Chapter 1: On the Lam from the Law

Notes: As mentioned prior in the summary this is a song fic based on "The Bagman's Gambit" by one of my favorite bands, The Decemberists. I've had this idea floating around in my head for a few months now and am glad to finally transfer it into words. I predict about four to five chapters for this fic, the last being a bonus chapter following events of my own imagining beyond the lyrics of this song. I hope you enjoy! :D

P.s. If you couldn't tell this fic is way AU!

P.s.s. For those of you who may not be aware, "Lam" is an archaic term that only survives in modern usage in the idiom "on the lam" meaning a fugitive from the law (the more you know!~)

P.s.s.s. As in any song fic I highly suggest anyone reading this to at least listen to the song prior. Now I digress, for real this time, I promise...

The smoke filled room was beginning to choke Rei, but the settling thought that a two year case might come to a close ebbed his irritation. The low rumble of background voices and consistent ringing of telephones filled the second floor governmental office, echoing off the glass walls encasing him.

Rei restlessly drummed his fingertips on his pant leg, focusing his attention on the familiar face ahead. The taller man's teal eyes poured over an opened manila folder, his strong jawed face set in it's typical somber expression.

Rei took notice of the man's unfastidious appearance, his wrinkled white button-down shirt rolled up at the sleeves, a thick blue tie hanging loosely from his neck and lazily draping the desk under him, as well as a lit cigarette which hung dejectedly from the corner of his mouth. All indicative signs of a long day's work.

"Well, Sousuke?" Rei impatiently questioned, pushing himself to the edge of his chair and leaning over the metallic desk to catch a better glimpse.

The somber man let out a huff, crushing his cigarette in the nearby ashtray.

"Do you really think we'd call you down here on a wild goose chase."

He cast the violet eyed man opposite him a sly grin.

"The culprit was caught after shooting one of our men, on the stairs of the Capitol no less. He must have been frightened to make such a risky move."

Sousuke let out what sounded like an annoyed sigh.

"It took Rin and four other guys to take the bastard down. As well as extensive searching to locate what he stole. Almost missed it. Kids clever if nothing else. To be honest we were at a lost for ID and motive for several days, that was, until Rin recalled your case. That's when everything started to fall in place."

"Anyway, that's the gist of why I contacted you." Sousuke casually held the folder toward his anxious friend.

"See for yourself."

Rei eagerly snatched it, tearing through each document it contained. Amongst the criminal accusations of espionage, personality evaluations, and bureaucratic forms he caught glimpse of a single photograph. It was this photograph that held his attention above all else. His eyes widened in shock as he examined it more thoroughly, a soft whisper escaping his lips,

"Couldn't be..."

Barely catching his friend's hushed words Sousuke gave Rei a quizzical look before finally speaking.

"Listen... Rin told me this had to be the guy, but if you're not convinc..." Sousuke was cut short by Rei's sudden movement.

Rei was now standing, folder in one hand photograph clenched in the other. His violet eyes still transfixed on the image. He watched as Rei studied it silently.

Rei couldn't believe what he was seeing. There, in some anonymous room, was the man he sought after for the past two years. If not for those two years of intense study Rei might not have recognized him. But it was him. Hazuki Nagisa, of this Rei had no doubt, and yet he hardly looked himself...

Nagisa had been abused so horribly. His typical charming, albeit smug face that was often captured blurrily in security camera footage was now badly bruised and swollen. His striking burgundy eyes were puffy and black. His golden locks disheveled and unwashed. His lower lip busted and bloody.

Laying the folder and the photograph on the desk before him and adjusting his glasses, Rei locked his pained eyes with the taller man opposite him.

"What is the meaning of this!? This abuse is inhuman even for an alleged spy and thief like Hazuki!" Rei's voice was stern as he pointed toward the photograph, disapproval etched on his face.

Sousuke threw his head back breathing a sigh of frustration. He leaned further back in his chair running a hand through his dark locks, contemplating his words carefully.

"Oh Rei..." he exhaled heavily.

The chair creaked as he leaned forward again resting his exposed elbows on the cool metal of the desk, staring back at his friend sympathetically.

"You have to understand, in our line of work force is sometimes necessary to gain the information we seek."

He paused to raise a hand to silence his friend, already seeing the brunet's mouth move to retort.

"And it's not like Rin and I enjoy hurting people, but when criminals like Hazuki refuse to talk," Sousuke took a moment to shake his head "or in Hazuki's case refuse to talk about anything relevant, sometimes you have to persuade them otherwise."

When Sousuke had finished he could see by the look of disgust that his words were unconvincing. He knew well that Rei appalled violence, even when directed toward a Soviet spy like Hazuki it seemed. Sousuke clenched his lips into a fine line, pulling out another cigarette as he braced himself for the inevitable rant that was sure to follow. He could see Rei confidently adjusting his glasses, a sly smirk spreading across his face.

"Nonsense!" Rei shouted, his voice echoing through the small glassed room.

"Years of psychological research has shown that torture more often than not leads to fabrication and false testament, victims telling their captures only what they want to hear not the truth!" The violet eyed brunet dramatically pushed his glasses further up the bridge of his nose.

"Not to mention you have broken the trust of the very man we seek information from, time is of the essence! Now I must salvage what little is left in hopes of obtaining the facts!"

Rei's shoulders slumped as he lowered his head and his voice, peering down at the photograph once more.

"And besides.. he's so young, what was done to him... was just cruel."

Rei felt a steady hand on his shoulder startling him slightly. It was Sousuke's, Rei hadn't noticed the taller man leave from behind his desk.

Sousuke took another puff of his cigarette and squeezed Rei's shoulder firmly.

"Come on, like you said, time is important and we're wasting it chatting here. You have work to do."

He cast Rei a small reassuring smile, before gesturing towards the exit.

Rei nodded weakly, scooping up the folder and its contents as he followed the taller agent to the third floor of the governmental holding facility.

The narrow winding hallways of the holding floor felt suffocating, the dimly flickering florescent lights only added to the sense of disorientation. Rei followed closely behind Sousuke as they twisted through corridors in the maze-like structure until ahead of them Rei made out a familiar figure. A redhead, dressed in full plainclothes cop attire, was leaning against a wall opposite what Rei could only assume was his destination. The man greeted them both with a sharp toothy grin as he pushed himself off the wall.

"Rin." Sousuke sullenly greeted his partner pushing past him while pulling out a ring of keys as he positioned himself in front of the interrogation room door.

"Tch, I was wondering when you two would arrive. The commie-lover won't crack, kids seriously pissing me off."

Rin forcefully gestured his thumb toward the room opposite him, his face wrinkled with anger.

"If the brat calls me Shark Boy one more time his commie ass will regret it!"

Sousuke shot his partner a stern warning as he unlocked the door. Rei pressed past Rin as well, casting a glare in his direction as he pushed the bridge of his glasses upward, not offering a word of acknowledgement.

"Oi, what's with all the dirty looks? What did I say?"

Sousuke placed a firm hand on his partner's shoulder, ignoring his questions.

"If you need us Rei we'll be down the hall, just shout."

He pushed Rin forward despite his protests.

"I'm serious! What did I say?"

Rei could hear Rin's objections and Sousuke's annoyed sighs fade down the hall as he brought his focus on the door before him. His hand gradually began to reach for the knob, it was only then that he noticed how much he was trembling.

"Why?" He questioned inwardly.

Was he nervous? It's not like he hadn't interrogated someone before, he had no reason for this reaction. Was it something else? Excitement maybe? This was the biggest case of his career thus far and to end it at such a young age would be an exceptional feat. A profession achievement indeed. Not to mention a service to his country. Rei steadied his hand as he swallowed heavily, concluding that it was probably a mixture of the two, before confidently twisting the knob and throwing the door open.

His eyes were immediately assaulted by blinding light, a stark contrast to the poor lighting outside. Only once adjusted was Rei able to take in the sight before him. The room was tiny, a four white walled box with a small metallic desk located centrally with two metal chairs on either side. It wasn't until the door slammed heavily behind him that the current occupant noticed his arrival.

Nagisa slowly lifted his head from the cool metal desk, eyes half-lidded from sleep. He rubbed them unsteadily and proceeded to stretch despite his restraints. Gradually he took in the figure before him. A rather tall brunet with an obviously fit build beneath his trim black suit. Said suit was accompanied by a thin violet tie which accented his eyes nicely, Nagisa noted. Those violet eyes were themselves framed by red-rimmed glasses. The man greeted Nagisa with a small nod and half-smile.

Rei was relieved to see that the cuts and bruises had mostly healed since the photograph was taken, though abuse was still evident; the blonds' bottom lip was slightly puffy, his eyes had lingering dark rings surrounding them, and his white button-down shirt was sporadically ripped, covered with droplets of bloodstains and green streaks of what appeared to be grass stains. His blond locks were in disarray, though it appeared his colleagues had allowed the young man to at least wash his face. Rei was pulled from his thoughts by a rather loud, yet charming muffled voice.

"You're not Shark Boy or Frankenstein." Nagisa managed to say through a heavy yawn.

Rei shot the blond a raised eyebrow. Did he mean Rin and Sousuke? He vaguely recalled Rin saying something about a shark earlier.

"Sending in new meat, eh?" He playfully shot Rei a suggestive wink, teasingly licking his lips.

Rei fumbled with the folder in his hand, face reddening from his interrogee's candid behavior. He gently cleared his throat and adjusted his glasses, placing the folder on the table and taking a seat before an otherwise curious blond.

"I can assume," Rei began, altering his weight tensely in the uncomfortable chair "by the nicknames "Shark Boy" and "Frankenstein" you are referring to Officer Matsuoka and Captain Yamazaki. No, they will no longer be questioning you, that honor has fallen to me."

Rei smirked confidently at the boy across from him, whose eyes were now wide with surprise.

Nagisa couldn't help but smile, leaning forward a bit as he spoke,

"Good! Those two were real jerks and terribly boring. But you don't look mean, though, whether you're boring or not remains to be seen..."

Nagisa's voice faded off as his eyes studied Rei intently.

His burgundy orbs bore into Rei in such a way that made him feel uneasy, his palms were beginning to sweat and his mouth felt dry. Rei had just entered the room only a few minutes ago and yet he felt as though he was the one being interrogated. This swapping of roles was embarrassing and not at all beautiful. Rei broke away from Nagisa's intense gaze and fiddled with this glasses. He cleared his throat, kicking himself mentally for his unprofessional behavior, and returned to the blond with a serious expression.

"How rude of me, I am Agent Ryugazaki Rei from the Department of Counterintelligence, FBI."

He extended his hand across the table, trying to regain the direction of the conversation.

Nagisa took Rei's large slender hand in his own, shaking it earnestly. Rei couldn't help but notice just how smooth Nagisa's hand was and how the blond prolonged the contact between them.

"Rei huh? That's a beautiful name."

Nagisa stifled a giggle at the sight of Rei's reddening face.

"But, it wouldn't be fair if I didn't give you a nickname too."

Nagisa seemed to pause momentarily to ponder deeply.

"That isn't necessar..."

"How about Glasses! Yeah, that's cute!" Nagisa interrupted, nodding triumphantly at his own suggestion.

Rei's expression was anything but triumphant, appalled was more like it.

"Glasses!?" He shrieked.

"That is not beautiful at all! You are merely grasping a single physical characteristic of mine and using it to label me."

"Well yeah, that's kind of what I did with the other two silly."

Nagisa rested his chin on his folded arms admiring Rei's baffled expression.

The brunet had to collect himself. Sousuke was right, Nagisa was a master of distractions, skilled at careening topics off course. It annoyed Rei that he could be so easily carried away by Nagisa's nonsense. He needed to focus, he needed to regain control of the situation.

Rei opened the folder before him, skimming over the documents. Nagisa perked up. He leaned over the table to see what Rei was reading but Rei ignored the blonds' curiosity, determined to get back on track.

"You are Hazuki Nagisa." A statement more than a question.

"That's what everyone seems to believe, yes." Nagisa shot the agent a sly grin.

Rei let out a frustrated groan, "We have good evidence to support that you are in fact Hazuki Nagisa, denying that is pointless."

"Fine, fine, yes, that's my name."

Nagisa couldn't help but think, if it was pointless, then why ask?

"Do you know why you're being held here Mr. Hazuki?" Rei continued.

"Ew, Nagisa please. I'm not some old fart."

Nagisa leaned back into his seat avoiding direct eye contact as he spoke.

"And yeah, because I accidently shot some cop in the leg out of self defense. He started yelling at me about not having clearance and was rudely pointing his gun at me. I panicked! I ran because I was scared, that's when all those guys jumped me."

The blond shot his eyes back up at Rei.

"I swear I'm innocent! This is all a big misunderstanding!"

He waved his arms around for emphasis before throwing himself on the table dramatically, pouting up at the violet-eyed agent.

Rei couldn't help be scoff at the absurdity of it all and how immature the blond was acting.

"No, Mr. Nagisa, this report indicates that when one Officer Mikoshiba tried to question you about your authorization in a restricted government area you attempted to punch him in the face, when he retaliated by retrieving his gun you seized his weapon and shot him in the leg. That's when you ran and were consequently apprehended by four other officers."

"Oh, is that what happened?" Nagisa scratched his cheek sheepishly.

"I guess that sounds about right ha.. ha."

"Yes, but that's beside the point. Even if you hadn't shot Officer Mikoshiba you were still caught in a restricted area and your record holds previous accountable crimes of espionage and theft."

Rei's face grew stern as he spoke.

"Not to mention when you were seized more stolen documents were found on your person."

Nagisa cast his gaze downwards and shrugged weakly.

"I guess I'm in trouble huh?"

Nagisa waited to hear the agent's response, but as seconds passed none came. He slowly lifted his head to see why the brunet was suddenly so silent. He saw the agent's wide eyes and red face focusing intently on the document before him.

"Everything okay there Glasses?"

Rei barely heard Nagisa's teasing question, he just couldn't believe what he was reading. It was unheard of. The report before him revealed the hiding place of the documents that were previously found on the blond. He skimmed over it repeatedly to make sure he wasn't seeing things.

Several days after detainment...
...identified as one Hazuki Nagisa...
...allegations of espionage lead to belief...
...thorough searching revealed...
...location of documents strategically tapped to both...

"Upper inner thighs...!?"

Rei's quivering voice betrayed him as his private thoughts became vocalized. Once he heard what slipped passed his lips his eyes darted up to meet Nagisa's, a confused expression painted across the blond's face. Rei's own face burning red from the slip of tongue.

"Huh?..."

Nagisa leaned in closer to Rei in hopes to better read him, resulting in the brunet jumping back in his seat.

Rei quickly shot his hand up to reposition his glasses, hiding his beat-red face in the process.

"Oooh!"

Nagisa couldn't help the wide smile spreading across his face, realization finally setting in.

"Rei is talking about my clever hiding place, pretty smart huh?" Nagisa stuck out his tongue mischievously.

"It took them forever to figure out I had anything on me, hehe."

Rei couldn't believe what he was hearing, not only was the blond fully admitting to concealing stolen documents in such a scandalous area but he was taking pride in his work too!

Rei tried his best to gain composure, but the blond across the table wasn't helping matters much. He kicked himself mentally for the third time that day. Getting worked up like this was truly unprofessional. Rei avoided as much eye contact as possible as he attempted to steady his pulse, shuffling papers to distract himself. Yet he couldn't help but notice Nagisa's face shift from playful to something else entirely. Rei felt a carefully placed ankle flush against his own as Nagisa's burgundy eye's flashed a hint of promiscuity. Nagisa gently bit his bottom lip, wincing slightly from the forgotten injury. He ignored the pain as he caressed his ankle up and down the agent's leg. Rei instinctively stiffened, eyes shot wide.

Nagisa playfully pouted, his voice alluringly coy as he spoke.

"Frankenstein and Shark Boy were so rough with me, they didn't know how to treat a fragile boy like myself." The blond continued his foot play, a devious grin taking form on his lips.

"But, I bet Rei knows how to treat a boy right."

Leaning in closer he whispered bewitchingly,

"You look like the gentle, yet firm type. Too bad you weren't the one who found those documents." He threw the brunet a seductive wink as he lifted his leg up higher, traveling further up Rei's pant leg refusing to break eye contact as he did so.

Rei's entire body was on fire, his heart bursting through his chest. Never had he been spoken to in such a way or touched so provocatively. Even in the blond's disheveled condition Rei couldn't help but find him oddly attractive.

No!

Rei bolted up from his position slamming his hands down on the table, provoking a small squeak from a rather startled blond.

Absolutely not!

Rei began to pace back and forth in the cramped room not noticing the annoyed pout forming on the blond's' face.

What was he thinking!? Nagisa was a criminal. An adorably endearing criminal, but a criminal nonetheless. He couldn't, shouldn't be thinking such thoughts. This was obviously what Hazuki wanted, yet another distraction, a honey trap! Yes that's it! He was seductively tricking Rei into letting him off easy. Ha! Hazuki may be clever but he had no idea who he was dealing with.

Rei faced his interrogee with a surge of new found confidence brought on by self reassurance, he adjusted his red-rimmed glasses with poise, clearing his throat as he dramatically pointed in the blonds' direction.

"Enough of these games Hazuki! Tell me who you're working for? Is it the Soviets? Are you allied with Malenkov?"

There was a short silence, until...

"Bwhahahaha!"

Nagisa's face scrunched up comically as he burst and bubbled over with unruly laughter. Tears starting to form at the corner of his eyes.

"I'm being serious Nagisa!" Rei warned over his fit of giggles.

The blond continued laughing uncontrollably clenching his stomach as he did so. Rei's dramatic transition was too much. One second frozen in place, face the color of a cherry tomato. The next, serious, determined Agent Ryugazaki. How could he take him seriously?

Rei rubbed his temples from beneath his glasses as irritation began to swell through his body.

"Nagisa..." He spoke through gritted teeth.

"You must be cooperative, it's the only way I can help you."

Nagisa's laughter ceased almost immediately, followed by only a few hiccups. The blonds' eyes widening from the realization of Rei's words.

Rei wanted to help him?

Rei cleared his throat in an effort to continue,

"Your crimes are severe, unless you are willing to cooperate with us you're looking at a lifetime behind bars, and that's if the federal court is merciful. Death is the typical recourse for espionage in times of war."

Nagisa sunk down in his seat, an uncharacteristically solemn expression on his face.

"What's with you Americans thinking that everyone is a communist threat." His voice was low but it carried a venomous undertone, the question clearly rhetorical.

Rei's irritation quickly subsided, it left his body with an empty ach at the sad sight of Hazuki. He shifted to the other side of the room until he stood alongside the blond. He placed what he hoped was a reassuring hand on Nagisa's shoulder. He felt the younger boy flinch slightly, but gradually relax under his touch.

"Nagisa, you have to understand, I would never just assume these things." Rei spoke softly, choosing his words wisely.

"I have good reason to believe your involvement is with the Soviet Union and no one else. You may take your mother's maiden name, but we know your father was in fact Russian and a strong supporter of Joseph Stalin and the Communist Party."

Nagisa jerked his head up to face Rei, mouth slightly ajar, shock engraved on his face.

"How did you..."

"Find out?" Rei interjected. "Information on you isn't very forthcoming, that's for sure Hazuki. But my sources are painstaking thorough," He proudly nudged the bridge of his glasses "and I've spent two years tracking you, finding out all I could about you. Your family history has thus far been the most difficult challenge, I was fortunate in my endeavors nonetheless."

Rei had been quite fortunate indeed. He had learned much about the blond over the course of his investigation. For instance, he knew Nagisa was the youngest of four. That he only had half-sisters. That his mother, and his sisters who cared for her due to her illness, were of Japanese descent and still residing in Japan. He knew that Nagisa's father had died in Russia from unknown causes some years ago and that Nagisa had left his home at a young age and seemed to have little, if any contact with his family now. Rei had connected the dots and believed that Nagisa still had some connection with the Soviet Union through his father's past relationships, though to what extent he wasn't sure.

Rei had no idea the impact of his words. Nagisa's eyes softened at the confident agent, as a tinge of crimson spread across his cheeks.

"Rei has spent that much time trying to learn about me?"

As Rei looked down at Nagisa his own face began to flush with color at the realization of his words unintended implications.

"Now, now." He waved his hands frantically in front of him, his voice an octave higher than normal.

"It was completely work related I assure you!"

Nagisa giggled lightly to himself, enjoying how quickly the agent could be flustered and how easily the brunet made him forget painful memories.

"You must really be obsessed with me huh?" Nagisa teased, "I never knew I had a stalker!"

"S..s..stalker!?" Rei's frantic hands fell limp to his sides, his face mortified.

"I have to say I'm flattered." Nagisa brought a finger up to his chin in contemplation, the handcuffs jingling slightly as he did so.

"I mean, I'm lucky my stalker is so cute and not some creep. Ya know?"

Nagisa cocked his head slightly, an innocent smile spread across his lips.

Cute?!

Rei could feel the heat radiating from his body. He could not believe the forthright blond sitting before him. How could anyone so bold exist? Did he even know what he was saying, what he was doing to him? Rei quickly turned away from the younger man and covered his flustered face. He tried his damnedest to collect himself for the umpteenth time since the beginning of this farce of an interrogation.

Rei jumped slightly at a gentle pressure against his back. He quickly turned to see Nagisa standing directly behind him, a small blush painted on the younger man's face. Nagisa gingerly leaned forward, arching on his tip toes, and softly grazed his lips against Rei's flushed cheek.

A shy smile rested on Nagisa's lips as he rested back on his heels. Rei reflexively held his hand over the warm spot of contact, unable to speak or move.

"I've decided." Nagisa breathed softly.

"You're most certainly not boring."

The blond's now beaming smile was genuine, if nothing else.

Rei felt his mind racing, but try as he might he could not pull his eyes away from Nagisa's. He quickly found himself drowning in pools of burgundy.

KNOCK! KNOCK!

Both were jolted from their respective trances from the loud thumping at the door.

Rei's heart raced in a fit of panic as Nagisa casually shrugged and skipped back to his seat. The blond watched amusedly as the flustered brunet rushed to the table scooping up the scattered papers into the manila folder before hastily correcting the angle of his glasses.

The nervous agent gave a few self-conscious coughs before dramatically throwing open the door.

Rei was greeted by a somber face.

"S..S-Sousuke, I was just finishing up!"

Rei prayed his voice didn't sound as high-pitched as he was perceiving it.

The somber captain raised a speculative eyebrow.

"Is everything alright Ryugazaki?"

He tossed a glance behind Rei, only to see a lively blond waving enthusiastically in his direction. Sousuke rolled his eyes and focused back on the sweating agent.

"Of course everything is alright! Why wouldn't it be!? Everything is a peach. I mean is peaches! Everything is peachy!.. HA Ha, ha..."

Rei could feel the humiliation bubbling up within him, further amplified by the muffled giggles coming from the occupant behind.

"Right." The word fell dry from Sousuke's mouth but the message was clear: "Whatever it is, I don't want to know."

He reached into his shirt pocket for a cigarette. As he lit it he spoke from the corner of his mouth.

"I came to ask if you wanted to analyze the documents and microfilm that was stolen."

At this exchange of information Nagisa perked up, a cunning grin grew across his face unbeknownst to the other men.

Sousuke continued as he puffed lightly.

"It was cleared from up high, I assumed you wouldn't get much from him. You might find some connection from the documents and who he's working for."

Rei sighed dejectedly but nodded. Sousuke was right, again. He hadn't gotten anything new out of Nagisa, only an hour of frustration and embarrassment. Well that's not entirely true. At least he finally had met Hazuki face-to-face. Though he never imagined their meeting playing out like this.

Rei stepped into the hallway and turned to close the door behind him. Nagisa was now casually leaning back in his chair, a large grin plastered on his face.

"I'm sure I'll see you soon Glasses." Nagisa teased, winking slyly at the defeated agent.

Rei sputtered incoherently as he quickly shut the door. His flustered face cast downward. Once his sweaty palm detached from the doorknob he caught himself exhaling deeply, as though he had been holding his breath the entire time. He breathlessly whispered the only word that surfaced from his subconscious.

"Impossible..."

The brunet was yanked from his thoughts by a low snort.

"Glasses huh? Hmph, It suits you."

Sousuke's smirk pushed his cigarette up his face.

Rei threw a deathly glare at the taller man as they travelled through the twisting corridors toward the third floor exit.

"Well, it's better than Frankenstein!"

Notes: Thanks for reading! Feel free to leave reviews, I would greatly appreciate your feedback. If you noticed any grammatical/ spelling errors please let me know (I tend to type/ read fast and glaze over things). Also, if anyone reading happens to be more knowledgeable than I involving the Cold War era and noticed a historical mistake please let me know as well. Currently working on the next chapter so it should be posted soonish. Keep an eye out and thanks again! c: