Work Text:
Tachihara had never felt so much dread in his entire life. Not only had he betrayed Hirotsu and Gin, two people who trusted him wholeheartedly, but he had succeeded in his life mission of capturing Yosano Akiko. He shouldn't feel so guilty about it, but his boyfriend had gone off on his own during the split up. Tanizaki had trusted him with his secrets, past, and heart; and Tachihara returned that trust by withholding a major secret about himself and leaving his beloved with no word on himself. The phone that he used for his infiltration mission was put on silent and forgotten about, well almost forgotten about. There was a nagging feeling in Michizō's heart that refused to go away. He prayed to whatever God out there that Jun'ichirō wouldn't be caught by anyone, that his adoring, beautiful boyfriend would hide away using his ability.
The Sky Casino mission was stuck in Michizō's mind. He was a Hunting Dog, so why did he feel like he didn't belong alongside them? Why did he feel like being on the right side of the law was unsettling? He hadn't felt so restrained in so long. The uniform was like a prison cell, sentencing him to a life he wasn't sure he belonged in anymore. His undercover mission had given him freedom from completing orders without question. He still followed them, but he felt as if he finally found himself. The Hunting Dogs treated him like a younger sibling, which he adored from them. They all had their own quirks, but they were accepting of him. Jōno made him a little uneasy because of how sadistic he could be. Though the thing that made him the most uneasy was the fact it was impossible to get anything past the former criminal. Tetchō couldn't really judge him for anything, especially considering his eccentricities. The brunette was kind to him and would offer to share his unique food combinations (which Michizō always politely declined for his own safety). Teruko, in all her glory, had made him truly feel like he had once belonged with the elite military squad. She was both the older and younger sister Tachihara adored, but she did what was asked by their Commander without any questions.
After his talk with Hirotsu, he knew he didn't belong here, but he wanted to desperately. They were like a second family, but at the end of the day, he felt closer to the Black Lizard and the Mafia. The Mafia persona he had so carefully crafted was hardly a creation at all. It was who he really was. He thrived from the adrenaline rush missions brought and, despite his better judgment, he had grown attached to Hirotsu and Gin. They knew him so much more than his fellow Hunting Dogs ever could. He was supposed to kill them , but how could he ever do that? No matter how many times the old man would threaten him and Gin, Hirotsu would put his life on the line for Tachihara and the Mafia.
Then there was the small issue of his beautiful boyfriend, Jun'ichirō Tanizaki. He had never meant to fall in love during his infiltration mission, nor had he meant to get close to anyone. Loving Jun'ichirō was a mistake, but he didn't regret making that mistake one bit. The natural ginger made his life exciting, especially with his grayed morality. Their first interaction wasn't the best, considering Michizō had tried to kill Jun'ichirō, but during Shibusawa when Jun'ichirō had accidentally found out about Midwinter Memento, they had grown closer. At first, Tachihara only wanted to make sure no one else found out about his secret, but there was something entrancing about the detective. Ironically, many of the Agency members were having romantic experiences with mafiosos, so it wasn't like Tachihara was any different. Except he was. He wasn't a mafioso, at least, he didn't think so at the time.
Their meetings started at the most random places imaginable ranging from shitty motels to flower gardens. If Tachihara was being truthful, he wasn't exactly sure when Jun'ichirō's smile began to make his heart race or how the guy's laugh was a melody so sweet he wanted to keep it for himself. He wasn't sure when the urge to kiss him breathless started either. He wasn't sure exactly when he fell for Jun'ichirō Tanizaki, but when he realized he wanted to be selfish. Michizō knew that him being the fifth Hunting Dog would come to light one day, but he hoped to explain everything to his snowflake before the guy found out some other way. He knew that it wasn't smart to become anything more than friends with Jun'ichirō, but he was tired of letting himself be caged by his true role.
The smug look on Gin's face when he would be two minutes late for Black Lizard meetings annoyed him, but he knew that the assassin was secretly happy for him. Hirotsu had flat out congratulated him on his relationship when Tachihara had come out to his squad mates. Michizō was glad that he had Hirotsu as a straight ally, because the old man held a lot of respect in the Mafia. He was one of the few remaining members from when the previous boss was in power.
Guilt kept building up the more Tachihara reminisced on the past while staring at the damn phone . He knew what he had to do, but even the thought of letting Tanizaki go made his heart feel like it was being stabbed by a hundred swords. It was going to hurt, but he knew that his boyfriend didn't cope well with losing loved ones.
They were in the kitchen of Tachihara's apartment, graciously provided by the Mafia. Jun'ichirō wore a white apron over one of Michizō's shirts and a pair of shorts. The mafioso wanted to engrave the sight into his brain so he could never forget just how handsome his boyfriend looked in his clothes while doing something as domestic as making them dinner. Jun'ichirō had been so excited to attempt to make an Italian dish and Michizō didn't have the heart to tell him no when the detective's eyes seemed to shine. There was a comfortable silence between them only disturbed by the soft sounds of music coming from the radio. A question had been running circles in Michizō's head for a few weeks, but he never felt it was appropriate to ask during their outings. With a deep breath to calm his nerves, he called out to his boyfriend, "Hey, Snow?"
At the sound of the nickname used exclusively by Michizō, Jun'ichirō turned his head to face the faux ginger, whose black roots were starting to show. "What's on your mind, dear?"
Michizō could feel his cheeks starting to heat up. It was such a small term of endearment, yet when Jun'ichirō called him that with that soft, sweet tone his heart melted. "I have a question about your ability, but I also feel like it could be too personal."
The detective turned the burner down so he wouldn't end up messing up their dinner and walked over to sit on the counter closest to Tachihara. "You can ask me anything, babe."
The words were so tender, so sweet, and accompanied by that genuine smile. Michizō normally wouldn't consider himself a possessive person, but the thought of Jun'ichirō being with someone else in his place made him clench his fist. He walked closer to his boyfriend and spread Tanizaki's legs before standing in between them and hugging him tenderly. "What is the extent of your ability? Can you make realistic illusions?"
He could feel Jun'ichirō slightly tense up in his arms, so he rubbed gentle circles into his back. "You don't have to tell me if it's too much."
"No, no. I should talk about it. Just..let me collect my thoughts." Michizō could do that. He placed soft kisses on Jun'ichirō's neck, trailing up to his cheeks, planting one on his nose, and finally placing one on his lips. He could feel his boyfriend's lips turn into a soft smile.
Jun'ichirō let out a shaky sigh before he started to talk. "Yes, Light Snow can make realistic illusions." He could feel him shaking and continued to rub circles along his back. "Naomi, well the Naomi you've seen, is actually from Light Snow. The real Nao-" Michizō took one hand and gently wiped at the tears starting to fall from his boyfriend's eyes. "She died a few months before I joined the Agency. I-I wasn't strong enough to k-keep her safe and-" The boy broke off into loud sobs and Michizō could do nothing more than hold him close and comfort him. Eventually, the ginger calmed down enough to continue speaking. "Light Snow just kinda manifested her. I'm not sure how else to explain it, really. I know that I can technically make her go away…" Jun'ichirō's voice was hardly a whisper, "...but I'm not good with losing people. At least I can pretend that she's still with me."
The rest of the night was spent finishing and eating dinner and Michizō holding, cuddling, and comforting Jun'ichirō. They watched stupid romance movies and enjoyed each other's company.
After staring at the phone which seemed to mock him, he finally picked it up with shaky hands. His eyes started to water as he looked at the lock screen. Jun'ichirō was staring back at him making a peace sign while wearing Tachihara's signature jacket. Tachihara had locked the door to his room, though he knew if Jōno was nearby the conversation would be overheard regardless. With a shaky breath, he unlocked his phone and pulled up the call log. He knew he had hundreds of missed calls and texts from Jun'ichirō alone and he felt sick that he had caused his kind-hearted boyfriend so much distress.
Tachihara stared at Tanizaki's contact with watering eyes, trying to collect his thoughts before he called. The phone only rang once when he heard the familiar voice of his lover. He felt nauseous at the worried tone in Jun'ichirō's voice.
"Michizō! Are you okay? Where are you? Please tell me you aren't hurt."
Was he okay? Physically, yes. Emotionally, not one bit.
Where was he? In his room at the Hunting Dogs HQ, safe from the rain he could hear beating on his window.
"Breathe, Juni. I am healthy and safe…" For now at least, but he couldn't voice that part.
"Then why haven't I heard from you sooner…?" He could hear the sniffle the detective let out and he wanted to be able to reassure his lover, but he knew nothing he had to say would make his snowflake happy.
"I can't tell you, but I can't come back to you, Jun'ichirō." His voice wavered with pain and his heart felt like it was going to collapse in on itself. He was hurting the one person who was bigger than the sky and would remember him when everyone else had long forgotten his name.
"Why? I don't understand why you can't come back to me…" Jun'ichirō's voice shook and he knew his lover was crying. Michizō wanted to provide comfort like he had so many times when tears stained his love's face and it stung that he just couldn't .
"I need to keep you safe, darling." His lips trembled and he could feel himself shaking. "And I'm sorry it has to end this way, little snowflake, but I have ghosts even your love can't chase away." Tears slid down Michizō's face as he proceeded to ruin the best part of his life. "I will always love you, Jun'ichirō Tanizaki." He waited a single moment before he ended the call. The tears began to roll down one after another as Michizō clutched his chest. He shut his eyes as tightly as possible.
He should have never called his snowflake, especially not when they were on completely opposite sides of the law and his love was wanted for terrorism. Tachihara knew the truth though and he was going to make Fukuchi pay for ever starting this shit. He could only hope for his love to stay safe and live past this chaos that was created by his Commander.
A week later, Tachihara approached Fukuchi with narrowed eyes and a clenched jaw. He couldn't stand the sight of the man he used to trust, not when this man had caused so much pain and suffering without any good reason. He was going to kill this son of a bitch. Michizō fought to the best of his ability, but when going up against someone who didn't fight fucking fair, it was hopeless. He was blinded and could feel the cut in his gut, but he refused to become a pawn in Fukuchi's little game. Michizō stabbed a blade through his throat before the older man could react. As he lay there dying, he wished he had lived a different life where Jun'ichirō and he could live peacefully together.
His soul left his body and the dead one to greet him wasn't his brother, like he would have imagined, it was his beloved. If he could cry, he would have because he thought his snowflake was still alive. "I've missed you so much, idiot. If we ever get reincarnated and find each other in another life, can we watch the seasons change?" Jun'ichirō took hold of Michizō's hand, pulling him closer and away from the mafioso's body.
"Always." No matter what, Michizō would always find his way back to Jun'ichirō and hope to meet his friends again along the way.