Work Text:
The office air was thick with tension.
“Miller-san,” Yamada-san said, adjusting his glasses as if he were about to deliver news of a corporate takeover “Have you… had lunch yet?”
Mike Miller paused mid-email, fingers lingering over his keyboard. Slowly, he turned his head slowly. “I was thinking of going to konbini. Why?”
The silence was broken by the sputtering sound of the fax machine.
“There is,” Yamada-san said, turning to face the window with a blush on his face. “a new bento special at the shop near the station.”
His voice dropped to a whisper
“Grilled mackerel. Extra pickled daikon.”
A paperclip fell from a nearby desk. Someone gasped softly
Mike rose from his seat like a soldier hearing the call of duty. “Are you suggesting we go together?”
“I am,” Yamada-san said, fidgeting with his tie. “proposing a strategic midday alignment of energy and efficiency.”
He said it like it was a top secret company initiative.
They left the building with the urgency of two men on a mission. The wind whipped dramatically through their ties. As they approached the bento shop, a small but devastating truth became apparent: the line was long. Really long.
Tension rippled between them like an Excel sheet about to crash.
“If they run out of grilled mackerel before we reach the counter,” Yamada-san murmured, a hint of embarrassment in his voice. “I will resign from IMC.”
Mike nearly dropped his company ID. “Don’t say things like that, Yamada-san. You’re the backbone of the team.”
The line inched forward. Minutes passed.
“Two grilled mackerel bentos left!” the shop assistant called out.
They both froze.
Their eyes locked.
In that single, unspoken moment, they understood each other perfectly - as professionals, as colleagues, as two men who would NOT be denied lunch.
Back in the office break room, they ate in silence. Intense, honorable silence. The kind of silence only forged through long lines, near-misses, and shared happiness
Miller wiped his mouth with a napkin. “Next time,” he said, voice steady, “Maybe we should go for curry rice?”
Yamada nodded. “I would be honored.”