Chapter Text
You curse your own memory for recalling certain things that are supposed to be buried deep within in the back of your mind. Things that have been forgotten for a while. But as soon as your head hits the pillow, his smell, his touch, his lips, and those bluest eyes the world has ever seen, knocks you out completely. But after those 'forgotten' dreams vanish, the memories cease to exist . Leaving nothing behind but an undefined tasteless sensation in your soul.
All of it is washed away by the little world that you allowed growing inside of you four years ago. His teething, his first words, his first steps, all of it, worth every single pain you had endured during the gestation and birth. But, it was also a painful reminder that you had once wanted to cease your bright world simply because you were alone and scared.
Akio.
Your bright world.
"Are you awake now, mommy?" Your smile grew as you felt his little hands brushing hair away from your closed eyes. "I'm hungry."
Opening your eyes, your breath caught in your throat. For a split second, your baby's eyes seemed to grow brighter and brighter, making your heartthrob painfully inside your chest. "Mommy??" The concern in his little voice and face grew by the way you kept staring at his eyes. "Mommy??" He sat up, his (h/c) ruffled by his unsteady sleep.
"What do you wanna eat?" You pulled him to your chest, holding him tight while kissing his head.
"Are you okay?" He asked, your heartbeat unsteady and slightly erratic.
"Yes, love."
"Your heart is beating fast."
You said nothing, opting to just continuing to sniff his scent and kissing his head. You held your whole dearly, like he was the last strand of life. Only God knows how much you have walked alone. Only He knows how a fool you had been during that sweet rose colored fantasy world you lived in. But only you knew, you'd would not fall again for the same attics.
"I want brownies for breakfast and lunch and dinner."
"Nice try kiddo." You started to tickle him, hearing his cheerful laughter filling up your ears with jolliness as he contorted while trying to pry your hands away from him.
"Mommy stop." Akio tapped your cheek, flashing his baby teeth, his little feet pressing on your shoulders and pushing you away.
"Alright." You stopped, catching your breath as you supported yourself in one arm while patting his leg. "Let's get you ready for school."
"Can I still have brownies?" Akio rubbed his eyes, sighing in delight after the small play.
"We'll see. Come on, hop out, come on."
You watched your little world crawling out of the bed and stopping at the door, stretching and yawning. The smile you were holding faded as you brought a hand to your chest, painfully clutching the hole that was forming inside your chest. One that caused you unknown distress. As if something was coming.
"Can we stop by the lake before going to school? I want to feed the fish first."
"Sure kiddo." You replied with a smile, while approaching him and ruffling his unkempt hair.
"Thank you, mommy. You're the best."
Akio had a special liking for fish. Specifically the Koi fish. Maybe that's why he refuses to eat any kind of fish-related food and always makes sure to protest on the way home about the fish markets and any kind of restaurant where fish 'cries' because they are going to be eaten by bad people. So it is safe to assume that you cannot eat fish in front of him and you have to resort to lie when he asks you if you had eaten any lately. He knows that you eat but not as much frequent as you used to.
Coming late for work or school is in general bad in any country, but it is a well-known fact that being late is frowned upon in Japanese culture. In the Japanese society, you must be meticulous about punctuality. But if you stay working overtime, you're seen as more productive than a person working smart.
So as much as you'd love to spend a little extra time with Akio, watching and feeding the Koi fish, you had to go on with the routine. In the past 6 years living in Japan, you have never arrived late or had any kind of trouble with Akio in school. He was always a well-behaved little boy, who despite being occasionally pestered by classmates, namely girls, would keep his politeness on and resort to ignoring everyone but teachers.
By the time you had arrived at your workplace, you stopped at the side of the lined up desks and looked around, hearing nothing but the ticking sound of the clock on the wall and the very weak faint sounds of traffic outside the big double windows. Like always, you had arrived early and planned to have a productive day of work. If you keep doing this routine, and with a little lucky, you might be able to get a raise. And truth be told, you need one. Japan emphasizes extreme dedication to one's work, and if your boss keeps his eyes on you, the chance of being rewarded is very high.
Giving one more glance around the calm empty workplace, you sighed under your breath at the sight before you. You were tired of this job, but you could not afford to give up on this one, in fact, you were thinking about searching for a second job, just so you could have more income. We never know what life has prepared for you.
Walking slowly to your desk, where your computer waited for you to start a new stressful day, you abruptly stopped your tracks, quickly putting a hand over your chest, trying to calm down the abrupt palpitations of your heart. "Good morning." You greeted with a slight shake in your voice, keeping your eyes shut and your lips cealed tight.
The man in question lifted the small towel that covered his eyes and looked at the window, mumbling something incomprehensible under his breath before sighing in deep disappointment. "Good morning." The rust in his voice was intense, slick, and strong. His golden locks of hair fell forward, messing his usual neat hairstyle as he adjusted himself on his seat.
You pursed your lips, cursing mentally for gawking for too long at the established branded 'best salesman' the company ever had, because he usually worked overtime weeks on ends with almost no breaks. You weren't surprised to think that he was an workaholic. Japan has its fair share of workaholics, it would be very awkward not to see a good amount of them passed out on the streets or, like your coworker, in his desk.
You walked confidently to your desk, putting your bag down and turning the computer on. Since the desks were joined together in lines, yours were in the row of his, and as such from your left side, you could have a clear view of him. Licking your lips, you took your gloves off while sparing a glance at his now hunched figure over the computer. "You look like you need a cup of coffee."You stated, tilting your head slightly to the right. "Would you like me to bring you one?"
"No thank you. I don't want to give you any trouble." He said, not looking at you, leaning his mouth against his fist as he carefully analyzed the numbers in his computer.
"Nonsense. It's no trouble at all." You said with a smile, not getting any kind of acknowledged glance from him. "You seemed to need, need one. I'm getting it for you." You didn't wait for his reply as you stood up and went to the kitchen to brew the poor man a pot of fresh coffee. Surprise, surprise, people of this company had an exaggerated addiction to coffee.
After finishing brewing it, your eyes slowly went to the small packs of sugar neatly tucked in a small bowl. He never drank his coffee with sugar. Wait! How does you know that?
Snickering to yourself, you pursed your lips and grabbed two small packs of sugar. He doesn't need to know that you unconsciously know that he doesn't drink it with sugar. You'd be horrified if he questioned you that. Weird enough is that you two never had any kind of conversation before. Always a 'good morning' or 'see you tomorrow'. Nothing more than that.
Making your way back to the desks, you gave him his coffee, which he took it gratefully. Thanking you with the same rusty tired voice. In the five minutes that he has been awake, his voice should be stirring from the tiredness by now. "I didn't know if you liked sugar or not, so here it is."
"Thank you." He said, grabbing the sugar and putting it down beside his keyboard.
You nodded with a smile before sitting down on your chair, adjusting the two people family picture and giving a small kiss on your index finger and press it on Akio's face. When your fingers started to type, you caught from the corner of your eyes, your coworker bluntly staring at you. Managing to successfully keeping the small smile that wanted to sneak on your lips.
"I don't like sugar." His now more 'awake' voice caught you off guard. He watched your lips tear him up a smile. "At least on my coffee."
"Sorry. I had no idea."
"You shouldn't apologize for something so trivial." He continued with his hand on his mouse, eyes never leaving yours. Attentively seeing the numbers glossing in your (e/c) eyes.
You said nothing, opting to instead spared him another smile, not looking at him. "I apologize if I'm distracting you."
"Oh! No, no." You glanced at him and then back at the computer. "You're not distracting me at all. I'm just finishing this up. Aaand done."
"You still have more numbers to take care of."
"I know. But at least I finished these up."
This was the farthest talk you ever had with him. To make it clearer, there was another one but it was very short. This one was when you almost tripped from the damn high heels the company required you to use, and he had caught you effortlessly, as he was expecting you to fall. You were astonished as you had never met someone with such inhuman reflexes. "You brought me a coffee but I don't see you with one."
"I don't like coffee that much. It fuels me with too much energy."
"That's the point of coffee."
"I can't burn this unlimited energy at home. I would lose the competition." Your short laugh was cut short at how your joke went to a very different direction you had hoped for. "I-I mean I have a four-year-old and he's a lot more energetic than I am…Even if I drink coffee…Hmm…Yeah, coffee doesn't work that well for me." You laughed nervously, clearing your throat, wishing to be able to vaporize in the air.
"I'm Nanami Kento."
"Everyone knows you, Mr. Nanami." You smiled, noticing that his dark circles were more prominent than before. "I'm L/n Y/n. Nice to meet you."
"Pleasure." He gave you a short nod, before fully returning to his work and not giving you any indication that he wanted to lose time in talking.
You smiled internally, fighting the urge to replay what the hell had just happened. Including the things, you could have said to make the conversation more pleasant to both. Barely you knew that Nanami Kento had enjoyed having this small talk with you, considering he isn't someone who enjoys such things.
After a long day at work, you stood in the kitchen stirring the soup when Akio came from behind and hugged your legs. You chuckled, looking down and seeing him brimming with a smile. "Go sit down, dinner is almost ready." You heard his little feet stomping down the wooden floor. Your facial expression melting into an aching one, shifting the weight from one leg to the other, trying to ease the tension that had built while working on high heels. A policy the company had for women. Wear high heels and make-up while keeping a well-disposition nature no matter what.
With dinner ready, you brought two bowls of soup tio the table, putting the smaller one in front of Akio, taking the koi plushie out of his hand as he kept his eyes solely onto the tv. "Eat." You wet your thumb and wipe it off a yogurt smudge out of his cheek, going to grab his juice form the fridge. "Careful, it's hot."
"How sad." He said, still looking at the tv and holding the little Doraemon spoon in his little hand, turning his head to the side as you walked in front of the tv, putting his juice down.
You sat down with a heavy sigh, taking a sip of water before looking at him. You arched an eyebrow, and turned around to look at the tv and since you always sat with your back turned to it, you almost fell, hitting your knees on the chabudai table in the process. The volume was all down and the news layout was talking about the murder of three high schoolers. "Akio you shouldn't be watching that." You scolded, grabbing his spoon and stirring the soup for himself, while reaching for the remote and turn the tv off. "Now eat."
"There was a four-eyed monster with three arms behind the reporter." He said, unbothered by the description he had given. "It had a big mouth in the middle of his eyes and he was purple."
"Don't say such things Akio." You brushed him off. "Eat your soup."
"Can I sleep in your bed tonight?" His voice held a hint of hope in it.
"Only if you eat your soup."
"Okay."
You smiled, watching as he proceeded to eat his food in silence. You wondered if he's in the stage of seeing imaginary things. Some children do not see them, guess Akio isn't part of that group. "How was your day, mommy?"
"It was good honey, thank you. How was school?"
"Mine was nice too. But my friend Aimi had something tied around her neck and resting on her shoulder. She complained about it and when I told her what she had, she looked at me funny and said that I was weird." He shrugged, taking a spoon of soup. "I think she doesn't want me to be her friend anymore."
"Huh…what did she had on her shoulder??" You settled your spoon down before you could even taste it.
"It had one eye, no mouth and it was yellow with black spots. Oh, and it was its tail that was tied around her neck." Akio said, rubbing one of his eyes. "I tried to touch it but it hissed and I was scared. I don't think Aimi doesn't want to be near me again. Can I have more bread, please?"
"…Sure. Of course." You split the bread into small sections, giving it to him. You had read a book about on how to try to talk with small children about "seeing" things. You had never had any kind of support besides the books, videos and lectures related to childbearing. "Akio, baby. Whatever you are seeing, those things are not real." You said in a gentle yet hesitant tone, trying to approach this matter with care. You had prepared yourself for everything parenthood had planned for you, and as such you didn't want to mess up this stage of his life.
"I'm pretty sure they are, mommy." He retorted, drinking his juice. "But I'm not afraid. They see me but they don't follow me or say anything offensive at all."
"I-huh. That's good." You found yourself in a stall, watching as he set his bowl aside and folded his arms on the table, smiling brightly at you.
"I will wait for you to finish your soup. I don't want you to sit alone."
Your gaze remained locked on his eyes, a short quick flash turned him into that disgraceful man with the blackest sunglasses resting on the tip of his nose, one that hid the most unusual bright blue eyes behind it, while holding a brazen smirk on his lips. His unruly white hair brushing the sides of his cheeks. "I hope you don't mind me sitting here. You look so alone."
"Be my guest. Just don't talk to me."
"Mommy??"
"Ouch! That's harsh."
Sigh.
"I'm Gojo Satoru-!"
"Mommy." A squeeze on your hand brought you violently back. Your son's eyebrows furrowing in concern, his lips parted as he tried to understand what just happen. Your heart twisted, your throat felt dry and your eyes darted around his face. "Are you okay?"
"Yes, kiddo. I'm alright." You laughed, taking his little hand and kissing it.
"I don't want to alarm you. But your soup is already cold."
"Cold soup is alright too."
"I guess." Akio smiled back, retreating his hand back to hide it under his elbow. "Can we take a walk tomorrow?"
"Of course baby."
"Nice. I will take my Koibruh with me. So he can see other Kois on the pond."
You smiled with the appetite already lost but still forcing yourself to eat. No matter how many times you pushed his memories away, he always found a way to stir the anger you had confined in the depths of your soul. Keeping it locked until one day, you'd make him pay for everything he had put you through.
One day he will pay.
One day.
The previous night had been a restless one for you. Akio had fallen asleep the moment he hit the pillows, leaving you with a hateful sourness rotting your brain away with the first encounter you had with that blue-eyed bastard, offering you a sleepless night.
You looked down as Akio continued to try to get the Koi's attention, showing them his plushie, telling them his name and how much he knows about them. You watched him closely, keeping yourself near him in case he would slip and fall.
Not once he asked about his father or why you never tried to find some else. When children asked him about it, he would simply reply that his mommy is everything he will ever need. Even keeping an overly polite/sarcastic demeanor when older people would ask the same question with a hidden derogatory meaning, only for him to tell them that he doesn't talk with strangers. Earning him the reputation of a rowdy child for not answering their 'innocent' question. Some people really thought that they were entitle to know everything about everyone. Even if those people were nothing but pure strangers.
Bending, you ran yours fingers on his hair, receiving a happy smile from him. He pulled his plushie back to him, watching the Kois swimming around, giving up from being near him since he had no food for them. "Pretty."
"Yes." He answered back, waving to the Kois before getting up and offering his hand. "We should get them some food."
"Another day kiddo." You ran a hand over his head, pulling his hair back and pressing a kiss on his forehead. "You know you have to go to your playdate. Miss Clarice has baked some brownies for you and your friends."
"I don't wanna go." Akio pouted. "I'd rather stay here in the park with you."
"I know love. But mommy is only going to work for a very few short hours. Then I will pick you up and we can come back here with some food for the Kois. What do you think? Hm?"
"Only for a very few short hours." He raised his finger, smiling as he closed one eye when you kissed his cheekbone.
"I promise." You stood up, raising a hand and waving to Andriette, Clarisse's older daughter. "Do you want me to take Koibruh to work, so he can keep an eye on my working hours?"
"Hmm, sure." He gave his plushie, swinging from one side to the other. "He's good at keeping track of the hours."
"Hello."
"Andriette." Akio hugged her, immediately taking her hand.
"Nice to see you, Andriette. I see you are sleeping well."
"Yeah. I finally got accepted to study abroad. Mom isn't happy."
"Why? That's a great opportunity for your studies."
"She knows I'm going to try and talk to my dad. And truth be told, that's the sole reason why I'm going abroad."
"Well, I huh, I hope everything goes well for you," You smiled. "Does your dad know about this?"
"Of course he does. In my opinion, their divorce was a good thing. My mom thought that pushing him away from us would kill the desire to know him better." Andriette looked down at Akio and then back at her. She lowered her voice a little bit. "Jokes on her. We all want to make up for the lost time."
"I can still hear you talking Andriette."
"Oh! I'm sorry little guy."
"I don't get sad because I don't have a dad. You shouldn't avoid talking about it because of me. I like to hear people talk about their joys."
"Sometimes I feel like I'm talking to an adult." Andriette laughed, forgetting how uncommonly shrewd this kid truly was. "Well, we better get going. There are more kids to pick up."
"Thank you again. I would have dropped him there but-!"
"Don't worry, Y/n. You are a friend. We stick for each other."
"Thanks." You got down on one knee, and kissed Akio on the cheek again. "See you later kiddo."
"Later. "He waved and began to walk away before turning around." Oh and keep an eye on the hours Koibruh." He smiled from ear to ear and turned his attention to Andriette as they began to walk away.
You watched them leaving, their figures no longer at your sight. You squeezed the plushie while marching towards the direction of work. You continued to walk, mentally writing down everything you needed to do before picking up Akio. You stopped at the crosswalk, looking at your watch until from the corner of her eyes you caught Kento beside you. His dark blue with thin white stripes suit and white shirt perfectly ironed, his hairstyle neatly combed, and his dark red tie with dots matching perfectly.
"Mr. Nanami how good to see you."
His eyes followed the sound of your voice, looking at you briefly, before keeping his eyes trained dead ahead. "Ms. L/n."
You smiled internally, looking at the street sign. Your dark blue work attire giving off the appearance of a high-class citizen, despite that you weren't even close to that. The only thing missing was a makeup face where you usually applied on the bus.
As soon as the light became green, you began walking towards the bus stop, moving through a sea of people with Nanami close behind. If you glanced back to see if he was there, your eyes wouldn't be able to see him. But unlike you, he had a great view range. Even if you were a different side, he would still be able to pinpoint exactly where you were as well as tell you apart from the people around you.
Call it a special skill that is only known to certain hidden individuals of society.
Reaching the bus stop, you waited in the queue to get into the bus that was already there. You politely thanked the older man that allowed you to get in before him. You knew he only allowed it because he wanted to check on you. You, however, didn't mind. You got a nice seat and usually proceeded to ignore every stare you got.
As you sat down, you placed Akio's plushie on the empty seat next to you, a common practice that Japanese people usually have is not to sit next to outsiders or outsiders looking people. Not that you complained. You liked having no one beside you. The only ones that typically sat beside you are mommies, a few students, foreigners, and some people who don't mind at all…Including those who think they can get lucky.
Crossing your her legs, you could tell that you were being stared at. You are still young, and regardless of it or not, the stares seemed to have increased a lot and with different meanings behind them. Opening your bag you proceeded to get a small make-up kit and began to apply the perfect amount for someone in your line of work. Avoiding giving a mature look but also keeping it light and not too much younger.
Stopping with the lipstick inches away from your lips, you slightly tilted your head to the side, noticing that Nanami had sat in front of you, staring at you with his usual stoic expression. He averted his eyes, looking elsewhere but you, after you gave him a polite smile and then proceeding to continue with your routine.
After finishing up, you enjoyed the remaining ride in silence, making sure you looked presentable and fresh for a stressful workday. Reaching your stop, you got up and walked up to the doors, waiting for the bus to stop. Nanami watched you digging your hand in your purse, searching for something in the bag, before leaving the bus the moment it stopped.
Walking towards your next destination, you abruptly stopped, ready ready to speed run back to the bus. As you did, you stopped mere inches away from Nanami's chest, completely frozen in place as your eyes slowly traveled up to his brown eyes. You gaped, unable to convey any emotion but taking a few steps back. "You forgot this." He brought the koi plushie up, seeing your face instantly relax as a nervous laugh rumbled up from your chest to your lips.
"Mr. Nanami." You smacked the side of your head, before grabbing the plushie. "Thank you so much. I can't believe I almost lost it."
"You were going to come late to work because of this?" He asked, hand falling into his side.
"Yes, definitely." You admitted with a nod, looking at it and petting it. "I know things would go bad for me at the company but I cannot afford to lose it."
"You could always buy a new one."
"Oh, that's not how it works. My son is very sharp about his things. He would notice."
"Children usually don't pay attention to it unless you tell them."
You put a little bit more space so he could be more comfortable since you were still a bit close to him. He, however, didn't budge. "Not my son. If you meet him, you'll know what I mean. Sometimes is like I'm talking to a grown astute man."
…
"Anyway thank you, Mr. Nanami." You used your thumb to point behind you as you started to take a few steps back. "I know this amazing place where you can have breakfast. And-!"
"I appreciate it. But I have to go."
"You sure?" You stopped, your smile never faltering. "It's not just cheap, but also high quality. Not to mention that everything is delicious."
...
"You don't have to sit with me, Mr. Nanami. I don't think no one would judge you if you did."
"Why would they?" He inquired, shoving one hand in his pocket.
You shrugged, looking to the side while raising one hand and holding the plushie in the other. "I don't like to use the outsider card but it could be because of it."
"That's idiotic."
"I know. But the judgment is always there. Not saying all people see and think like that. Only some."
...
"Unless it would cause some straining between you and your significant other."
Nanami looked at his watch while gripping his suitcase. He usually arrived way earlier than anyone. But because of his good deed, he would not come late but he was also not going to arrive at his usual hour. He pondered, head still down but eyes snapping up.
He watched your eyebrows lower, proceeding to give him a polite bow and walking towards to your destination. Nanami watched you closely, noticing that you were walking slower so he could keep up. He wondered if you were doing it on purpose so he could be spared of whatever judgment he could receive from people he truly didn't care about.
"Yes. They serve black sour coffee." You stated when he walked side by side with you.
"Do they have bread?"
"In a matter of fact, they do. The bakery girl is a friend. You will love her food." You looked up at him.
"Hm."
You smiled, pressing the plushie closer to your side, afraid to lose it again. You had your day already planned, but a surprise was always a welcome one. No one at work would believe seeing Nanami outside work casually hanging out with a colleague. Despite this being nothing casual at all.
"Do you always drink the same thing?" You dared to ask, sipping your green tea while looking at Nanami.
Despite sitting in a relaxed position, he seemed to be stiff as board with an all so present and polite appearance. "I do enjoy other things too."
"Like what?" You hoped your friendly tone could ease the slight tension. Part of you only wanted to keep conversation so it wouldn't be awkward, but the other part was genuinely interested in knowing more about this man, not emotionally or physically. "I apologize. I didn't mean to come across as nosey."
"It's ok. How long have you been living here?" Nanami asked, thumb rubbing around the hot coffee cup, keeping the index finger inside the handle.
"Here, in Tokyo or Japan?"
"Japan."
"I moved here when I was eleven. Been here for six years." You said, sipping your tea. "Don't deal with people that much. Gets frustrating when I try to keep up with society itself."
"It must be lonely."
"Not at all. I have my sunshine." You proudly admitted, looking at the plushie and then at him. "And a few friends. And about you?"
"Aren't you married?" He asked, seeing a shocked expression instantly taking over you. He regretted asking you such personal question when you only asked about non personal trivial things.
But in reality, you found your shackles tighten up. You had lied about being a married woman with a child so you could get the job. Your work mostly had men and usually, single moms were frowned upon. Not to mention the government support was not one of the greatest. You looked down and took a large gulp of tea, completely ignoring how hot it was.
"I'm sorry L/n. I didn't mean to offend you."
"What? No, no, no." You laughed, kindheartedly. "You didn't offend me. Don't worry."
Nanami didn't want the conversation to turn into a sour silence. He looked at his reflection on the black coffee before looking back at you. He leaned forward, still holding his cup. "I like cooking and bread. Including dishes fried in garlic oil."
You graced your lips with a smile, raising the cup at him. "I drink to that. I like garlic bread."
"Me too." He finally began to drink his coffee, feeling the tension that exuded from him decrease.
"I'm a single mother." Your low voice snapped his eyes to you. You don't know why you're telling him this. You know nothing about him, but you did know that he was a fair person. Many would take this as an advantage to further their career. But Nanami was different. You knew he was. "I lied so I could get the job."
....
"I had to....for my sunshine."
"I don't have a lower opinion of you because of it." He relaxed. Noticing that your voice was firm with strong-willed words. "You do what it takes for him. That's dedication and true love."
You only answered him with a positive smile, settling your empty cup down. "I'm paying it."
"Please don't. I will-!"
"I insist."You lifted a hand, wallet already in hand." Please finish your coffee or we are going to be late." You stood up and walked up to the cashier, absentedly rubbing your lips together.
"He's cute Y/n." The bakery girl, Yua whispered, taking her credit card. "He's looking at you."
"It's for today Yua." You sighed. "We have to go to work."
"I'm just saying." Yua finished the payment, winking at Y/n with a smirk.
"It was nice seeing you."
"Likewise, come back and bring little Akio next time." She bowed and waved to both.
Finishing her goodbyes, you grabbed the plushie and waited for Nanami at the door. As they stepped outside, they walked silently to work, surprisingly still on schedule which was something good. Since Nanami, above all people, wasn't paying attention to the clock, you had a great time track record. No wonder. You are a mother, so it all makes complete sense.
When they reached the workplace, you gave him a farewell smile and went to your desk, not wasting time in getting yourself busy. You still noticed the very obvious stares some of the coworkers gave to Nanami. A person who was always there before everyone else.
As you proceeded to continue with your work routine, including kissing Akio's photo and settling the plushie aside. You noticed Nanami's eyes were set on you. Yet he was at the same time, paying attention to whatever the men were talking to him. Always keeping track of their questions, ignoring specific queries about him staring bluntly at their sixth female coworker.
Yes. They (some) usually referred to you as the sixth. At least between their convos. They never dared to say it to your face. The company wouldn't admit such disrespect either.
You continued to work. Making a mental note about Akio and how much time would be consumed making trips between Clarisse's home, park, supermarket, and home. Sunday was home cleaning day whereafter it, they would both go shopping for the house and basic needs.
Time flew smoothly. Not only you managed to do whatever you could for today, you still had extra time to make a peaceful walk to Clarisse's house without having to give in to the frenetic rush to get there on time. Nanami on the other hand was still working. He stopped staring the moment everyone began to pay attention to their jobs, feeling awkward to have done it in the first place.
Putting your bag over your shoulder, you fought with the decision to wave at him. If you did it, you'd be branded as promiscuous. If you didn't, you'd come across as rude and inconsiderate on some ethical level. "Y/n." You stopped right around the end of the desks, unaware that you were pondering the decision for too long that you didn't pay him attention.
"Yes?" You asked, looking at his hand as he again gave you the koi plushie back.
You sighed loudly, shoulders slumping down, and covering your eyes before taking it. "I'd lose my head if it wasn't attached to my body. Thank you." You laughed. "Akio would not like it."
"Listen. I appreciate you taking me to have breakfast. Maybe when you're not busy, I'd like to buy you a drink. As a token of my gratitude."
Taken back by such an approachable offer, you wondered where was the stoic aloof man he portrayed to be. "I'd like that, yes. But are you aware that the company doesn't allow coworkers to see each other outside of work, right?"
"I'm aware of their guidelines." He loosens his tie a bit, already preparing to stay overtime, something he hated. "I don't bid by the rules of people who try to control my life."
You smiled, giving him an understandable nod. "I will let you know when I'm available, Kento." That's it. You said it. If he doesn't complain, then they can become friends.
"Very well. Have a nice weekend." He slightly bowed, walking towards his desk and pulling his chair.
You left the office with a smile on your face. Not noticing Nanami's gaze as the elevators door closed on your back.
As you had promised, you picked Akio and took him back to the Koi pond. He wouldn't be able to stay for too long, they still had to get some groceries before the supermarket closed and the sky begins to darken.
Raising an eyebrow, you noticed that he didn't go to see the fish but remained seated next to you. He was silently staring at the plushie, rubbing its fluffy body. You tugged your lips, gently stroking his head. "What is it kiddo? Are you okay?"
…
"Akio?"
"Koibruh told me you forgot him on the bus and at your work." He said, looking up at your taken back expression. "Who is Nanami?"
For the first time in four years, you felt creeped out. The first time you had felt like this was when that blue-eyed bastard used to stalk you and annoy the shit out of you. You had almost called the cops on him because he was of legal age compared to you. Something uncommon from where you came from.
But this?
This was completely different. It gave you momentarily chills. The quickest and logical solution you had found was that someone had seen you with Nanami and commented with someone where Akio stood nearby. But, at Clarisse's house, there were only kids and Yua didn't know Clarisse or any of her daughters or the other mommies.
Maybe they did know each other. And there was the slip where it leads to gossiping. It has to be. Right? The damn plushie was just a doll. There's no such thing as spirits and curses. Even that bastard had mocked such existence when you two watched the Exorcist together. Where he got a taste of a nice punch in the face when his hand 'accidentally' slipped too low to your liking.
"Akio, baby…Who told you that?"
"Koibruh."
You sighed, your eyelids slightly dropping. Someone told him. There's no possible way he knows that. He's on that stage of seeing imaginary things and telling you that they talk to him as well. Pursing your lips, you kissed his head. Maybe is best to let it go and talk with the other mommies to know if they have something to say about all this. "I'm sorry baby. Mommy was too focused on her work."
"Okay, but who is Nanami?"
"A work friend." You smiled, masking the anger that had built inside of you towards the others. "Maybe one day you'll meet him."
"Pass."
"Akio." You scolded. "Don't be like that."
Akio looked to the side, scrunching his nose, squeezing the fat plushie. He leaned his head against your chest, still not looking at you. "Are you jealous?"
"Yes."
"Oh, baby." You chuckled, kissing his head. "You know you're the only man of my life. No one is going to take you away from me."
"You promise?"
You watched his eyes spark. His eyes somewhat looking brighter than ever. You lower yourself, rubbing your nose on his. "I do."
"I love you, mommy."
"I love you too, kiddo."
As ignorance began to predominantly grow ruts around your soul and life, fate seemed to foreshadow the worst that unavoidably awaited for you. The path ahead is ready. All you have to do is to keep walking on it and prepare yourself for what is comming.