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Kogoro Akechi was tired.
His fatigue was to be expected at that point. It had been about two months since the Namikoshi incident, and there was a lot to clean up after. Twenty Faces cases kept popping up overnight like acne on a teenager, leaving the police department (and in consequence Akechi) burdened with constant work. He wondered if Japan would run out of criminals to kill before all the masked vigilantes finally settled down.
The young detective let out a sigh, staring blankly at the computer screen on the table in front of him. Namikoshi still hadn't been found. There was a part of Akechi that hoped the boy was alive. It was more painful than he wanted it to be, the memory of his only friend slipping through his fingers, thanking him as if Akechi hadn't just let him fall to his death...
He didn't want to think about it. Thinking was giving him a headache. He poured two aspirin tablets on the table, crushed them, and shoved the powder in his mouth, drowning the bitter taste with the last drops of his current can of coffee.
The detective frowned in annoyance as he realized none of the 13 cans on the table had anything left in them. He'd have to get up if he wanted more, which was something he really didn't want to do. Unfortunately for him, Hashiba had made certain to drag Kobayashi back to school as soon as possible, leaving Akechi alone for most of the day. Not that he minded being alone; he much preferred it, but he had to admit, having assistants came with perks. Like being able to send them out to get more coffee.
Sighing again, Akechi leaned back on his red couch, staring at the bumps on the ceiling above him. The apartment was quiet, the only noise the faint music from his record player and the clock on his wall ticking in a rhythmic, almost hypnotic beat. It had been a slow day-- no calls from the police department or Black Lizard or anyone else less annoying (nothing was more annoying than that woman, he'd decided long ago), and social media was starting to quiet down.
He closed his eyes, the empty darkness a welcome sight to his weary vision. Maybe it would be alright to rest, just for a little while. Nothing was bothering him, and Kobayashi and Hashiba didn't get out of school for another few hours. The clock's hypnotic ticking pulled him further into the darkness, the hands of fatigue dragging him deeper into his mind. The last image on his mind before he faded into sleep was of a boy with milk tea hair and a beautiful smile.
--
Yoshio Kobayashi opened the door to Akechi's apartment with no hesitation, a cheerful smile on his face. He was alone-- Hashiba had been put on cleanup duty and, much to his disappointment, couldn't leave with Kobayashi. The smaller boy was far too eager to wait up for him, and had gone ahead to the young detective's place by himself.
After everything that happened, Kobayashi found himself more excited about life. For the first time, he was eager to wake up in the morning, interested in the things around him much more than he had been before. Of course, solving mysteries with Akechi and Hashiba was still what gave him the greatest thrill, and spending time with the two had become an integral part of his life.
"Akechi! I'm here!"
The boy called out, and hearing no reply stepped further into the apartment, the front door closing with a click behind him. Because he spent so much time there, he knew by now that it wasn't unlikely for him to get no response from the detective if he was absorbed in his work. He could see the top of Akechi's head leaning on the back of the couch, but it wasn't until he got closer that he could see his face. The teenager's eyes were closed, and his chest rose and fell rhythmically-- Kobayashi could tell right away that he was asleep.
A smile came to the boy's face, a soft giggle passing through his lips. Akechi looked so different when he was sleeping-- so innocent, defenseless, as if the walls he'd built so tightly around himself were just a mirage.
Kobayashi watched him for a few seconds, wondering briefly if he should wake the detective up but deciding against it. If anyone deserved a good rest, it was Akechi. But Kobayashi didn't just want to stand there and wait for him to wake up-- he'd be far too bored. There was always the cat outside, but it could only keep him entertained for so long, and Hashiba likely wouldn't get there for a while.
After going through the options in his head, Kobayashi decided the best idea was to join Akechi in a midday nap. He'd been trying to focus more in school, and the extra effort to pay attention was wearing him out a bit, so he figured a little rest was earned.
Nodding his head in self-confirmation, Kobayashi swiftly and quietly sat down on the couch, nestling in next to Akechi. What would Hashiba do when he came, he wondered, smiling fondly at the thought. He supposed he'd find out soon enough. Relaxing his body, the boy closed his eyes and let the apartment’s comfortable silence slowly pull him into sleep.
---
When Souji Hashiba finally arrived at Akechi’s door, he was panting, leaning against the wall to get his breath back. He’d done his own chores, and then the other kids on duty bailed early, forcing him to do their work for them. And then, of course, Hanabishi-sensei had to strike up conversation, and the ever-polite Hashiba had gotten stuck talking to her for nearly 20 minutes. Then, if that weren’t bad enough, while leaving the school he’d happened to peer into an alleyway as he passed and accidentally witnessed a robbery in action. A scruffy-looking crook was trying to take a woman’s pocketbook, and as much as Hashiba wanted to just keep walking he couldn’t leave it alone. Thankfully, as soon as the robber saw there was someone coming, he bolted, leaving the woman’s pocketbook behind. Hashiba was certain he’d have gotten beaten up if the guy had been any braver, but he understood his fear; with all the Twenty Faces still around, even petty theft was punishable in their eyes. It was a blessing to him in that case, at least.
After that, he’d ended up walking the woman home, as she was still shaken up and as the heir of the Hashiba family and the polite boy he was, he couldn’t just leave her like that. He offered to call the police, but she declined, saying she’d rather just go home, and Hashiba had no choice but to escort her. Of course, her house ended up being on the other side of town from his target destination, so by the time he made it there and set off again it was nearly sundown. He didn’t want to be outside alone in the dark, so he ran halfway to Akechi’s apartment, and when he finally got there he was worn out. Still, as soon as he’d caught his breath, he opened the door and stepped in, quickly taking off his shoes and calling out,
“Kobayashi! I’m sorry I took so long, I got caught up doing my chores and then everyone else’s and then Hanabishi-sensei asked about the cat and-- eh?”
When he reached the couch, he shut up, realizing the two figures sitting on it were unmoving. The worst case scenarios rushed through his head in an instant, but it only took a couple of seconds to realize the two were asleep. Both were sitting mostly upright, but Kobayashi’s head had tilted to rest gently on Akechi’s shoulder, and Akechi’s head slightly fell to the side, so that the top of Kobayashi’s hair slightly brushed his cheek. The sight sent a slight pang of jealousy through Hashiba’s heart, which was silly, because why should that make him jealous? Actually, it looked sort of cute. Akechi looked much more docile than Hashiba had ever seen him, and Kobayashi was simply adorable, his hair framing his face, mouth parted in a sort of sleepy half-smile, hands tucked between his legs, a picture of innocence and vulnerability and Hashiba was definitely not blushing as he stared at his friend far longer than necessary.
The boy scratched his head as he stared at the two, wondering what he should do. It would be rude to wake them up, and to be entirely honest with himself he wanted to permanently burn the image of the sleeping Kobayashi into his mind. He'd have taken a photo with his phone if he wasn't afraid of seeming like a pervert.
Maybe... maybe he could... join in? It wouldn't be too weird, right? After all, he highly doubted the two of them fell asleep together like that, so Kobayashi must have seen Akechi sleeping and decided to follow. He could barely imagine it being the other way around. But, either way, he wouldn't be alone in joining the slumber party late. Besides, he was rather exhausted after the afternoon he'd had.
Tentatively, quietly, Hashiba made his way to the couch, sitting on the end next to Kobayashi. He waited for a few seconds, making sure neither of them had woken up from his slight movements, before working up the nerves to scoot closer to the smaller boy. Wow, Kobayashi looked even prettier up close like this, and Hashiba could see his chest moving as he breathed... looking away with slightly red cheeks and heart pounding more than it should have been, Hashiba leaned in just close enough that his shoulder gently brushed the other boy's, flinching just slightly at the contact. He watched carefully for any sign of movement from Kobayashi, and once he was sure he was still in deep sleep, he relaxed. It wasn't much contact, but it was enough to make Hashiba feel happy, and as he closed his eyes he found it was just comfortable enough a position to fall asleep in.
---
Akechi opened his eyes about 7 hours after they'd closed. As his senses came back into focus, he noted an unexpected weight on his arm. The sight he saw as he turned to look, though, was even more unexpected.
Kobayashi was leaning against him, fast asleep with his head resting lightly on Akechi’s shoulder. Wrapped around the small boy's waist were Hashiba's arms, and his head was buried in his friend's chest, glasses askew on his face. Hashiba's legs hung off the couch, stretched over the wooden arm. Akechi bet he hadn't fallen asleep like that, and added the detail that Hashiba was an active sleeper to his mental database.
A small smile came to Akechi's lips. It would have been so easy to move, as cuddling wasn't quite at the top of the detective's "favorite activity" list... but he found himself wanting to stay for a while. It wasn't a terrible situation, and the two boys looked so peaceful, he couldn't bring himself to wake them up. Besides, he still felt rather tired, and getting up would have been more effort than it was worth. The quiet in the room, filled only by the ever-ticking clock and the steady breathing of sleep, was much more pleasant than having to listen to Hashiba's overreaction when he inevitably found out what position he'd been sleeping in.
And so Akechi closed his eyes once more, a tiny smile still on his face.
---
Sure enough, it was Hashiba who woke the other two up after emitting a loud noise of alarm. Akechi opened his bleary eyes begrudgingly to see the boy on the floor blushing and stammering, presumably having fallen off the couch. Meanwhile, Kobayashi sat up straight and rubbed his eyes sleepily, an expression of mild confusion on his face.
"Hmm? Hashiba-kun, when did you get here? Ah, good afternoon! Or, is it night now..."
Akechi let out a sigh, pinching the bridge of his nose as his headache started kicking up again. Still, his lips remained upturned just slightly, and he wondered how long it had been since he'd gotten such a good sleep.