Work Text:
Mine had always found himself to be impartial to winter. Though he appreciated the chill in the air that made his suits more bearable, winter time also meant traffic, longer lines courtesy of holiday tourism, many of his coworkers requesting time off work (which he, as a man who was never busy during the holidays, had to cover), and an air of general romantic tension everywhere he went.
He understood that the holidays were a socially romantic event. But god, if they weren’t irritating . Mine is a logical man— seeing couples in his day to day schedule does not bother him— but seeing so many invade all aspects of his life for the last month of the year is almost enough to resign him to his office and apartment for the remaining 31 days.
It’s over drinks one night that Mine finds himself nonchalantly telling Daigo that yes, he is free over the holidays. He skims past the more… passionate details, but Daigo seems satisfied with the answer regardless.
He assumes he knows where this is going. Sure, Mine can’t see many of the Tojo clan men going back home to loving wives and clamoring children, but he can see them taking advantage of the holidays to shred money at their favorite hostess’ club or casino. That means more work to be done for the men who nurse bourbon on their couches alone when it comes time to watch the first snow fall.
“That’s good,” Daigo’s smile momentarily takes Mine out of his lonely stupor, “I wanted to ask if you’d—“
Ah, here it comes.
“Like to get a drink with me on Christmas?”
…
What?
“What?” It slips past Mine’s mouth before he can even process the request. Daigo’s face quickly morphs from relaxed to somewhat panicked, his eyes widen a bit and (if the bar lighting isn’t playing a trick on Mine) his face tints pink.
“Ah sorry, too forward?” Daigo rubs the button on his pushed up sleeve, “I just thought since I’m free and you’re free we wouldn’t need to skip our night out just because of the holiday.” His shoulders are tense, but Mine can tell he’s trying to keep them anchored to his sides.
Mine realizes at this point he’s just been staring, one hand gripping the bourbon, the other gripping his plush seat… and Daigo is still looking at him nervously.
“N—not at all chairman,” Mine declares, taking a sip of whiskey to try and spark a tinder of courage, “that… sounds like it’d be a much better way to spend the holidays than doing paperwork.” He still leaves the personal details about his lonesome excursions out of his response, but Daigo’s perceptiveness seems to have caught something in between the lines of his words.
“I’ll make sure we have a great night out,” Daigo smiles at him, one of those earnest smiles where you can see his dimples if you get close enough, “lord knows we deserve a holiday.”
Mine chuckles a bit, “If Kanda gets a day off, you and I deserve maternity leave.”
Daigo laughs, a loud belly laugh that has him gripping Mine’s shoulder and losing his neck control as he bumps into Mine’s arm.
“Baha!” He takes a minute to breath, his laugh is warm and infectious, and Mine feels himself unable to resist chuckling with him. “We might as well retire at that point!”
His grip into Mine’s shoulder burns hot like boiling water poured over flat stones, the steam lighting Mine’s face a light rose as he tries to keep his composure from the sudden clinginess.
Daigo isn’t overly touchy, but 3-bourbons-in Daigo sheds a lot of his convictions at the bar door and feels little inhibition about grabbing, poking, and pulling Mine at his own whims. It’s usually after something humorous happens, but even without the laughs— he seemingly takes any excuse he can to touch Mine.
It’s not that Mine minds, far from it really, it just always catches him off guard. Perhaps it’s a bit cliche, but besides the emotional effect Daigo has on him— the all consuming thing that defilberates the butterflies in his stomach and almost makes him consider grabbing back, just to hold onto him a little longer— the physical effects are even more of a challenge to suppress.
Mine has always run a bit cold. Perhaps it’s left over chills from his days spent nauseous and sweating, with only scraps from restaurant bins to eat. But whatever the reason, Mine had resigned himself to knowing that the late months of winter would always leave him with a bitter cold he just couldn’t sunder from.
Until he met Daigo.
Daigo has changed his life, that is an irrefutable fact. It is selfish and greedy to think he could— or should— do anything more than that. Yet, Mine Yoshitaka is a deeply hedonistic man.
Daigo’s body runs warm . Mine learned this after the first few times they started doing work on the couch in Daigo’s office. Bumped elbows and knees seared Mine’s skin and left tingles to run up his chilled nerves. Since then the drunken touches and nudges only fueled Mine’s desire to be closer to the chairman, except now it isn’t just his childish immature feelings that he can shove into whiskey bottles and bury under his mounds of work, it’s his body clinging to the physical warmth of Daigo.
But it’s fine. Right now Daigo is wiping away the happy tears caused by Mine, and is using him as a crutch to keep himself upright. That is enough, and it always will be.
The night ends as bittersweet as it always does. Mine brings Daigo to his apartment and taxi’s back to his own place. He performs his nightly routine with sober precision and climbs into his bed that’s far too large for one person. His heaters running on high— the distant hum of electricity a constant reminder of that— and yet the sheets are still far too cold. Daigo’s hand has branded his shoulder with an untouchable warmth.
The days continue to trek on, the bar outings having to be put on momentary hold as the two focus on all the necessary work to be finished before the holiday. As the week comes to a close, the pile has lessened to a handful, and Daigo slides them to the side of the table before bumping Mine with his knee.
“I hope that didn’t tucker you out too much,” Daigo softly smiles, starting to get up and stretch, “there’s a bottle of champagne with our names on it.”
Mine blinks a bit, trying to clear his work haze. “Did you buy that?”
Daigo’s eyes widen a bit, his face growing sheepish as he fiddles with the button on his sleeve, his nervous tick. “Ah well… I may have gotten a bit over eager.”
Mine stares up in awe for a moment, before looking determinedly at Daigo, “Thank you for your generosity,” Mine stands up, “let’s not keep the barkeep waiting then.”
Daigo’s face instantly beams, and Mine feels his heart skip a beat.
The two dress from there, dawning similar long coats and scarves to help defend against the cold plaguing their walk to the bar. The matching outfits are merely a coincidence of shopping at similar stores, but the potential couple comparison does not go unnoticed by Mine’s beating heart.
Once inside they eagerly shed a few layers before taking their usual seats. The bartender greets them with a warm smile and a wish for a relaxing holiday. Before pulling out the champagne Daigo had purchased for the occasion.
“To us.” Daigo lifts his glass, watching as Mine’s eyes widen a bit at the proclamation.
“To us?” Mine feels his face tint.
“For keeping this shit show afloat with our own two hands.” Daigo moves his glass forward.
The work comment stings, it was foolish and borderline fantastical to think Daigo meant anything more than that, Mine curses the season for replacing his well crafted judgement with outsourced holiday delusion.
“We deserve a lot more than champagne for that…”
But no matter what wounds he may gain from the corporate distance, Daigo’s laugh smooths them all over in ways modern medicine wishes it could.
And with that their night begins. It’s not particularly different from their usual outings. But Mine doesn’t mind at all, his evenings with the chairman are gifts. If anything the day is just encouraging him to treasure these moments more than he already does. Every giggle, anecdote and touch sears itself into Mine’s mind and body.
At one point, Daigo takes a sip of his bourbon (the champagne has been finished, ending with an almost even split and a brief staring contest for who gets the slightly fuller glass. Mine selfishly let him win that time.) and chuckles to himself as he mulls over Mine’s last story.
“So he… made you dog sit?”
“Dog sit a deeply evil dog, no less.”
“And you had to say yes?”
“Technically no, but office life is about appealing to your superiors.” Mine took a sip of his own whiskey, “saying yes would put me in good favor, I needed that starting out where I was.”
“… so how was the gig?”
Mine’s scowl alone turns Daigo back into a giggling mess, his eyes creased as he exaggeratedly examines Mine’s face. “Seems like it went swimmingly to me.”
“A dog who loves to chew fabrics in teeth reach of my favorite work coat. What more could I ask for?”
Daigo laughs again, “well if I’d known you’d offer your services to your superiors I would’ve had you ironing my suit ages ago.” His tone if jovial and sarcastic. He throws his knee out to knock into Mine’s.
Mine isn’t sure what made him do it, maybe it’s the drinks or the atmosphere, or maybe that part of the holidays that infects every couple he sees on the street has finally gotten to him.
As Mine, for the first time, knocks him back.
There’s a momentary pause. And a moment is all Mine’s brain needs to kick into overdrive.
Perhaps it was too rude, maybe the dynamic has it that Daigo’s allowed to playfully knock or grab but the other way is disrespectful. Or perhaps—-
“Ohoho…” Daigo looks up at him, a cheeky grin complimenting his alcohol colored cheeks, “did I just knock knees with the Mine Yoshitaka?”
Relief washes over Mine like the first hit of a warm shower. He gifts Daigo a polite smile, “I’m not sure what you mean.”
“No no no you’re not getting away that easy.”
“Getting away with what exactly? I must ask you to be more specific, chairman.” Mine takes a sip of his glass as he feels his knee get knocked into again.
“You’re right Mine, what a discoordinated leader I am.” Daigo puts on his best faux sorrow as he ‘wipes his tears’, “I can’t even clarify what I’m—“ his elbow, already raised a bit, shoves it’s way over to Mine’s resting on the table.
Mine immediately raises to defense, pushing back as Daigo heaves his body weight into Mine’s side.
“You’ll have to forgive me Mine,” Daigo’s laugh sits right on the edge of his tongue, “seems i've had too much to drink.”
“Not at all chairman,” Mine maintains perfect strength to withstand– but not to damage, “you seem perfectly sober to me.” He slides Daigo’s elbow back towards him, and he quickly feels a familiar knee come and press against his.
“Well if my lieutenant insists, he won’t mind buying my next one right?”
Mine forces his knee back towards Daigo, the duo now at a standstill as they press into each other with the vigor of two boys rough housing on a playground.
“Not sure, now that I think about it maybe it’s one too many bourbons.”
“Oh you know my tolerance is higher than that.”
“Perhaps… but I’ll need more evidence. Any good Lieutenant consults facts first.”
“Great timing, I’ve got a fact for you.”
“Hm?”
Daigo immediately shifts, swiftly removing all pressure as Mine inadvertently slips forward. His face slamming into Daigo’s shoulder, core strength that’d usually keep him up right long drowned in champagne seas.
Mine feels himself immediately heat up. What was he thinking?! Nothing has convinced him of how dangerous the holidays are quite like this moment. What an impudent, irrational, borderline vulgar display of irresponsibility from Mine—
Oh.
Daigo’s laughing.
His voice is right next to Mine’s ear, a hand coming to pat his lieutenants back as Daigo keeps him in this psuedo hug. Pressing him deeper into the junction between his neck and shoulder.
“Oh Mine,” his name so close to his ears, the warmth of Daigo’s hold and the heat from the words spread like wildfire in Mine’s body. “That was so funny.” His laugh is so boisterous, genuine joy in each octave his giggles rise.
Mine is stunlocked. His entire body rigid and stiff, unable to do anything but still in Daigo’s overwhelming embrace. Mine feels many things, embarrassment, elation, desire, and warmth . Daigo is so incredibly warm. For years Mine’s run heaters in his home to try and simulate a fraction of this deep seated heat traveling through his veins right to his heart. And yet here it was, having drinks with him the entire time.
Daigo lets go at that point, he helps Mine up and Mine swiftly feels the cold that permeates his body frost back over his organs. For a brief second, he almost wants to go in for another hug, but an internal slap to his own cheek drags his eyes back to the bar and locks his hands to his drink. Daigo decides to pay for his next whiskey. Mine insists against it, but Daigo very soundly declares he’s a cheater, and cheaters owe their Lieutenants at least a glass.
A bit after, when the giggles spiraled into belly laughs and the stories grew emotional, the night drew to another bittersweet end. Daigo received a gentle cut off from the barkeep and Mine personally decided to stop himself to ensure Daigo’s safety. Mine carefully helped Daigo dress, selfishly taking the chance to feel pieces of his fleeting heat. Mine restrains himself to only pause for a moment while putting on Daigo’s scarf— reveling in the brief relief that burns within him when his knuckles brush the chairman’s pulse point.
Daigo leaned against him as they walked, one of Mine’s taxis already outside waiting for them. As Mine let Daigo inside and began conversing with the driver, Daigo’s head lulled to the side and planted itself right on Mine’s shoulder.
Mine stuns for a moment, reveling in the heat blossoming from his heart beat to his gut. Daigo’s hand comes to brush against his as the car starts bumping against the imperfect asphalt. Daigo’s body is almost magnetized to Mine’s with how he always lands on his shoulder.
They ride with only the silent hum of the engine to keep them company. But Mine wouldn’t mind being here forever. He doesn’t dare rest his head on Daigo’s, no matter how much his heart pounds for it, as that’s a line in the sand that seems far more daunting to pass up close.
But if Mine tells the driver to run the meter and take the long way to Daigo’s home, that’ll be a company secret.