Work Text:
“You look like hell, Zero,” are the first words out of Hiro’s mouth as Rei walks into his hospital room (private, thankfully, due to strings Kuroda pulled), Shuuichi in tow. To be fair to Hiro, he’s probably not wrong – Rei’s head is wrapped in a bandage, his left arm in a sling, from a few nasty blow he took from a rebar-wielding Vodka, of all things – but coming from the man currently confined to a hospital bed for broken ribs and a gunshot wound dangerously close to his femoral artery, it sounds ridiculous.
“Have you looked in a mirror recently?” Rei shoots back as he moves to pull a chair closer to Hiro’s bedside. Clearly believing Rei incapable of a such a simple task in his current condition, Shuuichi (who somehow only acquired a few small cuts and bruises, to Rei’s relief) moves him aside with a gentle hand on his waist, then adjusts the chair to Rei’s liking. In lieu of a thank-you, Rei gripes, “I could have done that.”
“Sure,” Shuuichi agrees, his tone light, and his eyes soft, fond. “But this was faster. You should be resting as much as possible.”
He’s clearly taking the nurse’s words to heart, and Rei finds Shuuichi’s coddling doesn’t annoy him like he thought it would. The frustration will probably kick in soon enough, but, for now, he’ll allow it. Shuuichi seems to enjoy taking care of him anyway. Rei will still complain about it to save face, of course, even if it is pointless when they both know he doesn’t mean it.
He offers Shuuichi a small, tired smile as he pulls another chair up beside Rei’s, then turns his attention back to Hiro, who’s been watching them with his own cheery grin.
“So,” Hiro begins, a mischievous glint in his eyes that Rei does not like, “when’s the wedding?”
Rei huffs and steadfastly does not think of a small, black box hidden away in his desk drawer at work (underneath a false bottom, where nobody would think to look for it – even Akai Shuuichi). Hiro is very aware of the existence of that box, and Rei knows he needs to be very careful about his reaction to Hiro’s teasing, so as not to give anything away. Shuuichi is far too observant for his own good.
“Don’t tease him too much,” Shuuichi requests, sliding his left hand into Rei’s right and squeezing. “He has to officially meet my family tonight.”
Hiro’s eyebrows shoot nearly up into his hairline; it would be comical if the dread hadn’t immediately settled, once more, in Rei’s stomach. “Oh? How’d that come about?”
“Sera-kun bullied him into it,” Rei answers. “Shuuichi negotiated us down to only an hour-long visit including dinner, though, on the grounds of me just being discharged today.”
Rei can’t say he’s really looking forward to the family dinner. While he’s grown pretty fond of Sera-kun over the last year, he knows very little of Akai Mary – only that she and Shuuichi have been estranged for years for reasons relating to his life choices (“Going into the FBI to find out what happened to my father,” Shuuichi had assured him after his sister left. Nothing to do with his choice in partners; though Rei suspects that might change if she finds out he’s dating Bourbon).
From what he’s heard, Shuuichi’s brother seems normal enough, at least compared to the rest of them.
Before Hiro can comment any further on their dinner plans, his phone lights up – and Hiro’s face with it. Intrigued, Rei watches as Hiro replies to the text, the soft smile on his face unlike any Rei can remember seeing from him before.
“Someone special?” he asks, keeping his tone light, curious, and just slightly teasing. Hiro had dated a little bit in university, but it never went anywhere. He’d had always just told Rei that it wasn’t what he was looking for. And, of course, once they joined the force, dating was always going to be tricky (his own chaotic history with Shuuichi was proof enough of that), so it just hadn’t been a concern.
Hiro’s face flushes pink at having been caught (had he forgotten he wasn’t alone so quickly?) and he quickly locks his phone, as if he thinks Rei or Shuuichi will look through his texts. “What makes you think that?”
Letting out a startled laugh at his behavior, Rei says, “No, you’re right, that wasn’t suspicious at all. My mistake.”
With a heavy sigh, knowing he’s already caught, Hiro gives in. “You won’t like it.”
Rei frowns. What does that mean? “Morally or personally?”
“Personally,” Hiro answers with a snort.
That narrows the pool of suspects down, if only slightly. But, just to be sure of what he’s dealing with, and to cover his bases, he asks, “So… not married?”
Hiro gives him an incredulous look. “No.”
“Criminal record?”
“Seems unlikely.”
“It’s really just someone I don’t like?”
“Correct. Well – someone that annoys you.”
And Hiro’s this worried about Rei’s reaction? They’re best friends; Hiro has supported him through so much. Does he truly think Rei wouldn’t put aside his own annoyances to return the favor? Rei isn’t the easiest person to get along with – he’s self-aware enough to realize that about himself – but surely he can manage at least civility. Guilt pinches at him. There’s someone special enough to Hiro to have him smiling like that, and yet, he’s spending at least some of his time worrying what Rei will think.
“Can I ask you something?” Rei asks after a moment alone with his thoughts.
Hiro tilts his head slightly, having expected Rei to keep inquiring about the identity of his mystery partner. “Of course. Anything.”
“What did you think when I started having feelings for Rye?” He phrases the question carefully – Rye and Bourbon were sleeping together before feelings developed, at least on Rei’s part, and Hiro knows that. Casual sex, or sex used to leverage information, or any other excuse Bourbon had used at the time, is not the part of the equation Rei’s concerned about.
Shuuichi shifts next to Rei, who squeezes his hand, as Hiro throws Shuuichi an apologetic glance. “I thought you’d lost your mind, and that you were setting yourself up to get your heart broken.”
And he had said as much to Rei. Loudly. He’d tried to talk sense into him.
“And I listened to what you said, and took some time to think about it,” Rei replies. “Your opinion mattered to me, but, in the end, I decided it was worth the risk.”
“And you were right,” Hiro points out, gesturing vaguely at their joined hands. “You’re happier now than you’ve ever been.”
Rei nods, his mouth quirking up at the corner, sappy feelings threatening to take over when he thinks about how choosing trust Rye was one of the best decisions he’d ever made. He forces himself to focus on the issue at hand, though; he can get sappy about Shuuichi later. “Honestly, if me finding this person annoying is your biggest worry, then I think you should probably ignore my opinion and do what makes you happy. As long as they’re good to you, as long as they make you happy, then I can deal with it. I will do my best to put my feelings aside and be happy for you.”
And probably complain to Shuuichi when they’re alone, but Hiro doesn’t really need to know that part.
“Thanks, Zero.”
Rei gives him a smile, and the curiosity wins out. “Who is this person anyway?”
That question seems to prompt Shuuichi to realize he doesn’t want to be part of the conversation, because, before Hiro can even respond, he kisses Rei’s knuckles, stands up, and tells them he’s going to grab coffee. It’s a suspiciously sudden departure, leaving Rei bemused. But he can question Shuuichi about that later, if he needs to.
As soon as Shuuichi is out of the room, Hiro asks, “I was messing with you earlier, but seriously – any updates?”
“Changing the subject?” Rei accuses, shaking his head. “Not yet. Tonight, if I can talk Shuuichi into stopping by my office on the way home.”
Hiro laughs. “Is that where you hid the ring?”
“It had to be somewhere he couldn’t look!” Rei insists, ignoring the twinge of pain in his left shoulder as he shakes from laughter. “Now, stop dodging my questions!”
“Yeah, yeah, I just had to ask while Akai wasn’t here,” Hiro says with an overly dramatic sigh. “So… back when I was still living in Nagano, I had this friend. A boy about our age. We used to play together whenever we could, catching bugs and talking about how we’d become police when we grew up. Turns out both of us achieved that dream.”
Interesting. Rei knew Hiro always wanted to go into police work, but he hasn’t heard much about Hiro’s life in Nagano – this is the first mention of an old friend. There’s a little sting of jealousy, but he’s surprised to find it’s easy to set aside. It makes sense, he supposes; he and Hiro are as close as ever, and that doesn’t seem to be changing.
That being said, he’s only familiar with a few cops in Nagano, Hiro’s older brother included, and none of them are people he finds annoying, so his question remains unanswered.
“We hadn’t seen or spoken to each other since I moved, but we reconnected recently,” Hiro continues, his eyes lighting up again. “He’s been visiting me every day in the hospital, and it’s been nice just to get to know him again. He tells me all these stories of crazy cases he’s worked on, and how he got promoted to Inspector because of them. I’m really proud of him.”
Even if it turns out that this man is the most obnoxious person in Japan, Hiro looks as though a huge weight has been lifted off his shoulders, like he’s finally truly happy after all this time – and how can Rei begrudge him that? Hiro deserves this, and so much more, after everything he’s been through.
“I don’t know if this will go anywhere; I’m not even sure if he has the same kind of feelings I do. And I’m certainly not saying it’ll be some grand romance for the ages – nothing like what you and Akai have,” Hiro explains, and Rei snorts. He would hardly describe his relationship with Shuuichi as a ‘grand romance’ – a messy melodrama would be more accurate. “But I don’t need that. I just need someone who gets me, you know? He makes me laugh, and I just feel normal for once. It’s nice.”
Rei leans forward to squeeze his arm in a show of support. “And his name is…?”
Shuuichi, timing exceedingly poor if he really is trying to dodge this discussion, chooses that moment to return, a can of coffee in one hand, and two bottles of water in the other, one of which he hands off to Hiro as he passes. The other he gives to Rei as he takes his seat once more, opening his can with a loud, metallic pop.
“Yamamura Misao,” Hiro answers finally.
Rei pauses at the name. It’s familiar, but not one he can immediately pick out a face for – maybe someone he’s only interacted with once before? Definitely not the name of someone he knows from Nagano, but – oh.
“He’s from Gunma, isn’t he?” Rei asks, part of him hoping he’s remembering wrong, but he knows he isn’t. Nagano and Gunma share a border. Knowing where Hiro’s childhood home was, the pieces line up too nicely to be a coincidence. Internally, he groans, but he promised Hiro he’d be on his best behavior, and that starts now.
“Yes,” Hiro says, confirming Rei’s fears. As if that wasn’t enough of a blow, he adds, “And he’ll be here soon.”
“Oh.”
“You can absolutely stay and meet him if you want, but I won’t be offended if you leave, either. Today probably isn’t the best day to test your patience.”
The universe and Yamamura himself take the decision out of Rei’s hands, though, when the door swings open only moments later to announce his arrival.
Rei forces what he hopes is a friendly smile.
“Hiro-chan!” Yamamura exclaims, like he’s surprised to find Hiro there, in the same hospital bed he’s occupied for several days already.
Hiro grins broadly. “Good morning, Micchan.”
“I was going to bring you more flowers, but-” Yamamura begins, sounding somewhat dejected, before his gaze lands on Rei. “Wait. Aren’t you-”
“Micchan, this is Furuya Rei,” Hiro cuts in, smoothing things over before Yamamura can say anything Rei might react to. “My best friend since I moved here; I told you about him. And beside him is Akai Shuuichi.”
Yamamura lets out an exaggerated hum, eyeing Shuuichi as though he’s a suspect on a case. “You’re that guy that was in here yesterday. How do you know Hiro-chan?”
“We met on a case,” Shuuichi answers simply, being careful not to mention anything Hiro may not have told him about.
“Years ago,” Hiro adds. “It’s kind of a long story. Maybe I’ll tell you about it later.”
Seemingly satisfied with that answer, Yamamura turns to study Rei next. “Furuya Rei, hmm? You helped Hiro-chan find his parents’ killer, right? That’s what he told me.”
That’s not the question Rei expected from Yamamura, but he won’t complain about not having to explain the Amuro situation. “I was one of the people involved, yes.”
Yamamura nods, humming and stroking his chin like he’s thinking through a tough case. “And you two have been friends for a long time, is that right?”
“Yes,” Rei answers carefully, unsure where this line of questioning is going. “For nearly twenty-two years.”
Yamamura thinks that over for a moment, then, to Rei’s surprise, bows to him. “Thank you, Furuya Rei-san, for taking care of Hiro-chan for all of these years. I was so worried about him when he had to move away, but it makes me glad to know he had such a good friend watching out for him.”
Bewildered, Rei stays quiet as Yamamura straightens up and wipes at his eyes. The words to respond to that are difficult to find with the way his head is starting to swim from the painkillers. Shuuichi must notice he’s a little out of sorts, as well, because suddenly there’s a warm hand rubbing soothing circles on his back.
“I appreciate how much you care about Hiro,” Rei says finally, the words coming out more stilted than he’d like. He’s not used to being thanked, not like this. Sure, the occasional solved case led to emotional responses from the client involved, and Kazami is always overly effusive in his praises, but this is entirely different. “But you don’t need to thank me for that. We took care of each other. I don’t know who, or where, I’d be if not for him, but I know things would be worse.”
A heavy silence falls on the room for a long moment before Shuuichi says, “I think it’s about time I get Rei-kun home.”
Rei nods, handing his untouched bottle of water back to Shuuichi as he stands. Stepping closer to the bed, he leans over slightly to pull Hiro into a gentle hug, mindful of Hiro’s ribs and his own shoulder, as Hiro murmurs, “Thank you. Good luck.”
“I’ll probably be by tomorrow,” Rei says as they separate, and nods toward Shuuichi. “As long as he lets me.”
“We’ll see how you feel tomorrow.”
“Rest, Zero,” Hiro urges. “Don’t push yourself too hard.”
Rei waves him off before remembering their earlier conversation. “Oh! I need to stop by the office on our way home.”
Shuuichi raises an eyebrow at him. “I think I’m supposed to object to that.”
With an amused huff, Rei pokes lightly at his side. “Don’t look at me like that; it’s not for work. I just need to pick something up.”
“What could possibly be in your office that isn’t work related?” Shuuichi asks, dubious. It’s a fair assumption, given, to his knowledge, Rei doesn’t keep anything personal there.
Laughing slightly, Rei uses his good arm to turn Shuuichi around and push him toward the door. “What is this, an interrogation? That’s my business, Shuuichi.”
“And it has to be picked up today?”
Rei rolls his eyes, not that Shuuichi sees it. “Yes.”
“Akai,” Hiro cuts in, getting his attention. “You trust me right?”
“Yes?” Shuuichi answers, sounding very much like he doesn’t for the moment.
“This isn’t a battle you want to win.”
Shuuichi frowns at that response. “What does that mean?”
Hiro shrugs, winces at the pull on his ribs, then shoos them off. “Stop by the office and then go home already. I’ll see you tomorrow.”
Finally, Shuuichi relents, ushering Rei out ahead of him once they reach the door. “Take care.”
By the time they reach the Mustang – with only a brief pause on the way to greet Hiro’s brother as he arrives – the exhaustion has set in. Sleep tugs at the edges of Rei’s brain as Shuuichi helps him into the passenger’s seat (help he accepts without complaint this time; he’ll definitely need a nap before dinner), and, as soon as the door is closed, he leans his head against the window.
“Are you sure you don’t want to just go home?” Shuuichi asks as he slides into the driver’s seat.
“I’m sure,” Rei insists. “It’ll be five minutes at most.”
Clearly unconvinced, Shuuichi persists. “Then how about I pick it up for you, and you stay in the car?”
“No. And you can’t get into my office anyway,” Rei points out. The NPA had agreed to collaborate with the FBI on the Black Organization takedown, but that didn’t mean they’d given any of the agents involved security clearances. But Rei is very tired, and getting all the way upstairs to his office sounds particularly daunting in his current state. “I’ll call Kazami and see if he’s in.”
Apparently that seems like enough of a compromise to Shuuichi, because he hands over Rei’s phone that had been tucked away in his jacket pocket. “And if he isn’t?”
“Then you can walk me up to my office to make sure I don’t fall over or something,” Rei replies, nudging him teasingly as best he can with his arm still in the sling. Unlocking his phone, he pulls up Kazami’s contact and presses the call button as Shuuichi starts the car.
He doesn’t have to wait long; Kazami picks up on the second ring, with a gasp of, “Furuya-san! I heard you were getting out of the hospital today! How are you feeling?”
“I’m okay, Kazami. Listen, are you in the office today?”
“Yes,” Kazami answers, his voice growing concerned. “But you shouldn’t even be thinking about work right now, Furuya-san. You should be resting.”
Rei sighs – silently, so that his easily-distressed subordinate won’t hear him – and says, “It’s not about work. I just need you to get something from my office for me and bring it downstairs. I’m on my way with Akai.”
“Oh! Yes, I can do that. What do you need?”
Rei pauses, realizes he can’t exactly answer that without Shuuichi overhearing, and settles on, “I’ll text you. Thanks, Kazami.” As he ends the calls and writes out a text with instructions on where to find the box and how to conceal the shape so that Shuuichi won’t immediately know, he grumbles, “How many people do I need micromanaging me right now?”
“It’s just because we care about you,” Shuuichi answers gently. “We all know how stubborn you can be. And besides, you don’t hate it as much as you pretend to. Don’t worry, I’ll keep your secret.”
Rei chooses not to dignify that with a response (Shuuichi’s right; Shuuichi knows he’s right), and instead locks his phone and goes back to leaning against the window for the duration of the drive.
Kazami’s waiting outside the building when they arrive, so Shuuichi just pulls up to the curb and rolls down the window. He hands over a brown paper bag that appears to be stuffed with some kind of cloth, which Shuuichi immediately gives to Rei.
“Thank you, Kazami,” Rei says, clutching the bag in his lap.
Kazami’s voice goes a little high, his eyes misty, as he says, “Any time, Furuya-san! If you need anything else, call me!” Rei just prays Shuuichi doesn’t pick up on his behavior. “Akai-san, please make sure he rests as much as he needs to.”
“I’ll do my best,” Shuuichi promises.
Taking that as the end of their conversation, Kazami gives a decisive nod and steps back from the car. As they pull away, Shuuichi tosses Rei a strange look. “That was a little weird, even for him.”
“Was it? I didn’t notice anything,” Rei lies, eliciting a snort from Shuuichi, then lets his eyes drift closed as they make their way home.
A shower, a longer nap than he anticipated, and his next dose of painkillers are enough to mostly get Rei through the awkward family dinner unscathed, though Shuuichi had to very pointedly head off any questions about their undercover work, insisting that now was not the time to get into it (for which Rei was very grateful), but by the time they arrive back at their apartment and are settling in for the night, Rei’s nerves start to kick in.
It seems ridiculous, because he hasn’t felt nervous about asking Shuuichi that question at all prior to this, and he’s very positive he knows the answer. They haven’t talked about marriage, specifically, aside from Hiro’s occasional joke, but they’ve been dating for years, messy as it was in the beginning, and they have a home together, even if that part is very new. It just seems like marriage is the natural next step.
But what if it’s not what Shuuichi wants?
“Rei-kun?” Shuuichi takes his face in both hands, interrupting his thoughts with a soft kiss as Rei lets out a pleased hum. “You’re thinking too hard. Is something wrong?”
“No, nothing’s wrong.” Rei leans into kiss Shuuichi once more, as Shuuichi’s hands drift down to his hips, holding him close. As the kiss ends, he whispers, “I love you,” against Shuuichi’s mouth, just loud enough for him to hear.
His nerves slip away, chased off by the kisses Shuuichi peppers all over his face, from his lips to his cheeks to his eyelids and nose, until Rei pulls away with a laugh. “I love you, too, Rei.”
Rei couldn’t stop the smile from stretching across his face if he tried, his heart full of adoration for the man before him. They’ve been through so much together, and he has no doubts they’ll face whatever comes in the future the same way. Now all that’s left to do is ask.
“Shuuichi?”
He doesn’t have the ring on him – it’s still tucked away in his nightstand, where he hid it earlier – but it’s fine. Shuuichi won’t mind.
“Hm?” Shuuichi eyes shine with nothing but love for him, and Rei feels the corners of his eyes prickling with tears at the weight of it.
“Will you marry me?”
Shuuichi’s mouth falls open, and Rei’s smile widens, his cheeks a little sore from the stretch of it. “Really?” he asks, his voice full of wonder.
Rei, a little giddy, lets out a laugh that is embarrassingly close to a giggle. “Yes, really.”
“Even after meeting my crazy family?”
“I’m the one asking the questions here, Akai Shuuichi!” The exclamation has no heat behind it, because he’s far too amused to be annoyed by Shuuichi’s questions, but it does have the desired effect of getting him back on track.
Pulling him in once more, Shuuichi kisses him, though it’s a little difficult when they’re both smiling so much. “Of course I’ll marry you, Rei-kun,” he finally answers, breathless. “Yes.”
They stay that way for a while, holding each other and trading smiles and kisses, Shuuichi using the pads of his thumbs to wipe the tears from Rei’s eyes as Rei assures him that he’s just happy. It feels, in a way, like every moment of his life, the good and the bad, have all led to this – to him being wrapped up in the arms of his lover (fiancé) safe and loved.
“I have a ring for you,” he says, once they reluctantly separate themselves from one another. “I just don’t exactly have it on me right now. I can go get it.”
As he starts to move, though, his body reminds him that he’s not exactly operating at one-hundred-percent health with a wave of dizziness. Thankfully, Shuuichi steadies him before he falls, moving him gently toward the couch. “You stay here, I’ll get it. Just tell me where.”
With a couple more kisses to Rei’s forehead and lips, Shuuichi steps away as Rei sits down. “It’s in my nightstand.”
“Alright. I’ll be right back.”
He’s gone only a moment before Rei hears the drawer sliding open and Shuuichi’s bark of laughter as he no doubt recognizes the paper bag from earlier and puts the pieces together. With a quiet laugh of his own, he leans more into the couch cushions and waits for Shuuichi to return, his eyes slipping closed.
He was right earlier: taking a chance on Rye was the best decision of his life.