Mission_7: Character Definitions
The doorbell resounded along the entire, almost empty hallway, making the girl shiver slightly.
For such a big and glamorous hallway, Whi-Two wouldn't have dreamed it to be so…empty. Quiet. Lonely.
Again, she looked around, checking—and, perhaps, hoping—that there was another soul scurrying about, easing herself off the worry that she may have the address wrong and this apartment—the whole goshdarn building—was an abandoned vicinity and that she may have entered a potential crime scene without noticing.
Whi-Two had to shake her head at the thought.
You've been watching too many police thrillers lately, girl. Pull yourself together.
With yet another deep breath, she lifts her hand up and once again tries for the doorbell, perhaps for the seventh time since she arrived.
And still, as it have been six tries ago, no one was there to answer.
The girl heaves another weary sigh.
"Maybe he's not home…"
Or that she got the wrong place. That was still a possibility.
Groaning to herself, she fishes for the piece of paper stuck in her purse and reads it again.
"Room eighty-eight… Fourth floor… AXL building...Gimmond street…" She looks up at the golden plate right by the door, and true enough, the address matched, all the way to every dot.
Yet why…?
Whi-Two looks down on the paper again.
Is it possible that Inspector Lai gave her the wrong address, by any chance?
Whi-Two finds herself snickering.
"Look at you, Biden…" she mumbles. "Rushing all the way to the other side of the city… Following an address you can barely read… Dragging what seems like your entire kitchen… All because you…" Another sigh before looking up at the door again.
"You don't even know if he wants to see you…"A groan.
"Go home, Rosa... "
And Whi-Two was about to do so when she suddenly hears the door knob clicking. She watches as the door slightly opens, and the familiar set of brown hair peers out, followed by a set of equally familiar reddish-brown eyes. They eyed her wearily for a moment—perhaps trying to assign a name to her face—and when they were sure of an identity, Whi-Two watches as the door completely backs away, revealing the complete image of the young detective's mentor. His eyes were beginning to transition from weary wonder to hostile questioning, but Whi-Two was too busy marveling at the boy's disheveled appearance to even notice.
Lack-Two straightens himself a bit after finally confirming that the girl was, in fact, his mentee, and despite his slightly flushed skin, he was still able to pull off a menacing glance.
"Detective," he addresses her, his voice low but curious. "What on earth are you doing here?"
It was only then that Whi-Two wakes up from her trance, and panickedly rips her gaze from Lack-Two's bare skin back to his piercing eyes. Although it does not take her long enough to drop her gaze back to where it was originally perched.
Every rise and fall of Lack-Two's upper body muscle was much more toned without the shirt on, and Whi-Two immediately hated herself for even letting herself take note of each detail, for even letting herself look long enough to be able to do so. Again, she tries her mightiest to raise her gaze up to where his eyes were and found that they were still glued to her, still waiting for a response.
And judging by the way those irises would look like they could shoot daggers through her system, she knew she had to think of a proper one.
"G-Good evening, Sir..." she stammers, looking down and clutching onto the paper bag she held between her fingers.
Lack-Two raises a brow at him.
"Excuse me?" he asks, his voice a dangerous rising intonation. Whi-Two could feel her chest burn, both out of fear and out of spite.
Sick, my foot, she thinks bitterly to herself. It was either Lai herself was just as unaware as she was, or this was some weird code her two inspectors used with one another, and she was just misinformed.
Because one thing is for sure, whatever this Lack-Two in front of her was right now was anything but "down with the weather".
Said inspector grows impatient, and starts crossing his arms in front of his chest, a sign that he wanted what he initially asked for, and he wanted it now.
But Whi-Two was too busy finding a place to land her gaze to that would make her feel less scandalous than she already did.
"So, what? Are you going to answer my question or are you just going to stand there ogling at my crotch like..."
"I'm not ogling at anything!"
Lack-Two noticeably winces at that, and it throws Whi-Two a bit off. Her hands fly up to her mouth in shock, and she had to shrink back when she saw that her mentor's response to it was an even more annoyed expression.
"Oh damn, that was irritating," he groans, rubbing his temples frustratingly with his fingers.
"For the love of your god, Whi-Two, do not screech like that again!"
"I'm sorry!" Whi-Two immediately withdraws her outstretched arm away from him before taking a deep breath. "I'm sorry, Sir. It's just that... Inspector Lai, she told me... You were... But you're not wearing a shirt... And I'm here at your apartment... And..."
To both their surprises, Whi-Two raises both hands to her face and lets out a high-pitched, peculiar noise as she presses both her cheeks in agony.
"Oh, my God, you have a woman in there, don't you?"
"I have a what?!"
But, Whi-Two was already waving his hand at him, dismissing the thought and whatever it was he were to say next, should he have any. Her face, too, was beginning to redden, gradually and involuntarily filling her mind with thoughts she would rather not delve into on a normal basis.
"I-I should go... Perchance, I could just see you tomorrow, while at work..."
"Whi-Two, what?!"
"No, really. It's fine. Just get back to whoever is in there, and we can pretend that this never happened, and..."
"'Whoever'—? Just what the hell did Lai tell you?!"
But Whi-Two's mind was vivid and even in her mind's own interpretations, the details are crisp and clear, and she would have fainted from mere imagination alone had Lack-Two not pull her back to reality.
"Get in here..." he hisses, pulling her in brusquely before slamming the door behind him.
-...-
Lack-Two dragged Whi-Two across the narrow entrance that connected his doorstep to his living room. Afraid of what she was to see the moment she stepped in, Whi-Two covers her eyes with her other free hand. Not that it matters whether she sees where she was headed or not—Lack-Two's firm hold seemed enough to guide her through what she assumes to be furniture that donned his hallway.
Soon, she feels him drop her arm with aggravation, and she was left to stand in the middle of somewhere. Her eyes were still closed when she lifts the newly-freed hand to join the other.
"Whi-Two, what the hell are you doing? Open your eyes."
"Not until you put a shirt on, Sir..."
Lack-Two looks at her disbelievingly, but nonetheless complies with a snort. He reaches for the folded gray shirt sitting quietly on his coffee table, and puts it over his head.
"I better get a good explanation for this," he grumbles as he pulls the hem of his shirt down. He looks at Whi-Two, and finds the girl still covering her eyes. Groaning, he grabs her hands and rips them down.
Whi-Two reacts with a small squeak. She slowly opens her right eye to make sure her inspector was decent, and when she found that he was, she heaves a relieved sigh and opens both her eyes.
What greets the girl was the disapproving scowl of her mentor.
"Need I ask again..." he softly growls. Whi-Two takes a moment to blink at him, refocusing herself.
"Uhm..." she begins, pressing her lips into a thin line.
"I... got worried, Sir..."
Lack-Two raises a brow at her.
"Worried," he repeats, with slight disbelief.
"I've been told that you'd be gone for only a week and by today you should've returned, but..." She starts shuffling on her feet.
"Inspector Lai said that you were 'down with the weather', and that it was kind of worrisome because you live alone, so I got worried, and..."
Whi-Two pauses slightly to raise her eyes to her inspector's face, only to find an undecipherable expression replacing the previous, more menacing one.
The girl feels her heart sink a bit.
"... Shouldn't I have come, Sir?"
Lack-Two hears the sudden drop in her voice, making him inwardly writhe in contempt for finding himself caring.
"Well, you're already here, so…" He sighs, dropping both her hands, and starts for his couch. Whi-Two follows him momentarily with her gaze, immediately noting the slight limp as he walked.
"It'd be terribly rude of me to suddenly throw you out of my unit for barging in unannounced…" He sits down with a groan.
Whi-Two makes a face.
"We can do without the sarcasm, Sir…" Then she notices him rubbing his foot in slight agony.
"A-Are you okay?"
"I feel fantastic, Detective, thank you for asking."
Whi-Two rolls her eyes as she makes her way to him and finds a place by his side.
"I mean, what's wrong with your foot?"
"Just numbing. It's okay. I get this every now and then…"
"I don't think that's safe. Have you gotten that checked or something?" And without thinking, Whi-Two reaches for his foot, and what greets her was Lack-Two recoiling.
"Hey, hey, hey," he almost hisses, much to both their surprises.
"Hands off, kid. I'm not your 'boyfriend' anymore."
"Will you relax?!" Whi-Two almost hisses back, reaching for him nonetheless. "My mom gets this a lot, too."
She reaches his foot and gently pulling it closer to her.
"Although she gets hers from old age…"
Lack-Two snorts, but finds himself giving in nonetheless, watching as Whi-Two pours her entire attention to his foot.
Not necessarily the kind of welcoming he expected, if he were to be honest.
Whi-Two must've felt him staring, and when she looks up to stare at him, he expertly drops his gaze back to his foot.
"... That's surprisingly helpful."
The girl only replies with an impish smile as she lowers her gaze as well, giving him another opportunity to look at her.
He blinks a few times before letting out a soft sigh.
"What did you say you came here for again?"
"I told you, Lack-Two, I was worried."
To that, he snorts.
"'Worried'..." He leans forward slightly to near his face to hers.
"Alright," he says. "The real reason…"
"There is no real reason. I mean—that's it. Nothing else."
"...Are you sure?"
"Yes."
Lack-Two blinks, tilting his head to the side to get a good look of her face, which she had opted to hide beneath her long pigtails.
"... Alright," he continues. "You just went all the way here unannounced even though you've never been here before and I've never told you my address... All because you were worried." He raises his brows.
"I guess I can lower my standards and buy that."
At that, Whi-Two finally raises her face up to him, and was taken aback by how close his face was to her. Lack-Two backs away with a grunt.
"Honestly, Lack-Two. Haven't you had anyone worry about you and your well-being before?" she huffs.
Lack-Two was unfazed.
"Short answer? No." He sighs.
"Especially not someone whom I've only known for a short time."
To his surprise, Whi-Two gave him a look of indignance—though it did not last as long. She immediately lets it go with a sigh before lowering her gaze back to his foot.
"Well, I care about you…"
Lack-Two continues watching her, still a bit taken aback by her reaction from earlier on. When he's realized that she wasn't looking up anymore no matter how long he stares, he finally lowers his gaze as well.
"...Okay," he whispers, leaning against the backrest, looking away. Then, after a few minutes, he returns his gaze to her, and straightens himself again.
"How'd you know I was back?"
Whi-Two does not respond, but the young inspector didn't need one. Lack-Two heaves a sigh.
"Lai told you."
Still, Whi-Two remains silent.
Lack-Two shakes his head in mocking disbelief.
"I don't even know what else was I expecting."
It was only then that Whi-Two finally shoots up as she speaks:
"If it helps, I did not directly ask for this information from her."
"No, Whi-Two, I'm afraid it doesn't help at all…"
Whi-Two winces slightly.
"I still sound like a weird stalker?"
Lack-Two gives him a smug smile. "Your words, not mine."
Whi-Two finds herself groaning softly. Lack-Two only chuckles.
"Although, I'll give you this," he continues, leaning back again. "For someone who yaps almost twenty-four seven, Lai's surprisingly hard to crack."
Whi-Two looks at him, confused.
"...And you yet you were successful." He gives Whi-Two another smug smile.
"Says a lot about you."
Whi-Two finds herself smiling impishly in response, looking down. Lack-Two watches her for a moment.
"Alright. What else do you know?"
Whi-Two's eyes shift a bit before replying.
"Just that."
Lack-Two's face does not change. Whi-Two groans guiltily.
"...And that you went overseas... B-But that was more of an accident! I... Incidentally overhead Inspector Lai complaining about not being able to call you because overseas calls are expensive…" She then suddenly takes the courage to look up at him again.
"...And apparently you're not as pleasant a conversationalist through email."
"Neither is she, go on…"
Whi-Two gives another small smile.
"...That's really it. I promise."
At that, Lack-Two chuckles again.
"If you're scared that I'll think you're weird for snooping in on my personal business, you'll be happy to know that this will not be the only reason for me to think so."
Whi-Two makes a show of rolling her eyes.
"But if you must know: yes, I was overseas, taking care of a rather personal business."
Whi-Two looks at him, eyebrow raised.
"...in Kalos?"
Lack-Two responds with the same expression. Whi-Two groans again.
"Okay, now, I've told you everything I know... I swear."
She half-expected Lack-Two to give her a look of disapproval, but what met her was an amused expression.
"You know what's funny?" Lack-Two begins. "I'm supposedly your mentor and yet I frequently forget just how talented you are at what you do."
The words pull Whi-Two's attention immediately back to him. Lack-Two raises both eyebrows at her, his face void of any emotions.
"...I feel sorry for whoever ends up to be your boyfriend."
Whi-Two had half the mind to break his foot with her bare hands.
"...And how are things on your end while I was gone, Detective?"
Again, Whi-Two was taken aback.
Twenty minutes since he's let her in, and this is the only time he suddenly cared for how she was. And she was prepared too not to say anything. With a pause, she tries to look up at him again.
"It was… All good, I guess." Then she tries to scoff to make her look more nonchalant. But Lack-Two was already smiling.
"Heard you did well in your previous cases," he points out. "Apparently, the 'Reliable Rookie' is also an effective soloist now, huh?"
Without any form of warning, the young inspector leans forward and gently pats on the girl's head, making the latter slightly jolt.
"Congratulations on the promotion, Second-Grade Detective…"
"H-How'd you know about that?"
At that, Lack-Two snorts.
"You think you're the only one here who's good at prying information from people?"
"... I'm surprised that you actually need to pry…"
"Well, this is Lai we're talking about, after all."
Whi-Two finds herself giggling.
"Besides," the boy continues. "This information, she's willing to give. After all, I am bound to know eventually…" He gives her a knowing look. Whi-Two's gaze begins shifting again.
"...But I'm glad I found out a little sooner. I mean, you are one of the first things I wanted to hear about while I was there."
"Haha," Whi-Two mocks.
"No, really," he shoots back.
"I mean, I'd want to know as soon as possible if it's already time for me to let you go."
The last few words catches Whi-Two's attention, making her look up one more time, this time a little more slowly. And carefully.
"...Sir?"
Lack-Two's expression seemed to have changed in that moment, like he, too, was surprised with his own statement. But like the master of subtlety that he was, he easily transitions the mood to something more light, reversing his face to what it was a few seconds ago, erasing any remnants of what had just transpired. It actually made Whi-Two wonder if she had just imagined the whole thing.
"So," the young inspector claims, gently pulling his leg away.
"Dinner?"
Lack-Two stands up and starts heading for what Whi-Two assumes to be his kitchen. Whi-Two immediately stands up after him.
"W-Wait!"
Lack-Two turns, and gives her a questioning look.
"I, uh…"she mumbles, gesturing at the bag she's left sitting there since her inspector dragged her inside.
"I brought some stuff…"
Lack-Two eyes the bag shortly before looking at her.
"And?"
Whi-Two bites her lips for a moment, immediately condoning herself for not thinking this a little bit more through.
"...Look. I considered cooking something for you, but then I remembered that you may have these weird trust issues, especially when it comes to people offering you food, so, uhm... I thought maybe I can still do that, but bring the process of cooking... Here." Then, she groans.
"God, I'm sorry, Sir. I'm not making much sense, am I?"
Lack-Two only continues to watch her.
"Yeah, you lost me at the: 'I considered cooking something for you' part."
Whi-Two gives him a look.
"Didn't you mention that you wanted to try my cooking sometimes?"
"I don't know. I say a lot of things."
"Well, you did," she pressed. "And I'm here to oblige."
Still, Lack-Two only watches. Whi-Two heaves a sigh.
"Look, if you're going to be that weird ass that can't accept kindness from others like a normal person, then fine. At least let me do this for you as a proper thank you... For what you did for me a few weeks back... And several other times before that."
The girl starts shifting awkwardly where she stood.
"I've been looking back, and I've realized how much you've been saving my butt ever since I was assigned under you. Consider this as my token of appreciation."
Lack-Two gives her one long look, tracing his gaze all the way down to her feet and then back to her face.
Then to both their surprises, he simply snorts.
"Is that the real reason?" he asks, a bit playfully.
"Are you sure it's not because you're trying to hide another major screw-up?"
The girl looks up at him in shock and fear.
"W-Wha…"
But Lack-Two immediately kills it with a chuckle.
"You know what? I'm too jet-lagged to even care. Lucky for you…"
He playfully hits Whi-Two's right arm, making the girl wince, a little bit more than any of the two would've expected. Whi-Two involuntarily whimpers, and her heart skips a beat as she wonders if her inspector had noticed.
Thankfully, he seemed to have not. Again, he starts heading for the kitchen, signalling for Whi-Two to follow.
"Come on, kid. This way."
Whi-Two follows Lack-Two momentarily with her gaze, absentmindedly reaching for her right shoulder. Her sweatshirt's sleeve have slid down a bit, revealing the bandages covering her recent injury.
She wondered if he knew about this too.
But Inspector Lai promised…
Whi-Two heaves a resigned sigh before pulling her sleeve up back into place. Then she walks over to pick up her bag, and follows her inspector to his kitchen.
-...-
"Here." Whi-Two sets a tall glass of what Lack-Two could only describe as something he'd only seen in the cartoons his niece would sometimes force him to watch on a Saturday morning. He stares at it for a good minute or two, watching both in fear and in awe as the bright green liquid barely moved as his mentee slides the glass to where he sat.
"What the hell," was the only appropriate reply he could think of.
"It's an old family recipe," Whi-Two explains. "An herbal drink that helps soothe headaches and the like. Perfect for hangovers and jet lags…"
Lack-Two makes a face.
"What's in it? The blood of the Grinch who stole Christmas?"
"Jesus Christ, will you relax?!" Whi-Two claims, rolling her eyes. "There's nothing in there that would kill you."
Lack-Two looks up at her for a moment before picking the glass up and slightly shaking it.
"Judging by how the drink's so thick that it won't even move when I shake the damn glass, getting poisoned seems like the better option…"
Whi-Two gives him a look.
"Lack-Two…"
Said boy groans and rolls his eyes, before nearing the glass to his lips. Whi-Two takes that moment to return to his stove to get back to her cooking. Her inspector watches on, letting himself a good look of his mentee from where he sat.
One week, he thinks to himself. I'm gone for one week, and all of a sudden, she...
He tries to hold back a gag as he lets the half-finished drink down, his other hand wiping his lips. Then he looks back up to her again.
"Aren't you the least bit alarmed that you're alone with a guy in his own apartment?"
There was a stunning lack of reaction. Whi-Two barely even turns to acknowledge the possible gravity of his question.
Instead what Lack-Two gets is a slight shake of her head.
"Not really."
"Don't you think that's a little too trusting of you? I mean, don't get me wrong, I don't intend on doing anything questionable to you right now, but not all guys are nice like me."
Whi-Two finds herself snorting at the statement.
"And I won't lie," Lack-Two went on, this time watching as the incredibly viscous green liquid slide against the glass towards its lip, slightly irked at how slowly it reached his direction.
"You're a pretty attractive girl. I don't think the streets of Nimbasa alone will be forgiving."
"That's sweet of you, Sir, but I already have that considered." Still without turning, she pats the purse sitting calmly by a stool she placed right next to her. Lack-Two eyes it for a moment before returning to his original business of wondering when and if the liquid would ever reach his mouth.
"What? And you think pepper spray can protect you?"
"Oh, not pepper spray." With that, she finally turns to him momentarily with what seems like the sweetest smile he'd seen her do.
"A gun."
Lack-Two almost spits out the thick liquid from trying to stop a laugh.
"A gun?" he asks.
Whi-Two nods proudly. Lack-Two was slightly aghast.
"You... Have a gun in your purse?"
"A cute little Beretta Nano 9mm Double Action pistol..." Whi-Two describes, turning the stove off.
"I call her Janice."
Lack-Two slowly nods as he tries to stealthily reaches for his phone.
"...Sure you do, kid."
Whi-Two finally turns to face him, two plates in her hand, and notices Lack-Two typing something on his phone, and then nearing it to his ear.
"Inspector, what are you doing?"
"Not calling security, that's for sure."
Whi-Two jokingly tries to make a face, but was overpowered by her giggles. Lack-Two finds himself joining in, lowering his hand as he eyes the plate being served to him. Then he looks up, and watches as his mentee finds herself a place across him.
All of a sudden, the mediocrity of it all started hitting him in places he's least expected to be hit, and it made him ache a bit. Small enough for him to ignore, but sharp enough for him to wonder to himself what it was exactly that gnawed at his insides the moment all of it started sinking in.
Whi-Two notices him looking.
"What's wrong?" she asks, just in time for Lack-Two to lower his gaze back to his plate.
"You're not really fond of telling the people you're cooking for what in hell you're serving them, are you?"
The young detective blinks.
"You saw me cut up the vegetables and place them one by one into the pot… What can you possibly be worried about now?!"
Instead of answering, Lack-Two grabs his spoon, scoops a bit of what Whi-Two made, and nears it a bit to his nose before giving it a short sniff. Whi-Two gives him a look.
"Do you honestly think I'd poison you, Inspector?"
"Standard operation procedures, Detective. It pays to practice these things, especially in our line of work." After yet another sniff, he finally lets himself a taste.
"Can't be too careful now, can we?"
Instead of replying, Whi-Two simply rolls her eyes as she focuses on her own plate.
"Weirdo," she mumbles before taking a spoonful into her mouth.
"Takes one to know one, kid."
Whi-Two looks up at him indignantly, but her anger is immediately suppressed when she catches the other smiling to himself as he takes another spoonful. She finds herself smiling as well.
"Well, I happen to be a weirdo who can cook."
"Excuse me?"
"I said I met some interesting officers from other stations while you were gone," Whi-Two claims with a plastered smile. Then it gradually drops as a memory plays by her head.
"Like Detective Rennie of Driftveil…"
Lack-Two mindlessly nods.
"Oh yeah, Bustamante. Lai's junior. How is she...?"
Whi-Two bites her lips.
"Full of anger and contempt... Mostly directed towards me."
At that, Lack-Two looks at her.
"Why? What did you do?"
"Not so much as what I did… But more of who I am..." She clicks her tongue.
"She found out that I was your mentee. Apparently, that's a big thing around nearby stations."
At that, Lack-Two snorts.
"Lemme guess," he mutters, straightening himself to give her a look of genuine interest. "Lai told her?"
Whi-Two looks at him confused but nonetheless nods. Lack-Two chuckles.
"Figures," he says. "Lai worships chaos. She'd stage a cage battle with me as a prize if she can watch girls pull each other's hair with enough desperation." Another chuckle.
"One of the many things I like about her…"
At that, Whi-Two's eyes seem to glimmer. She finally gives her mentor—who, at that time, had already allowed himself to get lost in her cooking—a meaningful look. Lack-Two does not notice.
"It's amazing how a lot of girls from different portions of this country would fawn all over you and yet you, even at this time, are still single…"
"I'm picky with women," was his simple response, still slightly lost in his meal.
"Why, Inspector? What do you look for in a woman? Blonde? A bit voluptuous? Kinda low maintenance?" Whi-Two slightly leans forward. "Wears glasses?"
It was only then that Lack-Two decides to look at her, a look of slight confusion in his eyes.
"You mean someone like Lai?"
At that, Whi-Two lets out a forced giggle.
"Well, I wasn't describing anyone in particular, Sir… Although, for her to be the first thing to pop into your head must mean—"
"She's the only one I know who's blonde and wears glasses, Whi-Two…"
Whi-Two's mouth immediately close shut. Her eyes fidget from side to side for a moment before slowly looking back at him.
"...Colonel Rikhard's blonde and wears glasses…" she points out in a soft voice.
Yet another chuckle escapes Lack-Two, almost making him spit his drink. Whi-Two felt herself be taken aback for a moment.
This has been the most time he's seen Lack-Two laugh, and she didn't know if she should even allow herself feel as relieved as she did at that very moment.
It was the first time she's tread over this side of his territory, after all.
"Oh God, is this your weird way of asking me if I like Lai?" Lack-Two asks, wiping his lips.
Whi-Two blinks a few times before looking to her side.
"Is it working?"
Again, Lack-Two chuckles, a little louder, almost close enough to be considered a laugh. Now, Whi-Two was slowly leaning towards being concerned.
There was a big chance her inspector might have lost it.
"Wow, it has been a while since I've been asked that," Lack-Two was muttering to himself, reaching over for the pitcher of water from Whi-Two's side.
"I'm going to make this as a simple and as easy to for you understand as possible." He then pauses for a moment to look his mentee in the eye.
"Lai and I are just friends."
"Yeah, but so were my parents back in high school, yet here I am some years later. Your alibi doesn't really account for anything."
Then she realizes who on earth she was talking to, and she had to add at the end a soft and almost pleading "...sir."
Whi-Two makes an attempt to let a chuckle leave her lips but what came out sounded more like nervous laughter. Lack-Two didn't seem to have noticed, as he himself lets out yet another chuckle.
The girl starts feeling around for her purse, half-determined to leave the apartment alive, or at least with a fighting chance. But Lack-Two's next statement made her stop.
"Has Lai ever told you how we met?"
Whi-Two shoulders evidently drop in shock.
Did he just mention something remotely personal?!
The girl decides to play into it.
"Uhm…" she begins, trying to reap through every almost useless thing Lai may have told her in the past. Needless to say, having been spending enough time alone with her for the past week, there was too much for her to go through before ending up with what she needed.
"You were in the same batch back at the Academy, right?"
"Oh, so she didn't tell you about how she was head over heels for this guy I was always with, and how she befriended me all for the sake of getting a chance with him?"
A giggle escapes Whi-Two. "No…"
"It's true. That sneaky blond was a user. Frankly, I just decided to roll with it for a good laugh. We became really good friends ever since."
"Wow," Whi-Two softly sighs, finally letting go of her purse. "I wouldn't have imagined your and Inspector Lai's beginning to be that…"
"'Instrumental'?" Lack-Two suggests with a smile. "Well, it was fun while it lasted. Plus, it doesn't really hurt to have a friend who's woman enough to be your occasional wingman, and at times, your voice of reason. And the way she'd shut people down with that savage tongue of hers? Police Academy has never been that much fun. Consider myself lucky we both found our ways intersecting into the same station."
Whi-Two feels a little part of her throat constrict.
She suddenly realized that he was talking about the same girl who almost died because of her incompetence.
Lack-Two finally empties down Whi-Two's concoction with a wince.
"Dang, it has a certain kick in the end there, doesn't it? I'm gonna need something to wash this down." He then climbs off his chair, collects his plate, drops it off as he passes by his sink, and then walks to a giant cupboard, a few inches taller than he was. He pulls open the wooden door, and what meets them was a cabinet version of a small bar, complete with glasses and several bottles labeled in languages Whi-Two could not comprehend.
"That's a lot of liquor, Sir," she comments, watching Lack-Two sort through his bottles. He softly chuckles.
"I'll take that as a compliment anytime." He walks back to his table with a tall green one, and then produces two wine glasses from under the table.
"Champagne?" he offers, preparing to fill the second glass as he had with the first. Whi-Two immediately stops him.
"I, uh… I don't drink," she explains apologetically. "I don't think I'm allowed yet…"
Lack-Two raises a brow.
"How old are you again?"
Whi-Two makes a point to look to the side before returning to him.
"Twenty…" she answers, almost suspiciously.
Lack-Two thinks for a moment before raising his brow in acknowledgement.
"Wow, four years," he softly exclaims, retracting the second, empty glass and producing instead a mug.
"And yet you're almost as tall as I am…"
Whi-Two watches him as he walks to his refrigerator.
"Four years...?" she asks. Then, realization hits her.
"Wait, you're twenty-four?!"
Lack-Two's head shoots up from his fridge, a carton of juice in his hand.
"Yeah, why?"
"N-Nothing... It's just that…" Whi-Two watches as her mentor takes the mug and starts filling it.
"I swear, I thought you were younger than that…"
Lack-Two snorts with a smile.
"Can't say I don't get that a lot."
He hands the mug to her, which she accepts gratefully, and gestures for her to follow him back to his living room. Whi-Two only watches him.
Lack-Two feels his mentee staring. He turns, and gives her a look.
"What?"
"...I just realized that we've lasted this long working under the same office—let alone the same unit—with me barely knowing anything about you. I mean, yeah I know your name, your age…" Her eyes land on the already half-finished glass of liquor. "...And your alarming addiction to champagne."
"That's all you need to know about me."
"...And yet you know so much about me."
With that, Lack-Two sighs and rolls his eyes. Then he gestures yet again for her to follow him back to his couch, to which she now complies with.
"Okay," he begins, landing himself a place on his couch, setting the bottle on the coffee table.
"What else could you possibly need to know about me?"
The question takes Whi-Two aback as she finds a place next to him, but nonetheless, she speaks the first thing that comes to her mind.
"When's your birthday?"
Lak-Two exhales softly as he finished his glass.
"My birthday is in a need-to-know basis, and you…" He makes a point to pause and give her a look.
"...don't need to know."
"Really…"
Again, another sigh and a pair of rolling eyes as he leans forward to grab the bottle.
"May fourth," he mumbles, filling his wineglass. "I suppose you can do the math to find out the year…"
Whi-Two stares at him.
"Your birthday is on May fourth?" she repeats, holding back a giggle.
"Star Wars day?"
"That's not even the best part... Guess what my second name is."
Whi-Two thinks for a moment.
"...Darth Vader?"
"Close," Lack-Two sighs, taking a short sip.
"It's Anakin."
The girl's eyes light up.
"Anakin?! Really?!"
Lack-Two faces her.
"No."
Whi-Two's face drops in annoyance. The older only scoffs.
"Okay, what else you got?"
Whi-Two again thinks for a moment.
"Alright… Which division did you come from?"
"Not applicable. Was directly employed into Nimbasa."
The girl looks at him in disbelief.
"Directly...? T-Then that means…"
"Graduated top of my batch," Lack-Two announces with half-hearted enthusiasm, hitting his wineglass against her mug. "Cheers."
He then takes a long sip, and as he lowers his glass, he sees Whi-Two still looking at him with the same expression.
"Yeah," he whispers, leaning forward again to pour himself another glass.
"I'm awesome."
The younger simply rolls her eyes.
"So… You grew up here?"
"No."
Whi-Two watches him as he performs the repetitive routine of finishing his glass and filling it again. This went on for a few minutes until the young detective destroys the silence with a groan.
"You're not good at this, are you?" she asks.
"I'm only as good as the person asking the questions…"
Whi-Two gives him a deadpanned look, to which Lack-Two answers with a small chuckle.
"If you must know," he begins, leaning back again. "I was originally from Nuvema. But if I wanted to grow even more, I am going to need a bigger space. So I moved directly to Nimbasa." He turns his head to look at her, and then continues softly and slowly: "And I never looked back."
Whi-Two finds herself leaning closer, noticing that it was getting harder and harder for her to hear.
"And why is that?"
Lack-Two takes that moment to allow himself a pause. He looks directly into Whi-Two's eyes, and slowly, ever so slowly, he lets his gaze mellow, and felt a small sense of delight when he finds her doing the same.
He hasn't lost his touch.
"I fell in love…" he whispers slowly, letting his lips and his tongue dance along with the phrase.
But to his surprise, Whi-Two's face suddenly changes.
"With who?" she asks in her normal, slightly high-pitched voice. Then her eyes light up excitedly.
"Inspector Lai?"
Lack-Two watches her for a moment, and before he knows it, he finds himself snorting, and the snort grows into a chuckle, and the chuckle grows into laughter. Whi-Two looks at him, confused.
"No, not with Lai," he finally says as his laughter dies down. He then straightens himself, and reaches for a remote by his coffee table.
"I fell in love with this..."
Lack-Two points the remote upward and presses something. Then, all of a sudden, the lights grow dim, and from each wall that surrounded their seat, what seemed like blinds began climbing up, revealing windows made of clear glass. Whi-Two's jaw drops.
What was once Lack-Two's gray blue walls are now a magnificent view of the towers that donned the Nimbasa skyline. It was like floating in the middle of everything, and Whi-Two watched as the so-called city that never sleeps gradually slip into its beautiful evening wear, preparing to live up to its tag line, all from the comfort of Lack-Two's living room.
"Wow…" she breathes.
"Yeah, I know, right?" Lack-Two replies, watching as the lights from a nearby building starts turning on one by one. "I'm lucky to live in a city like this…"
Whi-Two looks at him for a moment, watching as her mentor's eyes reflect the dancing lights in his eyes.
She knew that look more than anything else. It was the same look they all said she had when she describes Aspertia.
The girl sighs before looking down.
"Yeah. Me too."
-...-
Whi-Two looks around Lack-Two's living room as the latter went over to his bar to retrieve another bottle. It was the first time since she's entered his place that she was able to get a good look of the entire place, and what she was not able to place her finger on earlier was how it was all...uncomfortably extravagant.
Too uncomfortably extravagant.
The sound of a bottle softly hitting the table's glass surface retracts her attention, followed by the sudden presence of another human being finding his place next to her.
Lack-Two was about to lift his glass to his lips when he notices from his peripheral view his mentee giving him yet another of her rather peculiar gazes.
"Now, what?"
The girl blinks a few times before speaking.
"Okay," she begins. "Since we're on the subject of getting to know you, I think this is the right time for me to ask…" She makes a point to lean forward, towards him, and then she lowers her voice.
"Are you or are you not a gambling lord's son?"
Lack-Two only retains his expression.
"I'm sorry?"
"Come on, Sir, this apartment alone costs more than what I think you should make in a year as a UPD Inspector. Then there's the car and the signature clothes and the being able to leave and enter the country as you please... You being involved with a giant from the black market is the only plausible explanation there is."
At that, Lack-Two chuckles.
"So, being the son of the owner of the only government-allowed liquor company here in our country is not a plausible explanation?"
"You're the son of a wine-maker?" Whi-Two makes a face. "People make money out of that?"
Lack-Two takes a small sip.
"You do when you're the only one who's legally allowed to do so." He exhales.
"By the way, the proper term is 'brewer', not wine-maker."
Whi-Two raises her brows in acknowledgement.
"So, son of a brewer." She shakes her head, softly giggling. "Who would've thought…"
Lack-Two laughs softly.
"Why do you think I'm such a liquor savant?"
The young detective returns her gaze to him.
"Is that what they call it?" she asks.
"Because back in Striaton, we call people like you 'drunkards'."
Lack-Two watches her for a moment before dipping his fingers on his bucket of ice and then splashing it to his mentee's face. Whi-Two once again giggles.
"...So where is he?"
"I don't know. Somewhere out there hiding his newest woman from Monique? I don't really keep a radar on him."
The girl gives him a look.
"You call your mother Monique?"
Lack-Two scoffs.
"Monique's not my mother…"
Whi-Two's face falls at the statement.
"Oh," she mumbles in acknowledgement. Slowly, she lets her gaze drop, feeling her face burn. Lack-Two watches her crawl away from what seemed to her as lively conversation. Then he considers for a moment, before letting off a resigned sigh.
Normally, he'd appreciate the silence, especially if the original topic was his personal life, which he was never fond of disclosing.
But what the heck. This was Whi-Two, after all.
"She's Daniel's," he suddenly quips, reaching forward to refill his glass.
Whi-Two's head suddenly shoots up as she slowly lands her gaze towards her mentor. He looks at her somewhat expectantly.
The conversation goes on.
"And Daniel is... Your brother, right?" Whi-Two remembers the name from when Lack-Two gave her his brother's number should trouble come up. The number that until now she still couldn't believe Lack-Two had disclosed.
She had half the mind to think it was probably fake.
Lack-Two nods.
"Yeah."
"...And where is he?"
"Living with his wife in Lacunosa. He visits from time to time to check up on me and makes sure I do what dad tells me to do."
"Things like what?"
"You know: eat right, sleep enough hours, retain my 'good' image as a policeman in order to give him and his business a good name. Classic family stuff."
Whi-Two finds herself giggling awkwardly.
"'Good' image...?" She wonders if this was where all the 'Mister Perfect' business came from.
Lack-Two only shrugs.
"It's really no big deal for me. All he wants is for me to not get into trouble or involved in any issue that will cost him his reputation."
"And you're fine with that? The pressure?"
"Seems like a better alternative than succeeding his position."
"Don't really see yourself as a businessman, huh?"
"Whi-Two, I hardly give a damn for sales and marketing and what have you. I only care about being surrounded by the best foreign liquor my dad's work has to offer." Lack-Two refills his glass yet again, and then lean back, a small, satisfied look in his face.
"And I get just that by being an obedient son."
Whi-Two looks at him with a judgemental grin.
"Selling your soul to your father in exchange for fancy alcohol?" The girl rolls her eyes exaggeratingly.
"What a wine-slut."
"Excuse me?"
Whi-Two gives him a plastered grin.
"Nothing, Inspector Lack-Two…"
She eyes him for a moment, watching him try to find a more comfortable position for his head against his couch's backrest. Then she opts to do the same.
"What about your mother?"
"What about her?"
Whi-Two turns her head to him.
"Where is she right now?"
There was an evident awkward shift in the boy's gaze, making Whi-Two regret her question.
"...Sir?"
"She's…" he trails off, as if trying to construct his next words carefully. Then he gives yet another sigh of resignation.
"In Nuvema Town." A look of hesitation, but nonetheless, he continues.
"With her family."
Again, Whi-Two feels her stomach constrict.
"Oh," she says softly.
"Yeah…" Lack-Two grimaces. "My mom hated my dad's guts with a passion, she was resolved never to talk to him again. Let alone acquaint herself with him. To her, James Alart never happened, and by virtue of that…" He gently rocks his glass around, watching its content splash around gently against its crystal walls.
"I kinda never happened."
"Sir, I'm sorry for asking. I—"
"It wasn't that bad," Lack-Two suddenly snorts, sitting up. "She was really a nurturing mother back when I was living under her. Plus, her new husband was pretty cool. He taught me how to smooth-talk my way out of any situation, and that was pretty useful."
Whi-Two finds herself giggling.
"She just... didn't like how my chosen career path required that I go back to the city where she met my dad. And, to make matters worse, that same man found himself back in our lives by agreeing to finance my education, and she hated that. But she couldn't do anything about it. Her only son is pursuing his dreams... How could she say no to that?"
Lack-Two throws his head back to finish the glass in one shot. Then he starts refilling it again.
Whi-Two had lost count of how many glasses he's gone through since they sat down.
"Needless to say, mom and I drifted apart. We still communicate via occasional postcards, and I sometimes drive up to Nuvema every now and then... But that's it."
He lets out one long sigh before letting himself sink back to his couch.
"Things you do for dreams, huh?"
Whi-Two watches Lack-Two for a moment, suddenly without anything to say. He didn't seem to mind—she surmised that this was a natural thing for him: silence.
Still, she couldn't fight the feeling that maybe Lack-Two wanted her to say something. The ball was now on her side of the court. But for once—for the first time since she's met Lack-Two—Whi-Two had nothing to say. So, she resorted to what she thought was the best course of action.
Without giving it as much as a single thought, she reaches forward and touches his hand.
Lack-Two's glass freezes in front of his lips. He lowers it and lands his gaze to where his hand was trapped underneath Whi-Two's. Then, he looks up at Whi-Two, questioning her with his eyes.
Whi-Two finds herself blushing.
"T-This isn't weird, is it—?"
"Oh, it is."
Whi-Two finds herself blushing. Lack-Two only returns his gaze to his ceiling before closing his eyes.
"But, then again, it's you, so…" He shrugs, lifting the glass back to his lips for another sip.
Whi-Two was about to say something but was stopped when she's noticed that Lack-Two had barely moved his other hand underneath hers. She had half the mind to point it out, or retract her hand herself, but something inside her told her that this could be helping, in some weird way. So she decided to let it rest there until he himself pulls away.
"Say, want to know something?"
The sound of Lack-Two's wineglass hitting his coffee table slightly shocks Whi-Two. Her eyes dart it a look out of reflex, and when she finds that there was nothing, she returns her gaze to her inspector.
Whi-Two almost jumped back in shock.
Lack-Two's face was only a few inches from hers. All of a sudden, Whi-Two was very much aware of how much alcohol her superior had consumed.
Subtly, her other hand began crawling towards her purse, feeling around for Janice. And she was about to fish the weapon out when Lack-Two's lips finally part.
"...You don't remind me of my mother. At all."
Whi-Two feels her hand releasing the weapon back into her purse in confusion.
"Sorry… what?"
At that, Lack-Two chuckles, straightening himself and finally pulling his hand away.
"I don't know," he says, reaching for his glass and his bottle.
"Something told me I needed to throw it out there."
-...-
Lack-Two lands his newly-acquired bottle—the third one since he's began, Whi-Two counts to herself in slight alarm—on his coffee table and finds a place yet again next to his subordinate. The latter only proceeds to look at him judgingly.
As if he'd pay attention to it this time around.
"Say," he begins, pouring his glass close to the brim. "Not that I'm trying to kick you out or something, but... Are you alright staying this late?"
The question throws Whi-Two a bit off.
"What are you talking about?" she blinks before looking up at the clock by Lack-Two's wall. It read 9:22.
"It's still early."
At that, Lack-Two raises a brow, and then follows the girl's gaze to where his clock was.
"Oh," he softly mouths before returning his gaze to her.
"That clock's not running. I think it stopped while I was gone. Haven't gotten to changing its batteries yet."
Whi-Two's eyes widen.
"What…?"
Before Lack-Two could say anything, Whi-Two suddenly pounces on her purse and starts digging for her phone. She pulls it up with much rigor, and true enough, without her noticing, it was already half past midnight.
Whi-Two feels her stomach sink.
"Lack-Two...?"
"Hm?"
"What time do the roads close again?"
Lack-Two actually pauses from his drinking to look at her incredulously.
"Midnight," he replies. "Aren't you supposed to know that?" He scoffs, shaking his head.
"Some policeman you a—"
Lack-Two was cut off with the feeling of his glass being ripped off quickly from his hand.
He sighs and then turns to Whi-Two and watches as she finishes the half-filled glass of champagne in one swig.
Then he sighs to himself as he bent over for the bottle.
"Yes, Whi-Two, you can stay the night."
Whi-Two puts the glass down, holding her breath in hope of preventing herself from puking.
"Oh, I simply can't impose that much trouble on you, Inspector…"
"You don't really have a choice, Detective."
Lack-Two was about to lift the bottle to his lips when Whi-Two pries it off his hands again. Once more, he sighs, turning to her direction and watching as she gulps down the alcohol straight from the source.
For someone who doesn't drink, she sure drinks a lot.
A few moments later, Whi-Two puts the bottle down as she gasps for air.
"Your heart is kind, Sir," she squeaks, again trying to stop herself from hurling. Then, after some deep heavy breaths, she tilts her head back and goes another round with the bottle again.
Lack-Two watches for another minute or so before he simply shrugs. Then he reaches for her phone.
Whi-Two lowers the bottle one more time.
"What are you doing?"
"Replacing your mother's number on your phone's speed-dial with mine," he replies, not lifting his eyes from her phone.
"Why?"
Lack-Two raises both brows.
"Oh, no reason," he says. "It's just so I can prevent your mother from having to come get you should you pass out in a bar or something.
Whi-Two makes a face.
"I'm never gonna pass out in a bar or something."
"Yeah," Lack-Two nods, a bit mockingly, as he hands her back her phone.
"That's what we drunkards always say."
-...-
That night, Whi-Two dreamed she was still being pursued by the man from a few missions ago, but now only a shadow. She dreamed of the same warehouse, the same giant crates, and the same darkness, only this time, she was unarmed. And instead of running after the man, she was running from him. She leaped through every obstacle with ease, but somehow she can't seem to find the end. Even if she swears she was running in a straight line, the path seemed circular. Neverending.
Just as it had been the night before. And the night before that. And the night before that.
And, as if scripted, it ended with Whi-Two falling on the ground one reason or another, with the shadowed face of her assailant hovering over her, a gun in his hand, pointed to her face. She feels herself freeze for a moment, and the moment she hears the click of the trigger, she feels herself roll over, and falls off the bed.
Whi-Two's eyes flutter open at the feeling of landing against something quite soft—much, much softer than her bedroom floor—and what greets her was her inspector's disapproving face.
The girl screams, and clambers quickly back to bed. Lack-Two begrudgingly rises from what appeared to be a makeshift bed, rubbing his face in frustration.
"I-Inspector?!" Whi-Two cries. "W-What are you doing here?! What am I doing here?!" Her eyes frantically journey around the entire room. "Where am I?!"
But Lack-Two does not respond, and simply glares at her. Then, with a heavy sigh, he takes his pillow, and throws it at her.
"You know what?" he grunts, shoving her farther to the other side as he clambered up.
"If you're not going to sleep, then let the guy who has duty tomorrow get some sleep."
He grabs the covers and pulls it halfway over him. Then he lets himself crash to his pillow, face first.
Whi-Two feels all the colors from her face drain as she looks around, trying to remember where she was and how she got there. Then, it slowly dawns to her.
"Jesus Christ," she winces, lightly hitting her face with her palm. Then she looks around, and finds Lack-Two's desk by her side of the bed. She reaches for it and lets his alarm clock face her.
About three hours more before the roads would open again. She groans.
She was still stranded in her own superior's apartment. Unless of course she's willing to brave walking the roads alone.
Whi-Two sighs.
People can say all they want about her and her so-called "reliable" skills but she cannot for the life of her accept these compliments if she still messes up what's supposedly the small things.
Frustrated, she lies down and tries to steal a few more hours of sleep, but finds almost immediately that she couldn't anymore. She tries to turn on her side, finding a more comfortable position, and only then did her mind suddenly acknowledge what was arguably an obvious fact:
She was technically in the same bed as Lack-Two.
Whi-Two almost tears up from trying hard not to scream.
Why me?!
Realizing finally that she simply can not sleep anymore in these conditions, she sits up. She looks around the boy's room a few times.
Just like his kitchen and his living room, there was almost nothing hanging around Lack-Two's bedroom walls. There was only a wall clock, and a couple of lamps built into the walls. No images, paintings, or any form of wall-decor. Whi-Two could actually bet that this was how it looked like when her inspector first moved in.
For a glamorous apartment, it all seemed dreary. Dull. Impersonal.
Whi-Two's gaze lands on the bundle of blankets and limbs lying perfectly still next to her, and it only made her stomach sink even lower.
Even in his own home—in his own slumber—his defenses were still evidently up: body facing down, one hand near his head and the other next to a small dresser where she can only surmise to be where he kept his guns. It was a position of someone anticipating, even in his sleep, that danger will come by and try to take him down.
Whi-Two couldn't help but think that maybe her inspector had valid reasons and wasn't just a paranoid prick. She wondered if it had something to do with his line of work.
Lack-Two was notorious after all, possibly not only in their ranks. Frankly, with his skills and his reputation, it wouldn't be much of a surprise if there were people out there who'd want him dead.
The thought somehow terrifies Whi-Two. She wondered if she'll eventually turn into someone like him one day. Even more so, she wonders if she's already there.
Suddenly, the recurring scenes from her dreams come back to haunt her.
Whi-Two shakes her head at the thought.
"I can't do this," she mumbles, nearing her knees to her chest and hugging them. Then she buries her face to it.
"Especially not another three hours of this."
She suddenly feels her mentor shift slightly, making her gaze fly back to him, fearing she might have woken him up. But aside from the slight tremor from the hand nearer to his face, he still lay perfectly still.
For someone who's supposedly on high alert, Lack-Two was quite the sound sleeper.
Lucky him, Whi-Two thinks bitterly to herself.
Then she hears a mumble. Again, she looks at her mentor.
Is he sleep-talking…?
"Detective…"
Whi-Two's eyes widen at the word. Was her inspector dreaming about her?
"L-Lack-Two…?"
"Detective…"
"Y-Yeah…?"
His next words were incoherent mumbles.
"I…"
Whi-Two's eyes widen.
You… What…?
Still unable to hear, she tries to come nearer, leaning so much, she swore she could smell a faint air of his scent.
"Detective…"
"Y-Yes, Lack-Two…?"
"I…"
"You…?"
Then, all of a sudden, just as she was but a few inches away from him, her inspector's eyes flutter open, landing an alarmingly penetrating gaze towards her.
"... I suggest you take a picture. It'll last longer."
The room and the silence of the evening was filled with a shrill scream.
-...-
Lack-Two groans as he turns and lands on his back a bit uncomfortably. He takes a moment to give a side glance to his detective who was but a slight force away from breaking a hole into his wall with the way she pressed herself against it before heaving another groan.
"Well, this isn't working…"
At that, Whi-Two quickly straightens herself.
"I-I can sleep on the floor or in your living room if you like, Sir. I…"
"That's not the problem," he stresses, sighing. "It's jet lag. My body clock's still messed up from the travel. And here I thought the champagne was kicking in…"
Whi-Two watches her inspector with a lost expression.
"So, you're not…?"
The older gives her another look.
"Aren't you bothered?" she asks, blinking. "Being in the same bed as a woman?"
Lack-Two gives her a long, almost judging look.
Then he scoffs.
"'Woman'..."
The girl rolls her eyes.
"Ignoring that," she sighs, easing herself back to her original place, a few safe inches away from him.
Somehow, her inspector's hits always tire her no matter the situation.
"I don't even know why I'm so worried," she mumbles, gently landing her head to one of his pillows.
"I bet you've been in bed with tons of women, so I won't be surprised if this is nothing to you."
To her surprise, Lack-Two suddenly turns to her, inching his face nearer to her.
"You seem interested," he whispers, almost in a breathy voice.
"Why, Detective? You want to know if this is something to me?"
At that, the girl's eyes widen in fear and astonishment.
"W-What...? What?!"
Lack-Two's expression suddenly drops.
"Of course, that's not true," he claims, turning himself back to his original position.
"I'm a police officer, not a prostitute. Get your facts straight, Detective."
"Well, you can't blame me for thinking that you can get down and dirty with just anyone," Whi-Two pouts, easing her head back to her side of the pillow.
"You give off that kind of air sometimes."
At that, Lack-Two pauses, and turns to her for a short moment. Then he sighs.
"Guess, I'm just a really good actor, then... That's all I can ever be."
Whi-Two turns to him.
"What's that supposed to mean?"
"It means this is what happens when you've been in the undercover business for as long as I have been." He looks at her again.
"You begin to lose sight of your real identity. Everything just starts being an act."
The girl could only blink.
"To be quite honest, I somehow lost track of who I am—or rather, who I was." Another sigh.
"Maybe that's why you don't know much about me despite who you are. It's all a matter of me: I've just become completely versatile for my own good."
Whi-Two watches him for a moment, wondering slightly if this was the alcohol speaking—or the alcohol hearing for her, she also considered—or if this was her inspector finally opening up to her. She tried noting the rise and fall of his voice, or the way his minimal movements gave him away. But somehow, Lack-Two was just the same. There was nothing notable. Not his eyes, not his breathing, not his fidgeting (or lack thereof).
There was only Lack-Two. Her inspector.
A person who she has unconsciously associated with firmness. Discipline. Consistency.
Consistency…
The girl takes a moment to look down, thinking slightly to herself. Then, she shuffles a bit, letting her eyes share her inspector's view of the ceiling.
"Well, you're strict and particular, almost to a fault, when it comes to work, but surprisingly pretty lenient when it comes to other things, especially with personal matters."
The sudden rise in her voice slightly shocked Lack-Two, enough to make him look at her a little longer.
But Whi-Two didn't seem to notice, and if she did, she didn't seem to care.
She only continued speaking.
"You look out for people's well-being, and go out of your way to make someone feel better, but you're too shy to admit that you're doing it out of personal will. Always using your job as an excuse."
"Detective…"
"...What else?" Whi-Two muses, lifting a finger to her chin in that weird, childlike way that she does when she was deep in thought. Lack-Two shocks himself for adoring it.
"You love Nimbasa and everything it stands for. You're alarmingly addicted to champagne. Let's see... You... laugh when things get awkward. Get mad when things don't meet your ridiculous expectations. And you smile... a lot. Just in secret which is why only a people could appreciate it."
It was then that she finally turns his head to him. Out of surprise, Lack-Two turns away.
Whi-Two finds herself smiling.
"You don't make direct eye contact when you talk, and when you do, your words are limited."
Slowly, Lack-Two returns his gaze back to her.
"It's like... You'd rather read their eyes than listen to them talk. Like you're perpetually lost in them. And, sometimes, it's quite calming... To be stared into by someone like you…"
"That's…"
"...And you're in love with Inspector Lai!"
The sudden rise in her tone the second time around stuns Lack-Two. So much so that he spent the next minute or so blinking at her. Then slowly—ever so slowly, it was almost like a melody—the corners of his mouth twitch, and before Whi-Two could even tell herself what was to happen, he laughed.
Lack-Two laughed.
Her inspector—the man who barely gave a stare to her direction during morning greetings and would shrug off every joke attempt others made around him—he laughed.
It wasn't anything free-spirited or jolly, like normal people's laughter, but something told Whi-Two that this was still real.
He was really laughing.
Regardless of whether it was with her or at her, he was still laughing.
Whi-Two made Lack-Two laugh.
She didn't know what to make of herself.
"Honestly," Lack-Two mumbles, sitting up and collecting a pillow and a blanket as he did.
"You're a handful, kid."
Then he starts climbing off of his bed. Only then did Whi-Two snap off of her trance.
"W-Wait, where are you going?"
"Living room," Lack-Two replies matter-of-factly.
"I'll be sleeping in my couch tonight."
"B-But…" Whi-Two mumbles, attempting to sit up as well.
"I'll be waking up in a few hours, Detective," he quips, turning to her, a blanket and a pillow in his arms. Somehow, it made a funny image for Whi-Two.
"So, I think it's only practical that I stray away from something comforting."
"I-I'm sorry for keeping you up, Sir…"
At that, Lack-Two scoffs.
"Please," he says, turning away.
"This is going to be the most sleep I'll have in weeks. You got yourself to blame for that."
Whi-Two watches him for a moment as he fumbles with his doorknob, trying to balance the pillow and the blanket in his one hand.
It all seemed… Silly. Unreal.
Comforting.
"...Sir?"
Again, Lack-Two turns to him.
Whi-Two flashes a shy little smile.
"Thank you," she whispers. "For letting me stay."
Lack-Two watches her for another good minute before smiling.
"And thank you," he whispers back.
"For coming over."
Lack-Two pulls his door open, but he gives her one last look before stepping out.
"Get some sleep, kid."
Whi-Two, since she's gotten there, only decided then to heed her inspector's request with no protest. Suddenly, drowsiness and tiredness found their way into her system.
Slowly, she started sinking into his sheets. But she didn't go without a single word.
"Why can't you be nice like this at work?" she almost slurs.
Lack-Two was already fiddling with his locks.
"I can't drink while I'm at work. It's against Station Policy."
Whi-Two yawns.
"Fayba of the Traffic Enforcement always arrives at the Station drunk…"
"...That's why he's not an inspector."
Whi-Two's eyes were already shut, and she was already speaking in slurs. Lack-Two had decided to stop replying, but her next words proved too hard for him to ignore:
"Good night, Lack-Two…"
Lack-Two watches her for a moment, his hand ready to pull the door close behind him. He was already out of the room, and was in no obligation to respond.
And he really didn't plan to.
So slowly and quietly, he pulls on the doorknob, and as the opening that gave him a glimpse of his young subordinate's sleeping figure slowly shrinks, he catches himself whispering:
"Good night, Whi-Two."
-Mission_7 Status: Complete-
"As part of Unova's currently existing measures on maintaining control of the situation, traffic enforcement is taken extremely seriously. Various rules are implemented across the region, including but not limited to plate number coding and transportation curfews.
Discussing the latter further, it is highly encouraged that citizens be not occupying the highways after 00:00 without securing a permit from their respective UPD Division Offices. Traffic resumes at exactly 5:00AM the following day. All officers, regardless of the unit, are required to uphold these laws." Excerpt from the UPD Trooper's Manual, Chapter 8: A Brief Introduction to UPD Law Enforcement and Practices
As if I needed a new reason to update even slower, I'm a working adult now.