This is another prompt, although now a two-shot.
Mai x Lin, I do not own Ghost Hunt! Enjoy!
Also, I didn't realise how long this was going to be, which is the reason it is now a two-shot!
"This is stupid," Naru grumbled, shaking his head at Yasuhara who stood before him, a wicked grin tilting his lips.
"Oh come on, I bet you 50 that they'll be together," Yasuhara whispered, knowing that the 22 year old girl was just outside the door.
"It won't work," Naru protested, not mentioning that he believes that she still has a thing for him.
"Ah, so you do like her? After all, that can be the only reason you deny that they have something," Yasuhara mocked, turning around with a shrug "I guess I'll just have to go tell her, then," Naru suddenly growled, slapping 50 on his desk. He did not want that brought up again. Even if he didn't like Mai, he didn't want the awkwardness to return to the office.
"You're on, I bet that by the time we check on them tomorrow morning, Koujo and Mai will not be together," with a wicked grin Yasu slaps down his own 50 and chuckles.
"You're so on!" Yasu cheered. Oh, he knew for a fact that this is one bet that he'd be winning.
Two hours later it was almost the end of Mai's work shift and Naru knew that if he wanted to keep his money, and Yasu's, he had to get a move on.
There was a soft "come in," from Koujo as Naru knocked on the door, trying to keep a straight face.
"Was there something you needed?" Koujo asked, confused and seeing the younger man in his coat with his bag.
"I have to go pick something up quickly; may I have the keys to the car?" Koujo regarded the narcissist carefully. It wasn't often that Naru would leave the office to pick something up; usually he sent Mai or Koujo.
"What is it?" Naru desperately tried to come up with an excuse before sighing.
"Yasuhara wishes to speak to me for some reason, he said that I should be back in time for your shift to end," it wasn't an entire lie, he does need to go speak to Yasu, and if Naru was coming back it would've been in time for Koujo's shift to end. He just wasn't coming back.
Koujo almost smirked but thankfully hid it, "Fine, but you better be back," Naru didn't answer, grabbing the keys from him before pausing.
"Do you have any keys to the office?" Naru asked after a brief pause. Koujo regarded him cautiously again.
"No, you know I don't have any keys; I use yours or the one under the plant, why?" Naru waved his caution away.
"I was just making sure you hadn't misplaced the one under the plant, I'll see you in a couple of hours," Naru exited his office before glancing at Mai. She was glaring sleepily at the mountain of file work in front of her.
Naru wouldn't be able to get the keys without her noticing. If Koujo heard her asking what he was doing he would surely figure something was up and would demand to know what it was.
"Mai, would you be able to make me a quick tea before I leave?" Mai jolted, staring up at her boss before nodding, bleary eyed. He almost rolled his eyes when she stumbled over her own feet as she walked past him. When she was safely far enough away he quickly grabbed the key from under the pot plant in the meeting area.
He glanced back at her, wondering if he should wait for the tea before shaking his head. Quickly leaving the room he shut the door, using his own key he locked the door and walked as fast as he could to his car, ignoring the twisting of the door handle.
()()()()()
The moment that Mai heard the door slam she frowned, her bleary mind taking a few seconds until she realised that Naru had just left. 'Why the hell would he ask for tea and then not take it?' she fumed. The 22 year old had grown up quite a deal, but when it came to her boss he still pushed all the wrong buttons he used to.
Mai walked to the office door, planning on yelling at him for just leaving, as she twists the door knob she paused completely. It was…locked? Suddenly awake Mai tries twisting it more forcefully, but the door still wouldn't budge. Groaning, but not yet completely panicking, she looks under the pot plant and then, again, groans. There was no key.
Mai hurriedly enters Lin-san's office without knocking, the man looking up from the book he was reading with a frown. Mai always knocked. He quickly took notice of her fidgeting and snapper his book shut, turning to stare at the woman.
"What's wrong?" Mai rubbed the back of her neck.
"You wouldn't happen to have a key, would you?" Lin-san frowned.
"For the front door?" Mai nodded.
"No, why?"
Mai didn't answer his question, instead responding "Well, um, is there another way to open that door once it's been locked from the outside?" Lin-san's eyes suddenly widened and he groaned loudly.
"What the hell has he done now?" Lin-san stood, walking out to the door and jiggling it, just as Mai had done. Mai watched as he headed to the pot plant, after seeing that there was no key he slammed it down and stared at the ground angrily, still crouching.
"Um, Lin-san?" she tried quietly.
Mai liked the older man, but sometimes she was still wary of him. He was intimidating and kind of frightening, yet he was also kind at times and sarcastically funny also. He also protected her whenever they were on cases.
"Naru's locked us in here, probably for the night," Lin-san finally stood, running a hand through his hair, pulling that black fringe away from his eyes momentarily. Mai vaguely noticed just how much of a dark brown his eyes actually were.
"Wh-what? Why?" Mai cried, not entirely sure whether she should thank her boss for this or hide in Naru's office for the rest of the night.
"I don't know, he wouldn't have thought of this alone though," Lin-san thought for a moment.
"Yasu did come by today," Mai thought as well and then Lin-san sighed.
"When?" Mai bit her lip, looking at the clock. It was almost seven.
"Around three, he was in there for about an hour and left just after four, I think…what do you think?" Mai looked back from the clock and looked at Lin-san who shrugged, pulling his tie off and going to sit on the couch.
"I think it's going to be a long night," he commented and Mai bit her lip before going to sit on the opposite couch.
"Why do you think he'd do this?" Mai was kind of distracted by the suddenly domestic Lin-san. After pulling his tie off he'd undone a couple of buttons and Mai noted that she'd never seen him look so relaxed.
"I don't know, but I'm sure it was probably a bet between him and Yasuhara about something, they've been betting an awful lot lately," Mai blushed, knowing simply because she'd been in on a bet about Bou-san and Ayako getting together.
"What about your cell phone? We could call Bou-san, John or Ayako; they could get us out, couldn't they?" Lin-san shook his head, Mai's hope suddenly depleting.
"Unless they have a key they won't be able to open the door. It seems pointless to break it down if Naru is just going to be coming back in the morning. He may leave early for a bet, but he wouldn't miss a day of work," Mai agreed with that.
"I'll just go make us some tea and sandwiches then, is that okay? We don't really have anything else to eat," Lin-san smiled at her and nodded, Mai stood, hurriedly heading into the kitchen.
When she was gone Lin-san's head fell back and he groaned, hands covering his face.
"What the hell are you planning, Naru?"
()()()()()()
"Mai, are you okay?" Mai had been standing at the window, staring out at the falling snow for the last hour. Lin-san had been trying to read, but it seemed he was too restless to.
"Oh, um, yes, yes I'm okay," her eyes wouldn't meet his, her cheeks reddened further than they had been already and Lin-san smirked.
"Come sit down, you'll get a chill so close to the window," Mai hesitated, her steps shaky as she sat beside him, where he patted.
"Let's talk," he offered, placing his book on the table and turning to face her.
"About what?" Lin-san shrugged.
"I don't know; we've never really gotten to know each other, have we?"
"No, I guess not," Mai bit her lip "do you have any family, Lin-san?" he nodded, though an almost haunted look entered his eyes. Mai knew the look well. It was the same look she got when she thought of her family.
"I have a niece," Mai jolted, realising the fact that that must've meant he'd had a brother or sister.
Lin-san noticed and looked down at her with a sad smile, "when I was fifteen my family's house burnt down, my older sister, at the time, had been 24, her along with my parents never managed to get out of the fire. Thankfully I had grabbed my niece, who'd been two at the time, and escaped," Mai felt bad for him, from her own experience she knew for a fact that there was nothing she could say and instead gripped his hand.
Mai vaguely thought that he'd pull away, not wanting her touch; he shocked her as he turned his hand around and held hers back.
"My niece, Meili, is 18 years old now…that makes me feel old, actually," Lin-san chuckled and Mai followed but shook her head.
"I doubt it, how old are you now anyway?" Mai asked, he couldn't be over the age of 31.
"I'm 30," he looked down at her, as if expecting shock but instead nodded.
"That's not old at all, I'd think that was a nice age," Lin-san smiled at her.
"I suppose it is," he continued to look at her, smirking as her blush deepened, "call me Koujo, will you?" Mai looked up in shock.
"What?" she gasped.
"If I can call you Mai you should be able to call me Koujo, it's only fair," blushing, Mai nodded her head.
"So, there is something I've been wondering, actually," he honestly just wanted to see her squirm, he thought it was highly amusing.
"What's that?" she was already squirming and he tried not to chuckle.
"Do you still like Naru?" her mouth popped open in shock before her nose scrunched up in almost badly repressed disgust.
"No, in absolutely no way do I still like him, other than as an extremely annoying brother you constantly want to punch in the face," mixed with the face and her words Lin-san tilted his head back and laughed out loud, surprising Mai.
She'd heard him laugh over the years, but she had never outright been the cause, other than the Urado case.
"He has that reaction on people," Lin-san, Koujo, was still chuckling and when he glanced down at Mai his head tilted to the side, seeing the shocked, bright red faced, woman.
"What?" he was almost acting self-conscious now, confused as to why she was smiling at him like that.
"You have a really nice laugh," Mai grinned as his cheeks turned a light pink colour.
"Whatever," he muttered, looking down at his lap.
"You're blushing!" Mai giggled, Lin-san frowned, and glancing at her before a smirk pulled up his lips.
"It's not like you don't; it's incredibly easy to make you blush," he commented, watching as she then frowned.
"No, it's not!" she protested. Koujo chuckled.
"Is that a bet?" he challenged and despite knowing that she would lose, Mai nodded determinedly.
"I bet that you can't make me blush!" and all of a sudden he'd bent down quickly, Mai gasped in shock as his face neared hers, her cheeks slowly turning into a darker red the closer he came, until he was an inch from her.
"I like you, Mai" the woman's eyes widened considerably and she gasped, her entire face now red as it crept up her neck. His face never moved back and her heart thrummed quickly in her chest.
"I win," he then chuckled.
"Th-that's not fair!" she pouted, feeling breathless as she bit her lip through a frown, his face never moving away.
"I never said I would be," and then he moved forward, closing the distance between their lips. Mai didn't respond for a moment, shock clouding her system before the hand that she'd still been holding let go to tangle into her hair. It was then that her eyes fluttered shut and she kissed back.
He'd never realise just how long she'd waited for this to happen.
When they pulled away both were blushing and he grinned at her. She yawned, suddenly tired again. He chuckled, pulling her against him she leant into his side.
"Go to sleep, Mai," she nodded, her eyes slowly slipping shut.
"You do realise we have to get them back?" Koujo smirked.
"Oh, we will, in the morning," Mai nodded, a small smile on her face as she finally fell asleep.
Lin-san glanced down, pushing her long brown hair from her face, a small blush still on her cheeks and smiling in response to hers.
She'd never realise just how long he'd waited for this to happen.