▬▬ shadowplay. [ toma & shin. ]
If there’s one thing that Toma loves, it’s taking care of people. Of specific people, a small category that Shin immediately falls under. But that had been more expensive than he’d previously estimated, though the discrepancies between his monthly bills and his income is nearly indistinguishable, and, under anyone’s watch, would go unnoticed. (But Shin isn’t just anyone, and it’s why Toma has to hide his work on the side. That, and the fact that it isn’t exactly legal to begin with.)
He hears someone at the door — hears someone fumble for some keys and then click open the lock would be more accurate, and there’s only one other person who has the key to his apartment — and he instantly swivels around in his chair, closing a particular file of papers, but leaves the calculator on his desk, complete with its inputted equations. He’s quick in sliding the folder into the nearest open desk drawer, sliding it shut and sauntering out of the doorway of his room, to greet the person who’d just arrived. As his orange gaze slips over the boy’s face, affirming that it was Shin and not some lucky burglar, it rests upon a label-less package in Shin’s hands, and his eyes widen in surprise (in delight) for a split second, though the expression soon fades.
”Ah, no… I didn’t. But I was still expecting a package.” Although Toma slips successfully out of Shin’s first lie test, his reasoning behind his answer is different than expected — it’s not that he knows that Shin is trying to test him (Toma honestly doesn’t have a clue about Shin’s suspicions; he’s smart, but not like that.), but it’s that he hates lying to Shin, in particular. But he doesn’t like to tell the whole truth, either; though to him, withholding parts of the truth is a smaller sin than lying. The package’s origins are dubious, but he’s not willing to disclose that sort of information to Shin just yet; he knows the day will come, but that day isn’t necessarily today.
”Just put it next to the door, for now.” His tone is light and amicable as he responds, making it seem as if the package in question wasn’t that big of a deal. Turning on his heel, he begins to head to the kitchen, expecting Shin to do as he says. The apartment is small enough for them to carry a conversation from two different rooms, so he opens the refrigerator, looking inside as he calls out a question. ”I’m sure you’ve had a long day — do you want something to drink? Come here. I’ll let you pick something out.”
It's innocent enough -- Toma slips past his test with no trouble at all, leaving Shin wondering, but considerably calmer. After a short pause, he sets the package aside to finish untying his boots, still a little curious about its contents. Truth be told, he expected Toma to open it immediately -- judging by the spark of interest in his eyes, it's something he's been looking forward to. Shin knows better than to pointlessly intrude someone's privacy, though, and keeps himself from bringing it up, at least for now; there's still plenty of time to talk, considering he had a tendency to stay overnight more often than not (sleeping in Toma's apartment and bed always -- for some odd reason -- proved to be much easier than in his own). All he knows is that it must've been something personal -- and he leaves it at that, sliding his boots off his legs and dropping his bag on the floor, everything left by the door.
"Ah, I guess," his shoulders rise in a small shrug as he enters the kitchen, heading straight for the fridge. "You know how work gets." They've been blessed with a lot of kind customers: alas, there's always that one person who can't keep their hands to themselves. It happens sporadically, more often to Chaika than to him; nevertheless, it's usually up to Shin to get rid of the offender, assuming Toma and Ikki aren't around. With a sigh, he reluctantly reaches first for the coffee, and then for a bottle of melon soda, changing his mind at the last minute.
Unscrewing the cap, he wanders out of the kitchen and into the living room, flopping down on the couch lazily. Unconsciously, his mind wanders back to the package -- instead of voicing his thoughts, he takes a sip, settling into a comfortable position. "Anyway, what have you been up to lately? I came over yesterday, but you weren't home," it's not that he wants to pry -- although he does feel a little selfish for asking. Over the years, he had gotten a little too used to Toma always being around; accepting the fact that they weren't kids anymore was rather tough, even despite his mature attitude.
"Did you finally find a girlfriend?" His lips curl into a small smile, head tipped to the side.
