Yui and Yuto had both nominally been invited to a cocktail party at a hotel in Tokyo. It was meant to be a thinly-veiled negotiation between the Uzuki Group and a smaller software company, hoping that they would put on a large order to update the computer systems at the finance department.
It was a wise move from those businesspeople, as it is well-known that the CEO would hardly ever go anywhere without his wife, and that he valued her judgement, especially in the matters of character. Impressing the leadership of the group meant impressing the pair of them, and the companies fell over backwards to do so.
However, even the best laid out plans can go wrong, and when the woman got sick, he insisted that they both stay home. He thought a movie night would make her feel much better than sitting on the couch, sipping sparkling water and trying not to be sick.
Yui was not going to let that happen, though. Regardless of first impressions, this could be an excellent offer for what could be an actually revolutionary product, and so it was in good conscience that Yuto hears them out in this occasion. She is not about to let him miss it, even if she was ill.
She could just not attend, and stay in. There was nothing wrong with that, as there were plenty of servants to help her, if need be, and neither one was tethered to the other. They could survive a night apart.
Even with her best arguments, it took a few hours for her to manage to convince him of that before he actually agreed to go. In fact, by the time she did, he was already going to be late.
So, the woman forced him out the door in weak pushes, and after she waved goodbye to the departing car, she settled herself comfortably on the TV room, tucked away deep into the house. She is more than content to lay on the couch in her pyjamas for the night, waiting for her husband to return home.
The place was rather small and had no windows, but it was one of her favourite rooms of the house. The Uzuki manor, in line with the other zaibatsu main residences, was elegant and cold, and so very uncomfortable. While she had managed to make it more cosy ever since she became its mistress, especially after her father-in-law stopped calling it his main address, this is the only nook, aside from the bedroom, where both her and her husband could be at peace and let their hair down, while consuming trash TV and music. It was her comfort zone, and hiding in there is something she did frequently.
It was going to be nice.
A quiet and solitary night for Yui meant that Yuto was headed to a house party all by himself, and he did not like it one bit.
The man had not gone to a party by himself since he was married, and even before, it was quite rare. He did not enjoy the whole ritual of it without her by his side, without her conversation and commentary, without her fascination with the little things.
All he was looking forward tonight is a night of drinking, mindless conversation, and platitude-ridden business offers that sounded too good to be true, and that always were. Well, that and the gold-diggers that hung around the fringes of these events. They always hit on him, in spite of the ring displayed proudly on his finger, in spite of him never giving them any time of day, and never intending to do so in the future.
It amused him, as much as it irritated him, that those girls thought that they could offer something of value to him. They could not compare to what he already has, and so it makes him wonder why any of them would think it a good idea to pursue him.
The party was in full swing by the time Yuto arrived, and Mikoshiba, who was tasked to assist him, has already arrived. While the zaibatsu president had better things to do on a Friday night, he made sure that his employees, especially a certain redhead, would suffer along with him.
"Where have you been, Yuto?" Mikoshiba whispered, betraying his frustration at his boss and tapping him in the back a little harder than maybe he should have, with the force of a former boxing champion. "We've been waiting for you."
"I apologise. Yui is home sick and I meant to stay with her. She wanted to make sure that I came out, but her care delayed me a bit." He explained.
The Uzuki president was doing his very best to keep as composed and calm as he could, between the overfamiliarity of Mikoshiba and the fact that he could not stop thinking about his wife, alone at home.
It was just a common cold, they both knew that, but he could not help but worry himself haggard. Yui was the only thing Yuto really cared about and he would be damned if he let a virus threaten that in any way, shape or form.
"I see. I hope she feels better soon." The redhead said tersely, moving on further into the crowd of people, all dancing to the music busting from the speakers and downing mid-shelf alcohol. "The host is right over there. You'd do well to greet him."
He recognizes the effort put in place for this gathering. The location was most agreeable, and the live music playing was something he recognizes from his time at the TV room. It was a party that his wife would have loved, but without her, the man could not help but to be in a sour mood.
Even as he reaches the host, he could not focus on his work or the pleasantness of the party when everything forced his mind to come back to Yui and how much better he would feel if she had been able to attend tonight. Still, he did his best to have a good, or at least productive, time, getting a drink and listening to the music.
The offer was reasonable for a reasonable product, and he would council with his employees before closing the deal definitively, but in all, the closing odds were looking good. His time was not wasted, if that serves of cold consolation.
Yui is just fine, and as long as he kept reminding himself of that, it was much easier to relax and try to have a good time.
Not that keeping that in mind changed the way he reacted when his phone buzzed in his pocket. The movement itself was a small one but with his alert state towards the device, there was no way he could have missed it.
"Mikoshiba! Stop this music at this instant!" He called at once.
The guest of honour found the silence he had been searching for almost immediately, though it was followed closely by some other attendees, especially the girls he demeaned in his mind a little prior, complaining about the interruption.
"Silence!" He spoke again, much more aggressive in the direction of the girls before answering, his demeanour changing almost immediately. "Hello?"
There was a grin on his face now, his tone much softer and happier than it had been at any time during the night. Hearing her voice had always done that to him, and if they wanted to complain about the interruption, so be it, as long as they left him to enjoy it in peace.
He was in love, and he had the money and the power to live it the way it best suited him, regardless of image and perception. She made him happy, and he was not going to apologize for that.
"Hi Yuto, I'm sorry if I'm interrupting." Yui started, her voice was hoarse and with an airy quality. "I was just wondering how it's going tonight. Have you managed to talk with the company president?"
The quality of her voice, usually melodious but now disease-stricken, made her husband wonder if she had been sleeping.
He hoped so. Yuto was constantly telling her just how adorable he thought she was, and that usually came right after she woke up from a nap, tucked under his arm. It was her favourite place to sleep, and he only wished he could be there with her right now.
"It has been going relatively well, but not as much as it would if you were here with me." He commented, his grin widening more when she laughed at him.
He could be so cheesy sometimes.
"To be fair, I don't think I'd help much with how I'm feeling." Yui shrugged, knowing the pounding in her head would not bode well with the loud music and the large crowd.
She enjoyed going to those parties, and would do so often, but it just was not possible when she was feeling so unwell. There was no fun to be had if she was not in it one hundred percent.
"I'm heading back soon, though, as soon as this wraps up. How are you doing so far? Are you holding up well?" He asked.
His voice is a little lower in the receiver as he spoke to her, as he did not want everyone in the room to hear their conversation, not that it was working out well for him. He had told the entire party to be quiet for a few seconds prior to answering, which meant they were all pretty invested.
In fact, most of them just wanted to know what was so important that he would stop a party. After all, the Uzuki president had the reputation to being quite invested in whatever he was doing, but his mind was clearly somewhere else that evening.
Now, the entire Tokyo Bay knew why. He was far too preoccupied with his wife to focus on anything else.
"I'm okay, Yuto. Take your time and don't worry about me." Yui reassured him.
As if to prove her point, she pulled the Cashmere blanket that she dragged down from their bed up further to tuck it just under her chin. If she was not careful, she was going to fall back to sleep right then and there.
"Just have a good time, okay? I love she." She smiled.
Yui pecked a kiss lightly by the receiver, so he could hear it before hanging up, just after hearing him mutter it back. The night was far from over, and she did not want to keep him any more than she had to. Besides, she knew that he would be home to cuddle her as soon as he could.
Yuto may not have wanted everyone to know about his personal life, but there was no point in hiding. He is soft and needy, and he would not refuse any snuggle time, even if it meant running back to Uruugaoka.
"Mikoshiba, wrap things up over here, I'm going home." He demanded of his employee, before pocketing his phone on his suit jacket and walking away.
The redhead man spluttered behind him and said that he should take care of his work before running home, but the president gave him no mind. His TV room beckons him, and he is not heartless enough to resist it.