Work Text:
It was near 6 o’clock on a Friday evening, The city thrived in late day commute and activity. Light shined dimly through The Company building’s blinds, leaking into the office where a certain worker resided— along with his accomplice. A soft, casual conversation carried in the ambience, littered with occasional questions and quiet laughter. Benignity was palpable. While one was toiling away at the copious amounts of work piled onto his desk, the other was lounging, blazer off and shirt sleeves rolled up.
“And they’re not letting you off yet?” HR sighed, sitting back on the office’s couch. Miles nodded, pinching his nose in irritation; he was so, so incredibly tired.
“Ugh, Nope. [Coworker] had to be included in a couple more financial report assessments today, so they had to off-load his paperwork to someone else.” He explained, setting his pen on the desk. He really needed to stop biting it; there were many noticeable indents.
HR tilted his head. “I thought they’d choose someone lower than you, given the hierarchy of this place and your relations.”
“They did. You know [Protag] on floor 6, right? It was given to him,”
“And he asked you to do it? Didn’t seem like the type to ask for favors…”
“No, he didn’t, but… I don’t know. It felt wrong to just— let him. I offered, he accepted.”
HR snickered. “You’re such a people pleaser.”
Miles shot him a glare, albeit without much irritation imbued in it. God, had he felt any shittier mentally, he’d call out— though he’d done enough already given the overtime.
“The motherfucker just gets away with whatever; whether that be his work or literally just drinking on the job. It’s insane.” He spat, practically rolling his eyes at the statement.
“Can’t you do the same thing? You’re cousins, anyway,”
“I’ve never tried it. There’s a reason the lower levels like me better than that guy.”
Makes sense to him. “You do take pretty good care of the interns…”
“I should get a bonus for it at this point. Who knows how much worse a lot of them would function if they didn’t have any support at all.”
“I think they threw the idea out the window when you met me, hehe,”
“You joke about that too much.“ Miles’ mood faltered into guilt at the mention, grimacing.
“Alright, alright. But hey, cool belt thingy, AND Receptionist isn’t allowed to work with me anymore, so,”
“The bitch.”
“Hey, woah, that’s the angriest I’ve heard you at anyone.” The brown-haired man held his hands up in a feigned back-off.
“Even when Accounting slapped her, it didn’t feel like enough. She was your senior. She was supposed to help you.”
“…Miles, this isn’t coming from a place of projection, right?”
The taller man waved his hand in deflection, refusing to make eye contact. “I don’t know what you’re talking about general resources manger and secondary interviewer HR. I’m completely at peace with the situation even though I know I am also very at fault for letting it happen. End discussion now.”
“Denied.”
“Damn it.”
HR’s visage turned down slightly, his expression more genuine rather than teasing. A pair of gray eyes caught the blond’s attention, the memory of blue ones hanging over his head as he stared.
“It was never your fault. You didn’t know me that well, and there’s nothing I would’ve told you. Things happened. And if I’ve been around you for long enough, then I’d know I’d need to tell you that one; you’re not responsible for everyone else’s happiness, two, you can take breaks sometimes, and three… you’re not like your mother for putting yourself first.” He stated, his tone seeming to soften.
Miles’ shoulders dropped, his body recognizing its tenseness. A bittersweet smile formed on his face as he looked down as his desk. “…Thank you.”
The two stood in silence for a while, before the shorter man’s belt shifted, flicking to the side in a coy manner as he faced his colleague fully. “You don’t have a real crunched time frame, right? Let’s go out for a smoke on the roof for a bit. Let off some stress.”
The suggestion sounded nice, though counterproductive. Before Miles could even politely suggest just staying in his office and getting this done faster, HR sat up, promptly walked over to him, and rested his chin on the top of his head.
“Pleeeease,” he insisted.
The man stifled a small laugh, smiling warmly. “Fine, we can. No more than 10 minutes though,”
“I’m going by your schedule. I’m my shift ends when yours does.”
Ergo, Miles rolled the chair back a bit, sat up, and started walking with him. The elevator didn’t actually have a direct way to the roof, only the sky floor above it— so turns out, stairs are useful sometimes around here. Their steps and voices rung out in echoes all the way there, abruptly cut off into open air as the roof’s door swung out.
The sun was still so ever so slightly above the horizon, illuminating a soft pink glow over the sky— accented by the yellow beams strung out on the sides of the skyscrapers. HR stretched his arms out onto the railing lackadaisically, looking over the city in its final daylight hours, while Miles stood next to him; pulling out a lighter and a box in tandem.
“I’ve been trying to quit as of recent,” he said, igniting the edge of the cigarette. “It’s not really working out though, the nicotine just really calms my nerves.”
HR shrugged, not putting much thought to it. “Hey, if it helps, it helps. Not like you didn’t at least try.”
“I know, but, if I try, I should at least somewhat succeed.”
“How about I fail with you, then?” He offered, a subtle smirk plastering his lips. The shorter man dug into his pocket for a moment, before clicking his teeth when looking back up at Miles.
“On second thought, maybe not. I left my cigarettes back in the office. I think they were in my blazer’s pocket.”
Miles took a drag, the bitter taste more abundant with another breath. “Joyous.”
“Mind sharing a hit? I said I’d take a break with you, so…”
“Sure, shotgun?”
“Woah, you gonna shoot me over asking to share?” He nudged Miles on the shoulder, not actually understanding what he was implying.
The blond chuckled. “Tch, no— do you know what a shotgun is?”
“A gun.”
“No it— well, actually, you’re right, but not in this context. You want me to teach you?”
HR cocked his head to the side in an intrigued manner. “Sure, I’m listening.”
“Alright, open your mouth for a sec.” Miles turned towards him, adjusting the cigarette between his fingers as he spoke.
“….okay??”
Reluctantly, he parted his lips, watching Miles shift a bit closer. The taller man took a long drag before meeting their eyes, placing his hand onto HR’s cheek for a moment— waiting for an okay. The latter’s eyes widened for a moment in realization, a flustered blush creeping up on his face; after he nodded slightly, HR pressed their lips together in a soft, gentle gesture.
Tilting his head to the side for a better angle, Miles let out a line of hot smoke down HR’s throat— catching him off guard, but leaning into it nevertheless. His eyes fluttered shut, hands wrapping around the back of his neck; savoring the practice in each second. They’d done this many times before, in so many different contexts, but each time felt more real than the last. This was wasn’t about the nicotine transfer— it was about the intimacy.
Sure, they were both taught all their lives that it was wrong, evil, all the adjacent adjectives— about same sex attraction and all that. But something as simple as being genuinely cared about… could it really be that bad?
Slowly, Miles broke away, half lidded eyes meeting the latter’s.
“…Feel any different?”
“Nah, not really. The nicotine and the adrenaline from your kiss cancelled each other out, I think.”
“Damn. Need another?”
“Well, if you’re offering, then—“
“THERE YOU ARE!”
The roof’s door was swung wide open, Customer Service holding a clipboard of recent callbacks for the resources department. Frozen in place from shock, the both of them were still wrapped around each other haphazardly. Customer Service seemed to disregard this, however, flipping through the documents quite harshly.
“I was looking for you! HR— no, not you, the other one, she said you hadn’t clocked out yet, I need your help confirming something really quick. Was Hudson calling for a renewal or repair?”
HR blinked. “…renewal.”
They adjusted themselves, nodding at the confirmation and writing something down. “Ah, thank you! Heya to you too Miles! Looking as obnoxiously obedient as ever.” They said, waving. He waved back, off-put by the tone and message contrasting rather abhorrently.
“Alright, that’s all I needed you for. Oh HR, keep your belt from wagging so much, it could hit someone. See you around!”
Customer service promptly shut the door, leaving the silence of the roof noticeable with their absence. A couple seconds passed with neither of them moving much,before the two turned back to each other— bursting out in laughter. What the hell was that?
“Wha— where did they even—“
“— Hah, Yeah, they do that sometimes. I heard once they wanted to find someone so badly they burst in on them in the bathroom.”
“That’s… concerning.” The taller man glanced back at the door, hoping Customer service had actually left.
“I know, but they mean well. They’d tear you to shreds though.”
“Can you stop tearing the back of my scalp to shreds, actually?”
HR threaded his hands into Miles’ hair further. “..no.”
“I’m gonna put the spark out on you.” He said, flicking the latter’s forehead in tandem.
Finally, HR let go of him, giggling. “Okayyy, whatever. Once we get back to your office, I’m helping you with the paperwork, alright?”
“Fine. But I’m gonna pay you back. How does another kiss sound?”
HR watched as Miles threw the burnt cigarette butt over the edge down into the city. He smiled, getting ready to walk back down.
“That’s sounds perfect.”