fluff. sometimes when you want to surprise someone, they can surprise you instead.
SPOILERS FOR CHAPTER 158 !
No call, no message, no warning. You hated waiting, especially when it rained and you would get all wet... Just perfect. Those two hadn't told you anything, at least you expected Endo to tell you if something came up. Instead, you found out at the last minute that everyone from Noroshi will face Bofurin and guess who is responsible for everything.
"Stupid Endo ... Ruining my plans to surprise Takiishi." sitting under a parking lot canopy in the middle of the night alone, a large gift bag that was luckily untouched by the drops in one hand, while you kept texting and calling the tattooed idiot with the other, but he didn't answer. You will kill him. Maybe Takiishi too for doing this to you. Outfit and make-up were ruined, the night too and you decided to go somewhere else, there was no point sitting in the cold any longer.
Putting the phone in your bag, you had planned everything perfectly for Takiishi's birthday—cake, gifts, a small celebration—yet here you were, soaked to the bone, no Endo, no Takiishi, and no explanation. How could they leave you in the dark like this?
Standing outside Endo’s apartment, you heard footsteps approaching. Turning, you saw Endo carrying Takiishi on his back, both covered in blood. Your anger disappeared as you ran toward them, dropping the gift bag because now you were worried about them. "Endo, what happened? Takiishi, are you—" He interrupted with a soft chuckle, despite the blood on his body and face. “Nothing, you are just cute,” he said. “We’ll explain inside.”
Once inside, you exploded. “YOU WHAT? Seriously, was this even necessary?” Takiishi hadn’t moved since being laid on the couch. “Necessary? Maybe not. But worth it? Absolutely,” Endo replied with a smirk. You grabbed first aid supplies and began cleaning Takiishi’s wounds. He hissed but let you work, too tired to resist. “Why didn’t you tell me? Why keep me out of this?”
The tattooed boy sighed. “Takiishi wanted to handle it alone. His fight with Umemiya wasn’t just about us. It was personal.” He sighed, leaning back against the couch and staring up at the ceiling. "Because this is something he wanted to handle on his own. I didn’t want you involved. He didn’t want you to see this side of things, especially not tonight."
He said everything you wanted and needed to know, but that's who they were, and even though they made you angry most of the time, you'd always be there for them. So when you handed him the gift bag, of course you had to say “Happy Birthday, Takiishi!” expecting him not to respond, after all, he was tired and would take whatever you gave him, as usual, he would pay you no mind.
“L/N Y/N… thank you,”
“D-did he–?” you turned to Endo, who nodded, giving you a soft smile, still sitting on the floor. “Yeah, he did,” he said, clearly finding your reaction adorable while Takiishi, still exhausted, gave a small, tired smile.
You froze. The words hit you harder than anything else that night. Takiishi never called you by your name. Are you dreaming? Never in a million years would you have expected it, especially not now. Tears welled up in your eyes, unbidden, and you blinked rapidly, trying to keep them from falling.
both endo and takiishi know how to unclasp your bra single handedly but endo does it so often just to tease and mess with you. he'll do it at random times of the day but since he does it so much, you've basically come to expect it and have learned to reclasp it quickly. takiishi on the other hand rarely does it, and you don't even know that he knows how to until one day when you're talking and he starts to get bored his hand subtly moves from the small of your back and i clasps your bra and it just takes you a moment to realize it was takiishi who did it and not endo
these annoying mfers. i was gonna post this on my main since i didn't get gross with it buuuut i'm lazy so it goes here. it's kind of self indulgent anyway.
Endo's favorite pastime: tests of your resilience.
"Can you fucking stop?" It was supposed to come out under your breath, but you suppose the irritation caught up to you.
"Woah now! Watch your mouth, there's children..."
Three young children walk past you, varied reactions ranging from a giggle fit to wide eyes that lock with Takiishi's. The hair on the back of your neck bristles when you catch Endo's apologetic smile to the woman currently scowling at you.
You glare daggers at the dark haired man beside you. His soft, pouty voice doesn't match his bulky, tattooed frame, and you hate the way it makes you look like the bad guy.
Takiishi watches from behind, wide eyes flitting between you and Endo as he takes a long sip of his drink, throat bobbing with every gulp. Spending most of your days with them means often not acknowledging the way he observes you like an alien trying to learn more about you before abduction.
Reaching your hand up under your shirt, you attempt to subtly reclasp your bra, interrupting your flow of feeding grocery items to a conveyor belt.
Beep. Beep. Beep.
Endo's breath tickles the shell of your ear, "You know, you really should practice some self restraint. We're in public." He places a few more items down, bulging arms caging you in for a moment before he turns back to your shared cart.
You're sure the expression on his face was genuine in its seriousness, and your eye twitches. You could burst the carton of milk in your non-dominant hand if you didn't know he was just trying to get a rise out of you.
It's been a few months since the bra unclasping era started, and you've become very skilled at reclasping in record time. To your dismay, he's taken it as a challenge to set a personal record of how often he can get away with it on your "cute family outing" to the grocery store. Your words. He figured you'd learn to evade him, but unfortunately for you, he's only learned to bypass your usual perception of his presence.
The soft smile on his face fades at your expression when he turns back to you. Was the dent in that can there when you picked it up?
Maybe he took it too far.
Gently, a tattooed hand caresses your waist in an attempt to move you aside so he can pay, but you swat him away and cross your arms over your chest. Endo's gaze softens, dreamily staring at your pouty form until a loud ahem drags him back to the present.
An exasperated cashier who doesn't get paid enough to tolerate this whole encounter repeats the total for Endo one more time before he slides his card. Their eyes flit around as they wait for the transaction to be completed, shrinking down when they lock eyes with Takiishi, mindlessly chewing boba behind the two of you. Freaks.
As the three of you saunter out into the parking lot, Endo speaks up. "So! Wanna explain yourself?"
You freeze.
"Excuse me?"
He puts his hands on his hips, brows raised. "Really? No explanation for your little fit?"
"Quit playing dumb, Yamato. You know what you did."
His hands fly up in defense. "Wh—I hadn't touched you since we left the snack aisle!"
"Oh, so then who was it? A random passerby? A ghost?"
The grating sound of a slurp through a straw in an empty cup interrupts your petty argument. You both whip your heads around.
Takiishi blinks. "It was me. Why did you stop walking? Go."
Shared blinks between the three of you, and you let out a sigh as Endo throws his head back in a fit of laughter.
♡ a/n — this is me telling yall to go watch wind breaker
♡ word count — 1.2k
♡ content — jo togame x fem! reader, mention of blood(duh), mention of losing yourself, ig spoilers (not that big it's abt his hair), established relationship, could say reader has a bad relationship with parents, not proofread
♡ synopsis — Jo Togame has lost himself. He knows that, but when he steps into his apartment and you're there? For a second he can pretend he hasn't.
── .✦ half a mind that keeps the other second guessing
Jo Togame has lost himself.
He did the day he stopped flinching at the sound of fabric tearing—
the day Shishitoren jackets became more valuable off someone’s back than on it.
He did the day he told himself that he would become anything, so long as Choji Tomiyama could still smile.
Because a part of him had always believed that Choji was Shishitoren.
That if Choji’s light dimmed, the whole gang would crumble in the dark.
So Jo Togame—loyal, blunt, quiet Jo—chose to become the shadow instead. To pull others into the cold while his best friend kept burning.
He walks the streets like a dog off its leash, collar still tight around his throat, heart knotted with things he’ll never say.
And every time he tears that jacket from another body, every time someone curses his name or fears the sound of his footsteps, he thinks:
Better me than him.
Better me than him.
Better me—
—until it doesn’t sound like a reason anymore. Just a rhythm. A bruise he taps like a habit.
At seventeen, Jo technically lives alone.
One room, cracked ceiling, fridge that hums too loud.
The futon by the window is always messy. His sink leaks when it rains.
His laundry stays in the basket until he runs out of shirts, and he forgets to buy groceries unless you’re there to remind him.
But really—
you live there, too.
You don’t get mail there, don’t have your name on the lease.
But your toothbrush leans beside his in a cracked cup.
Your lotion sits on the bathroom shelf.
Your fuzzy socks are in the drawer next to his gloves.
You sleep there more nights than not.
Only gone when your parents text a question that sounds too much like an accusation.
Your school bag always has a key to his place tucked deep inside—one he had made for you without saying anything, just slid it across the table one night when you came over late, shivering in the rain.
"You don’t have to knock anymore," he mumbled, eyes flicking away like it wasn’t a big deal.
But it was.
Of course it was.
You knew it the same way you knew Jo Togame isn’t nearly as cold as he pretends to be.
Some nights, you wake up before him and see his hand still curled near your side.
You watch the way his eyebrows pull tight even in sleep, like he’s still fighting someone in his dreams.
And you brush the hair from his face, whisper things like I’m here and you’re safe—even if he never hears them.
But lately, even your presence feels like a fragile peace.
He comes home later. Smells like sweat and rust. Sometimes blood.
And you can see it in his posture, how he folds in on himself as soon as the door closes behind him.
Like he’s trying to peel Jo-the-enforcer off and put Jo-the-boy back on, but the mask is sticking.
Until he smells dinner.
Until he sees you at the stove, barefoot, hair up, humming some old pop song under your breath.
Until you turn around and grin at him like nothing is wrong, like you’re home now.
And in that second—
he loosens.
Just a little.
Jo Togame doesn’t say thank you.
He never has.
But he does rest his head on your shoulder while you plate the rice.
He does press a kiss to your temple before his first bite.
He does sit behind you on the floor while you fold laundry, chin on your back, legs on either side of yours, holding onto the silence like it might fix him.
You don't ask him where he’s been. Not directly.
You just hold him tighter when he’s quiet.
You just tuck yourself under his arm and pretend that loving him is easy.
But it isn’t easy.
Not for him.
There’s a guilt in his chest that never fades. Something heavy and black and rotting.
He carries it into every fight. Every time someone asks, Why the hell are you doing this?
And Jo never answers. Because he doesn’t really know anymore.
He just knows Choji stopped smiling the way he used to.
And somewhere along the way, Jo convinced himself that it was his job to carry that weight.
So when he fights Sakura…
It’s not just about who’s stronger. Not really.
It’s about finally facing the part of himself he’s been running from.
It’s about realizing that Choji isn’t a boy anymore, and Jo isn’t his crutch.
It’s about admitting that being loyal and being silent aren’t the same thing.
That love and guilt shouldn’t look so alike.
When the fight ends, he’s on his knees.
The braid that used to hang between his shoulders—gone.
His hair falls like shadows around his face. His body is wrecked. But something in his eyes is clear for the first time in months.
He walks home, slow and aching, the path familiar but feeling new.
You hear the door creak open past midnight.
You’re already on your feet, heart leaping into your throat.
"Jo?"
And when he steps into the light, you stop breathing.
Blood crusts at his temple.
His shirt is torn, fingers bruised to the knuckle.
But it’s his hair that gets you. Long and wild, no braid, like someone cut him loose from himself.
He’s silent as you rush to him, hands cupping his face before you can even speak.
"Jo—baby, are you okay?" You’re running your fingers through his hair, brushing it from his bloodied face, scanning for worse. "You’re hurt. What happened? Who—"
"I’m okay." His voice is soft. Almost... empty.
You frown, studying him. "You don’t look okay."
His eyes meet yours.
"I love you."
You blink. Your heart stutters. You try to smile. "We’ve been together four years. I’d be sad if you didn’t."
He doesn’t laugh.
"No," he says again, quietly but firmly. "I really love you."
And then he kisses you.
Not a soft kiss. Not a playful one.
It’s slow. Heavy. Full of things he never found the words for.
His hands grip your waist like you’re the only thing keeping him grounded. And for a moment, the world is quiet.
When you finally break apart, his forehead rests against yours, blood smearing slightly between skin.
His voice is barely a whisper.
"I need a favor."
You don’t even hesitate.
"Okay."
The bathroom is dim and warm from the steam of the shower you forced him to take.
He’s seated on the edge of the tub, a towel draped over his shoulders. You run a comb through his now-loosened hair, the silence thick with unspoken things.
"Sure about this?" you ask, scissors in hand.
He nods.
"I don’t want to carry it anymore."
You don’t ask what he means. You just begin.
Snip.
The sound is soft, final.
Hair falls in slow spirals to the tile floor. You’re gentle, fingers brushing against his scalp, his neck. His eyes flutter closed under your touch.
You cut away the weight he’s been dragging behind him.
Cut away the boy who thought he had to hurt to protect.
And when you finish, you smooth your hands through the short, fresh strands.
Kiss the crown of his head.
"There," you say, voice quiet. "Still handsome."
He turns slightly to look at you.
Eyes soft. Exhausted. Grateful.
"Still yours?"
You climb into his lap, arms around his shoulders.
You press your forehead to his.
"Always."
oh jo togame i love you
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Endo in a sweater innocently waiting at a restaurant he’s frequented with a giant table of everything from the menu to make sure Sakura is fed before their convo
endo and takiishi have tattoos where you kiss them the most frequently.
takiishi’s is just behind his ear, a thorned vine with roses for you to trace your lips over- a reminder of his protection of you, no matter how he may come across.
endo has a small constellation of stars on his inner right bicep, in the same place you cradle his arm when you brace against his tall frame to kiss his cheek. it's like he can feel your warm touch when his fingertips feather over the ink.
he doesn't like the cold, but he'll let you drag him into the snow to look at christmas lights. y'know, because it's you. (wc: 1.7k)
a very merry renskaji christmas special
The hardest part about dating Jo Togame is getting him to leave the house.
He's slow to move and loves to lounge with you, and normally it's not a problem. You're more than happy with indulging your boyfriend in all the slovenly desires he has.
But you want to look at the holiday lights.
"Jo, c'mon." It's a little useless, you know, but you at least have to try and pry him out from under the covers of your bed he took over nearly an hour earlier for a quick nap.
"Five more minutes, angel." Your boyfriend mumbles, voice heavy with sleep and you can only roll your eyes at the typical response.
"You said that ten minutes ago."
"I know, I know." Now you can hear a grin in his voice along with the thick coat of sleep, but at least he's stretching now to get up. Sitting on the side of the bed, you're granted the privilege to watch Jo Togame lazily wake up from a nap he probably shouldn't have taken. "The lights will still be there. Let me lay with you a little longer, 'kay?"
"You know," You huff, standing from the edge of the bed lest you fall victim to his tempting offer. "I'll just go by myself if you won't come."
Togame laughs softly, not even a little bit convinced by your threat. But he does start to sit up, warm blankets pooling around his waist. And if you didn't want to see all the lights and decorations set up around town, you would climb right into bed beside him.
"Alright, alright." He chuckles, doing you a favor and not calling your bluff. He's smiling at you, all warm and broad, and you nearly sigh at the sight of him. "I'm coming. It's just—do we have to go out in the cold?"
"You promised." You remind him, watching with a pointed frown as he slowly sets his feet on the floor and sits on the side of your bed. His strong arms reach out and pull you effortlessly into the space between his spread knees, and your hands fall to his shoulders. With your fingers carding through the short hair on the nap of his neck, you give him your most convincing pout. "I want to go, please."
"Anything for you, angel." He's quick to give in, tilting his chin up in search of your lips. You connect in a quick kiss, but you know Jo, and his tricks, and if you stay too close to him for much longer he'll manage to drag you right back into the warmth of your bed for another nap.
You pull away first, far enough out of his grasp that his protective touch leaves your skin. Arms crossed over your chest, you watch as he slowly drags himself up. You lead the way to the front door, where you make sure to bundle up tightly. Togame wraps your scarf carefully around your neck and you tug his hat snug over his ears to keep the chill out. You're giggling the whole time, and he's smiling.
"Wait," he hums, halting your escape out the front door before you can get one booted foot over the threshold. You pause at the sound of his voice, silently questioning why he's stopping you with only a look. Instead of answering you, he wraps one of his hands around yours and shoves both into the pocket of his coat. "It'll help to stay warm. Promise."
"You're a sap." You tease, but you're not really complaining. Never when it comes to him, honestly. Besides, there's a slim chance of you ever denying your boyfriend the request to hold your hand. "C'mon, no more stalling."
"Stalling? Me?" He grins, allowing you to pull him outside and into the cold. He's surprisingly easy to move around, though you're not naive enough to think you're actually controlling him. "I would never."
It takes everything in you to not shiver at the cold temperature the moment you're actually outside. You know Togame is watching you to make sure you're warm enough—and maybe to try and urge you back into the heated house behind you if you could be convinced.
"Are there going to be vendors there?" He asks halfway to the stretch of decorated streets. A competition between businesses led to Christmas lights being posted all around, and you had wanted to take Togame to go see it. When you made the plans, you had forgotten how difficult it was to get him into the cold. "'Cause if not, we might need to stop and get dinner somewhere."
"How do you ever get anywhere on time?" You tease, lips curving up in a grin that's hidden underneath your scarf he had delicately wrapped around you. "You move like a turtle with no sense of urgency."
"I move exactly as fast as I need to." He counters, punctuating his argument with a kiss to the high point of your cheek. Your face reddens, but you're half-certain you could blame the color on the cold. "I can be quick, but I'm just relaxed with you."
"Sap." You tut, but now your face is even more flushed and you know the chilly air is definitely not the cause. Togame chuckles, a deep and unhurried sound, and you fall in love with the sound all over again.
You can see the lights in the distance now, and the street is slowly filling with people who have the same idea as you. Couples, families, and groups of friends are walking up and down the decorated stretch of businesses, seeing what's for sale while also admiring the lights.
It's beautiful. There has to be hundreds of Christmas lights. They're mostly white, but you can see pockets of twinkling colorful lights in the distance. They're wrapped around trees, in business windows, lining the awnings. You've never seen the street so lit up and stunning.
"C'mon, let's look closer." You toss a smile at your boyfriend, and he's already admiring you. Your face flushes again, and you'd call him out for being a sap again, but you're too fixated on getting near the lights.
"Whatever you say, angel." He relents without hesitation, squeezing your hand that's still tucked in his pocket gently. His long legs trail half a step behind you, and you know you look like you're pulling him along. But if Togame dug his heels into the ground, any attempt you made to move him would be fruitless.
Once you get into the main stretch of lights, you slow down, falling in step beside him. He's leading you, now, making sure you're not bumping into strangers as you admire the lights. Togame is stopped a few times, either by guys from Shishitoren or the men he plays games with at the bathhouses he knows through his grandfather, but he's always quick to move along. He tells them all the same thing in parting;
"See you. My angel wants to look at the lights."
You blush down to your toes every time.
You're still aimlessly wandering, admiring the lights, when Togame tugs you to a stop without warning. You turn to face him, brows knitting in confusion, but he's got his head tilted up high to study a cluster of light and leaves hanging from the edge of an awning.
"That's mistletoe, right?" He hums, asking for confirmation. You study the ball of lights, and he's right. You nod, and a grin slowly stretches across his face as he turns to face you. "Means you got to kiss me before we can keep going."
You fight the urge to roll your eyes at his cheesiness. It's adorable, really, the way his smile widens when the tips of your ears red.
"It does," You nod once more, slowly, stepping closer to him. The hand he's been holding in your pocket slips out, but you tuck your hands into both pockets to hold him close to you. You'd be loath to admit it, but you'd like to steal as much of his warmth as possible.
Jo carefully tugs down the scarf around your face to reveal your lips. You're grinning, your bottom lip caught between your teeth in a rare fit of nerves. He's kissed you countless times, but something about the romantic tenderness of this kiss has you feeling like it's the first time all over again.
God, you love him.
Big hands cradle your face, and even through his gloves you feel the electricity of his touch. One of his thumbs drags your bottom lip out from between your teeth with a careful precision that makes your head spin.
He's moving all so slow, you think he's doing it on purpose.
"Jo," You huff, half whining. "Hurry up—"
He kisses you then, soft and sound, shutting up your complaints about the speed at which he was going. He holds you close, lips gentle against yours, but far from the quick peck you thought he'd give you.
You should've known better.
By the time you separate, you're dizzy with your love for him. Smiling, you try to chase after his lips, but Togame stands up straight and out of your reach. His hands fall from your face, and you're suddenly shocked by the cold that rushes into the space that's been either covered by your scarf or his touch.
"Jo—" You try to question his odd behavior, but you're only halfway through the sound of his name when—
ACHOO!
Togame sneezes, loudly, and the romantic air built by the kiss disappears instantly. You giggle, having forgotten the phenomenon that is your boyfriend always needing to sneeze whenever it's cold out.
"Have I mentioned that I hate the cold?" He complains, adjusting the scarf around your neck so that your face is covered and warm again. He's smiling at you, soft and gentle, and my god you love him so much.
Maybe you can see the rest of the light another time.
"Let's go home," You decide, stuffing your hand in his pocket to hold his hand again. "It's too cold out."
Togame, smartly, doesn't comment on the fact that you've never been too bothered by the cold. Instead he just leads you back in the direction you came, holding you close.
I JUST WANT TOGAME'S HAND ON MY RIGHT, WITH ENDO ON MY LEFT. Can't a girly be greedy and get the best of both worlds now? 😡😡😡😡😡😭😭😭😝😝😝😝😝 COME ON PLS I BEEEEGGGG
