Archive of Our Own

Ron was cooking in the kitchen when he heard a heavy thud from the living room. It made him shut off the stove and rush to the other room.

Ron found a light brown coat sprawled on the wooden floor, not even on the futons.

"Toto!"

Toto's suitcase had fallen beside him. The cat meowed at Toto, pawing at his cheek.

Ron turned him over. Toto definitely gained a bump on the head with that thud, and his eyes were closed, but he was breathing well enough. He began to shake him. "Toto! Are you okay? Toto! Wake up please!" All he got were several soft moans. "Toto, please tell me you're alright?" He gave him a few more shakes. He was starting to panic.

That was when he heard gentle snoring.

Ron slammed a hand onto his own forehead, shook his head, and chuckled at himself. "You hardworking copper, don't scare me like this."

"So...tired..." Toto mumbled, then fell back to breathing slowly.

"That's very obvious," Ron said, adjusting himself so he could lift Toto off the floor.

He placed his arm under Toto's shoulders, and another under Toto's knees. With a deep breath, he lifted Toto, and lay him down on the futons, detective coat, suit, shoes, and all. He placed a pillow under Toto's head. Ron then slowly and gradually took off shoes, then coat, then suit jacket. Toto continue to sleep on deeply, not noticing much of the movement around him, humming gently as he became more comfortable. He could not remove everything, so he hoped Toto would wake up eventually. Though, with the way things were, that looked unlikely.

Ron went to the bedroom and got a blanket. He then returned to the living room futons, and draped it over Toto. Toto hummed again as he wrapped the blanket around himself, curling up on his side.

Ron sighed as he patted Toto's head. "Go rest well." He dimmed the lights in the living room.

Toto had not recently called nor asked for his help about things. When he sent an SMS, Toto replied, "Hello! Sorry but we're very busy. National case. Lots of paperwork."

"Okay, then, don't forget to eat," Ron answered back. "Want me to send you folks something?"

"Thanks for the offer but Kiku-san bought us rice meals," Toto said. "I'll be fine."

Ron wondered what national case Toto was talking about, now that Toto had fallen into a heap at his flat. Then he realized.

All that day there was a recurring news clip about a national kidnapping ring that was sometimes also involved in murder and homicide. Therefore he did see Amamiya do some talking in the news. There was a moment when the cameras were flashing and the voice recorders and news microphones were thrust at Amamiya that he caught a short glimpse of Toto in his brown coat at the back, but he turned after a while to talk to several uniformed policemen.

"Oh, damn, you were part of that big case," Ron said. "How long have you been awake?!"

"--ty-eight...hours..." Toto mumbled.

"What?!" While it was true Toto had said he was used to forty-eight hours, that was still pushing it.

"Vacation...with Ron...overtime..."

Oh, shit. He was right. Toto had taken several leaves in succession on his behalf, sometimes on official time to solve difficult cases, sometimes fully on vacation that turned messy. Because of this, Toto felt he needed to compensate by doing overtime. "Oh, my Lord, stop answering me already and go sleep!"

Toto gave a quiet hum, before he turned and flattened his back onto the futons. Then his head lolled as he began again to snore more deeply, drool quickly falling from his slightly open mouth.

Ron patted Toto's head again. "It's okay, go rest."

"I...no good...at all..." Toto mumbled in sleep, ending with some snoring. "People think I'm great, but sempai and Kiku-san know better. I want other people to know that, too."

"Toto, it's okay," Ron said, patting his head gently. "I would get in trouble if people found out. I would get YOU in trouble."

"But...I want people to know...Ron is so good," Toto mumbled again. "Not me."

"Toto, please go sleep," Ron said with a smile, patting his head again. "People deserve to know that you're good, far better than you give yourself credit for."

"But...all I do is..."

"TOTO, shut up, go sleep, you copper," Ron said, now with a chuckle.

"Al...ri...zzz."

Ron patted his head again, as Toto calmed down and fell back to deep slow breathing. "That's good. Go rest already."

With a sigh, Ron stood and went to the kitchen to get his curry rice. He then returned to sit beside Toto. Who knew just what would happen when Toto was like this. But Toto remained quiet and still for an hour while Ron ate his dinner. Though that may be because Ron kept telling him to stay asleep.

Ron quickly brought his empty plate to the kitchen sink, then returned beside Toto. Just when Toto was sitting up.

"Oi, Toto!"

But Toto fumbled his way up to standing on the futons. Ron managed to catch up to him, keeping his arms around Toto in case he fell in any direction.

Toto began patting all around him. Toto sleepwalked around the futons, eye half open. "Where...shirts?" He kept patting at the air, as if waiting to pat something solid. "Should...change...right?"

"You mean to tell me, you still think you're at your place?" Ron asked, following after him.

Toto kept walking left and right, patting and patting at the air. "Shirt...where?"

Oh, Toto was looking for his cabinet. "I'll just get you a shirt, okay, Toto?" Ron said, trailing after him. "For heaven's sake, please lie down again. I'll get you a shirt."

Toto stopped walking around and lay down again on the futon floor. "Oh, well," he said with a deep yawn. "Tired--zzz...." And he was back to fast asleep, curling up.

Ron scratched his head. He then headed to the bedroom again, and got a shirt and pajamas ready for Toto. He returned to the bedroom.

He slowly moved Toto to sitting, then eased off the dress shirt, one arm at a time, replacing it with his own shirt. He lay Toto back down and slowly replaced the pants with the pajamas. Toto hummed with a smile, and curled up once more, once it was all done.

Ron scratched his head. For how long was he going to be doing this? "Toto, I need to sleep, too, you know!"

"Oh, no...bothering Ron...again..."

"What?" Ron scratched his head. "You're not a bother, Toto. But you do need to properly sleep."

"I can't...solve things...myself...like sempai, like the others...I'll always need Ron..."

Ron drew out a long sigh.

"I do want...to help Ron...but...but...I can't do things...myself..."

Ron stared at the sleeping face before him. "Is that...what you really want? To do things yourself?"

"I want...to help Ron...always..."

Ron smiled. "Thanks. But...you feel like you're not a real police detective? Because of...me?"

"I...just...don't want to be...a burden. To sempai. To Kiku-san. To Ron."

Ron, placed a hand on Toto's cheek. "What the hell, Toto. You've been incredibly helpful to me, okay? I wouldn't even be outside of my flat if not for you. I'm sure you've been very helpful at the office."

"But I...can't do more..."

"Toto, I would like very much to discuss this with you in depth over coffee, but could you please sleep?!" Ron said, keeping his hand on Toto's cheek. "Or, maybe you won't talk about it like this when you're fully awake, but I still need you to sleep this off first."

"I...no good."

"TOTO." Clearly he was not going to stop if Ron did not end it. "You're smarter than you give yourself credit. You're more talented than you think. I know that very well. You are not a burden to me, nor to anyone else, and you are getting better by the day. You closed a national case, you finished all the paperwork for the case, that's why you're being delirious at my flat, you're so damn tired. You've been trusted enough to help with a national case. You are far better than you think, and you have been very helpful to many. Am I clear?"

Then again, what was he doing, talking to a sleeping detective?

Toto gave a gentle hum, nuzzled into Ron's hand as he smiled. Toto then descended into deeper breathing.

"Good, that's good, Toto," Ron said, keeping his hand in place. "You are very helpful to me. More than you ever can comprehend, though I will try to tell you over coffee. You are very helpful to me."

Ron was already in his favorite sweatpants and shirt, he just needed to lay down if he wanted.

Toto did not stay still for long; he began mumbling incoherently about things from work. "All done...sempai...sorry, will get it finished...in an hour...Kiku-san..."

Ron sighed as he settled beside Toto. "Toto, please rest already."

"Still...not done...yet..."

Ron brought his arm closer to Toto, placed a hand behind Toto's head, and gently drew him closer. "Hush already, Toto. You finished all the work. That's why you're here."

"Not...finished...with the files..."

Ron brought Toto even closer to him. "Toto. Rest. Please." He rested Toto's head onto him, then lowered the arm around Toto's waist.

Toto gave a gentle hum of being comfortable, and also placed an arm around Ron. "Sleepy. Tired."

"I know, Toto, I know," Ron said softly. "Please rest."

"Huh...hmmmm..." Toto's head fully dropped onto the futon and onto Ron.

"You help me. You helped many people today. Go rest."

#

Toto tossed and turned during the night, startling Ron awake several times.

"Toto? You okay?"

"Ron? Please wake up already..."

Ron chuckled as he yawned. "I'm awake now, what's the matter?"

"Ron...scared...pills...too strong for you..."

Ron sighed. "It's...not like the meds are hurting me...too much..."

"Ron...don't want them...to hurt you..."

Ron wrapped his arms around Toto again. "Hush, Toto. I'm okay, I'm okay. Go rest."

After an hour, it was "Ron...don't hurt them...no..."

"Toto, I'm still here, I'm still here. You've done your part so well."

"Don't...hurt them..." Toto wrapped his arms tightly around Ron, the way he did when he tackled him down.

"Hush, Toto. I'm okay. I haven't killed anyone, or hurt anyone. I'm okay."

Toto calmed down somewhat, loosening his arms. "Truly?"

"Truly, Toto. Now please go rest."

Toto gave a gentle hum, and nestled onto Ron again.

Ron patted Toto's head. "I wonder if I'm going to get any decent sleep, thanks to you. Not that I'm complaining. You really worry about all that about me?"

Toto did not answer, breathing deeply in sleep once more.

Ron sighed in relief, and shut his eyes.

#

Ron had to wake up a few more times as Toto mumbled while tossing and turning. He had to soothe Toto back to sleep several more times, before he finally gave out an hour before sunrise.

By sunrise, he got startled awake, feeling more than the usual movement beside him. Toto had sat up, but with his eyes half closed. Then Toto stood up.

"Oi, Toto--"

Toto began walking around the futons, swaying back and forth. "Hungry...get...dinner..."

"Dinner?!" Ron followed after him, ready to catch him. "I'll cook you some breakfast later. But you're not going anywhere until you're fully awake!"

"Just...a nap...get...dinner...downstairs..."

Ron sighed as he pulled Toto down. "First of all, that was not a nap. Second, you really need the rest. We'll think about food later."

"Ron? Why...you here?"

Ron smiled. "Well, you're in my flat. You fell asleep here."

"Why...you here?"

Ron lowered Toto back onto the futons. "Toto, go back to sleep, it's still six in the morning. You need more rest."

"Sleep? But I...still have...work..."

"It's done, it's done, Toto, go back to sleep."

"Sleep?"

"Yes, keep sleeping, you need it, you're still tired."

"Tired?"

"Yes."

"So...tired...." And Toto's head lolled to the side as he fell back to slow breathing.

Ron flopped onto the futons beside him and dropped to sleep.

#

When Ron woke up again in a few hours, Toto was snoring gently, drool occasionally falling onto the futon.

"Oh, thank goodness," he said, rubbing his eyes and heading to the kitchen for cereal.

He quickly grabbed a bowl and quickly poured the cereal and milk, then quickly headed back to sit beside Toto. Thankfully Toto kept still, sleeping deeply.

Ron did not dare leave the living room, nor move far away from the futons, in case Toto moved in sleep again. But the day was moving on, hopefully Toto would wake up normally soon enough. He began thinking about a quick lunch. He wondered how he was going to leave Toto to make lunch. Maybe it was better if he just brought Toto to Pot Coffee later for lunch. Right, that was probably the best option.

It was almost noon when Toto began to stir again. Ron grew alert, but Toto just yawned and opened his eyes.

Then Toto rapidly sat up. "Where am I?"

Ron scratched his head. "Um, at my flat?"

"Whoever did this, you will answer to the fullest extent of...the law..." Then Toto began looking around. "But this looks...familiar..."

Ron came up to him and shook Toto. "Isshiki Totomaru, sir. Please wake up properly."

Toto rubbed his eyes and yawned again. "...Ron?"

"Yes, good morning. It's almost noon, do you want to get lunch at Pot Coffee?"

Toto blinked his eyes, blinked again. "Why...are you here?"

Ron sighed as he smiled. "I need to get coffee and lunch inside you, clearly. But anyway. Toto."

"Yes?"

Ron kept holding Toto's shoulders carefully. "You are always helpful to me, always. You help me in many, many ways, and not just in saving me or saving others from me. You are not a lesser detective than anyone else. In fact, you're even better than many, better than me sometimes. My brain goes all over the place, and my brain is all about the detective stagemanship. But you're always great at being organized and direct in explaining the case, and that helps a lot, I promise you. And you're also so great at obtaining evidence and doing great interrogation. I promise that helps everyone a lot. And you're not stupid. You can make good deductions now. You just lack trust in yourself. But you are far better than you think. You are not a burden to anyone, not to me, not to Amamiya-san.

Toto stared him. "Oh...kay? Is there something wrong? Are you going to die?"

"What? NO!" Ron said, laughing. "Do you need me to say it all again when you have caffeine inside you?"

"M-maybe? That was...a lot."

"Fine, fine," Ron said, laughing again, at himself mostly. "Good morning. Congratulations on closing that big case. Amamiya was saying you did a great job."

"Th-thanks? But I didn't do much."

"There you go again," Ron said. "Anyhow, you crashed here."

"Eh? Last I know, I dropped onto...my bed?"

Ron shook his head. "You dropped onto my floor. But, please relax. Go shower, I'll lend you a shirt and we can head to Pot Coffee. Let's celebrate that you closed that case."

Toto was still making sense of all this, still drowsy. "Okay."

Ron stood up. "Toto. You are better than you think. You are always helpful. You are a great guy. Thank you."

Toto looked carefully at Ron, and smiled. "Th...Th...thank you."

Maybe it was worth his sleepless night, Ron considered, if only to see that gentle smile.