To Want and Not To Have - NanaGo

Chapter 4

They've scheduled the supper with his boss for Friday of next week. Nanami has plenty of time to plan the meal, buy the necessary supplies, and get to work. It also gives him plenty of time to thoroughly clean his flat and make sure there's nothing bad to be found that his boss could use against him.

He also has to leave things lying around that proves Gojo has been living with him.

Which won't be an easy feat, given how small Nanami's flat is.

Rental in Tokyo isn't exactly cheap, especially since Nanami wanted to get a place that was near a train station and stores. Still, he found the cheapest he could find that wasn't a health hazard. It's served him fine since he got it – he hasn't seen any reason to get a bigger one, even after the pay increase and bonus at the end of the previous year. Every yen he makes goes to his retirement plan so he can leave the tedious work life as soon as possible.

Also, he's never had anyone over, especially not someone like Gojo or his boss, who are accustomed to certain standards of living.

Nanami doesn't think he's a self-conscious man, but when he looks at his flat through the eyes of a person like Gojo, he finds the place seriously lacking.

Still, there's not much he can do in the space of a week and a half. All he can do is clean and air out the place until the smell of abandonment wafts off. He's so rarely here that even his futon smells musty, as if it had been left to mold there for weeks.

The first week passes by in a blur. Nanami doesn't see nor hear from Gojo at all. Gojo told him that he had to leave for Osaka on a mission, so Nanami doesn't expect to hear from him for a few days. His boss, on the other hand, now seems to find him all the more interesting. He badgers him with questions about his upcoming wedding, about his past with Gojo, about everything that seemingly crosses his mind. Nanami can hardly take a step in the office without his boss waiting for him with that annoying grin on his face. The man singles him out every chance he gets, telling his other employees that they should all aim as high as Nanami when it comes to their spouse. It's insulting, but there's nothing Nanami can do or say in protest. He just grits his teeth and bares it, as he's always done.

The upside of the whole thing is that his boss rarely invites him over for parties or outings after work. Whenever he leaves with a group of employees, his parting shots to Nanami are usually of a lewd nature, telling him to take good care of his fiancé. It's so mortifying that Nanami does his best not to be in the office when his boss leaves – he'd never admit it even under torture, but he once hid in the toilets to avoid bidding his boss goodbye.

It's getting ridiculous.

More than ridiculous.

But at least Nanami can focus on doing overtime. He crams in as many hours as he can, returning home only to sleep, bathe, and change clothes, sometimes skipping sleep altogether. Nightmares plague him most of the time, so he much prefers working to waking up in sweat with terror filling his mind.

Then, next Wednesday, two days before his boss and his wife are due for supper, Gojo texts that he's going to drop by the flat. Nanami, who'd planned on staying late tonight too, sighs. There's no way in hell he's leaving Gojo alone in his flat, so he packs his things at six, ignores his boss' inappropriate comments, then goes home.

He's shocked to recognise the car parked by the curb in front of his building. It's one of the many cars sorcerers use to get around town, but Nanami knows Gojo doesn't drive, so it means he's come here with a driver.

Just as he thinks that, he sees the driver's door open and his old schoolmate, Ijichi, steps out, looking all shades of apologetic. He appears older than his years, wearing a black suit and glasses that keep slipping down his nose. His brown hair is slicked back from his brow severely. The second he spots Nanami staring at him from the sidewalk, he bows.