regarding the series you & me, which has been on indefinite on-and-off hiatus ( to which i apologize deeply… i'm working on it and the series will not be discontinued!), i plan on archiving the series. i have yet to decide an ending, major plot lines, and have been roughly going on ideas that came to me randomly two years ago. i have also found several grammatical and storyline errors, and i feel that it is unfair to keep progressing on a story that is so far, going no where. once i decide all of these major changes, these chapters will be reedited & republished, alongside new ones!
i'm sure that many of you by now have heard of fujimoto's most recent oneshot, goodbye eri, and have hopefully read it. like most of fujimoto's work, you have to really read between the lines (or in his case, pictures) to try and understand what he is really trying to convey.
a story about a young boy named yuta who recorded his mother's life, from the moment he received a phone to the moment she took her last breath, and presented it as a movie for his entire school to see. he later meets eri, the one person who isn't bashing his movie out of all of those who watched it, and actually wants to help him create a better movie. he spends the rest of the story figuring out a good plot alongside eri and learning new things, one of which includes the fact that eri was to meet a similar fate to his mothers. when the time comes, he feels undeterred by her death -- in fact, he feels motivated to create the perfect movie using the hours upon house of footage he took during his time with her.
although his movie with eri is supposedly much better than the one he made of his mother, they both have the same ending; an explosion.
basically, the explosion isn't the ending of the story, but the film. i'm unsure if the entire manga is what the main character decided to put for his film, or if it's a combination of what he recorded and what he lived through, but the explosion id confirmed to be fictional.
while creating the movie with eri, he ends up getting so immersed in making it to her liking that he forgets to add his own input (the “pinch of fantasy” she mentioned, which he also used for the ending of his mother's story). in a way, the explosion is not only his pinch of fantasy, but his own way of saying goodbye.
most likely from his mother death, yuta doesn't know how to say goodbye properly because of the way she treated him. he was placed between the responsibility she gave him and the way she acted with him, so while he feels guilty for walking out on her last few moments, he also feels that she deserved it.
because he didn't know how to say goodbye, he decided to make it forceful — almost as if he had no choice. and what's the best way to do that? an unplanned disaster; the explosion.
it's almost the same with eri, except this time, the goodbye he says was long ago. almost unofficial. it had never clicked in his mind that eri left, because to him, in his memories and his videos, she was very much alive (the effect she wished to have on her future self once she'd reincarnated had also affected yuta). it's only when he’s run out of film and therefore a reason to live, does he decide to end his life in the one place it truly started — where eri had taken him to watch movies.
he discovers that she is still alive, and in some way eri gives him a spark to live once more after telling him about her true self -- being a vampire, having reincarnated three days after her death, and basically being immortal. he realizes that the one way he can truly live is to move on from the past, from his memories, and from eri. he leaves her behind with the same conflicting ending he left his mother with; an explosion — because even though he wanted nothing to do with either of them at the end, they’d always be a part of his life somehow.
summary; you want to study, but his charms get the better of you, under the light of a candle.
word count; 794™
warnings; none.
THERE WERE VERY few times that the blond would use his host club charms outside of music room 3, but you were an exception. the school week had been tiring for the two of you, and he’d proposed to take you out.
you had no idea where you were going, or what you were doing, but you looked forward to it nonetheless. you’d really needed this evening, as all the stress from high school had been worming its way into your daily life — the second year of highschool (in japan) was always hardest, regardless of what they said.
after coming home, you plopped all your books on the floor and then yourself on the bed. it truly had been an exhausting day.
your phone beeped. the type of beep when you received a voicemail. kyoya didn’t send voicemails, he was far too professional. honey would be asleep at this time, and mori didn’t send any either. the hitachin twins would rather spam your phone with calls, and haruhi would’ve sent a simple text.
tamaki.
you flip your phone open, pressing the buttons to open your voicemails.
“hello. i’m pretty sure you’ve finished your study group by now, so i just dropped in to tell you that you can come over. or if you’d like for me to come pick you up, i can do that too.”
you smiled at how sweet it was, then checked the time. it was getting quite late, and your study group had taken more time than it regularly did. you decided to get ready now, changing out of your school uniform into something more casual.
after dressing, you added some finishing touches to your outfit and sent a small text to let him know you were ready. you found a pair of socks to slip on underneath your shoes, and went downstairs to do just that.
YOU’D FINALLY ARRIVED at tamaki’s house after a well-timed bike ride, ringing the doorbell to let him know you were there. instead of him coming down and greeting you like every time he usually had when you’d come over, shima had.
“hello. he’s upstairs.” she offers a small chuckle.
you offer a respectful bow of the head and smile in return, a little confused at why he hadn’t greeted you.
you shake the thoughts out of your head and walk upstairs, having memorized the second estate’s floorplans by heart.
“tamaki?” you knock on the door.
“here!” you hear his voice faintly, opting to go in and follow it.
his room was vacant, but the balcony door outside was open widely. you stepped inside and made your way to the balcony, finding him standing in front a table, finishing the last details of a candlelit dinner.
you don’t say anything, instead watching as your jaw slightly drops.
“do you not like it?” he asks sheepishly, a tone he’d only used around you.
“no, no, the opposite actually.” an uncontrollable smile grows on your face. “i can’t begin to describe how much i love it.”
this causes a smile to grow on his face, enveloping you in a hug.
“i know school’s been a little bit difficult for you, since you need to apply for universities this year and all, but i was hoping this could help.”
“it did, thank you.”
you spent the next few hours catching up and eating dinner, enjoying the view, but not more than each others company.
you told him about how the homework and assignments had been piling up, and he spoke to you about how the host club had been doing well, how he’d wanted you to visit.
“as a matter of fact, haruhi says she wants to see you again. i can’t wait for my girls to hang out!”
this brings a small chuckle out of you, reminding you to check the time.
it was almost midnight.
“oh god.” you mutter to yourself, frantically packing your belongings.
“what’s wrong?”
“i have to go home and study, i have an exam on monday.”
“no.”
“what do you mean?”
“i mean you’re being too harsh on yourself.”
“but i have to do this now.”
“don’t worry about it. have fun for today, and i’ll help you tomorrow.”
“tamaki, i really appreciate it, but-”
“no buts! i’m not letting you leave until you’re fully rested.”
“tamaki…” you whine, despite knowing he was right.
“i’ll help you study. i’m not number two in the class nothing!”
“but you aren’t number one.”
“(Y/N)!”
“kidding! kidding!”
“see!” he smiles. “you’re already starting to unwind.”
“you’re right.” you reciprocate the smile. “thank you, so much. i needed this.”
“anything for you.”
anything and everything could happen under the night of a candle, including one of the best nights of your life.
i know that i haven't posted in a while, to which i apologize for, but there is a chapter in the works to be released (hopefully) soon!
now, it should be if not fairly obvious, than already known that i am very shinichiro-obsessed. i love looking at edits, art, writing, and theories.
less a year ago, when i'd first started liking shinichiro, i'd developed an idea soon turned into a short blurb and later a theory (this post).
as of recently, a theory regarding shinichiro's placement in the story as well as his role and influence has been trending, depicting him to be a bad person; i thought it would be fun for me to share some of my thoughts on shinichiro as well as my initial reaction to first reading this theory.
before we get into it though, i recommend you read the theory, and even more attentively its warnings prior to continuing either posts (mine, or the theorists). please stay safe and careful!
1. i was outraged when i first read this, because this is THE shinichiro sano; the one who founded the black dragons, the one known as “the weak king”, the one respected among many, many delinquents despite the obvious difference in strength (something desparately needed to be a delinquent), and whether they were his opponents or not, as well as the one who affects the plot of tokyo revengers even decades after his passing. i then realized that i actually have a theory similar to this (the post mentioned references this); shinichiro leading a double life. it sounds unbelievable, that he was able to be such a perfect character — so humble, kind, empathetic, and responsible, all the while staying true to himself.
2. throughout reading tokyo revengers, i noticed that mikey continued to give parts of himself away to please those around him who he loved. his name, to make emma comfortable; his grief, to make baji happy (by forgiving kazutora despite him killing baji and shinichiro); his sanity, to ensure the safety of his friends (fighting even when it tore him apart because he was the strongest); his hairstyle, to hold onto them even after their passing.
3. i also noticed that every time shinichiro is brought up, it's usually one of the other character's speaking about him, and when he does appear in flashbacks, he's usually a background character. i find that a bit strange due to fact that shinichiro is such a large influence on the characters, plot, and overall, everything.
i don’t know why it took me so long to realize this, but i think tokyo revengers will have a major plot twist ending that somehow ties in all the plot-holes while relating to mikey, shinichiro, or at least the sano family.
mikey also plays a large role in the story, and this was before takemichi threw away his perfect in the future life to save him by going back in time. i always found it strange that his family was almost never covered, brought up, or named; we have little info on his grandfather and parents, except for a page dedicated to them in the official tokyo revengers guidebook (i found something about it on twitter, i'll see if i can find it again).
based on his other manga, sekisei inko, wakui also focuses on the concept of time and how it teaches the main character lessons, whether it be related to immortality or time travel, and the main theme is to always stay honest to yourself/find yourself. this theme also seems to be prevalent in tokyo revengers, so i assume that a lot of things like why takemichi can time travel, how it works, mikey’s role in the story, more about shinichiro sano and his role in the story will all somehow he tied into the last chapter. near the end of sekisei inko, wakui started to introduce more characters that also seemed to be related to each other, making the two mangas to have the larger and more vague themes to be similar. this leads to the question, how will tokyo revengers end? will it end like sekisei inko, with wakui revealing (or really, explaining) how the information was right in front of our eyes and all we had to do was look deeper into it?
4. i also found it quite confusing and a little irritating that we were always shown scenes of takemichi doing things shinichiro was said to do and/or be known for, but never being shown shinichiro in parallel (maybe this is because i wanted to see more scenes of him, but still); in fact, shinichiro really only ever shows up in flashbacks by pure chance.
5. this right here really gets you thinking about how such a major character who affects the plot solely by his existence or absence, is barely involved in it. shinichiro is more present by name than he is by anything else; there’s barely any scenes where he is shown to be his true self or anything in-between, and the flashbacks always have a main focus that relates to mikey or the happenings of the plot, but never shinichiro, who somehow always happens to be only and just there.
6. shinichiro’s entire character seems very questionable from the start if you think about it. there's a lot of things that contradict about him; he's a delinquent, but is weak; he's a good person, but leads a gang; he's shown to be responsible and empathetic, uniting people (through strange circumstance), but slacks off and is almost always the opposite of what people expect him to be.
the first time he’s mentioned, or at least we assume he is mentioned, is when mikey is speaking about his amazing big bro who reminds him of takemichi and what he stands for. although, the first time we actually see shinichiro, he’s trying to defend himself against two kids and inevitably dying when his brothers best friend hit him with a tool from his own motor shop. isn’t it surprising how such a legend could go down so easily, and that his first appearance is his death?
also adding on to shinichiro keeping izana a secret; how did he find izana in the first place? in the manga it shows that he just ran his doorbell and knew who the boy was, while izana had no idea of shinichiro’s identity. they exchanged secret letters, and shinichiro even taught him how to fight, but wasn’t shinichiro horrible at fighting?
there's a lot wakui isn't revealing to us, instead leaving the readers with many questions -- although i assume that this is his intention, and that he is planning to end tokyo revengers the same way he did sekisei inko -- through many, many surprises/unexpected revelations.
7. i’m starting to think that the “double-life shinichiro” theory i came up with last summer is realistic; maybe he, too has dark impulses but is much more adept at hiding them? he also kept the fact that he and izana weren’t related a secret from the boy. i assumed this was because he didn’t want to hurt his feelings or make him feel like an outsider, but how did shinichiro obtain this information in the first place?
please let me say this; i read this theory with bleary eyes and a half-asleep mind. most of what i am typing now was live-tweeted while i was reading the shinichiro-theory last night. everything up to now was before the second half of the theory, when things started to get dark. i don't have much to say about the second half of their theory, just that it alarmed me and made me think of shinichiro and tokyo revengers very differently.
i hope that we get to see the end of the manga soon (even though i don't want it to end) and that shinichiro and his family get more coverage. please do not send hate to the theorist; the theory was just an interpretation of what they assumed would happen in tokyo revengers and was influenced by a show they watched which they made connections to. i also hope you enjoyed reading this theory/writing piece (?) of my own, and please let me know your thoughts!
summary: the words die on his tongue before he can convey them, and he wonders if he'll spend the next couple of years doubting in regret.
word count: 2,466™
warnings: heavy topics (drinking + things of the sort, neglect), death, unhealthy coping mechanisms.
notes: thank you all for sticking by for these past three months. i appreciate your patience and hope to see you in the next part, soon!
over the longer-than-usual course of the summer, you began to get used to shinichiro's very frequent phone calls. even when he's too busy to get more than just a sentence in, the sound of the ringing telephone warms your heart.
until it stops.
you assume he's started to take this apprenticeship stuff seriously (more seriously than he already is), that he'll be gone for a few days, but then weeks pass without any mention of the black-haired boy or any of his business.
the cooling breeze of a sunday on the first day of august reminds you that almost two months have passed since you've last heard of shinichiro sano.
you remember your graduation like it was yesterday, even though four months have passed since then -- but seeing shinichiro feels like years away from where you are now.
you can't help but reminisce over the memories you've made this summer, from attending weddings, to washing cars, and all the new discoveries you make of the boy who now seems so far out of your reach.
you once again make an effort to hold back your tears, and the empty answering machine where your calls are supposed to be returned only encourages you to do so.
even if you're able to hold in your tears, you're unable to stop yourself from leaning into your folded arms and drowning further in doubt and misery.
you don't know what's happened to him, or if you've done anything, or when it started, or why it's happening, and you're only making yourself feel worse.
getting up, you know to do better than wallow in self pity for the nth time during the past two months. you assume putting on your favourite outfit and cleaning your room will be "doing better", but you feel just the same as you have for the last while.
you miss everything about him more than you hate to admit.
the doorbell rings before you can fall any deeper into the mattress and your thoughts, and you bounce to your feet before skipping to the door.
"you're not the type to stare." shinichiro states, and you blink consecutively in return.
you readjust your grip on the handle, but stay silent.
"come with me."
"where to, exactly?"
"you'll see."
"why the hell should i follow you any where?"
"stop being so stubborn-"
you lean forward to smack his head and hopefully knock some common sense into it, but he knows you too well, and catches your wrist before you can do anything.
you take notice of his leather jacket, "you look nice."
"thanks." he says, changing his hold on your hand to a much more comfortable one. "you, too."
"i know."
he exhales; you're just the same.
pulling on your hand, he walks you down the apartment stairs and to his bike. it seems that nothing really changed over the past period of time, that everything is still the same.
you and shinichiro don't say much to each other. in fact, you don't say anything it all. you just watch through the helmet, your helmet, that he usually keeps on his bike for you, trying to make sense of where he's taking you.
you wonder why he decides to talk to you now, if it has to do anything with his birthday, but you don't speak up.
many things are left unsaid between you and shinichiro.
"hi." a little kid timidly mumbles from behind the door of a home that does not seem to be his.
"hi?" you reply, unsure of what you're doing here or if shinichiro is holding him hostage.
he opens the door a little wider, giving himself a chance to see the potential culprit standing behind you.
"shinichiro!" he shouts, scurrying out the building and leaping onto the teenager once he spots him (though as of the current date, he has just turned an adult).
"izana, long time no see!" he says as he wraps his arms around the child clinging to him in return.
your eyes move from izana, to shinichiro, and continue to do so until eye contact with shinichiro is made. you blink multiple times, awaiting an answer from him.
“are we going on a ride on your motorcycle?” izana asks instead.
“of course.” shinichiro smiles, to izana’s glee.
izana drags him off to the bike, and shinichiro pulls you along with him, and you get on in that order.
“i’m teaching izana the basics of a motorbike,” he explains, motioning to the kid who eagerly sits with his hands on the handlebars. “so he sits up front.”
shinichiro goes to sit behind him, leaving you nothing but a little bit of space and no choice but to cling tightly onto the one you're trying to be angry with.
if you can see shinichiro’s face right now, you’re sure he’ll be smirking. some annoying smile you'll pay to punch off his face.
unfortunately, you can’t do much when an eleven-year-old is seated just a foot in front of you, directly in front of shinichiro. you’re reminded of just how close you really are to each other, and shift uncomfortably. shinichiro remains stiff.
you notice that he’s much gentler with izana than he is with emma and manjiro, and that izana is much more timid (almost as if he's afraid). you make an effort to try and get him to feel more comfortable, but it seems that shinichiro is the one who holds all that power.
regardless, you don’t let it keep you down. the three of you remain together until sunset, when izana urges shinichiro to come home with him for a “surprise”.
the two of you don’t speak when the kid leaves you alone on the porch to retrieve his gift. a bike helmet.
you recall that shinichiro would go through great lengths to avoid wearing one, especially when his hair was gelled up. he accepts the gift with gratitude, leaning forward to pat izana’s head as he thanks him. you don’t think you’ve seen the eleven-year-old happier in the few hours that you’ve known him.
when the door is locked and izana returns inside, shinichiro tuns to you. “come on, we have places to be.”
“where are we going now? my mother doesn’t appreciate you keeping me out late-”
“she has no problem with it, actually. i spoke to her this morning.”
you’re not sure whether to feel betrayed because he spoke to her first, or because your mom hasn’t told you. you don’t say anything, presuming that if shinichiro and your mother are on the same side already, then you really have no choice.
shinichiro fumbles with getting his new birthday gift on properly, and you resist the urge to hold back and let him help himself. you fasten the helmet on like you’ve done for yourself tens of times before, wondering what kind of expression he's making — you doubt he's making one at all, though.
what you don’t see is the way his eyes narrow to focus on you, the way his cheeks redden at the fact that you’re mad and you still care for him, the way his lips twitch with a thousand apologies threatening to spill if you are to look up at him.
he doesn’t take you out to any of the places you've brainstormed on a list; his house, your house, or at the very least, someone’s house.
you find yourself at the entrance of the shrine where shinichiro previously held black dragons’ meetings — when he was still a gang member.
if you remember your graduation like it was yesterday, then you remember the leader leaving his gang like you're still living in it. you never bothered asking him why he left, sensing great discomfort from him when the topic is brought up, and decide that lingering on it for too long will bring you no answer.
he takes a seat on the short, elevated porch-looking podium (you’ve never known what to call it, and decided that “shinichiro’s corner” fit best, but that was before he left his own gang) and pats the spot beside him. you hesitate, but sit down regardless.
“you remember when manjiro was first born, how happy we both were?” he asks, not quite looking at you yet.
“how could i forget?” you laugh, not mentioning the obvious that is yet to come. “at some point, he was all i could think about.”
“and then two months later, we stopped hanging out?” ah, so he says it.
you nod, but realize that he isn't looking at you, and say, “yeah.”
“my parents had been arguing by then. my mom discovered my father’s second family, the one with emma’s mom, and they had a big fight. they slept in separate rooms. they didn’t speak to each other. my father, grandfather, and i in one room, my mother and manjiro in another. i would help make meals with my grandfather, then take a tray up to my mother and manjiro, and then a tray to my father.”
you stay quiet, silently beckoning him to continue. you subconsciously move closer to him.
“it got to a point where i would only see my mother at meal times, and sometimes the tray would be in the same condition grandpa and i left it. one day, my mother reported that she’d be going out, and took the car with her. i was so happy that she was finally falling back into her casual routine, i asked to come with her. she said no, looking at me with eyes i’d never seen directed at me before. the eyes she looked at my father with.”
you’re facing him, hoping your body language will convey that you’re listening. your hand moves to his knee, where his hand comes to meet it.
“a reminder of the man who failed her. i was confused to see a tear fall down her face, before her eyes looked back at me the way they always did. i was also confused when she rushed to hug me, holding on to me while she stifled her tears. i held back onto her, hoping she wouldn’t let go and that we’d be a family again. i wasn’t really sure what was going on, to be honest.
“i never saw my mother again. but i heard of her, on the tv, when the report of a familiar car getting into an accident broadcasted. i always thought… that maybe it wasn’t unintentional. i never believed it was an accident.
“my father, in despair that he’d lost his high school sweetheart, his wife, the one he was supposed to spend the rest of his life with, met a familiar fate, though i was sure his was an accident. he’d gotten into some nasty habits shortly after my mother’s passing, ignoring my grandpa’s warnings and scoldings. i moved into my mother’s room with manjiro, where grandpa would sleep with us. we downsized into a smaller house, and soon emma moved in with us, and everything got better again.”
he turns to look you in the eye, his nose red, his eyes glossy, and you’ve never felt more heartbroken in your life. the shinichiro you know has always done for people, what he can not receive.
he lets out an ironic laugh, “i guess i have a habit of isolating myself when things get tough, too, do i? must run in the family.”
your other hand reaches softly for his head, and that’s when he drops it down to your shoulder.
“now you know everything about me. izana, my parents, the gang, my smoking…” he doesn’t mention his love for you, but he's getting to it.
shinichiro intends to tell you everything today.
“won’t you say something?” he asks, vulnerable, before he can continue.
you think wisely before you choose your words. “i told you i’d be there for you when you needed me, didn’t i? or do i need to force my way into your life when you need someone the most.” you chuckle.
and the waterworks begin. you hope this is the last of shinichiro keeping things behind your back and trying to do everything on his own.
“your whole life, you’ve done the best for everyone else. it’s time you start doing it for yourself, you know.”
“i don’t want someone by my side,” he admits. “i want you.”
you pull him closer toward you.
“and i want to be that person by your side.”
“am i still the same… person to you?”
“to me, you’ll always be the same six year old that picked on third graders twice his size because they said something mean, in my eyes.”
his eyes crease with his smile, “come have dinner with us today. come have dinner with us everyday, before we get busy again.” he plans on leading you into the balcony and confessing to you then.
“tonight? sorry, shin, i can’t.”
“then how about tomorrow?”
“not tomorrow either.”
“then next week? i can come to you.”
“you can… but i won’t be there.”
he turns to face your eyes, his brows furrowed in confusion as he awaits a conclusion.
“i got accepted into a university, far out in the west, another continent. i’d always wanted to study there and didn’t think they’d reply so quickly, but they wanted me, shin. i’m leaving in a week, and i have a lot to prepare before then.” you leave out the part where you don’t want to get any more attached to him.
his eyebrows furrow even more, unsatisfied at your answer. he wants to celebrate the last dying hours of his birthday with you, taking notice that the sun has set and that the sky is beginning to get dark.
“not even for a little bit?” he trails off, words almost dying in his throat.
you offer a sad smile, “come over so i can give you your present.”
he does as you say, waiting outside your apartment door unlike he usually does. you scramble around to find the small gift bag you’ve spend the last few weeks adding to and adjusting.
you give it to him and wish him a happy birthday. there’s more to say, but there simply isn’t enough time. he thanks you, making his way to his bike and absent-minded on his whole ride home. he doesn’t greet anyone, heading straight to his room. he leaves the bag somewhere in the messy corners of the room, not bothering to open your gift.
his hand limply reaches for the ceiling, so out of reach. he thinks of how he won’t be seeing you for years, how in a few weeks, the home he made memories with will be gone. for the determined shinichiro sano, you are always so far out of his reach.
Hikaru, telling a scary story: And the witch cursed the couple, damning them to have an inhuman child that would cause chaos.
Mitsukuni, hiding behind Usa-chan: D-Did they have a child?
Kaoru: They did. The witch's curse released a demon so evil, so fierce, so thirsty for blood, that the villagers marked it's birthday as a bad omen, a day to stay inside and hide.
Mitsukuni: W-When is its b-birthday?
Kaoru: On this very day.
Tamaki, teeth clattering: W-Who would r-release such a demon?
summary: he's a fool in love, but you don't know he's in love (you're more than sure that he's a fool, though).
word count: 1,856™
warnings: swearing, takeomi making one dirty joke, high schoolers being high schoolers.
notes: everyone is 17 except for takeomi (i hc he has a march birthday, this takes place in july).
“hey, that’s not fair and you know it!” you shout, trying to duck once more as if it'll help you avoid the water being sprayed at you through your client's hose.
shinichiro just laughs, watching as you make an effort to use your already-wet arm to shield the rest of your body with. it doesn’t work, of course, but he thinks it’s cute.
“get back to work.” wakasa instructs, almost as if bored (but somehow more hardworking than the rest of you).
the five of you — or rather, the three of you, since all takeomi does watch — have been washing cars in an attempt to make money to afford shinichiro’s tuition.
it's a convenient idea; you wash cars on the weekend, walking from door to door in your neighbourhood and being offered an efficient sum in return. shinichiro studies on weekdays, and you make sure he's ahead of schedule.
right now, you're all rushing to make sure the current car is clean before half an hour passes; both the outside of it, and the inside.
of course, it won't prove to be such a challenge if shinichiro just uses the hose for its proper purpose and not to piss off his friends.
“we’re doing all of this for you, shinichiro, so why don't you help us?” you reply, continuing to scrub the tires.
whoever this stranger is, they’ve left the car in even worse condition than any of your past clients, and expects it cleaner in a shorter time than they have. he promises to compensate for it greatly, and the amount mentioned is enough for all of you to have agreed without hesitation.
you stand up and step back to look at the state of the car; benkei, furiously rubbing at the roof while wakasa swipes at the front, and takeomi who inhales smoke and exhales excuses.
“she’s right, shin. do your part of the work, won’t ya?” takeomi moves the cigarette from his lips, almost taunting shinichiro with it.
“you should take some of your own advice, takomi.” you place your hands on your hips, tired of the weekly debate that ensues between the three of you.
“it was your advice, pretty girl. i was just remindin' 'im.”
you sigh, knowing you’ll get no where with the two. “shinichiro, give me the hose.”
he furrows his eyebrows, holding said object closer to himself.
“i won’t spray you with it, just give it here!” you repeat.
“that’s what you said last time, and i went home soaked!”
“that was takeomi’s fault!”
the mentioned man chuckles in the background, earning a glare from the both of you.
“listen, i just want to wet the car a little to get the dirt off of it and make it easier for us to keep cleaning!”
“and why can’t i do it?”
“because you keep spraying everyone with the hose! look at benkei, he’s practically cleaning the car with his arms!” you point out, keeping one steady hand on the hose.
as much as droplets of water rolling off of benkei’s arms is a handsome sight, it doesn't quite help your case, or the fact that you have less than twenty minutes left and that the car is barely clean.
in the midst of all the arguing and the game of tug of war going on between you, shinichiro, and the hose, takeomi slips away to do the same thing he's done last time. he goes to the water supply, placing rigid hands on the lever as he turns it to the highest setting.
instead of wetting shinichiro, like last time, it wets you instead. and your white, translucent shirt that happens to turn more and more transparent by the second.
“oh, shit.” wakasa’s eyes widen as he stops working.
benkei turns to give takeomi a look, offering more than the man can mean to say in a sentence. takeomi turns off the water, but not after he revels in the chaos he’s created.
he whistles, “didn’t know pink was your favourite colour, (N/N). and hot pink at that!”
your eyebrows furrow as your arms cross over your chest, trying to cover what the t-shirt can not.
shinichiro, who's been dazed and watching in silence, springs to action as he launches the sweatshirt onto you, revealing the matching white t-shirt he wears underneath, but dry.
you scramble to put it on, letting out a small thank you and some sort of excuse about how you're going to go home and get changed.
you leave the first generation black dragons to themselves, the unclean car, and 15 minutes left.
shinichiro silently picks up the rag and bucket you’ve been using, noticing that the tires are sparkling, and leaving much less work on his plate (or rather, the car).
he begins to feel bad as he washes at the trunk, guilty that you’ve tried to help him and all he's done is fool around. you put your all into ensuring a future for him, something that isn’t needed nor expected of you, but you do it for him, and you do it well.
when he finds that the rag has become filthier and that the section is cleaner, does he look up to find another area to clean.
instead, he makes direct eye contact with wakasa (a very scary thing for those on the receiving end) who seems to be nudging him away from the car with the soft and repetitive tilts of his head. confused, shinichiro steps away slowly, to where benkei is, and notices that he’s gotten ahold of the hose.
he trails the direction of his aim to where takeomi is, unaware that wakasa, who is right in front of him, isn't turning on the hose to just clean the car.
benkei wets takeomi's back with a strong splash of water, making the man turn around and fall onto his back and the hood of the car. just as he begins to slide off and onto the ground, and wipe off the last bit of dirt with his clothes, does the man who hired them step out.
“i’ve got to hand it to you, you’ve all done such a great job!” he begins, not taking notice of takeomi on the floor, or benkei with the hose that is still operating. “i’d just come with your money, but it seems that you’ve done such a great job that i’ll have to tip you.”
the man does just as he says, taking the car out to use and leaving the four teens to stand in a circle as they count the amount they have made that weekend.
“more than expected… (Y/N)’ll be happy.” benkei says.
takeomi and shinichiro grow silent.
“shinichiro.” wakasa looks at the man who’s startled by the mention of his name. “we get that you’re horrible at flirting and even worse at anything that has to do with women, but would it kill you to try and act normal for once?”
shinichiro doesn’t form coherent sentences, instead rambling for excuses before he’s cut off.
“and takeomi.” wakasa redirects his stern glare. “stop going so far.”
he doesn’t reply, instead looking directly into the eyes of the shorter man, exchanging glances and unspoken words about a topic only they have knowledge of.
takeomi knows wakasa is right, and wakasa knows that he won't stop until given a harsh wake up call — maybe takeomi will be desperate to persist even after given just that.
“how’d it go?” you ask as you jog up to them.
you’re wearing shinichiro’s sweatshirt, a pair of comfier pants, and your hair is wet.
“pretty well, we got tipped and managed to finish up just in time.” wakasa speaks and benkei points over to the place where the car used to be.
you give a grateful smile, glad that they have managed to keep things under wraps in your absence.
“hey, (Y/N), hot pink still your favourite colour?” takeomi teases, and wakasa sighs.
he’s already forgotten the lecture that is given to him, or rather, ignores it. he receives a punch to his side in place of another lecture, which somewhat serves as an indirect warning to shinichiro.
“forgot you were stronger than our boss.” takeomi winces.
“you mad at me?” shinichiro asks desperately.
“irritated.” you sigh. “you’re so childish, shin, and i don’t want you to learn that the hard way.”
takeomi speaks up, “does the hard way involve punishment? because-”
another punch keeps him silent, for now.
“how much until our original goal?”
“we're about halfway there, and if we keep going like this, we’ll finish halfway through the summer. i’d say we’re doing very good.” wakasa analyzes.
“about the tips we received…” shinichiro snatches them away from wakasa, who held the box of their savings. “i want you to keep them.”
you stare strangely at him.
“you organized this whole thing and you’ve been working really hard, i want to repay you someway-”
“are you out of your mind?” you question.
it was his turn to stare at you strangely.
“i’m doing this for you, so you can have enough to pay for your apprenticeship and anything else you need. i’m not going to take this money, because i don’t need it. if you really do want to owe it to me, you’ll start participating actively, unlike our friend over here.” you motion to takeomi, then pat shinichiro’s hand as you move it to place the money back in the box. “i gotta get going now, i told my mom i’d only be out for a bit. i'll make sure to return this sweatshirt soon.”
"keep it," shinichiro insists. "i think it looks better on you."
you offer a smile, one shinichiro reflects on his face, and wakasa thinks his friend might not be so bad at flirting.
as you wave and jog back to your apartment, shinichiro can’t help but stare dreamily and hold his hand, the one you've touched.
“do you think the guy knows that we didn’t clean the inside of his car?” benkei asks.
“i doubt he’d notice.” wakasa says. “the car looks like it hasn’t been touched in years, and even if he does notice, this act was committed when we were all minors, so we wouldn’t be charged with anything for lying.”
“hey, i’m eighteen here!” takeomi exclaims.
“then flirting with (Y/N) is technically considered a case.” wakasa glares. “besides, even if we did get in trouble with the law, he was the one who assumed it was clean, we didn't say anything.”
“you know, there is a way to make sure none of this happens…” takeomi begins, as they all pay attention to him. “run!”
he shouts and dashes in the direction far from his friends, the one you were jogging in just a few minutes prior. shinichiro yells and runs after him shortly, and benkei and wakasa follow behind them.
the breeze of the warm summer evening turns cold, almost following the five of you as you ran the way you once did in your youthful days. the breeze would grow harsher into a winter blizzard and soon blow over into a cool spring, as would your friendships.
Every single time I read Shinichiro fanfic, it always ends with him being dead in the final part of the fanfic. I literally came here to cope/move on from his death not gaining more pain
stormborns
andulkaphoto
izzy806
2087
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