Chapter Text
“Well then, I’ll be going now.”
Yanagi looked up to see Sasazuka standing up from the desk.
“Ah, all done?” he asked.
Sasazuka nodded briefly.
“There’s not much else to really do as of now. And I’m sure that idiot will prefer to come home to me gone.”
Yanagi smiled slightly as Sasazuka’s consideration of Minamoto after he stormed out earlier.
“Very well, good work today. Let me know if there’s an alert.”
As Sasazuka grabbed his coat, he was already reaching for the door.
“Of course, good night.”
Without waiting for a response, Sasazuka left the apartment and closed the door behind him.
As he reached the ground floor and exited the warmth of the building, the cold chill of the nighttime air ebbed of some of the drowsiness that had been overtaking him after the sugar of the donuts and coffee wore off. Thankfully, it wasn’t so cold to be unbearable yet, but he still slipped his arms into the sleeves of his coat instead of simply laying it across his shoulders.
As he made his way down the street that led to his own apartment, it wasn’t long before someone else joined him.
As always, his steps were as silent as the dead, and it was as if he had melded out from the shadows as he fell into step beside him.
“Okazaki… why am I not surprised?” Sasazuka commented dryly.
Okazaki grinned that earnest smile of his as the light of the moon illuminated his silver hair, making it seem as if it was glowing.
“Good evening, Takeru-chan,” the SP officer greeted him.
“I don’t need to be escorted,” Sasazuka said with a sigh.
Okazaki’s only tilted his head as he regarded him warmly.
“Hm… I’m not so sure. Out of all of you, I think you’re the one who needs our protection most.”
Sasazuka refused to look at the man and kept his gaze on the path ahead.
“You don’t say?” he replied sarcastically.
After all, he was aware that Okazaki knew that the rest of them held some field experience and were trained in some form of self-defense. He refused to think on the fact that they were armed as well, which was more than he could say for himself. Not that he expected to be taken out on his walk home.
Okazaki hummed in contemplation.
“If you want to train, I don’t mind giving you some lessons,” he offered.
This time, Sasazuka did turn to look at him, and huffed at the earnest expression on his face.
“I think I’ll pass.”
Sasazuka looked away just as Okazaki’s expression became one of disappointment.
“So cold, Takeru-chan.”
Sasazuka didn’t reply, and Okazaki grinned once more and walked in silence beside him for some time.
“I saw Mineo leave the building pretty angry earlier. Did you say something to make him upset again?”
Sasazuka frowned and resisted the urge to send the man a glare.
“Who knows. It doesn’t take much for that idiot to get upset.”
“Still… friends shouldn’t fight.”
Sasazuka let out an exasperated sigh.
“I doubt friends is the right word for us.”
Okazaki tilted his head again.
“Then… what do you consider him?”
Okazaki’s calm tone managed to lower his guard, so that Sasazuka had to close his mouth before he actually answered him.
“Okazaki… what did we say?” he says threateningly instead.
Okazaki placed a finger on his chin in contemplation.
“Hm… don’t encourage Mineo when he’s being an idiot?”
Sasazuka sighed.
“The other agreement…”
Okazaki laughs, that light and carefree laugh that paints him as absent-minded to most people.
“Let’s see… I guess… don’t ask questions that involve our jobs?”
Sasazuka shoots a piercing glance at Okazaki.
“Exactly… if you want our arrangement to continue, those are the terms.”
Okazaki doesn’t reply. Instead, Sasazuka sees from the corner of his eye as he discreetly looks around instead, before he feels his hand grip his wrist and pull him into a dark alley beside them.
The next thing he knows, Okazaki’s arms are on either side of his head as his back is pressed to the brick wall behind him, and Okazaki’s face is leaning down close to his. Okazaki’s smile has all but disappeared, and his eyes look silver rather than their usual lilac just then.
Sasazuka meets his gaze steadfastly.
“Now’s not the time to be messing around, Okazaki,” he chides him.
“Hm… but there’s no one around…” Okazaki says, and his face leans in closer.
Sasazuka glowers at the approaching face, before his sighs and firmly pushes the taller man away. He knows that if Okazaki really wanted to, he could have held his ground, but the fact that he moves away means that he isn’t going to be stubborn just then.
“Unless you have x-ray vision I don’t know about, you never know whose looking out their windows.”
Okazaki laughs, and Sasazuka begins to lead their way out of the alley. He knows that Okazaki just wanted to press his buttons, but he backed off easier than he thought he would.
“Well, I guess you have a point. Having x-ray vision does sound really useful… I wonder if we could get something like that…”
Okazaki is trailing behind him only enough that he can still hear him as he talks aloud.
“Wouldn’t you love that… it would mean you would at least stop trespassing into the apartment like you do.”
Okazaki once more makes a sound of contemplation.
“I’m not so sure about that… I like surprising you all. You all make the best expressions. It makes me happy.”
Sasazuka glances at him, and of course, Okazaki has that smile on his face again. This time, instead of annoyance, Sasazuka feels a stir of something else at the sincerity of that smile.
When he speaks, he refuses to look at Okazaki.
“Are you coming by later?” he asks.
There is only a brief pause before Okazaki answers, but it still makes him slightly bristle at the delay.
“I’d like to. I have to let Yoshinari get some sleep first, but I’ll come by when we switch.”
Sasazuka sighs.
“I hate your late-night visits. They interrupt my sleep.”
Okazaki chuckles as he finally falls into step beside him again, so that his sleeve is lightly grazing his own.
“I’ll make it worth your while.”
Sasazuka still refuses to look back at him, even if he can feel his gaze on him.
“I honestly don’t understand how you manage to get sleep.”
“Eh… is that concern I hear?” Okazaki teased.
“No… it’s an honest observation. You seem to be on 24/7 surveillance of us, and when you’re supposed to be sleeping you end up coming to see me most of the time.”
Okazaki clicks his tongue a few times.
“Uh uh Takeru-chan… you’re awfully close to breaching job-related questions…”
Sasazuka tenses at the accurate assessment, and glares at Okazaki.
“Whatever.”
Okazaki laughs again.
“I’ll try not to be too late. Just make sure to leave your window open.”
“Maybe I should just give you a key.”
This time, Sasazuka smirks when Okazaki’s steps falter and he falls behind.
“W-wait… really?”
The astonishment is clear on his voice, and Sasazuka’s smirk only widens at the feeling of satisfaction that comes with what he says next.
“Of course not. As if I would.”
He almost laughs as he turns his head back to look at the feeling of utter disappointment on Okazaki’s face. Honestly… he looks like a kicked puppy. The thought warms him, and the cold chill of the night is almost forgotten.
“Come puppy, don’t dawdle.”
Sasazuka’s satisfaction only increases at the heavy sigh that follows.
“You sure are mean sometimes Takeru-chan… I’ll make you regret that later.”
And Sasazuka knows, without a doubt, that Okazaki would follow through on his words.
The sky outside the window was still dark, and Okazaki could just barely make out the first rays of the sun begin to peek through the horizon. This was the time when the sun rose up over Shinjuku in December, and normally, he liked to be on the street before dawn when on a job. The cover of night was always preferable, even if technically he wasn’t due back until an hour from now.
Unfortunately, he had grown rather lackadaisical as of late, and it was all due to the petite man sleeping beside him.
Okazaki hadn’t managed any sleep at all.
After their nightly activities, and making sure Sasazuka was thoroughly satisfied after also making him pay for his earlier teasing, Okazaki had found himself just watching him sleep instead of joining him.
Most of the time, Sasazuka would kick him out after they were done, but he had told him he could stay and to make sure to get some sleep, before turning around and going to sleep himself.
Okazaki smiled just replaying the memory in his mind, and once more looked to take in the sleeping face of the mint-haired man. He had turned around in his sleep so that he was now facing him, slightly curled in on himself while his fisted hand rested a breath away from where he sat up in the bed. Part of Okazaki wished that it was touching him, or that Sasazuka was the type to latch on to someone in his sleep. He would have liked that.
For what feels like the hundredth time that day, Okazaki resists the urge to reach out and touch the man, to place his hand on his hair and run his fingers through it. But he doesn’t, because he doesn’t want to risk waking him.
Instead, he just lets his eyes trace over his features again.
Like most people when asleep, Sasazuka is much more relaxed than when he’s awake. His usually present frown disappears, and his lips are lightly parted as he breathes evenly. He’s glad that no nightmares plague him that night, he doesn’t like it when he sees him toss and turn when he does.
He’s asked him before, what his nightmare is about. But of course, Sasazuka just waves away his curiosity with a ‘nothing worth recalling’ remark, and nothing he’s said has managed to pry it out of him. He has a good idea of what it is, but he wants to hear it from him. Unfortunately, Sasazuka’s patience is nonexistent, which means that Okazaki’s prying tactics aren’t the most effective on him since he usually reacts right away, and Okazaki has no choice but to back down before he really upsets him, which could also end up with an end to their arrangement.
It’s been over a month since they started this dynamic between them, shortly after Sasazuka joined Yanagi’s team.
Technically though, they have known each other longer.
Their meeting was one of chance while Sasazuka had still been on the force, while Okazaki had been temporarily assigned to a VIP since no other SP were available at the time, one that coincidentally involved the inclusion of the Cyber Crimes Division.
It required close collaboration, and Sasazuka had a particularly strong dislike for the person that Okazaki was assigned to.
Their first encounter was on the roof of HQ, where Okazaki was enjoying a nap while his partner was on watch, and Sasazuka had gone to take his lunch and get away from whatever had irritated him.
It wasn’t the most memorable first encounter. Sasazuka had been cold and dismissive to Okazaki’s harmless questions, but he hadn’t disliked him for it. Not to mention, the fact that he seemed to inhale sweets reminded him of an angry child instead.
Okazaki couldn’t help the chuckle that escaped him as he remembered the impressive glare that the other man had given him when he said as much.
From then, they had a few more encounters on the roof, and Okazaki had quickly found that the way to this man’s good side was to just provide him with treats, particularly doughnuts. It took a few tries to get his taste just right, since he himself preferred the oddities of the world.
Still, they somehow managed to form a routine of Okazaki providing Sasazuka with treats while the latter vented about the idiocy of the man that Okazaki was protecting.
He didn’t realize the significance of their interactions until his assignment came to an end, and it was time to go back to training recruits. He found himself sad at the realization that they wouldn’t meet on the roof anymore.
Okazaki didn’t have any friends, had never been able to keep them, and he liked the thought that what they had was the makings of a friendship.
Then, one day, on a whim and with the time on his hands, Okazaki decided to visit the roof anyway around the time that Sasazuka would take his lunch. He was pleasantly surprised to find him there, although he hadn’t brought treats that day… so Sasazuka was not exactly welcoming.
After that, he went whenever he had time, and never failed to bring treats, unknowingly making it his mission to scour for new sweets that Sasazuka would like over his own preferred odd tastes.
Eventually, they got to know each other better.
Okazaki learned that Sasazuka was raised in America, and once learning that, he would speak in English with the pretext that it would keep him sharp, but also because he liked to hear Sasazuka speak in English.
Still, Sasazuka only told him what he wanted to tell him, and hardly divulged personal information. Okazaki didn’t know anything about his family, and even if they were in America or not. And since Sasazuka had already told him he better not use his police resources to look into him, he didn’t want to betray the trust he was slowly building with him.
As for him, Sasazuka didn’t really pry, perhaps out of principle, and they mostly just talked about Adonis and the X-Day cases as they happened and their thoughts on the matter while Sasazuka mostly criticized the police and their handling of the situation. Sometimes Okazaki just napped as Sasazuka would eat his lunch, and on a good day, when the latter was in a particularly good mood, he would ask Okazaki to show him some of his moves.
Okazaki was more than happy to show him his abilities, since he knew he was good at it, and would try to entice Sasazuka to participate.
For a while, he would vehemently turn him down.
But the day that he finally agreed to participate was probably also the day that Okazaki realized how different Sasazuka was to him.
Of course, the smaller and inexperience man had no chance against his demonstration, and Okazaki easily pinned him down.
Until that moment, Okazaki had been sure he only found women attractive, but seeing and feeling Sasazuka pinned down underneath him had stirred something familiar within him. Something that Okazaki had thought reserved for pretty girls, not cute baby-faced men.
The realization had perplexed him, but it hadn’t been particularly upsetting.
Still… he concluded that Sasazuka was the exception. As a master of Jujutsu and kendo, Okazaki had found himself in different positions with plenty of men, and none had ever given him the reaction that Sasazuka had given him.
Having never desired a man before and given the conservative country they lived and not familiar with how to proceed with this new development, Okazaki thought it best not to push his luck. If he made an advance that Sasazuka didn’t appreciate, that would certainly be the end to the friendship he liked to think they were slowly building.
So, although he began to tease Sasazuka just a bit more than usual and found every excuse he could to touch him and fluster him, he chose to play it safe.
Then, with the increased events from Adonis and lack of progress from the police, and when the quarantine was enacted and Okazaki was given his new job to trail and protect Yanagi that made it practically impossible to join Sasazuka for lunch anymore, Okazaki thought that might be the end to whatever it was he had started to form with his new interest.
Still, Okazaki had made sure to ask for Sasazuka’s contact information when he told Sasazuka he was about to start a new important job and wouldn’t be able to come by anymore, and it had made him really happy when he hadn’t made it difficult and simply gave him his number.
Sasazuka wasn’t the biggest communicator, and he was also getting increasingly busy and pulling long hours at work with the escalating problem that Adonis was becoming. That meant they didn’t talk often or for very long besides Okazaki reminding him to eat and sleep properly, and Sasazuka telling him to stop being an overbearing mother hen.
It wasn’t until the day that Sasazuka reached out to him to join him for a drink that things changed again.
It was in August, right after the Sword and Firearms Law was lifted.
Okazaki had asked Yoshinari to cover for him, and although he wasn’t proud to leave his post to go see Sasazuka, he knew that Yoshinari was capable and he was confident that the odds of anything happening with Yanagi were low.
When he got to the agreed-on bar, Sasazuka was already drinking, and he was livid.
Okazaki had seen Sasazuka plenty mad before, but never like that.
It wasn’t a direct kind of anger either, the kind where someone was actively yelling or throwing things.
Rather, it was the intense burning in his red eyes and the malice radiating off him that told Okazaki he had never seen him this angry before. His entire body was stiff with barely contained rage, and Okazaki had felt genuinely concerned.
Of course, he did his best to diffuse the anger, which meant trying to lighten the mood with an idiotic comment here and there.
It seemed to work, and before long, Sasazuka looked just a bit more at ease in his presence as he continued to drink.
Knowing that he was technically on duty still, Okazaki didn’t drink, and drank only a soda as he listened to Sasazuka express his rage at the police and their banning the law that made the most sense in this country.
It was only when Sasazuka was clearly feeling the effects of the alcohol that he told him about the reason he left America.
About the rampant gun violence and how he lost his mother because of it.
He had come to Japan because of the very law that they had just lifted in Shinjuku, and as a result, he had quit the force that same day.
And in that bar, as Sasazuka continued to drink round after round, he proclaimed to Okazaki his passion and dedication to do what he could to reinstate the law if the Police wouldn’t do it.
It was in that moment that Okazaki had felt his heart skip a bit, and he considered, for the first time, if maybe… just maybe… Sasazuka could be the one he had been searching for. Someone worthy of dying for…
Someone who wouldn’t run away from a challenge, someone that wouldn’t give up, someone who had the right intentions to protect the people of Japan.
But… Sasazuka was too smart to recklessly put himself into danger. Okazaki believed that he had what it took to succeed in his goal in a way that he wouldn’t put himself into physical danger, in a way that he really didn’t need anyone.
The thought made his heart plummet.
Too bad… I wouldn’t mind dying to keep you safe…
That’s what he had thought back then.
In the end, he was only grateful to Sasazuka for opening up to him and showing him more of himself, and when Sasazuka was clearly drunk, had cut him off and offered to take him home.
Hardly able to walk by that point, Okazaki had regretted not cutting him off sooner, but honestly… how do you stop someone as stubborn as Sasazuka, especially when he was set on something?
At that point, even asking the younger man to tell him where he lived proved to be a challenge, with Sasazuka claiming he didn’t want to go home and that they needed to find Adonis instead.
Despite the circumstances, Okazaki had been glad to see this side of Sasazuka too. As it turned out, he also tended to revert to speaking English after a certain level of drunkenness as he demanded sweets and the names of snacks he guessed must have been American since he didn’t recognize them.
With no other choice, Okazaki decided to take Sasazuka to his place where he could sleep off his drunken stupor.
What he hadn’t expected as he was putting the drunken man to bed, however, was for Sasazuka to wrap his arms around his neck and pull him down as he lay on his back, so that they were face to face.
The memory was among one of his most vivid as he recalled it.
“I told you I’m not tired…” came his slightly slurred voice, and Okazaki only smiled as he continued to tug the smaller man deeper into his home in the direction of his bed.
“Says the one who asked me to carry him on the way up here.”
“That’s because I didn’t want to climb the stairs, dummy.”
“Hm… well I didn’t mind carrying you, you’re as light as a girl.”
Okazaki gently nudged Sasazuka onto the bed, who conceded as a deep frown formed on his face and a pout on his lips.
“I’m not a girl…” he grumbled out, surprisingly subdued.
Okazaki just smiled at him as he took off the button up shirt so only his undershirt remained.
“I know…” he said.
“Do you want to borrow some sweatpants?” he asked, since he knew he would sleep more comfortably in pants that were not jeans.
“…no.”
Okazaki blinked at the tone. It was different… not one he had heard from Sasazuka before, and not one he could quite place. As he looked up at his face, he saw that his expression looked more reserved, as if he was holding something back.
“Okay… well I’ll turn on my favorite diffuser for you. Do you want to listen to a sleep time CD? Although I doubt you need much help sleeping while drunk…” the last part was said absent-mindedly, before smiling again.
“Well… I guess it doesn’t hurt either way…”
Just as he was about to walk away to do as he said, he felt Sasazuka’s hand wrap around his wrist to keep him from walking away, and Okazaki blinked as he looked back.
Still, Sasazuka’s face was hidden by the shadows of his bangs, so he couldn’t look at his eyes.
“…stay.”
Okazaki’s eyes widened and his heart swelled at the words.
His mind not quite grasping what Sasazuka was asking and drawing up a blank in more than one way, he was further taken aback when he felt him pull him once more, and this time, as Sasazuka fell backwards onto the bed, he dragged him with him, his arms wrapping around Okazaki’s neck and awkwardly drawing him closer as Okazaki extended out his hands to keep him from landing on the smaller man underneath him.
His knee ended up between Sasazuka’s legs and his elbows on either side of him as their faces were only inches away from each other.
Okazaki’s heart was now racing in his chest as he looked into Sasazuka’s flushed face. His cheeks were red, and Okazaki couldn’t be sure if it was from the alcohol or from embarrassment as his eyes shone with bashfulness.
“T-Takeru…?”
He felt sweat on his forehead and wondered at the hope that swelled in his chest as Sasazuka pulled him closer.
“No talking…” was all he said, before craning up his neck and leaning in so that his lips touched his.
Never did Okazaki think that Sasazuka would be the one to kiss him, but his body was already responding as he eagerly kissed him back and pulled him closer.
It was an electrifying kiss, and the sweetness of the sugary drinks he’d had as he explored his mouth made his head spin with euphoria.
It was only when Sasazuka began to unbutton his shirt that Okazaki was able to pull away, albeit reluctantly.
Sasazuka looked at him indignantly, but Okazaki only smiled as he scooped him into his arms and repositioned him on the bed so he was laying down properly, adamantly ignoring the tugs at his person and clothing.
“I’m not taking advantage of you when you’re drunk like this…” Okazaki mumbled to him as he pulled the sheet over him.
Sasazuka was still able to glare at him despite still looking utter debauched from the intense make-out session they’d just shared.
“Stop trying to be a nice guy… we both know it doesn’t suit you…”
Okazaki grinned wickedly.
“Stop tempting me…”
In the end, Okazaki had to only take him into his arms so that his back was to his chest and hold him firmly to keep him from turning around. Before long, the alcohol had him fast asleep, and Okazaki was left frustrated and with more questions than answers.
He couldn’t stay either, since he had to return to his post, and it was with utter disappointment and reluctance that he left his side but made sure to text him the following morning.
He never received a reply, and when he went back to check once he had some time, he wasn’t surprised to find that he was gone.
He messaged him more after that, but Sasazuka seemed adamant on ignoring him.
It was only when he finally replied to tell him he was annoying, to leave him alone, and to forget what he did that night that Okazaki finally let it be.
He wasn’t satisfied with that ending… but he wanted to respect Sasazuka’s wishes too. Shouldn’t he be used to that anyway? People leaving him? Not being worth someone’s time and attention?
It was easy enough to accept, right?
Then… in October, they crossed paths again when Sasazuka and Shiraishi joined Yanagi and Enomoto…
“What’s with that stupid look on your face?”
Okazaki was brought out of his thoughts by Sasazuka’s groggy question, and turned to see him blinking sleepily up at him.
“I’m thinking about what snacks to make Yoshinari get today.”
Sasazuka scoffed.
“Did you sleep?”
Sasazuka frowned at the look of shame on Okazaki’s face as he remained silent. At least he didn’t try to lie to him.
“Idiot… you need to sleep properly. You’re not superhuman you know.”
Okazaki smiled reassuringly.
“Don’t worry… skipping a night of sleep won’t affect my ability to do my job.”
Sasazuka’s glower only deepened.
“That’s not what I meant.”
Okazaki blinked and Sasazuka sighed.
“Whatever. Do what you want.”
Okazaki grinned mischievously as he proceeded to getting on top of Sasazuka and slipping his arm underneath his back to arch him into him before nuzzling his face into the side of his neck.
“Do what I want?” he teased and began to gently kiss and lick at the areas he knew affected Sasazuka most.
Sasazuka trembled underneath him as his fingers dug into his sides.
“Are you an idiot? We already did it three times, I’m not doing it again.”
Okazaki didn’t stop his ministrations but hummed in contemplation. As much as he would love to tease him some more, he didn’t have time to start anything.
“Was I too rough?”
He drew back to see Sasazuka’s face, enjoying the blush on his cheeks as he looked away.
“No, but… I’m a bit sore.”
The honest response made Okazaki laugh lightly as he leaned in to kiss Sasazuka on the lips. The thought of Sasazuka being sore all day to remind him of their activities made him swell with pride and satisfaction.
“Okay… I’ll get plenty of sleep today so that we can do it again tomorrow!”
Exasperated, Sasazuka pushed off the taller man with a huff.
“You’re insatiable…”
Okazaki just laughed again as he fell onto his side next to him. It really was a shame that he had to leave soon. But maybe he could entice Sasazukainto a quick shower together first…