Chapter Text
It didn’t rain very often in Hyperion City.
There was fog pretty much every day, and there were days where everything was just kind of wet, but real rain falling from the sky only happened, at best, once every few months.
This was definitely the hardest Juno Steel had ever seen it rain. The worst of it usually stayed at a gentle drizzle, but this was proper, actual droplets that bounced off his coat collar and pooled at the bottom of the grocery bag he was carrying. Grumbling about how he should have brought the umbrella Rita had offered him, he pulled the thick brown coat closer to himself and hurried down the sidewalk.
He was a few blocks from his and Rita’s apartment when he noticed a commotion coming from an alleyway. He peeked around the corner of a building to see what was going on.
At the end of the alley were three men; two of them were big and burly, cracking their knuckles menacingly. One was rummaging through a small golden purse of some sort. Backed against the wall was the third man - short and nervous-looking, with dark black hair and a flashy outfit that matched the purse.
“Shit,” Juno muttered to himself, quickly reaching down and making sure his blaster was on stun. As quiet as he could manage, he began to creep up behind the two larger men.
“Gentlemen, w-we can talk about this-” the smaller man stuttered, dark eyes flitting between the two. He was wearing some very impressive makeup, now that Juno was close enough to see it - bright blue and pink eyeliner, golden highlights, and shockingly pink lipstick.
As Juno approached, the smaller man’s eyes flitted to him, a pleading look on his face. Juno put a finger to his lips, taking out his blaster silently.
“Oh yeah, we’ll talk alright.” One of the larger men grabbed him by the throat (which was impossibly thin) and pinned him to the wall. “You’re gonna give us any cash you’ve got, and if you scream for help you’re gonna get hurt . Ya got that, Kana-”
Before he could finish the sentence, a stun bolt hit him in the back of the head. He collapsed, dropping the smaller man, who toppled to the ground rubbing his neck.
The second larger man turned around to attack, but was quickly hit with a second stun bolt to the chest and went down with his partner.
Juno sighed, holstering his gun and walking over to make sure the goons were really down. He glanced at the other man, who had scrambled over to pick up his stolen purse. Once it was in hand, he attempted to get up - a feat made more difficult by the tall heeled boots he was wearing. Now that Juno was closer, he looked...slightly familiar. Like someone he’d seen before, but had never met.
Once the two muggers were confirmed unconscious, Juno stood up and offered a hand to the other man. “Here,” he said, “Lemme help you up.”
The stranger looked up at him, raking his eyes up and down his savior’s form - short, gruffy, smells kinda like a bar. After a few seconds, however, he took the hand offered to him and let himself be pulled up. He shivered a bit - it hadn’t been raining this hard when he’d left, and he hadn’t thought to work a jacket into his outfit.
Noticing this, Juno looked around the alley...then, grumbling a bit, he took off his long brown detective jacket and draped it around the other’s shoulders.
He blinked a few times, staring up at him. Then, giving a small giggle, he spoke to Juno for the first time. “Wow, heroic and a gentleman. That’s a rare combo around here.”
His voice was soft and feminine, and very nice to listen to. Juno blushed, looking away and smiling. “Well, ya know, can’t leave someone to freeze right after they got mugged…”
As he spoke, the man put his coat on fully. It was very soft on the inside, and had a nice weight to it. It smelled like him too...he smiled. “So, what should I call my savior?”
“My name’s Juno Steel, I-I’m a detective over at the HCPD.” Awkwardly, he held up the bag of groceries. “It’s, uh...my day off. My roommate sent me to get groceries…”
Before he could ramble more, the stranger moved closer and slipped an arm around his shoulder. The jacket looked very good on him - he’d tied it at the waist, and it flared out a bit at his hips. “My name’s Cecil,” he said, “It’s very nice to meet you, detective.”
Juno could feel his face getting hot. This person wasn’t his usual type, but he was always a sucker for a pretty face. “N-nice to meet you too Ce-”
Before he knew it, Cecil was kissing him. His lips were soft, and whatever that lipstick was tingled when it touched his mouth. Needless to say, he...found himself kissing back rather quickly.
It was a few seconds before they pulled apart. Cecil giggled again, seeing the bright pink smear he’d left against the detective’s lips. “There you go, detective, a reward for saving me.”
Before Juno could reply, two more people entered the alley. He wheeled around, expecting another fight, but Cecil smiled and called out to them. “Oh, there you two are! I was getting worried you wouldn’t find me!”
The two people - probably bodyguards - hurried over to Cecil. One of them paused and looked at Juno suspiciously. Juno jumped and quickly pulled his badge out of his jeans pocket. “Juno Steel, HCPD…”
The bodyguard nodded, connecting that and the obvious kiss-mark on the detective’s face and softening. “Jessica Kanagawa.” They motioned to their fellow, who was checking Cecil for injuries. “And that’s Jamison. We’re Cecil’s bodyguards.”
“Does he run away from you two often?”
“All the time.”
Juno touched his lips - the lipstick was still tingling gently. “And uh...is this his, usual way of thanking people?”
Jess laughed. “Pretty much.”
Juno made a mental note of that. He wasn’t going to seek it out exactly, but if another opportunity showed itself...well, he wouldn’t hesitate as much as he had this time, thats for sure.
The party left soon after that, Cecil winking and blowing a kiss in Juno’s direction as he walked away. Juno waited until they were swallowed up by the crowd, then smiled to himself and hurried off to his apartment. That's my good deed done for the day…
It wasn’t until he was unlocking the apartment door that the cogs in his brain finally finished turning, and he realized two incredibly important details about the encounter.
1: The bodyguards had the last name “Kanagawa.” The man’s name was Cecil. That had been Cecil Fucking Kanagawa himself. Juno had saved Cecil Kanagawa from muggers. Juno had been kissed, on the lips , by Cecil Kanagawa .
And 2: That asshole had stolen his coat.