Love Situation - Part 1
Title : Love Situation
Part 1
Author :
zeon_avalanthe
Rating : PG-15
Genre : AU ; Fluff
Fandom : Arashi
Pairing : JunBa
Disclaimer : Everyone knows that I don't own any of those boys, sadly.
Summary : A new job. A new encounter. This is the story of new employee Aiba Masaki who fell for his boss Matsumoto Jun aka the Devil Vice President.
Author's Note : Another piece for arashi_exchange 2016! Again, many thanks to my awesomest beta, Tanja!
~~~Love Situation - Part 1~~~
“This is our new recruit, Aiba Masaki-kun. He will be joining our department starting today.”
“Aiba Masaki. I look forward to working together with this team. Please guide me thoroughly.” The tall man bowed his head low as he heard claps and cheers from his new workmates.
“So, Aiba-kun. This will be your desk. Please ask Ninomiya-kun if you need anything.” Sakurai-san pointed towards the young man who was seated right next to Masaki.
“Yo.” That Ninomiya-guy waved at him, a small smirk on his face.
“I’m Aiba Masaki. Pleased to meet you.” Masaki smiled as he offered a hand towards Ninomiya.
“Ninomiya Kazunari.” The man took Masaki’s hand and shook it. “I’m not gonna go easy on you, newbie.”
Masaki blinked at him before tugging a nervous smile. He turned towards Sakurai-san but the supervisor only gave him a smile.
“Don’t worry. Ninomiya-kun is a kind man. He’s just a little playful. I’m sure you two will get along soon enough.” Sakurai-san told Masaki, as if trying to assure the man. “Well, I will be returning to my office. You have your work lists by your desk, I expect you to finish it by tonight, Aiba-kun.”
Masaki sighed after the man left. It was labor day, it seemed. He had piles of paperwork to copy and archive, a report to be looked over and a thick book which seemingly consisted of what the company was all about and what he should be doing there.
Masaki had no reason to complain though. It was his dream to join that company and even though he was not placed where he had wanted to, he was there. And just that was enough because it meant that his dream had come true. And he was happy enough with that. And besides, he had always been good with numbers anyway.
“Uhm, Ninomiya-san, where should I copy these documents?”
Ninomiya looked up from his monitor and pointed towards the copy machine by the corner.
“Thank you.” Masaki showed the man a smile of gratitude before taking his paperwork to said copy machine.
He hoped that the next day would be better.
***
“Re-do it.”
Masaki’s face fell.
“But, Sakurai-san-“
“No buts.” The man stopped him before Masaki could say anything further. “This is the fifth draft already, Aiba-kun. And you keep on making mistakes on the report. Have I told you how important it is for us to record everything precisely? We’re dealing with numbers. You got an extra zero on the report, you will ruin the whole project.”
“Yes. I’m sorry, Sakurai-san. I will do it over.” Masaki slumped his shoulders dejectedly as he took the rejected report and walked back to his desk.
“Don’t mind him.” Nino piped in from his desk. “Sho-kun is always like that when we’re nearing deadlines. He’s grumpy when he’s stressed.”
Masaki tugged a weak smile. “Thanks, Nino.”
“You’re welcome.” Nino smiled back while stuffing his things inside his bag. “Anyway, I’m leaving first. Don’t stay up too late, Aiba-chan.”
Masaki sighed at seeing his friend’s retreating back, envying him for finishing work earlier. Sighing again, he looked through his failed report once again, making sure that he wouldn’t miss a thing.
It’d been a month since he start working at Matsumoto Company and a lot of things had happened since his first day. Like Sakurai-san had predicted, he befriended Nino almost instantly and despite his sometimes spiteful remarks, Nino was a very kind guy. He would tell Masaki what to do when he was at a loss as of what to do - and in a way that was easy for Masaki to understand.
And today he just learnt that the usually friendly Sakurai-san could be really scary too. Masaki had been working on six reports during the day. And it took at least ten tries before it passed Sakurai-san’s approval. That was the seventh one and Masaki still had three more to go. Masaki’s stomach growled in protest as Masaki printed the re-typed report. He had missed lunch to catch up with his paperwork and it was six in the afternoon already. Looking at the report in his hands, Masaki had a feeling that dinner would have to wait for another few hours.
***
It was two in the morning when Masaki was finally done with his reports. He rubbed his eyes tiredly as he leaned back on his chair. He felt like he was getting a headache, no thanks to the reports and Sakurai-san. Thank God his apartment was just a few blocks away, because he really needed his sleep right now.
Turning off his computer and lamp, Masaki stood up and wobbled towards the door. He was just so exhausted and hungry that he felt like he could pass out right there and then.
Masaki was slightly surprised as he stepped into the elevator and saw another man around his age inside, his eyes trained to a document in his hand. He’d thought he was the last one after Sakurai-san headed home half an hour ago. Apparently, he was not.
“You’re running on a deadline, too?” Masaki tried to start a conversation. After all, that guy was his companion of hardships. And he was handsome. Not that Masaki was looking particularly.
The man ignored him though, as he simply raised an eyebrow and continued reading his papers.
Masaki pursed his lips. That guy might have been attractive, but his attitude was just as his face reflected - fierce, and cold.
The elevator ding-ed as they finally reached the ground floor. Despite his earlier annoyance, Masaki gave the man a bow as he got off. That’s when things got strange. Masaki noticed that his sight was getting blurry all of a sudden. He stopped in his tracks, shaking his head in an attempt to clear his vision, but it was futile. All it did was make the world sway instead.
Masaki felt his breath getting heavier and he faintly heard someone’s voice. But before Masaki could process anything, everything turned black.
***
When Masaki opened his eyes, he was greeted by an unfamiliar ceiling and a monster headache. Hissing, Masaki clutched his head as he propped himself up, his mind trying to remember what had happened and where the hell he was now.
Masaki heard the door being opened and his eyes quickly flew to the direction of the sound, watching a man coming into the room. His eyes widened at the figure who was approaching him.
“You’re the man from last night,” Masaki said more to himself than to the man in front of him. “What happened? Where am I and why am I here?”
“You passed out after you got off of the elevator last night.” The man told Masaki. “I couldn’t just have left you there, could I? And to answer your second question, I took you to my apartment because I had no idea where you live.”
“Oh. Uhm, thank you?” Masaki smiled sheepishly.
The man didn’t react, but stood up instead.
“I had my physician check on you and he said that you passed out from exhaustion. He also said that you suffered a mild case of gastritis. You should take better care of yourself, you now.”
Masaki blushed for an unknown reason. Maybe it was that he felt like the scolding was a sign that he was being cared for. And it made his heart flutter somehow.
“I’m sorry.”
“Breakfast will be ready in a minute.” The man said to Masaki. “You need to eat something before you take the pills. After that, I will drive you home.”
“Ah, it’s okay, I’m feeling fine already. You don’t have to- offer me a breakfast or take me home. I will just take those pills and go home now.” Masaki said, feeling ashamed for imposing.
“You will eat your breakfast here, take you meds and I will drive you home after that,” the man said with finality in his voice and he stared at Masaki with his piercing pair of eyes, as if daring Masaki to oppose him again.
That’s when Masaki realized that he had lost that argument. So he nodded.
***
“So you live this close to the office.”
Masaki smiled at the man as he told him to sit down on the couch.
“The rent is pretty cheap and it cuts commuting expenses,” Masaki explained. “Would you like something to drink?” he offered.
“No, thank you. I’m already late for work as it is.”
Masaki blinked. He turned to look at the clock. It was 9.30 - meaning he was one and a half hours late.
“Oh, shit!” Masaki cursed as he immediately rushed to his wardrobe to change his clothes.
“I’m sorry to have kept you. I didn’t mean to give you trouble. Please leave first, I will be right behind you,” Masaki shouted while struggling to put on a shirt and pants at the same time.
“You should take the day off.” The man was suddenly standing in Masaki’s bed room door and Masaki almost shrieked.
“No, no, no. My manager is going to kill me. I’m doomed enough as it is for being late, I can’t afford to take a day off when we’re running on a deadline,” Masaki tried to convey his fear.
He could hear his company sighing before he stepped closer and fixed his necktie.
“If you insist,” the man said. “But you will eat your meal properly, okay?”
Masaki was ready to protest that he’s not a child anymore, but the look in the other’s eyes made him shrink a bit.
“Okay.”
***
“You didn’t have to wait for me, you know,” Masaki told the man behind the steering wheel. “Due to me you’re already running late. I don’t want to give you more trouble.”
“You don’t give me any trouble,” The man said as the car made a turn.
Masaki nodded and they both fell into silence. Masaki doesn’t like silence.
“So, in which division do you work?” Masaki asked, thinking he should start a conversation.
The man raised his eyebrow, the identical one which he had shown Masaki in the elevator last night. Masaki thought he was gonna ignore him again, but to his surprise, the man answered.
“I work in General Affairs.”
“Oh. That’s why I’ve never seen you before.” Masaki nodded his head.
“Yeah. Sort of,” was the man’s curt reply.
“Come to think of it, I never learned your name.” Masaki turned towards him.
The man seemed contemplative for a moment, before his lips parted. “Jun. My name is Jun.”
Masaki thought that it was weird of him to introduce himself with his given name only, but decided that it might have been Jun’s way of doing things.
“I’m Aiba Masaki,” Masaki introduced himself.
“I know.”
Masaki frowned. “How did you know?”
Jun chuckled. And it brought a smile to Masaki’s face as it was the first time he ever heard him laugh.
“I’m from General Affairs, remember? And I kinda looked at your ID when you collapsed last night. I mean, I needed to be sure of whom am I taking home, right?”
Masaki blushed. He had caused Jun a lot of troubles, hadn’t he?
“I’m sorry again, Jun-san. And thank you for everything. I will treat you to a meal next time, I promise.”
Jun gave a small smile just as the car came to a stop.
“You should go now. I will just park my car.”
“But-“
“It’s okay,” Jun cuts Masaki’s protest short. “Just go.”
***
For a mysterious reason, Sakurai-san didn’t leash out at him when he arrived that day. He told Masaki he understood, before handing Masaki his work-list for the day. More reports to be made. But Masaki was thankful and he told himself he woud finish them sooner today.
“Did you seduce Sho-kun last night, or what?”
Masaki threw Nino a disapproving look, which the man just shrugged off, though.
“Well, you would usually get a scolding the length of Sobusen line when you arrive fashionably late for work. Not to mention it’s our deadline today.” Nino told Masaki as he returned to his desk. “It’s weird.”
“Maybe Sakurai-san is just having a good day today. Don’t jinx it by saying weird things,” Masaki warned Nino as he started opening the files and got to working on his reports.
Masaki didn’t realize how the hours passed, he just kept working, handing in several drafts and being rejected over and over again and he kind of lost track of time. He remembered vaguely though, when Nino left after inviting him for lunch -which he rejected since he was in the middle of something and feared that leaving would ruin his concentration- and then his colleague returned not too long after, offering him a melon bread and a pack of milk that were still sitting untouched on top of his desk.
Masaki’s concentration was gone when Sakurai-san came to his desk, though, and told Masaki something that sent cold sweats rolling down his spine.
“Aiba-kun, the Vice President is calling for you.”
Aiba’s eyes widened in fear.
“B-b-but- why? Is he mad because I was late today? Or is my work unsatisfactory?”
“He didn’t specify his reasons,” Sakurai-san said calmly as he clasped Masaki’s shoulder, giving him a reassuring smile. “It will be okay. I promise.”
Masaki turned towards Nino as soon as Sakurai-san left. And his friend was looking at him with horror plastered all over his face.
“I’m not trying to scare you, or something, but you see, if you think that Sho-kun is scary enough, you seriously have to think again. Because rumor has it that our VP is a devil!”
“Nino,” Masaki whined, but Nino squeezed his shoulders encouragingly.
“Good luck, Aiba-chan. My best prayers with you.”
Masaki shrunk back into his chair, but he knew that he had to face it sooner or later. So he braced himself as he made his way to the elevator and watched how the whole division was throwing him sympathetic looks.
“Crap,” Masaki cursed to himself as he waited nervously for the elevator to take him to his destination. He gave the lady in front of their Vice President’s office a greeting and told her his business.
“Matsumoto-san is waiting for you,” the lady said, “Please follow me.”
And so Masaki followed her to walk into the spacious room to meet the so-called Vice President with his eyes trained on the floor. If Masaki had not been this afraid, he would have had some time to appreciate the office. But Masaki was busy panicking so bad he felt as though he would be sick. He had not met the man personally ever before, but if the rumors were true, then Masaki had every right to be scared to death right now.
“Matsumoto-san, Aiba-san is here to see you,” The lady informed the Vice President before she excused herself. Masaki almost begged her not to leave.
“Please have a seat.”
Masaki’s heart skipped a beat. The voice was too familiar for Masaki’s liking. Slowly but surely, Masaki lifted his gaze to look at the Vice President’s face for the first time. His knees wobbled and he needed to grab onto the side of the table to keep his balance at the sight greeting him.
“Jun-san?!”
“Please have a seat, Aiba-kun,” the man repeated as he took off his glasses.
Masaki was about to sit down on the chair opposite Jun’s desk when the other man shook his head.
“No. Not there. Have a seat on the couch over there.”
Masaki turned around to the said couch and hesitantly made to do as he was told. He rubbed his palms on his trousers to ease his nervousness as he glanced on the feast by the table. It appeared that Jun had just ordered his lunch, or something.
As if on cue, Jun sat right next to Masaki and took a plate and a pair of chopsticks. But instead of taking them for himself, he thrust the utensils into Masaki’s hands.
“Wha-?” Masaki stared at the plate and chopsticks before turning to Jun.
“Eat.” It was more of an order than an offer coming from Jun’s lips. “I told you, didn’t I? That you will eat your meal properly this time.”
Masaki blinked rapidly, his brain malfunctioning for a moment.
“W-wa- Please wait a second,” Masaki took a shuddering breath. “I don’t understand a thing. I thought you were, you were from General Affairs?”
“I am.” Jun smiled a teasing smile. “Well, being a Vice President means you handle the General Affairs of the company, no?”
“But I- So you- You mean you are the Vice President? The son and only heir of the President Matsumoto Shinichi-san himself?”
Jun arched an eyebrow, but nodded nevertheless. “Well, that’s me.”
“But you-“ Masaki heaved a deep sigh. “I thought you were just a wealthy salaryman. I should have known that no salaryman could afford living in that apartment, nor having that awesome car. And that’s why you didn’t tell me your last name. I thought it was weird but-“ Masaki looked at Jun with a frown. “It was you, wasn’t it? You told Sakurai-san about this morning, that’s why he wasn’t angry at me.”
“I’m sorry if I interfered,” Jun told Masaki, his eyes twinkling. “It’s just, you’re new and obviously you haven’t known me yet because you didn’t recognize me when we first met. And I guess, I just couldn’t help wanting to tease you a bit?”
“No, no, no,” Masaki shook his head frantically. “I should be the one saying sorry. I mean, I have caused so much trouble for you with, well, with what happened yesterday and all. If I had known, I wouldn’t have dared impose on your hospitality.”
“I wasn’t feeling troubled,” Jun stated truthfully. “In fact, it was somehow refreshing. I mean, I had people looking up at me as the Vice President and the heir of my father. It’s kind of a good feeling to have you treating me as who I am.”
Masaki blushed at the comment.
“I was being rude, I’m sorry.”
“There’s no need to be sorry,” Jun sighed. “Look, I’m just hoping that we could be friends without you worrying about me being your boss or something, okay?”
Masaki looked up to look at Jun properly. He smiled at seeing Jun pouting slightly.
“Okay, I guess.” Masaki said after a while.
“Good.” Jun nodded in satisfaction. “Now let’s eat, shall we?”
An idea suddenly popped up in Masaki’s head and he began to grin.
“You know, Jun-san,” Masaki started. “The guys from my division are praying for me. They thought I’m not gonna make it through the day.”
Jun frowned as he stuffed a piece of meat into his mouth. “And why would that be?”
“Because apparently,” Masaki’s grin got wider, “you are supposed to be the devil VP whose evilness has become a legend in our company.”
Jun burst out laughing at the remark.
“Well, I guess I’m a bit stoic sometimes. But I can’t help it, I mean, I have to be professional, right? I have a lot of responsibilities to maintain, you know. I have to be strict or else people will start slacking off,” Jun commented in between his chuckles.
“They certainly haven’t seen this side of you yet,” Masaki giggles. “You should show them sometimes.”
“No way,” Jun protested. “I’d like to maintain my reputation as the devil VP, thank you very much.”
“I’m your subordinate, too. How come you showed me, then?” Masaki asked, his voice teasing.
Jun’s eyes twinkled differently and it looked like he was turning serious all of a sudden.
“You’re different,” the Vice President said. And for some reason Masaki felt something in his stomach stirring so he looked away and continued eating in silence.
***
When he returned to his desk half an hour later, he was greeted by an expectant Nino.
“So, how was it? What did he say? Were you fired?”
Masaki threw Nino a dirty look before pulling out a folder to re-start his report.
“He said nothing in particular. We just, chatted. And ate lunch.”
“No way in hell,” Nino exclaimed in disbelief. “You don’t go to the VP’s office and return unharmed, you just don’t.”
“What if-“ Masaki sighed. “The Vice President is not as scary as people thought?”
Nino made a face like he was honestly contemplating Masaki’s words.
“You don’t sleep with him, do you?”
The question was asked so casually it took Masaki off guard.
“Wha- of course not, Nino. What are you thinking?!”
“But it doesn’t make sense,” Nino insisted. “The only plausible reason as to why the VP would call you to ‘just chat and eat lunch’ would be because you sleep with him.”
“I don’t,” Masaki denied, but he still couldn’t stop a blush from forming on his cheeks. He hoped Nino wouldn’t notice it, but that was in vain.
“Oh.” Nino is suddenly calm, his tone almost understanding. “So maybe you don’t sleep with our VP. But something certainly happened between you two.”
“Stop it, Nino. You’re getting annoying,” Masaki tried to push the younger man away, but he only come closer.
“Oh, it’s so obvious, Aiba-chan.” Masaki could practically hear the grin in the other man’s voice. “Come on, you know you want to tell me.”
Masaki tried to ignore Nino and start typing his report. But he found himself unable to focus and kept on making mistakes due to Nino’s constant nagging behind him.
“Alright, alright. I’ll tell you, okay?” Masaki rolled his eyes in exasperation. “I met him last night in the elevator when I was about to go home. At two in the morning because Sakurai-san is such a heartless man.”
“And then you two screwed in the elevator?” Nino leaned closer, his face brimming with excitement.
“We did not.” Masaki pushed Nino back to his chair. “I fainted and he took me to his home.”
“You fainted?” Nino’s face was suddenly filled with worry. “Why? Are you okay now?”
The taller guy smiled. Nino was a brat most of the time, but he cared for his friends. That was one of the things Masaki loved him for.
“I’m fine now, Nino. Jun-san took care of me. It was just a mild case of exhaustion and gastritis. No need to worry.”
“That’s why I told you to eat properly, you idiot.” Nino gave Masaki’s shoulder a light punch and Masaki said nothing to defend himself because Nino was right.
“Right. I’m sorry.”
“Apology accepted,” the younger man answered before his grin re-appeared. “So what happened then? You two had a steamy night in his home, or something?”
“Just because you’re a pervert, doesn’t mean than everybody else is too, Nino.” Masaki rolled his eyes. “Jun-san and I did nothing, alright? He took care of me, fed me, took me to my apartment and we got to the office together. That’s it.”
“So I guess that’s why Sho-kun wasn’t screaming at you for being late this morning?” Nino was a clever guy, he caught up quickly.
“Jun-san admitted to have interfered a bit with Sakurai-san, yeah.”
“And he called you to his office right now because-?” Nino urges. “Don’t tell me you offered him your body to thank him for taking care of you, or something.”
“Hey.” This time it was Masaki who gave Nino a hit on his shoulder. “I was not even aware that he is our VP in the first place. When I asked him, he just told me that he was from General Affairs. And he introduced himself as Jun.”
“Well,” Nino shrugged. “Perhaps he thought that you should have known who he is since you’re practically working under him.”
“I know.” Masaki blushed at his stupidity. “But well, Jun-san only called me for lunch. I guess he was a bit worried that I would skip my lunch again. After all, I did faint on him last night.”
“And he was right.” Nino glanced at the untouched melon bread and milk on Masaki’s desk. “Thank God, he did. If I had known what happened last night, I would have shoved the bread down your throat myself.”
“I’m sorry.” Masaki smiled sheepishly. “I guess I was too immersed in work. I mean, the deadline is today, after all.”
“Even so,” Nino sighed as he returned to his own stall. “You shouldn’t neglect your own health. You’re more important than the paperwork, after all.”
Masaki felt touched by Nino’s words. He never knew his friend could be this cute.
“Anyway, good job for having the VP as your boyfriend. You have taste, I see.”
The bubble from Nino’s previous kind words burst at that comment. Masaki pounced on Nino immediately.
“We’re not boyfriends.”
But something inside of Masaki protested and he couldn’t help himself from adding the word ‘yet’ in his mind.
***
Every time Masaki saw Jun, he would feel something fluttering in his stomach. And it grew stronger and stronger as time passed. Masaki knew the feeling, but he was afraid. Jun was always kind to him. He always called Masaki in the morning just to make sure that Masaki already woke up and had his breakfast. He called Masaki to his office to have lunch together and when he was not available, he would order delivery to be sent straight to Masaki’s desk. He would also send Masaki messages to remind him to eat his dinner and bid him goodnight.
But that didn’t mean that Jun was feeling the same way for Masaki as he felt towards Jun. But Masaki was content with how they were, because it made him happy. And it always looked like Jun was happy as well.
However, Masaki started noticing the weird looks his colleagues were beginning to send him. They were looking at Masaki like he was a plague. Perhaps they were feeling jealous, because it looked like he was receiving special treatment from the Vice President. Which was not what was going on at all, because Jun still scolded him and even immediately called Sakurai-san so he could say sorry when he admitted that he intentionally wrote a wrong number on his report because he was just sick of Sakurai-san’s steely rules.
“Ignore them. They are just a bunch of sorry bastards who have nothing better to do,” Nino tried to console him after a fairly hurtful bad-mouthing one day.
Masaki smiled at his friend. Nino knew everything. He always told Nino about his meetings with Jun and even confessed to him about how he might have fallen for the man. And Nino really was a good friend, because instead of teasing him, he told Masaki that he supported his decisions. He did tease Masaki after that, though, but it didn’t matter.
So Masaki followed Nino’s advice this time, too. He tried to ignore the bad treatments his colleagues were giving him. But somehow, it just kept on escalating every day. From subtle things like telling Masaki to copy some paperwork, or buy a drink or do their reports, to more obvious things like ‘accidentally’ pushing Masaki so he fell flat on his face or spilling a hot steamy coffee on him. The bullying had earned Masaki a few bruises in the span of the week. But it was nothing Masaki couldn’t handle.
The verbal insults were the worst.
Masaki bit his lower lip to prevent himself from submitting to those people’s games whenever they called him names or insulted him otherwise.
“You should join us today, Aiba-kun! We could prepare a dancing pole for you!”
“Oh, you’re Matsumoto-san’s sex-slave, aren’t you?”
“You’re nothing but a pretty face. A whore like you will be forgotten in no times.”
“Hey, Aiba-san! Tell me your price, will you? A friend of mine might be interested in fucking a boy-toy. Hahaha!”
“Masaki-chan, will you warm my bed tonight?”
But of course not everyone was on his bad side. Masaki thought that exactly at times like this you could find who your true friends were.
“Shut up, you jerks! Just because you’re jealous, doesn’t justify what you just said!”
“Don’t listen to them, Aiba-kun. They’re just sore losers.”
“I’m rooting for you, you know! I personally think you and Matsumoto-san are meant for each other.”
Masaki tried. He really did. But at some point enough was enough. Masaki thought he couldn’t take much more than that.
“Aiba-kun, the Vice President is calling for you.”
Sneers and murmurs were thrown his way as soon as Sakurai-san announced it. Masaki smiled weakly at the man before he proceeded to the elevator.
“I will walk you there,” Sakurai-san offered and Masaki couldn’t thank him enough. With Sakurai-san walking with him, it saved him the bullying he had to go through during the short walk from his desk to the elevator. Both physical and emotional.
“You know,” Sakurai-san said as soon as the elevator’s doors were closed. “I won’t judge you for your relationship with the Vice President. To me, it doesn’t matter what you do outside of work as long as you stay professional and do your job properly.”
“I, thank you, Sakurai-san.” Masaki lowered his head. “But Jun-san and I are just friends, I swear.”
“I know. Jun told me.” Sakurai-san gave Masaki a wink, which earned him a surprised gasp from the taller man. “Jun and I have a long history. We went to the same high school and college. He’s my best friend.”
Masaki simply nodded as he didn’t know how else to react to that.
“I know it must have been hard on you and I’m speaking from experience. People envied me for landing a much-wanted position, because they thought I got it only because I’m friends with Jun. Well, I decided to prove them wrong. I guess that’s why I’m a little snarky if it’s about work. Jun told me I’m a perfectionist, but I beg to differ. He’s a much more perfectionist than I am.”
Sakurai-san chuckled at his own words before turning towards Masaki.
“My point is, it doesn’t matter what people say about you. If you know that it’s wrong, all you have to do is prove to them that they’re wrong. They would gradually understand with time, I believe.”
Just as Sakurai-san said that, the elevator opened and he ushered Masaki out.
“I wish for your happiness, Aiba-kun. Both yours and Jun’s.”
Masaki smiled again, but it didn’t reach his eyes.
“Thank you, Sakurai-san. But, I don’t think I can take any more of this.” Masaki watched how his supervisor frowned at him in confusion. Masaki bowed to him. “I’ve been in your care. Thank you, for everything.”
Before Sakurai-san could say anything, Masaki turned around and left for Jun’s office. The sound of a faint ‘ding’ told Masaki that Sakurai-san was already on his way back down again. Masaki took a deep breath, his hand reaching for the envelope in his inner-pocket and clutched onto it. He greeted Jun’s secretary who smiled and opened the door for him.
“Masaki.” Jun acknowledged his presence but his eyes didn’t leave the papers in his hands. “Wait a moment, will you? I just need to sign this paper.”
“No problem,” Masaki said as he took a seat opposite of Jun. He was nervous and he could feel his palms dampen from his sweat. But he had made his decision. He didn’t want to be hurt anymore.
“Alright, I’m done. Let’s have our lunch now,” Jun announced as he put the folder on the side of his desk and took off his glasses.
“Before that, Jun-kun, I… I have something to tell you.” Masaki gulped. He tried to hide his nervousness but he knew he failed miserably.
Jun frowned at him, but Masaki avoided his gaze.
“What is it? It looks serious.”
Masaki took a shuddering breath before he pulled out the envelope and placed it on Jun’s desk.
“I’m resigning from this company.” Masaki thrust the envelope closer to Jun. “And I think it’s better if we don’t see each other anymore.”
Jun looked at the envelope for a good five seconds, before he slowly looked up to look straight at Masaki’s eyes, his face unreadable.
“What?”
~~~End of Part 1~~~
Part 1
Author :
zeon_avalanthe
Rating : PG-15
Genre : AU ; Fluff
Fandom : Arashi
Pairing : JunBa
Disclaimer : Everyone knows that I don't own any of those boys, sadly.
Summary : A new job. A new encounter. This is the story of new employee Aiba Masaki who fell for his boss Matsumoto Jun aka the Devil Vice President.
Author's Note : Another piece for arashi_exchange 2016! Again, many thanks to my awesomest beta, Tanja!
~~~Love Situation - Part 1~~~
“This is our new recruit, Aiba Masaki-kun. He will be joining our department starting today.”
“Aiba Masaki. I look forward to working together with this team. Please guide me thoroughly.” The tall man bowed his head low as he heard claps and cheers from his new workmates.
“So, Aiba-kun. This will be your desk. Please ask Ninomiya-kun if you need anything.” Sakurai-san pointed towards the young man who was seated right next to Masaki.
“Yo.” That Ninomiya-guy waved at him, a small smirk on his face.
“I’m Aiba Masaki. Pleased to meet you.” Masaki smiled as he offered a hand towards Ninomiya.
“Ninomiya Kazunari.” The man took Masaki’s hand and shook it. “I’m not gonna go easy on you, newbie.”
Masaki blinked at him before tugging a nervous smile. He turned towards Sakurai-san but the supervisor only gave him a smile.
“Don’t worry. Ninomiya-kun is a kind man. He’s just a little playful. I’m sure you two will get along soon enough.” Sakurai-san told Masaki, as if trying to assure the man. “Well, I will be returning to my office. You have your work lists by your desk, I expect you to finish it by tonight, Aiba-kun.”
Masaki sighed after the man left. It was labor day, it seemed. He had piles of paperwork to copy and archive, a report to be looked over and a thick book which seemingly consisted of what the company was all about and what he should be doing there.
Masaki had no reason to complain though. It was his dream to join that company and even though he was not placed where he had wanted to, he was there. And just that was enough because it meant that his dream had come true. And he was happy enough with that. And besides, he had always been good with numbers anyway.
“Uhm, Ninomiya-san, where should I copy these documents?”
Ninomiya looked up from his monitor and pointed towards the copy machine by the corner.
“Thank you.” Masaki showed the man a smile of gratitude before taking his paperwork to said copy machine.
He hoped that the next day would be better.
***
“Re-do it.”
Masaki’s face fell.
“But, Sakurai-san-“
“No buts.” The man stopped him before Masaki could say anything further. “This is the fifth draft already, Aiba-kun. And you keep on making mistakes on the report. Have I told you how important it is for us to record everything precisely? We’re dealing with numbers. You got an extra zero on the report, you will ruin the whole project.”
“Yes. I’m sorry, Sakurai-san. I will do it over.” Masaki slumped his shoulders dejectedly as he took the rejected report and walked back to his desk.
“Don’t mind him.” Nino piped in from his desk. “Sho-kun is always like that when we’re nearing deadlines. He’s grumpy when he’s stressed.”
Masaki tugged a weak smile. “Thanks, Nino.”
“You’re welcome.” Nino smiled back while stuffing his things inside his bag. “Anyway, I’m leaving first. Don’t stay up too late, Aiba-chan.”
Masaki sighed at seeing his friend’s retreating back, envying him for finishing work earlier. Sighing again, he looked through his failed report once again, making sure that he wouldn’t miss a thing.
It’d been a month since he start working at Matsumoto Company and a lot of things had happened since his first day. Like Sakurai-san had predicted, he befriended Nino almost instantly and despite his sometimes spiteful remarks, Nino was a very kind guy. He would tell Masaki what to do when he was at a loss as of what to do - and in a way that was easy for Masaki to understand.
And today he just learnt that the usually friendly Sakurai-san could be really scary too. Masaki had been working on six reports during the day. And it took at least ten tries before it passed Sakurai-san’s approval. That was the seventh one and Masaki still had three more to go. Masaki’s stomach growled in protest as Masaki printed the re-typed report. He had missed lunch to catch up with his paperwork and it was six in the afternoon already. Looking at the report in his hands, Masaki had a feeling that dinner would have to wait for another few hours.
***
It was two in the morning when Masaki was finally done with his reports. He rubbed his eyes tiredly as he leaned back on his chair. He felt like he was getting a headache, no thanks to the reports and Sakurai-san. Thank God his apartment was just a few blocks away, because he really needed his sleep right now.
Turning off his computer and lamp, Masaki stood up and wobbled towards the door. He was just so exhausted and hungry that he felt like he could pass out right there and then.
Masaki was slightly surprised as he stepped into the elevator and saw another man around his age inside, his eyes trained to a document in his hand. He’d thought he was the last one after Sakurai-san headed home half an hour ago. Apparently, he was not.
“You’re running on a deadline, too?” Masaki tried to start a conversation. After all, that guy was his companion of hardships. And he was handsome. Not that Masaki was looking particularly.
The man ignored him though, as he simply raised an eyebrow and continued reading his papers.
Masaki pursed his lips. That guy might have been attractive, but his attitude was just as his face reflected - fierce, and cold.
The elevator ding-ed as they finally reached the ground floor. Despite his earlier annoyance, Masaki gave the man a bow as he got off. That’s when things got strange. Masaki noticed that his sight was getting blurry all of a sudden. He stopped in his tracks, shaking his head in an attempt to clear his vision, but it was futile. All it did was make the world sway instead.
Masaki felt his breath getting heavier and he faintly heard someone’s voice. But before Masaki could process anything, everything turned black.
***
When Masaki opened his eyes, he was greeted by an unfamiliar ceiling and a monster headache. Hissing, Masaki clutched his head as he propped himself up, his mind trying to remember what had happened and where the hell he was now.
Masaki heard the door being opened and his eyes quickly flew to the direction of the sound, watching a man coming into the room. His eyes widened at the figure who was approaching him.
“You’re the man from last night,” Masaki said more to himself than to the man in front of him. “What happened? Where am I and why am I here?”
“You passed out after you got off of the elevator last night.” The man told Masaki. “I couldn’t just have left you there, could I? And to answer your second question, I took you to my apartment because I had no idea where you live.”
“Oh. Uhm, thank you?” Masaki smiled sheepishly.
The man didn’t react, but stood up instead.
“I had my physician check on you and he said that you passed out from exhaustion. He also said that you suffered a mild case of gastritis. You should take better care of yourself, you now.”
Masaki blushed for an unknown reason. Maybe it was that he felt like the scolding was a sign that he was being cared for. And it made his heart flutter somehow.
“I’m sorry.”
“Breakfast will be ready in a minute.” The man said to Masaki. “You need to eat something before you take the pills. After that, I will drive you home.”
“Ah, it’s okay, I’m feeling fine already. You don’t have to- offer me a breakfast or take me home. I will just take those pills and go home now.” Masaki said, feeling ashamed for imposing.
“You will eat your breakfast here, take you meds and I will drive you home after that,” the man said with finality in his voice and he stared at Masaki with his piercing pair of eyes, as if daring Masaki to oppose him again.
That’s when Masaki realized that he had lost that argument. So he nodded.
***
“So you live this close to the office.”
Masaki smiled at the man as he told him to sit down on the couch.
“The rent is pretty cheap and it cuts commuting expenses,” Masaki explained. “Would you like something to drink?” he offered.
“No, thank you. I’m already late for work as it is.”
Masaki blinked. He turned to look at the clock. It was 9.30 - meaning he was one and a half hours late.
“Oh, shit!” Masaki cursed as he immediately rushed to his wardrobe to change his clothes.
“I’m sorry to have kept you. I didn’t mean to give you trouble. Please leave first, I will be right behind you,” Masaki shouted while struggling to put on a shirt and pants at the same time.
“You should take the day off.” The man was suddenly standing in Masaki’s bed room door and Masaki almost shrieked.
“No, no, no. My manager is going to kill me. I’m doomed enough as it is for being late, I can’t afford to take a day off when we’re running on a deadline,” Masaki tried to convey his fear.
He could hear his company sighing before he stepped closer and fixed his necktie.
“If you insist,” the man said. “But you will eat your meal properly, okay?”
Masaki was ready to protest that he’s not a child anymore, but the look in the other’s eyes made him shrink a bit.
“Okay.”
***
“You didn’t have to wait for me, you know,” Masaki told the man behind the steering wheel. “Due to me you’re already running late. I don’t want to give you more trouble.”
“You don’t give me any trouble,” The man said as the car made a turn.
Masaki nodded and they both fell into silence. Masaki doesn’t like silence.
“So, in which division do you work?” Masaki asked, thinking he should start a conversation.
The man raised his eyebrow, the identical one which he had shown Masaki in the elevator last night. Masaki thought he was gonna ignore him again, but to his surprise, the man answered.
“I work in General Affairs.”
“Oh. That’s why I’ve never seen you before.” Masaki nodded his head.
“Yeah. Sort of,” was the man’s curt reply.
“Come to think of it, I never learned your name.” Masaki turned towards him.
The man seemed contemplative for a moment, before his lips parted. “Jun. My name is Jun.”
Masaki thought that it was weird of him to introduce himself with his given name only, but decided that it might have been Jun’s way of doing things.
“I’m Aiba Masaki,” Masaki introduced himself.
“I know.”
Masaki frowned. “How did you know?”
Jun chuckled. And it brought a smile to Masaki’s face as it was the first time he ever heard him laugh.
“I’m from General Affairs, remember? And I kinda looked at your ID when you collapsed last night. I mean, I needed to be sure of whom am I taking home, right?”
Masaki blushed. He had caused Jun a lot of troubles, hadn’t he?
“I’m sorry again, Jun-san. And thank you for everything. I will treat you to a meal next time, I promise.”
Jun gave a small smile just as the car came to a stop.
“You should go now. I will just park my car.”
“But-“
“It’s okay,” Jun cuts Masaki’s protest short. “Just go.”
***
For a mysterious reason, Sakurai-san didn’t leash out at him when he arrived that day. He told Masaki he understood, before handing Masaki his work-list for the day. More reports to be made. But Masaki was thankful and he told himself he woud finish them sooner today.
“Did you seduce Sho-kun last night, or what?”
Masaki threw Nino a disapproving look, which the man just shrugged off, though.
“Well, you would usually get a scolding the length of Sobusen line when you arrive fashionably late for work. Not to mention it’s our deadline today.” Nino told Masaki as he returned to his desk. “It’s weird.”
“Maybe Sakurai-san is just having a good day today. Don’t jinx it by saying weird things,” Masaki warned Nino as he started opening the files and got to working on his reports.
Masaki didn’t realize how the hours passed, he just kept working, handing in several drafts and being rejected over and over again and he kind of lost track of time. He remembered vaguely though, when Nino left after inviting him for lunch -which he rejected since he was in the middle of something and feared that leaving would ruin his concentration- and then his colleague returned not too long after, offering him a melon bread and a pack of milk that were still sitting untouched on top of his desk.
Masaki’s concentration was gone when Sakurai-san came to his desk, though, and told Masaki something that sent cold sweats rolling down his spine.
“Aiba-kun, the Vice President is calling for you.”
Aiba’s eyes widened in fear.
“B-b-but- why? Is he mad because I was late today? Or is my work unsatisfactory?”
“He didn’t specify his reasons,” Sakurai-san said calmly as he clasped Masaki’s shoulder, giving him a reassuring smile. “It will be okay. I promise.”
Masaki turned towards Nino as soon as Sakurai-san left. And his friend was looking at him with horror plastered all over his face.
“I’m not trying to scare you, or something, but you see, if you think that Sho-kun is scary enough, you seriously have to think again. Because rumor has it that our VP is a devil!”
“Nino,” Masaki whined, but Nino squeezed his shoulders encouragingly.
“Good luck, Aiba-chan. My best prayers with you.”
Masaki shrunk back into his chair, but he knew that he had to face it sooner or later. So he braced himself as he made his way to the elevator and watched how the whole division was throwing him sympathetic looks.
“Crap,” Masaki cursed to himself as he waited nervously for the elevator to take him to his destination. He gave the lady in front of their Vice President’s office a greeting and told her his business.
“Matsumoto-san is waiting for you,” the lady said, “Please follow me.”
And so Masaki followed her to walk into the spacious room to meet the so-called Vice President with his eyes trained on the floor. If Masaki had not been this afraid, he would have had some time to appreciate the office. But Masaki was busy panicking so bad he felt as though he would be sick. He had not met the man personally ever before, but if the rumors were true, then Masaki had every right to be scared to death right now.
“Matsumoto-san, Aiba-san is here to see you,” The lady informed the Vice President before she excused herself. Masaki almost begged her not to leave.
“Please have a seat.”
Masaki’s heart skipped a beat. The voice was too familiar for Masaki’s liking. Slowly but surely, Masaki lifted his gaze to look at the Vice President’s face for the first time. His knees wobbled and he needed to grab onto the side of the table to keep his balance at the sight greeting him.
“Jun-san?!”
“Please have a seat, Aiba-kun,” the man repeated as he took off his glasses.
Masaki was about to sit down on the chair opposite Jun’s desk when the other man shook his head.
“No. Not there. Have a seat on the couch over there.”
Masaki turned around to the said couch and hesitantly made to do as he was told. He rubbed his palms on his trousers to ease his nervousness as he glanced on the feast by the table. It appeared that Jun had just ordered his lunch, or something.
As if on cue, Jun sat right next to Masaki and took a plate and a pair of chopsticks. But instead of taking them for himself, he thrust the utensils into Masaki’s hands.
“Wha-?” Masaki stared at the plate and chopsticks before turning to Jun.
“Eat.” It was more of an order than an offer coming from Jun’s lips. “I told you, didn’t I? That you will eat your meal properly this time.”
Masaki blinked rapidly, his brain malfunctioning for a moment.
“W-wa- Please wait a second,” Masaki took a shuddering breath. “I don’t understand a thing. I thought you were, you were from General Affairs?”
“I am.” Jun smiled a teasing smile. “Well, being a Vice President means you handle the General Affairs of the company, no?”
“But I- So you- You mean you are the Vice President? The son and only heir of the President Matsumoto Shinichi-san himself?”
Jun arched an eyebrow, but nodded nevertheless. “Well, that’s me.”
“But you-“ Masaki heaved a deep sigh. “I thought you were just a wealthy salaryman. I should have known that no salaryman could afford living in that apartment, nor having that awesome car. And that’s why you didn’t tell me your last name. I thought it was weird but-“ Masaki looked at Jun with a frown. “It was you, wasn’t it? You told Sakurai-san about this morning, that’s why he wasn’t angry at me.”
“I’m sorry if I interfered,” Jun told Masaki, his eyes twinkling. “It’s just, you’re new and obviously you haven’t known me yet because you didn’t recognize me when we first met. And I guess, I just couldn’t help wanting to tease you a bit?”
“No, no, no,” Masaki shook his head frantically. “I should be the one saying sorry. I mean, I have caused so much trouble for you with, well, with what happened yesterday and all. If I had known, I wouldn’t have dared impose on your hospitality.”
“I wasn’t feeling troubled,” Jun stated truthfully. “In fact, it was somehow refreshing. I mean, I had people looking up at me as the Vice President and the heir of my father. It’s kind of a good feeling to have you treating me as who I am.”
Masaki blushed at the comment.
“I was being rude, I’m sorry.”
“There’s no need to be sorry,” Jun sighed. “Look, I’m just hoping that we could be friends without you worrying about me being your boss or something, okay?”
Masaki looked up to look at Jun properly. He smiled at seeing Jun pouting slightly.
“Okay, I guess.” Masaki said after a while.
“Good.” Jun nodded in satisfaction. “Now let’s eat, shall we?”
An idea suddenly popped up in Masaki’s head and he began to grin.
“You know, Jun-san,” Masaki started. “The guys from my division are praying for me. They thought I’m not gonna make it through the day.”
Jun frowned as he stuffed a piece of meat into his mouth. “And why would that be?”
“Because apparently,” Masaki’s grin got wider, “you are supposed to be the devil VP whose evilness has become a legend in our company.”
Jun burst out laughing at the remark.
“Well, I guess I’m a bit stoic sometimes. But I can’t help it, I mean, I have to be professional, right? I have a lot of responsibilities to maintain, you know. I have to be strict or else people will start slacking off,” Jun commented in between his chuckles.
“They certainly haven’t seen this side of you yet,” Masaki giggles. “You should show them sometimes.”
“No way,” Jun protested. “I’d like to maintain my reputation as the devil VP, thank you very much.”
“I’m your subordinate, too. How come you showed me, then?” Masaki asked, his voice teasing.
Jun’s eyes twinkled differently and it looked like he was turning serious all of a sudden.
“You’re different,” the Vice President said. And for some reason Masaki felt something in his stomach stirring so he looked away and continued eating in silence.
***
When he returned to his desk half an hour later, he was greeted by an expectant Nino.
“So, how was it? What did he say? Were you fired?”
Masaki threw Nino a dirty look before pulling out a folder to re-start his report.
“He said nothing in particular. We just, chatted. And ate lunch.”
“No way in hell,” Nino exclaimed in disbelief. “You don’t go to the VP’s office and return unharmed, you just don’t.”
“What if-“ Masaki sighed. “The Vice President is not as scary as people thought?”
Nino made a face like he was honestly contemplating Masaki’s words.
“You don’t sleep with him, do you?”
The question was asked so casually it took Masaki off guard.
“Wha- of course not, Nino. What are you thinking?!”
“But it doesn’t make sense,” Nino insisted. “The only plausible reason as to why the VP would call you to ‘just chat and eat lunch’ would be because you sleep with him.”
“I don’t,” Masaki denied, but he still couldn’t stop a blush from forming on his cheeks. He hoped Nino wouldn’t notice it, but that was in vain.
“Oh.” Nino is suddenly calm, his tone almost understanding. “So maybe you don’t sleep with our VP. But something certainly happened between you two.”
“Stop it, Nino. You’re getting annoying,” Masaki tried to push the younger man away, but he only come closer.
“Oh, it’s so obvious, Aiba-chan.” Masaki could practically hear the grin in the other man’s voice. “Come on, you know you want to tell me.”
Masaki tried to ignore Nino and start typing his report. But he found himself unable to focus and kept on making mistakes due to Nino’s constant nagging behind him.
“Alright, alright. I’ll tell you, okay?” Masaki rolled his eyes in exasperation. “I met him last night in the elevator when I was about to go home. At two in the morning because Sakurai-san is such a heartless man.”
“And then you two screwed in the elevator?” Nino leaned closer, his face brimming with excitement.
“We did not.” Masaki pushed Nino back to his chair. “I fainted and he took me to his home.”
“You fainted?” Nino’s face was suddenly filled with worry. “Why? Are you okay now?”
The taller guy smiled. Nino was a brat most of the time, but he cared for his friends. That was one of the things Masaki loved him for.
“I’m fine now, Nino. Jun-san took care of me. It was just a mild case of exhaustion and gastritis. No need to worry.”
“That’s why I told you to eat properly, you idiot.” Nino gave Masaki’s shoulder a light punch and Masaki said nothing to defend himself because Nino was right.
“Right. I’m sorry.”
“Apology accepted,” the younger man answered before his grin re-appeared. “So what happened then? You two had a steamy night in his home, or something?”
“Just because you’re a pervert, doesn’t mean than everybody else is too, Nino.” Masaki rolled his eyes. “Jun-san and I did nothing, alright? He took care of me, fed me, took me to my apartment and we got to the office together. That’s it.”
“So I guess that’s why Sho-kun wasn’t screaming at you for being late this morning?” Nino was a clever guy, he caught up quickly.
“Jun-san admitted to have interfered a bit with Sakurai-san, yeah.”
“And he called you to his office right now because-?” Nino urges. “Don’t tell me you offered him your body to thank him for taking care of you, or something.”
“Hey.” This time it was Masaki who gave Nino a hit on his shoulder. “I was not even aware that he is our VP in the first place. When I asked him, he just told me that he was from General Affairs. And he introduced himself as Jun.”
“Well,” Nino shrugged. “Perhaps he thought that you should have known who he is since you’re practically working under him.”
“I know.” Masaki blushed at his stupidity. “But well, Jun-san only called me for lunch. I guess he was a bit worried that I would skip my lunch again. After all, I did faint on him last night.”
“And he was right.” Nino glanced at the untouched melon bread and milk on Masaki’s desk. “Thank God, he did. If I had known what happened last night, I would have shoved the bread down your throat myself.”
“I’m sorry.” Masaki smiled sheepishly. “I guess I was too immersed in work. I mean, the deadline is today, after all.”
“Even so,” Nino sighed as he returned to his own stall. “You shouldn’t neglect your own health. You’re more important than the paperwork, after all.”
Masaki felt touched by Nino’s words. He never knew his friend could be this cute.
“Anyway, good job for having the VP as your boyfriend. You have taste, I see.”
The bubble from Nino’s previous kind words burst at that comment. Masaki pounced on Nino immediately.
“We’re not boyfriends.”
But something inside of Masaki protested and he couldn’t help himself from adding the word ‘yet’ in his mind.
***
Every time Masaki saw Jun, he would feel something fluttering in his stomach. And it grew stronger and stronger as time passed. Masaki knew the feeling, but he was afraid. Jun was always kind to him. He always called Masaki in the morning just to make sure that Masaki already woke up and had his breakfast. He called Masaki to his office to have lunch together and when he was not available, he would order delivery to be sent straight to Masaki’s desk. He would also send Masaki messages to remind him to eat his dinner and bid him goodnight.
But that didn’t mean that Jun was feeling the same way for Masaki as he felt towards Jun. But Masaki was content with how they were, because it made him happy. And it always looked like Jun was happy as well.
However, Masaki started noticing the weird looks his colleagues were beginning to send him. They were looking at Masaki like he was a plague. Perhaps they were feeling jealous, because it looked like he was receiving special treatment from the Vice President. Which was not what was going on at all, because Jun still scolded him and even immediately called Sakurai-san so he could say sorry when he admitted that he intentionally wrote a wrong number on his report because he was just sick of Sakurai-san’s steely rules.
“Ignore them. They are just a bunch of sorry bastards who have nothing better to do,” Nino tried to console him after a fairly hurtful bad-mouthing one day.
Masaki smiled at his friend. Nino knew everything. He always told Nino about his meetings with Jun and even confessed to him about how he might have fallen for the man. And Nino really was a good friend, because instead of teasing him, he told Masaki that he supported his decisions. He did tease Masaki after that, though, but it didn’t matter.
So Masaki followed Nino’s advice this time, too. He tried to ignore the bad treatments his colleagues were giving him. But somehow, it just kept on escalating every day. From subtle things like telling Masaki to copy some paperwork, or buy a drink or do their reports, to more obvious things like ‘accidentally’ pushing Masaki so he fell flat on his face or spilling a hot steamy coffee on him. The bullying had earned Masaki a few bruises in the span of the week. But it was nothing Masaki couldn’t handle.
The verbal insults were the worst.
Masaki bit his lower lip to prevent himself from submitting to those people’s games whenever they called him names or insulted him otherwise.
“You should join us today, Aiba-kun! We could prepare a dancing pole for you!”
“Oh, you’re Matsumoto-san’s sex-slave, aren’t you?”
“You’re nothing but a pretty face. A whore like you will be forgotten in no times.”
“Hey, Aiba-san! Tell me your price, will you? A friend of mine might be interested in fucking a boy-toy. Hahaha!”
“Masaki-chan, will you warm my bed tonight?”
But of course not everyone was on his bad side. Masaki thought that exactly at times like this you could find who your true friends were.
“Shut up, you jerks! Just because you’re jealous, doesn’t justify what you just said!”
“Don’t listen to them, Aiba-kun. They’re just sore losers.”
“I’m rooting for you, you know! I personally think you and Matsumoto-san are meant for each other.”
Masaki tried. He really did. But at some point enough was enough. Masaki thought he couldn’t take much more than that.
“Aiba-kun, the Vice President is calling for you.”
Sneers and murmurs were thrown his way as soon as Sakurai-san announced it. Masaki smiled weakly at the man before he proceeded to the elevator.
“I will walk you there,” Sakurai-san offered and Masaki couldn’t thank him enough. With Sakurai-san walking with him, it saved him the bullying he had to go through during the short walk from his desk to the elevator. Both physical and emotional.
“You know,” Sakurai-san said as soon as the elevator’s doors were closed. “I won’t judge you for your relationship with the Vice President. To me, it doesn’t matter what you do outside of work as long as you stay professional and do your job properly.”
“I, thank you, Sakurai-san.” Masaki lowered his head. “But Jun-san and I are just friends, I swear.”
“I know. Jun told me.” Sakurai-san gave Masaki a wink, which earned him a surprised gasp from the taller man. “Jun and I have a long history. We went to the same high school and college. He’s my best friend.”
Masaki simply nodded as he didn’t know how else to react to that.
“I know it must have been hard on you and I’m speaking from experience. People envied me for landing a much-wanted position, because they thought I got it only because I’m friends with Jun. Well, I decided to prove them wrong. I guess that’s why I’m a little snarky if it’s about work. Jun told me I’m a perfectionist, but I beg to differ. He’s a much more perfectionist than I am.”
Sakurai-san chuckled at his own words before turning towards Masaki.
“My point is, it doesn’t matter what people say about you. If you know that it’s wrong, all you have to do is prove to them that they’re wrong. They would gradually understand with time, I believe.”
Just as Sakurai-san said that, the elevator opened and he ushered Masaki out.
“I wish for your happiness, Aiba-kun. Both yours and Jun’s.”
Masaki smiled again, but it didn’t reach his eyes.
“Thank you, Sakurai-san. But, I don’t think I can take any more of this.” Masaki watched how his supervisor frowned at him in confusion. Masaki bowed to him. “I’ve been in your care. Thank you, for everything.”
Before Sakurai-san could say anything, Masaki turned around and left for Jun’s office. The sound of a faint ‘ding’ told Masaki that Sakurai-san was already on his way back down again. Masaki took a deep breath, his hand reaching for the envelope in his inner-pocket and clutched onto it. He greeted Jun’s secretary who smiled and opened the door for him.
“Masaki.” Jun acknowledged his presence but his eyes didn’t leave the papers in his hands. “Wait a moment, will you? I just need to sign this paper.”
“No problem,” Masaki said as he took a seat opposite of Jun. He was nervous and he could feel his palms dampen from his sweat. But he had made his decision. He didn’t want to be hurt anymore.
“Alright, I’m done. Let’s have our lunch now,” Jun announced as he put the folder on the side of his desk and took off his glasses.
“Before that, Jun-kun, I… I have something to tell you.” Masaki gulped. He tried to hide his nervousness but he knew he failed miserably.
Jun frowned at him, but Masaki avoided his gaze.
“What is it? It looks serious.”
Masaki took a shuddering breath before he pulled out the envelope and placed it on Jun’s desk.
“I’m resigning from this company.” Masaki thrust the envelope closer to Jun. “And I think it’s better if we don’t see each other anymore.”
Jun looked at the envelope for a good five seconds, before he slowly looked up to look straight at Masaki’s eyes, his face unreadable.
“What?”
~~~End of Part 1~~~