Archive of Our Own

Life was an absolute dream. At least, that’s what Makoto thought. Though, everything felt amazing and wonderful when compared to his early life.

He thought this as he and his twin ate breakfast together in their new apartment, his mask off and face bare. “Today’s the first day. Be sure to eat your entire bowl,” he reminded, seeing Yuma idly stirring his cereal.

“I know, I know. I’m not sure why I’m so nervous. They aren’t strangers, so why?” Yuma forced himself to take a bite, chewing slowly as his brain overworked itself with worry.

“Oh? You don’t know why? It’s because you want to impress them. You don’t want to let them down now that you will be coworkers. But really, you have nothing to worry about. Everyone knows you will be a fantastic detective. And this is coming from the one who shares the mind of the world’s best detective,” Makoto assured, tapping his own temple as an indicator.

His words brought a relieved smile to his brother’s face, which he considered a victory. “Well… if you put it like that. And… you’re sure?”

Makoto put his bowl aside and wound an arm around his twin’s shoulders in a comforting hug. “I wouldn’t lie to you about something like this. You’re going to do great.”

Yuma looked over to him with a grateful expression, winding his own arm around the homunculus’ shoulders. “You’re the best. You know that, right?”

“I try!” he chirped. But really, he was happy to see some of the nervousness fade away. He knew Yuma was more than capable. And he would be here to remind him of that whenever he needed to.

~~~~~~~~~~

The two stood outside of the Nocturnal Detective Agency, waiting for Yuma’s nerves to calm down. This would be the place they worked at for the foreseeable future. Yakou had offered them jobs once Yuma graduated high school, to which they eagerly accepted.

But Makoto would admit he was beginning to get impatient. They had been here for eight and a half minutes. “Yuma, come on. Let’s just go in!” he whined once nine minutes had passed, lightly yanking on his twin’s sleeve.

Yuma startled, stiffening up soon after. “I-I…”

Makoto knew his brother well enough to know he was not going to make the decision to move on his own anytime soon. But luckily, he was there to help. “Oh? Did you forget where the door was? No worries! I shall guide us this time!” he declared, linking one of his arms around his twin’s and charging forward with a firm gait.

“W-what? Wait, wait!” Yuma protested, though he didn’t fight against the homunculus’ pulls.

“Nope! No time to wait! We have a job to do,” Makoto replied, navigating the building until they entered that large room that served as the main meeting area for this place’s staff. Which meant that they were now surrounded by the agency’s detectives. “We are here!” he cheerfully announced, grinning wide and his mask changing along with him.

The five detectives in the room had semi gotten used to his mask by this point, barely reacting as they looked over at them. Yakou was the one to initialize the conversation. “So you are. It’s about time you graduated, Yuma! We’ve been waiting for you to join us.”

Desuhiko snorted. “Yeah, rookie. Really kept us waiting!”

Halara adjusted their glasses. “Yes. Now you can begin working to pay off your debt to me.”

Makoto raised an eyebrow at that, the action hidden under his mask. He turned to look at his brother. “You are in debt already? I’m almost impressed.”

Yuma finally regained his composure, though he still looked embarrassed. “Ah, that. Well, before you came into my life, Halara was the one to help me with my homework if I didn’t understand something. And they charge for all their services. So…”

The homunculus hummed, putting a finger on his chin to further demonstrate his thinking. “I see, I see. A terrible thing, debt is. We should work hard to help eliminate it!”

Fubuki then startled, eyes wide and shocked. “Eliminated?! Who’s getting eliminated? Please reconsider! Everyone here is a good person! There’s no need to send someone away!”

Yuma shook his head. “No one is leaving. We are joining, actually. The numbers are going up, not down.”

“Oh, thank goodness!” Fubuki exclaimed with a tear in her eye.

“Less people… would mean more work… and that sounds… exhausting,” Vivia sleepily stated from his position under the table.

“Anyways!” Yakou said loudly, knocking on his desk and attracting everyone’s attention. “Welcome to the Nocturnal Detective Agency as official members. Now, we will have you start off easy. I’ll have you shadow us all on various cases to get a feel for what you might specialize in. Sound good?”

Makoto and Yuma nodded simultaneously. “Yes, Chief!” Yuma enthusiastically responded. The nervousness was gone now, which Makoto was relieved to see. He wanted to see his brother flourish in the field he had chosen for himself. And he silently vowed to do everything in his power to help him achieve it.

~~~~~~~~~~

The first assignment they were assigned to shadow for was certainly not one either of them expected. That much was clear as they followed Fubuki through the park, watching as she called a name out on occasion.

They had learned that each detective in the agency handled specific types of work, ones that were their forte. Fubuki’s was the easiest and simplest, helping find lost animals. So here they were, searching the last known location of a pet cat that had run loose.

Though Makoto would admit that the family’s choice in name was a bit interesting.

“Bunny? Where are you, sweet Bunny? You must come out of hiding, for your family misses you dearly,” Fubuki called out, looking every which way. She didn’t seem to register that the people around them were staring at her, too focused on her objective to care. But perhaps that could be a part of why she was so good at this type of work. Or maybe he was reaching. Either way, he and his twin were trailing after the detective as instructed.

Makoto didn’t mind the slowness, walking with his arms behind his head in a relaxed manner. “I must say, this is a pretty nice day to take a stroll. Weather is nice, it’s not too crowded, and I’m joined by my favorite person.”

He saw Yuma’s mouth crook up into a smile, easing him out of his previously tense mood. “I’m… your favorite?” he murmured.

“Of course! Who else could possibly hold that title other than yourself?” he asked, tilting his masked face slightly to the side.

“Yuma is your favorite?” Fubuki asked, pausing in her search to turn around and contribute to the conversation. She then took Makoto’s hand and shook it firmly. “Then we agree on that! He really is wonderful, isn’t he?”

This intrigued the homunculus. “Oh? He’s your favorite, too?”

Fubuki nodded with a joyful smile. “I’m sure you can see that I’m not… the smartest in the agency. I grew up extremely sheltered, so my knowledge of the world outside my mansion is limited because of that. When my parents sent me away from home to get life experience, it was so difficult. But then I found the agency and the people there. They have taught me so much, especially Yuma. He’s kind and patient with me, always taking the time to help explain things in an easy way. For that, I am forever grateful.”

Makoto nodded, feeling that he understood the person in front of him a bit better. “I am also grateful for him being in my life. He has helped me as well. So let’s do our best to assist him in our work.”

Fubuki nodded. “Yes! Let’s!”

The two looked over to the purple-haired detective trainee, whose face was as red as a tomato. “G-guys… I can’t handle that kind of thing. It’s too much!” Both Fubuki and Makoto giggled at the sight, which somehow increased the redness.

But Makoto decided to spare his brother from more embarrassment. “Okay, okay. Let’s get back on task. We have a cat to find.”

Yuma then seemed to catch sight of something, flush fading as he strained his eyes to look. “Remind me, was the cat supposed to be a brown cat with white back legs?”

The blue-haired woman held a finger to her chin. “Yes, that was the description. Why?”

Yuma pointed to a clump of bushes in the distance. “Because I think that’s him.”

The three detectives looked, confirming that there was indeed a brown cat with white back legs washing his face in front of the bushes. Makoto thought quickly, easily coming up with a plan. “Okay, here’s what we should do. Fubuki will attempt to try luring the cat with the treats first. If he doesn’t respond and tries to flee into the bushes, I’ll go in after him. Yuma will stand by to give chase if need be. Is that agreeable with everyone?” He saw nods, so the plan began.

Fubuki called out to the cat, offering the special treats and shaking the bag. Sadly, the cat wasn’t thrilled about a stranger approaching him and he shot into the bushes. Which was Makoto’s cue to move. He also lunged into the bushes, the rough branches catching onto his mask and pulling it away from his face. But he didn’t care all too much, especially when he managed to get a solid grip on the cat’s scruff. With a triumphant cry, he crawled out, displaying his catch to his teammates.

But instead of happy faces, Yuma’s was terrified and Fubuki’s was confused. “Yuma? What are you doing in the bushes? Did you swap with Makoto? Positions and clothing? How did you do that so fast?”

It was around then that he remembered his mask was still in the bushes and no longer covering his face. But he didn’t feel panicked. He handed the cat over to the blue-haired detective before rummaging around in the bushes for his facial wear. He pulled it out, but didn’t put it back on yet. He had another plan. “I’m still Makoto. This is just what my face looks like. Pretty neat, huh?” he said with a grin. “I don’t mind you seeing what I look like. All I ask is that you don’t tell anyone. Is that reasonable?”

Fubuki tilted her head, but soon was sporting a beaming smile. “I shall keep this secret until my grave! You can count on me!”

Makoto gave her one back before putting the mask back on. Yuma helped pull him to his feet and he clapped his hands. “Okay! We have accomplished our mission. Let’s go report back!”

Fubuki cheered along with him, then turned to walk back to the agency with pep in her step. Makoto and Yuma followed behind her, far enough away so that their whispered discussion wouldn’t be heard.

“You sure you don’t mind her knowing we share the same face? You’ve been working so hard to conceal your identity,” Yuma asked with worry.

Makoto took his hand, squeezing it gently. “I know you are concerned. And believe me, I appreciate it. But there’s no need for it here. I can tell she won’t tell anyone. I’m good at analyzing people, remember? She took it to heart.”

Yuma squeezed his hand back. “If you are absolutely sure, then I’ll trust you on this.” He sighed, long and heavy. “I just hope our next assignment isn’t as crazy after this.”

“Oh, I wouldn’t count on that!” Makoto chirped, swinging their arms back and forth. “This is only the beginning!”

~~~~~~~~~~

Desuhiko was next in line for them to shadow. His forte was something a little more intense than Fubuki’s. He specialized in donning disguises and spying.

Today’s case was from a worried individual who was concerned after their partner had been repeatedly coming home late and had been spending extra time in the mall the past week. So they were looking into it.

The man in the provided photograph was spotted easily as he exited his car and walked into the mall. “Okay, now let’s begin tailing. Most likely, he’s going to grab something in the food court, so we will have time to review disguises,” Desuhiko said, turning to look at the two shadowing him, who he had put into different outfits. He grimaced when he caught sight of the mask again. “Seriously, dude. Do you HAVE to wear that?”

Makoto pointed to himself, acting dumb. “Who, me? Why, I’m the most inconspicuous person ever!” he joked.

Desuhiko groaned, pulling Yuma in closer and whispering in his ear, ignorant to the fact that Makoto could still hear him. “He’s going to blow our cover if we take him with us like that, my man. Can you, I dunno, convince him to do something different?”

Yuma glanced at his twin before returning his gaze to the older detective. “Different? What do you mean?”

The blond shrugged. “Like, either have him take off the mask or have him keep watch in the car outside in case something happens.”

That made Yuma frown. “That’s not really fair to him. He needs to wear that for personal reasons.”

Makoto was touched that his sibling was doing his best to defend him, but he knew time was of the essence. “Tell you what. Give me a disposable face mask and sunglasses. That would be suitable as a facial disguise, right?”

Desuhiko startled, having not expected to be heard. But he recovered quickly. “Y-yeah, that would be fine. Give me a second to find them.” He then began rummaging around in his backpack, muttering as he searched.

Yuma leaned over to him this time, whispering in his ear. “Are you sure?”

Makoto patted his shoulder. “Sometimes, you need to forgo comfort and personal interests when working. Especially in this line of work. So it’s fine.”

“Wow, rookie. You got a good head on your shoulders. Yup, that’s exactly right,” the blond commented as he placed the items in the homunculus’ hands. “Come on, my man. Let’s go in and he can catch up once he’s changed his face.” He then pulled Yuma out of the car, the teen yelping as he did so. The car door shut, and the voices got more distant.

But not too distant, as Makoto had no intention of letting them get too far away from him. He placed his mask under the car seat, donning his new cloth mask and glasses. Not the greatest of looks, but it would get the job done. He exited the car himself, grabbing the keys and jogging to the mall’s entrance. He easily spotted his twin and the detective, leaning on a wall close to the entrance. He grinned as he approached, doing a twirl and bow. “I am now fit for the job. Shall we proceed?”

Desuhiko crossed his arms and let out a pleased huff. “That’s more like it! Now you look far more normal.” He subtly pointed to a man eating at a table close to the fountain. “That’s our man. We will hang back and causally follow when he finishes. Nothing flashy or unordinary, got it? Low profile.”

“Got it,” Yuma confirmed.

“Ditto,” Makoto echoed.

Satisfied with this, the detective felt confident enough to look back to their target. It was a couple minutes of silent people watching, though Makoto was having a nice time. He hadn’t ever been to a place like this, and he made a plan to return here with his twin on another day for some exploration.

“He’s moving. Let’s go,” Desuhiko said, straightening up and calmly walking further into the mall. The twins were not far behind, walking side by side with the homunculus gazing around with interest.

After a bit, the man reached his destination, a beautiful jewelry store. He seemed to be familiar with the layout, going straight to a particular section and starting to speak with the person behind the desk.

Desuhiko looked at them. “Alright. I’m gonna have you guys go over there and eavesdrop on that talk. See if you can find out what his motive here is.”

Yuma nodded, and the two did as asked. They pretended to look at a large display case nearby while listening in.

“Sorry I am a little later than usual. Traffic was bad.”

“No problem at all. Are you ready to proceed with the next steps?”

“Maybe. Can I see the progress photos again? I want this to be perfect.”

“Of course.”

A few photos were pulled up on the computer screen of an in-progress ring. The man’s eyes shone. “It’s gorgeous. They will love it.”

“Excellent! We are glad it meets your expectations.”

“Thank you. And sorry for all this secrecy. We share the computers at home and I know they would find this if I did it online. I want the proposal to be a surprise.”

Makoto nudged his twin. “I think we have all we need. Nothing more to be done.”

Yuma smiled. “Yeah, I agree.”

They returned to Desuhiko, informing him of the details. “Ahhh, an engagement ring. Right, that would explain the secrecy. Cool, we are done here. We can inform the client that they have nothing to worry about. Of course, not mentioning the whole proposal thing.”

The trio made their way back to the car, shedding parts of their disguises. “Just throw them in the back for now. I’ll organize it later,” the detective casually said, tossing something over his shoulder.

Makoto reached down and grabbed his mask from under the car seat. And after a moment of thinking, he pulled off the sunglasses and cloth mask, tossing them behind him and running a hand through his hair. “I like my own mask better than those. They get the job done, but aren’t nearly as comfortable or entertaining.”

Desuhiko didn’t really have a comment on his statement, mostly because he was gaping while staring into the rear view mirror with wide eyes.

Yuma noticed, laughing nervously. “Can you… keep this information under wraps? No one is really supposed to know what he looks like.”

Desuhiko nodded instinctively, gulping as he watched the homunculus place the creepy mask back on. Makoto then tilted his head, asking in an innocent voice, “Are we going back to the agency? Don’t we have to report back?”

That shocked the detective back into some normalcy. “R-right! We gotta go back. Uh… yeah! Let’s go!”

~~~~~~~~~~

It had already been a week and a half since they began working. Time really flew by fast. Mostly because he and his brother were enjoying the job and all it needed. And to their (mostly Yuma’s) relief, both Fubuki and Desuhiko had not made any more mentions about their identical faces.

But brushing that aside, it was time to learn from another member of the staff. This time, it was the Chief himself. And the great and important thing he did? Most of the paperwork.

“I’ll be honest with you two. It’s not the most glamorous or exciting part of detective work. But it’s important nonetheless,” Yakou told them, grabbing a few files and spreading them like a hand of cards. “I’ll give you both examples of what you would typically need to fill out along with some completed forms. That should help you get an idea for what is needed. Come to me if you have any questions. I’ll help when I have a second. I just have this case I need to focus on at the moment. It’s a lot of testimonies and documents that I need to sort through.”

Yuma was handed a small pile of papers and they were directed to sit on the couch. “I’ll be in my office. You know where it is. Now don’t die or get into trouble while I’m out of sight, you hear?” Yakou directed, pointing at them both.

Makoto giggled while Yuma’s laugh was more nervous. “We will do our best, sir.”

Yakou gave them a thumb’s up, then disappeared into his office. It was just the twins now. “Well, let’s get to it!” Makoto cheerily said as he cracked his knuckles.

Since he had all of Number One’s memories, the paperwork was a very familiar sight to him despite this technically being the first time his eyes read these forms. It was a bit bizarre to think of, but he had gotten used to it by now. In the end, it meant that he was bored out of his mind as Yuma read over the documents. He ended up laying across Yuma’s lap, facedown on the couch with his mask off as he waited. He kicked his feet absentmindedly in the air, reigning in his groans. He really didn’t want to disturb his brother, but he was starting to get a little stir crazy.

Thankfully, his twin was observant. “You know you don’t have to stay here,” he said as he poked the messy hair and the head underneath it. “You can go help out the Chief with his thing. Use all the skills you inherited from Number One to help. I’ll be fine on my own.”

Makoto turned his head. “You sure?” Hearing the human hum in affirmation, he decided to go for it. “Then okay! I’ll go check out what he’s doing.” He rolled off the couch, body impacting the floor with a thud. He sprung to his feet, stretching as his brother rolled his eyes at the homunculus’ antics. Sticking his tongue out, he walked away.

He reached the Chief’s office, opening the door and going through. Yakou’s chair was faced away from the door, the man looking out the window with a few papers in his hands. “Makoto, right? Yuma would have knocked and asked before entering.”

The homunculus laughed. “You got me! I was pretty bored so I wanted to see what you were doing.”

The blue-haired human groaned, shaking the hand holding the papers. “I know there’s something in here that would be good evidence. But I’ve been staring at these words so long that my eyes are practically bleeding!”

Not surprising. Focusing too much could lead to some serious burnout. “Perhaps a fresh pair of eyes could help. May I?”

“Be my guest,” the Chief said, holding the bundle of papers in the air and behind him. “I need a break anyways.”

Makoto approached the chair, plucking the papers out of the boss’s hand and stepping away to spread them out on the desk. His violet eyes scanned the documents, learning what the case involved. The client was trying to find proof that the company he had been working for had wrongfully and illegally fired him. It seemed that when he brought up some possibly shady business dealings going on behind the scenes to management, they got rid of him before he could gather evidence. This company seemed to have covered their tracks well. But not well enough for the greatest mind on the planet. “Chief, tell me what the official reasoning this company provided for his termination.”

Yakou hummed. “I believe it was insubordination.”

Makoto grinned. “And did he have a clean record before he was terminated?”

“Yeah?” Yakou paused. “Where are you going with this?”

Makoto selected a piece of paper, walking over and presenting it to the chief. “Section 87 of the employee manual. Employees cannot be legally terminated with no strikes on their record. Any and all actions that are deemed damaging or unprofessional must be reported and documented thoroughly. Afterwards, the employee will go through a mandatory retraining. Termination can only occur after three failed attempts. So this rule in their own manual proves that they went above and beyond regulations to get rid of this person. That’s suspicious and worth looking into, wouldn’t you think?”

Yakou stood up from his chair, a grin growing. “Yes. YES! This is exactly the thing I needed! You are a lifesaver!” Yakou then turned to see him finally, grin turning shaky. “You… are unmasked.”

Makoto nodded with a smirk. “I am. Is there an issue?”

“Well… I’m just confused about…” He gestured to all of the homunculus. “All of this.”

“Why, it couldn’t be more simple! I’m Yuma’s biological clone!” Makoto replied, saying this as if he was casually talking about the weather.

Yakou looked dumbfounded, cigarette falling out of his mouth and onto the floor. Not long after, Yuma rushed in with the mask in hand. “Makoto! You forgot… this…” The purple-haired trainee glanced between the two, seeing what had occurred. “Sir? If it’s alright, please don’t tell anyone.”

Yakou scratched his head. “Uh… sure. I can do that. But I do want a full explanation.”

Makoto wound an arm around his twin’s shoulders, tugging him close. “Of course! I’ll do the honors.”

~~~~~~~~~~

Yakou had indeed gotten the whole explanation, even learning that he had Number One employed at his agency in a unique way. But he seemed enthused about this. “He can help us so much whenever we get stuck! This is amazing! I can’t believe you were hiding this, Yuma,” he had teased while ruffling the purple hair.

But that left just two more detectives in the agency who they had to work with. And at this point, Makoto knew he would reveal himself to them upon working with them.

Halara had been next on the list. And the scale of intensity increased dramatically. Interrogation and crime scene investigation.

Thankfully, they were spared from the more intense parts of this on their first day, leaving everything to Halara and just watching them work. They explained things in a very clinical way, not letting much emotion creep in. But Makoto could understand the need for that. Doing this job was not easy on the mind at times.

Makoto knew he would be able to handle it, having memories of multiple gruesome sights already in his mind. So initially, he had been worried about his brother and if he could handle it. But thankfully, Yuma seemed to be doing alright, taking deep breaths and focusing on the words spoken to them. That was relieving. Though he did intend to talk to him later to make sure he was doing alright.

But then, on the way back to the agency, something quite unexpected had occurred.

“Where… did they all come from?” Yuma asked from his place on the ground.

Makoto shrugged, feeling small claws track their way up his shirt. “No clue! Just enjoy it while we can!”

While walking along a street and passing an alleyway, they had come across a mother cat and her kittens, all of them meowing for attention and climbing over the twins. Seeing as they looked to be strays, Halara had made a call to a cat shelter in the area, who were currently on their way to get the family and give them treatments and opportunities for forever homes. But for now, Makoto and Yuma were able to play with them.

Makoto also wasn’t blind to the way Halara kept their distance, though they had a sadness and longing in their eyes. Perhaps…

The homunculus turned so that he could see both Yuma and Halara clearly. Then he began testing his theory. “You know, Yuma, I don’t believe I ever told you about one of up and coming medical breakthroughs.”

Yuma looked at him, raising an eyebrow. “Huh? What kind of breakthrough?”

“There has been much research done to eliminate allergies in people. Like, you take a single dose of this medicine and you are cured forever. And you know which ones they perfected first? Dog and cat allergies. Guess there were lots of animal lovers in that lab.” And just as he thought, he saw Halara perk up at this ever so slightly.

Then he upped the ante, saying loudly and knowingly. “Oh, if only there was an individual here that could benefit from such a medicine.”

Halara’s gaze turned sharp. “What are you getting at?”

Makoto turned so his mask fully faced them. “I believe you know exactly what I’m insinuating.”

As predicted, the detective got more defensive. Yuma noticed this too, gently tugging at his brother’s sleeve. “Hey, maybe you should stop what you are doing. Don’t antagonize our coworkers.”

The homunculus placed all the kittens climbing on him near Yuma, giving the mother cat another stroke. “This is not intended to be antagonistic. Well, maybe a little for my own amusement. But it’s more of an offer,” he clarified as he stood up.

Halara’s gaze was full of suspicion. “And how exactly am I supposed to believe someone like you?”

“How about an exchange?! Of course, I’ll put something extra on the table up front.” Makoto took his mask off, displaying his face in full view to the suspicious detective. “I shall trust you with this and the following information. I am not human in nature. I was created in a lab for purposes I am not entirely aware of. Hence why my face is identical to Yuma’s.”

Halara’s eyes widened minutely, the reveal stunning even them. The homunculus continued. “I have been freed of that lab now and am no longer required to be tied to it. However, I still have connections there. If I, say perhaps, have one of them acquire a vial of this medicine that cures cat allergies, would that be enough for you to forgive my brother’s debt?”

He stared hard into their eyes, not wavering for a moment. He could see the detective thinking hard on the offer. But it didn’t take very long for a decision to be made. “As soon as I have the medicine and it proves to work, then I shall forgive all of his debts.”

“Excellent!” He turned to his twin. “You hear that, Yuma? You will be debt free soon!”

The purple-haired trainee sighed in relief. “The burden shall be lifted soon.”

Halara then cut in. “Also, I need to make sure of something. Your status and facial features are to remain a closely guarded secret, am I correct?”

“Right on the money!” Makoto exclaimed as he fit the mask back on his face. “But I know Yuma trusts you greatly. And I shall put my faith in his assessment and trust you, too.”

Halara’s shoulders lost some of the tension, relaxing with a tiny, almost invisible smile. “To think a person like you exists in this world. Life is full of mysteries.”

Makoto nodded, mask grinning. “That it is.”

~~~~~~~~~~

Halara’s opinion of him certainly improved dramatically once they were no longer allergic to cats. And also Yuma looked thrilled beyond belief to be free of the crushing debt. A total win in his opinion.

But now, he realized something. Only one detective in the agency hadn’t seen his face. Well, might as well complete the collection while he was here!

Though he did have a feeling that Vivia suspected something already. The sleepy man was perceptive, more than one would initially think.

And it turned out, he was surprisingly hard to track down. His task was research and watching surveillance footage for cases, which he could do at his own place. So he wasn’t in the agency’s building very often. Though when it was his turn to mentor the newbies, it just took a call from Yakou to get him to appear the next morning.

He was found under the table, reading a novel of his own as we waited for them. He caught sight of them when they entered, sighing heavily. “Why must work be so exhausting? Sleep is singing it’s sweet serenade, compelling me to follow.”

“Sorry to make you get up, Vivia. Take your time in getting ready. I need to go check in with the Chief real quick. Makoto, you can stay here.” The purple-haired trainee walked off, knocking and entering the Chief’s office. Soon it was just the homunculus and the sleepy detective. The former of the two getting a bit impatient, wanting to start.

“Oh, come now! Don’t be like this! Every day is a new adventure! So get up! Let’s go!” Makoto cheered, grabbing one of the limp and lanky arms and tugging on it playfully.

Vivia sighed. “You are similar to an energetic puppy, boundless energy with no signs of stopping.” Then his arm stiffened, grabbing ahold of Makoto’s wrist. “Or are you perhaps a fox, cunning and planning every step of the day to get what you want?”

“A fox? Hmmmm… Nah, I’m not that,” Makoto shrugged. “But I can show you what I am if you want!”

“You would give up your secrets so easily? Just like that?” the older male asked, narrowing his eyes.

“Sure!” Makoto pulled the mask off, basking in the wide eyes that were almost always half closed. “As you can see, there’s no fox here! Just the one and only genuine homunculus that is walking this planet.”

“A homunculus, huh? An artificial human created from science. I’m assuming you share DNA with Yuma but have the mind of another. What an interesting existence you are,” Vivia rambled, releasing his hold on Makoto’s arm.

The homunculus sat on the ground, giggling. “That’s a word for it! But back to your suspicions, I assure you you have nothing to fear. I love my brother as my only family. There’s nothing I wouldn’t do to ensure his safety and happiness. You are similar in that, correct?”

Vivia and Makoto stared into each other's eyes, communicating almost telepathically what their true feelings and desires were. Both were satisfied by the time Yuma returned. This time, his twin only slumped forward with a defeated sigh. “Did you challenge him to a staring contest? Did you want to beat someone other than me?”

“Oh! That is an idea! Come on, Vivia! Let’s do it!” Makoto requested, smiling widely down at the sleepy detective.

But to his slight disappointment, the man’s eyes closed. “Participating in contests… too much… I’d rather not.”

“Ah well, it was worth a shot,” Makoto said as he shrugged.

Yuma kneeled down and tapped Vivia’s shoulder. “Can you keep that a secret? For me?”

One eye reopened, looking at the trainee. “Secrets… are difficult. But… I suppose I can keep this one for you…”

“Really? Thank you!” Yuma sounded immensely relieved and grateful, making Vivia smile gently.

“Now… I suppose we should… get to work… Oh, but thinking about work… makes me wanna die someday.”

~~~~~~~~~~

“So now they all know. All of our coworkers know what you look like,” Yuma said as they walked together to the agency in the morning.

“Yup! But none know the others as also aware. Isn't that fun?” Makoto asked with glee.

“More like stress inducing. I don’t know how you aren’t worrying every second of the day.” Yuma held a hand to his own forehead. “Just thinking about it is giving ME a headache.”

“Now, now. None of that.” Makoto took hold of this brother’s wrist, gently lowering it back down. “Do you trust me?”

Yuma looked confused. “Yes?”

“And do you trust the Nocturnal Detective Agency?”

Yuma still looked unsure of where this was going. “Of course.”

“Then trust us that we know what we are doing. I would have been more on guard and protective of my identity if I didn’t think they could handle this secret. And seeing that they care deeply for you, they won’t do anything to betray you or hurt you. So believe in them. Believe in me. Okay?”

Yuma’s expression eased up, now peaceful. “Yeah. You’re right. I’m sorry to worry you.”

Makoto ruffled the purple hair. “It’s family’s job to worry.” He then grabbed his brother’s hand. “Now let’s have a good day. Alright?”

Yuma nodded, more confident now. “Yeah.”

The cheerful mood didn’t end even as they walked in. Even the early hour didn’t dampen their spirits, nor the fact that there was a staff meeting for all employed at the agency.

They knew about this, so they weren’t surprised when everyone was sitting in the room. Makoto had to hide his grin when every single person tried to subtly glance at him, sweating a bit. That was entertaining. But… oh he had an idea. Something that would blow all the previous reactions out of the water.

But not now, he had to wait for the perfect moment.

Yakou broke the silence first. “Okay, everyone’s here. Now let’s get this over with.” Taking charge, like a good Chief.

And so the meeting went on, discussing the cases they had finished and the ones recently acquired. Yakou also spoke a little about how impressed he was at the newbie's progress so far. “You guys are picking this up far faster than most people. Take pride in that. You have natural talent.”

“Thank you, sir!” Yuma almost shouted, giddy from the praise. It made the others smile, easing up a bit.

But only a bit. The next request didn’t help much either. “Crap, I forgot to bring a file in here. Yuma, would you mind grabbing it for me? It’s the purple folder on my desk.”

“Sure! I’ll go grab it!” Yuma hopped out of his chair, speed walking to the office and popping in.

Then it was quiet and tense. Well, for the humans in the room. Everyone’s eyes kept glancing at the mask he wore, which made that bubbly excited feeling increase in him. This was too funny! But he could make this better. Now was the perfect time.

“Geez, Chief. It’s getting a little warm in here. Is the air conditioning running? I’m starting to sweat!” He then pulled his mask off, using it to fan his face dramatically. “Really, a person could melt in these conditions.”

Everything froze for a moment. Then panic.

“Makoto! Your face!”

“My man! Your cover is blown!”

“What are you doing!?”

“Are you insane?!”

“Wha-?”

All five detectives yelled at the same time. Then they all realized what each other was saying, looking around totally perplexed.

“Huh?”

“Wait…”

“You guys know?”

“When did you…”

“Hmmmm…”

The dam burst, and Makoto began laughing hysterically. He fell off his chair, eyes closing and lungs overworking themselves. “That was-!!! Your faces!!! I can’t-!!!” he wheezed out, holding onto his chest as he fought for breath in between laughs.

They had died down a bit by the time Yuma returned. His twin fixed him with an unimpressed look. “You really did it. Why am I not surprised?” he muttered as he made his way to his giggly brother. Yuma grabbed his arm, hauling him to his feet and helping him straighten his clothes. “Honestly. I can’t leave you alone for a few minutes anymore.”

“Oh come on, Yuma! I had to! It was perfect!” he countered, bending to grab the fallen mask. “But hey! Now everyone knows that everyone knows! Problem solved!”

“So let me get this straight. You showed everyone your face, told us to keep it secret, all for this moment?!” Yakou frantically asked, hair looking fuzzy from the sudden spike of stress.

“Well, that wasn’t my original plan. But after three of you found out, I knew I had to do this. It was so worth it!” Makoto fixed his chair, sitting back in it in a relaxed manner. “Anyways, we can continue the meeting. Apologies for the interruption!”

Yakou grabbed his hair in his hands, taking a deep breath. “Okay. Okay. This is fine. This is doable. Just accept it and move on.” He flung his head back, groaned loudly and aggressively, then returned to a normal stance. “Alright, people. Back to business. And Makoto, no more surprise events of that scale ever again, got it?”

Makoto saluted. “Yes, Chief!”

~~~~~~~~~~

“I can’t believe you did that,” Yuma told him as he flopped face first onto Makoto’s bed. He had entered after changing into pajamas, not even looking over at his twin as he fell.

Makoto giggled, flopping down next to him. “What part are you referring to? The act itself? Or the fact that I did it without you in the room? I should have filmed it! Wasted opportunity! Ah well.”

“I meant that fact that you did it at all. You, Makoto Kagutsuchi, continue to impress me with your ridiculousness,” Yuma stated as he poked his twin on the forehead.

Makoto whined as he rubbed the sore spot. “But Yumaaaa! It was funny! I had to!” His sibling tugged on a lock of his hair, making him whine more. “Okay! Okay! I won’t do anything like that again! Promise!”

“Alright, I’ll believe you.” Yuma then pulled him closer, hugging him tight. “But despite all the stress you cause, I couldn’t ask for a better brother.”

Makoto hugged back, closing his eyes in contentment. “I appreciate it. And I still think I hold the honor of having the best sibling.”

Yuma patted his back. “We can agree to disagree on that point.”

Makoto smirked, keeping his eyes shut. “Fine, fine.”