Chapter Text
Tonight was the night, I could feel it. Eight months chasing this person were about to come to an end. Eight months of being led around by the nose, of always being a step behind. It was all going to come to a close in the next few hours. The Phoenix Thief, a criminal who had successfully made twelve high stake heists, had always left a calling card. A dyed feather to resemble the mythical creature... but lately there were more. Things specifically for me to find. Clues. Puzzles. Hints. They knew I was on them and were taunting me to make it more fun. Well, that was going to be over soon as well. I was going to have the last laugh.
Phoenix Thief
By:
Satashi
“The alarms didn’t sound!” Calli heard her crew frantically screaming into her radio. “Phoenix has bypassed the dummy and made contact with the other painting!”
The pink haired officer smirked. An art theft wasn’t something out character for Phoenix, but the item assumed to be targeted wasn’t what she had deciphered in the puzzle last left. A fake portrait was placed there and the one Phoenix currently had seemed real enough to the untrained eye. A double switch was finally the first time she was ahead of-
“The hell!? Phoenix swapped the painting for another one! They’re... They’re spray-painting a... a smiley face on it!?”
Calli swore out loud and began to jog over to her patrol car to grab her radio and hit the button on the side. “Don’t just watch the security cams, chase them! West side, as planned!” An aggravated toss of the communication device helped ease some stress but it wasn’t near enough. Her feet began to move on their own, breaking into a run to head over where she thought she should be.
Phoenix was flashy; always taking the most difficult route to get where they needed to be. That made one path the most likely to be taken. Her forces were cutting it off, but something told her it was already too late for that. Phoenix was smarter. They would already be...
A quick cut to the side came and Calli barely dodged a car as she ran across the road. Phoenix would set it up to make her go where she wanted, instead of where she should be. If that were true, then Calli just needed to be somewhere else. Somewhere she wouldn’t think to be... A place a flashy thief wouldn’t normally- there! A side alley with a dim streetlight above it. Nothing fancy, no cameras, no way the thief would get her so-loved publicity photos in the paper there.
Sure enough, the moment Calli ran into the alley, she saw a figure in a skintight blue and black outfit loading something into the back of a car. Several devices were around their body, almost like a tactical suit. At once she drew her gun and raised it to point at the figure. “Alright, Phoenix! Stop there!”
The figure didn’t stop, but instead continued to close the trunk of their car. “Detective Calliope! We finally get to meet!”
‘A girl?’ Calli carefully walked forward, both hands on her gun. “I said don’t move!”
“No, you didn’t.” The girl turned around. Her entire form was covered, most of her feminine features covered by gear on her suit. Even her hair was under a hood that came up from the top part of the uniform. “You said to stop here, and I haven’t moved yet. Legally you can’t shoot me.”
“You think I give a fuck about what you think I can and can’t do!? On the ground!” The two were only a few feet apart now, staring at each other in the dim lighting of the alley.
“Do you want our game to end? I don’t. I rather enjoy having you chase after me, Calli.”
“Don’t call me that! Floor, now!”
Phoenix smirked. “Oh? Reacting to my pet name first? You know, some people would call that personal attachment.”
“NOW!” The gun was shoved forward with another step.
“Tell me, did you not consider me taking this into consideration when I chose this dead-end path with my car facing… inwards?” The smile on the woman’s face only got bigger. “What are you missing, detective?”
Calli’s eyes widened. Was she still a step behind? Was there a trap? A trigger that she missed? The second of confusion was all that was needed for the woman before her to move, hand lashing out to push the gun away and to spin around the detective. Before Calli could even speak, a soaking wet cloth was shoved over her face and she inhaled chemicals that burned her lungs.
“Sssshhh....” Phoenix purred out despite the struggling she had to put up with. “Just sleep... That’s it...” Her prisoner slowly began to sag, the struggling fading step by step. “Sleeeeeep... Good girl...” She waited until Calli stopped moving and held the cloth there for another few seconds just to make sure breath wasn’t being held before smiling. “Now this... is a prize.”
~**~
Calli groaned heavily when she finally regained consciousness. Her head was hammering with every heartbeat, lungs protesting every breath she took. “Ngghh... Fu... fu-cahf!” A hard cough made her entire body wince. Only then did she notice that she couldn’t move her hands to wipe her mouth. A second later she lifted her head to the knowledge that a blindfold was tightly around her eyes as well. Her ankles were secured, her body in a sitting position... She was bound to a chair. “Oh fuck me...”
“Oh? Awake are we?” The sound of someone across the way came and Calli lifted her head to look in that direction. “I don’t want to be an unreasonable host. Here, drink some water.” When fingers touched Calli’s chin, the pinkette quickly snapped away from the touch and grimaced at the pain it caused her head. “Don’t be so crude. You need to drink.”
“And have you poison me a second time? I think not.” Calli glared in what she hoped was the right direction. Despite her words, her throat was burning. Whatever she had inhaled earlier was really doing a number on her and water really did sound good right now.
“Why would I keep you here just to poison you? I’ll give you one more chance. Will you drink, or will I force you to drink?”
A cocky smile came. “Let’s go with the hard way.”
“I consider this the fun way.” Phoenix sat on the girl’s lap, straddling her. “I’m going to take a drink and spit it into your mouth. Open wide for me, okay?”
“Tha hell you are!” Calli turned her head but soon found a hand on her face, cheeks being pressed to purse her lips. A mouth was placed against hers and water soon trickled down into her throat, where she reflexively swallowed. When she was given space, she coughed softly and glared. “Was that really necessary?”
The tone talking to her turned sweet. “Why? Was that your first kiss?”
“...Blow me.”
“Would if I could, Darling. Here’s another drink.” Despite the look she got, she kissed her prisoner again, slowly dragging out the process of feeding her water. “...Was it good?”
“...It was lukewarm, so no.” A dismissive answer. “What do you want with me, Phoenix?”
“I think we’re beyond that. Why not use our names?”
“Sure, tell me your full name, please.”
A giggle. “We’ll go with... Kiara. I like the sound of that. Yeah, I’ll stick with that name. Call me Kiara.”
“Kiara... Why not tell me your real name?” Calli frowned as arms draped over her shoulders.
“Who says I didn’t?”
A moment of silence passed over them before the pink haired one finally gave in. “Okay... just tell me what you want from me, Kiara.”
“I wanted to meet you.” The answer sounded honest enough. “You were always right on my tail... always so close, closer than anyone had ever been. It made me thrilled to do this, to see how far I could stretch it... so I started leaving you little love letters.”
“Puzzles are lousy love letters,” Calli assured her.
“But you still figured them out and came for me, didn’t you, Calli?”
“Don’t call me that.”
“Why?”
“Because...” A frown came over her face when a sigh was given. “Look, why me? Why do all this? What are you stealing for? You surely have enough to be rich beyond your dreams.”
“The thrill. Being chased by you, wondering if we’ll ever meet...”
Calli rolled her eyes behind the blindfold. “I think there’s a mental disorder for that.”
Kiara laughed. “Yes, there is! It’s called love at first sight! But if I tried to get to know you, it would never be the same... asking you to coffee, taking you out on a date...you would never know the real me... So, I wanted to keep doing this... match wits with you. Call it flirting.”
“Flir...? Kiara, you realize that you’re a wanted criminal and I’m a detective trying to arrest you!?”
This seemed to make the girl happy. “Oh good! I was scared you would protest by saying we’re both women! That’s nice to know.”
A growl came before she spoke again. “So how is this going to end?”
“I’m going to play a game with you... and let you go at the end. But before we play... I want you to consent to the rules.”
“...You mean I have a choice?” Her tone clearly showed that she knew she didn’t. “Fine. What are the rules?”
“We make statements or ask questions, each in turn. For each one right, we get to do something. Something small. You don’t get to try to escape or I hurt you.” Kiara leaned over to a table near them and picked up a dagger she had set there. “If you break the rules, you get cut... understand?” The sharp blade was pressed to the underside of Calli’s chin to let her know what could happen.
“...And when the game’s over, I can just leave?” Doubt was clear in her voice.
“Yup.”
“...Okay, I’ll play your game. Me first; what color are my eyes?”
“Brown. You wear red colored contacts.” Kiara smirked to herself when Calli winced visibly. “Why yes, I have broken into your home before. I love that giant fox plushie that you sleep with, by the way.” Moving her hand to Calli’s shirt, she began to unbutton the uniform top. “Now... as my reward...”
“H-hey! What the hell!?” Her body struggled for a moment before she felt a blade being pressed against the side of her neck again. “... Kiara...”
“Do you still consent...?” The knife was moved, now cutting the buttons loose so she could pull it open and look at the red bra underneath. “... Knowing what I want?” A sharp tug untucked the uniform top from the pants.
Several deep breaths were taken in turn before Calli nodded firmly. “Yeah. Fine. I’ll play this game.”
“Then...You’re very social, aren’t you? Like chatting, going out with coworkers?”
Calli felt her smile come back. “Wrong. I’m introverted. I only do that for business matters. My reward: untie me.”
“We’ll get there, little Calli.” Kiara moved her knife and sliced the rope from the girl’s left hand. “You struggle, you get cut.”
The detective shook her hand to get blood flowing back into her fingers. “Yeah... whatever. Then tell me your real name. It’s not Kiara.”
This reply was sang playfully. “Buuuuzz~ Nice to meet you, Calli... My name actually is Kiara.” A giggle escaped her lips and the edge of the knife trailed down the girl’s chest. “Don’t move...” With a small turn, the flat of the blade was pushed against her skin before being turned to pull, slicing the bra and letting it fall in two halves.
“...It was a front clasp, you idiot.”
“Th-that’s not the point.” Kiara stammered. “You, enjoy this kind of thing. After all, you’re a total submissive in the sack.” She got a scoffing laugh. “I went through your browsing history, by the way. How else did you think I knew this plan would work in the first place?” The laugh cut off, turning to a thin lipped frown and then a challenging glare from behind the blindfold. “Oh no, no, no, no, don’t get mad, we’re playing a game, remember?” A unique laugh came from her this time, both arms draping over Calli’s shoulders again.
“My turn,” Calli countered. “For being so methodical in your crimes, you’re a total ditz - aren’t you? You had no clue my bra opened from the front and you tried to play it off to cover your embarrassment. I bet you blushed.” For a moment nothing happened but soon Kiara leaned down and fiddled with Calli’s right ankle, cutting the rope there to free it from the chair. “Heh. Thought so.”
“That wasn’t enough information to lead you to that conclusion. What was it?” Kiara crossed her arms and tapped her knife against her bicep. She didn’t think the detective would try anything, at least not yet.
“You misspelled beautiful in one of your puzzles. It drove me insane trying to figure it out, thinking it was part of your plan... but nope, you’re just an airhead.”
Kiara almost dropped her knife, her cheeks burning red. “D-did I really!? Shit... I’m sorry, I- why are you laughing!? English isn’t even my first language!”
“Hahaha! Smart phoenix, huh? More like a shitty bird that’s bad at spelling. How about this, Kiara? I’ll just call you Kusotori for now on? What do you think?” The confidence stayed even as she felt the criminal lean forward so their faces were almost touching.
“What color is my hair?”
“Hah!?”
“My hair. What color is it?”
“...How is that even fair!?” Calli held back a growl but didn’t manage to keep her voice lowered in her anger.
“I’ll let you feel it as a bonus. Go ahead.” Her knife made a small tapping motion on her shoulder to remind her what would happen if she acted up. “Fingers in my hair. You can feel for a minute, then answer.”
Calli growled but moved her arm anyway, blindly reaching up. She felt a hand take hers and slender fingers curl around her palm. “...Don’t make it weird.” That cute giggle came again and Kiara scooted up closer to her, straddling her lap even more to make her intentions clear. Soon enough she felt hair and the hand guiding her lifted away.
Thick... curly... long... Calli moved her hand through the strands, amused at how silken it felt. For being a master criminal, this girl really took care of herself. The scent of freshly baked cakes seemed to waft to her nose as Kiara leaned against her, clearly enjoying the moment. Still, she had a mission, and she wanted to try and figure it out.
No product to keep the curls... so probably not a blonde... long and styled... Most raven haired girls she knew were short haired or straight... Her fingers curled, twisting the strands around to rub it between them. So soft... springy... healthy...
“Random question, Kusotori,” Calli mused while playing with the hair.
“Mmmn?” Kiara hummed contently, pleased just to stay on that lap and feel the hands teasing her.
“I kind of have a thing for freckles... if I can’t see you, will you at least tell me if you have them?”
“Mnn? Yeah, I suppose, why-” Her eyes widened slightly. “Oh fook you! You fookin’ cheater!”
“Redhead.” Calli smirked. “Blindfold. Off.”
“... That would ruin the fun, don’t you think?” Kiara sliced the rope binding Calli’s other wrist. “If you shove me, I swear, I’ll cut you before you can take off your blindfold.”
“I won’t. I’m going to win. Kusotori, you steal because you like to feel better than others. Like you’re smarter.”
“Buzz again, Calli.” Kiara almost purred this time. “I already told you, I do it so I can match wits with you... so I can see you, my darling.”
“I said not to make it weird!” Calli was annoyed at the statement but also at herself. She could feel the embarrassment creeping up her neck and cheeks, sure she was dusted red already from it. Being flirted with was not something she was used to, let alone from someone she had been obsessed with for almost a year... or who had her in a very weird spot right now.
Kiara just hummed, moving a hand behind Calli’s head to grip the hair there and force her to lean back. “My reward...”
Before Calli could ask, she felt lips press against hers. It was soft at first, sweet almost. When it ended, another began. This one was a little firmer and was paired with a small moan. Mouths opened for different reasons but Kiara took advantage of it all the same. Her tongue slipped in Calli’s mouth quickly, pressing her slick muscle against her prisoner’s.
A shocked groan answered her actions and Kiara slowly pulled back, panting slightly and taking great pride in watching Calli squirming under her. “Taste... a bit like chloroform.”
Immediately Calli snarled. “Whose fault is that!? And what the hell, why did you kiss me!?”
Soft lips pressed against Calli’s cheek as she kissed along to her ear. “I. Told. You.” Each word was accented with a small smooch, the grin on her face obvious. “I fell for you... and you consented to this.” The redhead leaned back. “How about some more rules? We can demand answers from the other one now. If they answer, they get a reward. If they deny, then the asker gets it.”
“...Fine, but only if you let me go again since you changed the rules.”
“...I can do that.”
Calli grinned. “Tell me where you live.”
“Ooooh, sneaky.” Kiara put a fingertip under Calli’s chin to guide her to look where she wanted. “But unluckily for you, I mainly stay in hotels or town houses I rent out for a few months at a time. I don’t have a home address, but I still told you where I live so I get a reward.”
Calli took a breath to prepare herself for what was about to happen. Instinct made her want to move, to make an attempt to get the blindfold off and apprehend the woman on top of her... Another part of her told her to stick with it, to get more information in case things didn’t play out the way she wanted it to.
Lips pressed against her again, only this time on the crook of her neck. Kiara was already moaning out her contentment, tongue pressing against skin to dampen it. Teeth scratched the skin there and soon a hard sucking came after it. The pinkette groaned out and let her head lean to the side, fingers flexing at the weird feeling of being marked up. “...P-perv...”
Kiara’s special giggle came again, mixing between kisses, nuzzling, and licks all the way up to the detective’s ear. “Mmnn... maybe a little. You’re so... hot... I can’t help it.”
Calli shivered, both from shock as well as a weird feeling she didn’t want to focus on. “A-anyway... Your turn.” Her hand reached to rub the spot that was rapidly bruising on her neck once Kiara moved away.
“Why did you become a detective?”
Calli almost faltered at the question. “Excuse me?”
“You heard me.”
“Of all the things you could ask or do, this is what you pick?”
Kiara shrugged even though she couldn’t be seen. “I want to know more about you.”
Calli licked her lips, the taste of Kiara still lingering in her mouth. “My dad was an officer, but I loved the idea of tracking and hunting... so I wanted to follow in his footsteps but in my own fashion. My reward: leg.”
“I’ll remind you I can cut you before you can make a move against me.” Kiara tapped her blade against Calli’s shoulder twice before leaning down and cutting the final rope. When no attack came, she settled back on the lap she was straddling once again. “You really are going to play to the end?”
“One more win and the blindfold comes off.” Calli spoke confidently now that she was free. Her body shifted on the chair, which brought the knife to her neck quickly. “Calm your tits, I’m getting comfortable. If you’re going to freaking sit on me, I don’t want my legs numb.”
Kiara’s tone took on an almost childish tone to it. “...I’m not that heavy...”
“Anyway... Tell me your parent’s names.” She was sure this would be it. If she had that, and given the girl wasn’t lying yet, the game was hers. It took a moment to be answered but when she did, the normally peppy voice was almost distant sounding.
“I... don’t know. I’m an orphan. I never got adopted, so... I don’t have any. I was just kind of... dropped off with faked papers printed off online. Even my name was given to me by the head lady of the orphanage. Kiara, like an old warrior in a fairy tale. A phoenix who rises from the old life to start a new, beautiful one... That’s why I leave feathers where I steal from... I got it from that.”
“...Oh.” That... wasn’t what she expected. All of the joy was out of the voice that so far was nothing but happy. Kiara wasn’t moving on her lap, even the knife in her hand was resting gently atop her leg. She could take advantage of the situation, but...
“Since I didn’t answer, what is your reward?” A breath was taken. “If I remove your blindfold, you’ll be outside of this place first and I’ll be gone. Is that what you want?”
Calli almost said yes. She almost ended the game. Yet something stopped her. She had chased this woman for so long... and now she was on her lap, willing to answer anything. Just a few more clues... a few more answers...
Hands moved to touch Kiara’s arms. The girl instantly got tense but didn’t protest the actions. Instead, she allowed herself to be pulled down, her head tilted to the side, and teeth to find her neck. “Ow!” Suction came after it, hard and inexperienced. Still she let it happen, groaning out loudly when a small kiss was placed atop it after. “...Not that I’m complaining, but what was that for?”
“My reward. Your turn.”
Kiara rubbed her neck softly. “...How did you get the nickname Reaper at the police station?”
Calli chuckled. “Because no one can escape death, or me. Not because I have a high kill count, but because my success ratio is damn near perfect... Until you.”
“Until me,” Kiara agreed. She felt the hands moving on her again, another reward being taken. Her shirt collar was pulled down, lips mouthing hotly at her exposed skin to leave another hickie. “Nghh... You suck... at this...” A scoff was breathed out against her and a third was placed a little farther up her neck, this one gentler. “Mmnn... There you go... like that... I like that...”
Calli left her face against Kiara’s neck and allowed the arms around her to hold her in a hug. Her own were clutching at the shirt the girl wore, holding onto it tightly as she panted out against the marks she had just made. “My turn... Tell me why you’re putting on a front for me.”
Kiara tensed. “What do you mean?” No motion was made to separate their bodies.
“You act tough, but like I said, you’re a ditz. You’re clumsy outside of things you can’t plan... You slipped up when we started this game. You cut open my shirt and bra but left them covering me and didn’t even try to touch... Kiara, you’re taking my feelings into consideration even while making me feel like I’m being forced on. Explain yourself.”
The hug tightened slightly. “You got me. I thought... if I made you think I would do anything to you, you would cooperate more freely to avoid it and finish this game early... I didn’t expect... you to reciprocate.”
“So you don’t actually want to hurt me.”
“...I will if you try to catch me. Don’t make me hurt you, Calli. I just want to be with you a little bit... Just want to know what it feels like to touch someone I care about…”
“...What color are your eyes?”
“...Blue. I also wear colored contacts. How old are you?”
“Twenty-six. How old are you?”
“Twenty-seven. Is pink your natural color?”
“Brown. I obviously dye it. You really do have freckles?”
A giggle. “Yes. Yes, Calli, I have freckles.”
“...Any chance you’ll stop stealing?”
“...Maybe in a little bit. I have things I need to do.”
“What... are you going to steal next?” The two finally leaned apart, their faces inches from each other’s. “So I can catch you... Maybe... maybe the judge can go easy on you?”
“We both know they won’t. I’m going to steal a suitcase from someone. That’s all you get. I’ll give you another hint when the time is right... Speaking of... I think I hear sirens. Looks like the tracker in your badge is leading them to you.”
“Kiara!?” Calli felt the knife on her throat again.
“Hands by your sides. Straight down. Please.” As the detective did so, she smiled. “Thank you.” A belt was reached for so she could wrap it around the girl on the chair, looping it so it would bind her to it before fastening. “There... I’ll have to go now.”
“Hey, come on! They may not find me!”
“Scream, they’ll hear you.” Kiara tossed her jacket on top of the detective to make her decent. “Though I promised I’d reward you so...” Kiara slipped from the girl and walked behind her. The blindfold was taken off slowly, letting it drape to her neck. “Promise kept. You’ll be free soon, they’ll get you.”
Calli looked around frantically, suddenly realizing she was in a hotel room. “Kusotori!? You said you’d let me walk out!”
“Before they got here, I would have. Promise.” Kiara walked in front of the detective and turned to face her. She was covered completely now in a hoodie with the top up, drawstrings pulled tight so it hid all of her face. “I’ll see you later, detective. Miss you already.”
“Hey... Hey!!! We’re not done! Get back here! This wasn’t part of the game!”
“Auf wiedersehen!” Dipping in, she kissed the girl once more before turning and running from the room, leaning the door open.
“You shit bird!” Calli struggled against the belt spastically until she fell over to the floor with a painful grunt. “God dammit! Get back here Kusotori!”