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Long nights like tonight tasted like stale cigarettes and cold coffee, both unpleasant but hold a certain comfort. Daichi didn’t hate the late night patrols as much as the other officers of his department did, he found the long patrols slightly irksome but felt a sense of ease to them. Patrolling was a routine he’d long memorized: long drives around the same street corners over and over again, the constant hum from the frequency of his radio, the bitter taste of - now a cold - coffee he picked up at the beginning of his shift, and the harsh drag of a cigarette that he swore he would never smoke. All a part of his routine.
Patrolling was boring and tedious, the late shift patrols always being the most hated for the lack of activity. Daichi didn’t mind it though, Miyagi was quiet by the evening and perfectly tranquil by the late hours. He grew up here, learned to love and respect the peacefulness, even when he was bored as hell, cruising along the same streets repeatedly.
Circling back to a small side street along the city, Daichi noticed something different. It was a small difference, normally, he wouldn’t care enough to even give a second glance, but the car parked at a small local park was not there thirty minutes ago during his first initial rounds. Daichi would have let something like this slip by if it wasn’t so late, suspicion bloomed deep in his chest as his hands tightened on the wheel and he made a tight u-turn towards the park’s parking lot.
Daichi eyed the car before turning on his high beams and aiming the spotlight positioned on his side mirror towards the lone car. A small, blue car stood out under the bright lights, old bumper stickers that have seen better days stuck tightly to the rusted bumper. Daichi could make out the words, ‘DO YOU FOLLOW JESUS THIS CLOSE?’, on a now faded sticker underneath the car’s license plate.
He held back the urge to roll his eyes as he quickly radioed back to the station of his potential bust. A silent groan passed his lips when he pulled himself out of his squad car, sitting in one position for too long really does a number on his lower back.
He could hear an over saturated pop song booming through the speakers of the small car, lyrics of heartbreak and failed romance assaulting Daichi’s eardrums, he huffed a bit at the song choice while he closed the distance between him and the car.
Daichi tapped the window impatiently upon his arrival to the driver’s side, the music still thumping throughout the car, he could feel the annoyed look on his face forming before he could stop it. Aren’t people supposed to be respectful towards cops?
The window rolled down slowly, loud music suddenly quieted as the window went down.
“Evening, I’m Officer Sawamura Daichi,” Daichi pointed a flashlight beam into the car’s window, “what’s going on here?”
The car’s insides were a mess, wrappers and receipts thrown carelessly across the backseats, empty take out containers littered the floor, and, what appeared to be, ripped up photographs of a couple were sprinkled amongst the mess on the passenger seat. Daichi’s eyes flicked up to meet teary, red rimmed hazel ones before taking in the appearance of the man in front of him. Gray tufts of hair pulled in every direction as if the man has been tugging on it constantly throughout the night, his cheeks were red and blotchy with a slight sheen to them, evidence of tears that were spilled moments before.
A quiet chuckle passed red bitten lips, “Enjoying my favorite ice cream at this very second, Officer. Didn’t know that was an offensive crime.”
The man gave Daichi a halfhearted lopsided smile while raising up a container of ice cream, “Ben and Jerry’s Phish Food to be exact, if that matters.”
Daichi stared at the scene before him, connecting the obvious dots in front of him. His eyebrows pulled together as he thought of a way to tell the man to get the hell out of a public space past curfew without ruining his night further.
“Looks like you’re thinking really hard there, Officer. Careful, don’t hurt yourself.” The man said as he shoved a spoonful of frozen dessert into his mouth.
Daichi huffed a breath at the snarky comment, “Loitering in a public space well past curfew is punishable by a hefty fine, I’m sure you know that.” His gaze flickered back to the passenger seat, “I’m also going to need to see some identification and registration for the vehicle.”
The man sighed dramatically, settling his ice cream container into a nearby cup holder. “Such formalities, obviously I’m not doing anything wrong, just casually going through a crisis, trying to drown said crisis with ice cream, and enjoying the scenery at the same time.” He waved a hand towards the darkened park while the other hand rummaged through a disorganized glove compartment.
The man extended a hand through the window towards Daichi, slender fingers holding the contents the officer asked for.
Daichi took them gently, glancing down at the name displayed on the license, “One moment, Mr. Sugawara.”
“Oh, how polite, what a gentleman.” The man smiled, flashing straight, white teeth, his voice laced with artificial sweetness. Daichi grit his teeth to bite back the rude remarks threatening to leave his mouth, he made his way back to his squad car and threw himself down onto the seat with a heavy thud.
Just scan him in, radio the station, and then you can go. Daichi quickly looked up the name, ‘Sugawara Kōshi’, a few minor traffic violations and some unpaid parking tickets registered under the name but nothing to bring the disheveled man into the station for. Daichi radioed back, confirming that he could handle the situation and that he would get the gray haired man sent on his way.
Daichi made his way back to the small blue car, breathing in deeply through his nose and exhaling the trapped air through his mouth. He placed a hand on the top of the driver’s side door and leaned in towards the window, extending his right hand towards the driver, Sugawara’s belongings held between his forefinger and middle finger.
“Look,” Daichi’s eyes met red rimmed hazel ones, “you’re not really supposed to be here right now, especially this late. So, take your ice cream and go have your crisis somewhere else, presumably, at your house.”
Sugawara took the paperwork quickly, slender fingers brushing against Daichi’s, he tossed the contents towards the passenger’s seat. “Wish I could, but I’m currently not welcomed there.” Hazel eyes flicked to the torn pictures crumpled on the passenger seat, “I don’t really have anywhere to go.”
Daichi found himself staring again, eyebrows furrowing and mouth set in a firm line, a sense of his own morality and his job’s obligation raging a war inside his chest.
A snicker interrupted his thoughts, Daichi blinked and looked up at Sugawara, the gray haired man’s shoulders raising up and down in quiet hysterics. “Whenever you make that face, you look constipated.”
Daichi blinked again at the man before an unamused chuckle left his lips, “Yeah, well, you’re not looking so hot right now either.”
The two stared at each other, bemused smiles on their faces, challenging the other to make another snarky remark.
Sugawara sighed looking away from Daichi and down to his half eaten ice cream, “Listen, I know I can’t stay, I’ll go in a second. This place,” he looked back up towards the dark park before them, “was the last place me and that ass had a decent, happy date. I’m just trying to remember why I even liked him in the first place.”
“Are you…. doing okay?” Daichi spoke out without thinking the words over, idiot.
Sugawara gave him a wry smile, eyes tight, and shoulders tense. “Yes and no,” his shoulders droop slightly, “Not doing okay at this moment, but I will be. Just gotta remind myself that there’s a life outside of him.”
Daichi straightened himself up, pulling out a notepad and pen from the belt around his hips. He heard Sugawara intake a quick breath, “Listen, I’ll go right now if you want, I didn’t think it would be an issue to come here this late. Really, I’ll go, please don’t write a ticket-”
“I’m not writing you a ticket,” Daichi continued scribbling out on the notepad before ripping off the page. “This is my personal number, call me when you leave, I know a guy who rents out rooms for real cheap, he owes me a favor or two, I’ll see if I can get you something for the next couple days.”
He handed Sugawara the paper, pocketing his pen and notepad before meeting his eyes again, “You can stay here for as long as you need.”
Sugawara’s eyes kept glancing at the paper in his hands, then back up to Daichi, “You’re letting me go?” His voice was quiet and uncertain.
Daichi shrugged, hands falling onto his hips, “Your ex sounds like a dick.”
Sugawara let out a loud squawk of a laugh, fingers tightening around Daichi’s note before smoothing over the paper and placing it down neatly on the center console of his car. “You have no idea.”
Daichi tapped the roof of the gray haired man’s car twice before walking back to his own, “Enjoy your night, Sugawara Kōshi.”
“You too, Officer Sawamura Daichi.” Sugawara called out, loud saturated pop music muffling out his voice.
Daichi threw himself back down into the driver’s seat of his squad car, taking a long gulp of bitter - now cold - coffee and placing an unlit cigarette in between his lips. He started the car, cast one last glance at the small blue car in front of him, and left the park. Late night patrols were boring and tedious, a routine Daichi knew by heart, but sometimes a change was inevitable.