requested by MissMinew 

The house has actually never had a real dead moment where no one was ever occupying it but oddly enough, tonight is almost one of those nights.

Luhan is currently the only one in the house, sitting in the living room watching movies and snacking on overly buttered popcorn. It’s a romantic-comedy because they’re her favorite type of movies, no matter how cliche the plots are or how horrible the chemistry between the two leads are; it’s a safe guilty pleasure of her’s that she wants no one to know.

The light haired woman causally tosses her popcorn into the air, eyes on the movie, and makes no sudden movement if the food doesn’t make it to her open mouth. And if the popcorn does, Luhan giggles.

Luhan succeeds in throwing one when her phone buzzes on the coffee table. She grunts, thinking it’s from one of her social media accounts but is muddled why she received a text from Junghae that just says “pick me up” with nothing attached. Luhan glances at the time and becomes even more confused since Junghae unofficially gets off at 5AM, not 10PM.

Luhan texts back “why?” but Junghae only responses with the same three words, all lowercase; no capitals.

The older woman’s gut tells her to not egg the younger on, for some strange reason, and just tells Junghae that she’s on her way. In no less than twenty minutes Luhan pulls up to Lotte World’s employee parking and spots Junghae sitting almost lifelessly on the curb of the bus stop.

“Okay, yup, something’s wrong.” Luhan mutters to herself just before rolling the passenger's window down and then honking.

Junghae’s body doesn’t even react to the loud and obnoxious sound like everyone else around and that’s when Luhan turns to stare straight out her window, hands tightly gripping the wheel, and mouths the word “” as silently cries to herself in her head because Luhan cannot, for the life of her, comfort people that are depressed or sad.

Luhan pulls out her phone and sends a text, not risking honking again. She puts her phone down and watch Junghae’s phone, that’s in her hand, glow and then go black—Junghae makes no move to shift her stare to her phone.

Luhan groans because it’s worse than she thought. What in the happened and what makes her think I'm the right person for this? She cries internally as she calls Junghae’s number and observes her.

Junghae’s attention is finally shifted to her bright phone but she doesn’t answer and instead denies the call and gets up. Luhan watches her scout the parking lot until her eyes fall onto the car and walks her way over, sluggishly.

Luhan feels like she’s having a panic attack simply because she doesn’t know what to do or say once Junghae gets in. She can’t even see the expression on the younger’s face but Luhan just knows she’s sporting the definition of depressed.

Junghae opens the door, doesn’t greet or thank Luhan, slams herself onto the seat, buckles and then stills.

Luhan clears at the awkwardness she feels fill the car but she doesn’t say anything and neither does Junghae. Luhan shifts gear and backs out of the parking lot, never bothering to second glance at Junghae all the way home.

It’s always strangely quicker on the way home then to the park and so in the half the time it took her earlier, they’ve arrived home.

Luhan cuts the engine and looks around hoping that she could spot one of the others’ car, but it’s too dark for any of them to be parked around. “Um,” Luhan starts as she drags her eyes away from outside the driver's window and to the blank Junghae. The older doesn’t actually know what to say. She was hoping Junghae would speak after, but apparently she’s playing deaf.

Luhan drops her look, pulls her keys out and starts fiddling with them. She debates just leaving Junghae in the car and is almost persuaded in doing so but she knows it’s ultimately wrong.

Luhan roughly rubs her palms against her face, sighs and asks, “Okay, what’s up.” in a not very friendly questioning tone.

Junghae turns to face Luhan, her expression looking pissed, but somehow hurt, and replies with a dead voice: “I was fired.” She then unbuckles during the bafflement of Luhan and leaves the car.

Luhan shuts after a good minute and jerks to face out her window to see the back of Junghae going into the house. She positions her body straight and then laughs, but it’s not a humorous laugh; she sounds like she’s dying a slow and painful death.

“What am I supposed to say to that?” Luhan talks to herself. “Do I go “Oh no, I’m so sorry” or “ing finally you’re out of the toxic place”, .” Luhan bangs her forehead on the wheel five times before stopping and mumbles a plea for Misook to help her.

She gets out of the car, waits for it to lock and rushes into the house—the door left unlocked.

Luhan doesn’t ease up her pace until she finds Junghae in her shared room with Yixin. She’s sitting on the edge of her bed with her face in her hands. There’s no sound coming from her, but Luhan knows that there will be soon.

Luhan doesn’t walk into the room, doesn’t go up to her or say anything. She stays perfectly still as can be besides the open bedroom door. She doesn’t know how to actually approach Junghae; she’s different compared to, say, Seyun who loves to be babied whenever she was upset.

The second Luhan hears Junghae choke on her first sob she is more than half ready to sprint to her room and lock her door.

“I don’t get it, Lu.” In the spawn of five seconds, Junghae already sounds like a mess, “I... after everything, I still can’t understand why they would suspend me?” Junghae’s voice is so very shaky and unstable; not to mention muffled from her hands, too.

Luhan looks around the dark room; she doesn’t know if she’s supposed to answer that but, “I thought you said you were fired.” She states lamely and she honestly can’t help that her voice sounds so weary, cautious and dull. It’s just how her voice gets when she doesn’t know how to approach things.

Junghae scoffs and finally looks up. Her eyeliner is running and her foundation is smearing with her tears and how her palms were rubbing on them prior. “ing seriously, Lu?” She suddenly sounds pissed, her waterworks have stopped and Luhan is ready to throw in the white flag. “I’ve told yo—” Junghae’s voice cracks with a cry but she returns with more force, “I’ve told you before with three day suspensions in Lotte World no one ever comes back. That’s what happ—”

Luhan makes a uncomfortable expression but nods nonetheless like if she remembers. She still doesn’t move from her spot as Junghae goes off like a machine gun.

“ing honestly you want to know why I was suspended? in', fired? They called me in thirty-minutes before returning for my second shift that I in' honestly should’n’ve had offered to take since I’ve'd been there since five in the in' mornin'—because those ers were makin' me work over twelve hours eery'day as a seasonal—for a God damn meeting. I’m thinkin', as I followed that and the -kissers, that we were goin' to finally sit the down and talk about how chaotic Cash Control had become since my old boss quit because of this new boss but no. . No. It’s 'bout me and how unprofessional I am at work li—” Junghae chokes on a cry again and this time it looks like it visibly hurts her. looks as if someone's choking her and her eyes are so watery, but she’s not allowing them to fall. Luhan takes a step into the room, uncertain of what to do or say but Junghae continues, “They-they sa-said that I-I called her a to her face during one of our private meetings? About how to... how to make the system more smooth-er and, but, that—” She’s stuttering and hiccuping and her anger from before has fully diminished.

Like instinct, Luhan knows exactly what to do.

Luhan makes her way across the room to the mumbling and jumbled Junghae. The latter is glancing everywhere in her room, a sure sign that she has allowed her tears to fall but her vision is blurred by them. She’s also mumbling her words over and over again.

Junghae doesn’t flinch nor does she get up when Luhan settles herself in front of her sitting form and gently pulls her into an awkward and stiff embrace, yet, the embrace seems to be just what Junghae needs for comfort as she grips onto Luhan tightly and sobs into the older woman’s hoodie.

Luhan tries to relax her body’s tension but she can’t deny how uncomfortable she feels with seeing Junghae like this; it’s something no one in the household has ever experience, at least to Luhan’s knowledge.

“Ni-nine years, Lu! I’ve worked my off on seasonal pay for nine years and the moment—the moment someone new and higher up comes, I’m thrown away like trash!” Junghae’s words are all slurred together with her snot, tears and saliva. Luhan almost can’t understand what she’s saying but she tries to grasp the vague gist of the sentences. “My boss left me with that devil of a woman because she couldn’t handle her—what made her think I could handle her?”

It’s a pause, suddenly, with just Junghae sobbing her poor heart out; gasping and coughing into Luhan. The latter feels her heart get dose in cold water at Junghae’s crying, so much that her discomfort from earlier is overwritten by concern. It’s still there, very much so, but Luhan would rather be uncomfortable then have Junghae hug a stiff wall.

Junghae adjusts herself by pulling Luhan closer to her clumsily; sobbing about how unfair her firing was. How it was all fueled by accusations of her cursing her boss out when in reality, Junghae has never sworn during working hours let alone call someone a bad name. Junghae goes on about all the little things the new boss, who’s only been there for four months, notices about her—things that at the time the new boss was okay with and was willing to help and work them out. Then one day Junghae was the bad guy and HR wouldn’t take the time of their day to listen to Junghae’s side of all the rumored stories. She was the backbone of Cash Control, Junghae cried. She knew everything there was about the system and knew the quickest and most effective lines and building, but apparently her vast knowledge meant nothing to a woman hired by corporate and a woman that everyone, even higher positions then her, were scared of.

The more Junghae dives into that day the less Luhan notices she’s sobbing. It’s working, in a very strange way, and Luhan is actually shocked that it is. She never really thought that a simple hug is all that Junghae needs but it makes sense. Junghae isn’t a person that likes to be babied, but that doesn’t mean she doesn’t like to be cared for. Just because she doesn’t accept soft interactions with others so willingly doesn’t mean she doesn’t want them.

Luhan softly keeps her patting on Junghae’s shoulder blades up until Junghae starts to stir. “And do yo-you know what’s the worse part?” Junghae croaks as she adjusts her head to stare up to Luhan’s gentle expression. “None of my coworkers even stood up for me. None of them. Not even the one who was present in the room when I supposedly called my boss a .”

Luhan shoves Junghae’s head back to her stomach to muffle her loud and hard sobs. Luhan feels a small boiling anger towards Junghae’s workplace, she always has. They were never fair toward her and her pay, even when she asked for a raise, was complete . Luhan’s happy that she doesn’t have to go back to such a toxic place but for right now, she’ll keep that to herself.

Junghae cries and cries. She repeats some parts and adds some in other places when it comes to her. She vents in incoherent words but Luhan doesn’t correct her. She allows the younger to say whatever and however.

“I’m sorry, Lu.” Junghae finally stops her sobbing to soft sniffles and backs away from Luhan’s damp hoodie. Luhan takes a step back but doesn’t get a chance to talk, “For bothering you I just… didn’t want anyone else to see me like this. I mean, yeah, I know they’ll probably say or do better than you are doing right now, but their eyes will have pity in them. I know they will, but yours...” Junghae trails off as she wipes her tears and snot with her covers.

“What about mine?” Luhan finally speaks and she’s happy that her voice carries the right emotions this time around.

“They…” Junghae looks up and locks eyes with Luhan’s; the hall light from the open bedroom door makes it almost hard to see the features of Luhan’s face, but Junghae does and she feels like just crying into Luhan’s arms once more. “They show me that… you understand enough to not step over me.”

Luhan hums in delight and tries to keep her lips from smiling at how accomplish she feels from that compliment.

“Thanks…” Luhan’s attention is called back to Junghae. “For picking me up and… not asking questions then and talking over me during my rant.” Junghae pushes herself all the way onto her bed finally and crawls over to her pillows. As she sets them up she says, “I’m also sorry for not telling you all about being suspended for those three days. I was ashamed, for lack of words. I didn’t think I could face Junhee about being late on rent. But I’m gonna have to.” She sighs as she dips her body into her cover and snuggles up.

Luhan ponders on what to response with but ultimately goes with: “You’re welcome and don’t beat yourself on that so much. She’ll understand. She always does.” Luhan waits a couple of seconds for a reply back but when Junghae doesn’t give one Luhan decides to leave silently.

“Hey, Luhan?” Junghae mumbles with half glued to her pillow. She watches Luhan pause at her door frame and turn to look at her, her face slowly growing uncomfortable. “We don’t talk about this, okay?”

Luhan’s expression turns soft with a matching small smile, “Of what?” Her eyes are dancing and flowing along to Junghae’s steps and the latter couldn't help but give a soft sigh.

“Thank you.”

A / N:
 i forgot maintenance was coming over today; it's so hectic with the doggos acting up.
i apologize for my lateness once again with a request; i'll try to not let ya'll wait 1+ month for your request next time ;-;
can't type much gotta go talk with the guy!
until next Monday!