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Everyone's tired.
Then again, it's not everyday that you defeat a nearly unstoppable terrorist.
The hideout feels different now. It doesn't feel like home anymore. Now it's just an abandoned building in the middle of the woods again.
There's no more strategizing, no more late nights planning.
Shimomura stops short of the threshold as the feeling hits her. This is it. This is the last time they'll be here. This is the last time Tosaki will need her. Their contract has ended, and she's on her own.
And it's the worst kind of freedom she could ask for.
She starts walking again, passing through the front doors and following Tosaki down the hallway.
"What are your plans now?" Tosaki doesn't look at her, but continues organizing the contents in his bag.
Shimomura thinks for a moment, hardly ready to answer such a question. "I...don't know."
Tosaki glances at her, surprised that she has nothing in mind. "Pick up where you left off, then." Tosaki advises. "You can do whatever you like."
"What about you?" Shimomura returns the question.
Tosaki zips the bag and hoists it over his shoulder. "Sleeping. Then paperwork." He thinks for a moment, then laughs. "Thoroughly convincing Sokabe that he can't have my job."
Shimomura laughs. "That last one sounds like a full time job."
"It will be." He walks to the door. "I really can't thank you enough, Shimomura." He looks away, trying to avoid anything too sappy or sentimental. "But I really appreciated your help."
Shimomura smiles. "Thank you. You've helped me more than you know." She has so many things to say, but it's simply not the time or place.
"Well, take care." He nods goodbye and disappears around the corner, leaving Shimomura by herself for the first time in quite a while.
The room looks just like they had found it months ago. The bed is made, the drawers are empty, the halls are quiet. She sighs at her own hesitation, wishing she'd had the guts to say something else. Reluctantly, she takes her own bag from the closet, hardly believing she's packing it to leave. She should be excited, thrilled even, to be done with such a nightmare. But she just can't bring herself to it. Not now, anyway. Not after he's just left.
She's almost worked herself into tears when she hears footsteps approaching. But not just anyone's footsteps.
Tosaki turns the corner again, a strange expression on his face. "I think I forgot something."
She looks to the nightstand and table for any sign of what he's referring to, but he quickly corrects himself. "Or...someone, I guess."
She doesn't have time to process what he's said before he leans down and kisses her. She's caught off guard by the gesture, but she doesn't hesitate to return it. Not this time.
He's the first to let go, seeming surprised by his own boldness. "That was pretty unprofessional."
Shimomura smiles. "It was...but if I remember correctly, you ended the contract."
"What say we start a new one, then? A different one."
"What do you need to be protected from this time?" She asks playfully.
He thinks for a second then shrugs. "I don't know. We'll think of something."
"I doubt it's legal to be in a relationship with an Ajin." She says with mock seriousness. "You might get into trouble."
He laughs. "I won't tell if you won't."