Work Text:
Her house always stank of smoke.
Fucking hell, he liked a cigarette, loved one after a hard day, but this constant smoking was going to put her in the ground before any of these maga ever did.
If he was honest with himself, harsh criticism was getting him no where but fuck if everything wasn’t getting on his nerves right now.
Just give her the update and get out, he reminded himself, knuckles rapping on the door to her apartment. He hoped the brat wasn’t the one to open the door but it didn’t matter because he wouldnt linger anyways. The floorboards groaned and creaked behind the door before it swung wide open, warm light filtering into the dark hallway where he stood.
And there she was. He should have figured that she was sleeping, it being 1 am and all, but he had rarely seen her outside of work in her “normal clothes “. Even when they had spent time together outside of work it was never at her apartment, always at his.
Taken aback and hesitating to speak, she spoke first
“What is it ?”she said angrily. Her voice was lower, more husky. If he wasn’t in his current state he would have delighted in hearing her “morning voice” fawning over her in his usual manner. He had never seen her so early. When they were together he would always wake up alone, the only traces of her a few bleached strands of hair found here and there, so he had never heard her morning voice, seen her bed head, even her pijamas were foreign to him. He couldn’t help that his heart secretly ached for those little moments.
“I have an update on the guy you asked me to look into earlier.” He finally said plainly.
Reaching into his bag he pulled out a crumpled orange folder .
“Its all in here”
“Oh.. thank you” she responded softly.
“You got it ” he grinned or at least tried to. He was really tired and evidently not in the mood for his usual flirting.
“Im going to head back now. That’s all i could find on the guy; he’s pretty much a ghost.” With that tatsuomi turned, prepared to head home. But she stopped him.
“Whats wrong?” she asked, leaning on the doorframe, seemingly more awake and less annoyed .
“Rough night” he responded back still turned to her
The next thing he knew she had grabbed him and was looking directly into his eyes.
“Geese you look like shit” she quipped lifting his bangs and touching his forehead. And he did. His face gaunt and eyes bloodshot. He hadn’t had a proper meal in a few days but he didn’t mind so why should anyone else.
Tao leaned in and brushed past his cheek and Tatsuomi melted under her touch, eyes softening and face morphing into a somewhat pitiful expression. He reached up, grabbing her wrist, moving her hand to cradle his face.
“You don’t have to say anything if you don’t want to” she said softly.
And he doesn’t. He just stares, like maybe looking at her would be enough for tonight. But it wasn’t, he could never get enough, greedy little thing is what his mother used to call him. And today he realized that she was all too right.
His eyes seemed to shimmer as they welled up with tears and he wondered for a second if he was an ugly crier. But he didn’t think for too long before he pulled her into an embrace. She was quite stiff at first but loosened up as the first sobs wracked his body. He had always been jealous of alma and nei for receiving hugs from her without even asking. Now he wouldn’t have to be jealous or question what it would be like to hug tao. She was warm and smelled good. Inspite of the constant smoking.
Speaking of the devil he heard the signature click of her lighter
and there she was smoking again.
Looking up she offered him the rest of her cigarette and he took it, pulling away to take a long drag. It was oddly more intimate than the embrace. They shared no words. She looked him dead in the eyes, plucking the cigarette from her mouth and placing it directly into his own. He could almost feel the reminants of her lips on the cigarette and he unabashedly hoped to feel them on his own skin one day, but tao had never been a kisser, at least not with him, so he pocketed away this little moment for later. After a brief moment. Tao took his hand, leading him through her apartment and into her bedroom. He was tired, so tired that he failed realize what was happening until she laid down beside him and pulled the covers over the both of them.
“Goodnight tatsuomi” she whispered
And it was a good night or maybe just slightly better than he thought it would be