daisuga detective noir(?) au
Jan. 3rd, 2016 01:10 pm![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
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-----
"I've heard about you," he says.
Sugawara's reply is mild. "Good things, I hope." He's swirling the drink in his glass slowly without looking at it, instead focusing on his companion's face. It's a strong, no-nonsense face, with dark brown eyes and a firm jaw. It matches the breadth of his shoulders and the thick forearms revealed by his rolled-up sleeves. Sawamura looks like the kind of person who'll be easy to work with, but hard to fool.
Sawamura laughs, sliding sideways to prop his chin up on his knuckles. His eyes never leave Sugawara's. "Depends on what you consider good. They say you're one of the best PIs in the business. That you can get information out of anyone. Mind like a steel trap. You know the drill."
Sugawara glances down, smiling a little. "Those all sound like good things to me."
"And they also say," Sawamura says, "that you're out of the game." There's a short pause, broken only by the clinking of the ice in Sawamura's glass. "So what's the deal, detective?" Sawamura says. "What's got you knocking on a policeman's door?"
Sugawara doesn't glance back up. Instead he traces ever-wider circles on the wooden tabletop with his finger, weighing the words in his mouth. Sawamura's bluntness is jarring, but suits Sugawara's purposes. He feels restless, anxious. "It's my partner," he says. "Asahi."
Sawamura frowns. "I remember him. The tall one, your muscle."
"He wasn't really," Sugawara says. "I mean, he looked like it and if that's what people thought, I didn't correct them, but he's not really tough at all. Speaking of which, I'm not really benched, either." Sugawara lifts his eyes again and in them Sawamura can see the keen intelligence that Sugawara's so famous for. "I've just been more selective in what cases I take on. And this last case—well, Asahi went to take a look around the Iron Wall two days ago, and I haven't heard from him since."
Sawamura tenses at that. "Don't tell me you've messing with Dateko."
Sugawara's tiny smile is humorless. "I told you," he says. "I only take the most interesting cases."
"No, you mean you take the craziest cases," Sawamura sighs, slumping back against his chair. "So let me see if I've got this. You bit off more than you can chew and now your partner's gone missing. And you want me to help you find him. You realize I'm not on the force anymore either, right? What do you expect me to do?"
Sugawara bites his lip, hesitating, before he leans forward. "Listen, Sawamura," he says quietly. "If there was any other way, I wouldn't have come knocking on your door this late at night. But no one else will help me, and I'm not the only one who's got a reputation." His eyes harden. "I know that it's Dateko that ran you off the force. I thought in the process of helping me, I might be able to help you, too."
"So you know that Dateko already burned me once before," Sawamura says. "What makes you think I'm stupid enough to tangle with them again?"
Sugawara's eyes narrow. "If you're the kind of police captain to get cowed by something like that, then I've underestimated you."
Sawamura has to suppress a shiver. He doesn't reply at first, leaning back again and folding his arms. Sugawara lets him think, though the weight of his focus doesn't lessen.
Finally, Sawamura sighs. "You've got a plan?"
"I've got a few plans," Sugawara replies. "I don't go into situations like this unprepared."
"I have to get a few supplies myself," Sawamura says. He bumps the table as he stands, the ice in their drinks clinking. "You can brief me on the way."
Sugawara's expression clears into a look of surprise. "You'll really help me?"
"They were right," Sawamura says with a rueful smile, "you could probably talk anybody into anything." He extends his hand. "Good to be working with you, detective."
Sugawara's hand is smaller than his, but just as warm. He gets to his feet and the grip firms into a handshake. Sugawara's smile breaks across his face, and Sawamura blinks, just starting to realize what he's just signed up for.
"Come on, captain," he says, slipping his hand free. "We don't have much time."
-----
"I've heard about you," he says.
Sugawara's reply is mild. "Good things, I hope." He's swirling the drink in his glass slowly without looking at it, instead focusing on his companion's face. It's a strong, no-nonsense face, with dark brown eyes and a firm jaw. It matches the breadth of his shoulders and the thick forearms revealed by his rolled-up sleeves. Sawamura looks like the kind of person who'll be easy to work with, but hard to fool.
Sawamura laughs, sliding sideways to prop his chin up on his knuckles. His eyes never leave Sugawara's. "Depends on what you consider good. They say you're one of the best PIs in the business. That you can get information out of anyone. Mind like a steel trap. You know the drill."
Sugawara glances down, smiling a little. "Those all sound like good things to me."
"And they also say," Sawamura says, "that you're out of the game." There's a short pause, broken only by the clinking of the ice in Sawamura's glass. "So what's the deal, detective?" Sawamura says. "What's got you knocking on a policeman's door?"
Sugawara doesn't glance back up. Instead he traces ever-wider circles on the wooden tabletop with his finger, weighing the words in his mouth. Sawamura's bluntness is jarring, but suits Sugawara's purposes. He feels restless, anxious. "It's my partner," he says. "Asahi."
Sawamura frowns. "I remember him. The tall one, your muscle."
"He wasn't really," Sugawara says. "I mean, he looked like it and if that's what people thought, I didn't correct them, but he's not really tough at all. Speaking of which, I'm not really benched, either." Sugawara lifts his eyes again and in them Sawamura can see the keen intelligence that Sugawara's so famous for. "I've just been more selective in what cases I take on. And this last case—well, Asahi went to take a look around the Iron Wall two days ago, and I haven't heard from him since."
Sawamura tenses at that. "Don't tell me you've messing with Dateko."
Sugawara's tiny smile is humorless. "I told you," he says. "I only take the most interesting cases."
"No, you mean you take the craziest cases," Sawamura sighs, slumping back against his chair. "So let me see if I've got this. You bit off more than you can chew and now your partner's gone missing. And you want me to help you find him. You realize I'm not on the force anymore either, right? What do you expect me to do?"
Sugawara bites his lip, hesitating, before he leans forward. "Listen, Sawamura," he says quietly. "If there was any other way, I wouldn't have come knocking on your door this late at night. But no one else will help me, and I'm not the only one who's got a reputation." His eyes harden. "I know that it's Dateko that ran you off the force. I thought in the process of helping me, I might be able to help you, too."
"So you know that Dateko already burned me once before," Sawamura says. "What makes you think I'm stupid enough to tangle with them again?"
Sugawara's eyes narrow. "If you're the kind of police captain to get cowed by something like that, then I've underestimated you."
Sawamura has to suppress a shiver. He doesn't reply at first, leaning back again and folding his arms. Sugawara lets him think, though the weight of his focus doesn't lessen.
Finally, Sawamura sighs. "You've got a plan?"
"I've got a few plans," Sugawara replies. "I don't go into situations like this unprepared."
"I have to get a few supplies myself," Sawamura says. He bumps the table as he stands, the ice in their drinks clinking. "You can brief me on the way."
Sugawara's expression clears into a look of surprise. "You'll really help me?"
"They were right," Sawamura says with a rueful smile, "you could probably talk anybody into anything." He extends his hand. "Good to be working with you, detective."
Sugawara's hand is smaller than his, but just as warm. He gets to his feet and the grip firms into a handshake. Sugawara's smile breaks across his face, and Sawamura blinks, just starting to realize what he's just signed up for.
"Come on, captain," he says, slipping his hand free. "We don't have much time."
