Work Text:
4:32 p.m.
Akito sighs. Only a few minutes had passed since he last checked at 4:29, and frankly, he was this close to passing out. The boutique he worked at was completely dead, as it usually was on Sundays, and his boss decided to leave it under his care while she went out for lunch.
Akito loves his job, he really does – a few weekend shifts here or there will earn him what he needs on a day-to-day basis, and getting to stop people from making horrendous fashion decisions was always a plus – but on days like these, Wordscapes could only keep his attention for so long. Despite all of his boredom, the ever-so-diligent worker held on to the fact that it would only be half an hour of solitude before he could burst out the doors and into the warm solace that is his room.
The only obstacle in Akito’s path was time.
Or so he thought.
Enter Mizuki “Amia” Akiyama, whose main goal was to bug Akito at every chance given. Mizuki, who also happened to know his work schedule by heart – not because of any strange tactics, but through the sole means of Ena’s complaints (“Akito’s at his job so he can’t bug me this call...” and “You’ll never guess who went to work and took the last slice of cheesecake with him!”). This knowledge was a dangerous tool to have, and unfortunately for the other Shinonome, they absolutely intended to use it.
–
“Oh, Akito!” was heard reverberating through the empty shop, waking up the (slightly dozing) aforementioned boy and alerting him of a new presence.
Immediately knowing who the sing-songy voice belonged to with its familiar lilt, Akito ducked to hide behind the cash register. It’s not that he was scared of Mizuki, of course not, but he had found his peace and was very aware they would know just how to ruin it. However, try as he may, the person he was hiding from was already one step ahead of him.
“Boo!”
“How the hell did you get behind the register?”
“A magician never reveals their secrets…”
Akito rolls his eyes and stands up, brushing off the bit of dust that stuck to his pants – he makes a mental note to sweep later. “You’re not supposed to be back here y’know. Employees only?”
“Okay, well, I don’t think you’re supposed to be slacking on the job? Get back to work, minimum wage boy. You’ve got a very loyal customer to provide assistance to!”
With that, Mizuki swiveled around the counter and back into the rest of the store. It was always fun to visit Akito while he was on the clock, and not just to watch him struggle to keep up the ‘customer service voice’ while they were in his peripheral vision rearranging the displays. No, the little shop itself was especially welcoming with its soft music played from the speakers and emphasis on aesthetics expressed through the layout. A few mannequins were showing off different outfits – one of which proudly belonged to Akito, as he explained to the other when they first visited the boutique. Every few weeks or so he would pull together a new ensemble, replacing the old one with something that better reflected the fresh stock. The outfit this time around was heavy on dark blues, which reminded Mizuki of a certain person. Underneath it was a rack with folded duplicates of the garments on the mannequin, and they picked one up to look at it.
“Someone was clearly on your mind when picking this out, huh? Gay ass…” their teasing was met with a very sharp glare and a nudge on the arm.
Ripping the shirt out of Mizuki’s hands, Akito began to fold it again with an “Fuck off, I have no idea what you’re talking about. Baseless accusations,” and set it back down on the rack. “Anyways, what are you even here for? We close up in, like, twenty minutes.”
They tsk-ed, skipping over to another section of the store in need of terrorizing. “Do I really need a reason to check up on the little guy? It’s basically my job to annoy the hell out of you while simultaneously making sure you’re doing okay.”
“You’re doing a shit-ton of annoying me and not a lot of ensuring my mental stability.. Wh- put that down??”
A hat that used to be placed atop a mannequin was now in Mizuki’s grasp, them twirling it around their finger with a mischievous grin. They sprinted across the small store, making a failed attempt to suppress their snickering as they ran. It took a second or two for Akito to process what the other was doing, but once it clicked he took off towards them while letting out a few loose chuckles of his own.
The two shared a mutual understanding of the effects of growing up too quickly. Even if they both expressed it differently, they knew each other and found solace in indulging in silly or trivial things. Jokingly tucking one-another in during a sleepover or running around an empty store, it was comforting to know they could be kids again – even if just for a moment.
That moment ended abruptly, however, as Akito had barely stopped himself from crashing straight into the other after they stopped out of nowhere with a look of absolute captivation.
The Shinonome was about to question their odd behavior before they exclaimed a “Dude, Ena would so wear this dress! The frills are right up her alley.”
The dress in question was a spaghetti-strap, baby pink number with frills lining the top and cascading down the skirt in a pattern akin to ocean waves. The top was satin, the skirt being layered chiffon, and there were embroidered jewels arranged in a swirling floral pattern that added just the right amount of flair without being considered tacky. Mizuki was in awe that such a dress was in Akito’s boutique and not their closet (if Ena wasn’t going to buy it, they most certainly were).
“Hmm…”
The pink-clad fashionista swiveled their head towards the boy, who was currently pondering over the dress with a focused gaze.
“No, not with that color palette,” he decided on, though it didn’t really seem like he was responding to the other as much as it was a comment towards himself. Akito shuffled around the clothing rack housing the dress and pulled out another identical to the other – but this time, in a desaturated brown shade with black detailing. “She’d wear this one, the other would be too pink for her.”
“Ooo, look at you, Mr. Fashion Expert! You can deny it all you want but you obviously have your sister’s tastes down to a T.”
A scoff, followed with “Shut up, it’s just because she drags me along to hold her bags while she shops wayyy too often. You guys are literally dating and yet I’m the victim of choice.”
“Well, duh, I’m far too charming for Ena to ever force me into such hard labor.”
Akito gave them that look, the one that was often exchanged between the two in order to convey the sentiment of ‘Don’t lie to yourself like that…’ which was not to be confused with the common ‘You’re actually so stupid, there’s no way you just said that,’ look. Mizuki took the hint and waved it off, snatching the dress out of the ginger’s grasp.
“This really is gorgeous, though. She’d love it.”
“You should get it for her, then. It would make me more sales anyways…” Akito suggested offhandedly, turning back around and trudging towards the door after a glance at his phone. “Just put the money on the register, it’s like 4:55.”
Akiyama gave a quick “Oh damn, we gotta get you out of here. Hold on!”, skipping over to the register and leaving the exact amount inside while the other waited ever-so-impatiently by the door (“Hurry up or I’m locking you in,”). They rushed back out after a few more seconds, playfully punching his shoulder after seeing him tapping his foot at having to wait. The two began to walk together towards Scramble Crossing before they split up for the day while making casual conversation.
“Great job today, little guy!”
“Dude, all I did was fold clothes and help, like, three people.”
“That’s more than I do on a day to day basis.”
“No shit, wanna tell me how many absences you have now?”
“Literally die???”
—
“I’m home!”
Akito shouted, swinging the front door closed and kicking his shoes off in a fluid moment. Having to walk home had him mildly out of breath, and his bag felt ten times heavier than it did 20 minutes ago, so he was ready to grab a glass of water and hole up in his room. The Shinonome didn’t get any response to his exclamation, yet was met with muffled laughter coming from Ena’s room. He assumed it was in response to something a Nightcord member said and rolled his eyes – subconsciously making a point to tread with heavier steps while passing her door.
Akito didn’t even take off his bag after plopping face-first onto his bed with a sigh of relief, sprawling out to stretch his limbs. After a minute or two of unwinding, he remembered he hadn’t checked his phone since the boutique and begrudgingly sat up to get it out of his bag. However, when the boy opened it, he was met with something other than the junk he usually keeps in there: the dress Mizuki bought for Ena, and a piece of paper sporting a decorative print he recognized as the post-its they carried with them. They must’ve slipped it in when they asked for gum.
‘Say it’s from you :)’
Letting out the second sigh of the day (this one out of exasperation), Akito tossed the dress towards the rest of his clothes. He knew that Ena really would love it.
He also knew just as much as Mizuki should’ve that the dress will only end up collecting dust in the back of his closet.