"Saeki-kun?" Katsuya paused upon hearing a familiar voice call out his name and ceased his paperwork for the time being to look up at Minoru, the one who had addressed him, in confusion.
"Is everything ok?" Katsuya asked, concerned as to why his lover had approached him so suddenly.
"O-of course," Minoru stuttered, blushing shyly. "I was just wondering if you were doing alright. You've been working hard all day. Do you want me to get you anything? I can make you some tea if you wish."
Katsuya, though admittedly not that thirsty, nodded in response to Minoru's offer as he didn't want the other man to worry about him. Minoru gave him a soft smile, satisfied that Katsuya would allow him to take care of him, and left the room to get Katsuya just what he had requested.
After Minoru had left, Katsuya felt it would be best to take a short break and decided to wait outside the office room for him. As he waited, he saw two coworkers talking amongst themselves quietly. Knowing that it wasn't his business to be listening in on others conversations, Katsuya watched them for a brief moment before he turned away from them and tried to ignore them as best as he could. Though as Katsuya continued to wait he heard something from the two that piqued his interest and at that point, he couldn't help but listen further, hiding behind a nearby wall so that he wouldn't catch attention from the two.
Katsuya immediately recognized that they spoke of Minoru, and from the sounds of it, they spoke ill of him. "Isn't the section chief a bit of a pushover?" One of them questioned.
"Yea, he always seems to suck up to everyone. Saeki, especially," the other pointed out.
Good, they didn't see me, Katsuya thought as he continued to listen in from where he was hiding. But is Minoru-san really that obvious? I haven't really noticed. Either way, these guys have no business talking about Minoru-san the way they are. Nonetheless, he ignored this for now and continued to listen, trying to see just where these two were going with their conversation.
"True, but honestly, I find his desperation quite amusing. I mean, imagine the things he'd do to get others to notice him." Katsuya paused and clenched his fist in anger, furious to hear them even suggest such things as he was now expecting the worst from them. How despicable! He thought. Saying rude things like that towards a superior is one thing, but towards Minoru-san of all people? I refuse to let that slide!
At last, Katsuya decided to approach them. "Are you talking about Minoru-san?" He asked, stepping out from his hiding place behind the wall. The two stopped their conversation instantly and gave Katsuya a surprised look. "What business do you have with him?"
"N-Nothing!" One of them exclaimed, shocked to have been caught by the very man that they wanted to avoid the most.
"Then shut up..." Katsuya said in a cold tone. "Unless you'd prefer to never speak again…" Without any further warning, he punched the same man in the stomach, causing him to collapse on the floor in pain while the other jumped in surprise. Katsuya gave him a cruel look, as if he didn't regret his actions it the least.
"Saeki-kun?" A soft voice sounded out from behind Katsuya and he turned around to see Minoru holding his cup of tea, a concerned look on his face. "What's going on?"
"H-He's insane!" The man, still lying on the floor, cried out, regarding Katsuya. "I can't believe you're intent on sucking up to someone like him! You really are desperate to be noticed by anyone, aren't you?!"
"H-Huh?" Minoru stuttered, blushing in embarrassment at the accusation. Seeing Minoru so distraught, Katsuya snapped, enraged by their inability to keep quiet even after threatening them to do so. In response, he kicked the man in the chest before he even had the chance to get back up. "Ah, Saeki-kun!" Minoru shouted from behind him, setting the cup of tea down before he ran to his side and clung to his arm. Katsuya ignored him and continued to kick him, showing no mercy. "Saeki-kun, stop it! You're hurting him! Saeki-kun!"
Katsuya paused, hearing the rising fear in Minoru's voice. "What's wrong?" He asked. "I was simply giving him what he deserved."
"Saeki-kun…" Minoru whimpered sadly as the other man helped his friend up before they both retreated.
"Minoru-san…" Katsuya said softly, realizing he had taken the situation a little too far and took another moment to recall what had been said about him. "Are you scared of me?"
"Of course not! Don't jump to such conclusions!" Minoru denied, gently touching Katsuya's face as if to assure him. "I could never be scared of you, Saeki-kun! Don't take those guys seriously! No matter what you'd do, I'm always by your side!"
Katsuya felt at ease to hear him say that, but didn't say it. Rather, he hugged Minoru close to show how much he truly appreciated always having someone like him to look after him when he needed it most.
A/N: Sorry if this seems kinda rushed. This was kinda hard to write, to be honest. Mainly because of the coworkers which I chose not to give any names to. After they were out of the picture, this was very easy to write. Anyways, I hope you enjoyed!