Work Text:
- Matching Items
Toto didn’t understand why Ron always seemed determined to buy everything in pairs. From pajamas to silly t-shirts, slippers with ridiculous platypus designs. Ron always bought two.
At first, Toto thought it was just one of Ron’s odd little habits, the kind of thing that stopped surprising him after a while. Ron was strange in ways that no longer felt worth questioning.
Ron always bought the second one for Toto.
A pair of matching pajama sets casually tossed onto his face. A shirt in his size appearing beside Ron’s at checkout. Slippers left neatly by the door, look identical except for the size.
It didn’t make any sense to Toto.
Ron wasn’t the kind of person who cared about things like that. He barely cared about what he wore half the time, throwing on whatever was closest and calling it good enough. And most of Ron’s wardrobe was full of disguises; clothes he used purely to deceive people.
Lately, he always bought clothes in pair. One for himself and the other one for Toto.
“Why do you always want us to match?”
Toto finally asked the question as Ron casually handed him a black wristwatch, identical to the one already fastened around his own wrist.
What made Toto’s eyes widen wasn’t the design.
It was the brand. The watch was absurdly expensive—the kind Toto had only ever seen displayed behind glass cases, the kind he admired from a distance and never actually bought.
And Ron had bought two.
“Hm?” Ron glanced down at the watch circling his wrist, sounding almost absentminded. “It was cheaper if I bought two.”
Toto stared at him.
Well, yes. Technically, some things were cheaper if you buy it two or more. There had probably been some kind of discount.
But still.
Even discounted, this was the kind of purchase that could swallow Toto’s entire paycheck for months. Ron should’ve bought one for himself and called it a day.
Instead, he’d bought another like it was nothing.
Toto looked down at the watch in his hand, already mentally calculating how many shifts he’d need to work to pay Ron back.
“How am I supposed to pay you for this?” he muttered, silently tallying up this month’s paycheck and immediately deciding he was doomed.
“With your life.” Ron said with a bright, easy smile.
Toto let out a horrified scream. “There it is the devil!”
Ron only laughed.
Really, Toto should’ve known better than to react like that. Ron had been making jokes like this for as long as Toto had known him; he shouldn’t have been surprised anymore.
Still, hearing something that outrageous said so casually always managed to catch him off guard.
Besides, Ron looked far too pleased with himself now, his shoulders shaking with quiet laughter while Toto glared.
“Anyway, I’m not asking you to pay me back.” Ron waved a dismissive hand, like the entire conversation was ridiculous. Then his eyes gleamed, bright and almost boyish as he lifted his wrist to admire the watch. “It’s just cute that we’re wearing matching watches.”
He looked back at Toto, smiling wider. “And that’s what partners do, right?”
Toto froze. For a second, his brain simply stopped working.
Partners.
He wondered if detective partners were supposed to wear matching things. Did they always do this? Or was it just a Ron thing?
Either way, Toto could feel his cheeks heating up.
“W-What kind of logic is that?!” he sputtered, gripping the watch box so tightly his fingers hurt.
Ron only tilted his head. “Does it not?”
Toto blinked. Honestly he had no idea. He’d never had matching items with anyone before.
“Maybe?” he admitted weakly. “I don’t know.”
Ron let out a small chuckle at that, amused. “It’s good for strengthening our bond, Toto,” he said lightly. “Besides, it’s nice, isn’t it? Having matching items.”
He lifted his wrist again, showing off the watch with obvious satisfaction before flashing Toto a grin. “So when we walk around together, people know we come as a set.”
Toto wasn’t entirely sure Ron’s logic made any sense, but at this point, arguing felt pointless. Instead, he looked down at the watch again, the sleek black surface catching the light in his hands.
A smile slowly spread across his face. “Thank you, Ron.” he said quietly. “I’ll wear it every day.”
“Of course you will.” Ron smiled back, looking entirely too pleased. “If you didn’t, I’d feel hurt.”
Toto carefully fastened the watch around his wrist, adjusting it until it sat comfortably against his skin.
It looked exactly like Ron’s. Now they had matching watches. For some reason, that thought alone made Toto’s eyes gleam with quiet excitement.
“As expected of me,” Ron declared proudly. “I know exactly what looks good on you, Toto!”
Toto snorted. “Oh really? Then what about that platypus jumpsuit you bought the other day?” he shrieked.
Just remembering it filled him with horror.
Ron had shown up carrying two matching platypus onesies like it was the greatest idea he’d ever had. He’d already been wearing one himself while enthusiastically shoving the other into Toto’s arms, insisting they had to wear them together.
“It would look good on you if you actually wore it!” Ron argued immediately, looking genuinely wounded.
“There is absolutely no way I’m wearing that!”
Ron instantly puffed out his cheeks, lips curling downward into the most dramatic pout imaginable.
“Fix your face already!” Toto groaned.
In the end, Toto refused to wear the platypus jumpsuit no matter how much Ron sulked about it.
Instead, Ron changed the plan entirely and made them wear matching cat t-shirts—Ron’s cat to be exact—he had apparently custom printed for the two of them for no reason other than because he could.
Ron wore his proudly, practically sparkling with satisfaction, so Toto reluctantly put his on too since, honestly, it was far less insane than the platypus outfit.
When Spitz saw them wearing the same shirts, he simply broke into a wide grin and gave them a thumbs up.
Whatever that smile meant, Toto was absolutely certain it wasn’t a good sign.
“Now, now, what else should we match next, Toto?” Ron asked, excitement written all over his face.
Toto let out a small laugh despite himself. “I think this is enough, Ron. We don’t have to match everything.”
Ron hummed thoughtfully, rubbing his chin as if considering a serious case.
“Maybe we should get matching underwear too.”
Toto nearly choked. “There is absolutely no way I’m wearing matching underwear with you!”
Ron blinked at him before sighing. “As expected of my partner. Besides, if we had matching underwear, nobody dramatically would even see it.”
“That’s not what I meant!” Toto immediately buried his face in his hands. Sometimes, he genuinely thought Ron had no idea how the things coming out of his mouth sounded.
And honestly, there was no point trying to stop him once he got like this, so Toto simply stayed quiet and let Ron continue spiraling through his ridiculous ideas.
“Oh!” Ron clapped his hands together, eyes lighting up. “What if we got matching rings?”
Toto’s eyes widened even more. “Don’t say weird things like that!” he blurted out. “Nobody gets matching rings with their friend, Ron!”
The moment the words left his mouth, Toto froze.
Ron, meanwhile, only smiled at him. It somehow was soft. Genuine. Behind the messy strands of black hair falling over his eyes, Toto could see Ron’s gaze soften almost imperceptibly.
Toto suddenly couldn’t look away.
What?
- Daily Text
Toto had never been good at texting.
Or maybe it was because there simply weren’t that many people he needed to text in the first place.
Most of the time, the only person he regularly contacted was his grandmother. Even then, it was usually just short messages asking how she was doing, or occasional phone calls every few days whenever he had free time.
His conversations with coworkers rarely went beyond work-related matters, and since Toto spent most of his time at the station anyway, there wasn’t much reason to message them outside work hours. If something was urgent, people called him directly. Especially Amamiya.
So texting had never really become a habit for him.
But that changed after he met Ron.
At first, Ron didn’t even own a phone after spending five entire years in isolation (a fact Toto still found impossible to fully comprehend. The idea of someone completely cutting technology out of their life for that long sounded unreal) But now that Ron have a phone, Toto found himself checking his own constantly.
Because Ron actually texted him.
Constantly. Everyday.
And not even for important reasons.
Sometimes Ron sent him blurry pictures of his cat. Sometimes it was a single message at three in the morning saying weird things like; Toto, I just realized pudding and custard are technically cousins.
Or random complaints about cases. Or dramatic declarations that he was starving. Or photos of desserts Ron wanted Toto to buy for him later.
At some point, Toto had unconsciously gotten used to the sound of his phone vibrating. Used to seeing Ron’s name lighting up his screen.
And somehow, even when the messages themselves were ridiculous, Toto always replied.
Ron
good morning toto
Toto
why are you awake at 3 am
Ron
i never slept
Toto
that’s worse???
Ron
cant sleep when the world needs me
Toto
go to sleep
Ron
say good morning back first!!!
Toto
good morning
Ron
yay
Sometimes, Toto wondered if he was spoiling Ron too much.
Because really why the hell was he replying to Ron’s texts at three in the morning?
Even Toto himself couldn’t understand it.
Every time his phone buzzed late at night with Ron’s name flashing across the screen, he answered almost immediately without thinking. Half-awake, annoyed, barely functioning and yet he still replied.
Sometimes, he genuinely thought Ron needed him. Or, a small part of him worried that something had happened.
After everything with the M Family had finally settled down, things were supposed to go back to normal. No more people targeting Ron. No more dangerous games or constant tension hanging over their heads.
They were safe now.
Well maybe not completely safe.
But Ron was okay. That should’ve been enough to let Toto relax.
Yet, every time his phone lit up in the middle of the night, his chest still tightened before he even read the message.
Just in case.
Only for Ron to send something completely ridiculous.
Ron
toto
Toto
do you know what time it is
Ron
yes
look at this frog
[image attached]
Toto
why are you awake
Ron
why are you awake
Toto
because you texted me???
Ron
oh good point
anyways doesn’t this frog look like kawasemi-kun
Toto
i will tell kawasemi-san about this
he will be angry
anyways i’m going back to sleep
Ron
rude
good night toto :))))
Toto stared at the screen for a long moment before sighing. Then, despite himself, he typed back:
Toto
good night ron
Maybe he really was spoiling Ron too much.
At some point, without Toto even realizing it, Ron had become the first person he told things to.
It happened so naturally that Toto didn’t notice the change until one day he caught himself pulling out his phone on pure instinct.
When he faced a difficult case? He texted Ron.
Someone brought snacks to the station? Ron got a picture first.
A stray cat sleeping outside the convenience store? Ron somehow received multiple photos from different angles.
Even the smallest things—things Toto normally would’ve kept to himself—ended up in Ron’s chatroom before anyone else heard about them.
It was strange.
Toto had never been the type to constantly update someone about his day. Most of the time, he kept things to himself simply because he didn’t think they mattered enough to mention.
But with Ron, without thinking he would see something and immediately wonder; Should I send this to Ron?
The answer was always yes. He always sent everything to Ron.
Ron replied to everything too. Absolutely everything.
Even when Toto only sent a single picture with no context, Ron would respond like it was the most important update he’d received all day.
Toto
[image attached]
Ron
toto is that a cat inside a cardboard box
Toto
yeah
Ron
why does he look exactly like you after paperwork duty
Toto
i don’t look like a cat???
Ron:
fact
take him home
Toto
i cant just randomly take home a cat
Ron
coward
Or whenever Toto got too absorbed in his work—especially during paperwork days—Ron would start spamming his phone relentlessly.
At first, Toto tried ignoring it. He was busy, after all.
Reports weren’t going to finish themselves, and if he made even one mistake, Amamiya would absolutely make him rewrite the entire thing from the beginning.
So really, Toto couldn’t afford distractions.
Unfortunately, Ron clearly disagreed.
The moment Toto stopped replying for longer than a few minutes, the messages would begin.
Ron
toto
totooooo
where did you go
are you in trouble
are you… hiding something from me?!
answer me immediately
this is urgent
toto!!!!!!!!!
Toto sighed heavily, stubbornly refusing to check his phone again.
Three seconds later, it vibrated once more.
Again.
And again.
Eventually, unable to take it anymore, Toto snatched his phone off the desk and typed furiously.
Toto
I AM WORKING
Ron
oh
okay
good luck partner <3
Toto let out a relieved sigh and went back to typing his report. Finally.
Then, not even a minute later.
Ron
toto
how much longer
i’m bored
Toto nearly threw his phone across the room.
Sometimes, he genuinely wondered if Ron texted him this much because he actually liked talking to Toto or simply because Ron enjoyed being annoying.
The worst part was no matter how much Toto complained, he still replied every single time.
Toto
give me 20 minutes to finish this
i’ll text you again later
Ron
nooooo
that’s too long
i can’t do this
should i come there?
Toto
absolutely not
Ron
but i miss my partner
Toto
we literally saw each other this morning
Ron
exactly
that was hours ago
Toto
ron please let me work
Ron
fine
i will suffer alone quietly
abandoned by society
forgotten by my own partner
Toto
stop being dramatic!
Ron
make me
Toto
i’m muting you for 20 minutes
Ron
TOTO WAIT
Toto stared at the messages for a long moment before snorting under his breath.
Ron was ridiculous. Completely ridiculous. But, Toto still found himself smiling faintly as he put his phone back down.
Maybe finishing the report quickly wouldn’t be so bad after all.
“Isshiki.”
Toto looked up immediately. Amamiya was standing nearby with her arms crossed, staring at him suspiciously.
“You keep smiling at your phone.”
“Huh?” Toto blinked. “I was smiling?”
“Yeah,” another coworker chimed in from across the room, grinning shamelessly. “Who’s texting you? Must be someone special.”
Toto nearly dropped his phone. “N-No, it’s not like that!” he said quickly. “It’s just a friend.”
There was absolutely no way he was admitting it was Ron. If he did, Amamiya would definitely start trying to talk to Ron too.
Huh. Why didn’t he want Amamiya asking about Ron?
“Hmm, someone special, huh?” Amamiya raised an eyebrow. “Even Isshiki has a love life now.”
Toto immediately sweatdropped. “It’s not a love life!”
“Then why are you smiling like that?”
“I wasn’t smiling like anything!”
His coworkers only laughed harder. Toto could feel his face heating up in embarrassment as he clutched his phone tighter.
Right on cue, the device buzzed again.
Ron
17 minutes left
i’m surviving somehow
Toto quickly locked his screen before anyone else could see it.
Unfortunately, the damage was already done.
“Oh, he’s hiding the messages now,” one of them teased immediately.
“Wow,” Amamiya said flatly. “It really is serious.”
“It’s not like you guys think!”
Toto never realized how strange their texting habits had become until Spitz pointed it out one day.
“You reply to Ron-kun ridiculously fast.” Spitz said casually.
Toto frowned. “No, I don’t.”
“You replied in four seconds.”
“That’s normal.”
“That is not normal.”
Toto looked down at his phone instinctively. As if summoned by the conversation itself, Ron’s name suddenly appeared on his screen.
Ron
toto its emergency
Toto
what happened?!
Ron
nevermind i solved it
Toto
solved what?
Ron
i couldn’t find my brown sugar pack
but now i found it
as expected i’m the genius!
Spitz stared at the exchange in complete silence.
“Ron-kun text you daily like this?”
Toto blinked, confused by the question. “Yeah. Doesn’t he text you every day too?”
“…No.”
Toto paused. “He doesn’t?”
Spitz slowly shook his head, looking oddly amused now. “Most of the time, Ron-kun only contacts me if he actually needs something.”
Toto frowned slightly. It was understandable because—though Toto felt a little guilty admitting it—Ron basically treated Spitz like his own personal informant.
That was just Spitz though. The guy had a talent for casually using people whenever it benefited him.
But Toto had kind of assumed Ron texted all of his friends like that. If not every day, then pretty often. After all, that was exactly what he did with Toto.
Sometimes first thing in the morning. Sometimes late at night. Sometimes just to complain about being bored or hungry or offended by society for not providing him with enough brown sugar syrup brand.
“Oh.” Toto muttered blankly.
Spitz watched him for a moment before smiling wider. “You really didn’t notice?”
“Notice what?”
“That Ron-kun treats you differently.”
Toto immediately frowned harder. “No he doesn’t.”
Spitz gave him a look. He wondered what Spitz thought about him.
- Cooking For Each Other
Toto still thought Ron’s love for brown sugar syrup was completely ridiculous.
Ridiculously unhealthy, too.
Toto couldn’t understand how the human body could survive consuming that much sugar on a daily basis. Sometimes, he genuinely worried it would eventually affect Ron’s health.
Which was exactly why Toto occasionally tried feeding him food that had absolutely nothing to do with brown sugar syrup.
Unfortunately, Ron considered this a personal attack.
“Don’t—don’t pour that into our food, Ron!” Toto exclaimed in horror.
Ron immediately froze mid-motion, pack of syrup still hovering over the omurice Toto had just finished making. He looked genuinely devastated.
“But it would taste better.” Ron argued sadly.
“It absolutely would not!”
Ron stared down at the omurice like Toto had robbed him of happiness itself. “But sweetness enhances the emotional experience of eating.”
“That’s not a real thing!”
“It is to me.”
Toto quickly snatched the syrup away before Ron could commit further crimes against his food. Toto had spent nearly an hour making dinner, and there was no way he was letting Ron drown it in brown sugar syrup like he always did.
Ron slumped dramatically in his chair, looking deeply betrayed. “You’re so cruel to me lately, Toto.”
“I’m trying to keep you alive.”
Ron gasped softly. “So this is love.”
“It’s called basic health concern!”
Ron only rested his chin against his hand, staring at Toto with suspiciously fond eyes.
Toto immediately looked away. “Just eat your omurice normally.”
Ron sighed like a tragic hero forced to endure suffering beyond human comprehension. Still, after a few seconds, he obediently took a bite without adding syrup.
Then he paused. “Oh!” Ron admitted reluctantly. “This is actually good.”
Toto crossed his arms proudly. “Obviously.”
“It tastes better because you made it.” Ron glanced between Toto and the untouched syrup bottle before smiling faintly.
Toto nearly choked. “W-What does that even mean?!”
Ron only laughed quietly before continuing to eat, completely unbothered while Toto’s face burned bright red across the table.
It was strange.
Lately, Ron had been praising him over the smallest things.
The coffee Toto made in the morning for them tasted better. Food somehow became special if Toto cooked it. Even simple things like choosing snacks or buying groceries earned dramatic compliments from Ron like Toto had done something extraordinary.
Did Ron even realize he was doing that?
Toto lowered his gaze to his own dinner, quietly taking another bite.
It was good, though.
A small sense of pride bloomed in his chest at the thought. Toto had gotten better at cooking recently, mostly because Ron’s eating habits were terrible enough to concern him on a daily basis.
So he’d started cooking more often.
And Ron always ate everything Toto made without complaint.
Well, unless Toto tried banning brown sugar syrup completely. Ron complained the entire time.
But as long as Ron was eating actual normal food without drowning it in brown sugar syrup, Toto honestly didn’t mind the complaining.
Sometimes, Ron cooked for him instead.
Which, honestly, should’ve been a good thing. Because Ron actually could cook. Surprisingly well, too.
He knew how to make all kinds of dishes, moved around the kitchen effortlessly, and somehow never needed recipes. Watching Ron cook was almost impressive—the kind of effortless skill that made Toto wonder what couldn’t this man do.
The food always smelled amazing at first, too.
That was the problem.
Because no matter what Ron cooked, he added a ridiculous amount of brown sugar syrup into it.
Toto had once watched in horror as Ron casually poured syrup into fried rice like he was seasoning it normally. No sane human being could eat that. Not even Toto, and he’d already developed a dangerously high tolerance for Ron’s nonsense.
The worst part was that Ron genuinely believed it improved the flavor.
(“It adds depth.” Ron insisted confidently while stirring syrup into a pot.
“It adds diabetes.” Toto shot back immediately. Ron ignored him.)
Unfortunately, Toto wasn’t the only victim of Ron’s cooking experiments. Once, Spitz had made the mistake of accepting food from Ron without asking what was inside first. He almost died choking on the brown sugar syrup.
Thankfully, there were still times when Toto managed to stop Ron before he committed crimes against food.
Like tonight.
“You don’t understand, Toto!” Ron said seriously.
“No, you don’t understand!”
Toto immediately snatched the bottle of brown sugar syrup out of Ron’s hand before he could pour it all over the freshly cooked steak sitting on the plate.
Ron gasped softly in betrayal. “The steak needs sauce,” he argued.
“It needs sauce, not brown sugar!”
Ron looked genuinely unconvinced. “But sweet and savory is a well-known flavor combination.”
“Not in the horrifying proportions you use!”
Toto quickly moved the syrup bottle farther away just to be safe.
Ron stared mournfully at the steak like he was being denied true happiness. Then, with the most tragic expression imaginable, he rested his chin on Toto’s shoulder from behind.
“Toto,” he sighed dramatically, “You suppress my artistic freedom.”
Toto nearly jumped at the sudden warmth against him. “Stop leaning on me!”
“But I’m grieving.”
“You’re grieving because I won’t let you pour liquid sugar onto steak?”
“Yes.”
Toto turned around just enough to glare at him, only to pause. Ron looked completely serious. Which somehow made the situation even more ridiculous.
“You’re impossible,.” Toto muttered.
Ron smiled immediately, bright and pleased, like being called impossible was a compliment. Then, the second Toto looked away for one moment, Ron shout.
“Toto, look!”
“RON DON’T YOU DARE—!”
When Toto turned back around, Ron was already grinning widely at him with that big grin he always wore whenever he successfully teased Toto.
Toto narrowed his eyes immediately. “You didn’t pour it, right?”
Ron only smiled wider, looking far too pleased with himself.
Thankfully, the steak remained untouched. No horrifying amount of brown sugar syrup in sight. Toto let out a relieved sigh so genuine that Ron actually laughed at him.
“You really don’t trust me at all.”
Normally, Toto trusted Ron with almost anything. But when it came to food, Toto immediately became suspicious of everything Ron did.
“Should I?”
“Fair point.”
Toto shook his head before sitting back down at the table, finally allowing himself to relax now that dinner was officially safe.
A moment later, Ron sat across from him, still smiling faintly. Then, without warning, Ron cut off a piece of steak and held it out toward Toto.
“Here,” he said casually. “First bite.”
Toto blinked in surprise. “Why?”
“Because I cook it for you.” Ron tilted his head like the answer was obvious.
The warmth that spread across Toto’s face this time was immediate.
Seriously. Lately, Ron kept saying things like that so naturally it was unfair.
“You’re acting weird,” Toto muttered weakly before leaning forward and taking the bite anyway.
Ron looked ridiculously pleased about it.
The steak was good. Really good.
Toto had known Ron could cook, but every now and then it still surprised him just how skilled Ron was in the kitchen whenever he wasn’t trying to flood the food with brown sugar syrup.
Ron watched him carefully while Toto chewed. The moment Toto swallowed, Ron’s expression brightened immediately.
“There!” Ron said proudly. “See? You like my cooking.”
Toto rolled his eyes. “I never said your cooking was bad.”
Ron ignored that completely, looking ridiculously pleased just from seeing Toto eat something he made. Honestly, it was almost embarrassing how happy Ron seemed over something so small.
“You’re staring!” Toto complained.
“I’m appreciating.”
“That sounds even weirder.”
Ron only laughed softly before finally starting on his own food
- Remember Every Small Details
Toto knew Ron was terrifyingly good at deduction.
Ron called himself the world’s greatest detective with complete confidence, and after working with him for this long, Toto couldn’t even deny it anymore—he never denied it to begin with.
Sometimes, Ron figured things out so quickly it genuinely felt like he could read minds.
The smallest expressions. Tiny habits. Slight changes in tone, really nothing escaped him.
He was just absurdly smart.
Somehow that frightening attention to detail carried over into the smallest parts of everyday life too.
“Huh?” Toto blinked in surprise the moment he stepped into the apartment. “There’s so many mandarin oranges!”
A huge pile of fresh mandarins sat on the table, bright orange under the kitchen light. Ron walked out from the kitchen carrying two drinks on his hands.
“Oh, yeah.” He said. “I went to buy groceries earlier and saw they’d just restocked them.”
Toto immediately sat down and grabbed one, eyes practically sparkling. “This is my favorite!”
“I know.”
Ron answered it so naturally that Toto paused for a second. Only then did he realize the drink Ron handed him was also his favorite soda brand.
“Wait.” Toto looked between the soda in his hand and the pile of mandarins on the table. “You know?”
Ron blinked at him in confusion before sitting down across from him. “Of course I know.”
Like it was obvious. Like there was never a possibility he wouldn’t know.
Toto stared quietly at the mandarin orange in his hands.
The thing was, Toto himself barely mentioned his favorite foods out loud most of the time. He wasn’t the type to talk about likes and dislikes unless someone specifically asked.
But Ron remembered anyway.
It was just tiny things. Pointless things. Things nobody really needed to remember at all, and Toto didn’t mind it if someone didn’t remember what he liked or what he said.
Still, Ron remembered.
He felt something flutter softly in his chest. Ron cared of him.
Toto already knew that, of course. He knew Ron was kind, even if that kindness was often buried beneath his unbearable personality and constant teasing. Things Toto considered small and unimportant somehow stayed in Ron’s memory. Little habits Toto himself barely paid attention to, Ron remembered them all anyway.
For some reason, realizing that made warmth spread across Toto’s chest so suddenly it caught him off guard. His cheeks slowly heated up.
“Thank you, Ron.” Toto mumbled quietly.
Ron looked up from opening his own drink, blinking once before smiling.
“There’s no need to thank me for something that obvious.”
That only made Toto’s face feel warmer.
Seriously. How did Ron say things like that so naturally without feeling embarrassed?
“Peel one for me, Toto.”
Toto snorted immediately. He had just been feeling touched a second ago, and now Ron was back to acting like his usual impossible self.
“You have two perfectly functional hands.” Toto pointed out.
“Yes, but I want you to feed me,” Ron replied. “That’s why I bought them.”
“So that’s the reason?!”
Ron only smiled innocently. Toto sighed dramatically but peeled the mandarin anyway, fingers working carefully as he separated the slices.
He was too soft on Ron.
“Feed me.” Ron said the second Toto finished.
A vein nearly popped on Toto’s forehead. “Are you a baby?!”
“I could be.” Ron leaned forward slightly without even a hint of shame.
“That’s not something to be proud of!”
“You’re going to do what I say, anyway.”
Toto opened his mouth to argue, then immediately closed it again because annoyingly enough, Ron was right. Clicking his tongue in defeat, Toto shoved a mandarin slice toward Ron’s mouth.
Ron looked absurdly pleased as he ate it. “Food tastes better when Toto feeds me.”
Toto could physically feel his face heating up again. “Can you stop saying things like that?”
“No.”
“You’re seriously impossible!”
“One more.” Ron only grinned wider before pointing at the remaining slices.
Sometimes, Toto genuinely felt like he spoiled Ron too much.
- Physical Affection Without Thinking
When it came to Kamonohashi Ron, Toto slowly realized one very important thing: Ron had absolutely no sense of personal space.
At first, Toto didn’t really notice it. Maybe because Ron acted strangely with everyone, so Toto stopped questioning half the things he did a long time ago.
But lately, the lack of distance between them had become almost impossible not to notice.
It started with little things. Their shoulders brushing together because Ron always leaned too close while talking. Ron casually resting against him during long train rides, didn’t care people saw them with a strange look.
And somehow, whenever Ron spoke to him directly, their faces always ended up absurdly close for no reason.
“Toto.” Ron said one afternoon while explaining a case.
Toto blinked, then nearly recoiled when he realized Ron’s face was suddenly right there.
Too close. Way too close.
“Ron.”
“Hm?”
“You’re too close.”
Ron only tilted his head slightly, completely unbothered. “No I’m not.”
“Yes, you are!”
Toto immediately pushed at Ron’s shoulder to force some distance between them.
Instead of apologizing like a normal person, Ron puffed his cheeks out in annoyance. “You’re so mean lately.”
“I’m not mean! You just keep invading my personal space!”
“But this is normal partner distance.”
“That is not a real thing!”
Ron only looked unconvinced. Toto didn’t understand how Ron could stand being this physically close to people all the time.
Especially because Ron touched him so casually too.
Like grabbing Toto’s sleeve when he wanted attention. Or resting his chin on Toto’s shoulder while reading over his paperwork. Or pulling Toto around by the wrist whenever something caught his interest.
Ron did all of it without thinking that sometimes Toto stopped reacting entirely before suddenly realizing;
Wait. Why is this normal now?
Toto kept questioning Ron’s newest behavior just like now. One peaceful afternoon, completely without warning, Ron suddenly hugged him from behind.
Toto startled at the unexpected touch, nearly dropping the spoon in his hand as Ron appeared behind him out of nowhere and leaned his entire weight against Toto’s back like a big cat.
The first time it had happened, Toto had almost screamed. But now, after getting used to Ron’s strange habits, he managed to stay at least slightly calmer.
“Ron. You’re hugging me.”
“Yes.” Ron replied lazily. “And?”
“I’m cooking. Move a little.”
“No.” Ron only rested his chin comfortably on Toto’s shoulder.
“I can’t move.” Toto complained.
“Don’t be dramatic. I’m hugging you, not strangling you.”
Ron shifted slightly, his breath warm against Toto’s neck and shoulder, enough to make Toto’s entire body tense instinctively.
“I’m dramatic?!” Toto sputtered. “You are the one who clinging to me.”
Ron hummed thoughtfully for a second. “You smelled nice.”
Toto froze completely. “…What?”
“The food…” Ron corrected easily. “…the food smelled nice.”
Toto narrowed his eyes immediately. “You’re weird.”
Ron only laughed quietly against his shoulder. Meanwhile, Toto could feel his heartbeat speeding up for absolutely no reason at all.
“Move.” Toto muttered weakly.
“No.”
“Ron.”
“You’re warm.”
“That’s because I’m a living human being!”
Ron tightened his arms around Toto slightly for exactly two seconds before finally letting go with obvious reluctance.
The moment Toto turned around, Ron was already smiling at him.
“You did that on purpose.” Toto accused immediately. “You like to make me angry.”
“Yes.”
At least Ron was honest about it.
Still, it made Toto’s heart beat faster than usual. That was no good.
+1. Living Together
In hindsight, Toto probably should’ve realized it sooner.
There were already too many things between them that no longer felt normal.
Lately, Toto kept trying to think about why Ron acted so close to him all the time, subconsciously trying to connect the dots.
From matching items to constant texting. Or when Ron clinging to him whenever he pleased. And he way Ron remembered every tiny detail about him like it mattered.
At some point, Toto had simply gotten used to all of it. Used to Ron naturally existing in every part of his daily life.
So maybe that was why he didn’t think much of it at first when Ron suddenly spoke one evening.
“Toto,” Ron called lazily from the couch. “Move in with me.”
Toto blinked once. “Where?”
“Here.” Ron gestured around the apartment casually. “You practically live here already anyway. You’re here all the time. Your clothes are here.” He paused for a second before adding, “And I already bought your favorite soap brand too.”
Toto froze slightly. Because, yeah, that was true.
Since Toto loved the scent of that soap, and because he often stayed too late at Ron’s apartment to bother going home afterward, he ended up sleeping over more and more often.
And before Toto even noticing when it happened, Ron had started buying his shampoo too.
His toothbrush was already in Ron’s bathroom. Right beside Ron’s toothbrush. Two toothbrushes standing together quietly by the sink like they belonged there.
“That’s because you keep making me stay over.” Toto argued weakly.
“True,” Ron pointed out calmly, “And you always stay.”
Well. Yes.
Because somehow, time always moved faster when he was with Ron. And Toto enjoyed every moment he passed with Ron.
“Just move in here with me,” Ron repeated.
Toto opened his mouth, then paused.
Despite how casually Ron said it, he sounded deadly serious about this.
“You can’t just ask something like that.” Toto muttered weakly.
“Why not?”
“Because living together is a huge deal!”
Ron tilted his head slightly. “Is it?”
“Yes?”
For a moment, Ron simply looked at him quietly. Then he said, “I like waking up and seeing you here.”
Toto froze. Ron continued speaking like he hadn’t just dropped something absurdly dangerous into the conversation.
“I like eating the food you cook.”
Another hit for him.
“I like hearing you complain while still taking care of me anyway.”
Now, Toto couldn’t think clearly.
“And I feel calmer when you’re around.”
Toto’s brain completely stopped functioning.
Slowly, very slowly, Toto stared at Ron across the couch. Ron stared back calmly.
Toto gulped hard. He tried his best to force his brain to start functioning again so he could say something coherent to Ron. But the way Ron was looking at him so seriously only made Toto more nervous.
Wait.
This wasn’t a conversation normal friends had.
Right?
“Ron,” Toto started carefully, trying to steady his voice. “Is it just me, or…”
He hesitated. Maybe he was misunderstanding everything. But the way Ron treated him, it had to mean something special.
“…or do you like me?”
Ron blinked once. Then he let out a small chuckle, like Toto had finally solved an especially easy case.
“You only realized now?”
Toto felt his entire body go stiff and weak at the same time, heartbeat pounding violently in his chest. “W-Wait…” he stammered. “You like me like—romantically like me?”
Ron smiled at him from across the couch. “Congratulations, Officer Isshiki,” he said lightly. “You finally deduced something important.”
Toto’s mouth fell open.
Oh.
Oh.
So that was it.
Suddenly, everything made sense. The matching items. The constant texting. The back hugs.
And the way Ron always wanted Toto beside him.
Even Toto’s own feelings suddenly made terrifying sense too.
So, they’d been liking each other for that long?
“I thought you would understand the moment I told you I wanted matching rings.” Ron admitted with amusing grin.
Toto immediately turned bright red again. “I thought—wait, no, it doesn’t matter what I thought!” Toto sputtered. “Why didn’t you just tell me sooner?!”
Ron rested his chin against his hand, looking entirely too entertained by Toto’s crisis.
“Because,” Ron said with a grin, “It’s fun watching you struggle to figure it out.”
Toto stared at him in disbelief. “You watched me have a mental breakdown for entertainment?!”
“Yes.”
“You devil!”
Toto should’ve known Ron wouldn’t be kind enough to confess normally. Of course the world’s greatest detective would rather spend months dropping vague hints and silently watching Toto struggle to connect the dots himself.
Groaning softly, Toto buried his burning face in his hands.
But now that he finally understood all those little hints Ron had been giving him, Toto realized something equally dangerous.
He was just as hopelessly gone for Ron as Ron was for him.
The reason Toto kept spoiling Ron, and the reason he always replied to Ron’s texts immediately, it was all because Toto cared about Ron far more than he’d realized.
He liked Ron.
A lot.
And the thing was, Toto had never acted like this with any of his other friends before.
Only Ron.
Slowly, Ron moved closer and gently pulled Toto’s hands away from his face.
“Hey,” Ron said softly. “Look at me.”
Toto froze slightly. This was the first time he’d heard Ron speak in such a gentle voice.
“Toto,” Ron repeated, smiling faintly. “Look at me.”
“W-Wait. Let me process this first.”
“You can process while looking at me.”
Before Toto could protest, Ron lightly tugged on his hand again until their eyes met. Bright ocean-blue eyes stared back at him warmly. Ron was looking at him with such a fond smile that Toto’s chest tightened painfully.
His heartbeat felt impossibly loud.
“So,” Ron said quietly, thumb brushing lightly over Toto’s knuckles, “What’s your answer, Officer Isshiki?”
Toto’s ears turned bright red instantly. “What answer?”
“Move in with me?” Ron’s smile widened just a little.
Toto’s brain short-circuited again.
This was unfair.
Ron had confessed his feelings, asked him to move in together, and was now looking at him with the softest expression Toto had ever seen all in the same conversation.
How was he supposed to survive this?
“Toto?”
Ron’s voice was quieter this time. He waited patiently for Toto’s answer, and somehow that made Toto’s chest feel even warmer.
“Okay,” Toto mumbled weakly.
Ron blinked once. “Okay?”
Toto immediately looked away, face burning bright red. “I said okay!” he sputtered. “I’ll move in with you!”
For one second, Ron looked genuinely surprised. Then his entire expression softened into something so openly happy that Toto nearly combusted on the spot.
“Really?” Ron asked quietly.
Toto stared at him in disbelief. “Why do you sound shocked? You literally asked me.”
“I know,” Ron admitted. “But there was still a possibility you would reject me.”
That immediately made Toto sit up straighter.
“As if I could reject you after acting this embarrassing for months,” he muttered under his breath.
Ron laughed softly at that. Then, before Toto could recover, Ron reached up and gently brushed his fingers against Toto’s cheek. The touch was so careful, unexpectedly tender, that Toto instantly forgot how breathing worked.
“Ron?”
“You’re very red.” Ron said fondly.
“That’s your fault, you know.”
“Hm. Cute.”
“Stop saying shameless things!”
Ron only smiled. Then slowly, he leaned closer.
Toto’s eyes widened slightly. Wait.
Wait wait wait!
“Ron…” Toto squeaked nervously.
“Yes?”
“You’re really close again.”
“I know.”
“And you’re still moving closer.”
“Correct.”
Toto could physically hear his own heartbeat now. “You’re doing this on purpose.”
Ron paused just inches from him, blue eyes softer than Toto had ever seen before. Then with a quiet voice, he asked.
“Can I kiss you?”
That question was what finally destroyed Toto completely.
Ron was actually asking. He asked him for a kiss.
Toto gulped, felt his entire face burn. He could feel the warmth of Ron’s breath brushing against his face, those blue eyes looking at him so gently.
They were too close. Close enough for Toto to feel Ron’s body heat against him.
“Why are you asking that?” he muttered, feeling unbearably shy.
Ron smiled a little at that. “So you can be prepared.”
No. There’s no way he really could prepare himself for the way Ron was treating him now.
At this rate, his heart might actually jump right out of his chest at any moment.
“You can.”
He could see Ron’s lips tug into a small smile before Ron leaned closer. Closer.
Until their lips finally met.
Ron kissed him softly.
And everything in Toto’s head went blank.
It was soft and gentle, barely more than a touch. Just sharing warmth and quiet breaths between them. He closed his eyes when Ron pressed his lips against his a little more firmly.
A feeling completely new and yet strangely familiar at the same time.
Before Toto realized it, he was melting into Ron’s touch completely.
When Ron finally pulled back, breaking their kiss, Toto slowly opened his eyes. The warmth still lingered on his lips.
Oh.
Ron was looking at him too, his face just as red as his.
“Oh,” Ron murmured thoughtfully.
Toto blinked dazedly. “What?”
“You taste like oranges.”
Toto immediately shoved him away in embarrassment. “Please don’t give a comment like that!”
Ron burst out laughing while Toto covered his burning face with both hands, mortified beyond belief.
Ron still laughing softly, then he suddenly wrapped his arms around Toto again and dropped his entire weight against him, practically pinning Toto beneath him on the couch like he had no intention of letting go anytime soon.
“Ron! You’re heavy!”
“But you said yes already,” Ron replied shamelessly, hugging him tighter. “So this belongs to me now.”
“That’s not how relationships work!”
“Hm. Too late. I’m already attached.”
“You were already attached before we even confessed to each other!”
“Ypu’re very smart, Officer Isshiki.”
Toto groaned loudly while Ron buried his face against his shoulder. He could feel the smile Ron was trying to hide against him. He didn’t even need to see his face. He could already imagine Ron’s ridiculously happy expression right now.
Toto couldn’t complain, because he felt it too. Too happy, too thrilled, almost felt lightheaded.
He wrapped his arms around Ron’s back and buried his face against Ron’s shoulder as well.
Now he had solved the mystery of his own feelings.