Work Text:
“Momose, do you have a moment?”
Momose jolted upright, immediately clearing his desk from any clutter as he faced the woman who called his name anxiously. “Yes?”
The lady gave him a worried look. Momose glanced at her ID. He didn’t recognize her face or her name and a quick read revealed that she was from the HR Department. Momose groaned internally. He knew what was coming next. “Would you mind if I buy you a drink in the cafe?”
Momose’s stomach groaned. “It’s alright,” he smiled. “I have urgent business to attend to, so I’m afraid I’ll have to decline your offer.”
The lady glanced at his screen and Momose shifted uncomfortably in his seat. A glance at the clock would tell you that lunchtime has just ended and people began to file back into the office. Everyone gave Momose curious glances, wondering why was it that HR would come to see him personally. All of that, however, was useless rhetoric. If you’ve been in this office for even a single moment, it’s as clear as day why HR would be here. “I see,” the HR lady said. “If there’s anything you need, don’t be afraid to contact me.”
Momose nodded politely. The lady left the office, leaving ripples of whispers in her wake. It was as if there was an omen of disaster in the air. Momose felt his stomach twist—god he wished she had never come in the first place. Minutes passed, though, and all of the noise began to die down as people returned to their work.
It was then that Momose had a thought. He thought that he could get back to that HR lady and tell her what was on his mind. He thought that perhaps things would be different this round.
“MOMOSE!”
And yet, it was as if the nightmare could read his mind. “Momose, you bastard! Come here right now!”
Momose stood up without a second to waste. His stomach violently retaliated and the pain paralyzed his body waist down. He was frozen in front of his desk, clutching his stomach in agony. Through the confounding haze of sharp pain and terror, Momose could catch his own name being thrown around the office in hushed whispers—as if his name were a curse.
“Momose’s going to get yelled at again, huh?”
“Don’t you think Kurono-san is too harsh on Momose-kun? Why him?”
“Momose’s a hard worker. I wonder what’s that guy’s deal?”
“Should we report Momose’s manager to HR?”
“Stupid, don’t you know? The HR can do nothing for him.”
“Well, it’s ‘cause Momose isn’t asking for help.”
“Why isn’t he doing anything?”
“Maybe he really is doing something wrong?”
“A kind of ‘accepting his fate?’”
“You two! Don’t be inconsiderate to Momose-kun!”
“Momose!” Kurono entered the office with a loud kick to the door. “Do you want me to drag you out here?”
Momose took in a shaky breath as he forced his legs to move. Left foot, right foot, he slowly made his way to Kurono, quickening his pace in fear of getting shouted at. By the time he arrived at the door, Kurono glared at him. “Why can’t you do anything right?”
They both stepped out of the office and that’s when Kurono laid it all down on him. “Did you think that I’d allow you to pit the HR against me? You think you’re the boss now, huh?” Kurono jabbed his finger at Momose’s shoulder. “You’re so useless that you’re bothering other people to do your crap for you! Do you think everyone will let that slide? Do you really think I will let that slide? Do you think I’m not aware of what kind of rumors you’re spreading about me? Huh?”
Kurono’s voice was low, but it struck fear into Momose’s heart like a knife to his stomach. “I’m sorry,” Momose managed to say.
“All you do is apologize,” Kurono spat. “If you just did things right the first time then everyone wouldn’t waste their time on you in the first place! The first thing you do is apologize to the entire office when you go in.”
Ah. It seems that Momose wasn’t able to keep his expression neutral. Momose cowered as Kurono looked at him with a horrifying glare. “Oh? So you think you’re above me now? You spread rumors and think that you have the right to even look angry at me?” Kurono laughed and placed his hand over Momose’s shoulder, squeezing it so tight that Momose swears he could feel it bruise. “When I enter that office after my smoke break, I better not hear anyone speaking about me,” he whispered. “You will pay if I hear a single rumor about me. Understand?”
Momose nodded meekly. Kurono shoved the taller man and walked off. Momose stood there, bewildered and also afraid. He had no time to think, nor did he have any time to rationalize what had happened. All his instincts shouted at him what he must do.
He pushed open the door and all eyes fell on him. The silence was suffocating. Momose recounted Kurono’s words and a realization washed over his mind.
“Momose, - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -”
“- - - - - - - - - , Momose-kun?”
“- - - - - - Momose - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -!”
Even when Kurono wasn't around, Momose’s existence itself had been subject to so much abuse that people perceived him as synonymous with it. No matter where he went, he could never hide from that reality.
“Momose? - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -!”
“- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -. - - - - - Momose’s - - - - -”
Even when the answer was obvious, everyone looked at him with curious gazes—eyes filled with an insatiable curiosity. Their whispers overflowed from their cubicles and flooded the office space with rumors attached to his name. In this sense, isn’t he just bothering people by simply existing?
“- - - - - -Momose! - - - - -?”
“Momose, - - - -?”
“- - - - ! Momose!”
No matter what he did, these people wouldn’t stop talking. Momose nearly drowned in his own hopelessness until he was enlightened with an idea: If he couldn’t stop these people from gossiping like ravens feasting on roadkill, then he could at least choose what they talk about.
“Excuse me!” He said loudly until the office fell silent again.
He who does not work shall not eat. Therefore, a man’s own pride isn’t necessary for his own survival. Momose acknowledged that fact. So, he grabbed his already-tattered pride and crushed it with his own hands.
“I apologize for the ruckus,” he admitted clearly as he clutched his stomach.
“Momose.”
“I made a mistake,” he lied. His stomach stabbed itself in nervousness, and Momose nearly doubled over in pain.
“Momose.”
“I am sorry.”
“Momose.”
“I-I’m so sorry!” Momose bowed frantically as Shirosaki dug out a bag of frozen edamame from the freezer to place over his forehead.
“Don’t worry,” Shirosaki groaned. He stumbled backward and leaned onto the kitchen counter behind him. “On the contrary, are you alright, Momose? It seems like you had a bad dream.”
Momose nodded slowly as if the guilt of his actions weighed on his head. “I’m sorry, I was startled.”
“It’s my fault. Don’t worry.” Shirosaki looked away, feeling self-conscious. “It’s natural to be surprised when you see your superior’s face near you when you first wake up.”
Momose chuckled sheepishly in response. He glanced over to Hakutou who was hiding behind the door frame, looking at him with a terrified expression. When Momose and Shirosaki butt heads, they made so much noise that Hakutou ran away in fright. “I’m sorry, Hakutou,” Momose apologized from the kitchen.
“Momose.”
“Yes?” Momose turned to face Shirosaki only to realize he had taken a few steps closer. Shirosaki reached out and Momose squeezed his eyes shut on instinct. Unexpectedly, he felt Shirosaki placing his palm on Momose’s forehead as if searching for a fever.
“Does your head hurt? Do you need edamame?”
Momose let out a breath of relief. “No, I’m okay.”
Shirosaki held his gaze for a moment before putting his hand away. “I see.” He placed his hand back onto the counter to rest against it again…to realize that he forgot he took a few steps forward.
“Manager!” Momose yelped. Shirosaki grabbed Momose’s arm and held onto it for dear life as he made his fall. Unfortunately for the both of them, Momose wasn’t able to support them both and Hakutou fled into the deep recesses under Shirosaki’s bed at the sound of both of them crashing to the floor.
“Manager…” Kinjou began slowly when he spotted Shirosaki groaning, clutching his lower back in the break room. “Are you okay?”
Shirosaki nodded. “I had a bad fall yesterday,” he replied.
“Really? Are you okay, Shirosaki-san?” A group of female co-workers overheard their conversation and chimed in at that moment.
“Truly,” Shirosaki responded. “There’s no need to worry.”
“You need to be careful!” one of them admonished gently. “We aren’t that young anymore.”
“You just turned thirty…”
“In any case!” she rebutted with a light flush on her ears. “ All of us need to be careful! Going to the hospital isn’t cheap! I told Momose-kun this as well on the way here too, you know!”
“Is Momose alright?” Shirosaki suddenly cut in.
The group of women were surprised. “He looked like he was in a little pain, but he told me that he could just walk it off.”
“Do you know what happened to him?”
Shirosaki looked dejected and the female coworkers began to chatter among themselves at his dejected expression. “In truth, it was my fault we both got injured.”
Kinjou saw the reaction in the women’s eyes—like predator to prey at any mention of the workplace BL. He knew that if Shirosaki were to continue what he was saying, it would be the talk of the town for a few weeks to come. “What happened?” Kinjou animatedly asked, fully aware that he let his curiosity take control.
Shirosaki felt embarrassed as he recollected the previous day’s events. He turned to face Kinjou, hiding his face away from the enthusiastic stares of the women near him. “I missed the kitchen counter so I grabbed onto his arm, causing us both to fall.”
Kinjou hummed. “Were you both doing something in the kitchen?”
“Rather, I was offering him edamame after we hit our heads together by accident.”
Kinjou smiled softly, his heart feeling relieved at such a silly story. “Living with Momose sounds fun, huh.”
“It’s alright,” Shirosaki replied and glanced at his watch. “I have to get back to work.” He tidied up his things and stood up.
“Then, shall we head back together?”
As Kinjou walked left the breakroom, he could hear the excited whispers of the coworkers behind him. He sighed to himself in amusement. This week is going to be a busy one for Shirosaki and Momose, he noted.
“Hey, hey, Momose-kun.”
Momose glanced upward and noticed the person in front of him calling out his name. “Is there something you need?”
The coworker leaned in, a slight smile on his face, “I heard from some ladies in the break room: are you and Shirosaki-san living together?”
“Huh?” Momose couldn’t hide his surprise. Sure, they both weren’t actively trying to hide it, but he was surprised that people in the break room were gossiping about it already. “I mean, yes. I am living with him.”
“Really?” His seatmate blurted out in surprise. “I thought it was just baseless rumors.”
“So is it also true that you fell on him while you both were in the kitchen?”
“Where did you hear that?” Momose’s face flushed red.
“It seems that rumor is true.”
People began to crowd around Momose, their curiosity bursting with questions about how it happened and how domestic life with Shirosaki is, though. Momose was more than glad to answer their inquiries, but there was a beating anxiety that began to rush through his veins.
“Of course, no one is interested in my personal affairs.”
“Chief!”
“Momose, do you have a moment?”
Momose nodded, a little confused by Aoyama’s sudden call. As he stood up and followed the Chief, the people around him rushed back to work, chastising each other in hissed whispers.
Aoyama pulled Momose out into the hallway outside the office. Momose felt awkward. He didn’t know if he did something wrong or perhaps if the rumors attached to his name were the problem themselves. Aoyama started digging into his pockets and finally fished out his wallet. He pulled a few bills and handed them over to Momose. “Here. You can go buy some back pain patches in the convenience store downstairs.”
Momose declined the money in surprise. “It’s really no problem,” he insisted. “I don’t want to trouble you.”
Aoyama looked sullen. “But if Shirosaki were to tell you the same thing, you would be thanking him in a heartbeat.”
“Eh?”
Aoyama pouted. “After all, it’s not as if anyone wants to accept my money anyway.”
Momose gulped. “Then, I’ll be off,” he finally said as he took the money.
Aoyama immediately brightened up. “Take it easy, okay?”
On the elevator ride down, Momose could finally deal with the cold gnawing at his heart. He felt as if he could finally breathe. The unease had been chewing at his stomach, and although it wasn’t as intense as it was in Kurono’s care, the pain was an undeniable mark of trauma. He clutched his stomach and took in deep breaths, focusing on the hum of the elevator as it descended the floors. By the time it arrived on the ground floor, Momose was able to compose himself enough to walk to the convenience store unbothered, yet the tension stalked him as if shackled to his feet.
He returned to the office after placing the patch on his lower back feeling relieved already. He returned his change to Aoyama with a word of thanks and continued working. “Did you get scolded?” his seatmate asked him cautiously with a worried expression on her face.
“No. The Chief just told me to buy myself a back pain patch in the convenience store,” Momose recounted.
His seatmate shivered. “Was it really that painful?”
“It did sting,” Momose said as he turned away, feeling shameful for what happened. “But it was mostly my fault anyway.”
“Take it easy, okay? Don’t strain yourself too hard.”
“Thank you.”
And just like that, the normal peace in the workplace had returned. Yet, when Shirosaki returned to the office with Kinjou after a meeting, some people couldn’t help themselves with their curiosity and whispers began to buzz around the office once again. Momose tried not to pay it any heed, but his guilty conscience began to eat away at his head for making such a fuss for his Manager.
“Momose.” Shirosaki had been calling out his roommate’s name for a while now, but it seemed that his mind was somewhere else. Shirosaki tried again. “Momose.”
“Manager?” Momose finally snapped out of his daze.
“Are you alright? You haven’t touched your food.”
“Ah!” Momose quickly stuffed some of the fried fish and rice into his mouth. “I’m sorry!”
“Does it not suit your taste?”
“No!” Momose nearly choked on his food and frantically grabbed his glass. He downed his drink in a few gulps and let out a breath of relief. “I’m sorry,” he finally said after taking a few breaths.
“Hm? What for?”
“I’m sorry for all the trouble today.”
Shirosaki was at a loss. What exactly was Momose apologizing for? He thought hard for anything noteworthy of an apology, but nothing precise came to mind. “Did something happen today?”
“People found out we were living together,” Momose confessed. “And it made people talk a lot. I’m sure it was annoying for you.”
“It was a bit of a bother,” Shirosaki admitted. “But it’s nothing for you to be worried about.”
Momose’s conscience still wasn’t appeased. He continued to slowly eat his food as Shirosaki finished his drink. “They were talking about you, mostly.”
“Pardon me”
Shirosaki stood up and walked to the fridge. “They were curious mainly about how we got to live together.” He opened the fridge. “Of course, I didn’t tell them how it came to be. So, naturally, they asked me more questions.”
“It must have been bothersome.”
“Rather, I was more worried about you.” Shirosaki closed the fridge and walked back to the table. “I didn’t want to carelessly tell anyone about your past. So, instead, I showed them pictures of Hakutou.” He poured Momose a drink.
“Manager…”
“You don’t have to worry too much, Momose. In fact, spending time with you at home isn’t that bad at all—so there’s nothing to feel guilty about.”
Momose could feel his eyes well up with tears, and he was about to tip over into full sentimental mode until he noticed what Shirosaki poured into his glass. “Manager, that wasn’t water. That’s soy sauce.”
“Ah.” Shirosaki glanced at the bottle in his hand. “How did this get in the fridge?” The answer to that question also eluded Momose. Shirosaki quickly grabbed Momose’s glass and took it and the bottle with him back to the kitchen. “Just drink from my glass, Momose. I’ll bring you water soon, just wait.”
“I can go get it myself!” Momose stood up and went to the kitchen with Shirosaki who poured back the soy sauce into the bottle carefully with a funnel. Momose got a new glass from the cabinet and waited for Shirosaki to finish before finally returning to the table.
“I’m sorry.” Shirosaki voiced his apology with a twinge of embarrassment in his voice. He reached for his glass and took a sip only to realize that he had finished his drink long ago. His face flushed red in embarrassment in light of that fact.
Momose offered to pour Shirosaki a drink, the whole ordeal seemingly blowing away the unease that plagued his mind. Later that evening after they both tidied up the kitchen from dinner, the duo sat on the couch watching TV. Momose made sure to pick channels that were on lighter topics to avoid any encounter with the horror genre.
Halfway through the comedy show they were watching, Hakutou jumped onto Momose’s lap. Instinctively, Momose coddled the little Hakutou as he purred in satisfaction. Little Hakutou saw how anxious Momose was when he arrived home that night, so Hakutou wanted to do Momose a favor. “It’s not as if I’m worried!” the little one would think, but regardless of his persistence, Hakutou eventually fell asleep in Momose’s hands.
That action distracted Shirosaki. Momose felt awkward that his Manager was staring intensely at his lap. “Manager,” Momose said gently to not wake Hakutou. “Do you want to take a photo?”
“Is it alright?” Shirosaki asked as he opened the camera app on his phone. “Is it also okay if I post it on Enstagram?”
“I don’t mind.” Excitedly, Shirosaki tiptoed until he got a good angle of Hakutou sleeping. He took photos and moved on to the next spot, snapping even more photos as he went. Momose was slightly embarrassed for being in view of the shot but also didn’t mind the attention.
Shirosaki didn’t realize that the act of posting a photo of Hakutou sleeping on Momose’s lap would lead to this entire ordeal.
When he shared his Enstagram with the other coworkers, they all honed in on that one photo. Taken in by the crowd's demands, it seems that Momose himself has also given his Enstagram to the other people in the workplace. In Shirosaki’s eyes, these are all good interactions between employees. Once they all get to know each other some more, the work cooperation should improve. That is a good thing.
Then why is Momose sulking? Momose has been silent on their way home for a week now and even the liveliness of the house has dwindled like a candle flame being put out. On top of that, Momose has been on his phone more often recently as if he had urgent business to attend to.
“Shirosaki-kun. Do you want to go eat lunch together?”
Kinjou was about to excitedly invite himself, but when Aoyama gave him a look he immediately understood.
Shirosaki glanced at Momose who was still typing away. “Momo-”
“Momose!” Kinjou said excitedly. “Come with me to the convenience store. Let’s get something for lunch.”
“Ah, Kinjou-kun? It’s alright. I can eat later.”
“Awww.” Kinjou pouted. “You’ve been declining my invites since last week.” Suddenly he covered his mouth. “Don’t tell me…” Kinjou leaned in. “You’ve got a date?”
“Ah, no, it’s not that…” Momose glanced at Shirosaki and the both of them made brief eye contact before Momose looked away. “I’ll go.”
“Yay!” Kinjou pushed his chair back under the desk. “Let’s go!”
“Shirosaki-kun?”
Shirosaki looked away. “Alright. Let’s go eat.”
Behind Shirosaki’s back, Kinjou gave Aoyama a big thumbs up to which Aoyama responded in kind when Shirosaki wasn’t looking. Aoyama brought Shirosaki to the office canteen where they both found a place to sit. They both unwrapped their bentos and began eating. “Shirosaki-kun, your bento is kind of dull today, isn’t it?”
“Is it?” Shirosaki looked down at his food. “I wasn’t focused this morning so I forgot to turn on the stove.”
“Is that right?”
Shirosaki nodded. “It’s alright, though. Momose helped me finish up.”
A chance! Aoyama quickly went to his phone and texted Kinjou.
Stall for me!
Roger dodger 👍
Aoyama put down his phone. “Shirosaki-kun, is something the matter?”
Shirosaki looked up from eating. “Did something happen?”
“I’m not talking about office work,” Aoyama clarified as he leaned in. “Did something happen with you and Momose?”
Shirosaki fell silent.
“You’ve been spacing out more at work. Even more so, you’ve been looking at Momose quite often these days.”
Shirosaki turned a shade red. “Was it that obvious?”
“Regardless,” Aoyama continued, “Is something the matter? What’s on your mind?”
“Momose, did something happen between you and the Manager?”
“Eh?” Momose’s look of genuine surprise caught Kinjou off guard.
“You haven’t been talking about him lately.”
“You make it sound like I talk about him exclusively.”
“I mean,” Kinjou admitted. “You kind of do.”
Momose looked troubled. “Was my behavior that obvious?” he asked feebly.
“Of course! Even the Manager was looking at you this whole week! Surely nothing bad happened.”
Momose clutched his stomach. “Well, I have been keeping a secret from him recently, so it’s awkward trying to talk without revealing anything.”
Kinjou hummed. “What kind of secret?”
“Well,” Momose looked away and walked towards the aisle behind him that stocked up on stomach relief medicine. “I’m learning how to take better photos.”
“Really? Why the sudden interest?”
Momose picked out a medicine. “It’s because I realized recently that my photos don’t look quite good. I wouldn’t want my incompetence to hold other people back.”
“Wow,” Kinjou commented, slightly impressed by Momose’s work ethic. “You’re pretty hardworking.”
Momose smiled bitterly. “You think so?”
Kinjou nodded. “That’s what a lot of people like you for.” He picked out a snack and gestured for Momose to head to the cashier. “But you don’t have to push yourself too hard.”
Momose laughed. “I’m just learning how to take photos,” he said. “It isn’t too difficult.”
“Shall we go to where the Manager and Chief are? We can eat with them.”
Momose nodded. “Sure.”
“Momose has looked stressed recently,” Shirosaki admitted. “I’ve been trying to think of a reason, but nothing comes to mind.”
“Have you tried talking to him about it?”
Shirosaki shook his head. “It seems like a very personal matter. I think it would be too rude if I were to bring it up.”
“Shirosaki-kun, you both live with each other. I think we are past the bounds of what could be considered ‘personal.’”
“That is true,” Shirosaki added. He leaned back into his chair and crossed his arms. “I still can’t help but be concerned.”
Aoyama smiled. “You really are a kind person.”
“Where did that come from?”
“Just an observation.” Aoyama placed his chopsticks down and put both hands on the table. “Try talking to him about it. I’m sure you know him more than I do. You know what to do better than I do.”
“I’m sorry for letting this conversation be so gloomy,” Shirosaki apologized. “It wasn’t my intention.”
“Don’t worry about it.”
They both returned eating and Shirosaki excused himself for a moment to grab a drink. When he returned to their table, he spotted Momose and Kinjou speaking with a group of coworkers.
“You have an Enstagram account, too, Kinjou? You didn’t tell me!”
“I’m sorry, I’m sorry.” Kinjou showed his phone screen to one of the ladies interested. “Here you go.”
“Hey, Momose.”
“Yes?”
“The name of the cat in Shirosaki-san’s photo—the one you were in—the name is Hakutou from yours and his name, right?”
Momose nodded. “That’s right… but why this so suddenly?”
The man blushed and looked away. “Well, my girlfriend saw the photos while I was scrolling. When I told her about it, she was so interested in the meaning behind the name that she pestered me about it for a whole day.”
“Do you like cats, too?”
The man hummed. “I’m not particular to cats, but my girlfriend is.”
“Then why were you on Shirosaki-san’s Enstagram?” a female coworker suddenly butt in. “You stalking him?”
“Of course not!” He insisted. “It’s just that thing, you know? You feel curious about other people’s lives so you’d go check on their Enstagram page and scroll.”
“That’s called stalking.”
“Well, fine! But you do it too, no?”
She shrugged. “I mean, who doesn’t?” She turned to Momose. “I even checked your account because I was curious.”
Momose bowed his head in slight embarrassment. “I’m sorry that there’s nothing to see.”
“Oh, don’t be!” she reassured. “I’ve checked Shirosaki-san’s posts with you in it, so that’s enough of my curiosity satiated.” She looked around for a moment before leaning in to whisper to Momose. “There are some girls here who are really curious about you and Shirosaki-san’s lives, you know, especially after they found out you both live together.”
Momose nodded. “That kind of stuff does happen, huh.”
“Don’t worry about them,” she said. “Actually, just don’t interact with them. They come with more trouble than good. I even saw them pester Shirosaki-san a few days back about it.”
Momose's eyes widened. “Manager…”
“Don’t worry, Momose-kun! All of us think this kind of behavior is strange. You don’t have to feel so bad about it.”
“You’ve become popular in a week.” The male coworker fake-grimaced. “Tell me your secret.”
“This isn’t something to joke about!” She slapped his shoulder.
“Ow! I was joking, relax!” He cleared his throat and patted Momose’s shoulder. “No one would blame you if you ignored them,” he remarked. “Those people just don’t know how to respect boundaries.”
“You’re so cool,” Kinjou responded.
“Don’t compliment him!” the female coworker warned. “Compliment him once and it gets in his head.”
“It does not!” He turned to Momose. “I’ll go back to work now. Go enjoy your lunch.”
“I’ll go, too.” The female coworker gave Momose a light pat on the arm. “Enjoy your meal, Momose-kun!” She caught up with the other guy and giggled, teasing him for trying to be cool.
Momose and Kinjou finally sat down and began their lunch. “What did you guys get?” Aoyama asked.
“Just this and that from the convenience store downstairs.” Kinjou showed them his snacks. “I like this flavor. It helps me get through the day. Manager, you want to try some?”
“Thank you.”
“Well, it’s not as if I expected anyone to offer me any.”
“And this one is especially for you!”
Momose laughed at Aoyama and Kinjou’s theatrics while Shirosaki kept a close eye on him—so close in fact that he picked up the snack Kinjou gave to him and placed it in his mouth, plastic wrapper and all.
That night after dinner, Shirosaki yet again spotted Momose staring at his phone intently. He had it tightly in his grip and even Hakutou’s needy meows couldn’t steal Momose’s attention.
“Momose?”
“Ah, yes?” Momose moved his phone to his hand. Shirosaki slightly frowned. Was there something he was missing? Why was Momose on his phone the entire time? And why did it take a lot of his focus? Was what he was reading so sad that it ruined his mood for the entire week? Did his favorite manga go into hiatus?
“Uh, manager?” Momose spoke up, feeling antsy under Shirosaki’s unreadable gaze.
A thought popped up in his head from the conversation he overheard that afternoon. “Momose.”
“Yes?”
“Are you perhaps being bullied by the people at work to reveal your personal information?”
Momose blinked once, then blinked twice in bewilderment. “Excuse me?”
“Is that not it?”
“No, no!” Momose clarified. “Nothing like that is happening.”
“Ah,” Shirosaki’s ears went red. He was wrong on that part which was relieving. “Then, forgive me for asking, but is there something bothering you? You’ve been staring at your phone for a long time now.”
“Ah.” Momose looked away. “It’s nothing,” he finally said.
Shirosaki wasn’t convinced, yet let the matter go anyway. “Okay.” He then walked over to Momose’s side to pick up Hakutou. Momose immediately moved his phone away, facing it down. Shirosaki paid no heed as he sat down next to Momose and turned on the TV. “You wanna watch something?”
Momose was taken aback. “Anything is fine,” he said and Shirosaki nodded, switching through the channels to look for something interesting. He stumbled on a horror channel and remembered how Momose enjoys documentaries like these. Swallowing his fear, he placed the remote down and leaned back into the couch.
“Aren’t you bad with horror?” Momose commented.
“You seemed down recently,” Shirosaki replied, “and I know you enjoy these kinds of shows.”
Momose fell silent. All the while, Shirosaki snaked closer to Momose, craving human warmth when the scenes on the TV scared his soul. There was a scene on the TV where a malicious spirit has been known to haunt homes. It was a violent spirit that would sneak up on its victims. If you didn’t spot it first, then you’d consider your life over. Only those who have a designated hiding place could watch this omen pass in safety.
“Manager.”
“Momose!” Shirosaki started looking around. “Did you spot it?”
Momose looked at Shirosaki with slightly wet eyes before a quiet laugh rocked his chest. Shirosaki’s full attention fell on Momose’s teary eyes and he went to grab a blanket for him. He put the blanket on top of Momose who accepted the gesture without a word. “I’m sorry,” Momose finally spoke while fidgeting with his phone in his hands. “I’m sorry for making you worry this entire week.”
Shirosaki kept silent as Momose sat there, wrapped twiddling with his phone. They both sat cross-legged on the couch facing each other. Momose couldn’t bring his eyes up to meet Shirosaki’s, his gaze glued to the phone in his hands. “The reason why I was on my phone was because I was studying how to make posts in Enstagram more appealing.”
“I’m sure you know this, but people have been talking about us recently. More than that, they’ve been very interested in our personal lives. You said it yourself, Manager. You said that you found it to be a bother.”
Momose fell silent once more and Shirosaki took a moment to formulate what he wanted to say. “Did you believe that the rumors were your fault?”
Momose nodded. “You know how things were back in my old workplace. My old boss wasn’t the nicest guy and was very open about it. There were times when people would worry about me and start spreading rumors in the workplace to make the HR act, but that only made Kurono-san very angry. He would sometimes hit or kick me once the rumors got out of hand.”
Momose paused briefly, wrapping himself tighter inside his little blanket cocoon. “He kept on telling me that I was just being a bother not just to him and to the people in the workplace, but to the people in HR as well. He would only stop abusing me once I got the people to stop spreading rumors about him and me.”
Momose gripped his stomach and fell silent yet again. Shirosaki stood up, got some medication from the cabinet, and brought water along with him. He placed it on the table near the couch and returned to his spot.
Momose took the medicine and downed it in a gulp. He finished the glass of water in a few other gulps before setting the glass back onto the table. “The truth is, I wanted to make better Enstagram photos to show others that our life together isn’t that bad. That way people will stop bothering you with questions and come to me instead. Or maybe they would stop talking altogether and stop bothering you.”
“Momose.”
“I know it’s silly,” Momose admitted, “But I didn’t want to cause you any trouble in the workplace. We live with each other as well, so I don’t want to give you an even larger burden.” Momose wiped away a tear. “Besides, I don’t want you to come to hate me from all the rumors bothering you in the workplace. I’m sorry.”
Momose wiped away his tears. Admitting the truth released the strain on his stomach, but also pushed unhappy memories to the surface bringing him to tears. He didn’t want to look even more pitiful in front of his Manager, so he quietly wiped away the tears. After he was done, he realized that it wasn’t him who was sniffling. He looked up and noticed Shirosaki holding back tears as well. “M-Manager?”
“I’m sorry.” Shirosaki whimpered as he wiped away a tear. “I didn’t realize you were going through so much.”
“Manager, there’s no need to cry over something like this!”
Hakutou pawed at Shirosaki’s leg in worry. Shirosaki picked him up and cradled him in his hands. “I apologize,” Shirosaki repeated after wiping away his final tear. “Momose, I’m sure you’re aware that this isn’t your fault.”
Momose nodded, sinking into the blanket as the top of it began to slide off his head. “I know. I just felt really guilty for inconveniencing you.”
Shirosaki felt a profound sense of endearment towards Momose, while also a sad sense of distance. He was happy that Momose opened up to him about this, yet also saddened that it took him this long. He wanted to convey to Momose that he isn’t alone and he wished it would stick tougher than the bad memories his old boss gave him.
Shirosaki reached out with both hands towards Momose and Momose squeezed his eyes shut on instinct. “Momose, if you ever feel cornered or overwhelmed—”
Shirosaki grabbed the blanket that was slipping off Momose’s head and slid it forward, properly wrapping Momose in it. He tugged the blanket so that it fit snugly onto Momose’s body. “—know that you can always come home, wrap yourself in a blanket, and do as you please.”
Shirosaki took Momose’s phone and placed it on the table facing downwards. “This is your home as well.” He thought for a moment. “Consider it a hiding place from the wind and storm.”
Momose blinked. “You got that line from the show we just watched, didn’t you?”
Shirosaki blushed. “It sounded reassuring, so I hope you understand what I meant.”
Momose laughed again, this time a more hearty one. “It’s okay. I understand.” He leaned to his side, resting his shoulder on the back of the sofa. “Manager?” Shirosaki glanced his way with a twinge of red on his ears and cheeks. “Thank you.”
The next day, a bunch of female coworkers apologized to Shirosaki for their rude behavior. Kinjou leaned on Momose’s shoulder. “Did you and Manager make up?”
“I already told you, there wasn’t a fight.”
Kinjou hummed. “But you seem to be in a better mood. Make a breakthrough on your Enstagram photography courses?”
Momose nodded. “You want to see the progress photos?”
Kinjou nodded and Momose opened up his gallery for Kinjou to see. Most of them were simple pictures of Hakutou, but the framing of the picture shows keen attention to detail. “Woah,” Kinjou noted, “These are really good– wait just a moment!”
“Ah!”
“Momose-sama,” Kinjou said with a dry smile, “Please show me that image.”
“But it’s embarrassing!”
“If it’s embarrassing then you wouldn’t have saved it on your phone!”
Kinjou managed to yoink the phone from Momose’s hands and swiped it to the photo of interest. “Momose-sama.”
“Yes?” Momose said, burying his red face in his hands.
“I believe I require an explanation.”
The picture in question was a picture of both Shirosaki and Momose sharing a blanket while Shirosaki held a confused Hakutou tightly in his hands. The blanket wrapped them both snugly and the two men in the photo seemed pretty comfortable despite the lack of distance between them. Shirosaki had a blank expression that was betrayed by the light pink dusting his ears while it was clear just what kind of fluster Momose was feeling just by looking at his expressive face.
“That was… his idea…”
“Pardon?”
“Well, I told him I was studying how to make better Enstagram photos… so he searched up Enstagram photos and the most popular ones were couple photos, so…”
“So you both tried it? Congratulations!” Kinjou returned the phone to Momose. “Although, what’s up with the blanket? You two cold or something?”
“Rather, he got scared from the horror documentary we were watching so he wanted to hide in the blanket with me.”
“What the heck is up with that? That’s so freaking cute.”
Momose nodded. “It is.”