a/n: this started as a joke suggestion but I got too attached to the idea and wrote it, so uh enjoy c:
The current case that Shuichi was assigned to was proving to be a really tough one, and had been troubling him for weeks now. There just seemed to be no answer, no solution to it, no matter how hard he tried to solve it, how hard he painstakingly combed the evidence time and time again for even a simple clue that pointed to the culprit. But there was just nothing to go on.
Heaving a large sigh as he made it back to his assigned office at the station, Shuichi fished his keys out of his pocket, feeling defeated once more. At least his office would give him some solace; mementos from all the other cases he'd been able to successfully solve decorated the walls of the place, and would make him feel a little less like the world's worst detective for not being able to solve what felt like the biggest, most important case in human history (or, at least, the most important in his career).
He pushed the door open once it was unlocked, reaching in to flick the light switch on, but oddly, found that his office was already lit up, as if he hadn't even left it. He hadn't remembered leaving the light on before he'd gone out that morning (he made sure to turn it off anytime he left), but didn't have too long to think about it.
"You're back," a low, though slightly lusty sounding voice drifted to his ears from somewhere. "So, did you figure it out yet, Mr. Detective?"
Giving another sigh, Shuichi shook his head. He looked up to meet the owner of the voice where she was standing, just beyond his desk. His good friend's girlfriend stood there, the spot his secretary stood when she came to his office to give him important papers and phone memos. She was dressed in a skimpy skirt and top, a pair of matching stilettos on her feet, with her long, dark hair up in a bun. She was holding what looked like a plain manilla file in her hands, which is where Shuichi's attention was focused. "Well, I think I might have the solution for you to solve this crime."
His eyes widened, still eyeing the folder she was holding.
"I'd love to see it," Shuichi said immediately, rushing across the floor to where Maki was standing, and planting his feet next to her. She leaned close to him, and he could smell a light perfume on her. He caught a glimpse of her freshly manicured nails as she began to slowly open the file, but just as she'd gotten it open and before he had a chance to see what it was...
Shuichi jerked awake, shooting up in bed, the sound of his alarm clock bringing him from his sleep. Next to him, Kaede was also starting to stir at the noise. He reached for the alarm, shutting it off before sitting up in bed to stretch.
"Good morning!" Kaede chirped a moment later, sitting up next to him in bed.
"'Morning," Shuichi replied. He shook his head to clear it of the groggy feeling he had upon waking up. Some part of his dream lingered, just out of reach, but it was fading quickly. He was back in the real world, and soon he would have to go to his job in the real world.
His job. The crime.
Groaning, he threw the blanket back and moved himself to sit at the edge of the bed. Kaede was already out of bed, grabbing her robe as she did every morning before they left their room to the kitchen for breakfast. He stared at his socked feet; the odd, nagging feeling from his dream would not go away. Shuichi felt like his dream had been important for some reason, but why? He thought hard, trying to bring anything back, even just a little part of his dream. He didn't hear Kaede call his name, or get slightly worried when he didn't reply.
His thoughts were disrupted when she tapped his shoulder, turning his head to look at her. After blinking a few times at her, he offered her an apologetic smile. "Sorry, what?"
"I asked if you're ready to go have some breakfast with me now," Kaede said with a giggle. "What's wrong with you today, did you have a weird dream or something?"
He shook his head, still smiling. "No, I'm just thinking about work."
She leaned in to kiss his cheek, knowing what he was thinking about: how much this specific case was weighing on him. "Don't worry, I know you'll figure this case out! You haven't let one go unsolved yet."
He nodded back, feeling a little burst of confidence at her words. "Thanks, Kaede."
"You bet," she said, before standing and grabbing for his hand. "Now come on, let's go eat!"
The first vague image of his dream finally came to him midday when he was sitting at his desk on his lunch break, daydreaming and thinking about the case, the lunch he'd picked up from the next door cafe still untouched. His eyes went from his food to the empty manilla file that was sitting on the edge of the desk, and got him to thinking. The last time he'd seen a file like that was when it was in his dream, held in the hands of his secretary—
No, not his secretary; not the recent college graduate who had been eager to start working for him in a real detective's office, he remembered.
It had been in Maki's hands.
A flash of Maki all dressed up and standing by his desk holding the file in her hands flashed in Shuichi's mind, and the frustrated feeling came back to him. He had not been able to see what possible clue to solving the case she'd had for him because he had been woken up by his alarm just then. How frustrating it had been to be that close to maybe figuring it out (if his subconscious mind could even hold the solution, he didn't know, but the feeling he'd had in the dream sure made him feel like there was some potential).
Groaning as he sat up in his chair, he pulled out his phone and unlocked it. He went to his contacts list and scrolled down to a contact he tried to otherwise avoid. He couldn't think of anyone else who would have been able to tell him about what his dream could have meant, and sent her a quick message about wanting to meet up with her to discuss something.
He got a reply within minutes, and so gathering his stuff, he left his office in a hurry, not even locking the door behind him.
"So, why have you come to see me today?"
Looking up from the steaming cup of tea she'd given him, Shuichi met Angie's eyes. "I figured since you're sort of spiritual, you might be able to tell me about dream meanings."
"Dreams are wishes that the subconscious mind makes," the girl replied, studying Shuichi for a moment. "It seems as though you have a heavy subconscious today, no?"
"A little bit," he answered after a moment. "How did you know?"
"Atua told me."
The fact that a (possibly made up) God knew of his predicament didn't help Shuichi feel much better.
"Tell me about your dream, Shuichi."
He thought about how to start explaining it to her. "Well, there's this big case at work I'm currently trying to solve, but I'm having a hard time with it. I guess it's stressing me out so much, I'm dreaming about it now."
The details of his dream were still a bit cloudy, but one particular bit still stood out. "I was dreaming that I was at work, and I dreamed I went back to my office, and, uh…"
"Yes?" Angie leaned forward in her seat, sensing that this might be the part of the dream he'd come to talk to her about.
"Someone was there that apparently had crucial case information, but I didn't get to see what it was."
"Oh?" Angie asked. "Who was this person and what did they have for you?"
Shuichi brought a hand to the back of his neck. "It was a friend."
"Kaede?" she immediately guessed, and after a slight pause, Shuichi shook his head. She perked up again.
"Oh, it was not your girlfriend? Is that why you came to talk?"
Shuichi was growing restless, like maybe this was a bad idea and that he should try to figure this out on his own. He leaned forward and placed his teacup on the table, preparing to stand up and walk out. "You know what, maybe I should just go, lunch is almost over anyways, and-"
"Stay, and tell me and Atua what plagues you about this particular dream."
Angie was now sitting back in her chair once more, hands at her chest with her fingertips touching, watching him eagerly. Shuichi waited a moment, weighing his options. He sighed, giving in and knowing he couldn't win here.
"Alright. The person in my dream was Maki, and, uh…"
"Please, tell me everything. Let it all out," Angie said with an encouraging nod. "You will feel much better."
"She had...less than proper work appropriate attire on," he began slowly, staring at his folded hands in his lap as he picked his words carefully, "and was trying to give me information about what I needed to solve the case. But I woke up before she could give me anything to work with, and I think that's the part that's bothering me the most."
"I see," Angie replied with a nod. "You are frustrated because the dream didn't go anywhere with her."
"What? N-no," Shuichi said, popping his head up, completely surprised that this was what she'd taken from what he had explained to her. "No, it's not like that at all. I'm frustrated because the dream didn't go anywhere to help me solve the case."
"Are you frustrated with your girlfriend, Shuichi? What is your sex life like?" Angie asked, making Shuichi feel even more awkward.
"That really has nothing to do with this," he protested, cheeks flushing. "Please listen to me. I'm worried about-"
"Don't worry, it is perfectly normal to have these dreams if you are frustrated in real life with your partner," Angie said, completely ignoring what he'd just tried to counter. "I'd suggest maybe trying something new to spice things up in the bedroom with Kaede, you know? Maybe some roleplay outfits? Does she own a short skirt, by any chance?"
Shuichi groaned, getting up without another word and headed for the door. She had completely twisted what he'd been trying to tell her and would obviously be no help for him.
"That's right, go to her, Shuichi! Rid yourself of these frustrations!" Angie called after him, as the door slammed behind him. She gave a sigh.
"And now, Atua, do you think we should tell him?" she asked the empty room. She brought her hands to the side of her head, closed her eyes, and nodded a few times. "I see, you are right. He should know."
Angie opened her eyes once more and pulled out her phone.
"Hey, Shuichi, how was your day?"
He startled, dropping the pen he'd been absentmindedly playing with onto the desk. He turned in his chair, to his grinning girlfriend standing right behind him. He hadn't even heard her come into their room, his mind turned back to his work case once more.
"Oh hi, Kaede. It was...it was a day," he said with a sigh. "I still haven't solved this case or come any closer to solving it."
"Aw, I'm sorry," she said as he turned the chair back around, coming up behind him and wrapping herself around his shoulders in a hug. "Don't give up. Something will come to you."
"Yeah, maybe," he said. "When I least expect it, I'll bet, because—"
He was interrupted by the sudden sound of a loud knock on their apartment door, one that sounded like whoever was there needed them immediately.
"Are you expecting anyone?" she asked, and he shook his head.
"No, are you?" Their confusion about who their evening visitor could be grew when she gave the same response that he had that no, she wasn't expecting company. Unwrapping herself from around him, the pair of them headed to the front door together, the loud knocks still coming every few seconds.
"Kaito? What are you doing here?" Shuichi asked, completely surprised, upon seeing his friend in their doorway. "And what's wrong?"
Kaito looked like he had a bone to pick, but about what, the pair did not know.
"I think you know exactly what this is about," he replied, but when both Kaede and Shuichi stared blankly at him, he continued, "Angie told me everything! She's a true friend, unlike you, Shuichi!"
"Kaito, what are you talking about?" Kaede asked, looking between him and Shuichi. "Shuichi, what's going on?"
"Oh, I think I know," Shuichi said with a sigh. "Look, Kaito, whatever she said to you, it's not true. She took what I said all completely out of context."
"That's what I said, too," another voice piped up, Maki appearing behind the still fuming Kaito a moment later. "I mean, I don't know the full story, but I really doubt whatever she told Kaito really happened and Kaito's just being a overdramatic idiot, as usual."
"Oh, it happened alright," Kaito said, ignoring the insult from his girlfriend. He shrugged his purple jacket off and handed it to Maki, before reaching down to start rolling his shirt sleeves up. "And you better get ready to pay for it, former sidekick! You better go back to the car, Maki Roll, I don't want you to have to see this."
"Kaito stop, you're not gonna beat Shuichi up." Maki didn't even bother moving. "We're going to figure this out without fighting."
"What happened?" Kaede asked exasperatedly, completely in the dark and worried about what might happen if no one explained the obviously mounting situation. "Can someone please tell me what's going on here? Why does Kaito want to fight Shuichi?"
"Why don't you ask him? Lousy mister 'wants to steal my girl'," Kaito said, shooting a glare to the other man.
"Shuichi, please, what's going on? What does he mean?" Kaede asked, turning to her boyfriend, who was still having a stare-off with Kaito. He backed off with a sigh and finally looked away from the other man's face.
"Alright look, here's what happened. You know I'm very stressed about the work case."
She nodded. "Yes, you've made that very clear. Especially today."
"Well, last night I had a dream," he began, again picking his words carefully. "And in that dream, um..."
"He wants to have sex with my girlfriend to figure out how to solve the case he's working on!" Kaito exclaimed. "Angie said so!"
There was a pause as everyone took in what had just been said.
"Kaito, think about it, does that make any sense at all?" Shuichi asked, breaking the silence. "And does that really sound like something I would do?"
"Well…" Kaito brought a hand to the back of his head, giving his neck a quick rub. "Look, I'm not the smartest guy, but I think I know when someone is trying to get with my girlfriend," he answered, narrowing his eyes and crossing his arms over his chest. "And your dream is the proof of that."
"There was nothing even close to that happening in my dream," Shuichi said. "Like I said, what Angie said was her just taking things out of context. I'm pretty sure she completely stopped listening to me halfway through and just filled it all in herself. And then I guess she called you?"
Kaito nodded. "Yeah, right after you left, I guess. Said that Atua would have wanted me to know what you dreamed about."
"What was your dream, Shuichi?" Kaede asked.
"Yeah, Shuichi, tell her how you wanted to f- ouch! Hey!"
A quick punch to the arm from Maki shut him up, and Shuichi nodded at her. "Thanks."
He brought a hand to the back of his neck once more. "So long story short, I had a dream that Maki was in my office, and had the possible resolution to the case hidden in a file. But I woke up before I could know what it was. The reason that Kaito is blowing this out of proportion is, and I'm truly sorry about this part, Maki, you were dressed a little...not safe for work-like, and Angie clung to that fact and took that part to thinking it meant I was frustrated that that part of my dream didn't go anywhere."
He took a moment to take in everyone's reactions. "But I honestly wasn't frustrated about that, I was frustrated that I didn't learn what the answer to the case was before waking up."
"Of course," Kaede said after a moment. "You thought you were getting a solution, but didn't. The other part just kind of...happened."
"Exactly," Shuichi said, before turning to Maki. "I am sorry that you were the target again, but I do promise it wasn't anything more than that, a dream."
Maki nodded, understanding. "I figured Kaito was probably jumping to some big, wrong conclusion." She looked to him. "So?"
Kaito snorted. "Whaddya mean, 'so'? He still dreamed about you in the way only I should be allowed to think about you—ow!"
Another square punch to the arm got him back on track once more, and he groaned.
"Fine, I'm sorry I doubted you, sidekick," Kaito said, looking to Shuichi as he rubbed his arm. "I guess I shouldn't have believed Angie over you, since we're best buds and all."
"That's okay," Shuichi said. "At least now I know not to go to her and Atua for any problems."
"Still sucks you didn't get the answer to solving your big case, though," Kaito said, still rubbing his arm.
Shuichi nodded. "But like Kaede said, I shouldn't give up on it. And I won't."
"Okay, now that you two have made up, I think we should go, Kaito," Maki said. "It's getting late."
"Yeah, okay," Kaito said. "Later, sidekicks!"
The pair of them left, and Shuichi shook his head and closed the door once they were out of sight. Kaede giggled as Shuichi turned around to her.
"I can't believe you dreamed of Maki like that," she said, covering her mouth with her hands.
"Kaede, it was just a dream," Shuichi said, definitively. "I swear. Nothing more."
"I know, but it's still funny. Plus, I'm not mad. I know you love me," Kaede said, before shooting him a grin. "But, wanna tell me exactly how she was dressed in your dream? Maybe we can make that part come true, and it would help to put this long day behind you."
Nodding with a grin, Shuichi put his arm around Kaede as they went back to their bedroom.
A week later, there was finally a break in the case from a simple, small detail that Shuichi had overlooked, and with the arrest of the culprit came the wonderful feeling of accomplishment that Shuichi loved.