Disclaimer: I do not own Junjou Romantica or Sekai-ichi Hatsukoi
Title: Bonds
Chapter: 1 "The First Day"
Summary: After a misunderstanding, Misaki finds himself working as an intern for Marukawa's Emerald department. Between running errands and fetching coffee, he comes to learn about the various relationships around him and begins to strengthen his own. All JJR and SIH couples!
Author's Notes: Hello! Welcome to my first ever Junjou Romantica/ Sekai-ichi Hatsukoi fic! I'm no stranger to writing though as you'll usually find me writing AkuRoku fanfiction in the Kingdom Hearts section. I present to you a multi-chapter fic that comprises all the couples (Romantica, Egoist, Terrorist, Nostalgia, Domestica, Erotica, and Trifecta). Although it will be categorized under the Romantica couple, it features any and all moments of the couples listed above. Because really, why not have two for one? Fun fact, Terrorist and Nostalgia are my OTPs. Enjoy yourselves! :)
'Stupid Usagi-san!' Misaki cried out mentally, a small but still very noticeable blush adorning his cheeks. He had been working at the Marukawa Shoten Publishing Company for many months, but now, he was finally able to start working in the editorial department. With the mindset that he wanted to create a manga as great as The Kan, he set himself on the path of becoming a manga editor. Today marked his first day as an intern for Marukawa's Japun department and he was so excited! To think he would actually be working in the same place where his bible was made! Misaki couldn't even begin to say how happy he was, it was like a dream come true for him. Of course, Usami wasn't particularly thrilled over Misaki's new line of employment but who could really blame him? After all, Ijuuin-sensei worked there and he of course was his greatest rival for Misaki's attention. That being said, as always, Usami took it upon himself to thoroughly show his lover how much he needed Misaki's sole attention. In doing so however, he inadvertently (or was it advertently?) caused the new intern to run late. 'Stupid perverted old man!' Misaki thought once again as he furrowed his brows angrily. Huffing under his breath, he stomped his way over to the main lobby desk located at the company's ground floor. After adjusting his collared shirt so that he looked more presentable, he cleared his throat and put on a radiant smile. "Hello, my name is Takahashi Misaki and I'm here to start my first day as an intern." With a slight incline of his head, he bowed his head respect.
The secretary smiled. "Ah, I see. For which department did you choose to intern for?" She asked as she got up to look for his file.
"The Japun department." Misaki stated clearly.
The secretary giggled a little at his response as she moved over to the office cabinet and began searching through the various folders she had in it. She found it quickly, having been a very organized person, and pulled out his file. Bringing the folder back to her desk, she then started to flip through his information. "Takahashi Misaki-san." She stated, reading out his name. "22 years of age and a graduate of Mitsuhashi University's economics' department." Humming softly, she looked up at him curiously. "You studied economics and yet you want to work in the editorial department? Why not sales?"
Color flooding his cheeks again, Misaki reached up to rub the back of his head embarrassingly. "I really love Ijuuin-sensei's The Kan and want to be able to produce something just as amazing as it. I thought it might be better for me if I got some experience beforehand." Thinking about to the autograph session he had gone to with Todou-kun, he remembered the overwhelming number of women comprising Ijuuin-sensei's fanbase. In all actuality, they seemed to outnumber both him and Shinnosuke together. Often, he would forget that his beloved The Kan was a work of shoujo and not shounen art. Blushing even more, the brunet laughed to mask his nervousness. "I know it's probably weird for men to want to edit shoujo manga but –"
"Oh that's not true at all!" She quickly cut in with a shake of her head. "In one of our departments, ever since the new editor-in-chief joined a year and a half ago, they've been placing top in sales!" Her cheeks turned a rosy color as she smiled. "They're all very handsome men." The brunet hummed that he understood though he did so half-heartedly; he was only interested in the editing experience not these handsome men or whatever. Reading over his employment assignment quickly, the secretary furrowed her brows. "It says here that you've been placed in the Emerald department."
"What!?" Misaki blinked out of surprise and shock. Placing his hands on the counter, he leaned his head forward. "I made it clear in the application that I wanted to work in Japun!" She read over the paper once more and after making sure that she had read correctly, she held it for him to see. Misaki's green eyes read over it quickly and shook his head. "There has to be a mistake! Is there any way you can change it?" Her smile was apologetic when she shook her head. 'I can't believe this! I want to work in the Japun department! I already decided that I want to make a work as deeply moving as The Kan!' Suddenly Usagi-san's words starting ringing in his ear.
"'Cause no matter what you say, all you can talk about is The Kan. Do you genuinely think that when you get into the company, you would get assigned to the editorial department? It's the company that decides where to allocate you."
'But I've already gotten into Marukawa.' Misaki reasoned. 'I know I've only been working here for a few months but I thought they would have at least honored my request…' He then frowned. 'Is it because I have no experience in editing? Is it because I didn't major in literature or something? But as an intern, I would get experience! …Do they think I'm not good enough for Japun?' Sadden by not being able to work in his preferred department of choice; the brown haired boy bowed his head a little, hiding his eyes in the shadows of his bangs.
Amongst his thinking, the secretary stood to her feet and pointed towards the elevator. "If you take the elevator to the fourth floor, you'll find yourself on the shoujo manga floor. If you turn to the left and walk a bit, you'll find the Emerald department." Giving him another apologetic smile, she nodded encouragingly. "Give it a try before you say no." Sighing in defeat, he put on a smile and nodded back, thanking her for her help. Misaki made his way over to the elevator and did just as she said, pushing the button for the fourth floor. He only had to wait a few minutes before the doors opened and he found himself on the shoujo manga floor.
'How will I get to work for Japun now?' Misaki asked himself as he frowned. 'I guess I could always submit another application. Then again, that doesn't mean I'll get that job for sure either.' Following the secretary's directions, he walked towards the department belonging to Emerald and stopped in his tracks, his eyes growing wide. The foul stench of death and decay entered in through his nostrils and he quickly took a step back, shielding his nose. '…What is this!?' In front of him were piles upon piles of books and five desks centered in the middle with another one also in the back. That part was normal however, what really threw him off was the sight of four men lying sprawled out in their computer chairs. They all had the look of death upon their faces and had hazy and unfocused eyes. What had happened here?! They were either covering their faces with their arms as they laid their head down or were completely leaning over the headrest of their chairs. 'I must be in the wrong place! That has to be it!'
A groan sounded below him and Misaki hastily took another step back as the dark haired man below him struggled to speak. "Who…are you…?" He asked, not at all bothering to compose himself. But then again, perhaps he was on the brink of death and had no energy to do so.
"My name is Takahashi Misaki…I'm the new intern for the Emerald department. I must be at the wrong place though. If you'll excuse me, I'll leave you to your work…!" A nervous laugh then erupted from his lips as he awkwardly took another step back. 'I need to get out of here!' He told himself and as he made an attempt to dash away, the dark haired man who he had just spoken to slowly raised a hand. Misaki's green narrowed, watching at the man's fingers curled together to form a thumbs-up. 'Shit.' Misaki swore. 'This is the place.' There was no turning back now.
"…Takano-san." The man called, his voice coming out in a tired slur. When his editor-in-chief hadn't replied, he tried once more. "…Takano-san, the new intern is here." Misaki blinked and looked for this so-called 'Takano-san' – which of these men was Takano-san? Could it be the brown haired guy? That other brown haired guy? Or maybe it was that other brown hair guy? Perhaps it was the dark haired one over there? A grunt was heard before a loud bang thundered throughout the cubicle.
"Shut up! Your voice is jarring!" The dark haired man located at the northern end of the four desks shouted with an explosive voice as he slammed his fist on his wooden desk. Looking up, he adjusted his glasses briefly, his actions causing the bags under his eyes to stand even more out. Takano's brown eyes flashed irritably, the obvious furrow in his brow getting deeper and deeper as the seconds ticked by. "What? You working part-time?"
Misaki paled as he made his way over to the fuming man, his footsteps quiet and slow. 'Ni-san, I don't think I want to work with manga anymore.' As he came to a stop in front of his new boss, Misaki bowed his head quickly. "I'm a full-time employee here at Marukawa but as of right now, I'm your new intern for the next few months."
"Name?"
"Takahashi Misaki."
Takano hummed somewhat thoughtfully before returning his attention back to his opened laptop. Typing away at it, he inclined his head in a slight nod. "I see. I remember seeing your name on the application list. Any experience editing manga?"
At Takano's question, Misaki shook his head a little. "No, not really." By now, the other men were beginning to rouse out of their disorientated states. They were quiet as they listened in and watched his exchange with Takano. The dark haired man hummed, his brow slowly rising. 'Shit.' Misaki swore mentally once again. 'I don't want him to think I'm incapable of working.' Nodding his head more confidently this time, a look of pure determination became evident on Misaki's face. "I can learn though! I've been reading manga all my life and I can do it if you'll have me." At this point, he wanted to prove himself to Emerald that even though he didn't originally choose to work for them (although they probably didn't know that anyway), he could still work efficiently and effectively. He had always been a hardworking individual after all.
"He does seem confident." Another man commented lightly.
"Just like you, Ricchan!" The other man added with a cheeky grin as he reached over to poke the man beside him. Ricchan, was it?
Suddenly realizing that he had failed to introduce himself to the rest of the Emerald department, Misaki cleared his throat and bowed his head once more. "My name's Takahashi Misaki. It's nice to meet you." On the northern end of the room, the brunet could practically feel Takano's eyes on him. It was a bit unnerving to be honest but the editor-in-chief was probably doing so to observe his interactions with his potential co-workers.
The first man who he had spoken to when he first arrived in front of Emerald laughed a little as he gave Misaki thumbs-up, though this time, it was much more energized. To his upper left, another man gave him the same gesture. "We'll show you the ropes!" They both said in unison, their grins happy and vibrant. "I'm Shouta Kisa." Kisa introduced, pointing to himself. Moving his hand around the room, he indicated the rest of his fellow editors. "That's Onodera Ritsu over there. And over there are Mino Kanade and Hatori Yoshiyuki." A cheerful grin made its way over onto Kisa's face as he closed his eyes briefly and chucked his thumb in Takano's direction. "And you've already met our esteemed editor-in-chief, Takano Masamune."
Keeping his head bowed, Misaki welcome the introduction with a small blush. "It's nice to meet all of you." It was nice to see that they weren't as weird as he had originally thought. 'I wonder why they were like that earlier though.' A part of him wondered. As he opened his mouth to speak, a voice behind him startled him.
"Hmm? Isn't that Chibi-tan?"
Whirling around his feet, Misaki took a few steps back, his expression surprised but definitely not amused. "Isaka-san!?" Although he had known Isaka would be taking over as president of the company, he certainly wasn't prepared to see him this early in his internship. Of course, he saw him frequently at his regular job as a general worker for Marukawa but Misaki honestly wasn't expecting for Isaka to be here in the shoujo manga section. Wasn't Isaka known for his best-selling authors? Literature ones anyway? As he saw the grin slowly appear on Isaka's face, Misaki cried mentally. 'I don't know how to handle Isaka-san!'
"Oi, Takahashi!" Takano called, a rolled up paper in his hand. He was currently pointing in his direction, causing Misaki to stand straight. Had he just missed something really important? "You know Isaka-san?"
Throwing his arm around Misaki's shoulder almost uncharacteristically, Isaka laughed. "Of course! This guy here is shacking it up with our very own renowned writer, Usami Akihiko!" It wasn't even a second after Isaka stopped speaking that Misaki's face starting flaring up like a tomato. With wide eyes, he hurriedly began denying Isaka's accusations. Although true, he definitely didn't want his new boss and co-workers to be thinking of him like that.
"No, it's not like that at all!" Waving his arms widely to further support himself, Misaki began shaking his head wildly. "He's my landlord, that's all!" Pushing himself away from Isaka, he willed the blush on his face to go away with all his heart. "Isaka-san! I would really appreciate it if you stopped spreading all these lies!" Turning back to the men of Emerald, he noticed that they all didn't look surprised. 'Oh no…could it be that they know? Do they read Usagi-san's BL novels!?' Hopefully they didn't make the connection! But then again, maybe they were used to Isaka's antics?
The man with the brown hair and green eyes blinked. Onodera, was it? "You live with Usami-sensei? I used to be his editor at Onodera Publishing before he transferred here to Marukawa."
'Shit!' Misaki cried, the blush on his face getting redder and redder. 'Was he the one before Aikawa-san!? Does that mean he read stupid Usagi-san's BL novels!?' If he could, he would have dashed right out the building. Feeling like his heart was going to explode out of embarrassment; Misaki looked towards Onodera, fearful of his answer. "Were you his literature editor?"
Onodera nodded. "Yeah, I helped him with many of his books before leaving my father's company and coming to work here. I had no idea he was living with someone. He always struck me as the loner type and it often reflected in his books." He then smiled a little curtly as he leaned back in his chair. "Of course, his novels did change over the years. I often wondered why though." If it was possible, Misaki's face got even redder. This was torture, it really was. In the back of his mind, Misaki remembered how his landlord wrote his BL fantasies under a different pen name and visibly relaxed.
Takano grunted indifferently. "So, an economics major that has no experience editing manga whatsoever turns out to be living with Usami-sensei and his only marketable skill is being able to read manga – how useless." As if they were accustomed to hearing Takano say whatever he wanted, Mino, Hatori, and Kisa didn't say a word, only smiling or remaining passive respectively. Onodera on the other hand was seething and Misaki couldn't blame him, he was also enraged. The nerve of that guy! Both he and Onodera were clenching a shaking fist.
'I want to kill him!' Misaki thought, feeling a fire burning around him. What an ass!
"It can't be helped though." Takano stood to his feet and nudged his head over to the desk behind him. "Well? Come on, newbie; let's see what you can do." Swearing under his breath, the brunet made his way over to his new boss. Isaka waved a cheery goodbye as he left, satisfied that he was able to stir up some interesting trouble. "Get started on these photocomposition sheets. Kisa will show you how to do them." Throwing his coat on, Takano swiftly turned towards Onodera. "Onodera! We're going!"
Misaki stopped instantly. 'Wait, so he gives me work to do and doesn't even supervise me? What kind of editor-in-chief is this?' He was really, really, beginning to regret handing in his application to work as an intern here. Hatori came over to his right and began instructing him on what to do; pointing out exactly what he had to cut out with his X-Acto knife. With the mindset that he didn't want to disappoint his new co-workers, Misaki hurried began to do just that.
"I'll have to pass." Onodera said quickly, turning away as he hurried to flip through the various papers on his desk. "I have a meeting with Mutou-sensei and -" Takano didn't seem to care however as he walked towards the exit, his briefcase held tightly in his right hand.
"That's an order from your boss!" Takano shouted finally, still not caring about what his editor had to do. Misaki watched their exchange from the corner of his eyes, what he had just gotten himself into? He could indistinctly hear Onodera muttering curses under his breath but none the less, he followed in after Takano. Tuning out Hatori's guiding words, Misaki paled a little.
'Ni-san, this place is strange. These people are strange. What should I do!?'
Author's Notes: I whipped this up in four hours or so. I hope you guys enjoyed it! It was a nice distraction from studying for my midterm. Let me know if you guys liked it! I always love hearing back from my readers :) I will try to update this as much as I can so I will see you next time in chapter 2!
Read, review, fave, follow, and enjoy yourselves!
