little clips in time

little clips in time (oneshot)

It's a regular day at the company. Team 1 is chilling at their respective desks, waiting for a mission to be assigned to them. Kim Rok Soo likes days like this. He hopes no calls come for the rest of the day. He'd rather spend his time playing solitaire on this old-fashioned computer the tech team managed to set up for their team.

Click. Click click.

With the last click and drag, Kim Rok Soo drops the final card in place and completes the round. Celebratory fireworks pop up across his screen, bright and glittery.

Choi Jung Soo slow claps for him the way he has done throughout the day whenever Kim Rok Soo wins a game. The man is bored out of his mind and has read every single book they have in the office. With nothing else to entertain his mind, he has taken to doing workouts, singing songs, and watching Kim Rok Soo play.

"Oh wow, Rok Soo. Your nails are getting pretty long," Choi Jung Soo remarks.

Kim Rok Soo lifts his fingers from the mouse and takes a look at his fingernails. They are pretty long; the white part of his cuticle is almost half as long as the pink part.

"Hm," he hums in acknowledgement and then starts a new round of exciting Solitaire.

"Uh? That's it? You ain't gonna cut em'?" Choi Jung Soo gasps as he grabs Kim Rok Soo's hand. "Look! You're gonna break a nail!"

"I'm too lazy to cut them."

"Wha???"

Choi Jung Soo would understand if Kim Rok Soo is lazy on days with long and tiring missions. On those days, Kim Rok Soo would return to the office and sit slumped in his chair, not moving a finger, looking like he was about to pass away. But on peaceful days like this when nothing is going on? There's no excuse.

Why is their maknae so lazy? How does he even manage to do basic self-care stuff if even this is too troublesome?

"Please tell me you brush your teeth every day," Choi Jung Soo begs. "Please, Rok Soo."

Their conversation has gotten Lee Soo Hyuk's attention. Their team leader is no longer looking over paperwork. Instead, he has his arms propped on the desk, his chin resting on his palm as he watches them. There's a fond smile on his face.

Kim Rok Soo glances at Lee Soo Hyuk and continues playing his game of Solitaire. "Of course. I don't want my teeth to decay. It'll hurt and I won't be able to eat."

"Cracked nails hurt too!" Choi Jung Soo says, desperate to convince Kim Rok Soo.

"If you're too lazy, should I cut them for you?" Lee Soo Hyuk joins in with a grin.

Kim Rok Soo thinks for a moment. He clicks and drags another card to the right place. "Hmm."

"Okay! We'll cut your nails for you!" Choi Jung Soo decides with a huff. He digs through his drawers and fishes out his collection of nail clippers. Each one has a different design, and one of them even has a tiny black dragon figurine dangling from its end. Kim Rok Soo doesn't understand why Choi Jung Soo needs so many nail clippers, but the man seems to enjoy collecting weird things.

Lee Soo Hyuk rolls his chair over to join in on the fun.

Choi Jung Soo makes a grand sweeping gesture across his desk. "Take your pick, hyung!"

"Let's see..." Lee Soo Hyuk makes a show of selecting one. "I like the Hawaii pattern on this one, but it doesn't seem to fit our maknae. Ah, this cat paw one is cute."

Kim Rok Soo pays no mind to their shenanigans. They all have their own ways of entertaining themselves on days like this, and he won't take this away from them. If they want to clip the nails on his hands, then whatever, it saves him the work of doing so himself.

Choi Jung Soo finds his place on the edge of Kim Rok Soo's desk. He sits down and holds out a palm. "Rok Soo, hand!"

Kim Rok Soo obediently offers his free hand without even looking.

But then Lee Soo Hyuk grabs the armrest of Kim Rok Soo's office chair and spins him around by 90 degrees. Kim Rok Soo ends up gripping Choi Jung Soo's hand in surprise.

"Hey-" Kim Rok Soo's protests die in his throat when Lee Soo Hyuk grabs his left leg and rests his heel on a firm thigh. He doesn't know what Lee Soo Hyuk is doing at first, but then Lee Soo Hyuk starts untying his shoelaces. He removes Kim Rok Soo's black boot and sock, and then, finally, Kim Rok Soo's scarred foot is resting in large, calloused hands.

"Team Leader. You don't have to."

"You have nails on your feet too," Lee Soo Hyuk says with a smile, grabbing Kim Rok Soo's toe and wriggling it. It feels ticklish, and Kim Rok Soo has to hold the armrest of his chair with his free hand to stabilize himself. "And look, they're so long! Who knows when you'll cut them if we leave you alone."

They start to clip his nails carefully, and the office is filled with the clicking sound of the nail clippers.

Flabbergasted, Kim Rok Soo's eyes bounce between Choi Jung Soo and Lee Soo Hyuk, who have their heads lowered as they concentrate on helping him clips his nails. His hand and foot feel warm from where they're holding him in place.

The sight of two buff men serving him was... strange.

A sense of embarrassment floods Kim Rok Soo and colours his cheeks a faint pink.

"Hey, stop. I can do it myself."

Kim Rok Soo tries to pull his foot away, but Lee Soo Hyuk holds on even tighter.

"No, you clearly said you were too lazy to do it," Lee Soo Hyuk chuckles. He glances up at Kim Rok Soo's expression and his smile widens further. "Aigoo, seems like our maknae is feeling shy."

Kim Rok Soo groans and covers his face.

Choi Jung Soo beams as he finishes a finger. Only a millimetre of the white part of the nail is left, and it's a perfect curve. "Where can you find hyungs as nice as us?"

"You're not my hyung, Choi Jung Soo. We're born on the same day."

"I was born in the morning! Come on Rok Soo, let me have this. Can't you just call me hyung? Even once? Please?"

"..." The word 'hyung' is stuck in Kim Rok Soo's throat. It's too embarrassing to say it.

"No," he says instead.

Choi Jung Soo pouts and pinches Kim Rok Soo's finger hard. In retaliation, Kim Rok Soo kicks Choi Jung Soo's calf with his right foot. "Ow! Aigoo, look at this uncute punk. How can you treat me like this after all I've done for you? I should've used the boring plain silver nail cutter instead of my favourite black dragon one."

"Stop teasing him," Lee Soo Hyuk says with a laugh. "What if he makes us stop? He'll have half-cut nails."

"Oops. Let's hurry then."

What is he, a skittish cat? Why are they acting like pet owners having a hard time clipping their pet's nails? He's sitting perfectly still, okay?

Kim Rok Soo sighs and watches them have fun clipping his nails. Despite his show of reluctance though, his heart feels very warm.