Work Text:
Hazuki Nagisa, news researcher, was almost entirely sure that their newly-hired science and technology writer, Ryuugazaki Rei, was hiding a secret. And not just some silly secret, like stealing people's snacks from the common fridge, but something deeper. Something earth-shattering, and definitely worthy of its own newsbreak.
It wasn’t like he had anything concrete -- just a feeling in his gut -- but in his line of work, that gut-feeling was important. He was good at his job; staking out nights at a time, sniffing out the weakest link in a political posse, wheedling information out of police and passers-by alike. With his innate charm and innocent looks, he was almost too easy to trust.
And there was just something slightly off, slightly different, about Ryuugazaki Rei. It wasn’t really anything overt or obvious. It was mostly the way he accepted enough invitations for drinks just so he could successfully decline others. He wasn't being obsessive, but once, Nagisa tallied all the instances and discovered that in the 5 months that Ryuugazaki had been with them, he had accepted 6 offers and declined 13. Thirteen. That was one more than double the number of times he accepted but nobody else saw it as suspicious. Ryuugazaki lived alone (that he can attest to after one night following him home), had no pets or family members to take care of, no gym membership or anything else that could justify his refusals. What could he be doing?
In Nagisa’s mind, it could only be one of two things: either Ryuugazaki was a criminal affiliated with the mafia, or an alien stranded on Earth. The last option was absolutely not influenced by the Korean alien drama he just finished watching.
It was all too terribly exciting and Nagisa had taken great pains to include himself in Ryuugazaki’s workplace routines, waiting for the chance to rifle through his drawers or trash can. Which was why he had been hanging around Ryuugazaki’s cubicle the whole Monday afternoon.
“Hazuki-san, it’s not that I don’t appreciate your company, but I have four more articles to proof by the six o’clock news, and I would be grateful if you stopped sitting on my stapler,” Ryuugazaki turned slightly away from his computer monitor, levelling a gaze that said you are unwanted here at the other man.
“Ehh, but Rei-chan, I get all my best ideas here! It’s not my fault that they moved me all the way down the other side to make room for you!” Nagisa pouted while extracting the stapler from under him and handing it over to Rei. “Also, just call me Nagisa!”
“Well, that’s hardly my fault either. Please take up your concerns with Matsuoka-san. Anyway, don’t you have to follow up on a lead regarding that vigilante?” Annoyance was evident in Rei’s voice as he added, “And please stop calling me Rei-chan.”
Rei-chan is so shy, Nagisa thought as he walked back to his desk on the other side of the newsroom, after being forcibly evicted by his program manager, Gou-chan, who caught him, “disturbing Ryuugazaki-kun.”
This puzzle was proving to be harder than usual. It might be time to call in some reinforcements. Spinning his chair around, he mentally ran through a list of sources that might be useful during crises such as this. A theoretical lightbulb lit up in his mind. Of course!
First things first, he had to consult the police.
-
Source #1: Get more info from Rin-chan!!!!!
“Nagisa, what do you want?”
“Hi, Rin-chan! Remember when I tipped you off on that kidnapping case? I’m calling in my favor today!”
Nagisa heard Rin sigh from the other end of the line. The incident happened a month previously, and Nagisa’s digging turned up information that proved invaluable in closing the case. He had been very generous with the police and he was very sure that Rin would pay him back in kind.
“I need records on this new guy at work, Rin-chan, he’s really suspicious! I asked him out to drink three times this week and he’s always refusing! When I know for a fact that he’s not busy at all! It’s true, I checked with his editor,” Nagisa whispered furiously into the phone, just in case his coworkers were eavesdropping.
Silence on the other line again. “Nagisa…” Rin began. “You’re stalking this guy because he won’t go out with you? That’s creepy.”
“No, no! Rin-chan!! Don’t hang up!” His coworkers turned towards him with startled faces as he wailed into the receiver. “I swear I have probable cause! You know me, Rin-chan, I’m not gonna do anything illegal! (“What you’re asking for is already illegal!”) I swear! I just have to make sure!”
A couple more minutes of pleading (from Nagisa) and threats (from Rin), and they reached a compromise.
“Fine,” Rin seethed. “Give me the guy’s name and I’ll see what I can do. Just the public records, Nagisa, nothing else. And tell that guy to file a restraining order!”
“Yay, thanks a bunch, Rin-chan! You’re the be--” Nagisa managed to say before Rin slammed the phone down rather unkindly.
Five hours and two coffees later, Nagisa wanted to retract his praise. Ai-chan from Rin’s office had faxed him most of the records, and included some attachments in an email that asked him “not to bother Rin-senpai too much.” Nagisa was thrilled and got to work immediately, taking a late shift while most of his coworkers went home.
All for nothing. Apparently Rei never did anything against the law, not even a parking ticket or a stint in the drunk tank. Ryuugazaki Rei of Iwami, Tottori (where his parents still lived), had an older brother, had been part of a champion high school track team, had moved to Tokyo for college, had graduated with honors, and had interned at Reuters. Nothing was out of place. He was the perfect model citizen.
Nagisa slid headfirst onto his desk, defeated. If he couldn’t find anything in the public records, then Rei was even better at hiding than he originally thought. He stared at a picture of 16-year-old Rei in his track uniform on his screen. Rei looked really happy. And beautiful, if Nagisa was true to himself.
“Hazuki-san? Why are you still here?” A voice spoke up in front of him and Nagisa yelled, almost punching the monitor in a sad effort to hide what he’d been staring at. Thankfully, his other hand hit the panic button instead. He looked up sheepishly at Rei’s questioning face.
“Rei-chan, you startled me!” Nagisa laughed it off, despite the pounding in his chest. It wouldn’t do to tip off Rei about his investigation. “I-I was just, um, going over these pictures t-the eyewitness sent of that vigilante they saw! Looks like they’re tall and, uh, dark-haired! Uh, so you’re going home?”
Rei was wearing a neon-green backpack over his suit, buckled up across his chest, possibly a habit left over from his track days. He peered at Nagisa above his glasses, “Yes, I’ll be going on ahead. You should go home too, Hazuki-san. Good night.”
“Oh, okay, good job today. Good night, Rei-chan!”
Nodding once, Rei headed over to the exit right by Nagisa’s desk. Halfway through, he turned around and coughed, “And please take care going home,” before disappearing beyond the door.
Something warm was creeping up Nagisa’s chest, and spreading towards his arms, down to his tingling fingers. Was Rei actually concerned about him? He could have easily exited the newsroom from the door nearest his desk, but he purposely walked by Nagisa to say good night and take care. Nagisa shook his head, hands on his hot cheeks, thinking No! This is a classic diversionary tactic by the enemy! He had to be strong. Rei and his dorky glasses and the way he filled out his well-cut trousers nicely should not distract him from his goal.
Sinking down his desk and pulling up Rei’s high school picture again, Nagisa wondered if he would actually like to be wrong.
-
The next day, Nagisa decided that it was time to utilize source #2, which he only pulled out in the direst of circumstances.
Source #2: Get Haru-chan and Mako-chan’s opinions!!!
Which was why he was sitting outside Haru’s café, eating his fifth slice of strawberry cheesecake.
“Haru-chan, Mako-chan, what should I do? I’m running out of options,” Nagisa said between mouthfuls of cake. “I’m gonna have to rely on my CIs and it’s just troublesome owing that lot.”
Haru just looked at him serenely, swapping out his plate for a different-flavored cake every time he finished one. It was Haru’s break time and Nagisa was helping him decide on new cake recipes. “What did you think of that, Nagisa?” he asked, eyes twinkling.
“Oh, I liked it better than the other ones.” Nagisa started on another cake, while Haru nodded seriously. “The thing is, I’m so sure he’s hiding something but I really don’t know what! It’s like when you instinctively feel that Haru-chan’s doing something inappropriate with water, Mako-chan!”
“It’s hard not to notice when he’s stripping in public, Nagisa,” Makoto replied from across him. He had changed out of his fireman’s uniform after his shift, and had kindly agreed to Nagisa's request to meet up even though he seemed tired.
"To tell you the truth, there's a very real possibility that he's an alien. Oh, I know!" Nagisa spoke over a mouthful of cake. "Maybe we could set up a fire near his apartment and see if he saves anyone! You could help me, Mako-chan!"
Makoto skillfully avoided the pleading eyes and replied, "Nagisa, you know what you're suggesting is arson, right? Even if it means I'm there," he added just before Nagisa could butt in.
Pouting, Nagisa sat back and chewed some more. Really, what's gotten into all his friends? It was like adulthood and responsibilities had sapped the adventure out of them. There were flaws in his plan, of course, but some laws were meant to be broken in the pursuit of knowledge. Did they think if Miyamoto Musashi had stayed a good boy in his village, he'd be known as a legendary samurai? Of course not!
It was time to use his most powerful weapon.
But just before he could rub his head all over Haru's shoulder, Haru said, "Why don't you just ask him directly, Nagisa?"
"Eh?"
"Maybe he's just waiting for you to ask him," Haru continued. "By the way, that's the last piece. What did you think?"
"I-It was great, really sweet," Nagisa replied, a little dumbfounded.
Ask Rei-chan directly? He wondered why he hadn’t thought of that simple solution. He had been too caught up in the mystery that he hadn’t seen the answer staring straight at his face. Maybe, just maybe, Rei would tell him the truth.
Makoto was smiling at him from the other side of the table. "If he was an alien, it's probably lonely all by himself, so maybe what he needs is a friend."
"Oohhh!" Plates went flying as Nagisa shot up to hug them both at the same time. "Haru-chan, Mako-chan, you're the best!"
"W-Wait, Nagisa!"
"Oi, the plates!"
Really, his friends may have changed, but they were still the best people he knew.
-
The next day, Nagisa spent the entire time at work waiting for the perfect chance for an ambu-- no, a talk. He practiced what he was gonna do a bunch of times in front of a mirror last night -- the expressions, the wording-- everything to make Rei comfortable enough to spill his secrets. The cards were all in Nagisa's hands, and he was hiding the royal flush.
He had perfectly memorized Rei's work routine, and he knew Rei went to the toilet at precisely 1230 hours, approximately the time with least toilet traffic on their floor. So there he was, lying in wait for Rei in a stall with graffiti saying Beware the beans.
Outside, Nagisa heard the click-clack of Salvatore Ferragamo Remigio oxfords, the strides coinciding with that of a 177cm male, and he knew he had his man. He braced himself against his stall door.
The door opened; Nagisa burst out of the stall and crashed into the other man.
"Rei-chan!"
"Aughauggh!"
Shocked eyes were staring at Nagisa from behind red-rimmed glasses, which had become slightly skewed when Rei landed on the floor.
“Ha-Hazuki-san!? W-w-what are you doing? Please get off me!” Rei looked terrified as he struggled to push his glasses back into place. “That was highly dangerous! Please don’t go jumping on people in the toilet, of all places!”
Nagisa refused to budge from his position straddling Rei. This was it. This was his one chance to figure out Rei’s secret once and for all. He wasn’t letting this go, and despite Rei’s protestations and attempts to push him away, he clung on.
“Rei-chan,” Nagisa began seriously. “Rei-chan, I need to ask you something. It’s very important so please listen to me.”
To his amusement, Rei colored, a bright pink flush moving up his neck to his cheeks. He stopped struggling for a moment and replied, “I-I hardly think this is a place for this conversation, Hazuki-san. It’s not beautiful. Besides, you’re ruining my suit.”
Rei had narrowly missed a wet spot on the floor when he tumbled downwards, but there was no denying that the nice suit he was wearing was all crumpled and dirtied. Who knows what went on on these floor tiles. To be honest, Nagisa thought Rei-chan’s suit would look better on the floor and-- woah. Did I just think that while sitting on Rei-chan? What the hell. Nagisa shook his head in a brave attempt to clear it. He failed.
“Rei-chan, for the longest time, I’ve been struggling with how to ask you, and I really thought I could just ignore it, but now, I must know! I can’t think of anything else! I can’t concentrate at work; I just want to keep hanging around you all day. Yesterday, I just ate 6 slices of cake, and I couldn’t eat anything else, can you believe it?” Nagisa’s imploring eyes bore into Rei. “I-I’m really sorry. Haru-chan and Mako-chan said to just ask you directly and that’s what I’m doing now.”
Rei’s color was heightening and heightening as Nagisa went on with his little speech. His cheeks looked as though they were radiating heat and fogging up his glasses. Ah, he must think he’s busted, Nagisa thought, as he reached out to touch one flaming cheek in curiosity, and Rei let out the shrill keen of a wounded animal.
Rei caught his hand. His palm was sweating. “I-I have to be honest with you too, Hazuki-san. The truth is, I’ve been thinking about you too. A lot. Especially these past few days.” He added in an increasingly agitated whisper, “But please, let us continue this conversation in a more appropriate place. Like perhaps that splendid park across the street?”
“No way, Rei-chan, I have to tell you now!” Nagisa wasn’t falling for that trick. Who knew what Rei might do in the freedom of the outdoors. He might vanish! Or fly away! And leave Nagisa with all these questions that would never be answered.
The flying part reminded him of the Western superhero comics he had read as a kid. Superman was an ordinary journalist by day, but he always wore his superhero suit underneath just in case he was needed. Something clicked in his mind as he looked at Rei’s dark gray suit with new eyes. The reason Rei was so adamant against dirtying his suit… could it be?
Acting entirely on impulse, Nagisa pulled his hand away from Rei’s sweaty grip and yanked Rei’s shirt from where it was tucked into his pants. Rei let out an almighty shriek and tried to cover himself up, for, as Nagisa noted while staring at a lean set of abs, he wasn’t wearing anything underneath.
“Hazuki-san, please wait! I am not ready for that stage in our relationship just yet!”
-
Well. That was a miserable failure. The screams had alerted Gou again and now Nagisa was banned from going near Rei in the office for an indefinite amount of time. At least Rei had agreed to meet up after work, in a public place, as he insisted. Really, was Nagisa that scary? He wasn’t planning on eating Rei alive, and he didn’t even get to ask his question.
Nagisa frowned over the unfinished paperwork on his desk as Gou continued to reprimand him for starting a fight.
“Gou-chan, I told you we weren’t fighting. I just wanted to ask him a question,” Nagisa pouted up at her.
“You were rolling around in the toilet! What was I supposed to think?” Gou’s hair swished dangerously as she huffed. “Honestly, Nagisa-kun, I thought you’d be nicer to the new guy! If you wanted to ask him a question, ask him properly and don’t harass him!”
“Okay,” Nagisa nodded. Gou looked at him suspiciously again before turning to go, reminding him to get the eyewitness report to her by morning.
Slumped in his chair, Nagisa couldn’t care less about the damned eyewitness report, when there was no new information besides a red mask. He was too preoccupied with Rei, and how close he had been to figuring out the truth. If only Gou-chan hadn’t come in! He could have been happy and satisfied and had some peace of mind. Instead, he had been constantly sneaking glances towards Rei’s desk.
And Rei had been sneaking glances towards him too, still red-faced, when he thought Nagisa couldn’t see, but Rei was so obvious about it, it was making Nagisa feel doubly embarrassed for both of them.
-
Rei had gone to the park before Nagisa, possibly to better prepare himself for the latter’s incessant questions. And since Nagisa was stuck to his desk until he finished Gou’s request, he hadn’t been able to stop him, despite not wanting to lose sight of his subject. And so he trudged on, forcibly punching the letters in his keyboard into something like words, and maybe even a whole article.
Almost half an hour had passed since Rei slipped out to wait for him at the park, and Nagisa was just finishing his report and internally panicking. What if Rei got bored and just decided to go home? He should’ve called Rei to ask him to wait a bit more. Sending his barely-proofread article to Gou, he dashed out the office, down the stairs (he couldn’t wait for the elevator) and out the building in less than five minutes. He was breathless and panting from having run so hard, but this was it, this was finally it. Rei and all his mysteries would be laid bare for his eyes to see.
Spying Rei on a bench across the road, and feeling something in his stomach flutter in either apprehension or delight, Nagisa waved, starting forward and calling out, “Rei-chan!”
Even some time later, Nagisa still wasn’t quite sure what happened, because the CCTV cameras on the street were curiously offline, and the truck driver was just as confused as he was. There was a strong blast of wind, blaring horns on his left, and the sudden, overwhelming feeling that something was wrong, terribly wrong, as the front face and bright lights of an Elf-type truck grew bigger and bigger, blocking his vision. There wasn’t enough time to process anything in those few seconds between life and certain--
--life.
He was breathing. Nagisa was breathing in and out, shakily, the sound loud in his ears and the feeling tight in his chest, when for all of two seconds he was sure he wouldn’t be anymore. He was on the ground. Sitting? He wasn’t sure. But he wasn’t hurt anywhere, as far as he could tell, except where his arms were gripped by a pair of hands who were shaking him roughly. He followed the hands up to a face he knew. Rei. Rei-chan. He was meeting Rei-chan and Rei-chan was looking scared.
“Nagisa-kun! Nagisa-kun, are you all right? Where does it hurt? Nagisa-kun?” Rei-chan looked really pale. Was it because of him? What happened? Behind Rei-chan was an old man squinting at him worriedly and a truck at an odd angle.
It was like the sight of the truck lifted the fog surrounding him, and Nagisa became all too aware that his heart was pounding, and that tears were rapidly falling down his cheeks. He almost died.
“Rei-chan! Rei-chan!” and Nagisa clung to him desperately, like a lifesaver in the middle of a dark, angry ocean.
“You were lucky this young man pulled you to safety, boy. Honestly, it was all too fast, I wasn’t sure what happened.” The old man sniffed behind them, where Nagisa was bawling on Rei’s shoulder while Rei awkwardly patted his back. “He came out of nowhere.”
Nagisa’s sobs hitched to a stop at the old man’s words. Looking hard into Rei’s eyes -- which were convincingly confused -- he prodded the old man into talking more. “What do you mean, sir?”
“Well, I braked hard, but I still thought for sure I had run you over, which was a really scary thing to happen at my old age, you know, weak heart and all. But anyway, when I got down to check, I just found the two of you quite safe on the side of the road, with him trying to slap some sense into you. It’s a miracle, I say.”
Nagisa’s eyes were as wide as plates after the old man’s explanation. Of course. Of course, it all made sense. It was just like the Korean drama he saw on TV. Rei-chan was… he certainly was…
“I was just at the right place at the right time,” Rei explained, pushing up his glasses. “Besides, Nagisa-kun, don’t you have to apologize for crossing the lane on a red light?”
-
They were walking home in silence, after profusely apologizing to the old man for all the trouble. After checking for any sign of injuries, Rei had insisted on seeing Nagisa home, in case he still felt weak. Nagisa was grateful for Rei’s concern, and also for the chance to confirm his most pressing theory.
“Here we are,” Nagisa stopped in front of his apartment complex, turning to Rei with a smile. “Do you want to come up?”
To his surprise, Rei blushed all the way to his ears, stammering, “Nagisa-kun, I-I don’t think it would be appropriate--”
“I’m happy you’re calling me Nagisa,” Nagisa cut in, making Rei turn even redder. It was actually kind of amusing. Feeling bold all of a sudden, he reached out to take Rei’s hand. It was sweaty again.
“I wanted to say thank you, for saving my life. Back there, I really thought--” Nagisa tried to suppress a shudder by gripping Rei’s hand tighter. “I thought I was going to die. Thank you for being there.”
Rei was smiling at him. “We were lucky.”
“No, it wasn’t just luck!” The vehemence in Nagisa’s statement apparently startled Rei. “You-- I know what you are, Rei-chan.”
“W-What I am? I don’t think I understand, Nagisa-kun.”
“You… You’re an alien, Rei-chan.”
“I’m a what?!”
“An alien! And a thumping good one at that!” Nagisa pulled him down by the hand to keep their eyes level. “You couldn’t have got there in time, you were too far away. I saw you, across the street. I was waving at you.”
“Nagisa-kun, I was in the tr--”
“I know you were in the track team,” Nagisa’s voice was quivering with excitement. He could feel Rei’s hand grow cold under his touch. This was it, this was checkmate. “But that speed still wasn’t humanly possible.”
Rei was looking at him like he grew another head, but then the soft light of the moon was reflecting off his glasses, rendering his eyes almost invisible. Dread filled Nagisa for a moment (Is he gonna abduct and experiment on me??? He won’t kill me, will he?), but instead,Rei pushed up his glasses in that characteristic way of his and laughed awkwardly.
“Nagisa-kun! What are you talking about? While the odds of extraterrestrial life in this universe are certainly upwards of 100 percent, w-why would I be one of them? Surely, despite my incredible flair for the aesthetically pleasing, I pass as a normal, productive member of society? Surely, this is the case?” Rei’s voice had started to rise hysterically, and it was his turn to hang on to Nagisa’s hands in an effort to understand. “Please tell me where I went wrong? How did you find out?!”
Nagisa’s mouth was hanging open. “So it’s true? You are an alien? The real deal?”
“Please, Nagisa-kun, I came here on a capsule and my parents raised me as their own! I am as much an Earthling as you! I grew up here, and I’ve only used my abilities for good!”
Nagisa’s head was swimming from everything, and he felt like he needed to sit down and not move for maybe a century. Everything was clicking into place. Using his abilities for good, that sounded a lot like a superhero. Of course. The vigilante. It had to be Rei. That was what he was doing at night, whenever he refused to go drinking with them. Gazing up at Rei, who was trying to explain his activities, earnest and flustered, he couldn’t help a protective feeling rise up his chest. He held a hand up.
“Rei-chan. Vigilantism is a crime,” he whispered.
Rei stepped back like he was shoved. The shock in his expression very nearly broke Nagisa’s heart.
But Nagisa put his hands on Rei’s shoulders and grinned. “I won’t report you. After all, every Superman needs a Lois Lane.”
This time around, Nagisa had to step back, because the relief that flooded Rei’s face was overwhelming.