Work Text:
It was a particularly hot summer day in Sinyala today, the temperature was 42°C (or 108°F) and everyone in the facility was practically dying from the heat, some had fans so close to them that if the grills weren't there to cover it's blades they'd be getting sliced up like a salami.
Even the reagents and the ex-pop were complaining about the heat, some of them even having worse performances just from that.
You couldn't blame them though, you knew you were already privileged enough to have a tiny ahh fan sitting on your desk while you did your paperwork, like most of the employees in the facility.
So you just worked through the heat, taking a lot more visits to the break room to get some water than you'd like to admit, the fan really wasn't helping much.
You took what you assumed was your 30th water break today, or at least it seemed like it from the fact that when you walked back to your work station Easterman was starting you down like a hawk.
You assumed the heat was either getting to you or getting to him, or both, as you turned away from him and sat back down at your desk to keep working.
As you wrote and typed and read through documents though, you swore you could feel something or someone staring at you, burning a hole in the back of your head, maybe it was the sun, that was the most realistic option, but just to make sure you turned to Easterman and sure enough, he was staring at you, more specifically, at your arms.
You'd had your sleeves rolled up since you got there, it didn't fully fix the fact that you felt like you were being boiled alive, but it was something.
You assumed maybe he thought having your sleeves rolled up was bad work ethic or something, you never know with this guy anyway, and there was pretty much no other reason for him to be staring that you could think of in that moment, so you just wanted to make sure you weren't seeing stuff right now:
"Uhm... Sir? Do you need something?"
You called out to him, he was also at his desk, but he certainly wasn't focused on his work.
"Hm, correct, can you roll down your sleeves for me?"
You were even more confused as to why he'd ask you that, especially in this heat, but maybe you'd heard him wrong..?
"Uh- sorry, what?"
You asked again.
"I said, roll down your sleeves."
You were even more confused now that you knew you'd heard him clear as day.
"Respectfully.. why exactly would i need to do that? I'm not even breaking the dress code."
"Because it's unethical."
Now you knew that was bullshit, he didn't say anything about other employees having their sleeves rolled up, so you knew something was up. (other than your sleeves ahhahaha gggggget it its 5am im sorry)
"I mean, i saw other employees with their sleeves rolled up the same way all over the facility.."
You thought you two had a pretty close relationship, so you had no idea why he'd be so condescending all of a sudden.
"Well- those people don't have the same.. aspects you have."
Ok now you were real fucking confused.
You looked down at your arms to make sure there wasn't.. whatever he thought there was that was worth rolling down your sleeves.
You knew the sun must've been frying your brain until now because everything finally clicked.
You had body hair there and he didn't.
You knew something was up ever since you walked in there and saw him with his sleeves still down, never rolling them up, even then it wasn't hard to tell he had no body hair.
Once everything made sense to you, you immediately thought:'Damn... body hair sure is one thing to be jealous about, he should be jealous of my hairline instead-'
"So are you going to listen to me or not?"
You snapped out of your thoughts, now that you finally understood what was going on, you knew you weren't just gonna let it go without a question or two.
"Sir.. are you talking about the fact i have body hair? ..and... you don't..?" you said the last part more quietly than the rest, assuming he wouldn't be happy with you saying it out loud.
He looked at you for a few seconds, probably debating whether to tell you the truth or not.
"Exactly, it's inappropriate to have in the workplace."
You knew that was bullshit too and now he was just trying to get you to give up, there were dozens of employees with body hair too, you knew he wasn't complaining about you specifically for no reason.
"Again, sir, there are other people with body hair here too, i'm confused as to why you'd tell me specifically to cover up."
You could see him getting visibly annoyed at your words.
You just decided you'd get your answer from him whether he liked it or not.
"Are you.. Are you jealous that i have body hair?"
He looked away, you could tell he was regretting telling you to roll your sleeves down in the first place.
"It's not jealousy.."
You could both tell he was being delusional there, so you decided to tease him just a little bit.
"You know sir, it's okay to feel that way towards younger and prettier people."
He furrowed his brows at you, knowing what you were doing.
"Then it's okay to cover up too."
Ok, now you were getting tired of the 'covering up' talk.
"Sir, we both know the way you feel right now, can you please drop the 'ethical' talk..?"
He looked away from you for a moment, thinking about it before looking back at you.
"You know how people get when they reach a certain age."
"You mean they become decrepit and rude?"
"Oh- come on, you know what i'm talking about."
"Ok fine, can you just be honest with me though, sir..?"
"Alright, only if you stop being so rude."
You both agreed to each other's requests and finally could talk without any filters.
"We both know how stressful a job such as mine can be, L/N, it can make us age quicker than others."
You listened to him and tried not to make a comment about him being decrepit again.
"Hm," you hummed, "I get that you feel bad about your- uhm.. age, but i don't think telling others to cover up is the solution here."
"I know, i know..."
He intertwined his hands in a praying-like manner and rested his head them, thinking to himself.
You decided to just get up, walk over to his desk, and put you hand over his still covered arm.
You looked at him, and he looked at you back, your eye contact basically being the way you communicated with each other in that moment, and so you rolled up his sleeve, to find, to nobody's surprise, that he was bald af.
You didn't expect anything else to be honest.
"Yeah... i get why you'd be jealous of me."
You teased him again, and he gave you such an intense death stare that your own body hair could probably fall off right now.
"Uh- i was joking.. i apologize.."
You hoped he wouldn't make you the next trial victim just for that stupid joke, and sure enough, he seemed to relax after you reassured him.
"Sir, look, i know you're feeling down right now, but there's nothing you can do about this, it's easier to just accept it, and to see the better side of things."
Part of you still thought he was really petty for this, but you cared more about reassuring him right now.
"And tell me, what's supposed to be the 'better side' here..?"
"Uhm- well, the majority of people shave and stuff, y'know? Most of them would be glad to have no body hair regrowth."
He knew you'd made a valid point, but he still didn't feel fully comfortable with it.
"I.. guess you're right, but that doesn't change the fact that mine is this way because of my.. age."
"Listen, young people have no body hair too, that's like 99% of the reason why people shave in the first place! And even if it wasn't, you should still not let that be a reminder of- uh, your age."
You caressed his arm to hopefully make him feel better.
"Fine.. But how would you suggest i fix this..?"
"Uhhhh... regular reassurance? You know, reminding yourself of everything i've told you?"
"I see you paid attention in class.."
"Wh- Hey! don't try to change the topic!"
You lightly gripped his arm jokingly, and he chuckled at your offended demeanor.
"I should tease you more so i can see you like this more often."
You blushed slightly at that, and stormed back to your desk, you sat down turned away from him.
He was smiling at himself as he turned back to his paperwork, and though he couldn't see it, you were making the poutiest pout.
You also made a mental note to yourself to call him old more often.