#single dad shinichiro

[asirensrage]

Title: Leader of the Pack Fandom: Tokyo Revengers Rating: Teen Pairing: Shinichiro x reader (use of "nee-chan" by others and "baby" by him. ) Word count: 890 Warnings: Canon events. Angst. Undescribed reader but mention of being called "sister" to his siblings. Unbeta’d. Summary: Breaking up is hard to do, but Shinichiro isn't about to let you go without a fight.

Notes: based off of the song "Leader of the Pack" by The Shangri-Las. My friend pointed out how well he fit with the song...so I had to make things worse. Enjoy!

“Why?”

You swallow tightly and try to stop yourself from crying but you can’t. The heartbreak and confusion on Shinichiro’s face is killing you. You are certain. 

“My dad,” you admit softly, wiping the tears sliding down your cheeks. You can see him shift forward before he stops, as if he is going to reach out to do it himself. “He…he doesn’t think you’re–” you pause, unable to say it. 

Shinichiro scoffs. “What? Good enough?” he looks away and you can see his jaw clench before he turns back to you and steps forward. “Who gives a shit what he thinks. I love you,” he says, hand catching yours. He laces your fingers together. “I know it’s fucking hard, but we’re worth it, aren’t we? Don’t you love me too?”

“Of course I do!” you say quickly. You cup his cheek and your throat tightens at how he leans into it. “But I can’t…he threatened to disown me.”

“Then let him,” Shinichiro’s eyes meet yours. “I’ll take care of you. You know I will. I already promised you, didn’t I?” He leans in until your foreheads touch. “You and I…we’re gonna get married, have a bunch of kids, and be happy. There’s no one else I wanna be with, baby.” He lifts your hands to kiss the tips of your fingers. There’s grease smeared from his touch but you barely notice. 

“Shin…”

“Isn’t that what we said?” he stresses again. “Aren’t those our plans?”

You cry harder, even as you nod because you’re not sure you can do this. You love Shinichiro. He’s handsome, optimistic, funny even if he’s a little self-deprecating and he loves his family so much. He loves you. It was a miracle the two of you met at the convenience store as he was buying dorayaki for his little brother while you went looking for something to snack on. He likes to say he fell first, but you knew the moment you looked at him that he was something special, something you wanted to cherish and claim before anyone else could. It was pure luck he was single, even if his friends joke that you’re the crazy one for accepting his confession. 

And now you have to leave. 

“I’m s-sorry,” you choke out. 

“Shh,” he hushes you as he pulls you into his chest. You cry harder, clutching his jumpsuit as he wraps his arms around you. He presses a kiss to your hair. “It’s okay, baby,” he says softly. “We’ll work it out. When he sees we’re serious, he’ll accept. I’m going look after you.”

“He won’t!” You cry into him. “He hates you!”

“Doesn’t matter. I love y-” he pauses, pulling back as he looks away. “Wait here.” He lets go but when you don’t release your grip on his overalls, he smiles. “I just gotta check that out. Don’t move, okay? We’re not done, baby. I promise.” 

 He pries your hands off of him, pressing a kiss against your lips before he grabs a wrench off a workbench. You watch as he slips easily into the Shinichiro who ran one of the most successful gangs across Tokyo. 

“Shin?”

“Shh,” he hushes you again. “Wait.” He leaves you in his back workroom, closing the door after him. 

You wipe the tears as you listen. The sudden fear of someone else being in his shop after closing overwhelming the pain of your break up. Or attempt, you have yet to succeed even though you know you should. 

You hear Shin’s voice, tone hardening as he demands an explanation before someone is suddenly screaming. They sound young and scared and there’s a crack before a loud thump on the ground that sends you running. 

“SHIN!” 

✨

The lights flash around you, the police question you, but you can’t seem to focus. Your hands are covered in blood overlapping the grease stains Shinichiro left on you as he held you. He was gone. You knelt at his side, screaming, crying his name as the two kids broke down. Someone called the cops. You don’t even know who. All you could focus on was the way Shin wasn’t answering. He wasn’t comforting you like he was supposed to. He wasn’t promising you forever. He was just lying there, eyes open and blank as you knelt in the blood that wasn’t stopping. Why wasn’t it stopping?

“Nee-chan?” 

You look up at the voice. Manjiro, Shinichiro’s little brother, stands there, staring at you in confusion. Both he and Emma had taken to call you sister after it got out that Shinichiro had given you a promise ring. “Just until I save up enough to get you something to be proud of,” he had said with that stupid grin of his. It didn’t matter that you were always proud to be with him. 

“Mikey.”

“What’s…what’s happening? Where’s Shin?”

You burst into tears again, unable to stop yourself. “I don’t know,” your voice cracks. “I don’t know what happened. I’m sorry. I’m so sorry!” Maybe if you hadn’t come here to break up, if you had just demanded he take you on that date like he was supposed to instead of you deciding to cancel so that you could break up with him here in private. You sob harder, unable to console the young teen. 

This is all your fault. 

✨

everything tag: @raith-way @zeleniafic @veetlegeuse  @chickensarentcheap @residentdormouse

@themaradwrites @kingsmakers @thatmagickjuju @awkwardchick87 @hayatoseyepatch

tr tag: @mitsuwuyaa @blackfire2013 @bleach-your-panties @scythegal @reiners-milkbiddies

network: @pixelcafe-network

[reallyromealone]

Based off this post

Izana x male reader

Son reader, fluff, cute, toddler reader

Christmas day

🌑🌒🌓🌔🌕🌖🌗🌘🌑🌒🌓🌔🌕🌖🌗🌘🌑

(name) looked curious as he waddled into the livingroom of their home, Izana sipping his morning cup of coffee as he watched the boy look at the Christmas tree in awe "he came!" (Name) said excitedly as he looked at his dad happily and the rest of the Sanos emerged to see their nephew look in pure awe.

Izana smiled as he watched his son open his gifts, showing Izana every single one unaware he bought them for the boy.

(Name) had a new obsession, socks.

The tot couldnt get enough of them and Izana watched as the boy had all the fun he was deprived of at his age, Izana worked hard to give (name) a life without any worry as did his aunts and uncles.

"Hawt chaw-koh-lit" (name) said excitedly as mikey handed him a child sized mug and they continued opening gifts.

"(Popular toy)!" (Name) squealed, unable to read but recognizing the you itself as Izana helped him get it out of the box, Shinichiro getting some photos.

(Name) showed everyone his toy before giving his dad a hug "thank you papa!"

"Of course duckling" Izana said hugging the boy back, he would do anything for his little sunshine after all.

[tokyo-daaaamn-ji-gang]

can you do headcanons of single dad bonten mikey with a daughter who acts just like emma?

Okay here they are!

Overprotective af, he is extremely scared of losing her so does everything he can to keep her safe

He has mixed feelings on her being like Emma, on the one hand it brings back a lot of grief for his sister but he also loves his daughter and loves that she reminds him of someone so dear to him.

Takes her to visit her aunts grave sometimes, he doesn't talk her often but he still wants his daughter to know about her.

He smiled for the first time in ages after she was born

He had no idea what to do with a baby and was very panicky over her. He was worried he'd screw it up somehow or get her hurt because she's associated with him.

She's spoilt rotten by him, he buys her all the latest toys and cutest clothes (Koko often sighs looking at the accounts)

Has a rule that no one is allowed to talk about bonten business in front of her

Physically he tries to be there for her but emotionally? He still struggles a lot, he's trying to get better for her sake and has improved but there's still a long way to go. 

Sometimes when he's alone, he talks to Emma about this. Asks her if he's doing ok and if things are going well. He frequently asks Shinichiro for advice too. But of course no one ever responds.

He actually tries to replicate Shinichiro sometimes and what he did. Buying his daughter taiyaki etc. 

Sometimes he also thinks about giving her up for adoption, getting her away from him and pushing her away like he did everyone else. But he can't bring himself to do it. 

Makes sure she has a blanket she always sleeps with like he did 

He actually doesn't mind getting up in the night for her since he's probably awake anyway.

Is very selective over who gets to babysit her and threatens to kill them if they let anything happen to her.

[sunny-mercya]

Masterlist

Book of OneShots;

-> Masterlist 2 / 3 / 4 / 5 / 6 / 7 /

Tales of Series;

-> 0 / 1 / 2 / 3 /

Other Accounts -> AO3 | Wattpad | Quotev

-> @mercya-libraries Reblogs & Appreciations of other FanFic's & Co.

-> @ordinary-mercya Blog for Causal things

-> Informations & Rules | Writer Recommends

Request Open!

Series;

Hey, Brother do you still believe in one another?

Heiji Hattori x Male Reader | Platonic! Shinichi Kudo x Brother!Reader

Fandom -> Detective Conan/Case Closed

Status; Ongoing & Being Rewritten

Summary; After Shinichi's disappearance you had lost the ground beneath you. Still you pulled through and stood as tall as you could. Though how much could you take till you break?

Based Songs -> Hey Brother | Saudade | Last Impression | I can't stop my love |

01. Saudade

02. Exhausted

03. Of Jealousy and Blessing

04. Awkward

04.2. Keeping Secrets

05. Nightlife

06. Love Sick

07. Love Letter

08. Therapy

09. (Self)hatred

10. Osaka Trip - Stalking

11. Osaka Trip - Abducted

12. Osaka Trip - Dubious love making

13. Osaka Trip - Fever Migraines

14. Osaka Trip - Rising Hope

15. Osaka Trip - Survival

16. Osaka Trip - Saving Knights

17. Osaka Trip - Recovery and Dates

18.

19.

Given

Heiji Hattori x Male Reader

Fandom -> Detective Conan/Case Closed

Mini Story to Hey, Brother

Status; Complete

Summary; 365 Days and you remain in all of them — through the good and bad times, Heiji and You would never break the bond of love you both had for one another as this love is for eternity.

01. Arguments

02. Cold Crash

03. Sensitivity

Gone.

Batfamily x Male Child Reader

Fandom -> Batman/DCU

Status; On Hold & Discontinued

Summary; All you wanted was a good night story from your family, not being kidnapped.

01. Not now

02. Mommy's Love

03. Hope

04. Rescue

Christmas Special

05. Chana

06. Sleepless

07. Disasters

08.

One Shots;

Tokyo Revenger

Mikey Sano

Swimming | Brother Reader

Shinichiro Sano

Bread baking gone wrong | Male Reader

Goth Moth | Male Reader

Nahoya Kawata (Smiley)

First Date Magic | Male Reader

Bonten

Sickly Summer | Male Baby Reader

Detective Conan/Case Closed

Heiji Hattori

I can't stop my love for you! | Male Reader

Waiting | Male Reader

False Brother | Male Reader

Flirtatious Conversation | Male Reader

Marriage Arrangement | Male Reader

Ghost Stories | Male Reader

Matsuda Jinpei

Big in Japan | Male Reader

Tonight in Japan! | Male Reader

Rei Furuya/Amuro Toru

Locked out of Heaven | Male Reader

MAGI - The Labyrinth of Magic

Kouen Ren

Caring in Secret | Male Reader

Sleep | Male Reader

Puns | Male Reader

Koumei Ren

World of Silence | Deaf Male Reader

Sinbad

Treacherous Love | Male Reader

Castlevania

Trevor Belmont

Small steps to forgiveness | Male Reader

Fucked up again | Male Reader

Turned | Male Reader

Attack on Titan

Levi Ackermann

Sweet family of mine | Male Reader – Single Dad & Modern Era AU

DC

Bruce Wayne

No second chance | Male Reader

Hal Jordan

Clark Kent

Memento Mori | Male Reader

Marvel

Peter Quill

Coming Home | Son!Reader

Headcanons;

BatFam #1

BatFam #2 -> Participating in the Metropolis-Gotham Olympics

Batman #1

Fem!Reader

Detective Conan/Case Closed;

Kaito Kid

Hearts Thievery | Soulmate AU

Shinichi Kudo

Denial and Acceptance | Soulmate AU

Tranquility |

[sirthisisa-wendys]

military! shinichiro with 3 babies?? 😵‍💫😵‍💫 You created a monster because now i need more of this! 🥺

You asked I'm answering!

Custom-Made: Shinichiro Sano w/ 3 Kids Headcanons x Fem!Reader

wc: 455

tw: fluff

masterlist

Let's start with the fact that Shinichiro is definitely the type to try and get you pregnant with a year or so between each kid.

He's the kind of guy to say, "oh, we can just put those extra diapers they grew out of to use now."

In all of his years as a father, he's been the main diaper changer. This is what keeps him from having Kid #4.

Shinichiro is a stay-at-home dad on the weekends. He's going to give you self-care time when it's necessary!

He's also the type to take all three kids to the park for a guilt-free smoke.

He takes the eldest child to work some days and lets them watch as he's working on bikes and doing his thing - just like he did with Mikey.

Sometimes, he'll even let them hold his tools. Sometimes.

He has tried many times to get his kids into martial arts or boxing so they can be in the dojo with Keizo and Waka. Unfortunately, they watched their dad get his ass whooped while training, so they have no desire to be the kid who kicks their dad in the balls.

Keizo and Wakasa try to bribe them with sweets, but his kids are too loyal for that.

Shinichiro reads bedtime stories.

The first few times he read bedtime stories to the middle child, they shut the book on him.

He cried and told you that his child "didn't want to hear him read" and that he was "heartbroken." You told him to get it together and read. Cue a sniffing Shin reading "Oswald Has an Oopsie" to his kid.

As the kids get older, they tire of the books and beg him to create stories for story time so they can fall asleep to the sound of his voice. The eldest chimes in here and there to help him with his storytelling.

By the time the youngest is ten, Shin can weave a tale from start to finish about the silliest things. It's his party trick now. He'll even run the plot by you just to make sure it's not too silly that it's unbelievable.

Shin cries at every single graduation ceremony: kinder, first grade, second grade, third grade, and so on. Crayons and coloring books are his favorite gifts to give after the excitement of the day.

Finally, Shinichiro is an awesome dad. He's their first playmate, their first dance partner, their first taekwondo master, and their first bike riding experience.

But only on a tricycle - the real bikes will come in much, much later.

And those bikes are custom-made for his kids. Painted, fixed up, and waiting for their debut in the shop since before they were born.

[amarantoestrella]

Single dad Shinichiro and overprotective uncle Mikey is a given

[dancingintherainwithchifuyu]

IGNORE THIS IF U WANT BUT bro my family issues are acting up so baby sano is literally my new life rn bc i actually live w my uncles's house for personal reasons AND THEYR LITERALLY SO PROTECTIVE so anyways imagine bonten reacting to a hickey on baby bonten sano HELPP IMAGINE THEYR REACTIONS AND KFJDKJW PLEASE IM ON MY KNEES 🤭🧎‍♀️🧎‍♀️

Just as long as your safe and happy nonnie

Wanna guess who was the first to notice??

Sanzu, this man went into panic mode. Just like when you stole a kiss from Raiden to win the arm wrestling challenge.

"(Y/n)!"

He just marches over towards you and demands to know who did.

Sure your Mikey niece and of course Bonten's princess.

But Sanzu was one of the males who actually saw you frown up.

"What's on your neck!?"

"...I burnt myself "

He's just giving you a look because he's not believing a word your saying.

While he keeps lecturing you, Takeomi is the next to step into the room.

He needed his coffee and he wanted to see what has gotten Sanzu to lecture you.

He only sighs as the pinkette keep checking over you while he lectures you.

That's until his eyes land on the hickey.

Sure he knew you'll experiment around one day, but it's hard. Especially since along with Sanzu, he was there when you where a baby.

You really have grown up haven't you?

"That's it! You can't be friends with those boys anymore!"

"What?No!"

It was amusing to see that unlike your father, you didn't have problem getting confession.

"Haruchiyo leave her alone"

The girl stuck out her tongue at the pinkette only to be flicked on the forehead.

"You're still a kid, don't be stupid okay?"

Once Ran learned about the hickey, sure all instinct kicked in to go lecture you. But that would only make you want to rebel.

So he decided to tease you instead.

"So you and Raiden huh? How adorable "

"Ran!"

He had kept pestering you and poking at how cute you and Raiden were. Until you decided to cover up the hickey on your neck.

Rindou on the other hand had copied Takeomi and flicked your forehead.

Calling you an idiot for getting caught.

Your a teen you'd be bound to start looking for romance.

He didn't care much as long as you were happy and made safe decisions.

Besides if you'd get your heart broken, he'd be one of the first who would be angry.

Kakuchou's soul nearly left his body, izana trusted him enough to look after you.

Now you started kissing and making out with boys!?

Sure they all trusted Raiden because the boy was so loyal and protective of you.

He isn't prepared to see you all grown up.

Being your own person.

Just a while ago you had clung onto them and hid from people.

Similar to Sanzu, Hajime had lectured you.

Not really giving you time to explain yourself.

He mainly blamed the trio for being a terrible influence on you.

"You can do all this stuff once your older, just enjoy being a teen"

Once word got to Mikey, he wasn't sure how to feel. Sure he was happy that you found someone who made you happy. But his protective side kept kicking in.

You were still a baby in his eyes.

And you'll always be one.

He didn't lecture you because you've had enough of that, only placing a hand on your head.

"Just be safe okay?"

Be happy that's all he wanted from you.

For you to be happy and safe.

[livid-basket]

Dad shinichiro and baby sano ✨

Surprised dani ✨. I sorry this take way too long (Too many overtime)

I honestly love drawing baby sano au stuff. It all make me feel fuzzy inside 💕❤️.

Single dad shinichiro au by @dancingintherainwithchifuyu

[dancingintherainwithchifuyu]

Let's say she's looks soo much like him, she was 2 when he died. The founders come to help whenever their free but Mikey is pretty protective.

Took Baji 6 months to earn his trust after the incident to allow him close to his niece.

New idea Shinichiro kid being raise by Mikey and The black dragon founders

👁️👁️ I would like to hear more

[creamyychann]

Yo, I sometimes come up with wild ass ideas...

Like, for examples:

Y/n moves to a small village where the neighborhood filled with hot single TR dilfs to work there. While working there, she helped the neighborhood by either babysitting their child, help them out out of their old asses, cleans the village, being so kind etc. & the hot dilfs decided to give her a gift.

Y/n is a student Council president, she was so busy with school works & assignments she didn't realize it's already afternoon. Her brothers, (all aged up) Mikey, Izana, & Shinichiro comes to the student council room because she hasn't come out. Seeing her all worked up & stressed, her brothers decided to relief her a bit.

Y/n's Dad is a cold CEO, he doesn't hesitate to fire anyone even fire just looking at him weird. But at home he's the most clingy & softest father ever towards his daughter. One day, Y/n decided to visit him at his work because she comes home early. When she sees how ruthless & sadistic her father is, she couldn't help but get wet.

Y/n's dad has a lot of friends, single Dilfs friends that is. He decided to have a BBQ party because he just got promoted & his friends want to celebrate. While they had BBQ, Y/n comes home from college & goes towards the backyard, asking if she can have some. Her Dad happily gave her some but he doesn't notice the blush his friends have when they saw you.

K, Chile anyways, I'm going back studying (students dying).

[smolla-than-a-bug]

wait for me

sano shinichiro x reader

for @xybi’s collab event !

the only thing preventing you from taking the next step in your relationship is the fact that no matter what you do, you just can’t seem to get his daughter to like you

navi | tokrev m.list | event m.list

content — fem!reader, single dad! shinichiro, his daughter kinda mean, reader has parent issues, insecurity & self-doubt, bullying, a bit angsty, marriage, happy ending :D

notes — 8.5k+ wc. didnt intend for this to turn out so long tbh but here we are ig. this yn is inspired by bobbie from four sisters and a wedding cos shes my fave so if u know her story well,,, iykyk :"> song rec for this lil ole oneshot is pwede ba by lola amour

'No' can a daunting word in any given situation. As the sayer rather than the receiver of the word, it takes a solid backbone to be able to pronounce that single syllable in such a way that is resolute; otherwise, it would be so easy to simply give in and go with the flow.

Growing up, you'd been mostly ambitious and hard-working, but you lacked the ballsiness to be able to stand up for yourself, protest your circumstances and say what was really on your mind. You always accepted whatever was thrown at you with not so much a complaint, no matter how difficult or inconvenient—sometimes even painful and emotionally taxing. Whether or not your parents were aware of it, you had never fulfilled the role of being their pride and joy. There was always someone else who was better and achieved more. With every conversation on the dinner table came name-dropping and praise for other people, but never for you.

You never wanted anything more than for someone—anyone—to see you, to appreciate you. It stung that that person was neither of your own parents, and thus you learned to live carrying the agony of feeling invisible and unappreciated. Because of this, you never felt like you were able to make actual connections with other people your age and never experienced many good, long-lasting friendships. No one other than yourself is aware of the hardships you'd been through to get to where you are now.

Over time, you learned how to acknowledge your own efforts. You became used to the feeling of being invisible to others, so you strived to find a way to stand out. If your will sparked out of spite, you couldn't remember because all that matters is that for the first time in your life, you did something to satisfy yourself rather than to please someone else.

You made good use of your skill, your intelligence, your ambition, and somewhere along the road, you graduated with great pride for yourself and everything you've achieved. You put a wall between your current self and your past self, creating a distance that ran from your hometown all the way to Tokyo, where you had found yourself a great job opportunity.

It wasn't easy adjusting to the new environment, but during that period, you had been able to re-examine yourself and set a few rules. Gone was the Y/N that accepted her "fate" without a thought. The new Y/N would take every chance to assert herself and show the world what she's capable of.

And you did exactly that.

You gained admirers in your work, and you were able to climb up the ranks. In no time, you were able to attain a substantial amount of income for yourself at the ripe age of 23, and you were able to send a fair amount of money back home even if you barely contacted them anymore. Despite your complicated relationship with your family, you weren't heartless.

You were content with your life as it was in Tokyo, albeit immersed in work.

The only thing is that, the whole "showing the world what you're capable of" thing had been balanced out by the universe with an "I can do it myself and I refuse to seek help from anyone" attitude in you, and it applied to everything. Even when heavy rains plagued Japan, cellular reception was weak, and your car broke down along an unfamiliar street.

As the voice on your phone speaker reiterates for the nth time that your call has once again failed, you rest your head against the wheel. Over half an hour has passed and you're still stuck in the same spot with a car that won't turn on. Your throat begins to feel clogged up and you think you might cry, yet your tear ducts remain sealed shut and your eyes feel like they're dried out. You can do nothing about the frustration bubbling up. Hopelessness threatens to make its presence known, but you swallow it down every time you think it's about to overcome you.

A rapid knocking on your window jolts you upright just as you're about to attempt another call. Rainwater pours down your window in bucketloads so the figure outside is completely blurred from your view. You can't even make out their facial features. You hesitate to entertain whoever was on the outside because what if you were about to get robbed? In the rain? Defenseless with no way to escape? You check that your doors are locked.

The knocking comes again, more hurried this time, followed by a muffled voice shouting over the rain from the other side. "Hey! You okay in there?"

You don't respond, silently praying that the man goes away. He's probably drenched from head to toe by now.

"You still alive? Need any help?"

You roll down the window a few inches without thinking. "I don't need your help!"

"You sure? You've been out here an hour!" His voice is much clearer this time. "Why don't you come inside my shop for a bit? It can't be warm at all in there!"

You don't respond, closing the window up again.

The man must have expected you to come out after that, but you don't. You ignore him until finally, the blob on the outside of your window shakes its head, turns around, runs back where it came from, but not before throwing out a "Think about it!" presumably directed at you.

Another thirty minutes later, the rain still shows no sign of stopping. Your body is stiff from sitting in the same position all this time, and you've started to shiver from the cold. You'd been thinking about the man's offer. The more you think about it, the more you're considering taking it up, and when you hear rumbling in the sky, you do.

You grab your phone, wallet, and keys, and you scramble out of your car, through the rain, and into a building labeled S.S Motors.

A man that resembled the distorted blob through your window rushes towards you as soon as you enter with a towel in hand, pulling a chair along for your use. You nod to him in thanks, and he disappears in the back again after.

In his absence, you use the soft towel to dry your hair and pat down your wet clothes as much as you can, though not much became of that as you looked as if you went for a swim fully-dressed.

When the man comes back, he's carrying a stack of dry clothes in his hands, almost sheepishly offering them to you. "Here. You look like you might need these." You're weary of accepting clothes from a stranger. It must have shown on your face, for he rolled his eyes and gestured to you shaking from the cold. "Don't worry, these came straight out of the dryer, and I think you'll feel much better in them. Don't wanna catch a cold now do you?"

You huff before accepting the clothes.

"Bathroom's behind the counter."

He was right when he said you'd feel better wearing a fresh pair of clothes, even if they were a stranger's hoodie and sweats. Plus, the lingering heat from the dryer made them extra comfy. You attempted to tame your appearance as best as you could, especially your hair. You pulled the hoodie's sleeves over your palms before walking back out.

A scoff is the first thing you're greeted with. "You're still wearing those?" He looked pointedly at the heels still on your feet.

"Well, what else am I supposed to wear?"

Heels were already uncomfortable to wear for an extended period of time. Wet, scrunchy heels were even worse. You didn't have an extra pair of shoes with you, so you'd endure it if you had to. There were more pressing concerns you had to think of, like figuring out a way to get home.

"I just cleaned the floor. You can walk around barefoot, it's cool." He came around the counter. "I'll go put your clothes in the dryer. You can keep your shoes over by that chair."

His shop was brightly lit with different models of motorcycles lined up around the place, but you didn't dwell on it. You knew nothing of motorcycles. What you did catch your attention, however, was the little girl who cautiously walked out from the same room the man went into when he got you the clothes you were currently wearing.

You offered her a smile and a little wave, but you instantly faltered when she ran back inside.

"Sorry... She doesn't do well with new people."

"Oh." You fiddled with the sleeves of your sweater. "Was that your sister?"

He chuckled, jumping to sit on the counter. "Nah. Nina's my daughter." That certainly took you by surprise. She couldn't have been older than four, and he looked to be about your age if you had to assume. "Had her when I was eighteen.” He cocked his head, “I was pretty reckless back then."

“Well, she’s a beautiful kid. Pretty smart not talking to strangers, too.”

He had a sort of faraway look. “That she is.”

There’s no mistaking the affection he holds for his daughter. The gentle look in his eyes of pure love, no doubt reminiscing the impact of her birth on his life stirred a pleasant feeling from within you. Your younger self would have been jealous, but now you can only smile softly, knowing that Nina was lucky to have a father that held her in such regard. "You and your wife must be proud."

He held up his left hand, showing you his naked ring finger. "Her mom's out of the picture. Was barely in it, if I'm being honest."

"Oh I'm sorry, I shouldn't have said that—"

"No, it's alright. You didn't know."

An awkward silence took over. Suddenly, the room felt way too big.

He coughed into his fist. "So uh, I'm Shinichiro by the way. Sano Shinichiro." You introduced yourself in return. "Nice to meet you, I guess. So much for first impressions," he cringed, physically patting his own back and moving around to check on Nina.

The irony of it was that you thought he was going to murder you back out in the car.

Only now did you note that the sky had cleared up. It was incredibly late into the night and you internally groaned at the thought of having to deduct hours from your sleep to be able to get to work on time tomorrow, but at least it had stopped raining.

"Hey, Y/N?" You didn't notice when Shinichiro came back. "I could take a look at your car for you if you want?"

"Ah, no thank you." You were quick to refuse. "I couldn't ask that of you. You've done so much already. Don't worry I'll figure it out on my own."

He raised a brow at you, more amused than disbelieved that you'd turn him down for the second time that night. "You were stuck out there for like two whole hours. You really think it's wise to refuse my help right now?"

"One and a half," you corrected. Still, you stood your ground. "And I said I'd figure something out."

"Well, any ideas then?" You opened your mouth to say you'd try the phone once more. "Signal's still bad, so you can cross that out." You pursed your lips, your earlier frustration crawling back in with every word the guy spoke, but he only grinned at you. "I literally own a motorcycle shop. I know engines."

"Motorcycle engines. Engines for motorcycles."

"Very impressive verbal forensic work, Y/N. Really, I applaud you."

You cross your arms. "I don't like your tone."

You're already tired from all the events that have transpired thus far, and the longest bout of social interaction you've had outside of work had to be with him? You aren't fond of the sarcasm lacing his naturally raspy voice. You weren't friends. There's a time and place to appropriately use sarcasm, and this wasn't it.

Shinichiro sighed, hopping off the countertop. "Just let me take a look. You never know, I could pull a thing or two, and you'll be able to get out of here in no time."

Lucky for you, the guy did know engines—car engines. It took a few minutes of him tinkering at the hood of your car and you enduring his smugness, which he didn’t bother hiding much to your dismay, before you were finally able to start your car. The rumbling of your vehicle did wonders to comfort you.

You wanted to pay Shinichiro for his service, but he only brushed you off. “Free of charge, only for you,” he had said with that idiotic smirk of his. And when you insisted, he said, “Why would I charge the beautiful damsel currently wearing my clothes?” The smug bastard.

At that, you straightened up and drove off. Glancing at the rearview mirror, he waved at you, only going back inside his shop once a significant distance separated you both. The next day, you made sure to have someone drop by on your behalf to leave a sealed envelope containing your token of thanks.

You didn't know if he was doing it on purpose or if he was just annoying by nature, but you started seeing him everywhere. You occasionally saw him at your favorite coffee shop, along the sidewalk on your way home, and sometimes you'd even run into him in the most random places you'd never expect to see him at.

It was only when you spotted him walking out of a school with his daughter in hand that you realized that the reason you kept running into each other was because Nina studied at the institution near your workplace.

At first, you paid him no mind, but you were never fully able to avoid him. Every single time, without fail, he'd smile at you so big that his skin would crinkle by his eyes. At times, he'd even throw in some witty remark about how you're following him around. (If anything, you're sure it was the other way around.) He'd even bring up the car incident from not too long ago just to poke fun.

It was almost impossible to ignore Shinichiro, but over time, your days grew to become incomplete without seeing him and hearing what stupid things he has to say to you at least once.

Passing remarks slowly turned into him inviting you to join him and Nina to walks in the park because 'you could use some fresh air' or trips to the nearby ice cream parlor because 'you seem like you need replenishing,' but you always dismissed him because 'I'm busy. Maybe another time.'

Your workload had only gotten heavier the more you proved yourself to be the competent employee that you were, and you took it as a recognition of your talents. You worked even harder. You set more time aside to dedicate to late nights on your desk with an open laptop. Your restlessness was beginning to get to you the more you neglected to cater to your body's nutritional needs, often relying on takeout to fill your empty stomach and sleeping less than the average prescribed hours.

You thought you hid it well in the way you carried yourself in public and tamed all your visible signs of tirelessness, yet the first day Shinichiro handed you a packed lunch with a sticky note with his number and a 'you need to take care of yourself better' on it, you had panicked thinking that your exhaustion was so obvious that all your employees could see through you as well. You texted him then, laying out your concerns on your outward appearance, but he reassured you that you looked 'the same amount of gorgeous every day, maybe even getting more beautiful as the days went'—his words, not yours.

You scolded him then (as best as you could through text) and demanded to be taken seriously.

In his defense, he was quick to comply, telling you he was only able to notice because he knew the signs of overworking himself, but not without including a flirty remark about how he likes to pay attention to you, which you ignored.

After that, it became the norm for Shinichiro to drop by and hand you a homemade meal or something he picked up from the store every once in a while, texting you reminders not unlike the first one he gave you and not without an ounce of flirty undertones. To his delight, you somehow started to entertain and reciprocate them somewhere along the way, and four whole years later, you couldn't be happier to have met him and accepted him the day he confessed to you.

That same day was one he recounted in a long speech, knelt down in front of you with an engagement ring.

Throughout the entire span of your relationship, from start to present, he had been nothing short of perfect. He saw you as you were and still adored you anyway. He appreciated you, made you feel the sense of belongingness that you never fully realized was ever missing in your heart.

He knew you hated the public eye, so instead, he had a private romantic dinner set up in his home. He had the lights dimmed, a couple of candles lit, your favourite dishes, and a large bouquet of roses. He had been the perfect gentleman, pulling your chair back for you to sit and serving you like royalty. He made sure you knew he put a lot of thought, a lot of effort into the occasion he brought upon you, and he made sure to directly tell you that you deserved every ounce of love he poured into your heart whenever you began feeling overwhelmed.

No one had ever managed to make you feel so loved before. There were big, fat tears in your eyes threatening to fall when he ultimately ended his lengthy, emotional whirlwind of a speech with the question: Will you make me the happiest man in the whole universe and marry me?

But you said no.

Shinichiro respected your decision because of course he would, but he wasn't willing to let go of you so easily and to be honest, neither were you. He was willing to wait for you, however long you needed until you were ready to wear the ring that symbolized the depth of his love for you.

You'd forever be grateful for his understanding nature.

You almost regretted it as soon as you declined his proposal. Seeing the downcast, anguished defeat flash in his eyes that he tried to conceal with a poor attempt of a smile was a sight you hated and wished to never see again. You never wanted to be the cause of his pain.

You did your best to provide him comfort that night. It hurt that he just let you hold him thinking it was the last time he'd ever see you again, but in a way, you're glad he even allowed you to touch him at all—even more so when he listened to you and agreed that you both weren't ready to take the next big step.

You just couldn't be wed to a man whose daughter wanted nothing to do with her.

You told him it wouldn't be a "no" forever. It was more of a "not yet" until you improve your relationship with his daughter. But still, the impact of a marriage proposal rejection remained heavy.

But you had to give him props for his unrelenting persistence. In his mind, just because you weren't ready now didn't mean that there wasn't a chance that you would be in the future. Every once in a while, he'd pop the question again—more casually this time. And he took each rejection, every 'not now' with a soft shake of your head, as an opportunity to try again. He wouldn't stop trying until you either said "Yes" or rejected him with a definitive "No." Should you choose to respond with the latter, he'd be entirely crushed, but he'd respect your decision regardless. After all, you were doing it out of concern for his daughter.

Your relationship with Shinichiro was never just between the two of you from the get-go because Nina is, was, and always will be a part of his life. If you ever did marry him, she would be a permanent part of yours.

Personally, you tried to be for her what your mother never was for you. You tried to provide for her as a mother figure, but it seemed that she never accepted anything you did. If anything, she antagonized you, and it hurt you more than anything in the world.

No amount of stress from work could compare to the distress you experienced whenever Nina rejected another one of your attempts to prove yourself to her. For the second time in your life, you were begging to be recognized by someone who it seemed you could never do enough to please.

In the beginning, she would ignore you whenever you visited, whenever you spoke. “Hi, Nina.” She’d look the other way. “How was school today, Nina?” She’d enter a different room. “Are you hungry?” She’d pretend not to hear you. “You need to eat your dinner, Nina.” She’d walk away and act like her stomach wasn’t rumbling.

She grew used to your presence after your one year anniversary with Shinichiro, but things only worsened from there.

You’d receive a nasty glare upon entering a room she’s already in, only for her to slam herself shut in her bedroom. You’d feel small when she starts answering back at you for trying to get her to open up. You’d be faced with tantrums when you try serving her during mealtimes and she’s forced to breathe the same air as you. Sometimes when she’s feeling particularly sour, you’d have to deal with the aftermath of her attempts to sabotage you. You’d find your laptop keyboard soaked in the sticky remnants of juice, the contents of your purse stuck in the crevices of the living room sofa, gum in your hair…

Yet you accepted it all without protest. How could you complain? You weren’t her mother, she wasn’t obligated to like you.

If Shinichiro reprimanded her for her actions, that’s a matter between father and daughter. You had no right to step in like it was your business. You’re reduced to hope that one day, maybe she’ll finally warm up to you.

But that hope was slowly diminishing.

And it terrified you when, one day, Shinichiro came up to you to ask if he could leave Nina in your care while away for business purposes. Something about Mikey and Draken requesting for his assistance in their own bike shop in Manila.

"You're leaving me with that witch?" she had complained to her dad at the airport just before he left. She was so unwilling to let him go even just for a week, which made the idea of marriage into the Sano family all the more discouraging, yet you tried to be understanding nonetheless as it would be the first time in her eight years of life bring away from her dad for more than a day. Not to mention, it would be the longest time she’d be spending in your care. Shinichiro glanced at you apologetically, worry drawing his eyebrows close, but you merely gave him a tight smile. It would be alright. (You hoped.) "But she hates me! Don't leave me with her!"

"Hey, hey, what are you talking about, angel? She doesn't hate you." He bent down to hold her properly, consoling her in hushed whispers.

It felt as though you were nothing but an intruder once again, so instead, you distracted yourself by getting the last of Shinichiro's luggage from the trunk of your car. You made sure to take your time so they could have a proper farewell.

You couldn't help but think what it was that you did that made her hate you and most importantly, what made her think you hated her, because as far as you knew, you were giving nothing less than your absolute one hundred percent in trying to form an emotional connection with her. To understand her, to provide for her, to be there for her. But all she's done is push you away, and you're constantly at a loss as to why.

Were you not caring enough? Were you not sensitive enough to her needs? Were you too suffocating as an outsider? Did you come off too strong or did you not try hard enough?

The cloud of doubt over your head took you back to your youth. For a moment, you weren't the adult version of yourself that moved to Tokyo, became successful in business, and almost got engaged. In that moment, you were once again that little girl who could never be enough. You were that insecure child who never stood up to herself and grew accustomed to being walked over, forgotten in the dark by her own flesh blood because she could never be what they saw in others. You were the little girl who only saw her flaws and everything she didn't have.

The slam of a car door brought you back to reality. Nina had retreated to the backseat of your car. You sighed, closing the trunk.

"You're not gonna cry too are you?" Shinichiro teased, taking his luggage from you. "It's flattering you'd miss me that much, really, but I don't think I could handle both of you crying, no?"

"Ha-ha..." you rolled your eyes as he pulled you in with one arm for a hug, burying his nose in your hair. "If anything, I expected you to cry." You relax against his body, melting at his touch. “But I will miss you. Even if you are pretty damn annoying.”

“Pretty what?”

You could practically make out the grin on his face through the tone of his voice alone. “I said you’re pretty annoying.”

“Mm… all I hear is you calling me pretty, my love.”

“I said no such thing.”

“Okay.” He kissed the top of your head. “But do you think I’m pretty?” You nod. “Ah, but you’re prettier.”

“Like I said. Annoying.”

He laughed, bringing his other arm around to engulf you completely.

Shinichiro's hugs gave you a sense of safety. There's no place more comforting than with his body wrapped around yours. You'd give anything for the moment to last longer, but one glance at your watch and you were forced to push him away so he could catch his flight on time.

"You'll be fine," he declared, setting both palms on your shoulders. When you looked away, he brought up a hand to nudge your chin up. "I'm serious. Think of this as an opportunity to bond with Nina. You never know, maybe she'll finally warm up to you."

You looked at her through the window and there she was, sporting a grumpy pout, sitting with her arms crossed, and stubbornly swiping at stray tears. "Yeah, I doubt that," you huff. The defeat weighing itself onto you already, but you straighten up just as fast as it comes. You straighten his shirt—a habit you picked up through the years—and finish with a pat on his chest. "Anyway, you gotta go like now or you'll miss your flight."

"Alright, alright..." he took a few steps back. But it was a feigned surrender as he quickly sneaked up on you again, stealing an exaggerated smooch complete with a smack of his lips and a mutter of "Last kiss."

He smiled when you laughed at his antics, cupping your face again to kiss you properly this time. "You got this, Y/N. I believe in you." He pecked your forehead before he rummaged through his pockets. "And maybe... when I get back..." He lifted your palm, pressing a kiss to it before the ring he had used to propose to you multiple times with was delicately placed in the middle of it. "Maybe you'll finally be ready to wear this. If I have hope, you should too."

You'd been so lost in your thoughts that you almost forgot who your efforts were all dedicated for. The one who had more faith in you than you did. You really were gonna miss him, even if you would only be apart for a week. You wondered what your life was like without him, already having long forgotten what it was like to be entirely by yourself.

He kissed you one last time, and you watched him retreat past the automatic doors of the airport, waving goodbye a final time before getting into your car. And so began the long week ahead of you.

Getting her settled into your apartment that night was by far the easiest thing you had to handle. She headed straight to your guest bedroom, and you left a plate of food outside the door. Thankfully, you came back a few hours later to find the dish empty. She must have been really tired.

The next day, you made sure to get up earlier than usual to go through your morning routine and start breakfast before waking Nina up for school. You were feeling pretty good about the first night not involving anything brash, and your good mood carried on as you pranced around the kitchen frying eggs and bacon in a pan. You know Shinichiro likes listening to music in the morning, so you made sure to put on his favorite radio station.

You were about to knock on the guest bedroom door when it was harshly swung open. “Good morning, Nina!” You tried, but like always, your attempt was soiled as she stomped past you, still in her pajamas, and into the kitchen. “I know your dad makes you bacon and eggs every morning so I—“ she jerked your pantry open, pulling out a box of cereal and opening a new carton of milk.

Nina scoffs. “You didn’t even put the milk in the fridge?” A rhetorical question, judging from her tone. To be fair you really should have just put it in the fridge when you bought it, but you’ve been so busy with work that you hardly had the time to even restock around the kitchen. Still, the eight-year-old had a point. It took a minute, even less, to just open your fridge and pop it in. You had nothing to say.

She took her bowl of cereal to the sofa in your living room, turning up the volume of your TV that the radio you’d left on could no longer be heard and leaving you alone on your kitchen counter. You figured it was in your best interests to just let her do her thing and sulk over the extra breakfast food you’d prepared for her while you had your own meal. If she didn’t want to eat it, maybe your coworkers would appreciate the treat then.

As soon as she finished, she tossed her used bowl and spoon into the sink with a loud clang, making her way back to her room to dress.

You sighed, putting the dishes away properly and tidying up the state of your living room sofa. There was a stain on one of the cushions from spilled milk, you noted. You’d have to scrub it off later.

You gathered your things and grabbed your keys by the front door. “Time to go, Nina!” Upon hearing no response, you waited a while but then noticed that if you didn’t get going soon, both of you would be late. You called out for her again, but still, nothing.

You approached the door to her room and knocked softly. “Hey, you okay in there? Nina—“

“Fine, I’m here!” She seemed troubled, frustrated even as she opened the door. Her hair was messed up more than it was earlier, and you realized that Shinichiro usually fixes her hair before she went off to school. She must have been struggling, trying to get it done herself. You tried offering your assistance, but you were once again cut off with a sharp “No.”

The glare she gave was menacing. It managed to tell you so many things without having her say it herself. You’re not dad. I don’t like you. I don’t know what my dad even sees in you. Don’t come near me. Don’t touch me. It stung more than it should, it really did. The weight of each message processing through her stare pressed down on your chest, but you prayed your weakness didn’t peek through your demeanor. You took all your pain, your distress, and washed it down in one big exhale—a technique you find that you’ve gotten more and more accustomed to. You clutched the keys in your hand. “Alright. Let’s go.”

She was quiet for most of the ride, only staring either at the road ahead or out the window. In a way, you’re grateful that she isn’t finding any more things to berate you for. You were even nervous to try turning on the radio, afraid it wouldn’t be to her liking, but the silence was so tense, so ominous that your mind was getting more discombobulated by the minute.

“I didn’t have time to prepare a bento for you, I’m sorry.” You glanced sideways at her. You know she can hear you, but you doubt she’s actually listening to a word you say. Pulling out a few bills from your purse, you hand it to her. “Here you go—for your lunch. There’s a little extra in there too, in case you get hungry for snacks.”

She was barreling out the door the minute you pulled up in front of her elementary school. “I’ll pick you up at three!” you hope she heard you.

Unfortunately for Nina, you couldn't take her straight home after school. You’d have to take her back to the office until work hours were officially over. You’d go home on time for the rest of the week though, as you promised yourself you wouldn’t work overtime for Nina’s sake.

You were taken aback when, after a few minutes standing out your car to wait for her, Nina trudged out of the building alone, grabbed your wrist, and dragged you behind her towards your car, keeping her head down all the while. “Whoa, what’s going on?”

“Shut up Y/N, let’s just go. Please.”

She sounded so desperate to leave, it gave you the impression that something might have happened in school today. You set a reminder in your head to try bringing it up later on. You could see that, right now, she just needed to get off of school grounds.

“Nina, hold on!” Nina froze for a millisecond, tugging harder on your wrist only to ultimately be stopped by who you assumed was her teacher. “Hey,” she chuckled. “What’s the rush?” She then noticed you, greeting you with a warm smile and a curt bow. “I’m Ms. Nishimura, Nina’s homeroom teacher. You must be Mrs. Sano?”

“I—“

Nina yanked herself away from you. She curled in on herself, mumbling, “She’s… not my mom.”

Ms. Nishimura immediately backtracked, apologizing for her mistake, but you reassured her that it was okay. You gave Nina your car keys, motioning for her to go wait in the car. She briskly complied without argument.

She looked too uncomfortable standing out there with you and her teacher, but she obviously had something she needed to talk about so you had to stay to entertain it in Shinichiro’s place. You quickly explained to her teacher about your situation—your place in Sanos’ life, who you were to Nina, that she was in your care for the week (though you obviously left out the details about your strained relationship with her indoors).

“So, is Nina doing okay in school? Is there anything I should be concerned about?”

“About that,” Ms. Nishimura pushed up her glasses. “Nina’s a good student—nothing to worry about there. But, there’s a parent-teacher conference coming up this Thursday. Just a sort of annual event with the parents to talk to them about the curriculum, let them know how their child’s doing, etcetera… and I was just a little concerned since Mr. Sano hasn’t gotten back to us with regards to confirming his attendance. I’ve been trying to get Nina to follow him up on the school’s invitation, but you said earlier that he’s out of town so...”

“I see.” You glanced at Nina for a second, catching her fiddling with her fingers and staring at her lap. This must have put her in an awkward spot with her teacher who didn’t know about situation until you explained it. You tried to recall your schedule for this Thursday, scanning through the things you had allotted that day for before saying, “I’ll go. I can attend the parent-teacher thing in Shinichiro’s place.”

This evidently relieved Ms. Nishimura of the pressure on her shoulders. “Oh, thank god! That was the last response we needed from Nina’s grade, so thank you. I look forward to seeing you on Thursday then Ms. Y/L/N!”

Every day after school, Nina would stay in your office, completing homework and sometimes wandering around to relieve herself from boredom. Your coworkers loved her presence, judging from the way everyone would be all-smiles when greeting her in the hallways. Nina would also be included whenever someone decided to bring everyone a treat—which became a more common occurrence throughout the week that she was there. Because of this, you didn’t need to worry about her so much as you bustled around the building fulfilling your duties, knowing that Nina’s a smart kid and that your coworkers would keep an eye on her for you when you couldn’t.

She wasn’t too hard on you either during office hours. You’re sure it had something to do with being in a foreign environment where adults ran to and fro, but as the days passed and the more she adjusted to the new setting, her complaints grew. She’d complain when she was hungry, when she was bored, when she was longing to go home—all understandable on her part. One thing you were thankful for was that she never threw tantrums in front of your coworkers, choosing to let out her distress within the privacy of your office. Sure, you had to find a way to quiet her whines and sometimes deal with her grumbles, but you had faith in yourself that you’d find a way whenever the occasion arrived.

“Y/N. I wanna go home!” She stood before your desk where you were typing away on a keyboard. She was already carrying all her things, prepared to take off at any minute and fully expecting you to do the same.

You glanced at the time at the corner of your screen. “Just a few more minutes, baby.”

“Don’t call me that! And I wanna go home now!”

You sighed, rubbing your temples. Then your phone began to ring.

One look at the name flashing onscreen and you slid the device over to Nina. "It's your dad."

She lit up so fast at that, grabbing your phone and happily chatting away with him.

Thursday came faster than you could blink.

You managed to clear your schedule for the rest of the day after 3 PM, and after agreeing with yourself that you wouldn't pick up any work-related calls past that hour, you found yourself being toured around Nina's elementary school campus and chatting with her teachers about her academic performance.

It filled you with pride knowing that she was excelling in her subjects. You took mental notes of each remark her teachers said about her, determined to fill Shinichiro in about it tonight over video call. If you were already swelling with pride, just imagine the look on his face once he hears about his little girl's teachers' impressions and comments of praise.

The conference went by pretty smoothly until you were pulled aside towards the end of it by the same homeroom teacher you'd met the other day.

Ms. Nishimura lead you to a bench outside so that you could have a more private chat. She prefaced whatever she needed to say with a greeting, happy to see you again, and then she went into the only detail of concern she'd picked up from seeing Nina every day. "I noticed that she doesn't really get along with the other kids. I know that she has a few friends, but she doesn't really have a group that she normally goes along with, if you get what I mean?" You nodded. "I'm just worried since it's her second year of elementary school, you know? I don't think it's best for her to be spending her school life without friends..."

It's also something you'd noticed within the short span of time it took to drop her off and pick her up. She would always be walking alone, head turned down to watch her feet move as she walked. It did concern you a bit, but hearing it from her teacher this time made you frown all the more.

"Maybe if—"

"Go away!"

"No one wants to be your friend because your mom left you!"

"You must have done something really bad for that to happen!"

You and Ms. Nishimura were alarmed to hear something like that come from what sounded like a child's mouth. Immediately, you both followed the source of the ruckus just behind the school's main building. You made it just in time to see some kid pushing Nina onto the rough ground.

"Hey!" You shouted at the bullies. Ms. Nishimura took on the responsibility of scolding the students and calling their parents who were still inside the school.

Rushing over to Nina's side, you tried to check her for injuries, catching sight of a red mark on her cheekbone before she jerked her head away from you, hanging her head in shame yet unwilling to let her guard down. "Get away from me!" She stood up on wobbly legs, pushing you away when you tried to assist her.

You gave her your car keys. "Here. You can wait for me in the car. At least let me handle this, okay?"

She wordlessly took it from your hand, and you took note of the little scrapes on her palms. You put on the face you used during business deals, fully determined to have a solid talk with those other kids' parents.

Once you got back to your apartment, you went straight to finding an ice pack and your first aid kit. Opening the door to Nina's room, you found her sitting at the edge of her bed staring into space. You knelt down beside her, bringing up the ice pack to her cheekbone, but she flinched from your touch. "Leave me alone."

"I'm just trying to help you, Nina."

"I said leave me alone! I don't want your help!" She hid under the covers, curling up into a ball.

You sighed. "About what that kid was saying earlier, it's not your fault you know?"

You could barely hear her muffled words but there was one phrase you caught clearly: Stop pretending like you care... and she sounded like she was holding back tears.

"Stop pretending... like I care? Nina, I— What are you talking about?"

"Don't act like you don't know!"

"But I really don't! If you would just help me understand—"

"Just stop!"

"I—"

"No! You're not my mom, so stop acting like you care about me and dad. You're just going to leave us the same way she did! I know dad keeps asking you to marry him, so just go already if you're going to keep saying no to him!"

She was full-on sobbing at this point, tears running down her cheeks in waterfalls and snot dribbling down her nose. You knew from the get-go that she had a lot on her plate even as a mere eight-year-old, but what you didn’t know was that she carried the weight of her troubles on her shoulders. You realize now that you failed to see how she was just like you. Afraid.

Afraid that everyone would be the same.

It all made sense now, looking back:

You’d receive a nasty glare upon entering a room she’s already in, only for her to slam herself shut in her bedroom. You’d feel small when she starts answering back at you for trying to get her to open up. You’d be faced with tantrums when you try serving her during mealtimes and she’s forced to breathe the same air as you. Sometimes when she’s feeling particularly sour, you’d have to deal with the aftermath of her attempts to sabotage you. You’d find your laptop keyboard soaked in the sticky remnants of juice, the contents of your purse stuck in the crevices of the living room sofa, gum in your hair…

All because she wanted to push you away. She was scared of letting you into their lives only for you to leave and never come back, so instead she tried to speed up the process to save both herself and her dad from the pain of having you walk out—that was what she wanted to do, you understood that now. "You think I'm gonna leave... Is that why you hate me so much?" You set down the ice pack on the bedside table.

"Huh?” She hiccuped, rubbing at her wet eyes. “I don't hate you..."

How ironic. “Well, I thought you did,” you chuckled, kneeling down by the bed where she sat. You spoke in soft tones. "I haven't said yes to your dad because I didn't want to force myself into your life like that.” And it was true. It would have been greatly unfair to have her be the one to adjust when you would be the new person in their family. You reached out a hand, testing the waters to see if she would move away from you again. You fully expected that she would but…

She didn’t.

Not having her avoid you like you had the plague for the first time in the four years you've known her was a feeling you don’t think you’d ever forget from here on out. Your first success. The first time your relationship with Nina didn’t seem like a hopeless case. The overwhelming feeling of finally having taken a step—a big step, it felt like—in the right direction with her was enough to bring tears up to your eyes. You gently cupped her face, and upon feeling the weight of her head in your palm, you smiled. “I couldn't do that to you."

She tried to speak through her hiccups and sniffles, but you hushed her.

"If you'll let me, I don't plan to leave you or your dad—both of you.” She gripped the sheets so hard, her knuckles were turning white. You were slightly nervous that she’d lash out, but you held onto the moment you two were currently sharing, making the most of it as much as you can so that while you were able to see where she was coming from, she would hopefully also see you. “In a way, you're kind of right, you know? I'm not like your biological mom because unlike her, I'm not going anywhere."

And at that, Nina launched herself against your body, wrapping her smaller arms tightly around your body. You embraced her just as tightly—maybe even more. You tried soothing her as she cried harder, rubbing your hand up and down her back and combing your fingers through her hair. At one point, you kissed her head, and she gripped onto you even tighter.

That night, she refused to let go of you and you slept with her in the guest bedroom, only being able to convince her that you both had to get cleaned up before she attached herself onto you again. She clung onto you the entire night, never once daring to let go. "Can I not go to school tomorrow?" she had meekly asked you before she fell asleep.

You kissed her hair. "I'll take the day off, too. We can spend the entire day at home if you want." She nodded. She deserved to rest after all that happened today, and who knows for how long she's been experiencing that from her classmates without anyone knowing.

The next day, she woke up before you did, shyly asking if she could help you cook bacon and eggs the way she and her dad did every morning. When you agreed, she built up her confidence little by little. She demonstrated how her dad would let her be the one to crack the eggs into the pan, imitating his exaggerated exclaims of oh no! every time a shell fell into the mixture. She had you turn on the radio and told you which songs were their favorite ones to sing along to, even dancing around a little bit. She showed you her favorite TV shows, she introduced you to the stuffed toy she brought with her to your apartment, she told you embarrassing stories about Shinichiro...

And to meet her halfway, you showed her some things you liked to do as well. You both lounged in your pajamas and robes (you let her borrow one of your old, nice ones), told her the stories behind the photos of you and her father on your phone, ordered food from restaurants you knew that she would enjoy.

It was the first day in so long that you felt that you could completely relax, and from what you could tell, it was the same for her. You've never seen her smile so big or laugh so hard before.

That night, while you were doing your skincare routine, you had her try out some of your favourite products. You both giggled at each other's bubbly faces while you applied your cleanser, and she was fascinated by the array of face masks you presented her with.

You had her lay in your lap as you massaged the serum of one of the sheet masks into her face. "Are you gonna marry my dad now?" She had her eyes closed, out of relaxation or fear for your answer—you didn't know.

But you smiled, remembering the ring that Shinichiro left you with because your final answer would be nothing less than, "Yes."

You gently guided her off your lap before you stood up to go fetch the engagement ring.

"Y/N?"

You recalled what Shinichiro told you that day at the airport.

"Maybe... when I get back..." He lifted your palm, pressing a kiss to it before the ring he had used to propose to you multiple times with was delicately placed in the middle of it. "Maybe you'll finally be ready to wear this."

You were sure now. You're ready. When you came back into the room with Nina, she watched you slip the ring onto your finger with such wonder. You had to talk her into keeping it a surprise for her dad, though.

And though he didn't cry before he left, there were tears that escaped him when he came back, seeing both you and his daughter in such a new light and—what's more—spotting the twinkling of the engagement ring he left you with sitting comfortably on your ring finger and finally ready to take the next step.

all rights reserved © smolla-than-a-bug, 2021. please do not copy or repost my works. reblogs/feedback/comments are appreciated!

notes — extra: wfm!shin as a dad hcs !

tokyo revengers taglist — @victoirerambles

[bara-sen]

How the sano family lives

Includes-: izana, fluff, curse words, normal au, no deaths or delinquent shit, modern au, obvious biasness towards emma. Some spoilers for comedic purposes

I hc that three brothers spoil the shit Outta emma. That's because she's the baby and the only sister they have.

However emma is still not almost all spoiled, she's not a brat, infact she's really sweet and mature.

Mikey is brat💀

And izana beats the shit Outta him for that (playfully)

Mikey and izana share a room. Shinichiro sleeps in the living room and emma has her own room. Grandpa can die

Jk he has his own room too.

I hc that Mikey and shinichiro's dad had a lot of money.

Izana came somewhere when emma and mikey were like 6-7

Man was Mikey happy when he saw izana.

But yeah even though Mikey and izana fight a lot they share every single thing with each other. Like the people they are romantically intrested in, the people they hate in their school, the teachers they hate all the drama.

And they get along in those times otherwise they always bicker.

Emma is fucking done with both of them tbh

Like she once threw a damn pan at both of them bickering over who's shit would taste better💀

It hit grandpa

Deserved.

There are three types of people about emma and draken crushing on each other

Oblivious (shinichiro)

Fucking mad (izana)

Doesn't give a shit (Mikey)

Izana actually appreciates draken's existence mostly because he actually drags Mikey to do some shit

It's just that he cares alot about emma and doesn't want her to go in wrong hands

Izana is so protective of his family that he genuinely would anyone that messes with Mikey, emma and even shinichiro

Anyways once lil baji and kazutora wanted to meet Mikey at night so these dumb mfs actually broke into shinichiro's shop because they have no self control

Shinichiro thought that they were thieves but then he saw baji who was wearing black shirt with bright silver stars and red pants and kazutora who was wearing all green looking up at him and smiling and asking where Mikey is

Man cried fr 💀

Mikey is that one cool kid at school that knows all the highschoolers but that's because whenever the s62 bombards at their house to meet izana the always greet Mikey and emma, treating them as their own sibs

(do you see me crying)

Emma's besties are hina and a lesbian couple- I'm sorry it's just yuzuha and senju i ship them alot-

I'm so sorry ik they haven't met but tHEY WOULD LOOK CUTE TOGETHER OKAYYYY

Emma and senju HATED each other when they were kids and it was such a funny thing to izana

Senju only hated her because she actually had a crush on emma and she thought that a girl liking a girl is gross

They're cool now though

Whenever these four hang out the brother's are always kicked Outta the house because these queens need some lone time yk

And whenever shinichiro brings his three besties home izana is the quiet and patient one, the mature soul who tell Mikey to stfu. Mikey is a whole disaster who annoys the shit outta takeomi and emma always gets BENKEI involved in the tea she got from school because he treats her like a daughter

[chifuyusgangshirt]

The implication that

1: taiju must not have been an abusive asshole?? If all the sibs are cool now?

2:inui's fire didnt happen so ig akane is theoretically still alive but we never see her and I guess no one is truamatized but there's less intense history for them to stay together like glue now?

3: and south, after that childhood just becomes a happy bumbling MMA fighter????

All through the magical curse resolution of dying in your (not) lover's arms is :///

Just every single bad thing was erased?? This eerie everyone-is-suddenly-friends thing is just uncomfortable. You don't have to be friends with every person in your life. Why is this the goal? I-

!

The taiju issue: the thing is, how would it happen any differently when Taiju was an abusive asshole even way before they timeleaped. It's one of my main issues because honestly, it takes a lot from domestic abuse survivors validation that in another timeline abuse just doesn't happen or you just need to be nice and wait until he changes - I was actually very happy that they didn't forgive taiju, especially yuzuha not because she had every right to want him out of his life. The fact he choose to go away on his own and end the situation was such a good way to approach this situation and now they are just happy?

At least give us some backstory to make it understandable :/

Inui and koko: oh this is my biggest issue. Because this just plain out didn't make any sense. They couldn't have known when, where and why the fire started not could they have saved them all so how did this just not happen? Was it all the dark impusles that affected everyone around shinichiro or what? I just-

Koko and inupis whole development, thwir history and redemption arc is destroyed with that? Their history, their love, it's all gone. Fron what I saw they weren't even working together anymore and I swear if they make koko engaged to akane I flip my shit

Why did wakui take away his scar anyway? Because you can't heal from trauma and be fully happy? Because it's only a happy end if no bad ever happend?

Weird message if you ask me

The others: Big fat yes my woman. Look, the S62 amd Izana were still in juvie, they still did all those things and while yes, people can change and especially Izana and kakucho deserve this, the haitani brothers, mochi, shion and south were introduced as people who just love violence and chaos/Gangs. Why are they all noe your friendly neighbourhood dads? Did they just decide to now that there is ko big, bad, crauy alpha male leading them? I really wanna know how this happend. I get the fact they tried to involve every character in the ending but why at the wedding? They could have made them friends that come by or show them all at their work places - that would make so much more sense

[sscarchiyo]

big brother

paring: benkei x gn!reader

type: headcanons

genre: fluff + crack?

warnings: none

🖇a/n: aghhhhhh this had been on my mind for a while :p i've always wanted a older brother/sibling and i like benkei soooo, why not? hope you enjoy and feedback is always appreciated, have a good day <3

for starters, nobody knew you and him were related. It wasn’t that he was hiding you from anyone, but he didn’t feel the need to announce you to the whole world either

whether you’re tall or short, benkei is towering over you. he’s a 6’4 giant, what do you expect? I highly believe he uses his height as an advantage against you for anything and everything. “why won’t you let me do what I wanna do?” “cuz im taller” “bitch what?-” he just does it to piss you off 😑

as any older sibling should, he’s protective of you. someone is bothering you? no they’re not, with a single glare they’re off running. in some case he might even pick you up from school with his ~gang uniform~ on, so anyone who tries to cause you distress and discomfort knows they’ll be held accountable

speaking of school, I want to say he’s not the smartest, but he isn’t stupid either. no matter what subject you need help with, he’s willing to offer his aid. even if it’s something he can’t help with, he’d find someone to tutor you

with his position in the black dragons, you had no choice but to meet the other founders. as we know him and wakasa didn’t like each other and if it wasn’t for shinichiro, they’d still be having a century long battle. safe to say benkei told you “bad things” about him, so the moment you met shinichiro and takeomi you greeted them with a smile, but when you met wakasa you most definitely kicked him in the chin and ran off screaming “MY BROTHER SAYS YOU USE YOUR CHARMS TO EAT PEOPLE YOU MONSTER”. Que everyone laughing at him, while he’s holding his chin in pain T-T

I wanna say benkei is naturally warm…but I can’t. he runs cold, it's even worse when it’s been snowing. he likes to place his cold hands on your face and watch you squirm away (my dad does it to me and i do it to my sisters, trust when i say it’s annoying)

benkei doesn’t get injured, who can land a scratch on him? but in any case somehow he’s hurt he goes to you, to patch him up. in reality he’s perfectly capable of doing it himself, but finds it amusing when you try to lecture him, “I thought I told you to be careful, huh?” “yea you did...but you also said I should beat their asses and make them eat dirt”

teaches you self defense, because he’s only human and might not always be around to help you out. it’ll put him more at ease if you know how to defend yourself, plus there’s nothing wrong with learning how to throw a punch right? 😌

he gives great advice, with anything and everything. granted if he has no idea what you’re saying, he’ll still let you rant about it, because he’ll always find a way to help you

despite his looks and personality, he’s a playful guy. if he’s not busy with gang stuff, he’s taking you for rides on his motorcycle or he’s bringing you to the arcade that just opened. yk that scene where mikey and draken basically kidnapped takemichi from class? yea he did that to you once just once tho and he was all like “let’s hangout!” “I’m in the middle of class?😐” “does it look like I care? is it a crime to spend time with my little sibling?🤨” the teacher couldn’t even stop him, but not that they’d try

tokyorev taglist: @softshiin @maniizland @royalelusts @verrion

general taglist: @megurulvr @fvcking-l0rd

[cottonkendi]

House of Memories || 5

MASTERLIST

Sano Manjiro “Mikey” x f!Reader

Word Count: 4.6k

Genre: Childhood Friends to Lovers, Angst, Fluff

Warning: Descriptions of a breakdown, death. Slight spoiler alert.

Synopsis: Flowers for papa ft. Shinichiro’s 13th rejection

Chapter 4 Chapter 5 Chapter 6

Taking your phone out, you call one of the top contacts in your phone, only having to wait for a few seconds before the other side picks up. “What do you need, boss?”

“Make sure to send someone to retrieve the body inside the building. Bring it to the Shibuya hideout.”

“Got it.”

Walking by the sidewalk, you try your best to maneuver around the crowd, not in the mood to be brushing shoulders with a bunch of strangers, not when your body’s aching all over from running around town all day. From working a shift in a cafe then quickly having to freshen up and play at some fancy party. Your feet ache from not having your bike to ride all day.

“How am I even allowed to work when I’m just 13?” You question yourself, hands stuffed in your jacket pocket as you make your way to Shinichiro’s bike shop, hoping that your bike will be fixed by now, you don’t think you have the energy to walk to the hospital right now. Looking up, you see that all the lights inside the bike shop are off but you just take it as a sign to use the back door. Taking the spare key from your wallet, you insert it and open the door, not forgetting to lock it once more after you’ve entered the shop.

“Shinichi-nii, are you here?” Calling for the dark-haired male, you look through the small storage room first, taking a bottle of water from the small fridge before heading your way to where Shinichiro usually stays to work on bikes. Spotting the male, you wave your hand in greeting as you see him look up from tinkering with the bike, a cigarette in between his lips. “All alone tonight?” Sitting yourself down beside him, you look over at what he’s doing, but after a few seconds of blankly staring at random pieces of the bike, not knowing what they all mean or do, you give up and take your phone out.

“Nah, Mikey and the others are on their way here, said that they’ll be waiting for you here, turns out you got here first.” Taking the cigarette from his lips, he taps it on the side where an ashtray awaits him. Putting the cigarette back, he nods towards your bike which is placed on the corner of the shop. “I just finished fixing it, should be good to use by now. Just had to clean off some of the rust and replace some old parts.”

Muttering your thanks, you stand up and make your way to your dad’s old bike, looking it over and noticing some new parts here and there. “Y’know, you don’t have to work all those jobs if it’s that difficult for you. I can hire you here, I pay big, y’know?”

Facing the male, you scrunch your face. “I don’t know a single thing about bikes. I only know how to ride them, but ask me what this does and I’ll come up blank.” You say, pointing at a random part of the bike.

“Well, you can just clean around and stuff, hand me tools and all that.”

“So you’re basically giving me free money.”

Chuckling, Shinichiro shrugs. “Well, it’s better than having to work yourself to the bone. Did your mother start asking you for money?” He asks, remembering how your father had started taking more medicine the past month, his state worsening.

Shaking your head, you make your way to him once more, taking the seat beside him as you look through your phone. “Nah, but the electricity keeps getting cut off and my brother sometimes doesn’t have money for school so I gotta give him some of mine, y’know? Don’t want him to feel like he has to be all responsible for money and shit.”

Sighing, Shinichiro gives you a look. “And you also don’t need to be responsible for things like that. You’re 13, barely a teenager. How’d you even get yourself a job? Why not ask your older sisters for help? They have a job, right?” He gives you a pointed look which you avoid.

“They’re already helping with the medical bill, they send over food and school supplies too. I also use my sisters’ old dresses for when I need to play the piano in some of the parties.” You mutter.

“Well, I thi-”

“Hey, Y/N, guess what! Shinichiro just got dumped earlier, it’s his 13th time.” Suddenly, the door bursts open, Mikey, Emma, Baji and Draken entering, the first two holding two plastic bags filled with snacks.

Taking this as an opportunity to change the subject, you turn to Shinichiro, a teasing grin quickly plastered onto your face as you make an ‘o’ with your mouth. “Is that so? Aren’t you worried, Shinichi-nii?” Wiggling your brows, you head over to the others, looking through the plastic bag as you take out some bread. Your stomach grumbling from only having some appetizers at the party.

Knowing that you’re already over your previous conversation with him, Shinichiro just goes along with your antics. “Worried about what?”

“Y’know, it’s your 13th rejection, don’t you think that that alone is bad luck? Shouldn’t you quickly get rejected again just so that it wouldn’t be in the number 13 anymore?” Your question makes Mikey and Baji stare at you in amazement, their eyes lighting up as they process what you said while Draken and Emma only roll their eyes, pretending to not hear what you said.

Scoffing at your words, Shinichiro goes back to tinkering with the bike, cigarette wobbling as he speaks. “You’re quite hurtful with your words, did you know that?”

“Trust me, she knows. She practices her hurtful words when we’re alone.” Mikey says, happy to speak up for you as he lets you take a bite out of his own snack.

“Yeah, sometimes, I can hear her mutter some insults under her breath before asking me what I think about them.” Baji adds, taking a seat by the counter.

“You should still listen to what I said though. It’s not like you’re gonna lose anything, better safe than sorry, right?” You urge, waving your phone in front of your face. “You can just call one of my sisters, quickly ask them out on a date and then I’m pretty sure that they’re gonna reject you.”

You hear Emma hum in agreement, finally deciding to side with you in teasing her brother.

It takes a few more encouragement from your friends before Shinichiro finally gives in. “I really don’t know why I even listen to anything you say when it only leads to my ego dying.” Taking his phone out, he looks through his contacts, searching for one of your sister's phone number.

Letting out a heavy sigh, he presses the call button, eyes slightly shaking, hoping that your sister won’t pick up just so that he can spare himself the embarrassment. But alas, just as he thinks that the call is gonna drop, your sister answers. Gulping, he presses the loudspeaker button after the others started walking nearer in order to hear what’s about to happen.

“Hey, uhm, are you busy?”

Shuffling can be heard from the other side before your sister answers. “No, not really. Why, is there something you need? Are my siblings okay?” Sending you a look as you start laughing to yourself, Shinichiro shakes his head.

“No, it’s just, uhm... would you like to go on a date?” Shinichiro asks, the last part sounding way too uneasy for it to be not funny.

Silence greets him on the other line. Shinichiro starts to apologize but he gets cut off. “You do know that I’m married, right?” That makes the five of you laugh, Emma and Draken trying their best to hide their laughter while you, Mikey and Baji start hysterically laughing at the look on Shinichiro’s face. Mikey leaning his body onto yours as he starts leaning back from how hard he’s laughing at his brother’s demise.

“I know, I just, I need you to reject me, please. Just do it now.”

Your sister laughs from the other side, words getting cut off from her laughter. “Did my sister tell you to do this? Is that it?”

Making a sound of agreement, you hear your sister laugh again. “Okay, okay, but can you ask the question again?”

You can see the way Shinichiro’s skin is starting to redden, the sweat on his temple quickly running down his cheek and onto the floor as he takes a deep breath, “Do you mind going on a date with me, L/N-san?”

“I’m sorry Sano-san, but I’m happily married and have a kid. I hope that this won’t change our friendship.” You can almost hear the teasing lilt in your sister’s voice as she bids her goodbye to Shinichiro, the call ending soon after that. The embarrassed male quickly stuffs the phone in his pocket, face making contact with his arms as he covers them, hoping that that will be enough to block off the laughter coming from the five of you.

It takes a few more seconds for the laughter to die down and for Baji to break the silence.

“By the way, was this the flower that you were gonna give the girl from earlier?” Holding up a beautiful bouquet of sunflowers, Baji hands them to you as he notices your wide eyes.

Taking the flower from him, you smell the petals, a faint scent emitting from them. “Can I have them?” You ask out of the blue, making the rest of them look at you in curiosity.

“Sure, I guess. I didn’t know that you liked flowers.” Shinichiro remarks, now standing up from his seat on the floor and taking the water bottle that you were drinking from earlier, taking big gulps before throwing it in the trash can.

Shaking your head, you wipe your hands clean on your pants, putting the snacks that you got in an empty plastic bag before making your way to your bike, the bouquet of flowers in your hand. “It’s not for me, it’s for papa. Mama said that he likes flowers. Even said that when they go on dates, mama usually gets papa flowers.” You giggle, remembering the laughter coming from your dad whenever your mum would tease him about being more feminine than her. You see them let out a smile as they try to imagine your dad, a tall man with a somewhat burly build just accepting a bouquet of flowers from your dainty and much shorter mum. “Well, I gotta go, still need to visit papa at the hospital and bring mama food.”

Waving them goodbye, you walk your bike out the back door, Mikey following you. “Want me to come with you?”

“Sure, you wanna sleep over at our house?”

Humming in agreement, you hand him a helmet along with the bouquet. Accepting the items, he jogs inside the shop, telling Shinichiro where he’s going before sitting behind you, arms carefully wrapping around your waist with the bouquet safely pressed onto your stomach.

Riding your bike back to your house you quickly got off in order to take the packed dinner that you brother made for your mum, your brother waiting for you in the living room while your grandparents sleep in the extra room upstairs. “You should sleep after, still have school tomorrow, right?” You hear Mikey tell your brother while petting the two dogs. Your brother nods and soon after, Mikey closes the door behind him, hopping onto your bike.

It takes 20 minutes but soon enough, you’re now making your way to your dad’s room where he’s going to be staying for 3 days in order to recover from his leg surgery.

Apparently, the wound on his calf started getting bigger and infected since it wouldn’t heal on its own due to him having Diabetes, at least, that’s what you heard from when your mother was explaining it to one of your sisters through the phone.

Knocking on the door, you peek your head through the door, looking around to see if it’s safe to go inside. Deeming it safe, you usher Mikey inside, silently closing the door behind you. Making your way to your dad’s bed, you silently grete him, minding the other sleeping patients.

Setting the food down, you finally show your dad the bouquet of flowers, his smile instantly making its way back to his slightly pale face. Sunken eyes lighting up just a bit as he weakly grasps the bouquet. “Thank you, I didn’t think that my prince charming would be visiting me tonight.” He teases, taking a whiff of the flowers before carefully handing it to your mother who’s starting to take out the packed dinner. “And it seems that my prince charming’s princess is here as well.” Your dad gestures to Mikey, a cheeky grin on both of their faces as Mikey holds up an imaginary skirt, doing a little curtsy which makes both the males laugh to themselves.

“Just wanted to visit you, pa. Been awhile since I saw you.”

For 3 days straight, you managed to ask Shinichiro for the flowers that the girls rejected, and everytime, you’d bring it to the hospital for your dad who’s always happy to receive the flowers. His eyes always lighting up whenever he’d take a whiff of the colourful petals.

This becomes a habit of yours a week after your dad gets home from the hospital, Shinichiro always manages to have a bouquet of flowers for you to take whenever you’d drop by, even when he says that he didn’t ask any girl out that day. Even so, you don’t question it, not when your dad always seems to enjoy the flowers, smile and laughter surrounding the house whenever you’d come home with the arrangements.

But then, one night, as you were just about to enter the living room, flower in hand, your dad asked you something which made your blood run cold. “Why didn’t you tell me that you were in a gang?”

Turning around, you see your dad’s pale and sunken face stare at you, the once smile lines that always appeared on his face erased from his features, only a hard glare can be seen. His jaw is clenched as he waits for your answer but you remain silent. Taking this as a sign for him to continue, he gestures for your mum to take your little brother to your shared room, hoping that that will be enough distance for your brother to not be able to hear what’s about to happen.

“I gave you my bike because I thought that you were just jealous of your friends for having one. I let you hang out with Mikey and those other boys because I thought that all of you knew what you were doing, that you wouldn’t intentionally cause trouble. I trusted you and your friends because I thought that you’d know better than to do something stupid like join a gang, but instead, you went and made your own gang?! What went through your head when you agreed with that?! I thought you were smart! I thought that you’d think more about the consequences! Tell me! What went through your head!” Your dad’s voice booms against the walls, hands slamming onto the coffee table in front of him, the wood making a rattling noise as he does so.

“For years, I tried my best to protect you, but you go out there and get yourself beaten just because?!”

You’re not quite sure when and why you started crying, but the tears slowly streaming down your face makes their presence known. Maybe the tears were caused by your father’s anger towards you, something he rarely does. Or maybe it's the fact that his voice is ringing in your ears, the hurt in his voice only adding to the growing guilt building up in you as you start to think about why you had even tried to hide Toman away from him. Or maybe it’s the fact that you can see just how glassy his eyes are from his unshed tears as he tries to stand up, hands and knees shaking.

Silently making your way to his side, you try to take his arm in yours, wanting to help him stand and walk to his room, knowing just how difficult it is for him to walk with the still healing wound on his leg. But instead of taking your hand like he always does, he just shakes you off, a stoic look on his face as he looks away from you.

Slowly, you watch your dad limp to his bedroom, lips bitten as he tries to silence the painful grunts that’s trying to spill from his lips.

Taking a seat on where your dad used to sit, you start to wipe your tears away but they never seem to stop flowing. Anger starts to boil in you, hands now aggressively wiping the tears away only for your sobs to start escaping your lips. Gripping your hair, you pull your knees to your chest, trying your best to bury your face in them in order to silence the sobs. Your scalp stings from just how hard you’re pulling at your hair but you only stop when you hear footsteps.

Your mother slowly appears from the hallway, and as soon as you spot her, you put your feet down, hands immediately letting go of your hair as you desperately wipe your tears away, sobs forcefully being held back as you face her, trying to look as normal as possible. Trying to look like you weren’t just having a mental breakdown.

Making her way to you, she has this soft look on her face, something that you’re not familiar with anymore. Not when she’s almost always away for work. Not when your daily interaction with her is through text. Not when your usual conversation starts with her saying that she won’t be home tonight. Not when the only reply that you can manage is ‘Okay, I love you, stay safe’ before she leaves you on read until the next time she sends you a message saying that she won’t be home once more.

Placing her soft hands on your cheek, you almost flinch with just how cold her skin feels on your burning cheeks. “Forgive your dad, he’s not feeling well today and the medicines are stressing him out.” She whispers, her thumb wiping off your tears.

Nodding at that, you quickly stand up, back facing your mother as you make your way to the bathroom, hoping that you’ll make it before your sobs spill out.

Locking the door, you turn on the shower and sit on the toilet, back hunching as you lay your arms on your lap and cover your face, sobs finally spilling out as you try to desperately think about what to say to your dad tomorrow.

What are you gonna say to Mikey and the others?

Are you going to leave the gang?

How are you gonna explain all this to your dad?

You spend an hour in the bathroom, crying your eyes out, mind muddled with what you’re supposed to do when the sun comes shining through once more, jumbled thoughts about what you’re gonna say to your dad tomorrow. But when you make your way to your room and rest on your bed, you will yourself to sleep, the ache in your bones helping with making you fall into unconsciousness. Not a single hint as to what tomorrow has for you.

Waking up early, you quickly get ready for school, eyes a little swollen from just how hard you cried last night but instead of panicking, you made up an excuse in your head to be ready for when your friends question you.

Taking your bag, you sling it on your shoulder before silently creeping in your parents’ bedroom. Your dad asleep on the bed while your mum passes you, mumbling about how she’s probably gonna be late to work if she doesn’t go now. Slipping into the room, you silently make your way to your dad’s side, a heavy smell drifting in the room, the scent feeling heavy in your lungs as you try your best to not inhale it for long.

Looking down at your dad, you quickly place a chaste kiss to his cheek, lips pressing onto his slightly cold cheek but you don’t notice it. Not when you’re trying your best to not inhale the heavy air, scent almost making you nauseous as you quickly slip out of the room.

Bidding your mother and brother goodbye, you exit the house, mind finally clearing up in order to be ready for school and work.

You’re in the middle of work when your boss - your sister’s friend - calls you, making you halt your dishwashing duties as you wipe your hands on a towel and make your way to her. You warily take the phone from her hand, the look on her face making you feel all panicky as you put the phone to your ear, your sister’s voice quickly greeting you.

“Papa’s gone.” She croaks out.

Silence.

You don’t know what to say.

Maybe it’s the surprise exam earlier that’s making your head a little slower than usual, or maybe you’re still preoccupied with work, but you can’t quite comprehend what she just said.

The phone call ends after a few more seconds of your silence and you turn to your boss who’s face holds a look of sympathy as she gently takes the phone from your hand and pulls you in for a hug.

Accepting the hug, you let her caress your head even if you don’t know what exactly is going on.

What the hell does that even mean?

Papa’s gone?

Papa’s gone?

“Y/N, I’ll let you go home early, okay? Do you want me to call Shinichiro? So that he can pick you up?”

Papa’s gone...

Papa’s gone...

Your boss lets go of you, taking her phone out as she starts to dial up Shinichiro.

Papa’s gone...

Papa’s gone.

Oh.

Papa’s gone.

As if everything cleared up, you bow at your boss before heading to the backroom when you changed into your clothes, body going into autopilot as you mindlessly walk to the back of the cafe where your bike is.

Not even remembering to tell your boss that you’re going home. You hop onto the bike and drive home, mind now blank as you swerve on the road.

A loud honk from a car wakes you up from your stupor, eyes now clearing up as you immediately swerve to the right to avoid an oncoming car. Just like that, tears are clouding your vision once more.

You don’t know how you managed to make it home without causing an accident, but when you do, you see your mother hysterically crying by the living room while your grandparents look after your brother who’s silently playing in your room. Your oldest sister is outside by the porch, talking to someone on the phone, saying things about when they’ll pick up your dad. You can hear crying from your dad’s room. But you don’t go upstairs just yet. You sit yourself on the floor where the dogs immediately run over to you, they nuzzle your face as you pet them, hoping that this will calm you down now that the situation is finally crashing onto you, emotions going haywire as you listened to your mother’s cries and your sister’s stoic words from outside.

Noticing your still form, your mother silences her cries as she motions for you to head to their room where your dad probably was.

Taking the dogs with you, you seek comfort in their warmth as they follow you to the room. Your sisters walk out as soon as they see you. Taking their place on your dad’s, you stare at his face.

He looks like he’s peacefully sleeping.

He doesn’t look like he’s gone.

He’s right there,

He’s sleeping right there.

What do they mean that he’s gone?

Reaching a hand out to the cheek that you kissed earlier this morning, you almost flinch with just how cold and firm his cheek was. Your hand trembles as you touch his cheek once more. The tender flesh now firm and hard. Unlike your own.

Your tears fall harder when you watch your dogs nuzzle your dad’s hand, rolling onto their backs as they wait for him to scratch their tummies much like how he usually does when he’s at home.

Grasping his hand, you rub your thumb against his hand, hoping that he’ll feel your touch and hold onto you tighter, hoping that this is all just some messed up joke that he played on you in order to make you feel bad for what happened last night.

Then, your thoughts started to spiral.

What if you’re the reason why he’s like this. You didn’t even get to say sorry. Didn’t even get to explain the situation. What if you caused all of this.

You know just how difficult everything is for him right now. Know how stressed your dad is from being in and out of the hospital for so long. Know how much pain he’s feeling from his physical wounds along with his heart condition. Knew that aside from all of that, your parents have been silently fighting whenever your mum would actually come home for the night.

And now, you just added to his problems.

You broke the dam that’s holding onto all of his problems.

You caused this, didn’t you?

You did all of this.

You did this to your own father.

You were selfish enough to not think about what would happen if you kept Toman to yourself. If you didn’t tell him. What would happen if you had gotten hurt? That will only add to the growing bills that your mum had to pay for. Your dad will be worried. Your selfishness brought this upon him, and your sisters, your mother and even your brother will hate you if they find out.

They’ll hate you. You caused this.

Guilt eats at you from the inside out, body heating up as you start to sob harder, lost in your own thoughts as you don’t even notice the door opening, nor do you notice two males walking in, along with a certain blonde female.

The only indication that you’re not alone anymore is when you’re engulfed in warmth. Body pressed against someone taller than you, their arms wrapping around your body, while someone holds your hand and another caresses your head.

Looking up, your eyes still blurry with tears and your nose clogged with snot, you hiccup when you see Shinichiro, eyes softened as he offers you a small smile. The sight of him makes you pause as you see the way he’s holding back tears, his smile shaking as he looks away from you. Turning to Mikey, he looks at you, tears freely flowing as he lightly pulls you towards him, lips gently pressing to your temple as he whispers ‘it’s gonna be okay’ over and over again. Lastly, Emma, who’s now leaning her head on yours. She can barely look at you as she cries onto your back. Sobs louder than yours as her hand falls from your head and to your shirt where she grips it much like how she did when you first met her.

With a shuddering breath, you pull Mikey into your embrace and bury your head onto Shinichiro’s chest, hoping that this warmth that you’re feeling will last forever.

taglist:

@jonsncws @sunahyejin @etoilesbonbon

all rights reserved © armycandy10, 2021. do not copy or repost any of my works! likes/reblogs/feedbacks are very appreciated~

[dancingintherainwithchifuyu]

Baby Sano's first snow day

Art by @livid-basket

"Don't you think she's over dressed Shinichiro?" 

"What? No! Plus I think she looks adorable!" 

Wakasa sighed, glancing over at the little girl who could barely move with how her father had dressed her for cold weather. Before looking back up his friend, shaking his head at the father. 

"She can't move…" 

The father looked down at his daughter confused, the little girl had a small frown on her face as she stared back at him. He might have overdressed her since he was worried that the baby would have felt the cold. The more the girl pouted at her father, the frustration of being unable to move had gotten to her. 

Wakasa sighed once the girl started crying as the father fretted trying to figure out what was wrong. Pushing himself off the wall he pulled off the jacket from the girl cooing at how that must have felt better which caused the girl to stare up at him teary eyed. 

"You know she likes moving around…" 

"I was just-" 

"Shinchiro it started snowing!" 

The younger sano barged into the room already dressed to go outside and play around with his friends outside. This caused the girl to peak over at her uncle letting out a babble while she reached out for him. Emma soon appeared behind Mikey asking Shinichiro if (Y/n) could come see the snow. 

"I guess that would be okay" 

       ✩｡:*•.─────  ❁ ❁  ─────.•*:｡✩

The young girl looked around with awe at the white falling from the sky, even the ground was covered in the white fluff. Too amazed with how different the world looked, the cold was bothering her too much. As she took slow steps to explore the park with her aunt following behind her.  

Emma had insisted to stay with the young girl  worried that Mikey and his friends might get too caught up in their snowball fight and hit her. The toddler had a light grip on Emma's fingers only letting go so she could feel the ground, frowning when the snow crushed behind her. 

"Sno!" 

"(Y/n) !" 

The girl looked up at her uncle as his friends called for him to come back, the blond boy gave a lazy grin, grabbing the girl handing her a snowball,pointing in the direction of Baji. "Throw Kei okay" 

"That's cheating!"