Teruo
Drizzle fell onto the car’s windshield and the wipers swept it away. As they headed into mid-November the mornings were colder every day and Teruo tugged his overcoat tighter then turned on the heat inside the car. He was the only one dreading the chilled air though. Beside him, Shinji sat comfortably: arms folded, head tilted back and his eyes closed. His shirt was open two buttons and tie hung loose.
Shinji hadn’t joked when he said he wasn’t a morning person and even with the alarm blaring loud rock music—or whatever that noise on his phone was—Teruo still had to shake him awake. But since he’d nearly been choked to death yesterday evening it wasn’t surprising he was tired.
He hadn’t elaborated more about how his ex-boyfriend had shot his superior officer, but he didn’t need to as Teruo could read between the lines. Where information was missing, it clearly tied to the paranormal side of the story, a side that Teruo had no full access to. And he could tell it was a painful topic for Shinji and didn’t press for more. There would be time to talk about things in depth now that they were in a relationship.
Teruo’s fingers drummed on the wheel. He hadn’t thought he’d ever be in a relationship again. After he’d woken up, he remained in bed for a few minutes, just looking at Shinji, savoring the warmth of his skin, breathing in his scent and basking in the bliss of not waking up in an empty bed. His mind reeled between joy and worry. He wanted Shinji, but was afraid to have him. What if things didn’t work out? He didn’t think he could take another heartbreak after the way his last relationship ended. But Shinji wasn’t like Itsuki. Shinji was a cop, too. He understood the job, the long hours, everything.
It’s gonna be different this time. It’s gonna be good,he told himself, trying to stay positive.
He glanced at Shinji who cracked an eye open.
“You’re tense,” Shinji said.
“I’m not.”
“Hmm…”
Teruowastense, but he didn’t want to worry Shinji. “I was just admiring you.”
“Oh? Well, go on then.” Shinji waved at himself.
Teruo chuckled and gave him a once-over. Since they left in a hurry last night, Shinji borrowed a navy-blue suit and tie along with a white shirt from Teruo. They fit his frame well and a little surge of possessiveness shot through Teruo as he saw his clothes on Shinji.
“Looks great on you.” Teruo pointed to the suit.
Shinji smirked and winked at him. “Everything looks great on me.”
A hearty laugh burst out of Teruo. “Cocky, but true. The sleeves are a bit long, though.”
“They’re fine.”
“Nah, they’re long,” Teruo said. “It’s because I’m taller than you.”
Shinji turned to him and narrowed his eyes. “No, you’re not.”
“Yeah, I am,” Teruo teased. “By about three centimeters, I think?”
“You’re lucky you’re driving.” Shinji stabbed a finger at him.
Teruo laughed and patted his thigh, then pulled into the TMPD’s parking lot. As he was preparing to get out of the car, Shinji stopped him with a hand on his shoulder. He quickly checked the parking lot, then cupped Teruo’s jaw and pressed their mouths together into an open-mouthed kiss. Teruo’s heart drummed and he dug his fingers into Shinji’s tousled hair with a satisfied moan.
When they separated, Shinji smiled, his cheeks a bit flushed and his lips swollen. Something inside Teruo flipped over and he was suddenly grateful to himself for not ruining their chance at a relationship. He liked all of this: spending time together, sleeping together, driving to work together. Sure, they couldn’t flaunt their relationship in public—not yet—but it didn’t matter. The two of them knew and that was enough.
As they stepped out, Shinji retrieved the bag with Yamato’s laptop from the backseat.
“We have a team of officers who could search through that thing for you,” Teruo said.
“No, I want to do it myself. They won’t know what to look for.”
“Phony mediums.” Teruo shrugged.
“It’s not that simple. I think I’ll know when I see it. Call it a gut feeling.”
“With that I can agree.” Teruo nodded. “I always trust my gut.”
Upon reaching his office, Teruo summoned his team of officers and grabbed the list of students. There was a discrepancy between the total number of students in the classroom and the number of people who’d actually attended the reunion. Based on the results of the early interviews, those who didn’t attend had been part of the bullied group, while the attendees had been the bullies.