Chapter Text
It was a dreary morning in District 11, you clinged to your umbrella as you waited for the shuttle to K Corp. The wind caused the bag in your other hand to smack your leg weakly, inside was some fancy tea from another district, H Corp, if you remembered correctly. You liked tea but usually you opted for the cheap stuff. It was an easy way to decompress after a long day but this wasn't your usual tea. You had taken a break from your daily routine and splurged on it for Hong Lu. You had tried some when your curiosity was overwhelming but to your immense disappointment it tasted mostly like water. You sulked a little at how much it cost.
Beside you some other K corp workers who complained about the recent attacks and how it was becoming a more common occurrence. At this news you had to try your best to stifle a smile. It wasn't that you were happy that you were at risk of being disemboweled by the Technology Liberation Alliance's frequent bombings, you were just happy your department could get some acknowledgement and you could spend a little bit more time with him, it was selfish, but who at in The City wasn't a little bit?
Your shuttle arrived and you boarded, you had opted to grab the hanging strap as people filled the section like sardines in a can. You stared out the window watching the tall buildings and adverts fly by, for a second you even spied your old university reminiscing at the not-so-distant past. It felt like back then you had more to look forward to, endless possibilities. Now you are resigned to making it through each 70+ hour work week. Your work wasn't hard on a good day. You just had monitor excision units’ ampoule compatibility, log changes, and if you got lucky while some of the other researchers were on lunch you would sometimes release one of the units. You claimed it was to maintain unit stability and an “experiment to enhance morale”, but the point that won them over was that you were hoping that you could end his helmet splitting habits. As the newly appointed Manager of the Excision Units no one dared to question you as long as results were good. Your impromptu promotion was unexpected but no doubt beneficial.
That first day you walked in you felt compelled to examine the tank with the split mask. How his mask got shattered always eluded you and he would always play coy much to the chagrin of the old manager. Another habit of his was that non stop chatter, the old manager HATED that. You however just accepted it as a quirk at first and warmed up to it very quickly to the point that a few coworkers noticed you would stay late most days to “finish paperwork” or “run simulations”. Most of the team would either go home to families or have “team meetings” at the bar so you felt it was fine as long as you still seemed approachable. You disembarked and made your way to the building proper. swiped your keycard and gave a light wave to the receptionist and headed for the elevator taking it up to your section. The night Manager gives a grateful smile as if finally relieved that his shift was over. You exchanged reports, asked if there was anything of note, and thankfully it seemed like the only incident was a draining issue was spotted that will have to be addressed during the next excision. You nodded and waved them off before you brought the reports to your desk.
You had around an hour before the day shift employees would arrive, so you opted into doing your daily routine. You checked over the reports, “vitals within nominal range”, “no defects noted”, “ampules cycled at average amounts”, “Unit 06 attempted to converse again, was asking when the day staff would arrive” You couldn't hold back a smile after you saw that report but it quickly faded as you remembered your duties. You booted up your computer and checked your email, the only thing of note was an invitation to Dongrang's award ceremony. Upon seeing the invite you sighed and deleted it before you let out a light yawn. After you logged the nightly report you initiated the cycle protocol for every unit but No. 6. As his pod began to drain you grabbed a kettle and started heating up some water for tea before you initiated the release protocol.
Once the green fluid drained completely his pod opened with a loud hiss. Hong Lu's Jade eye blinked rapidly as he adjusted to the air. “Ah~ is it morning already?” He asked as he pulled his helmet off and walked up behind you with a smile plastered on his face. His arms wrapped around you and his breath was right on your neck. He's definitely become more forward since you both met. Your cheeks flushed and you felt his chin resting on your shoulder, it was rather nice but a bit of the green liquid dripped onto your labcoat which caused you to decide to slip out of his grasp as he let out a disappointed hum.
“I heard you were wondering when the day staff would arrive, care to explain?” You teased as you gave him a glance before you began making some tea.
He flashed that innocent smile “I was just wondering when I could enjoy your company again.” You began digging under your desk for some old cups that you hid in your desk just for these moments with him. You nodded and grabbed some of the tea he had mentioned offhand, he had said it was a rather inexpensive brand but it still cost you a sizable amount of Ahn. “I grabbed that special tea you said you used to have, but we need to seriously reevaluate your definition of cheap.” he smiled innocently. He's so lucky he's endearing. You poured him some tea and handed him the cup. “Uwaa~ I remember having this every morning back home!” He exclaimed while taking light sips, you continued nursing your cup while it cooled off. You eyed his pod thinking about how he claimed he got that position through his grandmother being affiliated with someone. You had your doubts though, being confined in here didn't seem like living, but what did you know? You practically had no life outside of here anyways.
“What did you eat for breakfast today?~” He asked with a smile, he always asks this in the morning. You mentioned some bagel that you hastily grabbed before running for the station. You were also sure to mention the weather since otherwise he'd have no idea otherwise. “Oh wow, I remember on rainy days my servants would always fret over me going outside without an umbrella, I do hope you stayed dry~!” You couldn't help but chuckle, “I think you got my uniform more ruined than the rain could have.” He smiled and apologized as you both sipped on your tea enjoying the moment. “Do you ever miss it? Your old life, I mean, with the servants, and the weirdly expensive tea?” You asked mostly because it had plagued your mind for almost as long as you knew him. His smile faltered for a second but he asked another question of his own.
“Y/N, you know the night manager only ever lets me out if something needs excising. Is there any reason you treat me differently?” He asked while tapping his chin with his finger. You shift in your seat and begin sipping your tea while thinking about your answer. There were a lot of curious things about him, he was clearly affluent, he really didn't need the job so why chose it? Why did his helmet designed to handle blunt force trauma constantly shatter just over his Jade eye? But the main reason was why did you feel just as lost as he seemed behind his smile? “I can't say for sure, it's just-” you cut yourself off, and attempted to find the right thing to say, your eyes desperate to avoid him. “You seem just as lost as I am, whenever I ask you anything it's always for someone else. You got this job for your grandmother, you excise because the staff told you so. It feels like you're also aimlessly drifting like I am. I never chose to join K Corp on my own volition. I was recommended by my family, I didn't ask for this position, I just hadn't been in the room when it got bombed while I was doing a coffee run for the last manager.” You went on autopilot and didn't intend to share that much, maybe you had made some assumptions that were way off the mark, which wasn't helped by the smile slipping from his face and silence filling the room. This was a mistake. You should have treated him like the old manager instead of projecting this one sided connection. How in the Wings were you going to explain any of the awkward experiences stemming from this. Maybe you should leave for a bit or-
You felt arms wrapping around you and you froze. His cold metal armor juxtaposed his warm cheek next to yours. “You want to know what I want~? That's sweet of you~” Hong Lu said in a sing-songy voice, he was back with a smile but you noticed his eyes were betraying the authenticity of it, still his proximity was enough to fluster you which caused you to pull away beet red. He however was toying with you, playing some cat and mouse game, and his eyes had a mischievous glint. His arms confined you to the chair, both hands placed on either side of your arm rests. The bastard was enjoying this too much. He slowly leaned in, stopped inches from your face, so close you could feel his warm breath. The normally cool and sterile room was now feeling extremely hot. Your eyes darted where they could attempt to look at anything but the taunting man before you. You attempted to look away but he gingerly cupped your cheek and made you look at him. You felt like you could melt as he smiled again. “Do you know why I like this tea?” He paused savoring your flustered face. “It's fermented for two decades in an ideal environment.” He leaned in and closed the gap between you two, his lips meeting yours before he pulled back and bore that same cheeky grin, “and the taste is oh-so-subtle, wouldn't you agree~?” He tilted his head which allowed his long hair to sway. You wished that moment lasted forever, it hardly felt real.
You stammered helplessly for a second, stunned at how this had turned out, however your phone alarm went off alerting you both to the fact that the rest of the staff would be arriving in fifteen or so minutes. “I'll let you think on it~ Please do let me know soon~” he said with an innocent grin before he got back into his pod. “I'd hurry up, wouldn't want the others to gossip, I'd be sad without my favorite manager~” You composed yourself and began the sealing process. You made a mental note that you still had to submit a work order to maintenance for that draining issue. Your eyes lingered on him as he fell asleep in the green liquid, he looked so at peace you could almost forget the teasing. Almost. You grabbed your cups and brought them to your desk. Taking a seat as you stared at the small amount of tea left behind. Maybe the tea was worth it after all.