Work Text:
Hoshino first started to suspect that something was up when Sugiura showed up at the Genda Law Office three days in a row. Once a week wasn't out of the ordinary, as he would stick his head through the door to say hello or bring Saori-san a treat, but to just park himself on the couch and play on his phone was unusual. "Sugiura-san, are you okay?" Hoshino asked on the third day.
"Hm? Oh, I'm fine," Sugiura replied, still staring at his phone but looking up briefly to give Hoshino an unconvincing smile. "Just not a lot else to do right now, you know? I'm not bothering you, am I?"
Hoshino rushed to reassure Sugiura that no, he wasn't bothering anyone, and of course he was welcome at any time, before heading to his desk to get started for the day.
On his lunch break he called Yagami just to make sure.
"No, I haven't heard anything," Yagami replied, looking off-screen on his phone. "Hey, Kaito, you heard anything about Sugiura?"
"Not at all. Why?" Kaito's voice echoed through Hoshino's phone speakers as a door slammed in the background. He must have just gotten back to the agency. Hoshino explained his thinking again briefly, and Kaito hummed thoughtfully as his face appeared next to Yagami's on the screen.
"No, I have no idea. I guess he could just be bored? There really isn't much going on, we don't have him working on a case right now and it's the slow season for city events, too."
"We'll let you know if he says anything, though," Yagami added, "or if he starts coming by here instead, okay? Thanks for looking out for him."
He felt a little better after the call (surely Sugiura would've told someone if something was actually wrong, right?) but still waffled back and forth on if he should let it go, eventually settling on no. Sugiura was his friend, and if he felt like something was wrong, it was his job as a friend to help make it right. Hoshino hit his open palm with a fist, feeling confident now that he had decided on a course of action. He would use what Yagami had taught him to tail Sugiura! If something was wrong, or bothering Sugiura, it would show up in his day-to-day life eventually.
----------
Tailing Sugiura was not as easy as Hoshino had convinced himself it would be.
First of all, he didn't go too many places. Hoshino had started waking up earlier than usual to check on Sugiura's apartment in the morning, where he knew the other man lived alone, but nothing seemed wrong there - it was a small building, but neat and tidy, no suspicious characters hanging around outside. Sugiura usually left at around 8, still tired-looking (Hoshino had considered 'bad sleep?' but crossed it off his list when he saw the blissful look on Sugiura's face over a coffee, writing 'not morning person' instead).
He would stop at one of several cafes ('kind staff,' Hoshino noted) and always got a large latte, extra shot of espresso.
He would go to Genda Law Office ('every other day').
Sometimes he would go to the agency ('Kaito makes jokes?' Hoshino wrote down, scribbling it out when he saw the little smile on Sugiura's face, ribbing Kaito right back).
Sometimes he would go to the drone races ('losing money??' scribbled desperately, only to be crossed out and replaced with 'secretly too rich???').
Then he would stop by one of a few different places to pick up takeout for dinner ('poor diet,' Hoshino wrote down disapprovingly, resolving to convince Sugiura some vegetables next time they went out for lunch).
And then... he would go home. That was it, every day.
Secondly, Sugiura was fast. He didn't use the rooftops as much when he wasn't tailing someone, but he still knew the city like the back of his hand, and Hoshino often found himself racing around corners just to keep up with him. He had a few close calls where Sugiura would pause, looking over his shoulder suspiciously, but Yagami had drilled into his head the importance of appearing casual. Hoshino had carefully picked clothes he knew Sugiura wouldn't expect him to be wearing and had mastered the art of staring at his phone like he was reading an important message, and Sugiura always ended up shrugging and moving on after a few minutes.
Still, he reflected after the fourth day of following this routine, he must be missing something. There was no reason for Sugiura to be acting like this, as far as he could tell, and yet...
----------
"I don't know, Hoshino," Yagami said as Kaito cackled in the background. "You really didn't see anything while you tailed him?"
"No," Hoshino replied miserably. "And my legs are starting to get sore. He's not fighting with anyone, there's nothing in his life that should be making him act like this, and the worst thing I figured out is that he doesn't eat enough vegetables."
"You know, Hoshino," Kaito came back into frame, slightly recovered, "he could just be in a funk. That happens sometimes, right? He really could just have nothing else to do right now and be stuck in a routine because of it."
Hoshino shook his head. "I think if that was the case he would at least be complaining about it. It seems more like he's almost... waiting for something?"
Yagami hummed thoughtfully. "You know what? Higashi's been out of town on family business, but he should be back tomorrow. Sugiura might've said something to him instead, so why don't you swing by Charles to ask?"
That sounded like an excellent idea to Hoshino, who wanted nothing more than to stop walking miles around the city following Sugiura pointlessly. He resolved to go to Charles as soon as his work (which he had been neglecting) was finished the next day.
----------
Luckily, Charles was open much later than the Genda Law Office, as catching up on his work had taken Hoshino hours longer than expected, and he was now stuck heading over to the arcade at nearly eleven. He ducked his head passing by the bustling bars and saunas, conversations swirling around him as he turned towards Charles -
and froze, seeing Sugiura being pressed up against the arcade's wall by a taller body, head knocking back against the brick wall. He yelped, and Hoshino drew in a breath to shout for help, already reaching for his phone, when he noticed the look on Sugiura's face.
Oh.
Oh.
"I missed you," Sugiura said clearly, tiny smile growing as he tangled a hand in the other person's hair. "Couldn't believe you left me here alone for so long."
The other figure laughed softly, muffled by their face being pressed against Sugiura's neck before lifting their head.
"I couldn't believe it either," Higashi replied, smile matching Sugiura's own. "Sorry it took longer than expected. You know I wouldn't leave you like that by choice." He ducked back in, mouth moving against Sugiura's neck on the other side, and Sugiura hummed happily.
"No, it's okay," he gasped out, hips pressing forward and whining when Higashi held him in place against the wall. "You gonna make it up to me anyway, though?"
"Always," Higashi murmured, sliding one hand up into Sugiura's shirt, letting the younger man's hips roll forward with a relieved moan. "Just tell me what you want."
Sugiura's darkened eyes met Hoshino's over Higashi's shoulder, and Hoshino jolted as he winked. Had Sugiura known he was there the whole time? Should he -
"I want you," he whispered to Higashi. "That's all."
As Higashi bent down to kiss Sugiura heatedly, hands grasping at the waistband of his pants while pressing him back against the arcade wall again, Hoshino decided he could declare this case closed and take his leave.
----------
"So did you figure it out?" Yagami asked, taking the coffee Hoshino offered him gratefully. "Why Sugiura was acting funny?"
Hoshino sat on the couch across from Yagami and paused, trying to decide on the best way to answer that question. "...yes," he said cautiously, taking a sip of his own coffee.
Yagami waited politely for a continuation of the answer, eyebrows raising when he didn't get one. "Is everything okay with him?"
"Yes," Hoshino answered again, a little less slowly this time. Yagami sipped his coffee too, thinking it over for a few moments, then sighed.
"Is it something Kaito and I need to know about?"
"Probably not," Hoshino said, relieved to finally get an easier question.
"Okay," Yagami replied, sitting back and relaxing against the couch. "As long as it's all good now, I guess that's what matters."
Hoshino silently agreed, but added a mental note to his list that the next time Higashi was out of town, he should invite Sugiura over for dinner. He wouldn't feel as lonely that way, and as a bonus, Hoshino could make sure Sugiura was eating his vegetables too. Or maybe they could do something during the day, so Sugiura just wasn't wandering around bored by himself.
"Yagami? Do you know where I could learn to fly a drone?"