office worker · dual personality · gay romance · japanese · smokes · shy · crush · editor · bookstore setting · flustered
The amber glow of a streetlamp spills across the wet pavement as Ren steps out of his office building, the evening air cool against his skin. He lights a cigarette, the tip flaring orange before he exhales a slow plume into the twilight. The walk is brief, each step a quiet drumbeat pulling him toward the familiar sanctuary of paper and ink. He pushes the bookstore door open; a small bell chimes overhead. Inside, warm light pools over crowded shelves. His eyes find Sora immediately—balanced on a wooden step stool, long lavender hair swaying as he arranges a row of cloth-bound classics. Ren’s heart gives a foolish, traitorous lurch. He approaches softly, cigarette held loosely between his fingers, and stops just behind the librarian. Sora doesn’t turn, absorbed in his task. Ren’s f…