In Suho’s office he was having a hard time focusing on his paperwork. His door was open so he could see half into the kitchen and half into the dining room. He basically could see a bunch of couples in the dining room on dates and kissing so it made him a bit jealous. Even in the kitchen he could see Kai and Kyungsoo every once in a while glancing at each other and smiling. Even Chanyeol and Baekhyun were hanging out a little. Suho knew that they must have something going on. Especially since they can both go missing at least once a week and it’s hard for anyone to find them.

            Seeing all the couples though made Suho just a little bit jealous. It had been three days since he got together with Lay and every day after work the two would get together and have dinner together. In a way they seemed like they’ve been together for months. They’re relationship has really inclined since they spend hours together after work and even when they leave each other they still end up texting each other until they both go to sleep.

            Eventually during the day Kyungsoo came into Suho’s office and closed the door behind him. Suho looked up at him and watched him come towards him and then sit down in the chair in front of his desk. When he sat down he sighed and then crossed his arms.

            “So, you look a little troubled today. What’s going on with you? Are you thinking about your super cute boyfriend?” Kyungsoo teased.

            There was a small blush the filled Suho’s cheeks. “Maybe just a little. I guess that I’m a little envious that you get to see your boyfriend every day at work and I have to wait several hours in order to see mine. That’s all. Plus this paperwork is killing me. I hate doing this right now.” Suho explained.

            Kyungsoo thought about it for a second and then he had a suggestion. “How long has it been since you’ve made the bread in this place?” He asked.

            Suho thought about that and then answered. “I believe that it’s been a few months. But I know how to do it. Why do you ask?”

            “How about you and I switch jobs today. I know how to do all the paperwork so I’ll be fine.” Kyungsoo suggested.

            For just a second Suho thought about it and then realized that it was a very good plan. “All right. I’ll let you get to it then and I will go and bake the bread for the sandwiches and the bread for sale.”

            “Okay cool. Oh, Baekhyun is a little spacy today and I really think that he has A.D.D so if you find him talking a lot and not making sense then it’s kind of normal.” Kyungsoo advised.

            “I’ll note that. Oh, I already checked the budget so the only things that you really have to check are inventory and get the paychecks ready.” Suho replied.

            “Got it. Go and enjoy the kitchen and I’ll work on all of this.” Kyungsoo said.

            Suho got up from his chair and started to walk towards the kitchen. He opened his door and then closed it so that Kyungsoo could have some quiet. It wasn’t going to be a lot but he was sure that Kyungsoo would take any quiet that he could get. Suho knew that he liked it.

            Kyungsoo looked at the paperwork and sighed. “I haven’t done this in a while but I know what I’m doing.” He said to himself.

            When he started to look over the papers his face went a bit pale. There was so much numbers and so many things that he had to look at that he panicked just a little. He had to take a quick breath and then he calmed down a little.

            “I can do this. Suho has taught me how to do this when we used to spend extra hours together at the old restaurant. I know how to do this and I won’t let Suho down. He’s trained me for this.” Kyungsoo said to prep himself. Immediately he started to work and get into all the paperwork that was in front of him.

            In the kitchen Suho walked in and all eyes were on him. He started to roll up his sleeves. Since Baekhyun really had no shame he smiled at Suho and laughed a little. “Plan on getting your hands dirty for once boss?” He asked him.

            Suho laughed and then finished rolling up his sleeves. “Kyungsoo and I have switched places in the time being. I was getting little stressed out so he suggested that we switch jobs.” He explained.

            “I see. Well do you think that you are up for the challenge today? I know that you are probably a little rusty.” Baekhyun said as a joke.

            “Even though it’s been a while Baekhyun, who do you think it was who taught Kyungsoo how to make the bread that we have?” Suho said.

            Baekhyun’s eyes went so wide when he heard that. “Wait, you were the one who taught Kyungsoo how to make his famous bread? Are you serious?” He asked.

            After a nod and a smile Suho started to pull out the ingredients to start making the bread for the next coming days. For a while he was starting to calm down and really focus on making the dough for the bread. He made quite a few batches for the upcoming few days that Kyungsoo was going to have to bake them. When Suho beat the dough that was the best since it relived so much stress from him.

            After he started to mold the dough a few of his employee’s came into the kitchen. “What is this? Is our manager actually working in the kitchen and making bread?” Chanyeol asked as he walked in.

            “Yes it is Chanyeol. He’s actually been working really hard. He’s been out here for about forty-five minutes and he’s really been focused.” Baekhyun explained.

            “Chanyeol aren’t you supposed to be refilling the drinks into the cooler right now? You shouldn’t be standing around talking to Baekhyun.” Suho said while still focusing on the dough.

            Chanyeol sighed and nodded his head. “Yeah I need to go do that. I’ll go right now boss.” He said and then left the kitchen.

            Kai then walked in and saw that Kyungsoo wasn’t there. “Hey, where is Kyungsoo? Is everything okay with him?” He asked.

            “He’s fine. If you need to talk to him he’s in my office. But that’s all you are going to do in there. Anything else and I am going to cut out part of your pay.” Suho threatened.

            Kai nodded and then started to head to Suho’s office. “Don’t worry about that. I just need to ask him something and then I’ll just go back to work.”

            After Kai left it was quiet again. Closing time was getting closer and closer and it was time for the staff to clean up. Suho managed to baking the bread when Kyungsoo came out of his office and met him in the kitchen. Kyungsoo looked a little tired and stressed now but he seemed to be fine. He definitely wasn’t as stressed as Suho was though.

            “Okay I did as much as I could. I do have to give it to you though. None of that stuff is easy. I am never going to underestimate you again. You really do a lot here and everyone really doesn’t know it.” Kyungsoo explained.

            “Well as we both know this isn’t a walk in the park either. I know that I have taught you how to make this but it really is hard to make a whole bunch of them. You have adapted to the pace quite well.” Suho praised.

            “Well I try. You do know that we close in about an hour right? I’ll finish up here and then you can go and finish up the paperwork and check to see if I did my work correctly.” Kyungsoo said.

            Suho sighed and then stepped away from the table that he was working on. “I think that’s a very good idea.” He said.

            Just as Suho was about to go into his office Kai called from the front. “Boss, you have a visitor. You too Sehun.” He said.

            If Sehun also had a visitor there was only one thought that could have come to mind. He wasn’t going to get his hopes up too high though. He looked at Kyungsoo and they immediately had a silent conversation. There was a smile that appeared between the two of them. “Why don’t you go and see who your guest is? You don’t want to keep him waiting.” Kyungsoo said.

            Suho just nodded and went out to the dining room to see who the guests were. When he made his way out, he found that he guessed right. Sehun was already out and hugging Luhan while Lay stood there watching the two. It was when Lay looked at Suho that his heart started to beat quickly. Suho just put on his golden smile and walked over towards the small group.

            “Well this is quite a lovely surprise. What are you two doing here?” Suho asked while giving Lay a hug and then moving to Luhan.

            “Well we got done with work early so we decided to see what the other half of the EXO deli looks like. It’s actually really nice here. It has more of a teenage couple feel to it. Especially when it comes to the staff. You all are so attractive that it’s no wonder some teenage girls were talking about this place.” Lay explained.

            A small blush appeared on Suho’s face. “Well, as you know, Kris and I both have different views on most things so it’s natural that our deli’s wouldn’t be anything alike.” He said.

            “As much as we love seeing you, I feel like there is something that you two aren’t telling us. There is another reason why you two are here isn’t there?” Sehun asked detecting how their guests were a little tense.

            The two boys then looked at each other and sighed in sync. “Well there is something that you two should know. I really don’t think that we should say it in public. Lay, why don’t you tell Suho in private while I wait out here with Sehun? I think this is way more of a private matter.” Luhan explained.

            Lay looked at Suho for confirmation. Suho nodded and started to lead him to his office. Sehun and Luhan just stood in the dining room watching the two go into Suho’s office and close the door. Once the door was closed Sehun looked at Luhan and took his hand. He had on a smile since he was really happy to see Luhan. It had been two days since he seen him and he didn’t think that he was going to see him that day.

            “I’m glad that you visited me at work. I really didn’t think that I was going to see you until a day or two more.” Sehun explained.

            “Well Lay needed a ride home and there was something that we felt that we should really tell you about so we made a stop. Besides, I kind of wanted to see you anyway.” Luhan admitted with a small twinkle in his eye.

            As much as Sehun wanted to drop the subject, he really wanted to know the reason as to why the two boys were here. Originally he was just going to accept that they wanted to see them but he was too nosy for that. In his mind he was thinking of all the reasons why they would be here. Then the idea finally popped into his head. It had been quite a few weeks but he realized that they came to warn them about when EXO-M was going to strike.

            “Is the reason that you are here to tell us that your deli is coming to trash or prank our deli?” Sehun asked in a whisper.

            Luhan’s eyes went so wide. It wasn’t that Sehun figured it out. It was that he would even say it out loud. When the two boys left their deli they felt like someone was following them. The second he saw that Sehun was going to say something else he covered his mouth and then looked around. “Shh! Don’t say anything. I don’t know if we were followed here from my deli. They said that they were going to try and make sure that no one ruins it for them. They want the attack to be perfect.” He explained.

            Sehun pulled Luhan’s hand off his mouth. “Seriously? That’s why you are a little freaked out right now? Luhan, what are they really going to do to you? I’m pretty sure that if you end up not working because they hurt you or something like that that Kris would be pretty pissed. Nothing bad is going to happen to you. Plus you have Lay with you most of the time.” He said.

            Luhan sighed. He still had a very worried look on his face. “I don’t know Sehun. As you know, my coworkers can be very cruel when it comes to stuff like this. In general I really hope that they don’t take any of this too far. You and I both know that it could happen.” He said.

            “Yes I know it can. But we just have to hope that it doesn’t. Plus if anything does happen to you, if you call for me, I will come for you.” Sehun replied.

            Luhan turned shy and grabbed onto Sehun’s arm. “You didn’t have to make that sound so romantic. But I love that you would be my knight in shining armor.” He explained.

             “Anytime. I am wondering though, how do you think that my manager is going to react to knowing that your deli is coming after us sometime soon?” Sehun asked.

            “If he is anything like my manager, he is not going to be happy. In fact he might walk out of here furious.” Luhan explained.

            “I don’t think that he would walk out of here furious since that’s not really his personality but I guarantee that he is not going to be happy.” Sehun explained.

            “Let’s hope that he really doesn’t have a fit though.” Luhan explained.

            The second Suho and Lay got into the office Suho closed the door and made his way to his desk. Lay had already seated himself on the chair across from Suho’s desk. Suho usually would sit in his chair but instead he leaned against his desk just so that he could be closer to Lay.

            “So, what is it that you need to tell me that you can’t really say in public?” Suho asked.

            Lay seemed to be a little hesitant to tell Suho but he knew he had to. Suho deserved to know what was going to happen the next coming days. “Now, I don’t want you to be too alarmed but, our deli is planning to attack yours sometime in the next coming week or two.” He explained.

            Suho’s face went from a smile to just blank. He figured that since it was tied in attacks that they would just leave it. Sure he went to Kris and said that this was a war but he didn’t think that he would really take that entirely seriously. Then again Kris was one to take everything seriously and then become very competitive.

            “Do you know when they plan to attack?” Suho asked intensely.

            Lay shifted in his chair and looked Suho in the eyes. “I honestly have no idea. It could be tonight or it could be sometime next week. I just have no idea. All I know is that they have a theme this time and are trying to make sure that no one ruins it. Luhan and I think that we were even followed for a few blocks but then they turned around and left. They really want to make this happen so they are going to do anything that they can.”

            Of course Suho was upset about the whole thing but at this point there was nothing that he was going to be able to do. He was just had to sit back and let everything happen. If anything he was going to have to ask a cleaning company to come and help them. So instead of freaking out and stressing himself out he decided to just accept everything.

            “I guess at this point there is nothing I can do but just accept what is going to happen. I have to say though that I’m not happy at the thought of having your coworkers come here and make a mess of everything.” Suho said as he walked to behind his desk and looked at a painting that he had behind it.

            Lay felt so bad for Suho. He even felt bad for Kris. It must be horrible to know that there is nothing you can do about it. You have to just let everything you worked so hard to accomplish be ruined in a single night and then have to clean up the mess that will be left behind. It wasn’t fair to either of them but there was nothing that anyone could do to stop this at this point.

            Seeing Suho frustrated really started to pull at Lay’s heartstrings. He stood up from his chair and made his way over to where Suho was. When he got there Lay stood behind Suho and wrapped his arms around his waist. After doing that he placed his chin on Suho’s shoulder to try and give him a little more comfort. Suho sighed and put a hand on Lay’s cheek and gave him a quick kiss there.

            “I’m going to be fine Lay. I know you’re worried but I’ll be fine. I just need to really calm down and accept this.” Suho explained.

            “I know. I just want you to know that I am here for you and I always will be. There is nothing that is going to stop me from being here for you.” Lay explained.

            “Thank you.” Suho replied and then turned around and put his arms around Lay’s neck to give him a tight hug. “We should probably not keep those other two waiting. Come on.”

            In the kitchen Chanyeol and Baekhyun were just watching Luhan and Sehun talking in the dining room. They didn’t like the idea of Luhan being there since they knew that he was from the opposing deli. They thought that he was there to try and scope out the place. All in all, there was just no trust in the boy.

            When Lay and Suho came out suspicions had risen. “There are two enemies in home base and Suho seems to be totally fine with it. I don’t understand that.” Baekhyun said.

            “I know. Maybe they are old friends or something from a previous job. There is no way that Suho would just let them come in here if he knew they were from the other deli.” Chanyeol explained.

            “I guess that you are right. I don’t know though. I feel like we still shouldn’t trust them though. There is more than a fifty perent chance that they are going to go back to their deli and tell them something that they are going to use against us.” Baekhyun explained.

            “What are you two doing?” Kyungsoo said. It surprised the two boys and they jumped at the sound of his voice.

            “Holy Kyungsoo! Why do you always have to sneak up on me and scare the out of me?” Baekhyun said.

            “I only do it when I think that you are doing something that you shouldn’t be doing. Which I think you are. What are you doing?” Kyungsoo asked.

            “We just saw those two from EXO-M deli come in and we’ve just been watching them. We just want to make sure that they aren’t up to something.” Chanyeol explained.

            Kyungsoo laughed and then made his way in between the two boys. He looked over at Suho and Lay and smiled. He was so glad to see that Suho looked like he was more relaxed. Then he looked over at Sehun. It was rare but Sehun was actually smiling like a little boy on Christmas morning. It had been quite a while since anyone had really seen that. The two boys from the other deli weren’t there to cause trouble. They had smiles on their faces just as big as Sehun’s. Kyungsoo didn’t know them too well but he trusted them.

            “I really don’t think that they’ll be an issue. Now get back to work so that we can get ready to clean.” Kyungsoo demanded.

            “I already finished and cleaned up.” Baekhyun explained.

            “Kai is checking everything. It’s his turn today. I already finished everything too.” Chanyeol said.

            “How about you two go and check everything again? You can never be too sure.” Kyungsoo hinted.

            Baekhyun groaned and then made his way back into the deeper part of the kitchen. Chanyeol didn’t catch onto the hint at first but when Kyungsoo glared at him a little he caught on fast. After catching on he went into the front and started to wipe down the counters. Of course Kyungsoo was always nice to the whole staff but when he glared and started to get angry no one wanted to get in the way. It was just like Suho when he got mad. No one really wanted to mess with him.

            The area where Kyungsoo was standing was empty and it was where no one could really notice you. He just watched the four boys all talk to each other. They seemed so happy and they enjoyed each other’s company. Kyungsoo wished that he had the strength to just be extremely open about his relationship with Kai. His heart was at that place where he would tell people but he was just nervous about it. He didn’t want people to think differently about him. No matter what he was still going to be the same, but he’s just going to be in a relationship with another man.

            Just as all these thoughts were flowing through Kyungsoo’s brain, Kai comes behind him and hugs him. “What are you thinking about? You have your wondering mind face on.” Kai explained.

            Kyungsoo sighed and turned around to face Kai. “It’s honestly nothing. They were just random thoughts that have come into mind. Aren’t you supposed to be working?” He asked but didn’t enforce.

            Kai giggled and then let go of Kyungsoo and leaned against the counter next to him. “I honestly should. However, I could tell that something seemed a little off with you so I decided to come over and see what was wrong. But apparently I was the one who was wrong and everything is fine. So, I guess I’ll just get back to work then.”

            In his head Kyungsoo was telling himself that Kai has the right to know what he is thinking. Besides, he was the man that he was currently dating. He had the right to know. Kyungsoo crossed his arms and sighed. “What do you feel about having a more open relationship?” He asked as a call out to Kai.

            That stopped Kai dead in his tracks. He looked back at Kyungsoo with confusion. “What are you talking about Kyungsoo?”

            “I mean, we’ve still kept this relationship between us for the most part. Of course Suho knows and I am sure that you’ve told Sehun so that’s fine, but I was wondering if you just want to stop hiding it and explain to everyone what is going on.” Kyungsoo explained.

            Kai smiled and went back over to Kyungsoo. He pulled the smaller male closer and gave him a small kiss on the lips. “Babe, whatever you are comfortable with I am fine. If you want to explain to everyone that we are in a relationship then you can do that. If you want to keep it a secret then do it. Just make sure that you are okay with whatever you choose.” He advised.

            “What if I decide on the wrong one?” Kyungsoo asked with a hint of nervousness.

            Kai hugged Kyungsoo again but this time it was a tight, reassuring hug. “If you choose then wrong one then we can make it out together. If something turns out to be a big problem then you and I will get through it. You will always have me by your side no matter what you pick. We will always have each other.” He assured.  

            Kyungsoo hugged Kai back and smiled. “Thank you.” He whispered.

~*~*~*~*~

            A week after Lay and Luhan visted the EXO-K deli there was now more intense talk among the staff about when they were going to hit the deli. Again, Henry was planning the whole thing. This time though he was going to need some help. He was trying to get some people to do it but some of the people that he was talking to didn’t really feel comfortable with it. That was only because he wasn’t asking the right people.

            “Hey guys, do either of you want to help me out with the attack on EXO-K?” Henry asked Tao and Luhan.

            Luhan and Tao looked at each other and then shook their heads. “Sorry Henry but I honestly just can’t do it.” Luhan replied.

            “I’m usually busy at night so I don’t think that I would be able to do it. If I wasn’t busy then I would totally help you out.” Tao replied.

            “Aw man. Well can you guys think of anyone here who you think would want to do it?” Henry asked. He sounded just a little desperate.

            “You know what? I think I do know some people. I know for a fact that Luna wants to go with you guys and I think Victoria wanted to go because Luna wanted to. Plus I heard that Zhoumi was thinking about it.” Luhan said.

            “All those guys want to go?” Henry asked.

            “Are you kidding? All I hear when I have a break in the break room is how much they actually want to try and go and see what it’s like. Go ahead and ask them. Believe me, they are going to be very happy that you asked.” Tao added.

            “Thanks. I think I’ll do that.” Henry replied and then ran into the kitchen.

            Tao laughed and shook his head. “I heard that he plans on hitting the other deli tomorrow night. He has a theme and everything.” He explained.

            Luhan just sighed. “Yeah I heard that too. He was thinking about like a candy land theme or a sweets theme. It was something like that anyway.” He said.

            “Yeah.Where he came up with that, I just don’t know. But the stranger thing to me though is that you and Lay are passing up this opportunity. Usually you two are all over the pranks and making fun of people. What’s going on with you two?” Tao asked.

            Usually Luhan and Lay would take the opportunity for pranks and this was something that they would totally do. But just the fact that their boyfriend’s worked there was the issue. He couldn’t tell Tao that though. As much as Luhan liked Tao and as much as they were really good friends, when it came to something like relationships, he knew that he wouldn’t keep his mouth shut. In this instant he knew that he had to make something up. Something that Tao would actually believe.

            “Nothing’s really going on with us. It’s just that, we are getting a little older and we are starting to have more and more responsibilities. As much as I would love to pull this prank and just go for it, there are just some things that I need to take care of. Same goes for Lay. At this point I think that he’s just trying to save his money to buy a car or an apartment.” Luhan said. He thought it was pretty reasonable.

            Tao thought about Luhan’s answer for a second and then nodded. “I guess you’re right. Besides, you two are getting a bit old so it only makes sense that you two would start to settle down and become a little boring.” He joked.

            Luhan nudged Tao and laughed. “Watch it. You are not that far behind me you know. Sooner or later you are going to understand the struggles that Lay and I have to go through.” He said.

            “I’ll just take your word for it.” Tao said.

            Luhan was going to say something but a female customer comes up to them. “Hi, I’m sorry to be a bother but I ordered my food about twenty minutes ago and I haven’t gotten it yet. I just want to make sure that it went through.” She explained.

            “Oh we’re sorry. Let me go and check on it for you right now. It should be out for you very soon.” Luhan explained. He turned around and looked into the kitchen. “Hey Lay do you have a sandwhich ready?”

            Lay walked up to him and gave him the sandwhich right away. Something was up with him though. He looked a little pale and he was wincing in pain. Luhan took the sandwich but didn’t say anything. Not at first anyway.

            “Perfect timing. I am so sorry about the wait ma’am. Here is your sandwich. Please enjoy your meal.” Luhan said.

            “Oh thank you. I guess I should have been just a little more patient. It must be because this place is usually so fast that I thought something was wrong. Thanks again.” She said and then walked back to her table.

            Luhan thought about what the woman said. Usually Lay was really fast at making the sandwiches. Then the thought of what Lay looked like a second ago hit Luhan. He looked back into the kitchen and saw that Lay was no longer in there and that Zhoumi was making the sandwiches now.

            “Hey Tao, do you think that you can cover for me for just a second. I want to go and see if everything is okay with Lay. He doesn’t look very good right now.” Luhan explained.

            “Yeah go ahead. If Kris asks then I’ll just tell him that you’re using the bathroom or something to that nature.” Tao explained.

            “Thanks. I’ll be back soon.” Luhan said and then walked into the kitchen.

            After walking into the kitchen he made his way into the break room. It was in there that he saw Lay. Lay actually looked a little worse then he did just a moment ago. He looked like he was going to just pass out right there in his chair. He had his face in his hands and his elbows were on his legs holding him up.

            Luhan walked in and then closed the door behind him. After doing that he walked over to Lay and put a hand on his shoulder. Upon doing that Lay gasped in pain and pushed Luhan’s hand away without thinking. When he saw that it was Luhan he immediately felt a little guilty about what he just did.

            “Oh, sorry Lu. I didn’t know who you were.” Lay apologized.

            “Even if you didn’t know it was me, you never act like that. What has been going on with you? There are some days when you are dying of pain and you never tell me what is causing it. There is something wrong so why won’t you tell me?” Luhan asked.

            “It’s nothing Luhan. It really is none of your concern. It’s just an injury that didn’t heal right. I’ll be fine.” Lay said trying to assure Luhan that he was fine.

            “If you were really fine then you wouldn’t flinch if I just grab your shoulder here.” Luhan said and then squeezed Lay’s shoulder. When he did that Lay let out a small yelp and he pushed off Luhan’s hand again. “See you are not okay. Lay take off your shirt. There is obviously something wrong.”

            “Luhan please don’t do this. Just leave me be.” Lay pleaded.

            “No Lay, I am tired of looking the other way. Everytime you are in pain you tell me that you are okay and I believe you. But when you are pain this much there has to be something wrong. Now take off your shirt so that I know for a fact that you are okay if you really say so.” Luhan said aggressively.

            Lay knew that there was no way that he was going to get out of this one. Luhan was in the state of mind where he was just not going to back down. Not until he got what he wanted anyway. So Lay stood up and started to take off his shirt. The motion immediately caused pain for him but he knew that Luhan would feel more pain looking at what his skin would reveal to him.

            Once the shirt was off Luhan was in total shock. There were gashes that looked like they came from a whip and there were also bruises of all stages that were all over his back. The one thing that he couldn’t get over was that all this time Lay has been in pain, it was because he was getting beat. Everytime that Luhan turned a blind eye was a time that he actually really could have helped Lay. There was so much guilt that filled inside of him.

            “Lay, why didn’t you ever tell me about this?” Luhan asked.

            Lay sighed and faced Luhan. “I didn’t tell you because it’s something that you don’t need to get yourself caught up in. It’s just some family brawls that will eventually end.” He explained.

            The second Lay said that Luhan knew who beat him. “Your father has been beating you? I thought that you said things at home were getting better between you two.” He said.

            Lay tightened his grip around his shirt and also bit his lip. “They have. He doesn’t beat me everyday anymore. There are days where he is too drunk. Instead of beating me he is out cold on the couch passed out from all the drinking.” He explained.

            “Lay you have to tell someone about this. We have to call the police and tell them about this.” Luhan said.

            “Yeah and what am I going to say? ‘Hi I’m a grown man living under my parents’ roof and my father is beating me. I have a good paying job and I could probably move out any time I wanted to but I just thought I would let you know that I get beat at least three to four times a day.’ I highly doubt that they are going to buy that one.” Lay explained.

            Hearing it did sound a little sketchy. Especially the part where Lay makes a good amount of money. It was true as well that Lay could probably move out whenever he wanted to. He was one to always save his money instead of spend it everywhere. Luhan didn’t like it but he just accepted that going to the police would be a very hard thing to do.

            A thought popped into his head though. “Does Suho know anything about this?” Luhan asked.

            Lay shook his head. “No he doesn’t. And as far as I’m concerned you don’t know about this either. I honestly don’t want anyone to know about this. This is something that I just need to deal with on my own.”

            “But Lay, this isn’t right.” Luhan said that. He felt like he was on the verge of tears.

            After putting his shirt back on Lay put a hand on Luhan’s shoulder. “Luhan, you are a good friend and I couldn’t have asked for a person any better than you to have as a best friend. However, I need you to act like none of this has ever happened. Please just do this for me.” He said.

            Luhan didn’t like the idea but he just nodded. Lay smiled and walked out of the room. Luhan just needed one more minute to really grasp what just happened. He really didn’t want to keep quiet about this. He wanted to tell someone and ask them what he should do in this situation. Unfortunately he was on his own with this. In his mind though, he needed to at least let Suho know that something is up with Lay. He woudn’t tell him directly but he would just try and lead him to the truth. Suho had the right to know. And maybe he could actually help Lay.

            In the front, Tao was wiping down the counters when Kris came up to him. Kris noticed that Luhan was gone and started to grow suspicious. “Hey where’s Luhan?” He asked.

            Tao looked up at him and smiled. “Don’t worry he didn’t skip out or anything like that. He’s just using the bathroom.” He explained.

            “Oh, okay. Well I was thinking, how about we go out for dinner tonight after we close tonight. Or I could even cook for you at my place.” Kris explained.

            The thought of Kris cooking for him sounded nice. There was also the fact that he had never really been to Kris’ house before. They have always gone out for dates and then he would always just drop him off first. There is also the fact that Kris and he have never really stayed the night with each other. Not since that night they stayed at the hotel anyway.

            “I think that we should go to your place so that you can cook for me. I like being a little pampered to be honest. But I could also be the chef’s little helper.” Tao said with a flirt in his voice.

            “It’s decided then. After work you can come into my office and then we can leave together. We don’t want anyone to really notice us together still right?” Kris questioned.

            Tao sighed at that thought. “It’s not that I don’t want anyone to know. It’s just that I am not ready to tell anyone yet. Just give me a little bit more time.” He explained.

            Kris already understood why Tao didn’t really want anyone knowing about the two of them. “Take all the time you need. I am not going to rush you into anything. Whenever you are ready to come out then I will be there for you.” He said.

            “Thank you. I appreciate that.” Tao replied.

            Kris just smiled at Tao. He liked when it was just the two of them talking in the deli. But that feeling was very short lived. Luhan came back in the front and just stood at his station. Tao immediately picked up that something was while Kris just saw Luhan doing nothing productive.

            “Any time you want to start working again would be great. I don’t just pay you to do nothing.” Kris said and then left to go to his office.

            Luhan glared at Kris while he walked away. “Please tell me that he has a nice side? At this point I swear that he just doesn’t have a heart.” He said.

            All Tao could do was laugh at that. “I’m sure he has a heart. He probably just thinks that the only way to get everyone working is to be strict and seem heartless.” He explained.

            “If that’s what he’s trying to do then he is succeeding very well. He acts perfectly heartless.” Luhan explained.

            Part of Tao knew that Luhan was somewhat correct. However, there was a part of him that felt like Luhan was just saying that to get something off his mind. “Luhan, is there something wrong? Do you need to talk about something?” He asked.

            Luhan bit his lip and shook his head. “Tao I really wish that I could talk about what just happened. I honestly can’t though. I am not allowed to say anything about it.” He said.

            On Luhan’s face there was such sadness. Tao wanted to just take away the pain. He and Luhan weren’t great friends but since they worked with each other almost everyday they had a connection. They were there for each other when they needed comfort at work and when they just needed to talk. Luhan also liked to talk about his problems a lot, so the fact that he couldn’t, Tao knew that it was slightly killing him inside. He felt so sorry for Luhan.

            An hour later Xiumin and Chen were hanging out in the break room. They only had about four hours left in the work day and they were debating about what they were going to do after work. They really didn’t like going out too much but if they didn’t then they would tend to get bored fairly easily. Going out and doing something was the best bet for them.

            “How about we go see a movie?” Xiumin suggested.

            “We could do that. But I heard that there wasn’t anything good out. If we waiting another week then that new action movie will be out and then we can watch that.” Chen explained.

            Xiumin puffed up his cheeks. He tended to do that when he felt troubled. “Okay we can do that next week then. Um, what about clubbing?” He asked.

            Chen raised an eyebrow. “I don’t really see you lasting too long in a club. Just a few drinks and you would be out. Plus I don’t need various people dancing up against you and making me jealous.” He teased.

            “Well then what is it that we should do then? I am all out of ideas.” Xiumin explained.

            Chen was thinking when Xiumin puffed up his cheeks again. He smiled and then thought of something that they could do together. “How about we go bowling?” He suggested.

            After letting out the air from his cheeks Xiumin looked at Chen. “Bowling? I don’t even know how to bowl. Is that a bad thing? What if I injure myself?” He asked.

            “Don’t worry. I’ll be with you every step of the way. All we are going to be doing is having fun and enjoying each other’s company.” Chen explained.

            When Xiumin smiled Chen couldn’t really hold back anymore. He looked Xiumin straight in the eyes and then started to lean forward. He put his hand on Xiumin’s cheek and he ws just an inch away from his lips. He was so close that he could already taste Xiumin’s lips.

            Just when he was about to seal the deal Henry barged in and saw the two. Chen was very quick to think about something. He started to wipe Xiumin’s face as if he had something on it. “I think I got the eyelash. It doesn’t looke like it’s there anymore.”

            “Sorry guys for barging in and just standing there. I just, uh, thought I saw something. Anyway Chen, I need your help.” Henry explained.

            Just from looking at him, Chen knew that Henry was desperate. He really needed something and he was going to ask for it until he got it. “What do you need help with?” Chen asked impatiently.

            “Well I need help for the attack tomorrow night and I just need one more person. So I asked Kris who I should take and he said that you would be a good fit. He claimed that when you two were working together in a restaurant you would play pranks on your coworkers all the time. So, knowing that information I feel like I have to have you on this team.” Henry explained.

            Hearing this Chen groaned. It was true that he was known as “The Troll” at his old job. He would prank anyone and everyone he could and then he would also just make fun of everyone. Thinking about his old job made him realize that he still kind of missed his old job. He couldn’t really think about it though. Thinking about it was just going to ruin his mood. Instead he stared at Henry for a bit and crossed his arms.

            “Out of curiosity, what makes you think that I really want to go and help you guys do this?” Chen asked just a bit harshly.

            Henry pouted at Chen’s comment. That wasn’t where he was going to stop though. Henry was one of those who were blessed with puppy dog eyes that no one could even deny. It took about a minute before Chen sighed. He had to give into the eyes since he really couldn’t resist. Even when Xiumin made those eyes he had a weakness for it. Then again Xiumin was his weakness in general.

            “Could you please help us? I’d be forever grateful for what you did. Please Chen.” Henry begged.

            “Fine! I will go. Just, get out of here for now.” Chen said.

            Henry just smiled. “Thank you so much! Meet us tomorrow at that the other deli around midnight. We have a whole theme planned and everything. Also bring clothes that you wouldn’t mind getting dirty. That’s a big thing.” He said and then rushed out of the room.

            Chen rolled his eyes. What had he just gotten himself into? Xiumin was just giggling while shaking his head. “You really set yourself up there. Well I guess that you won’t be staying over at my place tomorrow night like you wanted to.” Xiumin said.

            That was something that Chen completely forgot about. He didn’t remember that he said that he wanted to sleepover at Xiumin’s apartment. He slapped his head since he now felt so guilty. “Oh my god. I’m so sorry Minnie. I totally forgot about that. I can just tell Henry that something has come up. I really don’t have to go.” He explained.

            “No Chen. It’s totally fine. Besides, if you can’t sleep over tomorrow night then maybe we can skip the bowling tonight and we can just skip ahead to what we were going to do tomorrow.” Xiumin explained.

            “I really like the way you think. Maybe that’s why you make such a great boss. Also a very great boyfriend.” Chen said while whispering the last part.

            Again he started to move in for a kiss. This time he was more determined than the last time. At this point nothing was going to stop him from getting something he wanted. At that point Xiumin didn’t really care if anyone saw them. They both wanted to just taste each other’s lips.

            Just as they were an inch away from each other Xiumin decided that he was going to be the one to seal the deal. Their lips touched and the usual spark started to take over their bodies. The kiss started to grow more and more passionate as their tongues started to fight for dominance. Both of their eyes were closed as they were taking in the moment.

            After they pulled away from each other Xiumin suttlely cuttled with Chen. Xiumin wasn’t really the clingy type but he was more protective. As strange as it sounds Xiumin can be very protective and territorial. Being like that he was also a bit of the jealous type. However, he canceled that out by being sweet and understanding. Plus he really didn’t let the jealous side show much so no one really knew about it.

            “Man, I am going to have to get Kris back for what he did. No one here was really supposed to know about how much of a troll I can be.” Chen said.

            “Don’t worry too much about it. I’m sure that after this one Henry isn’t going to ask you again. Not if you annoy him a lot.” Xiumin said as a hint.

            “Yeah I guess. Well we should get back to work. Then after work I’ll go home and get some of my things. Will you probably be ready by then?” Chen asked.

            “I will always be ready for you.” Xiumin said seductively.

            “Good. I’m going to get back to work now.” Chen said and then gave Xiumin a little peck on the lips. He then got up and left the break room. Xiumin watched him leave and then waited just a minute. They usually do that just so that Xiumin could get a minute of quiet time. He ususally needed it since everyone would yell and ask for some bread for the sandwiches. But when his minute was up he got up and went back to work.

~*~*~*~*~*~

            The next night was the night that members of the EXO-M deli staff were going to attack EXO-K deli. They all met right outside of the deli at midnight. No one was late and no one came unprepared. Everyone had clothes that they didn’t mind getting dirty and they all wore gloves so that they wouldn’t really get their hands dirty. Of all the people there Chen was the only one who just wanted to get all of this over with. Since he was awake most of the night before he just wanted this thing to hurry up so that he could leave.

            “Okay everyone. So again, the theme of this prank is desserts and sweats. I think that the tables should be covered in frosting and sprinkles. Then the counters should be covered in syrup and candy. As we leave we’ll just leave some random candy on the ground. Try and decorate everything as much as you can with frosting and candy. This place should look entirely different. Luna, Victoria, you two are girls so you are in charge of the more decorating. Zhoumi, you and I are going to be more in charge of the counters and messing around with stuff. Chen, you are free to take whatever you want. If you have any ideas just do it. You have no restictions.” Henry explained.

            Everyone nodded and waited to go into the deli. Henry pulled out utensils to pick the lock. In total it took him about half a minute which was very impressive to Chen. Of course Chen used to be able to finish that in fifteen seconds but that was when he was in his prime. It’s been a while since he’s done it and before this he thought that he was done with doing this kind of thing. However, this one he felt like he could do. It wasn’t as bad as anything that he used to do.

            When they got in everyone started to do what they were assigned. At first Chen decided that he was going to help put frosting on the tables on some of the cash registrar. That took about an hour in general. But what took longer was when Chen started to design the tables. He was making patterns and designs that he got carried away with. There was even a table where he wrote “Welcome to Dessert Land”. All of this was reminding him of his old pranking days and how good he was at it. Then again back in those days he didn’t really have a clear conscious. There were things that he did that actually hurt people and there was even a time where he got in trouble with the law. But that was something that he really wasn’t supposed to be talking about.

            “How is everything going over there Chen? Have you thought of any new ideas?” Henry ask while yelling from the kitchen.

            “No not really. I think that you have thought of everything quite well. I like it a lot.” Chen explained.

            “Thanks, but I do like your idea of decorating the tables even more than I had planned. Of course the girls are doing a great job too. Zhoumi you are doing really well too.” Henry praised everyone.

            “Henry, I don’t know if this is the way that you want it to look like. Can you come here and check it?” Zhoumi asked from a distance.

            Henry smiled and started to head over to Zhoumi to see what he was doing. When he was out of hearing range Luna and Victoria went up to Chen and smiled. They leaned over and started to talk to him softly. “Henry obviously has a little man crush on you.” Victoria said.

            “Or maybe he has an actual crush on you. I’m not entirely sure. Some of the boys in our deli are just extremely questionable. Luhan and Lay seem just a bit suspicious. I’m not entirely sure but I am almost positive.” Luna explained.

            Chen snickered and shook his head. “I really don’t think anything about it anymore. There are just times when someone has a liking for the same gender. I know several people who are like that.” He explained.

            “People meaning you and Xiumin?” Luna whispered.

            At that very moment Chen’s eyes went wide. He and Xiumin were very careful at work. They made sure that no one could tell about their relationship and they were always cautious. So for them to know about that was a bit of a shock. “What are you talking about?”

            “You don’t need to pretend Chen. Besides, you were actually one of those who we had to watch a bit. We kind of just picked up on it and then when you two would hang out together almost all the time we got the hint. Don’t worry we won’t tell anyone. We promise.” Victoria explained.

            “Oh, well thank you. I appreciate it. In return I am going to tell you a little secret.” Chen explained to the two girls.

            Since they loved gossip, Victoria and Luna got very excited. They got closer together and they were waiting. “What is it?” Luna asked.

            “As for Luhan and Lay, I’m pretty sure that you are right. Also, I’m pretty sure Zhoumi over there has a huge crush on Henry. That or it’s someone else who works around Henry. He cannot keep his eyes away from over there.” Chen explained.

            “Really? I honestly didn’t think he was the type. But I guess that proves that anyone could be gay. Ah, and he was so cute too.” Victoria explained.

            “Sorry to burst your bubble. We have been here for about two hours now. We should be almost done.” Chen said.

            “And that we are. You three can go home now. Zhoumi and I are going to finish up with the floor. Thank you all so much. They are really going to get a kick out of this.” Henry explained.

            “Okay. I guess we’ll see everyone tomorrow. Hav a good night!” Victoria said and then ran out of the deli.

            Luna got very close to Chen and whispered again in his ear. “Is Zhoumi going to be happy about being alone with Henry?” She teased.

            Chen nudged her and made his way out of the deli. Luna followed a bit. Once they were out they went their separate ways. As long of a night it was, he was glad that he went. He felt like his old self. He didn’t like part of that though. This was going to have to be his last time doing it since he didn’t want to go back to the person he was. That was one of the things he feared the most. With Xiumin though he didn’t think that he would. He liked him too much to ruin anything that they had. So he was going to try his hardest not to ruin anything.

~*~*~*~*~*~

            The next morning Suho was absolutely furious. He was one of the last people to arrive since he had some personal errands to do. The other prank was at least subtle and they just had to get new ingredients. This time it was going to have to be some deep cleaning. Frosting was all over the tables and there was candy everywhere.

            The one thing that pissed Suho off the most was the fact that some of the candy melted into the floor or the counter. It was an absolute mess. There was also the fact that they syrup that they used dried up and it was extremely hard to clean up. Everything that Suho was looking at was going to be hard to clean up. Also if they called a cleaning company the bill was going to be huge.

            If there was anything scarier than seeing Suho mad, it was seeing Suho furious. There was only one way that anyone could tell that he was furious though. It’s when he’s absolutely silent. The one person who caught onto how furious Suho was was Kyungsoo. The second that he saw Suho, and he was silent, he already knew that he was about to explode. Usually Suho would just go somewhere and calm down a bit before dealing with the issue. If he wasn’t going to do that then he was going to explode. When he explodes he has a tantrum and there is almost no way to get him off of it. It was also very scary since there have been points where he gets violent and that was something that no one wanted.

            Kyungsoo went up to Suho and tried to delicately talk to him. “Suho, I can handle everything over here. Why don’t you just go into your office and calm down a bit?”

            There was no reply from Suho. He just bit his lip and stormed into his office. After the door slammed as loud as anyone has ever heard it before. It was so loud that everyone went silent.

            All of a sudden there was a commotion in the kitchen. “Whoa!” Was screamed from the kitchen followed with a groan.

            Chanyeol looked back and saw that Baekhyun was on the ground. He rushed over to him and helped him up. “Baek are you okay?” He asked.

            “I’m fine. I just slipped on a piece of candy that was on the floor. Right now I am more concerned about Suho. Kyungsoo is he going to be okay?” Baekhyun asked.

            Kai and Sehun joined them and looked troubled as well. “I have no idea. Honestly, this is going to cost a lot of money to clean all of this up. I think that we should close the deli again today just to clean up what we can. Once we do that we can call a cleaning company to finish up what we couldn’t do.” Kyungsoo explained.

            “That is going to take a long time. We might be cleaning up this mess for a few hours before we can call the cleaning company.” Sehun explained.

            “You have a point Sehun. But at the same time our boss is kind of in a slump right now. We need to help him with anything we can. He has given us jobs and he actually is a really great boss. We owe it to him to help him with this.” Kai explained.

            At that moment Kyungsoo was so proud of Kai. He didn’t know if he was just saying that but either way he was proud. “Kai is right. So everyone let’s get to work.”

            Everyone nodded and started to grab cleaners and towels to start the process. The staff started cleaning and it took hours. In fact it took them around four hours to do just some basic cleaning. After those four hours hit it took another hour for the cleaning company to come and help clean the deli. Once they did come there was an extra hour that they were cleaning. Plus the bill was absolutely huge.

            When everything was done Kyungsoo was happy. It looked exactly like nothing happened in the first place. This was the moment where he decided that he would tell Suho about what happened. He went over to his office and knocked on the door.

            Suho walked over and opened the door. He looked so troubled and maybe just a bit drunk. “What is it Kyungsoo?” He asked.

            “The deli is clean now. That’s all that I wanted to tell you.” Kyungsoo explained.

            “Oh, thank you. Sorry I didn’t help. I was just too furious. I couldn’t even talk. I felt so mad.” Suho explained.

            “You really don’t need to explain. I totally understand.” Kyungsoo explained.

            “Okay, well for all the hard work that they did send everyone home. Even you go home and rest. I’ll close up and everything.” Suho explained.

            “Are you sure you are okay?” Kyungso asked.

            Suho nodded and smiled. “I am totally fine. Trust me. One thing that I have on my mind is how I am going to get back at the other deli. I can do all of that in pece now.” He said.

            “Okay. Well I’ll see you tomorrow.” Kyungsoo said.

            “Yes, tomorrow is back to business as usual.” Suho replied. Kyungsoo nodded and then left the office. Everyone packed up their things and got ready to go home. One thing left all of their minds though as they were leaving. They were going to make sure that EXO-M deli was going to feel the same pain that they did. 

IMPORTANT: I am holding a contest! For all you artists out there I am doing a competition for fan art. I would like to have new cover art for my stories since I no longer like the ones I have and I don't have time. You can do any story that I have. It is not limited to just this story. You can even enter art for all of my stories. However, if you win one you can't win another. Requirements are that the title and author (me) have to be on the art along with your signiture somewhere on the art. The art has to relate to the story in some way. The conest ends August 20th which gives you a whole month plus more! If you would like to enter leave a message in the comments saying what story/stories that you are doing.I will then send you the email which you can send your final project. Also when you send it to my email leave your user name and also your first name for recognition. If you would like to leave your first name annoynomous I will respect that. Absolutely no or anything like that. You will be disqualified from all entires if that happens. Good luck and have fun!

A/N: So yes I know that Kris leaving is heartbreaking but that doesn't mean that I am not going to put him in this story. He will always be a member in my heart and I think that he is just trying to find himself. Well anyway a lot happening in this chapter. I really didn't expect it to all happen. But it's still interesting I hope. Okay my cubs Karabear loves you. Remeber to enter my conest and to leave a comment to enter. Be safe cubs!