Eiko and Ai head out to do some shopping. Hiro is too sleepy to join, staying home to the watchful care of his uncles.

Except that they had just come from a bar that evening.

And a drunk Futaro is quite an unpleasantly.

Warning; a touch of angst/hurt. Or A platter of it.

Enjoy.

"You're overdoing it."

"Don't…tell me...what to do."

"He's gone, Dashi, might as well let him go."

"Around you all, I don't even have the time to let go-"

"Excuse me! Can we have another round?"

Tadashi groaned. Haku waved over to the barista as she went to get more drinks not while flustering as Shiba sent her a wink. Which they honestly don't need with one of their members already intoxicated and slurring throughout words.

Their forensic scientist was face flat on the table tapping the table for more ammo.

"This is the last one Futaro, or else I'll send you outside." He warned him.

Lifting his head slowly to grin his direction, a couple of hairs revealing a glance of his eye color, a challenging smirk stretches his lips.

"Think you can take me on?"

"Watch me."

Futaro chuckles. He knows it's just the alcohol talking, but Futaro is a provoker in any way. He doesn't need eyes to tell him that.

Simply, that damn grin.

Tadashi holds his stare before a hand playfully comes in between them like a knife cutting the tension.

"Now, now, children, this isn't how we start a bar fight." Shiba chimed, amused of the scene escalating before them. But he's aware no move will be made.

Tadashi knows it'll get nowhere.

Even if he can throw him into the snow outside.

"Haha, man, going out drinking never changes, huh?"

Haku had his serving of burgers and junk food wrappings around. A few empty glasses next to him spoke volumes for any bystander watching them. The youngest currently had another glass in his hands and was poking Futaro's head.

Haku could hold his liquor quite well. But Tadashi is more proud of the fact that he knows not to override his alcohol.

Unlike a certain hidden eyed scientist who goes mayhem every damn time.

He sighed. "Yes. It never changes. And I suppose it never will." With a defeating tone, he inwardly hid the pleasant feelings of spending time with one another on the inside.

"A shame because you love us." Shiba winks.

"You wish." He glared.

The barista returns with more glasses. Tadashi takes one simply because of the effort the barista went through into getting more for them. Shiba continued his nonsense flirting as Haku took more and placed them next to Futaro,

-Who really should stop drinking. He screams internally for every minute he gets up.

Before he even turns to warn him again, he drunk down two shot glasses immediately.

Haku cheers for him as Shiba raised an eyebrow for his impressive tolerance against being technically dead by now.

Futaro stood tall with a straight line mouth as everyone patiently waits for the results of what's left for his mentality. He stood straight, then began swaying back and forth,

And his head nestles on Tadashi's shoulder. He murmurs and groans next to his shirt collar. He doesn't yank him off like he should. Warming him against his better judgment and now he's using him as a pillow. He signed as the other two looked so amused.

"And now, he's gone." Shiba confirmed. Taking a shot in one gulp and rearranged the cups neatly, stacking them for the barista to arrive. He always did that in a bar. Never being the one to make messes. He was a cook himself so he self respected the dining table.

"Aww, but he almost broke his high score….." Haku whined. "Funs over, I guess." He took the few remaining glasses and his eyes brightened.

"Hey….If I drunk down three shots-you think Futaro would respawn-"

"Do that and I'll throw you out the window."

Futaro mumbles in his shoulder, his hair covering hiding eyes for eternity and gently touching his white shirt.

"Pfft. I wasn't serious, Tadashi." Haku waved him off.

He doubts that. Completely.

"I just thought it was a cool idea. I'm pretty sure Ishiro would agree."

He narrowed his eyes. No. Ishiro would warn you before he leaves you to your bidding, he gravely thinks.

"Speaking about Ishi, is it really taking us that long to just get us the case?"

The case again. Tadashi goes over the information that was just released for the entire investigation units. A team in the investigations department didn't have any luck finding a serial killer whose going around destroying families and living in their homes after they have been dealt with. It's an unusual case.

It started 3 months ago. A total of 8 families have been lost to their unknown person of interest. If a case gets attention from the media and or drags on, then all hands are on deck. But of course, their leader decided to hand this case to their team. A risk he always takes.

A risk they all want to dominate.

"At the moment, it's likely the department thinks 3 squad teams will be efficient to track them down."

Haku opens his mouth in awe before shouting. "What?! We can handle this! It's not like we haven't done this before."

"Yeah. But remember that this was someone's else case. Ishi just needs to convince them that he can close it before the year ends." Shiba reminded him.

"Well he better do it soon. I'm itching for at least some solid evidence."

"Patience Haku, trust in Ishiro for a sec. I know we'll get this." Shiba assured him patting his back. His eyes drift to Futaro, still limp on Tadashi's shoulder.

"When are you going to peel him off?"

"The second Ishiro calls is the moment I show him he should listen."

Shiba smirked. A phone rings with loud Kpop song as Haku jolts and fumbles into the pocket of his hoodie. He excuses himself, his tone more hushed, probably speaking with his girlfriend. The barista comes back and Shiba collects the glasses for her. The two are conversing about handmade drinks and implied inappropriateness that he drowns out in his mind. Futaro slowly lift his head from his shoulder.

"Your still sober..." Tadashi narrows his eyes.

He chuckles. "Not quite. I'm getting quite good at this you know." His bangs are messy and loose around the frame of his nose and cheeks. He looks flushed with pink hue dusting his cheekbones. His lips are in a wary smile.

Still full of mirth he bets. But not quite as entertained.

Before he opens his mouth, Futaro gets up and stretches, as if the overstimulation of the alcohol wasn't there to begin with. "I'm going to loosen up." In his stride his legs wobble and sway, but the muscles on his shoulders are paced forward. Tense.

So he still has a brain in there, he mused.

At least he doesn't need a babysitter.

Tadashi eyes the glasses on the table. More then 30 shot glasses were passed around. They usually wouldn't go this high in the evening but Fuatro made a mess of himself today.

Through the corner of his eye, the second youngest of the group opens the door to get some fresh air. The cold wind blow against his pale skin, his hair moves along with it, offering on the tiniest feature of his pale eyelashes.

Tadashi stares too long at the door after he's gone. A forbidden silence overtakes the area. Shiba, the Batista, Haku around the corner, and some of the other residents inside, are put on mute. His eyes wonder to the silhouette standing still outside, and then paces around the font as it slowly fades away into the dark. He continues to stare even when the scientist is gone for a whole 3 minutes.

The sound of a footsteps comes near him, he head swiftly turns to the left in blink of an eye as he meets the stranger coming his way. The woman jumps, noticing her nametag, she's here to give him something, possibly the bill.

"I'll be taking that." He holds out his hand towards the paper still in her pocket, clutched by her hands before she opens her mouth to notify him about. The woman takes a second to register his hand before she fumbles and meekly hands him the bill. She immediately hurries away. Throughout the corner of his eye, the other female staff were warily staring at him.

"Sorry ladies, he's usually not like that." In a flash, the female staff's attention is all on their team's womanizer. He hears the woman ask about him, to where Shiba only waves it off saying he's not interested. Aside from the minimal talk, his concern over being approachable is the least of his concerns.

He's a detective, trained to see early signs. Case or not.

His eyes drift back to the frost covered windows near the door, he just recognized a familiar silhouette. But the person outside was not coming back in. He sighed. Getting up from his comfortable position, he opens the door and meets the sharp haze of the cold air threatening to pierce his skin. His eyes dart from side to side, then to the snow. A trail of footsteps leads to the side of the bar's alleyway, he marches to the narrow area between two buildings on the left.

And there he is.

Futaro is unconscious in the snow, his body limp and his breathing turned hoarse. The scientist's hair is disheveled and spread across the snow.

It's easy to miss him. His pale and white body in the frost.

Tadashi stares. His eyelashes flutter as he sighs.

He eyes the remainder of the team through the windows, inside conversing and warming their selves up by heat and alcohol.

And one of them breathes in the winter air like a newborn.

He shakes his head and lifts up Futaro in his arms.

Now matter how many times he's done this, his lips are sealed from the others. Futaro's head is limp as he whimpers, the dry streaks down his jawline are disappearing.

Tadashi's tired eyes stare straight into the open winter of the streets in front of him. Stern yet soft towards his brother in his arms.

"You really are overdoing it."

The ride back to Ishiro's apartment is really confusing.

But Futaro keeps his mouth shut. He was asleep during the first half of the ride and had just woken up to the news that's they had to make sure their nephew was looked after as he slept The dizziness and numbness are screaming for him to relax, but he refuses to get some shut-eye. In the backseat of his truck, he eyes Tadashi threw his bangs. Ever with his eyes on his road, Tadashi simply flickers in his direction for a second while having them back on the road.

Trust the man who drives like he has eyes behind his head.

He hummed, his lips twitching a smile in place.

The parent figure of the group always knows what's with him.

Well, not entirely.

But he refuses to be caught. What's the point in being an open book? Can't have too much fun when you're every move is predicted.

"Say, you sure you're okay?"

Haku looks at with his giant confusing eyes. Haku tackled him with countless questions to why his body was like a refrigerator the moment he awoke in the car. He managed to cut him off saying he was fine. But maybe he's been snarling. The upcoming migraine from the numbness is giving him a warning in a sign of his teeth clenching. The youngest stares straight at him. No blinking. He really does look like puppy sometimes…

"I'm fine."

"He always says that when he's not, Haku." Shiba countered with head titled at Haku. Buzzkill number two finally decided to chew him out. And that's usually Ishiro's spot.

Well then.

"Buzz off Shiba. I'm just drunk." Irritation sprouted from his attitude. He hadn't mean to sound harsh…the numbness-no, pain- is beating him.

"If that's true, then why was your temperature below the normal percentage?" The scolding from the mother hen of the group bit him hard.

He chuckles, his riveting migraine starts as he continues to stay awake.

"What if I'm just cold blooded?"

"Last time I checked, snakes can't make it in the winter."

Shiba arched his eyebrows, his narrow eyes challenging him to go on. "And you've got a bruise on your forehead. I managed to clean that up for you." He mumbled a light sarcastic your welcome as he turned around, his hesitant eyes still watching him through the front glass of the car.

He blinks. His hand lightly touches the spot on above his eyebrow. So the bruise was making him feel faint. How did he…

The events of the walk outside the bar spiral out of control as he clutches his head.

"I think you should lay down once we get there." Haku suggests. He's still looking at him with those eyes of his...

He tries to tell Haku he's fine before he cuts him off.

"Shiba took out the first aid kit the moment he saw you. He didn't let me see anything and Tadashi and him fought about what happened to you outside."

The news over takes the entire atmosphere, as if the silent ride with his migraines, or numbed pain, wasn't enough. He hadn't notice the moment he woke up that Tadashi hasn't told anyone what happened to him. And Shiba, as the co medic alongside him, must have been infuriated at the their vice leader keeping information from them. The brief eye contact Shiba would make with Tadashi looked cold and anxious.

He had been worrying them and now its eating his gut. Great.

He breathed in slowly. A hand slowly grabs his shoulder.

"Dude, your gonna relax and that's that."

Haku's determined round eyes don't hold fire. Imstead it's one from a hearth. Something he always admired in his younger brother.

He gave them, his team all eyeing him with an leveled yet worried gaze, a wary grin.

"Alright, alright. I'll take it easy," cracking into a full grin,

"But just to let you know, I'm totally fine"

He laughs as Tadashi shakes his head and Shiba throws his hands in the air. Haku, to his delight, grins with him.

"Do you need any medication? Maybe a glass of water? You can take the guest room or even our room if you want-"

"Ai, don't spoil him. Just let him take the couch."

Shiba tried to reason with a worried Ai after Futaro fell face flat onto their apartment floor. Ai screamed in surprised as Tadashi quickly pulled him up onto his feet. The group, except for a tired Futaro leaning on the couch, explained the events at the bar. She immediately was apologizing from taking time away from their outing but Tadashi said the fun had to stop sometime soon.

Haku went upstairs earlier to check up on Hiro. Suddenly they heard an exclamation of surprise and a female yelp.

Someone's here? Futaro glances up at the three checking in the direction of the stairs.

"Who's here?" Tadashi turned to Ai.

"Ah well since Ishiro took the car, Eo invited me to help me with some of the shopping."

Shiba looks shocked, "Eo is here?" His face is genuinely curious as he stares at the top of the stairs. It's the different kind of curious from his delight with other girls. The voices from upstairs get louder as footsteps tapping the wood get nearer. Coming down is an apologetic Haku and the only female member that was apart of their team.

"I didn't mean to scare you like that, Eo…" He nervously chuckled, rubbing a hand behind his neck.

"I'm more concerned to what would have happened if Hiro woke up. You have to quieter next time."

Dressed in a pink leather jacket with dark jeans was another female detective from the investigation department, Eo Shirogane (Eosinophil), sister of the 7th investigation squad leader. The blonde haired woman as usual had her pigtails in place as she walked towards the group.

"Ah, you all are here already. Evening." She tips her hat to greet them. Her golden eyes reach Tadashi in a light manner of a nod, which Tadashi returns. But once her eyes meet Shiba, they shine as she says hello.

There's always been a connection between the two. They all knew Eo when she was child, acting as a baby sister to them all. But one of them went out of there way to get closer. Shiba always took care of his hair, so it was no exception that one day when he met a pretty little girl who would share their childhood with them, that he would braid and nurture her hair and talk with the pleasantries he would with girls just to make them feel better.

And that was a good thing. Eo doesn't get rewarded as much. And though she may not be apart of their team anymore, Shiba would always paint a smile on her face before its clouded with doubt in herself.

It's a long minute before they start chatting, Eo and Shiba going at it, surprisingly not at the level of flirting, that he can clearly see Shiba holding back, but like friends who are too afraid to make a move. Futaro slips a grin as Tadashi steered Ai away from his teammates to give them privacy. Ai simply complies blinking as she's bring dragged. The two had always been close.

But how close is up to Shiba and what imagination he's brewing.

His head stings. From the middle of his forehead comes a pain hitting his nerves. He clenches his teeth. He's in sight at the moment. He'll check it later, he thinks. The throb of numbness wants otherwise.

"He didn't sleep throughout the entire day. We went to so many places this week and his couldn't stay still. I doubt he'll wake up anytime soon." Ai reassured the group.

"Its fine. We'll be on the lookout after your gone." Tadashi nods.

"Yeah, go enjoy yourselves! Hiro must have kept you up some nights, right? Haku chuckles.

"You ladies can get yourself something nice." He winks. Ai only smiles as Eo blushes.

Oh, so it went to a certain somebody….

They were about to say their goodbyes, Futaro lazily waved them as he layed his head against a nearby pillow, Haku hugging them both in a bear hug since he rarely saw them, as Shiba and Tadashi stood afar with small smiles.

"Make sure to take care of my favorite nephew." Eo teased. They all knew she loved that kid to death. One wrong move, and she'd disarmed them with her baton of hers. Which he sees as more a long spear, really.

"I'm pretty sure he's your only nephew."

"I meant what I said." She threw him a warning look. He stretches his lips wide. She shook her head, a playful tug on her lips appear. "I hope you feel better."

"Thanks."

And there out the door. The next couple of minutes is Haku and him watching TV. Tadashi makes sure he everyone's in place and in his eye range. Shiba scrolls through his phone. Something about his media page or whatever. After a few minutes of Tadashi getting Shiba's attention, conversing about a subject he can't specifically make out, the second leader heads out, announcing to check up on Hiro.

The stairs creak in his exit, and they do, Shiba puts his phone down, "Oi, Haku."

His teammate next to him was too engrossed in the TV to even look his way. "Yeah?"

"Now's a good time to call your girlfriend."

Haku blinks. His confusion is amusing to see. But slowly, his eyes pop open. "Oh! Your right!" He gets up from the couch in a spring action, "I'll be right back!" leaving not before giving him a hopeful grin as he head a into the kitchen.

Shiba couldn't see, but Futaro raised his eyebrow to him. "A splendid tactic. You could have just asked to talk to me."

"Hush you." His only teammate still left in the room came towards him, making himself comfortable on the couch. Shiba takes out something some his pocket. A container full of pills. He frowns.

"Tadashi already handed me some."

"These are for the pain, not for your crazy alcoholism."

His lips curve, holding a dry restraint. "Thanks mom."

Shiba sighed. "Shut up and take them."

Already knowing the knowledge of pain mediation, he's a doctor for an investigation team of course, he swallows a pill as quick as he drunk his beer today. Shiba arched an eyebrow.

"You could have waited till I brought out something for you to drink?"

"Now you see, that was your fault for not having it with you in the first place."

"And let us not forget your own fault for that bruise."

Just as he mentions it, the pain starts up. He reaches for another pill until Shiba swipes it away.

"It'll be fine. One pill should abstain. You need to rest."

His eyes show no room debate. But he's not the one to listen.

"I can still keep going. I'll sleep later."

"Futaro."

It was like a warning growl. It had taken him a moment to realize that his anxious eyes never softened. Never had left his sight the moment he sat with him. The black pools of stubborn protectiveness never faltered their walls. His muscles look too stiff and his hair, for a rare occasion, was tousled instead of neat.

"What happened to you?"

The silent minute seemed to go on for hours. He tried to open his mouth.

But the painful veil of the truth swallows him. His pride.

Its painful enough as it is to approach the topic. His head automatically draped down. He couldn't look at him directly. Shiba being a mother hen in the worst form was a hard block.

But he's still waiting for an answer.

"I was walking. Hurt myself when I wasn't looking. That's it."

His throat feels tight as Shiba looked at him carefully. No, not at his face, at his thin mouth he was trying to suppress from frowning.

It was the only feature his team could get a signal from him.

He heard him finally sighed. "God, your annoying to deal with," Shiba grumbled. Standing up to walk simply three steps and halting. His back was to him, but the window gives him the access.

"Keep your secrets. But when one of us is down, I'm the one to take up the injures. I don't care how small it is, I'm not having any broken men on my team."

The word broken stings him with guilt and pain. Broken, he thinks,

Is quite a word. A damned one.

Shiba clutches his hand in a fist. "Don't derail me of my position," He stated, silently pleading him to reason.

"I won't," Futaro hastily responded.

A silence stood upon them again. Futaro loathes it.

"Thanks. For the medicine."

"No problem." Shiba says in a hushed tone, as if he was holding his breath. "Now sleep or I'll get Tadashi." The corner is his lips curve.

Futaro chuckles. And Haku arrives back between the two with a big knowing grin on his face.

The kid's room was rather nice. He could sleep here.

He had just wanted to see the kid once before he had some shut eye. Tadashi and Shiba insisted he stay put, but Haku mentioned it was their job as babysitters to check up on him, adding a hesitant reminder that Futaro should still sleep. Tadashi had went downstairs. The usual stern and bossy voice told him he had only a few minutes and that's that.

A real bummer he is, he chuckles to himself.

Futaro glances around the dark room once more of the sleeping boy. Besides his bed, was decorations and décor made and established by loving parents anyone could ask for. A rocky wooden horse stood on the left, with small light wooden cabinets and drawers next the wall. A miniature shelf with large childlike picture books were stacked homely with a family of elephant plushies. Most of his toys, the blocks and the strong structured dinosaurs, were in the living room. The soft pastels of white and red, with tints of orange and blue, warmly colored the room in the faint dark.

Hiro slept soundly in a puffy white toddler bed with grey and blue sheets of elephants painting the wool. His small body was curled, his tiny hands clutching the blanket underneath and draped over him as he snores softly in the velvet pillows.

Futaro eyes landed on a mirror he hadn't seen before, one hanged on the wall above the drawers. Taking the wall mirror in his grasp, he titled it in his direction, coming up the eye level with his face. In the faint room, his fingers danced along the glass, tracing the lines of his mirrored self as if he was painting.

Slowly, his nails dig the picture.

What stood in front of him was man with white hair, only a smile to behold.

His fingertips leave the glass, and unravel their way to the locks of white hair in between his eyes.

And pushes them away.

The glint always annoys him. As if it's trying to persuade him after all these years of disgust. The wound in on his forehead is dry, the area above his nose is ghastly. Like a brick was collided and shredded his skin as it smashed his head.

The wound is not the problem.

No. It's the terrible sight imprinted on him since the day he remembers.

The sharp strips of terrible memories cross with his soulless eyes as if claws gashed him in a terrible night. The scars make him look undead next to his pale skin. His soulless grey eyes held pools of cold black liquor drained from life. His fingertips brush and trace the old wounds, circling around the new wound very carefully.

From the top, he his tips meet the beginning,

And swiftly motion across to the end of the lines.

Like a dagger that once was ready to strike.

The forensic scientist of the 7th investigation squad, who analyzes the corpses of the victims in every case, who makes sure to figure out the time and death, who decides how their lives were physically taken,

Cannot bear to view his own living corpse.

A soft murmur shivered through the room, Futaro halts and turns to the source of the noise. The sleeping boy in bed trembled as a whimper shook his body. Hiro had a pained expression, his lips quivered. His tiny hands clutched into fists around the blanket.

Moving automatically and slowly towards the little 3 year old, Futaro softly rubbed his back in tiny circles. The sensation made Hiro loosen the lines around his eyes. The boy's hands are still clutching. Leaving his back, he softly cradled the tiny hand into his and eased his fingers apart with the patience of blooming flower.

Hiro jolted. The boy stiffened and alarmed him that he might wake up-

Until Hiro nestled his blood frosted hair into the comfort of his pillows once more.

Futaro's heart went back to normal pace.

Even with the discomfort gone, his hand nestled in his dual colored hair and washed away all the attempts of bad nightmare.

"Your not allowed to have nightmares, kid."

He sits next to boy yet far enough from his seat in the middle. His eyes dart to the mirror hanging on the wall. His dreaded view eyes him as he stares back.

"At least…not right now."

His teeth clenched. The ignored wound comes once more. But the tired after effects take place. The dizziness hit him like a hurricane. Now he knows that if he doesn't rest, he might actually die.

Pleasing himself with the joking thought, a distraction to wear off the pain, the dark room shook before him. His body pressed against the bed as his head met the end of the pillow. The last sight he sees if the white and red hair moving, the golden eyes blinking…

The 3 year old awoke from a grunt and nightmare. It wasn't a specific dream, more or less images of darkness that scared him.

Hiro Shirogane hates the dark.

The worried eyes blink frantically, still too tired he slowly lifted his head from the pillow.

Then the bed creeks. The child blinks as it feels like the bed sinking. After it lifts up, the Hiro groggily turns around with half lidded eyes to see something right next to him. The three year old knows there's somebody right next to next him, but it's too dark to see who it is.

Tiny hands fly to touch the face next to him. Hiro silently wondered who it was.

A light randomly shimmers from the a nearby window. But it isn't strong against the curtain guarding glass. It's faint light glimmers on the two bodies on the toddler bed.

The little boy recognizes his uncle next to him.

"Futo!"

But the forensic scientist doesn't budge at the child's hands shaking him. After a few futile attempts on trying to wake him, Hiro starts playing with the sleeping's man hair. A habit of playing with his father's hair had been set in stone since day one. And he rarely had a chance to ruffle this certain uncle's hair.

Tiny hands dance between the hair above his uncles face.

And then he lifts up to see his sleeping face-

His jaw opens.

Not in the surprised and bewildered take, but in the curious wonderment of awe the child takes a full minute to register what he's seeing.

He doesn't know what they're called.

But he's seen them before.

His little mind goes back to the small flashes of the same things on his father's chest from some time ago. He remembers his mother's worries voice she did something when she saw them.

Instinctively, Hiro's small fingers trace the red lines near the closed eyes. A bit of hair covers the parts of the middle in between his eyes. His small fingers swoop the white hair away and freeze at the sight of big bruise in the middle that make him gasp. This time horrifically.

"Hurt? Futo is hurt."

The boy didn't know how to feel. Hurt is bad. He thinks. Hurt doesn't feel good. His mom said to always be careful.

Because every time he gets hurt, his mother arrives to make it all go away.

And by how, Hiro thinks, as he remembers her remedies of making him feeling better, is what he should do for his uncle.

Leaning close, he places a small peck on the ghastly colored wound.

Unknown to the boy, the older man's eye twitches.

Still in place near his head, he wraps his arms around him. Hiro yawns as he returns to slumber once more, inching closer to the other and holding on to dear life.

Not wanting to let his uncle get hurt, he shields over him like a guardian.

Snap!

The uncontrollable flashes of Shiba's camera phone keeps at it for a good 30 minutes.

Tadashi simply sighs.

Haku is just in awe with his jaw low and requests if he can join in too,

Which Tadashi immediately declines his request.

"This is going to be so good on the feed." Despite talking about his social media page, Tadashi heard the inkling of promising blackmail in the venom of Shiba's voice.

Haku points at the two sleeping figure in bed, "So….are we going to leave them like that?"

Just a half an hour ago, Tadashi had went to check up on Futaro since he had overstayed his welcome in Hiro's room, he went to properly come get him.

Only to see that he's made comfortable sleeping arrangements in a three year olds room.

He stood there for a good few minutes, before going back and announcing that Futaro was out like a light, making Shiba and Haku run the for Niles just to see where he had taken sleep in. Shiba tried to muffle his laughter as first, knowing full well not the wake the kid up. Haku had awed by the scene but became needy to join in seeing that there was still a lot of room in the puffy toddler bed.

However, in all awareness, their teammate had finally relaxed.

The view was comforting, or at least peacefully. The child of their friend was cuddling with their forensic scientist. And at some point, he suspects, Futaro's arm met Hiro's small body to curl around him. The both of them were nestled with one another, seeking warmth as if they were guarding the other.

Amusingly, the little boy had his hands in his hair too, almost as if to help hide what's already hidden.

Tadashi simply shook his head.

"Ai is going to love these." Shiba grinned, moving his fingers in rapid speed doing god knowing what with the multiple pictures he took.

"They make a good wallpaper, don't they?" Haku teased.

The two were coming up with various ways to spread the pictures across. He almost pitied Futaro's reputation after today. Tadashi concentrated on the sleeping pair than of the whispers behind him. Futaro lips were longer in glee or in forced in a thin line.

They were loose and parted, in a breathing comfort next the sleeping child. The tense muscles of before are faded,

His mask had dropped.

It was expected in sleep. But the sight had soften his eyes and in some place he dared not to say out loud. He let out a breath of relief.

His team is way too taxing.

But the end results of the most problematic and personal results…,

Tend to want him to wear his heart on his sleeve. Just a bit.

A creak and mighty push opens the entrance door from below, "We're home!" A voiced rang out. Haku, ever excited and jumping in literal joy, pointed at Shiba's phone, "Let me go show her!"

"Sure, knock yourself out." Shiba chuckled as he handed it over.

Haku raced downstairs, possibly running up to hug the girls once he saw them, Ai and Eo yelp as they heard a thud on the ground.

Shiba was about to leave until he stopped him.

"Wait."

Stopping in his tracks, he turned to his superior.

"What did you give him?" Tadashi asked.

"What do you mean?"

He was playing coy to this. But he's no fool. The signs were noticeable.

He turned to Shiba directly, narrowing his eyes.

"Alright, I gave him a pill for the wound."

"I gave him some medication for his wound, you didn't."

A silence crept up between the two men. Shiba slowly smirks as he shrugs.

"Can't hide anything from you, can I?" Shiba shook his head. "I gave him a sleeping pill."

"A strong one by the looks of it. You wanted him out right away." He inspected.

"Can you blame me? He didn't want to relax. For the love of his health, he had to stay down and he knew it. He's the most stubborn when injured next to you."

Tadashi glared. True, he didn't like being nursed to health when there is work to be done. But this was not about him.

Laughter rung from below with much shuffling and movement echoing from below. Shiba turned to door. "C'mon, let's let the dreamers dream." He walked out to join the group full of merry and joy.

Tadashi still stayed as he watched the sleeping bodies peacefully finding comfort in each other. For years, Futaro has isolated himself from unwanted companionship besides his team. Setting his humor and amusement aside, he always worked hard towards the job in front of him.

Never wanting to lose himself in love and care for too long.

He suspects whatever is beneath his hair-his eyes- retract him to feel the need to be wanted. He looses himself too much to the demons inside. The story of his eyes never came to light. A subject to know what's has happened to him some time ago has never been breach.

But here, he sits with a boy who unconsciously refuses to let him leave.

He wonder how he'll fare with that once he wakes, he muses.

Tadashi walks towards the door, side glancing at the boy cradling his teammate.

"Take care of him for me."

Not the special happy update I imagined. But a softer tone because it's still about babysitting.

Important Note:

This was in a way a character study for 2626. I named him the forensic scientist for the investigation squad, but hiding behind a few secret he keeps.

2626 is very mysterious, he's mostly shown how he feels by his lips taking form. His whole character is observed through his voice and mouth movement-whether thin or curved. We don't see what's the emotion behind his eyes. Or why he hides it.

There are many theories of him hiding his beautiful eyes(which he no doubt has) or him simply not wanting to see and be an enigma to others. I had read a character study and it changed my entire perspective(simply being a amusing and playful finding while being duty bound perosna).

In this head cannon, he hides for a reason and because he can't stand them-or the sight of them being seen. I added the scar as an angst touch, a scar that won't heal as he is part of the crime fighting team-things happen.

This was interesting and very new to write. Futaro holds some self hatred and demons inside in my version. All members in the team do, but here he is the only one not willing to share them as his can be physicaly seen.. Or in this case, his eyes. If anyone has anything to share on 2626, I wouldn't mind hearing how people view his hidden eyes as.

A small reminder that ths is also about the relationships about the WBC's have with one another besides Hiro. Or father like 2001 and mother hen 2048 and supportive brother 4989 come into play sometimes.

Hopefully this did not shock or disrupt the flow of the story. The rating will change, especially for the final chapters to come. Next; Haku. Tensions will rise.