Work Text:
Haru Katou couldn’t sleep. Well, he had been diagnosed with insomnia after the bank incident, but medicine he was prescribed and a podcast would normally help. But this was different.
Haru was having nightmares. They were all different, horrifyingly so, but they all had the same subject. His nightmares were always about Daisuke Kambe either being extremely hurt or dying right in front of Haru and Haru had no way to help him.
Haru had an inkling of why they started. They had been on an adollium case in America. Haru and Daisuke had caught their bad guys, and as Haru led them outside, one of them mentioned a bomb. Before Haru could even warn Daisuke, the building behind him exploded with the rich detective still inside.
Or so Haru thought. As he yelled for Daisuke over their communicators, the scion responded right away and sounded unharmed. Daisuke appeared shortly after from the side of the building. He was slightly covered in soot and his suit rumpled, but he did look okay. Haru hadn’t stopped himself from falling to his knees in relief.
The nightmares had started soon after the two returned to Japan. Haru ignored them to his best ability and tried to go back to sleep. But they kept recurring, making it harder for Haru to ignore them. Haru was stubborn though, he still tried because he needed to be fine for his work. The eye bags he developed were covered with makeup and he certainly wasn’t helping his coffee addiction. But Haru was sure no one else in the MCPTF had any idea of his trouble sleeping.
However, his nightmares had made Haru worry over Daisuke. While he knew the younger man could take care of himself, but with these dreams, Haru just couldn’t help himself. At least being Daisuke’s partner, he could keep watch on the scion during cases. But this did nothing to relieve the nightmare even a little bit.
With all this going on, Haru began to accept his feelings for Daisuke. He knew he no longer had any feelings for Suzue; the two had become great friends actually. Haru and Daisuke’s own relationship had gotten better over time. Sure, they still got on each other’s nerves every once in a while, but they were friends now. But somewhere along the line, Haru’s feelings must have grown deeper. He fell in love with Daisuke Kambe. So combining this with his fears, it had made Haru’s nightmares worse.
Haru was maybe getting 3-4 hours a night. He was unable to retake his insomnia medication, since they could make him oversleep and miss his alarm for work. His body was yelling at him to get sleep despite the nightmares. He constantly felt run down with bad headaches. He felt himself getting more irritable, but there was nothing Haru could do. He thought accepting his feelings for Daisuke would at least make them die down, but they didn’t. It was frustrating.
When there were lulls in the day, Haru found himself dozing off; he would catch himself and wake up before he got caught by any of his coworkers. But it was starting to get worrisome, because what if he couldn’t stop himself from sleeping. He could be suspended or even fired. His friends could find out about his nightmares which would be humiliating.
Haru did not know what to do anymore. He was just so tired.
XXXX
“Oh!” Kamei and Yumoto turned around at the sound of Saeki’s voice. She was standing next to the couch that had Haru sitting on it. The two noticed that Haru never reacted to Saeki, so they stood and made their way over to see what had surprised the woman. When she noticed the other two coming over, Saeki put a finger to her lips, telling them to be quiet.
What they found was Haru sleeping sitting up. He had his arms crossed against his chest and his head slightly tilted. He barely made a sound which was probably why no one noticed the detective sleeping in the first place. Kamei asked Yumoto for a pen, tempted to draw on Haru’s face. But when he turned back around, Kamei found Saeki glaring at him, which made him rethink his decision.
The pink haired detective shooed her coworkers away as she went over to the box where they kept blankets for when the office got too cold or if someone needed to pull an overnight. She pulled out a dark green one and as carefully as she could, she wrapped it around Haru. It seemed like he barely even noticed. When Saeki stepped away, she turned at the sound of the door opening and found both Chief Kiyomizu and Daisuke had returned. The chief had spotted her and walked over.
“What’s this?” Chief Kiyomizu tried to be as quiet as he could. Haru still didn’t stir, and the chief bent down some to look the detective over. Daisuke had made his way over and checked on his partner as well.
“I don’t know. I just found Katou like this a couple minutes ago. I decided to leave him be, because if he’s tired enough to fall asleep at work, he probably needs it,” The chief hummed at that, before he nodded. Haru was their hardest worker, he rarely took days off and still worked during his breaks. Chief Kiyomizu glanced at his watch.
“It is almost time to clock out. Let’s leave him be for now,” The rest of the crew, sans Daisuke, agreed and went back to their desks. The chief made his way towards his own desk but paused next to Daisuke and placed his hand on the rich detective’s shoulder.
“Daisuke, keep watch over Haru for me, please?” Daisuke glanced at his partner, before nodding. The chief smiled as the scion pulled out his smart sunglasses, putting them on, and took a seat on the couch next to Haru.
XXXX
Time went by and the MCPTF crew began to take their leave. Chief Kiyomizu and Saeki were the last ones to leave and they bid farewell to Daisuke and a still sleeping Haru. Once they were alone, Daisuke glanced at his partner. He never thought Haru would be a still and silent sleeper; he never really noticed when he stayed the night all those months ago.
But it appeared that Haru was not having a peaceful sleep. He was frowning and his eyebrows were furrowed. As time went by, Haru looked more upset. Daisuke was tempted to wake Haru, but Saeki had had a point; if Haru was tired enough to fall asleep at work, he most likely needed it.
There was something going on with Haru. Daisuke had noticed he had seemed more on edge lately, and always stayed closer to Daisuke, almost protectively, when they were out during cases. Daisuke believed it may have something to with their recent adollium case and his encounter with the bomb. But he wasn’t quite sure what to say to Haru. Usually his partner would speak his mind with what was wrong, it was something Daisuke liked about Haru. He didn’t care about Daisuke’s status and always spoke to him as an equal, even when he was angry at his partner. So why didn’t Haru trust Daisuke with whatever was bothering him?
Daisuke frowned to himself. His feelings towards Haru had been changing ever since the taupe haired detective had forced himself into Daisuke’s life. Haru Katou was a kind hearted man with a strong sense of justice. He had changed Daisuke’s way of looking at things, made him care more about the people around him, and even when he had nothing to do with it, despite the times Daisuke tried to block him out, Haru had helped solve Sayuri Kambe’s murder.
They had become friends, despite their differences. Daisuke liked Haru’s company and enjoyed the man’s cooking. Daisuke found himself wanting to know more about his partner; anything that Haru was willing to tell him, his favorite color, meal, animal, anything. The scion had to admit that Haru was gorgeous; he looked good in just his usual work clothes, but even more amazing in clothes Daisuke had fitted for the man. Daisuke knew his feelings for Haru had turned romantic. He just wasn’t sure how to confess, which was a surprise; it seemed to just be another way Haru was changing Daisuke.
Daisuke would figure it out soon. He could be patient and wait for the perfect time to confess.
XXXX
Another half hour went by and Haru was beginning to show signs of waking up. Daisuke noticed that Haru was trembling some and almost appeared to be curling in on himself. He started to murmur something too low for Daisuke to hear. The scion was about to wake his partner from what was apparently a nightmare, when Haru jolted awake and yelled out something slightly surprising.
“Daisuke!!” Daisuke, surprised, watched as tears started to fill Haru’s golden eyes. Haru began to glance around the room, almost confused, and then he turned to meet Daisuke’s steel blue eyes. His eyes went wide, making some of the tears spill down his face, before Haru surged forward and pulled Daisuke into a hug.
Daisuke was stunned as he felt Haru tremble against him as he cried. He shook himself of his shock and wrapped his arms around Haru, rubbing his back some. Haru only cried for a couple minutes before he quickly pulled away from Daisuke’s grip.
“Shit, shit,” Haru rubbed at his eyes. His rubbing made what looked like makeup be wiped away, showing Daisuke the dark bruises under Haru’s eyes.
“Haru?” Haru glanced at Daisuke and placed his face in his hands.
“You weren’t supposed to see me like this,” That made Daisuke only worry more. The dark bruises under Haru’s eyes told Daisuke that Haru probably hadn’t been sleeping much. He had only been asleep in the office for about an hour and a half. And if he hadn’t really been sleeping much, it explained some of his recent behavior.
“Have you been sleeping well?” Haru let out a humorless laugh at Daisuke’s question. His secret was out now, he might as well fess up.
“No, been having nightmares,”
“For how long?” Haru sighed, rubbing his face some more, before he turned to look right at Daisuke.
“America,” It had been weeks since their America case, almost a month. Daisuke narrowed his eyes.
“Have you talked to anyone about them?” Haru shook his head, rubbing at his eyes again.
“Thought I’d have a handle on them by now,”
“But you don’t,”
“Yeah, I know,” Haru’s tone was snippish in a way Daisuke hadn’t heard in a long while. Haru must have realized it as well, because he muttered an apology.
“You said my name when you woke,” It was in America actually when they both allowed the other to say their given names. Haru still had the tendency to call Daisuke ‘Kambe’ so when he said ‘Daisuke’, it was surprising in a good way. Haru didn’t say anything though, he just looked away.
“Haru, are your nightmares about me?” Haru still didn’t say anything, pretty much answering Daisuke’s question.
“It was the bomb that started them, yes? But I got out in time, I’m fine,” Haru was trembling some.
“I know! I know, okay! I know you’re okay, but my brain keeps coming up with different scenarios where you aren’t and I can’t do anything about it. Every night in my dreams you either get really hurt or you die in front of me and I can do nothing,” Haru had tears in his eyes again. He tried to wipe them away, but they only came back.
“I thought accepting my feelings and watching over you during the day would help. But nothing helps,” Daisuke sat stunned once more. Haru’s feelings?
“Your feelings?” Haru blushed bright red, obviously only just realizing he had said that. He cursed at himself, before glancing at Daisuke. There wasn’t much of a reaction, Haru could see shock in his partner’s eyes and something else; it almost looked like hope.
“I..um,” Haru had messed up. There wasn’t really any way to take it back. Maybe if accepting his feelings hadn’t helped, confessing them would. Haru always felt there was something more between him and Daisuke. He looked away from Daisuke and down at his trembling hands. He clenched them together to try and calm himself.
“I have feelings for you, Daisuke. I’ve had them for a while but these dreams cemented them. I think I’m in love with you,” He felt lighter with the words being said. Haru smiled to himself, happy that he was finally able to say them aloud. He felt something touching his chin, making him look over at Daisuke. Daisuke was smiling one of those true smiles that have been happening more and more since they had figured out Kikuko’s deception. He was beautiful like this.
“I thought I would be alone in my life. Had never even planned for anything after I solved my mother’s murder,” Daisuke let go of Haru’s chin to caress the tired detective’s cheek. Haru leaned into the soft touch. Haru stared into Daisuke’s steely blue eyes, wanting to know what he’d say next.
“But then I met you. My mother had once told me that I would find someone who would inspire me to be a better person. This person would know me, accept me, and believe in me when no one else would. I never believed her as a child, but I’ve come to realize that that person is you,” Haru lifted his hand to touch the one Daisuke held against his cheek. It felt like his heart was going to beat right out of his chest.
“I’m in love with you too, Haru,” Haru felt his face heat up slightly as Daisuke blushed some at his own declaration of love. With what looked like determination on his face, Daisuke leaned forward, a look in his eye as if he were asking for permission. Haru, with his heart thumping hard in his chest, nodded, knowing exactly what Daisuke was asking to do.
Haru’s eyes slid shut as Daisuke kissed him. It was feather light but more pressure was added as haru leaned into the kiss. The hand Daisuke had on Haru’s cheek trailed down to his neck and the older detective felt the scion’s other hand on his waist. Haru placed a hand on Daisuke’s shoulder while his other arm wrapped loosely around the other man’s neck.
After what seemed like forever, the two pulled away to breathe, pressing their foreheads together. Another smile was gracing Daisuke’s face, making it hard for Haru to do anything but smile as well. Haru went to lean in for another kiss, but he yawned instead. He laid his head against his arm on top of Daisuke’s shoulder.
“I’m tired,” Haru felt his partner chuckle softly and felt a hand petting his hair. If Daisuke kept doing that, Haru just might fall back to sleep on him.
“Then let’s get you home,” Haru shook his head at that. He didn’t want to be alone and go through another nightmare. He also didn’t want to leave Daisuke. The hand in Haru’s hair stopped and made him tilt his head some so he would look up at Daisuke.
“You need to rest,”
“Don’t want another nightmare,” Daisuke frowned at that.
“What if I go with you?” Haru sat up at that.
“Huh?”
“Your nightmares are about me. Maybe my being there could help,” Haru thought it over. Daisuke did help the nightmare he had had mere minutes ago, so the rich detective had a point. After a moment, Haru nodded.
“Okay,” Daisuke smiled some, before letting go of Haru so he could stand. He held out a hand for Haru to help him up.
“So dinner?”
XXXX
Unfortunately for Daisuke, Haru was too tired to make dinner for the two of them. But Haru knew a takeout restaurant around the corner from his apartment that had good food and he knew the family that owned it. The two made it back to Haru’s to quickly eat.
After dinner, Haru handed over some of his sleep clothes so Daisuke could change. He wasn’t all that surprised when Daisuke reached around him and pulled out Haru’s favorite star pullover the scion had borrowed the last time he was here. Once Daisuke was in the bathroom, Haru changed as well and then went to check over his bed. It would be a tight squeeze but they would fit. Daisuke had pretty much insisted on sleeping in the same bed and Haru didn’t even try to argue.
When Daisuke left the bathroom with his hair down and in Haru’s clothes, Haru almost kissed him again. The rich detective was always very attractive in his normal suit but he was almost adorable like this in Haru’s a size too big clothes. They looked at each other almost shyly, before Haru motioned for Daisuke to come over. They talked to try and figure out who had what side of the bed. It came down to Haru being against the wall and Daisuke with his back to the rest of the room.
They laid down and it took a bit for them both to get comfortable. Haru wound up pulling Daisuke close with Daisuke’s head against Haru’s neck and their legs tangled together. It was Haru’s turn to play with Daisuke’s hair; it was so soft and smelled like Haru’s shampoo. They fell asleep like that.
Haru did wake up once more that night after another nightmare. But the sight of Daisuke right next to him calmed him almost instantly. He pulled his partner closer to him, which made Daisuke huff in his sleep. Haru could hear Daisuke breathing softly against him, it told Haru that Daisuke truly was alright. He found himself drifting back to sleep and he was okay with that. With Daisuke at his side, Haru was safe and no more dreams could harm him.