I'll Make a Scientist Out of You
Title: I'll Make a Scientist Out of You
Pairing: Chanyeol/Suho
Rating: PG-13
Word Count: 5299w
Warnings: Chemistry jargon, probably a very inaccurate description of what professional chemists usually do, generally boring science?, cheese, excessive clumsiness and dumbness
Summary: When Chanyeol gets a job as a research assistant in Dr. Kim Junmyeon's lab, he doesn't expect his clumsiness (and his crush on his boss) to make such a mess.
Author's Note: Written for exoments, an EXO MAMA AU fic fest! Also posted here.
The building in front of Chanyeol looks bigger and scarier than it probably is.
It's his first day working in Dr. Kim Junmyeon's lab, assisting the chemist in his research. Chanyeol is still a little amazed that he actually got the job, but he supposes that his gift was an advantage. Scientists are always looking for gifted people to aid them in their research, after all. Most people know that Dr. Kim can control water, which is probably a great asset to him, but of course it's useful to have more gifted people in one lab. Chanyeol is a lucky guy to get to work here.
He takes a deep breath. This is it. The next chapter of his life begins here. A chance to learn and, maybe, one day he can use this knowledge to become a professional chemist as well. Another deep breath, and Chanyeol finally approaches the building and pushes open the door.
The sight that meets him feels both anticlimactic and frightening. It feels anticlimactic because he somehow imagined walking straight into the lab and getting to work, but instead there is a small reception manned by a short man around his age. This is where the frightened feeling comes in, because there is a reception in this building and Chanyeol has to get through the reception to get to where he's supposed to be.
I can do this, he thinks with blossoming determination. He got this far, he can't back down now. Chanyeol walks over to the reception and shows his ID to the man behind the counter, whose name tag reads 'Byun Baekhyun'.
“Hi, I'm here to meet Dr. Kim. I'm his new assistant,” he tells the shorter man, who inspects the ID card for a few seconds, double checking his computer before nodding and handing back the card with a friendly grin. “Lovely! Dr. Kim's office is the second door to the right. You can just knock on the door and it's all good. He's probably waiting to give you a tour,” Baekhyun supplies, handing out another card which turns out to be an entrance pass. Chanyeol thanks him and hurries to his new boss's office.
“Come in,” a voice says through the door when he knocks. Carefully, Chanyeol opens the door and enters the office.
It's a lot messier than he imagined it would be; papers are strewn all over the desk, some placed in bunches even on the floor, and three different shirts stuffed into a corner, suggesting that Dr. Kim has been in the office for at least a few days straight. In the middle of the room a petite man with messy brown hair and a dress shirt who Chanyeol assumes is Dr. Kim is scratching his head over the notes in his hand. “Just give me a second,” the man mumbles with a quick glance at the taller man. “I got a strange result in a condensation reaction and I need to make sense of it.”
Chanyeol can almost see the wheels turning in the other man's head from how hard he is staring at the papers. “Maybe I could have a look?” he pipes up quietly after a minute of silence, both wanting this waiting to stop and wanting to prove his worth.
The chemist blinks and turns his head slowly to look at Chanyeol, and the first thing that comes to Chanyeol's mind is maybe he doesn't like having his authority questioned. I'm a newbie, after all. Did I fuck up? Oh my God, I've been here for less than five minutes and I've already- “Who did you say you were?” Dr. Kim asks curiously.
“Uh, I d-didn't get to say it yet. Park Chanyeol, sir, I'm a chemistry major. I'm your new research assistant,” he stutters out.
Dr. Kim stares blankly at him for a few more seconds before it's like a light goes off in his head. “Oh! Right, sorry. Welcome and all that. Okay, come here for a second and see if you can figure out the problem.”
Chanyeol moves slowly with wide eyes, courage suddenly gone. “Don't worry, I don't bite,” says Dr. Kim with a friendly smile. At the joke, Chanyeol lets out a breath he didn't know he'd been holding and approaches the shorter man.
“I wanted ethyl propanoate, so naturally I condensed ethanol and propanoic acid, but the result was methyl propanoate, which makes no sense at all.” Dr. Kim points at his notes and scratches his head some more.
“Are you...sure you didn't use methanol?” Chanyeol suggests, very carefully. Questioning the intelligence of Dr. Kim Junmyeon is not on the top of his bucket list, especially since he doesn't know how the scientist will react. Then again, the other had asked Chanyeol for his input and this is honestly all he can think of.
The scientist blinks at him and stares for a whole ten seconds this time before looking back at his notes with a frown. “I'm fairly certain I just told you I used ethanol. I know the difference, you know.”
Chanyeol opens his mouth and closes it again. “Of course you know, Dr. Kim, I'm not saying you don't, I'm just, uh, suggesting. Maybe there were remains of methanol in the container that affected the result?”
Dr. Kim shakes his head, pouting in frustration. “There's no way there were methanol remains of an amount that would affect the result this greatly. There could only be some drops at most.” His thin-rimmed glasses are sliding down the bridge of his nose and Chanyeol could reach out and push them back up and he really wants to but he doesn't want to do anything that would be a breach of privacy, especially when he literally just arrived and he feels like anything he does wrong can be reason to kick him out head first.
“Could someone have accidentally switched them up and filled the ethanol bottle with methanol?” Chanyeol tries. He's painfully aware of how unlikely the suggestion is, but it sort of blurted out as his mind raced, and he regrets it instantly. Nervousness isn't a characteristic most of his friends would associate with him, but in this horribly messy office, standing next to a kind of attractive chemist who could decide that he's useless at any minute, Chanyeol is a lump of nerves.
The chemist frowns at him. “You're really grasping at straws here, aren't you?” he points out, not unkindly.
Chanyeol can't help but make a face, because he really is grasping at straws. “I just got here and I want to make a good impression, not to mention keep this job,” he admits sheepishly. Dr. Kim smiles at that, beautifully if Chanyeol is going to be honest, and finally pushes his glasses up the bridge of his nose, and Chanyeol suddenly finds it much easier to breathe.
“Don't worry about that, you're doing well so far. Now that I think about it, I wouldn't be surprised if Dr. Wu mixed up my supplies. It's typical,” says Dr. Kim, muttering that asshole under his breath, though he's still smiling at Chanyeol. “You know what, let's leave this for now. I haven't gotten to introduce myself properly.” He holds out his hand. “Dr. Kim Junmyeon. And you are?”
Chanyeol's mind is reeling, but he takes the man's hand anyway and shakes it with a polite smile. “Park Chanyeol, your new assistant.”
“Nice to meet you. You seem to show some initiative and a critical mind. That's good, that's exactly what I want to see. You're the one with fire powers, am I right?”
That's right, Chanyeol thinks, that's probably the actual reason he was hired at all. He nods anyway, and Dr. Kim smiles again. “Great! If I'm to be honest with you, I prefer working with gifted people because it becomes a sort of bond, that mutual thing that we both have a gift. It's important for me to connect with my people. You understand that, right?” Chanyeol nods again, understanding how the chemist feels but not sure what to say in response.
“Great. I hope we can work well together!” says Dr. Kim, and his smile looks a little like sunshine after a rainy day. Maybe Chanyeol will do well after all.
In retrospect, Chanyeol thinks that assuming he would do well wasn't the best assumption. He often loses control of his power when he's nervous or excited, and while he's gotten more comfortable in the lab he is incredibly clumsy, something that tends to lead to situations that make him nervous. Since he started working in Dr. Kim's lab two weeks ago he has broken three beakers and set fire to his own hair at least twice. (He thinks it was twice but he's suspecting that Dr. Kim has used his own gift to put out more fires than Chanyeol has actually known of.)
It may be slightly related to Dr. Kim himself.
“Chanyeol, can you add some phenolphthalein indicator to the acids that are on the table?” the chemist asks him, eyes narrowed behind his glasses as he fills a burette with sodium hydroxide.
“Right away, Dr. Kim!” Chanyeol replies, setting down the conical flask in his hand to pick up a small bottle of phenolphthalein indicator, unscrewing it quickly.
As Chanyeol grabs a beaker filled with hydrochloric acid, Dr. Kim finishes filling up the burette and glances at him. “You know, you're allowed to just call me Junmyeon,” he suggests, a tiny smile playing at his lips that makes Chanyeol stop moving (and maybe breathing for a couple of seconds).
In the past two weeks that Chanyeol has been here he has started to get to know the chemist, like how he prefers his coffee black and strong so he can stay awake longer to work because he's so dedicated to what he does, how patient he seems with Chanyeol despite the younger's clumsiness, and how generally sweet he is to people.
It's safe to say that Chanyeol may have at least a tiny crush.
So when Dr. Kim smiles that tiny disarming smile at Chanyeol, wanting Chanyeol to call him by his first name, wanting Chanyeol to call him Junmyeon instead of Dr. Kim, the first thing that happens is Chanyeol's eyes widening. Then his lips part, and then the open bottle of indicator drops to the floor.
The sound has Chanyeol startling into action, and as his arm moves he spills acid out of the beaker he is holding. “Crap,” he exclaims, quickly setting the beaker back down on the table and rushing to the sink in order to wash off the acid he got on his hands before it hurts him.
“I'm so sorry, Dr. Kim - I mean Junmyeon - I didn't mean to do that, I was just caught off guard a little!” Chanyeol apologizes profusely for his mistake - a rookie mistake, he thinks to himself.
The chemist waves him off. “Don't worry, it happens,” he assures Chanyeol. “Are you okay?” When Chanyeol confirms that he's unharmed, Junmyeon bends down to pick up the bottle of indicator. It's not broken, but some liquid has spilled out. “I'm going to need a mop here.”
“I'll get it,” Chanyeol says, hanging his head in shame as he goes to get a mop.
“I just don't get what's happening, you know? I mean, the point was that I could use my gift to be helpful, not so I'd ruin everything. I haven't had this little control since I was a kid,” Chanyeol rambles one day after work, leaning over the reception desk.
Baekhyun shrugs, popping a chocolate ball into his mouth. “It's this crush of yours, making your heart go badoom badoom. Your blood starts racing and the adrenaline rush kicks your power into drive and you end up setting fire to everything. Just like when you were a kid and fell off the swing. It's science, really.”
“You know, having a crush on your boss is pretty unprofessional,” Jongdae, Baekhyun's colleague in the reception, pipes up as he looks away from his work.
Chanyeol snorts. “Please, as if you don't have the biggest crush on Minseok,” he retorts, and Jongdae sputters indignantly. “I do not!” he whines, pouting and going back to his screen. Baekhyun laughs and pats his colleague on the back as if to console him.
“But it's unfair! I came to this lab so I could do science and somehow I'm just doing everything wrong!” Chanyeol mumbles. “Junmyeon probably hates me, he probably regrets agreeing to have me as his assistant.”
“Oh, stop it with the whining!” Baekhyun slaps Chanyeol's arm, and Chanyeol pouts. “I've seen Dr. Kim be all professional with other assistants, sometimes even really intolerant. He's actually a mess of a guy. But he seems really comfortable with you. You'll do fine.”
“Hold your hands around the flask like this,” Junmyeon instructs, demonstrating by covering a conical flask with his own hands, “and focus.” He stares intently at the flask, and water starts to fill it up from the bottom, like the flask has a hole in the bottom and is immersed in water. Chanyeol looks on in awe.
“That is so cool,” he says.
The chemist smiles and gently pushes the flask towards Chanyeol. “Now you try,” Junmyeon encourages. “Boil the water. Go on.”
Chanyeol stiffens; it's been difficult for him to use his gift at will lately, but he really wants to please Dr. Kim. Carefully, he reaches out to wrap his hands around the conical flask and concentrates. As he stares at the flask everything else around him starts to blur, and he needs to focus on his breathing. “Good, deep breaths,” Junmyeon's voice comes from his right, but in the haze of his power rushing to him it sounds as if there's a thick glass wall between them. That's good, he knows, it means he is getting somewhere.
Tiny bubbles start to form in the water, and Chanyeol can feel himself getting hot. He tries to concentrate the heat and send it to his hands. It's not much longer before the water starts to boil, bubbling vigorously. Letting go of the conical flask, he grins proudly. The world around him clears up again, and the water is still boiling. He notices steam entering the tube that closes off the flask, condensing and eventually ending up in the beaker in which the other end of the tube is placed.
“Well done,” Junmyeon tells him with a pleased smile, and Chanyeol's heart soars at the praise.
The door to the lab opens and both of their heads whip around to see who it is. Dr. Kim Minseok enters halfway. “Hey, Junmyeon, do you have a minute?” he asks, and Junmyeon nods quickly before turning his attention back to Chanyeol. “Can you take that piece of rubidium and get it out of the way of the water? We don't want an explosion in here.” Junmyeon points at a glass jar before shucking off his lab coat, hanging it on a chair and leaving the lab along with Minseok.
Chanyeol glances at the jar. Rubidium is an alkali metal, incredibly reactive and must be handled carefully. It is surrounded by gaseous argon, usually, to prevent contact with air. Tentatively, he picks up the jar. It shouldn't be too hard to move some rubidium, but then he hears his name being said outside the lab, and stops next to Junmyeon's chair.
“How is Chanyeol doing? I heard there were some incidents.”
“We've had a few incidents, but he's still new to this; I'm certain he can learn. We're working on helping him control his gift, and he definitely has a lot of potential,” comes Junmyeon's voice. “He can do really well with some training, I think.”
“And you think he's cute.”
“...Maybe a little. But you know I'm serious when it comes to work, hyung. Him being cute isn't the reason he's still here.”
Chanyeol's eyes widen -- Junmyeon thinks he's cute -- and before he realizes what is happening his face is flushed and he feels hot all over, and not in a good way. The metal he is supposed to be moving away from danger zones starts to melt inside the jar, and there are cracks in the glass itself as the gas inside begins to expand.
Oh no oh no oh no this is bad, Chanyeol thinks, panicking.
On instinct, he drops the jar. It crashes to the floor and cracks into dozens of pieces, and there's the sound of the gas exploding at the same time. The melted rubidium is sent flying in different directions and catches fire, burning vigorously like in a mix of intense orange flames and a purple tint.
It seems to go on forever, until most of the rubidium finally burns out and all that's left is various spots on the floor covered in orange powder. Chanyeol, with huge eyes, surveys the results of the disaster. He thinks everything has survived. He needs to clean the floor before his boss comes back, clear away the glass and the powder. Junmyeon's lab coat is on fire-
Junmyeon's lab coat is on fire.
“NO!” Chanyeol lunges forward to grab the coat, pulling it off the chair and dropping it on the floor. He tries to concentrate and control the fire, but his panic just makes the coat burn even more vigorously. When the fire finally stops, it's because it's burned through the entire lab coat and all that's left is a mess of ashes on the floor.
Chanyeol hides his face in his hands. “All I do is mess up,” he whines.
His laments are interrupted by the door to the lab opening, Junmyeon reentering the room. The scientist stops and stares at the mess of orange powder and ashes. Quickly, Chanyeol looks up and gapes. “I'm so sorry!” he blurts out. “I made a big mess, I didn't mean to I'm so sorry you must hate me-”
“Chanyeol,” the older cuts in exasperatedly. “I don't hate you, please stop.” Chanyeol's rambling stops and he looks at his boss with wide eyes. “The rubidium was a waste, but I don't blame you, okay? You're really trying to control your gift; it's admirable. Let's just clean this up, shall we?”
After Chanyeol - having insisted that “I made this mess, I'm going to take care of it” - has cleaned up all of the mess and the lab doesn't look like a disaster zone anymore, he sees Junmyeon shuffling around the lab like he's looking for something. “What are you looking for, Dr. Kim- Junmyeon?” he asks tentatively. Please don't be the lab coat, please don't be the lab coat, please don't-
“I was just looking for my lab coat,” says Junmyeon, and Chanyeol screams internally. “I thought I left it on that chair over there, but it's not there. Maybe I'm getting old.” He chuckles softly at that.
“Uh - why don't you wear mine until you find it or get a new one? I can grab another one from the storage room,” Chanyeol suggests quickly, hoping it'll be forgotten. He takes off his own lab coat and hands it to Junmyeon who shrugs and accepts it. Then he makes a beeline for the door, eager to get away from his boss for a short while as he gets himself a new lab coat.
Upon his return, Chanyeol finds Junmyeon standing in the lab in Chanyeol's lab coat, and it's too big for him. The sleeves go over his hands and the coat actually almost reaches the floor. Junmyeon himself seems to not care as long as he can do science, pouring a deep blue powder into that beaker filled with water, his lips pouting slightly in concentration. It looks inexplicably cute.
When his assistant approaches him Junmyeon glances up from the beaker his gaze had been stuck on. His glasses are about to slide off his nose. Then he smiles seemingly for no reason, and Chanyeol's heart flutters as he smiles back excitedly.
“Can I just tell you how great I think it is to work for you? Seriously, it's a huge honor, and you've been super patient with me even though I mostly make mistakes,” he blurts.
Junmyeon shakes his head as he straightens and walks over to the sink to wash his hands. “Science is all about mistakes, Chanyeol,” he explains over the sound of the water. “We need to make mistakes to learn, you know. Learn about the world around us, and all of that.” When his hands are clean, the water simply evaporates. He pushes his glasses up his nose. “Even though you may not think so, you're really useful to have here. And your mistakes are all part of science.” Junmyeon flashes another brilliant smile.
“I appreciate that.” Chanyeol flushes slightly, but he finds he's not worried about starting a fire this time.
As he approaches Chanyeol, Junmyeon doesn't notice himself tripping over the big lab coat he's wearing until he's falling. “Ah--” he exclaims.
It happens so quickly that Chanyeol barely manages to think before catching him, but suddenly he's got an armful of Dr. Kim Junmyeon.
“Are you okay?” he asks, slowly helping the older get upright. This time Junmyeon is the one with wide eyes, staring at Chanyeol in what looks like a mixture of shock and confusion about what just happened.
“I think so?” replies Junmyeon, then laughs lightly. Chanyeol starts laughing too, affected by Junmyeon, and in the end he's just smiling at the chemist, lost in his thoughts until his boss clears his throat and Chanyeol is brought back to reality.
“We need you here today,” is the first thing Jongdae says when Chanyeol clocks in at the front desk one morning, a month after he started this job. “Baekhyun's sick. Minseok's orders.”
“But...I'm Junmyeon's assistant.” Chanyeol frowns.
“Don't worry, Dr. Kim has been notified that you're needed at the front desk. You're not always needed at the lab.”
“Oh. Okay.”
Chanyeol spends that entire day at the front desk, taking calls and helping Jongdae with the paperwork. The job isn't a problem, except he finds himself staring in the direction of the lab one too many times.
“Missing the lab?” Jongdae asks him, and then adds in a teasing tone, “Or maybe your boss?”
“Shut up,” Chanyeol mumbles defeatedly and looks down at the paper in his hand.
Jongdae snickers lightly. “It's not like you'll never see him again, you're going back tomorrow as long as Baekhyun's better by then.”
“Don't you have substitutes to fill in for you guys?”
“Minseok prefers to use assistants since you're already here anyway and they don't have to pay substitutes. Except if it's absolutely necessary. Stamp these papers for me.”
Sighing, Chanyeol takes the papers Jongdae hands him and resigns himself to doing this for the rest of the day.
The next day Chanyeol goes back to the lab earlier than usual, eager to go back to research. What he does not expect to find is Junmyeon sleeping with his head on a desk. His hair is a mess, as if he's run his hand through it several times, and his glasses are lying on the desk. He looks peaceful as he sleeps. He is still wearing a lab coat (a new one that actually fits him), and Chanyeol wonders what he's been up to.
A sort of answer presents itself when he sees the mess of conical flasks, beakers and bottles filled with different substances on another table. It's set up like some alchemist's concoction brewery that one would see in a movie. Really, this just makes Chanyeol more confused.
“Junmyeon?” he tries curiously, putting a hand on the chemist's arm. A soft, sleepy noise comes from the older, and his arms stretch slowly before he opens his eyes.
Then he blinks a few times, seeing Chanyeol in front of him, and sits up in his seat. “Chanyeol. I thought you were working at the front desk today.”
“That was yesterday,” Chanyeol tells him.
“Oh, right.” Junmyeon's eyes light up a little. There are dark bags under his eyes. “I must have fallen asleep later than I thought. So you're back with me today?”
“Yeah. Wait, were you here all night?” Chanyeol asks in surprise.
“I was. I usually sleep in my office when I stay over, though. Not here,” Junmyeon says, looking slightly confounded with himself. “Did you have fun at the front desk? Was it a nice change?”
“No,” Chanyeol admits. “I'd rather be here, really.”
At that, Junmyeon smiles, probably for the first time this morning, and he still looks tired but he also looks pleased. “That's what I thought. The lab got pretty quiet without you here, too. I started talking to myself at one point. I'll tell the administration that you're more needed in here than out there. There's a lot to do!” Perking up, Chanyeol nods vigorously, eager to get back to work with Junmyeon.
There isn't really a lot to do, so whenever they have some down time Junmyeon asks Chanyeol to get him a cup of coffee and wipe the tables and other similar tasks. Were it any other job Chanyeol would probably be annoyed, but he doesn't mind this time because he gets to be around Junmyeon, so he happily does whatever he's told to.
“Junmyeon, it's raining,” Chanyeol points out as he enters the lab.
“Yeah, I know. It says so on the weather forecast. I hope you brought an umbrella if you're taking the bus home today.” Junmyeon has his head in his hands and seems to be rubbing his eyes. His hair is a mess again.
“No, I mean it's raining in here. You're making it rain.”
At that, Junmyeon looks up, and is startled to see that it is indeed raining inside the lab. “Oops,” he says, and the rain stops. “Didn't notice.”
“Stressed?” Digging in his bag, Chanyeol brings out a bunch of food and places it in what they've named the 'safe zone'. Junmyeon barely ever leaves the lab these days, even for food, and technically it's a bad idea to eat in a lab full of chemicals, so the two of them decided to sanitize a small area where they can eat.
“So much,” Junmyeon groans. It's been three months since Chanyeol started his job, and they've grown comfortable with each other in that time. Chanyeol's crush on Junmyeon hasn't subsided but he's less easily flustered by his boss's words now that he's getting used to him, and they talk easily. “I just don't get what I'm missing.” He gets up and takes off his lab coat, washing his hands before entering the safe zone. Surveying the food, he decides upon a bowl of rice.
“Let's have a look at it later,” Chanyeol suggests, grabbing a bowl of kimchi and eating heartily.
There is a large whiteboard on the wall, and it's covered in Junmyeon's messy handwriting; formulas, sketches and a bunch of question marks all over the board. It's like Chanyeol can see the chemist's frustration.
“What's the problem?” Chanyeol asks after they've had some food.
“I've been testing a bunch of catalysts,” says Junmyeon, and wielding a marker, points out an equation. “This is what's wrong.” He taps the whiteboard with his marker.
“That's the activation energy you got when using a nickel catalyst?” Cocking his head, Chanyeol studies the equation. “Isn't that very low?”
“Yes, that's exactly the problem! This was the base of my test, but it has a faster rate than any of the other catalysts, which should not be happening,” the man complains.
It takes Chanyeol staring resolutely at the whiteboard for a minute thinking, before he blinks and points at the board. “What if -- what if the water itself worked as a catalyst?”
Junmyeon furrows his brows and bites his lower lip. “If there was an impurity in it, some diluted nickel...” He gasps. “Yes!” His entire face lights up and he stretches his arms to grab Chanyeol's face and kiss his forehead. “I've been at this for hours and all I needed was your input!”
As he flushes from his boss's action, Chanyeol realizes something. “It might actually be my fault,” he says sheepishly. “I didn't clean the equipment properly. I'm so sorry!”
“You know what? I don't even care. I forgive you. I finally figured out the cause of my problem and now I can go on with my work,” Junmyeon grins widely. “I'm going to need you to clean all of the equipment better, though.”
“Of course,” Chanyeol agrees. “It's part of my job, after all.”
One day the power shuts down unexpectedly. Junmyeon and Chanyeol notice it because the heater stops working. “What the-” Junmyeon mumbles in confusion. “Did Jongdae decide to play a prank again? I keep telling Minseok he shouldn't have a gifted receptionist, that kid gets bored so quickly-”
“I'll check what's wrong,” Chanyeol volunteers and exits the lab. When he returns, he's wearing an exasperated look on his face. “The power's out in the whole building. Jongdae says it wasn't him.”
“Damn it. I don't have time for this.” Junmyeon slumps in his chair, staring at the liquids they'd been heating up. He looks up at Chanyeol. “Heat it for me, will you?”
“Uh. I'll try,” Chanyeol offers, swallowing and hoping he doesn't burn down the entire lab this time. His incidents have decreased over time, but even though he has some control of his gift now, it still makes him a little worried to use it for something important that can be ruined. (Which, technically, is anything.)
Wrapping his hands around the beaker, Chanyeol thinks hard about the liquid heating up, imagines it starting to boil. Still, he doesn't feel like anything's happening, and when he looks at the solution, nothing is. “It's not working,” he whines in annoyance. The one time he's really needed and he can't use his gift? Ridiculous.
There's a hand stroking his arm. Looking down, he sees Junmyeon smiling gently at him. “Come on, Chanyeol, I know you can do this. We've done this before, and you're brilliant when you work really hard,” he says softly, biting his lower lip. Now Chanyeol is slowly starting to get flustered, and his hands are heating up slightly but not enough. Junmyeon seems to notice and tiptoes, pressing a small kiss to Chanyeol's lips. Chanyeol sucks in a breath and barely gets to kiss back before the chemist is pulling away with a coy smile.
The realization of what just happened is enough to kick his fire into drive, and it only takes a few seconds for the solution to start to boil. He tears his hands away from the beaker. “Yes! Thank you, Park Chanyeol,” Junmyeon exclaims with a big grin, pouncing to kiss his assistant again.
This time Chanyeol gets enough time to react, and as he kisses back he feels hot all over, as if he's really burning. Junmyeon pulls back and stares at him.
“Your hair's on fire again,” he says. “Let me try something.”
And he takes Chanyeol's hands in his own, staring into the taller's eyes with that smile, and Chanyeol feels himself cool down. “Holy crap.”
“Fire and water,” says Junmyeon, squeezing the younger's hands and looking very proud of himself. “I neutralized you. Hair's all fine now.”
Chanyeol lets out a laugh. “That's awesome!” He gently kisses the corner of Junmyeon's mouth, thinking that obviously any boundaries of being professional are gone after that first kiss.
The chemist seems to be thinking the same thing, and laughs with Chanyeol. “Don't worry, Park Chanyeol. I'll make a useful scientist of you yet.”
Pairing: Chanyeol/Suho
Rating: PG-13
Word Count: 5299w
Warnings: Chemistry jargon, probably a very inaccurate description of what professional chemists usually do, generally boring science?, cheese, excessive clumsiness and dumbness
Summary: When Chanyeol gets a job as a research assistant in Dr. Kim Junmyeon's lab, he doesn't expect his clumsiness (and his crush on his boss) to make such a mess.
Author's Note: Written for exoments, an EXO MAMA AU fic fest! Also posted here.
The building in front of Chanyeol looks bigger and scarier than it probably is.
It's his first day working in Dr. Kim Junmyeon's lab, assisting the chemist in his research. Chanyeol is still a little amazed that he actually got the job, but he supposes that his gift was an advantage. Scientists are always looking for gifted people to aid them in their research, after all. Most people know that Dr. Kim can control water, which is probably a great asset to him, but of course it's useful to have more gifted people in one lab. Chanyeol is a lucky guy to get to work here.
He takes a deep breath. This is it. The next chapter of his life begins here. A chance to learn and, maybe, one day he can use this knowledge to become a professional chemist as well. Another deep breath, and Chanyeol finally approaches the building and pushes open the door.
The sight that meets him feels both anticlimactic and frightening. It feels anticlimactic because he somehow imagined walking straight into the lab and getting to work, but instead there is a small reception manned by a short man around his age. This is where the frightened feeling comes in, because there is a reception in this building and Chanyeol has to get through the reception to get to where he's supposed to be.
I can do this, he thinks with blossoming determination. He got this far, he can't back down now. Chanyeol walks over to the reception and shows his ID to the man behind the counter, whose name tag reads 'Byun Baekhyun'.
“Hi, I'm here to meet Dr. Kim. I'm his new assistant,” he tells the shorter man, who inspects the ID card for a few seconds, double checking his computer before nodding and handing back the card with a friendly grin. “Lovely! Dr. Kim's office is the second door to the right. You can just knock on the door and it's all good. He's probably waiting to give you a tour,” Baekhyun supplies, handing out another card which turns out to be an entrance pass. Chanyeol thanks him and hurries to his new boss's office.
“Come in,” a voice says through the door when he knocks. Carefully, Chanyeol opens the door and enters the office.
It's a lot messier than he imagined it would be; papers are strewn all over the desk, some placed in bunches even on the floor, and three different shirts stuffed into a corner, suggesting that Dr. Kim has been in the office for at least a few days straight. In the middle of the room a petite man with messy brown hair and a dress shirt who Chanyeol assumes is Dr. Kim is scratching his head over the notes in his hand. “Just give me a second,” the man mumbles with a quick glance at the taller man. “I got a strange result in a condensation reaction and I need to make sense of it.”
Chanyeol can almost see the wheels turning in the other man's head from how hard he is staring at the papers. “Maybe I could have a look?” he pipes up quietly after a minute of silence, both wanting this waiting to stop and wanting to prove his worth.
The chemist blinks and turns his head slowly to look at Chanyeol, and the first thing that comes to Chanyeol's mind is maybe he doesn't like having his authority questioned. I'm a newbie, after all. Did I fuck up? Oh my God, I've been here for less than five minutes and I've already- “Who did you say you were?” Dr. Kim asks curiously.
“Uh, I d-didn't get to say it yet. Park Chanyeol, sir, I'm a chemistry major. I'm your new research assistant,” he stutters out.
Dr. Kim stares blankly at him for a few more seconds before it's like a light goes off in his head. “Oh! Right, sorry. Welcome and all that. Okay, come here for a second and see if you can figure out the problem.”
Chanyeol moves slowly with wide eyes, courage suddenly gone. “Don't worry, I don't bite,” says Dr. Kim with a friendly smile. At the joke, Chanyeol lets out a breath he didn't know he'd been holding and approaches the shorter man.
“I wanted ethyl propanoate, so naturally I condensed ethanol and propanoic acid, but the result was methyl propanoate, which makes no sense at all.” Dr. Kim points at his notes and scratches his head some more.
“Are you...sure you didn't use methanol?” Chanyeol suggests, very carefully. Questioning the intelligence of Dr. Kim Junmyeon is not on the top of his bucket list, especially since he doesn't know how the scientist will react. Then again, the other had asked Chanyeol for his input and this is honestly all he can think of.
The scientist blinks at him and stares for a whole ten seconds this time before looking back at his notes with a frown. “I'm fairly certain I just told you I used ethanol. I know the difference, you know.”
Chanyeol opens his mouth and closes it again. “Of course you know, Dr. Kim, I'm not saying you don't, I'm just, uh, suggesting. Maybe there were remains of methanol in the container that affected the result?”
Dr. Kim shakes his head, pouting in frustration. “There's no way there were methanol remains of an amount that would affect the result this greatly. There could only be some drops at most.” His thin-rimmed glasses are sliding down the bridge of his nose and Chanyeol could reach out and push them back up and he really wants to but he doesn't want to do anything that would be a breach of privacy, especially when he literally just arrived and he feels like anything he does wrong can be reason to kick him out head first.
“Could someone have accidentally switched them up and filled the ethanol bottle with methanol?” Chanyeol tries. He's painfully aware of how unlikely the suggestion is, but it sort of blurted out as his mind raced, and he regrets it instantly. Nervousness isn't a characteristic most of his friends would associate with him, but in this horribly messy office, standing next to a kind of attractive chemist who could decide that he's useless at any minute, Chanyeol is a lump of nerves.
The chemist frowns at him. “You're really grasping at straws here, aren't you?” he points out, not unkindly.
Chanyeol can't help but make a face, because he really is grasping at straws. “I just got here and I want to make a good impression, not to mention keep this job,” he admits sheepishly. Dr. Kim smiles at that, beautifully if Chanyeol is going to be honest, and finally pushes his glasses up the bridge of his nose, and Chanyeol suddenly finds it much easier to breathe.
“Don't worry about that, you're doing well so far. Now that I think about it, I wouldn't be surprised if Dr. Wu mixed up my supplies. It's typical,” says Dr. Kim, muttering that asshole under his breath, though he's still smiling at Chanyeol. “You know what, let's leave this for now. I haven't gotten to introduce myself properly.” He holds out his hand. “Dr. Kim Junmyeon. And you are?”
Chanyeol's mind is reeling, but he takes the man's hand anyway and shakes it with a polite smile. “Park Chanyeol, your new assistant.”
“Nice to meet you. You seem to show some initiative and a critical mind. That's good, that's exactly what I want to see. You're the one with fire powers, am I right?”
That's right, Chanyeol thinks, that's probably the actual reason he was hired at all. He nods anyway, and Dr. Kim smiles again. “Great! If I'm to be honest with you, I prefer working with gifted people because it becomes a sort of bond, that mutual thing that we both have a gift. It's important for me to connect with my people. You understand that, right?” Chanyeol nods again, understanding how the chemist feels but not sure what to say in response.
“Great. I hope we can work well together!” says Dr. Kim, and his smile looks a little like sunshine after a rainy day. Maybe Chanyeol will do well after all.
In retrospect, Chanyeol thinks that assuming he would do well wasn't the best assumption. He often loses control of his power when he's nervous or excited, and while he's gotten more comfortable in the lab he is incredibly clumsy, something that tends to lead to situations that make him nervous. Since he started working in Dr. Kim's lab two weeks ago he has broken three beakers and set fire to his own hair at least twice. (He thinks it was twice but he's suspecting that Dr. Kim has used his own gift to put out more fires than Chanyeol has actually known of.)
It may be slightly related to Dr. Kim himself.
“Chanyeol, can you add some phenolphthalein indicator to the acids that are on the table?” the chemist asks him, eyes narrowed behind his glasses as he fills a burette with sodium hydroxide.
“Right away, Dr. Kim!” Chanyeol replies, setting down the conical flask in his hand to pick up a small bottle of phenolphthalein indicator, unscrewing it quickly.
As Chanyeol grabs a beaker filled with hydrochloric acid, Dr. Kim finishes filling up the burette and glances at him. “You know, you're allowed to just call me Junmyeon,” he suggests, a tiny smile playing at his lips that makes Chanyeol stop moving (and maybe breathing for a couple of seconds).
In the past two weeks that Chanyeol has been here he has started to get to know the chemist, like how he prefers his coffee black and strong so he can stay awake longer to work because he's so dedicated to what he does, how patient he seems with Chanyeol despite the younger's clumsiness, and how generally sweet he is to people.
It's safe to say that Chanyeol may have at least a tiny crush.
So when Dr. Kim smiles that tiny disarming smile at Chanyeol, wanting Chanyeol to call him by his first name, wanting Chanyeol to call him Junmyeon instead of Dr. Kim, the first thing that happens is Chanyeol's eyes widening. Then his lips part, and then the open bottle of indicator drops to the floor.
The sound has Chanyeol startling into action, and as his arm moves he spills acid out of the beaker he is holding. “Crap,” he exclaims, quickly setting the beaker back down on the table and rushing to the sink in order to wash off the acid he got on his hands before it hurts him.
“I'm so sorry, Dr. Kim - I mean Junmyeon - I didn't mean to do that, I was just caught off guard a little!” Chanyeol apologizes profusely for his mistake - a rookie mistake, he thinks to himself.
The chemist waves him off. “Don't worry, it happens,” he assures Chanyeol. “Are you okay?” When Chanyeol confirms that he's unharmed, Junmyeon bends down to pick up the bottle of indicator. It's not broken, but some liquid has spilled out. “I'm going to need a mop here.”
“I'll get it,” Chanyeol says, hanging his head in shame as he goes to get a mop.
“I just don't get what's happening, you know? I mean, the point was that I could use my gift to be helpful, not so I'd ruin everything. I haven't had this little control since I was a kid,” Chanyeol rambles one day after work, leaning over the reception desk.
Baekhyun shrugs, popping a chocolate ball into his mouth. “It's this crush of yours, making your heart go badoom badoom. Your blood starts racing and the adrenaline rush kicks your power into drive and you end up setting fire to everything. Just like when you were a kid and fell off the swing. It's science, really.”
“You know, having a crush on your boss is pretty unprofessional,” Jongdae, Baekhyun's colleague in the reception, pipes up as he looks away from his work.
Chanyeol snorts. “Please, as if you don't have the biggest crush on Minseok,” he retorts, and Jongdae sputters indignantly. “I do not!” he whines, pouting and going back to his screen. Baekhyun laughs and pats his colleague on the back as if to console him.
“But it's unfair! I came to this lab so I could do science and somehow I'm just doing everything wrong!” Chanyeol mumbles. “Junmyeon probably hates me, he probably regrets agreeing to have me as his assistant.”
“Oh, stop it with the whining!” Baekhyun slaps Chanyeol's arm, and Chanyeol pouts. “I've seen Dr. Kim be all professional with other assistants, sometimes even really intolerant. He's actually a mess of a guy. But he seems really comfortable with you. You'll do fine.”
“Hold your hands around the flask like this,” Junmyeon instructs, demonstrating by covering a conical flask with his own hands, “and focus.” He stares intently at the flask, and water starts to fill it up from the bottom, like the flask has a hole in the bottom and is immersed in water. Chanyeol looks on in awe.
“That is so cool,” he says.
The chemist smiles and gently pushes the flask towards Chanyeol. “Now you try,” Junmyeon encourages. “Boil the water. Go on.”
Chanyeol stiffens; it's been difficult for him to use his gift at will lately, but he really wants to please Dr. Kim. Carefully, he reaches out to wrap his hands around the conical flask and concentrates. As he stares at the flask everything else around him starts to blur, and he needs to focus on his breathing. “Good, deep breaths,” Junmyeon's voice comes from his right, but in the haze of his power rushing to him it sounds as if there's a thick glass wall between them. That's good, he knows, it means he is getting somewhere.
Tiny bubbles start to form in the water, and Chanyeol can feel himself getting hot. He tries to concentrate the heat and send it to his hands. It's not much longer before the water starts to boil, bubbling vigorously. Letting go of the conical flask, he grins proudly. The world around him clears up again, and the water is still boiling. He notices steam entering the tube that closes off the flask, condensing and eventually ending up in the beaker in which the other end of the tube is placed.
“Well done,” Junmyeon tells him with a pleased smile, and Chanyeol's heart soars at the praise.
The door to the lab opens and both of their heads whip around to see who it is. Dr. Kim Minseok enters halfway. “Hey, Junmyeon, do you have a minute?” he asks, and Junmyeon nods quickly before turning his attention back to Chanyeol. “Can you take that piece of rubidium and get it out of the way of the water? We don't want an explosion in here.” Junmyeon points at a glass jar before shucking off his lab coat, hanging it on a chair and leaving the lab along with Minseok.
Chanyeol glances at the jar. Rubidium is an alkali metal, incredibly reactive and must be handled carefully. It is surrounded by gaseous argon, usually, to prevent contact with air. Tentatively, he picks up the jar. It shouldn't be too hard to move some rubidium, but then he hears his name being said outside the lab, and stops next to Junmyeon's chair.
“How is Chanyeol doing? I heard there were some incidents.”
“We've had a few incidents, but he's still new to this; I'm certain he can learn. We're working on helping him control his gift, and he definitely has a lot of potential,” comes Junmyeon's voice. “He can do really well with some training, I think.”
“And you think he's cute.”
“...Maybe a little. But you know I'm serious when it comes to work, hyung. Him being cute isn't the reason he's still here.”
Chanyeol's eyes widen -- Junmyeon thinks he's cute -- and before he realizes what is happening his face is flushed and he feels hot all over, and not in a good way. The metal he is supposed to be moving away from danger zones starts to melt inside the jar, and there are cracks in the glass itself as the gas inside begins to expand.
Oh no oh no oh no this is bad, Chanyeol thinks, panicking.
On instinct, he drops the jar. It crashes to the floor and cracks into dozens of pieces, and there's the sound of the gas exploding at the same time. The melted rubidium is sent flying in different directions and catches fire, burning vigorously like in a mix of intense orange flames and a purple tint.
It seems to go on forever, until most of the rubidium finally burns out and all that's left is various spots on the floor covered in orange powder. Chanyeol, with huge eyes, surveys the results of the disaster. He thinks everything has survived. He needs to clean the floor before his boss comes back, clear away the glass and the powder. Junmyeon's lab coat is on fire-
Junmyeon's lab coat is on fire.
“NO!” Chanyeol lunges forward to grab the coat, pulling it off the chair and dropping it on the floor. He tries to concentrate and control the fire, but his panic just makes the coat burn even more vigorously. When the fire finally stops, it's because it's burned through the entire lab coat and all that's left is a mess of ashes on the floor.
Chanyeol hides his face in his hands. “All I do is mess up,” he whines.
His laments are interrupted by the door to the lab opening, Junmyeon reentering the room. The scientist stops and stares at the mess of orange powder and ashes. Quickly, Chanyeol looks up and gapes. “I'm so sorry!” he blurts out. “I made a big mess, I didn't mean to I'm so sorry you must hate me-”
“Chanyeol,” the older cuts in exasperatedly. “I don't hate you, please stop.” Chanyeol's rambling stops and he looks at his boss with wide eyes. “The rubidium was a waste, but I don't blame you, okay? You're really trying to control your gift; it's admirable. Let's just clean this up, shall we?”
After Chanyeol - having insisted that “I made this mess, I'm going to take care of it” - has cleaned up all of the mess and the lab doesn't look like a disaster zone anymore, he sees Junmyeon shuffling around the lab like he's looking for something. “What are you looking for, Dr. Kim- Junmyeon?” he asks tentatively. Please don't be the lab coat, please don't be the lab coat, please don't-
“I was just looking for my lab coat,” says Junmyeon, and Chanyeol screams internally. “I thought I left it on that chair over there, but it's not there. Maybe I'm getting old.” He chuckles softly at that.
“Uh - why don't you wear mine until you find it or get a new one? I can grab another one from the storage room,” Chanyeol suggests quickly, hoping it'll be forgotten. He takes off his own lab coat and hands it to Junmyeon who shrugs and accepts it. Then he makes a beeline for the door, eager to get away from his boss for a short while as he gets himself a new lab coat.
Upon his return, Chanyeol finds Junmyeon standing in the lab in Chanyeol's lab coat, and it's too big for him. The sleeves go over his hands and the coat actually almost reaches the floor. Junmyeon himself seems to not care as long as he can do science, pouring a deep blue powder into that beaker filled with water, his lips pouting slightly in concentration. It looks inexplicably cute.
When his assistant approaches him Junmyeon glances up from the beaker his gaze had been stuck on. His glasses are about to slide off his nose. Then he smiles seemingly for no reason, and Chanyeol's heart flutters as he smiles back excitedly.
“Can I just tell you how great I think it is to work for you? Seriously, it's a huge honor, and you've been super patient with me even though I mostly make mistakes,” he blurts.
Junmyeon shakes his head as he straightens and walks over to the sink to wash his hands. “Science is all about mistakes, Chanyeol,” he explains over the sound of the water. “We need to make mistakes to learn, you know. Learn about the world around us, and all of that.” When his hands are clean, the water simply evaporates. He pushes his glasses up his nose. “Even though you may not think so, you're really useful to have here. And your mistakes are all part of science.” Junmyeon flashes another brilliant smile.
“I appreciate that.” Chanyeol flushes slightly, but he finds he's not worried about starting a fire this time.
As he approaches Chanyeol, Junmyeon doesn't notice himself tripping over the big lab coat he's wearing until he's falling. “Ah--” he exclaims.
It happens so quickly that Chanyeol barely manages to think before catching him, but suddenly he's got an armful of Dr. Kim Junmyeon.
“Are you okay?” he asks, slowly helping the older get upright. This time Junmyeon is the one with wide eyes, staring at Chanyeol in what looks like a mixture of shock and confusion about what just happened.
“I think so?” replies Junmyeon, then laughs lightly. Chanyeol starts laughing too, affected by Junmyeon, and in the end he's just smiling at the chemist, lost in his thoughts until his boss clears his throat and Chanyeol is brought back to reality.
“We need you here today,” is the first thing Jongdae says when Chanyeol clocks in at the front desk one morning, a month after he started this job. “Baekhyun's sick. Minseok's orders.”
“But...I'm Junmyeon's assistant.” Chanyeol frowns.
“Don't worry, Dr. Kim has been notified that you're needed at the front desk. You're not always needed at the lab.”
“Oh. Okay.”
Chanyeol spends that entire day at the front desk, taking calls and helping Jongdae with the paperwork. The job isn't a problem, except he finds himself staring in the direction of the lab one too many times.
“Missing the lab?” Jongdae asks him, and then adds in a teasing tone, “Or maybe your boss?”
“Shut up,” Chanyeol mumbles defeatedly and looks down at the paper in his hand.
Jongdae snickers lightly. “It's not like you'll never see him again, you're going back tomorrow as long as Baekhyun's better by then.”
“Don't you have substitutes to fill in for you guys?”
“Minseok prefers to use assistants since you're already here anyway and they don't have to pay substitutes. Except if it's absolutely necessary. Stamp these papers for me.”
Sighing, Chanyeol takes the papers Jongdae hands him and resigns himself to doing this for the rest of the day.
The next day Chanyeol goes back to the lab earlier than usual, eager to go back to research. What he does not expect to find is Junmyeon sleeping with his head on a desk. His hair is a mess, as if he's run his hand through it several times, and his glasses are lying on the desk. He looks peaceful as he sleeps. He is still wearing a lab coat (a new one that actually fits him), and Chanyeol wonders what he's been up to.
A sort of answer presents itself when he sees the mess of conical flasks, beakers and bottles filled with different substances on another table. It's set up like some alchemist's concoction brewery that one would see in a movie. Really, this just makes Chanyeol more confused.
“Junmyeon?” he tries curiously, putting a hand on the chemist's arm. A soft, sleepy noise comes from the older, and his arms stretch slowly before he opens his eyes.
Then he blinks a few times, seeing Chanyeol in front of him, and sits up in his seat. “Chanyeol. I thought you were working at the front desk today.”
“That was yesterday,” Chanyeol tells him.
“Oh, right.” Junmyeon's eyes light up a little. There are dark bags under his eyes. “I must have fallen asleep later than I thought. So you're back with me today?”
“Yeah. Wait, were you here all night?” Chanyeol asks in surprise.
“I was. I usually sleep in my office when I stay over, though. Not here,” Junmyeon says, looking slightly confounded with himself. “Did you have fun at the front desk? Was it a nice change?”
“No,” Chanyeol admits. “I'd rather be here, really.”
At that, Junmyeon smiles, probably for the first time this morning, and he still looks tired but he also looks pleased. “That's what I thought. The lab got pretty quiet without you here, too. I started talking to myself at one point. I'll tell the administration that you're more needed in here than out there. There's a lot to do!” Perking up, Chanyeol nods vigorously, eager to get back to work with Junmyeon.
There isn't really a lot to do, so whenever they have some down time Junmyeon asks Chanyeol to get him a cup of coffee and wipe the tables and other similar tasks. Were it any other job Chanyeol would probably be annoyed, but he doesn't mind this time because he gets to be around Junmyeon, so he happily does whatever he's told to.
“Junmyeon, it's raining,” Chanyeol points out as he enters the lab.
“Yeah, I know. It says so on the weather forecast. I hope you brought an umbrella if you're taking the bus home today.” Junmyeon has his head in his hands and seems to be rubbing his eyes. His hair is a mess again.
“No, I mean it's raining in here. You're making it rain.”
At that, Junmyeon looks up, and is startled to see that it is indeed raining inside the lab. “Oops,” he says, and the rain stops. “Didn't notice.”
“Stressed?” Digging in his bag, Chanyeol brings out a bunch of food and places it in what they've named the 'safe zone'. Junmyeon barely ever leaves the lab these days, even for food, and technically it's a bad idea to eat in a lab full of chemicals, so the two of them decided to sanitize a small area where they can eat.
“So much,” Junmyeon groans. It's been three months since Chanyeol started his job, and they've grown comfortable with each other in that time. Chanyeol's crush on Junmyeon hasn't subsided but he's less easily flustered by his boss's words now that he's getting used to him, and they talk easily. “I just don't get what I'm missing.” He gets up and takes off his lab coat, washing his hands before entering the safe zone. Surveying the food, he decides upon a bowl of rice.
“Let's have a look at it later,” Chanyeol suggests, grabbing a bowl of kimchi and eating heartily.
There is a large whiteboard on the wall, and it's covered in Junmyeon's messy handwriting; formulas, sketches and a bunch of question marks all over the board. It's like Chanyeol can see the chemist's frustration.
“What's the problem?” Chanyeol asks after they've had some food.
“I've been testing a bunch of catalysts,” says Junmyeon, and wielding a marker, points out an equation. “This is what's wrong.” He taps the whiteboard with his marker.
“That's the activation energy you got when using a nickel catalyst?” Cocking his head, Chanyeol studies the equation. “Isn't that very low?”
“Yes, that's exactly the problem! This was the base of my test, but it has a faster rate than any of the other catalysts, which should not be happening,” the man complains.
It takes Chanyeol staring resolutely at the whiteboard for a minute thinking, before he blinks and points at the board. “What if -- what if the water itself worked as a catalyst?”
Junmyeon furrows his brows and bites his lower lip. “If there was an impurity in it, some diluted nickel...” He gasps. “Yes!” His entire face lights up and he stretches his arms to grab Chanyeol's face and kiss his forehead. “I've been at this for hours and all I needed was your input!”
As he flushes from his boss's action, Chanyeol realizes something. “It might actually be my fault,” he says sheepishly. “I didn't clean the equipment properly. I'm so sorry!”
“You know what? I don't even care. I forgive you. I finally figured out the cause of my problem and now I can go on with my work,” Junmyeon grins widely. “I'm going to need you to clean all of the equipment better, though.”
“Of course,” Chanyeol agrees. “It's part of my job, after all.”
One day the power shuts down unexpectedly. Junmyeon and Chanyeol notice it because the heater stops working. “What the-” Junmyeon mumbles in confusion. “Did Jongdae decide to play a prank again? I keep telling Minseok he shouldn't have a gifted receptionist, that kid gets bored so quickly-”
“I'll check what's wrong,” Chanyeol volunteers and exits the lab. When he returns, he's wearing an exasperated look on his face. “The power's out in the whole building. Jongdae says it wasn't him.”
“Damn it. I don't have time for this.” Junmyeon slumps in his chair, staring at the liquids they'd been heating up. He looks up at Chanyeol. “Heat it for me, will you?”
“Uh. I'll try,” Chanyeol offers, swallowing and hoping he doesn't burn down the entire lab this time. His incidents have decreased over time, but even though he has some control of his gift now, it still makes him a little worried to use it for something important that can be ruined. (Which, technically, is anything.)
Wrapping his hands around the beaker, Chanyeol thinks hard about the liquid heating up, imagines it starting to boil. Still, he doesn't feel like anything's happening, and when he looks at the solution, nothing is. “It's not working,” he whines in annoyance. The one time he's really needed and he can't use his gift? Ridiculous.
There's a hand stroking his arm. Looking down, he sees Junmyeon smiling gently at him. “Come on, Chanyeol, I know you can do this. We've done this before, and you're brilliant when you work really hard,” he says softly, biting his lower lip. Now Chanyeol is slowly starting to get flustered, and his hands are heating up slightly but not enough. Junmyeon seems to notice and tiptoes, pressing a small kiss to Chanyeol's lips. Chanyeol sucks in a breath and barely gets to kiss back before the chemist is pulling away with a coy smile.
The realization of what just happened is enough to kick his fire into drive, and it only takes a few seconds for the solution to start to boil. He tears his hands away from the beaker. “Yes! Thank you, Park Chanyeol,” Junmyeon exclaims with a big grin, pouncing to kiss his assistant again.
This time Chanyeol gets enough time to react, and as he kisses back he feels hot all over, as if he's really burning. Junmyeon pulls back and stares at him.
“Your hair's on fire again,” he says. “Let me try something.”
And he takes Chanyeol's hands in his own, staring into the taller's eyes with that smile, and Chanyeol feels himself cool down. “Holy crap.”
“Fire and water,” says Junmyeon, squeezing the younger's hands and looking very proud of himself. “I neutralized you. Hair's all fine now.”
Chanyeol lets out a laugh. “That's awesome!” He gently kisses the corner of Junmyeon's mouth, thinking that obviously any boundaries of being professional are gone after that first kiss.
The chemist seems to be thinking the same thing, and laughs with Chanyeol. “Don't worry, Park Chanyeol. I'll make a useful scientist of you yet.”