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Ryunosuke awoke buried in bedsheets, the warmth seeping into his bones, making them feel unliftable. Their weight was so comforting, he almost didn’t want to get up. He wasn’t needed in court today, so it’s not as if he had any pressing matters to attend to. He could just stay here, curled up in his own warmth, losing the day. But, a scolding from Miss Susato was not worth the joy and rest he would get from staying in bed all day, so out he had to go. With sad reluctance, he pushed his sheets away, already mourning them.
And yet, their comfort and weight did not disappear. He forced his eyes open, the ceiling seeming many more miles away than what it would usually be. The folds of his covers towered over him, their warm weight now crushing him as he struggled feebly to push it away. Now breathless and overheating, he kicked himself upward, struggling as he slid his way put from under the sheets. He stood up, feet unsteady, and looked around the room. The room was stretched and warped above him, as if he was lying directly on his back and not on his feet. He then looked to the bed he had wrestled himself out of, looking at eye level at his bed as it stretched endlessly in front of him, crossing over the horizon. He wandered around, still woozy and dazed as his progress seemed minimal, slipping from the side of his bed and landing with a small squeak and a bounce to the floor. The bed he had just left looked building-sized, looming over him tauntingly as he tried to jump up towards it, his small fluffy arms flailing wildly.
Wait.
He looked down at his body, a soft white with tiny hairs sticking up, seems running up his arms and legs. He felt his head, large and with squishy, round circles lay at the top of his head. The felt his clothes and now body was made of, it felt familiar. Trying not to panic too much, he wandered across the vast desert that was the wooden floorboards of his room, tripping over the small crevices within the planks. Every time he tripped, he bounced softly across the floor, his body feeling numb as he just kept moving.
Maybe it was all a dream. An opioid-induced dream, somehow Sholmes’ fault, and he would wake up any minute now.
He just had to.
If his hands weren’t just soft, little stubs, he would pinch himself. He could feel as his body stepped, feeling the shapes of the wood, just not really the pain. He felt as if his entire body was surrounded by a protective cushion, softening every blow into a gentle prod.
He made it to the heavy wooden door, the handle towering above him, casting its foreboding shadow across the floor.
Of course he couldn’t get through the door. With its old hinges, even at his normal size, he struggled to get the thing to open every morning. There had to be some way of getting out of the room, getting someone’s attention, doing anything! Maybe that would wake him up from this bizarre fever dream. As he continued to move around the now chasm-sized gaps in the floorboards, the air felt too settled. The world felt too real. He felt too real. The possibility that this was really happening and wasn’t some devilish trick of the imagination was becoming more and more real. With a high-pitched sigh, he collapsed next to the door, sliding down and staring at his fingerless hands. What was he meant to do? He couldn’t open a door like this.
“Naruhodo-san? I know you have no reason to awake so early in the morning, but that does not mean that you do not have to wake at some point today!” a voice cried from the other side of the door as it knocked, the vibrations rattling through every thread in his body. Ryunosuke squeaked excitedly, his adorable shouts being as loud as he could make them.
“I need to see Runo’s alright Susie, even if he’s just asleep. You don’t need to wake him.” A smaller, younger girl’s voice said.
“Iris, if I am to help you, I need to know what you think you have done. You won’t get into any trouble for it, I promise” Susato said gently, neither responding to the excessive screams of the small mouse charm at the other side of the door.
If his throat could hurt, it would.
“You won’t believe me until you see it. And you promise, I won’t get in trouble for this?” Iris asked.
“I promise.” Susato said, before sighing and stopping knocking. “I never thought I’d be thankful at Mr Sholmes’ refusal to put locks on our doors, but I am now.”
The door creaked open, the force of it creating a deafening gust which pushed Ryunosuke off his feet, landing with a small yelp. Above him loomed two figures, the tallest an elegant woman with dark, intricate hair, adorned in a light, pink robe. The smaller girl next to her had a wide skirt, with lots of frills and her hair tied into curly pigtails.
“He definitely hasn’t left the room.” Susato said to herself as she stepped lightly, approaching the bedsheets. Iris next to her sank into herself, her eyes widening and moving around rapidly, searching the room in a blind panic. They ran over the small mouse in the corner multiple times.
Ryunosuke, slightly dazed by being knocked over by the breeze produced by the door, struggled back to his feet, looking up properly at the pair as they searched his room. Susato took the usually more logical approach of checking under his covers and in his wardrobe.
“His boots and jacket are still here, so he’s not gone out” she said, stopping and looking in confusion at Iris. She had taken the, at this moment in time, more logical approach of checking under drawers, the bed and in small gaps.
“Iris, you do know Naruhodo-san is a little bigger than that?” She asked jokingly. Iris’ expression was one of increasing panic, pulling out drawers and shelves in an uncoordinated fashion, slamming them shut with increasing force. The volume of the slams echoed through Ryunosuke, making him try to cover his ears in pain.
Ok, so this was definitely real.
She paused, leaning against one of the drawers, her breathing almost to the point of sobs. Susato approached her slowly, wrapping her hands around Iris’ and leading her to sit on the torn-up bed. Ryunosuke scrambled across the floorboards, leaping with force across the large gaps as his flat feet carried him swiftly towards the pair.
“Iris, you have to explain to me what’s happening for me to help you here.” Susato said soothingly.
“You wouldn’t believe it though.” She said solemnly, still searching the floor. Her eyes locked onto a sprinting Ryunosuke, now somewhat breathless as he moved, stumbling and rolling across the floor.
“I have stood by Naruhodo-san’s side a lot in court; I have seen some… impossible things….” Susato trailed off as Iris jumped enthusiastically off the bed, watching her feet as she went. She crouched in front of the felt charm, her hands open and cupped together. He took a grip onto her finger, trying to pull his body up into her hands as he flopped into her palms. Susato approached in a stunned silence from behind Iris, watching but saying nothing.
“Runo? I-is that you?” Iris asked, her voice wavering. Ryunosuke began to speak to her, ask her questions then stopped himself as he heard no words, only very aggravated squeaking. He nodded eagerly, continuing to squeak, hoping that he could break through somehow.
“Iris, what’s going on?” Susato asked, her voice laced with confusion and worry as she kneeled next to them, watching Iris’ hands as she raised them closer to her chest.
“Runo, do you remember last night, when I gave you that new tea blend for you to try?” She asked, watching as he nodded cautiously.
“That blend may or may not have contained some herbs I got from Madame Tusspells. She said it could connect you more to the little charm I made of you, I-I never thought she was speaking so literally.” Iris spluttered, as Ryunosuke looked up at her in confusion, tilting his head to the side.
“I don’t recall Naruhodo-san ever having a charm, only yourself and Mr Sholmes.” Susato said, taking the small mouse into her own cupped hands as Iris stumbled to her feet, sniffling slightly. She left the room silently, gesturing at the pair of them to follow.
“Even in mouse form, you have a very readable face, you know?” Susato giggled at the mouse in her hands as she descended slowly down the stairs. They sat on the couch in the living room, Susato cradling the charm in her hands as he panicked. His entire body was quivering uncontrollably as he stared down at himself, feeling his ears. He looked up at Susato helplessly and silently, his eyes wide and pitiful.
“Stop panicking, Naruhodo-san. I’m sure this won’t be permanent. You’ll be back to the courtroom in no time.” She cooed, giving the top of his head a reassuring pat as Ryunosuke lay down, covering his face with his stubs.
“I was designing little charms like what me and Hurley have for everyone important to me.” Iris said as she slammed a dense book down on the low table, making Ryunosuke shoot up in shock. Susato tried to supress her laughter as she moved her hands closer to the table, straightening her fingers to create a bridge that Ryunosuke stepped off, landing with a slight bounce. Iris flipped open the book, turning page after page after page as she flicked through, landing at one and pointing at some coloured sketches. Ryunosuke wobbled his way over to where her finger was, pushing himself inelegantly on top of the pages. He looked down at the sketch of a mouse-like figure, with a dark student uniform and matching cap, its ears large and filled with a blue flower. He then looked down at himself, pointing from his chest to the picture.
“This is very sweet of you Iris, I love the small rabbit one that looks like mine, but why were you worried about us not being close to them enough to sneak stuff into Naruhodo-san’s tea?” Susato asked.
“You’ve all done so much for me and Hurley and my new uncle, I wanted some way to properly repay you.” She muttered, her hands gripping at the rim of her skirt as she tried to blink away tears. Ryunosuke wandered around the page, looking at the different sketches, as he did. Susato moved herself closer to Iris, pulling her into a gentle embrace.
“We should go and see Madame Tusspells, to understand the effects of whatever… herb this is better.” Susato thought as she watched Ryunosuke, his movements wobbly and clunky.
“We can’t bring Runo with us though, she might experiment with him, or put him on display.” Iris thought, making Ryunosuke explode into a flurry of high-pitched yelps.
“And we can’t leave him here.” Susato also thought, her eyes drifting over to a purring pile of fluff in the corner of the room.
“He would be alone with Waggy. I’ve never seen him chase mice before, but he’s a cat, I’m sure he would if we weren’t here to stop him.” She said, opting to ignore the very high-pitched yelling of the mouse on the book. Ryunosuke looked down at the notebook in front of him, recognising the familiar features of those around him, just with more simple and fluffy faces. His eyes fell on something red, something warm, something safe. He stood in awe above the picture before bouncing up and down and squeaking excitedly.
“What is it, Runo?” Iris asked, both of the girls leaning closer and watching him as he pointed enthusiastically at the picture of a cat-like creature with a red headband.
“That’s based on your best friend, Mr Asogi.” She said.
“Kazuma-sama? You think he could help us?” Susato asked, Ryunosuke nodding excitedly, the thread holding him together threatening to come loose from the energy.
“Do you want to stay with him until myself and Iris find out more about what’s happening?” she asked, lifting Ryunosuke from the page as Iris picked the book back up and slammed it shut. He nodded, clinging to Susato’s hands as he flew upward. His heart (or whatever was in the centre of his chest) finally slowed its beating. He was going to be ok. He was going to be with Kazuma, He was sure that, whatever happens, he’d be in capable hands. In a very literal sense.
***
His felt body tossed and tumbled around the small knapsack he was in, darkness enveloping him as they went. The sound of London traffic was muffled, the various English voices all blending into one cacophony of distraction as Ryunosuke tried to think.
He was a small, felt mouse charm. He’d woke up after having mysterious tea which transformed him into some sort of toy. Because of course it had.
And now he was hidden in Iris’ bag, tossed around next to her coins of change, occasionally they slammed into him, flattening the stuffing inside of him as they pushed into the sides of the bag, winding him. Occasionally he heard Iris and Susato’s voices, unable to make out anything they were saying.
And every time he heard them, a part of him felt sick with worry. What if this was permanent? How would they explain this to everyone? To Kazuma? Were they going to tell Kazuma anything about what was happening, or try to just pass him off as an important little trinket? Too much was unknown right now, Ryunosuke just needed some sort of safe constant to be with right now. His safe constant, throughout it all, with only the most minor of deviances. If they could get Kazuma on side with this, he was sure that this misadventure of his would be much more manageable.
The muffled voices faded away as the sound of echoing footsteps replaced them, the shaking in the bag becoming steadier and more manageable as the air around them became thicker and icier.
There was no other explanation possible, they’d arrived at the prosecutor’s office.
He listened intently, comedically large ears pressed against the side of the bag as they knocked on a door, waiting for a moment before another voice could be heard. A man’s voice, oozing with confidence and warmth. Ryunosuke squealed excitedly, searching around in the dark impatiently for any way to get out quicker. The voices continued to talk as the bag moved around more with a gentle sway, the coins now nudging him with a gentle thud when they collided. The bag was swung, causing Ryunosuke’s feet to leave the ground as he flew upwards before slamming down, coins clattering close beside him.
“Careful, Iris!” a dazed Ryunosuke heard someone say as the top of the bag opened.
“Sorry, I forgot.” A girl’s voice said apologetically, her hand stretched wide and reaching towards Ryunosuke. He clambered into her palm as her fingers gently shut around him, lifting him higher with a lax grip. He blinked and squinted, adjusting as much as he could to the light flooding his little eyes. Then the grip around him became slightly looser.
Then it was too loose.
His body slipped, falling between the gaps in the fingers as he scrambled with his arms to grip onto the glove holding him. The air rushing past him was deafening as the shelves and desk around him stretched further and further into the sky. He shut his eyes, bracing for the impact as he landed with a soft thud into the warmth of a hand.
“Got you. That was a close one.” The voice chuckled, relaxing Ryunosuke as he rushed to his feet, looking around eagerly to see the face of his saviour.
And there it was. Hearty smile, gentle eyes. Black, sharply cut bangs resting on the forehead. The man raised Ryunosuke closer to himself, inspecting him closely.
“I’d recognise those wild eyes and panicked mannerisms from anywhere, partner.” He laughed, affectionately stroking the side of the mouse’s face with his thumb, cradling the small creature in one hand.
“I’m relieved we don’t have to spend a long time convincing you of the truth, Kazuma-sama.” Susato said.
“I put great trust in you to take care of my dear friend, Susato-san. You would never joke on a matter like this.” He said, tenderly placing Ryunosuke on a desk. He leant himself next to a fruit bowl, his legs feeling weak after the fall.
“We promise not to be long; I just fear what would happen if we were to take him with us.”
“Or if we had left him at home with Waggy. He’d have all his stuffing ripped out.” Iris chirped too happily, Ryunosuke’s eyes widening dramatically as he fell backwards onto his back. Kazuma laughed, an addicting, infectious laugh as he thrust Ryunosuke back to his feet with a finger.
“It’s not of any inconvenience to me. Especially if it helps Ryunosuke, I’m more than happy to do it.” He said, giving the charm a scratch of the head.
Ryunosuke sat patiently on the tall desk, watching from a distance as Susato and Iris said their farewells, before exiting out of the door. He looked back down at himself and let out a small sigh, flopping down and staring at his fingerless arms. Kazuma dragged the chair from the other side of the table and positioned himself directly facing Ryunosuke, one arm leant on the table as he did.
“Iris mentioned something about charms and everyone having one. Do, um, do I have one?” He asked, cheeks warming from embarrassment. Ryunosuke nodded eagerly, making incoherent squeaking noises as he rambled before stopping in his tracks, sighing and flopping down again. Kazuma couldn’t help but chuckle to himself, scooping the man with a hand and standing up, beginning to move around the office.
“Communicating is going to be an issue, but there might be something we can try to make it easier.” He said to himself, keeping his hand steady as he moved, searching through a bookshelf with the other. Ryunosuke watched eagerly as he hooked a finger onto the top of a book, leaning it forward to inspect it closely before pushing it back. He did this a few times before pulling out a bulky book with an ornate spine, curling on the corners of the pages and pulling it out all the way, carrying it with the other hand. He slammed it onto the desk before flattening his palm against the desk and letting Ryunosuke hop off. He flicked open the book, the front-page colliding with the desk loudly as he did before beckoning Ryunosuke over. He clambered clumsily onto the surface of the open book, positioning himself close to the spine.
“A dictionary. It’s in English, but it’ll have to do. You can turn the pages to the words you would like to say.” Kazuma said, gesturing towards the already upturned corners of the pages. Ryunosuke slipped down the bump in the paper, making his way to the edge. He slipped his wide nubs under the fold, pushing as hard as he could to force the page up. His feet slipped as he tumbled onto his face, the paper falling back down and landing on his head. He fumbled back to his feet, thrusting his arms upwards and launching the thin paper in the air before sprinting after it to push it further and further until the page had been turned. Now panting, he rolled and lay in the spine of the pages. Kazuma picked him back up, holding him inches from his face.
“That was stupid, I know. You- you’re a little teddy right now. Of course, you can’t just flick through a dictionary and find words, that would be insane.” He sighed, sliding Ryunosuke onto his shoulder.
“I suppose this is all insane. I shouldn’t believe it’s really you, this little felt toy. But whenever I look at you, I have this feeling, this warmth, this sense of safety. This feeling that things will be ok, at the end of this. Only you make me feel like this, partner.” He said, head tilted to the side to watch the small mouse on his shoulder as it stared back at him, eyes filled with affection. He leaned his head to the side as the mouse lay by it, snuggling its way into the crevices of warmth in his neck, its fur tickling his skin softly.
“You must be exhausted from all of this, the stress of it all. Nobody being able to understand you, feeling so small.” Kazuma thought, watching as the mouse nodded tiredly, beginning to curl up in on itself. He stretched his neck, placing a small kiss on the side of its face as it yawned, snuggling further into him. He gingerly placed it onto the desk, covering it with a loose bit of cloth as it slept, whistling softly as it did. He sat and watched it, its face peaceful and soft.
“Only you. Only you could ever have me watching over a fancy toy mouse.” Kazuma laughed to himself, keeping his eyes firmly on Ryunosuke. He leant an elbow against the desk, his eyes growing heavy as his head rest on his hand, still watching the mouse. He blinked once, trying to pry his eyelids apart, before closing them once more.
***
Ryunosuke awoke buried in bedsheets, the warmth seeping into his bones. He quickly moved the piece of cloth from himself and looked up at the elbow next to him. He followed the arm up to see the resting face of Kazuma Asogi, snoring and drooling slightly. Hid behind his hands he let out giggling laughter, before stretching and walking closer to him. He caught a looser part of the sleeve and began to tug at it, pulling backwards with all his body weight as he did. His squeaking was as loud as he could make it as he tugged and squeaked pathetically, the fabric of the shirt barely moving as it twisted slightly. He sighed, sliding down the side of his arm and leaning against it.
A heavy knocking against the door echoed through the room, startling Kazuma awake. His elbow jolted back suddenly, sending Ryunosuke stumbling backwards towards him. His hand quickly caught him as he steadied himself against it. He lifted Ryunosuke onto his shoulder, allowing him to nestle himself into the collar of his shirt as he made his way to the door. He swung it open to reveal two women, Iris and Susato, both with beaming smiles on their faces.
“We have some excellent news about Runo.” Iris said, inviting herself in as she pushed past Kazuma and made her way to the desk. Susato smiled and followed her, closing the door behind her as she did. Kazuma followed them, feeling pressure against his neck as Ryunosuke pushed himself out and into the open, balancing himself on the shoulder.
“Madame Tusspells has told us that Naruhodo-san should be back to normal at some point tomorrow. There’s unfortunately no way to accelerate it, but it is still a positive.” Ryunosuke tugged eagerly on Kazuma’s ear, excitedly squeaking as he did. Susato smiled, watching the small mouse intently before leaning down to her companion and whispering something in her ear.
“Um, Mr. Asogi?” Iris asked as sweetly as she could.
“Yes?”
“I’m still worried about Runo and the cat getting him even when we’re there. Would it be ok if he stayed here with you until he gets better?” She pleaded, batting her eyelashes and staring up at him with melting eyes.
“I don’t see why not. If you would be ok with that?” He said, turning to the mouse on his shoulder. Ryunosuke looked over for a moment at a grinning Susato, giving him a knowing wink before turning back to Kazuma. He nodded, an action which was definitely going to end up with his neck aching at this rate as Kazuma beamed back at him.
“Well then, me and Iris will leave the both of you in peace. You will let us know when Naruhodo-san’s condition improves itself?” Susato said as she quickly ushered Iris out of the room, leaving the pair alone again. Kazuma looked at the small mouse sat on his shoulder and ruffled with the top of its head.
“It’s impressive, really. How you manage to make yourself even cuter in mouse form.” He laughed to himself as Ryunosuke buried his face in his hands, sure that, if they could, his cheeks would be radiating a dramatic red colour by now. He peeked out from behind his hands, looking at the side of Kazuma’s head, his gentle eyes flickering over to him. Balancing his weight, he made his way up to his neck, pushing himself using the fabric of the shirt up to the side of his face and placing a small, fuzzy kiss on his cheek. Kazuma froze in place, his face growing warmer as Ryunosuke chirped something incoherently, sitting back down, proud of himself.
***
The pair of men sat silently across from each other at the desk. Ryunosuke enamoured by his fingers, flexing and moving them, running them through his own hair in amazement. His partner sat across from him, using stray glances to watch him, mildly bemused by the sight in front of him.
“How long do you plan on admiring those for, then?” He asked jokingly
“Honestly? Until they feel normal again. This whole experience feels like a really strange dream.” He said, looking up at Kazuma as he did.
“A pleasant dream?”
“Some parts” He said coyly, leaning forward as he did.
“Care to share those parts with me, Ryunosuke?”
He leaned forward further, meeting Kazuma’s lips with his own, no longer fluffy and made of yarn, to plant a gentle kiss, pulling away with a glowing smile.
“Always.”