Chapter Text
The blue-haired detective awoke to shuffling and the sound of papers crumpling. He let out a small groan and rolled over in bed, noticing the absence beside him. “Nnng,” he murmured. “Kiibo?”
“Mhm? Morning Shuichi, sorry if I woke you up, there was just something I had to sort out before we set off for work.” Kiibo said gently, careful not to raise his voice and further disturb his partner.
Shuichi’s golden eyes fluttered open, scanning the room for Kiibo, before getting out of bed to pull the other into a tight hug. It was still relatively early, and the room was dim, barely lit by the slivers of morning light that had escaped through gaps in the blinds. The main source of luminescence was a small, navy office lamp placed on a once tidy desk - it had been covered in various files and sheets of papers, as a result of the shorter boy’s apparent efforts to solve a case. “Kiibo, I know how dedicated you are to being a detective - and I understand that - but you can’t keep doing this! It’s not good for you, and I don’t want you burning yourself out again, ‘kay?” Shuichi said sleepily, whilst reaching down to hold the other detective’s hand.
Kiibo started, “I know, I know. It’s just that I-”, but was interrupted by the taller boy pressing a soft kiss onto his lips. They both knew that anything that would come out of Kiibo’s mouth after that point would be a lousy excuse, he’d never been a good liar.
Shuichi leant back, and stared intently into Kiibo’s bright blue eyes. “Hey, it’s alright. If you need help on your case, I can give you a little bit of support. I’m always going to be there for you, and I want you to know that, alright? Don’t be scared to ask for help, it doesn’t make you any less of a detective.”
The white-haired detectives’ eyes widened, shocked (and slightly charmed) by Shuichi’s words. He was never particularly eloquent due to his anxiety, but whenever the taller boy was around Kiibo his worries seemed to melt away, words of encouragement naturally replacing them. Tiptoeing slightly, Kiibo brushed his lips against Shuichi’s, catching the taller boy in a kiss. “Hm, alright,” Kiibo grumbled once he pulled away from the kiss. “-but only if you keep being this affectionate. And don’t worry too much about my case, I know how dangerous the phantom thief is, so focusing on that should still be your priority, okay?”
Chuckling, Shuichi responded, “Mm, that seems like a fair deal.” He shifted towards the other detective, placing another tender kiss onto his lips. “We should probably get ready for work soon, though.”
They each changed swiftly into their uniforms. Shuichi was dressed in a white shirt and black suit, donning a patterned cobalt-blue tie atop of it. Another staple of his outfit was a simple navy cap, although the detective chose to wear it for hiding his face whenever he became flustered or embarrassed, rather than the usual purpose. The hat was essentially infamous for that reason. A badge signifying his role as detective also decorated his blazer, glinting slightly in the light. The shorter detective’s outfit was comparable to Shuichi’s, similarly consisting of a plain shirt and blazer.
Once they’d collected everything they needed, Kiibo drove to the police station, accompanied by Shuicihi. Per usual, they were slightly early, greeting the head detectives (Kirigiri Kyoko and Ikusaba Mukuro) and wishing their coworkers a good morning. The atmosphere was fairly relaxed, but Shuichi knew that he still had his work cut out for him.
Being 17 years old, his detective expertise was impressive - very impressive - granting him an opportunity to work on the phantom thief's case (despite his age), however it was particularly draining for someone as young as himself to be working on such a complex mystery. A team had been attempting to track down the leader of D.I.C.E, a malicious organisation, however they’d struggled to make any progress. The leader was swift and nimble, escaping the police department’s grasp every single time. Due to their struggle, Officer Kirigiri had assigned the case to Shuichi in the hopes that his talent would help to solve the case. However, he’d been working on it for the last two days, and having had no face to face interactions with him, it was impossible to even narrow down the suspects. Any deductions he tried to make ended up fruitless.
Sighing, the blue-haired detective settled at the desk in his office. He blankly stared at the sheets of paper, wishing for the case to just magically solve itself. Shuichi had abandoned all hope when he heard a distinct ringing, peaking his interest. It’s the evacuation alarm, he thought, wondering why they’d chosen to do a drill so early, and without letting him know beforehand.