Work Text:
When Daisuke walked into the MCPTF department, ready to start a day of working and looking at cases, he expected professionalism (as much as possible, anyway, with the four coworkers he has) and working.
He did not; no, not even in his wildest dreams (and they do get pretty wild), expect to see his partner in a soft pink dress covered with strawberries, surrounded by the three coworkers seemingly responsible for this.
Let’s repeat that.
Haru is in a dress. A beautiful, flowy soft salmon pink dress with puffy sleeves that hang from his shoulders, a v-line that playfully exposes his collarbones and the top of his chest, and an extremely flowy skirt-bottom that sways with every little move. To complete the look, Haru is wearing white open-toed shoes with small heels.
All in all, he looks reaaaaaally pretty. Like, way too pretty.
Daisuke spared Haru one look, a single quick look-over, and gulped. His day is about to get interesting.
It was dead silent in the little office.
Haru was frozen, his expression a mix of embarrassment and anger, and he stared back at Daisuke as if expecting the billionaire to say something first.
Mahoro’s hands were on Haru’s sleeves, in the middle of fixing them into place, when Daisuke had walked in. She looked up, like a deer caught in headlights, and stared at Daisuke with wide eyes and a slightly opened mouth.
Shinnosuke, to be honest, is having the time of his life. He held his breath as he looked back and forth between Haru and Daisuke, hoping that he wouldn't burst into laughter. His shoulders began to shake as the silence grew louder and longer, as he noticed his coworkers beginning to get antsy.
Teppei quickly extracted his hands from Haru’s waist (he was holding Haru in place, ok??), fearing that Daisuke might’ve caught that (he did) and start getting the wrong ideas (he is). Teppei remained silent as well, not wanting to be the one to break the silence.
Daisuke licked his lips, noting how dry his mouth suddenly got. He shifted his gaze to the chief’s desk, noticing that the man was gone.
Daisuke glanced back at his idiot coworkers and cleared his throat. “What… what is the meaning of this?”
The moment Daisuke finished, Haru’s flushed face reddened even more and he hastily covered his chest, which was exposed from the dress’s scandalously low v-line (it’s not that low, Haru’s just a bitch).
“Wh-what are you doing here?!” Haru shrilled, backing away. With every step, the room echoed the clicks of his heels.
Daisuke noticed the airy dress flowing along with Haru’s movements, giving the illusion of Haru swaying in the wind, dancing like a free spirit. He raised an eyebrow at Haru. “I… I’m here to work.”
Shinnosuke covered a chortle, bringing a fist to his mouth. He stared at the ground, fearing that he might burst if he were to look at either man.
“Don’t you think Kato’s pretty in this dress?” Mahoro piped up, and she grabbed Haru’s arm to pull him towards her. The dress moves along with Haru. “I think it suits him nicely, don’t you think?”
Daisuke nodded his head slowly. “Yes, yes it does.”
“S-shut up!” Haru spluttered. He raised his arms up, burying his red face in them. “It was a- i-it was a- a fuckin--”
“Kato lost a bet, so we forced him to wear this!” Teppei decided to help out his poor fellow coworker.
“I see…” Daisuke nodded slowly. “You look nice.”
“I-” Haru glared embarrassedly at the ground. He opened his mouth and closed it, unable to formulate a sentence properly.
“You look really nice,” Daisuke persisted, causing Shinnosuke to duck his head, bringing his other hand to cover his first hand.
Mahoro quickly looked back between the two men, her cheeks slightly pink, as she supportively grinned.
Teppei lost all interest and is just thinking about horse betting.
The chief hasn’t returned yet.
Haru wants to die. He wants the ground to swallow him up and bury him, so he could never show his shameful face to the earth again. “Thanks…”
“You… it fits your figure quite…” Daisuke gulped, “quite well.”
Shinnosuke let out an ‘eep’, and he shoved his hands in his mouth, unable to stop the tears forming in his mouth. His shoulders shook violently as he tried hard not to laugh out loud.
Haru, on the other hand, is unable to think properly anymore. He nodded, not trusting himself nor his voice.
“Dare I say,” Daisuke, the damn bastard, doesn’t stop and walks closer, his eyes focused on Haru as if Haru is the only thing in the Universe. Well. From his hyper-fixation on Haru, that might as well be true. “that you look… pretty.”
“SHUT UP!” Haru burst, unable to handle the embarrassment. His hyper red face looks ready to explode as well, any moment. “Wha-what the heck are you s-suddenly saying?! Are you nuts?!”
“Kato, you look-”
“I GET IT, SO STOP!” Haru screeched in a panicked tone. He cannot handle any more compliments and he is going to seriously combust if one more compliment escapes Daisuke’s lips.
“Kato,” Daisuke breathed.
The entire office froze at his tone, and everyone looked at him.
Mahoro looked flustered at the tone, and wondered if she should text Suzue to get her cousin.
Teppei snapped out of horse-betting-dreamland and gave Daisuke a shocked look. He wondered just how shameless the billionaire is, to utter Haru’s name in that shameless tone.
Shinnosuke’s silent laughing stopped as his eyes widened, and then he grinned a huge, shit-eating grin. ‘Ohoho’, he thought to himself.
Haru’s sure everyone can hear his erratic heartbeat. He flushed at Daisuke’s scandalous-sounding utter and glared at the oddly flustered billionaire. “I-I’m taking it off so-”
“NO!”
Haru flinched as the entire office, every single person, yelled at him.
“What?” He asked.
“You can’t take it off!” Mahoro cried. “You look too pretty! It’ll be a waste to take off such a dress!”
“What she said!” Shinnosuke nodded enthusiastically. He decided not to mention the real reason why he wants Haru to keep the dress on-- that Daisuke’s flustered state is absolutely hilarious to look at.
“You look pretty,” Teppei said, and decided not to add on to that when Daisuke fixed him a cold glare. “Pretty nice, that is.”
Daisuke opened his mouth, tried to think of the perfect words to make Haru swoon, and closed it. Finally, he said quietly, “Kato, you look… really pretty.”
Shinnosuke is a simple man. He cannot handle the pure hilariousness of the situation and burst into laughter, hunching over as he clutched his stomach. “HAHAHA THIS IS- I- BAHAHA I CAN’T! I CAN’T! THIS IS TOO HILARIOUS!”
Haru glared at him, but the strawberry dress made him look nothing less than an angel. “Don’t laugh,” he seethed cutely, and oh dear, Daisuke wondered if it’s the dress altering his image of his partner.
“Kamei, I advise you to stop laughing before I purchase your house and demolish it,” Daisuke warned him, effective because Shinnosuke immediately stopped laughing, and ineffective because Haru’s glaring at him.
Daisuke planned to meet Haru’s furious eyes- he did, really! Daisuke is no stranger to Haru’s glare and biting remarks, and Haru’s anger bursts.
But all those times, Haru was never in a strawberry dress.
Instead of seeing his partner glaring at him for blatantly using money for immoral reasons, Daisuke sees an angel giving him a chastising look, an adorable pout sitting in his lips.
Shit.
Haru begins preparing a speech about why Daisuke should stop using money like that, especially to their coworkers, doing it with criminals, he accepted by now, but not on their coworkers, damn bastard!
Haru’s words went inside Daisuke’s ears and came out the other, passing his brain completely.
“You look pretty,” Daisuke repeated, stopping Haru mid-sentence.
“For goodness sake,” Haru gritted, face red again, “stop mentioning that. It’s embarrassing.”
“Why?” Daisuke questioned genuinely. “You look wonderful. The dress-- it fits you well. The colors, the strawberry patterns- why it all compliments your skin and eyes.”
“Gah-” Haru brought his hands to his face again. “I- just- stop it already!”
Shinnosuke, despite Daisuke’s scary threat, wants to laugh again. He covered his mouth and prayed that he wouldn't laugh out loud.
Mahoro is just staring at the two awkward men, feeling oddly proud of herself. Daisuke’s reaction was never her intention, but she had planned Haru wearing the iconic strawberry dress. And she had planned for Daisuke to see Haru in his beautiful glory.
Teppei had ignored all the drama, not wanting Daisuke to throw him into the gulag for staring at Haru, and had gone to bet on horses on his computer. He’s tempted to ask HEUSC to help him cheat, but he decided not to. Daisuke might kill him for ruining the mood- whatever it is.
“Why should I stop? You- you’re gorgeous,” Daisuke continued, his brain filter having melted the moment he laid proper eyes on Haru.
“Argh!” Haru stomped over to Daisuke, his heeled shoes clicking as he expertly walked towards Daisuke. He grabbed Daisuke by the collar of his clearly expensive suit, bringing Daisuke’s face close to his. “Stop- fucking doing that! Shameless prick-”
Daisuke smirked as he allowed himself to be pulled forward. He made sure he is wearing his signature slow smirk, the one he knows infuriates Haru to no end.
“How much?”
“Wha-” Haru spluttered, and his left eye twitched, “I thought we got rid of that stupid ‘how much?’ thing!”
Respectfully, the other coworkers decided to go back to their work and respectfully ignore all the powerful aura of sexual-tension protruding from their two partners.
“How much for you to wear this again,” Daisuke whispered lowly, “only for me?”
Haru dropped the billionaire with a blank, flushed face. Daisuke fell to the ground with a surprised yelp, eyes wide, and suddenly he felt fear stabbing him. He said the wrong thing- he said the thing he knows Haru hates, and now Haru probably hates him.
Daisuke watched in silent shock as Haru wordlessly picked up the box containing his regular clothes and shoes, and stomped back to where Daisuke was.
Haru bent down, almost at level with Daisuke, and gave him a smirk of his own.
Daisuke sucked in a deep breath at the hot expression gracing Haru’s face.
“You don’t need money for that, dumbass,” Haru said, “just ask.”
“I-”
Haru straightened up and looked back to his coworkers, who were all respectfully staring at their computers (and are actually watching attentively).
“I’m changing now,” Haru announced, “thanks for letting me try out the dress, Saeki.”
“No problem!” The cheerful girl chirped from her seat.
Haru looked back down at Daisuke, who is still on the ground, shocked.
“Pfft,” Haru snorted and rolled his eyes at Daisuke’s expression, “get up already, idiot.”
Then, in a quiet whisper, one that the others cannot hear, Haru dropped his smile and lowly whispered, “Wait for me, at the end of the day.”
Daisuke, the damn simp, never realized how long the usual day is until this day.