Chapter Text
"Alright, thank you very much Ennoshita, we'll be in touch."
Daichi stood, extending his hand and shaking firmly. He gave a polite nod and a warm smile as Ennoshita turned to leave.
"Well he was pretty good," Daichi said, lowering himself back into his chair. "Probably the best we've had so far."
"Mm, I agree," Kiyoko said as she scribbled something into her paperwork.
Daichi brought his hand to his chin as he twisted his mouth in thought, "He seemed a little young though, didn't he?"
Kiyoko looked up, blinking before turning to face him, "Just a little."
Daichi sighed, "Maybe I'm just getting old." Of course Kiyoko didn't comment on that bit. "How many are left?" Daichi asked, tipping his head to glance at her folders.
"Two."
Daichi allowed his head to roll back on his shoulders. He hadn't had any downright bad candidates, but he none of them blew him out of his seat either.
"If neither of these candidates are any good I'm just going to hire Ennoshita and call it day." Even if he does look fifteen.
"Are you sure?" Kiyoko's normal clipped tone didn't bother to lilt up into a question. "We can go back to the drawing board."
"We've been at the drawing board awhile," Daichi said, running his hands over his face. "I'm done drawing."
"Okay."
"Who's next?"
"Sugawara Koushi."
"Koushi," Daichi repeated. Nice name. Pleasant sounding.
He would probably be a dick.
"Are you ready?" Kiyoko asked, eyes purposefully not meeting his over-stretched and relaxed posture.
Daichi sat up straight and re-centered the knot of his tie. "Ahm," Daichi coughed, clearing his throat, "Yes. Call him in."
Kiyoko tapped out a number on the desk phone and hummed confirmation over the line. There was a moment before the door opened. Long enough for Daichi to start thinking about random irrelevant things, long enough so that when Sugawara finally opened the door Daichi was able to pass off his hiccup of surprise as being startled by the arrival and not by the way Sugawara's smile looked like it was backlit by the sun.
"Sawamura Daichi," Sugawara greeted with a bow, "Pleasure to meet you."
Daichi stood and extended his hand, springing a smile up to his lips so his mouth would actually be doing something, "Sugawara Koushi was it? Glad to have you here. Please take a seat."
Kiyoko and Daichi took turns asking questions as they had all day. The rhythm of the routine was a blessing and allowed Daichi's eyes to wander over the other's face as he and Kiyoko interacted.
Daichi felt his mouth twisting again. Wasn't he a little bit too cute? He had silver hair and bright chocolate eyes that were always wide open, like they weren't afraid of honesty. His smile was unstoppable, his laugh a bubbling sort of thing. But more importantly...
"This is a very impressive resume," Daichi said, eyes scanning the document again.
"Thank you. I was lucky to have some very fruitful internships in college," Sugawara said, thumbs tapping against each other in his lap.
Daichi looked up from the papers to meet his gaze and Sugawara's face lit into a bright smile, crinkling the corners of his eyes.
"Ahm," Daichi cleared his throat again. Didn't he have a glass of water? "Why'd you choose us?"
Daichi reached across the table for his water as Sugawara tilted his head before starting, hands moving out of his lap to accentuate his words. He was saying something about always having an interest in the publishing business and enjoying being able to work with creators to help "sell their dream", and went on to cite things about their company's known employee loyalty and generally admirable work environment. Daichi was nodding approvingly and listening the best he could, but he couldn't help but get lost in the sheer charisma of Sugawara's words. He was a natural when it came to communicating with others and would likely make a very good team leader. He could replace Daichi, probably.
"Alright," Daichi said, clapping his palms over his thighs, "thank you for coming in today, we'll definitely be in touch."
Sugawara grinned again-- it seemed smiles sat easier on his face than anything else-- and exited the room.
Daichi saw Kiyoko's eyes slide over to him. "He's the best," Daichi stated, crossing his arms over his chest. "I definitely like him the best."
Kiyoko gave a curt nod, "Yes. I agree."
Daichi bobbed his head. "Good. Alright, send in the next one."
As if they stood a chance.
#
"How about I take you on a tour of the building, show you around a bit?"
When Sugawara had walked in the office this morning, Daichi couldn't help but feel a little guilty for hiring him. Not because he wasn't the best candidate or because he didn't deserve the job; he definitely was and he definitely did, but...
But Daichi couldn't help but feel the smallest pang of guilt when Suga glanced in his direction and his heart stepped out of rhythm and his cheeks flushed with heat.
The choice he'd made hadn't been selfish, but it sure did feel selfish.
Sugawara was setting his bag down next to what was now his desk, smiling into his eyes. "That sounds great," he breathed. His cheeks were pink with excitement or a flush from the heat outside or both.
"Well this is where you'll spend most of your time, of course," Daichi said with a quick flick of his wrist and half turn. "But that's not interesting, let me show you the rest."
Daichi took long strides down the hallways, directing Sugawara to the various departments, restrooms, and lunch areas throughout their office. Sugawara kept pace beside him, eyes darting around and falling over everything Daichi pointed out so he could commit it to memory.
"So Sugawara," Daichi said, keeping his eyes from connecting with Sugawara's face, "where did you grow up?"
"Oh, well I actually grew up in a small town just outside the city. I only traveled up North for college. And--" he dipped his head to the side and smiled up at Daichi, "Suga is fine."
Daichi blinked over at him, "Huh?" he grunted stupidly because he was caught off guard, "you sure?"
"Yes, please."
Daichi turned his head to look back in front of him, "Alright, Suga, then. I'm going to take you to meet our lead editor."
"Aah," Sugawa-- Suga said, pinching his face in, "I'm kind of scared."
Daichi laughed, "He's not that way. He's my boss and he's your boss, but he gets all weird and flustered if you try and act like he is."
"Humble," Suga chirped, "that's nice to hear."
"Maybe too humble," Daichi said, turning to lead Suga down a new corridor. "But it's probably one of the reasons his team does so well."
Daichi led Suga through a doorway into an office filled with clicking keyboards and tilted chins.
"Iwaizumi-san," Daichi greeted.
Iwaizumi had been frowning pretty deeply at something on his phone, but he immediately blinked away the discontent upon hearing Daichi's voice. "Daichi," he replied fondly.
Daichi noticed Suga cast him a look out the corner of his eyes.
"I wanted you to meet my new Promotions Manager," he stepped to the side and Iwaizumi's eyes slid over to rest on Suga's face. "Iwaizumi Hajime, Sugawara Koushi." Iwaizumi immediately stood, falling into a bow at the same moment as Suga.
"I look forward to working with you Iwaizumi-san," Suga said, voice strained with nerves.
Iwaizumi straightened, eyes soft, "A pleasure to meet you, Sugawara-san," He extended his hand.
Suga took it appreciatively, smile looking just a bit more nervous than usual, "Please, 'Suga' is fine."
Iwaizumi cocked his head at Suga and blinked. Then his lips warmed into a natural smile, "Alright, sure. Suga." Suga nodded gratefully. "Well," Iwaizumi continued, putting one hand against his hip, "if Daichi chose you then I'm sure you'll do great."
Daichi couldn't help but glance in the other direction. His cheeks were oddly warm.
"Thank you sir," Suga responded politely.
"Now that I'm thinking about it, I haven't seen you go out much lately," Daichi said, redirecting his attention to Iwaizumi and away from his own oddness.
Iwaizumi slid his hands into his pockets, "Yeah, we've been getting slammed in here." Then he cast his eyes to the side and his voice dropped just a tad lower, "I haven't been home much either."
"Well when you finally free up let me know," Daichi countered easily, "We'll go out for a drink or something. You have to relax sometime you know."
The look on Iwaizumi's face said he didn't know. "Sure," he answered anyway, "thank you." The hesitant smile that moved across his face told Daichi that his offer meant a little more to him than Daichi realized. Daichi was fine with that.
"Well I'll drag this one back to Sales. Have to teach him to do my job for me."
Iwaizumi nodded in agreement, "Get good enough and you'll be able to stare blankly at your inbox for six hours straight like Kunimi."
Kunimi shot Iwaizumi a dirty look from a few desks away. Iwaizumi grinned.
"That's pretty masterful," Daichi commented, glancing down at Kunimi. Kunimi clicked his tongue. Daichi smirked and threw up his hand by way of leaving, "See you later Iwaizumi-san."
"Sure thing."
When they were back out in the hallway Suga suddenly had a case of the giggles. Daichi chuckled just at the sound of Suga's laugh, "What are you so tickled about?"
Suga flicked his wrist and made a tiny wheezing noise as he inhaled, "That editor. Kunimi."
"Yeah?" Daichi inquired further, unable to be impatient when Suga's face was rosy with laughter.
"He really did only have his email window open."
Daichi felt himself laugh loudly, "Masterful."
Daichi motioned toward a private office in the same corridor as their offices, "That's Shimizu's office. You met her during the interview."
"Oh, yes," there was a small moment of hesitance. "I'm sure she gets a lot of attention," Suga said, and if Daichi wasn't being a complete idiot he would say Suga's voice was tentative.
"Hm?" Daichi hummed.
Suga looked at him out the side of his eyes, that same sort of observatory look he had used in Iwaizumi's office, "Because she's so beautiful."
Daichi was compulsively clearing his throat before he could think to stop himself. "Ah, well..." he wasn't sure how to phrase his response. "Maybe. I haven't really. Uhm. She doesn't talk about it." There was a pause that felt a lot longer than it was, had to have been stretched by his imagination because they really hadn't gotten that much farther down the hallway. "Are you... is she your type?" Why in God's name would he ask that. Why did he say that out loud. Why.
For the first time since he had met Suga, Suga seemed mildly flustered, "Oh. Uhm..." Daichi used all his willpower to steal a glance of Sugawara. He had turned his face away slightly. He might have looked a little pink. "... not... not really."
"Oh," and Daichi really wished it hadn't come out as a sigh of relief.
"I didn't mean to encroach or anything," Suga started sputtering, "if you're her... her..." his eyes were growing wide. Daichi thought he might have been panicking.
"No!" Daichi answered quickly, turning to face him, "No. No. We're not... I mean she's..." he scrunched his eyes together. God just let this conversation be over, "She's not really my type, either."
There was a pause, "Oh." Did his answer sound like a sigh of relief?
"Which is probably for the better, I mean," Daichi rambled, face burning crimson, "work relationships are, you know, as a rule a bad idea, so..." WHY WAS HE SAYING THIS.
Suga cleared his throat, "Right."
Daichi hated himself.
"Here we are, uhm," Daichi's smile was pulled way too wide across his face as he motioned back into their group of offices, "I'll get you set up with some work quickly so just... just take it easy for now, okay?"
Suga only had time to blink his large chocolate eyes in response before Daichi was retreating back into the hallway.
Daichi found his legs moving faster than they needed to. He wasn't sure where he was going, but if he was going to recover from the embarrassment he just caused himself it had to be somewhere away.
But, but had he heard Suga right? I mean, to say Kiyoko wasn't your type, I mean... you're basically saying, "Oh nooo I'm not into beautiful women." Which... then... no.
Daichi was definitely thinking about things he shouldn't in a way he shouldn't.
Daichi was halfway up the stairs to the roof before he realized he was going to the roof. When he opened the door Iwaizumi was sitting on the ground, leaning against a fence and sucking hard on a cigarette. He opened his eyes and shot the smoke out his nose wordlessly.
Daichi sat down next to him and buried his face in his hands. "Uuuuuhhg," was Daichi's only available comment.
Iwaizumi brought his cigarette back to his lips, inhaling silently. Then he exhaled a puff of smoke and responded with a simple, "Yep."
#
Daichi found himself measuring the next few months oddly. Days were punctuated by the number of times Suga and him spoke, weeks made notable by the unintentional brush of fingers or bumping of arms. His mood was determined far too much by how often he could make Suga laugh. He realized he was like a middle school student with a crush. He realized it but he couldn't really change it, couldn't really force his mind to be anything but pleased when he saw Suga's smiling face.
Initially Daichi had been concerned about the department's reaction to hiring Suga. He thought there may have been a backlash to hiring a managerial position from outside the company instead of promoting from within, but it seemed that his team was just as aware of their inability to handle a larger role as well as he was.
It also couldn't hurt that it might very well be impossible to be hostile toward Suga, or develop any negative feelings about him at all. Daichi was aware of his... bias, but Suga's positive presence couldn't be argued. He was easy to get along with, and he was well liked by everyone almost immediately.
The past few months had also proven that Suga was definitely capable within his position. He did everything quickly and with fervor.
Daichi was running exceptionally late. He shoved through the office doors and made his way to his office hurriedly. When he stepped through Suga was already instructing the other team members, scurrying around to chirp directions and chide them as need.
"Tora, what does this even mean?" he asked, bending over to glance down at the proposal Yamamoto was working on.
"Isn't it obvious?"
Suga shot him a dubious look.
"Well thank God one of us can be on time," Daichi said after surveying the situation. "Sorry. I've been having a hell of a morning."
Suga blinked up at him, "That's fine, there were no problems here." He grinned wide then, almost looking devious, "The boss isn't really needed when it comes to doing actual work anyway."
"Uhg," Daichi said, bobbing his head down and putting his hand over his chest, "You wound me."
Yamamoto's lips pulled down into a false pout, "God forbid anyone but Suga said that to Sawamura-san. We'd be fired on the spot."
"Damn straight," Daichi breathed as he stretched his arms up above his head, "Now what were we--" as Daichi curled his shoulders against each other to stretch out his chest he heard a definitive pop and felt his shirt fall open. He watched his button fly through the air and ping off his monitor.
Yamamoto covered his mouth as he almost snorted, "Sawamura-san, lay off the hamburgers!"
Suga reached out and smacked him in the head with his packet of papers without turning to look at him.
"This day," Daichi breathed, dropping his head and pinching his shirt closed with his hand.
"Do you see the button?" Suga asked.
Daichi's eyes moved over his desk, "Yes," he grumbled.
Yamamoto's face went all enthusiastic, "TAKE OFF YOUR SHIR--"
Suga slapped his hand over Yamamoto's mouth and smiled kindly at Daichi, "I actually have an emergency sewing kit in my bag," of course you do-- "if you want me to fix it for you." Of course I do.
Daichi allowed his breath to leave him relieved, "That would be great, actually. Thank you."
They made their way to the closest restroom, Suga idly humming as he rifled through his bag as they walked. He had the kit in his hands by the time they entered the bathroom.
"So, rough day?" Suga asked him as he opened the case, pulling out a needle and a bit of thread.
"Aah, yeah," Daichi said, eyes tilting up toward the ceiling as he remembered his morning. "I somehow missed my alarm-- which never happens, by the way-- and then my coffee machine broke and poured water all over my counter. I missed my normal train and had to wait for the next one, and then I had to shove my way through a crowd watching some... dance number in the street? I don't know, I wasn't paying attention."
"Wow," Suga cooed as he threaded the needle and brought it toward Daichi. "Button?"
"Oh, yeah," Daichi said, handing it to him. He tried not to feel flustered by the touch of his fingers to his palm.
Suga blinked, "I'll make you a cup of coffee."
"What?"
Suga glanced up at him, "When we get back into the office. I'll make you a cup of coffee since you didn't get yours."
"Oh, that's..." Daichi felt himself blushing, "entirely unnecessary. And beneath your station."
"Hmm," Suga hummed as he brought his hands up toward Daichi's chest, "I don't think anything is beneath someone if they want to do it."
Daichi stared at him.
He was really close. Close enough to smell his cologne or soap or whatever it was that smelled like fresh linen. Daichi felt his skin flush with warmth. He inhaled deep but tried to let the breath out slowly and evenly, tried not to ruffle Suga's hair too much as he exhaled his nervousness.
He was watching closely, but it still took him a moment to realize Suga's hand was stalling above his chest. He tilted his head further down to look at Suga's hands. His fingers were shaking, the needle unsteady in his hand as he stared at the shirt.
Daichi tried to speak kindly, "Suga, are you--"
Suga huffed out a breath, the tinge of a bitter laugh catching in his throat. "I'm fine, I'm just..." Daichi waited as he thought out his words. "I think I'm nervous about hurting you. Which is just making it worse..." his eyes slid to the side.
"Oh," Daichi said, taking a small step backward, "I could... take off my shirt? If that would help?"
Suga lowered his hands, his expression that of mild defeat, "That might be better."
Daichi unbuttoned his shirt with purposeful slowness. Not because he was trying to drag out the process, but because he was trying to cover the shake in his own hands. He was vaguely thankful that he had managed to keep going steady at the gym the past few months.
He tugged the fabric out from the tuck of his pants and shrugged it off his shoulders, "Here you go," he said with a warm smile as he handed the garment to Suga.
Suga took it, but as his eyes moved to the side they got sidetracked somewhere, and now they were roaming Daichi's chest. His mouth parted with surprise.
Daichi's face was burning. He couldn't help but feel immensely flattered.
"I'm sorry," Suga said, suddenly yanking his gaze away from Daichi, then glancing back again, curious.
Daichi's nervous laughter turned genuine in his throat, "Don't worry about it. I think I should be taking this as a compliment?"
"Yes," Suga nodded, forcing his gaze back to the button and anchoring it there. He slowly began pulling the needle through fabric, "Yes you should."
Daichi was trying not to bite his lip during the silence, but was also desperately trying not to bury himself deeper in embarrassment with his self destructive nervous chatter.
"Ah, all done," Suga said, and he sounded relieved.
"Thank you," Daichi responded almost too quickly as he took the cloth back into his hands. He slipped his arms back in, taking careful note of how Suga was trying very hard not to look at him.
His quick sideways glances were forcing him into failure.
Daichi was talking as he buttoned up, mind shifting back into Work Mode, "So have you and Yamamoto made much progress with--" he stopped midsentence to take in Suga's face, which was pursed with amusement. "What?"
Suga pointed at him.
Daichi blinked, then glanced down. He had missed one of his top buttons and every button thereafter was mismatched. Daichi hung his head, "I swear I'm usually more capable than this."
Suga took a few steps forward, "I know," he responded kindly, taking the buttons between his fingers and pinching them open again. His eyes were flitting over exposed chest. Daichi shivered out a breath at the faint heat that Suga's fingers left in their wake. "So you go to the gym," Suga laughed nervously.
"Yeah," Daichi answered easily, glad for the chatter so maybe then Suga wouldn't hear his heart beating, "I try."
"I wasn't quite expecting this," Suga continued, eyes narrowing on a button, "I mean it was pretty obvious you were well built because of those legs but--"
Daichi blinked, "My legs?"
Suga glanced up at him, face flushing suddenly, "Well, uhm, I mean, not that I've seen your legs, well, I have seen your legs! Like, moving under your body, and you know, walking, but they always had pants. Of course they always had pants," Suga broke into high nervous laughter, "but I mean I could still tell since your legs are so thick and your pants are so..." he trailed off, eyes going wide in surprise at himself and looking to Daichi as if he was going to somehow save him.
Daichi's eyes were wide for their own reasons, "My pants?" he asked, and he knew he sounded worried.
"Well," Suga's voice left his throat high, almost like a squeal, "they're... tight..." his eyes slid away.
Daichi grabbed Suga's shoulders with both of his hands, "Suga," he said, voice tense with self-consciousness, "Are my pants not flattering? Oh my God, are they inappropriate?" Daichi felt panic rising in his throat. Why would Iwaizumi allow him to walk around in inappropriate pants?
"No, nooo," Suga answered quickly, bringing his eyes back to him, "I--" his left hand fluttered down, touching gently against Daichi's hip and lightly grazing his thumb over the fabric of his slacks, "I really like them."
Daichi felt his heart climb into his throat.
Daichi had his hands on Suga's shoulders. Suga had his hand on Daichi's hip. And they were staring at each other, looking directly into each other's eyes with quite a lack of distance between them.
His blood went warm, made his skin flare hot and his eyes fall into impressive focus. The tingle of anxiousness and anticipation climbed through his arms and up his back. He could feel his fingers flexing against Suga's shoulders. For all the blush on his cheeks Suga wasn't turning away. He was staring directly at him, mouth slightly agape and fingers slowly curling in against Daichi's hip.
What was this ringing in Daichi's ears? Was this nervousness? Or perhaps it was just what silence sounded like when Daichi's thoughts were ground to a complete halt.
He felt himself blink slowly, could feel the rush of his blood begging him to lean in. Lean in. Lean in.
Suga's hand tugged at him almost imperceptibly, bringing them just a breath closer. And then Suga exhaled, his voice clinging to it almost like want, and Daichi felt his entire body tense.
That sound, that motion, that was enough to destroy Daichi's resistance, and that's exactly why he loosened his grip. That's why he took a step back and shuddered out a breath he knew Suga could hear but wished he couldn't. Because the thoughts that were clinging to his mind weren't just of kissing Suga breathless, weren't just of running his hands through his hair and inhaling his scent as he scattered warm kisses up Suga's neck. They were of roaming hands and skin on skin and wet heat, and that let him know that he was definitely not in check, was definitely out of line, and definitely needed to see himself out of the situation.
Exactly how quickly would he be fired if he was found ravishing his coworker in the bathroom?
As long as it took to say the word, he guessed.
But.
He glanced at Suga as he half-turned to leave.
Now he knew.
Daichi cleared his throat, "Let's head back to the office before Yamamoto starts a fire or something."
Suga chuckled and fell into step beside him. Always beside him, never behind.
He liked the way that felt.
###
"O... okay," Suga said into the phone. He set the receiver down heavily into its cradle. He pressed his head into his hands.
He was panicking. Not because he had almost made a move on his boss in the bathroom earlier that morning, and not because his boss had almost made a move on him. In fact, those thoughts were calm and fluffy things compared to this. He would gladly relive the downright painful tension of that moment a hundred more times if it meant he could just skip over this.
He couldn't tell Sawamura. Well. He could. He could tell Sawamura and he probably should tell Sawamura but he would do his best not to tell Sawamura.
"How did this happen? Was it me?" Suga whispered to himself, "It's because I'm new. I don't know what I'm doing. I was in charge of this, my first full campaign and..." Suga balled his fists in his hair, "Aaaahg what was it!?" he leaned back and whined into the air.
He could feel eyes turning to look at him but he ignored them.
This was unacceptable wasn't it? They had to uphold their end of the deal right?
It was almost time to leave for the day, just an hour left, and Suga felt like he might suffocate in the office in that amount of time. He stood, pushing his seat back with his knees and hurriedly moving to leave the office.
Of course, because of course, Sawamura rounded the corner at that exact moment.
"Oh, Suga," he said, looking down at him with interest, "you alright?"
"Yes," Suga answered too quickly. "I'm great. Everything's great." He was aware his nervous laughter at the end did not sell that answer very well.
Sawamura's face settled into a frown. He had a broad face, a very genial and likeable face, and it was easily saturated with any flicker of emotion that attempted to move across it unnoticed. "You seem flustered," he commented, "are you sure."
Suga squeezed his eyes shut as he threw on a smile, "Sure am!"
When he opened his eyes Sawamura was frowning deeper. "You know," he said, moving to lean against the doorway, "I haven't had a chance to see a lot of expressions on you."
Suga blinked, "Huh?"
Sawamura continued as if Suga hadn't said anything, "Because you tend to wear just the one, really. Honest and happy. It's one of the reasons I hired you." Sawamura narrowed his eyes, and the dark brown of his irises felt a tad accusing, "That's not what I'm seeing right now."
Suga sucked in an inhale, held it in his chest for awhile as he attempted to mentally maneuver himself out of this situation.
"What happened?" Sawamura asked, and this time an honest answer was not an option. It was an order.
Sawamura was very intimidating when he was upset. Suga slid his hand against his face, rubbing viciously at his eye while his sentence formed in his mouth. "So, I told you I collected data on which shops were selling our releases best, most consistently." Suga paused to look at Sawamura but he was just staring back at him. Suga cleared his throat as he moved on, "and I set up plans for all the shops weeks ago, over a month ago, for some of them, and..." Suga could feel himself starting to sweat. His eyes were spinning off in every direction that didn't include Sawamura's face. "And I just called the leading store to do a follow up and they told me they didn't have any of their window display done..." Suga sighed heavy, "and that they weren't going to be able to set one up in time..."
He dragged his eyes back toward Sawamura's face, peering at him from under his eyelashes. Sawamura was staring at him, his expression solid and stony.
Finally Sawamura blinked, "So what you're telling me is you made advanced preparations with this shop so they could set up our new release display."
"Yes."
"And they agreed to it."
"Yes."
"And then you called them as a follow-up and they said, 'just kidding, we're not doing it.'"
Suga was sweating again. "Y--" his voice squeaked, "Yes?"
Sawamura's mouth was set in a hard line. He shook out his arm and brought his wrist out in front of him, eyes moving to glance at his watch.
"What happened?" Yamamoto asked, throttling up from his seat and clenching his fist. "Is someone bullying Suga? I'll kill 'em!"
"Heh," Suga choked nervously.
Sawamura was looking at Suga again, "Your work for the day is done right?" he asked, already picking up his bag. "Let's go for a walk."
"Uhm, okay," Suga said. "Where?"
Sawamura turned to look at him as if the answer was obvious, "To that shop, of course."
"Oooooh someone's gettin' it," Yamamoto jeered from his desk.
"Sawamura-san, you really don't have to--" Suga started, but Sawamura cut him off quickly.
"I know that," he said, eyes forward as he walked, "That's irrelevant."
Suga blinked away from him and just did his best to keep up with his long strides. When they breached the front doors Iwaizumi was outside smoking, leaning against the wall. Drops of rain were falling dark and slow from the clouds overhead, but he didn't seem to notice.
"Where are you going with that scary look on your face?" he asked, eyes taking in Sawamura's expression in a blink.
Sawamura turned to him, "I have to go confront some people who don't know how to do their jobs, is all."
Smoke shot from Iwaizumi's nose in a steady stream, "Another shop?"
Sawamura nodded.
Iwaizumi's lips curled into a small wry smile around his cigarette, "You're doing it again." When Sawamura tipped his head to the side and didn't respond he continued, "I told you if you continued to micromanage you would drive yourself crazy."
Sawamura almost smiled, "Would you do something different?"
Iwaizumi grinned as he dropped his cigarette down by his side, "I didn't say that." His eyes finally slid over to Suga, pausing momentarily before returning to Sawamura's face, "Want me to go with?"
Sawamura's face twisted in confusion, "What? Why?"
Iwaizumi shrugged and motioned to his face with his hand, "I kind of have that pissed off look all the time, or so I'm told. Might be useful."
"Thank you but that's okay," Sawamura answered with a chuckle, "Shouldn't you be leaving soon anyway?"
Iwaizumi broke eye contact, gaze falling to rain splattered concrete, "I'll probably be here another five hours."
Sawamura winced.
"Well, good luck. Call me if you need me," Iwaizumi said with a slight wave as he turned to head back into the building.
"Thanks."
The rain put a chill in the air, but at least it offered a respite from the overbearing summer humidity. Suga and Sawamura walked along without much chatter, save for when Suga pointed out where they needed to turn. The sidewalks were more crowded than usual thanks to the hour. Everyone was finally retreating from their jobs and heading home.
When they approached the shop Sawamura looked down at Suga. "I'll take care of all of this," he said, "so don't worry about a thing."
Suga only had time to blink before Sawamura was entering the shop.
There was a jingle of a bell, "Good evening, how may I help you gentlemen tonight?"
Sawamura's face snapped into an instant smile, and it was the least disarming smile Suga had ever seen in his life. He spoke through the shine of his teeth, "Hi, I need to speak with your manager."
The young employee's eyes grew large before he nodded hastily. He turned on his heel and ran off before he could stand to utter a response.
"Sawamura-san," Suga whispered, "you're going to frighten the children, please."
"Maybe they should do their job," he said stiffly through a clenched jaw.
Suga shrunk back into himself. Scary. Sawamura-san is scary.
Finally an older gentlemen emerged, "How can I help you guys?"
Sawamura reached a hand forward and took the manager's hand into a tight handshake, "I'm Sawamura Daichi from Maikawa publishing house. This is my associate Sugawara Koushi," Sawamura motioned to Suga with his free hand, that vicious smile still pulled taut across his lips, "I hear you're having trouble keeping your word."
Suga's eyes flew wide open. Oh my God.
The manager's eyes reacted similarly, his mouth dropping open as he stuttered for a response, "Well I--"
"You communicated with my associate that you would have a proper set up for our new release tomorrow, isn't that correct?" There was a definite undercurrent of hostility to Sawamura's words.
"Well initially, yes, we--"
"Initially," Sawamura repeated.
"Well you see," the manager laughed and readjusted his tie, "we were very busy this month and I had a few call-ins that left me short handed a few days so we never found the time to--"
"Listen," Sawamura said, low voice dropping lower and dark eyes growing darker, "We're both Japanese businessmen, are we not?"
Sawamura received a wordless nod in response.
Sawamura motioned to Suga again, "We were also very busy. We had to stay in office all night some nights. But," he blinked and his words sat heavy with venom, "we did our job."
Suga thought that Sawamura might actually force this man into a panic attack.
"So," he went on after the manager hissed an inhale, "Do what you have to do, what you're expected to do, as a man and a leader, and get it done." He opened his mouth to speak but Sawamura cut him off, "I don't care if you're here all night. It shouldn't have come to this in the first place." Then he smiled, sending a thrill down Suga's spine, "Okay?"
"Y... yessir."
With that Sawamura threw back his head with a hearty laugh, shoulders shaking. He slapped the manager on the back and the man lurched forward with a cough, "Thanks a lot, you're great." He took a step away and raised his hand, "We'll be sure to come and check it out tomorrow."
The manager was staring at him, horrified and wide-eyed as Sawamura turned to step out of the shop. Suga hopped into step beside him, staring up at him the whole time. Once they breached the front door and stepped back out into the slow drizzle of rain, Sawamura looked down at him, "See, we got that all settled."
Because you're terrifying.
"So," and when Sawamura blinked all his normal optimism was back on his face as if it had never left, "want to celebrate with dinner? We're already out and there's no point in going back to the office now."
Suga resented the way his heart stuttered, "Yes!" he answered happily. Honestly.
Sawamura smiled, "What are you feeling?"
Suga looked at him with bright eyes. He knew he looked too excited but he didn't care, "Mapo tofu," he answered without hesitation, "the spicier the better."
###
Daichi was just going to have to come to terms with Suga constantly surprising him.
They walked for a bit, neither of them seeming bothered by the slow drops of rain that fell randomly against their shoulders. Daichi had led him into one of his preferred restaurants, which, most importantly, was known for their great mapo tofu.
They sat at the bar so they weren't directly facing each other, which Daichi actually appreciated. He was going to be flustered enough as it was.
"This place was kind of out of the way," Suga said, sitting down heavily in his seat, "I'll pay for your cab ride back home."
"Don't be ridiculous," Daichi countered, "I'll just take a different train, it's no big deal, really."
"Ah, I'm excited," Suga said, pulling his shoulders up around his neck and grinning, "this is my favorite."
"I wouldn't have pegged you for someone who likes spicy things," Daichi commented as he ordered a round of sake for the both of them.
Suga bobbed his head, "I've gotten that before."
The sake was there in a blink. They clinked their cups together and Suga tipped his head back happily, cheeks already pink. From the long walk, maybe.
"Thanks again for helping me out Sawamura-san," he continued once his cup was safely back on the counter.
"It's my job," Daichi said, "And..." he felt his face redden, but he didn't allow the gap in his sentence to grow because this wasn't meant to be an awkward thing, "Call me Daichi."
Suga's eyes popped open, "Huh? Are you sure?" He shook his head in answer to himself, "No."
"It's fine, it's fine, really," Daichi said, leaning forward.
"Daichi," Suga worked the word around his mouth, "Daichi."
Daichi felt his flush crawl down his neck.
"I do like it. I like the way it sounds. And it feels better on my tongue. Simpler."
"Ah, yeah," Daichi said, eyes falling away from Suga's face. I like how it sounds when you say it. "I just prefer it. Iwaizumi-san uses it, as you've noticed." Because he had. The very first moment it left his mouth.
"Yeah, but you guys seemed pretty close, so I didn't think too much about it."
Daichi brought his sake back to his lips, "He told me to drop the -san awhile ago and I just can't get myself to do it."
"And you're asking me to use your given name!?" Suga asked incredulously. He laughed to himself, "Seems a little hypocritical."
Daichi chuckled, "Maybe."
"Ah, well, good thing I take directions better than you then, Daichi," Suga said with a small wink.
Daichi was just glad he didn't spit out some of his sake when he coughed in surprise.
Suga giggled to himself, leaning back on his chair. When Daichi recovered he realized Suga's cup was empty so he gladly poured him another glass just as their food appeared in front of them.
"Aaaaah," he said, breathing in over his smile as he stared down at his food, "I can smell it, I can smell the pain."
Daichi couldn't help but laugh, "And you're happy about it."
"I am!" with that he clapped his hands together and then picked up his spoon. He looked poised and ready for the attack. Daichi watched him with interest as he pulled the first bite into his mouth. There was a moment of pause, then his eyes squeezed shut and he kicked his feet with a squeal, "Yes!" he said, tears clinging to the corners of his eyes, "Perfect!"
Daichi breathed a sigh of relief without thinking, "I'm glad."
They chattered about work and nonsense as they ate, taking quite a few breaks for Suga to wheeze and gulp down water (and more sake, he could really throw it back).
Finally Suga allowed his head to lull backward, hair falling away from his face. He tipped back forward and smiled, "That's what I needed," he said, his voice a little lower and raspier than Daichi was used to.
"I think I needed this too," Daichi agreed.
Suga was turned in his seat so he could fully face Daichi, bumping his knee against Daichi's thigh. "So you've worked there awhile, haven't you?"
Daichi felt his breath catch at the rosiness of Suga's cheeks and the soft warm that settled in over his eyes in the response to alcohol. "More years than I want to cite," Daichi said, turning to face him more squarely as well. Their legs fit in against each other.
"Someone getting a complex about his age?" Suga teased.
Daichi chuckled, the sound forming quietly over his lips as their voices kept dropping more and more intimately. He wasn't sure if it was purposeful or not. He didn't waste the energy to even try and consider it. "I think I might be working on one," Daichi finally answered.
"Well you shouldn't," Suga said, his eyes roaming unabashedly over Daichi's face, "it's not like any of it shows."
"Hmm," Daichi heard the hum vibrate off his lips before he realized he was doing it. "I can't help it. Especially when I accidentally surround myself with attractive company." Wait. Did he say that out loud?
Suga's eyes focused more firmly on Daichi's, their gazes locking. Daichi was thinking hard about kissing him. In fact, he wasn't sure if he had thought about anything else for the past twenty minutes.
Suga's clear brown eyes were blinking slowly, but they were still easy to read, still perfectly honest. His face managed to seem impossibly clear and bright even under the fog of Daichi's alcohol induced haze.
Suga's fingers walked up Daichi's thigh, lightly touching at his hand when they reached its resting spot. Daichi suppressed a shiver. "Do you know what time it is?" Suga asked, his eyes not wavering from Daichi's face. His finger's touched at the watch wrapped around Daichi's wrist.
"Ah," he said, finally pulling his gaze away from Suga. He glanced down and his lips flickered into what might have been a regretful smile. "We should probably head to the station, shouldn't we?"
Suga nodded.
They left the restaurant, rain still attempting to fall and doing a bad job of it. They walked alongside each other, exceptionally silent but perfectly comfortable. Daichi tried not to think of how much he enjoyed feeling Suga's presence beside him, their arms and shoulders grazing against one another with every other step.
Suga was looking up into the sky when they approached the station. "I'll be taking the next train, if I remember correctly."
Daichi nodded, "I have a slightly longer wait."
Suga turned to him, "Sorry, wish I could keep you company."
Daichi's lips warmed into a slow smile, "You did an excellent job of that all day. No worries."
Suga took a step closer to him, head tipping to the side, "You know, I enjoy keeping you company."
Daichi's gaze lowered as Suga closed the distance between them further. He looked down at that face, felt the blood in his hands forcing his fingers to twitch. He wanted to touch him. "You can..." Daichi's eyes moved over Suga's jaw, slid across the pink of his lips before climbing back up to his eyes, "keep doing it. Keeping me company, I mean."
Suga grinned, his smile not even a fraction less confident for the furious pink of his cheeks. His hands moved, settled tentatively on Daichi's hips before his thumbs slid under Daichi's belt loops. "I will, then."
Then Suga pulled him closer by the hold on his hips, tipping his mouth up and into Daichi's. Daichi felt himself inhale against the kiss, inhaled the scent and the feel and the warmth. His pulse was a mess in his throat, his hands trembling until he brought them in against Suga's neck and shoulder. He ran his thumb behind Suga's ear, drank in the softness with the tip of his finger so he could remember what it felt like when he imagined kissing there later.
Suga hummed, lifting into the kiss further and pressing their bodies closer together. He opened his mouth, ran his tongue along Daichi's lip in a way that felt more teasing than tentative. Daichi had to suppress a small growl when he opened his mouth and felt Suga's tongue spill over his lips, had to reign in the strength of his hands as he slid his fingers up through his hair.
Suga's hips tilted up into him. He lightly pulled at Daichi's lip with his teeth and when Daichi huffed and flexed his fingers Suga purred. Daichi's hand slid down Suga's shoulder and eventually pressed in against the small of his back. Suga whimpered against his mouth, sliding his tongue against Daichi's with something that was almost aggression.
Then there was the steady rhythm of an approaching train and Suga pulled away, his face pink and eyes glassy. He smiled and Daichi let loose an extremely rough exhale.
"I'll see you tomorrow," Suga said, his hands slow to withdraw from Daichi's hips. His voice was soft and lush, like emotion had melted on top of his words.
"Yes," Daichi responded gruffly. He had to blink the haze of want out of his eyes. He wasn't sure he succeeded.
Finally Suga let go of him fully, feet carrying him in the opposite direction as his train slid up to the platform. He gave a small wave and a too charming smile before stepping onto his train.
Daichi ran his fingers through his hair and tried to slow his overactive heart. Well, his overactive everything.
He sat down on the bench and sighed, cursing his tight pants.