She Doesn't Like Flowers

Coffee

"Morning." Taehyung looked like crap. If he wasn't wearing a different colored shirt she'd think he'd slept in his suit from yesterday. He looked up when he heard her firmly place an object down on his desk.

"Morning...uh..." It took a moment for his brain to process what he saw in front of him. Y/N...had brought him...coffee... "Wha..." His eyes drifted up to her face. She just looked at him and shrugged, taking a sip from her cup.

"I figured you might need some help staying awake." And that was it. That was the last mention of last night. It was closed. Done. It was behind them. She seemed different. He couldn't put his finger on it but she did.

He was too tired to figure it out right now so he decided to not look a gift horse in the mouth and took the coffee. He knew it was more than coffee. A peace-offering.  An 'I'm not going to back out of this contract' offering. Never had he been more grateful for coffee.

"When are we doing the signing?"

"I can have a press conference arranged whenever you want." He paused. "It might be nice to have a week's notice though."

"Why?" She sat on the couch and flipped through the contract copy she'd left on the coffee table last night.

"My friends want to arrange a party."

"Party?"

"Yeah, a celebratory party."

"You mean...what's his name...Ji-min..." She said, not completely sure. She'd seen Taehyung's friends here once or twice, shaken their hands, and then the two that had come with him to apologize to her.

"No, he'll be there though. Hoseok. You haven't met him yet."

"Ah...why?"

"Um..." He fidgeted, looking down unseeingly at his copy of the contract. "...to celebrate this deal."

"Isn't that kind of something we should do?" He sighed and rubbed the nape of his neck.

"Okay, yeah. They want to celebrate...well, the fact that I got you into a partnership with my company." He said hurriedly, feeling slightly embarrassed. He got like that a lot around Y/N, he noticed. He thought he covered it pretty well.  But it was there.  Always feeling like he was saying or doing the wrong thing.

There was a silence.

"I see." She said neutrally. He cleared his throat.

"I guess signing with your company is a big deal in our circles. It's a triumph for me." Her voice was too low, he almost didn't catch her replying words,

"That's cuz you haven't felt up my ass."

"Sorry, what?" Did he hear that right?

"Nothing. Tell me what time and I'll be at your party. Are you ready or do you need another cup?" Wait did she...oh, right. The contract.

-

She bent over, pressing the pen into the paper. Her signature was messy, but it was hers. He let her step back before leaning down to sign under his printed name. It was done. He'd done it. He couldn't help the grin that broke across his face as he turned, hand out, to shake hers. And...

She grinned back.

To both of them, this contract meant more. For him it was the first achievement of the company done entirely under him. For her, it was a sign that she was finally taken seriously. That she could make it on her own efforts. That she didn't have to play their game, she could make the game.

"I'll see you tonight." He leaned forward and whispered in her ear as the cameras flashed.

- 

"I did it." Ryung nodded his head, happy that she was so excited. To see her achieve something at a level she had worked so hard to reach...it made him really happy. So he was sad he'd be putting a dampener on it.

He waited until they were in the car before speaking.

"I have something I need to talk to about." He said, clearing her throat. She grinned.

"A raise? You've earned it."

"Ah...no...but thank you." He cleared his throat again and her smile faded.

"You're nervous...what's wrong?" That was the problem with having worked with her for so long. He knew her like the back of his hand and...well, she knew him as well.

"Um..." He sighed. "I need to take a leave." She looked at him for a moment and blinked.

"Okay. Why?"

"Okay...I get permission before I tell you why?" She raised an eyebrow at him.

"I think you've earned the right to ask me for a leave, Ryung-ssi." He smiled slightly and did a slight bow.

"Thank you, ma'am. It's my wife. Her health hasn't been good. There'll be some medical treatments...I obviously want to be there."

"Ah." She looked away. He knew she didn't want him to go. But she wouldn't make him. "Please take care of your wife. You can come back when her health is completely restored."

"I'll have my duties transferred to a couple of assistants. Your stuff will still get done." He looked at her worriedly. "But the other stuff I do..." She waved her hand dismissively.

"I can take care of myself. I appreciate you always having my back but we both know I can defend myself. And as for the other thing..." She ran her fingers through her hair and smirked. "I think I can handle getting my own answers to sexual frustration."

"I'll leave you the number of the agency I've been using."

"Thank you." She went back to looking out the window.

She relied on Ryung a lot. He was her rock. It would take some getting used to being without him.