A snowflake for azurevanillasky!
Sep. 5th, 2022 12:54 pm![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
snowmods09 posting in ![[community profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/community.png){kind=small}
snow_exchangeTitle: love me simply, darling.
Pairings: Abe Ryohei/Mukai Koji (Snow Man)
Genres: Romance, Slice of Life. Office AU.
Rating: T
Summary: Abe Ryohei doesn’t think office romance is for him or that he will be involved in one, but Mukai Koji proves him that nothing is impossible. (Or, the almost-kisses and kisses that were shared between Abe-chan and Koji.)
Warnings: Cliché, a la romcom. A lot of cheese, so beware.
Author's notes: I mostly based how they work at the magazine from a friend’s experience… I did my research too, but it might not be accurate enough. Sorry for that! I hope you can look upon this kindly >_< Thank you, mods ofsnow_exchange for hosting this! Thank you too, Beta-san, for proofing my work <3 And for the dearest recipient, I hope you'll like it!
The first time Abe Ryohei meets Mukai Koji, it plays like a cliché.
It’s 7.58 A.M and Abe clutches a cup of hot tea as he walks out of a lift. It’s truly a miracle that his recyclable paper cup is still intact when he gets off on the low-numbered floor, since the lift he got on was so packed, but it might be Abe’s luck that he managed to get in the lift when it was still quite empty. (His office building ran up to the 41st floor and he truly cannot imagine the nightmare of riding a lift full of people until the very top.) His own stellar attendance record is also at stake, to be honest, but Abe’s priority lies in being safe and sound until he reaches his floor. And he achieved that this morning, so he feels kind of good.
His hurried pace slows down to a trot as Abe checks his belongings again. Lanyard still hanging nicely on his neck, laptop bag secured, tea still smoking hot. Abe nods satisfied . Though, as he walks further into his floor, Abe notes the silence that envelops him. It’s not that strange, honestly, as his department gets flexible working hours, and they don’t always necessarily need to be at site, but today is Abe’s turn to show his face and do his work non-remotely so he prefers to do it as early as possible. So he doesn’t really pay attention to his surroundings as he walks forward to his cubicle, and doesn’t really expect to get bumped from the back by someone.
“Hey, buddy! What about–eh!!”
The force of the impact makes Abe stumble and his grip on the mug loosens. He winces as he feels the mug slipping, ready to fall and splash on him, but two arms wrap around him so suddenly that Abe’s heart feels like it stopped for a second. A hand breaks the motion of his cup so it doesn't fall and someone back hugs him. Abe doesn’t really know what to feel or what to think, his head is a mess because of the sudden situation, but he still tries to get his bearings and turns his head, trying to say, “Thanks… but can you…” but the sentence gets broken again because he only realized at that moment that there’s a face. So close to him. He doesn’t recognize its owner either. A hot breath touches his cheek.
It almost seems like they will kiss if Abe turns his head a little more. (Or if this stranger leans forward a little more.)
“Ehhh!!”
They spring apart as the scream echoes on the walls, Abe red-faced and flustered. He tries to catch his breath and calms down his speeding heart as the stranger (probably) does the same. The silence that fills the space between them breaks with a cough. Abe blinks and sees a young man in front of him: sheepish smile, sharp jaw and pointed nose, but his gaze is kind as their eyes meet. He’s wearing a smart office fit with a blazer outside a shirt and regular cut jeans. His arm is outstretched, Abe’s cup of hot tea is being held by him. Abe reaches out and takes it from him, peeking at the man to see that his smile is changing to a bright one already.
“Sorry,” he says, black hair swept back by his fingers as he bows. Abe bows back. “I thought you’re my friend.”
“It’s okay,” Abe says as kindly as he can. He smiles as he straightens up his back and tries to not fidget. “Just… be careful next time?” A tentative smile blooms on his lips. “And… thank you for saving my tea.”
The man beams so brightly Abe almost wants to wear sunglasses to avoid it. “No problem!! That’s the least thing I could do, really.”
He seems eager, almost like a puppy fishing for praise, and Abe is taken aback by how much he wants to ruffle that hair and compliments him. It’s so sudden that Abe just swallows his saliva and nods, booking it off with an okay then, see you around! as he speed-walks to his workspace at the room on the edge of this floor. Abe almost slams his cup to his table, and then sits around blankly for a few minutes trying to recoup from that accident before pulling himself together and starts to, finally, do his work.
(Abe later learns from Sakuma that the man he bumped into that morning is named Mukai Koji, the new creative team member who is in-charge of design and creating content for their magazine’s social media. It’s been weeks since he started working, Sakuma says, but apparently Abe did too much work remotely that he didn't really meet Mukai until just now. Abe notes that in his heart.
Maybe, if he meets Mukai again, Abe will try to strike a conversation. Or buy him something. Yeah, that sounds plausible.)
.
.
.
Abe Ryohei meets Mukai Koji again at the studio on the eleventh floor.
It’s been weeks since their first meeting because Abe doesn’t really see Mukai around. Maybe their work doesn’t really intersect. Maybe Abe also doesn’t really try to find Mukai. (Or… can it be that Mukai deliberately avoids him? Their first meeting was embarrassing, for sure. That’s also why Abe doesn’t try to reach out to Mukai out of his own volition. Sakuma keeps him updated, though, because apparently they’re working on the same projects.) But there is a photoshoot where Abe is apparently tasked to interview the star, so he drags his feet there with his trusted recorder and little note.
The studio is, of course, bustling. There’s so many people there and so many things happening that Abe feels kind of dizzy. Abe finds a corner to stand in and leans to the wall as he watches the staff prepare for the photoshoot–from the backdrop, to the lighting, to the camera setting. Color him surprised when Abe finds that the one who is actually in-charge of this photoshoot is the man who is on his mind lately, Mukai Koji himself. Abe observes how Mukai is so focused while arranging the staff on how he wants the prop to be set up, how much lighting they should use, and what kind of backdrop to put.
Abe watches in silence until Mukai suddenly turns around and their eyes meet. Abe smiles as he sees several expressions flit on Mukai’s face (surprise being one of them) until he settles on a smile too. Mukai excuses himself to the staff he’s talking to and starts approaching him. Abe stays still, waiting until Mukai finally stands in front of him. When he does, Abe smiles until his cheeks bunched up.
“Hi,” he greets, gentle as always. “Fancy seeing you here.”
Mukai giggles. “Hello to you too,” he winks, which makes Abe smile a little wider. “I didn’t know you'd be here?”
Abe holds up his note and recorder and waves them in front of Mukai. “Your interviewer on site, Mr. Supervisor.”
Mukai stares at him unblinkingly for a few seconds before the dots connect on his brain and he lights up as he claps. “So you’re Abe Ryohei-san!”
“At your service.” Abe does a little curtsy that makes Mukai giggle again. “Mukai Koji-san.”
“Ah, don’t call me like that!” Mukai swats at his arm, almost making Abe wince. “That sounds so formal. Just call me Koji.”
He peers at the man in front of him. Mukai’s smile is genuine and bright, making Abe almost feel bad to reject that kindness to him. “Is it really okay?” he asks, lower lip bitten worryingly. Koji assures him with a pat on his arm and a nod so eager Abe almost wants to ask him to stop moving. “In turn,” Koji says, a little sly and a bit shy. “Can I call you Abe-chan?”
Abe blinks, surprised. “Eh?”
“Sakuma calls you that all the time! In my head you’re already Abe-chan, but I feel like I cannot call you that without your permission, you feel?” Abe nods, kind of flabbergasted. Mukai stares at him with something like puppy eyes and Abe feels like running away. “Can I?”
“O… okay?” Abe doesn’t really see the merit of rejecting it because most people call him that anyway. It just feels novel that someone asks for his permission to do it. “I’ll be in your care then, Koji.”
“Me too!” Koji beams, reaches out to hold Abe’s hand and does a handshake with him. “I’ll be in your care too, Abe-chan!”
(Not a minute later, Koji is called away by another staff member to do another round of checking. They separate that way, with Koji waving at him as he walks back. The main star of this photoshoot then arrives in all their celebrity glory, so Abe moves to greet them and brief them on their interview questions as they do makeup and costume fitting. The photoshoot runs smoothly, so does the interview, and when it all ends Koji approaches Abe once again to tell him good job today! and Abe tells Koji the same too.
If Abe’s eyes stray to Koji’s lips as they talk while wrapping up, blame it on his tendency to let his mind wander.)
.
.
.
It’s not unusual for his division to pull a lot of all-nighters, especially if a deadline is hanging above their head, but this time sucks more because Abe has to do it from the office. It’s already that time of the month, the obligatory working from the office session–and it also marks a month since the first time Abe Ryohei met Mukai Koji. After that photoshoot, they talk like two normal colleagues would. If Abe is in the office, something that happens often lately to be honest, they would go for lunch or coffee breaks together. Sometimes just the two of them, sometimes Sakuma (as their mutual friend) also would join. Abe doesn’t remember if he has eaten or not, if he has left his office in hours even, but when a colleague knocks on his door and tells him that someone is bringing coffee for the whole floor, Abe goes out.
Abe is dragging his feet to reach the common area where people are gathering, a bunch of cups of ice americano and iced tea from the nearest coffee shop chain on the table. One of his arms is outstretched to take one of the cups when he hears someone say, “Abe-chan, you look terrible!” Abe turns slowly to where the voice comes from and finds himself face to face with Mukai Koji.
“Oh. Koji, hi.” Abe might be a zombie who lacks sleep, but he never forgets his courtesy. Koji peers at him worriedly as he hands him a cup of hot black coffee, which Abe receives in gratitude. “Thanks.”
The warmth is seeping from the mug to his hands and it makes Abe sigh. He takes a sip of that coffee and sighs again. “Ahh.” Truly a wonder of how much caffeine can do to one’s mind and body. It doesn’t help the filter of Abe’s brain to mouth to function properly, though, as he blurts out: “I could kiss you right now,” with a pale face and dead eyes, black circle hanging on that face.
Koji seems unfazed as he laughs and pats Abe’s back. “Maybe after you sleep enough and finish that deadline?” Abe agrees sluggishly, thanking Koji once again for the coffee, as he drags his feet back to his workspace while clutching that mug for dear life. Koji just watches him go with a fond smile on his lips and a shake of the head. Typical Abe-chan.
(When Abe finally finishes that deadline, he’s suddenly reminded of the blunder he committed because of Sakuma’s bombing of his inbox, so he messages Koji to apologize for that slip of tongue. Koji tells him it’s okay, but Abe is still very embarrassed because of that.)
.
.
.
How they end up in this situation escapes Abe's brain, but he thinks he knows who to blame for one (1) Mukai Koji in the vicinity.
“Abe-chan,” when someone calls him, Abe blinks. He turns around and finds Koji in his smart shirt and brown-colored blazer, looking at him with a gaze full of worry. Abe doesn’t make a move to approach him because Koji did it first–and he pushes a cup of hot tea to Abe's empty hands when they finally stand side by side. “Sakkun told me you haven’t eaten since this morning? What’s wrong?”
Abe purses his lips. He receives the drink on reflex, but he’s kind of at a loss on how to respond to Koji's question. The thanks that almost escapes his lips gets swallowed and left unsaid. “Mn,” Abe shakes his head and tries his best to smile. “Nothing, Koji. Just been… really busy.” He inhales the hot steam that wafts from the cup, the warmth melting his icicles-like fingers. “Thank you. You don’t really have to, though.”
Koji peers at him like a puppy would look at his owner. He purses his lips too, the baby that he is, and nudges Abe's arm lightly. “Don’t say thaaat.” When Koji whines like that, Abe winces a little. He tries to shy away from Koji's reach, but the man is pretty persistent–proven by how fast he is in hugging Abe's arm before looking up at him. “If I don’t bring that for you, will you ever let something enter your stomach at all?”
Abe turns his head away in shame. Koji tuts, reproachful.
“Abe-chan.”
“In my defense,” Abe starts, but when he meets Koji's big, brown eyes he just can’t finish the sentence he’s trying to form in his brain. Like when he sees Koji’s gaze full of concern pinned on him, Abe just… just… finds his tongue in knots, brain freezing as the result of hunger and his heart palpitating way too fast to be normal. He almost thinks he might be dying, or that it’s just the overwork getting to him, but Abe feels Koji’s warm, reassuring arm linked with his and knows, instinctively, that it’s not like that.
But he doesn’t know how to say that without blurting out the L-word to Koji, so Abe shuts his mouth. Abe pouts sullenly, head hanging low, and tries to distract himself from the man clinging to him.
“Don’t do that,” Koji complains suddenly, a pout forming on his lips too. “You make me want to kiss you.”
Abe blinks. Surprised, shocked, all the words in the dictionary can’t define what Abe feels right now. That's why he let his heart take control of his mouth and let his brain take a seat to say: “So do it,” the words running from his mouth just like that. “Kiss me.” Call it impulse, call it sudden–but for Abe, this is a long time coming. This is the accumulation of all the times he wanted to kiss Koji, to feel that smile pressed to his lips, to let himself finally fall.
Koji looks at him with those big, brown eyes. He's no longer pouting because his mouth is making an o shape now–like the little fool he is. Abe laughs, a little wet from the saliva in his mouth, before he frees one of his hands (so he only holds the cup of tea with one) and reaches out to take Koji’s hand in his. Their hands are the same size. (It feels right to hold.) Abe pulls Koji closer to him, until the distance between them is just a breath away–until their noses and foreheads almost touch. He whispers to Koji's lips.
“Kiss me, Koji.”
Koji's eyes zero in on his lips. Abe knows because he’s still looking at Koji's face.
“Can I really, Abe-chan?”
He's so endearing like this. Abe kind of wants to melt. So he nods, trying his best to be encouraging and not pushing too hard. Their fingers now intertwined because Koji let his hand hold Abe's tighter. When their lips finally meet, there is nothing spectacular that happens. The shoujo manga Sakuma reads to him dictates that when we first kiss our beloved, there would be fireworks bursting behind our eyelids–or the whole garden of flowers blooming inside our ribcage, take your pick. For his case, Abe doesn’t find colorful gunpowder or a whole lot of pollen.
Koji kisses him and Abe feels warmth, like liquid gold, melting him with adoration.
.
.
.
This is not the first time Koji went to Abe's apartment, but tonight might be special because he will be staying the night. During the course of their relationship, most of the time they spent together not in the office (or café and konbini near their office) is spent in Koji's apartment. Koji thinks Abe will avoid inviting him to sleep over until he deems himself ready, but the opportunity actually comes when Abe was asked to go to South Korea for a leisure tourism report. During break, Abe buys Koji a slice of orange mille-feuille and a cup of iced latte before asking him, “Will you help me pack for my trip…” he pauses, lips bitten worryingly, “...and spend the night with me, Koji?”
Who is Koji to reject his boyfriend’s invitation?
And so, here he is: in Abe's apartment, wearing Abe's shirt, trying to peer down to look at Abe's suitcase with a note app open on his phone as the man himself is trying to put things into it. They already went through clothes and toiletries. They also already figured out how to stuff a pair of spare shoes and a few packs of instant ramen there. They are just trying to check if the items in Koji’s checklist are already packed or not when Koji gasps and turns his head so dramatically to face Abe.
“You forgot something, Abe-chan!”
“Eh?” Abe tilts his head. He kneels down next to his suitcase and starts rummaging again. “Did I really? What did I forget…”
How Abe's nose scrunches, how his lips jut out, and his narrowed eyes are so adorable… His thinking face is so cute. Koji tries to muffle his giggle. He fails, in the end, but he collapses next to Abe and follows suit–kneeling next to his boyfriend and plants a peck to Abe's lips. Abe blinks, uncomprehending, as Koji erupts to a full blown chuckle. Abe stares at Koji blankly, like he has no idea on what’s just happened, before realization dawns on him and his face reddens in record speed.
“Wh, what the hell, Koji!!” Abe whines, shy and flabbergasted. Koji is still giggling, but he tries his best to get a hold of Abe's face and cup those cheeks in his palms. Abe's face is so warm. The hue of red on his face suits Abe-chan so well. Abe is so lovely that Koji doesn’t really resist the urge to kiss him once again. Just a brief brush of lips. Koji doesn’t miss Abe's panicked “Hey!” and that makes him giggle. Again.
“What you’re missing is my blessing and love, Abe-chan.” Koji whispers to Abe's lips, watching as his boyfriend breathes slowly. He lets their forehead touch for a few seconds before pulling back and continuing with, “Wishing you a safe journey. Come back quickly,” he says, feeling all sappy and mushy and soft. It's a mix of dramatization and hyperbole when Koji tells Abe, “I'll miss you.” but it still rings true.
“I haven't even gone yet…”
“Still.”
“It's just gonna be a week…”
“I'm still gonna miss you.”
Abe stares at him then. Tender and so, so lovely. Koji feels warm all over. The way Abe is looking at him makes Koji squirm. (In anticipation, in giddiness.) Abe laughs, then, a windchime of sound. Despite his protests earlier, he still leans down and steals a peck on Koji's lips. “I'll miss you too, Koji.” he whispers. And who is Koji but a weak, weak man for his beloved boyfriend? Even the way Abe's face scrunches and how it makes his eyes smile too manages to make Koji's heart go thump! inside his chest.
“But I really didn’t forget anything, right?” he asks, head tilting like a puppy, and Koji is just so endeared by that.
“I'll be glad to tell you no,” Koji says, face now solemn. He nods seriously and sees Abe grins, satisfied and bright, and can’t help but mirror that grin. “Now we close this suitcase and go to sleep, yeah? Tomorrow’s gonna be a long day.”
“Mm,” Abe agrees with him and helps Koji up, holding each other as they stand up on unsteady legs. “Let's go to sleep, then.”
“Together?” Koji asks, teasing. Abe swats and glares at him, with a smile almost threatening to make his angry expression crumble. “Of course! But just to sleep!”
Pairings: Abe Ryohei/Mukai Koji (Snow Man)
Genres: Romance, Slice of Life. Office AU.
Rating: T
Summary: Abe Ryohei doesn’t think office romance is for him or that he will be involved in one, but Mukai Koji proves him that nothing is impossible. (Or, the almost-kisses and kisses that were shared between Abe-chan and Koji.)
Warnings: Cliché, a la romcom. A lot of cheese, so beware.
Author's notes: I mostly based how they work at the magazine from a friend’s experience… I did my research too, but it might not be accurate enough. Sorry for that! I hope you can look upon this kindly >_< Thank you, mods of
snow_exchange for hosting this! Thank you too, Beta-san, for proofing my work <3 And for the dearest recipient, I hope you'll like it!The first time Abe Ryohei meets Mukai Koji, it plays like a cliché.
It’s 7.58 A.M and Abe clutches a cup of hot tea as he walks out of a lift. It’s truly a miracle that his recyclable paper cup is still intact when he gets off on the low-numbered floor, since the lift he got on was so packed, but it might be Abe’s luck that he managed to get in the lift when it was still quite empty. (His office building ran up to the 41st floor and he truly cannot imagine the nightmare of riding a lift full of people until the very top.) His own stellar attendance record is also at stake, to be honest, but Abe’s priority lies in being safe and sound until he reaches his floor. And he achieved that this morning, so he feels kind of good.
His hurried pace slows down to a trot as Abe checks his belongings again. Lanyard still hanging nicely on his neck, laptop bag secured, tea still smoking hot. Abe nods satisfied . Though, as he walks further into his floor, Abe notes the silence that envelops him. It’s not that strange, honestly, as his department gets flexible working hours, and they don’t always necessarily need to be at site, but today is Abe’s turn to show his face and do his work non-remotely so he prefers to do it as early as possible. So he doesn’t really pay attention to his surroundings as he walks forward to his cubicle, and doesn’t really expect to get bumped from the back by someone.
“Hey, buddy! What about–eh!!”
The force of the impact makes Abe stumble and his grip on the mug loosens. He winces as he feels the mug slipping, ready to fall and splash on him, but two arms wrap around him so suddenly that Abe’s heart feels like it stopped for a second. A hand breaks the motion of his cup so it doesn't fall and someone back hugs him. Abe doesn’t really know what to feel or what to think, his head is a mess because of the sudden situation, but he still tries to get his bearings and turns his head, trying to say, “Thanks… but can you…” but the sentence gets broken again because he only realized at that moment that there’s a face. So close to him. He doesn’t recognize its owner either. A hot breath touches his cheek.
It almost seems like they will kiss if Abe turns his head a little more. (Or if this stranger leans forward a little more.)
“Ehhh!!”
They spring apart as the scream echoes on the walls, Abe red-faced and flustered. He tries to catch his breath and calms down his speeding heart as the stranger (probably) does the same. The silence that fills the space between them breaks with a cough. Abe blinks and sees a young man in front of him: sheepish smile, sharp jaw and pointed nose, but his gaze is kind as their eyes meet. He’s wearing a smart office fit with a blazer outside a shirt and regular cut jeans. His arm is outstretched, Abe’s cup of hot tea is being held by him. Abe reaches out and takes it from him, peeking at the man to see that his smile is changing to a bright one already.
“Sorry,” he says, black hair swept back by his fingers as he bows. Abe bows back. “I thought you’re my friend.”
“It’s okay,” Abe says as kindly as he can. He smiles as he straightens up his back and tries to not fidget. “Just… be careful next time?” A tentative smile blooms on his lips. “And… thank you for saving my tea.”
The man beams so brightly Abe almost wants to wear sunglasses to avoid it. “No problem!! That’s the least thing I could do, really.”
He seems eager, almost like a puppy fishing for praise, and Abe is taken aback by how much he wants to ruffle that hair and compliments him. It’s so sudden that Abe just swallows his saliva and nods, booking it off with an okay then, see you around! as he speed-walks to his workspace at the room on the edge of this floor. Abe almost slams his cup to his table, and then sits around blankly for a few minutes trying to recoup from that accident before pulling himself together and starts to, finally, do his work.
(Abe later learns from Sakuma that the man he bumped into that morning is named Mukai Koji, the new creative team member who is in-charge of design and creating content for their magazine’s social media. It’s been weeks since he started working, Sakuma says, but apparently Abe did too much work remotely that he didn't really meet Mukai until just now. Abe notes that in his heart.
Maybe, if he meets Mukai again, Abe will try to strike a conversation. Or buy him something. Yeah, that sounds plausible.)
.
.
Abe Ryohei meets Mukai Koji again at the studio on the eleventh floor.
It’s been weeks since their first meeting because Abe doesn’t really see Mukai around. Maybe their work doesn’t really intersect. Maybe Abe also doesn’t really try to find Mukai. (Or… can it be that Mukai deliberately avoids him? Their first meeting was embarrassing, for sure. That’s also why Abe doesn’t try to reach out to Mukai out of his own volition. Sakuma keeps him updated, though, because apparently they’re working on the same projects.) But there is a photoshoot where Abe is apparently tasked to interview the star, so he drags his feet there with his trusted recorder and little note.
The studio is, of course, bustling. There’s so many people there and so many things happening that Abe feels kind of dizzy. Abe finds a corner to stand in and leans to the wall as he watches the staff prepare for the photoshoot–from the backdrop, to the lighting, to the camera setting. Color him surprised when Abe finds that the one who is actually in-charge of this photoshoot is the man who is on his mind lately, Mukai Koji himself. Abe observes how Mukai is so focused while arranging the staff on how he wants the prop to be set up, how much lighting they should use, and what kind of backdrop to put.
Abe watches in silence until Mukai suddenly turns around and their eyes meet. Abe smiles as he sees several expressions flit on Mukai’s face (surprise being one of them) until he settles on a smile too. Mukai excuses himself to the staff he’s talking to and starts approaching him. Abe stays still, waiting until Mukai finally stands in front of him. When he does, Abe smiles until his cheeks bunched up.
“Hi,” he greets, gentle as always. “Fancy seeing you here.”
Mukai giggles. “Hello to you too,” he winks, which makes Abe smile a little wider. “I didn’t know you'd be here?”
Abe holds up his note and recorder and waves them in front of Mukai. “Your interviewer on site, Mr. Supervisor.”
Mukai stares at him unblinkingly for a few seconds before the dots connect on his brain and he lights up as he claps. “So you’re Abe Ryohei-san!”
“At your service.” Abe does a little curtsy that makes Mukai giggle again. “Mukai Koji-san.”
“Ah, don’t call me like that!” Mukai swats at his arm, almost making Abe wince. “That sounds so formal. Just call me Koji.”
He peers at the man in front of him. Mukai’s smile is genuine and bright, making Abe almost feel bad to reject that kindness to him. “Is it really okay?” he asks, lower lip bitten worryingly. Koji assures him with a pat on his arm and a nod so eager Abe almost wants to ask him to stop moving. “In turn,” Koji says, a little sly and a bit shy. “Can I call you Abe-chan?”
Abe blinks, surprised. “Eh?”
“Sakuma calls you that all the time! In my head you’re already Abe-chan, but I feel like I cannot call you that without your permission, you feel?” Abe nods, kind of flabbergasted. Mukai stares at him with something like puppy eyes and Abe feels like running away. “Can I?”
“O… okay?” Abe doesn’t really see the merit of rejecting it because most people call him that anyway. It just feels novel that someone asks for his permission to do it. “I’ll be in your care then, Koji.”
“Me too!” Koji beams, reaches out to hold Abe’s hand and does a handshake with him. “I’ll be in your care too, Abe-chan!”
(Not a minute later, Koji is called away by another staff member to do another round of checking. They separate that way, with Koji waving at him as he walks back. The main star of this photoshoot then arrives in all their celebrity glory, so Abe moves to greet them and brief them on their interview questions as they do makeup and costume fitting. The photoshoot runs smoothly, so does the interview, and when it all ends Koji approaches Abe once again to tell him good job today! and Abe tells Koji the same too.
If Abe’s eyes stray to Koji’s lips as they talk while wrapping up, blame it on his tendency to let his mind wander.)
.
.
It’s not unusual for his division to pull a lot of all-nighters, especially if a deadline is hanging above their head, but this time sucks more because Abe has to do it from the office. It’s already that time of the month, the obligatory working from the office session–and it also marks a month since the first time Abe Ryohei met Mukai Koji. After that photoshoot, they talk like two normal colleagues would. If Abe is in the office, something that happens often lately to be honest, they would go for lunch or coffee breaks together. Sometimes just the two of them, sometimes Sakuma (as their mutual friend) also would join. Abe doesn’t remember if he has eaten or not, if he has left his office in hours even, but when a colleague knocks on his door and tells him that someone is bringing coffee for the whole floor, Abe goes out.
Abe is dragging his feet to reach the common area where people are gathering, a bunch of cups of ice americano and iced tea from the nearest coffee shop chain on the table. One of his arms is outstretched to take one of the cups when he hears someone say, “Abe-chan, you look terrible!” Abe turns slowly to where the voice comes from and finds himself face to face with Mukai Koji.
“Oh. Koji, hi.” Abe might be a zombie who lacks sleep, but he never forgets his courtesy. Koji peers at him worriedly as he hands him a cup of hot black coffee, which Abe receives in gratitude. “Thanks.”
The warmth is seeping from the mug to his hands and it makes Abe sigh. He takes a sip of that coffee and sighs again. “Ahh.” Truly a wonder of how much caffeine can do to one’s mind and body. It doesn’t help the filter of Abe’s brain to mouth to function properly, though, as he blurts out: “I could kiss you right now,” with a pale face and dead eyes, black circle hanging on that face.
Koji seems unfazed as he laughs and pats Abe’s back. “Maybe after you sleep enough and finish that deadline?” Abe agrees sluggishly, thanking Koji once again for the coffee, as he drags his feet back to his workspace while clutching that mug for dear life. Koji just watches him go with a fond smile on his lips and a shake of the head. Typical Abe-chan.
(When Abe finally finishes that deadline, he’s suddenly reminded of the blunder he committed because of Sakuma’s bombing of his inbox, so he messages Koji to apologize for that slip of tongue. Koji tells him it’s okay, but Abe is still very embarrassed because of that.)
.
.
How they end up in this situation escapes Abe's brain, but he thinks he knows who to blame for one (1) Mukai Koji in the vicinity.
“Abe-chan,” when someone calls him, Abe blinks. He turns around and finds Koji in his smart shirt and brown-colored blazer, looking at him with a gaze full of worry. Abe doesn’t make a move to approach him because Koji did it first–and he pushes a cup of hot tea to Abe's empty hands when they finally stand side by side. “Sakkun told me you haven’t eaten since this morning? What’s wrong?”
Abe purses his lips. He receives the drink on reflex, but he’s kind of at a loss on how to respond to Koji's question. The thanks that almost escapes his lips gets swallowed and left unsaid. “Mn,” Abe shakes his head and tries his best to smile. “Nothing, Koji. Just been… really busy.” He inhales the hot steam that wafts from the cup, the warmth melting his icicles-like fingers. “Thank you. You don’t really have to, though.”
Koji peers at him like a puppy would look at his owner. He purses his lips too, the baby that he is, and nudges Abe's arm lightly. “Don’t say thaaat.” When Koji whines like that, Abe winces a little. He tries to shy away from Koji's reach, but the man is pretty persistent–proven by how fast he is in hugging Abe's arm before looking up at him. “If I don’t bring that for you, will you ever let something enter your stomach at all?”
Abe turns his head away in shame. Koji tuts, reproachful.
“Abe-chan.”
“In my defense,” Abe starts, but when he meets Koji's big, brown eyes he just can’t finish the sentence he’s trying to form in his brain. Like when he sees Koji’s gaze full of concern pinned on him, Abe just… just… finds his tongue in knots, brain freezing as the result of hunger and his heart palpitating way too fast to be normal. He almost thinks he might be dying, or that it’s just the overwork getting to him, but Abe feels Koji’s warm, reassuring arm linked with his and knows, instinctively, that it’s not like that.
But he doesn’t know how to say that without blurting out the L-word to Koji, so Abe shuts his mouth. Abe pouts sullenly, head hanging low, and tries to distract himself from the man clinging to him.
“Don’t do that,” Koji complains suddenly, a pout forming on his lips too. “You make me want to kiss you.”
Abe blinks. Surprised, shocked, all the words in the dictionary can’t define what Abe feels right now. That's why he let his heart take control of his mouth and let his brain take a seat to say: “So do it,” the words running from his mouth just like that. “Kiss me.” Call it impulse, call it sudden–but for Abe, this is a long time coming. This is the accumulation of all the times he wanted to kiss Koji, to feel that smile pressed to his lips, to let himself finally fall.
Koji looks at him with those big, brown eyes. He's no longer pouting because his mouth is making an o shape now–like the little fool he is. Abe laughs, a little wet from the saliva in his mouth, before he frees one of his hands (so he only holds the cup of tea with one) and reaches out to take Koji’s hand in his. Their hands are the same size. (It feels right to hold.) Abe pulls Koji closer to him, until the distance between them is just a breath away–until their noses and foreheads almost touch. He whispers to Koji's lips.
“Kiss me, Koji.”
Koji's eyes zero in on his lips. Abe knows because he’s still looking at Koji's face.
“Can I really, Abe-chan?”
He's so endearing like this. Abe kind of wants to melt. So he nods, trying his best to be encouraging and not pushing too hard. Their fingers now intertwined because Koji let his hand hold Abe's tighter. When their lips finally meet, there is nothing spectacular that happens. The shoujo manga Sakuma reads to him dictates that when we first kiss our beloved, there would be fireworks bursting behind our eyelids–or the whole garden of flowers blooming inside our ribcage, take your pick. For his case, Abe doesn’t find colorful gunpowder or a whole lot of pollen.
Koji kisses him and Abe feels warmth, like liquid gold, melting him with adoration.
.
.
This is not the first time Koji went to Abe's apartment, but tonight might be special because he will be staying the night. During the course of their relationship, most of the time they spent together not in the office (or café and konbini near their office) is spent in Koji's apartment. Koji thinks Abe will avoid inviting him to sleep over until he deems himself ready, but the opportunity actually comes when Abe was asked to go to South Korea for a leisure tourism report. During break, Abe buys Koji a slice of orange mille-feuille and a cup of iced latte before asking him, “Will you help me pack for my trip…” he pauses, lips bitten worryingly, “...and spend the night with me, Koji?”
Who is Koji to reject his boyfriend’s invitation?
And so, here he is: in Abe's apartment, wearing Abe's shirt, trying to peer down to look at Abe's suitcase with a note app open on his phone as the man himself is trying to put things into it. They already went through clothes and toiletries. They also already figured out how to stuff a pair of spare shoes and a few packs of instant ramen there. They are just trying to check if the items in Koji’s checklist are already packed or not when Koji gasps and turns his head so dramatically to face Abe.
“You forgot something, Abe-chan!”
“Eh?” Abe tilts his head. He kneels down next to his suitcase and starts rummaging again. “Did I really? What did I forget…”
How Abe's nose scrunches, how his lips jut out, and his narrowed eyes are so adorable… His thinking face is so cute. Koji tries to muffle his giggle. He fails, in the end, but he collapses next to Abe and follows suit–kneeling next to his boyfriend and plants a peck to Abe's lips. Abe blinks, uncomprehending, as Koji erupts to a full blown chuckle. Abe stares at Koji blankly, like he has no idea on what’s just happened, before realization dawns on him and his face reddens in record speed.
“Wh, what the hell, Koji!!” Abe whines, shy and flabbergasted. Koji is still giggling, but he tries his best to get a hold of Abe's face and cup those cheeks in his palms. Abe's face is so warm. The hue of red on his face suits Abe-chan so well. Abe is so lovely that Koji doesn’t really resist the urge to kiss him once again. Just a brief brush of lips. Koji doesn’t miss Abe's panicked “Hey!” and that makes him giggle. Again.
“What you’re missing is my blessing and love, Abe-chan.” Koji whispers to Abe's lips, watching as his boyfriend breathes slowly. He lets their forehead touch for a few seconds before pulling back and continuing with, “Wishing you a safe journey. Come back quickly,” he says, feeling all sappy and mushy and soft. It's a mix of dramatization and hyperbole when Koji tells Abe, “I'll miss you.” but it still rings true.
“I haven't even gone yet…”
“Still.”
“It's just gonna be a week…”
“I'm still gonna miss you.”
Abe stares at him then. Tender and so, so lovely. Koji feels warm all over. The way Abe is looking at him makes Koji squirm. (In anticipation, in giddiness.) Abe laughs, then, a windchime of sound. Despite his protests earlier, he still leans down and steals a peck on Koji's lips. “I'll miss you too, Koji.” he whispers. And who is Koji but a weak, weak man for his beloved boyfriend? Even the way Abe's face scrunches and how it makes his eyes smile too manages to make Koji's heart go thump! inside his chest.
“But I really didn’t forget anything, right?” he asks, head tilting like a puppy, and Koji is just so endeared by that.
“I'll be glad to tell you no,” Koji says, face now solemn. He nods seriously and sees Abe grins, satisfied and bright, and can’t help but mirror that grin. “Now we close this suitcase and go to sleep, yeah? Tomorrow’s gonna be a long day.”
“Mm,” Abe agrees with him and helps Koji up, holding each other as they stand up on unsteady legs. “Let's go to sleep, then.”
“Together?” Koji asks, teasing. Abe swats and glares at him, with a smile almost threatening to make his angry expression crumble. “Of course! But just to sleep!”
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Date: 2022-09-05 04:03 pm (UTC)And back. OMG this is so sweet and my heart. I love how Abe just falls instantly but in the most Abe way. And Koji just being there, happy to see him when they meet again it just so, so sweet. ♥ I love everything about this! But also sleep deprived Abe, the most Abe of moves lol So, so good.
Thank you my dearest author for writing this for me, I enjoyed it very much!
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Date: 2022-09-06 11:49 am (UTC)no subject
Date: 2022-09-06 12:49 pm (UTC)And then that “You make me want to kiss you.” , “So, do it.” THAT SENT ME 📈📈📈📈
And the ending/epilogue? Loved seeing Koji's pov. Of course he had to tease Abe-chan to get that kiss heheh. How lovely they are, during this fluff moment 🥺
Really a "healing" fic, dear author!! 🥰