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“Alright, out with it, Manumaru, why’d you bring me here?”
The short tempered fennec fox sits cross-legged at one end of the table, an untouched beer sat in front of her, condensation dripping down the sides as she waits for a response. Singles Parties are one thing, Fenneko thinks to herself, but why am I here alone with him? Does he really think I want something like that?... With him?
‘Why’d you even come this far if you’re gonna be this standoffish? Shit– listen, this has nothing to do with you.’
The big cat on the other side of the booth pipes up, finally, trying to clear the air as he realizes the implication of going out, with Fenneko of all people, and back to the same restaurant, too?
‘Listen, Fenneko, I heard what happened with Resasuke and Retsuko. Truth be told, I’m… disappointed in him, y’know? All that coaching just for him to mess up off leash…’
“Coaching? No wonder Retsuko let it get so far, you were giving him tips on his game! I knew Space Cadet couldn’t manage that on his own–”
‘Listen to me– This isn’t about him, or getting them back together… I just want to know what he did wrong, do you know anything about that?’
“What, you thinking about going after him yourself?”
‘W-what? No, No!! Geez… it’s just… friends don’t let friends act like that, y’know? If I found out he was hurtin’ a lady…’
Fenneko grabs the now less-than-chilled beer and takes a hearty first sip, putting the glass back down to its coaster as she exhales.
“Alright… but only ‘cus I can tell you’re being sincere. It wasn’t anything terrible, I don’t think…” She puts her hand to her mouth, thinking back to hazy nights after the break up, trying to recollect the nights in. “She’s only ever said a few things to me, and I had to kind of pry them out of her. Nothing huge, just… inconsiderate stuff. Sniffs his fingers. Messy eater. Wasn’t really interested in stuff she wanted to do, like shopping. Couldn’t read between the lines– poor thing had bandages on her ankles for weeks when he kept walking around on that first date.”
Manumaru takes a sip from his beer, kind of peering to the side. ‘Yeah, that… sounds about right. He’s real considerate, when he notices stuff, but… he’s in his own world half the time. He barely shows himself that kind of care.’
“Yeah?”
Fenneko finishes her beer, taking down half of it in one continuous motion as if to punctuate her sentence– maybe intentionally doing so.
“She mentioned one other thing… There was that night, it was cold out, and she mentioned to him that she was cold, and…”
‘He didn’t think to give her his jacket, right?’
“Y’know what he said?” Fenneko puts on a deeper, slower voice, mocking Resasuke. “Yeah… I’m glad I brought my jacket… Jesus, right?” She cackles, coming to a slowdown as she signals to the waiter to bring another round of drinks.
‘Ugh… idiot. I guess I can’t necessarily blame her… at least, I’ve always had to talk to him as straightforward as possible, I couldn’t expect anyone to know that right off the bat.’
“Honestly, I don’t even think she could’ve if she did know,” Fenneko quips, ear flicking as she shows a bit of frustration at her friend. “She’s so soft-spoken, I can’t even imagine her outright asking for any of that. Girl has issues ordering food half the time.” She sneers, and eagerly grabs at the fresh beer as it’s placed on the table by a passing waiter. “I give him shit, but they just weren’t good for eachother, I think.”
‘No, no… he should at least be more conscious of that. Then again… he’d probably fare better with someone willing to remind him of that kind of thing.”
“Like you, gayboy?”
Manumaru spits out his drink, and, face red–
‘N-No, NO!’ He stammers, taking a sharp breath after a second to regain composure.
“Pfft, okay, coach. You keep telling yourself that.”
‘I’m serious! I-’ Trying to speak through the fox’s laughs, barely manages to defend himself, failing further at even being heard. ‘Hey! Am I not allowed to look out for my friend?’
Fenneko regains composure swiftly. “Listen, I get you, but you don’t need to lie about that kind of thing-” She stares him up and down, his ears back, face visibly sweating, “-even if you’re lying to yourself, Jesus. It’s okay.”
‘Of course it’s okay!’ Manumaru ejects. ‘I’m just looking out for him, and wanna make sure he treats the next lady he sees with more respect!’
The cat chugs the rest of his beer, and, in one swift motion, pushes his chair back and stands up, reaching into his pocket and grabbing change, enough to pay for more than what the two of them drank, which he quickly places onto the table. ‘T-thank you. Sorry to bug you on your night off.’ He tells Fenneko, as he begins to make a B-line to the front door.
“Oi!”
Manumaru turns around, locking eyes with the fox, who grins at him confidently.
“Good luck. I’ll see you around.”
Manumaru nods in understanding, and darts out the door, “overwhelmed with the accusations being hurled at him”, or so he tells himself as he makes his way to the train station.
—
That Monday, Manumaru makes his way to his desk in the sales department, only to be met by Resasuke, alone at his desk adjacent, uncharacteristically punctual. He’s been here for a bit, evident by several empty cans of cheap, sweet coffee.
“Hey, Resasuke! ‘Hell are you doing here so early?” Manumaru questions, to no response. Resasuke’s eyes shine with the bright, scrolling display of his monitor. n,
The big cat grabs the red panda’s head in one palm, turning it with a quick, forceful movement. The two lock eyes. “I said hey! You awake?”
‘Oh, yeah… I had an errand to run this morning… had to leave very early, so I came in early instead of going back home.’
“Oh, good on ya. Hey, listen, I heard about what happened, with you and Retsuko. I’m sorry to hear it.”
‘Oh… it’s alright. She was nice about it.’
“Still, man! That must’ve hurt!”
‘I suppose…’
“Oh, you’re helpless, man. We gotta get you back out there! Listen, after work, you and me? We’re getting new clothes– for date nights, you can’t just be wearing your work clothes on dates!” Manumaru looks the red panda up and down, noticing a few drops of coffee staining his dress shirt. Retsuko wasn’t kidding , he thinks to himself, how did I not notice that before?
‘Oh, um…’
“S’not a question, man, it’s my treat.” Why did I say that? He can pay for his own clothes! He should pay for his own clothes! I–
'Oh… thank you, Manumaru. That’s incredibly kind of you.’ Resasuke responds, looking up at Manumaru with something more than his usual, spaced out look. The light of the sun entering the west window catches his eyes in an unignorable way, the dark beads giving way to the deep, dark brown irises with fine details that couldn’t be seen in any other way.
The feline feels his heart beat through his skull. The bright morning sun surrounds him in a pink warmth well outside of his comfort zone. He shakes himself from the grip of eye contact, and with faux-confidence, responds, “Of course, man! Where would you be if I weren’t your wing man?” There’s a beat of quiet, punctuated by the light tapping of keyboards and hushed phone ringers. The light shifts, transforming Resasuke back to his normal self. Shocked by the rush of feelings he just endured, Manumaru breaks the silence, awkwardly stammering out– “Anyway… I’m… gonna go get some tea. You want any?”
‘Mm… I mean, no, thank you.’ Resasuke responds, taking a sip of his canned coffee, unintentionally calling to attention Manumaru’s frenzied state.
“Ah, yeah, you… okay, I’ll be back.”
Standing alone in the office’s small kitchen, Manumaru catches his breath, illuminated by the entry doorway and the lone, blue flame boiling the water for his tea. He makes up his tea leaves, distracted. What the hell was that? Why did he… why did I…
The kettle begins to whistle, and without missing a beat, the cat pours the contents into his cup. The regular reddish-brown hue of the tea seems to shimmer with bright, warm pinks as it steeps.
—
The workday ends with no event, but Manumaru can’t help but get distracted, and he knows his work is suffering for it. Eh, Tsubone can lecture me tomorrow. She would’ve, regardless. As they’re both packing up, he reminds Resasuke of their arrangement.
'Oh, yes… Where do you want to shop?’
“Your choice, man. Ion know what you like to wear.”
‘Uh…’ Resasuke stares forward, lost in thought.
“It’s not that hard a question, man– Okay, how about that place with all that sharp stuff in the Mall everyone goes to?”
‘Oh, um… yes, that sounds good.’
I know guys aren’t meant to love shopping, but geez… He couldn’t even name a store. Manumaru feels… some sort of pride in being able to lead that somewhere. Whatever, he’ll find something he likes and maybe he’ll have a new place to shop by the end of this.
As the two make their way to the shopping center, they walk side by side. Manumaru looks down at Resasuke, noticing a certain level of… warmth, in his neutral expression. He seems… happy to be here, even if he’s completely clueless. Does he… like spending time with me? Manumaru asks himself. He’s blank as ever, but… he seems warmer than usual. It’s nice… he seems happy…?
Not too long after, they arrive at the store– multiple stories, all with their own denomination. Manumaru nearly drags Resasuke towards the businesswear. The walls are lined with racks of collared shirts, in a variety of colors further than what one would find in an office setting. Mannequins are adorned with high waisted pants, collared shirts tucked in, sleeves rolled up, top buttons unbuttoned, creating a casual, refined look that Manumaru views with bright eyes. “Alright, little man, what size you wear?”
‘Uh…’
“Christ…”
After an awkward flipping of the red panda’s collar, done out of sight of other patrons, Manumaru leaves Resasuke with armfulls of multiple shirts in his now-confirmed size, all while he looks for himself as well. He turns to him, two shirts in either hand, one bright scarlet, the other a muted teal. “Hey, tell me, which one do you like more?”
‘Mm…’ The panda stares blankly between the two. ‘I like them both.’
“No, which one? I don’t have enough to get both.”
‘Um… which one do you like?’
“Ugh, c’mon, man. I know you’ve got an opinion rattling around in there. Think for yourself, alright?”
Resasuke stares intently at both, conflicted between the two. He looks around, putting down the shirts onto a small, leather seat near a rack of shoes, and considerately looks through the rack. Gingerly pulling it from its bar, Resasuke pulls out a shirt in the same style, only in a deep, slightly neutral maroon. He hands it to Manumaru, holding the sleeve up to the big cat’s exposed wrist. ‘Hm… yeah. This would fit you better. The red was too bright, but… the blue clashed with your fur.’ He looks up, meeting eyes with Manumaru. ‘Plus… I think it goes with your eyes.”
Oh my god, dude. Manumaru’s heart beats out of his chest. I know I had to push that out of him, but… that was really thoughtful. REALLY thoughtful? What is going on in there?
“Hey! No need to get sappy with me…” Manumaru deflects, looking himself in the mirror, holding the shirt up to his broad frame. “... but you’re right. I like how it looks on me.” This wasn’t dishonest– the color makes him feel luxurious, but not tacky, in a way he hadn’t quite considered before. “I’ll try it on just to make sure, but it’s your turn now, dude. What do you think? Put some of that thought into yourself for once.”
‘Oh, um… in that case, I think I’d rather get something different.’
“Really? After I grabbed all of those? I mean– what would you rather try?”
‘Hm… maybe… a nice sweater. You’re right, I don’t want to wear my work clothes out.’
After putting the pile of shirts back, the two make their way towards a section with a higher focus on streetwear, both casual and fashionable. Resasuke makes his way to a rack with thoughtfully patterned knit sweaters, pulling out two, one pink and one cream colored. Mirroring Manumaru, the red panda holds both of them up, non-verbally asking for his similar input.
“Geeze, man, I don’t really know. Isn’t pink, kinda, like…”
He pauses, not wanting to offend Resasuke, but also questioning his own reasoning. Girly? No, that’s not right… at least, that’s not what I should say, there’s something I don’t like about it that isn’t that, it kinda…
“Sorry, Resasuke, I think these might be too light on you.” He holds the sleeves up to Resasuke’s face. “Yeah… I don’t know color stuff, but these both kinda melt into your fur.”
He looks at the rack, glancing back occasionally at Resasuke, taking in the color of his almond and cream colored fur. His… adorable, almond fur… Oh! Maybe…?
Manumaru pulls out an ashy pine-green sweater of the same fit, a bit on the darker side and holds it up against Resasuke’s body, the cooler, more vibrant tones contrasting against his pale fur, all while not looking too “brooding.” “Am I getting this right?” He asks, unconfidently, anxious to be on the other side of this lesson. Aren’t I the one supposed to be teaching you how to help a woman shop?
‘Mm… I like it. Thank you, Manumaru.’
Resasuke looks up, the edges of his lips curled slightly, and yet, more than Manumaru had ever seen from him.
“Of course, man. Though I should be thanking you– you have more of an eye for this stuff than I thought.”
The two make their way towards the checkout line, but on the way, Manumaru notices a clearance rack with a jacket in the same color Resasuke had just recommended to him. Nothing too intricate, just a comfortable looking zip up, complete with metal tipped drawstrings. He eagerly reaches for the tag, finding it to be both in his size, and meaningfully marked down. “Oh, perfect. It’s been staying cold forever this year.”
As they check out, Resasuke once again thanks Manumaru for the favor, which Manumaru not-so-humbly accepts, embracing his self-proclaimed role of his wing-man. The cashier cuts the tags off of the jacket, allowing Manumaru to wear it out, and the two leave, Manumaru behind Resasuke. The more he looks, the more pink clothing seems to be in stock. It’s a miracle I found that green sweater for him– Why do I care so much, though?
—
As the two are walking around the shopping center, a hunger pangs, reminding Manumaru of his ulterior motive with this outing. “Hey, Resasuke, let’s get some food.”
Resasuke stops and turns to him. ‘Oh, no thank you. I can keep going.’
“Wh- no. I’m hungry. Where do you wanna eat?”
Resasuke pauses. ‘Oh… um… That italian place is nice.’
“Sounds good… are you actually not hungry, or we’re you trying to be nice?
‘...’
“Well, don’t do that, man. It’s dumb, but… people ask that when they want something themselves.”
‘Oh… okay. Thank you.’
They walked the rest of the way in silence. Was that too much? Is it my business to explain social cues to him? Shouldn’t he like–
‘Hey, this is the place.’
The two are sat at a table very quickly, with the restaurant barely half full. As the two settle in, Manumaru notices Resasuke put his hands to his face, and sniff.
Oh geez, that was one of the things Fenneko mentioned, right?
“Hey, were you raised in a barn?”
‘W… huh?’
“Go wash your hands.”
I don’t really care about this… but other people do, so…
‘Oh. Yeah, you’re right.’
“... I’ll go too. Sorry.”
It’s good that we’re washing our hands, but… That wasn’t a dealbreaker. Right?
…Dealbreaker? Why does what I think matter? I’m not gonna be the one dating him…
Both sat back at the table, the waitress takes their orders. A nervous tension lies between the two of them.
Shit… this wasn’t my business.
Manumaru thinks to himself.
Friends don’t let friends act like this… but he’s not being rude…
‘Hey, Manumaru?’
Manumaru’s ears perk up.
‘Thank you very much for… everything, today… I don’t always notice certain things, but… thank you for helping me notice.’
A warm mix of guilt and surprise rises up to the cat’s head.
“Of… of course, man. It’s… good to be mindful, but like… certain things don’t affect other people, so like… don’t get yourself too worked up over it, y’know?”
‘... well, shouldn’t I notice them?’
“Well, like… if it isn’t hurting anyone, why does it matter? You don’t need to be like…”
‘...Normal?’
“Well, not normal, but… like everyone else. You just gotta be you, but you gotta be considerate of other people, and I know you’re capable of that.”
Resasuke falls silent for a second. ‘I think I understand.’
… the food arrives. That could not have come any sooner. I hope I made it through to him. Manumaru got the lasagna, and Resasuke, spaghetti. Spaghetti… That was… uh…
Yep, there he goes… Resasuke takes his first bite, loosely coiled around his fork, only to slurp all of the loose, saucy pasta, getting all over his mouth. Hah… that’s… cute, actually. Cute…?
Manumaru chuckles as he swallows his first bite. “Hey, buddy, make sure some of that gets in your mouth!”
‘Oh, uh…’ Resasuke swallows his mouthful of food. ‘I’m sorry.’
“No need to be sorry. It’s uh…” Cute? Say cute. “It’s fun. There’s more to you than that blank slate you’re like at work.”
Resasuke smiles at Manumaru, who smiles back. The two finish their meals in silence, but… with the tension gone from before. After taking the last bite of his food, Resasuke steps away from the table, back in the direction of the restroom.
I… think this went well… It’s a little hard to tell… he’s a bit difficult to read, but…
Why has this felt… weird, today? I’ve been wanting to help Resasuke, but… Is this for me? Do I like… like…? Hi-
‘Hey.’
Manumaru jumps to attention– “H-HEY!”
‘Oh, sorry… Are you ready to go?’
“We… still need to pay.”
‘I got it when I got up.’
Oh, wow… is he… the man here? Wait…
Resasuke looks at Manumaru headon, giving him that face from earlier. His lips curl along their edges, further pronouncing the biggest “smile” he’s seen come out of him. The restaurant’s warm mood lighting seems to shine warm and red. The once white tablecloths surround him in a world of pink at that moment.
Shit.
—
There’s silence as the two walk back to the train station. Manumaru stays a few feet behind, watching Resasuke carefully. He shivers quietly, the air crisp and chilled. The cat pulls out his phone from his pocket. Geez, 12 C°… It’s really been starting to cool down.
“Hey, Resasuke, look at me.”
The red panda stops and turns around, looking at his coworker without saying a word.
“You cold?”
‘...’
“Hey, remember what we talked about?”
‘...Yes, I am.’
Without missing a beat, Manumaru takes off his jacket, and tosses it to Resasuke. “Here. Bring it back tomorrow, alright?”
The bright moon glimmers in Resasuke’s eyes. He looks down at the jacket, back to Manamaru, and puts on the jacket. It’s huge on him. ‘... of course. Thank you.’
Yeah. Like I’d let you out-chivalry me, Space Cadet.
…God damnit, she was right.