Disclaimer: I do not own Psycho-Pass or the characters.
Rated T
Summary: He has a peaceful expression with absolutely no worries or fears right now; this is how it always should be… It's how it used to be before we got into this work… Gino is delicate and graceful while I'm the tough and sturdy one, if only he could see what I see when I look at him though…
Already past two and yet it feels like this shift will never end while we are over our head with paper work and untouched case files to give us work for the next two weeks and that's not counting any upcoming case that might turn up unexpectedly. The Enforcers have already returned to their quarters for the day, it's not division one on call duty today anyhow and besides they've finished writing up their report of yesterday's case so I don't see why keeping them in the office doing nothing would be beneficial so we allowed them to retire early for today.
A light thump to my left catches my attention as I quickly look towards the sound only to find Gino finally having succumbed to exhaustion, his head in his arms sleeping. He's completely out of it; it's actually surprising that he hasn't crashed sooner. The last few cases have been pretty rough, both physically and mentally but in all honesty Gino works himself too hard if he keeps this up I'm afraid that he might end up burning himself out.
I return my attention back to my computer screen, putting the finishing touches on my last report before sending it to Gino so he can send it to the Chief later once he's done writing up his.
The soft notification melody of his computer alerts me that he received my email causing Gino to stir a little but nothing more much to my relief. With that done, I close my computer and roll my chair next to his to see what he managed to do before passing out. He pretty much did the major part of the report; he managed to write more than half of it and considering how dead tired he was what he managed to write is well written too.
He can yell at me later if he wants to but he deserves some rest, I'm not going to wake him up so I might as well finish his report so he doesn't worry his ass off and besides it's not every day I get to see him sleeping like this. I'll definitely cherish this moment.
I carefully slide him a bit; careful not to wake him up so I can get more room to work. Yeah he's totally out cold, I think the whole building could collapse and he'd still be sleeping. For Gino to be this tired, he really has been working himself too hard. I honestly don't remember seeing him this tired before, this job might be a little too much for him in the long run but I can't bring myself to tell him that. Gino has worked so hard to get here, that's all he ever wanted. I can't crush his pride like that so it's up to me to take the large load on my shoulders without him noticing. Gino has enough to carry as it is, I'll take the rest now.
I carefully remove Gino's glasses just in case it would cause him discomfort, I really don't want him to wake up yet. I know the moment he does, he'll push himself five times harder and I can't let him to that to himself. He's smart but he's so clueless on so many levels. He pushes himself not so he can get recognition from the top brass; he pushes himself just so he can get pops' recognition and approval. That idiot fails to see that he's got it from day one.
Finishing his report was a piece of cake but halfway through I forgot that I forgot to write it so it looks like his work and not mine so I had to redo it all and write it again. It's a good thing that I know Gino so well otherwise I wouldn't be able to copy him so perfectly. The chief won't even be able to tell the difference and the reports are only due tomorrow so even if he doesn't send them today it won't matter.
After revising what I wrote just to make sure I didn't miss anything and Gino didn't miss anything either, I saved the completed report and gathered all the enforcers' reports they had sent to Gino earlier and inserted each one in a compressed file including both of ours, ready to send to the chief at any time. All Gino would have to do was simply send it directly. He's going to nag about how I should have woke him up instead of doing his work for him but he'll appreciate the gesture none the less even though he'll never admit it out of pride.
Once I'm done I get up to go get the upcoming case files we'll be working on in the next couple of days and make my way back to my chair. I open up a file as I run my free hand into Gino's hair while I start reading what the case is about.
This case is rather an odd one and I'm not exactly sure what we'll be able to do to solve it. At the marine aquarium down town Tokyo, the owner is claiming that someone has been stealing his fishes every night for the last week but by the security camera footage they haven't been able to catch the culprit in action. There are no signs of forced entry or anything of the sort but there is no denying that he's losing fishes though in his tank and from another tank of only corals, the corals itself have been slowly disappearing as well. It's definitely odd, that's without a doubt but exactly what is really happening at night and why steal a bunch of fish and coral? What's the motive?
I hear Gino stir again, I run my hand through his hair and I take my eyes off the file for a few second just to admire him. He has a peaceful expression with absolutely no worries or fears right now; this is how it always should be… It's how it used to be before we got into this work… Gino is delicate and graceful while I'm the tough and sturdy one, if only he could see what I see when I look at him though…
I turn back my attention to the Missing Marine case and continue looking through every little detail and quite honestly I don't see much of a case. I don't see how someone can just steal a bunch of fish every night and not get caught by the security cameras and not to mention the street scanners pretty much surrounds the area. Whoever is breaking into the building at night just to steal some exotic fish and corals would get flagged right away and it's just not the case here.
It's just impossible… But it's our job to go and investigate anyway. It be a good case to work on tomorrow, it would be calm and way more relaxing compared to the one we did yesterday. Gino could use a much simpler case; actually we all could use a break from all the heavy ones we've been taking as of late and this one would be perfect.
Yeah that's the one we'll be doing tomorrow that's for sure without a doubt… We'll be able to have a better idea about what is really going on at the Aquarium at night on site. However, I'm not completely convinced that the culprit is human though. I think I have an idea who's making the fishes disappear by looking at the photo we've been provided. I'm not certain but it looks like the tank right next to the tank that the fishes have been disappearing from is the home of an octopus and if so there's your culprit. They are known to being able to do incredible things so it wouldn't surprise me if that would be the answer but it doesn't explain why the corals are disappearing though…
I give a quick glance at the clock, already four thirty-five. Our shift is going to end in less than half an hour it sure is about time if you ask me… I close the file before taking the other ones as I get up placing them on my desk, only leaving the Missing Marine case file on Gino's desk. I give a quick glance towards Gino; good he's still fast asleep. I walk back to him as I run my hand through his hair again before shutting down his computer and then I walk away as silently as I can making my way to the lounge to get both of us a cup of coffee.
I remember the first time Gino had coffee; it was when we were at the university training to become inspectors and I had practically forced him to do an all-nighter. The next day I brought him coffee to wake him up. I brought him a black coffee but I didn't tell him that knowing full well that it would taste extremely bitter so when he took a sip his expression was priceless. It was hilarious and he nearly choked on how awful it tasted but I couldn't stop laughing to even help him. It was hilarious and he didn't talk to me all day for that little joke but it passed quick enough and we laughed about it later.
How time sure flies, it feels just like yesterday we were still in high school talking about our dreams for the future and not being too sure how we would make it and then we graduated at the top of our class allowing us to pursue a career in the Ministry of Welfare for the Criminal Investigation Department. Five years later and here we are full fledge inspectors with five more years to go until we get a promotion but this job wasn't all what we thought it be that's for sure.
In this society we grow up thinking that crimes are a minimum that they must hardly exist but it couldn't be further from the truth. In reality the crime rate hasn't dropped, the only thing that the Sybil system was able to give us was a better lifestyle according to our aptitudes and to show someone's mind, to see how likely they are to commit a crime and how low they've fallen to the point of no return.
I honestly can't say if Gino really loves this system or not, he has never said anything about it but I don't think he trusts the system completely either even though if I'd ask him he'd deny it in a heartbeat. The constant fear of his hue becoming clouded and thus becoming a latent criminal just like pops is always in the back on his mind, eating him away piece by piece a little bit at a time. I'll be damn if I let Gino become a latent criminal, hell I'd be damn if I allow Gino to get a single scratch on him.
In my five years of being an inspector I quickly learned that the Sybil System is only good depending on who you ask. For someone like me who got it made by qualifying to work in the MWPSB, I can't complain. It's a well-paying job with great benefits and a bright future but others aren't so lucky. To Sybil these people have nothing; they were given lowly jobs with minimum pay and no way of living a comfortable life. They have to work hard every day just to get by while they see their hues get cloudy and there is nothing they can do until they become latent criminals. That's the Sybil System, is far from being perfect like many think.
My way back to the office was quiet as I held both cup of coffee in my hands. Gino still sleeping when I entered, I see that he must have stirred a bit again but he still has that peaceful expression. I walk over to him, placing the hot cup on his desk right next to his glasses. I run my hand through his hair again, my fingers gently taking the soft sensation of each strand; he couldn't be more perfect right now. I allow my hand to go down the back his neck and to his shoulder, gently shaking him to wake him up. He starts stirring at my action and when I'm satisfied that I've woken him up I walk away turning off the lights before looking back at Gino as he starts to wake up and I can't help but smile as I exit the office.