Chapter Text
The digital clock on the nightstand clicked to 6:00 AM, but for the first time in months, no alarm followed.
Shiratori woke up anyway, his internal clock was too used to the frantic life of a Tokyo detective. He blinked at the ceiling, momentarily tense, before the quiet weight of the arm thrown over his waist grounded him.
He didn't have to be anywhere.
Carefully, he untangled himself from Takagi and slipped out of bed to head to the kitchen.
He wanted everything ready before the younger man woke up.
An hour later, Takagi stirred.
He groaned and instinctively tried to roll over, but a sharp gasp left his lips.
"Don't twist Wataru. Keep your back straight."
Takagi blinked his eyes open, finding Shiratori sitting on the edge of the bed holding a tray with two mugs of steaming tea, fresh pastries, and sliced fruit.
"Did I sleep through my alarm?" Takagi mumbled, as the panic started to spike in his chest. "Megure-keibu is going to kill me, I have that report-"
"The only thing the Inspector ordered you to do is stay in bed," Shiratori interrupted smoothly as he set down the tray on the nightstand. "Five days off, remember?"
Takagi blinked, the events of the previous day slowly catching up to him. The hostage situation. The gravel. Crying in the hallway. The confession. Cuddling in the sofa.
"Right," Takagi breathed and his cheeks start to heat up. He tried to push himself up on his elbows but winced again. "Ouch."
"Let me help." Shiratori leaned over and slid a firm warm hand behind Takagi's shoulders and gently guided him upright against the headboard. He fluffed a pillow behind his lower back. "Better?"
"Yeah. Thank you- ... uh..." Takagi trailed off, biting his bottom lip. His eyes darted nervously around the room.
Shiratori tilted his head with a confused expression and picked up a mug of tea.
"Thank you who?"
"I don't- I don't actually know" Takagi admitted and his face turned a brilliant shade of crimson.
"Are we... what do I call you right now? Shiratori feels too formal since I’m in your bed, but Ninzaburo still feels really new, and yesterday I called you Shira, but maybe that was too casual for a morning, and- "
A soft genuine laugh escaped Shiratori's lips. He handed Takagi the tea, his fingers brushing against Takagi's.
"You can call me whatever you like darling." Shiratori said in a low purr that made Takagi shiver. "Ninzaburo is fine. Shira is endearing. Just please don't call me 'Inspector' while I'm serving you breakfast in pajamas."
Takagi hid his glowing face behind the rim of his mug and took a sip.
"Shira it is, then."
"I like the sound of that." Shiratori smiled and picked up a pastry.
"Eat. You need something in your stomach before you take your painkillers. And before I put the ointment on."
"Ointment?"
"For your ribs. The doctor gave it to us yesterday, remember?"
Takagi chewed on his pastry, suddenly very interested in the blanket.
"I can probably put it on myself. I don't want to bother you."
"Wataru." Shiratori's tone was soft and lacked any of its usual teasing.
"You are not a bother. You were nearly choked to death yesterday. Let me take care of you."
Takagi's shoulders slumped in defeat though a tiny shy smile showed on his lips.
"Okay."
Once they finished eating, Shiratori moved the tray aside and picked up the small tube of medical gel. Wataru nervously grabbed the hem of his oversized t-shirt pulling it up just enough to expose his side.
Shiratori sucked in a sharp breath.
The bruising was a terrible mottled canvas of deep purples and blacks spread across his boyfriend's ribs.
"It looks worse than it feels." Takagi lied quickly with nervous high voice.
"You are a terrible liar."
Shiratori squeezed a bit of the cool gel onto his fingertips. "Tell me if I press too hard."
The gel was freezing, but Shiratori's fingers were warm.
He didn't just rub the medicine in; he traced the outline of every dark mark with agonizingly gentle care as if he were trying to draw the pain out through his fingertips.
Takagi held his breath with a heart hammering against his bruised ribs.
"You're shaking." He paused.
"Am I hurting you?"
"No," Takagi admitted.
"No, you're just... being really gentle."
Shiratori's eyes softened completely. He leaned forward, closing the distance between them, and pressed a soft lingering kiss to Takagi's temple.
"You're safe." Shiratori murmured against his skin. "I've got you. No one is going to hurt you today."
Takagi let out a shaky exhale as the last bit of tension finally drained from his aching muscles. He leaned his head against Shiratori's shoulder and a dopey completely smitten smile took over his face.
"I know." Takagi whispered back.
"Thank you... Shira."
Once the gel had absorbed, Shiratori pulled Takagi’s shirt down with careful precision as if he were handling spun glass. They settled back against the pillows and pulled the breakfast tray between them to finish the rest of the food.
Takagi hummed happily as he bit into a slice of melon.
"This is really good. You didn't have to go all out just for me."
"I wanted to." Shiratori replied while sipping his tea. "Besides, I couldn't let you start your first day of medical leave with instant ramen. I can guess what your pantry looks like Wataru."
Takagi opened his mouth to defend his terrible eating habits when his phone which was resting on the edge of the mattress suddenly buzzed.
He leaned over awkwardly to grab it and his face lit up as he read the screen.
"Oh, it's Sato-san! She’s checking in. She says,
'Hope you're resting Takagi-kun. Is Shiratori-kun behaving or do I need to come over and threaten him?' "
Talagi chuckled softly as his thumbs flew across the screen to type out a reassuring reply.
But beside him, Shiratori's tea cup froze halfway to his mouth and a familiar ridiculous prickle of jealousy flared in his chest. Logically he knew Miwako was just a good friend and colleague, but after yesterday, after watching the two of them communicate flawlessly without words while he just stood there, his possessive streak was running a bit hot.
Before Takagi could hit send, long fingers suddenly wrapped around the phone, gently but firmly, plucking it right out of his hands.
"Hey! I was just-"
Takagi blinked in surprise as Shiratori reached across him and placed the phone face-down on the far nightstand, entirely out of reach.
"You are on medical leave." Shiratori stated with a low smooth baritone voice that left zero room for argument.
"That means no case files, no police station group chats, and no colleagues. Right now, you are strictly my patient. And my boyfriend."
Takagi stared at him and his heart gave a sudden violent thump.
There was something so intensely protective and possessive about the gesture that the younger man instantly melted into the mattress.
A slow teasing smile crept onto his face as he looked up at the taller man.
"Wait a second. Are you... jealous?"
"I am merely enforcing doctor's orders." Shiratori replied smoothly and picked his tea back up but he refused to meet Takagi's eyes.
"You totally are." Takagi giggled, entirely ignoring the twinge in his ribs. He watched in absolute delight as a faint rosy pretty blush spread across Shiratori's high cheekbones.
It was such a rare sight to see the ever-composed Inspector Shiratori flustered.
"Sato-san is just a friend Shira."
"I am aware." Shiratori muttered and his blush deepened but he finally glanced back down at him.
"It's just... you two are so in sync. And I want to be the only one you're syncing with right now."
Takagi's teasing smile melted into something incredibly soft and his chest fluttered with warmth that had nothing to do with the tea. he shifted closer carefully minding his moody ribs and wrapped his arms around the officer's waist then buried his face into the soft fabric of his shirt.
"You know," Takagi mumbled happily against his chest, "even though you act like a perfect refined aristocrat all the time, you're actually just a really jealous boyfriend and I love it."
Shiratori stiffened in surprise for a fraction of a second before he completely surrendered.
Whatever remaining shred of his usual dignified pride he was clinging to vanished and was replaced by an overwhelming blooming warmth.
He wrapped his arms around his Wataru and buried his face in the younger man's messy hair, holding him as close as the man's bruised ribs would allow.
"If being jealous means I get to keep you all to myself today," Shiratori murmured fondly, "then I will gladly abandon my dignity."
They stayed wrapped up in each other for a long quiet moment as the morning sun fully warmed the room.
The precinct, the paperwork, and the dangers of Beika felt a million miles away.
Takagi tilted his head up, his brown eyes wide and pleading beneath his messy bangs.
"Since you confiscated my phone... can we just spend the rest of the day in bed?"
Shiratori looked down at him and a wicked handsome smirk slowly appeared at the corners of his lips.
"I thought you'd never ask," Shiratori purred as his hand came up to gently cup the tan man's cheek. "Though, if I keep you in my bed all day darling, I can't promise my intentions will remain purely strictly medical."
Takagi flushed a brilliant immediate scarlet. He puffed out his cheeks in an adorable embarrassed pout and hid his face back in Shiratori’s chest to muffle his squeak while Shiratori's warm victorious laughter echoed through the bedroom.