Anyway, hope it's enjoyed! Those of you who follow my YnM fic (aka: Trisha), the next chapter of Vespers is around 75 done.
----
Subaru held perfectly still, frozen. His skin felt icy as he stared at the file, no longer reading it but collecting himself. When he heard Seishirou sit in the chair next to him, he looked up, slowly, turning his head to meet eyes with the other man. He stared for a moment before snapping his attention back to their employer, who was talking.
"…zuka-san, are you willing to take on this case? I understand you are quite busy at the time, but we really are in a difficult situation and would greatly appreciate your help."
Subaru watched from the corner of his eye as Seishirou lightly drummed his fingers across the arm rest of the chair. "I would be happy to. However, I believe that is dependent on whether Subaru-kun will assent to working with me."
His employer's eyes widened slightly at Seishirou's familiarity. "You know each other?"
"No" Subaru's denial was calm and cool.
Seishirou answered at the same time, his voice amused and layered with many possible meanings. "Quite well."
Their employer looked between them, confused. Both onmyouji watched him, impassively. To his credit, he didn't question them, simply continued with a slight nod.
"Of course, I understand that it is highly unusual to have both the head of the Sumeragi clan and the Sakurazukamori working on a case together. Will this be a problem for you, Sumeragi-san?"
Subaru shook his head. "It's fine."
"Good, good." The relief that washed over their employer's face made Subaru suppress a snort. "If it is not too much trouble then, I would request that you begin right away."
Subaru nodded his assent. "I'll cancel my appointments for tomorrow."
"Thank you." Their employer stood and bowed to them, so low his forehead almost touched the desk.
Seishirou was standing, bowing to Nakagami-san, and Subaru followed suit a bit belatedly.
As they left the office, Seishirou pulled the file from his hand, and Subaru frowned at him. Seishirou didn't seem to notice though, sliding it into the pocket of the slim briefcase he was carrying.
"Nakagami-san has arranged for us to visit the scene of the last murder."
"When?" Subaru paused at the elevator, pressing the down button.
"Tomorrow morning, at seven. Unless that's too early for you...?"
"It's fine." The doors slid open and they stepped in. The elevator was glass, showing an excellent view of the city and Subaru looked at the window, studying Seishirou's faint reflection and the buildings around them.
Several moments passed by in silence before Seishirou spoke again, his voice distantly amused. "Why did you try to lie to him, Subaru-kun?"
He leaned on the bar, feeling the cold of the metal soak through his gloves and watching windows flash by, almost fast enough to make him feel ill. "I didn't. I don't know you, Sakurazuka-san. I only knew someone that you once pretended to be."
There was a long silence behind him. He could hear Seishirou lighting a cigarette, the paper burning as he inhaled.
"Fair enough, I suppose."
Subaru closed his eyes and inhaled deeply, savoring the smoke. He didn't smoke, not really, but suddenly he thought of the pack of cigarettes that his last boyfriend had bought, wondering if he had left it in the bedside drawer.
The elevator slowed, coming to a stop, and the doors opened with a soft chime. He turned to leave, and an arm slipped smoothly through his own, making him jerk slightly, frowning up at the older man, who was smiling.
"I'll see you home."
The last thing he wanted or needed was Seishirou knowing where he lived. He hastened to shake his head. "No, that's not necessary."
"Oh, I insist." The older man's voice was smooth, just hinting at being smug. "You don't live too far from me, so it won't be an inconvenience."
Subaru bit back a sharp answer, trying not to scowl. It shouldn't surprise him, but it did. "I don't need an escort."
Seishirou took his arm firmly again, leading him outside. "One never can be too careful, Subaru-kun, especially in this day and age."
He bit back a protest, not wanting to cause a scene on the street in broad daylight. Seishirou smiled pleasantly beside him. "So, how is your grandmother?"
The trip to his apartment was torture. Seishirou-san had talked incessantly, keeping the conversation light and inconsequential and acting as if Subaru was as engaged in it as he was, though he barely spoke. Finally, Subaru found himself standing in front of his door, having been unerringly lead there by the other man, who never once asked for directions.
He pulled his arm firmly from Seishirou's, who relinquished it gracefully, and unlocked his door.
"I'll pick you up tomorrow at six-thirty. Make sure you're ready, Subaru-kun, we wouldn't want to be late."
Subaru cringed a bit, internally, not knowing how to refuse the offer, nodding a little. "I'll be ready." He stepped inside, internally cursing himself.
"Aren't you going to invite me in?"
He stared at the other for a long moment, then shook his head. "Good day, Sakurazuka-san." Calmly, he started closing the door.
"Don't you think you're being rather childish?" Seishirou's voice was smooth, smugly amused and it made Subaru pause, inches away from the door being closed completely. He could still see the other's shoulder, the folds of his jacket.
The hesitation lasted a split second before he let a breath out, almost a soundless laugh. "No, I don't."
The door shut quietly, and he rested a hand on the smooth wood for a moment, listening to muffled footsteps recede in the hall. He let his hand fall, closing his eyes briefly before setting his mail down, shrugging out of his jacket, hanging it up. Sliding out of his shoes, lining them up precisely, and into slippers
Subaru scooped up the mail again, heading towards the kitchen to open it, turning on the light and tossing envelopes on the counter. There wasn't much. A bill, a few solicitations.
One envelope caught his eyes, a plain white one with no writing on it. He frowned a bit as he set water to heat for tea, and reached for it, leaning against the counter and opening it with a knife.
It contained a simple notecard, with two English words in blocky printed letters. It read "Found you."
He reached over, turning the heat off before the kettle could whistle, tossing the card into an empty drawer. He poured water into a cup, over the teabag, going to lie down on his couch, thinking.
----
Six-thirty found Subaru awake, dressed, and reading the paper as he waited for Seishirou.
Truth be told, he hadn't slept, too busy trying to make sense of everything. He wasn't actually reading the paper either -- though he was trying, he lacked the focus to make the words make sense.
The doorbell rang and he folded it, going to answer it, blinking a little as a cup of coffee was shoved into his hands.
Seishirou beamed at him in a way that made him groan internally. Apparently the man was determined to be disgustingly cheery again today. To avoid looking at him, he dropped his eyes to the coffee warming his hands.
"What is this?"
"I don't remember. I asked for whatever had the most calories and caffeine. I figured you hadn't eaten breakfast."
He frowned. He supposed he was that predicable.
Seishirou sighed a bit, taking his arm lightly to pull him out into the hall. "Really, Subaru-kun. You of all people should know that breakfast is the most important meal of the day."
"I wasn't hungry," he countered, slightly defensively, hating that this conversation made him feel sixteen and stupid again. He quickly made sure his door was locked.
"You haven't changed at all, you know." Seishirou's voice was rife with amusement. He sighed, irritatedly, dropping his keys into his pocket.
"Did you expect me to?"
"No. Still, you should take better care of yourself, Subaru-kun, or you're going to die of neglect!"
He shrugged a bit, following Seishirou down the hall, cautiously raising the coffee to his lips and sipping it.
It was darkly sweet and comfortingly warm. It seemed to steady his nerves a bit, to relax him.
"..Thanks for the coffee."
Seishirou nodded a little, a smug smile on his lips. "You're welcome."