Aki Hayawa

Work was work, as it always was.

Aki was lucky to have the job he did, though. People weren't his strong suit, and neither would customer service be, so naturally something out of the service industry like this lucky office job of his.

Does it really count as an office job if he's either at home or the library? Who cares. Semantics.

Aki appreciates the routine he has. The quiet of his apartment, or the quiet of the library, his two go to spots to do his work on his laptop.

However, he'd been spending a lot more time at the library lately.

That was mostly because of you. He'd seen you working the day you first started there, pushing around that little book kart and restocking shelves with your headphones in.

The sunlight was streaming through those big windows, casting a soft glow over your features in the early-ish hours of the morning he usually went in during.

Aki wasn't usually one to focus too much on others, but... something about you caught his attention.

Maybe it was your hair, he wondered how you got it to look so nice.

Maybe it was your style, how effortlessly comfortable yet put together you looked.

Maybe it was those headphones you wore, and how he couldn't help but always wonder what you were listening to.

It seemed you noticed him too, the way he'd catch you glancing at him while replacing the books, or sitting at the counter clicking away at the computer there.

It took a few weeks before either of you shared a single word. That was only when you were doing some cleanup one morning and saw a book sitting on the round table Aki was usually at.

All you had asked was if he was reading the book, and he head simply shook his head before watching you take it.

Wow. Your voice was just as captivating as the rest of you, even if he only heard you say four words.

It was a while before you spoke again, and when you did, it was you quietly offering him a bookmark you'd written your number on.

---

Two or three dates later, you found yourself sitting on his couch after enjoying a meal Aki had cooked and sharing some simple conversation.

Aki was usually so reserved, and he still was, but around you he at least found it somewhat enjoyable to speak instead of getting words out being a chore.

Just as you were about to leave, it started heavily pouring outside. You hadn't brought an umbrella, and Aki's had broken the previous day. Trying to make it back to the nearest train station home in this weather would have been a chore, and Aki would have driven if he hadn't had to park nearly a block away.

So here you were, in borrowed pajamas, using a fresh toothbrush he'd had still in the package in a drawer to brush your teeth, preparing to stay the night over.

You were just spitting out your toothpaste when Aki entered the bathroom to wash his face before bed. He did, but after doing so, he pulled that ever present hair tie out.

Aki could tell you were staring, and he narrowed his eyes slightly before checking himself in the mirror.

"What? Is there still soap on my face?"