Work Text:
Ever since Haru got lost in the Kambe mansion after mistakenly accusing Suzue of being part of a yakuza drug deal, Haru never thought he’d step foot in the mansion again. He knew he made the worst impression ever – so imagine his surprise when less than a month after their return from Hong Kong, Kambe had been the one to invite Haru to his residence to discuss their latest case.
Haru had been naturally suspicious – couldn’t they just discuss the case at headquarters? – but apparently Kambe had a flight to catch the next morning, and it was more convenient for him to continue their discussion at his residence.
Haru, as a 30-year old detective with a strong work ethic and stronger penchant for working long hours, had nowhere else to be; thus, he ended up back at the Kambe mansion, feeling faintly anxious as he followed Kambe down to the basement. (Really, an elevator? Who has an elevator in their own house?) Haru tried not to cringe as memories of his first visit assaulted him and vowed not to let himself be dragged here again.
Yet somehow over the next few months, Haru finds himself visiting the Kambe mansion more and more often, until one day he realizes his visits have gone from the occasional monthly visit to weekly visits, and he has no idea when he stopped gritting his teeth and started enjoying them. Kambe’s even visited Haru’s own apartment a few times.
Somewhere along the way, Kambe-san had become Suzue-san, and Haru had managed to convince Suzue to drop the -sama for -san. (Kambe was still Kambe.) When Haru isn’t there to discuss work-related matters, he’s talking with Suzue about her latest vehicle upgrades or acting as the guinea pig for her newest inventions.
Today, however, Haru isn’t at the Kambe mansion to do any of those things.
No, Haru’s here to get his ear pierced.
They’re in the basement again – Haru seated in a chair while Suzue bustles around him, organizing supplies on the metal tray at his side. Kambe isn’t here yet – he’d gotten held up by a conference call and told them he’d be joining them later.
Haru tries hard not to fidget in his seat, but there’s a faint smell of disinfectant wafting through the air, and his leg is bouncing up and down of its own accord. His eyes keep catching on the transparent blue pouches sitting innocently on the table, fresh from the autoclave.
One contains a sterilized hollow needle; the other contains a simple silver stud – HEUSC.
“Now Katou-san,” Suzue says, jolting Haru from his thoughts. “You've already used HEUSC before, so this shouldn't be any different.”
No, Haru thinks, this just makes it official.
Out loud, he asks, “Will HEUSC track my location 24/7?”
Since HEUSC is an earring and not something like a wire piece, the expectation is that Haru will be wearing the earring all the time, not just during work. And since the piercing will take a few weeks to heal, he can’t remove the earring until it does. Haru is also slightly terrified of losing the earring if he removes it.
“To an extent, yes,” Suzue says. “Just think of HEUSC like your phone GPS. It tracks you all the time, but you don’t have an issue with it, right? Daisuke-sama and I promise not to track your location using HEUSC unless it’s absolutely necessary.”
She sets down a box of disposable gloves by the disinfectant wipes, then takes a seat in the chair next to his. “Outside of work, HEUSC will be limited to emergency use. We can use HEUSC to contact you, but you will have the option to accept those calls, and vice-versa.”
Haru bites his lip. “I still don’t know about this,” he says, but they both know he’s not talking about privacy concerns anymore.
The fact that Haru is sitting in the basement with Suzue is a testament to exactly how much his and Kambe’s relationship has progressed. What Kambe is extending to Haru is more than just an extremely expensive and advanced AI – it’s trust.
And Haru’s not sure he’s ready to shoulder that burden just yet. He thinks of Chief Takei and Hoshino. He thinks of the shooter and the bank teller. He thinks of how he ran away from Division One.
(The words you’re not fit to be a police officer echo in his head.)
Suzue shifts closer, like she can guard Haru from the thoughts that must be projected across his face. Her voice is quiet when she says, “It was Daisuke-sama’s decision to give you access to HEUC. He wants to make sure you will have adequate back-up when you go undercover.” She pats him on the shoulder. “He was quite worried.”
Haru’s jaw drops. All thoughts of Division One fly out of his head.
Kambe? Worried about him?
What parallel universe has he fallen into?
Never mind their weekly visits, Haru still finds himself in the infirmary far more often than a detective in the MCPTF should. Although they’re only minor injuries – sprains, bruises, never broken bones – not even the detectives in the primary Investigative Divisions get injured as often as he does, and Haru has heard his doctor on occasion wonder whether Haru needs to be reassigned for his own health.
Haru can’t count the number of times he’s gone undercover, before and after being partners with Kambe, and now is when Kambe decides he suddenly cares for Haru’s well-being?
It must be a joke. “Very funny, Suzue-san.”
But Suzue doesn’t laugh. She smiles like she knows something Haru doesn’t. “I know Daisuke-sama doesn't show it well, but he truly does care.” She leans in, as if they aren’t the only two people in the room, and whispers, “Daisuke-sama doesn't give just anyone access to HEUSC.”
Haru frowns, but he doesn’t have a response. The ChainTube incident flashes across his mind, and he remembers how the wire piece he’d been given had complete access to HEUSC. He’s not sure whether Kambe would have extended the same courtesy to anyone else in the MPD, including their coworkers in the MCPTF.
(“He’s not the type to kill people.”)
He hadn’t noticed during the incident, as focused as he was on figuring out why the boy was streaming on ChainTube, but Haru recalls how not only had he been able to connect to Division One’s secure line, he’d also been able to access and read the boy’s private emails. Nothing had stopped him.
Haru will never admit it out loud, but the amount of trust Kambe had displayed in Haru then still knocks him breathless every time he thinks about it.
(“That’s what you said.”)
“So, Katou-san.”
Haru jumps. “Y-yes?!” He flushes when Suzue giggles. Her smile is just as charming as the rest of her when she suddenly brandishes a handful of fluorescent hair clips. Haru’s eyes narrow. “No.”
“Katou-san, we can’t pierce your ear until Daisuke is here,” Suzue says instead of backing off. “And I need to clip your hair back so we can pierce your ear.” She plucks a neon pink clip from the pile. Suzue’s clearly enjoying herself. “Hold still.”
Haru has half a mind to continue protesting, but it’s too late – Suzue already has one hand in his hair. He crosses his arms like he can stop Suzue and her army of glittery hair clips off by doing so.
This is all Kambe’s fault, he thinks, resigned, as Suzue fusses with his hair. The clip slides through his hair and snaps into place. There’s a beat of silence.
Then, Suzue squeals. “Katou-san, you look so cute!”
“C-cute?” That is not something a 30-year-old detective wants to hear. Haru can’t help it – his lips turn down into a pout, and Suzue squeals even louder. “Shut up,” he grumbles.
Haru supposes he deserves it when the next clip ‘accidentally’ snaps shut on his ear.
--
Half an hour and a dozen clips later, Haru and Suzue are in the middle of discussing the specifics of the current case when the door opens, and Kambe steps in.
“Finally!” Haru groans. “I thought you’d never show up.”
“Daisuke-sama,” Suzue greets without turning her head. “How did the call go?”
But Kambe doesn’t respond, and when Haru looks, he’s still standing by the door. Kambe has his black jacket folded over his arm, leaving him in just his dress shirt and vest, and he’s… glaring? That would be normal, as Haru’s often been on the receiving end of those glares, except…
If Haru is looking at this right, Kambe isn’t glaring at Haru. He’s glaring at Suzue.
Suzue doesn’t seem to mind that she’s been ignored. Haru turns his head, ready to yell at Kambe for ignoring their greetings, but Suzue stops him before he can. She grabs his chin and gently forces Haru to look forward.
“I’m not done yet,” Suzue chides, even as Kambe’s glare intensifies over her shoulder.
Haru sweats – can’t Suzue tell that Kambe doesn’t like them being close together?! – but she continues to fuss with his hair. Haru gulps. Suzue’s not the one who has to fear Kambe’s strange moods. Haru’s already had the ‘pleasure’ of experiencing what it’s like to go from 0 – 100 km/h in less than four seconds – he wants to stop fearing for his life whenever Kambe drives.
Thankfully, Suzue must see something in Haru’s face because she sighs and addresses Kambe again. “Patience, Daisuke-sama,” she says. “I just need to finish clipping back Katou-san’s hair.”
She waves the last of her clips in one hand, and Haru tries not to gulp when Kambe’s glare doesn’t lessen at all. It seems like it takes forever – Suzue carefully smoothing back one lock of Haru’s hair, Kambe glaring at the back of Suzue’s head, Haru doing his best not to look either Kambe in the face – before she snaps the final clip in place.
Suzue sits back, a pleased expression on her face. “All done.” Haru sighs in relief, but then: “I must say Katou-san, your hair is so soft!”
He flushes. The combination of their proximity and her words has Haru feeling very flustered. It's starting to feel a little intimate. “A-ah, I just use some generic shampoo.”
There’s a pointed cough from the side. Kambe is definitely glaring at both of them now.
“If you’re done…?”
Haru gulps. He hasn’t heard Kambe this annoyed in a while.
Suzue, however, must be used to Kambe’s moods because the smile she directs at Kambe is nothing less than angelic. “He’s all yours.”
Wait. What?
“Relax,” Suzue says as she winks at Haru, and Haru suddenly feels like he's been betrayed. “You're in good hands.” And then she steps back, and Kambe is stepping forward, a disinfectant wipe and black marker in hand.
“Wait wait wait,” Haru stammers. His head spins. Kambe? Kambe is going to pierce his ear? Kambe can pierce ears?? Haru thinks of the single earring in Kambe’s ear. Shit, did Kambe pierce his own ear?
“Kambe, you’re going to pierce my ear?” Haru doesn’t squeak. Nope, not at all.
Kambe quirks a brow. “Is there something wrong?”
“Do you even know how to pierce ears?” Haru asks instead of saying yes. Tons of questions are flying through his mind now. Was Kambe rebellious as a teenager? His grandmother had mentioned some things in passing about Kambe's background - his selfishness, in particular, but given how strained their relationship seems to be, Haru’s not certain how much stock to put in that statement.
“I wouldn't be doing this if I didn't know how to,” Kambe says coolly as he takes a seat in the chair Suzue vacated. He has a pair of black disposable gloves on, and the sight is familiar; it’s like when Kambe wears his black leather gloves. “Look forward.”
“Is all this really necessary…”
Kambe's eyes narrow. “Would you prefer a teenager punching a hole through your ear with a gun at a shopping center?”
Haru winces. Well, now he doesn’t want to admit he had been thinking of going to a mall. “N-no… but couldn’t you get one of your butlers to do it instead?”
“This is much safer, Katou-san,” Suzue says as she stands on his other side. “Mall stores often use piercing guns which cannot be fully sterilized, even with disposable cartridges. Not only are they unhygienic, you can’t pinpoint where the hole will be placed, and it can result in more complications due to the blunt force trauma of forcing a stud into your ear. Using a hollow needle is much safer.”
Haru’s still nervous though. He’s ready to ask whether all this can be postponed when he’s startled by Kambe’s gloved hand jerking his head forward and forcing his gaze away from Suzue.
“Ow! Bastard, that hurt!”
“I said look forward.”
Haru seethes. He can hear Kambe smirking.
Suze ignores them. “Normally, we would take you to our jeweler to get your ear pierced as she is a professional tattoo artist and piercer, but she is currently out of the country on business.” And then she drops a bombshell: “Daisuke-sama here actually studied under her for a few years.”
Haru blinks. “Eh?” Kambe is glaring at Suzue again, who is pointedly ignoring him and is smiling at Haru.
“Suzue,” Kambe says, his tone full of warning. He’s trying to swab Haru’s ear with a disinfectant wipe, but Haru’s looking at Suzue with wide eyes.
“Daisuke used a sewing needle for his first piercing,” she says, and oh god, a shiver runs down Haru’s spine just imagining it. “It was so off-center that grandmother forced Daisuke-sama to remove it, and he was taken to an official piercer to get it done. He was so fascinated he decided to learn how to pierce ears himself.”
Haru smirks at Kambe. “So, even the young master had a rebellious side to him—ow!”
Kambe suddenly pinches his ear. “I am the one sticking a needle through your ear.”
“Sorry.”
There's a faint cooling sensation as his ear is swabbed with the disinfectant, followed by the gentle press of the marker. Suzue hands him a mirror to check the placement of the dot, and Haru nearly chokes when he sees the outrageous number of clips in his hair. It’s amazing Kambe was even able to look at Haru without needing his sunglasses.
The actual act of piercing his ear is over in seconds.
“Breathe in,” Kambe says. Haru feels the light press of the needle. “Breathe out.”
Haru breathes out. There's a sharp prick that lasts all of one second, followed by a slight pinch in his lobe, and the odd sensation of something sliding through his ear before it's gone. He feels Kambe fasten something to the front of his ear, and then he sits back in his chair.
“Done.”
Haru blinks. “Already?”
Suzue has yet another pleased expression on her face. “I knew silver would suit him better,” she says. For some reason, her statement causes Kambe to look exasperated.
Haru takes the hand mirror Suzue offers him, and sure enough, there's a stud in his ears, identical to Kambe's in every way except for two things: the first being the color, and Haru notes the second difference when he twists his head and sees the back of the earring is flat, unlike the butterfly backing in Kambe's.
Haru reaches up, fascinated, but his hand is suddenly slapped away before he can even get close. “Hey!”
Kambe glares at him. “No touching.”
Haru gapes, his hand still stinging from where Kambe slapped him. Suzue bursts into peals of laughter.
“You could have just said so,” Haru yells. “Did you have to slap me?!”
Kambe turns away, but not before Haru can see the corner of his lips quirk up into a smirk. “No.”
Haru fumes. Bastard, he thinks as he rubs his hand.
“There, there, Katou-san,” Suzue coos, and Haru can’t help his blush when she ruffles his hair, mindful of his newly pierced ear. Haru thinks he sees Kambe glaring at them again, but if there’s anyone who has a right to feel annoyed, it’s Haru.
Suzue slides a clip out of his hair. “Let’s get these out of your hair, hm?”
Removing the clips is much faster than putting them on, and Suzue explains a few things to Haru as she does so.
“Butterfly backs are not recommended for new piercings,” she explains when Haru brings up the difference between his earring and Kambe’s earring. “The design can trap bacteria, and it is more likely to cause infections than a flat back common with labret studs. Please do not touch your piercing or rotate it, and do not use tea tree oil or soap on the piercing either. As long as you leave it alone, it will heal just fine.”
Now that it's all over, Haru feels a bit silly for being so worried about this in the first place. They run through a few tests with HEUSC to ensure it works, and Haru’s amazed at the crystal-clear quality he gets from the tiny earring. It sounds like it’s being projected right into his ear.
Haru thinks of Hoshino and the Division’s wire pieces, and how both he and Kamei had been able to listen in on police orders. He thinks they wouldn't have been able to do so with HEUSC. Haru’s hit with the urge to touch the piercing just to make sure it’s actually there, but he doesn’t want Kambe to hit him again.
“Katou-sama, your car is waiting for you in front,” HEUSC says.
Official, Haru thinks.
--
“Inspector Katou.”
Haru turns back from where he'd just been about to open his car door and sees Kambe walking toward him. Haru waits for Kambe to reach him before saying, “You know, you don’t have to keep calling me Inspector. I don’t even call you by your title.”
His words make Kambe pause. “And what should I call you instead?”
“How about just my name,” Haru says, amused despite himself. “Just call me Katou – everyone else does it.”
No one other than Chief Takei calls him Haru. Although he and Kambe have been partners for a few months, neither of them are anywhere close to calling each other by their first names. Haru also doesn’t bother calling Kambe Chief Inspector like some of the other detectives outside their division do, and he only calls him Daisuke-kun in front of his grandmother.
Kambe seems to mull over it, before nodding. “Katou-san, then.”
A grin pulls at Haru’s mouth. “Not Katou-senpai?” he says, and chuckles when Kambe glares at him for his teasing. He raises his hands in mock-surrender. “So, what is it?”
“The Chief wanted to remind you last week’s case reports are due tomorrow.”
Haru quirks an eyebrow. “That’s it?” he prods when Kambe doesn’t say anything else. “You could have just texted me or asked HEUSC to pass on a message.”
Kambe hums. “There is one other thing.”
It's all the warning Haru gets. Kambe crosses the distance between them in two long strides and suddenly their faces are only inches apart.
Too close! Haru panics, eyes growing wide. He’s still standing on the road by his car while Kambe is standing on the edge of the curb; like this, they’re nearly the same height.
“Kambe, what—"
Haru trails off when Kambe reaches up with one hand. His bare fingers skim Haru's lobe, and Haru shivers from the sensation. They’re standing so close Haru can’t stare anywhere else but at Kambe’s face. He feels Kambe's fingers comb through his hair.
There’s a snap. Haru blinks his eyes open – when had he closed them? – and sees Kambe stepping back. There’s a neon pink clip in his hand.
Haru flushes. Suzue! He thought Suzue had removed all the clips that he hadn’t bothered to check before he left, but clearly he should have. Haru quickly runs a hand through his hair, relieved when he doesn’t come across any more clips. Just how many had Suzue put in his hair?
Haru can’t look at Kambe’s face, his cheeks burning as it is. “…Thanks,” he finally says, his hand settling on the back of his neck self-consciously.
For HEUSC too, he thinks but doesn’t say.
Kambe tucks the clip into his pocket. “I didn’t think Suzue would appreciate you taking her hair accessories home with you.”
Haru huffs. “Was that a joke? She did not need to use that many clips for my hair.”
“I thought black would suit you better, but Suzue was right. You look better in silver."
Haru blinks at the sudden change in topic. What is Kambe talking about?
But then Kambe admits, "You looked good with the clips." And quietly, like an afterthought, “Your hair is soft.”
Haru’s jaw drops. Kambe smirks, and for the second time in the span of a few minutes, Haru’s left speechless.
“W-w-w—” Haru stammers, feeling heat rise up his cheeks, but Kambe is already walking away. “What the hell does that mean!?”
“Good night, Katou-san.” And then Kambe disappears into his house, leaving Haru standing there in the night air, face flushed and the phantom feeling of Kambe’s fingers in his hair.
“Katou-sama, your heart rate is elevated. Shall I call a doctor?”
“AHHHHHH!”