#hitoya

Good things aren't meant to last. You probably knew that better than anyone. That's just because you've been in at least three different attorney offices in the last two years. Nothing lasts and nobody wants to keep you on longer than a few months. That is, until you found yourself employed at the law office of Amaguni, Masuyama, and Sakurai. It was a temporary position, but your boss informed you that there was a strong chance of being able to extend your contract into a more permanent position.

So far, in the three months you've worked at this job, it wasn't all that bad. Actually, you found it far more enjoyable than your last three jobs combined. But you were still unsure about the stability of this position. It felt like the rug was about to be pulled out from under your feet and you would soon find yourself back where you started: job hunting. This just meant you were ever so careful with every move you made and every job you handled. The slightest mistake could be your career's very undoing and you were not about to let that happen, not now, not ever.

The silver lining was your hard work did not go unnoticed by your coworkers, who made it a point every day to come by your cubicle and tell you what a great job you were doing.

"I swear, you are one of the hardest working members on our team." Michinori, one of the senior associates under Masuyama, shook his head with a smile. 

You blushed at his compliment. "It's nothing, sir. I just want to show my gratitude for this position through my work."

"And you're doing a wonderful job at it, I assure you." He sighed. "Sometimes I wish others would follow your lead. Like Shoin. Perhaps someday you could give him some pointers?"

You bit your lip at the thought. It wasn't that you didn't like working with Shoin, your fellow paralegal. On the contrary, the two of you became fast friends and he was determined to take you out drinking every night to get you to loosen up after working so hard. However, you were already busy enough as it is with your own workload. You didn't think you had time to train another colleague. Not only that, but Shoin has been here longer than you. It didn't seem right to have you, someone who was still relatively new to the business, to train your senior.

Of course, speak of the devil, another head popped up from the cubicle next to yours. "Michinori, don't you trust me? I am an excellent paralegal!"

Michinori sighed. "Shoin, you're nothing but a headache and a pain in the ass. Also you're overly familiar with your superiors, which would look very bad on your employee review."

Shoin pouted. "Why do you always have to lord my employee review over me? I thought my superior would be above such dirty tricks such as blackmail."

You covered your mouth to suppress your laugh at their antics. It was never a dull day in the office when Shoin and Michinori had the misfortune of interacting. That's what made this job so entertaining. 

However, you knew better than to let them keep going like this. Standing up, you intervened on Shoin's behalf. "Forgive me, sir. But I think Shoin is very capable. I think he can figure things out for himself. Consider it as a way of teaching him to sink or swim in the field of law."

"I'm not sure if I should be offended or not." Shoin continued to pout, though there was still a twinkle of mischief in his eye.

Before you could speak again, Rinji, one of the senior associates for Amaguni, appeared before the three of you. Michinori and you quieted down in a respectful manner and bowed to greet him. Shoin, on the other hand, simply graced him with a head nod, which made him scowl.

"I hope you three are staying out of trouble." He said, his voice as sharp as always. "You know that they're looking to let some workers go."

Shoin instantly straightened up at his words and you had to suppress a wince. Despite Michinori's words about being one of the hardest workers here, you couldn't help but feel like you were on the chopping block. You just hope that the partners would do it as swiftly and painlessly as possible.

"Of course, sir. We're always on our best behavior." The teasing lilt in Shoin's voice did not go unnoticed by you. If you weren't up to be terminated before, your senior's teasing would certainly push you over the edge.

Rinji rolled his eyes before looking back at you. "The reason I'm here is because Mr Amaguni wants to see you."

Your eyes widened and you pointed to yourself. "Me?"

"Yes, you. I'm supposed to escort you to his office. Now follow me, and keep up, please."

And with that, he turned on his heel and headed for Mr Hitoya Amaguni's office. You gave a panicked glance to your colleagues, who tried to offer you encouraging smiles, but they were definitely fake. With a deep breath to steel your nerves, you followed Rinji. He kept a quick pace that was a bit difficult in your heels, but you managed. 

As you walk together, you let your mind wander to all of the worst case scenarios collecting in your brain. The biggest thought that stuck out to you was you were definitely getting fired. The only question now was what for? You hoped you weren't taking the fall for another colleague, but you wouldn't put it past some of your coworkers to save their asses and throw you under the bus. Again, you prayed your termination was swift and painless.

When you arrived at his office, you wished you could have had some time to stop and look around. It was so spacious and tastefully decorated. The large windows had a perfect view of Nagoya and it made you wonder how beautiful it looked at night. But despite your desire to stop and look at all the art on the walls, your eyes found their way to Mr Hitoya Amaguni, who was currently filling out documents on his desk. You tried to swallow the growing lump in your throat, but to no avail.

Rinji knocked on the open door and gave him a professional smile. "Miss Y/n is here to see you, sir."

Mr Hitoya Amaguni looked up and you swore you almost melted upon locking with his soft gray eyes. He nodded to his senior associate and said, "Thank you, Mr. Kodama. You may go now."

"Of course, sir."

Rinji didn't spare you a second glance as he quickly exited, shutting the door behind him. Now you were alone with one of the partners of Amaguni, Masuyama, and Sakurai. Your fate in this office and your dream of working at a law firm rested in his hands. It almost made you puke all over what you were sure was a very expensive carpet.

"Please, have a seat." He gestured to the pair of chairs in front of his desk. "I just need to finish these last couple documents and then I will be right with you. Can I get you anything? Water? Coffee?"

You shook your head and he returned to reading and signing the documents before him. So much of a quick and painless termination, although you were a little touched he was being so accommodating by offering you something. Still, as much as you tried to not let your nerves show, you couldn't stop yourself from shifting in your seat. You weren't an impatient person, it's just you were dying to know why he called you into his office.

Putting his pen away, Hitoya finally looked up at you. "First, I want to thank you for meeting with me right away. Although, knowing my senior associate, he didn't give you much of a choice. He doesn't like it when he has to play secretary, but Atsuko was sick today."

You nod, discreetly wiping your sweaty hands on your skirt. "It's quite alright, sir. I don't mind."

He smiled and you internally gave a sigh of relief. Your response seemed to have earned you a point in your favor. "I also wanted to inform you that I'm very pleased with your work as of late. I understand you haven't been here long, but you've been a very admirable worker. You complete all of your assignments on time, you're a great team player, and you're good at keeping morale up in the office. I want you to know it does not go unnoticed."

Here it was. You've been through this type of meeting three times before. He was buttering you up before informing you he was "regrettably" letting you go. You took another deep breath to keep your nerve up for a little while longer. Then when you make it back to your apartment this evening, you can drown your sorrows with ice cream and cheesy movies.

"It is because of your good work and good nature, I would like to send you to a conference in two weeks."

Wait.

He's not firing you?

But you thought... didn't these conversations always go that way?

"Pardon me, sir?" You exclaim, completely flabbergasted.

His polite smile only widened. "There's a conference coming up in Tokyo for aspiring lawyers to sharpen their skills some more and learn how to market a law firm. It's not exactly the most glamorous of tasks, but I thought you would be the perfect candidate to represent our firm."

"I..." You trailed off, still completely confused with what exactly he was offering you. "I'm not being fired?"

He quickly shook his head. "No! Not at all! I wouldn't dream of firing you! You are an exceptional asset to our team, which is all the more reason you are being considered to join the team headed for the conference."

It was hard not to feel flattered from the complement of being considered an asset, so you let a small blush grace your cheeks. "I'm honored, sir, truly."

"That's good to hear." He nodded before his voice got quiet. "So, are you accepting the offer?"

You nod. "Yes, sir. I would be more than happy to represent the law firm at this conference!"

Hitoya smiled so bright it almost blinded you, but it was an absolutely beautiful smile. "Wonderful! I will email you the conference's welcome packet and the itinerary for the event. If you have any questions or concerns, please don't hesitate to contact me. I want to make sure everyone on the team is prepared for anything."

"Yes, of course, sir." You bow your head as you stand. "I promise, I won't let you down."

He shook his head, still smiling. "You won't let me down. I know you won't. I have all the faith in the world that you will be perfect like always."

Again, you blushed at his compliment and bowed your head once more. "Thank you, sir."

"Oh, and one more thing," he adds, "if this conference goes well, which I'm sure it will, I would like to offer you the spot on my associates team. I think you are the perfect candidate and it would come with much more benefits than a paralegal."

"Of course, sir! I would love to!" You couldn't believe it. Not only were you not getting fired, but he was also considering a promotion! Perhaps you were maxing out your luck, but you didn't care! This was the best thing to ever happen! You bow one final time before excusing yourself.

Rinji is waiting near the door to escort you back down to your desk with a pleasant smile on his face. "I'm impressed. Mr Amaguni doesn't usually send rookies to conferences. He's very particular about cultivating the perfect image for the law firm. You must have really impressed him. That or he has a soft spot for you."

"Pardon?" You ask. This had to be the second most surprising thing you heard all day.

He chuckled. "Forgive me, I'm speaking out of turn. But I wouldn't be surprised. He's not very subtle when it comes to showing his affection, though he believes he is."

You want to ask him more about what he means, but you find yourself at your desk. As soon as Rinji left the paralegal department, Michinori and Shoin descended upon you with hundreds of questions. You explain to them that you're not getting fired and that you've actually been selected to go to a conference in two weeks.

"You mean the big lawyer conference that only the best law firms in Japan are invited to?" Michinori shakes his head. "You are so insanely lucky, you have no idea. Not just anyone can go to that conference."

"How did you even get selected?" Shoin asked, a pout tugging at his lips. "I should be the one to go!"

"Believe me, Shoin, you'll be the last one to be invited." Michinori shook his head.

You shrug and shake your head in disbelief. "Mr Amaguni called me an exceptional asset and said that's why I was chosen. Although..."

"Although?" Shoin perked up as he always does when gossip is being spilled.

You bit your lip before spilling what you heard. "According to Rinji, he might have a soft spot for me. But that would just be ridiculous right?"

Shoin and Michinori looked at each other before turning back to you. Michinori said, "Maybe he does, maybe he doesn't. But I wouldn't think too much into it."

"Oh he is so in love with you! Now the question is how do we exploit it?" Shoin replied on top of him.

You winced at their words before holding up your hands to stop them. "Look, whether he likes me or not, it's not important. What is important is making sure this conference goes off without a hitch and that's what I plan to do. I'm not even going to consider any sort of romantic feelings until afterwards."

"Smart." Michinori nodded. 

Shoin smirked. "Just don't be surprised if he does try to make a move on you at the conference when you both are alone."

“Honestly...” Hitoya sighed.

He shook his head but, despite wanting to be frustrated that Haru had managed to sneak into his office yet again, could not bring himself to think ill of the father-son duo. The child was so young, but already he was the spitting image of Kuko. Not only did he have the same, spiky red hair and huge, golden eyes, but his teeth were sharp and pointed just as his father’s. There was absolutely no doubt that Haru was Kuko’s son.

“I called you multiple times to come and pick him up, where were you? And how does he manage to keep breaking into my office?” Hitoya asked, arms crossed. It was hard to stay mad at Haru for long with his innocent eyes and big smile, but Kuko was another thing altogether. Hitoya was more than happy to relay his annoyance to the father.

“I was at the temple, where else?” Kuko replied, not bothering to spare Hitoya another look as he continued to play with his son.  

“And the breaking and entering?” Hitoya asked with raised eyebrows. This time Kuko looked his way and shot the lawyer a cheeky grin.

“What can I say, old man? Looks like Haru learned from the best!” Kuko gloated, laughing loudly as he twirled Haru once more. “Isn’t that right, Haru? You don’t want to hang out with stinky, old Uncle Hitoya, right?” Kuko teased before sticking his tongue out at Hitoya.  

“Uncle Toya! Uncle Toya!” Haru exclaimed, eyes going wide. It was as if the child had just remembered something important as he began flailing in Kuko’s arms. Kuko frowned but placed the child back on the ground, only watching for a moment before gasping in horror as Haru rushed towards Hitoya, hugging the man’s leg tightly.

“Ah, hello again Haru,” Hitoya said with a weak smile, as if the child hadn’t spend most of the morning bugging him about all of the deposition paperwork on his desk. Haru glanced up at Hitoya, neck bent almost all the way back just to look at the man and his smile turned into a sharp, toothy, happy smile.  

“I love you, Uncle Toya!” Haru exclaimed with a bright happiness that made both men in the room stop and clutch their chests. The cuteness was almost too much to bear and Kuko had to lean on the chair for support while Hitoya dropped down to one knee to pat Haru’s head.

“I love you too, little Haru,” Hitoya said with a light chuckle. Hitoya had never been too fond of children, but it was safe to say that Haru was growing on him, and he didn’t mind the child as much as he thought he was going to.

Kuko watched in humor as Hitoya played with Haru and gave the boy a small hug. It was true that being a father was difficult, and that Haru had practically turned Kuko’s life around 180 degrees, but Kuko liked to think that it was all for the best. After all, it was still fun to annoy Hitoya and Haru was a wonderful instigator.

“Alright, alright, you’ve had your fun. Time to go see grandpa,” Kuko sighed, annoyed that he had to put on his ‘mature adult’ hat to take care of his son. Haru immediately left Hitoya, rushing to Kuko while shouting ‘gramp, gramp, gramp!’. As Haru rushed out of the office door, becoming enamored with one of the plants in the reception area, Kuko grinned.

“Have you ever thought of a child leash for him?” Hitoya asked.  

“Shut up, he’s a kid! They’re supposed to have this much energy. I know I did and look how great I turned out,” Kuko beamed. Hitoya rolled his eyes and sat back down in his chair.

“Whatever you say, Kuko. You’re the father,” he added, making Kuko groan.

“Fine, I’ll make sure he doesn’t sneak in here as much. Happy?” Kuko sneered, knowing that Hitoya was right but not wanting to give him the satisfaction. There was a brief pause before Hitoya cleared his throat.

“I suppose I could watch him for a short time if your father’s busy with the temple...” he said, almost too casually. Kuko immediately smirked and laughed at Hitoya’s response.

“Don’t even try to hide it, you love Haru!” Kuko said, pointing a finger at Hitoya. “Keep up the good work and you’ll be the new nanny in no time!” he added with a roar of laughter.

“Shut up and get out of my office! Some of us ‘adults’ actually need to get back to work!” Hitoya shouted, standing up from his desk and pointing at the door.

“Hey, I am a real adult! I have a damn kid for crying out loud!” Kuko shouted back.

“Don’t cuss in front of Haru!”  

“He’s not even here, I can do whatever I – ”

“Dada?”  

At the sound of Haru’s whisper, both men immediately dropped into false smiles, innocently waving at the boy.  

“Hey baby, you ready to go?” Kuko asked, his teeth clenched and voice sickly sweet. Haru took no notice and nodded profusely, singling ‘gramps’ once more as he tugged on Kuko’s pant leg. Kuko sighed and glanced over to Hitoya, giving him a nod.

“Whatever, thanks for today, I guess,” Kuko said, rubbing his neck a bit.

“Any time. Haru is always welcome here,” Hitoya said with a knowing look. Kuko made sure Haru was not looking before throwing up his middle finger at Hitoya with a friendly grin, making Hitoya chuckle with humor.  

“See you around, old man.”