Welcome to the first chapter of Naegiri week! I'm so glad I caught this, because I've been meaning to write some Naegiri stuff since I first got into the fandom, and this made me actually sit down and do it. Enjoy!
"Makoto, thank you for coming." Kyoko opened the door to her house before he could even ring the doorbell, stepping to the side to let him through. "I appreciate your help."
"It's not a problem, Kyoko!" It had been a while since Kyoko last asked for his help on a case, but he didn't mind in the slightest. In the end, helping out was more time spent with his girlfriend. He slipped his shoes off and followed her inside. "What's this case about, again?"
Even though he couldn't see it with her back turned to him, he heard in her voice that she had an amused little smile on her face. "Did you forget already? This one is the murder case a couple blocks away from the bank, the one we think is related to a prior robbery." Kyoko and her grandfather always were given the murder cases that were more complicated than were first seen. Makoto was a bit of an intern to them, helping when help was needed. More often than not, it was like giving an outside perspective to help the process go faster, especially in time-sensitive cases. And, other times, he handled some of the paperwork and providing coffee, like an actual intern would.
Four steps into the kitchen, a flash of grey caught Makoto's eye. He nearly ran backwards into the edge of the counter, he was so startled. Kyoko followed his gaze silently before a small, fond smile landed on her face. "I almost forgot to tell you." She walked towards where the grey flash went and bent over, turning back around with a small, soft kitten in her arms. "This is Merida."
"Aw, she's really cute!" Makoto approached them, holding a hand out towards Merida to pet her. Before he could, though, Merida's eyes narrowed and she snapped at his fingertips. He withdrew his hand quickly, startled by how fierce she was. "Hey!"
"Merida, be nice." Kyoko shifted one of her hands so she was stroking the kitten's ears. Her fur looked so fluffy, Makoto wished he could pet her. Kyoko set her down, and she darted to a corner, watching the two of them carefully. "Let me just grab a couple of additional files. I'll be right back."
Makoto felt Merida's eyes on him as soon as Kyoko left the room. He knelt down, holding his hand out again just in case the kitten decided that he was allowed to pet her. Merida eyed him warily before approaching him. He leaned over a little, closing the space between him and the kitten. Merida paused once right in front of his hand before sniffing his fingertips for a second.
"Hey, there," Makoto said gently as she looked at him more. Her blue eyes stared at him before she opened her mouth and nipped at his fingers. Before he could even recoil, she was scratching at his hand.
Kyoko chose that moment to come back into the room, files in hand. As soon as Merida noticed Kyoko, she jumped away from Makoto's hand and brushed against Kyoko's legs as he stood, his hand still stinging. Kyoko studied the two of them for a moment before setting the files down on the table and sighing. "I'll grab the antiseptic."
Makoto felt a bit embarrassed as Kyoko cleaned his scratches, feeling like Merida was laughing at him even though she was across the room cleaning her fur. "I just wanted to pet her," he said, wincing a bit as the antiseptic came into contact with his skin.
"She's a bit like I was," Kyoko said, throwing away the used cotton balls. "If she isn't used to someone, she won't let them get near her. She'll warm up to you eventually. I did."
It was hard to imagine that Kyoko once barely even spoke to him, but that's how it used to be. Makoto couldn't even begin to express how glad he was that it wasn't like that anymore. "Alright. I'll give her space for now, then."
Merida licked her paw, her eyes still watching the two of them. "Strange, though. She was fine when Hina came over the other day." A small smile tugged at her lips. "Maybe she just doesn't like you." Makoto's mouth fell opening, not realizing it was a jest until Kyoko started chuckling, swooping in to kiss his cheek. "You have such bad luck."
"Yeah." He stood again, taking her hand in his. A smile remained on her face, and she looked like she was holding in some more laughter. "C-come on, it's not that funny!" But Kyoko laughed some more, and even Makoto felt a little lighter as he chuckled. "Well, maybe it's a little funny."
Kyoko tugged his hand a little, her laughter calming down. "Let's start our work now, before Merida can do any more damage to you." While she was distracted with taking out paperwork, Makoto turned and stuck his tongue out at Merida. He might not have gotten to pet her fluffy fur yet, but he had something better: his girlfriend.
Kyoko is a cat person fight me