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the apartment is quiet.
he’s used to it by now, but it doesn’t make the silence any less suffocating. this place used to be bustling with life, after all. the blare of a television, the radio playing shitty pop songs, nemu’s snoring after she stayed up late to see samatoki when he came home.
she ended up falling asleep anyway. samatoki always had a blanket at the ready.
it’s almost six in the morning when samatoki opens the door to crushing silence. he didn’t expect anything else, but he still gives a loud, dramatic sigh as he flops on the couch. nobody’s around to hear, but it makes him feel a little better anyway.
“god, I need a smoke...” he mumbles as he takes a pack of cigarettes from his pocket. he’s still in awe that the whole pack fits, but he doesn’t dwell on it as he takes out his lighter.
as he brings the cigarette to his lips, he can almost hear her chiding him from across the room, see her frown as she tells him that smoking will only lead to trouble in the long run.
he scoffs before taking a drag of it, letting the smell of smoke into the air. not like nemu is around to care anymore, after all.
samatoki used to smoke on the balcony, back when he had someone to worry about. back when he didn’t care about his own well-being, but about someone else’s. back when he still had someone living in this apartment with him.
not like it matters now. it hasn’t mattered for a while. it hasn’t mattered since his own sister tried to have him arrested.
it’s been a year. he hasn’t smoked on the balcony since, because in the grand scheme of things, who gives a fuck? nemu isn’t here anymore. he doubts she’ll ever be here again.
there’s a knock on the door. it startles him so much that he almost drops his cigarette.
“who the hell is it?” he asks, not expecting an answer. if it’s who samatoki thinks it is, he won’t get one.
the door opens only a second later. as jyuto enters, samatoki wants nothing more than to crush the cigarette on the ground and pretend he was never smoking. of course, jyuto wouldn’t condemn him for it. samatoki just doesn’t feel like letting the damn bunny cop use his lighter.
jyuto says nothing as he walks through the door, joining samatoki on the couch and sighing. samatoki can tell something is wrong with his teammate—no, his friend. they’re friends, aren’t they? after all they’ve been through together..they’re friends.
“the hell’s up with you?” samatoki inquires, taking another drag of his cigarette. jyuto simply shakes his head, indicating that he doesn’t want his companion to ask for further detail. of course, that means samatoki will ask for as much detail as possible. he doesn’t see himself as a curious man, but he doesn’t like having things withheld from him.
“nothing is wrong. let me use your lighter, will you? I forgot mine,” jyuto replies before taking the lighter without waiting for a response. samatoki mumbles a protest, which only earns him a glare from the cop.
“oh yeah? if nothing’s wrong, then why the hell are you at my apartment at six in the fucking morning?”
jyuto doesn’t answer, instead rolling his eyes. “your apartment reeks.”
“oh yeah? not my fucking problem. go back to your own.”
“aaah, but I need company.”
“it’s six in the goddamn morning, idiot. you need sleep.”
jyuto props his feet up on the coffee table, looking at samatoki with a small smile. “can I sleep here?”
“why the fuck would I let you-“
he’s cut off by jyuto taking his hand, interlocking their fingers and making samatoki’s face turn redder than those stupid gloves jyuto always wears. “please?”
“f-fine! sleep on the fucking couch, then! I don’t give a fuck!”
jyuto smirks and takes his hand away, taking his jacket off and stretching his legs out. he’s barely longer than the couch, so he has to curl up a little bit. samatoki would laugh at him if he wasn’t still sidetracked by the other man’s sudden affection.
“don’t get your stupid legs on my lap. i’m going to the balcony,” samatoki states, standing up and making his way over to the back door. jyuto grins.
“goodnight.”
samatoki doesn’t respond as he closes the door, leaning against the balcony railing and loudly sighing once again.
it’s been a while since he’s gone out here because of someone else.
he can’t say he minds.