ch 3.
characters introduced in ch3.
Manager- (45) Kanou's boss at the 24 hr print shop. A jolly man who is good to his employees.
Tsuda-san- (28) One of Yukimura's co-workers. Likable friendly guy with a crooked smile and good nature.
After returning to his normal work schedule as a civil servant.
[IN THE KITCHEN OF THEIR SHARED APARTMENT]
Yukimura:
(sneezing)"Ha-Choo!"
Ruri:
(concerned)"Bless you! Nii-chan are you feeling ok?"
Yukimura:
(sniffling)"Yeah, I'm sure I'm ok. I'm just a little under the weather I guess? Or maybe someone is thinking of me?"
Yukimura shot his sister a goofy smile to distract her from her obvious worry. Ruri rolled her eyes and went about her business. While he hadn't felt 100% since returning from Europe, Yukimura convinced himself it was that post vacation slump people get in after returning from vacation. Yukimura liked his cubicle existence and was glad to be back at work, it just seemed like his body wasn't quite ready to readjust.
Ruri:
(concerned)"Be careful Nii-chan. You don't want to get sick do you?"
Ruri went to the fridge and poured her brother an extra large glass of orange juice.
Ruri:
(concerned)"Here, you could use the extra vitamin C."
Ruri handed the glass to her brother and placed his bento box in his other hand before kissing his forehead good bye and leaving for school. Ruri was at the entryway when Yukimura yelled from the kitchen.
Yukimura:
(curious)"Oi! Ruri? Is Kanou already gone for the day?"
Ruri:
(concerned)"Yeah you must have just barely missed him, he was finishing up his breakfast while you were still in the shower."
Yukimura:
(dejected)"That so..?"
Ruri:
(sweet)"Have a good day Nii-chan! I'll be at the library after school so I wont be home till late!"
Yukimura:
(caring)"Be safe!"
With Ruri gone the house was completely silent. It felt like that more and more recently. Ruri, it seemed, had made some new friends at school, which reassured Yukimura but in her absence he found himself alone more and more frequently.
Kanou had always been a hard worker who'd juggled several part-time jobs at once, but Yukimura couldn't remember which of those jobs could have started this early? He tried to rationalize that Kanou must have simply been asked to work an earlier shift but in the back of his mind it almost felt, that for some unknown reason, since their return from England, that Kanou had been avoiding him.
[ON THE TRAIN]
Kanou was exhausted. Though the job he was headed to was in fact a 24 hr. print shop, his shift didn't start for another…he checked his watch….almost 2 hours. Kanou knew he was being ridiculous but there was no way to avoid it. He was in love with Yukimura, and there was nothing he could do to change that.
He'd always been happy to be in love with Yukimura from afar. Just being by his side had been enough for so long. Living together, eating together, just being close to Yukimura had made Kanou content for so long, but since the wedding… Since the Prez and Usui's wedding Kanou felt like a switch had been flipped. A switch that made him want Yukimura more than ever. While he'd been in love with Yukimura for nearly a decade it wasn't until recently that Kanou started feeling so desperate to turn what they shared now into an actual relationship. Seeing so many of their friends and classmates so blissfully happy and in love had really triggered something unsettling within him.
Kanou had become afraid of what he might say or even do to Yukimura. These fears had prompted him to start an elaborate game of avoidance- that included going into work nearly 2 hours early. Even to Kanou it seemed childish, running from the person he wanted more than anything to run to. Just thinking about his reasons for his all too early arrival at the print shop, brought him back to thinking about Yukimura.
Manager:
(jolly)"Kanou-kun! Early again I see!"
The manager was a good man. Kanou had worked for the pleasant man for a couple of years now and they had a good relationship. When Kanou had volunteered to come in from time to time before his shifts began the man hadn't asked questions. Begrudgingly the manager had however, let Kanou know he wouldn't be able to pay him for the extra time since the shop hadn't been bringing in as much business as their head office wanted them to. Kanou saw the pained expression on the older man's face as he even went so far as to confide in Kanou that HQ was requiring him to make personnel cuts in the near future. Manager had assured Kanou that his job was safe because he was always so good to be on time and did a fine job.
Kanou:
(plesantly)"Good morning, manager."
Kanou:
(plesantly)"I'll be in the back."
As Kanou entered the storage room behind the main sales floor, Kanou suddenly came to the realization that no matter how many boxes he moved or toner cartridges he reorganized; most likely no act of menial labor would be enough to distract him from thoughts of Yukimura.
[IN YUKIMURA'S OFFICE]
Yukimura's head was pounding. He was only half way through the day but it really did seem like he wasn't exactly the picture of health he generally prided himself on being. Selfishly, since Ruri would be staying late at school, Yukimura hoped Kanou would be home that evening, to help take care of him like he would when they first started living together. Yukimura quickly dismissed the thought after realizing he hadn't seen or spoken to Kanou in such a long time it would terrible to ask his friend to do such a thing.
Yukimura:
(sneezing)"Ha-Choo!"
Tsuda:
(happily)"Someone must be thinking of you Yukimura-san!"
Yukimura was surprised as one of his co-workers, Tsuda-san, had suddenly appeared from nowhere. Tsuda-san was a very bubbly man, pleasant with a big crooked smile that Yukimura had liked almost immediately. It was like that with all his co-workers, Yukimura considered himself very lucky working in such a good environment, with so many friendly people. Yukimura and Tsuda-san had come into the company in the same training class. Both were still unnaturally baby faced, so they'd bonded and grown pretty close having worked together for close to 8 years now.
Tsuda:
(smiling)"Maybe its you fated person, Yukimura-san?"
Yukimura:
(sniffly)"If it is I wish they'd stop thinking about me and just come find me already!" (sneezing)"Ha-Choo!"
Tsuda:
(happily)"Haha! Maybe we should have another group date? I've been itching to get outta this office and go drinking again!"
Tsuda was a fun guy. It was nice to have a friend like him around, it also made Yukimura feel a little more comfortable at work since all the other people in the office who were their same age were either married, or at least engaged. Tsuda was single and that made Yukimura worry less about his own relationship status. Checking his calendar Yukimura suggested a time for their get together.
Yukimura:
(sneezing)"Maybe after the Fujiwara-mani* presentation is over tomorrow? Or is that too soon you think?"
Tsuda was quite and when Yukimura looked up to see his coworker's face he saw a surprised look of utter shock.
Yukimura:
(confused)"So it is to soon then?"
Tsuda:
(shocked)"Yukimura-san, please tell me you're joking?"
Yukimura:
(agitated)"Ok ok so I've never planned a drinking party before I didn't realize they were that hard to put toge-"
Tsuda:
(concerned)"No! Not about that about the meeting!"
Yukimura:
(curious)"What about it?"
Suddenly Yukimura found himself quickly rolled away from his computer and Tsuda began scrolling through his inbox. Clicking from one email to the next the look of desperation on Tsuda's face grew as he was obviously not finding what he was looking for.
Tsuda:
(destressed)"Oh shit shit shit shit!"
Yukimura:
(nervous)"Seriously what's wrong?"
Tsuda:
(panicked)"No one emailed you. You were on vacation when they decided and no one let you know! Yukimura-san the Fujiwara-mani presentation got moved to today!"
Yukimura:
(panicked)"What?!"
Tsuda:
(concerned)"Yeah it got rescheduled to a hotel/ dinner meeting at 8 tonight! Please tell me you've got all your numbers together already?!"
Yukimura:
(agitated)"Well mostly, but its gonna be a stretch to get everything together by 8!"
Tsuda:
(concerned)"Ok ok don't panic. I'll help you get the rest of your figures in order and we'll have everything together and ready for the meeting! It'll be fine!"
Yukimura was not a fan of last minute planning. The two men began rushing around the office collecting data and as the stacks of paperwork he carried continued to grow higher and higher, he though back and sadly realized how reminiscent today felt to his high school days. Back then it seemed like someone was always swooping in to save him. As he rushed and continued to sneeze for the duration of the afternoon, Yukimura once again felt guilty for hoping Kanou would be home to take care of him. Silently Yukimura chastised himself for being weak and vowed to do better.
[WALKING ON THE STREET ON THE WAY TO HIS 3RD JOB OF THE DAY
It had already been a pretty busy day for Kanou. His shift at the print shop had ended; he'd worked the information desk at the public library and was headed to what was usually his last job of the day, when his phone rang.
Kanou: (politely) "This is Kanou."
Manager: (surprised) "Kanou-kun I know you're working a lot here lately at other places but I was wondering if I could ask you to come by tonight around 10:30? One of the part timers is sick and we're having that corporate visit I was telling you about soon and I want my best guy at the store in case they send someone ahead to check us out!"
Kanou: (politely) "That should be fine. I get off at the café at 10 so I should have just enough time to make it there."
Manager: (surprised) "I know its odd to expect one of those corporate guys that late but I got a heads up from one of the other branches. I'll see you tonight Kanou-kun. Thanks again."
Kanou sighed heavily as the call ended. He was exhausted, but working an extra shift would keep him well… occupied.
Kanou finished his shift at the café just after 10 and quietly made his way to the employee locker room. Opening his locker he looked up to see the ornate photo collage Ruri had made. She'd put together a number of photos of herself, Kanou and Yukimura some as old as when he'd first met her as a kid. The collage was ridiculous for a man his age to display; bedazzled and covered in glitter and hearts but the photos had always made him smile. Until recently….
One photo in particular troubled him more than the rest. It was a picture of Kanou and Yukimura together in the hallway of Seika high school. Thinking back it was probably the first picture they'd ever taken together, just the two of them. In the shot, a picture neither himself nor Yukimura had posed for, Kanou's face showed exactly how he felt for his senpai. The happy-go-lucky smile that always adorned Yukimura's face was met by a less bright but albeit equally peaceful look from Kanou. There was a peace when the two of them were together that Kanou had never felt with another person in all his life. Kanou missed that feeling of innocent peace he'd felt, and admitted to himself that no matter his reasons for avoiding the issue, Kanou missed Yukimura.
Kanou took the photo out of the collage and placed it carefully in his wallet before leaving the café for the evening.
[AT THE TRAIN STATION]
It was finally over. The meeting had (all and all) been a success, but the constant stress it had put on his body had accelerated the severity of what Yukimura could no longer brush off as a 'slight cold'.
As he made his way through the station Yukimura couldn't help but wonder why it seemed so crowded. It was hard to breathe. Granted he realized it was Friday night and the 'about-townwers' where out having a good time. When was the last time he'd stayed out just to stay out? Ugh had he really gotten so old and dull that he couldn't even remember the last time he'd had any fun? He shook his head. Right now the only thing Yukimura wanted to think about was getting home to his nice warm cozy bed.
Yukimura blinked a few times and rubbed his eyes but his vision seemed dimmer than usual. As he made his way toward the station stairs Yukimura was starting to feel a bit like a pin ball as he ran into one commuter just to be bounced into the path of another.
[AT THE OPPOSITE END OF THE TRAIN STATION]
Kanou was tired but something about the train station had always sparked his interest. The diversity of people in the station never ceased to amaze him; obaa-san in traditional kimono, high school kids, salary men, cosplayers, visual kei?; to Kanou the station was like a small melting pot of all that Tokyo had to offer. As he quietly observed his surrounding, suddenly Kanou thought he'd seen a familiar face. Kanou wasn't sure if it was just that for 98% of the day his mind had been completely filled with nothing but Yukimura or if the tiny salary man before him actually resembled his senpai. Seeing a man with so similar a stature to his senpai, Kanou couldn't help but stare.
The longer he watched the salary man, the more he seemed to resemble Yukimura. Just as Kanou had realized how weird it was to be so mesmerized by the stranger across the way, he noticed the man appeared to be having trouble navigating through the bustling station. He was stumbling. Bumping into other potential passengers. Kanou's body seemed to move on its own and before he realized it he was headed toward the familiar figure in the distance.
What was wrong with him?
Why was he staggering like that?
The closer he got to the man the more similarities he recognized. He had the same hair color. He even seemed to be wearing a similar suit to the one Yukimura had worn to Kaichou and Usui's wedding? When the tiny salary man turned his face, to apologize to someone he'd run into, Kanou saw a familiar flash of the same dark orange eyes he so wished would look at him forever. Suddenly there was no doubt in his mind that the man was Yukimura. Kanou stopped in his tracks. He'd had tried so hard to keep himself away from Yukimura, but here he was almost running to his aid.
He couldn't keep this up. Kanou needed to realize that Yukimura didn't belong to him, wasn't his responsibility and that he just needed to move on already. Just as he'd decided to walk away from the situation, Kanou saw Yukimura stumble dangerously close to falling down the stations stairway. As Kanou rushed to Yukimura a careless passenger gave Yukimura the unintentional push he needed. He was falling.
Kanou:
(shouting)"Yukimura!"
[AT THE TRAIN STATION'S STAIRS]
This was it. Ruri had warned him. He hadn't listened, but she was right and he was falling….. then suddenly he wasn't?
Kanou had made it to the stairs just in time to catch Yukimura before any serious damage could befall him. As soon as Kanou grabbed Yukimura's arm he immediately realized what all the stumbling was about. Yukimura was on fire. He had a fever and was absolutely drenched in his own cooled sweat.
Before either of them could say anything Yukimura gave into sleep and passed out right then and there on the station stairs. As Yukimura's body went completely limp Kanou awkwardly tried to hold him up but his initial attempts all seemed to look like he was a molester rather than the smaller man's savior. Finally finding an appropriate position, Kanou led Yukimura through the crowd, out of the station, and hailed a taxi.
The two arrived home a little after 11pm. Kanou was slightly concerned but grateful that Ruri wasn't at home to see him 'princess carry' her brother into their apartment. Kanou tried to remember how he'd taken care of Yukimura when they were in college. Yukimura was by no means weak, but when he got sick, he had a tendency to completely shut off. Kanou found some medicine, made porridge, and took off Yukimura's jacket only to find that the small salary man had managed to sweat all the way through his dress shirt. Kanou steadied his heart and undressed Yukimura. It was less painful than he thought it would be seeing that much of Yukimura's skin, as the smaller man struggled and gasped for breath beneath him (even if it was the cold making him sweat). Kanou cherished this person and realized no matter how much he wanted Yukimura, he could never hurt the one he loved. It was a huge relief to Kanou that maybe he hadn't changed as much as he thought he had.
Kanou went to check the porridge as his phone rang:
Kanou: (strained) "Hello?"
Manager: (stressed/upset) "Kanou-kun! Where are you?! The people from the head office are here and it looks like I've got no employees! Where are you?!"
In all his worry for Yukimura's well being Kanou had forgotten the promise he'd made to the manager to work that night.
Kanou: (politely) "Manager I'm sorry-."
Manager: (frustrated/desperate) "Kanou-kun I know the reason you aren't here must be pretty serious but they wont hear it! They're insisting I cut any employee who misses a shift!"
Kanou entered Yukimura's bedroom to check up on him. Maybe Yukimura would be all right alone? Could he still make it in? Kanou was immediately convinced otherwise as he watched Yukimura toss and turn as he struggled for air. Kanou placed his hand on the side of Yukimura's cheek. The serenity he felt was interrupted by the manager's desperate voice.
Manager: (desperate) "You understand what I'm saying Kanou-kun?"
Kanou: (politely) "Yes sir. I'm sorry-."
Yukimura reached for Kanou's hand on his face and held it tight. Kanou pulled a chair next to the bed and sat down by Yukimura's bedside. Yukimura intertwined his fingers with Kanou's in a reassuring embrace. A smile crept across his lips, as he seemed to relax. Kanou shook his head frustrated by his own foolishness.
Kanou: (politely) "I'm sorry Manager, but I won't be able to make it in tonight…."
The call ended.
Despite the fact that he'd just lost a decent job, holding Yukimura's hand in his, Kanou felt an old innocent, peaceful feeling wash over him as he watched his friend finally fall asleep.
end ch 3.
