Chapter Text
Naoto went to Ash’s room that night, knocking gently. Since the two came, Ash was quiet. Too quiet. It’s like he’s hiding something. Ash opened the door slightly, peeking through the small space.
“ Do you have a moment?”
“ Of course. Is it about the investigation?” Ash asked, closing the door behind him. His eyes seemed swollen from crying.
“ It’s about you.”
“ Me?”
“ I’m sorry I have been rude to the guests. I guess you were uncomfortable.”
“ No, no. I’m alright. When Mr. Naoto protected me earlier, I felt really happy that my heart was about to burst. It’s just that….”
“ Yes?”
“ When I see Mr. Naoto, my heartbeat increases and I feel strange. I’m sorry, this is so weird...” Ash said, blushing. Naoto ruffles his head. “ It’s alright, it’s not weird. I don’t mind it at all. I’m just glad that you don’t hate me.”
“ I can never hate Mr. Naoto! I-” Ash stopped. “ I like being around you.”
“ I like being around you too.” Naoto smiled.
“ Mr. Naoto?”
“ Yes?”
“ It’s, just…. Please don’t think that Mr. Min did it. He’s a good man. He was just trying to look after me. Mr. Min would never go to the point where he would steal artworks. I trust Mr. Min.”
“ Ash.”
“ Y-yes?”
Naoto held him by his shoulders. “ I know Miss Noir said something to you. What did she say?” Ash couldn’t open his mouth, his eyes shut, he was trembling. Ash started screaming, pushing Naoto away. “ She didn’t say... anything.” Tears started to fall from his eyes. Naoto grabbed him and hugged him tightly.
“Ash, I’m sorry I must've pushed you too far,” Naoto said. “ I’m right here. I’m right here in front of you. Open those eyes.” Naoto placed his hand on Ash’s cheek. “ Look at me.” Ash stopped trembling, his eyes fluttered open. " Ash, I didn't mean to hurt you. If I did, I'm sorry."
“ Mr. Naoto?”
“ Yes, Ash?”
“ Can I sleep in your room today?”
“ Do you really want to?”
Ash nodded.
" Alright."
*
That morning, Naoto woke up when he heard the never-ending knocking on the door. Ash was still next to him, all curled up and comfortable. He murmured a few incoherent words which brought Naoto his smile. " Sleep some more, I'll go get the door." He whispered.
“ What are you doing here?”
“ To send these flowers. J is returning tomorrow so I’m just here to tell Ash I will pick him up from the airport.” Min said.
“ I’ll pass on the message.”
“ Alright. Also, I’m sorry I doubt you. You did well protecting Hwanggeum Galmaegi.”
“ Ah, yes. I didn't notice it at first but it sure is an odd name.”
“ J is a weird man. I’m not surprised he named the gallery after himself.”
“ You know about J’s full name?”
“ He told me about it once when he was drunk. Well, I have other things to do. Oh, yeah. I found this on your doorstep.” Min handed him the letter. Before he left, he turned to face Naoto.
“ Be careful.”
Naoto waited until Min was out of sight. He opened the letter, as usual from Dupin.
Greetings.
From my observation that day, you are a good man. You are intelligent and strong-willed. At this point, you would already know who is the culprit. Beware, they will strike again soon so keep your eyes open. Take care of the things here and I will settle the others.
Yes, I invited the two of them so I can keep a closer eye on them. Did you decipher my previous message? I know you would have. Sometimes, other things bring other meanings. Don’t dwell on the surface, dig deeper. For your battle today, I will be with you. Be careful.
Best regards.
Naoto looked up. He felt an intense stare from somewhere. He looked around and saw no one. “ Odd.” He looked back at the letter, he knew exactly what Dupin was talking about.
“ The flowers.”
That night after he made sure Ash had fallen asleep, Naoto grabbed his laptop and quickly did a search on the flower's symbolism.
“ Here it is.”
He looked up about Min’s flower first. One of the meanings was caution.
“Beware, a deadly foe is near.”
Alstroemeria, the flower that Beatrice gave. “ Friendship.”
He looked over to the last flower he received. “ White freesias symbolizes purity and innocence.”
“ What are they trying to say? If Min is trying to warn me that an enemy was near, didn’t he mean Beatrice?”
“ Mr. Naoto?”
“ Oh, good morning Ash. Min came to tell you he’ll be picking J from the airport. He also dropped off some flowers. How are you feeling?” Naoto asked.
“ I’m alright. Sorry about last night Mr. Naoto. I…”
Naoto ruffled his hair. “ It’s alright. I understand. You don’t have to tell me.”
“ Mr. Naoto?”
“ Yes?”
“ Please be careful today.”
“ Don’t worry.” Naoto smiled.
“ Another Friday has come.”
As the sun sets, the tension rises. Ash prepared coffee for Naoto, putting it on the table. Naoto knew what was going to happen today. He knew who was the culprit, and he knew which painting they would take. It took him a while to figure out who it was but he could only take a wild guess. If his deduction is correct, he could catch the culprit and end the theft once and for all.
“ Ash, I want you to lock me in the gallery.”
“ Mr. Naoto?”
“ If it’s true that they have stopped, just let me out in the morning.”
“ Isn’t it too dangerous?” Ash said worriedly.
“ I’ll be fine. You won’t have to worry. I promise you I’ll be back safely.”
Ash hugged Naoto tightly. “ Promise me. Promise me you will be safe.” Naoto hugged them back. “ I promise.”
Naoto entered the dark building, looking back at Ash. He smiled at them, raising a thumbs up. Ash ran to them and pulled Naoto’s head close to their face. Ash planted a kiss on Naoto’s forehead, blushing as they pulled away.
“ Master gave it to me as a good luck charm. Now, it’s your good luck charm.” Ash said bashfully. When they locked the doors and set the security system on, Naoto turned his back and went inside.
“ I like you, Mr. Naoto. Be safe.”
Naoto hid in a blind spot between the table, staying silently in that corner. He waited for what it seems to be hours before he could hear a faint beep from downstairs. The silent footsteps of people from downstairs as they climb up to the second floor. There were three of them. Tall and bulky men surrounded the area, looking around. They carry a small flashlight with them. There were three of them.
“ Here we go.”
When one of them was distracted, Naoto took the chance to knock the flashlight from his hand and threw the heavier man on the floor, knocking him out. The flashlight rolled on the floor, lighting the face of the culprits.
“ What the fuck?!”
Naoto dodged the punch that was coming right to his face and gave the man the hardest kick he could muster. The other one fell to his knees, wiping off the blood from his nose.
“ He broke my fucking nose!”
The third guy came at him, swinging his punches aimlessly. He didn’t care as long as one of his swings hit Naoto.
“ Argh!” The other man swung his knife to Naoto, nicking his cheek. Naoto took a step back, wiping the blood off his cheek.
“ Shit! I don’t wanna resort to using my gun.” Naoto said, eyeing the two men back and forth. The weaponless man strikes first, backing Naoto into a corner. He mercilessly punched Naoto as he tried his best to block them. Naoto threw a punch as hard as he could, sending the man to stagger on his feet. Naoto managed to run away from the corner, finding a much open space.
“ You bastard!” The other guy charged at him. Naoto quickly disarmed him, the knife falling onto the floor, and kicked his stomach. He fell on the floor, writhing in pain. The three men are down and powerless.
“ You three! I’ll arrest you for-”
Thwack!
“ So, this shrimp beat you three to a pulp?” a low, gruff voice said. He dropped the brick next to Naoto. He looked at the guy, knowing well who he was. Naoto could feel his head throbbing wildly as he tried his best to stay conscious.
“ Why? Why do you steal them?”
“ Let’s just say my clients pay good money for these worthless shit. Working for that woman, I’ve realized that shit like this is worth much more than gold.”
“ You’re stealing blood, sweat, and tears!”
“ Like I give a fuck. They can always make another one.”
“ You don’t understand. There could only be one perfect piece. Copies of it won’t look the same.”
“ As I said, I don’t give a fuck. Stealing from this rundown place is even easier than Beatrice or that Agust guy.”
“ You’ve stolen from others?”
“ It’s my job to keep my clients delighted.”
Suddenly, the lights switched on. Footsteps from downstairs could be heard. The man stared at them, smirking. His hands tucked away in his pocket.
“ So, you did steal from me,” He said, eyes looking sharply into the man's dark orbs. “ Harold.”
“ Why the fuck are you here?” Harold said. “ Doesn’t matter. I’m going to fuck you up, you shitty faggot.” Harold swung his fist but before he could, a taser landed on his arm. The man fell down, laying on the floor unconsciously.
“ Anyone else?”
The others looked at him. “ Shit! Forget the painting, let’s get out of here.” The guy charged at him, picking up the knife from the floor.
Naoto was about to pull out his gun when loud thumping noises erupted from the stairs.
“ Don’t you fucking touch him!” A hard solid kick landed on his face, his knife fell on the floor again. The man took hold of his hand and slammed him on the hard floor.
“ J, I told you to wait downstairs, you idiot!”
“ And let my lover get hurt? Fuck no!” J huffed.
“ You never listen, you stubborn mule! Naoto, are you alright?! You're bleeding.” He ran towards Naoto, his hand on his forehead. " Min..." Naoto said before he passed out. Min tapped his earpiece lightly. “Bring the men in. Naoto caught them. Bring the paramedics. He's injured.”
Minutes later, men dressed in black suits came pouring into the second floor, cuffing the culprits. They took Naoto downstairs and treated him. Naoto woke up a couple minutes after he was treated, his head felt like they were hit by a truck. Min walked by and sat in front of him.
“ I’m sorry it took a while.” He apologized.
“ You're really him, aren't you Min? You're the one who's been sending me letters.”
" I guess I am."
" Thanks for saving me back then. I don't know what my future would look like if you hadn't come."
“ You took down three men without drawing your gun. Why? He has a weapon.”
“ I know I should but I think it was unnecessary.” Naoto smiled.
“ You’ve got some serious balls there, Naoto.”
“ I guess I do.” Naoto chuckled. “ Hey, Min. Who are you really? I could remember you telling Harold something.”
“ Me? I go by many names. Recently, I am C. Auguste Dupin. Sometimes, I'm Min and other times I'm Agust D."
" I guess I have to find out myself huh?" Naoto chuckled.
" Don't waste your time. Ah, someone’s here to see you.”
“ Ash...”
Ash cried as soon as they saw Naoto. They ran to him, hugging as tightly as they could. Naoto hugged them back tightly, feeling their warmth.
“ You're hurt...” Ash sobbed. “My good luck charm didn’t work.”
“ It worked, Ash. You saved me. You gave me the strength to fight. I could be with you now because of your good luck charm.” Naoto wiped Ash’s tears. “ It breaks my heart to see you cry.”
“ I'm crying because I'm happy. I really like Mr. Naoto. I should've done what Miss Noir had told me to.” Ash cried.
" What did she tell you?"
" That I should confess to Mr. Naoto before a beautiful lady snatches you away. I was so scared to face my feelings. I really am but now I'm not. Mr. Naoto, I really really like you. It's the romantic kind of like."
Naoto smiled, pulling Ash to hug him. He gently kisses Ash on their forehead, caressing their cheek. “ I like you too, Ash. The romantic kind of like. I’m returning your good luck charm.” Naoto smiled.
“ I….Uh, Mr. Naoto, thank you for saving my paintings!”
“ Your paintings? Wait, Ash… You’re- huh?”
" Naoto, kiss him like a man goddammit!" J shouted “ Hey, Yoongi. Can we do that too?” J tried to capture him but he got slapped instead.
“ You’re ruining the moment, J! And don’t call me that.”
“ Yeah, yeah. Min Yoongi.” He rubbed his red cheek.
“ I will tase you.”
*
The case was closed. Naoto stayed for a couple more days until his injury healed. During those days, Min's men had retrieved all the paintings and returned them to their respective owners. Min had been investigating Harold for a long time. When his friend, Beatrice seem to have faced the same problem, they decided to work together and lure Harold in for a job of a lifetime. It was also Min who told Ash to invite them both to see his painting, knowing that they were trying to trap Harold and his gang to fall into it.
They planned it for a long time, even acted a dispute so that the potential clients of Harold's would fall for their trick into stealing Ash's priceless paintings.
After a week or so, peace was restored and Naoto was able to return to Japan. There is a bit of a problem, though.
" What are you guys doing here?" Naoto asked.
" For our honeymoon, right Minnie?" J shouted.
" I was forced," Min said dejectedly.
" I... just want to spend more time with Naoto," Ash said shyly.
Naoto kissed Ash on the cheek. " I guess I can't refuse your request."