[Team Two] You're the Main Actor in My Heart Scene
Juri/Hokuto | PG-ish | ~3000 words
Another background story for my poly!Juri :D
The problem was right at his desk. Post-it notes were cluttered there, full of text as reminders of what he should have done already on Friday but had decided to postpone until this Monday morning.
Juri suppressed a yawn, glancing at the clock on the wall. He could deal with the post-its later. The daily morning meeting would start soon anyway. He sighed as he stood up slowly and headed towards the meeting room. Another round of generic corporate updates coming up, most likely.
As expected, their boss marched into the meeting room at 9 AM sharp. Juri slumped in his chair, barely listening as the man began rattling off the usual updates about quarterly targets and department shifts. Juri did his best not to look too sleepy. Yet, his eyelids felt heavier with each minute.
"And finally, I have something important to announce," the boss said, a bit louder, pulling Juri back to reality. "We'll be having a filming crew on site this week."
The room stirred with interest. Juri blinked and straightened in his seat slightly. A filming crew?
"It's for a drama. Apparently, the production company liked our office layout," the boss continued. "They'll be shooting scenes here throughout the week, but don't worry, most of you will continue your usual work. They'll only need a specific area."
Juri didn't listen further, uninterested in whatever was going to happen. It didn't sound like it would affect him at all. He could probably hide behind his desk and avoid the whole spectacle.
"That said," the boss cleared his throat, "Tanaka."
Juri raised his head at hearing his name. "Yes?"
"Your desk and the surrounding area will be used for the filming. You'll be moved to the basement office for the rest of the week."
There was a collective murmur of sounds of sympathy coming from his coworkers, but Juri was too dumbfounded even to say anything. The basement? He hadn't even known they had a basement.
"Wait," Juri began, trying to process. "Why me? My desk?"
The boss gave him a look that said, don't even think about starting a scene now, before going back to reading a paper from the folder in his hand. "The production team specifically requested that part of the office. After this meeting, you'll pack your things and move to the basement."
Juri groaned inwardly. A week in the basement? It sounded beyond horrible. What had he done to deserve a punishment like that?
Once the meeting was over and Juri was back by his desk, he started gathering his things, tossing files and papers into a cardboard box.
Just as he contemplated the horror of hauling everything downstairs by himself, Mamiya, his colleague from the desk across the room, appeared beside him.
"Need a hand?" Mamiya asked, already picking up a stack of binders without waiting for an answer.
Juri sighed. "Thank you."
Mamiya grinned. They headed towards the elevator, juggling the things in their hands.
Once inside the elevator, Mamiya gave Juri a sympathetic glance. "Well, think positive! At least in the basement, you can nap, and nobody will catch you."
"Yeah, but I also need to do all the coffee runs from there," Juri muttered. "Do you realize how many steps it takes to get upstairs for a refill?"
Mamiya chuckled. "Think of it as your new workout routine. You'll be fit by the end of the week."
The doors slid open, and they stepped into the musty air of the basement.
It looked exactly like Juri had imagined: dim, with low ceilings and a weird smell of cleaning products. He was almost sure he could hear a dripping pipe somewhere in the distance.
"Perfect," Juri muttered. "My dream office."
As they returned upstairs to get the second round of Juri's stuff, Juri already caught glimpses of the filming crew going around the office. He wasn't interested in what kind of a show they were shooting, but the sight of camera equipment and actors in rehearsal immediately evoked a wave of irritation in him.
"I hate this kind of stuff," Juri grumbled to Mamiya. "Who wants to watch fake people in a fake office when they could just watch us doing the real thing?"
"I don't know, some people find that entertaining," Mamiya said.
"Yeah, well, they're wrong," Juri said flatly. "Bet none of them had to transfer to the basement at their workplace."
Once the second load of Juri's stuff was in the basement and everything was settled, Mamiya eventually left with an apologetic wave, leaving Juri alone.
Juri stared at the monitor in front of him, then looked around the lifeless space. He sighed. It was as boring as expected but worse than that; it was also lonely.
Slouching lower in his chair, Juri lazily opened an email he'd been ignoring since Friday. It was then, glancing at his desk, that he realized something was missing.
His post-it notes. The ones that had everything written he was supposed to finish.
"Shit," he muttered to himself as he stood up and headed back to the elevator to their office.
As Juri reached the top floor, he entered the office and walked towards his desk. He had thought he'd just grab his post-it notes quickly but soon realized it couldn't be done that quickly. Someone was sitting there, right at his desk.
The guy with black hair was hunched over the space that used to be Juri's. He was flipping through a script or something, completely oblivious.
Juri's annoyance deepened. His desk was already full of foreign stuff from the filming crew, but they hadn't bothered moving Juri's post-its away. They had left them there like they were some kind of prop. And on top of that, now some random actor was making himself at home there like he owned the place.
"Hey," Juri called out.
The guy jumped. Within that, his hand jerked, knocking over a takeaway coffee cup sitting precariously close to the edge of the desk. It toppled, and the cup spilled its contents across the surface.
Juri watched, frozen, as the hot coffee spread like a dark stain over everything on the table. Including his post-it notes.
“Oh no, oh no, no, no!” The guy shot out, eyes wide with panic as he scrambled for a napkin. "I'm so sorry! I'll clean this up, I swear. The director's going to kill me if he sees this."
But Juri wasn't concerned about the director. He stared at the coffee-soaked post-its, his annoyance rising to dangerous levels.
"Are you serious? You just ruined all my notes!" Juri hissed angrily.
The guy froze mid-reach for more napkins, eyes flicking up to meet Juri's.
"Wait... your notes? This is your desk?"
Juri crossed his arms, nodding. "Yeah. My desk. My post-its. And you just dumped coffee all over them."
The guy's face turned pale. "Oh god, I'm so sorry. I didn't know-uh-no one told me-" He fumbled with the soaked napkins, trying to mop up the mess, but it didn't help much. The post-its were already a mushy, unrecognizable mess.
Juri groaned. The guy looked so panicked that it was almost funny. Almost.
"Look," Juri said, "I'll get a washcloth. But seriously, man, you just destroyed my whole to-do list of the day."
The guy looked like he wanted to melt into the floor. "I'm so sorry. Just don't tell anyone, okay? Please? I'll get in so much trouble."
Juri sighed and shook his head, still irritated but too tired to actually snap any longer. "Whatever. Stay here. I'll get something to clean this up."
He headed off to grab a washcloth from the supply closet, shaking his head at the absurdity of it all. Of course, the week he got exiled to the basement, the universe would throw him something even more annoying to deal with.
When he returned, the guy had wiped up most of the coffee, but the damage was still there. The post-its were indeed beyond saving, and the desk was still stained.
They worked silently for a few minutes, cleaning up the mess together. The guy kept glancing at Juri like he was expecting to be yelled at again, but Juri only kept wiping the surface without saying anything. He didn't bother to look back at the guy.
"I am sorry," the guy repeated, sounding genuinely sorry. "I didn't mean to ruin your stuff."
Juri finally glanced at him. "Well, at least I no longer have to worry about those to-do things. They're officially destroyed."
The actor winced. "I'll make it up for you, I promise!"
Juri didn't reply, just glanced at his desk one last time before turning to leave. As he headed for the elevator, he heard the guy call out behind him.
"Hey, I truly am sorry! If you want anything-like, uh, a coffee-or to replace those notes somehow-just let me know!"
Juri gave him a wave as he walked away. The last thing he needed was more interaction with this weird stranger. Or more coffee. He just wanted to survive the week. He just needed to do his best to remember everything he was supposed to finish without the help of his post-its.
Once back in the basement, Juri tried to concentrate, but it was hard. The incident upstairs had soured his mood even more, if even possible.
Around noon, Fuma popped his head through the door. "Hey, you wanna grab some lunch?"
Juri barely looked up from his laptop. "Nah, I'm good."
"You sure? The cafeteria might not be great, but it's better than starving."
"I'll get cup noodles from the convenience store later. I can't deal with another one of those bentos today."
The cafeteria had been serving the same uninspired bentos for months, and just thinking about it made Juri feel sick. Besides, he was already irritated enough with everything else, so he didn't need any stomach issues on top of that.
The hours went painfully slowly, with Juri working through his daily tasks, doing his best to remember to finish everything that had been written on his ruined post-its. But deep down, he was mentally prepared to forget something. And, as expected, by mid-afternoon, his inbox dinged with a stern email from the boss.
Tanaka, I expect you to have your work in order despite the filming disruption. Where are the meeting notes you promised to send? This kind of carelessness isn't acceptable.
Juri clenched his jaw, frustrated all over again. Of course, sending the meeting notes had slipped his mind. The boss had no idea what had happened to his post-its, nor would he care even if Juri told him about it.
Juri massaged his temples.
By 7 PM, he decided to call it a day. He knew the filming crew had wrapped up for the day because Shoki had mentioned it earlier in passing. It meant Juri could safely return upstairs without having to worry about running into more circus.
He grabbed his things and trudged upstairs, making a detour to his usual desk to grab his charger he had left there earlier. After that, he would head to the bathroom before leaving.
But as he approached his desk, he noticed someone standing there. Again?
It was the same guy from earlier who had spilled the coffee. He was placing some items on the desk.
When Juri walked closer, the guy clearly heard him and turned around, looking startled again.
"Oh! Um, hi. Sorry-I wasn't snooping, I swear! I was just about to leave these here as an apology."
Juri looked at the items the guy had placed on his desk: a bottle of sake, a neatly tied bunch of white chrysanthemums, and a box of yatsuhashi, all the stuff one would bring as a formal apology.
For a moment, Juri was at a loss for words, unsure whether to laugh or feel touched.
"You... brought me these?"
The guy nodded nervously. "I felt terrible about what happened earlier to your post-its. I hope you can forgive me."
Juri blinked, staring at the gifts. Then he couldn't help feeling amused all of a sudden. He sighed, leaning against the edge of the desk.
"Hey, you're forgiven. You didn't need to go this far."
The guy bowed slightly. "I just didn't want you to hate me."
Juri almost laughed at that. "Hate you? I don't even know you."
The guy straightened up, flashing an awkward smile. "I guess we haven't introduced ourselves yet, have we? I know, I know, we started a bit-off. Anyway, I’m Matsumura Hokuto."
"Tanaka Juri."
Juri glanced at the bottle of sake again, then at the guy, Hokuto, who still stood there looking slightly embarrassed.
"So, do you do this for everyone whose desk you ruin? Or am I special?" Juri asked.
Hokuto laughed awkwardly. He seemed to catch the joking immediately. "No, you're definitely special. I don't like spilling coffee on people's stuff, I swear."
Juri let out a laugh, shaking his head. "I'll take your word for it."
"But I might have a habit of getting into trouble. The director's not exactly my biggest fan," Hokuto said sheepishly.
"Right, spilling coffee on important documents isn't the best way to win them over," Juri said. "So, what's your character in that drama, by the way? I suppose not a coffee spiller. Or no, let me guess, another corporate drone?"
"Actually, yes. Pretty much," Hokuto said with a laugh. "I'm playing an overworked office worker."
Juri chuckled. "Sounds disgustingly familiar."
"Do you hate it that much?"
Juri glanced around the dull office space as if the answer was self-evident.
"Let's just say it's not my dream job. I've been here long enough to know exactly how boring this place can get," he said.
"You don't strike me as the type who'd stick around if you're miserable," Hokuto said, leaning against the desk. "What keeps you here?"
Juri shrugged. "One has to do something. Besides, I'm not totally miserable. I can survive another round of monthly reports. But being moved to the basement… that's new."
"Yeah, I felt bad for you about that as well." Hokuto grimaced. "Getting kicked out of your own space for a bunch of fake office workers."
Juri smirked. "Well, at least I managed to get free sake out of it."
Hokuto laughed. "I'm glad you're taking it so well. I was pretty sure you'd be angry at me forever."
"Oh, I can get angry for a long time when I want to. But I guess you got lucky this time."
They exchanged another look, and Juri couldn't help observing Hokuto more closely. The guy was surprisingly cute in a flustered, kind of dorky way. His nervousness made him seem more sincere. And he was actually really, really good-looking.
"So," Hokuto said, glancing down at the gifts on the desk. "What do you say? Are we good? Truce, maybe?"
Juri chuckled. "Truce. But like I said, you didn't have to bring all this stuff."
Hokuto shrugged. "I was taught to apologize in style."
"Well, in that case, maybe I should start accepting people spilling more coffee on my desk. Might get me some more free stuff."
Hokuto laughed, the sound a little too loud for the quiet office, but Juri didn't mind. The guy had a nice laugh.
Juri glanced at the clock on the wall. "It's late. I should probably help you get to the elevators. You're a guest, after all."
Hokuto straightened up, nodding. "Right. Thank you."
Juri motioned for Hokuto to follow him. They walked in silence to the elevators. As they waited, Juri couldn't help looking at Hokuto.
"Do you have a busy week ahead?" Juri found himself asking before thinking properly.
"Nothing except this shooting until five every day. Why?"
"I was just thinking... since you apologized so nicely, I could make it up to you in return. You know, if you wanted to eat lunch together tomorrow or something."
Hokuto nodded slowly. "That sounds good, but I actually have a better suggestion. How about we go out after office hours, and let's grab a beer instead?"
Juri tilted his head. "A beer, huh? What, so you can spill that on me?"
Hokuto laughed again, shaking his head. "I'll be extra careful this time, I promise."
Juri chuckled. "Alright, a beer sounds good. So, tomorrow then?"
Hokuto's eyes lit up. "Yeah, that sounds great."
Juri grinned.
When the elevator finally arrived, Hokuto stepped inside, turning around as the doors began to close slowly.
Just before the doors shut completely, Juri gave him a small bow, and Hokuto flashed him a smile in return.
The elevator doors slid shut, and Juri stood there for a moment, staring after Hokuto. He let out a small sigh.
His heart was beating faster than usual.
--
Juri sat by his desk. It was late, almost too late for anyone to be there still, but he liked the quiet after everyone had left. The office was empty now, only a few lights still glowing across the floor. He sent the email and after that leaned back in his chair, stretching his arms above his head. He was finally done for the day.
Then, the faint sound of the elevator chimed. Juri furrowed his brow. It was unusual for anyone to visit their office, especially this late.
The door to Juri's working space slid open, and to his surprise, in stepped Hokuto.
"What are you doing here?" Juri asked.
"Surpriseeee!" Hokuto exclaimed. "I realized mid-filming today that I wasn't that far from you. The kid actors were tired, so we postponed their scenes for the next day, and the rest of us managed to wrap up early. Figured I'd come to meet you here."
"And the office manager downstairs just let you in, huh?" Juri asked.
Hokuto shrugged with a grin. "Yeah, I guess they've started to recognize me."
"Oh, famous actor privileges, huh?"
Hokuto chuckled. "I believe more like boyfriend privileges."
Juri shook his head with a soft chuckle.
But seeing Hokuto standing there made something in Juri feel immediately lighter after such a long day. Even after all this time, Hokuto had a way of making him feel better. He also tended showing up when Juri needed him most.
"Come on," Juri said, grabbing his coat and stuff. "Let's get out of here."
As the elevator doors slid shut, Juri glanced over at Hokuto. A warmth settled over him, that kind of soft and steady feeling he always had with Hokuto. Until he couldn't hold back anymore.
Without a word, Juri stepped closer, his hand reaching up to cup Hokuto's jaw. He leaned in, and their lips met in a long, slow kiss.
Hokuto's hand slid to rest on Juri's neck, deepening the kiss.
When they finally pulled back, Hokuto brought his forehead to rest gently against Juri's.
"Missed you the whole week," Hokuto whispered.
Juri smiled, brushing his thumb against Hokuto's cheek. "Missed you too."
They stayed like that for a moment longer before Juri leaned back.
"Let's go to your place," he said. Hokuto smiled and nodded.
Before the elevator door opened, Juri leaned in to peck Hokuto's lips one more time.
It felt good to be so in love.
shinysylver's turn now! The last sentence is: "It felt good to be so in love."