Heiji felt like he was talking himself into a hole, if Hakuba’s body language was anything to go by. Every time he spoke, the Brit tensed up more and more.
He wanted to hit his head against the counter. Nothing he said seemed to cheer the other detective up. He didn’t even know why he was trying anymore.
Fine. One last try.
“Look. S’obvious I’ve offended ya. So jus’ tell me what I said wrong.”
It frustrated Hakuba that Hattori could be so direct. So… aggressive, even in a public setting. He took a deep, but quiet breath, held it for two heartbeats, then let it out slowly, calming himself. He could address the matter civilly and appropriately, right? Even though it was Hattori.
“Everything you said was wrong."
Oh. Maybe not.
The foreign detective glared down at the food in front of him, picking at it uselessly with his chopsticks. Not because he couldn’t use chopsticks – he was actually quite skilled with them! – but because he really could not bring himself to eat while this upset.
"Do you have any idea how embarrassed I am? How hard it is to… to be here and look like an idiot, unintentionally offending others because of my.. my lack of super secret special knowledge that you possess? God, Hattori, it’s almost as if you just don’t get it. I’d… I’d like to see you try to survive in England for a week, let alone take classes AND manage to stay at the top of your class in school. Can you even speak English?!”
All of this was said quietly, the end a hissed whisper. He didn’t want to draw attention to them, but it was difficult when things were heated. And, clearly, he was upset.