simple minds think alike

“Hm... Maybe... No, he doesn’t like that at all...”

One winter day found Tasuku perusing the shelves of a nearby toy store for gift ideas. The orphanage Tasuku had become acquainted with had little money to spare for gifts for the children, and yet so many of the kids had come to Tasuku asking them if they were on Santa’s naughty or nice list. 

Tasuku remembered when he had believed in Santa. His parents had taught him to be good for the sake of being good, but like any child, he couldn’t deny that he had wanted a reward for his exemplary behaviour as well. 

But more than that... How long had it been since he had stopped believing? After his parents had died, probably, when he wished to Santa every night for his parents to come back to him and wondered why they hadn’t appeared under the cheap, plastic tree he had purchased with what little money he had. The sadness and loneliness from realizing that wish could never be granted... 

Tasuku wouldn’t wish that kind of sadness on any child.

“Oh...!”

A wide array of stuffed animals caught his eye on the bottom shelf, and he knelt down to inspect them.

“Hmm... Yeah, this could work... He mentioned he really wanted one of these...”

He shuffled to the left, looking for a particular stuffed animal...until his head collided into someone else’s.

“Ow...! Oh, I’m so sorry! I wasn’t watching where I was--”

glorioustaiga‌:

“Huh?”

There it was again--the mention of that other city. Hive City. The one that so many others had brought up to Tasuku, and yet...he just couldn’t remember at all.

Though the expression on Noboru’s face was making him rethink being so honest about his apparent selective forgetfulness!

“Uh... May...be...?”

Just kidding. He had to be honest.

“Honestly, you’re not the first one to bring up ‘Hive City’ to me, but...I don’t remember anything about any hives in a city. I know you aren’t lying, though... Because other people have asked me the same thing.”

So it was either a collective prank, a mass hallucination, or...Tasuku had been to this “Hive City” in some way, shape or form. Honestly, the lattermost option was beginning to look most likely.

“Sorry... Is there any way I can make it up to you?”

glorioustaiga‌:

Now that was a familiar face. In the midst of his patrol, Tasuku caught a glimpse of a shock of yellow and his eyes fell upon a certain junior.

“Noboru-kun!” Tasuku jogged over to the younger teen. “I didn’t realize you were here too! Small world, huh?”

It certainly was the first time he had heard Noboru calling him “Tasuku-nii” instead of “Tasuku-senpai,” but he didn’t question it. It just felt...right, for some reason. 

“No, I’m just on patrol right now, but it’s pretty quiet. I guess even the bad guys wanna enjoy Christmas.” Not exactly true, as there were many grinches out there that wanted to ruin it for everybody, but Tasuku had resolved to take them all down before they could ruin the joyous occasion. “How’ve you been? It feels like forever since I last saw you.”

oneeyedpsychic‌:

“If I were Santa Claus, I’d give you a big lump of coal...and a big red flag.”

oneeyedpsychic‌:

leopcrdeyes‌:

They always end up trying to fight their way out of it...

And always with the same result too. Maybe it was because Tasuku was a child, and quite a petite one at that, that criminals thought they’d be able to make a quick getaway by attacking the tiny police officer on their tails. What a rude awakening they would get when Tasuku inevitably turned the tables on them...

Still, it would’ve been nice if things were easy for once! Tasuku didn’t want to be seen as a brute within the police force! He genuinely fought in self-defense! 

Sigh.

At the same time the voice rang out, Tasuku pivoted on his heel and slammed his foot into the thug’s jaw, sending him reeling to the ground. Aptly timed... That had been the last of them. But as he waited for back-up to arrive, Tasuku’s attention turned to the man who had just entered the scene. 

Actually, he found that it was impossible to look elsewhere. The man was handsome, like he had walked right out of a movie. He was practically sparkling in the dim alleyway! And he had just addressed Tasuku?!

Wait...

He had just addressed Tasuku, and in a familiar fashion at that. He was used to people knowing his name in his home world, but to call out to him like that implied a sort of intimacy that he was sure he didn’t have with this man.

“Huh?”

“Um... Sorry, sir... Do I know you?”

requiemcount‌:

“Thanks, Gaito-kun. I’ll be careful. But you don’t have to worry so much about me. I’m used to this kind of thing.”

The phone was still ringing... The thief must not have been very smart if they hadn’t bothered silencing it. Gently pushing his way through the throng of people and murmuring polite apologies when necessary, Tasuku tailed the source of the noise to a more secluded area. The ringtone was, without a doubt, emanating from the pocket of the hooded man. 

“Gaito-kun, could I get you to stay here and watch him for now? If he tries to bolt, I’ll need you to block his escape route.”

With that out of the way, Tasuku put on his best performance, running up to and in front of the man with childlike steps.

“Excuse me, mister!”

The man responded with a thuggish response, par for the course for someone who would just pick up a phone and make off with it.

Undeterred, Tasuku continued to speak, keeping his voice light and innocent.

“I dropped my phone earlier, and I’ve been looking all over for it! But I think you have it in your hands right now. Can you give it back to me, please? I’ll be really happy if you do!”

“You know,” Tasuku said, his voice dropping a pitch. The sweet, childish tone had near-vanished completely. “Finding something that isn’t yours but giving it back to its rightful owner is fine. But stealing is against the law... You could get punished for it. You could even go to jail. You don’t want that now, do you, mister? Jail cells are pretty uncomfortable...”

Here it comes.

The man threw a punch at Tasuku, but Tasuku easily deflected it, retaliating with a hard kick of his own. Reeling, the man tried again and again, but to no avail; Tasuku was too fast. 

“We can keep going if you want. I have enough in me for another round or twenty.”

And as expected, the man turned tail and ran in the opposite direction...towards Gaito.

“Gaito-kun, he’s coming your way!”

oneeyedpsychic‌:

“Zal-san, what makes you think I can’t stop a robbery while I’m in the middle of apprehending you?”

Definitely a jab in there somewhere. That wasn’t to say he was placing more emphasis on a relatively minor offense as opposed to stopping petty crimes, but it didn’t sit well with him to let such rebellious behaviour slide.

“Come along quietly now, Zal-san. Let’s have you think about what you’ve done.”

oneeyedpsychic‌:

“Oh, I definitely can’t put you in jail for something like this. But I can arrest you. It’s the quickest way of removing a hazard from the streets for a few hours, you know?”

He gave a small tug on the handcuffs and began pulling her along.

“Besides, you’re at least 18, aren’t you? Maybe having some quiet time to think about what you’ve done is just what you need to get you on your way to being a better influence on those around you.”

There was definitely a hidden jab in there somewhere. Several, in fact.

oneeyedpsychic‌:

“By five y--?!”

But...she was staring him right in the eye. They were at eye level, She was the exact same height as him! 

...

“...So you’re an adult, then? Thank you for being honest with me.”

He gently removed her hands from his shoulders...and then slapped a pair of handcuffs over her wrists.

“It makes my job a lot easier.”

oneeyedpsychic‌:

“...They hired me because I have experience, Zal-san.”

And because having a dragon as a companion was very useful when it came to law enforcement, but that was besides the point.

“? You’re my age, aren’t you?”

oneeyedpsychic‌:

He pulled the board away from her outstretched hand, still stern.

“You know that I’m a police officer. So you must know that I’m on duty right now, right? And that this area doesn’t allow cyclists on the sidewalk--or skateboards.”

“You may be just a kid, but that doesn’t mean I can just let you off with a slap on the wrist. It doesn’t matter how careful you are--the rules exist for a reason.” 

oneeyedpsychic‌:

“Wha--!”

There was no better way to start the day than to nearly get run over by a skateboarded hurtling down the street at illegal speeds. He had been all but ready to throw himself out of the way before Zal put a stop to her shenanigans herself, leaning against the signpost as if nothing had happened.

Shock morphed into a terse expression, Tasuku placing his foot on the edge of the skateboard that had rolled to his feet and stepping down so that the board flipped into a waiting hand. It was his hostage now.

“...Zal-san, what were you thinking? This street is crowded with people. You could’ve hurt someone.”