Work Text:
If Momose had 5¥ for every misunderstanding in his life, he’s sure he’d be a millionaire.
Most of which could be attributed to his terrible old boss and the subsequent alienation from his old coworkers, but he’d be a millionaire nonetheless.
Since starting his new job though, misunderstandings were far and few between. His coworkers were kind and understanding, his boss was incredible, and he finally felt like he could express himself. The most he had to deal with were some minor miscommunications with his goofy boss, but it was never anything that made him feel like any less of a man.
This, however…
“Hey Momose一”
Had to qualify as a misunderstanding.
“一my beloved boyfriend!”
___________
It all started at the beginning of the new year.
Christmas had been a bit crazy with Momose suddenly signing his lease on the holiday, but he was extremely excited to be able to remain close to his boss. After realizing how close he was, Shirosaki graciously offered to help move boxes and even called up their friends/coworkers for some extra hands, though it took a minute to find Shirosaki’s phone.
(Spoiler alert: it was in his back pocket.)
By the time Kinjo and Aoyama arrived, most of Momose’s smaller belongings were already in the new apartment, but the extra help was great for larger items. After two hours, boxes were laid out in the living room haphazardly as the men took in the new space.
“Ooooh, this is nice!” Kinjo awed.
“I know, I got really lucky when I saw the moving crew,” Momose smiled.
“For real! You get so much natural light, it’s quiet, and you get to be near the Manager? Seriously, no far!” Kinjo playfully punched Momose’s shoulder.
A sigh permeated the air, “No one wants to live near me…” Aoyama grumbled and Kinjo immediately turned his attention towards his boss.
“If I could afford a house, I’d love to live next to you,” said Kinjo and punctuated it with a wink. Aoyama perked up at the statement as Kinjo turned back to Momose.
“Jokes aside, congrats on the new place. We should have a housewarming party when you get settled in.”
“I’d love to host one, though it might not be for a while. I'm heading home for a little bit since I haven’t had a chance to celebrate the holidays because of my old job.”
“I get it, our little party at the Manager’s place is probably the last festive thing I’ll do until next year.” Kinjo shrugged, “I’m really a big holiday person but,” his smile softened a bit, “I had a great time with you guys.”
“I did too! I’m definitely showing my mom the pictures from the other night.”
“Make sure to show her the pics where you got my good side!”
Momose laughed, “I’ll keep that in mind.”
The two friends kept chatting unbeknownst to them as their two bosses looked at them a bit strangely.
“You know, they seem a bit closer than usual,” Aoyama noted.
Shirosaki blankly looked at their feet. “They always stand that far apart.”
“No, no, I mean they seem… friendlier. ”
Shirosaki’s eyes widened slightly in understanding, “Ah, I guess it may seem that way. They’ve always been somewhat close though because of their experiences with their old bosses.”
“I’ve actually been meaning to talk to you about that. Has…has Momose told you fully about what he went through?” Aoyama questioned softly.
“He’s more open about it after we had an incident a while back, but I don’t think he’d tell me the full truth unless it was necessary.”
“Oh, you’re lucky Momose seems to trust you that much… Kinjo went through a similar thing and mostly cracks jokes about it, but I know he’s still affected. I know I told you about what happened at Kummatteland and how he isolated himself when had that cold. I'm sure he does stuff like that at work but he’s able to hide it better since we’re all busy, I just…I wish he’d talk to me, Shirosaki. I want him to have a bit more faith in me beyond the boss that needs constant attention.” He ran a hand through his black hair.
“This may be overstepping, but… the fact that you want to be there for him even if he hasn’t realized that, is the sign of a great boss and a great friend.”
“Shirosaki…”
“Just give him time. Momose and I’s relationship wasn’t always so easy. The beginning was a bit tumultuous, but he began to see that all I wanted to do was help him. Remember my first day with you? I was so nervous that I talked so haughtily to that client and headbutted you. You saved me and laughed it off, ever since that day, I strived to be a boss who treats his workers just like you do. Just give it some more time, and I’m sure Kinjo will open up to you.”
“Shirosaki, marry me.”
“Hey!” Kinjo interrupted, “If anyone’s proposing to Manager, it’s me!”
The rest of the evening was filled with laughter as the men began to help their friend unpack the many boxes.
___________
Momose returned to the city feeling renewed after spending some time with his family. He really had missed them in the years he hadn’t been able to attend due to working overtime, and his family could tell he was a lot happier compared to previous years. His happiness was obviously due to the amazing people he met at work, and he was even more excited to know he was about to have some drinks with them to celebrate the new year, along with the fact that he was done unpacking.
It was the same restaurant they always went to after work, and surprisingly not too crowded yet for the evening time. He searched around for a moment and eventually landed on Kinjo’s gray hair. He was about to call out his name when he noticed the look on the man’s face; instead of the usual playful smile, he looked a bit annoyed. Quickly nodding along to something, though his eyes darting back and forth, a sign that he wasn’t really paying attention. His gaze eventually landed on him and his eyes seemed to light up again. He smiled and gestured for Momose to come over, but as he got closer he noticed a blonde man sitting across from Kinjo.
“Hey Momose一”
“Hey Kinjo一”
“一My lovely boyfriend! ” The blonde man’s head whipped towards Momose and looked at him in surprise.
“That’s him?” he questioned.
“Yup! Momose, this is Yamoto Kikuchi, we used to see each other.”
“Oh, uh, nice to meet you?” He said awkwardly, still not completely understanding the situation.
“Don’t be a stranger, sit down, I missed you!” Kinjo yanked his arm forcing him to sit down in the booth and wrapped his arms around Momose’s neck in an intimate hug. Kinjo took the chance to whisper softly into Momose’s ear.“Sorry, please, just play along for now.”
As they separated, Kinjo was able to fake a surprisingly lovestruck look. “I wish I could’ve gone with you to meet your family, but I had to take care of that bakery ad during the holiday season,” he sighed, “I much rather would’ve preferred to cuddle up with you by the fireplace.”
“Ahem,” Yamato coughed, “So, Momose , how long have you been with Aigo?”
“Oh, uuuuh,” he floundered, “it’s uh, kinda hard. We一we met by chance so一”
“Yeah, we met by chance at a cafe. Then I ended up working at the same company as him after he gave me some advice.”
“Yes!” Momose caught on, “Silly me, how could I forget?” He laughed nervously.
“So what? You just started dating after you joined?”
Kinjo scoffed, “What do you take me for? Our relationship was quite wholesome and we found out we had similar experiences and interests.”
“Like what?” Yamato questioned as he gripped the table.
Momose shifted his eyes towards Kinjo, his mind was drawing a blank as Yamato heatedly stared them down.
“We both like anime, for one.” That point specifically seemed targeted at Yamato as he rolled his eyes, “Oh come on, Aigo, they’re made for children.”
With that Momose locked into the conversation, “Hey, just because it’s animated doesn’t mean it’s childish.”
Kinjo beamed at Momose’s agreement, “See, this is why I love you.”
Momose’s face turned red as he hid his face in embarrassment. Kinjo was laying it on so thick it’s a miracle Yamato hadn’t caught on to the ruse.
“What do you even like about him? He’s barely even spoken to me this whole time without your prompting, kinda sounds like you bullied him into this. Is that what it's come to? Steamrolling people to be with you?” Yamato smirked.
“He’s never met you before, of course he’s quiet,” Kinjo countered, “As for what I like about him, Momose’s a hard worker, a gentleman, loves his family, he’s tall and cute, need I go on?”
Yamato huffed out a laugh, “So what if he’s tall? You’re so distant when you address him. Don’t you think it’s weird calling your boyfriend by his family name? You’ve been dating for who knows how long but you’re acting like a bunch of high schoolers.”
Kinjo hugged his arm a bit closer. “He’s a bit shy about me calling him by his given name in public, isn’t that right, Ken-ta-rou~♡?”
Momose’s face heated up, he hadn’t been called by his given name by anyone other than his family in years . He didn’t even make it that far with his ex-girlfriend. “Ah, yes… I like to keep things private.”
“Besides, you have no right to speak about proper names with the way you’ve been calling me Aigo this whole time, Yamato ,” he emphasized, “I don’t think it’s appropriate to call me that anymore in front of my boyfriend. ”
“What’s wrong with that? I knew you first.” He argued childishly.
“But we’re not together anymore,” Kinjo responded icily, “so I’d appreciate it if you'd stop.”
Momose looked back and forth between the two exes feeling as though he was watching a J-drama.
“Plus, Momose knows what it’s like to have a shithole boss and he knows how to take matters into his own hands.”
“Fine, I’ll admit, I was kind of a dick for just telling you to deal with your boss, but you were making good money. Wasn’t the mistreatment a bit worth it for the trade-off?”
Kinjo and Momose both froze.
Momose peaked at Kinjo, saw the shock on his face, and noticed how Kinjo tightly gripped his pants leg.
Though he wasn’t as close to Kinjo as he was to his manager, he can’t deny the fact that they bonded over their bad bosses. The type of abuse they suffered will stick with them and will, unfortunately, affect their relationships for the rest of their lives. For someone to disregard that, to disregard his friend’s feelings in favor of money, he became heated.
“Hey,” Momose said surprisingly coldly, “you have no clue what it’s like to work in that type of environment. It wasn’t just ‘a bit of mistreatment’, it was full-blown harassment . Can you say being hit in an office is appropriate? To be called an idiot constantly, to have your work ripped up before your eyes, to have your boss block anyone who tried to reach out to you, you think that was a bit of mistreatment? Enduring that type of treatment is unacceptable, and to think you’d tell your partner to just deal with it shows the kind of man you are.”
Yamato reached across the table and grabbed the collar of Momose’s shirt, “You better watch your mouth一”
“Are we interrupting something?” a voice said. Yamato let go of Momose at the arrival of new guests.
Momose and Kinjo looked up to see their two bosses standing there, faces both oddly blank.
“No, of course not,” Kinjo brightened up again, “it’s great to see you guys.”
“What the fuck is this? A double date? You barely wanted to be seen in public with me, now you want to act out with some new guy?”
“Precisely. Now can you go away? We’re trying to enjoy a night out.”
“No, I’m not leaving until一”
Aoyama placed a hand on Yamato’s shoulder, his black eyes seemingly darker than usual, “He doesn’t seem to want you here. I suggest you leave before my partner here gets the manager and kicks you out.” Yamato looked at Shirosaki’s sharp eyes and could tell they meant business.
“Fine,” he spat, and slid out of the booth, “good luck dealing with him, Momose. ” Yamato slowly exited the restaurant and the tense air seemed to dissipate.
“God, I thought he’d never leave!” Kinjo sighed dramatically.
“Are you guys okay?” Aoyama asked, concern lacing his voice.
“Yeah, we’re alright,” Kinjo answered, “Never thought I’d run into him here of all places.”
Aoyama sat down first, sitting across from Kinjo and Shirosaki followed him sitting across from Momose. Shirosaki looked at his subordinate to analyze his mood. He and Aoyama had been caught up with a last-minute assignment at work and rode together to the restaurant. Instead of the usual chipper greeting from Kinjo and Momose, they arrived to some strange man threatening their friends.
“Momose, how are you feeling?” Shirosaki asked.
“I’m… surprisingly fine? I don’t know how much you heard, but when he talked about how he treated Kinjo before, I couldn’t help but speak up.”
They had in fact been there for the tail end of the conversation, and they were all surprised to hear the tone in Momose’s voice earlier, none of them even knew he could sound like that.
“You were my knight in shining armor!” Kinjo hugged his arm again affectionately, “Sorry you guys had to get wrapped up in that too, and that I didn’t correct him for assuming you were together.”
“It’s fine since we’re together anyway,” Shirosaki shrugged.
Silence.
Had the restaurant been a bit less noisy, you could probably hear their blinks.
Everyone at the table seemed to be frozen as Shirosaki placed the drink order for the table. As the waitress walked away, Kinjo seemed to be the first one to come out of his stupor.
“Ha, good one Manager.”
“What?”
“You know I never pegged you as the type to make jokes on purpose, but I guess the New Year is pulling out a new side of you, haha!”
Shirosaki tilted his head in confusion, “But, Aoyama and I were together.”
Kinjo blinked comically, “Manager…are you together now?”
“Of course,” he answered calmly.
Kinjo looked to Aoyama in confirmation, “I mean, we arrived together, didn’t we?” Kinjo prided himself on being attentive to his boss’s mood, and yet tonight his face seemed just as blank as it had been the day he first met him.
Are his bosses actually…
“Wow! I一I had no idea,” Kinjo stuttered unusually, “Congradulations, I guess?”
“Thanks?” Shirosaki wagered still not understanding why he was offered congratulations in the first place.
“How long have you been together if you don’t mind me asking?” Kinjo asked.
Shirosaki checked his watch, “ About 3 hours?”
“Oh, so this is new?”
“I mean, we’re together a lot at work,” Shirosaki shrugged.
More silence.
The drinks were placed on the table and Shirosaki politely thanked the waitress.
“...So it happened naturally?”
“Yes,” said Shirosaki as he took a sip of his beer, “Oh, we didn’t tell her our order,” he noted.
“You’re right,” Aoyama suddenly piped up, “I’ll press the button to have her come back over.” The two bosses took over ordering food for the table as one gray-haired man looked on in disbelief while the resident brunette remained oddly quiet for the rest of the evening.
After helping his manager get settled in his apartment, and feeding Hakuto on his way out, Momose settled into his own apartment. Though he’d lived on his own for a while, it was still an adjustment to go back to living alone after being with his Manager and Hakuto for so long. Don’t get him wrong, he liked his new place, but he couldn’t help the fact that he felt a bit lonely sometimes. He’d briefly considered staying with his manager, in his own (old) room of course, to make sure he was okay, but then figured that wouldn’t be appropriate since he apparently wasn’t single.
Momose sighed as he crawled into bed and stared at his ceiling replaying parts of the night.
“Hey Momose, my beloved boyfriend!”
“Momose is a hard worker, a gentleman, loves his family, he’s tall and cute, need I go on?”
“See, this is why I love you.”
Momose didn’t know how Kinjo could say that type of stuff out loud without feeling embarrassed, but that was just the type of guy he was. He didn’t have much filter, none of the people around him did, but it couldn’t be more obvious on a night like this.
“Manager,” Kinjo questioned, “Are you together now?”
“Of course.” His boss answered so confidently.
Momose had to admit, he hadn’t seen this coming. Not that he was super in tune with matters of the heart, but still, if he knew his manager was seeing someone, he figured he’d be the first to know. He’d been through so much with the man; from helping him get over his work fears, adopting a cat together, moving in with each other, defending him when he thought Mr.Kurono was around, the list was basically endless. Throughout his time at Minatte, it always felt like Momose was the one getting help and saying how he felt, all while his manager did all the heavy lifting. His manager knew how to read him like a book (when the book wasn’t backward of course), but Momose couldn’t say the same thing in reverse. Anything he knew about his manager was based on what he’d explicitly told him, and tonight, he clearly said that he and Aoyama were together.
He tossed in bed as he kept thinking about the…couple. Even the word felt foreign when talking about the two of them. Momose had nothing against Aoyama; he’d been extremely grateful to the man for hiring him along with his friendship. Sure, he was a bit odd when it came to his obsession with Kumatte, along with his side comments about how no one paid attention to him, but once he got past that, Momose knew he was truly a good man.
Well , he thought, he should get plenty of attention from the Manager and Hakuto.
The thought made his heart clench a bit knowing that used to be his role一
Wait, there was no role to fill, he thought, I was just his roommate, nothing more, nothing less.
Still, that odd feeling in his chest wouldn’t leave. He kept imagining Aoyama being with his manager in a more intimate setting and his stomach began to feel odd. He imagined them going to the park to ride the swan boats, he imagined them walking around Kumatteland together and even imagined them holding hands. What’s worse is they didn’t look so odd together, the two seemingly serious men breaking down their walls and being able to be themselves around each other. He could already imagine his manager's soft smile, the one he thought was reserved for him, but now that smile was directed at his other boss. Really, Momose should be happy that the two of them have each other…
And yet, he knew…
Deep down…
This was the beginning of a problem.
___________
To be fair, Aoyama had no intention of going along with this accidental plan.
Sometimes he thinks Shirosaki's goofyness rubs off on people, and he’s pretty sure the goofyness rubbed off on the entire group like parmesan cheese at Olive Garden.
Instinctively, he knew he should’ve corrected Shirosaki’s phrasing when Kinjo had asked if they were together. Of course, people would assume they were romantically involved when you phrased it like that. But as a man who was once married, when he saw Kinjo and Momose together, and Kinjo allowing that oaf to call their night out a ‘double date’ he felt a bit strange.
A double date implied that there were two couples, both dating.
Meaning Momose and Kinjo were on a date.
Or at the very least, they were seeing each other and keeping it private so as not to make things awkward when they all hung out.
It…hurt.
A shocking amount.
With how open Kinjo was about his private life, he thought at the very least, he’d know if he was dating someone. But with how clingy he was with Momose, he felt like he was the idiot who couldn’t see how in love they were. Of course they’d be together, they’re closer to being the same age, have similar fears, and above all, Momose was a great guy.
But the pain he felt was unfortunately familiar.
He was a man who was once married after all.
But he’s currently a divorcee, a divorcee whose partner had run out on him nonetheless.
He knew what it was like to see someone’s interest waning. He knew what it was like to be pandered to. He knew what it was like to get his hopes up. And though he knew, it still seemed as though he briefly forgot that this could happen at any time.
He didn’t know he’d become that attached to Kinjo. He knew that Kinjo’s willingness to praise him stemmed from his previous work experiences and wanted to keep him in a good mood to lessen any future blows. But Aoyama has never, and would never , do anything to harm one of his coworkers no matter how mad he was. Maybe it was something he should’ve corrected when he first noticed the pattern, but he didn’t realize how quickly he was swept into Kinjo’s flow.
He never realized how much Kinjo’s personality was like the sun; constantly drawing people in with a warm embrace and allowing them to settle down in his light. His extroverted personality should’ve clashed with most of the people in their group, and yet he still managed to fit right in, a missing piece to their puzzle.
Correction, a missing piece in Momose’s puzzle.
And what right did he have to mess with that? Kinjo never viewed him the same way in the first place, what was the harm in allowing him to think he and Shirosaki were dating?
He saw the look on Kinjo’s face, the questioning to see if he understood correctly, and instead of just saying no, he gave an open-ended answer.
“I mean, we arrived together, didn’t we?”
He thought he might’ve seen the man’s face fall for a second, though he’s sure it was wishful thinking.
After the loud start to the evening, going back home to his empty house (excluding his Kumatte merchandise), the silence felt even louder. And despite his unease at the new revelation, he still looked forward to some company at work on Monday.
By the time the work week started, he thought he had enough time to allow his emotions to settle down, but his ugly feelings seemed to rear their heads whenever he saw Kinjo and Momose together.
“Momose, how do you make a smart object in Illustrator again?” Kinjo asked.
“Uh, do you mind if I use your computer for it? I’m terrible at explaining it verbally.”
“Be my guest!” As Kinjo sat in his chair, Momose leaned over him planting an arm on each side, hand guiding the mouse across the screen as he explained the process.
How bold of them, he thought as he looked on.
“I forgot how simple that was, thanks, Prince Charming.” Kinjo winked at him as Momose returned to his desk.
Another instance was when someone moved Kinjo’s work mug to the top shelf in the break room. Aoyama had the unfortunate fate of watching Kinjo struggle to grab it, only for Momose to swoop in and easily grab it for him.
“Thanks again, Prince Charming. ”
On top of that, the universe must’ve had it out for him as he prepared to take his break and noticed the two of them walking out of the building, presumably going out for lunch together. He turned away from the window and walked towards the break room with his own mug in hand intending to work through lunch.
When he arrived, he noticed that someone had beaten him there. Shirosaki seemed to be searching for something as Aoyama entered. “Ah, Shirosaki, what are you up to?”
“It seems I misplaced my mug.”
“The one with the picture of Hakuto?”
“Yes, that one.”
Aoyama’s eyes were drawn to the mug on the right side of the counter. The image of Hakuto stared back at him as he realized the other side of the mug was blank and most likely looked like a standard mug from Shirosaki’s angle. He huffed a laugh through his nose and picked it up.
“This one?” He asked.
Shirosaki’s eyes lit up, “Chief, are you a wizard?”
“Of course not, my name’s not Harry.”
“???”
“Ah, don’t worry about it, bad joke.”
The men fell into companionable silence as Shirosaki made coffee with little error. As the coffee pot gurgled to life, Aoyama cleared his throat.
“So…things were intense at the restaurant.”
“Yes, very intense.” Shirosaki agreed.
“Some things were said that were a bit…questionable.” Shirosaki went to grab the jar of sugar, a spoonful poised over his mug before Aoyama wordlessly placed a hand on it and brought it closer to his face.
The sugar was actually salt.
“Oh, nice catch.” He carefully inspected the jar next to it and read the label. While fiddling with the jar, Aoyama finally broke the news.
“Shirosaki, I’m not sure how to say this, but Momose and Kinjo are…under the impression that we’re…together.”
“We are together,” Shirosaki responded in his typical monotone voice.
“Shirosaki,” Aoyama enunciated, “they think we’re romantically involved.”
Shirosaki stopped fiddling with the jar, “Huh?” He turned slowly towards his friend, “What do you mean by that? For how long?”
“Since the last time we went for drinks. You made it sound like we were a couple.”
Shirosaki turned beet red, “I一I didn’t know that’s how they took it. I一I need to apologize for the misunderstanding一” He attempted to leave the break room in search of their subordinates before Aoyama stopped him.
“...What if…what if we didn’t correct them?”
“But they’d continue to think we’re involved.”
“I know, just let them think that.”
“Chief, why would you want them to think that?”
Aoyama sighed, “I just don’t feel like correcting them, they’re already wrapped up with one another and it might make things weird一”
“Why are they wrapped up? It’s past the holiday season.”
“Wrapped up, as in they're busy with each other since they’re together,” Aoyama explained.
Shirosaki stopped.
“You mean they’re…together? A couple?”
Aoyama raised an eyebrow, “Yes? You saw the same thing I did at the restaurant, of course they’re together. Honestly, we should’ve figured that out with how they were talking when we helped Momose move in.”
“Oh.” Aoyama dropped Shirosaki’s wrist and looked at his friend’s face. Shirosaki was notoriously hard to read, a sharp contrast to his goofy behavior, but right now, it was easy to see the hurt and frustration in his eyes. He knew that look.
It was almost as if…
Oh.
“You have feelings for Momose, don’t you?”
Shirosaki’s head whipped up in surprise, then embarrassment, and then shame.
“I…I know the workplace isn’t for romance, especially with him as my subordinate, but I couldn’t help it…” he quietly admitted.
“Shirosaki, it’s okay, I understand. I’d be a hypocrite if I told you otherwise.”
“Chief, does this mean…?”
“Yes…”
“...You also have feelings for Momose?”
Silence.
“Sometimes I wonder if you do this on purpose.”
___________
“Order anything you want Momose, it’s my treat!” exclaimed Kinjo.
“Oh, thank you,” he said sheepishly.
“Seriously, thanks for playing along last week, Yamato has always been annoying, I just went out with him because I thought he was cute. I didn’t think he would get all grabby like that.”
“No problem at all, of course I would want to help a friend out.”
“Momose, you’re such a sweetheart~!”
The two coworkers chatted lightheartedly before placing their lunch order. After Kinjo made another joke, Momose laughed softly, “You know I feel like we’re avoiding the elephant in the room.”
“About the big revelation about the Chief and Manager seeing each other?”
“Yeah, how do you think it happened?”
Kinjo threw his arms in the air in dramatic exasperation, “I COULDN’T STOP THINKING ABOUT IT DURING THE WEEKEND, UGH!”
“Don’t get me wrong, I’m happy for them一”
“You’re happy for them? Momose, be serious.”
“I am, why wouldn’t I be?”
Kinjo looked at him as if he’d grown a third arm, “Don’t you like Shirosaki?”
“Of course I do, he’s an amazing boss一”
“一Who’s extremely hot and that you got to live with! You mean to tell me you felt nothing romantic towards him this whole time?”
Momose blushed, “Yes?”
Kinjo pulled his hair in frustration, “Momose, please borrow my bisexual brain for two seconds and look at this from my point of view. He let you move into his apartment, he’s overly affectionate, took you to a park to ride in the swan paddle boats, made you a scarf for Christmas, and he’s probably done more things I don’t even know about. You mean to tell me there’s zero homoerotic tension between the two of you?”
Momose pointedly avoided Kinjo’s eyes for a few seconds before sighing, “Okay fine, yes, I like him.”
“I KNEW IT!”
Momose shushed him in an effort to calm his friend down, “Not so loud please.”
“I knew it was a matter of time, another convert added to the list.”
“You know, I thought you of all people wouldn’t have wanted me to admit that.”
“What do you mean?” Kinjo questioned.
“Well…don’t you like him?”
Kinjo started laughing, “Ahaha! Oh dear sweet Momose, I have zero romantic feelings for him, I just like to flirt. He’s cute and fun to talk to, but not my type. I typically go for brunettes,” he winked.
Momose rolled his eyes, “So you like brunettes, huh? Then how come you don’t flirt with the Chief?”
“Can pandering and flirting not go hand in hand?” He argued.
“I guess so, but you’re quite overt with how to act with the Manager.”
“Well, I just don’t want to make the Chief uncomfortable, you know since he’s divorced.”
Momose leaned forward in his seat, “That’s surprisingly thoughtful considering you pulled me into your fake dating scheme, and again, going back to how you treat Manager.”
“When I flirt with you or Shirosaki, I know you don’t take it to heart. Chief, however…he’s someone who’s had his heart broken before, and he doesn’t deserve to feel as though he’s being played by someone like me.”
“And by that you mean?” Momose gestured for him to continue.
“Some player who can barely keep a relationship for a month.” It was meant to come out as a joke but came out a lot more vulnerable than he intended.
“Kinjo, this may be overstepping, but what if you stopped answering his calls for attention?”
“What?”
“I mean if this pandering is part of your flirting, and you don’t want to hurt him like you say, wouldn’t it be more productive to stop?”
“I mean…yeah but…then he’d be sad.” Kinjo countered.
“Would he be sad? He was like this before you came to the company, so he’d probably be fine. He even has the Manager now, if anything wouldn’t it be more appropriate to stop now?”
Kinjo hesitated.
He knew Momose was right.
When he first got to the company, he can admit, he was a bit disappointed to not be directly working under Shirosaki after their initial meeting. But his disappointment quickly turned to amusement once he got to know his boss, Aoyama Mitsuo. He’ll admit, at first, most of his pandering was purely out of a sense of self-preservation; keep his boss in a good mood and no one gets hurt. But similar to Shirosaki, his seemingly serious exterior was quickly overshadowed by his own goofiness i.e. his dedication to Kumatte. However, it was a bit sad as he realized part of his boss’s dedication was due to how he related to a character whose whole schtick was their desire to not be abandoned. He was, of course, sympathetic towards his boss after finding out the details of his divorce, and knew he’d never hurt him the way his old boss would…
But old habits die hard.
It was due to those habits that had him suffering in silence in his room at Kumatteland. He was sick and vulnerable, and had it been his old boss, he’s not even sure if he would’ve had a job by the end of it. But Chief? He called for help the minute he suspected something was up. He stayed by Kinjo’s side and watched him cry, all without zero judgment. It’s no surprise he was a bit softer toward his boss after all that一
“Maybe he won’t be the one that’s sad,” Momose suggested, “Maybe it’d be you?”
Kinjo laughed nervously, “Momose, what are you thinking over there?”
“Kinjo,” Momose started cautiously, “I may not be as familiar with this territory as you are, but have you considered that you may have some feelings for the Chief?”
“Momose that’s just…”
Oh.
Oh no.
The Chief has been acting strange.
(Stranger than usual.)
Ever since Kinjo picked up on his own feelings, he felt as though he’d become more in tune with his boss’s habits, which was unfortunate since Shirosaki seemed to suddenly become part of those habits. For the past month since the infamous Double Date Incident™, his boss and Shirosaki seemed to disappear at the same time close to lunch.
(Disappear = going to the breakroom for coffee)
It was mildly annoying since it used to be their thing to get coffee together with Aoyama complaining about how no one wanted to make him coffee, and Kinjo following up with the best cup of joe he could manage. Kinjo remembers the way his boss would hold his mug so preciously and how he claimed he’d save a drop of it and stow it away for later; always dramatic, and always endearing. He laughed back then but now wishes he took the statements a bit more seriously seeing how distant they’d become.
His boss only spoke to him when necessary, and if Kinjo didn’t know any better, he’d think he was avoiding him. Which wouldn’t be a big deal if this wasn’t his resident attention seeker. He hadn’t realized how he had become so used to singing his boss's praises.
“I like your new glasses Chief!”
“Is that a new Kumatte keychain?”
“You’re an amazing boss!”
Kinjo sighed as he walked towards the break room to purchase a cold coffee from the vending machine in hopes of the caffeine distracting him from his current problem. It was closer to 10am at this point and figured the breakroom would be empty, but he was wrong.
So very wrong.
As he poked his head into the break room, he was confronted with the sight of the Chief embracing Shirosaki tenderly. Kinjo could see tufts of blonde hair peeking over the Chief’s shoulders. A set of arms clad in salmon pink wrapped around his neck while Chief’s arms were slung low around Shirosaki’s waist.
Kinjo quickly backed away for a moment to fix his face before he confidently strode into the room.
“Oh my, how indecent!” He snickered.
Chief quickly backed away from Shirosaki, “Oh Kinjo, uh you weren’t here for a long time, right?”
“Why? Were you doing something I shouldn’t be seeing?” he heckled.
“No, no, we were just talking beforehand and一”
“I get it Chief, you don’t have to explain it to me.”
I don’t want to hear it anyway.
Kinjo made his way over to the vending machine and quickly paid for his coffee. Before he left he stood before the couple, “By the way, if you’re gonna get handsy, maybe do it somewhere like the rooftop or a storage closet, you know, like civilized people.” He exited the room quickly and stared at the ground as he tightly gripped the can in his hand.
Well, I guess this is how it’s gonna be from now on. I’d better get used to it.
Another week passed and still, Chief avoided Kinjo. And it most likely would have continued like this had it not been for a client suddenly moving up the deadline of a project they’d been working on, forcing them to work overtime to get it done. It was a long and stressful day with the two of them being the last ones in the office. It was mostly quiet as the two of them continued typing and making last-minute phone calls. Eventually, Kinjo hit send on the last part of the project and they were officially done for the night.
“Chief, we did it, we can finally leave!”
“Thank goodness.” Aoyama leaned back in his chair and took his glasses off to rest his eyes. He closed them in a moment of rest, but after a moment, he noticed the sound of footsteps approaching and opened them to see Kinjo standing over him.
“You know, not a lot of people look cute with and without glasses,” Kinjo noted.
“Let me guess, Shirosaki is one of the people that’s the exception?”
“Well yes, but I think you fall into that category too.”
Aoyama’s eyes widened in surprise, an uncharacteristic blush gracing his face.
“You’re terrible, you know that?”
Kinjo laughed, “So I’ve been told.” The two conversed lightly as if Aoyama hadn’t been avoiding him for weeks, as if things were normal once again. The two slowly gathered up their bags as they made their way out of the empty office. Since Kinjo hadn’t had a chance to talk to his Chief the way he used to, in hindsight, he might’ve come on a bit strong with the compliments.
(What can he say? He was a bit pent up.)
“Chief, did you start styling your hair differently? It looks good!”
“Your suit looks even more stylish than usual.”
“Is that a new watch? Very sexy.”
As Kinjo continued, Aoyama’s face became red to the point where he thought he was going to explode.
Gosh, he's just so cute, Kinjo thought.
A few more compliments later, and getting closer than was probably appropriate for two coworkers, Aoyama stopped walking.
“Chief, what’s wrong?”
“Ha, you know, normally, I’d love to hear that kind of stuff, but now…it just feels wrong.” Aoyama took a deep breath as if what he was saying was painful. “I don’t know what’s gotten into you, maybe it’s the exhaustion, but I’m sure you know a certain someone wouldn’t like you talking to me that way.”
“Oh…sorry. I…I guess you’re right,” Kinjo said a bit sadly.
I guess Shirosaki’s the jealous type, he thought bitterly.
The pair was silent for the rest of the walk to the station. Kinjo’s train arrived almost as soon as they arrived, meaning there would be no more chances to talk. As Kinjo stepped on his train, he waved goodbye to his Chief.
“Please make it home safe,” Kinjo whispered as the doors closed.
As the train pulled off and pulled him further away, Kinjo sat down noticing how empty the train was. He thought back to how he’d see Momose and Shirosaki commuting together and how he wished for something similar. They still arrived together, being neighbors and all, but Kinjo could tell Momose was a bit down in the dumps since he learned his beloved manager was taken.
A lonely morning and late night commutes…would this be how things would remain?
He thought back to all the shenanigans with his boss; their day at Kumatteland, their late-night dinners, their conversations, the company; he missed it.
He missed it all…
…
…
…
To hell with keeping the peace.
Kinjo couldn’t take it anymore.
He got off at the next station and headed towards Shirosaki’s apartment. He’d been there plenty of times for their gatherings, but this was the first time he’d gone intending to fight. Kinjo didn’t have a habit of going to his crush’s partner’s house, but Kinjo was serious. He hated how distant the Chief had become and how he had to watch his words when giving a compliment. He hated walking in on his Chief and Shirosaki hugging each other.
He hated not being the man’s source of endearment.
These thoughts are what brought him to buzzing at Shirosaki’s door around 8 o’clock on a Wednesday night.
He heard light footsteps approaching as the door slowly swung open revealing his other boss in casual lounge clothing. “Kinjo, what brings you here?” His eyes widened, “Did I accidentally call you again? I’m sorry.”
“No, nothing like that, just, can we talk?”
“Sure.” Shirosaki offered for him to come inside and Kinjo followed behind him. It was a bit weird for the two of them to be here by themselves even though they went out for drinks together earlier that year.
“Would you like anything to drink?”
“No, I’m fine, this should be quick anyway.” He sat on the couch and took note of how Hakuto crept out of Shirosaki’s bedroom when he noticed the other human in the apartment. Shirosaki sat down next to him and Hakuto quietly meowed before hopping onto his owner’s lap. He purred quietly as Shirosaki scratched behind his ear.
“So, what did you need to discuss?”
“Your relationship with Aoyama,” he said bluntly.
“Oh?” Shirosaki said in surprise.
“Look, I know you’ve known him longer and I’m sure you know him way better than I do, and I know you’re together, but I need you to know how I feel.”
“How do you feel?” Shirosaki’s body shifted forward a bit.
“Yes, it’s hard for me to contain my feelings so I’m coming to you as a man and a friend that I have feelings for Aoyama.”
“What.”
Kinjo was a bit put off by the look on Shirosaki’s face but continued anyway. “I know I’ve teased you a lot, but I truly do think you’re an amazing man and I’m sure you make the Chief very happy. It’s just a bit…hard for me to see how you interact sometimes and how he’s changed because of your relationship.”
Shirosaki pinched his nose in frustration, “Let me get this straight一”
“There’s nothing straight about this situation.”
Shirosaki glared at him, “You have these feelings for Aoyama while you’re dating Momose? Don’t you think that’s inconsiderate?”
Kinjo froze, “What do you mean I’m dating Momose?”
Shirosaki gave Hakuto a hug as he recalled the Double Date Incident™, “You and Momose were already dating when that guy was bothering you.”
“Shirosaki, we were pretending so he’d stop bothering me.”
“...So…you’re not dating Momose?”
“Absolutely not, he’s sweet but I just told you that I liked Aoyama. Why are we talking about Momose?”
“Becasue I like Momose.”
“But you and Aoyama are一”
“Not dating,” Shirosaki stated and crossed his arms, “he just let you believe that because he didn’t want to make things awkward after I phrased our relationship weirdly that night, apologies for the misunderstanding by the way.”
“No, no, I’m sorry I made you think I was seeing Momose…oh shit poor guy.”
“What do you mean?” Shirosaki asked worriedly.
“Ah, it’s not really my place to say. Just know, I think you should tell him how you feel.”
“...Agreed. Not to kick you out of my apartment, but I have something I must do.” The determined look on Shirosaki’s face was evident as he placed Hakuto gently on the ground. Kinjo smiled brightly, “I’ll see myself out, go get ‘em, tiger.”
Kinjo left the building with a sense of energy he hadn’t had in weeks. Maybe things weren’t as bleak as they seemed, maybe there was a chance for a happy ending. The bright sign of the convenience store lured him in.
Before his happy ending, he needed to make a purchase.
___________
When the doorbell rang, Aoyama was about to head upstairs for the night.
He had a long day at work on top of the strange behavior from Kinjo. All he wanted to do was wind down and watch Kumatte in Wonderland for the umpteenth time, and go to bed. He honestly considered ignoring it thinking it was another one of the neighborhood kids messing around with his doorbell again, but with how insistent it was he mustered up his energy to answer it.
He was shocked to see Kinjo standing at his doorstep greeting him with a plastic bag in hand.
“Delivery for Aoyama Mitsuo!”
“Kinjo, what are you doing here? Aren’t you going to miss the last train?”
“You always talked about how no one wanted to drink with you or stay at your place, so here I am!”
“I mean I did but…”
“Well come on, are you gonna keep me waiting in the cold?”
Aoyama’s resolve crumbled, “Okay, get inside.”
Kinjo slipped his shoes off and made himself comfortable on the couch. Kinjo then quickly opened the box and pulled out two cans for them. As Aoyama sat down, Kinjo even cracked it open and shoved it into his hands.
“Let’s make a toast,” said Kinjo.”
“What are we toasting to?”
“Hm, what about new beginnings?”
“I think we’re a bit past the new year mark, but I think that’ll do.” They clinked the cans together and took a few healthy gulps.
“So…Kinjo…why are you here?”
Kinjo smiled softly and laughed, “Because I’m an idiot.”
“Hey, you’re not an idiot, I would know since I hired you,” Aoyama joked, “Come on, be honest with me, I promise I won’t judge you.”
“You know that’s one of your best qualities.”
“What is?”
“To make someone feel at ease. To feel as though you’d never judge them, to feel seen .”
Aoyama shifted in his seat, “Well of course, it’s part of my job.”
“I know, you do it well.”
A minute of silence went by before Kinjo spoke up again.
“Hey Chief?”
“Yeah?”
“What would you do if I said I was in love with you?”
Aoyama’s head whipped towards him so fast, it’s a miracle his glasses even stayed on.
“But aren’t you…”
“Seeing Momose? Shirosaki asked me the same thing, the whole thing at the restaurant was just to get that guy off my case.” He sat up to look the other man in the eyes, “Chief一”
“Aoyama,” the bespectacled man corrected, “you’re not calling me by my title right now.”
“ Aoyama, “ Kinjo lightly teased, “If you’re not interested一”
“Oh, Kinjo, I’m very interested,” he smirked as he shifted closer to the gray-haired man.
“Good, because I was prepared to fight Shirosaki for you.”
“Kinjo, I hope you know what you’re getting into because I don’t think you’ll be able to get rid of me any time soon.”
___________
It has officially been one month, one week, and three days since Momose has had to deal with his crush on his Manager.
It has also officially been one month, one week, and three days since Momose had his heart broken finding out his manager was taken.
He tried to keep busy as a way to distract himself which is how he ended up taking some work home. He’d been doing some research for a new ad when he heard a knock at his door. It was a bit odd considering he knew he wasn’t being loud, so he knew it wasn’t a noise complaint, but he figured he'd go see what was happening. He stooped down to look through the peephole and it quickly registered that his boss was at the door.
“Manager? What are you doing一”
“I’m not dating Aoyama!” He yelled.
Momose, startled at the shout, floundered for a minute, “Oh, uh, good? Wait no, not good, did you break up? What happened?” He pulled the man inside figuring this was a private conversation to be had inside. He guided the man over to the counter of his kitchen that had two barstools and ushered him to sit down.
“So, what happened?” Momose asked again once they were seated.
“Nothing happened. Aoyama and I were never dating in the first place, it was just a miscommunication on my part, I’m so sorry.” He ended by bowing his head as if he’d done something truly shameful.
“Manager, it’s okay, no harm done.”
The butterflies in Momose’s stomach seemed to rise from the dead at the admission. Could there actually be a chance?
“No, there was harm. I lied to you and… you deserve much better than that.”
“Manager…”
“Please call me Shirosaki.”
“Shirosaki…I know you would never intentionally harm me like that. Really, it’s okay.”
“No, Momose, you deserve better than that because you’re the one I love.”
Momose’s eyes welled up with tears, “are you serious right now?”
Shirosaki panicked, “I’m sorry, I didn’t know my confession would be so bad that it would make you cry! We can just forget about this一” He got up to search for some tissue but Momose lightly grabbed his wrist holding him back.
“I’m alright, I promise. These are happy tears!” Momose gave a watery smile, “I’m so glad to know you feel the same way I do.”
“Really?” Shirosaki murmured hopefully.
Momose nodded his head, “Yes, really,” he smiled softly.
“Does this mean I could ask you to move back in?”
“Ha, only if you don’t mind helping pack up again.”
___________
Nobody in the Minatte office building could prepare for the two new couples walking hand in hand. Many looked on in playful envy, others looked on in happiness but at the end of the day they could all agree on one thing:
They were all made for each other.