Chapter Text
On the 9th floor of a normal apartment complex, a cat with soft midnight fur was awoken. The sound of muffled footsteps and window curtains being opened was all it took for the feline to slip into consciousness, a soft “mmrrr” sounding out into the now illuminated bedroom of his caretaker. With nothing to block it, sunlight hastily invited itself into the apartment, instantly warming up the skin of the boy responsible for letting in the welcome intruder.
The cat proceeded to stretch to its content and hopped off the bed to weave around and rub against his human’s legs.
A soft smile spread across the boy’s face as he crouched down, lovingly stroking his small companion while he sighed, soft and content.
“Good morning, Kuro!”
Kuro quickly found himself curled up on the floor of the living room, indulging in a nap under the sun and paying no mind to his human shuffling around the apartment to get ready for work.
Swallowing the last bite of his breakfast, Mahiru made quick work of the aftermath of his cooking before starting to gather everything he needed to get through the workday and neatly folding the items into a backpack.
He turned off the TV he put on for background noise, glancing around to confirm he didn’t leave anything unfinished. Slipping on his shoes, Mahiru called out a farewell to his cat and stepped out of his apartment, a secure “click!” following after the door shut while the boy started walking the oh so familiar route to the cafe he worked at.
Smiling, Mahiru skipped his way down the sidewalk, cars and other people going about their day as normal. He hopes his day will be simple but only time can tell. Maybe for dinner he could-
“Mahiru! Mahiru, wait up!” A cheerful voice called out from behind him, snapping Mahiru out of his thoughts.
Turning around, he was greeted with the goofy smile of his best friend who only had a few more steps left to catch up to the brunette.
“Good morning, Sakuya!” Mahiru chuckled, groaning when the other swung his arm around his shoulders and leaned into him, almost tipping both of them over. “Good morning!” Sakuya replied, not bothered to remove himself from his friend.
“You looked kinda out of it when I was all but screeching your name back there. You thinking about dinner again?” The green-haired male exaggerated, his smirk only growing when Mahiru rolled his eyes. “Maybe.” He looked up at him, “You look like you’re in a good mood today. Something good happen already?” The hazel-eyed boy questioned, a brow lifting curiously.
“Belkia and Tsubaki-san aren’t working today so of course I’m happy. Plus, I get to spend the day with the Shirota Mahiru! I’m practically blessed!” Sakuya chimed out, pulling the smaller boy closer to side as they continued walking.
The brunette was worried his eyes might roll to the back of his head before they even got to the cafe.
“You know we both have to work the whole time, right?”
“No one says we can’t slack off a bit!”
“It’s not worth the earful Misono will give the both of us if we slack off! Remember last time?”
Sakuya groaned, “Don’t remind me. I got a headache from how loud he was.”
“Then I suggest,” Mahiru started, the both of them coming to a halt while the green-eyed one unlocked the door to the building, “that you don’t slack off today.” He grinned at the way Sakuya dropped his head in defeat. “Okay, okay.” He drawled out, stepping to the side and opening the door for him.
“After you, m’ lady~.” Scoffing as his best friend bowed down dramatically, he stepped inside and called out a greeting, Sakuya mimicking.
“Ah.” A tall figure looked out at them from the other side of the counter, blue eyes taking little time to recognize who came through the door. “Big Bro Mahiru, Watanuki. Good morning.”
“Morning, Tetsu! You’re here early.” Mahiru added, moving aside as Sakuya squeezed past to get to the backroom to change. Tetsu nodded, wiping the last bit of the counter. “I figured it would be better to come in early and clean up to make things easier.” He stated bluntly as he threw the towel he used to clean in the trash.
Mahiru’s face lit up and he smiled. “Really? That helps out a ton!”
“No problem. I have everything covered over here so you might want to get ready.”
“You’re right! Thanks a lot, Tetsu!” Mahiru said cheerfully before joining Sakuya in the changing room.
---
Paying little mind to his friend fumbling with his outfit, Mahiru set his backpack down and opened it.
Bringing his hands to the bottom of his t-shirt, he wasted no time ridding his body of the fabric and setting it down on a chair which was soon joined by his shoes, socks, and pants.
Shivering from the cold air, he started taking out the garments he had placed in the bag, completely unaware of the quick and flustered glances Sakuya was giving him before shaking his head and hesitantly going back to dressing himself.
The brunette pulled out the frilly black and white laced dress he had come to grow fond of and carefully pulled it over his head. The fabric came to a stop a couple inches above his knees, the skirt portion puffing outwards just right. Then came the matching black corset which he pressed against his torso, doing his best to make sure it was tied tight enough as he tugged on the strings, content with how it hugged his body and defined his waist perfectly. Running his hands over his sides, he checked to make sure he didn’t put it on wrong before continuing.
Taking a deep breath, he unfolded the white apron and tied the ends together in the best bow he could manage around his neck and waist, adjusting as necessary before snagging two more long pieces of fabric from the bag and sitting down. After rolling up the stocking, he lifted his leg up to carefully slide it over his skin, coming at a stop at the middle of his thigh, repeating with the other leg. The bands on top of the stockings squeezed his thighs enough so that they couldn’t fall off, something Mahiru himself had to adjust so he wouldn’t have to keep pulling them up while he’s working.
It was simpler to deal with it instead of suffering through the whole day.
Slipping the headpiece on and sliding on his heels, he leaned back and sighed once more, taking his time to stretch himself out and relax before standing up.
He looked over to Sakuya, who was faced away from him and messing with his headband.
“You need help over there? Your corset looks a little loose.”
Sakuya turned his head halfway to glance at Mahiru and grinned. “If you insist! I’m in your hands now, Mahiru-sama!” He spun around to face him. “Please be gentle with me~!” He purred, grin widening at his best friend’s very done expression.
“Help yourself.” Mahiru said while walking out of the room. “But Mahiru!!” The taller boy whined.
“Don’t take forever!” He called out from the hallway.
“Yeah, yeah…” He pouted, grin leaving his face and starting to fiddle with his corset strings. He decided he did a good enough job when the door to the building opened once again, two very familiar and annoying voices echoing off the walls and he knew he did not want to be in here the same time they were.
Taking one last long look at himself in the mirror, he walked off and begrudgingly did his part with cleaning.
Today feels like it’s gonna be a long day.