Work Text:
Some days are a little hard for Suzue.
Being the head of Kambe Industries isn’t an easy job to begin with.
It’s definitely much, much worse when paired with disapproving associates who don’t think she’s adequate enough to lead.
Top it off with greedy subordinates who sing false praises and suck up to her, but don’t hesitate to spread malicious fables about her the second her back is turned, and you have a recipe for chronic back pain and fatigue.
It’s tiring on the easiest of days. And today seems to be especially worse, the aftermath of back-to-back meetings with shareholders and board members causing all her energy to be drained out.
Suzue feels little more than a lump of bones and flesh as she sits at her table, head slumped onto the cool mahogany wood. Her eyes feel irritated, and there's a twinge in the junction where her neck and shoulder meet.
She's pretty sure that her ankles are swelling after being confined in heels all day long, and if she deigns to look at her wrists she'll see that there are red indents underneath her watch.
Perhaps, if this were a few years prior, she would have forced herself through this haze of exhaustion and continue looking at papers and words and numbers. It was easier to do so when she thought of how she had to support Daisuke.
The notion that she needed to take care of him was enough of an incentive for her to push herself and carry on with her work. She would feel too guilty to take a break, not when her brother was working himself to the ground.
But that was in the past. The Daisuke of the present is currently suntanning on the shores of some faraway island, while Haru attempts to learn how to surf along with the dolphins in the water.
And, a small voice at the back of her brain tells her, the current Daisuke would also be urging her to take a break. She considers ignoring the idea, but then her eye catches on the picture frame sitting at the corner of her table.
It's a picture of her and Saeki, from one of her favourite dates. Saeki is smiling, all soft and shy, sitting under a tree. She's holding a half-bitten strawberry in one hand, the other coming up to cover her mouth. There's a faint blush on her cheeks, and if Suzue looks closely and tilts her head just a bit to the right, she probably has pixie dust all over herself.
By the time Suzue realises, she's already far, far away. Under the sky, at the edge of a pond that is barely up to her knee. A single touch of wind ripples its surface. The greenery surrounds it, swaying ever so gently to the rhythm of the earth.
And there’s Saeki. She’s in a dress, pink and dotted with strawberries. It’s long and flowy, and there’s something in the summer air that makes her look particularly celestial. She giggles, and pulls Suzue towards her, until Suzue’s head is pillowed on her thigh.
Saeki’s fingers are carding through long, thick hair. Suzue feels her fingertips gently scratching at her scalp, the warmth of her palm, seeping through layer after layer of cloth.
Suzue traces her neck, her waist, the curve of her jaw, everywhere she can touch, and then see. A giggle, and a hum, and a flower flutters down, down, down.
Suzue watches the clouds slowly float by, and is content to sit next to Saeki and breathe.
And then, her phone buzzes, and Suzue comes back to herself with a start. She shakes her head, slightly incredulous at the ease with which she lost focus, and flips over her phone. She paws around for her glasses, while it takes a second for her eyes to adjust to the brightness after being closed shut, words slowly coming into focus.
｜the love of my life: hi dear! are u almost done?
Suzue Kambe: Yes, darling. I'll be leaving shortly.｜
｜ the love of my life: ＼(≧▽≦)／
｜the love of my life: can't wait!
｜the love of my life: let me know when ur reaching okie
Suzue Kambe: Of course. Aren't you at home?｜
｜ the love of my life: i am! like, outside the door.
Suzue Kambe: Darling, did you forget your keys?｜
｜ the love of my life: nooooooo
｜the love of my life: um
｜ the love of my life: maybe
｜ the love of my life: ( ╥ω╥ )
Suzue Kambe: …｜
｜ the love of my life: OKAY BUT in my defence
｜ the love of my life: there was a sale today for gummies!!!
｜ the love of my life: i was rushing for it
｜ the love of my life: ☆ｏ(＞＜；)○
Suzue Kambe: Did you manage to buy them?｜
｜ the love of my life: YES I DID !!!
｜ the love of my life: ╰(*´︶`*)╯♡
Suzue Kambe: That’s good, then.｜
｜ the love of my life: i also got us butter chicken for dinner!!!
｜ the love of my life: the one that’s not too spicy hehehe
｜ the love of my life: and there’s naan (╯✧▽✧)╯
｜ the love of my life: it’s your fav i knowww
Suzue Kambe: Thank you, Saeki.｜
｜ the love of my life: aaaah don’t thank me!!
｜ the love of my life: just think of it as a reward for doing so well at work today
｜ the love of my life: (っ˘з(˘⌣˘ ) ♡
Suzue Kambe: :) Love you.｜
Suzue laughs to herself, and rises out of her chair. She stretches, rolling her shoulders and cracking her neck.
Yeah, she thinks, while twirling her car keys as she steps to the carpark, some days might be a little hard. But all it takes is the promise of coming home to a warm meal and warmer heart, and just like that, everything's okay.