Archive of Our Own ^beta

Chapter Text

City lights shined from outside the office window. Dust and water from the busy city had begun forming into large, almost transparent stains creeping across each window pane. It wasn’t the nicest part of the city, and he knew that before getting this job. Sometimes it bothered him more than others, but today he appreciated any small imperfections to take his imagination.

The best part was looking at the other buildings. Nothing around the area was tinted, letting him take small peaks into the lives of others for a few minutes. Across the street was another building. It was more sparsely populated, filled with nicer furniture than the old office chairs littering his floor. Haida sighed, and looked closer. A deer was sitting on a couch, writing something on a laptop. He had to squint a bit, but he made out a few more details. A patterned carpet, a bookshelf, and an eccentric plant. He smiled a little bit.

Maybe someday I’ll be where they are, he thought absentmindedly.

Somewhere I could go home to a wife, to-

He cut himself off from finishing that thought.

You can’t keep hoping for what you know won’t come. It’s useless.

And he knew it. He knew whatever he did would just make things worse. He tried, he shot his shot. In the hospital, his face warm and his heart beating. It felt like the beginning of a movie, where everything would just go right for once. But it wasn’t. Haida shook his head, scolding himself.

That was supposed to be a distraction, dumbass. Can you seriously turn a patterned carpet into more crying about Retsuko? How pathetic are you?

“What’s up?! Accounting Department this is Anai!” The small badger yelled out across the desk.

Haida jumped back a bit in his seat, his hackles raised and his tail tucked. He started breathing faster, before stopping himself. After quickly looking around to assess any threats he let out a meek laugh.

Did I get so worked up that Anai scared me? Haida wondered, as Retsuko frantically tried to cover for him.

Haida patted the back of his shirt down, which had been slightly raised by his still on guard hackles. He looked back down at his computer. Ugh. He knew work snuck up on him, but this was more than usual. Haida buried his hands in his face.

Can I either have girl problems OR work problems for one day?

He knew the answer was no, and settled down to keep chipping away at Ton’s new pile of busywork. As he erased the gibberish he wrote on autopilot, Haida kept breathing. 4 seconds in. 7 seconds paused. 8 seconds out. He kept his eyes on his computer as he let out another deep breath.

4. 7. 8. Just like mom told you.

Haida looked up and mustered a small grin, keeping an eye on his work as he saw Anai and Retsuko bickering about a call. Even when she broke his heart, she kept a smile on his face. He didn’t know what he could do without her, but he was glad that she was there. Even if they didn’t talk much… Or, at all outside work… She was the closest he had made to a friend in years.

Fenneko leaned over her desk toward him.

“I give him a day before he cracks.” she whispered.

Haida tried to hide his laughter in such a public place, but a tiny bit snuck through his hand.

“The classic hyena laugh reverberates around the world.” She said, a troublemaking grin growing on her face.

“Aw, shut up!” he said leaning back and letting out a small yawn.

“What’s the fun in that?” The fox responded before leaning over her dinky laptop.

He felt so proud the first time he got a beer with Fenneko.

You made it Haida! Who said you couldn’t make friends at work!

He remembered cheering himself on as he rode the subway home. The next month, he went to a concert with Ookami. Sure, Pop Punk wasn’t really his thing, but it felt so good! He was never great at that sort of thing, but he finally felt like he’d hit something! A big milestone. But time passed. Months. Years. It felt like a fluke, and maybe it was. He was grateful to his friends. He would give the world to them, but time moves, and so do people’s lives. At least theirs did.

Fenneko got more into her Instagram rabbitholes, spending hours dissecting Tsunoda’s posts. It was funny at first, but it was important to her. And Haida was happy. She had her passions, and if that meant having less time for him, that’s ok. She’s happy. Ookami got a boyfriend. He was charming, and Haida got to see his friend fall in love. And Haida was happy. Ookami had his dreams in sight, and if that meant having less time for him, that’s ok. He’s happy. Haida sighed, realizing in his deep thought he wasn’t making much progress on his work. Something had to give soon, he just knew it. But… did it?

Everyone around him was moving, and he was just frozen in time, waiting for a happy ending to land on his lap in a bow. Could he just stay here, his life in this limbo between past and future, ending before he found his peace? He looked back down, letting out another deep sigh. He may have calmed his anxiety with the deep breathing, but his problems didn’t go away.

Haida stepped into the break room, done with a good bit of work. His tail waved from side to side as he poured himself a cup of coffee.

He loved that stupid coffee. When he came in, he hated it. He was quite the well cultured man in coffee, knowing your pure dark from your average roast. He sipped like the best of them, and was much too cool for the offerings provided. But it didn’t last for long. Soon enough, Fenneko got him deep into the coffee game. A cup here, a cup there, and soon enough they bonded over the paper cups and sugar packets. Even so, she still teased the poor yeen.

 “You sure like the cheap stuff coffee boy.” She would say before they went back to their desks.

“Everyone enjoys a good cup of free joe every now and then. I don’t see you drinking anything else.” He shrugged before taking a sip.

“You don’t see me talking about the purity of my favorite Kenyan roast, either.” She said, throwing her hand over her face in mockery.

A smile lingered on his face of the memory, as he walked out of the break room.

“Hey, Haida?” Retsuko asked out of nowhere.

He jumped, and a big smile along with a flow of warmth crept to his face.

“Oh! Hi Retsuko!” He said, laughing awkwardly.

“I have a question… It might be a bit weird though…” She said, obviously hiding something.

“What’s up?” Haida responded, his mind starting to wander on the topic of her question.

“What do you think of Anai?”

Haida looked down thinking. He hadn’t talked to him enough to make a good first impression, but he had a pleasant aura.

“Hmmm…” He said, his underbite out and his hand on his chin.

“Anai? He seems harmless enough. Kind of straight laced, but he laughs at my jokes!” Haida said, smiling.

He looked down, and Retsuko looked visibly worried.

“So what’s up?” He asked, hoping for a real answer.

“Nothing! I just thought I would ask!” She responded nervously, walking right back to her desk.

Haida checked his watch. It was about lunch time.

He sighed, for the millionth time this day as his tail drooped.

“Aren’t we supposed to look forward to lunch?” He grumbled under his breath, and picked up his now cooled coffee.

He wanted nothing more than to sit down with Fenneko and Retsuko, but he knew he couldn’t today. The drastic shifts of emotion were pushing him off balance, threatening to tip his fragile ship of comfort. He needed time to think about this. Was the pain of what may never be worth the moments of joy with Retsuko as a friend?

What if she does like you, and it just wasn’t the time? You might have a chance, you can’t give up that-

"Haida, right?” a polite and bubbly voice said from in front of him.

He looked up, and saw the new worker beaming down at him.

“Yeah!” He laughed awkwardly.

“H to the aida, that’s me!”

“Can I sit with you?” Anai asked, a blank look on his face.

“Of course!” Haida said, as he kicked himself.

Chapter Text

Anai looked down. There were 4 empty chairs at the table, and Haida could tell he was putting great thought into which he would take. Haida smiled, trying to hide his reaction to the awkward energy forming around them. Finally, Anai’s brow unfurrowed as he laid down his lunch.

“I can’t wait for lunch today sir!” he said, slightly too loud.

Haida’s shoulders raised as he peeked around, seeing coworkers looking over at the beaming badger’s faux pas.

“Me… too?” Haida answered with raising pitch, trying to decipher the source of excitement from the new hire. “You can just call me Haida, by the way. I am pretty cool, but I’m no sir.” He nonchalantly said as he rummaged through his bag. It might be embarrassing in a normal interaction to continue this sushi search for more than a few seconds, but he could tell Anai didn’t notice.

Anai’s brows furrowed again, as he put his hands to his chin. “But you are my higher up…” Anai questioned, in a soft yet inquisitive tone. Haida smiled, not sure how to take his comment.

“It’s not that serious man. I might be an older cog in the machine but we’re still turning the same way.” Haida responded, as his paw finally grasped his sushi container.

“Cog?” Anai said, his face remaining the same.

“Ya know… It’s an expression, right?” Haida responded, waiting for the moment of realization to set in.

“I’m not sure if I follow.” Anai said, looking down a bit, his body language shrinking.

“I’m saying that I’m no better than you! We’re both cool dudes, right?” Haida blurted out, as he reached over and affirmingly rubbed Anai’s shoulder.

Aw shit. Did I just do that?

Anai looked up, his fluffy beige face filled with a bright blush.

“Thank you Haida.” He quietly responded, once again holding himself comfortably. 

Haida quickly pulled back his arm, hoping his cheeks would return to their normal colors soon.

What was up with that? I’m not usually Mr. Affectionate. He’s just so naive and bright-eyed I couldn’t help it. Like a little puppy dog or something…

Haida shook his head and got back to work on opening the cruel, plastic outside of his sweet sushi.

“Grahhh!!” He let out, flying on his side to gain leverage on the beast. Haida sat up to reassess the battle and took notice of Anai pulling out his lunch. One bento box, even tighter than the seal on his sushi. Anai’s tongue poked out as he pushed his hands in an impossible form, his face deep in concentration. He unknowingly let out a slight hum as he removed the top in one quick move.

“What?!” Haida yelped, looking at Anais pleased expression.

“What’s up?” Anai responded, chopsticks in hand.

“How did you open that so easily? These things are crafted by the devil!” Haida whined, his now sweaty paws raised in exasperation.

“My dad’s a cook. I have more than a few hours of experience with cookware under my belt.” He responded casually.

“Like… A cook cook?” Haida asked, curiously.

“Hmmm,” Anai purred, squinting a bit. “I would say so. He runs one of the biggest ramen restaurants in town!” he finally answered, his snout landing in a pleased smile from his answer.

“Lay it on me!” Haida continued.

“The Royal Noodle. On third, if you’ve been there.” Anai offered, finally swirling his chopstick around a particularly delicious looking bite.

“Your dad runs Royal Noodle?!” Haida yapped, his jaw agape.

“Yup! He worked a lot to get there. I’m proud of him. All those late nights on the register paid off, I guess!” he casually confessed as he plopped the mouthful of meal into his maw.

“I love that place! You were the little badger behind the desk? That’s awesome!” Haida roared.

“DON’T BE SO LOUD ABOUT IT!” Anai shrieked, his eyes wide and angry.

Anai’s protests were no match for Haida’s amusement, cackling as he leaned back in his seat.

“Y-You weren’t even tall enough to see over the counter!” Haida croaked, struggling to talk over his warm laughter.

Anai leaned over the table, waving his small arms in a failed attempt to quiet the now jovial hyena.

After a dozen glares from Ton and much pleading from Anai, Haida let out a few last giggles before looking back over at Anai. The small badger’s arms were crossed, perfectly matching his pursed lips.

“Aw come on! It’s funny.” Haida said, keeping his eyes on Anai’s grumpy demeanor with a guilty smile.

Anai finally let his arms down and began picking up another bite from his box. “Maybe to you.” He said sheepishly.

“Definitely to me.” Haida responded lightly, poking fun at the younger worker as he began work on his sushi yet again.

“I made a fool out of myself. Now everyone’s just gonna see me as the Royal Noodle kid.” He pouted.

Haida looked up. “Eh, I think that’s still pretty cool! Who doesn’t like noodles?” He responded, feeling a bit regretful after the interaction.

Anai swallowed a bite of his lunch and shrugged. “Maybe. You seem to have this social stuff figured out a lot better than I do.”

Haida blushed, caught off guard by the compliment. “Naw. I thought the common office worker’s love of noodles was a well-known fact!” He joked, rubbing his neck.

“Does that include those who sell the noodles?” Anai said, settling back into his seat as their peers eyes shifted to other subjects.

“I would hope so.” Haida said jokingly, before correcting himself after spotting Anai’s worried face. “I’m sure it does. Especially noodle peddling kids! What’s a better combo than noodles and a cute kid trying to take your money?”

Anai looked up, his innocent smile finally returning. “You’re right.” He said as he stirred up his quickly disappearing lunch.

“Hey, Anai?” Haida eventually asked, after putting down his sushi container following an increasingly demoralized battle.

“What’s on your mind?” He responded, his bright eyes inquisitively peering over.

“I’m…” Haida trailed off. Jeez, he really sucked at apologies. “I’m sorry if I upset you earlier. I got way too comfortable and might’ve overstepped.” He finally said, trying to figure out a way to finish his thought.

“That’s okay. We’re friends right?” Anai questioned, keeping a steady gaze at Haida.

Haida blushed, feelings of joy and confusion fighting for his attention.

“Haha, yeah. Why do you say that?” He asked, trying to hide the waver in his voice.

“Friends have fun. Having fun is good!” Anai responded matter-of-factly, his infectious smile beaming out.

Haida was left at a loss for words. And as Anai began the end of his bento box, Haida lost himself in thought.

It had been so long since someone new called him a friend. Everything about Anai was so unusual, but he appreciated it. His mind didn’t have the inkling that Anai was lying about their friendship, as his bluntness and friendly tone spoke for itself. Something about him was so defusing, taking Haida out of his constantly circling thoughts.

Haida smiled, feeling a warm lump in his chest as he kept his eyes towards the table. He really did like Anai. He seemed like such a nice person, and even after a mere introduction and lunch together he wanted to talk to him as much as he can.

You’re being weird, Haida. You’re gonna weird him out. Just chill, dude.

Haida let out a sigh. Maybe Anai’s energy hadn’t completely defused his nervous mind after all.

Haida felt a tap on his shoulder and jumped, taken straight out of his running mind. The friendly badger looked at him, finally the same height now that he was standing.

“Did ya hear me Haida?” He asked, the smile remaining on his face.

“Oh… I must have dozed off, what’s up?” Haida responded, a bit dazed.

“Lunch is over. Just wanted to let you know!” Anai answered, before turning around and strolling back to his desk.

Haida looked down. His undefeated, delicious, shrimp filled enemy remained.

“Damnit.” He grumbled, as he threw the sushi back in the bag. “Should’ve stuck with the yakisoba.”

Chapter Text

Haida’s coffee kept pouring as Anai walked in. Another day down, another free cup snagged. Fenneko sat by the wall, waiting patiently for Haida to be done with his java thievery before going to their increasingly rare drinking night.

“Hello ma’am. I don’t think we’ve met. I’m Anai!” the badger remarked, his excited voice bouncing off the tinny walls of the small room.

Haida turned around, a smirk forming in anticipation of Fenneko’s response to the new worker.

“Hey Anai.” she replied, before returning her intent gaze to the deep pits of Instagram.

Anai’s face scrunched up a bit, not computing her lack of an introduction. Haida put a hand over his mouth, trying not to laugh. How the hell was HE the most socially gifted person in the room?

“That’s my friend Fenneko!” Haida said, strolling beside his shorter coworker. “If you’re looking for cool, she’s the jackpot!”

Anai’s face remained perplexed, his eyes squinting.

“What are you two doing in here?” he asked, shifting his view between the two.

“Getting coffee.” Fenneko said with a grin, enjoying messing with the new recruit.

Anai placed his hand on his chin, letting out a small “hmmm.”

Fenneko looked over at Haida, her eyes wide with unexpected success.

“I think I broke him,” she mouthed, her smile bigger than usual.

Fenneko suddenly stood up, making eye contact with the confused badger for the first time.

“We’re getting some drinks. Wanna tag along?”

Haida’s eyes widened as he felt his face getting warm. He had his first real conversation with this guy yesterday! Is Fenneko seriously inviting him along that quick? This is not the day to be out of his comfort zone!

“I would love to!” Anai exclaimed, his hands waving in excitement. Suddenly, he stopped. “Drinks… where?” he asked, matching Fenneko’s staring contest.

“Gettin’ tipsy? Throwing back some cold ones?” she shrugged her shoulders.

Anai nodded, a proud smile on his face.

“Alchohol,” he said, in the coolest voice he could muster.

Fenneko walked towards the door.

“Hey Haida?” she asked.

“Oh! Yeah?” he responded, knocked out of a daze.

“Now that it’s a party, wanna ask Retsuko to tag along?”

Haida’s heart dropped. He felt stupid. Did he really think that just because he wanted time to hide from his feelings they’d go away? She sat across from him at work. She was their friend. There was no way he could have some time away from her, even as hard as he was trying.

It was like the universe wanted him to fail. Every single thing was pointing him in the same direction he’s gone. “Don’t make a move. Don’t let your feelings go away. Just keep talking to her every day and pining. Nothing more,” it said. “You aren’t gonna move on. I have your heart in my hand and I’m gonna crush it. I’m gonna put pressure, and pressure, and pressure, and-“

“Yeah, I can do that.” Haida responded, mustering a smile.

He walked down the hall, back into their working quarters. Deep breath out. He could totally do this. His eyes met the floor while his feet moved in a stuttered unison. Another deep breath. He could see her desk now. Eyes up. Hand on desk. Let’s go.

“Hey you! Still crunching the numbers huh?” he asked, his brave façade standing strong.

“Uh- yeah! Almost done.” She responded. His heart melted all over again. God, he wanted to talk to her forever. He chuckled awkwardly, trying to ground himself again.

“We’re gonna grab some drinks with Anai. You in?” he inquired, cheeks heating up. He could feel his hand on his side. Am I supposed to stand like this? Does this look weird? Do guys usually do this? Shit. I look weird, don’t I?

She offered back a sympathetic smile before saying, “I would, but there’s some… stuff I gotta do.”

His heart dropped as he replied with a weak chuckle. “Okay… Next time.” he pulled together, legs starting to shake.

It always goes like this, doesn’t it? He comes to peace with moving on. He starts building new bridges, until… something happens. Maybe it’s Fenneko, maybe it’s a work event, maybe it’s the rare occasion she starts a conversation with him, but… She’s right there. And his heart lights up. Everything rushes back, stronger than ever after the days of removal. And he feels like there’s a chance. The happy ending he dreamed of was right there. Right… there. And it fell. Back to step one.

“See ya tomorrow.” Fenneko settled from across the room. Haida looked around. Jeez, was he still standing there? It feel like a million years since that conversation. As Retsuko turned around, he took a deep breath before returning to his friends.

“Alright Anai, let’s go.” he invited as the three began to walk towards the elevator.

“What do you think happened?” Fenneko asked as they walked into the door of their favorite hole-in-the-wall bar.

Haida looked up, lost in thought trying to remember the bassline of an old favorite of his.

“What do ya mean?” he responded, still trying to find the point of conversation.

Fenneko pointed a finger behind her to Anai, still a few feet from the table they sat at.

“Look at him. Dude looks like he’s gonna kill somebody,” she whispered in a menacing tone.

She was kind of right, actually. His fingers were moving at a frantic pace, his eyes wider than a big pizza pie. He looked sort of like he did when they were talking about him working at Royal Noodle, but as if he had eaten a pound of ghost peppers before.

“Maybe his dad died. Or maybe he killed someone last week and just got found out,” she offered, eyebrows raised.

“Jesus Fenneko, way to kill a mood!” Haida berated as Anai finally sat down.

They sat in a circle booth, Fenneko’s favorite spot because the fake leather was less peeled than the others. Haida and Anai sat across from eachother, Haida’s lanky knees poking at him. Fenneko sat in the middle, with a perfect view of both of them. It felt more like a punishment than anything, Fenneko having full vision to a conversation. A silent watcher. A judge. He shuddered at the possibilities.

A waitress walked up and quickly took their orders. Haida and Anai ordered craft beer, while Fenneko went for a daiquiri.

Haida nodded approvingly towards the clearly out of place fluffball.

“Good choice.” Haida concurred, proud of Fenneko’s favorite punching bag having a new supporter.

Fenneko leaned back. “Enjoy your poison,” she teased.

 Haida crossed his arms as he leaned back into his seat. “Just because you don’t appreciate well developed flavors doesn’t mean they’re bad.”

“Is it really that bad?” Anai asked worriedly.

“No!” Haida said, his voice getting aggravated as he glared towards Fenneko. “She’s just- Will you stop that!?” he yapped towards Fenneko. Her face was grim, nodding sadly in response to Anai’s question.

“Have you been here before?” Haida asked, trying to take the attention off of the fennec, now motioning an index finger across her neck.

“I haven’t, actually. It looks nice though.” Anai responded, bobbling his head.

“It’s a pretty nice joint. Their craft is like… every other craft, but times 100.”

“I haven’t actually drank beer before,” Anai shrugged, fiddling with the sloppily wrapped fork and knife in front of him.

“Why’d you try it this time?” Haida asked awkwardly, feeling like he already knew the answer. “It’s what you were getting,” he answered as the waitress brought back their drinks.

Fenneko already had a hand out for her red mix, graciously nabbing it from the tray. Haida nodded as she laid down his beer as he looked at Anai, sitting stiffly back as his identical glass was left in front of him.

“It’s so… fluffy.” Anai said, his eyes lit up at the layer of foam on top.

“Ah, don’t worry, it disappears.” Haida casually responded as he inspected his drink.

Anai leaned back, a frustrated look in his eye. “I liked the fluff…” he groaned, as Fenneko leaned over.

“Should’ve gotten the daiquiri.” She smirked, letting out her classic laugh.

Anai leaned forward, a new fire in his eyes. “I’m sure mine is equally delicious,” he responded, staring down his glass.

“Take a drink Anai! You got this!” Haida cheered on, getting into the mood after a big sip of his own.

“Yes sir!” he responded, his face beginning to blush.

Haida would usually tell him to not call him sir, but now was not the time. It was the time for Anai to face his fears. To prove Fenneko wrong!

Anai held the glass high, and took a relatively small sip for the drama that had been building. Everything went silent in the moment he drank. Fenneko’s hands were in the air, Haida’s ears were momentarily down, waiting for the result.

Anai’s eyes grew very wide as a dark shadow rose over his face.

“WHY DIDN'T YOU TELL ME THESE TASTE LIKE SHIT?!??!” He yelled, paws balled into needlessly tight fists. Fenneko began laughing as Haida started in utter disbelief. His feelings of undying support of the craft, and moral compass to always support his friends sat side by side like a mini-angel and devil. Forced to make a quick decision, Haida tried to give his best reassuring smile.

“Hey… How about I just order you a Shirley Temple and I can take that for ya?” he asked. Anai had quickly regained his composure, and shook his head. He scrunched up his face and took another sip.

Haida looked at Fenneko, who had loosely laid her arms on the table.

“Isn’t this like… peer pressure or something?” he asked, looking for her advice.

“You really think you can get that out of his hands?” She responded, pointing towards Anai.

He held the glass in his hands, his face a mix of resigned distaste and pride as he continued sipping.

A few hours had passed, and the group had ordered a couple more rounds. Over the night, Anai had grown accustomed to the “complex” flavor (as Haida liked to put it) and gotten comfortably drunk with his coworkers.

Now, they sat in silence after reaching a stalemate. Haida had proposed a genius idea. A car, with 8 wheels. He stood before them in his seat, selling the idea like a crazed businessman.

“It… You could pop a tire and… there’d be more.” He laid out, smiling widely for little reason.

Fenneko looked up, “Why would you want to pop a tire?” She asked, her question slightly slurred. Haida huffed as he looked down with annoyance.

“No one WANTS to pop a tire, Fenneko. But it happens!” He said, returning to his seat.

“Not many people even have 4 wheeled cars… How could you convince them to buy one with 8?” Anai asked, taking this much more seriously than the mocking fennec.

Haida nodded. “Good question. Market research,” He responded, raising two finger guns to the confused badger.

“What?” he responded, clearly not running on full mental capacity.

Haida laughed before cockily responding, “We’d run tests. We’d find them. Enough 8 wheeler fans to come running to us!” He smiled foolishly, pointing a finger to the sky.

“Doesn’t the product have to be good to get market researchers?” Fenneko asked, laying into Haida’s weak spots.

Haida looked down, his face continually becoming redder as he drank more and more.

“No, Fennko. They had market researchers for pet rocks. Imagine what we could do,” he said, beginning to seriously fight for his idea.

“So now you’re comparing your idea to a rock?” she asked before letting out another monotone laugh.

Haida dropped his hands to his face as his poorly thought out empire came falling.

Anai waved down the waitress as Fenneko continued berating the poor hyena.

Haida looked up as Anai took out his wallet.

“You’re leaving?” he asked, as the badger finished the transaction.

“Yeah,” he said, a sleepy smile laid on his face.

“Gotta get to bed sometime early! Work tomorrow and all that…” Anai trailed off as he walked towards him.

Haida raised a hand for a parting fist bump, only for Anai to open his arms and embrace him in a big, warm hug.

Haida’s heart skipped a beat.

It felt amazing. It had been so long since he’d been given affection by someone. The last time was his mom’s birthday. Getting to hug both of his parents before returning to work felt amazing, and a bit bittersweet knowing how far away he would soon be. He honestly forgot how it had felt, being embraced by a friend. He hadn’t felt it since childhood, and something about it made everything feel okay for a short moment.

After a few short seconds, Anai let go and started walking out before turning around and pointing to Fenneko.

“Hug?” he asked, his tone much friendlier than usual.

Fenneko shrugged and stood up, giving him an awkward pat before he quickly let go. Anai looked at both of them and smiled, before walking out.

“See you tomorrow!” he yelled, as Haida and Fenneko stood.

Fenneko sat back down, now occupying Anai’s chair. She stared at Haida.

“You leaving too?” she asked.

“Oh, no! Just giving my legs a big to move,” he responded, pretending to jump around a bit.

“So what was that?” she asked, a sly smirk on her face.

“What was what?” he asked, sitting down.

“That hug!” she said a bit too loudly, as his face began to blush.

“Y-You know, he’s just an affectionate guy! He gave you one too,” he answered, failing to make eye contact with his interrogator.

“He almost forgot to ask me. That was a nicety. Yours was an instinct.”

Haida gulped as he laid his head down. “I don’t know what you’re talking about Fenneko, you just wanna stir up more drama,” he muttered sheepishly.

She kept a steady gaze toward him. “What’s going on between you too?” she asked.

“Nothing! Nothing is going on,” Haida bickered back, trying to hide his thoughts. His wondering of the same question.

Fenneko laid off him, realizing his legitimate stress. She started a monologue about a childhood friend’s new Instagram post, a clear sign to stop paying attention.

It was just… weird. He felt so happy to have a new friend, someone who cared about him so much but… Why? What did he do? They’d only talked twice, really, and each time everything felt so normal.

Things didn’t feel normal for Haida. Something was up here, and he knew it. Fenneko was on the trail before he knew it existed. And now there was another thought to eat up his mind at night, right in-between the next time he could see his mom and what he was going to do about Retsuko.

“Haida?” Fenneko asked.

“Sorry, dozed off for a second there. What’s up?”

Chapter Text

Haida gulped before finally walking in to work. He checked his tie for the fortieth time that morning. He knew it was on fine, but he had a sneaking suspicion that his hungover self had forgotten something important.

“Morning!” he heard, echoing around his head.

He looked down, a bit of fluff peeking out of his socks before his pants took over. Nope… There had to be something wrong, right?

“You good?” he picked up again, not fully taking in his surroundings.

He checked his shirt. The buttons were fine, apart from one of them… hanging… on by a string…

Woof. I’m gonna need to go thrifting this weekend.

“Haida! You in there?” he heard, snapping out of his daze.

Retsuko stood a few feet in front of him, awkwardly smiling.

Haida jumped a bit, trying to quickly ground himself.

“Oh hey!!! Just… zoned out there for a minute,” he finally responded, failing to make up an excuse.

“Aren’t we all?” she answered, her smile turning more casual.

Haida laughed as they started walking towards the elevator. “So, what have you been up to?” he asked, fiddling with his hands in his pockets to find the elusive cool guy position.

“Ah, you know… normal stuff,” she offered, clearly struggling to find an interesting event. After a brief moment of silence she nodded.

“Actually, I’ve been working on getting my driver’s license!” she responded.

“You’re getting a driver’s license?” Haida blurted out. “You gonna buy a car?” he asked, starting to feel comfortable in the conversation.

“Come on, you’re kidding right? You know how much I’d have to pay for parking in Tokyo!” she answered, as they continued walking.

Haida’s back loosened as he finally found something resembling a comfortable place to keep his hands. His mind began running as the conversation fell into autopilot.

It felt so good to talk to her again. He did everything he could to tell himself otherwise but even a few quick minutes of being with her felt like a warm hug from every direction. Even when talking about something like driver’s licenses his face was filled with a fiery blush that he prayed no one would notice.

“Always good picking up a new skill,” Haida said as the elevator doors closed, a sincere smile on his face.

“I’m glad I get to start something new,” she agreed, nodding as she waited for their floor.

“It’ll give me something to do while I’m not at work!” she said, the bubbly tone in her voice draining. Haida looked down.

Shit shit shit. Did I mess up? What’s wrong?

He quickly looked back forward before taking a deep breath.

It’s nothing. You’re just getting yourself riled up for nothing.

Suddenly, as the doors opened she started sprinting down the hall.

“Woah, what’d I say?!?” he yelled out instinctively, before catching himself.

He was caught in a lapse of vertigo, his feet feeling closer to the moon than his head. Did he really mess up that bad? God. Something was wrong wasn’t it. Before realizing what he was doing he starting walking towards the restroom. He was feeling sick to his stomach.

Haida bluntly pushed open the door, taking a quick look to make sure no one was in there with him.

As he sat against the wall, his suit beginning to look as messy as he imagined, reality set in.

He was at work. He was at work and Retsuko ran from him.

Haida raised a paw to his eyes, preparing for tears that never came. He leaned back, trying to find a comfortable position.

Thoughts were bombarding him from every angle, not yet decided on which he should attack himself from.

“I just need to breath.” Haida whispered, laying his hands back on his legs. The hyena let a deep breath out, his anxiety slowing down. He touched the rough, stained tile beneath his paw. It felt cold, and a bit pokey. He took another breath in. It wasn’t much, but grounding by focusing on his senses could bring him a bit closer to where he wanted to be.

I-I didn’t do anything… he thought, a hopeless frown growing on his face. He pulled his arm up and began to touch the painted brick of the wall.

He didn’t do anything. Something had to be wrong with her. Options flashed between his eyes. Did she miss a meeting with Ton? Did she get in a fight with her mom? Did something happen with Resasuke?

Fuck. He didn’t want to think about that.

He breathed another deep breath out, trying to keep his mind moving. He would ask her today. No, tomorrow. He was gonna figure it out and help her. Like a friend should.

Shakily, the businessman got to his feet.

“I’m gonna be okay,” he said, as he moved towards the door.

“I’m gonna be okay,” he repeated, believing it this time.

The beeping of his microwave reverberated from his kitchen. Haida looked over, sighing. It’d be a few minutes until it’d cool down anyway. He didn’t have to move.

He was currently sprawled on his big soft couch, the one nice piece of furniture he owned. He had changed from his work clothes into a nice pair of pajamas. The pants were a bit too big for him, but the fleecy insides made up for it. The shirt he bought at a local punk show was getting a bit too small, but he had too much of a fun time to think about getting rid of it.

Over him was two blankets, each slightly too small to cover his whole body. He compromised, placing one on his legs, and one over his torso. Behind his head were two pillows, embroidered with hyenas. His mom got one for him and his brothers when each of them moved out. It wasn’t comfortable, but heck it was pretty.

Haida rolled over, pulling his arms deeper into the comfy cave of blankets. He sighed, finally alone with his thoughts for the first time in a few days.

The second he got alone his mind always went to one thing. Retsuko. But now that he was trying to do something about their relationship, it felt… weird.  He was so used to just accepting and wallowing in his sadness, but trying to improve things felt alien. Another level of difficulty was there from his uncertainty of how to proceed.

He had felt great about his plan to take some time without talking to her a few days ago, but with the unusual amount of actual conversations they’d been having recently he felt like he would be making a massive mistake.

He sighed. Even if he wanted to, he really couldn’t be away from her. Especially after today. He needed to know what happened earlier. Even if that was the most he’d hear from her next week. That was good enough.

Haida rolled back over, slowly figuring out the most comfortable position in his throne of blankets.

He hadn’t even opened the biggest can of worms from the week.

What was happening with Anai?

He stopped rolling for a second, as he got in the flow of reflection. He really liked him, he knew that. It was just… weird. To have someone who wanted to talk to him. Seemed to like him. It wasn’t how things went for him.

He had a tendency to get attached to people too quickly. He tried to hide how fast he grew to like people, but sometimes it shone through and made things feel off. But seeing how quickly Anai called Haida his friend made him feel so, so nice. Someone else had the same process as him, and wasn’t scared to show it.

Haida’s heart began to flutter, a warm feeling washing over him. I wish I could be hanging out with him right now. He thought. Not in like, a romantic way, though.

He finally laid his head down. Definitely weird. He’d never had to actively think that about someone before. That it wasn't romantic. He blamed Fenneko for putting the idea out. No. It couldn’t be. He definitely did not like guys. Maybe some of those cute tech guys but… that’s different.

Haida kicked off his blankets, another round of blush entering his face. He finally stood up to get his dinner, grabbing his phone on the way there.

“We are looking to support multiple local businesses as well with our technology. It’s clear that ENI-O is powerful, and any way that we can support our economy is a goal for us,” Tadano spoke confidently from Haida’s phone. It was titled against an empty cereal box that Haida would recycle… well, he’d do it sometime.

He pulled one of his blankets closer to his tummy as the donkey continued. As much as he pretended to be a cool guy, he was always a sucker for the nerdy stuff. But it made him comfortable. Sometimes, having a window into a world far, far away from him was nice. Something that he could completely remove himself from.

He smiled, for the first time that day. Last week he saw an ENI-O poster go up on the subway. It felt awesome. Seeing something he was so passionate about start to really get big. As the speech closed, he opened his messages and went to Fenneko with a link.

>Hey, you should watch this really cool video!

No. That sounded weird.

>Hey Fenneko, you wanna see some awesome shit?

Hmm. He wasn’t confident enough to pull that off.

>I really like this guy. Maybe you could watch his speech?

He closed the app, laying a paw over his tired face. He’d get to sharing himself to people someday. There was too much else to worry about now.

Chapter Text

“So, have you heard about the newest bully of the Accounting Department?” Fenneko prodded, her signature sly smile in full force.

Haida chuckled, “Did Ookami ask Kabae for one too many muffins?”

Fenneko shook her head, before continuing, “You’re gonna want to hear this one dude.”

Retsuko ran over from the doorway.

“You don’t have to make it sound so bad!” she yelped, a nervous look on her face.

“Okay okay,” Haida asked, looking between them. “What’s up?”

Retsuko groaned in response as Fenneko motioned for her phone.

“I didn’t want to show you this, but Anai and I had some…” Retsuko looked towards Fenneko for some help before continuing.

“Disagreements?” she offered meekly.

“You could say that,” Fenneko responded. “Look at this Haida!”

“You need an adult to help with this one Anai? How about some training wheels with that?” Fenneko reenacted, taking great liberties with her material.

“You know I didn’t say it like that!” Retsuko scolded back.

“I’m sure you didn’t!” Haida responded a bit too loudly, trying to keep his voice as calm as he thought it would be.

“You can’t always know how people are gonna feel. I know you didn’t do anything wrong,” he continued, doing his best to reassure her.

Retsuko looked down, accepting his response. “Yeah… I know… It’s just hard.” She stopped for a second, looking at Haida’s worried eyes before continuing.

“Ton talked to us earlier as well. He wants us to start some sort of project for accounting. Something for a family event? I wish I could just figure out how to talk to him, even just a little bit,” she finally ended, a defeated look in her eyes.

“Hey…” Haida responded, trying his best to comfort her as Fenneko watched by his side.

“Maybe I could try to talk to him? Atleast get him going on some of the paperwork…” he trailed off, looking for some sort of approval.

“Yeah.” She responded, looking up at him with a slight smile. “I’d like that.”

The group went back to their cluster of desks to the drone of computers beeping and papers being signed. As Haida sat down, his eyes flicked to Anai. He looked… different. The badger’s head tilted a bit, still looking down at his relatively small stack of files before turning to look at Haida.

Haida’s vision quickly shot down, embarrassed to be caught looking at him. From the corner of his eye he could see Anai waving, which he matched with an awkward smile and red face. Finally, he decided to stand up.

He grabbed the relatively large clump of papers Retsuko handed to him, and started to make his way around the desks. As he approached Anai’s workstation, he made a last glance towards Fenneko and Retsuko, their faces equally nervous and excited.

As he approached Anai’s desk, the pictures he brought caught his eye. It was seen as kitschy to have anything too personal, but Anai’s desk had quite a few neatly framed pictures. In the back were photographs of him sitting with an older badger, looking to be his dad. Some of them seemingly professionally done, a few clearly family photos. Near the front were more of him playing a sport, too far away to tell from Haida’s snooping.

As he took a few more steps forward, Anai looked up at him.

“Hey Anai.” he greeted, an unusual tension is his voice.

“Haida! Is everything good?” the younger worker responded, picking up on his tone.

“Yeah, I’m great.” he answered, before laying down the messy stack of papers.

“I’d love if you could input this data. There’s no rush, but I’m counting on you.” Haida finished, before looking up at Anai for confirmation.

“Sure. Understood,” he responded, matching Haida’s gaze.

Haida walked back around the desks, plopping down next to his eager friends before letting out a large sigh.

Retsuko looked up, giving a wordless thanks as she grabbed her next (slightly taller) stack of work to do.

It felt weird. He wasn’t used to being so stern with Anai, but he was the new hire after all. Haida just wished he could tell him to do his work without it feeling like an undertaking. He let out another sigh, looking back to Anai’s solemn face.

It’s good. It’s all good. I’ll take a few minutes to check in and end on the right foot after work, and things are gonna be fine.

Haida looked at the work he’d been ignoring in the midst of all of this, and placed his paws back on his keyboard.

No reason to worry about things we can’t control.

The sun had fallen behind the tall buildings around him as Haida walked towards the alley. As he left work, he saw Anai’s orderly tail heading in the same direction, but he wasn’t quite sure if he made it in time.

As he turned into the small area, his eyes met with his new friend.

Anai smiled and stood up.

“Haida!” he said, beaming. “I didn’t know you came this way, too!”

“Yup!” he responded, lowering his guard. “My train comes pretty early, so I try to be quick. I was leaning towards eating out tonight, though, so I didn’t rush myself.” Haida continued, wondering why he rambled that far.

“Oh.” Anai said, looking down. “I usually just sit here and have some iced coffee before I head home, you know. I forgot to bring cash today, but I like to follow my routines.” He finished, a slight smile remaining on his face as he began to kick his legs softly.

Haida grimaced internally as he thought about his lack of spending money before speaking.

“I could cover you if you want! I was gonna get a coffee too so… No big deal,” he offered, trying to hide his nervousness.

Anai looked back up again as he leaned back, his tail wagging softly. “I would love that Haida,” he answered, his voice becoming brighter as Haida approached the vending machine.

“You like yours black, or sweetened?” Haida questioned as he worked to get his wrinkled bill into the machine.

“Sweet please.” Anai responded lightly.

The cans clanked as they hit the bottom of the machine.

Haida looked back at the small badger as he pulled both out, beginning to back down from his plan.

Is is seriously worth trying to solve his confrontation with Retsuko? What if he gets mad at me? God, what would I do if he started yelling?

Haida’s heart was racing, before he finally decided to start with a softball.

“I… uh… heard you were working on a festival at work?” he offered weakly, trying his best to hide the wavering in his voice.

Anai shrugged as he started talking. “Retsuko’s pretty much doing it all. I don’t really know what’s up.”

Shit. It’s like he read my mind.

Haida laughed stiffly, thinking of how to keep the conversation light. “I was thinking that might happen,” he offered with a weak smile.

“It’s not my fault we don’t like each other.” Anai replied, his tone turning colder than the drinks filling Haida’s paws. “It’s bullshit, you know?” he continued, beginning to rant. “This festival stuff isn’t part of my job description. I joined this company to be a well-payed accountant, not some cheap noodle salesman.”

Haida’s heart rate fastened the more the badger talked. His gut had fallen to his shoes, and his defensive anger of his friends began to grow.

“You’re serious right now?” Haida asked as he legs began to shake.

Anai leaned forward, acclimating to the tension growing. “What? You think something I said was funny?”

Haida let out a breath, trying to respond calmly. “Dude, just chill out for a second. Do you think this is cool? Letting her do all of the work?”

Anai stood up, an anxious fire forming in his eyes. “What, is this because she’s the senior? Do you think I should be doing everything for her?”

Haida raised his full paws in exasperation, “It’s not about who’s been here longer. It’s just-“ he paused for a minute. “Just help us out here, man. This really isn’t a big deal,” he finished, looking discontentedly towards his coworker, his eyes firmly placed at the sidewalk.

Haida huffed, walking towards the station as he handed Anai his now uncomfortably warm coffee.

“Enjoy your coffee, dude.” He grumbled, as his stomach began to ache.

Chapter Text

“Thank you very much! Have a great day!” the peppy ferret exclaimed as she handed Haida his boxed breakfast.

The hyena waved with a weak smile as he shut his door.

As he began to walk towards his dinner table, his forehead began to burn again.

Breakfast in bed isn’t so bad, right?

He sluggishly grabbed a glass to pour some orange juice, as he carefully transported his first meal of the day into his messy sanctuary.

Haida laid out his breakfast across his bed spread: pancakes, scrambled eggs, and some roasted potatoes.

You better not spill this, he thought to himself as he opened the woefully small cup of syrup.

This wasn’t exactly how he had expected to spend his Friday morning, and last day off of the year, but after checking his temperature last night he didn’t have much of a choice.

Haida didn’t get sick very much. Even as a pup, he seemed to avoid every flu season. He credited the grape flavored medicine his mom packed with his lunches.

As Haida continued munching on his now slightly soggy pancakes, he pulled out his phone to leave a tip for his meal.

As he clicked the home button, he was hit by a giant wall of text.

Anai: From our confrontation yesterday, I feel a conversation and recognition of your errors is necessary. As a higher-up and a friend, I expected to be treated with more respect than this. Your actions clearly have come into play from an abusive power dynamic common at workforces like ours. I would sincerely appreciate if you can maintain a fair tone with me, as I feel harassed following our interaction…

Haida groaned as he looked up from his phone, not bothering to read the last half of the text message.

“I can’t believe this,” he said under his breath.

Everything about the message pushed his buttons. The cold tone, the higher than thou attitude, the over-analyzing of every word he said. It pissed him off.

But more than that, it… hurt him? As much as he didn’t want to care it had been getting under his skin as he struggled to sleep the night before. He barely knew the guy, but he wished their fight was just a bad dream, even if he didn’t do anything wrong.

It was just a lot. Especially on a day when he should be relaxing.

Haida looked down, feeling a bit of the syrup dripping onto his snug pant leg.

A bit too late for that, isn’t it?

Haida: anai, are you serious? you know i didn’t do anything. can you please just handle this-

He slowly paused, groaned, and erased the message.

He wanted to stand up and tell the badger off, but he knew in his heart he couldn’t do it. If he had Retsuko to hype him up, maybe, but lying in bed, now uncomfortable in his syrup stained pajamas, it was an impossibility.

Haida: anai, i didn’t do anything wrong. i’m sorry that you’re hurt, but-

No. It didn’t feel right. The hyena put his phone down and looked at the ceiling as he contemplated the situation. He knew that the message was fine. He knew he didn’t do anything wrong. He wasn’t being the nicest about it, but why did he have a reason to be?

Why do I have to suck up to such a-

A what? He liked Anai. At least he did. He pulled his phone back out, running through ideas in his head. He’d send a perfectly fine message, and leave their relationship on a good note. He didn’t have to be friends with the kid, but he could at least keep things less awkward at work. He sent another message, his stomach falling a bit as he reached out a droopy olive branch.

Haida: anai. i’m sorry that what i said hurt you. i really didn’t mean to, and was really just trying to make sure everyone was feeling good about work. i hope you have a good day.

He looked down, about to close the app before something caught his eye. A read notification.

Are you serious? He’d sent that message 5 seconds ago!!

Haida’s heart jumped, not expecting to confront his co-worker so soon. His stomach dropped as far as it had yesterday, weakly preparing for another fight. As his paranoia grew, he quickly felt a buzz between his paws.

Anai: Thank you Haida. I did not expect you to respond so quickly.

Haida: yeah. i got sick last night so i’m off work. probably a bug. have a nice day.

Anai: Oh. Is that so? I get sick a lot. I took today off too.

Haida: yup.

Anai: I woke up a lot earlier than you though. Sometimes I just like to wake up early and see the sunrise.

Haida put his now empty takeout container onto his bedside table, sighing as he thought of ways to escape the conversation. He read Anai’s new message and felt his stomach drop further as he finally decided on a response.

Anai: Are you mad at me?

Haida: i guess not. why?

Anai: I don’t want you to be mad at me. I just get very anxious when people get like that.

Haida: i don’t think I’m following. when people get like what?

Anai: Like they don’t care about how I feel. I’m sorry. Is that weird?

Haida: i really was just trying to talk about the festival, man. i didn’t know there was anything i should have been caring about.

Anai: I just wanted to do my job and go home.

Haida: yeah, i get that. i think we all do. i just don't want anyone overworked cause of poor preparation.

Anai: You mean Retsuko? I wish she liked me.

Haida rolled over as he kicked his feet out of the covers and into the thinking position.

You’re letting him walk all over you. He trashed your friend, why does it have to be his pity party?

Maybe another day he’d keep the fight going. But his gut told him he should keep listening. He knew he was too open to people, he just hoped this wasn’t going to be the time he gets burned.

Haida: i think she’s just shy. why do you want her to like you?

Anai: She reminds me of my mom.

Haida: yeah, she has a nice vibe like that…

Haida’s eyes focused on his screen as Anai sent a picture. Part of it was blocked by his paw in front of the camera, appearing as a blurry beige blob. The rest was a slightly out of focus picture of a window facing off into an average looking strip of apartments.

“Could he be any worse at holding a conversation?” Haida thought as he began smiling. He was at a weird crossroads. The mix of his enjoyment from talking to Anai and his discomfort from a lack of an apology were mixing, leading to an odd feeling. Before he had time to ponder, the badger sent another message.

Anai: I love this view.

Haida: oh, that’s pretty.

Anai: Sometimes when I have a bad day I just look out here and see the people walking.

Haida: you having a bad day now?

Anai: I guess you could say that. More just scared.

Haida: of what?

Anai: I don’t know. People not liking me, I guess?

Haida: i really wouldn’t worry about that man. things are gonna be how they are.

Anai: Sometimes I want them to be different.

Haida: that’s life, really.

Haida: i think I’m going to be off my phone for a bit. get some rest, ya know?

Anai: Oh, okay.

Anai: Have a nice day.

Anai: Thanks for talking to me.

Haida: no problem. cya!

Haida finally shut his phone off and sluggishly threw it onto his bedside table.

His self-care breakfast in bed had turned into quite the stressful experience. The hyena rolled over again, letting out a deep sigh.

If they were closer he’d say something.

But would you really?

God, he was too easily persuaded. Somehow he went from ‘let’s make this last conversation easy,’ to ‘how am I gonna tell him I’m upset?” in one conversation. It wasn’t even a great conversation either! Haida slapped a paw against his face, whining in frustrating.

You’re a mess sometimes, you know that?

He rolled back over, grabbing his phone. He quickly went back to his favorite delivery app, repeating the same order he made minutes before.

One more plate of cakes wouldn’t hurt, would it?

Chapter Text

“Hey buddy?” Ookami called from the breakroom doorway. Haida continued looking down, pretending to not hear. Ookami whistled and waved an exaggerated paw towards him.

Haida looked up from his phone and gave Ookami a small nod as the maned wolf scurried down the hallway.

“What’s up with you grumpyhead?” Fenneko asked while poking a finger into his fluffy cheek.

“Nothing is up with me!” Haida groaned, nearly falling out of his chair as he leaned back to look at the fox.

“Oooookay,” Fenneko responded with a mocking shrug. “You might be slick but I can read you better than that Haida,” she added as she walked towards the exit.

The hyena huffed as he stood up, choosing to ignore her response as he began to follow her.

In all honesty, there was something up. Since he’d come back to work it’d been harder than he expected to sleep. Every morning he noticed the circles under his eyes more and more.

It didn’t make sense, really. He’d always been anxious, but he at least thought he was rational. But now he was zoning out worrying about someone he barely even knew. It was ridiculous, and he knew it. But Anai had taken an uncomfortable amount of space in his mind.

He wanted to go out for drinks again. Maybe see a movie, take him to the zoo. It was weird. He knew it was weird. But he would’ve done it, until their confrontation at the vending machine. He told himself he would stop letting people walk all over him, and this was his chance to prove it. Until Anai said something, Haida was going to keep him out of his mind. Well, that was the plan at least.

As Haida approached the now still Fenneko, standing next to an even more inquisitive Retsuko he stopped as well, following their eyes. Kabae was standing behind Anai’s desk, her arms laid casually upon the back of his chair. Beside them, laid two bento boxes.

One was filled precisely, with perfectly cut fish and cute octopus shaped sausages. The other was put together haphazardly, with a few giant fritters and a sloppily placed scoop of rice. However, a few fritters had been dropped straight onto the middle of the other box.

“I’m not really sure what this button does,” The badger said quietly as he looked towards the computer.

“Good question! You can use that to report if a customer has failed to finalize a transaction,” the hippo responded raising a knowing finger.

Anai turned to look at her with a confused blink.

“It means that person didn’t pay for or receive their item,” she responded, patting his head.

“Thanks. That helps a lot,” he responded with a blushing smile entering his cheeks.

Haida dragged his hands down his cheeks in frustration as his friends watched Kabae in amazement. “Of course he’d listen to her!” he said in exasperation as he shook a fist to no one in particular.

After Anai followed Kabae back to her desk for a more in-depth lesson, the trio sat down at their desks, beginning the next phase of work.

“I can’t believe he’s so eager to listen to her!” Haida spat before firmly planting his head into the desk.

“You said it, huh?” Retsuko mumbled before leaning back into her chair.

“So, still planning on working at the festival alone tomorrow?” Fenneko asked as she pulled her laptop a bit closer.

“Yeah, I think that’s about all we can do. Do you want to talk to Anai?” she laughed, as the fox feigned gagging in response. “Still got the grill Haida?”

“Yyyyyyeah,” the hyena responded, ignoring his defensive thoughts about her snarky face, quickly picking up his phone. “It’s not exactly a 5 star item but it’ll do. I just have to pick it up a few blocks from the festival.”

“Oh! Okay. That shouldn’t be too bad, right?” Retsuko asked with a smile.

It was. Haida’s eyes flicked between Retsuko frantically frying a positively burnt pan of noodles, her mom waiting with her usual judgmental gaze and a gloomy corner with the dreaded badger.

The grill ended up being quite a bit further than he had expected, and the chatty sparrow loaning it to him kept him waiting for quite a long time. And that’s not even mentioning Ookami’s… unique approach to building their booth

“Here’s one… adequate plate of Yakisoba!” the panda said, feigning a smile as she waited for her mom’s response.

Her face scrunched up as she finished her first bite. “I could cook something better than this!” she yelled.

“Mom!” Retsuko groaned as she carried yet another plate to the trash.

“Not working out?” Haida asked, trying his best to help.

“It’s really not.” she responded, sitting down in the middle of the path. “This is so embarrassing,” she added as she shoved her face in her paws.

Haida looked up, as Kabae’s family began floating to their booth, trying to find someone who could help anywh-

Anai was staring right at him. The badger looked away immediately, his face now significantly redder than before. Haida looked down.

He knew he promised himself he’d keep his distance from Anai, but if anything was before his needs, it was definitely Retsuko.

“Hey, Anai?” Haida asked with a determined look. “We really need help with this food tonight. Can you cook for us?”

Anai finally looked at his higher-up. “Yes sir!” he hollered, quickly hopping behind the grill.

It was incredible watching him cook. His eyes lit up with the same glow of passion he’d seen during their arguments, but now it was a glow of love. It seemed he had entered a trance, moving at an unfathomable speed as he went between spices, ingredients, and sauces. Despite the casual cheer of those around him, his face remained stern until the moment he handed the perfectly garnished plates to Kabae’s kids.

“Woah, Anai… Those look amazing!” Retsuko praised, in awe of his talent.

“Shhh. That doesn’t mean anything.” He whispered, pinpointing on the kid’s faces.

Suddenly, as the small hippos began to cheer a huge smile came across the badger’s face. It probably would’ve been creepy, but the badger seemed so genuinely happy Haida couldn’t help but smile too. Anai quickly ran back to the cooler to get another package of noodles, his small tail wagging franticly.

“More yakisoba coming up!” he yelled, as he turned the grill up a bit.

The day ended up going quickly. Way quicker than he had expected. Anai’s energy continued, and they quickly became the talk of the park. Even Ton admitted it was pretty good!

The craziest part was how great Anai was with the kids. He made a few crisps out of spare vegetables, tossing them to them in a game between big plates. He always made sure the kids beat him, but every time he responded with the same genuine excitement for them.

As the day came to a close, Ookami began decompiling their booth. God knows no one else knew how to do it. As the crowd finally dispersed, the now sweaty badger handed his last plate of the night to an equally tired Fenneko, back from a day of freebie catching.

“They’re giving away FREE pencils over there!” she yelled to an exhausted Retsuko who shrugged with a dopey smile.

Haida walked to Anai, who was quickly readying up to head home.

“Thanks a lot for that Anai. You really saved our tails back there.” He confided, looking back at his now tired friends.

“Oh!” Anai squeaked, his face in a surprised smile. Haida began to continue before the badger responded.

“Thank you Haida. I’m happy I was helpful.” He said, his smile intact.

As they began to walk towards the group again, Retsuko met with them and looked to Anai.

“Heyyyyy…” she said awkwardly, struggling to find words.

Anai looked down, his face blank.

“I don’t know what Haida said, but I really appreciated you back there. That yakisoba rocked!” she said meekly, raising a thumbs up.

Anai raised two thumbs as well, replying with a subtle nod as he continued towards the exit.