Chapter 2 - Playful Like an Otter

Enthusiastically heading into the crime lab, Shuusei had returned from a trip out with the grumpy Ginoza and stoic Yayoi. Though he was finished his shift, he wanted to chat with Akane before he headed to his room. She wasn't in the office when they returned, but the other two hadn't made any comments regarding her lack of presence. Yayoi calmly packed up her things while waiting for one of the other enforcers to arrive. As for their chilly team leader, he sat down at his desk to complete his report while waiting for his replacement to appear.

It was strange to Shuusei that neither of the two on-shift enforcers was present, along with their inspector. He didn't think that they would be called out to a situation so quickly when they barely started their watch. As a result, he decided to check the lab before he called it a night. At the very least, Shion would have an idea of where the three of them would be.

As he made his way into the room, he felt there was an eerie silence, noticing immediately that Shion was nowhere to be found. That fact was just as bizarre as the disappearance of the team's other half. His usual carefree grin was replaced by a slight frown, suddenly worried that something unexpected had happened.

With this thought in mind, he approached Shion's computer, thinking to check what she had last been looking into. As he did so, he suddenly felt the presence of a second person; a presence that had previously been well concealed. Turning around, his eyes caught sight of who it was. For a second, it stunned him until a slow, mischievous grin spread across his features. The very person he had been searching for had fallen asleep on the sofa, hidden from view because her relaxed state caused her to slide down and rest horizontally across the seating area.

Pausing for a moment, he took this time to stare at the female inspector, sound asleep and oblivious to his presence. Things had changed with her arrival, seemingly for the worse at the beginning. He could still remember the conversation he had with her when she first started – her worries about making the right career choice and what her options had been. Oh, how it had annoyed him; the one who was never given that luxury because the system had labeled him as a deviant at a tender young age.

Yet now, she had demonstrated her grit and dedication, surprising everyone. In fact, she seemed to handle many of the situations they encountered even better than the rest of them; despite the fact that she was the youngest and least experienced. For him, her presence had become a perk. Not only was she easy to get along with and his age, she was an attractive young woman. It was better than being stuck with another grouchy man like Ginoza - one of him was more than enough.

Though he had been in the room for more than five minutes, Shion had still not returned. Realizing that this was a golden opportunity, Shuusei wasn't going to waste another second of it. This was his chance to monopolize the female inspector since there was no one around to stop him. Silently thanking his lucky stars, he approached the sofa, careful not to wake her. When he stood peering down at her, she was still asleep - clearly a deep sleeper.

Turning around so his back was towards the couch, he sat down languidly, keeping a slight distance from her. As he was fully seated, he gauged the situation anew, but she hadn't stirred. Still grinning to himself, he slowly shifted a little closer before reaching for her. Resting with her hands clasped beneath her head, he cautiously supported her head with one hand while the other was under her neck. As he raised it, he was surprised she didn't move, but he wasn't complaining. He managed to reposition her so she was napping on his thigh. Only then did she seem responsive, but solely to murmur softly in her sleep.

Gazing down at her, Shuusei enjoyed the view he had from this vantage point. With her features relaxed in slumber, she appeared even younger than she truly was. The nature of their work was typically detrimental to anyone's psycho-pass, but not hers. Her innate resilience was just one aspect that had surprised him. Even with several months of experience under her belt, she slept like one who was ignorant of the inner workings of their world. Despite knowing this about her, he felt a prick of irritation.

"Sleeping like a baby even when you're at work," he whispered, "and completely unaware that I'm here."

With his finger, he gently poked her cheek. It elicited a slight murmur, the only acknowledgement she provided. He poked her again. Once more, she supplied the same response, but didn't wake. The tremor of annoyance he felt earlier had already passed and he was vastly amused by her incoherent mumbles. No one else had ever seen her in such a vulnerable state and he hoped it would stay this way. Though she didn't realize it, she had wormed her way into his heart, occupying a special corner of it.

"If you're not careful, you could be attacked Akane-chan," he stated.

Despite his verbal warning, she wasn't listening, peacefully asleep with his leg as a pillow. Continuing to press his fingertips to her cheeks in a teasing manner, he finally changed tactics when it didn't wake her. Leaning in towards her, he gently blew into her eyes. It provided better results as her features puckered into a tiny frown before it cleared and she resumed her rest. Shuusei chuckled softly, enjoying this pleasant interlude. Being with her was infinitely better than spending any prolonged length of time with Ginoza. Blowing on her face once more, he also pressed his finger to her cheek with greater pressure.

"Akane-chan..." he greeted when she finally showed signs of waking.
"Mm..."

She replied to the sound of her name, but didn't recall where she was. As she slowly opened her eyes, her environment was unfamiliar. She was definitely not at home because she wasn't alone - someone was mindlessly plucking at her hair. Turning over onto her back, she found herself staring at the cheerful expression of the tangerine-haired enforcer. Shocked that she had fallen sleep at work, she had been discovered by the youngest enforcer.

"Ne, Akane-chan... You do realize you're sleeping on the job, don't you?"
"Yes, but I didn't mean to," she replied.

When she tried to rise, she was stopped by Shuusei applying light pressure to her shoulder. Though she tried to swat him away, not understanding why she was sleeping on him, he didn't allow her to move his hand. She frowned at him, but it wasn't enough to sway him. Rather, he grinned as he stared at her.

"What is it?" she inquired.
"Bad behaviour must be punished. What would Gino say if he saw this?"
"Well, he isn't the one who found me - you are. Now if you'll just let me get up, no one would be any wiser."

To this, he clucked his tongue and shook his head. His finger poked against her cheek playfully, his actions in contrast to the sudden solemn expression on his face. Akane didn't understand what the issue was or why he was taking it so seriously. He should be the first person to laugh this off. It wasn't recommended behaviour for the workplace, but it wasn't a mistake that required any sort of punishment - just a verbal warning since this was her first offence.

"That's not how it works," Shuusei replied. "It is my duty to report any issues I see to my team lead."
"You would report me to Ginoza-san?!"
"... I should, though... I could be persuaded otherwise," he stated with a quick grin.
"I should have known... You would settle for blackmail, which is much worse than my mistake if you ask me," she grumbled.
"Your decision?"
"Oh fine," Akane acquiesced. "What would you want?"

At her agreement, Shuusei smiled at her happily and she couldn't help wondering what it was that he wanted. When he didn't say anything, she clarified that it had to be something within her capabilities of providing and nothing that would really get them in trouble. He promised she could fulfill his demands, and then poked her cheek one last time before asking her to sit up. After doing so, she turned so she sat facing him, not understanding his surprising secrecy.

Even as she provided him her full and undivided attention, he didn't speak. Instead, he reached out to ruffle her hair before subsequently straightening it for her. The Shuusei she knew was typically much more straight-forward than this. She asked him again, but he only grinned, to which she stated she wouldn't know what he demanded as payment if he didn't say it.

"To keep you prisoner here forever," he said jokingly, before pressing his hand over her eyes.
"Shuusei," she complained. "Be serious. I need to get back to work."
"Geez... So impatient! Fine..."

There were no appropriate words to express what he desired, so he just showed her. One hand still covering her eyes, his other one was resting on the sofa next to her. Leaning in towards her, he settled his lips against hers. She flinched from the contact and when she tried to pull away, he held her close with the hand originally on the sofa. With his abrupt movement, his balance was tipped and he ended up pushing her down onto the sofa. His arm slipped out from beneath her, his body weight enough to keep her pinned in place.

"You agreed," he accused softly.
"... I..."
"You can't back out now. Cheater," he said, pulling his hand away from her eyes.

When she looked up at him, she was surprised to find that he was utterly serious. Though his tone of voice was light, his eyes gazed at her with unexpected warmth. Waiting for her reply, Akane felt a blush creep onto her cheeks as he shifted above her into a comfortable position, resting more fully on top of her. He braced his weight with his elbows on both sides of her head, his propped up on his hands. He didn't try to kiss her again without her permission.

"I'm quite comfortable this way," he said lazily, "and I'm not leaving without my kiss. You do realize that I'm off shift now, right? Shion is conveniently MIA as well."

Seeing no way out of this, Akane finally sighed and agreed. It was just a kiss. Her initial reaction was mostly due to the surprise of his actions and not any particular dislike directed at him. Even though she accepted his demand, he didn't act immediately - at least not for the actual kiss. He remained where he was, his fingers finding its way to her lips. They brushed lightly across the upper one and then the lower one before he eventually chuckled. Not only could she hear his amusement, she could feel it - the gentle tremors of his body along hers as he laughed.

"You don't have to look so pitiful," he said, amused. "It's supposed to be pleasurable and I do have some experience."

Since she didn't reply, he just smiled before he leaned in towards her. He took his time, partially to tease her, but also to savour the situation he now found himself in. He stared into her eyes as he lowered his lips towards hers, and she managed to maintain some eye contact before her eyes finally fluttered closed. Lightly, he applied pressure on her lips and this time, she didn't pull away - not that there was anywhere for her to go.

When she showed no response, he languidly grazed his lips gently back and forth along hers, trying to find what worked for her. A quick peck, like their first one, could be considered a kiss, but she had not countered his request with that observation. As a result, it was up to him to decide when his remuneration was paid in full; he wasn't going to be satisfied until she responded as kissing was meant to be an activity with participation from both parties.

There was no reaction to his tender attentions and he used that as a means to test the waters. He didn't want to come on too strong and to him, any kiss with Akane was still a kiss with Akane. Using the tip of his tongue, he traced the outline of her lips before he pulled away slightly and let out a small puff of air. The temperature difference between her warm, moist lips and his cool, soft breath caused a shiver to go down her spine. Feeling her response to his teasing, Shuusei smiled as he dropped a quick kiss on the tip of her nose, a reward for her honest reaction.

When he stopped kissing her, Akane gradually opened her eyes, thinking he was done. He watched her with a tender expression on his face that she had never seen before. Neither of them spoke. Instead, Shuusei guided her hands which had been resting by her side, and placed them around his neck. She didn't pull them away, even though she hadn't put them there deliberately. She thought she detected a smirk playing around the corner of his lips, but she wasn't given time to contemplate on its potential meaning.

As Shuusei cupped her face between both hands, he sought her lips once more and Akane closed her eyes in response as it seemed most natural that way. It was an open-mouthed kiss and her own mouth opened to his invitation; whether she was trying to protest or truly answering his actions, he didn't know, but neither did he care. She sensed a hint of ardor that wasn't present the time before; surprised by the depth of emotions he kept hidden beneath the facade of his sunny smile. Then she realized that she wouldn't have noticed anyways as she was completely oblivious to this type of thing.

Slowly growing accustomed to his instructions, her arms tightened around him of their own accord, pulling him closer. Unexpectedly, his tongue touched her lower lip before it was drawn between his. A slight gasp escaped when she felt his teeth gently press into it, before he applied pressure by sucking on it. Just when she thought she knew what he was doing, he would go and do something else completely different. It was her first real kiss and she didn't know what would happen next, but she agreed with his earlier statement - it was pleasurable.

They continued to kiss for a few moments more, Shuusei's playful style a match to his mischievous personality. She never would have thought so, but the way someone kissed reflected a lot about the person as an individual. Sometimes, he would show a passionate side which was then replaced by gentle teasing or tender sweetness. She couldn't help wondering how much she really knew him when she had yet to take the time to understand him on a core fundamental level.

Eventually, he pulled away from her reluctantly with a prolonged groan. When she opened her eyes, she couldn't help but show her confusion on her face. He smiled as he propped his head on his hand, just gazing at her. Though he didn't want to be, he was finished with her. If he didn't stop now, he was never going to. When he finally extracted a response from her, it had been his own downfall.

His original request for the kiss was only to tease her, though he really did want to - he had been unprepared for how she would handle it. Like everything else, she tackled it with seriousness and open-mindedness. Her innocent response to his advances was sweet torture, and it was difficult to force himself to stop. Some men preferred that their partner had experience, but he wasn't one of them. He didn't want a woman who could fake her responses just to stroke his ego. He rather teach her himself, knowing she was untouched by another man, and experience her honest reactions.

"Shuusei?" she finally questioned.
"Ugh... You'll be the death of me," he answered. "You should go back. I'm surprised no one has come in search of you yet."
"... Did I do something wrong?"
"No, you did everything too right," he stated. "I should go."

Despite his words, he took his time in getting up, relishing her close proximity. Though she had shown adversities to his request at the beginning, she now seemed quite comfortable with him lying on top of her. When he was sitting, he held out his hand to help her up. Easily taking hold if it, she seemed her normal self beyond her swollen lips and the faintest redness to her cheeks. Grinning at her, she returned the smile.

"Alright, I'll see you tomorrow," he said.
"... Okay," she replied slowly.

Knowing he had confused her, he had never meant to reveal the depth of his emotions for her. Instead, he had chosen to play it off as a joke because he knew there was nothing they could do about it. A relationship between an inspector and her enforcer would be taboo. Not to mention, she never showed any of that particular interest in him, more dedicated to her job. As she glanced at him with distress, he felt guilty, but there was nothing he could do to rewind the hands of time. Neither could he apologize because he wasn't the least bit sorry and he knew he would do it again if he could.

"Don't look at me like that," he said gently. "It was a joke."

She looked even worse after he said that as he knew his words would hurt her, but the sting would ease away with time. If anything, the person he was hurting the most was himself. Even so, it was a conscious decision he made - he rather be the one in pain. Resting his hand on her head momentarily, he finally smoothed her rumpled hair. Before rising from his seat, he pressed a tender kiss to her cheek, the only form of apology he could offer.

"The others are waiting for you," he reminded her, once again smiling as he normally did.
"Mm..."

Then with that, he scampered out of the room and Akane could only watch as he walked away. When he was gone, she slowly sat properly, a mindless action as she tried to understand what just happened. Like usual, Shuusei had been teasing and light-hearted when he requested the kiss... Yet when they actually did, she thought there was something deeper to it than just a fleeting whimsy. But when he pulled away, he was back to his normal self of offhanded comments and easy-going smiles. Sighing softly, she touched her fingers to her lips; she could still feel the warmth of his kiss.

She thought of speaking to him about it, but sighed once more. He already pointed out that she was supposed to be at work; she should head back to the office. Even if she tried to probe him for answers, she had the feeling that he would brush her off. Clearly he didn't feel like sharing his thoughts with her and there was nothing she could do to force him. Seeing no other choice in the matter, Akane finally smiled to herself as she tucked away the memory of her first kiss. Regardless of what anyone said, Shuusei included, no one could take that away from her. With that thought in mind, she exited the lab and headed back to the office.

AN

And sooo... Our first person appears! XD Basically, this is what I call a "scenario" story. The first chapter serves as the introduction for each subsequent chapter. Following this one, a different person will appear at the door and the interactions between them will depend on who shows up. (Ideally reads ch 1 - ch 2, ch 1 - ch 3, etc. Does that make sense?)

I did put some thought into the chapter orders and the title of the chapter is representative of who shows up. If you can't figure it out, it's right in the first paragraph.

This is my second time writing a story like this, so if "fanservice" was a genre in and of itself, this story would be one of them. That said, you know your characters. If there are certain pairings/scenarios that you're uncomfortable with, use your own discretion while reading! That is all I'm going to say. You have been warned.