a/n: Written for suhoneyfest round 2, and for Suho's birthday!

Like a Moth to the Flame

Junmyeon shivered and curled into himself tightly.

“Hyung, how can you still be cold? You have a coat, a sweatshirt, and two scarves.” Sehun frowned down at him and wrapped Junmyeon’s scarf more tightly around his neck. “Luhan will kill me if he finds out you got sick under my care.”

Junmyeon snorted. “Luhan would just point at me and laugh,” he grumbled. “Thank you Sehun.”

“He would?” Sehun sounded surprised.

“Yeah.” Junmyeon looked up at his younger cousin, feeling vaguely bemused. “Of course he would. I can picture it now.”

“Hm.” Sehun fell into step beside Junmyeon as they hurried through the frigid night. “I think he’d be worried about you.”

“It’s just the way we are,” Junmyeon said smiling. “You know how it is.”

“I guess.” Sehun followed Junmyeon around a street corner.

“Anyways, are you ready for your dance showcase next week? Jongin told me you guys are practicing hard.” Junmyeon quickly changed the subject. His friendship with Luhan always felt so volatile—they never seemed to be on steady ground anymore.

“Jongin’s more ready than I am,” Sehun admitted. “But then again, he always is.”

“What’s that supposed to mean?” Junmyeon ducked under the awning over the entrance to their apartment building and quickly jammed his key in the door. He turned it with quaking hands, and together, he and Sehun melted with relief as a warm waft of wind washed over their faces and the door slammed shut behind them.

“I just mean that he practices more.” Sehun sighed and shucked off his coat as he and Junmyeon walked down the hallway. “He’s probably still in the practice rooms now.”

“That doesn’t sound healthy,” Junmyeon said dubiously.

“Speak for yourself. You were the same way a couple years ago,” Sehun shot back.

Junmyeon rolled his eyes as he let them into his apartment. “Yeah, until Luhan taught me how to practice better.”

“Jongin’s not like that,” Sehun said firmly. “I’ve practiced with him before; he knows what he’s doing. He just…gets really intense about it.”

“Well, tell him to take care of himself from me.” Junmyeon threw his coat over the sofa. “You know where everything is.”

“Thanks again for letting me crash at your place.”

“Lock the door when you leave in the morning,” Junmyeon called out from his bedroom, closing the door firmly. He stared at himself in the mirror on the back of the door and sighed. “I look like hell,” he muttered to himself, running a hand through his hair.

His phone buzzed in his jeans pocket, and Junmyeon quickly pulled it out.

Luhan: How’re things going?

Junmyeon couldn’t help but smile as he unlocked his screen and tapped out a quick response about the cold. He began extricating himself from his multiple layers as his phone continued to buzz. When he was finally free, he pulled on some warm pajamas, crawled under his blanket and looked at his phone again.

Luhan: Don’t get sick!!! ;~;

Luhan: It’s also really nice over here lol. Looks like I just missed the winter storm.

Luhan: I miss you

Junmyeon sighed softly at that. I miss you too, he typed back. His friendship with Luhan was a source of more confusion than comfort these days. They’d been friends for a long time, since they’d met each other at the end of Junmyeon’s freshman year. Their relationship had always been established on jokes and humor, with Luhan often snorting at Junmyeon’s cheesy jokes and hitting his arms. Nowadays, though, things seemed fraught with an undertow of tension. Nothing was said outright, but sometimes, Junmyeon could feel both of them pushing boundaries too hard, and he was afraid that they would break.

When Sehun had told him that Luhan would be angry if Junmyeon got sick under his care, Junmyeon was skeptical. He knew that Luhan cared about him, but these days, there was so much tension under them, Junmyeon could easily imagine Luhan just shrugging it off and laughing at him, just as he’d told Sehun.

Junmyeon couldn’t place the source of the tension. He didn’t know why, but for some reason, when Luhan would joke around, Junmyeon found himself responding angrily, even though he knew that his friend wasn’t being serious.

Junmyeon groaned and buried his head in his pillow. What was wrong with him? Maybe the tension had been a brief phase between them before Luhan had gone back to China to visit his family for a couple weeks. Maybe, when Luhan got back, things could go back to the way that they’d been before. Junmyeon sighed, plugged his phone into the charger, and closed his eyes. It had been a long day, and he was more than ready to sleep.

His phone buzzed, and Junmyeon rolled over to check the screen.

Luhan: <3

Junmyeon smiled, turned back over, and let himself drift off to the warm certainty of his dreams.

 

 

 

 

The next morning, Junmyeon rolled out of bed and went into his living room. Unsurprisingly, Sehun was already gone—the blanket on the couch was folded, and the front door was locked.

“I hope he isn’t already practicing,” Junmyeon muttered, glancing at his clock. It was only seven in the morning.

Junmyeon was one of the lucky ones, and had managed to get himself a job right after college. Granted, being the secretary for the recruitment chair of a small entertainment network wasn’t his dream job, but he was working on it. He’d rather be one of the talents recruited to the network if he was being honest with himself, but for now, he was putting in as much effort as he could into his job so that he could get transferred to a different position. His boss was nice and all, but there was only so much of setting up appointments via telephone and handling angry clients that wanted to speak to his boss that he could handle.

Junmyeon stuck some bread in the toaster and went back to his bedroom to get changed for the day. He sent a quick message to Luhan, humming softly to himself as he began buttoning up his shirt.

Luhan: Hey so…guess what????

Junmyeon: What?!

Luhan: I’m actually back early!

Junmyeon: Waaaaaaaat

Luhan: I wanted to surprise you hehe

Luhan: but I got stuck at the airport

Junmyeon: omg lol. You would.

Luhan: Can you pick me up from the airport? I know you have work and stuff, but I will be forever grateful if you could~

Junmyeon snorted. Yeah sure. Be there in twenty.

Luhan: OMG YOU’RE MY SAVIOR. THANK YOU <33333

Junmyeon shook his head and smiled. He finished buttoning up his shirt, shrugged on his blazer, his overcoat over that and tied his scarf firmly around his neck. He skidded into his kitchen, grabbed his toast and buttered it, sticking one piece into his mouth as he made two thermoses of instant coffee. He stuffed the other piece of bread into a plastic bag and hurried out the door, shivering as the outside air washed over him as he left his apartment complex. At least it had finally stopped snowing, even if a brisk wind played with the lapels of his coat. Junmyeon dove into his car and turned the heat on, sighing with relief as his car started warming up.

Junmyeon let his mind wander as he drove to the airport, glancing at the screen to see where Luhan’s gate was. He never would have imagined himself to be in this situation. When Luhan and Junmyeon had met about four years ago, they had it off instantly. Junmyeon had made some dumb joke, Luhan had laughed, and then they’d launched into a conversation about a music professor that they both hated. They kept seeing each other around, and became close friends, always practicing, and even performing a few pieces together. Junmyeon had rarely found himself frustrated by Luhan, until maybe two months ago.

Junmyeon chose to ignore the fact that two months ago was when Luhan had introduced him to his current boyfriend, Minseok. Junmyeon wasn’t that petty—he wasn’t going to be jealous of Luhan wanting to spend time with someone else. Or at least, that’s what he liked to think.

Junmyeon pulled up to the curb near Luhan’s gate, and smiled when he saw his friend wave eagerly at him from the sidewalk.

Luhan yanked the car door open and slammed it shut behind himself, twisting around to drop his duffel bag in the back seat. “Thanks so much for picking me up,” he said breathlessly. “I really owe you one.”

“It’s no trouble,” Junmyeon said dismissively, waiting for Luhan to buckle his seatbelt before pulling out into the airport traffic. “How was your trip?”

“Oh you know. This and that.” Luhan sighed and let his head fall back against the headrest. “I’m just glad to be back.”

Junmyeon hummed in response. “Where do you want me to take you?”

Luhan hesitated, and Junmyeon glanced over at him. “What is it?”

Luhan shifted in his seat. “Could you take me to Minseok’s place?”

Junmyeon felt his heart break a little on the inside. How could he have done this to his best friend? Luhan looked so uncomfortable, and Junmyeon wondered if maybe he hadn’t been warm enough to Minseok when he was around. He thought he’d done a pretty good job of treating Minseok well, but apparently not. “Of course,” Junmyeon said quickly. “You’ll need to give me directions though.”

“Okay.” Luhan was still watching him with a wary expression as he pulled out his phone. “Thanks.”

They drove in silence for a few more minutes, until Junmyeon felt like he had to say something. “I know…I know I’ve been acting weird lately,” Junmyeon said hesitantly. “Um…I just. I’m sorry. Things have been busy.”

Luhan straightened up in his seat. “It’s totally fine!”

Junmyeon flinched at how loudly Luhan’s voice sounded in the car. “Geez, Luhan,” Junmyeon muttered, rubbing at his ear.

“Sorry,” Luhan mumbled sheepishly, and patted at Junmyeon’s elbow. “I mean…I didn’t think you’ve been acting that weirdly. It’s totally cool.” Luhan paused uncertainly. “We’re…we’re still cool, right?”

Junmyeon took his eyes off the road for a moment to send his friend a reassuring smile. “Of course we are,” Junmyeon said gently. “I’m sorry again. I was just…in a weird headspace.”

“Do you want to talk about it?” Luhan relaxed in his seat, and Junmyeon felt a small wave of relief crash in his chest.

“Nah. I was just getting trapped in my head.” Junmyeon reached over and patted Luhan’s knee. “Thanks Han.”

Junmyeon didn’t dare take his eyes away from the intersection, and he missed the fond smile Luhan gave him.

 

 

 

Junmyeon was a few minutes late because he had to drop Luhan off at Minseok’s place, but luckily, his boss didn’t seem to mind too much. Work seemed to drag on and on, until it was finally evening and Junmyeon could head home.

Just as Junmyeon was slipping into his coat and packing away his laptop, his phone buzzed.

Luhan: Heeey

Junmyeon: Hey yourself ^^

Luhan: How’s the day been?

Junmyeon: Long and boring >_< I’m ready to go home

Luhan: Actually…do you have access to your company’s practice rooms?

Luhan: There’s a new song that I want to show you

Junmyeon: …I think it would be against company policy to let you in…

Luhan: Can I just sing it to you now? I’m not actually for from your workplace

Junmyeon: You’re so excited

Junmyeon: Fine. Let me know when you’re here so I can bring you up.

Luhan: Awesome! I’ll let you know.

Junmyeon sighed and shrugged his coat off, sitting back down at his desk. It was rare for Luhan to be this excited about a song that he was working on, so it was either a new composition or something Luhan had been working on for a long time. Junmyeon sighed and massaged his forehead for a few moments. He cared a lot about Luhan, but he honestly just really wanted to go home.

A couple minutes later, a soft knock sounded at the door. “Junmyeon. You aren’t heading home?” Junmyeon’s boss, Kyuhyun, poked his head through the doorway.

Junmyeon turned around and smiled at him. “I will soon, sir. I’m just waiting for a friend who wants to meet me here.”

“I see.” Kyuhyun stepped fully into the office, and Junmyeon blinked in surprise when he pushed the door closed behind him. “Would you mind chatting with me for a minute?”

“Of course not.” Junmyeon her a faint buzzing noise in the background, but assumed that it was Kyuhyun’s phone and not his—Luhan probably wouldn’t be here for at least another few minutes. “How can I help you, sir?”

“You’ve been working with me for how long now—a year or so?” Kyuhyun clasped his hands behind his back, and Junmyeon couldn’t help but notice that Kyuhyun seemed intensely uncomfortable.

“That’s right.” Junmyeon smiled encouragingly at him, while inwardly hoping that Kyuhyun wasn’t about to fire him. “It’s been almost exactly a year, sir.”

“There’s no need to call me sir,” Kyuhyun said quickly, and Junmyeon blinked.

“Okay,” Junmyeon said simply.

“Right, well…do you think we’ve become close in that time?”

Neither man noticed the footsteps sounding in the hallway coming to a pause outside of Junmyeon’s office door.

“Close?” Junmyeon repeated, and suddenly, he wondered if Kyuhyun might be going down a different track of thought entirely. “Um…yes, I suppose. I consider you a close colleague.”

“A colleague, not a friend?” Kyuhyun smiled teasingly at him, but Junmyeon couldn’t help but feel that something wasn’t quite right with the situation.

Nevertheless, he smiled back. “A friend, then,” Junmyeon said gently. “I’ve seen how hard you work to make sure that the company is successful.”

Kyuhyun nodded. “We’ve spent a lot of time together in the past year, haven’t we?”

“We have,” Junmyeon said softly.

“But only at work,” Kyuhyun continued. “Isn’t that right?”

“I suppose you’re right,” Junmyeon said uneasily. “I…I’m not sure what you’re getting at.”

“I’d like to spend more time with you outside of work, if that’s alright,” Kyuhyun said determinedly. “You know. To become closer friends.”

“Oh.” Junmyeon swallowed hard. “U-um…well…”

“We could even start tonight, if you don’t have any plans.” Was it just Junmyeon, or was there an odd glint in Kyuhyun’s eyes as he stared down at him?

“I can’t,” Junmyeon said quickly. “I—I just told you, my friend is coming to meet me.”

“I see.” Kyuhyun sounded disappointed. “Perhaps another time then?”

Suddenly, a sharp knock sounded on the door, and both Kyuhyun and Junmyeon flinched. Junmyeon rose to his feet and gave Kyuhyun a shaky smile. “Someone must have buzzed my friend up.” He went to the door, and sure enough, Luhan was on the other side.

“Junmyeon!” Luhan moved forward to give him a hug, but paused when he saw Kyuhyun standing in the office. “I hope I haven’t interrupted anything.”

“Not at all.” Kyuhyun seemed to gather himself, moving to step out of the office. “We’ll talk another time, Junmyeon.”

“Yes, sir.” Junmyeon pulled Luhan into the office and waited a moment before pushing the door shut with a firm click. “Sorry about that.” He turned to face Luhan, and sighed and relaxed when Luhan pulled him into a warm hug.

“Is everything okay?” Luhan asked, his right hand gently Junmyeon’s back. “You seem tense.”

“Everything’s fine,” Junmyeon murmured. “It was just a weird conversation.”

“What was it about?” Luhan stepped back and plopped down on the edge of Junmyeon’s desk.

Junmyeon shrugged and sat down in his chair. “He was just asking about our friendship.” Junmyeon shrugged again, physically trying to shake off the tension he’d felt during the conversation. He was immensely relieved that Luhan had come when he had—who knows how hard Kyuhyun would have pushed him?

“Anyways.” Junmyeon smiled up at Luhan. “What was the song you wanted to show me?”

“It’s actually a duet,” Luhan beamed at him. “How strong is your sight-singing?”

Junmyeon rolled his eyes at him. “Just because I work at an office job doesn’t mean that I’ve stopped singing. My sight-singing is great.”

“I know,” Luhan said gently. “I was just teasing you.” Luhan tugged at his collar and ed his coat. “It’s warm in here—can I open the door a crack?”

Junmyeon hesitated. Only his and Kyuhyun’s offices were on this floor, but Kyuhyun had probably gone straight home after their conversation. Kyuhyun and Junmyeon normally went home at the same hour.

“Go ahead.” Junmyeon sat back in his seat. “Kyuhyun should be gone by now.”

Junmyeon could’ve sworn that Luhan’s shoulders stiffened at the sound of Kyuhyun’s name, but the moment passed as Luhan walked over to the door and opened it a bit. “Thanks.”

“Yeah.” Junmyeon looked at Luhan expectantly. “Where’s the music? You were so excited to come here, I’m excited now too.”

Luhan chuckled and pulled a folder out of his bag, handing Junmyeon a hand-written page of sheet music. “You take the bottom line.” Junmyeon hummed a little as he looked through the music, and his anticipation swelled. He honestly really enjoyed Luhan’s compositions, and this one looked to be as good as his previous ones. He hummed the tonic note, and Luhan nodded in affirmation. “Ready when you are.”

Luhan tapped a soft beat, lifting his hand through the beats, and together, they began to sing. The song didn’t have words yet, but Junmyeon found himself easily gliding up and down the shapes of the melody, the voices falling to a soft, steady hum at the end. Neither of them noticed the shadow falling across the door as Kyuhyun stood listening in the hallway, completely still and silent.

Junmyeon let himself hum the final note until he was out of breath, and he closed his eyes, drinking in the silence. After a few moments, he opened them, and beamed at Luhan. “You’re a genius,” Junmyeon breathed, reaching out to pull Luhan into a hug. “A ing genius. That was amazing.”

Junmyeon could tell Luhan was fighting to keep a pleased smile off of his face, and Junmyeon poked at his cheek, grinning. “You should be proud! I think that’s one of the best pieces you’ve ever written! How long have you been working on this?”

“This is actually a re-write of an old idea from a few months ago.” Luhan beamed. “I wanted to share it with you first.”

“It’ll be incredible,” Junmyeon said seriously. “Especially once you add in the instrumentals and percussion. There’s no way that you won’t get a commission for this piece.”

“Yeah.” Luhan beamed. “I think it’s been a while since I’ve been able to hand something really top-notch to the company, and I think they’re going to like this one.”

“They’ll love it,” Junmyeon insisted, handing Luhan back his sheet music. “They’ll be crazy if they don’t. Have you shown it to Minseok yet?”

To his surprise, Luhan paused and cleared his throat. “I haven’t,” he admitted after a moment. “Minseok is…well…”

“What?” Junmyeon frowned. “He supports you, doesn’t he?”

“Of course he does!” Luhan said defensively. “It’s just, he doesn’t like all of my pieces.”

“Oh. Well…you account for taste then,” Junmyeon said gently, reaching out to pat Luhan’s elbow. “You should share it with him. He’ll love it.”

“We’ll see,” was all Luhan said.

“When do you think you’ll present the idea to your producers?” Junmyeon pulled his coat back over his shoulders as Luhan began putting his things away.

“Probably by the end of next week. They’re looking for a new piece for a collab with a different agency, so this might be what they’re looking for.” Luhan zipped his bag shut, and turned to smile at Junmyeon. “Ready to go?”

“Yeah.” Junmyeon lead Luhan out into the hall and pulled his office door shut behind him, locking it for the night. “How’d you get here? Do you need a ride home?”

“I took the bus from work,” Luhan admitted sheepishly. “Do you want to eat together tonight?”

“Sure. You can crash at my place if it gets too late.” Together, they walked down the hallway talking without a care in the world. Junmyeon never noticed the light under Kyuhyun’s office door, and didn’t think twice about the conversation they’d had for the rest of the night.

 

 

 

Junmyeon woke up the next morning to a stuffy nose, and he groaned. Luhan let out a muffled grunt from the futon on the ground, and sat up. “Morning,” he said blearily.

“I think I have a cold,” Junmyeon muttered, rolling out of bed. “You don’t have to be up this early—I have to go to work.”

“No I’ll come with you—I want to work some more on the instrumentation for my piece,” Luhan said, throwing the covers back. “What do you mean, you have a cold?”

“My nose is all stuffy.” Junmyeon blew his nose unceremoniously into a tissue and dropped it in the waste bin.

“I told Sehun to take care of you while I was gone,” Luhan grumbled. “Look at what a good job he did.”

Junmyeon paused, his conversation with Sehun coming to mind. It looked like Sehun was right—Luhan hadn’t just laughed it off like Junmyeon thought he would. But then again, Junmyeon had apologized, and they’d reaffirmed their friendship on the way back from the airport. Maybe things really could go back to normal again.

Luhan’s phone started ringing, and Luhan picked it up. “Minseok?” There was a pause. “Yeah. I’m sorry. No, I stayed the night at Junmyeon’s…” Junmyeon flushed and looked away at that. He shouldn’t be listening to their conversation. He ducked out of the room, missing the way Luhan’s shoulders tensed and an angry flush darkened his cheeks as he began to argue with his boyfriend.

Junmyeon was done getting ready before Luhan, and he waited patiently for his friend to finish up. He wasn’t too excited to head to work today—he remembered the conversation he’d had with Kyuhyun, and he didn’t know how hard Kyuhyun would push it. He was happy to know Kyuhyun as his superior, but he liked to keep his work and his personal life separate, and Kyuhyun had seemed a little too intense for his liking.

“What’re you thinking about?” Luhan walked into the hallway. “I’m ready to go when you are.”

“Let’s go then,” Junmyeon said, getting to his feet. “You’ll be warm enough outside?”

“I’ll be fine.” They hurried out into the cold, and Junmyeon started his car engine.

“Where do you want me to drop you off? Work?” Junmyeon pulled away from the sidewalk and into the street.

“That would be great if it isn’t too far out of the way.” Luhan sighed and leaned his head against the window. “Adding the instrumentation to pieces is always so boring.”

“You said yourself that you’d rather get started on it early,” Junmyeon pointed out. “I can drop you off somewhere else if you want though.”

“No, no it’s fine. I’m just whining.” Luhan patted Junmyeon’s thigh, and Junmyeon tamped down his instinctual urge to blush and shift away. Luhan didn’t remove his hand, and Junmyeon glanced over at his friend with a raised eyebrow. “Han?”

“What?”

“Your hand,” Junmyeon said pointedly.

To his surprise, Han squeezed his thigh lightly and pouted. “I just missed you so much while I was gone, Jun.”

Junmyeon blinked. He and Han had never been too clingy in the past, and it was kind of weird that Han was insisting on touching him. “You’re making me uncomfortable. I’ll start twitching and we’ll go careening off the road to our deaths,” Junmyeon said dryly.

“Am I really making you uncomfortable?” Han asked, eyeing Junmyeon closely.

Somehow, Junmyeon couldn’t hide his blush anymore and he cleared his throat. “It feels ticklish,” he said softly.

“Hm.” Han withdrew his hand, and Junmyeon let out a small sigh of relief. “Sorry.”

“Don’t worry about it.” Junmyeon glanced over at him again. “Is everything okay? You aren’t normally this needy.”

Han snorted. “I guess.” He sat back in his seat and folded his arms. “I think…I think I’m going to break up with Minseok.”

“Oh.” Junmyeon blinked in surprise. “Have you been thinking about it for a while now?”

“Yeah,” Luhan said quietly. “I just…I guess I’m just not happy with him. We were for a while, but…things have changed now.”

“Oh.” Junmyeon didn’t know how to feel—he’d told himself that he wasn’t petty enough to be jealous of Minseok, but the sudden lightness in his heart was telling him otherwise. “Do you want to talk about it?”

Luhan shook his head, and Junmyeon nodded in understanding. “Well, I’m here for you,” Junmyeon said at last. “Let me know if you need anything.”

Luhan laughed at that. “I will,” he reassured him. “I’ll let you know how things go.”

Junmyeon hummed, and tried to maintain his composure. The sudden desire to smile and hum was rising in him, but Junmyeon forced himself to stay calm. That was definitely not appropriate, given the situation and how Luhan was probably feeling. He would be the center of Luhan’s attention again, at least for a little while.

 

 

 

A week later, and Junmyeon was at work making copies of a file for Kyuhyun. As the machine whirred and spit out papers, he let his thoughts drift.

Junmyeon had always found himself drawn to bright personalities, whether he wanted to or not. That had led to some disastrous relationships (Junmyeon still cringed on the inside when he thought of his high school boyfriend, Baekhyun), but also to some beautiful friendships. For example, Sehun was one of his closest friends, and even though his face was stoic, he loved to laugh and joke around.

And then there was Luhan. To Junmyeon, Luhan shone like the sun. Junmyeon couldn’t tear his eyes away from the sunshine in Luhan’s smile, from the brightness of his voice, or the loudness of his laugh. He couldn’t look away from the passion that Luhan put into his music. He couldn’t look away from the energy that seemed to flow so easily out of his body, but never too overbearing or powerful. Junmyeon never felt like he was tired of dealing with Luhan, even though Luhan could be a handful. Luhan’s sunshine was gentle, energizing and warm. Junmyeon relished in Luhan’s attention, and it had been a while since he’d had to give up his spot in Luhan’s spotlight. Maybe he really was that petty, to be jealous of Minseok. Junmyeon supposed that he felt a little bit better about acknowledging it since Luhan said that they were going to break up.

“Junmyeon?”

Junmyeon flinched and nearly dropped the stack of papers he was holding. “Sir!” Junmyeon did his best to pull up a pleasant smile. “I’m sorry, I was getting lost in my thoughts. Here are the blank copies of contracts that you asked for.”

“Thanks.” Kyuhyun took them from him and tucked them under his arm. “Is everything alright?”

“Absolutely.” Junmyeon smiled at Kyuhyun and tried to hide his unease. So far, Kyuhyun had been perfectly professional—but Junmyeon was determined to stay on his guard.

Kyuhyun waved and went back up the stairs towards his office, and Junmyeon let out a small sigh of relief.

“Junmyeon?”

“Yes?” Junmyeon turned around and smiled at his co-worker, Kyungsoo.

“I need to use the copy machine…”

“Oh right.” Junmyeon flushed and stepped away. “Sorry about that.” Junmyeon headed back towards the stairs and told himself that he needed to stay focused. He’d been working at this company for so long, and yet somehow, he always felt isolated when he was at work. His closest friend here was probably Kyuhyun, but well—Junmyeon already knew how he wanted that to go.

Junmyeon’s phone buzzed in his pocket.

Luhan: How’s work?

Junmyeon: It’s okay. How’s your work?

Luhan: Boriiiiiinnnnggg

Luhan: I broke up with Minseok over the phone

Junmyeon: What

Luhan: I already picked up my stuff from his place and everything. It’s goodbye essss

Junmyeon: Omg Luhan. You should’ve talked to him in person!

Luhan: It’s not like I just texted him or something!!!

Junmyeon: Ok well as long as you feel good about things.

Luhan: I do.

Junmyeon: Good!

Luhan: You wanna hang out tonight?

Junmyeon: Ok~

Junmyeon: How much booze should I bring?

Luhan: LOL

Luhan: I can pick you up from your work if you want?

Junmyeon: I took the bus today so that’d be great.

Luhan: Okay, I’ll see you at five!

Junmyeon: See you <3

“Junmyeon?”

Junmyeon flinched and nearly dropped his phone. “Yes?”

“Is there a reason you’re lurking outside of my office door?” Kyuhyun looked down at him with amusement.

“Ah. No sir—I was just heading to my office.” Junmyeon pocketed his phone. “Sorry to bother you.”

“I hope you remember our talk from a little while ago,” Kyuhyun said pleasantly. “Are you free tonight?”

“I’m sorry sir, but I already have plans.” Junmyeon stepped back, his nerves on edge.

“Going out with friends?” Kyuhyun asked, looking a little disappointed.

“A friend, yeah.” Junmyeon took another step back. “I have to call and reschedule an appointment with one of your clients, so…”

“Yes, of course.” There was something odd in Kyuhyun’s expression, but Junmyeon felt a surge of relief at the dismissal, and simply scurried back into his office. He picked up the phone and began shuffling around his notes. He couldn’t wait for Luhan to come get him out of here.

Five o’clock couldn’t come fast enough. Junmyeon had holed himself up in his office for the rest of the afternoon making calls and planning Kyuhyun’s schedule for the following week. With all of this work done today, unless something went catastrophically wrong, he would be able to leave work early next Thursday like he’d been planning to.

Junmyeon organized the papers on his desk with a satisfied smile. He began packing up his things, and five o’clock rolled around, his phone buzzed.

Luhan: I’ll just wait for you outside in the parking lot~

Junmyeon: Okay! Omw

Junmyeon stepped out into the hallway, briefcase in hand and his coat hang halfway off his shoulder as he locked his office door.

“Junmyeon!” Kyuhyun came out of his office at the same time, and Junmyeon held in the urge to groan. “Heading off?”

“Yes.” Junmyeon smiled at Kyuhyun. “Don’t stay here too late working.”

“I was actually just about to head out of the building for a bit of fresh air,” Kyuhyun said easily. He reached out and brushed Junmyeon’s shoulder with his hand. “Your jacket—“

“I’ve got it,” Junmyeon said quickly, stepping away. “Thank you.” They headed down the stairs in silence, a few workers looking up from the cubicles and then looking away. Junmyeon fidgeted uncomfortably when he saw a group of three from the media department put their heads together and start whispering as they passed by.

“Is everything alright?” Kyuhyun looked at him with concern. “You’ve been anxious and absent-minded all week long.”

“Everything’s fine,” Junmyeon said quickly. “There’s just a lot going on in my personal life.”

“I see.” Junmyeon looked over at Kyuhyun, and there was that odd look from earlier today. “Well, I’m here if you need anyone to talk to.”

Junmyeon blinked. “Thank you.” They emerged from the office into the entrance of the parking garage, and Junmyeon pulled out his phone. “My friend is picking me up. Please enjoy your walk outside.” Junmyeon smiled at his boss and quickly dialed Luhan. “Han?”

“I see you—I’m pulling up.” True to his word, a few seconds later and a blue prius pulled up in front of them. Junmyeon nodded at Kyuhyun and scrambled into the car, beaming at Luhan.

“Thanks for coming to get me.”

“Yeah, no problem.” Luhan started driving away as Junmyeon buckled his seatbelt. “Was that your boss?”

“Yeah.” Junmyeon shrugged. “He’s been acting kind of weird lately.”

“Hm.” Luhan hummed. “He looked kind of stormy when you were getting into the car. Do you guys have drama going on or something?”

Junmyeon frowned and shook his head. “I don’t think so. Well…not like, drama. But you know…there’s always tension.”

“That doesn’t sound too positive.” Luhan pulled out of the parking garage. “Do you wanna talk about it?”

“Not right now,” Junmyeon said immediately. “Where do you wanna go?”

“I was thinking we could just drink at your place. I brought wine.”

“Oh wow.” Junmyeon blinked. “You came prepared.”

“Is it okay? I know I should’ve asked beforehand…” Luhan glanced over at Junmyeon.

Junmyeon rolled his eyes. “We’ve been close for how long now? Of course it’s fine. We’ll air your feelings out, and all that. We’ll have a great time,” Junmyeon promised.

“You’re the best Jun.” Luhan smiled, and Junmyeon felt his cheeks start to warm.

“You seem pretty happy about things,” Junmyeon said hesitantly.

“I am. I didn’t realize how much things with Minseok were stressing me out until I broke up with him. We had…a lot of problems,” Luhan said, shaking his head. “But it’s going to be okay now.”

“I’m glad.” Junmyeon shifted in his seat. “I’m sorry that…I couldn’t be there for you more. When you were going through all that.”

“It’s okay,” Luhan said quickly. “I didn’t really talk to anyone about it anyways…so don’t worry. I know you’re always there for me.”

Junmyeon cooed at him, and Luhan slapped at his knee without looking away from the road. Both of them settled into a comfortable silence, matching grins on their faces. Junmyeon wasn’t really sure how this night was going to go; Luhan seemed happy, but his real feelings might come out after Luhan had a bit of wine in him.

 

 

 

Luhan and Junmyeon were sprawled out on Junmyeon’s couch. A historical drama was playing in the background, and the empty bottle of wine had fallen onto Junmyeon’s carpet. Their wine glasses were askew on the table, and Junmyeon to his side so that he was staring straight at Luhan.

To his surprise, Luhan was staring straight back at him. Junmyeon blinked lazily, and Luhan smiled.

“Why…why’re you looking at me like that?” Junmyeon nestled further into the couch. It was four in the morning, and the wine was really starting to make him feel sleepy.

“Like what?” Luhan shifted closer and Junmyeon smiled at him.

“Like…” Junmyeon yawned and smacked his lips. “Like I’m the only person in the world. Or something.”

Luhan hummed softly. “You’re the only person for me,” Luhan said steadily.

Junmyeon blinked. How was Luhan talking so clearly? It felt like there was a fog settling in his head, and he was having trouble getting the right words out. “Really?”

“Really,” Luhan said gently.

“You’ll…only pay attention to me?” Junmyeon asked unsteadily, his eyelids starting to droop.

Luhan laughed softly at that, and Junmyeon smiled. He loved Luhan’s laugh. He loved…

“Yes, only you.” Luhan reached out and put a gentle hand on his shoulder. “I should’ve realized sooner. I’m sorry Jun.”

“’S okay.” Junmyeon nuzzled his face into the couch cushion. “I…”

“What?”

Was it just Junmyeon, or was Luhan getting closer? Junmyeon sleepily lifted his arm up and pulled Luhan into a hug. “Are you…gonna be okay?”

“Yes,” Luhan said, his arms coming up to encase Junmyeon in a hug. Junmyeon felt warm and safe, surrounded by everything Luhan. So warm…

Luhan laughed, and Junmyeon blinked. Had he said something?

“Do you want to sleep here or on your bed?” Luhan asked, one of his hands coming up to gently run through Junmyeon’s hair.

“Here,” Junmyeon said sleepily. “Can’t…move.”

“Okay,” Luhan said softly. “Sleep.”

Junmyeon hummed softly and let his eyes close all the way. Luhan’s hand continued to gently run through his hair, and Junmyeon let himself succumb to the warm darkness of his dreams.

When he woke up the next morning, Luhan was already puttering around the kitchen, two mugs in hand. Junmyeon groaned and rubbed at his forehead.

“I should’ve had more water last night,” he croaked.

“Good morning,” was all Luhan said. “Bathroom’s all yours.”

“What time is it?” Junmyeon stretched his arms over his head and felt his back arch.

“Nine in the morning,” Luhan said calmly.

“Nine in the—“Junmyeon sat bolt upright. “Oh my god!”

“Relax, it’s Saturday,” Luhan said blearily. “What’s wrong?”

“Oh right.” Junmyeon relaxed. “For some reason I thought it was Monday.”

Luhan laughed at him and started filling their mugs with coffee. “You’re dumb.”

Junmyeon grumbled under his breath and went to the bathroom. When he was done, he went out into the kitchen and sat down at the table next to Luhan.

“Do you need a change of clothes?”

“I already borrowed some of yours,” Luhan said. “Hope you don’t mind.”

“Oh.” Junmyeon looked over and realized that Luhan was indeed wearing one of his old sweatshirts and a pair of basketball shorts. “Cool.”

They sat in silence as Luhan played on his phone while Junmyeon finished his coffee. “Do you want to go out for breakfast?” Junmyeon glanced over at Luhan as he got up and started washing his mug. Luhan seemed oddly anxious—he kept jiggling his knee under the table and tapping his fingers. “Are you okay?”

“What do you remember from last night?” Luhan blurted out.

Junmyeon felt a wave of shock when he saw a flash of pure terror flit across Luhan’s face. Had something happened? “We had dinner, got into the wine and started watching The Princess Wei-Young.” Junmyeon pressed his lips together. “Are you thinking of something more specific?”

“We were talking right before you passed out on the couch.” Luhan looked away, and Junmyeon felt unease building up in his gut. Had he said something? Had Luhan done something? Had he accidentally hurt Luhan’s feelings? Had Minseok texted Luhan, and was Luhan feeling regretful now? Junmyeon desperately tried to rack his brain to think of what could possibly be making Luhan feel so upset, but he couldn’t come up with anything.

“You hugged me?” Junmyeon offered hesitantly. “I can’t…I was so tired, I can’t really remember exactly what we were talking about though.”

Luhan took a deep breath. “You said…You asked if I would pay more attention to you.”

“Oh.” Junmyeon blinked. That was embarrassing on his part—Junmyeon didn’t like seeming overly clingy in his relationships, but he figured that since he and Luhan were so close, Luhan wouldn’t mind it too much. “Was that too much?”

“No, it’s not that.” Luhan started fidgeting. “Look…I know this is kind of soon considering everything, but…do you remember what I said?”

Junmyeon blinked. “…Something affirmative,” Junmyeon said slowly. “I remember feeling really pleased about that. Why’re you so nervous?” Junmyeon walked over and patted Luhan’s shoulder. “We’re close. I’m sorry if I made things uncomfortable…”

“You didn’t!” Luhan said vehemently, and Junmyeon nearly flinched at how loud his voice was. “I…”

Junmyeon waited for Luhan to finish his sentence, but Luhan didn’t say anything. “We don’t have to talk about this right now if you aren’t ready,” Junmyeon said at last. He wasn’t even sure what Luhan wanted to talk about, but Luhan seemed too anxious to pull his thoughts together.

Luhan remained tense for a moment, and then relaxed, the breath whooshing out of his chest as his shoulders relaxed. “Okay,” Luhan said. “Okay.”

Junmyeon frowned. Maybe Luhan wasn’t as happy about the break up as he thought he was. “Let’s go get breakfast,” Junmyeon suggested gently. “Okay?”

“Okay.” Luhan seemed almost disappointed, but he got to his feet and went over to the couch to pick up their glasses and the bottle. “Do you mind if we drop by my place for a few minutes first? I want to drop some stuff of from my car.”

“Sounds good.” Junmyeon took the glasses from Luhan started washing them. “Be ready to go in ten?”

Luhan flashed him a thumbs up and disappeared into the bathroom. Junmyeon remained at the sink, rinsing out the glasses with water. He wondered what could’ve gotten Luhan so worked up—there was nothing wrong with wanting to spend more time between friends right? Maybe Luhan had misinterpreted it or—maybe he hadn’t. Junmyeon shook his head firmly and closed his heart. Luhan would come to him when he was ready. Until then, it would be best not to speculate and start coming up with all kinds of crazy ideas in his head.

 

 

 

 

Thursday rolled around, and Junmyeon forced himself to stay calm. He packed up his briefcase and poked his head into Kyuhyun’s office. “I’m taking off now. I’ll see you tomorrow morning!”

“You’re leaving early today?” Kyuhyun looked up at him in surprise.

Junmyeon blinked. “I talked to you about this on Monday,” Junmyeon said quickly. “I have some appointments in the afternoon, and you said it would be fine for me to leave early…”

“There’s a big round of auditions for the big companies today, aren’t there?” Kyuhyun asked suddenly.

Junmyeon could feel his palms starting to sweat. “What about about it, sir?”

“I was hoping to send someone along to scout any of the talents,” Kyuhyun said slowly. “But you’ll have your appointments, so…”

Junmyeon grimaced and bowed apologetically, his heart pounding in his chest. “Sorry, sir.”

“Don’t worry about it. Good luck with your appointments.” Kyuhyun waved a dismissive hand at him. “Send Kyungsoo up here, would you?”

“I will sir. Have a good day.” Junmyeon bowed again and rushed down the stairs to find Kyungsoo. After sending Kyungsoo up to Kyuhyun, Junmyeon hurried out of the building to his car.

His phone buzzed.

Sehun: Good luck hyung!!! You’ll kill it!

Junmyeon smiled. He could always count on Sehun to support him. Thanks, he typed back. He threw himself into the car and started driving, anticipation heightening in his chest. He’d been practicing his singing and dancing for the past full year, and if he could do well at his auditions today, then he might finally be able to leave this god-forsaken job as Kyuhyun’s secretary.

Junmyeon had chosen this day specifically to go to a small company’s round of auditions. He’d gotten nervous when Kyuhyun had started talking about the big companies, but Junmyeon had no plans to go there. Hopefully, Kyuhyun would just send a couple of teams to those companies and not the one he was going to—otherwise, he would have some serious explaining to do.

Junmyeon pulled into a parking space and turned off the ignition. He closed his eyes and began his meditation technique to calm himself down. If he was going to ace this audition, then he was going to be the most and calm and relaxed he’d ever been in his life.

 

 

 

A few hours later, and it was over. There had been a lot of waiting around—Junmyeon had made it through all three rounds of auditions for the day, and the final panel had told him that he should get a phone call by the end of next week regarding the results of his auditions. Junmyeon finally let out all of the excitement and anxiety that had been welling up inside out when he got back into his car. He bundled up his jacket, bent his head, and screamed into the cloth for as long as he could. At last, he lifted his head, wiped at his watery eyes and smiled.

He’d done it. He’d made it through the rounds. All he could hope for was that they would accept him, and that he might finally be able to escape his office job and go into the life that he’d yearned for ever since he’d graduated from college. He’d had another round of auditions on Sunday evening, and Junmyeon was feeling good about things. He was finally starting to take control of his life again—of course, things would be messy if Kyuhyun found out that he was auditioning for rival companies behind his back, and things would get awkward if—no, when Junmyeon resigned, and Junmyeon was determined about this. He’d waited, prepared, and now he was ready to change things for himself.

Junmyeon hummed cheerfully as he drove himself home. His phone started to ring, and Junmyeon connected to his Bluetooth. “Hello?”

“Hey.” Luhan’s voice sounded in his ear, and Junmyeon smiled. “You free tonight?”

“Yeah, but we both have work tomorrow morning,” Junmyeon said smiling. “What do you want?”

“Do you want to come over to my place for dinner?”

“Sure! When should I come? I’m actually driving right now…”

“You can come over now then! We’ll cook together.”

Junmyeon could practically hear the smile in Luhan’s voice. “Okay,” Junmyeon agreed. “I’ll be at your place in about half an hour.”

“See you.”

“’Bye.” The call ended and Junmyeon started humming again as he changed his course towards Luhan’s apartment. He hadn’t told Luhan that he’d started auditioning again because he’d wanted to see how things went, but he felt confident—and he didn’t like keep secrets from Luhan for too long anyways.

Luhan greeted him with a smile when Junmyeon knocked on his door. “Hello!”

“Still happy, I see,” Junmyeon as he walked in.

“No regrets!” Luhan agreed, although his shoulders seemed tense. “I mean I wish Minseok well and everything. But still, he wasn’t…he wasn’t the right person for me.”

“Hm.” Junmyeon took off his shoes and went to wash his hands in the kitchen sink. “What’re we making?”

“Actually, I was wondering if we could talk first.” Luhan put his hands in his pockets and leaned against the wall. Junmyeon swallowed hard when he saw the determined look on Luhan’s face—whatever this was going to be about, it seemed like Luhan was going all in.

“Okay.” Junmyeon started drying his hands with a towel, and he tried to smile to lighten the mood. “What’s up?”

“The real reason I broke up with Minseok…well, it’s a complicated situation.” Luhan shifted uneasily. “I shouldn’t have dated him in the first place. I was running from my feelings for someone else, and I shouldn’t have dragged either Minseok or him into this at all. That was part of why I always felt so guilty when I was with him, I guess.” Luhan laughed hollowly, and Junmyeon frowned. “I knew that I had feelings for someone else, and I was just…being a coward. And that’s part of why I feel so relieved now as well.”

“Okay.” Junmyeon put the towel down. “Who…who was the person you had feelings for?”

“I still have feelings for them,” Luhan said steadily. “Junmyeon…It’s you. I like you.”

“What?” Junmyeon blinked.

“I know it seems like really soon since I just broke up with Minseok and everything, but I know how I feel.” Luhan stepped forward and took hold of Junmyeon’s hands. “It’s you. It’s always been you, and I was too stupid and afraid to accept that. I’m sorry that I put you through all of this, but…if you’ll still have me…”

Junmyeon swallowed hard and raised his eyes to Luhan’s face. Junmyeon had always been afraid of accepting his feelings for Luhan. He’d always known that maybe his affection and attraction to Luhan had been too much for friendship, but actually daring to put it into words…

“I need time to think.” Junmyeon squeezed Luhan’s hands gently. “I hadn’t…I hadn’t realized that you felt that way about me.”

“I guess I did my best to hide it from you,” Luhan said, laughing hollowly again. Junmyeon’s heart broke a little when he saw the pain on his friend’s face. Luhan let go of his hands and took a step back, and Junmyeon forced himself not to follow him. “If you need space, I understand.”

“Thank you.” Junmyeon looked down at the ground again. He could feel himself blushing, and now he didn’t know what to do. Luhan’s feelings were very much unexpected—Junmyeon had just sort of assumed that when Luhan started dating Minseok, that Luhan would never really have any interest in him beyond friendship. “What…what did you tell Minseok?”

“I didn’t tell him the truth,” Luhan admitted. “I told him about our other problems, but…not about you.”

“I see.” Junmyeon shifted. “Is…is it okay if I go think about this? I know we were going to do dinner, but…”

“No I get it. I gave you a lot to think about.” Luhan smiled at him. “You should go be in your own space.”

“Thanks.” Junmyeon went to the hallway and started pulling his shoes on again. “I’ll…I’ll let you know. When I’m ready.”

Luhan smiled at him, and Junmyeon waved and left the apartment.

“What a day,” Junmyeon breathed to himself. Auditions, stress, anxiety—and now this. And he hadn’t even been able to tell Luhan about his auditions!

He didn’t really know what he wanted to do next. He did need to think about how to handle Luhan’s feelings, but he had the sense that things would never really be the same between them again. Junmyeon felt like that was a lot of pressure on their friendship, but he also knew that he’d have to deal with it himself. He didn’t want to involve anyone beyond the two of them, wherever this path was going to lead them, and he was just going to have to trust his heart and mind.

 

 

 

 

A week later, and a very familiar flashed across Junmyeon’s phone screen. Junmyeon bowed apologetically to Kyuhyun who waved him out of his office. Junmyeon wasn’t entirely sure what Kyuhyun had been rambling about to be quite honest, and he was relieved to get away. His heart leapt into his throat as he stared down at the caller idea. Angel Entertainment paraded across the top of his screen, and Junmyeon took a deep breath and wiped his palms on his slacks. He could do this.

“Hello?” Junmyeon picked up the phone. “Yes, this is Junmyeon Kim speaking. How may I…” Junmyeon trailed off. “Oh my god. Yes. Yes! Thank you so much. We’ll stay in touch. Thank you again.” Junmyeon hung up the phone, a huge grin curling the edges of his lips up.

There was no point in delaying things any further. Junmyeon opened up his texts.

Junmyeon: HAN

Junmyeon: Let’s get dinner together today!!! My treat~

Luhan: Where? When?

Junmyeon: Can you pick me up from work at six? We can go to that chicken place you’ve been raving about.

Luhan: Okay. See you then.

Junmyeon grinned and pocketed his phone. Six o’clock just wouldn’t come fast enough.

There was a feeling of déjà vu throughout the whole day. Junmyeon was bored, hiding in his office from Kyuhyun. Junmyeon made himself busy by rescheduling all of Kyuhyun’s appointments, and tried to ignore how Kyuhyun seemed to casually stroll by his office every half-hour or so.

Finally, finally it was six o’clock and Junmyeon began packing his messenger bag.

“Junmyeon.”

Junmyeon flinched and nearly knocked his water bottle off of his desk. “Sir!” Junmyeon smiled at Kyuhyun. “How can I help you?”

“Are you busy tonight?”

Junmyeon flushed with discomfort. “I am sir. I’m getting dinner with a friend.” He continued putting away his things. “Was there something you wanted me to do?”

“I’m beginning to think you haven’t given much thought to our conversation.” Kyuhyun stared steadily at him. “Or perhaps you simply aren’t interested?”

“I beg your pardon?” Junmyeon got to his feet. “Interested in what?”

“This friend you’re meeting tonight.” Kyuhyun pushed himself off the wall and approached Junmyeon’s desk. “Is this the same fellow who picked you up from work last week?”

Junmyeon frowned and pursed his lips. “I don’t really see how that’s your concern,” Junmyeon said at last. “I didn’t mean to give you any wrong impressions.”

Kyuhyun sighed. “Junmyeon, you’re killing me here. What do you want?”

“I’m killing you?” Junmyeon repeated in disbelief. He couldn’t take this anymore. “What do you want? You’ve been playing some very strange games with me, Kyuhyun, and I really have no idea what you’re aiming for.” Junmyeon tilted his chin up and slung his bag over his shoulder.

“You really have no idea?” Kyuhyun stared at him. “None at all?”

Junmyeon shook his head firmly. “No. And I have to say, this has really been making me uncomfortable. I hope you’ll be more straightforward with me in the future, sir.”

Kyuhyun gave him an unreadable look, and Junmyeon sighed. “I’m going home. Have a good evening.” Junmyeon shouldered his bag and left his office, his knees literally shaking in his boots. Junmyeon rarely stood up to Kyuhyun when something bothered him, but now, Junmyeon could care less. Kyuhyun could fire him if he wanted. Besides, what business did Kyuhyun have asking about Luhan?

Junmyeon shook his head and scurried out towards the parking lot. He beamed when he saw Luhan’s familiar blue prius stalling at the corner, and he flung himself into the car.

To his surprise, Luhan looked anxious, his knees constantly bumping up and down and his hands tight around the steering wheel.

“Are you alright?”

Luhan gulped. “Yes?”

Junmyeon forced himself to think about how Luhan might be feeling. Junmyeon was feeling so overjoyed from his call with Angel Entertainment, and so relieved from his confrontation with Kyuhyun that he’d totally disregarded Luhan’s feelings. “Don’t be so worried.” Junmyeon gently patted Luhan’s knee. “I wouldn’t have texted you if I wasn’t ready to talk.”

That didn’t seem to help as Luhan tensed under his touch. “Okay,” was all Luhan said as they pulled out onto the road.

The drive to the restaurant was filled with tense silence. Junmyeon didn’t really know what to do—he wanted to talk to Luhan, but he also wanted their conversation to be one where they could really focus on each other, and that was pretty much impossible while Luhan was driving.

Finally, they pulled up in front of the restaurant and sat in silence after Luhan killed the ignition.

“Han?” Junmyeon asked gently.

Luhan flinched. “Yes?”

“Would you rather talk here or inside?” Junmyeon turned in his seat so that he was facing Luhan. The setting sun threw rays of orange and gold across Luhan’s features, and Junmyeon wondered if anyone had ever looked so beautiful.

“Here is okay,” Luhan said after a moment. “I…I know. I gave you a lot to think about. It was selfish of me.”

“It’s okay,” Junmyeon said gently. “I’m sorry that I couldn’t respond to your feelings sooner. But I think…” Junmyeon hesitated for a moment, his voice dropping down to a shy whisper. “I feel the same way about you.”

Luhan’s jaw dropped. “What?” he croaked out.

Junmyeon flushed. Was Luhan really going to make him spell it out? “For me, ever since we met I’ve…” Junmyeon started fidgeting with his fingers. “It’s always been you. Always.”

Luhan was still staring at him slack-jawed, and Junmyeon smiled fondly at him. “Han?”

“Junmyeon,” Luhan breathed. He reached out and took Junmyeon’s hands in his, his hands trembling. “Junmyeon.”

Junmyeon squeezed Luhan’s hands, and Luhan finally started to smile. He leaned in and pressed their foreheads together, and Junmyeon basked in the warmth of Luhan’s body.

“There’s something else,” Junmyeon murmured, and Luhan drew back, looking concerned. “It’s good news!” Junmyeon rushed to reassure him. “I just hadn’t really had a chance to talk to you about it before.”

“Okay.” Luhan didn’t let go of his hands, and Junmyeon felt a small flame of warm contentment start to warm his chest. “What is it?”

“I started auditioning for companies again, and one of them accepted me!” Junmyeon blurted out.

“Which one?” Luhan pulled him into a hug, and Junmyeon grinned. “Angel Entertainment,” Junmyeon said happily. “I know it won’t be easy from here on out, but I’m still…I’m so excited. You have no idea!”

“Or maybe I do,” Luhan said gently, releasing Junmyeon from the hug. “I know that this has been your dream for years now.”

Junmyeon smiled and ducked his head, tracing a pattern on the edge of his seat with his pointer finger. “Yeah,” Junmyeon said softly. “I guess you would know.” He looked up, and blushed bright red when he saw the fond look Luhan gave him.

“Let’s go eat,” Luhan said at last.

“Okay.”

They smiled at each other and got out of the car, walking arm in arm into the restaurant.

 

 

 

 

Two weeks later, Junmyeon handed in his formal resignation to Kyuhyun.

Kyuhyun looked extremely shocked and disappointed. “Resigning?” he repeated, staring down at the neatly printed document on his desk. “What do you mean?”

“I mean exactly what I said,” Junmyeon said, frowning. “I’ve accepted a new job. It’s been a pleasure working here, but it’s time for me to leave.”

“What will your new position be?” Kyuhyun began going through Junmyeon’s letters, his displeasure coming across in the little flicks he gave to each corner of the paper.

“I’ve been accepted as a talent at Angel Entertainment,” Junmyeon said evenly. “I’ll start training with them this summer.”

Kyuhyun froze. “What?” he croaked out.

“I apologize for not letting you know about this sooner,” Junmyeon said gently. “I wasn’t sure how things would work out until very recently.”

“Why didn’t you audition for our company?” Kyuhyun slammed Junmyeon’s letter down onto his desk, and Junmyeon flinched.

“I didn’t want there to be any conflicts of interest,” Junmyeon said patiently. He didn’t add that he didn’t really like the way Kyuhyun’s managers tended to treat their talents.

“If I offered you twice as much money to be a talent here, would you take it?”

Junmyeon blinked in shock. “Are you out of your mind?” He stared at Kyuhyun. “I know the financial situation of the company. You would bench all of that just to keep me around?”

Kyuhyun scowled and turned away. “Very well. Please clear your things out of your office by the end of next week,” he said coldly. “Good luck with your future endeavors.”

“Thank you, sir.” Junmyeon bowed to Kyuhyun’s turned back and quickly left the office. That confrontation probably could’ve gone better, but it was for the best. Junmyeon shivered and went into his office. He’d already cleared most of his things away, but Sehun had promised to drop by in half an hour to help him move his filing cabinets to the building across the street.

Junmyeon sat back in his chair and smiled when his phone buzzed.

Luhan: How’d the resignation go?

Junmyeon: About as well as you’d expect

Junmyeon: I’ll be glad to be away from Kyuhyun for a bit.

Luhan: He’d better keep his eyes off you. I see what he’s up to >_<

Junmyeon decided it was probably best to avoid mentioning that Kyuhyun had offered to pay him twice as much to stay with the company.

Junmyeon: you’re ridiculous

Junmyeon: Love you

Junmyeon waited, his pulse quickening. Before, when they’d just been friends, Junmyeon had never gotten nervous waiting for Luhan’s responses to texts like that. Now, though…

Luhan didn’t disappoint him.

Luhan: Love you too <3 and tell Sehun I say hi when he comes

Junmyeon: Will do <3 See you at home

Luhan: <3333

Junmyeon smiled at that and settled back into his chair. He stared out the window, letting his thoughts drift as he waited for Sehun to come. The future was uncertain—he had no idea how his career was going to go from here on out. But while the thought was terrifying, he also knew that no matter what happened, Luhan would always be by his side to support him.

The End

a/n: Thanks for reading! Comments are always appreciated--I'll be posting a new krisho story soon, so stay tuned for that! Thanks for reading and enjoying~