The slam of a car door reverberated in the otherwise quiet street. It was 1 am and Kei had just gotten home from a long shift at the Police Station. His house was modest, but even the usually unimpressed Kei Tsukishima felt relief and pride as he made his way to his front door. Kei, currently 25 years old, was working for the Karasuno Police force as a Computer forensic analyst and as a hacker. He had only been in their employ for about a year, but he found the work mostly easy and it suited his lax lifestyle. However, the quiet lifestyle that he had set in place for himself since he chose to work in a smaller district, had recently been disturbed.
Kei's breath hitched as he saw an envelope taped to his door. 'White envelope, completely blank, and a sinister feeling. Shit… just who is leaving this for me.' Carefully he pulls the envelope and tape from his door. Before risking opening it, he pulls his phone from his pocket and shines the flashlight on it. Looking from below, it looked like there was nothing but a picture inside. 'Six. Six bloody pictures now.' That's right. In the past two months, five more envelopes had been left for Kei. Each had a single polaroid with an even more cryptic message on the back… penned in red ink.
Kei turned off his phone's flashlight and unlocked his front door. As far as he could tell, whoever was leaving the envelopes hadn't broken in his house at the very least. He quietly set down the envelope on his kitchen table along with his keys. With a great sigh, he opened his phone's contacts. 'There isn't much I can do but call 'him' over. Not like I would know what to look for when it comes to break-ins anyway.' He ran his fingers through his hair as his phone began to make the call.
A short ten minutes later, Kei heard the door to a car slam shut. Between the both of them, it is a wonder neither of them gave a shit about the neighbors, he mused. 'Must be from working at the Police Station.' Kei stood from the kitchen chair and stretched his tired limbs. Slowly he lumbered to the front door and opened it to welcome his bulky companion. "Are you alright, Kei?" The groggy voice that he had heard over the phone not fifteen minutes ago was completely gone. Kei looked down at the shorter man whose eyes were darting around the premise. "I'm fine Daichi. I'll put on a pot of tea while you do your rounds."
Daichi, 30 years old, was the Police Captain of Karasuno. Everyone trusted him with their lives since he was incredibly reliable and adept at his job, hence why he was a Police Captain at such a young age. Kei left the man to his own devices since he knew the house almost as well as Kei. Shuffling to the kitchen, he filled the coffee maker with water, but instead of coffee grounds, he put in his favorite Earl Grey Tea leaves. Once the pot had been filled with that delicious smelling tea, he grabbed their favorite mugs out of the cabinet. Kei's had a cute stegosaurus on it and Daichi's had an equally cute bear. This wasn't a side of himself that Kei showed to many people. His best friend Tadashi obviously knew about his quirks, but he wasn't about to bring in his favorite mug to the station. Daichi… had just happened upon it during his many 'visits'.
Right as he finished pouring the tea when he felt two familiar arms wrap around his middle. Daichi leaned into Kei and rested his head on his shoulder. "I didn't see any sort of tampering with the other entrances, nor any evidence that someone else had been in your place." Instead of relaxing into Daichi's embrace like he was conditioned too, he grunted in dismay and his frown deepened. He certainly didn't like the idea of having this weird stalker. 'Can't this bastard just tell me what the fuck he wants… these cryptic messages are costing me my precious sleep.' "Shit, this bastard is seriously pissing me off, Kei. Grab your work clothes for tomorrow. I'm taking you home with me tonight." As he was released from Daichi's muscular arms he turned and placed the bear mug in his now open hands.
He knew better than argue with him and he was too damn tired to spend another sleepless night at home. Before making his way to his bedroom, he opened the fridge and chucked a few ice cubes into his hot tea. Too tired to lift his legs all the way up, he shuffled past Daichi and mumbled a 'thank you' on the way past. Of course, he didn't miss the older man's shit-eating grin. For some odd reason, Daichi ENJOYED Kei's presence, like he was playing some weird fucking game and winning. Kei knew he could be a cynical bastard, so for the life of him, he couldn't figure out why the likes of Tadashi and Daichi wanted him around.
Wiping such pathetic thoughts from his mind, he clunked his tea down on the dresser after taking a generous gulp. Not wanting to waste much more of his precious sleeping time, he slipped out a pair of grey slacks and a dark blue sweater. He made quick work of all the accessories and slipped them all into his overnight bag. He didn't have to wear a uniform like the police officers, he was more like one of the lab geeks. His supervisor, Asahi Azumane, was quite relaxed as far as what they could wear. Honestly, he was probably too scared of conflict to say otherwise, but Kei wasn't going to question it.
With one last careless glance around his room, he tossed his overnight bag over his shoulder and shuffled towards the kitchen, mug in hand. Unsurprisingly, Daichi had just finished washing up his own mug and the teapot. 'Ideal wife.' Kei often found himself thinking silly things like that in Daichi's presence. The man knew how to take care of 'difficult children' as Sugawara lovingly coined the station residents. "You have that look in your eyes again, Kei. I strangely feel like I should be offended by whatever you are thinking." Lips lifted in a teasing smirk, Kei could do nothing but shrug his shoulders. He certainly had a penchant for ruffling feathers and he didn't plan to change.
They took separate cars to Daichi's house, but not before Daichi did a thorough check on his car. Though he hardly imagined the stalker snuck into his car in this short amount of time, he didn't question the expert. On the way, Kei had to turn up his normal music just to keep himself awake. At least Daichi had been sleeping a couple of hours before Kei woke him, it wasn't quite fair.
Another ten minutes later Kei stood at the front door of Daichi's home waiting for the man to finish fiddling with his keys. The distinct sound of the lock woke Kei from the haze he hadn't known that he slipped into. Daichi guided the tired man into his home and lead him to the kitchen to sit down. 'Of course… the photo first.' Disgruntled, Kei knew that Daichi would want to examine the photo before allowing Kei to sleep. He let his forehead thunk down onto the offending table. 'Fucking stalker…'
Daichi returned with latex gloves and unsealed the envelope, revealing the polaroid. Kei wasn't surprised when Daichi grumbled in irritation. Hell, he was glad that frustration wasn't directed at him. He had seen the irate Daichi a couple of times at the station and that was certainly enough for him. "This bastard… it's just a fucking photo of a hand on a keyboard…" Kei took the photo from his hand, not concerned about contaminating it since it wasn't an official case for the Karasuno police. "Our match." The words on the back of the photo were simple and complex at the same time. It was clearly a message for Kei, but he didn't have a bloody clue what the hell they were hinting at. "The fuck? Are they saying we match, because we both like computers? What kind of grade school ass fuckery is this?"
"This one is just as cryptic as the last five… I don't know Kei. You should really allow me to open a case on this. Maybe one of the guys can make heads or tails of this." Kei shot him a nasty glare. He certainly did not want the 'guys' to know about his predicament… especially Tadashi. That idiot would worry himself to death or worse he wouldn't give Kei any peace. "No way in hell." He abruptly stood up, signaling the end of the discussion, and made his way to Daichi's bedroom.
By the time Daichi entered his room Kei was already passed out under the covers. He sighed with a sweet smile gracing his lips as he looked upon him. 'Why am I so pleased that he feels so at home in my bed now?' He undressed and joined him.
As soon as Kei pulled into work he could hear the bickering of the famous duo, Kageyama and Hinata. The two seriously could grate his nerves like no one else. Sighing to himself, he slid his headphones over his ears just before entering the station. It was his secret, if he had his headset on then he didn't have to greet people. Of course, this never deterred Yachi or Kiyoko as they happily waved at him as he entered the building. "Morning Tsukishima." He nodded at the two, not really wanting to use his voice on useless greeting. The forensics lab was in the basement and he made record time heading down there.
Unsurprisingly Azumane was already there, pouring over their latest jewelry theft evidence. Kei was only a computer expert, he didn't handle other evidence and their lack of help left Azumane with the bulk of the work. However, Azumane was highly regarded in his field and he didn't doubt the older man had a handle on the situation despite his panicky nature. Kei mumbled a 'morning' toward his supervisor who just kindly smiled and repeated the greeting. They didn't spend a lot of time getting to know each other. Kei assumed that his direct and sadistic nature kept the gentle soul at an arm's length.
He tossed his stuff down beside his workspace and immediately headed towards the coffee machine. He started the pot working within moments. Azumane was hopeless when it came to making coffee. He would somehow find ways to make it boil over, burn it, and one time he accidentally broke the pot. Needless to say, Kei took charge of the coffee making.
A few moments later and the light flicked off on the machine, indicating that it had run its course. Kei carefully filled the two mugs nearby with the coffee. He added some half and half to his cup but left the other one black. Taking a tentative sip of his, he hissed as it burnt his tongue. Azumane tried his best not to snicker. Kei did this every morning, he really didn't have the tongue for hot temperatures and he was always too eager to get the caffeine into his system.
Azumane gratefully accepted the black coffee, taking a deep whiff for good measure. "They finally sent the video feed from the jewelry theft. You know Daichi will want to have your report ASAP." 'Indeed.' Kei thought bitterly to himself. His normally calm days at work were also being interrupted. Not by the stalker, no, but a band of traveling thieves. The same group was stealing countless heirlooms, old artifacts, and even children's toys. It was clear the group had a talented hacker, as they managed to disable alarms and cameras alike.
The department had breathed a sigh of relief when they had managed to get at least one video of the recent jewelry theft. Kei wasn't as enthusiastic. They had been flawless up until this point… he didn't think it was an accident that they missed this camera. He assumed it would be some sort of taunt or the thieves wanted to play some sick game with them. Either way, he grunted a response to Azumane and went back to his desk to get to work.
A couple of hours later and the idiot duo came barreling down the hallway. It wasn't a daily occurrence, thank god, but the two were always eager to outdo each other. Hinata ran up to Kei who promptly pulled up his headphones. Hinata stomped his foot in irritation since this was a common response. "Tsukishimaaaa! I got a great lead, come on! You have to solve the case with this before Kageyama can." "Tch." Hinata spun around and looked imploringly at Azumane. "Tsukishima…"
Kei let out a rather large and dramatic sigh and held out his hand for whatever Hinata had found that most likely would be useless, like the man himself. An obscene flash drive was placed in his hands. Of course, it was bagged and tagged, but Kei could easily see that it was shaped like a penis. 'God, why would someone even make something like this.' He grabbed some gloves out of one of his drawers and removed that disgusting thing from the evidence bag. "Which case is this from?" Hinata wasn't good with case numbers, but Kei had an uncanny ability to recall case numbers anyway. "Uh, it was the one where the guy assaulted his neighbor and accused him of being a pedophile."
Kei plugged the flash drive into a separate laptop, it was disconnected from their server in case anything potentially malicious needed to be looked at. The drive wasn't password encrypted, surprisingly, but that didn't mean that some of the files wouldn't be. However, he wouldn't be doing anything until that annoying orange-head left him the hell alone. He leveled a glare at Hinata, clearly telling him it was time to go.
Hinata sulked, wanting to be there the moment his discovery proved what this guy really was. His pouting didn't last long as Kageyama began goading him into a fight. He left the lab all the while hurling insults and better than tho banter. With a heavy sigh, Kei looked at the files on the flash drive. The file names were enough to make you sick. He didn't need to look at all the photos, a couple was enough.
What caught his eyes was a folder named after the guy who assaulted him, well, just his last name. Disturbing pictures were taken in secret of the man's two young daughters. Kei could feel the bile rise up his throat. There were not any inappropriate pictures of the neighbor children, but the intent seemed quite clear, especially considered some of the other files. Kei closed the files and pulled the flash drive. He carefully placed it back in the evidence bag and closed it. Switching to his main computer he pulled up some blank paperwork for the documentation of his findings.
Kei was so diligently working on the paperwork that he didn't hear Daichi sneaking up on him. He nearly jumped out of his skin when a hand came down on his shoulder. He leveled the most hateful glare he could muster at his captain. Azumane looked rather uncomfortable with the glare and a laughing Daichi. "Tch." Was all that came out of Kei's mouth before returning to his work. He filled in a couple more lines and hit the print button. When he stood to get his work off the printer he finally mumbled a 'what' towards Daichi.
"Tsukishima, did you manage to finish your report on the video from the jewelry theft?" It was strange how used the two of them were to switch to their last names when it came to work. No one knew that they were sleeping together, and Kei seriously doubted that any of them suspected a thing. "No, I took a break from that to work the flash drive from the supposed pedophile case." Daichi nodded, understanding that Kei was the type to work in spurts.
He revelled in the face Daichi made when he picked up the offending flash drive from his desk. "Well, that's a little more than just disturbing." "Hn." Kei agreed quietly while he signed his report. "Here, the official report." He shoved the paperwork into the Captain's hands. "That's all well and good, but I came to invite you to lunch today." It was a statement, a fact. Daichi had lunch with everyone at the office now and then. He saw it as his duty as the Captain to keep up with the lives of those under him.
Kei sighed in his usual dramatic fashion and picked up his wallet and keys from his desk. Daichi grinned and shoved both the flash drive and paperwork at Asahi. "Asahi, you'll take care of this for me, right?" Despite the two of them being good enough friends to be on a first name basis, Asahi always seemed to cower from Daichi. He frantically shook his head yes. The demon smile crept over Daichi's features. "Thank you!" He chimes in a sugar-coated voice that in no way hid his intentions.
Kei ignored the shiver that ran through Azumane as they left. Daichi greeted everyone that they walked past, while Kei did his best to ignore them all. He did, however, give a nod to his best friend Yamaguchi which brightened the man's freckled face. No one suspected a thing, they all just assumed that Kei was chosen to be the sacrifice this time. A perfect cover.
Daichi dragged him to the usual cafe and the owner nodded towards them as the took the booth in the far back. It was the perfect place to talk without being overheard. The owner followed them over and nodded firmly at both of them. "The usual?" A familiarity that Kei didn't particularly care for, but obliged anyway. "Yes, thank you," Daichi spoke for both of them. "Amazing how she can remember each member of the station's order." Kei wondered if it was actually all that amazing. They all were regulars to the point of annoyance.
"Kei." There it was. Daichi honestly wanted his attention now. He graced him by turning his eyes upon him. "Kei, I want to talk to you about something serious. I… I want you to move in with me." A dramatic pause for the information to sink in and Kei needed it. Daichi knew that if he didn't just breach the topic right away, Kei would find a way to change the topic. "We aren't even dating, not for real at least." It was true, they had only hooked up when they discovered each other's sexuality at a gay establishment in the town over. It was a 'thing' of convenience. They both needed the release, but the chase was exhausting and often not worth it.
"I want to… date for real, that is. However, I'm only bringing this up because I don't feel comfortable with you living alone while that person is stalking you. This is the sixth picture for Christ's sake." Daichi had been doing his best to keep his voice low and level, but the emotion had been cracking through. Honestly, the pictures were creepy enough, but then there was the writing on the back. Inked in a red pen or marker so dark it reminded him of dry blood.
Daichi had been more affectionate the past few months and Kei had suspected his feelings may have changed… but he had dared not address it. A relationship was something he had always avoided, ever since he saw the emotional wreckage that it had caused his brother. "Hn." He needed time to think, but the look he saw in Daichi's eyes implored him for an answer.
Just as Kei opened his mouth the owner came over with their food. He was grateful for the save but knew it didn't grant him much time. The silence grew uncomfortable as they dug into the food while it was hot. Daichi knew Kei well enough that he would get an answer once he finished, so he decided to not press him while they enjoyed the food.
"No." The word rang in Daichi's ear and it was painful. He held back any comments by lightly biting his tongue. "I don't know how to respond to your feelings. I didn't go into this thinking about spending the rest of our lives together or something silly like that. The no, however, is for living with you. I enjoy my peace and quiet. It's my space and I need it if I am ever going to relax."
"Then, about letting me open a case…" "No." Daichi could tell that Kei was getting aggravated with him since he whipped out his wallet and put the money on the table for the bill. Daichi always paid. Kei stood up and left ahead of him and the shorter man had to scramble to catch up. Before they got to the station, Daichi pressed his luck and stopped Kei. "At least stayover tonight, let me comfort you." Kei ignored the heat that was burning at his ears. He wasn't used to how Daichi referred to sex, honestly, it would be easier if Daichi just came out and said something like "Let me fuck you."
"Okay." Kei bit his lip, and turned away from his Captain and made his way to and in the station. He never saw the stupidly happy grin on Daichi's face.
Author's note: I hope everyone enjoyed it! I know it is an uncommon pairing, but I really wanted to play around with it… and also create a very stressful situation. Let me know what you think.