Work Text:
Entering the Prosecutor’s Office, you felt a sprouting seed of migraine.
It was an ungodly hour in the morning, you hadn’t slept enough in three days and, on top of it, the rain caused you to arrive late. If only you could curl into a ball somewhere, preferably in bed… Unfortunately, your pay check wouldn’t earn itself, so here you were, approaching the building in hopes that this case in particular would not be too much of a pain in the ass.
As you stormed through the hallways, hands in pockets and head down, a familiar voice pierced through your gloomy thoughts.
“Good morning, miss detective!”
You raised your gaze. There he was; everyone’s idol, prosecuting prodigy, and, as it just so happened, your accidental colleague – Garyuu Kyouya.
He greeted you with a smile, looking as fresh as ever despite the early hour. You, on the other hand, rubbed your temple in utmost frustration. Unlike your co-worker, Akane, you didn’t mind working with Kyouya – it’s just that being next to him somehow always caused a weird plummet in your self-confidence. It was hard to feel good about yourself when the man wore Gucci cologne on the daily and his eyeliner skills proved better than yours. It’s not like you ever had any time to put on makeup in the morning, anyway.
But none of these was a reason to take it out on Kyouya. Especially when he seemed so radiant.
“Hi, prosecutor Garyuu.” You greeted him with a small bow of your head. “Why aren’t you in your office?”
“Oh, believe it or not, yesterday evening I had my motorbike serviced. I only just got to pick it up, so I haven’t had the time to drop by my office yet,” explained Kyouya.
“So I see.” Dryly acknowledging yet another aspect of his perfect life, you glanced around the hallway. “Well? I was told to consult you regarding a new case. How’s it looking this time?”
“Well, I’ve already got a pretty good idea about it… But if you don’t mind, I’d love to hear your thoughts, too.”
“Fine. Lead the way.”
With a grin, Kyouya did an overdramatic bow, one like you could imagine seeing on stage. Then he moved past you, guiding you to his personal office.
You’d been here countless times before, and yet the room which reflected Kyouya’s personality so much always brought your thoughts into a dead halt. The guitars on the wall he might or might not have played to unwind while facing some particularly difficult cases. The newest tech which your department could only dream of having. CDs and music magazines scattered everywhere. Entering this space was like entering Kyouya’s mind… which was precisely why you couldn’t help but feel like you were intruding.
“You seem a bit out of it today, detective. Is everything okay?”
A serious undertone in his voice snapped you out of your daze. Oh great. Today, with Akane’s absence, you couldn’t count on her to banter with Kyouya to lighten up the mood.
“Yeah, I’m fine.” You didn’t really bother to sound convincing. “It’s just the migraine.”
“Ah.” Kyouya’s lips formed a perfect circle.
“It’s alright, really. Now if you could do me a favour and lend me those case files…”
“Oh, sure. I’ve got them here.” He reached for the thick file on his desk. It seemed beyond you to return Kyouya’s genuine smile as he handed it over to you.
While you busied yourself with the case files, Kyouya plopped onto his work chair, then produced a lip balm from his pocket. Only after a moment did he notice you staring as he applied the balm on his lips.
“Hi there,” he beamed.
Rolling your eyes, you pretended to be completely unaffected. The windy weather made you bite your dry lips until they bled, but – obviously – you’d forgotten your makeup bag at home.
Then, a tanned palm holding the lip balm appeared in the corner of your vision.
You raised your head in disbelief. “Did you hit your head, prosecutor Garyuu?”
“No, why would I?” He seemed amused.
On one hand, you would never dream of the perfection incarnate to let you use any of his luxury items. He was distant, out of reach, and even while his chains jingled right next to you his smile felt galaxies away.
But you also knew he was a genuinely good guy. He didn’t do any of this to undermine your self-esteem.
“…Thanks,” you mumbled with reluctance, accepting the lip balm.
Before you applied it yourself, you couldn’t help glancing at the brand. Obviously, Kyouya did not use some cheap drugstore balm. You bet this one cost as much as your weekly food expenses. Anyway, it smelled like vanilla and coconut, which amounted to a nice combination.
Returning the balm to Kyouya, you decided to change the topic. “How’s the Garyuu Wave? Still on hiatus?”
“Yup.” Kyouya inspected his manicured nails. “I’m thinking of doing a solo project, actually. The whole band concept… it kind of got stale, you know what I mean? What used to be attractive for a teenage kid is not so appealing anymore.”
“Now that’s interesting.” You’d heard a song or two while he was still in the band, but it didn’t quite meet your tastes. However, if Kyouya was to grasp more creative freedom, you’d definitely give it a try… if he ever decided to share. “In other words, you’ve grown up, Kyouya-san.”
All of a sudden, the air itself froze over.
Panic crept up your throat. You looked over at Kyouya, but if your little slip up pushed his buttons, he didn’t show it. Still, embarrassed to death, you wished the ground would swallow you whole.
Once upon a time, while his brother was still in active duty as an attorney and you’d only started working in the police, the three of you formed a peculiar alliance. If a case was taken up by either person, the other two would lend their hand in a way so that no truth would remain uncovered. It was then that you started addressing them both by their first name. Too much of a hassle to use their shared surname, you’d explained. And so you found yourself right in between the perfect brothers. Kirihito-san and Kyouya-san – one of them a trusted mentor and the other a hopeful kid with a bright future.
And then, without a warning, the flame was snuffed dead along with the hope in Kyouya’s eyes.
Kirihito’s arrest shook the judicial scene to the core. Many people were left confused and hurt, including you. Slowly yet surely, you lost your initiative, only earning a living but never really believing, only taking the cases assigned by your superiors. If Kyouya happened to work on them, fine enough. But you’d never talked to him about his brother since, nor had you called him by his first name anymore.
Now that you thought of it, you might have delivered a final blow to the light he used to harbour. Of all people, he dealt with the aftermath of his brother’s wrongdoings the hardest way.
And here you were now, usurping the right to face him like nothing had happened.
Mortified, you slowly raised your head to look up at Kyouya. Yet, he only shook his head with an exasperated smile. It hit you like a truck how much he resembled his brother at that moment.
“It seems I’m not the only one who did.” When you didn’t dare move a finger, he continued. “Well, it’s fine. Those who don’t, they stay behind.”
“Kyouya-san,” you mumbled with a voice so quiet you barely heard it. “I’m glad that you are human after all.”
Startled, if only slightly, Kyouya stared at you. And then he threw his head back and laughed. Not in the hopeful, cheery way like he used to all those years ago – but still, in a very Kyouya-like way.
“Aren’t you quite straightforward, miss detective? Aggressive, even.” When you smacked him in the forearm, his grin only widened. “I’m just kidding. Even if you’ve grown up, it’s a relief that this part of you never changed.”
This time, you returned the smile.