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The post operation buzz is hardly comforting to anyone. There’s shouting, tears, the wounded being rolled out, tended to. And in the midst of the sirens and the shouts, the stars of Tokyo shine unchangingly, above.
Urie definitely isn't himself, to notice them. He’s still a bit scattered, unmoored, from his ordeal inside the Auction. And he realizes when they’re ten paces farther away that he’s still holding on to Tooru’s hand. He flinches.
“Sorry,” Tooru laughs nervously, withdrawing. Urie mutters the same. He’s about to turn aside and look for Sasaki when he feels a hand on his shoulder.
“Thank you,” Tooru says quietly. Urie’s taken aback.
“We can talk more later,” Tooru continues. “But, thank you for giving me a chance. For believing in me.”
Believing in you? I led you into a slaughter. But Tooru leans forward and takes his hand again. “I mean it.” And Urie is so stunned by the look in his eyes that before he can respond, Tooru’s gone, vanished among the crowd.
I really am… a fool.
All this time, had he had things the wrong way round? Tooru was the strong one, at least when they’d faced Madame. When he’d forgiven Urie so easily for stabbing him and pulled him close. And finally now, when he’d had the strength to say what Urie could never.
But Urie sees, perhaps, a chance to make amends.
Juuzou is sitting on the edge of the fountain, arms wrapped around his knees, staring into the water. The hem of his dress is torn haphazardly and caked with blood and dirt, and his feet are bare and not much better. Urie has never seen him so distracted. He approaches cautiously, though Jason is nowhere to be found. He swallows down the lump in his throat.
“Associate special class,” he begins. Juuzou flinches, and turns to look at him slowly. His wide eyes register confusion.
“Urie? Shouldn’t you be with the Q’s?”
“I’ll be joining them shortly. But I need to apologize.”
Juuzou blinks. “Apologize?”
“You asked…about my transmitter. And I lied to you. I endangered Mutsuki and yourself, and might’ve jeopardized the entire mission. If you see fit, report me to Matsuri. I will accept…whatever he decides.”
Juuzou just stares at him. Urie holds his breath.
“Alright.”
He flinches. He couldn’t have expected otherwise. To lie to a superior in combat merited expulsion or worse. What would his father think?
Urie nods, and turns to leave.
“What are you doing? We’re having a conversation, aren't we? I meant, alright, it’s fine.”
Urie’s mouth falls open. “But…I lied to you. We might've been killed!”
“Well, we weren’t. And I don’t think Haise would appreciate me tattling on one of his for a stupid mistake.”
“It wasn’t a mistake, sir, it was quite deliberate, and I-“
“It was stupid, whatever it was. Let’s leave it at that.”
Urie exhales. He notices, for the first time, that Juuzou’s eyes are rimmed with red.
“Thank you, sir.” He bows, and turns to leave.
“Urie,” Juuzou says quietly. Urie pauses.
“If you Hanbee, could you send him over? I…” Juuzou stops.
“Are…are you alright, sir?” It sounds ridiculous. But he’s never seen Juuzou anywhere close to distraught, or anything other than ebulliently happy.
Juuzou frowns, pulls absently at his lip. “I’m fine.”
But Urie can’t leave it at that. Not when he’d gone in ready to have his world turned upside down. He takes a deep breath.
“Mutsuki and I…you saved us, sir. If you hadn’t shown up when you did…I don’t want to think about what might’ve happened. You saved us then and me again, now, and I’m in your debt.”
He stands, and waits. Juuzou doesn’t react at first. But then his lips curl in a small smile, and he does the last thing Urie expects. He swings his legs over the side, wades into the fountain, and flings water at Urie as hard as he can. Urie stands, stunned, and lets the water drip down his face and coat.
“So you owe me, is what I’m getting,” Juuzou laughs. “You can pay me back right now. Loosen up!”
Urie blinks. But really, should he have expected anything else?
The crowd has thinned, where they are. The sirens can be heard in the distance, still, and really, Urie should be regrouping, planning, hedging his bets. But for a moment he lets himself go, lets his mind wander, and sees the stars of Tokyo reflected in the water at his feet- unmoving, but new.