After a few days and Yixing’s mother starts wondering why Yixing always comes back so late, even for an irregular job it doesn’t seem normal to her, and she even caught him once coming inside the house and became worried by the looks of Yixing a bit disheveled and genuinely upset. And for Yixing she’s been wondering a bit too much to a point where he has really nowhere to escape anymore. He has a really hard time explaining why the hell he comes back upset from work. So Junmyeon had given him the option of staying the night at the agency since there are rooms and “Luhan and Jongin basically live here anyway” and Yixing found himself accepting and telling his mother his work schedule changed. She didn’t question it and if she did she didn’t voice it out loud.

“What’s his problem?” Yixing asks with a slightly slacked jaw after Luhan had unashamedly walked stark into the living room and kissed Yixing’s cheek like it were habit, like Yixing was, in some alternated universe, his wife and this was the morning section of their lives. And there it is. The last move. Luhan is definitely weird, too weird.

Junmyeon laughs.

“Luhan’s…promiscuous I guess.” He talks while going for a grab of a glass and a bottle of scotch and goes sit at the bar with a pleased smile. Odd taste in liquor for someone so young and it’s a bit too early for a drink but Yixing doesn’t mention it because he’s sure he’ll receive the same evading reaction from last time. Seems like routine already and never mind Junmyeon actually looks better today.

“That much is clear.” Yixing says and joins him on the stool next to his. He wanted to add that Luhan is probably bipolar too but he doesn’t.

“He’s…nice…I suppose.” Junmyeon giggles into his cup when he brings it to his lips and sips a bit.

Yixing doesn’t know if he’s being ironic.

“So what’s his story?” He asks curiously hitting for casual.

Junmyeon gives him a look.

“And what if we talked about your story?”

“I don’t have much to say.”

“How are things going with Kris?” Junmyeon presses with a grin and Yixing can tell he’s in for the tease.

He grows a little warm with the question.

“Fine I guess…” He tries not to look at Junmyeon. This is not the sort of conversation he wants to have with him. Yixing has never been the kind of guy to have close friends to whom he told his romantic escapes and ual adventures. He wasn’t trained for this. Besides Junmyeon isn’t a close friend so this is not a hundred percent okay. And considering Junmyeon isn’t the sharing type Yixing doesn’t feel obligated to be.

“How good is he?” Junmyeon asks obviously amused. Chances are that’s not his first glass of alcohol.

Yixing almost chokes at the sudden and intrusive question and he feels red and he is probably red and his voice comes out small when he talks.

“I wouldn’t know.” Suddenly he feels like stealing Junmyeon’s bottle and down it in one go.

“Oh…you haven’t--? Not yet?”

“No.”

“No?” Junmyeon sounds skeptical.

“No.”

“I’m just a bit surprised.” He turns serious suddenly and takes another sip of his drink. “So what have you done then?”

“Is this usual, for you to ask this to your employees?”

Junmyeon grins.

“No…I mean, yeah sometimes I like to ask if things are going alright, after all I’m not a mean boss,” He laughs by himself. “but with you…I don’t know, I was curious. Since this is…well, a special case. I want to make sure you’re doing alright.” He says and he does sounds honestly concerned there but if this is his way of being nice and worried he has a terrible way of showing it and Yixing isn’t fond of his tactic.

“I’m doing fine thank you.” Yixing says sternly.

“If you don’t want to talk about it I understand.”

“I’m glad you understand then.” Yixing gets up. “Where’s the room?”

“After that door-” Junmyeon points at the door he’s seen Luhan come out of earlier. “There’re several rooms. Don’t go into the last one, that one’s Luhan’s.” He ends with a smile.

“Okay.” Yixing dismisses and grabs his bag to let some clothes there in case he ever needs them.

The room he chose, among some five of them all equally decorated, is pretty dull compared to the rest of the house but it is still much better than his own back at his house. If it weren’t for the value of being home Yixing could very much live there like the other two.

He drops the bag near the bed and tests the mattress with a little bounce of his on it. It’s comfortable. He tries not to lie down because he knows chances are he’ll fall asleep considering he hasn’t done much of that lately.

When he gets out of the room he catches a glimpse of a tired out Jongin, shoulders slumped and leaning his weight against the frame, at the end of the hallway hunched over the doorknob and struggling with his door that just happens to be the last door.

“Hey.” Yixing says to catch Jongin’s attention.

The younger glances at him over his shoulder with half-lidded eyes that actually make him look cute despite himself and he smiles lazily.

“Hey.” He says sluggishly.

“Need help?”

“Please, before I kick it.” Jongin steps away and lets Yixing open it with ease. This close Jongin smells like alcohol and something strawberry scented. “Thanks.” He pats Yixing’s cheek and lets himself in and closes the door slowly behind him.

Yixing goes back to the living room and notices Junmyeon still at the bar. He’s playing with a small bottle against the counter, rolling it forward and backward with a finger and keeping an eye on it. Yixing doesn’t say anything and stays put where he is. Junmyeon catches a sound of his footing across the tiles nonetheless and stops, picking up the bottle and putting it away inside his pocket.

“What have you told your mother?” He asks not planning on a subject. He just wants to distract Yixing obviously.

“Nothing much.” Yixing answers and moves to go sit next to him again.

Junmyeon serves himself another glass of whiskey and after a bit Yixing talks again.

“Are Jongin and Luhan together?”  He asks just out of curiosity because he did just see Jongin going inside Luhan’s room although that could’ve just been Jongin’s drunk mistake but Yixing wants to guess it wasn’t.

Junmyeon laughs and shakes his head negatively.

“Together…” He repeats sneeringly. “I don’t think you can call it that here but I wouldn’t even know to be completely honest.” Junmyeon keeps quiet as if debating if he should speak. “Seems like it sometimes doesn’t it? They are close.” Junmyeon looks forward and seems contemplative. “I don’t know…sometimes I see this look in Jongin’s eyes that tells me he’s…infatuated.”

Yixing hums. He doesn’t know them that well to agree with Junmyeon but the older seems to be talking himself in and out of that idea and Yixing doesn’t really want to stop him.

“Other times…” Junmyeon continues. “I think it’s Luhan who’s lost his mind. It’s only fair, Jongin does that to a person. But I don’t know…I usually prefer to stay away from such dramas.” He smiles crookedly, his cheeks are softly pink, probably from the drinking, although he looks a bit like he’s warm too.

“Are they the only ones who work for you?” Yixing asks to change the subject because Junmyeon obviously doesn’t feel like going on with it.

“No…” Junmyeon clears his throat. “Only the others chose to stay somewhere else…some are abroad.” He chuckles a bit.

“Right…”

Junmyeon doesn’t wait for Yixing’s next question and keeps talking.

“Luhan likes to stay here for some reason and he defends that his home is too empty and cold to come back to.” Junmyeon air quotes the words empty and cold to point out his sarcasm towards Luhan’s words.

Yixing wants to ask about Jongin but Junmyeon also answers that before he can.

“And Jongin…he keeps Luhan company I guess…” He shrugs.

“Has anyone--” Yixing wants to ask as many questions he can considering the opportunity and Junmyeon’s slight state of inebriation but he doesn’t want to be too greedy. “ever quit?”

“Sure…I guess it’s inevitable at some point because no one wants this life forever but there was this kid…he…” Junmyeon laughs but it’s a bit shallow and somewhat regretful. “The bastard fell in love.” He spins his glass between his hands. Seems like it’s giving him the openness to talk. “It was this tall and loud air head and he just swept him off his feet and all that crap.” He chuckles bitterly.

“Is that a bad thing?”

“Yixing…” Junmyeon doesn’t turn to face him but his voice turns lower. “There’s no room for love in this place.”

“What do you mean?”

“I mean that I know Baekhyun will suffer with the choice he made.” He finishes, his sentence as well as his drink, “This has been insightful but I can’t stay here.” He says with a grunt and gets up. He seems a bit out of himself.  “Um, I’ll let you know if Kris calls.”

Yixing wonders if Junmyeon will be okay but he chooses not to try as he knows Junmyeon will only get annoyed.

“Alright.”

After Junmyeon leaves, Yixing stays looking at his empty glass and thinks about his words. They seem so a bit cold to be coming from him. Yixing wonders why he thinks this Baekhyun person will regret falling in love.

Who had ever regretted falling in love?

Yixing decides to go home then instead of staying the day there, because the weight of his head is becoming a bit less bearable, and just wait for the night so he’ll go back to the agency later and that way making it a routine, working nights, something normal looking for an apparent normal job.

Later that day he receives a text message.

so sorry for the delay >.< ...things have been happening and my inspiration went down the drain so i haven't written anything...but im posting this and another today anyway bc i don't want to stop posting for too long...