Work Text:
Though the buzzing in his pocket is sudden, Ron pauses without effort. It was just in time, the cream in the pitcher he holds barely stopping from spilling over the brim. Feeling his phone vibrate persistently, Ron sets down the creamer and wipes his hands on the front of his apron. A familiar sense of excitement makes him grin as he fishes his phone out, anticipating what will no-doubt be a new case when he answers the call.
However, the name flashing across the screen is certainly not the one he expects.
“Hello?”
“Ah! Good morning, Kamoo-sama!” Amamiya chirps on the other end.
“What’s up, Amamiya-kun?” Ron asks, balancing his phone between his ear and shoulder so he can pick up the creamer again.
“Oh… uh… actually… Is Isshiki with you?”
“Toto? No, I haven’t seen him today,” Ron answers, resuming his latte art meticulously.
“Is that so…”
Though Ron cannot see her, he can tell Amamiya is biting her nails from the way her words are slightly muffled. He doubts it was because she was disappointed about not locating Toto. She likely felt nervous since she had just lost the only reason to be calling him.
“What happened? Is he not at work?” Ron asks to confirm what is already obvious.
“He didn’t come in today and we haven’t been able to reach him.”
Ron hums, putting down the cream pitcher again. He observes his illustration of platypuses on the coffees in front of him with keen eyes while he thinks back to the previous day. He had parted ways with Toto in the late afternoon after they had worked out some finer details of a case that had already been solved. He hadn’t heard from Toto since, though he could definitely guess what had happened.
“It’s not like him, huh?” Ron eventually says.
“Yes. He’s not the sharpest tool in the shed but he is a tool.”
“What are you saying?” Ron can’t help but laugh.
“Nothing!” The embarrassment is apparent in Amamiya’s voice. “I just thought I’d check in with you since you two are friends.”
“How about this? I’ll go and check in on him and give you an update.”
“You really don’t need to trouble yourself!”
“It’s no trouble at all!”
“I guess… I guess it can’t hurt since it’s unusual for Isshiki to slack off. Shall I text you the address?”
“No need. I know where he lives.”
“Right, of course.” Ron pretends not to hear the disappointment in her voice.
“I won’t keep you any longer. I’ll let you know when I find him.”
“Okay, thank you, Kamoo-sama.”
“No problem!”
Ron hums to himself, setting his phone aside before serving the drinks he had prepared. He doesn’t wait like he usually does to gauge the reaction of the customers to his latte art. Instead he politely wishes the group of youths to enjoy their drinks and scurries off to the back of the shop. He barely opens his mouth to explain himself before the manager waves him off. Ron smiles happily, content with his arrangement with the owner of Pot Coffee.
While he had been working in the café to pass time when cases were sparse, Ron had helped out the owner of the coffee shop with some small issues. One of the now-fired employees had been stealing from the shop and Ron had figured it out on day one. In addition to that, Ron had once helped the owner with writing a letter to his estranged daughter who lived in the west and only spoke English. Both of these incidents made the owner very soft on Ron and now he merely accepted Ron coming and going as he liked at the shop.
Ron heads out of Pot Coffee, idly looking up pharmacies near Toto’s address. A subway ride later, he arrives in Toto’s neighborhood and quickly purchases the things he is certain he needs. Then, at a slightly hurried pace he makes his way to Toto’s residence.
Truth be told, this was only the second time he had been to Toto’s home. The first time was when he had been bored out of his mind and had found Toto’s address on a whim. That day he had overridden the lock just to see if he could. Later on, it had given Toto quite the fright to find Ron inside his house, but he had still asked Ron to stay for dinner.
After that, it was just pure coincidence that they always met at Ron’s apartment. It was simply closer to the precinct and closer to the action, thus, they never had a reason to convene at Toto’s place.
Now Ron stands in front of Toto’s door again. He tries to call Toto, but his phone is switched off. Ringing the doorbell does not work either. Ron contemplates whether he should override the lock again because that would be easy. But even easier than that, he thinks to himself, would be to guess Toto’s passcode. It takes only one try for Ron to get it, though he doesn’t know if he should be that proud about it. Toto used a very guessable password.
As soon as Ron enters Toto’s apartment, he immediately spots a pair of sock-clad feet peeking out from the living room. He rushes inside and finds Toto curled into a ball on the floor. Ron would take the situation more seriously were it not for the fact that Toto has no pants on. The man is fully dressed up the waist, making Ron wonder if he had genuinely tried to leave for work without his trousers. Unable to contain his amusement, Ron grins as he kneels down and touches Toto’s forehead with the back of his hand.
“Knew it.”
Toto was burning hot with a fever. Ron had guessed as much since Toto had been sneezing quite a lot yesterday. More telling, however, was how lethargic Toto had been acting. Ron sets the plastic bag of medicine aside, snapping a few pictures of Toto’s embarrassing state before he does anything else.
Ron pulls Toto to a sitting position first, then wraps Toto’s arm over his shoulder before lifting himself up to a standing position along with Toto’s limp body. With some effort, Ron carries Toto the short distance to the bedroom and places him as gently as he can on the bed. He then carefully removes Toto’s work clothes, well his dress shirt, tie and blazer anyways, before helping Toto into a T-shirt and pair of shorts he finds lying around.
As Ron positions Toto in the bed to tuck him in, Toto stirs a little. Ron is ready to tease him, but Toto looks so dazed that he holds his tongue. Just as Ron leans over Toto to adjust the pillow under his head, Toto blinks up at Ron with an expression Ron can’t quite understand before he mumbles something.
“You’re here,” he murmurs, closing his eyes as if it hurt to keep them open. “I’m dreaming again.”
Ron blinks, confused momentarily before chuckling at the realization that Toto is talking in his sleep.
He tucks Toto in properly before heading back into the living room to fetch the shopping bag he had brought. He puts away the medicine on the kitchen counter since Toto could only have them once he is awake. As he looks for a small towel he can use to help Toto’s fever, Ron shoots a quick text to Amamiya.
Officer Isshiki has a fever. I will have him report to you once he is awake.
Amamiya must have her phone in her hands because there is an immediate response.
I see. Thanks for going out of your way, Kamoo-sama.
Ron puts away his phone after reading the reply, thinking to himself that he does not feel remotely put out by having to check in on his partner. He finds a clean kitchen towel after a bit of snooping and prepares the electric kettle to heat up some water. He fetches a bowl from one of the cabinets, throwing the small towel over his shoulder as he reaches for his phone. He browses through the photos he had taken of Toto, laughing to himself as he waits for the kettle to boil.
-
Though it aches to do so, Toto pries his eyes open. It hurts to even blink, yet Toto forces himself to sit up. He does not remember going to bed but there he was, lying under his comforter that feels way too warm. A slightly damp cloth is on his lap, but his mind is much too clouded to pay it any attention. He idly drops the towel on his nightstand, cringing at the pain that sears through his head for simply moving.
He closes his eyes for a moment, hands pressing at his throbbing temple. Toto wills for the ache to subside, and though it does not completely disappear, it dulls with time. Meanwhile, he becomes aware of how sore his throat is. Every gulp feels like he is swallowing pebbles and every breath feels agonizing because his nose is inflamed as well.
Toto takes a labored breath, squinting his eyes open slowly. When he had gone to sleep the previous night, he was sure it had not been this bad. That was why he went to bed without taking medicine, promising himself that he would just get something for his symptoms on the way to work.
Work!
Toto’s eyes widen and his head throbs immediately as though it were warning him to pace himself. Toto refuses to listen to his body, however, looking around for his phone even though the aching in his head was unbearable. When he doesn’t spot his phone, he casts his tired eyes towards the windows beside him. He doesn’t know what time it exactly is, but if he had fallen back asleep after waking up that morning, he could only guess it was somewhere around dusk now.
Toto sighs, dropping his head in his hands. He had definitely missed work, and he had not reported it to his supervisor. Amamiya senpai would surely be mad. Just the thought of her reprimanding him makes Toto’s head hurt even worse so he tries to not think about it for now.
Unable to even utter an ouch due to his scratchy throat, Toto sits still with his eyes closed once again. He feels awful. Just absolutely and utterly awful. A sense of fatigue sits deep in his bones, too, and Toto wonders if it was because he had not taken personal days off in a long stretch of time.
It was not that he had a terrible balance between work and the rest of his life, but that, to him, his work was a large part of life itself. Was it so bad that he prioritized working cases over other aspects of his life? Toto groans a little, preferring not to answer even though it would simply be a self-admittance.
Toto kicks off the comforter from his legs fully, bringing his knees close to his chest. He hugs his legs, hiding his face in them as he continues to sit in silence. Even though he does not move, just the act of breathing makes Toto aware of all the ways in which his body hurts. The headache was definitely the worst, though, the pain from swallowing would be a close second. He wishes he could not feel any of it, even breathing softer in order to not hear his own wheezing.
Then, it gets quiet. A little too quiet for Toto’s liking, yet he revels in the silence all the same. Without the noise from the outside world ringing in his ears, Toto could almost pretend he was back in his childhood home in the countryside. The thought is calming, but only for a moment. For it is so quiet, that Toto is suddenly gripped with a sharp sense of loneliness, one that makes itself present in his stomach.
It is a brief instance, but it is long enough. Toto opens his eyes again, welcoming the pain he feels behind them to the abrupt sting of emotions brewing inside his chest. He throws his legs off of the bed, willing his limbs to move even though they feel stiff from hours of rest. He simply had to move, he simply had to do something, anything to distract himself.
He never lets himself go there, to think about that feeling. Because it always felt too much. It felt unbearable even when he was feeling fine. It feels a hundred times worse when he is feeling so pathetically and awfully ill. Fortunately for Toto, he does not have to flounder by himself for much longer.
Toto’s ears perk up at a sudden sound that is definitely coming from his home. A clattering which very much sounds like pots and pans. Toto feels his heart lurch and desperately tries to scold it back to a normal pace. Yet it beats a little faster as he tries to not think— to not hope— about who it could be because there really was only one person who would intrude in on his life. Could it even be considered an intrusion if Toto was more than welcoming of such a person?
Toto wraps his comforter around himself as he pads out of his bedroom quietly. Even from the hallway he could see that the lights in his living room and kitchen were on, evidence that someone else definitely was in his apartment. Toto swallows thickly as he crosses the short distance to his kitchen, something in his chest tightening when he finally rounds the corner of the hallway.
Ron stands at the stove, his back facing Toto. He could not smell it earlier due to his stuffed nose but now that he was here, Toto could hear the bubbling of whatever Ron was cooking. He watches Ron stir the pot silently, his heart aching at the sight of his apron adorning Ron’s frame.
Mere moments ago, Toto had been desperately trying to school his thoughts away from how utterly alone he felt. Yet now, here he was witnessing the person in his life which made such a notion simply untrue. The thought alone makes Toto’s eyelashes wet with tears, but then he notices something. A dish towel hanging on one of Ron’s shoulders. It was part of a set— Toto knew this since he had been the one to purchase them. One was sitting on Ron’s shoulder right now and the other one, Toto now recalls, he had removed from his lap when he had woken up earlier.
The truth of the situation hits Toto at once, and before he can help himself, he rushes forward, dropping his comforter on the floor, stopping just short of crashing into Ron.
“Ha! Toto?!” Ron startles. “You scared me!”
Toto does not say a word, his head bowed low as he desperately blinks back his tears. He stands so close to Ron that Ron does not even have an inch to turn around. Toto does not move, not wanting Ron to see him cry.
“Geez, are you still out of it?” Ron chuckles, trying to peer over his shoulder. “Hm?”
Again, Toto does not speak, too busy trying to swallow down the lump in his throat.
“Do you walk in your sleep too?” Ron asks, turning off the stove.
Too? Toto wonders. What else do I do in my sleep?
“Are you still asleep?” Ron teases, wriggling against Toto to turn around.
Toto is glad his sense of smell is all but nonexistent at the moment because if he were to breathe in Ron’s familiar scent, he knew he would definitely fall apart. Toto simply shakes his head, his face in close proximity to Ron’s chest even though he keeps his gaze lowered. Toto hates the sliver of distance between them, wanting more than anything to just fall into Ron’s arms.
“What’s wrong, Toto?” Ron finally asks, clearly sensing that something is not quite right.
Toto swallows again, pushing down the tears blooming in his throat.
“I hate being sick,” he answers hoarsely, surprised at how stable his own voice sounds.
Ron chuckles at that, “well, who doesn’t hate being sick?”
Toto breathes as deeply as he can in his sorry state, shaking his head even though it hurts.
“I’m not me when I’m like this.”
“Eh?” Ron is genuinely confused. “You don’t seem any different to me.”
This makes Toto face Ron and when their eyes meet, Ron immediately understands that the Toto before him is a much more vulnerable man. Not just physically, but in a sense deeper than that. With Toto now looking at him, Ron becomes aware of their close proximity, and he finds himself recalling that one moment earlier in the day as he peers at Toto’s fever blushed face.
I’m dreaming again.
Heat creeping up his neck, Ron gently pushes Toto away from himself by placing the back of his hand on the latter’s forehead. If Toto notices Ron’s embarrassment, he doesn’t say anything. He simply sighs, as though just standing was exhausting him. It was likely true, too, Ron thinks, as Toto still feels warm to his touch.
“Your fever is not as intense now,” Ron tells him. “But the warm press did only so much. Let’s get some food in you and then you can take the medicine I brought.”
“Mmn,” Toto hums but does not move an inch.
Ron chuckles, gently guiding Toto by the shoulders to one of the stools next to the kitchen counter.
“I just made some miso soup,” Ron tells him, setting a bowl and spoon for Toto.
“Soup,” Toto nods, definitely following along.
“Yeah, it should settle your stomach.”
Toto’s stomach did ache a little, but not for the reasons Ron might think.
There is a beat of silence as Ron sits in the stool opposite Toto with his own dinner. Ron waits for Toto to start eating but Toto simply stares ahead idly. Despite Toto’s peculiar behavior, Ron can’t help but grin, a sense of fondness lacing his smile.
“Come on, eat up,” he tells Toto. “I promise I didn’t put any black sugar syrup in yours.”
That gets a smile out of Toto and Ron definitely does not feel a rush at the sight.
When Toto still does not move, Ron thinks of something even more ridiculous to say.
“Don’t tell me. Do you want me to feed you?”
Ron is joking, of course, but Toto meets his eyes, his gaze brimmed with that same vulnerability Ron had witnessed earlier. And it is a split second, just a fraction of an instance, but Ron knows—not thinks— but knows that, that is exactly what Toto wants. But then Toto snickers at him, finally picking up his spoon.
“H-How is it?” It was so unlikely for him to stutter but Ron Kamonohashi absolutely did just stutter.
“I feel warm,” Toto says, not exactly answering Ron’s question but Ron is happy with the answer all the same.
As his hunger takes over, Toto focuses on eating more. Ron joins him, thoroughly enjoying his own cooking, especially since he had emptied a bottle of his favorite black sugar syrup into the bowl. Ron watches Toto as they eat, piecing together the version of Toto that he sees in front of him.
“I didn’t realize you were so needy when sick,” Ron tries to tease, pointing his spoon at Toto. “I should’ve expected it from a grandma’s boy.”
“It’s not like that,” Toto pouts— yes, genuinely pouts—much to Ron’s secret delight.
“It’s not a bad thing!”
“It’s really not like that,” Toto insists. “Grandmother did take care of me, of course. But that’s not why…”
Ron realizes Toto has something on his mind, so he simply listens.
“Every time I get sick, I miss my parents.” Toto’s confession drips with sadness. “It’s the only time that I do.”
This is a first, Ron thinks to himself. He never talks about his parents.
“I don’t even remember if there was ever a time where they doted on me,” Toto continues, “I was really young when they stopped visiting. But all the same, I think of them.”
Ron did not know that. How did he not know that? His deductions about Toto’s upbringing from their first meeting… well it was still technically correct. However, he realizes now that it never painted the full picture. Toto smiles solemnly before resuming his dinner. Ron watches him, his stomach fluttering with a feeling he can’t quite name.
“I brought up an uncomfortable topic, huh? Sorry,” Toto smiles sheepishly. “It’s fine, really. This is why I don’t like being sick. My body betrays me and brings up these silly emo—”
“It’s not silly,” Ron leans in urgently, his spoon clattering on the counter as he makes sure Toto is looking at him. “It’s not.”
“Y-You… don’t h-have to,” Toto stutters, the sincerity in Ron’s eyes flustering him, “to l—”
“When have I ever been one to lie?” Ron asks, only to add a beat later, “don’t answer that.”
Though Ron had not meant to, it makes Toto laugh all the same. That strange feeling in Ron’s stomach stretches its limbs as though rejoicing, and Ron finds himself mirroring Toto’s grin. He picks up his spoon again, relaxing in his seat.
“I mean it, though. It’s not silly,” Ron pauses, quietly making up his mind. “Well, it’s either that it’s not silly or, that we are both silly.”
“Huh?” Toto is still smiling, a fact that eases Ron’s heart as he chooses his next words carefully.
“I miss my mom, too, when I get sick,” Ron admits, pretending he doesn’t feel embarrassed at the confession. “Well I used to anyways.”
“What do you mean?” Toto asks.
“Well, my mother was not really the affectionate type,” Ron’s smile is somehow fond even though it is sad. “It took me some time to figure it out, but that’s just how she’s wired.”
Toto listens intently, earnestly watching every change in Ron’s expression.
“I did figure it out quite young but still, whenever I got sick, I really wanted her attention,” Ron chuckles. “But she was, of course, otherwise occupied. So, I’d become the biggest nuisance towards Ms. Tomford. She was my nanny.”
“You had a nanny?”
“Yeah, she tended to me whenever mom was busy, which was constantly,” Ron says. “She really was the most patient person for putting up with my tantrums. I think she knew why I was acting out.”
“You can be pretty obvious, sometimes,” Toto says, his smile fond.
“Oh really?” Ron rolls his eyes, laughing softly. “Anyways, after being the brattiest nine-year-old anyone had ever had the misfortune of encountering in their lives, I’d eventually settle down from being poorly. And when I did, Ms. Tomford would stay by my side and just stroke my hair.
I knew it was her, of course. But I’d have my eyes shut really tight and pretend it was my mom instead.”
Ron does not feel as mortified as he thought he would feel, likely because Toto is the one becoming privy to this well-kept secret of his. In fact, the heat creeping up his neck is anything but embarrassment as he holds Toto’s sincere gaze. Ron does not find a trace of pity or mirth in Toto’s eyes, but something akin to happiness. Ron can only surmise the reason to be the mere fact that he had let Toto in on a side of himself that no one else sees. It warms Ron very much, the thought that Toto would feel that way over the simple prospect of knowing him more deeply.
“You said you used to feel like that,” Toto smiles wryly, swirling the soup remaining in his bowl with his spoon. “You don’t feel like that now?”
“No,” Ron says honestly. “I moved away for school pretty soon after that and over time, I just got used to being on my own.”
“That’s how it is,” Toto says somberly, his smile faltering. “I guess I am not used to it even now.”
That strange feeling in Ron’s gut twists, and he has to suppress the desire to reach across the table and let his fingertips brush Toto’s cheek. Ron scolds his aching heart to behave, yet sincere words form on his tongue as though he can’t help it.
“You don’t need to get used to it, not now.”
Ron doesn’t say why, not that he needs to say it. When Toto meets Ron’s gaze, his eyes gleam as though he might burst into tears at any moment. He thinks back to the moment not too long ago when he had found Ron in his kitchen, wearing his apron. Of the moment when Ron’s mere presence had dispelled any notion of loneliness that was creeping around his heart.
And Toto cannot find the words to say, if words could even convey how he feels.
And so, the silence between them stretches on, and the air around them feels impossibly charged. There is an unmistakable urge in each of their fingers to move, to find each other, but they sit still. Still, until Ron can quell the butterflies roaring in his stomach. Still, until Toto is able to swallow down the tears swelling in his throat.
“I…” Toto tries to speak eventually, and though his voice wavers he forces himself to say something. “I suppose not.”
If he were not feeling so poorly, maybe Toto would have felt embarrassed at uttering such a lame reply. Yet, it is all that he can manage for now. His gaze lowers to his bowl again, and he sees how it is almost empty. He swiftly raises the bowl to his lips, gulping down the remainder of the soup. When he puts the bowl down, he is faced with a very pleased Ron.
“Good boy,” Ron says, and Toto thinks it was a good thing he had finished all of the soup, because he definitely would have choked otherwise at the blatant praise.
Still, Toto appreciates how Ron can make things feel lighthearted with just a few words. It felt like being given the room to breathe. It felt like being given the freedom to just be.
“Thank you for dinner,” Toto says as Ron collects both of their bowls and heads over to the sink.
“You’re very welcome,” Ron grabs a glass of water and fills it up to the brim before grabbing a bag from somewhere on the kitchen counter “Now, keep being good and take this medicine. One is for your fever and the other for your sinuses.”
“Right, thanks.”
Toto dutifully takes the medicine while he watches Ron wash the dishes. If he were feeling better, Toto would definitely be a nicer host and not make Ron wash their dinnerware especially after he had cooked their meal. Alas, Toto is still feeling terrible, so he quietly sits while Ron does all the work.
“You should go back to bed and rest,” Ron says once he is done with cleaning up.
“Yeah,” Toto agrees, rubbing at his eyes. “And you should go home. You’ve already done enough.”
“Oh.” There is no mistaking Ron’s disappointment. “Are you sure?”
Toto avoids Ron eyes, somehow shaking his head and shrugging at the same time. Truth be told, he did not want Ron to leave. Not in the slightest. Still, Toto knew if Ron stayed the night, he could not trust himself to not be mortifyingly clingy and possibly air out more of his deep buried feelings. And there were some secrets Toto was not quite ready to face yet, no matter how much the daze of being sick makes him want to throw caution to the wind.
“I don’t want you catching whatever I have.” Toto makes up an excuse, and he thinks it’s a good one.
“Hmm, well alright,” Ron concedes, wiping his hands with the dish towel one last time before setting it aside to undo the apron he wears. “But you better pick up your phone when I call in the morning. Just to let me know you’re doing better.”
“My phone…” Toto had all but forgotten about it. “Have you seen it?”
“Yeah, it was out of juice, so I left it to charge.”
“That’s where it was,” Toto pads towards the small desk in his living room where his charging port is. “I need to report to Amamiya-senpai but she must be off for the day by now.”
“Don’t worry, I let her know you’re sick,” Ron reassures. “She actually called me since the precinct couldn’t reach you.”
“Really?” Toto feels a sting of happiness at the thought that he would be missed at work.
“Is that so surprising?” Ron teases.
Toto doesn’t say anything, simply looking through the notifications on his phone. There were two missed calls from his workplace and one each from Amamiya and Ron. Toto idly wonders how Ron even got inside his apartment but does not bother asking. After all, he recalls exactly how Ron entered his place the last time he had visited.
“I’ll explain what happened to senpai when I see her at work tomorrow.”
“Are you insane?” Ron crosses his arms. “You need to take it easy, Toto.”
“I’ll be fine after some sleep,” Toto insists, picking up his comforter from where he had dropped it earlier.
“You just said you didn’t want to make me sick,” Ron argues. “Does that not apply to your coworkers? And Amamiya-kun?”
Crap. Toto thinks. Amamiya-senpai would definitely kill him if he passed his cold onto her.
“Fine.” Toto concedes. “Maybe one more day of rest won’t hurt.”
“It definitely won’t.”
Toto merely hums, heading towards the front door with Ron in tow. He was starkly aware that he was rushing Ron out of there, but it was for the best. Toto was already starting to feel sleepy after having had something to eat and taking medicine for his cold. He just knew if Ron stuck around, he would start acting out of sorts again. And so, he leans against the wall with his comforter wrapped around himself, patiently waiting while Ron puts his shoes on.
“Alright, I’ll head out then,” Ron says eventually, giving Toto a quick once over. “Keep your phone with you.”
“I will,” Toto promises. “Thanks for everything.”
“Don’t mention it.”
Ron opens the front door, pausing when Toto sniffles. His eyes find Toto again who is quite the sight with only his head peeking out from an otherwise blanket-engulfed body. It makes Ron laugh, a light sound that is lost to the night’s wind as he shakes his head.
“See you tomorrow, Toto.”
Before Toto can answer, Ron slips outside and lets the door close behind him. With Ron gone, the apartment feels quiet, but Toto is unperturbed by the silence this time. In fact, his heart feels quite full as he trudges into his bedroom, even more so when he spots the kitchen towel on his nightstand.
Toto tumbles into bed, setting his phone beside his pillow before picking up the kitchen towel. The fabric was dry now, but its presence in his room reminds Toto of the fact that Ron had taken care of him that day. As he settles in for the night, he keeps the towel close to his chest, hugging it as he drifts off to sleep.
-
It takes two more days before Toto is well enough to head back in to work. Despite asking Ron to leave that first night in order to avoid getting Ron sick, he visits Toto every single day while Toto recovered. Toto had protested, of course, but only at first.
Blame being sick, but Toto neither had the heart nor the energy to refuse Ron’s care and company. Besides, the better he got, the more in control of his emotions and less vulnerable Toto had felt. So he had figured it was alright if Ron stuck around.
Now, on the way to work, Toto arrives at Pot Coffee where Ron is manning the till. Since there were no customers this early in the day, Ron saunters over as soon as he sees Toto through the glass walls of the café. Toto notices how Ron wears an apron as part of Pot Coffee’s uniform, and he has the idle thought that aprons somehow suit Ron.
“Finally back, huh?” Ron leans against the door of the café with a smile.
“Yeah, I feel much better now.” And it was true, too. Other than a little bit of a clogged nose, all of Toto’s other symptoms had gradually faded with rest and medication.
“Now you can bring me a new case,” Ron teases.
“Yeah, I’ll try to get Amamiya-senpai to assign me on something interesting,” Toto promises, pausing as he thinks over his next words. “I just… I wanted to thank you.”
“There’s really no need,” Ron says sincerely but then his face breaks into a mischievous grin. “You’ve already compensated me well for my service.”
“Huh?” Toto is confused. “What do you mean?”
Ron laughs, fishing his phone out of his pocket. Toto watches as Ron taps away on the device, his confusion growing. But then Ron turns the screen towards him and Toto is faced with a rather embarrassing photo of himself on his living room floor. He couldn’t believe what he was seeing. Why did he have no pants on?!
“What?!” Toto reaches for Ron’s phone but Ron holds it above his head. “When was this?!”
“Did I forget to tell you?” Ron laughs, moving his phone away from Toto’s reach. “This is how I found you when I came to your place. Spitz is going to lose it when I show him.”
“You!” Toto grunts, shoving Ron’s chest a little. “You wouldn’t!”
Ron merely laughs, using his height to make sure Toto can’t get to his phone even on his tiptoes. They bicker back and forth, Toto growing rowdier as Ron opens his chat with Spitz. Toto would have definitely climbed Ron if it resorted to that, but his phone starts ringing just then. Seeing as the caller is his supervisor, Toto picks up immediately.
While Toto is preoccupied with speaking to Amamiya, Ron quietly closes the messaging app. In all honesty, he was merely teasing Toto because he had no intention of sharing the pictures with anyone. He had seen a side to Toto that nobody else was privy to and Ron was determined to keep it that way.
Still, he doesn’t tell Toto that, letting the man pout and grumble under his breath, enjoying this side of Toto as well as they embark on a new case.