It was a decently busy day at EXO-M deli. There wasn’t much of a rush but customers were regularly coming in and ordering. That was the thing with EXO-M. They never had any big rushes but they would always have customers coming in constantly for a snack or a quick meal.

            With no real rushes that meant that there were times when Tao and Luhan didn’t have anything to do. Well, not until Kris noticed anyway. When times were slow and there was a small break when no customers Kris would give those two more work to do. He would especially give more work to Tao.

            Tao and Luhan were cleaning up their counters and looking like they were doing something when Kris came in. He saw the two cleaning and walked over by them. “Tao, what are you doing right now?” He asked him.

            “Luhan and I are cleaning up our stations right now.” Tao replied.

            Kris nodded and then looked at Tao. “That’s good. But after you are done go and restock the drinks in the cooler and then go into the storage closet and start cleaning and organizing the boxes in there.” He said.

            Tao sighed after hearing all the things Kris asked him to do. He really didn’t want to do any of those things. “I’ll go and do it right after I’m done.” He replied. As much as he wanted to tell Kris to go and do it himself he was his boss. There was a high risk of him getting fired if he did that. Or killed depending how pissed off Kris would be from that comment.

            Kris smiled and then gave one more nod. After that he turned around and went into his office to sort out a few papers. Tao watched him leave and close his door. He sighed once he saw that the door was completely closed.

            “I really hate it when he does that to me.”  He thought out loud.

            “I really don’t know why you tolerate the way he treats you. If anyone else in this deli did that to you I almost know for a face that you would kill them.” Luhan explained to him.

            Tao sighed and then rolled his neck. “Usually I would but Kris is our boss. How can I go against him? I’ll probably get fired and I need this job.” He said.

            Luhan nodded forgetting about how much Tao needs a job. “You’re right. But he seems to be a lot harder on you than anyone else here. Have you noticed that about him?” He asked.

            Tao just shrugged his shoulders. “Honestly I never have really paid any attention to that. I just do my work, go home, and move on with my life.” He replied to Luhan.

            That response caused Luhan to roll his eyes. “Tao you really need to start becoming more observant. I mean, doesn’t it bother you that Kris treats you worse than all of us?” He asked Tao.

            Tao shook his head. “It doesn’t really bother me. Besides it doesn’t really matter. I don’t plan on staying here forever Luhan. I eventually want to be a manager of a restaurant or deli just like this one.” He said.

            “So you basically want to be just like Kris?” Luhan asked as he raised an eyebrow.

            “Well I want what he has achieved in his years but not to specifically be him. I wouldn’t want to be an all the time.” Tao replied.

            Luhan laughed at that comment. “That is true. But I guess that all of this is basically a stepping stone for you. You got to start at the bottom and just work your way to the top.” He said.

            “Exactly. I mean the bottom is a tough place but the only way you can go from there is up and once you take that first step, it’ll make the rest of them easier.” Tao said.

            Both of the boys smiled after that little discussion and nodded. They then went back to cleaning up their stations. Right after he finished, Tao went straight to the storage closet. He walked down the hall and stopped right at the storage closet. He put his hand on the door knob and took in a deep breath. He turned the knob and opened the door.

            The only thing that appeared on Tao’s face after looking into the room was complete shock. The whole room looked almost as if a tornado had struck inside of there. There were boxes all over the place. Some of them were opened while others were still closed but they had looked like someone had beaten them a hundred times. There were bowls all over the floor and rice that was from a bag that had ripped. Tao definitely had his work cut out for him.

            “YOU HAVE GOT TO BE KIDDING ME!” Tao yelled even though no one was there.

            “Hey Tao could you-. Holy this room is a mess.” Chen said as he walked up to Tao and then looked into the room.

            “Tell me about it. Anyway please tell me that you need me to do something.” Tao pleaded.

            Chen shook his head. “Not really something that will get you away from this. Luhan told me that you would be here. I need more take-out containers. Usually Luna comes and gets me more containers but she’s on vacation. And as I can see, you probably have no idea where the containers are.” He said.

            Tao shook his head. “Yeah I can’t help you there.” He replied.

            Chen sighed and then stepped into the messy room. He had to climb over some boxes in order to find the take-out bowls. But he found them hidden under a few boxes. “Ah-ha! Got it. Well I hope you have fun in here Tao.” He said and then left.

            “Thanks a lot.” Tao replied sarcastically.

            Chen looked back and laughed. Tao shook his head and then looked into the room again. He let out a long breath and then started to head into the room. He began picking up the boxes and standing them up straight. He then started to organize the boxes by what they had in them. Since some boxes were basically falling apart Tao had a strategy. If there was barely in one of the boxes that were still good he would transfer the items in the broken boxes into the decent boxes. Then he started to organize them and place them neatly on shelves.

            Once everything was off the shelf he started to sweep the floor. It took him a very long time to gather all the rice that had fallen out of the bag and throw it away. After that he grabbed a mop and started to mop the room since he could still see the dirt on the floor. Then after he was done mopping he wiped down all the shelves since it was extremely dusty. The deli had only been opened for a few months and it was already ridiculously dusty.

            When Tao first started cleaning the room it was ten a.m. But when he was done it was one p.m. It had taken him that whole three hours just to finish up cleaning that room. He was sweating like crazy and he was extremely tired. The fact though that he had to clean the entire room by himself made him very grumpy. He was going to make sure that that room stayed clean so that all his hard work will be appreciated and also so that Kris could never tell him to do that again.

            Tao exited the room and then wiped off the sweat from his forehead. He looked around for a bit and the started to head towards the kitchen. As he was walking some of the employee’s started to get a little nervous. They knew that Tao was upset. But when Tao came into the kitchen an evil aura started to form around Tao. Everyone dropped what they were doing and looked at him. Their hearts had dropped so much that they all stopped what they were doing. They could tell that Tao was angry and even looking him in the eyes was dangerous.

            Tao looked around and spoke. “If any one of you even places the smallest item out of place in the storage closet I swear that I will end you. Do you all understand?” He asked very aggressively.

            Everyone who was in the kitchen at the time just nodded. Going against Tao when he was mad was the last thing that anyone wanted to do if they wanted to live. Tao took the liberty of looking at every single person there so that he knew who he told so that if they messed up the room he could kill them. They would never be able to say that he didn’t say anything.

            When Tao felt like everyone understood how serious he was about keeping the storage closet clean he left the kitchen. He was still frustrated over the whole situation. But he had to learn to just let things go. He left the kitchen and went back to his station by the cash registrar.

            Luhan had his arms crossed when Tao walked in. He had heard the whole conversation that happened in the kitchen. He let out a small laugh and uncrossed his arms. “So it sounded like you had a lot of fun cleaning that closet.” He said teasingly.

            “Do not go there Luhan. I’m really not in the mood to hear it.” Tao explained and let out a very exhausted sigh.

            “Okay I’ll back off of it for now. But there is something that I really think that you need to know. I basically covered for you while you were gone.” Luhan said.

            Tao squinted his eyes. “What do you mean you covered for me?” He asked.

            “While you were cleaning the room I remembered that Kris had also told you to restock the cooler with drinks. You forgot to do it so I took the liberty of covering for you and saying that you did it when truly it was me. So now you really owe me.”

            Tao let out a sight that was half relief and half frustration. “Thank you so much Luhan. If Kris were to find out about that I’m pretty sure he would make my life a living hell.” He said.

            Just as he was saying that Kris came into the room while talking on his cell phone. He then stopped for a second and looked at both of the boys. He had just basically heard the whole conversation even though he was on his phone. “I already know about you forgetting to do one of your duties. Just for that Tao you have to clean this whole deli every day this week. That means sweeping, mopping and wiping down the counters. You start tonight.” He said and then walked into his office.

            Tao really started to feel the anger kicking in. He started to grind his teeth and then ran his hand through his hair. After taking in one last deep breath he hit his fist against the counter causing Luhan to jump. He was about to explode. “THAT’S IT! I can’t take any of this anymore!” He screamed and then stormed over to Kris’ office.

            As Tao was storming off Lay came out of the kitchen and walked over to Luhan. “Is everything okay with Tao? What happened?” He asked.

            Luhan couldn’t anything but smile. He then went to cleaning the counter again. “The maknae is learning how to speak his mind.” He replied. Lay got what Luhan was saying and put on a smile too.

            Kris was sitting in his chair while he was still on his cell phone talking when Tao entered his office. When Tao walked in he slammed the door behind him since this was something that just him and Kris had to deal with. “What is your problem?” He yelled at Kris.

            The yelling didn’t even really faze Kris. He turned his chair a bit to look at Tao. He then sighed and went back to his phone call. “Changmin, I’m going to have to call you back later. Yes I will think about adding that to the menu. Yes I got it. Bye.” He said and then hung up the phone. He turned his chair again so that he was completely facing Tao. “What is the problem Tao?”

            Tao’s jaw dropped from shock. He almost could not believe that Kris wasn’t fazed how angry Tao was at the moment. It was almost like Kris didn’t even notice. “You are asking me what the problem is. You are my problem! Every day you tell me to do things that are almost impossible to do. Then once I am finished what that you don’t even give me a break and tell me to do something else that’s almost impossible. Do you have something against me? If I have done anything to offend you then I am sorry. But you can’t keep treating me like crap!” Tao said.

            Kris rolled his eyes. “I’m your boss and I really don’t need to answer to you. I have a right to treat you the way I feel necessary.” He replied.

            “And I have a right to be respected as an employee here! I may not be high on authority at all but I would have at least thought that I would be treated right here. But obviously I’m not going to get that here.” Tao said.

            Kris sighed and then stood up from his chair. “What is that supposed to mean?” He asked with a soft tone.

            “That is supposed to mean, that I quit.” Tao replied to Kris. He turned around and took a few steps towards the door.

            “You do know that if you quit now that you are giving up on your dream. I hope that you realize that if you leave now all your work will be put down the drain. You are going to have to start from the bottom all over again.” Kris explained.

            That stopped Tao right in his tracks. What Kris had said had a lot of truth in it. Tao had worked hard to find someplace where he could eventually grow and become a manager if he showed some good qualities. But after he really thought about it, he was willing to start over. He didn’t care about this job too much anymore. “I rather be at the bottom and respected than half way there with a horrible boss that stands in the way of me getting to the top and achieving my dreams.” He said and then took a few more steps towards the door.

            That response left Kris in a bit of a panic. He started to grow seriously frustrated. After running his hand through his hair he let out a long sigh while closing his eyes. He opened his eyes again and looked at Tao. “Tao wait.” He called.

            Once more Tao let out a sigh and stopped. He turned around to look at Kris with a slight glare. “What?” He asked in an aggressive tone.

            “Come back here for a second. There is actually something that I am going to have to admit to you.” Kris said. Tao rolled his eyes and started to walk towards Kris. Kris came out from behind his desk and walked over to a couch he had in his office. “Have a seat here.”

            After looking at the couch Tao walked over to it and took a seat. Kris sat right next to him and then turned a bit just to face Tao. He was trying to think of the right words to say to him that wouldn’t upset him any more than he already was and that he would take so hard.

            “What is it that you need to admit to me?” Tao asked very impatiently.

            Kris felt like punching Tao right there. He was very irritated with his tone. “Well I first have to admit that your attitude really .” He said just to let out a little steam. After that he took in a deep breath and let it out slowly. He started to calm down. “But the real thing that I have to admit is that, I’m working you harder than anyone else here because I really want you to succeed.” He said.

            The words that Tao just heard were unexpected. But to him they more confusing than anything. “What?” He asked.

            Kris bit his lip. “I know that one day you want to be a manager of a deli or restaurant yourself. Because of that I have been really pushing you. Managing a restaurant is not easy at all. So I wanted to prepare you for what you will be facing in the future.” He explained.

            “So you are doing that by giving me endless amounts of work to do?” Tao asked.

            “Honestly being a manager is a very demanding job. The work load almost seems endless and there is almost a phase where you feel like you want to just quit and give up. But it really is like an endless job. You have to stay behind until everyone else leaves so that you can lock up and then sometimes you even dream about managing the restaurant. It gets insane. But the endless chores I gave you are because I wanted to see how you would handle all the pressure and the constant demand of having to do something at the last second. I have to say that you handled it every well.” Kris praised Tao.

            Tao really thought about what Kris said. “So, every single thing that you have been telling me to do, it’s because you have actually been preparing me for future skills I would need as a manager?” He asked for confirmation.

            Kris just had to nod. “That’s basically the reason why I did it. I did it only because I care for you and I want you to someday manage a restaurant and think of it as your own pride and joy.” He said.

            Tao was blank at first but then he put on a giant smile. He opened his arms and gave Kris a crushing hug. Kris was a bit freaked out by the action. “Thank you so much Kris. I’m so sorry that I snapped at you in the first place. If I knew your intentions then I wouldn’t have been so angry.” He said. He then pulled away.

            Kris took a breath of air and then cleared his throat. He put on a small grin and looked Tao in the eyes. “I actually should have been more straight forward with you. I thought that if you knew that then you thought that you could get away with a bunch of things. But now I see that you won’t. But since I am being honest here, there is something else that I think you should know.” He said.

            Tao was curious as what Kris was going to say. “What is it this time?” He asked.

            After taking a deep breath Kris bit his lip again. He bit on it harder this time. It was because he was extremely nervous. “Well, I think that you should know, I can’t ever get you out of my head. Ever since I hired you I have been thinking about you and I been feeling something towards you that I just can’t explain and that frustrates me.” He admitted.

            The words that Kris had just said left Tao in a bit of shock. But if anything it just made him awkward. It was not because he couldn’t handle a guy telling him he likes him but it was awkward because at first Tao had felt something towards Kris.

            “Kris, what is it that you are trying to say?” Tao asked.

            Kris let out a breath and looked down for a second. He then looked up and back at Tao. “I’m actually really not sure. But, I want to try something. I really want to see if this is really something I am feeling. But I won’t do it without your permission.” He said.

            Tao swallowed and then shook his head. He had an idea of what Kris was going to do but there was a bit of uncertainty. “I don’t mind. “ He replied.

            This made both of them very nervous. Kris nodded and then turned a little bit more towards Tao. His eyes were staring right into Tao’s. He took in a deep breath and then started to lean into Tao. Kris leaned all the way until their lips touched. It was a very soft kiss the whole way. Kris really tried hard to hold himself back. He didn’t want to force anything onto Tao. The last thing he wanted was to make Tao completely uncomfortable. But Tao wasn’t feeling uncomfortable at all. In fact he liked it more than he thought he would.

            When Kris finally pulled away there was a certain spark that was cut off. When their lips parted there was a certain something that Tao felt like he was missing. Besides right as Kris pulled away he was starting to enjoy the kiss. Kris looked Tao straight into the eyes. He was about to say something but Tao stopped him by clashing their lips back together.

            That was not a reaction that Kris expected. In fact that was the last thing that Kris had expected from Tao. But he was very pleased with it. He now knew that he really did have feelings for Tao and Tao returned the feelings. He never had been with another man before but with Tao he really wouldn’t have given it any thought.

            After a few more seconds of kissing Tao really started to get passionate with Kris. It wasn’t like Kris wasn’t either. Kris was biting and on Tao’s lips. But eventually Tao pulled their lips apart so that he could readjust himself. He moved so that he was on the couch with both of his knees on each side of Kris’ legs so that he was basically on his lap. He then wrapped his arms around Kris’ neck and began to softly kiss him again.

            They kissed for a few more seconds after that. As much as Kris and Tao were enjoying their time together, they were at work and everyone would start to wonder about what was going on in the office. Kris pulled away first and took in a deep breath of air. He placed his forehead against Tao’s. “We need to start getting back to work. They’re going to start getting suspicious if you’re in here too long.” Kris said.

            Tao sighed and nodded. He got off of Kris and sat back down where he was sitting before. “You’re right. I’m sorry that I got a little carried away there.” He said.

            Kris couldn’t help but smile. He rubbed Tao’s cheek with the back on his hand and stared into his eyes. “Don’t worry about it. Just go back to work and then we can talk about what we are going to do next later.” He said.

            Tao smiled and nodded. But then he remembered something. “Do I still have to clean the whole deli because I forgot to restock the cooler?” He asked in a bit of a whining voice.

            Kris sighed and then let out a little giggle. After that he kissed Tao on the forehead. “I guess I can let this one slide. But I would really like it if you stayed after work with me today.” He said.

            Tao put on another smile and nodded. “I would like that. I could just use the ‘punishment’ as an excuse to why I have to stay behind. But just so you know, Chen usually drives me home so if you want me to really stay with you, you are going to have to bring me home.” He explained.

            Kris nodded. “I can definitely bring you home. I am in no rush to be going anywhere today so I think that’ll work out well.” He said.

            “Okay then good. I’ll just be getting back to work then.” Tao replied. He stood up from the couch and started walking towards the door. Kris got up soon after and walked over to his door as well. He wanted to be close to him as much as possible.

            Tao opened the door and started heading toward his station right next to the cash registrar. Kris had watched him walk all the way over there. Then his eyes wondered towards the rest of the deli. He first saw Luhan and Lay talking and then he didn’t hear anything getting done in the back kitchen either. He figured that meant that everyone was basically not doing anything. So he did what he always does, he made a threat.

            “Hey if all of you don’t get back to work I’m going to personally make your lives living hells. Now move before I kick all your asses!” Kris yelled.

            Luhan and Lay jumped when Kris yelled at them. Lay then ran back into the kitchen and Luhan went back to cleaning.  Kris rolled his eyes and then turned back towards his office. He the closed his door and then picked up his cell phone to make another phone call.

            Tao got back to his station and rolled his eyes. He realized that when it was just Kris and him he was softer and more caring. Now he was back to his old self. “Back to the old Kris everyone knows.” He mumbled under his breath.

            “What was that?” Luhan had asked him.

            “Oh, nothing. Just thinking to myself.” Tao replied.

            “Well he seems just as much as a jackass as before. I thought that after you gave him a good talking to that he would lay off and be a bit nicer. But I guess that you couldn’t really accomplish that.” Luhan said.

            Tao shook his head and smiled. “He has his reasons for being the way he is. All that matters is that I made life easier for me. But the rest of you however are going to have to do that yourselves.” He replied.

            “You really you know that. I thought you were going to help all of us out there.” Luhan said.

            “Sorry but this time I only had one goal in mind. If I ever get a chance like this again then I’ll try and get him to lay off of you guys.” Tao said.

            “You better. Besides you owe me remember.” Luhan said.

            “I got caught anyway remember.” Tao added.

            “Oh, right. Well anyway that guy really needs to take a chill pill. What is his problem?” Luhan asked himself.

            Tao laughed at the fact that Luhan was still hung up on that. He was going to look at the cooler since it had been a while since it was last restocked. But Xiumin came silently running in.

            “Did you guys hear the cool news?” He asked while startling both Luhan and Tao.

            Luhan was holding his chest and taking in deep breaths. “And what news would that be Xiumin?” He asked.

            “Wait how could you not know? Anyway we’re going to have a big EXO party. Both EXO-K and EXO-M deli’s will be attending. The whole motive is to get to know each other and attempt to get along. I also heard that there is going to be food, drinks, games, and even a dance floor. Oh My god this is going to be so fun.” Xiumin explained excitedly.

            Lay heard the news from the kitchen and ran in himself. Chen shortly followed but he didn’t join the group completely. He just stood in the doorway. “We’re having an EXO party? Are you serious?” Lay asked also excitedly. Xiumin just nodded with a big smile. “Awesome.”

            “Lay, you seem pretty excited about this party. Is there a specific reason for that?” Luhan asked in a teasing voice.

            “Shut up Luhan.” Lay said threateningly.

            Luhan widened his eyes and backed off. Xiumin laughed a little and then went back to talking about the party. “I’m actually not sure when this party is but I know it’s going to be absolutely amazing.” He said.

            “And what makes you think that Xiumin?” Tao asked.

            “It’s obviously going to be amazing because we are all going. Duh.” Xiumin replied.

            “Well it sure does sound exciting. Wait, since it’s a party does that mean I have to find a date?” Luhan asked.

            “No way, that would just bring the party down. Just show up and have fun.” Xiumin said. Everyone looked at him like he was crazy.

            “Xiumin I really think that you need to get out more.” Lay joked.

            “Whatever.” He replied.

            Just as they were all going to talk more about what was going to happen at the party, Kris came out of his office and everyone scurried to go back to their stations. Everyone didn’t want to face Kris’ wrath. But Xiumin was still standing around. He really wasn’t afraid since he was the assistant manager. It was one way of getting away from having to face Kris’ wrath. And he loved it so much.

            Kris looked up and saw Xiumin standing there are still talking to Tao and Luhan. He smiled as he was walking towards him. “Hey Xiumin, I just got off the phone with Suho and we are in charge of food and games for the party. They are in charge of venue, music, and decorations.” He said.

            Xiumin raised an eyebrow. “Food and games? Why am I not surprised? What did you do in order to just get those two?” He asked.

            Kris smiled. “I told Suho that if I were to pick the venue then it would be at the zoo. Then when it came to the music I told him that I would just find a guy from the street to perform. Those made him just want to give me food and games.” He said.

            “Yeah you basically tricked him into giving you the two things you love most in life.” Xiumin said.

            Tao looked up after hearing Xiumin say that. Kris moved his eyes to look at Tao and then put on a smile. Tao noticed that and then looked back down and started to do his work again. “Well the obvious two. Anyway I want you to handle the food and I’ll take care of the games. Do you still have that friend who works in the catering business?” Kris asked.

            “Yes I do. I’ll take care of it.” Xiumin replied.

            “Okay good. I’ll keep you posted on what goes on. Get back to work.” Kris said.

            Xiumin nodded and then went back into the kitchen. Kris took one last look at Tao and put on a smile. He then turned around and headed back towards his office. Tao shyly looked back up at Kris and watched him walk away. He then went on with the rest of his day just thinking about Kris.

~.~.~.~.~.~

            At the end of the day everyone but Tao was getting ready to go home. Tao grabbed a broom and started to sweep the floor in the main part of the deli. He was attempting to look like he was cleaning. But he was succeeding since everyone felt bad for him. Chen and Lay were the first to enter the room and see Tao.

            “Are you sure that you don’t want me to wait for you Tao? I can just go and get something to eat and then come back for you.” Chen said.

            Tao nodded. “Yeah I’m sure. I don’t want you to wait for me. I really don’t know how long I will take and I would hate to keep you waiting. I’ll just take the bus home.” Tao explained.

            Chen sighed and nodded. “Alright, just don’t work yourself too hard. I don’t care what Kris says, if you feel like you’re being worked too hard just go home. I’ll see you tomorrow.” He said.

            “I’ll see ya later Tao.” Lay said and then walked out with Chen. Soon afterwards Luhan and Xiumin said their goodbyes and left.

            After everyone was gone Tao looked around and saw that the deli was completely empty. It wasn’t something that he was used to. Usually he was the first one to leave and go home with Chen so seeing it so empty was strange to him. He just shrugged it off and started sweeping again.

            As Tao was sweeping he felt a pair of arms wrap around his waist. He turned his head a bit to see Kris. Kris placed his head on his shoulder and let out a breath. This made Tao slightly blush.

            “So, now that you and I have confirmed that we like each other, does that mean we can start going steady?” Kris asked.

            Tao just laughed a little. “I guess so. I don’t see no reason why not. But I don’t want to tell anyone yet. I know Luhan would try and take advantage of me.” He said.

            Kris laughed. “Don’t worry. I won’t tell anyone. But if you ever feel uncomfortable or like we’re moving too fast you can just tell me. I won’t mind.” He said.

            Tao just bit his lip and nodded. “I’ll let you know. But as of right now I think we’re okay.” He replied.

            Kris smiled. “So you’re okay with being mine?” He asked.

            Tao giggled and then smiled. He nodded and then Kris started to smile again. He then started to caress Tao’s neck. He kissed it continuously until at one point he bit down and on his neck. This caused Tao to moan from pleasure. Once Kris pulled away a hickey started to form where his lips once were.

            “Now you are marked as mine.” He whispered seductively into Tao’s ear.

            After that Kris picked up Tao bridal style and carried him all the way to his office. He closed his door again and that started their make-out session in there. They were there for a while but once they realized that it was turning late they stopped and Kris brought Tao home. They shared one more kiss goodnight and then they left each other for the night.

            The next morning it was quite obvious that Tao was no longer single. “Tao what is that on your neck!” Luhan asked in shock.

            Tao rubbed his neck and looked at Luhan. “It’s nothing!” He replied.

            “Like hell it is! What is it!” Luhan asked again.

            “It’s nothing you need to know about.” Tao replied. He then looked up and saw Kris come out of his office. He put on a smile and thought about how he loved the fact that they were now together.  

A/N: So close to the EXO party I can feel it. I am almost done introducing all the couples. You know them all but you all won't know how until I post. But anyway Thanks for reading and thanks to my subscribers. Also the picture is made by Comeonfallenstar on Deviantart.