Chapter Text
Christmas.
He couldn't say he'd ever really liked the holiday in all honesty…well maybe it wasn't the holiday itself , but rather the customs people attached to it which made him hate all of humanity.
Okay. That might be a bit strong.
There were a few people who he didn't hate after all, his friends, his parents…but generally, he didn't do Christmas.
That's why he was always on the rota to cover at work over the holiday period. Usually it was just him and whichever unlucky bastard had drawn the short straw. It was never anyone interesting but Yami didn't mind at all.
He'd much rather sit in silence than have to make half-hearted conversation with one of his co-workers.
Today was the day he'd likely find out who would be spending the week with him… he wondered who it would be this time, who had been unlucky enough to not get their holiday request approved.
Who would he have to sit in silence with this year-
"Atem Sennen." Jou said as he took a seat next to him in their usual lunch spot.
Yami frowned at his friend, waiting for him to elaborate on whatever he'd just said but he didn't. He only opened his bag and pulled his lunch out, as if he hadn't even said anything at all.
"What?" He asked.
"Not what ." Jou said with a smile. " Who. "
That really didn't help.
"Sorry." He scoffed, looking back down at his plate, pushing the food around with his fork. His office might be nice, but the food served in the canteen needed work. "Who?"
"The guy who'll be working over the holidays with you." Jou said. "I see him pretty regularly. Nice guy."
Ah.
"Hmm." He tried to think back, to work out if he’d been introduced to anyone with that name but he couldn’t put a face to the name at all…didn’t even recall ever speaking to someone called Atem. "Can't say I've ever spoken to him."
“He’s in sales,” Jou told him. “But in my team, not yours. That’s probably why you’ve never met him properly but I’m sure you’ve spoken to him without realising.”
Oh, so they didn’t work in the same office, but even if they did, Yami had the habit of sitting in the quietest spot possible, preferably facing the window, with no seat next to him, so no one really spoke to him unless they needed to, and that suited him just fine.
Though, he did recall seeing that name now Jou had mentioned it. He remembered having to help out with a different project a few months back when one of the accountants from Jou’s team was on sick leave.
Atem was starting to sound familiar.
“I think I’ve seen his name on a few emails but yeah, I haven’t actually spoken to him.” Yami said.
"Well I think you're gonna like him." Jou said happily between mouthfuls of food. "He seems like your type." Yami raised an eyebrow at his friend. "Of person." Jou added with a laugh.
"We'll see, I guess." He said with another shrug, returning to his own lunch.
Jou had been trying to set him up with someone since he’d ended his last relationship, he was convinced Yami was lonely but the truth was he felt far from it. He enjoyed having his own space, being able to do as he pleased, and whilst he wouldn’t go out of his way to avoid an opportunity to date again should one present itself, he wasn’t exactly actively looking for a relationship right now.
He figured that if it was meant to happen it would, and he had no hand in fate and where it decided to lead him.
He wondered why Jou thought Atem was his type though.
There must be something about him Yami would like, either in looks or personality…although he never let himself get hung up on looks alone. He’d rather get to know someone, to have a deeper connection with them.
“You’re thinking about it aren’t you?” Jou asked smugly.
“What? No.” He scoffed.
“You’re trying too hard again.” His friend said, laughing as he patted him on the back. “Give me more credit Yami.”
He rolled his eyes and dropped his fork onto his now empty plate.
“Sure.” He said with a laugh as he stood up.
“Oh don’t be like that.” Jou teased, still laughing quietly.
“I’ll see you after work.” Yami said, collecting his plate and walking away from the table to leave it with the others that needed washing.
………..
Once he returned to his desk he found himself searching his emails for Atems name, curiosity winning out over irritation briefly. Jou was right, he had exchanged quite a few emails with Atem. Just short ones, but still…
Although he’d never met him, Atem had seemed nice through their communications, he was always patient and very easy to work with.
He found himself paying more attention to the people who walked through his office from that point on.
Every time he saw someone he didn’t recognise he’d wonder if that was Atem…but he never said anything to anyone. He figured he’d just have to wait and see who turned up in two weeks time.
He rubbed his eyes as he slowly stirred his coffee. Standing in the tiny kitchen with only one small window for a few moments was the only break he could get from his screen on a busy day so he’d take his time. It had been such a long day already and it was only just after lunch. He’d never understand how he could be so busy yet it felt like time was moving so slowly.
Accountancy might not have been his first career of choice, but it paid the bills and he found the work easy enough. As a bonus, he very rarely had to talk to customers, which suited him perfectly.
The downside of the job were days like these, where he felt like he barely had time to take a breath, when his boss was breathing down his neck and demanding things be done quicker, better, more efficiently…
He sighed and finished up making his drink, slowly walking back to his desk in the corner.
At least he had a good view over the city from here. It gave him something to look at whilst he tried to avoid his responsibilities, and the view really was great.
In the winter he got to watch the sun slowly setting, to see it sink gradually below the horizon and disappear over the sea. That was one thing he could look forward to, he guessed.
He opened his latest email and sighed again. He closed his eyes for a moment and took a deep breath, holding back a frustrated groan. This wasn’t the first time he’d had to reconsider a whole section of a report but it still irritated him when it happened. His boss had it out for him, he could swear it.
“Yami!”
His eyes snapped open when he heard Jous' voice beside him. He wondered what he wanted now, probably to bother him some more about what was said at lunch.
He hummed in acknowledgement, not looking away from the screen in front of him.
“Don’t be like that.” Jou laughed, patting his shoulder harder than necessary. “I have someone you have to meet.”
He held back another sigh and decided to humour his friend, he’d take a distraction from his work any time after all.
“Yeah?” He asked, pushing his chair away from the desk and turning it to face Jou. When his eyes fell on the man standing next to his friend all frustration left his mind.
If he ever looked back at this moment, Yami would say the first thing he noticed about the man were his eyes…but he’d be lying. In reality, and due to his seated position, the first thing his eyes fell on was the general area of his torso, but he found his eyes drawn specifically the strong looking biceps barely contained by a fitted white shirt.
A thin white shirt, which a colourful tattoo could be seen through.
His eyes found the man's face a few seconds later after trailing slowly up a slim neck, a snug gold band which shone against smooth brown skin, delicate gold chains hanging from studs set in each lobe, several cuffs hugging the shell of his ears.
Deep purple coloured hair was scraped back into a messy bun, bleach blonde wavy bangs framed his face.
Yamis breath caught in his throat for a moment.
He was certain he’d be seeing that face again in his dreams. Full lips curved upwards in a warm smile which Yami couldn’t help but return, deep red eyes drew him in, captivated him in a way he didn’t think possible.
“Yami, this is Atem.” Jou said. “I thought I’d make sure you two knew who each other were before you have to work the whole holiday season together.”
Fuck.
Atem, from sales.
Atem who he was going to be spending all of the holiday season working with.
Atem who was surprisingly hot and was going to make it so difficult for Yami to get any work done at all.
He didn’t think he could speak. Thankfully, he didn’t have to.
Atem stepped forward, holding a hand out to him with another warm smile.
“It’s nice to meet you Yami.” Atem said smoothly, his voice did nothing to ease the nervous fluttering of his heart. “I can finally put a face to a name.”
He moved to take Atems hand, standing up as he did.
“Um, yeah.” He said with a nervous laugh. “It’s nice to meet you too.”
Atems hand was so warm, his skin was just as soft as it looked and for the briefest of moments, he considered not letting go at all, but instead pulling Atem closer to him… luckily Atem released his hand before he could do something stupid.
He felt like he should say something else, but he couldn’t think of anything to say at all. His mind had gone completely blank and he felt like all he could do was stare at Atem. It seemed like Atem wanted to stare back.
They held each other's gaze, he could have been anywhere at that moment standing there and looking into those gorgeous eyes. Atem gave him another smile which made his heart beat faster and he was lost.
“Well, we have to go but I just wanted you guys to meet.” Jou said.
Atem seemed to realise Jou was still standing next to him and he laughed softly, nodding before he stepped back and then he was walking away and Yami was still staring after him.
“Told you.” Jou whispered before hurrying after Atem.
He shook his head, laughing quietly at himself before turning and sitting back down at his desk again. He was being ridiculous. What was he, sixteen?
No, he was an adult and he shouldn’t be feeling so strange after only sharing a few minutes with a complete stranger. He shook his head again and tried to focus on his work once more but he couldn’t help thinking about how Atem was definitely not what he expected at all.
Maybe spending a week with him wouldn’t be that much of a task after all…
………..
Atem had spoken to him a handful of times over the next week after he'd introduced himself, he’d asked Yami small questions like what his job entailed, commented that he wished he had the patience to do what Yami did and then he'd walked away.
They only seemed to speak for a few minutes at a time, usually in the small kitchenette which served the whole floor and connected the offices of both teams.
Every time Yami went to make himself a coffee he'd find Atem either just leaving or in the middle of making a drink for himself.
That morning was no different.
"You know, if we keep meeting like this, people are going to talk." Yami said as he walked into the small room behind Atem.
Atem laughed and the sound was surprisingly genuine. So much so that it made Yami's heart beat a little faster, and that didn't surprise him as much as it should.
"You say that like it's a bad thing." Atem teased.
Yami very rarely found himself lost for words, but at that moment he wasn't sure what would be the right thing to say…how much could he say without crossing a line?
He didn't even know Atem yet.
Instead he laughed, leaning past Atem to grab a mug from the shelf. The small space gave him a great excuse to get a little closer to the other man who always seemed to smell so nice, dress so well and look…wait.
Did he just catch a blush on Atems cheeks, did they suddenly get a little closer? Did Atem lean into him on purpose?
He wished he had the courage to say something more…say anything else to Atem but he couldn't think of a single thing to say. Not when Atem was looking at him so softly and they were standing close enough that Yami could feel his warm breath against his own lips.
Atem was the first to break the connection between them, his eyes dropped to the side, then he cleared his throat awkwardly.
"I'll…just get out of your way." Atem said quietly as he quickly grabbed his mug and hurried out of the kitchen.
Yami sighed as he placed his own mug on the counter. He hated to admit that Joey may have been right, Atem was most definitely his type.
………….
Two days remained before everyone would finish for the holidays, and he wouldn't see anyone but Atem for a whole week.
He was looking forward to it, looking forward to more than brief conversations in the kitchen and passing each other quickly in the hall.
Through the holiday period since the majority of the staff would be at home, the company requested that the staff who were working only used one office, and that was usually the one Yami spent all his time in. It wouldn’t be busy though by any means, there’d be ten people max in there at any one time, and the office was large enough for them to spread out.
Maybe he actually wouldn't mind sitting next to Atem while they worked though, they could talk a little more if Atem felt like it too. He'd like that.
He'd love to find out more about Atem.
Jou had told him that Atem had ended up taking someone else's place to work over the holidays, and that surprised him. He hadn’t come across someone else yet who would willingly work over christmas.
Maybe he’d ask Atem how he ended up working the week no one ever wanted to work. Perhaps he’d even work up the confidence to ask him what tattoos he had without seeming strange for noticing the one on his arm.
There were so many things he’d like to ask Atem, and he was hoping a week would be enough time to get to know him a little better. He tried not to get too ahead of himself though, although Atem had been okay with how close they’d got in the kitchen that morning, he might just be one of those people who don’t mind being close to others.
But the blush on his cheeks said it was more than that… he shook his head as he pushed open the door to his office. He couldn’t let his mind run away with him. He didn’t even know Atem.
He dumped his bag and jacket on a chair, then set off to the kitchen to make himself a coffee. He needed caffeine. Somewhere at the beginning of the week he’d agreed with his boss that starting earlier was a great idea for him.
He regretted that decision so much now.
He felt like he was hardly awake having to get there a full hour before he usually did. Luckily he knew his way around the small space well enough that he didn’t have to think about making his drink too much.
The door to the kitchen opened again and he silently prayed that whoever had come in didn’t want to talk to him because he wasn’t sure he was with it enough just yet to form full sentences.
“Good morning.”
Yami smiled when he heard Atems surprised voice behind him. Okay, he didn’t mind having to speak to Atem this early.
He began to turn to face him, intending to return the greeting but a hand was placed gently against the small of his back stopping him mid-turn, then Atem was leaning around him to grab another mug and he suddenly couldn’t speak.
Their faces were so close together he didn’t dare breathe for a moment. This was just like that moment they’d shared a week ago, only so much… more .
The hand against his back burned, he could feel the heat of Atems touch even through his hoody and shirt and he couldn’t help but lean into it, couldn’t help wanting more than just this.
His tongue flicked out to wet his lips and he swallowed hard, trying to force himself to say something. Anything. Nothing came to mind though.
Atem smiled at him in the same way he had when they’d first met, his eyes were so warm and Yami wanted to lose himself in them…but they were at work. They were in the office, someone could walk in at any moment…
But god he wanted to move just that bit closer. To take that leap…
The hand on his back slid away, Atem stepped back and the warmth he felt from that touch spread to his cheeks. He looked down into his drink quickly, clearing his throat in an attempt to distract himself.
“Morning.” He managed with a weak voice, turning to the fridge only to find Atem holding the milk out to him with another warm smile. “Oh, thanks.”
“You’re here early.” Atem said as he handed over the carton.
Yami laughed as he turned back to his mug.
“Yeah, I have a lot on my plate at the moment.” He said with a shrug.
“Oh, I’m sorry.” Atem said softly. “Can I help with anything?”
“Not unless you know a way to make my boss like me.” He said.
“I’m not sure your boss likes anyone.” Atem laughed as he placed his mug on the counter, standing close to Yami as he began to make his own drink.
“Oh no.” He laughed, “I think he likes himself.”
Atem hummed. “You’re right.”
Yami had finished making his drink, he really had no other reason to stay there with Atem, and it seemed their conversation had ended but he really wanted to stay there a little longer, to just spend a little more time with Atem…
“If it would help for you to have someone to bounce ideas off, let me know.” Atem said, turning to face him with a smile. “I definitely don’t understand your work, but I’ll happily listen to you and try to help if I can.”
He smiled and nodded, leaning against the counter behind him just as Atem was doing.
“You’re going to regret that offer.” Yami said. Atem laughed.
“Well I’d hate to think you were struggling…” Atem looked down at the floor for a moment then back up at him. “I mean, we have all week together next week, I have a few things I need to do but they won’t take up all of my time so I’m there for you as much as you need me.”
Oh, I need you.
That thought almost had him choking on the breath he tried to take and his cheeks heating. He pushed himself away from the counter, grabbing his cup and trying not to look back at Atem too much in case his blush was obvious.
“Thanks.” He said awkwardly, opening the door and pausing before he left, sparing Atem a glance and seeing the other looking confused at his sudden movement. “I’ll… yeah, I’ll let you know.”
Yami made his way back to his desk quickly, trying to talk himself down. Why did he have to be so awkward about everything? Why couldn’t he just be normal about things? It wasn’t like he hadn’t found anyone attractive before, and he’d never felt this…obsessed?
No, that wasn’t the right word… Intrigued? Desperate? Whatever, he knew that he was being completely useless in how he was handling all of this. He shook his head and focused on setting up his laptop instead. He needed to reign in his thoughts before next week.
Even if Atems actions were making him think one thing, he had to stay at least a little professional.
He very much doubted that Atem was interested in him like that . They were going to have to work together, he was just being nice.
The fact that he was so fucking perfect didn’t matter.
It shouldn’t matter.