Work Text:
Step 1: Identify the problem
Stepping out onto the docks felt unreal. Ryunosuke couldn’t believe he was finally back in London for a visit. With Susato and her father just behind him, he left the ship and looked around for their friends.
Kazuma was the first to reach him, hugging him with an enthusiasm that startled him, and he heard Iris shouting his name in delight too, and—
“It is good to see you again, Mr. Naruhodo.”
The sound of Barok’s voice made Ryunosuke flush with heat, and he snapped his gaze up to see the prosecutor watching him with a steady gaze. He’d forgotten how tall Barok was. And how handsome. And how imposing he could be, dressed in a dark cloak that nearly shrouded him completely. And how handsome. His lips curved up in a gentle smile; now that was something new, Ryunosuke hadn’t realized Barok even could smile.
“Don’t be rude,” Kazuma said, “of course he can smile.”
Ryunosuke swallowed back a protest that he hadn’t been thinking that at all, although even saying that would be better than gawking at Barok in awkward silence. Cheeks flushing hotter, he managed a stiff bow.
Seriously, had he always been that handsome??
“Now come along,” Sholmes said, while Ryunosuke searched desperately for something to actually say, “it’s unwise to keep dear friends, or great detectives, out in the winter cold any longer than necessary!”
Barok looked at Kazuma. “I will take my leave, then. Will you be returning to the manor?”
Kazuma shook his head. “I’ll go with them to Baker Street.”
“In that case, I will see you later.”
And just like that, Ryunosuke’s opportunity to do something about the surging feelings in his heart swept its way down the street along with the man they concerned.
#
Kazuma gave them a grand tour of the attic room at 221B Baker Street, rearranged to be just the way it was before they left for Japan. When Iris tugged Susato away to see her room and Sholmes disappeared downstairs, Ryunosuke rubbed the back of his neck.
“So,” he said, trying to sound as casual as possible, “should I, uh… assume you’re living with Barok?”
This seemed to greatly amuse Kazuma, who raised his eyebrows. “Don’t worry, I haven’t stolen your heart’s desire just because I’m lodging with him.”
“What? N-No, that’s not why I was asking! W-What makes you even think I feel that way about him?!”
“For one thing, you called him Barok.”
WHAT?!
Thinking of him as Barok in the privacy of his own mind was one thing, but had he really said that out loud instead of calling him Lord van Zieks?
“Besides,” Kazuma said with a smirk, “even if I hadn’t noticed you gaping at him like a beached fish—which, by the way, I guarantee he misinterpreted and is now lamenting your discomfort around him—I could hardly miss how jealous you looked when you asked about me living there.”
Ryunosuke groaned and put his head in his hands.
He’d been thinking about Barok for a long time. Wanting to see him again. Wanting to get to know him better. And he’d honestly forgotten Barok was as good-looking as he was. At least Kazuma seemed to be on good enough terms with him now to not be upset over this.
“So,” Kazuma said, “what are you going to do about it?”
Ryunosuke looked up. “What?”
“You’re here for a month. At the end of that month, will you be saying farewell to a lover you’ve vowed to write to, or sadly going home thinking about how nice it would have been if something happened?”
He blushed. “I’d… like something to happen, obviously.”
“But you aren’t going to do anything to help it along?”
“I… I don’t want to be too forward! I’ll just… spend some time with Barok, and…”
Kazuma was already shaking his head. “Listen to me, Ryunosuke, I’ve worked with van Zieks for over a year now, and I’ve learned one very important thing about him. He’s shy.”
Ryunosuke raised his eyebrows. “You expect me to believe the man who speaks in front of the court for a living and throws wine bottles at the gallery is shy?”
“Sure, he’s eloquent, overbearing, and theatrical, but when it comes to matters of the heart, he’s incredibly shy.”
Why did Kazuma know anything about how Barok acted in regards to matters of the heart?
Kazuma snickered. “There you go again, a perfect example. You get jealous at even the tiniest implication that I might be involved with him—which I’m not, by the way, ew.”
Ryunosuke bristled in indignation at the word ew being applied to the most gorgeous man on the planet.
“But here’s the problem. If it was van Zieks, and he suspected someone he liked was interested in someone else, he’d just sadly give up and tell himself he never had a chance anyway.”
“That’s ridiculous,” Ryunosuke said. “With his looks, who could turn him down?”
Kazuma rolled his eyes and lifted his hand in exasperation. “Ryunosuke, please pay attention. The point here is that van Zieks won’t act on romance without a little push. And by ‘a little push,’ I mean you could kick him face-first into a sign that reads, ‘I love you Barok’ and he’d overthink every possible way it might actually mean his feelings are unrequited.”
“But what if he doesn’t have feelings for me? I can’t just… I mean, I have to be sure!”
Kazuma patted his shoulder. “Don’t worry, partner, I’ll help you every step of the way.”
What was this sudden sense of impending doom?
#
Step 2: Present the mistletoe
Ryunosuke was going to die. Every time he saw Barok, he got tongue-tied. He always stammered something stupid, if he managed to speak at all, and the worst part was how Barok looked a little sad afterwards, like he thought Ryunosuke was still nervous around him. And he was, but for reasons that had nothing to do with him being the one-time Reaper of the Bailey and everything to do with him being a six-foot-four god of a man whose looks could win competitions.
Footsteps on the stairs told him he and Susato would soon have company in the attic, and sure enough, Kazuma entered the room a moment later.
He tossed something at Ryunosuke. “Here, don’t say I never did anything for you.”
Ryunosuke caught it. It was a small plant with white berries.
“Uh… thanks?” He rubbed the back of his neck. “What is it?”
“Mistletoe.”
He studied the plant for a moment longer, then looked at Susato for help.
She was already flipping through her book. “Here we go, Mr. Naruhodo. Mistletoe is a parasitic evergreen plant that grows on various types of trees. Its berries are toxic.”
“Kazuma, you’re not suggesting I poison someone, are you?!”
Kazuma rolled his eyes. “Keep reading, Susato, please.”
“Let me see… Oh! It’s also used for decoration, particularly around Christmas. If a woman is standing underneath the mistletoe, a man may kiss her. It is considered bad luck to refuse the kiss.”
Ryunosuke felt his eyes growing huge, and he snapped his gaze back to Kazuma. “Y-You want me to… g-get Barok under the mistletoe s-so he has to kiss me?!”
Kazuma grinned. “It’s a popular tradition, so he’ll be familiar with it. Trust me, he won’t object to kissing a gentleman if he knows the gentleman is so inclined. All you have to do is stand under the mistletoe and point it out to him.”
“I can’t do that!”
He shrugged. “You’d rather take the lead? Then wait until Barok walks under the mistletoe and kiss him.”
“That’s even worse!”
“You wouldn’t ignore a popular Christmas tradition, would you? That would be like insulting British culture!”
Ryunosuke glared at him. “I think I can manage to get through the holiday without ending up underneath any mistletoe.”
Kazuma smirked. “Oh… I wouldn’t be so sure about that.”
#
Step 3: Engage the help of friends
The Christmas party at Baker Street was just getting started when a knock at the door made Ryunosuke’s heart leap into his throat. Kazuma had arrived earlier to help them set up, and Gina wouldn’t be by until later, so that had to be Barok.
“Runo, would you get the door?” Iris called from the kitchen.
He looked around. A second ago, he’d been in a room full of people, but now he was mysteriously the only person available to answer the door. Pleased, nervous, and suspicious all at once, he stood and walked to the door.
As it opened, a ball of mistletoe that had been wedged above the doorframe swung into view. Heart in his throat, he jumped up and yanked it down before Barok could see it.
Barok gave him an odd look. “Are you quite all right, Mr. Naruhodo?”
“Y-Yes!” He hid the mistletoe behind his back.
“I trust you are having a pleasant Christmas?”
“Yes!”
With a polite yet slightly sad smile, Barok continued past him into the flat, and Ryunosuke mentally kicked himself. He had to stop panicking whenever they were together, or the other man would get the wrong idea entirely.
“Lord van Zieks, welcome.” Susato greeted him with a bow. “Please, take a seat.”
“Thank you.” Barok removed his hat and cloak and walked to the couch, where he settled down, more at home in this setting than Ryunosuke would have thought possible.
He turned to return to the chair where he’d been sitting, but Susato was now sitting there instead. He looked at her in surprise and she gave him an innocent smile. Iris and Sholmes took their seats, and Dr. Mikotoba abruptly slid into the last available chair. Which meant the couch was the only place left to sit.
All right, he could do this… He wiped his sweating hands on his pants and prayed Barok hadn’t noticed how long it was taking him to sit down next to him. At least there was enough space that he wouldn’t feel—
Kazuma sauntered in and sat at the other end of the couch, which left only a small space between him and Barok.
They were all in on it. Every single one of them.
“It seems Mr. Naruhodo is anxious for dinner!” Sholmes declared. “Do sit down, my dear fellow; we must suffer in hungry silence for a while longer.”
Ryunosuke took a deep breath and sat down between the two prosecutors. Kazuma smirked and moved toward him, forcing him to slide closer to Barok. Now their legs were touching and their arms were touching and he’d swear he could feel every movement as Barok breathed.
He gulped and dared to look over. Blue eyes met his for just a second before Barok looked away, cheeks slightly flushed.
“Now, my dear fellows,” Sholmes said, “did I ever tell you the story of the time I saved Christmas?”
“Oh!” Susato clasped her hands together. “Please tell us, Mr. Sholmes!”
“It was one of the greatest cases of my career!”
“Why don’t I remember this?” Mikotoba asked with a skeptical frown.
While Sholmes regaled them with the story of how he may or may not have saved Christmas, Ryunosuke slowly relaxed. It was… rather comfortable next to Barok like this. And if Kazuma had moved back to his side of the couch, it wasn’t like Ryunosuke had to put space between him and Barok. He could just… pretend not to notice, and keep enjoying this warmth and closeness.
He peeked over. The man in question looked like he had a headache. “Are you not enjoying the party, Lord van Zieks?”
Barok glanced at him. “It is the choice of entertainment I take issue with.”
“Oh, you mean Mr. Sholmes?” Ryunosuke laughed. “Do you still not get along with him?”
“I’ve… learned to tolerate his presence.”
He laughed again, and Barok smiled. Ryunosuke took a breath to calm his racing heart. “I’ve been meaning to talk to you, Lord van Zieks.”
“Is that so?” The other man’s eyebrows lifted. “I had the distinct impression you were avoiding me.”
“N-No! Actually, I…” …was hoping they could spend time together. All he had to do was finish the sentence. Yet he suddenly felt paralyzed, fearful of rejection. Barok wouldn’t want to spend time with him beyond a special occasion like this. He’d sound like a fool asking.
Behind the couch, something moved.
It looked like a fishing pole, connected to some sort of device. More significantly, at the end of the fishing pole was a sprig of mistletoe, which was slowly but surely rising up into the air and coming toward them.
With a yelp, Ryunosuke jumped up.
Barok rose as well. “Are you all right, Mr. Naruhodo?”
“Ah, um, err…” From the corner his eye, he saw Kazuma give him an innocent smile while the sounds of frantic reeling came from Sholmes’s direction. “L-Lord van Zieks, did you want to, um. Uh. Ah. Um. Err.”
“Mr. Naruhodo wanted to show you his old office,” Mikotoba said.
He shot him a panicked look. Why was even he in on this scheme? And why would he suggest something like that? Of course a man like Barok van Zieks didn’t want to see Ryunosuke’s sad little office up in the attic—
“I would be delighted to see your office,” Barok said.
Ryunosuke swallowed. “Right then. It’s this way…”
As Barok followed him to the attic, Ryunosuke found himself distracted once again by just how big Barok was compared to him. With the other man behind him like this, it was all too easy to imagine him wrapping his arms around him from behind and pulling him close, all but engulfing him even without his cloak, although of course he did no such thing.
Something brushed Ryunosuke’s head, and he looked up—at the mistletoe hanging from the ceiling.
He snatched it down before Barok could notice and peeked into the attic.
Mistletoe. Mistletoe everywhere.
“I’m starting to understand the appeal of using the berries,” he said under his breath.
“I beg your pardon?” Barok asked behind him.
Ryunosuke whirled around and clattered down three steps to reach him. He held out his arms to block the prosecutor’s way. “I, um… S-Sorry, the attic is a mess! I don’t want you to see it like this, so—”
Why and how was a ball of mistletoe sneaking up the stairs behind Barok?!
“Why don’t we go somewhere else?” Ryunosuke asked. “Actually, I… haven’t been to your office yet since I came back, have I?”
Barok closed his eyes. “Indeed, when I invited you to visit my office the other day, you made the most tragic squeaking sound in lieu of an answer.”
Ryunosuke cringed at the reminder. “So… is that a yes?” He took advantage of the prosecutor’s closed eyes to squeeze past him on the stairs and pluck the encroaching mistletoe off the wire it was attached to before it could get any closer.
“Certainly.”
#
Step 4: Make the mistletoe inescapable
Following Barok into the Prosecutor’s Office felt strange, but almost familiar. The older man stepped aside as he opened his office door for him.
Ryunosuke looked in on the grandiose office, now with half more clearly arranged in Kazuma’s style—and at the mistletoe hanging above the door, over Barok’s desk, at the center of the room, and by each window.
He spun around and slammed straight into Barok, his face landing directly in his chest. Cheeks on fire, he withdrew as quickly as he could. “Um!” He fumbled behind him and managed to shut the office door, even as Barok’s eyebrows flew up due to Ryunosuke closing the door to his office. “A-Actually, being here just makes me think about work, and I realized I’ve never seen your manor before, s-so maybe we could go there instead??”
He was acting so suspicious that Barok had to realize something was up—but instead, Barok’s gaze softened in a way that made Ryunosuke’s knees go weak, and he said, “It would be my honor to show you my home, Mr. Naruhodo.”
#
Ryunosuke’s heart pounded so loudly he was certain Barok could hear it as he helped him out of the carriage and led the way up to the manor doors. Would he have staff waiting for him? Or did he live alone? He should have asked Kazuma. If there were staff, he’d need to make a good impression. If not, he and Barok would be all alone… at his manor… just the two of them…
A large, warm hand clapped onto his shoulder. “As the man who proved my innocence last year, Mr. Naruhodo, you need not look quite so much like you fear the Reaper has brought you back to his lair to eat you.”
He wasn’t thinking anything of the sort—but then Barok squeezed his shoulder and Ryunosuke forgot how to breathe, let alone speak.
Barok removed his hand from his shoulder, regrettably, and unlocked the manor doors. That answered the question about staff. Ryunosuke was just starting to feel composed again when the door swung open.
To his horror, three clusters of mistletoe hung from the doorway, spaced out so that no matter how they entered, they couldn’t avoid walking underneath them.
Barok looked up, but sighed and stepped inside anyway. Ryunosuke braced himself and followed. He hoped to get in as fast as possible, but Barok stopped in the threshold, leaving them right beneath the mistletoe. Unbidden, Ryunosuke’s gaze was drawn to the plants above them.
“Mistletoe,” Barok said. “Are you aware of the tradition?”
Ryunosuke’s mouth went dry and his heart hammered. He didn’t trust himself to speak, so he just nodded.
A moment passed while he tried to think of something, anything, to say to break the silence—and then Barok was suddenly very, very close and still getting closer. Warm lips brushed Ryunosuke’s cheek.
?!?!
He blinked up at Barok as the taller man withdrew. He’d kissed him. He’d actually kissed him! Ryunosuke’s heart was still racing; his cheek felt like it was on fire from Barok’s lips. He ought to do something—like kiss him back! He should kiss him back since they were both under the mistletoe!
Except Barok was very tall, and Ryunosuke’s legs felt wobbly, and he couldn’t shake the image of himself toppling forward and crashing into Barok if he attempted to reach his cheek.
“Can we sit down?” he squeaked instead.
Sadness crossed Barok’s face, but he steeled his expression and ushered Ryunosuke inside. He led him to a parlor, where he started a fire while Ryunosuke sat on the couch. He wiped his hands on his pants and tried to calm his nerves.
At last, Barok sat alongside him. Sitting like this, his height wouldn’t be a problem. A kiss on the cheek wasn’t too embarrassing, and he’d already done it. If he objected, Ryunosuke could always just blame the mistletoe. He took a breath and slapped his own cheeks for courage.
“Mr. Naruhodo? What are—”
He leaned in to kiss Barok’s cheek just as Barok turned to look at him, and the result was that he kissed him squarely on the mouth.
Mortified, Ryunosuke pulled back. His lips were tingling.
Barok stared at him, eyes wide.
Neither of them said anything. He should explain or say something, but the feel of Barok’s lips against his own had taken over all his brainpower.
“Mr. Naruhodo,” Barok said at last—at the exact moment Ryunosuke found the ability to speak and shouted, “It’s Kazuma’s fault!”
Barok’s eyebrows lifted. “I too believe Mr. Asogi to be responsible for the mistletoe above the door, but pray tell how did you draw that conclusion? Are you simply in the habit of blaming him for anything that goes awry?”
Ryunosuke laughed weakly. “Well, I… I assumed you weren’t quite the type to hang mistletoe…”
“Indeed.”
“Plus Kazuma has a tendency to… meddle.”
“You found the results disagreeable, then?”
His mouth went dry. “N-No.”
Barok searched his gaze, his own expression hard to read. This close to him, Ryunosuke could hardly breathe. He’d kissed him, weren’t his thoughts clear enough? Then again, Kazuma said Barok could be pitched headfirst into a message of love and not get it, so…
He swallowed hard and slapped his cheeks again.
“Why is it you keep doing that?” Barok asked. “I’ve seen you do that in the courtroom, but I should hope you don’t feel quite so much pressure in my company here.”
“No, just…”
“Yes?”
“I want to kiss you again!” Ryunosuke blurted.
Barok drew a sharp breath. Then he leaned in.
Ryunosuke was barely conscious of one white-gloved hand going around to the back of his head, only of Barok’s face getting closer and closer until he closed his eyes and let their lips brush. It was still a clumsy mashing of their lips they quickly withdrew from, and when he opened his eyes and saw Barok’s anxious gaze fixed on his, his stomach flipped. Barok van Zieks, the famed prosecutor, the man once feared as the Reaper of the Bailey, was as nervous as he was.
That made it easier. Ryunosuke’s breath left him in a shaky giggle, and he kissed Barok again before he could lose what little courage he’d mustered.
Barok curled one arm around him and pulled him close, and Ryunosuke braced himself against his shoulders for a moment. But there was no reason he couldn’t lean onto Barok, and so as their mouths moved together with greater familiarity, he slid his arms around Barok’s shoulders and let himself fall against the larger man’s chest. Another warm kiss banished any lingering anxiety he might have felt, aided by the sensation of Barok’s fingers threading through his hair.
One more kiss, and then they separated just enough to breathe.
“I shall have to thank Mr. Asogi,” Barok said.
“If you do, he’ll be insufferable,” Ryunosuke warned.
Barok chuckled. “I suspect he will be anyway, the moment he realizes his ploy worked.”
Ryunosuke laughed breathlessly and rested his head against Barok’s shoulder. Yes, he could deal with Kazuma being insufferable about it if this was the reward. He smiled up at Barok, and then his brain caught up with the conversation.
“Wait a minute, how did you know Kazuma was trying to set us up?”
Barok frowned. “Did you not realize it yourself? He was intent on using that mistletoe for my benefit.”
“But he was doing it for—” Ryunosuke stopped.
He winced. No wonder Kazuma was so insistent that he should make a move on Barok, if he was giving Barok the same advice the entire time.
One gentle finger tilted his chin up, and Ryunosuke looked into Barok’s eyes for a second before their lips met again. What had seemed so new and nerve-wracking just moments ago now felt like the most natural, wonderful thing in the world. He could happily spend the rest of his month in London just doing this. From the way Barok tightened his embrace with a contented sigh, he agreed.
And if Ryunosuke heard a quiet, “Pull me up quick, Mr. Sholmes, before I see unspeakable horrors,” from above them, no he did not, and he didn’t even want to know.
Step 5: Retreat in horror because they’re still kissing and try to figure out how to get down from the roof.