Work Text:
Momose sometimes wonders if he should put his foot down more often when it comes to his boyfriends.
Sure, he was relatively easy going and often went along with their whims, mostly Umemiya. Half because he didn't particularly mind any activity as long as it was with them, but also because he usually had the most free time amongst the 5 of them. After all, being a freelancer meant that he could work at his own pace and his own time so long as the work got delivered on time and the client was happy. Ignoring the fact that sometimes he had to go through 10 revisions before finally settling on a first draft that made the client happy, only for the draft to be sent back with even more changes requested.
Nevertheless shitty parts of his job aside, it was no understatement to say that his schedule was essentially always empty. Save for times when he suddenly got a burst of inspiration and would lock himself in his studio to focus, or when he went out to either get inspiration for his works or meet with clients As a result he spent most of his time in his studio on the weekdays.
He had a special rule when it came to his partners wanting to spend time with him. If his door was unlocked, this meant that whatever he was working on could wait and that they could ask him out for anything. Usually this meant accompanying Umemiya to tend to the garden, following Tsubaki along for another shopping trip since he trusted Momose's taste a little more than the others, or following Hiragi to the record store to expand his ever growing collection.
Yet, it was rare for Mizuki to knock on his door and enter. But Momose wasn't going to complain. Not when it looked like Mizuki had something to say when he came in a few weeks ago.
"Momose, how do you feel about boothing at a convention?"
"Boothing?"
"That's right. Someone I know was going to booth at a convention in Tokyo, but a family emergency came up. Unfortunately, they already paid the deposit so they approached me to see if I knew someone that would be interested. You don't have to answer me now, but I just wanted to see if you'd be interested. I think it'd be a great opportunity to spend some time together, since I'll be going there anyway."
"What's the theme?"
He watches in amusement as Mizuki huffs and puffs his chest out lightly, almost as though he was scandalized that Momose would ask such a question.
"It's a Sentai convention of course! But they're not focusing on any particular franchise this time around."
"When is it?"
"In about two months in Tokyo."
Momose pulls out his phone, scrolling through his calendar to check his schedule. Admittedly he doesn't have much for the next two months and only has a few commissions and jobs. If anything it looks like his work is drying up...
"Don't worry Momose, you don't have to if you're not up for it but-"
"I'll do it, it can't be that hard right?"
---
Well, it was a lot harder than Momose expected at least. He knew that conventions in Tokyo were always big and crowded, but even without the guests it was still quite lively.
Around him and Mizuki, other artists were currently in the midst of setting up their space. Mizuki was dragging their suitcase along, stuffed to the brim with a disassembled display and all the prints that they made. It'd taken an ungodly amount of watch parties, sometimes with the others, but Momose finally had enough inspiration to crank out what he thought was a reasonable amount of prints. Ranging from character portraits to redrawn scenes and of course, the ever popular transformation poses.
When they finally reach their booth, Mizuki wastes no time helping to set up the stall while Momose prepares everything they need behind the table. There's an air of excitement all around them, and Momose can't deny that he's also feeling it too. Especially from Mizuki, who looks like he's about to explode from joy with all the fanart and booths around him. Of course they had an agreement, and Mizuki would only be free to explore after the first day when their other partners made their way over to Tokyo. After all, they needed to have someone helping Momose with the booth.
Mizuki had told Momose to be prepared for a crowd when doors opened, but nothing could've prepared Momose for the pandemonium that was about to ensue.
Momose's no stranger to fights and chaos, having spent the first year of high school following Umemiya meant that he constantly got into fights. It was hectic and pure anarchy, but it was fun. Heck even during his third year, that all out brawl in the park with Noroshi was something else. But nothing could compare to the chaos of having to deal with an endless stream of customers.
"Momose are we out of B5?"
"I don't think so! Let me check!"
Momose was grateful that he was behind the table and not stuck in the crowd that was in front of his booth. Some were trying to push through to reach another table, and others were trying not to get knocked down while standing in front of his booth. Thankfully Mizuki was handling the front end of the booth, since he knew exactly what they were asking for even if they didn't refer to the reference number itself. This left Momose to handle managing their inventory and taking out prints from the open suitcase to handover to Mizuki. It was a basic system, but one that seemed to work well enough even if Momose found himself getting overwhelmed with the volume of orders and the size of the orders. Especially when someone had requested one of everything, leaving Momose stunned for a second before he picked himself back up and gathered, as they'd requested, one of every print.
2 hours or so after doors opened, Mizuki and Momose could finally sit down and catch their breath. There were still a few customers here and there, but nothing that Mizuki couldn't handle by himself. Leaving Momose to sit and rest, guzzling away at his water bottle. Despite the initial rush and the chaos that ensued, Momose could see that they'd made a decent amount of money within the first 2 hours already. Minus the fact that they were essentially boothing for free since someone else paid the deposit and they only had to pay for the fees per day, they might just net a considerable profit this time around.
"Ah, sorry Momose, but can I leave you to man the stall alone for a bit?" Mizuki suddenly gets up, phone in hand as he looks at his watch. "I forgot I signed up for a meet and greet that's across the hall. I'll be back as soon as possible then we can go for lunch."
Momose casually waves Mizuki away, too engrossed in touching up on his latest digital piece on his tablet right now. Mizuki takes no offense to the gesture, knowing that Momose was just a little too stuck in his own world at the moment to properly verbalize a response and that this was the best that he was going to get. As he leaves, he takes a look at his watch again. He still had some time before the actual meet and greet started, so he might as well take a few detours through the rest of the booths to see what they had to offer. Plus he was sure that it would be fine, after all he'd even left a small FAQ poster at the side of their display just in case anyone had a question that Momose couldn't answer. It also included notes like using a reference number instead of series or character name to make Momose's life easier.
Just as he was about to finalize the first sketch, Momose looks up to see a customer standing in front of his booth. He hurriedly sets the tablet aside as he stands up to greet them.
"H-Hi! Is there anything I can get for you?"
Momose watched with bated breath as the customer looked around, before finally locking eyes with the FAQ poster. Yes, please read the poster and understand that he was woefully underprepared and didn't have the prerequisite knowledge that they were expecting.
"Aw, are you helping your older brother with his store?"
Wait what.
Soon enough another customer comes by, looks at the poster, and then begins cooing about how cute it was that Momose was manning the store by himself. Part of him wanted to sock them in the gut right there and then, but with the display between them and all the merchandise, he had to restrain himself and think about the money he would make over the next 2 days instead.
Finally the first customer places their order, but by the time Momose is done searching through the suitcase for the prints they requested, he sees a small crowd forming in front of the table. Some of them look like they aren't here to buy anything, but instead are just cooing over how cute it was that he was manning the stall by himself. Shit at this point he was sure they were making a small spectacle out of it since he could see some of them taking pictures of his booth, uncertain if it was him or his prints that was the main subject.
It doesn't take long for the crowd to grow, and before he knows it it's just like the early morning rush. Except there's no Mizuki to help him, so he has to do everything by himself. Taking orders and taking out the necessary prints, collecting cash and counting change, and then sending the customers off. One or two was fine, but everytime he finishes one order, it looks like another 5 con goers decided to show up in front of his stall. At some point the questions stop being about Sentai entirely and instead start veering off to questions about him.
Most common of all being "How old are you? It's a disgrace that your brother left you here alone." He was a fucking working adult thank you very much. But with how often he was ducking between greeting customers and taking out merchandise, he barely had the time to answer. Instead he was letting out small whines and whimpers here and there. Stay calm, he could get through this, once the event was over Mizuki would be back, and he would get everything back in order.
Yet the crowd feels endless. If he was being honest, it was like being overwhelmed at the park by Noroshi again but worse. He couldn't fight his way out of this situation that easily, instead he needed to go through the whole show of getting their prints and thanking them for their support. Worst of all was when they referred to the series instead of the reference number, leaving him spluttering as he tried to figure out which series they were referring to. Who the Hell decided to make all of them look so similar at some point in time!
But it's fine, he's a fully grown adult man who can take care of himself. He disregards the slight quiver in his voice, either from exhaustion or from the sheer volume of customers. He pretends his hands aren't quivering because the horde looks endless. He blinks the tears out of his eyes and chalks it up to the sudden stress that he's under. He's fine. he's fine, he's fine. He can do it.
Just take their order and give them their print.
Take their order and give them their print.
Thank them for their support.
Ask them for the reference number instead of the series name because it's all becoming a blur to him.
Ignore the way everyone looks like they're cooing and fawning over him.
The phones facing his booth.
Just take their order and give them their print.
At some point he doesn't notice one of the hands reaching out to pet his head. The other con goers at least have the courtesy to try and stop this blatant violation of personal space, but it was too late. He feels the hand make contact with his head, and he feels his hood slip off.
His face is exposed.
They all saw his face.
Everyone can see his face.
It takes all of Momose's efforts to not have a meltdown right there and then. He quickly pulls the hood back on but the damage is already done. By now he can barely hold it back, his hands are shaking and tears are running freely down his face. He does his best to keep them off the prints, instead letting them stain his sleeves and the floor. He tries his best to ask for their order but his voice is beyond quivering now, too muddled with sobs and hiccups to put a sentence together properly. Still Momose pushes on anyway, pushing down every feeling that threatens to bubble and spill over to get the crowd over with. He just needs to clear the crowd and he can go hide somewhere where the world won't see him, in the shadows where he deserves to be and-
"If you're not here to buy anything, then I suggest you get lost before I call con security."
Momose turns around and sees Mizuki standing behind him, stern look on his face as though he's ready to beat up the next person who dares to stay without buying anything. Luckily for them, the crowd calms down and doesn't protest. If anything, almost everyone there looks horribly guilty, setting their phones aside and waiting their turn to buy something without making a ruckus. Momose tries to ask for the next order, but Mizuki quickly butts in and takes over. When he tries to help take the prints out, eyes still blurred by tears and hands still trying to still themselves from the aftershock, Mizuki again stops him. Instead he lifts up the tablecloth, revealing the empty space underneath the table. Momose immediately recognizes what he's trying to do.
Moving as quickly as he can, Momose grabs his drawing tablet and immediately hides underneath the tablecloth. It's spacious enough to accomodate him, but private enough that no one can see him. Not to mention it was dark and the tablecloth helped to muffle some of the background noise, a perfect little sanctuary for him to hide in.
Momose doesn't know how much time passes in there. He tries to work on his draft but his hands are too shaky for the device to correct and he can't see through the tears still streaming down his face. Instead he resolves to hug the tablet and ride it out, trying his best to get this episode done and over with. The next time he sees light, it's from Miuzki lifting the tablecloth up, kneeling down to be at eye level with Momose who was curled up with the tablet in his embrace.
"Momose, they're all gone now. I'm so sorry for leaving you alone, I didn't think that there'd be a sudden surge while I was gone. It must've been the second morning wave."
Momose tries to speak, but what comes out is a strangled sob. He feels pathetic, he should be over this. Over letting anyone besides his partners and others from Furin see his face, but he still can't get it out of his head. The way the light suddenly hit his eyes and the way they all stared at him. He only shakes his head and tightens his grip on his tablet.
"I've set out a sign that says we're out for lunch, but we don't need to continue for the day if you don't want to. We can always go back to the hotel and rest for the day."
Momose considers it for a moment, before shaking his head again. He still wants to see it through to the end of the day, plus it would be a loss to go back so early and lose out on profit. It wasn't like he was greedy or money minded, but the profits now would help a lot in covering the recent drought in projects that he had.
"Alright, but it's lunch right now. Do you want to me to grab something for you?"
Momose quickly nods. Receiving a soft smile in return from Mizuko who pets his head without pulling the hood down.
"I'll be back as soon as I can, do you want anything?"
Taking out the drawing tablet, Momose quickly sketches a picture before turning it to show Mizuki.
"Alright, I'll see if they have any yakisoba." Mizuki disappears shortly after that, leaving Momose back in the safety of his dark space underneath the table. He finally has the composure to continue working on his tablet, cleaning up bits and pieces of the first sketch. He doesn't know how much time passes, but he can tell Mizuki is back the moment he hears familiar footsteps to his right and smells yakisoba. He watches as the tablecloth is lifted up slightly before the Yakisoba is pushed over towards him.
From the outside, Mizuki watches with a fond smile as the yakisoba is snatched away by Momose. The tablecloth is lifted from within, revealing Momose who's beckoning Mizuki over.
"You want me to be under the table with you?"
He gets an enthusiastic nod in response. Mizuki can only sigh as he gets down onto the floor and tries to fit under the table. Surprisingly, it's more spacious than it looks, granted Momose ends up sitting in Mizuki's lap to make the most of the space. It's a comfortable weight for Mizuki and a familiar feeling for Momose, the latter too used to using his partners laps as makeshift cushioned seats. Mizuki is more than happy to let his legs slowly lose any and all sensation if it means making Momose happy, which he clearly is based on how he's gobbling down his food. Even setting aside his respirator so that it wouldn't get dirty from how fast he was eating.
Deep down Mizuki can't help but feel some guilt for being partially responsible for what happened. He shouldn't have left Momose alone, at the very least he should've taken Momose along with him so that he could keep a close eye on him. Last he heard the person who pulled his hood down got thrown out courtesy of the other guests, but the damage had already been done.
His train of thought is disrupted by a sudden sharp pain on his calf, and he looks down to see Momose pinching him.
"I can hear your thoughts from here."
"Sorry Momose, if only I'd been here or took you along then this wouldn't have happened. I should apologize for leaving you alone to man the booth."
"It's fine. But if you really want to make it up to me then stay still."
Mizuki remains still, watching as Momose sets the empty food container aside and shifts around as much as he can under the table. One way or another he manages, and Momose is now sitting chest to chest with Mizuki, head resting on his shoulder and legs wrapped firmly around him.
"Wake me up when lunch is over."
With that, Momose closes his eyes and lets himself drift off, the full exhaustion of the morning's events hitting him in one go. Who knew that crying while trying to attend to customers took so much out of you. He can feel Mizuki pulling him close and adjusting himself to be a little more comfortable. Well, a quick nap wouldn't hurt.