"Hold the elevator!"

Kihyun scrambles to squeeze himself through the already-closing doors, breathing a sigh of relief when a hand stretches out to set off the door sensor. He steps into the motorized glass box, shooting the taller man a grateful smile.

"I didn't know you were working late tonight," Kihyun comments, quirking up a brow. Hoseok chuckles airily, rubbing the back of his neck.

“Y-Yeah,” he replies, a light pink rising up his cheekbones. “I had to catch up on some different projects before the quarter ends.” Kihyun hums, nodding as he leans across Hoseok to hit the close-doors button.

“Did you manage it?” he asks, consciously moving a bit slower as he straightens up just to tease the older man.

Kihyun’s no idiot. He and Hoseok have been having an underlying flirtation for about two weeks now, and he’s entirely unashamed about it. Other than the fact that Hoseok is an incredibly handsome specimen of a man that he wouldn’t mind getting into bed, he’s absolutely adorable when flustered. So, Kihyun just can’t help but whenever he can.

“K-K-Kihyun-ssi,” Hoseok stammers out, shaking Kihyun out of his silent reverie. He glances over to see Hoseok gripping the iron bars of the wall so tightly his knuckles are turning white, and he’s biting on his bottom lip so hard Kihyun is sure it’ll break the skin. “I… um—”

Suddenly, the elevator grinds to a halt, and the lights blink out one by one. Kihyun’s eyes widen, his head snapping towards the control panel. He shifts forward, pressing buttons to get some type of response. His throat goes dry, and his heart claws its way up his throat as he glances up just in time to see the floor-number blink out, as well.

“Oh god,” Kihyun murmurs, immediately going for his pocket. He pulls out his phone and dials the emergency number taped above the control panel, doing his best to keep his breathing steady. He’s vaguely aware of Hoseok shifting around in his corner of the compartment, a nervous energy pouring off him that’s very much not helping Kihyun’s current state.

A polite woman’s voice answers the call, and Kihyun immediately explains the situation. She tells him to remain calm, and that someone will be there to assist as soon as they can. Kihyun’s eyes flick around the confined space, panic rising in his throat as he hums in reply and ends the call. Kihyun goes to the corner diagonal from Hoseok’s current position and curls up, shutting his eyes as he tries to keep control of his breathing. He recites lyrics of his favorite songs in his head, says the alphabet backwards… Basically, he does anything he can to keep from having a panic attack as the glass walls begin to close in on him.

“Kihyun-ah?” Hoseok’s voice calls gently, causing Kihyun to peek up at him. The younger tries for a small smile, chuckling sheepishly.

“Sorry,” he says, his voice much deeper than usual. He swallows around the bundle of nerves clogging up his throat, and his breathing becomes a bit strained. “I um… I have claustrophobia, so I’m just trying to stay calm until help gets here. The woman on the phone said it shouldn’t be long.” He manages to meet Hoseok’s eyes, and he recognizes a light of panic within them. “Are you okay?”

“I th-thort of have acrophobia,” Hoseok chuckles nervously, gulping noisily. He shoots a small look over to the wall opposite the doors of the elevator, which are clear glass and look out over the skyline of Seoul. His eyes grow wide and he quickly glances away, kneeling down and curling up in a position similar to Kihyun’s. It makes him look small and vulnerable, and Kihyun has to bite back an adoring coo at the sight.

He swallows down his own nerves, his sense of protection taking over, and scoots slowly over to Hoseok. He takes the older by the hand, offering a gentle smile as Hoseok looks up to him in utter shock. Kihyun looks at him with nothing but understanding and solace, and the older man eventually gives him a loose grin as he squeezes his small, pudgy hand. A sort of understanding passes between them, and suddenly the tightness in Kihyun’s throat gives way.

“… So,” Kihyun says, his voice still a bit tense despite his relaxing shoulders, “tell me about yourself, ahjussi. We’ve worked together for a long time, but I don’t really know all that much about you.” Hoseok chuckles, a pure smile pulling at his lips.

“You can just call me ‘hyung’,” he tells the younger, slowly readjusting his position to sit cross-legged. Kihyun has always either been formal or teasing with him, but never familiar enough to use 'hyung.' He'd like that to change. As he thinks, the light of fear and panic remains in his eyes, but it’s been pushed to the corners of his irises as he focuses on taking in every centimeter of the handsome face before him.

He tells Kihyun about his love of music, how in his free time he writes songs and records them on his laptop. That’s his real dream, he admits, to become a music producer and leave the corporate life behind. However, after so many years of failed attempts and racking up debt, Hoseok had to face reality and get a job at the first company that’d hire him. He’ll never give up, though, as he knows that’s what he’s meant to do.

Kihyun tells him a similar story, of how he’d always dreamed of becoming a singer since he was young. But, when the time came for him to audition at different companies, he could never bring himself to. So, now he reserves his voice for karaoke night at a bar near his apartment, and for performing duets with his dog whenever she seems to be in the mood.

Hoseok had laughed at that last addition, and Kihyun can’t help but chuckle along with him. It’s so genuine, so good-natured… so light and familiar. The younger knows he could get used to making the man laugh everyday for the rest of his life, if he were given the chance, and the sound would never get old.

Time flies as they talk about literally anything they can think of, if for nothing more than to just distract each other from their fears.

Eventually, though, they end up falling asleep, Kihyun lying his head in Hoseok’s lap and Hoseok playing with his hair. Neither realize they’ve drifted off till the next morning, when the elevator whirs back to life and the janitor finds them cuddled together, their fears long forgotten.