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“Ah, hello boys,” An older man by the name of Amenoma Tougo said upon seeing Kazuha and Heizou approach. “What can I do for you this evening?”
“Good evening, sir,” Kazuha said. “If you have some time to spare, we’d like you to have a look at something crucial to an investigation of ours.”
“Of course! My eyes may not be what they once were, but I most certainly should be able to help you,” Mr. Amenoma said.
Heizou pulled the emblem from his pocket, gently dropping it into the man’s hands. Mr. Amenoma immediately started turning it over, looking at it deeply.
“We’ve been investigating a string of attacks by Kairagi and Nobushi, but one of these emblems were dropped at the scene of a crime. The logo belongs to the Fatui, but their emblems don’t look like this,” Heizou explained. Mr. Amenoma hummed as he brought the emblem over to Hajime, his apprentice.
“Hajime, tell me what you notice,” Mr. Amenoma said.
“It looks like copper, sir,” Hajime said, without looking too closely.
“Son, hold the emblem then tell me again what you notice.”
Hajime slowly put his materials down, hesitantly taking the emblem from Mr. Amenoma. The moment it hit his hand, Hajime’s eyes flew open.
“This is way too light to be entirely copper, sir,” Hajime immediately tapped the emblem against the table he was working on. “It sounds hollow, too.”
“You’re correct, son.” Mr. Amenoma went back around the table to face Kazuha and Heizou. “The emblem you found is simply coated in copper. I would have to take it apart to learn more.”
“It’s not part of an official investigation. Do what you must, sir.” Heizou responded almost immediately.
“Very well. Hajime,” Mr. Amenoma turned to the apprentice with a nod, no longer saying anything else.
Kazuha and Heizou turned to lean on the railing near the forgery.
“Just coated in copper,” Kazuha mumbled. “I didn’t even think about how light it was.”
“You’re not a blacksmith, Zuzu. You already knew way more than I did,” Heizou leaned against Kazuha. “That’s what the pros are for.”
“If the Fatui really is a part of this then it must be low-ranking individuals,” Kazuha kept rambling. “Higher ups would’ve been able to get a full copper fragment with ease. New recruits or similar would have to settle for coating something.”
“New recruits… Didn’t a harbinger recently fall during a battle? Perhaps that instigated the Tsaritsa to bulk up their regime.” Heizou turned around, propping his elbows against the railing so he could observe Kazuha with ease.
“Hm.” Kazuha sighed, eyes glazing over as if lost in thought. “Hey,” Heizou pressed his finger between Kazuha’s eyebrows where a crease was beginning to form. “Don’t leave me while you're still physically present.”
“Ah, apologies. I didn’t realize.” Kazuha dragged his fingers down his face, sighing harder than before. “I guess it’s still a slightly sensitive topic to think about a duel before the throne.”
“I can’t think of many people who would’ve survived the things you’ve gone through, Kazuha. You’re resilient and kind, despite the world being unforgiving to you.” Heizou said his true thoughts.
Kazuha had been dealt poor cards at the start of his life, and somehow turned everything on its nose. The man before him could’ve been bitter, cruel, or even just a mere memory. The fact the samurai is still alive gives Heizou hope for the future. Many people could benefit from Kazuha’s mindset, but it’s not an easy one to develop.
“I suppose so,” Kazuha chuckled. “Thank you for your words.”
Heizou peeled his eyes away from Kazuha at last and saw Mr. Amenoma approaching them. It was nice that he wouldn’t be caught drooling over the handsome samurai.
“Well boys, we found a small something within the trinket,” Mr. Amenoma placed a tiny device into the palm of Heizou’s hand.
“This is a recording device?” Heizou looked on in disbelief. “Not many people have access to this type of technology.”
“Fatui. It seems they are desperate for something.” Kazuha murmured.
“Seems there's a small speaker as well. Guess they wanted this to be disposed of immediately after listening. Let’s head out somewhere quiet and take a listen.”
– – –
“Where is the warehouse?” A gruff voice crackled through the speaker. Shuffling and muffled whimpers could be heard.
“What warehouse? I’m sorry, please! I won’t tell anyone what happened tonight.” A woman spoke. Her voice was trembling in fear.
“The warehouse with the military-grade weapons! You worked for the tri-commission, you should know something.” A sharp smack peaked the audio, followed by more whines.
“I never had access to that kind of thing, please!”
“Useless. Let’s go boys.”
The quiet sobbing of the assaulted woman was the only thing that could be heard afterward. Heizou crushed the recording device in his hand, much to Kazuha’s surprise.
“That’s the tie. The other man attacked is part of the tri-commission. You were most likely targeted as the sole Kaedehara successor.” Heizou growled through his teeth. People were fearing for their lives because someone simply wanted power.
It sickened him.
“These people were civilians, untrained in self-defense. We must put an end to their hostility before more are injured or potentially killed.” Kazuha’s words were firm and calm. Heizou appreciated that someone could remain level headed in this moment.
“The abandoned shrines near Grand Narukami Shrine have been crawling with Cicin Mages and Mirror Maidens,” Heizou recalled. “My intuition tells me they’ve set up camp there.”
“I agree, it seems likely.”
Heizou looked at the crushed component in his hand before letting it fall to the ground. He needed to calm the anger boiling within his veins. Cases don’t often get him worked up, but there have been a few instances where it would occur.
Heizou steadied his breathing. Kazuha’s presence was enough to soothe his worries. When his anger subsided, his body grew heavy all at once. The day was chaotic and full of surprises; it had finally caught up with Heizou.
“I say we call it a night,” Heizou yawned, stretching his arms far over his head. “Let's rest before we go to confront anyone.”
“I agree,” Kazuha was clearly doing his best to suppress a yawn. “I’ll find somewhere to set up camp this evening. We can meet close to the adventurer’s guild in the morning.”
“Oh, no no! You’re sleeping in an actual bed tonight, Kazuha!” Heizou said, snatching Kazuha’s hand before dragging him off.
“Wh-”
“My place isn’t far, idiot,” Heizou huffed. “We can share the bed, I honestly don’t care.”
“To think I thought you’d take some more steps before trying to get me into your bed,” Kazuha said, a mischievous tone hidden in his words.
“If I wanted to fuck you tonight it would’ve gone a lot differently!” Heizou snapped back.
“So tomorrow night isn’t off the table?”
“Man alive, you’re insufferable.”
– – –
“Alrighty, home sweet home,” Heizou wiggled the key into the lock after a few tries. He swung open the door and ushered Kazuha inside. “Make yourself comfortable. The bathroom is the furthest room on the left, my room is across from it.”
“Family house?” Kazuha asked, looking at the little trinkets strewn about. It's much cozier than Kazuha would’ve imagined.
“Used to be, yeah. My parents decided to get even farther from the city, so I just kept this place. It’s too big for just one person, I’m not here often.” Heizou strolled to his room while Kazuha remained enthralled by the family photos on the wall.
“You should get a cat,” Kazuha called out. “Or two. They fill up space nicely. Plus they’re rather self-sufficient.”
“I don’t know, I’ve never had one.” Heizou’s voice was closer than Kazuha anticipated. Upon turning around, the detective was holding out some clothes. “Sleep comfortably tonight, please?”
Kazuha glanced at the clothing in his hands. It was obviously from Heizou’s own closet. Maybe wearing some of his clothes wouldn’t hurt.
“Alright. I’ll shower first?”
“Go ahead!” The detective smiled gently. “I’m not the best chef but I can whip us up something to eat.”
“Perfect, I’ll take over breakfast then,”
Heizou then quickly got to work busying himself over dinner. He was famished by now and was exhausted. How Kazuha didn’t seem as tired as himself was beyond him.
Heizou’s mind wandered towards the later scenarios. He boldly stated they could share the bed but Heizou isn’t sure his awestruck heart would survive such an evening.
Did Kazuha enjoy physical affection? Would he be bothered if Heizou wound up cuddling him in the middle of the night? Too many questions and too few answers.
It wasn’t long before Heizou heard the shower cut off, and thankfully the dinner was going along smoothly. The less he had to cook, the better.
After a few moments, Kazuha rounded the corner. Poor Heizou, he definitely wasn’t prepared to see how soft and cute the samurai looked in his clothes.
Seeing Kazuha in something besides his usual attire was quite a lot for Heizou. His arms were well-toned and exposed by the tank top he was given. Scars coated his skin, and Heizou couldn’t help but start committing them to memory. He wished to hear the stories behind them all.
“Are you done staring yet, Heizou?” Kazuha said, taking a seat at the small table nearby. “It seems you got distracted.”
“You-“ Heizou immediately hung his head, hoping to hide the blush from being caught. “I’m just not used to seeing you like this.”
“You’re cute, detective,” Kazuha purred. “Now, how about we eat?”
— — —
“Are you sure you wish to share the bed? I’m perfectly fine sleeping on the couch?” Kazuha said, standing in the doorway to Heizou’s room.
“Kazuha, it’s fine, seriously. Be warned, I may attempt to cuddle you in my sleep,” Kazuha watched his ears turn pink as the detective continued to scurry about the room, looking for an extra pillow.
“I don’t mind it. I've not slept with someone like this in a very long time.” Kazuha said. Before his friend died facing the Almighty Shogun’s strike, the two often could accompany each other to sleep. Ever since then, Kazuha has never cared to sleep with someone.
“You sure? I’m notoriously clingy when I’m trying to sleep,” Heizou finally faced Kazuha after finding the pillow he was desperately searching for.
“Just get in the damn bed, Detective. I’m quite tired.” Kazuha entered the room to approach Heizou. Gently pushing his chest, Heizou fell back onto the bed.
“Oh? Spicy, Zuzu,” Heizou laughed, but started to settle in for the night regardless.
Kazuha followed suit, noticing how soft the sheets were against his skin. It’s a luxury Kazuha often forgets about since he hasn’t settled down in some time.
It was clear they were trying to maintain space between each other. Their backs facing each other and on the edges of the full sized bed. The air was tense as they tried to ignore each other.
The heavy silence wasn’t helping.
“Ok, this isn’t working,” Heizou said, rolling over to face Kazuha. “Come here.”
Heizou reached out to brush Kazuha’s waist, pressing his hand against the toned muscle of his stomach. Kazuha let himself be dragged back by the detective.
“Who’s the bold one now?” Kazuha chuckled.
Heizou worked on getting them both comfortable, only after flicking the back of Kazuha’s head for that comment.
Heizou pushed his leg between Kazuha’s, earning a small gasp from him. Kazuha zoned out for a moment after this, letting himself catch his breath. By the time he was pleased with his state of being, Heizou had maneuvered an arm under Kazuha’s pillow and had an arm draped over his waist. The man pressed to his back was warm and comforting. To Kazuha, being in such a hold felt indulgent. He wasn’t used to this level of intimacy and affection.
“This fine with you?” Heizou asked, lips brushing the back of his neck.
“Y-yeah. It’s fine,” Kazuha whispered. The sensation of Heizou’s lips on his skin was quickly ingrained in his mind.
“Sleep well, Zuzu.”