“Byun. In my office, now.”

Baekhyun sighs but gets to his feet immediately, marching out of his office to cross the floor towards his boss’s room. It’s best not to test Mr.Shin’s temper, particularly this early in the morning. 

“You called for me, sir?” he knocks on the door politely and waits until Shin waves him in. 

It’s then that he realizes he’s not the only one in the room, struggling not to stare too curiously at the young man already sitting before Shin’s large desk. Baekhyun recognizes him, having seen him around on the other end of the department floor; Kim Jongin, was it? 

He doesn’t know much about him except that he’s part of the graphic design team. Taking a seat beside him, he waits apprehensively.

“I trust you are both aware of the client we’ve been trying to sign for a while now; JungLee Foundation?”

They both nod attentively and Shin goes on. “They’re preparing to open up a new chain in the centre of Seoul and they want us to handle marketing and design. I’m putting both of you on this project; the opening is in four weeks.”

“Four weeks?” Baekhyun blurts out, having done the mental calculation quickly in his head and estimates needing at least another two weeks beyond that to work on this, particularly on top of the rest of their work.  

“Is there a problem, Byun?”

Biting his tongue, Baekhyun bows his head silently and Shin lets it slide, moving on to explain the details. Throwing a sidelong glance at Jongin, he watches the way he sits stiffly, keeping his eyes fixed on Shin.

Honestly, Baekhyun isn’t too sure about working with him, feeling a little reluctant towards the idea even if he doesn’t dare say it. Despite being on friendly terms with the majority of the office, he’s never interacted much with Jongin past a couple of polite ‘good morning’s’. 

Jongin seems quiet and recluse, almost cold even, keeping to himself for the most part. Somehow, Baekhyun can’t see them getting along too well; not that being friendly matters as long as they get the job done properly. They have four short weeks to somehow pull it off. 

Shin dismisses them after laying everything out for them and Baekhyun immediately gets to his feet. Jongin follows him outside, shutting the door behind him and pauses, looking a little uncertain. 

“My hands are a bit full today but maybe we can start working on it tomorrow?” Baekhyun starts off for him. “You can come by my office first thing in the morning, if that’s fine with you?”

Jongin nods readily in agreement. 

“I hope we can work well together,” he says, bowing politely before they head off in separate directions.

Baekhyun slumps back in his chair when he gets back to the office, swiveling around to look out the window at the sky with a loud sigh. 

The first couple of days are a little awkward with how formal and distant they are with each other. Jongin is reserved for the most part but at least they’re definitely on the same page when they’re working. Baekhyun certainly appreciates how serious Jongin is about his work and how open he is to suggestions. 

They’d started off by delegating the tasks between them before Jongin heads back into his own office but Baekhyun eventually suggests that Jongin could just stay in the office with him for the time being, to make everything easier and quicker. 

“Gives us a chance to hang out more anyway,” Baekhyun tells him as he pulls up a chair for Jongin. To his surprise, it draws a smile from Jongin as he sits down beside him. It might just be Baekhyun’s impression but Jongin’s shoulders don’t seem as tightly drawn as before. He files that away for later, eager to get to attack the mountain of work they have before them. 

Maybe it’s because the only level where he gets to know Jongin at all is through their work that Baekhyun studies him so closely. He’s more dedicated than a lot of the other people Baekhyun has had to work with before, eager to pitch in ideas. He’s creative with his graphics in a way that Baekhyun, as an accounts and marketing director, is fascinated by, watching the way Jongin seems to come alive and animated. 

They haven’t ventured anywhere more personal than that just yet but now Baekhyun can see them getting there eventually.

It’s early in the morning when Jongin joins him once again, dipping his head in the usual greeting. They’re just about to head into Baekhyun’s office when a door slams open and Shin steps out by the doorway, his lips already curling into a familiar sneer. 

Baekhyun tenses up apprehensively, watching as he scans the room in search of someone. His heart plummets when Shin’s eyes fix on the both of them, frozen by the door. 

“Kim!” he barks curtly, effectively gaining everyone else’s attention in the department. “You were hired to produce quality results not sloppy work. If you can’t reach this firm’s standards then you might as well go back to serving people their food.”

Baekhyun turns to find Jongin rooted to the spot, looking startled by the scathing outburst.  He can see the way Jongin’s face and neck burn red as he lowers his eyes in humiliation, visibly trembling.  

"I want it redone and on my desk by lunch time.”

Stepping back into his office, Shin slams the door again, the echoing sound punctuating his words in the heavy silence that has fallen over the entire office.   

Exhaling, Baekhyun takes in Jongin’s fists clenched by his sides. He looks back up and balks when he sees the glimmering sheen of tears gathering in Jongin’s eyes. Gaping, he flounders for something to say before realizing he doesn’t even know what he can say at this point. Jongin's eyes are still fixed on the ground, struggling to keep himself from shaking.

Gritting his teeth, Baekhyun throws a dirty look at Shin’s closed door before glaring at the interns who’d stopped to stare. He watches them scurry away before turning back to Jongin with a quiet sigh. He’s been through his fair share of nasty bosses before but they’ve got nothing on Shin, with his short temper and his penchant for humiliating those below him.

They’ve only been working together closely for less than a week but Baekhyun knows how passionate Jongin is about what he does and how hard he works at it.

He’s overheard the other seniors talk about him in the break room before, while he’s making his coffee, impressed by the way Jongin seems to work himself to the bone. It’s something Baekhyun has begun to see for himself the longer he works beside Jongin in the office. 

Exhaling through his nose, Baekhyun bites the inside of his cheek for a moment before stepping closer. He reaches down for Jongin's hand, curling his fingers around the back of his wrist. Pushing his thumb down into the middle of his palm he squeezes lightly, snapping Jongin out of his stricken daze. His shoulders relax a fraction and Baekhyun is far from relieved, but at the very least, Jongin’s responding to him.

"Come on," Baekhyun says softly. Releasing his hand, he slides his fingers up, curling them around Jongin's elbow to guide him away. "I need more coffee."

He looks away tactfully as Jongin quickly swipes his fingertips along the rims of his eyes to brush away the tears still gathered there. Nodding quietly, he follows Baekhyun down the corridor to the empty break room.

Baekhyun pulls two mugs out of the cupboard, setting them on the counter and reaches out for the coffee machine.

"Do want some?" he turns to Jongin, finding him slumped in one of the chairs by the table with a hand buried in his hair. Still, he laughs at the look Jongin gives him, his nose scrunching in distaste.

"More of a tea person, huh?"

"Chamomile would be great, thanks."

Baekhyun nods, popping in a tea bag. Setting the steaming mugs down on the table, he drops into a seat beside Jongin and cups his own drink, relishing the heat seeping into his palms.

"Thanks," Jongin murmurs, staring down at the swirling liquid in his mug. They sit in silence for a moment, blowing softly at their drinks to cool them down. 

Jongin worries his lower lip between his teeth, still staring down at his tea but making no move to actually drink from it. He keeps looking like he wants to say something, but stops short each time, seeming unsure of himself. Baekhyun senses that it's going to sound a lot like an apology that Jongin doesn't even owe anyone, especially not Baekhyun.

"Hey," Baekhyun cuts in, breaking Jongin out of his deep thoughts before he manages to find the words. "You know he's a to everyone, right?"

He catches the way Jongin's fingers clench around his mug when he looks up at him, a shadow of doubt clouding over Jongin’s eyes. 

"I swear, he's hated me since the moment I got here,” Jongin sighs, his eyebrows pushing together into a deep frown. “Pretty sure I only actually got the job cause the other two interviewers were in the room too.” 

His knuckles are starting to go white around his mug. “Heck, I don't even know how I'm still holding on to it," 

"It's because you're actually good at your job," Baekhyun throws back honestly, staring Jongin right in the eye. "You know it and he sure as hell does too, whether he likes to admit it or not."

Jongin’s expression twists, looking torn between the wave of self doubt and the boost of confidence Baekhyun is trying to spark up in him again.

"He wouldn't have put you on this project if he didn't think you could deliver." Baekhyun continues, taking a sip from his coffee. "He’s just being an .”

There’s a subtle shift in Jongin's expression and Baekhyun knows he’s broken through the wall of doubt.

"I don't know what else he wants from me," Jongin grumbles, finally raising his mug to his lips. "I double, triple, checked that report; I even ran it by Yunho hyung to make sure it was faultless."

Baekhyun hums, acknowledging the effort. He thinks back to Shin’s words, frowning at something odd he’d said. 

“How did he know that about you?” he blurts out, his curiosity getting the best of him. Jongin looks up, taken aback at the sudden question but seems to know exactly what he’s talking about.

“I was working three jobs to pay off my college loans before I got here,” Jongin says, tugging at the string of his tea bag absently. “I served him dinner at the restaurant I worked at. It was literally the day before my interview here; he definitely recognized me.”

He pauses before give a small, humourless laugh.“Guess he hates the idea of someone as low class as me being qualified enough to work here.”

Jongin’s shoulders slump again, hunching inwards almost protectively. Baekhyun wants to say something but stops short. It’s not his place, not when he’s never been in that position before. Anything he could say would sound more condescending than reassuring, which is the last thing he wants. 

Jongin straightens up moments later though, shaking his head almost like he’s shaking it off and pulling himself together. 

“I’ll just have to work harder to prove myself,” he says, smiling determinedly. 

Baekhyun returns his smile, feeling an odd sense of pride at his resolve. Jongin doesn’t want or need any pity or coddling and Baekhyun isn’t about to defy that. 

They sip their drinks in silence again. Baekhyun turns his thoughts to the project at hand, musing about the deadline that’s approaching too quickly for his liking. It’s going to take a miracle to get the entire thing done in so little time.

"So four weeks, huh?" Jongin sighs, evidently on the same page. They roll their eyes at the same time and promptly burst out laughing. There’s nothing awkward or uncomfortable about the air between them this time, the formality gradually beginning to melt away as conversation finally flows more easily. 

They don't draw out the coffee break too long, draining their drinks quickly before heading back to Baekhyun's office. Jongin looks re-energized, comfortably at ease by Baekhyun’s side in place of his usual guardedness. Baekhyun realizes he’s still got a smile tugging at his own lips. 

It’s easy after that. That moment in the break room had been like the final hurdle before breaking through the barrier. Maybe it’s the fact that Baekhyun doesn’t treat Jongin like he’s any lesser than him or maybe it’s that he hadn’t taken his vulnerability and thrown it back in his face. 

Jongin opens up to him, turning into this whole new person that Baekhyun hadn’t seen before but reciprocates in kind. There’s so much more to him than he would ever have guessed just by looking at him from across the office floor; he’s entranced.   

Jongin is easily one of the most earnest people Baekhyun has ever met, eager to improve at anything wherever he can and is more than happy to please. He’s got this sweet, shy smile that he flashes at Baekhyun more often than not, often punctuating it with the most ridiculously endearing laugh that Baekhyun enjoys drawing out of him. It’s enough to break through the stress of their heavy workload.  

“You did hapkido? I don’t see it,” Jongin laughs incredulously one day, scooping up a handful of marshmallows from the packet they’re sharing as they work. 

“Watch it kid, I could kick your ,” Baekhyun shoots back, stealing a couple from between his fingers. 

They're not as different as Baekhyun had initially expected when he first met him. There’s a lot about him that he’d gotten wrong really, blinded by his own expectations of what Jongin would be like. 

Most of their conversations are spurred on by their similar interests, sometimes getting so immersed in the topic that they get off track from their work schedule. One day it’s a heated discussing about a book they’ve both read and the next it’s an animated argument about a show they’re both keeping up with. Suddenly, there’s so much that Baekhyun has to say, hardly able to find enough time to share it all with Jongin, who, in turn, is exploding with things he’s waiting to share with Baekhyun. It starts to feel like there aren’t enough hours in the day. 

Looking back, Baekhyun honestly can't remember the last time he'd ever looked forward to going to work this much before. 

Of course, Jongin is the furthest thing from a morning person even if he is one of the first people to arrive at the office anyway. He's still completely out of it when he shuffles in, looking every bit like a sleepy puppy with his drooping eyelids, yawning until his jaw looks like it's about to come unhinged. 

Sometimes he slumps down beside Baekhyun, leaning his cheek against his shoulder while Baekhyun boots up his computer. He can feel Jongin's warmth where he leans up against him heavily, pressing into his side snugly. It’s nice, Baekhyun thinks, sitting still as Jongin dozes off again on his shoulder. His weight is a comfortable presence; Baekhyun has missed having company ever since ever he got promoted to this office Jongin’s is more than welcome. Sometimes Baekhyun can’t find the line between having company with him and having Jongin with him. 

Eventually the main office begins to fill up with more people, and Jongin jerks awake at the increasing noise, straightening his shirt and blinking the sleep out of his eyes. Baekhyun simply turns away, tamping down the thought of how adorable he finds it. 

Jongin makes it a habit to greet Baekhyun in the morning with a cup of coffee; black with two sugars. Baekhyun's never even told him how he likes his coffee, but then again, Jongin always pays attention to detail. Surprisingly, Jongin's got a cup of coffee for himself, even as his expression twists into disgust after every sip. 

"I need to stay awake somehow," he explains grumpily when Baekhyun asks, forcing himself to take another mouthful. Laughing, Baekhyun reaches up to ruffle his hair playfully and takes a swig from his own coffee, his lips contently. 

He beats Jongin to it one day, coming into the office with two cups of coffee he’d picked up from the cafe he drives by on his way to work. 

“Try it,” he encourages him, holding one of the cups out to Jongin. “This cafe is really something.”

Baekhyun studies his expression and waits until he's gotten a proper taste of it, excited for his reaction. Jongin looks genuinely surprised, waiting for the usual distaste to hit him but never comes. 

"What is this?" he asks, taking another sip from the cup. He looks surprised at himself for even taking another mouthful so willingly and Baekhyun laughs when he eyes the cup suspiciously. Taking a swig from his own regular black coffee Baekhyun leads the way into his office as usual.

"It's a mochaccino," he says as he unlocks the door. "I told them to go heavy with the syrup and milk."

Jongin hums appreciatively behind him, content to take another sip and Baekhyun hides his smile behind the rim of his cup. 

He starts to notice the unconscious way Jongin likes to keep his hand on Baekhyun’s knee, sometimes rubbing circles on the inside of his thigh when they’re trying to figure out a solution to the numbers. It’s a comfort Baekhyun comes to seek out, craving the familiarity of the touch and the inexplicable way it soothes him. 

The final day before the deadline speeds up to them faster than they’d hoped, and there’s still a lot left to do. 

It’s already way past the time that everyone in the building has gone home for the day, pushing into the early hours of the morning. Baekhyun has ordered pizza  for them and they’ve stocked up on enough coffee to keep them going through the all nighter they’re prepared to pull.

They huddle up together at Baekhyun’s desk, their arms pressed up against each other as they work, nudging each other awake every now and then. Jongin gets restless after a while, needing to stretch and move around to focus. He settles crosslegged on the carpeted floor for a while before slumping down on Baekhyun’s couch next. Baekhyun doesn’t particularly mind staying put but he follows Jongin wherever he goes anyway, missing his warmth.

He impulsively throws his legs over Jongin’s thighs, settling more comfortably on the couch with his back against the armrest. Jongin takes it into stride, squinting at a document while setting his hand on Baekhyun’s knee like it’s completely natural. He squeezes and rubs along his leg absently, like it helps him focus, and Baekhyun smiles, shimmying closer to peer at the document too.

The proximity is distracting though, especially when Baekhyun keeps finding himself staring at Jongin’s lips a beat too long. Jongin’s eyes linger on him too, studying him closely but doing nothing. 

Their hands seem to brush each other way more than usual; or maybe Baekhyun is just more hyper aware of it now. It feels like his skin burns with every touch of Jongin’s fingers. It’s still comfortable despite how charged it feels and Baekhyun doesn’t want to draw away, anchored down by the way Jongin leans into him more ever so slightly.

Eventually, Jongin falls asleep on his desk with his cheek pillowed on his folded arms, looking thoroughly exhausted. Baekhyun lets him be, tucking his own jacket over Jongin’s shoulders and smiles fondly when Jongin sighs contently in his sleep. 

He’s only got a couple more loose ends to tie up by now; nothing he can’t finish off by himself. His eyes keep veering off the screen though, unable to help the way he keeps glancing over at Jongin’s face. 

Jongin looks beautiful even when he’s sleeping; soft and peaceful. Baekhyun can’t explain the way his chest tightens, choosing instead to shift closer and lay his head down on the desk beside Jongin, watching the soft rise and fall of his curved back. Baekhyun takes the time to study his face properly, appreciating the near perfect symmetry of his features and his long eyelashes curling against his cheekbones. Following the sharp line of his jaw to his brow, he rakes his eyes down along the bridge of his nose to settle on his mouth. He can’t tear himself away; he hasn’t been able to tear himself away for a while now, too irrevocably drawn to Jongin to even want to. It triggers a dull ache between his ribs, the punch of sudden longing making it hard to breathe.      

Baekhyun finds himself sliding a finger along Jongin’s lower lip, just barely ghosting the tip over it. Jongin’s nose twitches, his eyes fluttering open and Baekhyun jerks upright, yanking his hand away.

“. I dozed off, didn’t I? God, I’m so sorry,” Jongin mumbles, rubbing a fist over his eye and all Baekhyun wants to do is kiss him.

“Don’t worry about it,” he says instead, working his lips into a smile. “It’s all done. Come on. The presentation’s at ten; if we leave now we can get a solid four hours of sleep.”

He gives Jongin a ride home, making the trip in under fifteen minutes now that there’s no traffic at this hour. It starts raining just as Baekhyun pulls up in front of Jongin’s apartment, parking the car right in front of his doorsteps. 

Jongin sits there for a moment, his hand curled loosely around the door handle. 

“I can’t believe we’re finally done with it,” he chuckles quietly with relief. 

“Well, there’s still the presentation tomorrow, then we’ll really be done,” Baekhyun says, reaching out to squeeze the back of Jongin’s neck. Jongin doesn’t flinch away from his touch, leaning into it comfortably and turns to grin at him.

“I’ll buy you a drink after work.”

“Tch, who’s the senior here,” Baekhyun snorts. “I’ll treat you to a nice dinner at that steakhouse you like.”

Jongin says nothing but doesn’t break his gaze, looking at him somewhat strangely. His grin fades away. 

“It was really great working with you, hyung,” he says seriously. “I haven’t had this much fun on a project in a while. I half wish it would’ve gone on longer.”

He smiles again and god Baekhyun wants to kiss him, to feel his smile against his own lips. 

He overthinks it, hesitating a beat too long and Jongin slips out of his reach, wishing him a good night before leaping out of the car into the pouring rain. Baekhyun watches as he jogs up the steps to his front door quickly, fumbling with his keys in the dim streetlights.

Gripping the wheel tightly, Baekhyun thumps his head back against the headrest, frustrated with himself and his internal battle tearing him in two directions. 

“ it,” he mutters finally, throwing the door open and hopping out of the car too. He sprints up to where Jongin has finally managed to jam the key into the lock with slippery fingers. Baekhyun’s clothes are already drenched when he reaches out to tug at Jongin’s elbow. 

Jongin whirls around in surprise and Baekhyun doesn’t hesitate this time, pushing himself up on his toes and kisses him. 

Cupping Jongin’s face, he teases the seam of his lips with his tongue and Jongin breathes out a gasp, almost a sigh as his mouth falls open. Baekhyun presses closer and flicks his tongue into Jongin’s mouth, groaning low in his throat. Their lips slide smoothly against each other under the rain, and Jongin’s hand is warm where it settles on Baekhyun’s side, the warmth of his palm a stark contrast to the cold wetness of his shirt. Relishing the softness of Jongin’s lips, Baekhyun tilts his head to kiss him harder, sighing at the dizzying heat of his mouth. 

A sudden earsplitting thunderclap startles them apart and Baekhyun steps back, gasping for air. It’s dark and he can barely make out anything through the rain beating down on their cheeks. He can still see the way Jongin’s gapes at him with wide eyes though, looking frozen on the spot.

Tongue-tied, Baekhyun lets his hands drop from Jongin’s face and backs away, dashing back to his car. He doesn’t look into the rear mirror as he drives away, feeling his heart pounding against his chest painfully the entire trip back.

When he finally gets home, he tosses his soaked clothes into the hamper to deal with later and towels himself off with a sigh. 

Slumping down on his bed, Baekhyun curls up on his side, staring at his phone screen where he’s pulled up Jongin’s number. Jongin hadn’t said a word after Baekhyun kissed him; not that Baekhyun had even spared him a second to do anything with the way he’d dashed off. The way Jongin had stared at him when they pulled apart; stunned and taken aback.

Baekhyun’s stomach lurches, feeling a cold inkling of doubt settle between his ribs. Maybe he’s read it all wrong. Jongin has never actually made a move, nor given any sign that he was ever even going to. 

“Crap,” Baekhyun groans, wondering if he’s gone and ruined everything. 

  But he kissed me back.

Worrying his lower lip between his teeth, he types out a message, his finger hovering over the ‘send’ button hesitantly; ‘I really like you.’

  He kissed me back.

Baekhyun hits the button quickly and drops the phone off to the side of his bed before he can regret it, rolling over and burying his face in his pillow.

Jongin doesn’t answer.

Baekhyun makes it to work bright and early the next morning, despite the mere four hours  of sleep he’d gotten. He’s made sure not to forget anything behind, wanting to be completely prepared for this. It’s been a while since he’s had to give such a big presentation. Surprisingly, Jongin isn’t there yet when he steps into his office, even though it’s still early.

Baekhyun gets a little antsy when an hour has passed and Jongin still hasn’t shown up. The presentation is due in an hour which is more than enough time for him to make it. 

Tugging his phone out of his pocket, he pulls up Jongin’s name but his thumb hovers over the call button. He thinks about the text he’d sent last night; there was still no reply when he’d woken up this morning. 

Steeling himself, he’s just about to press down on the name when his screen switches as he gets another call. He nearly drops his phone, but his heart falls instantly when it’s not Jongin’s name showing up.

“Morning, Junmyeon,” he sighs, tugging at the end of his tie. 

“The presentation’s been moved up,” Junmyeon tells him, sounding rushed. “They’re already here, I can give you ten minutes before sending them up.”

“,” Baekhyun curses under his breath, scrambling to gather his papers where he’d been going through them one more time. “Thanks, hyung.”

Yanking his briefcase and laptop up, he rushes out of his office and makes for the main conference room on the other end of the floor. He skids to a stop just before turning the corner, fixing his eyes on the doorway leading to the elevators, praying for Jongin to walk in. 

“Where is he?” Baekhyun mutters under his breath, feeling frazzled as he paces back and forth, torn between wanting to wait and needing to go set up his stuff.

“Baekhyun!”

He whirls around at the call of his name and finds Taemin walking towards briskly him. 

“They’re coming up, you should hurry,” he says, hands on Baekhyun’s shoulders to spin him around and frog march him towards the conference room. 

“Wait but Jongin-”

“Jongin’s not coming.”

“What?”

Baekhyun stops in his tracks again, shaking Taemin’s hands off to stare at him incredulously. 

“Something came up,” Taemin says simply. 

“Something came up?” Baekhyun shoots back, confused and a little hurt. “Why didn’t he just call me?”

There’s something about the look in Taemin’s eyes; something he’s not telling him. Baekhyun wonders if Jongin has told him about the night before and a sudden wall of doubt weighs him down. He’d thought- maybe he’d got it all wrong, maybe it’s not what Jongin wanted at all. He wonders if he’s pushed him away so much that he can’t even bring himself to talk to him. 

Still though, there’s no way Jongin would let his personal life interfere with his work, particularly today, of all days. 

At the very least he’s Jongin’s partner. Heck, he’s Jongin’s friend if nothing else. Baekhyun struggles to swallow down the guilt, kicking himself for misinterpreting everything to suit himself and ruin everything.

“Baekhyun, they’re coming, you need to go now.”

Taemin pushes him into the room without any further explanation and Baekhyun finally lets him, confused and hurt. 

He must look as deflated as he feels because Taemin squeezes his shoulder and claps him on the back before leaving him to it. 

in a breath, Baekhyun shakes himself sternly and sets his laptop down on the conference table, trying to ignore the sting in his chest. 

“Mr. Byun?”

Baekhyun looks up to see the investors standing at the door and works on the most charming smile he can muster. 

“Please, come in,” he greets them, shaking their hands firmly.

He delivers the presentation by himself, confident and well practiced enough that he nails it anyway, even with Jongin’s absence. The investors seem impressed enough to assure him that they’ll be in touch very soon and Baekhyun beams. 

The meeting is over in an hour and he hangs back in the conference room after everyone else has left, gathering his papers and his laptop. His smile has long since faded the second he was left alone in the room. 

“We need to talk.”

Taemin shows up at the doorway. There’s no trace of his usual grin. 

“Go ahead.”

“It’s about Jongin.”

Baekhyun’s heart sinks, realizing his suspicions must be true. 

“I didn’t tell you before cause there’s no way you would’ve focused. Jongin’s in the hospital, they called me since I’m his emergency contact.”

“What?” Baekhyun jerks his neck up so quickly he nearly pulls something as he stares at Taemin. 

“They said he wasn’t looking properly when he was crossing and the car rounded the corner too quickly- “

“Wait I- he’s-” Baekhyun feels the blood drain out of his face, running a shaky hand through his hair. It feels like he’s being crushed and he sways unsteadily, trying to process everything. 

“He got hit by a- is he alright? How is he? Is he-” he cuts himself off with a sharp intake of breath, stumbling back a step to lean against the edge of the table. It’s suddenly hard to breath and he looks up at Taemin desperately, his heart plummeting to the pit of his stomach. “Where is he?”

Baekhyun moves before Taemin is even done saying the name of the hospital, barreling out of the room without sparing him a second to get another word in. 

He can’t even hear past the roaring in his ears, painfully deafening and echoing in tandem with his thundering heart. He tries not to let his mind wander, bringing up horrifying images of what he might find when he gets to Jongin. 

Baekhyun narrowly avoids getting into an accident himself with his manic driving, urging the line of traffic in his way to move faster. He’s running out of time, he groans mentally, feeling a little hysterical before immediately kicking himself for having such a morbid thought. 

Hurtling through the hospital doors, Baekhyun skids to a stop by the receptionist’s desk and wheezes out Jongin’s name. She’s barely even finished saying the room number before Baekhyun takes off again, skirting down the endless corridors to find Jongin. 

He sees the room number up ahead and pushes himself on faster, already reaching out for the door and bursting inside.

Jongin is propped up against a pillow on the bed, blinking up at him in shock. His right leg is completely encased in plaster and there’s a couple of nasty grazes on his arms and a cut on his face that’s starting to turn a nasty shade of purple. Other than that he...he’s okay. 

Reeling, Baekhyun nearly collapses, stumbling back against the doorframe heavily, his knees suddenly turning to jelly. He’s okay. His head is spinning.

“Hyung?”

“Jongin, I - ” Baekhyun breathes out shakily. “You-”

Jongin struggles, trying to sit up straighter on the bed. “I told Taemin to tell you I’m fine, didn’t he…?”

Baekhyun hadn’t stuck around long enough to let Taemin explain, too lost in his panic to get to the hospital. He presses the heel of his palm against his brow, wheezing out a weak laugh.

Pushing himself off the doorframe, Baekhyun steps closer to the side of the bed and reaches out to cup Jongin’s face softly, weak with relief at Jongin’s warmth under his palm. He sighs at the cut marring his beautiful face and Jongin frowns, looking suddenly anxious. 

“I’m really sorry, hyung,” he starts, wringing his hands in the fabric of his hospital gown. “I slept through my alarm and I tried to take a shortcut to make it in time but I- I didn’t even see the car coming.”

Jongin babbles on through his litany of apologies for not being there for the presentation, even apologizing for getting hit by the car and winding up in hospital. Baekhyun says nothing for a moment, too relieved to find the words for it. Instead, he bends down and kisses Jongin, effectively cutting his rant short.

He feels the way Jongin freezes up, almost pulling away before Jongin kisses him back, tilting his chin up to reach him better.

Baekhyun feels breathless when they break off and Jongin’s face is beautifully flushed, his eyes a little glazed over even as he looks up at Baekhyun endearingly.  

“Me too,” Jongin whispers, arching his neck to breathe the words against Baekhyun’s lips. 

“What?” Baekhyun feels a little dazed, distracted by the softness of Jongin’s lips just barely ghosting against his own. 

“Your text last night” Jongin explains, suddenly shy and unable to hold his gaze as his voice drops lower. “I wanted to tell you in person. I– me too. I really like you too.”

He flushes harder and the warmth flooding Baekhyun’s chest is almost dizzying. Another wave of relief hits him when he realizes it was never about Jongin pushing him away at all.

Baekhyun dips down to kiss him again, gentle as he cups Jongin’s face, steering clear of where it hurts. Kissing him softly, he presses into his upper lip and then his lower, tugging it between his teeth to on it lightly. He draws back a fraction, before bringing their lips together again, pressing a long, tender kiss to Jongin’s mouth. 

“So...you’re not mad at me then?” Jongin says when they break off, still a little uncertain like Baekhyun hasn’t just flicked his tongue along the roof of his mouth. He looks up at Baekhyun with hopeful eyes, waiting with trepidation. 

Baekhyun tsks, toeing off his shoes and climbing onto the bed. He settles down beside Jongin, careful not to jostle him before leaning back against the pillow, shoulder to shoulder with him.  “As if I could be.”

Jongin beams and Baekhyun’s chest constricts yet again. He could get used to this.

“Guess I took ‘break a leg’ a bit too literally, huh,” Jongin jokes weakly, sighing down at cast.

Baekhyun snorts, turning to kiss the corner of Jongin’s mouth. He leans up to press his lips against his cheekbone softly.

Jongin shifts, grunting as he scoots down a little on the bed to drops his head down onto Baekhyun’s shoulder. He threads their fingers together on his lap and Baekhyun squeezes, feeling the way Jongin smiles against his shoulder. He feels Jongin raising their linked hands to his mouth to kiss the back of Baekhyun’s hand and his heart feels full and ready to explode. 

He has to get back to work but promises to be back when it’s time for him to be discharged to take him home. Jongin thanks him with another soft press of his lips against his mouth, smiling up at him so endearingly that Baekhyun dips down to kiss him again, pressing his thumb into the warm skin of his cheek as he into his mouth. 

Jongin squeezes Baekhyun’s hand when he pulls away, looking as reluctant to let him go as Baekhyun is to leave. 

Eventually, he’s chased out of the ward by a nurse anyway, shooing him away to let Jongin get some rest. Jongin’s laughter rings in his ears long after Baekhyun’s gotten into his car and driven away from the hospital. 

Baekhyun is on his feet the second he hears the crutches clacking outside his office. He catches Jongin just as he hobbles past him, struggling to balance his bag on his shoulder and hold himself steady on the crutches. 

Jongin beams at him, a little reluctant to let Baekhyun take the bag from him despite Baekhyun’s insistence. He needs to stay a little later to finish off a heavy load of work that came in that morning so he can’t take Jongin home this time. Jongin’s sister offered to pick him up instead, but Baekhyun accompanies down Jongin anyway even though the exit is just an elevator ride away. 

“It’s not like we don’t know what you’re doing!” Taemin calls out from his desk, snorting when Baekhyun gives him the finger. 

He waits until the elevator doors have closed before turning to meet Jongin, who’s already leaning down to kiss him. Baekhyun can feel him smile against his lips, tilting his head to kiss him harder, sighing into his mouth. 

Baekhyun pulls back to breathe through his nose, and Jongin nearly loses his balance on the crutches, still leaning in for more. Grinning fondly, Baekhyun steadies him with his hands on Jongin’s hips, dipping his fingers under the fabric to touch his warm skin. He arches his neck to let Jongin kiss him again, feeling like his heart is bound to explode with the way Jongin giggles against his lips.

They’re forced to break apart when the elevator bell dings and the doors slide open on the ground floor. Baekhyun walks with him right up to the door where he can see Jongin’s sister parked out front. Jongin snorts when he opens the car door for him, waiting till he’s comfortably inside before handing him his bag back. 

He wants to kiss him again but settles for squeezing Jongin’s hand instead. 

“I’ll pick you up in the morning,” he promises before swinging the door shut, waiting until the car has driven out of sight before going back inside. 

His phone vibrates just as he gets off the elevator back on his floor. It’s a text from Jongin.

“Come over later when you’re done?”

Grinning, Baekhyun shoots off a quick reply before marching back to his office, giving Taemin the finger again when he cracks a joke about his soppy smile.

“I’ll bring ice cream and a movie”

Ice cream and a movie somehow turn into Baekhyun struggling not to climb into Jongin’s lap while they’re making out. Jongin into his mouth, kissing him deeply as he buries his fingers in Baekhyun’s hair to pull him closer.

Baekhyun’s pants are starting to feel too tight and he can tell that Jongin is growing hard too, swallowing down his moans greedily. He slides a hand over, reaching down to cup him through his pants and Jongin jerks sharply, already sensitive. 

“Wait, wait, ah wait,” Jongin groans suddenly, scrambling to catch hold of Baekhyun’s wrist. “The doctor said i need to stay away from any strenuous activity.” 

Huffing, he drops his head back against the couch in frustration, still gasping for air. 

“This probably counts as pretty strenuous, huh?” Baekhyun grins, pressing the tip of his finger into the crotch of his pants, just enough to make Jongin twitch.

“She actually mentioned this specifically,” Jongin mumbles, burying his face in his hands to hide his flaming cheeks. 

Chuckling, Baekhyun pries his fingers away and cups his face gently, turning it towards him.

“No rush,” he says, leaning in to kiss Jongin tenderly, smiling against his lips. He settles into his side comfortably, mindful of his cast. There’s plenty of time. 

“I’m not going anywhere.”
 

maybe I'll later u.u

Hope you enjoyed it! ;u;