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Haida had never been very good at maintaining an appropriate level of drunkeness. He always went from barely feeling buzzed to aimlessly walking in the rain and throwing up in the street.
This week had been especially hard on the trio; much of their office was out sick with the flu, and they had each been pulling double duty for several days. In there exasperation, they may have gone a bit too hard.
"We need shots!" Fennko demanded as soon as they arrived. "Stat!"
Retsuko saddled up to the bar beside her. "Three shots of jameson, please!"
Four hours later, the bar had cleared out significantly. Fenneko had long since laid her head on the table, her world spinning. Haida felt his skin tingling from the amount of booze he had consumed. He sat beside Retsuko, who was working on a third pint of beer.
"Your tie is funny." Retsuko chuckled, speech slurring.
Haida looked down, his own lips curling as he snorted in amusement. "Yeah its pretty stupid, huh?"
Retsuko got up on her knees and leaned over, inspecting the skinny piece of red fabric. Haida giggled, watching her flip it over. "Its almost like a leash or something."
"Kinda," Haida placed his chin in his hand, his eyelids lowering. He laughed at the girl, rubbing the top of her head. "Didn't know you were into that stuff, Retsu."
"You know, it's always the sweet ones," Fenneko muttered from across the table, head cradled in her crossed arms. Retsuko blushed furiously. With the alcohol lowering her inhibitions, she couldn't help but counter attack.
The red panda reached up and loosened the tie. She leaned over to Haida, he breath hot in his ear. "Or maybe I should tie you up with it?"
Haida's eyes went wide.
What did she just say...?
"What??" Haida shouted, face going ruddy. He was embarrassed to admit that even after all the liquor, his trousers had tightened in response to her suggestive remark.
Retsuko yanked his tie off his neck and grinned. "I said what I said!" The girl placed the tie around her own neck, twisting it into a crude knot.
The small panda finished her beer, wiping her mouth. Haida stared at her in awe, his heart in his throat. Was she...coming onto him? It was difficult to determine through the haze of intoxication.
The girl met his eyes, setting down her glass. She reached up to play with the tie she claimed as her own. If he didn't know any better, he'd say she was flirting.
Haida opened his mouth to speak, "Do you want--"
The sound of vomit hitting the floor stopped Haida mid sentence.
It turned out that Fenneko also struggled to maintain an appropriate level of drunkenness.
♡♡♡
With the yearly evaluations just around the corner, Director Ton had conveniently granted the whole department fifteen more minutes to their lunch hour. It was a morale builder, he said.
"Whatever, I'll take it." Retsuko grinned, grabbing her purse. "Finally we have time to leave for lunch. Do you guys want to go get food from that new Thai place?"
Fenneko typed, not looking up from her computer. "I need to finish inputting this data. And also, I'm not a huge fan on Thai food." The fox looked between the computers at her other coworker. "But you know who is?"
Haida glanced back at her wearily before shifting his eyes to look up at the panda. "It's true, I do love pad thai."
The red panda tinted pink and smiled, nodding her head. For some reason, she didn't seem disappointed that Fenneko had declined her invitation. "Shall we then?"
Haida stood up, sneaking a thumbs up at the fox when Retsuko had turned her back. Fenneko returned the gesture, her smirk widening just slightly.
The two walked less than a block from their building to the lunch spot, chatting about work and life in general. Haida noticed the clouds gathering in the sky even as they traveled to their destination, but he thought little of them at the time.
"So your mom is still trying to set you up?" Haida asked before bringing some noodles to his mouth. Retsuko groaned, nodding sheepishly.
"Yes. She used the whole Tadano incident as more reason to set me up with somebody. So that I know their 'intentions'". Retsuko rolled her eyes, pushing some chicken around in her bowl. "Its so frustrating."
Haida swallowed his food and took a sip of his beverage. "Well. I think that it's her way of showing you she cares. She wants you to be taken care of and loved."
Retsuko pressed her lips together, letting his comment process. She hadn't really thought of it that way before. "Yeah...I suppose you have a point."
The pair finished their meal, making idle small talk for the remainder of their break. They paid and walked towards the exit of the busy restaurant, only to stop dead in their tracks at the sight of the glass doors.
Rain came down in sheets so dense that they could barely make out their office building across the street. "Oh no." Retsuko squeaked.
Haida looked out worriedly before raising his arm to check his watch. "We have to be back in the department in less than 5 minutes!" He moaned, his voice reflecting his anxiety. Retsuko chewed her bottom lip, catching his eyes.
"Well...I guess we have no choice." The girl sighed.
"We'll have to make a run for it." Haida nodded, watching the monsoon.
"Alright then. Now or never." Retsuko reached for the door, but before she touched the handle Haida stopped her.
"Wait." Haida took off his blazer, placing it over the smaller girl. It swam on her, the size difference between them very apparent. "Hold this over your head while we run. You won't get as wet.
Retsuko blushed, his suit jacket still warm from his body. "But...what about you?"
Haida wrapped an arm around her shoulders, pulling the article of clothing higher to cover her head. "Dont worry about me, I'll be fine. Are you ready?"
Retsuko looked up at the man and felt her heart race. She nodded, looking out towards the storm with determination. "Yup!"
Haida nodded. "Right!" He turned and pushed the glass door open.
Th two ran as fast as they could, the rain showering over them relentlessly. Despite herself, Retsuko began to crack up, her feet splashing in the puddles. She heard Haida join her and together they laughed all the way back to the building.
When they burst through the lobby doors of their building, both still in stitches, they realized just how quiet it was. They looked up to find several people staring at them disapprovingly.
Their laughed died down quickly, leaving only light panting in its wake. Retsuko grimaced, noticing now that her shoes and stockings were soaked from the knees down. However, beyond that she was remarkably dry. She pulled off Haida's blazer, feeling how wet it was.
Then she looked closely at Haida, himself.
He was drenched, his fur soaked and his button down nearly transparent. Retsuko gasped, covering her mouth."Haida! I'm so sorry! You're gonna catch a cold!"
The hyena waved her off, running his hand over the back of his neck. "Its no sweat! I have another shirt, I'll be fine. Come on, we had better hurry before our break is up." Haida waved her towards the elevator.
Retsuko could feel a heart string snag as she watched him. She held the wet blazer close to her chest, not caring that it made her vest damp
♡♡♡
As Retsuko stepped outside, she could see her breath in the cold October air. It was still autumn, but it was begining to feel like winter already.
The girl pulled her light jacket around her, her efforts doing little to warm her. The garment really wasn't made for these temperatures this low.
"Hey you!" Retsuko turned to see Haida standing behind her. "I didn't know you were headed out too. Do you want to walk to the station together?"
Retsuko smiled, nodding. "Yeah!"
The pair began their journey, a comfortable silence between them. Haida cleared his throat. "So no karaoke tonight?"
Retsuko shook her head, wrapping her arms around herself. "Nah. I just haven't needed to as much lately."
Haida nodded his head in understanding. "Yeah, you haven't seemed as stressed, that's for sure." Haida paused, his gentle smile slipping away. He looked down at the red panda apprehensivly. "Is it...a guy?"
Retsuko felt her whole face ignite. She shook her head vehemently, waving her hands in front of her body. "What are you talking about, no way!" She realized her denial may have incriminated her further.
Retsuko shivered and brought her hands back around herself, her teeth nearly chattering. Haida watched her, tilting is head. "Retsuko, are you cold?"
Retsuko rubbed her hands over her upper arms, attempting to warm herself. "I didn't realize it was going to be this cold tonight; this jacket is really light. That's what I hate about this time of year, you just never know."
Haida stopped in his tracks and set his briefcase onto the ground. "I wish youd told me sooner." He pulled off his green jacket with the fur trim and wrapped it around her.
Retsuko was immediately enclosed in the warmth and smell of him. She inhales a little deeper despite herself.
The corners of Haida's lips curled upward. He started chuckling, covering his mouth with his hand. Retsuko felt that all foo familiar flutter in her gut. "That's just so big on you."
Retsuko flushed, pulling the jacket tighter around herself. "Aren't you going to get cold Haida?"
The hyena shook his head. "I'll be okay, I have my blazer. Don't worry about it"
Retsuko burried her head into the fur of the hood as they walked and absentmindedly smelled it again.
The next morning when she woke up, all she could see was pink.
"Well, fuck."
♡♡♡
When he asked her to go to this concert with him, she had agreed almost too quickly. But, the sight of his tail wagging and the look on his face made her forget her awkwardness. Really, sometimes he was just too cute.
"So, I realized that I have nothing to wear to this." Retsuko said in a rush, only an hour before she was set to meet Haida at his apartment.
"Just wear your normal clothes! It'll be fine." Haida said on the other line. "You always look nice."
Retsuko reddened at the complement. "But...I don't think my style is going to be quite right for one of these metal shows. What do people usually wear?"
Haida thought the question over, drumming at his chin with his fingers. "Usually people wear a lot of black."
Retsuko stared at her closet full of light neutrals. "Yeah, I definitely don't have much of that." The girl sighed. "I'm a disgrace to metal heads everywhere. They're gonna kick me out!"
Haida laughed into the reciever. Retsuko face planted onto her bed, defeated. "I don't think it's funny."
"Look, why don't you just come over here and maybe you can borrow one of my shirts or something." Haida offered, faint color dusting his cheeks. Retsuko's eyes went wide.
"You really wouldn't mind?" The red panda gasped, amusing Haida once again.
When the panda arrived at his place she wore her normal sweater and skirt combination. Haida opened his door, feeling suddenly aware that Retsuko was about to enter his apartment for the first time. "Hi Haida!" Retsuko smiled so brightly that Haida thought he might be blinded.
"Welcome to my home." Haida greeted sheepishly. The girl walked in and kicked her black flats off in the entryway.
Haida guided her towards the living area. As they walked, Retsuko looked around curiously at the posters and the two bass guitars mounted in the wall. "So when are you gonna play for me, Haida?" The girl wiggled her eyebrows, well aware of the man's fear of playing infront of others.
"At some point!" Haida said in a rush, face heating.
"I'm just teasing, I know it makes you nervous." The girl glanced at his massive collection of tapes, CDs, and records. "Gosh we don't even need to go to the concert, you've got everything you could ever want here."
Haida looked at his music collection and then back at her, feeling like a proud father. "One of these days you can come over and we can listen to some of them." He then directed her attention to his closet. "Now, it's a little messy but maybe there's something that would make you feel a little more comfortable?"
Retsuko took in the mass of red and black that was his closest. "Help yourself to anything. I can step into the kitchen so you can try stuff on." Haida blushed at the thought of her changing in his apartment. Retsuko nodded and the hyena quickly stepped back and shut the door between the kitchen and the living area.
Retsuko took a deep breath and began to sift through his closet.
Haida tried to calm himself down, his nerves getting the better of him. This almost felt like a date. Fenneko had been calling it one ever since he asked their friend to attend this event with him. However, he wasn't certain that Retsuko felt the same way about it.
Roughly ten minutes later the girl finally spoke again. "Okay, I think I'm good with this."
Haida looked over at the doorway that separated his kitchen and his living area. He willed himself to settle down as he began to speak. "Great, I'm happy you found something you--"
The door slide open and Retsuko stood there anxiously. She was wearing one of his band t shirts, which hung on her like a dress, and she had tied a flannel shirt around her waist to synch it in. "Does this look stupid?"
Haida opened his mouth to speak, but he ended up gaping like a landed fish. Retsuko blushed under his gaze, looking down at herself. "I knew it, it does look dumb."
"You don't look dumb, you look adorable!" Haida blurted out, immediately regretting it. He desperately wanted to crawl under his refrigerator and die.
Retsuko's eyes went wide and she looked up at the hyena who was currently avoiding her gaze like the plague.
Retsuko tugged at the edge of the shirt turned dress. "Th...thank you, Haida."
Retsuko walked up to him and Haida felt his face heat as she approached. Then, without warning, she wrapped her arms around him and brought him into a tight embrace.
♡♡♡
Retsuko collapsed onto her back.
The sound of heavy breathing filled the small apartment. The couple laid there together, completely spent.
Retsuko realized vaguely that she was laying on top of one of Haida's outstretched leg. She wiggled onto her side, shivering as she did so. Though her apartment wasn't cold, it was freezing compared to the warm embrace she had previously been wrapped in.
The panda sat up and scanned the floor, her eyes lighting up when she found what she was looking for.
Haida watched her stand up and walk across the room, leaning down to pick something up. He flushed at the sight of her shapely backside, lifted in the air as if she were presenting to him.
Soon she straightened up and lifted Haida's striped sweater over her head, letting it slide over her body. It hit her just below her rear, though Haida could still make out the bottom curve of her round cheeks.
The hyena gulped, hard; the reality of what had just transpired began to set in. The red panda glanced bashfully over her shoulder before she sauntered off to the kitchen.
Haida stared up at the ceiling, still in disbelief. He lay over the bed haphazardly, one leg on the floor and the other pressing against the headboard. He was completely nude safe for a lone sock on his left foot. Where had the other one even gone?
"Can I get you a beer?" Her voice, slightly hoarse, asked from the other room. Haida swallowed, his mouth dry.
"S...sure..." Haida replied tentatively, still unmoving.
The panda came through the kitchen to her living area, carrying two beers. She smiled lovingly at the hyena. "Are you okay?"
Haida blushed, looking her up and down. He eagerly nodded. "Yeah...I'm fantastic."
Retsuko leaned over and placed the cans on the table. As she did so, her tail raised and the sweater lifted more than it needed to. Haida watched her, feeling the blood in his body rush south.
All at once, two arms encircle Retsuko's waist and pull her back into the bed. She squealed and Haida pinned her back against the mattress, his lips going for her neck. She could feel his excitement eagerly pressing against her thigh.
The delighted panda let him attack her. She arched her back off the bed, causing the sweater to rise even more. "Haida, I gotta take your sweater off, it'll get all dirty."
Her coworker shook his head slowly. "Leave it on."
♡♡♡
Retsuko's mother walked steadily down the sidewalk towards her daughter's apartment, leather folders in one hand and a small bag of pastries in the other. She hoped fresh croissants would smooth over the fact that she came baring three new potential suitors.
After the debacle with Tadano, she had resumed her previous efforts to marry off her daughter. After all, if Retsuko had listened to her in the first place, that whole mess never would have occurred.
The older woman turned the corner to her daughter's street, looking up at the familiar building. Distantly, she could see a man's white dress shirt drying on the balcony. "What a surprise; she listened to me for once!" What a clever method to deter criminals...
The woman climbed the stairs and migrated to her daughter's door, using her copied key to let herself in.
She pushed it open easily, entering her daughter's dwelling. "Good morning dear." The woman said, not looking up at she removed her shoes.
"Um..."
The older woman looked across the kitchen and was met with unfamiliar grey eyes. She dropped the bag of food onto the floor in shock.
Haida, clad only in his boxers, stood in the kitchen, pouring coffee into a mug.
The two strangers stared at eachother, speechless.
"Haida!" Retsuko shouted from the living area. The panda appeared in the doorway, only a sheet covering her naked body "Did you say something? Come back to bed alre--"
The red panda saw the intruder and immediately froze. Retsuko's mother slowly turned to face the younger girl, her expression one of disapproval.
Haida felt his mug overflow onto his hand, the hot liquid sizzling against his flesh.
It wasn't long before the couple sat awkwardly at the table, hands clenched against their knees. Retsuko glanced over at Haida, concerned. Her mother sat across from them, staring the pair down.
After many agonizing minutes of silence, the older woman finally opened her mouth. "So then. Introduce yourself."
Haida jumped in surprise; he had been distracting himself by focusing on the dull burn in his hand. He respectfully avoided the elder's eyes. "Yes ma'am. My name is Haida. I work with your daughter in the accounting department."
Retsuko's mother listened, glancing at the man before looking back at her daughter. "And how long have you two been seeing eachother?"
Haida felt himself sweat. Retsuko glared at the other woman, mouthing slurs than were instantly ignored. "A little over a month." Haida managed, eyes flicking to Retsuko and then back to his lap.
"I see..." The mother crossed her arms. "And you're already staying over at her apartment?"
"Mom!" Retsuko screamed, mortified.
Haida took a breath, steeling himself. "Yes ma'am."
Retsuko covered her eyes with her palms. The older woman cleared her throat, looking down her nose at the young man.
"What are your intentions then?" She asked, her eyes narrowing. "Are you thinking of marriage? Or are you just taking advantage of her?"
"MOM!" Retsuko shouted again, her face turning bright red. When would the torture end?
"With all due respect," the hyena heard little more than his heartbeat as he continued. "I do intend to marry her someday." Haida looked her mother in the eyes. There was an intensity between them that was palpable. "With your permission, of course." The man added.
Retsuko's heart raced; she was simultaneously thrilled with what Haida was saying and humiliated by the circumstances under which he was saying them.
"Someday?" Retsuko's mother tilted her head, the tone in her voice shifting to one that could almost be described as amused. "When is someday?"
Retsuko took a large, gasping breath. She hadn't realized she had forgotten to breath. Haida looked at her and smiled warmly before looking back at her mother.
"Someday is...whenever she will have me."
Retsuko's mother went silent, eyes shifting between her daughter, who was completely nonplussed, and Haida, who was as earnest and genuine as she could fathom.
"Well then," Retsuko's mother stood up and walked over to the kitchen, shuffling in the brown back of baked goods. "I'm glad I got extra at the cafe."
The couple froze, watching the mother pull out three wrapped pastries. The older woman finally smiled, breaking her poker face. "You have my blessing."
Haida let out a huge sigh, relief washing over him. Retsuko blinked, in utter disbelief. "Mom...thank you." The girl whispered, her chest swelling.
The older panda roamed around the kitchen, cutting the bread and pulling butter from the refrigerator. "So...Haida, was it? Why don't you tell me about yourself?"
The leather folders sat on the counter, long forgotten.