Chapter Text
Japan, 1958.
Tokisaka Reiji’s long, mad chase had finally ended when he discovered Kuchiki Toko’s remains. She, his second love, had found such a tragic and cruel end. Nor like it had been any different for his poor late wife but… the world was truly fucked up, he thought. It didn’t make a difference to him anymore. Alphas, omegas, betas… they can all just go to hell. He let out a scream and collapsed to the ground, clinging onto her bones. Yaginuma Ryouichi was there, watching.
Not even a few days passed since Tokisaka caught Hinagami Karen and put an end to her murder spree. She was crazily in love with her brother, Hinagami Ayato, an alpha. As a beta, she couldn’t bear his child so she wasn’t able to marry into the family. The family was still obeying old customs and as such, only those with Hinagami blood were allowed to continue the bloodline. She murdered all the omega marriage candidates because she wanted her brother to remain forever hers. What a bunch of bullshit.
Ayato, or Masaki Tomoyuki, since he had changed his name, was a very tame alpha. He had no interest in taking over the family business, nor did he want to breed with an omega. Tokisaka Reiji, on the other hand, was a bit more of a playboy alpha, though that was mostly in his past. His wife had been killed by another alpha maniac, Rokushiki Makoto, who was her obstetrician at the time. She was pregnant but was afraid of facing the same complications that her mother had and Rokushiki was against terminating childbirth. He misunderstood her worries and killed her in unimaginable, cruel ways. Rokushiki had also killed omega prostitutes because they were engaging in sex without wanting to breed. He hated the thought of abortion.
Kuchiki Toko, on the other hand… she was an omega like no one other. Sly, brave and playful, she always took the initiative. Not even Tokisaka could keep up the pace sometimes. They were happily in love when she suffered an unfortunate accident. She was hit by a truck, lost all her limbs and then was stolen from the hospital by her brother, Katsuragi Shin. But Shin was a dangerous man and another serial killer. That’s why Tokisaka had been looking for Toko until then. He found out that Shin had been helped by one of Ayato’s childhood friends, Kuroya Naori, doctor. Naori had killed Shin in the meantime and took care of Toko until she died, burying her in the back garden of a mountain house. Tokisaka was in despair for he had lost everything. Eventually, the police had urged him to leave the scene of the murder, trying to prevent him from pampering with the evidence too much.
Defeated and numb to everyone around him, Tokisaka was shoved inside a police car. The police superintendent, Yaginuma Ryouichi, was also there, besides him. He would never put in the effort to drive himself, of course. Even if Yaginuma had such a fancy title, he was not an alpha. He was an omega and he was doing his very best to hide it from everyone. Tokisaka had learned about that sometime ago but he didn’t care all that much. It was hard to care when it came to someone like Yaginuma, his narcissistic attitude making everyone think he was insufferable. But Yaginuma was unusually quiet. Earlier that day, Tokisaka punched him. He knew it was his fault; he took it too far. Even so, he wondered about what Tokisaka was thinking about. He hadn’t said a single word since they took him inside.
“It couldn’t be… Did the cat eat your tongue, Senpai? I thought you would be protesting more. Like ‘There is no way I am going to share a car with superintendent Yaginuma’ type of thing.” He wondered if he was going to get any reaction. Tokisaka raised his head absently, glancing at him.
“…I’ll let it slide for today. As long as you take me home alive… Though you might want me back at the MPD. You’re needy like that, Yaginuma.” He replied, his voice hoarse and less cheerful than usual. His teasing tone was unchanged, though.
“Me? I’ll have you know that I can handle most things on my own. And by my own, I mean my subordinates are always willing to work tirelessly for me. But I might need you to testify a thing or two. I guess tomorrow is fine. Make sure you get there early, though. Don’t make me wait.”
Tokisaka was slightly surprised by that development. “And I thought you’re either too much of a workaholic or have lost all sense of compassion. Have you grown soft, Yaginuma? Though I probably shouldn’t let it get to me.”
“Not at all, Senpai. And I could say the same to you. I can’t believe the face that you’re making right now. It doesn’t suit you well.” Yaginuma made a lazy attempt at offering Tokisaka a cig from his box. “Do you feel like smoking? I believe you’ve earned one today.”
“…Working for one cigarette again… Why am I not even surprised this time?” Tokisaka stretched his arm and took his offer though. He needed to relax. “Do you have a lighter?”
Yaginuma used a match to light his own cig and, for better or for worse, extended his lit cig to Tokisaka’s. “This should do. I didn’t have another match so don’t complain.”
“Well, this is unpleasant.” Tokisaka stared at his cig in disbelief. “At the very least, you hadn’t tasted it yet.” Still visibly disgusted by the situation, Tokisaka sighed and gave in, filling the car with his smoke.
“Hm.” Yaginuma clicked his tongue in annoyance. “Who said you worked enough for a match as well, anyway?” He spoke on an irritated tone as he started smoking as well. For a while, the occasional puffs and smoke clouds were the only signs of life inside of the car. It was dead silent otherwise. Yaginuma had decided that he preferred Tokisaka more when he was chatty. It was not under his jurisdiction to cater to broken hearts, after all. And yet, he felt upset.
Yaginuma never liked Tokisaka; Tokisaka never liked Yaginuma. It was just a simple fact and they had both lived up to it up until the very end. It was how the talented superintendent preferred it, actually. It was pointless to make attachments and he didn’t particularly wanted to be liked either way. The least emotional involvement, the least drama. He never let his guard down and so others found it difficult to connect with him. No, they weren’t even trying to begin with. Did he want them to try? Just once, did he wish to be wanted? He concluded that wasn’t the case. And yet… the thought of those he couldn’t save was clouding his mind. He felt ashamed as a police officer. Tokisaka was right, the fact that he couldn’t find Toko in time was probably due to his own incompetence. No, it should have no meaning that it was Tokisaka’s lover that he could not save. His heart was aching, the heavy pressure of his failures giving him no peace of mind. He and Tokisaka had already caught so many criminals together. Did anything change at all during the time they spent with each other? Have they grown accustomed to their casual bickering every day? Will Tokisaka ever think of him at all? No, probably not. After all, he was merely the tool he needed to earn a living as a private detective. And Tokisaka was the tool Yaginuma needed to gather more accomplishments under his title. They used each other. Such was their mutual relationship that they both had agreed upon. Then why the pain? Yaginuma was bursting with emotions he hadn’t felt in a long time. He shifted his body towards the window, the furthest away from Tokisaka as he possibly could. Tokisaka did glance at him curiously but Yaginuma was fully facing the window. It was raining. It was pounding heavily against the glass panels. He felt the coldness against his palm as he watched. Yaginuma shivered. It wasn’t just the window; he, by himself, was cold and empty. His sister, herself in coma, was all he had that resembled a family. But wasn’t that what he wanted? Isolating himself so he could never get hurt? He didn’t notice when he started tearing up.
Tokisaka analyzed his behavior from a distance. He was almost home so it was not his business, he thought, as he cussed the rain away. He sighed, extinguishing his cigarette against a small opening he found by the window. Not his car, not his job to keep it neat looking. He turned around, trying to approach Yaginuma slowly, as to not startle him. I am the one who lost Toko, so why are you making this face? I thought you’re always aspiring to be as fierce and unlikable as possible. It might have been my fault. But he should know better than to take my words seriously. I am really no good at this. “Hey, Yaginuma… what happened?” He asked, on a gentle voice. He wouldn’t normally address the ill-tempered superintendent that way. That voice was one he usually showed to the women he cared about. It nagged at him to be that soft with a guy, and a guy he despised at that.
Yaginuma was startled regardless, not realizing he was being watched. He jolted, finding it too late to stop a couple tears rolling down his cheeks. But he quickly filled with anger, absolutely hating the pitiful tone Tokisaka used. His mind went blank as he clenched his fists, overtaken by the avalanche of contradictory feelings. “It has nothing to do with you. Ah… that’s right, aren’t you going to mock me, like always? I bet you are finding this especially funny, a-aren’t you? Answer me, Senpai.” He started trembling, more tears falling down, breaking apart on his fists. Despite the inside turmoil, his voice came out emotionless, cutting the air as he spoke.
Tokisaka scratched his head. I did not sign up for this. Why is Yaginuma crying? More importantly, I really can’t deal with this. I hate situations like this. I can’t win. Instead of replying, Tokisaka searched his pockets until he came across a relatively clean handkerchief and raised his hand towards him. “…Here, you can use this. I don’t know what’s on your mind but–” His gesture was refused even faster that he expected it despite his best attempt at keeping himself calm.
Yaginuma used his hand to block Tokisaka’s, pushing the handkerchief away. “I don’t want it. I don’t even know for how long it had been sitting there and it looks gross. Keep your germs away from me.” He was beyond irritated, his nerves reaching the limit for that day.
Does he really have to be so stubborn even when he’s sad! Just accept someone’s kindness for once, Yaginuma. It won’t kill you. “Just take it already. It’s clean, for the most part. Yukari must have packed it for me at some point. I insist.” Tokisaka didn’t give up, using his own strength to counterattack the opposing force. As Yaginuma was sharp and continued to block him furiously, Tokisaka changed his strategy and stole the handkerchief, heading for a direct hit to the face instead.
“I already said that I don’t need it! The last thing I want is you looking down on me like this. Just give up–” Yaginuma fully shifted towards Tokisaka to increase his resistance, leaning his back slightly onto the window. It was then when it happened. The car hit a road bump.
Tokisaka collided onto Yaginuma, fully losing his balance on him. When he opened his eyes, he realized that he never seen his face so up close before. Did he always have such captivating, beautiful eyes? The colour of a tropical sea that you’d only find in the wildest of places… it fit him perfectly. Tokisaka was slowly getting accustomed to the surroundings. His right hand was still holding onto the handkerchief; good. He used that to directly clean Ryouichi’s face, brushing away his tears. His other hand ended up holding Ryouichi’s wrist as he fell so he used it to keep the stubborn policeman in place. Tokisaka soon noticed that one of his legs was very uncomfortably occupying the area of Ryouichi’s loin. But the superintendent was clinging onto that very leg so it’s not like he could move away. It was probably a defense mechanism during the fall so Tokisaka saw nothing in it. He couldn’t discern Ryouichi’s thoughts just from the facial expression he was making but he could tell he was probably shocked himself as he was unusually quiet. Tokisaka was too busy celebrating this small victory to notice the inconspicuous position they were in.
I can’t believe it! The indolence of this man! I shouldn’t let him get what he wants this easily. Ryouichi passed the initial state of confusion and tried to struggle, wanting to break free. “T-Tokisaka… S-Senpai, this is not funny. Let go of me a-at once… o-or I’ll have you arrested for sexual h-harassment!” He tried shoving the large body away from him but he had lost all his previous strength. He hated the feeling of someone else’s warmth being pressed against him like that. He hated Tokisaka especially. He wanted to disappear.
“Quite on the contrary, you’re putting on quite the display. I doubt you’d arrest me, especially since I thought my confessions were a key to your investigation? It’s a nice pace to see you being so obedient for once. The accomplishments backing up your important title won’t save you now.” He only intended to tease him a little so he would lighten up the mood.
That was the plan but… he didn’t expect a certain sweet smell to enter his nostrils. Unable to hold back, Tokisaka leaned closer, searching for the source. He found it on Ryouichi’s neck, tickling it with his nostrils. “What a nice smell you have, Yaginuma…” His eyes changed their gentle demeanor, staring at him like a predator eyeing his prey. He became aware of the discrepancy between their roles for the first time.