Work Text:
Bokuto flexes his fingers and begins typing out a draft of an e-mail that should have been written and sent a week ago. The clicking of his keyboard blends in with the rapid clicking of mouses and the voices of his co-workers around him. His golden eyes quickly scan what he’s written so far and after a few subtle changes, he presses send. The e-mail disappears off his screen as soon as the button is pressed, and he lets out a long sigh. Hopefully, he won’t get in too much trouble for being so behind in his work. Although it’s nothing new, even though everything gets done eventually he’s always struggled to stay on top of things; especially recently where he’s been feeling swamped way more than usual.
It’s only when he goes to open a new tab on his computer that he realises that he was supposed to have attached a file. “Shit.” He muttered to himself, eyes-widening as he desperately tries to figure out if there’s a way that he can time travel back a couple of minutes. It’s unprofessional, but he ends up simply sending the document in a separate e-mail, something his boss dislikes. Once it’s sent, and he’s triple-checked that he hasn’t forgotten anything else, he bangs his head against the desk and runs a hand through his gelled spiky hair.
“You good Bo?” Bokuto adjusts the position of his head so he can look at the desk closest to him. His co-worker – and closest friend – Kuroo gives him a sympathetic look, already knowing the answer to his question but wanting to hear it from Bokuto.
Kuroo has taken note of the extra stress Bokuto has been put under recently. Unbeknownst to the owl-lookalike next to him, their boss has given him more work than the rest of them to see if he is capable of it. The only reason Kuroo knows is because of his nosy tendency and the overwhelming need to know everything happening in the office. Bokuto might not realise it, but he’s a great asset to the team and the department would most definitely be at a loss without him.
“Not really.” He murmurs, glaring at how his best friend’s desk has barely any paperwork on it, compared to his which is swarming with scattered pieces of paper and colourful folders. “I don’t even know why I still do this job. It’s obvious that I’m not good at it.”
“Oh God not again.” Kuroo whispers, watching as his best friend sinks deeper into what everyone at the office calls his ‘emo phase’. It doesn’t happen often, but when it does there’s usually only one thing that will get him back to his normal self. “Hey, Tsukki?” Kuroo calls out as he looks over his shoulder at the blond man a few desks over.
“What?” Tsukishima grits out, removing the phone from his ear and covering it with his shoulder so the person on the other end can’t hear what’s being said. “I’m in the middle of a call.”
“Operation Emo Mode.” At Kuroo’s words, Tsukishima flicks his eyes over to a sulking Bokuto and sighs deeply. He puts his ear back to the phone and says that he’ll call them back.
Slamming the black device back onto its stand, he pushes his glasses up his nose and glares at the messy-haired man. “Why can’t you do it? You’re not the one who has a bunch of calls to make to potential clients today.”
“Because I did it last time.”
The blond man shakes his head at his co-worker’s childish behaviour but one glance at Bokuto’s depleted form has him giving in. It doesn’t matter how much he denies it, but Tsukishima does care deeply about the people around him. Grinning, Kuroo watches as Tsukishima rolls his eyes and silently picks back up the phone. “Also, please don’t call me Tsukki. Tsukishima is fine.” He says as he types in a set of numbers that the whole of their department has memorised for moments like this.
Leaning back in his chair, he waits for the call to be answered. “I can’t believe I’m being forced to speak to them when there are people here that they know much better.” He breaths quietly as a click is heard from the other line as the call connects. “Yeah, it’s me… Because he’s a prick that doesn’t understand that we’re actually here to work…” – he scowls at Kuroo and gets a middle finger as a response – “You already know why I’m calling, when can you get here?” He hums a couple of times and bids goodbye to the person on the other line before ending the call.
“Are they on their way?”
“Of course they are.”
“Good, thanks Tsukki.”
“Tsukishima.” He grits out, swivelling in his chair to face away from Kuroo. “Yachi? Can you and Yamaguchi take some of Bokuto’s work off him? He’s in one of his emo phases and—”
“—and nothing will get done so tomorrow if he comes in he’ll be even more stressed.” Yachi speaks up from her desk close to the window. “I was going to offer anyway; you seem to forget that I have witnessed this happening before.”
For the next twenty minutes, they move folders and pieces of paper from Bokuto’s desk and distribute them around the room, everyone insisting they all take a small amount. Throughout it all, Bokuto keeps his face firmly planted on the table, seemingly lost in his own world. Every so often the desk chair he’s sitting on rotates slightly from side to side. All that’s left on his table is two folders that have been stacked neatly and a couple of loose sheets of paper that he needs to finish off.
It’s not long after that when the sounds of footsteps moving quickly down the corridor fill their ears. Kuroo lifts his head and stops writing when they grow closer. The doors to their large office space burst open and the only greeting the person who entered receives is Kuroo using the end of his pen to point at Bokuto who still hasn’t moved. They give each other a small nod as Kuroo goes back to his work, not wanting to intrude on the conversation about to take place.
“Hey Koutarou, you okay baby?” The man who entered goes over to the edge of Bokuto’s desk and squats down so he’s at eye level with the sulking black and white haired man.
Bokuto immediately recognises the voice and shifts his head slightly to gaze into a pair of deep blue eyes. “Keiji?”
“Yeah, it’s me.” Akaashi smiles and runs a hand through Bokuto’s spiky locks. “Are you feeling okay?” The only response he gets is a series of unintelligible grumbles. “You need to speak up Kou so I can help.”
Bokuto continues to stare into his boyfriend’s eyes, already feeling a little better by just having him here. Akaashi moves his hand from Bokuto’s hair and trails it down to his cheek, stroking the soft skin there as a small smile starts to form on Bokuto’s face. “There’s that smile that I love to see.” He coos as he waits for Bokuto to talk. It can take a while, but Akaashi knows not to push him, aware that he’ll speak when he’s ready.
“I’m going to get fired from my job.” He eventually mutters. Akaashi raises an eyebrow, still stroking his cheek.
“And what makes you think that?”
“Because I’m behind on my work and keep on missing deadlines.” Akaashi looks at the computer screen at all the unopened e-mails but mentally notes how the subject lines aren’t about anything worth worrying about. With hardly any folders on the desk, he’s confused at first but when he sees Kuroo holding up a stack of yellow folders with a smirk and gesturing to other desks where people are discreetly gesturing to more of them, Akaashi understands what’s going on and smiles warmly. He always knew he loved the people that Bokuto worked with. He’s pretty sure they’ve done something similar to this in the past.
“What work?” Akaashi questions as he removes his hand from the side of Bokuto’s face, playing dumb to the situation. That makes Bokuto sit up properly, blinking rapidly as he scrutinises his almost empty desk. He stares confusedly at all the missing files on his desk before turning back to his boyfriend with the same expression still on his face.
“But I—”
“Koutarou.” He faces Akaashi when his name is spoken sternly, the once calming voice now more serious. “You have nothing to worry about. We can all see how hard you’re working and perhaps it’s just a case of talking to your boss if you are struggling. He’s there to help and support you, not to purposefully make you mess up. He wouldn’t give you tasks if he didn’t think you couldn’t do them.”
Biting his lip, Bokuto thinks over Akaashi’s words. “I guess.”
Akaashi’s smaller hand takes hold of Bokuto’s larger one and squeezes lightly. “Don’t tell the others I said this but you’re by far the best in the room at your job.” He knows that everyone in the office space could hear him, but he trusts that none of them will take his words seriously. After all, Bokuto needs this sort of ego-boosting to get him back on track. “They’d be stupid to get rid of a crucial member of their team.”
He can already see Bokuto’s golden eyes lighten up, slowly going back to his lively self. Leaning closer, he gives his boyfriend a small peck on the lips; nothing too long as he doesn’t want to make people uncomfortable – plus he was never one for huge displays of PDA. “Come on, stand up.” Akaashi commands, tugging him up with their interlaced hands. “I’m sure your co-workers can hold down the fort for the next couple of hours.”
“You can count on us Akaashi.” Kuroo salutes the younger man with a grin and Akaashi rolls his eyes, muttering at how he’s surprised they even get any work done here with the number of childish staff they hired for one department.
Bokuto allows the smaller man to drag him to his feet, which takes a bit of effort on Akaashi’s part. Akaashi picks up the shoulder bag under the desk and puts it on. Bokuto is still hesitant though. “I can’t just walk out of here.”
“Why not?” Akaashi questions, attempting to get Bokuto to move his legs in the direction of the door. But without Bokuto at least wanting to move, the weight difference between them has the pair staying in place. Akaashi rubs his thumb against the back of Bokuto’s hand as silent support.
“Because—”
“Just go, Bokuto.” Tsukishima states, writing something on a yellow post-it note and sticking it to the edge of his computer screen. “You’re not going to get into trouble. Mainly because this has happened so many times.” He says the last sentence under his breath as the phone in front of him rings.
In the end, Bokuto gives in. With Akaashi in tow, they make their way out of the building and onto the busy streets of Tokyo. Hands still firmly clasped together, Bokuto can’t resist swinging their arms back and forth. The action makes Akaashi chuckle, moving his arm in time with Bokuto’s.
“What do you want to do Koutarou?” Akaashi asks when they reach the car that he travelled in, no doubt having broken a couple of speed limits to get to Bokuto’s place of work as quickly as possible.
Bokuto thinks it over as they secure their seatbelts around their bodies. He turns to Akaashi with a small smile and quickly re-grabs his hand after letting go when they entered the vehicle. “Can we go home and cuddle for the rest of the day?”
Akaashi wonders how he’s going to drive with only the full use of one hand as he replies. “That sounds like a good plan. We can pick up some popcorn on the way back.”
“And can we carry on watching that anime series we started?” Akaashi starts the engine with his free hand, and he carefully moves the gearstick with the hand that Bokuto refuses to let go of.
“Anything you want Kou.”
They drive in silence to the convenience store near their shared apartment, neither of them reaching forward to turn the built-in stereo on. Akaashi gets used to driving one-handed, his other hand now being played with by both of Bokuto’s hands on the older man’s lap. He feels Bokuto running his index finger over his palm multiple times, following the lines up and down his skin. For reasons unknown to Akaashi, Bokuto has always had a thing for the younger man’s hands.
Pulling up to the store, the engine is turned off and Akaashi simply waits for Bokuto to let go of his hand. However, Bokuto ends up grabbing his other hand too and fiddling with them both. Akaashi turns his body to face the passenger seat, so he isn’t twisted uncomfortably. “Let’s go get that popcorn.”
Nodding, Bokuto finally releases his hold and unclips his seatbelt. Akaashi follows his actions and is about to open the car door when Bokuto twirls him around in the seat so he can lean forward and press their lips together. Thinking he only wants a short kiss, Akaashi goes to pull away, but Bokuto moves his hand, so it rests against the back of this boyfriend’s neck and keeps him in place. Akaashi freezes momentarily at Bokuto’s boldness but as Bokuto starts moving his lips against his, he finds himself sighing through his nose and mirroring the pace.
They both quickly melt into each other, hands running across hair, clothes and visible skin. Bokuto can’t get enough, slowly parting his lips and letting his tongue trace the soft padding of Akaashi’s bottom lip. Letting out a quiet groan, Akaashi fists his hands into the sides of Bokuto’s black suit, tugging him as close as possible.
Akaashi is the first to break away, remembering that they’re sitting in a car park where anyone could easily peek through their car window at them. Coughing awkwardly, he uses the review mirror to fix his hair as he calms his breathing. Next to him, Bokuto is grinning – his emo mode long gone now.
Fishing around in the cup holder for loose change, he stuffs a couple of notes and coins into his trouser pocket; Bokuto has a habit of picking up random items and Akaashi can never resist the puppy eyes he’s given when Bokuto asks if they can buy them. Checking his appearance one last time, he steps out of the car and smiles when Bokuto bounces to his side and connects their hands. Akaashi leans against Bokuto’s arm, and he locks the car as they head to the store entrance.
“I love you, Keiji.” Akaashi glances up, his cheek pressing against Bokuto’s shoulder. Bokuto looks down to see a pink blush painting his face which Akaashi attempts to cover by hiding his face in the material of his boyfriend’s suit.
“I love you too Koutarou.” Akaashi whispers back. His insecurities of how people might react seeing them this close together tug at the edges of his mind, but he ignores them the best he can. He dragged Bokuto out of his place of work to get him back to his usual self and that’s exactly what he’s going to do. Then, when he goes back to the office tomorrow, he can receive that promotion that his boss called Akaashi about in advance.
Their relationship might be unpredictable at times and filled with ups and downs but both of them wouldn’t have it any other way.