Disclaimer: Randomcat23 does not own Psycho-Pass.
Akane kept her eyes closed even though sleep wasn't coming.
There could be no rest when the bed sheets smelled like him.
For years, she'd lit cigarettes and bathed in the smoke, let it burn her lungs and eyes. She'd conjured hallucinations and wrapped them around herself like a protective blanket. But here, finally in the same room again, it was killing her.
She'd ached for him and now they were within whispering distance and hadn't spoken about anything more than the war around them.
Akane flipped over to her other side, but quickly gave up the ruse. She pushed herself out of the bed and walked out to the balcony. Uneven shadows of stone building cut into the deep blue of the night sky. A breeze whipped through her hair and the small torches along the path below, replacing the combination of smoke and him with the lushness of the jungle. She held back a sneeze.
Kogami approached; apparently sleeplessness was contagious around here. They shared the silence and then he abruptly asked for her opinion about himself and Makashima.
Akane smirked and gave her answer, the flicker of the old Kogami warming her heart. Self conscious, but stubborn. The concern over his similarities to Makashima was new, but reassuring too. Her assurance of the two men's differences cut the fearful tension strung between his shoulders.
He crossed his arms, apparently satisfied.
Akane bit her lip.
Four years ago their meeting had struck her like lightning and she had come away marked and smoldering. They could talk about Makashima for hours and it would still leave her hollow. As much as she'd missed his voice, the content mattered too. She needed him to know she didn't come here for the terrorists.
Not entirely.
"I missed you," she admitted into the thick air. Akane dug her fingers into a crack in the wall. Out of the corner of her eye, she caught his flinch.
Her eyes burned.
Slowly, he nudged himself off wall and came to stand next to her. Kogami dropped to his elbows and teased, "Don't think I've ever seen an Inspector go so far to chase down a criminal."
Akane flushed. This was not work. She didn't get on a plane, fly hundreds of miles into hostile territory for work. Just like he didn't throw himself on top of her before an explosion out of duty.
Frustrated, she retorted, "What about a friend?"
He uncharacteristically fidgeted with his box of cigarettes. While flipping one through his fingers, he eyed the night with a stern frown. After some time he gruffly said, "Your friend's got to be some kind of asshole, making you come all the way out here."
Kogami lifted his head and a sad smirk ghosted across his features. Her chest tightened. Akane opened her mouth to protest, but before she could, the horizon lit up with fire.
They raced toward it and whatever fight it foretold, leaving the rest unsaid.
Author's Note: I recently rewatched the movie and, as much as I love it, the plot never slows down enough for the characters to have these kinds of moments. It isn't much, but I would have loved to see something this.
There will be three chapters total; one each for Akane, Kogami, and Gino.
Please let me know what you think!-randomcat23