For Your Protection- Sookai

The Smell of Almonds

The work day was finally over. Hyuka wanted nothing more than to go home, kick his feet up and relax with a large cup of hot chocolate. Seeing Soobin in lobby prevented that. Wanting to get this over with, he mumbled "hey".

"Hey. Thank you so much for meeting with me! Do you want some coffee?"

Hyuka shook his head. Getting a drink implied a long conversation. He didn't think there was much to talk about.

"Not a coffee fan? We have pretty good hot chocolate. I'll get you one!" Soobin left before the younger could turn him down again.

Hyuka slumped into a chair to await a beverage he didn't want, especially in the middle of summer. Other interns waved him "goodbye". He wished he could join them. Before he knew it, Soobin came back. From reading the label on both of the cups, it looked like they had the same thing. "Thanks." He popped the lid off to see what's inside. A large swirl of whipped cream topped the dark chocolatey beverage. While it burned his mouth, he had to admit it did taste pretty good. It was rich yet not sickly sweet.

"Do you like it?"

"I do. It's better than I thought it would be." Hyuka noticed people were staring at them again. The more time he spent here, the more he was reminded of Rikers. Coorporate America and prison had a lot of similarities. Both leaders of their territories had an interest in him. The only difference being the blonde wanted to fuck him while the ring leader wanted to use him as a mule. "What did you want to talk about?"

Soobin drummed his fingers on the side of the cup after popping the lid off. Sweet steam blessed his nose. His leg bounced beneath the table. He had to resist chewing his lip or else it'd start bleeding again. "Can we go to my office?"

"You're the boss. You don't need to ask."

"You're off the clock."

"Doesn't change the fact that I just work for you."

"Right... you work for me..."

Hyuka's guts tensed when he saw how sad the blonde became. Soobin looked cute when he sulked. He hid his feelings by putting his lid back onto his cup. Something smelled off when he reached for the other one. "Let's go to your office."

"Okay." Soobin's gummy smile wouldn't leave when he followed the younger to the elevator. Kai was cute when he walked.

The doors closed. One bodyguard was standing behind Hyuka while the other was waiting for another elevator to come. The smell of Soobin's drink was still throwing him off. It bothered him enough to ask. "Did you add any almond to your drink?"

"No? Why?"

"Just curious. Did you get the same thing as me?" Hyuka calmly grabbed the one in the blonde's hand and replaced it with his own. He wasn't inconspicuous enough.

Soobin started freaking out. "Yes? Why? What's wrong?"

Hyuka looked back at the bodyguard then smelled the beverage again. An almond scent was definitely there. There was cyanide in the drink. "I think your drink was poisoned."

"What?!"

"Look at me." Hyuka put his free hand firmly on the blonde's shoulder. "It's only a suspicion. You didn't drink any right?"

"No!"

"Soobin look into my eyes." The elevator doors opened but Hyuka refused to move. His grip on the blonde's shoulder remained firm while the bodyguard was quietly calling for an office lockdown. "You're okay. Did you watch them make your drink? Did you see anything suspicious?"

"No! I was... I was looking at you..."

The knot in Hyuka's stomach returned. Alarms blared. An announcement through the intercom instructed that no one was allowed in or out of the facility until the police give the clear. The hand on the blonde's shoulder slipped to his wrist. He lightly grabbed it then pulled them into the office. In the back of his mind, he really wished he had his gun.

Soobin hyperventilated in his office chair. The younger knelt below him and walked him through breathing exercises. Hearing the sirens down the road didn't help his heart rate. "Kai... Kai I can't breathe..."

Hyuka cupped his cheeks then politely demanded "look at me. Just breathe with me. In, hold for four seconds, and breathe out. Good. Let's do it again." The exercise kept repeating until he felt a slower pulse against his palms. His thumb stroked his cheek to comfort him. Secretly, it was to calm them both. "Are you feeling a little better?"

Soobin nodded. The police coming into his office sent his heartrate right back up. Kai was instructed to give them privacy. He begged "no! Let him stay! Please!"

Hyuka left. The bodyguard followed behind. He found himself pulled to the side by the large man and dragged to the end of the hall. Two officers began approaching them. Hyuka quietly spat "can I help you?"

"Why do you think his drink was poisoned?"

"He ordered us the same things. His smelled nothing like mine."

The cops were coming closer. The large man took a step back and looked the intern up and down.

Hyuka was doing the same. The man's face still seemed familiar. He made a mental note to ask his department about it the next time they made contact. "Anything else?"

"You're a cop aren't you?"

"No. That's ridiculous." The bodyguard took another step back when the officers addressed them. Hyuka was pulled into a seperate office for questioning. There wasn't much to tell. He didn't see or hear anything wrong. Only smelled it. After 20 minutes, he was let go.

The building was still under lockdown. Soobin's eyes lit up when he saw Kai leave the room. His instincts were to run and hug him. Instead, he bit his top lip and waved.

Hyuka waved back. The walk up to his boss was a little weird. "Hey. How'd it go?"

"Like every other time. My mom said she's firing my bodyguards. I don't think she's going to let me out of my house now."

"That sucks to hear. I'm sorry."

"The police said you were right. There was cyanide in my drink."

"I'm glad you didn't take a sip."

"I want to hire you."

Hyuka was taken back. This was what he needed but not what he wanted. "Are you sure?"

"You saved my life. I'm sure."

"But I haven't completed the-"

Soobin grabbed the shorter's hand and firmly held it. "-I know. I still want you Kai."

Hyuka's breath became unsteady.

Soobin grabbed the other hand then intertwined their fingers. "Isn't this what you want too? You can turn me down. It's okay. Just tell me what you want."

Hyuka glanced at the blonde's lips. What he truly wanted was to kiss them. He barely knew him yet he all he wanted to do was be around him. His eyes lifted to glance at Soobin's. He saw the same desire. Keeping their relationship on the professional side was going to be the hardest thing he's ever done. The job wasn't over yet though. He needed this to further his case. In an nervous breath, he said "I want the job."