We don't talk about Jouno

He's awake

It was some time way too early in the morning when Snorri was waking Jouno up this time. Jouno was starting to get really annoyed with them. Yes, Snorri was a useful ally. They also believed themself to be possessed by the spirits of the Norse gods. In their mind, that explained why they had a different power every day. For whatever reason, they'd become fixated on Jouno recently. Maybe because he was blind, like their partner John. Maybe because they rarely meet new people. Maybe just because.

"Snorri?" Jouno asked sleepily, and they didn't respond. He was still pretty out of it, so he couldn't hear anyone's heartbeat to confirm if Snorri was there or not. That was quite the alarming possibility. Snorri kept saying their boss needed Jouno alive for something, which is why his death had been faked, in order for his loved ones to have a reason not to look for him. All because Jouno was necessary for some part of their plan. If that time was now...

"Jouno!" A familiar voice yelled. Jouno felt two very strong and muscled hands shaking him by the shoulders. "Tetchou?" Jouno asked, unsure whether to believe this. He'd just been thinking about Tetchou. There was no way Tetchou would actually be here. A new, more alarming thought came to Jouno. What if he actually was? Suppose he'd come to rescue Jouno, as he undoubtedly would if he figured out Jouno wasn't actually dead, and he'd only succeeded at putting himself in danger as well?

"It's okay." Tetchou said. As Jouno's hearing returned slowly, he could start to tell Tetchou was excited beyond belief, which didn't fit the idea he'd somehow been captured. "You're safe now." Jouno wanted to believe that so much. He really did. But he'd been through so much over the course of the last week that he couldn't trust that.

"What was the first thing you ever asked me?" Jouno said. Tetchou sounded confused, then quickly answered. "If you fully dematerialize, why don't you come back naked?" It was really him. Tetchou was here. Jouno was safe.

Jouno tried to move forwards, but Tetchou closed the distance between them, pulling Jouno in for a massive hug. Hector didn't even tell him to be careful of his ribs. If they broke, so be it. The nightmare was finally over.

"Jouno." Tetchou whispered softly, and ran a hand through his hair. A sort of cold numbness expanded through Jouno's insides. In Jouno's mind, he'd only been out a week. Tetchou's reaction made it seem like the time he was missing was much longer. "How long was I gone?" Tetchou didn't respond, which made Jouno think it had been quite a while indeed. "Tetchou? He asked. "Three months."

Time seemed to stop. "What?" Jouno asked. So much could have changed since then. Oh, God. Tetchou. He'd thought Jouno was dead for all that time. Jouno couldn't imagine what that would have done to him. "I'm sorry." Jouno said. Tetchou gently released the hug. He slightly lifted Jouno over, so there was enough room for him on the bed. He wrapped his arm around Jouno's shoulders. "It's so not your fault." Tetchou said, a faint laugh breaking through his emotion. "None of this is. You have nothing to apologize for, okay."

In three months, all sorts of things could have changed. Jouno might not even recognize the world he now lived in. No. He had Tetchou. As long as they were together, everything would be okay. An awful thought occurred to Jouno. What if some things hadn't changed, like Tetchou and Teruko being controlled by the book.

"Tetchou, listen to me, this isn't going to be easy to hear, but Fukuchi..." Tetchou cut Jouno off by placing a finger over his lips. "We all know about that." Tetchou said, his heartbeat betraying his anger. "I saw the video." Jouno tilted his head to the side, his nonverbal cue to Tetchou that he was confused.

Tetchou took a deep breath. "Jouno, the world isn't the way you left it." He said. "We found out about Fukuchi and the decay of angels, mostly because of you, to be honest. The flash drive you gave the girl, as well as her witness testimony." Jouno reached for Tetchou's free hand. "That wasn't supposed to happen like that. The flash drive was only supposed to activate if my heart stopped beating." Tetchou nodded. "Why do you think we all thought you were dead, Jouno?" He asked sadly.

Jouno frowned. "Vampires don't have heartbeats." He said. Then, a new wave of sickening realization. He'd been bitten, right? Or had he just been stabbed? It was all sort of hard to remember. "Did I..."

"Whatever happened wasn't your fault." Tetchou said quickly. "We all know how valiantly you fought. Even the leader of the task force doesn't blame you for what happened. And it's not like you succeeded in killing anybody. Kenji and I stopped you." Jouno clenched his fists. Fukuchi had told Jouno was going to assassinate the armed detective agency. Jouno should have heard the implied 'whether you want to or not.'

When Jouno was younger, Fukuchi would sometimes take Jouno with him when he visited the agency. He got it in his head that it'd be a good thing if Jouno got along with Fukuzawa's detective kid. He was a few years older, and could be grumpier even than Jouno on a bad day.

So, Jouno, having the sense of humor he did, thought it'd be really funny to steal candy from a veritable Sherlock Holmes, and try to get away with it. On a number of occasions. Jouno knew Ranpo. If he'd tried to kill anybody, even as a vampire, he could bet he wouldn't be invited to family dinner again. 

"I'm guessing not everyone forgives me?" Jouno asked, knowing exactly how the bad tempered detective would respond. "I pity Fukuzawa." Jouno said. He could only imagine how the leader of the task force was dealing with his petulant child. "So do I." Tetchou said grimly.

"He's dead, isn't he." Jouno asked. He didn't know him overly well, but Jouno was sad to hear about his death. Fukuzawa seemed like a genuinely good person. "Did I kill him?" Jouno asked hesitantly. Tetchou shook his head. "First off, you didn't kill anyone. Get that through your head. But for Fukuzawa, Fukuchi did it himself."

Jouno raised an eyebrow. Fukuchi had a thing for Fukuzawa, and always had. Jouno's old boss had gone truly off the deep end. "What happened to him?" Jouno asked hesitantly. "Holding cell." Tetchou said angrily. "Awaiting execution after Teruko gets him to tell her everything."

Jouno tried to hide his laugh, but he didn't succeed. "It's his own fault for letting her get away with torturing the prisoners." Jouno said. "He really brought that one on himself." Tetchou nodded, also sounding amused. "Especially because she thought they were friends. Now, she's well and truly angry with him. Sometimes I see her grabbing implements from the kitchen, and she's gone for at least half a day on end."

Jouno and Tetchou were silent for a few minutes. "I missed you, Jouno." Tetchou said. "I missed you so much. I missed you every day, every minute, every waking second you were gone." Jouno leaned against Tetchou, and let his partner hug him against his chest. He didn't know what to say here, so he didn't say anything at all.

"When were you going to propose to me?" Tetchou asked. That one through Jouno for a loop. "You found my ring?" He asked. Tetchou nodded. "I got you one as well." Jouno's cheeks flushed, and he was glad Tetchou wasn't watching his reaction. "Tetchou, what did I do to deserve you?" Tetchou kissed the top of Jouno's head. "It's the other way around, Jouno." He said. "It's the other way around."