwoon ended with his head on his desk, fast asleep and unaware of the time that was going by. It wasn’t until he was jostled awake by an unseen hand that he opened his eyes, face to face with Wonshik.

“You fell asleep,” Wonshik said softly, brows furrowed. Taekwoon just stared at him, a mixture of confusion and simple exhaustion taking over as he blinked.

“... What?” he replied groggily, Wonshik frowning.

“You fell asleep. I woke you up so the boss didn’t catch you passed out. Here’s another coffee, I grabbed it from the break room.” Wonshik handed the cup to Taekwoon, who looked at it for a second before taking a sip.

“Thanks,” Taekwoon murmured, sitting back up and attempting to fix his hair. Wonshik watched him for a moment before he stood back up, walking over to his side of the cubicle and getting back to work.

Taekwoon just kept glancing at the cup and even back at the wall connecting the two cubicles, quietly wondering why Wonshik was helping him so much. He wrote it off as a person simply being nice and quietly got back to work, fingers playing with the coffee cup even when it was empty.

The rest of the day went without any interruption, Taekwoon focusing on work and getting it done without a moment to spare. He leaned back in his chair, making sure everything was right on the screen before saving and turning his computer off. When he turned he almost jumped, Wonshik looking at him with a little smirk.

“You good?” he asked, Taekwoon nearly glaring at him before he nodded.

“I’m fine. Don’t do that,” he replied, Wonshik nodding before grabbing a small bag and walking around to the entrance of Taekwoon’s cubicle.

“Sure. Hey, sorry if this seems forward, but do you wanna stop out for dinner or something with me?” he offered, Taekwoon looking up at him in slight apprehension and a bit of confusion.

“Why would that be forward? And I can’t, I have to get home to my wife,” he responded with a little sigh, reaching down to grab his few papers as Wonshik’s smile twitched down a bit.

“Oh… I didn’t know you were married. Sorry,” Wonshik said with a hint of embarrassment, Taekwoon standing and starting to head out to the garage. Wonshik kept beside him. “How long have you been married?” he asked, Taekwoon sighing once again.

“Three years,” he answered matter-of-factly, Wonshik nodding and dropping his head. For a few steps the conversation stopped, Wonshik clearly trying to decide what he should say next while Taekwoon would have been comfortable continuing the walk in silence. Finally Wonshik looked back up, seemingly deciding that it was okay to speak again.

“I lived with a guy for almost that long. He just moved out, so… We could have been married at that point,” he said, Taekwoon pausing in his steps for a moment before he continued and glanced at the other man.

“... Oh?” he mumbled, a hint of curiosity in his tone as Wonshik nodded.

“Yeah, we dated on and off for about that long,” he replied, looking up as he walked and obviously trying to count the exact number of years they had been together. Taekwoon just stared, Wonshik continuing to talk but Taekwoon not really hearing much of it.

He realized what Wonshik had meant by the invitation being forward now.

“So you like men,” he said suddenly, effectively cutting Wonshik off mid-sentence. Wonshik stopped, staring at Taekwoon in silence before laughing awkwardly.

“I mean, I like men and women… I just happened to be with him for a while. I’m… Digging myself into a deeper hole here, aren’t I?” he asked, words coming out in an awkward ramble as Taekwoon nodded silently in reply. They made it to Taekwoon’s car before Wonshik decided to split off, nodding and simply offering Taekwoon a wave. “Yeah… So that was really awkward, let’s just… Erase this conversation,” he offered hopefully, Taekwoon looking at him before actually cracking a little smile and chuckling. He nodded.

“Okay. I’ll see you tomorrow,” he replied, still smiling as he opened up the door to the car. Wonshik nodded, waving again and taking off the blazer he’d been wearing all day as he turned to walk to his car. Even Taekwoon found himself staring a bit before he settled comfortably in his car, heading home.

He was greeted with a smile and a kiss from Hyosonn, Taekwoon smiling back and letting out a little tired sigh.

“I need to get a good sleep tonight,” he started, Hyosonn cocking her head, “because I fell asleep at work today. I need to sleep.” Looking up at him with worry written all over her face, Hyosonn reached up and rested her hand on her husband’s forehead.

“You’re not getting sick, are you? Do you want me to make you soup?” she asked, Taekwoon simply shaking his head.

“I’m fine. I just haven’t been sleeping well,” he said, reaching up to take her hand from his forehead. He gave it a little squeeze. “I’ll be okay.”

After a little pause Hyosonn nodded, giving him a smile.

“Okay, if you promise,” she murmured, reaching out to hug him before she walked off to work on dinner.

Leo did sleep better that night, though the fact that he was running through the events of the day didn’t relax him.

He never mentioned that Wonshik had asked him out to dinner.

When Taekwoon got to work the next day Wonshik was already there, seemingly working on something and listening to music even though he wasn’t supposed to. Even standing behind him Wonshik didn’t turn, and Taekwoon had to pat his shoulder to get his attention. When he saw who it was he took one of his earbuds out, looking up to Taekwoon and then down to what he was holding. Taekwoon handed a cup to him, Wonshik feeling the warmth and immediately smiling at the smell of coffee.

“Payback for yesterday,” he said, Wonshik looking back up at him with a little bemused smile. “I didn’t know what you liked, so I just got what I always get,” he added, Wonshik pushing his hair back and out of his face.

“You didn’t have to buy anything,” he replied with a chuckle. “The I got was free, this is… You know what? Thank you,” he finished, taking a sip of the coffee and his lips. “It’s good. Thanks.”

There was a pause between the two, Taekwoon looking down at his own drink before simply turning and walking toward his cubicle.

That day continued similarly to the day before, though Taekwoon fell asleep much less than he had and actually finished his work with some free time to spare. He spent the time playing with his phone, not sure what else to do and focusing on something to fill the time. When it was time to leave Wonshik once again walked him to his car, both of them talking about the things that they’d had to do that day. It was small talk but at least Taekwoon had someone to talk to. It was nice - most of the people that worked there had friendships that ended the moment the workday ended. Wonshik actually seemed genuinely happy about being friends, and Taekwoon liked that.

When he got home Taekwoon was in much better spirits, even meeting Hyosonn in the kitchen as he rested his head on top of hers.

“Is dinner almost ready?” he asked, Hyosonn nodding. “Good.” Taekwoon pulled a bottle of water from the fridge, sipping it as he sat down at the table.

“How was work? Good I guess?” she asked, Taekwoon nodding in reply as he slipped out of his coat. He hung it on the chair behind him for the moment before looking back at her.

“Mm. I got everything finished and Wonshik and I talked. It was nice, he’s a nice guy,” he said, Hyosonn raising a brow but smiling.

“Sounds like you and this new guy hit it off,” she responded with a little chuckle, Taekwoon looking over at her for a moment before taking a gulp of his water and glancing down.

“Yeah…” he said, smiling just a bit to himself. “How was your day?”

It seemed like the routine was still there, but for some reason it didn’t feel as monotonous. Taekwoon actually felt rested, talkative, happy - maybe having Wonshik to talk to at work really was a nice break from the norm.