Sunday is for sleeping in, it always has been. Kyungsoo rolls over in his bed, curling up under the duvet as he slowly wakes up. It isn't too late, luckily, so he doesn't have to be embarrassed for sleeping in. He stretches his body out, feeling sleepier than usual, and thanks whatever deity might be up there that he technically doesn't have to do any work today. It doesn’t stop him from feeling guilty, though.

Dressing himself casually enough to not make Jongin feel uncomfortable, Kyungsoo slips across the hall into the bathroom. He didn't get a good glimpse of his guest, but he seems to still be sleeping. Kyungsoo brushes his teeth extra quietly, so as not to wake him, then sneaks as carefully as he can through to the kitchen.

Jongin has made a mess of his living space. Kyungsoo stands before it, hands on hips, and frowns; the werecat has pulled all the cushions off the sofa and onto the floor, and wrapped himself up in the blankets he had given him. His tail sticks out from one of the folds, curled around his body like a protection barrier. It's kind of cute- it would be absolutely adorable if it were a child- but Jongin is big and Kyungsoo can't see a way to the fridge; not without stepping on some part of his cushion mountain and waking him.

"Well ." He mutters to himself. This is what he gets for taking strangers into his home. He's a bit offended that Jongin thinks it’s ok to just come and make himself so at home, but seeing the way Jongin sleeps, there's no way he would have stayed on the narrow couch anyway. He supposes that Jongin's method must be tried and tested. He had better clean up after himself, though. Kyungsoo doesn't want to confront him about it, but he will if necessary.

It's not early enough for it to be considered rude if he accidentally wakes him, so Kyungsoo is just going to have to take his chances.

Arms out for balance, Kyungsoo treads delicately around the sleeping feline. Jongin lets out a snore and fidgets in his sleep. Kyungsoo freezes, waiting until he's sure Jongin is still asleep before moving again. He isn't sure why he does this, since it would probably be far less suspicious if he isn’t standing like a criminal caught in the act when he wakes up, but he couldn't help it. Breathing a sigh of relief, Kyungsoo makes his way into the kitchenette and scours the cupboards for something to eat. He bites his lip looking once more at Jongin, who will probably want something to eat as well when he wakes up. He doesn't have a lot that would constitute breakfast food. He's usually in a rush in the mornings.

Should he try and impress Jongin by making something from scratch? He peers through the fridge, spying a box of eggs and some left over beef. He could make omelettes perhaps? But then, would Jongin come to expect that kind of thing every morning? Frowning, he closes the fridge door hard, making the bottles clink together loudly. He winces, peering over at Jongin again, who is still snoring softly. His stomach growls.

Fine , he's going to make an omelette.

Midway through the first one, Jongin rouses behind him. He groans, voice low and resonant, like a punch to the gut. Kyungsoo doesn't turn around, afraid that Jongin might see how flustered that one, not even ual , noise has made him.

"Mm, Kyungsoo?" The sound of rustling blankets must mean that he's getting up. Kyungsoo desperately shoves away all the insane fantasies that suddenly feel like showing up in his brain; of Jongin coming up behind him and leaning over to see what he's doing, of Jongin hugging him from behind, reaching around and-

"-you cooking?"

"Huh?" Kyungsoo jumps, turning slightly. Jongin is closer than he had expected and still ing shirtless . What the . Jongdae was clearly right, it's been way, way too long since Kyungsoo has had any kind of action.

"I asked 'what are you cooking?'. I'm sorry, is it still too early for you too?" Jongin laughs, scratching the back of his head. Kyungsoo clears his throat and looks intently at the omelette, poking at its edges to make sure it doesn't stick.

Jongin is his assistant. Jongin is his assistant. Jongin is his assistant.

"I'm making an omelette. Do you want one?"

"If you're offering, sure. Do you need any help?"

"Nah, I'll be good. You can go freshen up, it will probably be done when you get back."

"Good idea." Jongin nods, backing away; maybe he forgot that he wasn't wearing anything more than boxers. He hops over his makeshift bed, "oh, I'm sorry for making a mess, by the way. I'll clear it up in just a sec!"

"That's ok." Kyungsoo says quietly, pointedly not turning around as Jongin rummages through his suitcase. He never would have guessed that Jongin was such a messy type of person just by looking at him.

He breathes a sigh of relief when Jongin takes off to the bathroom to get changed and shakes the pan a little.. It's pretty much done, so he takes it off the heat and starts to rummage for a plate big enough to serve it on. He bought all his crockery when he moved into this place, but he didn't buy anything for large meals since he assumed he wouldn't need it. He regrets his lack of foresight now, and pulls out two regular sized plates. He'll just have to cut it in half, no big deal.

He uses chopsticks to cut it, rather than a knife, so he doesn't scratch the bottom of the pan. Jongin returns just as he is serving the first half onto a plate. Thankfully, he is fully dressed in a form hiding sweater and loose jeans.

"Here, you can have this one." He slides it across the counter, "cutlery is in the top drawer over there."

"Thanks." Jongin smiles brightly, "I feel like I'm at a four star hotel or something." He says, pulling up a seat as Kyungsoo puts the now-empty frying pan into the sink to deal with later.

"What? Not a five star hotel?"

"Well, no, I mean; I had to get my own cutlery, that only deserves four stars." He teases playfully. Kyungsoo narrows his eyes at him. Jongin is much easier to deal with when he's not half .

"I had no idea you were such a critic." He deadpans, "if the meal isn't to your liking, you don't have to have it, you know."

"No! It's great, thank you for making it." Jongin backpedals, eating faster just in case Kyungsoo takes it away. "What have you put in it, seriously, it's really good." He asks, at least covering his mouth as he speaks.

"Eggs." Kyungsoo says, smirking. Jongin rolls his eyes.

"Aside from the eggs, Captain Obvious."

"Diced beef, a bit of onion, salt and pepper, a few spices." He lists off the ingredients, trying his best to make it not sound like 'whatever I had lying around in my fridge'.

"You must be a natural cook." Jongin compliments him again, beaming. Kyungsoo can't help the smile that forces its way onto his face.

"Are you just trying to make me forget about the four star thing?" He asks, grinning.

"Not at all!" Jongin exclaims, eyebrows hidden in his hairline in over-done innocence. Kyungsoo gives him a knowing look. "Ok, well maybe a bit, but it really is good."

"I'm glad to hear it." Kyungsoo preens. "Do you have any idea what you want to do today?"

"What are the options?"

"Well, we could get straight into doing some work and figure out how to get into a routine together. I usually also work on weekends, so I have my workbook here with me; we could do one or two test spells today. Or alternatively, we could use this one free day as a holiday and do either nothing, or see what we can do in the city. It's up to you." He shouldn't really give Jongin the choice; of course he won't choose to do work on a supposed day off.

"Hmm." Jongin contemplates as he finishes the last bit of his meal "by the sounds of it, you could do with a holiday." Kyungsoo probably does need a holiday, but if he takes one, then the country will have to wait longer for reliable protection. He cringes at the thought. The higher ups haven't explicitly said that everyone is relying on him for a miracle, but that's basically what it comes down to. If he fails, people will die and he doesn't want blood on his hands.

"Just today then." Kyungsoo says, albeit reluctantly. "What do you want to do? Stay in? Go out?"

"How about we go out for lunch? I can pay for us, that was the deal, right? I pay for meals."

"Oh, yeah." Kyungsoo nods, "how far do you want to go? I can think of a few places we can go nearby, but there's nice restaurants in the city centre."

"Close by is good." Jongin smiles, "cheaper too, probably. I'm not made of money." His ears twitch suddenly and Kyungsoo is distracted. Sometimes he forgets that he's a werecat, not a regular human, since his ears blend in so well with his hair.

"I think your neighbours are leaving, or something." Jongin explains, a little bashful of his staring. Kyungsoo didn't hear anything.

"Your hearing is that good?" He asks, in awe. Jongin nods.

"As good as any regular cat, yeah."

"I had no idea." That means there’s nothing he can do in this apartment, without the other man knowing. Nothing at all. Kyungsoo looks again at the other man's ears, before realising how out of line it is to stare and promptly stopping. "Sorry."

"It's ok. I take it I'm the first were-person you've met?" He asks, to which Kyungsoo nods. "The main things most people don't know are that yes, we hear better than average. Same goes for smell. We don't change with the lunar cycle, that's a myth. 'Were' just means 'man', and the lunar cycle thing was from back when we thought magic came from the moon. We now know better, but the reputation for were-folk stuck. Mostly just to associate us with ‘heathen religions’ and all the negative connotations that come with it. That’s all in the past though."

"Oh. That makes sense. So you can shift wherever and whenever, then?"

"Kind of? It's not exactly the most comfortable or attractive thing, but theoretically yes, we can. I don’t really like doing it, honestly."

"Is the whole thing about were-people being twice as magically strong as other people true?" Kyungsoo asks, wanting to put Jongdae's theory to the test. Jongin seems to consider this.

"I don't know. I mean, technically yes? But we're all so different? Like I'm a were-cat, so my second body isn't that large, which means that my energy reserves aren't hugely different than someone who is just naturally energetic. Although cats are typically stronger in the magic department, I guess. It all depends, is what I'm trying to say."

"Right." Kyungsoo says, understandingly. You can't put an entire subset of people into a box.

"So, what was it like growing up for you? You don't have to answer if that's a weird question."

"No, it's fine. It wasn't really that different from anyone else, I don't think? I mean, I guess I learned at a pretty young age that there's a lot of weirdos out there who see me and my kind as a ; which isn't great. Apart from that and a few isolated incidents, it wasn't that bad." Kyungsoo wrinkles his nose at the word ''.

"That ."

"It could be worse." Jongin shrugs, dismissively.

"So… Do you have any hobbies?" Kyungsoo asks, as they head towards the city centre. They had decided that sitting around watching TV was getting boring. Kyungsoo had promised that they’d be able to find something to do in town and had persuaded Jongin to come outside. Kyungsoo enjoys feeling the sun on his face, even though he's squinting at everything.

Jongin seems a bit more comfortable using the subway system when he doesn't have to lug around his suitcase. His tail is kept close to his leg and his ears lay flat on his head the entire time, however. It's pretty noisy down here, so if he's got better hearing than most people, it must be overwhelming for him.

"Hobbies?" Jongin repeats, thinking it over to himself, "nothing really major at the moment. When I was a kid, I went through a phase where I'd collect bugs? But other than that, and gaming or whatever, nothing."

"Oh." Kyungsoo tilts his head. Kyungsoo doesn't really have any hobbies at the moment either, what with the huge workload he has to get through. If he had a day off to himself, he wouldn't even know where to start.

"What about you?" Jongin reflects the question back at him.

"Reading? I like sci-fi books. When I get time, I mean, I haven't read a book cover to cover in over a year now." Kyungsoo pouts, missing the days where he could just take a weekend and read an entire book or two. Jongin hums sympathetically.

"Yeah, I know what you mean. I've been pretty busy lately. I really want to take up a sport, or do something active but there just isn't enough time."

"You mean you don't go to the gym?" Kyungsoo turns to Jongin, incredulous. Ok, so he wasn't totally ripped or anything, he has a sort of soft tummy, but that kind of body still needs maintenance.

"Nope." Jongin flexes, an annoying cocky smirk on his face, "this is all natural." Kyungsoo shakes his head, refusing to believe it. He usually isn't that bothered about his body image, but Jongin makes him a bit self conscious.

"Have we decided what we're actually going to do yet?" Jongin asks, leaning into Kyungsoo to divert him out of the flow of oncoming foot traffic, "I think we only agreed on 'something that isn't shopping'."

"Yeah, something like that." Kyungsoo purses his lips, trying to think of something that isn't too touristy. "Hey, have you ever visited the old circles? Where the legends say the first magic took place?"

"No?" Jongin raises his eyebrow. "I keep forgetting that they exist. I've never seen them myself, but my aunt brought me back some pictures once. I'd be ok to go there."

"Yeah? It's another short trip on the subway, though." Jongin blanches at that, but steels himself.

"That's ok. It will probably be worth it, and I have to get used to the subway anyway, since we'll be taking it every day, right?"

"Right." Kyungsoo nods, "it's a really nice little place; if you like museums, there's a small one there too."

"I never liked them as a kid, but that was because the school trips were always to the crappy local natural history museum. I'm more interested in magic than rocks, I must say."

"What are you talking about? Rocks rock.” Jongin stares at him. “No? I think you'll like it better than the shopping district anyway." Kyungsoo agrees, laughing.

The old circles are located on the other side of the city centre, a large section of green in the middle of an otherwise grey, concrete hub. It's been preserved for centuries and the people who work there take great pride in the upkeep of the area.

They pay for entry, but it’s not expensive enough to make Kyungsoo hesitate. On the way into the sanctuary, Jongin picks up a selection of leaflets and a map. Kyungsoo doesn't think the place is big enough to warrant a map, but if Jongin wants it he's not going to say anything.

"I haven't been here since my first year of uni." Kyungsoo breathes, taking in the cool air. It's still a bit smoggy, since they can't exactly escape the city, but it's a lot less overpowering

"How long ago was that?" Jongin asks, one eyebrow raised.

"I'm twenty eight, not fifty." Kyungsoo scoffs, "that's only... oh ." He sags, counting up the difference. He was eighteen, then.

"Ten years?" Jongin nods impressed. "That's a pretty long time."

"Yeah… " Kyungsoo ignores the teasing look in favour of the bright green of the trees.

They decide to start by making their way through the museum section, milling around quietly, reading the inscriptions of old memorial stones and enchanted medallions. The lowly lit room feels smaller than Kyungsoo remembers, and there isn’t all that much here to learn that he doesn’t already know; but Jongin seems interested, so it isn’t a wasted venture. They don’t spend any longer than half an hour there before they head outside, skirting by the souvenirs shop on the way.

Through the glass doors lie the old circles themselves. The shapes are faded now, though the way the grass grows on them shows their true form; the magic cast here was strong enough to burn the ground, leaving it barren of plant life for decades. When greenery finally started to grow back, some genius decided that it would be a good idea to preserve it and religiously burned the grass.

"What was it a spell for?" Jongin asks, leaning over Kyungsoo as he crouches down to get a better look. The grass is in need of mowing and the shapes are pretty indistinct, but Kyungsoo can recognise the characteristics of a war spell when he sees one. He wonders if one of the leaflets has a clearer version of the spell. He unfolds the shiny paper and scours it, matching up the symbols he knows; some of the old ones look a bit different to the script they use today.

"If my ancient spell knowledge is correct,” he pretends to push up a pair of imaginary spectacles, speaking in a nerdy, nasal voice, “it was used to blow up a neighbouring town."

"Oh." Jongin says, disappointed. Kyungsoo shrugs, pretending that he's not as upset by this as he really is.

"People have always wanted to kill each other." The words come with a twist to his gut. People will probably always want to kill each other, for some reason or another. He shakes his head.

"Do you want to take a picture of it?" Kyungsoo asks, hesitantly. Jongin seems to consider this for a moment, before speaking.

"Nah, it's not really that impressive."

"Not now that you know what it was for." Kyungsoo sighs loudly. "I think the other one was used defensively, I wanna go look at that one."

"Sure. You're the expert." Jongin says, helping him up from his crouched position. Too much desk work has given him achy knees that click when he stands upright. He groans, pointedly not looking at Jongin who is probably laughing at him.

The abjuration spell turns out to be a lot more interesting to Kyungsoo. It has a somewhat crude feeling to it, he just can't put a finger on why that might be. It's not the fact that it’s burnt into the grass, it’s something about the quality of the linework; was it done in a rush? He wonders if the person who made this spell was under time pressure, like Kyungsoo is. He kneels there, staring and analysing the markings for longer than he means to. He can sense the desperation behind each line, the frantic speed at which it was drawn out; this was truly a life or death situation. The enemy was firing; the evidence is right there in front of him. The symbols for armaments and flames right there in the circle. Kyungsoo pictures all the screaming and shouting, the chaos and the confusion surrounding the magician as they desperately completed such a complicated spell circle.

Jongin is probably getting bored, sat on the bench behind him, but he can’t bring himself to move. He feels a strange kinship with the anonymous magician who drew this.

“Shall we go look for somewhere to eat?” Jongin eventually interrupts, with a tap to his shoulder. Kyungsoo feels as though he’s been woken from a dream. He blinks rapidly and shakes his head. “You ok?” Jongin asks, concern pinching his eyes. Kyungsoo nods.

“Yeah… Yeah. Let’s go.”

The day is cool for late summer and Kyungsoo is wearing a long sleeved shirt to keep warmer, as his office doesn’t exactly have the best aircon. Jongin has somehow managed to squeeze into those skin-tight trousers again, and Kyungsoo didn't want to bring it up in case he made anything weird. There isn’t actually a rule against tight clothing; Kyungsoo checked.

Jongin attracts the attention of almost everyone they pass by, which means that people are staring at Kyungsoo too. He doesn't seem particularly talkative this morning. He isn't exactly a morning person in general apparently. After having stayed up a little late searching for apartments that do short term leases, to no avail, he's extra sleepy. He promised that he'll wake up properly in time to do some work, especially if they sell coffee anywhere nearby.

Kyungsoo feels like he's guiding a child up the escalators, ushering the were-cat into the open air. They stop by a coffee shop and, true to Jongin's word, he perks up once he's sipping a sugary caffeinated drink through a straw. Kyungsoo passes by his usual tea shop as well, dropping in to get himself his usual jasmine beverage before continuing on to work.

"Here we are." Kyungsoo announces as they arrive at the tall, window-walled building that Kyungsoo practically lives in now. It's only been two days since he was here last.

"Whoa! This is where you work?" Jongin's eyes are wide in awe, as he tilts his head back to get a full view. Does he know that this angle shows off his jawline, or is he just oblivious?

"Yeah." Kyungsoo shrugs. "My office is sixth down from the top, but it doesn't face this way."

"Oh?" Jongin tilts his head curiously.

“Yep.” Kyungsoo replies, pulling open one of the six glass doors and crossing the lobby towards the elevators, joining the mass of people congregated there. Kyungsoo usually forgets that the ceilings are decorated with delicate mosaics, and chandeliers lit with light bulbs that look like candle flames. However, with Jongin here he gives them a moment to take it in before calling the elevator.

"How old is this place?" Jongin asks, squinting up at the mosaics, which depict astronomy charts in swirling, luminescent colours.

"It's only about sixty years old." Kyungsoo says.

"Really? It seems older than that."

"It's still impressive, though, right? I heard they spent a ton of money commissioning the ceiling. It seems older, because they went for a classic kind of look, with all the pillars and chandeliers. It's way more modern upstairs. I think this is the way it is to impress people." Kyungsoo laughs, raising an eyebrow pointedly at Jongin, who purses his lips.

"Well, it's impressive." He says, in his defence. Kyungsoo nods jovially.

The elevator arrives at that moment, doors sliding smoothly open. Everyone piles inside, Kyungsoo and Jongin are some of the last few to enter. Kyungsoo finds himself having to lean into Jongin to not get caught in the doors. Usually, Kyungsoo arrives a little earlier but they had been set-back by Jongin's slow awakening and the visit to the coffee shop.

Jongin's hand, large and burning, presses into his hip to keep him steady. It doesn't do much to help, as he's already got Jongin's chest up against his back anyway. Kyungsoo tries to breathe and reaches to press the button for his floor.

"Sorry." He mutters, glad that no one can see his face right now.

It's an agonising few minutes, waiting for their floor, people coming and going at every stop, jostling Kyungsoo further into Jongin. Is it just him or is it way too hot in here? He would fan his face, but his arm is trapped next to his side, pinned in place by all the other people surrounding them. Jongin's hand is still on his waist- he probably can't move any more than Kyungsoo can. Kyungsoo tries to turn his attention away from every minute twitch and flex of Jongin's fingers, so he starts reciting the laws of magic under his breath.

The light above the door finally changes to '23', signalling their floor. Kyungsoo has to elbow a few people out of the way to escape from the claustrophobic closeness. The air is cooler out in the hallway, and finally feels like he can breathe again.

"Whew." Jongin says, eyebrows raised. "Is it usually that busy?"

"No. Well, yes , but I usually get here earlier."

"Oh." Jongin scratches the back of his head bashfully. "My bad, I'll be up earlier tomorrow, I promise."

"You better be." He smiles to soften the blow, and starts walking towards his office, smoothing back his hair and hoping it doesn't look too bad. He peeks in through Jongdae's door window as he goes by, but doesn't see much other than the fact that he's already there, poring over a selection of circles. He catches a glimpse of a firearm, as well, on the tabletop.

Upon reaching his door, he makes an extravagant gesture for Jongin.

"This is me. Or us now, I guess. Welcome to our second home." Kyungsoo winces at how weird that came out, but Jongin doesn't even bat an eyelash at it, instead peering inside.

"It's not very big." He observes. Kyungsoo pouts.

"It's only me working here, usually. I don't need a huge lab space." He enters, putting his laptop down on the desk and unloading the book from the drawer underneath. The old tome lands with a heavy whump on the hardwood and makes Jongin flinch.

" This is what you're working with? It looks about a hundred years old."

"Actually, it's two hundred and thirty years. And just one spell in particular..." He flips to the page in question, displaying the ancient abjuration spell in all its complicated glory. Jongin evaluates it.

"So... Why, exactly, can't we just use it the way it is now?"

"It's not strong enough." Kyungsoo’s face tightens. "As it is, it was designed in the times when arcane wizardry was a thing. To make it work it requires at least ten people's magic, just to cover a small village sized area. I'm trying to get it to be more efficient in its' use, so less people are needed to cast it, and still have it cover as much, or more area. I'm also considering tweaking the outer lines more to see if that improves the overall durability of the barrier. Y’know, since the Hanjurians are probably using far more advanced destruction magic. It would be pointless if I worked so hard to make the spell work and then it was shattered by a single blast from the north, right?"

"That seems like an awful lot for one person to be doing by himself, aren't there usually teams dedicated to this type of thing?"

"That's why you're here!" Kyungsoo grins, joyfully handing Jongin a pen and a pile of papers. "Can you start by drawing out some basic circles? It will speed things up just a tiny bit, but I'll really need you for casting later on, when I get to that stage."

"Sure." Jongin looks a bit taken aback, but he accepts the ink pen and looks around. "Shall I... work on the floor?"

"Oh." Kyungsoo blinks, wondering why that hadn't occurred to him. "Uh, I didn’t think of that. Sorry, I could try and clear some space on the desk?" He shrugs, pushing the books aside. The truth is, there just isn't enough room for the both of them. Jongin shakes his head and sinks down to the floor, stacking the sheets of paper to one side.

"It's ok. If I'm just drawing circles this will be fine."

"Alright. I’m really sorry, I should have asked ahead for an extra desk.” Now he feels like an idiot. “H-how confident do you feel with rearranging symbol order in spells? If you get tired of that, then you could do some combination tests. That's what I'll be doing all day."

"Do you have them prepared?"

"Yep, I set up an algorithm on my laptop that sorts all that stuff out."

"But computers can't actually cast, i get it." Jongin nods understandingly. He's already started drawing out a very neat circle. Judging by the steadiness of his penmanship, Kyungsoo can tell he really does have experience and wasn't just saying that.

"Yep, so our human hands have to suffer."

"I feel sorry for the magicians back in the day who had to do this by hand. Like, all , of it."

"Yeah, me too." Kyungsoo agrees, sympathising for those poor, probably apprentice, magicians. He cracks his knuckles and stares down at his blank page, feeling more motivated to tackle this task than he has in weeks. It probably has something to do with the fact that he's not stuck in here by himself anymore.

The first circle he draws is a bust and so is the second. Both of them had stood over it, the spell placed on the table top, both their hands touching the linework to let their magic flow through it. There wasn't even a spark, even when Jongin seemed to really be pushing.

This is normal for him, but Jongin seems a bit put off. After lunch, they get straight down to work again. Jongin now has a small, rickety desk that administration dug up from somewhere, but it serves his purpose well enough. It means that his office feels more crowded now, but there's still space to stand up and stretch his legs between drawing and casting spells.

He works slower than that morning, pen pressing so hard into the paper that it almost gouges a hole straight through. Kyungsoo sighs through his nose watching his lack of progress and wonders if that's how he looks to his other colleagues, when things aren't going well for him.

"C'mon, Jongin. It's nearly lunchtime. See if you can get that one done, then we can head to the cafeteria."

"Oh yeah, and I'm buying, right?" He jokes, smiling wanly. Kyungsoo can see that he's gritting his teeth a little. He must be as irritated by the lack of progress as Kyungsoo is; just wait until he's endured weeks of this.

"That's right." Kyungsoo replies. "The quicker you finish that, the quicker we can go get lunch. We have five minutes, technically, but it will take that long to finish the circle, let alone cast it."

"Can we cast after we've eaten?"

"Uh, I guess? Sure, why not." Kyungsoo shrugs; it doesn't make that much of a difference in the long run. He turns back to his own work and adds the finishing touches to the outer barrier line. If only he could scan that part out and save time; but the spell might not work if he does that and he doesn't want to risk it. Some, less complicated, spells function fine when printed from a machine, but lots don't; the pixelation in the scans can ruin the delicate lines. A lot of magicians who work with experimental spells also just don't like their work being made digital like that, preferring to keep to their hand-drawn roots.

The last tiny dot on the paper drawn in, Kyungsoo fans his hand over the finished piece and looks down at Jongin. He's crouched above his sheet of paper, the curve of his spine evident in the way that he's hunched over his work. His tail lazily flicks to and fro, and if Kyungsoo knows his cat-body-language then that means he's enjoying himself, at least a little, right?

"Almost done… alright, there! Let's go." Jongin says, standing up with a groan and stretching his back out. He reaches his arms above his head and Kyungsoo catches a flash of skin before he's bending down to touch the floor. Well, almost touch it.

Kyungsoo takes one last look over his desk, to make sure nothing is unnecessarily out of place, before joining his familiar to get food.

"What kind of food do they serve here?" Jongin asks inquisitively. Kyungsoo shrugs.

"It depends on the day really. Sometimes it’s stir fry, sometimes curry. Sometimes fries and nuggets."

"Is it good, at least?" Jongin wrinkles his nose at Kyungsoo's less than satisfactory tone. Kyungsoo raises his hands in placation.

"Oh, yeah! It's not crap at all, it's pretty good actually. I've never felt the need to bring in my own lunch, at least."

"Well, that's a relief." Jongin snorts. "Although I'm sure your cooking is just as good as anything a chef here can do."

"Such flattery." Kyungsoo reprimands, but is still pleased by the compliment.

"Hey!" An unidentified shout commands their attention and causes Jongin to wince. Kyungsoo turns around in alarm, but ends up rolling his eyes. Of course, it would be Jongdae; he was probably waiting for them to go by his office so he could accost them.

"Hey," Jongdae repeats, quieter now that he's caught up with them. Chanyeol and a couple of other interns are peering around the doorframe, probably wondering what on earth is going on.

"You must be Kyungsoo's new familiar." Jongdae says, holding out his hand. "I'm Jongdae."

"Jongin." He shakes Jongdae's hand, a little put off by his sudden appearance.

"You're taller than I expected you to be." Jongdae comments, pursing his lips as he studies him unabashedly. "Now me and Kyungsoo are going to look tiny whenever we go out with Chanyeol and his boyfriend, thanks a lot."

"Uh, I'm sorry?" Jongin tries to keep up with Jongdae.

"Nah, don't worry about it." Jongdae waves him off, "you were going to the cafeteria, right? I'll join you guys. Wait here for a moment." He turns on his heel and darts back into his office. There's a bit of rustling and low comments passed between him and his underlings. Kyungsoo sends Jongin an apologetic look. He should have warned him about Jongdae.

This time, when Jongdae comes hurtling out of his office, it’s with Chanyeol and Joonmyeon hot on his heels. Kyungsoo is surprised to see Joonmyeon outside of the office, since he usually leaves early to get food and eats while he works. Kyungsoo can't function like that.

"This is Chanyeol, an intern of mine, and Joonmyeon, another Experimental Spells master."

"Hi." Jongin nods politely to both of them. "I'm Jongin, Kyungsoo's assistant."

"Nice to meet you!" Chanyeol grins, his charming exuberance washing over him as he goes in for a bro-hug. Jongin pats his back awkwardly, but doesn't look uncomfortable. Ever proper, Joonmyeon settles for a handshake. Kyungsoo supposes it's for the better to get all of the introductions over and done with.

"What are we doing standing in the corridor?" Jongdae asks no one in particular, "c'mon, I'm hungry." With that, he throws his arms over Kyungsoo and Jongin's shoulders, despite it being a bit of a stretch, and begins to walk towards the elevators. Chanyeol watches behind them, disappointed at being left behind. It only takes him two strides to catch up, however, and he joins them on Jongin's side. Kyungsoo eyes him nervously, is he avoiding Jongdae?

"I'm guessing it was you two I heard arguing earlier?" Jongin sighs, looking between them both. Kyungsoo raises his eyebrows. Had he heard something? Kyungsoo hadn't noticed any shouting, but he was engrossed with his work, and he just doesn't have the hearing Jongin does.

Joonmyeon, a silent observer, steps inside the elevator and presses the button.

"Ah, yeah." Jongdae looks down, letting his arms drop, "Chanyeol pointed out a mistake of mine and I guess I was a bit bitter about it."

"It was an easy mistake to make." Chanyeol murmurs, voice low and remorseful.

"Yeah, that's what's got me so annoyed. I need to do better at keeping focused. It turned out alright in the end, though… Or, as well as any failed spell attempt could be." He laughs, "speaking of failed spells, how is your work going?" The elevator opens up and they take the small journey to the large room and join the cafeteria queue.

"As failurific as ever." Kyungsoo smiles a sarcastic smile. "Jongin is being a good help so far, we're going through options much quicker than I would on my own."

"Ehh, what did I tell you?" Jongdae jabs his elbow into Kyungsoo's side a few times. "I told you a familiar would help." Kyungsoo pushes him away, snorting.

"Yes, yes, you were right. You're the smartest. Blah blah." Kyungsoo rolls his eyes fondly. "You're such a kid."

"You know it." Jongdae winks, before ordering. He tries to woo the server with a cheesy grin and finger guns, but the lady isn't having it. He doesn't let it get him down, however. "She loves me." He reassures everyone watching.

It's not hard to find a table that will fit all of them. Kyungsoo, naturally, ends up seated by Jongin and opposite Jongdae. Jongin's longer legs somehow end up in Kyungsoo's way, but when he brushes up against him, he doesn't move or say anything. Kyungsoo doesn't say anything either, not wanting to make a mountain out of a molehill.

"So." Jongdae asks, making a steeple with his fingers. "What's it like working with Kyungsoo?"

"It's fine?" Jongin shrugs. "We've only cast a couple of things together so far, I'm not really in a position to judge."

"I see." Jongdae muses over his food. "I see. Very diplomatic." Kyungsoo thinks he's trying to seem like he's having smart thoughts. He hums enigmatically.

"Well, in that case, I hope you two get along well in the coming months. And I hope you give Kyungsoo a hand , he's been stressing lately."

"Yeah?" Jongin side-eyes Kyungsoo, which has him stupidly flustered.

"W-well anyone would be!" He snaps, defensive.

“It's true that you've been having to deal all by yourself. I'm glad you have help now. I hope you're able to help him." Joonmyeon says to Jongin.

"I'll do my best." Jongin nods sagely, finishing off the last of his food. "What are you guys working on then?" He asks, sparking them off on a conversation about their current projects. Kyungsoo is pleased at how well the newcomer seems to fit into their group; he even has them all laughing over silly anecdotes from his childhood.

On the subway home, Kyungsoo feels more awake than usual. Jongin had offered to take charge of casting most of the spells, with a small break for recovery time, which had allowed Kyungsoo to draw a few more circles. It meant that they progressed at a rate almost double the speed and Kyungsoo is holding out for the same routine tomorrow.

The only downside is that it wears Jongin out. He had walked like a zombie from the government building, all the way to the subway.

He's now nodding off on Kyungsoo's shoulder and his hair keeps tickling his neck. Kyungsoo looks down at him fondly, Jongin didn't have to push himself so hard today, but maybe he was trying to prove himself? Either way, he's proud of him. Of both of them, honestly. He’ll suggest that they switch over the roles for tomorrow.

He has a feeling that this might really work. Some day soon, they'll crack it and the spell will flare to life under their fingertips. He hasn't felt this hopeful in a while and it's all thanks to Jongin.

Without being weird, he ruffles Jongin's hair in between his ears to wake him up. Not to feel how soft the silken strands are beneath his fingers, of course.

"Jongin, this is our stop." He says, trying to rouse him gently. The werecat is going to be sleeping like a log until early morning at this rate; he'll have to try and keep him awake long enough just to make sure he eats.

Jongin groans, eyes opening a crack. He rubs his eyes sleepily and grumbles something under his breath as he stands up. They're pretty lucky they got a quiet cart, otherwise Jongin would be swaying and bumping into everyone. Kyungsoo shakes his head and gets up to make sure he doesn't hurt himself on the step out. He's heard stories about people getting trapped between the doors and he'd rather not see that in person.

Kyungsoo feels like a shepherd, guiding Jongin up the escalator and out onto the street. He checks a few times, only to find that Jongin's eyes are shut tight. He might as well be sleepwalking at this point.

The steep stairs up to his apartment are a challenge as well and he wishes this building had an elevator.

It doesn't take long for Jongin to curl up on the sofa after getting in and kicking off his shoes. Kyungsoo smirks, and shakes his head.

"I'll let you rest for a bit, and I’ll wake you up when I've put some food together, ok?" Kyungsoo says, wanting him to know what's going on. Jongin mumbles what seems to be an affirmative, so Kyungsoo leaves him to it. He’s so cute.

He rummages through his fridge, throwing together some vegetables in a pan with some oyster sauce. It won't be anything too fancy, just a stir fry, but hopefully Jongin will be too tired to care. Maybe tomorrow, if this continues in the same way, they can pick up some fried chicken on the way home.

With the food sizzling satisfactorily, Kyungsoo peers behind him, looking at Jongin. All he can see of him from here is the top of his head. He can hear him breathing, though; almost snoring but not quite.

It's not as awkward as yesterday, just having a half Jongin in the room with him. He'd like to put some music on, or maybe the TV to fill out some of the quiet, but silence is nice too sometimes. He doesn't want to disturb the sleeping werecat.

Noodles are the last thing to go on the hob, straight into boiling water. The packet says they only take three minutes, so hopefully it will be done at the same time as the vegetables.

Pulling out some plates, Kyungsoo wonders how best to wake Jongin. He considers leaving the plate out for him when he wakes up naturally, but that might not be till morning. He doles out the food and carries it over.

"Jongin?" He tries gently. He doesn't stir, even when Kyungsoo wafts the plate under his nose. Nudging him with his foot is what wakes him in the end, but his eyes never open all the way, even as he shovels the noodles into his mouth. Kyungsoo feels awfully guilty about exhausting him like this, on his first day no less, especially when he himself still feels great. Tomorrow he’s definitely insisting that they switch.

When Jongin is done, Kyungsoo takes his plate from him and washes up, as Jongin slowly makes his way to wash up. It's very early to be going to sleep, but if he's that tired then Kyungsoo won't say anything. He just supposes that this means he won't be looking for other apartments tonight. That's fine.

While Jongin is out of the room, Kyungsoo puts out the blankets and pillows, before remembering that Jongin is just going to make a mess again anyway so he needn't have bothered.

Jongin emerges a few minutes later wearing only his boxers again. Kyungsoo is getting better at looking at only the man's face, rather than ogling his body. It's a skill that's going to take a long time to perfect, he realises, with a gulp.

"Is it ok if I turn in early?" Jongin asks, speaking more clearly than he has in hours. Kyungsoo nods vigorously.

"Yeah, of course, do what you need to do. I'll just be in my room if you need me for anything."

"Ok." Jongin sends a bleary smile his way, that has Kyungsoo's tummy doing funny things.

"Ok. Right. Goodnight then." Kyungsoo points towards the corridor, then scurries off that way. As he changes into pyjamas, though it's barely seven o'clock yet, Kyungsoo wonders if Jongin should eat more.

He'll ask in the morning.

Several days pass and Kyungsoo learns that Jongin would happily devour fried chicken every day of the week, if he could, but wouldn't eat anything bitter if his life depended on it. While Kyungsoo can chug back a cup of black coffee in the mornings, Jongin won't even touch it unless it has all the sugar and cream that can possibly fit inside.

"You should just have energy drinks instead." Kyungsoo complains one morning, after waiting in line for way too long for whatever syrupy frappe thing Jongin bought.

"I should." Jongin nods, raising his eyebrows, "I could buy them in bulk, too. Remind me on the way back, we could pick some up then. Back in my university days, I used to go through a six pack of Mythril cans a day."

"I'd say 'are you even human?' but that doesn't really apply to you, does it?"

"Being a were-animal does absolutely nothing for caffeine tolerances. I get the shakes just as bad as regular humans, let me tell you." He shudders, reliving a memory.

"I was a good student, I only had one coffee a day."

"Did you limit yourself to that?" Jongin wrinkles his nose. "You seem to have a thing about limits; only an appropriate amount of everything, unless it's work. Did you never caffeine binge?"

"Only once, and I hated it so much I never tried it again. It was an all-nighter before an exam."

"Oh god. Did you pass that one?"

"Yeah. Just barely." Kyungsoo shakes his head. "I'm amazed that I managed to get the last circle drawn at all. I'm sure I got points deducted for jaggy line work, though."

They pass under a building with a huge screen on the front, showing a news channel. The building is opposite Kyungsoo's, but since his office faces the other direction he can't see it while he's working; which is good for him because he would get easily distracted. At the moment, they’re replaying a clip of Zhao Ying speaking at a press conference the week before, where he denounced the evil of the southerners, and swore that he would cleanse the world of ‘evil magic’. Kyungsoo looks away.

"What exam was that for?" Jongin asks, heading up the short flight of steps to the entrance.

"That was advanced restoration. I had to do more than one module to graduate. I don't remember a lot of that stuff now, it's been a long time since I looked at any healing spells."

"Yeah, you've just been cramming your head with barrier stuff. I'm not surprised there isn't any room left for me inside you."

“W-wha-” Kyungsoo stutters at Jongin’s playful jibe, mouth hanging open when he winks. Jongin laughs it off,

“Kidding, kidding.” He says, but the butterflies in Kyungsoo’s tummy disagree.He feels like he’s just going to have to get used to being permanently flustered around him.

It takes Kyungsoo a few minutes to recover from that, and it’s only when they finally reach his office that he finally feels the heat fading from his cheeks. He lets out a huge breath, and glances in Jongin’s direction; he’s not looking, too busy setting up his things. What has he gotten himself into? Kyungsoo moves to get his things out as well, ready to start slogging through more variations.

With a lot of trial and error, throughout the week the pair of them have come up with a routine that is efficient but doesn't leave them feeling like death. Jongin still snoozes on the subway, head lolling on Kyungsoo’s shoulder, but he's awake enough to eat. They even spend bit of time in the evenings, discussing the minutiae of spellworking symbols. His old job was for thermal magic, so not a lot of the skills transfer well to abjuration, academically speaking, but Jongin is always eager to learn. Sometimes they watch TV together, and sometimes they eat out with Jongdae and other friends, sometimes just the two of them. It’s nice.

Kyungsoo finishes his second circle of the day and stretches his arms out, flexing his fingers.

"Jongin?" Kyungsoo asks, inclining his head to the finished work. Jongin hums, signalling that he's almost ready as well. They're following different lines of exclusion, meaning that they're more likely to find something that sticks more quickly. Kyungsoo waits the few minutes for Jongin to finish with his spell, before they both stand, taking their place either side of Kyungsoo's desk.

"Ready?" Kyungsoo asks, palms placed facing down on the paper, his fingertips just touching the outer perimeter of the spell. Jongin nods, hands down on the other side. Closing his eyes, Kyungsoo breathes in through his nose and lets his energy flow down his arms, into the spell. So used to failure, Kyungsoo almost gives up before the cast is really complete, but something catches. His eyes fly open, and he looks up at Jongin, who is already beaming at him.

"Did you feel that?" He gasps, looking down at the circle. It was faint, like broken velcro; catching but not holding for more than half a second. Indistinct, but definitely there.

"Does that mean...?" Jongin asks, eyes glittering with glee.

"Something worked. It worked. It worked !" He lunges across the table, sweeping Jongin up in a hug and spinning him around. Jongin is too heavy for him to lift, so it just looks like they’re dancing. That’s ok,

Kyungsoo feels like dancing anyway. Jongin’s hands rest on his waist, like he doesn’t know what else to do with them.

“Ah, sorry.” Kyungsoo snaps his head up, backing away.

“No, it’s ok. I’m all for sudden rewards like that.” Kyungsoo rolls his eyes, but he can’t help laughing.

This is only the first step- it didn't even fully cast, but this narrows everything down so much! They just need to focus their attention on a branch of variations now and things should, with a bit of luck, fall into place smoothly.

He runs his fingers through his hair and slumps down in his seat, giddy with pleasure.

“I can’t believe it.” He says, breath shaky. He can hardly stop smiling and neither can Jongin.

“This is so great.” Jongin laughs. “What do we do now?”

“We keep going. After lunch, I mean. We-we’ll need to-” he rubs his face, thinking fast. He hadn’t expected this to happen so soon. “We’ll need to recast the spell a few times, to see where the flow stops, and then from there it’s a case of trying out similar spell compositions.”

“So it’s still going to take ages, huh?”

"Well, yeah. But we knew that." Kyungsoo sighs, "I'm more surprised that we got something to change so fast."

"You were suffering like that without anything working for… months?" Jongin shakes his head, awed by Kyungsoo's resilience. “I don’t think I would’ve held out this long. Anyway, we can carry on after we've eaten; we need to take a break anyway. Especially you."

"You've cast almost as many as I have, you've got to be feeling it as well." Kyungsoo scolds. Jongin pouts, gathering up his things in an orderly pile, with the un-cast spell of his at the top. He's caught the tidiness bug off Kyungsoo, much to his satisfaction. Although that doesn’t mean he cleans up his nest in the mornings, yet.

"I am a bit tired." Admits Kyungsoo, begrudgingly.

"And starving, right?" Jongin asks, one eyebrow raised. Kyungsoo's about to deny it but his tummy growls, betraying him. Jongin snorts.

"C'mon, let's grab something. We're only a few minutes early." Jongin encourages, slinging his arm loosely around Kyungsoo's shoulders and leading him out into the cool corridor.

"Wait a second, I want to wait for Jongdae." Kyungsoo halts them, still wrapped in Jongin’s arm. "I want to share the news." He explains, when Jongin looks at him inquiringly. Jongdae will probably be ecstatic and he will also probably take some of the credit for making Kyungsoo hire Jongin, but that's just the way he is.

The first people to leave the office are two women that Kyungsoo hasn't been properly introduced to. They give both of them a funny look as they walk by, making Kyungsoo uncomfortable. He squirms a bit and Jongin drops his arm. He hadn't exactly meant for that to happen, but it helps his face return to a natural colour.

It doesn't take long for Jongdae to open the door after that, followed by Chanyeol as usual, and Joonmyeon. It looks like he's had a bad morning, but on seeing them his face brightens.

"Hey!" He greets, opening out his hands in greeting. "Were you waiting for us? Sorry about that."

"Slow day?" Kyungsoo asks sympathetically, biting his lip.

"A bit, yeah." Jongdae shrugs dismissively. "At least we're still doing better than you." He jokes elbowing him in the side. Now Kyungsoo feels like an .

"Yeah," Joonmyeon jibes, "no one can be as unlucky as you." Ok, he doesn't feel like an anymore.

"Well, actually, we had a breakthrough this morning." Kyungsoo mumbles, sending a dirty look in Joonmyeon’s direction.

"We finally had a spell work, sort of. It partially cast." Jongin grins.

"What, really?" Jongdae gasps. "You mean it was actually worth coming into work today?"

"It's worth it every day, if I hadn't been steadily getting through all the options, we would never have arrived at this one."

"Well, that's debatable." Joonmyeon interjects, teasingly. Kyungsoo shoves him as they pile into the elevator, which results in him accidentally pressing the wrong button. Joonmyeon tuts loudly and fixes their mistake.

"Debatable as it may be," Jongdae says, his announcer voice coming into play, "I think it deserves celebration. How does everyone feel about grabbing some drinks tonight?" Kyungsoo considers it; it would be fun, that's for sure. On the other hand, he hasn't been drunk in the vicinity of Jongin yet, and while he's not exactly the type to get wild. He doesn't 100% trust himself not to do something that ruins their relationship. He’s trying his best not to let Jongin’s flirtatious nature get to him, but it’s hard. It feels like there’s something else between them, more than just playful banter.

"Yeah, I'm down for that." Jongin nods eagerly, eyes sparkling.

Well.

How can Kyungsoo say no, now?

The rest of the afternoon is spent recasting the partially working spell and drawing it out with small variations, none of which work any better. Both of them are exhausted by the end of the day and Kyungsoo is sort of rethinking this night out; he can't exactly back out now since it’s held in their honour.

When Jongdae knocks on his office door, five minutes after they're officially allowed to clock out, butterflies invade his stomach.

"You ready to go?" Jongdae calls through the door. Kyungsoo scrambles to clear his belongings away, with some help from Jongin. The man is suddenly closer than he had expected, his face right next to his own. Holy .

"Are you sure you're ok with this?" Jongin asks in quiet concern. He hadn't even realised that he had seemed like he was having second thoughts. Kyungsoo nods his head rapidly.

"Oh, yeah, I'm fine. Yeah." Kyungsoo hopes that's more convincing to Jongin than it sounds to him. Judging by the other man's face, it's not convincing at all. He smiles, trying to convey that he really does want to go. He likes spending time with everyone.

"Ok then." Jongin half smiles, eyes soft. "We don't have to stay out all evening. I know you're tired." He reminds him gently. Kyungsoo laughs breathily, the butterflies coming back in full force. How dare he be so considerate?

"Are you guys coming or what? We’re just waiting on you now, the others already came up here to see what’s taking so long." Jongdae peers around the door, causing Kyungsoo to jerk away away from Jongin, flustered.

"Yes, we're coming now, just give us a moment." He calls back, scrambling to grab his things. Jongdae, one eyebrow raised ominously, hums knowingly; he saw. At that revelation, Kyungsoo’s heart sinks. He's never going to hear the end of this now, not from him or anyone. Jongdae is going to gossip about this, even though there's nothing going on. Kyungsoo shoves his papers into his bag, no longer caring that they're going to get crumpled up, and darts out of his office, barely waiting for Jongin to keep up.

"Jongdae!" He stage whispers, dragging him off to the side. "Nothing is going on between us, you got that?" He stares into Jongdae's eyes intently, who only smiles angelically.

"Sure, Kyungsoo. Nothing going on. I didn't say anything, but sure; I'll believe you." Kyungsoo scowls. He's just walking into Jongdae's trap, Kyungsoo's defensive reaction is doing more to convince him that he’s right. .

"So what's the plan, guys?" Wendy butts in, looking tiny standing between Chanyeol and Jongin. Jongdae raises his eyebrows in Kyungsoo's direction.

"I don't know. I feel like we should let Kyungsoo and Jongin choose, since this is all in their favour."

Jongin holds up his hands. "I don't know my way around bars here yet, don't look at me." In unison, everyone swivels their heads to look at Kyungsoo. He sweats under his clothing, avoiding Jongin's eyes.

"U-um. How about that place we went to last time?" He stammers.

"Oh yeah!" Chanyeol comes to his rescue, “by the way, I've invited Sehun, I hope that's ok?" He wonders shyly.

"Yeah, he's a good kid." Jongdae says, "I don't think anyone would mind having him around."

"I'll try to keep him away from political topics this time." Chanyeol laughs awkwardly, scratching the back of his head.

It's really a little early to be going to a bar, but Kyungsoo would rather get this over with sooner. If they wait too much longer, then they'll only end up staying out longer than is conducive for work the following morning; Kyungsoo doesn't fancy going into work with a hangover. He doesn't know how Jongin is with alcohol, but trying to wake him up after a night out sounds even worse than trying to wake himself up. He'll do his best to make sure they start heading home before midnight.

As a troupe, they all head down to the main lobby and find Sehun waiting for them, sat down on one of the seats this time, instead of out in the cold. Chanyeol must have told him to come inside after last time. When they all pile out of the elevator, he stands up to greet them, snuggling into Chanyeol's side when he holds his arm out for him.

"Hi guys!" Sehun exclaims, looking in particular at Kyungsoo and Jongdae, since they are the people he has actually met before. Introductions are made as they start walking, painfully slowly, out of the building and into the dimly sunlit evening. Kyungsoo trails behind everyone else, avoiding stepping in the others' elongated shadows. Jongin is up ahead, getting to know Sehun and probably suffering the same interrogation that the young man gave Kyungsoo, the first time they met. He seems like he's handling it well, though, from what he can see. He’s good at talking to people.

He turns his attention instead to his surroundings, enjoying the cool breeze that's so different to his stuffy, stale office room. The sun is reflecting off the windows, making him have to squint to see anything at all.

He feels more relaxed than he has in a long time, and it's because of Jongin, at least a little bit. Should he buy him a drink for his troubles? Or would that be improper, considering he's technically his employer. He's not going to overthink it; tonight he's just going to concentrate on enjoying himself.

"So how are you doing?" Wendy sidles up next to him. He shakes the last remnants of his daydreaming away before facing her. It takes him a moment to register what she said.

"Oh. I'm doing alright."

"Thanks to Jongin, right?" She says it teasingly, and he doesn't get the feeling that she's taking down notes to hold against him later on. Unlike Jongdae.

"Yeah." He agrees, staring at his back. "He's been really helpful, actually. More so than I would've thought."

"I'm happy for you. It's nice to see you like this; you've been so down lately, it’s hard to watch. It's not good for someone to have that much responsibility."

"I know, but Hyojung is doing something just as important. She’s working on an anti terrorist barrier, which I don’t envy at all. Psychologically rooted magic is a whole ‘nother can of worms."

"I find it hard to believe that you and Hyojung are the only abjuration experts out there, shouldn't the government scout out some other specialists to create a team?" Wendy frowns, perplexed at the blatant inefficiency, "it's kind of a priority after all." Kyungsoo sighs, he’s had thoughts about this before and even raised some questions to his boss, but he only got a vague response from him.

"I don't know how the government works. I'm guessing they're pushing most of the money into offence and calling it defence." He shrugs, feeling a bit like the man who had to carry the world on his back.

"I don't know either." Wendy shakes her head, slightly deflated. There's no use in trying to figure out how the system works. She huffs, shoving her hands into her pockets. "So, how much further is it to this bar?"

"Not too far now, I think." Kyungsoo says, craning his neck to see beyond Jongin's broad back. He hadn't really been paying attention last time and he hadn't left the venue entirely sober either.

As soon as Kyungsoo starts to ask Chanyeol where the bar is, they're swerving off to the side and Kyungsoo is starting to recognise the place. The bartender greets them with a curt smile as they all move en masse to the largest table in the room.

Either by accident, or by design, Kyungsoo ends up sat by Jongin on one of the wall seats. Kyungsoo spies some secretive looks passed between his colleagues that suggest it was less of an accident than it looks. He laces his fingers together on top of the table, then changes his mind to go buy himself a drink.

There's a twist of tension in his gut that comes from being close to Jongin while under the sharp eyes of his friends. They're going to be looking at every little gesture, every smile in his direction. He knows that they all think there's something going on between, so he needs to prove them wrong tonight. He's hardly going to even look at Jongin, they won't see anything between them. Not a thing. They're professional co-workers, nothing more.

He pays for his drink and heads back to their table, the cold glass held tight in his hand. Kyungsoo returns just in time to hear Sehun addressing the entire table. He's already half sat on Chanyeol's lap, and he hasn't even had a single drink yet. Jongin stands up to let him back into his seat, between him and Sehun on his left.

"You know, I'm surprised that you don't watch those kinds of things." The student says earnestly.

"What kinds of things?" Kyungsoo asks, curious.

"Oh, those war movies set like, hundreds of years ago."

"What, where they use magic to save the day?" Kyungsoo snorts. If only it were as easy to win a war as it seemed in those movies. "Yeah, I can't watch those either. I spend too much time being annoyed at the inaccuracies of the spellcasting to really enjoy it."

"Me too." Jongdae agrees, nursing a bottle of dry cider.

"I've never had a problem with them, but I prefer horror movies, myself." Jongin says, shifting closer to get into the conversation. In doing so, he nudges Kyungsoo's leg under the table by accident. Instead of apologising, he catches Kyungsoo's eye for a brief moment, and doesn't even move it away. Kyungsoo takes a sip of his beer, clutching at the cold drink as if it will sap away the heat rushing to his cheeks.

. This is the exact opposite of ‘nothing’. He tries not to stiffen up too obviously. He's going to keep calm and pretend that this isn't happening.

"I can't watch horror movies." Kyungsoo says, grimacing. Next to him, Jongin mock gasps.

"You wound me!"

"Why can't you watch scary movies?" Sehun asks, eyebrows drawn together so there's a tiny line in between them. Kyungsoo shrugs.

“They’re so boring. I don’t get them.”

“ What?! ” Jongin exclaims, “how can you say that? Death Dance is not boring!” That must be his favourite. This is easier ground for Kyungsoo to navigate; playful bickering is easier to deal with than obvious flirting. If he can keep this up, then he’ll be fine.

“Is that the really predictable one where the girl goes to that vampire night club?”

“Not even close, that sounds like some kind of young adult romance.” Jongin looks so offended, Kyungsoo almost chokes on his drink. He raises his eyebrows, smirking behind the rim of his glass. “Death Dance is the one where this lady finds that she has a ton of murderer’s corpses from the dark ages buried in her basement.”

“Does it have any dancing in it?” Kyungsoo teases, almost spitting out his drink at the sight of Jongin’s gaping mouth.

“No, it does not.”

“Don’t you think the title is a bit misleading, then?”

“What is this slander.” He shakes his head, “that’s it. On our next day off we’re doing a horror movie marathon. I’m going to convert you for sure.”

“Good luck with that, Kyungsoo is stubborn as a mule.” Jongdae pipes up, “are you two still living together, by the way? I thought you were going to find somewhere else?”

“Oh, yeah.” Jongin laughs uncomfortably as Kyungsoo narrows his eyes at him. Kyungsoo has been meaning to ask about this as well. “Well, I had a look for some, but I hadn’t realised how expensive the apartments are here? I was going to ask Kyungsoo if I could stay longer at his place if I made some more contributions to bills and stuff.” Somehow Kyungsoo had known that was coming. He takes in a deep breath, feeling ambivalent about the whole situation.

“We can talk about it later.” He hedges, wanting both more time to think about it, and also to not have this conversation in front of everyone.

“Right.” Jongin says, clearly still uncomfortable. Jongdae looks like he wants to say something as well, but Kyungsoo glares daggers at him until he looks away, cowed. Crisis averted. Now to think of something else to say to direct the conversation elsewhere...

“Jongdae- how is little Jongdeok doing? His exams went fine, right?”

At some point during the night, Baekhyun had called for shots, claiming that they had to get hammered in order to properly celebrate. Kyungsoo hadn't entirely agreed with his logic, but had succumbed to taking two rounds with everyone anyway. Now his head is fuzzy, and he feels pleasantly buzzed as he rearranges the coasters on the table over and over. Jongdae is telling everyone about his latest disastrous date with a girl he met through some dating app, who turned out to be a snobby . Sehun and Chanyeol are whispering to each other, giggling every so often. Kyungsoo wonders what they're talking about.

"-and she didn't even say thank you !" Jongdae exclaims, throwing his hands up into the air. It's lucky that his drink is almost empty, otherwise it would have gone everywhere. His raised voice makes Kyungsoo look up in surprise, but as soon as he figures out what's going on, he focuses back on his coasters. He leans into Jongin's side, comfortable just listening to what's going on around him.

"No 'thank you'? After all that? Oh my god. I can't believe you even stuck around that long." Wendy says, shaking her head.

"What a ." Baekhyun agrees, consolatory, "you have the worst luck with dating."

"I know right." Jongdae whines, "I don't want to talk about her anymore, I want to hear some good news. Did you end up asking that girl out, in the end? What was her name? Seulgi?"

"I did, actually!" Wendy's smile takes up her entire face, "wait-" she says, rummaging in her bag for her phone, "I want to show you guys a picture of her. She's so adorable." She flicks through some food photos, until she reaches a selfie she must have taken with her. Kyungsoo can't quite see it properly, but judging by the way Jongdae is gawping, she must be really pretty.

"So, was that your first date, then?" Baekhyun asks, "did you sleep with her yet?"

"No, and none of your business." Wendy replies, her lips.

"You slept with her, didn't you." Baekhyun says, wrinkling his face up smugly. Wendy shuts her eyes, and knocks back the remains of her cider, ignoring him. Baekhyun whoops,

"Wendy got laid!" He hollers, flinching away from the punch that comes his way a moment later. Wendy pretends to pummel Baekhyun and Jongdae squawks, caught between them. He covers his head and reaches out for Chanyeol and Sehun for help but they are in their own world. Jongin is just laughing.

Amused, Kyungsoo reaches for his drink and finds it to be empty. He lets the last few drops roll onto his tongue anyway, and pushes all the empty glasses into the middle of the table.

Wow, now he really needs to go to the bathroom.

Jongin, next to Kyungsoo, is leaning with his elbows on the table, sort of completely blocking Kyungsoo's way. He hums to himself, leaning back and forth, but there really isn't any way to get around him. He hasn't had to get up since he bought his first drink, since Wendy and Jongdae had been kind enough to buy each round after that.

"Are you ok?" Jongin asks, concerned. Kyungsoo blushes at everyone now staring at him.

"Need to go pee." He explains sheepishly. Jongin's mouth falls open in understanding.

"Can you climb over?" Jongin asks, leaning back to let him pass. Kyungsoo squints, sure that there has to be another way of going about this, but Jongin just stares at him earnestly until Kyungsoo gives up. How drunk is Jongin? Kyungsoo hasn’t been keeping tabs on how many drinks he’s had, though he seems suspiciously sober. Or, at least, not as drunk as Kyungsoo is. The floor is unsteady beneath him as Kyungsoo stands up, adjusting his shirt a bit, and starts to step over Jongin's lap.

It's a bit precarious. He wobbles and braces himself on the wall behind Jongin, hands either side of his head. Jongin's hands come up to to rest on his hips, his eyes wide. Kyungsoo takes in a shuddering breath. Jongin is so close and so, so attractive. Kyungsoo doesn’t usually let himself think things like that, but really, what’s the harm in admiring how pretty the other man’s lips are?

"Alright?" He asks softly. Kyungsoo looks to the side, ears burning, and scuttles off to the bathroom.

"Take him out for dinner first!" He hears Jongdae shout to his back as he escapes. He looks over his shoulder to scowl in the man’s direction, only to find him making crude hand gestures, while Jongin tries to stop him.

He shuts the door behind him and s his pants, facing a urinal. Emptying his bladder is a relief, but his mind is still clogged up with thoughts of Jongin. How his face looked when he was stood over him, one leg either side of his lap, how his eyelashes had fluttered minutely and....how his gaze had flicked to his mouth for just a moment. If Kyungsoo allowed himself to act on his impulses, he's sure that he could get Jongin in bed with him. He wants that so bad, so bad , but he can't do that without ruining their work relationship. There's no question about it; Jongin constantly teases him, if he doesn’t want this then he’ll need to rethink his whole ing life.

He zips himself back up, and washes his hands, resting his forehead on the cold mirror. He splashes some water on his face for good measure, to blast the images and sounds that his imagination is conjuring out of thin air. The coldness helps him get his head screwed on the right way, and distracts from the attention demanding throbbing between his legs.

Now he just has to get back out there and act like none of this happened. He rests his hands on the sink, counting to ten and breathes steadily until he’s positive that he’s got everything under control. When he thinks he’s ready to go back out, he peeks around the door and sneaks back to his seat. He thought he was being stealthy, but the moment he’s in view, Jongdae is waving at him.

“You took your time, you weren’t whacking off in there were you? You should have invited me.” He leers at Kyungsoo as he steps over Jongin again, the were-cat’s hands magnetically attracted to his waist again. “Or maybe you would prefer that hunk of man meat over there?” He makes an absurd ‘y’ face, and pretends to his hips.

Jongin is blatantly ignoring him, focused only on Kyungsoo as he slumps into his seat. His hand slips onto his knee, sending a flash of heat to his gut and rendering all the extra time he spent in the bathroom totally useless. He bites his lip and moves a little closer. That’s fine, right? He’s not having right there, just sitting next to him is fine. Right? He pulls his phone out of his pocket to check the time. He tries to put his password in as well, but his fingers aren’t co-operating with him.

“Oh, Jongin, just like that, OH!” Baekhyun has a ketchup bottle and is giving it a graphic, saliva-y while Jongdae narrates. Wendy is losing her . Kyungsoo feels like he’s going to die, until Jongin’s hand moves a little further up and he squeezes his thigh lightly. Is it just him or is it suddenly extremely hot in here? Kyungsoo swears he’s about to spontaneously combust.

He stands up, abruptly, and Baekhyun freezes.

“I gotta go.” Kyungsoo announces, climbing back over Jongin and pulling on his jacket, repeating himself over and over.

“Whoa, Kyungsoo, we were only kidding!” Baekhyun slurs.

“Yeah, are you guys that desperate right now?” Snickers Jongdae, unaware how close to the jackpot he hit with that question.

Kyungsoo struggles with the sleeves at first, until someone takes the coat and helps him. Jongin’s eyes never leave his as he draws up the zipper. He walks Kyungsoo backwards, tossing a goodbye over his shoulder at the others; neither walking in a straight line. Kyungsoo can’t take his eyes off the way Jongin’s lips move to form the words. He can hardly breathe.

“I gotta go.” He whispers, dazed.

“I know.” Jongin nods, leaning in closer, secretive. Kyungsoo’s eyelashes flutter. Is he going to…?. “I’m taking you home with me.” He murmurs, his breath hot against Kyungsoo's skin. Home. Bedroom . Right. Kyungsoo nods dumbly, mouth drying up.

“Remember to use protection!”

As they walk outside, to the whooping of their friends, Jongin's hand snakes around his waist, pulling him to his side. He appreciates the additional warmth as the cool outside air hits his skin. Kyungsoo heads straight for the side of the road, which is lined with taxis and opens the door to one. Jongin follows him inside, sitting as close as humanly possible, and it takes him a moment to remember where he lives.

As soon as the car is in motion, the knowledge that anything other than Jongin exists evaporates. Kyungsoo reaches over and runs his hand along the inside of Jongin's thigh, until his little finger is brushing his semi. Kyungsoo is spinning wildly out of control, but the sharp intake of breath his gesture provokes is worth it. The vehicle turns a corner, sending Kyungsoo swaying against Jongin. He looks up, locking eyes with the other man. Jongin’s dark brown eyes are so soft, but seem to convey exactly what he’s feeling. Kyungsoo’s breath hitches.

The only thing that stops them from closing the distance right then and there is the sound of the driver clearing his throat. Kyungsoo starts, pulling away and looking around him. Have they already arrived?

"That'll be four thousand won." The driver says, holding out his hand expectantly. Kyungsoo digs around in his pocket to find a few notes and tosses them to him, already scrambling to get out of the car, dragging Jongin behind him by the hand.

The journey to his floor passes by in a blur, and before Kyungsoo knows it, he's unlocking the front door, and tugging Jongin inside. The door shuts and instantly Jongin has Kyungsoo crowded up against it, their bodies pressed together. God, he wants him so bad. He lets his forehead rest on Kyungsoo's and Kyungsoo closes his eyes, cradling Jongin's jaw and pulling his head down so that their lips finally meet. The rest of the world, what little of it Kyungsoo was aware of, falls away in that moment. The only thing he cares about is Jongin’s mouth on his, and how he can feel more of his body against him.

Jongin moans, catching his lower lip between his own. Searing heat flows under Kyungsoo's skin. As if Jongin knows, he s Kyungsoo's jacket, pushing it over his shoulders and tugging it off his arms, never once breaking their kiss. The jacket lands on the floor, followed swiftly by Jongin's. The were-cat slips his fingers underneath Kyungsoo's t-shirt, pushing it up until his thumbs run over Kyungsoo's s. Kyungsoo gasps, breaking away to tear his t-shirt off.

"Bedroom." He orders, staring into Jongin's hooded eyes and willing him to understand. The man nods, ducking back in for another short, intense kiss, before leading them to Kyungsoo's room.