-I-

Taekwoon had already finished college with a degree in physiotherapy, yet finding a job turned out to be a lot harder than he thought. After contacting countless of practices, he eventually found a fulltime job in the cafeteria of an office building outside of his wished working field. The building was about four stories high, holding up to 300 employees. The pay wasn't bad and he could make a start in paying off his student loans, so he figured that it was better than nothing. He could always continue applying. 

Taekwoon, however, turned out to be a lot younger than practically anyone around him. The enterprise focused mainly on energy and efficiency, causing the office to populate mostly men in their late thirties until sixties, save from some exceptions. And one of them turned out to have caught his attention more than he would like him to. 

"Good afternoon!" Taekwoon looked up from the cleaned plates he was stacking, not expecting anyone to actually talk to him since no one ever did. Most people around him had a sense of arrogance, yet the cheerful low but bubbly voice sounded far from it. And Taekwoon made the mental note that the blond would be the only one to actually be worthy to hold a sense of arrogance based solely on his looks. 

"Oh, hi." The guy was young, probably younger than he was himself. His blonde hair and pastel blue blouse suited the rest of the business attires around them, yet it  looked a lot more attractive on him than most of his co-workers. Or maybe it was because of the dimples showing evidently when Taekwoon greeted him back.  

"Did Hyoshin stop?" Taekwoon just blankly stared at the other, having no idea who he was talking about and the other seemed to notice, a pink hue spreading to his cheeks. And Taekwoon thought the man actually looked adorable. But he would never tel him that.

"Ah sorry, I guess he did. Well uhm.. Welcome to the company. I'm Hongbin." Taekwoon mumbled a thanks but a smile graced his features nonetheless, making Hongbin smile as well. The younger was awkward in everything he said despite being so cheerful and Taekwoon admired him for it. He always was a person to keep quiet instead when he didn't know what to say, yet Hongbin looked like he would just ramble to cover it up. It didn't work.

Taekwoon eyed the forming line behind the younger who felt a knock on his head. He turned to another man well in his forties, suit looking a little more exspensive than the others and briefcase of leather instead of  a fabric material.

"Get back to work, you little trouble maker. I still don't understand how they select our interns. Did you finish the report on.." The rest of the elder man went to deaf ears while Hongbin rolled his eyes and made a face behind his manager but he still followed close behind him, making Taekwoon eye him with an amused smile. Taekwoon thought that Hongbin was more interesting than he presumed him to be. 

-II-

Hongbin had been an intern for almost a year now. It's not like he needed to anymore, or that the pay was all that great. But he liked the large company and the dynamics of it, new faces refreshing and profits continuously rising. One of those new faces belonged to the quiet boy working in the cafeteria. 

The office was large enough to have its own, two older lunch ladies in their forties working the cash register, one female cook who looked just a little manly and another intern helping in the kitchen but evidently setting something on fire along the way. And lastly, there was the guy who was a few years older than Hongbin, yet a lot younger than the average employee.  

Hyoshin was their previous dishwasher and pretty handsome, even Hongbin had to admit. They got to talking, since bright and bubbly Hongbin talked to pretty much everyone and Hyoshin was a naturally nice guy as well. He had dark hair, not all too broad built but definitely not scrawny and he was just a little shorter than Hongbin was himself. But like every other employee, even Hyoshin got replaced.

At first Hongbin didn't even notice that it wasn't the elder standing with his back towards him, but he should've seeing that the other's broad shoulders definitely flexed more prominently underneath the grey shirt he was wearing. Or that his raven coloured hair seemed just a little longer and a deeper black than Hyoshin's. But when the guy turned around, Hongbin just had to let a broader smile touch his face. Because Hyoshin, in Hongbin's mind, could never match up to him, as handsome as he was.  

He greeted Hongbin back with a soft voice, yet sharp features stared him down but Hongbin could see right through it and catch onto the other's confusement. He always hated the attitude some of his colleagues showed towards the 'lower staff'. He would never put himself down to that level. 

So he continued talking to him, making small talk everyday. He found out that he was indeed a little older than he was, yet a lot younger than Hyoshin. That he liked playing soccer a lot, but was a fan of boxing. It intrigued Hongbin, and he liked how the silent man would every so often get a sparkle in his eyes telling him about the things he loved doing. 

"Oh god." Hongbin's colleagues snorted at the sudden jumping intern. "Hot hot hot!" Hongbin had oh so characteristically poured hot tea all over his trousers, the scorching hot beverage seeping trough the material while he so desperately tried to keep the fabric separated from his skin by pulling it away from his legs. It did not work well.  

"Hongbin sweetie, go get a towel and cold water at the kitchen. Just ask Taekwoon, he'll help you." Hongbin's distress caused him to miss the logical link, already being guided towards the kitchen by the older woman. 

"Oh, lunchlady Kim. Who is Taekwoon?" She smiled. 

"He's the one you always keep from doing his job." If Hongbin's weren't already tinted a colourful red due to the pain, they were now due to embarrassment. He realized he never even actually asked for his name. 

"Taekwoon honey, please help this clumsy young man." Taekwoon actually let out something close to a snort and Hongbin glared at the lady, but she just laughed at him. She left when Hongbin was standing inside Taekwoon's working space, mumbling something about  the kitchen intern needing to learn how to properly use her spatula.

 
"Are you alright? Was the tea still hot?" Hongbin nodded, his walking still a little stiff and Taekwoon pulled out a  stool for the younger to sit on. He did so without having to be told and Taekwoon took a clean dishrag, waving it on top of his lap to create a colder breeze. "Is it better?" Hongbin nodded, letting out a content noise that sounded somewhere near a groan, his eyes closing to try and concentrate on anything else but the literally burning pain. 

"Oh my god." The mildly amused but mostly shocked voice of his desk neighbour Shindong reached Hongbin's ears, locking eyes with slightly horrified ones. Realization dawned on Taekwoon and Hongbin, cheeks slowly turning scarlet and Hongbin's hands shut up in defence. 

 
"It's not what you think!" Shindong's eyes turned to Hongbin's pants and back to his eyes once again, making Hongbin's face turn fiery red now. "Oh my god, that's tea!" 

-III- 

"Hi! You're here again today." Taekwoon nodded, a bit more used to the younger talking to him. And the tea incidents from last week was still fresh in his mind, so it was getting harder and harder to see the clumsy intern as ranked above him job wise. Yet he still felt a little awkward due to the end of that incident, yet it was also strangely hilarious in his mind. 

"Aren't you hungry? You have to work from before noon till three right? Hyoshin-hyung always complained about being hungry and ate while working. But I never see you do so." Taekwoon shook his head, the corners of his lips curving up. 

"I'm fine. But thanks for your concern." Taekwoon's answer was so ettiquetely correct and polite it made Hongbin grimace. Especially when Taekwoon's stomach grumbled loudly, making him blush and Hongbin let out an amused snort. He reached into his laptop-bag, fishing out a wrapped bar from it and offered it to the hungry man. 

"Here, take it." Taekwoon widened his eyes, not wanting to put him in a tight spot. Especially not when a few workers were staring at him with a disapproving frown, yet Hongbin seemed to ignore it fully. 

"I-I couldn't. What if you get hungry yourself?" But how could he resist when Hongbin had that hopeful spark in his eyes, urging him to take the bar from him. 

"It's fine. I don't get hungry easily." 

-IV- 

Hongbin leaned his face against his desk, groaning loudly. His neighbour quirked an eyebrow, momentarily stopping his typing and looking at the seemingly dead twenty-one year old. 

"What's gotten into you?" Hongbin sighed, a pout playing on his lips even though no one could see. 

"Shindong, I'm hungry. feed me something." The elder scoffed and shook his head. 

"I don't have anything with me. Don't you always pack your three o'clock granola bar?"  

".." Hongbin sighed. He gave it to the attractive dishwasher and he made a mental note to pack a second one from now on. He suddenly got reminded of the fact that he had to call the granola company if the installation of their newly sold unit went alright, reaching into his pockets but finding nothing. He could look into the intranet system, but the right contact had changed and he forgot to make the  changes in the system. "Damnit." The brunet next to him sighed, not leaving his eyes from his computer screen. 

"What now?" 

"I think I left my phone on my lunch plate again. I'll be back in a second." His neighbour shook his head, continuing his typing nonetheless, but a smile touched the corners of his lips. Because this was so typically Hongbin. 

Hongbin hurriedly rand down the flight of stairs, skipping one step every time and hastily greeting his co-workers along the way. Most of them just shook their heads, already being used to his antics. He jogged to the cafeteria, halting one of the lunch ladies. 

"Oh, I think Taekwoon took it. He told us he would hold on to it and give it to you once he saw you again."  

"Where is he now?" 

"If you're quick, you can probably ll sticatch him in the parking lot. He get's here by bike, so he won't be that quick to leave." Hongbin brightened up, turning on his heels and yelling a thanks to the lady who just smiled and returned to mopping the floor. 

"Taekwoon!" Taekwoon didn't hear the younger since he had his earbuds in, music playing loudly and Hongbin realized. He took for a sprint, grabbing onto his carrier and making Taekwoon let out a surprised yelp, planting his feet firmly onto the ground to stabilize himself. He looked across his shoulder with wide blown eyes, making out the blond mop of hair. He realized who it was and took his earphones out, waiting for the other to speak up.  

"...phone..client..call.." Hongbin leaned his temple against the other's shoulder, trying to regain his breathing because he was just so tired. He was an athletic guy overall, but continuously sprinting through the office building while taking the stairs did take it's toll on him. Taekwoon let out a breathy laugh, reaching into his shoulder bag and fishing it out, finding himself not minding Hongbin's close proximity strangely enough. 

"Is one client worth it to scare me to death." Hongbin let out a laugh as well, looking up to him for the first time since their run in and noticing that he was a little closer to the other than he should be. They both froze, Taekwoon's eyes wide blown but focussed on Hongbin's lips, since they were so close to his own he could feel Hongbin's breath fanning his face.  

The latter parted his own to let out an awkward sorry. But it never left them, since Taekwoon's own prevented him from doing so. Hongbin's eyes fluttered close as well, breathing stopping and heart thumping loudly in his chest, because Taekwoon really kissed him. It was really happening.  

Even though the latter didn't move his lips, there was no retaliation from Hongbin's side and Taekwoon was the one to gently pull back first. He awkwardly cleared his throat and averted his eyes to the opposite direction, blindly handing Hongbin his phone who took it. "Here you go." 

"Y-Yes, thank you." He watched as Taekwoon sat back on his bike fully again, motions hasty and clumsy and actually causing him to take a longer time than when he would do so controlled, feet continuing to slide off of his pedals. He cursed underneath his breath But it gave Hongbin time to think about what just happened. And that he wanted it to happen once again. 

"Taekwoon!" Taekwoon stopped, turning back to Hongbin. The latter swallowed down the lump in his throat, feet moving on his own as he walked up to him once again, hooking one hand behind the other's neck and pulling him down to crash their lips together. And this time, Hongbin responded perfectly fine, now being the one to leave Taekwoon breathless.  

Their lips moved together as if they always did, leaving their abdomens contracting due to the flutters. Taekwoon let his bike fall down, not even caring about it anymore. He wrapped his arms around Hongbin's waist, lips parting to deepen the kiss, the latter's arms wrapping around his neck to respond to the touch.  

Hongbin was so glad that none of his colleagues decided to take a smoking break. And that Taekwoon or he himself didn't pick up that habit either, because the taste of Taekwoon's lips was something he never wanted to be tampered with. But Hongbin wanted more than the innocent but passionate kiss they were currently sharing, his hunger suddenly arising once again, although a different kind. 

His teeth sunk into Taekwoon's bottom lip, making the latter let out a gasp and Hongbin's tongue searched out for his. And he didn’t mind, welcoming the younger's eager actions with his own. They made out until their jaws were hurting, until Hongbin's suit became too hot and Taekwoon's breathing became too ragged. So the elder pulled away first, leaning their temples together and he had never felt so happy in his life. 

"You're working tomorrow, right?" Taekwoon smiled, humming in response. Because for the first time, he was happy that he did. But truthfully, ever since Hongbin started talking to him, he found himself loving his job more and more, having something to look forward to, even if it were just two lousy minutes a day. And he felt especially content since he found the courage to press another kiss to Hongbin's lips. 

"Go back to work and call that client. I'll see you tomorrow."