Kei laid curled up in Daichi's sheets. Sweat beaded his brow and he breathed deeply. Knowing Daichi you wouldn't expect him to be so… full of vigor. Daichi returned from the bathroom with a warm washcloth and began to lightly wipe Kei down. "Were you especially rough, because you knew I had tomorrow off?" The grumpy mumbling only brought a smile to Daichi's face. "That would be pretty responsible for your Captain, huh? Only rough on you when you didn't have to work the next day." "Smug bastard."
Eventually, Kei had enough strength to get up out of bed and wait in the living room for Daichi to cook them dinner. Daichi wasn't the best cook, but his food was at least edible. He typically stuck to easy dishes like a simple pasta with sauce. Daichi could eat pasta for every meal… just another reason Kei was happy they didn't actually live together. Kei preferred to eat his own cooking if he was being honest, but Daichi's rigorous workout had made that impossible tonight.
Just as Kei was about to heave a large sigh, Daichi piped up, "One day, I swear you aren't going to act like it's such a bother." "Tch, what do you mean 'act'?" Daichi didn't reply back, he just let a gentle smile grace his lips… one that Kei couldn't see.
"You say the most unexpected things. Weren't you just using me as a replacement for Sugawara?" "Pffft, you're not a good stand-in. You're too tall, grumpy, and way more erotic than I ever pictured Suga." The crease between Kei's brows deepened. 'What the hell is that supposed to mean? Are you telling me that I'm not as good as Sugawara or that you're over him?' Kei played his normal card of indifference, even though he was indeed bothered by that comment. He didn't enter this arrangement with Daichi with commitment in mind. Hell, he didn't expect to ever settle down.
"I'm done, Kei. Let me plate up the spaghetti and I'll bring it over." "Hn." Kei didn't push the topic. He felt that the subject of Sugawara was becoming more sensitive to him than it was for Daichi. When they first decided to be convenient fuck buddies, Daichi readily admitted that he mostly just wanted someone who didn't mind being a replacement for someone. Kei didn't mind. Daichi wanted to not think about the fact that he couldn't have Sugawara and Kei just wanted an easy fuck.
However, Daichi had recently been mentioning a 'proper' relationship with Kei. It started about two months ago and he would casually mention it here or there. Sometimes it resulted in the two of them fighting, but it didn't interrupt the original purpose of their relations. Kei didn't like it though… the fact that Daichi who had been pushing for a real relationship had yet to speak about his current feelings about Sugawara. Had his feelings changed? Was it Kei who now occupied his heart? He hated having these thoughts… they were so very unlike him.
Kei didn't think he was the type to settle down, but he sure as hell wasn't gonna enter a 'relationship' as a replacement. He was too greedy for that, though he would never tell anyone that. He idly spun the fork in the spaghetti until it had clumped enough to be shoved in his mouth. He heard Daichi sigh wearily from across the table. "You only eat like that when you're upset. And by that, I mean like a barbarian." He received a glare from the blonde that clearly said that it was his fault. He smiled bitterly.
Daichi wasn't oblivious to why Kei was upset, it was just a conversation he wasn't ready to have. He often felt pathetic since he wanted to officially make Kei his, but was too much of a coward to let go of his long-time unrequited love. He felt really horrible for stringing Kei along with his whims. Kei did have an incredibly dear place in his heart, but it was oh so different from Sugawara's.
They finish eating in silence and Kei begrudgingly brings his plate to the sink, leaves it there for Daichi, and goes to take an actual shower. Sure, being wiped down was sufficient but Kei likes to be absolutely clean. He certainly had cleanliness standards that his partner did not.
Daichi waited until he heard the shower kick on until he allowed himself a bitter self-deprecating smile. He slowly made his way to the sink to wash the dishes. "I'm honestly the worst, aren't I?" Sometimes Daichi felt the need to state his negativity out in the open. He knew that no one was listening, but hearing the words reach his ears felt like a kind of punishment. He let the bitterness consume his chest as he scrubbed the dishes.
It didn't take him long to finish the dishes, so he decided to brew a pot of green tea. They both needed a pick-me-up and he still wanted to take a look at the photos from Kei's stalker again. He couldn't let go of the feeling that something bad was going to happen if he didn't do something. That heavy feeling rolled around in his gut as he went about making the tea. Having Kei near him did little to ease him since he knew he couldn't be with him 24/7.
As he set out their mugs, a carbon copy of the ones they kept at Kei's residence, he heard the shower die down. Daichi went to the room in which he referred to as his 'office'. In all honesty, it was just a messy room that held all kinds of paperwork and had a desk. He recalled Kei's reaction when he first saw it. Something along the lines of, "I can't believe you live in such squalor… I seriously regret coming here." He had had a scowl on his face for the rest of the night. Though, Daichi remembered the deliciousness of making that scowl falter as he made Kei his over and over again that night.
Wiping the unnecessary thoughts from his brain, before he needed to jump Kei again, he went to the cluttered bookshelf on the left of the desk. He pulled a book simply titled 'Diary' and snatched the evidence bags neatly tucked within its pages. His heart hammered when he looked upon the images, in fact, he could feel the thumping all the way to his fingertips. "Who the fuck are you? What is it that you want?"
Daichi hadn't even noticed that his hand was trembling until he dropped the book on the floor. He took a deep breath and composed himself. He picked the book back up and set it on the shelf. He closed the door behind him so that when Kei passed it he didn't have to suffer any of the slings that he would be itching to throw at Daichi.
By the time Daichi returned, Kei was sitting on the living room couch nursing a steaming dinosaur mug of green tea. He noticed that his cup had been prepared as well and sat next to Kei himself. He smiled brightly and took the seat next to him. "Thanks, Kei." He carefully set the evidence down on the table before gratefully picking up the mug. He could smell a hint of honey in the air, Kei had a sweet tooth that he dared not let anyone at work know of. He was happy that he felt comfortable enough to let these well-kept 'secrets' be spilled.
After a moment of comfortable silence, Kei scoffed just having noticed the pictures. "This again…" "Sorry, Kei. I wish we didn't need to be concerned about this sicko either." Kei reached over to the pile and started to place them in the order received. There were now a total of five if you include the picture from last night.
The first picture was of Kei walking out of his favorite bookstore. There were other people walking around him, but he was in the center of the Polaroid sporting his favorite headphones and a brand new book. It was hard to see, but the book was definitely a book about paleontology, a secret hobby of his. Kei could trace the picture back to seven weeks ago, from the receipt of the book. He flipped the picture over and in messy and what a profiler might call excitable scrawl was, "OUR MOMENT". The handwriting seems to indicate that the stalker had clearly been very excited at the moment he captured the picture.
Really the only thing the two of them could discern from this photo was that the stalker had probably first seen Kei on that day. Though Kei doesn't recall having talked to anyone, except the shopkeeper… and seeing as you can barely see a glimpse of that man in the store, chances were low he had anything to do with this. Polaroid cameras were not all that commonplace anymore, but that didn't help them narrow down the culprits. They had no reliable way or discrete ways of tracing anyone who owned one.
Kei sifted through the photos again and this time pulled out the next photo he received. This time it was a picture of the back of Kei's head. He was seated in the movie theater, a familiar head of messy brown hair to his left and clear picture of Godzilla on the screen. The person sitting beside him was Yamaguchi, his best friend, and fellow co-worker. The disturbing part about this photo was the distance from his head. The stalker was clearly sitting right behind him, but for the love of all that is good, Kei can't remember ever turning around and seeing the guy. A Polaroid picture would have been loud and had a flash, but it was clear from the action on the screen that it would have been easy to miss.
He slowly flipped the photo over to reveal a much more subdued handwriting that stated, "OUR DATE". Truly. Stalkers were known for being quite delusional. Whenever caught they often spout off like broken records about how serious their relationship with the victim was. How they were in love with each other. It was clear this person was not so different. Despite having gone to the movie with someone else, not sitting next to each other, and never saying a word… it was a date to this person. "Sick." Disgust laced his voice and Daichi just nodded his head with his pale skin. The handwriting was much calmer and it almost gave Kei the impression of confidence. The stalker was sure that his 'date' enjoyed the movie with them.
Kei selected the third photo from the remaining three. It was a profile picture of Kei while at one of his favorite diners. The photo was of him dunking a french fry into his strawberry milkshake. There was another hand on the table he was sitting at. It wasn't enough detail to tell who he was sitting with, but the only people who knew this habit were Daichi and Yamaguchi. No doubt this was another date to the stalker… one where he discovered a hidden habit of Kei's. Kei had a lot of habits that he thought no one knew about, so he was rather upset that someone he didn't even know had discovered them.
Once again, in a calm and confident scrawl on the back of the photo was "OUR HABITS". Kei couldn't fathom what clues they could have gained from this photo. The photo was in a fairly popular location and the fact that the stalker was indicating that they too dunk fries in milkshakes seemed unimportant. There are a lot of stalkers who pick up habits of their marks and claim them to be theirs as well. It is just another way they try to imply that they were 'meant for each other'. Shared habits weren't something to be proud about, personally Kei liked to enjoy his differences from those around him.
Looking at the photos always put Daichi in quite a foul mood. He angrily snatched up the two remaining photos from the table and put them in order. The fourth photo was just a picture from a movie that was of a kissing scene. Kei had searched high and low and found the movie was a decently popular romance film. The main character was a female computer techie who worked for the police. She was also blonde and wore glasses, they both assumed the stalker was relating their 'love story' to this movie. On the back was written, "OUR FATE". "This fucker has quite the imagination if they think I am like that girl in the film." "Yeah, that's for sure. Her character was nice and maybe a little weepy. It would be an R rated film for you… even if they only included your ability to curse."
Kei tried to keep the sneer on his face, but his lips threatened to smile. Hell, that was a compliment to him. He swatted Daichi on the shoulder before plucking the newest addition from his hand and placing it at the end. "The only thing we really know about this stalker is that he knows where I live, likes Polaroid cameras, has an interest in sappy love movies, and might be a tech person." "Really Kei… we should open a case. At least we could have the guys keep an eye on you when you are out." "No freaking way. I would never be rid of Hinata and Kageyama again. I would rather die." He could picture the two of them clamoring to protect him only to hold it over his head for the rest of his life.
Daichi allowed himself a sigh, for what felt like the umpteenth time that evening. "I am worried about your safety." Kei couldn't deny him that. Hell, he was concerned himself, but it wasn't in his nature to ask for help or to 'appear' weak. "Let's just go to sleep and think about this with fresh minds later. It isn't all that easy to concentrate while I can still feel my ass throbbing." "Shit, Kei!" Daichi choked on his tea. He certainly did have a way of making the older man blush.
It was a brand new day and Daichi couldn't believe that he had to spend his very first minutes at work lecturing the two wild children. "Nishinoya, I can't believe I have to tell you AGAIN that you cannot practice this 'rolling thunder' maneuver in the hallways! You knocked Yachi over and the poor girl had a big welt on her forehead from slamming into the wall." Nishinoya wilted under his captain's lecturing, he felt bad enough about hurting the young girl. Meanwhile, Tanaka shifted uncomfortably beside the shorter man. "And to think you had this bald menace goading you on the whole time. You two are incorrigible. Both of you will be helping fill Yachi's position today since she won't be back until she is checked at the hospital. And I swear to God if you cause Shimizu any trouble I will have a stack of paperwork for each of you." He sent a sharp look in Ennoshita's direction, knowing that the man was the only person he could trust their oversight to. "Ennoshita, supervise them."
The two hyperactive men paled considerably at the thought of having to process a whole stack of paperwork. They loathed completing paperwork normally. Chikara shooed them away and as they scurried off to go help Shimizu. Chikara gave Daichi a worried look before following his rowdy comrades. Daichi felt his heart skip at that look. Chikara was great at reading those around him and he worried he could read his thoughts. Wiping the worry from his mind the best he could, he made his way to his office. A stack of files littered his desk and he moved them as best he could to clear a spot to slam his head against. He let out a long groan after a few seconds. The situation with Kei's stalker was taking up more and more space in his brain and he was worried it might be affecting his work.
Daichi tensed when he heard his door open. Only two people walked into his office without knocking… and since Kei had today off he didn't need to look up to know who it was. "Well if that isn't a pathetic sight, I don't know what is!" A satisfied laugh followed. Daichi sighed as he lifted his head to look at Sugawara's shit eating grin. "What's the matter, Daichi? Hungover?" This statement was accompanied by his captain's mug being clunked down in front of him. "I'm not sure if you are being nice or vindictive, Suga." Either way he picked up the mug as his heart started to thump just a little bit harder. He loved Sugawara's was no way in hell that he would ever confess to Suga, but he couldn't help these feelings either way. If Kei was at work today he would have probably run to the man for comfort that only he could provide.
"What? I'm offended! I am always nice and pleasant." Daichi scoffed. "Bullshit." Sugawara let out a pleased laugh. "Ahaha. Well, can't blame a man for trying. So, what's really up? I don't smell the stench of alcohol on you, but something is clearly eating you up." Everyday Daichi considered just telling someone from the station about Kei's situation, but he never did. It was a betrayal he could never do since he cared too deeply about how Kei felt about him. "I cannot say, but I am working on it. Thanks for worrying Suga." The silver haired man huffed, but did not push the issue. Daichi's mental state was almost as strong as Tanaka… and that was saying something.
"Well, let's say you tell me a story about a friend of yours?" Daichi chuckled at the absurdity of that statement. Everyone knew about the stories that involve an unnamed 'friend' in which it was quite obvious you are referring to yourself. Though, Daichi was sorely tempted by the thought. "My friend has a lover." Sugawara, mid drink, coughed violently as he had accidentally inhaled some of the coffee in shock. Daichi gave him a withering look. "It is so strange for my 'friend' to have a lover. He is a good looking guy if I do say so myself." "Sure, sure, Daichi. Just didn't expect your problem… I mean your friend's problem to be about love trouble." Daichi suddenly felt like he should stop, but it really was eating him alive.
"Well, he has a lover and said lover has a… stalker. But they won't let me open a case, and I can't help being worried about it." Sugawara was having trouble accepting that Daichi had a lover that he didn't know about, but that quickly left him once he heard the word stalker. "Daichi… that sounds serious. Have you been able to come up with anything on the stalker?" Daichi nodded his head towards the open door. Suga taking the hint closed the door and took a seat across from Daichi. "I haven't been able to find anything. They haven't noticed anything strange when they go out, but nonetheless these polaroid pictures keep appearing of them on their door." Suga shot up from his chair. "What did you say?" The words came out hushed by the immense shock Suga felt. "Daichi, do they work in IT or forensics at all?"
Daichi's blood ran cold. What did Suga know? "Yes." The words leaving his mouth made him feel incredibly nauseous. He wished Sugawara would just tell him what he knew since every second felt suffocating. Sugawara after letting the shock sink in stood up and demanded Daichi move so he could use the computer. He opened the FBI database and searched a specific case file. He scanned the file quickly just to make sure he wasn't drawing baseless connections. "Daichi, you know I like tracking open cases and this one struck me as peculiar in the past. A serial killer that has been jumping from location to location and stalking a specific type of target. Blonde and IT forensic specialists. His M.O. is stalking his target and leaving a polaroid on their front doors with some message on the back written in red. Now, I am prob-"
Sugawara was interrupted mid sentence by the sound of Daichi knocking over the chair he had been sitting in. The clatter had started Sugawara and when he saw the look on Daichi's face he knew that the case was a match. "I'm gonna barf." Daichi's hand clung desperately over his mouth.