#yandere inupi x reader | Explore Tumblr Posts and Blogs

no-saints-around-here · 2 years

Text

Sleeping in the Nude

Yandere TR Boys

Masterlist

‎

tw: somnophilia, reader has female parts, explicit smut, dubcon/noncon, molestation, mentions of forced pregnancy, fingering, anal fingering, panty licking, oral, dead dove do not eat

‎

trying a bit of a different style of these, as usual didn’t manage to write all the boys, but if yall want to see any particular one just send it in!

Yandere Boys who sleep in the nude and insist you do too: Kazutora, Izana

“B-but you have to!” It would be the same song and dance every night with a very needy Kazutora should he ever manage to worm his way into your bed, this boy tugging at your sleeves, pleading with you to strip, all the while trying to block you from getting into bed. Full waterworks and the like, with his fingers hooked into the hem of your pjs trying to pull off your pants, insisting that he won’t - can’t - sleep unless he’s skin to skin and sharing body heat with you, his face buried in the crook of your neck and breathing in your familiar scent, breasts pressed up against him. Even likes to knead your boobs and sleep on them if you let him, but somehow he ends up there even if you say no and you don’t have the heart to push him off. It’s comforting to the point he can’t sleep without the sound of your heartbeat under him and his face being squished between your breasts. But Kazutora would be alot more reluctant to tell you another reason he’s so insistent is that sometimes he likes to rut between your soft thighs after you’ve fallen asleep while suckling at your breasts, whimpering and panting and making a mess of himself. Usually just finishes all over the bedsheets, but sometimes when he’s feeling more courageous, Kazutora will cautiously try and push himself into you and finish inside you, taking so much care to make sure you don’t wake (because if you do and you get angry at him, this boy has no idea what he would do). You just look so peaceful asleep, and you were right here with him. Treating him so well both in the day and at night, taking good care of him. All his.

Izana on the other hand wouldn't even begin to stand for any of this sleep-with-clothes nonsense. If he says the two of you only sleep naked, then you just simply have to follow along. Will insist and insist and throw a fit if you don’t let him pull of your pjs and underwear, and if you still hesitate, all the emotional manipulation and blackmail will start to leak out. “You hate me, don’t you?” Asking you if it’s something about him that you hate, that you were just trying to drive him away, accusing you of cheating on him and sleeping with others because why else would you be so reluctant. Right up till you give in and let him pull off your panties, and then instantly Izana is all smiles again, excitedly tugging you to bed and snuggling into your chest. For some reason if Izana is ever back later than usual and you’re already all snuggled in bed with your clothes on, he will very helpfully strip you out of your clothes himself whether or not you’re already asleep. Even sometimes secretly pull back or kick away the covers so you snuggle even more into him. Loves to help himself to you when your breathing has evened out; running his hands over your soft skin, lightly pinching your nipples and cupping your breasts, dipping his fingers into your pussy - you just look so delectable when you’re so vulnerable, and he can simply lean over and take a nibble of your very seductive shoulders. Having you naked helps even more when Izana is feeling especially horny - this boy wouldn’t hesitate to slip himself into you for a quick fuck, never rough enough to wake you from your beauty sleep though it doesn’t matter to him even if you do. Usually opts to finish inside your warm walls (his absolute favourite), but sometimes opts to press just the tip of his dick into your mouth and cum there instead when he gets possessive. Sometimes would even leave his soft dick inside you when he falls back asleep huddled up against you. And when you wake up the next morning with hickies and bruises all over your shoulders and neck and a sticky residue between your legs or in your mouth, there is no trouble some watery eyes can’t get him out of. If you got pregnant and tied down to him, even better.

‎

Yandere Boys who sleep in the nude but you do you: Kakucho, Koko, Baji

Kakucho and Koko have never been shy about liking to sleep naked, especially in the summer months when it gets so warm even at night, but the moment anything becomes about you, these two boys simply become a blubbering mess tiptoeing around you with a red face. “Y-you wouldn’t mind?” Took so much stammering and you holding their hands and running your hand through their hair for Kakucho and Koko to even have the courage to tell you that they like sleeping in the nude when you share their bed for the first time, so there is absolutely no way these boys would even dare of dreaming to ask you to do anything. Some nights they only strip down after you fall asleep because they just can’t bring themselves to do it in front of you (what if you see something you don’t like?), and they make sure to put their clothes all back on before you wake). You wanna sleep nude? Wanna sleep clothed? Wanna sleep in just your underwear? Great! They support you 100%, you wouldn’t hear a single peep of complaint from either. So hesitant about even touching you while you’re asleep that you have to give him the explicit permission to cuddle - I mean, they wouldn’t make noise about it, but you can see the pathetic looks they sneak your way when you don’t, and you caved so hard.

But the thought of you choosing to be so vulnerable around them - trusting them to keep you safe and allowing them to be in such close proximity to you that they can bury their noses in your hair as they fall asleep - you can’t blame them for getting hard. You were just so close. Just there. On most nights Kakucho can get off just by pressing his nose into your shoulder and giving himself a good rub, but on those especially needy nights, he might escalate it to rubbing his hard on between your butt cheeks, be it clothed or not; your soft grip on him enough for him to cum, which if Kakucho doesn’t catch in a tissue, will very embarrassingly make sure he clean off you before you wake. As for Koko, he prefers to rub himself between your boobs, something he would never do in broad daylight - would cum all over your chest and face before this boy hastily wipes you clean, though the memory of you being covered in his cum is seared into his mind, and no doubt Koko would masturbate to the same memory in private again and again. Neither would ever let anyone see you like his, and they wouldn't think twice about making sure of that be it with their fists or more permanently.

“Whatever you want.” Baji is a bit of a different case from the other two - he’s only the slightest tad shy about being naked around you because of the manners his mother drilled into him about being respectful to women, but while this boy does like to sleep nude because he is a walking furnace and most nights are just too hot for him, Baji doesn’t mind you sleeping in clothes because there is something so arousing about slipping his hand into your pants and panties to touch your privates while you slumber away. Loves the feeling of the cloth on the back of his hand as he plays with your clit before slipping his fingers into you, hearing you whimper and whine in your sleep as you almost grind yourself against him, and if he hasn’t already cummed from just watching you, he’s rubbing himself off with his other hand. It feels so wrong to be touching you like this, especially when you placed so much trust in him, but at the same time its so hot, and Baji is no doubt extremely turned on watching you. Finishes into the sheets directly below himself so that it would be easier to hide from you with himself to wash at a later time. Wouldn’t mind if you slept naked either actually, given he can spread your legs and lips to watch his fingers disappear into you, maybe even have a quickie with you. Would be so ashamed at what he did when post-nut clarity sets in, but does it again anyway.

‎

Yandere Boys who don't sleep in the nude but insist you do: Mikey, Ran, Kisaki, South

‎ ‎

For South, I would say its more along the lines of trust. Always reasons with you that you would have no problem sleeping in the nude if you trusted him to keep you safe throughout the night. And you do trust him right? “I’ll keep you safe.” He would tell you that he is only sleeping in a pair of pants (but bare-chested) was in case he needed to get up for a fight, but that was nothing you had to worry about ever as long as you were with him. There was nothing in the night that could hurt you. But you being innocent you, you took him at his word, and had no problem stripping down and cuddling this giant heat-radiating teddy bear to sleep; you never had to worry about getting cold either. What you didn't realize was that the biggest monster of the night was the one you were hugging, and South absolutely loved to rake his eyes over you, running one large hand over you as you slept on. You look especially helpless when you're asleep, depending on him to look after you. Helps that he doesn't have to go through when he wants to slip one thick digit into you, and then two, watching your face twist in your sleep as he finger fucks you into an orgasm, or when South wants to pull you ever so carefully on top of him, push his dick into you and give you a quick bounce on his cock. You would groan and grunt with his size and how much he stretched you out, but wouldn't wake up despite complaining about how the area between your legs ached and burned the next day. Cums into you every time without fail.

Mikey and Ran are two boys who get cold very easily and absolutely hate to feel cold when they sleep - absolutely will not stop shivering and fussing and freezing until they are comfy in their pjs and tucked nicely under a blanket, but with the same breath would insist that you sleep nude, and would refuse you everything else. These two boys definitely come up with reasons and excuses to get you to agree. Ran would calmly explain to you that he had read "in studies" (Ran doesn't even read) that sleeping naked helps improve your complexion, and that you had much catching up to do when compared to even him, while Mikey would be unable to come up with any good reason, try random excuses like better cuddles and something about the stats of dying by pajama strangulation, before resorting to straight out temper-throwing and crying until you give in. And when you try to insist that you feel cold too in the night, all they would offer you would be more snuggles with them.

Two parts to why both Ran and Mikey would insist on you sleeping naked. First is because of the power play dynamics they had over you however small - there is something intrinsically arousing about how much more needy you got when cold, depending on them to keep warm you at night - and second is that they just liked to see you naked. There just simply isn’t enough time for that during the day, and it also helps that when you are asleep, you don’t complain or whine when they want to touch you and feel you and take in what was theirs. Mikey is so obsessed with your boobs, this baby boy just needs to be constantly touching and playing with them, pinching your nipples lightly and imagining milk leaking out. Likes to wriggle his way on top of you and suckle from you while you sleep, watching you worm around trying to get away from his persistence before instantly trying to cuddle back cause of the cold. And when his dick inevitably gets hard, its easy to shove it into you so that you can keep him warm. Ran on the other hand loves to finger your ass, which you would never let him do while you're awake - but when you're fast asleep, you don't wake up for anything. Which means the older Haitani has free reign to press one digit, and then two up your anus, watching your face cringe with discomfort and then pain as he slowly pumps his fingers in and out of your butt. Wouldn't put his dick in there though given he doesn't want to actually hurt you, but your pussy is fair game if he's up for it.

‎

Yandere Boys who would pretend they don’t care, but forces you to do what they want when they feel like it: Hanma, Sanzu, Inupi

Yandere Boys who don't sleep in the nude and insist you don't either: Mitsuya, Draken, Rindo, Taiju

"Shit, Ran's at home!" Rindo truly, honestly has no problem with you sleeping in the nude. Honest. In fact he would prefer if the two of you could sleep nude together every night - after all, what's the point of having you share his bed if he couldn't cuddle with you? He'll cross his hard if you asked him to. The problem he has was with his older brother and Ran's complete inability to knock before entering his bedroom. There’s no way Rindo would ever let you be seen naked by anyone other than him, especially not Ran - that's his privilege only and this boy intends to keep it as such. Keeps his boxers on at night, and makes sure you were at least somewhat decent should his irritating brother despite to burst in through his double locked door, but no clothes are going to stop him from feeling you up under the covers when the lights goes off and you fall asleep on his arm, pressed up against his bare chest. Rindo is so eager to put his hand into your pants, pressing his fingers hard against your clothed pussy, while the other hand's two fingers are lightly eased into your mouth and pushed down against your tongue. And when you do eventually drench your panties in your fluids, this boy would slip those wet fingers into your mouth, and finally pull down your pants and push your underwear aside to slip himself in. Have to bite his lip just to muffle those grunts and groans cause god you feel so good clenching around his dick, and your troubled face though asleep look somehow even more innocent in the dim light of the night. Always make sure to wear a condom because he doesn't want to accidentally get you pregnant and have to explain anything to Ran. Rindo does make sure to pull all your clothes back down properly though, just in case.

Taiju would never allow any sort of heresy in his good Christian household, which interestingly extended to not allowing you to sleep in the nude until the two of you were married, but not to you sharing his bed before marriage. Would buy you decent, comfy pajamas for you to sleep, and make you throw away everything else you previously owned that met his exalting standards. "Cover yourself up, you look like a whore." Dresses, shorts, underwear only, all those went in the trash be it if you threw them yourself or he did it for you. And you weren’t allowed to pout about it either, with Taiju picking you up, tucking you into bed with him and with a combination of warmth and rocking you, lure you to sleep. But its not like Christianity is enough to stop Taiju from having his way with you when you're no longer awake - if you don't know and he doesn't take your virginity before marriage, then it can't be sinful can it? Plus you were always such a tease during the day, what with your innocent doe eyes. So conscious of not even holding your hand in broad daylight, this boy uses the night to relief his urges and desires that he keeps so suppressed. Pressing your mouth open and slipping his thick cock in, its a wonder that you don't wake from being choke as he starts to pump himself down your throat at a frantic pace. He would have gone slower, but he's been blue-balling himself for so long that he just needs to cum now. Switches between cumming into your mouth or onto your face, Taiju would have loved to leave his mark on you for the world to see that you belong to him, but forces himself to clean you up after because well. He didn't sin, did he?

‎‎

Hanma doesn't usually bother himself with what he wears out, let alone with what he or you wear to sleep, the lazy bastard. Happy to let you do whatever you want as long as he is nearby, either to scare away the gawkers or for cuddles when he finally thinks its time to sleep. However, even for Hanma there are those days where his urges come up, and that is when he simply forces you to do whatever his particular desires that day need. Usually it involves you and your panties, so if you like to sleep naked, tough luck - he will wrestle you into at least underwear, and then wrap you up in his limbs like an anaconda so that you can't attempt to strip again. "Come on, don't be difficult." It's not about you being vulnerable or looking innocent for this boy though - its more that you being unaware of what he is doing is part of the turn on. Hanma loves when he can tease you until you drench your panties unconsciously before stripping you of them, proceeding with watching you sleep on unaware as he rubs himself with them until he cums into the soft fabric. Far from the end, this boy instead presses the now-soiled panties into your mouth, making sure to rub the mix of cum and your fluids onto your tongue, cleaning off most of the dirtiness, after which he will have a quickie, cumming inside you before pulling your panties back on for you. And you are none the wiser all the foul things Hanma subjects your body to, waking the next morning ready to pamper him all over again.

2K notes · View notes

seijorhi · 2 years

Text

SHIVER

Inui Seishu x female reader

a Valentine's Day Collab

tw: drugging, yandere & dubcon themes, infidelity

“I feel like I’m losing him, Inupi,” idly you swirl the glass of red he’d poured for you. “And I… I don’t know what I’m supposed to–” for a split second, you glance up – meet his eyes and sheepishness takes over. Your mouth closes, and Inui gets the sense that if he reached over to brush that stray lock of hair back from your cheek, he’d find them burning.

The corners of his lips twitch. Adorable.

“Sorry, sorry! I know I should just shut up about it. It’s Valentine's Day and I’ve barged in here all miserable and sad– oh god, you probably have plans tonight, or a date or something, right? Of course you do, it’s Valentine’s, and you’re you and…”

You’re rambling again. Partially because that’s what you do when you’re all worked up, but the alcohol’s undoubtedly playing its part. If he let you, you’d keep going ‘til you ran out of steam or embarrassment got the better of you.

Feeling magnanimous, Inui decides to take pity on you, raising a hand to stop you in your tracks. “I don’t have a date,” he tells you with a small laugh. “And stop apologising. You’re– you’re one of my best friends. You’re upset. Nowhere else I’d wanna be.”

You smile at that. Sad and a little heartbroken, but a smile that makes his heart thud, and when you reach a hand out for him to take, Inui doesn’t hesitate for a second.

He lets you tug him closer, lay your head against his shoulder between mouthfuls of wine. “I don’t know what to do,” you mumble.

The truth of the matter is that you lost Koko a while ago. You both did. The only difference is that Inui accepted that while you’re still with him, trying.

Koko can’t have everything. He made a choice; he chose Izana, and then he chose Mikey.

You stuck by his side.

Even after bailing on your date night – on Valentine’s Day, with you all dressed up, pretty and fucking perfect – all but pushing you into Inui’s arms, you’re still trying to cling to the tattered remnants of a relationship that won’t ever make you happy.

Not like he’d make you happy.

He wonders how long you sat there, waiting.

“I don’t know what to do.”

Kokonoi loves you. He might do a shitty fucking job of it, but he does, Inui knows that for a fact. And if he were a good friend to either one of you, he’d find a way to reassure you of it.

Inui’s hand, having drifted to your shoulder, squeezes it once, and he smiles, “You’re almost out,” he nods at your nearly empty glass. “Let me top you up.” He rises then, ignoring your half-hearted protests to take your glass with him back into the kitchen.

No, he’s perfectly aware that Koko loves you, that’s the problem, see?

In an hour or so, whenever he’s done with whatever bullshit Mikey’s got him dealing with, Koko’s gonna come back to the apartment you two share and find his girlfriend’s gone AWOL.

Then’ll come the concerned text messages, the phone calls – and even if you ignore those (which you won’t), Koko’s not an idiot. He’ll realise one way or the other that you’ve come here, because who else would you turn to for comfort if not Inupi?

That’s the way it’s always been. You, him and Koko, all tangled up in the same unforgiving web.

He grabs the bottle of red, unscrews the cap and pours you a full glass.

Koko’s not stupid. He’s not blind.

You, though… he doubts it’s ever crossed your mind. You’re loyal. Sweet. Entirely too naive, but that’s not completely your fault. How can it be, when keeping you in the dark – protecting you from those nasty, uncomfortable truths – is the only thing he and Koko still agree on?

And Inupi’s played his role without complaint for years now. He’s been a good friend to you both and stayed in his lane.

He eyes the round, white pill in his fingers. He should feel guilty, right? There’s supposed to be a little voice in his head that tells him this is wrong, that he shouldn’t want to do this.

He waits for it to come, and waits and waits.

…Nothing happens.

Dropping that little white pill into your glass, Inui watches impassively as it fizzes and bubbles until there’s nothing left. No hint or trace. Tasteless.

“…Inui?” you call out. “You alright?”

“Yeah, I’m coming.”

It’s Valentine’s Day, and for once – he just wants you to stay.

#yandere tokrev #yandere tokyo revengers #yandere inui #yandere inui seishu #yandere inui seishu x reader #yandere inupi #yandere inui x reader #valenshivers #is the tag we're going with apparently ghfjdkjghvfjds #collab

278 notes · View notes

reiners-milkbiddies · 2 years

Text

Tokyo Revengers S2 Opening “White Noise” by Official HIGE DANdism

Source : Chifuyusita on instagram

Repost/Reblogs are appreciated 🫶🏼

279 notes · View notes

cybersvoid · 3 years

Text

:: Sharing A Darling ::

──⇌••⇋──

♡ Pairings: Mitsuya x Reader x Hakkai || Inupi x Reader x Koko

Request: For Yandere Tokyo revengers could I request headcanons for poly Mitsuya and Hakkai along with poly koko and Inui? Could they share ? TY in advance! [Anon]

CW: Manipulation, Forcing Dependence, Obsession, Threats, Spanking, Cursing, Kidnapping, Controlling, etc.

──⇌••⇋──

+ Congrats, you got the softest yandere duo in all of Toman

+ The likely hood of you even realizing that these two are yandere's is slim to none

+ You just feel like you have some really passionate boyfriends

+ They adore you (it's actually more of an obsession, but it's honestly hard to tell)

+ They have pictures of you at Mitsuya's work, in their wallets, even on their bikes, so you're always with them even if you're not physically there

+ They like to go everywhere with you, not because they don't trust you, but because they genuinely love spending time with you and helping you out

+ You've never had to touch a door handle, carry a shopping bag, pull out your wallet, or even cook for yourself since you started dating them

+ In fact, you're not sure you've had to do anything since you started dating them, including work

+ It's been so long since you've been in the kitchen you're not even sure you know how to cook anymore

+ And it's not like you're not allowed, it's just that you're never really given the chance

+ If you plan on cooking to show your appreciation, Mitsuya will somehow always end up beating you to the punch with an already prepared meal claiming, "You dating us is the only appreciation we need."

+ And it's not like they stop you from working, but just because you have your own money, doesn't mean they'll allow you to pay for yourself. They still insist on covering every check or bill that comes your way, so there's really no point in a job

+ You're completely dependent on those two (just the way they like it), and at this point, you really wouldn't know what you would do without them

+ Not to worry though, it's not like they'll ever give you the chance to figure that out

+ I feel like out of the two of them, Inupi is at least slightly more reasonable than his partner

+ Inupi is absolutely devoted to you, and is the one you spend most of your time with since Koko is almost always busy with work

+ But even with his absence, Koko can still be very controlling. He has strict instructions for Inupi to follow whenever he isn't home

+ He knows that Inupi's love for you can blind him a bit, so he's more likely to make mistakes when taking care of you

+ For example, leaving the door unlocked whenever he leaves the house, or allowing you more 'freedom' than Koko would ever give you

+ You're pretty much a full-time job to them

+ Keeping you safe, and taken care of is their main drive for working as hard as they do

+ That's why they keep such a tight hold on you, they don't want you getting yourself hurt, or into any trouble, because in their line of work, you're practically a walking target

+ If you ever try to escape and leave them, Koko is definitely the one to deal out punishments

+ "I work so fucking hard to keep you safe and provide for you, and now you just wanna throw all of that away? It looks like we've spoiled you a bit too much. Lay on my lap and bend over. If you cooperate now, I might go easy on you."

+ To Koko, you're more of a toy than you are a person, meant to obey and look cute next to him but in his own sick way, he still cares for you and hates when you disobey or try to escape him, it makes him mad

+ Inupi will comfort you after your punishment, saying, "He's only angry because he's stressed, when we came home and you weren't here, it hurt us both. Don't do it again."

+ They truly see nothing wrong with the way they treat you, it's just how they express their 'love' for you

1K notes · View notes

agojo · 3 years

Text

Gojo Satoru

One Shots

His little cherry bomb by inupi

His possession by 5ikey

Pick your poison by nanami-luvr

A broken heart is all that's left I'm still fixing all the cracks by adelheidvonschicksal

Four and more by katsukisbimbo

Welcome to the Party by sukunababy

Smile’n Click by sukunababy

Daddy’s best friend by sukunababy

Drabbles/Headcanons

Gojo and Getou Domestic poly relationship by slasherlust

Poly time! by the underneath

Embarrassing dads Getou and Gojo by i-cant-sing

Yandere! Satoru Gojo + Yandere! Suguru Geto by dirt-nugget

jjk men when they went too far by mochikeiji

Be a good Pet by ambrodias

ex-husband!gojo on the brain by angry-geese

Currently thinking about… by cookies-and-milk-tea

Manipulative yan Gojo by mukagentropy

Yandere disappointed Gojo x reader by mukagentropy

Yandere! Gojo Satoru x reader by yandere-stan

Gojo Satoru for the game by sukunababy

Satoru is a selfish, selfish man. by yandere-daydreams

Yandere Profiles with JJK Boys by your-average-weeb-dealer

Heart-Shaped Box by getoswhore

How They Obsess Over You by adelheidvonschicksal

When you make him JEALOUS by secretqueennacho

Yandere Sukuna x Gojo reader by i-cant-sing

Yandere Gojo with a shy s/o by cozymoko

Pet after being kidnapped by abbachioslipstick

Gojo fucking your brains out in a classroom by your-nerd-is-showing

How do jjk men make out by luvnitec

Attractive things they do while “doing it” by Sukiloves

I've been Patient too long by mukagentropy

Yandere Gojo x Innocent reader by mukagentropy

What do I do when I love you and want somebody else? by ambrodias

Early arrival by darlingdaph

Series

Dorm Mate Gojo by Mari

Ex-Husband Gojo by Mari

Teacher Gojo Satoru x Student Reader x Teacher Getou Suguru by Chaotic-JJK-Fiction Parts: 1,2, and 3

Then and Now by katsukisbimbo Parts 1 and 2

We apologize Princess by mukagentropy Parts: 1 and 2

Yandere Gojo by secretqueennacho Parts 1 and 2

191 notes · View notes

cannellee · 7 months

Text

TOKYO REVENGERS OMEGAVERSE ☆

୨୧ alpha! taiju x alpha! kokonoi x alpha! inupi x omega! reader

my masterlist : ☆

tw : yandereish(?), some red flags, sex, breeding kink, slight oral (f!receiving)...

(I tried something that has been on my mind for a while now, I'm not exactly satisfied of what I wrote but I'll probably write more scenarios of them in the future to make up for it!)

there's definitely a clear hierarchy inside your little pack. with, of course, taiju on top of it all. his supremacy actually wasn't decided by worth or anything, but by a primal sense of submission none of you could fight off.

kokonoi and inupi are fine with it, as they still get to be close to you. they're glad taiju has accepted them enough to allow them to approach you. in fact, if taiju was to deny them of your affection, they wouldn't really be able to do anything. he is just way too strong for them.

but they feel linked to him and are very loyal, so there wouldn't be any valid reason for taiju to just throw them out of your pack. it's even safe to say that taiju does appreciate their company.

but don't be mistaken, kokonoi and inupi aren't powerless and do have an influence and a role to play. taiju isn't a dictator, it's far from the reality to assume that the three of you are abused by his bad temper.

kokonoi has quite the temper himself and speaks up whenever he thinks something is not right. whenever taiju is being too rough with you for example, gripping your wrist with just too much strength. kokonoi will clearly not let it slide, telling him to be more careful around you.

on the other hand, inupi is more laidback. he cares so much about your wellbeing, but simply trusts kokonoi to protect you. what he does best is reassuring you after a particularly lively argument between your alphas. shielding you from the bloody scene before you, whenever taiju gets mad at someone.

it rotates though, with either kokonoi or inupi staying with you. but what doesn't change is taiju, who's always leading the assault on the poor soul who crossed their paths.

inupi analyses your reactions and emotions, he knows what triggers you, what makes you happy... he has the chance to spend more time with you, as taiju and kokonoi are the ones ensuring your safety. it wouldn't be the case if it was just the two of you, so he's thankful.

kokonoi and inupi aren't particularly aggressive, but it doesn't mean they'll stop taiju's blinded rage and jealousy. they'll even join him sometimes, if the fight is justified. but it's too much of a bother to try and get him to listen, so they just witness the carnage. the good thing is that it reinforces the fear others feel whenever they look at you, knowing who is looking out for you...

· · ୨୧ · ·

kokonoi finds it funny how you manage to turn the big and scary taiju into a tamed alpha. that's when realises just how much taiju loves you. despite his rough appearance, he would never hurt you willingly.

there are times when his protective instincts become overbearing. he's fiercely loyal, and driven by a need to keep his precious omega safe. while his intentions are genuine, his actions can come across as controlling.

that's when kokonoi and inupi intervene. you might not see anything wrong with taiju's behaviour, thinking it's only right to let his instincts decide on what to do. but kokonoi isn't all pleased when his omega starts going outside less and less.

he wants to be able to do all sorts of stuff with you and confronts taiju for his lack of consideration. inupi softly scolds you for not saying anything and just playfully pinches your cheek when you answer that it's fine with you.

taiju doesn't want his omega to feel trapped, albeit your reassuring words, he's hesitant. so he'll listen to his friends, like he always do. he knows they want the best for you, that's why he isn't doubting their intentions.

when you're spending time together outside, taiju again starts to act all intimidating. for your own sake. "taiju, stop being so mean to everyone! I was only talking to my friend!", you scold him after catching him sending daggers to your friend. he didn't mean to make them run away, he was just looking out for you, making sure he wasn't planning anything funny.

kokonoi is quick to buy you a treat afterwards, teasing you for being so cute when you're mad. you don't stay annoyed for too long though, preferring to chat with inupi.

· · ୨୧ · ·

you're the heart of the relationship. their lives literally turn around their omega.

kokonoi is calling you multiple times a day and delivers cute gifts to you. inupi likes to come to your house unannounced with sweets he knows you love. taiju actually prefers to spend the day napping with you, cuddling in the safety of your nest. he'd rather have you close to him than anywhere else, he wants to know where you are as it appeases him.

taiju surprisingly is a great cook and overall great at any domestic task. so he'll express his love through acts of service, by cooking your favourite meals, running errands for you and anything you might ask of him. he's the definition of provide and protect.

he's a great listener, acting as an attentive support. you can share your concerns with him, although he might lash out later on if your sadness was provoked by someone else.

inupi frequently reminds you of how much he loves you, verbally expressing the deep affection he has. he likes to be intimate with his omega, so he'd rather build your relationship around trust and loyalty. you're really grateful for how compassionate and gentle inupi is with you.

kokonoi feels the need to shower you with excessive affection to make sure you feel loved. you told him countless of times you didn't need all of that, but he's still sending you gifts and taking you to cute and romantic dates with the others, although they're mostly planned by him. inupi and taiju fully trust him for this matter.

kokonoi wants you to know they'll always be there with you. he wants you to rely on them, because they'll do anything to provide a stable life for you.

· · ୨୧ · ·

as I said, taiju isn't a tyrant and while he seems a bit aggressive, his pack's harmony is what matters the most in his eyes, along with your safety.

kokonoi is assertive and it complements taiju's nurturing nature. inupi is the soft side you need, and your support whenever you disagree with a decision that was made, especially if it's about you.

kokonoi and taiju often agree about how they should treat you ; if going out at this party is a good idea, if you should stay at home and stop working because clearly they can provide for you...

inupi does see the good in their choices but doesn't like they way you're left unsatisfied and frustrated. your scent often takes a sour note and while kokonoi tries to reason you by calmly describing why you should listen to them, inupi doesn't like the smell of your pheromones. he negotiates for you and often comes out victorious because your pouting and sulking face is just too much for them to not give in.

· · ୨୧ · ·

during your heats, there is also a definite order. they don't like sharing you during such a vulnerable time of yours.

taiju goes first, rough and aggressive. he wants to breed you, nothing else. you awake such a strong sense of duty in him, he doesn't even prep you, judging you're just wet enough for him to start pounding into you. he's strong and you're so tiny, he's splitting your body in two, with his big hands solidly holding your legs up, knees touching your chest.

taiju makes you cry tears of pleasure, absolutely wrecking you and turning you into a mess. by the time he's finished with you and kokonoi takes his place, you're all pretty and obedient, ready to submit to whatever your alphas will do and say.

kokonoi likes seeing you so meek. you're already crying for his cock the second he enters the room and if your aroused scent didn't already, you can be sure the sight of his cute omega begging for him is enough to send blood rushing to his length.

he wastes no time in indulging in your desires, practically losing himself as well in the moment. while not violent at all, he's still vigorous and thrusts into you just how you like it. he bites and claims you, licking your already bruised skin. your scent is completely washed away, the musky ones of taiju and kokonoi sticking to your skin instead.

he fucks you from behind, loving the way the flesh of your ass bounces with each thrust. there's something about this position which just feels so right. seeing his omega so docile is honestly so rewarding and it satisfies his instincts.

lastly, you'll end up in the ends of the lovely inupi. he'll take his sweet time with you, knowing he's the last. he will kiss you everywhere, licking the hickeys left by his two friends before him. he's so patient and so kind that you become calmer and less impatient as well. you know inupi is gonna take good care of you, so you savour each of his actions.

he'll start by pushing his tongue inside of your pulsating core, lapping at your juices and remains of cum. your scent here is so strong it's almost too much for him too continue without instantly burying his hard cock inside you. but he has an insane self control and hearing you moan so loudly at his touches makes his alpha purr with pride.

by the time you've come at least a couple of times on his tongue and fingers, he's finally giving you the real thing. your senses are even more alert and inupi loves your glossy eyes. he fucks you gently, carefully praising his oh so perfect omega.

at the end of your heat, you're exhausted and completely weak, although very satisfied. your alphas know exactly what you need and how you need it and they always give it to you without any delay.

they take care of your trembling form, carrying you to the bathtub and tenderly massaging your poor muscles.

they never forget to tell you how much they love you and how grateful they are to have you in their lives. even taiju has his open hearted moments, where he confesses just how much of a blessing you represent.

355 notes · View notes

cheesus-doodles · 5 months

Text

A Friend In Me: Chapter 4

Yandere Platonic Toman

‎‎‎

Chapters 1 | 2‎ | 3

Masterlist

‎‎

my usual pink line divide no longer works because it messes with the tags ;^; have this divider from angelfire instead

‎

The world around Mikey came to a standstill. His ears buzzed with static, unable to process anything as his mind raced. In a sole instant, everything clicked together as if an incomplete puzzle finally being solved, and the Tokyo Manji Gang president could see the full picture, though the surprise at this revelation never made it to reflect in those abyss eyes.

It made sense now, the blond-haired boy mused, watching the other five Toman founders burst into action in slow motion around him. He understood. Why you were attracted to two fighting delinquents instead of beating a hasty retreat like everyone else when you first met them, why you never seemed bothered by them turning up with small splatters of blood on their disheveled uniforms, why you could so effectively patch up injuries. You had never divulged or discussed your home life nor your childhood with them, and he had never bothered pressing you for details. Because why would he, when all evidence pointed to you living alone and having always lived alone? Having followed you home countless times to an empty house, you were always alone at all times of the day. No laundry or carelessly strewn clothes to be found, no closed or locked room that indicated another resident in your home. Even the pictures that decorated the walls and your bedrooms have always just been you and them.

“Hey!” From behind Mikey came a shout from Mitsuya, quickly followed by the telltale sounds of a tussle between the Toman Vice President and the Second Division Captain over you in the middle. “Don’t pull like that!”

You had grown up beside a delinquent. Your older brother whom you had never cared to mention was himself a fearsome and borderline insane delinquent - they had doubetlessly heard of Madarame Shion’s brutality and his supposed involvement in underworld crimes even before their paths crossed. Of course nothing they did would surprise or scare you if this was the normal behavior you were exposed to all your life.

Abyss eyes turned to take in the expression on your face, the horror at what was happening slowly settling into your swollen eyes even as tears continued to streak down flush cheeks. Yet, all it took was the merest exposure to what was the normalcy of any delinquent’s life for you to break down - a telling-off, a by-far bloodless fight, nothing that would raise the eyebrow of a seasoned onlooker really. So how much did you really know? Did you know of their previous clash with Shion and the ninth generation of Black Dragons back when from the founding of Toman? He doubted it - your reaction to them after their fight would have been a lot stronger if you did. But most importantly, why didn’t you tell them earlier about having an older sibling?

A muffled shout from your still-connected call to your disgrace-of-a-delinquent older brother was enough to draw Mikey’s attention back to the current situation at hand, though he all but ignored whatever that goon had to say. No, you couldn’t know, he determined, because if you did, you would clearly see that they had no reason to fear a shithead like Shion. They had beaten him and his gang once already, what was a second time? But he could get the answers out of you later, once you were safe and away from this mess. For now, the Toman President mused, as time returned to its usual speed and the world exploded back into its full chaotic state, there were more important things to settle.

The mere thought of possibly losing you to this black-haired homewrecker you called Koko, or even worse, the loser of an older brother that they have already beaten to a pulp once; his heart raced. He couldn’t accept it. These weak-willed losers couldn’t be allowed to win him, especially not in a matter as important as this.

Pivoting around, your watery eyes were helplessly fixed on the brawl going down right in front of you, phone clutched in a white-knucked grip. This was all for your own good. He was just protecting you from the wider world, the Toman President tried to convince himself, his slippered feet starting its ominous route towards the brawling four, his hands tucked almost casually into the pockets of his school pants. Your eyes immediately snapping to him and your lips falling apart as you watched him move.

Not because Mikey needed your support and your attention; no, he didn’t need you as much as you needed him. He was strong, the unshakable pillar of the Tokyo Manji Gang, not soft and weak and a crybaby like you. His heart wasn’t aching at the mere thought of never being able to see you again, never having you pamper and lavish him with attention and love and filling the hole in his heart - the palpitations was from excitement, the itch to fight and drive away the enemies of his friends.

He was the Invincible Mikey, and now more than ever, he needed to make sure that everyone knew why.

‎‎

Ninth Generation Black Dragon President. You heard Koko loud and clear right before the momentary tranquility went straight to hell once more, but now you could barely think amidst the cacophony. Individually, the words made sense, yet strung together, it became incoherent to your spinning mind. Too many, too much. Watching Baji once more take aim at the opposing delinquent, you staggered a step forward, your heart urging you to take action; do something, do anything. Before someone gets hurt again.

You were yanked back before you could take another step, vaguely registering Draken’s voice snapping at you but nothing registering in your mind. Fixated on the fight going on its second round, the white of Inui’s uniform, combined with his sunflower-blond hair, seemed to almost glimmer in the sunlight as it caught your eye, and the memories you had long lost to the back of your mind came surging back to the front. You had seen that uniform before, having washed and scrubbed the blood from the white fabric before Shion moved out. It’s happening. Again. Any control you felt you had left over your own life was slipping through your fingers once more; the way of your life that you had so painstakingly built, the personality you had so carefully tailored, everything was falling apart in front of your eyes. All over again.

Those stunned expressions you just saw simply couldn’t be faked, you knew instinctively, not with how all of them wore the same look on their faces. For reasons beyond you, everyone present all knew your older brother, and vice versa. They all hated each other, and you were caught right in the middle. How could you have known that the only friends you had knew of and hated each other? What more could you have done? What could you have done differently?

Maybe you should have heeded Mikey’s and the other’s warnings about Koko. Maybe if you hadn’t gone looking for that CB250T. If you hadn’t-

Every breath became heavier and heavier, faster and faster, and you struggled to fill your lungs, the air sludgy and thick. The world around you was all too much. Too loud. You couldn’t-

A fresh pair of arms enveloped you, and you were pulled into a tight hug. “Breathe.”

You let out the breath you hadn’t realized you had been holding, your body shuddering as the atmosphere instantly thinned out. You gulped down as much oxygen as you could, your sweating palms glistening in the light of the afternoon sun.

“Are you alright?” Mitsuya’s voice was calm, soft, those calloused hands gently running through your hair as he bodily blocked you from the fight that was occurring just a stone’s throw away.

Unable to speak, you simply nodded, wiping your fist on your shirt. I’m fine, you mouthed, though you knew that Mitusya knew it was a lie, your skin having turned several tones lighter from the lack of air. But you had other more important things to concern yourself with (at least in your view), as you attempted to look over your friend’s mob of purple hair. What had you missed?

“Relax,” the Toman founder tried to convince you, resting one hand atop your head yet not forcing you down by any means despite Draken’s annoyed ‘tch’ from behind you, where he continued to hold on to you tightly. “Let them handle it.”

Let them handle it? Giving a shaky glance you hoped was reassuring at Mitsuya, you turned your attention back to the fight, right as Kazutora broke past Inupi’s defense, his fist outstretched and jealous anger fully directed at Koko.

In a single blink, you broke free from both Draken and Mitsuya’s grip, your long strides closing the distance between you and Koko. “Tory, stop!”

‎

The last thing Koko expected was to see you flying towards him, putting your decidedly much more fragile self between him and the Toman founder.

”Fuck- Watch out!”

An exceptionally hard yank from Koko had both you and him flying backwards, but the loud smack of a fist into the back of your head as the two of you fell towards the ground was unmistakable. His gut dropped. Damn it. Too late. Landing with an oof on the hard ground and you atop him, the infamous financier could hardly acknowledge the ache of his back, not while his thoughts were focused solely on you. “Are you alright?” What on earth were you thinking? He wasn’t exactly a delinquent but he sure as hell could take, if not dodge, a hit better than you - he just preferred standing behind others.

You winced, rubbing what should be a forming sore spot where you were hit. “I’m fine,” you assured, the momentary crinkle of your forehead as you carefully shifted tilted your head telling otherwise, though it was quick to evaporate as the realization of who cushioned your fall hit you. You scrambled to stand, but you were instantly tackled to the ground once more by a bawling Toman founder with black and yellow hair and nearly falling over again - Kazutora, if Koko remembered correctly.

”I- I-“ Barely able to speak, your own injury was forgotten as you instantly shifted to attempt to soothe the wailing boy with an undeserved gentleness. “I hit-”

”I’m fine, I’m fine,” you tried to reassure. “It barely touched me.” It was obviously the wrong thing to say, your voice quickly drowned out as Kazutora only cried harder, burying his face into your shirt, fists clenching bundles of your school shirt.

Koko could only watch on as you caught his gaze, returning an apologetic one of your own as you did your best to soothe the bawling delinquent - a sight that he never thought he would witness. He did already have a good idea of what your self-proclaimed Toman friends were like, having been forewarned about how protective they were of you (some of your stories truly did raise an eyebrow or two). And sure, Inupi had whirled around at his alarmed shout with what should be an intent to help, but his attention had been forced back to the fight on hand almost instantaneously when Baji had attempted to take advantage of his momentary distraction to go in for a sweep; it's not as if his friend didn’t care at all. But expecting to have to throw hands was one thing, understandable even, given how he would be associated with Inupi and thus the Black Dragons, but this level of attachment? Were all these waterworks even real?

A set of footsteps stomping in his direction had the notorious financier look up, and straight at the Toman’s Vice Captain towering over him. But the other’s ire surprisingly wasn’t directed at him, and instead, you were bodily lifted by the front of your shirt, forcing Kazutora off of you right before you were shaken like a stuck salt shaker. “What the hell were you thinking?! That was insane!”

“I’m alright-” You barely got two words out before being cut off again.

“YOU ARE NOT OKAY,” bellowed back an uncharacteristically furious Draken, and you threw both hands up in surrender even as you continued to be shaken around like a martini. “YOU COULD’VE GOTTEN HURT. OR KILLED!”

Kazutora only started to cry harder at his words, babbling incoherently as he tried to latch onto your legs.

At least the Toman Third Division Captain was on your side, stepping between a furious Vice Captain and you and prying you free with little effort. “You’re making it worse,” Pah said simply, echoing Mitsuya’s earlier words.

‎

“-ey! HEY! ” The vague screams of Shion echoed out from beneath you, alerting you, Koko and everyone else to the fact that you had yet to hang up on your previous call. Fishing around beneath you where your phone had most likely fallen earlier on, your older brother’s frankly annoying shrieking was finally noticed, now that the general mayhem had died down.

And much to Koko’s annoyance, you visibly stiffened upon hearing Shion once more, like a bolt of lightning ran up your spine, and you bent over to gingerly pick up your dropped phone. He hated seeing you scared of someone as useless as Shion, a scumbag even Inupi wasn’t impressed with. If he could make your problem disappear, he would in a blink. Not that this would be right time to tell you this.

The clash of delinquents had long driven off any last soul left that tried to wander down this street, the road deserted of passerbys of any kind. Even the wind had long died down, and Koko hastily dabbed away the sweat forming along his upper lip. “Ah, nii-san-” You mumbled out under your breath, though that was most likely more to remind yourself who you were dealing with on the other end.

“FUCKING FINALLY! YOU GET YOUR ASS HOME NOW!”

Deflated, you looked defeated at your older brother’s orders, your shoulders slumping over. “I-”

But Shion was not done. “AND DROP THOSE TOMAN FUCKS, UNDERSTAND?”

And that was apparently where the former Black Dragon President crossed the line. In a blink, your phone disappeared from your grip as if by magic. You barely had time to react, the small, outdated electronic now clutched tightly in Mikey’s white-knuckled grip, a speed that took even Koko by surprise. When did he get that? Where did he even come from?

“I’ll kill you,” the threat from the Toman President was loud and clear, the sheer rage burning behind those empty eyes enough to have even Koko recoil. “You try anything funny, and I’ll kill you, right here, right now.”

A snort. “Try it, motherfu-”

‎

It was a loud crack, followed by a small fizzle, an unremarkable show that marked the untimely end to your device as Mikey crushed the phone underfoot without an afterthought. Your jaw dropped. Koko estimated you must have lost the equivalent of several months of work in one inconsiderate move.

Not that the Toman lowlives you called friends knew, of course, seemingly failing to notice you staring on speechlessly as Baji proceeded to grind the heel of his foot into the electronic device, spitting curses probably meant for your brother. You no doubt knew full-well by now that they were pissed to hell and back, both at Shion and at him, but did they have to take this out on your poor, defenseless phone?

A shove from Mitsuya quickly broke Baji’s rampage. “Stop that!” The purple-haired boy scolded, as he pushed the other Toman founder away, earning himself an irritated “Huh?!” from the First Division Captain, though that did little to scare Mitsuya. “You’re making it worse!”

The breaking of your phone was of relative insignificance to Koko at least, watching you dejectedly shuffle forward to pick up the broken pieces of the devices to stuff back into your pocket; the short tranquility he got now from the previous chaos was worth the cost to replace it for you at a later date. Even better, he could get you a nicer model, something pretty and slick and get into your good books, perhaps convince you to get an additional number that only he would have? That would definitely put him ahead of the Toman boys, at the very least.

“Hey.” A short shuffle, and Koko looked up, his eyes instantly focusing on your outstretched hand.

Inupi had long stepped aside, not eager to be pulled back into this particular lover’s squabble, those blue eyes content with observing as the Toman founders were once more embroiled in pointless arguments once more. Complete with threats of violence and withholding of lunches, it was Mistuya this time that was caught in the middle, attempting to scold both Mikey and Baji with backing from Draken.

You, though, had turned your attention instead to him. “Are you alright?” Your voice was soft, barely audible over the other loud voices. Even with all that happened, you hadn’t forgotten about him.

“Ye, I’m fine,” Koko assured. “Just a bit sore.”

Yet as he reached out to accept your offer of help, it was a sudden recognition of the situation he put himself in that rang in his ears and rattled his mind; the sensation much as if he was waking from a trance the black-haired boy hadn’t even realized he was in. Widened almond eyes met yours, the realization lighting up dilated pupils: if he had known any better, you would have been the last person he would ever want to court, let alone be in any sort of relationship with, coming laden with so much baggage. Anyone would be insane to want to be involved with a walking spark like you.

Alas, the sensation was momentary, and the thought of letting you slip away from him - letting someone Koko cared about be stolen away from him again - was accompanied immediately by a heart-throbbing sense of loss that came surging from his gut. Could he truly live without you to fill the hole in his heart? More importantly, did he dare to attempt to?

Too lost in his thoughts, it was a subconscious catch of movement in the corner of his eye that snapped Koko out from his inner turmoil. It was of course you, though the disappointment was already written on your face as you began to pull away and straighten up, words tumbling free from pressed lips. “Ah- I’m glad,” you muttered, starting to turn away from him. “Hopefully it doesn’t hurt bad.”

How long had he been trapped thinking in real world time? Long enough for you to notice his hesitation, at the very least. Panic now kicking his reaction back into high gear, Koko all but threw himself after your now-retreating hand, catching it just centimeters away from where it had been, a nervous smile pulling at his lips. “Thanks,” was all his heavy tongue could stutter out, the black-haired boy trying desperately to pretend that nothing had happened as he pulled himself up, taking care to rely as little as possible on you. You said nothing, but the upturn of your lips told him everything he needed to know. You didn’t even pull away from him when he had surreptitiously intertwined his fingers with yours, quietly pulling both your hands behind him so the others couldn’t see.

See? There was no doubt - you wanted to be with him. The little moment however didn’t last long, as Koko forced himself to focus back on the issue at hand. He had to solve this issue before they could take you away from him. He couldn’t lose everything again. Wrecking his brain, the solution that Koko arrived at was surprisingly simple.

Money.

It was money that could have saved Akane, so maybe money could save you too? That was it. Money. Money could solve everything, couldn’t it? “How much?” Koko found himself blurting out before he could stop himself. Those two words were enough to dumbfounded everyone there, with eight pairs of eyes turning to stare at Koko. Were they really that surprised? Or just waiting for an offer?

“A hundred thousand yen,” the black-haired boy clarified. And he didn’t need to clarify what he was saying - a hundred thousand yen for them to give you to him. He didn’t want to fight, he was barely interested in being a delinquent as it is. All he wanted was you, no matter the cost. “I’ll give you a hundred thousand yen.”

“What?” You were the first to speak, your slack jaw and furrowed eyebrows sending a throb through his chest. Damn, was his offer too low? You were priceless of course - no matter how vast Koko’s fortune was, you would always be unattainable - so were you going to think that he was being cheap? That you were only worth so little in his eyes?

Even Inupi had raised an eyebrow at his named price, and though the surprise was written all over his usual stoic expression, the blond-haired boy said nothing.

But before he could try and revise his offer, to make sure you knew just how much Koko was ready to spend on you, it seemed his words finally set in in the others’ much slower minds. “Do you think we’re just going to sell-” The vein bulged prominently on Baji’s forehead as he once more lunged forward, and would have reached his target if not for Mitsuya grabbing the back of his shirt. “You son of a bitch!”

“How fucking dare you?!” Kazutora snarled, and Koko braced himself for another fight as the duo-colored delinquent made to pull away from you.

‎

“Honestly why is it everytime there’s a ruckus, it’s always you, Mikey?” A new voice sighed out from behind Koko, catching all present by surprise. Those abyss eyes were an exact carbon copy of the Tokyo Manji Gang President’s, though the man that they belonged to was one that Koko was thankfully still on rather good terms with. “Can yall at least keep it away from my shop? Bad for business and all.”

By now, the once clear sky had filled up with clouds that blocked most of the light from the afternoon sun, the oppressing heat somewhat dissipating as the breeze picked up once more.

From where you were at the center of the mess, your ears perked up as if a dog recognized the word ‘snack’. “O-oji-san?” You sniffled a little, though you quickly pulled yourself together, rubbing your nose on your forearm. Eyes, though red and swollen, were now dry.

“I’m not that old!” Shinichiro froze right as the words left his lips, blinking as he stared back at you, the gears very clearly turning behind his eyes as he took in the entire scene that had unfolded right in front of his shop. “Oh,” the man mumbled, as if all the puzzle pieces had just fallen into place, gaze turning from you to Mikey before landing on Inupi and Koko. A pause, and he sighed, resting one hand on his hip. “It’s you, huh?”

Kazutora shuffled protectively in front of you in an attempt to hide your figure from the older man’s view, your arm interlocked tightly with his as he glared back. “You staring?” The sandy-brown eyed boy demanded, puffing up his chest the same way a cat poofed up its fur, a 180 from his childlike state just minutes earlier, the tears now all gone as he scowled at the newest entry.

This, however, only earned him a whack to the back of his head by Draken, after which the boy deflated. “That’s Mikey’s older brother, dipshit.”

Shinichiro seemed to barely notice the small squabble taking place, his hand dipping into his pocket to withdraw a small, slightly crushed pack of cigarettes and a lighter. Sliding the stick into his mouth and lighting up, the older man took a long inhale, his voice slightly raspy as he spoke. “So,” he started, looking at Mikey. “This is the buddy you’ve been telling me about?”

Yet before Mikey could answer the rhetorical question, Shinichiro had already turned to Koko. “And also your little birdie?”

“No.” “No.” Both Mikey and Baji snapped irritably together in response to the second question, with Baji seemingly just a hair’s breadth away from flying straight at Koko once more, his fist clenching with anticipation.

“He,” Baji very pointedly hissed out, sharp yellow eyes glaring across the aisle at Koko. “Needs to stay away.”

You meekly shuffled your feet, your eyes turned down towards the ground as your Toman friends turned on cue to shoot you a stink eye. Ah. Caught breaking the rules again. “Koko’s just a friend,” you offered weakly, though it didn’t seem to convince anyone.

Koko could only feel the growing pit at the base of his gut as Inupi threw a similarly dirty look his way, though the sunflower-blond Black Dragon member still raised his pipe in defense. Fuck. To be fair to him, Koko reasoned internally, he hadn’t known about your ties to the Tokyo Manji Gang back when he was standing outside Inupi’s door in the rain, but he did casually fail to mention it even after he knew. Now that it was out in the open, there wasn’t really anything more he could say.

Shinichiro let out yet another ragged sigh as he took another breath, exhaling the smoke into a column that hung lazily in the still, humid air before speaking again, this time his words directed at you. “And you’re related to the Ninth Generation Black Dragon President? The one that Toman bea- OW!”

You were slightly confused at Mikey’s sudden move to stomp on Shinichiro’s foot, the abrupt sentence stop only leaving you to wonder. Was Shinichiro trying to say something that Mikey didn’t like? Shrugging it off as something you wouldn’t be able to find out anyway, the side eyes sent Shinichiro’s way were hard to miss. “Madarame is my nii-san,” you nodded, reaching down to gently touch the remnants of your phone jiggling in your pocket. “He moved out from our family home years ago, but it seems like he’s back today for some reason.”

Hopping around the pavement, the man’s expression was twisted in pain radiating from his bruised foot, with Mikey still scowling at his own older brother. “Ah, i-in that case,” Shinichiro managed to grit out as he shuffled back to lean against the glass windows of his shop. “You should go home and see what he wants.”

That turned out to be a highly unpopular opinion, and the disagreement your friends felt necessary to voice was made obvious even with the respect the delinquents had for Shinichiro, Mikey being the loudest in his protest.

“No!” “Absolutely not.” “Are you crazy?!” “NO!” The torrent of disagreements were certainly surprising to you, and you blinked owly as you were physically pulled further away from Shinichiro, as if the older man was going to personally rip you away from your friends and bring you home.

Shinichiro, however, was undeterred by the outburst that half the neighborhood must have heard, waving his arms downwards in an attempt to restore the peace, waiting for the chaos to die down before continuing, his smoking cigarette lightly gripped between two fingers. “As I was saying, you should go home and see what Shion wants first, since he is your older brother. And then Mikey and your friends can meet you after. I’ll settle things here and then send them over, alright?”

It was phrased as if it was a suggestion, but there was no negotiation to be had. Now that Shinichiro was present, he was in charge.

You seemed hesitant, but ultimately agreed. That did make sense to you, given that if Shion was planning to move back home, there were arrangements that would have to be made, and changes in your schedule. And with how much your older brother and Toman seemed to already hate each other, it would be better to allow tempers to diffuse before combining both halves of your life. “Alright, I’ll head home first.”

“What if she isn’t safe at home, Shinichiro-san?” Draken pointed out, his arms crossed, Pah nodding sagely along, joined by the frantic bubbling and wailing from Kazutora, who had done another u-turn from badass delinquent to bubbling and wailing mess, attached to your side like superglue and refusing to let go.

Mitsuya straightened out your school uniform for you, a more levelheaded presence though still physically blocking any view you had of Koko further down the street. “Are you going to be safe?”

You paused, your head cocking as you considered what Mitsuya was asking, before slowly nodding. “Madarame-nii won’t hurt me,” you tried to assure, though you didn’t sound very confident yourself. “I should be fine.”

“They won’t be long here,” Shinichiro promised, grabbing Mikey by the back of his shirt as said boy attempted to make a break for you, before he turned to almost effortlessly snag Kazutora in the exact same manner.

Koko’s heart sank when you turned away from him, but with Shinichiro’s stronger-than-it-looked hand resting on his shoulder, Inupi was already distancing himself from the Toman boys, all he could do was watch you say your goodbyes to your Toman friends before disappearing round the bend, with no say on whether he would ever be able to see you again. Maybe, maybe all he needed was more money.

‎

Fourteen years in the future, the atmosphere that blanketed the headquarters of the feared Tokyo Manji Gang syndicate was not too dissimilar to the delicate yet weighty tension outside of Shinichiro’s shop. It was by every account a gorgeous day outside, the bright afternoon sunlight streaming through floor-to-ceiling windows and catching in the gold trimmings of each and every fitting of the opulent home. Yet, the hallways of the penthouse were unusually empty of the usual black-tie suited gangsters and guards and the like that usually teemed this area, the deafening silence weighing down what was the epitome of luxury. But it was hardly a concerning issue to Kisaki as he stalked down the wide corridors, casting a shadow on the priceless art and other masterpieces as he swept past, the crystals that decorated the chandeliers hanging above chiming lightly as they jingled with the air conditioning. After all, he did know why everyone had been sent away, and he did hold a very slight responsibility for the cause.

His destination was at the end of the corridor, a simple white door fitted into wallpapered walls that stood out like a sore thumb amidst the lavishness, a curse from a different time that continued to haunt both him and Mikey. Because it wasn’t just the door that was a specter from the past, Kisaki knew. The sole rap on the door was a courtesy, and the suited man didn’t wait for a response to enter.

The room he stepped into looked ripped straight from a common suburban home, unfitting for a multimillion dollar house right in the heart of Tokyo, even less so for a yakuza boss with the entire underground world at his fingertips. Simple painted walls, a hardwood flooring, and well-worn furniture that had seen better days, things that Kisaki wouldn’t even give a second glance yet things that would get him shot between his eyes if his fingers lingered on them for a second too long. “Mikey,” Kisaki greeted, cutting a straight path to the single armchair turned to face away from the entrance.

There was no response from said man, abyss eyes staring blankly out clear, streakless windows into the open sky, though his gaze did turn to meet Kisaki’s as the door swung close with a soft click, the dragon tattoo decorating his scrawny neck contrasting greatly with his pale skin. A sky-high view of the city skyline worthy of the sky-high price, but again, not what he was here for.

The Toman second-in-command held up a sheaf of papers, his other hand pushing up his glasses. “Need your sign-off on these.” It was rare for him to have to do such menial tasks as delivering paperwork - that is the sole purpose he pays for Mikey to have a dedicated secretary - but with it being this time of the year again, the reports were once more starting to be returned unsigned and unread.

Yet for all the effort Kisaki undertook to come here in person, it meant nothing to Mikey, the yakuza boss simply ignoring whatever his right-hand man had to say as he turned his gaze back out the window once more. The spectacled man tried again, taking a step closer. “Mikey,” he insisted, hand reaching out in an attempt to pass on the papers on hand.

But it was the distinctive click of a gun’s safety being switched off that had Kisaki retract his hand as if burnt, the anger that had sparked in those usually empty eyes clear as Mikey swung around to glare at him. Throwing both arms up in surrender and under the other’s deadly scowl, he backed away slightly; an inch closer, and those reports would have brushed against the delicate decades-old fabric of the armchair. Your armchair.

That heavy pressure was palpable as the silence weighed on the passing time. A heartbeat, then two. “What?” The biker gang president-turned-mafioso finally growled out, voice hoarse from lack of use - it must have been at least a week since he last spoke, Kisaki noted.

”Your sign-off.”

”No.”

Kisaki let out an exasperated sigh. “Mikey-“

”No,” Mikey repeated. “Leave.” And that was that, with said man refusing to look at him a moment longer, flopping back down into his armchair limply, the momentary energy from a rush of adrenaline dissipated back into the cocktail of depression and drugs the former delinquent had been indulging in.

There was nothing more that the second-in-command could do but to obey and leave. But he did understand the reason behind Mikey’s foul mood - it was just about a month out from both Shinichiro’s and your death anniversary, after all, even if both events were several years apart. Pausing at the threshold of the room, Kisaki used the moment it took to open the door to subtly glance around; it was rare that he ever had the chance to see the inside of this room.

After all, the ghost that still haunted them was you.

This was, or had been, your room, with every last item and detail having been painstakingly removed, transported and reinstalled when the yakuza boss had finally been convinced to relocate from what had been your home in the suburb for his own safety. That armchair, your bed and covers that Mikey still sleeps in, the wooden floor panels and the old plastered walls and ceilings. Even this blasted door which formally served as your bedroom door. It was all you.

And your death hadn’t even been planned. Sure the spectacled man knew of your existence, but you had simply been in the wrong place at the wrong time, and had been caught up in an attack meant for another.

Carefully closing the door behind him, Kisaki shook his head, letting out the breath he hadn’t realized he’d been holding. The once strongman of Toman, the invincible delinquent, could conquer anything he set out to - the spiral into crime, the murder of his former friends, the whole of the Japan underground world. Yet twelve years on, Mikey just couldn’t let you go, long after you had breathed your last breath and torn the entire Toman apart.

The good thing was that at least Kisaki doesn’t exactly need the Toman boss’ approval to get things done around here; it’s far easier to ask for forgiveness than permission.

‎

Back fourteen years in the past, you hardly had the time to worry about what time would eventually bring to your doorstep, knee-deep in your current problems. The moon hung mockingly high in the sky as you closed the door gently behind you, tweaking the knob slightly as it latched back into place to stop its usual click. Your efforts, however, were in vain, and you froze as the all-too distinctive sound echoed through the otherwise silent night. Carefully pressing one ear against the wooden front door, you held your breath, waiting to hear that distinct stomping of feet down the stairs in your pursuit and the roar of your name.

The past weeks have been nothing short of hell. With your older brother Madarame temporarily moving back into your family home, it went without saying that you were no longer permitted to see your Toman friends going forward, let alone have them come over. Biting your lip, you would simply agree and say nothing more, careful to tread on eggshells around the volatile boy. With how closely your older brother has been monitoring your every move, you hadn’t dared to step out of line - you did previously have a front row seat as to what happened to the people around you the last time you dared to openly disobey.

Yet time and time again, it was Mikey and the others that persisted in swinging round to pick you up in the evenings against your brother’s orders in the one and half week since the fight, exactly as Shinichiro had predicted, even doing several very loud donuts that your neighbors would not appreciate outside your house just to make sure that Shion knew they were there. To your surprise, it was your brother who has done nothing more than scowl at you running out to meet them from the window like a disapproving mother before disappearing into the house, failing to even bring up your cheeky escapades the day after. Him and the Toman founders definitely weren’t on speaking terms, you determined, but there was more to it that either party was willing to say.

But all this was far from your concern at the moment.

Tonight was one of those rare nights: with your brother fast asleep in his bed instead of out and prowling the streets, and the mobs of various-colored hair were nowhere to be seen lounging along your street, busy with a gang meet at Musashi Shrine. A rare chance to take advantage of this extraordinary situation where you have finally been left alone for just a small window of time. That is, as long as you didn’t get caught first - and your brother would 100% tattle on you to your friends if it would get you in more trouble.

The summertime heat was already in full-force by now at the start of August, and though the blazing temperature has at least cooled somewhat with the absence of the sun from the night sky, the humidity had yet to let up. Beads of perspiration that dotted your forehead trailed their way down your forehead as you waited, your heartbeat racing with every second ticking by. Was this it?

A minute passed. Then two. And the inside of your house remained as quiet as the dead of night, the peace of your neighborhood unbroken. Heaving a sigh of relief, you quickly turned heel, fleeing down the lifeless main street before taking a corner at the first alley, coming face to face with a familiar grinning face waiting for you under the flickering light of a weary streetlamp. “Took you long enough,” Koko chuckled, both hands tucked into the pockets of his pants.

“That’s not very nice!” You tried your best to put up an indignant front, but the facade collapsed into a wide grin too quickly for any part of it to be taken seriously. “Did I keep you waiting long, Koko? Sorry ‘bout that.”

The black-haired boy waved off your apologies, pulling himself up from the wall he had been leaning against. “Nah, it’s just been a few minutes,” he admitted. Offering a hand to you, you were glad to accept, gently intertwining your fingers with his as he led you through the dark alleyway, your duo’s footsteps barely echoing amidst the silent residential buildings. “Any place in mind?”

You shook your head. “Didn’t think about it cause I know you do.”

“Ah.”

You laughed as Koko rubbed the back of his head sheepishly. You did know him well enough to assume otherwise. Letting out a hum, you allowed the other to tug you closer to his side, to which you responded by resting your head on his shoulder. “So where are we going?”

If you could be honest with yourself for a moment, Koko was the breath of fresh air you had been looking for. It was a truly ungrateful feeling to harbor, especially towards your Toman boys who had been the ones to take you in and accept you as a friend, but he was an escape from the constant neediness and possessiveness. You did love them dearly, really, but sometimes it all just got too much for you, with the final straw being that particular incident outside of Shinichiro’s shop; you had never been frightened of Mikey or Baji or the others before, yet seeing them snap before your eyes at another that you held dear to you - it was all too much, on top of having to deal with new tension at home.

All you wanted was to be able to hang out with a friend you made yourself, someone you didn’t have to give constant attention to. A friend who wouldn’t put you on a pedestal.

“There’s a nice karaoke place in town,” Koko replied almost absentmindedly, his well-gelled hair bobbing slightly as it caught the occasional light as the two of you stepped out of the alleyway and back onto a main street. “We can take the train there.”

Your mind immediately thought to the last round your Toman boys had invited you to karaoke with them, the session ending with you having to cool heads when they started bickering about whose turn it was with the mic. “That’s a good idea,” you nodded. Those places were open pretty late, right? Plus a private room would make it a lot harder to get caught.

‎

The area the two of you ended up in was a location slightly outside of town, which you recognized as not being too far from Shinichiro’s shop - the now-closed small convenience store was the same one that Mikey had been dragging you past just two weeks earlier. This was definitely a more uptown area compared to where the bike shop was, you noted, the stores though all closed at this hour were steadily getting larger and more luxurious the further you and Koko strolled down deserted streets.

“It’s so quiet,” you found yourself musing out loud, earning a soft exhale from the other.

You rarely venture to this part of Tokyo City, it being well out of your usual sphere of life with good reason, though even with the handful of visits under your belt, the difference between day and night was still starkly visible. A flood of business suits and their occupants busy on the phone, with the rare occasional student weaving their way through the crowd, these streets were hardly catered to a younger audience, the prices well out of the range of what any student could afford, and you would assume the same, even more so in fact at night. The last thing you would expect to find here would be a karaoke, but perhaps you simply missed it before.

“This way,” Koko tugged you through an unassuming door, tucked neatly between two shopfronts and one you would have completely glazed over. Up a dimly lit stairway and with a light knock from your friend, the well-worn steel door opened to reveal a backdrop of high ceilings and a chandelier, framing an elegantly-dressed lady ushering the two of you in, the door swinging shut behind you with a quiet click. You felt your jaw dragging across the floor, eyes glancing around and taking in as much as you could. What even was this place?

Shiny, polished granite floors sparkled with specks of yellow reflected from the dim lights above, the walls trimmed tastefully with gold and decorated with flourished wallpapers. The crystal vase in which an enormous bouquet of flowers had been professionally arranged, atop a spotless dark wood counter, combined with the staff here wearing full suits, was all rather intimidating.

Vaguely noting Koko saying something to the lady who had welcomed you at the door, his words blending into the soft classical background music, you were only grounded by the fact that your hand was still laced with his as you shrunk shyly behind him. Needless to say, you felt extremely out-of-place, dressed in nothing more than your usual outing attire having expected a simple date. Were they going to kick you out?

Not just yet fortunately, as you were led down a velvet-walled hallway instead, lined with doors that ran the entire length, before being ushered into the room right at the end. Koko had stepped into the booth first, holding the door open as you quickly followed suit, and much to your relief, the inside looked similar enough to a regular karaoke room. Letting out a sigh of relief, you settled on the sofa, patting the area next to you. “I thought it was going to be so different,” you admitted, snuggling in close to Koko as he sat down next to you. “The outside looks so fancy.”

Said boy laughed, shaking his head as he leaned over to grab two microphones off their stands. “I thought it would be better since it's unlikely you’ll be found here.” By your Toman friends, that is.

“Not that I don’t like it,” you hastily added, accepting the device from Koko. “It’s lovely, thank you. And I doubt they know this place even exists.”

“No way,” the financier rolled his eyes, earning a giggle from you. That goes without saying. “Come on, pick a song, I’ll order us some drinks.”

‎

Time slipped through your fingers, the minutes flying by without your notice. Though you barely had a sip of alcohol (Koko refused to let you have any more than a taste of his cocktail), you were sure that you were giddy enough from giggling the entire time.

”I still can’t believe you managed to nail that song!” You laughed out, lightly tapping on the black-haired boy’s arm as you carefully stepped across the curb. “I sounded completely off, I swear.”

“No way,” Koko disagreed, a tinge of red brushed across both cheeks as his gaze fell away from yours, though from the alcohol or otherwise, you couldn’t quite tell. He has had several drinks, after all. “You were great.”

Definitely the alcohol, you mused to yourself, squeezing his hand lightly as you gracefully ignored his voice trailing-off. “Thank you for bringing me out tonight, Koko.” And you meant it - with everything that had been going on at home and with the Toman boys, you truly did need this break from the hum and drum of regular life, even if you didn’t know it before. “I really had fun.”

No response, and none was needed, the other only returning the squeeze of your hand, face still turned away from yours. Strolling down the quiet street, it was late into the night, way past the time that you were usually already tucked into bed, your lights turned off and usually accompanied by one (or more) of the Toman founders. Yet your life these past months have been anything but usual, and having been unable to see Koko without getting him into unmeasurable amounts of trouble that would most likely end up with him in the hospital, you did miss him dearly. You will deal with the consequences of a lack of sleep tomorrow, you determined.

The music of yester-hours still buzzing in your ears and a hum under your breath, it would have been a perfect ending to your night if all the excitement ended there.

“Hey assfaces!”

A sudden loud voice from behind that reverberated across the silent night had you jump a foot into the air like a startled cat, and you whirled around to locate the source of the disturbance. Koko, though, seemed barely bothered, his light tugs at your hand urging you to keep walking before trouble found the two of you. Too little, too late; your paths were quickly being blocked by several punks with aggressive hairstyles that you quickly identified as delinquents, though they didn’t seem to have a uniform of any sort, with the attire consisting of a mix of ruffled school uniforms and streetwear. “Strolling through my territory, huh?!”

Your heart skipped a beat - did they know who you were? Were they looking for Koko? No, that couldn’t be it. You decided that being friendly couldn’t go wrong, maybe it’s just a case of mistaken identity. “Hello,” you greeted. “Can we help you?”

A jeer rippled through the crowd in response, and you shrunk back. That was obviously the wrong move. Worse still, your voice seemed to have triggered a memory recall. “I’ve seen you somewhere before,” the seeming group leader muttered, squinting as he leaned in towards you.

The grip Koko had on your hand tightened ever so slightly even as the expression on said boy’s face remained relaxed, almost as if bored. He must have gone through this multiple times, you reckoned, as you tried to shift away from the other.

“Ah,” the recognition settled into the other’s eyes as he pushed his face into your personal space, and you recoiled at the spit flying out from his mouth at you. “It's the shitbag always hanging off of Mikey, aren’t ya you little thing?”

Uh oh.

Another wave of sneering washed through the gang, though this time, the scorn was audible.

“I got beaten up by those Toman fuckers last week!” “One of them burned my bike!” “He stole my lunch!”

Your heart dropped into your gut. Fuck. You never thought you would be recognized.

The head delinquent’s smirk only grew larger as the displeasure boiled over into calls for Toman’s death, and he made to grab at your arm. “You’re quite the cute thing. Those fuckers have good taste. I think I’ll have some fun fir-”

A loud crack! - and you whirled around to the sight of a delinquent crumpling to the ground, clearly having lost consciousness. And there was Koko, calmly withdrawing his fist, simply not having the disrespect. “I rather you pick on someone your own size,” he stated, as if it was another usual day.

Time seemed to have frozen for a second, with the rest of the delinquents present turning almost robotically to glance between Koko and their downed buddy, the moment bringing with it an unexpected peace. But alas, it did not last as pandemonium quickly broke back out, the hoodlums sent into an uproar. “I WANT BOTH OF THEM DEAD!” The gang leader roared.

Koko shoved you. “Run!” He yelled, as he started beating down whoever he could reach. “Get to safety!”

You took off, drawing half the crowd with you, that distinctive side-swept mob of black hair quickly disappearing behind a wall. Fuck.

‎

Shit shit shit- your feet were all but flying over the pavement at this point as you sprinted down the street as fast as you could, taking random rights and lefts in an attempt to shake off your pursuers. But alas, enraged delinquents weren’t as easy to lose as you had hoped, and the stomp of their boots echoing behind you only ate away at your gut more and more. The light of the streetlamps overhead flashed and disappeared as you bolted through each and every circle of illumination, the environment all but a blur - you were sure you were completely lost at this point, though all your mind was urging you to just keep running.

What on earth were you going to do now? What could you do?

Your thoughts wandered back to Koko whom you had abandoned on the main street as you took another shark right, and your heart clenched, the guilt already starting to gnaw away at your gut. The last glimpse you had, he had been surrounded by so many of those fierce delinquents; yes, he had taken one of those builds down easily, but with opponents of such numbers? Maybe you should have stayed, but you didn’t want Koko to have to not only fight but also watch over a useless you. And, you tried to reason, with you running off, you at least have managed to draw some of the crowd away to chase after you.

But now that you were on the run, easily recognized by the self-declared rivals of the Tokyo Manji Gang, you were no doubt only creating more trouble for Mikey and the rest of your friends. No matter what you decided, no matter what you did, you only seemed to drag more and more people you claim to care about into the mess that was your life.

Turning down yet another side alley, your lungs were beginning to burn from effort, every breath you took becoming heavier and heavier as your calves yearned for relief. You couldn’t recall the last time you had to assert such consistent effort, but you urged yourself on, forcing yourself past your limits as the adrenaline rush slowly ebbed away. You needed a place to hide and rest, somewhere safe - but where could you go?

Bursting out back onto a main street, it was a familiar white awning that caught the corner of your eye, and though now folded up, you could recognize the partially hidden words and logo anywhere. S.S Motor…you weren’t sure if anyone was still in the shop at this time of night, but it wasn’t like you really had any other choice now. The white awning was calling to you as if it was your salvation as you closed the distance in under a minute, slamming straight into the locked front door. Damn. The door wasn’t going to give way no matter the amount of desperate rattling, and you should have known better, yet here you were, wasting precious time.

Letting go of the worn brass handle, it was the bloodthirsty calls for your blood growing nearer and nearer, accompanied by thunderous footsteps, that had you hesitate to leave the minute safety that the indent of the shop doors allowed you, with each precious second passing decreasing the amount you would have had to continue your escape. But even if you wanted to, your body was already at the point of giving up - you were physically incapable of running any further, your legs urging you to give up as you doubled over, pressing your hands against your knees in a bid to catch your breath. This was it, you supposed. You were going to make more trouble for Mikey and the rest, and probably get beat up in the process.

You took a deep breath, steeling your nerves, and turned around. No, this was not the end. You weren’t going to give up so easily and disgrace your Toman friends here. You had fists just like them after all, you could at least put up some resistance.

The click of a lock opening had relief that flooded into your system when your name was called by a recognizable name. Looking down at you with furrowed abyss eyes was none other than Shinichiro, that signature bluish-gray overalls of his tied still around his waist, spanner in hand. “What ya doing here at this time?”

”Chased,” was all you could hurriedly say in the time you had, as you glanced backwards at a roar that sounded just a turn away. “CanIcomeinplease?”

Shinichiro seemed to understand almost immediately. “Hide and call the police,” he grimaced, holding the door open and allowing you duck in under his arm. But much to your surprise, the older man didn’t follow you inside, instead stepping outside to block the path and line of sight of the horde of delinquents who have finally caught up to you. “Can I help you?”

Scurrying behind a motorcycle and rolling up into a ball in an attempt to make yourself smaller, your shaking hands could barely grasp your small phone without almost instantly dropping it, and you struggled to make sense of the keypad through teary eyes as you followed the commotion outside through the commotion alone, scared to give any visible indication of your presence to the angry gangsters outside.

Demands for Shinichiro to step aside, to bring you out to them, the threats of death and torture, and all the while the man was attempting to calm the mob and diffuse the situation. He was depending on you, you tried to tell yourself, finally punching in the emergency hotline, the dialing and connecting noises sounding as if they were echoing through the whole shop and not just in your ear, as if those ruthless hooligans outside could hear.

But they must have sensed your panic, your fear like a predator in the dark woods. A scuffle, and your heart sank like an anchor as a loud clunk rang out through the dead silence of the night, followed by the unmistakable sound of a body hitting the ground. Grabbing the nearest tool, you flung yourself out from your hiding spot, and sprinted towards the shop exit.

‎

Your hands were still shaking as the blue and red lights of emergency responders illuminated the once-quiet neighborhood around you, the foil blanket that the paramedics had wrapped around you doing little to stop the cold from seeping in. Seated just outside of the parameter of the yellow crime scene tape that now lined the parameter of S.S Motor, you barely registered the policeman attempting to talk to you to get your witness statement, his words flowing like water past you, reverberating into an inaudible distant mess in your head. Those lifeless eyes were all you could see, that accusatory stare that haunted you no matter how hard you tried to push it away. The ambulance had already taken your victim away, the first responders claiming that he was still breathing and that they could still save him, but Shinichiro-san?

He was already cold when the first sirens arrived.

And it was in this broken state that Mikey finally stumbled across you, his phone gripped tight in one hand. Black, empty eyes wide with what could only be shock as he took in the chaos that had unfolded outside of his older brother’s shop, his gaze eventually falling on you, a trembling and responseless form on the sidewalk, a splatter of blood across your once-pristine clothes. In an instant, the Toman President had pulled you to your feet and straight into a tight hug, your face pressed tight into the crook of his neck, much to the surprise of the officer.

He didn’t need to say more. The last of whatever control you had left fell apart, and the tears trailed down your face, the hiccups uncontrollable. “M-mikey,” you wailed into his skin, your fingers gripping the back of his shirt as the past hour flashed in the back of your eyes. “I-I’m-”

“What happened?” The blond-haired boy’s hair was soft, hoarse, the disbelief clearly tinting his words. It couldn’t be Shinichiro underneath that cover, could it? It couldn’t be. But that call, this scene.

“I killed him,” you whispered out, pulling away, as you looked back down at your trembling hands. “H-he attacked Shinichiro-san, so I…I-”

There was only one covered body, yet two weapons. Mikey pulled away, eyes staring at you, trying to read your thoughts. You couldn’t have killed Shinichiro-san; so who?

Those five minutes were burned into your mind. You standing from behind the motorbike to find one of the delinquents with a blood-splattered steel pipe in hand, and Shinichiro sprawled out on the pavement right in front of his shop, the blood trickling down the side of his head; something washing over you as you had grabbed the heavy wrench with two hands and bursting through the shop doors, swinging the tool with all your might. The connecting blow that reverberated through your bones, and the other continuing to stand for a moment longer, swaying, staring blankly at you before crumpling to the floor. The rest of the ruffians dispersed as the authorities approached, leaving you behind trying desperately to administer first aid and CPR to Shinichiro, all the while fervently trying to ignore the other boy downed by your hand.

“I killed him,” you mumbled again, your voice haunted as the tears flowed once more. “I-I didn’t mean to- I swear-”

But the last thing Mikey could care about now was some nobody. “What happened to Shinichiro?” He repeated, this time more firmly, both hands gripping you and pinning your arms to your side. “Why him?”

“Protecting me. Th-they’ve seen me with Toman…”

Mikey audibly snarled. “And why were you here? Why aren’t you at home?!” The boy all but shouted at you, shaking you vigorously. You couldn’t blame him. It was all your fault.

Your mind jumped to Koko, where you had left him fighting that group of gangsters back along the shopping street. You couldn’t get another into trouble - not when you had committed the ultimate sin. And with the turmoil boiling in your stomach, you did something you never thought you had the stomach to. The tears started once more as you pressed your face into Mikey’s jacket, fist clenching around the white fabric. “Was looking for a job so I-I can move out,” the lie slipped out from your lips, each word burning your tongue as you mumbled out. “Th-they said they pay well.”

A murderer. You thought you would be better, better than the clusterfuck that was your family. You had tried to be better, striving to be kind, thoughtful, open-hearted. Yet here you were, you thought bitterly. The rotten apple doesn’t fall far from the tree after all.

The policeman seemed to have heard enough, one strong hand coming to rest on your shoulder as the other shook Mikey off of you. “You need to come with me to the station.”

A liar and a murderer.

122 notes · View notes

aruuq · 3 years

Text

Main requests are: closed

masterlist ⋅ rules ⋅ ongoing event; requests: closed

This list contains any upcoming writings from me, be it your requests, my own works or collabs. Wips may sit here for weeks or months before completing them, because I have no self-control when it comes to writing anything, I’m sorry :’)

Dark content will be in bold!

Personal writings (3):

⋅ Not sfw/suggestive piercing headcanons (Tokyo Revengers)

⋅ Tracing special marks on their bodies pt.2 (Genshin Impact)

⋅ Yandere headcanons (Tokyo Revengers)

Genshin Impact Requests (2):

⋅ Hu Tao teeth-rotting fluff

⋅ Hu Tao hurt/no comfort

Haikyuu Requests (0)

Jujutsu Kaisen Requests (0)

Tokyo Revengers Requests (3): first of all I want to say that I know most of these requests are from two to three months ago, but I still plan on writing them...

⋅ Inupi x fem!reader x Chifuyu

⋅ Timeskip!Hanma hurt/comfort

⋅ Smut with Benkei

Collabs:

⋅ WLW ⋅ Emma Sano x fem!reader

⋅ Breed Me ⋅ Inupi x fem!reader x Draken

⋅ Lover’s Lane ⋅ TBD

⋅ FWB ⋅ Hanma x fem!reader

⋅ King Izana ⋅ Long Lost Prince Izana

⋅ Tokyo Treasures ⋅ Koko

Event Requests:

To be completely honest, I have more than 30 requests for this event and I’m too lazy to write them all down here, but be prepared for a lot of Tokrev (mostly Ran, Hanma, Sanzu and Draken lol), Genshin (I think all of them are for Kaeya) and Jujutsu Kaisen (there’s a few of different characters but Nanami’s our star here) drabbles.

#aruu;navigation #upcoming

8 notes · View notes

cheesus-doodles · 6 months

Text

An Unfortunately Timed Birthday

Yandere Koko

Masterlist

‎

Happy belated Birthday to Koko! missed the actual day of 1st April by a couple of days but truly, having a birthday then instead of the other 364 days of the year XD

truly sorry for the reposts yall, but this fic isn't appearing in the tags for reasons ;-;

"Come on, hop on!" You insisted as you patted the pillion seat of the motorcycle. “Let’s get started already!”

It was the first time Koko swore he had seen you on one, yet you already looked way too comfortable seated in the saddle of the overly-large bike where you had been waiting for him outside his house. Where did you get that? And without him knowing? Did you even have a license?

But those were questions that he decided to keep to himself for now; after all, he didn’t want to be a wet blanket on your very visible excitement. "I don't ride bikes," he mumbled, though the black-haired boy was quick to correct himself. "I mean, in general. Not just when you’re the one driving.” A pause, and silence as the tension churning in his gut. Fuck. The more he spoke, the more he was driving his foot further and further into his mouth. Maybe he should have just stopped at his first sentence.

Despite the day being especially cool, the usually oppressive afternoon sun tucked away behind clouds, though this was one of those days that the Black Dragon delinquent wished it was hot. At least you wouldn't be able to see the nervous sweat beading on his forehead. Fortunately for him, you looked merely confused at his words, cocking your head. “Then how will we get there?”

“Get where?”

“To the park, of course!” Your expression once more burst into smiles as you waved your hand about excitedly. “I have a whole day planned for us! We’re going to play baseball, and then we’ll go for a looonnnggg ride in the countryside before we eat ice cream for dinner!”

Koko couldn’t bite down the grimace growing over his face as you spoke despite his best efforts, the furrow of his eyebrows surely as clear to you as to him. Don’t get him wrong, there certainly was nothing better than spending time with you, but this growing list of his most hated activities - was this what you truly wanted to do? On his birthday? The boy shivered. Playing ball games, riding motorcycles and no food; absolutely not. But how should he play this without hurting your feelings? "Listen," he started carefully, sliding his hand into yours as those slit eyes ever so carefully watched your expression. “How bout we head out to a nice restaurant instead? Your favourite has space, we could take it easy and-”

“Koko!” You rebutted instantly, and his face fell. “I can’t let you treat me, it’s your birthday!”

“But-”

“Nope!”

He sighed, resigning himself to his fate. At the end of the day, he just couldn’t say no to you. “All right then.”

Yet just as he was about to climb onto the motorcycle, you suddenly burst into laughter, shoving the unsuspecting delinquent away before clambering off the bike yourself. “I’m kidding, Koko! April Fool’s!”

The realization hit said boy like a truck, and he let out a loud groan. So it was all a prank. Rolling his eyes, he couldn’t stop the long-suffering grin from pulling at his lips as you threw yourself at him, pulling him into a tight hug and pressing a kiss to his cheek. “The bike?”

“I borrowed it,” you hummed. “Not sure where Inupi got it from though.”

Ah. Inupi.

“So what’s the real plan?”

You pulled out a simply enormous picnic basket from its hiding spot, tucked neatly behind the trunk of a nearby tree. “I got your favourites all here. Let’s find somewhere cool.”

Such an unfortunately timed birthday indeed, Koko mused to himself as you tugged him down the street, leaving the motorcycle parked where it stood outside his house. But all this was worth if he could spend such a special day with you.

127 notes · View notes

cheesus-doodles · 1 year

Text

A Friend In Me: Chapter 3

Yandere Platonic Toman

‎‎

<< Chapter 1 | Chapter 2

Masterlist

‎‎‎

Been a hot minute since this got a new chapter, I sold my soul to get this out. but nil it feels great

An insistent tug on your arm. “Come on!”

“Mikey, slow down! I can only walk so fast,” you laughed out as you allowed the eager boy to all but drag you down the street, your feet at times seemingly lifting off the ground when even your quickened strides couldn’t keep up. The rest of your Toman friends were content with following behind at a more leisurely pace, savoring the rare breeze that broke up the fierce afternoon heat while chatting and laughing among themselves, though this light temperament was far from the norm that you experienced in the past week. Not that you were complaining - you were going to enjoy this peace for as long as it lasted. “You still haven’t told me where we’re going.”

Yet the Toman President made no effort to hide his impatience or slow his speed, instead letting out what sounded to you like a cross between a grunt and a whine as he attempted to get you to speed up by any means besides outright dragging you. “Walk faster,” Mikey insisted again, completely ignoring your second statement as his other hand reached up, this time to tug at the hem of your school uniform’s shirt, as if his words were a magic potion that could hurry you along. But alas, it was not to be, with you remaining the sole obstacle that stood between the trailing boys and Mikey’s full sprint ahead; it was clear that the delinquent was not against simply sweeping you up into his arms and making a break for it. You knew you barely weighed anything to the blond-haired delinquent, and you wouldn’t be against it either, but you knew who would be: the five very unhappy founders chasing after him cursing up a storm.

A light chuckle slipped your lips at Mikey’s pout, your hand lifting to gently ruffle the neatly tied hair that you had helped painstakingly wrangle into submission earlier this morning. Goodness only knows how Draken manages to do it so effortlessly; you must have taken at least twenty minutes, compared to his usual five. “We’ll get there eventually, wherever this is,” you assured the grumpy gang president. “Just takes a little longer, alright?”

‎

As if on cue, Draken’s irate voice rang out. “Oi Mikey! Slow down you idiot!”

The otherwise quiet street that you were strolling down was one of many amidst this small suburb that bordered the edge of the greater city of Tokyo, still sleepy at this time of the day; the few souls that you spotted occasionally wandering across traffic-less roads in the distance skewed heavily towards the elderly. The afternoon sun that loafed about in the sky above was seemingly a siren’s call for students to anywhere but this exact avenue, though one glance at the boys around you and you could confidently make a few accurate guesses. Despite the relaxed postures and lazy smiles that pulled at their faces, you knew deep down that all it would take would be a single provocation and a blink for everything to change.

After all, it had just been a week prior when Mikey and the others had found out about your new friend, and the tantrums you had to deal with were explosive to put it mildly. No doubt that Baji had seen that cheeky - and impromptu, you were sure - kiss that had been given to you that night, yet even after knowing them for as long as you had, you couldn’t recall a time when you had seen pure anger raging behind those empty eyes of Mikey’s, or when Kazutora had last clutched you tight enough to bruise his handprint into your skin. You had pondered this for a long while, taking the time to think in the dark of the night when whichever lucky soul who’s turn it was to snuggle right up against you had long fallen asleep. Was this also the reason why the Toman founders had all been on edge the past seven days, reluctant to let you out of their sight for but a second? Had they always been this way?

Or was it because the ‘enemy’ was a boy like them?

You couldn’t say for sure as always, given that last you checked you hadn’t developed any mind-reading abilities, but it did seem to you that the six of them had only stepped up their protectiveness of you further, something you hadn’t thought possible. Perhaps you were imagining things, despite the slightest bit of unease that had settled at the bottom of your gut. But as naive as you might be, you weren’t completely oblivious to the ongoings around you. Your sweet boys had always been a tad overbearing with their care for you, scaring off anyone who didn’t have the strongest of hearts. But it didn’t feel like you had any time left to spend alone, with one or the other always close by, if not for directly hanging off from you. Maybe you could grab a minute or so in the bathroom, if you didn’t count the light taps or the sniffling you could hear through the door. They even seemed more…clingy, if you had to put a word to it - almost like they were trying to scent their territory; insisting on making you wear their jackets while stubbornly squeezing into yours, rolling all over your sheets. Almost like cats.

A chuckle, and you pushed that thought to the back of your head. Okay no, you were definitely just imagining things now.

‎‎

“Hey Mikey,” A loud clap as Baji slammed one hand into a vice clamp around Mikey’s shoulder, and you let out a yelp as you were dragged backwards together with the blond-haired delinquent still insistently attached to your arm. It seemed that the moment you had taken for some well-intentioned self-reflection was just taken as another opportunity for more squabbling.

The Toman President seemed barely bothered despite the veins popping on Baji’s hand with the effort and strength he was putting into his grip, simply annoyed at being disturbed. “Huh? What do you want?”

“Draken said to slow down.” The black-haired Captain emphasized, his single sharp tooth bared as he gestured vaguely at you. “You blind or something? Can’t you see you’re walking too fast?”

Those were definitely fighting words, you knew as much. And then when Baji helped himself to your other arm, with only the cheeriest and cutest smile for you as he snuggled into your side and no angry words or looks in sight, Mikey puffed up in indignation, one hand shooting out in an attempt to pry his new rival off. “Hey! I didn’t say you can hold on too!”

“Huh? I don’t see your name anywhere here!” Baji dodged the attempted grab at his hair with a quick swish of his head, and you oofed as the mob smacked straight into your face. “Oh- uh, sorry,” he mumbled, before launching straight back into retaliation.

Regardless of what the boys thought or felt, for once, you had made up your mind. And come hell or high water, you would be damned if you didn’t see this new friendship through. As much as you loved your friends, this was your life after all, and you simply had to prove to yourself that you could. “You know, Baji, Mikey, you still haven’t told me where we are going,” you gently reminded, throwing one arm over Baji’s and Mikey’s necks in a playful gesture. “Can’t pull me out of class and not tell me.”

It was enough of a distraction for the duo to stop and look at you, and it was clear that the revelation finally hit home. “We’re going to Shinichiro’s shop!” Mikey announced proudly, those abyss eyes turned at you as if expecting something. Praise? Revere?

All he got unfortunately was confusion, and you cocked your head at him, eyebrows furrowing. “Shinichiro?” You repeated.

“Mikey’s older brother,’ Baji filled in helpfully, his smack to the back of said boy’s head finally landing.

“Ye, he owns a bike shop around here,” Mikey continued at your persistent bewildered look. “Sells bikes and does repairs and stuff.”

Your mind instantly jumped back to the week before Mikey’s birthday, and your lips quirked as the dots began to connect. You had thought the little grandma running the small stand at the previous corner had looked awfully familiar. And something was telling you that you had been down this road previously: was it that day that you had skipped class to pick up the custom fuel tank cover? Though you said nothing, biting your tongue to stop yourself from saying more. You supposed you were going to find out soon if you already knew this Shinichiro. Yet before your little smile could drop, a single telltale sniffle was all you had as a warning, and you were tackled unceremoniously from the back by one very distraught Kazutora.

‎

‎‎‎

But despite the squeals and laughter that filled the otherwise quiet, humming heat, not all was well, Draken and Mitsuya mutely throwing looks at each other in an unspoken conversation behind your back. You certainly weren’t privy to the many undercurrents swirling just below the surface, brewing like a storm biding its time in its cracking glass bottle; and unknown to you, your little adventures out with that wretched buddy of yours weren’t missed by any of the six Toman founders. No, they were more than keenly aware of all the times you had tried to steal away to join him, that bastard of a black-haired boy: why were you so keen to share your affection with a total stranger? To pamper and hand feed him the lunch you had made him to begin with, with this piece of trash not lifting a finger to help you?

You knew that they didn’t approve, by the way you were so very careful with when you leave to join him, always looking around to try and see if you had any tails and picking more secluded spots you didn’t hang out at when you were with them. You knew that your Toman friends would be angered at you risking your life so frivolously, so why? Was this how little you valued yourself? All to date a member of a rival gang behind their backs and against their explicit orders?

Yet you persisted. And for what? Someone who would never care for you like they did? Someone who would toss you to the side at the first hint of trouble?

It was clear that nothing they did or said seemed to get through your thick skull. So it was time to step it up. If you refused to listen to them, then as the Tokyo Manji Gang, the six founders would simply have to make you listen. It was tough even to think about it; the last thing they wanted was to scare you more than they already did, to lose your smile and laughter, the love you clearly had for your dear friends. But your safety came first, and if you couldn’t be trusted to behave yourself in the few moments that you had to yourself, then more drastic measures were needed, whether you liked it or not. Confining you to your house was an option they had considered: it was a familiar environment where you could be comfortable, and it didn’t seem like there was anyone else home at any point in time.

Though it was clearly a question for another time, with Pah shouting a warning right before you nearly tripped over a misplaced foot from Baji. The vein that had already been throbbing on Draken’s forehead almost popped, the Vice-President marching forward with an angered shout.

‎‎

A stone’s throw away and hidden within the four walls of one of many shops that line the street, a simple clock hung on the far wall merrily ticking away. A school day it was supposed to be, yet neither of the two school-aged boys present had any intention of returning to their dull classes, instead choosing to spend their time in this unassuming motorcycle shop at the edge of this quiet Tokyo suburb.

Inupi couldn’t help but note how odd a pair the two in front of him made, standing side by side in the small shop; Koko clad in a pristine uniform, still as clean and tidy as when he had left for school earlier, and Shinichiro in a questionably clean t-shirt and a half-stripped overall, sleeves lazily tied around his deceptively thin waist. The otherwise quiet showfloor was almost as if a picture that one could pick out from a driving magazine: the afternoon sun pouring in through the floor-to-ceiling glass storefront and onto rows of less glamorous motorcycles up for sale, the well-scrubbed yet worn tiles of the shop floor, and in the middle of all the clutter and action, the surrounded lit centerpiece that drew one’s eyes naturally. And it was easy to understand the fascination Shinichiro had: the top of the line cruiser 2003 Honda Valkyrie that was now front and center in the shop was an eye-catching beast of the road. The polished black metal gleamed under the strong spotlights that flooded down from the ceiling, the long, low-strung frames that took inspiration from retro styles of a time long past, a shiny, silver flat-six engine that purred effortlessly down the road just half an hour earlier, and decked out in double studded leather seats and chrome finishing that added the air of sophistication that screamed Koko. Nothing short of a masterpiece.

Shinichiro took a long drag from his smoldering cigarette, abyss eyes never once leaving the bike that stood propped in front of him. “A 2003 Valkyrie?” The man asked, looking over the cruiser motorcycle with an appreciative eye - it was rare for something of this make, let alone one with such a high price tag, to pass through his shop, and the enthusiast was certainly taking the opportunity to appreciate it up close. “Brand new?”

A rhetorical question, given how little soot or dirt there was to be found on the tips of his finger even after a low swipe across the exhaust pipes; yet the younger of the two almost puffed up in pride as he answered. “Yep. Brand new,” Koko confirmed, both hands tucked into the pockets of his school uniform’s pants. But that was the only response Shinichiro received, with the black-haired boy reluctant to say anything more that could get him into unnecessary trouble; with the kind of business the rising delinquent star runs, one could never be sure who was listening. Or asking.

“Not going to ask how a kid gets a brand new bike,” Shinichiro chuckled back, no doubt having picked up on the hesitation that lingered in the air - a former ruffian himself, there were always things that were better left unsaid and unknown. Bending over to squint closer at the horizontally configured six-cylinder engine, a low appreciative whistle slipped the older man’s lips. “I’ve never seen one of these in Japan before, it’s huge.”

“First of its kind here, straight from the factory in America.” A fond chuckle, Koko seemingly inclined to open up a bit more about his purchase after the promise of secrecy. “1800cc engine. It’s not the most orthodox ride, I’ll give you that.”

“Twin seats huh?” This ignited a curiosity in Shinichiro, who leaned ever so slightly towards the other, as if discussing a conspiracy or a national secret. “Taking a little birdie for a ride?” Those wiggling eyebrows and cheeky grin were gold coming from Shinichiro of all people.

“...Perhaps,” muttered Koko, his gaze now dropping away towards the tired green shop floor. The flush that brushed across his cheeks evaporated back into the cool air-conditioned breeze as quickly as it appeared, though the vanishing thought was caught by the two others in attendance; nothing more needed to be said for them to understand where his mind had wandered to in the brief moment.

Shinichiro only threw his head back in laughter, as if his own misfortune with the ladies had just crossed his mind, reassuringly patting his counterpart on the back before straightening up to his full height. “So what can I do for you on this fine day?”

From one quiet corner of the shop, a pair of blue eyes raised to glance at the two for a moment before slipping back down to the dimly lit screen. Despite having looked down at his phone for the majority of the conversation, fingers scrolling mindlessly through endless messages to an unknown rhythm, the back and forth banter taking place nor the blush was not lost on Inupi, too unusual for the stoic boy to ignore. For one, it was strange for Koko to even step foot here in a motorcycle shop of all places, let alone being able to hold his own in a conversation about machines he once dubbed as nothing more than money sinks. The already notorious financier with a Midas touch that preceded his reputation had never previously shown the slightest interest in bikes, but Inupi had little question on the reason for the change of heart.

And for two, well, there was Koko’s newfound interest in you. The reason behind the rare touch of rossiness to grace his friend’s fair skin. No doubt you were to thank for the sudden change in the black-haired boy’s heart, and Inupi found himself appreciating your existence in their lives just slightly more, whoever you might be - not that Inupi would know. Koko hasn’t introduced you to him yet.

‎

The night that the Black Dragon member learned about you wasn’t one that he could shake from the front of his mind, despite it having already been two weeks since. An already out-of-the-norm night two weeks ago, given the surprise thunderstorm that swept across the city with but a single roar that almost drenched his beloved bookshelf of manga had he not scrambled to shut his room’s windows. Yet despite his expectations of the rain being the most noteworthy event of the day, given how class just seemed to drag on forever and gang activities being at a lull, it was the pounding of the front door that brought both a welcomed break from the boredom and an excuse for his continued disregard of homework. The rain outside poured unrelentingly from the sky, pounding down onto the earth as if a sea had been turned upside down, an impassable wall of water. But against all odds, there on his doorstep stood a very drenched Koko, almond eyes blown wide in panic and panting, gasping for air.

Before Inupi could even say a word or ask his best friend what had gotten his knickers in a twist, the black-haired boy had grabbed him by both shoulders, shaking him bodily. “I-I-Inupi!” Was all Koko managed to stammer out, pale face obviously sweating despite being completely drenched in the freezing rainwater. And although his mouth continued to move as if saying words, no sound followed. The blond delinquent didn't think he had seen his friend in such a right state since his sister’s passing: the usually materialistic, calculative Koko was good at hiding his emotions behind a facade.

There was only one thing he could do in the moment to break the other from the spiral. Lifting one hand, it was the loud smack of skin meeting flesh that echoed through the sleepy household, Koko’s face being blown to one side, effectively silencing the feverish muttering. Almond-shaped eyes instantly whirled around, catching sight of Inupi’s still raised hand in the opposite direction of where he had been left facing; evidence of what had just happened. “W-wha- Inupi?”

“Is your head screwed back on proper now, Hajime Kokonoi?” Came Inupi’s stoic voice.

Said boy instantly staggered back a step as Inupi raised his hand threateningly once more, both hands flying up in defense. “I’m good! I’m alright now,” Koko hastily assured, the slight swell and reddening of his struck cheek clear even in the dim yellow foyer light.

“Good. What happened?”

But it was undeniable to icy blue eyes that Koko was in no state to answer his question at the moment, the other middle schooler shivering in his soaked t-shirt and loose long pants. “C-can I come in first at least? It’s freezing!” The black-haired boy complained, though he had no intention of waiting for a response, pausing for just a mere moment for Inupi to move aside before hurrying out from the dark night and into the light and warmth of the familiar house.

A lightning strike illuminated Koko against the backdrop of a quiet housing estate and torrential droplets of rain that poured from gloomy clouds hanging low in the night sky, with a booming clap of thunder that shook the very air quickly following. It was already uncharacteristically late for Koko to still be up, given how much he valued his beauty sleep, but there was still something that was off with this picture. Something that Inupi couldn’t quite lay his finger on, as those blue eyes scanned the unyielding dark of the pouring night again and again.

And then it hit him with the second bolt of lightning; what was missing was the noticeable lack of reflection behind his shivering friend, the hazy light of the streetlamp that had stood faithfully outside of his family home for years shining onto nothing but pavement. “Where’s your bike?”

Koko didn’t seem to hear the question, simply turning sideways to attempt to squeeze past Inupi who had yet to shift from where he had been standing in the middle of the doorway. But the blond boy persisted, his arm shooting out to stop Koko, the concern in his voice growing. “What happened to your bike? Did you walk here?” His friend had just bought that CB250T, and Inupi wasn’t going to let him go without an answer.

No fight was needed. “I sold it.” Came the black-haired boy’s absentminded response, blurted out without a second thought in much the similar manner as how a Magic 8-ball would spit out an answer.

There was a pause as Inupi stared back unblinking at Koko, digesting the answer he received. One second turned into two. His jaw hit the ground as the gears in his mind came to a grinding halt. “You sold it?” Inupi repeated in disbelief, unable to comprehend what those three words meant in the moment. He knew that the other had just bought the bike not a week ago, and even though Koko hadn’t explained the rationale behind why he had finally made the leap, the young financier wasn’t one to make such a rash decision. Such a beat-up bike couldn’t have been flipped for any profit at all. “You sold it? To who?”

And then the weight of what had just slipped from his lips hit Koko like a skillet to his face. In a blink, a panicked look had washed over his face, the black-haired boy freezing mid-step, gaping like a fish out of water. “I-I- I sold it to…to this…this person.”

“A person? A boy? A girl?”

“I sold it to… to a person, okay?!”

The blond-haired boy raised both hands in surrender as the tone in Koko’s voice hitched up into desperation with a fine touch of aggression at the constant questioning, eyes blown wide by turbulent, unspoken thoughts. “Alright, alright, you sold it to a person,” Inupi pacified, making a mental note to circle back to this touchy topic later, instead taking pity on how miserable his friend looked in the moment, drenched and shivering. “Why not you head to the kitchen first? I’ll get you a towel and a hot drink.”

It was a welcomed break for both of them; Koko taking the time to warm up after his mad journey through the midnight thunderstorm, and Inupi to gather his many thoughts. The pattering of rain against the glass of shut kitchen windows sounded a lot more peaceful when listening from inside a warm room. “So why are you here now? You need another bike?”

“I need help,” Koko admitted. Inupi startled, almost dropping the two cups of steaming chocolate he had just made. The straightforwardness was not something he had expected from his long-time best friend. “I… promised that I could help with the replacement and repairing of parts.” His voice dropped off, sounding almost…sheepish.

Ah. Everything suddenly made sense.

“But- but I don’t know how a motorcycle works! I don’t even know what engine that wreck had!” Now all but yanking at the roots of his hair, it was clear that the usually calm and collected financier had finally dug himself into a hole money couldn’t buy him out of. Inupi would have laughed at the scene if the other hadn’t been as distraught. “I’m doomed.”

Yet before the biker gang delinquent could open his mouth, Koko rushed on. “You want to revive the Black Dragons? I’ll help you. I’ll introduce you to a guy I know. Please Inupi, you gotta help me.” That shut his jaw back with a click. He was already going to say yes - after all, what kind of friend would he be if he didn’t help out with something so simple? But now with the added reward…

Inupi nodded firmly, pushing the mug of hot chocolate closer towards Koko. “I’ll help. Drink up.”

‎

“Louder rev. I like the purr but I want more roar.” A blink, and Koko’s answer brought Inupi back to reality from his musing on the past - had he missed anything? Not that he could say for sure, but his friend’s next question came loaded with more hesitancy. “Is that going to impact safety?”

Inupi shook his head, clearing his rambling thoughts from his head with the simple movement: it didn’t matter if he didn’t know who you were or what you looked like. It was clear that your presence was already making a difference to Koko, and that was enough for him. Even if his best friend had only shifted his attachment and obsession onto a new target, albeit one who was alive and capable of returning the care and attention that Koko yearned for, maybe, slowly but surely, Koko could one day move on from Akane. Forgive himself for what he couldn’t do in the past. Maybe you could help mend the hole in Koko’s heart.

And that alone was worth all those sleepless nights Inupi spent by Koko’s side, secretly helping to answer the questions you fielded through the phone to an anxious, sweating boy who didn’t know the smallest thing about motorcycles.

The cool air that sank down from the air-conditioning above was a relief from the unrelenting heat outside, though it failed to stop the seemingly never-ending waft of smoke that drifted up from the middle of the store and disappeared into the ducts. A grunt of acknowledgement as Shinichiro clenched down on his smoldering cigarette, kneeling back down and leaning to take a closer look at the Valkyrie’s exhaust pipes. “On this new a bike? Won’t be a problem. But...” The older man trailed off, lost in thought as he stared down the muffler. “Probably will have to take some measurements before recommending anything.”

Koko shrugged. “I can leave it here with you for a night or two, no problem. Just need it back by the weekend.”

“I’ll get it done by then,” Shinichiro promised, sticking out a thumbs-up, cheeky grin pulling at his lips once more. “Done in time for your little friend.”

It took everything for the younger of the two black-haired boys to stop his eyes from rolling into the back of his head, though he couldn’t deny the blush that washed over his cheeks. “Whatever,” he muttered, kicking one foot at nothing before sulking off to one dark corner of the motorcycle shop, eager to get away from potentially being teased further about his heated face as well. Ah, young love.

Biting his tongue to swallow the laugh that the older Sano could feel bubbling up, warm black eyes now turned to land on the young delinquent who had been sitting quietly in the corner. Small mobile phone in hand and dressed in full gang uniform, it was a far cry from the prim and proper school uniform that his friend had opted for; the white uniform with bold black words proclaiming him as a proud Black Dragon eye-catching against the matte blue steel racks lining the back of the shop. “So what can I do for you today, Inupi?”

The recent memory of the almost spectacular defeat of the Ninth Generation Black Dragon instantly came rocketing straight to the front of his memory once more, and despite Inupi’s best efforts, the usually stoic boy flinched. The humiliation was still fresh and jarring, and Shinichiro caught it loud and clear. The former delinquent immediately held out one empathetic hand, stopping Inupi before he could speak. “It’s okay, you know?”

Said blond boy blinked. “What?”

“To lose. I heard what happened.”

“But-”

“But nothing,” Shinichiro emphasized, even as he stood from where he had been crouched in front of the Valkyrie, picking up his tool box and stretching. “Shit happens. You win, you lose. It’s not your fault, stop taking it so personally.”

It wasn’t okay. And it was his fault. If only- maybe if he had been stronger. Maybe if he had been the President instead of Shion. “But I promised-”

“You promised Izana to look after the gang, didn’t you?” The former Black Dragon captain waved the younger delinquent over, inviting him to come closer as he turned his attention to tinkling on spare engine parts. “And you did. You tried your best.”

Inupi fell silent, processing the words that hung heavy in the air. Did he really do all that he could? Did he do enough?

A slap to his back broke him out of his thoughts to the sight of a laughing Shinichiro. “Come on, don’t look so serious! You’ll be fine. Tell me what’s going on with your life, found yourself a pretty girl yet?”

‎

The once sprawled out squad, with you and Mikey ahead and your other five friends trailing behind, had already been abandoned just five minutes into this after-school stroll you had been cajoled into. Compressed back into a single large group, you found yourself bogged down by not just one, but three clingy boys latched on to various parts of your body and limbs, Mikey and Baji each tugging at one arm and busy bickering with each other about whether you liked taiyaki or peyoung yakisoba better, while Kazutora seemed just happy to be able to hold you by the hem of your recently untucked school shirt from the back.

“Are yall done whining?” Mitsuya drawled, his hand coming down in a chopping motion to the top of an unbothered Kazutora, said boy only taking the opportunity shuffling closer to you and resting his chin on your shoulder, all the while grumbling slightly. “You’re being a bother.”

Mikey and Baji whirled around as one, disbelief plastered across their faces. “We are not,” the duo insisted in unison, even though it had been Kazutora that took the brunt of the very light hit, their clutches on your arms tightening slightly as your two velcros attempted to snuggle even closer into you, two pairs of abyss and yellow eyes turning up to you. “Tell him!”

You didn’t want to complain and break their hearts - not with those pouty puppy eyes they had turned up to full blast at you - but the cool breeze that previously brought relief had already died down several minutes earlier, and now burdened with the full brunt of the afternoon heat, your attached walking radiators weren’t helping much. “Baji and Mikey are fine,” you simply shook your head, an indulgent smile on your face, despite you were already starting to feel a bit faint from the heat and the effort of walking with the extra weight of two. Curse your soft heart.

Before you could open your mouth to answer, the two boys were yanked up by the back of their shirts by a now completely-annoyed Draken, forcing them to release their vice grip on you lest they drag you up into the air as well. “That’s enough from the two of you,” Draken grumbled, the two shorter delinquents comically kicking and flailing while suspended, though ultimately helpless against the much taller Vice Captain. You couldn’t help but giggle at the sight, and earned yourself very despondent looks in return.“You alright?” Black eyes scanned your face carefully, ignoring the fuss as he effortlessly kept the problem duo in the air, patiently waiting for you to collect yourself; it was nice that your dilemma had been noticed.

“I’m fine now, thanks Ken-chin!” Beaming up at the taller boy, you gave him a reassuring nod. Saying no to people so dear certainly wasn’t a strong suit of yours, though fortunately for you, you had someone looking out for your wellbeing.

Dropping his whining charges back onto their feet, you had little doubt that both were already to jump you once more had it not been for Mitsuya’s hand shooting out to catch Kazutora by his ear, who very obviously and very painfully twisted the sensitive part as he forced your last clinger to release you. “Ow-ow-ow, Mitsuya, that hurts!”

“I asked,” the lilac-haired boy reiterated, that unquestionable tone of an older sibling demanding obedience leaking out from the usually level-headed Second Division Captain. “If you three are done.” Your giggles only turned into full blown laughter at Kazutora’s miserable look as he started to whine and complain about the unfair treatment.

Another twenty minutes was what it ultimately took for you to finally make it to your destination which turned out to be only the street after; if not for all the fuss and the dragging of feet, you were sure it would have only taken a mere five minutes. Yet every step forward only seemed to feed into the growing feeling of anticipation; you were only more and more certain that the same person Mikey was so eager to belong to was the ‘oji-san’ you had met before. No wonder he had a perfect part for your fixer-upper part lying around. No wonder those abyss eyes of his felt so familiar. Musing if your new friend had known when he recommended the shop after selling you that CB250T, you quickly left that train of thought behind; perhaps he wouldn’t have been so eager to help if he had known about your boys’ distaste of his existence.

As you turned the final corner, the white awning, stretching out lazily and throwing its shadow across the pavement, was the first thing you saw, long before you could see that tired yet warm storefront: a kingdom’s banner declaring the bike shop’s existence amidst the wider world. The road was otherwise quiet though not without activity, the occasional car speeding by and leaving nothing by the rumble of its engine behind as it raced down the street and disappeared round the next bend. Bathing in the unforgiving heat was a little easier without the additional weight, though the slight breeze that had picked up once more was a small relief to your panting skin.

The lit interior of the shop had barely come into view when your group of friends started to slow down into a leisurely stroll, and you could almost see the start of what would be rows of shiny new motorcycles formed into neat makeshift aisles lining the shop floor. Despite having only been here twice - once to detail your custom order for Mikey’s birthday bike and the other to pick it up - you were already looking forward to meeting the nice, friendly ‘ojisan’ again. There was no more doubt to be had, and you couldn’t quite hold back your laughter any longer as you turned to look at your blond-haired friend shuffling along sulkingly. “I think,” you giggled, covering your mouth with one hand. “I think I know who your older brother is, Mikey.”

That instantly got the group’s attention, most of all said Toman President, whose jaw seemed to unhinge and drop as he whirled to look at you. You didn’t think you had ever seen Mikey spin so quickly. “You do?” He demanded, and would have made a lunge for you if not for the instant double pair of evil eyes daring him to do so, courtesy of Draken and Mitsuya. Pah even took a step forward, bless his heart. Mikey backed off, just ever so slightly. “From where? How? Why?”

You did offer your hand for your needy boy to hold though, the other instantly going to alternate between patting a whimpering mob of duo-colored hair and a pouting head of long black hair. “Where did you think that custom fuel tank cover came from?”

The gears clearly turning in his head, everything clicked together in an instance, a shine coming to those usually abyss eyes. “You got it from… from here?”

Right as you were about to reply, it seemed whatever higher being that had been watching over you had had enough of your enjoyable afternoon, and all it took was a second for the world to shift. A glint of light, one that sparkled out from a previously hidden sidewalk right before Shinichiro’s shop, caught the corner of Pah’s eye, the boy turning slightly to take a closer look just as up ahead, the faded green front door of S.S Motor swung open. And out shot from the storefront a gutsinking familiar figure, wavy hair fashioned into a death hawk, golden earring catching the bright sunlight and glittering like a lighthouse beacon.

“BD?” The Third Division captain muttered confused as he took in the wild-looking yet spotless Yamaha RZ350, neatly tucked away behind an air-conditioning unit in the alley. “Black Dragon…?”

Your heart sank faster than a cement block dropped from a thirty foot crane into the open ocean. Fuck.

‎‎

The sound of your gentle chuckle, just loud enough to echo ahead and through the glass of the shopfront was all that was needed to both set Koko’s chest alight, and sink it like the Titanic at the same time. He knew your voice - your laughter - by heart at this point; no doubt he would be able to pinpoint it even in his sleep through two inch thick steel. Because how could he not? Ever since he met you completely by chance while you had been rummaging about the dark underbelly of Tokyo City, looking for specifically a Honda CB250T with that meager amount you had scraped together, Koko had been hooked like an addict. And much like said addict craving for another hit, Koko had given you his scrappy fixer-upper for next to nothing before he realized what he had done. All just to see you again. Thoughts of you and about you haunted him day and night, no matter what he was doing or where he was looking - the rising financier star saw you in everything he did.

The usually calculative boy still couldn’t quite tally every point that had him drawn to you off the top of his head, but that was a problem for a future him. Right now, at this moment, he had bigger problems.

You were outside the shop right now (he could just see the top of your hair over the row of display motorcycles), and as much as Koko was delighted to see you again so soon, given it was rare to have any sort of extra time with you outside of pre-scheduled and pre-planned dates, he was not ready for you in the slightest. Caught off guard, as if he had his pants down, the anxiety bubbling uncontrollably up his throat. As far as he knew, your Honda CB250T was done. Finished. So what were you doing here in this part of town? Were you all by yourself? Did you know he was here?

Every…outing he ever had the pleasure to go on with you, his image had always been meticulously crafted and perfected - you probably would have never seen him in something as disgustingly simple and tasteless as a school uniform, nor did he have any of his usual gifts for you on hand. Sure you had never cared about receiving anything in return for your precious time, but Koko had heard that gifts were very useful for wooing someone. And for someone as important as you, it was a matter of basic respect. Maybe he could show you his new bike first. Maybe you’ll accept him treating you to dinner instead, if you didn’t already cook that is. Koko didn’t have enough self-restraint to resist your cooking.

And then there was the matter of Inupi's presence. Throwing a nervous glance backwards at the two still speaking in the shop - past and current delinquent discussing matters Koko couldn’t discern - the presence of an obvious rival gang delinquent might scare you off: you clearly spent a lot of time in the presence of one Tokyo Manji Gang from what he had seen. Even if he didn't have any affiliations, Inupi very certainly did. But time was ticking, and the options he had on hand were few.

It was now or never. Taking a deep breath, the black-haired boy abruptly stood, marched over to the front door, and forced himself out into the hot afternoon.

The world fell silent as Kokonoi Hajime stumbled straight into full view of not just you, but you in the company of six figures he instantly recognized as the Tokyo Manji Gang whose glares lasered in on him like hyenas to an freshly abandoned carcass. He had made a gamble, and he had been wrong; you were not alone like he had expected.

‎

All you could do was stare back at those pair of black almond eyes with your own paid of quivering ones, adrenaline pumping through your veins in a vain attempt to squash the panic rising through your chest as Koko froze meters away, his darting eyes assessing the situation before finally landing on you. There was no doubt in your mind that all your friends knew who he was, judging from their intense predatory stare that they were leveling at him, for reasons that were beyond you despite being absolutely certain that only Baji had managed a glimpse of him previously during that fateful night. But no matter what played out from this moment onwards, it was only going to get clearer and clearer that you had been disobeying their explicit demands for you to keep away from a rival delinquent. It felt almost that time itself had crawled to a halt, with only your heavy breathing reassuring you that the world under your feet was still turning. But what now?

You really didn’t want to know the answer to that question, but alas, there was no such mercy granted to you.

‎‎

Koko collected himself as he straightened to his full height, spotless school uniform shirt pulled down tight. No delinquent or rival was going to scare him away from you, not after all that he had already been through. He had lost Akane, he would not lose you as well - no, you were worth everything he was worth. Every dollar and cent, he didn’t need it if he could have you. Your name was cheerfully called out as he raised one hand in greeting, pretending as if he didn’t see your face pale to an ashen gray usually reserved only for the dead, his gaze focused solely on you amidst the crowd of other less important people. You were here with him, and that was all that mattered.

One step was all the notorious financier had the time to take. The next words out from Baji’s mouth broke the camel’s back as the boy put two and two together, his head rapidly whirling between both Koko and the Black Dragons bike: the weight of the tension crushed the temporary peace in oblivion. “Wait. You’re that bastard-”

None of the six founders needed the reminder; how could they, when he was that bastard that had dared steal you away from them. That had the balls to kiss you? They’ve already spent the better part of last week following the two of you everywhere. Stalking was such a harsh word to use, given how your friends just had your best interest at heart - your Toman boys wanted for you to be safe. Which meant staying away from scumbag like the black-haired boy that now stood opposite of them, and not running your hand through his hair like you did for them, and absolutely not letting him lick cream off your cheek. Hell, Kazutora would have killed to have an opportunity to do it for you, so why?

Why him?

As if a well-rehearsed show, the wind began to pick up, and what was once a breeze now tore ferociously down the lifeless street. Throwing unsecure windows and clothes alike, the echoing sound of wood clashing and metal rattling was but background noise for the ongoing standoff on street level, the gale whipping their clothes and hair with unrelenting force. But for all the posturing that the founder of Toman did, a last ditch attempt to keep their monstrous sides lurking under the surface and away from your gentle, innocent eyes, it all seemed to be for naught as their warnings fell on deaf ears, Koko simply opting to ignore the boys.

His heart was racing, though the fear and anxiety that weighed his chest down was far from being caused by the delinquents that surrounded you, no. Peasants, louts, the lot of them: Koko couldn’t imagine wasting his time on such hooligans. No, he had his eyes on the prize, and every second he went without a word to you was another second he feared you deeming him as inadequate. Did you already think he was poorly dressed? That he was rude? Free hand going to anxiously fidget with the ends of his strands of hair, the boy ever so cautiously took another step closer. “How are you? Having a good day?”

You glanced around, nervously evaluating the unmoving boys around you - what should you do now? Was it safe for you to reply? Getting anyone else into trouble really wasn’t what you wanted to do, but you couldn’t forsee Koko simply leaving without digging himself into a larger hole either; the other boy wasn’t the kind to let things go so easily. Crossing your fingers and hoping against hope that a fight wouldn’t break out, you gathered your courage, raising one hand just enough for a small wave back, uncertain smile pulling at your lips. You wanted to tell him to run, to flee from here, but that would be too obvious. You were naive, not stupid. “Hey Koko-”

And the chaos of the storm broke free of its bottle in that instant, a flash of black that rushed past you faster than you could blink, and you heard the crash of flesh and bone against something you fervently prayed wasn’t another body before you could even turn to look.

Up till now, all your dear friends could do was watch this less than scum being all touchy feely with you, left to take their bubbling anger out on unwitting classmates and rival gangs. But no more. Now this piece of trash was in front of them, your secret relationship with him clear for the world to see. They needed no excuses to beat him into the ground.

‎

Horrified doe eyes landed on a scene of what could only be out of your worst nightmare, an enraged Baji match for match with what looked like a mob of sunflower blond hair, his leg striking again and again against a steel pipe. Koko thankfully looked none the worse for wear, having shifted back to make space for the arrival of the newest in what was a growing feud, though you couldn’t quite say the same for the suddenly seething group of Toman boys surrounding you. The air had changed, the quiet, serene suburban neighborhood having given way to an atmosphere of fire, of unbridled rage and a clear target in range that only added more fuel.

These were no longer your overly protective, clingy friends you pampered and adored, their straightened backs and stony looks looking so very foreign to your gentle gaze - no, they were the founders of the Tokyo Manji Gang, the up and coming gang destined to rule Tokyo one day.

And they had just hit their limit.

The First Division Captain went in for another swift low kick, an attempt to break through the defense of the other clad in the despicable all-white of a Black Dragon uniform, though his move was easily countered with the same annoying metal pipe talentedly wielded. An ired tsked, and Baji pulled away, sliding back to land a safe distance away and out of reach of the business end of the pipe. “Fucking Black Dragons,” were the words that barely made it out through gnashed teeth, the fierce glare in yellow eyes enough to shiver your bones despite not being directed at you. “You again.”

…Again?

It seemed your confusion had been written all over your face. “He was one of those that beat me up outside my house,” Kazutora muttered, his clutch on your arm tightening as if to stop you from pulling away, sandy brown eyes alternating between the two opponents. “Seishu Inui, I think.”

Inupi, you repeated in your head, right as you were shoved backwards when Kazutora went ripping forward as if on cue, right in unison with Baji jumping in for a second round. Inupi raised his pipe.

“Wait- don’t!”

“Shut up,” Mikey hissed, those empty eyes swinging round to meet yours in a sharp glare, and your heart stopped the same time that the rest of your body did. For the first time, the Tokyo Manji Gang President was truly mad at you, and you saw him in the same light as the poor souls that ended up as his unfortunate victims. “You stay out of this.”

You flinched.

Draken was quick to follow up, yanking you away from the front lines with little effort, the grip he had on your shoulders tight and unrelenting and black eyes narrowed at you. “You are in so much fucking trouble, you hear?” Was barked at you, the tall boy physically moving you a few more paces back as he glanced between the crestfallen expression on your face and the standoff. Shaking with the effort to keep his voice as low as he could manage and his tone even, it was still too much for you to handle.

All this time, you had assured yourself that your friends weren’t scary people, just misunderstood. You loved them back as much as they loved you, and you had never been scared of them, no matter how much your well-meaning classmates tried to warn you to stay away. You couldn’t stop the tears welling up in the corners of your eyes, helplessly watching the bloodthirsty brawl, your gaze drifting to meet Koko’s distant one, separated by the length of Shinichiro’s shop.

All you had wanted was a new friend.

‎‎

The sudden ringtone that blared out felt like a miracle at just the right time, bringing a relief to the heavy tension that blanketed the area as the beefing boys immediately whirled around to look for the source of the disruption in unison. You blinked, breaking out from the momentary spiral of thoughts, one hand slipping down to lightly touch at your pocket before your doe eyes turned to look down, almost as if you couldn’t believe what you felt. That was… yours? Who could it possibly be at this time?

But with the way your afternoon was going, nothing good could possibly come out of this unexpected phone call, you knew, the sense of foreboding that weighed on your stomach only adding to the bad omen you could feel rising through your chest, instantly wiping out any sense of hope you had seconds ago. You swallowed hard. Only one way to find out if this was your salvation or your doom. Without a second glance at the small screen - you didn’t dare to test your luck any further, only praying that this call was truly the break you needed - you pressed the receiver to your ear as quickly as you answered the call. “H-hello?” You ventured, sniffling slightly as your gaze nervously glanced around the boys still in a stand off against each other, their eyes now having instead turned to rest on you.

“HEY! I’m outside the house, where the fuck are you?” A loud bark blasted from the speaker of your phone, and you eeped, the small flip phone almost slipping from your grip as you jerked the device away from your pained ear at the sudden loud sound. The gruff voice came again, now seemingly sounding even more annoyed. “OI CAN YOU HEAR ME?”

You could feel your heart sink out of your gut and hit the floor. Today truly was not a good day. Your older brother only continued to rant into the thin, uncaring air about the shitty quality of phones these days between demanding if you could hear him and cursing and swearing.

“Ah nii-san, I can hear you fine,” you hurriedly reassured, pressing the phone carefully back to your ear, your free hand lifting to quickly swipe at your eyes and nose.

“Are you fucking crying again?”

You ignored the question, though the other on the phone definitely heard what was a very obvious sniffle. “I’m out at the moment, nii-san.” Your voice dropped to a whisper. This was a very bad time, you wanted to continue, but your throat had already clamped up as a shadow fell over you. Mikey.

A pause, almost as if whoever it was on the other side could hardly believe what you had said. “OUT?!” He bellowed, and you yanked the phone away from your ear once more. “WHAT THE FUCK DO YOU MEAN YOU‘RE OUT? YOU NEVER GO OUT!”’

It was clear that everyone in a fifty-mile radius from where you stood had overheard your conversation at this point, and the growing realization you could see starting on Mikey’s face and spreading to every Toman founder present was not a good sign. Did they know your brother too?

“Shion Madarame?” “Black Dragons?” A look of surprise had washed over Inupi’s stoic look, his metal pipe hitting the ground with a clink as the sunflower blond boy cocked his head, icy-blue gaze scanning you up and down.

Uh oh.

The silence seemed to stretch forever, with every second that the delinquents around you stared at you mutely feeling like an entire eternity had already passed by. Even your usually loud, foul-mouth brother had fallen quiet, with only the sound of his harsh breathing crackling through the small phone microphone. You had no idea what the standoff was now about, given the sudden inclusion of your older brother, but this did not look good.

“Why the fuck are you with those fucking Tokyo Manji Gang fuckheads?” Your brother’s voice was calm. Level headed even, his tone not any louder than a regular person’s. But Shion was never quiet: your older brother had only one setting, which was loud and crude. Which only meant one thing - he was pissed to hell and back, and you were screwed.

You jinxed it. You knew you jinxed yourself. Heck, you must have jinxed your whole afternoon.

How did your brother of all people know Mikey and the rest?

“You’re related to the disgrac- the Ninth-Generation Black Dragon President?” Koko blurted out, and you turned your bewildered look on him.

And then in a single heartbeat, all hell broke loose.

210 notes · View notes

cheesus-doodles · 10 months

Text

Chapter 7: Swallow the Sun

Former Gang Leader Darling AU (Red Dragonflies)

Red Dragonflies Masterlist | Masterlist | Ao3 Link for the Sane

‎

The silence that filled the room was palpable, in every sense of the word. It weighed heavy on your shoulders, the air thick and heavy with every breath becoming harder and harder to take, the tension that clogged your lungs almost as if it was an invisible viscous liquid dripping from the ceiling and slowly filling the room. You never liked the feeling that crept like an eerie fog up your legs despite having gotten well acquainted with it by now; just the life of a negotiator you supposed, more so when the parties involved tend to be hot-headed and overly-excitable delinquent gang leaders faced with difficult decisions.

Time felt like it had come to a crawl as the world held its breath. It was an unusually quiet afternoon for the city of Shinagawa, the usual hum of traffic buzzing down the nearby downtown area noticeably missing from the background hum. Even the wind that rattled the clear windows lining one wall just prior to the Black Dragons’ arrival had faded away into a cloudless sky, leaving just the uncaring sun watching on mercilessly. But you didn’t rush, didn’t try to hurry the other party who seemed to have frozen in place, Taiju simply wordlessly staring you down with those beastly yellow eyes, the lack of emotions on his face a heart-racing sight for a lesser delinquent, while Inupi and Koko flanking him were outright gaping at you with their shock worn on their sleeves.

The calm before the storm. You understood what you were asking - no, demanding - from them. Well aware of the implication and the loaded threat that your words carried, it wasn't an if but a when and how the Black Dragons were going to be merged into your own gang, whether they wanted it to happen or not. Yet, despite the seemingly sudden nature of this meeting with Taiju, you knew that this had been really a long time coming. All these years you had watched silently from the sidelines as Shinichiro’s gang was ran into the ground by unworthy leaders, its name and reputation tainted and soiled; this was simply the final straw, and no longer were you going to let his good name be sullied any more: at least you could hold your head high and say that you upheld your oath. Quashing down the surging memories of the equally horrid direction that Izana had led the gang down during his time at the head of the Black Dragons, you turned your attention back to the painful, painful waiting: not that you didn’t want to think of the underground smuggling ring or the crime-for-hire that your former lover ran, but it wasn’t an issue to solve at this point.

The oppressive stillness seemed to stretch on, each passing second amplifying the sense of anticipation, as if the room itself were counting down to the inevitable release and the coming explosion. And oh how you hated to wait - the unpredictability of what was to come was like daggers in your skin. There was truly nothing worse than being caught off guard; you had learnt that lesson the hard way multiple times before. At least even in these turbulent minutes you mused, you could count on the rhythmic sound of Furusawa’s heavy breathing from behind you to keep you grounded as you waited, a reassurance that your best friend was there to back you up regardless of how this nasty business turned out.

In an instance, the momentary tranquility shattered, and reality came crashing back down. “What the fuck did you just say?!” His words came out almost like a hiss as Taiju leaned forward, open palm slamming down onto the abused coffee table that separated you and him, the vein on his forehead seemingly throbbing more than usual as the blue-haired boy gritted his teeth.

Pulling yourself out from your thoughts, you leveled your gaze at the gang leader who sat from across you, turning your full attention back to the present. This wasn’t the right time to be nostalgic about the past or ponder the future. “Should I repeat myself?” You raised one questioning eyebrow. No, it was time to play.

“You’re taking me as a fool? Huh?!” He sneered, teeth bared. “Merge my gang under yours? This a fucking game to you, little girl?”

The taunt failed to rile you up enough, even if the strong emphasis on the Black Dragons being his did send a flash of irritation through your chest. No, the gang had never been his. It was Shinichiro’s and Takeomi’s, Wakasa’s and Benkei’s. Taiju was simply another steward for their legendary legacy, just like Izzy had been. Not his. A quick glance at Inupi and you saw the same turmoil in those blue eyes, but you swallowed the rising annoyance. You had worse thrown your way before. “Surely you can’t be suggesting something so vile, Taiju-san,” Bending over slightly to lightly pick your full cup off of the coffee table, you continued, your voice as even as the color of a cloudless midday sky. “I have never messed around in meetings, and never will. This is serious business.”

His tiger eyes seemed to glimmer and glint from the sunlight that filtered through the large window panes, as if simply waiting for a chance to tear into you. To eat you alive. “Then what the fuck are you trying to say?”

You sighed, unimpressed with the lack of tact on show. You didn’t fear the newest of the Black Dragon Presidents, not in the slightest, but you could at least empathize with his poor victims; this man left little room for negotiation for those who lived in his shadow. Fortunately, you did not. “I’m sure you understood me perfectly fine, Taiju-san.” Leaning back onto your chair and taking a sip of your tea, you continued to meet his infuriated stare from the brim of your cup with barely a blink. Deciding that this little dance was going nowhere, you forged ahead. “You must have heard of the brewing storm coming your way.”

Taiju didn’t seem the least bit phased. “You mean that 8th Generation Black Dragon leader? Izana?” Scoffing, the blue-haired boy flicked his hand nonchalantly, as if waving off the fly he thought Izana would be. “Won’t be the slightest issue, dealing with that rat.”

You hummed, a low, single-toned haunting note. “I wouldn’t be too sure. Izana’s a lot stronger than he looks.” A fact that you knew firsthand and all too well - even you wouldn’t be able to take him down alone, with or without the handicaps he would give you.

Silence fell over the room once again, those shaking, balled-up fists told you everything you needed to know. Consumed by anger and preferring to speak with his fists, you noted to yourself, and you wondered if you would have gotten further along if you had just let Furu at him from the start. Maybe you should now in fact - this particular meeting of leaders is coming along much rougher than you had hoped, and your precious free time was slowly but surely ticking down the drain. Yes, it was indeed time to instigate, even if you did risk another human-sized hole in your walls. Pulling yourself back up, placing your cup gingerly back down at the coffee table with a clink as porcelain met porcelain. “What I have been trying to say is,” you leaned forward, head cocked slightly to the side as a small taunting smile began to pull at your lips. “The Black Dragons are far too important to me to let you lose.”

And that was all it took.

‎

Inupi had been looking forward to meeting you again for a very long time. He hadn’t been sure if he would ever be given the opportunity to do so, after everything that had gone down two years ago and you had evaporated into thin air after abruptly retiring, but now here you were. You looked so similar from when he had last seen you standing side by side with Izana, sans the physical growth, you had barely changed - but the weariness in your eyes. The sheer exhaustion that tainted your once lively eyes, it seemed to have only increased and intensified as the years went by; there was no doubt even with all he had witnessed in his life, those eyes had already experienced so much more. An old soul trapped in a young body was what you were, though it wasn’t hard for the Black Dragon member to remember the times that you had away from such heavy gang duties or the times you had spent with your now ex-boyfriend; the times when your eyes would light up as if fireworks against the dark winter sky, and your youth would come rushing back into that gaze like an water out of an opened dam.

Even this infamous meeting room brought back memories; its plush carpet always kept in tiptop condition, the eternal dance of the cranes across the walls, and the homely, worn wooden coffee table that was the centerpiece of the room. After all, the former Black Dragon Vice Captain had once spent hours within these four walls, locked at attention while watching over meetings where you and Izana poured over gang matters and strategies. Not too different from what was happening now, Inupi supposed, crystal blue eyes sliding to glance at the head of alternating blue and white hair that now occupied the sofa opposite of you.

But you always had this presence about you; not those heavy types like Taiju’s, one that commanded fear and attention. No, you had a different type of draw; you brought a sense of closure. An unyielding, constant pressure that meetings in your presence, be it in a room or on the battlefield, will one way or another be brought to a close, with the type of ending they get being left up to your unfortunate victims to decide.

The stoic mask the blond-haired delinquent wore threatened to break when your gaze landed on him, and your lips twitched upwards ever so slightly as you greeted him, but through sheer self-control, he had managed to simply acknowledge your attention. Now standing in your presence once more, Inupi could only wish it was you that he had approached for help with reviving the Black Dragons - the gang would have greatly benefited from a calm and experienced hand at the helm if you hadn’t upped and vanished immediately after you resigned from your beloved Reds.

And it only grew clearer and clearer that mistakes had been made as the meeting dragged on. Hearing you all but order Taiju into giving up the Black Dragons to you was the straw that broke the camel’s back, a gut punch that Inupi struggled to keep his face straight through; the reason they were here was because of his failure. There was no doubt that a lifelong delinquent like Izana’s former right-hand man had not heard the rumors swirling around about his old boss, and you being here to rescue his beloved gang from the depths of the pit he had dug them into only served to highlight one fact. Too important to let them - to let him - lose the gang: you were here because of his failure that started all the way back with the end of the Eighth Generation of Black Dragons.

Failure to protest harder against Shion being Izana’s successor, failure to pick a better boss to follow, failure to do better: there was no other way to put it. He had failed Izana, failed Shinichiro, failed the once-pristine legacy of the Black Dragons again and again. Scars and sins that he carried, that he once hoped he could lay bare before you, for the infamous Negotiator to wash it all away; but not like this.

‎

Koko must have noticed the turmoil brewing right under those usually impassive eyes, the financier glancing over in his direction with furrowed eyebrows.

Right as his black-haired friend was about to ask, the entire mood changed, and those almond eyes snapped right back towards the silent, tense standoff that dominated the room. In that moment, the universe felt as if it had collapsed in on Inupi’s gut, the flare of desperate screams to move, to fight, to duck from the back of his head overwhelming each and every one of his senses. But there was no time to react. The sunflower-blond boy wasn't sure what had happened, or who was faster. It was as if both Taiju and Furusawa had moved within the span of a sole heartbeat; a single blink, too fast for him to even catch; and the next thing he knew, his entire view of you was filled by the jarring red of Furusawa’s jacket and the black of his shirt, the draft he generated whipping his jacket backwards. An ominous creak of wood, and Inupi chanced a quick glance upwards - and there, held above your Vice Captain’s head with a sole hand was the other half of your beloved camelback sofa set that Taiju had been sitting on just seconds earlier, its shadow eclipsing the ceiling light around where you sat.

Silence consumed everyone present, as if the room was suddenly emptied of air. Inupi barely dared to breathe should break the temporary peace, blue shaky eyes darting between the brown and pink-haired man and Taiju belied the neutral, unmoved expression Inupi wore. What happened?

Chocolate eyes met yellow ones easily, with neither party willing to back down. The sight of the sofa failing to reach its intended target, however, didn’t seem to be enough of a deterrent to any further rash actions, as Inupi watched the Tenth Generation Black Dragon President reach for the walnut coffee table with the definite intent to hurl that as well, the telltale veins on his forehead throbbing with every heartbeat.

This time though, Furusawa was faster. A loud thud shattered the silence as a steel-toed boot came crashing down, the worn wood beneath letting out a groan at the sudden impact as it was pinned back down firmly to the carpet, a force too strong even for Taiju’s usually imposing strength to overcome. “Wanna take this outside, punk?” The Beast of the Underworld grinned as he leaned forward, that usual friendly, oblivious smile Inupi remembered having turned rather sinister, his sharp canines glinting even under the warm ceiling lights. “I can take you out right now. Makes Boss’ job a lot easier too.”

It was a threat as clear as the sun rising at midnight, and no doubt Furusawa could back it up and come out the other end without missing a breath off; not only was it well know within delinquent circles how monstrous your Vice Captain was, but also how much the man was always itching for a fight. The mere memory of the last fight Inupi had witnessed years ago where this fighting behemoth decided he was bored and decimated an entire gang himself - he would rather avoid that happening to him at all costs. The logo of the white dragonfly neatly embroidered on the breast of Furusawa’s red jacket was as much a threat as it was a reminder for everyone else to thread carefully: this was still the heart of the Red Dragonflies’ territory, and no matter the supposed strength of the latest generation of Black Dragons, you had historically always came out on top. Results speak for themselves.

And for all the ongoings around you, your small figure remained unmoved. Fingers tapping rhythmically on one knee of your neatly crossed legs as your gaze flittered between the four boys with not a single hair out of place; your continued composure in the face of imminent danger was just one of the things that Inupi had always admired about you. That, and the full trust you always had in your right-hand man and Vice Captain Mamoru Furusawa for your safety and security - it wasn’t lost on the seasoned delinquent that you hadn’t flinched the slightest bit at the sofa flying your way, making no moves to avoid the threat, let alone dodge. Even Izana would have reacted back in the day, Inupi mused.

You seemed content in letting this little game play out for a while more, a small smile pulling at the corner of your lips. Perhaps to sate Taiju’s bloodlust, but he was well past done letting Taiju embarrass the Black Dragons and Shinichiro’s good name any further. This was getting way too out of hand.

‎

Taking a step forward was all that was needed to draw the room’s attention to him, but the Black Dragon second-in-command had his focus squarely on his leader, meeting that tiger gaze unhesitantly. “Stop it Taiju, don’t disrespect her.”

The blue-haired boy seemed to have been slightly taken aback by Inupi’s sudden boldness, his jaw dropping slightly at the open contempt on display from his own subordinate. In front of a rival gang leader, no less. It was provoking the sleeping dragon, that was for sure, but there was little else Inupi could think to do in the moment. Or maybe he should have sat back and let Taiju be utterly annihilated by Furusawa? A chanced look at you revealed that unlike Taiju, you weren’t caught off guard, somehow having expected that it would have been Inupi who stepped up, though seemingly disappointed at the same time for reasons beyond him. Had you been hoping for a different outcome? Something more out of him?

But unfortunately, the sunflower-blond delinquent didn’t have much time to consider this line of thinking any further as Taiju’s stunned state didn’t last long, and the historically violent and short-tempered Shiba emerged predictably into a state of utter rage. And as said gang leader turned bodily to face his rebellious subject, Inupi found himself dwarfed once more by the other’s large stature, and the memories of when he had first challenged Taiju in his search for a new Black Dragon leader came flooding back, though he didn’t take a single step back.

Taiju’s words came out as a hiss. “What’s the meaning of this, Inui?” Fist tightening to the point that his knuckles turned white, there was little chance that the boss was anything but furious.

Inupi refused to back down. “You’re not going to win this. Don’t embarrass the gang any further.”

“How dare you?”

This was it, Inupi supposed, mulling over what he had said. With you on the other side of the table this time round, he didn’t suppose he could rely on your intervention, and he wouldn’t count on surviving Taiju’s wrath. Yet much to his surprise, instead of the thrashing he expected, another voice that had stayed silent now interjected before the blue-haired gang leader could make a move. “Lay a hand on him and I’m out,” Koko threatened, his tone pointed as the infamous financier took a step forward, putting himself between the two. A valid threat. After all, there was no way Taiju could afford to run a gang like the Black Dragons without Koko’s legendary finance skills bringing in extra income and jobs.

For all the threats and posturing, the oldest of the Shibas still seemed unmoved, a disparaging curling his lips as he looked between the two. “And then what will you do, Inupi? Run the Black Dragons yourself?” He laughed humorlessly, the mockery clear. The empty smile dropped as he leaned forward, his shadow casting over the two defiant delinquents. “I’ll burn this whole worthless gang down with me.”

Time slowed to an immediate crawl as those fateful words were left floating in the still air, and as if a heavy, wet coat had been suddenly draped over the room, every breath became a challenge to take as the atmosphere itself seemed to press down on them. Unrestrained bloodlust that tainted his senses with the hint of iron led the Black Dragons back to one single, possible source. Furusawa wasn’t the slightest bit affected by the change in mood, his signature beastly grin plastered across his face, but Inupi knew that look of yours, partially hidden behind your right-hand man’s towering figure. Utter, unbridled rage pouring through your cracked facade that had even Koko stagger a step back. “Worthless?” Hatred, pure and plain, oozing from every pore, burning and consuming those tired, kind eyes. It was the first time Inupi had witnessed it with his own eyes after hearing about it from Izana all those years ago; the legendary other half that had tamed even the Eighth Generation Black Dragon leader

Your sheer contempt for the living. “Worthless?” You repeated, the word seemingly inconceivable to you. Your abhorrence of their continued existence.

“So that’s what you were hiding,” Taiju muttered to himself, his yellow eyes sparking with interest.

As soon as it appeared, the immense pressure evaporated back into thin air like it had never been there, the world seemed to sigh as the whirl of the air-condition once more returned to the background. Taking a breath, your face was once more schooled into that familiar calm expression as you relaxed back against the sofa, the tension in your shoulders gone. Picking up your teacup once more for what should be by now a stone-cold cup of tea, you allowed a small smile to lift the corners of your lips, your gaze landed back on a shaken Inupi. “Time is getting on. Furu, return their sofa to them, would you?”

A tch, but the brown and pink-haired man complied, walking round the coffee table to lightly place the sofa back in its place with nay a thud - a surprise, given he had looked ready to fling the object straight back in Taiju’s face. You waved your hand, drawing the three Black Dragon gazes back on you, though it seemed that both gang leaders present were well past the pleasantries. “I’m sure you have other places to be, Shiba-san, so let’s put it this way. One week to join willingly.”

Taiju scoffed, his vibrant red jacket flaring out behind him as he turned to leave without another word, storming past Inupi and Koko and leaving the meeting room door open as he disappeared round the corner. You simply sighed, your gaze landing on a stoic Inupi and an ashen Koko. “Sorry about that, boys,” you smiled, waving Furusawa forward, though your Vice Captain simply handed a letter to Inupi before backing off. “You should probably be on your way too. Stay safe, okay?”

‎

The hefty wooden door shut softly behind the two Black Dragons, though the click still reverberated through the room, ringing in your ears as you sat in the sudden silence, reflecting on all that had occurred in the past hour. Yet in the moment, all your mind could process was: you shouldn’t have lost control like that. You knew descending in such a state of anger was terrible for your mental health, and your nii-san would be so extremely disappointed if you did something unforgivable again.

You could really use a smoke right now.

You abruptly stood, forcing those useless, churning thoughts down and away from your consciousness, startling your long-time best friend out from his own daydreaming process. “How did you think that went, Furu?” Your voice nor expression gave no hint of the uncertainty brewing just below the surface, though you knew there was no hiding your clenched fingers from those eagle eyes, no matter how you positioned them at your side.

But your right-hand man seemed more occupied with thinking of the could-bes, having clearly been intrigued by Taiju’s raw strength, and the lack of a fight breaking out was no doubt the root cost of the dejectedness on his face. “Went pretty well, I guess,” he mumbled, kicking his feet. “No holes in the walls, nothing broken."

“You don’t sound too happy about that.”

Furu sighed. “That blue-haired dude looked kinda strong. Could have made a great fight.”

You lightly smacked him in the arm. “Not in my meeting room,” you reminded him, attempting to sound cross but utterly failing to do so. “I’m sure you’ll get your chance though,” you added thoughtfully.

That was enough to perk the Vice Captain up, chocolate eyes glinting with eagerness and hope, as if you had just promised the life of another human being to him as a Christmas present. “Really? You think so?”

But those questions only dredged back up the doubts you had suppressed since the start of the meeting; about the effectiveness of what you did, about what you should have done, about your past and the future of the Black Dragons. Sighing, you slumped backwards into the sofa, the soft backing cushion denting and giving way as you did so. “Most likely, given how that went,” you exhaled, turning your eyes up towards the ceiling once more as you ran one hand through your hair. “If Izzy doesn’t get to them first, that is. One week is a long time.”

A pause, your words lingering in the cool air for a moment. And then you continued. “I don’t know, Furu, I still think I should have just ran with my idea of proposing marriage. Would have saved us a lot of trouble.” Your mind wandered back to your precious Toman friends. Another problem you had no clue where to start, let alone solve. Every passing day spent trying to put out the fires of your past was another day letting your treasured relationship with your boys, with Mikey in particular, deteriorate. What else could you do other than try and make it up to them later?

Your Vice Captain was on you in a second, plucking you off your sofa and out of your thoughts by the back of your jacket before you realized what had happened, and earning a decidedly undelinquent-like eep from you. “Furu! Put me down!” You tried to insist, a 180 degree change from the refined gang leader facade you had donned just minutes earlier, but the much larger man was nonplussed.

"I'll kill him," Furusawa swore, the obliviousness that usually glazed his eyes having given way to a rare serious expression, and the lack of his usual playful lilt was enough to convey the gravity of your words. “I'll kill and eat that motherfucker if you ever say that again.”

You think that you’ve only seen the man so stern once before. Those chocolate eyes seemed intent on boring a hole straight into your soul, you mused, sighing as you threw both hands up in surrender. “Alright, alright. I won’t mention it again.”

“And you won’t go behind our backs either?”

Touche. “I swear I won’t,” you crossed your heart. “Happy?”

Somewhat pacified, the brown and pink-haired man lowered you carefully back onto your two feet, though his grumpiness hadn’t disappeared completely. "Sometimes I don't think you have anything in there, Boss."

You playfully smacked him. You had, after all, told them what happened with Izzy when you met him against their advice four days earlier, and much to no one’s surprise, the meeting hadn’t gone as planned in the slightest without your usual chaperones present. Even hearing that Izana wanted to wed you immediately and went straight to violence after you refused failed to raise an eyebrow, Hase opting to simply let out a despairing groan while Koji threw up his hands in exasperation. What they said was completely true: you were way too personally involved to make sound decisions when it came to anything related to Izzy, and you shouldn’t have. Yet the lingering doubt refused to let go. "But what if-"

"We will handle it. Like we always do," Furusawa interjected. “You’re not alone.”

The grin you shone at your oldest friend was genuine as you leaned into his side. "Thanks Furu." As usual, your wiser friends were right.

“Anytime, Boss.” A grumble of his stomach broke the peace, and you laughed. Time for lunch with the others.

‎

Across town and just as you first waved the Tenth Generation Black Dragon leader through the ornately carved doors of your famed meeting room, a certain blond-haired time leaper was knee-deep living his most miserable past yet.

“Get up.”

Takemichi barely registered the nudge to his side, too busy ensuring that his chest kept heaving along through the throbbing pain as he struggled to catch his breath. Sprawled spread-eagle across the blood-splattered canvas floor of the fighting ring, it was only the rank, foul odor of sweat, blood and god-only knows what else - soaked up from a filthy past of countless fights and fermented in the summer heat - radiating up that kept him still clinging on to consciousness. Only the dead could sleep through a stink like that. Yet no smell could help with rebooting his shaken brain still rattling around his head from all the throwing around he had just endured.

Unfortunately, Hase didn’t seem as inclined to indulge his self-pity party nor give a second chance, and the next ‘nudge’ was instead a firm kick to his side, enough to roll Takemichi over several times and face first straight into the metal cage that separated this ring of hell from the outside world. “I’m not repeating myself,” came his drawl, followed by the familiar click of a lighter and the stinging smell of cigarette smoke that pierced his nose.

A snort off from the side. “Think you might have killed him,” Jun complained, his tone clearly bored as he lightly smacked his baseball bat against his calf. A pause. “That might be a boon though. Changing the future and all.”

Scratch that, his death wasn’t even an inconvenience. He could cry right now. He really could. Even Mikey didn’t waste his time finding nobodies to beat up for the hell of it. How was it that your brutal, heartless captains were so vastly different from kind, caring you? How is it you hadn’t yet been eaten alive by these monsters in human skin? Were you perhaps as much a monster as them? The mere idea of you staring down at Takemichi like Mikey did, with cold, empty eyes, sent a shiver down his spine, and he pushed the thought to the back of his head. No, there was no way you could hide something so sinister, not how genuine that gaze of yours had been or how sincere you were about your care towards your friends.

Then again, Mikey hasn’t had to shake the truth out from him just yet, and you weren’t particularly interested in digging those secrets out yourself either. Takemichi sighed, resigning himself to his fate. It wasn’t as if he could get his answers at the moment, and so albeit the reluctance and the protests of his body, the blond-haired boy pulled himself up from the well worn tarp, biting back the tears as he somehow managed to twist his bruised self into a sitting position, resting against the crisscrossing bars. Risking what Hase would do to him if he didn’t obey was just one more thing that Takemichi did not want to test - he might actually die if he gets tossed across the ring again.

“I’m up, I’m up,” the time traveler hastily reassured through swollen, bleeding lips, though it was more to convince himself than the other two seasoned gangsters as he carefully shuffled black and blue limbs around in an attempt to make things more comfortable. Dressed in just his sports shorts, he already made for quite the pathetic sight, with clear purple-and-black bruises decorated his upper chest, arms and legs, and this was barely helped by just how scrawny Takemichi looked next to the much taller and well-built Hase.

Hase, himself clothed in a simple shirt and shorts and with bandages wrapped around bare hands and feet, only rolled his eyes at the carefulness in which Takemichi picked himself off the floor, those dull gray eyes glaring down at him with disdain as he brought his cigarette up to his lips for another drag. “Nothing’s broken, stand.”

“But everything hurts,” Takemichi mumbled, the sharp flashes of agony that had rippled through his body from being beaten and thrown around having finally died down to a throb that radiated from his chest with every breath. How was it that he constantly finds himself in these sorts of situations? All he ever wanted to do was to save Hina from her unfortunate, undeserving destiny, was that too much to ask? Well, save Hina, Naoto, Mikey, and the rest of his newfound Toman friends, but still.

It had been a mere four days since you first waltzed into his life and class with a letter from the school principal, looking for him, and two since Jun had crashed his class and dragged him off in front of his teacher and all his classmates by the scruff of his neck, having figured through some unknown means that Takemichi was, in fact, a time leaper. And now, four days on from that fateful day, he hadn't even recovered enough from the beating he got from Hase two days prior before being today’s fresh punching bag. A time traveler of twelve years he was, but even now, Takemichi wished he had the ability to reach back just a single day to warn himself of what was to come.

‎

He had almost forgoed school this morning. A bad gut feel, one that was strong enough to cramp up his stomach, making it near impossible for him to roll out of bed; Takemichi couldn’t recall the last time when his body had protested this much against doing something. He knew he should have listened, stayed at home to rest out the pain. It might have been the air being denser than normal, might have been just a bad snack the previous day, or the fact that he was still recovering from the stomp he received courtesy of your Red Dragonflies’ First Division Captain. Whatever it was, Takemichi should have heeded the warning.

But Hina had promised to go out for tea with him after school if he showed up, and the blond-haired boy just wasn’t strong enough to resist. And so against his better judgment, he went anyway.

The ominous rumbling of his stomach a second foreboding time was hard to ignore as Takemichi slipped through the front door of his homeroom class, cutting it close to being late again just as the bell rang through the empty corridors outside. His homeroom teacher shot him a stink eye as he sat down, but with nothing to hold against him, she let him go. At least for those few precious seconds, the time-traveling delinquent recalled, there was peace in his world. Normality had returned, and maybe he could rest for a bit.

A tug at his sleeve. “Hey, Hanagaki-kun.” Followed by the rustle of a piece of paper being slid between tables. “For you.”

Alas, it was the third and final saving grace that fate had attempted to extend his way; the chance to simply ignore the Red Dragonflies’ gang member of a deskmate he had for the remaining five minutes that this period would last before he could make his getaway, but it was too little too late. Blue eyes slipped to meet Suzuki Hisao’s before Takemichi could stop himself, and the boy mentally kicked himself. “Uh- sure. Thanks Suzuki-kun,” he mumbled back, reaching out to quickly grab the offered note, attempting to slip the piece of paper into his pocket without looking. Perhap he could still get himself out of this mess…

“Aren’t you going to read that? It’s from Hase-san, you know.”

Dammit. Why did his usually sleepy classmate have to be so sharp when it came to this? “I was just going to,” came Takemichi’s weak reply, tinted with obvious despair. There was no avoiding or denying what was written in a surprisingly neat print on the inside of the folded scrap paper: an order to meet back at the “same place” at 11am. The same place? As in that dingy underground fight club where he got beat to an inch of his life? Not only had he been there just a single time and had no recollection how to make his own way back to that hellhole, but 11 in the morning was still class time. How was he supposed to up and leave?

The unvocalized frustration painted on his face must have been misinterpreted by Suzuki, because the unusually enthusiastic boy leaned forward, his voice dropping to a whisper, envy clear in his tone. “So how did you do it?”

Takemichi startled at the sudden interjection to his thoughts, though fortunately, the drone of his homeroom teacher about one topic or another (he wasn’t paying the slightest bit of attention) was enough to drown out any sound that escaped his lips. “Sorry?”

“First, Boss comes to seek you out personally, now you’re getting training from Hase-san? Two of the greatest honors. How did you do it?”

Greatest honors? Two? The blond-haired delinquent gave a nervous laugh, eyes shifting away to stare at the ground. Shit. “I-I think there’s been some confusion, a-ahaha…” There was no possible way to break it nicely to the starry-eyed Suzuki that all your Reds wanted with him was to wrangle as much information about the future as they could before discarding his lifeless body. “There’s no training-”

“Hase-san doesn’t train anyone outside of the Wings and his own two Vice Captains,” the Reds’ gang member interjected. “And you’re not even a Red. How’s the training? Are you learning quickly?”

Deciding that he no longer wanted to discuss his upcoming death, Takemichi instead racked his brain for a discussion change. “Uh- Suzuki-kun, don’t you report to Koji-san?”

The awe on his deskmate’s face melted away as the implication of the question set in, giving way to pursed lips and solemn eyes. “Yes, but everyone obeys Hase-san.” A moment’s pause, and then Suzuki hastily corrected himself. “Besides Boss and Furusawa-san, of course.”

Takemichi’s eyebrows furrowed in confusion. “Everyone obeys Hase? But isn’t he the First Division Captain?” That would be like expecting Hakkai or Peh to differ to Baji despite them being in different divisions.

“Hase-san’s the First Wing, yes, but he’s also the gang’s de facto commander,” Suzuki explained, keeping his voice down to a quiet mumble that easily blended in with the normal chatter as the homeroom teacher trailed off. “Runs the day-to-day operations for the boss. So if Hase-san gives you an order, you obey. And he personally - personally - asked me to pass you this note and bring you down to the club.”

With that, the excitement came roaring back onto the other’s face, and Takemichi groaned. So much for topic diversion.

As if on cue, the lesson bell rang, its shrill, ear-piercing scream marking the end of both homeroom and this conversation. Suzuki stood, swinging his bag casually over his shoulder. “Right, we’re leaving at 10.15 so make sure your bag is packed then. Hase-san despises tardiness.”

‎

Fuck, he was going to miss his tea with Hina. Lost in his recollections of the recent past, wondering whether Toman or the Red Dragonflies were the worse gang to be a part of, it was the new shadow falling over him that finally tore Takemichi from his memories and musings, though it was too late to avoid the hand that wrapped itself around the scruff of his neck, bodily lifting him from where he had been slumped against the fighting ring’s cage. "No speed, no technique, no strength,” Hase noted blandly, the smoldering cigarette held between chapped lips uncomfortably close to Takemichi’s skin as the older man gave him a once over before dropping him back on his two aching feet. “Can’t last a minute in a fight."

“Ouch,” Takemichi winced, sharply inhaling through his nose, the pain both physical, from landing on his sore and abraded feet, and emotional, from having the quiet part said out loud. Damn, do your guys really need to poke at his weakness like that?

The protest wasn’t lost on Jun, who snorted, lifting his wooden bat to point directly at him from where the Second Wing was lazily sprawled across several spectator seats. “You can barely throw a fucking punch and you’re still fucking complaining during training?”

“I tried! That wasn’t training, that was a curb stom-“

A loud bang cut Takemichi off before he could finish, and the Toman delinquent whirled around right as Hase lowered his leg from where the thick metal bars of the fighting cage were now clearly indented in the shape of his foot. Said man didn’t even bother sparing a second look, moving to yank a well worn chair to the middle of the ring, but the message was clear. If this had been anything but training, the blond-haired boy would have been dead many times over. “Start off from where you stopped,” the blue-haired First Wing ordered, his weary words as steely as the seat he slumped into, the metal beneath letting out a groan of protest at the sudden weight put on its tired joints.

“Fucking showoff,” the baseball player mumbled, though this was promptly ignored by Hase.

No seat for him? Takemichi sighed, opting to lean back against the cage for a bit of support to take the pressure off his feet. Even if neither of the two were clad in the usual red, he still very much felt the exclusion. “Well, we covered the first future-”

Jun interjected. “Where there was only Mikey and Kisaki are at the top of Toman and no Red Dragonflies, yes. And then the second future, all those clingy Toman motherfuckers are dead, and you got all fucking emotional where you had to kill that fucking Sano, get the fuck on with it.”

“Shut the fuck up, Jun,” Hase snapped irritably, before waving his free hand at Takemichi as he lifted the other to pull the finished cigarette from his mouth. “Start from there, after your return from Manila.”

The Toman member shivered as those dull gray eyes came to rest once more on him: it was the same thousand-yard gaze from the timeline he was about to recall, the same look Hase leveled straight at you as he pulled the trigger. Somehow, those eyes hadn’t changed despite the events of the future being twelve years away; Takemichi could only wonder what the tired man had already seen. Wondered what you had seen - if anything, your eyes looked too awfully similar to Hase’s, for someone so young. Instead, shaking himself back into reality, the time leaper cleared his throat. “Well, after returning to Tokyo, I found out through Naoto that it was someone called Kurokawa Izana who was the boss of Toman alongside Kisaki. I'd never heard of Izana till then, so Naoto had mentioned that he was going to go back to the station to do more digging, but then we were jumped.”

The tap of wood against concrete ceased, and with a shriek of cheap plastic from his protesting chair, the Red Dragonflies’ Second Wing leaned forward, bat now propped up between his legs, black almond eyes fixed unblinkingly on Takemichi. Even Hase seemed intrigued, his posture stiffening - the word ‘jumped’ having caught both their attention.

“We were jumped from behind by you, Hase-san.”

As soon as those words left Takemichi, the loud ‘ha!, followed by the screeching of a chair being forced back nearly gave the Toman member a heart attack, Jun leaping out of his chair and swinging his bat at the First Wing. “I called it! I fucking called it!” He bellowed triumphantly, his screech as piercing as a murder of crows, ringing out over the hum of the large exhaust fans overhead and echoing across the empty betting hall.

But along with that celebration also came a loud groan followed by a thwack as Hase threw his head backwards, bashing it against the metal chair backing, one hand immediately slipping into his pants pocket to pull out that trusty pack of cigarettes. “Fuck me. It had to be me, huh?” The blue-haired man muttered to himself, pulling and pushing a stick into his mouth with a single fluent move.

“I told you I’ll never work for that fucking rat, not even once,” crowed Jun proudly. “Pay up, fucker.”

The other Red executive sighed, and from the other pocket pulled out a wallet. “At least come up to the cage.” Takemichi didn’t catch how much had changed hands, but there was no mistaking the size and color of those 10-thousand yen notes being passed between bars. They were betting on the future? Scratch that, the two of them had guessed enough of what happened to make a bet?

Hase grumbled something about blood money going to idiots, but did not return to his seat, instead opting to lean against the bars of the fight ring, gray eyes now fixed on the blood and sweat splattered canvas floor even as he spoke to Takemichi. “Continue.”

“Um- yes so both of us were knocked out, but you said that it was Kisaki that told you that I would be found easily near Naoto. Next thing I knew, I woke up as I was being dragged by my foot alongside Naoto through the corridors of some penthouse, and then Hase-san pulled us into a bedroom.”

All of the celebratory mood was instantly lost, evaporating into the hot summer afternoon and leaving behind a heavy, tense atmosphere; Jun’s face turned solemn once more, and Hase only seemed to age further under the harsh white lights that flooded down from the ceiling. The time leaper swallowed hard - no doubt they could already sense where this was going. He hurried on. “And Izana was there, on the bed, with- with-” But for all his attempts to just keep going, to tell your Red Dragonflies what they needed to know, it was the image of you that came flooding back into the front of his mind. His words failed him. Those dead glass eyes of yours were still staring straight at him from beyond time, haunting him from his memory.

“With Boss,” Hase finished off Takemichi’s sentence with a mumble, the words slipping from his lips like a prayer.

Takemichi shakily nodded. It was all he had left in him to do, and the boy collapsed back to the ground, his jelly legs finally having given up the last of their strength. Naoto had been right, he bitterly thought as he tried and failed to bite back the tears brimming at the corners of his eyes - this timeline they were headed down was truly the worst future. But what more could he do? The underground ring felt more like a desecrated church in the moment, the enormous concrete bunker forever hidden from the light of the sun falling eerily calm as the sound of the exhaust fans blended into the background, the whistle of wind being forced through narrow gaps under heavy steel doors as if haunted by the ghosts; though from his past lives or of fights past, the time leaper couldn’t tell.

“Keep going. What happened next?”

The rest of the tale spilled out of the weary time leaper as a whisper, but it was enough for the other two present to hear every horrid word and detail relayed: about your scars and bruises and Izana’s obsession over you, about your dead mind still trapped in a living body, about the white-haired man shooting a future Naoto before trying to get you to turn the gun on Takemichi. About how it was Hase that finally put you to rest, about Furusawa’s death by ambush, and then Jun’s and of countless others at said First Wing’s hands, and finally how he had a chance to escape to the past before his own untimely end.

The two older delinquents simply listened on in calm, eerie silence, content with taking in and absorbing the words for now. A tale that was way too specific to be made up yet still lacking a frustrating amount of detail, though neither seemed too bothered by the future Hase’s actions. A moment of silence as Takemichi’s words trailed off, and the three processed everything that had happened so far. The next time Jun spoke up, his tone was completely flat and volume close to conversational, his usual loudness nowhere to be found. “And you say this… Kisaki. He is the one pulling the strings?”

It took Takemichi by surprise, the fact that the loud and crass baseball player could sound so normal, but he still nodded. “Yes, that is what me and Naoto think. Izana mentioned that I was to be Kisaki’s target. And in every future, Kisaki is present as one of the heads of Toman.”

“But so is Mikey,” Hase pointed out. “How do you know it's Kisaki and not Mikey calling the shots?”

The Toman member’s jaw slackened. “But- but-” Takemichi stammered. “Mikey would never do something like that!” The face of the Toman President, framed by blond strands, cuddled into your side and protesting about something inaudible came to the front of his mind, the same boy that would fight through hell and high water for his friends; that Mikey?

An annoyed tap of wood against concrete. “You don’t know that,” the Red Dragonfly’s battle strategist pointed out, his long blond hair flung backwards over a shoulder in an attempt to get the sweat-covered strands out of his face. “That Sano shithead is another persistent factor, plus he’s already a current pest to Boss.”

“It can’t be.” He knew what they were saying was the truth, but still, it wasn’t something that Takemichi could accept - yes, Mikey from the future had been the one committing cold-blooded murder of people he knew and loved, but that wasn’t the real Mikey. That couldn’t be truly the Mikey he knew. “It can’t be Mikey. It has to be Kisaki that made Mikey do it. Or Izana.”

Jun hmmpfed, but fell silent. It was clear that they didn’t trust Toman much either.

Within the cage of the ring, Hase took a drag, exhaling another column of smoke as he pulled the stick from his mouth. “You’re back here to save someone, aren’t you, Hanagaki?”

“H-huh?”

The blue-haired delinquent turned his eyes up towards the giant overhead exhaust fans, the single constant sound that made up the background hum. “That’s why you keep coming back. Someone you lost that you just didn’t have enough time with.” Tired gray eyes turned on Takemichi, that gaze that seemed to see through him and his entire life. A statement, not a question. It was as if he already knew.

Takemichi couldn’t help himself even as he rubbed ever so gently at his tearing eyes. “Hina.”

“A girlfriend.”

“Oh!” A forgotten detail from twelve years later that had eluded Takemichi quickly returned, and the blond-haired boy looked up. “Hase-san, in the future, you had a boyf-“

The smoldering cigarette butt that came hurling straight at him cut any remaining words off, and would have hit him square in the face if Takemichi hadn’t dodged with an eep.

“That’s enough outta you,” Hase muttered, annoyed, even as Jun looked on suspiciously, though the room quickly returned to the topic at hand. “So the kid we’re looking for is a Kisaki Tetta.”

Jun spat, finally standing from the creaky plastic chair with a curse and pulling a flipphone from his back pocket. “I’ll get that name to Masashi, pull everything we got.”

Both sets of eyes once more slid onto Takemichi, and the blond-haired boy recoiled slightly as Hase took a few steps towards the boy, only for the man to stop right before him to crush the finished stick into the canvas. “You keep him away from Toman, Hanagaki,” Hase drawled, turning on his heel and making for the cage door right as the clock that hung on a far wall struck twelve noon. “We’ll take care of the rest once we find that fucker.”

A soft chime, combined with the screeching creek of worn hinges being forced open brought a sense of relief flooding through Takemichi; he hadn’t even realized he had been holding his breath all this time. His hell was over, at least for today. No doubt it’ll still be a tough slog ahead to save everyone that he cared for, but at least for now, of all the people in the world, the time traveling delinquent had come to realize that these two were perhaps exactly who needed to hear what happened. Instead of facing down the future alone, the events today were enough to tell him that they were who he needed on his side to counter Kisaki - maybe they really had a fighting chance. Maybe they could change the future.

“Suzuki Hisao will inform you when the next training is.” And then that eternally unamused voice that only ever carried the promise of more pain floated over from the doorway, and Takemichi immediately groaned. Great, now he regretted thinking all those good things about those two demons you called friends.

Jun didn’t miss the opportunity to rub it in as Hase strolled off, his bat letting out a muffled yet equally threatening thud as the baseball player swung it to rest once more over his shoulder. “Can’t have you fucking die on us again.”

Fuck him sideways.

‎

Looking over Shibuya from the rooftop was a vastly different feeling compared to wandering through the city streets below, Kisaki determined, gray eyes peering out from golden-rimmed glasses gazing down upon the unsuspecting passersby below. A skyscraper roof was one of the last places Kisaki thought of coming, and though he appreciated the silence and the privacy away from the hum and drum of traffic, he still couldn’t quite comprehend what Izana meant by light air pressure. Perhaps it was just a thing about the wind that the other enjoyed.

Yet it was the thought of the white-haired Tenjiku leader that led his mind straight back to you, and that mental image of you huddled tight against Izana’s side four days ago was proving impossible to push from the forefront of his mind. Kisaki hadn’t meant to stalk the two of you all the way to your meeting area - and it wasn’t the smartest decision, given how much trouble he had finding his way back out of the industrial area - but he couldn’t help his curiosity. The insistence with which he held you to his side, Izana's obsession with where you were and who you were with at all times, the gentleness with which he bundled you into his arms, completely contrasted with the dark bruises your former lover left you with the moment you stepped out of line.

Of course, he had already heard of the lingering hushed whispers about you and your formidable well before he ever made the acquaintance of Izana, while he was still chasing the invincible Mikey. Who wouldn’t have, even after the briefest dip of their toe into the delinquent world, even if you had already been away for two years? Hell, the constant rumors swirling on when, not if, you were returning were hard to ignore. But Kisaki could never quite find any trace of you despite having paid a handsome sum for an old photo of you, and neither were the Red Dragonflies accepting new members. So with Toman being the new up and coming gang and its undefeated boss Mikey at its helm, they were who the glasses-touting delinquent decided to go with.

But then out of nowhere you returned and were now back in the game. With what he knew, Kisaki was certain that Mikey and control of Toman were no longer the ultimate prize. No, if he were to stand at the top of the delinquent world, it had to be by your side. Not only were you back at the head of a gang that stated and enforced the rules of the delinquent scene in the Greater Kanto region, but you were now living rent-free in both Izana’s and Mikey’s heads: your presence and absence had a direct effect on the ebb and flow of their lives, and he had witnessed it with his own two eyes. After all, why else would the king of Tenjiku play his hand and risk it all just to get you back to his side? Why did Mikey only give him the time of day in exchange for information about you?

“Plot and play all you like, Kisaki Tetta,” those words echoed in his mind from a not-so-distant past, empty violet eyes staring him down when Kisaki first offered his services to Izana. “Touch her, and I’ll kill you myself.”

Yet despite you seemingly equally enthralled by the two rival gang leaders clad in black and red, making it easy to gain access to you if he stuck with Izana, you were also easily the biggest headache that the blond-haired tanned boy had ever tried to deal with. The Four Wings you surround yourself with, that monster of a right-hand man Mamoru Furusawa, and then for the cherry on top, your extensive network of contacts that spanned every level of society; you yourself were one dangerous foe, and crossing you would not be a fun experience.

Kisaki couldn’t ask for a better target. This win would be exhilarating.

Taking in a deep breath of fresh air, the mastermind exhaled, allowing himself to clear his thoughts of you and instead turn to take stock of and evaluate the day’s events. As per usual, with the news and information he had brought on you, Mikey had indeed deemed it worthy to grant him an audience, and Kisaki thought he had done a pretty good job riling the other boy up - that crease of eyebrows and flash of anger behind usually empty eyes, the lack of hesitation at accepting his offering of a vial of sleeping drugs. All in all, the blond-haired boy thought as he finally stepped back from the edge, turning to return to the building interior, a good day’s work that is enough to consider giving himself a pat on the back.

Needless to say, he would be elated to finally have the chance to meet you face to face soon.

‎

The celebratory mood didn’t transcend well back in Yokohama, where the rest of the notorious S-62 generation had gathered atop a similar skyscraper, the brutal heat of the afternoon sun somewhat dissipated by the constant wind and some shade provided by the towering antenna behind.

“Can’t believe we have to listen to that blonde fuckhead,” Shion complained, letting out a grunt as he slumped onto the concrete slab, free hand swatting at the beads of perspiration rolling down the tattooed side of his head. “Thinking he knows better than me.”

Ran, more comfortably positioned leaning up against a wall, raised one eyebrow at the statement. “Didn’t think that was hard to achieve,” the elder of the Haitanis commented lightly. “Rather low bar, in fact.” Rindo nodded, stoic facade firmly in place despite the clear amusement shining through spectacle-framed violet eyes.

Unluckily for the two, the insult simply bounced off of the former Ninth Generation Black Dragon leader, who shot them an annoyed look. “Don’t ya think it's all junk too? How come he gets to be the boss of us?” A snot, before the boy answered himself. “Fucking no, I say.”

Mochi, who had up till now been sitting cross-legged on the floor, suddenly stood, turning to face Shion with furrowed eyebrows. “Are you questioning Izana’s decision, Shion?” Fighting words that were enough to get the other to backtrack a little, and the conversation on Kisaki quickly died after that. After all, if Izana said so, that it was as such, no matter whether they agreed or disagreed.

The loud, jarring sound of a horn echoed up from congested roads below, cutting through the momentary silence and the peace that the open air brought - it was rare for delinquents like them to have downtime like this, given the conquering mood that their king had been in. To no one’s surprise, it was Shion who once more broke the silence. “I wonder what Izana wants with the Red Dragonflies.”

Rindo let out an unimpressed grunt. “His girl’s the boss,” the younger Haitani stated simply, earning himself an profanity filled exclamation of non-belief from said former Black Dragon President. “I don’t care if you believe it or not, it's true.”

“No fucking way, she left, didn’t she? Quit being a delinquent and all.”

“Not anymore, she returned after the latest president got the boot,” Ran weighed in, backing his younger brother up. “Kicked his ass herself too. We were there.”

“You think we’ll ever meet her?”

Kakucho kept silent, content with simply listening to his fellow executives' increasingly heated discussions about you. He knew better, of course, having been there when Shinichiro first brought you to the detention center to meet Izana, and had been keeping his ear to the ground for news on your movements since then. You hadn’t been worth a glance to the white-haired boy all those years ago, but the same couldn’t be said now, and with how important you were to his hero, his king, as a mere servant, there was no excuse for Kakucho not to know where you were at all times. Yet, above all, the black-haired boy with the scarred eye knew he had an obligation to Izana, to keep his best friend safe, be it from the world or from himself. And whatever Izana thought he was doing with Kisaki in a bid to have you back by his side wasn’t safe - Kisaki wasn’t to be trusted in the slightest, Kakucho knew. He could only hope that his friend would forgive him after the dust has settled for going to you with this information.

‎

Yet unknown to the Tenjiku executives making the most of their downtime away from the troubles of the streets, it was one of many Tenjiku grunts who had the misfortune of tripping over an awkwardly held white cane as a man in sunglasses breezed by, the loud thud of the boy landing on his ass causing the other to come to a stop. “Sorry, did I trip you?”

“Stupid fuck!” The apology was far from well-received, though upon several red-clad delinquents crowding around the offender, it was clear that he was simply blind. “Watch your fucking cane!”

“My sincere apologies,” Koji offered, dressed simply in a black shirt and jeans and a baseball cap, tapping his cane around in a show. “I didn’t mean to.”

At least it seemed the boys were unwilling to let loose on the disabled, and with a few more profanities, they were on their way, none the wiser to the miniature microphone that had been slipped into one unsuspecting jacket pocket. Bingo, the Third Wing amusedly thought as he turned, resuming his stroll down the busy streets of Yokohama City, before turning the corner and disappearing into a side alley. Masashi should have a much easier time with his task now.

‎

“I swear guys, cross my heart, I broke up with Izana two years ago,” you found yourself repeating for the umpteenth time reassuringly, as you bundled a sniffling Kazutora further into your arms, your other arm thrown tightly over Baji’s shoulders. “We aren’t together anymore. I don’t lie, never to you boys.”

“Bbu-but what about those red bastards?” A pathetic tug at your sleeve, as Kazutora sobbed into your chest, your shirt clutched firmly between his fists, a far cry from the rampaging, bone-breaking, unforgiving delinquent he had been just an hour earlier. “You’re going to leave us again,” the boy with the duo-color hair accused, before bursting into tears once more, only for you to smile and run your free hand through his hair.

“I won’t. I really won’t.”

Mitsuya didn’t seem impressed in the slightest, neither by the theatrics nor your answers. “But you were with them earlier this morning,” the Toman Second Division Captain blandly noted. “And you’re still going to meet them tonight. Without us.”

“You also still agreed to meet Izana, where he gave you a wedding ring,” Draken added, the tallest of the boys easily stepping over sprawling legs to pick you up by the back of your shirt, dislodging your clingers and setting you gently back on your own two feet much to the protest of Baji and Kazutora, though the raised eyebrow had you nervously looking away. “That doesn’t sound like breaking up to me.”

You sighed, throwing your hands up in the air. “I have an informant meeting tonight, I already told you boys this. And no, I don’t plan on meeting Izana alone again, let alone marry him. Ever.”

Despite it being a negative, the word ‘marry’ instantly triggered another loud bawl from Kazutora, who flung himself at your legs.

Outside, the sky was turning a dusty blue as the sun slowly sank beneath the horizon, the hustle and bustle of traffic from the city center fading away along with the dying light.

Yet for all the shenanigans going down, there was one notable exemption from the usual party, a blond-haired figure sitting a distance apart from where you and everyone else had gathered. You had returned exactly on time as you had promised, Mikey dully noted from where he was leaning up against the far wall of your room, empty abyss eyes staring blankly down at the taiyaki clutched in one hand. It had been five days since the Toman President had learned about your scars from Kisaki, and four since he had seen them with his very own eyes, the vileness that tainted your being, that you had hid from them all these years. You, their precious Toman princess, who Mikey had revered as his friend, as someone he would do anything for. You did not belong only to him.

The darkness settling over the land masked the same blackness that now tinted his eyes as Mikey looked up. You had caught his gaze and returned a gentle smile, but did nothing more than that where you would have usually beckoned him into a hug and forehead kisses; no doubt your relationship with Mikey was rocky at the moment, to say the least. And despite your efforts to patch things up, whatever you did was never enough, not with all that was at stake. Kisaki was right - to be able to keep you by his side forever, he - they - needed to get rid of the competition. All the competition.

The cold glass of the vial and the rustle of a needle pack tickled his skin as Mikey’s hand brushed past, though the blond-haired delinquent ignored the sensations only to pull out his phone. Soon. To start with that white-haired bastard, or with those Red scum? It didn’t matter, of course, not to Mikey. Because if you wouldn’t come quietly to him, then he would have to take everything else away.

69 notes · View notes