Bargain (Not Met) (JungHope)

Deal with a Manager: Extended

Turns out the cure to severe paranoia was addressing the fact that the person was, indeed, paranoid.

"Hoseokie?"

Hoseok nearly threw his meticulous stack of paper right into Taehyung's face.

"Are you okay?" he continued, unfazed by Hoseok's overreacted startle. "You've been acting really jittery lately."

Hoseok could feel the piercing stares of both Jimin and Jungkook.

"Peachy," Hoseok replied, forcing a soft chuckle. "Just, ah, uh, overwhelmed? I've never been able to send so many approval emails for so many projects."

Taehyung grinned at Hoseok's half-assed answer, and Hoseok felt immediate regret for not telling the whole truth. "Well, you better get used to it! It's part of the job, Hoseokie"--had he always called him that? Since when? How did it start?--"so don't stress too much! Want some coffee?"

Before Hoseok could decline (accept) the offer, a steaming cup of Mochaccino was thrust into his open hands.

Hot, was his first thought.

.

.

.

Wait...

"I still haven't paid you back for your ruined shirt!"

It had already been two weeks since the humiliating event, and Hoseok was only able to forget about it due to the mounting stress that came with knowing that demons might be coming to consume his soul. But he had remembered the incident, and it was the thought that count, however little he had apparently put into it.

"Ah." Taehyung pouted. "I would've hoped you had forgotten that by now."

"You did for a little bit there," Jungkook drawled, taking immense pleasure in the frustrated flush that bloomed across Hoseok's cheeks. "Careful, Lover Boy might think you li~ke him!"

I'm going to fucking kill him.

"Ah, well, I got caught up in"--a life-or-death situation that's been causing me great deals of stress, please save me--"work." He rubbed the back of his neck and could feel his boiling blood work its magic there as well. "Anyways! What can I do to pay you back?"

"You don't need to--"

"Ah, no, no!" Hoseok interrupted, already predicting where his response would end up. "Not for the shirt, clearly, since you don't want me to 'waste' my money on dry-cleaning. I mean, like"--he fumbled with his words for a split second before tossing out whatever came to his mind first because he was rambling by that point--"for the coffee."

Jungkook snorted whereas Jimin smiled softly.

"'For the...coffee...?'" Taehyung repeated, tongue slow and heavy as he said the ridiculous phrase out loud. "I--what?"

"Twice!" Hoseok exclaimed, startling Taehyung into a neutral expression. "You've gotten me coffee twice, so now I owe you two favors."

A beat of silence drifted through the cubicle.

And just as quickly, it was broken by Jungkook's poorly repressed laugh.

Hoseok managed to perfectly repress the growl threatening to escape his windpipe and gave Jungkook a side-eyed glare. The demon returned his glare with a toothy grin.

"You're adorable, hyung," he sing-sang.

"C'mon," Jimin sighed, elbowing Jungkook in the side. "Don't tease him when he has company."

"Hoseokie?" Hoseok snapped his eyes back up toward Taehyung's, which had magically appeared way closer than they were previously. "Are you sure you're okay? You just kinda spaced out there..."

Hoseok gave Taehyung a shaky grin. "Don't worry about me, Taehyung-ah. I'm just a bit, ah..." He drifted off, eyes drawn toward the shift of movement in his peripheral vision. He barely managed to hold back his grimace upon realizing that it was just Jungkook moving closer toward them.

He returned his attention to Taehyung, ignoring Jungkook with all his might. "Uh, I'm just a bit tired. New roommates' been driving me nuts."

Taehyung released a low whistle just in time for Jungkook to be stood directly behind him. "Damn, didn't realize you had it that rough. Is that why you're so grateful whenever I give you coffee? It gives you energy physically and mentally?"

Jungkook placed his hands behind Taehyung's head and spread them wide, wiggling his fingers, making it look like Taehyung had a frame erecting out the sides of his head.

"Yes." The reply came out as a mournful sigh. "I swear, sometimes I have to refrain myself from killing the guy." Although, he's already dead.

"Hey!"

Hoseok refrained himself from snorting at Jungkook's angry squawk and finally decided to take a sip of his coffee. "Ah, Mocha again," he muttered. "Thanks! I really like this one." He aimed a wide smile toward Taehyung. "Keeps my blood sugar up."

Taehyung returned the smile with a dazzling grin of his own, stunning Hoseok into an open-jawed stare. "Glad to have pleased you. Now, about those favors..." Hoseok snapped his mouth closed. "What did you have in mind, exactly?"

"I dunno, to be completely honest. But I can always help you out if you find yourself stumped with work!"

"That's nice and all, hyung, but aren't you already swamped with your own work? I don't want to burden you any more than you already are."

"Then what do you suggest?"

Taehyung gave pause at that, glancing off to the side and placing his hand against his chin, rubbing it thoughtfully.

And Jungkook decided now was the perfect time to make his move.

He slinked out from behind Taehyung, sent Hoseok a devilish smirk (one that sent frightful shivers down Hoseok's spine), and melted into Hoseok's shadow. A wave of nausea stormed through Hoseok's body, but he fought against it, not allowing Jungkook to do...whatever it was he was doing.

What was he doing? Hoseok found himself wondering, choking down the raw consistency rising up his throat.

By the time his pain receptors finally settled down into a dull ache from their spiking heat, Taehyung had finally decided on what to say: "Help me find someone."

Curiosity rose inside Hoseok. "'Find someone?' Is it someone who works at the company?" Hoseok could see Taehyung bristle at his innocent question and second-guessed if what he said was the correct way to approach the strange request. "Er, sorry. Guess you would've found them by now if they did, huh?"

Taehyung nodded solemnly. "Yeah. They disappeared a while ago, and I've been trying to track them down."

Hoseok cocked his eyebrow up questioningly. "Are they someone you want to get revenge on or something?"

Hoseok could visibly see Taehyung struggle with himself for a moment. "Or something."

A wry smile. "Okay then! It's a deal!"

A/N - And thus Hobi locks himself into yet another deal that'll bring him one year closer to death :)