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Tsukasa sprints through the museum halls, following the spotlight cast from above on the roof parallel to him. He was on the fifth floor of the museum, a wall of floor to ceiling windows blocking him from getting any closer to his target. He could see her pink hair swaying behind her as she ran on the flat roof of the museum, truly a feat in the heels she’s wearing; the building in a U shape with the middle connecting the two taller sides being a storey shorter. There was a decently sized painting under her arm and a grin on her face, visible to Tsukasa even from this distance. He sees a broken window a couple feet ahead of him and grins, hearing An calling from the higher roof with a megaphone.
“Stop right there, Amia! You’re surrounded!” the detective shouts as Tsukasa leaps from the window onto the lower roof, folding into a roll to break his fall. The thief skids to a stop, a grin still on her face.
“Ha! We meet again, Tenma!” She teases him, winking and sticking out her tongue. He matches her grin; the thrill of the chase always did excite him.
“You won’t escape this time Amia.” He calls to her as he watches Akito run up from behind, gun trained on the thief. She must hear him come up from behind, checking her shoulder to see the ginger approaching.
“Ah, Lil’ bro, you’ve come to join the party too?” she giggles, making Akito scrunch the bridge of his nose at her nickname.
“I told you to stop calling me that.” He hisses like a particularly bad mannered cat. The phantom thief laughs, shifting the painting under her arm. Tsukasa can see An standing on the roof in the distance, megaphone in hand and spotlight still trained on all three of them, lighting the dark night. He smirks, feeling confident. Amia is cornered, the edge of the building at her back and Tsukasa and Akito on both sides; there’s nowhere for her to run. Or, that’s what Tsukasa thought, until he sees her smirk like the cat that caught the canary.
“Ah, I hate to cut a fun get together short, but I have another friend I need to catch up with!” she doesn’t move, seemingly waiting for something. Suddenly, Tsukasa smells the distinct scent of smoke, hearing Akito cough behind him as large thick clouds of it enshroud all three of them.
“Is that anyway to say goodbye to such kind playmates, Amia?” a new voice purrs, silky and smooth.
A shadow of a tall man passes between the detectives as they hold their elbows to their faces, coughing. He seems to be wearing an all white suit, a half cape coming down from his shoulder in the same black and white checkered pattern that was on Amia’s shorts. His suit seems to be accented with purple and gold, a pocket watch hanging from his waist. Tsuaksa can hear the click of heels as the new intruder takes a step up onto the edge of the roof with Amia. The smoke starts to clear, and Tsukasa’s able to get a better look at the newcomer; however just like Amia, most of his face is covered, but rather than with a mask, the brim of his top hat seems to be completely shrouding his face in shadow, letting only the bottom half of his face be visible.
“Oh R, you jokester.” Amia chuckles, making the newcomer, R, apparently, smile with her. He looks directly at Tsukasa, his smile growing.
“Why, aren’t you a pretty thing,” he strides forward easily, as though he were gliding. “If you were a statue in a museum, I’d definitely steal you.” He purrs smoothly, leaning down a little, taking the blond’s chin in his soft leather gloved hand. Tsukasa can feel how bright red his face must be, catching Akito’s expression of confusion and shock out of the corner of his eye. Amia rolls her one visible eye.
“R! Stop flirting with the detective and let's hoof it! You can get some action later!” she crows, making R chuckle as he kisses Tsukasa’s hand and rejoins her at the edge of the roof. He doesn’t deny it though, leaving Akito to handle the situation as the poor other detective reboots.
“You aren't going anywhere!” Akito shouts, leveling his gun, “I mean, what’re you gonna do, jump?” he laughs. Amia and R both smirk before doing just that, taking the painting with them. Akito shouts in surprise, snapping Tsukasa out of his stupor just in time to watch the phantom thieves fall off the edge of the museum roof dramatically, a puff of smoke left in their wake for the detectives to choke on. As the smoke clears, Tsukasa sees An sprinting up to them, having come down from the higher roof.
“What… what the hell was that?!” she shouts as she arrives, Akito staring over the edge looking somewhere between disturbed and confused and Tsukasa still bright red in the cheeks.
“I… think we’ve got a bigger problem on our hands than we originally thought.” Akito coughs, turning to the other two with not one, but two calling cards in hand. The first is in Amia’s classic style, a pink piece of cardstock with a crystalline heart on it, signed with her name. The second however, is a pristine white, a simple orange crown on it, signed with the initials, R. K. An takes the calling cards, blushing when she turns Amia’s over; a bright red kiss, no doubt left by the phantom thief’s lipstick, imprinted on the back.
“For my dearest detective Shiraishi~” reads the writing under the lipstick. She hands Tsukasa R’s calling card, which in turn makes the blond detective blush as he reads the back of the calling card.
“You’re quite fast and smart, my darling little star detective. I cannot wait to entertain you further.♡ yours ever lovingly, R.K.” Reads the white calling card. Akito whistles sharply as he reads over his fellow detective’s shoulders.
“Well. Looks like you two got some secret admirers.” He smirks, laughing as he runs away from An, who started chasing him with her magnifying glass.
It’s morning by the time they arrive back at their agency building, the trio of detectives all worn out from their wild goose chase of a night. As Tsukasa opens the door, he visibly brightens at the sight of their new hire, calmly cleaning his gun at the main desk in the office. His hair is on the longer side for a man, but it frames his face well, the purple and cyan of his hair complementing the indigo accents on his uniform. He pushes up his glasses, the thin metal sitting delicately on the high bridge of his nose as he looks up at the ringing of the bell on the door, setting down his gun.
“Welcome to Kamiyama detective agency, how may I— oh!” Rui Shirafuji, their newest detective, says as he sees them. His voice is soft and calm, matching his easy demeanor. “My, you all must’ve been out late.” He chuckles, looking at the bags under the other detective’s eyes. Akito snorted, shaking his head.
“You have no idea. Check this out.” He tosses the two calling cards on the desk before heading upstairs, dragging An behind him, the poor woman too tired to even wave at Rui. Tsukasa takes an exhausted seat in the plush chair in front of Rui’s desk as the taller man inspects the calling cards.
“Oh, do we have a new phantom thief?” he asks, watching Tsukasa cover his eyes with his arm as he slumps into the plush chair.
“Yeah.” The blond detective groans, remembering how R had flirted with him last night. If that was how he was going to react to the phantom thief’s teasing every time, maybe he should quit the case outright. He hears Rui giggle, making him lower the arm over his eyes.
“You look like you could use some coffee, Tenma.” He chuckles. Tsukasa nods, half-heartedly getting out of his seat, letting Rui help him upright.
“I told you to call me Tsukasa.” He mumbles, frowning. The taller detective’s glasses glow in the early morning light.
“Only if you call me Rui.” He replies, leading the blond out of the detective agency, flipping the sign to closed.
Tsukasa has managed to perk up a bit by the time they arrive at the cafe, more alert and aware. Rui opens the door for him, ever the gentleman, the bell chiming and alerting the man at the counter of customers.
“Ah, good morning Tsuaksa, Shirafuji.” Toya greets politely, wiping down the white marble countertop. He hands them two menus and allows them to take a seat at any table they prefer. A brown haired woman soon approaches their table.
“Hello! I’m your waitress, Minori Hanasato!” she greets them cheerfully, pulling a notepad from her beige uniform dress. “What can I get for you both today?"
As Rui orders for both of them, Tsukasa reviews what happened last night again in his head. R, the mysterious new phantom thief seemingly working with Amia. He scowls, blushing at the memory, R’s handsome voice and easy words rendering him basically useless. Hanasato happily takes the menus away with the orders, allowing Rui to focus on Tsukasa. He takes out a notepad and fountain pen, sliding them across the table to the senior detective, taking the pen in his right hand and writing Phantom Thief R at the top, underlining it. His handwriting is short and stopped, unconnected, as if he can’t write in cursive.
“Can you write down anything you can think of about him?” Rui asks, tapping the page, “perhaps there could be a clue on the calling card as well.” Tsukasa nods, rubbing the last of the exhaustion from his eyes as he takes out the calling card. The font is loopy, a skilled and natural cursive, almost theatrical; obviously handwritten. Hanasato returns with two mugs, one coffee and the other hot chocolate. She places the coffee in front of Rui and the hot chocolate in front of Tsukasa.
“Enjoy! I’ll be back soon with your food in a bit.” She says cheerfully before heading off to her next table. Tsukasa and Rui look at each other for a moment before chuckling and swapping drinks.
“I swear, I need to start working out more,” Tsukasa gripes lightly, “An and Saki keep assuring me that looking young will do me well in the future, but I’m still being denied wine at restaurants and I’m twenty seven.” He shakes his head as Rui laughs, soft and light like his voice. Tsukasa always enjoys spending his time with him, even though Rui is a new hire. He makes Tsukasa feel calm and focused in a way that only Saki and Toya make him feel when they relax at home.
“So, Phantom Thief R. K. I wonder what he might be doing this for.” Rui muses, reading the calling card, taking a sip of his hot chocolate. Tsukasa scoffs into his coffee.
“Fun, probably.” The bridge of his nose scrunches up as he makes a face. Rui chuckles again and it makes Tsukasa smile. The two of them spend the next few hours eating and discussing R, the conversation slowly derailing into more casual, non-work related talk.
“How’d you get that scar?” Tsukasa asks, pointing to a small silvery line on the knuckle of Rui’s right pointer finger. It’s quite unique, a little wider in places along the creases of his knuckle. The rookie detective laughs, as if recalling a pleasant memory. The sunlight catches on his glasses, casting thin rainbow reflections on the table, and Tsukasa feels his cheeks grow warm. He never noticed how… nice Rui’s hands are. Long, dexterous fingers with well kept nails, though as he looks closer, he finds he is able to spot more raised pink and white lines all over Rui’s hands.
“Oh, it was back when I was younger.” Rui holds up his hand, admiring the scar. “I was maybe, hmm, twelve? I have always been interested in mechanical things and was helping my father work on his car. Turns out reaching your hand into the gaps beneath the car can cause it to get cut on any sharp edges.” He smiles at Tsukasa, looking up to make eye contact, his golden eyes catching in the morning light.
He’s happy as he finishes the last of his, now brunch; feeling like he’s learned a lot more about Rui as a person. They pay and leave, splitting the bill and waving goodbye to Toya, Tsukasa promising that he’ll come home tonight.
As they step out into the city, walking back to the agency, Tsukasa can’t help but want to talk to Rui about his current predicament. “I think… I might have a small crush on R.” He quietly admits, not expecting Rui to freeze in the middle of the sidewalk. Rui stares at him in surprise, blinking rapidly as he seems to process the information.
“T-Truly?” Rui asks quietly, his expression open yet unreadable. Tsukasa sheepishly rubs the back of his neck.
“Yeah. He charmed me on the rooftop, oh Rui, I was so flustered that I couldn’t even do anything until he and Amia disappeared off that roof!” he buries his face in his hands. “Please don’t tell An. Or Akito.” He mumbles as an afterthought. Rui only chuckles, putting an arm around Tsuaksa’s shoulders.
“Your secret is safe with me.” He promises, though it’s only another few steps before the questions come.
“So what exactly did he do to immobilize you so well?” Rui asks, smirk in his voice. “Did he pin you to a wall? Sweep you off your feet and into his arms?” Rui’s voice gets quieter as he leans in closer, lips brushing against Tsukasa’s ear. “Or perhaps,” Rui continues, voice like velvet, “it was something more… promiscuous?” he teases, making Tsukasa gently push him away, his cheeks incredibly hot.
“N-No! Nothing so scandalous! He simply…” Tsukasa bites his lip, contemplating, “He flirted with me, is all. Very smoothly, like he really meant it. A-And then he kissed my hand and ran off!” He buries his face in his hands, flustered to even remember the event again. Rui laughs in good nature, gently prying Tsukasa’s hands from his face and cupping his cheeks.
“So something like this?” He asks, grinning knowingly. A light wind breezes between them, making Rui’s longer hair dance behind him as the sunlight sets a picturesque scene. Tsukasa’s mouth feels dry, dryer than he’s ever known, lost for words at the beauty of the man before him.
“Y-Yeah,” he stutters, “something like that.”
☆ ★ ✮ ★ ☆
It’s a month after R’s debut that he appears again, solo this time. His calling card found at the scene of the crime, dedicated to Tsukasa.
“To my dearest detective Tenma, you light up my days with your radiance, you know. But I cannot let you catch me just yet! I have more justice to dole out, but I look forward to seeing you soon. You are quite easy to love, you know. Don’t tell Amia I borrowed her lipstick~ Yours evermore, R. K.”
Tsukasa feels his eye twitching as he reads the card, the bright red lipstick print staring back at him.
A week later, there’s another. Two weeks after that, another. By the end of the month, Tsukasa has obtained four new calling cards, written in the prose of a love letter, and Tsukasa feels absolutely useless. R has been operating all on his own since his debut, and Tsukasa hasn’t even managed to catch a glimpse of him since their first meeting. He tries to ignore how that makes his heart slightly ache.
He enters the office, feeling disgruntled and tired, groaning at the sight of a telltale calling card on his desk of all places. An and Akito are out on a mission together, leaving only Rui and Tsukasa himself to man the office. Rui is at his desk, napping in the evening light that is gleaned through the windows. Deciding to leave the man to rest, Tsukasa picks up the thick white envelope with the telltale orange crown stamped on the front. Flipping it over, he slips his thumb under the wax seal, the purple wax R tearing off with some of the paper’s top layer, he pulls out the note inside.
“To my dearest detective, I hope you are excited to know that my next heist might possibly be my last. It’s all up to you to finally catch me. I have decided to take a page out of my dear friend Amia’s book and give you a hint as to what it is I will be stealing as my piece de resistance. For in a week’s time, I intend to steal the breath from your lips, the nectar from your mouth, and usurp a grasp on your most precious treasure. Yours forever and evermore, R. K.”
Tsukasa’s brow furrows as he reads the calling card, feeling unsettled. Here he’s been fantasising about R and his charms for almost a month now, when really he doesn’t know anything about the guy! Steal the breath from his lips? Does R intend to kill him?! He doesn’t notice Rui creeping up behind him until he feels a small huff or warm breath on his neck.
“Another love letter?” Rui hums, adjusting his glasses as he peers over Tsukasa’s shoulder. Tsukasa snorts.
“He sounds like he wants me dead in this one. I wonder if he’s finally showing his true colours….” He muses as Rui frowns, looking a little confused and unsure.
“I really don’t think he wants to kill you, Tsukasa. He’s a phantom thief, being non-violent is in the job description. Here,” he holds out a hand, making a grabby motion, “let me see.” Handing it over, Tsukasa shifts awkwardly as Rui’s eyes flit back and forth from one end of the card to the other, before his lips crack a smile.
“Oh, Tsukasa… He’s flirting with you. It’s poetic prose.” Rui chuckles, handing the calling card back. His smile is knowing as he points to the final sentence. “To steal the breath from your lips? He intends to kiss you.” Rui looks up at him and laughs, shocked by Tsukasa’s expression. “Have you never been kissed before?” he whispers, making Tsukasa snap out of his crush-drunk stupor.
“What! Y-Yes! Of course I’ve been kissed before! Why would you think that I haven’t!?” He shouts indignantly, beyond flustered. This only makes Rui laugh more.
“Well, the fact that your face is brighter than a ripe cherry is certainly compelling evidence. Don’t you think, detective ?” He purrs the last part, backing Tsukasa against his desk, leaning down to say it against Tsukasa’s ear; his thin, soft lips ghosting over the sensitive skin. Tsukasa shivers, feeling a little faint from all the blood pooling in his face.
Caught red handed and caged in by Rui’s taller form, Tsukasa sighs in defeat. “Yes. Okay, I’ve never kissed anybody. Happy now?” he frowns. Rui backs off, thinning his lips.
“Ah, my apologies for overstepping.” He stands up straight, taking a step back. “I wasn’t pointing it out to insult you, or anything like that. I… ah, I suppose I am wont to tease my close friends.” He admits, and Tsukasa feels his heart pick up in pace, beating a tattoo against his inner ribs.
“We’re… close friends?” he asks tentatively. He feels simultaneously overjoyed and upset as Rui nods his head.
“I’d like to think so….” Rui looks up, his glasses sliding down his nose as his head remains slightly down. “Do you… not consider us to be so?”
“I do!” Tsukasa panics, grabbing Rui’s hands in his. “I truly do! You are one of my closest friends!” I wish you were more almost slips from his mouth unbidden, but he bites the urge back. How rude of his heart to be liking two people at once. Rui deserves someone better than Tsukasa having a crush on him, someone who’s heart can dedicate their love to him fully. Willing his self-deprecation away, Tsukasa musters a genuine smile to reassure Rui, feeling relief as the taller man smiles back.
“Then… as close friends… would you like to practice your kissing skills before your date with R?” Rui teases him, making Tsukasa go red once more. He can’t fall for such an obvious joke, especially after just affirming their close friendship; so he shakes his head and laughs, completely missing Rui’s disappointment.
☆ ★ ✮ ★ ☆
It wasn’t long before a week had passed and it was finally the night of the heist. Tsukasa paces in his bedroom, dressed down from his detective uniform; only in his white button up and black slacks, one of his suspenders off of his shoulder. Tonight’s the night he’ll finally catch R. K.. He hears the shrill ring of his doorbell downstairs, tentatively going down and opening it only to find his front porch empty. Unsettled, he heads back up to his room, shocked to discover R waiting for him on his bed.
The phantom thief looks the same as he did when they first met, most of his head and face obscured by his white top hat except for his cat-like smirk. Tsukasa scowls, closing his door behind himself as he enters, observing R. The man seems calm, posture relaxed and at ease, and strangely… familiar? It’s then that R stands.
“Here I thought you were a gentleman thief, but breaking and entering into my home? Perhaps I should call you Intruder R instead.” Tsukasa tries at a sneer, but it looks and sounds more like a flirty pout. R’s smirk widens.
“Tsukasa Tenma, we meet again.” He purrs, leaning in, “How I’ve longed to see you like this. I intend to make good on my promise, you know.” He’s grinning devilishly now. “And a little birdie told me you would be inclined to enjoy it, fufu~” The thief giggles at Tsukasa’s horrified expression.
“H-How… who told you that?” he takes a step back, but R takes a step forward, taking Tsukasa’s hands in his gloved ones and pulling him into a dancing hold; taking the lead in a slow boxstep around Tsuaksa’s bedroom.
“A little birdie.” R doesn’t elaborate, simply dancing with Tsukasa to a waltz in his head. Giving in to his desire, he lets R dance with him, leaning in as he falls fully in step and time. As they rock back and forth, slowly circling like dancers in a music box, Tsukasa takes R all in. His perfume, the scent of aster and sandalwood, trying to hide the distinct smell of oil and machinery grease. His clothes, a costume well tailored and form fitting. Gently, Tsukasa slides his fingers under R’s right glove, exhilarated by just being able to touch the man’s skin. It’s soft for a man that seems to work with machines, a few callouses on the pads of his palm. He keeps pushing the glove up as R makes no move to stop him, their hands exploring each others. R interlocks their fingers, Tsukasa slides his hand up, inspecting R’s nice long fingers and….
Tsukasa stops dead in his tracks. R doesn’t continue, nor does he ask. He knows what just happened. Tsukasa takes R’s hand and inspects it once again, making sure he isn’t seeing things. A scar, not the only one on R’s hand but certainly the most unique, sits on R’s pointer finger, right on the ridge of his knuckle. R takes a slow step back, trying to gently separate from Tsukasa. He doesn’t let him, following R with every step he takes until R’s knees hit the edge of Tsukasa’s bed and he trips back, yelping in surprise. Tsukasa can’t help but laugh. Laying on his bed, his hat and therefore disguise having fallen off, is Rui Shirafuji. He doesn’t have his glasses on, and his hair is curly rather than straight like normal.
“Care to tell me, detective , why you decided to engage in the phantom thievery business?” Tsukasa inquires, and Rui looks shocked.
“You’re not… angry? Disappointed? Feeling led on?” Rui offers, making Tuskasa scoff.
“You’re a fool if you think I’m not at least a little miffed with you. So out with it. Why?”
Rui sighs, sitting up on Tsukasa’s bed. “I wanted to return some stolen things to their rightful owner. I have a friend, let's call her… little phoenix. Her grandfather was king a handful of decades ago, and when he died, the museums stole and distributed his historical heirlooms that had been in the family for centuries.” He looks Tsukasa in the eyes. “I couldn’t let her down.”
Tsukasa nods. Reasonable enough, he supposes. “Alright, so why join An’s detective agency? Why play the farce of a detective working against yourself?” Rui frowns at his wording and sighs.
“Honestly? To get closer to you. Amia always talked about all three of you, and I couldn’t help but fall head over heels the moment I saw you that first night of the heist. Your dedication, your earnest charm,” Rui groans, burying his face in his hands, “Oh Tsukasa, you are the kind of perfection that philosophers wrote into their stars.”
Ah, there was that charm. Tsukasa can’t stop the blush from warming his cheeks at such high praise. He clears his throat, getting Rui’s attention once more. “So, my final question I guess. Who are you, really?”
Rui stands, a closed lip smile on his face. “Rui Kamishiro, at your service.” He bows with dramatic flourish, taking Tsukasa’s hand in his and pressing a kiss to the back of his palm. Rui pulls Tsukasa in, cupping his face with his bare hand and leaning in. “May I?” Rui asks, wanting to fulfill his promise. Tsukasa answers with a kiss, his lips meeting Rui’s slightly dry ones. Tsukasa wets them with his tongue, cueing Rui to open and deepen the kiss. They stay like this, stealing breath, swapping spit for what could’ve been hours or only a few minutes. When they finally break apart, Tsukasa rests his forehead to Rui’s, breathing heavily.
“You did it.” He mumbles, Rui giving him a confused look. “You stole my most precious treasure. My heart.” And Rui’s laughter is the lullaby that accompanies both of them as they prepare for bed; ready to wake up with a new dawning horizon for both of them and their life together.