Fleeting looks, hidden smiles and long moments of staring progressed into something much deeper than Kai could handle.
A few things have changed, Kai tracks them all.
Taehyun seems to stick to him more when they're in public. Walking closer to each other, holding his arm when they're approached by someone new at the market, at the street and even at his work. Without verbalizing, Kai realizes unlike the beginning Taehyun is now seeking his security, leaning into the idea of letting Kai do his job, and trusting him to do it right.
Taehyun is... bolder. Long gone the client that didn't bother looking his in the eye let alone talk to him and entered a new Kang Taehyun, one that holds eye contact until Kai is forced to look away so he won't make any mistakes he will regret later.
The hardly noticeable flirting that would brush by anyone but Kai. Taehyun's backhanded comments about Kai's proneness to blush whenever someone compliments him, "cute" Taehyun whispers between his lips when he thinks Kai doesn't hear him.
It's mild, but it's there. And Kai thinks Kang Taehyun will become the bane of his existence for a whole different reason.
...................
"I'll be later than usual." Taehyun updates with an apologetic tone. They've both been at the lab (Taehyun working and Kai slouching in the restroom until he's finished) longer than usual. 13 hours have passed since the morning and Kai had only seen Taehyun in the restroom once for 10 seconds to drink water, go to the bathroom and return back to work.
The end date of the research is in less than two days and according to Taehyun, work has taken a change of pace and he'll need to put in extra hours to make it work. The guy has been working nonstop for 2 days and Kai has begun to get a little worried about his health.
"It seems like I'll be here all night..." as if on cue he rubs his red eyes and stifles a yawn. "You can go back to sleep in my house."
The building's security is high, so whenever Kai is in the lab, he feels free to catch up on the sleep he misses, being the only source of security for Taehyun. To this logic, Kai thinks it's not so bad to leave Taehyun there since he's not all that needed inside of the lab.
But the thought of leaving Taehyun for more than a couple hours makes him slightly anxious and his stomach feels weird. He takes one good look at Taehyun's tired face and God, he has to muster a lot of strength not to pull him closer, take him home and tuck him into bed.
"I'll stay right here, if that's okay with you Mr. Kang."
"Are you sure? You know, there's a whole lot of safety measures here so I'll be okay-"
"I'm sure Mr. Kang." Kai sends a small reassuring smile. "Get back to work now, you." his voice dips deeper.
Taehyun fights a smile, internally grateful that Kai will be staying near him. His ears are bright red from the way Kai looks at him, his eyes radiating warmth. He scratches his nape and responds with a shy affirming nod, scurrying off.
With a sigh, Kai looks at the white clock above the snack machine. He calls beomgyu, knowing the boy he is probably in the middle of an intense game match online, and normally Kai wouldn't bother him at this hour, but it's best friend privilege he has that allows him to bother Beomgyu at any time he wants.
....................
After a few good hours of beauty sleep Kai wakes up in one of the restroom sofas with his phone in one hand and boots still on. He blinks a few times, unblurring his vision. The light coming from the windows tells him that it's way past early morning without having to look at the clock.
