[one-shot] Dangerous Game
Title: Dangerous Game
Author: Saana
Pairing: Sakumiya
Rating: PG-13
Genre: AU, action, fluff
Disc.: this is a fanfiction, which means I’m just a fan and this is just fiction… sadly…
Summary: An undercover mission can solve everything. Or at least Sho thought so but he didn’t expect to get more than what he bargained for…
A/N: really late b-day fic for our beloved caster Sakurai Sho-chan! ^-^
Sho walked in the NPA (National Police Agency) bullpen with the morning paper and a cup of steaming coffee in hand. Despite being stuck on the most nerve wrecking case for almost a month now, he was rather calm - thanks to his partner, Jun, who was much better in fussing over running in dead ends or anything like that during their investigations.
“Glad you honored us showing up finally…” a sarcastic voice greeted him as he walked up to his desk.
“Good morning to you too, Jun-kun. Just so you know, it’s 7.30 only… What, you’re sleeping in here now?” Sho asked his partner.
“I found a lead…” Jun answered frowning.
“Then why are you this moody?” Sho asked raising an eyebrow and stepped to Jun’s desk. “So, what do we have?”
“That’s the problem. It’s only a name… ‘Nino’…”
“Nino?” Sho asked back staring at the post-it the name was written on.
“We have no data about them, not even the smallest hint. Ever! They’re like a ghost!” Jun exclaimed frustrated.
“Then let’s go on some ghost hunting!” Sho said cheerfully. “Call your sources! Find someone who knows anything about our little ghost!...”
With this Sho threw away his coffee and paper in the waste bin and strolled out.
“Damn! He’s so hyped suddenly…” Jun mumbled and grabbing his coat followed his partner…
After hours of phoning, strolling around the city, chatting up ex-swindlers and drug-addicts for information, they got what they needed. Jun had a man who swore he knows someone who had a friend who once had a business with this ‘Nino’ who turned out to be a hacker…
“Are you sure about this?” Jun asked frowning.
“Why? Don’t you trust your sources?” Sho asked back raising an eyebrow.
“I do trust them. But this whole ‘I know someone who knows someone…’ stuff smells fishy…”
“Then it’s your luck that it’s me, not you who goes undercover…” Sho said calmly and smiled at his younger partner.
“I’d just love to know why you do like so much risking your life in these undercover missions…” Jun said sighing.
“Look, I’m not doing it cause I’m enjoying it… I just want to see Takeda Ken behind bars…” Sho said seriously.
It was frustrating that the man, Takeda Ken, didn’t even make a secret out of his shady businesses yet it was impossible to catch him red handed. There were no traces after him ever… If only they could find one person…
“And if we want that, all we have is Sho-kun. He’s the best in what he does…”
Sho and Jun quickly turned around hearing the sleepy voice.
“Thanks, Ohno-san!” Sho said looking at their boss with a smile.
“Everything’s ready?”
“Yes, Director! We a meeting set up at a café in the outskirts at 4. This will be Sho-san’s identifier…” Jun briefed showing a card of joker. “We wrote the number of a throwaway phone on it so he can contact us later… But Director! Sho-san wants to go alone! You can’t let him… We know nothing about this Nino… What if…?”
“Jun! Quit worrying! I’m a big boy, okay? I can take care of myself… And we can’t let them sense anything. This might be our only chance…”
“I agree with Sho-kun. Jun-kun, stand-by if anything occurs but you can’t interfere unless Sho-kun particularly asks for your help. Am I clear?”
“Hai…” Jun gave in obviously dissatisfied with the solution…
Sho - wearing jeans and leather jacket instead his usual suit and trench coat attire - walked in the café purposely a few minutes after 4 PM and immediately spotted a young man, his face mostly hidden by his baseball cap’s blind, fumbling with a deck of cards. He had small body and despite not seeing his eyes of face clearly, he rather seemed to be an introvert, moody teenager than someone who was connections to the head of Japan’s greatest drug cartel… Still Sho felt this was their man…
Sho sat at the empty table behind his back and took the menu in hand for disguise.
“You’re Nino, right?” he asked on a mumbled tone so none but the guy behind him heard his words in the café’s noise.
“That depends on who asks it…”
“I’m the joker you’ve been waiting” Sho said cockily, the smirk obvious in his voice and faking a stretch he dropped his card on the other’s table.
“Do you have a name or should I cal you simply ‘Joker’?” Nino asked examining the card.
“You can call me Sho… A friend of mine said you can help me…”
“What? You need a magician for your brat’s birthday party?” Nino asked snorting as he flipped some cards smoothly.
“Well, I thought about your other magic…” Sho replied. “And I’d pay well, of course…”
“And why would someone like you need my help? You don’t seem to be that helpless-kind…”
“Computers are not really my stuff. I prefer more… practical skills…”
“What? Like shooting people for example?” Nino asked raising an eyebrow, not actually caring that the other can’t see that.
“If it’s necessary… yes…” Sho answered on a dangerous tone.
“Well, I don’t think you’d want to continue this conversation here…” Nino said getting up and as if accindentally turned to the other man. “I’ll call you when I found an opening for you in my schedule…”
Sho looked up and their eyes met for the first time. The dark eyes behind the thick rimmed glasses glinted with mischief, the smug smirk on the thin lips promised no good. It all wasn’t more then a few seconds then the skinny man was gone…
“Shit…” Sho mumbled as he felt the warm feeling creeping up his neck to his cheek. He was in trouble…
***“I told you it was a bad idea” Jun snorted.
Two days passed since Sho’s meeting with Nino and nothing happened. No calls, no messages from the hacker.
“Chill, Jun! He’ll call. You can’t expect him to jump into any offer head first. You told yourself, he’s a ghost. He’s trying to defend his anonymity with this…” Sho said leaning back in his chair.
The younger agent huffed and curled his lips in an angry pout.
“This was a bad idea…” he repeated stubbornly under his breath.
But the next minute, Sho’s phone rang…
“See? I told you he’ll call” Sho said grinning proudly.
Jun immediately grabbed his phone to dial up their forensic scientist.
“Aiba-chan! Detect Sho’s caller now!”
Sho just rolled his eyes at this as he lifted his mobile to his ear.
“It’s nice having a call from you finally, Nino…” he said as he walked farther away from Jun to speak in peace…
“So? Could you trace him? Do we know where he is?” Jun asked immediately jumping from his seat when the tall in lab coat walked up to them.
“Yes and no” Aiba said pouting.
“Is it a yes or no now? Don’t play your games now!” Jun snapped impatiently.
“I could trace him but it was a civil phone at the Ikebukuro Station. I’d doubt he’d wait for you there to catch him…” Aiba looked at them with miserable puppy eyes as it’d be his fault.
“It’s okay, Aiba-chan, don’t worry about that. I’ll have another meeting with him tonight anyway” Sho said to cheer up his colleague.
“When? Where? Why didn’t you tell me yet?” Jun asked him.
“Jun! Remember, Ohno-san gave his consent to my mission. If I’ll need help, you’ll be the first I’ll call. But till that, cut it out!” he said looking at his partner sternly.
He was really grateful that Jun worried for him that much, that he wanted to help but it just started to be too much…
“You choose more charming meeting places each time we see each other…” Sho commented as he entered the cheap motel’s room that Nino appointed for their meeting.
The carpet on the floor and the sheets on the bed seemed to be there since decades and some suspicious looking spots were visible here and there that the covered agent didn't even want to think about how they got there so he simply paid no attention to these things. His eyes were fixed on the skinny guy who was located on the bed seeming all careless and defenseless… He almost looked innocent…
“Well, I did my best to impress you, Joker Sho” Nino said smirking and got up from the bed.
“I have to say I am impressed with something in this room…” Sho retorted walking up to Nino’s personal space - faking the play-boy - and pushed up his chin with his forefinger.
“If you’d not be a client we might be able to talk about how impressive you are…” Nino whispered pushing closer to Sho till only mere inches parted their lips before he smoothly slid out of Sho’s reach and sat in the armchair at the other side of the room.
“So it’s all me being your client that restrains you…?” Sho said turning after him, the smirk never leaving his plump lips.
“Maybe…” Nino shrugged returning Sho’s suggestive smirk.
“Then let’s get finished with this quickly so we can move on some other… more pleasurable business…” Sho advised on a deep, sensual voice and he caught some color painting the hacker’s cheeks.
Under different circumstances, Sho would never utter half of those provoking stuff. But it was necessary for his current character and he couldn’t deny that his ego got a boost seeing Nino blush so easily from the implication… If only they’d be in a different situation…
***In the end Nino agreed on accepting Sho’s charge: ‘stealing’ an encrypted file of a secret government project. Of course it was their Aiba-chan who set it up, encoding a tracker virus in the file so they’ll be able to locate Nino as soon as he downloaded it.
“He’ll find me out for sure!” Aiba whined for the nth time.
“No, he won’t! You’re our miraculous forensic scientist. I trust you, Aiba-chan!” Sho said soothing and patted the scientist’s shoulder. “Tell us immediately when he gets through!”
“Roger!” Aiba nodded with a serious expression as he watched Sho leave his lab…
It took just a few hours of wait and Aiba came running and panting to the bullpen.
“We got him! We… got… him…” he shouted and tried to catch his breath in the same time.
Both agents jolted up from their seats.
“Where?” the younger man asked impatiently.
“I already sent the address to your PDA…” the scientist said.
“Let’s go!” Jun said grabbing his coat. “Sho! What are you waiting for?” he turned back from the door when he noticed his partner didn’t move.
“You complained during the whole investigation that you wanted to do more. Now go, bring him in then!” Sho said seemingly calm and nonchalant.
Jun didn’t waste another minute to try figuring out Sho’s mind and rushed out in a second…
Aiba stood next to Sho’s desk, eying the agent curiously but he turned away from him to avoid those eyes that seemed to read in him. Cause Sho didn’t want Aiba to see his thoughts now. That he didn’t want to; couldn’t be there now. Cause he wouldn’t be able to put the handcuffs on Nino’s slim wrists…
Sho watched Nino through the mirror-window of the interrogation room. The hacker acted careless, even bored but Sho saw the confusion, insecurity and fear in his eyes. More than two hours passed since Jun brought him in and he was put n that small room to wait alone ever since. Sho sighed and walked out the monitoring room. It was time for him to face Nino…
“Finally! I started to think I’m left here to d… You!” Nino cried out jumping up from the chair at Sho’s entrance.
The agent said nothing just closed the door behind himself silently a sat down opposite Nino.
“I should’ve known…” Nino mumbled under his breath, slumping back to his seat. “That charge of yours wasn’t even difficult but I thought you overacted it cause you said you don’t know shit about computers…”
“I really am like that…” Sho admitted with a sheepish smile as he looked apologetically at the hacker.
“As I give a shit!” Nino yelled. “You set me up! You sold me down the river! You’re just a liar!”
“Look, Nino! I’m not saying sorry for what I did cause it’s my job!”
“Oh, great, it makes everything just fine then! I’m sorry for disregarding your precious job!” Nino yelled rolling his eyes mocking. “And what now? You put me in jail accusing me for stealing an obviously fake government property?”
“No, Nino, shut up for a second and listen to me!” Sho said on a chiding tone. “It’s not about or against you!”
“Then why did that thick browed bastard barged into my place and dragged me here in handcuffs? To me, it’s not the sign of it not being against me!”
“Cause I’d doubt you’d cooperate if the first time we met I’d have said we need your help to arrest Takeda Ken…” Sho said seriously.
“No…” Nino breathed out as all color ran out of his face.
“Yes! Nino, we know you have connections to him but you weren’t in the system. We couldn’t get a hold of you other way…”
“I was not in the system for a reason! I wanted to live on another fifty years or so but know I barely have the chance to live tomorrow! All thanks to you!” Nino cried, not even pretending anymore that wasn’t afraid; his breath quickened as panicked lights glinted up in his hazel eyes.
“Nothing will happen to you. We can protect you. I will protect you! I promise. Trust me!” Sho said determined slapping his hands on the table, looking at the smaller man with serious eyes.
“You can’t… You don’t know what you’re up against. Even I don’t know! I don’t know anything you think I do. I never met him or got contacted by him personally… I was just… clearing up digital traces that could lead to him… I’m not saying I’m innocent but I can’t help you!” Nino said desperate and panicked.
Sho put his hand on Nino’s quivering one and squeezed it gently, making the skinny guy looking up at him.
“Just tell me anything you know about Takeda, leave the rest to us. I won’t let anything happen to you. Trust me, Nino, please…” he said softly.
The panicked glints slowly faded away in Nino’s eyes then he nodded…
With Nino’s information and his help it took barely a day to gather all the proof they needed to put Takeda behind the bars for the rest of his life.
After that, Sho was left only one more thing to settle. That was why he marched in the director’s office with a determined expression on his face, not bothering to knock at least before he entered.
“I’ll call you back later, sir. I have something to settle now…” Ohno said in the phone before hang up when he saw his agent entering. “What can I do for you, Sho-kun?”
“Ohno-san, I was thinking about Nino’s situation…” Sho started and suddenly he seemed to be a bit more self-conscious than mere seconds ago. “His… talent could be really useful to us. He could be a great help to Aiba-chan. He always complains that he lacks the needed computer skills…” Sho listed his reasons. “You should’ve seen him. He was out of his mind with fear when I mentioned Takeda’s name. He’s a victim here… He’s…” Sho searched for the proper words desperately.
“Sho-kun!” Ohno interrupted him. “I knew you’ll feel like this…” his boss said with a knowing smile and handed a folder to the agent. “Have him signed these. He’ll be your responsibility, don’t forget it!”
Sho’s face lit up with a bright smile.
“Thank you, Ohno-san!” he said grinning then left the room quickly heading to the interrogation room where Jun thought Nino should be held till everything was over…
“Sign it!” Sho said pushing the folder in front of Nino.
“What is it?” the hacker asked frowning.
“The beginning of your new life” Sho answered with a huge grin plastering on his face.
“New life?” Nino was still frowning but he was busy reading the papers in front of him.
“For your help to arrest Takeda, the judge agreed to let you on probation under my eye and you’ll have to work with us as an IT-expert” Sho explained.
Nino finished reading then signed the papers without asking anymore questions.
“So, I’ll be under your care from now on, Agent Joker Sho…” Nino said grinning as he stood up.
Sho just grinned back at him as he gathered the folder then opened the door for Nino.
“But you know…” Nino spoke up again. “I liked you better in that leather jacket… You looked hot!” he said, a smirk tugging on his thin lips despite the faint pink color that was painted on his cheeks.
“Well, then I’ll wear that tonight when we’re going out for dinner!” Sho said confidently and hugged Nino to his side and he cuddled into him obediently.
“You’re awfully confident suddenly…”
“I won’t apologize for that!”
“Smart ass!”
“Delinquent!”
“But you love me…”
“I do” Sho agreed without a second of hesitation and stopped to pull Nino to his body and kiss those tempting lips finally…
♥おわり♥
A/N: how did you like it? I might have watched too much criminal TV-series that I ended up writing it XD LOL also, I planned on posting it way sooner, two days ago actually but I'm sick with cold now and spent the most of the past days agonizing over it... >.< still I hope you enjoyed it ;)