What happened to Toto?

Ron was lying sprawled out on his beloved “floor of sloth” in his apartment and holding a book in his hand, trying to read it, but to no avail. He just couldn't concentrate, no matter how hard he tried, his thoughts always ended up wandering off and let him lose focus. In the end, he gave up with a sigh and placed the book beside him on the floor, directing his gaze to the ceiling, his eyes yet again hidden by his long bangs. His thin lips were pressed together, completely devoid of his usual grin. A few minutes later, he palpated the floor next to him and found his phone, taking a look at his text messages and frowning slightly upon seeing that there was no reply, even after half a day. It had already been a few weeks since the last time he had the honor of welcoming Toto to his home. At first, he had thought nothing of it, supposing that the officer was maybe too caught up in his work as always. So he chose not to bother him (Yes, Ron was no ideal gentleman at all, but even he could be considerate of others when he wanted to). But with time, a bad feeling started to develop inside him, a growing anxiousness that was holding him in an iron grip. And since his gut feeling had almost never betrayed him before, he decided that the time to act had now arrived and wrote to Toto, asking if he was alright. His messages remained unanswered. His attempted phone calls as well. Ron didn't like that. He didn't like that in the slightest. Toto was not the kind of person to ghost someone or simply disappear without a word, so… “Maybe something has happened to him…” Ron gritted his teeth and clenched one of his hands into a fist, a new swarm of alarming thoughts exploding in his mind. Awful thoughts that were reaching for his heart and constricting his throat, almost suffocating him. If something were to happen to Toto in his absence, something caused by Ron’s enemies, he would never be able to forgive himself. Forgive himself for having dragged Toto into that kind of danger. Suddenly, his thoughts got interrupted as he felt something soft brush against his arm and then an additional weight on top of him. “Meow.” The cat had climbed on his chest and was now meowing at him. He couldn't be hungry, since Ron had fed him just half an hour ago, so the detective figured that his little pal was asking him for a few pets. Ron managed a little smile and gently stroked the cat’s back and head. The animal started to purr and curled up on his chest. “Aww, have you come to cheer me up? How kind of you.” “Meow!” Still running his hands over the cat's soft fur, Ron turned his head to the side, wiping the smile from his face again. “It’s already been weeks since the last time Toto visited us. You miss him too, don’t you? Of course you do, he often buys you treats, remember? Not a single new case, nothing. And neither does he answer my messages nor pick up his phone when I try to call him. Maybe he’s sick of me, haha!” He let out a brief laugh in a poor imitation of calmness, so very unlike his usual composed demeanor. “Or maybe that eternal workaholic just forgot that there is a life besides documents and coffee in this universe. Yes, that must be it! Oh, one day this’ll be his ruin, I’m sure of it!” The cat yawned, and Ron sighed. Whom did he want to deceive? He was worried sick. In any case, there was no use lying around and constructing theories. He had to get up and go out to investigate, to look for clues where that foolish officer could have gone to. And if he had guessed correctly, and Toto was really just overworking himself as always, then he wouldn't get away scot-free! Ron would make him pay for worrying him like that! Pay for half a year’s worth of brown sugar syrup! He placed the now sleeping cat carefully on the ground, got up and left his house hurriedly with his hands in his pockets. *** His first and very obvious goal was the police station, where Toto was spending so much time that it could be called his second home. And as luck would have it, he spotted someone familiar exit the building just as he was about to enter. And that “someone” was exactly the person he needed. “Amamiya-kun!” Ron was relieved that he didn't have to search for Toto's boss, whom he had been planning to ask first. “Kamoo-san?” She turned around, and a slight blush appeared on her cheeks as soon as she saw him. Ron decided to ignore that, as usual. “Amamiya-kun, do you know where Officer Isshiki is? I haven’t heard anything from him for quite a while and thought that maybe he’s buried under an avalanche of paperwork and needs to be dug out,” he asked, shrugging and trying to look calm and nonchalant, hoping that his worry didn’t seep through. “Oh? Didn't he tell you?” She was looking at him, a bit confused. “Tell me what?” Now, it was Ron’s turn to be confused. He stared at her blankly, blinking a few times. What in the world had Toto gotten himself into? “Almost one week ago, he was carrying some documents, wanting to finish them before going home. I told him to leave them for later, since they weren't that urgent, and he had already spent the entire night working, but he insisted that he was fine.” Ron nodded. That was absolutely typical for Toto: overestimating himself and then almost dropping dead from fatigue. And no matter how much Amamiya criticized him, the detective had understood quickly that, deep down, she did care about her subordinate. He impatiently waited for her to continue. “But while going upstairs, he accidentally missed a step and fell down an entire set of stairs.” Ron unconsciously clenched both of his hands that were still in his pockets into fists, forgetting how to breathe for a few seconds. “Is he alright?” He was trying everything in his might to keep his voice from shaking, and was glad his bangs prevented Amamiya from seeing his eyes that were filled with fear. “He broke his leg and had surgery. Now, he’s lying in hospital, but other than that he’s fine.” Ron didn't say anything for a while. He almost laughed out loud from the immense relief that was flooding his entire body. Oh, that idiot! Oh, that huge idiot! And here he had thought that his favorite officer could have been kidnapped and tortured! Seeing him become quiet like that, Amamiya averted her gaze and sighed. “I knew I should have been more forceful and should have ordered him to just go home, I am his boss, after all.” There was a hint of guilt lingering in her voice. Yes, she definitely cared. Ron came back to his senses at these words and smiled at her. “Nah, not your fault, Amamiya-kun. He’s an adult man. And we both know how stubborn he is concerning that matter.” The two of them let out a laugh, silently agreeing on that. Amamiya gave Ron the direction of the hospital and the number of the hospital room Toto was lying in. The detective thanked her and rushed away. *** Officer Isshiki, in the meantime, was sitting in his hospital bed and holding a magazine in his hands. He wasn’t used to having so much free time, so he didn’t really know what to do with it. Scratching his cheek that had a band-aid on it to cover a bruise he had gotten during his fall, he directed his gaze to the window through which a few rays of sunlight were entering the room, absent-mindedly watching a few birds that had landed outside on the windowsill. After a while, he turned his head back to his broken leg that was currently in a cast and would continue to be until it was fully healed, and covered his face with both hands, as embarrassment colored his cheeks red once again. He felt immensely stupid for having been that clumsy, but then again, he had been so exhausted that day that such an accident was hardly a surprise. Toto had always known deep down that something like that was bound to happen one day, but always chosen to ignore that fact, thinking of himself as more robust than he actually was. After all, his deduction skills left much to be desired, so he liked to think that he possessed the advantage of being physically resilient to compensate for that, at least. Well, and now, that had, indeed, backfired on him. And Ron was always scolding and mocking him for overworking. Toto removed his hands from his face, wondering how Ron was doing right now. He did feel a bit bad for not having informed him about his current condition, but he really didn’t want to bother nor worry the detective. And after all, it was his own fault that he had ended up like that. Still immersed in thought, he almost did a jump on the bed when the door suddenly flew open. In the next moment, Toto was staring wide-eyed at the man entering his room with small steps and suddenly stopping, standing there, petrified like a statue. Since his eyes were covered by his bangs, the officer couldn’t really tell what a face he was making. Only that he wasn’t smiling at all. “Ron?” No reply. Ron didn’t move nor say anything. Toto started to feel a bit uneasy. “Uhm, Ron?” Suddenly, a dark shadow lunged at him, making Toto almost scream out in surprise, and he found himself pressed against something firm and warm. The officer was so baffled he forgot how to breathe for a few moments. “Wah! Ro-Ron?” The detective had basically jumped on the bed and was now kneeling on it, hugging him tightly. So tightly, he was basically squeezing the air out of him. Still barely realizing what was happening and turning blue in the face, Toto could feel one of the other’s hands on his back and the other one buried in his hair. It wasn’t that the usually cheerful and composed Ron had never hugged him before, he certainly had, but never like that. Never that desperately. “Why the hell didn’t you tell me anything?” Isshiki couldn’t see Ron’s face, since his own was still pressed against the other’s chest, but he detected a hint of anger in his voice. Seeing that he was suffocating him, Ron slackened his grip a bit, but still refused to let go. Toto took a few deep breaths, his face regaining its normal color. “I… didn’t want to worry you,” he finally said quietly. Ron let out a laugh, devoid of any humor, and then pressed his face against Toto’s shoulder. Toto could feel his accelerated heartbeat. “I know I often call you an idiot, Toto, but you’ve really done it this time. Did you really not get that not hearing anything from you would worry me even more? Just imagine yourself in my place, okay?” Toto’s eyes widened again, as realization sank in. Ron was right. He was a real idiot. Guilt started plaguing him, and he gently rubbed Ron’s back. “I’m sorry, Ron.” “You could’ve at least answered my messages.” Ron's voice was muffled by Toto’s shoulder. Toto giggled awkwardly. “Messages? Uhm… my phone got kinda crushed during my fall, so I couldn't…” Ron didn't say anything. “Look, Ron, I’m really sorry.” Toto started to stroke the detective's hair, wondering what he could do to make up for it. The other finally lifted his head, wearing a weak smile on his lips and relaxing his muscles. Toto smiled back, understanding that he was forgiven. He hated to see Ron sad, that was why he had decided to not tell him anything about his injury in the first place. As it had turned out, a bad decision, indeed. There was a brief silence during which Ron moved his hands from Toto’s back to his shoulders and sat down properly on the bed. “It’s somehow funny that you’re the one who’s hurt and at the same time, also the one comforting me, instead of the other way round,” he finally spoke, still smiling. “I’m pathetic, huh?” Toto placed his hands on top of Ron’s. “Not at all. I’m the pathetic one for falling down like that in the first place. You’re right, I am an idiot, I should have supposed that it was only natural to worry about a friend.” Suddenly, Toto spotted an odd glint in Ron’s eyes as he pronounced the word “friend”, one he couldn’t really decipher. But it vanished as quickly as it had appeared, so he chose to pay it no mind. After all, he was already used to the fact that he didn’t always understand Ron’s behavior and way of thinking. To his relief, Ron seemed to have returned to his usual self now, grinning at him like always. “It’s okay, Toto, apology accepted. You’re the patient here, so don’t worry about me, worry about yourself. I was just a bit angry because you apparently assumed I didn’t care for you. So worry about yourself and get well soon, so you can bring me new cases!” Yes, his usual self, indeed. Ron got up from the bed and stood in front of the other, putting his hands on his hips. “Alright then! I will do everything in my might to nurse you back to health, Toto!” Toto was completely taken aback, staring at him with his mouth open. “Huh?! No, Ron, you don't need to! Really!” “I insist!” But before he could bring up any more objections, the detective had already dashed off who-knew-where, leaving the officer wide-eyed and with his hand stretched out towards the door in a futile attempt to stop his over-energetic best friend. Toto sighed, placing his hand back on the bed. He was glad that he had managed to cheer Ron up, but still had a slightly bad feeling about what could happen next, because Ron’s actions were often unpredictable. *** After about an hour of Toto wondering what Ron was up to, he promptly turned his head towards the door. There were weird noises coming from the hospital's hallway; like something was rolling on wheels, producing a squeaking sound. Hoping that it didn't have anything to do with yet another of Ron's crazy ideas (and his gut feeling telling him that these hopes were in vain), Toto sensed that he couldn't continue just sitting there and decided to check it out. Thus, he grabbed his crutches that he was already allowed to use for short distances and carefully headed towards the door, opening it and peeking into the hallway. What he saw, let his jaw drop almost to the ground. Ron was walking through the hallway with a pushcart full of books and a big smile on his face, as if it was the most normal thing in the world, ignoring the other patients’ stares. How the hell he had managed to sneak that thing past the reception, no one knew… “Ron! What the- Wah!” But Toto didn't have time to finish his question; suddenly, he felt the floor being swept from under him and threatened to fall. Which would surely have happened, if it wasn't for the pair of strong arms that had caught him just in time. His crutches landed with a loud clang on the ground, and he found his forehead being pressed against Ron’s, staring into the latter’s ice-blue eyes. “Toto! What are you doing up? You have to stay in bed! Do you want me to worry again?” As it seemed, Ron had left the cart behind as soon as he spotted Toto in the hallway, and run up to him, picking him up bridal-style. Toto was way too shocked to even emit a single sound, feeling one of the detective's arms support his upper body and the other hold him under the knees. Hence, he didn't put up any resistance as he was being carried back into his room. He knew he was rather on the skinny side, but still a grown man, so it was a big surprise that Ron was able to carry him that effortlessly. That detective was stronger than he looked, huh? Toto did find it a bit embarrassing to be carried in someone else’s arms and to top it off, at a place others could see them, but to his surprise, he realized that… he didn't dislike it at all. Because it was Ron. A heavy blush appeared on his cheeks at that thought, and Ron grinning at him, as if he knew what was going on in Toto's head when he carefully placed the officer back into bed, didn't make it any better. “And now be a good boy and stay here. I’ll be right back,” Ron warned, and returned to the hallway for his cart and Toto’s crutches. Some time later, Ron was sitting next to him on the bed again and happily doodling little platypuses on Toto's cast in order to “cheer him up”, humming to himself. And it really worked, it did cheer Toto up — it cheered him up to see Ron happy again. After they had been sternly reprimanded for the ruckus they had caused earlier and Ron’s cart confiscated (“Aww, too bad!” was everything Ron had to comment to that. “And here I have chosen the best detective novels for you to finally sharpen your deduction skills a bit!”), things had finally calmed down once again. Right now, Toto was just watching him with a smile on his face and not saying a word. He had to admit that it had been rather lonely and boring in the hospital without Ron. It was really quiet and peaceful now. The officer placed his hand on his mouth, trying to hold back a yawn. Ron’s hand immediately stopped in its tracks. “Tired, Toto?” he asked without looking up from the cast. Toto smiled again. “Yeah, a bit. Though I don’t really know why because I’m barely moving here. I’ll just get some coffee, as always.” Ron finally looked at him. “Nah, if you're tired, just take a nap. You currently don’t have to work anyway, so just use that time to rest. You need it.” “Take a nap? I’m not a child, Ron. It’s daytime.” The detective got up from the bed and crossed his arms, casting him a strict look, as if he was dealing with a stubborn kid. “Oh, neglecting our health again, aren’t we? Have you already forgotten that your exhaustion is the reason you landed here in the first place, eh, Toto? What a responsible adult you are. And you're supposed to be older than me.” His tone made it clear that he wouldn't accept a no for an answer, so Toto had no other choice than to obey. And surprisingly, he really fell asleep and even way faster than he had thought. Ron collected the pens he had been drawing with and left the room with a triumphant grin on his face. *** About an hour later, the door to Toto’s hospital room opened again. Ron carefully peeked inside and once he had made sure that Toto was still asleep, he tiptoed into the room and made his way to the window, trying to not make any unnecessary noise that could wake the other up. He didn’t even really know himself why he had returned there, but he just couldn’t fight the urge to watch the officer sleep for a while, relieved to see him safe and (almost) unharmed, traces of the fear and worry he had gone through still present in his mind. Standing there and contemplating a peacefully sleeping Toto was better than any tranquilizer, and it made Ron smile. But as soon as his gaze wandered to the other’s broken leg that had now his doodles all over it, that smile instantly faded from his face again. He had managed to hide it well earlier, but… seeing Toto injured was… painful. Almost physically painful. As if he was the one with broken bones, not Toto. He unconsciously clenched his fists, burying his nails into his palms and almost making them bleed. And the pain produced by that helped him to return to reality once more. Ron shook his head, coming to his senses and trying to get rid of these unpleasant thoughts. There was no time for that; he had to take care of Toto, to help him get better, to continue cheering him up. The detective was surprised, noticing that he had never felt that way towards another person in his life. And even more surprised by the fact that he was realizing that only now. But being around Toto just felt so natural that he had never felt the need to question his attitude towards the latter before. However, now that he thought of it… That was the very first time in his life to truly care for someone. To want to protect that person with everything he had. And also the first time to not really understand himself. Although… he had to admit that there was a tiny little suspicion in some corner of his mind. After all… he had read quite an amount of romance novels during his isolation out of boredom and was usually a very quick learner. That, combined with his deduction skills… A slight blush appeared on Ron's cheeks, and he quietly approached the bed. Once standing directly above the sound asleep Toto, he bent down towards the officer’s ear, hesitated for a few seconds and then whispered: “You owe me half a year’s worth of brown sugar syrup, Toto”. Seeing Isshiki grimace in his sleep as soon as he had pronounced these words, Ron’s lips curved into a smile once more. Toto was so incredibly cute. He chuckled and bent down once more. “Sleep tight. See you tomorrow.” He gently brushed his fingers against the officer’s cheek and straightened his back, intending to leave. But then felt that there was something else he wanted to say, something he was still too embarrassed to pronounce out loud when the other was awake. Thus, he bent down a third time and whispered into Toto’s ear again. And then turned around and finally left, with a blush on his cheeks. As soon as he had closed the door after himself, Toto’s eyes flung open, and he covered his reddened, heated face with the blanket, his heart pounding violently against his ribs. Wondering if that had maybe been just a dream. Because that couldn’t have happened for real. Absolutely no way! Ron couldn’t have whispered the following words to him: “If you only knew how much you mean to me… The world. You mean the world to me, Toto. I love you.”