Who Are You, Really? || Thoma x Ayato|| × Modern AU ×

(8) One, Which Always Has Ones Back

The morning dew was as refreshing as it had always been. There wasn't a single day in these couple of months of working here where waking up was a pain. The sun would politely intrude past the cracks of the window blinds and tickle Thomas's sleepy eyes, urging him to get up and start a new day.

But this morning was a pain in the ass.

An excruciatingly loud knock was banging deep inside the unconscious man's head, like a siren, except less terrifying and more annoying. If he wasn't already a light sleeper, he'd assume the banging was just in his dream.

With aching bones and an even worse headache, Thoma groaned as he tried to force his body to raise his head up, to no avail. Only then did he realize the stupid position he managed to fall asleep in; he lay horizontally across the vertical bed, one foot off the mattress, his head pressed against the wall while laying on his stomach. He must've fallen asleep immediately after settling down.

Settling down?

The kiss.

His head jerked up when a wave of adrenaline hit his nerves, rendering all of the previous exhaustion obsolete. The blurry memory of his encounter with the commissioner felt almost like a dream. However, once his eyes wandered across the room, the sight of his bag and Ayato's credit card scattered on the floor confirmed his anxiety-driven suspicions.

Knock knock knock. "Thoma, it's way beyond your shift hours." The maid's familiar, yet barely relevant voice was heard from beyond the door. It must've been locked since such reasoning would've been enough to intrude on her own accord. "Is everything alright?"

"All good!" Thoma called out, raising his whole body up with the support of his arms. To say he rested well would be a grave overstatement since even the medication he was provided with barely had any effect. He rubbed his eyes to try and ease out the pain, all while looking for the time in his blindingly white room.

10:34 AM

Truly, way past his usual 7:30 AM.

"I'll apologize to the Kamisatos personally." He rolled out of the bed, wobbling in his place while trying to find stable footing. As the commissioner said, the hangover isn't half as bad as it could've been, but the crisis could not be averted. Now he had a handful of other things to worry about.

The voice beyond the door continued. "This can impact your credibility, Thoma. Be careful."

"Will do."

Thoma groaned into his hand, giving himself just a second to gather all of his thoughts and facts. There was no use in dwelling over what happened, rather, it's important to move on from it as quickly as possible. Although a part of him yearned to feed his curiosity, what was done, is done. He grabbed a towel and a quick change of daily clothes. A shower will help him clear his head, so it's better to be done with it as quickly as possible.

As he took a single step, he felt something below his feet. He quickly threw a glance, it freezing on it. The fateful card of last night was on the floor, and just a bit further from it was his half-empty bag. A cold shiver ran down his spine, realizing another responsibility he'll have to fulfill: return the card without raising much suspicion.

11:02 AM

Thoma gripped the card in his hand as if his dear life was attached to it. There was a single objective in his mind; find Ayaka, give her the card, avoid the commissioner and finish his chores. Honesty was the last thing he could indulge in, no matter how much guilt will weigh on his soul.

With rapid steps, he made his way into the hallways of the estate, any passing workers giving him a cheeky comment about his late morning or just a genuine greeting. Thoma would smile at every single one of them, the greetings giving him a sort of comfort.