Work Text:
It wasn't the first time their actions had brought them into the chief's office. However, the older one was rather enjoying watching the other become increasingly more uncomfortable. They weren't even sitting next to each other. In fact, they were on opposite sides of the room. For the younger, it was still too close. He wanted nothing more than to walk out, but unfortunately, he wasn't about to end up suspended for doing something that stupid.
"I know it's no secret you two despise each other. I just don't give two shits. You'll work on this all night if that's what it takes. Do I make myself clear?"
The chief had finally wrapped up his lecture, and both men nodded in understanding. "I said, do I make myself clear!?" They knew he expected an answer, so neither male remained quiet. "Yes, chief!" That satisfied the leader enough that he waved them off to carry out their orders. However, when the younger man tried leaving the office, he felt himself being shoved forward. The action had taken him by surprise, and he hadn't managed to catch himself in time.
His body crashed to the floor as the sound of laughter filled the area. The entire room was laughing at him, and to make it worse, a hand reached out toward him. "Ho-ho-ho. As clumsy as always. Come now, we have things to do. The quicker the better. I'd rather not stay through the night due to your mistakes, Officer Rosinante. Come now to your feet."
Rosinante wasn't about to be fooled by the man's fake demeanour. He knew how he'd toy with people. So, smacking his hand away, he stood quickly, brushing the dirt from his uniform. "Watch it, Laffitte, or else." It was a risk saying that, but Laffitte had been tormenting him since the first day they met. He was growing tired of it. "Or else what? Oh, put your claws away and follow me." Laffitte walked away, heading toward the break room. Rosinante didn't see why, since they both had been ordered to start their tasks immediately.
"Is eating all you ever do? I'm surprised you're as slim with how much you stuff your face with crap." Rosinante didn't try to mutter it under his breath. No, he wanted Laffitte to hear it. "You can be so cruel, Officer Rosinante. It's no surprise considering the facts about you." They were both alone in the breakroom, a single door separating them from the other officers. Rosinante knew he shouldn't have done it, but he was already moving forward.
Within a second, he had shoved Laffitte against the wall. His fist held back as he tried to calm himself down. Punching the man would only end badly, he knew that, Laffitte knew that. Still, Laffitte egged him on without care.
"Come on, Rosinante. Let's see how much you're just like the criminal brother you have. Come on, punch me. Oh, but you don't have what it takes. You're the black sheep of the family, aren't you? No wonder you're never in the field. Nothing more than a coward."
Rosinante released Laffitte and backed away as his breathing became heavy. He hated being compared to his brother. He was nothing like him. "Like I said, nothing more than a coward. Come along, we have reports to write and file." Laffitte walked past him, although Rosinante stayed behind, taking another few seconds to collect himself. "Here, Rosinante! Here, boy!" The laughter sounded as Laffitte's voice rang out, and Rosinante immediately moved to follow before the man could say anything else.
Laffitte had tormented him from day one. Rosinante could never figure out why, out of everyone, he was the man's main target. Sure, he would bring up his brother from time to time, although he thought there had to be more to it. Honestly, figuring Laffitte out was like finding a needle in a haystack. So, for now, Rosinante decided to shift his focus to the stacks of paperwork they were expected to finish before leaving the station.
"Shit. This is going to take all night."
This had to be months of reports, and Rosinante knew he was terrible at even getting through one without a reasonable amount of time. He doubted this number of reports could even be finished within a week.
"Best get started then, Officer Rosinante. Like I said before, I'd rather not spend the night due to your mistakes."
Later That Night...
Most of the other officers had already traded off with the night shift. However, the two within the file room didn't have such pleasure. No, they were forced to remain, as only about half the reports had been finished. Most of which had been completed by Laffitte. Rosinante may have done ten or so. He was helping, but most of the praise went to Laffitte.
Rosinante seemed to have noticed the speed at which the man was working through them. He didn't understand how Laffitte made it look so easy. "You know, for an officer who spends most of his day behind a desk, you're awfully slow. Do you want some pointers?" Rosinante didn't want any advice from Laffitte. Not after all the shit the man had pulled. "Mind your own fucking business. We wouldn't even be stuck here if it weren't for you. I don't even know what I did to you, and don't give me some shit that this is because of who my brother is."
Laffitte stared over at Rosinante for a few moments. Rosinante almost thought he wasn't going to say a thing. However, when he started toward him, it caused him to stand. "Did you ever consider the possibility that I am fond of you?" That question didn't make an ounce of sense. It had to be yet another way Laffitte planned to torment him. "Cut the crap. You clearly are trying to get me fired. Maybe I should have punched you when I had the chance."
"I would have let you. You should continue with your reports. The chief won't be happy with us if they're not completed. Are you hungry?" Rosinante wanted to say no, but his stomach started to growl, giving him away. He hadn't prepared to be pulling an all-nighter, and the lunch he had prepared earlier ended up half spilt on the floor. "Here, would you like a sandwich?"
"I hate bread. Keep that shit to yourself."
"Oh, I didn't know. I'm sorry, then I don't have anything else."
Rosinante tried to focus on his reports, but the sound of Laffitte's shoes clicking against the tile kept distracting him. Laffitte was still working. However, as he flipped through reports, he paced the room. Rosinante wanted nothing more than to tell him to shut up. Unfortunately, Rosinante had decided he had spoken with the man too much for one day. Still, with each click, Rosinante grew more upset.
His eyes narrowed at the man, and soon they drifted to the stapler on the desk. Without a word, he picked up, tossing it in Laffitte's direction. He hoped it would hit me, although he widened his eyes as Laffitte spun out of the way without even looking. "Bad Officer Rosinante. What if that had hit me?" Immediately, he looked away, hoping he'd drop the subject and return to his pacing. That unfortunately didn't happen. No, Laffitte walked right over, taking hold of Rosinante's collar.
"Are you planning to apologise to me? That was mean. I never did anything to you." Laffitte was playing the innocent card, and Rosinante refused to let that happen. "Fuck you, Laffitte! You've spent the be-mffff."
When Rosinante was kissed by Laffitte, it was only quick, and the moment he pulled away, the younger remained quiet. He was in disbelief. He almost didn't believe it had been real. "You should keep your voice down. How about we finish this work, and after you can come back to my place? After all, you wish to, as you put it, 'fuck' me." Rosinante's own words had been used against him, but still the man remained quiet. Even after Laffitte walked away, he didn't move. He also didn't finish a single report more.
"Alright, all through!"
Rosinante must have zoned out, since as he looked toward Laffitte, the piles of reports were gone. He sat where they once sat, throwing a pen up in the air. Laffitte looked happy as could be, but still Rosinante refused to speak a word. "Let's go. My place isn't far and I know you don't have a car. I saw that brat of yours dropping you off the entire week." Laffitte left the room, and for one reason or another, Rosinante followed him.
It was like his mind was on autopilot. Even as the passenger door was opened, he willingly climbed in. He knew this was a bad idea, although he never did anything about it. "Here we are. Lovely little place, isn't it?" Rosinante's eyes scanned the house in front of him. Honestly, he was shocked Laffitte could afford something like this. From the outside, it was huge, but he didn't dare ask about it. It wasn't any of his business.
"Shall we?"
Rosinante's door was held open, and as he stared at Laffitte's hand, he knew this was his final chance to back out. However, he didn't, but he certainly didn't take the hand that was offered. "Do I look like some fragile person to you? I don't need h- Fucking hell!" Rosinante had managed to slip on something, but quickly returned to his feet as he watched Laffitte walk toward the house. He followed behind and through the open door.
The inside was just as grand as the outside. It definitely didn't look like something a police officer could afford. That had to be a story to it. Rosinante still didn't ask about it. It wasn't his place to put his nose into Laffitte's personal life. "It's lovely, isn't it, Officer Rosinante? It's the only thing my deadbeat father ever gave me worth a dime. Please, take your shoes off. I have slippers if you want."
"No, that's alright."
Slipping his shoes off, Rosinante watched as Laffitte removed his own, followed by his socks. He wasn't prepared to see the amount of bruising reflected. "Those must hurt." He hadn't meant to say that out loud, but it had already slipped out. "Not as much any more. Those shoes are quite tight. They're more numb than anything. Are you hungry? I have plenty of options that aren't bread."
Outside of the office, Laffitte sounded calmer, and he was almost being nice to Rosinante. His usual teasing seemed to fade away. "I wouldn't want to trouble you. Why am I at your house, and why did you kiss me?" Rosinante wanted answers. The actions of Laffitte never made sense. First, he had tormented him for months, and now he was inside the man's home like they were friends. It just didn't make sense.
"It's a good thing you're attractive, Rosinante. I kissed you to prove a point, but I'm afraid it has only confused you more. How about I make you a snack, and we'll see how the night goes? I promise there will be no teasing tonight."
"I'll believe that when pigs fly."
A Few Days Later...
They had yet again found themselves in the chief's office. However, as the pair sat side by side, they didn't know the reason. "What shit did you drag us into this time, Laffitte? I'm not doing another late night because of you." The chief had yet to make his appearance. So, Laffitte leaned closer to give his thoughts. "Nothing comes to mind, I'm afraid. Why is it you always assume it is my fault?"
Both were arguing with one another, but stopped when the door swung open. "Good, you're both here! I got a little job for the two of you. You two must be on better terms since you're actually sitting together like adults." They shared a look, but it was Laffitte to comment. "Oh, yes. Officer Rosinante is quite the adult. Definitely mature and ripe for the picking."
"Shut the hell up, Laffitte! It was a rhetorical question!" Rosinante smacked the man in the back of the head for good measure, right before he remembered where he was. "Oh, fuck. I knew this was too good to be true. Anyway, I need you both to go out on a late-night surveillance. I would send someone else, but there's no one. You don't get to say no either. Here's the file, good luck."
Rosinante hadn't been in the field in years. He wanted to say something, but Laffitte was already dragging him to the door. "What the hell, Laffitte? I'm not going out there. There's a reason I'm behind a desk." After he had been shot, he stayed in the office. Rosinante didn't want to go back out there. "Oh, don't worry. I'll protect you. I like you too much to allow you to die. Just don't expect me to take a bullet for you. I don't like you that much."
"I'll keep that in mind."
Later That Night...
Rosinante had somehow managed to get himself into the car. However, his so-called partner was playing games while they were supposed to be keeping watch. It was beginning to tick off Rosinante, who was actually keeping an eye on the area.
"Laffitte, this is not the time to be playing games. Turn that shit off." Rosinante watched as Laffitte turned off his phone and dropped it into the cupholder. "You seem on edge. Please, tell me all your troubles. We're doing nothing better to do with our time. I doubt our man will show up. It's been hours." Rosinante didn't want to share this problem with Laffitte; they were private. Even the file was restricted, so no one would know about it.
"Leave it alone, Laffitte. It's none of your damn business." That should have been the end of it, but Laffitte only pushed the subject. "Oh, don't be like that. I wish to know more about the person I'm fond of. Go ahead, tell me why you didn't want to come out tonight." Rosinante didn't want anyone to know about his past. He especially didn't want Laffitte to know about it. That man would run to the first person who would listen.
"Why? So, you can tell the whole department about it?" There was silence between them. Rosinante finally thought Laffitte had taken the hint. "My father liked to beat my mother. One night, he went too far. He died in prison early on. If anyone knew, I would have been labelled as the son of a murderer. What secret is your shame? I promise not to tell anyone." Rosinante looked over at Laffitte, but he wasn't doing anything more than smiling back.
He had shared something with him, and as Rosinante did the same, Laffitte held on to every word. "I used to work uncover years back. It was a simple mission. It should have been simple, but he found out I was working undercover. We both pointed our guns at each other. I couldn't pull the trigger. He didn't hesitate. I should have been dead." Rosinante thought back to his recovery and how long it took to return to work. It had taken so much time. He still wasn't convinced whether he should have returned or not.
"Undercover? Who shot you?"
It took everything in him to say his name. "Donquixote Doflamingo." His own brother had nearly ended his life, but in the end, he had failed. Rosinante also failed himself that day. He should have pulled the trigger. However, he didn't, and he hated himself for that mistake. They should have sent someone else. "You know it takes a lot to kill your own blood. You have to be pretty heartless. I'll keep your secret. How about we head back? I doubt anything will happen tonight."
Rosinante had been prepared to be mocked by Laffitte. Yet the man only moved on to other things if they were talking about the weather. "Laffitte, we can't leave! We're expected to be here all night!" As laughter filled the car, Rosinante found himself glaring at the other. "Such a rule follower. Well, in that case, how about we do something to keep each other awake? This car has no cameras."
Laffitte ran his finger down Rosinante's chest although was smacked away before it could drip too far. "Focus on the building! Honestly, I can see why no one wants to be your partner! You're annoying!"
"I have a partner. He's just not here at the moment. It's his annual hunting trip or something. He'll be back in a week or so. It'll be a shame when he returns. These late nights might come to an end." That was news to Rosinante. Never once had he seen the man with a partner. Still, he decided to say the first thing that came into his mind. "Oh, shut up, I know where you live."
"How bold of you, Officer Rosinante."
"I didn't mean it like that!"
End