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The cold breeze nipped at Toto’s nose and sent a shiver down his spine as he hurried into the cozy café. The warmth embraced him like a blanket, and the rich aroma of freshly brewed coffee made him sigh with relief.
“Almost forgot winter was on the way,” he muttered, rubbing his hands together as he shuffled toward the counter.
But before he could order, a voice behind him nearly sent him into cardiac arrest.
"How did you know I’d be here?”
Toto turned, eyes wide. “W-Winter?!” he stammered, catching sight of her usual stoic gaze. “What are you doing here?”
“I invited her,” said another voice, more cheerful and very familiar. “Tehee~ What, Tototo, need a hot drink for that frosty nose?”
“Spitz?” Toto chuckled, nodding at him. “Yeah, just got off from the station, and it’s freezing out there,” he said, hugging himself dramatically.
“Mhm,” Winter murmured, glancing at her own steaming cup. “Hot drinks in cold weather are… nice.”
“Yeah, unlike a certain someone who insists on selling ice cream in winter…” Toto half-chuckled, imagining his detective partner’s eccentric behaviour. Then, a realization hit him. “Wait—where’s Ron?”
He glanced around the cafe, scanning for a familiar figure among the customers and workers, but there was no sign of Ron. Odd. Ron wouldn’t normally miss his shift, even if it was just for a disguise.
“Uh, excuse me?” Toto leaned toward the counter. “Is…uh…what’s his name again…Kamo?…Kamoo guy…”
“Kamoo guy? Oh, you mean Kamokyu-san!” The barista lit up, smiling sweetly at him.
“Yeah, him.” Toto scratched his head, sheepish about forgetting yet another one of Ron’s 1001 aliases. “Is he not working today?”
The barista nodded. “Kamokyu-san’s taking a day off. The manager said he might’ve been sick, something about his voice sounding really exhausted.”
“He's sick?” Toto frowned, worry creeping into his face.
Winter glanced over. “Ron Kamonohashi can get sick? Here I thought his only weakness was his overly loyal naïve partner.”
“Hey, what’s that supposed to mean!?”
A sudden buzzing sound cut into the moment; Spitz pulled out his phone, showing a name on the screen. “It’s Ron-kun!” he announced, grinning.
“Ask him if he’s okay!” Toto urged immediately, face filled with worry.
“Relax. What are you, his wife?” Winter teased, her deadpan expression only adding to the jab.
“N-No! I’m his friend, that’s all. Just…worried, for my friend!” he stammered, though the blush on his face might’ve suggested otherwise.
Spitz answered the call. “Hellooo, Ron-kun!” He put it on speaker, much to Toto’s chagrin. “Eh? Who do you think this is? It’s Spitz, not Tototo!”
Winter turned to Toto with a blank expression. “Friend, huh?”
“What’s that supposed to mean??”
Spitz handed Toto the phone with a laugh. “He’s insisting on talking to you, Tototo.”
Toto took the phone, pressing it to his ear. “Ron—”
“-Toto! I need Toto! Bring me Toto!!”
Ron’s voice blared through the phone, his urgent, slightly hoarse tone almost deafening. Toto winced, holding the phone slightly away from his ear, but Ron’s cries were still loud and clear.
Blushing, Toto turned his back on Winter and Spitz, embarrassed by the scene he was causing. “R-Ron! Keep it down! I thought you were sick!” he whisper-yelled.
But Ron’s whining continued, unabated, getting louder with every second.
“Ron, calm down! Yes, yes, I’ll come over. Toto will come, yes?” he whispered frantically, ending the call. Toto’s face burned bright red in embarrassment, feeling like he was trying to soothe a cranky toddler.
Without daring to look at Winter’s or Spitz’s faces, he handed back the phone, bowing slightly. “Sorry, but I’ve gotta go. Emergency!”
And with that, he dashed out of the cafe, his face as hot as the drink he’d left behind.
-
When Toto finally reached Ron’s apartment, what he didn’t expect was Dr. Mofu standing right at the door, her usual gentle smile replaced with a look of deep concern.
“Mofu-sensei!” Toto panted, catching his breath. “You’re here for Ron too?”
“Isshiki-san!” Dr. Mofu greeted him with her usual warm smile, though worry was clearly etched across her face. “Yes, I am. On my way back from the hospital, I saw Kamonohashi-san stumbling down the stairs. He was in terrible shape, and even though I tried to stop him, he was mumbling about looking for you. I managed to get him back into his room, but while I stepped away to get some medicine, he… locked himself in.” She sighed, clutching a medical bag.
“W-What? He locked you out?” Toto couldn’t believe it. Ron barricading himself away from a doctor was surprising enough, but he was more amazed that Dr. Mofu had somehow wrangled Ron back to his room in the first place. “Why didn’t you call me? Don’t tell me…”
“Yes…” She sighed. “In the chaos, I dropped my phone from the top floor while trying to help him.”
Classic Dr. Mofu. Toto wasn’t even surprised.
“Isshiki-san, his fever is alarmingly high. I’m afraid he’ll get worse if he isn’t treated,” she said, frowning with real concern.
“You’re right. We need to—”
“No, not ‘we’ ” Dr. Mofu shoved the medical bag into Toto’s hands. “You need to do this. Kamonohashi-san won’t open the door unless it’s you, Isshiki-san.”
“Wait, but—”
“No buts! Everything he needs is in here. Just make sure he takes it after eating.” Without further ado, Dr. Mofu rang the doorbell. “Kamonohashi-san, Isshiki-san is here!”
There was a pause. Then, a muffled voice came through the speaker, sounding tired and hoarse.
“...no... Toto... not here…”
Dr. Mofu nudged Toto closer to the speaker, and with a fierce look of encouragement, Toto swallowed, feeling oddly shy under her stare. “Ron…it’s me.”
Almost instantly, the door flew open, revealing a fever-flushed Ron, standing there with messy hair, a wrinkled white t-shirt, and loose pants. He was the very picture of exhaustion.
“...Toto,” Ron’s voice was even deeper and more gravelly than usual, no doubt from all the desperate crying he’d done on the phone earlier.
Ron extended a shaky hand toward Toto, but Dr. Mofu quickly stepped between them, crossing her arms.
“Kamonohashi-san, if you want Isshiki-san to help you, you need to wear a face mask. We don’t want you infecting him,” Dr. Mofu declared with her arms crossed.
“F-Face mask?… No… Only Toto…” Ron mumbled.
“No face mask, No Toto!”
Ron clearly taken aback. “N-No… Toto?!”
Meanwhile, Toto stood awkwardly behind Dr. Mofu, eyes wide as he tried to process the bizarre scene unfolding in front of him.
Was this how she got Ron back into his room? Just by threatening him with… him? And, since when did sweet Dr. Mofu could be pretty terrifying?
“Isshiki-san…” Dr. Mofu glanced at Toto over her shoulder, extending her hand towards him.
“R-Right.” Toto fumbled with the bag, pulling out a face mask and handing it toward her, only to have her step aside, leaving him face-to-face with Ron.
Did…did she just trick him?
Ron reached out, taking the mask directly from Toto’s hand, mumbling under his breath, “Toto’s… face mask…”
Okay… this is getting wild.
-
So here he was, standing in front of Ron after Dr. Mofu had practically shoved him into the room and shut the door.
“How did I go from being a police detective to…nursing a detective?” Toto muttered behind his face mask.
Suddenly, he felt a hand gently ruffling his brown hair.
“Ron?”
"Your hair look soft..." Ron said from behind his mask, his gaze fixed intently on him.
“Oh... uh, thank you…” Toto tightened his grip on Dr. Mofu’s bag. He hadn’t expected Ron to be so straightforward when sick. “Should we get you to your bed?”
Toto tried to move past him, but Ron stopped him by taking his hand.
“…Don’t you want to touch my hair too?” Ron tilted his head slightly.
This is a completely different person from the one who’d been crying to Spitz earlier!
“You… want me to?”
“Yes,” Ron replied, almost immediately.
“Well then, excuse me...” Toto reached up to Ron’s messy bangs. Gently, he brushed them aside, revealing Ron’s forehead and striking blue eyes.
Suddenly, he felt the heat radiating from Ron’s skin. “Ron, you’re burning up!” Toto took his hand and led him inside.
He brought Ron to the couch and sat him down. Glancing around, he said, “Wait here, I’ll get your futon.”
But Ron held onto his wrist, his voice hoarse. “No...”
Toto placed a hand on Ron’s and smiled behind his mask. “Ron, you’ll feel a lot better lying on your futon. I’m here to help, aren’t I?”
With his bangs now pushed aside, Toto could see Ron frown deeply before finally releasing his grip. Taking the opportunity, Toto went to the closet and pulled out the futon.
While he was setting up the futon, Toto noticed Ron leaning back against the couch with his eyes closed. He quietly made his way to the bathroom, fetched a bowl, and filled it with warm water.
After grabbing a clean handkerchief from the shelf, he returned to the living room, seeing Ron still in the same spot.
Was he sleeping… or was the fever getting worse?
“Ron?” Toto placed the bowl gently beside the futon, then inched closer to the couch. He could see Ron breathing slowly but heavily behind his mask.
What should he do? He debated whether to move Ron to the futon, but Ron looked so peaceful.
Maybe he should cook something first—Dr. Mofu had said Ron needed to eat before taking his medicine. Wait… had Ron even eaten? All he could see was a glass of water on the coffee table. And why was he only wearing a t-shirt? Wasn’t he cold? Maybe he should—
Maybe Winter was right… He really did sound like his wife at that moment.
He softly slapped his burning cheek to shake off the thought.
“Toto…”
“Eh, Ron. You’re awake.” Toto helped him sit up straight.
“You kept mumbling just now…”
Ah–
A flush spread across Toto’s face. “Y-You didn’t hear anything, right?”
“I tried to, but I couldn’t focus… my head keeps spinning,” Ron murmured, holding his temple.
“Right! You’ve got a high fever. Come on.” Gently, Toto led Ron to the futon. Once Ron was settled, Toto carefully pulled up the blanket to cover him.
Seeing Ron looking a bit more comfortable, he brushed the messy bangs away from his face. “Your hair keeps getting in the way. Should we tie it? Or maybe clip it?”
“Toto…”
“I’m sure Dr. Mofu put a hair tie or clip in this bag…” Toto mumbled as he rummaged through the bag. “Ah, here! Found a hair tie.”
“Toto…”
“Alright, excuse me.” Toto leaned forward, gently pulling Ron’s bangs up as he tied them back—just loose enough to be comfortable. “There! Doesn’t that feel better?”
With the bangs pulled back, Toto realized how close they were. Ron’s deep blue eyes gazed up at him, unguarded and fixed on him.
“Toto—”
“R-Right! Your medicine! I need to get you food—” Toto tried to stand, but a firm grip on his hand stopped him, almost making him stumble.
"Toto," Ron, who's already half-sitting, pulled down his mask slightly. His feverish face flushed as he breathed heavily. "Stay until I recover.. please?”
Toto blinked, then sat back down properly beside him, keeping his hand in Ron’s and giving it a comforting pat. “Alright. Sorry for being noisy.. I'm just worried”
"It's fine," Ron gave him a soft, tired smile before lying back down, replacing his mask. "I like hearing your voice"
Flustered, Toto slowly let go of his hand to wet the handkerchief, wringing it out before gently placing it on Ron’s forehead.
Ron watched him quietly, a hint of relief in his eyes, before exhaustion finally pulled him into sleep.
-
By the time he woke up, Ron realized he was alone in his apartment.
Where’s Toto…?
Had he only dreamed of Toto taking care of him?
Slowly sitting up, Ron felt his headache worsening. Right, he still hadn’t taken his medicine.
He noticed something cool and damp slipping from his forehead onto his lap—it was the handkerchief. He reached up, feeling the tie in his hair, and a soft realization sank in.
It wasn’t a dream.
Drawing his knees to his chest, Ron rested his head on them, feeling a strange mixture of shame and quiet relief that this wasn’t just his imagination.
He hadn’t meant to act so vulnerable with Toto, yet somehow he couldn’t stop himself. For the first time, he found himself wanting someone’s attention, craving the warm comfort that Toto brought with him.
But… why Toto?
Ron rarely got sick, and even then, he always handled it alone. He’d spent so many years in solitude, pushing people away, knowing no one would dare come close—not that he’d ever let them.
Then there was Toto.
Toto, the naïve but warmhearted police detective, who had somehow filled the silence Ron had grown used to.
Since meeting him, Ron’s life felt different. He had people who accepted him, friends he could count on. No matter how dangerous their journey was, Toto was always there.
Toto had been there when he wanted to know what happened during the Bloody Field Trip, there to help him find his way back to what he loved most—becoming a detective.
And all of it was possible because he had let Toto in.
He had let Totomaru Isshiki into his life.
“Toto…”
Suddenly, the front door opened, and in walked Toto, holding a grocery bag.
“Ron, you’re awake!” Toto said, moving to the small kitchen. He set the bag on the counter and put on Ron’s apron. “Sorry I took so long. I went out to buy groceries to make you porridge. I tried to buy it ready-made, but the shop was sold out—too many people getting sick this season, so…”
Ron’s grip on his knees tightened as he watched Toto’s back, unable to tear his eyes away as the man prepared his meal.
“I got the recipe from my grandma,” Toto continued, glancing over his shoulder at Ron, chuckling softly behind his mask. “She always made this when I was sick, so… I hope you’ll like it.”
Oh, how badly Ron wanted to hug him right now..
-
Extra 1:
Ron finally felt a bit better after his meal and medicine. Perhaps Toto's homemade porridge could even compete with his obsession with brown sugar syrup.
"Ah, I forgot to feed my cat..." Ron murmured, finishing up clipping back Toto's bangs. Toto had refused at first but eventually gave in, letting him do it. Now, they're matching!
"Before I went grocery shopping, I dropped your cat off with Dr. Mofu," Toto explained. "She kind of scolded me for not bringing it earlier, but after examining it, she said it’s still healthy and unaffected."
"She can be terrifying..." Ron shivered slightly, recalling Dr. Mofu’s earlier strictness. "Good thing I have you to help me."
"More like you insisted I help," Toto half-laughed. "But either way, I’ll always be here. That’s what… friends do."
"Friends, huh?" Ron huffed softly behind his mask, looking at Toto with a fond smile in his eyes.
-
Extra 2:
A sudden, aggressive spamming on the doorbell made Toto quickly get to his feet. How dare someone make noise when Ron was about to sleep?
"Hey, stop ringing the doorbell! Someone’s resting—"
He cut off as he found himself face to face with Spitz and Winter, who stared at him in silence, their gazes drifting over his platypus apron and the clip holding back his bangs.
"..."
"..."
"..."
"...housewife-"
"Winter!!"