The Purple Pharmacy (1/3)
Title: The Purple Pharmacy
Length: One shot (split in 3 parts)
Setting: AU
Pairing: Sakumoto
Word counts: 8000++
Rating: PG-13
Genre: Fluff, light angst
Note: This is a birthday fic for my beta
ivenclaire .Iven, I'm sorry I wasn't able to finish this exactly on your birthday but finally I can post this even if it's a week late. I never thought it could be this long but at least you don't have to wait long for this. So I hope you'll enjoy reading this as much as I enjoy writing this for you even there wasn't an ounce of birthday theme inside the fic lols.
Iven, thank you so much for always being patient with me
Sho tried so hard to remember what he had eaten last night. Nothing too weird as far as he knows, he convinced himself. Unless, he took into account the free bento Aiba had passed to him in the office. And that was two days ago. He had kept it in his fridge when he had forgotten to eat his lunch… again. It was still looking okay-ish last night so he heated it up with his microwave and dig in. He assumed that the microwave would kill any bacterias and whatever inside it. Right? Or not… since he had the worst case of diarrhoea he ever remembered.
This is terible! Sho cursed a million times as he literally crawled out of his toilet, clutching his cramped stomach. He had calculated a total of five times he had been inside it within just an hour.
This needs to stop asap. He needs medical’s help, he thought. Only that he had nothing in his apartment that remotely able to stop his predicament he was in.
His head was spinning. As he stepped outside his apartment block, he stopped for a while to think. At first he was thinking of going to a clinic. But then, seeing a doctor would take too long and he couldn’t wait. His stomach already whirring like a broken washing machine, indicating that he needed to find a toilet soon.
So he made a rushed step towards the Pharmacy he usually frequent. To be fair it was the only Pharmacy he knew since it was the nearest to his place and Sho hadn’t got time to explore the others after he moved in here ever since he was being transferred to their office branch in Yokohama.
However, Sho nearly wept when he saw the silver shutter of the Pharmacy was down. He stared hard, willing the door to open magically for him. Why? Why it’s closed on this very moment when it’s supposed to open?! Couldn’t the owner or worker or whomever work see the plight of people such as him who needs help?!
His stomach protested, again. He couldn’t keep staring. In desperation he fished his phone out and open the browser. He typed ‘Pharmacy Fujigaoka Yokohama’ and the result was so many he couldn’t pick one. He blamed himself for the unspecific search term but his trembling and sweaty fingers couldn’t type more. Moreover, his body had lost so much fluid his mind couldn’t think much. He gruffed loudly, in frustration.
Clutching his painful abdomen, he walked aimlessly. Somehow it occurred to him to call Aiba. Forgoing his temporary anger towards his officemate who was causing him this mess (he refused to admit that it was solely his fault) Sho went to his contact list and dialled Aiba’s number. Aiba lived just a few blocks away and he was here longer than him, so Sho assumed that he must probably know some Pharmacies or any drug stores nearby.
He waited just three dial tones before Aiba picked up cheerfully.
“Yo, what’s up Sho-chan?” Sho disregarded the affectionate suffix Aiba already attached to his name even he was only knowing him for two weeks.
“Aiba-san, do you happen to know some Pharmacies nearby?”
“Where are you Sho-chan?”
Sho told him where he was and Aiba, how sweet of him to cut the line off abruptly after saying “Don’t worry Sho-chan, I’ll sent some addresses for you!” like he was on a mission or something.
True to his words, Aiba did send a few addresses to his email within a minute. There were at least ten of them. Sho replied back to make Aiba suggest one that was the nearest besides the one that was closed.
*
ShakeIt Pharmacy.
Sho stared at the bright purple neon sign board. He wasn’t that fluent in English but he knew that ‘Shake’ and ‘It’ shouldn’t be combined as a single word. But whatever. He wasn’t here for correcting the English or something. He came here because he needed help for his diarrhoea.
A tan man, smaller than him greeted him quietly as he pulled open the glass door and he was hit by the smell of medicines. However, the first word Sho unintentionally blurted out to the small man was ‘Toilet’. The quiet shop keeper, or an assistant more like - since he was wearing a purple apron and his nametag spelled ‘Ohno’ - led him to the one inside without any words.
After finishing his business, Sho went out, wiping the sweat that was gathering on his forehead with the back of his hand. As he was heading out he heard someone’s voice inside the office that he passed. It wasn’t that he’s being a nosy but he was intrigue by the tone of the conversation - or an argument, although it was repressed - judging by the sound he heard coming from the crack door. He couldn’t see much really but he did see a flash of a man in a white coat inside. Sho shrugged, reminding himself on why he was here.
The Pharmacy was very much one would expect from a drug store. It was clean, bright and very professional-looking. However, something so pronounced about this particular pharmacy caught Sho’s eyes right away. In fact, everyone would definitely notice it once they stepped inside.
There were a lot of purple on the shelves, the signs, the tags and the wall. Even the Prescription counter was made of slick, shiny purples finishing. Luckily the light and the floor weren’t in that colour otherwise it would drive Sho crazy.
Not that he hated purple, violet, lavender or whatever people called that kind of colour, it was just there was too much for Sho’s liking he was wondering if his eyes turned violet already. Sho shrugged, telling himself who was he to complaint when he also seemed to be fond of bright, angry colours himself.
He quietly waited in front of the counter. Rows and rows of prescription medicines that were stacked behind the counter, in a glass cabinet stared back at him coldly. There were a few customers, quietly surveying the items on the racks in the Supplement’s section. And two others at the OTC section. Sho found that after a while, the smell of medicine didn’t bother him that much anymore as his nostril easily adjusted to that.
There were two practicing license certificates displayed prominently on the wall near to the counter. One of them stated that the pharmacist in charged was Matsumoto Jun and the other belonged to Ninomiya Kazunari. Sho tried to guess which of the two names belonged to the man inside the office he overheard but of course he could only guess.
Sho looked around, his eyes finding the assistant that was helping him just now. He was in the middle of entertaining the costumer’s question - an old man - with a sleepy expression that indicated he would rather see a bed than facing the customer. The assistant’s eyes caught Sho’s. He nodded a little before turning back to the enquiring man.
He looked around again. It seemed that the only worker inside this shop was that sleepy assistant and the man inside the office. Sho was tapping his fingers on the counter, started to feel rather impatient for being neglected. He was biting his lips ready to curse for the bad service when the man inside the office came out.
And Sho was temporarily stunned.
There was no sign that the man in the white coat was ever upset after being involved in a heated argument over the phone just now. Instead, he was looking professional with sleek hair combed to perfection, or to Sho, a model that was masquerading as a pharmacist.
“I’m sorry for the wait. I’m Matsumoto, your pharmacist for today. What can I do for you?”
Sho could only blink. His voice stuck in his throat. His heart’s beat seemed louder to his ears. He hadn’t experienced this kind of thing for so long but he could still recognize the tell-tale sign of a love-struck teenager. Only that he wasn’t a teenager anymore. He was already a 34 years old man for god sake! A 34 years old man who hadn’t been in relationship for so long he couldn’t remember who his last boyfriend was.
But that wasn’t what he was here for, he told himself for the second time. He wanted the medication that is able to treat his condition! So he swallowed the lump and cracked open his mouth to let out a sound.
It was hoarse. Damn it!
Sho cleared his throat. The pharmacist - now Sho knew his name - looked at him expectantly.
“I… diarrhoea…”
“I’m sorry?”
Sho wanted to hit his own head. He must have looked so stupid right now.
“Can you… er… recommend me some antidiarrheal medications?”
“Oh, so you were the one who was asking for the toilet just now?”
Sho was expecting him to be laughed at but instead he was faced with the most beautiful comforting smile he ever received in his entire life. Okay, his mother’s smile was beautiful too but that was another story.
“Er… yeah…” Sho couldn’t stop the heat that was creeping onto his face. This was embarrassing. He already shattered whatever first impression of the man to him. He thought having diarrhoea so early in the morning was terrible but having Matsumoto Jun seeing him like he was right now was even more terrible.
Pharmacist Matsumoto - or Jun, the name Sho liked to call him so fondly inside his head - enquired briefly about his condition, his past medical and medication history. He flashed him a neutral look when Sho told him what he ate last night. While listening to his story, Sho noticed that Matsumoto’s hands were moving across the keyboard of the computer, entering Sho’s details rapidly. Sho also notices how long and graceful those fingers were. And most importantly there seemed to be no ring. Sho smiled briefly before he bit his lips and crinkling his forehead when another pain stabbed his stomach. He cursed his own abdomen inside his head for not cooperating well right now. Matsumoto seemed to notice his pain and he asked whether he was alright. Sho tried to curbed from further embarrassing himself by saying it wasn’t something worrying.
After he was satisfied that Sho didn’t seem to have any chronic condition he suggested a pill called Loperamide as well as mild pain killer that Sho should take a few times a day. A few sachets of rehydration salt were also packed for Sho to bring home because he was losing all those important electrolytes. He was also being advice to take a lot of fluid to replace the one he lost.
Sho listened attentively, not missing a single alphabet. Yes, he’ll take a lot of fluid. Yes, he’ll eat soft food. Yes, he’ll take the medicines as recommended. Yes, he won’t eat bad food anymore. And yes, he’ll see a doctor if his condition worsens. He told Pharmacist Matsumoto all that like a good boy. And his reward was more of those lovely smiles that would keep him company in his sleep for many nights.
Sho went home feeling a lot better than expected, and not forgetting to mention, having a very great sleep when a certain someone made an appearance in his dream.
*
Sho was back at work in no time. Matsumoto’s advices were working wonders for him. He walked to his desk with a smile on his lips, a whistling sound coming out from them. Aiba, who was already in the office greeted him enthusiastically. He didn’t forget to ask about Sho and why he was asking about the drug stores. Sho gave his answers vaguely, not saying anything about what Aiba’s bento did to him, but instead he showered Aiba with gratefulness for the suggestion that made Aiba grinned so widely.
Customers had started to fill gradually inside the bank. It was another tiring day. As the only Financial Analyst in this branch - there were previously two of them but one was recently quitted to join an international bank - Sho was pretty busy with his jobs; meeting clients, advising them on investments and stocks and also doing endless paper works. He worked a pretty long hour, often stayed back in his desk managing his clients’ profiles and sales forecast for his department. While he mostly stayed inside his office, his officemate Aiba Masaki mostly went out to meet his clients. As a loan officer, his bright and cheerful attitude had brought so much loan applications into their bank leading him to have the highest sales in his category among his peers each year.
It was no wonder, that Sho sometimes skipped lunches and in a way relied on Aiba to bring him food.
*
It was already a week since that fateful day. Sho had sensed some indescribable itchiness to visit the ‘purple’ pharmacy again; the main reason was to at least get a glimpse of the person in charge, namely Matsumoto Jun. He didn’t have any ailments right now but he believed that a healthy person could still go to a pharmacy, right? Perhaps, he could get advice on how to take care his health better. Okay, that was lame, Sho couldn’t deny it.
In actuality, Sho had found a revelation. It was such a long time since he felt like pursuing someone. Even though he didn’t know whether this Matsumoto guy was single or not, he would like to try his luck. Who knows, the Lady Luck might be on his side this time.
Thus, in a fine morning during the next weekend, Sho found his feet were practically stepping inside the particular shop. His eyes immediately zoomed onto the counter. Yes, there he was! Looking fine like what he had previously did, very busy talking to an elderly lady. A smile was automatically grazing his lips as he saw how Jun was patiently explaining things to his customer. Sho walked to the aisle that was filled with all those rolls bandages in different sizes on the shelves, feigning interest on them. He picked one up and without actually focusing on what he was doing he unintentionally put it back in the different place than it was supposed to. Truthfully he wasn’t intending to buy one. His eyes were fleeting back and forth towards the counter and the shelf. In the meantime, he kept himself moving along the aisle very slowly so the view on the counter won’t be lost to him.
“Anything that catch your eyes, sir?” Suddenly Sho was surprised by the Ohno guy who was looking at him interestingly. Sho jumped out of his wit. He nearly had a heart attack because of this man since he wasn’t actually paying attention to the items in front of him and he was quite afraid that this guy would notice what he was doing.
“Uhm, yes I would like to get these!” Sho said while his hand grabbed a few boxes of whatever was on the shelf and immediately rushed towards the counter. At the same time the lady that was talking to Jun - no, it’s Matsumoto, he reprimanded himself - was leaving Matsumoto to tending the computer alone in front of him. Sho dropped whatever he was holding onto the counter. Matsumoto looked up and his eyes lit up showing recognition. Inside, Sho’s heart soar but then dropped into the icy pit when he saw what he had done.
There were boxes of multi-coloured condoms scattered on the slick, purple counter. Sho was really red. Meanwhile Matsumoto was looking indifference as he picked them up to be scanned. All the while, Sho was frozen with embarrassment as he saw Matsumoto was packing all those things that he wasn’t intending to buy at all. He wanted to stop Matsumoto and returned them back saying it was all a mistake but he found his body to be uncooperative. What would Matsumoto think of him now? He didn’t want Matsumoto to misunderstood him and now he had given him another unfavourable impression of himself.
“Definitely feeling a lot better now, I assume?” Matsumoto asked with a repressed smile. If Sho wasn’t so busy chastising himself, he could probably go even redder now if he realized that it wasn’t exactly a literal question. He nodded vigorously without saying a thing back. After giving Matsumoto the money, he grabbed the bag and rushed out.
He had made a fool of himself.
*
His stomach was whining to be fed but Sho ignored it, opting to stay on his couch watching his tv without actually seeing, feeling completely miserable. He might have ruined his chances. Matsumoto was probably thinking he was having a sex party right now with how many boxes of condoms he bought this morning. Sho buried his head onto the small cushion he kept close to his chest, growling frustratingly onto it.
All those junk foods couldn’t keep his stomach from stop whining, so he decided to go to a restaurant for a proper classy food to comfort himself. Since he already received his monthly salary, he could give himself a treat tonight.
The restaurant was still packed with people even though it was already 10 p.m. Sho gathered that it was pretty popular with people since the ambience was pretty welcoming. Sho immediately ushered to his table and a waiter took his order swiftly. Sho looked around, waiting for his food. Then his eyes were fixed to a table not far away from his.
There he saw Matsumoto and a guy drinking wine. The finished plates were in front of them. They were talking animatedly but Sho couldn’t pick up what they were saying, the distance had prevented him from overhearing them. Sho was transfixed at them, wondering who the other was. He couldn’t see the other guy since his back was on him. Sho wanted to know whether that guy was Matsumoto’s boyfriend or just a friend. To Sho, they looked so easy with each other. The more Sho stared at them, the more Sho felt his chances had slipped away. With a sinking feeling, Sho acknowledged that there was a high chance that this guy was Matsumoto’s boyfriend.
It was during that time when Matsumoto’s eyes caught his. Sho froze without knowing what to do. As before, Matsumoto’s eyes were showing recognition and he proceeded with nodding at Sho with a gentle smile. Sho nodded back as the other guy turned his head around to look at Sho’s direction. Matsumoto said something to him. He saw the guy nodded something in understanding and Sho was so curious what Matsumoto was probably saying about him. He hoped that he won’t tell the other guy about what happened this morning.
Since Sho already saw what the other guy looked like, his heart sink further. That other guy was rather cute, smaller than Matsumoto with a face like a bunny and he understood if Matsumoto was in relationship with that man. They probably were having a date right now.
His food arrived. To comfort his broken heart, he dug in fast, wanting to finish it as soon as possible and bolt out of here.
Sho arrived at his home feeling full but frustrated.
2/3
Length: One shot (split in 3 parts)
Setting: AU
Pairing: Sakumoto
Word counts: 8000++
Rating: PG-13
Genre: Fluff, light angst
Note: This is a birthday fic for my beta
ivenclaire .Iven, I'm sorry I wasn't able to finish this exactly on your birthday but finally I can post this even if it's a week late. I never thought it could be this long but at least you don't have to wait long for this. So I hope you'll enjoy reading this as much as I enjoy writing this for you even there wasn't an ounce of birthday theme inside the fic lols.
Iven, thank you so much for always being patient with me
Sho tried so hard to remember what he had eaten last night. Nothing too weird as far as he knows, he convinced himself. Unless, he took into account the free bento Aiba had passed to him in the office. And that was two days ago. He had kept it in his fridge when he had forgotten to eat his lunch… again. It was still looking okay-ish last night so he heated it up with his microwave and dig in. He assumed that the microwave would kill any bacterias and whatever inside it. Right? Or not… since he had the worst case of diarrhoea he ever remembered.
This is terible! Sho cursed a million times as he literally crawled out of his toilet, clutching his cramped stomach. He had calculated a total of five times he had been inside it within just an hour.
This needs to stop asap. He needs medical’s help, he thought. Only that he had nothing in his apartment that remotely able to stop his predicament he was in.
His head was spinning. As he stepped outside his apartment block, he stopped for a while to think. At first he was thinking of going to a clinic. But then, seeing a doctor would take too long and he couldn’t wait. His stomach already whirring like a broken washing machine, indicating that he needed to find a toilet soon.
So he made a rushed step towards the Pharmacy he usually frequent. To be fair it was the only Pharmacy he knew since it was the nearest to his place and Sho hadn’t got time to explore the others after he moved in here ever since he was being transferred to their office branch in Yokohama.
However, Sho nearly wept when he saw the silver shutter of the Pharmacy was down. He stared hard, willing the door to open magically for him. Why? Why it’s closed on this very moment when it’s supposed to open?! Couldn’t the owner or worker or whomever work see the plight of people such as him who needs help?!
His stomach protested, again. He couldn’t keep staring. In desperation he fished his phone out and open the browser. He typed ‘Pharmacy Fujigaoka Yokohama’ and the result was so many he couldn’t pick one. He blamed himself for the unspecific search term but his trembling and sweaty fingers couldn’t type more. Moreover, his body had lost so much fluid his mind couldn’t think much. He gruffed loudly, in frustration.
Clutching his painful abdomen, he walked aimlessly. Somehow it occurred to him to call Aiba. Forgoing his temporary anger towards his officemate who was causing him this mess (he refused to admit that it was solely his fault) Sho went to his contact list and dialled Aiba’s number. Aiba lived just a few blocks away and he was here longer than him, so Sho assumed that he must probably know some Pharmacies or any drug stores nearby.
He waited just three dial tones before Aiba picked up cheerfully.
“Yo, what’s up Sho-chan?” Sho disregarded the affectionate suffix Aiba already attached to his name even he was only knowing him for two weeks.
“Aiba-san, do you happen to know some Pharmacies nearby?”
“Where are you Sho-chan?”
Sho told him where he was and Aiba, how sweet of him to cut the line off abruptly after saying “Don’t worry Sho-chan, I’ll sent some addresses for you!” like he was on a mission or something.
True to his words, Aiba did send a few addresses to his email within a minute. There were at least ten of them. Sho replied back to make Aiba suggest one that was the nearest besides the one that was closed.
*
ShakeIt Pharmacy.
Sho stared at the bright purple neon sign board. He wasn’t that fluent in English but he knew that ‘Shake’ and ‘It’ shouldn’t be combined as a single word. But whatever. He wasn’t here for correcting the English or something. He came here because he needed help for his diarrhoea.
A tan man, smaller than him greeted him quietly as he pulled open the glass door and he was hit by the smell of medicines. However, the first word Sho unintentionally blurted out to the small man was ‘Toilet’. The quiet shop keeper, or an assistant more like - since he was wearing a purple apron and his nametag spelled ‘Ohno’ - led him to the one inside without any words.
After finishing his business, Sho went out, wiping the sweat that was gathering on his forehead with the back of his hand. As he was heading out he heard someone’s voice inside the office that he passed. It wasn’t that he’s being a nosy but he was intrigue by the tone of the conversation - or an argument, although it was repressed - judging by the sound he heard coming from the crack door. He couldn’t see much really but he did see a flash of a man in a white coat inside. Sho shrugged, reminding himself on why he was here.
The Pharmacy was very much one would expect from a drug store. It was clean, bright and very professional-looking. However, something so pronounced about this particular pharmacy caught Sho’s eyes right away. In fact, everyone would definitely notice it once they stepped inside.
There were a lot of purple on the shelves, the signs, the tags and the wall. Even the Prescription counter was made of slick, shiny purples finishing. Luckily the light and the floor weren’t in that colour otherwise it would drive Sho crazy.
Not that he hated purple, violet, lavender or whatever people called that kind of colour, it was just there was too much for Sho’s liking he was wondering if his eyes turned violet already. Sho shrugged, telling himself who was he to complaint when he also seemed to be fond of bright, angry colours himself.
He quietly waited in front of the counter. Rows and rows of prescription medicines that were stacked behind the counter, in a glass cabinet stared back at him coldly. There were a few customers, quietly surveying the items on the racks in the Supplement’s section. And two others at the OTC section. Sho found that after a while, the smell of medicine didn’t bother him that much anymore as his nostril easily adjusted to that.
There were two practicing license certificates displayed prominently on the wall near to the counter. One of them stated that the pharmacist in charged was Matsumoto Jun and the other belonged to Ninomiya Kazunari. Sho tried to guess which of the two names belonged to the man inside the office he overheard but of course he could only guess.
Sho looked around, his eyes finding the assistant that was helping him just now. He was in the middle of entertaining the costumer’s question - an old man - with a sleepy expression that indicated he would rather see a bed than facing the customer. The assistant’s eyes caught Sho’s. He nodded a little before turning back to the enquiring man.
He looked around again. It seemed that the only worker inside this shop was that sleepy assistant and the man inside the office. Sho was tapping his fingers on the counter, started to feel rather impatient for being neglected. He was biting his lips ready to curse for the bad service when the man inside the office came out.
And Sho was temporarily stunned.
There was no sign that the man in the white coat was ever upset after being involved in a heated argument over the phone just now. Instead, he was looking professional with sleek hair combed to perfection, or to Sho, a model that was masquerading as a pharmacist.
“I’m sorry for the wait. I’m Matsumoto, your pharmacist for today. What can I do for you?”
Sho could only blink. His voice stuck in his throat. His heart’s beat seemed louder to his ears. He hadn’t experienced this kind of thing for so long but he could still recognize the tell-tale sign of a love-struck teenager. Only that he wasn’t a teenager anymore. He was already a 34 years old man for god sake! A 34 years old man who hadn’t been in relationship for so long he couldn’t remember who his last boyfriend was.
But that wasn’t what he was here for, he told himself for the second time. He wanted the medication that is able to treat his condition! So he swallowed the lump and cracked open his mouth to let out a sound.
It was hoarse. Damn it!
Sho cleared his throat. The pharmacist - now Sho knew his name - looked at him expectantly.
“I… diarrhoea…”
“I’m sorry?”
Sho wanted to hit his own head. He must have looked so stupid right now.
“Can you… er… recommend me some antidiarrheal medications?”
“Oh, so you were the one who was asking for the toilet just now?”
Sho was expecting him to be laughed at but instead he was faced with the most beautiful comforting smile he ever received in his entire life. Okay, his mother’s smile was beautiful too but that was another story.
“Er… yeah…” Sho couldn’t stop the heat that was creeping onto his face. This was embarrassing. He already shattered whatever first impression of the man to him. He thought having diarrhoea so early in the morning was terrible but having Matsumoto Jun seeing him like he was right now was even more terrible.
Pharmacist Matsumoto - or Jun, the name Sho liked to call him so fondly inside his head - enquired briefly about his condition, his past medical and medication history. He flashed him a neutral look when Sho told him what he ate last night. While listening to his story, Sho noticed that Matsumoto’s hands were moving across the keyboard of the computer, entering Sho’s details rapidly. Sho also notices how long and graceful those fingers were. And most importantly there seemed to be no ring. Sho smiled briefly before he bit his lips and crinkling his forehead when another pain stabbed his stomach. He cursed his own abdomen inside his head for not cooperating well right now. Matsumoto seemed to notice his pain and he asked whether he was alright. Sho tried to curbed from further embarrassing himself by saying it wasn’t something worrying.
After he was satisfied that Sho didn’t seem to have any chronic condition he suggested a pill called Loperamide as well as mild pain killer that Sho should take a few times a day. A few sachets of rehydration salt were also packed for Sho to bring home because he was losing all those important electrolytes. He was also being advice to take a lot of fluid to replace the one he lost.
Sho listened attentively, not missing a single alphabet. Yes, he’ll take a lot of fluid. Yes, he’ll eat soft food. Yes, he’ll take the medicines as recommended. Yes, he won’t eat bad food anymore. And yes, he’ll see a doctor if his condition worsens. He told Pharmacist Matsumoto all that like a good boy. And his reward was more of those lovely smiles that would keep him company in his sleep for many nights.
Sho went home feeling a lot better than expected, and not forgetting to mention, having a very great sleep when a certain someone made an appearance in his dream.
*
Sho was back at work in no time. Matsumoto’s advices were working wonders for him. He walked to his desk with a smile on his lips, a whistling sound coming out from them. Aiba, who was already in the office greeted him enthusiastically. He didn’t forget to ask about Sho and why he was asking about the drug stores. Sho gave his answers vaguely, not saying anything about what Aiba’s bento did to him, but instead he showered Aiba with gratefulness for the suggestion that made Aiba grinned so widely.
Customers had started to fill gradually inside the bank. It was another tiring day. As the only Financial Analyst in this branch - there were previously two of them but one was recently quitted to join an international bank - Sho was pretty busy with his jobs; meeting clients, advising them on investments and stocks and also doing endless paper works. He worked a pretty long hour, often stayed back in his desk managing his clients’ profiles and sales forecast for his department. While he mostly stayed inside his office, his officemate Aiba Masaki mostly went out to meet his clients. As a loan officer, his bright and cheerful attitude had brought so much loan applications into their bank leading him to have the highest sales in his category among his peers each year.
It was no wonder, that Sho sometimes skipped lunches and in a way relied on Aiba to bring him food.
*
It was already a week since that fateful day. Sho had sensed some indescribable itchiness to visit the ‘purple’ pharmacy again; the main reason was to at least get a glimpse of the person in charge, namely Matsumoto Jun. He didn’t have any ailments right now but he believed that a healthy person could still go to a pharmacy, right? Perhaps, he could get advice on how to take care his health better. Okay, that was lame, Sho couldn’t deny it.
In actuality, Sho had found a revelation. It was such a long time since he felt like pursuing someone. Even though he didn’t know whether this Matsumoto guy was single or not, he would like to try his luck. Who knows, the Lady Luck might be on his side this time.
Thus, in a fine morning during the next weekend, Sho found his feet were practically stepping inside the particular shop. His eyes immediately zoomed onto the counter. Yes, there he was! Looking fine like what he had previously did, very busy talking to an elderly lady. A smile was automatically grazing his lips as he saw how Jun was patiently explaining things to his customer. Sho walked to the aisle that was filled with all those rolls bandages in different sizes on the shelves, feigning interest on them. He picked one up and without actually focusing on what he was doing he unintentionally put it back in the different place than it was supposed to. Truthfully he wasn’t intending to buy one. His eyes were fleeting back and forth towards the counter and the shelf. In the meantime, he kept himself moving along the aisle very slowly so the view on the counter won’t be lost to him.
“Anything that catch your eyes, sir?” Suddenly Sho was surprised by the Ohno guy who was looking at him interestingly. Sho jumped out of his wit. He nearly had a heart attack because of this man since he wasn’t actually paying attention to the items in front of him and he was quite afraid that this guy would notice what he was doing.
“Uhm, yes I would like to get these!” Sho said while his hand grabbed a few boxes of whatever was on the shelf and immediately rushed towards the counter. At the same time the lady that was talking to Jun - no, it’s Matsumoto, he reprimanded himself - was leaving Matsumoto to tending the computer alone in front of him. Sho dropped whatever he was holding onto the counter. Matsumoto looked up and his eyes lit up showing recognition. Inside, Sho’s heart soar but then dropped into the icy pit when he saw what he had done.
There were boxes of multi-coloured condoms scattered on the slick, purple counter. Sho was really red. Meanwhile Matsumoto was looking indifference as he picked them up to be scanned. All the while, Sho was frozen with embarrassment as he saw Matsumoto was packing all those things that he wasn’t intending to buy at all. He wanted to stop Matsumoto and returned them back saying it was all a mistake but he found his body to be uncooperative. What would Matsumoto think of him now? He didn’t want Matsumoto to misunderstood him and now he had given him another unfavourable impression of himself.
“Definitely feeling a lot better now, I assume?” Matsumoto asked with a repressed smile. If Sho wasn’t so busy chastising himself, he could probably go even redder now if he realized that it wasn’t exactly a literal question. He nodded vigorously without saying a thing back. After giving Matsumoto the money, he grabbed the bag and rushed out.
He had made a fool of himself.
*
His stomach was whining to be fed but Sho ignored it, opting to stay on his couch watching his tv without actually seeing, feeling completely miserable. He might have ruined his chances. Matsumoto was probably thinking he was having a sex party right now with how many boxes of condoms he bought this morning. Sho buried his head onto the small cushion he kept close to his chest, growling frustratingly onto it.
All those junk foods couldn’t keep his stomach from stop whining, so he decided to go to a restaurant for a proper classy food to comfort himself. Since he already received his monthly salary, he could give himself a treat tonight.
The restaurant was still packed with people even though it was already 10 p.m. Sho gathered that it was pretty popular with people since the ambience was pretty welcoming. Sho immediately ushered to his table and a waiter took his order swiftly. Sho looked around, waiting for his food. Then his eyes were fixed to a table not far away from his.
There he saw Matsumoto and a guy drinking wine. The finished plates were in front of them. They were talking animatedly but Sho couldn’t pick up what they were saying, the distance had prevented him from overhearing them. Sho was transfixed at them, wondering who the other was. He couldn’t see the other guy since his back was on him. Sho wanted to know whether that guy was Matsumoto’s boyfriend or just a friend. To Sho, they looked so easy with each other. The more Sho stared at them, the more Sho felt his chances had slipped away. With a sinking feeling, Sho acknowledged that there was a high chance that this guy was Matsumoto’s boyfriend.
It was during that time when Matsumoto’s eyes caught his. Sho froze without knowing what to do. As before, Matsumoto’s eyes were showing recognition and he proceeded with nodding at Sho with a gentle smile. Sho nodded back as the other guy turned his head around to look at Sho’s direction. Matsumoto said something to him. He saw the guy nodded something in understanding and Sho was so curious what Matsumoto was probably saying about him. He hoped that he won’t tell the other guy about what happened this morning.
Since Sho already saw what the other guy looked like, his heart sink further. That other guy was rather cute, smaller than Matsumoto with a face like a bunny and he understood if Matsumoto was in relationship with that man. They probably were having a date right now.
His food arrived. To comfort his broken heart, he dug in fast, wanting to finish it as soon as possible and bolt out of here.
Sho arrived at his home feeling full but frustrated.
2/3