After Taking Down the Distillery, He Became a Widower

[Main Story Complete: 12/2. New Preorder: "Does a Beta in a Crossover Have to Go Through This Too?"]

Lauren is a rookie FBI agent. He has noticed that his superior, Agent Akai, is rather strange:

He likes reading old news articles from fifteen years ago, and staring into empty picture frames.

Jodie quietly explains: "It's a taboo everyone knows about, but no one dares mention. Shuichi misses the lover he lost during an undercover mission back then."

But Agent Akai's own words contradict the blonde instructor's: "Sorry, he wasn't my lover. He was a very useful tool."

Still, this "tool" was his friend of ten years, someone he'd known since high school, someone he could talk to about anything and who shared his ideals.

When he learned he was going undercover, that guy joined without a moment's hesitation:

"Going undercover alone is way too dangerous, Akai. Trust me to watch your back. I'll be your right-hand man."

They went undercover together, became partners, and trusted each other with their lives. Until the day of the confession, Akai never knew he was in love with him.

At the time, Akai thought he should distance himself:

Because the "tool" had developed personal feelings and could no longer make the calmest possible judgments.

Infiltrating such a dangerous organization, feelings were the most useless thing of all.

But when the news of his friend's death reached him, he cried.

Because his soul was telling him: his best partner, his kindest friend, the person who loved him most would never come back.

From then on, his time stood still. He became a widower living in the past, realizing his feelings too late.

*

Before You Read:

1. Bad ending.

2. The wine factory gets taken down from the start, fifteen years earlier.

3. Any out-of-character behavior is on me. Please go easy on this short story.

Theme: Treasure the people you have while they're still here.