Work Text:
“I assure you, Takigawa-san, that for all I may have said, no word compares to the ache in my heart, every single moment I gaze upon your longing stares towards dear Matsuzaki-sa-“
“For Christ’s sake Yasu, I don’t like Ayako!”
Osamu’s eyes lit up, the sunset rays starring his irises, the perfect mirror of a setting day. A smile tugged at the corner of his lips and spread wide across his face, hands came up to cup his jaw in delight. “Takigawa-san, don’t you say,” he started, voice light and airy, “I am the lone beauty of your eyes-?”
“Lord help me!” Houshou stood, just before Osamu could snatch his arm, and moved hastily to the couch across from him. “I can’t take this anymore!” He moaned, slumped onto his seat. “You’ll break me like this, Yasuhara...”
He glared to the side, at Ayako and Mai cackling like hyenas, at Masako pretending to be innocent with her amused smirk hidden behind her sleeve. He couldn’t bring himself to glare at John though, but he did feel a new wave of frustration build up inside him when he noted the young priest was laughing too.
Osamu barked a laugh, sudden and loud, and it threw Houshou’s glare into his direction. “Oh God! You should see your face right now-!” Houshou groaned out and slumped further into the couch. “Come now,” Osamu continues, takes a few seconds to fully collect himself before speaking with his half grin firmly in place, “you can’t be totally serious when you say you don’t enjoy this, Takigawa-san.”
“It’s one thing when you do it once in a while but now I don’t know what to think anymore!” He gestures violently with his hands, throws them in the air and falls back onto the couch. “Im starting to think you’re actually insisting on something!”
“Have you realized my words and feelings to be true?”
“Oh my God, you’re coNFUSING ME!” He lets his head fall onto his hands, a loud exasperated sigh leaving his lips in an attempt at relieving this newfound pressure on his chest that seems to tighten with every word from the younger man. A thought crossed him and he looks up, suddenly, to see Osamu’s grin still wide and bright. “Are you even gay, Yasu?”
He laughs again, waves his hand in front of him. “I’m bisexual.”
“With a leaning towards men, no?”
“With a leaning towards you, if that’s what you mean.” He wiggles his eyebrows, suggestively and Houshou could see the mirth in his eyes and his smirk, and another wave of frustration hit him, punches a groan out of him.
“You’ll be the death of me, you know that, right?”
“If you die, I’ll run after you-“
“STOP IT!” He throws his hands in the air again, slides on the sofa, and nearly has no energy left to glare at the laughing children not too far beside him. “I’ll die, I tell you.”
Yasuhara laughs just as the door to Lin’s office slides open. Bemused eyes scan the scene for a moment, seeming to find no importance in the ruckus whatsoever, and settle on Noll’s door. As he’s walking, Monk calls him for help, but is interrupted very early in the process with a curt “I don’t care.” The older man pushes Noll’s door open with a grunt and cold eyes and slips inside.
Only after a few moments does Houshou become fully aware of the silence that settled in the room, and he looks around for a brief moment. His eyes settle on Osamu just in front of him, staring at the door with a frown, and feels most of his previous frustration ebb away.
“You think something happened?” Mai asked, quiet, eyes shining in concern, fixated on the door. He only glanced at her for a split second, his eyes suddenly found no interest in her look, very similar to most of theirs. Although half of his thoughts kept going back to the door, to the heavy silence he’s noticed of the boss’ office, to Lin’s frosty gaze, and a shiver went up his spine as he thought what could possibly have left the man so very upset.
The other half of his thoughts couldn’t help but search within Osamu’s eyes in front of him, no longer acknowledging his existence and still glued to the door. The shine in there, concern, obvious, and some other things he couldn’t exactly point out since he’s never been that good at reading so deeply after all. He relied on more straightforward signs, slips of the tongue, twists of the finger, tone of voice, the direction of the look, the hip, the pose, the hand, the tremble, he could see it all, he could hear it, he could analyze it to the most stupid possibility and pry the truth out of the most complex lies and still he couldn’t read a glint of an eye.
The eyes have always been his doom and Osamu’s eyes seemed to be showing so much but he couldn’t be sure.
So he asked.
“Do you- ah.” And the door opened behind him. He chanced a glance, found Lin heaving a sigh as he walked out, Noll trailing behind him with a book in his hands. As soon as he looked back, Osamu had looked away, teacup back in his hands.
It was probably cold too, as his would be, had he not gone through three cups in his despair. Still, he sipped away, carefully avoiding eye contact with him, he noted. His gaze flew back to Lin’s face, eyes hard and cold still, though the slightest bit softened and he could only assume Noll had calmed him somehow. He shifted towards the younger man, found a stiffness in his movements he really didn’t like, an exhaustion on his face he absolutely loathed although, supposedly, he had nothing to do with it. It shouldn’t be his business at all.
He still felt the sudden urge to pick him up and drag him to bed, tell him to get some fucking sleep.
“What’s wrong?” Mai asked, stood from her place beside Ayako.
Noll slumped onto his chair with a grunt, and Houshou hated the wince he saw, wasn’t sure if anyone else did but nobody mentioned a thing. For some reason, he didn’t like that either.
Maybe he’s just irritated, after all.
Osamu did get on his nerves before.
“Lin’s acting old.” Noll grumbled, Houshou noted a slight pout to his lips and couldn’t help but find it cute, unusual as it is. Something dragged his eyes away, not too far, to where Osamu sat, and found the most endeared look he’s ever seen.
He was smiling so small and brightly, eyes shining with such adoration he didn’t need to ask anything after all, it was so damned obvious and he knew exactly what to do about it.
It would serve as a little revenge too, on the side, though nobody needed to know that.
“Noll, please, this is crossing the line in too many ways. What you’re doing, it- it’s unheard of-“
“Well, don’t you say.” Lin gave an exasperated groan, more of a loud, deeply irritated noise from the back of his throat, and moved to drop himself onto the couch - Osamu shifted to the side to give him space to sit, eyes glued to Noll’s shaking hands.
Houshou followed his gaze and his heart dropped, the words were out of his mouth before he could think them through. “What did you do?”
Noll looked up at him, eyes widened for but a second before a cold air overlayed their colour. He dismissed it with a shrug and a half-hearted grunt, opened his book and a few papers fell. Houshou managed a glimpse at them, but barely any more than that, before he picked them up and stuffed them back between the pages. “I kinda... went gardening.”
“He’s been blooming flowers for Christ’s sake!” Lin cried in his desperation, hands thrown up in the air and brows creasing over wide eyes.
Only two, three seconds of silence did it take for the room to burst into full laughter, hands clutching stomachs, curled over and desperate gasps. Cries of gibberish and incomprehensible blabbering pulled up the corners of Noll’s mouth, though Lin simply glared at all of them individually. Nobody noticed, so he shifted his gaze to Noll, who shrugged his shoulders at him with a helpless look.
Lin raised his eyebrows at him, jaw clenched and nostrils flaring, saying not speaking you’re not escaping this. A shudder went up Noll’s spine and he looked away. We’ll talk about this later.
“Moving on,” Noll started, very much eager to escape Lin’s hot fury, at least for the moment, and only the slightest bit curious about the monk’s previous outbursts he’d heard through his door. “Before, you seemed quite frustrated with something.” He smirked at the blush spreading through Houshou’s face and ears, his hand coming up to the back of his neck. “I could hear your voice through the door.”
Houshou’s voice rose in desperation and frustration, he threw his hands in the general direction of all his despair as he fell back onto the couch. “That brat Yasuhara’s been flirting with me like a high schooler on the brink of a hormone explosion!” He chuffed, glare dead set on Osamu again, though something caught his eye. More than the smirk he’d throw at him ever could, the absence of it, the nervous grin placed thee instead, it stirred the gears in his mind and his previous question came to him again.
He remembered his mission.
“Oh, come now, Takigawa-san~!” Houshou caught a light blush cast upon his cheeks and his certainty only grew. “I’m sure you don’t feel as displeased by it as you say, hm?”
“Oh, I do. I mean,” he prepared, hid the grin with a raise of his brows and a dip of the corners of his mouth “how would you feel if I did that to you, hm?”
“Oh? Is that a confess-“
“Or Naru?” Houshou couldn’t keep his smile from spreading, though he believes he masked it pretty well. He heard snickers from the others, though they most possibly laughed for another reason. Cold and distant Noll flirting is, indeed, an amusing thought, though he had to try, for his plan to work, he had to believe Noll did have some sense of humor. “How would you feel if Naru flirted with you too, huh? It’d make you uncomfortable, wouldn’t it?”
“Well, most are uncomfortable with me on a regular, let alone me flirting,” Noll said, scribbling something on his book, eyes glued to the pages.
“Probably true, yes. I mean,” now, he didn’t bother hiding the devious smirk stretching his face. “I’ve never seen him blush so much.” Osamu choked on his cold tea, sent the last of it onto the table in coughing spurts as Lin patted his back with some careless precision.
Poor thing was red all the way to his ears, his forehead and tears pricked his eyes from what felt like a near death situation. It took a few more seconds for him to calm down enough to acknowledge everyone’s stares in his direction. He raised a hand, released a few more unapologetic coughing and said “I’m fine”.
“Explain yourself, Yasuhara-kun.” The cheer amusement dripped from Houshou’s voice, much like he was having the time of his life with such a simple thing.
“Come now, anyone would be embarrassed thinking about that kind of thing...”
“You didn’t seem embarrassed when I said it could be me.”
“You see, that’s because we have a connection, Takigawa-san. We’re meant to be togeth-“
“Oh, cut the crap. You!” He turned to Noll, pout firm and brows creased in a mock childish sulk, hands crossed tight over his chest. “Shut him up.”
Noll huffed shortly, closed his book with the pen inside and set it on his lap. Houshou’s expectations grew, though he should’ve known better than to expect anything else from it. “Shut up.” He lifted his book again and carried on with whatever he was doing.
“Oh please! Help me!”
“Takigawa-san.” Houshou turned to Osamu and found he was content enough with the strain on the younger man’s smile and the stiffness in his eyes. Besides, he was quite obvious about what he was trying to say, it’s only a matter of time until everyone puts two and two together.
He hoped.
“I believe Naru here realizes our situation, you know. No one can ever interfere in our love, it is boundless and your beauty so limitless it intensifies my bright feelings for you, like the divine put you here on this planet just for m-!”
“Oh please, you’ll make me vomit.” Noll’s words sparked a slight apprehension from the group but his face held such endearment they found they didn’t mean what they’d thought. “That’s way too cheesy,” he went on, book closed, he put it on the coffee table.
“Eugene was cheesy,” Lin stated with a grin, hand reaching out to the table. Mai had brought him tea.
“Very,” he nodded his thanks to Mai as he took his tea, didn’t notice the slight surprise in her eyes. “Disgustingly so.”
Houshou laughed, an image crossed his mind and he couldn’t help it, the words were out before he could think twice. “Care to show us how it’s done?” Noll raised a brow and Houshou shot him a knowing look, received one in return. Noll was a little more perceptive than he let out, or maybe he was just a bit too full of himself. Houshou didn’t really care. “Show Yasu how it’s done.”
Noll raised both eyebrows in mock defeat, sighed as he stood. “Yasu,” he said, and patted the back of his chair, “sit.” He took Osamu’s cup from his hands and disappeared into the kitchenette.
Houshou grinned at the boy and patted the chair on the seat. “You heard the boss, Yasuhara-kun~” he said, eyes shining with mirth “sit.”
Osamu took his sweet time standing and reaching the chair, hesitant steps growing slower in the hopes of anyone calling this off, although a big part of him was very curious about the possible outcome of whatever was happening.
The seat was warm and a flush heated his chest, a sigh escaped his lips and it took him a few long seconds to recognize everybody’s stares fixed on him. Thankfully, Noll didn’t take very long with the tea and soon he was handing him his cup refilled, fine vapor dancing above.
His eyes shifted from his hands to his arms, uncovered, sleeves rolled up to his elbows, and he’s heart might have stopped for a second.
Houshou’s breath too left him with a punching force at the sight of a scars littering his forearms, disappearing into the sleeves, and his eyes unconsciously lifted to Noll’s face. A slight shake of the head, and no one spoke of the subject.
A phone rang and Noll closed the door behind him when he’d entered his office.
Houshou immediately turned to Lin, a sharpness to his face he couldn’t really hold back. “What the hell are those?”
“You have scars too, don’t you?”
“That many?” His mind flashed him the scar running from the middle of his forearm and beyond the elbow.
“When I met him, he had most of them, already. He learns quick,” his hand brushed over his face, a chuffed breath, “with a good teacher. I only met him when he was twelve. His power was nearly impossible by then. Still, only a year later did he fully learn to distance himself in a vision. Most of those scars happened out of that, it’s nothing recent, so don’t worry too much about it.
“Please.”
At that moment, Noll left, phone in hand and arms still uncovered. He didn’t seem to mind them at all, and Lin’s explanation was enough to calm their nerves. Just a shock, is all.
He opened Lin’s office door, threw the phone inside.
When he closed it, Lin shot him a questioning look. “Next time someone calls, it’s for you.”
A chuckle left the older man, a knowing glint in his eyes. “Anthony?”
Noll gave an exasperated sigh as he sat on his chair’s right arm “I have no patience.”
Osamu had been trying his best not to make a fool of himself, sipping quietly on his tea, though his throat suddenly stopped working and it took him a whole second to swallow his last fill when Noll decided to sit just beside him and he practically knew where this was going, only he couldn’t be sure.
He was very thirsty, suddenly, though something made him put the cup down on the table. Noll’s hand crossed his sight and he felt it on his left cheek, pulling him closer, and the younger’s breath warmed his ear. A shiver went up his spine and he sat straighter. “See these?” He was talking about the scars, he assumed, and dread filled his heart for a moment, misplaced as it was. Or maybe it wasn’t. Noll’s lips grew closer to his ear and his voice left him in a whisper. “I’d like to leave something similar on your back.”
“OH MY GOD!” Osamu cried out, let his head fall onto his hands as he curled tight as he could go. “Oh my god...”
“What- what did he say?!”
Osamu looked up and a chuckle sounded from his side. He looked up to see Noll covering his face with a hand, his other arm around his middle. “He-“ his hand dropped to his mouth, “he’s already hard.”
Houshou didn’t know what to say so he pursed his lips and did his best to remain quiet, though he couldn’t say his coworkers made such an effort as they all burst into nearly hysterical laughter.
A nervous laugh built up inside him and he let it out, let it bloom into authenticity.
Since that conversation with Lin a few weeks earlier, he’d been a little more attentive to Noll’s every reaction, every twitch of his eye, of the corner of his mouth, of his fingers, he’d note everything down in a desperate attempt to make sure he’s okay. This behavior did seem abnormal to him, he wasn’t stupid. It was quickly becoming an obsession but he couldn’t stop now, he couldn’t stop himself from looking for signs, he’s always noticed more than most, only now, he knew what to look for and he was terrified of finding it.
Stopping now would make him feel like he stopped caring and he couldn’t take that.
“Seriously, seriously! What did you say?” Ayako seemed a little too excited for him, but it was fine with her, with them. He knew, he trusted them, they did, it was okay, oh God. His own thoughts are blabbering and he’s quickly growing tired of them, of his own voice in his head.
“I said I’d like to scratch his back,” Noll said as he stood and walked to Lin’s door, “but first,” he went on as he reached out for the tiny handle, gestured Lin closer with his other hand, “I’d like a dinner.” He let Lin close the door behind him with a grin, left them staring wide eyed and mouths open. Mai and John were red on their cheeks though nothing compared to the absolute tomato Osamu had become, frozen speechless, thoughts racing with the rapid twitch of his lips and eyes and eyebrows, Houshou could tell he was a mess.
An annoying and loud mess, but that just seemed to be Noll’s type either way, so that was okay.
An annoying, loud, kind and genuine and funny mess.
Monk approved.