Kyungsoo hugged his alpha from behind his chair and whined. “Please come have lunch with me,” he murmured in his ear.

Kai continued to type on his computer. “I told you I’m busy, baby. I have to finish this report by three. Go with your friends.”

“With who? I’m not going to be the third wheel with Luhan and Sehun. Jongdae had a meeting and left already. Minseok hasn’t come today. Kris hates everyone and has lunch in his office. And Suho is afraid of being too close to me since you threw that stapler at him.”

“He asked for it, hugging you like that.”

“The point is, you have to come with me,” the omega insisted.

“How about you order something and we eat in the conference room?”

“Okay. I’ll call you when everything is served,” he smiled. Kai turned to give him a peck on the lips and Kyungsoo left.

He usually cooked their food at home the night before and brought it every day to the office, and they had lunch together in the conference room besides Kai’s office. On Fridays, however, Kai liked to take his partner to a restaurant, since he met his musical theater club on Thursdays, and he arrived too late and tired to cook a proper meal. Sometimes, though, he was a little too busy to actually go out.

Kyungsoo was humming a song as he took a plastic container out of a paper bag and placed it on the table when the door of the conference room was opened harshly and Chanyeol stepped in.

“I’ve been looking for you everywhere!” the alpha said breathlessly. Kyungsoo looked at him in confusion. “You have to help me,” Chanyeol added, placing his hands on the shorter’s shoulders and shaking him slightly, as if to make clear the urgency of the situation.

“W-what?”

“Baek ran away.”

Kyungsoo's eyes went wide. "He what?" 

"Do stop touching my mate, please," said Kai’s calm voice behind them, entering the room. Chanyeol hadn't seen him before, but he could sense his scent all over the black haired omega.

"Right," he lifted his hands from Kyungsoo's shoulders and the boy backed away from him to stand beside his partner. 

"So what do you want?" Kai asked. 

"I'm Baekhyun's alpha and-" 

Kai arched his brows. "Wow. Good luck with that." 

"I know, I need help. He ran away and said he was going home, but I have no idea where he lives..." 

"That omega needs to be put in his place. How could you allow him to just go and do whatever?" the other alpha said in a disapproving tone.

"He... Seemed distressed..." 

"Who cares! He needs discipline!”

"Kai, please,” Kyungsoo whined.

"Baby, I'm always nice to you because you deserve it,” the young man said affectionately, turning his gaze to him. “But that friend of yours... If omega schools still existed he'd be the first to be sent there and you know it." 

"I don't think that would work with Baek, he's too fierce about this. He'd kill himself," Chanyeol replied, slightly horrified with Kai’s attitude. He wondered what he must have done to his omega for him to be so extremely pliant and complacent.

“Can I go talk to him?" Kyungsoo asked his partner, looking up to him with doe eyes. Kai made a grimace. "I can try to talk some sense into him. And I'm worried. Very worried," he added. His alpha sighed.

"Alright, I'll drive you there."

“Oh, no, you were busy, I can take a cab-”

“Or I could drive him,” Chanyeol suggested, trying to be useful, but the look Kai gave him spoke of the way he would kill him slowly and painfully if he ever got Kyungsoo in a car without him.  

“I prefer to drive you myself, but let’s eat quickly, shall we?”

Kyungsoo nodded and carried on laying the food on the table. Kai only sat and watched him.

"Should I go with you?" Chanyeol asked, unsure of what do now.

"You can come if you want but I don't think Baekhyun will like it," Kyungsoo replied, opening a container of jajangmyeon.

"I'll... wait then. Please call me if you have any news. Can I have your number?"

Kyungsoo glanced at Kai, who nodded slightly, asking for silent permission before giving him the number. Chanyeol almost scoffed in disbelief.

 

*

 

 

Baekhyun was lying on his bed, absentmindedly staring at the ceiling, contemplating his misery.

He might have been being a bit overd