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flicks a crumpled wad of paper at the back of his head

“Hey------I’m workin’ here!”

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"Your socks are hideous."

“So’s your face------so that still don’t make us even.”

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*wipes his bro’s tears*

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“Swell------so, y’can start by taking your keys outta your pockets. While you’re at it, take your hands outta your pockets. Take your pockets outta your pockets------”

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One day, you heart will stop beating, and none of your fears will matter. What will matter is how you lived.

Henri Junttila.

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Facing it — always facing it — that’s the way to get through.

Joseph Conrad.

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If ever my life can be of any use to you, come and claim it.

Anton Chekhov.

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He grinned a little, eyebrows lifting, flashing the whites of his teeth in Kōgami’s direction as he spoke. “Ooh, boy------you are doin’ somethin’, then.” He knew the other man hadn’t been wholly serious, of course------Kōgami had swept a hand through his hair, stifling a slight yawn. He played along, in any case. It gave him an excuse to keep ribbing the other------not that he needed one, the way he saw it. He paused, lips pulling wider, waving around what was left of his sandwich as he went on.

“Or’s that your way of saying you’re gonna go pull some weeds when you’re done here?” He took another bite of his food, wiry shoulders slackening, navy blue dappling with afternoon sunlight.

Whatever Kōgami was doing, if he was doing anything after he clocked out for the night, odds were, it wasn’t job-related. Work had been cake, lately. Not that he was complaining------much as he didn’t care to sit around on his ass for too long, he wasn’t about to wish a shitstorm on the general public just to keep his hands from getting itchy. And it wasn’t that he minded some down time, either. Hell, he didn’t have any trouble staying occupied.

“You’re really livin’ the life, man------lemme tell you.” He swallowed, lips twinging more, laughter swelling in his throat, wiping a hand across the back of his mouth. Thing was, it was true------Kōgami was living the life. He had it all, relatively speaking, and much as he’d hassle the other man about it until the day he died, Mitsuru couldn’t have been happier for him. Heck, nobody deserved it more.

He’d nearly finished with his sandwich------he popped the last of it into his mouth, sighing slightly as he downed it. Hadn’t exactly hit the spot------no big deal, though. He’d throw together something else once they got back to headquarters and his shift was up. Probably would’ve done it irregardless. Maybe he’d whip up a little something for the other yardbirds while he was at it------a get-together wouldn’t be a half bad way to kill time, and he was overdue in that department, anyway.

Calm Before The Storm | November 1st, 2109

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KKS + Mitsuru Sasayama & Shinya Kōgami.

Scan Credit: {x}

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As always, Kōgami took it in stride------and dealt it right back, too. Although, Mitsuru didn’t doubt there was some amount of truth to the other man’s words. Outside of work, as far as he knew, Kōgami led a pretty mundane life------and honestly, Mitsuru was happy for him. Couldn’t go wrong with a dose of the good old plain and simple, and generally speaking, from what he’d seen, Kōgami appreciated the little things. For as long as he’d known the other man, he’d had his head on straight. In this day and age, particularly, that was rare.

Of course, much as he admired the latter, and a good deal else about Kōgami, it was all the more reason to poke good-natured fun------and as usual, he intended to make the most of things in that regard. He blew out a little puff of air as the other man unbuttoned his jacket and set it aside, draping it over the shoulder of his seat. Throwing an arm over his face, Mitsuru settled back into the upholstery, eyelids squeezing shut as he gave a mock snore.

“Gimme a break------you’re gonna put ‘em to sleep talking crap like that!” He cracked open one eye, lips curving slightly, looking out from underneath his elbow. Lowering his arm, he sat up again, delving into the paper bag in lap and pulling out a few fries, downing them in a couple of mouthfuls.

“They ain’t gonna make any movies about you, man------that’s for sure.” He shook his head a little, slackening, polishing off another bite of his sandwich. He was teasing, still, of course------his mouth twinged subtly, fondly, eyes moving across the asphalt stretching out ahead of them as he chewed.

While Kōgami hadn’t really told him much of anything about what he was doing later------not that he’d actually expected him to, given how he’d come about asking------he’d hold out hope it was something along the lines of quality time with Gino. Not that he worried a lot about the two of them, usually------in spite of what you’d tend to think with the vibes Gino threw off, they were pretty steady on their feet. Still, this sort’ve work would eat you alive if you weren’t careful------your private life, in particular. And he wasn’t about to allow any causalities on his watch.

Calm Before The Storm | November 1st, 2109

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He gave a mock salute, swallowing, lips slackening a little. “Yeah, yeah------I hear you, boss. Loud and clear.” He took another bite of his sandwich, mouth twinging, brown eyes angling ahead of him again. He hadn’t actually meant to imply that he or Kōgami ought to turn a blind eye to the call of duty------he’d been talking about after the fact. But he wasn’t surprised the other man had taken him the way he had. While it wasn’t the sort’ve thing he would’ve actually done, generally speaking, it was exactly the sort’ve thing he would’ve said he’d do------and did say he’d do, on a weekly basis, by his estimate.

He looked back at Kōgami, leaning in again, giving the other man a playful nudge in the ribs as he chewed. “Hey------how about after that, though?” He grinned a little more, eyebrows lifting. Shafts of sunlight dappled the material spread across his wiry shoulders, pools of brown glinting as he spoke.

“C’mon, Kō------you know what I mean.” Of course, he didn’t really expect to get any juicy details. Or for that matter, any details at all. But that wouldn’t stop him from hassling the other man for them. Sure, he didn’t get as much of a rise out of Kōgami as he did most people------people like Ginoza. In a way, though, he didn’t mind it.

He liked that he could just talk to Kōgami------he liked the way Kōgami called bullshit, and he liked the way he took it all in stride without really taking any of it. Hell, that was one of the first things he’d come to respect about the other man. Much as he got his kicks yanking other people’s chains, you could only get away with so much, and more than that, he wasn’t usually looking to cause any long-lasting damage. At most, it was cheap entertainment.

With Kōgami, of course, there wasn’t any risk. The guy had a thick skin, and a sense of humor, to boot. At worst, he’d piss him off------and that was pretty infrequent. Plus, the fact that Kōgami didn’t give him a lot to go on just made it all the sweeter when he finally did manage to punch the right button. Not that he expected he’d get much of a reaction as long as they were on this particular subject------Kōgami was always ready for him where Gino was involved.

Needless to say, Mitsuru admired that too. Actually, it was one of the reasons he wound up to badgering the other man about it as much as he did. There was nothing quite like seeing Kōgami in action, especially when he came out in Gino’s defense. It was all pretty touching, when you got down to it, and that was the truth. He was a sucker for that sort’ve thing, and he wasn’t ashamed to admit it.

Calm Before The Storm | November 1st, 2109

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Calm Before The Storm | November 1st, 2109

The cigarette hanging from between his teeth filled the vehicle’s interior with the scent of smoke. Watery, winter sunshine filtered through the laminated glass, while an approaching line of thick, dark clouds promised a dreary rain later on. At least, he figured as much------he’d overslept, so he hadn’t exactly had time to catch up on the weather before hauling ass to the workroom, and it’d been down to business after that. They’d gotten the call a little after ten, and by some miracle, it’d shaped up to be a pretty uneventful. They’d zeroed in on the target inside of a couple of minutes, bagged him, and shipped him off to a rehabilitation center------piece of cake.

He hadn’t seemed like a bad guy, all things considered. Just scared shitless------and hell, in his position, who wouldn’t have been? Getting pulled over by one of those drones would’ve been enough to scare the piss out of most people. More than not, they turned and ran. Mitsuru felt for the poor bastard. Hopefully, the white coats would be able to get him back on track inside of the next 48 hours. If not, today might’ve been the last he’d see of the outside world for a while. He’d keep his fingers crossed it didn’t pan out like that------somehow, it just wasn’t the same, taking your last look in a pair of handcuffs.

It was just past the middle of the day, and seeing as how there was nothing else on the books, they’d swung by a burger joint and grabbed a bite to go. Mitsuru was in good spirits, the outline of a smile resting comfortably across his lips. A few blocks down, Kōgami pulled over, letting the car roll to a halt at the side of the road adjacent to a park. He peered out the window, eyebrows lifting, blinking a little as the vehicle powered off. The walkways lining the expanse of close-cropped grass were significantly less crowded than elsewhere in the city, and while he didn’t doubt most of the trees hugging the nearby benches were holographic, it wasn’t a bad view. Not like you would’ve done much better further out.

Eyes averting, he removed the cigarette from his lips and stubbed it out in the car’s ashtray, depositing it there before digging into the paper bag sitting in his lap and pulling out his sandwich. Extracting it from the foil it’d been loosely wrapped in, he eagerly brought it to his lips and took a generous mouthful. Just in time, too------he hadn’t had anything to eat since breakfast that morning, and he was starving. It wasn’t bad food, either. Bland, like anything else you’d pick up around here. But he’d tasted worse, and given how hungry he was, he wasn’t about to complain. Besides, he could always whip up something better later on. Mitsuru kicked back in his seat, knees apart------grinning a little, he looked sidelong at Kōgami, settling into the upholstery as he chewed.

“So, where’re you headed after this? You got plans?” He swallowed thickly before taking another bite and downing that, too. Technically speaking, they were on the clock for a few more hours. But if no more calls came, they were as good as free men. It wasn’t like there was much of anything back at headquarters for them to do.

Leaning over, he nudged Kōgami in the arm with his elbow, flashing the whites of his teeth as he spoke. “Somethin’ with Gino?” He was ribbing the other man, of course, but he would’ve been glad if it were true. As far as he knew, things had been going well for the two of them------and if he had anything to say about it, that was how it would stay.

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