"Here's that report you wanted boss~!"
Ah yes. The joys of working in an office.
When one is deep in the concentration zone, about to make a breakthrough that could possibly save the world, the office makes sure that you are in close proximity to others who can stop that from occurring.
The sweet sing-song voice was muffled through MC's headphones. As he was about to chastise the intern for bringing him a physical piece of alien-material called 'paper' instead of updating the Google Doc, he almost fell out of his chair when he looked up.
"MONIKA?!," he blurted out.
"Hi MC~!," she sang with outstretched arms. "Fancy meeting you here!"
The Monika greeting, forever unchanged by time and place. She could be ninety years old, and the tone and cadence of that greeting would not be different. Nostalgia punched him in the gut as he set the rolling chair off the ground and sat upright, trying to remain as professional as possible. Because there were about four sets of eyes curiously looking over at the duo.
"A-hem. T-This is just a blank sheet of paper. Update the report on the doc-"
Her shoulders slumped in mock disappointment. "Aww...no hug for your long lost friend? Friend with bene-"
"We will talk later..!," MC growled through grit teeth.
She clasped her hands behind her back and giggled, as his co-workers began leaving their desks.
12:30. Clever girl.
"Break time!," she cheered. Yup. Total ball of sunshine. "Let's sit somewhere and catch up!"
"I've...got work to do."
"Ehhhh? That's totally unhealthy!"
"Didn't you always eat at the piano? By yourself?"
The brunette tapped her fingers together sheepishly, like when MC discovered that Sayori had demolished two sleeves of double-stuffed oreos.
"Heh heh...umm...well...considering we're here. You know. In the real world and all? I was thinking maybe...we could start again? Forget everything that's happened?," she quietly asked before extending her hand out formally. "My name is Monika Salvato. Pleasure to meet you! I'll be working here as an intern!"
MC was taken aback. If he didn't see her as a woman before, he certainly did now. She wore a black blazer over a white collared shirt, a black knee-length skirt, and who could forget, her signature white hair bow that does up her ponytail. She looked like a...total professional adult. There was definitely hope building in MC that the lady in front of him would live her own life: work a meaningful job, find a loving partner and whatever regular people do.
He couldn't help but smile. "My name is MC. Pleasure to meet you too Monika."
"ITS LIKE THE START OF A ROMANCE MANGA!," she squealed internally. That is, until MC nonchalantly raised his right hand.
"Aaaaand I'm married."
She collapsed like a jenga tower into a pile of depression, all the while cursing God for making her life so cruel. But for the first time in a while, she felt a warmth around her, because MC had knelt down and pulled her in to a hug. Without coercion or blackmail, much to Monika's surprise.
"Oh Monika...," he sighed with genuine care. "I'm sorry. But you'll find someone else, someone better."
"B-B-But there is no one better...!," she managed to choke out through her incoming tears. "W-Why'd you have to do this to me MC? Why can't you make me hate you?!"
A second chance. This was her second chance, for sure.
"Welcome home M...C..."
What. The fuck.
The smell of expensive pine perfume punched her in the nose. She had been writing. Then cooking. Then preparing a bath for husband and wife. You know, the things a loving wife would do for her husband who works extremely hard, late into the night to make sure the lights stay on.
But suddenly she felt like committing a little something called 'arson' to their apartment, when she saw a passed out Monika piggybacking off MC.
"Hi hon...sorry. She uhh...got a little drunk and she doesn't have a place yet," MC said sheepishly.
Right. Nothing bad happens when an attractive male and female have drinks together. NOTHING!
Yuri didn't know how she didn't slam the door in both their faces. Hell, she could've taken the ladle she was death gripping in her hand and beaten them senseless like a real yandere. But instead she stood there motionless, as still as those statues on Easter Island (perhaps with the same face too), as MC gently laid Monika on the couch and covered her with a blanket.
"Yuri?" His familiar voice snapped her out of her...old ways. "Are...you mad?"
"M-Mad?," she repeated. "Of course not! W-W-Why would I be mad?"
"Because the ladle's bent in half?-"
"No no no, please! I'm more than happy to allow an old friend into our home-OUR HOME! OUR! HOME! HUSBAND! AND WIFE!"
"Jesus Yu! I couldn't just leave her! She just kept drinking!," MC defended.
The seething bookworm took a couple of deep breaths. She didn't know if she should be attracted to her selfless, much too forgiving husband, or if she should be committing multiple felonies right now. It was like the most primal parts of her cavewoman brain saw her mate bring another attractive female to the cave, and because so, was completely justified in tearing her to shreds.
Although...she did wonder what a drunk, vulnerable Monika would've been like. Oh how the turns would have tabled.
"Husband," she growled, bending the ladle back straight. "You keep a 3 foot distance away from that woman like she has the rona*, do you understand me?"
"Y-Yes ma'am," MC whimpered.
Yuri marched towards him, grabbed his right wrist and held it up between them, so that his wedding ring was at eye level.
Good. There's no way him and Monika would've...no, I need to stop overreacting. Nothing happened.
"You...scared me," she sighed quietly, resting her forehead on his. "T-the perfume and the hair and...knowing Monika she probably touched you everywhere and-"
"No. I showed her the wedding ring and she understood what it meant," MC reassured.
"Good. Now come take a bath with me. You reek of other girl."
AN: *rona, Coronavirus.