MONDAY

9:43 A.M

Jongin scrambles into a proper position when he hears the loud clacking of heels coming down the hallway. Not wanting to get in trouble with his boss for the third time that day, he picks up his pen under the guise of looking like he knows what he's doing. It must have worked, since she barely spares him a glance while walking past his desk. Jongin seriously wonders what it is about the sound of women walking in heels that’s so insanely horrifying.

Even though oversleeping this morning earned him an extra half hour of sleep, Jongin is pretty sure that his concentration levels have hit rock bottom already. At first, he blamed it on his anxiety over possibly forgetting Jungah at home when he couldn’t recall dropping her off at school. However, it wasn’t until it hit him that Jungah spent her entire Sunday at her grandmother's that Jongin scrapped that idea, as well. 

A few cubicles over, Luhan pokes fun of Minseok’s Hawaiian shirt, which, according to Minseok, serves as a replacement for his unwashed dress shirt. All Jongin knows is that he’d much rather be caught wearing his own coffee stained dress shirt than be forced to sport a shirt that resembles the fabric of his mother’s living room couch.

Jongin runs a hand down his face. No matter how hard he tries, he isn’t able to make sense of a single word or sentence before him. He figures that either he’s had too little caffeine or he’s simply had too much of it when he can physically feel his brain drifting off into empty space. On the upper floor, Taeyeon’s chirpy voice says something about how she wishes that her boyfriend would buy her a ring as glitzy as Baekhyun’s. Jongin doesn’t even have the energy to yell at her to keep it down.

Time comes to a slow, brain melting crawl as Jongin wonders just how on Earth he’s going to endure six more days of withering away behind his desk like usual. It’s times like this that Jongin wishes he had Luhan’s ungodly ability to find entertainment no matter the situation, because at this point, he’s so desperate for entertainment that he even contemplates stopping by Luhan’s cubicle to kill some time before lunch.

Jongin finds himself flying out of his chair before his brain can catch up with what he’s doing. Even though dying from getting his ears talked off doesn't sound like a walk in the park, it sounds a hundred times better than spending another second at his desk.

___

Inevitably, Luhan seems to be more invested in scrolling through his Instagram feed than tending to the semi complete graph on his computer. There’s something about the sight that makes Jongin’s nerves settle, since at least he isn’t the only one unable to do a goddamn thing around here.

”You know, most people knock,” Luhan sing-songs while typing out a comment on a post. His orange hair is tousled and perfectly accentuates his baby face. "But you're not most people, are you?"

Jongin pulls down his sleeves. ”She’ll kill you if she sees you, you know,” he mutters.

Instead of scrambling back to his computer, Luhan simply stretches his legs. ”Let 'er,” he drawls before saying something about how he’d rather be slaughtered by their boss to avoid completing his assignment. All it does is make Jongin wonder what on Earth she was thinking selecting Luhan as 2018’s Employee of the Month.

Jongin only watches as Luhan places his phone face down on his desk, which is basically on primate levels of unkempt. Amid the sea of random junk, Jongin easily spots the photo Luhan always keeps next to his box of business cards. Even from his spot ten feet away, it’s almost uncanny how much Luhan’s son looks like Luhan (even though it’s probably just the adorable, hamster-like cheeks). Jongin has to look away when he realizes that he has yet to put up photographs of his own child on his desk.

”Well, then,” Luhan says, his loud voice nearly making Jongin shoot through the ceiling in surprise, ”you obviously sought out my pretty face for a reason, so what can I do for you?”

Jongin bites the inside of his cheek. Despite being two inches taller, he still feels exceptionally tiny under Luhan’s playful, albeit piercing gaze. It almost makes him regret stopping by in the first place, especially when Luhan raises an expectant brow.

”It wasn't anything special,” Jongin babbles. ”Just…bored, I guess.” 

Luhan spins around in his chair. ”Aren’t we all,” he hums, tossing his pen in the air. He misses, causing it to bounce off his foot and roll under his desk. ”Everyone’s beat after the weekend, it’s no biggie.”

Jongin can only pretend to look interested when Luhan goes on to describe his family’s trip to New York in such grave detail that his head nearly explodes. While listening to how much Luhan’s son enjoyed meeting Mickey at Disneyland should fill his heart with pure joy, all it does is remind Jongin of his own weekend (or rather, Sunday), which merely consisted of him moping around his apartment in his bathrobe, until he mustered the energy to drag himself to his car to meet up Junmyeon at seven. 

”…I mean, those things are as big as houses, y’cant blame me,” Luhan grumbles, concluding his five minute rant about his wife making fun of him for getting freaked out by one of the mascots roaming around the park. ”Don’t tell me you’ve never seen ’em in real life.”

Scratching the back of his head, Jongin attempts a chuckle. In truth, a trip to Disneyland has never once crossed his mind, since Jungah’s childhood interests mostly leaned more towards the artistic side than the playful, cartoony side. Jongin knows that if Jungah was an avid Disney fan, she would jump at the chance to see her favorite characters in real life, which makes him slightly less guilty about not being able to afford it all by himself.

It’s not until Jongin averts his gaze that he notices a piece of paper that definitely doesn’t belong with the piles of faxes and reports strewn all around Luhan’s desk. In fact, its gleaming whiteness sort of makes it stick out like a sore thumb. Jongin has to squint to see properly, but he’s at least a hundred percent sure that he makes out a small photo along with some fancy text at the bottom. 

Luhan, being as observant as a hawk, easily notices Jongin’s staring, seconds before he grabs said paper and fans his face with it. ”Did you know I was the first to get one? That must mean something, right?” he cackles.

Jongin has to swallow the lump in his throat before he can scream out loud. He hopes that Luhan doesn’t get the bright idea to show him, because he already knows what it is. Jongin is relieved that the last stage of his morning hangover prevented him from downing any breakfast, since he knows for a fact that it would have come back up just seeing Chanyeol and Baekhyun’s stupidly-in-love faces.

”So you’re going?” Jongin blurts out just to distract himself from the stirring in his gut.

Luhan throws his hands in the air. ”The wife’s going off to some girls-only event that day, so I have to take care of the little one,” he huffs with a pout. ”You’re lucky you haven’t got any of your own, you know. I mean, don’t get me wrong, they’re angels and all, but sometimes they just the soul right out of you.” 

Jongin opens and closes his mouth like a goldfish. He almost cringes when he reminisces one Sunday night in particular, less than a week after returning home from the hospital, during which Jungah literally wouldn’t stop crying in her crib for eight hours straight. Being as inexperienced as a parent could possibly be, Jongin still doesn’t blame his clueless, eighteen year-old self for freaking out as badly as he did. On the other hand, he would be lying if he said that he wouldn't jump at the chance to smack himself silly if he could turn back time to that very day. 

 ”I suppose,” Jongin murmurs.

”Especially when they’re like, six months,” Luhan scoffs. He ignores his monitor entering standby mode as he runs a hand through his hair. ”Seriously, it feels like all they do is vomit and cry until they’re old enough to count to-”

”I know that,” Jongin interrupts with perhaps a little more bite than he’d intended. He’s had his own fair share of being drenched in post-burp baby vomit, probably even more than Luhan, but he doesn’t say it out loud.

Luhan straightens his tie. ”You’ll learn to love ’em, though, trust me,” he chuckles, cheeks visibly flushing with adoration. ”Actually, on Friday I heard Taemin from Printing say something about Yeol and Baek’s future kid growing up to be the next president.” He turns around and chucks the pamphlet on his desk. 

Tuning out the sound of somebody smashing a cup, Jongin leans against the wall before his legs can give in. He knows that it’s his own fault for dragging himself to Luhan in the first place, but he would be lying if he said that putting the blame on his colleague for making his gut churn didn’t make him feel slightly better.

Luhan moves his mouse around to awaken his computer. ”If you ask me, they’ll probably end up spoiling the absolute hell out of it, but what do I know,” he chuckles before his eyes light up with curiosity. ”You got one, didn’t you?”

Jongin inwardly screams. His brain is much too tired to make sense of anything at this point. ”Got what?”

”One of 'em,” Luhan says, gesturing at the white invitation on his desk.

Jongin is torn between laughing and crying, but he resorts to shaking his head. He has no idea how to tell Luhan that he won’t be receiving an invite as long as he lives, so he keeps his mouth shut instead. Until Luhan goes on to stare at him with that godforsaken face of his, that is.

”I haven’t,” Jongin sighs, hoping Luhan will take the hint to just be quiet already.

Luhan looks genuinely surprised. ”Really now,” he hums. ”Yeol said they were inviting everyone, even Miss included.” He’s silent for a minute. ”Like, I could be wrong, but I think I heard someone say that you and him were pretty tight at one point, so this makes zero sense.”

Jongin fights an impulse to rip his at his hair out when he suddenly feels like his back head is being rammed with a sledgehammer. It takes every fiber in his being not to ask Luhan if he’s got any Advil.

”That was ages ago,” Jongin says, so quietly that he barely hears himself. ”Things’ve…changed since then, I guess.”

Luhan raises an eyebrow. ”How so?”

All Jongin hears is his own pulse in his ears as he bites his lip hard enough to draw blood. The lump in his throat is making it almost impossible for him to choke out the words, but he manages after coughing thrice. ”We don’t…really talk anymore,” is all he says before a nearby colleague’s phone rings and nearly scares him senseless. 

For a second, Luhan looks like a question mark. ”Fair enough, I guess,” he mutters. ”I mean, both of them have sorta been living in their own lovey dovey little bubble ever since word got out, so I see your point. Kinda.”

They fall into silence, the only audible sounds being their boss scolding Taeyeon for sneaking off for the sixth time, phones ringing left and right, keyboards clicking and coffee machines being drained. The pile of papers on Jongin's desk seems to be calling his name, and if it wasn’t for the fact that his legs feel like jelly, Jongin would have his heel and sprinted back to his cubicle in a heartbeat.

Jongin figures that he must have spaced out for a second too long, since he’s greeted with Luhan’s dumbfounded expression when his eyes focus. 

”For the six millionth time, are you feeling okay?” Luhan asks, cocking his head aside with his trademark confused-Bambi look. ”It might just be these ceiling lights, but you look pale as a ghost.”

Running a hand through his hair, Jongin barely registers Luhan suggesting he grab himself an energy drink from the vending machine before he lets out a breath he didn’t know he was holding. A wave of exhaustion nearly knocks him right off his feet, and Jongin makes a mental note to cut down on the sleeping pills while he nods at Luhan’s briefcase. 

”You smoke, don’t you?” Jongin mutters without meeting Luhan's wide eyes.

Luhan chuckles. ”I thought you said you’d quit as soon as summer rolled around,” he sing-songs, even though he’s rummaging through his briefcase before he's finished talking.

11:21 A.M

If there’s something the office needs, it’s a lock on the smoke room doors, because Jongin can only pray that he won't be robbed of the silence as he exhales a thick cloud of smoke. 

Jongin is low-key frustrated, because he knows that he shouldn’t be feeling so exhausted. He always figured that spending almost twenty four hours doing nothing at all was the ultimate energy conserving method, but he takes it all back when another wave of fatigue hits him like a truck. At this point, he’s so worn out that he doesn’t even have it in him to bring his cigarette to his lips. He figures that he might as well toss it in the ashtray, since it’s pretty clear that the nicotine is doing nothing to boost his energy.

Jungah is most likely in the midst of baking something delicious or crafting more origami with her grandmother right now. Despite how guilty he went on to feel afterwards, Jongin is glad that he chose not to drag himself to the park yesterday. Especially not when his mother called him up a few hours later and told him what a beaming mood Jungah was in after playing with Lisa. Not to mention his head was spinning so forcefully that he couldn’t even muster the strength to get up off the floor of his kitchen, anyway.

The next thing Jongin knows, the whole room seems to spin when he reminisces the feeling of his cheek against Sehun’s warm lap. In fact, Jongin can almost feel Sehun’s fingers caressing his hair, and he has to curse out loud to dismiss the thought. It barely works, though.

Jongin takes a drag of whatever is left of his cigarette, only to grimace. Either he smokes way too much, or Luhan really is an amateur smoker with his low tar cigarettes. Nevertheless, Jongin promptly chucks it in the ashtray.

The walls seem to close in by the second as Jongin buries his face in his tobacco stained hands. He has no idea what Sehun might be thinking, but he just hopes that Sehun will pick up on his telepathic attempts at letting him know just how grateful he is. As much as he’s tried to deny it, Jongin doesn’t think he’s gone a single minute without thinking about that one night, despite having zero recollection of it ever taking place. It makes Jongin’s chest swell with warmth every time he thinks about it.

Something seems to slip through the fog in his head, because Jongin clearly recalls Jungah rambling on and on about how much fun she had with Sehun and that wanted to meet him again as soon as possible while they talked on the phone yesterday. Jongin could easily picture her excited grin, but as much as he wanted to, he couldn't bring himself to feel an ounce of enthusiasm. Jongin doesn’t recall much else taking place afterwards, save for Junmyeon rustling him awake at one in the morning after accidentally passing out face first in his glass.

Jongin is glad that the smoke room is dead empty, and it takes him every fiber in his being not to curl up in the corner and sleep the rest of the day away. His hangover must still be looming over him, because he's subsequently struck with the thought of whatever child might be lucky enough to have Sehun as a father one day.

It’s not until a door closes in the distance that a familiar emptiness washes over Jongin like a tidal wave. The next thing he knows, he’s scrambling for his inner pocket. 

Jongin is still surprised that he remembered to swipe the white card from its spot on his bedside table this morning. He finds himself staring at Sehun’s name and phone number with such intensity that the letters seem to swim around before his eyes. Unsurprisingly, Sehun is sporting his trademark ’too-good-for-you’ expression even in his business photo. The warmth that surges through his chest makes Jongin unable to recall why Sehun gave it to him to begin with. 

A tall woman from Printing walks in, seconds before Jongin nearly breaks his wrist putting the card away. Her overly dyed locks only remind Jongin of Sehun’s perfectly styled hair, which has him figuring that he must be going mad from smoke inhalation. To say that he’s scrambling back into the hallway a fraction of a second later would be an understatement.

1:01 P.M

If Jongin thought he was on the brink of dying of boredom before, it’s nothing compared to what he’s feeling right now.

In fact, Jongin would go as far as to say that his boss must have some sort of grudge against him, given the fact that she usually never really sends him off on business trips, as opposed to the rest of his colleagues. Because, despite the mountain of untouched reports on his shoulders, a ten hour trip to Miami is all Jongin asks if he’s going to make it to see the end of the day.

Since he’s scheduled to work overtime, Jongin abandons his desk in search of some other colleague who might be feeling equally as miserable as he is right now. He might as well stop by Luhan's cubicle, because if there's anybody who's also avoiding work at this hour, it's Luhan and Luhan only. 

But Jongin scraps the idea when he spots his boss surveilling the grounds like a hawk searching for prey, so he ends up booking it towards the staircase before she can catch him sneaking off.

___

Jongin knows that he technically isn’t supposed to be here unless he’s been sent to drop something off, but he’s so desperate for entertainment that he could care less about being caught like a deer in headlights right now. The air reeks of fresh food, which reminds Jongin of the fact that he’s forgotten to bring a lunch box of his own for the fifth day in a row.

Jongdae’s loud cackle, which can easily be heard over all the phones blaring, leaves Jongin’s ears ringing for nearly a minute as he scans his surroundings. Although he’s worked under this roof for almost a third of his life, Jongin doesn’t think he’s seen a new face in the hallways for as long as he can remember. Either that, or his introversion really is as bad as Luhan always says it is.

Jongin makes sure to keep his eyes glued on the carpet as he zooms past the rows of cubicles and flies into the empty break room. The smell of microwaved food is overwhelming and he scrambles for the last apple in the basket when his stomach nearly coils itself into a knot from starvation. His boss has probably already noticed him missing, but Jongin can’t bring himself to care when he leans back against the counter.

However, Jongin’s ten seconds of peace and quiet are shattered when the door swings open. Figuring it’s Taeyeon and Sunny, as usual, Jongin doesn't even bother looking up after footsteps fill the room. It’s not until he realizes that he’s blocking the fridge that he scrambles aside, only to nearly choke on his apple slice when he looks up to apologize.

Sehun immediately grins when their eyes meet. A whiff of fresh tobacco fills the space between them when he walks past, which has Jongin figuring that he also must have grabbed himself a smoke before lunch. 

”I didn’t know Sales had a new member,” Sehun chuckles, opening the fridge. He’s so tall that he has to bend down to rummage through the top shelf, to Jongin’s amusement (even though he’s got the same exact problem with the fridge downstairs).

Jongin giggles at the dry joke for reasons he doesn’t want to think about. ”I know I’m not supposed to be here,” he blurts out and fights an urge to slap a hand over his mouth when Sehun sends him a look. 

”I could email her telling her I gave you permission to be up here, if you'd like,” Sehun chuckles with a small wink. ”Did you do anything special yesterday, by the way?"

Jongin's train of thought seems to crash before it reaches the next station, leaving him gaping like a dazed goldfish as Sehun retrieves his lunch box. Just before the door closes, Jongin catches a glimpse of a transparent lunch box with a dark blue lid. He fights back a grin when he realizes that Chanyeol has been using the exact same lunch box ever since they first met ten years ago.

The thought fades when Sehun’s words sink in, and Jongin wants to hide under the counter when a wave of shame makes the hairs on the back of his neck stand up. Even though he still doesn’t regret his decision to drag himself to the bar, Jongin is unable choke out the words when Sehun continues to stare at him with that godforsaken glint in his eyes. 

”Not really,” Jongin says after a minute of silence. ”I mean, I just…never mind, forget it.”

Sehun pops the lid to his lunch box, and Jongin fights back a childish squee when he sees that it’s filled to the brim with kimchi spaghetti. Except he soon regrets staring so intensely when his stomach grumbles loud enough to shake the walls. Jongin doesn’t get a chance to feel embarrassed about it, though, before Sehun sends him a look.

”Have you eaten?” Sehun asks in a concerned tone. 

Jongin is suddenly aware of the apple in his hand. ”Yeah, I mean…not really, but it's fine,” he mutters. 

The microwave turning on drowns out the sound of the door opening a second later. Jongin’s introversion makes him unable to say a word when Taeyeon bounces into the room. Inevitably, she immediately strikes up a conversation with Sehun about something Jongin is too famished to pay attention to. He’s just glad that he’s got the apple in his hand as a distraction as he stands awkwardly off to the side by the fridge.

Jongin doesn’t know if he’s supposed to feel relief or agony when Taeyeon looks at him. ”You got one, right? You must’ve!”

For some reason, Jongin's eyes automatically drift to Sehun for clarification. To his dismay, Sehun seems to be staring off into space with zero intention of filling him in. 

”What…what do you mean?” Jongin dumbly says, hoping his nonexistent people skills aren’t all too obvious as he avoids Taeyeon’s glittering eyes.

Taeyeon wastes no time in reaching into her back pocket. ”This, silly goose,” she says, pulling out a familiar looking card.

This time, Jongin forces himself to take a good look at it. Except he wishes he hadn’t when Baekhyun and Chanyeol’s grinning faces stare back at him. The photo seems to be taken in selfie form, and the added intimacy almost makes Jongin want to upchuck the little he’s eaten of his apple. Taeyeon’s ecstatic rambling is doing nothing to help keep it down, to say the least. 

By some miracle, Jongin manages a convincing smile. Or he assumes it must be convincing, given the way Taeyeon’s eyes sparkle with joy. 

"I haven't got one,” Jongin mutters as he discreetly chucks his half eaten apple in the bin. 

Taeyeon blinks before turning to face Sehun. ”Were they only inviting people like us then, or what?” she asks. ”I thought that was just a rumor.”

Sehun, who has been unusually silent for the past few minutes, shrugs. ”Haven’t been all that invested in it, to be honest,” he says with so much politeness that Jongin wants to scream. 

Retrieving a tube of lip gloss from her pocket, Taeyeon’s eyebrows furrow. ”Still, why wouldn’t they give you one? I mean, you’re cute and all,” she giggles, words muffled as she runs the wand across her bottom lip. ”I mean, I once heard Miss say something about Yeol being your I.T teacher or whatever, so it’s not like he doesn’t know who you-”

”That was goddamn forever ago,” Jongin exclaims, only to apologize for interrupting when Taeyeon blinks.

”Doesn’t mean he doesn’t know who you are,” Taeyeon giggles. ”I mean, Baek insisted on inviting Taemin and the guy started out less than a month ago,” she adds. ”You could always tell them! I could let them know you’re interested in-”

”Yeah, that’s a no,” Jongin quickly says. He doesn’t know what he regrets more, interrupting her a second time or choosing to come upstairs in the first place, especially when Sehun shoves his hands in his pockets. ”I mean, it’s just…it’s fine, I don’t want to put you through any hassle.”

Taeyeon looks like a question mark. ”Yeol’s cubicle is right next to mine,” she says. ”It’s no hassle at all, y'know.”

”Still, it’s fine,” Jongin sighs. He doesn’t bother trying to sound convincing anymore, mostly because his cheeks are beginning to ache from all the fake smiling he’s been doing lately. ”I don’t need one, okay? It’s fine, I promise.”

Jongin wants to apologize for making Sehun have to listen to their rambling, but he doesn’t get a chance to before the microwave dings. Inevitably, Jongin hates that he's left to fend for himself with his useless social skills after Sehun retrieves his food and walks over to the lunch table.

Thankfully, Taeyeon doesn’t seem to care (or notice) as she responds to a text on Line. Jongin figures that he has no business sitting at Sales’ lunch table, so he ends up awkwardly fidgeting with his cuffs when Taeyeon asks them if they've seen Sunny anywhere lately. He’s definitely in hot water with his boss, right now, but Jongin can’t bring himself to head back to his desk - especially not with Sehun’s strong cologne lingering in the air and sending electric shocks up his spine.

Taeyeon retrieves a packet of yogurt with her name on it before she takes a seat across from Sehun. They go on to discuss something Jongin can’t pick up on (but he wouldn’t be surprised if it had something to do with her boyfriend, as usual), and Jongin wants to cry at how annoyingly perfect Sehun looks with his head cocked to the side and a polite twinkle in his eyes while he listens to Taeyeon’s never-ending love rant.

Jongin figures that he must have stared off into space for a little too long, because he doesn’t snap back into reality until Taeyeon calls his name for the sixth time.

”Don’t just stand there with that face, it’s kinda creepy,” she chuckles while waving him over.

The next thing Jongin knows, he’s flying towards the table before he can change his mind. To his dismay, he finds himself sliding into the seat next to Sehun when the smell of fresh food and mint pulls him in like a magnet. For some reason, the overwhelming scent of kimchi and spices isn’t enough to overpower Sehun’s godforsaken perfume, and Jongin hates how much he likes it.

For some reason, Sehun doesn’t seem to be all that invested in scarfing down his lunch, but Jongin doesn’t comment on it. Instead, Jongin opts to ogle Taeyeon’s acrylic nails, which are probably a tad bit too long and bedazzled for a job like this. He doesn’t comment on that, either, given that his near starved state is making his stomach cramp up almost painfully.

Thankfully, Taeyeon doesn’t ask any of them for any relationship advice throughout her rambling, and Jongin only looks up when she gets out of her chair. All he registers over his raging pulse is her empty yogurt can hitting the bottom of the trash can before she says something about needing to finish a graph and leaving the room.

The sound of the door closing only makes Jongin aware of how dead empty the break room is, which wouldn’t be an issue if it wasn’t for the fact that his heart is dangerously close to bursting out of his ribcage. Jongin knows for a fact that Sehun can hear it, and he contemplates screaming out loud just to fill the silence. 

Finally, a sound; a low scraping sound that has Jongin looking down. To his surprise, Sehun’s untouched lunch box is sitting right in front of him.

”You said you hadn’t eaten anything,” Sehun chuckles. ”So I figured.”

As much as he wants to protest, Jongin finds himself accepting the fork in Sehun’s hand with a shy thanks. Jongin is just glad that he doesn’t give into his primate-like instincts of shoveling mouthfuls down his throat given just how famished he is. A part of him contemplates saving half of it for Sehun, only to forget all about it when Sehun ruffles his hair.

Jongin ends up polishing off the entire box less than two minutes later. ”Thanks,” he blurts out when Sehun continues to stare at him with that godforsaken smile of his. ”But won’t you be hungry???”

Sehun shakes his head. ”I had a big breakfast, I’ll be fine,” he chuckles and gestures at the empty box. ”I actually followed the same recipe and I have to say, it turned out great.”

Jongin blinks. ”You did?” he mutters. ”But I never… how?”

Sehun shrugs. ”I might’ve watched you make it,” he says sheepishly. ”But it worked, didn’t it?”

Jongin nods like a madman. There’s no way he can argue with that. On the other hand, he’s more concerned about how Sehun is going to survive until five o’clock without food than he is about being ogled like a hawk by the stove last week. All Jongin knows is that his boss really must not give a damn about him, considering that he’s been missing for nearly half an hour without her calling him up and verbally massacring him.

Outside, a teenaged girl is nearly struck by a car while trying to take a selfie with her friends in the background. Inevitably, Sehun whips his head aside before muttering something about how utterly air-headed some people can be when it comes to technology. It only reminds Jongin of his mother’s downright horrified expression when Jungah narrowly avoided colliding with a cyclist while on a hunt for Pokemon three years ago. 

And while he should be more concerned about somebody nearly losing their life, Jongin finds himself struggling to do so when he sees how well the ceiling light accentuates Sehun’s sharp cheekbones as he stares at the group of teenagers outside the window. Jongin figures that Sehun definitely gets his eyebrows done on a regular basis when they knit together in concern, but he doesn't say it out loud.

Jongin ends up staring at Sehun’s suit jacket and how perfectly it hugs his broad shoulders, so intensely that he can almost see Sehun’s toned back through the fabric, before he mentally smacks himself.

What the actual hell is he doing.

Jongin crosses his legs when Sehun absently runs a hand through his hair. Despite it being drenched with products, it still looks so soft that Jongin has to remind himself not to reach out and touch it. 

It’s not until Jongin can make out Sehun’s black roots that he notices that he must have leaned in closer without realizing. To make matters worse, they’re sitting so close that all Jongin can bring himself to think about is Sehun’s perfume, and he doesn't get a chance to scramble back into his seat before Sehun turns his head and sends him a smile. Despite his nagging curiosity, Jongin knows that he will never ask, but if Sehun does have a wife at home, she's undoubtedly the luckiest woman on the planet right now.  

”How are you so good with children?” Jongin blurts out, only to regret it when Sehun blinks. ”I mean, it took her nearly a whole year to grow comfortable with playing at Lisa's house for the first time.”

A lock of hair falls in Sehun’s eyes when he adjusts his watch. ”I’ve always been good with children,” he responds after a moment of silence. ”At least that’s what my mom always said, but you know how mothers are,” he adds with a low laugh.

Jongin blinks. He doesn’t think that his own mother has said that to him. Ever. ”But it has to be something,” he whines. ”I mean, you must have a ton of brothers and sisters, right?”

Sehun shrugs. ”I’ve always liked children, so I guess it comes naturally,” he says. ”And I’m an only child, but I don’t think it makes a huge difference when it comes to how one approaches kids.” He puts his hands up in defense. ”But I don't have any of my own, so what do I know?”

Jongin unconsciously fiddles with his cuffs. He isn’t sure why he’s feeling a strange spark over Sehun not having any children, but it’s almost relieving in a sense that he can’t put his finger on. ”Would you like any???” he asks before he can stop himself.

Sehun is silent until a warm smile tugs at his lips. ”I do, actually,” he hums. ”But that’s a bridge to cross for later.” He sends Jongin a wink before reaching for a napkin on the table. 

Jongin nods, relieved that he didn’t just offend Sehun with the oddly specific question. The temperature seems to have risen by a hundred degrees, and Jongin is about to suggest they head back to their respective cubicles when Sehun gently dabs his lower lip with the napkin. To say that Jongin nearly falls off his chair in surprise would be an understatement. 

Luhan’s ugly laughter is all Jongin hears as he feels his entire face explode with heat. Not even Minseok loudly threatening to staple Luhan’s lips together if he doesn’t keep it down can overpower his own pulse rushing in his ears. Jongin doesn’t bother checking if he’s got any more sauce on his chin when Sehun chuckles at him.

What the .

He’s no longer starving. In fact, his stomach is on the brink of exploding due to how stuffed he is. Yet Jongin genuinely worries that he might die of cardiac arrest if his heart doesn’t stop beating so fast. It must be withdrawals, Jongin thinks.

”Thanks,” Jongin blurts out. ”For…you know, everything you've done, it’s…it really meant a lot.”

Sehun ruffles Jongin’s hair. ”Don’t mention it, I’m happy to help.”

”No, really,” Jongin babbles, hoping he doesn’t bite down on his tongue from running his mouth. ”I mean, no one’s really done anything like that for me before, so I got surprised, but I…I really am thankful.”

Jongin nearly jumps out of his own skin when his pocket vibrates. He excuses himself before checking his phone underneath the table. 

From: Mom

Jungah wanted to study for her Science project, so she’s coming home at three o’clock. Be home at five o'clock sharp xx 

And she got the highest score on her math quiz today, so make sure to congratulate her!! Xxx 

Jongin bites his lip. If he hasn’t misread the weather forecast, it’s going to be raining until midnight, and the thought of Jungah possibly being at home alone during a thunderstorm makes his skin crawl. Knowing he won’t be able to avoid working overtime today (or ever), Jongin racks his brain for a possible solution, since there’s no way he’s letting her work on her homework at the office.

The thought dawns on Jongin, almost like it’s been hiding just around the corner in wait all along. A part of him opts against it, since he’s been enough of a burden already. But, Jongin ends up tapping Sehun’s shoulder before he can change his mind.

”Listen, there’s…there’s something I need to ask you,” Jongin says, trying to ignore the warmth in his chest when Sehun sends him a look. ”I mean, you can say no if you want, but it would--”

Jongin doesn’t even get to finish his sentence before the door swings open. At first, he figures that it must be Taeyeon and Sunny, only to look up when he doesn’t register any disgustingly sweet ladies' perfume. 

Except Jongin immediately regrets it, and he finds himself staring at his lap again before he can scream out loud.

Next to him, Sehun isn’t saying a word. They all sit in silence while one of the microwaves start up, and the following two minutes feel like longest two minutes of Jongin's life. A second later, steady footsteps make their way over to the table. It’s not until Sehun shifts that Jongin averts his gaze ever so slightly. The smell of Axe is already overwhelming.

Sure enough, Chanyeol isn’t sparing either of them a glance as he types on his phone with one hand and removes the blue lid to his lunchbox with the other.