Work Text:
It was a morning like any morning after.
Uki woke up earlier. Shu would not wake up until noon, so he always washed up and put his clothes back on before Shu woke up. It’s a clean, efficient way of passing bathroom rights.
The bed would be messy and unmade, and although it was technically the hotel personnel’s job, Uki would smooth out the covers anyway. His phone would be bombarded with notifications as usual, and he would lie down for a social media check.
Shu always took little time cleaning himself up. Uki had volunteered to help with it the first time, but there was polite refusal in the air. Plus, it was probably too intimate for a simple kind of relationship like they shared.
They would take turns paying for the hotel. It could probably save them money if they just slept over at each other’s places, but the topic was never discussed and never thought of. (At least Uki thought Shu didn’t want to.)
Contrary to common belief, there really isn’t any awkwardness or strain when they aren’t in bed. Shu is a good friend and hardworking colleague; projects would go smoothly and Uki always felt understood when he needed someone to talk to. Even the quiet stretch of silence feels calm, or light, even.
This was nice. Close, but not that committed; Uki thinks he likes this.
It’s certainly a satisfying way of ending a long day of work.
Uki still thinks about the first time he slept with Shu.
He wasn’t supposed to drink that much on that night out. It was a party planned by the head of the branch, celebrating their first quarter sales goals, and there was definitely rum in those chocolate cakes.
Uki knows what kind of person he becomes when drunk. Clingy, blunt with advances, horny, and generally is the person who would fuck someone in the washroom stalls. Shu, however, is not that type of drunk: He gets sleepy and docile with a looser lip but is never that adventurous.
So when he woke up in an unfamiliar bed with a hangover, he did not expect to see Shu, with his signature streak of yellow hair, in bed beside him. Naked. With suspicious-looking marks on his neck, too.
Consent given under the influence of alcohol isn’t really full consent, Uki was reminded of this sentence. His heart sank. He really hopes Shu wouldn’t regret the night before— perhaps he didn’t drink that much to fall asleep— but then why would he let Uki get what he wanted?
He didn’t get much time to think because Shu stirred and opened his eyes. Uki expected him to get embarrassed and start explaining, but with a few looks and blinking, his coworker just yawned and got up to gather his clothes.
It takes quite a lot to get Uki speechless, but the nonchalant way of Shu’s acceptance combined with the red marks on his thighs and back made something in his mind glitch for a while. This isn’t true, right?
He found his voice but his brain was still unwired. “Um,” he started anyway, “I hope you don’t hate me now that we’re here?”
That’s when the embarrassment kicks in like a delayed reaction. Shu’s cheeks and ears were red as he tried several times to speak, settling into a long exhale. “No, I mean— I would never hate you— I—”
He covered his face with his hands, the rest of the words a faint mumble. “It’s fine.”
“Just fine?”
“What— okay, it was good.”
“Wow, I feel so flattered.”
Uki was smacked in the face with a pillow.
There wasn’t supposed to be a second time.
Shu never brought up the incident again. Everything went by as usual— meetings, projects, dinner parties, down to walks back to the subway station. Uki was starting to think he hallucinated the whole experience, but his mind had to remind him it was real at inconvenient times (like right before he fell asleep).
Yeah, you slept with Shu Yamino. The Shu Yamino, top sales in the department as well as product developer, the one that’s probably going to get the promotion, the well-put-together person that never bats an eye at anything.
It was probably a bad experience for Shu because Uki was nearly blacked out drunk that night. His weird ego doesn’t take that very well. Shu, with his big heart, might not even care— but Uki does. But there would never be an opportunity for him to redeem himself, right?
Right? He thinks as Shu pulls him in for a kiss, his mouth tasting like wine. A hand had snaked its way to the small of his back, the steady weight of someone sitting in his lap reminding him of the situation.
“Woah, are you drunk?” Uki asked, pulling Shu’s shoulders back to check his expression. His cheeks were doused pink, but his gaze was still clear and focused. His glass was half empty, but the wine at this party was probably low in alcohol concentration.
Now there was a slight bit of annoyance in those purple eyes. Uki did not miss how his ears turned red, too.
“No. Just— kinda wanted to do this.”
Uki could not decline. Why would he, when he had such a beautiful person pliant in his lap?
Uki could not figure out why doing this with Shu became a part of his routine.
Every Friday night, their friend group would eat out together. After that, he would slip away with Shu to spend the night at a hotel. They would have sex almost to the morning, and they’ll wake up in the afternoon to check out and meet again on Monday back at work.
It’s not like he disapproved of hooking up— he knew people who did it regularly— and being friends with benefits with someone wasn’t all unusual. But Shu? That’s the part he could not wrap his mind around.
With the way Shu talks about and maneuvers relationships, he is someone who treats love very seriously. His usual mannerisms suggest he’s not someone who needs sexual relief that often. (Or at all, honestly.) Uki would guess that Shu’s into him, but that in itself seems unrealistic since Shu always kept a distance from him when they weren’t in bed. The boundaries were clear, and they were set far from where Shu would be.
Some of their friends have noticed a slight dynamic shift, however, at least according to Petra (”Shu is definitely weird around you”) and Elira, who barely masks her conclusion (”They’ve definitely fucked”). Shu just laughs it off, his gaze briefly on Uki. When Uki looks back, those eyes avert away, the laughter almost frozen on his face.
Uki thought this would just go on without change. He was confused but wanted this to continue. At least that’s what his heart says.
Well, life is full of surprises, and when Shu pulls him into a supply closet in the middle of the workday three months later, Uki seriously contemplates if his life is real.
His eyes struggle to adjust to the lighting as he felt a light peck on the edge of his lips as if asking for consent. He blinked a few times, asking in a hushed whisper: “Are you— wait, why are you doing this?”
Shu’s eyes seemed to glow in the dark. “I don’t know,” he said.
The silence rang loud this time. Uki pushed Shu off his chest, standing him upright.
“We can’t keep doing this if you don’t know what you’re doing,” he said firmly.
“If it’s about consent, then I give it—”
“Shu,” Uki said again. “Shu. What are we?”
No response. Shu’s inhale and exhale were extra loud in the small space.
Uki sighed internally. He unlocked the closet and stepped out, walking back to his cubicle.
Shu did not look up from his computer the whole day after that.
Life was pretty much back to what it used to be. That is if you minus Shu from the mix. He seems to be deliberately distancing himself even further, moving into a private office after his promotion. Whatever had happened was never brought up again.
It was another night work session stretching to the late night. Uki was looking for some fresh air and a coffee when he heard some sniffling coming from behind the vending machines.
“Shu? Are you okay?”
The crouched figure turned around. Shu’s nose was red and his eyes were puffy. Even his yellow fringe seemed to droop.
“…… I guess saying ‘I’m fine’ won’t convince you.”
“You’re right,” Uki replied as he squeezed himself next to Shu, sitting down on the floor. “Now tell me what’s wrong.”
Shu wiped his eyes with the back of his hand. “I didn’t get hurt by someone, though—”
“Thank god, or I’ll have to beat them up.”
Shu stifled a surprised chuckle. “It’s just a low-energy day.”
“You can tell me anything, you know?” Uki lightly traced his fingers in Shu’s hair, watching his eyelashes flutter.
“I know. But I already feel better— genuinely,” Shu added when Uki looked at him with skepticism. “Because you’re here.”
“Oh come on, now I have to hug you.” Uki wasn’t complaining though. Shu was slightly taller than him but curled down on the floor, he seemed small and fragile. Uki’s arms could easily wrap around his frame. He nestled his chin onto Shu’s shoulder.
“Can we—?”
Fine, Uki thought to himself. If Shu wants it, he wants it too. Who cares about labels? He could wait and would wait for Shu to figure things out. All Uki wants is Shu by his side and that’s all that matters.
He really loves this man. That’s a revelation that simmers warmth in his chest.
Shu woke up earlier this time.
Uki knows because when he opened his eyes, Shu was facing him on the bed, gaze intent. He quickly closed them and pretended to be asleep, but Uki had already seen it.
“Good morning,” he said. Shu re-opened his eyes in defeat with a murmured “you too.”
The routine went on as usual. Shu picked up his clothes and used the bathroom first. Uki scrolled mindlessly on Twitter, then Instagram, then Youtube. It really is a normal day.
Shu stepped out of the bathroom, hair slicked back into a ponytail. He was still in his uniform from last night, but the disheveled state of it says a lot about what had happened last night.
“Wait, you got the buttons wrong,” Uki noticed. He flopped out of bed and went to Shu, swiftly unbuttoning the first one before stopping. Was this overstepping a boundary? He asked wordlessly.
Shu’s cheeks flushed red and he nodded, albeit lightly. Uki couldn’t stop his heart from soaring as he quickly undid and redid the buttons correctly.
When Uki was done cleaning himself up, he opened the bathroom door to find a slightly distressed Shu on the bed. Walking closer, he realized that it wasn’t just distress, because Shu’s eyes were gleaming in anticipation.
“Uki,” Shu said, his fingers clutching the bedsheets tightly. “I want to tell you something.”
“Oh, what a coincidence,” Uki replied with a knowing smile. “I have something to ask you too.”
Shu squeezed his eyes shut, his ears red.
Uki pushed more. “Let’s say it at the same time, then.”
“Three, two, one— ”
“Let’s go on a date?”
“Would you go on a date with me?”
Shu covered his face in embarrassment but quickly realized Uki asked a question. “Um, yeah? I mean yes. Sure, let’s date— or whatever—”
“You’re so cute,” Uki said into Shu’s ear as he tackled him with a bear hug. “You’re making it so hard to resist.”
“Resist what?” Shu asked before Uki started placing kisses all over his neck, “Ah— wait, we just did it yesterday! I’m still sore!”
“I’ll give you a massage afterward,” Uki said between kissing and biting. Shu was weakly pushing at him, but he knew that it wasn’t full-on refusal.
“…… Fine.”
Uki felt his heart melt.