(Originally published in Distracting Drabbles)

"Li, you coming? It's after seven."

Hei glanced up at Saitou, then over at the clock. He'd been hoping that the others wouldn't think to remind him, but they were all shutting off their computers and putting on coats; apparently everyone was leaving together. "Oh, right. Yeah, let me grab my jacket."

He took his time tidying up his work space, hoping that Misaki would be ready to go soon so that they could walk together. Arriving separately every morning and leaving at different times each night was starting to weigh on him - he wanted to be able to spend that time together with her. But she was worried that her other subordinates would notice, and be afraid that she would start playing favorites. So even after all these weeks at Section Four, their relationship was still an unofficial secret.

Misaki must be running late; when Saitou, Kouno, and Ootsuka showed no sign of impatience, Hei sighed to himself and picked up his jacket. He'd just put it on when she emerged from her office at last, carrying a stack of files.

"You're all leaving?" she asked in surprise.

"Matsumoto's first day out of the house," Kouno said, jerking his thumb towards the elevators.

"Oh, right. Well, have fun."

"Aren't you coming?" Hei asked.

"I have a lot of work to finish up…" She met his gaze, then looked down at the stack of papers in her arms. Then her eyes returned to his and she smiled. "But I guess it can wait. Where are you going again?"

"Usual place," Kouno said.

At Misaki's blank look, Saitou added, "The izakaya down the block."

"Okay; let me finish up a few emails, then I'll meet you guys there."

Hei trailed along after the others as they left the building, stuffing his hands in his pockets against the brisk autumn wind.

"I can't believe the Chief is actually coming," Saitou said. "I can't even remember the last time she came out for drinks with us."

Kouno shook his head. "Bet she never shows; she'll text later with an excuse."

"Hm, I don't think so. It was Li who asked her, after all."

Hei turned to Ootsuka in surprise. "What does that have to do with anything? I'm sure she wants to see Matsumoto."

But the liaison officer only smiled in response. Hei desperately hoped that Misaki would join them; she'd been invited too, after all, and hadn't said anything to him earlier about skipping it. The thought of her being there was the only thing giving him the confidence to face such a social situation.

Matsumoto was already waiting at the little gastropub when they arrived. He looked thinner than he had the last time that Hei had seen him - or maybe it was just the casual clothing - but he was standing tall in his walking cast. Ootsuka greeted him with a warm hug, while he exchanged claps on the back with the other two men. Hei started to bow, and nearly lost his balance when the older man instead reached out and squeezed his shoulder.

"None of that formal bullshit," Matsumoto said. "I wouldn't be standing here at all if it wasn't for your quick thinking."

"I didn't -" Hei began, but Matsumoto cut him off.

"A broken leg is a small price to pay. Come on - first round is on me."

Hei pulled up a chair next to Saitou, that old feeling of guilt rising up. Matsumoto shouldn't be thanking him.

To Hei's vast relief, Misaki arrived just as the server brought out the first round of drinks. She squeezed in between Hei and Ootsuka, ignoring the surprised stares from her subordinates, and peered into the shot glasses. "What is it?"

"Tequila," Ootsuka said. "Here, take mine - I'll go ask the bartender for another one."

Misaki wrinkled her nose at the alcohol. "Do they have wine here?"

Hei shrugged. "Probably. I can get you a glass."

But as he started to stand, Kouno waved him back down. "Everyone has to have their shot; Matsumoto paid, we can't insult him like that."

"Don't be ridiculous; the Chief can have whatever she likes."

"I'll drink hers," Hei offered.

Misaki raised her eyebrows. "You? I've never seen you drink so much as a beer, and you're going to have two shots of tequila?"

"Oh, Li, don't!" Ootsuka said, sitting back down with her own glass. "You can't overdo it like that if you're not used to drinking."

Hei slid Misaki's glass next to his own. "It's alright, I can handle it." Half of his jobs had been conducted in bars, meeting contacts or potential targets over drinks. The Syndicate's training had prepared him well.

But Misaki grabbed the glass and pulled it back in front of her. "Tequila's not my favorite, but I think I can manage one shot."

Whoops. Hei hadn't meant for that to sound like a challenge. He'd never seen Misaki drink more than one glass of wine, and even that was enough to give her a buzz. But like she said, it was just one shot…

Everyone raised their glasses to Matsumoto, then tossed them back. Misaki made the most adorable sour face at the taste of hers; Hei hid his smile behind his glass.

"Oof," she said, bright spots of pink blossoming on her cheeks. "One was definitely enough; I think I'll take that wine now."

"I'll get it," Hei offered. "Anyone else?"

Kouno went with him to the bar to get the orders filled. "I've never seen the Chief drink before," he said, glancing back at the table while they waited. "Bet you a beer that she drinks us all under the table."

"You think so?" Hei asked mildly.

"Yeah, easy. She's probably scary as hell when she's trashed, too - good thing I'll be passed out before she gets there. Whaddya say - bet?"

"Double or nothing?"

"You're on."

They headed back to the table with the next round of drinks. His new team had yet to learn that Hei never gambled, he mused as he handed Misaki her chardonnay. She thanked him with a smile.

Matsumoto was telling them about his recovery. Hei leaned back in his chair, one hand around his bottle to make it appear that he was drinking, and listened.

"…but I can't tell you how good it feels to finally be off of bed rest," Matsumoto finished. "I must have read every book in Tokyo."

Misaki let out an uncharacteristically loud giggle, then took a sip of wine. "It must have been so boring."

Matsumoto shrugged. "I was inspired by our resident author here to try my hand at a little writing; that helped to break up the monotony."

Ootsuka squealed and clapped her hands, nearly knocking over her beer in her enthusiasm. "Matsumoto, you write? What sort of stories - will you let me read them?"

"Just some poetry, here and there." He waved a hand. "Nothing impressive."

"Oh, don't be so modest, I'm sure they're wonderful."

The older man chuckled. "My wife said she liked them; but then, she would say that no matter how terrible they are."

Ootsuka nodded sagely. "Words are the way to a woman's heart. See, Saitou?" She poked his ribs; Saitou put on a pained expression. "Just like what I was telling you the other day. You won't get anywhere by suffering in silence. Chief, don't you think so?"

Misaki was giggling softly into her wine glass - which, Hei noticed in surprise, was nearly empty. Coupled with the shot earlier, this was the most he'd ever seen her drink; he wondered if he ought to hint that she slow down. Then again, Misaki knew her own limits; and there was something unbelievably endearing about those giggles.

"It depends on the words," she said, and snorted a laugh as if someone had just told a joke.

"Oh, but you probably prefer flowers, don't you?" Ootsuka continued, draining the last of her beer.

"That's right," Kouno said, perking up suddenly. "You never told us who your secret admirer is."

Saitou grunted. "Yes she did - it was a wrong address."

"Definitely the wrong address," Misaki said, her hand wandering across Hei's thigh to squeeze his knee. He raised his beer bottle to his mouth to hide his blush. Thank god the tabletop hid her actions.

"What was this?" Matsumoto asked.

Ootsuka looked like she was about to explain, but Misaki beat her to it. "A couple of weeks ago," she said with a giggle, "someone sent me some yellow tulips to cheer me up. At the office!" She barely got the words out before breaking into a loud laugh.

Matsumoto wore a bemused expression, as did Saitou, but the other two were laughing with her.

"What kind of idiot would do something like that?" Kouno wondered out loud.

"Not an idiot," Ootsuka countered, "just someone stupidly brave."

Misaki nodded, then shook her head. "I thought it was sweet."

"Brave and sweet?"

"Exactly!" Misaki abruptly leaned forward, pointing her finger at nothing; Hei caught her empty glass and moved it out of her reach. "So it's obvious."

"No it isn't?" Saitou seemed to be getting more confused by the moment; he finished his draft as the server stopped by to take more orders. Everyone except Hei and Misaki ordered another round.

"Anything for you, miss?"

Misaki looked up as if noticing the server for the first time. "More; yes. Wine please."

"Are you sure you should be getting another?" Hei couldn't help asking.

"Yes, I'm sure. I'm fine. You worry too much - always making such sad faces." She reached up and patted his cheek.

"Okay," was all he think of to say.

As soon as the waitress left, Kouno leaned towards Misaki. "Hang on, you never said."

"Said what?"

"Who the flowers were from."

She blinked. "Because it's obvious. BK-201."

Everyone stared at her in surprise; though no one could possibly be more surprised than Hei.

"The Black Reaper?" Saitou asked, nonplussed.

"Yes. The Rack Bleaper. I mean, the Reap Black - I mean, you know what I mean."

"…why would he send you flowers?"

"Because he's sweet. Obviously."

Hei wished that he had his mask on. Or better yet, that he wasn't even in the bar. Then again, over the past few minutes Misaki had been leaning closer and closer towards him, and he couldn't deny that it was nice. He took a large swallow of beer.

Ootsuka rested her chin on her hand. "People who wear masks all the time probably can't be all that sweet. I bet he's cute underneath it though."

"Why would you say that?" Kouno said, frowning. "Good-looking people don't hide their faces."

"He has super sexy collarbones," she stated. "At least, they were sexy in my dream. People with collarbones like that have to be cute. Just look at Li."

Hei jumped when Misaki ran her finger along his clavicle. He caught her hand and, for lack of a better alternative, placed it back on his knee.

She giggled. "Definitely cute."

"Careful, Chief," Matsumoto said, raising an eyebrow. "You don't want to get in trouble for harassing the recruits."

"He doesn't mind."

Hei shrugged helplessly. He didn't mind, in principle; but he was pretty sure that Misaki was going to regret being so openly affectionate in front of her team on Monday.

"I still don't buy that BK-201 can be sweet," Kouno said. "He's an assassin, and a contractor - they're not exactly known for their cheery personalities."

Ootsuka shook her head. "He did save me from that naked man in my dream - or was that the part that really happened? That night is still so confusing," she complained, pressing the heel of her hand to her forehead.

"He saves dolls, too," Misaki said. "Not naked though. At least, I hope not naked." She shot Hei a look that was probably supposed to be stern, but had far too much squint in it. Then she burst out laughing. "Except, remember when I ran into you in the mall, and you were buying women's lingerie? And you…" The rest of her words were lost in a fit of snorting giggles.

"Women's underwear?" Kouno asked. "Are we talking about BK-201 still, or Li?"

"Yes," Misaki said, taking a large gulp of wine. She flapped the collar of her shirt a bit, though it was quite cool in the pub.

Kouno turned to Hei, but he just shook his head. The other man shrugged, then said, with an eye on Misaki, "How about another round of tequila?"

Fortunately, Misaki was too lost in her quiet giggles to continue talking about BK-201, and the conversation meandered onto other topics. As they talked - and Hei listened - she sagged closer and closer to him. Without thinking, Hei put his arm around the back of her chair and she leaned into him happily. The others noticed; Saitou especially. From time to time Hei caught the detective stealing furtive glances at the two of them, his expression disconsolate.

For a moment, Hei cursed himself for his slip; he'd allowed himself to become too relaxed. Then he realized that he actually was comfortable to the point of letting his guard down in public, and the knowledge filled him with a surprised contentment.

The tequila shots arrived; to Hei's quiet apprehension, Misaki sat up to take one. They all downed their shots, saluting Matsumoto again. Hei surreptitiously spit his back out into his mostly-full beer bottle. He felt a bit guilty for it, but the feeling fled at the obvious flush in Misaki's cheeks.

"Matsumoto," she said, leaning across Hei as the others drifted into side conversations, "I need to tell you - I need to tell you I'm sorry."

"Sorry for what, Chief?" The older man looked genuinely confused, though Hei knew exactly what Misaki was talking about.

She gestured at the tabletop, as if she could see through it. "Your leg. It's my fault. I shouldn't have sent you two on that assignment."

The normally stoic officer gave her a warm smile. "Chief, don't worry about it. You didn't know there were two contractors there; nobody knew. And you didn't send me out there alone - if it hadn't been for Li, I might have been in real trouble."

"I know." She gripped Hei's shoulder and tried to fix his gaze, eventually settling on staring at his nose. "Hei, from now on, you're everybody's backup."

He shook his head. "I keep telling you, it's not your fault." He hesitated, then added what he'd been avoiding telling her for the past month. "I saw a stray specter, and instead of realizing what it meant, I was focused on pretending that I couldn't see it. If I'd acted faster, Matsumoto wouldn't have been hurt at all. It's my fault."

Her eyes narrowed; but instead of the censure that he'd been expecting, she jabbed his chest with a finger and said, "You keep saying that I need to stop blaming myself, because everybody shits in the field."

"That's not -" he began, but she overrode him.

"That goes for you too. If it's not my fault, it's not your fault either."

He stared at her, speechless; on his other side, Matsumoto was regarding him with a thoughtful expression on his face.

"So the contractors were using a doll?" Matsumoto asked.

Shit. "I mean…" Hei tried; but there was no covering up that he'd just admitted to being able to see specters.

But to his surprise, the older man just nodded. "Useful skill to have in the field; it'll make some of our missions a helluva lot simpler, I'm sure."

Hei shot a quick glance at the others, but they were deep in discussion about whatever new club Kouno had discovered and hadn't heard his slip.

"Don't worry about it," Matsumoto said. "Tell them in your own time."

"Um, thanks," Hei managed at last, feeling more grateful than ever to the veteran member of the team. They sat in silence for a long moment, until Misaki's head sagged against his chest. "Tired," she murmured.

"You probably shouldn't have had that second shot," he told her.

"Shut up."

Hei smiled. He disentangled himself from her so that he could stand and put on his jacket.

"Are you leaving?" Ootsuka asked, looking up abruptly as Hei helped Misaki to her feet. Kouno and Saitou broke off their conversation, the former eying the two of them with interest while Saitou stared openly.

Hei hoped that this wouldn't make things too awkward on Monday, but he couldn't leave Misaki on her own, like this. "She needs to get home," he explained.

"Do you know where she lives?" Matsumoto asked.

Misaki interrupted before Hei could answer. "Of course he does - he lives there too."

Saitou nearly choked on his beer; Ootsuka's mouth dropped open.

"Uh," Hei said, fighting the rising heat in his cheeks. "I needed to move on short notice, and she offered to let me stay for a while; it's not like I have a key or anything."

Misaki gripped the sleeve of his jacket to keep from falling over. "You don't need a key, you just pick the lock. I have one for you though. Key."

He turned to her in surprise. "You do?"

She frowned, slightly cross-eyed, at him. "I was going to give it to you on your birthday, except you can't remember when it is, like a normal person. Anyway, you get weird about weird things. Haha, weird weird…"

"Well, we should…go," Hei said, rubbing the back of his head awkwardly. "See you all on Monday, I guess."

He led Misaki out of the bar as fast as he dared. Misaki was going to be horrified to find out what she had let slip tonight; Hei would have preferred everyone knowing that he was the Black Reaper to her having to deal with whatever the fallout with her subordinates would be. Though, they had looked more surprised than upset…Hei just hoped that everyone was too drunk to remember the conversation clearly come the new week.

The night had cooled off considerably; despite the flush in her cheeks, Misaki began shivering almost as soon as they stepped out onto the sidewalk.

"Where's your coat?" Hei asked.

She halted in the middle of the sidewalk and half-raised a pointing hand; she looked back at the bar, started to take a step towards it, then turned and stumbled against him.

"Car," she mumbled.

He started to pull his arm out of his sleeve, but Misaki pressed in close against his chest.

"Don't want your jacket," she said. "Just want you."

Hei wrapped his arm around her waist and pulled her close. "Why don't we walk home; we can pick up your car in the morning."

"Mm," was all Misaki said. Hei smiled as the warmth of her body seeped into his blood. Maybe Monday wouldn't be so bad after all.