Chapter Text
The sun had barely risen when the chaos started. Lee Soo Hyuk was in the kitchen, trying to enjoy his morning coffee, when he heard the unmistakable sound of bickering coming from the living room.
"I told you to stop touching my stuff, Jung Soo!" Kim Rok Soo's voice was sharp, frustration clear in his tone.
"Your stuff? This is just a stupid notebook! Chill out, Rok Soo!" Choi Jung Soo shot back, his voice rising.
Soo Hyuk sighed, setting his mug down. He knew this was going to escalate quickly. He walked into the living room just in time to see Jung Soo waving Rok Soo's notebook above his head, a smug grin on his face.
Rok Soo lunged for it, but Jung Soo was quicker, dancing out of his reach. "Give it back, you idiot!"
"Make me!" Jung Soo taunted, sticking out his tongue.
Before Soo Hyuk could intervene, Rok Soo tackled Jung Soo to the ground, both of them rolling around like children fighting over a toy. Papers flew everywhere as the notebook slipped from Jung Soo's grasp and landed a few feet away.
"Enough!" Soo Hyuk's voice boomed, causing both of them to freeze. They looked up at him with guilty expressions, still tangled together on the floor, with Kim Rok Soo sitting on top of Choi Jung Soo while pulling his hair.
"This is ridiculous," Soo Hyuk continued, pinching the bridge of his nose. "You two are acting like little kids."
Jung Soo pouted, still holding onto Rok Soo's shirt. "He started it!"
"Did not!" Rok Soo retorted, pushing Jung Soo away and standing up.
"Did too!"
"That's it," Soo Hyuk said, his patience wearing thin. "Out. Both of you."
"What?" They said in unison, shock and disbelief on their faces.
"You heard me," Soo Hyuk said, pointing towards the door. "Go outside and cool off. And don't come back until you can act like adults."
Jung Soo looked like he wanted to protest, but one look at Soo Hyuk's stern expression made him think better of it. He muttered something under his breath and shuffled towards the door, Rok Soo following reluctantly.
As they stepped outside, Jung Soo turned to Rok Soo. "This is all your fault."
Rok Soo rolled his eyes. "Just shut up and let's get this over with."
They wandered aimlessly for a while, the morning chill doing little to improve their moods. Eventually, they found a park bench and sat down, glaring at each other.
"You know, you really need to learn to lighten up," Jung Soo said, breaking the silence.
"And you need to learn to respect other people's things," Rok Soo shot back.
They sat in silence for a few more moments before Jung Soo sighed. "Okay, maybe I went a bit too far."
Rok Soo looked at him, disbelief. "Did you just admit you were wrong?"
Jung Soo shrugged. "Yeah, well, don't get used to it."
Rok Soo snickered, the tension between them finally starting to ease. "Fine. Let's just promise not to do this again. The team leader looked really pissed."
"Deal," Jung Soo said, extending his hand.
Rok Soo hesitated for a moment before shaking it. "Deal."
When they finally returned to the apartment, Soo Hyuk was waiting for them. He raised an eyebrow as they walked in, but didn't say anything. The sight of them not at each other's throats was enough to make him hopeful.
"Did you two sort things out?" he asked.
Jung Soo nodded. "Yeah, we're good."
Rok Soo added, "We promised not to fight like that again."
Soo Hyuk sighed in relief. "Good. Because the last thing we need is more drama."
They nodded, and for the first time that day, the apartment felt peaceful. Soo Hyuk picked up his coffee, now cold, and headed back to the kitchen. At least for now, he could enjoy a few moments of quiet.
But the peaceful atmosphere was abruptly disrupted as Lee Soo Hyuk heard the sound of an argument coming from the room once again.