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He is at his desk, sketching out the design of his latest invention idea, when he hears the sound of a car rolling up. He makes note of it simply because his desk was right next to the window closest to the street, it was past 10 PM, and his house was in a suburban neighborhood full of seniors that tended to retire for the night by eight. He had decided to move here precisely because it was safe and quiet and was in one of the better funded public school districts. He had two incredibly bright kids under his care, after all.
He doesn’t give the car any thought afterwards.
But then he hears the muffled sound of something being dragged and a bit of grunting and he could deduce that someone was dragging a heavy object onto his front lawn. That was strange, certainly, but not alarming enough for him to get up just yet. He was curious but far more curious to see the results of whatever was happening to unfurl itself. He jolts down a few more notes on his sketchpad. He decides that he’ll be making the main exterior pink since that was now Iris’ new favorite color, with blue highlights since that was Ryunosuke’s.
He hears the strumming of what could only be an electric guitar connected to an amp. The melody was completely unfamiliar to him, but most modern music here was completely unfamiliar to him. He’s only been in America for a little less than a year now. It sounded very pop-rock if he had to guess. The type of music that Ryunosuke had been recently listening to and now liked to play on his phone when he was doing chores. And then he hears, in an undeniably teenage boy voice that sounds like it's on the tailends of puberty from the way it cracks,
Another day is going by
I'm thinking about you all the time
But you're out there and I'm here waitin’
Sholmes opens the window and peers his head out.
There is a boy singing outside of their house, under Ryunosuke’s window.
Sholmes’ first thought was that the amp was completely unnecessary. Ryunosuke’s room was indeed on the highest floor in the house, but it was not high enough where the normal range of an electric guitar wouldn’t be heard from right outside his window.
His second thought was that he doesn’t need to get a good look at the boy to know it was 16-year-old Kazuma Asogi, Ryunosuke’s high school classmate and best friend. The Kazuma Asogi that Ryunosuke hasn’t been speaking to for Sholmes guesses to be about a week and is likely trying to make amends for whatever fight they were having. Ryunosuke hasn’t told Sholmes about any sort of fight, but he could conclude enough from his recent moodiness. And the fact that he hasn’t talked about Kazuma at all, when Sholmes does his routine inquiries about his day at school.
He leans out further to look closer and sees that yes that was definitely Kazuma Asogi, red headband fluttering, wearing a black graphic tee under a unbuttoned red plaid shirt and ripped black jeans, with his ever present wooden sword that was being held up by a studded belt that he probably got from Hot Topic.
This could be the one last chance
To make you understand
Yeah
I'd do anything
Just to hold you in my arms
To try to make you laugh
Sholmes thinks this is the most hysterical thing that he has seen Kazuma Asogi do so far and wants to see the moment Ryunosuke wakes up to see this too. But he reminds himself that the electric guitar is connected to an amp. The whole neighborhood is listening to this strangely aggressive serenade and he will definitely be receiving noise complaints from his neighbors, on top of their usual ones about strange smells and mysterious fumes.
He goes outside and decides to mess with him for the inconvenience he was causing.
Just to fall asleep with you
Will you remember me?
'Cause I know I won't forget you
I close my eyes and all I see is you
I close my eyes
“Kazuma! Open your eyes! And go home, Ryunosuke says he doesn’t want to see you ever again.”
Kazuma stops singing with a start. “Mr. Sholmes,” he says in surprise. He then seems to fully register what he had just said, because his face contorts into a determined look, that was somehow also full of misery. He raises his voice again, likely still trying to get Ryunosuke to acknowledge him since he has yet to open his window. “If Ryunosuke really doesn’t want to see me, he should be a man and tell me himself.” Sholmes decides not to bring up that they are both, in fact, teens.
Kazuma places his hand back on the strings and turns back to the direction of Ryunsouke’s room.
I try to sleep I can't forget you
Nanana nanana
And I'd do anything for you
Nanana nanana na
Sholmes is trying his best to keep up his stern I’m-a-parent-and-am very-upset-with-you-for-harassing-my-adopted-son look and not completely break into obnoxious laughter. He has to find out the name of this song after all of this. He doubts Kazuma wrote it himself. It's vaguely familiar now that he has heard more of it.
He doesn’t remember Ryunosuke ever mentioning that Kazuma owned and played a guitar. He feels like it should have come up at some point.
I'd do anything
To fall asleep with you
I'd do anything
'Cause I know I won't forget you
“Kazuma?! What are you doing?!”
The pivotal moment of truth.
Ryunosuke was leaning out with both of his hands on the windowsill, hair mussed from just waking up. He was a heavy sleeper, so Sholmes wasn’t too surprised that it took this long for him to get up. Maybe that was why Kazuma had brought the amp. Or maybe he was just that dedicated to the performance. It was hard for Sholmes to tell with him.
“Ryunosuke!” Kazuma yells up at him, “Please take me back!”
That was a strange way to phrase it. Sholmes didn’t think Ryunosuke had it in him to actually break off his friendship with Kazuma completely. He really should have been more nosy, but Mikotoba said kids at this age needed their space, so he had been waiting for Ryunosuke to come and open up to him on his own.
Ryunosuke was still just at his window and looking down at Kazuma, open-mouthed and eyes wide in disbelief.
“I’m sorry! About everything! I was wrong and let my emotions get the better of me. I love you, Ryunosuke!”
Wait.
Mikotoba was wrong.
Sholmes should have been extra nosy and invasive because Ryunosuke had not opened up at all. He seemed to have missed some crucial updates in Ryunosuke’s personal life.
“Oh my god,” Ryunosuke finally says and leaves the window.
“Grab a jacket! It’s chilly tonight,” Sholmes yells, before turning back to Kazuma who looked like he wanted to run into the house to meet Ryunosuke halfway. Sholmes puts himself right in front of him to block his path.
“Mr. Sholmes, please step aside. This is a matter between Ryunosuke and I.”
“I think not. It became my matter the moment you decided to loudly and publicly grovel in front of my house on a Thursday night. Does your father know you took his car? I know for a fact that you don’t have your license yet.”
“Like he cares,” Kazuma spats venomously, as he always tended to do when any well-meaning adult mentions his father.
Sholmes brush passes it. He will have to grill and embarrass Ryunosuke on his choice in boyfriends after this. Kazuma was the pure embodiment of impulsive, hot-headed teenage angst, on top of the daddy issues and law-breaking.
“You can’t date my son.”
“Wha-? That’s not up to you,” Kazuma says, outraged, “Ryunosuke is his own person.”
“Indeed, he is. And he broke up with you on his own and for a good reason.” A reason that Sholmes was still dying to know.
That shuts Kazuma right up and Sholmes thinks he was going to chip a tooth with how hard he was gritting his teeth together.
“I’m going to make it up to him.”
“I don’t think you can. He’s been very upset.” Which was true to an extent. Three-year-old Iris had even picked up on his downcast mood and had tried to cheer him up today with a tea party with her plushies. Sholmes had pulled out some fancy headwear from his closet of many disguises for them all to wear. Iris had decided that Ryunosuke looked terrible in a top hat but great in the tiara that Sholmes had gotten from a case with a Russian ballerina.
“I’d do anything. There’s nothing I won’t do,” Sholmes thought Kazuma was going to break into song again but he continued on in a normal voice, “To get him to forgive me.”
“Kazuma, what is this?” Ryunosuke asks coldly, appearing right behind Sholmes. He did grab a jacket on his way out. It was the jacket that had appeared a few weeks ago that Sholmes definitely hadn’t bought for him.
“Ryunosuke,” Kazuma begins and then stops as he sweeps his eyes over him, “You kept the jacket I got you.”
Oh Sholmes couldn’t wait to tell Mikotoba all about this.
Ryunosuke’s face turned red. “I wouldn’t throw out perfectly good clothes!”
“Even after what I did?”
Ryunosuke’s face turned redder, now in anger. “Go away, Kazuma.”
“Did you hear my song?”
“I thought I was dreaming at first but yes, I did.”
“Please, Ryunosuke, it’s what I truly feel. I’ve been practicing it since…”
“Since after you learned how to play the guitar just to sing Addicted at the talent show. To call me out for being a 'Heartbreaker.' Nearly everyone could tell you were staring at me when you were singing, Kazuma.”
Drat, he doesn’t know what song they were talking about. He’ll have to look it up later. Also see if there’s any recording of this talent show. Also this confirmed that the guitar was indeed a new thing. He wonders if Kazuma had charged it to his father’s credit card without his knowledge or if he already had the funds to buy it just from being the son of one of the top investigators on the force.
“I’m sorry! I know I overreacted!”
“That was far more than an overreaction! You don’t even know half the things I had to deal with after that.”
“What-? Who was bothering you?” Kazuma very much looked like he was going to take care of every single one of them personally.
Ryunosuke groans. “The only person bothering me right now is you.”
Kazuma suddenly gets down on his hands and knees, to Ryunosuke’s horror and Sholmes’ exponentially increasing amusement. It looked terribly awkward with the guitar still strapped on him, but he managed to fully bow down with his head to the ground. This truly was better than any prime time show on the telly, Sholmes thinks with pure delight.
“Please give me another chance, partner. I’ll do whatever it takes. My heart still beats only for you.”
“Kazuma! Get up! You shouldn’t be putting pressure on your knees.” Sholmes vaguely recalls Ryunosuke mentioning a week and a half ago that Kazuma got minorly injured from getting crashed into by their English teacher and his bicycle.
“So you do still care about me.” Kazuma lifts his head. “If you weren't ignoring my texts, you would have known that my knees are completely healed now.”
“Of course I still care about you! You’re my best friend!”
Kazuma looked terribly relieved and then looked terribly agnozied. “If you only want to remain friends, I’ll accept that too.” He looked like he was pulling teeth getting that out. “I’ll learn to put my feelings aside. I just want you back.”
Ryunosuke seemed to hesitate. “...I’ve missed you too. And I do love you, Kazuma.”
Kazuma’s face lights up like the sun and Sholmes knew it was time for him to take his leave. He clapped a hand on Ryunosuke’s shoulder, which made him jump. “I’ll be going back inside, Ryunosuke. Don’t stay out too long. And we definitely will be talking about all this.” Ryunosuke looked at him nervously but nodded. “Oh and you must tell me the name of the singer for that song.”
“Simple Plan,” Kazuma replies, far too feverishly for someone still on the ground, “they are my favorite band.”
Sholmes takes a look at Ryunosuke’s jacket and confirms that yes indeed SIMPLE PLAN was plastered across the front. Kazuma had gifted Ryunosuke a jacket labeled with his favorite band, not Ryunosuke’s.
He tries very hard to not react to this and simply nods. “Thank you. If you do something like this again, I will be calling your father.” He wouldn’t, but he has to maintain the aura of a responsible and respectable parent.
He immediately looks out the window after going back into the house. Kazuma was standing now and had taken the guitar off. He sees Ryunosuke say something and then throws himself at Kazuma to hug him. Oh the serenade was a success after all because after a few more minutes, there were teenagers kissing on his lawn.
He turns arounds and goes to check on Iris. He finds her still sound asleep and completely unaware of what had just transpired in front of their house. Satisfied, he goes back out to the living room and fully lays himself down on the couch, closing his eyes and draping a hand across his forehead dramatically. He waits.
After what he guesses to be about ten minutes, he hears the front door close and the distant sound of a car driving away. “Um, Mr. Sholmes? Kazuma went home.”
He makes no move to respond. He hears Ryunosuke walk closer to him.
“...I’m really sorry for not telling you. About Kazuma.”
He opens his eyes and swiftly sits up to look at Ryunosuke. “Oh, finally deciding to talk to me? Here I thought you’ve decided I wasn’t to be privy to important matters in your life.”
Ryunosuke looks at him exasperatedly. “You’re the one who said we would be talking about this.” He sits down next to Sholmes on the couch. “Would you believe me if I said it was because I didn’t realize I was dating Kazuma at first?”
Sholmes slaps his knee and then immediately puts his head down to hide his face, startling Ryunosuke. “Are you okay?”
He puts his head back up once he composed himself. He had already swore to himself that he would not break into laughter at any point during this talk, so Ryunosuke wouldn’t get the impression that Sholmes was making fun of him and never come to him for a heart-to-heart again. Ryunosuke was already making this very difficult. “Yes, I am perfectly fine. Better than ever actually.” He ignores the look of doubt on Ryunosuke’s face. “How about you and the Asogi boy?”
Ryunosuke fidgeted with the sleeve of his jacket. It was slightly too big on him. Sholmes has the suspicion that Kazuma had either given him one of his own jackets or had gotten one a size too big on purpose. He doubts Kazuma would have skimmed over such a detail.
“We are good now.”
“Good as in?”
“I know you already know what I mean, Mr. Sholmes.”
“Whatever could you possibly mean? I’ve been completely out of the loop for a good while now it seems, all because I trusted that you would be open with me, your dearest adopted father.” Sholmes shoots him an injured look.
“I said I was sorry.” Sholmes increases his pout. “It really was just because I was embarrassed. Not that I don’t trust you or that I was scared of how you would react.” Ryunosuke was looking down at his hands. “You’re the best parent I’ve ever had, Mr. Sholmes.”
Sholmes crushes Ryunosuke into his arms, ignoring his surprised oof. “Oh, my boy, you’re the best son I’ve ever had.”
“I’m the only son you’ve ever had.”
“So I’m still indubitably correct.”
"Yes." Ryunosuke wraps his arms around him to return the hug. “You are.”
“You must tell me all about this talent show and every detail leading up to it.”
Ryunosuke pushes Sholmes off of him. “Good night. I have a test tomorrow morning.”
Sholmes will have to corner him into talking at breakfast or dinner tomorrow then. “Of course, good night, Ryunosuke.”
He watches Ryunosuke quickly escape to the stairs. He ponders if he should be more concerned about his rekindled relationship and then immediately concludes he didn't need to be. Ryunosuke was a good kid. He knew Kazuma was too, despite all the rebelliousness and melodrama.
Sholmes certainly still thought Kazuma was crazy, and this night was just further proof of it, but he knew from experience that Ryunosuke dealt with crazy just fine. With a family like theirs and now a best-friend-turned-boyfriend like that, he can say with the utmost confidence that Ryunosuke quite liked crazy.