Judgment

“What the hell are you playing at?!” Sae stared at her boss incredulously, one hand balling into a fist. “There’s not much I can do about it, Nijima-kun. Orders came from the top. He should be arriving within the next thirty minutes.” “…Very well.” Sae bowed and dismissed herself from his office, stalking back to her desk. She couldn’t believe this. They were assigning some punk kid to be her new partner while prosecuting the mental shutdowns and rampage incidents. Akechi Goro, a fifteen-year-old honors student that attended Kosei. Since he was so young, he was probably some pompous prodigy from an elite family that did little but spoil him. The kid obviously had connections in high places if he was getting placed with her of all people. She wasn’t looking forward to babysitting some soft, pampered brat until he no doubt quit after a few weeks, if not days due to the harsh realities he’d have to face. She buried herself in her paperwork, spinning the spinner ring so hard she was surprised it didn’t break. The kid was just going to get in her way of putting lawbreakers behind bars. Just… Why? She heard a soft click exactly thirty minutes later and let out an internal sigh. As she looked up, though, she caught the quick glance he casted around the room, the way he leaned toward the doorway somewhat… He gave her one of the fakest smiles she’d ever seen. “It’s a pleasure to meet you, Nijima-san. I hope we’ll work well together.” She gave one of her usual hard stares and a faint nod. “Likewise, Akechi-san.” The tight grip of his hands nor the obviously forced tone didn’t escape her notice. Neither did the fact he pressed against the wall as he walked, almost as if trying to disappear from view. He sat in a way that tried to obscure her from viewing his lap, but the subtle movement gave away the fact he was taking his phone out from his pocket. What was he doing? They were supposed to be working, not messing around on the internet. This kid was just as bad as most others today, wasn’t he? Sae just sighed and got back to her own work. If he fell behind because of how easily distracted he was, it was on him, though it would still impact her ability to do her job. They were punishing her for simply being a woman, weren’t they? But a light sound eventually caught her attention and she looked up. Akechi’s face rivaled fresh snowfall and sweat beaded on his forehead. She watched him for several minutes. He looked at the paperwork, typed into his phone, then fidgeted with the seam of his glove for a few seconds before writing a response. She also caught a piece of scrap paper tucked against his left arm he’d pulled out and write on almost purely in hiragana… …She had this kid entirely wrong, didn’t she? The tension in his body, the fidgeting, the clear anxiety, escape-seeking mannerisms, clear difficulty with kanji, trying to disappear when under a hard gaze… He was extremely kinesthetic and she’d reminded him of a previous abuser, hadn’t she? She’d seen similar behaviors in witnesses on cases past. Usually they were much more subtle than with Akechi, but he broadcasted then loud and clear despite trying to hide them. She’d have to be gentler with him than she had been already if she wanted to get anywhere. Plus, he was clearly still in said situation or had just gotten out of it. She’d just made everything a thousand times worse by acting the way she did, hadn’t she? Plus, the caffeine from the black coffee sitting next to him wasn’t helping matters. She’d given the stuff up herself since it had only decreased her already short temper and driven her anxiety over cases through the roof. All nighters were hell without it, but it’d greatly improved her relationship with Makoto. She slipped out of the office and retrieved a bottle of water from the fridge, making sure the seal remained intact. There was no telling how he’d react to open water offered to him by someone that reminded him of a past abuser. She’d already started their relationship in the negative, so she’d have to work hard to get it into the positive from now on. She returned to the office and placed her hand on his shoulder as gently as she could. She flinched a bit when he nearly went through the roof, retreating to the wall and staring at her like a cornered animal. She made a mental note to get his attention visually or audibly before attempting to repeat that. Regardless, she held the water bottle out to him and offered him a gentle smile. He shook and she could hear his gasps, no doubt on the edge of a panic attack. “Here. Why don’t you get some water in you? It’s better for you than caffeine.” She gazed at the coffee on his desk. His hand trembled as he reached out then quickly snapped the bottle away from her. She backed up and sat at his desk to give him a bit of space, then wasted no time in starting on his paperwork. At his slow rate, it’d take him three days to do what would normally take only one. Yes, she had a mountain to handle herself, but she couldn’t leave him to languish. “N-Niji—” Sae blinked and looked over at him when he whispered, offering him another soft smile. He looked like a lost baby bird and her heart dropped into her stomach. He didn’t seem to understand why she was helping him. She held her hand up and spun her spinner ring, illustrating the point silently. His eyebrows shot up but she just continued smiling. Kanji still proved extremely difficult for her at times, though she’d found methods to cope and teach herself without having to rely on outside aids like apps (for the most part). Sae then dragged her chair over to his, patting it. He hesitated for a long moment, then glanced at the door, no doubt looking for an escape. But he sat down after another moment of consideration. “Now, why don’t you point out what you were having trouble with and I’ll explain it to you.”