Blessings of Stardust: A Captain and a Magician

[madimpossibledreamer]

the angst just happened sorry but it's minor I swear
~Dreamer~

Main Points:
Persona 4 Ghost in the Shell inspired au
Summary: post-mission Narukami SL, mostly learning about the characters so yeah SL away
Word Count: 640
Rating: Gen

         They both get tea and ramen.  After the day they’ve had, a little relaxing is called for, which is why Narukami really appreciates this.  Some people might want to get away from the group after experiences like that, try to distance their personal life from the whole, but that isn’t really how the Inaba Investigation Team works, and Narukami’s glad for the closeness of the family he’s found.
         Hanamura takes the hot tea and just breathes it in, sighing and letting the tension drain.  “I don’t get why you use everyone’s last names.  It’s not like you’re distant from them or anything.  You make it a point to know everyone’s sob stories.”  Apparently the more casual setting meant that the brunet feels he can let go of the polite distance.  The chief isn’t sure whether he should be pleased or not, but then, Hanamura won’t be the first with a sharp tongue.
         “I like helping people.”  Narukami tries not to be offended, because he’s pretty sure that’s not how it was meant.  He pauses.  He hadn’t really thought about the last name thing.  “I like a more casual atmosphere, but we also have to be professional.”
         “Makes sense.”  Hanamura smiles, a wide, dazzling smile that puts Narukami off guard.  Oh, it’s not exactly as if his earlier smiles have been fake, but here is one absolutely and completely genuine, holding absolutely nothing back.  “This is gonna sound stupid, but here goes—thanks for having me on the team, Narukami-san.  Believe it or not, but it’s not the easiest thing living as a Magician.  People tend to think ‘oh, you can alter the very fabric of reality, it must be easy being you’ but it’s really not.  People tend to be, I dunno, wary.  If they end up being your friend or helping you out or if you win a drawing or something, they’re always second guessing it.  Even if you got somewhere by hard work or dumb luck, they’re always wondering, even if it’s just in the back of their mind, whether you got it all by using ‘cheat codes to reality’ or something.”  He makes the air quotations, hands more expressively upset than the quiet frustrated despair in the man’s tone.  He takes a quiet sip of the tea, waiting a moment until he calms down, and continues again, “…So, yeah, it gets pretty easy to read when people are being like that, and none of you were.  Curious, maybe the thought crossed your mind, but none of you were holding back or anything, and it…”  He sighs, but the smile’s back.  Narukami wishes it weren’t, that Hanamura wouldn’t force himself like that, but it’s not like anything he says would make a difference.  “…It’s hard to find a good job sometimes.  A good group of people.  So I can’t really get across to you how nice it is to be a part of your team, and I hope I can stick around for a while.”
         Narukami ignores the tears in the warm brown eyes and the way his subordinate’s voice trembles.  He smiles reassuringly.  “Didn’t you hear Satonaka? You’re one of us now.”
         “Oh man,” Hanamura chuckles, wry amusement in his tone.  “On second thoughts, maybe I should get out of here now, escape all the workplace abuse.  Most of you I trust, but Karate Kid is just a little too enthusiastically scary.”  Despite his words, his only movement is to grab the bowl of ramen and begin to devour its contents, starting with the hard-boiled egg.
         Narukami shakes his head.  “I’ll talk to her if she’s out of line.  Don’t worry about that.”  He knows the other’s only joking, but he feels it’s his duty to inform the other of the fact that he intends no favoritism.
         “My hero,” Hanamura mumbles around a mouth full of noodles.