---
everyone was sitting at the dinner table, chatting and enjoying their meal. jake and heeseung were sitting at opposite ends, not even looking at each other.
heeseung ended up coming to work after all, but he did everything to not encounter jake. it has been a rough and awkward week for both of them.
every time jake tried to talk to the latter, heeseung would make up some random excuses so he could leave the room.
niki was sitting next to jake, drinking and talking nonsense about something jake was too bored to listen.
jake stood up to leave, but the younger caught his arm.
"where are you going?" niki asked, his eyes half closed.
"i'm going home. and you should too. you're drunk." jake answered in a raspy and tired voice, removing niki's hand from his wrist. but niki sighed, grabbing jake's hand again and pulling him down.
jake sat on his chair again. "what?" he asked, rolling his eyes.
niki looked at him with puppy eyes. "well, if i'm that 'drunk' someone needs to take care of me. is anyone volunteering?" niki whispered the last question so that no one else could hear him. "see? you're the only one."
jake groaned. "why me?"
niki giggled, interlocking his arm with jake's. "i did you so many huge favours and every time we're having dinner with the others i am left alone, because you and heeseung leave early."
"what huge favours?" jake asked sceptical.
"come on, jaaaakee... convincing everyone you were actually dead wasn't easy. by everyone, i mean mainly heeseung. but you get the idea. and also..." niki stopped suddenly forgetting what he wanted to say.
jake looked at heeseung, who was talking to someone else at the table, then back at niki.
"oh yeah! and also introducing you to sooha! what a coincidence that she was also on the plane... well... not really, i mean the point is. the point is your weren't... which is good but-"
jake interrupted him "okay, niki. i get it. i'll stay with you today."
niki grinned like a cheshire cat slowly and put his head on jake's shoulder. "i'm so happy..."
jake couldn't help but smile at him. niki was truly adorable like that.
niki suddenly turned his head towards the latter, a little to close for jake's comfort. he was not smiling anymore, instead he looked at jake like he was studying his eyes.
jake looked confused and tried to distance himself from niki.
"some soju?" niki asked in a weird tone. much deeper than his usual one, which made jake slightly flinch.
jake looked away. "didn't you have enough already?"
niki smirked "no."
