Work Text:
You glanced out the window of your glass prison, snowflakes danced in the air. You had almost forgotten that it was December. Work had been extra stressful as of late, too many good people quit in search of greener pastures. Truthfully you couldn't blame them, the economy was booming, and you would do anything to escape the monotony of your accounting office. The setting sun cast an orange glow, it almost made your cubicle feel warm. You glanced at your desk clock, 4:58, almost time to clock out. You clicked the pen in your hands a few times, but stopped before your cubicle neighbor popped his head up. The snow outside made you nostalgic for your childhood, where you could just dance in the cold and catch snowflakes on your tongue.
The sound of your cubicle neighbors snapping shut their books drew your attention, finally, the work day was over. Your spirits were lifted higher when you realized it was Friday, perhaps you'd treat yourself to a quiet drink at a local bar. You filed out with everyone else from your floor, you melded into the crowd as everyone shuffled towards the elevators.
"___-san!" a voice called out to you as you exited the elevator and into the lobby. You turned your head and looked for the source of the voice. Katō, your coworker turned friend, popped up from the crowd. The corners of his mouth curled up into a smile, "I'm so glad I caught you before you left. Some of the guys from my floor are heading out for drinks tonight. You wanna come with?"
So much for a quiet night drinking alone. Perhaps it was better that way, to be surrounded by people instead of stewing in your loneliness. "Yeah, alright. I'll come with."
Katō pumped a fist in the air, "we're going to The Grand tonight. I heard it's the most luxurious cabaret in the city. I've been wanting to go since I moved here." Right, as ridiculous as it sounded, you sometimes forgot Katō wasn't from Osaka. He'd adopted the accent, although sometimes it wasn't always perfect.
"You've been here, for what, a six months? And you still haven't gone?"
"No, and you've lived here all your life and never gone."
He wasn't wrong, but The Grand always seemed like such a tourist trap. You much preferred a quiet, and dim bar over the blinding lights of The Grand.
The group of accountants all walked down the busy streets of Sotenbori, the winter wind cutting through their suits. You regretted not wearing a coat to the office, the weather was quite warm before you left your apartment. Of course, you should've known better. People chatted idly about things, some of it was work related, some of it was talking about someone's home life.
Sometimes you wondered how people actually enjoyed the monotony of accounting. It was the same thing, more or less, all day every day. You wished you had rebelled against your parents wishes, and went into another career. You craved something with a little more excitement. Alas, living and working in Sotenbori was going to be the most rebellious you'd be.
Your parents longed for you to move somewhere with less of a...reputation.
Katō walked along next to you, you hadn't even realized he had been talking to you until he waved a hand in front of your face. "___-san, are you there?"
Shit. "I'm sorry, Katō-san, I must've been somewhere else." You felt a little guilty, Katō was a nice guy, and he was only trying to make friendly conversation.
Your group arrived at the destination, golden lights bright enough to attract the Mothman. The snowflakes drifted through the air, melting once they hit the ground. It wouldn't stick, it never stuck. But it was still a beautiful sight to behold.
You walked into The Grand, the plush velvet carpet absorbing the moisture from the fallen snowflakes outside. The chiming laughter from hostesses giggling at unfunny jokes, and gasps at all the right moments filled the air. Jazz music swirled around, pulling you closer to the front desk to get checked in. The server working at the counter had asked how many in your party, presumably to get you situated with an appropriate amount of hostesses and a good seating arrangement.
Truly you hadn't been paying attention, your eyes had been trained on him. A man in a well fitted tuxedo, cheeks sharp enough to cut glass, and an eyepatch. He looked like he could be a Bond villain, but something about him radiated a dangerous warmth. Like the snake beneath the flower, poised to attack if need be.
You saw your group being led to your booth out of the corner of your eye. You tore your eyes away from the handsome stranger to follow your colleagues.
You were seated in a plush booth, angled towards the band at the front. A small group of hostesses were sent over after your group got comfortable. They were all rather beautiful, but they weren't really your type. It wasn't like anyone really knew that you only liked men, it wasn't something you really wanted to talk about. In order to keep appearances up, you chatted idly to the woman next to you. Her smile was warm and inviting, and she talked to you about her schooling. Her parents wanted her to go to medical school, so she was working as a hostess to get the money to afford it.
The cloying smell of perfume and smoke became too much for you too handle. You excused yourself from the group, you needed fresh air and another cigarette.
You wandered until you found yourself at the fire escape. You really weren't supposed to be there, but who was going to stop you?
The snow had been picked up in a vicious wind, cutting through your suit jacket. Your fingers fumbled for the pack of cigarettes in your pocket, you brought one to your lip. Already you were starting to feel better, removed from the chattering streets of Sotenbori. You brought the flickering flame from your lighter to your lips, and took in a deep drag.
You went on like that for some time. When the first cigarette was done, you fished for a second one. Someone cleared their throat behind you. You assumed it was Katō who'd come to check on you. Although you hoped he wouldn't find you. You didn't have anything against him, you just needed some space from everyone. "I'm fine, Katō-san."
The person who had cleared their throat stepped closer, metallic heels clicking on the metal grate. Soon a pair of black sleeves joined you in leaning on the railing. One glance to the side revealed that it was the handsome stranger from earlier. The wind had slowed back down to a playful speed, it picked up the flyaways from his black hair. The snowflakes looked extra beautiful, shining against his hair before they melted. "Majima." He introduced himself before fishing for a cigarette.
You handed one from your own pack to him, and held your lighter up for him to light it. "___." You replied with your own name.
The two of you stood in comfortable silence for some time, quietly smoking together. The snow began to fall in bigger flakes, kissing the tips of your noses and the peaks of your cheeks.
He looked so beautiful in the moonlight with the snow swirling around. You met eyes for a moment, his glance flicked to your lips before they flicked back to your eyes. You met in the middle, eyes closed, lips pressed tenderly together. His arms pulled you closer by the waist, yours looped around his neck.
You parted, breathless, and pressed your noses together for a moment.
For a moment it felt like time stilled to a stop, his lips pressed once more against yours. You wished you could stay like that forever, in his embrace whilst the snow danced.
Unfortunately, that couldn't be the case, as a voice broke the otherwise romantic moment. "Majima-san!" A young man, you assumed to be one of the servers.
For the second time, you heard his voice. "Haw? Whattya want?" Majima called back.
"One of the guests is looking for his friend, said his name was ___."
You turned your head after hearing your name, the young man who had been speaking had opened the door to the fire escape. "That would be me, I'll be down shortly." You replied.
Satisfied, the young man left through the door he came out from.
"Will I see you again, Majima-san?"
His tired eye met yours for a moment, a light blush coating his cheeks. He turned away, but not before telling you where to find him. You walked back into the building, still feeling the ghost of his lips on yours.
Katō fussed over you when you returned to the group, although none of the other men seemed to have noticed your disappearance.
Slowly everyone departed from The Grand, bellies warmed with alcohol. You considered getting a taxi home, but your apartment was only a few blocks up the street. The crowds walking by grew more scarse the further into the residential areas you got.
You reached your apartment at a reasonable hour, despite having stopped for a small snack at the Poppo Mart on the way home. You fumbled for the keys in your pocket to get into the building. Eventually you got the door lock open. Once inside your apartment, you turned on the lights, and set your newly acquired treasures on the little table in your living room.
As you began to unwrap your dorayaki, your pager went off. You momentarily put your snack down to check it. "823."