Takigawa smiled as he walked up his driveway towards the small house. He'd left Charlie to head back to the station with the car. He couldn't help replaying the look on his face when Mai had forced a hot cup into his hands. Hot thirium. A blue-blood latte. He was sure Charlie had been touched on some level. He'd watched him drink and analyse it cautiously. He was curious about how it tasted. He wasn't about to try it himself, but he was sure it made a nice change to cold thirium packs. Mai had joked that she was thinking of making it a regular menu item. It was cute. There probably wouldn't be a huge market for it, considering what was going on, but it was nice that Mai was so thoughtful.

"Anyone here?" Takigawa called as he entered, unsure whether Ayako would have been and gone already. He'd noticed the lights were on as he'd come up the path, but that didn't mean anything. His lamps were on a timer, set to turn on at around five every night. He shivered a little as the warmth hugged him. Outside was almost freezing, if not a few degrees below. He tugged his coat off before rubbing his hands.

"In the kitchen!" Ayako's sultry voice called back from further inside, and Takigawa was suddenly aware of his stomach grumbling as the smell of pasta hit his senses. He smiled softly at the thought of a home cooked meal. Before Ayako had started working for him, he'd mostly just lived on takeout and frozen meals. With all the overtime he'd been pulling recently, he barely had time to shop at all, never mind the actual cooking. It was a shame. He actually enjoyed cooking when he had the time and energy to do it. Maybe having the energy was a bit of an excuse, but it was an excuse he was sticking to.

"I wasn't sure you'd still be here at this hour," Takigawa greeted cheerfully, sounding a little surprised as he watched her spoon out a bowl of food for him. She had storage containers ready for the rest. It was something she often did. She'd cook a large meal, often big enough for a family of six, and store some for later. It meant he had something healthy for those late nights when he came home and only had the time and energy to toss something in the microwave. She was a real lifesaver like that. He was beginning to wonder what he'd ever do without her.

"I started late today," Ayako replied as she continued to spoon out the pasta. Takigawa didn't mind at all. It was nice to be greeted when he came home. He'd often talk to Ayako when she was around. He was sure it distracted her from her work, but she didn't seem to mind. She had plenty of time to do things while he was at work, and their paths didn't cross every day. She was doing a good job, too. Better than good. He knew he was causing more work than necessary for her with his bad habits. She was always cleaning his long hair out of the sink, picking up his clothes and things he just dropped as he walked around the house, reorganising the jumbled magazines and books on the shelves, not to mention the dusting and vacuuming. It was great. He loved coming home to a clean house. She even changed his bedsheets without him asking. Since he'd started paying her, he'd also noticed she'd bought some new clothes. Strangely enough, he'd found the old set neatly packed in a bag, tucked away in a small corner of the guest room.

"You didn't have to make me dinner," Takigawa insisted as he sat at the table. It was something he always said when he came home to find she'd cooked. She smiled as she put the bowl in front of him and grabbed a beer from the fridge. "Really! I don't pay you to be a service maid," he joked lightly, but he wasted no time in trying the pasta. It was delicious, just like his grandmother's pasta. Exactly like it...he thought, his gaze falling on the small book on the counter. He could see his grandmother's old recipe book. He'd kept it around for sentimentality, but he'd never been able to read her cursive handwriting. He smiled softly. It tasted like home.

"It's no trouble! I thought you'd be tired after working all day, and the amount of takeout you've been eating recently isn't healthy for anyone!" she added teasingly. Takigawa couldn't argue with that. His cheeks almost flushed in embarrassment at being called out like that. He knew his diet wasn't healthy. Charlie had often nagged him about it, too. It was a wonder his weight hadn't gone up, but walking the beat had always helped him burn it off. I wonder if that'll change now I'm a detective...There was a lot more desk work involved in that. "I'll freeze these for another time," Ayako added as she filled the plastic tubs on the counter and left them to cool.

"Why don't you join me? I mean, you did all the cooking..." Takigawa trailed off, almost kicking himself Ayako's shoulders stiffened a little. He should have remembered. He didn't know how he'd forgotten. He played it off casually as he smiled at her. "Unless you already ate earlier," he supplied, saying nothing as she jumped on the excuse. She at least seemed content to sit and keep him company, pouring herself some water that he knew she wouldn't drink. She was sweet, funny, and sometimes downright hilarious. She was feisty, with a secret attitude, and he liked that. I wonder if that's what she's really like, or whether she's reading my body language and reacting to me directly...

"I should let you get on with your evening," Ayako stated eventually as she looked at the clock in the living room. Takigawa almost felt sad she was leaving. The house always felt that much colder when he was there alone. She insisted on cleaning the kitchenware before she left. Takigawa decided that he should at least wipe for her, so there they stood. Side by side at his kitchen sink. He accepted each item with a smile, wiping it off before placing it on the side or in a cupboard out of sight. It was homely. Domestic. He laughed as she flicked some bubbles at him, wiping the towel across his foamy cheek. He knocked her arm in retaliation as they made their way through to the front door.

He watched Ayako button up a thick new coat she'd bought. It had fake fur on the inside for added warmth. It lined the hood as well. Takigawa watched almost forlornly as she pulled up the hood read to leave. He had to hold back from asking her to stay. It would sound weird if he did. She said goodnight before heading off down the path, waving until Takigawa closed the door with a heavy sigh. He slowly pushed himself off the door and headed up to the guest room. Her bag was still there. Everything was neatly packed. He didn't touch it. She'd know if he did. Where does she go when she's not here? Is she just...wandering the streets? That just made him anxious.

He sighed as he hit the shower, stripping off and stepping beneath the hot spray with a light hum. It was cold out, bitterly so. He couldn't help thinking of Ayako being out there in this weather. This town wasn't the safest either, especially at night. He knew plenty of people who slept rough. It wasn't so unusual in some areas. The thought of Ayako wandering around bothered him. She probably thought he didn't know. Probably thought he didn't walk around the house enough to notice the small bag. What are you going to do about it, Houshou? Invite her to live here and sound like a pervert?

He wondered what she'd say if he asked. It wasn't like he'd be asking for, or implying he wanted, anything sexual in return. He wondered how he could make that clear. Maybe he could make her slip up in conversation and tell him. Maybe he could create an ad for a housemate and leave it lying out for her to see. That sounds like some cheesy chick-flick plot device. He cringed inwardly at the idea, and there was always the chance she wouldn't say anything. She might even decide to leave before someone came to view the guest room with her hidden belongings inside. He suddenly paused. What if I didn't say anything? What if I just...did something...

It wasn't the worst idea in the world. It could be considered a little intrusive maybe. After all, those were her belongings. The only things she seemed to own. Perhaps that was even more reason to do it. She'd shown a certain amount of trust by leaving them there in the first place, hadn't she? If she didn't feel safe, then she wouldn't have stored them there. If she didn't feel safe, then she wouldn't have come back in the first place! Takigawa corrected. The more he thought about it, the more he thought that this was the right course of action to take. It was as close to telling her he wanted her to stay as he could get without directly saying something.

He was almost hesitant as he opened the door to the guest room. It had everything you'd need to move right in. Drawers, a wardrobe, a vanity table, the large double bed. Ayako cleaned it regularly, and it had already been made up in the event of company staying. He quietly wondered as he looked at the made up bed whether Ayako had actually used it. Everyone needed to rest and recharge sometimes. It would make sense that she might use the bed and then make it afterwards as if she'd never been there. He returned to the task at hand. Is this weird? It's totally weird...but if I don't say anything, and she doesn't say anything...He leaned down and reached under the bed, taking the bag before he changed his mind.

He'd have to go through with it now. He'd touched the bag. She'd know she'd been caught out either way. With the damage already done, he unpacked her clothing. There was a little more inside than he'd expected. She'd bought some simple, functional underwear. Enough to last her a week or so. He put it in the top drawer of the dresser. He found her old set of jeans and tucked them in the bottom drawer. Her long-sleeved top and the thick body warmer went in the wardrobe. They looked a little lonely hanging there. As he closed the wardrobe door, he paused and looked around the small room. Nothing had changed by looking, but it felt a little different now. This was no longer the guest room. It was Ayako's room. If she agrees to stay...He let out a breath as he folded the plastic bag, taking it downstairs to shove it under the kitchen sink with the rest. He felt somewhat satisfied as he headed to bed.