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Posted: Sat May 10, 2008 3:29 pm
The sunlight hurt his eyes as the man walked down the hall, his steps even and barely audible on the marble tiled floors as he made his way towards the lavish doors at the end of the hallway. Pressing one cold hand to his tired eye, Ferdinand muttered a less-than-elegant curse beneath his breath. He was in a foul mood, having been kept up all night at a certain bloody detective's insistence. He was a bartender, not a detective any longer. He shouldn't have to take his ex-subordinate's bloody cases.
Hiding a yawn in one arm, the man adjusted his mask. He already knew what he was called to Searan's office for. What with dumping alcohol on Lev and all, it wasn't hard to guess. Any other day with enough rest, Ferdinand would have been quite amused. But at the moment, he was just about ready to snap off a barrage of insults and kick a few kittens.
Adjusting the oversized shirt [Koen's, as Ferdinand had not been awake enough to realize that the first shirt he was so used to grabbing and throwing on happened to be three sizes too big.] as best as he could, the bartender drew in a deep breath and held it to calm his nerves, rolling up the long sleeves so that he could at least knock on the door properly. Three times.
Even in a foul mood, the man wasn't rude enough to barge into places without at least properly knocking first. Not to mention this being his boss's place and all. As he waited, the man looked out at the windows that lined the corridor, wishing there were blinds on them so as to lessen the glare from the fine weather outside. "******** sun...."
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Posted: Sat May 10, 2008 5:24 pm
Searan was quite upset, but more of his mood was the result of his friend being his typical self rather than the actual problem. Fer did pour a drink on a customer and has had random outbursts lately, but he connected the dots and it all came back to Koen more often than not. "You should have stopped him before he did it, Koen! If he does that to anyone else, I'm going to be forced to--"
"Calm down, Searan! Lev was being a jerk, it was completely deserved...just not in the middle of the club and when he was talking to Miss Mhin." Koen sighed and ran a hand through his hair before adjusting his neck tie, half way expecting it to be yanked on for his comment. "He was probably also pissed because I was being called away so often. I know that I'm practically living with him, but, well, you should know that even that doesn't help much."
"Heh, damn right it doesn't. Your job's a b***h, Koen, you should really think about finding a different profession if you ever want to keep one of your conquests." Searan leaned back in his chair and put his feet on his desk, tapping his right hand on the desk in irritation. "He should be here any..."
Koen heard the knock first and immediately got up to open the door with his usual flair and obnoxiousness. "Ah, my dear Ferdinand! I was afraid you...wouldn't...wake up." He trailed off and straightened up with a nervous cough when he realized what Fer was wearing. "You look...Ah," he turned around and turned to Searan, "can you postpone the meeting? Please?"
"Sit down Koen." Searan got up from his seat with a calm smile and walked over to Ferdinand, patting the young man on the shoulder and waving to the extra seat. "Please have a seat Mr. Mitzrite and let's have a little chat, shall we? I promise Koen will keep quiet and just sit there looking pretty. Come, we have quite a bit to discuss today."
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Posted: Sat May 10, 2008 5:44 pm
Ferdinand glowered, the words lost to him behind the heavy doors. Though it probably wouldn't have improved any if he had any sort of say in the matter. As Koen opened the door, however, the man's eyes merely narrowed. About to snap something rude, the bartender managed to catch himself as Searan intervened.
Deciding it was better than to rudely decline, Ferdinand allowed himself to the indicated seat, taking up his place into the [thankfully] yielding chair and crossing one leg over the other in an elegant manner born of necessity. Still, his expression was dark as the man searched for one of his usual smiles. Failing to emit a radiant, uplifting air, instead he gave a blank and borderline cold expression. Resting an arm on the armrest, Ferdinand held his head up in one palm.
"Good morning, Searan." With considerably as much effort as it took for him to smile, the man's words came out in monotone. Though Ferdinand had neglected to put on his contacts for the day, his amber-brown eyes managed to project his negative emotions in a much more clear manner than his blue ones ever could hope to.
If Fer was feeling nervous about being scolded for his earlier behavior, he was showing none of it.
"I look like what, Koen?" Calmly, the other's name was emphasized in an almost threatening manner, the redhead's gaze sliding over to the doctor in question but without ever turning his head. "No... On second thought, we'll talk about how I look later. What is it you'd like from me, sir?" Reverting his attention back to Searan, Ferdinand seemed to be waking up a little more by that point. He even flashed another smile... Though still anything but warm.
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Posted: Sat May 10, 2008 7:33 pm
Searan eyed the two and took note of their behaviors: Fer was acting stubborn while Koen was either dumb struck or love struck, neither of which Searan felt like dealing with. He was half tempted to wave the old man out of the room (or kick him) but he decided against it figuring that Fer would need some sort of neutral party in the room. His eyes went wide when the lovers started exchanging words, the hairs on his arms rising. "Please, for the love of god don't make Koen speak on that..."
"What?" Koen smirked at Searan and scooted his chair closer to Fer. He leaned over and brushed back the boy's hair, "I'd just say that you look like dessert." He pulled back with another smirk, scooted his chair back, and sat up straight, putting on the complete business meeting aura. "Yes Searan, what is it that you want to discuss?"
Searan cleared his throat and leaned forward in his chair, putting his elbows on the desk. "I'd like for you, Fer, to tell me why there seems to be so much pent up anger running through your body. And why did this "Lev" person ruffle your feathers so much? Your demeanor is usually very calm, except when it comes to Nik and Koen, so it came as quite a shock to witness what happened with that customer."
Koen watched the two carefully, slowly inching his way closer and closer to Fer until he was in reach. He reached over to take the boy's hand in his own, stroking it tenderly. So far Searan seemed to be playing the nice boss but if Ferdinand gave him any back talk...well, he'd be utilizing his strength to haul Fer out quicker than the speed of light. Just stay calm, don't set each other off. Please don't set each other off...
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Posted: Sat May 10, 2008 7:47 pm
Ferdinand managed to hold his annoyance in check, for when he was in a foul mood he had an uncanny tendancy to lash out on anything and everything. Lover or no. So when Koen whispered to him, the bartender found none of his usual tolerance for the other's flirtations.
His features completely impassive, the man didn't so much as look at the doctor when the older male took his hand. Though when Searan finished speaking, he calmly whipped his hand around in a lightening fast action, pulling his hand out of Koen's grasp and smacking the back of the other's hand none-too-gently. Uncrossing his legs, Ferdinand leaned forward in his chair with a smile, his intense gaze trained on Searan before him.
"Sir. I'm quite aware that it wasn't my place to teach Lev his much deserved lesson at the time that I did. I'm also aware that your position is very awkward in the middle of this. At this point, I can offer nothing more than an apology for my actions, a formal apology to Miss Hae-min, and perhaps, possibly, a grudging apology for Lev himself." Leaning back into his seat, Fer touched a hand to his mask out of habit, tucking his long red bangs behind one ear in the same fluid motion.
"I also apologize if I seem to be angry to you. I will take extra care to... take care of it--" Here, Ferdinand paused briefly to eye Koen, though the action was so subtle it could have easily been mistaken as just a dramatic pause. "-- Before I return to work each day. Unless you're planning to fire me before I have a chance to redeem myself?"
Seeming to have regained most of his usual sleek composure, Ferdinand smiled for the umpteenth time. A friendlier smile, though it also held in it a bit of ironic amusement. He wasn't taking the meeting seriously... at all.
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Posted: Sat May 10, 2008 8:17 pm
Koen moved his hand back with a little pout and a wave, "That hurt..." He grumbled under his breath and grudgingly moved back to his spot, still rubbing his hand. He eyed Searan as Fer spoke and didn't see anything indicating that the man was at all upset. In fact, he looked...understanding? He was looking at Searan so much that he almost missed Fer's annoyed glance. At first he was confused but he slowly got it as Fer's little speech wrapped up. "Ohhh," he acknowledged softly under his breath, "I get it."
Searan nodded softly to every point that Fer made, including the seemingly sex-tensed glance at Koen. So Koen's schedule really hasn't changed at all over the years. Idiot. "I see... Well, I'm most certainly not going to fire my best bartender and Koen did assure me earlier that you and your "friend" Lev seem to have some sort of history. And," he leaned forward on his desk, "I'd throw a fit, too, if someone started flashing around a pic of me in a dress. Although you didn't react the way you should have, it's understandable. But only once."
Koen gave a large sign of relief and leaned back in his chair, staring blankly out the window behind Searan. "Thanks Sear, I knew you'd understand--"
"However, you won't get off without any punishment." Searan grinned, stood up, and put his arms behind his back. For dramatic flair, he started pacing back in forth in a nonchalant manner. "I have talked with a few people and pulled a few strings, and you start immediately if you take on my challenge." He grinned and walked over to Fer and Koen, placing a hand on each shoulder. "When you're not working here, I'd like for you to volunteer at Koen's hospital when he's working clinic hours."
"Whaaaat?" Koen shook Searan's hand off and turned around to face his friend. "No way!" He huffed and stuttered a bit before finally managing to whine out a reason. "I can barely control myself when he's on the job and if he starts working with me...how the hell am I supposed to control that, Sear??"
"It's up to him, he can accept or decline. I just thought it might be a good opportunity for the two of you and it's not like your clinic has a shortage of storage closets."
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Posted: Sat May 10, 2008 8:33 pm
"We have bad blood. It's not just the dress. I assure you I'm not that short tempered." Though even that little bit cause the bartender to flush and he nearly went off on a swearing tangent in embarrassment. So even the boss saw that, eh? Tugging on his mask, the man just managed to keep from whipping it off to retreat behind his more demure self.
Though as he listened to the other's words, Ferdinand frowned. He was about to protest [Quite loudly, mind you.] feeling that he deserved no such punishment. But at the mention of working at Koen's hospital, the man froze.
"What do you mean?" Speaking the words slowly, as if he truly didn't understand rather than needing a moment to wrap his mind around it, the bartender rose to his feet and watched his boss pace across the room. Idly with one hand, he tugged on his [Koen's, rather.] shirt.
After a moment of thoughtful silence, [During which he completely ignored the doctor's outburst.] the man's lips twitched into the faintest of smirks. He pushed his mask into a more comfortable position and looked out the window, crossing both arms around his stomach in a casual manner.
"I accept, though on one condition." The bartender tilted his head slightly, a smirk fully flourishing onto his slender features. That was odd... Bargaining his own 'punishment'. Though such a thing wasn't entirely unheard of during Ferdinand's life time. The man looked positively smug, as if he were a cat that just ate the family pet canary.
"Koen will not touch me so long as we are working together."
Rather than taking the chance as an opportunity to vent out his sexual frustrations, it seemed more as though Ferdinand was quite intent on being spiteful instead.
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Posted: Sat May 10, 2008 9:19 pm
Searan nodded softly and glared at Koen with a smirk, "Bad blood, hmm?" He chuckled at the slight blush and returned to his seat, leaning back and crossing his legs. His proposition was just for laughs, but the opportunity was real if Fer chose to take it. He hadn't ever volunteered at the hospital, but he went there often during the day when he and Koen had their little affair. After all, there was nothing for a host to do during the day, and Koen always welcomed the quick "breaks" with a lecherous smile. "I'm sure that this will solve your timing problems."
Koen just shook his head. "Searan...wow." He couldn't help but laugh, and then freeze when Ferdinand stood up and started speaking. The man followed suit and stood up, pin straight and facing Fer as he spoke. He gulped, cringed, and felt like crying at his words. "You're kidding me, right?" He sat back down quickly and stared off into space, completely frozen and breathing hard. "Don't do it, please don't do it..."
"It's a done deal, then! Although I can only say that he can't touch you. It's up to you and Koen to see to it that it really goes that way." Searan tried hard to hold in his laughter but one chuckle snuck by, which made Koen sink deeper into his seat. "Ah, but just remember that sexual frustration can be a dangerous thing, and if you act out again, Koen will handle your punishment. Be careful~"
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Posted: Sat May 10, 2008 9:56 pm
"Will it?" Airily, Ferdinand hid his own smirk, lowering his head slightly as though in a bow. Turning to Koen, the barkeep flashed a completely innocent smile, radiant as the sun itself. "No. I am not kidding. There is work, and there is play. Although it seems as though the work hours just got longer, no?"
With another smile that was borderline sneer, Ferdinand cocked his head to one side, looking out the window for the second time that day as Searan spoke up. He said nothing for a moment, drawing in a deep breath before releasing it evenly and subtly.
"I can handle Koen quite well." Toying with his bottom shirt button [One of which, annoyingly, was refusing to button properly.], Ferdinand locked gazes with Searan and smiled. "I appreciate your concern. I will take your advice to heart." Making a mental note to ask Lev out on a 'date' once he was through with a full out disciplinary session pertaining himself and a certain puppy, the man took a step away from his chair, towards the exit.
"Is this all, sir?"
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Posted: Sun May 11, 2008 12:46 pm
Koen grumbled and mumbled as he sank lower into his chair, flopping his face into his palms. "You have got to be kidding me. How the hell am I supposed to work with him around if I can't even touch him?? Being celibate during my work hours is painful enough but then you throw him into the mix?? That's just cruel. You both are horrible, horrible people." He shook his head back and forth with a whine, not wanting to believe the mess he's about to get into. "Please reconsider."
"No way in hell, old man!" Searan laughed and came around the desk to give Ferdinand another pat. "I'm sure you can handle Koen well, but I'm not sure if you can handle him when he's stressed out at work. Plus I'm not sure if you can stick to your guns when you see him at work; everyone goes weak in the knees when they see the doctor side of him~" He blushed lightly, "He's quite the doctor. Anyway," he said, turning to Koen with a grin before turning back, "watch out for him. If the two of you aren't busy, he'll try and lure you to a supplies closet or empty room."
"I'm not that bad, really. It's just that he better be wearing really ugly clothes and granny panties with a surgical mask on to hide his lips..." Searan burst out laughing and Koen stood up, thwaping him on the shoulder. "Don't laugh and quit being such a brat! I'm still a man with needs, you know.." He sighed and nudged Searan out of the way, facing Fer. "Yes, that's all here."
"Not quite. Please leave the room, Koen, there's some more things I'd still like to discuss with Ferdinand." Searan cleared his throat and waved for the door, waiting for Koen to get the picture. He had a grin on his face as the old man glared at him, "Go on." Koen finally obliged and left, giving Fer a quick kiss on the top of his head. "Thank you Dr. Koen, you can wait outside or wherever you wish but this part of the conversation is private."
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Posted: Sun May 11, 2008 1:02 pm
Calmly, Ferdinand leaned one hip against his chair as he watched the two debate, wondering if he had any say in the matter. Although knowing Koen, he figured he'd have complete say whether the doctor liked it or not. With a smile thinly veiled, the barkeep merely nodded at Searan's warning. If either of them only know just to what extent Fer's self control was when it came to the sex scene.
"I won't be wearing anything of the sort." Quirking a brow as Koen went on a physical description of what he might be wearing. Although the man hid it well, Ferdinand was actually quite sensitive about what he wore. After all, clothes were a way of self expression, and with half his face covered in a mask [However elegant that may be.] most of the time, Fer was extremely picky towards his clothing. Especially when he could afford it.
Besides. he couldn't properly taunt the doctor if even he were agreeing to wear such disturbing attire. This was to be a battle of wills, after all?
At the mention of a private conversation, however, Ferdinand frowned. A slight bit of nervousness was apparent for the briefest of moments as the man bit his bottom lip, not responding to Koen's kiss. Instead, he calmed himself with a breath and fixed his curious gaze onto Searan. This was something he hadn't predicted-- and not being able to tell what was going to come next disturbed him.
"Something more...?"
He wanted to go back to sleep.
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Posted: Thu May 15, 2008 11:10 am
"Don't worry, Fer, I wouldn't make you wear those stuffy masks but the scrubs are a must if it's at all the same as when I volunteered there. They're actually pretty comfortable for recycled clothes."
Searan smiled and followed Koen out the door, shooing him out and locking the door behind him. He held up one finger to his lips with a mischievous grin and waited, "Typical doctor." He was motionless for a few seconds longer before banging the door with his hand. There was a short cry on the other side of the door followed by a huff and a stomp. "Koen never learns, he did this with Stefan and I for the longest time, too. He just doesn't like being left out of the loop."
Searan came around to his desk again and sat down, "No need to be nervous, Ferdinand. This isn't about you, it's about Koen." He smiled and adjusted the papers on his desk, and moved things around, obviously uncomfortable around the subject. With a sigh he leaned forward, "Koen has certain needs when he goes in for surgery. He will never ask for them, but I noticed a huge difference in his attitude, stamina, and performance when I gave him a kiss and a quick 'Do your best!' before surgery. However, as you may know already, he isn't an invincible doctor; his patients do die sometimes and that's when he really needs someone."
The man adjusted the papers again and tapped a pen to them, trying to think over his next few words carefully. "When one of his patients die during surgery, Koen gets...weird. Sometimes it's a semi-violent outburst, like if the patient wasn't supposed to die, or it's a regression and he needs someone to play the mother role and comfort him. Anyway, all I'm saying is that you should be careful with your actions around Koen when he has a surgery scheduled, and especially when it's emergency surgery."
Searan grinned, "Other than that, tease the hell out of him, Fer! Drive him nuts, it's a really fun game. He'll probably work harder since you're there; he always wants to come off as some great hero warrior man when someone that strikes his fancy is around."
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Posted: Fri May 16, 2008 6:27 pm
Ah... Scrubs. As Searan mentioned them, Ferdinand seemed to catch onto that one word, slowly mauling it apart in his mind. Moving to resume his seat into the chair he had recently evacuated, the younger of the two men rested his head against his knuckles, barely hearing his boss as the other 'dealt' with the doctor.
He hated wearing recycled clothing, and from his few visits to the hospitals, their required dress code always made him uncomfortable. Not necessarily because of the less-than-pleasant colors, but mostly because it was so....bland. And Ferdinand suspected that there was no one alive on the planet who would actually look good wearing the bloody things. That was going to be a problem.
Hiding his frown as Searan addressed him, the half-asleep bartender managed a small smile. "Of course..." Whatever the other man had just said. At least he did a good job of seeming to be paying attention.
It was only when his senior took a seat at his desk and switched the topic to Koen that Ferdinand's attention and focus returned. Tilting his head slightly, the man fiddled with the end of the delicate ribbons that held his mask into place as he listened. At length, the man smiled pleasantly, his normally brown eyes seeming to reflect amber in the gentle sunlight of the partially opened blinds.
"Are you speaking to me about this as my boss, Koen's best friend, or Koen's past lover?" Though the words came out slowly and with no attempt to hide his obvious amusement, they weren't spoken in a condescending tone. Tugging apart the bow, Ferdinand held his mask into place with his free hand as he adjusted the piece more securely.
"I understand what you mean, in any case. At least, about when Koen loses a patient." A slight smile tugged at his lips, seeming more amused than finding the entire situation a problem. "However, I think Koen will soon come to find that I am not much of a mother figure. I can fill the role, but more often than not, I simply do not wish to." Leaning back into his seat, the bartender closed his tired eyes briefly. "I will continue to do what I have always done. I am not a selfless person, no more selfless or selfish than the next man on the street. I have no desire to give my everything to someone so quickly, despite our current.... 'pact'. While I am attracted to Koen, I'm also not willing to make the same mistakes I have made in the past. I will take care of him to the extent that I see fit, but I won't bend over backwards to fulfill his needs."
Pushing back his seat as he stood up, Ferdinand smiled once more, an expression that held a thousand meanings and yet none in particular.
"Of course, that is the same that I expect of him. You have no need to worry about us, sir."
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