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[All-nighters are plentiful now. Of all the lame options in the Inaba police department, Adachi had to be saddled with the one with an actual work ethic. As in all facets of life, he was just exceptionally lucky. Elbows sliding forward on his desk, Adachi's forehead hits the mountain of papers in front of him with a muffled thud. Going through them will be useless, he knows (and after all, he surely knows best). They won't find their killer in here, wedged between words and fine print text, ink smudged because newspaper is cheap, but if Dojima looked up from his own immersion into the articles, searching so desperately for clues, he might find the culprit sitting across the desk.]

Do we really have to go through all of these again?

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[That was easier than he thought. Adachi pulls his coat over his shoulder from the back of his seat as well, standing up. All those papers could wait for tomorrow. Or next year, because there wouldn't be one. Even better. He's the first one to the door, of course, holding it open after himself for Dojima (like a good partner should).]

Oooh, let's try to see if that barbecue place is open-

Yeah? You even got enough on you for barbecue?

[Sure he does, if he doesn't want to eat for the next two weeks, based on that chicken scratch they paid him. Inaba took him for a greenhorn, after all, rather than considering his prior experience in the city. Adachi's pace slows.]

...Yeah, guess not. Maybe the ramen stand.

Ha ha, don't worry about it. I'll cover you. Can't say I'm in the mood for ramen tonight.

[Like a cat in the bag. Adachi pockets the lighter again, excitement seeping back into his expression.]

R-really? I mean, you do it all the time, sir, it's kind of imposing, isn't it?

Ain't any point in sounding all sorry about it now. Either take it don't.

C'mon.

[Easy as pie. Looking excited, Adachi is quick to follow, right behind Dojima, rather than beside. (It was the little things like that, that mattered.)]

Man, it's been ages since I've had barbecue! This is gonna be great!

Isn't too far down from the station, is it? Guess we could just walk.

The weather's not too bad tonight.

[Which is surprising, really, for a town like Inaba. It's one of those eye of the storms - before another round of rainy days and fog began. Adachi briefly looks up at the sky, at the sliver of moon visible from the ground, and as a result, forgets to look where he's going - bumping straight into his partner.]

Whoa!

...

[Perhaps the only lucky part of the whole fiasco was the fact that as they went down, the cigarette fell to the floor beside them instead, landing on the lit end and rolling way. Adachi hardly registers anything until they come to a stop on the ground, and he rolls off with a groan, onto his back, before sitting up.]

S-sorry about that, sir. Are you okay?

[Maybe barbecue is not going to happen tonight.]

Watch where you’re going, dumb ass!

[A wince. Adachi's head stays there - hanging, but a hand raises to rub the sore spot.]

It was an accident.

Gimme a break,

How many times to I have to tell you to pay attention? C'mon, stand up.

Yes, sir.

[Oh so obediently, Adachi rolls onto his knees and then pushes himself onto his feet, brushing his clothes off afterward. Barbecue was looking less and less likely. In fact, if he got off without being scolded, he'd consider himself lucky, so he might as well take that opportunity now. He takes a step backward.]

Well, I guess I'll take my leave now. Have a good night, Dojima-san!

What do you think you're doing?! You're gonna walk home?! You could've done that hours ago, before you wasted my time rambling on about crap unrelated to the case!

I don't even know why I bother carpooling your sorry ass around..

[Because you're a sorry excuse for a person, Dojima-san, and you haven't got anyone else who would give a rat's ass about what you do, except for the higher-ups, who are just waiting for you to screw up so that they can replace you with someone better from the city.

Adachi stands there and takes it in, because he knows the type - Dojima's one of those men who talk just to hear the sound of their own voice, because no one else is going to take the initiative and make conversation with someone with a stick shoved so far up their ass.]

S-Sorry, sir. I-I didn't do it on purpose, and I figured that late night snack plans were kind of thrown off, so I was gonna cut the chase short and just get out of here so you can get home.

You...

Geez. You already convinced me to close up early, alright? Let’s just get something to eat and then we can call it a night.

[Well, if he couldn't escape the prattling, then at least he could get his full stomach. Adachi nods mutely, looking abashed, though the rest of the walk is filled with an uncomfortable silence.]

Mind lending me the lighter, again? Last I remember they don’t allow smoking in this place.

[Silently, Adachi reaches into his pocket again, pulling out the small item and pressing it into Dojima's open palm. He waits outside with him, because who knows, Dojima might yell at him for walking in without permission now. Bow-wow.]

What? You giving me the silent treatment now? Didn't hit you that hard, did I?

'Welcome to one, if you want.

[Adachi looks sideways and down at the cigarette for a moment. For his age, Dojima sure had awkward little ways of almost-apologizing. It was almost cute, and Adachi's stoic face can't keep up. He cracks half a smile, like part of his face still wants to sulk, and part of it can't help the amusement, and plucks the smoke from Dojima's fingers, lighting it after his superior is done.

All right, he schools himself, can't hold grudges too long. You have to be the nice guy, you have to forgive. You have to do both your shares of forgiving, because come December, you'll never get any again.]

Thanks.

[He eyes the lit cigarette for a moment, twirling it between his fingers (surprisingly deft for someone usually so clumsy), before bringing it to his mouth.]

Hey, look at the menu, Dojima-san! They've got a late-night special now, for beef! Oh, and a special on this combo with the nabe...

What are you going on about for? You’ve been here before.

Just pick whatever you want.

[And Dojima talks about his bipolar tendencies? One second the guy was yelling at him for tripping, for goodness' sake. The next, he was offering anything on the menu. Adachi grins, pointing to one of the specials - an all you can eat for certain hours of the night they happened to fall between. Most importantly, it had a lot of meat.]

Hey, hey, let's try this one!