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Yamaguchi loves his parents. He really does. They're caring (they coddle him too much for a 26-year-old), attentive (they know him well, TOO well), supportive (they made him a rainbow cake when he came out), and on top of that, they make the best home-cooked meals, enough to make him think of staying with them until they all grow old (that plan failed–they kicked him out as soon as he got a job– well, he doesn't mind since his mom sends him care packages at least once a month). The point is, Yamaguchi loves his parents, but now, he's not so sure about that–he's still sure he loves them, actually; he's just overreacting. He knows so shut up.
This fiasco all began when his parent's friend's child got married–well, not actually a CHILD, but you get the point. Anyway, since that day, his parents began bugging him about marriage, saying that it's time to settle down with someone and live a joyful life traveling the world with their puppy, dining in fancy-ass restaurants and watching the sunset through the very (unnecessary, expensive, useless) beautiful floor to ceiling windows.
They're dreaming too big, he thinks, seeing as he's slaving away in his office, with mountains of paper works to do, working a nine-to-five job (not including his goddamn overtimes that would make him die from exhaustion one of these days, he's sure of it), and not enough salary to compensate for all the shit he goes through. Well, his salary is actually more than enough, too much money to spend but got no time to actually spend it–he swears to whoever the fuck is listening that he's going to resign from his goddamn company the day they remove his all-expenses-paid international business trips which includes too much pocket money for someone who's going overseas to shake some hands and sign some papers.
He's being dramatic, life is kinda good, but let him have his moment.
Back to the point, the reason why he doesn't have any intention of getting married is one–he's got no time. He has a date with a bunch of papers needed to be signed on a Friday night. What kind of loser does that? Second of all, he's actually too invested at making money for his company to care about going on dates (he's not gonna admit it, but it's the truth). Everyone can agree that money is actually great. He can buy any cake and floppy french fries (he can actually buy many more things with his financial standing, but priorities, right?) he wants, whenever, wherever because he's got money, who wouldn't want that, really? And lastly, he doesn't even have a boyfriend–the most crucial problem of them all. So please, enlighten him, how the fuck is he going to marry? It's not as easy as one-two-three, I saw someone pretty and we're going to get married. Those 'I saw you and the whole world stopped, I think it was love' kind of things are stupid and totally not true, right? Right?????
Except...
Except he's actually feeling it right now, and 𝘩𝘰𝘭𝘺 𝘧𝘶𝘤𝘬 𝘸𝘩𝘰'𝘴 𝘵𝘩𝘢𝘵 𝘵𝘢𝘭𝘭 𝘣𝘭𝘰𝘯𝘥𝘪𝘦 𝘪𝘯 𝘢 𝘴𝘶𝘪𝘵 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘸𝘩𝘺 𝘥𝘰 𝘐 𝘸𝘢𝘯𝘯𝘢 𝘴𝘱𝘦𝘯𝘥 𝘮𝘺 𝘸𝘩𝘰𝘭𝘦 𝘭𝘪𝘧𝘦 𝘸𝘪𝘵𝘩 𝘩𝘪𝘮 𝘪𝘯 𝘢 𝘣𝘦𝘢𝘤𝘩 𝘩𝘰𝘶𝘴𝘦 𝘸𝘪𝘵𝘩 𝘰𝘶𝘳 𝘵𝘩𝘳𝘦𝘦 𝘤𝘩𝘪𝘭𝘥𝘳𝘦𝘯 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘢 𝘨𝘰𝘭𝘥𝘦𝘯 𝘳𝘦𝘵𝘳𝘪𝘦𝘷𝘦𝘳?
He's shaken out of his trance when the said blondie, whom he saw from the glass window of his office, came knocking at the door along with the receptionist in front of his office.
"Mr. Tadashi," Said the woman clad in her office uniform.
"Ah, huh?" Yamaguchi (pathetically) said, still in the midst of processing the gorgeous man in the room.
"Here's the one who got accepted as your secretary–" Well, THAT successfully caught his attention.
"Huh? Wait, what happened to the other one?"
"She said that she couldn't keep up with your schedule and the impromptu business flights bothered her husband so much so she ended up quitting," The receptionist said, casting a pitiful glance towards the man beside her, fully knowing that everyone who worked as her boss' secretary ended up quitting in less than a year.
"Hm, is that so...you may go. Thanks, Yuna" Tadashi hummed, seeing the woman bow once again before exiting the room and leaving the two of them alone.
𝘈𝘩 𝘧𝘶𝘤𝘬. 𝘐 𝘴𝘶𝘥𝘥𝘦𝘯𝘭𝘺 𝘥𝘰𝘯'𝘵 𝘬𝘯𝘰𝘸 𝘩𝘰𝘸 𝘵𝘰 𝘴𝘵𝘢𝘳𝘵 𝘢 𝘧𝘶𝘤𝘬𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘤𝘰𝘯𝘷𝘦𝘳𝘴𝘢𝘵𝘪𝘰𝘯.
Tadashi looked at the man in front of him. Tall, blonde, and gorgeous, just like those french fries that he loves so much. Yes, you read that right. He just compared his newly-hired secretary to his favorite food. Well, he certainly looks yummy enough, he grimaced internally at his thoughts, trying to clear his mind and open his goddamned mouth. He didn't need to think so deeply seeing as blondie spoke up.
"I'm Tsukishima Kei, I'll be working under you now, please take care of me," Blondie– ah no, Tsukki, said.
There are at least two things that would be easily misunderstood in that sentence. Ah, fuck get your shit together, Yamaguchi. You're better than this.
"Ah... Erm, yes... Nice to meet you, Tsukki," He said, very embarrassingly, if he may say so.
"Tsukki?" Tsukishima asked tilting his gorgeous head, very cutely, if he may add.
"Oh, should I not call you that?" Please just let me call you that, or else I will cry.
"I don't mind, you can call me as you like," Yay, a win for the gays.
"Anyway, I'll just call you later, okay? I assume you already know what you're supposed to be doing? You know where your desk is, right? You can organize the files however you like," It's a surprise that I can even speak straight right now, all those nerve-wracking meeting and presentations really prepared me for this moment AKA talking to the hottest man I've ever laid my eyes on.
"Okay, will that be all?" Tsukishima said, face still cold as ice. Ah, that face will the death of me one day.
"Oh, um, do you know how to brew coffee?"
"How do you like your coffee?"
"Surprise me."
-
It's already been a month since Tsukishima became his secretary. It's been a month full of stressful presentations, exhausting paper works, late-night meetings, and irritating business partners that just makes him want to bang his head on the desk whenever they open their mouths. He didn't even have the luxury to ogle at his secretary's beauty.
In other words, it was awful.
Well, what he did appreciate was his god-like coffee brewing. And he's actually really great at his work so that's a plus, too. He also knows how to speak different languages (too many, actually, where the fuck did he even find the time to learn all of that?) and fuck, how can someone sound so hot speaking Italian? Yamaguchi swears that he almost fainted the first time he heard his secretary speak like that, and to be honest, it sounded like heaven, he can listen to that until the day he dies and he wouldn't even regret a single second.
Okay, maybe it wasn't awful awful, but regardless, it was still awful.
Fuck his job, really. Can't he just run away to his farmhouse and enjoy the company of his pet pigs with the love of his life? Is it really too much to ask?
Yes, it is, he heard the voice of Akaashi, his colleague, reprimanding him. Akaashi has been nagging him too much to the point that it's becoming the voice of his consciousness; the one who scolds him the second that he starts thinking of doing something dumb, or the one who helps him weigh the pros and cons between buying a chocolate cake or a strawberry one. Basically, Akaashi's the angel and the devil on his shoulders, always telling him that the strawberry shortcake is the better choice.
He loves Akaashi, really. He's an okay guy, he thinks. He's always calm and collected (he's the type who can just sit and sip a cup of tea even when the company's burning down), analytical (very useful in business meetings) and he's also easy in the eyes (have you seen him? He's like beauty personified–still, his Tsukki is the most beautiful in his eyes). So, really, he loves Akaashi. In a friendly way, of course. God knows what happened to the one who got in the middle of Akaashi and Bukuto's relationship the last time. The only thing he remembers when he asked Bokuto what happened is the looming dark aura that Bokuto had when he said, and he quotes, "You don't need to know, the only thing that matters is that no one would come between me and Keiji." It was kind of creepy, to be honest. Well, there's no dead body that was found, so it's a relief. Or at least he thinks so.
Back to the topic, he loves Akaashi but damn, he really acts like his mother. I already have one back home, why are you still acting like one, Keiji? Do you really want a kid that badly? And why do you still treat me as a kid? Yamaguchi thought while sipping on his juice box, eyeing the donuts that are clearly NOT strawberry-flavored so why the hell did Akaashi even give it to him?
"Anyway, why are you even here? You hardly come up to my office," Yamaguchi pouted, feeling kind of whiny because he missed his best friend and why isn't he coming up more often? Yes, he's clingy. He knows, so shut up.
"Why? Miss me that much?" Akaashi said, sipping on his tea, complete with the pinkie raised, legs crossed, and eyes closed thing that he picked up from watching too many dramas.
"No, never mind. Get out and don't ever bother me again," Yamaguchi huffed, leaning across the table to grab the doughnut and angrily munching on it.
"Sweetheart, I know you don't mean that. Anyway, who's the blondie outside?" The man glanced at Tsukishima's table eyeing him while he's typing away on his computer.
"Isn't obvious? He's my secretary. You didn't meet him yet? He's been working here for the past month."
"Ah, really? Well, I couldn't be bothered." Akaashi put down his cup, the glass clinking away.
"You're really a bitch."
"Thanks, babe," Akaashi clicked his tongue, winking at his best friend. Ah, he's so cute when he's teased, I wish Kou was here. He would've had a field day.
"Ew, stop that, gross," Yamaguchi said, grimacing at the words spilling out of his friend.
"Kou begs to differ."
"Yeah, whatever, I don't care. Anyway, have you heard him speak Italian? I swear, Keij, it's the most beautiful thing you'll ever hear, it sounds like heav–"
"Yeah, no, I would rather hear Kou singing, and please leave your impure thoughts as just thoughts, okay? I would like to keep my innocence."
"Oh, fuck off, Kou sounds like a strangled cat whenever he sings," Yamaguchi scoffed, suddenly remembering their college days filled with 'not-dates' that his best friend and his then 'still-not-my-boyfriend' always insisted him to come to, cramped karaoke rooms, and Bokuto singing way too close on his ear. I would've just ditched them both then if they hadn't bought me expensive-ass meals.
"...and how did you know I was having impure thoughts?" He was NOT having impure thoughts. None. Nada. Totally not. Just pure thoughts hanging out inside his brain. Yup. Totally not thinking about how Tsukki would whisper to him how beautiful he was writhing underneath him, and how he would come from just his voic– okay, get it together, Tadashi. Your parents did not raise you to be a whore.
"Oh, I was just joking but I guess you weren't. So, you like him or something?"
"...Well, I wouldn't exactly say that I like him. More like, I find him beautiful and intriguing. Sometimes I just wanna come up to him and hug him just because. He's also very interesting, you know? He may come off as cold but in the short time that we've been together, I already saw that he's just a big softie inside, and sometimes, although subtly, he wears his heart on his sleeve. He's just so great, Keij. He's also very intelligent, like damn, I never knew that I would be interested in that seeing as all the people that I've met just boast about their brains to the point that it's actually so fucking annoying. But with him? He's just the perfect balance of someone who's humble but knows his worth. And, Keiji, I just really want to see him smile. I can count in one hand how many times I've seen him genuinely smile, and God, Keij, he's so fucking beautiful, I just want to cry and–" He didn't realize that he'd been rambling until he heard a soft clink from his friend's teacup.
"Hm, why did you stop?"
"Ah, sorry, I've been rambling, aren't I?" Yamaguchi rubbed his nape, feeling a little embarrassed.
"Tadashi, I love hearing you talk. You can ramble for hours and I honestly wouldn't mind. If Kou was here, he would've said the same."
"Oh, thanks, Keij. I miss Kou, when will he come back from Hong Kong?"
"I think he still got a week left overseas, we'll hang out after he comes back. I know he misses you, too. Anyway, I think you really like him,"
"Huh, who? What, no! I mean, he's great and all but he's your boyfriend 'Kashi, I wouldn't dare to come between you two, you're my OTP, you know? I love you both, too mu–" He was suddenly cut off when Akaashi laughed, like full-on i-can't-fucking-breathe-i-need-oxygen kind of laugh. What the hell are you even laughing for? This is not a laughing matter, you idiot, it's your relationsh–
"I was talking about your secretary, you idiot. Not my boyfriend, gosh, I haven't laughed like that in months," His best friend said, still gasping for air and controlling his breath.
"Ah... You didn't hear anything, okay?" He said, suddenly feeling his face heat up from embarrassment. Why am I even getting embarrassed? Worse things happened back on college, this is nothing.
"What do you mean? I'm telling this to Kou the second he picks up his calls later,"
"Ugh, I really hate you," Yamaguchi said, covering his face to save himself from further embarrassment.
"I love you, too, sweetheart," Akaashi chuckled, shaking his head lightly at his friend's antics. "Anyway, I think you really like Mr. Secretary over there."
"Eh, not really. But...Hm, why do you say so?" Yamaguchi asked suddenly feeling a little curious as to why his friend came up with that conclusion.
"Just think about what you said earlier, Yams. I'm sure you'll understand why I said so," Akaashi said, finally setting down his teacup and standing up.
"Oh, you're leaving already?"
"I'm afraid so, sweetheart. I have tons of stuff to do, let's catch up when we're both free, okay?"
"Sure, with Kou, alright? I miss you, both. My treat next time,"
"Got it, Mr. CEO,"
"Stop it, leave already," Yamaguchi said, feeling a little flushed at the title. Akaashi smiled gently before ruffling his hair and waving goodbye until he's left at his own, together with a box of donuts and a bunch of papers.
He sighed as he looked at the table in front of him. There were folders haphazardly opened, papers scattered, and important memorandums that shouldn't actually be treated as a scratch paper were littered across his coffee table. In the midst of it were a box of doughnuts, a teacup, and his juice box. Chaos. I hate this job. He reached out to the table beside the sofa to call his secretary's desk.
"Hey, Tsukki. Come here for a moment, help me with these files,"
"Sure,"
"Oh, and I got doughnuts. You like Alcapone, right?"
"...I'll eat it well," Tsukishima murmured before hanging up the phone. Gah, how is anyone allowed to be so cute, damn, he thinks as he watched his secretary walk away from his desk.
"You should really learn how to organize, you know," Yamaguchi felt like a kid getting caught doing something he's not supposed to do under the gaze of Tsukishima.
"...I know. I can't help it, okay? I sometimes feel more productive like this," Yamaguchi whined like the baby that he is. But at least he's got something done, right?
"Hm, I see you've finished almost all of them. That's good, there's still more but I still haven't finished organizing them," Tsukishima said, finally clearing up the mess on the coffee table and glancing at his workplace outside.
"You gotta keep up, Tsukki. But good work so far. I'm proud. Anyway, eat up, take a break for a little while," Yamaguchi gestured at his secretary to sit down on the chair in front of him, smiling slightly when he complied.
"Thank you...Good work today, sir," Tsukishima grabbed a doughnut and looked at Yamaguchi with a little smile. It was fast, gone the moment that he blinked, almost as if it was just his imagination. But he was sure of it. He was sure that it was real. He was sure that it was directed at him. He was sure that he wants to see that more in the future. He was sure.
He was also sure that his heart just thumped so loud. So fucking loud that he's afraid that Tsukishima might hear.
At that moment, he remembered what Akaashi told him.
And at that moment, he realized that he likes the man in front of him.
Ah, fuck. I like Tsukki.
-
It's been a while since that incident aka Yamaguchi realizing that he likes his secretary while the said man is sitting in front of him, happily munching on his doughnut and scolding him for being unorganized–You're an adult, sir, you're not supposed to be signing documents while sitting on the floor with important papers crumbled underneath. Like, c'mon, it's comfortable, okay, and it's better than sitting on his stiff leather chair and not getting anything done because it just ain't it, alright. Anyway, being scolded was worth it, since he still got to see the blonde's small smile, and that will surely be treasured forever.
After having some (too many, actually) mental breakdowns regarding his realization, Yamaguchi took it upon himself to make a plan for his secretary. The thing is, Yamaguchi never had a relationship in his 26 years of living on this cruel planet. His knowledge about romance and seduction doesn't go beyond dramas, novels, and his self-proclaimed second parents (his best friends). Other than that? Nada.
He considers giving Akaashi a call but decided against it, remembering their conversation a few weeks ago when he called to let Akaashi know that he realized his feelings and it ended up with the couple teasing him about it and Bokuto promising that he'll drop by his office sometime soon to meet the love of my child's life–Koutarou's words, obviously (he ended up surprising Yamaguchi two days later, barging in his office like he owns it, inviting his Tsukki to join them for tea, much to Tadashi's chagrin). So yeah, calling either one of his best friends is definitely not a choice.
At times like these, he's glad that he's born in the generation where internet is accessible, every bit of information will be right in front of him in just a click. So, as always, he does what every other normal person would do in his situation; he grabbed his phone, lied down on the sofa (brainstorming for a plan takes a toll on him, you know?), opened his browser and typed:
How to get a boyfriend? Wikihow
See, easy as one-two-three. He opened the first link that he saw, religiously reading it word for word as if the fate of the entire humanity depends on it–okay, well, maybe not the entire humanity, but the fate of his love life is at stake here, okay? Same thing.
1– Meet new guys.
As Yamaguchi read the first point with intense concentration, it dawned on him that this is just stupid. I don't need to meet new guys, Tsukki is the only man I want and need. Make sure he's got a great personality, is smart, as well as other things that you would like to look for in a guy. Tadashi hummed, this one seems to be right, Tsukkkishima's got everything he's ever wanted in a man so that makes sense. But even if he didn't have the characteristics that I want for a boyfriend, I'm sure I would still like him nonetheless. I like him for who he is, his whole personality is endearing. Tadashi was reminded of the time when they went out to get some food and he accidentally blurted out having no time to watch the new movie about aliens and dinosaurs–that, apparently, set him off and he rambled the whole ride to his office saying: I would advise not watching that, sir, it was a waste of time. The CGIs were horrible and it seems like they didn't do enough research on dinosaurs. It was actually so cute. That was the day he learned his secretary's undying love and knowledge for dinosaurs. A few weeks after that, they went on a movie screening (it was also about dinosaurs, of course), and to be honest, he didn't actually get to pay enough attention to the big screen because he was too busy ogling at the man beside him. His secretary was so happy watching the movie, and he was glad, especially when Tsukishima smiled at him after, thanking him for watching the movie together. The pain on his butt after three hours of sitting down was definitely worth it.
He called Akaashi that night, ranting about the day he had with his secretary, endless teasing was what he got in return. Tadashi likes to think of it as a date. It's like a secret that he shares with himself (plus Akaashi and Bokuto, by extension) and he feels giddy whenever he thinks about it. It's not like Tsukishima would ever know, right?
2– Get to know him a bit
This area is probably the one he needs the most help with. As anyone would've guessed, there's a professional boundary hindering Tadashi from getting close to Kei. It's common sense, really, when they're in the office, they should act professional, and even when they're outside, there's still a wall separating them because, to begin with, they're actually not that close–as much as Yamaguchi physically pained him to admit.
As Yamaguchi looked back at the times when he got to spend it with his lovely secretary, he realized that he actually has a bit of information about the blonde. He, for one, treasures his memory of Tsukishima petting a stray cat and giving him his spare sandwich.
It happened on one fateful night, Tsukishima and Yamaguchi just finished a long day at work–it was their last meeting with the board of directors this quarter. Suffice to say, it was exhausting and both of them just wanted to retire for the night. They went down the building together (elevator rides with Tsukishima really hit Yamaguchi differently, sometimes he just wants to grab the taller one by the neck and make out with him, other times–particularly when it's been a tiring one– he just wants to hug the other because it feels like his Tsukki would be a great hugger, okay? Sue him), they were both supposed to be going to the parking lot and riding their respective cars so it confused Tadashi when Tsukki went the other direction. Yamaguchi, like the nosy bitch that he is, followed Tsukishima. What he saw after that, had been one of the softest things he'd seen in his life. Tsukishima was crouching down, petting a stray kitten. As the distance didn't allow him to hear what Tsukishima was saying, he just imagines that Kei is baby-talking the small creature. His heart also did somersaults when he saw his secretary pull out a sandwich from his bag, feeding the kitten in smaller bites. At that moment, he almost died from too much cuteness.
That night, Yamaguchi walked back to his car with a gentle smile on his face.
3–Find out what other people think of him
Yamaguchi didn't need to worry about this. He was always in the office, where gossips are almost always rampaging (sometimes he thinks about reprimanding his employees but seeing that he's also nosy and kind of liked being able to know what's going on outside of their work– he decided against it). When Tsukishima officially became his secretary, he was the talk of the office. Secretaries of the higher-ups are usually known for being the best of the best, so, as always, people are intrigued. Tadashi, being one of those 'higher-ups' was known for having secretaries that didn't last very long. It makes sense, really. When his secretaries quit, he understands them because if he were them, he would've resigned, too. So, he made up a new rule, if his current secretary were to quit, it's their responsibility to find him a new one, train him, orient him, etc., because as much as Tadashi wants to lessen the burden of his secretaries, he's got enough on his plate already. He once has gone without a secretary for a week, and safe to say, it was pure hell.
Going back, he knows what other people this of his Tsukki already. He once asked his receptionist about his secretary, he's known her for years so if there's someone that he trusts about honest opinions about the office, it's her. Yuna, who's always composed every second of the day, straight up rambled at the mention of his secretary. Tadashi was thrilled. She then proceeded to tell him about everything- from how he helped her with her documents, how he asked her about Tadashi, and what kind of person he is and if there are things that he shouldn't do, how although he's aloof, he was never impolite or disrespectful. So as always, Tadashi was impressed. If Kei left this big of an impact to his receptionist, then he's sure that he's great.
Yamaguchi sighed, suddenly feeling his eyes get tired. He was shocked to see how much time has passed from all the research and reminiscing that he's doing- if you could even call it that. Yamaguchi thought about his secretary a lot. He does that a lot these days. Over the last course of the month, as much as he wanted to spend more time with Kei, he's not that selfish to the point that he would rob Tsukki's seldom day-offs and make him spend his time with him. And even if they did have extra time, he still doesn't know how to ask Tsukishima out. That's the biggest problem. All the confidence that he built up over the years seems to crumble down whenever he opens his mouth to at least blurt out some words. It doesn't happen. Obviously. What happens, however, is that he always made a fool of himself. He's pretty sure that he looks like an idiot whenever that happens- what happened exactly, you ask? You really don't need to know. It was so embarrassing that even Tadashi can't seem to think about it (at that moment, these were the only thoughts running through his head, Oh, to just cease existing and turn into a bubble right this instant, I beg you, just do me a favor).
Yamaguchi tries to come up with something, anything. But to his avail, there's nothing that comes to mind. Maybe he's just tired. Or maybe he's just really that hopeless when it comes to romance. Maybe he's actually destined to grow old and die alone, with only a bunch of cats accompanying him when he takes his last breath. Or maybe...just maybe, he's overthinking. Who knows, really?
Ah, fuck this, I'm not really that good at making plans, anyway. I'm just going to wing it, just like I always did whenever I'm in a dire situation. If he rejects me, so what, right? He'll probably just quit his company, hand over the position to someone, and then run away to the other side of the world, change his identity, and never set foot in Japan, ever again.
Tomorrow.
I'm going to ask him out tomorrow, no matter what happens.
-
Tadashi woke up to the sound of his annoying alarm clock, just as he did every day. He groggily sat up, eyes barely opened, and a yawn escaping his mouth. After a few minutes of spacing out while staring at the wall, his thoughts flew back to his plan. The plan is that there is no plan. He sighed, running his hand through his hair in frustration. When he got enough of the self pep talk that he gives to himself ever so often, he stood up and started getting ready for the special day ahead of him.
Today is the day.
The whole ride to his office, Tadashi forced himself not to think about what's going to happen today. He failed. Miserably. As usual. He parked his car and got out, leaning on it and whispering some empty words of encouragement.
Yamaguchi exhales.
Yamaguchi starts walking up the lobby, greeting people that is way too energetic so early in the morning. As he was nearing the elevator, he saw a very familiar figure. Tall, blonde, and gorgeous, clad in his usual suit and glasses, his bag slung on one shoulder and holding a coffee on his hand. Tadashi did a double-take.
Wait, shit, it's too early for this, I'm not ready.
Tadashi shakes himself out of the doubtful thoughts flowing through his mind by slapping his cheeks. Loudly. It was too sudden and resonated so much that a few heads turned around and stared at him. He grimaces inwardly, bowing his head slightly, and assuring them that everything is fine, I just had to wake myself up. Yamaguchi runs up the closing elevator doors, but his secretary saw him and held the elevator doors open (fuck, I'm in love). Yes, trust him to think those things at the most random times from the most subtle gestures that his secretary does.
Okay, I can do this. Act normal, Tadashi.
"Good morning, Tsukki!" Tadashi says on his most normal, totally-not-forced voice. Tsukishima eyes him warily for a moment before turning his eyes in front once again.
"Let's work hard today," Tsukishima mumbles, grabbing his tablet where he keeps Tadashi's schedule. "You have a meeting Mr. Kozume later at 8AM-"
"What? Are you sure? Isn't that too early?"
"Mr. Kozume was the one who assigned the time, it's the only free time he has since there'll be a launching of a new game at brunch so this morning is the only free time he'll get, as his secretary said on the e-mail. After that, you'll have to..."
Tadashi spaces out the whole ride to the 37th floor, sighing a little when he thought about how his day will go. His train of thought was stopped when he beard the elevator's ding. He walked into his office, already dreading the day ahead.
"Tsukki, coffee, please. I'm tired already,"
"I don't think you've done something to be tired already, sir," Tsukishima said, a light smile ghosting his lips, already accustomed to his boss' antics.
"It's tiring hearing you say all the things I should do, Tsukki, I wanna go home already," Yamaguchi whine, slumping down on his chair and banging my head on this desk looks very tempting.
–
It's been years. Okay, well, maybe not years, but it certainly felt like one. It was actually just 11 grueling hours. Tadashi feels like he's going to faint any minute now. People may think that it's overreacting but his job required him to have a very, very long mental patience. The thing is, over the past few years, his patience has been wearing thin. Well, it's to be expected when you deal with jerks every other day, not to mention my pissy employees, but THAT I can certainly understand.
Indeed it was a long, exhausting day.
Unfortunately, it's still not over. The moment he stepped into his office, he caught sight of a stack of documents. He still doesn't know what it is but it must've been important, otherwise, it could've waited another day.
Ah, I was right.
Sitting atop the bundle is a sticky note. Yamaguchi smiled lightly when he took note of the very familiar handwriting.
You need to go over these documents by tonight, the meeting was rescheduled first thing in the morning. There are also urgent projects that need your approval.
The easy smile that was decorating his face was gone as easy as it came when he read the contents. Tadashi slumped on his chair, rubbing his eyes out of frustration and sighing exasperatingly.
Better get this started so I can finally go home.
–
Yamaguchi was snapped out of his concentration when someone gave him a cup of coffee. He glanced at his wristwatch and did a double-take. 1:39 AM. Hours passed already and I didn't even notice. He looked up at his secretary, thanking him for the drink.
Ah, if only I could just drink this every day. Be mine, Tsukki.
"Sure," He heard a voice answer him.
"Excuse me?" Tadashi stared wide-eyed at the blonde. He slowly sets down the cup of coffee and covers his face, groaning lightly. Oh, my fuck, please don't tell me that you heard what I said.
"I did, ever since my first day, you kept on thinking out loud, I didn't say anything because it would embarrass you. You're still my boss after all," Tsukishima said with his very familiar cold voice that makes Tadashi feel all warm and mushy. Weirdly enough.
"What?! You should've just told me, Tsukki, oh my god, this is embarrassing," Tadashi felt all his blood rushing up his face. He peeked through his fingers, seeing the taller man with a smirk grazing his lips and eyes lighting up in amusement. "Yah! Stop staring already, what the fuck."
Oh god. If there's anybody listening out there, please just let the ground swallow me whole, I don't think I have the willpower to exist anymore.
"Ah, please don't, we still haven't gone to our date yet," Tsukishima leaned down and pried the other one's fingers, looking at his blushing face.
"W-what?! Stop saying things like that all of a sudden. Are you trying to kill me or something?"
I should really invest in some duct tape so I could at least stop myself from blurting out godforsaken things.
"No, I'm not. I'm trying to ask you out," Tsukishima leaned back on the desk, crossing his arms and still staring at the one who's seating down. Possibly having a mental breakdown.
"A-ah...um, o-okay."
"Hm? What was that? I didn't quite hear the last part," Kei said, along with a teasing grin plastered on his face.
"You heard me, don't make me say it again,"
Tsukishima leaned down, popping Tadashi's personal bubble. Ah, fuck it.
"I like you. I really, really like you, Yamaguchi Tadashi. Please go out with me," Tsukishima grabbed the smaller one's hand, gently holding it.
Yamaguchi smiled.
Of course, I would. I've been waiting for this moment my whole life.
If there's anyone who's listening out there, thank you for giving me this man. And thank you for making him the one to ACTUALLY ask me out, because I swear to god, I don't think I would've uttered those words properly the first time. So, again, I appreciate that my chaotic self wouldn't have the burden of confessing first.
"M-me, too... I really, really like you, too, Tsukishima Kei. Of course, I'd go out with you," Tadashi responded, squeezing the blonde's hand.
"Ah, sorry to break the moment but I think it's time to take a break, sir– (call me Tadashi, no need for formalities, okay?) –Tadashi, then, It's late already," Tsukishima said, taking the other's knuckles and pressing his lips lightly atop of it.
"But Tsukkiii, let me have this, okay? I've been pining after you for too long, let me at least savor the moment." Tadashi reached up to the blonde and hugged him tightly. Let me just discreetly pinch myself to make sure that this is real-ow, yup. Definitely real.
"You won't be saying that when you can barely keep your eyes open at the meeting tomorrow, also, I think consuming almost eight cups of coffee every day is bad for your health, you're supposed to that with water, not with– mmph" Tsukishima was startled when a pair of lips crashed his.
There weren't any fireworks, or sparks, or any shit that they've been telling you. It was just, for the lack of a better word, right. They felt their hearts beating loudly, their hands clammy, and their noses mindlessly bumping with each other. It wasn't perfect, per se, far from it, actually.
But, at that moment, they felt happy. Really, really happy.
And that was the only thing that matters.
–
After professing their feelings for each other, they spent the rest of the night at the office, sleeping on the couch.
And that's how Akaashi, who barged in his best friend's office after not having heard of him for days, saw two grown men sleeping at the couch that's too small for them, with limbs tangled and his best friend drooling on his secretary's chest.
Keiji snapped a photo.
(A memorabilia that, since then, was always seen on Yamaguchi's desk–unbeknownst to him, Kei was also sent the same picture, which he keeps framed at his bedside table.
Even years after.)
-fin.-