The sky is monochrome, painting a gloomy mural over the city as the clouds let out a mournful cry. Rain pelts down onto Jungkook who runs with a hand covering his hair, trying to prevent the droplets of water from disheveling his already ruffled brown locks. He finally stumbles into the building, his grey suit now patched with spots of water. He looks rather messy with his wild hair and odd socks but he tries to ignore that fact- along with the scrutinising looks that glance his way- as he rushes to the elevator.

He enters the structure and taps his foot impatiently as mild piano music accompanies his ascend. He checks his watch and curses upon seeing the time. He is forty minutes late to work.

Jungkook isn't usually the type to be late for work, in fact, he's someone who would wake up an extra hour earlier just to make sure he's on time. But today was a different story. Jungkook woke up at the same time as he does and checked his phone, only to find a text message from Brianna.

Bri: Hey, Kook. Don't forget your mums appointment is at seven am today! Make sure she gets there on time.

Jungkook's eyes flew open and he frantically called a taxi. He chucked on his work clothes as fast as he could, woke up his younger brother and got him ready for school as the younger cried about being up too early, and then lead all three of them into the taxi. By the time he left the hospital Jungkook was already pretty late and so he had sprinted all the way to King's Corps, knowing that the next bus would take too long to come and that a taxi would be too expensive to use again.

And so now Jungkook is here, wet, disheveled and late. It seems like its just not his day today.

~

The weight of the door seems heavier as Jungkook pushes it open, his movements hesitant as trepidation resides within him. He exhales a small breath and enters the office, his heart beat accelerating as he does so.

Mr Kim sits at his desk with a frown resting on his face as he stares at his computer. At the sound of the door opening followed by a light knock, he lifts his eyes from his work to watch the boy who meekly enters the room.

He stares at Jungkook, not uttering a single word to him. Both men continue to simply breathe within the shallow pit of silence and ironically, it makes Jungkook feel breathless. He's never liked this type of silence. The silence that claws its way up his back and wraps itself around his throat, suffocating him. It isn't tranquil or peaceful or serene. This silence served on a platter of hostility is foreboding.

Just as foreboding as Mr Kim's dark eyes.

"I'm sorry I'm la..."

"Shut up," Taehyung's voice cuts through like a blade, sharp with this finality to it that it has Jungkook freezing in his spot.

The brunette looks up hesitantly and feels his breath hitch when he finally meets his bosses eyes. Firm, fixated and deadly. The black orbs of burnt charcoal burns into him with rage, staring him down to the point he feels his hands tremble.

Jungkook gulps down the lump that forms in his throat as Taehyung stands up and walks towards him. Taehyung's usual dark aura has a new intensity to it, a new depth that has Jungkook stumbling back towards the door.

The ravenette stops directly in front of the brunette, his jaw clenched and eyes piercing.

"Sir, I-I I'm sorry for being late," Jungkook stutters out while gulping. He knew that Taehyung would be mad at him for being late but he didn't expect this level of anger, this level of rage.

But then Taehyung holds a small stack of papers in front of Jungkook's face. "This yours?"

Jungkook furrows his eyebrows and looks at the file. Weren't these the papers that he gave Kimberly the other day?

"Ye-yeah," he mutters.

Taehyung's clenched jaw only tightens. "Read it."

Jungkook hesitantly takes the papers and starts to read through them. He skims past the words and furrows his eyebrows as he notices how...how poorly the documents are written. Grammatical mistakes, analytical errors, missing data, false dates. The standard of the file is atrocious. It almost looks like it was deliberately made bad. Like it was done of purpose.

Jungkook's breath hitches as realisation hits him. Did that Kimberly girl try to sabotage his work? Jungkook frowns at the thought.

"You didn't do this, did you?" Taehyung asks while grabbing back the work from Jungkook.

Jungkook looks up with a surprised expression.

Taehyung laughs humourlessly, "I've seen your work before, this isn't how it's done. Who made this file, Jeon, tell me?"

Jungkook looks down, gulping. "I-I...I gave them to Ms Kim."

Taehyung grips the smaller's jaw and then lift his chin up to make him face him again. "Why?"

Jungkook anxiously nibbles on his lower lip as he stares into the older man's eyes. "S-She said she'll do them for me..." he whispers out.

Taehyung's eyes flare with a fiery rage. "And you let her?" He spits out lowly.

Jungkook gulps and slightly nod, his movements restricted by the tight hold on his chin.

"What were you thinking?! Letting someone else take responsibility for your work?" Taehyung suddenly bellows.

Jungkook flinches back at the man's harsh tone.

"When I give you a task, it's up to you to complete it, no one else, understand?" He growls. "You do no give anyone your work, no matter how hard you find it."

Jungkook nods quickly while staring at the floors, his body looking ever so small as the taller man continues to yell at him.

Taehyung grips the boy's jaw once again and forces him to look up. "Don't be naive, Jeon. No one will willingly do your work out of the kindness of their heart. The world doesn't work like that. You trust people too easily and that's going to lead you to your downfall," he pauses, his eyes passing with an indecipherable expression.

"You're hopeful, optimistic and have a kind heart," Taehyung tightens his grip on the boy's face. "And that's going to hurt you, Jeon."

He lets go of the smaller boy and Jungkook stumbles back, looking close to tears. "If you don't think you can manage the workload on your own, if you feel incompetent to do so, then I suggest you just leave. I don't want you here as a liability."

The words are harsh, a slap across Jungkook's face. He is so used to hearing Taehyung's softer words and playful pet-names that he almost forgot how cold the man could be. But Jungkook knows that right now he deserves his coldness. He was foolish and let others take on his work, he was being irresponsible. Taehyung never says it out loud but this company means a lot to him, he works hard to keep it in high regard. And so when it comes to workers doing their job, he is strict. And Jungkook, despite having this strange sort of soft spot in the older's heart, is no exception to that rule. Jungkook knows this.

And so Jungkook feels ashamed for letting the man down. He repeats his words in his head. I suggest you just leave. Despite only arriving here a few days ago, he's messed up multiple times. He wonders why Taehyung hasn't fired him yet. In Jungkook's opinion, he deserves to be fired. He himself wouldn't want to keep someone incompetent around a company raised through hard work. It leaves a bitter taste in his mouth, the thought of being incompetent, of being a nuisance, of being worthless. Maybe it would be better if he leaves and finds a job where he wouldn't have to worry about stuttering or messing up every other day. Maybe that would be better.

But something deep within him says otherwise. There's this inkling in his heart that has grown along with his attachment to King's Corps, despite it only being a few week. This is his passion, his aspirations, his dreams...

Jungkook slowly looks back up and meet's his bosses burning gaze once again.

...And he'll be a fool to let it all go.

"I can handle the workload, Mr Kim. I will work hard and won't set the company back," he says firmly.

His eyes are hard and glimmering with determination. Taehyung's eyes are cold, almost dead. Taehyung stares at the boy for a few seconds and then sighs.

"Just get back to work," he mutters before walking out of the office.

As soon as the man leaves, Jungkook's raised shoulders and firm stance slightly droops down. Any other worker may not take this so seriously, it was a simple mistake and wasn't even fully his fault but Jungkook can't help but feel a hollow feeling in his gut as a thought passes through his brain.

He disappointed Mr Kim.

-

They say motivation drives hard work but in Jungkook's case, it seems to drive insanity. Like a madman, he has been sitting at his desk after his scolding from his boss and has just been working and working and working. Relentlessly. He's worked on things he's assigned to, documents, papers, brochures, spreadsheets. He's been working on things from the past; data, graphs, surveys and started things from the future; projects, emails, schedules. He works like there's no end to the day because for him, there isn't.

Because this is how he feels he can make himself look worthy. Through work. And he doesn't care if his hands feel numb from typing, or if his eyes sting from the glare of the screen, or if his back aches from sitting for too long. Pain feels trivial when years of hard work and college degrees bearing blood sweat and tears are put in jeopardy. He continues to work, and will continue to work until he physically cannot, until that feeling of guilt and shame that lingers in his gut finally simmers down.

Jungkook doesn't take breaks and he merely glances at the clock to see the time pass. Regardless of that, he knows that it's way past his clock-out time; The shadows casted by the gleaming moonlight tell him so. During the day, Taehyung passes by his desk many times, either to go on a break or to grab a coffee, but not once does he actually look at the boy, not once does he acknowledge his presence. And despite being so absorbed in his work, so distracted from his surroundings, Jungkook doesn't fail to notice this detail and it only worsens that feeling in his gut. And so as if to get rid of Mr Kim disregard, as if to drown out the said feeling in his gut, he works to render himself numb. Typing harder, writing faster, mind running a million miles per second as thousands and thousands of words fly past his eyes.

The effect is exhausting. And the boy looks not short of how his body feels. As the clock keeps whizzing past numbers, as night reaches its youthful climax and slowly starts simmering down into an aged mural of darkness, Jungkook's eyes get heavier, his limbs get drowsier, and his stomach that has been neglected for the day, cramps up in agony. When the clock strikes 4 am, Jungkook's body forcefully retracts away from his keys and he lets out a small breath as he leans back against the chair.

Mr Kim had left a few hours ago and Jungkook was surprised to see how late the man leaves on his normal work days. Jungkook only worked this long for a day and he feels exhausted, he can't imagine how his boss feels. But the brunette is even more surprised when the man enters the room once again, this time in a fresh new suit. Jungkook widens his eyes as he looks at his boss. He was probably gone for 6 hours in total, and Jungkook can't help but wonder, is that all the sleep he gets in a day? Taehyung glances over at the boy who is still seated at his desk and a look of surprise flashes across his face. For a second he looks like he's about to say something but then he just averts his gaze and wordlessly walks back to his desk.

Jungkook deflates. It is clear that Taehyung is still upset with him for his actions and Jungkook hates when his bosses cold strict demeanour is directed towards him. He doesn't know how to make it stop. He doesn't know how to make Taehyung return to being his teasing, slightly cocky boss who would buy him ice cream or give him his scarf when he's cold. Jungkook sighs at the thought before standing up. There's only one thing he can do.

He slightly flinches as he walks towards the man's desk due to the sudden strain on his cramped joints. He stops himself in front of Taehyung who is busy working on his computer and nervously waits for him to look up at him. The man continues his typing and Jungkook anxiously fiddles with his fingers. A few moments pass and Jungkook almost contemplates just running out of the office but then Taehyung finally fixates his hard cold eyes onto him.

Jungkook gulps. "Sir?" He squeaks out, sounding and looking ever so small.

Taehyung just continues to look at the boy wordlessly and so Jungkook hesitantly decides to continue speaking.

He takes a small breath and stares at the man with his big doey eyes, looking frightened and ever so hesitant to speak.

"I'm sorry," he manages to whisper out, quickly averting his gaze to the ground.

Taehyung just stares at the boy. He stares at his small pouty lips, his rosy-hued cheeks and his downcast eyes.

Without warning, Taehyung spins his chair away from his desk and tugs the smaller boy down onto his lap. The movement is so sudden that Jungkook barely registers it and he yelps at the sudden change in position.

Jungkook looks at Taehyung with wide eyes. He blinks once. Twice.

And then before he knows it, Taehyung's lips are on his. He stills at the feeling of the soft plush skin brushing against his own lips but then after a moment passes, he finds himself also giving into the sensation and starts moving his lips against the older's. Maybe if Jungkook isn't so tired and is more alert, he would have started panicking and pulled away. But right now, the feeling of his bosses lips against his own is comforting. After an entire day of neglect from the man, it feels relieving to have a taste of his warmth and affection again. And so Jungkook continues to kiss Taehyung, neither of them daring to pull away.

Their lips mould together in a rush of heated want. Taehyung lightly grazes his teeth along the younger's plush bottom lips and the sensation has Jungkook breathing heavier. The older's hand finds rest on Jungkook's waist, keeping the boy firmly seated on his lap. Taehyung swirls his hot tongue against the boy's own pink tongue before he nips on his lip, causing Jungkook to accidentally let out a quiet whimper. The small sounds only riles the older up and so he kisses the boy with even more force than before, his grip on his waist tightening.

They slightly pull away to catch their breaths as their lungs start to burn with the need for oxygen. Taehyung's lips slightly brush against the boy's sensitive neck and he takes in his sweet scent of vanilla ice cream. His favourite.

"Why are you here so late, Bun?" Taehyung husks against the boy's neck.

Jungkook shivers at the vibrations against his throat and feels his heart swell at the sound of the familiar nickname. He never thought he'd miss hearing that ridiculous name from his boss but after a day of being ignored and having the man condescendingly call him 'Jeon' a few times, the name leaves a warm feeling in his gut.

"I don't like you being mad at me," the smaller mumbles out, sounding a bit sleepy. "Wanted to work more to make up for my mistake," he says and then blinks up at the older, looking ever so small while being seated on the man's laps.

"Fuck," Taehyung curses at how adorable the younger looks in that moment. He moves his lips back onto his and continues to kiss him feverishly. He tugs the boy's white shirt from its neatly tucked position and then runs his hands up his abdomen, grazing his warm smooth skin with his calloused touch. Jungkook's breath hitches at the feeling of the man's hot rough hands rubbing his skin. Taehyung once again pulls away from the boy and then looks at him. Jungkook has his eyes barely opened and his hair is slightly tousled. The sight is ever so endearing that Taehyung wants to smother the boy with more kisses but he also notices how exhausted he looks.

Anyone would be after working 14 hours straight. The thought makes him feel a small pit of guilt accumulate within him because of the harsh words he had said to the younger. He sighs and pulls further away from the boy who unconsciously pouts and furrows his eyebrows at the loss of contact.

"You sleepy?" Taehyung asks while gently running his fingers through the younger's messy hair, his voice sounding slightly strained from all the breathless kissing.

Jungkook blinks slowly, looking about close to falling asleep right then and there. He then nods after a few second, finally seeming to comprehend what the older asked him. Taehyung smiles at the boy's actions and then lightly pushes his head down onto his shoulder.

"You should sleep, Bun."

Jungkook, like a small child protesting to go to sleep despite his obvious need to, lifts his head back up with furrowed eyebrows. He shakes his head, "don't wanna."

Taehyung bites back a smile. "Why not?"

Jungkook tries to think for a moment but then doesn't seem to find a good enough reason not to, and so he drops his head back onto the older's shoulder and lets out a small huff.

Taehyung finally lets his lips break out into a smile and he wraps his arms around the boy's waist once again.

"You smell good," Jungkook mumbles out, completely out of it. If a conscious minded Jungkook sees what he is doing now, sees himself all cuddled up to his boss, sleeping on him, he might just about pass out.

"I do?" Taehyung asks, the small smile still playing on his lips.

"Like Christmas and coconuts," the boy mumbles out mindlessly, on the verge of completely falling asleep.

Taehyung raises his eyebrows. "That's a weird combination..."

"Is not," Jungkook protests quietly.

Taehyung shakes his head amusedly, "Okay okay, Christmas and coconuts, sounds wonderful."

After that, Jungkook is silent for a moment and Taehyung thinks that he might have fallen asleep but then the smaller mumbles something out again, almost inaudibly.

"I'm not gay, I promise."

Taehyung chuckles at the boy's strange words, finding it rather endearing. "Okay Bun, I believe you."

The room then takes on a comfortable silence and Taehyung opts to stare out the window at the vast expanse of stars that rest outside. The orbs of light flicker in a graceful dance, creating a pattern of celestial bodies that shine through the curtains of the moping grey clouds. Taehyung watches the stars with a look of serenity settling in his eyes, relishing in the beauty of the massive sky along with the tender warmth of the tiny boy in his arms. It's a contrast that he could come to love.

But the single thought strips away the serenity from his eyes and replaces it with a hardened expression. Love. When he thinks of the emotion, it doesn't leave a warm gooey feeling in his heart like it would with most people. The mere thought of it leaves him feeling bitter, cold and utterly frightened.