Author's note: This story takes place just before the halfway point of the series when all hell breaks loose at STN-J.
Good Eatings
Light and dark. That's what Michael Lee was staring at as he typed away on his computer. Straight lines and curves of words on a monitor flew by with each concerto his fingers played across the flat lettered keys. There were some days the blur of information gave him a rush; a vital clue for a hunt, cryptic password-protected files that needed hacking into from databases with heavy lockouts -and more secretly than the other successes- finding an awesome website. Those didn't necessarily always mean the, shall he say, more gender sensitive types of sites. Each awesome site rocked in their own ways.
Today, though, none of those allures hyped him up. Inside the STN-J, he was information cranking. Page after page of biographies, police reports, letters, and other miscellaneous documents passed one after another. There was a case as usual, but he didn't feel up to speed. Probably because he had been at research for five hours straight. He couldn't remember the last time he took a bathroom break. It had been that long.
When a third page blurred in front of his face, Michael stopped orchestrating his keyboard. Hazy vision called for a break. He had worked for half the night and early morning was arriving. He took off his glasses with a hand and dropped it to his side. He rubbed his eyes with his other one and leaned back in his rolling chair to stretch his legs. As his head lolled back, it collided with something hard behind him. A female voice uttered a surprised noise and something akin to a large sheaf of papers fluttered to the floor.
"Robin!" Michael exclaimed when he saw who he knocked into. His zoneouts were especially deep when he was tired. When he checked out information superhighways sometimes he didn't realize someone had left or entered a room. He sat up quickly in his seat and tried to turn at the same time. In his haste he forgot about his glasses and sent them tumbling to the floor. He proceeded to back up his rolling chair but Robin stopped him by placing her hand against the chair back.
"It's all right," she answered quietly, "there are papers under your desk and chair. If you move, you'll damage them. Please stay still." She gave him a sheepish glance and kneeled on the sea of white.
"Um, ok. But, could you...?" Michael gestured to a dark blob on the ground a good distance away which he assumed were his glasses.
"Sure. Here." Robin picked up the blob and pressed it into his hand.
The small object crinkled noisily. Puzzled, Michael held it up closer to his eyes and made out a sealed chip bag. Oops. Well, he was on a break. He opened the bag. "Can you pass me my glasses?"
"Oh, yes. I'll-" Robin swiveled her head to locate them but then shook a no. "They must be under here. Let me get these files cleaned up first." Her hands swept under his chair, then near his feet. Robin poked her head under his chair, very close to his thigh. Michael gulped at the unexpected intrusion of his personal space. Even without his glasses on he could still tell from this distance how cute Robin was when she was flustered. The pursing of her small mouth, the way her wheat-colored pigtails bobbed as she leaned to and fro to retrieve the pages. He thought she was a nice girl to look at, but never gave it a lot of time to settle in his mind.
The top of her head rose beside him and an armful of papers were balanced against her chest. "I don't see them."
"What?" Michael started to get irritated. This was what happened when he left things for others to do. Robin, sensing he was going to push back his chair, stopped him again. "Wait, I'll find it. Just hold on." A note of apology was in her voice.
Michael, letting out a sigh, continued to sit as Robin sifted. He crunched on some chips. "So what are all the papers?"
"Old cases. You wanted me to clean them up. There's filing too but I'm not fast doing it." She stopped moving. She might have looked grumpy. She checked a wall clock for the time. Abruptly, she stood and set down the pile next to his computer console. "Have you eaten yet?"
He held up his bag. "Sure."
Robin chuckled. "I mean breakfast. Something bigger."
He tried to recall. "I...don't remember," he replied honestly.
"Let's eat something."
"My glasses-"
They were in Robin's hands. She held them out.
Relieved to get his eyesight back, Michael set down the bag on his desk and slipped the spectacles on. Robin was studying him. "What is it?" he asked somewhat shyly.
"You look different without them on." The reply was smple.
"Is that good thing?"
A blush crossed her cheeks. "Y-yes. I haven't seen you without glasses before."
Heat touched his face. "Ah, thanks. You look pretty good with yours on. B-because of the high resolution." He quickly pointed to his monitor. He was not used to compliments, giving or receiving. Being cooped up in this office for months dulled his skills with women. Not that he had an immense amount to begin with, but he liked to think he still had charm.
Robin gently took him by the arm and began tugging.
Michael's eyebrows rose in wonder as he lifted himself to his feet. "Where are we going? I'm not allowed to leave the building."
She didn't look back. "We're not going anywhere."
"Huh?"
"You'll understand." The girl pulled a bit harder on his arm when she felt his hesitation. Michael was willing enough not to drag his feet for long. After all, he was having lunch with a female. When did something like that happen in his situation? He grinned at the thought.
Robin continued to hold his arm while moving to the elevator, eager to have a bite to eat. She must be starving. She pointed a forefinger at the down button, but before she pressed it the lattice elevator door was sliding open. Haruto Sakaki stepped out and almost bumped into her.
"Whoa, sorry about that, Robin." Sakaki moved aside and politely held the elevator open for them. He seemed awfully sleepy. "G'morning, guys. Where are you heading off to?"
"Out to lunch," Michael tried out the phrase, feeling incredibly nostalgic saying it as he walked in the elevator after Robin.
Confusion crossed Sakaki's face. "But aren't you-?"
"We're not really going out," Robin explained in a logical manner, earning her a more baffled stare.
"You're going out for lunch and you're not going out?" Sakaki chortled in amusement.
"Right." Michael pretended he was in tune with Robin's train of thought even if he didn't know where he was going either. Confusing his dazed friend in the mornings was joy he relished in. The motorcyclist was an early riser but sometimes he didn't look it.
Robin nodded. "How come you're here so early today, Sakaki?"
The brown-haired boy sighed and rolled up his eyes. "The Chief. He wants to go over some reports. Apparently, that'll take time."
Michael smiled knowingly. "Orbo usage again?"
"N-no. It's something else." Sakaki scratched the back of his head with his free hand, his eyes shifting away evasively. His mouth sullenly twitched.
Robin answered kindly. "You'll get better with practice. I wasn't very accurate when I arrived at the STN-J. Exploding gas barrels?" Embarrassment upon remembering her rookie mistakes made her blush.
Sakaki laughed good-naturedly. "Oh yeah. And you're really good now. Lighting up rows of candles and all."
"Exactly."
"Well, have fun." Michael saw Sakaki's eyes quickly roam down and take in the scene of Robin still latched onto his arm. More to his pal than to Robin, he added, "Ah, don't do anything too wild."
"Funny." Michael leaned forward and batted Sakaki's hand which prevented the door from closing. This move also eased him out of Robin's hold. He thought his cheeks warmed. Sakaki waved amiably until the elevator doors finally slid shut. No words were spoken during the trip down. When he and Robin were able to leave, Robin did not push him. She merely gestured in the direction of where the grand fountain stood near the STN-J's exit. The skylight from far above let in some light, and it reached even all the way to the ground below.
At the fountain, the little bird asked him to wait there while she fetched something. Michael nodded and watched her head to the exit. She pressed a panel on the wall and the massive stone doors slid open, revealing brilliant white light from the outside world. He squinted briefly. The sun was out. The sounds of traffic life floated over to him. Somewhere, someone pushed a rolling cart, its wheels squeaking. The auditory stimuli was a lure and he hesitantly felt himself getting reeled in. His feet moved closer to the noise.
The observing camera lens from the roof could not have felt more apparent than now as he inched closer to the wide open doors. He couldn't pass them, of course, but just to see anything beyond them...
Outside those doors, Robin was speaking with the doorman a couple feet away. He was a stout man who liked to read horoscopes. A friendly fellow, Michael heard from the others when they arrived in the office in the mornings. The inquisitive teen couldn't make out exactly what the two were chatting about, but he did spy a large box held by the handle in Robin's possession. It reminded him of an oversized bento box. Closing his eyes against what he considered blinding light, Michael breathed in once, very slowly and deeply. The warm air pooling around him made longing well up inside. He wasn't certain what for, but the emotion was there.
"Michael?" came the soft-spoken inquiry.
Michael opened his eyes, pulling himself out of his world of darkness. Robin was already at his side. She looked mildly curious. Behind her, the doorkeeper was clicking the numbered panel adjacent to the doors.
"I'm fine," he volunteered breathlessly. He turned his back to the tantalizing air. "Let's eat. That is food, isn't it?" He motioned to the rectangular carton.
"From Harry's. Specially created for today." She started back to the fountain.
Surprise raised Michael's eyebrows. She planned lunch early. "It must be good, then."
She smiled. "Isn't it always?"
He followed her, expecting the solid slam of the doors behind him. Nothing happened. They remained parted. He stopped. "What's going on with the entrance?"
Already at the fountain's edge, Robin set down the box. "I asked for the doors to stay open. Let some air in. I thought you would like the weather."
It hurt. The longing swelled again, nearly overwhelming Michael. Freedom. He craved freedom. He craved many things he didn't want to mentally list. His knees were practically shuddering at the one minute exposure to life outside the confines of the STN-J building. Who knew what would happen at two minutes? He shut his eyes. "That's nice of you, Robin, but I don't want it. Please... please close them."
He heard her reach into a large pocket of her billowy coat and pull out something. A square and flat thing was pushed into his hands. "I'll be back. Lay this out, will you?"
Michael opened his eyes, shook out the item and understood what it was when an edge of it fell open. A picnic blanket. How far did she plan this meal? he wondered with a rueful smile. The rumble of the doors began. By the time Robin returned, he had laid out the fabric at the fountain, set down the box, and made himself comfortable. "What did the great Master make?"
"Soup and sandwiches," Robin answered simply as she settled down across from Michael. "He told me most of his walk-in customers lately have ordered donuts and coffee for lunch. There's no creativity compared to sandwiches."
Michael begged to differ. Squiggles of icing on donut tops could be creative. He anticipated Robin's removal of tasty joys from the storage box with an unusual eagerness. Robin took out said food; a lidded cup of soup for each person, and sandwiches, precisely sliced in the centers. Michael inspected one of his halves, seeing the greens, pinks, and reds between the firm bread slices. "Hey, they're toasted!" he exclaimed delightfully. The detail was small, but he felt toasted bread should be important.
Robin handed him a can of soda. "See? Creativity." She pulled back the tab of a canned cappuccino for herself.
If there was anyone his age who habitually drank coffee, it was Robin. He only resorted to the caffeine bean when a late night on a case meant staying awake. "How do you stand that stuff?"
"I've gotten used to it. When I lived in Italy I didn't like it right away."
"I can't get used to drinking it no matter how much I try. Maybe that's a good thing."
A cute smile came from Robin. "Well, what would you drink with your morning donuts?"
Michael attempted to finish his sandwich. He consciously attempted not to talk with his mouth full. He remembered it was rude. "Juice. Milk. Water if there's nothing else. You don't get more basic than that in the mornings."
There came a chuckle. "Very true. Water also comes especially handy when donuts are stale."
They fell into silence which got Michael pondering as he watched her snacking away. "H-hey, Robin?"
"Yes?" Her round eyes met his. Michael suddenly felt silly at what he wanted to ask.
"Do you like to shop?" Girls liked to do that sort of thing, Michael recalled. Doujima seemed to do that more than Robin and Karasuma combined. She was always walking in the office with a bag of some sorts from the mall.
Robin's reply was unexpected. "Not really. When it comes to clothes I always take forever to find something I like."
Well, that was different. "I haven't heard a girl admit she doesn't like shopping!"
His comment made Robin look slightly taken aback. "You asked me."
"I know. I still think it's funny."
"I don't understand why it's such a funny thing. Is there a problem with disliking shopping?"
Michael lifted an incredulous eyebrow at her. "I take it you haven't shopped with Doujima yet?" When Robin shook her head, Michael smirked. "Oh, she's a shopper, all right. If you take a trip with her you'll get hooked. She's tried convincing Haruto to come along with her but he dodges her every time."
Robin nodded and the two of them fell silent. It was a nice kind of quiet. Despite the silence being silent, it didn't take on the stifling quality Michael felt when he was alone and not thinking of anything mission related. In the distance, Michael heard the heavy mechanical whirring of the elevator, indicating someone was coming down. He heard the door slide open, footsteps and soon spotted Sakaki approach them. He seemed substantially cheerier than when he first arrived at STN-J.
Sakaki stopped in front of them. "Hi again. This is lunch, huh?" He took in the sight of the spread of food.
"Sure is." A smile graced Robin's face. "Do you want to join us?"
"Is that ok?" Sakaki glanced at Michael for permission, the tiniest coyness passing his gaze. Interrupting a picnic for two, Michael could read his silent expression.
It wasn't like that, though. Not today. Eating with Robin was pleasurable, undoubtedly, but Michael felt being with a girl on his own to be a luxury. The last time he attended a picnic was too far away from his memory to recall. Anything remotely resembling an outing while confined inside this building was an event to share. In his case, the more people, the supremely merrier. The STN-J members were constantly leaving and entering like the ebb and flow of the ocean tide. If any one of them stayed for an insignificant few minutes, whether it be sharing a snack or passing by on their way to elsewhere, Michael relished that.
Michael indicated to the gourmet layout. "We've got snacks," he answered confidently, then he leaned over to the girl, slightly hesitant. He remembered he hadn't seen any sign of dessert. "Uh, there are snacks, aren't there?"
Robin patted the food container off to their side. "You will have to wait and see."
Michael was eager to see the sweet delights that awaited them. More so, he wanted this moment of simple delights. Random topics of conversation. Eye contact. Sharing a shard of his soul in the form of a compliment or complaint. Michael pointed to the empty spot next to him and stared up at his waiting friend with a mock frown to coerce him to sit.
Sakaki's eyes widened in mimicked fear at Michael's demand. He plunked himself down and saluted to the inviter. "Yessir, I'm sitting, sir! Would you like me to fetch you extra napkins? I'm at your disposal."
Michael couldn't stop laughing.
-- THE END --