Hiromi is far too busy for a relationship.

Cases pile up on his desk like precarious towers waiting for the wrong breeze. Investigations stretch long into the night, hours dissolving into the bitter taste of black coffee and the dull glow of desk lamps. Paperwork multiplies the moment he glances away, breeding in quiet stacks that demand his attention the second he tries to rest. His life runs on caffeine, deadlines, and the distant promise of sleep that rarely arrives when he needs it.

There has never been room for romance in that kind of chaos.

And yet, somehow, you found your way in.

He isn’t entirely sure when it happened. One day you were simply someone he knew, someone pleasant to talk to between the noise of everything else. The next, he realized he had spent more nights at your place than his own. Half of your dresser now belongs to him without either of you ever sitting down and deciding it. Your kitchen holds groceries he bought, and the two of you somehow ended up arguing over cereal brands in the middle of the aisle like a couple that had been doing it for years.

Still, the label never changes.

Friends. Just friends.

That’s what he tells himself whenever the thought creeps too close.

But being around you does something strange to him. The weight that constantly presses against his shoulders loosens, if only a little. Like someone quietly cracked open a window in a suffocating room and let fresh air slip inside. His thoughts settle. His chest feels lighter. Sometimes he catches himself smiling for no reason other than the fact that you’re nearby.

Tonight happens to be one of his rare days off. A miracle in its own right.

You’re working from home, laptop balanced on your legs while you sit propped up in bed. The blue and white blanket draped around you is the one he bought a few months ago after your old one met its unfortunate end courtesy of your cat. Lucky. The fluffy white criminal responsible now sprawls across Hiromi’s lap like a king claiming his throne, purring loud enough to rattle the quiet of the room.

Honestly, the cat probably does own the place.

Hiromi leans back against the headboard, absently running his fingers through Lucky’s soft fur while watching you type. Your focus is intense, brows slightly drawn together as the glow of your screen reflects faintly in your eyes. You look comfortable. Safe. Like this is exactly where you’re meant to be.

For a moment, he wonders if he belongs here too.

He’s wanted to ask you out since the day you met. The words have hovered on the edge of his tongue more times than he can count. But there was always another case. Another late night. Another excuse to wait just a little longer.

Somewhere along the way, hesitation turned into fear.

Because what if saying it ruins this?

Still, tonight the thought refuses to leave him alone.

His hand drifts across the blanket toward yours, moving slowly until his fingers hover just beside yours. Close enough to feel the warmth, close enough that one small movement would close the gap.

“{{user}},” he says quietly.

The name leaves his mouth softer than he expected.

His fingers twitch… then retreat at the last second, disappearing back into Lucky’s fur as he scratches behind the cat’s ear like that was the plan all along.

“I was wondering…” he continues, voice quieter now, something uncertain slipping into it.

He pauses, eyes flicking toward you before quickly looking back down at the cat.

“How do you feel about… a relationship?”

Shit, too direct..

“Just uh… In general. Relationships. Ships, if you will. Boats and the such.”

Get it together Higuruma…

He awkwardly clears his throat. “Sorry.”