Work Text:
It was a few days before Christmas, and despite the slowdown in missions, Ijichi was still busy. He needed to catch up on reports before the end of the year. His desk was a mess of papers, and his hands were full, sending out a flurry of texts trying to track down the people he needed. A stack of forgotten and unsigned reports made him dread how busy his day would be. The issue with the reports was that he needed to see each person sign them. With how often each person was dragged from one mission to the next, it was no wonder a task like this built up.
Gojo, oddly enough, was the first one to reply to his request to meet. He claimed to be near Ijichi’s office and offered to drop by. That felt strange. Suspecting something, Ijichi made a note to get on top of anything Gojo might try to pull. He was too late opening his office door when he heard someone rustling outside it.
The taller man wore sunglasses that day. A bright, mischievous smile plastered across his face as he clapped a few times in glee, seeing his old friend.
“Merry Christmas Ijichi~ Where’s my gift?” He chirped.
Ijichi hadn’t yet noticed what Gojo planned just yet.
“You’ll get it when it’s actually Christmas. Please sign these.” He countered, holding out a thick stack of papers on a clipboard.
“What about an early one? We are under mistletoe; I would love a smooch from my favorite assistant.”
So that’s what he planned. Glancing up at the doorframe, Ijichi saw a piece of decoration taped to it.
“That would be unprofessional, Gojo-san. I heard a rumor that there are some cookies somewhere in the building. If you sign all of these, I’ll give you the location.”
After years of dealing with Gojo, Ijichi had developed strategies to get work done. Deflect and bribe. Gojo deflated a little, seeing how unbothered Ijichi acted. He was no fun at all that day.
“You know we’ve known each other long enough. Why don’t you start using my first name? Let's say it together, Sat-O-Ru~” Gojo teased, hoping to get a rise.
Sighing, Ijichi knew he needed to give in a little to get what he wanted.
“Gojo, please sign these.”
Even behind the sunglasses, Gojo’s bright eyes were blinding with his goofy smile. He rarely convinced Ijichi to drop the honorific with his name. It wasn’t much, but he would take it. Humming, he messily flew through the papers, knocking off months' worth of backlog in a few minutes. Once done, Ijichi told him where the cookies and other Christmas treats had been placed for people to take. In a flash, Gojo was gone to claim his prize. Dealing with him had oddly been painless. Almost a Christmas miracle.
Ijichi made a mental note to remove the mistletoe; however, someone calling out his name distracted him.
“Oh, what brings you here?” He asked, seeing a friendly face.
Utahime waved and followed him inside his office.
“I had other business here. I thought I would come by because you said you had a few forms to give me.”
Normally, he mailed anything the Kyoto school requested. He hated to call anyone over for such minor things. But he also had something else for her; he had arranged for them to see each other again, to deliver.
“Yes, I have these. Please get your students to sign them. But this is also for you. I got it out of a snack a few months ago and just forgot about it until recently.”
Out of a desk drawer came a wrapped golden baseball card. He knew she collected them. On a whim, he bought the cookie that was running a promotion that had a mystery card inside. He thought there was a chance she already had the card since she was so hardcore into collecting them for a time. He didn’t expect a scream as her shaking hands flew to take it from his hand.
“Do you have any idea how rare this is?! Only a hundred were sent out! It was signed, really signed, not printed! I ate hundreds of those damn cookies trying to get this!” She screeched in disbelief over what she was holding.
His head tilted, wondering why she was getting so worked up over a hobby. Utahime reached out and did something he didn’t expect. She pulled him into a tight hug, arms a vice grip around his neck. Since he’d been sitting down, his face was pressed into a very awkward spot. After a few seconds, he needed to tap her shoulder to signal he couldn’t breathe.
Flustered, she released him, praying they both could forget the last few moments. Adjusting his glasses, Ijichi gave her a minute to calm down.
“I'm glad you liked it. Sorry, I forgot to give it to you for so long.”
Maybe that was a good thing. He hated to have this sort of exchange in front of other people.
Taking a deep breath, Utahime gathered her willpower to do the right thing. It felt like she would be taking advantage of him if she didn’t offer the card back.
“This is worth a lot of money. I would feel wrong just accepting it.” She admitted.
“Your smile is worth more to me than that.” He said, unaware of the real market price of the card.
“No, really. It’s worth a ton.”
“Like, enough to cover a hot springs trip?” He joked.
“Maybe like, enough to cover a hundred hot springs trip.” She replied, not being able to make eye contact.
It felt like the floor was falling out from under his chair. Nervously glancing at his desk, he wondered how many die-hard collectors would have killed him if they found out it had been rotting away in his cluttered drawer all that time.
“You know what they say, a young woman’s smile is priceless.”
His voice was strained, and his smile uneven. Utahime did feel bad. But she would never be able to own such a grail again if he took it back and sold it. Gathering himself, he let out a long sigh, shaking his head.
“I’m alright with you keeping it. Even if I sold it, it’s not as if I would get the time off to enjoy the money. Just pay for a few drinks the next time we all go out, and we’re even.”
She leaned down to give him another hug, a bit more gentle this time. Checking the time, she realized she needed to go and take care of some other meetings. Thanking him again, she left the office, being very careful with her steps, knowing she was carrying a very important item with her reports.
Yet another person came to his office very shortly after the first person left. Ijichi’s name was called out by someone at the door. Gathering a few papers, he brought the clipboard to the open door to greet a cheerful Ino.
Unlike others, Ino stayed on top of his reports for the most part. He always said it was only proper, and he liked doing things the right way. Everyone knew he just wanted to be praised for doing a good job.
“I was able to pick up a few vouchers from a restaurant you like. I’ll give you your real gift closer to Christmas.” Ijichi said after the quick task was finished.
“Oh, thank you! You’re always looking out for all of us.” Ino beamed.
His eyes glanced up, then his expression changed.
“Can I get an early gift?” he asked, almost embarrassed.
The mistletoe was still there. Surely, Ino wasn’t asking for a kiss? Not once did he ever show signs of being interested in his co-workers, let alone Ijichi. Too shocked to speak, Ino quickly started to explain himself, hands flailing.
“I mean, not a real kiss. Maybe on the cheek or something. I’ve never been able to do any kind of Christmas-related stuff. Not even getting KFC! I thought it would be fun and not serious!” He ranted on.
Pushing up his glasses, Ijichi considered the request.
“I understand it’s an innocent suggestion on your end; however, it would be very unprofessional. So, how about this instead?”
Reaching out, Ijichi placed a hand on top of Ino’s head to pat it a few times like petting a dog.
“You’ve done a good job this year.” He added.
He expected that to please Ino, but not enough to bring him to tears. Forcing them back, he rubbed his wet eyes and reached into his pocket. Holding out a small package with both hands, he averted his distraught face.
“I don’t have anything proper to give you, so please take my last mini red bean bun,” Ino said, voice trembling.
“Please don’t force yourself....”
Still, Ijichi accepted the somewhat squeezed gift. He hoped the rest of his interactions that day wouldn’t be difficult. With a cheerful expression returning to his face, Ino went back down the hallway to get back to work.
It was nearing lunchtime. Most of the students should be in the dining area. It was a very rare day that everyone but Yuta was inside the building. Gathering boxes of gifts, he bought, and the other reports, Ijichi headed over to meet them.
He wasn’t expecting to get ambushed at the door. Nobara, Yuji, and Panda all squeezed him in a hug the moment he walked inside the door. They then started to hype him up as if he were far more important than he was.
Megumi took over handing out the wrapped boxes Ijichi brought to each student.
“What’s gotten into you three?” Ijichi asked, confused over the sudden praise.
“They’re just bored,” Megumi said.
“What? No, we meant every word we said. Ijichi is the best! He does so much for us! We even have gifts for him!” Yuji protested.
“You do?” Ijichi asked, almost stunned.
Proudly, each of them forced something into his hands, a small pile starting at his feet. Flustered, he got to unwrapping each item, which sometimes had more tape than paper.
“We all got into knitting recently. It was good training.” Maki said, arms crossed with pride over what each other had created. “I picked out the warmed yarn. I heard you’re sensitive to the cold.”
She made the largest item. A fluffy sweater with the arms a bit too long. She also picked out the yarn for how warm it was, and not the colors. A neon blue stood out against an ugly puke green stripe around the middle. Still, Ijichi loved it.
Nobara made him a pink hat with a pompom on top, saying they were in fashion.
Megumi made a solid white scar that was a bit too short.
And Yiji did a pair of red mittens with a string attaching them together, which the others made fun of him for.
Inumaki and Panda didn’t knit; instead, they recently got into painting. Inumaki made a very impressive watercolor painting of cherry blossom branches on a white canvas. While Panda did a somewhat crude painting of a burger, claiming Ijichi should hang it in his office to remind him to eat more.
Now he felt bad for only getting them all snacks as gifts. But what else would they really want? The school provided them with food, clothing, and a little bit of spending money for other treats in exchange for them working such a dangerous job. He wasn’t aware of the fact that each student in that room didn’t want anything from him aside from his smile at seeing their hard work.
After chatting for a short while, he gathered up the gifted items and needed to head back to his office to finish his work. He left the group to get some lunch while he dreaded all the tasks he still had to do that day.
On the way back, he passed by someone he wanted to avoid for at least another day. She refused to let him get away. In a hallway lined with windows showing the snowy grounds outside, Ijichi was pinned against one with a hand near his head and another gripping his chin.
“You’ve been skipping your checkups,” Shoko said in her normal tone, tinged with anger.
“Well, you see...” He started
She got closer, pressing her body against the pile of gifts he held in front of himself like a shield.
“When did you last eat? Or sleep? How many hours of exercise have you gotten this week?” She demanded, the bags under her eyes no better than the person she was tormenting.
“You shouldn’t get this close...”
Ijichi fought against her grip to turn his head away, trying to avoid her face from being so near to his. A deep red blush started over his face. To anyone seeing them, they may get the wrong impression. And someone did see them.
Outside, Ino had caught up with the person he wanted to talk to. He asked if they could go out for dinner that night.
“Ijichi gave me some vouchers. Oh, there he is...” Looking up at the window, he saw his co-worker get pinned down. “I wonder if they have something going on...” He commented, a little amused.
Nanami followed his line of sight, eyes hidden behind his glasses. Puffs of even breath coming from him in the cold. Adjusting his collar, he turned, deciding to give the pair some privacy. Everyone knew Ijichi had a crush on Shoko. Here, he thought she refused him again and again over the years. Seeing them now, Nanami wasn’t so certain. His hand slipped into his coat pocket, fingertips running along the side of a small box. He lifted the attached card from it. He was still going to drop off the gift, but after seeing those two and mistaking them for the wrong thing, he thought the card was useless.
“Sorry, Ino, let’s do dinner on a different day. I’m not overly hungry.” Nanami said, causing Ino to freeze in his tracks.
That was impossible. Nanami was always hungry. Maybe he wasn’t feeling well? Deciding not to push it, they kept walking. A small job that would only take a few hours came up. Maybe Nanami would change his mind after a bit of work.
Shoko had looked outside and saw someone noticed them staring. She pulled away, arms crossed and face amused.
“What, are you getting excited?” She teased.
“Ieiri!” Ijichi scolded.
Sometimes she was harder to deal with than Gojo.
“Oh, using my first name. You are flustered. Good, it's natural. I’m worried you’re not getting any.”
As much as he wanted to protest he learned not to give into her taunts.
“I swear I'll come down for a check-up this week. I just have too much to finish before the new year.”
Shrugging, she shook her head.
“Ok, die then.”
That stung a little.
“I’m fine. Don’t start writing me off just yet. Also, am I the only one you talk to like this? Is it punishment for all those drunk confessions from me you had to endure?”
Grinning, she enjoyed how easily they could talk lately. Ijichi finally bit the bullet and officially asked her out. She rejected him and thought he wouldn’t be able to recover. Instead, it was like a weight had been lifted.
“No, those were funny. I’m like this with you because you can dish it back. But besides that, I am worried you’ll end up dying alone now that I showed you I’m not interested. However, I know you well enough that you would never do something so risky without a backup. So, who is it? Who else do you like?”
Leaning in, he was pressed against the cold window again, averting her eye contact.
“No one.” He boldly lied.
“Bullshit.”
She was dangerous when she wanted something. He knew what she would do if he didn’t give her an answer. Delay healing on a minor wound. Spill all his embarrassing drunk secrets, or pass along some photos from their student days he wished were deleted.
“It’s not worth mentioning. It’s not like I have a chance with them.”
Drawing back an expression he didn’t like passed over her face.
“Them? Not her?”
Well, shit. It took a smart person to get through medical school. It took an even smarter person to cheat their way through medical school without getting caught.
He felt himself sweating.
“Nitta is too young for you. You would never see a student in that way. Utahime is too loud, and you dislike Mei Mei. So even if you did say she, there aren’t a lot of options.”
“Let’s drop this.” He begged.
She refused.
“Now, what is your type? Lighter hair. Laid back. Someone who works the same hours and understands the requirements of the job. Now I wonder who fits all that... I think I have an idea, and you should just go for it. The worst thing that could happen is they reject you as harshly as I did.”
Inside his pocket Ijichi’s phone started to ring. He quickly picked up as an excuse to get out of the conversation.
“Yes, Kusakabe, I’ll be right there.” Hanging up, he turned to Shoko shaken to the core. “Sorry, it’s important I need to go.”
Without giving her time to answer, he fled the scene. They were both unaware of the fact that the person that Ijichi didn’t want her to name was inside his office to drop off an early Christmas gift at that very moment.
“I just wanted you to sign a Christmas card for Yaga. You didn’t need to rush all the way over.” Kusakabe commented when he saw Ijichi dart into the room, out of breath.
“You got me out of a hostage situation...” He admitted.
Over the years, the teacher figured out it was best not to question the odd things that came from his co-workers.
After an eventful outing, Ijichi finally returned to his office, mentally exhausted. He sat down, slipping off his jacket to get back to work. It took him a while to notice something new on his desk. A small box with a deep red ribbon. It had no card and no hint of who it would be for. Curiosity got the better of him. Surely such a nice-looking gift wasn’t for him. Maybe he could figure out the right person it should go to after he opened it.
On a bed of velvet was a sleek black fountain pen with golden accents. He nearly dropped it over the stress of holding something so expensive. Then he reminded himself that the card in his desk had been worth more, and he handled that so carelessly.
He’d wanted a pen like this for ages. It would make his office feel more professional. However, with his wages, he couldn’t bring himself to sink so much on a luxury item. Who not only knew him this well, but could afford something like this? He was able to narrow it down based on who he’d seen that day and who he hadn’t. Sending off a text, he asked one last person to drop by his office when they got a chance to finish up the last of the reports he needed submitted.
It was getting dark by the time a knock came at his office door. Stretching, he got up, gathering the pile of papers next to him. With a full clipboard, he answered the door, smiling at the person standing outside.
“Sorry to call you all the way over here. If I knew when we were working together next, I would have just brought these on a job.” Ijichi said.
He took a moment to put his jacket back on after he handed over the reports and a pen.
“I don’t mind. Sometimes jobs are sudden. It's impossible to predict and get everything organized. I should be apologizing for letting these build up.” Nanami explained as he flipped through the papers and neatly signed his name on each line.
It only took him a few minutes. Ijichi noticed Nanami must have just gotten back from a job. Some minor dirt clung to the edges of his coat, and his ears were still tipped with color from the cold. After each paper was finished, Ijichi tucked the clipboard under one arm. He didn’t want Nanami to leave just yet. He needed to tell him another thing in person.
“Thank you for the gift. I really do appreciate the pen, but it was expensive, wasn’t it? I don’t think I can fully repay you for something like that.”
Nanami’s expression shifted a little behind his glasses. It was as if he was caught in a lie.
“How did you know it was from me?” He asked, confused.
“Who else would it be from?” Ijichi stopped himself from laughing, thinking it would be rude.
Nanami glanced away, almost embarrassed about getting caught. He often did things for others, never expecting anything in return. Even a thank you was something hard for him to accept. Ijichi was positive that if Nanami knew the ways he wanted to repay him for such a thoughtful gift, the man would be disgusted.
‘You should just go for it.’
Shoko’s words came to Ijichi’s mind. His stomach rolled over the sheer dream from fleeting suggestion. No, he just couldn’t just go for it. Right?
“Oh, mistletoe,” Nanami commented, spotting the decoration Ijichi had forgotten about.
It was as if everything was falling into place. A burst of confidence from how much positive attention Ijichi had gotten over the day, and the odd feeling of being so close to a holiday, caused him to do something he never thought he would.
Placing hands on the taller man’s shoulders, he needed to stand a little on his toes to reach his task. The encounter was brief, yet it felt as if it went into slow motion. A very gentle and nervous kiss was placed on the side of Nanami’s cheek, causing every muscle in his body to tense.
“Merry early Christmas,” Ijichi said, voice oddly clear when he pulled away.
The silence between them was deafening. A roaring embarrassment came to his face, but Ijichi refused to move first. He felt like prey. If he did anything, even breathed, it felt like his world would fall apart. To his utter shock, Nanami acted first.
A redness seeped into his cheeks and soon covered his entire face. A hand came over his mouth as the man Ijichi saw as a pillar hunched over, head downward. At first, he thought Nanami was going to be sick. Frantic, he raised his hands, dropping the clipboard, sounds coming from him unable to become words for a few seconds. He never would have expected such a reaction from his long-time friend.
“Sorry! It was a joke! You can be angry, but please don’t hate me for doing something so unprofessional! It won’t happen again!”
It appeared as if his pleading fell on deaf ears. Slowly, Nanami looked up, hand still over his mouth and eyes hidden behind green lenses.
“Just a joke...?” He asked as if the words were hard to say.
“Well, yes,” Ijichi said, and unable to stop himself, he went on spilling out thoughts he wanted to keep hidden. “What else could it be? Surely, I didn’t do something like that expecting you to return those kinds of feelings. I’ve already accepted my place in life. I know the students and some people will treasure me, but... It’s not as if I’ll ever actually be important to someone. I’m just... an assistant. Someone who takes care of others and someone people can move on from.”
He hated how he sounded in that moment. And how he just dumped all that on Nanami after embarrassing him in such a way. The rejection hadn’t been said, yet Ijichi had already accepted the harsh reality he had made up in his mind. He would never be so important to someone. And he’d just ruined a dear friendship chasing after something he’ll never have.
“Sorry. Ignore all that. I guess I get like this around-”
“Shut up.”
Those two words were enough to shatter his heart. In the half-second it took Nanami to stand back up, Ijichi’s entire world crumbled. He was positive that he made the other man utterly despise him. They would never even go on missions again. That Nanami would report him for harassment, and even Gojo would treat him coldly. After all this, he no longer had a place in the school he loved. All of that had to be his future, so why were Nanami’s hands taking the side of his face so carefully?
A mouth came down over Ijichi’s in such a clumsy way their teeth painfully hit each other even though closed lips. The pain was forgotten as each new kiss was placed over his face as if trying to cover every part of it with blind affection. Any thought Ijichi had disappeared. His hands reached up unsure of what to do. He accepted each movement, as he face was carefully slightly guided in different angles to be easier graced with warm touches.
When they did pull away, his glasses were crooked on his face. Breathing hard, the only thing he could think of was to confirm if he was really standing in front of the person he thought he was. The actions in the last few seconds made him doubt his entire reality. Reaching up, he slipped off a set of glasses to see a set of brown eyes he knew so well. Without any doubt, Nanami was the one still holding his face, his upper lip cracked from the forceful first kiss, proving it truly happened.
That didn’t make sense to him. Nanami couldn’t have just done what he did. It went against everything Ijichi knew about him.
“Office.” The single word was an order.
Ijichi could go against all of this. He could speak up, correcting things back to the way he thought they should be. Or, he could go along and see how far this delusion would go.
They didn’t break apart as Ijichi took a few steps backward into the small room. Nanami locked the door, his eyes not leaving his partner's face. Once they were safe from prying eyes, they fell back into an inexperienced exploration of a first romantic encounter. The nervousness and uncertain movements were a bit of a surprise for the manager. He had assumed Nanami was an expert in everything in life. Yet, his hands hovered, uncertain of what to do. He wanted to shower Ijichi in his feelings now that a dam had broken, yet his mind was too muddled to know how.
Thankfully, the one who started their encounter took charge of the situation. He guided a set of hands on his waist, then pressed his wanting lips to another. Slowly opening his mouth, he wrapped a set of long, thin arms around Nanami's neck so they could figure out together how this whole kissing thing worked.
Each were lost in the moment. They only drew back when Ijichi’s legs trembled enough to cause him to dip. Strong hands kept him upright. As much as they wanted to continue, neither had breathed much in the last few minutes and needed to catch up on that to avoid from passing out.
When Ijichi leaned over to start up their dizzying interaction, his heart dropped to the floor when a hand was placed on his chest to stop him. Even after all that, he thought it was possible to be rejected.
“I thought... you liked Shoko...” Nanami said something that just now caught up with him.
“You’re... asking that now?”
The taller man nodded. With a groan, he didn’t pull away but didn’t want to explain something so complicated.
“I did. I do. But she doesn’t like me back in that way. I can accept that. Does that sound wrong of me? I mean, I’ve liked you both for a long time. I swear you weren’t just a backup in case she didn’t work out. I just...”
Frowning, he no longer knew what he was saying. Here he was, wrapped up against a person he adored after they were making out like high schoolers trying to defend his feelings. At least Nanami didn’t appear offended. Ijichi didn’t think the man could blush, yet his face was still colored from the kiss on his cheek. His hair was messy from Ijichi running fingers through it, unaware that he was doing so. He'd never appeared so undone in front of anyone. Somehow, seeing him like that was more intimate than kissing.
“You just...?” Nanami pressed on, wanting the full answer.
“I couldn’t handle being rejected by you. The thought of it was almost too much. So, why ever confess? I never thought... not once I had a chance. Even now, I’m not sure if this is all real. I mean, when did you start thinking of me in this way? Just now? Are you doing all of this because you somehow feel bad...?”
Shaking his head, Nanami placed a soft kiss on Ijichi’s cheek, easing his worries a little. Such a small motion made him feel like his heart was going to melt.
“Remember when you first made me that bento? Back then, I thought you would be such a good husband someday. I saw how you looked at Shoko and felt jealous, it might be her, but didn’t want to get in the way of your happiness.” Nanami confessed, a weight feeling as if it had been lifted off his shoulders.
He slowly started to press more kisses in a line down Ijichi’s face, fingers reaching to loosen his tie. Even though all of that, his partner was searching through his memories trying to unearth the one Nanami was speaking about. It clicked, and a new emotion came flooding in.
Nanami was rudely stopped in his actions as his cheeks were painfully pinched, and his head lifted to meet Ijichi’s annoyed eyes.
“That was back when we were students. You’ve liked me, For. That. Long.”
His teeth were painfully grinding together as he held back a rage he didn’t know he had.
“Yes?” Was the innocent reply.
Without warning, a forehead smashed into Nanami’s, but Ijichi felt most of the pain. Worried, Nanami wrapped his arms around the man, trying to keep him still and from hurting himself again.
“Why are we so damn stupid! I could have been with you for years! But nooo, we didn’t bother telling each other our feelings! If I didn’t love you so much, I would murder us both!’
After the burst of frustration, Ijichi felt Nanami’s face press deep into his shoulder. Thinking he’d done something horrible, he tried to make him lift his head, but he just shook it refusing to do so.
“Did I do something wrong...?” he asked, worried over such a strange reaction.
The answer was muffled and needed to be said again.
“You... used the L word....”
A flush of heat came over his entire body. A small slip-up made it impossible to go back. Even after kissing, they could decide not to go through with those emotions. Now, Ijichi dropped a bomb. Tears stung his eyes, unable to hold them back or even knowing why they were there.
“I do.” He choked out.
A soft hush came as Nanami straightened up. He tried to comfort the other man, rubbing a trembling back and slowly rocking their bodies to chase away those tears. He knew the only cure for them. And it felt harder to do so than killing a cursed spirit or working hours of overtime. Nanami had always respected Ijichi. He saw him as a stronger person than most gave him credit for. He so easily said something most people struggled with.
“I do too.” The words were a whisper in Ijichi’s ear, causing a shudder to rock his spine.
Without anything to hold them back any longer, they fell onto each other, uncertain of what they wanted aside from being impossibly close. Nanami didn’t remember anything they did aside from a blinding heat, and then Ijichi had his back against his desk, shirt half untucked, with half whispers begging for some secret desires that were lost in the moment. He only remembered the fear that shot through him when a knock came and when someone tried to open the locked door.
They scrambled like stumbling fools. Within five seconds, they straightened themselves as much as possible, and Ijichi flew open the door to greet the person on the other side.
“Oh, what can help you with?” He asked the man standing at the door.
Dark glasses took in the pair without a hint of emotion. Yaga gave a half nod, arms crossed.
“I hear you have reports for me.” He explained.
“Right!” Frantic, Ijichi darted to his desk, collecting the pile of papers, then needed to find a new clipboard because his frazzled brain couldn’t remember where the last one went.
Nanami stayed leaning against the desk, silent, a book open in front of his face. Ijichi had given him back his glasses that were quickly shoved back on. He refused to look up, not knowing if he could keep it together.
Yaga quickly got through the papers. Thinking they were in the clear, they both let out a held breath.
“Mistletoe,” Yaga said, stern voice unreadable.
Ijichi mentally screamed. He’d been too busy to tear that stupid thing down.
“Here, give Cathy a kiss.”
Surely he was joking. The doll seemed to appear out of nowhere. Yaga held it up, the little thing grinning expecting. Again, Ijichi mentally screamed. Unable to get out of it, he kissed the top of the soft doll’s head. It jumped down from Yaga’s hands, pleased and padded back down the hallway. Then, the mistletoe was finally taken down from the doorframe. Yaga hiding it away in his pocket.
“I’ll keep you two a secret. Just no fooling around on company time.”
“How...” The moment that left his mouth, Ijichi knew he shot himself in his foot.
Nodding down at the clipboard on the ground, Yaga then pointed at the book Nanami was holding. Upside down. He buried his face fully into it, trying to hide the redness coming back. He felt like a student again. It would have been better if Yaga yelled at them.
Ijichi buried his face into his hands, utterly embarrassed. They let the principal leave, the pair standing in silence until Ijichi broke it with a laugh. Unable to stop himself, his body was shaking with giggles. His reaction caused Nanami to let himself relax with a small hint of a laugh as well.
His office had been a busy place. His giggle fit calmed down, and another person decided to drop by.
“What’s gotten you in such a good mood?” Gojo asked, stopping in front of the manager, really confused, seeing him so cheerful.
Gojo had never seen him like that before. Shaking his head, he refused to explain any of it.
“Oh, the mistletoe is gone. Shame. Did you get me a gift yet???” Gojo pestered.
He was extra confused when Nanami came out of the office. He couldn't help himself from messing up Ijichi’s hair as he passed by to head out.
“I’ll call you when you’re done with work.”
“?????”
Gojo kept looking back and forth between the two. He knew something was up yet his brain refused to connect the dots.
“Sorry. I don’t have anything for you. This should do for now.”
Reaching into his pocket, Ijichi handed over the mini red bean bun Ino had given him earlier in the day.
“Merry Christmas Satoru.”
“???????”
Utterly confused, Gojo froze. Like a computer crashing, he needed to reboot before he could speak again.
“Did you... get laid or something?” He asked in his normal teasing way, expecting a normal reaction.
“Not yet.”
“??????!!!”
That was not at all the normal reaction. Not even close. Confusion didn’t touch Gojo's current emotion. It was like his entire understanding of the world shifted. Things were wrong. Just wrong. Was he really talking to Ijichi? His eyes said so, his brain to refuse to accept it. In time he would be happy that his friend finally got some confidence. He just needed to get over what he just heard first.