Work Text:
November 1st, 1923
Berlint, Ostania — Police Station 12
“God damn it!”
Burglary detective Edward Jones shouted the curse into the empty bullpen before slamming his fist against the evidence board.
The impact vibrated the cork and sent a tremor through the web of red string stretched across it. His long, unkempt blond hair flared upward before falling loose again around the collar of his rumpled pink dress shirt.
Pinned to the board were dozens of photographs and reports—crime scene images, witness statements, maps of alleyways and rooftops—all connected by thin strands of red. Every lead, every theory, every sleepless night funneled toward a single, central image.
A dark figure, caught mid-motion.
Cloaked in a hood and bandana, the thief’s face was obscured—save for one detail that had been burned into Edward’s memory.
Sharp blue eyes.
“Spider Silk…”
He muttered the name under his breath and leaned forward, resting his forehead against the board. His hands curled into fists, knuckles whitening.
The nickname had been coined by the press—Spider for short, when they got lazy—but it fit all too well. The thief moved across Berlint the way a spider moved through its web: silent, precise, leaving almost nothing behind. No fingerprints. No witnesses worth a damn. No mistakes.
Edward straightened with a weary groan and dragged a hand down his face. The lack of sleep was catching up to him now, settling behind his eyes like wet cement.
He turned and dropped heavily into one of the chairs near his desk.
“Spider Silk,” he muttered again, staring at the board.
The name had become infamous over the past few months—plastered across headlines and whispered about in speakeasies. For Edward, it meant paperwork, frustration, and the growing certainty that he was always one step behind.
Then—finally—they’d caught a break.
About a week ago, a call had come in from Eldmen Manor. A robbery. Clean and quiet. A family heirloom had vanished from a locked display case sometime during the night, a red lipstick kiss mark smeared across the glass.
Spider Silk’s calling card.
Edward had been assigned lead immediately.
During the investigation, Officer Bri—
He paused mid-thought.
…Right. She’s married.
Officer Forger.
Edward scoffed quietly at the very idea of marriage, rolling his eyes as he leaned back in his chair. Trusting someone enough to tether your life to theirs sounded like a bad joke—one he wasn’t in the mood to laugh at.
During the initial sweep of the manor, Officer Forger had managed to knock over a stack of wooden crates piled precariously near the east corridor—
—and exposed the Spider hiding right under their noses.
Edward, Yor, and Yuri—Forger’s younger brother—had given chase through the manor’s halls and out into the night streets. But once again, Spider Silk had slipped through the fingers of the Berlint Police Department
.
Not before a reporter managed to snap a photograph during the escape.
The very image now pinned at the center of Edward’s board.
“Curse my luck…”
He rubbed at his temples, eyelids heavy, eyes bloodshot, his skull pounding with a mind-shattering headache.
The precinct was empty except for him—everyone else had been smart enough to go home and steal whatever sleep they could.
Edward?
No such sense. No such desire.
Though he’d regret it later.
“God damn it…”
He couldn’t hold it back anymore. The weight dragging at his eyelids finally won.
“Just a minute—j-just… a minute…”
And then—
Lights out.
Slipping into unconsciousness, his arms fell limp and his body slumped lower in the chair, relaxing as sleep finally took hold.
The office was warm. The rain outside tapped softly against the windows, rhythmic and steady. His breathing slowed despite himself.
Then—
Hands settled on his shoulders.
Certain but also gentle.
Edward’s muscles tensed instinctively, but the reaction came late—dulled by exhaustion, by the unexpected comfort of it. The touch wasn’t threatening. Just warmth.
The figure leaned down, breath tickling the back of his neck as they hovered above him.
“You should get some sleep, Detective~”
Edward’s eyes shot open.