suholiday | SH 2015: Yours Truly, With Love & Confection (for drainbamage954) (2/2)

Jongdae is the first one out of the elevator when they reach the fifth floor. The straps of his backpack bounce on his shoulders as he sprints for Amber’s desk.

“Walk, Dae!” Joonmyun calls a reminder and Jongdae slows to a trot as he rounds the corner. He grabs ahold Jongin to steady him as they follow, since he’s still blinking at the overhead lights in an unsuccessful battle to keep his eyes open

Amber is suited up, one arm balancing a stack of document portfolios and the other on holding the lid of her scanner in place while she waits for an invoice to print. “Hey guys, uh...I didn’t know you were coming to visit today!” Her smile is sincere as she nods to a grinning Jongdae, but she lifts a quizzical brow at Joonmyun.

“Ah, yes, it’s sort of a last minute change in plans but--”

“Daddy misconstrued the schedule,” Jongdae cuts in, shrugging his backpack off to drop at his feet. “It’s Vic’s day off.”

“I see.” Amber’s eyes crease into amused slits as she collects the last papers from the tray of and switches off the printer. “It’s too bad I have to take this stuff to a meeting today, because I haven’t gotten to hang with you boys in too long.” She glances at the clock with a guilty twist of her lips. “Sorry boss, I gotta run! But Baek should be here shortly.”

“He’s not here yet?”

“Nah, or at least I haven’t seen him around this morning. But don’t worry, I’m sure he’ll show up soon. He’s never been late before.” Amber stuffs the file folders into a tote bag. The canvas is printed with the pink R&V logo on the front and breast cancer awareness ribbons adorning the handles.

“I hope so…” Joonmyun waves to Amber as she dashes to catch the elevator Irene is just stepping off of.

“Good morning, boss. Hi, boys.” Irene swings her heavy braid over her shoulder as she strips off her gauzy silk scarf and floral cardigan and drapes them over her desk.

“Good morning.” Joonmyun gives a distracted greeting, already trying to corral Jongdae out of the walkway while making sure Jongin doesn’t shuffle into a support pillar and knock himself out.

“Hey Dad, what’s this?” Jongin asks as soon as they make it back to Joonmyun’s desk. Joonmyun is checking his phone messages in a panic and praying Baekhyun hasn’t left him a voice mail calling in sick.

“Hm?”

“Who’s it from?” Jongin sounds suddenly awake, his voice perky in contrast to the sleepy mumbles he had been capable of a few moments earlier. Joonmyun glances up from the landslide of emails that cascaded into his inbox overnight.

“Oh my! I have no idea.” At the center of the clean patch of space on Joonmyun’s desk is a small box wrapped in pale green foil and trimmed with bits of paper lace. A greeting card in an envelope is propped against the box. Jongdae snatches it up with greedy fingers, climbing onto Joonmyun’s chair to kneel at the desk for a front row view.

“Th-thank you for the muffins yesterday,” Jongdae reads aloud once he’s divested the card from it’s wrapping, sounding out the syllables with his tongue before he puts his voice behind each word. “They made my morning. And also my day. Please accept these treats in r-reciprocal appreciation. The whole office feels the same, btw ;)”

“Dad, what’s--precipitation?” Jongin asks, but his brother shushes him with a sharp hiss.

“Haven’t concluded, Jongin!”

“Sorry!” Jongin scowls, picking at the bits of trim on the box lid. It looks like someone snipped paper doilies into snowflakes, like something from a page of the Martha Stewart or Southern Living magazines Joonmyun’s mother props in the magazine rack of her guest bathroom.

“Signed, Yours truly, with admiration and confection,” Jongdae finishes with a proud hum.

“Excellent reading, thank you Jongdae!” Joonmyun gives his son’s shoulder a quick squeeze, nodding to Jongin so he knows he’s allowed to rip into the box now. “‘Reciprocal’ means a return or equal demonstration of feelings or favors.”

“Ah, like ‘right back atcha’?” Jongin nods in understanding as he slices through the tape on the box with his fingernail. “Wow, cookies! I wish we could come to work with you every day!”

“Believe me, it’s not always this exciting around here.” Joonmyun sinks into his chair with a tired smile after Jongdae hops down to get his hands on the treat box.

“Can we try some now?”

“Ok, but just one,” Joonmyun warns Jongin with a wink. “Why don’t you take the rest around to the other desks and ask the team if they’d like some refreshments?”

“Ok!” Jongin’s mouth is already full of half his allotted cookie, and Jongdae has chocolate streaked across his nose from licking his.

“But go quietly, ok? Someone might be making a phone call.”

Joonmyun listens as his children politely offer the cookies to his employees, smiling to himself at the cooing that ensues. Joy and Krystal are particularly vocal, exclaiming over how big the boys have grown since they last saw them.

“Hey boss! Good morning!” Baekhyun swings in and plunks down a carrier of drinks from Starbucks down on Joonmyun’s desk. “I brought coffee! We’re going to over the last of those spreads today, right?”

“Oh, yeah, um, about that...” Joonmyun accepts the coffee Baekhyun hands him with a grateful smile. He lets the heat from the take out cup soak through the cardboard sleeve into his palm as he tries to think of the best way to break this to his intern. “How do you feel about training in a new capacity today? It was on my schedule for weeks, arranged even before I knew you’d be coming to work here this summer, and I realize that’s no excuse for not informing you sooner but somehow it just completely slipped my mind and then I realized last night I don’t even know your cell number since you came through corporate and I never saw your resume so--!”

“Whoa, boss, did something serious happen? Is this like a shakedown?” Baekhyun’s grin is fierce. He grips Joonmyun’s arm and digs in with his fingers like he’s fighting his hardest to calm his boss from the state he’s working himself into, but Joonmyun’s reflexes are a bit slow today. His laugh is a weak trickle of anxiety through his lips as he sinks back into his chair.

“We’re not being invaded by the police today, no, but--”

“Salutations! Acquaintance not yet.” Jongdae raises an arm in greeting when he spots Baekhyun leaning against Joonmyun’s desk, and Baekhyun waves back with both his hands. Jongdae’s other fist is clamped around his brother’s wrist as he drags him around the corner. Only two cookies are left in the bottom of the tupperware clutched to Jongin’s chest.

“They almost cleaned us out, Dad. Here, you can have the rest.” Jongin offers the carton first to Baekhyun, then to his father.

“Thanks, Jonginnie! And thanks for taking those around to everyone.”

“Ooh, what are these from?” Baekhyun’s face lights up as he nibbles at the corner of his cookie, smearing chocolate across his lips with his tongue.

“I have no idea actually,” Joonmyun says, scratching at a loose thread hanging from the buttonhole of his sleeve cuff. He checks the clock and tries to ignore the fact that Baekhyun is almost as messy of an eater as Jongdae. “It appears to be an anonymous gift from somebody at the office, though.”

“Ooh, I’m so lucky I get to train at a branch with so many talented bakers in the house!” Baekhyun brushes the crumbs from his lips as he crams the rest of the cookie in his mouth all in one go. “And who are these handsome visitors? Are you by chance investors in for a tour of the firm?” He squats down to meet Jongdae at eye level and holds out his sticky hand for a shake. Jongdae giggles deep in his throat, eyes slanting into amused slits as he accepts the handshake with equally sticky fingers.

“This is the invasion I was, uh, referring to earlier,” Joonmyun explains, a nervous hand twisted in the front of his hair. “Baekhyun, meet my boys. Kids, this is Mr. B--”

“Hey guys! You can just call me Baek,” Baekhyun says, and gives them each a high five. “What’re your names?”

“Jongin,” Jongin says in a shy voice, though Joonmyun is proud to note his oldest son looks Baekhyun confidently in the eye as he introduces himself. “And this is Jongdae. He’s cute, but he’s too smart for his own good.”

“Affirmative,” Jongdae agrees with a solid nod, and Baekhyun breaks out into a throaty roll of laughter.

“I can already tell! It’s nice to meet you both. Are you guys on summer break right now?”

“Yes, that’s...well, they usually stay at my mother’s place when our nanny is off and they don’t have school, but they had to come with me today. And Amber usually keeps an eye on them when I have to take conference calls, etc., but she’s out of the office today so...we were wondering if, maybe…”

“You want me to hang out with them for a bit?”

“Are you ok with that?” Joonmyun searches Baekhyun’s face for any hint of stiffness behind his smile, any sign of grudging acceptance. “I know it’s not part of your job description, and it’s really asking too much so--”

“Boss, I don’t mind at all. It’s no big.” Baekhyun winks at Joonmyun. His fingers are already laced through Jongdae’s and Joonmyun’s heart sinks back into place inside his ribcage with a spasm of relief.

“Thank you, seriously! You are the best intern ever and I owe you so many jelly beans or whatever it is you’re always chewing on. I’ll--well, you guys can hang out in the conference room while I finish some calls? I guess the financial report drafts can wait til Monday. Amber won’t have time to proofread them until next week, anyway.”

“Sounds good!” Baekhyun salutes Joonmyun with another wink and lets Jongdae lead him away to the glass walled conference room across the hall. The boys know where everything is in the office, the extra rolls of toilet paper in the supply cabinet and where Amber keeps her emergency Kit-kats, so Joonmyun isn’t concerned about them for a few hours on their own with Baekhyun’s supervision.

The main perk of the extra conference room, besides the see through partitions that allow Joonmyun to keep an eye on the kids, is the fact that it’s relatively sound proofed. Most of the boys’ noise won’t disturb everyone else who’s hard at work even if they get rowdy. They seem to be having a blast in there. Every time Joonmyun looks up from his inbox to crack his back they’re on to some new game. Baekhyun doesn’t have a problem getting on his hands and knees, even in his expensive dress slacks, to roughhouse with Jongdae or be harnessed with the purple jump rope in a game of horsy.

Joonmyun almost coos aloud in the middle of a conference call and has to cover the sound with a forced cough when he notices the boys have his intern seated on an ottoman under the projector and are braiding his hair into cornrows. He doesn’t get to stick around for a fashion show of the end result, though. Five minutes before lunch break he gets a call from Mr. Kyung and has to run out to the plant for another site visit.

Joonmyun spends the rest of the day shuttling around in a rickety golf cart between warehouses and machinery sheds on the factory campus. He doesn't have time to think of what he's missing out on at the office, at least until he gets stuck in rush hour traffic on the way back. Baekhyun seems to be a natural with kids, willing to (literally) get down on their level and entertain them even though it's not a part of his job description.

Heck, if Joonmyun's boss had asked him to babysit a kid as precocious as Jongdae on his first summer internship, he might have cried into the medical files he was in charge of transcribing. That was a long time ago though, when Joonmyun was just a teen. He keeps forgetting that Baekhyun is nowhere near such a tender young age, he’s not an innocent. Although it's not as hard to remember when Baekhyun swirls his tongue around the tip of his sucker with obscene sucking noises while they're trying to go over tax files, blinking at Joonmyun with a lazy smirk and--

No. Joonmyun is not going there. Not today, when Baekhyun has been such a help taking care of Joonmyun's children and Joonmyun is on his way to pick them up for a nice family dinner with Victoria. And possibly Luhan, depending on how long Joonmyun's good luck decides to hold today.

It's been several days since they've heard from their neighbor, and Luhan is not exactly the type you can call quiet. Not that Joonmyun hasn't appreciated the respite, it just makes him a bit nervous, anxiety pooling at the backs of his knees and the inside of his ribs as he waits for the light to turn at the intersection. He's only a block from the office now. The setting sun glows amber along the grid of windows at the top floors of the building.

Joonmyun feels a wave of exhaustion flow from his fingertips, back through his limbs to his heart as he unlocks his car door and pushes it open in the crowded parking lot. The sudden backwash of fatigue creates a slog of resistance as he drags his heels to the elevator and Joonmyun realizes how on edge he's been all day. Between trying to keep one eye on his offspring and one on his inbox, and then dealing with cranky production managers in the afternoon, it’s been quite a day. Not to mention the fact he hardly slept the night before, worrying how Baekhyun would take the situation on such short notice.

Joonmyun takes the moment alone in the elevator to adjust his tie in the mirror and smooth down the frizz of his bleached hair into neat waves at either temple. He doesn't look quite refreshed by the time he emerges but he does look decent, and that's good enough for now.

Baekhyun's hair has been smoothed back into place as well, all except for his cowlick in the back that’s been emphasized by the teasing it endured under Jongdae's hands. Joonmyun feels a slight thrill of disappointment chasing the fatigue through his limbs when he peeks into the conference room to find the hair rubber bands they borrowed from Irene all cleaned up and out of sight. He doesn't have time to consider the feeling, though, or what it means. Jongdae springs to his feet and pounces into Joonmyun's arms as soon as he sees his father in the doorway.

"Hey there, Dae! Were you good for Mr. B this afternoon?" Joonmyun gives Jongin a pointed look as well as he addresses his youngest son. Jongin gets into his own share of mischief but is most likely to be honest about it when questioned. Jongdae can already lie through his teeth with a charming grin in place, though Joonmyun sort of prides himself on being the genetic source of that ability to sweet talk his way out of anything.

"They were good," Baekhyn confirms with a genial grin of his own. "Jongdae showed me me all his coloring book pictures, and even let me help shade in some of the backgrounds."

"Dae," Joonmyun tsks, the tip of his tongue against his teeth to hold back the laughter threatening to overcome his voice. "What did we talk about last night, eh? Does the word sharing sound familiar?"

Jongdae just squirms in Joonmyun's arms. He shakes his head against the padded shoulder of his father’s suit as Baekhyun chuckles low in his throat.

"It was with good reason, though, boss. Your kid’s handwriting is better than mine! Where did he learn Chinese calligraphy?"

"That would be Luhan's fault." Joonmyun pats Jongdae on the back of his head, sliding his palm down over his springy hair to cup the soft skin at the back of his neck.

"Ah, that's what you always say, Dad." Jongin shakes his head at Joonmyun, but doesn't offer any other explanation for his baby brother's calligraphy genius.

"Come on, boys. Let's let Mr. Byun go home now. Aren't you guys hungry for dinner?" Joonmyun hesitates, sliding the tip of his tongue across his back teeth. It would be polite to invite Baekhyun home with them for dinner, especially since he was kind enough to spend the day with the boys. But then again, maybe he's ready for a break from the kids. Joonmyun doesn't want him to feel obligated to sit through dinner with his family, and he doesn't like to make a habit of bringing home guests without giving Victoria fair warning.

Jongdae makes the decision for him, sitting up in Joonmyun's arms to address Baekhyun in his most grown up voice. "Interested in partaking with us? Vic is an excellent chef."

"Vic?" Baekhyun blinks in open curiosity, first at Jongdae and then at Joonmyun. His nose wrinkles up in a squashed in smile that squares off the corners of his lips. "Ah, that's ok, Dae." He declines with a shake of his head before Joonmyun can explain that Victoria is their nanny, not someone like--like a-- "Thanks for the invite, though! I better get home and feed my pet."

"You have a pet?" Joonmyun blurts in surprise. His mental focus on clearing up any misunderstandings about Victoria's identity are chased right out of his mind by sudden fantasies of Baekhyun cuddling a puppy to his chest while a kitten curls at his feet and a snapping turtle or two wander the balcony.

Joonmyun shakes his head with a snap of his neck. He has no idea where that ridiculous, romanticized image materialized from, and he needs to focus on Baekhyun's answer so he can successfully complete this social interaction and take his children home to feed them. After that, he would like to collapse in his bed and fall asleep with a few pillows banked over his embarrassing, fatigued brain. Yes. Hopefully that does the trick and he'll be refreshed and focused when he returns to the office in the morning.

"Yup! Gertrude is a gerbil. I only got her a few months back, but she rules the roost already."

"Ooh, can I see pics?" Jongin looks up from where he's kneeling on the floor still, cramming stray crayons into the front zip pocket of his brother's backpack.

"Maybe next time," Joonmyun sighs, shaking back his sleeve to get a look at his wristwatch. "Victoria is waiting dinner on us, and your grandmother is supposed to call at 7:00."

"Sorry, Jongin. Next time, ok?" Baekhyun gives Jongin a reassuring smile as he reaches down to give him a boost to his feet. Joonmyun's chest might squeeze a bit, watching his son smile back, but that's just because Jongdae is yanking on the tie knotted around his throat.

"Ouch, Dae!" Joonmyun loosens the knot with hasty fingers, shooting his youngest son a reproving look. Jongdae is still learning his own strength, and has to be reminded to be gentle. He snapped two of Luhan's calligraphy brushes in the last month, and Joonmyun shudders to think of the damage he might do with something as delicate as a gerbil in his grubby little grip.

"Have a nice dinner, ok?" Baekhyun nudges Jongin towards the door with a pat on the back and a wave to Jongdae. "See you guys! Have a nice weekend, boss!"

"Oh, thanks!" Joonmyun turns back to fix Baekhyun with his brightest smile as he holds the door for Jongin, who is juggling both his brother's bag and his own stack of comic books and nature magazines.

Baekhyun just twists his face into a cheesy grin as he winks, and Joonmyun might have dropped Jongdae in shock if his son weren't clinging to him like a baby polar bear to some tasty fish. He just turns and walks to the elevator, at a loss for words. They need to get on the road as soon as possible to beat the traffic across town, but Joonmyun will have to find a way to thank his intern properly later on.

Jongdae presses the elevator buttons for them, hitting the correct sequence of numbers without having to be reminded. Joonmyun kisses the top of his head with pride and catches Jongin pretending to gag at the security camera in the corner.

"Hey," Joonmyun says, his voice oddly shaky and neck flushed as he meets Jongin's eyes in the panel of mirrors, "it's not PDA if we're related, you know."

"That's just what you think, Dad," Jongin groans, but he doesn't try to shake off the arm Joonmyun sneaks around his shoulders as they step out of the lift. Joonmyun nods goodbye to the receptionists on the ground floor, who don't let them past the front desk without stuffing Jongdae's pockets full of mint lozenges and cinnamon candies first.

Joonmyun lets out a sigh of relief once they make it through the parking lot without getting stopped by any other curious coworkers. He rests his forehead against the ridged grip of the steering wheel as he waits for Jongdae to fasten the harness of his booster seat. He feels more emotional than he usually has the energy to deal with on a weeknight, perhaps residual separation anxiety from leaving the boys this afternoon. Or maybe--

"You know, Dad," Jongin says, breaking the silence with sly glance through his fringe as he clicks his safety belt into place, "if you happened to like your secret admirer back, I mean, like, if you reciprocated the feelings..." Jongin pauses to cough into his fist and rubs at the faded trail of letters inked into the heel of his hand in purple sharpie before continuing. "If you really like that person back, I’d give you all my blessing."

"Hm?" Joonmyun lifts his head from the makeshift pillow to catch Jongin's eye in the mirror. He's pretty sure he understood his son's words correctly, but he has no idea what Jongin is trying to get at. "But we don't know who left the cookies, right? So how do you know if you approve of that person?" Joonmyun bites into the inside of his cheek as he frowns out the windshield. "Unless you know who left that note and you're not telling me something?"

"I just mean..." Jongin makes a rough grunting sound in the back of his throat, probably annoyed his father is questioning his romantic instinct, or whatever it is that's inspiring this inspirational little speech. "I mean everyone currently working at your office is a great and kind person. Including the new guy. And I'd just...never met him before today, that's all."

"Ah, yeah." Joonmyun nods in understanding as he slides his car key into the ignition. "I’m really grateful Baekhyun joined the company this month. He's been a great help, especially in preparing our end-of-quarter statements and figuring out the tax forms. It's no fun to do those jobs alone, let me tell you one thing."

"Yeah," Jongin sighs as he shoves the long sleeves of his T-shirt up to his biceps and cracks the car window. "Math stuff, bleh."

"Just hang in there and you'll get the hang of it!" Joonmyun's phone buzzes in the cup holder, but he ignores it as he switches on the engine. He props a palm on the headrest of Jongin's seat for support as he backs out of the parking spot. "We have the rest of summer to work on those pre-algebra concept sets your homeroom teacher printed for us."

"Double bleh!" Jongin chokes, pretending to gag himself again in the mirror. They both laugh when Jongdae copies the expression with an identical nose wrinkle as his brother.

"But you like math, Dae!" Joonmyun shakes his head at his silly kids as he reaches over to switch on the stereo. They're a third of the way through Wagner's Ring Cycle, and Joonmyun won't be surprised if Jongdae insists on listening to the opera recordings on repeat once they finish the first time. He's been mixing lines of improv'd melodies into the pieces he's practicing for his lessons this week. Even Victoria's caught the fever, humming leitmotifs under her breath as she scrambles eggs for breakfast or scrubs out the sink while Joonmyun's starting on the coffee.

"It's a kid's prerogative to change his mind," Jongdae quips with another shrug in the mirror. His eyes are already closed as he reclines in his chair to enjoy the music.

"I suppose..." Joonmyun doesn't push the issue, just leans back against his seat and lets the music carry them down the highway towards home.

✌ ✌ ✌

Joonmyun doesn't check his phone messages again until after dinner, once the kids are tucked into their bunks and he's in his pyjama pants with a toothbrush in his mouth. He almost chokes on his mouthful of foaming toothpaste when he unlocks the screen to find Baekhyun's mouth pouting at him point blank, face filling the screen. His pursed lips loom at the lower end of the frame and tiny braids secured with a rainbow of silicon hair ties sprout from his scalp at all angles.

The look is equal parts ridiculous and adorable, and Joonmyun blames the reoccurrence of the fond squeezing in his chest on the fact that Baekhyun is such a good sport for humoring his children like that. Jongin is right, all of Joonmyun’s colleagues at the office are great people. But there's just something particularly attractive about a guy who is great with children.

Joonmyun leans forward, holding his fringe out of the way with one hand as he spits into the sink and scrolls to the bottom of the chat with his thumb. The next photo is a group shot, the boys squished cheek-to-cheek with Baekhyun in the middle. The last picture is in the same pose but everyone is making a silly face, Jongdae puffing out his cheeks like a blowfish and Jongin pulling his lips into a wide, frog lipped grin while Baekhyun's tongue stretches in a valiant yet unsuccessful attempt to touch the tip of his nose.

There's a single line of text below the photos:

Hey, Jonginq gave me your #, he wanted to have a copy of these pix. Have a great night and dinner and yeah!

Joonmyun saves the group shots to his gallery to show Jongin in the morning as he rinses his mouth with sips of water from the cup he keeps next to his sink. His thumb hesitates over the first picture, Baekhyun's individual pose, but he decides to download that one as well before he snaps off the bathroom light and tosses his damp towel in the direction of the hamper. Just in case Jongin might be interested in laughing at Baekhyun's funny face over his cereal tomorrow, no other reason.

Why else would Baekhyun have sent it to his boss?

+++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++

Luhan doesn't show up the entire weekend, much to Joonmyun's surprise and growing suspicion. Jongdae usually hangs with his Uncle Lu whenever their neighbor’s not barricaded in his attic and glued to his keyboard, but Victoria manages to keep Jongdae busy with another cooking adventure. Joonmyun drives them down to the riverside farmer’s market to pick up another round of peaches for canning while Jongin is still a blanket burrito zombie in his bunk upstairs.

No one will let Joonmyun near the pressure cooker or the trays of sterilizing jars, but Victoria gives him a small paring knife to slice bad spots off the seconds, the bruised or bird pecked fruit sold on discount that is perfect for preserving. Jongdae is in charge of slipping the skins off the whole fruits once they've been scalded and dunked in cold water, and Victoria heads up the end of the assembly line, quartering the peaches into the ready jars and covering them with apple juice and cinnamon once they're filled.

The counter is piled with fuzzy peach jackets and the sink drain is overflowing with a mountain of red pits by the time Jongin stumbles into the kitchen at half past eleven. Still no signs of life from Luhan, Joonmyun notes, swiping a sticky finger across his phone screen to check for new messages. There are a few new uploads to the team instagram feed, though. Joonmyun managed to install the app to his phone and receives the notifications every time Tao and Kyungsoo post pics of their practice creations, though he hasn't figured out how to upload images from his own camroll.

Sunyoung and Kyungsoo have even been trading baking tips in the comments sections, and Yixing just hearts every post, regardless if it was a muffin top success or a burnt-to-a crisp-failure. Chanyeol hops on sometimes to post selfies as well as pictures of every baked good he's purchased during his business trip as "research". Besides Joonmyun, Luhan is the only member who hasn't posted this week, which is even more suspicious in the context of his unanswered texts and general all around absence. The team SNS documentary project was his idea, after all, and Luhan usually never shuts up about the things that are his idea.

"That was quite a sigh! Getting tired over there?" Victoria gives Joonmyun a look as she sets the pitcher of boiled apple juice back on the counter.

"No," Joonmyun sighs again, letting a trickle of peach juice drip from the blade of his knife down the inside of his wrist as he watches Jongin feel blindly in the fridge for the milk bottle. His son might as well be part-zombie, since he apparently doesn't need a fully functioning brain to guzzle milk and inhale a banana with his eyes still closed. "It's nothing important."

"Every problem is of consequence," Jongdae says with a serious blink as he straightens the apron doubled over and tied around his waist.

"This isn't exactly a problem. I just can't figure out this uploading thing." Joonmyun scrubs his sticky hands on the nearest dish rag before opening the Instagram app for a better look.

"Oh, like Facebook?" Victoria steals the rag from Joonmyun to take a swipe at Jongdae's messy hands next.

"No, I actually had Facebook figured out for awhile, until they changed it again. Do you by any chance have an Insta-tele-gram-whatever?" Joonmyun resists tugging at his hair in frustration when Victoria gives an apologetic shrug and tilt of her head, if only because he'll be smelling like peaches for the next week whenever he steps into the shower.

"Do you have one of those accounts, Jonginnie?"

Jongin just shakes his head in response to Victoria’s question. Joonmyun doesn’t scold him for not answering properly because he’s mid-yawn and still hasn’t managed to peel both eyelids open all the way. They're supposed to head out around noon to hit the mall for their father-son cosmetics shopping trip today, but Joonmyun doesn't mind that Jongin slept in. Joonmyun’s been feeling a bit done in himself these days, with plenty on his mind to consider long after he's tucked the thick edges of the comforter in around his own chin and added a sleeping mask to the light protection of his blackout curtains.

Joonmyun's phone gets pinged with more notifications throughout the day, while they're on the road, when they’re at the mall, and when they're stopped at DQ for m&m ice cream after a successful round of shopping. While Joonmyun was helping his son pick out eco-friendly sticks of eyeliner and jujube infused moisturizers, Tao and Kyungsoo apparently had another baking session to practice their muffins, as well as trying out a recipe for strawberry quick bread.

It’s not until after dinner, though, that Joonmyun realizes the reason Luhan has been absent all weekend. Luhan is tagged in a string of pictures uploaded by Minseok, where they’re both shown holding a sheet cake and decorating bags of pink and green icing. Luhan is one of the most talented students at the community center's new baking class who kindly volunteered to help us whip out thirty cakes for the fundraiser this weekend, the caption reads.

Joonmyun recognizes the event advertised in a banner in the comments section as the annual bake sale his mother's golf group and bridge club co-host. He's just confused as to why Luhan hasn't been spamming the page with selfies of his own, but it all makes more sense when he scrolls down to skim the rest of the comments.

lol talented at baking but cant believe u forgot the password to ur new ig dude lolol is Yixing's comment beneath Minseok's post, and Joonmyun notices with a sly smile that Yixing's profile photo is a selfie of him and Luhan, their faces squished together cheek to cheek and smeared with smudges of colored icing.

"Whatcha looking at?" Jongin lifts his nose out of his ice cream cone to lean over for a peek at Joonmyun's phone, curiosity no doubt aroused by Joonmyun's long suffering snicker embedded in a disdainful sigh.

"Looks like Uncle Lu had a blast this weekend."

"Oh hey, is that grandma's bake sale? I recognize that girl!" Jongin taps the screen, pointing out the side profile of a girl. She’s behind Luhan in the background of the photo, layering white fondant onto a row of tea cakes on a tray.

"Ooh, is she someone from school?" Joonmyun doesn't let any of the interest tickling at the back of his throat seep into his voice, but Jongin flushes a hot red without even a hint of teasing.

"Ah, she's on the track team," Jongin mumbles once his mouth is full with another giant bite of ice cream. "Sehunnie knows her, she's in his English class."

"Ah, I see. Do you ever get to talk to her yourself? Does Sehun like to hang with her?"

"Not...not really." Jongin shakes his head and curls his chin into his neck, which only results in smearing a stripe of melted ice cream across his nose and left cheek. Joonmyun hands him a napkin from the dispenser silently without another comment, not wanting to push the issue if Jongin isn't ready or willing to talk about it.

"Well, good luck on catching her attention," Joonmyun offers with a wink. "And wish me luck for tomorrow as well. I think Luhan's going to be insufferable, bragging about his date with the teacher all through class."

Jongin laughs, his shoulders bouncing when Joonmyun gives an exaggerated and mournful shake of his head. He brightens when Joonmyun spoons the rest of his m&m toppings into the volcano crater of Jongin's half-eaten ice cream cone.

"Good luck to both of us then, Dad!"

✌ ✌ ✌

On Monday morning Joonmyun scrolls through his inbox first thing, ignoring the accumulation of Instagram notifications that have popped up overnight. He browses the financial news while he spoons oatmeal into his mouth at the breakfast table, and hums along to the first prelude of Die Walkure on the stereo while he zooms down the highway to work. Not a single stressful thought of Luhan's weekend activities or any potential nefarious plots crosses his mind--or if it does, Joonmyun squashes it with his Monday zen like any old gnat on the windshield, nothing to be concerned about.

He's still humming when he steps out of the elevator onto the fifth floor. Though the coffee maker is empty and Amber hasn't turned on the light in the copy room yet, Joonmyun is pleasantly surprised to find another wrapped box placed at the center of his desk when he flips on the overhead. The accompanying note is simple this time: I hope you had a great weekend, and that the coming week keeps getting better and better :D Yours truly, with love and confection~

Not the most creative or inspiring personal note ever penned, but the lopsided smiley face at the bottom makes Joonmyun crack a matching grin. He slips the note into his desk drawer where it won't get lost in his growing mess of papers and sets the box aside to open later. Maybe once Baekhyun gets here, he'll be willing to help Joonmyun take the treats around to the rest of the office workers.

The box is wrapped in robin's egg blue this time, the wrapping paper textured with some kind of natural fibers that streak glossy strands through the surface. There is no deconstructed lace as adornment, just a smooth navy ribbon that forms a tight band around the lid. Joonmyun leans down to sniff at the edges of the box, hoping to catch a whiff of the contents. It's hard to tell for sure, but he thinks it might be something flavored with cinnamon.

"Uh, boss?"

"Yes?" Joonmyun's voice squeaks, scratchy with sleep and stiff with surprise.

"Are...you ok?" Amber clears her throat, tapping her fingers in a nervous rhythm against the empty file folder in her hands.

"Oh, yes, I just...never mind! Good morning, Amber!"

Amber nods but doesn't return the greeting with more than a tiny smile twisting her lips. Joonmyun spins his chair to face her, examining the pained expression on her face with a closer look. "I'm fine, but are you ok?"

"Maybe," Amber says, a shaky laugh bursting through her lips. Joonmyun reaches for his phone, already typing 911 into the dial pad.

"What's wrong? Are you sick? Here, have a seat!"

"No, no, I'm fine, boss! Problem is...well, I'm not sure yet if it's really a problem or not, sorry to bother you, but--" Amber cuts herself off with a jump and squeak of her own when the elevator bell dings another arrival to their floor.

"Good morning Amber, boss!" Irene waves in their direction as she strides out of the lift. Her car keys still in hand jingle a bright staccato tune as she heads for her desk.

"Just tell me what it is, Amber," Joonmyun resumes the conversation in a hushed voice after waving back to Irene. "And we'll deal with it together if it happens to become problematic later on."

"Thank you." Amber sniffs, on the verge of tears and Joonmyun can feel his heart sinking into the pit of his stomach in a slippery slide as if he'd just swallowed a stick of softened butter instead of a mouthful of clean air. "You know that stack of files, the confidential tax documents you left on my desk before you went home on Friday? I can't find them! Anywhere!"

"Didn't you lock the filing room before you left?" Joonmyun sinks back down into his desk chair, his knees buckling under him without any conscious command from his brain.

"Yeah, for sure. I locked it just like I always do, and you're the only one who knows where I keep the keys." Amber's fingers twist at the edges of the gray plastic folder until the stiff material dents and bends at sharp angles. "And… Could you check on the server? I haven't logged into the accounting database for a few days but some kind of error message popped up on my desktop when I rebooted it just now."

"Shit..." Joonmyun's fingers are tight in his freshly styled hair, digging into his scalp with the same insistence that clawing worry is assaulting the lining of his gut. Now he knows why she looks so scared. If someone managed to hack into the encrypted database server then...

"You don't--" Amber breaks off again, glancing over her shoulder where Joy and Krystal are moving into the office to greet their coworkers. "You don't think this is corporate espionage, do you?" Her whisper is barely audible but sends a series of shivers running from the base of Joonmyun's scalp down his spine.

"I don't know, but we can't rule out any options until we know how serious the leak is and get everything under control. Let's not tell the rest of the department right away, at least until I make a few phone calls to corporate and--"

"That's half the problem," Amber continues in a tremulous voice. She plops down on the edge of Joonmyun's desk next to the box of what Joonmyun is now hoping are the world's best tasting death-by-chocolate triple fudge devil's food brownies. He's going to need some major pick-me-up calories before he works up the chocolate courage to call headquarters.

"What's half the problem?"

"I already called over, because I thought maybe corporate was just doing some kind of maintenance and forgot to inform us about it. But the dude in charge of those departments is on a conference tour and won't be back til next week sometime."

"Oh dear," Joonmyun says, fisting his tie and the back of his hair with both palms now.

"Yeah, that's not quite the expletive I used, but I went into the filing room to rage for a minute and that's when...I noticed the missing files."

"Well..." Joonmyun passes Amber his box of aloe infused kleenex and she pulls out five with a loud sniff of thanks. "Let's not panic, not yet at least. Panic won't help the situation any. But keep your eye out for any other suspicious activity and we'll discuss this again...in private," he finishes in a whisper as he sees Baekhyun step out of the next elevator, side by side and laughing with Liyin about something.

Joonmyun focuses on cementing his professional smile back in place as Amber jogs back to her desk. He’s glad his intern is here already. He needs Baekhyun to saunter in and get nosy about what's inside the blue box, an about an uncertainty that's exciting and mysterious in a good way. But as soon as he greets his intern and delegates the refreshments distributions to him, Joonmyun has a few phone calls to make first. He cracks his knuckles and pulls out his favorite fountain pen and the trusty bottle of white out fluid.

✌ ✌ ✌

Joonmyun does a double take at front doors of the lobby when he sees the glass panes sliding with a deluge of rain. The downstairs receptionist gives him a sympathetic smile when they both realize he isn’t carrying an umbrella. Joonmyun always takes one with him, but today he forgot the black collapsible umbrella somewhere in his car. It’s either tucked away into the glovebox or rolling around under one of the seats with a few of Jongdae’s missing crayons. Either way, he’s going to get wet. Joonmyun gives the receptionist a brave grin as he shoulders his bag for a dash through the parking lot to find his car.

The tires are slick on the pavement once he makes it on the road, and the rubber blades of the wipers scrape and skid across the windshield under the beat of the heavy rain. Joonmyun probably should have waited it out inside, or at least given the rain a chance to slow before he left, he realizes as he eases onto the empty side street. But as long as he can still see out the windshield he might as well keep driving now that he’s on the road. He really just wants to get home and pull on his favorite T-shirt and eat ice cream out of the carton with a spoon next to his kids on the sofa. It’s not been an easy day.

The noise of the rain pounding against his roof and the foliage and the pavement echoes inside the empty car, emphasizing the silence without his boys on board. Joonmyun wriggles in his seat and hits the stereo as he rounds the corner. “Flight of the Valkyries” blares through the speakers mid-phrase. The energetic pulse of the music is a comical contrast to the painful speed of the cars inching forward through the storm towards the highway ramp.

Joonmyun keeps his eyes peeled for signs of flash flooding on the highway the closer they get to the river, but the road is clear all the way to the bridge. The only signs of lightning are distant crackles of electricity that flash menacingly through the veil of shifting clouds overhead, too far off to harm anyone on the road.

Joonmyun sinks into his seat and tries not to think about the watermark his sodden clothes must be impressing upon the leather. It’s hard to ignore the smell of drying wool though, and the scent only grows stronger when he turns on the defroster to relieve some of the fogging on the windows. Even the rearview mirror is shimmering with streaks of humidity laden in the air, which makes it almost too thick to breathe.

It’s almost dark by the time Joonmyun makes it onto his driveway and locks the parking brakes into place. It might just be because the sky is overcast, but Joonmyun lost track of the flow of time trapped in the damp oven of his car and he is probably getting home late for dinner considering the slow creep of traffic on the highway, far below the speed limit.

Joonmyun grabs his bag and hesitates a moment when his fingers grip the door handle, but he decides, fuck it, he might as well forgo the umbrella now too. He has no idea where it is inside his car and he’s already sopping, anyway.

He sprints around the side of the house to the back door, dress shoes loud and slipping on the stepping stones under the dripping eaves. He kicks them off in the entryway and pushes the soaked leather off to the side to deal with later. His damp socks leave cloudy footprints on the kitchen tiles as he enters.

“Hey guys, I’m home! Sorry I’m so late--”

Victoria and Jongin are waiting in the kitchen, but despite the late hour the table isn’t even set for dinner yet. A white pastry box is open on the counter, just a scattering of crumbs and the very end piece of a loaf of pound cake left in the bottom.

“Did you bring this cake home?” Victoria shields her mouth with a raised palm as she speaks, still chewing. Jongin cuts another large chunk off the remaining cake with his fork.

“Oh yeah, I left it in the fridge last night, sorry if I forgot to tell you.” Joonmyun reaches for a glass in the dish drain and opens the fridge, but Jongin shakes his head as he swallows.

“There’s no milk left, sorry Dad. We finished off the last quart with this cake.”

“You guys ate almost the whole cake? In one sitting?” Joonmyun’s jaw drops as he reroutes towards the sink to fill his glass with water. “Not that that’s a bad thing, but…” Joonmyun has been known to finish a pan of brownies with a spoon and only competition with Luhan and the terror of some dumb horror movie on TV to fuel his rate of consumption, but Victoria is usually more health conscious, especially when it comes to the kids.

“We’re not actually sitting, Dad.” Jongin side eyes him as Joonmyun groans at the lame joke. Only it’s more of a gurgle than a groan as he gulps down his drink.

“What bakery is this from? There’s no label on the box and I couldn’t find the receipt.” Victoria taps a fingernail against the box lid as she licks a few crumbs from her fork.

“Oh, I didn’t buy it, it’s from baking class,” Joonmyun explains in surprise. “You actually thought it was store bought?”

“Oh yeah, this cake is amazing, man!” Jongin shudders his shoulders in apparent delight as he sucks in the next bite from the tines of his fork.

“Well, I guess it makes sense it’s near professional quality if your instructor made it. Yixing is trained as a pastry chef, after all.” Victoria bat’s Jongin’s hand away to load another bite on her fork.

“But Yixing didn’t make it,” Joonmyun says, blinking as a raindrop drips from his hair into the water in his glass. “I made it. Or rather, my team did it together.”

“Aw, come on Dad!” Jongin groans with a squint eyed smile like he thinks Joonmyun is trying to pull his leg right out of his ripped jeans. “Are you sure you didn’t bring this home from work? Another offering from your secret admirer?”

“Secret admirer?”

Joonmyun doesn’t miss the way Victoria perks up at Jongin’s sly comment, but he really doesn’t want to have that conversation right now. He’s dripping wet and stockinged foot in the kitchen, with a change of clean clothes still between him and a hard earned dinner.

“It’s not from work, don’t be silly, Jonginnie! I left the cake in the fridge overnight.” Besides, the both packages left on his desk have been wrapped tastefully in expensive collage papers, unlike the plain white box spread open on the kitchen counter. Not that Joonmyun is planning to inform his son or their nanny about today’s gift, of which there is fortunately no evidence left besides the note tucked away next to the stapler in his desk at work.

“Mm, I guess.” Jongin grabs the last crust of cake with his fingers as Victoria moves to clean up the box. “This is really, really good though! Can you make it at home? What are you making in the next class?”

“Uh, I don’t really know,” Joonmyun confesses as he strips off his jacket, amused at his son’s enthusiasm. He reaches into his breast pocket for his phone that is sealing his wet shirt against his chest with the weight. He hasn’t had time to check Instagram notifications all day, much less read the comments Yixing posted about the schedule. “I’ll have to ask Uncle Lu, although I haven’t seen him around for a few days.”

“Nevermind about Luhan, but who’s this secret admirer?” Victoria watches Joonmyun’s face with careful eyes as she opens the silverware drawer and pulls out the caddy.

“It’s nothing, really, just...some prank someone is pulling at the office. Or maybe multiple someones.” Joonmyun doesn’t want to think about the office right now, or the hot water he might very well be submerged in if they can’t retrieve those missing files soon.

Only time will tell though, and there’s no use worrying about the situation while he’s at home. Joonmyun already did as much shoring up of the situation as he can do over the phone at this point, and he might as well try to forget about the mess for a few hours. “I’m going to go change, is Jongdae around for supper tonight?”

“Mm yeah, I think he’s working on his puzzle.” Victoria points towards the stairs.

“Ok, I’ll bring him down with me. You wash up too, ok Jonginnie?”

Jongin rolls his eyes at the reminder but follows his father out of the kitchen to wash his hands in the bathroom. Joonmyun jogs up the stairs, wet socks squeaking on the acrylic pile of the carpeting to find his Jongdae. Whenever things aren’t going as planned all it takes is a big hug from a little boy to help Joonmyun find his center of balance again.

✌ ✌ ✌

Joonmyun manages a few hours of sleep this week, though the nights are far from restful and fraught with strange dreams: corporate spies in sleazy Hawaiian shirts and knock off Ray Bans lurking in every elevator and behind every copy room door while Dream Joonmyun stumbles after them, still wearing pajamas.

The recurring dream unnerves him to the point of nausea upon waking, the hint of panic still clinging to his skin long after he tears off the bed sheets and strips in front of the shower. Joonmyun double checks his tie and belt and even if his socks match properly to make sure everything is in place; first in the hall mirror before he even steps out the door, and once more in the elevator as it carries him to the office of trusted employees, one of whom might have betrayed him...

This kind of thinking in circles is what has made him a nervous, coffee guzzling wreck unsure of even his favorite color should someone bother to ask him. He shakes his head at his reflection in the elevator doors, disgusted with his paranoia and determined think positive today as always.

Amber meets his eyes with a hopeful smile across the top of her desk as he passes. Joonmyun returns it with a slight shake of his head. No news, still waiting.

She settles back in her chair with a nervous nod of understanding, tipping him a salute that makes Joonmyun feel at least 2% better. Even though he can't completely dissipate the cloud of dread and impending doom that suffused him as he descended into the parking garage, he forces down his first cup of coffee for the day with resolute sips from trembling lips. His daily ritual of clearing his head of outside distractions with caffeine and email has become all the more important these days, though Joonmyun can't shake the feeling that perhaps this isn't an outside problem at all. He shakes his head again at the hint of his reflection visible in the computer monitor, trying to clear his mind of everything but the list of tasks on his agenda today.

It's a Thursday, Joonmyun notices as he loads his second email, not a trickle of emotion flickering across his features as he stares into the glare of morning sunlight on his screen. It's been almost a week now since they apprehended the potential leak, and nothing terrible has happened yet. That's the part that confuses him in the moments Joonmyun allows himself to ponder the situation in detail. If this is truly a case of corporate espionage, it would be strategically beneficial for the opponent to strike right away, before R & V had a chance to realize the risk and set precautions in place according to emergency protocol.

And the fact that only specific sets of payroll logues and tax documents have been disturbed is perplexing as well--if it's a competitor hoping to expose the company in a pay gap scandal they'll be sorely disappointed. All the female employees of R & V are paid according to education and experience, equal to their male counterparts employed at any of the other branches, Joonmyun made sure of it. It's a matter of principle of course, but also a common sense business decision as far as he's concerned, defensible to anyone who dares challenge him on it because it's the reason they've been able to hire and retain such top notch female employees.

The other budget files and tax returns that have gone missing are equally as boring and mundane, no misappropriations or funny numbers to even hint at possible corruption or "mishandling" of funds. Joonmyun's not worried that whoever is creeping on his data will discover anything worthy of blackmail. He is concerned about the safety of his employees' personal information though, and the damage to the company image should any large-scale security breaches come publicly to light.

It just doesn't make sense…

"Yo boss, good morning!" Baekhyun is wearing a beanie today. The thin brown and pink striped knit matches his checked shirt and the faux tortoiseshell frames slotted over the bridge of his nose.

"Oh hello Baekhyun!" Joonmyun straightens his shoulders and scoots his chair over for Baekhyun to pull up the extra seat to the edge of his desk.

"Are we finishing up the financial report today?" Baekhyun looks so eager, dark eyes attentive on Joonmyun's face as he pulls his ledger of notes from his briefcase. "Wasn't that due soon?"

"Yesterday, actually." Joonmyun sighs and rocks back against the headrest of his chair. He’s been dreading having to explain his failure to Baekhyun. "But due to some technical difficulties, it's been put on hold. Don't worry though, Corporate has been notified and we're in the process of working things out."

"I see." Baekhyun wets his lips with a flick of his tongue. Joonmyun's little reassurance speech must not have been too effective because he looks conflicted, as if he wants to ask something more about the issue. Joonmyun is relieved when Baekhyun just gives a tiny shake of his head and pulls out a bag of tiny colored candies. "You want some?" He rattles the sack, holding it out to Joonmyun.

"That's ok," Joonmyun lies, eyeing the pretty assortment of flavors, how the vibrant reds glow against the pale yellows and pastel blues and greens. Jelly beans were one of his favorite treats as a child. He even adored the unpopular licorice flavor, which his classmates and cousins were more than happy to pawn off on him in exchange for a a fraction of the amount of in other colors. Joonmyun started his investments trading from an early age.

"You don't like jelly beans?" Baekhyun's eyebrows shoot up to the folded up edge of his hat.

"I don't really like sweet things." Joonmyun shrugs and reaches for his computer mouse. It's not exactly a lie. Sometimes he does, but his tongue and his stomach have to be in the right mood at the same time and lately Joonmyun's gut has been twisted in too many knots to enjoy any of the food he manages to force down.

"Oh." Baekhyun drops his gaze as he shakes a handful of jelly beans into his own palm. He looks almost a little sad from this angle, the dark fringe of his lashes casting shadows over the lines of his face. "What do you like then?"

"Coffee," Joonmyun answers blankly to his screen as he pulls up a browser window full of bookmarked tabs. "It helps me be productive, so I like it. Speaking of which, we have a lot of consumer reports to review today and collect info on. Are you ready to take some notes?"

"Absolutely!" Baekhyun fist pumps as he clicks his ink pen into action. The determined set of his jaw in combination with the childish pout of his soft lips draws a laugh from Joonmyun, the first genuine one in days. It feels really good, refreshing almost, and he savors the release as the sound trickles down his throat and settles some of the unease lurking in his chest and gut.

"Ok then, down to business!"

✌ ✌ ✌

It's the most productive morning Joonmyun has had all week. He wonders if it has anything to do with the fact Baekhyun had asked in not so many words how he was doing, just checked to make sure everything was ok but then didn't push the matter when Joonmyun replied with vague reassurances.

It would have stressed him out even more if his intern had commented on his dark circles, some direct reference to the worry and fatigue lining his features. It's still nice to know, however, that Baekhyun notices. That he cares enough to be in tune with Joonmyun's moods and habits to know when something's off, and go out of his way to make up for it with even more ridiculous jokes and encouraging grins than usual. Even if the gestures are small, Joonmyun sincerely appreciates them.

"I...have something to tell you," he starts, stepping into the elevator with Baekhyun after wishing a good night to Amber and Irene, the only two still left in the office.

"Hm?" Baekhyun quickly pockets his phone and turns to face Joonmyun in the closed space of the lift as the doors close. He leans back on the handrails against the wall to study Joonmyun's face with attentive eyes.

"I just wanted to say thank you, I guess. That's all." Joonmyun does his best to keep from ducking his head in embarrassment. He forces his neck to stay stiff and facing forward as he loosens the knot of his tie and with plucking fingers. "I know I've been on edge all this week and really...distractable, so I'm grateful for how you've managed to put up with me. You're really good at motivating people. Have you ever considered working in management?"

"Is that really what you wanted to discuss with me, boss? My career aspirations?" Baekhyun drops his gaze again with a guilty sounding laugh, and Joonmyun wonders if he's gone too far, said too much. He always knows what to say to encourage a struggling employee to try their best, or the right leading questions to ask to motivate his creative team to innovative heights. Joonmyun’s just never been nearly as eloquent when it comes to discussing feelings.

"I'm sorry," he says, trying to cover the stricken tone of his voice with a laugh. He tugs again at his tie and his shaking fingers manage to undo the knot all the way. "I only meant it as a compliment. And really, I'm thankful to have such a great intern around this summer, especially now that… Well, now that I need people I can really trust."

"You really mean that?" Baekhyun's eyes are wide when he raises his head, his fringe falling away from his eyes in a slow swoop as he meets Joonmyun's gaze.

"For sure." Joonmyun smiles, trying to put every bit of the emotions and sincerity stirring in his chest behind the words. "And I hope you never feel pressured to discuss personal things with me, I don't mean to pry but--" Joonmyun inhales a quick breath and prays with silent lips that he isn't crossing some kind of line. "I only ask because I care."

"Thanks," Baekhyun whispers as the elevator dings, announcing their arrival on the ground floor. Joonmyun sees a flash of his sad smile in the mirror on the doors as Baekhyun slips out, his head still tucked against his collar. Joonmyun presses the "close doors" button with a sigh, already itching to get out of the lift even though it's just another floor down to the parking garage where he left his car.

He thinks he got his message across, but his palms are tingling with the hint of anxiety and dread that Baekhyun might have taken that conversation the wrong way. Whatever wrong way it could be construed Joonmyun isn't quite sure. All he knows is that if Baekhyun's smile isn't happy, Joonmyun doesn’t feel right either.

✌ ✌ ✌

"Eat," Victoria commands, pushing the plate of pasta back in front of Joonmyun. Even though the tone of her voice is as smooth as the silken tofu layered between the ruffled lasagna noodles, Joonmyun knows it's an order and he doesn't have much choice in the matter.

"But I'm not hungry," he repeats to the square of lasagna steaming in front of him. "I really don't--"

"Just eat, or Jongdae won't eat his either," Victoria hisses in warning. Joonmyun looks up to see Jongdae stirring his food around in his favorite Hello Kitty bowl with a spoon, attention split between his father and his older brother. Jongin is wolfing down his serving in massive bites that he hardly bothers to chew, blissfully unaware of the tension surrounding him in the kitchen.

"Hey there, slow down and make sure you taste that food," Joonmyun scolds with a soft laugh. "Ms. Victoria worked hard to make that for us."

Jongin nods and shoots Victoria a thumbs up with his left hand around the dinner roll caught in his grip, but doesn't slow his pace much at all. He'll be finished with his second helping before Jongdae gets three bites down, Joonmyun realizes, so he picks up his fork in resignation.

"Are you ok, buddy?" Joonmyun finds Jongdae's small foot under the table and nudges with his own toes.

"Affirmative." Jongdae's voice is small in his throat. His gaze stays trained on the cut up bites of his food Victoria sliced for him with the kitchen scissors. He's usually quiet at mealtime, but that's because he's usually chewing.

"You're not getting sick on me, are you?" Joonmyun tilts his head, angling to catch a better look at his son's face. Victoria reaches across to feel his forehead with her palm, soothing her hand up beneath the fringe of his bangs.

"No fever. You have a tummy ache, Dae?"

He just shakes his head and lets out a heavy sigh as he drops his fork into his bowl. "Can I retire to bedroom." He points at the chapter book on the side table Victoria made him put down before joining them at the table.

"Yes, you may go to your room." Joonmyun frowns as he watches Jongdae’s dispirited steps as his son drags his feet and his book out of the kitchen.

"You want seconds?" Victoria holds out the spatula to Jongin as he scrapes his last bite of tofu and tomato sauce into his mouth.

"Nah thanks." He shakes his head and he gulps down the rest of his milk. He wipes his mouth on the waffle weave of his skull and cross bones T-shirt as he pushes his chair back from the table. "I won't be back til late Dad, but don't worry I'm fine I'll be safe callyoulaterokbye!"

He hollers the string of words over his shoulder and disappears out the front door before Joonmyun's beleaguered brain has a chance to process the sentence. The door slams and Joonmyun hears the hiss of skateboard wheels on the pavement a moment later through the open door. Jongin waves to them through the window as he zooms past, and Joonmyun is relieved to see his helmet snapped into place on his head.

Joonmyun stacks Jongdae's abandoned bowl onto his brother's scraped clean plate. "Do you have any idea where he's going?"

"Not really, but I have Sehun's mother's phone number. You want me to call over there in a few minutes and confirm that's where he went?" Victoria cuts a neat square out of the slice of lasagna on her own untouched plate.

"Sure, only if you think that's necessary. I wouldn't want to bother the Ohs during dinner hour." Joonmyun eyes the shrubs out the dining room window through the kitchen doorway, the azalea bushes that line the front walk Jongin just flew down. They're due for a trimming soon. Maybe he should ask Luhan about--

"Hello! Anyone home!" A loud rap sounds against the front door, followed by a flurry of rings as someone jams their finger repeatedly against the door bell.

"Well, speak of the devil," Victoria says with a small smile as if she knew exactly what Joonmyun was thinking. "Do you want to get that or should I?"

"No no, I got it. You just sit and eat." Joonmyun drops his napkin to his seat, cussing under his breath in annoyance as the tinkling tones of the doorbell continue to sound.

"Hi!" Luhan is standing on the doorstep in a knee length tulle skirt with downy white feathers clinging to his hair with static electricity. He looks like a ballerina who somehow got caught in an epic pillow fight, and Joonmyun takes a deep breath, hoping his neighbor isn't here to borrow from the linen closet.

"You rang?"

"Yeah, long time no see man!" Luhan claps Joonmyun on the shoulder as he holds out a an empty measuring cup. "So I was wondering if--"

"Please hold for a moment," Joonmyun snaps, and shuts the door in his face. Tonight is not the night he wants to deal with Luhan and uncomfortable questions, so he doesn't give his neighbor the chance to invite himself in or to even stuff his pink ballet flat in the door jamb.

"Who was that?" Victoria looks up from buttering a roll as Joonmyun stomps back into the kitchen and bangs open the pantry door.

"No one important," he grunts, and kicks the hall rug out of the way when his socks slip a little on the braided weave. "Here," he says, opening the door again to shove the entire bag of sugar into Luhan's arms. "And don't forget to check your texts once in awhile. You know people might worry about you or something."

"Awwww! Did you miss me? I mean of course you'd--"

"Goodnight, Luhan," Joonmyun says, and closes the door again.

Joonmyun feels a little better after that, reassured that Luhan is still alive and being annoying, and also that he can successfully navigate at least some of the social interactions in his life without being a failure. Of course he probably could have been nicer to Luhan, but he'll apologize later. Bring Luhan some fancy shredded coconut and explain that he was having a terrible evening/day/week and he took his stress out on the wrong person. Luhan should understand, because Luhan always does, one of his most redeeming characteristics out of a long list of traits that make Joonmyun want to bang his head on the wall if he thinks about them for too long.

Nobody is perfect though, and he tries to keep that in mind as he turns on the shower in his upstairs bathroom and waits for the water to heat.

✌ ✌ ✌

"Dad. Daaaad. Hello? Buenos dias? Are you ok? Dad?"

"Wha...?" Joonmyun unsticks his lower lip from where it's plastered to the rim of his mug, realizing he was spacing out there for a moment watching the steam evaporate from his coffee.

"You've been staring at your toast instead of eating it." Jongin points to the untouched square of bread on Joonmyun's plate. The browned edges have gone hard and stale looking. Joonmyun sighs and picks up the butter knife again, annoyed that he's let his food get cold.

"Sorry, Jonginnie, I was just...thinking. About things."

"Things? Or about people?" Jongin licks a clump of strawberry preserves from the crust of his bread but snatches up a napkin before Joonmyun can scold him for smearing the sticky jam across his face.

"Well...mostly things, I suppose." Joonmyun watches Victoria over the rim of his mug as she refills Jongdae's plastic cup with more apple juice. His main worry is, of course, the trouble at work, but he would be lying if he denied having a certain someone on his mind.

They haven't officially told the office workers all the details of what's going on, but most of them have been around long enough to put two and two together, what with the lock down on files and the delay in processing the term financial reports. Payroll is due next week, though, and they'll have to make a move soon. Joonmyun is not looking forward to his intern's reaction when Baekhyun finds out the senior manager who is training him managed to let a security breach this large slip through his careful fingers.

He's expecting disappointed faces from some of his employees, especially if he's forced to transfer to a demoted position as a result of this, but at least everyone else at the office has been around for at least a few years and really knows him. Joonmyun's chest almost aches at the thought that Baekhyun might judge him harshly over this incident. They haven't had much of a chance to get to know each other on an intimate.

"See? You're doing it again." Jongin's frown veers into Joonmyun's line of vision as he cranes his neck to get a better look at his father's downcast face. "You're staring at the food like you think you owe it an apology. You’re supposed to eat it."

"I'm sorry," Joonmyun sighs, wincing when he feels the air shudder out of his lungs in a rough heave. The last thing he wants to do is make his family worry, and now he's even managing to fail on that front as well. "Maybe I should..."

"Get out of the house? Take a walk? Go to baking class? I hope you get some activity today, Myun. It would do you good and maybe relieve some of the stress." Victoria fixes him with a warm smile but her eyes are serious when Joonmyun looks up to catch her gaze.

"I suppose." Joonmyun unfolds the cuff of his rolled up sleeve to straighten out the wrinkles before rolling it back up again. Usually weekends are his coveted alone time to recuperate at home, but this weekend he can't focus on the TV or any of the half-read novels piled up on his night stand. Even rewatching bookmarked clips of his favorite CFs aren't helping today, but that's no excuse for not trying harder to force his body to relax. "Maybe I'll just stay home, try to take it easy and--"

"Dad, no." Jongin shakes his head and Joonmyun sighs again, internally cursing his own transparency. "I think everyone in this room knows that ain't gonna work."

"If you can't relax here, that doesn't mean you can't find some stress relief elsewhere." Victoria shoves the butter crock closer to Joonmyun, reminding him that he's still holding the butter knife in his hand poised over the cold slice of toast. "Just go to baking class with Lu, punch some bread dough or something."

"But I don't--"

"That's him at the door, I think!" Victoria points in the direction of the hall, where Jongdae is already scurrying in his Batman pajamas with the clip on cape fluttering behind him to answer the doorbell.

"Tell him I'm not here!" Joonmyun hisses to Jongin, making slashing motions across his neck, the universal sign language for abort mission, abandon ship, avoid Luhan.

Jongin just shakes his head with a grin. He pulls his father up by the elbow to shove him towards the front door. "Have fun at class today, ok Dad? Bring back some more of that cake!"

Joonmyun hisses in frustration as they round the corner in a tangle of scrambling limbs. He could overpower his son if he wanted to make this a true wrestling match, but it's too late. Luhan has already caught sight of him and assists Jongin in dragging Joonmyun to the entryway to find his shoes.

"All ready to go, Myun? The car's idling in the driveway. I'm so excited for class today and--! Well, I'll tell you all about it in the car! Shall we?" Luhan hooks his arm through Joonmyun's elbow before Joonmyun even has the chance to tie his shoelaces. Victoria and the boys wave them out the door with more reminders to "have fun" and "learn lots", though Joonmyun doubts he has the emotional and mental capacity to do either of those things today, not in this state.

He settles into the passenger's seat of Luhan's car and buckles in the seat belt. He gives only half his attention to Luhan's rambling monologue on all of things he's been up to and google searched and cooked in his microwave since they last saw one another.

Quite a lot of the things he has to say involve mentions of Yixing's name in some capacity, not to anyone's surprise, Joonmyun thinks as they drive across town to the community center. He asks Luhan a few questions though, to prove he's being polite enough to sorta kinda listen. Also because his mother will probably quiz him on events related to the volunteer bake sale the next time she calls and it doesn't hurt to have a basic idea of the event beforehand, regardless of whether or not Luhan can be trusted not to over embellish the details of the anecdotes he shares.

"Yeah...so..." Luhan's thunderstorm of chatter finally slows to a drizzle as they pull into the parking lot a few minutes early. He leans over the steering wheel, panting a bit as he turns to Joonmyun, obviously not ready to get out the of the car quite yet.

"Hm?"

"So today's the day!" Luhan's voice drops to a conspiratorial whisper and his eyes narrow in a smile of anticipation. He's practically vibrating against the vinyl seats of his Chevy, and Joonmyun wonders if he missed something important in the flurry of details he failed to keep up with during the car ride. "I'm going to ask Yixing out today, after the class finishes! So wish me luck and liquid charm, ok?"

"Wait, aren't you guys already...?" Joonmyun squints at the spatters of bird droppings on the side mirror in confusion, thinking back to all of the couple selfies and flirty messages between his neighbor and their cooking instructor sitting in his Instagram notifications. They’ve been popping up at twice the speed as before, now that Luhan has reset his Instagram password.

"Dating? No, so shhhh! Keep it down, Myun!" Luhan curls forward over the steering wheel and peers out both windows to check that the coast is clear. The only other sign of life in the parking lot is Luna, who just pulled up to a parking spot on the other side of the lot. She steps out of her car as she settles a pair of dark shades on the bridge of her nose.

"Well, good luck then." Joonmyun gives Luhan a smile and an awkward pat on the shoulder. "Just be yourself, and I think you'll find yourself in luck. Yixing seems to have a soft spot for you."

"Really? You really think so?" Luhan leans in closer than Joonmyun deems socially acceptable for two completely platonic, bro neighbors. He quickly leans back, thinking it's a good thing Yixing isn't around to witness this interaction, lest he should misunderstand.

"Well yeah, I do think so." Joonmyun nods, still smiling as Luhan's face breaks into a relieved grin. Luhan shimmies his shoulders against the seat back, as if suddenly overcome with a shiver of anticipation.

"I sure hope you're right, man. I've been waiting months for this moment, can't back down now!"

"Wait--months? It's only been a few weeks since we started this class, Lu!" Joonmyun shakes his head in consternation as he unbuckles his seatbelt and moves to open the door. The last week has sure felt like it's been half a year, but they're not even to the end of their baking course yet. It hasn't been that long. "How'd you hear about this class, anyway?"

"Oh! Minseokkie told me about it!"

"Minseokkie? You mean...Minseok Kim, as in the fire chief?" Joonmyun almost trips on his untied shoelaces as he gets out of the car.

"Pfft, really Myun, you think you're the only one with connections and a social life? I play soccer with Minseok on Tuesdays, I'm an honorary member of the Emergency Services Workers Intramural League. Anyway, your mom's whole bridge club took Xing's cooking class together this spring and the unanimous evaluation was that the instructor is really hot!"

"Wait, my mother said that? She called Yixing hot?" Joonmyun wishes he had eaten at least part of his breakfast before getting shoved out the front door. Maybe that would have provided enough fortifying strength to survive the emotional roller coaster that is hearing the neighborhood news via Luhan.

"Well, I dunno exactly what she said, I just talked to Minseokkie. But anyway, that's why I said we had to take Xingxing's class, and basically everyone agreed." Luhan slams his car door and locks it with the remote control key, snaking an arm around Joonmyun's shoulders to steady him as they start up the hill to the building.

"Wait, so this had nothing to do with me burning the ramen?"

"Well, that was part of it too, but mostly I just needed a wingman that would make me look awesome at cooking stuff in comparison. Thanks for the hot date, Myun!" Luhan pinches Joonmyun's arm before sprinting up the hill. He pushes through the double doors at the entrance just behind Luna, leaving Joonmyun to stutter and flounder at the foot of the hill.

"Don't count your egg yolks til they're separated!" Joonmyun calls after him in frustration, scrambling to think of a decent comeback in the face of all this untold information. His brain is still swirling with it all. "He hasn't said yes yet!"

"Oh, but he will!" Luhan turns back with a wink as he holds the door for Luna. "Oh, and by the way, you should ask out your crush, too! Something tells me this is our lucky week, I can feel it in my gut. Or maybe that's just the pickled okra I ate for breakfast." He shrugs, stepping into the lobby.

"What crush? Who? Where?" Joonmyun demands in a huff as he jogs to catch up to Luhan.

"Oh, Jonginnie told me alllll about your secret admirer!" Luhan's shoulders do that quivery thing, where he looks like he's laughing but you can't hear it. That expression of amusement always makes Joonmyun want to punch something, even more so than Luhan's jaw unhinging, ear drum bursting guffaws. "But don’t worry, your secret’s safe with me!"

Luhan releases the door and it swings shut behind him just as Joonmyun reaches the welcome mat outside, sending the force of Joonmyun's frustrated roar back in his face as it echoes off the shiny glass.

✌ ✌ ✌

"How was your weekend?"

"Oh, hey there, Krystal." Joonmyun looks up from the report he's skimming, wax highlighter slotted between his fingers. It's uncapped but he hasn't used it once, too distracted to make a proper mark up. "It was… It just was." He shrugs, spinning his chair around to face Krystal where she's loading the copy machine with a fresh ream of A4 paper.

"Is there any particular reason you're hiding in this closet instead of working at your desk?" She closes the drawer of the machine and crumples the paper wrapper before tossing it at the recycling bin.

"Just wanted some new scenery. I mean a change of pace." He shrugs again, checking the wall clock above the window. It's only been fifteen minutes since he dragged his sorry ass into the empty copy room, but it feels like he's been in here for half a day.

"We have a break room, you know. You might be more comfortable in there." Krystal inputs the passcodes to start the copier and closes the lid, shaking her bangles up her wrist and out of the way.

"Yeah, but..."

Joonmyun came in here because he didn't want to get roped into any inane conversations, he just wants some peace and quiet to think. He's not avoiding any of his employees per se, but he's not in the mood for Baekhyun's cheerful chatter when all these important matters are weighing on his psyche. Important matters like whether the database is still being hacked, or if he's going to lose his job and his house, and who even the hell is his secret admirer, anyway.

There was a new package sitting on his desk this morning when he came in. He quizzed Amber on who had come through the office, but she didn't seem to know anything, tilting her head in confusion when he asked if any of the other employees had come in early. It could be someone from another department or floor, but that doesn't make sense either. Only Amber and Joonmyun know the codes to unlock the doors to the office complex. It has to be someone staying behind to leave the notes and packages on his desk...

"...are you sure it is?" Krystal says, and Joonmyun realizes with a start that she's asking him another question that he’s completely missed the first part of.

"Uh..." He drops the highlighter to his chest and blinks at Krystal, who just shakes her head at him to the rhythm of the copier spitting out the xeroxed pages.

"Suit yourself, boss. But don't forget to come out of hiding to eat lunch at some point."

"Yes ma'am," he replies with a playful wink, which only earns him another eye roll as Krystal pulls her original and the stack of fresh copies from the machine.

Joonmyun returns his attention to the report as soon as she exits, carefully closing the door behind her, but he can't seem to focus his brainpower on the figures. His thoughts are a disjointed mess of what-ifs, worst case scenarios spiraling out into ridiculous and tragic possibilities like the wisps of steam rising from his coffee.

More than the serious problems, though, his thoughts keep returning to the less terrifying yet equally annoying mystery of the anonymous gifts that keep appearing on his desk in the mornings. The box he found today was wrapped in a scrap of burnt orange foil which cast the deep glow of sunset waters when he turned it in the light. The note was, as usual, short and sweet:

Don't let anything get to you, because you're fabulous and everything will work out in the end! Just keep up the great work!! ~with love and confection, your special secret someone~

P.S. I hope these are to your liking but if not, just share with someone who can enjoy them ;P

Inside was not a carefully wrapped package of home baked goods as the previous gifts had contained, but a sleeve of espresso beans dipped in bitter dark chocolate. Joonmyun raised his eyes at the shift in tone in the note, now convinced that the anonymous admirer must be somehow he knows or at least is acquainted with.

The note seems to allude to situational strain at work, though the wording is vague, as if carefully constructed to stay neutral and only hint at the difficulties Joonmyun's kept to himself (though he wouldn't be surprised if the people close to him have picked up on his not-as-chill-as-normal state).

Add to that the hints Jongin and even Luhan have been dropping about Joonmyun's possible love interests, and the picture gets even more fuzzy when Joonmyun tries to take a step back to gain some perspective on his muddled feelings. There are too many options on the table, and yet none of them make sense. For one thing, Luhan even texted him Minseok's phone number last night, the string of numbers embedded in a block of winking emoticons, and suggested Joonmyun ask him out as his date for the party after their final baking lesson next weekend. Joonmyun opened the notif and spit iced tea across the kitchen because--seriously?

Not that he has anything against the fire chief, but there's no way Minseok has access to the office to leave such endearing encouragement notes on his desk. And while Joonmyun respects him as an upstanding member of the community, he's not sure his feelings for Minseok extend any further. They have literally nothing in common, unless you count knowing Joonmyun's mother, and Joonmyun is decades too old to have his parents involved in matchmaking for him, which would surely happen if she got wind of her son's potential interest in one of her juniors in the charity league.

Still, that's no reason to write him off without giving Minseok a chance, Joonmyun thinks as he brings up the most recent number saved to his contacts. A single dad at his stage of life, Joonmyun has learned not to be picky with first impressions of his dates or potential dates. At least Minseok is someone he would feel safe bringing home to meet his children.

Joonmyun can't shake the bloom of fondness in his chest, however, when he thinks of the thoughtful gifts and notes his special secret someone has been kind enough to shower him with. A small part of Joonmyun hopes that maybe, maybe if he plays his cards right the anonymous admirer will get brave enough to reveal themselves.

That would be ideal, though Joonmyun still hasn't ruled out the possibility of this being an elaborate prank, perhaps put into action by Amber and Krystal, or someone else at the branch with a delicious sense of humor. Maybe he should try leaving a longer note of reply this time...

Joonmyun's thoughts keep circling, running laps around his consciousness until he's getting dizzy from the mental exertion. He spends a full hour in the shower after dinner letting the crash of the water against the tiles drown out his mutterings as he tries to piece together a reply to the anonymous note he can leave on his desk tomorrow morning. He's not sure when or how to go about leaving a response where the secret someone will be able to see it before Baekhyun arrives on the scene and starts asking sharp nosed questions.

As much as having a intuitive and quick witted intern is saving Joonmyun a lot of grief while training him, he's quite sure Baekhyun will quickly decipher the message between any lines he attempts to pen in reply. Joonmyun's not sure he wants to deal with Baekhyun's good humored razzing for the rest of the summer, no matter how much he is dying to figure out who the admirer is.

Joonmyun is too strung out to focus on reading as per usual this week, even after his shower. It's only 8 PM though, he realizes when he wanders back into the kitchen with a towel slung over his shoulder to catch the drips from his hair from absorbing into his fresh shirt. Way too early to attempt to fall asleep for the night, especially considering his track record of insomnia over the past two weeks.

Victoria looks up from the grocery she's writing at the counter. She chews on the end of her pen as she blinks at Joonmyun with calculating eyes. "I know you're all ready to turn in for the night," she says, stretching her arms above her head until her gauzy cardigan thrown on over her nightie bunches in waves at her waist. "But how about running out to pick up some milk? I didn't realize we were down to one quart again or I would have stopped by earlier. Jonginnie just goes through the dairy like water these days."

"Oh, sure!" Joonmyun crosses the tile floor on quick feet, already holding out a hand to collect the list of items. "It's not that late."

"Thanks." Victoria smiles, hiding a yawn in the curve of her wrist as Joonmyun scans the strip of paper.

"This is all you need? Stuff from the dairy and apple juice and paper towels?"

"Yeah, though the milk is the only thing we need for breakfast. The rest of it can wait til tomorrow." She shrugs, capping her pen as she pushes off from her perch against the counter. "But if you don't feel like going out now, I'm sure Jongin can survive one meal with orange juice instead."

"That's ok, I think want to--fresh air," Joonmyun finishes with a wistful laugh. He scrubs the towel through his hair with insistent hands, trying to get it as dry as he can without bothering to do a proper job with the blow dryer. It's not like he'll run into anyone worth impressing just popping out to the corner grocery on a week night.

"Hey, you going somewhere?" Jongin sticks his head around the corner from the dining room, as if he heard his name being discussed a moment before.

"Just out to grab milk," Joonmyun shrugs, tossing his wet towel on the pile of kitchen laundry accumulating at the top of the basement stairs. "I might as well go to the grocery and get everything on the list if I'm going at all."

"I wanna come to," Jongin says, already shrugging a rumpled plaid button down over his T-shirt.

"You finished your lab homework?" Victoria fixes him with a stern stare, but winks in approval when Jongin shakes his head in affirmation. "Ok then you two, get on out of here before it gets too late and they close on you."

"Be right back!" Joonmyun pushes his son ahead of him out the back door, flipping on the front light as he raises the garage door with the remote key. They could walk to the nearest store if they wanted, but they might as well take the car in case they end up with more bags than they can carry. Victoria's list isn't long, but Joonmyun has been known to indulge in impulse purchases when he finds items on mark down. His penchant for bargains is not just a trait of his office persona, Joonmyun thrives on snagging a good deal any time, any place.

The aisles of the market are quiet when they slip past the produce stands with a hand basket slung between them. Jongin hums to himself, texting one handed while Joonmyun selects the items on Victoria's list. He cross checks the labels and expiration dates, grunting to himself in frustrated mutterings when his distracted state ensures the task takes much longer than usual. What should have been an in-and-out swing through the store is turning into an actual trip.

Joonmyun checks his watch, tsking to himself since the store will be closing in ten minutes. Not that the manager would kick them out for shopping at a snail's pace, but no one appreciates the customer who queues up at the checkout after closing. Joonmyun would much prefer to get home to his bedtime coffee and his bedroom slippers without having to deal with death glares from disgruntled cashiers tonight.

"Can you grab the english muffins?" Joonmyun elbows Jongin in the direction of the bakery aisle while he fishes towards the back of the dairy shelves for the freshest milk bottles. He's still studying the tiny expiry printed in smudged purple ink with a distracted eye when he almost backs into another customer making a beeline for the only open check out lane.

"Whoa! Excuse me there, I--Joonmyun?" Minseok's mouth falls open in silent shock as Joonmyun swivels to face him.

"Sorry! I didn't see you there either, I guess I... I'm a bit out of it today," Joonmyun explains with a bob of his head, trying to laugh it off. His flustered feelings start to subside after a few breaths, though he watches in confusion as Minseok's face heats a bright pink, the color deepest at the apples of his cheeks.

"That's ok," Minseok says as he unloads a case of beer and a towering bag of kettle corn onto the conveyor belt. "It's fine. Say, did Luhan happen to--? Ah, never mind." He shakes his head with a fierce blink as he yanks free the rubber band tying up the front section of his hair. The fountain shaped ponytail descends in a waterfall of wavy hair across his eyes and Minseok spins on his heel to shake the hood of his jacket over his head.

"Did Luhan what?" Joonmyun blinks in confusion at the row of tabloid headlines propped on the rack behind Minseok's hunched shoulders.

"Dad, they're out of the fiber plus muffins, are the honey wheat ones ok instead?"

Joonmyun turns to see Jongin approaching, a bag of english muffins dangling from his fist. "Yeah sure, thanks Jonginnie."

Jongin stops at the entrance to the lane, looking between his father and the fire chief who looks like he is trying to become one with the racks of chewing gum and medicated chapstick where he's huddled against the barrier. Joonmyun shrugs in reply to his son’s unasked question, just as confused by the situation.

Jongin gives him a long side glance and pushes past Joonmyun to set the bread on the conveyor belt a good foot behind Minseok's purchases before unloading the rest of the basket in a haphazard pile. What did you do now? his steady gaze seems to ask, but Joonmyun just rolls his eyes at him. In the middle of the store, still within earshot of both Minseok and the smirking teenage cashier, is not the place he wants to verbally analyze his social shortcomings.

And to be honest, he's not sure he can figure out what he did. Minseok seemed to be reacting to something before Joonmyun even opened his mouth, though in retrospect Joonmyun wonders if this has something to do with Luhan's suggestive texts the night before. He should probably...talk to Luhan, and try to figure out what exactly his neighbor told the fire chief on the other end of the attempted set up.

Seeing Minseok again in person has only confirmed Joonmyun's instinct that he's not really interested in the man as a romantic partner, and he wants to make sure that there's no misunderstanding between them grown from Luhan's unsolicited meddling. He holds back a sigh as Minseok collects his grocery bags and murmurs a squeaky farewell before fleeing towards the parking lot.

Minseok is attractive to be sure, and the tongue-tied, pink cheeked version of the stern professional is an adorable addition to Joonmyun's image of the fire chief, but... He can't put his finger on it, but he just doesn't get that same fond flaring of affectionate feelings that warms his chest whenever Jongdae passes him the crossword puzzle rendered illegible under a rainbow of amoeba shaped doodles, or when his mother tucks a sappy note into the pickles and kimchi she sends home with them on weekends, or when Baekhyun trips into the office whistling a loud--

"...receipt, or not?" The cashier is waving a strip of paper in his face with an impatient scowl, and Joonmyun stutters out an apology when he realizes he was spacing out again in the middle of paying for his groceries.

Jongin grabs the receipt from the employee, the sacks of food already hanging from either wrist. Joonmyun follows him out to the parking lot after the cashier waves off his continued apologies.

"Are you sure you're ok, Dad?" Jongin slings the bags into the back seat as soon as Joonmyun unlocks the car doors.

"Yeah..." Joonmyun slips behind the steering wheel and waits for Jongin to crawl into the front seat before he fits the key into the ignition. "Just thinking about a lot of things. But I think... I think I might have figured something out just now. Maybe."

"You mean about Chief Kim?" Jongin meets his gaze in the rear view mirror as he settles the lay of his seat belt across his chest and shoulders.

"Yeah," Joonmyun says, "this is a secret though, ok? Don't even tell Ms. Victoria, or Luhan, or--"

"Dad!" Jongin cuts him off with a sharp snort that turns into a wide yawn. "Don't worry, I would never tell Uncle Lu anything personal, even if he means well."

"That's... that's a relief to hear!" Joonmyun lets his own laugh slip out to join the echo of Jongin's in the still air. Not that doubts his son's confidence, of course, but you can never be too careful with Luhan. "Then--I'll tell you. I think I might like Baekhyun, I mean Mr. B. You remember him from the office, right?"

Jongin's smile and slow nod reflected in the dark mirror put Joonmyun at ease. He releases his pent up breath in a whoosh as he leans back against his seat, reaching for the strap of his own safety belt to secure it. "I'm not sure yet, but I think I want to give him a chance. I definitely want him to give me a chance, so..."

"So?" Jongin folds his hands across the folds of his baggy shirt that pool across his flat stomach. "Just tell him how you feel. That's the easiest way to find out."

"Yeah. Yeah, I guess I could try that." Joonmyun nods again, mostly to watch the bob of his head in the mirror next to his son's supportive smile. "You won't laugh at me if he… If Baek--"

Joonmyun didn't realize how nervous he was at the prospect of being honest about his feelings to Baekhyun until he feels the catch and release of anticipation sliding through his gut, but the revelation only makes him more determined to at least try. The summer is almost over, but it will actually make things easier to pursue something more than a professional relationship with Baekhyun once the intern is promoted and transferred to another branch. Of course, this is all assuming Baekhyun doesn't laugh him out of the office, and Joonmyun hasn't received a pink slip (or god forbid an indictment) by the end of the week, but...

"Dad, I would never make fun of you for being brave enough to tell someone your feelings, ok?" Jongin's palm squeezes the threadbare knee of Joonmyun's jeans. Joonmyun bites his lip, on the verge of grateful tears for how mature and considerate his son is growing up to be. "But I seriously doubt Mr. B would laugh at you. He only had the nicest things to say about you, after all."

"Oh really?" That catches Joonmyun's attention, and he sits up straighter to stare Jongin directly in the eye as he turns the key in the ignition. "What did he say? What did he tell you?"

"I think you should talk to him yourself." Jongin folds his arms across his chest and closes his eyes as Joonmyun pulls out of the parking lot. The satisfied smile doesn't slip from his lips until his face crumples in a yawn as Joonmyun helps him out of the seat and into the house.

Jongin’s cryptic response only fuels the acrobatics in Joonmyun's stomach into overdrive, but this time the buoyant hope out balances the weight of dread still dragging at the pit of his gut. Jongin's fingers curls into his palm with a sleepy squeeze as they make it up the front steps hand in hand, and Joonmyun thinks that even if worst comes to worst and he has to start job hunting in the near future, he's still rich in all of the important things: family, friends, and yes--even annoying neighbors who steal all of his sugar. Joonmyun has enough beautiful things in his heart to keep him going, no matter how sticky the situation ahead might get.

✌ ✌ ✌

Joonmyun straightens his collar in the mirror of his computer screen and folds his hands in his lap. If he gives in to the nervous energy sparking along his nerves he'll just end up tugging his slicked back hair into a mess, and today it's especially important to him that his appearance is sharp, spot on, suave, and all the other adjectives Jongin reassured him that he is on the way out the door this morning.

No, he's not planning to confess his feelings--which may or may not exist, he's still not 100% sure on that--to his intern during work hours, enlightening though that conversation might prove to be. Though Baekhyun is a well adjusted and confident adult, Joonmyun doesn't want to imply even a hint of pressure on him to date his boss. Since Baekhyun will most likely be transferring to another department in a few weeks though, they will no longer have that added layer of tension and pretention between them should Joonmyun work up the bravery to ask him out.

Precisely because their professional relationship may be coming to an end soon, now is the time, Joonmyun thinks, to let Baekhyun know he values his company as a friend. Joonmyun really does want to keep him around as a friend, if nothing else. Baekhyun is responsible and but knows how to have fun; he shows respect when it's due but is still down to earth with his amusing addiction to candy and the funny faces he makes when he's surprised or intent on a task.

Joonmyun blushes when the image of Baekhyun crunching on a lemon lollipop comes to mind. Focus, Joonmyun, focus, he mutters to himself. Now is not the time to get distracted by the fuzzy flurry of feelings that floods his chest whenever unbidden images of his intern float through his mind. Today he is simply going to invite Baekhyun on a friendly outing to a community baking class party. Hopefully spending time together will solidify their status as out-of-the-office friends. Maybe they can even (though Joonmyun will never admit to this if questioned) feel out their compatibility as potential more-than-friends a bit more.

"Hey, boss!" Baekhyun strides into the corner cubicle and slings his work bag over the back of his chair. He smiles, propping his hands at the back of his neck as he sprawls across the seat. Joonmyun takes a breath, inhaling the clean scent of documents fresh from the printer, and relaxes his tensed up shoulders against the backrest.

"What's on the agenda for this lovely Monday?

"Stuff," Joonmyun shrugs, and Baekhyun blinks at him curiously. "Actually, before we get down to business, I was wondering if I could ask you something." Joonmyun studies the hint of dust accumulating on the frame of his CD-ROM tower and breathes. If this conversation gets awkward, if Baekhyun takes his request the wrong way, Joonmyun worries if he'll be able to show his face at work again tomorrow morning.

"Sure! Fire away."

It's now or never. Joonmyun presses his lips together in a tight squeeze as he swivels in his desk chair to face Baekhyun. "So I'm taking this baking class at the county community center," he starts, not sure how much background information he should explain since he's pretty sure Baekhyun isn't originally from around these parts.

"Oh yeah, that's where all the awesome snacks you leave in break room come from, right?"

"The majority of them, yes." Joonmyun pauses to take a fortifying sip from his coffee mug. "Anyway, this Sunday is the final lesson of the session and we're set to have an after party. We're supposed to bring guests, so I thought maybe you'd like to come? Since you seem so invested in tasting all the baking experiments thus far, I mean! Like, no pressure if you don't want to come, though."

"I'd love to come, but why me? Wouldn't you rather bring your kids?" Baekhyun bites on his lips, lifting thoughtful fingers to tug at the swell caught between his teeth.

"We're only allowed one guest," Joonmyun explains, "and I'd feel terrible bringing one of the boys and leaving the other behind. So that's when I thought of you. I just thought… We could have fun together? Doing something unrelated to money and numbers stuff." Joonmyun tries to make his expression look as friendly and inviting as possible without seeming over eager.

“So,” Baekhyun says in a tentative voice that is uncommon coming from his ever confident self, “this is just a fun thing? Not a--not a da--”

“Yo, boss!” Amber is panting as she leans up against the end of Joonmyun's cubicle partition. "Good news! I--" She cuts herself off when she notices Baekhyun sprawled across the chair next to Joonmyun's. "I'll tell you details later, but I found the missing link! Corporate has already been notified, so nothing to--worry about!" Her smile is opened mouthed as she gasps for air, a bright flush painting her cheeks an elated pink.

"Thank goodness!" Joonmyun bites back a moan of relief and gratitude. He's torn between regret that his conversation with Baekhyun got interrupted midway, but the overwhelming sense of relief flooding his veins is too much to keep a giddy smile off his face.

Baekhyun looks between them in confusion and collects the files Amber hands over. Joonmyun grabs them from the intern as soon as they are within his reach and cradles them to his chest. "Thanks, Amber! And thank you for contacting Corporate. We'll finish the quarter report and get that to you for distribution ASAP!"

"Yessir!" Amber copies one of Baekhyun's playful salutes before turning on her heels to clomp back to the front desk.

"I'm not sure what's going on, but congratulations?" Baekhyun laughs, and Joonmyun does too, too many happy feelings crowding his throat for words. "And about this weekend, sure I'll come. Just text me the time and address."

Joonmyun nods in reply to Baekhyun's wink as he pulls up the report draft left untouched in his admin locked folder for the past several days. He will make sure to text Baekhyun as soon as he has a free moment to himself, before his apparent streak of great luck decides to run out.

✌ ✌ ✌

Joonmyun is still in an excellent mood by the time he braves the rush hour traffic and makes it home. His feelings of general goodwill to all humankind don't wither in the slightest when he breezes into the house to find Luhan parked at his dining room table.

"Yo, Myun!" He waves a fork at Joonmyun in greeting. A drape of antique lace spilling from his shirt sleeve flutters when he waves. "Survive another day at the old grindstone?"

"Something like that, yes. How is your current project coming?" Joonmyun eyes the velvet waistcoat and elaborate cravat cinching his neighbor's torso and throat into a silhouette that would have been fashionable in 18th century Europe. Luhan even added a large heart shaped beauty spot to accent the swell of his cheek, though the layer of chalky makeup caked on beneath the sticker is thick and blotchy.

It's a shoddy job of foundation application, unless it was intentional and Luhan is going for the corpse look. Which is actually quite possible, Joonmyun realizes as he plops down in an empty seat at the table. He can never quite keep up with diverse projects his neighbor works on as a TV writer.

"Oh, you know, it's coming." Luhan shrugs before changing the subject to some sort of sports statistics that Joonmyun has trouble deciphering into comprehensible information. Luhan either skirts questions about his work projects with annoyingly vague descriptions, or he capsizes the flow of small talk conversations with explosions of technical details, so Joonmyun is content to let him ramble about what he will.

"Oh, Myun, are you home?" Victoria carries in a tray of portobello mushroom caps, topped with cheese and minced vegetables and roasted under the broiler, one of Jongdae's favorites.

"Evening, Victoria. That smells delightful!"

"Make sure to tell Dae you said so, he did most of the work on them this time!" She slides the tray onto the trivet. Luhan leans in to sniff at the fragrant steam rising from the food.

"Hi, Dad!"

"Salutations!"

The boys come running in to take their seats at the table. Victoria joins them a moment later after bringing in a chilled tureen of gazpacho.

"Hi, boys. Were you good today?"

"Dad, you always ask that question." Jongin rolls his eyes as helps Jongdae slide a mushroom pizza onto his plate. "You think we're gonna say no?"

"Of course not, Jonginnie!" Joonmyun passes the tray down for Luhan to serve himself before roughing up his son's hair with his knuckles. "Because you two would never misbehave, right?" He fixes Jongdae with a pointed look. Jongdae freezes mid bite, a string of cheese hanging from his lips like a moustache worn by one of the wisemen in his calligraphy text.

"They didn't stir up too much trouble. And you all have Jongdae to thank for the side dish today! He was a big help to me in the kitchen while his brother weeded the garden." Victoria gives the boys a wink as Luhan starts to applaud, chewing away with enthusiasm on his own serving of mushroom.

"How is life, Myun? You find a date for the party this weekend?" Luhan scoots his chair even closer to Joonmyun's and stares at him with a sly look as he finishes chewing.

"Yes. Though it's not a date, exactly." Joonmyun dabs a bit of tomato sauce away from his fingers with his napkin.

"Date?" Jongin looks up with interest, dropping his spoon into the bowl of cold soup Victoria places in front of him. "Who's your date then, Uncle Lu?"

"I hope things are still going smoothly with Xing?" Victoria glances up to watch Luhan as well, but he just closes his eyes in a smug look, as if Jongdae just offered to let him take all the leftover pizzas home after dinner.

"They are indeed, Vic! Smooth as molasses. But I didn't ask Xingxing as my date this time, since he'll already be there at the party."

"Oh, you asked a friend too, then?" Joonmyun tries to ignore the tinge of annoyance Luhan's self satisfied smirk is giving him, focusing on the tangy bite of his soup instead.

"You waited around too long, Failmyun! I beat you to the punch and asked Minseokkie to come with me. Gotta show some love to my bff too, every now and then!"

"Since when is he your bff?" Victoria coughs and quickly takes a sip of water.

"Since he was responsible for introducing me to the man of my dreams! We've been playing soccer every weekend for months."

Joonmyun gives Victoria a silent nod, confirming the information. "And just to clarify for anyone who might be confused about the non-existent situation between myself and Chief Kim," Joonmyun adds, unfolding his napkin, "there is nothing between us except mutual respect and civil cooperation. So please don't jump to any conclusions."

Both Luhan and Victoria roll their eyes at Joonmyun's announcement, but Jongin grips his father's knee under the table with a supportive squeeze.

"Don't give me that look, Lu," Joonmyun warns with a spoonful of soup raised in his hand. "I'm perfectly happy attending this event with a friend, and also perfectly capable of handling my personal and romantic affairs."

"Ok," Luhan says around another cheesy bite, "so who is this friend?"

"You don't know him." Joonmyun takes a large bite, sucking down all of the soup on his spoon to avoid answering any more invasive questions until Victoria can change the topic of conversation. Luhan will find out in due course who he's bringing, but Joonmyun doesn't want to be teased about it until then.

✌ ✌ ✌

"Ah~! Love is in the air tonight! It's where we are!" Chanyeol's awkward crooning is cut off mid warble with a whack to the back of his head from Kyungsoo's wooden spoon. "Ow! Hey! What was that for?" He pulls a fist from the handwarmer pocket of his hoodie to rub the sore spot with careful knuckles.

"I think if you reflect upon your actions, you can figure it out for yourself." Kyungsoo taps his foot against the rung of the table, gesturing at a red faced Tao who is frozen in place with a flour sifter in his hands.

"Aw! Did someone get embarrassed?" Chanyeol coos in a loud voice and even Joonmyun feels like smacking him too, for good measure. "I was only pointing out the way you two are obviously flirting with the baking utensils in a public space! If you all can PDA, I can at least sing about it!"

"I don't think treating "PDA" as a verb is standard usage," Kyungsoo corrects in a dark tone. "Not to mention the fact that you got those song lyrics all wrong. I'm not even going to try to argue with you over the other issue." He sets his spoon on the spoon rest and turns his back on Chanyeol with a sniff of dismissal.

He probably intended for that statement to mean Chanyeol's teasing insinuations were nonsense, but Joonmyun smiles to himself because Kyungsoo didn't deny the accusation that he was getting friendly with Tao. To be fair to Chanyeol, Joonmyun has never seen Kyungsoo tenderly wipe away smudges of flour from anyone else's forehead with a clean hankie like he just did for Tao.

The two of them seemed to get closer while Chanyeol was out of town on business, both in person as well as in their Instagram posts. For the most part, Chanyeol just seems tickled by the romantic developments of his friends, even if he is pretending to be a bit jealous.

In line with the sickening displays of affection that seem to be in vogue this morning, Luhan is getting distracted from his task of chopping baking chocolate into bite size chunks, too busy blowing air kisses at his boyfriend across the classroom to watch where he's putting his knife.

"Be careful with that," Joonmyun scolds as he pulls the handle out of Luhan's grip. "I want to enjoy the party later with everyone instead of escorting you to the ER."

"Ooh?" Luhan bats his eyelashes in a manner only an idiot like Yixing or Joonmyun could find attractive. He leans his weight onto one elbow propped against the bulk sized sack of flour. "Is there a particular someone you're looking forward to enjoying the party with?"

Joonmyun tsks in disgust at the leer and wriggle of eyebrows Luhan gives him. "Don't be ridiculous. Hand me that bowl, please."

Luhan passes him the bowl with only a few squares of chocolate cut up in the bottom. They have several boxes of bittersweet chocolate to chop their way through for the pizza sized cookie cake the class is preparing for the party in collaboration. Joonmyun would like to get this show on the road so they'll have the cake ready in time for when their guests are set to arrive.

"You never did tell me who you invited."

"It's someone from work," Joonmyun spits out, annoyed at having to repeat himself for the billionth time this week. "You don't know him."

"Oooh, it's a him, you say? There aren't many dudes who work at your office, are there! Unless of course this is someone from another department? Hmmm." Luhan taps his fingers against his chin in an exaggerated gesture of thinking.

"You'll find out soon enough," Joonmyun sighs, and refocuses his efforts on cutting the chocolate into evenly sized bits.

It's hard work, keeping up with the rest of the team to stay on goal and finish the project in time. Joonmyun sort of feels like a participant on one of those cake contest shows on the cooking channel as he wipes away a trickle of sweat from his forehead with the cuff of his shirt sleeve. He's not complaining, though. Despite the pressure he’s under to do his job and do it well, Joonmyun is having fun.

He never would have admitted to it at the beginning of the course, but actually this whole class has been an enjoyable experience for him. And knowing how to impress people with his cake baking skills (even if those "people" are limited to Jongin and Baekhyun) gives him a special sort of satisfaction that only fuels Joonmyun's fervor to get this cookie cake baked. After all, Joonmyun has always loved a challenge.

Kyungsoo, Tao, and Chanyeol's team is the last to finish their batch, and Yixing helps them press the choco chip dough into the end of the large pan. Yixing seems pleased with the results of every team after taste testing their work, and once all the dough is loaded into the pan in a uniform layer Joonmyun can't tell where one batch begins and another ends.

Luhan gives out high fives and hugs to everyone in the classroom, whooping for victory as Yixing and Luna slide the cookie sheet into the oven. Luhan sets a timer on his phone for 30 minutes and Joonmyun is twitching with impatience long before the smell of caramelizing sugar starts to fill the room with a warm fragrance.

The students keep occupied by mingling and introducing each other to their friends and family as the party guests start to arrive. Joonmyun meets Chanyeol's sister Yura, who gives a them a slideshow from a camroll of photos featuring her daughter that's even more extensive than Chanyeol's. Minseok shows up early as well, and thankfully he keeps Luhan occupied with recordings of matches between the teams in their intramural soccer league while Yixing is busy helping Kyungsoo get the icy ready in one of the industrial mixers at the back of the kitchen.

Joonmyun floats through the growing crowd, nodding hello to neighbors and acquaintances. He tries not to let his impatience show on his face as he waits for Baekhyun to arrive. He ends up hovering on the edges of a conversation between Yura and Luna until Tao drags him away to meet his friend Sehun.

"It's nice to meet you!" Joonmyun pockets his phone to shake Sehun's hand, a little resentful since he'd rather be checking his texts in case Baekhyun has just contacted him.

"I'm Tao's best friend," Sehun says as he flips his fringe back from his forehead, "it's nice to meet you, too."

"I only brought him because Yixing said I couldn't bring my puppy to the party." Tao makes a face at his guest, but his pout quickly slides into a smile when he yanks Joonmyun and Sehun into his either side to snap a selfie on his phone.

After Tao takes another twenty shots of the three of them, Joonmyun takes over to play photographer with Sehun's phone this time. The two of them pose behind a sullen faced Kyungsoo with the mixer front and center as a focal point for another album's worth of pictures.

The room is crowded with hungry guests and ringing with laughter by the time Luhan's phone alarm sounds. Kyungsoo pulls the cake from the over with Yixing's trusty hot mitts and Yixing directs everyone to line line up to receive a piece. They glop spoonfuls of the colored frosting on the steaming slices instead of waiting for it to cool first and dig in with plastic utensils.

Joonmyun hangs back at the end of the queue, thumbing through his messages again with a worried frown. The last he heard from Baekhyun was only a few hours ago this morning, at which point he had still been planning to come.

thanks for the address! see you at 11:00, the last text in his message inbox reads. Joonmyun dials Baekhyun's number to check up on him in case he got lost or something, and is just about to head out to the parking lot to scour the horizon for Baekhyun's yellow car when the back doors open and the man in question steps inside.

"There you are!" Joonmyun's exclamation of relief is drowned out in the noise of the crowd. Baekhyun hovers near the doorway, tugging at the red cap shoved low on his forehead. The brim is turned sideways and sticks out over his left ear. He's in khaki shorts and a tight fitting polo, the pink knit a bright shade that clashes with the dark red of his cap. It's the first time Joonmyun's seen him out of the professional wardrobe he wears to the office, which is a bit odd for a moment but Joonmyun brushes that thought aside, focusing instead on how good Baekhyun looks, and how happy he is to see him.

"Hey! I'm so glad you made it," Joonmyun calls again over the cluster of bodies still blocking his way. Baekhyun, trapped in a pocket of space near the doors, notices him this time and stretches onto his toes as he lifts his hand in a wave.

Chanyeol ambushes Baekhyun before he can say anything in reply, however. He knocks Baekhyun's hat awry with his fist and exclaims loudly in greeting, "Yo, Byun! What are you doing here, man?"

Baekhyun makes a strained face at him and hisses something Joonmyun can't hear.

"Oh, sorry! That's right! I should call you Agent Byun now, eh? Pretty slick work on the last assignment! Corporate was pleased you got those files in on time, a week ahead of deadline actually!" Chanyeol laughs, a deep chuckle that rumbles ominously in the pit of Joonmyun's sinking stomach.

The rest of Chanyeol's words come in and out of Joonmyun's range of hearing as he dodges around Zhou Mi, Jongin's very tall and very friendly swimming instructor from last summer. Baekhyun is making slashing motions across his throat now. Chanyeol turns to check behind him, squinting into the crowd near where Joonmyun is standing.

Chanyeol catches sight of Joonmyun just as he slips out of the knot of people and sidles up to stand by Baekhyun, the confused look twisting his features transitioning to a look of horror. His facial acrobatics would be comical if Joonmyun didn't feel like vomiting his breakfast all over Zhou Mi’s dockers. The waves of nausea continue to flood him as his brain struggles to catch up with the overload of confusion and betrayal his nervous system is already reeling from.

Surely this can't mean what it sounds like, Joonmyun's brain tries to rationalize even as the stricken look on Baekhyun's face tells him otherwise, surely--

"H-hi, boss," Baekhyun says, the last word slipping through his lips in a voiceless murmur that Joonmyun hears distinctly nonetheless.

"Oh shit," Chanyeol says, and Joonmyun knows when his cooking classmate claps a hand over his own mouth that the angry sea of intuition roiling in his gut must be accurate.

"I didn't know you two know each other!" Joonmyun can feel his lips waver as he fights to keep a polite smile in place. His eyes are pricking with sharp points of anger, but his gut just feels sick, sick, sick.

"No need for introductions then." Baekhyun is staring at the floor. He doesn't look up when Joonmyun lays a gentle hand on his arm.

"I-I can explain every--!" Chanyeol starts in a panicked tone, but Baekhyun pulls away with a fierce shake of his head. Joonmyun's chest collapses in another heartbroken spasm as Baekhyun pushes through the double doors and sprints into the parking lot. "I can--explain," Chanyeol repeats in a weak voice, but Joonmyun shakes his head and pushes past him to the exit. The squeal of door hinges draws stares from Zhou Mi and a few of the other party guests but Joonmyun is too intent on his mission to care.

"Baekhyun? Baek!" Joonmyun cups his hands around his mouth to project his voice as he dashes through the rows of vehicles outside. Baekhyun's car is still in sight at the end of the block, the yellow caboose to the train of pickups and SUVs overflowing from the parking lot. "He can't have gone far, where..." Joonmyun mutters to himself as he slows to a jog, panting as he rounds to the back of the community center kitchen.

He doesn't have to run far. Joonmyun finds him crouched up against a brick wall in the back, the brim of his red cap tucked against his pulled up knees.

"Hey. Can we talk for a bit?"

Baekhyun raises his head at the quiet request. Joonmyun sucks in a sharp breath at the sight of his blotchy face and red-rimmed eyes. He's either been crying or is on the verge of tears, and Joonmyun's heart squeezes yet again with the sudden urge to wrap him up in his arms. He aches to give his usually self assured intern a comforting hug like he does whenever Jongin comes in with a bloody knee from skateboarding, or when Luhan accidentally snaps one of his favorite calligraphy brushes in half. Well, maybe not in exactly the same way, Joonmyun thinks with a wry twist of his lips as he sinks to crouch beside Baekhyun. He's definitely never wanted to wipe the pinched frown away from Luhan's lips with the tip of his pinky finger or maybe even his own--

"So you must kinda hate me, huh?" Baekhyun's laugh is tight in his chest, the kind Joonmyun might describe as bitter if it didn't sound so completely and utterly sad. "For ruining your sleep for the past month over the data leak scares, and for basically lying to you, and--god! I feel so terrible, Joonmyun, that this is the way you had to fight out about everything, with me messing up another joyous occasion."

"Hey now, who said you messed up anything? Maybe if you just take a deep breath and explain the details from the beginning--"

"Why? You want me to explain it all so you can hate me in detail?"

"No, I don't think I could ever hate you, Baekhyun." Joonmyun forces his mouth into a smile and forces his arms to stay folded across his chest. As much as he's longing to reach out to Baekhyun with a comforting touch, he should probably save that until after they've talked, once everything's clear and he knows where they stand. "You don't have to tell me anything if you don't want to, but I'd really like to know what Chanyeol was telling you about inside. Am I correct in understanding that you've been working undercover in my branch office under R&V orders? Some kind of internal corporate espionage assignment?"

"Yeah, basically." Baekhyun's voice breaks on a hiccup. He sniffs hard, once, twice. Joonmyun is glad Baekhyun's not crying, though. He's not sure his heart could take it without sending him into action, but even these dry sobs tearing from Baekhyun's chest as miserable to witness. It's almost worse, knowing Baekhyun is holding back his emotions when Joonmyun just wants to share them all, to comfort them and reassure him until everything is better and Baekhyun's smile matches the bright sunny sky above them once more.

"Ah, come on," Joonmyun groans into the heel of his hand, "just talk to me, please?" How am I supposed to make you feel better if I don't know what's wrong?

Baekhyun shrugs again, a disjointed jerk of his shoulders as he draws breath, like a marionette doll falling apart.

"May I at least ask why I was subject to investigation?" Joonmyun laughs, trying to coat his question in a shroud of nonchalance, though his choked off laughter must give his confusion away. It's not that he blames Baekhyun for this situation, for simply following Corporate's orders, but this hurts. It pains Joonmyun to find out that the company he's dedicated his life and love to suspects him of wrongdoing enough to hire another employee to snoop through Fresh Fresh's files instead of just ordering a routine audit, as is procedure.

"This is gonna sound crazy, because it kind of is." Baekhyun studies his upturned palms as he hums a frustrated whimper under his breath, trying to put his thoughts together into words. "Basically, you're too brilliant for your own good, boss. The fiscal results of the last several terms have been unreal. Well, we went over those charts together, you know what I mean."

"You mean Corporate suspected some funny business going on at Fresh Fresh?" Joonmyun is so shocked he laughs aloud, though nothing about this situation is particularly funny.

"Yup. And not only that, but you're so…perfect, boss. The great family man, the committed employee and beloved manager. You're clean. Too clean. You have to admit in this day and age that it does look a bit suspicious when a senior level manager has never even stolen a paperclip. Like, what are you doing with all of that power?"

"Oh gee," Joonmyun snorts in disbelief, "please don't tell me the board of directors has some conspiracy theory involving me and the mafia!"

"Well..." Baekhyun side eyes him from under the brim of his cap. "No one knew what to think, to be honest. But thanks to some brilliant sleuthing and hacking on my part, your squeaky clean reputation has now been proven absolutely true. Congratulations, you're like the modern day Abe Lincoln."

"If only I had some of his height in compensation," Joonmyun jokes, and is rewarded with a husky laugh from Baekhyun. "So were the cookies part of the plot too? That was you writing those secret admirer notes, right? Were you trying to throw me off your trail by distracting me with another mystery to figure out?"

"No!" Baekhyun's sneakers scuff on the broken pavement as he scrambles to sit up straighter, facing Joonmyun. "No relation! Well, maybe there is a little bit of a connection... I guess I wanted to do something nice for you, because you were such a great boss. And also as a thank you, because you’re really good at baking. The whole office appreciates the food you've been bringing in, and I wanted to return the favor."

"I see." Joonmyun plucks a clover leaf from a snarl of weeds growing up through the cracking asphalt.

"And... I guess I felt a bit guilty going behind your back and all, even though it was under orders," Baekhyun continues with a shaky breath. "Do you--do you think you can find it within yourself to forgive me? It's okay if it takes a while, I understand if you feel betrayed. I guess I'll be transferring to another position soon though, and I just wanted..." He drops his head back between the bridge of his knees.

Joonmyun reaches out with careful fingers to rest his hand on Baekhyun's shaking shoulders. "Of course I'll forgive you, Baek. I do my best not to hold grudges in personal relationships. And as far as betrayal, that's nonsense! You’ve certainly proven your company loyalties this week, eh?" Joonmyun laughs, a soft exhale that rings like the sad echo of church bells on the wind. "But was guilt really your only reason for leaving me those notes?"

"Well…" Baekhyun still doesn't look up, but he arches into Joonmyun's touch as he strokes his hand in soothing circles across his upper back.

"You signed the last one letter, With lo-- Ah, never mind." Joonmyun shakes his head and withdraws his hand back to his own lap.

"With Love and Confection," Baekhyun finishes for him, finally sitting up. "And Joonmyun--is it ok to call you Joonmyun now that you’re not my boss? Well, anyway,” he hurries on without waiting for Joonmyun’s reply to his request, “I really meant that part! Like I said, it was my idea to leave you cookies and stuff, it wasn’t part of the undercover operation at all. You can ask Chanyeol if you want confirmation on that!"

"I believe you," Joonmyun nods, and his smile says he means it.

"So... I’m not hopeful at this point, but I’ll just say this anyway because I’ll seriously regret if I don’t--" Baekhyun inhales a huge gasp of breath through his lips, "--first of all, I admire you because you’re a great manager with incredible vision for product development. Like seriously, Fresh Fresh is going places in the next decade. And also, you’re this patient mentor to new employees, even ones who are complete idiots at operating copy machines, such as yours truly. Not to mention you’re the cleanest upper level management dude Corporate has ever seen, thus the investigation, as I've already explained."

Joonmyun just nods when Baekhyun pauses, waiting for him to catch his breath as he listens to the whoosh of cars passing on the road.

"But beyond all of that stuff, I mean the stuff everybody knows about, you’re an amazing father. Like, even your own kid and also your neighbor stalked my Facebook to tell me that."

”What--?!” Joonmyun is once again too shocked to breathe, the wind knocked right out of him, but as soon as he recovers the faculties of his lungs again he is totally going to murder Luhan. And also ground Jongin’s skateboard to the attic for the next three years and--

”What I’m trying to say is!” Baekhyun is gasping for breath now too, so Joonmyun leans back against the wall, determined not to interrupt him anymore. He just nods and lets Baekhyun continue, “What I'm trying to say here is you’re awesome and I like you! Everyone thinks that, but especially I do. Joonmyun, you have every right to distrust me, considering the less than stellar circumstances we met under, but--please. Please give me another chance to--”

Joonmyun cuts him off with a kiss, panting into Baekhyun’s breathless mouth and sucking in the rest of his oxygen. Baekhyun emerges from the unexpected kiss moments later, wide eyed with a tiny smile spreading his lips in a slow grin.

"Um, wow, that was not the answer I was expecting."

"Thought you had me all figured out?" Joonmyun tries to keep his smirk teasing but he's too happy, the relief and affection surging in his chest widening his smile to match Baekhyun's ridiculous grin.

"Well, I did manage to hack you!"

"Yeah...! I'd like an explanation for that one, at some point!" Joonmyun slips an arm around Baekhyun's slim hips and helps him to his feet.

"We'll see," Baekhyun hums, the lilt in his voice twining in a melodic stream that wraps around Joonmyun's ribs til he can't help but squeeze his not-actually-an-intern to his chest. Joonmyun is no longer in crisis about the validity of his affections for Baekhyun. Watching him sprint out the doors of the community center set that straight for Joonmyun, as if Baekhyun's monopoly on his thoughts and fluttery feelings over the past month hadn't been obvious enough.

Oh well, the stress of this summer has all been worth it, Joonmyun thinks as he catches Baekhyun's hand in his and laces their fingers together, especially if he gets to keep Baekhyun as his definitely-more-than-a-friend basically-a-boyfriend. They still have some talking to do, but that can come a bit later. For now, Joonmyun wants to head back in and feed Baekhyun some cake, and then perhaps lick the chocolate traces from his lips while they try that kissing thing again in the backseat of Baekhyun's car.

"Are you...busy after this?" Baekhyun darts a shy look in Joonmyun's direction, but Joonmyun shakes his head with a soft hum.

"Nope! Though I was hoping maybe I could take you out for lunch?"

"Deal!" Baekhyun says, "as long as I get to pick the restaurant!"

"As if I could tell you no," Joonmyun whispers to himself with a resigned sigh, suddenly a bit apprehensive as he realizes the sway Baekhyun already holds over his heart, the young roots of love and confection already taking hold.

"What was that?" Baekhyun turns to him with a sly grin, but Joonmyun shakes his head in denial.

"Noth--!" He can't finish voicing his protests because Baekhyun distracts him with another kiss, pulling Joonmyun into a sheltered spot under the eaves where they have a bit of privacy. Oh well, Joonmyun thinks again, melting against Baekhyun's lips with a contented sigh, he guesses they can wait a bit longer to taste that cake.

one | two

1. I decided suho’s company had to sell something really embarrassing (tampons), and then a week later THIS happened ^^ *facepalm*
2. this is set vaguely in north america, so I used english stage names for characters when appropriate (though not chinese ones).
3. probably the most famous part of wagner’s ring cycle

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