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Shouyou was almost shaking in anxiety as he picked his phone up from where it was peacefully sitting on the floor, along with several crumpled empty cans of beer. His friends—well no, they’re now reduced to just coworkers because they’re traitors , actually—snickered at him as he scrolled through the device to dial a certain number to get on with this ridiculous dare. His head was starting to spin with how much they drank—but he wasn’t complaining, no. The lightheadedness alcohol brings him is enough to soothe his overworked brain after a long and hectic working week. This has been a longstanding tradition of his clique; they would always hang out and get drunk every Friday night, whether at an izakaya or at the comfort of one of their apartments, to save whatever was left of their sanity. Losing your shit is like a universal consequence of being a corporate slave, it seems.
This night wouldn’t have been any different from the others, except for when one of them initiated a classic game of spin the bottle and truth or dare.
His breathing hitched upon seeing the name he’d never dare to dial anytime, especially not outside office hours. He pressed on the telephone icon and was about to bring his phone up to his ear, but someone spoke up.
“Don’t forget to put it on speaker!” Kourai whispered loudly, reminding him of one of the conditions of the dare.
Shouyou shot the white-haired man with a glare, but complied anyway. Him and his friends waited as the phone rang.
Once, twice, thrice.
Then it stopped—along with Shouyou’s breathing.
“Hinata-san. What’s the matter?”
He held back a wince. Looking around, most of his friends have their hands over their mouths to keep themselves silent, except for Kourai who was looking at him with wide eyes, silently mouthing for him to speak or something.
“Hello, Miya-san.” He muttered, clearing his throat to steady his shaking voice. “I was just calling to say goodnight.”
The line went silent .
So silent, he could hear the crickets chirping in his head.
Shouyou squeezed his eyes shut in mortification, shaking his head with his hand palming his forehead. If he had his eyes open, he would see his friends tearing up, desperately trying to hold back their laughter. He wanted to turn back time; had he known that this was the dare, he would’ve opted for truth instead. It’s not like their boss, Miya Atsumu, is a horrible man. No. He’s actually cool and awesome and competent and tall and handsome, maybe a bit (read: huge) of a jerk, but who gives a single fuck about what people from the other departments say, right?
Sure, the man is straightforward and demanding, and he wants nothing but perfection in every single project their department handles, but that’s completely understandable since Shouyou had seen firsthand how much time and effort Miya Atsumu dedicates to make everything seamless for the company. Unfortunately, this was a fact some of his co-workers overlooked, since Atsumu was unofficially dubbed as a jerk. It was sort of an inside joke; none of them would actually be bold enough to disrespect their boss in his face, but Shouyou thinks Atsumu is aware of what they were saying—he just chose not to bring it up and make it a big deal. He completely believes that his boss is kind; afterall, he has been his direct subordinate for more than two years now—something everyone considers is a feat because apparently, no one lasted six months under Atsumu’s supervision with how… intense he is. It’s not like his boss hadn’t snapped at him, Shouyou had already experienced being reprimanded by Atsumu, but it only happened thrice, and it was all justifiable. To Atsumu’s credit, all his reprimands were well within reason, the only problem is that he never filters his words. Shouyou supposes he was able to stay this long mainly because he was always up for a challenge, and he would always strive to exceed his superior’s expectations. Doing so was always worth it, though, as Atsumu never falls short in giving praises and commendations. The blonde man always gives credit to whom credit is due.
After what felt like forever, Atsumu spoke on the other line.
“Uh, okay? But why are ya calling me to say that?”
Shouyou bit his lip, clearing his throat again before responding.
“Umm—nothing. I just wanted to say good night to my boss, I guess?” He squeaked, convincing himself that he sounded believable.
Snickers erupted from his friends, making him shoot them a glare.
“Huh. Sure. Is there a problem?”
“No, I mean—nothing! I really was just calling to say good night!”
“Hinata-san. Are ya okay?”
Atsumu asked, his voice an octave lower than usual, making Shouyou’s alcohol-addled brain short circuit for a moment. This was not a normal reaction, unless you have a year-and-a-half-long pathetic crush on your boss.
“Tell him you just finished showering and you were getting ready for bed!” Kourai whisper-shouted, shaking and holding Shouyou’s arm in a vice grip.
Shouyou’s face contorted in horror, vehemently shaking his head in refusal, but Kourai—the little shit, but still his closest friend, unfortunately—gripped his arm tighter, making him wince, clearly not accepting no for an answer.
“Yeah. I just finished showering, and I w-was actually preparing for bed now.” He stammered. Pathetically .
This made all his teammates snicker loudly. Shouyou’s blood ran cold, realizing his boss might’ve heard it, thinking he would get fired for pulling a prank on him—but the odds seemed to be in his favor when Atsumu didn’t bring this up, asking a different question entirely.
“Huh. Thanks for the update, I guess. Ya sure I don’t need to call 911 or something? Or maybe… the suicide hotline?”
Shouyou should’ve been shocked, embarrassed or mortified, but his intoxication must have gotten the better of him because his immediate reaction was to laugh—boisterous and full blown. The rest of his companions did their best to hide their snickers, but Shouyou’s laughter seemed to have overpowered theirs, since Atsumu didn’t bring up anything about hearing someone else on the other line yet.
“No! W-why would you think that I’m suicidal, sir? I was just calling you to say good night! Literally!” He answered in between fits of laughter.
“Well, what do ya want me to think?! This call is VERY unusual! I wouldn’t wanna be the last call on yer logs once the police finds yer cold, lifeless body!”
Atsumu’s answer made Shouyou laugh harder, if that was even possible. At this point, he no longer cared if his boss could hear his colleagues’ voices. He realized this dare was miles better than choosing truth ; he was having the time of his life with this call. He has never spoken to Atsumu this casually, and he’ll take any chance he can get.
“I-I’m sorry if it came off that way! But no, I’m not suicidal, Miya-san! I just wanted to say good night, I promise!”
He heard Atsumu sigh heavily on the other line.
“What brought this on, really?”
“Nothing, I just told you I just wanted to say good night . That’s all.” He reiterated slowly, his tone evidently amused.
“Are ya… are ya drunk?”
“Uhhh, no? Maybe?” He laughed. “That’s besides the point. I don’t wanna take much of your time, so, good night again, Miya-san! Sweet dreams!”
Atsumu seemed to have given up and resigned to his fate instead, but what he said next completely caught Shouyou off guard.
“Alright. Good night, Shouyou-kun .”
The call finally dropped, courtesy of his boss. They were all silent for a second or two, until everyone but Shouyou burst out in uncontrollable laughter. He was still hung up on how intimately he was called by Atsumu. Through the years, he had never heard his boss call him by his first name—not even once. And to add the honorific? It was enough to send his heart into an overdrive.
Shouyou’s mind was occupied with the thoughts of his tall, blonde and handsome boss the whole night; his attention completely drifting away from his companions.
—
“Hinata-san. What’s with ya the other night?”
Shouyou looked up to see his boss staring down at him, his elbow casually propped on the divider of his cubicle.
No more Shouyou-kun? He whined internally.
“Oh. That was uh—nothing, sir. Sorry about that.” He awkwardly laughed, his cheeks heating up, averting his gaze to avoid contact with Atsumu’s beautiful yet intense honey eyes.
“Huh. Ye’re being really weird. Are ya sure ye’re okay?” Atsumu prodded, his tone laced with genuine concern.
Shouyou felt a pang of guilt. His boss didn’t have to be so concerned, especially when the call was just done out of a drunken dare.
“Yes. It’s really nothing, sir. Sorry for bothering and worrying you last Friday.”
Atsumu’s eyebrows furrowed. “It’s fine. It’s just odd for ya to call me late at night. And don’t worry about bothering me. Ya can contact me anytime if ya need help. Alright?”
He almost melted at his superior’s words. He genuinely wondered how some people thought of the latter as a cold-hearted jerk, when he’s always looking out for his subordinates. This just made his fondness and admiration for Atsumu grow tenfold. He knows this little crush he’s been harboring for more than a year is not ideal, but he just couldn’t stop himself.
“Thank you, Miya-san.”
Atsumu just nodded and went back inside his office.
—
Shouyou was sprawled across his bed, comfortable in his pajamas and ready to retire for the night, when his phone rang. His eyebrows knitted, instantly getting annoyed at whoever was calling him at such an ungodly hour, but still grabbed his phone from the night stand. His eyes widened upon seeing who the caller was, and he instantly answered the phone as soon as he got over his shock.
“Good evening, Miya-san. How can I help you?”
“Hey. I was just calling to check on ya. And to say good night, as well.”
Shouyou abruptly got up from the bed, his heart beating loudly, his mind racing with thoughts. Is Atsumu pranking him back? Did he somehow find the TikTok video that gave Kourai the idea of doing a prank call on him? He squeezed his eyes shut and took a deep breath, willing himself to calm down.
“Thank you. I appreciate it. But I’m totally fine, sir.”
“I was really worried about ya. I still am, honestly. Why would ya call me out of the blue in the middle of the night, when ya never did so in the past two years?”
The guilt was eating at him already. He knew it was finally time for him to come clean.
“I’m really sorry about that, Miya-san.” He started, deeply inhaling to brace himself. “That was actually just a dare. I… I didn’t mean to bother you like that. I’m so sorry again.”
Shouyou knows Atsumu will understand, but he still can’t stop himself from feeling terrified. He was ready to face his boss’s wrath, but the man’s response surprised him.
“Oh. Great!” He heard Atsumu exhale on the other line. “So ya really are okay, then? Ya don’t have any problems, or anything?”
His face broke out into a grin. His heart started racing again—this time not out of terror, but of something else.
“No. I’m totally fine. I’m sorry for that again. And thank you for being understanding and cool about it.”
“Well, the prank wasn’t cool of course, but I’m just glad to know that ya are safe. And okay.”
“I really appreciate your concern, Miya-san. You’re the best boss I could ever ask for.” He confessed.
“T-thanks. Ya can drop the Miya-san, at least when we’re outside the office. Ya can just call me Atsumu, since I have a twin brother.”
Of course, Shouyou already knows about his twin. He already stalked his boss’s social media accounts. He knows about Miya Osamu, owner of Onigiri Miya, who looks exactly like Atsumu except for the hair.
“If you insist, Atsumu-san . Thank you again for your concern. And I’m really sorry about the prank. Good night. See you tomorrow.” He answered with a bright smile, despite knowing his boss wouldn’t be able to see it.
“See ya. Good night and sweet dreams, Shouyou-kun.”
—
After that night, exchanging text messages has become a regular occurrence for them, much to Shouyou’s delight. On random occasions, Atsumu would even call him. They’d talk casually on the phone for hours, mostly about trivial things. Shouyou didn’t know what this meant for them, but he was savoring every moment of it.
As he was walking along the busy streets of Osaka, just ten minutes after walking out of their office building, the rain poured hard. Shouyou scrambled to shield himself from the rain, but given that the sidewalk was congested with pedestrians, he still got completely soaked by the time he got to the nearest shed.
He let out a frustrated groan upon realizing that he had an umbrella on his bag, all along. The rain didn’t even last for fifteen minutes, yet he was dripping, his shoes already beyond salvation. Once the rain had stopped, he continued walking with a crestfallen face, his day completely ruined.
Just as he was about to cross the street, a sleek black sedan started honking at him aggressively. He turned to look at the car—his face completely blank, energy so drained he couldn’t even glare—only to see his boss’s concerned face inside the vehicle, the passenger side’s window rolled down halfway.
── .✦ ── .✦ ── .✦ ──
As Atsumu was on his way home a few minutes after the rain stopped, he spotted a familiar man about to cross the street. His cropped bright orange hair was messy, and his clothes were sticking to his body with how damp it was. He rolled down the window to catch the man’s attention.
“Shouyou-kun!”
When the man turned to look at him, Atsumu felt horrified. Shouyou’s face was as blank as an untouched canvas; he looked like he was a second away from letting a car hit him and allowing death to sweep him off his feet.
Atsumu definitely can’t have that. No, god no. Shouyou is his most prized employee and—
He immediately got out of the car, notwithstanding any traffic ticket he may get for doing so, and walked closer to where Shouyou was standing.
“What happened to ya? Are ya okay?” He asked, gripping the shorter man by his shoulders.
Said man only looked up at him with tired, hollow eyes, and Atsumu could feel his heart about to jump out of his ribcage in worry.
“Yeah. Just a bad day.”
He wordlessly guided Shouyou to his car, feeling a bit more anxious when the man followed him without a fight nor a question. He quickly drove away after he settled on the driver’s seat, his head swarming with countless unwanted thoughts. Suddenly, he doubted Shouyou’s answers and assurance about not being suicidal a few weeks ago.
What if he truly doesn’t feel okay?
Maybe he just didn’t want to bother anyone?
Is he hiding his struggles behind his bright smile?
What if he really was planning on getting hit by a car—
No.
Oh, god.
Atsumu firmly shook his head to drive away these negative thoughts. For a second, his gaze darted towards Shouyou, whose eyes were set on the dashboard, looking devastated and forlorn.
“What’s going on with ya, Shouyou-kun? Ya could’ve been hit by a car!”
His attention was fixed on the road, but he saw Shouyou’s head turn to look at him from the corner of his eyes. He didn’t give the man a chance to answer and continued firing him with his own set of questions.
“Are ya really okay? Did something happen at home? With yer family? At work? Or with yer love life?”
He internally grimaced at the last question. He doesn’t know whether Shouyou has a partner or not, but he hopes and prays to all gods above that it’s the latter.
“Are ya having troubles with money? Let me know, I can lend ya some! Ya know ya can talk to me—or anyone! Yer friends or family, maybe? But if ya don’t feel comfortable talking to anyone ya know, then I highly suggest that ya seek professional help. Life is worth living, and whatever problem ya have right now is not worth taking yer life—”
“Atsumu-san! Please, STOP!”
His litany was cut off when Shouyou interrupted him, before bursting out in laughter.
“I am not suicidal! I don’t have problems with family, friends, or money! Not even love life. God, I don’t even have one!”
Atsumu pulled over on the side of the road to focus on Shouyou, staring at him dubiously. He supposed he should feel assured, but he’d seen online how depressed people would always laugh it off and shake people’s concerns off, expertly feigning happiness, only for their loved ones to realize something was wrong until it was too late.
“Stop laughing! I’m serious, Shouyou-kun. I don’t want anything to happen to ya. I can’t lose ya!” He burst out.
Shouyou’s laughter halted, turning his head to look at Atsumu with wide eyes.
“W-what do you mean you can’t lose me?”
“I mean, I can’t lose ya as an employee. Ye’re valuable to me! Besides, we’re friends already, so it’s natural for me to be afraid of losing ya.” He defended.
“O-oh. Right. As an employee and a friend.” Shouyou nodded, looking dejected but only for a second, before smiling brightly.
“Don’t worry, Atsumu-san! I promise you, that’s not gonna happen. I love my life, I don’t have any major problems. I really appreciate your concern for me.”
Atsumu stared at him for a few moments, meticulously studying his expression, searching for signs that the man might be lying. He eventually nodded once he realized Shouyou was telling nothing but the truth.
“Then why did ya look so down earlier? And why were ya drenched?”
“Well I was walking when the rain poured, and the nearby shed was far from where I was so I had to run to get there, but there were a lot of people walking ahead of me too so I didn’t get there sooner. Then, I realized that I had an umbrella in my bag all along. I was just pissed at myself for being stupid. Today’s just not my day.”
Atsumu couldn’t hold back his smile, waves of fondness flooding his heart.
“Ah. I’m sorry about that, Shouyou-kun. That must suck. Let me drive ya to yer house. Just guide the way.”
“Thank you so much, Atsumu-san. Also, I’m sorry for drenching your car seat.” Shouyou apologized, sheepishly smiling at him.
“Nah. Ya don’t have to worry about that. It’s leather, so there won’t be a problem drying it.” He said, before igniting the engine to start driving again.
The ride to Shouyou’s apartment was peaceful and comfortably quiet, with the aforementioned dictating the directions from time to time. Once they reached their destination, Atsumu parked on the side, waiting for Shouyou to get out.
“Atsumu-san, thank you for dropping me off. Would you like to, uh, come in? I can make you coffee, or we can eat dinner.”
Atsumu’s eyebrows raised in surprise, warmth blooming in his chest at the unexpected invitation.
“Sure. That’d be nice.”
Atsumu found himself sitting on a cream plush sofa, discreetly looking around the place. He’d been sitting here for almost half an hour already, since he forced Shouyou to take a shower before doing anything else. The younger man’s apartment was homey, neat and cozy; the walls were decorated with different photos of what he assumed were Shouyou’s family and friends. There is a small bookshelf next to the TV stand, and he could see a couple of manga and educational books in Japanese and English, and surprisingly, some in Portuguese, too.
“Ya speak Portuguese?” He asked, his voice a bit louder since Shouyou was in the kitchen.
“Yeah. I lived in Brazil for two years before college.”
“Oh, that’s cool! I wanna hear ya speak in Portuguese!”
And gods, he wants to hear it so bad . He can already imagine how hot it will sound, especially coming from Shouyou’s lips.
“Nope!” Shouyou said, walking back to the living room, holding two steaming mugs of coffee in both hands. He placed one in front of Atsumu before plopping down the sofa, slowly sipping his own drink.
“Come on! Just this once! I bet it’ll sound cool!” And definitely hot , but Atsumu wouldn’t say that out loud. He wouldn’t want to scare away his favorite subordinate—whom he has a huge pathetic crush on.
But, if his feelings are reciprocated, then that would be a different story.
── .✦ ── .✦ ── .✦ ──
“No way! Never! I wouldn’t wanna embarrass myself in front of my cru—”
Shouyou stopped himself before he could even continue his sentence. He mentally smacked himself. He wanted to take a time machine, or maybe just bash his head against the wall for his brain-to-mouth filter, or the lack thereof.
“—my boss.” He desperately attempted to cover his slip up, but Atsumu was already looking at him with wide eyes, his lips parted in surprise.
“No. Ya were about to say something else. What was it?”
“Nothing!” He denied. “My boss. That’s it. I just messed up a word in my mind, yeah.”
“Nah. I don’t believe ya one bit, Shouyou-kun.” Atsumu said, moving a bit closer to him. “Did ya mean to say… crush ?”
Shouyou spluttered. “I—no! That’s not it! I meant to say cru… cruel boss! Yeah, that’s it! Cruel!”
He winced at his pathetic attempt to save his ass. He hoped Atsumu would buy it, repeatedly apologizing to the man in his head for saying something he never meant to say.
“Right. Sure, I’m a cruel boss.” Atsumu said with an eyebrow raised, scrutinizing him.
“I’ve heard that before. But not from ya, though. I know ya were about to say something else.” His boss insisted.
Shouyou’s heart lurched in his chest as Atsumu smirked at him slowly. God, he looks so fucking beautiful, he could feel his defenses slowly crumbling down.
“Ya were about to say that ya have a crush on me, weren’t ya?” His boss asked, his voice lower and huskier than normal, his tone brimming with confidence.
Here, in the comfort of his apartment, Atsumu looked divine. The warm glow of the fluorescent light made his hair look dazzling. Shouyou could see how flawless Atsumu’s face is, not a single open pore nor a pimple in sight. His eyes traveled from the man’s abundant but well-shaped brows, his warm honey eyes, his pointy nose, his prominent cheekbones, then to his pink, soft lips that looks oh, so kissable.
Good fucking gracious.
This shit is so unfair . How could Atsumu not be fazed by something like this? He should at least feel embarrassed, right? How could he be so composed, when Shouyou was literally one breath away from combusting? He wanted nothing but to smash their lips together, but that would mean tarnishing their friendship—not to mention that this glorious man is literally his boss . Everyone and their mothers know how unethical it is to date someone from your workplace, let alone your superior. Something about conflict of interest, or whatever.
Shouyou backed away, successfully putting a safe distance between himself and Atsumu, who was still staring intently at him as he was desperately trying to gain control of this situation. He was so close to breaking, so close to just confessing his feelings to this perfect man in front of him, consequences be damned. His chest was heaving, his cheeks and ears were heating up.
The tenderness and warmth in Atsumu’s eyes was enough to break his walls down.
“You’re right. I have a crush on you. Like a huge, terrible crush!” He burst out. His voice was wavering, eyes squeezed shut, his fists clenched tightly, shaking as it rested on his thighs.
“I’ve liked you for more than a year now, Atsumu-san! I’m sorry! Trust me, I really tried to stop my feelings from progressing. I know this is very unprofessional of me, but I just can’t help it when you’re so… you .” He continued, “I know you might not feel the same for me, so please, please don’t fire me! I promise to work on forgetting my feelings for you, nothing has to change between us, especially at wor—”
His words were cut off when a pair of slightly calloused hands cupped his face, then in the next second, soft, warm lips were pressed against his own.
His boss was kissing him.
His long-time crush was kissing him.
Atsumu was kissing him.
Shouyou felt like dying. He was ready to ascend to heaven at the moment.
The man pulled away before his brain could even catch up, before he could even kiss back. Atsumu stared at him with a soft smile plastered on his lips, his face still inches away from Shouyou’s, his eyes sparkling with joy as if he’d just won the grand lottery.
“I like ya too, Shouyou.”
Shouyou’s heart skipped a beat. The kiss should’ve been a dead giveaway, but hearing it from Atsumu’s lips was still something else. Much to his dismay, his mind was immediately bombarded with questions—reasonable questions he knows they both need to address at some point. His apprehension must’ve shown in his face as Atsumu noticed it.
“I know we have a lot to talk about, but I promise ya, we’ll sort everything out. Okay? Stop worrying, don’t overwork yer pretty little head and kiss me back.”
And so, Shouyou did.
Because somehow, he knows that Atsumu would give his all to stand for whatever is starting to bloom between them. Deep down, he knows Atsumu will always have his back.
And he would, too. In a heartbeat. Without hesitation.
From here on, they’d always have each other’s backs, and he wouldn’t have it any other way.