Work Text:
Of course it must have been him. Him, of all people.
Simon sighed deeply, starting his laptop before taking a sip of his lukewarm coffee.
In about two hours, a new co-worker would arrive in the office of the small newspaper the brunette was working for. The boss had told Simon a few days ago that he would be the one to train the new guy and to show him how work was done in the office.
Simon was a journalist, no teacher, for god's sake!
He just wanted to write his articles in peace, without a guy sitting next to him, asking him thousands of questions. The new guy was an accountant and just because Simon has been studying accounting before switching to journalism, he now had to train the new guy. The boss had too much to do and Simon was the only other guy in the office with experience in accounting after the former accountant left. The young journalist sighed again, maybe a bit too dramatically.
„Motivated like always, I see,“ Clary, the red-headed illustrator of the newspaper who happend to be also Simon's best friend, grinned. She walked over to Simon's desk, carrying a cup of coffee.
„I don't want to train the new guy,“ Simon whined and sat back in his office chair. Clary chuckled and pushed a strand of red hair behind her ear. „Sorry, but I am an artist, I have no idea regarding accounting.“ With a sweet smile, she took a sip of her coffee. „Don't worry, I'm sure you'll be a great teacher.“ With that, she walked back to her desk, to continue working on a new illustration for the news paper's front page.
It was more than an hour later, when the door to the office was opened and the paper's boss walked in. „Our new guy will be here in a few minutes, I want you to greet him properly. He graduated from a really good school and we can call ourselves lucky to have him. So please, support him the best you can.“ Clary and the three other co-workers nodded, and Simon mirrored their expression. That oh so awesome new guy was already getting on his nerves. He graduated from a really good college, too! So what?
„Guys, this is Raphael Santiago, our new accountant.“
Simon had been so lost in his thoughts that he did not notice the entrance of the guy who was their new co-worker. Holy shit, that guy looked like he wanted to murder someone while modeling for Hugo Boss or something like that, the brunette immediately thought. „Hello, it's a pleasure to meet you. I will be the new accountant,“ the deepest and most velvety voice of the whole world then made Simon's heart race. Okay, maybe it wasn't so bad to be the one to train him.
Simon rose from his seat to walk over to Raphael to greet him, just like Clary and the others did. The new accountant shook everyone's hands and talked to the others for a few seconds, before turning his attention to Simon. „Well, I have spotted the nerd section of the company,“ the black haired said and Simon frowned and before he had the chance to say a word, Raphael continued talking. „Let me guess, you are the computer scientist? Nice glasses, what century are they from?“
Well, the new accountant was super hot. He was a super hot asshole, and Simon hated him, that he knew from the beginning. „I'm sorry to disappoint your expectations, but I'm a journalist and yes, my glasses are amazing, thank you,“ Simon replied without holding out his hand. A smug grin appeared on the slightly smaller guy and he seemed... pleased? Without saying anything further, the young accountant turned away to talk to another journalist named Hodge. That guy was rude and Simon wanted to tell him to fuck off. Seriously.
„Raphael, Simon over here will be the one to train you, to show you everything about the newspaper“, the boss's voice was to be heard a few moments later. Raphaels prominent eyebrows rose and he looked at Simon. „Oh, so your name is Simon?,“ he asked, and Simon nodded. „Simon Lewis,“ he said, adding a not really honest „Nice to meet you.“ what caused Raphael to grin again. „So, the two of you will be working together for the next days,“ the boss said, smiling, putting a hand on one of Simon's and Raphael's shoulders. „If you need anything, let me know,“ he told Raphael. The black haired nodded. „Thanks, I will,“ he answered and with that, the boss went back to his office. Raphael looked at Simon and seriously checked him out from head to toe. „Nice shirt,“ he then grinned and Simon rolled his eyes. Yes, he was a grown man wearing a Spiderman-shirt, so what? The brunette felt like experiencing a flashback to his high school days, in which he had been bullied by many assholes. Raphael seemed to be such a bully. Why did he always have the luck to meet such kind of people?
„Follow me, I will show you your desk,“ Simon said, turning around and walking away, Raphael on his heels. After showing Raphael his working place, the brunette opened the accounting software the company used. They talked about the software and Simon again noticed Raphael's deep voice. It sent shivers down his spine and he couldn't understand why he felt so attracted to this guy. Raphael seemed to be an arrogant, superficial idiot and just a short amount of time afterwards, he showed Simon again that his assumption was right. Because when Simon did not know something about the accounting software, he told Raphael „Well, I only studied accounting for two semesters before switching to journalism“ and the black haired seriously answered „Well, that I noticed.“
And so it went on. Simon explained something to Raphael, the other guy answered with insults or ridiculous comments. Simon really couldn't stand this behaviour, but he kept his mouth shut – just a few days, and Raphael would be working on his own. So Simon could just work on his articles in peace, without being insulted by the ridiculously hot but super rude accountant.
~~~~*~~~~
„Have you seen that ass? I'd tap that, seriously.“
Simon rolled his eyes in annoyance when Camille, one of the other journalists, commented on Raphael's ass. Yes, he had a great ass! He had a great EVERYTHING despite his character, thank you very much. „Camille, you'd tap everything,“ Clary shot back, and Camille, who was in charge of a column in the newspaper that was called „Gossip and Beauty“, just flipped her hair in an arrogant manner before she went back to her desk. Simon rolled his eyes again at the sound of her ridiculously high heels.
„Simon, are you okay?,“ Clary then asked the brunette, eating some salad she got herself for lunch. Simon shrugged and took a bite of the Tagliatelle al forno he got for lunch break at the italian restaurant down the street. „No, I'm not,“ he answered. „I still have two days left with world's hottest asshole,“ Simon said. Clary looked amused. „To be honest, I think he likes you. And you like him. Why don't you ask him out for a date?“ Those words made Simon almost choke on his noodles, and he quickly drank some apple juice he got with the Tagliatelle. „Are you nuts?,“ he asked Clary and she grinned. „You know I am right~“ With this singsong, the redhead just kept on eating and Simon really thought his best friend lost her mind. Yes, he was attracted to Raphael, but that was just because the accountant was super hot. With his black hair, his dark eyes, his full lips, his amazing bicep and his muscular body... shit. „He's an asshole, I don't like him at all!,“ Simon shook his head in disbelief and ignored the grin of his best friend. Even IF he would like Raphael – the chances of the other being gay or bisexual were really low. If Simon really would ask him out for a date, Raphael would die of laughter, that was for sure – at least that was what Simon expected to happen. No way in hell! No way.
About one hour later, Simon wanted to go to the little kitchen that was placed next to the office. He seriously needed some more caffeine to survive the next hours with Raphael. The black haired accountant seemed to have found liking in teasing Simon more and more with every day they had to spend together at work. He pretended not to know something regarding the software, so that Simon started to explain it to him. When Simon was done, Raphael just smirked in the most arrogant way possible. The brunette would ask him to show what he just learned and Raphael would just use the software perfectly – he knew everything about it, Simon assumed he knew it even better than the brunette journalist did. It was just so annoying and nerve-wrecking to work with someone who let you know that they did not take you seriously. Sighing deeply, Simon put his cup under the coffee machine, pushed the button and waited for the cup to be filled. The nice smell of freshly brewed coffee helped calming his nerves a bit – but just for a few seconds. Because moments later, Simon wanted to take the cup and go back to the office, but somehow he slipped. That caused his coffee cup to fall out of his grip – it fell to the ground and crashed with a shattering sound, spreading the coffee and the splitters of the cup on the whole kitchen floor.
„Fuck,“ Simon cursed. As if it wasn't enough to be bullied by Mr. Universe, no, he had to destroy his favorite mug.
„Oh, that looks like a disaster,“ Raphaels voice suddenly was to be heard. Simon raised his head to see Raphael standing in the door frame, his arms crossed in front of his toned chest, with a grin on his lips. „You are so awkward and clumsy, it's almost fascinating,“ he kept on talking and suddenly, Simon had enough. His hands curled into fists. „Shut up! Just shut up and leave me alone, I don't need your stupid comments, okay?!“ Simon just couldn't stand being made fun of the whole day anymore – his whole time in school he had been bullied and insulted and so many people tried to tell him that he was worthless. For years, he suffered of depression and anxiety and only Clary told him he was amazing and a great guy. After school, in college, Simon had started to understand that those people who bullied him were wrong – that he was intelligent and nice and someone likeable. It took him years to get over it, but sometimes he still wasn't confident in himself, especially when people like Raphael told him he was awkward, a nerd and so, so weird. It hurt and it brought back those horrible feelings he fought agains for so long.
„Woah. Sorry. I don't,“ Raphael began speaking, but Simon just turned around, searching for something useful to clean this mess up. The only thing he found was a thin cloth. The brunette ignored Raphael, who still stood in the doorframe and watched him, and started cleaning. Simons hands were shaking and after cleaning some of the coffee from the floor, he suddenly cut his index finger on one of the shards of his mug. Simon made a hissing sound, because it hurt and he jerked his hand away from the shards. „Fuck, Simon, are you okay? You're bleeding.“ Suddenly, Raphael knelt besides Simon and grabbed Simon's wrist. „Don't touch me! I'm okay!,“ Simon shot back and stood up. „Just leave me alone.“ With his still bleeding finger, Simon almost ran out of the kitchen and back into the office. „Tell the boss I'm heading home, okay? I'm not feeling well,“ Simon told Clary. The young woman looked at him and of course he saw the blood. „Simon, what happened? You're bleeding!“ The brunette just took his briefcase and his jacket before he left the office without a word, ignoring Clary's „Simon!“.
Later, Simon sat on his couch, zapping through the channels on his tv without realising what exactly has been airing in this very moment. He had cleaned his finger and wrapped the deep cut in some bandages, and he couldn't stop thinking about the situation. First and foremost, he was ashamed. He just fled like a scared child instead of talking to Raphael. He yelled at Raphael and totally overreacted. And second, he just couldn't get Raphaels worried sounding voice out of his head. He had been treating Simon like an idiot, why would he be worried all of a sudden? Simon sighed deeply, before sinking down on his couch, burying his face in one of his pillows. What a horrible day...
A loud noise tore Simon from his sleep. Confused, he sat up on his couch. It seemed he just did fall asleep without noticing. His cellphone was ringing – Simon had put it down on his coffee table before sitting down on his couch after he came home from work. The brunette frowned in even more confusion – the display of his phone told him, an unknown number would be calling. This was his private cell phone, not the one he used for work, to contact clients. Simon reached for the device and accepted the call.
„Yes?,“ he asked.
„Simon.“ Oh no. Raphael. „It's me, Raphel.“
Simon swallowed hard, the grip on his phone getting even tighter. „What do you want?,“ he asked.
„I wanted to apologise. It was not my intention to hurt you,“ Raphael said. The brunette rolled his eyes. „Yeah, sure,“ he answered before hanging up on Raphael. After that, he shut down his phone and sighed. Well, that was totally the behavior of a grown up man! On one hand, Simon still was hurt because of Raphaels words, and on the other, he was ashamed. He did not want to talk to the black haired accountant. Not yet. And so, Simon just lay back on his couch and tried not to think about Raphael for the rest of the day.
~~~~*~~~~
The next day, Raphael surprised Simon. He was waiting for the young journalist with some hot coffee and even some croissants at his desk, greeting him with a smile. Simon just blinked – what the fuck was all that about? „Just because I freaked out yesterday you don't have to pretend to like me“, he just told Raphael. The black haired looked stunned. Simon shook his head when Raphael started to talk. „Just leave me alone. Our time working together is over, you know everything you need to know. I am going to write my articles now and I don't want to talk to you, okay? Please just leave me alone.“ With this, Simon turned around, trying to ignore Raphael. He just wanted his peace and not feel depressed anymore. But for some reason he just couldn't get Raphaels look out of his head – when Simon told him to leave him alone, the black haired had almost seemed sad.
~~~*~~~
More than a week, Raphael did not insult or make fun of Simon anymore. On the contrary – the accountant tried his best to be nice and polite. Every time Raphael went to the kitchen to get himself some coffee, he brought a cup for Simon, too. He smiled at him every time they talked and tried to make him talk about his private life, too. But Simon did not, he wanted their relationship to be totally professional. But when Simon was honest with himself, then he had to admit that staying professional became more difficult with every single day, because Raphael was absolutely charming in his own, sometimes a bit sarcastic way. More than once, Raphael managed to make Simon laugh and two weeks after the incident in the kitchen, they even had lunch together. Okay, not really the two of them – Hodge and Clary were there, too – but it was nice. It really was, and slowly but surely Simon came to like Raphael.
~~~~*~~~~
„Here. I brought you Tagliatelle al forno.“
Simon, who was writing an article about the closure of one of the city's most popular restaurants, looked up from the screen of his laptop, only to see Raphael. The black haired accountant put down a plastic bag on Simon's desk, smiling fondly. „You haven't eaten at all today, so I thought you could use something to eat,“ he said. Simon blinked, one time, two times. Raphael knew what his favorite meal was and he also knew Simon had forgotten to eat the whole day because he was so absorbed in his work. That was... really cute, actually. Simon couldn't help but smile at Raphael. „You're right, I haven't eaten today. Thank you, Raphael.“ The black haired mexican smiled brightly, and suddenly Simon's heart started beating faster. That was the most beautiful smile he ever saw, and that wasn't even an exaggeration. „Would you like to spend lunchtime with me?,“ he then asked and immediately, Raphael nodded. „I'd love to.“
For almost an hour, Raphael and Simon sat together at Simon's desk. They ate and talked about their time at college, and Simon felt really good. Finally, he gave in and talked to Raphael about his private life, and of course the older told him about his own private life, too. They made jokes and even shared a bottle of coca cola. After being this cold all the time, Simon enjoyed being like this with Raphael. It felt like being friends, and he liked this feeling. Even though he still was kind of confused because of Raphael's change in behavior, he really liked the new Raphael. He was nice, kind, funny and it was like they could talk about everything. In the evening of the day they spend their lunchtime together, Simon and Raphael even went for a little walk, to have some more time to talk.
~~~~*~~~~
It was a really cold winter night in december when Raphael came to Simon's place for the first time. They just wanted to spend some time together, to cook something and to have a nice evening. Raphael had been a part of the newspaper's team for more than four months now and he had become one of Simon's closest friends. Both of them liked to watch movies, they liked listening to music and Raphael always listened to Simon's stories for articles he was writing. The young mexican even cooked at home sometimes to bring some of the delicious food he made to work – to share it with Simon. He was so sweet and kind that Simon couldn't help but fall in love with the attractive young man. He still did not have the guts to ask Raphael about his rude behavior when they met. Simon was too chicken to ask about it – he was afraid to freak out again if he had to talk about his experience with bullying in school. Simon was already nervous enough because Raphael would be at his place in a few minutes. The brunette journalist had cleaned the whole apartment und bought everything they needed to cook some italian pasta-dish. Raphael loved pasta, too, and so they agreed on italian food for their evening together.
When the doorbell rang, Simon went to let Raphael in. Raphaels look made Simon's jaw drop. He looked absolutely gorgeous wearing a black trench coat, tight, black jeans and a blood red beanie. A few of his black locks peeped out from under his beanie and some raindrops were glittering in them – it has been snowing all day. Simon felt totally underdressed – he just wore a dark green pullover and blue jeans. „Hi, Simon,“ Raphaels deep voice greeted him. Simon beamed at the older man. „Hey, Raphael. Come on in!“
After the young mexican stepped into his apartment, Simon closed the door. Raphael got rid of his coat, his shoes and his beanie and his hair was a mess after. He was beautiful and Simon's heart was beating almost ridiculously fast in his ribcage. „You do have a really nice apartment,“ Raphael said when Simon showed him the living room, the bathroom and the kitchen after. „Thanks, I like it too,“ the brunette grinned. They went into the kitchen and suddenly, Raphael grabbed Simon's arm. Confused, Simon turned around to look at the older male. Raphaels eyes were full of emotions – emotions which Simon couldn't name. He suddenly was even more nervous.
„Before we start cooking I wanted to talk to you about something,“ Raphael said, looking really tense. Simon hesitated for a second, then he nodded. „Okay, uhm... what is it?“ Raphaels eyes flickered to the floor, then back to Simon's. „I am sorry, Simon,“ he answered. „For being such an asshole the first week we met. I never wanted to hurt you in any way.“ Those words gave Simon the feeling of his heart dropping and he opened his mouth just to close it again. He was at loss for words. Simon blinked and tried to get his mouth to work properly again. „Then... why did you treat me like this?,“ he asked with a faint voice. Raphael still held his arm, pressing his fingers softly against the fabric of Simon's pullover. „It was, because... because I...“ Raphael made a frustrated sound. „It was because I thought you were ridiculously hot. I was so unbelievably attracted to you. I never was attracted to a guy before and I was just so confused. I tried to ignore my attraction to you,“ Raphael then stammered. Normally, Simon would be amused about the stammering, stottering, gorgeous young man in front of him, because Raphael was such a confident and eloquent person, but in this moment, he was just taken aback. Raphael was attracted to him? Seriously? „Are you seriously trying to say you treated me like an idiot because you actually liked me and found me hot?,“ he asked, flabbergasted. Raphael nodded. „Yes. I'm really sorry and I wanted you to know that I'm in love with you. We never talked about all of this after you cut your finger and I-“
Raphael wasn't able to end his sentence because Simon suddenly threw himself at him. Simons arms around his neck, the young accountant could feel the lips of the brunette on his own, and Simon was kissing him almost desperately. Without hesitation, Raphael kissed back and their first kiss was a mess of flailing limbs and crashing lips, and it was simply perfect. Simon's cheeks were flushed red when they parted for air moments later. „Why didn't you say that right on the spot? We could've saved ourselves a lot!,“ Simon laughed, beaming, and Raphael was speechless because of his beauty. He dove in for a second kiss and Raphael couldn't help but press Simon softly against his own body – that amazing young man had stolen his heart from the very beginning und Raphael would never ever make the mistake of hurting Simon again, that was for sure.