Chapter Text
Gojo scrolled through the text thread with Nanami. There were five days of unanswered messages. He’d tried everything, asking him about his day. Texting about a new restaurant opening up. He even resorted to memes of chef cat. The man is impenetrable when he wants to be, Gojo lamented. The last message Nanami sent him was an hour after they’d parted ways at dinner, thanking Gojo for the meal and apologizing for being such miserable company.
It was true, Nanami wasn’t exactly an ideal companion that evening and it had little to do with the crying. Gojo turned dinner over in his head again and again, wondering what it was about him that made Nanami seem so quick to anger. Interacting with him felt like whiplash. One moment they’d be having a nice time and the next it was as if Nanami was going to reach across the table and throttle him. It was rather exciting for Gojo, not knowing which Nanami he was going to get from moment to moment and maybe that is why he was here, sitting in the back of his car in front of Nanami’s office.
“Are you sure this is it?” Gojo questioned Ijichi. He’d sent him on the hunt to find out where Nanami worked, so he could surprise him. Sure, he didn’t seem like a man who enjoyed surprises, but Gojo thought everyone could use a little delightful shock in their day. Especially when the delight was Gojo Satoru himself.
“Yes,” Ijichi affirmed. “It was easy enough to look him up, it isn’t like he’s hiding from you. Though maybe he should.” Gojo’s eyes narrowed at Ijichi’s in the rearview mirror. True, Nanami ignored his texts, maybe the ten calls he tried, and hung up immediately when he called from Shoko’s phone but it was all just a game. Right? Nanami was testing Gojo’s dedication to breaking down his walls and Gojo was more than willing to accept the implied challenge. Normally, Gojo wasn’t one to chase anyone, which is obvious just by looking at him, so he found it delightful the script had been flipped. He almost felt a small amount of pity for all those men who tried to make plans with him after their one night stand. Almost being the keyword. He was not a man that could be won over by a good fuck and a ‘miss u’ text.
No Gojo was a man who was apparently won over by grand gestures of stoicism and scowls. He was going to break Nanami if it was the last thing he did and, given the aforementioned temperament, Nanami might very well kill him for this. It was a risk he was willing to take. He opened the door to leave, telling Ijichi he’ll call him when he’s ready.
“Are you sure?” Ijichi’s voice unsteady? “W-w-what if he doesn’t come to see you?” Gojo laughed and Ijichi winched.
“Ijichi, who would deny me?” he questioned as he slid from the car and slammed the door. He watched as Ijichi sped off, taking a deep breath to settle his nerves. Truthfully, he’d entertained that Nanami might not want to see him. Given the silence the last few days, it was highly likely. This is why he devised a perfect plan, to conceal his identity until the moment Nanami entered the lobby. Gojo walked through the tall glass doors, psyching himself up. This is going to work. I’m going to get to see him and make sure he is alright.
Because, it wasn’t so much Nanami ignoring him that bothered Gojo, it was they’d parted ways after Nanami finished crying and Gojo felt he’d made a mistake letting the man go off alone. He offered him a ride, which he rejected and instead settled for Gojo paying for a cab. Since then, Gojo couldn’t shake the sinking feeling in his stomach that Nanami’s grief, if left alone, was going to consume him. He needed someone to give him a push from his misery and who better than Gojo? As he approached the security desk, he went over his plan again. He was simply going to have them call Nanami down and say it was for an urgent personal matter. In Gojo’s estimation, happiness was an urgent matter to resolve.
“Hi I was–” Gojo was cut off before he could even finish.
“Gojo-sama, what do we owe the pleasure? I didn’t think annual evaluations were due yet and usually we expect Ijichi-san,” the guard said.
Clever, Gojo observed. It was security’s job to know everyone at the building, he was no exception. Gojo leaned across the desk, lowering his voice as if including the guard in some sort of secret. “I’m actually here on personal business,” he began. “I want to surprise my boyfriend, Nanami Kento, for dinner. Can you please call him down with some sort of excuse so as not to give me away? I want to see the look on his face when he realizes it’s me.” Gojo widened his eyes and batted his lashes, summoning the best please face he could muster. The guard flushed a bit and nodded silently before picking up the phone to dial Nanami.
“Good evening, Nanami-san. You have a visitor who needs your assistance for a personal emergency. They’ve asked me to convey an apology as it might take the evening, knowing it will cut into your overtime.” He thumbs up Gojo, who mouthed a silent thank you before grabbing the furthest seat from the security desk, trying to stay out of sight of the elevators.
Ten minutes later, Gojo watched a rushed Nanami come through the elevator, adjusting his gold-rimmed glasses as he approached the security desk. He watched as the security guard pointed a finger in his direction and the slow realization that colored Nanami’s face. Surprise, quickly morphed into annoyance, before settling into irritation. Gojo sauntered over to Nanami, grin plastered on his face as he prepared to play the dramatic boyfriend.
“Honey, I’m home early and couldn’t wait to see you,” Gojo teased. He tried to throw his arms around Nanami in a hug, who quickly side stepped him. He watched as the security guard gave him the thumbs up, as if he was an accomplice to a grand romantic gesture instead of an elaborate prank.
“I need to return to work,” Nanami scowled. He turned sharply, attempting to make his way back to the elevators, but Gojo was relentless.
“I know you’re upset I was away, but I couldn’t help it, Ken-ken,” Gojo’s voice was louder now, more persistent. Nanami couldn’t help the blush rising to the tips of his ears. In his periphery, security watching intently. He’d already let this man fuck up his personal life, he wasn’t going to give him the satisfaction of fucking up his professional life too. When Gojo once again tried to throw his arms around him, he let it happen so he could tactically use this embrace to give them a modicum of privacy. He wrapped his arms around the other man’s waist and guided him to the corner of the lobby behind a large plant. Nanami relished the surprise on Gojo’s face.
Nanami smiled and it was all teeth, speaking through them to reprimand Gojo. “Why are you at my work?” Nanami seethed, breaking from the other’s embrace as soon as they were out of view. He remained close, so that he might keep the ruse going and not become the man choosing his work over his boyfriend. The poster child for some sort of sad form of professional dedication. “I do my best to be as inconspicuous as possible and some over the top idolesque man waltzing through announcing loudly he’s my lover to the building staff threatens to undo years of work in one afternoon.”
“So you do think I’m handsome?” Gojo grinned and Nanami was once again stifling the urge to throttle him. Surely that’s what these feelings were. Nanami quickly clinched his hands in a fist. Gojo knew he was testing his luck. “I meant what I said in working on your joy, so I’m here to whisk you away to do just that.”
“Wha–”
“ At dinner, I think the issue is you tried to take in too much joy at once and that’s why you’re feeling guilty. If we just inject a little bit everyday, maybe you won’t feel so guilty.”
Nanami considered himself a logical man and this made no fucking sense, but the authority at which Gojo explained it as if it were an immutable law of physics baffled him. Joy doesn’t have a threshold. It isn’t like you can use exposure therapy for an agoraphobic to make you happy. And yet, he continued to entertain him. Well, as much as he entertained anyone, face set in a scowl but not disputing it.
“So I think I should take you out everyday and give you one moment of joy. By doing that, we slowly chip away at the guilt you’re feeling and let it make way for happiness. I already have our first one planned out.” Before Nanami could argue, Gojo chimed in. “I wasn’t lying to the security guard. I want to take you to dinner. I even called ahead and the chef said he’ll do a table side talk after the meal.”
“Where?” Nanami asked with feigned casualness.
“Uh-uh,” Gojo shook his head. “You have to agree to come with me to find out.” Gojo flashed his best smile. There’s no way he can deny me? Gojo gambled. “I’m sure one night, not working overtime isn’t going to tank your company. But hey, if it does,” he assured. “I’ll just buy it so you don’t lose your job.”
“Do you think we’re in Kabukichō?” Nanami spit. Using this situation to remind him of his clan’s wealth was low for a man Nanami thought couldn’t stoop any lower. Though, part of him was flattered at the price Gojo believed he was worth. Who else can say someone offered to buy a multinational company just to have dinner with them? Or maybe, this was just how these powerful clans flirted. What’s billions between friends?
Gojo leaned in, “If we were, I’d still think I was getting a bargain,” he whispered into Nanami’s ear. He might have imagined it, but he was positive he could feel Nanami’s cock twitch through the layers of fabric. He added this to the file he’d been mentally gathering on Nanami. When he finally brought him to heel, he was going to know every trick to get this man to moan his name. Gojo was positive it was a sound he could get addicted to. Knowing he alone could elicit such a sound from Japan’s mose serious man.
Nanami short circuited, staring dumbfoundedly at Gojo, who used this moment to whisk him out the door with a thank you to the guard. By the time Nanami processed what the other had said, he was firmly seated in the black leather interior of a luxury car. Gojo was babbling endlessly about every building they passed.
“Where are we going?” Nanami cut Gojo off.
“I guess you can’t run now, but I was able to get a table at Godiame Hanayama Udon.”
“They don’t take reservations,” Nanami corrected.
“Right they normally do not–”
“I don’t like flat noodles,” Nanami sighed.
“What?”
“I don’t like flat noodles, so there’s no way I’d experience anything close to joy when eating my least favorite food.”
Damn Gojo cursed himself. He went through all of this and it was a miss. “Ijichi, change of plans. We’re going to head to my favorite spot.”
About five minutes later Ijichi was parked in front of a Family Mart. This is a dream. Nanami reasoned. This man could buy the whole of Japan and his favorite spot is the Family Mart? Not a dream, a certified nightmare. As if reading his mind Gojo said,”their soft serve is the best in the city.” As if that explained everything. Still he found himself following behind the other man and getting a cone of the matcha flavor.
While they sat at the eat in space of a rare Family Mart, Gojo didn’t hide his disgust at Nanami’s choice.
“No one in history has ever asked to eat soggy grass,” Gojo grimaced.
“Looks like I’m a trailblazer,” Nanami deadpanned and continued to lick the cone as Gojo watched in disgust. Well, Gojo was hoping it was perceived as disgust and not a fixation on Nanami’s mouth as he expertly licked the ice cream to the cone before taking the entire top in his mouth to take a bite. “Do you need a napkin?” And it was then Gojo realized the vanilla cone he was holding was dripping steady streams of melted ice cream across his fingers.
“Shit,” Gojo muttered and began to lick the liquid from around the cone before moving to his fingers.
“You look like a cat,” Nanami stated before he could stop himself. Gojo raised an eyebrow and continued with the task at hand. Nanami excused himself, purchasing a pack of wet wipes and tossing them in front of Gojo who was just finishing up his cone. “Least you make everything sticky.” He realized he’d set himself up the moment he said it. “Don’t,” he growled at Gojo.
“Wouldn’t dream of it,” the other said, his wicked smile immediately giving away his lack of sincerity. “While I didn’t take you to dinner, we did technically share a meal so this is the end of our first moment of potential joy. How are you feeling? What are you thinking?”
“How much I wish I was in my home.”
“Tsk,” Gojo reprimanded. “If this is the attitude you’re bringing tomorrow, looks like I’m going to have to plan a lot more of these. Maybe multiple times a day,” Gojo joked.
“Multiple times a day?” Nanami repeated in horror. “I don’t have the stamina.”
Gojo chuckled. “Something in me tells me that isn’t true.” He let his eyes sweep over Nanami before them back to meet the other’s gaze. Gojo noticed it was the same dumbfounded look before. “I can give you a ride home since I’m responsible for taking you from your work.”
In the end, Nanami and Gojo settled on Gojo paying for Nanami’s cab home. Looking at his watch, he was pleased. An hour after he was kidnapped from work, he was back in his kitchen opening an ice cold beer. Sure, the company was questionable but he couldn’t deny how nice it was not to be working over time.
He smiled.