#aritake

hirako struggles to keep up, and eventually, finally, asks to stop for lunch. his voice emerges more plaintive than he intended. arima blinks at him, and then looks around. for ramen, hirako thinks. or katsu. sandwiches. skewers. parfaits. anything. soon arima spots what he is looking for, and walks off speedily.

it takes them less than 5 minutes to retrieve packaged noodles and rice balls from a convenience store, and even less time to eat them. then they are off again.

as expected, of the reaper. probably, hirako thinks, this fast pace is what he should expect until dinner time, but he is wrong. arima’s work ethic doesn’t stop for food of any kind. again, hirako has to petition for another break, with a bewildering mix of admiration and shame and irritation that he hopes his face hides effectively. he settles for a hard-boiled egg and a small lunchbox. arima gets nothing. hirako eats walking, determinedly ignoring the stares.

as expected of the reaper. arima’s dedication borders on frightening. a normal person would at least try to sleep at their desk, instead of boarding another train, digging heels into a trail that is frankly cold and only getting more chilly. it’s so late that there’s room on the train for both of them to sit. arima takes a breath.

“if you want to rest,” arima says. “please go ahead of me. we can meet again tomorrow.”

it’s almost midnight. hirako has to push the words past his disbelief. “you’re going to keep looking.”

“yes.”

“arima-san...” he feels like an idiot. “don’t you...don’t you want to rest?”

to this, arima simply stares.

“i mean,” hirako says, “we don’t have any leads anyway. maybe things will start looking up after a real break.”

arima is silent. because he’s appalled, hirako thinks at first. but after some time, hirako realizes the expression on arima’s face, though subtle, is definitely confusion. he appears to be really mulling over hirako’s idea. rest. he opens his mouth.

—and a noise emerges, from his pocket. a call, that arima takes, quickly, but not so quickly that hirako can’t see the name on the screen. arima listens, says only “understood,” then hangs up. to hirako, he says, “that was HQ. i will continue, but you can rest.”

something passes over hirako then. a kind of strange chill. the sort of unexplained gut queasiness that makes him, at times, a very good investigator. the caller was not someone whose name he recognizes from the CCG.

this time, hirako watches. when arima puts away the phone, he misses — he has to readjust his grip and slide it in again. arima cleans his glasses briefly, and still seems to squint through them. afterward, arima leans, and — yes, there it is, ever so slightly. arima, leaning against the railing.

hirako stares. the gears are turning. as expected of the reaper. but...what if —

“this is your stop,” arima says. hirako jumps. the train doors open, and people flood out, and people flood in. the train announces its warning to stay clear of the closing doors, and then departs the station. finally, hirako speaks.

come join our Arima discord server

who hogs the duvet 

Arima is massive and gets cold and when he rolls over in his sleep clutching the blanket he drags the whole thing away with him rip 

 who texts/rings to check how their day is going 

Take gets worried sometimes bc Arima is low key a huge airhead so he’ll call from time to time when they’re apart (he doesn’t text much bc Arima can’t fuckin see) 

 who’s the most creative when it comes to gifts 

Arima probably unintentionally gives really unconventional gifts

who gets up first in the morning 

ARIMA… Take can’t get out of bed easily since becoming a member of Arima’s squad, he is now permanently exhausted. Arima makes coffee and comes back in the room with a mug for Take and gets the shiba to jump on the bed and wake Take tf up

who suggests new things in bed 

omg Arima knew almost nothing about sex so when he and Take started dating he tried googling things.. he would bring it up so casually like “Take, would you like to try [insert some very explicit sexual act]?” and Take is never prepared 

who cries at movies 

TAKE lmao.. he is especially partial to pet movies.. he went thru half a box of tissues watching Marley and me.. 

who gives unprompted massages 

I think Arima would notice bodily things easily and try to fix them without warning, so if he sees a little tension he would do it for Take 

who fusses over the other when they’re sick 

Arima fusses over nothing and does not get any proper amount of rest or nutrition or anything and Take pretty much fusses over him every day even when he’s not sick tbh

who gets jealous easiest 

definitely Take bc probably half the CCG is in love with Arima (or just wants to fuck him)

who has the most embarrassing taste in music 

Take listens to Kpop girl groups when he showers in the morning   

who takes the longest to get ready 

neither tbh 

who is the most tidy and organised 

Arima is without really trying to be, but they’re both relatively neat. 

who gets most excited about the holidays 

I think Take likes valentine’s day because he gets extra attention from arima/gets to have an excuse to give Arima excess affection.. Arima probably feels the same way

who is the big spoon/little spoon 

Take fuckin loves being the little spoon and u can fight me on that.. I hc that he really craves affection and being wrapped up in Arima’s arms makes him feel so happy and loved but Arima has been deprived of love and even friendship his whole life so he likes it too. They are same size spoons. they are spoons that constantly flip over. 

who gets most competitive when playing games and/or sports 

Arima for sure

who starts the most arguments 

probably their arguments mostly consist of Take trying to convince Arima to do something reasonable and Arima saying why he shouldn’t/isn’t gonna do the reasonable thing

REALLY GOOD DUMB EXAMPLES FROM @xerziartblog: "please just speak with normal sentences.“ “please don’t say weird shit so loudly in public" "can you please let me wash dishes you can’t see all the food”“aRiMa-sAN Pls learn to read the atmosphere”

who suggests that they buy a pet 

They already have Take’s shibe but Arima suggests another animal at least once a week.. he will convince Take eventually 

what couple traditions they have 

saying they love each other before every big raid/mission

what tv shows they watch together 

Maybe domestic kinds of shows or reality stuff like cooking shows.. i am just picturing them as a lame couple watching some house hunting show like “well Victoria is crazy for not picking house #2” “mhmm”

what other couple they hang out with 

Akira and Amon, Ui and Hairu (’:

how they spend time together as a couple 

a lot of it is at work tbh.. they gain a lot of trust and respect and admiration for each other from fighting together… the job is a little more bearable bc of having each other 

 who made the first move 

Arima but it was so vague that Take didn’t even know what the fuck was happening until Arima went in for a kiss at the end of their night together 

who brings flowers home 

Take, a romantic fuck

who is the best cook