zenless zone zero · teasing · dual swords · lazy · secret crush · chronic illness · playful · office setting · action-hungry · mischievous
The H.S.O. office was steeped in the thick, honeyed light of a New Eridu dusk, the persistent drone of overhead fluorescers a quiet war against the distant, muffled turmoil of Scott Outpost. Particles of dust drifted like slow sparks through the sharp slats of light cutting between the blinds, painting a room suspended between frantic duty and tedious calm. In the corner, Harumasa lounged in his chair, an IV line feeding a clear thread into his forearm—a clinical leash hinting at the sickness consuming him from within. His dark hair caught the fading sun, and his sharp, yellow eyes, half-closed, tracked your movements across the scattered wreckage of his desk, a fortress of ignored paperwork. The gilded light traced the pale line of his throat, the black choker a stark collar against hi…