maybe | hitoshi shinsou x reader

~chapter 13~

The next day when you come into work bleary-eyed despite the excessive amounts of caffeine you've already ingested, Karage has a request for you.

"I need you to run down by Momochi real quick to pick up an order. The usual guy's out today. And take Shinsou with you, will ya?"

"Sure," you tell him, because you're pretty sure refusal isn't an option in the first place. It's only a simple errand anyway, no big deal. Or at least it would be, if it wasn't for Shinsou.

He still doesn't like you, even if he's not ignoring you outright. Which, you'd be okay with for the most part—not everyone can get along, after all—if you didn't have to work with him. You almost prefer the ignoring to the sneering. At least it wasn't as obnoxious.

"Great," Karage says, oblivious to your internal groaning and mercifully forgoing the usual shoulder pat. Then he calls Shinsou over, explains the situation in a few short words, and the two of you are shoved out the door in seconds flat. You're still pretty groggy, half-way to disoriented, and it takes a little wild blinking before you get your bearings back. Shinsou, though, is as unruffled as ever. For a moment you wonder what, if anything, gets to him.

"Come on," he says, then turns on his heel without checking to make sure you're following him. But you trail after him—unhappily—because he's the one who knows where Momochi is. At first his snippy attitude was maybe a little intimidating, maybe a little understandable, but in the early morning light with a not-insubstantial amount of alone time ahead of you, it's just grating

"Where is Momochi, anyway?" you ask once you've caught up to him.

With a sideways glance, he answers, "Hosu."

~~

The walk is long and boring and awkward, interspersed with stilted attempts at conversation and long, uncomfortable silence. Most of the conversation is supplied by you, as Shinsou says all of five words during the whole excursion, most of them dismissive.

Why couldn't Karage sent Yakitako out with Shinsou to do this? Why?

It's not that you wouldn't like to try being Shinsou's friend or even just work-acquaintance, but he just makes it so hard.

"So, Karage's your uncle?" you ask, somewhere halfway to Momochi's with your hands swinging absently at your sides.

Shinsou grunts something that sounds like it could be agreement.

"Have you been working there a long time?"

He makes the same sound as before, a little higher pitched, which you're choosing to interpret as an eh.

Then the silence comes back around again as you're left with nothing more to say.

And that's how the trip continues to go—boring and curt and borderline annoying—until you hear something in the distance.

Screaming.

It's faint at first; you could just write it off as a figment of your imagination. You almost do, in fact, until you see the way Shinsou's gone tense and still a few steps behind you, taut like a bowstring. 

But then it's quiet for a while. Just long enough for you to convince yourself it was only an odd screech of metal or cat fight or something. Just long enough for you feel dumb about being so quick to jump to conclusions. Just long enough to feel secure. Safe.