#I'll admit I think the shorts look on Mikey is pretty good

[joyfuladorable]

Trenchcoat-wearing time, but make it ✨Fashion✨

[muppet-chaos]

⭐ I was going through your fics and I just couldn't pick one and if I let myself I'd just start rereading all of your mike4mike and I GOTS TO WRITE TONIGHT so! dealers choice my friend.

I'm gonna go with... "Standing Guard".

This one is pretty short so I'll try and go through the whole thing. This was one of the earliest fics for Mike4Mike month that I fully knew what I wanted to do with. I was intrigued by the period of time where it was just Mikey staying with the Texas posse. It's the first time that Tex has had another iteration around him since 108, as far as we know and Mikey here has just been removed from an incredibly traumatic experience and is in desperate need of some comfort, perfect opportunity for some comforting sheep-dogging from a slightly rusty Tex.

Sooo I flipped that idea on its head, and had Mikey be the one looking out for Tex instead.

The bear claws were inches from his back when the sound of shattering glass not far from his head broke through the illusion of the nightmare, and his eyes flew open, reaching for anything to defend himself with until he realized what he was looking at, and stopped the blind scramble. Mikey was staring at him in wide eyed panic, perched at the side of the bed and a glass of water that Tex had left on the bedside table weeks ago was in pieces on the floor behind him. “I’m sorry!” He blurted out and Tex couldn’t help but start laughing, struggling to keep his voice under control as his chest shook and Mikey watched on in fear and then confusion. “What are you, a house cat? You couldn’t think of any better way to wake me up than knocking a glass on the floor?” Mikey blushed, and mumbled something but Tex only caught the words cold feet and I panicked.

I'll admit I'm still not completely confident that this series of events is entirely in character for Mikey, even a groggy and panicky one, but I got the idea in my head and I didn't want to part with it. The image of Tex asking Mikey if he's some kind of cat was too good to resist. (Plus there's that little reference to Edgar's cold feet wake-ups in there.)

[tokyomanjugang]

Ink: Mikey

You're the unlucky one chosen to be Bonten's unoffical tattoo artist. More parts to follow. Characters: Mikey x gn Reader Warnings: None

Your boss was the one who usually dealt with what he liked to call the 'big clients'. It wasn't because he doubted your skill or wanted to hide who these people were, you were a very talented and capable artist who knew the less than savory occupations of the customers, it was just that he knew how difficult some of these people could be and his years of experince meant dealing with them was much easier.

The first time you met a member of the gang you later found out to be known as Bonten, they were indeed booked in to be seen by the boss, however the out of place looking blonde came in on a quiet evening and decided he'd much rather spend the hour with you.

There was nothing sinister about his request, nothing that suggested he chose you for any other reason than 'she seems nice'.

Any objections were short lived when it seemed this man who was only in the diary as 'Sano', could get what he wanted without even raising his voice.

You should have felt intimidated when you took a seat on the black leather couch opposite him, placing a sketchpad and pen on the coffee table seperating you both, but despite knowing he was powerful, something about him was oddly child-like and it was hard to be nervous when faced with that.

"So," you smiled. "What would you like?"

It was rare anything was pre-drawn with these clients. Confidentiality was a big deal and so was hiding any potential association with the world of organised crime. You just hoped it wasn't anything too extreme for the time of day.

'Sano' took a small piece of paper out of his pocket and handed it to you.

You unfolded what turned out to be a convenience store receipt with an questionable amount of pastries on it, however on the back was a rushed, minimalistic pen drawing. It wasn't something you'd usually do but you had to admit it was a nice concept and atleast it would be easy.

"Just this?" You ask.

He nodded.

"Okay, I'll draw it up out the back. Just give me five minutes."

- The room where you tattooed was small and cosy, no windows but bright due to the light overhead, and the walls were scattered with designs you drew and art from some of your friends. Something about it seemed to appeal to your customer who told you to call him Mikey, as he stared at the figure collection by the door whilst you were half way through his tattoo.

"My sister liked that show." He said quietly, pointing to an enthusatic figure with blonde hair and a short green dress.

"Oh really?" You said glancing up. "To be honest I've never actually seen it.. I just thought it looked nice."

He hummed in reply. "She thought she looked a bit like her."

"She must be pretty then."

"She was."

You gathered by his response that his sister probably wasn't around anymore but his statement didn't create an awkward silence, infact you got the feeling that he had enjoyed talking about her. You'd gotten very good at reading people in this job although Mikey was more on the challenging side. He didn't really seem to speak unless spoken to but when you could engage him in conversation he'd participate fully, almost a little like he was desperate for it.

"Where did you get this design from by the way?" You asked, wiping some of the ink off of the back of his neck.

"..someone I knew when I was younger."

"I like it. It suits you."

"What do you mean?"

You stopped the machine for a moment, thinking of the best way to phrase your thoughts. "Well, ignoring the placement, I think it seems like a good representation of you. On the outside it looks quite simple but there's probably a deeper meaning or something more going on beneath the surface.." Mikey liked to think he had crafted a personality that was enough to scare people away, never getting close enough to find out the slightest bit of information about him, but there he was, being easily and perfectly analysed by you. He also liked to think that the reason you were putting him at ease and he found himself engaging and actually enjoying your company was because you genuinely liked him, and not because you were just good at your job.

He certainly (and unexpectedly) liked you.

Either way, the rest of the session went relatively quickly. He enjoyed listening to you talk about your life outside of work and strange tattoo requests you had, and in return you would get vague retellings of simpler times in Toman.

-

"So you're all done." You smiled at Mikey. He had seemed pleased with the tattoo when he finally saw it, not based on his expression which was unchanged from the moment he walked into the shop, but the way he spoke. He sounded a little lighter. "I need to clean up in here but my boss is the one that deals with the money anyway so you can just go back out and speak to him." Mikey hovered by the door, hesistant to leave your company because once he stepped outside the shop he wasn't your customer anymore, he was the head of Bonten.

"Thank you.." He said, two words that you didn't know rarely passed his lips.

"You're welcome, it was fun. It was nice to meet you Mikey!"

He bowed slightly, any earlier confidence in your presence quickly diminishing . "You too.."

-

Sanzu: Car's coming! :)

Mikey rolled his eyes as he put the phone back in his pocket. Despite the time the street was still fairly busy and he didn't really want to be waiting around any longer than necessary. He leant against the side of a cafe whilst he waited for the car in an attempt to avoid getting shoved in the crowds. He was tired. He'd actually found the process of the tattoo somewhat meditative and now it was over the fact he hadn't slept for the past three days was catching up with him. "Hey! Mikey!" He turned round to look down the street, surprised to see you running up to him. "Damn, I'm so unfit." You laughed, bending over slightly and trying to catch your breath. "Are you okay?" He asked, confused by your reapperance.

You nodded, blushing slightly. "Yea uhm.. now I think about it this might actually be a bad idea but uh.. do you want this?" You stood up and held out a small blue bag you'd been carrying.

Mikey hestinantly took the bag from you and opened it, the smiling face of the figure from your shelf staring up at him.

"I'm not particiularly attached to it and I dunno maybe she'll have a better home with you.. I'm sorry if it's inappropriate I didn't really think this through.."

That night Mikey finally slept well, watched over by the photo of Emma next to his bed and the toy he'd told her he was given by a new friend.

- It had been a couple of weeks since you had seen Mikey, the regular flow of customers keeping you too busy to really dwell on previous clients but a large box that had been left on the front desk was sent to make sure you wouldn't be forgetting him.

"What's this?" You called out to your boss as he walked into another room.

"Dunno, delivery driver dropped it off for ya~"

The dark blue box was from what you knew to be a high-end confectionary shop in Ginza, although you'd never been there and certainly hadn't placed any orders. When you opened it up you were greeted by a large assortment of dorayaki and a rather childish drawing of the sender on the message card inside. Sorry for what's to come. - Mikey You were a little confused by the statement and slightly concerned considering the business you guessed he was involved in but half an hour (and three dorayaki) later, the door opened and a tall man with short pink hair walked in and over to you at the counter.

"I believe you're the one I need to speak too, right?" He grinned, holding out a tatty recipt with a simple deisgn you had a strange feeling you would be seeing alot more of. "I'm Ran."

[playgrl0]

i like you / mitsuya

!! short mention of catcalling, harrassing, no details tho and a little violence !! and not proof read cuz i'm a lazy fuck

mitsuya is standing on the other side of the street, leaning against a tree with his hands in his pockets, watching you beat up some creep that was catcalling you. at first he wanted to help you but then he saw you throwing one punch after another at that asshole. mitsuya knows you can handle yourself, you're strong and in his division after all.

throwing another punch right at his nose, he stumbles back a little. you grab him by his collar and push him against the wall. "if i catch your creepy ass catcalling me and touching me or any other girl, ever again, i'll hurt you even more. what i just did to you isn't even close to what i'm capable of. next time, i'll kill you. got it?" you threaten him. he nodded his head "yes, yes ma'am. i'm so sorry. i'll never do it again." he looks so scared, rightfully so. you pull him away from the wall, kick him in his ass and tell him to leave. "fuck off, bastard. and don't come back." he runs away as fast as he can.

"i knew you were strong. well done y/n." you quickly turn around at the voice behind you. you roll your eyes at the sight of him . he might be your captain but you don't really like him. (that's what you try to tell yourself) you hate when people tell you what you can and can't do. you hate following orders and the only reason you joined toman is to protect yourself and others. mikey and draken are the only people you listen to but mitsuya? you almost never listen to him. he would never let that behavior slide with other members but he'll always let it slide when it comes to you. mitsuya has the biggest crush on you, he doesn't have it in his heart to be mean to you or punish you.

"nah, the fuck are you doing here?" he steps closer to you, a cocky smirk on his lips "you better watch that pretty mouth of yours. be careful how you talk to me." a scoff and a breathy chuckle leaves your lips. "or what? you're gonna kick me out? beat my ass? do it then." he just keeps smirking at you. you turn around and try walking away from him when he grabs your arm and turns you back around. he presses your body against the wall and leans his face in close to yours, you can feel his warm minty breath hit your face when he starts talking. "promise me to be more careful. that guy didn't hurt you, right?" heat spreads over your face and you barely get the words out because of how close he is and, he cares? "no but i hurt him pretty good, i think." you reply which makes him chuckle. "i saw. i wanted to help but you can handle yourself pretty well." you see his eyes getting darker and his smile slowly fades before he says "next time somebody touches you though, i'll fuckin' kill 'em. nobody gets to touch you." your jaw almost drops at his words. "huh?" you notice how his eyes look down to your lips just for a split second, then back to your eyes. "fuck it." he mutters. "i like you, y/n. ever since you joined toman. let me take you out on a date, please." you're speechless. mitsuya likes you?? fuck, you always tried to push your feelings away and forget about them since relationships never were important to you and you never thought he'd like you back. mitsuya admitting his feelings to you makes your heart beat faster and a small smile spreads on your lips. "what do you think? it's okay if you don't feel the same." "mitsuya, i, uh like you too." you mumble. "hah. really? i'm so glad." the cutest smile and a slight blush cover his face. "didn't think you'd like me back or anyone for that matter. you're mean." you roll your eyes at him. " 'm not mean. so when's the date?" he grins and takes your hand in his and pulls you with him. "right now. let's go, babe." he cockily smirks and winks at you. "babe??"

<3 @ playgrl0

[abbatoirablaze]

TM Tragedy, Season 2, Chapter 11

Word Count:  2.8k

Warnings:  aggression/violent acts, getting jumped, being shivved, mentions of past trauma

Jax’s POV

Aryans put out the word," I said, "us white boys are on our own.

"Yeah," Bobby said, joining in, "That's Zobelle tapping into those shot callers."

Clay sat down at the table by us, "Rosen thinks the case is being tied up. Be a while before it sees a court room."

"Without a color crew we ain't gonna make it to trial," Happy said, looking around. He didn't like our odds, “we’ll be picked off.”

Clay looked at me, "yeah, well this heard can use a little thinning."

"It's not his fault we're in here."

He looked at Bobby, "so what? It's mine?"

"We all voted on it," Bobby said, trying to be the voice of reason, “after Cain and Chibs, we-“

"Well I'm working on getting us some friends," Clay said, getting up. He went over to the niners and started talking to a bigger guy. A few minutes later he was back, "he'll talk to us tomorrow. Said he's gotta run it through Laroy."

The day couldn't go quick enough. Soon enough we were back in the cell block. I felt like I had to watch my back from every angle. I tried to go to sleep around 10 or 11, but I couldn't. But it wasn't because of the guys still talking. Every time I closed my eyes, I went back to that night. A week and a half ago. Mikey had called.

She was crying.

She was begging for me to come back.

I shouldn't have let Clay take my phone. I should have grabbed it and found out what was wrong.

It was another restless night.

The next day during rec time Clay talked with the niners. He came back saying we had to get him 2 snitches, and we'd have someone watching our asses.

"I put Opie on the tranny snitch. Gonna use Trammel to set her up."

"Opies doing it alone?"

Clay looked at me, "We are a little busy."

"Then tap another charter."

Clay glared at me. I didn't break the stare off, "hey here's an idea. Why don't you get Hale to help?"

"Alright," Bobby said, cutting in, "What about the other one."

"He's over there in PC," Clay said. Then he nodded over to Juice, "and he's got a thing for Puerto Rican wood."

"Ahhh," Bobby sighed, "Juice bait."

"You're okay with this?" I asked, "you okay explaining it to Mandy if shit goes sideways?"

"Yeah," Clay said, "we gotta lure Dion to some place Russell's crew can get to him. Nothing will happen to Juice. Jax, set it up. I'll let our black daddies know it's all in motion."

He got up and began making his way to an edge of the yard so he could make a call to Ope. I started for where Dion was.

"Must be lonely up there, huh?"

He looked at me, "Do I know you blondie?"

"I'm new on the block," I admitted, "Clay."

"Dion," he replied. He looked me up and down, "smoke?"

I nodded and he tossed it over.

"Thanks."

"That face and body," he said, eyeing me up, "it'd get you a lot of uh...store credit."

"I appreciate the offer man," I said with a laugh. I pointed to Bobby, "but I belong to him. The fat guy with the beard."

He shook his head, "no accounting for taste."

"I got other revenue," I said quickly, "short, pretty one. Stupid hair cut."

Dion whistled, and smiled, "ab-so-lutely do able."

"Fifty credit."

"Thirty," Dion responded, a little too quick, "Need a test drive."

"I'll make sure he's tuned up. Where?"

"Infirmary."

I nodded and walked over to the guys. Juice was doing sit ups. Bobby was holding his feet, "up. Just get it off the bench."

"How you doin beautiful?" Tig asked, coming over with Clay and Hap.

Juice sat up, "what?"

"We uh...we need you to take one for the club," Clay said with a smile, “be a good kid for us.”

"Oh shit."

"Snitch over there finds you very appealing."

"Gotta get him out of PC for the family," Bobby explained, "it buys us protection."

"Get him out how?"

"Same way you got my daughter knocked up."

Bobby began to sing what was supposed to be a melody he'd get laid to.

"Oh come on are you serious."

"Nothing's gonna happen," I said, trying to calm him down, "you're just bait. Black will jump before he bites."

"Well," Tig smirked, "we hope."

"50/50 shot you wind up with no dick up your ass."

"What?"

He looked afraid.

"I arranged a meet at the PC infirmary," I said, "you gotta distract Dion. Unlock the guard gate, let in Russell's crew, and it'll be apiece of cake."

"How do I get there?"

I nodded at Tig, and Bobby put a hand on his shoulder to try and catch him for the punch Tig was about to throw. He got him right in the kidney.

"GUARD!"

I smiled at Hap. He chuckled.

"Jesus Christ," Juice cried, "I think you cracked my rib."

"I know," he sighed, feigning sorrow, "I'm sorry. Call it a congratulations present for becoming a father."

We waited until the guard had taken Juice away before I turned to Tig, "you didn't have to hit him that hard." 

He shrugged, "Clay told me not to pull the punch.  He had one call and he didn't call Mandy.  She's really upset brother." 

"Clay made him call Rosen," I laughed, putting a hand on his shoulder.  Tig turned back to Clay who had a devilish grin on his face. 

"Oh come on, you made me crack the dumbasses rib for nothing?" 

"Wasn't for nothing," Clay laughed, "you made me smile." 

Juice’s POV

I sat in the infirmary and all I could think about how fucked I was. I hope Russells' crew showed up. I am not down to get fucked in the ass by some big black guy.

I took a few deep breaths and looked around.

The knock is what set me off.

Shit.

He's here.

I went over to the door and let him in, "hi. How you doin. Juice."

Dion came in and put his hand on either side of me, "why yes you are."

"Right," I said, ducking under his arm. I turned around and showed him the condoms. Giving a half nervous smile.

"You come prepared," he grinned, “I like that.”

"Oh yeah. I like to be responsible you know." I said with a laugh. I gave an honest laugh there, thinking about my pregnant girlfriend.

Yeah...you're really careful.

"Good for you Juicy," he grinned. I started walking over to the bed and I felt him grabbing my ass, “you’re a tight little thing, aren’t you?

"Yeah..." I said, trying to change subject and get some time on my side, "wow...this is a lot nicer than gen pop."

"It's a little more intimate."

"That too," I admitted, looking towards the door. No one, "yeah.."

"Have a seat."

He patted the bed, and then walked behind me, patting my ass. I turned, but Dion began to whistle and went behind me. He started rubbing my back. My current 'predicament' began to feel more tense.

"You sore baby?"

I nodded, trying to pretend I was with Mandy, "yeah. A little."

I felt his hand snake around to try and grab me.

It didn't feel right. The body against mine was too big. The hand, too masculine. It made me sick to my stomach. I shifted away from him.

"Don't be nervous, sweetheart."

"I'm not," I lied, "I uh. You mind if we uh move this to the bathroom? Little more private?" He smiled, "sure baby."

"I'm sort of shy."

He moaned, and I cringed.

"I'd like to get down to...business."

Dion walked past me and I dropped the condoms on the bed. I followed him into the bathroom. He dropped his pants and began to stroke himself. One hand on his chest, the other on his member.

"Just let me grab the condoms real quick...just."

I went over to the bed and tried to buy more time. When I looked at the door I smiled. Russell and his crew were there.

"Come on honey," Dion growled, "let's get this DONE!"

"Oh we're comin," one of the guys from Russells' crew said.

They stormed the bathroom, and I heard Dion recognize the fact that this was all a trap. Another one of the guys in the family turned to me, thanking me, "you got anything you wanna get out?"

I nodded, "got a phone so I can call my girl?"

"I gotchu man," he nodded. I quickly walked away to the guard outside PC's infirmary.  I didn't notice him following me until he handed the guard a $20, "he needs a call." 

The guard nodded, and waited until he left.  He pulled out his keys and led me to a storage room for the infirmary, "second cabinet, buried in the gauze." 

He was gone and I bolted for the cabinet.  I smiled when I saw the phone.  I dialed the number and waited.  It felt like forever, "hello?" 

"Baby," I smiled, hardly able to contain my excitement, "baby it's me." 

"Juice?" 

I nodded, and then realized she wouldn't be able to see me nodding, "yeah." 

"How are you...what did you do to....baby?" 

I smiled so hard I felt like my face would split open, "we've got someone watching our asses.  I'm fine.  I just wanted to say I love you...and I miss you.  And I'm the biggest dumbass in the world for not agreeing with you." 

I could hear her sigh on the line.  

"What's wrong?" 

"Nothing," she sighed, "I just...I wish you were home with me...I feel so lost without you." 

"You're not alone though.  You have the baby...and Rizario...and your mom and sister." 

"Juan Carlos, there's something I need to tell you." 

The door opening shocked me, and I put the phone in my pocket.  The guard looked at me, "time's up, inmate." 

"I just need one mor-" 

"No."  He held out his hand and I pulled the phone back out. 

"I gotta go baby.  I love you." 

"I love you too J-" 

She began.  But I didn't get to hear the rest of it.  The guard snatched the phone out of my hands and snapped it shut.  I tried to push away the anger from what he'd just done, but I was so happy to get to speak to Mandy, I quickly forgave it.  

"You ready to go?"

I nodded. He handed me a new set of clothes, and we began to walk to the yard. When we got out I saw the guys. I felt the joy in my chest erupt into a smile, and I gave them a thumbs up. They were a little far into the yard, but I started making my way to em.

God damn AB started blocking my way, and finally a big guy came up and shoved me.

A stabbing pain ripped into my back.

Then another.

Everyone was yelling and screaming. I could see Jax rushing towards me.

"Get it out," I yelled, "get it out."

"GUARD!"

"Come on man," Tig said, pulling me into his arms, "I got ya brother."

I felt some pressure on my back, and one of the guys ripped the shivs out of me.

"SHIT!"

I kept screaming as they put their shirts over my wounds. The guards and Jax tried to get me out. I screamed in pain, and suddenly everything went dark.

Mandy’s POV

"Come with me?"

"What?"

"I'm taking Abel. Hopefully I can appeal to Oswald that way," she said simply, "maybe if he sees that we are every bit a family as he is, he'll feel something."

"It feels a little dirty, mom."

"Fine," she shrugged, "don't."

She went to get up, but I couldn't let her leave without me. Lord knows all the world needs is her trying to blackmail Oswald...then I'd never see dad, or Juice...or Tig...or even Jax again. We made the short stop at Jaxs' house to pick up Abel. Neeta was happy to get a reprieve. Especially when I told her that we were going to the church.

Mom immediately saw him, and went to work, like an eagle on her prey. I sat down and listened to the choir. It was beautiful. When Tristan saw me she smiled. When choir broke and everyone packed up, she sat next to me.

"It's good to see you outside of group."

I smiled, "it's nice to be out."

"How are you doing?"

"I'm surviving," I said, trying to think of positive things to say, "I can't complain."

"Can I ask something?"

I nodded.

"You told us at group the other day you're pregnant...is it..."

I shook my head, "no. It uhm, it's my boyfriends...we didn't mean to have sex when we did...but honestly I'm glad I did. He-he was my first."

She nodded, thinking about her own experiences. I put a hand on her shoulder. She hugged me, "I know that it was you that did that...thank you."

I pulled away, "what?"

"I overheard your dad talking to my dad not too long ago about the knife...and the package that showed up the day after he..."she began, putting pieces together. She cut herself off and started looking around, "anyways...I know that when middle school hit we kind of stopped being friends...it felt like it anyways...thank you for caring about me."

"It's kind of weird we're in a similar boat," I said, musing on our recent history, "who would have thought something so horrible brought us back together."

She gave me a sympathetic smile, "I'm going to talk to my dad tonight when we get him...if your mom can't convince him to do anything, maybe I can."

"I wouldn't ask that of you, Tris." 

"I want to," she said with a smile.  She put a hand on my stomach, "you've done so much to help my healing...helping bring your family back together...it's the least I can do to help yours." 

I felt a few tears come to my face and I wiped them off, "it's not nice to make a pregnant girl cry." 

She laughed and hugged me.  I hugged her back, whispering thanks and crying.  When I pulled away, I excused myself.  She said she was gonna talk to Gemma.  

I went outside and was craving a smoke.  I pulled out a cigarette, then looked down at my stomach.  I hadn't really gained any weight, so I didn't look pregnant...but I didn't want to do anything to harm the baby.  

Ever since that night when me and Juan Carlos had argued over how I was being 'self destructive' when we went to grab Tig, I hadn't been able to look him in the eye.  He was right.  

I had wanted a baby so bad, but at the first sign of trouble I just ran head first into danger...would that be a good quality for a mom? 

I was brought out of my thoughts by my cell ringing.  I didn't recognize the number but I answered it anyways, "hello." 

"Baby." 

I looked at my phone in shock.  It sounded like Juice...my breath caught in my throat, "baby it's me." 

"Juice?" 

Yeah." 

"How are you....what did you do to....baby?" 

My mind was going a million miles a minute, and had a thousand questions that I wanted to ask.  How did he get to a phone....what did he do to be able to call me? 

"We've got someone watching our asses," he said excitedly, "I'm fine...I just wanted to say I love you and I miss you....and I'm the biggest dumbass in the world for not agreeing with you." 

I sighed.  

He wasn't a dumbass.  

I was being a dumbass for thinking that he was wrong in the first place.  

"What's wrong?" 

"Nothing," I said, sighing again, "I just wish you were at home with me.  I feel so lost without you." 

"You're not alone though...you have the baby..and Rizario..and your mom and sister." 

I looked down at my stomach and smiled.  He was right.  I did have family.  I needed to stay strong for all of us...so that when he came home everything would be fine.

"Juan Carlos," I admitted, "There's something I need to tell you." 

I could hear a noise in the background, and suddenly everything sounded muffled on his end.  I could hear bits and pieces of the garbled conversation before it became clear again. 

"I gotta go baby, I love you." 

"I loe you too Juan Carlos..." 

The phone lit up against my face, and the call had ended.  I looked at it for another moment hoping that he was okay.  

"You expecting something?" 

I looked up to see mom staring at me.  I shook my head and put my phone away, "no..I just..." 

"Well, what is it?" 

"I miss Juice," I sighed, not wanting to fill her in on the conversation I'd just had. 

"Well if that conversation went as well as I think it did with the Oswalds, they'll be home soon. 

Chapter 12

Tag List:  @lohnes16 @evyiione

[itoshit]

Yeah, that was a given. I wanted to let her keep her freedom, so I simply nodded and stood up. Following her through the hall, I unlocked the door leading to her bedroom and to mine too.

Just sleep in your bed for tonight; I'm bringing you some clothes. If you wanna take a shower, go ahead.

Vee gladly accepted and left for the bathroom. I trailed to my wardrobe and searched through it, finally finding my shorts and tee shirt.

Quickly knocking on the door making my presence known, I opened it and put the clothes on the sink, for her to find when she would be over with the shower.

Coming back to my room, I checked the state of it. Not as messy as the rest of my place, this would do for tonight.

After a while Vee joined me, hair wet and wearing my stuff. I'd to admit it, I missed seeing her in my clothes. It looked good on her.

You sure you don't wanna sleep with me?

Shaking my head negatively at her, I unfolded my bed sheets.

I think it's better that way; I don't want to push my luck. Oh I forgot. As I was ready to take off my tee shirt, I directed myself to my wardrobe once again, opening the drawers. Picking the bag up, I turned to Vee, motioning for her to take it. Scratching my hair in embarrassment, I chuckled a bit. It was supposed to be your... Christmas gift. It's June now, so you won't need it but just keep it I guess?

She thanked me and bringing her back to her room, I leant on the door frame, as she hoped in the bed.

I'll talk about Toman and stuff another time. Goodnight Vee, sweet dreams and if you need anything, well you know where to find me.

Smiling at her, I closed the door ready to lay down too.

The day after I brought Vee to work as requested after passing quickly by her place before. Quickly after I found myself on my way to Bonten's building. It was already 9 am, I knew they were probably pestering since I asked them all to be here at 8 am sharp. But then again, I wasn't supposed to be alive anymore.

You're the worst leader the world ever had. You know that? I couldn't prevent the snort at Haru's complain and sat in the meeting room. I didn't lose time and explained everything to them, without talking about my suicide attempt.

Few hours after and as things went back to where they were, I received a call.

Senju? What's up?

Long time no see Jiro. After insisting, I agreed to be called like that. Someone wants to see you. Would it be alright if we came now?

Who are you even talking about?

Aah. It's a surprise!

Senju.

Alright alright! Takemichi, or should I say, Takemitchi?

-Mikey

You have NO idea how many days I've been waiting days to bring that up ! 😌

TAKEMICHI?!!! now what he—

I had multiple nightmares that night, waking up in cold sweats and shivers that I had to rub out of my arms to calm myself down. Every time I shot up, I did so quietly, wiping my tears away in the silence of the night, not disturbing Mikey although I don’t think he’d be able to hear me either way. I was grateful regardless. He didn’t need to worry about anything else.

The car ride to work and my job the next day was pretty quiet. I had nothing to offer only because I was too busy thinking about my Christmas gift, and how that holiday was ripped away from us because of Natalie’s bullshit. I still had enough resentment in me to hate her still. I hadn’t the slightest clue what was going on in Mikey’s head. It was as if he was scared of me, treating me like a bomb that might diffuse if you so much as touched it. Maybe I should’ve worded the no sex thing differently because he was treating me like a stranger, although I had quite literally agreed to be with him.

Thinking on it now, at work, maybe I should’ve said that directly. Would’ve saved us all this awkwardness. It’s easy to push all that aside at work though. My worries temporarily wash away with every kitten I feed, every dog I check up and every cat I weigh, laughing at Darren’s hungover groans here and there. I catch up on sleep during my lunch break as usual, Darren giving me an extra fifteen minutes of sleep since according to him I looked exhausted. That’s when I think about Mikey again, and the kind of night I had. Darren didn’t know the half.

When work is done, I wave everybody goodbye, standing outside the door waiting for Mikey’s car to show. I wait five, ten, thirty minutes and there’s no sign of him. Frowning, I check my phone, confused by the lack of texts. Was he running late?