"Another day of work." He paused, thinking to himself. "We haven't had a case in a while. Strange."
When he opened the door, he was greeted by a depressed Togusa who was cosseting his 9mm, watching something on the television.
"Know where the Major is?" Batou asked gruffly. Togusa nodded toward the dining area and Batou nodded back to him, heading to the table. There she sat, her purple hair messy no doubt from a long night's work. In her hand was a modern-looking blue mug. Her jacket was off and her eyes were half-open.
"I didn't know cyborgs drank coffee."
She watched him carefully, eyeing the papers he was clutching.
"New assignment?" she asked cautiously.
"No, not to worry. You can have a full day's sleep for now."
She smiled at him. He reached over and grabbed her mug, taking a swig of the coffee. He handed it back. She looked him over softly. Softly, or she was just extremely tired. Batou rose and began rifling through the cabinets in search of something to eat.
"We've been in this together for a long time now," she said suddenly. He looked up, his mouth slightly open, mildly surprised. He closed it, smiling.
"I guess so. You've always been my Motoko."
She chuckled appreciatively at his comment. Batou continued pondering on this, sifting through cereal boxes in the cupboard. He looked up, having found something suitable, and spoke.
"Have you ever wondered if we're on the wrong side, though, Major?" He bit his lip, surveying her look of suspicion. "I'm not trying to get you into a conversation of philosophy, Motoko. I'm just wondering." He paused, waiting for an answer. There was none. "You know, there did use to be a time when individuality was cherished and the net was nonexistent. I think that --" He broke off, looking furious.
"Motoko! Get that thing out of your neck panel!" he commanded, noticing that she'd put a data chip in and was paying much more attention to that than to him. "Are you even listening?"
She looked up absently, grinning. "Oh. Yes, of course."
He hurried over to her and began fiddling with the chip, intending to remove it from the panel. She stood up quickly, blocking his attempts.
"If you were listening, what was I even talking about?" he demanded.
She laid a hand on his shoulder. "Something about the net being cherished." He breathed out through his nose angrily.
"Shit, Motoko, you're too busy with what you're doing to even notice any sort of intellectual conversation."
"Oh, Batou, you're so... staunch. Lighten up a bit." With that, she stood on her toes and pecked him on the cheek, exiting through the dining area door. He sighed, leaning against the counter, somewhat perplexed. He still loved her, though.