Arthur gazed at himself in the mirror. Lips tightly pursed together as his fingers ran down his tie. He was contemplating many different things at that moment, one of them being how in the hell he was supposed to keep himself together.
"Bonnefoy!" A stern accented voice yelled. The man in question turned around, having previously been flirting with a woman in a loose black blouse by his desk. The desk he should've been working and filing papers at.
"Arthur, chér! When did you get in?" Francis said with innocence. Extending his arms out to the seething bushy browed man. Francis wore something too entirely unconventional to be working at a detectives unit. He wasted too much time flirting and flaunting himself around to be working at a detectives unit.
"Don't you 'Arthur, chér' me!" He spat, slamming the files he had been holding into Francis' chest. "I have been trying to contact you since last night to discuss this case, what in the bloody hell have you been doing!" Arthur looked like he was about to pop a blood vessel and Francis was having a hard time stifling his laughter.
"Unlike you some of us need their full eight hours of sleep and cannot risk getting dark circles under their eyes." Francis crossed his arms over the files, fingering through them with pursed lips. "Plus, I already put my report on your desk. Did you not read it?" He asked, an offended gasp escaping him soon after. "And to think I thought we were partners." He wiped a mock tear.
"Exactly." Arthur started through gritted teeth, "We are partners, yet I can't seem to contact you when I need you most!—"
"Excuse me." A booming voice of authority sounded over the both of them. They knew that voice all too well. Icy blue eyes, a threatening stature, and a face that could pierce through diamond. Ludwig Beilschimidt, head chief and director of the detectives department, stood crossed armed behind Francis who shakily turned around.
"Sir." The two of them said in unison, the woman in the black blouse slipping away in this time.
"Have you two not read the news yet, this is not the time to bicker." Ludwig's eyes were solemn, the rest of that expression didn't meet the rest of his face though. "There's been another murder this week. A young woman..." he began to trail off giving Francis time to back away to where Arthur stood. "She was pregnant, but when we found her she was drained of all her blood and her fetus was taken from her womb."
Francis gasped, fear that Arthur never had seen before washing over him. "It hasn't even been a day since our last death.." his voice trembled, flicking at the file papers with his thumb.
"What a lunatic." Arthur grimaced, meeting Ludwig's gaze again. "I can't believe we haven't caught him yet."
"Well, that's why I decided to approach the two of you."
Francis whipped his head up. "Pardon? What happened to Alfred and Mathieu's unit. I thought they were getting somewhere." Francis began to fidget some more though his face no longer expressed how nervous he was.
"They've continuously hit dead ends and Jones keeps bringing up nonsensical conclusions. I don't know how that boy passed the academy." Ludwig scoffed. "Thus brings me to my final conclusion. I've thought for weeks about switching our investigation into your hands. You're two of my best detectives." Francis stayed quiet for a long, indecisive turmoil churning in the pit of his stomach.
"Thank you, sir." Arthur stated, breaking the silence barrier with a warm smile. "We'll carry further into this investigation as promised." Arthur could feel Francis' eyes on him. Though, he couldn't tell if it was a glare or not.
"I hope so. I'll send the past reports as soon as possibly. Best of luck to the two of you." Ludwig took a sharp intake of air before turning on his heel, walking back to his desk.
Quickly after another figure was in their path. "Did you hear that! He said I was spewing nonsensical crap about the case! There is nothing nonsensical about vampires, they're totally real!" Alfred F. Jones exclaimed, exaggerating every word with each hand gesture.
Arthur only deadpanned while Francis gave the younger a warm smile. The tense cloud floating over him seemed to have dispersed once Alfred showed up. Magic of the smile perhaps. "You're an incredibly smart boy, Alfred. You may be on to something, though I think you should try something a little more realistic than vampires." Arthur swore he was about to smack Francis right over the head with that nonsense. He was going to further shove that supernatural nonsense down that American boys ear!
"I think me and Francis should start working on our case. Right, Francis." It wasn't a question and Francis knew it as he said a happy goodbye to the American. They began walking towards Arthur's desk as Francis hummed a happy tune.
"You're always so quick to get away from any scene with Alfred." Francis noted, taking a seat in Arthur's chair. "Is it because your younger brother decided to be top of his class in academy instead of you?" He teased, placing his cheeks in his palms.
"That child didn't serve his full 8 years in a department and anytime he gets a case he does nothing but laze around or talk about unrealistic bollocks!"
"Oh, get the stick out of your ass. He may be the youngest in our department, but I don't think you've ever seen him really work."
Arthur stiffened, clenching his fists to his sides. "I have known that child since I was 7 and I have not seen him work once."
Francis snorted, brushing a strand of his hair behind his ear. "You're over exaggerating." He laughed. "Ask Mathieu, I'm sure he'd say otherwise." Arthur huffed loudly, looking around the area as he frowned.
"I don't think I'll be able to think in a place like this." Arthur grumbled, tapping Francis' foot with his own.
"Oh! Can we go to that cafe down the street? Their cinnamon buns always help me think!" Francis suggested. Arthur couldn't really put in his opinion of course as Francis took his hand and led them out of the department.