Undercover Desires | G.Tomioka x Reader |

Chapter 22

Y/N couldn't shake the feeling that something was wrong. For days now, Haruto had been avoiding her. Every time she tried to approach him in the office, he found a reason to leave—meetings, phone calls, urgent tasks. It wasn't like him. Before everything went wrong, Haruto had been her constant support, someone she trusted deeply. But now... now there was a wall between them, one she didn't understand.

Her thoughts whirled as she sat at her desk, staring at the screen but not really seeing the words. The memory of her kidnapping still haunted her—cold hands on her skin, the biting pain, the helplessness. She had tried to move past it, but the nightmares wouldn't let her forget. Giyuu had offered his protection, his house, but there was something else pulling at her now: Haruto's strange behaviour.

It was late—well after office hours—and the building was nearly empty. The perfect time. Y/N gathered her things, her heart pounding as she made her way through the dimly lit halls. Haruto was still here. He had been avoiding her, but he wasn't gone. She had seen him earlier, slipping into one of the smaller meeting rooms. If she didn't confront him now, she wasn't sure she'd ever get the chance.

The door to the meeting room was slightly ajar, and Y/N hesitated before pushing it open. Haruto sat at the far end of the room, his back to the door, hunched over in a way that seemed so unlike him. Normally, he was confident, even cheerful, but now... now he looked broken.

Y/N took a deep breath, then stepped inside. "Haruto," she said softly, her voice cutting through the stillness of the room.

He stiffened, his head snapping up as if startled. For a moment, he didn't turn around, but Y/N saw his shoulders tense. "Y/N... what are you doing here?" His voice was low, edged with something she couldn't quite place.

"I could ask you the same thing," she said, stepping closer. "You've been avoiding me."

"I haven't been—" He cut himself off, finally turning to face her. His eyes were dark, shadows of exhaustion and something deeper lurking beneath. "It's nothing. You should go."

Y/N crossed her arms, her determination hardening. "No. You've been avoiding me, and I want to know why. We're supposed to be friends, Haruto. What's going on?"

For a moment, Haruto didn't respond. His jaw tightened, and he looked away, as if struggling to find the words. Silence stretched between them, thick and uncomfortable. Y/N's heart raced as she waited, hoping he would say something—anything to explain the distance that had grown between them.

Then, without warning, Haruto stood up, the chair scraping against the floor. "It's my fault," he said, his voice barely above a whisper.

Y/N blinked, taken aback. "What?"

Haruto ran a hand through his hair, pacing in front of her. His movements were erratic, full of nervous energy. "Your kidnapping... it was my fault. If I hadn't dismissed you, if I hadn't said you were just being paranoid, then maybe—maybe none of this would have happened."

Y/N's breath caught in her throat. Haruto's words hit her like a punch to the gut, and for a moment, she didn't know what to say. The memory of her fear, of the nights she had spent feeling watched, came flooding back. She had gone to Haruto for reassurance, and he had told her she was imagining things.

"Haruto... you couldn't have known," she said softly, though her voice wavered. "None of us knew what was going to happen."

But Haruto shook his head violently, his hands clenched into fists. "I should have known. I should have listened to you. But I didn't. And because of that, you were taken, and I—" He broke off, his voice cracking. "I failed you."

Y/N took a step closer, her heart aching for him. Haruto had always been strong, always the one who held everything together. Seeing him like this, broken and guilt-ridden, was almost too much to bear.

"It wasn't your fault," she whispered, reaching out to touch his arm.

But Haruto jerked away, his breathing ragged. "No, Y/N, it *was* my fault. And I can't—" His voice cracked again, and this time he didn't stop the tears that welled in his eyes. "I can't keep pretending like it wasn't."

Y/N's heart twisted painfully in her chest. Haruto had always been so composed, so in control, but now... now he was unravelling in front of her, and it hurt to see. Without thinking, she stepped forward and wrapped her arms around him, pulling him into a tight embrace.

"It wasn't your fault," she repeated, her voice barely above a whisper. "You didn't fail me, Haruto. You did everything you could."

For a moment, Haruto stood stiffly in her arms, as if unsure how to respond. But then, slowly, he collapsed against her, his body shaking with silent sobs. Y/N held him tighter, her own emotions a swirling storm inside her. She had never seen Haruto like this—so vulnerable, so raw. And yet, in that moment, she knew how much he cared for her. How deeply this had affected him.

"I should have protected you," Haruto choked out, his voice muffled against her shoulder. "I should have been there."

"You were there," Y/N said softly, her fingers gently stroking his back. "You've always been there for me. I wouldn't have made it through this without you."

Haruto pulled back slightly, his tear-filled eyes meeting hers. "But I failed you, Y/N. I—"

Before he could finish, Y/N pressed a finger to his lips, silencing him. "Stop blaming yourself. I'm okay now, thanks to you and Giyuu. We're all trying our best in this mess."

At the mention of Giyuu, Haruto flinched slightly, his eyes darkening. Y/N noticed the change in his expression, but before she could question it, Haruto stepped back, wiping his eyes with the back of his hand. "I've been avoiding you because I couldn't face you," he admitted, his voice still shaky. "Every time I looked at you, all I could think about was how I let this happen."

Y/N's heart ached for him, but she didn't know what more she could say. Haruto was punishing himself for something that wasn't his fault, and no amount of reassurance seemed to ease his guilt. "You didn't let this happen," she said quietly, trying once again to reach him. "But if you keep pushing me away, you're just going to make it worse for both of us."

Haruto stared at her for a long moment, his expression conflicted. Then, as if something inside him broke, he spoke again, his voice barely audible. "It's more than that, Y/N."

Y/N frowned. "What do you mean?"

"I..." Haruto hesitated, his eyes darting to the floor. "I've been avoiding you because... because I have feelings for you."

The words hung in the air between them, heavy and charged. Y/N's breath caught in her throat as she processed what he had just said. Haruto... had feelings for her? Her mind raced, trying to make sense of it all. She had always seen Haruto as a friend, as someone she trusted, but this... this changed everything.

"I've had feelings for you for a long time," Haruto continued, his voice barely above a whisper. "But I never said anything because I knew it would complicate things. And then... then you were kidnapped, and I realised how much I care about you. And I blamed myself for not protecting you. For not being there when you needed me most."

Y/N's heart raced, her emotions a tangled mess. She didn't know what to say, how to respond. Haruto's confession had taken her completely by surprise, and she wasn't sure how to process it.

"I didn't mean to make things awkward," Haruto added quickly, his voice trembling. "I just... I couldn't keep it bottled up any more. Not after everything that's happened."

Before Y/N could respond, the sound of footsteps echoed in the hallway. She stiffened, realising that someone had been listening.

Giyuu.

He stood just outside the door, hidden in the shadows. He hadn't meant to overhear the conversation, but now that he had, something felt off. His instincts told him that there was more going on here than he realised, but for now, he pushed the feeling aside.

Inside the room, Y/N's mind was spinning, her heart torn between two men—one who had just bared his soul to her, and another who had saved her life without asking for anything in return.

She didn't know what to do.