Warning: language and suggestive themes ( nothing crazy just wanna be on the safe side...)

Baekhyun is sitting on Jongin’s desk with a eating grin when the younger man walks into the office. They work together at a local advertising firm, their biggest client a Tooth Paste brand based in Seoul. Baekhyun was in charge of that account with Jongin, Sehun, and Luhan his so called ‘lackies’ on the team. 

    “Getting a little too turnt on a Tuesday, rookie? Less than three months on the job and already worrying the missus.”

    “I’m telling Kyungsoo you called him that.”

Baekhyun gives a good natured laugh and doesn’t move even as the younger takes a seat at his desk and pokes at Baekhyun’s .

    “Seriously, one night going out without me and you guys all fall apart! Luhan didn’t show up yesterday either. Fell asleep at the bus stop after you guys went drinking and caught a cold. I can only count on Sehun. Sad when the maknae is the most dependable one in a group of grown men.”

    “At least I made it home,” grumbles Jongin through a pout. He picks up a mail cutter and waves it menacingly at Baekhyun’s rear end when the prods from his finger do nothing to dislodge the elder. Baekhyun holds up his hands in surrender and moves to slide off the younger man’s desk, almost falling into Jongin’s lap if the brunette hadn’t rolled his chair back in time. His nostrils flare as Baekhyun’s thigh brushes his forearm. 

    “Hey… are you wearing perfume or something?”

The elder spares him an offended look.

    “Excuse me? Do I look like a fruitcake to you?”

    “Wow, . I meant maybe it could be Taeyon’s or something. You smell kind of… sweet.”

Baekhyun takes a tentative whiff at his sleeve. 

    “Your senses must be out of whack, Jongnog. I don’t smell anything. Maybe you’re pregnant?”

He laughs at Jongin’s exaggerated pout. 

    “You’re a homophobe, I’m gonna report you for discrimination.”

Baekhyun just waves his hand dismissively; “Sure, sure. Check the email I sent you yesterday, and there should be one from Sehun this morning. I want you to edit Luhan’s sloppy graphics. You skippers have to pick up some slack!”

    “Yeah, I’m on it,” Jongin grumbles mutinously, and then more quietly to himself, “fruitcake looking jerk.”

Jongin gets immersed in his work for the next few hours and only realizes lunch hour is almost over when he notices all of the empty desks around him. He doesn’t necessarily feel hungry, but his throat feels parched and he thinks maybe he could go for a cup of coffee. He blinks himself out of his computer screen induced daze before standing from his desk and deciding break room coffee and a granola bar will be good enough. Everyone mostly leaves the office for lunch anyway and it’ll be nice to have a moment to himself.

He’s leaning against the coffee machine waiting for it to brew and texting Kyungsoo a funny video of a cat bullying a dog out of his bed when two female voices pick up behind him.

    “I mean, how many times do you see an like that on a guy?” Says one of them.

    “Don’t get me started. Do you remember when he wore those ripped jeans for casual Friday?”

    “Oh my god, I literally died. I have this, like, fantasy…” A breakout of nervous giggles. Jongin blushes and focuses on the coffee machine. Judging by how clear the conversation is the girls must be passing by the break room by this point. He recognizes one of the voices as Luhan’s intern and wonders if they’re talking about the Chinese man. 

    “Girl, what?! Tell me!”

They sound like they’re right behind him. Have they not noticed him? 

    “I keep having this fantasy that he just, like, grabs my hair and straddles my face.”

Another outbreak of giggles and Jongin feels his face flaming.  Are they seriously having this conversation with someone else in the room?!

    “Oh my god, stop!”
    “Seriously! Doesn’t he look like he’d be the aggressive type? Like, I just want him to push me down and shove it in my mouth.”

    “You’re such a , oh my god.”

    “Because you wouldn’t want to Kim Jongin’s ?”

Jongin whips around in horror, ready to reveal himself to the girls who are clearly too wrapped up in their scandalous conversation to realize the very subject is in the room with them. But when he turns, he’s faced with a completely empty break room. He only has a moment to be confused before the giggles burst in his ears again, sounding clear and loud enough that they could be right next to him. 

    “But you know he’s, like, gay, right?”

An exasperated groan; “, I know! And his beau is a total hottie too. He’s my mom’s personal trainer.”

    “No way! So he he must be totally fit then. Who do you think, like… You know.” 

Another fit of giggles and Jongin can’t handle this anymore. His face is about to burst into flames and he flies towards the break room door, determined to chastise these girls for holding a conversation like this where literally anyone could hear. Coffee forgotten, he swings the door so harshly it slams against the wall and whips his head around, looking for the girls he suspected would be right there, lounging just outside the break room.

An empty office greets him. Across the room, the elevator dings and two young women walk out, giggling and shushing each other. Luhan’s intern, the smaller of the two, notices Jongin standing slack jawed on the other side of the office and blushes lightly, nudging her friend. They both turn to him and nod politely, before they move down a hall by the elevators leading to the conference rooms. Their whispered conversation floats by Jongin’s ears all the way down the hall until they slip into another room, the soft click of the door pounding like a mallet in his head. 

***

The rest of the work day had flown by after lunch and Jongin had barely been able to concentrate on what he was supposed to be doing, too distracted by conversations he could hear from all over the room. Footsteps from a floor below sounded like they were passing right by his desk, and every time Luhan sniffled from a few yards away Jongin heard it as if from next to him. When the hour hand finally hit five pm, Jongin jumped to gather his things and leave the office, not bothering to stop and chat with his friends like he normally would. He stepped out into the cold evening air, the winter sun hanging low in the sky, and staggered under the influx of sounds and smells that hit his senses. 

The vague rushing that had been plaguing him since he woke up disoriented in his apartment Tuesday night was like the roar of a waterfall in his head, threatening to sweep him away. Sweet and savory scents unlike any food he could recognize teased the tip of his tongue and he felt himself start to salivate heavily. 

When was the last time he had anything to eat? He’d ended up not even drinking his coffee after the shock of what had happened earlier. Suddenly he was struck by a sense of hunger, an appetite so intense it seemed to grip him by the throat and strangle him to the ground. His teeth ached and his throat felt soar, yearning to be filled, to be wet by-

A heavy hand on his shoulder startles him out of his thoughts. The noise of the crowd and rush of sensations fades in the background of Sehun’s concerned face.

    “Jongin? You alright, man? You look pale as hell.”

Jongin shakes his head.

    “Yeah, I just, uh. I… haven’t eaten in a while.”

His friend looks at him quizzically for a moment. He drops his hand and Jongin wonders at how warm the spot feels, as if Sehun’s body temperature was significantly higher than his own. Which is odd, the running joke since middle school being that Jongin has a furnace in place of a stomach, skin always borderline feverish in its warmth. 

Sehun averts his eyes from his friends’ and Jongin’s gaze wanders involuntarily down the pale column of Sehun’s neck. His teeth give a dull throb.

    “I know a good ramen bar around here. Just opened up a few weeks ago so they’re still working on building a reputation. It’ll probably be a little crowded now, but if you don’