Lost at a Certain Angle

Standing in front of the huge building wearing only his rumpled uniform and scuffed, dirty sneakers, Furihata felt very small and inferior as some haughty workers and businessmen passed by and shot him scathing looks.

Judging.

Evaluating.

Looking.

Furihata felt the familiar taste of bile rise up his throat and touch the back of his tongue. He shut his eyes tight, and he clutched his stomach, willing his vomit to subside. I am not going to humiliate myself. I'm not about to spill my guts out on some poor Devil-Wears-Prada type of woman's heels. I'm here to develop my self-esteem, not to- to-

"Are you alright?"

A hand lightly rubbed his back, so Furihata wearily opened his eyes and faced the speaker. He felt his palms sweat as he took in the beautiful appearance of the-Furihata risked a quick glance to the stranger's chest- man. The guy's hair was black, straight, and the tips of its strands brushed against his neck. His skin was pale and flawless, and the beauty mark under his eye somehow made his features stand out more. He's gorgeous.

Furihata's cheeks were red as he nervously directed his gaze down. He cleared his throat, opened his mouth and- "..."

"Hm?"

"...I-I, m-my- "

When the beautiful stranger raised a brow in confusion, Furihata's cheeks raged in fire. He felt utterly embarrassed and dumb. One does not simply stutter in the presence of beautiful beings, female or not. Way to go, Kouki.

Furihata bit his lip and blurted out, "I-I-I- I'm not- I'm f-fine, thank you-you."

God strike my tongue down right this moment.

The stranger's lips stretched in an amused, but sensitive smile. "So you're that guy."

"S-sorry?"

"Furihata Kouki, Sei-chan's brand new part-time undersecretary?"

"Y-y-ye-yes."

He grinned and said, "I'm Mibuchi Reo, Sei-chan's, or rather, Akashi's secretary. Welcome to the company, by the way."

God help me.

Furihata Kouki was a certified, A-grade stutterer. When he was a kid and fairly innocent to the cruelty of this blasted world, he had thought that his stutter was normal for kids his age and would go away or decrease as he grew up. His parents, who were also initially worried, thought so as well and didn't mull over the matter.

Kouki played his days away in kindergarten, stressed over fractions and basic geometry in grade school, and woke up to the nasty reality of the situation when his classmates mocked and jeered at him as he introduced himself during the first day of middle school.

'My-my- I'm I-I- Name is F-Furih-ha-t-ta Koouu- ki, f-from Sei-seika Elem-elementary.'

'Pfft. Weirdo.'

'I can't understand what he's saying at all.'

'He's creepy. Look at those beady eyes.'

The fact that he barfed his breakfast on his desk (and on his frontmate's hair) after hearing those supposedly whispered comments definitely did not help improve his image.

Even now, while Furihata stood awkwardly outside a pair of intimidating and regal doors, he winced at the memory of how he became the butt of all jokes, the object of all bullies' affections. 'Stuttering Creep', became his new name.

He sighed and rubbed his temples. It's alright, it's alright. Maybe if I'm able to work under a really empowering person like Akashi-san, he might rub off on me. He might even help me raise my self-esteem.

Just then, the doors opened and Furihata ducked just in time to avoid getting hit by the polished mahogany doors. Reo smiled half-heartedly and chuckled. "Oopsy daisy, my apologies. Sei-chan will see you now."

Furihata nodded. "W-what should I- um- h-how should I- I- I- ?"

"Uhh... Okay, just one thing: he's pretty bitchy when he wants to be, so just be careful. He already knows about your stutter, so it's cool. Just- "

Reo trailed off, and he snapped his fingers repeatedly, seemingly searching for the right words. Furihata cocked his head curiously and asked, "J-just wha-what?"

"Um, don't take this personally, but try to minimize your speech."

Furihata's eyes widened, and he cast them down in a dejected manner. "...O...kay..."

Reo, upon seeing the depressed reaction of his soon-to-be kouhai, raised his hands defensively. "No, wait! I didn't mean it that way- "

"So would you two rather chitchat by the entrance of my office, or would you rather I kick both of you out of my property? Get in here, Furihata Kouki."

Furihata almost vomited to the sound of the silky, commanding voice.

Reo could only offer him an apologetic smile and a soft, "Good luck."

Then the doors shut behind him, his palms began to sweat profusely, and his feet reluctantly lead him deeper into the office, and onto his (hopefully, future) boss' desk.

He was not ready for this. Nope.

"Have a seat, Mr. Furihata. I have a lot to ask you."

He was about to stutter out a 'Thank you', but he couldn't produce a sound. He was- Akashi was- He- he-

-is too hot. Too handsome. Too-too gorgeous. Great, now I'm stuttering in my thoughts.

The sharp, mismatched eyes latched onto him, and a sleek brow arched perfectly. "Mr. Furihata? I thought I told you to take a seat."

"Uh- um of... course."

His knees were starting to feel like jelly anyway.

"How's your father?"

"He- he's fine..."

Akashi nonchalantly flipped through the mousy teenager's files. He placed his left elbow on his desk and idly rested his cheek on his knuckles. "Speak up, Mr. Furihata"

"He's... fine."

Akashi stopped skimming the file, and he raised his eyes to gaze at the teenager.

Normal, plain brown hair, normal, plain features, unusually small pupils, normal, plain body, normal, plain everything.

Except the stammer and the eyes.

He smirked, and when he saw a light blush bloom on the younger boy's cheeks, his smirk widened. "You're cute, Mr. Furihata, but I don't take pleasure in people who try too hard to hide their flaws. I know about the stutter, so I'll say it one last time: Speak. Up."

He accentuated the last two words with a threatening smile, and he seemed to succeed in scaring the poor boy out of his wits. Furihata's mouth set itself in a crooked line as he stammered, "I-I-I u-um I'm I'm not- I'm s-s-s-sorry."

"That's really cute. I personally think your stutter is cute, Mr. Furihata. Once you start working for me, don't hide it."

"W-w-w-w-wha- I-I what- "

"Congratulations, you got the job. You start tomorrow, and tell your father I send my greetings."

Akashi put the files away inside his drawer, and shut it with an air of finality. He glanced at his watch and stood up. "Don't be late for tomorrow."

Furihata stared up dumbly at the redhead. "Are- are y-y-you r-really- ?"

"Did I not make myself clear?"

Furihata choked back a whimper as his... boss glared at him. "M-m-my a-a-apo-pologies."

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As Akashi strode his way on to the conference room and Reo chattered and nagged him about his schedule, he could only think this: One more fucking stutter out of that kid, and I just might abuse his mouth so much he won't even be able to speak.

Akashi grinned at the thought.