Chapter Text
The bar was busy for a Tuesday night. Why Tuesday had been the day of choice I will never know, seeing as the vast majority of the others had to work tomorrow. The music was dull, some old retro stuff filling the background with erratic bass lines and strange melodies. I was leaning on the bar, just getting ready to head home. I had worked today, my uniform still under my jacket. My blue trousers and black boots setting me aside from the office workers. Luckily I had taken my belt off and left that in my locker.
I had just said goodbye to Nakagawa, who had to get back to his wife, and ready for work tomorrow. He was the first of us to marry, the year before he graduated from university. I downed my beer and turned around to say my goodbyes. Although I wasn’t working tomorrow, I had just worked at 14 hour shift to make up for it.
Another full beer bottle appeared in my hand, replacing the empty one which had now vanished. Drinking with the Samezuka swim team was often like this. Only this time we were now all Alumni, and all in our late twenties. We had a reunion in Tokyo once a year, and this year was no exception.
“Cheer up, Matsuoka, It might never happen” Seijuro slapped me on the back, almost causing me to choke.
“What the..” I coughed slightly, “Don’t you have someone else to bother?” I put the new bottle down on the bar where I was sitting.
“You mean you don’t want to talk to your new brother-in-law to-be?” He sat opposite me and smiled, I still don’t know what Gou sees in him. The music drowned out any other comments he wanted to make. It wouldn’t be the first time he accused me of having a little sister complex. I do not have a little sister complex.
“Tch.” I took another swig from my bottle and checked the time on my watch. “Wanna go someplace else?” It was almost 1am, this bar would be closing and we would have to leave anyway.
“You have some place in mind?” He looked around to see if any of the other swim team members were near by, “Where is Nitori? He moved here recently right?”
I nodded and looked around the bar as well, “He had to work tonight, his place is near by though.” I finished up my beer, again, and stood up. “I know just the place we can go to next.”
Seijuro had never really stopped being our captain, even when we had all gone our separate ways for over seven years. He stood up next to me and cleared his throat, I couldn’t help but groan and put my hand over my face in embarrassment at what was about to happen.
“You guys want to lollygag around here all night? I didn’t think so, lets go.” He called across the bar, a resounding ‘Yes sir!’ followed, as if we were still out on a school excursion. He looked over at me and grinned, “You clearly aren’t drunk enough to enjoy this. Break up with your girlfriend?” He slung an arm around my shoulder as we walked towards to my favourite haunt. Ocean. A shot bar. The best place to drink. Seijuro knew full well that I didn’t have a girlfriend, or boyfriend for that matter, and liked to tease me at every available occasion. I had dated several over the past couple of years, but nothing had come from any of the relationships, not that they had lasted that long.
“I thought women liked men in uniform?” Seijuro asked, leaning in a little too close for comfort as we walked down the road.
“They do, I have appeal” I scoffed, I was a cop now. The years of swimming and working out had paid off, I looked hot in my uniform.
“Sure sure” He shoved me in through the door of the bar, and steered me over to the bar by my shoulders. “Lets find you someone here, huh?” He winked mischievously at me, and nodded in the direction of a group of giggling girls behind him. They were cute. I guess. I wasn’t really in the mood for a random fling.
This bar was quiet, but then it was the early hours of the morning. The music was more upbeat, songs from this decade at least. There were several fish tanks built into the walls, all filled with different kinds of fish, and blue strobe lights danced around the walls and floors.
“Ugh not again.” My complaint fell on deaf ears as the first orders were placed and within minutes we had at least six shots each lined up in front of us. Seijuro picked up the first shot and grinned wickedly as he knocked it back.
I breathed a heavy sigh, “Best get this over with then” and followed suit, picking up the first of my shots.
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Ocean closed its doors at 4am, and soon after Seijuro and I found ourselves outside in the cold, alone. The rest of the swim team had either left when we changed bars, or had left long before the bar closed. We were both laughing at our failed attempts to woo the group of girls sitting next to us, and instead had drunk enough for the entire swim team to prove our manliness.
We started walking towards the train station, I didn’t need to catch the train but Sei did. He was far too drunk to be left on his own. I wasn’t in a much better state, but as an upstanding member of the community, I felt I should help.
“Keep up,” I looked behind to see Seijuro stumbling around in the pavement, he was walking, just.
“I.. I can’t. Wait” he whined, sitting down on the edge of the kerb. Boy, was he wasted.
“Don’t keep my sister waiting up for you” I grumbled, sitting down next to him on the road side.
“I love her you know” Seijuro slurred, “It makes me upset that you don’t approve.” He hung his head into his hands and started to cry.
“I.. uh… I do approve,” I patted his back gently, “There is no one else out there I would rather my sister marry.” I leant over to his level and smiled. My own head was spinning and I was starting to feel sick, but I couldn’t leave him here. Seijuro was a worrier when drunk, probably to make up for how care free he was sober.
“Lets grab you a cab and get you home,” I sat up, brushed my trousers off and hailed a cab. One of the small luxuries of living in the middle of a city that never sleeps. Seijuro was heavy, And tall. Getting him to stand up again was a pain in the ass I didn’t need. I could have managed if I was sober, but the alcohol had made my arms weak, I dropped him twice. Luckily the driver was able to assist, and helped me scoop a half asleep, half crying ex-swim team captain off the pavement and into the back seat. I gave the driver his address and soon the cab vanished from sight.
I was so dehydrated. I wanted to sit down and cry, but no, I had to get home and get to bed. Luckily I wasn’t working tomorrow, I mean today. Seijuro was. Ouch. I fumbled around in my jacket and trouser pockets for my wallet.
“Where?” I tried each pocket again, nothing. “God damn it” I kicked a lamppost as I walked down a side road towards my place. It wasn’t far but I had only taken my key card out, and put it in my wallet. I was locked out and had no money. I must have left it in the bar after Seijuro convinced me to buy a round for us and our new female companions.
I looked around at the names of the roads and tried to piece together where I was in relation to any other houses I could crash at. I walked around another corner and noted the street name. Nitori. While he had only moved in a month or so ago, he wouldn’t mind me crashing his place at 5am would he? My beloved little kouhai would never throw me out onto the streets. I took a left turn and counted the houses, 4th on the left was his.
The street was quiet, it was nice for an area in the middle of the city. I walked into a lampost, not looking where I was going. Hitting my head straight on.
“Fuck.” I hissed, rubbing my forehead, my eyes closed but watering. My temples stung, and my nose felt like it was about to bleed. Looking back at the houses, I spotted Nitoris and walked through the front gate.
All the lights were off. Of course he was asleep, what else I expecting? The guy was a kindergarden teacher and probably had to be up for work in a couple of hours. Not wanting to disturb him, I snuck around the side to where his living room window was.
Now, being a police officer, breaking and entering should not really be something that I engage in. However, also being a police officer means I know how to break and enter efficiently. I nudged the window and it slid open, allowing me to climb inside. I landed on the carpet with a soft thud, but nothing that should have woken him up. I looked around in the dark and fished out my phone, needing a source of light.
Flash light on, I notice the couch. It looks like a brand new, three-seater. Long enough for me to lie on, complete with pillows. I grin silently as I make my way over, and sit down. I couldn’t remember where the kitchen was, I would have to wait until he woke up for some water. It shouldn’t be too long, it is a school day afterall.
I sat down on the couch and shrugged my jacket off, folding it nicely over the back. Then pulled my shoes off, and socks before pulling my legs up.
“Nice couch,” I mumbled when something caught my attention out of the corner of my eye. I jumped slightly once I saw it, four little circles, glowing like something from hell in the light of my phone. My breath hitched slightly.
Cats.
Cute, I love cats. I let out the breath that I had been holding and moved my arm down over the side, and welcomed them over, they were cute. One was bright white with a red ribbon collar, who jumped up onto my legs and promptly lay down on my crotch. The other was a little grey and black tabby, with odd coloured ears, who seemed content with just nuzzling against my palm before curling up next to my shoes and socks.
I sighed a little, and as I was sitting, shrugged my shirt off, folding that over the back of the sofa as well, I couldn’t afford to get it all creased, or even worse chewed on by kitties. I overestimated how far to hang it, the shoulder lapelles pulling it out of reach and onto the floor behind, my police badge rattling out of the breast pocket and onto the floor. It would have to stay there until I woke up. Or until Nitori woke up.
I pulled my vest off and dropped that onto the floor, and took my belt off as well. Police trousers aren’t the most comfortable of trousers to sleep in, so I undid the button as well before lying back down onto the pillows and closing my eyes; glad that Nitori’s house wasn’t cold.
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I woke up to the delightful feeling of a cat licking my right cheek, its sandpaper tongue rubbing on day old stubble. My head was thumping, and my ears ringing slightly from last night. I felt like I had a black eye forming from when I walked into the lamppost. I gently shooed it away, encouraging it to move off my chest so I could at least sit up. I heard someone moving around upstairs, then on the staircase. I looked over the end of the sofa, over where my feet were hanging off the edge, and called out to Nitori who was walking slowly down the stairs.
“Oi, Nitori.” Only, that wasn’t Nitori standing in the doorway. His eyes were large, soft and green. His hair an off blonde and brown mix, still wet from showering.
“Oh, I uh, didn’t realise he had guests, Sorry.” I had propped myself up on my elbows, the cat sliding off and running over to the man in the doorway. He only had a small towel wrapped around his hips, his body still glistening with a slight sheen of water.
He dropped the glass he was holding, the carpet prevented it from smashing, but water splashed everywhere and scared the cat none the less.
“Um, sorry. Who.. what… uh” He scratched the back of his neck and looked around the room and my scattered belongings. The cats had played with my socks and shoes while I was asleep or something.
I sat up completely and swung my legs onto the floor. This guy was hot. Good one Nitori. The mysterious man made no attempt to move out of the doorway however, he just stood there staring at me. His stomach muscles were tense, same with his shoulders. He had a sporting physique, biceps to die for.
“Oh wow, apologies. Rin. Nitori’s friend from school, I uh, got locked out and had no where else to crash” I laughed sheepishly and stood up.
“Nitori?” The green eyed man asked, “I think you may have the wrong house.” I dropped my vest back onto the floor in horror, my jaw dropping in the same way.
“Wrong house?” I repeated him.
“Nitori? Short nervous guy? He lives opposite,” he gestured over his shoulder to the opposite side of the road. Shit.
“Oh.” I just stood there staring at him, while he stared back. “I did wonder when he got cats” I mumbled quietly. The man laughed, and laughed some more. It was catching and it wasn’t long until I managed to chuckle along with him.
“Don’t worry about it,” he flapped his hand in my direction as he walked over. He was still naked apart from the towel he was wearing.
“Makoto.” He held his hand out, I shook it.
“Rin. Look, I am so sorry.” I started, “I drink too much. Drank too much. I don’t usually break into hot guys houses. I mean, not hot. Well hot, but.. ugh.” I leant down and picked my vest back up and pulled it on, embarrassed over tripping through a simple apology.
Makoto laughed again, “Its fine, really.” He added, looking over the back of the sofa at my shirt and badge still spread over the floor.
“Oh god” I cringed outwardly and slumped down onto the couch. I pulled my shoes and socks over and started to tie the laces of my boots up when my shirt was dropped onto my head.
“Can I get you a coffee, Officer?” He was now standing next to me, flicking my badge between his hands a slight grin emerging from his lips.
I stood up, pulling my shirt from my head and walked over to him. “Coffee would be great.” I smiled, slowly taking my badge from his hands, making sure to make a point of dragging my fingertips across his hands without breaking eye-contact.
He was slightly flustered, a small blush on the top of his cheeks, but he leaned in slightly, his voice lowered, “Just before I go into the kitchen, you are an actual cop, and not a stripper, right?”