Kaito slowly looked up and watched him. As his breathe caught on a sob he crumpled in on himself and dropped to the ground in a ball. “There … I was so sure ….you …..”
Wrapping his arms around his legs he laid his eyes on his knees and rocked. He still couldn’t believe this. This was all a dream. Some lovely, twisted messed up dream and he was pass out in some alley way. Gods knows that it wouldn’t be the first time something like this had happened.
The detective stood still, tension in his shoulders leaving with a quiet sigh as he watched the display of vulnerability. It hurt to see him like this. It killed him to see that strong, vibrant person cave under the weight of everything. All of that truth that he’d known, right there before him; subtext and inference in sudden, concrete detail.
Hakuba watched him for a moment, aching, and slipped the watch back into his pocket. For all of the talk of having wanted to bring the criminal to his knees oh so long ago, he hated to see it now.
He crossed the room in silence and, with careful movements he’d had to learn in preparation for his return to Japan- days before meeting Kuroba for the first time -he lowered himself to the ground and knelt in front of him. Dipping his head in a bow appropriate to their familiarity, Hakuba held himself still, counting with his eyes closed, then slowly sat back on his heels.
There was nothing to say as he reached a hand for one of Kaito’s.