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The loud explosion still rang in his ears as he waited by the curb, feeling his heart pound erratically in his chest. Haru stared at his shaking hands, eyes unfocused and vision blurred with unshed tears as he sat alone, shivering in his cheap, white shirt. He couldn’t even think about where he last left his signature jacket, and now the inspector regretted it, for the cold, harsh wind of Tokyo was not kind to him.
He remembered the fear in that little girl’s eyes when he couldn’t find her father, after frantically searching the top floor. The small girl was panicking, tears rolling down her chubby cheeks as she screamed and screeched for her father, trying to scramble away from the hands of the paramedic holding her. Haru ran back into the building despite Kamei’s yells and Teppei’s disagreement, feeling his heart squeeze painfully in his chest.
Haru rushed up the stairs, wincing when he nearly slipped on the concrete floor, landing on his knee harshly. The man wasted no time, ignoring the slight pain as he ran into the area, knowing full well the explosion could happen at any second.
“Help, somebody!” A man’s voice, hoarse and desperate, rang through the air, and Haru ran to the source as fast as he could. Adrenaline pumped in his veins when he sees a man stuck under a bookcase, which must’ve tipped over during the panic and chaos. Haru quickly tried to budge the heavy bookcase, hearing the loud yells and screams of the people outside of the building, probably warning him of the ticking bomb. With a guttural sound, Haru used all of his strength to push the bookcase away, nearly toppling over the man stuck underneath.
Haru looked at him, grabbing him by the hand as he saw the blood on the man’s face. He must’ve had a pretty nasty fall from the hefty bookcase. “Come on, we need to get out of here quick,” Haru urged, wrapping a hand around the man’s waist to help fasten their escape. The two men practically flew down the stairs, heartbeat pounding in their ears as the mixture of exhaustion and adrenaline coursed through their bodies.
“Katou, faster!”
Just as Kamei screamed those two words, Haru had one step out of the entrance, leaping wildly with the man just as the bomb went off, the loud explosion making everyone crouch for cover, the heavy smell of smoke clouding the atmosphere. The taupe haired inspector curled his body around the injured man to lessen the impact, grunting in pain when he hit the coarse road. He felt his heart pounding almost deafeningly, holding onto the man tight as the loud, blaring sound faded into a muted, white noise in the background.
It was still for a minute, an eerie silence as everyone looked at each other, fearing the worst. Haru opened his eyes slowly, panting heavily as he inspected the man he had rescued, who was also looking at him with worry. Immediately, it was like the world came back to life, loud shouts from the paramedics to tend to the two men as the man’s daughter screamed and cried her little lungs out, kicking at the person holding onto her, hands reaching out for her father. Haru vaguely recalls Kamei and Saeki rushing to him, carefully grabbing his hands so he could be pulled up, shock still clearly evident on his features. The other man was put on a stretcher, tears in his eyes as his daughter reached over to hug him, her small arms reaching to wrap around his neck tightly.
He heard Kamei yell something, but it was muffled to him as he stared at his scuffed, bloody hands, scratched from hitting the road. He can feel something wet at his elbow, probably blood from the fall as well. Saeki held him by the wrist, guiding him to a paramedic who quickly tended to his injuries.
Saeki was clearly relieved Haru was okay, patting his back reassuringly. But none of this registered in the inspector’s mind, the only words he was able to choke out making Saeki pause her musings.
“Kambe, is he okay?”
“He is fine. Suzue-san had diffused the bomb easily at the bank, and he should be on his way by now. Kambe-kun is probably really worried about you, though,” Saeki replied, her usually neat ponytail now a dishevelled mess. Haru simply nodded in acknowledgement, not trusting himself to speak. His golden eyes travelled over to where the man he had rescued and his daughter were side by side, the young girl clinging close to her father’s side, tear tracks on her cheeks but a wobbly smile on her face. Haru’s gaze was met by the man, who bowed his head deeply in gratitude, a relieved, sincere smile on his face as he mouthed ‘thank you’ at him.
The inspector could only nod in return, feeling as if he was about to throw up all of the sudden. Haru slid down to the ground leaning against the wall, not caring if it was dirty. He closed his eyes, desperately trying to calm himself and slow his breathing, feeling the tell-tale shaking of his hands.
Breathe in, breathe out.
Just like Daisuke taught him.
Deep, slow breaths, close your eyes.
Loud, blaring sounds. The ringing in his ears became louder, and Haru could feel a dull throb to his mind.
Breathe in, breathe out.
Breathe in, breathe out.
Breathe in breathe out breathe in breathe out breathe in breathe-
“Haru?”
Salvation.
Haru, who had been trying to stay strong in front of people, crumbled completely when he saw Daisuke appear, feeling a weight drop off his shoulders suddenly. Daisuke gently hoisted him up from the curb he was sitting on, eyes concerned as he inspected Haru up and down for any injuries. Haru stared hard at the ground as tears threatened to spill down his face. He felt soft, familiar hands cup his face, thumbs rubbing his cheeks so tenderly it made it hard for him to speak.
“Let’s go home, my love,” Daisuke said gently, wiping away tears Haru didn’t even realise had already fallen. The younger man’s hands slowly dropped down to curl over shaking fingers, stilling the fidgeting as Haru gripped to him tightly, like Daisuke was his lifeline. It was a silent plea, to ground him, to stay with him.
Daisuke always, always knows.
He gently rubbed at their intertwined hands, his soothing circling motions making more tears roll down the older man’s face. After a few minutes of them just staying by the curb, the street silent and empty at 3am, Haru nodded shakily to Daisuke’s words, feeling his anxiety ease slightly. The millionaire, still with his hands in Haru’s, brought him to the waiting car, opening the door for his lover to step in. Soon after the door shuts, Daisuke sits himself in the driver’s seat, already feeling Haru scramble for his free hand. The older man knew Daisuke drove with one hand on the steering wheel, and if anything were to occur, HEUSC could easily take control. Haru didn’t do it often, wanting Daisuke to focus on the road to avoid any accidents, but he felt like he would go crazy if he didn’t have Daisuke holding his hands at any given moment.
The younger man understood the silent plea, squeezing their hands in tandem. The drive was silent as Daisuke drove steadily, feeling Haru squeeze his hand in an almost death grip, like he was afraid the younger man was going to leave him. They reached the apartment in no time, Daisuke quickly getting out of the car door as he rushed to Haru’s side. He nearly buckled at the sudden weight when Haru practically threw himself into his arms without any warning, a shaky sigh leaving his lips as he burrowed his head into the crook of Daisuke’s neck.
“Oh, darling. Come, let’s get you washed up,” Daisuke said soothingly, running a glove hand through Haru’s tousled hair, feeling his shoulder get wet with Haru’s tears. They made their way up the stairs slowly, the millionaire taking care of Haru at every step, fishing the keys out of the older man’s pocket as he unlocked the door expertly with one hand, already used to it.
Daisuke gently but firmly pulled Haru away from him, checking him once more for any injuries before he cupped Haru’s face in his hands, brushing away the tears that were still falling prettily from his eyes.
“Go take a shower, okay? After that we can eat something.” Daisuke said, already steering Haru towards the bathroom, grabbing a towel and some pajamas from Haru’s closet.
The taupe haired man nodded, still sniffling slightly as he shuffled into the bathroom, looking small and vulnerable. Daisuke sighed, feeling his heart clench when he recalled Haru’s expression of distraught. He scanned the kitchen, trying to see if there was anything he could try (Key word : Try) to make for dinner.
The millionaire settled for some cup noodles, which he was confident he could do. He began heating up some water via the kettle, opening the sachets of soup powder methodically to pour it into the uncooked noodles. Daisuke also made some coffee, the way Haru liked it. Full of milk and sugar, enough to make Daisuke wince at the taste.
The kettle let out a high whistle, indicating it was done boiling the water. Daisuke turned off the switch, carefully pouring the hot water into the two mugs. One was a light green with little bears all over it, which was Haru’s. The other one was a soft lilac, with smirking white little cats decorating it. Haru claimed the cats reminded him of the younger man, so it became Daisuke’s.
By the time Daisuke had finished making the drinks and the cup noodles were ready, Haru emerged from the bathroom, eyes rimmed red and cheeks a soft pink from the hot shower. He seemed in a much better condition, and Daisuke couldn’t stop from the fond smile threatening to appear on his face when he saw how cute Haru looked in the button down pajamas, which were a checkered yellow and white combination with a little bee embroidered at the breast pocket. He clicked his tongue in fond exasperation, however when he saw Haru’s hair was still dripping wet.
“Come here, let me dry your hair,” Daisuke instructed, beckoning the older man over like he was a puppy. Haru obediently walked over, handing the towel to the shorter man as he sat down on a chair. Daisuke slowly dried Haru’s soft, freshly washed locks, breathing in the comforting scent of the flowery drugstore shampoo Haru loved to use and something so distinctly Haru, something that felt like home .
Daisuke could feel the tension leaving Haru, leaving the taller man pliant and calm as he closed his eyes, enjoying the feeling of Daisuke drying his hair, something he was accustomed to doing ever since they started dating. Once Daisuke was satisfied with Haru’s now fluffy and dry hair, he hung the towel out to dry. Needless to say, being with Haru had definitely made him learn some household chores.
He returned to his seat opposite Haru, who was taking slow sips of his coffee, golden eyes focused on the milky swirls.
“Come, let’s eat.”
The two of them muttered a short murmur of gratitude for the food before diving into their simple but familiar meal. Daisuke watched as Haru ate quietly, his mind probably elsewhere.
“Did you make this by yourself?” Haru said after a while, inspecting the noodles like Daisuke had somehow magically conjured it from thin air.
“Why of course. I made everything myself,” Daisuke said proudly, taking a sip of his own black coffee. Haru snorted at that, and it made the younger man smile.
It meant things were going to be okay.
Haru peered over his mug as he watched Daisuke smile to himself, titing his head curiously.
“What are you smiling for, dork?” Haru asked.
“Is it a crime, Inspector?”
“Well yeah, ‘cos you’re a gremlin.”
“After all I’ve done for you, a warm, nourishing me-”
“It was a cup noodle.”
“Meal, good, diabetes inducing coffee, and you call me a gremlin.”
“Yes, that’s what you are. Thank you for confirming it. Wanna watch Cry To The Sun later?”
“...yes.”
Haru broke into a wide, sincere smile this time and Daisuke couldn't help himself as he leaned closer to seal their lips into a soft kiss that spoke a thousand words. He felt Haru's hands loop around his shoulder loosely, and he smiled into the kiss while Haru released a soft sigh of relief.
They'll be okay. Daisuke will make sure of it.