simon

the drive to the gas station was a tricky one.

as well as you remembered your native nation, traffic will always be a bitch, especially in a very night-active place such as inazuma.

you slowly pulled into the gas station, parking near the third pump.

you lingered in the car as you turned the car off. you looked over in scaramouche's direction. the fuel filler inlet was on his side.

the bright-ass white lights of the gasoline station illuminated his botched indigo dye but you couldn't help but be fond of it.

you knew his hair was dyed because you let him stay at your apartment once and while you slept on the couch instead of your bed, scaramouche was dying his hair.

for some reason.

you turned off the car, taking the keys with you and locking it. you pulled down the backseat windows a bit, just in case.

the bell on top of the door rang as you entered the gasoline station.

the worker there didn't bother looking up from behind the counter, continuing to scroll through his phone. he muttered out a quiet "welcome" as if mandatory.

you thought about saying 'thank you' but a few seconds had already passed and it wouldn't have been natural if you did it so late.

you bite your tongue and look around, eyes darting through the aisles to see where the certain snacks you wanted were.

you really liked barbecue chips so that's what you got, as well as some sour candy and some small energy drinks for later.

walking through the aisles with everything in your hands, you set it down on the counter.

the guy behind the counter scrolled on his phone for a few more seconds before putting his phone down with a sigh. he reluctantly picked up a barcode scanner, scanning your things.

you looked around and saw the cigarettes behind the store clerk.

you used to smoke---it helped you with your anxiety sometimes---but you had to stop for the sake of your health.

apparently, lung cancer isn't good.

now done, the clerk read out your total with a bored expression. "that'll be twenty-four mora."

you blink. "oh. yeah, right."

you awkwardly take some coins out, placing them on the counter.

you were here to get gas and you forgot to ask for it. how embarrassing.

you watched the man count out loud and use his fingers to calculate your change, giving you back a singular mora.

you just walked out, sulking about your loss.

the bell didn't ring behind you.

you unlocked the car, setting the snacks you got in the back.

scaramouche was still asleep thankfully as you slammed the car door shut and went over to his side to pay for gas.

you paid with your card, slipping it back in your wallet and grabbing the valve and putting it into the filler inlet.

you leaned on the car, finger tapping the roof of your car as you waited for a few minutes.

you felt odd.

looking around, you didn't see anyone but the feeling didn't go away.

you tried to brush it off as the pump stopped releasing petroleum and you put the pump back into the holder it was in.

you closed the tank's lid securely. you walked over to the driver's seat and got in.

you looked around once more, checking your mirrors for some sort of anomaly but you couldn't find anything.

with a lot of hesitance, you sigh. you buckled up, your seatbelt clicking into place, before turning on your car and pulling out of the gas station.

you arrived at the hotel with a full tank. looking back at it, you would've made it to the hotel but your car would've been out of commission unless you had a fuel canister around.

regardless of that, the soft background music and the warm atmosphere of the hotel managed to calm you down from whatever you thought you saw.

maybe just being in inazuma was triggering some forgotten memories...

you approached the front desk with a tired smile.

the receptionist looked up from her tablet, a tired smile matching yours. rip night shift workers. "is there anything i can do for you?"

you nod, "yes, are there any rooms with two beds?"

she nodded, glancing back down at her tablet and typing a few words. your finger was anxiously tapping on the counter, a soft 'tk, tk, tk' sound produced by the wood.

noticing the noise your habit was making, you lifted up your finger slightly---still moving, simply not tapping the wood. it wasn't a sign of anxiety on your part: you just had to be moving constantly or focused on something.

the receptionist noticed this but she didn't say anything. "that'll be 300 mora per night."

the price was a little steep but you figured it was due to the fact the place was right next to the police station, for security.

you hand her your card and the silence begins.

the only sound was the wind outside and the beeping of the card machine the woman had placed your card in.

she sat idly as the payment processed and you just looked around, hoping to not look suspicious.

you didn't catch her suspicious look before she turned around on her wheeled chair and grabbed two room keys. she slid back, placing them on top of the counter. "here you go," she chimed.

she also slides your credit card across the counter and you take it. "thanks."

"no problem," she replies, going back to her tablet.

you went back outside to where you had parked, the night breeze hitting you.

when you walked up to the car, you saw that your partner was still in the passenger seat, thankfully.

you lightly tapped on his window, opening his car door. "hey, scara... get up, we're here."

your partner didn't respond and you had no idea what to do.

you tapped his shoulder but that didn't wake him up. if you shook him, he'd beat the shit out of you and you'd rather not have that.

you frowned, sighing.

the things you do for this guy.

you leaned over him, reaching for the glove box to write down a note so when he does wake up, he'd know where to go.

" our hotel room is 303. the key's in the center console!! it's a 2 bed, don't worry lol --- y/n "

after writing down the note, you folded it and wrote down scaramouche's name in large lettering to get his attention.

you placed it on the driver's seat and closed the passenger door gently before going to the hotel room to settle down.

the room was beautiful but you didn't have much time to dwell on that beauty as your eyes grew heavy and you flopped down on one of the two beds.

you had a strange dream.

or, at least you hoped it was just a dream.

the place felt oddly familiar---the coldness and hollowness of the basement; the dizziness and nausea circulating through your head, and the sick feeling of being starved.

your hands were tied behind your back with duct tape, vision blurring as a trio of men sat you down on a cold concrete floor.

you couldn't even remember what day it was or how long you had been there.

if your mother was still worried.

you lost your train of thought as pain filled your senses once more. a sharp kick to the gut had you hurling. you would've thrown up if it weren't for the lack of food you had received.

you fell forward, already breathing heavy.

it's been a week---no, two---maybe, even three since you've gone missing.

y/n.

you know the statistics of missing persons' cases. if someone isn't found in the first 72 hours, their changes drop hard.

a full week? even further.

you felt sick just being here. stuck in a room only to be dragged into another to get interrogated and then rinse, cycle, repeat.

they wanted to switch things up today, you guess.

y/n.

it started with kicks and stomps. it continued with glass and rods.

your lungs felt stabbed, like a piece of bone just pierced it, making it hard to breathe. it didn't help that you were being ambushed with no means to protect yourself.

you only managed to grab a shard of glass, cutting yourself and stabbing the skin on your back in the process of untying your hands.

your hands clawed at the feet of the guys kicking you but they didn't do a thing to stop them.

y/n.

the pain, grudgingly, made tears run down your face. you had a higher tolerance, you thought.

you were a prideful person---you got that trait from your mother and your excessive amounts of achievements throughout life.

you could handle torture.

you could handle all the bullshit that life threw at you.

you couldn't handle being so weak.

y/n.

you covered your face, trying to maintain some form of security.

your mother would always say that passion exceeds strength---a professional fighter is weak against a determined man.

being determined was the only reason you had your dream job.

but you felt tired.

really, really tired.

you felt the kicks stop suddenly and then, someone reached for your hands. they gripped your wrists hard, pulling them away from you to uncover your face.

y/n.

you tug them back, hissing at the firm hold the person had on you. you struggled, feet kicking to try to get the person off.

"stop it.... stop it, stop it, stop it, stop it..!"

the tugs only got harsher as you cried.

"y/n."

you shook your head, trying to silence the voice.

"wake up."

you opened your eyes.

you expected what you originally saw after that moment: a bright hospital room with your mother at your side, holding your hand plus the smell of chloride and rubber gloves.

that was a few years ago.

nowadays, you wake up, drenched in sweat and tears in your lonely apartment, the cold fan doing nothing to your heated body and the three locks on your windows and doors doing nothing to bring your comfort.

but, you were back in the hotel room.

it wasn't dark anymore---instead, the sun shined through the windows' curtains and it was obviously day.

your partner was on top of you, his body weight pressing against you. scaramouche's legs pinned you by the waist to keep you from squirming. he had his hands around your wrists, holding them away from your tearful face.

he just stared at you with a distant expression.

he knew you had problems. shit, everyone in the station does---you're awkward, annoying as hell, and socially fucked---and yet nahida, the captain, tells them to coddle you like you're a patient on suicide watch.

his eyebrows furrowed the more he thought about it.

he didn't care in the slightest.

or, that's what he told himself.

"are you done?" he asked. he was still holding your wrists together albeit his grip weakened.

you stayed quiet. your tears were still rolling down your cheek from the straight absurdity of this situation.

you haven't had that nightmare in three years. was the sight of inazuma too much to bear already?

you muttered a small "yeah", looking away and trying to sit up.

scaramouche got off of you quickly. he let go of your wrists and slipped off of your bed like the moment hadn't just happened.

you didn't want to talk about it and you knew he didn't want to either.

you tried to quell the pain on your wrists, holding them and looking for bruises. there were already some forming.

great.

the silence was awkward as hell.

you wanted to say something, tell scaramouche 'thanks' for snapping you out of it but you figured it only make things even more awkward.

"what..." you clear your throat, looking at him. "what time is it?"

your partner looked at the bedside clock near his bed. "it's 8 in the morning. we should get going."

he moved to his bed, grabbing his jacket from the edge of it and slipping it on. he gave you a glance over before frowning to himself.

"are you coming?"

you stayed quiet for a few seconds. you wiped your eyes and cheeks, feeling the somewhat dry and somewhat wet tears smear on your thumb.

"y-yeah, just give me a second."

kuki shinobu was already having a terrible day.

her friend, itto, was behind bars and she wasn't going to spend a thousand mora to bail him out.

he cried and begged in the small holding cell. "shinobu!! please!! help a comparde out---i'll pay you back!"

"no can do, boss." she shrugged, fixing her mask. her allergies were acting up and she didn't want to get someone infected or be reported for being unsanitary.

the woman crossed her legs in her seat. "plus, it was your fault for messing with the shop owner. he had already told you to leave."

"he stole my beetle, 'obu! that's a big no-no!"

she sighed, closing the magazine she was reading while waiting for her partner.

"you still haven't paid me back for last time."

"but--"

"or the time before. or the other time. you have to start being responsible for your actions, boss." she scolded.

arataki itto just stayed quiet. his hold on the cell bars weakened as he realized that his friend had a point.

he was just about to apologize before the front door of the station suddenly slammed open.

shinobu groaned.

she can feel the headache coming in.

"ya-hoo, kuki!~" the pink-haired detective, heizou, yelled. he spun his car keys on his index finger, smiling at the irritation of his partner.

"don't call me that, heizou." she sighed. she stood up from her seat and put her magazine down.

she ignored the cries of her friend behind her, walking with the other detective, further into the station.

"so, did you get the raiden kid?" she asked, curious.

heizou's smile turned into a sweet grin. "c'mon, don't be so loud! yes, yes, they should be here soon."

kuki shinobu raised an eyebrow. "they? i didn't know raiden had a partner."

the prodigy stayed quiet.

his mouth was moving but no sound came out of it. shinobu saw this spectacle and frowned.

"what are you muttering on about?" she put her hands on her hips.

heizou pressed his finger against his lips, urging her to quiet down. "three, two, one..."

the detective turned to the front of the station with a welcoming smile. he had his arms wide open, chiming, "hello, our dear guests!"

both you and scaramouche stayed quiet.

you two shared a look before your partner cleared his throat. "hi. we're here for the, uh, tsuyuko case."

the pink-haired man just smiled at you two. "that's great! i'm shikanoin heizou," he points towards shinobu, "this is my partner, kuki shinobu."

scaramouche just nods. "hey."

shinobu frowns at the fact her cousin set her up but plays along either way. "it's a pleasure to meet you both officially. i've heard good things about both of you." she extends her hand for the two of you to shake.

your partner doesn't, just staring at it, but you took her hand in yours, giving her a firm shake.

scaramouche raises an eyebrow at your behavior but doesn't say anything just yet.

heizou freezes for a singular second before nodding along to kuki's words. "yes, yes, i've been wanting to meet the infamous raiden and l/n duo."

you notice scaramouche scowl out of the corner of your eye but he maintains his composure.

"yeah," he smiles, trying not to grit his teeth. "that's us, alright."

heizou smiled back.

kuki shinobu sighs, crossing her arms. "i can show you two around. you'll be here for a while if we can't crack this case."

you two both nod, already planning to follow the female detective but something stops you.

there was a tug on your sleeve by the prodigy himself.

"you're l/n?"

you blank out. "h-huh? oh. oh! y-yeah---or, actually, it's y/n, but l/n's fine too..!"

you felt scaramouche frown at your stuttery response but the detective in front of you only laughed.

"y/n, huh?" he looked you up and down before nodding to himself.

"nice name---just a question," he started. he let go of your sleeve, now grabbing your arm and pulling up your sleeves.

"what're these bruises from?"

you fell silent.

beside the guy, kuki shinobu gasped. scaramouche frowned, grabbing heizou's arm in return.

"hey, watch it. you can't just go around grabbing people."

heizou smiled. "oh? can i be let go then?"

scaramouche furrowed his eyebrows, gritting his teeth. "i'm serious."

the pink-haired detective only laughed. "i'm serious too! i'm curious, actually." he turned to look at you, ignoring scaramouche and shinobu.

notes: lmk if y'all'd want to know what the alternative routes would do!! 😊 heizou is a little ooc but that's intentional! watch out for whoever was watching you in the gas station, by the way! taglist: @breathlessasphyxia, @akiyodesu, @fireriyu, @lalalaloveallmydays, etc.

scaramouche got a headache just thinking about it. he would've yelled at you, for sure, but was letting the culprit walk away any better?

he sighed, closing and rubbing his eyes. you had very little common sense. the common sense you did have was only given to you by your fears so it wasn't even common either.

"what, y/n?"

"are you mad at me?"

"very."

after his words, he just went back to writing his forms. you just sat there, at your desk, staring at him.

you frowned. you didn't really know your partner that well. he was always so rude and strict---it was hard to believe you actually liked the guy.

"like, really mad?"

scaramouche sighed again. loudly this time, so you could hear. "yes, i'm so angry. it's almost impossible to tell you how angry i am at you right now."

"is that... sarcasm or are you serious?" you sulk.

your partner set his pen down.

he stayed silent, collecting himself before turning to see you eye to eye. "are you seriously asking me this? what are you, twelve?"

you scoffed, looking away. you took your own pen in your hand, tapping your forms and trying to seem unbothered by his question. "jeez, it was just a question... you take things too literally."

the detective beside you gave you a side eye. he obviously didn't believe you. he didn't say anything however, merely going back to his work.

you also went back to your work, internally killing yourself over that embarrassing interaction. at least you initiated the conversation today!

the silence was okay until a fellow officer barged in with an entire group of guys in handcuffs.

the white-haired man sat all of them down while his black and green haired partner went to reception to call them in.

you watched in amazement as cyno handled them so effortlessly. scaramouche looked at your reaction and scoffed. "go back to doing your work, idiot. that'll never be you."

"rude." you mumble under your breath.

your partner rose an eyebrow. "what was that?"

"nothing."

after you had become an officer, you were involved in an incident. it was related to your mother but, unlike her, you survived.

you could do things like that, you knew. you had done things like that.

now, though?

you frowned at the thought of it.

your mother was a detective that worked in organized crime. she had a partner you still didn't know the name of. you only saw her at the funeral you hosted---being your mother's only family to host it.

she gave you a pat on the back and that was it. you never saw her again.

you sighed.

the group of handcuffed men spoke between themselves in hushed whispers. you had no clue what they were saying, their voices muffled by distance, but you saw cyno laugh.

you hadn't seen the guy laugh ever so it was a shock.

his partner, tighnari, came back and noticed. he sighed and shook his head.

"stop being so immature, man." tighnari groaned. he frowned, looking away from cyno before meeting eyes with someone.

he smiled, "hat-guy! i haven't seen you in a bit."

you saw your partner freeze in his seat and then grumble. "i told you not to call me that."

tighnari turned to cyno, "you do the paperwork." ignoring his partner's gasp, he walked over to you and scaramouche.

he had... gentle eyes.

"yes, yes, i know but consider it pay back." he joked.

your partner's frown grew but ultimately, he sighed. scaramouche leaned back in his chair, turning his attention to him. "alright, sure. what do you want then? you're not just walking up to me to say hello."

you watched the interaction in silence. you didn't know scaramouche knew these guys personally...

tighnari nodded, his smile still there. "you're right. i need a small favor."

"hell no." scaramouche scoffed immediately, crossing his arms. "i'm not helping your charity case."

the officer furrowed his eyebrows. "do you mean collei? no, i don't need help with her."

"then with what?"

tighnari took a small slip of paper from his jacket, handing it to scaramouche. "this. a station down in inazuma needs more officers to help in a case. me and cyno were requested to come but we already have commitments up here."

scaramouche frowned. he looked at the slip of paper, reading its details. you shifted in your chair to try to see what it said but your partner stuffed it in his coat pocket before you could read a word.

he glanced over your way, giving you a strange-looking face, before turning his attention back to tighnari. "can't. me and y/n are busy."

tighnari looked a little shocked. "y/n?" his eyes moved from scaramouche to you.

you immediately felt uneasy. you awkwardly waved, then---out of first hand embarrassment---turned to the side, pretending to go back to your work.

both your partner and tighnari gave each other a look before going back to their own conversation.

"i'm sure i could ask our captain to transfer your responsibilities onto one of us." the officer smiled.

scaramouche frowned. "i thought your plate was full."

tighnari's smile stayed on his face. he didn't budge at all, like he had some upper hand on your partner.

you felt scaramouche's pride fight internally before he eventually sighed, mumbling some curses under his breath. "fine. we'll get on it tomorrow."

"oh, actually, they need you both asap."

you both blink.

"w-what? like, now?" your eyes turn to the clock on your desk. it was currently 10:32 p.m..

tighnari nodded. "their station's really close to a hotel that does walk-in's." he turned to your partner. "unless someone has an objection?"

scaramouche gritted his teeth. you had the idea that he was going to start yelling and causing a scene like he normally would but instead he didn't.

he stood up and put his hands in his pocket. he turned to you, still seated at your chair, and frowned. "c'mon, get up. we're leaving."

you stayed quiet, trying to process this plot-twist. "h-huh? wait! don't we have to tell the captai--"

before you could finish your question, tighnari answered it. "oh, that's not a problem. i'll handle it."

scaramouche glared at tighnari for his interference but didn't say anything towards the guy. he looked back at you, grabbing your arm firmly.

"now, let's go." he pulled you out of your chair. "you're driving."

"what?!" you gasped. he pushed you away from your desk and tossed you your car keys.

tighnari watched you two interact, a faint smile on his face. he watched scaramouche push you to the exit and lingered a little while.

"are you usually this mean to them?" he sighed, crossing his arms.

scaramouche looked at tighnari and glared. "i'm not mean."

"sure, you aren't. you okay, though?"

the purple-haired guy scoffed. "stop interrogating me." he grabbed two coats and a coffee cup that definitely didn't belong to him, already on his way. "after this, i don't owe you anything."

tighnari smiled. "don't i decide that? you shot me, remember?"

scaramouche froze in his place. he groaned, glaring at the younger officer, "it was an accident. i apologized already."

"i haven't forgiven you yet."

your partner stayed quiet before scoffing and turning. "whatever. see ya'."

"later. come back intact."

you flinched as your partner slammed the car door shut. he threw his jackets in the back of your car and placed your coffee cup in your cup-holder.

your hands were sweaty on the steering wheel as an awkward presence filled the car.

scaramouche broke the silence first. "are you going to drive?"

you gulped. what did tighnari tell him that has him so aggravated?

"you... you don't have your seatbelt on." you whispered, tapping your finger on the wheel.

your partner stayed silent. he turned to you, slowly. "...are you serious?"

you took a deep breath and nodded. "yeah." you didn't dare look at him, instead 'fixing' your rearview mirror.

he was contemplating cussing you out. like, actually.

what kind of idiot are you?

scaramouche opened his mouth but shut it quickly.

he scoffed at himself for being so easy before tugging on the seatbelt on his right side. there was a rather loud 'click!', confirming his action.

you stayed quiet---you didn't actually think he'd do it. was he being kind?

"are you going to drive now?" he glared at you.

that bursted your bubble real quick.

"y-yeah..!" you said embarrassingly loud, voice cracking as you fumbled with the gearshift.

oh brother.

the ride was quiet. with you anxiously driving and scaramouche scrolling on his phone, there wasn't a lot to talk about.

you still tried, though.

"so..." you started. "can i ask why you were so adamant on saying no?"

"mind your business."

"right."

your lips turned into a thin line. you figured he just didn't want to talk about it but you didn't know why and that was killing you.

your attention turned to him instead of the road once again when he yawned. "oh, are you tired?"

he put his phone in his pocket and frowned at you. "i'm tired of your voice."

ah.

that... definitely hurt your ego but you prevailed. "you can drink some of my coffee if you need to." you smiled.

your partner's frown deepened.

he looked away at the view outside of the window. you two had been on the road for an hour and fifteen-ish minutes so it was dark. the trees and streets were illuminated by the lights of cars passing by on the road.

"worry about the road rather than me, y/n."

"r-right!" you sat up straight, eyes directly on the road.

he crossed his arms and closed his eyes, leaning back onto his seat. he had a small smile on his face.

you didn't notice.

you stayed up, continuing to drive where your gps told you to go until you hit a border checkpoint.

there was a long line of cars coming in and out. there were some officers there, wearing a different uniform than you and scaramouche had to wear during your rookie days.

you hadn't been in inazuma in a while due to personal reasons and just seeing the familiar place made your heart drop. your hands trembled, gripping tighter onto the steering wheel as the cars in front of you moved forward.

it was eventually your turn.

an officer tapped on your window's glass. you rolled it down, trying not to seem awkward and smiled.

the officer didn't give you one back. "what's the purpose for this visit?"

they seemed cranky. probably because they were working at mid-night instead of sleeping.

you brush past it. "oh, me and my partner here got called to work with the tenryou commission." you point to scaramouche, hoping that the officer won't think he's dead or that you kidnapped him because he's asleep.

you squint as the officer turns on a flashlight and shines it in both of your faces. scaramouche's nose scrunches and he shifts in his sleep, turning his head towards his window.

the officer's eyebrows rose. they looked shocked for some reason.

they turned their flashlight off, putting it back in a holster or something. they tipped their hat faintly, looking away. "sorry for disturbing you two."

you shake your head, smiling. "it's fine."

the officer just nodded at your reassurance. they stood there as you started driving, watching your car leave.

you felt free, knowing that the officers don't remember you.

even though you still remembered the incident, the city had forgotten. you doubt anyone remembered, actually.

you kept your window down, letting the cold breeze of the night brush against your face.

staying up always felt better than not being able to go to sleep.

you contemplated turning the radio on but scaramouche was asleep---he'd kill you for waking him up.

you smile a little, thinking about your partner.

you yawned. you grabbed your coffee cup, drinking the rest of the now-cold caffeine.

placing the cup back in your cup-holder, you glanced at the gps.

you two were close to the hotel and the station.

you smiled. you're glad that the location hadn't changed. much of inazuma hadn't changed from when you last lived there.

it looked entirely the same.

you looked at your dashboard. your car also needed gas.

you sulk. you hadn't expected a trip out of your nation so you hadn't filled up on your tank.

the hotel was really close by but could you make it in time?

notes: i lwk forgot about this draft until today so sorry if it seems rushed ! also, every action adds or subtracts your life - you'll find out which option does what every new chapter 😚 some chapters will have instakill options though, so watch out ! taglist: @breathlessasphyxia, @akiyodesu