Sometimes Sweetly, Sometimes Achingly

Chapter 7

"She has really nice eyes," Taeyong commented enviously.

Despite all the compliments aimed towards them, Taeyong had never liked his eyes. They were unusually large and doe-like, and he used to think they gave him a deer in headlights look. When he already had such a delicate facial structure, having big eyes made him feel unbalanced. Scary, even.

"I like yours better," Jaehyun said. He reached up and kissed Taeyong on the temple. "You're really pretty, hyung."

Taeyong blushed.)

So it was okay if things were still a little awkward and different. Taeyong was so in love with all the little things Jaehyun did. Hell, he was just so in love with Jaehyun in general.

Every year on Valentine's Day, Hyukjae threw "Couple's Day" at the studio-in which every employee brought in their significant other to spend the day with and introduce to their coworkers. The first time Hyukjae had explained the concept, Taeyong found it ludicrous. But after five years of the tradition, everyone loved it.

"So why does Hyukjae-hyung do this again?" Jaehyun questioned as they walked into the studio. "I mean, I'm never going to complain about missing work, but what's the backstory to this tradition?"

Taeyong shrugged, a skip in his step as he cuddled up to his boyfriend's side. "I tried asking him once, but he just started shouting about how much he believed in love. I'm guessing it was Donghae-hyung's idea and Hyukjae-hyung's too whipped."

"Ah. That would explain it," Jaehyun laughed. "Isn't that basically their whole dynamic?"

"Pretty much."

Meeting the other couples was...pure and unchained chaos, to say the least. Some of them like Sunyoung, Taeyeon, Jongin, and Taemin recognized Jaehyun because of their ties to Soojung and Sooyeon, but for the ones who weren't friends with Taeyong or the sisters, it was their first time meeting the mythical Jung Jaehyun. At first, Jaehyun looked taken aback by all the attention, but then he slowly grew into it and started conversing with the others.

At lunchtime, Taeyong brought Jaehyun over to the staffroom where the usual crew resided. Jongdae and Sunyoung, who for once weren't bickering, sat before a stack of folders and planning papers. Taeyong guessed it was for their upcoming wedding, which was now only two months away. Baekhyun was perched on the lap of a man with long limbs and ears that stuck way out to the sides. Kyungsoo, who was single, didn't seem to mind being the fifth wheel. He even helped Jongdae and Sunyoung with their plans and talked casually to Chanyeol (ah, that's right, Taeyong remembered. Kyungsoo and Chanyeol were best friends, and Kyungsoo was the reason Chanyeol and Baekhyun met in the first place).

At the regular table, Ten wasn't quite sitting on Johnny's lap, but the way he preened back and rested his head on Johnny's shoulder gave off the same effect. Yuta and Sicheng were talking to a girl Taeyong didn't recognize. She had a slim build and a kind face, with a wide forehead and expressive eyes. He assumed she was Sejeong, Doyoung's girlfriend, by the way Doyoung had an arm around her shoulder.

Taeyong sat down next to Jungwoo, who kept nervously checking his phone. Oddly enough, he was the only one who was alone.

"Is Lucas here?" Taeyong asked.

Jungwoo bit his lip. He looked like he was about to cry. "He couldn't get out of morning shift at the record store, but he said he'd be here by one. It's almost two; where is he?"

Just as the words left his mouth, a tall, lanky man ran into the room and tripped over absolutely nothing.

"Ah," Taeyong remarked. "I guess that's him."