Archive of Our Own

Chapter Text

It was a normal morning for Shuichi Saihara. He wakes up,takes a shower, brushes his teeth, eats coffee and toast (which does't qualify as breakfast, Akamatsu had said), and puts on his uniform and waits for the bus at the bus stop. He inwardly groans as the line to the bus was unsurprisingly long, so he has to wait for a little longer for the second bus.

After getting off, he takes off to the building he works in. He greets Akamatsu, who was manning the reception desk near the entrance.

"Did you eat anything this morning?", Akamatsu asks with seriousness in her voice.

"Yes, I always eat", Saihara replies hurriedly as he walks towards the stairs, feeling his chest heave out due to the lack of exercise. He did not wait for Akamatsu's reply.

Saihara finally reaches the fourth floor of the building with sweat-covered forehead, and a heaving chest. He reminds himself to go train with Momota and Harukawa later, after work hours. He enters the coffee room, smelling the air for that delicious coffee brew (he likes to drink amounts of coffee, expresso being his favorite drink). Amami, Harukawa, Hinata, and Komaeda were in the room, possibly conversing about economics or something appropriate for a work environment.

"Oh, good morning, Saihara", Amami says, with a cool disposition that makes girls fall for him anytime of the day. "How's your morning?"

"The usual", Saihara says, taking a plastic cup from one of the cupboards and puts it below the coffee machine, letting the brown substance drop to his cup. "Where is Momota, by the way?"

Harukawa shrugs. "He hasn't showed up yet. Probably sleeping in."

"Hey um, guys, I need to tell you something", Hinata says in a hushed tone, and everyone looks at him curiously. His face was contorted in worry, which was never a good sign.

"What is it?", Saihara asks in an inquisitive manner.

"Well, uh, someone in the office has Hanahaki Disease." Silence. Not even Komaeda has something to say. Amami's cup was trembling, looking to the floor, muttering something under his breath.

Saihara blinks, thinking as if he had heard him wrong. Someone in the office has Hanahaki? A deadly disease? Hanahaki Disease was something that'll form in the lungs, making it hard to breathe for the person. Once their unrequited love starts to grow, the flower petals will start to form. These flower petals define the kind of love you suffer, and once it is unattended, it will grow, until you cough up a full flower, or blood speckled petals.

There were two ways to get rid of it: if the person you love is in love with you, or if you confess your true feelings for them and they accept. But if they are rejected, it meant death for the person diagnosed with Hanahaki. The second was to go to surgery, but most people were hesitant of surgery, as even though it removes the illness, it removes feelings.

Saihara feels sorry for the person who had this disease. He remembered that his uncle had it, and went into surgery so he could still be there for Saihara. He can feel the wariness and sadness in whoever's suffering and going through the Hanahaki. A new surge of determination surfaces inside him. He will help this person fall out of love, or get him to confess to the person he fell in love with.

"How did you know an employee of ours have the Hanahaki?", Harukawa asks in a monotone voice, but still laced with concern and worry. Harukawa has a knack for hiding her true feelings.

"I saw flower petals in the male's restroom", Hinata explains, his voice filled with sorrow. "They were carnations."

Saihara opens his mouth, supposedly to offer condolences to this person, but the door slams open, and everyone does not have to turn around to know who it is, as only one person enters rooms like that.

"Ah, Momota, you're late", Komaeda states, pointing out the obvious. "I've been looking for your for a while."

"Sorry", Momota says, scratching his head apologetically. "Some... inconveniences at my apartment block." He looks at Amami with a knowing glance, and Amami looks back.

He seems to notice everyone's somber looks and the atmospehere in the room.

"Why's everyone sad?"

"Hinata here found carnation petals in a male's restroom", Harukawa deadpans, and Saihara flinches at her tone. She says that someone dying due to love was fine.

Momota then looks obviously pale, and Saihara sees out of the corner of his eye Amami looking at Momota with worry. What's going on with both of them? Momota then coughs, and everyone looks at him in alarm. But the man just smiles.

"What, you guys think I'm dying?", Momota says with a smirk. "I, Kaito Momota, Luminary of the Stars, cannot be killed that easily!"

Amami frowns at that statement, but when he sees Saihara staring at him, he hides it with moving his mug up to his face, supposedly taking a sip of his coffee. Harukawa groans outwardly, quite annoyed but affectionate of Momota's ridiculous exploits in making everyone happy.

"Of course you worry us", Harukawa says while rolling her eyes.

Saihara chuckles, but the smile is wiped off his face as Momota approaches him. The blue-haired boy's face start to go red in embarassment- or something more.

"Shuichi, are we still up for today?", Momota asks.

Saihara nods. "Of course! I almost fainted while climbing up the stairs."

"That's why I told the boss to build elevators", Amami says, breaking his silent treatment. "But does Enoshima ever listen. Noooooo. Because she does whatever the hell she wants."

Hinata laughs at that statement while Komaeda mutters something insulting Enoshima under his breath. Saihara smiles at the statement. And so, the somber atmosphere in the room was broken. The Hanahaki Disease situation was somewhat forgotten, but Saihara didn't dare bring it up to destroy the happiness.

But he still can't help but feel he needs to do something to the person who has this deadly disease. He had promised to his uncle to help anyone in need, no matter how impossible the task was.

Saihara can't help but feel as if he was Momota, when he had talked about wanting to help people in need.

Saihara then crams himself and his things in his tiny office; he sighs, reminding himself again to file a complaint of this office to Enoshima, even if she doesn't bother reading people's comments about her company. The only thing he likes about in this room was this beautifully carved wooden desk. He opens his laptop and begins to work.

Saihara's fingers fly over the keyboard, wondering what letter should he type first. He taps the key 'A', but after a while of looking at the pre-blank document, he presses Backspace and looks at the document that was already frustrating him. As a talented writer, he could not lose to something like the blankness of mind for ideas. He groans, slumpin over the desk, pressing every single key he can get his hands on.

A knock of the door saves him from death as he looks up at the door with a smile mixed with relief and sadness.

"Hey, Enoshima's asking you and Momota to come up to her office for your next case", and intern says in a hurried manner.

Saihara's relieved smile falls at the thought of being in the same room as Enoshima. No, being in her office is a better way to explain his displeasure at being around his boss. He just hopes that it was Ikusaba calling him and not Enoshima: sometimes Ikusaba would dress as her dreaded twin sister, but they differ in personality and-slightly- their looks.

Saihara climbs up the steps, sounds coming out as he likely stomps all the way to the seventh floor, already panting. Why is Enoshima's office in the top floor? Why didn't she make elevators for fuck's sake? Her despair fetish was really playing into managing a company.

"Shuichi!", a familiar voice shouts at him. But before the boy has time to react, someone lifts him up and carry him bridal style. Saihara yelps, and he sees his perpetrator's face.

Momota was staring down at him with a smile, probably victorious that he had caught up with Saihara. Saihara looks away, his face going red with embarassment. They- or rather, Momota, as he os carrying Shuichi- reach the fifteenth and last floor. Saihara was quite amazed that Momota had not topple over his and Saihara's weight. And without a single sweat too!

Momota must be a god, Saihara thinks as he observes Momota's stance. The man was so confident, so optimistic that even the way he walks shows how he's been living. They then stop at a door- the only door in the whole floor- and Saihara softly knocks at the door, not daring to knock as loud as he knocks Akamatsu's headboard when they were still dating.

Momota forcibly opens the door, much to Saihara's dismay, and pulls him inside. Enoshima's room was cold; despairingly cold. How can someone live or habit an office below room temperature? It was like that one tale from one of H.P Lovecraft's horror tales and myths. About the doctor?

Anyway, Saihara's mind comes back to facing Enoshima herself. Even though he goes to Enoshima's office monthly (to get his next case, or Enoshima just wants to talk to him for funsies), the presence of this everlooming power just... overwhelms him. Her assistant, Shirogane, was a much more docile yet manic woman, but Saihara can tolerate her. Kind of.

"Here're my favorite employees!", Enoshima says in a joyful tone as Saihara and Momota seat down on the surprisingly soft chairs.

It was Junko Enoshima. She was dressed up in her most formal outfit, but it steal revealed her assets. Her incredibly long red fingernails were tapping the desk in a menacing tone, and her smile matches the room's shivering temperature.

"Everyone is your favorite employee", Momota says in a deadpanned tone. No one ever defies Enoshima, as they all cower underneath her. Yet sometimes, some of the employees show defiance against their boss. Of course, they receive consequences of their actions. The most notable ones were Makoto Naegi (fired), Kyoko Kirigiri (also fired), Hajime Hinata (demoted), Nagito Komaeda (suspended for a month; no pay), Chiaki Nanami (fired), and sometimes Momota.

"What is the next case you're about to give to us, ma'am?", Saihara asks, quickly addressing Enoshima as an afterthought.

Enoshima was now looking at random papers, Saihara's question seemingly fallong on deaf ears. As usual, he guesses. Enoshima would always answer his question once he had lost his patience and time in the room. Momota does not get the hint, as he bangs Enoshima's desk loudly, impatient.

"Jesus Christ, lady", Momota says. "Can you just tell us what are the cases that were assigned to us?"

Enoshima, surprisingly, only raises a brow at the man's outburst. She dramatically sighs, and Saihara, in a moment of sass, rolls his eyes.

"Cases?", Enoshima says with a slight predatory grin. "You'll both be sharing a case."

They both look at each other, shock displayed across their faces.

"What?", Saihara asks. As much as he sees Momota as a good friend, he thinks that he wouldn't get anything done when he's around. "But ma'am, wouldn't it be better if-"

"No buts!", Enoshima shouts, sounding like a miffed mother. "I thought you both were friends!"

Saihara looks at Momota, who was uncharacteristically silent and staring at the wall like it was longing for something. His hands were trembling too, for some reason. Saihara was about to ask Momota if he was okay, but the latter seemed to have regained his characteristics.

"We are, ma'am", Saihara replies with a cautious tone, as if Enoshima was a puppy waiting to bite. "It's just-"

"No objections or both of you'll be fired!" Enoshima now sounds like a petulant child. Saihara closes his mouth, and Momota stays silent once again. Then Momota stands.

"Yeah, I'll be working with Shuichi", Momota says in a calm tone. A too calm tone. Saihara looks at him with surprise in his eyes. Momots didn't even glance at him.

As they exit Enoshima's office, they make their way down to their floor. And just in time too, as it was lunch. Saihara then catches sight of Amami, who was carrying a cup of coffee for him. Amami smiles and waves at Momota, and he waves back. So far, he had not even acknowledged Saihara until Amami glances at him. Instantly, the smile fades and it turns to a frown, much to Saihara's confusion.

Amami was known to be a man whose expertise was hiding his own feelings, and would always instead tune the negative feelings down and convert them to neutral or unhealthy disposition of emotions. Though Amami could be seen smiling, even in the bad days, the tone of his voice or the look in his eyes would suggest something else. He can frown, yes, but he would only be playing. So how can Amami genuinely frown right in front of Saihara? Did he do something wrong?

"What did Enoshima tell you?", Amami asks, concern on his voice. But a part of Saihara's mind thinks Amami is not concerned of Enoshima summoning both he and Momota into her office.

"Me and Saihara are going to share a case together", Momota says in the most quiet tone he can ever conceive. Amami's eyes were now full of worry.

"Wait, what?", he says, then looks at Saihara with a glare, and the other steps back. "Wait, I'll reason with Enoshima, and I'll ask her to switch me and Saihara."

"Why do you need to do that?", Saihara asks in a rude manner. "Kaito seems perfectly fine with the arrangement."

Amami now turns around and looks at him with an annoyed and angry look, his hand touching his temple.

"Because he's not okay with it", Amami snaps. Momota looks at him apologetically, before ushering Amami into his office, which was near the staircase. And they didn't bother to close the door all the way through before starting up their conversation again. Saihara leans against the wall, trying to hear their conversation without getting caught.

"Why did you choose to accept the case with Saihara's partnership?", Amami chides Momota, but worry was etched into it. "What if he finds out about it, huh?"

"Rantaro, look, I'll be careful", Momota says in a dimmed voice. "He won't find out, I'll make sure."

"And if he finds out? I don't want to lose you, Kaito. You don't deserve to..."

"I won't get eliminated that easily", Momota's reply came with faltering confidence, masking the grief he's experiencing. "I promise!"

But before Saihara hears more of the conversation, and to why Amami was worried of Momota's health and Momota assuring him, he and the conversation was interrupted by someone shouting his name.

"Shuichi, there you are!", Akamatsu exclaims in a hurried manner, giving Saihara a mass of paperwork. "From dearest Kiibo Idabashi. He says that you need to go over the documents before passing them to Amami. See ya!" She runs off to the other direction, without waiting for Saihara to reply.

"How long have you been here?", Amami asks in a harsh tone, his face showing and exhibiting anger. This is the most out of character thing to come out of the man's mouth.

"Um", Saihara looks at the papers, and without looking or saying something, he bolts to his office and slams the door shut.

Now cramming himself to his room, he did not immediately look through Kiibo's papers, as they were all very long and tedious (a three-paragraph letter to Ouma to buy some milk!) to read, his mind paces back to Amami and how he had acted around Saihara.

Amami was a man of little to not hard feelings, but the way he had started acting was very uncharacteristic of him, especially with glaring at Saihara and all thay shit. He also has worry and concern laced on his voice whenever he converses with Momota. And the way he had acted when Hinata all told them that someone in the office had caught the Hanahaki, he was all concerned and already knew who that was. And on a plus note, he seemed to be looking at Momota during the whole debacle.

And Saihara finally pieces it together.

He did not like his hypothesis one bit.

Saihara works through the night, going through Kiibo's paperwork. He lets out a noise, something in between a sigh and a groan. Why did Kiibo feel the need to make his sentences long? It was Leś Miderables all over again. At least Kiibo has some dignity to add punctuations properly. Saihara stops reading (Kiibo's seventeenth page about the same subject, the infamous crammed offices) when he hears someone cough.

He stands, assuming that it's the man who fell victim to the Hanahaki Disease's hands. He sneaks towards the door, turning the lights off (a mannerism, not a part of the plan to catch the victim) and following a shadow across the hallway. He silently curses the janitors, why did they turn off the hallway lights? He shakes that thought away when he sees the male restroom lights open, and a coughing sound heard.

Saihara stops just a feet away from the restroom, as if there was a huge beast in it. Then the doorknob clicks. Saihara blends into the shadows, as the person steps out of the bathroom, covering his mouth, and crying. Then by the light of the bathroom, Saihara almost gasps out loud as it shines upon the person.

His hypothesis was true.

It was Momota.

He's the one with the Hanahaki disease.

Momota then leaves the scene of the crime, and Saihara takes this as a sign to go to the bathroom, to really, truly verify if Momota was the man with the Hanahaki. He opens the bathroom door, and looks at the sinks first. And there, he found one.

A lone purple carnation petal, sitting forlornly on the base of the sink.

"Ya know, I like carnations the most", Kaito told Shuichi as they manned Momota's grandmother's flower garden. "Especially the purple ones. They look hella fantastic and my grandmother's garden!"

Shuichi laughed. "I bet it'd look nice on you."

Kaito smiled, but then his eyes light up. It meant that he had a plan on his mind. He took a carnation from one of the bushes and placed it near Shuichi's ear, making Shuichi red in the face. Kaito took a step back to admire his creation.

"It looks nice on ya, dunno for me", Kaito said.

Shuichi then plucked a sunflower and placed it near Kaito's ear. As he took a step back, he couldn't help but laugh. Kaito looked ridiculous. Kaito's smile turned into a frown as Shuichi started to laugh loud and hard enough for everyone to hear.

"Hey, what's so funny!", Kaito exclaimed.

"Nothing, it's just... you look ridiculous with that sunflower on your hair." Shuichi chuckled, and raised his right hand to remove the sunflower, but instead, Kaito took it and kissed the forepalm, making Shuichi blush.

"You look ridiculous." Kaito's words were sincere, affectionate, and Shuichi's heart couldn't help but flutter.

Purple carnations were Momota's favorite type of flower.

And now he was dying because of it.

Saihara holds back a sob, tears blinding his eyesight, but he refuses to let them through. When he had made his way back to his office, however, he let them drop through the papers, let them soak the papers. He covers his eyes, trying not to cry, but he can't. Not when Momota's dying from some unrequited love.

The determination then settles upon his stomach again, and he decides to take a leap of faith, a leap of confidence and bravery, so he can cure his friend of that disease once and for all.

But how can he execute his plan? How can he make Momota fall out of love? How can he cage those desires he's always had? How many days has Kaito been suffering? Saihara wipes his tears away, as he cleans his office and heads back home, taking the bus all the way.

As he returns home to his shabby apartment, Saihara takes off his uniform and goes to turn on his laptop, not bothering to change to something more appropriate, as he only had boxers to wear. He enters in a new document.

But before he continues typing, he sees Momota message him. The sight of him messaging Saihara almost makes the other sniff with sadness.

From Kaito: Enoshima will give us that damn case tomorrow.

To Kaito: okay

No reply came after the text. It made Saihara worry, and his instincts tell him to ask if Momota was okay, but Saihara shakes it off, telling himself he was going to be okay.

After all, Saihara will make Momota fall out of love, and finally be rid of the Hanahaki Disease. He just needed to make Momota stop thinking about his unrequited love, whoever it was. But he doesn't know how to make him fall out of love, even if this was part of his plan. A plan he hope would work.

Saihara types more in his computer, eager to get started in his first case. Not the case assigned to them, but the case he assigned to himself. He was becoming a hero Momota strives to be, which overwhelmed him himself, but he was too focused and intent on Momota's Hanahaki to even care about this slight change in his personality. He was also quite confused to why Amami was seemingly so hostile around him. Was it because he was scared of someone finding out about Momota's secret?

What ever it is, it gets Saihara's mind flowing as he finishes the first paragraph of his first entry.

Saihara's vision was clouded with tears again, and he wipes them away and saves the document he has been writing. He goes to the bathroom to take a shower, and go to bed, his night sleepless as his dreams find their way to Momota, who was supposedly lying on the ground, blood coming out of his lips and petals flooding.