Work Text:
Sugiura was giddy. A carnival was visiting Ijincho for the week and Yokohama 99 had finally calmed down a bit when it came to work, so the detective could take a night to go out. Initially he was gonna play it cool and find a way to casually drop it into conversation with Higashi, hint that maybe they could go together, but Higashi had already texted him about it first.
Higashi always tried to play it cool, saying he just kept an eye out in case he had to make a decision when it came to the Ijincho branch of Charles, but he always knew what was going on in the city. He knew about the carnival pretty soon after it was announced.
Sugiura was just finishing getting ready when he heard the door open and close. He made his way to the living room, grinning as he saw Higashi waiting on the couch, playing on his phone. Higashi smiled back at him.
“Hey babe,” he greeted, putting his phone in his pocket. His outfit made it a little less obvious he had once been a yakuza; simple black jeans and a silk purple shirt, similar to his usual work suit. Somehow Higashi would always keep that dignified, yakuza look to him, but he was at least trying not to stand out as much when he and Sugiura were out and about. At least in Ijincho.
“Hey,” Sugiura replied. He went back to their room to grab his phone before returning to the main room. “Ready to have fun!?”
“Are you?” Higashi asked. When he had asked if Sugiura had wanted to go to the carnival together, it was merely seconds before he got a ‘ YES’ in response followed by several heart emojis. Higashi chuckled and got up, following Sugiura out of the apartment.
They took a cab to the carnival. On usual date nights they walked to their destination, but Higashi had a feeling Sugiura would be dragging them back and forth. Higashi didn’t mind; it was refreshing to see Sugiura so excited with life.
Despite it being nighttime, the park was lit up by all the attractions, stands, and games. Sugiura’s jaw dropped; he didn’t know where to begin. He looked at Higashi.
“Where do we start?” he asked. Higashi looked around.
“Well, we can probably grab a quick snack, right? I see ice cream,” the other man replied. Sugiura grinned and they made their way over to the food stalls. They stopped when they caught sight of a familiar friend. A little ways ahead, Kaito was walking with some kid. Higashi recognized him as Sadamoto Jun. Good kid; his bright hair stood out, similarly to Sugiura’s own hair.
“Did… you invite Kaito-san?” Sugiura asked, leaning in so Higashi could hear. It was bustling, but Kaito’s height and stature was hard to ignore.
“Nope,” Higashi replied. “I know you like these kinds of things, so I wanted it to be just us.”
“Aww,” Sugiura cooed. He wasn’t the type to fall prey when it came to most things, but there was something so indescribably cool when it came to how Higashi treated their relationship. He was vested and tactical, but he played it off so smooth. “Maybe he won’t see us.”
“We stick out,” Higashi stated. They were both tall for Japanese standards, and both of them had a distinct look. Higashi was wearing prescription sunglasses at night and always gelled his hair, and Sugiura’s own hair was so bright it was veering towards orange, plus he was nearly idol levels of handsome.
“Hey!” Kaito called out. While they were talking, Kaito and Jun had continued walking and eventually they got to the other pair. “Didn’t know you two made plans for the carnival! Didn’t even know you liked the carnival, Higashi.”
“I don’t dislike the carnival,” Higashi replied. He looked at the teen. Higashi knew at some point, Kaito thought Jun was his, though the younger man couldn’t see how he thought so. If he used his eyes, he’d see there wasn’t anything similar in their faces, and the timeline hadn’t exactly lined up as far as Higashi knew. “Good to see you again, Jun.”
“Good to see you too, Higashi-san,” Jun replied. He turned to Sugiura, looked him up and down. Sugiura smiled, wondered if this was the kid Kaito and Higashi talked about now and then. “Hi.”
“Hi,” Sugira wasn’t good with teenagers. He’d been one himself, briefly interacted with a couple when he’d been at Seiryo High for a case, but never knew how to really talk to them. What would he talk about? “I’m Sugiura Fumiya.”
“Sadamoto Jun,” they both nodded at each other. Higashi just kept looking from Sugiura to Jun. He could sense that neither knew what to say. It was kind of cute, honestly.
“Where’s Mikiko-chan?” he asked, looking around. If Kaito and Jun were here, chances were it’s because the older man was trying to be a good boyfriend and father figure. Carnivals were great for families!
“She planned an outing with some girlfriends,” Kaito replied. Jun looked at him, his shoulders slumping. “I try to keep an eye out for stuff around Ijincho, you know, make sure everyone’s okay. Saw the carnival, figured Jun might wanna go.”
“You like carnivals, Sadamoto-kun?” Sugiura asked. He’d perked up a bit; he finally had some opening and knew what to talk about! Jun nodded. “Me too! What’s your favorite part? I like the games; they’re good for focusing and decompressing.”
“They’re great, right!?” Jun smiled. Kaito grinned. He knew Sugiura and Jun could both be shy when it came down to it. Sugiura was a lot better at it when it came from a professional standpoint, but when it came to talking on a personal level? It took a bit for him to get comfortable around new people. “I like whack-a-mole.”
“Well, since we’re all here,” Kaito trailed off. Higashi knew exactly where this was going. He looked quickly at Sugiura, who grinned back at him. He seemed on board, and Jun had made a new friend fast.
“Sure,” Higashi agreed. There’s no way he could decline without needing to explain a lot , and he didn’t mind them necessarily. It’s just that he wanted to be the guy that got Sugiura a huge stuffed animal from a game stall. He’d seen it in movies when he was a teenager, it became a stereotypical dream of his. He could still do it, but Kaito was going to ask questions, and Higashi didn’t want to explain it right now.
They went straight to the game stalls. They had a little of everything: whack-a-mole, skiball, darts. But also strength games, table tennis, hell, even a UFO catcher. It was quite impressive, and Higashi wondered if in the future, he could find a way to get Charles involved.
“Hey, you think you can beat me at whack-a-mole?” Sugiura asked Higashi. Higashi was shocked he was being talked to; Sugiura and Jun were blathering about some video game on the walk over, and he’d tuned out.
“I’ve been working an arcade for nearly ten years now, you think I can’t?” Higashi asked. He gave the booth worker some yen for both of their games and grabbed the mallet, Sugiura following suit. Kaito walked over to Higashi, clearly casting his vote for winner. Jun stuck around Sugiura.
In the end, Higashi was better indeed. Sugiura had speed, but he couldn’t always hit the moles the right way. Higashi knew exactly where to hit and what best use of force to hit it just right. Slow, but calculating, as was the usual way the man worked.
“Higashi-san, ever think of getting whack-a-mole at Charles?” Jun asked. He wasn’t good at it, but he liked the game regardless. If he had easy access to the game, he was sure he could stay at Charles and play it. He liked the place and hung around a lot anyway.
“Mmm, I don’t think I could justify the cost or even fit it into either of the arcades,” Higashi said. “The regulars are pretty fond of what we already have.”
“I think I know an arcade that has one,” Kaito stated.
“Thank you, Kaito-san,” Jun said, smiling.
They continued along. Jun asked if they could look at the animals, so Higashi told Sugiura they would come back later.
“We can get those ice creams when they leave,” Higashi whispered, leaning in close to the detective. Sugiura laughed, earning a glance from Jun. The red-haired boy turned immediately when both men looked at him.
“Food,” Jun said quickly. Kaito had been ahead, turned around when he noticed the others lagged behind. He turned to Jun, who was pointing at some stalls. “Anyone eaten yet?”
“Before I left Kamurocho a couple hours ago,” Higahsi replied.
“Yeah, I had some leftover dumplings before I left my apartment,” Sugiura added. “But that doesn’t mean we can’t still get food if you didn’t eat, Sadamoto-kun.”
“Yeah, and the food here’s pretty good! You gotta try it once,” Kaito stated, putting a hand on Jun’s shoulder. They all turned to walk to the food stalls. It was a lot of different smells at once, but somehow they could still be differentiated.
Jun looked around, unsure of what to even eat. It all looked and smelled so good! He wondered if maybe he could get out of the dinky apartment and get back another night so he could try to slowly have everything, though he doubted he had the money to do so.
“Do you think they have popcorn chicken?” he asked.
“Only one way to find out,” Higashi said, shrugging his shoulders. They walked around until Kaito found a chicken stall. He got confirmation they did indeed sell the popcorn chicken, and he got Jun his order.
“Aw, what a good guy,” Higashi cooed, grinning. Kaito knew he was teasing, but he was trying to be a good role model for Jun. “Anywhere we can stop so Jun can eat?”
“I think there’s a small area to sit over there,” Sugiura pointed to an open area. Surprisingly, it seemed empty. The night was young, likely no one was thinking of resting yet. The four walked over, Sugiura leading. The detective noticed a familiar mop of hair. “Yagami-san!”
And his drone.
Or, more accurately, Tsukumo’s drone.
“And Tsukumo-kun,” Sugiura added. Before anyone could react or say anything, Sugiura practically glided over and sat down next to Yagami. “Is this a date?”
“No!” Yagami exclaimed, though he looked embarrassed. Higashi chuckled, but paused when he looked at Kaito. He was stiff, staring down at Yagami like a car crash had just occurred right in front of them. Yagami looked at Sugiura, then the other three. He looked like he wanted to just run. “What’re you all doing here?”
“We ran into each other,” Sugiura said. He was seemingly unaware of the tension. Or he was ignoring it. Sugiura was good at ignoring a bad situation to make it a better one. “What about you? You’re a little ways from home.”
“Tsukumo invited me. Said we’d both been working hard, we should check out the carnival since it’s gonna be around for a few days,” Yagami explained. He was looking at everyone but Kaito. Sugiura turned to the drone.
“You told me you weren’t going because of how many people there would be!” he whined.
“It’s not me going though, is it?” Tsukumo asked. Sugiura could hear the happiness in his voice. He could see everyone, but Sugiura knew that the tension was lost on him because he wasn’t physically there for that awkward, inner cringe that the younger man knew everyone was experiencing. “I can still see everything and speak with Yagami-shi, but without being so close to anyone!”
“Yeah, but you can’t play the games,” Jun finally spoke up. He could feel something was heavy and off, but he didn’t know Yagami that well. Kaito brought him to the agency and introduced them, and sometimes Jun ran into him at Poppo or the arcade, but they didn’t speak that much. He knew Yagami and Kaito were close, though lately it didn’t seem like it was the case.
“Oh,” the drone turned to Jun. Tsukumo had never met this kid, though he assumed he was family. “Are you a cousin of Sugiura-shi’s?”
“No,” Kaito said. He cleared his throat. “Uh, we should go, right? Let Tabou and Tsukumo sit in peace?”
“Really?” Yagami scoffed under his breath, a pointed glare at his partner.
Higashi wanted to crawl into the sewers. All he wanted was a fun night out with his lover. His night was slightly deterred when Jun and Kaito came into the mix, but it was still nice and he could lag behind if he wanted to say something snarky about things to Sugiura. But now Yagami was involved and he and Kaito still hadn’t resolved their awkward situation.
Higashi had been to Yokohama 99 a handful of times. When he saw Tsukumo and Sugiura work together, it was kind of amazing in its own way. They spoke so quickly and talked a lot with body language. They just meshed, as partners should when they worked together. And hell, Higashi had seen it with Kaito and Yagami back in the day, but it was different now.
“Why don’t you guys talk and we’ll all get to know each other?” Higashi asked, looking around at the drone, Sugiura, and Jun. Kaito and Yagami both glared at him.
“Sounds good to me,” Jun agreed. Sugiura looked at Yagami. If looks could kill, the younger detective didn’t think Higashi could survive Yagami and Kaito. Sugiura got up and walked over to Jun, Tsukumo’s drone flying behind him.
Higashi pushed Kaito toward the bench before turning, the four leaving.
“Uh, everything okay with them?” Sugiura asked. He and Tsukumo had the least knowledge of everything that had transpired. They were vaguely aware of the whole situation with Kaito and Mikiko as it was happening, knew it had ended fine, but other than that, they knew nothing.
“I think Kaito-san’s been skipping work a lot,” Jun said. When he and his mom first went to live with Kaito, things seemed fine. Kaito introduced him to Yagami, and they got along well. But slowly, Kaito talked about Yagami less and less, and when he went out, he barely had any stories to tell about cases. “Yagami-san has been looking so tired lately. I see him a lot around the city.”
“Mmm, yeah, he’s asked me to help him with some things here and there,” Tsukumo stated. They got back to the carnival, Tsukumo making sure his drone was high enough as not to disturb anyone. “He’s seemed very tired and out of it lately.”
“Why are you out with Yagami-san?” Sugiura asked. He still didn’t have an answer and Higashi changed the subject before he could grill his work partner.
“I don’t know,” Tsukumo sounded coy. “Why are you out with Higashi-san? Can’t two friends just go to a carnival together?”
“Yagami-san lives an hour away and you hate crowded places,” Sugiura wasn’t going to drop it, but from the look Higashi was giving him, he had a feeling he could pick it up another day. Specifically when they were working and not hanging around with a young teenager that didn’t need to hear any of this.
“Where to now?” Higashi asked. They could still enjoy the carnival. Jun had his popcorn chicken and could eat it slowly as they walked around, though he was currently shoving it in his mouth right now. It wouldn’t last long. “Jun, you’re gonna choke.”
“Good,” Jun replied. Sugiura put a hand on the teen’s shoulders. Jun stopped eating and looked up at the detective. Sugiura recognized the look on Jun’s face, the kind of look that told him Jun wanted to be anywhere else. He also looked like he wanted to cry, but Jun seemed strong and unlikely to cry in front of anyone.
Sugiura felt for the kid.
“Do you want to go home?” he asked. He thought Jun was having a good time, but maybe he was bad at reading people. Jun shook his head, and Sugiura thought on it. Maybe Kaito and Yagami made him uncomfortable? He seemed to know things were bad with those two; maybe he knew more than he let on. “Is it about Kaito-san?”
“It’s about a lot of things,” Jun said. He shook his head and sighed. “But it’s not about me, we’re at a carnival and we’re supposed to be having a good time.”
“And friends are supposed to be there for each other when one is suffering,” Higashi stated. Sugiura looked around, scanning the vicinity for anywhere to sit. There were a couple benches around, so he moved his head to signal where to go. Sugiura and Jun sat, Higashi standing closeby. The drone stayed in the air. “What’s bothering you, Jun?”
“It’s silly,” Jun looked down at the ground. He was a good kid; always sticking up for others and keeping people safe. But Higashi felt like he needed to learn to stick up for himself and talk more about if something was bothering him, on a personal level.
“I’m sure it’s not,” Sugiura said. He put a hand on the boy’s shoulder. “It has to do with Kaito-san and Yagami-san, right? At least a little?”
“It’s just everything. Kaito-san, uprooting our lives to be in Kamurocho, mom and Kaito-san acting like everything’s just okay… Kaito-san completely leaving everything to Yagami-san. It’s just stressful, and I know it shouldn’t be,” Jun explained.
Higashi thought for a bit that maybe it was just him thinking that Kaito and Mikiko were completely off with how they were acting, but Jun felt it too. Higashi never considered the fact that everything the kid knew was thrown to the wayside when they moved in with Kaito.
“I love my mom,” Jun continued, “but I feel like she didn’t think of me at all after dad died and she decided to move on with Kaito-san. And I know that it all hurt her! And I know how horrible it was that dad did so much to her and others… but we never talk about it. If I try to bring it up, she tells me no bad subjects at the table.”
“Sounds right,” Higashi stated. Now and then Kaito invited him to dinner years ago when he and Mikiko were together the first time. If Higashi tried to bring up something about the Family, Mikiko interjected and told him that kind of stuff wasn’t allowed during meals. Higashi understood; you’re having a good time, why bring the mood down when people are eating? But with school and homework, it was probably one of the few times Jun had for a lengthy conversation.
“I like Kaito-san, I’m happy mom’s happy. But… we just moved, no questions asked,” Jun explained. “I had to switch schools, leave my friends, move to a new city… and they’re acting like it’s all okay and great. But it just feels like they’re ignoring my dad and everything that went on, like nothing happened and we’re all just one big, happy family. And Kaito-san’s even ignoring his work, the thing that ensures he can live and eat?”
“He has been going a little AWOL, hasn’t he?” Sugiura asked. He looked at his phone. Sometimes he had questions for Kaito concerning detective work when he didn’t want to bug Yagami, but any questions he had went unanswered. Sugiura just assumed he was busy and dropped it, though Higashi brought up Kaito’s absence now and then. It didn’t sound good, but seeing how Yagami and Kaito were a little while ago just brought it all together.
“Have you talked to Kaito-san about it, Sadamoto-kun?” Tsukumo asked. He barely knew the situation, though Yagami called him now and then and dropped small hints that something was off. The older detective just seemed lonely, and Tsukumo did his best to keep him company. Or as much company as you can over the phone when you’re so far apart.
“He changes the subject and says it’s an adult thing,” Jun replied. He might’ve been fourteen, but Higashi felt like he’d been through a lot that probably gave him a certain level of maturity that most kids didn’t have. He was smart and could probably understand the situation if Kaito let him. When Higashi watched him when Kaito had been in the hospital, Jun could articulate what happened.
“Kaito and adult things,” Sugiura laughed, but rolled his eyes. He had a lot of respect for the man, but he wasn’t the most mature. Sugiura took a deep breath. “I’m sorry it’s all so tough, Sadamoto-kun. And… I wish we do something to help.”
“You’re listening,” Jun smiled a bit, but he still felt hurt. It was nice to be around adults who he felt took him seriously and listened to what was bothering him. Kaito and Mikiko cared about him, he knew they did, but they were also acting like teenagers right now. And Jun knew teenagers; he was one. “Maybe Yagami-san will sort Kaito-san out.”
“Somehow he always does,” Higashi said. “But Jun, it’s important that you feel as good about this as your mom and aniki do. A lot’s happened, and I’m sure it’s hard for so much to shift so quickly. I’ve kind of felt like they’ve been treating this whole situation a little too well. If you want me to sort it out with either of them, let me know, okay?”
“Thanks, Higashi-san,” Jun stared down at the ground, a blush creeping on his face. Sugiura looked at the teen. He’d been in Jun’s shoes; Higashi just had a way of making you feel special and cared for without even really trying, though Sugiura was sure the man would deny it.
“Should we get going?” Tsukumo asked. He was oblivious. It was charming in some ways, and in Tsukumo’s defense, he wasn’t there in person to really feel the tension or body language. Jun smiled and got up, taking up the spot next to Higashi.
“Thanks for listening guys,” he said. He didn’t seem as down, but a part of him still felt a little hurt. But it wasn’t anything they could truly help; it came down to Mikiko and Kaito getting their heads out of their asses and making Jun feel like he was heard.
Ironic considering how low Kaito thought of Jun’s father for never giving him time.
The four went back to the carnival. They went to the games, Higashi and Sugiura taking turns playing whatever Jun wanted. They watched the animals, got some snacks, and generally had a good time. Somehow even Tsukumo was even able to have a blast, and he was barely participating. Higashi thought it was weird, but he didn’t voice it. Tsukumo was just built different.
“Having fun?” it was Kaito’s voice. The four turned, Yagami and Kaito standing close and not looking like they were ready to either fight or run.
“Are you two having fun?” Higashi turned it on them. The two looked at each other, grinning.
“Kaito said he’d behave,” Yagami replied. Kaito rubbed the back of his head sheepishly. He knew he was being a bad employee and an even worse friend. They were partners , he shouldn’t have just left him without a word. But he did, and he knew it’d take time to regain Yagami’s trust.
“He better,” Jun said. The corner of his mouth curved upward, but Sugiura and Higashi knew there was a deadly amount of seriousness to his tone. It was good; it gave Jun a lesson he could be proud of. He could stand up to someone he respected because he wasn’t being respected. “I think I’m ready to go, Kaito-san.”
“Really?” Kaito asked. He looked at his phone; they had been there a couple of hours, though most of his time was spent in a very tense conversation with Yagami. But they both got out how they felt, and while things weren’t fixed, it was a start. “Okay, let’s go find a taxi.”
“Thanks for hanging out with me,” Jun turned to Sugiura, Higashi, and the drone. He bowed before turning to Sugiura. “Maybe you can… give me some pointers?”
“On what?” Sugiura asked. The glance Jun shot at Higashi told Sugiura that he didn’t need any pointers; he just needed to grow and experience life. It was cute though, seeing some tough kid with a little crush on some tough talking ex-yakuza turned arcade owner. Higashi was probably oblivious to it all.
“Games,” Jun finally said. Sugiura chuckled, but they exchanged contact information. Everyone said their goodbyes, and Jun and Kaito left. Hopefully things would get better for Jun and he didn't feel like he couldn't speak about what was bothering him. Time would tell. Yagami sighed and grabbed Tsukumo’s drone.
“Unhand me, detective,” Tsukumo had an edge to his voice.
“Yeah, you should be careful. Drones aren’t cheap,” Higashi added. He’d looked at drones; Kaito was so into them that Higashi thought of getting one, but the price tag made him choke. They weren’t that interesting.
“I should probably get you back to the agency and we can get some food or something,” Yagami said.
“So it is a date!” Sugiura exclaimed. Yagami stared at him and sighed, shrugging his shoulders.
“It is what it is,” he replied. He waved and let Tsukumo take control of the drone again. The older detective walked off, the drone following right next to him. Sugiura and Higashi both looked at each other.
“I’m going to bother him about it tomorrow,” Sugiura nodded his head. As far as he knew, they didn’t have any cases, so he had time to interrogate his partner. “How are you feeling, Higashi-san?”
“I want to play the strength game,” Higashi stated. Sugiura cocked his head. Higashi wasn’t leaving without getting Sugiura a thing. It was the one thing he wanted to do, and it’s something he’d wanted to do for so long. He wasn’t going to let the opportunity slip through his fingers.
They made their way to the game. It was one of those older games, the tall display going high up, corny big letters and arrows with all kinds of words to describe how weak or strong the player was. The man running it looked big and intimidating, but he was actually very kind.
Higashi gave the man money and took the mallet. Sugiura saw him wobble for a second as Higashi moved the mallet to a more comfortable position. Sugiura knew the man liked video games based on all his high scores at both Charles locations, but he never knew Higashi was into more physical games as well, though he had won whack-a-mole.
Sugiura jumped when he heard a loud ringing from the game. Higashi had hit the bell at the top and had a smug smile on his face. Sugiura wanted to jump in his arms, tell him how strong and cool he was, but he gave the man a pat on the back instead.
“Choose a prize!” the man who ran the game exclaimed.
“I want that,” Higashi pointed to a large, light brown Bun-chan. It was much larger than even the jumbo Bun-chan you could find at UFO Catchers. The game man happily grabbed the Bun-chan and handed it to Higashi. When the two left, Higashi gave the Bun-chan to Sugiura.
“For me?” Sugiura was excited. He threw an arm around Higashi and gave him a quick kiss. “Higashi-san, thank you! It’s so cute!”
“Yeah, I thought you’d like it,” the older man replied. Sugiura was raising the Bun-chan and spinning it in his hands, making sure not to drop it. Higashi was just so happy he could make Sugiura happy. “I’m sorry this wasn’t the night we thought it would be.”
“I still had a good time,” Sugiura said. “I got to meet Sadamoto-kun! He’s pretty cool for his age, and I’d like to think we helped him out a bit. Oh! And maybe we helped some feelings to blossom between Tsukumo-kun and Yagami-san!?”
“Maybe they were already there and we just interrupted them,” Higashi shrugged his shoulders. He never really noticed anything between Yagami and Tsukumo, but he also didn’t spend a lot of time with either of them. “But either way, I guess I just hoped we could spend some time together and just do a cute, fun couple thing. There’s not always a lot of chances to.”
“Well, the carnival’s still around for the rest of the week,” Sugiura said. “We can just come again on a different day.”
“Yeah,” Higashi put an arm around Sugiura’s shoulders as they made their way out of the park. They had time; Higashi wasn’t really needed anywhere, so he could just tell his workers he was going on vacation. He could do more domestic shit for Sugiura, make them nice meals, clean their apartment, and do some shopping.
And then they could have a fun night at the carnival, just the two of them.