Work Text:
By the end of this shift, Hokuto could speak fluent Python. His eyes were tired from staring at a computer screen all day, yet, he was told to continue working. His boss was nowhere to be seen, but he had to finish this piece of shit work before even thinking about leaving his seat for a toilet break. Or a coffee break, because he really needed it if he really had to work overtime. What kind of boss traps one employee in their office on Christmas fucking Eve?
None other than an eccentric, half-white dude who is the CEO of this company named Jesse Lewis. Also, he had a fat crush on said employee for a while. Obviously, Hokuto did not know about the latter.
The endless goodbyes and “Merry Christmas” from his co-workers was a constant reminder that Christmas was tomorrow and he had nothing prepared for the festivities. Everyone got to leave, but why not him? Well, not like he had celebrations or anything, unless video-calling his parents on Christmas morning counted as one. Hokuto tried dismissing the festive thoughts, but it kept creeping to the back of his head, like a persistent itch. He was still bitter that he was still in office on Christmas Eve, really.
The internal complaining really worked. Hokuto managed to finish his work in a flash. Saving his progress and shutting down the computer felt like euphoria to him.
Then he saw the boss’ shadow behind him.
“You’re done?” he asked, in the most disturbingly joyful tone ever.
“I suppose,” Hokuto sighed, “what more do you want, sir?”
“A dinner!”
“What now?”
“The truth is, I’ve been wanting to ask you out for dinner for a while,” Jesse explained, “but you’re always leaving early or really busy, so-”
“And whose fault is it?” Hokuto asked. He was skeptical over this whole ordeal.
“Me. But that’s not important. It’s Christmas, right? Let’s have a nice dinner together.”
Was Hokuto asked out by the CEO? Yes. Could he refuse? No. Hokuto ended up in a fancy western restaurant with Jesse, sitting at the other side of the table. Hokuto felt more nervous than at his job interview years ago. Jesse kept looking at Hokuto while they ate. It was like he was eyeing every part of Hokuto, from head to toe, examining him.
“Sir,” Hokuto said, “what is this for?”
“Just call me Jesse. We’re not at work anymore.”
Hokuto gulped. He asked to be casual, something Hokuto was never accustomed to.
“Jesse, sir, why the dinner? Do you have something to talk about?”
“There is, but I’ll tell you later.”
He mentioned nothing related to work during the dinner. Hokuto did not remember much, probably because he was so nervous, but he recalled looking at Jesse’s face a lot. He is truly blessed with such a good face. Being both good-looking and capable, owning a company at such a young age, Hokuto was impressed, to say the least.
His jokes, however, were not impressive. Downright bad, even. Hokuto cringed, but as an employee under his company, he dared not to challenge Jesse. Plus, he felt bad if he challenged someone with a face like this. Wait, why did Hokuto think of Jesse’s visuals so much? That made no sense.
The two went to look at the Christmas lights after dinner. There was a huge Christmas tree in the centre of this plaza, adorned with multicoloured lights. A lot of people were there, looking at the lights and taking pictures with the tree. The star shone brightly on the top of the tree, but to Jesse, the star was not as bright as the man standing next to him. Hokuto, just like his name, is a glistening constellation in Jesse’s night sky.
“What pretty lights,” Hokuto said. Maybe he was glad Jesse brought him out for dinner. The childhood memories of watching the Christmas lights came back to him. Oh, the nostalgia. It felt different this time, however, because Jesse was staring at him fondly.
“You’re prettier,” Jesse mumbled under his breath. He did not know he said it, until he found Hokuto with the most confused expression on his face.
“What did you say, si-I mean, Jesse?” Hokuto gasped. He could not believe his ears.
“You’re prettier than any of the lights here,” Jesse laughed. He was embarrassed that Hokuto heard his words, but it was about time to reveal his master plan, right? He was a bit scared though, because he had no idea how Hokuto would react to it.
“You’re being weird today. First, you tell me to work overtime, then you bring me out for dinner, and now, you’re saying I’m pretty?”
“It’s because I can only get you to come with me if I ask you to work!”
“What’s next, asking me out on a date?”
Shit. He forgot that Hokuto was pretty smart. He figured all of this out.
No time to lose. Jesse immediately held both of Hokuto’s hands and looked at him. He gulped, not knowing what to say. Out of all times, Jesse’s mind went blank at this very moment. Great. Just great.
“I really like you.” That was all Jesse could say, but it was enough to make Hokuto’s ears turn a bit red, then his face was red too. Jesse could feel his face heating up. All he could do was to let out a few laughs to make this situation less tense.
“I expected that you’d do this, but not like that!” Hokuto cried, letting go of Jesse's hands. He cupped his cheeks with his hands, not knowing how to respond. The handsome CEO of his company just confessed to him.
Why did Jesse like him? Why him?
“Good job trapping me in work today, but if you want to confess to me, do it in a better way next time,” Hokuto sighed.
“There is a ‘next time’?” Jesse asked.
“Well, no, but I’m just saying, in case we break up and you find a new partner or something.”
“Nuh-uh. We’re not breaking up! I just confessed to you!”
“I’m kidding. I like you too, Jesse.”
Hokuto saw Jesse’s expression lit up, like a kid receiving their presents on Christmas morning. To be fair, he did have a bit of a lingering feeling for Jesse for a while, but he never thought Jesse liked him as well. He was relieved that the feelings were mutual, at least.
The rest of the night was sort of a blur, but Hokuto recalled that he held hands with Jesse. He visited Jesse’s house for the first time. It was a very nice house. Jesse insisted that he stay for the night, and Hokuto gave in. They watched a movie together, but Hokuto fell asleep before it finished. Jesse placed a blanket on him and snuggled next to him. He could have slept on his bed, but Jesse wanted to adore and snuggle with his new boyfriend.
When Hokuto opened his eyes, it was already morning. Christmas morning. He still could not believe he spent the last night in his boss’ house, doing typical couple shit, but he liked every single part of it, even though he did not remember some of the things in between.
Jesse was still sound asleep, right next to him. Hokuto got up and gently placed the blanket on his body. A small smile formed on Hokuto’s face.
“Merry Christmas, Jesse.”