Disclaimer : I don't own the characters. However, this story is mine !
This is the translation of the original story, in french, Bonne année inspecteur. That's the first time that I translate in this way (french → english, and not english → french), so, please, be nice. :)
Special thanks to legalronin who kindly offered to proof-read it, she saved you from some big, big, mistakes. Thank you again !
That's not exactly the story I wanted to wrote, but that's the best I suceed do to, after a lot of thinking and blank page syndrome. But I wanted to write an Happy New Year story, so, here I am !
I't's a bit late for a New Year Eve story, but my internet connection isn't working that well, so...
Have a good reading !
XOXOXOXOXO
« Can somebody tell me why it's always the newbie who's taking care of what others don't want to do ? »
The forensic doctor Tokio Takagi was cursing out loud. She just had been transferred at the third district morgue. Before that, she was a forensic doctor assistant at the first district, and she was happy to finally obtain the job she had studied for. Only, she had arrived at the beginning of December, and she had been the one designated to be on duty for the New Year's Eve. She was certain that it was the ritualistic hazing for new arrivals at the morgue. The living one, of course. After all, she wasn't alone, even if the other people here couldn't speak anymore.
It was supposed to be a quiet night : even criminals take a break for New Year. There wasn't even an autopsy to do. Only, the district hospital had call sooner in the evening. Their morgue was having technical issues, and many of their dead had to be moved.
Such a good way to end the year, thought Tokio as she watched the clock display 23:15pm. Well, it's not like if you had anywhere to go to. She had turned her back on her family a few years ago, after refusing an arranged wedding, and her – rare – friends were all with their relatives.
She violently jumped when a voice behind her answers the question she had voiced out loud. « Because it's tradition ? »
« Detective! Stop sneaking around like a thief ! »
Detective Hajime Saitou smirked while she caught her breath. This man was impossible. From their first encounter, Tokio knew that she only had two options with him. She could either make war, or make love. She didn't know what it said about her or her life that she wanted to follow the second option after only two minutes of conversation with the man.
Since this day, they were playing a pas de deux that no one could understand. Not even them.
« What are you doing here ? » she asked when she succeed in catching her breath.
« I'm on duty. »
It took Tokio awhile to answer, because a bunch of inappropriate thought crossed her mind, like every time they crossed pathes. « Your not a newbie, though. »
He had this twisted grin that put her knees iton jelly, and she lifted her chin to face him. He shrugged his shoulders. « I volunteered. »
She smiled, forgetting for a while her inappropriate thoughts. « Your not the 'Happy New Year' type of guy, are you ? »
« A change of year dosn't change the world. »
« It's mostly an occasion to catch up with your family. »
He grumbled « My family, the less I see of her, the better I feel. »
Tokio nodded her head. « I totally understand that. » She paused, put down the papers she had in her hands, then looked him in the eyes. « What can I do for you, detective ? »
She appreciate much more than she would admit the sparkle now shinning in his golden eyes, because of the tempting tone of her voice. « To speak the truth, I saw the light and came here to see who was here. »
She took a step closer. « Really ? »
Squinting his eyes, he smiled. « I may have heard that you were on duty this evening. »
« Ah. » She shook her head, faking tragedy. « I knew that my natural charm will cause me trouble one day. »
He leaned down toward her, until his face was around eight inches of hers. « You have no idea. »
XOXOXOXOXO
This girl was going to drive him crazy one day. It was as simple as that.
He knew it since the first moment he had lay an eye on her. At this time, she had been sticking a thermometer into a victim's leaver. There had been more glamorous encounters. Well, to be honest, he knew it the moment when, after asking her if she was sure of the time of death – without saying hello, or even trying to be polite – she had curtly answered that yes, except if the thermometer was broken. But that she would be happy to try on him to be sure. Obviously, all the cops and the scientists around them had watched her like she had two heads. No one, absolutely no one, spoke like that to Hajime Saitou. And certainly not on the first encounter.
The entire police station had heard of the story withinin two hours.
Especially because the dark look he had given her didn't even make her flinch. Since then, each of their meeting was a battle of wits and double-entendre, and, of course, their famous exchanges of looks. They were both expert in the art of saying their guilty thought with their eyes, indeed.
Like in this moment.
He would have believed that she didn't understand that she was playing with fire, but that wasn't the case. She knew perfectly well what she was doing, and – worst of all – she knew the effect she had on him.
She winked at him before moving back. She was worse than an eel, always slipping from his hands every time he thought he had caught her. She was doing that on purpose.
And he, like a fool, kept trying.
Saito decideds that insisting wasn't going to help, he looked around him, surprised by the number of admission forms half complete on her desk.
« The morgue is filled ? »
She sighed. « Almost. The hospital's morgue is having a technical issue with the, so, they send them here. »
« You have autopsies to do ? »
She shook her head. « No. It's only natural or accidental deaths. No murder victims. »
XOXOXOX
Tokio pulled her chair towards her and sit, waving for him to do the same. Instead of taking the chair in front of her, he sat on the desk corner. She looked reproachfully at him, but he didn't move, of course. The day he listens to her, pigs will fly. She finished the last admission form, feeling Saitou's gaze on her. She made an effort to stay focus on her work, but, with him, it's wasn't that simple.
Once she finished, she leaned back on her chair. Lifting her head towards the policeman, she asked : « Are you hungry ? »
He squinted his eyes. « I'm not eating anything coming from a morgue fridge. »
She burst out laughing. « It's my office fridge. I assure you that it never contain anything but food. »
« You're sure ? »
Tokio pouted. « Well, not since I've been using it, at least. I don't know about before. » She paused, giving him a mischievous look. « But, you know, a dead human, it's only flush and bones. Someone would eat that. »
He hit her gently on the head, as a punishment for her mocking tone. Like every forensic doctor, she had a weird humor. Well, so did he.
She stood up, went to open the little fridge in one corner of the room, get two glass containers out of it, with airtight plastic lid. She put them off before swiping the boxes in the microwave, that sat near the fridge.
« What is it ? » asked Saitou.
« My grandmother's famous turkey with chestnuts recipe. »
Saitou raised and eyebrow. « I thought you were more traditional food type. »
« My grandmother was French. For her, this is traditional. »
He nodded. « And it's good ? »
Tokio gave him an impish smile. « You see, you're hungry ! Wait two more minutes, is almost done. »
She waved for him to take the chair in front of her. Instead, he move the chair so it was place by her side.
When she placed one of the boxes before him, he asked : « Why did you bring two portions ? »
She blushed slightly, before lifted proudly her chin, looking him straight in the eyes. « I may have heard that you were on duty this evening. »
« Déja vu... »
They looked at each other before bursting with laughter. Then, Tokio handed him a fork. « Here. »
XOXOXOX
Saitou smiled while he watched the young woman besides him, who had just taken her first mouthful. He had trouble to recognize it himself – he wasn't used to feel that way – but she was damn cute.
He admonished himself inside his mind, before pulling himself together. Since a month, he was getting irritate about the effect she had on him. With women, he was the one leading the dance. And none of the women who had share his bed – some briefly his life – had touched him like Tokio did.
It was maybe time to stop fighting his instincts, to accept them, even if it wasn't easy to give up on his control.
He shook his head, and, seeing the interrogative look Tokio gave him, out of her culinary reverie, he shrugged his shoulders, and took a mouthful of food with his fork.
XOXOXOXOX
Tokio raised her eyebrows, smiling, watching Saitou swallowed his last mouthful of turkey. Clearly, he enjoyed the meal : he had barely said a word, while he was emptying conscientiously his box.
« You know, I have more of that at my house, if you like it that much... »
She hadn't planned to arouse him, but the tone of her voice had given to the sentence a whole dimension she hadn't seen coming. Where was the world going if she couldn't even trust her own tongue ?
Saitou's predator look landed on her. A little part of herself – the yellow-belly one – wanted him to raise an eyebrow as he was so good to, et turn her sentence into a joke. Neither he or she had been that direct in their words before, even if they never hide their mutual attraction.
The biggest part of herself wanted only one thing : that he get closer. What he did, placing his elbow on the desk and leaning back towards her. « You're inviting the wolf in the sheepfold ? »
« I'm not a lamb, detective. » Tokio's voice was rough. Saitou's wasn't much clearer.
« Really ? » he asked, his golden eyes sticked into hers. « I do have the feeling that you could be devoured, though. »
She get closer again, instead of backing off. « All depends on who of us is the lamb... »
Tokio brushed his lips with hers, moving back before he could get the kiss deeper. « I'm maybe the hunter after all. »
He blinked, surprise, before smiling dangerously and bringing his mouth closer to hers. « Did you just dare to compare me to a lamb ? »
Tokio stood up from her chair to seat astride on the policeman's laps. She pulled her arms around his neck, and put her lips on his. For real this time. When they spread up, a long time after the beginning of the kiss, she gave him a Machiavellian smile, who wouldn't have shocked on Saito's face. « Happy New Year, detective. »
On the wall, the clock was indicating midnight.
END.
XOXOXOX
One or two things about the story :
I had to make French roots to Tokio (it's not national chauvinism, it's just that it's a country I know, so I know what we eat for the New Year), and also because I wanted to say she had blue eyes (that scene was a director cut ^^), and it was coming from her granny.
I used french words like 'déja vu' et 'pas de deux', because I heard that many time on TV series, so, I guess English say that sometimes.
About the wolf and the lamb, I know it's not the English expression, but I choose to keep the french equivalent (laisser le loup entrer dans la bergerie / let the wolf get in the sheepfold), instead of ''set the cat among the pigeons''. First, because of the whole 'Wolf of Mibu' thing, secondly, because a lamb, it's not the best comparison on earth, but it's still better than the pigeon. No ? ^^
I apologize for any orthografic mistakes or non-sence who could have pass troughy the double check.