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If there was anything Tooru was great at doing (aside from getting himself caught up in cases often) was trusting his intuition… which can sometimes lead him to being confident about his decisions. The thin line between just having faith in his guts and being cocky was barely visible but he swore in the name of his cat’s litter box that he was not imagining this.
It was another day at the Tokyo Metropolitan Police Department headquarters and Tooru was finally back after a long night of investigation on the opposite side of the city. His legs were numb from standing up for too long, crouching for too low, and walking for too far. Tooru was convinced he smelled awful and when he passed by a reflective window down in the lobby, he swore he aged by fifty years.
Right behind him was another copy of his shadow, but slightly taller, a bit broader and just the tiniest bit skinnier than him — Kageyama Tobio, a police detective the department had dispatched to work alongside him for the case investigation. While Tooru had the main job of supervising the entire team, Kageyama did most of the thinking and he looked more drained than him.
They entered the elevator together, still barely saying a word to each other even after the doors closed. Tooru glanced at Kageyama through the corners of his eyes and his face was still hard-focused, as if his brain wouldn’t stop thinking. It even looked as if Kageyama was running on autopilot when his gaze held a faraway look as he pressed on the 4th floor button.
Weird, Tooru thought because usually by then, Kageyama would have already spared him a word or two. Just a passing comment about the case or maybe even asking him if he was exhausted (“of course, I am, Tobio-chan, what kind of question is that?”). In any other situations, Kageyama would have trailed after him with a weirdly starstruck expression in his eyes and grabbing at every chance he got to start a conversation with him. Tooru had suspicions, however Kageyama’s behaviour contradicted his speculations.
When the door to the elevator finally opened and Tooru didn’t take a step forward was when Kageyama finally spoke up.
“Aren’t you going off, Oikawa-san?” Kageyama asked, hovering by the doors with his arm reaching in to prevent it from closing.
“Yes, obviously,” Tooru followed Kageyama out of the elevator, hurriedly walking ahead.
There was almost nobody at the office. In the peace of morning, the only sounds to be heard were the clicks of Tooru and Kageyama’s soles against the tiled floor.
“You seem deep in thought,” he heard Kageyama comment.
“Says you.”
The new day was starting to wake and from behind the tall buildings of metropolitan Tokyo were the bright orange streaks of sunrise. From here, the view wasn’t the best but it was high enough to appreciate the morning beauty. Tooru stopped in front of one of the wide windows as it dawned on him just low long he had been away from home and just from that alone, he felt his exhaustion finally sink into his bones.
Behind him, Kageyama seemed to have not been paying attention to where he was going and it caused him to bump into Tooru’s side.
“Sorry,” it seemed to have snapped Kageyama out of his little cloud of thoughts.
“You’re distracted this morning,” Tooru commented as he leaned on the windowsill.
Kageyama’s facial expression twisted to his usual guarded scowl. It seemed as if he wanted to say something to Tooru, actually opening his mouth to begin, but he decided otherwise before continuing his way deeper into the building.
Now this is definitely new, Tooru thought. He pushed himself off the wall and jogged after the young detective.
Kageyama finally dropped himself into a chair at (which Tooru assumed) his desk. It was Tooru’s first time seeing it; they were stationed in different rooms due to their different positions and if he was asked what he initially thought Kageyama’s desk would be like, he would say words like clean and organised. Seeing how Kageyama worked in the day (or rather, in the night) made him think that Kageyama liked things laid out separately in front of him, neatly categorised and labelled. Instead, Kageyama’s small space in the office was a shipwreck; stacks and stacks of books to one side, the pages marked with paging flags. There were scattered sheets of paper across the tabletop and his keyboard was pushed to one side to make room for two case record files.
Tooru whistled at the sight. “Tobio-chan the Academic,” he said.
But he guessed it was expected for a detective to do his research and somehow, Tooru felt something ignite within him. Tooru may not be one but it didn’t take a detective to figure out that Kageyama was one of the best — judging from where his desk was located in the room, the mess on his table and how he was trusted to be involved in a complex case. Tooru finally came to a full-blown realisation that Kageyama really was a detective. That sudden awareness did something.
Like, he concluded, if he wanted to, Kageyama could dissect him little by little and discover Tooru’s deepest, darkest secrets. Not that he had any. But if he did, Tooru was sure Kageyama could.
“And you’re Oikawa-san the Why-Are-You-Here?”
Tooru dragged a rolling chair from the desk next to Kageyama’s. “I’m curious.”
Kageyama hummed in response.
“Something about the case is troubling you, what is it?” Tooru had sat on the chair backwards and he was resting on body on the backrest. “Or… you figured everything out and before you lose your thoughts to everything, you need to write it all down to see your thoughts clearly?”
“I don’t see how you’re gonna do it with this mess, though, honestly,” he added.
“I think you’re really nosy,” Kageyama answered after a moment of silence. “And no, I already wrote up what I’m sure happened. The inspector will be holding interrogations later in the afternoon to confirm some more, if you’re interested.”
“Really? Well I guess I missed the info, thanks for telling me Tobio-chan!”
Kageyama picked his bag from under the desk and started to clean up his table. “If you’ll excuse me…”
“Wait! Tobio-chan!” Tooru found himself reaching for Kageyama’s hand.
When he turned around, Kageyama’s expression showed surprise, subtle but it was there. Tooru almost snorted when the backpack on Kageyama’s shoulder slipped but Kageyama was genuinely stunned by Tooru’s gesture that he didn’t even spare a glance at the bag that was now slung around his elbow.
“I’ll take you home,” the words slipped out of his mouth before he could think twice about it, “it’s still too early for you to take the train, especially since you’re tired and all. My car’s in the basement, we can go together… if you want?”
Tooru was good at reading people; the perks of having brief criminal psychology classes back when he attended the police academy and excelling. He didn’t miss it when Kageyama’s eyes sparkled like they hid the universe. Tooru’s attention zoned in to the fast flash of expression. Kageyama quickly snapped out of it though and regained his composure.
“Well… since you offered, I guess it’s better to save money.”
Once they were in Tooru’s car, a white Mazda with the coolest dashboard screen Kageyama had ever seen, the atmosphere around them had turned a little bit awkward. Confined into a small space with Kageyama, this was the closest Tooru had been to the other officer. Although Kageyama was looking outside of the window and Tooru was sure he wasn’t paying attention to his actions, Tooru felt he had to do everything right.
It was starting to get a little hot, the heat of the summer morning had started to catch up with the day. Either that or the close proximity of himself and Kageyama. Tooru tossed his blazer to the back seat, leaving him in his uniform button-up rolled to his sleeve and his tie loosened around his neck. Kageyama did the same, but preferred to keep his suit on his lap, neatly folded. He was tense, the clench of his fist was strong and Tooru found it hard to tear his eyes away from the silhouette of Kageyama’s arm beneath his white shirt.
“Should we have breakfast?” Tooru asked to break the silence as he started his car.
“That sounds nice,” Kageyama responded, eyes still trained on the view outside (they were just columns of the dark parking basement).
“Is there anything that you want?”
The car slowly rolled out of the basement, leaving the parking lot empty. When they got out onto the streets, the sky was already turning blue and golden streaks of sunlight had made it through the gaps of high rise buildings. Tooru glanced at Kageyama for a split second, careful not to take his eyes off the road for too long. The detective was deep in thought, his eyes lingered on a few restaurant storefronts as they passed.
“I don’t know, I’m not that hungry,” Tooru heard Kageyama mumble, “don’t feel like eating.”
“Huh,” Tooru turned right at the crossroad. “Suit yourself. I’m having coffee and pastries.”
“Why did you even ask if you’re gonna eventually decide yourself?”
“Unlike you, Tobio-chan, I am a gentleman!” It was a little bit of a stretch, Kageyama was probably the most polite person Tooru knew and that was even after putting his own parents into consideration (which by far were one of the most well-mannered people in the world). “So obviously, I’ll ask the guest first!”
Kageyama snorted. “I’m the guest?”
“Well, yeah, obviously!” Tooru slowed the car down and they were in a street lined with cafes slowly waking up to celebrate the coming of morning. “There’s this place I know you’ll love, Tobio-chan! I’m treating you to only the best so I’m expecting an amazing thank-you letter after this!”
Tooru didn’t know why he was trying so hard to coax Kageyama out of his strange silence. When it came to Tooru, Kageyama seemed to always want to speak with no commas. That was, before today. However, Tooru did know that something was holding Kageyama back. It was a hunch of his, as a police officer, he learned to always trust his gut feeling.
“Uhuh, and what makes you think I’ll like it?” Kageyama asked.
Tooru shrugged. “Gut feeling. Confidence?”
“Wow.”
“Can you at least be a little bit more excited?” Tooru rolled his eyes, “it’s not everyday I’m willing to buy my friends breakfast after duty, you know? You should feel special!”
Tooru couldn’t tell if it was the sun hitting Kageyama’s face or if the younger was actually flushing pink, but despite having to stay up all night long and being clearly exhausted, Kageyama clearly glowed in the early morning. He wondered, had he been so ignorant of his junior that he never noticed?
“Yay, thanks, Oikawa-san,” Kageyama didn’t sound any more excited than the previous but Tooru figured at least he showed a little bit more enthusiasm.
Tooru parked the car in front of a little, snug cafe. The location was not far from the Tokyo Police headquarters but the area was quiet compared to the busy streets surrounding the office. It was still at a walking distance and when Tooru first discovered the place, he was actually on his way to the station after a long day of work.
It was a nice place, nothing too extravagant but cosy and welcoming. He could smell the coffee all the way from the street, toes curling in anticipation. Judging from the hint of something buttery in the air, the employees had started the pastries and being hungry and exhausted, Tooru almost drooled at the aroma. Kageyama seemed to find it amusing, a small smirk stretched upon his lips.
“Welcome to the Little Mug,” Tooru said once the engine was off. He turned to Kageyama. “Now, are you gonna tell me what’s wrong with you?”
It seemed like Kageyama wasn’t expecting Tooru to catch on but Tooru had to credit himself for being observant. The fleeting look of shock was shown on his face and his previously relaxed posture turned guarded. “What do you mean?” he asked, “nothing’s wrong with me.”
Lies. Tooru knew that.
According to a research paper Tooru read, instead of looking elsewhere, when someone is lying, they would maintain direct eye contact. That was what Kageyama was doing, looking straight into Tooru’s eyes. Not his forehead, not his nose but his eyes. Definitely lying.
Tooru lazily leaned against his door. “Come on, Tobio-chan, you and I both know that’s not true,” and Kageyama’s firm expression shattered a little. “I didn’t miss a detail in our case, did I? That’d be bad. Tell me now if I did, I can get fired. I have no money.”
“No..?”
“Okay, maybe not that. I know I did well. It’s nothing to do with work, huh?”
When Kageyama stayed silent, Tooru nodded.
“But there is something you wanted to tell me, but you don’t know how…” Tooru said slowly, observing Kageyama from where he sat. It was funny how Kageyama’s actions spoke louder than his words; one move and Tooru could find out a lot of things about him. “So you decided to keep it all to yourself, while brainstorming ideas for how you’re gonna say it… but you never end up actually finding a way.”
Kageyama blinked. “Okay, there might be something.”
“I knew it!” Tooru cried. “You’re an idiot, by the way. You can ask me anything.”
He leapt closer to Kageyama. It took him by surprise and Kageyama mirrored it as he pushed himself further into his seat. Tooru decided to pretend to not let it bother him, his interest in what Kageyama was thinking intrigued him more. “Spill!”
“But like, how did you know?” Kageyama asked. He was genuinely curious. And a bit cautious, if Tooru paid a little more attention.
“Easy-peasy! You normally would almost tear my ears off just from your chattering alone!” Tooru exclaimed, “and for some reason, it’s just me! Never anyone else. You, asking me about this case, that case, what I think would be the best time to contact higher ups and that one time you wouldn’t stop asking me for my favourite food? It’s milk bread, if you didn’t know already.”
“Oh.”
“Damn right, ‘oh’. What’s got your tongue?”
“But promise me, you won’t make a big deal out of it!”
Tooru eagerly offered Kageyama his pinkie with the most solemn look on his face. “I pinkie promise you.”
Kageyama stared at the finger before sighing. He wrapped his own pinkie around Tooru’s before motioning for the older to lean in closer to whisper in his ear.
As soon as Kageyama finished talking, Tooru swore his heart stopped and his face immediately burned. So he got out of the car as fast as he could to avoid Kageyama’s eyes and to calm the rapid beating of his heart. He swore he heard the faint sound of Kageyama’s giggle (giggle! He can giggle!) from behind the door after Tooru slammed it shut. Some of the fresh air cleared Tooru’s mind a little but there was absolutely no way he could keep his promise. Tooru even gave Kageyama his pinkie!
“You looked hot last night. Wanna go out?”
Kageyama’s voice repeated in his head like a broken record. Tooru’s legs worked on their own as they carried their way into the cafe. He cursed the detective in his mind. How did he say he struggled finding a way to say it but made it roll out of his tongue so smoothly, like the running water of a river and the smooth texture of his favourite chocolate fondue? Tooru wanted to scream!
“... Or stay in?”
Tooru slapped his hands over his ears, wishing he could scream. It at least drowned the sound of Kageyama’s bemused chuckle behind him. It just made Tooru want to strangle Kageyama. Annoying!
Stupid! Stupid! Stupid!
“Not make a big deal out of it” his ass! This Kageyama Tobio definitely knew what it would do to him, that annoying little slug! Tooru knew he trusted his gut feeling that there was something about Kageyama that morning, but this was out of his expectations.
Now all he could do is try to calmly order their breakfast and sit through it, as if Kageyama said nothing and like they wouldn’t end up in Tooru’s bedroom an hour later, forgetting the fact that they had a sleepless night. If Tooru almost didn't make it to the interrogation scheduled at noon, blame it on Kageyama.