Chapter Text
Satori Tendou stretched as his coworker moved to the double glass front doors so that she could unlock them and flip the sign to open as the clock clicked over to 8 o’clock. “You know... If we just leave the door locked and don’t answer the phones, we can pretend that it’s a holiday or something.” He suggested, arms now crossed over his chest as he stood just beyond the single wooden door that separated the lobby from the rest of the office. The red-headed didn’t mind his job per se, but it tended to be rather monotonous, which bore him to death.
The young blonde female laughed warmly as she attempted, and failed, to shove the gangly male back towards the exam rooms. “Why don’t you use that energy to go get set up for your first cleaning? You know that Dr. Ishii isn’t going to let us have a playday.” She managed to shimmy around him and headed straight to the reception desk so she would be able to check in the patients as they entered the building.
“Don’t blame me when you realize my idea was perfect Yachi.” He grinned at her before begrudgingly making his way to one of the empty rooms in the back. He clicked the tv on, tuning to the cooking channel, and set to work, restocking and gathering the tools he needed. He quickly washed his hands, slipping his gloves on, and disinfected his space.
“Morning Tendou.” He heard the doctor greet him as he passed by, earning a hum from Satori as he didn’t even pick up head up. No matter how many times Satori insisted that everyone use his first name, the doctor refused to do so.
“Good morning, Mr. Ushijima!” Yachi’s cheerful voice traveled through the hall pulling Satori from his thoughts. He couldn’t hear the reply but as his eyes were drawn to the motion on the computer monitor in his room, he realized that was his patient that had just been checked in. ‘Ushijima...’ He thought to himself. The name sounded familiar from somewhere, but he couldn’t quite place it. Quickly, he slid his chair across the room so he could look at the patient chart, practically giddy that his first appointment of the day had arrived. At least they weren’t a no show, leaving him to pace until someone else showed up.
Ushijima Wakatoshi
Date of Birth: August 13, 1994
Age: 26
Dental Cleaning and Exam
Satori stood, straightening his scrubs as he did, and quickly discarded the chemical covered gloves in the trash as he passed, a pep in his step as he made his way to the front lobby to retrieve the young man. “Ushijima?” He called as he opened the door, his eyes scanning the small waiting room. His heart jumped into his throat when his eyes traveled to the tall, muscular man that stood when he heard his name. His mouth felt dry as he stared into his olive-colored eyes. “G-good morning.” Satori managed to stumble over his words.
“Mmm...” Ushijima hummed softly, his face stoic as he pocketed his cellphone.
“How are you this morning?” Satori asked as he led his patient down the hallway, hoping to fill the air to calm his heart down. This was just another patient, there was no need to behave this way. He needed to get a grip before he made a fool of himself.
“Fine.” Ushijima responded plainly, removing his jacket as Satori motioned to a room on their right.
“We are in here today.” He said as he moved to the small computer chair, his eyes following Ushijima as he hung his jacket on the nearby hooks. The bright red and deep black of the jacket stood out against the pale blue of the wall, but it was the white lettering that drew his attention. “Did... you compete in the Olympics?” He asked stunned, that had to be why his name had brought recognition.
Ushijima nodded calmly. “Men’s volleyball.”
Satori nodded as he placed the small blue napkin around Ushijima’s neck. “That’s right! I watched you guys play. You are a left-handed wing spiker, right? You were fantastic, I really rooted for you guys to win but... Well, Brazil was just too strong. Seventh place globally is still good!” He said as though he was trying to make Ushijima feel better about something that happened months ago. “I played a little in high school, but I didn’t really have an interest in going pro.” He said softly as he placed a light blue mask over his face, hiding the nostalgic look. “I was a middle blocker.” He said, laying the seat back so he could reach the other male's mouth.
“That’s an important position.” He mumbled as he opened his mouth to let the other man work.
Satori hummed softly as an awkward silence filled the room. Satori leaned over Ushijima, using the mouth mirror to examine his teeth closer. He didn’t really like it when it was too quiet, so he tended to make a lot of unnecessary noise. “How often do you floss?” Satori asked as he turned to make a note on the computer, pulling the mask down slightly.
“When I remember to.” Ushijima said as he gave a tiny shrug, causing Satori to chuckle warmly before letting out a soft tsk.
“At least you are honest. Still flossing should be done at least once a day. Flossing is going to keep the plague from building up underneath your gums where regular brushing doesn’t reach.”
Ushijima opened his eyes slightly to watch the red head. “My schedule fluctuates too much to keep up a dedicated schedule.” He tried to justify, not wanting to be viewed as lazy for forgetting.
Satori smiled at him warmly; it made his burgundy eyes crinkle with good nature as he nodded. “I know, and that is fine, because time of day isn’t important. Some people floss first thing in the morning, others just before bed... But I have a patient that flosses at work because that is what is easiest for her.”
“I see.” He said plainly, “I will remember that.”
Satori refocused on the cleaning, grabbing another tool. “Not that I don’t look forward to seeing you again, but your teeth will thank you and you'll look good for your interviews and photos.” He said as nonchalantly as he could manage.
Ushijima raised his eyebrow slightly at the blatant flirting but elected not to comment on it. “I will do my best to not let you down then.” He said calmly, his tone plain and level.
“I will teach you how to floss after we are done then.” Satori said cheerfully. “Now, think of this tool as a power washer. It is going to hurt a bit, but it sounds way worse than it feels.” He turned it on and moved along the base of his teeth and along each of the cracks to clear away any plague and tartar build up.
Ushijima kept his eyes open, trained on the young man cleaning his teeth as he breathed through his nose. Satori smelled slightly sweet, like a mild chocolate and it was oddly pleasant despite the fact that he himself didn’t normally partake in dessert. He watched in mild amusement as Satori focused so hard that his eyebrows creased. He had to admit that the other man was a comforting presence and the smile he had given him earlier would have made his knees turn to jelly if he were a weaker man.
“You aren’t even flinching.” Satori absently commented as he turned to look at Ushijima’s eyes, his own widening a fraction as he realized his eyes already locked on him. “It’s... uhm, it’s impressive.” He said as he quickly turned back to work, the tips of his ears dusted with pink. He quickly tried to swallow the lump forming in his throat as he turned to make another note, closing his eyes for a second when he knew that Ushijima couldn’t see his face. He was acting like a lovestruck teenager. He had to calm down and focus on his job, especially since there was no way anything else was going to come of this. He was an attractive young man who happened to be Satori’s patient. Nothing more.
When he finally turned back, he grabbed the pick and began carefully scrapping his teeth and checking his gums for any sign of bleeding. “I wish I had been on the same team as you when I was in high school. That would have been a good way to motivate me to work hard.” He absently ran the water over Ushijima’s teeth to clear away debris to see clearer. “I am sure you are a middle blocker’s worst nightmare with those muscles, we could have enjoyed lots of one on one practice.” He said, enjoying the thought. “Close your mouth.” He instructed, placing the suction device in his mouth. “Good boy.” He said without thinking when Ushijima followed his instructions.
Ushijima’s eyebrow shot up at his comment but made no remark about it. No need to embarass him over something that may have been an accident. Besides, there was something oddly comforting in listening to this man talk.
“You are doing an amazing job. I am going to go over your teeth one more time and then I will check for any issues the doctor may want to address, and we will get you on your way.” Satori said, much more relaxed now as he moved the mirror through Ushijima’s mouth, methodically checking his teeth. “I will floss your teeth today since I am already working in here, okay?” He watched Ushijima give a curt little nod and grabbed a foot and a half of floss and wrapped it around his fingers as he worked in sessions to clean all of Ushijima’s teeth. “Huh...” Satori thought out loud. “Lucky you, no gag reflex! That would’ve helped last spring with a fling I had.” Satori’s blood ran cold as soon as the words were out of his mouth, and he tried to act completely natural as he threw away the floss. “Dr. Ishii will be in shortly. Have a good rest of the day.” He quickly turned and left the room trying not to panic.
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Satori sat in the break room with his head in his hands, moaning in embarrassment. “Yachi... Please kill me and end my torment.” He whimpered as Yachi rubbed his back, watching him with sympathy.
“It... it didn’t seem all that bad.” She tried to comfort him. “He didn’t look upset or anything when he was booking his next appointment with me. So, whatever you said couldn’t have been that bad!” She visibly winced as his head slammed into the table, his arms now limp at his sides.
“Yachi... I said something so stupid that I would rather crawl in a hole and die rather than see him again.” Satori said, a touch dramatic but to him it felt appropriate. “I made a comment about him not having a gag reflex Yachi!” He cried as he smacked his head on the table again. “God that was so stupid!”
Yachi’s face blossomed with color as she came to conclusions about what Satori had said to him. “O-oh!” She squeaked, her hands flying up to try to cool the burning. “I... I mean... He didn’t ask to talk to anyone about it, and you know Dr. Ishii would have already talked to you if he had told him.” She said, trying to think up a solution. “I can go back into the system in a bit and move his appointment over to Kita. You know he won’t mind taking it for you and then you won’t have to worry about seeing him again in a few months.”
Satori nodded. “That might be the best option. I don’t want to have to face that awkward conversation and Kita is a real professional. It is a win-win for everyone.”