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Iwaizumi can’t exactly say this is his favourite part of Tokyo. The nearby Hibiya Park is nice, but even that vista is ruined by the towering building that dominate the sky above the lush green trees of Summer. Said structures loom over the van on either side, where they wait at the traffic lights on Sakurada Doori, the bustling main road through Kasumigaseki, the hub for government department buildings in the capital city. Iwaizumi is driving – as usual since Kyoutani refuses to put in any extra effort into making himself more useful by getting a license – and with his window open, his bare forearm catches the sun’s pleasant morning warmth as he waits for the lights to change. There’s a shuffle beside him and when Iwaizumi glances over he sees the younger man’s patented grumpy expression as he rests his forehead against his own closed window, glaring up at the building closest to him. It’s pretty understandable – like the partners they work with, Kyoutani is territorial and this isn’t their usual stomping ground. He’s more comfortable in open spaces - but anywhere away from the stuffiness these buildings represent would be preferable to him right now. Despite how often their work might bring them to central Tokyo and this particular building, their whole squad is far more comfortable in their own facility out in the outskirts, where the greenery is a little more common and their ramshackle headquarters offers them more freedom than this place.
The light turns green and they pass the Ministry of International Affairs and Communications building on their left. Their destination is just past it, sitting squat by the river as it has done for many years. The Tokyo Metropolitan Police Department has always been an ugly building to Iwaizumi, though he’s hardly an authority on architectural design. They pull off the busy street and Iwaizumi flashes his credentials to the old man at the kiosk (as if their marked van isn’t ID enough), the gate rolling to the side to grant them access to the below-ground parking area. Already Iwaizumi can see Suits and Uniforms alike gaping at the van, as if they’ve never even heard of the Dog Handling Unit before. Iwaizumi ignores them, well-used to the derision his department can be subjected to. There’s some scuffling and a yip from the back of the van at the sounds of them climbing out of the vehicle, and Iwaizumi sends a silent apology to his canine partner who has to stay stuck inside a little longer. He’ll deal with the grudge that’s sure to come later, since he seems to be doomed to working with moody colleagues. Speaking of--
“Are you gonna behave this time?” he asks with a grin as he pockets his keys, Kyoutani walking by his side as they go to enter the building.
“Depends. Am I going to be subjected to more morons this time?”
Iwaizumi can only laugh, because in this building that’s more or less guaranteed. Regular officers and office workers are usually okay, but that’s just because they too are considered the lowest of the low here. The main department building is full of Inspectors and special task forces, and in Iwaizumi’s experience that kind of work usually attracts two kinds of people: assholes and ass-kissers. Regardless of which tribe a person falls into, one thing remains the same - they think they’re far more important than any cop that “plays with dogs for a living”. Still, Kyoutani’s derisive facial expressions already say plenty for his insubordinate attitude; Iwaizumi doesn’t need any smart-ass comments or straight insults from the younger officer today to make him look any worse. Sometimes you just have to grin and bear the shit that gets flung your way; a good officer of the Tokyo Met always keeps his calm and obeys his superiors, after all. Iwaizumi, who heads the mania of the Dog Unit needs to play nice with the bigwigs, because even if they’re pretty much all a bunch of dickheads they also have sway over how much funding he gets and whether they’re actually used on cases and busts. That’s his responsibility as the face of their small department, so he tells the younger officer to hold his sass back for today, just to be clear, as they reach the lobby of the hulking building. Their black boots thud against the clean tiled floor as they make their way to the elevator and up to the Organized Crime Control Bureau, where their briefing on the reason they’ve been called in awaits.
~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~
The walls are grey. The carpet is too, that scratchy kind of fire-proof flooring you need to have in offices because of health and safety standards. The floor in Iwaizumi’s department is an old dark wood, the varnish worn with years’ worth of thudded boot prints, ground-in dirt and the skittering of paws, and there are plenty of windows in the two-storey building that make it feel nice and airy. It feels more like a school building than an office, but it’s the opposite here. There are blinds over the windows and the lights are fluorescent, so bright they almost hurt Iwaizumi’s eyes. People sit at computers or bustle around trying to look important, and there’s the background noise of fax machines, men talking to each other and the occasional phone call. None of it impresses Iwaizumi as he strides through the office, hardly minding the disparaging looks coming from men dressed in various shades of grey just so they can fit in with their environment.
Their destination is the meeting room down the hallway on the other end of the cubicle farm. The door has been left ajar and he enters without knocking, the men gathered there already turning to look. Iwaizumi just nods and settles to lean against the wall because all the seats are (predictably) taken by inspectors and other important officers. They’re probably not worthy of sitting anyway, judging by the fact there’s never any extra seats pulled in for them. Or maybe Iwaizumi just has some kind of complex.
“Sergeant Iwaizumi, nice of you to join us.” It’s not actually a snide comment, because it’s coming from the boss, who’s worked there enough years to have actually seen the contribution Iwaizumi’s department can make to the force. Iwaizumi likes and respects him, and offers a nod of greeting to the superintendent in response. Kyoutani has to get a nudge to his side before he realises he’s expected to do the same, and though his efforts are his usual caliber of rough and lackluster, thankfully nobody seems to take any offense. They expect much worse from based solely on his appearance and his screwface.
There’s a gaze fixed to the side of Iwaizumi’s face and while he does his best not to look, eventually the itch gets too much to ignore. Flint eyes slide to the right and he’s met with the sight of Tokyo Metro Police’s very own wonderboy, Inspector Oikawa Tooru. His hair is predictably coiffed to perfection and he’s wearing a charcoal suit that isn’t ill-fitting unlike his peers. His lips curl upward and his eyes shine with their usual mischief whenever they’re focused on Iwaizumi, and just as he leans forward and opens his mouth to speak, he’s thankfully cut off.
“Alright, let’s get down to business.” Iwaizumi catches a flash of Oikawa’s pout before his gaze snaps to the Chief Inspector, who’s turning on the archaic projector sitting at the head of the table. Catching his cue as the person closest to the door he flicks the light switch just beside his shoulder, killing the room’s main light so they can instead see the projected image on the wall - the mugshot of a man who looks like a fairly unpleasant fellow. Which is saying a lot, coming from Iwaizumi who heads a team that’s affectionately (or so he likes to think) named the ‘Yanki Dog Squad’ because of the rough-looking officers who make up the majority of the team.
“This, gentlemen, is Ikeda Yasunori, forty-one years old. Career criminal, and one of the major players in the recent spike in illegal drug-related incidents here in Tokyo. He has a record of affiliation with a major Yakuza syndicate and is suspected of having close connections with Chinese gangs, which could explain this latest business venture of distributing illegal substances.” Japan is sometimes known as a haven of low drug-crime and incidence rates, with tough punishments on those caught with illegal drugs. But just because it’s tough to get and pretty damn expensive doesn’t mean it isn’t a problem, especially for the Tokyo Met. Drugs are a common factor in many of the major cases the Organized Crime Control Bureau handle, meaning it’s hardly rare for Iwaizumi to deal with either, as a member of a unit that not only often collaborates with the OCCB, but also trains dogs to find such substances.
There’s a lull here, and though Iwaizumi doesn’t like to speak up at these briefings that often end up as (figurative) dick-measuring contests, he raises a hand and waits for the head of the unit to nod in acknowledgement. “Sir, with all due respect, if this is a drug case, shouldn’t you have requested some of the sniffer dogs from my unit instead of me and Officer Kyoutani?”
Well, if he’s being technical, Kyoutani wasn’t actually requested. Not quite done with his training and in a probationary period, the last thing he needs to do to get signed off is gain experience, and as Iwaizumi’s mentee (not protege as many of the others like to tease), he goes where Iwaizumi goes. It’s almost a two-for-the-price-of-one deal, though Iwaizumi isn’t sure whether the way Kyoutani conducts himself sours that otherwise pretty good deal. He has a colourful record and a problem with authority, but Iwaizumi suspects it’s just down to a lack of structure and stability growing up, and that in offering that now, he hopes he can maybe make a change. He’s been working on polishing up the kid’s attitude, and he at least shows Iwaizumi and a couple of the other senior officers the proper respect now. Iwaizumi hopes he learns how to cooperate with others a little better, because he sees the potential in the younger officer and he doesn’t want Kyoutani to shoot himself in the foot with his aggressive defense mechanisms.
The Chief Inspector turns to his left and Iwaizumi lets out a small sigh before the man even utters an “Oikawa?”, offering the younger inspector the floor. Oikawa too is quick to react, straightening up in his chair and lacing long fingers together in front of his face, eyes on Iwaizumi.
“That’s because it’s not a search, Iwa-chan.” Someone further down the conference table splutters, and Iwaizumi just clenches his hand into a tight fist, resisting the urge to lunge across the table and choke Oikawa with his bare hands. He’d fucking told him not to call him that in this kind of fucking setting, where did he get off? The inspector however just continues as if he hadn’t just uttered the most childish nickname ever. “We’ve been on him for months and have a lot of the evidence we need. It’s a bust, the jewel in the crown of the prosecution is going to be catching him in the act!” The grin that spreads across Oikawa’s face is almost nasty in its glee, and Iwaizumi can tell this bust is the product of Oikawa’s near-legendary intensity and drive, and that this guy isn’t gonna get off lightly if they can grab him this evening. “He’s not a nice fellow, our Ikeda-chan. In fact, he’s quite the opposite. Domestic assault charges among others, and he’s been in jail for grievous assault, though I suspect he’s done worse and got away with it. He was in there for seven years, and I don’t think he’ll go back willingly. He’s going to run, and if we catch up to him he won’t go down without a fight.”
That’s cleared up, then. A perp with a proclivity for violence and a stint in prison in the bag means they’re going to have a fight on their hands. Dog units are good to have on busts anyway, the mere presence of a snarling animal, even when safely secured on a leash, does a hell of a lot in making a criminal back down and surrender. In more serious busts, like this one where if the guy is backed into a corner he might have a weapon or threaten to cause severe harm to someone, well. At the end of the day a dog isn’t an officer, but a piece of equipment to be used, and every time if it comes between sending a dog or a human into danger, the dog is going to be picked. The thought of one of the animals getting harmed is an upsetting one, especially for someone like Iwaizumi who works with and loves them, but it’s the nature of the job and he’s known it since he applied to the job years ago. Iwaizumi is one of the most experienced and skilled handlers in his unit, and the same goes for his canine partner. No matter what happens, they trust in each other to do their jobs and that’s what gets them through. Casting his gaze back to the mugshot on the projector, Iwaizumi gets a bad feeling, but regardless of his own apprehension, he has a job to do and he’ll do it.
The finer details of the operation are outlined, the location and the intel the force has and the expectations for what will happen. Everyone’s role is explained, and Iwaizumi nods when he’s told where they’ll be in the grand scheme of things. It’s dogs out from the get go, ready at any moment to be freed from the leash for pursuit. There’s some kind of deal going down at the site of the operation, which means multiple bodies - enough to keep other units busy. Ikeda will run, if their intel is even right and he’s at this warehouse when they spring it. If he manages to slip away they’re going to need a dog on the scent.
“Think your dog can handle him, Sergeant?” The Chief Inspector calls out to him and Iwaizumi snaps back into the room, realising he’d been staring hard at the mugshot still projected onto the wall and almost everyone else has risen from their chairs, likely dismissed to go and prepare. He’s about to respond in the positive, because what else can he say, when Kamasaki, one of the other inspectors present at the meeting, snorts loudly on his way to the door.
“That dog is evil incarnate,” he states, reaching for his phone. “The thing’s default setting is ‘tear that human’s face off’. Let’s just hope he goes for the perp and not one of us.” Iwaizumi ignores his comments because his dog is trained, instead nodding at the Chief in a silent answer before moving to head out of the room. Kyoutani’s in tow, and as always he looks all too pleased to be leaving.
It’s not just an opinion held by Kamasaki. Iwaizumi’s dog has attained a certain level of notoriety among the different units Iwaizumi’s section collaborates with, and many officers and inspectors are wary of him, if not outright terrified. Maro is a five year old German Shepherd that Iwaizumi has been responsible for since he was still a pup, though now he’s grown into a strong and intelligent dog. Back then when he saw the dog for the first time, he was a tiny little thing; a ball of soft fur. Iwaizumi had given him the name Marshmallow - Maro for short, because no respected police dog could be called something like Marshmallow on the field. But now? Well, Maro was definitely less adorable. Whilst Iwaizumi would never call him ‘evil incarnate’, he’s not easily pleased, and the way he carries himself along with the distinctive appearance of his breed do make him look intimidating. And yeah, he has a bit of an attitude problem, maybe a little more aggressive in demeanor than the average police dog, but he’s well-trained and obeys Iwaizumi’s every command and that’s all he needs. Maro doesn’t need to be a sweetheart who trots around for cuddles and treats from whoever is around. In fact, that would be detrimental to his job - he can hardly be a friendly, cute pup when his speciality lies in cases like the one they’re on today, track and subdue; attack if necessary. So yeah, he growls and snarls at strangers who get too close and maybe he looks a little mean, but he’s not a bad dog. He’s sweeter than sugar with Iwaizumi, loving nothing more than to please his master and have cuddles and play when the working day is over. He’s maybe the love of Iwaizumi’s life, the perfect and most loving son. So Hajime doesn’t care if everyone else is afraid of him, or that Maro hates everyone other than him. It makes the loyalty he has for Iwaizumi all the more precious.
Iwaizumi and Kyoutani trail back through the cubicle farm of the bureau, and step into the elevator when it finally arrives. Just as the doors are about to shut a hand flashes through the gap, pushing at the metal until they pause and then begin to slide back open. Oikawa’s head is pushed through the gap next, brown hair bouncing and wide brown eyes searching for Iwaizumi. “Iwa-chan!” Oikawa crows when he spots him, and Iwaizumi suddenly remembers his irritation from earlier. “Is he here?!”
Okay, so his dog hates almost everyone other than him.
Maro can tolerate the other dog handlers simply by virtue of the fact that they’re always around, and along with Iwaizumi they’re the ones that actually feed him and give him exercise. But puzzlingly, and a little infuriatingly, Maro for some reason absolutely adores Inspector Oikawa Tooru. If his dog clearly didn’t love Iwaizumi himself so much, the sergeant would say his dog had the worst taste in humans ever.
Oikawa doesn’t even wait for a reply, yipping in excitement and sliding into the elevator to join them, shoving himself into the gap between Iwaizumi and Kyoutani that is just a little too narrow for the wide set of his shoulders. Kyoutani lets out an angry sigh at being jostled so obnoxiously (and no doubt it was just a move to piss the two handlers off) but otherwise just glares at the wall of the elevator, knowing better than to start an argument with Oikawa. Especially since the inspector is chattering happily to Iwaizumi about how much he’s missed Iwa-chan and Maro-chan and how it’s been so long, really, life is too boring around here! Iwaizumi doesn’t say a word - there isn’t room to, even if he’d wanted to - so he just does the best he can to ignore Oikawa’s inane blabber, watching the number on the digital panel go down until they reach B1F, and he can cross the lot to his van.
“Don’t you have stuff to do, Oikawa?” he asks, maybe a little too crossly after he pulls out the van key from his pocket, unlocking it with the push of a button and watching mournfully as Kyoutani immediately deserts him, hopping into the passenger seat and slamming his door. Iwaizumi knows he’d never get away from Oikawa so easily. “Like - oh, I dunno - orchestrate the ambush and arrest of a serious criminal?”
“Oh come on Iwa-chan! Just five minutes! It’s been forever!” His whine is not befitting of an adult male with a ranking position in the police force and it kind of makes Iwaizumi want to yell in the middle of this mostly empty carpark. True exasperation, however, comes when there’s skittering behind the rear doors of the van, and a yip in response to Oikawa’s signature tone. “See? He knows it’s me, he’s excited!”
Iwaizumi can’t argue with that. Everyone knows Maro adores Oikawa, which somehow just adds to his hellish reputation. Of course one demon would recognise another Kuroo, an armed response sergeant, had muttered on another job a while back, when Maro had immediately pulled Iwaizumi right over to Oikawa so he could paw excitedly on the inspector’s immaculate pants, earning coos and cuddles in return. Now that his pup knows Oikawa is out here, if Iwaizumi gets in the van and drives away without letting them see each other, the dog’s gonna be in a mood with him. And possibly even more importantly, if he catches scent of Oikawa later when he’s actually supposed to be working, it could be a problem. He needs Maro to be on his A game for whatever will come their way this evening.
“Five minutes, Shittykawa,” he concedes with a sigh, pulling the back doors of the van open. The vehicle is around the size of a regular delivery van, with two seats up front. The rest of it is split in half - the front section has extra seating and miscellaneous equipment, the rear housing two cages on each side, stacked one on top of the other. Today only the two bottom cages are occupied with Iwaizumi and Kyoutani’s dogs. There’s more scrabbling, specifically from Maro’s side as he shuffles around and bumps his nose excitedly against the wire mesh of the door to his container. Oikawa coos, hunching forward and pressing his fingers to grate in a move that had it been anyone else, would have resulted in a nasty chomp - or possibly even losing half a hand, if Iwaizumi’s feeling fanciful.
“Let’s get him out, Iwa-chan!” Kyoutani’s dog Kiri, on the other side of the van, is ignored. Judging from the fact she’s still lying down with her head on her paws watching the scene with a bored air, she’s not that bothered. She and Maro are yin and yang, the calm and the storm. She’s a lot sweeter in disposition; calmer, more friendly and maybe a little more timid, which is funny considering her hot-headed handler. Iwaizumi thinks Kyoutani might secretly wish his dog was a little more aggressive or threatening like Maro, but he knows his kouhai loves his pup just as Iwaizumi loves his own.
“He’s a working dog Oikawa, don’t coddle him. You’ll teach him bad habits.”
Oikawa straightens up, neglecting Maro for a moment so he can turn and give Iwaizumi a look that screams an exasperated ‘really, Iwa-chan?’. “Iwa-chan, your dog is the most aggressive in the force, and makes grown men wanna piss themselves. I don’t think me petting him now and again is going to change that.” Iwaizumi is already folding (not that he was going to refuse either of them really), reaching forward to slide the bolt and then immediately grasp Maro’s collar once he headbutts the swing door to try and get out as quick as possible. He needs to be on a leash most of the time, and here in a new environment with too many variables, is no different. Iwaizumi clips the dog to his leash and finally lets him hop down onto the concrete just as Oikawa says, “honestly, there’s no need to be so selfish and jealous, just because you want the attention all to yourself.”
Iwaizumi scoffs, watching as Oikawa crouches and Maro rears up on back legs, panting hard and tail wagging quickly in his excitement to see his second favourite person in the whole world. The leash is holding him back, though it does little to curb his frankly adorable enthusiasm. Iwaizumi relents, taking a couple steps forward so that the damn dog can finally reach the other man. “His or yours?” Iwaizumi asks, watching Maro twisting this way and that to nudge and lick Oikawa, making the inspect smile and coo even more. His eyes flicker to Iwaizumi and the sweet expression on his face gets a little mischievous. “I wonder~”
They settle for a few minutes, Iwaizumi holding Maro’s leash loosely but otherwise doing nothing to restrain him from loving on Oikawa, the dog making happy yips as the inspector strokes his glossy fur and calls him big man and baby boy and other cutesy names any of their colleagues would balk at being associated with the police dog they so fear. Out of the corner of his eye, Iwaizumi spots Kyoutani’s bleach blonde buzzcut stick out of his door, a flat stare sent in his superior’s direction. “Are you two done flirting yet?” he asks bluntly, and Iwaizumi feels his cheeks reddening as Oikawa laughs loudly. “Aw Mad Dog-chan, you jealous?” he calls back, craning to look around the van door, “if you are, I could always--”
But he’s (thankfully) cut off by the shrill ringing coming from his jacket’s inside pocket, causing him to straighten back into a stand so Maro can’t hamper his attempts to extract his phone and answer the call too much.
“Maro, heel,” Iwaizumi orders, and the dog immediately pulls back to sit obediently by Iwaizumi’s feet, panting and tongue lolling from its mouth happily . Oikawa’s seen Iwaizumi handle the headstrong dog plenty of times before, but he still blinks in that impressed way of his before smiling at Iwaizumi in thanks. It’s a short phone call, no doubt an attempt to locate the disappearing inspector and reign him back in.
“Aw, I gotta go,” is Oikawa’s mournful update once he’s killed the call and stored the phone back where it belongs. “Sorry, Gorgeous. Catch you later!” he’s scratching behind Maro’s ears as he says it, but his eyes are steadfast on Iwaizumi. As the sergeant stares he grins cheekily, withdrawing completely and striding across the basement parking lot to head back up to Bureau. Iwaizumi watches him until he disappears, still feeling a little lost for words as he often does when Oikawa says stupid shit like that.
“That guy is so fucking gaudy,” Kyoutani mutters in disgust, sticking his head back into the van, and as Iwaizumi ushers his dog back into the holding cage, he’s very much inclined to agree.
~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~
Early in the evening, when the sun begins to sink towards the horizon, is when the operation begins. There are a number of elements involved: the inspectors and the usual manpower of the uniformed police officers, Iwaizumi and Kyoutani as the co-ordinating dog unit, and Kuroo’s armed response boys, because heading into a warehouse with a large-scale drug deal going down inside without some firepower of your own was just stupid.
Tokyo Bay has its own unique sort of beauty, or Iwaizumi has always thought so. There’s the token spots designed to look pretty - seaside parks and golf courses and even the massive plot of Tokyo Disney - but if you go the other way around, the deeper into the Kawasaki part of the bay towards Yokohama, you get Haneda airport and then slowly, the more industrial areas the out-of-the-way Bay is so perfect for. Oil refineries, car factories, chemical plants, storage warehouses. These areas supply the things the large cities surrounding them need so much to keep functioning, but don’t want to waste their own precious, money-making space on. Iwaizumi grew up around a little more green, so maybe he romanticises this other-worldly, gritty, industrial Japan a little - or maybe it’s just the vast blue sky and the breeze coming in from the bay and the wide, open space here you can’t get in central Tokyo that he likes so much. But as they enter the industrial district, thankfully just inside the Tokyo perimeter and their jurisdiction, Iwaizumi can’t help but admire the way it looks in dusk, pinks and oranges colouring the sky and offering them a dimmer light that will hopefully let them make their approach undetected.
Unfortunately, real-life police work never goes the way it does at the end of a movie, when a force swoops in and uses the element of surprise to capture the bad guys and neatly tie up all the loose ends of the plotline. Ikeda, or the associates he’s doing the deal with, have fucking spotters before the deal site (of course they do) and Kuroo’s unit’s big black van is hardly inconspicuous in a place more used to big trucks and the small, beat up vans and cars of its workers. The whole thing is foiled, and Iwaizumi is swearing at the pandemonium crackling over the radios as everyone throws tactics and secrecy to the fucking wind and tears into the warehouse’s compound in the hopes they can spring the guys inside before they get away.
They’re stopped in front of the steel structure in record time, vehicles and officers kicking up plumes of dust in their rapid movements and just adding to the confusion. Iwaizumi and Kyoutani spring out of their van the same time the back doors armoured black van beside them burst open, armed officers fully geared up already and running towards the building. There’d been no time to surround it and preemptively cover all exits thanks to the scout. That’s bad, is all Iwaizumi can think as he and Kyoutani reach for their respective cages, bringing out their dogs and clipping them to their leashes. They’re going to need them to track, not just subdue like Iwaizumi had hoped they would. Behind him, Iwaizumi can hear Kuroo swearing as he leads the majority of his unit towards the front door, some splitting off to head around to cover the back though they know it’s too late. They might catch some people trying to run when the front is stormed, but those who were ready to run at the first alarm will already be gone.
He’s going to run, and if we catch up to him he won’t go down without a fight.
Somehow, through all the mayhem and movement and dust swirling in the air, Iwaizumi’s eyes catch Oikawa’s frantic ones.
Iwaizumi knows a lot about Inspector Oikawa Tooru. He’s annoying as fuck, he eats far too much conbini food, he loves dogs, he’s incredibly intelligent. He has a low alcohol tolerance, and he looks even more gorgeous when he’s sleeping. He has an unbelievable work ethic and above all else, he cares about getting the job done. That’s what got him to Inspector so early in his career. In the space of a second Iwaizumi thinks about all this; in the next he’s recalling how Oikawa had looked during the brief earlier in the day.
There was no way in Hell Oikawa Tooru was going to let his man get away.
Oikawa turns his head in slow motion, officers running around him, and then he’s twisting his shiny dress shoes in the dirt and taking off in a sprint around the back of the warehouse. Iwaizumi glances down, sees Maro’s ears up, every aspect of his stance showing he’s at full attention. He’s straining against the leash, and his eyes and nose are turned in the direction Oikawa just left in. Seconds later, radio chatter stops just long enough for Oikawa to make a call over the comms: ‘Target is out and running, I have him in my sights!’ Hajime swears, yelling out an order to Kyoutani to help at the front of the building that even he loses in the noise around him before giving a sharp whistle, he and Maro taking off in a sprint after Oikawa. He doesn’t unclip him yet, because he can’t even see the suspect, and he’s not comfortable losing Maro, who’d leave him in his dust, in this situation.
There are officers in front and behind him also in pursuit, but both Ikeda and Oikawa’s headstarts mean Iwaizumi’s doubtful any of them will reach them unless they stop. Even so Maro’s bounding propels him forward, running at a speed that’s a little more than he’s physically comfortable with, but both the dog and his own adrenaline are a force to be reckoned with, so his boots continue kicking up dust and pebbles as he keeps up with his partner’s pace.
Dogs are intuitive creatures, and damn protective if they love you enough. Iwaizumi’s canine isn’t stupid, so he knows that Maro is aware there’s something big at stake here. Trained using the rewards system, they’re taught to believe and say that the work is just play for the dog, and usually it is. But a dog knows danger when it sees it; knows hostility when it sees it. If it senses such a situation, especially if their human is right amongst it, they’re going to react accordingly. After Iwaizumi, the person his dog loves the most is Oikawa. Maro wants to be there to protect Oikawa, and god help the person responsible should anyone hurt him.
Iwaizumi can understand his dog’s feelings completely.
There’s a gap in the chain-link fence Ikeda had likely escaped through, soon followed by Oikawa - or at least that’s what Maro’s mannerisms are telling Iwaizumi. He’s tracking even at this speed, and there’s no hesitation as they too tear through the gap. Hajime has half a second to be pleased, because heaving a fully-grown german shepherd over a fence isn’t fun even when he hasn’t just sprinted a few hundred meters at above his usual top speed.
There’s a shout and the sound of a struggle up ahead and Maro pulls even more at his leash, if it were even possible. When Iwaizumi turns the corner, they’re in an abandoned parking lot. The streetlamps overhead have switched on in answer to the coming night, illuminating the two figures in front of the wall at the back of the lot. Iwaizumi’s boots skid to a halt and he yanks the leash in his hand back, Maro already reared up on two legs and gnashing those nasty teeth of his. His loud barks cut through the warm evening air like the bang of fireworks, his whole body (and by extension Iwaizumi) lunging forward with each explosion of sound.
Ikeda is stood with Oikawa against his chest, arm around the inspector’s neck in a vicious and unrelenting hold, and Iwaizumi recalls of Oikawa’s lithe form and his athleticism and thinks what the fuck how did this even happen. Oikawa Tooru is the kind of man that’s supposed to take a man down and make the stellar arrest, reaping all the glory and other rewards that come with it. He’s supposed to make it look easy and laugh it off with a well you know, I’m an amazing officer, Iwa-chan~! like he had the last time, and every other time before that. The glint of a blade against Oikawa’s neck catches Iwaizumi’s eye and his head spins, unable to comprehend the situation.
The other uniformed officers Iwaizumi had taken note of earlier finally arrive, flinching at the sight in front of them and at the aggression Iwaizumi’s partner is still displaying in the face of it. “Put the knife down!” he finds himself yelling. “Put it down or I’ll release the dog!” Grabbing at Maro’s collar to better restrain him, Iwaizumi holds a hand to stop the other officers’ advances and realises with dismay there’s not a single armed response officer there when he casts a glance back at them. Understandable, since there had probably been plenty of men to keep them occupied back at the scene of the botched raid, but still. Not even a fucking inspector. excluding Oikawa himself. Uniformed officers in Japan didn’t usually carry weapons - inspectors were office-softened old bastards but at least they’d have a piece on them.
“Whoa, whoa, everyone calm down!”
Iwaizumi’s eyes swivel back to Oikawa, whose face is red with exertion but is still trying to keep his tone light and airy - his irritating default. One of his hands is on Ikeda’s forearm, probably to stop the man from blocking his airways and choking him, but the other hand is held up in attempt to placate the tense atmosphere which is only hiking up and up with every passing second.
Ikeda tugs with his trapping arm, stopping Oikawa from talking so he can instead address Iwaizumi and the other officers with a snarl. “Come any closer and I’ll fucking cut him open right here! I’ll do it!”
The criminal opening his mouth only serves to rile up Maro even more, the dog barking louder and jerking Iwaizumi forward with every attempted lunge towards the man. Hajime doesn’t doubt Ikeda is being honest - he’s desperate enough to do it, clearly. This is bad. Iwaizumi licks his lips. He’s out of breath and he’s finding it hard to think anything other than that blade is going to go straight into his neck and he’s going to bleed out in front of me--
“Now, Ikeda,” Oikawa has spoken up again despite the renewed hold in his neck, but his voice is calm and deadly serious. “You don’t want to do this. It’s over. Killing an Inspector is just going to make things worse for you.” Ikeda swears in response, spitting vile words directly at the side of Oikawa’s face, though the inspector isn’t reacting. Instead, calm brown eyes seek Iwaizumi’s gaze over the space between them.
“You see that dog officer over there, Ikeda?” Oh fucking hell, Iwaizumi thinks, don’t bring me into this, you idiot. Not that he’s even sure Oikawa’s referring to him - he could be talking about the snarling, furious dog Iwaizumi’s currently holding on to.
“He’s actually very fond of me. As you can probably tell by the nasty look in his eyes right now.” Oikawa even has the nerve to fucking smirk, probably because Ikeda is stumped enough to stop and actually listen to him. “Out of everyone present here tonight, he’s probably the worst person you could have pulled a knife on me in front of.” Keeping his language vague as always, the idiot. Common sense would probably dictate that this is all referring to the dog, but like before, Oikawa’s eyes are focused on Iwaizumi and Iwaizumi alone. Despite the situation they’re in, Hajime feels his cheeks heat up. There are other people here, he can’t just fucking say this shit and expect people not to talk. He’s completely right though - Iwaizumi is fucking pissed.
But there’s something else in the look in his eyes, too. Something that makes Iwaizumi pay close attention - close enough that he registers Oikawa’s hand join the other on Ikeda’s forearm to hold it in a particular grip. Oikawa’s gaze screams trust me at the same time it tells Iwaizumi that he knows they’re on the same page, so Iwaizumi subtly unhooks his thumb from around Maro’s collar and instead rests on the latch which connects it to the leash, the only thing holding the dog back.
A droplet of sweat trickles from his hairline, passing his temple and slowly sliding down his cheek. He gives a near-imperceptible nod.
The dog is there to do a job, and Iwaizumi trusts Maro to do it.
There’s a flicker of a smile at Oikawa’s lips for the briefest of seconds, and then he’s moving, bending forward and wrenching the arm around his neck away from him. At the same time, Iwaizumi unclips Maro’s collar from the leash. True to both Iwaizumi and Oikawa’s expectations, the dog springs forward just as Oikawa creates enough space to slip out of the hold, twisting to the side to avoid not only the jerky swing of a blade in his general direction, but the animal barreling towards them. In an instant Ikeda gives a sharp cry, and Iwaizumi doesn’t have to be able to see it to know exactly what’s happening - a strong jaw working to clamp sharp teeth into the flesh of the arm, disabling the assailant and forcing him to drop the weapon. Just like in training. When the knife falls to the floor, Ikeda dragged a short way by Maro until he too crumples to the ground, Iwaizumi actually breaks a relieved smile, more sweat dripping from his brow as he rests his hands on his knees.
Flint eyes fly to Oikawa, who’s just as sweaty as he is and thankfully without any serious injury, kicking the blade far out of reach but wisely giving Maro a wide berth.
“Good boy!” Hajime calls loudly, voice carrying over Ikeda’s yelling and Maro’s own vicious growling. He runs the fifty or so meters separating him from the spectacle, and then he’s calling Maro back and pulling him off the now-bleeding man so the other officers can pin him down. Taking the dog by the collar once again he leads him a safe enough distance away - out of the corner of his eye, Iwaizumi can see Oikawa pulling the cuffs from his own belt, insisting he be the one to cuff the criminal, and he smiles.
“Good boy,” he says again to Maro, enthusiastic in his praise and cooing almost as much as Oikawa likes to do. “My perfect boy,” he murmurs, raking his hands through glossy fur and kneading and petting his canine partner, partly in praise and partly to distract and help him come down from the aggression. That had been a dangerous move, either of them could have gotten seriously hurt. But Oikawa had trusted Iwaizumi and Maro with the risk and it had paid off. Someone must have called in for more units and an ambulance at some point because it’s now they pull into the parking lot, and as Iwaizumi pulls out a tennis ball and bounces it off the floor for Maro to collect as a reward, there are people to pick up the now-restrained Ikeda and whisk both he and Oikawa away for examinations.
From where he’s crouched playing with his dog for his reward, Hajime can see Oikawa sitting on the back ledge of the ambulance with a blanket around his shoulders, people hovering around him to check for injuries and to find out what happened. He wants to go over there, but it’s not his place.
After a few more minutes he stows the ball back in his pocket, and clips Maro back to his leash. The exhaustion is beginning to catch up on them both, and Iwaizumi needs to get his good boy some water and then put him in the back of the van to chill before he can do anything else. Giving the activity in the lot a wide berth, he takes the shortcut back to the main scene of the bust, retracing his hasty path here in reverse, passing through the gap in the fence. It’s still bedlam here too, with people running around and officers escorting cuffed strangers towards vans and cars. When he finally makes it to his own van, Kyoutani’s there waiting for him.
“We heard over the radio what was happening over there,” he says as Iwaizumi takes the bottle of water and bowl already set out for him, first and foremost caring for his dog. When Maro starts loudly (and messily) drinking, he stands up again and nods.
“Fucking Oikawa, running after that guy on his own. Nearly got himself killed-- but anyway. How was it here?”
Kyoutani hums, unclipping his own dog from her leash and motioning for her to hop up and into her holding container. “The usual. Didn’t even need to unclip Kiri with the amount of officers round here.” A slight note of disappointment maybe, but Iwaizumi shakes his head. Taking the decision to unclip your dog in such situations and possibly put them in harm’s way is never a fun one; ultimately, he’s glad Kyoutani has yet to do it outside of training. “And anyway. It all turned alright in the end on your side too, right? The officer that reported you releasing your dog sounded like he was gonna shit himself. He even said oh my god, it’s gonna bite his arm off’”. Kyoutani grins, something almost feral as he slides the bolt on the door of his dog’s cage, securing her in there ready for the ride back home.
Iwaizumi shakes his head with an amused huff, patting Maro’s side a couple more times for good measure while he took a break from his water. “He couldn’t have bitten his arm off.” A considering look sent his dog’s way and then-- “probably.”
The flurry of activity that had more or less exploded into action not that long ago is now beginning to wind down around them, and Iwaizumi and Kyoutani watch silently as general-purpose police vans and cars loaded with officers, suspects and evidence alike drive away one by one. The come-down from these kinds of things always takes longer than the adrenaline that fuels their actions during, and they’re content to stand around for a few more minutes to cool down, no real sense of urgency when they don’t have anyone to book in themselves. Eventually, across the dusty lot in front of the warehouse, Kuroo finishes his discussion with the Chief Inspector, rounding up his rowdy group of officers back into the van so they can return to the station, too.
The Chief catches Iwaizumi’s eye and nods, an acknowledgement of a job well done for his unit and also probably a sign he’ll see him later at the station. The majority of people might have left the warehouse already, but it’s going to be a while until anyone actually gets home, if Kyoutani’s estimate on the number of arrested parties is anything to go by. Once those people are processed and dealt with, there’s the anything-but-small issue of writing statements for people with more than the average roll in this bust - Iwaizumi’s will be a lengthy one, beginning with his decision to leave the main scene and pursue Ikeda and Oikawa and ending with the thought-process that led to him releasing his dog on a suspect. He’ll have to justify every decision he made and every action he took today. With Maro actually causing Ikeda enough serious injury that he’d probably have to head to hospital first, there’d be a lot of bureaucracy to deal with.
It’s gonna be a ballache, but he tries not to think about it as he loads Maro back into the van, sliding the bolt on the grate door to secure him in there. He’s just attaching the leash to it, when-
“Great work out there today, Sergeant Iwaizumi.”
Idiot.
He turns around and there’s Inspector Oikawa Tooru in all his glory, crisp suit covered in dust, hair a disaster, and a shitty foil blanket wrapped around his shoulders, probably by insistence of the paramedic.
Kyoutani huffs and does his usual disappearing act, not saying a word as he immediately pushes of the van’s ledge to round the vehicle and climb into the passenger seat. Oikawa’s mouth twists. “You too I guess, Officer Kyoutani!” he calls after him, (predictably) receiving no acknowledgement at all for his trouble. Oikawa turns back towards Iwaizumi, mouth curling up in an admittedly charming smile, and Iwaizumi feels irritation bundling up inside his chest.
“You idiot” he hisses, crossing his arms over his chest and creasing his brow angrily. “Going after him on your own without backup like that. After everything you said in the briefing today - do you have a fucking death wish?”
But Oikawa ignores him, passing Iwaizumi instead to curl his fingers in the door grate of Maro’s cage, who’s yipping and licking at the digits just like he had that morning.
“Maro-chan, your daddy is so mean to me. I had a traumatic experience you know, and he’s just so insensitive! Not like you, you’re a good boy aren’t you? And you love Oikawa-san, right? That’s why you came to my rescue before! You’re such a cutie, I knew I could rely on you!~”
“Hey - cut it out. I’m trying to talk to you here.”
“Yeah,” Oikawa says, turning to look at Hajime with serious eyes again. “And you’re wasting your breath. I knew you would have my back. Everything turned out fine, Iwa-chan, so relax.”
Iwaizumi feels the anger creep over him, rising across his shoulders and up his neck. “But it could so easily have not ‘turned out fine’, Shittykawa. You could have gotten stabbed. My dog could have gotten fucking stabbed. You were fucking irresponsible today, what if he’d had a fucking gun--”
“Ah. They always say that, don’t they? If you want to make a police dog angry, you threaten his handler. If you want to make the handler angry, you threaten the dog. You’re mad at me for putting your dog in harm’s way, Iwa-chan?”
“It’s the dog’s job to head into danger in the place of an officer-” he rattles off, and even if the words leave a bitter taste in his mouth, they’re the truth. Iwaizumi steps forward - halts for a second to look around to check there’s no one lingering in sight - and then closes the gap between them, taking Oikawa’s face in his hands, fingertips buried in wild, damp brown hair. “I’m mad because you were reckless and almost got yourself in a situation no one could get you out of,” he says, eyes intense on Oikawa, for once initiating one of their staring bouts. “You could have been talking about me or the dog back there, and you know it. If you want to piss off the dog and the handler, you threaten the other idiot who managed to worm his way into the family.”
And he’s still mad, and there’s still plenty of things he wants and needs to say about this. But for now, looking into Oikawa’s eyes Iwaizumi knows the other understands, so he’ll leave it for later when they’re both more able to talk about this like adults. For now, Iwaizumi casts another haphazard glance around them before leaning forward to press a firm kiss to Oikawa’s lips. It’s not the first time they’ve done it, so there’s no fireworks or revelations. It is, however, the first time Iwaizumi’s done it completely sober and without any provocation on Oikawa’s part - they’re not together. “Don’t do that shit to me-” he spots Maro out of the corner of his eye and gestures between himself and his canine partner “-to us ever again, do you hear me?”
Oikawa looks a little dazed, eyes glassy, but he still nods obediently. “If you kiss me again, I’ll even promise.”
Iwaizumi tuts, but can hardly turn him down if Oikawa’s going to make a promise on it.