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Christmas was coming. This time of the year was awaited and appreciated by everyone. The streets were covered in christmas lights, balconies were decorated with little Santas and christmas décorations, people were chatting happily about their plans for the holidays, shops were quickly out of stock, christmas movies with plot as original as were gacha life videos in 2018 were, had overtaken every TV channel and snow was all over like a soft blanket.
All this joy was contagious and comforting. It wasn’t everyday that everyone tried to be kind to one and another. Smiles were more frequent than on other days, creating a warm feeling in the heart of those who stopped to look around them. More and more adrenaline and excitement appeared the closer it was to D-Day ; children's laughter and happy times with family members could almost be already heard.
Rui would have loved to share this sweet feeling ! He wanted to be just as excited as his coworkers were. He was happy for them of course, he was glad they could have a deserved break and spend some time with their loved ones. He didn't mind listening to Emu rant about that one girl she admired and how she wanted to make her smile by finding the perfect gift. He was truly okay with staying up late so others could leave earlier. What was bugging him however was the fact that everything was too normal. It was way too calm.
He would wake up, go to work, fill in paperworks, go back home at the end of the day, eat, take a shower, go to sleep and repeat everything. These kind of days had been his routine once but it was crushed completely when a new phantom thief appeared. After their first official meeting, it became a daily occurrence for the detective to see the Shooting Star or to get a card or gift from him in either his office or his home. However, these past two weeks, nothing happened. No crimes, no cards, no gifts, no unauthorized fireworks, no intrusion, nobody screaming his name, no nothing. It surely meant nothing good, right ? It was only logical to be wary.
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With a sigh, he put on his coat as well as the scarf his friend forced him to take and locked his office before starting his way home. It was truly a beautiful night ; snowflakes were falling gracefully from the sky, almost looking like they were dancing, his breath could be seen when he exhaled and all types of people could be observed. As a detective, he liked to look at other people to see how much of their day he could guess with a few glances.
A man was panicking and making grand gestures while what seemed to be his sister was patting his back. The journalist that often came to his office to ask him questions was embracing a girl with pigtails. Two men with opposite hair color were singing together in the park nearby. Someone with the longest hair he ever saw was eating a slice of warm apple pie with, assuming from the ring around their finger, her wife. There was also an energetic girl with sparkles in her eyes talking to a gray haired girl who listened to her attentively. Surprisingly, his old friend Mizuki was there too, putting a ribbon in a dark haired girl’s hair. Rui found himself smiling at the sight of someone looking at Mizuki with such a fond gaze. If he wasn't mistaken, he even saw his usual mailwoman, a cheerful ex idol, holding hands with her wife (Momoi-san talked a lot about her wife and how gorgeous and incredible her paintings were). This nice atmosphere made Rui forget about the cold.
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Rui just finished his dinner and was about to head to his bathroom to get a well deserved hot shower when a knock on the glass door of his balcony startled him. He turned around, hoping that the sound came from a bird crashing against the glass but a familiar silhouette greeted him instead. The detective’s annoyance must have been obvious because the Shooting Star put his hands together in a pleading manner for the other to let him in. Maybe it was because he knew the phantom thief would get in either way or maybe it was the holy spirit rubbing off on him but Rui found himself letting the unwelcome guest enter without much thought.
“Ah~ It's so warm here ! Did you know your apartment had the perfect amount of coziness, detective ? I almost envy you. If you ever want to share this place with someone, call me ! I could cook for you, welcome you home properly, take care of you again when you’re sick and we could cuddle once you’re done with work~ ! Doesn't that sound nice ?”
Rui watched in bewilderment as the star eyed man plopped down on his couch as if it was his own and even had the audacity to wink at him. It may be the usual way the criminal treated him but it will always keep on surprising Rui. Unfortunately for the purple haired man, it seemed that the Shooting Star kept on growing bolder and bolder.
“Why are you describing us as a married couple ? Should I remind you you’re the criminal I have to arrest ? Ugh.. you’re such a pain.”
“Yet, you’re not doing anything and even invited me inside your home.”
This damn thief. The worst thing was that he was right. Rui grew far too accustomed to his antics that he’s letting his guard down and he’s doing anything but his job. Of course, a part of him knew he had nothing to be afraid of regarding the other since, despite being a criminal, he was more chaotic than dangerous and murder was not on his long list of crimes, or at least not yet. Still, he was frustrated at being unable to come up with a good argument that would shut the other up.
“What do you want from me ? Knowing you, it will be anything but normal.”
The detective raised his hand to gesture vaguely while rolling his eyes, emphasizing on the fact that he was being bothered and would only comply so the intruder could leave sooner than later, giving him his deserved break. The Shooting Star made his best puppy eyes with a small pout, rubbing his eyes to wipe off invisible tears.
“My love doesn’t want to spend time with me… And here I thought we had something special going on.. Was it all pretend ? How could you break my heart like that, near Christmas ?” The smaller man kept on whining and Rui could swear he felt his life get sucked slowly but surely out of him the longer the other was talking. “I just wanted to go somewhere special with you.. But now it’s clear you want me to leave even though I was out in the cold to-”
“I’ll go with you but please, please , I’m begging you to stop talking. My head feels like it could explode at any moment. Is your throat never tired ?”
The criminal got up in the blink of an eye, beaming enough to be considered a light, as he made a gesture of sealing his lips together and throwing the key as far away as possible. Even though he knew very well that the silence would only be temporary, Rui let out a relieved sigh. Sometimes, you have to appreciate the little things in life, no matter what they are.
The mischievous man ran to fetch the warmest coat for Rui he found in his closet of the latter and put it on him, then had the audacity to look proud of his work, as if Rui couldn’t do it himself and making sure his darling detective didn’t catch a cold was his utmost priority. Said detective neither had the time nor the right words to complain as a hand took his and led him to the balcony door that was left wide open.
Fortunately, it was too dark outside for anyone to see them, if passerbys even looked their way. Being seen with a wanted criminal, especially in his apartment, would cause a lot of trouble for Rui and could get him easily fired. As if he was reading his thoughts, the Shooting Star gave him a soft smile and slided an arm around his back, as if to tell him that everything was going to be okay. It reassured the purple haired man that the other cared about his job.
Or not. ‘ Everything is going to be alright, you can trust me ’ look was completely unrelated to his job. It was about his safety, a thing Rui didn’t trust the thief with. The grip the Shooting Star had on his back became firmer and another hand got to the back of his knees, resulting in him being successfully carried in bridal style. Dread filled the poor man as he knew exactly what was going to happen as he saw the scene unfold multiple times before him. He threw his arms around the phantom thief’s neck and closed his eyes, silently begging for the other not to jump, lest he had a heart attack.
His prayers went unanswered as he felt movement, making him get even closer to the handsome man carrying him until they were practically glued to each other. The close proximity made him wonder if the loud ‘ badump ’ he was hearing was his own heart racing because of fear or the thief's. Either way, Rui discovered that focusing on the sound revealed to be a great way to forget he would die if the other let go of him.
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“ Mon cœur , we're here, you can open your eyes now. I told you I was trustworthy, especially if it’s you I have to protect, dear. I won’t ever let anything bad happen to you.”
The soft breath next to his ear and the melodious voice were enough to snap Rui out of his thoughts. Looking around, he noticed they were on the roof of a very tall building. It was tall enough that, if he were to fall, he would have enough time to question his entire life. The detective wasn't scared of heights, far from it, but when his companion slowly guided him to the center of the roof, he complied instantly.
Once they were super duper extremely sure there was no chance they could fall, the Shooting Star sat down, then patted his laps to invite the other to sit. When he received a cold glare as an answer, he instead patted the ground next to him as another place for Rui to sit, which the latter did after he distanced himself a bit.
“So ? What's so special about this place you risked my life to get us here ? This just seems like a regular roof to me.”
“What’s special is that we're together and alone ! We unfortunately can't look at the stars since there are clouds everywhere but at least, we got some snow ! Isn’t that romantic ?”
Rui was at a loss of words while the phantom thief beside him was giggling and blushing like an absolute idiot. He wanted to rip his hair (the Shooting Star's or his own. It didn’t matter), to scream, to punch the ground and to punch the culprit who caused his fear at the same time yet all those wants rendered him frozen in place. He almost died for something they could have easily done in the safety and warmth of his home ? The Shooting Star must have lost his mind some time during his criminal career, that was the only logical explanation. Or maybe, what’s truly special about this place was that Rui couldn't run away or tell the idiot to leave since he’ll need him to get out of here safe and sound.
“Say, Kamishiro, since Christmas is near, is there anything you’d like ?”
The only reasonable one of the two sighed deeply. He really shouldn’t have expected anything grandiose. It was surely better for them to talk about trivial things such as this than for the thief to cause more trouble than he already did.
“Not really. My family and some friends already asked me this question but I just don’t want a lot for Christmas.”
“There is just one thing you need ?”
“I’m sorry ?”
“Forget it. I feel like Mariah Carey is haunting me.”
“I’m living the exact same hell. I can’t even spend a single hour in peace. All I Want For Christmas Is You is always playing from somewhere. I won’t be surprised if I start having nightmares because of this song.”
“Exactly ! Do you think there's a secret organization spreading Mariah Carey propaganda ? You have to be careful or else they’ll control your mind and then dominate the world ! Even a star as bright as I can’t fight against it.”
“That won’t do. I’ll have to investigate as soon as possible.”
The detective brought a hand to his face in order to hide a chuckle. He wouldn’t admit it for the sake of his pride as well as the sake of his precious job but this was quite fun, being able to relax and say as many dumb things as he wanted just because he could. He didn’t have to be as serious as he was when he was working, not that the Shooting Star would listen to him anyways.
When he turned his head, he caught the other looking at him with half lidded eyes and a discreet but sincere smile. Rui knew what it meant, he wasn't a detective for nothing and his childhood friend, Nene, had the same face when she talked about a certain band’s vocalist. Plus, the Shooting Star always screamed his love for the purple haired man in the most embarrassing way, Rui would have to be blind and deaf to be oblivious. Still, he didn’t answer the other’s stare and instead looked forward. Having feelings for a criminal was nonsensical and this cute employee with short blond hair working in the animal shelter near his apartment already caught his heart's attention (as well).
“Hey Kamishiro, this might be surprising, or not now that I think about it, but I have a little something for you. It’s nothing like usual so you don’t have to look so wary, I promise !”
While talking, the Shooting Star took out a little box wrapped in a light blue ribbon from one of his many hidden pockets and waited patiently for Rui to grab then open it. Although a bit reluctant, the latter took the strangely unsuspicious box and examined it attentively before deeming it safe enough to open. When he did, he was met with the sight of a beautiful golden moon earring with a design he was sure he was familiar with. He must have been staring for a bit too long because his focus was interrupted by a soft laugh.
“You seem to like my gift, that makes me really happy. I normally don't like asking for help but I really wanted to find the perfect gift for you and it made me panic a bit. I don't regret reaching out to that person because it really suits you ! And now we can even match ☆”
The Shooting Star put a strand of hair behind his ear to show him his golden sun earring. Rui looked at the moon earring in his hands then at the sun one and quickly remembered why the design was so familiar. However, it was a big issue for Rui since not only matching accessories were best friends or a couple activity, the thief and detective were neither of the two, but it would also make the other think he actually has a chance with him. What was even more frustrating about it was the fact that, very wrongly of him, Rui didn’t mind as much as he wanted to.
Looking back at the gift, the detective thought it would have been a waste of time and money if he didn’t accept it. It’s soon Christmas after all and it’s not like he disliked it either, in fact, his blue earring was starting to deteriorate and he already considered changing it. This was just the perfect opportunity to do so. He put back the earring in the box and closed it, putting it in his own pocket to keep it safe while muttering a small ‘thank you’.
‘If you could see your face right now.. I don’t get to see you smile often so I’ll make sure to treasure this memory. When will you understand how much you mean to me, my detective ?’
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“Thank you for spending the night with me, Kamishiro. I’m sure you had a great time since you were with no other than me ! Very unfortunately, I must leave. But worry not, I know our reunion will be sooner than later !”
As he gently put down a once again terrified Rui on his balcony, the Shooting Star leaned in to kiss his love’s forehead which led him to have the ‘great’ opportunity to feel a punch in his stomach as the other’s reflex kicked in. Love certainly had a price but it was worth it, especially if he could see his detective’s cute confused face. After he watched Rui leave after the latter locked everything, the Shooting Star disappeared in the night.
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“ Tsukasa-san ! ”
Minori ran into the shelter as if she was running away from a mysterious danger. When she tried talking, only pants came out as she had to put her hands on her knees in order to remain upright. Tsukasa didn’t wait a second to come in front of her and guide the young girl to one of their couches, leaving shortly after to get her a glass of water.
Minori gulped down the water like she didn’t have any in a week and slowly catched her breath. Tsukasa was worried, his colleague was usually bright and cheerful but the look on her face told him something terrible, at least to her, happened. Once Minori rested enough to be able to speak as she normally would, she grabbed the blond’s arms and stared at him alarmingly.
“It’s.. It’s horrible ! I think Kamishiro-san has a girlfriend !”
“A girlfriend ?” Tsukasa paled. He knew he shouldn't jump to conclusions and prompt his friend to explain more but he couldn’t help but feel uneasy.
“Mhm ! I bumped into him on my way here but when I was about to greet him, I noticed he wore a super pretty earring ! When I asked him where he got it, he said it was from ‘someone special he couldn’t tell me about’ and, and.. he even blushed a bit !”
Minori, still horrified, continued her rambling with teary eyes, saying things like how ‘Kamishiro-san almost had the same look as she did when she first met Haruka-chan’ and that she was ‘so sorry because she knows how much Tsukasa-san likes Kamishiro-san’ but Tsukasa couldn’t hear anything anymore, too focused on what he first heard.
‘ So you have someone special, Kamishiro ? ’