Bargain (Not Met) (JungHope)

Deal with an Angel: Terminated

Evening approached quickly afterward, Hoseok's cubicle its usual bustle of noise after days of stilted silence. Seokjin took notice, and Hoseok kind of missed his nosy coworker.

"I've meant to ask this, but since Taehyungie-nim didn't seem to have a problem with it, I figured that this was just a thing now," was the first thing Seokjin had to say to Hoseok. "But, Hoseok-ah, why is there an unregistered stranger inside your cubicle?"

Jungkook whirled around toward Seokjin with a gaping mouth. "Oh, hey! I remember you!" he said in lieu of a greeting, or perhaps an introduction.

Seokjin glanced over to Hoseok with raised brows, muted bewilderment hidden in his wide, wide eyes. Hoseok gestured between the two of them with casual formality. "Jungkook-ah, this is Seokjin-hyung. You know, the first guy I revealed you to." He grinned at Seokjin's uncomprehending expression, all twisted and unflattering. "Seokjin-hyung, this is Jungkook-ah, the demon I was telling you about last month."

Jungkook waved his hand in greeting. "Haven't seen you a while. How've you been, Seokjin?"

Seokjin sputtered in response, pointing an accusatory finger at Jungkook's relaxed form. "You?! You're the guy who's been living in Hoseok's shadow?!"

"Well, actually, I haven't been doing that lately. I heard it takes a toll on my client's body whenever I do."

"Praise the Lord, you do listen to me when I talk," Hoseok said while placing his hand over his eyes dramatically.

"Wait, wait!" Seokjin exclaimed hastily. "I thought this guy was supposed to be seen only by you! Why can I see him?"

"Some developments have happened during your absence, and Jungkook can now be seen by regular people," Hoseok explained while packing his unfinished reports and laptop into his bag. "Anyways, it was nice catching up with you, hyung, but I kinda want to get some sleep for once." He pulled his coat on and gave Seokjin a mock salute in farewell. "'Night, hyung." He slung his bag onto his back and beckoned Jimin and Jungkook to follow him in his departure. They left Seokjin to his stunned silence with little reluctance.

"That was kind of cruel, Hoseok-hyung," Jimin said once they were in the confines of the elevator.

"Nah," Hoseok rebutted. "If he really cared, he would've followed after us or pointed Jungkook out a lot sooner." They reached the ground floor and stepped out of the elevator in quick succession. "I think the gossip's running dry in our department, so he's circled back to me."

"Human relationships are much more complex than I thought," was all Jimin had to speculate on the matter.

They exited the building, and just as they were about to start their journey back toward Hoseok's apartment, a sudden call of Hoseok's name stalled them. Hoseok turned toward the voice curiously and startled when the figure that accompanied the shout turned out to be Taehyung. Running while frantically waving a parchment of paper, Taehyung approached their party with a giddy urgency.

"Hoseokie!" Taehyung shouted once again, nearly nose-to-nose with the office worker.

"Taehyung-ah?" Hoseok replied, puzzled, and stepped away from Taehyung's intrusive form. "What are you doing here? I thought you clocked out already."

Taehyung shook his head and used his free hand to grasp Hoseok's wrist. He tugged, and Hoseok had no choice but to follow the manager as he dragged them the opposite direction of Hoseok's apartment—toward the library. "I never went back after lunch, so I never clocked out," he explained with an air of impatience.

Hoseok gasped scandalously. "Taehyung! You can't just ditch work—"

Taehyung whirled around and pressed a finger to Hoseok's lips, instantly shutting him up. "That's beside the point, Hoseokie," he said sternly. Hoseok nodded his head in understanding, and Taehyung lowered his finger and turned away to continue their travel. "I did some research on those Hellmouths," he continued, pace brisk. "There was almost nothing on them, as it turned out, because they're extremely ancient and considered the laughingstock of the supernatural community, even to die-hard theorists."