Don't Stand So Close to Me (2/3)
Title: Don't Stand So Close to Me
Author: countingcr0ws
Beta: liltee_jycyj
Pairing/ Characters: Yunjae
Rating: PG
Form: Three-shot ( 1 | 2 | 3 )
Genre: AU, Plain Ridiculousness, Ridiculously Happy, Romance
Summary: High flying lawyer Jung Yunho is forced to put his self control into good use.
Inspired by: Don't Stand So Close to Me/ Young Girl by the Glee Cast, My job stint
"Eh, Yunho."
Yunho looked up, greeting the blonde intruder with a casual raise of his brow, the pen in his hand poised like a dart as if ready to mortally wound the other for the interruption from his work
"Would you mind accompanying Jaejoong for lunch today?"
If Junsu was in any way threatened, he didn't seem to show it.
The lawyer's arched brows creased in antagonism as they folded just above his strong nose.
"Oh come on. I know you don't like the kid, but he's really nice." Junsu continued.
"Even with your gloom and all that cold shoulder, he actually still thinks highly of you. Such a nice kid..." he trailed off idly with a mild sigh as Yunho's face twisted into a grimace.
Had he came off as unfriendly?
Well... maybe... if you had to be absolutely strict in the judgement. He constantly stared at the other, while mentally instructing for him to shut up, and he ran from every situation that comprised of the both of them only.
The last time he had been in (almost) close contact with the other was when he had been ignoring nature's call for hours to complete a document.
When he finally parted with his leather swivel chair to shoot off in the direction of the toilet, the first thing he saw in the rest room was a wild Jaejoong with puffed cheeks picking at his fringe.
Instantly acknowledging that the last thing he needed was a sexualized toddler staring into the mirror while he cleared his bladder at the latrine, he had shot for the stairs to the next level to relieve himself.
He had the impression that their eyes had met in the mirror, but it had all happened in a such a split second that he couldn't confirm it. For all he knew, he could have imagined it, and Jaejoong might have just been too busy fixing his already perfect crop of hair.
"Does the kid usually have lunch with you?" He asked the other perplexedly.
"Oh, Changmin treats him pretty well, so they go out for lunch together. And Changmin's close to logistics," he pointed to himself casually. "So we all lunch together.”
Right.
Changmin. It was always Changmin.
He flattened his palms against the table in a sudden bout of frustration. He had even seen Changmin (who was technically in charge of Jaejoong) sharing a pack of chips with Jaejoong the other time, and the last thing his tall, vindictive colleague ever did was to share food; a fact he had learnt that within days of the other's addition to the company.
He sometimes sincerely believed that Changmin was probably a starving African child in his past life- it was the only possible reason for a person living in a first-world society to be so possessive of his food to the point of that beyond normal gluttony.
Changmin.
He shivered subconsciously at the thought.
"So what's so special about today?" He followed logically as his blonde colleague rocked on his heels.
"The compliance officer's coming down, and our side's having a code red meeting. No lunch unless we get everything straightened out, and even Donghae's occupied. Changmin's streamlining the workflow of his department right now."
Yunho only nodded.
"Don't be an idiot. Call for delivery or something." He straightened his cuff links mechanically as he returned to look at his screen, his face schooled to that of a mask, completely devoid of emotions.
Junsu only stood there awkwardly, getting the idea that he was dismissed, but refusing to leave without an answer to the question he had came in for. His mouth opened finally to speak, but was swiftly cut off with a raised hand.
"Tell him to find me when he's hungry."
Junsu nodded quickly, darting towards the door as if desperate to make off with the offer, before the sullen (or so it seemed) lawyer retracted it.
Instantly regretting his words at the victorious smile that spread across the other's face as he turned to leave, the gravity of the promise suddenly came crashing down on the seated man.
Maintaining a straight face until the glass door clicked shut softly; he collapsed onto the table with a noisy exhalation of breath.
Oh god, how would he ever survive lunch?
What did Jaejoong even eat? Did Jaejoong even eat?
What would they say? Did he even want Jaejoong to speak?
Would he be able to tear his eyes off the other's pink lips or even form a coherent sentence? He walked his fingers up his laptop tiredly in defeat.
Junsu had practically trapped him into this, a voice screamed in his head, but another part of him was too lethargic to even object properly. It felt like he had spent years wrestling with his self control and lust that he couldn't even garner any ounce of it to worry about the new situation at hand.
Drawing idle circles on the smooth glass of his laptop screen, he wrestled with the thought of the younger boy in his mind.
It was a classic case of how some girls liked guys who fumbled and stammered when they confessed.
Jaejoong was like a butterfly who had just emerged from his cocoon- no, not really.
Jaejoong was like a fluffy puppy that ran into doors, rubbing his head against ankles fondly just because, without the intention to melt hearts. Whereas he... well, he was probably the kind that watched too many dog videos on YouTube or something, which left him on the brink of constipation at how adorably cute the puppy was.
He wanted to pat the dog, tickle it, and give it a bubble bath after a short walk, and to watch it shake the water off its overgrown coat that needed a trim.
But the thing was that he wasn't allowed to play with the dog, much less lay a finger on it, and it was killing him.
He didn't even want to hear the puppy’s adorable yelps, because he would probably start crying in frustration.
Finger-human stomping on the keyboard in pent up frustration, the screen lit up impatiently at the stimulation, as if reminding him that there was still work to be done, and it had been waiting all this while for him to regain his sanity. Sitting up with an angry sigh and the determination to work his dissatisfaction off before the imminent lunch, he almost popped out of his seat at the sight of a wild Jaejoong seating on one of the two seats opposite his desk, leaning across the table to smile sheepishly at him.
"I didn't have time for breakfast today," the other explained slowly, biting his lips shyly as if it was a terrible confession to make.
Yunho only stared enrapturedly at the faint crescents Jaejoong's teeth had left on his soft lips, completely distracted from his prior thoughts.
"Are you busy right now? Because Junsu... he..."
Yunho watched with utmost fascination as the young boy started to become flustered, his mouth opening and closing as his folded hands rose to ghost the soft curve of his neck, unconsciously drawing attention to the flawlessly pale skin. He wanted to lean in and taste the life that throbbed under.
He moved in transfixedly, spellbound and earnest.
"Do you want me to come back later?" Jaejoong suddenly asked loudly, his chair scraping against the floor, and Yunho drew backwards, like an elastic band snapped back into place, his ear ringing at the impact.
Oh god, damn the puppy.
He had the sudden urge to hold the dog still, to shear its fur off with a garden scissors, to leave it with the ugliest, most uneven mane that would have him sneering at it whenever he laid eyes on it, instead of aching for it.
Then he would shove it into those boxes for pets that had only six holes at the top, instantaneously improving his quality of life.
Quickly clearing the mess of thoughts in his mind, he hurriedly apologized for spacing out as a random lie about having not enough sleep sprung from his lips so smoothly while he clambered to stand, that it shocked him even.
-
"Are you hungry, Yunho?" Jaejoong's sudden loquacious comment made him jump involuntarily, breaking the intense eye contact he was maintaining with his reflection on the lift door.
The way Jaejoong's voice lilted at his name had goosebumps breaking across his skin. It sounded so good between the other's lips, and he had the urge to beg the other to repeat it a few times more.
Yunho, Yun-ho.
It had taken him this long, but at least he had finally learnt that his name was a possible key to happiness.
Oh god, He cringed internally at his thoughts, mentally slapping himself while desperately focusing on the question: was he hungry?
He wasn't exactly hungry, but he wasn't exactly full either. In a sense, it was the kind of stasis where you could either shove more junk in, or survive with what you had for a few more hours.
They entered the lift in awkward silence.
Eyeing his doppelganger furiously in the mirrors lining the elevator walls, he mined randomly for the right words to convey himself.
"Well yeah... a little, I suppose." He finally managed smoothly, looking up from the black granite flooring just in time to catch the curl of Jaejoong's lips in the lift doors that were opening.
Watching the other's scruffy high cut Converse making their way across the glossy tiles of the building's lobby, he felt his dissatisfaction multiply.
In what way had he deserved that smirk? He hastened to walk alongside the university student, frowning grumpily at the other's good mood that very fortunately didn't rub off him.
"So, what do you want to eat, Yunho?" The temporary staff practically singsonged as they walked towards the mall near their office building.
'Yun-ho' again.
He couldn't help but frown to himself. Why did Jaejoong have to employ that syrupy voice to make him feel like an insolent child?
"Nothing." He replied gruffly as he watched in extreme disapproval while Jaejoong pulled the hood of his jacket up the moment they left the shade.
The noon sun wasn't even that hot!
Reaching over, he tugged the cap down roughly. Such a soft kid, he griped disapprovingly to himself.
Jaejoong made an irritated noise as he stepped away to replace his cover. Faintly registering a protest about skin cancer, ozone layers and all that, he had the terrible urge to scream at the top of his lungs at the agony that somebody like that existed, and how it all came in a complete ridiculous package of Jaejoong; who was becoming increasingly weirder to him by the minute.
Where was the pet carrier when you needed one? Trudging on painfully with his temporary colleague and lunch-partner for a day, his throat burnt in betrayal at his suppressed frustration.
- - -
He still had a few hundred more pages to go, and he really didn't want to bring his work home, especially on the last night that he was living in it. The renovation work for his new condo was finally completed, and he couldn't even convey his happiness at his being able to move out of the crummy neighbourhood with the pack of filthy rats that came out every night to rifle through the trash that spilled onto the pavements.
He almost didn't feel any bit nostalgic.
Tapping his fingers against his metal tumbler good-naturedly, he screeched to an abrupt stop at the sight of a wild Jaejoong still seated at his designated desk. Pausing to check his watch, he frowned a little.
Didn't Jaejoong say that he knocked off at six fifteen? Because it was currently almost seven.
Closing the glass door of his office behind him, his heart already sped up as he watched Jaejoong starting, before turning a faint pink while ducking his head.
Yunho felt his heart miss a beat as his loins clenched.
Approaching the other slowly, a complete picture of cool- with the enviable discipline he had mastered after a gruelling hour of lunch, that comprised of Jaejoong sticking his tongue out after being scalded by the soup of his ramen, an endless stream of genuine smiles, and a barrage of idle conversations of which he had gotten to know the other better.
He was honestly now almost the face of Zen living, where all he lacked was simply a legion of worshipers.
"What were you doing?" He asked lightly, or as light as he could manage, while Jaejoong covered his face in embarrassment.
"Definitely not sweeping mines."
He couldn't help but note how Jaejoong's eyes danced with his playful confession.
Pushing his blunt nails into his palms, Yunho arched a brow casually while he clenched his fist painfully.
"Why don't you go home? Isn't it past six fifteen?"
His most normal voice? Check.
"Changmin usually lets me off, but he's still occupied right now, so I'm kind of just sitting about," his hand tapped the table lamely before finishing with a conspiratorial beam.
He really needed to exterminate the threat before he took advantage of their solitude to do something stupid.
"Why don't you go home, Jaejoong. I don't think Changmin wants you to sit about clearing mines. I'll cover for you if he actually does," he offered hurriedly as his fingers turned impossibly white on the body of his tumbler with the pressure he employed to restrain his itching fingers.
"Really?"
Yunho winced involuntarily at the happy tone as he nodded so quickly that his neck hurt.
Hurriedly excusing himself, he ran for his pathetic life in the direction of the pantry, noisily knocking the dispenser on as he dropped the tumbler weakly under the tap, his muscles completely spent from the prior exertion.
Focusing on the steady increase of water level desperately, he regulated his heartbeat while calming himself with the low hum of the aged dispenser.
"Bye!"
Lurching forward in shock, his knees hit the length of the machine, his focus instantly shattering at the other's chirpy goodbye. Knocking the tumbler over in frustration at the tap that wouldn't close, he shot his head out of the vestibule, only to watch Jaejoong's skinny hips swaying with every step- no, happy trot that he took.
As the other rounded the corner, Yunho connected his forehead against the wall painfully while his pulse skittered in his veins.
Ouch.
- - - - -
A/N: I think Yunho sounds more desperate here, or at least I thought he sounded so, especially when I edited it just. I spent a huge time getting it ready for posting, and it's so much better than when I dug it out from my depths of notes.
36 pages of Business Law to read tonight before tomorrow's seminar, and I think I cultivated this whole 'must do my readings or else' years ago when I first read Law!verse.
I can't even explain how much the fanfiction affected my view of preparing for lessons in college, god.
Thank you for reading, and do leave a comment! I'm miserable at best.
Prev Chap | Next Chap
Author: countingcr0ws
Beta: liltee_jycyj
Pairing/ Characters: Yunjae
Rating: PG
Form: Three-shot ( 1 | 2 | 3 )
Genre: AU, Plain Ridiculousness, Ridiculously Happy, Romance
Summary: High flying lawyer Jung Yunho is forced to put his self control into good use.
Inspired by: Don't Stand So Close to Me/ Young Girl by the Glee Cast, My job stint
"Eh, Yunho."
Yunho looked up, greeting the blonde intruder with a casual raise of his brow, the pen in his hand poised like a dart as if ready to mortally wound the other for the interruption from his work
"Would you mind accompanying Jaejoong for lunch today?"
If Junsu was in any way threatened, he didn't seem to show it.
The lawyer's arched brows creased in antagonism as they folded just above his strong nose.
"Oh come on. I know you don't like the kid, but he's really nice." Junsu continued.
"Even with your gloom and all that cold shoulder, he actually still thinks highly of you. Such a nice kid..." he trailed off idly with a mild sigh as Yunho's face twisted into a grimace.
Had he came off as unfriendly?
Well... maybe... if you had to be absolutely strict in the judgement. He constantly stared at the other, while mentally instructing for him to shut up, and he ran from every situation that comprised of the both of them only.
The last time he had been in (almost) close contact with the other was when he had been ignoring nature's call for hours to complete a document.
When he finally parted with his leather swivel chair to shoot off in the direction of the toilet, the first thing he saw in the rest room was a wild Jaejoong with puffed cheeks picking at his fringe.
Instantly acknowledging that the last thing he needed was a sexualized toddler staring into the mirror while he cleared his bladder at the latrine, he had shot for the stairs to the next level to relieve himself.
He had the impression that their eyes had met in the mirror, but it had all happened in a such a split second that he couldn't confirm it. For all he knew, he could have imagined it, and Jaejoong might have just been too busy fixing his already perfect crop of hair.
"Does the kid usually have lunch with you?" He asked the other perplexedly.
"Oh, Changmin treats him pretty well, so they go out for lunch together. And Changmin's close to logistics," he pointed to himself casually. "So we all lunch together.”
Right.
Changmin. It was always Changmin.
He flattened his palms against the table in a sudden bout of frustration. He had even seen Changmin (who was technically in charge of Jaejoong) sharing a pack of chips with Jaejoong the other time, and the last thing his tall, vindictive colleague ever did was to share food; a fact he had learnt that within days of the other's addition to the company.
He sometimes sincerely believed that Changmin was probably a starving African child in his past life- it was the only possible reason for a person living in a first-world society to be so possessive of his food to the point of that beyond normal gluttony.
Changmin.
He shivered subconsciously at the thought.
"So what's so special about today?" He followed logically as his blonde colleague rocked on his heels.
"The compliance officer's coming down, and our side's having a code red meeting. No lunch unless we get everything straightened out, and even Donghae's occupied. Changmin's streamlining the workflow of his department right now."
Yunho only nodded.
"Don't be an idiot. Call for delivery or something." He straightened his cuff links mechanically as he returned to look at his screen, his face schooled to that of a mask, completely devoid of emotions.
Junsu only stood there awkwardly, getting the idea that he was dismissed, but refusing to leave without an answer to the question he had came in for. His mouth opened finally to speak, but was swiftly cut off with a raised hand.
"Tell him to find me when he's hungry."
Junsu nodded quickly, darting towards the door as if desperate to make off with the offer, before the sullen (or so it seemed) lawyer retracted it.
Instantly regretting his words at the victorious smile that spread across the other's face as he turned to leave, the gravity of the promise suddenly came crashing down on the seated man.
Maintaining a straight face until the glass door clicked shut softly; he collapsed onto the table with a noisy exhalation of breath.
Oh god, how would he ever survive lunch?
What did Jaejoong even eat? Did Jaejoong even eat?
What would they say? Did he even want Jaejoong to speak?
Would he be able to tear his eyes off the other's pink lips or even form a coherent sentence? He walked his fingers up his laptop tiredly in defeat.
Junsu had practically trapped him into this, a voice screamed in his head, but another part of him was too lethargic to even object properly. It felt like he had spent years wrestling with his self control and lust that he couldn't even garner any ounce of it to worry about the new situation at hand.
Drawing idle circles on the smooth glass of his laptop screen, he wrestled with the thought of the younger boy in his mind.
It was a classic case of how some girls liked guys who fumbled and stammered when they confessed.
Jaejoong was like a butterfly who had just emerged from his cocoon- no, not really.
Jaejoong was like a fluffy puppy that ran into doors, rubbing his head against ankles fondly just because, without the intention to melt hearts. Whereas he... well, he was probably the kind that watched too many dog videos on YouTube or something, which left him on the brink of constipation at how adorably cute the puppy was.
He wanted to pat the dog, tickle it, and give it a bubble bath after a short walk, and to watch it shake the water off its overgrown coat that needed a trim.
But the thing was that he wasn't allowed to play with the dog, much less lay a finger on it, and it was killing him.
He didn't even want to hear the puppy’s adorable yelps, because he would probably start crying in frustration.
Finger-human stomping on the keyboard in pent up frustration, the screen lit up impatiently at the stimulation, as if reminding him that there was still work to be done, and it had been waiting all this while for him to regain his sanity. Sitting up with an angry sigh and the determination to work his dissatisfaction off before the imminent lunch, he almost popped out of his seat at the sight of a wild Jaejoong seating on one of the two seats opposite his desk, leaning across the table to smile sheepishly at him.
"I didn't have time for breakfast today," the other explained slowly, biting his lips shyly as if it was a terrible confession to make.
Yunho only stared enrapturedly at the faint crescents Jaejoong's teeth had left on his soft lips, completely distracted from his prior thoughts.
"Are you busy right now? Because Junsu... he..."
Yunho watched with utmost fascination as the young boy started to become flustered, his mouth opening and closing as his folded hands rose to ghost the soft curve of his neck, unconsciously drawing attention to the flawlessly pale skin. He wanted to lean in and taste the life that throbbed under.
He moved in transfixedly, spellbound and earnest.
"Do you want me to come back later?" Jaejoong suddenly asked loudly, his chair scraping against the floor, and Yunho drew backwards, like an elastic band snapped back into place, his ear ringing at the impact.
Oh god, damn the puppy.
He had the sudden urge to hold the dog still, to shear its fur off with a garden scissors, to leave it with the ugliest, most uneven mane that would have him sneering at it whenever he laid eyes on it, instead of aching for it.
Then he would shove it into those boxes for pets that had only six holes at the top, instantaneously improving his quality of life.
Quickly clearing the mess of thoughts in his mind, he hurriedly apologized for spacing out as a random lie about having not enough sleep sprung from his lips so smoothly while he clambered to stand, that it shocked him even.
-
"Are you hungry, Yunho?" Jaejoong's sudden loquacious comment made him jump involuntarily, breaking the intense eye contact he was maintaining with his reflection on the lift door.
The way Jaejoong's voice lilted at his name had goosebumps breaking across his skin. It sounded so good between the other's lips, and he had the urge to beg the other to repeat it a few times more.
Yunho, Yun-ho.
It had taken him this long, but at least he had finally learnt that his name was a possible key to happiness.
Oh god, He cringed internally at his thoughts, mentally slapping himself while desperately focusing on the question: was he hungry?
He wasn't exactly hungry, but he wasn't exactly full either. In a sense, it was the kind of stasis where you could either shove more junk in, or survive with what you had for a few more hours.
They entered the lift in awkward silence.
Eyeing his doppelganger furiously in the mirrors lining the elevator walls, he mined randomly for the right words to convey himself.
"Well yeah... a little, I suppose." He finally managed smoothly, looking up from the black granite flooring just in time to catch the curl of Jaejoong's lips in the lift doors that were opening.
Watching the other's scruffy high cut Converse making their way across the glossy tiles of the building's lobby, he felt his dissatisfaction multiply.
In what way had he deserved that smirk? He hastened to walk alongside the university student, frowning grumpily at the other's good mood that very fortunately didn't rub off him.
"So, what do you want to eat, Yunho?" The temporary staff practically singsonged as they walked towards the mall near their office building.
'Yun-ho' again.
He couldn't help but frown to himself. Why did Jaejoong have to employ that syrupy voice to make him feel like an insolent child?
"Nothing." He replied gruffly as he watched in extreme disapproval while Jaejoong pulled the hood of his jacket up the moment they left the shade.
The noon sun wasn't even that hot!
Reaching over, he tugged the cap down roughly. Such a soft kid, he griped disapprovingly to himself.
Jaejoong made an irritated noise as he stepped away to replace his cover. Faintly registering a protest about skin cancer, ozone layers and all that, he had the terrible urge to scream at the top of his lungs at the agony that somebody like that existed, and how it all came in a complete ridiculous package of Jaejoong; who was becoming increasingly weirder to him by the minute.
Where was the pet carrier when you needed one? Trudging on painfully with his temporary colleague and lunch-partner for a day, his throat burnt in betrayal at his suppressed frustration.
- - -
He still had a few hundred more pages to go, and he really didn't want to bring his work home, especially on the last night that he was living in it. The renovation work for his new condo was finally completed, and he couldn't even convey his happiness at his being able to move out of the crummy neighbourhood with the pack of filthy rats that came out every night to rifle through the trash that spilled onto the pavements.
He almost didn't feel any bit nostalgic.
Tapping his fingers against his metal tumbler good-naturedly, he screeched to an abrupt stop at the sight of a wild Jaejoong still seated at his designated desk. Pausing to check his watch, he frowned a little.
Didn't Jaejoong say that he knocked off at six fifteen? Because it was currently almost seven.
Closing the glass door of his office behind him, his heart already sped up as he watched Jaejoong starting, before turning a faint pink while ducking his head.
Yunho felt his heart miss a beat as his loins clenched.
Approaching the other slowly, a complete picture of cool- with the enviable discipline he had mastered after a gruelling hour of lunch, that comprised of Jaejoong sticking his tongue out after being scalded by the soup of his ramen, an endless stream of genuine smiles, and a barrage of idle conversations of which he had gotten to know the other better.
He was honestly now almost the face of Zen living, where all he lacked was simply a legion of worshipers.
"What were you doing?" He asked lightly, or as light as he could manage, while Jaejoong covered his face in embarrassment.
"Definitely not sweeping mines."
He couldn't help but note how Jaejoong's eyes danced with his playful confession.
Pushing his blunt nails into his palms, Yunho arched a brow casually while he clenched his fist painfully.
"Why don't you go home? Isn't it past six fifteen?"
His most normal voice? Check.
"Changmin usually lets me off, but he's still occupied right now, so I'm kind of just sitting about," his hand tapped the table lamely before finishing with a conspiratorial beam.
He really needed to exterminate the threat before he took advantage of their solitude to do something stupid.
"Why don't you go home, Jaejoong. I don't think Changmin wants you to sit about clearing mines. I'll cover for you if he actually does," he offered hurriedly as his fingers turned impossibly white on the body of his tumbler with the pressure he employed to restrain his itching fingers.
"Really?"
Yunho winced involuntarily at the happy tone as he nodded so quickly that his neck hurt.
Hurriedly excusing himself, he ran for his pathetic life in the direction of the pantry, noisily knocking the dispenser on as he dropped the tumbler weakly under the tap, his muscles completely spent from the prior exertion.
Focusing on the steady increase of water level desperately, he regulated his heartbeat while calming himself with the low hum of the aged dispenser.
"Bye!"
Lurching forward in shock, his knees hit the length of the machine, his focus instantly shattering at the other's chirpy goodbye. Knocking the tumbler over in frustration at the tap that wouldn't close, he shot his head out of the vestibule, only to watch Jaejoong's skinny hips swaying with every step- no, happy trot that he took.
As the other rounded the corner, Yunho connected his forehead against the wall painfully while his pulse skittered in his veins.
Ouch.
- - - - -
A/N: I think Yunho sounds more desperate here, or at least I thought he sounded so, especially when I edited it just. I spent a huge time getting it ready for posting, and it's so much better than when I dug it out from my depths of notes.
36 pages of Business Law to read tonight before tomorrow's seminar, and I think I cultivated this whole 'must do my readings or else' years ago when I first read Law!verse.
I can't even explain how much the fanfiction affected my view of preparing for lessons in college, god.
Thank you for reading, and do leave a comment! I'm miserable at best.
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