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inabas_finestNanako was a good kid. Sweet, earnest. She was self-sufficient, able to take care of herself – hell, probably better at taking care of herself than Ryotaro was at taking care of himself, especially in the wake of his wife's death. All he'd ever been good for around the house was making coffee.
It broke his heart a little, coming home to find her curled up in front of the TV, waiting for him to get home. It was a small town, but police work meant long hours anyway – especially with the extra hours he put in, trying to solve his wife's case.
He'd felt a little torn, hiring a baby sitter. Nanako had always taken care of herself, but his friend from work was right; just because she could take care of herself didn't mean she should have to. Nanako had been fairly shy, but had started to come out of her shell, following his nephew living with them for the better part of a year. He and his friends had been a good influence on her, in the end.
What decided it was the glowing reviews he got from everyone he asked. Of course, it was just a trial run, really, but he was hoping it went well.
It didn't entirely catch him off-guard that his coworkers 'surprised' him by taking him out to drinks that night – he was a detective and it was his birthday. He figured that was more likely than not why they'd pushed the babysitter idea.
Finally, though, a few drinks in him, he made his way home, trying not to make too much noise as he came through the front door, in case Nanako was already asleep. Reaching up, he loosened his tie. It had been a good time, in retrospect, but he was glad to be home.
It broke his heart a little, coming home to find her curled up in front of the TV, waiting for him to get home. It was a small town, but police work meant long hours anyway – especially with the extra hours he put in, trying to solve his wife's case.
He'd felt a little torn, hiring a baby sitter. Nanako had always taken care of herself, but his friend from work was right; just because she could take care of herself didn't mean she should have to. Nanako had been fairly shy, but had started to come out of her shell, following his nephew living with them for the better part of a year. He and his friends had been a good influence on her, in the end.
What decided it was the glowing reviews he got from everyone he asked. Of course, it was just a trial run, really, but he was hoping it went well.
It didn't entirely catch him off-guard that his coworkers 'surprised' him by taking him out to drinks that night – he was a detective and it was his birthday. He figured that was more likely than not why they'd pushed the babysitter idea.
Finally, though, a few drinks in him, he made his way home, trying not to make too much noise as he came through the front door, in case Nanako was already asleep. Reaching up, he loosened his tie. It had been a good time, in retrospect, but he was glad to be home.
