Chapter Text
“Fuck.” Detective Sawamura stared at the blood-covered walls, vaguely hearing another cop rush out of the room with a hand over his mouth.
This was the third murder in two weeks and he felt a growing pressure in his forehead. The speed between kills was escalating. His partner Iwaizumi stood next to him, tired eyes looking at the words dripping down the white paint.
Not the last.
Another family had been ruined. This time a mother, father, two sons, and a daughter, had all been murdered in their home. They lived in a nice area, and most likely thought they were safe when they went to sleep that night.
Before that it had been a young, married couple. The killer had picked the lock on the side door, and had immediately made his way to the bedroom, passing over any valuables he could have stolen. The wife had been pregnant.
The first had been sloppy, a home invasion in the dodgier part of town. It looked like it was supposed to be a simple robbery. But the criminal hadn’t known the family of three was home. The daughter had almost gotten away while the murderer was killing her parents. She had been the first body they found, by the front door.
After that, it seemed like whoever was doing it had gotten a taste for blood and was enjoying it, a little too much.
“We need to bring in the PSIA.” Iwaizumi dragged his hand over his face, green eyes closing in frustration. “We don’t have enough officers to handle something like this.”
“I agree. Who knows when this bastard will strike next. I’ll go talk to the chief.” Sawamura turned from the scene just as the forensic photographer, Sugawara, walked in the room, camera at the ready.
“Oh, hello Iwaizumi-san, Daichi. You just leaving?”
Sawamura smiled at the silver-haired man and nodded, watching as Iwaizumi stumbled a little before letting out a grunt. Which is understandable, that honorific tacked on at the end was a low blow.
But it seemed Sugawara wasn’t going to address the other man again, looking just at Sawamura as he continued speaking, “Well, you better leave quick. The press is gathering, and it looks like they’re ready to have a field day.”
“Really? Thanks for the warning, we’ll leave out the back.” Sawamura put a hand on Iwaizumi’s shoulder, and guided him from the room. A few seconds of silence passed before he was looking over at his partner. “You know, I don’t know why you don’t just get together with Suga. He’s your soulmate, right? And it’s obvious you have feelings for him, so...”
The other scowled, scuffing his feet as he stepped out the back door. The yelling of the press carried around the house, it was obvious some of the other officers hadn’t gotten the same warning they had. “Just because I might develop feelings doesn’t mean Sugawara will feel the same. Our bond could end up just being platonic.”
“That’s ridiculous! As his best friend, I can honestly say he’s into you. I don’t know why you’re waiting.”
The two walked around a neighbor’s house, coming out on the street behind the press. All their attention was focused on the crime scene, making it easy to get to their patrol car down the block.
Iwaizumi cracked his knuckles, then his neck, and let out a sigh. “I just don’t want to force Sugawara into something he’ll regret.”
“Why would you even –” Sawamura threw up his hands. “Alright, I get it. There’s some baggage. But do you honestly think Suga wouldn’t understand?”
“No, he’s been very...” Iwaizumi paused, eyes flitting away, “understanding.”
“You do realize that if you don’t tell me the story behind that statement, I’ll just get it out of Suga, right?” He opened the driver side door, slipping the keys into the ignition as Iwaizumi got in beside him. The crime scene was relatively close to the station, so it would be a short drive.
His partner paused, looking at Sawamura out of the corner of his eye, before letting out a sigh. “You know the case we had a while back with the gas station robbery?” When Sawamura nodded as he pulled out of the neighborhood, the man continued, “Sugawara worked that case too, and after he had finished...we went to a nearby bar, and then went back to my place...”
“Holy shit. Seriously?” Sawamura ran a hand through his hair, “This is ridiculous. And you think it’s just platonic? After having slept together? Have you talked at all with Suga about it?”
There was silence as they drove down the road, and Sawamura scanned the road to keep from looking at his partner. The area they served wasn’t very traffic heavy, most people opting to walk to their destinations, so he only saw one other car driving in the opposite direction as they made their way back.
“I...told him I didn’t want a relationship, after.” Iwaizumi’s eyes flitted to the side, staring resolutely out the window when they pulled into the station.
Sawamura clicked his tongue, pulling into his car’s spot, parking and pulling the keys out of the ignition before turning to his friend. “That’s bull, man. You can’t play my best friend around like that.”
“But I...”
He held up a hand, stopping Iwaizumi from continuing. “No buts. It’s not fair to Suga.”
Sawamura opened his car door, lifting one leg out before twisting back around to his frozen partner. “I’m going to talk to Ukai, feel free to join me when you decide to stop being an idiot.”
When he stood up and made his way to the sidewalk, the smell of fresh baked bread drifted over from the bakery next door. They were smart in setting up next to the police station, he could already feel a craving for something sweet. And with the library just on the other side of them, they saw a lot of student traffic too.
When he stepped into the station, he was met with a frantic scramble. He dodged a secretary focused on the papers in her hands and rushing towards the printers, not bothering to look where she was going. He raised a hand to Asahi, who smiled back.
“Hey! Good to see you back!”
“Ah...are you going to say that every time you see me now?” Asahi rubbed the back of his head with a chuckle. “I’ve been back for a week already.”
Sawamura laughed and slapped the man’s back, pretending he didn’t see the other’s wince. “I’ll stop saying it when it isn’t true! We missed you!”
“Yeah, Noya helped me see why I loved this job. It feels kind of good to have my badge back.”
“That’s the spirit! You’ll be back in the swing of things in no time!” Sawamura looked around, watching everyone rush around them. “Speaking of, what’s with the station today?”
Asahi gave a small smile, his shoulders creeping up a bit. “Apparently someone told the news about how we don’t have anything on the killer. They’re having a field day claiming we’re not doing anything to help the families and protect the people. The complaints section has been taking calls all morning.”
“Fuck.” Sawamura squeezed the bridge of his nose, closing his eyes for a second. “Alright, I need to talk to Ukai real quick. Then I’ll come back and see if I can help any.”
His friend straightened, tilting his head with concerned eyes. “Don’t worry so much, Daichi.” He gave a small grin and patted him the shoulder. “We all know you’re doing your best.”
Sawamura sighed and forced a smile, before turning away. A scowl grew on his face as he made his way to the back office. He had been working on this case from the beginning, and if they didn’t have any leads, it was because his best wasn’t good enough. If there was anyone to blame, it was him.
He knocked on the door of the chief’s office, opening it when he heard an affirmative. “Hello, sir.”
“Yeah, Sawamura, I know what you’re going to say already.” The chief sat behind his desk, closing shut a file he was reading. “This has gone too far.”
“You do?” He cleared his throat. “Then should I make the call to Tokyo?”
“I already did. They’re gonna send a team of behavioral analysists.” Ukai readjusted the headband holding back his dyed blonde hair, letting out a sigh.
Sawamura nodded, sucking his teeth for a moment. “Let’s hope they can help us get this guy.”