Chapter Text
On Monday, September Twenty-Seventh, at 13:09, Rohan Kishibe came stumbling into Trattoria Trussardi, slightly wet from the rain. His breath was quick. To hide their trembling, his hands were shoved into his shallow pockets. Little beads of water gleamed like studs of diamond on the buckle of his belt.
At the sound of the small bell which hung above the door, Tonio Trussardi looked up at his visitor. He stood by a table, rearranging the candles. Rohan’s entrance was a blessing; he had been repositioning those candles for minutes, unable to decide which arrangement he preferred.
Rohan and Tonio had only spoken on occasion. Their brief interactions occurred during the hunt for Yoshikage Kira, once or twice exchanging tips or advice. After the serial killer’s defeat, they had not spoken. Their relative unfamiliarity did not stop Tonio from approaching Rohan, warmly welcoming him in.
“Would you like a seat, Sensei?”
Rohan took a deep breath. He freed his hands from his pockets and wrung them together. After a beat, he replied, “I don’t intend to have a meal. But, a place to sit for a moment may be nice.”
Tonio did not flinch at Rohan’s attitude. The mangaka’s reputation for odd mannerisms preceded him.
Tonio led his guest to the table nearest to the fireplace. The fire was low, but still burning. The warm smell of smoke drifted from it. The orange light it gave off tickled the legs and long cloth of the table. Once Rohan sat, Tonio pulled a match from the second pocket in his apron. With it he lit the three candles set up at the center of the table.
Rohan was rigid in his seat. The table was meant for two. Tonio had never considered his tables too large; often, he thought the opposite, the two-person tables rarely ever having enough room for all the plates he delivered. However, as Rohan stared down at the white tablecloth, it seemed to swallow him up in a sea of fabric. Tonio did not want to think of Rohan as small. Instead, the empty table was enormous, big enough to fit a whole family, and yet he sat at it alone. That’s what made him small.
“Sensei, at least let me bring you some bread,” he offered. Rohan spared him a glance upwards.
“Alright.”