"Christopher!"
His voice boomed across the room, pulling your locked gaze from your screen and straight towards your friend, who, at this point, was scrunched before his screen, visibly shaking with cold fear from the grumbling team leader behind him.
Your eyes watched carefully from the safety of your seat as Christopher slowly turned to face the other man, whose eyes were locked on the smaller, shaking man.
"Y-yes, S-sir?"
His accent was broken as he stammered the hard words out.
"My office now!"
The elderly man yelled over the shaking being before turning on his heels and stammering his way towards his small fish bowl-like office. You knew the pit forming in your friend's stomach was growing by the second as he turned to give you a weak smile before he pushed himself from his seat and sluggishly made his way to his destination.
Slowly, you sank back into your seat and tried your utter best to re-focus on your bright screen, but the thick lump in your throat only seemed to grow stickier and heavier as your heart pounded in your chest, causing the palms of your hands to cool suddenly from a thin layer of sweat.
The once quiet office was now layered with shouting from the elderly man. His cracked, muffled voice made your body recoil in fear, as you too had spent some time at the receiving end of those screams.
"There he goes again."
"Poor kid, he is so quiet and diligent; I wonder what caused this to happen."
"It was about time for the new guy to get it."
The office messenger kept popping up on your screen, along with comments from your co-workers, informing you further about the possible reason for the current situation your friend was in.
You sat there reading the comments and queries, which made your mind race and swirl into a spin of chaos. Your fingers began to shake as you tried your utter best to focus on the words before you, but your eyes darted towards the messages and the office that wasn't hidden by gypsum walls but displayed and framed by cold steel and glass.
Your eyes kept focused on your friend, who tried his utter best to stand there proud and tall as his boss yelled profanities at him, but his shoulders curled and rolled forward as he accepted his cruel fate.
The door to the office clicked and swung open, causing all curious eyes to fall back to their screens and false attempts to get back to what tasks were awaiting them that would only be completed in the upcoming week as the elderly man boomed an order for everyone to leave.
"Get out now; I'm not paying overtime this week for his screw-ups."
All staff did as they were told and hurriedly gathered their belongings before shuffling out of the stuffy office and into the cool air that seemed to bite at their noses and ears as they all pushed and groaned to get away from their prison, only to fall into their even stuffier nightly routines.
"Hey, Chris!"
You eagerly waved at the saddened man, who was riddled with self-loathing and disappointment. The sight made your heart sink to your stomach, forcing your head to feel light and woozy.
"H-Hi, Y/N."
Even his usually cheerful voice was broken, the very life and light you knew was drained from him.
"Why don't we go and get a beer? That usually cheers you up!"
With false enthusiasm, you grabbed the man by his arm and gently tugged on him towards a nearby bar. He was hesitant, but with a low grumble and sigh, he easily gave into your way and followed you with a slight hint of excitement.
The two of you have known each other for some time now; you have worked in the same office for years, but only recently have you been friends. Christopher was always shy around you and other members of the office, but slowly, since becoming friends with you, he has started to open up.
The bar was filled with dim lights and a mix of chatter that filled your head and seemed to numb the heavy sensation in your mind.
"I-I don't get it. I made, I made s-sure that it was all c-correct."
His Australian accent thickened two beers down the line; it made you smile as you noticed the life in his eyes slowly returning.
"Chris, don't worry about it; it's over. We drink, have a good laugh, and move on. Oh, hey, how about we find you someone to flirt with tonight!"
You grinned at the man before swigging at your drink and spinning in your seat to study the faces around you.
"Y/N n-no, we don't need, need to uhm do that."
His chuckle was broken when you turned to face him; his eyes darted around the room and onto you as his cheeks turned a light pink.
"Oh, please, Chris! It would do you some good!"
You teased him as you poked at his shoulder. The blushing man shook his head and turned his eyes down to face the table. He muttered incoherent words under his breath that made you frown with confusion.
"L-let's just go; go home; we-we have a w-ways to go."
A sigh of defeat left your lips as you rolled your eyes and agreed with the man. It was the weekend, so you had no other obligations for the early hours tomorrow.
"It's a pity; that lady in the corner really had her eyes locked on you."
You teased him as you slipped past him and out of the stuffy room, into the still cool night's air. The two of you lived a block apart, so you would accompany each other on your trips to and from work on a daily basis.
During your cab ride, your eyes would dance over the man beside you. Under the dim passing street lights, you couldn't help but notice the hard frown on your friend's brow as his eyes were locked on passing figures.
"Oh, come on, Chris, the day is over. Give me a smile."
Not thinking and on a buzz, you lean over the man and press your finger to the center of his head, making him smile slightly down at you. The sight made you gulp as his eyes softened and his lips curled slightly.
"Maybe I'll consider it, but only if you promise to stick around for the night."
His voice was a whisper, but you heard and felt every word he mouthed. Your heart jumped and formed a thick lump in your throat, and your body was frozen and stiff, unable to move. The sweet, stuttering man seemed to have vanished right in front of your eyes.
"What?"
You pulled away with shock scrawled over your face.
"W-well, we c-can play some c-card games, like Uno, yeah, Uno."
He chuckled as he tried to cover the words he growled into your ear just a few minutes ago. You sat on the other side of the shared seat and stared at him; his chocolate eyes danced around, avoiding contact with you. Was it a screw-up in the matrix?
"Yeah, card games sound like fun!"
You instantly grinned at the man, which seemed to make him smile once again, but this time it was brighter, bigger, and goofy-like—the smile that made your heart skip a beat.
"I sh-should have m-more beer at h-home."
He muttered under his breath as the cab seemed to slow down. His building was first in your evening trips, but he would never go in; he would walk the extra block or two to make sure you arrived safely every day, and then he would make his way back, no matter the hour or weather.
The two of you lazily ushered into his apartment. You had been there a few times, over the weekends and during the day, when it was lit with natural light, but now under its dim LED lights, you noticed something different.
The walls were bare; no photos hung from them, just random patches of wall light that were in multitudes of colors, which brought a strange life to the bare, quiet apartment.
"Y/N."
His lips were against your ear as he whispered your name with a low growl. The freezing sensation from the cab rose up your spine again, making your body stiffen in place. He was right behind you, leaning over your shoulder, taking slow, deep breaths against your neck and ear, making you shake slightly.
"D-do you want a b-beer, Y/N?"
His demeanor changed again; this time he was his usual soft self, with kind, warm eyes, as he danced around you and dangled the cold bottle before you.
"Uh, yeah, thanks, Chris."
With a shaking hand, you took it from him and began to sip the cool liquid down. His eyes were soft as they locked on you and watched you drink.
"S-slow down, Y/N."
He chuckled before turning on his heels and making his way towards the open seating area. You soon followed after you stripped off your coat and heavy boots. Slowly, you made your way towards where he was seated, shuffling the deck of cards.
The man had stripped from his coat and heavy clothing; he was in a baggy black shirt that exposed his arms—a sight you have never seen. During work hours, he always wore long-sleeved shirts or a coat, sometimes a baggy hoodie, but never this.
Even during your day visits, he was always covered up, never exposing any of his skin to the outside world. You locked your eyes on him and watched his quick movements while you slunk around him and took your seat next to him.
As you sank into your seat, you eyed the room. He had chosen a very specific spot to sit; there was enough space to fit you both and enough room for you to move around, but he had taken his seat in a way that would force you to sit beside him, and rather close.
Your mind raced; I'm overthinking this. Yeah, he just took his seat there, for comfort or out of habit, I suppose. But what is up with him, his voice, and his sudden change in being so close to me?
"Y/N, want to make this exciting?"
There was no shy stammer when he spoke; your eyes darted towards his face, and a twisted smirk crossed his lips as he looked over at you. Your eyes had glazed over as your mind raced, up to the point where you only noticed now that he had dealt out the cards.
"Uh, y-yeah, sure."
Your voice was a weak whisper as you looked from the cards to his twisted smile. He hesitated slightly before speaking, allowing you to put your bottle to your lips and swing your head back to take another sip.
"Every time one of us puts down a pick-up card, the other player has to remove an item of clothing instead of picking up cards."
You coughed and gagged on the liquid that made its way down your throat; some drizzled down your chin as you turned your gaze towards the man, whose smirk vanished and was replaced with his usual smile.
"O-only if Y/N w-wants to, of course."
He was stammering again with flushed cheeks; this puzzled you, but feeling brave and curious, you wiped your chin clean and smirked back at him.
"Yeah, we can play it like that; you better get ready to lose, Christopher Bang, because I'm the master at this game."
A smile crossed his lips as he looked down at the set of cards in his hands. You watched as he took a sip of his drink and kept his gaze on the hidden cards.
"Challenge accepted, but beware, I might just enjoy losing to you."
Your eyes darted from him to the cards you picked up and spread out between your fingers, and your cheeks burned slightly at the sudden realization that he and both of you were playing a twisted game of strip poker, one that would lead both of you into the nude with just one card.
The mix in your hand made your heart sink; you only had one single +2 in your hand, while the others were a mix of colors and numbers.
I can play it now; get him down to his briefs, yeah, but then what does he have?
"Ok, Y/N, guests go first."
His voice was heavy and close; he had shifted slightly and was leaning closer to you. You hesitated with that one card in your hand, but once you drew in a sharp breath and flashed him a grin, you quickly dropped the card to the table and grabbed your drink.
"Loose them pants, Christopher."
You teased before taking a sip, his lip twitching slightly as he eyed the card on the table, Without hesitating, he placed his cards face down, pushed himself from where he sat, and slowly began to strip.
As you sipped on your beer, you watched his every movement. You have been curious for years about his build but have never seen it, and after grabbing at his hands and looping arms when you dragged him along, you would now be able to finally see what you could feel.
He started with his shirt and pulled it over his head, exposing a build you never expected him to have. Under the dim lights of the room, you could see the lines of his body and the curves of his frame. It made you blush at the sight of your friend.
You tried your best not to stare, but your gaze was locked, even more so as he unlooped his leather belt.
"Sorry, Y/N, no pants, not yet anyway."
A forced chuckle left your lips, and as he took his seat, all you could see now was a shirtless man sitting right beside you. It was his turn, but your eyes were too focused on what he looked like and what he was hiding all this time.
"My turn."
His voice darkened suddenly, and his eyes locked on the set of cards in his hand. The sound of his voice pulled you from your daze and placed you back in your current situation. You had no clue as to what he had in his hand, what he was planning, or why he was behaving this way.
You watched as he slowly laid down a card; you couldn't see the number, just its color, at this point as your mind raced. He placed a simple card—an almost faceless card—in your mind at this point.
"Your turn, Y/N."
You hesitated but continued to play. Both of you continued with the game; your movements were jagged slightly, but none the less, you both played. As the game went on, you seemed to ease slightly, as he never once played a card to get you to strip.
He would look up at you and smile before placing the card down. This went on for a while; your eyes would lazily dance up and look at his bare chest, then back down to your hands. You wanted another card, and you ached for another one.
It was your turn, but neither of your existing cards could be played. You lazily reached for one, expecting to get another baseless card. You put it in your hand and took the last sip of your beer. Your eyes widened as you noticed the card's white border and black face—the card you had been waiting for.
"Sorry, Y/N, I can't take this anymore."
Your brow creased as dread filled your heart. There on the table, while you were distracted, sat the very card you were hoping to place during your next turn. You froze, then looked up at the man who grinned at you.
"Uno."
He said the single word calmly as he flashed the single card he had in his hand.
"Strip, Bewdy."
A pang of pride washed over you as he eagerly took the win for this. With shaking legs, you pushed up and froze as your mind raced with the amount of clothing you had on: your underwear, your shirt, your jeans, no belt, and your socks. Each one counts as a piece of clothing. What did he just call me?
Eagerly, you removed your socks and dangled them in the air to show the man watching you.
"Two."
He said the single word for you, and his eyes sparkled with amusement at the proud grin slapped on your lips.
"Now, the other two."
You hesitated at his order, but quickly followed through. You shyly pulled your shirt off, revealing a bright pink bra with silly doodles on it, and then slowly removed your jeans, exposing your matching knickers.
Brown eyes were locked on you, obviously studying your figure; his lips curled into a small smile, while his eyes were soft with adoration. You stood there and watched as he leaned forward and placed his final card on the pack in the center.
"I win."
He rolled back in his seat, his heavy eyes darting over you once again.
"What's your prize?"
You jocked, dropping the cards you had in your hand.
"Y/N is my prize."
He moved in his seat, pushing his hips forward, so that he was almost lying on the sofa. You froze at his words. This whole time, he was teasing you, trying to get you into this very position. It made your heart flutter and your groin tighten.
You studied him carefully; his darkened eyes were watching you very carefully, studying your every move.
"And what do you plan on doing with your prize?"
You whispered the words before slowly closing the small gap between the two of you. You found yourself standing over him, between his knees, and right against the sofa. You could feel the heat radiating off of him at that very moment, with your eyes locked with his.
Your breathing was heavy as he lazily pulled himself up. His hands found their home behind your knees before slowly, lazily dancing up the backs of your upper thighs and stopping right under your ass cheeks.
He had closed the gap between the two of you; his breath was warm against your lower belly as he traced his lips along your panty line. He stopped once he was at your center and trailed his lips up to your belly button, where he placed a soft kiss and hummed.
You stood there with your arms dangling, your fingers itching and aching to run through his messy black hair, but you kept still, mesmerized and conflicted. How have you never seen this side of your bashful, quiet friend?
His eyes shot up to look at you, his lips grazed against your skin, and his voice vibrated through you as he growled his words.
"I plan on making Y/N scream my name all weekend."