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Yokozawa peeked into Hiyori’s darkened room, creeping close to her bedside by the light streaming in from the hallway. Turning on the light near her pillow with a soft click, he carefully examined her pallor; her cheeks that had been flushed darkly had once again returned to their usual pale pink, and she looked leagues healthier than she had. Even her breathing now as she slept, previously labored and wheezing, had calmed compared to her state earlier that afternoon. From the looks of things, it was clear she’d at last recovered, and Yokozawa felt a wave of relief wash over him.

He gently peeled away the cooling sheet from her forehead and tugged the futon, which had begun to slide off her body, up around her shoulders. Sorata, who’d been curled up at the foot of the bed, rose to his feet to make his own inspection.

“She’s sleeping well now, so don’t you dare wake her up.” Apparently she’d walked home in a sudden shower that had struck on Friday afternoon and wound up catching a summer cold. Summer this year had been absolutely sweltering, but Hiyo hadn’t seemed affected in the least–and yet as soon as summer vacation let up, it was as if all of the exhaustion that had been building up inside of her hit her in one fell swoop.

He’d heard that she’d taken with fever fairly often when she was little, but this was the first time Yokozawa had ever seen her laid up in bed like this since he’d started coming by the Kiris.h.i.+mas’ apartment. He’d been out of his mind with worry, but the doctor had a.s.sured him that if they just made sure she got plenty of proper nutrition and rest, she’d be good as new in no time.

Her school was going to be holding an outdoors session later on at the end of the month, and she’d been supposed to spend the night that evening with some friends from the same cla.s.sroom group to practice preparing the curry they were going to cook during the outdoors session, but it had now been rescheduled for the next weekend. Hiyori had been over the moon with excitement and seemed heartbroken at not being able to spend the night, but she needed to recoup her strength first. If she pushed herself too hard and wound up not being able to attend the outdoors session altogether, that would’ve been just intolerable.

“Sorata–don’t sit there, you’re crus.h.i.+ng her.” The cat had settled his paws against her shoulder to peer down into her face. Sorata had originally been his own pet, but after having the Kiris.h.i.+mas look after him when he wasn’t feeling well, the cat had wound up making this place his new home. Yokozawa had hesitated to drag Sorata back to his own place, seeing how well he and Hiyori were getting on, and before he knew it, Sorata living here had become almost a given.

It helped that Kiris.h.i.+ma and Hiyori both had a.s.sured him that it was fine for Sorata to stay here forever, even, fawning over the cat–and Sorata had to be enjoying himself more in his new abode, no longer left alone for long periods of time as he had been at Yokozawa’s place.

However, he couldn’t let the animal bother Hiyori now that her condition had finally settled, and he scooped Sorata into his arms to carry him back into the living room–at which point Hiyori sensed him and opened her eyes. “Oniichan…?”

“Ah, sorry–guess I woke you up. Was I too loud?”

She shook her head slowly, eyes reflecting her just-woken state. “No… I think it’s cause I was thirsty.” She wasn’t coughing anymore, but her throat did sound a bit scratchy.

“Then how about a drink? Can you lift yourself up?”

“Yeah.” Sorata, having been set back down on the bed by Yokozawa, once again took his place at Hiyori’s side, and Yokozawa took his own seat in a chair beside the bed, helping Hiyori sit up.

“All right, now take your time drinking.”

“Thanks.” He pa.s.sed a mild sports drink to Hiyori after she’d arranged herself in a sitting position. She must have been parched indeed, as the moment the straw touched her lips, she downed half the contents in a single gulp.

She liked to call him Oniichan, but they were by no means blood-related siblings as the term suggested; she was, in actuality, the daughter of Yokozawa’s partner. Between being invited into her home and treated to dinner, even having her look after his sick cat–somewhere along the way they’d grown rather close, and he and Sorata both enjoyed an almost familial relations.h.i.+p with her now. “How are you feeling?”

“I don’t feel bad anymore at least, and my head doesn’t hurt now.” She’d lost much of her appet.i.te due to the cold leaving her feeling out of sorts, so she hadn’t taken in much solid food today at all. She’d managed to take a good three bites of the vegetable gruel Yokozawa had prepared, but that was all she’d seemed able to keep down.

“Not hungry, are you?”

She shook her head gently at his question. “I had some jello earlier, so I’m not hungry.” Yokozawa now recalled Kiris.h.i.+ma mentioning earlier that he’d had her eat some jello when she’d woken up.

It had become something of a tradition now for Yokozawa to head straight over to the Kiris.h.i.+mas’ apartment every Friday after work, and picking out treats for Hiyori every week was something Yokozawa took great joy in. This week, he’d brought her jello with chunks of real fruit in it from a famous fruit stand; he’d wavered between the jello and roll cakes, but he was glad now to have ultimately gone with the more refres.h.i.+ng of the two.

“How’s your fever? Do you feel hot?” When he laid his hand gently against her forehead, he could tell her fever had come down quite a bit. At this rate, she’d be back to as good as new by tomorrow morning.

“Not so much anymore. But your hands are chilly, Oniichan–they feel good!”

“You think?”

“Hehe, and Sora-chan’s paws are soft and feel good, too,” she chuckled, gently squeezing Sorata’s front paws as he sat atop her lap.

“I’m gonna take your temperature, just to be safe. Do you mind?” He slid the thermometer into her ear and pressed the b.u.t.ton, greeted moments later by a soft beeping. “..36.8, huh. It’s come down quite a bit; at this rate, you’ll be good as new by tomorrow, I’ll bet. You’re probably bored out of your skull laid up in bed like this, but it’s only for a little longer.”

“Yessir~”

Yokozawa’s eyes crinkled with mirth, and he patted her head at the polite response. While Hiyori could certainly come off more mature than her age suggested, she also could show a rather childish side at times as well. Perhaps because she’d been feeling under the weather, today she was being a bit more needy than usual.

“…Hey, Oniichan–where’s Dad?”

“He was in here not too long ago–but he’s in the bath now. Want me to get him for you?”

“Nah; I’ve got you and Sora-chan here, so I’m fine. Will you stay with me a little longer…?”

Yokozawa felt an unconscious smile twitching at his lips at the way she looked with her eyes turned up at him, leading him to wonder if this feeling was what they meant by the phrase “the apple of one’s eye”. “Don’t you fret; I’ll stay right here until you fall asleep.”

“Thank you, Oniichan–Sora-chan.”

“Now get some rest and get your strength back.”

“Okay.” She settled back down, and Yokozawa pulled the covers up around her again, turning the light down a notch. However, just sitting silently by Hiyori’s bedside left him feeling a bit bored, and he offered, “…You want me to read you a book?”

“…Oniichan, isn’t that something a little more appropriate foryounger children?”

“…Well now that you mention it, I guess so.” When he stopped to think about it, he realized that fifth graders were a bit too old to have books read to them, and he flushed in shame as Hiyori snickered softly at him. Hiyori was the only girl her age that Yokozawa knew, so he often found himself at a loss as to just how to deal with her appropriately.

“Mmm, you know, on second thought, maybe I do want you to read me something. Will you read me a picture book, Oniichan?” she prodded, teasing obvious in her tone; it seemed she hadn’t missed his embarra.s.sment from her earlier pointing out of the inappropriateness of his suggestion.

“Don’t tease your elders.” If she was feeling well enough to joke around like this, though, it suggested she was doing quite a bit better indeed. “I won’t read you any books–but I’ll make you anything you you want to eat tomorrow. Got any requests?”

“Hmm, theeeen…pudding! I want to try that one we saw on TV the other day!”

“The other day?” He rifled through his memories at her description. “Oh–the one with apple slices in it?” If he recalled correctly, it had been a baked pudding stuffed with caramelized apples. If he checked the program’s website, he could probably find the recipe, and he began pondering whether or not he could manage it with the ingredients on-hand in the apartment.

“You…think it’ll be too hard to make?”

“Hmm, I think I’ll manage somehow. But I better not hear a peep of complaint out of you even if it tastes like c.r.a.p, got it?”

“But everything you make is delicious!”

“If you say so.”

“The hamburg steak you made before was really good too!”

“That’s because you helped out with it–you kneaded the meat and put together the sauce, too, remember?” All Yokozawa had done was slice up the onions and tend to the parts of the recipe that required working the stove; he’d mostly only been watching from the sidelines.

“Let’s cook again together, ‘kay?” Her words took on a slight lisp now, probably because she was getting tired, and her heavy blinking made it seem as if her lids could slide shut at any moment. Her speech trailed off, and a short while later, the room was filled with the sounds of her quiet breathing.

“…Night,” he offered softly, rearranging the covers once more. Recognizing that having Sorata by her side would help keep her from feeling lonely when she woke, he gave up trying to remove the cat from the room. “Take care of her, will ya?”

He silently pushed himself up, being careful not to make a sound, and exited the room. As he stepped out into the hall, he found that Kiris.h.i.+ma had come to check up on his daughter. Yokozawa had encouraged him to relax while taking his bath, but it seemed he’d only jumped in and quickly gotten out. “How is she?”

“Her fever’s gone down, and she’s feeling much better. She just went to sleep, though, so keep it down.”

“I see…” He peeked in through the crack in the door to check her features before quietly closing it again. This was Kiris.h.i.+ma Zen, acting Editor-in-Chief of Marukawa Shoten’s monthly magazinej.a.pun. He was the leading hit-maker in the entire company, well-respected by all his subordinates. In private, though, he was a doting father to his daughter, and despite losing his wife to illness some years before, he’d raised Hiyori into a fine girl. “Still, it’s been years since she got a fever–really caught me off guard.”

“Really? You seemed perfectly even-keeled to me.”

“Well I can hardly let myself go to pieces in front of Hiyo. I’m just glad it was only a cold–some people can catch the flu in summer, after all.” The small mercy with the whole affair had been the fact that she’d fallen ill over the weekend; thanks to that, they’d been able to nurse her back to health without any distractions, at her side constantly. “Thanks, really. For everything. It really helped, having you here. I probably couldn’t have handled it all on my own.”

“Just returning the favor; you helped me out back then with Sorata, remember?” Yokozawa was certain that even if he hadn’t been there, Kiris.h.i.+ma could have always sought help from his own parents, who lived just around the corner; but…it still filled him with a swell of happiness knowing he’d been the one Kiris.h.i.+ma depended upon.

“Yeah, but…still, thanks.”

“…Well, how long are we gonna stand around here for? We don’t want Hiyo waking up.” He knew he should have just offered ayou’re welcome, but being shown such honest grat.i.tude was somehow strangely embarra.s.sing. He could feel Kiris.h.i.+ma smiling at him from behind, but knew that if he turned around to confirm as such, he’d reveal himself in his own expression, and therefore kept his back to the guy, heading straight for the kitchen.

It had been one stormy night that had so suddenly brought together Kiris.h.i.+ma and Yokozawa, who’d never before traded more than a few words outside of meetings. Heartbroken and desperate for some outlet for the emotions pent up within him, Yokozawa had tried to lose himself in bottles of booze when Kiris.h.i.+ma had approached him. Despite rarely sharing more than the occasional greeting at the office, Kiris.h.i.+ma had forced the drunk Yokozawa to grant him a seat beside him and proven a rather irritating conversation partner–and when Yokozawa had regained his senses, he’d found himself sharing a hotel room with the man. He’d been shocked enough to find himself sleeping in the nude–but his heart had almost stopped in his chest when Kiris.h.i.+ma had stepped out of the bathroom, fresh from the shower.

Since then, they’d been through more than a few adventures–but perhaps the most surprising of all had been finding himself starting a relations.h.i.+p with Kiris.h.i.+ma. Truthfully, it was still kind of hard to believe that he’d find himself so intimately involved with someone he’d previously almost never interacted with in the office.

Rest a.s.sured, though, that this sense of disbelief was not out of some sense of unease in their feelings for each other or any sort of mistrust–it was simply…that it made him think sometimes that this whole situation was like something out of a dream, and Yokozawa’s inability to shake that feeling was likely because he was just so d.a.m.n happy right now.

His time spent at Kiris.h.i.+ma’s place was laid back and enjoyable; his only daughter, likely at a difficult age herself, had taken to him quite fondly, and they treated him like a member of their own family. It was truly a dreamy life.

And perhaps that was why he still occasionally found himself being caught off guard by Kiris.h.i.+ma’s words and actions; this kind of life had become normal, expected to him now, perhaps best described as something of a ‘windfall’, a stroke of luck.

He tugged open the refrigerator door, checking whether or not they had the ingredients for the pudding Hiyori had requested, when he felt someone draw up close behind him, refusing to step away to leave him any room and rousing feelings of irritation. “You really didn’t have to follow me all the way in here, you know.”

“I just came to get a drink, that’s all; what, are you that sensitive to my presence?”

“H–h.e.l.l no.”

“Yeah right.” A knowing leer spreading over his handsome features, Kiris.h.i.+ma brushed past Yokozawa to reach into the fridge and retrieve a bottle of oolong tea. The kitchen itself was actually pretty big, but with two men pus.h.i.+ng 180 cm in height standing next to one another in it, the s.p.a.ce felt kind of cramped. “What’re you doing?”

“Hiyo said she wanted to eat some pudding, so I came to check the ingredients.”

“Your pudding’s her favorite food now, you know.”

“Pudding is pretty much any kid’s favorite food. She said she wanted some with apple slices in it; are there any left?”

“Plenty; I actually tried peeling one myself earlier, but geez–I suck at it; hardly any was left when I finished.”

“Oi–what the h.e.l.l were you thinking? What if you’d hurt yourself?” The guy could barely wield a knife properly; he had to be out of his mind. He really wished Kiris.h.i.+ma would try things like that where he could monitor him.

“Oh? Worrying over me?” His lips quirked into an amused smile, leaving Yokozawa to realize his error in phrasing.

“h.e.l.l no–if you f.u.c.k up your hand, it’s gonna come back to bite me in the office, though. The sales force is who’ll have to pick up the slack for you not pus.h.i.+ng out books at a proper pace!”

“Cla.s.sic tsundere response, right there.” The sight of Kiris.h.i.+ma’s shoulders shaking with repressed laughter sparked Yokozawa’s irritation further.

“Th–that’s not what I…”

“All right, all right–I’ll cut you a break. So–what’re your plans for tomorrow?”

Having Kiris.h.i.+ma apply any interpretation he d.a.m.n well pleased to Yokozawa’s words left him with a bit of indigestion, but he knew full well there was no way he could win against the guy like this. He’d learned well over the past six months or so that it was best not to join any fight he knew he couldn’t hope to win to begin with. “Nothing in particular; with Hiyo like that, it’s probably best we don’t go out shopping.” They’d discussed heading out on Sunday to pick up everything she would need for the outdoors session, but it wasn’t a very good idea to push their luck when she’d just recovered from an illness.

Weekends with no plans in particular were by and large spent at the Kiris.h.i.+mas’ place these days. Sometimes they went out as a trio, and other times Hiyori would go off to play with friends and the pair would head out shopping on their own; still other times, they would simply sit around the house all day.

“True; can’t have her cold coming back, after all. Might be a good excuse to clear out the DVR, then.”

“She didn’t really eat much of anything today, so I’ll have to make sure I prepare something nice and nutritious. What about you? Anything you wanna eat? Which reminds me, I’m starving… Maybe I’ll make a late-night snack.”

Yokozawa had made vegetable gruel earlier for Hiyori, who hadn’t had much of an appet.i.te, and he and Kiris.h.i.+ma had enjoyed that for dinner–but as expected, it just hadn’t been enough to satisfy completely.

“As a matter of fact…there is something I want. But I’m gonna hold back for now.”

“Why the h.e.l.l would you do that? What–worried about your waistline?” He recalled here that Kiris.h.i.+ma had been grumbling a few days earlier about gaining too much weight, and while Yokozawa couldn’t tell where he’d put on any pounds, if anywhere, he supposed Kiris.h.i.+ma was at an age where that kind of thing bothered him.

“…G.o.d you are really thick,” Kiris.h.i.+ma murmured, a sigh laced in his words. “You’re not playing dumb on purpose, are you?”

Yokozawa’s brows drew together at the insinuation. “Playing dumb about what?”

“…You seriously don’t get what I’m saying?”

“Saying about what, dammit?” he pressed again, irritation rising when Kiris.h.i.+ma refused to give him a straight answer.

“I’m talking about you, idiot.”

“Me?” He couldn’t connect this response with the initial question in any way, and he raked his gaze over Kiris.h.i.+ma, confusion evident on his features.

“…If still don’t get it now, then I guess that means you’re really not playing the adorable airhead, huh? How about I put it this way: I want you.”

“………?!” Yokozawa’s heart took a direct hit from the words dropped like a bomb before him. Reflecting back on their conversation, Kiris.h.i.+ma’s innuendo had been far from subtle–and Yokozawa couldn’t negate the fact that he was, indeed, quite thick.

“I’d really love for you to start being able to read between the lines a little better… You’re ruining my strategy here.”

“You…don’t need any stupid strategy.”

“Is that your way of saying ‘just come and get me’, then?”

“You know that’s not what I m–hng.” Kiris.h.i.+ma took him by the chin and stroked a thumb over his lips suggestively. A shudder jolted up his spine, and Yokozawa took a leap backwards.

“Geez, you don’t have to react like that–I’m not gonna just jump you.” With a flirtatious rake of his gaze over Yokozawa, he downed the rest of his oolong tea in one gulp before sauntering out of the kitchen.

“Wha…” Yokozawa felt a flash of irritation rise up within–what was with that att.i.tude after having the nerve to rile someone up the way he had?–but he knew if he protested the departure in any way, he’d just be fueling Kiris.h.i.+ma’s fire. Besides, with Hiyori laid up in bed with a fever, they couldn’t afford to disturb her.

He could still feel Kiris.h.i.+ma’s fingers on his lips–but before he let himself get swept away by memories of his kisses, he shook his head fiercely to disperse the thoughts. He felt a familiar heat threatening to rise from inside himself, but he forced himself to ignore it and instead dove into preparing Hiyori’s pudding.

“…Tsk,” Yokozawa tutted in irritation at the umpteenth typo he’d made that day. The state he’d been in since the beginning of the week was starting to affect his work now, but despite understanding this, he’d found great difficulty in changing his att.i.tude.

He knew fully well why he was feeling this way; he didn’t want to admit it…but it was all because he hadn’t gotten to spend any time alone with Kiris.h.i.+ma in the past week. On top of their mutually hectic schedules, Kiris.h.i.+ma had been spirited away out of town for some anime/manga-related event over the weekend, and then Yokozawa had been called to attend an autograph event on the following Monday’s holiday, leaving the pair just pa.s.sing each other on their days off. Add to that the fact that he hadn’t gotten to see much of Hiyori or Sorata either, and he just simply hadn’t had time to sit down and relax.

He’d thought they might perhaps at least be able to have lunch together, sending off a text message that morning suggesting as such, but apparently today marked the end of the cycle, and Kiris.h.i.+ma had responded that he couldn’t spare the time to leave the office.

“Yokozawa-san–do you have a moment?” Henmi called out, interrupting his sighing to himself, and after closing the window displaying the proposal that just wasn’t going anywhere right now, he slipped back into ‘work superior’ mode.

“What is it?”

“The sample promotional materials for the next campaign came in; they actually look quite nice!”

“Yeah; these are bound to stand out in stores.”

“Indeed! Then–I’ll take these up to the editing floor!”

“Thanks. Ah–wait, no. I’ve got an errand I need to run up there, so I’ll just take care of the delivery while I’m at it.”

“Huh? Are you sure?” Henmi squawked in surprise at Yokozawa’s offer. He could hardly be blamed; Yokozawa generally had Henmi run errands to the editing departments to avoid accidentally running into Kiris.h.i.+ma around the office, after all.

“I need to discuss something with them–and they helped us out before by asking one of their mangaka to draft an ill.u.s.tration for the campaign, so I’d better give my thanks, too.” Having an excuse like this would keep unnecessary questions from popping up when he dropped in to check things out.

“Understood. Oh–then when you get back, would you mind looking over my project proposal?”

“Sure. It shouldn’t take long, so I’ll be back soon.” He s.n.a.t.c.hed up the envelope with the promotional materials and left the sales floor, stepping onto the elevator and heading up to the fifth floor–thej.a.pun editing division. He peeked into their area from the hallway, judging the condition as best he could.

“………”

The place was more sluggish and stagnant than he’d imagined, an oppressive atmosphere permeating everything in sight, and he froze in place before stepping one toe into the area. Kiris.h.i.+ma had been muttering about how things were going particularly roughly this cycle, and he now recalled that the guy had seemed more frustrated than usual. Kiris.h.i.+ma hardly ever wore a sour expression around the office, but he’d been decidedly tense today–perhaps because of the general atmosphere of the editing department being in the sad state it was.

All of the editors seemed to be on death’s doorstep, leaving Yokozawa to rethink his decision to visit and consider dropping by some other time. Just as he’d turned on his heel to head back down to the sales department, though, Kiris.h.i.+ma’s head shot up–

“!!”

–and their eyes locked, setting an expression of agitation on Yokozawa’s features. He grit his teeth in frustration as he realized he’d just handed Kiris.h.i.+ma a golden opportunity for teasing. He’d been relatively adept at maintaining a poker face around the office lately, but unexpected blows like this still did him in.

Kiris.h.i.+ma shot to his feet, approaching in a ghastly state–but when Yokozawa took a hesitant step back at the intensity of his attention, Kiris.h.i.+ma grabbed his arm and ruined any plan of escape. “Perfect timing, Yokozawa.”

“Wha…t?” He blinked several times in succession at the statement, struggling to wrap his head around the words.

Ignoring the altogether confused Yokozawa for a moment, Kiris.h.i.+ma offhandedly called out to the nearby Katou, “I’m stepping out for a moment,” and the pair departed the editing floor.

With his arm still tight in Kiris.h.i.+ma’s grip, Yokozawa found himself dragged out into the hallway, still unsure as to what the guy had meant by perfect timing. If there was something he’d needed Yokozawa to check, then why leave the editing department? Even if it were something more akin to a ‘discussion’, all they needed to do was head to the meeting s.p.a.ce available on every floor. “What’s the big idea?”

“Just shut up and follow me.” He maintained his grip on Yokozawa’s arm, heading down the hall, and his long legs quickly had them sprinting up a staircase.

Yokozawa’s legs nearly buckled underneath him at being jerked along at such an awkward angle, but he shortly found himself being shuttled into an empty meeting room. “Geez, what the h.e.l.l are you doing–?!” Kiris.h.i.+ma ignored his question, instead silently locking the door behind them before turning a dark expression on Yokozawa. “Ki…Kiris.h.i.+ma…-san…?” The grave expression suggested they’d f.u.c.ked up something yet again, and Yokozawa’s chest clenched at the possibility of what lay ahead. “Was there another issue with–” he started, but his words were quickly stopped with a kiss as his lips were devoured greedily without even the grace of a breath granted.

Yokozawa’s mind went blank at the unexpected action, and when he finally snapped back to his senses after a few beats, he found a tight grip around his hips. “Nn…hnm–!” He thumped his fist along Kiris.h.i.+ma’s back in protest, but the kiss only deepened in response. A tongue slipped through his lips to make a sweep of his mouth, and the slick sounds of their kissing and their labored breathing quickly roused a heat within him whether he liked it or not. “Hnn…nn…”

He fiercely clamped down with the last bits of his good senses on the part of him that desperately wanted to give in to the moment–this was an office meeting room. With the door locked as it was, hardly anyone was likely to barge in–but there was still a slim possibility. More so, though, there was the fact that they were on the clock, and it was unforgivable for working adults to engage in this sort of act on company time.

However, while Yokozawa would’ve liked to have given Kiris.h.i.+ma a piece of his mind on such matters–the lips he needed to do so were otherwise engaged at the moment. Just as he was considering biting the guy’s tongue to get him to let go, though, Kiris.h.i.+ma finally released him from the kiss, perhaps sensing himself in some mortal danger.

“You…!”

“You have no idea how f.u.c.king glad I am to see you. I was seriously going out of my mind, I was so d.a.m.n h.o.r.n.y,” Kiris.h.i.+ma cut in, his words lacking any grace and stalling Yokozawa in his gasping, wheezing attempt to chew him out.

“…Huh?”

“I never thought I’d get blue-balled for three whole weeks. It’s beentorture.”

“What the–you’re not trying to tell me this is all you dragged me in here for, are you?”

“Yeah, why?”

“Where the h.e.l.l do you think we are?”

“A meeting room at work. And I made sure to choose one with thick walls, so don’t you fret.”

“Then practice a little self-restraint since you seem to understand where this is!” Maybe a few screws had come loose from the guy’s head in the wake of the destruction wrought by the end of the cycle.

“No can do–if I don’t get a little pick-me-up right this instant, there’s no way I’m gonna make it through tonight.” He slipped a finger into the knot holding Yokozawa’s necktie in place, tugging it down insistently, and before Yokozawa even realized it, the guy had gotten two of his s.h.i.+rt b.u.t.tons unsnapped and laid his teeth along the strip of bared neck. “Ngh–don’t…bite there, dammit!”

“It’s fine; no one’ll notice so long as you keep your tie tight.”

“That’s not the issue–” He shuffled backwards in retreat, legs eventually b.u.mping against the edge of a desk, and with nowhere left to run, he started to settle his weight on top of the desk.

Kiris.h.i.+ma hadn’t once stopped his roaming hands while quibbling with Yokozawa, who still couldn’t divine just how serious or not the guy was being, and continued to nip at Yokozawa’s nape. The sensation of Kiris.h.i.+ma’s fingers sliding along his spine seeped down through the layers of his suit, and the hands soon dipped down to his hips, slipping under the light suit jacket he wore and brus.h.i.+ng against the muscles of his lower back. “Cut…it…ngh…”

Using a knee to force Yokozawa’s legs apart, Kiris.h.i.+ma turned his attentions to his groin now, using his free hand to pinch at a nipple, twisting it cloth and all. Yokozawa’s brows drew together at the faint pain–his breathing was growing labored now, and conscious thought was starting to fade away. He tried to avert his attention from the actions being wrought upon his body, but it was futile.

“I said…cut it…ngh, out!” Summoning the last of his strength, he shoved Kiris.h.i.+ma away with all the might he could muster–if this went on for even a moment more, there would be no turning back. He could already sense a buzzing throbbing deep within his core, and his groin was begging for more attention. “Just…so we’re clear, I’ll ask once more: You do realize we’re at work and are on the clockright now, right?” He made sure to phrase his question clearly, as if reprimanding a child–but Kiris.h.i.+ma only responded with a roll of his eyes and a forced sigh.

“G.o.d, you really are way too stiff sometimes.”

“No, it’s just your brain that’s too soft!” he snapped, correcting the obviously peeved Kiris.h.i.+ma. He needed the guy to understand just who was the one behaving ridiculously here.

“I didn’t have time for lunch today, so what’s the harm in taking a break for a few?”

“You haven’t eaten anything all day?”

“Well–one of the girls from the department next to us gave me a chocolate bar.”

“You really need something more nutritious than…” Sure, it might do in a pinch for an emergency supply of energy, but there was no way a grown man could make it through the day on a single little chocolate bar for lunch. But busy as he may have been, it still didn’t excuse such misconduct in the office.

“Weeeell, if a certain lovely wife would make me a bentou now and then, maybe I could have a delicious, nutritional lunch…” He capped this wish with an innocent glance about the empty room.

“…Oi, are you trying to tell me to make you a boxed lunch?”

“Ooh, you caught on! I knew you’d get it!”

“I never said I’d make s.h.i.+t,” Yokozawa warned Kiris.h.i.+ma, who stood there nodding to himself in satisfaction; he couldn’t stand having a casual remark mistaken as an offer like that. “Why the h.e.l.l should I, anyways? I have to be up before you already–you trying to tell me you want me to get up even earlier now?”

In the face of Yokozawa’s irritation, Kiris.h.i.+ma returned, gravely somber, “Why don’t we wake up together, then? I’m totally game for helping out if you just point me in the right direction. Ah–wait, waking up early tomorrow might be a bit tough…”

Yokozawa sighed to himself as Kiris.h.i.+ma stood there making plans all on his own and pointed out something which had obviously slipped the man’s mind: “You didn’t even read the text I sent you this morning properly, did you? I can’t go to your place tonight anyway. I told you in the message that I have a business reception this evening.”

“What’s more important to you, then? Work–or me?”

Yokozawa’s irritation flared at the chidishly playful response; he couldn’t put up with these suggestive jokes right now. “You really want to bring that up right now? When you’ll probably be stuck here until morning finis.h.i.+ng up your cycle?”

“Work and family and my lover are all important to me–plus, it’ll make the overtime easier to get through knowing you’re waiting for me at home.”

“Yeah, right.” It was useless trying to keep up with this guy, and while Yokozawa cast a frosty glance his way, it seemed to have no effect on Kiris.h.i.+ma, who immediately changed tacks and tried a different approach, face brightening.

“Ah–then how about tomorrow? You’ll be there tomorrow for sure, right?”

“Tomorrow?”

“Who’s forgetful now? Hiyo’s going off on her little outdoor school adventure starting tomorrow.”

“Oh yeah…” Now he remembered–tomorrow Hiyori would be gone for three days and two nights on school camping trip. She’d completely recovered from her cold two weeks prior, and Yokozawa now recalled that she’d sent him a text about it that morning. He’d gotten a bit carried away and made a huge portion of the pudding she’d asked back then, but she’d eaten almost the entire thing by herself. When she’d finished, she’d worriedly pondered, “I wonder if I’m gonna get fat…”, but given her build, she could probably stand to put a little more weight on her bones. Plus, Yokozawa had always thought girls looked cuter if they had a bit of roundness to them.

“It’ll be the first time we’ve had some time alone in a while…”

“…So what?”

“So we can be as lovey-dovey as we want.”

“Idiot!” It was hardly language befitting a man his age.

“What, you don’t wanna be lovey-dovey with me?”

“Are you seriously asking me that with a straight face?” Was he just imagining the headache he felt forming from this exchange? His reflexes just couldn’t last going all out against this guy. There reallyhad to be something going on with Kiris.h.i.+ma today–and maybe it spoke to just how much pressure he was under with work right now.

“Hey, I find it quite important to ascertain these sorts of things. I wouldn’t want to do something you objected to, after all.”

“Yeah right–says the man who gets off on teasing the s.h.i.+t out of me.”

“It’s your fault for looking so d.a.m.n cute when you’re p.i.s.sed.”

“Don’t try and push the blame onto me!”

“Ooh, I love it when you make that face.”

“………!” Yokozawa’s face exploded into a flush at the words whispered right next to his ear. Try as he might, he was always doomed to failure in situations like this. He’d do his best to cleverly maneuver through Kiris.h.i.+ma’s childish pranks–but he always found himself ultimately beaten down by the man’s mature coolness.

“I was crazy lonely without you last week…”

“………”

“You were too, weren’t you, Takafumi?”

Sometimes silence was consent–and just as Yokozawa braced himself, ready this time to accept Kiris.h.i.+ma as his face drew close again…the sound of a cellphone ringing wrent the air.

“Dammit–guess our time’s up. Yes? Kiris.h.i.+ma speaking.” He slipped back seamlessly into work-mode, and over the speaker, Yokozawa could hear a voice frantically crying out Kiris.h.i.+ma-san, where did you GO?! From the sound of his speech patterns, it was probably Katou.

“I was just about to head back. Give me another minute, geez.” His air made him seem like some cranky soba vendor making excuses for his slow service, and when Yokozawa mouthed silently You liar, Kiris.h.i.+ma reached over and pinched his cheek as if ordering him to keep quiet.

“Cut that out!” he hissed angrily so as not to be heard over the receiver, slapping at Kiris.h.i.+ma’s hands as he continued his childish teasing. But Kiris.h.i.+ma proceeded to poke and prod wherever he could reach despite Yokozawa’s clear indignation, all the while continuing his phone conversation. Despite continually having his hands batted away, Kiris.h.i.+ma never ceased his efforts, obviously enjoying Yokozawa’s reactions.

“Ah–well I’ll leave that to you, then. Yeah–that’s fine. I trust your judgment. All right. I’ll be right there.”

“………!” Yokozawa was nearly at his limit, and he gripped a tight fist around Kiris.h.i.+ma’s wrist when the man reached forward to get one last good cheek-poke in. He squeezed with all his might, and though Kiris.h.i.+ma’s face showed his pain clearly, he still seemed to be enjoying himself. 

“Gotcha. Get started with it for now.” He cut the call and leered at Yokozawa, who still kept his tight grip on Kiris.h.i.+ma’s wrist. He was running out of ways to react when the guy just seemed to enjoy everything Yokozawa threw at him. “C’mon, it’s nothing to get thatp.i.s.sed over.”

“I’m not p.i.s.sed; I’m shocked. Now put the phone away and get your a.s.s back to the editing floor!” 

“Geez, you’re no fun. Try putting yourself in my shoes and thinking about how hard it is for me to leave you right now.”

“DON’T GROPE MY a.s.s.” He didn’t want to deal with that kind of thing at home–but he certainly didn’t want to be subjected to such s.e.xual hara.s.sment at the office either.

“All right, you win; we’ll save the rest for tomorrow–but you’ll need to take care of yourself on your own for now; this is tough for me, too.”

“Don’t play the victim!”

“Hahaha, all right, all right. I’m heading out then–oh, and don’t worry. I won’t lurk in the toilets on this floor, so feel free to use them if you need to.”

“…Whatever, just…get going!” There’d be no recovering if he ran into anyone in his present state; he’d have to wait it out and hope he cooled off soon. But as he took a deep breath–he suddenly remembered. “…Ah!”

He’d completely forgotten to thank Kiris.h.i.+ma for his help with the campaign materials and neglected to get him to okay the new adverts.

Recalling how he’d gotten swept up in the moment, he couldn’t bring himself to lay all the blame on Kiris.h.i.+ma, but when he thought about having to drag himself back up to the editing floor once again…he felt quite depressed.

Yokozawa ducked his head into a bow as he saw off the taxi carrying his client, and after ensuring the car had rounded a corner and was well out of sight, both he and Henmi finally breathed a sigh of relief.

“Good work today.”

“Whew! Today really did a number on me. I never expected him to drink so much…!”

“And here I was praying you wouldn’t lose your head with booze.” The client for today’s business meeting had been quite the alcohol connoisseur, and on top of easily drinking his way through several bottles of wine without batting a lash, the man had gone out of his way to encourage Yokozawa and Henmi to partake as well, forcing them both to drink a bit more than they could feasibly handle.

“I couldn’t let myself get tipsy tonight! But to tell the truth, I couldn’t even make heads or tails of the taste of the meal itself…” Their client tonight had been the manager of the main branch of a large chain bookstore Marukawa would be doing business with for the first time. Given that the man would be throwing his full support and cooperation behind the upcoming manga fair for j.a.pun, Yokozawa had invited him out to dinner to express his grat.i.tude as well as pound out details.

“What’re your plans now? Care for another drink?”

“Ah–no no no, I’m headed home now. If I drink any more tonight, things might get ugly.”

“That’s rare coming from you; feeling the summer fatigue already?” Henmi was usually the first to pipe up with a hearty “Absolutely!”, so he really must have been exhausted today. With all of the drinking parties last week and having to come in to the office for autograph events over the holidays, his fatigue must have been building up for quite some time.

“Perhaps–or maybe I’m just getting on up there in years!”

“Yeah, right. You’re still young; but I can’t have you wrecking your body, so enjoy your rest.” With that, the two parted ways; it was certainly no laughing matter considering what might happen should Henmi be out of commission during such a busy period.

Yokozawa was just as exhausted himself, but he didn’t feel like heading straight home just yet. “Guess one more drink won’t hurt…” he muttered to himself, recalling that he was near a bar he’d frequented quite a bit in the past, and he headed for the establishment in question.

“Welcome!”

“One beer, please.”

Perhaps he was loath to return to his apartment simply because he hated the fact that there was no one there waiting for him. Perhaps he would’ve been better off not being so d.a.m.ned stubborn and just agreeing to go on ahead to the Kiris.h.i.+mas’ place. But then–given that Kiris.h.i.+ma himself would be late coming home, there was a very good chance that his mother was spending the night looking after Hiyori, and while he was on friendly terms with the woman, having met her on several occasions, he couldn’t bring himself to saunter into the apartment when the owner himself wasn’t even home.

He settled at the counter, nursing the drink he’d ordered and checking his cell phone for any texts that might have arrived recently–when he caught the sounds of two people arguing just behind him.

“You don’t care about me at all, do you?!”

“Just calm down–this isn’t the kind of place you can make a scene in.”

“You’re always so d.a.m.n caught up in what other people think of you–I hate that! So you’re telling me you care more about what a bunch of strangers think than me?”

“That’s not it at all–I’m just saying, give a bit of thought as to where we are right now…”

Yokozawa casually glanced over his shoulder at what he took to be a lovers’ spat–when the woman doused him with the contents of a cup of water she’d thrown. She’d likely been aiming for the man sitting across from her, just behind Yokozawa, but he’d taken the brunt of the blow himself, and now the coat he’d had hanging across the back of his stool was soaked.

“You should just marry your job if you love it so much!” she spit out with finality, slinging the door open as she stormed out and leaving the entire bar in a spoiled mood.

“I–I’m so sorry for the inconvenience…” the man apologized awkwardly, whipping out a handkerchief as he began to pat down Yokozawa’s soaked jacket.

“Oh–no, it’s nothing. This’ll dry off soon enough, I’m sure. Please don’t worry about it.” When he glanced up, he felt a sense of familiarity from the man–as if he’d seen him somewhere before, and after picking through his memories, trying to place the face, he finally realized: “Ah!” This was Iokawa, the uncle of Hiyori’s cla.s.smate who’d brought her a birthday present recently.

Iokawa’s expression waxed confused at Yokozawa’s exclamation, but after a moment glancing at Yokozawa’s face, he reacted in much the same manner: “You’re…the man I met at Kiris.h.i.+ma-san’s place, correct? If I recall, your name was…”

“Yokozawa,” he supplied before the man could struggle to remember.

“Right, right–Yokozawa-san! My apologies; I’m mortified you had to witness that…” He seemed even more embarra.s.sed at what had just transpired now that he was faced with someone who knew him. Surely anyone would be in much the same state if an acquaintance had witnessed such a scene.

His interaction with Iokawa now was removed from the severity of his earlier tiff, leaving him much more agreeable now, but they could neither of them shake the heavy gazes of those around them. “Uh…would you like to head somewhere else? Your gla.s.s seems about empty, anyway.” It was a hastily offered suggestion, but luckily enough, Yokozawa’s own gla.s.s was nearing empty itself, and they’d likely have trouble enjoying a relaxing drink in this establishment now.

“Ah, y-yes, you have a point!” Iokawa seemed to have noticed the eyes of the other patrons on him at Yokozawa’s suggestion, and with an apologetic duck of his head to the onlookers, he hastily gathered up his wallet. Perhaps in an effort to make it up to Yokozawa, Iokawa attempted to pay for their drinks together, but Yokozawa refused, clearing his own debt before the two stepped out of the bar.

“I really am sorry for getting you involved in my affairs, Yokozawa-san,” he apologized again, bowing his head and leaving Yokozawa a bit uncomfortable at being apologized to so much over so insignificant a matter.

“Think nothing of it; I’d already been considering leaving soon, so it’s really not that big a deal.” He’d only intended to have one drink, so it had been a good excuse to head home.

“Would you…mind if I accompanied you as far as the station?”

“By all means.” He had no reason to refuse, after all, and it would’ve been awkward to purposefully split up when they were heading in the same direction. But the fact remained that Yokozawa had caught him in a rather embarra.s.sing private scene, so he wasn’t quite sure where to go with the conversation.

“So…do you go to that bar often, Yokozawa-san?”

“Eh? Ah…well, I used to. I haven’t dropped by lately, though; tonight was the first time in a while, actually.”

“I see–then all the more reason for me to apologize for spoiling a moment you’d surely been enjoying.”

“No no no, really please–don’t fret over it.”

“If I’d know things would erupt like that…I would’ve chosen a different shop…” he allowed with a wry smile, muttering to himself that he’d never be able to show himself in that bar again. Yokozawa could think of nothing to say to console the man, so he instead fell silent. “…I’m sorry, for saying such strange things. I do believe I may be a bit drunk. I’m sure you’re feeling rather put-out listening to me go on like this.”

“Oh, no–that’s not… I mean, I can lend an ear if you need it?” Sometimes it helped talking things out with someone completely removed from the situation, and while Yokozawa would have balked if genuinely begged to offer advice, it was always better to give voice to these feelings rather than keeping them bottled up inside.

“I thought…well, that she might react more calmly if we were in a public place. Guess that backfired, huh? We’d been dating since our school days, but we’ve kind of drifted apart since graduating. Then, when I got really busy with work and couldn’t make time for her…she cheated on me.”

“Wha…?” If that was the case, then she should’ve been the one being attacked tonight; Yokozawa couldn’t wrap his mind around the logic that had her so mercilessly chewing out Iokawa instead.

“She said that it was my fault for pouring myself into my job and making her lonely; which, well…we haven’t gotten to see much of each other at all over the past few months, so…”

“But still–isn’t that kind of ridiculous? Even if you were in the wrong for making her feel lonely, it’s hardly grounds to cheat on you.” Yokozawa knew full well the loneliness that came with not being able to find time to be with your lover; however, that hole in the heart was not one that could be filled by spending time instead with someone else. If she’d been able to satisfy her needs via adultery, then there had to have been issue with her feelings for her boyfriend to begin with.

“…You’re a really good person, Yokozawa-san.”

“Huh?”

“Well, this is only our second time ever speaking, and yet you’re being so patient in listening to my problems. Only truly kind folks can do that sort of thing. Most would sooner run away than lend an ear to a guy who just got dumped.”

“I…suppose so.” He couldn’t help agreeing, as if they were discussing someone else. Sure, it was human nature to want to avoid getting drawn into annoying situations, but he’d never really given it that much thought until Iokawa pointed it out.

“Hahaha–I see you didn’t even realize it yourself. But still–thank you very much. Thanks to you, I think I’ll be able to get back on my feet after this.”

“Oh, no, not at all. I said I’d just listen to your woes, and then I opened my big mouth.”

“No–I’m truly grateful. I’m sure I’ll be able to pour myself full-force into my work tomorrow now. I’m afraid my job will have to be my lover for the foreseeable future,” Iokawa announced indifferently, and while he probably hadn’t completely recovered from the evening, it was good that he didn’t seem too shaken. The smile he wore may have been forced, but even so, time would heal all wounds.

Uneasy about continuing a discussion of loves lost, Yokozawa groped for some other point of conversation they might share, recalling the day they’d first met. “That reminds me, why were you the one to drop by the apartment the other day, Iokawa-san?”

“The other day? Ah, Hiyori-chan’s birthday, you mean? Yeah–I suppose it seemed a bit strange for an uncle to go along with his nephew rather than the parents.”

“I wouldn’t necessarily say strange, but I did wonder.”

“Well, I live in the same apartment complex, for one, but I think he was mostly shy about talking to his parents about a girl he liked–he’ll be hitting p.u.b.erty soon, after all–so I offered to hear him out. He’s an only child, too, so I’m something like an older brother for him.”

Yokozawa could kind of understand how the kid must have been feeling; having his parents completely and enthusiastically support his efforts would likely only prove embarra.s.sing, but it would be unbearable to be teased for it, too. As such, he might find himself wanting to place his trust in an uncle somewhat removed from the situation.

“He was planning on going alone originally–but got cold feet at the last minute, so I wound up accompanying him.”

“I see… So that’s how it was.” It had been glaringly obvious how nervous the poor kid had been, though Hiyori hadn’t seemed aware in the least of his crush. The girl could prove amazingly mature on occasion–but when it came to matters of romance, she was still very much a child. Granted, Yokozawa wasn’t sure he could handle her growing up too quickly, so unfortunately for Iokawa-kun, he hoped she stayed just the way she was.

“By the way, Yokozawa-san–are you by any chance employed at Marukawa Shoten…?”

“I am–but how did you…?”

“Oh, no, just–I heard from my nephew that Kiris.h.i.+ma-san is the editor-in-chief of j.a.pun, and you introduced yourself as his subordinate when we met the other day, so I wondered if you weren’t perhaps an editor maybe…?”

He could see the logic in Iokawa’s train of thought; Kiris.h.i.+ma wasn’t the type to go about announcing his line of work, but it was hardly strange for parents and guardians to know some level of personal information about others.

“Well, no–actually, I’m not his subordinate, per se. I work in sales,” he corrected. While such information might invite curiosity as to why two people so removed in age were as close as he and Kiris.h.i.+ma seemed in their time off, he couldn’t bring himself to keep up the lie.

“Oh, really? I’m actually a salesman for a publis.h.i.+ng house myself! Though we’re nowhere near as grand as Marukawa-san, of course.”

“Are you? May I ask who you work with, then?” It was rare that Yokozawa found opportunity to converse with someone else in his line of work, and sheer curiosity pressed the question.

“Fujino Books.”

“I see–so you’re in sales for Fujino Books, then? I’m a mystery fan myself, so I’ve read quite a few Fujino pieces.”

Fujino Books was a mid-ranked veteran publis.h.i.+ng house, vending not only science fiction, mysteries, and foreign literature but also housing a rather impressive library of picture books and children’s literature as well. Hiyori’s own bookshelves were stacked with more than a few Fujino t.i.tles.

“Wow, I’m thrilled! Ah–but of course, I read Marukawa-san’s pieces, too! Usami-sensei’s recent new release really was a novel idea; I quite enjoyed it!”

“Then thanks very much for your patronage; though I’m afraid I’m not in charge of the literature department myself.”

“What genre do you deal with, then? Ah–seeing how close you are with Kiris.h.i.+ma-san, I suspect it would be…manga?”

“Indeed. I deal with all manner of comics.”

“I’m afraid I don’t read too much manga, but I’ve got all the volumes of Za Kan. I can never figure out where the story’s going to go, so I’m bowled over every time. I even broke out into tears with one of the recent chapters!” Iokawa may have seemed quiet on the surface, but it seemed he had quite the talkative side to him as well. From the looks of things, the guy would probably flip if he found out that Kiris.h.i.+ma was Ijuuin Kyou’s managing editor.

“Oh–I realize it’s a bit late for this sort of thing, but could I give you my card?”

“Sure, thank you–I’ll give you mine as well, if that’s all right?” Yokozawa never would’ve thought he’d find himself in a position exchanging business cards on a city street in the middle of the night.

“I’m thrilled to have gotten to meet someone like yourself, Yokozawa-san. I hope we can grab a drink together some time…? I’ve always wanted to chat with salesmen from other firms.” His words were likely little more than social niceties, but receiving such praise definitely didn’t leave Yokozawa with a bad feeling. Most people tended to avoid him altogether, and he was often mistaken for being in a bad mood if he didn’t say anything to dispel the misconception. The fact that Iokawa was treating him so nicely on only the second occasion of their meeting was likely due partly to the alcohol–but also due to Yokozawa’s relations.h.i.+p with Kiris.h.i.+ma as well. Such connections tended to make people open up more.

“Yes, let’s.” And pulled along by Iokawa’s own smile, Yokozawa’s expression relaxed.

Yokozawa began ticking off items on his internal checklist; he’d finished prepping most of the materials he would need for the following week’s print-run decision meeting, and the lineup for the upcoming fair was ready to be discussed as well. All that was left was to give everything a thorough re-check and hand it off to his boss for confirmation.

He hadn’t had any rounds to make today, so the day had wound up being used for nothing but materials prep. Truthfully, he wasn’t all that fond of desk work, but he couldn’t exactly avoid it, and after ensuring that he’d put in his necessary hours on the task, he started to tidy up his desk area.

Kiris.h.i.+ma had a meeting with an author in the afternoon, apparently, so he’d informed Yokozawa earlier that morning that he’d just head straight home from there once he’d finished. Middle of the week though it may have been, Yokozawa was heading over to Kiris.h.i.+ma’s place this evening–since Hiyori would be off on her three-day-two-night school camping trip.

In other words, they were finally going to get their long-awaited time alone together.

Yokozawa hadn’t been able to relax since that morning–not because he had his head in the clouds like Kiris.h.i.+ma, rest a.s.sured, but rather because he was just plain nervous. It would hardly be the first time they’d been alone in that apartment, and yet having the fact that they’d finally be alone for the first time in ages underscored so severely set him on edge.

As Yokozawa stood, glancing about to be sure he hadn’t forgotten anything, his subordinate Henmi turned to him with surprise. “Oh–you’re heading home already, Yokozawa-san?”

“Got a problem with it?”

“No–not at all; I simply thought it rare for you to head home at quitting time on a Wednesday… Ooh, do you perhaps have a date?”

“Idiot–hardly. I’m going home because I’m done with work. That’s all.” Flinching would only pique Henmi’s curiosity all the more, and seeing as this was most a.s.suredly not a “date”, he wasn’t lying.

“Then…that means you don’t have a girlfriend right now?”

His brows furrowed at the unexpected point Henmi chose to zero in on. “Why the h.e.l.l would you bring that up all of a sudden?”

Henmi explained himself, “Weeeell, I was kind of…asked to find out, see. Whether or not you’re seeing anyone. You’ve gotten pretty popular lately, you know, Yokozawa-san!”

“Who the h.e.l.l’s asking that kind of thing?” he turned back on Henmi, easily sidestepping the teasing–but Henmi refused to respond.

“I can’t possibly reveal that, on grounds of privacy!”

“Then I’m not telling you s.h.i.+t either.” If the person inquiring had their right to privacy–then so did Yokozawa.

“Eeeh?? But I promised to find o