Work Text:
Serizawa Urara wasn’t stupid. A bit naïve, perhaps, too trusting, sometimes. But stupid? No way in hell.
“I’m leaving,” announced Kaoru standing up from his desk.
“Already?” Surprised at the sudden information, Urara shot him a wide-eyed glance. For the past hour, she’d been typing a report regarding their newest job which they were supposed to settle in the next few days. Early dismissals were the last thing they needed. “It’s the third day in a row, Kaoru. You never used to leave at this hour. We’re busy, you know.”
If he realised she was right, he didn’t show it; not a single muscle moved in his face. “I don’t need you to tell me that. All the information will be ready by tomorrow. I’ve got some errands to run.”
“Alright, but…” Urara sighed, not finishing the sentence. No words came to mind that could possibly convince her partner. She stood up, as if this could make any impact on him instead. “Want me to go with you?”
The offer was honest, but Kaoru only waved his hand. His gaze was on the mirror by the door as he checked his appearance.
“Go home for the day, too. Have a drink with your friends, go shopping or something,” he replied, indifferent. “Just take it easy and I’ll see you tomorrow.”
With that, he fixed a stray strand of his impressive hair and opened the door, leaving Urara to see him off with her gaze, eyes narrowed and lips pursed into a thin line.
It was the third day in a row when he left early. But it was at least a second week that something was off about him, and Urara couldn’t quite pinpoint what.
His weird behaviour consisted of subtle, yet noticeable details. The way he checked his suit twice instead of once before leaving. The new pair of dangly earrings. Either smoking half the usual amount, or twice as much. The brief moments when he’d fall deep in thought and wouldn’t snap out of it until Urara waved her hand in front of his face.
Serizawa Urara didn’t like pestering people. She certainly wasn’t one to intrude where she wasn’t wanted nor to meddle with someone else’s business.
Not that meddling with her partner’s business was an easy task to begin with. Kaoru, as a former prosecutor and a certified asshole, wasn’t someone who easily gave away personal info or shared his problems with just about anyone. It took Urara a few months and one end of the world until he finally started showing signs of actually being a decent person. Even once they partnered up, he seldom talked about himself.
Today, she liked to think they got along, for better or worse, even if they didn’t make a habit of oversharing, at least not while sober. But she’d had enough of struggling alone – be it herself, or seeing the others do so. Clearly, something troubled Kaoru right now. And Urara, pissed off as she was, decided to conduct her own investigation.
Not a minute later she rushed out of their lair, wearing a wide-brimmed hat and a pair of sunglasses, as well as a trench coat on top of her usual green attire. Thankfully, Kaoru hadn’t managed to get away from her field of vision yet; he was there, at the end of the street, walking straight ahead. Urara quickened her pace and put her collar up – the chances of being seen were high, but he’d never recognise her like this. Or so she hoped.
And this is how two weirdoes traversed the streets of Sumaru, the nonsensical pursuit continuing for several minutes. Briefcase in his hand, Kaoru kept walking, never stopping by anywhere, never giving away his destination. On the other hand, Urara and her funny camouflage seemed to attract curious looks. She didn’t give a shit about any of that, only peculiar uneasiness nagged at her as she continued following Kaoru, without the faintest idea where he was taking her. To be honest, she hoped he’d really turn out to only be running some errands. It wouldn’t explain his behaviour, but it would set Urara’s heart at ease, if only a bit.
Soon enough, her doubts were going to be answered as Kaoru stopped in front of a small store, looking at something behind the shop window. Urara stopped, too, and leaned onto a nearby wall, pretending to be taking a break, while in reality she stole curious glances at her partner several metres away.
For a while, it didn’t seem like Kaoru was going to actually enter the store. Perhaps it was only that something caught his attention and distracted him, and he was going to resume walking as if nothing had happened. Then a young woman, about Urara’s age, excited the store. Upon seeing her, Kaoru straightened his back and smiled, and the next moment, leaned in to plant a kiss on the woman’s temple.
Urara’s jaw dropped.
From the distance she had no way of hearing their conversation; only the woman’s quiet laughter resounded in the street, followed by a murmur of Kaoru’s deep voice. Arm in arm, they turned their back at Urara and started walking, again, palms never separating from each other.
Urara didn’t make a slightest move to follow them. To say she was frozen in place would be an understatement. Her skin started crawling and her temple throbbed. She felt like fainting.
All this time, all those days when she cudgelled her brains over Kaoru’s predicament, he was leaving work early to go on a fucking date.
She was going to skin him and make a curtain out of his long hair.
While such thoughts of anger, embarrassment and frustration occupied Urara’s mind, she raised her head to look at the walking couple for the final time.
“…That asshole!” she mumbled, kicking a pebble out of her way.
Tomorrow. She’d tell him off tomorrow. Give him a piece of her mind, a solid beating, raise hell for keeping such a secret from her. He wouldn’t be able to walk for another week, for fuck’s sake.
Cussing and swearing at the unruly man, Urara didn’t realise that, deep down, she was smiling.