Work Text:
Ver saw himself as a busybody. He always makes sure to get the job done and finish his assigned tasks within the deadline. He was also one of the more reliable persons in their office. He keeps a very colourful calendar holding all of their department’s meetings and events, and has a complete stock of office supplies (and snacks) ready in his desk drawer.
But with all of Ver’s efficiency and reliability, came its cons. The man had begrudgingly earned the title of the office pushover. His coworkers had found any and every reason to give Ver their extra work for him to finish.
“Ver you’re really good at min-maxing the tools used to process these records, I’m sure you can do it way better than me!”
“Ver, Nina-san is gonna kill me if I mess up the numbers again, can you do it for me? You can check these out after you're done with your work.”
“Hey Ver your presentation last week was really cool, can you make one for mine? I’ll send the transcript later thanks!”
And the list keeps on going. Ver would find himself staying in the office building hours after their shift was over, finishing work that wasn’t even his to begin with. He’d already been scolded by his desk neighbour Enna numerous times, bless her cold heart, even going so far as telling him to ‘grow a pair’ and ‘just tell the dipshits off’. But Ver couldn’t find it in him to reject someone whenever they throw a pleading look and a long winded excuse (no matter how bs their story actually is).
With all the work he does, he barely had any time for himself. He sometimes mourned the days when he’d go cafe hopping back in college, it was one of his favourite hobbies. Sweets always made his days a little brighter, and being inside a cozy coffee shop would be bliss.
Alas, ever since he started living on his own and became part of the workforce, his life had been slumped with nonstop work and responsibilities. His everyday had become a cycle of sleep, work, eat, work, house chores, and work. He rarely goes out unless it’s to buy essentials, or when he was forced to join movie nights with his little clique at work (and even then, they’re all planned a week beforehand to not conflict with his sched).
So yeah, Ver had resigned himself to a dull and hectic lifestyle. He didn’t mind it though. It’ll all work out in the end as long as he keeps up the grind, he thinks.
Then came one Friday night. It was raining hard and Ver had forgotten his umbrella (just his luck). He had gotten away from taking any OT requests from the office and was on his way back to his apartment to sleep the rest of the night. Currently though, he was stuck under the building complex next to his workplace, trapped by the strong downpour of rain.
The moment he had decided he was just going to book it and run to the next building, he suddenly hears loud splashes of footsteps coming near him. A tall man, hidden under an umbrella big enough to house three people, was battling against the rain. The stranger takes shelter under the same building, and stops in front of him.
“Ver!” Lime-lemon eyes peek out from the black umbrella, its owner smiling wide like he had just won the lottery.
“You finished with work already?”
Ah it’s Doppio, Ver thinks with amusement. The man had only started a month ago, and has quickly become the talk of the company. He was extremely friendly, loud yet courteous, with an odd sense of humor that somehow has you laughing nonetheless. He was also a total piece of eye-candy (Uki’s words, not his).
Ver wasn’t sure when it started, but somehow, the man had begun to stick to him like glue. He figured it was the shared moments in OT where Ver was coerced into teaching him the inner workings of the office. Or maybe it was that time Ver killed a cockroach for him in the break room. Well, Ver didn’t mind either way. He found it adorable to have Doppio hover behind him sometimes like a baby chick.
The man had boundless energy, something Ver wishes he had. Doppio always has something to talk about with him every chance he gets. One time, the man even came up to him with what he described as a one-sided version of 20 questions. He asked his favorite games (card and puzzle games), his hobbies (none at the moment), his type of person (he refrained from giving an answer), etc. At the end of the day, Ver left twice as exhausted after getting interrogated on the spot. He couldn’t deny it was a fun experience though.
“Hey Doppi,” Ver greets back with a smile, “yeah I’m on my way home now.”
He turns his attention back to the rain in front of them. An unending cascade of droplets coming from an infinitely bleak heaven. With how strong the rain was hitting the pavement, it drowned out the sound of the bustling streets, enclosing the two of them within the small expanse of the building entrance.
“I forgot my umbrella though, so it’s a bit of a pain,” he downplays his predicament, chuckling.
He doesn’t see the way the other man’s expression softens. “You take the train right? I can walk you there if you’d like.”
Ver had to look at him incredulous. “Are you sure? I don’t want to trouble you with the rain.”
“And I don’t wanna let you get wet from the rain! It’s fine, it’s fine,” he dismisses his senior’s worries.
“Well you have a point, the station’s just two blocks down.”
Ver gives the directions before he stands next to Doppio to get under his large umbrella. However, the magenta haired puts his parasol down on the ground. He smiles at Ver expectantly, looking like he just had an idea.
“Wanna grab something to eat first?” He offers. “There’s a new cafe in the third floor of this building I wanted to try out.”
“Ah, it’s alright…” he says simply, “I’m not really hungry…”
Ver was hesitant. He really, really wanted to get home and just lie down on his bed. He already has a deluxe cup ramen waiting for him in his kitchen to satisfy himself for the night. Maybe he can reschedule this invite at a later date.
“Aw c’mon Ver,” Doppio urges him in that familiar playful baritone. The same one the taller man uses when he convinces Ver to join him for a coffee break. The both of them knew it doesn’t take much to string Ver along to his silly ideas. One mischievous grin and a tug on the arm has the shorter man up from his armchair with an amused huff.
“It’s a Friday, let’s spoil ourselves tonight.” The persuasion in Doppio’s invite tickled Ver’s more selfish side. There was always something in the way the man would urge him, a warmth that draws Ver in as if it was a comforting promise that he won’t regret the time he’d spend. And it never did, because being around Doppio brought nothing but splashes of vibrant magenta that takes up his personal space and playful crescent shaped eyes that make his heart jitter.
So just like before, Ver lets out a huff to try and look a little less eager. “Okay, okay, but I’m not letting you pay for me.”
The cafe was quite dainty, and nothing really extravagant. One corner was furnished to look like a cozy section, with plush sofas and beanbag chairs below shelves adorned with plants and walls covered in fairy lights, while the rest was lined with wooden tables and chairs. The yellow lights and wooden flooring added to the comfy ambience.
The glass display case beside the cashier tickled Ver’s interest. It was lined with an array of cakes and pastries decorated to entice people passing by. If he wasn’t so dessert savvy, he would’ve been easily tempted by the intricate icing work and fancy chocolate shapes. He still had his sweet tooth though, so he couldn’t leave without picking at least two desserts to try out.
The two take a seat by the glass panel window, giving them a view of the city as rain kept pouring down, speckles of colorful lights from the buildings and streets seeping through the thick curtain of rain.
Ver noticed Doppio was also looking at the spectacle on the other side of the glass. He really couldn’t deny what Uki said, the man in front of him was a real head-turner. Tall and broad shouldered, magenta hair that’s messed up just enough to look casual, and a dashing face that holds so many animated expressions whenever he talks.
Ver would be lying if he said he also didn’t fall smitten for the guy, especially with how much time they had spent together. He considered himself lucky to get so close to such a heat-throb, though he’d never admit it.
“Do you do this often?” He asks to start a conversation. “Y’know, eat at fancy places?”
The question has the other man perk up, ready to share his answer like an excited pup. Cute. “Well I do eat out sometimes when I’m feeling lazy, or when I find a new place that I wanna try out, but I’m too shy to really invite people from work to join me like this.”
Shy? Now that’s a word he didn’t expect to describe mister Doppio Dropscythe.
“You don’t seem like the type, that’s big news,” Ver jokes in order to take the information in stride.
“Hey,” the man chuckles, sounding offended, “I can be shy too! I’m still new here and I don’t wanna bother anyone.”
From what he’s heard and seen, Doppio had gotten particularly close with his desk neighbour Fulgur and Vox from HR. Fulgur was no surprise, aside from being close to him at work, the two vibed well together with their sense of humour. Since Doppio arrived, the office had been hearing more of the silver-haired’s signature tea-kettle laugh. It was almost as bad as when Selen was still around, before the woman got promoted to the upper floors.
Vox was a different story. Ver had seen the two together in more than one occasion, just chatting or sharing a good laugh from something they’re looking on Vox’s phone. Vox himself was a social butterfly, but he hadn’t seen him this much around with the people in his department. Weeks later had he heard from Enna the two were actually distant relatives.
Ver didn’t know what prompted this train of thought. Maybe it was his sense of pride for being the closest to Doppio that he was invited to dinner. Which was an absolutely ridiculous thought in itself. This whole setup was a last minute decision given uncontrolled circumstances. If either Fulgur or Vox were in place of him earlier downstairs, Doppio would’ve invited them too.
“I suppose that’s fair.” He takes a sip of his hot cocoa, the rich taste and smooth texture were a blessing to douse his running mind. “Does that mean I have special privileges?” Ver says in jest.
He didn’t miss the pause from the other.
“I suppose so, yeah,” Doppio says with a grin, his gaze turning softer. The answer came out way too honest and bare, and Ver wasn’t sure if the warmth on his cheeks were coming from the steam of his drink or from something else.
“I… didn’t expect you to actually agree to that.”
“What? You saying you don’t feel special spending dinner with me? The Doppio Dropscythe?” he says with an exaggerated bravado, quickly steering the path of the conversation to something less awkward.
“Oh of course I am! My bad, my bad mister Dropscythe,” he answers back with a feigned apology. The two share a soft laugh at their silliness, Ver covering the lower half of his face with the back of his hand. He was probably sporting a blush with how warm he feels right now. He was grateful for the switch in the air. Doppio was more perceptive than he lets on, and it was a quality Ver found quite impressive.
Just in time, a server arrived carrying their food in his tray.
As they ate, their conversation spanned from work gossip to everything outside their occupation. One moment, Doppio would wax poetic on this obscure insect videogame as he devoured his French toast, the next Ver would be defending his prized card collection because the larger man called it nerdy.
“Wha— you talk as if you don’t play Yu-Gi-Oh too!” Ver says slighted, using his long dessert spoon as a pointer to jab at him accusingly.
”Yeah, but I don’t keep a large stack of them on my shelf,” Doppio says in between fits of laughter. “Wh-pffhaha why are you pointing at me with your spoon Ver? What’re you gonna with that—? Gonna stab me with it?”
Ver breaks into a fit of giggles as the hand holding his weapon shakes along with his body. “That’s right, I’m gonna beat you up with my tiny spoon!”
More broken laughter erupted from their table. Ver was sure they’ve attracted strange glances from the other customers, but he didn’t mind it. The sheer ridiculousness of their conversation was too funny to care about social face.
“I can’t win with you,” Ver wheezes out in defeat.
“Of course you can’t,” Doppio reminds him, with childish pride in his voice. “Now I get my reward and have a taste of your parfait.”
A reward wasn’t even brought up until now, yet Ver didn’t have it in him to rebut against Doppio’s logic. He watches as the man reaches forward with his spoon to try and scoop some of his dessert. The courteousness in Ver took over, and his body moved before he could think.
”Here, let me.” Ver waves Doppio away and uses his spoon to take a heaping spoonful of the dessert. He offers the mix of chocolate, ice cream, and whipped cream to Doppio’s face, close to his lips.
He hadn’t realised what he was doing until he noticed the blush of pink colouring his junior’s cheeks, and it makes his arm freeze in midair. The both of them knew it was too late for him to pull back his arm. A second passes, then Doppio gleefully opens his mouth to take the offered treat. Ver quickly takes back his spoon, fighting his own heart from bursting out and his blush from forming. He couldn’t believe he just did that.
The larger man hums in satisfaction, keeping his eyes closed both to relish the food he was eating and to give the both of them a sense of privacy to compose themselves.
“Wow, you have a good eye for desserts.” He cuts through the silence.
Ver takes the offered escape. “Well, that’s something I can proudly say I’ll be better at than you,” he says with a huff.
”That’s one thing,” Doppio clarifies.
”Hey!”
It pulls their conversation back on track, as if nothing just happened. If this was going to be their normal, Ver didn’t dislike it.
By the time the two were finished, the rain had thankfully stopped. Doppio still insisted on walking Ver to the station, and he wasn’t one to reject spending more time with the other. The few minutes on the sidewalk became a continuation of their antics in the cafe. Everything just somehow became more interesting when it was with Doppio, Ver found that thought both scary and intriguing.
“Hey,” Doppio starts as the two sit on the metal bench waiting for Ver’s train. “There’s another cafe I wanted to try out, it’s two stations from here though. So, wanna go there next Saturday?”
The invitation sparked something inside of Ver. A promise of having more of these moments. A confirmation that the other man also wanted it just as much.
“Sure thing!” Ver answers without even thinking, and to that Doppio beams. Ver didn’t think the guy was even capable of smiling any brighter.
“It’s a date!” Doppio cheers, and Ver couldn’t think of a better name for their next meet-up.
To Ver, last minute plans and impulsive decisions were nothing but an annoyance and a burden to his life. He ran on schedules, planned events, and an organized lifestyle. It’s what he’s always done to keep himself ahead, to keep himself alive, in the corporate world.
When he spent that evening with Doppio, time became nonexistent. Somehow his daily planner was no longer in the back of his mind. All that was in his head was how fun it was to be with Doppio, to spend those few hours chatting about everything and nothing at the same time, to enjoy the moment and share this memory with him. A memory shared between them.
Ver suddenly came to love the idea of spontaneity.