HAPPY BIRTHDAY!!!!!!
Title: Jolene's Birthday Fic of Doom (aka, 12 Reasons Why Eunhyuk Loves His Job)
Authoresses: fading_sun_sock & cynicalxcharm
Pairing: Eunhyuk/Everyone
Rating: R
A/N: Office!AU. Just 'cause. Happy birthday, Jolene! We love you! But we hate your demanding prompts. Kendra was not fully awake when writing this. Ciara was not fully sane when writing this. It took us 24 hours to write, and we're too lazy and tired to edit this properly, so please excuse any mistakes. ENJOY!
1.
It had been his first day, and Eunhyuk was far too nervous to recognize the warning glances sent his way when approached the front desk, briefcase held tight in his hand, shoes shined and spotless.
“Choi Incorporated, how may I help you?” the man at the receptionist’s desk asked drolly into his headset, tapping a pencil on a pad of notebook paper placed neatly in front of him. “No, I’m sorry, Mr. Choi is not available at the moment, but I’d be happy to direct you to someone else who can help you-what?” the man paused and Eunhyuk shifted uncomfortably on his feet, chancing a smile when the man at the desk glanced up at him. “No, I’m sorry, I can’t help you with that. I’m going to put you through to Kim Yesung in the Sales and Marketing department now. Have a nice day!” he chirped cheerfully into the microphone, and then hit a button on the telephone in front of him and let his face drop into a scowl. “Ignorant asshole.”
“I’m sorry, what?” Eunhyuk sputtered, taking a slow step away from the desk.
“Not you,” the receptionist snapped, rolling his eyes. “You’re the new Human Resources guy, right?”
“That’s me!” Eunhyuk said, shrugging and smiling nervously. “I have no idea where I’m supposed to be right now.”
“You’re on the sixth floor, elevators to your right, and after work you’re picking me up and taking me out for a drink,” the man said, scribbling something on a piece of notebook paper.
“I-um,” Eunhyuk faltered.
“I’m Heechul,” the man said. “And it’s tradition for new guys to buy me drinks. So unless you want all your calls for the next two months to be accidentally directed to the boss, you can pick me up at five thirty.”
It never really occurred to Eunhyuk that he could have said no.
0o0o0o0
“Fresh meat!” Heechul sang three weeks later, and Eunhyuk tossed him a tie over the front counter.
“You forgot it last night,” Eunhyuk yawned, running a hand through his hair and heading towards the elevator.
“Scout him out for me, okay? Eunhyuk-hey, Eunhyuk-“
“Do your own dirty work,” Eunhyuk called back over his shoulder, mouth opening into a round “o” of surprise when he entered the copy room hours later and saw the new guy checking his watch, face nervous.
“Hey, do you know what time we get off? I’m supposed to be meeting a…well…friend, I guess, at five thirty, but-“
“Six,” Eunhyuk said, cutting the guy off. “We get off at six.”
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2.
It all started with Heechul, but for the sake of his sanity, Eunhyuk liked to pretend that it had been Kangin and Eeteuk first. He liked to think that when he first entered Choi Incorporated as an employee, it had been Kangin’s sparkling eyes, or maybe Eeteuk’s dimpling smile that had been his welcome. It all started with Heechul, but Eunhyuk always liked to believe that it would end with Kangin and Eeteuk.
“You’re our new guy?” Kangin had asked the moment Eunhyuk walked through the door marked with a neat metal sign indicating the Human Resources Department.
“Lee Eunhyuk,” Eunhyuk had said, grinning a little when Kangin stood up with an easy smile and held a hand out.
“Kim Kangin,” Kangin replied, shaking his hand firmly then sitting back down and motioning for Eunhyuk to do the same. “Welcome to the family.”
It probably would have been okay if Eeteuk hadn’t entered just then, leaning against the doorframe and nudging his glasses up on the bridge of his nose with one finger while rattling off some information from a clipboard in his other hand. Eunhyuk probably would have been able to keep an entirely friendly, professional relationship with Kangin and move on with his life without a second thought to having anything else with his coworker, but as it just so happened, Eeteuk did enter, and Kangin burst into a wide delighted smile and Eunhyuk felt a wave of heat in his cheeks for no reason what so ever.
“We need to get on calling the people back about the company meeting,” Eeteuk said, one foot dipping up to scratch at the back of his other ankle. “And Kangin, when are you going to learn that you can’t send memos through Heechul, because they never end up where they’re supposed to be going? I had to go up to Siwon’s office today to drop off that-hello, you are someone I don’t know,” Eeteuk cut himself off, glancing up and doing a double take at the sight of Eunhyuk perched straight backed at the edge of his seat.
“He’s the newbie,” Kangin grinned, leaning back in his chair and nudging some books over to the corner of his desk before propping his feet up on a stack of papers.
“Kangin,” Eeteuk snapped, rolling his eyes, “feet off the table.”
“Why?” Kangin pouted slightly, removing his feet even as he asked. “These are nice shoes. You like these shoes. You bought me these shoes.”
“Beside the point,” Eeteuk said, brushing the words away with a wave of his hand. “Hello there,” he continued, settling himself against the corner of Kangin’s desk and smiling brightly at Eunhyuk. “Are you…” he flipped a couple of papers on his clipboard and then looked up again after evidently not finding what he was looking for, lips pursing in concentration.
“Eunhyuk,” Eunhyuk provided helpfully, ignoring the small hitch in his breath as Eeteuk smiled again, a laugh following quickly after.
“That’s Eeteuk,” Kangin said, picking up a pen from his desk and throwing it at the older boys back. “He’s our partner in crime.”
“Our?” Eeteuk asked in confusion, turning to look back at Kangin.
“Um… I’m the new guy,” Eunhyuk said, wishing his voice wasn’t quite so awkward.
“New…guy?” Eeteuk asked, still looking rather confused, and Kangin threw back his head and laughed, prompting a pout from his coworker.
“Don’t mind him,” Kangin advised Eunhyuk kindly. “He’s kind of on the old side.”
“Hey!” Eeteuk yelped, glaring at Kangin. “I’ll have you know that I’m also very good at what I do.”
“It’s true,” Kangin smirked, an eyebrow arched teasingly. “He’s the best at-“
“Saving your ass when you don’t finish your presentations on time,” Eeteuk cut in quickly, a hint of laughter in his voice. Eunhyuk wondered vaguely if he was missing something.
“Anyways,” Kangin continued, sticking his tongue out briefly at Eeteuk, “you’re going to be working with the two of us. We’ll show you the ropes the first few days, and then throw you to the sharks and see how well you can swim.”
“He’s kidding,” Eeteuk informed Eunhyuk with a suppressed grin. “About the sharks part.”
It was easy for Eunhyuk to get caught up in their conversations and forget that he himself could possibly be contributing to them, and the first few days he sat quietly on the sidelines, watching as they worked, how they worked-lazy and relaxed when there were lulls in deadlines, but efficient and thorough when faced with an important task.
And then slowly, almost without Eunhyuk noticing it, they began to draw him into their conversations, invite him out to dinner with them after a long day in the office, or over to Kangin’s house to watch a movie on the weekends. It was all so gradual that Eunhyuk barely noticed when he started following them back to Eeteuk’s place after work without being invited, or when he started showing up on one of their doorsteps when he was bored and had nowhere else to go.
“You’re becoming too attached to us,” Kangin told him one day, throwing an arm around his shoulders as they strolled down to the store to buy groceries for Eeteuk.
“Is that a bad thing?” Eunhyuk asked, elbowing Kangin in the side and then laughing when the older boy looked offended.
“No, not bad,” Kangin said slowly, halting for a moment and watching Eunhyuk carefully when the boy stopped and turned to look back at him. “There’s just…stuff maybe you don’t know about us,” he shrugged.
“Yet,” Eunhyuk added with a bright smile, crossing his arms over his chest and forgetting about the conversation a mere five minutes later.
But maybe he should have paid more attention, he realized with a jolt when he entered Eeteuk’s apartment and stuck the spare key back under the mat, on the verge of calling out when he heard the distinct murmur of voices (and was that-moaning?) from around the corner.
“Fuck,” Kangin swore when Eunhyuk cleared his throat awkwardly and lowered his eyes to stare at his bare toes curling into the lush carpet.
“I-“ Eeteuk choked out, stepping away from Kangin and retracting his hand hastily from the other boys pants in the same moment. “Eunhyuksshi-“
His voice was husky and raspier then normal, his face flushed a deep red and Eunhyuk drew in a sharp breath as Kangin zipped his jeans back up, head tilted against the wall, eyes clenched closed as though he were wishing this was all just a bad dream.
“Eunhyuk, you um…weren’t supposed to see that,” Kangin coughed out apologetically, looking everywhere but at Eunhyuk.
“Ah,” Eunhyuk replied, “Eurgahf.”
“Okay,” Kangin gave a weak impression of a smile, and coughed again, shifting from one foot to the other.
“I’m just going to…” Eeteuk started quietly. “Go, um…wash my hands now.”
Eunhyuk blushed a violent shade of red. Eeteuk ducked his head and exited the room quickly.
“Well,” Kangin tried again, “I, well, yes.”
“Mmhmpf,” Eunhyuk agreed, averting his eyes when Kangin glanced up at him.
“No, okay, this is not going to be awkward,” Kangin finally said determinedly, “We can’t let this ruin our, our, friendship, can’t let this get in the way of anything, okay? So Eeteuk gives me hand jobs sometimes and sometimes I give him blowjobs, but really, I don’t think it should stop us from-“
Eunhyuk decided that listening to Kangin earnestly admit that he gave Eeteuk blowjobs, was not really something that he needed to be hearing at the moment. Especially because he kept imagining the position he had walked in on them in, and now he had another mental picture to add to the collection, but this time it was Eeteuk up against the wall, and Kangin on his knees.
“Arughf,” Eunhyuk said, and then because the only thing his rather one-track-at-the-moment-mind came up with to make the awkwardness go away, he stepped forward and kissed him.
“What.” Kangin said the moment they parted, eyes wide as he grabbed Eunhyuk’s shoulders and pushed him an arms length away.
“Oh,” Eeteuk said from the doorway.
“Um,” Eunhyuk responded diligently.
“Okay,” Kangin shrugged, promptly pulling Eunhyuk back in and winding an arm around his waist to steady him-and oh were those lips on Eunhyuk’s neck? How did Kangin manage-
“Welcome to the family,” Eeteuk whispered huskily into his ear.
0o0o0o0
“So now we just have to-“
“Finish writing that report,”
“And send it in for editing-“
“Unless you-“
“Can edit it?”
“And then we’ll be done!” Kangin and Eeteuk sat back in their seats, looking entirely satisfied as they crossed their arms over their chests and waited for Eunhyuk’s approval of the plan.
“I-“ Eunhyuk started, stopped, blinked a few times.
“Is it okay?” Kangin asked quickly.
“Do you not like it?” Eeteuk said, scooting forward on his chair. “We can change it if you want, I was thinking that maybe we could edit out the second paragraph-“
“I was thinking the exact same thing!” Kangin said, head jerking back in surprise.
Eeteuk grinned and held his hand out for a high five. “It’s our telepathic abilities,” he nodded wisely, holding onto Kangin’s hand a little longer then necessary.
“Oh,” Eunhyuk whispered, blinking rapidly.
0o0o0o0
“I can’t find my socks,” Eunhyuk said desperately, crawling under the bed and searching in vain for his white socks. “I just washed them, I swear they were here a moment ago, I don’t know where they could have gone-“
“Hyuk,” Kangin groaned, “You don’t even wear socks to bed. Just get up here.”
“No, but they’re my favorite socks, you don’t understand, I just had them, and now I can’t find them anywhere-“ Eunhyuk’s voice cracked on the last word and Eeteuk sat up quickly in bed.
“Eunhyuk, are you…crying?”
“No,” Eunhyuk insisted, digging furiously through the dresser drawers, body shaking with hiccups and little sobs. “I just don’t want to lose them, they’re good socks, they’re really good socks, and I bought them at-“
“Eunhyuk,” Eeteuk whispered, dropping down onto the floor and crawling on his knees over to where Eunhyuk was sitting on the ground. “Tell me the truth, what’s wrong?”
“I-I just really kind of loved those socks,” Eunhyuk whimpered, tears spilling over his cheeks, “but now I think maybe it’s better if they’re together and I don’t wear them-because I’m just going to lose one of them, and then they’ll both be alone and-“
“Hyuk,” Kangin said harshly from the bed.
“Oh, baby,” Eeteuk breathed, letting Eunhyuk bury his head in his shoulder.
Eunhyuk slept between them that night, Kangin pressed firmly against his back, Eeteuk’s nose pressed into the base of his neck, head tucked below his chin-and then in the morning he got up and took a shower as quietly as possible and then stood at the foot of the bed and watched them until the clock had ticked past fifteen minutes and Eeteuk and Kangin had gravitated together in their sleep to fill the empty space where Eunhyuk’s own body was missing.
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3.
With Hankyung, it had been quick and painless. Quick to start, and painless to end. Eunhyuk had been surprised by the accented Korean that greeted him as he walked into the elevator, not even bothering to mutter a floor number, since he saw Taeyoung every day. He stared blankly at the new operator, whose mouth was molded into a wide grin.
"Sorry, what?" Eunhyuk asked, cheeks coloring a bit.
"Which floor are you on, sir?" the Chinese man replied, chuckling.
"S-six," Eunhyuk stuttered, slightly startled (and secretly pleased) by the predatory gleam in the operator's eyes.
"Sure," came the reply, as the door closed. He could have sworn he felt the man's hand on his ass as he left the elevator, but the doors closed before he had the chance to question it.
Two days later, when the elevator shuddered to a stop somewhere between the 4th and 5th floors, Eunhyuk's belt was already on the ground and the first three buttons of his shirt were undone as Hankyung slid easily over to where the younger man was standing.
0o0o0o0
Eeteuk said nothing when he took in the sight of a 20-minute-late Eunhyuk, sporting ruffled hair and a crooked tie and looking rather sheepish.
Three tuesdays after, Eunhyuk noted Heechul missing from the front desk as he walked into work, and took into consideration the elevator light, which had been lit beneath the 8 for ten minutes. He nodded silently, and turned to the staircase, sipping his coffee as he trekked up the steps.
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4.
As far as Eunhyuk was concerned for the first six weeks of his new job, Siwon was “That-Totally-Hot-Guy-I-Met-Once-In-The-Elavator-And-Have-Yet-To-See-Again-But-Must-Work-Here-Because-He-Had-A-Choi-Incorporated-Bag.”
It was a hard name to remember at times, but Eunhyuk always figured he’d manage somehow, and besides, he was pretty sure this guy was worth it.
“Oh!” Eunhyuk exclaimed, accidentally spilling water all down his slacks in his surprise. “You’re here!”
“I’m…what?” Hot Guy asked, looking slightly confused and a little wary of Eunhyuk.
“I saw you once in the elevator and figure you worked here, but then I never saw you again,” Eunhyuk explained, mentally face palming when he realized how utterly lame he sounded.
“Ah,” Hot Guy nodded understandingly, grabbing a stack of towels to hand over to Eunhyuk. “Got it. You work with Eeteuk and Kangin, right?”
“Yeah,” Eunhyuk replied, pleased that the man seemed to have some idea of who he was. “I’m Eunhyuk.”
“Pleasure to meet you,” Hot Guy smiled, rolling up his sleeves to his elbows and kneeling down next to a counter. “Do they ever have good food in this break room?”
“Nope,” Eunhyuk shrugged, mopping up the spilt water on the floor. “Yesung and Heechul were planning an attack on the executives’ office to try and get some better snacks, but Kyuhyun told them that statistically it’s only a matter of time until the boss runs out of food up there and comes down here to try and freeload off us.”
Hot Guy looked up at Eunhyuk in surprise, and Eunhyuk laughed.
“Yeah, I don’t know either. I swear, Kyuhyun sounds smart when he talks numbers, but logistically I never really understand how he makes sense. So you know where we could get any good food?”
“Yeah,” Hot Guy said thoughtfully, standing up and smiling a little. “Follow me.”
“Sir,” Hankyung said, bowing deeply when they entered the elevator. Eunhyuk stood, confused for a moment, and then shrugged to himself and offered a small smile that the elevator operation returned quickly.
“They keep it stocked full of food,” Hot Guy said as they exited the elevator, “but sometimes I get tired of the same selections every day.”
“You-wait, what? Isn’t this the Choi’s office?” Eunhyuk asked, bewildered.
“I am Choi,” Hot Guy (Siwon, Eunhyuk corrected himself) laughed. “I thought you knew.”
“Yeah, nope, someone must have tried to send me that memo through Heechul,” Eunhyuk muttered, blushing in embarrassment.
“I’ll tell you what,” Siwon said with a bemused grin. “How about I take you out for lunch, get us both some decent food?”
As if Eunhyuk could do anything but agree.
0o0o0o0
“You’re sleeping with the boss,” Hankyung said nonchalantly the next morning on the ride up to the sixth floor.
“If you get a raise, or a promotion, I’m going to rip out your intestines and use your bones as towel hangers for my bathroom,” Kangin informed him without looking up from his paperwork when he entered the office.
Eunhyuk decided it was probably best to just end things there. (But he bought Kangin a towel rack, just in case.)
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5.
The only thing that Eunhyuk could ever think of, looking back on his short trips to the mail room, was the incredible rush of awkwardness that poured over him in the presence of the youngest employee of Choi Inc.
“I need four copies of the report on Industrial and Employee Relations, the message from the Jung Company to be delivered to Choi, and a cup of coffee,” Eunhyuk had announced one uneventful day, dropping down onto a chair in the mail room and holding his hand out, a stack of paper perched precariously on his palm.
“I-I,“ Henry stuttered. “You, I mean-of course, yes sir, right away, sir.”
“Um…” Eunhyuk paused, straightening up a little and snatching his hand back after Henry reached out to take the papers. “Eunhyuk, is okay. Or, you know, you could even just call me Lee if you’re feeling formal! There’s no need for…sirs, or…anything,” he ended lamely.
“Okay,” the younger boy grinned, blushing slightly. “Eunhyuk.”
“Yeah,” Eunhyuk said uneasily, pushing himself up out of the chair and backing slowly towards the door. “I’m just gonna-you know, get back to work now. Because work is good! It gets you money, and money gets you-well, not happiness, but comfort. Or something like that. So…work hard! And…um…stay in school! And oh! Find a nice girl who likes you for who you are, and will stand by your side for-“ Eunhyuk reached the door and fled. It was strange, he mused, that the one person who seemed to admire him in the workplace just had to be an eighteen year old boy barely out of high school. Flexible, Heechul had pointed out, but still. Eunhyuk had always prided himself on staying away from the jailbait. Bendy or not.
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6.
Eunhyuk stumbled down the hall of his apartment building, tripping over his feet a bit as he reached his door. He pulled his keys out of his pocket and fumbled around before he found the right one. He jabbed it into the lock several times, causing the metal to scrape noisily, but it just didn't seem to fit. Eunhyuk leaned against the door and sighed, closing his eyes. So when the door opened and he fell into the arms of an unknown figure, he was surprised, naturally. He tilted his head up and looked straight into the face of his neighbor, Kibum.
"Hello, Eunhyuk," Kibum greeted him, unsmiling.
"Hi, Kibum!" Eunhyuk slurred. "Whatcha doin' in my house?"
Kibum sighed and set Eunhyuk upright. He threw an arm around the older man's waist and helped Eunhyuk balance himself. "Is there a reason you're sleeping against my door? Or are you just extremely drunk?"
"The second one," Eunhyuk giggled, making Kibum cringe. Suddenly, Eunhyuk put a hand to his mouth. "Can I use your bathroom?"
"I don't believe I have a choice if I want my carpet to stay clean," Kibum stepped aside and allowed Eunhyuk to run to the bathroom.
After a minute or two, Kibum stuck his head in through the bathroom door and held out a toothbrush. Eunhyuk took it gratefully, lifting himself from next to the toilet, and proceeded to brush his teeth in the sink.
"Thanks," Eunhyuk muttered as they sat on the couch, head still buzzing from the alcohol.
"Please don't mention it," Kibum answered. "Ever."
"Okay," Eunhyuk looked up at Kibum, cheeks flushed and eyes unfocused. Kibum chuckled before leaning in and kissing Eunhyuk, who remained motionless as he processed the situation through a drunken haze. Deciding he didn't mind much that Kibum was pushing him back onto the couch, tongue coaxing open his mouth, Eunhyuk responded eagerly. He pulled at the hem of Kibum's T-Shirt, slipping it up and over Kibum's head as Kibum yanked Eunhyuk's pants down from his hips. Eunhyuk gasped into the younger man's mouth as he felt Kibum's hand invade his boxers, stroking him to completion. When Eunhyuk's own hand wandered to Kibum's belt, he felt Kibum's hand stop his. Kibum rolled off Eunhyuk and stood up, tossing him his shirt.
Eunhyuk looked up at him, confused.
"You'd better get home," Kibum told him, pulling on his shirt and walking to the door. Eunhyuk stood up and wriggled into his pants, his damp boxers making him grimace in discomfort.
"Is something wrong?" Eunhyuk asked.
"Nothing, really," Kibum claimed, hand pausing on the door handle.
"Then, why...?" Eunhyuk halted the buttoning of his pants.
"I don't really feel anything for you, usually," Kibum declared bluntly. "You just looked really cute at the moment."
"Oh," Eunhyuk responded quietly, realizing that he didn't really feel anything for Kibum, either. "Okay."
"Now, go home," Kibum opened the door and pointed out. "And don't come back here drunk again."
Eunhyuk never did.
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7.
(03/14/08, 1:59pm)
From: "Cho Kyuhyun"
To: "Lee Eunhyuk"
------------
Eunhyuk,
Happy Pi Day! I hope you enjoyed the pie I sent over from the Accounting office. We're having a celebration here. We don't actually use pi in accounting at all, but we needed an excuse to have a party, and Siwon doesn't know any better. I'm looking forward to our date tonight! Talk to you soon!
-Kyuhyun-
_______________
(03/14/08, 2:18pm)
From: "Lee Eunhyuk"
To: "Cho Kyuhyun"
------------
Kyuhyun~
Thanks for the pie! I only had a little bit, because Kangin ran off with it while I was in the copy room, but it was good! d^-^b I wish there was a holiday we could celebrate in Human Resources, but I've been looking for hours and I still can't find one. -.- Eeteuk is too smart for that, anyway. We can't pull anything over on him, unless we get Kangin to distract him first. Hm, there's an idea. XD
Oh, I have to go now. Eeteuk is asking for the report I haven't even started on yet. O_O
Can't wait until tonight~!
~Eunhyuk~
________________
(03/17/08, 10:46am)
From: "Cho Kyuhyun"
To: "Lee Eunhyuk"
-------------
Eunhyuk,
Thank you for accompanying me this past Friday. I enjoyed myself. Don't feel too bad about missing the movie. It received terrible reviews anyway. Your neighbor seems very nice, by the way. You should introduce us properly next time I'm over. Does tomorrow night sound okay to you?
-Kyuhyun-
________________
(03/17/08, 11:00am)
From: "Lee Eunhyuk"
To: "Cho Kyuhyun"
------------
Hey! I had fun Friday, also. Maybe next time we should see a later movie, but the dinner was great!
Kibum is a nice guy. If you want to come over tomorrow night, that's fine. I'll invite Kibum along for a little while. Stop by at eight?
~Eunhyuk~
________________
(03/19/08, 9:30am)
From: "Cho Kyuhyun"
To: "Lee Eunhyuk"
------------
Eunhyuk,
Thanks for inviting me over last night! Kibum is a really great cook! And I had no idea he played Starcraft, too! I'll talk to you later, I have a spreadsheet to finish. Bye!
-Kyuhyun-
________________
(03/19/08, 10:16am)
From: "Lee Eunhyuk"
To: "Cho Kyuhyun"
------------
I'm glad you had fun^^. Thank goodness Kibum offered to cook! I haven't had the time to buy groceries. Why don't we go out to dinner this Friday?
~Eunhyuk~
_______________
(03/20/08, 4:20pm)
From: "Cho Kyuhyun"
To: "Lee Eunhyuk"
------------
Eunhyuk,
Sorry, I meant to get back to you sooner, but I was busy. I can't go with you tomorrow night, because Kibum and I are going to a starcraft tournament. Maybe next week, hm?
-Kyuhyun-
_______________
(03/20/08, 4:42pm)
From: "Lee Eunhyuk"
To: "Cho Kyuhyun"
-------------
Okay, we'll plan for next Wednesday, then. Is that alright? I'll meet you at The Open Door, that restaurant down on Hanna Street. See you then~
~Eunhyuk~
______________
(03/26/08, 4:54pm)
From: "Cho Kyuhyun"
To: "Lee Eunhyuk"
-------------
Sorry, can't make it tonight. Already have plans.
-Kyuhyun-
_____________
(03/27/08, 12:03pm)
From: "Lee Eunhyuk"
To: "Cho Kyuhyun"
-------------
Want to go to lunch today?
~Eunhyuk~
_____________
(03/31/08, 11:26pm)
From: "Lee Eunhyuk"
To: "Cho Kyuhyun"
-------------
Are you free tonight?
~Eunhyuk~
_____________
(04/04/08, 2:14pm)
From: "Lee Eunhyuk"
To: "Cho Kyuhyun"
-------------
Is something wrong? You haven't been returning my calls or emails...
~Eunhyuk~
_____________
(04/08/08, 3:09pm)
From: "Lee Eunhyuk"
To: "Cho Kyuhyun"
-------------
Maybe we should just break up.
~Eunhyuk~
_____________
(04/04/08, 3:20pm)
From: "Cho Kyuhyun"
To: "Lee Eunhyuk"
-------------
Eunhyuk,
Maybe that's a good idea. See you around.
-Kyuhyun-
____________
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8.
Heechul had demanded that Eunhyuk come out with him to a strip club on a cool Friday in October. Eunhyuk had refused at first, knowing he would end up drunk and sleeping on a park bench in his boxers if he went out with Heechul, but one cannot ignore Heechul for long. After seventeen phone calls from the front desk and three notes sent up with a blushing Henry, he finally buckled.
They set out at eleven o'clock, after Eunhyuk made Heechul promise him that they'd leave by one a.m. It was slightly uncomfortable, sitting there with Heechul while the older man catcalled and threw money around. He drank silently and blushed as the strippers danced across the stage before him, slowly removing their clothes as the audience whistled and howled. Heechul elbowed him and shoved a drink in his face.
"Stop being so quiet!" Heechul slurred. "Here, have a drink."
Eunhyuk cringed and downed it quickly under Heechul's tenacious glare. He grimaced and handed over the empty glass, causing Heechul to smile approvingly and call for another for him. Eunhyuk ran a hand through his hair. It was going to be a long night.
0o0o0o0
As it turned out, it was a rather short night for Eunhyuk, as far as he remembered. He opened his eyes slowly the next morning, blinking sleep out of his eyes as he took the plain walls of his room. The light streaming in from the window forced his eyes shut again, and his hand went to his aching head. He looked down and noted his state of undress. At least he wasn't on a park bench. He rolled over...
... right onto the man sleeping next to him.
"Ow," the stranger stirred, shoving Eunhyuk off of him roughly. "What the hell?"
"Who-- What-- You--" Eunhyuk stammered, standing up and pulling the sheets around his bare waist.
"Oh, I never introduced myself, did I?" the man asked, now fully awake. He propped himself up on his elbows. "I'm Sungmin."
"How did you-- Oh no, did we--?" Eunhyuk slapped a hand to his face, promising himself to murder Heechul on Monday.
"... Have sex?" Sungmin asked with a very pretty frown. He gestured to his nude form, now uncovered by the blanket around Eunhyuk, and sighed to himself. "It would seem so. Why don't they ever remember?"
"Uh," Eunhyuk said intelligently.
"Well, I should go home," Sungmin declared, standing and slipping his clothes on, probably as easily as he had taken them off. "I'll see you sometime soon, then. Why don't you come in again next friday? I'll make sure to stay to your side of the stage." He winked at Eunhyuk.
"Oh," Eunhyuk replied.
"Alright then, bye," Sungmin sauntered out of the room, leaving Eunhyuk staring after him, struggling to remember anything that had happened last night.
He never did go back to that club.
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9.
Cool moisture spread across Eunhyuk's thigh, causing him to cry out in discomfort. The other customers sitting in the cafe turned their heads to see where the disturbance had come from.
"Sorry, sorry!" The waitress grabbed several napkins from the table and began to soak up the spilt coffee, which was dripping onto the floor around Eunhyuk's chair. He stood up quickly and tried to go around the waitress, toward the bathroom. He met the eyes of the man behind the counter, Zhou Mi, who served him coffee every day on his way to work. The tall Chinese man was chuckling, and doing a terrible job of hiding it.
"It's okay," Eunhyuk assured the worried girl before him, tearing his eyes away from Zhou Mi. "I'll just go rinse it off in the bathroom."
When he looked to the counter again, Zhou Mi was gone.
He pulled open the bathroom door and walked in, eyes trained on the huge coffee stain now settled into his pants. He heard the door close behind him, and then heard the clicking of a lock. His head shot up, and he spun around to see Zhou Mi walking toward him from the now locked door. Eunhyuk cleared his throat.
"Hello, Zhou Mi," he greeted, backing toward the sink.
"Good to see you, Eunhyuk," Zhou Mi replied as he advanced toward him. "I just thought I'd help you clean up."
"Oh, it's alright," Eunhyuk claimed. "I have a change of clothes at the office."
"No, please," Zhou Mi insisted. He reached to Eunhyuk's hips and stripped the shorter man of his belt. "It was one of my employees who did this, after all. It's my job as the manager to... assist the customers, right?"
Eunhyuk shuddered as his pants were pulled quickly to his ankles. "R-right."
"How lucky!" Zhou Mi exclaimed, tugging down Eunhyuk's wet boxers and dragging a finger over his thigh. "You weren't burned at all! Will you hand me a towel, please?"
"N-no, not really," Eunhyuk stuttered, holding a towel under the water in the sink. "The coffee was actually lukewarm."
"Is that so? Strange, because I made it myself," Zhou Mi winked up at Eunhyuk. Eunhyuk blushed and handed him the wet towel.
"Really? Usually your coffee is really hot, so maybe the waitress waited too-- ah!" Eunhyuk gasped as he felt something wet, and not a towel, trail up his thigh. "Zhou Mi-- oh-- I didn't spill it there--"
0o0o0o0
"Good morning, Eunhyuk," Zhou Mi beamed at him from behind the counter. "The usual six coffees?"
"Of course," Eunhyuk smiled back. Zhou Mi turned to the coffee machine, and the waitress from the other day came to stand next to him. Eunhyuk thought he saw Zhou Mi slip money into the girl's apron before she shuffled off, but he shook his head to himself and accepted the coffees gracefully from Zhou Mi.
"See you tomorrow, then?" Zhou Mi winked at Eunhyuk.
"Definitely." Eunhyuk turned to go, but heard a crash and a gasp from one of the tables. He saw the same waitress apologizing profusely to Kyuhyun, from Accounting, and attempting to mop up spilt coffee from his pants.
"It's okay, really," Kyuhyun soothed. "The coffee wasn't even hot. I'll just go clean myself up."
Eunhyuk glanced at the counter, and when he failed to see Zhou Mi, his eyes caught a figure slipping silently into the bathroom. He left the cafe, laughing inwardly at the fact that Kyuhyun was definitely going to be late for work.
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10.
The phone on Eunhyuk's desk had been ringing nonstop for the past 5 minutes. He was on break, so he was disinclined to answer it, of course. But it just kept ringing and ringing and ringing. And ringing. He slammed his sandwich down on the desk, sending lettuce sprawling about his desk.
"Human Resources," Eunhyuk answered his phone with gritted teeth.
"This is Yesung Kim, from the Sales & Marketing department," came a husky voice on the other end. Eunhyuk perked up instantly.
"Hey, how's it going?" Eunhyuk replied, his voice slightly deeper than when he answered the phone.
"Great, thanks. Are you free tonight?" Yesung asked.
"Well, let me check my schedule," Eunhyuk opened a few drawers noisily and shuffled some papers around on his desk. He cleared his throat. "I may have some time later on, around seven. Why do you ask?"
"I was wondering if you'd like to come out to dinner with me," Yesung said smoothly. "What do you say?"
"Hm... that should be fine," Eunhyuk responded with false nonchalance. "Seven, then?"
"Sounds great. See you then," was the reply before the phone went dead.
0o0o0
After dinner (which went quite well, in Eunhyuk's opinion), Yesung stopped his car in front of a large apartment building. Yesung turned to Eunhyuk and winked. "Would you like to come up?"
Eunhyuk checked his watch and sighed dramatically. "It's getting a bit late..."
"It'll only be for and hour or so, hm?" Yesung coaxed, putting a hand on Eunhyuk's knee. Eunhyuk smiled at him after a moment.
"I suppose just for a little while..." He relented.
They stepped through the door of Yesung's apartment, and he noted how neat the small space was. Yesung came up and put a hand to the small of his back.
"My room's this way," he nodded in the direction of a door, guiding Eunhyuk along. He was led to the bed, where Yesung pushed him down softly, kissing him just slightly less gently. Yesung's tongue pressed insistently against his lips, and Eunhyuk accepted it eagerly. Yesung had started to unbutton Eunhyuk's shirt when they were startled by a phone ringing. Yesung pulled his phone out of his pocket reluctantly and cursed. He looked apologetically at Eunhyuk.
"Sorry, gotta take this," he muttered before slipping out the door, leaving Eunhyuk sitting awkwardly on the bed. He looked up when the door opened just moments later, and was surprised to see a feminine-looking guy step into the room.
"Yesung, I need the mon--" He started, pausing when he realized it wasn't Yesung sitting on the bed, but a disheveled Eunhyuk with his shirt half on. The man smiled brightly, white teeth gleaming as he made his way over to the bed. "Hello there. I don't believe we've met?"
"I'm Eunhyuk," Eunhyuk declared, a bit put off by another man being in the apartment.
"Ryeowook," the smaller man replied. "That's weird, Yesung usually lets me know when he brings someone else over, so I can prepare."
"Prepare...?" Eunhyuk ventured, confused.
"Yeah, prepare the toys and such," Ryeowook said casually.
"Toys? But, why would you..." Comprehension dawned on Eunhyuk's face. Oh, my.
"What a silly question," Ryeowook laughed, sitting on the bed and throwing his arm around Eunhyuk. "Yesung never does this stuff without me. What, didn't he mention me at all?"
"Uh, no," Eunhyuk replied, scooting away from Ryeowook. "I didn't even know he had a roommate."
"Yesung, Yesung, Yesung," Ryeowook sighed. "Sorry to surprise you, then, Eunhyuk. But, tell me," he leaned close to Eunhyuk's ear. He whispered, "Should I get the handcuffs, or do you prefer rope?"
Eunhyuk stood up from the bed suddenly, shock evident on his features, and walked to the bedroom door just as Yesung walked in. Eunhyuk pushed past the older man and rushed out the door, ignoring Yesung's begging for him to come back. He stepped into the hall and closed the door, leaning against it as he listened to the two argue.
He heard Yesung yelling in the background at Ryeowook. "You do this every time I bring someone home! Go out and find your own men instead of scaring off mine!"
"But hyung!" Ryeowook whined. "Stop bringing people home! I'm here already!"
"What does that-- oh," came the cut off reply, followed by a door shutting and heavy slience on Eunhyuk's end.
Eunhyuk hailed a cab and settled himself in, leaning his head against the window as he watched the street lights fly past. He reached into his pocket to retrieve his cell phone, and was surprised to find a piece of paper nestled inside. He opened it and laughed. Ryeowook had left him his number.
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11.
Eunhyuk always kind of liked the hats that the security guards outside of Choi Inc wore, so when Shindong offered to take him out for dinner one night, he agreed on only one condition.
“I want you to wear the hat, and then I want you to let me wear the hat,” he informed Shindong, nodding his head to demonstrate the seriousness of his proposition.
“I could have lice,” Shindong pointed out, shrugging one shoulder at Eunhyuk.
“You don’t though, do you?” Eunhyuk grinned back, hitting Shindong playfully on the arm.
“Maybe I’m bald underneath the hat,” Shindong said instead, changing tracks fast as lightning. “Maybe I’m embarrassed of my baldness.”
“I can see your hair,” Eunhyuk pointed out, poking the guard in the chest.
“It could be a wig,” Shindong shot back, squirming away from Eunhyuk’s fingers. For a security guard, he really was pretty ticklish.
“Yes, or no?” Eunhyuk finally asked after five minutes straight of going back and forth and getting nowhere.
“It’s my prized possession,” Shindong said apologetically, stroking his hat with his fingers. “I’m sorry Eunhyuk, I really like you, but-“
“Hey,” Eunhyuk shrugged, “No hard feelings, I get turned down for articles of clothing every day.”
“I’m sorry to hear that,” Shindong consoled.
“Have fun with your hat tonight,” Eunhyuk turned and stalked away, leaving Shindong feeling rather guilty.
In truth, Eunhyuk wasn’t too put out by the rejection. He had wanted to take the subway anyway.
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12.
It was a daily ritual, not that Eunhyuk would admit it to anyone, that every night after work he would go down to the subway station and listen to Donghae play his guitar. Sometimes, when the weather or passing commuters had been kind, Donghae would sing along to the music, and those were the times that Eunhyuk liked best of all.
It was a daily ritual, not that Eunhyuk would ever tell a soul, that every night he would stand on the platform waiting for the East bound train and listen to Donghae play for fifteen minutes before boarding, go one stop down, get off, cross over to the other side of the street and then catch the West bound train going back to his house.
“You should talk to him,” Zhou Mi advised him one day, tired of hearing Eunhyuk talk about a certain song he had heard Donghae singing the night before. “Really, some record label is going to discover him and take him away to be a big star before you get a chance to talk to him. Make a move before it’s too late.”
Eunhyuk pondered Zhou Mi’s words all through the day, improvised his way through a presentation on Compensation, Pensions and Payrolls, and left Kangin behind to clean up his mess when he realized he had no idea what he was talking about.
“You’re bad for my job,” he finally spat out after wandering out of the building and down the street, and Donghae stopped playing, eyes widening as he looked up at Eunhyuk.
“I’m…sorry?” he guessed, and Eunhyuk kind of hated the way his bangs fell over his eyes just so, every hair perfectly out of place. Kind of hated the way his fingerless gloves slipped down over his knuckles and he had to stop every few minutes to pull them up again. Kind of hated the way his legs crossed and his eyebrows raised in confusion and his tongue peeked out between pink lips and his eyes sparkled and-
“I hate you,” Eunhyuk whimpered feebly, dropping a fifty dollar bill into the coin littered guitar case and hurrying away before he got a chance to humiliate himself further.
Needless to say, it was the start of a beautiful friendship.
“Nice office,” Donghae whistled, three days later, strolling casually into Eunhyuk’s department, hands tucked into his pocket, scarf wrapped loosely around his neck.
“You-what, but-here?” Eunhyuk said in response, realizing vaguely that he seemed to be channeling Henry.
“So you’re the smart type,” Donghae said, nodding wisely along with Eunhyuk’s blabbering.
“How did you find me?” Eunhyuk finally got out, rolling his chair away from his desk and blinking rapidly to make sure Donghae was really there.
“Me? Oh, I know the receptionist,” Donghae shrugged, and Eunhyuk kind of felt like dying.
“But why?” Eunhyuk asked, pinching himself discretely on the leg and wincing a little when he decided it wasn’t a dream.
“Heechul and I? We go way back,” Donghae said, waving a hand absently through the air and peering down at a picture of Kangin and Eeteuk that Eunhyuk kept on his desk.
“No, why are you here?” Eunhyuk clarified, swallowing hard when Donghae looked up at him. “Not that it’s not nice to…have you here.”
“I thought I’d say thank you,” Donghae shrugged, dropping down into one of the chairs across from Eunhyuk’s desk.
“Oh,” Eunhyuk said, something akin to disappointment seeping into his words. “Your welcome.”
“No, with lunch!” Donghae laughed. “Or, dinner, or-“
Mind blowing sex? A small portion Eunhyuk’s mind that he squashed quickly supplied helpfully.
“-a song,” Donghae finished with a shrug.
“You’ll sing for me?” Eunhyuk asked, all other thoughts, inappropriate or not instantly disappearing from mind.
“I don’t have my guitar with me,” Donghae said with a start of a smile, “but we can meet up later if you’re up for it?”
“Yeah,” Eunhyuk said, and it kind of felt like there were huge bunnies hopping around in his stomach and brushing their fur against his ribs, tickly and soft, and Donghae’s eyes were kind of enthralling, when Eunhyuk though about it, maybe it was because they were so big and deep and warm, but Eunhyuk decided that it could be because they were steadily getting closer to his own, inches lessening slowly as he sat frozen on his chair.
“I think you have something in your eye,” Donghae said, tilting his head curiously to the side. “Do you wear contacts?”
“I-“ Eunhyuk choked, reenacting his imitation of Henry the mail boy. “You-.”
“We could go now,” Donghae offered, pulling away from Eunhyuk and grinning widely. “If you wanted, we could go back to my place and pick up my guitar and-“
Oh, that sounded rather nice, Eunhyuk thought, laughing as he followed Donghae out of the back exit, giant bunnies throwing a fiesta in his chest.
It was a daily ritual, Eunhyuk confessed to Donghae, two months later, head on the other boys lap, fingers locked around his wrist, that every night he would go to the subway station even though he had a car.
Authoresses: fading_sun_sock & cynicalxcharm
Pairing: Eunhyuk/Everyone
Rating: R
A/N: Office!AU. Just 'cause. Happy birthday, Jolene! We love you! But we hate your demanding prompts. Kendra was not fully awake when writing this. Ciara was not fully sane when writing this. It took us 24 hours to write, and we're too lazy and tired to edit this properly, so please excuse any mistakes. ENJOY!
1.
It had been his first day, and Eunhyuk was far too nervous to recognize the warning glances sent his way when approached the front desk, briefcase held tight in his hand, shoes shined and spotless.
“Choi Incorporated, how may I help you?” the man at the receptionist’s desk asked drolly into his headset, tapping a pencil on a pad of notebook paper placed neatly in front of him. “No, I’m sorry, Mr. Choi is not available at the moment, but I’d be happy to direct you to someone else who can help you-what?” the man paused and Eunhyuk shifted uncomfortably on his feet, chancing a smile when the man at the desk glanced up at him. “No, I’m sorry, I can’t help you with that. I’m going to put you through to Kim Yesung in the Sales and Marketing department now. Have a nice day!” he chirped cheerfully into the microphone, and then hit a button on the telephone in front of him and let his face drop into a scowl. “Ignorant asshole.”
“I’m sorry, what?” Eunhyuk sputtered, taking a slow step away from the desk.
“Not you,” the receptionist snapped, rolling his eyes. “You’re the new Human Resources guy, right?”
“That’s me!” Eunhyuk said, shrugging and smiling nervously. “I have no idea where I’m supposed to be right now.”
“You’re on the sixth floor, elevators to your right, and after work you’re picking me up and taking me out for a drink,” the man said, scribbling something on a piece of notebook paper.
“I-um,” Eunhyuk faltered.
“I’m Heechul,” the man said. “And it’s tradition for new guys to buy me drinks. So unless you want all your calls for the next two months to be accidentally directed to the boss, you can pick me up at five thirty.”
It never really occurred to Eunhyuk that he could have said no.
0o0o0o0
“Fresh meat!” Heechul sang three weeks later, and Eunhyuk tossed him a tie over the front counter.
“You forgot it last night,” Eunhyuk yawned, running a hand through his hair and heading towards the elevator.
“Scout him out for me, okay? Eunhyuk-hey, Eunhyuk-“
“Do your own dirty work,” Eunhyuk called back over his shoulder, mouth opening into a round “o” of surprise when he entered the copy room hours later and saw the new guy checking his watch, face nervous.
“Hey, do you know what time we get off? I’m supposed to be meeting a…well…friend, I guess, at five thirty, but-“
“Six,” Eunhyuk said, cutting the guy off. “We get off at six.”
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2.
It all started with Heechul, but for the sake of his sanity, Eunhyuk liked to pretend that it had been Kangin and Eeteuk first. He liked to think that when he first entered Choi Incorporated as an employee, it had been Kangin’s sparkling eyes, or maybe Eeteuk’s dimpling smile that had been his welcome. It all started with Heechul, but Eunhyuk always liked to believe that it would end with Kangin and Eeteuk.
“You’re our new guy?” Kangin had asked the moment Eunhyuk walked through the door marked with a neat metal sign indicating the Human Resources Department.
“Lee Eunhyuk,” Eunhyuk had said, grinning a little when Kangin stood up with an easy smile and held a hand out.
“Kim Kangin,” Kangin replied, shaking his hand firmly then sitting back down and motioning for Eunhyuk to do the same. “Welcome to the family.”
It probably would have been okay if Eeteuk hadn’t entered just then, leaning against the doorframe and nudging his glasses up on the bridge of his nose with one finger while rattling off some information from a clipboard in his other hand. Eunhyuk probably would have been able to keep an entirely friendly, professional relationship with Kangin and move on with his life without a second thought to having anything else with his coworker, but as it just so happened, Eeteuk did enter, and Kangin burst into a wide delighted smile and Eunhyuk felt a wave of heat in his cheeks for no reason what so ever.
“We need to get on calling the people back about the company meeting,” Eeteuk said, one foot dipping up to scratch at the back of his other ankle. “And Kangin, when are you going to learn that you can’t send memos through Heechul, because they never end up where they’re supposed to be going? I had to go up to Siwon’s office today to drop off that-hello, you are someone I don’t know,” Eeteuk cut himself off, glancing up and doing a double take at the sight of Eunhyuk perched straight backed at the edge of his seat.
“He’s the newbie,” Kangin grinned, leaning back in his chair and nudging some books over to the corner of his desk before propping his feet up on a stack of papers.
“Kangin,” Eeteuk snapped, rolling his eyes, “feet off the table.”
“Why?” Kangin pouted slightly, removing his feet even as he asked. “These are nice shoes. You like these shoes. You bought me these shoes.”
“Beside the point,” Eeteuk said, brushing the words away with a wave of his hand. “Hello there,” he continued, settling himself against the corner of Kangin’s desk and smiling brightly at Eunhyuk. “Are you…” he flipped a couple of papers on his clipboard and then looked up again after evidently not finding what he was looking for, lips pursing in concentration.
“Eunhyuk,” Eunhyuk provided helpfully, ignoring the small hitch in his breath as Eeteuk smiled again, a laugh following quickly after.
“That’s Eeteuk,” Kangin said, picking up a pen from his desk and throwing it at the older boys back. “He’s our partner in crime.”
“Our?” Eeteuk asked in confusion, turning to look back at Kangin.
“Um… I’m the new guy,” Eunhyuk said, wishing his voice wasn’t quite so awkward.
“New…guy?” Eeteuk asked, still looking rather confused, and Kangin threw back his head and laughed, prompting a pout from his coworker.
“Don’t mind him,” Kangin advised Eunhyuk kindly. “He’s kind of on the old side.”
“Hey!” Eeteuk yelped, glaring at Kangin. “I’ll have you know that I’m also very good at what I do.”
“It’s true,” Kangin smirked, an eyebrow arched teasingly. “He’s the best at-“
“Saving your ass when you don’t finish your presentations on time,” Eeteuk cut in quickly, a hint of laughter in his voice. Eunhyuk wondered vaguely if he was missing something.
“Anyways,” Kangin continued, sticking his tongue out briefly at Eeteuk, “you’re going to be working with the two of us. We’ll show you the ropes the first few days, and then throw you to the sharks and see how well you can swim.”
“He’s kidding,” Eeteuk informed Eunhyuk with a suppressed grin. “About the sharks part.”
It was easy for Eunhyuk to get caught up in their conversations and forget that he himself could possibly be contributing to them, and the first few days he sat quietly on the sidelines, watching as they worked, how they worked-lazy and relaxed when there were lulls in deadlines, but efficient and thorough when faced with an important task.
And then slowly, almost without Eunhyuk noticing it, they began to draw him into their conversations, invite him out to dinner with them after a long day in the office, or over to Kangin’s house to watch a movie on the weekends. It was all so gradual that Eunhyuk barely noticed when he started following them back to Eeteuk’s place after work without being invited, or when he started showing up on one of their doorsteps when he was bored and had nowhere else to go.
“You’re becoming too attached to us,” Kangin told him one day, throwing an arm around his shoulders as they strolled down to the store to buy groceries for Eeteuk.
“Is that a bad thing?” Eunhyuk asked, elbowing Kangin in the side and then laughing when the older boy looked offended.
“No, not bad,” Kangin said slowly, halting for a moment and watching Eunhyuk carefully when the boy stopped and turned to look back at him. “There’s just…stuff maybe you don’t know about us,” he shrugged.
“Yet,” Eunhyuk added with a bright smile, crossing his arms over his chest and forgetting about the conversation a mere five minutes later.
But maybe he should have paid more attention, he realized with a jolt when he entered Eeteuk’s apartment and stuck the spare key back under the mat, on the verge of calling out when he heard the distinct murmur of voices (and was that-moaning?) from around the corner.
“Fuck,” Kangin swore when Eunhyuk cleared his throat awkwardly and lowered his eyes to stare at his bare toes curling into the lush carpet.
“I-“ Eeteuk choked out, stepping away from Kangin and retracting his hand hastily from the other boys pants in the same moment. “Eunhyuksshi-“
His voice was husky and raspier then normal, his face flushed a deep red and Eunhyuk drew in a sharp breath as Kangin zipped his jeans back up, head tilted against the wall, eyes clenched closed as though he were wishing this was all just a bad dream.
“Eunhyuk, you um…weren’t supposed to see that,” Kangin coughed out apologetically, looking everywhere but at Eunhyuk.
“Ah,” Eunhyuk replied, “Eurgahf.”
“Okay,” Kangin gave a weak impression of a smile, and coughed again, shifting from one foot to the other.
“I’m just going to…” Eeteuk started quietly. “Go, um…wash my hands now.”
Eunhyuk blushed a violent shade of red. Eeteuk ducked his head and exited the room quickly.
“Well,” Kangin tried again, “I, well, yes.”
“Mmhmpf,” Eunhyuk agreed, averting his eyes when Kangin glanced up at him.
“No, okay, this is not going to be awkward,” Kangin finally said determinedly, “We can’t let this ruin our, our, friendship, can’t let this get in the way of anything, okay? So Eeteuk gives me hand jobs sometimes and sometimes I give him blowjobs, but really, I don’t think it should stop us from-“
Eunhyuk decided that listening to Kangin earnestly admit that he gave Eeteuk blowjobs, was not really something that he needed to be hearing at the moment. Especially because he kept imagining the position he had walked in on them in, and now he had another mental picture to add to the collection, but this time it was Eeteuk up against the wall, and Kangin on his knees.
“Arughf,” Eunhyuk said, and then because the only thing his rather one-track-at-the-moment-mind came up with to make the awkwardness go away, he stepped forward and kissed him.
“What.” Kangin said the moment they parted, eyes wide as he grabbed Eunhyuk’s shoulders and pushed him an arms length away.
“Oh,” Eeteuk said from the doorway.
“Um,” Eunhyuk responded diligently.
“Okay,” Kangin shrugged, promptly pulling Eunhyuk back in and winding an arm around his waist to steady him-and oh were those lips on Eunhyuk’s neck? How did Kangin manage-
“Welcome to the family,” Eeteuk whispered huskily into his ear.
0o0o0o0
“So now we just have to-“
“Finish writing that report,”
“And send it in for editing-“
“Unless you-“
“Can edit it?”
“And then we’ll be done!” Kangin and Eeteuk sat back in their seats, looking entirely satisfied as they crossed their arms over their chests and waited for Eunhyuk’s approval of the plan.
“I-“ Eunhyuk started, stopped, blinked a few times.
“Is it okay?” Kangin asked quickly.
“Do you not like it?” Eeteuk said, scooting forward on his chair. “We can change it if you want, I was thinking that maybe we could edit out the second paragraph-“
“I was thinking the exact same thing!” Kangin said, head jerking back in surprise.
Eeteuk grinned and held his hand out for a high five. “It’s our telepathic abilities,” he nodded wisely, holding onto Kangin’s hand a little longer then necessary.
“Oh,” Eunhyuk whispered, blinking rapidly.
0o0o0o0
“I can’t find my socks,” Eunhyuk said desperately, crawling under the bed and searching in vain for his white socks. “I just washed them, I swear they were here a moment ago, I don’t know where they could have gone-“
“Hyuk,” Kangin groaned, “You don’t even wear socks to bed. Just get up here.”
“No, but they’re my favorite socks, you don’t understand, I just had them, and now I can’t find them anywhere-“ Eunhyuk’s voice cracked on the last word and Eeteuk sat up quickly in bed.
“Eunhyuk, are you…crying?”
“No,” Eunhyuk insisted, digging furiously through the dresser drawers, body shaking with hiccups and little sobs. “I just don’t want to lose them, they’re good socks, they’re really good socks, and I bought them at-“
“Eunhyuk,” Eeteuk whispered, dropping down onto the floor and crawling on his knees over to where Eunhyuk was sitting on the ground. “Tell me the truth, what’s wrong?”
“I-I just really kind of loved those socks,” Eunhyuk whimpered, tears spilling over his cheeks, “but now I think maybe it’s better if they’re together and I don’t wear them-because I’m just going to lose one of them, and then they’ll both be alone and-“
“Hyuk,” Kangin said harshly from the bed.
“Oh, baby,” Eeteuk breathed, letting Eunhyuk bury his head in his shoulder.
Eunhyuk slept between them that night, Kangin pressed firmly against his back, Eeteuk’s nose pressed into the base of his neck, head tucked below his chin-and then in the morning he got up and took a shower as quietly as possible and then stood at the foot of the bed and watched them until the clock had ticked past fifteen minutes and Eeteuk and Kangin had gravitated together in their sleep to fill the empty space where Eunhyuk’s own body was missing.
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3.
With Hankyung, it had been quick and painless. Quick to start, and painless to end. Eunhyuk had been surprised by the accented Korean that greeted him as he walked into the elevator, not even bothering to mutter a floor number, since he saw Taeyoung every day. He stared blankly at the new operator, whose mouth was molded into a wide grin.
"Sorry, what?" Eunhyuk asked, cheeks coloring a bit.
"Which floor are you on, sir?" the Chinese man replied, chuckling.
"S-six," Eunhyuk stuttered, slightly startled (and secretly pleased) by the predatory gleam in the operator's eyes.
"Sure," came the reply, as the door closed. He could have sworn he felt the man's hand on his ass as he left the elevator, but the doors closed before he had the chance to question it.
Two days later, when the elevator shuddered to a stop somewhere between the 4th and 5th floors, Eunhyuk's belt was already on the ground and the first three buttons of his shirt were undone as Hankyung slid easily over to where the younger man was standing.
0o0o0o0
Eeteuk said nothing when he took in the sight of a 20-minute-late Eunhyuk, sporting ruffled hair and a crooked tie and looking rather sheepish.
Three tuesdays after, Eunhyuk noted Heechul missing from the front desk as he walked into work, and took into consideration the elevator light, which had been lit beneath the 8 for ten minutes. He nodded silently, and turned to the staircase, sipping his coffee as he trekked up the steps.
---andsidjkgliruJLKBDFO;BRSIFDBKG;kabflhgvbisghkdbvnkljefadhlkbgvghlkabfd---
4.
As far as Eunhyuk was concerned for the first six weeks of his new job, Siwon was “That-Totally-Hot-Guy-I-Met-Once-In-The-Elavator-And-Have-Yet-To-See-Again-But-Must-Work-Here-Because-He-Had-A-Choi-Incorporated-Bag.”
It was a hard name to remember at times, but Eunhyuk always figured he’d manage somehow, and besides, he was pretty sure this guy was worth it.
“Oh!” Eunhyuk exclaimed, accidentally spilling water all down his slacks in his surprise. “You’re here!”
“I’m…what?” Hot Guy asked, looking slightly confused and a little wary of Eunhyuk.
“I saw you once in the elevator and figure you worked here, but then I never saw you again,” Eunhyuk explained, mentally face palming when he realized how utterly lame he sounded.
“Ah,” Hot Guy nodded understandingly, grabbing a stack of towels to hand over to Eunhyuk. “Got it. You work with Eeteuk and Kangin, right?”
“Yeah,” Eunhyuk replied, pleased that the man seemed to have some idea of who he was. “I’m Eunhyuk.”
“Pleasure to meet you,” Hot Guy smiled, rolling up his sleeves to his elbows and kneeling down next to a counter. “Do they ever have good food in this break room?”
“Nope,” Eunhyuk shrugged, mopping up the spilt water on the floor. “Yesung and Heechul were planning an attack on the executives’ office to try and get some better snacks, but Kyuhyun told them that statistically it’s only a matter of time until the boss runs out of food up there and comes down here to try and freeload off us.”
Hot Guy looked up at Eunhyuk in surprise, and Eunhyuk laughed.
“Yeah, I don’t know either. I swear, Kyuhyun sounds smart when he talks numbers, but logistically I never really understand how he makes sense. So you know where we could get any good food?”
“Yeah,” Hot Guy said thoughtfully, standing up and smiling a little. “Follow me.”
“Sir,” Hankyung said, bowing deeply when they entered the elevator. Eunhyuk stood, confused for a moment, and then shrugged to himself and offered a small smile that the elevator operation returned quickly.
“They keep it stocked full of food,” Hot Guy said as they exited the elevator, “but sometimes I get tired of the same selections every day.”
“You-wait, what? Isn’t this the Choi’s office?” Eunhyuk asked, bewildered.
“I am Choi,” Hot Guy (Siwon, Eunhyuk corrected himself) laughed. “I thought you knew.”
“Yeah, nope, someone must have tried to send me that memo through Heechul,” Eunhyuk muttered, blushing in embarrassment.
“I’ll tell you what,” Siwon said with a bemused grin. “How about I take you out for lunch, get us both some decent food?”
As if Eunhyuk could do anything but agree.
0o0o0o0
“You’re sleeping with the boss,” Hankyung said nonchalantly the next morning on the ride up to the sixth floor.
“If you get a raise, or a promotion, I’m going to rip out your intestines and use your bones as towel hangers for my bathroom,” Kangin informed him without looking up from his paperwork when he entered the office.
Eunhyuk decided it was probably best to just end things there. (But he bought Kangin a towel rack, just in case.)
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5.
The only thing that Eunhyuk could ever think of, looking back on his short trips to the mail room, was the incredible rush of awkwardness that poured over him in the presence of the youngest employee of Choi Inc.
“I need four copies of the report on Industrial and Employee Relations, the message from the Jung Company to be delivered to Choi, and a cup of coffee,” Eunhyuk had announced one uneventful day, dropping down onto a chair in the mail room and holding his hand out, a stack of paper perched precariously on his palm.
“I-I,“ Henry stuttered. “You, I mean-of course, yes sir, right away, sir.”
“Um…” Eunhyuk paused, straightening up a little and snatching his hand back after Henry reached out to take the papers. “Eunhyuk, is okay. Or, you know, you could even just call me Lee if you’re feeling formal! There’s no need for…sirs, or…anything,” he ended lamely.
“Okay,” the younger boy grinned, blushing slightly. “Eunhyuk.”
“Yeah,” Eunhyuk said uneasily, pushing himself up out of the chair and backing slowly towards the door. “I’m just gonna-you know, get back to work now. Because work is good! It gets you money, and money gets you-well, not happiness, but comfort. Or something like that. So…work hard! And…um…stay in school! And oh! Find a nice girl who likes you for who you are, and will stand by your side for-“ Eunhyuk reached the door and fled. It was strange, he mused, that the one person who seemed to admire him in the workplace just had to be an eighteen year old boy barely out of high school. Flexible, Heechul had pointed out, but still. Eunhyuk had always prided himself on staying away from the jailbait. Bendy or not.
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6.
Eunhyuk stumbled down the hall of his apartment building, tripping over his feet a bit as he reached his door. He pulled his keys out of his pocket and fumbled around before he found the right one. He jabbed it into the lock several times, causing the metal to scrape noisily, but it just didn't seem to fit. Eunhyuk leaned against the door and sighed, closing his eyes. So when the door opened and he fell into the arms of an unknown figure, he was surprised, naturally. He tilted his head up and looked straight into the face of his neighbor, Kibum.
"Hello, Eunhyuk," Kibum greeted him, unsmiling.
"Hi, Kibum!" Eunhyuk slurred. "Whatcha doin' in my house?"
Kibum sighed and set Eunhyuk upright. He threw an arm around the older man's waist and helped Eunhyuk balance himself. "Is there a reason you're sleeping against my door? Or are you just extremely drunk?"
"The second one," Eunhyuk giggled, making Kibum cringe. Suddenly, Eunhyuk put a hand to his mouth. "Can I use your bathroom?"
"I don't believe I have a choice if I want my carpet to stay clean," Kibum stepped aside and allowed Eunhyuk to run to the bathroom.
After a minute or two, Kibum stuck his head in through the bathroom door and held out a toothbrush. Eunhyuk took it gratefully, lifting himself from next to the toilet, and proceeded to brush his teeth in the sink.
"Thanks," Eunhyuk muttered as they sat on the couch, head still buzzing from the alcohol.
"Please don't mention it," Kibum answered. "Ever."
"Okay," Eunhyuk looked up at Kibum, cheeks flushed and eyes unfocused. Kibum chuckled before leaning in and kissing Eunhyuk, who remained motionless as he processed the situation through a drunken haze. Deciding he didn't mind much that Kibum was pushing him back onto the couch, tongue coaxing open his mouth, Eunhyuk responded eagerly. He pulled at the hem of Kibum's T-Shirt, slipping it up and over Kibum's head as Kibum yanked Eunhyuk's pants down from his hips. Eunhyuk gasped into the younger man's mouth as he felt Kibum's hand invade his boxers, stroking him to completion. When Eunhyuk's own hand wandered to Kibum's belt, he felt Kibum's hand stop his. Kibum rolled off Eunhyuk and stood up, tossing him his shirt.
Eunhyuk looked up at him, confused.
"You'd better get home," Kibum told him, pulling on his shirt and walking to the door. Eunhyuk stood up and wriggled into his pants, his damp boxers making him grimace in discomfort.
"Is something wrong?" Eunhyuk asked.
"Nothing, really," Kibum claimed, hand pausing on the door handle.
"Then, why...?" Eunhyuk halted the buttoning of his pants.
"I don't really feel anything for you, usually," Kibum declared bluntly. "You just looked really cute at the moment."
"Oh," Eunhyuk responded quietly, realizing that he didn't really feel anything for Kibum, either. "Okay."
"Now, go home," Kibum opened the door and pointed out. "And don't come back here drunk again."
Eunhyuk never did.
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7.
(03/14/08, 1:59pm)
From: "Cho Kyuhyun"
To: "Lee Eunhyuk"
------------
Eunhyuk,
Happy Pi Day! I hope you enjoyed the pie I sent over from the Accounting office. We're having a celebration here. We don't actually use pi in accounting at all, but we needed an excuse to have a party, and Siwon doesn't know any better. I'm looking forward to our date tonight! Talk to you soon!
-Kyuhyun-
_______________
(03/14/08, 2:18pm)
From: "Lee Eunhyuk"
To: "Cho Kyuhyun"
------------
Kyuhyun~
Thanks for the pie! I only had a little bit, because Kangin ran off with it while I was in the copy room, but it was good! d^-^b I wish there was a holiday we could celebrate in Human Resources, but I've been looking for hours and I still can't find one. -.- Eeteuk is too smart for that, anyway. We can't pull anything over on him, unless we get Kangin to distract him first. Hm, there's an idea. XD
Oh, I have to go now. Eeteuk is asking for the report I haven't even started on yet. O_O
Can't wait until tonight~!
~Eunhyuk~
________________
(03/17/08, 10:46am)
From: "Cho Kyuhyun"
To: "Lee Eunhyuk"
-------------
Eunhyuk,
Thank you for accompanying me this past Friday. I enjoyed myself. Don't feel too bad about missing the movie. It received terrible reviews anyway. Your neighbor seems very nice, by the way. You should introduce us properly next time I'm over. Does tomorrow night sound okay to you?
-Kyuhyun-
________________
(03/17/08, 11:00am)
From: "Lee Eunhyuk"
To: "Cho Kyuhyun"
------------
Hey! I had fun Friday, also. Maybe next time we should see a later movie, but the dinner was great!
Kibum is a nice guy. If you want to come over tomorrow night, that's fine. I'll invite Kibum along for a little while. Stop by at eight?
~Eunhyuk~
________________
(03/19/08, 9:30am)
From: "Cho Kyuhyun"
To: "Lee Eunhyuk"
------------
Eunhyuk,
Thanks for inviting me over last night! Kibum is a really great cook! And I had no idea he played Starcraft, too! I'll talk to you later, I have a spreadsheet to finish. Bye!
-Kyuhyun-
________________
(03/19/08, 10:16am)
From: "Lee Eunhyuk"
To: "Cho Kyuhyun"
------------
I'm glad you had fun^^. Thank goodness Kibum offered to cook! I haven't had the time to buy groceries. Why don't we go out to dinner this Friday?
~Eunhyuk~
_______________
(03/20/08, 4:20pm)
From: "Cho Kyuhyun"
To: "Lee Eunhyuk"
------------
Eunhyuk,
Sorry, I meant to get back to you sooner, but I was busy. I can't go with you tomorrow night, because Kibum and I are going to a starcraft tournament. Maybe next week, hm?
-Kyuhyun-
_______________
(03/20/08, 4:42pm)
From: "Lee Eunhyuk"
To: "Cho Kyuhyun"
-------------
Okay, we'll plan for next Wednesday, then. Is that alright? I'll meet you at The Open Door, that restaurant down on Hanna Street. See you then~
~Eunhyuk~
______________
(03/26/08, 4:54pm)
From: "Cho Kyuhyun"
To: "Lee Eunhyuk"
-------------
Sorry, can't make it tonight. Already have plans.
-Kyuhyun-
_____________
(03/27/08, 12:03pm)
From: "Lee Eunhyuk"
To: "Cho Kyuhyun"
-------------
Want to go to lunch today?
~Eunhyuk~
_____________
(03/31/08, 11:26pm)
From: "Lee Eunhyuk"
To: "Cho Kyuhyun"
-------------
Are you free tonight?
~Eunhyuk~
_____________
(04/04/08, 2:14pm)
From: "Lee Eunhyuk"
To: "Cho Kyuhyun"
-------------
Is something wrong? You haven't been returning my calls or emails...
~Eunhyuk~
_____________
(04/08/08, 3:09pm)
From: "Lee Eunhyuk"
To: "Cho Kyuhyun"
-------------
Maybe we should just break up.
~Eunhyuk~
_____________
(04/04/08, 3:20pm)
From: "Cho Kyuhyun"
To: "Lee Eunhyuk"
-------------
Eunhyuk,
Maybe that's a good idea. See you around.
-Kyuhyun-
____________
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8.
Heechul had demanded that Eunhyuk come out with him to a strip club on a cool Friday in October. Eunhyuk had refused at first, knowing he would end up drunk and sleeping on a park bench in his boxers if he went out with Heechul, but one cannot ignore Heechul for long. After seventeen phone calls from the front desk and three notes sent up with a blushing Henry, he finally buckled.
They set out at eleven o'clock, after Eunhyuk made Heechul promise him that they'd leave by one a.m. It was slightly uncomfortable, sitting there with Heechul while the older man catcalled and threw money around. He drank silently and blushed as the strippers danced across the stage before him, slowly removing their clothes as the audience whistled and howled. Heechul elbowed him and shoved a drink in his face.
"Stop being so quiet!" Heechul slurred. "Here, have a drink."
Eunhyuk cringed and downed it quickly under Heechul's tenacious glare. He grimaced and handed over the empty glass, causing Heechul to smile approvingly and call for another for him. Eunhyuk ran a hand through his hair. It was going to be a long night.
0o0o0o0
As it turned out, it was a rather short night for Eunhyuk, as far as he remembered. He opened his eyes slowly the next morning, blinking sleep out of his eyes as he took the plain walls of his room. The light streaming in from the window forced his eyes shut again, and his hand went to his aching head. He looked down and noted his state of undress. At least he wasn't on a park bench. He rolled over...
... right onto the man sleeping next to him.
"Ow," the stranger stirred, shoving Eunhyuk off of him roughly. "What the hell?"
"Who-- What-- You--" Eunhyuk stammered, standing up and pulling the sheets around his bare waist.
"Oh, I never introduced myself, did I?" the man asked, now fully awake. He propped himself up on his elbows. "I'm Sungmin."
"How did you-- Oh no, did we--?" Eunhyuk slapped a hand to his face, promising himself to murder Heechul on Monday.
"... Have sex?" Sungmin asked with a very pretty frown. He gestured to his nude form, now uncovered by the blanket around Eunhyuk, and sighed to himself. "It would seem so. Why don't they ever remember?"
"Uh," Eunhyuk said intelligently.
"Well, I should go home," Sungmin declared, standing and slipping his clothes on, probably as easily as he had taken them off. "I'll see you sometime soon, then. Why don't you come in again next friday? I'll make sure to stay to your side of the stage." He winked at Eunhyuk.
"Oh," Eunhyuk replied.
"Alright then, bye," Sungmin sauntered out of the room, leaving Eunhyuk staring after him, struggling to remember anything that had happened last night.
He never did go back to that club.
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9.
Cool moisture spread across Eunhyuk's thigh, causing him to cry out in discomfort. The other customers sitting in the cafe turned their heads to see where the disturbance had come from.
"Sorry, sorry!" The waitress grabbed several napkins from the table and began to soak up the spilt coffee, which was dripping onto the floor around Eunhyuk's chair. He stood up quickly and tried to go around the waitress, toward the bathroom. He met the eyes of the man behind the counter, Zhou Mi, who served him coffee every day on his way to work. The tall Chinese man was chuckling, and doing a terrible job of hiding it.
"It's okay," Eunhyuk assured the worried girl before him, tearing his eyes away from Zhou Mi. "I'll just go rinse it off in the bathroom."
When he looked to the counter again, Zhou Mi was gone.
He pulled open the bathroom door and walked in, eyes trained on the huge coffee stain now settled into his pants. He heard the door close behind him, and then heard the clicking of a lock. His head shot up, and he spun around to see Zhou Mi walking toward him from the now locked door. Eunhyuk cleared his throat.
"Hello, Zhou Mi," he greeted, backing toward the sink.
"Good to see you, Eunhyuk," Zhou Mi replied as he advanced toward him. "I just thought I'd help you clean up."
"Oh, it's alright," Eunhyuk claimed. "I have a change of clothes at the office."
"No, please," Zhou Mi insisted. He reached to Eunhyuk's hips and stripped the shorter man of his belt. "It was one of my employees who did this, after all. It's my job as the manager to... assist the customers, right?"
Eunhyuk shuddered as his pants were pulled quickly to his ankles. "R-right."
"How lucky!" Zhou Mi exclaimed, tugging down Eunhyuk's wet boxers and dragging a finger over his thigh. "You weren't burned at all! Will you hand me a towel, please?"
"N-no, not really," Eunhyuk stuttered, holding a towel under the water in the sink. "The coffee was actually lukewarm."
"Is that so? Strange, because I made it myself," Zhou Mi winked up at Eunhyuk. Eunhyuk blushed and handed him the wet towel.
"Really? Usually your coffee is really hot, so maybe the waitress waited too-- ah!" Eunhyuk gasped as he felt something wet, and not a towel, trail up his thigh. "Zhou Mi-- oh-- I didn't spill it there--"
0o0o0o0
"Good morning, Eunhyuk," Zhou Mi beamed at him from behind the counter. "The usual six coffees?"
"Of course," Eunhyuk smiled back. Zhou Mi turned to the coffee machine, and the waitress from the other day came to stand next to him. Eunhyuk thought he saw Zhou Mi slip money into the girl's apron before she shuffled off, but he shook his head to himself and accepted the coffees gracefully from Zhou Mi.
"See you tomorrow, then?" Zhou Mi winked at Eunhyuk.
"Definitely." Eunhyuk turned to go, but heard a crash and a gasp from one of the tables. He saw the same waitress apologizing profusely to Kyuhyun, from Accounting, and attempting to mop up spilt coffee from his pants.
"It's okay, really," Kyuhyun soothed. "The coffee wasn't even hot. I'll just go clean myself up."
Eunhyuk glanced at the counter, and when he failed to see Zhou Mi, his eyes caught a figure slipping silently into the bathroom. He left the cafe, laughing inwardly at the fact that Kyuhyun was definitely going to be late for work.
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10.
The phone on Eunhyuk's desk had been ringing nonstop for the past 5 minutes. He was on break, so he was disinclined to answer it, of course. But it just kept ringing and ringing and ringing. And ringing. He slammed his sandwich down on the desk, sending lettuce sprawling about his desk.
"Human Resources," Eunhyuk answered his phone with gritted teeth.
"This is Yesung Kim, from the Sales & Marketing department," came a husky voice on the other end. Eunhyuk perked up instantly.
"Hey, how's it going?" Eunhyuk replied, his voice slightly deeper than when he answered the phone.
"Great, thanks. Are you free tonight?" Yesung asked.
"Well, let me check my schedule," Eunhyuk opened a few drawers noisily and shuffled some papers around on his desk. He cleared his throat. "I may have some time later on, around seven. Why do you ask?"
"I was wondering if you'd like to come out to dinner with me," Yesung said smoothly. "What do you say?"
"Hm... that should be fine," Eunhyuk responded with false nonchalance. "Seven, then?"
"Sounds great. See you then," was the reply before the phone went dead.
0o0o0
After dinner (which went quite well, in Eunhyuk's opinion), Yesung stopped his car in front of a large apartment building. Yesung turned to Eunhyuk and winked. "Would you like to come up?"
Eunhyuk checked his watch and sighed dramatically. "It's getting a bit late..."
"It'll only be for and hour or so, hm?" Yesung coaxed, putting a hand on Eunhyuk's knee. Eunhyuk smiled at him after a moment.
"I suppose just for a little while..." He relented.
They stepped through the door of Yesung's apartment, and he noted how neat the small space was. Yesung came up and put a hand to the small of his back.
"My room's this way," he nodded in the direction of a door, guiding Eunhyuk along. He was led to the bed, where Yesung pushed him down softly, kissing him just slightly less gently. Yesung's tongue pressed insistently against his lips, and Eunhyuk accepted it eagerly. Yesung had started to unbutton Eunhyuk's shirt when they were startled by a phone ringing. Yesung pulled his phone out of his pocket reluctantly and cursed. He looked apologetically at Eunhyuk.
"Sorry, gotta take this," he muttered before slipping out the door, leaving Eunhyuk sitting awkwardly on the bed. He looked up when the door opened just moments later, and was surprised to see a feminine-looking guy step into the room.
"Yesung, I need the mon--" He started, pausing when he realized it wasn't Yesung sitting on the bed, but a disheveled Eunhyuk with his shirt half on. The man smiled brightly, white teeth gleaming as he made his way over to the bed. "Hello there. I don't believe we've met?"
"I'm Eunhyuk," Eunhyuk declared, a bit put off by another man being in the apartment.
"Ryeowook," the smaller man replied. "That's weird, Yesung usually lets me know when he brings someone else over, so I can prepare."
"Prepare...?" Eunhyuk ventured, confused.
"Yeah, prepare the toys and such," Ryeowook said casually.
"Toys? But, why would you..." Comprehension dawned on Eunhyuk's face. Oh, my.
"What a silly question," Ryeowook laughed, sitting on the bed and throwing his arm around Eunhyuk. "Yesung never does this stuff without me. What, didn't he mention me at all?"
"Uh, no," Eunhyuk replied, scooting away from Ryeowook. "I didn't even know he had a roommate."
"Yesung, Yesung, Yesung," Ryeowook sighed. "Sorry to surprise you, then, Eunhyuk. But, tell me," he leaned close to Eunhyuk's ear. He whispered, "Should I get the handcuffs, or do you prefer rope?"
Eunhyuk stood up from the bed suddenly, shock evident on his features, and walked to the bedroom door just as Yesung walked in. Eunhyuk pushed past the older man and rushed out the door, ignoring Yesung's begging for him to come back. He stepped into the hall and closed the door, leaning against it as he listened to the two argue.
He heard Yesung yelling in the background at Ryeowook. "You do this every time I bring someone home! Go out and find your own men instead of scaring off mine!"
"But hyung!" Ryeowook whined. "Stop bringing people home! I'm here already!"
"What does that-- oh," came the cut off reply, followed by a door shutting and heavy slience on Eunhyuk's end.
Eunhyuk hailed a cab and settled himself in, leaning his head against the window as he watched the street lights fly past. He reached into his pocket to retrieve his cell phone, and was surprised to find a piece of paper nestled inside. He opened it and laughed. Ryeowook had left him his number.
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11.
Eunhyuk always kind of liked the hats that the security guards outside of Choi Inc wore, so when Shindong offered to take him out for dinner one night, he agreed on only one condition.
“I want you to wear the hat, and then I want you to let me wear the hat,” he informed Shindong, nodding his head to demonstrate the seriousness of his proposition.
“I could have lice,” Shindong pointed out, shrugging one shoulder at Eunhyuk.
“You don’t though, do you?” Eunhyuk grinned back, hitting Shindong playfully on the arm.
“Maybe I’m bald underneath the hat,” Shindong said instead, changing tracks fast as lightning. “Maybe I’m embarrassed of my baldness.”
“I can see your hair,” Eunhyuk pointed out, poking the guard in the chest.
“It could be a wig,” Shindong shot back, squirming away from Eunhyuk’s fingers. For a security guard, he really was pretty ticklish.
“Yes, or no?” Eunhyuk finally asked after five minutes straight of going back and forth and getting nowhere.
“It’s my prized possession,” Shindong said apologetically, stroking his hat with his fingers. “I’m sorry Eunhyuk, I really like you, but-“
“Hey,” Eunhyuk shrugged, “No hard feelings, I get turned down for articles of clothing every day.”
“I’m sorry to hear that,” Shindong consoled.
“Have fun with your hat tonight,” Eunhyuk turned and stalked away, leaving Shindong feeling rather guilty.
In truth, Eunhyuk wasn’t too put out by the rejection. He had wanted to take the subway anyway.
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12.
It was a daily ritual, not that Eunhyuk would admit it to anyone, that every night after work he would go down to the subway station and listen to Donghae play his guitar. Sometimes, when the weather or passing commuters had been kind, Donghae would sing along to the music, and those were the times that Eunhyuk liked best of all.
It was a daily ritual, not that Eunhyuk would ever tell a soul, that every night he would stand on the platform waiting for the East bound train and listen to Donghae play for fifteen minutes before boarding, go one stop down, get off, cross over to the other side of the street and then catch the West bound train going back to his house.
“You should talk to him,” Zhou Mi advised him one day, tired of hearing Eunhyuk talk about a certain song he had heard Donghae singing the night before. “Really, some record label is going to discover him and take him away to be a big star before you get a chance to talk to him. Make a move before it’s too late.”
Eunhyuk pondered Zhou Mi’s words all through the day, improvised his way through a presentation on Compensation, Pensions and Payrolls, and left Kangin behind to clean up his mess when he realized he had no idea what he was talking about.
“You’re bad for my job,” he finally spat out after wandering out of the building and down the street, and Donghae stopped playing, eyes widening as he looked up at Eunhyuk.
“I’m…sorry?” he guessed, and Eunhyuk kind of hated the way his bangs fell over his eyes just so, every hair perfectly out of place. Kind of hated the way his fingerless gloves slipped down over his knuckles and he had to stop every few minutes to pull them up again. Kind of hated the way his legs crossed and his eyebrows raised in confusion and his tongue peeked out between pink lips and his eyes sparkled and-
“I hate you,” Eunhyuk whimpered feebly, dropping a fifty dollar bill into the coin littered guitar case and hurrying away before he got a chance to humiliate himself further.
Needless to say, it was the start of a beautiful friendship.
“Nice office,” Donghae whistled, three days later, strolling casually into Eunhyuk’s department, hands tucked into his pocket, scarf wrapped loosely around his neck.
“You-what, but-here?” Eunhyuk said in response, realizing vaguely that he seemed to be channeling Henry.
“So you’re the smart type,” Donghae said, nodding wisely along with Eunhyuk’s blabbering.
“How did you find me?” Eunhyuk finally got out, rolling his chair away from his desk and blinking rapidly to make sure Donghae was really there.
“Me? Oh, I know the receptionist,” Donghae shrugged, and Eunhyuk kind of felt like dying.
“But why?” Eunhyuk asked, pinching himself discretely on the leg and wincing a little when he decided it wasn’t a dream.
“Heechul and I? We go way back,” Donghae said, waving a hand absently through the air and peering down at a picture of Kangin and Eeteuk that Eunhyuk kept on his desk.
“No, why are you here?” Eunhyuk clarified, swallowing hard when Donghae looked up at him. “Not that it’s not nice to…have you here.”
“I thought I’d say thank you,” Donghae shrugged, dropping down into one of the chairs across from Eunhyuk’s desk.
“Oh,” Eunhyuk said, something akin to disappointment seeping into his words. “Your welcome.”
“No, with lunch!” Donghae laughed. “Or, dinner, or-“
Mind blowing sex? A small portion Eunhyuk’s mind that he squashed quickly supplied helpfully.
“-a song,” Donghae finished with a shrug.
“You’ll sing for me?” Eunhyuk asked, all other thoughts, inappropriate or not instantly disappearing from mind.
“I don’t have my guitar with me,” Donghae said with a start of a smile, “but we can meet up later if you’re up for it?”
“Yeah,” Eunhyuk said, and it kind of felt like there were huge bunnies hopping around in his stomach and brushing their fur against his ribs, tickly and soft, and Donghae’s eyes were kind of enthralling, when Eunhyuk though about it, maybe it was because they were so big and deep and warm, but Eunhyuk decided that it could be because they were steadily getting closer to his own, inches lessening slowly as he sat frozen on his chair.
“I think you have something in your eye,” Donghae said, tilting his head curiously to the side. “Do you wear contacts?”
“I-“ Eunhyuk choked, reenacting his imitation of Henry the mail boy. “You-.”
“We could go now,” Donghae offered, pulling away from Eunhyuk and grinning widely. “If you wanted, we could go back to my place and pick up my guitar and-“
Oh, that sounded rather nice, Eunhyuk thought, laughing as he followed Donghae out of the back exit, giant bunnies throwing a fiesta in his chest.
It was a daily ritual, Eunhyuk confessed to Donghae, two months later, head on the other boys lap, fingers locked around his wrist, that every night he would go to the subway station even though he had a car.