Non-challenge: A Policeman's Tale (Day 17)
Title: A Policeman's Tale (Day 17)
Author: ytak
Word count: 1001
Rating (chapter): K (G)
Rating (whole story): T (PG-13)
Comments: Fluff! Story also posted here (one chapter behind).
Day 1 | Day 2 | Day 3 | Day 4 | Day 5 | Day 6 | Day 7 | Day 8 | Day 9 | Day 10 | Day 11 | Day 12 | Day 13 | Day 14 | Day 15 | Day 16
Day 17
The silence in the file room weighed heavily on its lone occupant. He sat at a table worn smooth from thousands of papers shuffled across it over the decades. In one corner, a single computer sat on, waiting for new information to be added to it. The minutes passed quietly with only the sound of paper being moved around breaking it.
Takagi glanced nervously at the clock ticking away on the wall. His only company, at present, lay on the pages and in the photos of the Ogura case. Looking at this case ranked quite low on the list of things he wanted to do any normal day but it ranked even lower now that it was Christmas. Still, it needed to be done and it was a good way to kill time.
One thought in particular brightened his mood and made working on the case more tolerable, Miwako-san will be here soon! It's worth coming in early to try to finish up this case and its details.
The thought of seeing her compelled him to work through the pile of papers with renewed vigor. After twenty minutes of sorting, he found he could now place the papers, notes and photos in the appropriate spots. He jumped and nearly fell from his chair when he felt something touch his shoulder. “Ack!” he exclaimed. Turning around allowed him to witness Sato doubled-over, red-faced with suppressed laughter. A moment more passed before she could not contain it any longer and it burst out, echoing in the empty room.
A few minutes passed before she could compose herself enough to look at him without laughing. “I'm sorry,” she said, “I didn't think you were working that intently. I swore you heard me call your name.” She poked him in the shoulder, “you even grunted in response.”
Takagi turned a bright red. “I, um, was kind of focused on a case,” he laughed with embarrassment. Sato began to laugh again but calmed down much sooner than before.
She pulled up a chair next to his and glanced at the Ogura case and shook her head sadly. “I have to wonder why you called me out to meet you here, especially in such an unusually formal way. I don't think you want to talk about this case since is it basically wrapped up.”
“That's not what I wanted to talk with you about,” he said as he pushed the case files away from himself and reached under the table. Sato started at his sudden movement but could not help but look on curiously. “I really didn't want to make anyone suspicious and it seemed like the best way.”
From the box he originally carried all the Ogura case files in, he pulled out the pretty gift bag with all the gifts he bought for her. “I wanted to give you this today.” He handed her the bag with a simple, “Merry Christmas, Miwako-san.”
For a moment, she could not say anything. With a shy smile, she took the gift, “Thank you.” Her grin grew teasing, “Am I supposed to open it now, Wataru-kun?”
He rubbed his head, embarrassed, “If you want to.” She grinned at his shy response and turned he attention to the gift bag.
Takagi watched anxiously as she untied the ribbons and opened it up. An unusually shy smile graced her face as she looked over each gift. It grew larger as she pulled out each part of the present.
The presents lay spread out on the table and silence descended on the pair, for Takagi found he was a loss for words. Abruptly, he began to look for the dinner invite. It was the one thing he had not put in the bag.
His abrupt motion startled Sato and made her look at him curiously. “Wataru-kun,” Sato began but trailed off as she watched Takagi rummaging around his pockets and box for something.
With a sigh of relief, he pulled out the dinner invitation, “Um, Miwako-san, would you like to go to dinner with me sometime?” He began to babble, “It's not a really fancy place but its nicer than the average place and has really good food-” He was cut off from further speech by a gentle kiss.
“I'd love to go out to dinner with you,” she said, a big grin cutting across her face. “I don't suppose you have a date picked out?”
Takagi shook his head, “I wanted to find out when would be convenient. With our schedules the way they are now, that might be tricky.”
“We'll figure something out,” she said.
They jumped apart at the sound of footsteps echoing down the hall, coming closer and closer. Together they breathed a sigh of relief when they passed on down the hall without stopping or slowing down.
The spell broken, she gave him a quick hug and a peck on the cheek. He returned the hug but chickened out on returning the peck (it had all gone so well, why take a chance in messing it up at this point?). “I'll see you later,” she said, slipping out of the room, the gift bag swinging from one hand. At that moment, he realized that she carried her purse in the other hand. It warmed him to know that she planned on making him the last stop of the day and he felt a little relieved, too. The other officers were less likely to see the gifts and wonder who they came from.
Takagi stared at the vacant doorway for a moment longer before turning back to his paperwork with a resigned sigh. It remained for him to input the case into the police database. He could not recall doing it sooner, which basically meant that he would be working on that most of the night.
Despite the gravity and the amount of the work, his spirits were buoyed by seeing Sato and her joy in receiving the gifts from him.