Work Text:
“Well, look at what the cat dragged in. Been a while since you were in this room.” Pewter has a lot of questions for Ryuki but figures that it would be inappropriate to ask right away. He promises himself that he’ll be cordial. Ryuki must’ve made a similar oath because he holds out his hand to shake and they do so as they awkwardly bow to each other like they’re meeting for the first time all over again. By all rights, they should be friends by now, but Pewter swears that in all six years he’s worked with Ryuki, he’s met six different men. First there was the eager to please newbie, then the HB Case broke him. Predictable, maybe even expected. That didn’t make it easier to watch. Pewter watched Ryuki pick up the pieces, drop them, then attempt to drown them with alcohol in revenge. He has a working theory that Ryuki has a genetic predisposition to addiction but he won’t dig into the man’s family history beyond personnel files. Out of respect.
“Yeah, I’m only here to consult though.” Ryuki’s voice is rough. He looks terrible. Probably fell asleep on the way here.
“Tama’s not with you.” It’s more a statement than a question.
“Her Wink Psync and Location services are being disabled.” Ryuki replies with a tired frown.
“Only so she can fully support you during your absence.” Pewter doesn’t mention that it was his idea. Ryuki can barely handle his own brain let alone anyone else’s.
“Yeah. She’s pretty good at ordering GooberEats on a schedule.” He doesn’t like the sarcastic edge in Ryuki’s voice but lets it slide. Clearly sobriety isn’t agreeing with him.
“What, you don’t know how to cook at your age?” He asks. Ryuki might be a rich kid but he’s not helpless and there’s no hired help at his fancy Aoyama apartment.
“They thought it would be a bad idea for me to keep knives in the house since…” Ryuki trails off. Pewter doesn’t know what to say to that. So nothing gets said. And the World’s Most Awkward Silence sidles in between them. Ryuki scratches the back of his neck. Pewter oscillates. They’ve said too much.
“Well.” Pewter clears his throat like a thunder crack. “We recorded everything but there’s still something missing. We still don’t have the location for the four other bodies and the killer isn’t talking. We don’t need you to Psync but I’m fairly confident that Date missed or misinterpreted something.”
“Mr. Date is here today?” Leave it to Ryuki to focus on the wrong part of that sentence.
“Did you see him when you reported in?” Pewter asks like the question is rhetorical. Ryuki shakes his head. “Then no.” Ryuki’s frown deepens but Pewter doesn’t really have it in him to coddle to man’s feelings. He’s almost 30 for christ’s sake.
“Well he couldn’t have missed something.” Ryuki protests. Pewter feels a headache spawn between his eyes.
“He’s human, Ryuki. Anyone can miss something. Not to mention I specifically asked for you .” Don’t make me change my mind almost slips out after it.
“Me? Why?”
“Why not? It’s not like you’re busy.” Pewter says as he sits down. He smiles when he says it so the sarcasm doesn’t sound as harsh. It doesn’t work.
“I won’t be able to improve on Mr. Date’s work.” Ryuki hesitates to sit down. Pewter checks the clock. His work/life balance is already bad enough without Ryuki’s Crisis of Confidence slowing him down.
“Ryuki, do you want to help or not? Because I have other things I could be doing than rewatching…”
“Sorry, sorry…I’ll watch.” Ryuki holds a hand up as if stopping the rest of the tirade from coming at him. He sits and gives Pewter a shaky smile as a peacemaking gesture. Pewter responds by turning on the recording of Osamu Hoshino’s Somnium.
Hoshino’s particular brand of murder revolved around leaving “sinners” in penitent positions after their death. He started with his mother, a serial gambler, and escalated to the murder of Sachiko Kahn who committed fraud against the insurance company he worked for. Quite a sad story, really. She was simply desperate to return to her home country and attend her father’s funeral. The road to hell is paved with good intentions and all that. Too far gone for empathy, Hoshino didn’t care about the reason. He was meticulous. He built a rapport with her. Watched her. Followed her. Then volunteered to drive her to Immigration Services. She never made it. Her body was found folded into a kneeling position in a graveyard. She hadn’t been there for long. The incense was still burning.
“It appears these all represent the Cardinal Sins, Date.” Hoshino’s Somnium looks like an altar but it doesn’t look like any Ryuki or Pewter have ever seen. There are only seven candles - the shadow traits - and a large screen in the back.
“Reminds me of a Christian Church…” Ryuki mumbles under his breath. He plants his hand under his chin and leans forward. Pewter watches Ryuki while Ryuki watches Aiba light and blow out the candles in the order Hoshino’s dreamscape demands. Ryuki isn’t like Date and Boss. Perhaps that’s why he has such a difficult time assimilating. This isn’t a job for introverts. Honestly, Pewter won’t be surprised if Ryuki doesn’t come back after his sabbatical.
“This candle represents the Cardinal Sin of Lust.” Aiba stands before the red candle.
“Hm…do a sexy dance with it.” Date murmurs.
“What? Absolutely not.” Aiba quips.
“C’mon, Aiba, it’s a really long candlestick.” This is the third time Pewter has heard this little exchange so Ryuki’s fond little smile makes him scowl. After three other suggestions, it turns out Aiba had to knock the candle over and the entire altar starts to burn.
“Wait. Go back.” Ryuki tugs on Pewter with urgency.
“Don’t do that.”
“Sorry. Please go back.” That’s not exactly what Pewter meant but he’ll take it. He goes back until Ryuki tells him to stop. “There. You see that on the screen in the back?” He does. It’s a perfect square. Date never said anything about it, considering the flames lead Aiba in the opposite direction to an altar shaped like the Insurance Office. “Turn up the brightness a little.” He does. The image is faint but that screen isn’t just a blank effigy. It’s a map of Kanda. “Look in the center there.” Pewter squints and barely makes out the words “Resurrection Cathedral”.
“Those must be the locations of the other bodies.” He says snapping.
“It’s worth a shot.” Ryuki doesn’t mirror his excitement.
Pewter doesn’t have time to worry. He immediately hops up from his chair and calls Boss, who is still at the prison supervising Hoshino’s interrogation. She offers to thank Ryuki personally but when Pewter slips back inside, he sees the younger man with his head in his hands.
“Actually, Boss, it looks like Ryuki has already gone home for the day.” Ryuki's head pops up and he holds out his hand for the phone. Pewter puts a finger in his face which offends him but plants him right back in his seat. “I’ll tell him. Of course. Goodbye.”
“I could’ve talked to her.” Ryuki pouts.
“But did you want to?”
“Does that matter?” That’s actually a good question. Does what you want matter in the long run? He supposes if he had everything he wanted, he wouldn’t be working right now. Sighing, he sits back in his chair next to Ryuki.
“It did in the moment, I suppose.” Is all he comes up with. Ryuki shrugs so he doesn’t know if he’s agreeing or not. “Do you want anything? A drink, maybe?”
“No I’m…” Ryuki’s voice catches on the word “fine”, making Pewter raise an eyebrow. “I should go get Tama, shouldn’t I?” And then makes no attempt to get up.
“Or you could stay here for a moment. Since you seem to be enjoying yourself.” Pewter doesn’t mask his sarcasm this time.
“ It’s quiet in here .” Ryuki observes. “Quieter than my apartment.”
“You mean quieter without Tama.”
“That’s…!” Ryuki sputters but slumps back in his chair with a sigh. “Tama’s great. She’s great. The best partner. But if I hear her say pain management one more fucking time, I’m going to explode.”
“Well the way you’re sitting can’t be good for your back.” Pewter chides. Ryuki blinks and sits up like he just realized that he’s been slouching like a petulant teenger the whole time. “How is the wound by the way?”
“ Managed . Hopefully.” Ryuki rolls his eyes. “But I have physical therapy twice a week. And when I don’t have physical therapy I have regular therapy and that…” He tries to find the words. “... sucks . Like really fucking sucks . ” Pewter raises an eyebrow. He’s never heard Ryuki curse so freely at work before.
“You must have some nerve damage then.” Pewter replies.
“Yeah, they talked about another surgery. I’m hoping the shots work though. I’m sick of hospitals.” Ryuki laments. He’s back to having his head in his hands. A long, tired sigh follows. “It’s better that Mr. Date isn’t here. I don’t want him to see me like this.”
“Like what?” Pewter feels the irritation creep into his voice. Ryuki doesn’t mind it. “Like you got shot? Like you’re tired? Like you need a break from your break? Because you’re all those things.”
“I’m…” Ryuki turns sharply to protest but the pain in his back shuts him up. Pewter raises his eyebrows to prove his point. “Shut up.” There’s no heat behind it. Ryuki resumes the “sulking teenager in adult man’s body” position once again. Pewter snorts in derisive laughter before he can help himself.
“Date has already seen you at your lowest, do you really think he’s going to think less of you at slightly higher than rock bottom?” Pewter doesn’t mince words. His logic is always sound. “Have you even talked to him since…?”
“No.” Ryuki replies.
“Odd. He barely left your side before you woke up.” Pewter muses.
“I’m starting to think everyone keeps telling me that just to make me feel better.” Ryuki grumbles.
“That would be a ridiculous waste of everyone’s time.” Pewter counters. Ryuki can’t argue with cold, hard facts. “No one here is going to indulge your crush on Date like that.”
“It’s not a crush!” Ryuki’s voice goes up an octave.
“Should I call it an obsession then?” If this is a fencing match, he just disarmed Ryuki. He’s being a little too harsh but it’s something his younger coworker needs to hear. When you’re at your worst, it’s easy to assume that everyone knows and they’re all talking about you. Everything you do feels like you’re making a spectacle of yourself because you know you’re capable of doing better. “Your leave of absence isn’t about Date. It’s about getting better.”
“My back is fine.”
“I’m not talking about your back .” He pins Ryuki with a hard stare that the younger man holds before yielding. He pinches the bridge of his nose and for a minute, Pewter thinks he might’ve gone too far so he pivots. Hesitantly, he places a hand on Ryuki’s shoulder and the other man looks up at him, eyes stubbornly watering. After six years of working together, they don’t know each other very well. They struggle to maintain eye contact. “Are you ashamed or something?”
“That is the most loaded question anyone has ever asked me.” The expectedly deadpan joke draws a bark of laughter. They both need a little bit of levity it seems. “And I don’t think I can answer it before quitting time.”
“Ah, you don’t have to, but…” Pewter sighs. “You know what I’m trying to say, right?”
“I guess.” Ryuki gives a noncommittal shrug. He pauses and spares a self deprecating laugh for himself. “You know my first week out of the hospital; I realized I have no hobbies . Outside of my collection and free running at least.”
“Well, no running out for at least four more weeks.” Pewter admonishes.
“Maybe more. And Eastern European coins are nice to look at but once you organize and display them, that’s pretty much everything. And I am in no shape to just sit around and think . When I think, I drink . And when I drink I…” He slouches again, winces and then draws himself back up to a sitting position.
“Have you tried going out? Maybe a cute guy to get your mind off of work. And Date.”
“You didn’t have to add that last part. And I’ve probably made a fool of myself in every bar in Shinjuku. Besides I dunno how I feel being around so much alcohol right now.” Ryuki complains.
“You could always download Bindr.” Pewter suggests.
“Absolutely not!” Ryuki yelps and he pouts as Pewter has a laugh at his expense. Although he does eventually fall victim to a good natured smile himself.
“All I’m saying is you can’t get better by yourself.” Pewter replies, squeezing Ryuki’s shoulder before letting go. Ryuki nods for a moment but his little smile doesn’t disappear.
“Well, I feel better right now. So hopefully that counts.”