bakerstreet | Won't tell anyone about the way you hold my hand.

Won't tell anyone about the way you hold my hand.

SECRET relationship;

The fact that you're in a relationship with this person isn't public knowledge. Actually, no one knows about it except for the people involved. Maybe you guys are just private like that; on the other hand, it may be a necessity to keep things a secret from others. Maybe you're both team mates, and others on the team would give you grief, or you're not suppose to be dating, or you're not the type to usually date and you're only testing the waters. Perhaps it's the combination of you two, possibly an odd couple, that would bring some controversy or some teasing. Or, you know, you could not want to deal with friends and relatives being busybodies. Your reasons are your own.

Are you content with stealing moments to be together as a couple? Do you want to make your relationship known and the fact that you can't drives you batty? Remember, there are lots of benefits to dating in secret. You can be yourselves completely, away from prying eyes, and get to know each other better as potential longterm romantic partners. In a way, it's ideal.

...still, do you ever wish you could scream from the rooftops how much you care for your significant other?

how to play.

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Play out stolen moments (◡‿◡✿), secret dates (◕‿◕✿), secret handholding (⊙‿⊙✿), and secret kissing ( /)w(\✿)!

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[ooc: I kinda adore nervous Kanji, mostly because he's adorable, but either works for me. Whichever you'd rather play with.]

[He takes a deep breath and ... yeah, not helping.

[It's taking a lot of effort not to freak out, because ... just because, okay. Situation's weird, he doesn't know what to do. He keeps telling himself that it's cool, that they're just being ...

[Wait, what did Naoto call it? Oh yeah. 'Clandestine.' Like they're spies or something. Doesn't really make him feel any less nervous about getting caught by one of the others. Seriously, he'd never hear the end of it from any of 'em. Especially Yosuke-senpai and Teddie.

[Then there's the matter of what just being around Naoto does to him. Ah, crap. He can just feel his face getting all read thinking about it. He was hoping that'd stop now that they're actually, y'know ... Dating? He thinks?

[Whatever. He pushes it from his mind, tries the whole deep breathing thing again, and it actually helps a little bit. He still feels like he's got a jackhammer in his chest, but it's a step in the right direction. Good thing too, considering it was almost one. She'd be here soon and ... great. Face is getting all red again. He's thinking about it way too much.

[It took Naoto too long, she thinks, to get ready for the meeting with Kanji. For one of the first times, she felt like she needed to care about what she was wearing and her appearance.

Twenty minutes later, she reminded herself that this was supposed to be just a friendly meeting for some food. Nothing would have changed. Except the fact that everything had changed. She could not deny that she has a connection with Kanji that she's never had with anyone else ever, so she grabbed one of her usual outfits, and left.

Precisely on time, as usual, Naoto arrives, a bit of red in her cheeks that just did not want to go away. Walking up to him, she smiles, a rare truly happy smile.]

Good afternoon, Kanji-kun.

[He's just about managed to get the red out of his cheeks by the time he hears her coming. He turns on his heels to face her and an idea just sorta pops into his head. He almost never sees her smiling like that.

[Usually it's this tiny, reserved little thing. It's like she's almost trying to hide it or something. Not right now though. It, ah, it's nice to see. Nice enough that he starts smiling too as soon as he sees her. 'Specially because, y'know, maybe he had something to do with that ...

[Awww, dammit, his face is getting all red again! Crap.]

Hey, Naoto.

[Least his voice was steady. Didn't give away the butterflies in his stomach, at least as far as he could hear. Though given the whole Detective Prince thing, maybe it was obvious to her ... He's gotta stop thinking about it before he gets all self-conscious about it.]

So, uh, where did you wanna go? I figure Junes and Marukyu are kinda out of the question ...

[Standing and looking up at him, Naoto smiles again, still surprisingly open. She thinks for a moment, trying not to blush even more. Kanji really is highly adorable when he is blushing and uncertain.

Her own emotions skip a bit, as it truly hits her how much his reaction is because of her and the fact that she is there, and they are actually going on what is likely a true date, however much they are not telling anyone.

Get it together, Shirogane, she thinks, finally answering his question.]

Hm. There is a new restaurant a few blocks away that Grandfather told me about. Very few people have found it yet, so it would be a good place for us, as it is out of the way.

[She shrugs her tiny shoulders a bit, thoughtfully.

Sounds good to me.

[Some of the nerves were dying down a bit. It mighta thrown him off at first, but how open she's being is kinda helping. It's always hard to get a fix on her before. To know what's going on in her head, and figuring it out always tripped him up. Yeah, he's still nervous, like seriously nervous, but he's starting to get just a little more comfortable.

[He takes a step forwards, towards the end of the alley that opens up to the main road, but he stops.]

We, uh ... should we be taking the back roads or what?

[They are kinda smack in the middle of town. Not like it was impossible one of their friends could see them if they just went waltzing up the main street.]

[Naoto is relaxing as well, posture relaxing more than slightly, and, somewhat without realizing it, her voice is just a bit higher than usual. If she thought about it, she would realize that just being with him is a calming influence she didn't know she needed.

There is another tiny shrug before she speaks.]

To be fair, everyone does know that we are friends, so I do not feel too compelled to be that clandestine.

[Another of her amused, tiny smiles.]

Besides, I took the liberty of tracking down some people's schedules. Everyone is busy at the moment.

[She makes a good point, so he nods. He's not sure if just walking out makes him more or less comfortable though. It's ... weird. The news about everyone being busy though, that's good. That makes him just a little easier.]

Oh, yeah. Good thinkin'.

[He really shouldn't be surprised she came up with that. It's just something that would never have occurred to him.]

So, uh, lead the way.

[He smiles, seeming just a little more at easy. He's here, he's with her, they're not gonna get spotted. Screw it. He's gonna have fun with it.

[Y'know, when his heart stops freaking out and slows down a bit.]

[She nods and leads him down the street, hands in her pockets, and more relaxed than she has been in a while. There's another feeling somewhere down in her chest, a bit of a flutter that happens every time she looks up at him, but, she realizes, it's something that she rather likes.

After about a block's worth of silence, she finally speaks.]

So, how has your day been thus far? Anything particularly interesting?

[Well ... at least he's not the only one getting that feeling. Then again, he gets it any time she's around, so it ain't exactly new. It used to freak him out, real bad, but now ... now it's actually kinda nice.]

Uh, not really ... been kinda slow. [He chuckles nervously and rubs the back of his neck.] Just mindin the shop while Ma was out. Y'know, getting ready for tonight.

[Was that a little much? Like, did he sound clingy or fixated or ... god. This sorta thing never bothers him. Why the hell is it happening now.]

[She laughs a bit, more of a soft chuckle than her even rarer actual laugh.]

It is about the same for me as well. Other than minding a shop. Grandfather wanted me to look over a case file he was working on, so that took up much of my afternoon. I do not know why he felt the need for my assistance on that particular case, as it was extremely straightforward.

[She starts speaking, a bit more animatedly, a bit more nervously. The more agitated she gets, the more she babbles. However, she catches herself, and takes a deep, calming breath. No, this is simply Kanji. There is no need to be nervous. Right?]

[Yeah. Totally. No reason at all. Least that's what he keeps telling himself. He figures if he keeps saying it he's gotta start buying it eventually, right?

[He hopes, because he feels like everything he's doing, he's messing up. When it's quiet, he feels like he should say something.]

I dunno. Maybe it wasn't?

[And when he actually does talk, he just wishes he'd kept his mouth shut.]

I mean, if there was something I couldn't figure out, you or senpai'd be the first people that I'd go to.

Perhaps. Sometimes I think he gives me files as a test.

[Naoto shrugs, but she does not seem bothered by it. Grandfather Shirogane does things like that quite a lot.]

If there ever is anything you need, you know you can come to me, correct? I want to help if I can.

[She looks up at him, a tiny pink in her cheeks, and a bit of a hopeful expression. She rarely gets to use her talents for her friends, and especially for someone she cares about as much as Kanji.

It isn't long before they're in front of a small ramen shop on a back street. An amazing smell is wafting out from the front door.]

Here we are. It's not Aiya, but it is quite excellent.

What kinda test?

[Maybe he does, but Kanji hasn't met the guy. Seems kinda weird to be just handing that stuff over as some kinda test. At least in Kanji's mind, she doesn't have anything left to prove. She IS a freakin detective. The police actually call her for things, even if some of them are jackasses about it. How many people can actually do that. Far as he knows, like three. And most of 'em aren't real.]

Yeah, I know. After everything with the TV world, I know you've got my back. But, uh, that goes both ways, y'know? [He smiles, but he clams up and quickly adds.] Not that I don't think you can handle stuff, but I don't know, if you ever needed it ...

[Not that he knows what he could help her with. He's not exactly part of the brain trust, especially not next to her. Sure, he could hit stuff, but if he learned anything from Senpai, it's that that option doesn't really lead to good places. He starts running his mouth and swinging his fists, it usually means trouble, and trouble's the last thing he wants for Naoto. Even if he doesn't really know how to put it into words, he cares too damn much.

[He stops, breathing in the smell of the broth and cooking meats from inside of the shop. Damn, that smells good. It's got his mouth watering.]

Hey, I'm not complaining. I mean, it's food, right?

[He takes a step towards the door, but for the second time today he stops in his tracks. All of a sudden he just feels weirdly self-conscious.]

Am I ... am I dressed right for this? Like, I didn't put on anything special or nothing ...

[He idly fingers the collar of his jacket. Great. He's worrying about his clothes now too.]

He challenges me to be a better detective. There are always ways I can improve, ways to put things together more quickly, to know better questions to ask, and so I can solve cases more quickly. He really does mean well.

[She's always known that he means well, even though they do not connect as well as they could sometimes.

A blush crosses her face as he speaks.]

Thank you, Kanji. It means a lot to me that I know you have my back no matter what. Sometimes everyone needs someone with them.

[She pauses as he stops, and before she can really think twice, she reaches over to put a hand on his arm.]

You need not fuss, Kanji. I think you are dressed quite well. As you can see, I am not wearing anything special either.

[It's funny. A few weeks ago, all those funny feelings he had just from her being around woulda had him flipping out. It still sends his heart racing and flushes his face red, but it just ... it feels right. When he figures out a better way to say it he will, but just being closer to her feels right. Like it's where he's supposed to be.

[It doesn't stop his heart from pounding in his chest though. Mostly because of that fear of messing things up and a whole lotta hormones he hasn't completely wrapped his head around.]

Yeah, it's, ah, ... just never really done this before. I don't really know how it goes, I just figured, y'know, it's supposed to be nice. Kinda fancy or something.

[C'mon damn it. It isn't that hard.]

[She smiles up at him, the fluttering in her chest a bit louder, a bit more prominent in this moment. A part of her wonders what she's doing, wonders why she's feeling so... odd around him, but for once, she has made the choice to let her emotions out and follow her heart that she didn't even know she had. Kanji knows all of her, and seems to care in spite of it all. It's a bit scary, but that has never stopped her before.]

Neither have I, Kanji. We will simply have to figure it out together. From what I know, there are times to be fancy, but there are other times that people are simply together. I think you are just fine. Shall we go in?

[Even if she isn't, she seems so calm about it. Like she's not feeling that same knee-jerk panic that he is. Like she's got enough confidence at how this all works out, even when she's saying she's got no idea how it's supposed to work. It's weird. Weird, but kinda soothing. He can feel the calm starting to rub off on him, and he stops fidgeting with his jacket.]

Yeah ... sounds good to me.

[He almost walks in ahead of her. Almost, but uh-uh, he's got manners, and he's gonna hold the little flaps of the door open for her like a gentleman.]

[Naoto has spent many years trying to look cool and collected when she is absolutely not. Part of her is worried that trying dating would lose her a friend that she cares deeply for, but on the other hand, it is certainly worth it.

She looks up at him and smiles, a rare, unguarded, cheerful smile, and walks through the door. Once inside, a waiter leads them to a table. Seated, she looks over, suddenly just a bit awkward. Now it's starting to truly feel real.]

I certainly hope the food is as good as I've been told, or as good as it smells.

[Yeah ... there it is. They're on a date. The hell is he supposed to do now? Even after the moment they had at the door, that same awkward silence from the first block settles in. He starts grasping for words, looking for something to say, but luckily for him, she pipes up first.]

Guess we're gonna find out, right? [He shrugs.] How'd you find out about this place again? Your grandpa told you?

[Naoto nods, glad for something to talk about. It's odd, really. When they are studying, or between classes, or with the group, it is easy to come up with things, but now, just the two of them, it is suddenly awkward.]

Yes. He tends to keep up on things in town. I believe the owner is someone he assisted with a case once. Now that I think of it, Grandfather has helped quite a few people in Inaba with various cases.

[Yeah, awkward's the word for it. It's kinda worrying him actually. 'S this normal, or is it a bad sign, or ... he doesn't know.]

Really? What kinda case?

[Because, ah, don't detectives usually solve murders and stuff? Seems like something he should probably figure out if they're gonna be eating the food, y'know?]

He was accused of embezzlement from a former employer. Grandfather was able to prove that he was completely innocent.

[She shrugs. While she personally tends toward mostly murder cases, she does do other sorts of cases, and Grandfather Shirogane takes even more different kinds.

Before she can say anything, a waiter brings a menu. On the menu is a fairly wide selection of traditional Japanese foods, along with a few more dating dishes.]

Ohhh, gotcha.

[Okay, so there wasn't like, people in the food or nothing. That's good.

['Specially because the menu's looking pretty good. He's eyeing some takoyaki until he notices the whole 'Dating Dishes' section. Splitting a big thing for two? That really something people do on these things?]

So, uh ... whatcha thinking?

[He's trying to be subtle, but probably just ended up being too vague.]

[Naoto laughs softly.]

Do not worry, Kanji. The owner did not put people in the curry or something similar.

[She shrugs, eyeing the menu, and looks over at him.]

I had not truly decided. We... could split something if you would like.

Won't tell anyone about the way you hold my hand.

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You and me both, so ... Forgive my rust. Haven't pulled him out in a little while.

No worries!

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Was out for most of the day, sorry!

Don't worry about it, it's all good

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