• Modern AU

Narrator:

The office was quiet, save for the rhythmic sound of typing and the occasional rustle of papers. Feng Xin hated paperwork. He hated the endless forms, the dull hum of fluorescent lights and most of all...the smug and unbothered presence of Mu Qing, who somehow managed to make even the dullest administrative tasks seem effortless.

Today was no different. They had been assigned a mountain of forms to complete, and Feng Xin was already on the verge of losing his mind. Meanwhile, Mu Qing sat across from him, his desk perfectly organized, pen gliding smoothly over yet another pristine sheet of paper.

Feng Xin glared at the stack of documents in front of him, wondering how on earth he had gotten roped into this..
_

"Are you done with Section B yet?" Mu Qing asked without looking up, his voice cool and measured.

Feng Xin scowled, flipping through his pile of papers. "Do I look like I’m done?"

Mu Qing sighed, setting his pen down and giving him a pointed look. "You’d be done if you stopped sulking and actually worked."

"I am working" Feng Xin snapped. "This is just... stupidly complicated."

"Complicated?" Mu Qing repeated, raising an eyebrow. "It’s basic reading comprehension. Even a child could do this."

Feng Xin bristled, slamming his pen down. "Then why don’t you do it for me, genius?"

"Because..." Mu Qing said, a smirk tugging at the corner of his lips. "It’s not my job to clean up after you. You’re a grown man. Act like one." Feng Xin clenched his jaw, taking a deep breath and silent, continue do his work.

An hour later, the pile of completed forms on Mu Qing’s desk was growing steadily while Feng Xin’s progress remained… less impressive.

"How do you do this so fast?" Feng Xin muttered, glaring at Mu Qing’s perfect handwriting.

"Maybe if you stopped gripping your pen like you’re about to fight someone, you’d get through it faster" Mu Qing said, not bothering to hide his amusement.

"I don’t-" Feng Xin began, then stopped, realizing his pen was in fact start to bent slightly from his grip.

Mu Qing gave him a smug look. "Exactly."

"Do you ever get tired of being so annoying?" Feng Xin shot back.

"No" Mu Qing said, completely unfazed. "But clearly, you get tired of being bad at paperwork." Feng Xin sigh under his breath, resisting the urge to throw his pen at him.

As the afternoon dragged on, Feng Xin finally finished one section of forms and leaned back with a groan. "Done!" he announced, triumphantly slapping the papers onto his desk. Mu Qing glanced over, unimpressed. "Did you double-check them?"

Feng Xin blinked. "What?"

"Double-check." Mu Qing repeated, as if speaking to a particularly slow student. "To make sure you didn’t miss anything."

Feng Xin stared at him. "You’re kidding, right? I’m not doing that."

Mu Qing smirked. "Fine. Don’t blame me when they’re sent back for corrections."

"They won’t be." Feng Xin said confidently. "Mm-hmm." Mu Qing replied, turning back to his own work.
_

Sure enough, fifteen minutes later, Feng Xin groaned loudly. "Why didn’t you tell me Section C needed signatures before I moved on?"

Mu Qing didn’t even look up. "I did. You weren’t listening."

"No, you didn’t!"

"I did." Mu Qing said again, his tone maddeningly calm.

Feng Xin threw his head back in frustration. "You- Ugh nevermind.."

"Hmph. Sucks to be you." Mu Qing said for the second time that day, his smirk widening.

By the time evening rolled around, both desks were almost clear. Feng Xin was slumped in his chair, exhausted while Mu Qing tidied up his workspace with surgical precision.

"You really don’t get tired, do you?" Feng Xin asked, watching him.

"Efficiency is energizing" Mu Qing replied, stacking his papers neatly. "You should try it sometime."

"Maybe if I had someone nagging me constantly, I’d be as ‘efficient’ as you" Feng Xin said, rolling his eyes.

Mu Qing paused, looking at him. "You mean someone like me?"

Feng Xin snorted. "Exactly. But then I’d go insane, so no thanks."

"Insane?" Mu Qing said, feigning offense. "I’ve been nothing but helpful today."

Feng Xin raised an eyebrow. "Oh, really? Is that what you call all the sarcasm and insults?"

"It’s called constructive criticism" Mu Qing said, smirking.

As they packed up to leave, Feng Xin glanced at Mu Qing, his irritation fading into something softer.

"Thanks for helping me out today..even not really." he said gruffly, scratching the back of his neck.

Mu Qing looked at him, momentarily surprised. "That’s the first sensible thing you’ve said all day."

"Don’t ruin it.." Feng Xin muttered, shouldering his bag.

Mu Qing chuckled softly, his usual sharpness replaced by a rare warmth. "You’re welcome, idiot."

Feng Xin rolled his eyes but he couldn’t help the small smile that crept onto his face as they walked out of the office together.