Chapter 10

Shizuko wasn't sure if he was ready to spend an entire two weeks with Ijuuin. It wasn't that he didn't think he could take care of him, because when it came right down to it, he did that, anyway. He took care of Ijuuin so much that it was joked in the office he might as well live with him.

That would certainly make things easier, because if he lived with Ijuuin, the man would likely pay all of the rent and bills. But Shizuko really didn't have anything else to spend money on, and he didn't want to be at the man's beck and call at all hours of the night just because he didn't have the excuse that the subway was shut down and taxis cost too much.

There was also just the fact that he didn't want to be around Ijuuin so much. He might have feelings for him that went beyond professional, but in his years in the industry (which weren't that many, but still) he'd come to find out that manga-ka, by and large, were annoying, spoiled, and whined a lot when they only had themselves to blame because things weren't going how they were supposed to.

Not that he'd say that out loud. At least to any manga-ka's face. He had more tact than that.

"Hey, you headed out now, Ishi-san?"

Shizuko looked up to see Misaki was standing there, a big smile on his face. When he just stared at him, not answering him, Misaki started squirming like he was nervous.

"I mean, I know you have a train to catch at noon and-"

"It's barely ten o'clock." Did Misaki want to get rid of him so badly? So much for them bonding over that night he'd stayed over. If anything, Misaki had seemed even more distance, but Shizuko had a feeling he had Usami-sensei to blame for that. The poor kid didn't have any friends that he could see, and there was a rumor that Usami chased people off who got too close to him.

Not that it was any of his concern.

"R-right." He had a huge smile on his face, and he was about to turn around and leave, when Shizuko sighed, and he stopped. He looked like he really, really hoped Shizuko would talk to him. "Is something the matter?"

"…technically I didn't have to be in today. Do you want to… get coffee or something?"

Apparently that was all he had to say, because Misaki grabbed his coat and was out the door faster than you could say his name. Shizuko turned to Kirishima to say he was heading out early, but the older man just waved his hand and went back to the call he was on. You could probably get away with murder if you were on Kirishima's good side. Not that Shizuko had ever tested that.

Most manga-ka were no on Kirishima's good side. But he still gave them some leverage if they had a good enough excuse. Everyone knew he had a daughter he loved to death, and if you could manipulate that side of him, it was easy enough to get some leniency from him.

It was busy around the building, considering it was so close to the deadline for a lot of magazines. There were also a few book releases coming up, but he never really paid attention to those. Misaki seemed excited, though, like he always was when there was a lot of energy around the Marukawa building. Rather than looking dead during Hell Week, he was always running around, getting things done in double time and helping other people (or at least getting them coffee, which definitely helped people out).

Speaking of coffee, Misaki was leading him to the simple café down the street that Shizuko used to go to all the time when he first started working at Marukawa. It had been almost a year since he'd stepped into the place, though, mostly because he'd given up being optimistic about having the time for a coffee break. Even when they weren't close to the deadline, there was always something to do to make the magazine go more efficiently.

So usually it was the interns that got his coffee. In other words, Misaki, before he graduated college and got a full-time job there. He still acted like an intern, though, considering Kirishima didn't quite trust him enough to have his own author yet.

Even Shizuko didn't get his own author right away, though, so it wasn't like it was anything against the kid. And even now, his main author was one he was only the sub-editor for.

"What do you want to drink, Ishi-san?" Misaki still had that huge grin on his lips, and he was rocking backwards and forwards on his heels, just waiting for Shizuko to tell him his order. It seemed that Misaki thought he was paying for this, and there was no way Shizuko was going to allow that. The kid barely made enough money to get by.

The thought that Usami provided everything he could possibly need didn't cross his mind, considering how stubborn he was about paying for things himself and not letting others buy him gifts. He always seemed to feel so guilty when people got him things, even when it was his birthday.

"Don't worry about me," he muttered, stepping up to the counter and ordering an iced coffee. Misaki started pulling money out of his wallet, but he just told the person at the counter they were together and handed over enough for two drinks. The girl looked confused at first, but she nodded, and Misaki relented.

"I was going to pay, you know. I have plenty of money."

Shizuko rolled his eyes, taking his phone out to see he already had a text from Ijuuin, asking him where he was. Apparently he'd stopped by the office already. He was starting to sound like the rumors about Usami. "I know I make more money than you. You're still pretty much an intern."

"But I'm not!" Misaki pouted as the barista brought their drinks over, but without even thinking, he stuck his straw in his and started gulping it down like it was the last liquid on Earth. "Kirishima-san said that if I keep up the good work, he'd make me sub-editor for one of the artists in a few months."

Shizuko had to resist rolling his eyes again. Kirishima may have been nice to his workers, at least when you compared him to other department heads, but he doubted he was stupid enough to make a rookie head of an editor that soon. It wasn't like he was bitter about it or anything.

He glanced out the window to see that Ijuuin was making his way down the street from the Marukawa building, and he ducked his head. Ijuuin needed to cool it if he was going to be out in public. Shizuko realized it had been a while since he was on tour despite how popular his work still was, but that didn't mean he could lose all of his social skills.

Then again, he was a manga-ka.

"…is that Ijuuin-sensei?" Misaki asked, still holding his iced coffee cup and looking up as Ijuuin passed the café, glancing in and at him. Instead of going in, though, he passed right by. It seemed he was on a mission, and for once, Misaki wasn't going to distract him.

Shizuko let out a very world-weary sigh before he snapped the top onto his disposable coffee cup and headed out. "I'll see you in a couple of weeks, Takahashi-san. I should make sure sensei is ready to leave. We only have a couple of hours left, after all." Shizuko may have been ready since last night, but that didn't mean Ijuuin was.

"Kiwi!" Ijuuin immediately turned around once Shizuko was close enough, and he was ready to throw his arms around him, but Shizuko ducked out of the way. "What's the matter?"

"I was just getting some coffee before I head home and grab my bags for the trip," he muttered, his eyes cast down to the ground. Before he could say any more, Ijuuin had grabbed his hand and was pulling him along. "Sensei, I really don't need your help."

"Don't worry about it, I already got your bags." Because apparently Ijuuin remembered he had that spare key to Shizuko's apartment. "I was hoping you could help me pack."

"…don't you have people to help you with that kind of thing?" He pressed his lips together and eyed Ijuuin's car. It was double-parked along the street, and it was honestly a miracle that it hadn't gotten a ticket yet. Just as he was about to protest again, he spied a police officer coming up the road, and he sighed. "Fine. But only because I know you won't be ready for the train in time otherwise."

"Thank you, Kiwi."

xxx

Ijuuin's apartment was, predictably, a mess. Shizuko had to resist the urge to clean it as the man led him across the living room and over to his bedroom, where there was an open suit case. "Let's just get some clothes and…"

Before he could say anymore, Ijuuin had pushed him to sit on the bed, pressing a deep kiss to his lips. Shizuko's eyes went wide, but before he could protest, Ijuuin pulled away, staring at him right in the eye. "Kiwi, we're going to be spending a lot of time alone together over the next couple of weeks."

"I can go back to sharing a room with one of the interns, sensei," he said, lowering his eyes. Ijuuin's look was way too intense for him. "You're the one who wanted to share a room in the first place."

"I know." He nodded, pulling away. Shizuko looked up again, surprised that it was that easy. But, of course it wasn't. "And I still want to share a room with you. But I want to know whether I should expect you or not."

"Expect me-" He was about to say that he would share a room with him if that was what he wanted, but the look in Ijuuin's eyes seemed to mean he meant something other than sleeping in beds a few meters apart for a couple weeks. "Sensei, I'm afraid I can't agree to that. You're already incredibly unprofessional with me." And he wasn't comfortable with it, to tell the truth.

Ijuuin let out a long breath, and he leaned a little farther back. "That was all I needed to hear, Shizuko. You still up for helping me pack?"

Shizuko stared at him, wondering if it was going to be that easy. It seemed they were still going to share a room, after all. But it wasn't like Shizuko felt unsafe around him or anything. Despite how hard-headed he was, he'd never done more than steal kisses. "Yes. Get what you want and I'll help you pack."