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Summary: Shinichiro has been rejected twenty times. Determined not to make it twenty-one, he recruits one of his oldest friends to help him write anonymous love letters to the girl he’s been secretly admiring from afar.
The poems work.
The problem is…every poem she writes for his crush says a little more about her own heart than either of them realizes.
Tropes/Themes: Secret Admirer, Love letters, Oblivious Idiots in Love, Protective Shinichiro, Knowing Someone vs. Idealizing someone, Self-growth through romantic failure
A/N: I’ve never been able to accept the idea that Shin got rejected twenty times. I was like, “Hell no! Not on my watch!” So, I wanted to write something where Shin could still be himself, but like, learn to be smooth. You know?
So, I came up with this whole story that is loosely based on true events.
Anyways, hope y’all enjoy.
Happy Birthday Shinichiro!
*
Roses are red
Violets are blue
When I see your face
My heart goes boom boom like a motorcycle, vroom-
Shinichiro looked proudly at the piece of paper in his hands; his lanky frame folded awkwardly over the table as his messy black bangs slipped into his dark eyes.
“Yeah! That’s…that’s pretty good!” he said to himself as he reread the poem scribbled in his handwriting and nodded.
He narrowed his eyes, squinting at the paper, as he tapped a pen against his chin like a seasoned poet deep in thought. After a moment, he added a little underline beneath the last word for emphasis.
Finally, he added three more words to finish the poem.
Your Secret Admirer
“Yeah,” he smiled while nodding to himself, more confident this time. “That’ll do it.”
With one last satisfied look, he folded the paper carefully and slipped it into the pocket of his black leather jacket.
*
Ding Dong.
The bell to the convenience store door chimed softly as he stepped inside.
Shin kept his head tilted down slightly, trying to look as casual as possible as he wandered to one of the snack aisles. There, he pretended to skim items he had no intention of buying, but he couldn’t help but let his eyes flicker up toward the front counter.
His heart thumped.
There she was.
His crush.
Beautiful, talking on the phone, leaning against the register like she didn’t have a care in the world.
Shin swallowed.
Quick. Clean. In and out.
Come on, Shin. He told himself. You can do this!
He left the snack aisle, approaching the counter while she was turned away, and pulled the folded paper from his pocket. Sliding it beside the register, he placed it where she couldn’t miss it. Then…
He bolted.
Not out of the store—no, no. That would be too obvious.
No, instead, he ducked into one of the aisles, but for someone nearly six feet tall, this proved to be quite difficult for he was doing a terrible job of making himself small.
He grabbed for the nearest thing he could (cup noodles) and pretended to read the label all while peeking through the shelves.
The bell chimed again, signaling someone else entering the store, but he paid them no mind.
He watched as his crush turned back to the register while still talking on the phone with a friend.
Shin held his breath as he waited for her to notice. That’s when she paused.
“Wait…” she said, looking down at the little note.
His heart jumped. This is it!
She picked up the paper and unfolded it.
Shin straightened just a little, trying to catch her expression through the gaps between the shelves.
There was a moment of silence. Then finally…
“Someone left me a poem…” she said into the phone, sounding intrigued.
His chest puffed up immediately with pride.
Here we go.
He watched her read it silently.
Then her lips twitched. “Oh my gosh!”
Shin’s smile froze.
She suddenly busted with laughter—not in a mean way—but definitely amused.
“Okay, wait. This is kind of bad,” she told her friend over the phone. “Like cute-bad. Like…this is something my little brother would write.”
Shin blinked. Cute…bad?
She kept going, still laughing.
“No listen-” she read part of it out loud, barely getting through the last line without breaking. “Boom boom like a motorcycle—I cant!”
She covered her mouth, giggling. “I mean, points for effort, I guess?”
Shin slowly lowered the ramen cup in his hands.
His ears felt hot.
His smile disappeared so quietly it almost felt like it had never been there at all.
“Okay…” he mumbled under his breath to himself. “Maybe not that one.”
He then turned, set the ramen back on the shelf like nothing had happened, and walked out of the store without buying anything.
***
When he got to the ramen shop, it was fairly quiet, which was usual for this time of day in the afternoon.
Shin trudged over to the table you were at and slid into his usual seat across from you with a quiet sigh. He slouched forward, all long limbs and misery, as he rested his elbows on the table.
A few moments later, you finally looked up from your book, acknowledging him.
“Well?” you asked.
He glanced off to the side.
You waited, watching him expectantly. “How’d it go?”
Shin scratched the back of his head before answering.
“Well…she didn’t hate it…”
He paused.
“…but she didn’t like it, either.”
Your eager expression softened, just a little.
“Okay,” you said gently. “What did you write?”
Shin hesitated for just a second, then he straightened up like he was about to present something important.
“Alright, listen to this,” he said. “I think it had a strong opening.”
You nodded slowly, bracing yourself.
Shin cleared his throat.
“Roses are red…”
You pressed your lips together.
“Violets are blue…”
Your eyes flickered upward like you were already asking God for strength.
“When I see your face…”
“Shin-”
“My heart goes boom boom like a motorcycle, vroom!”
Silence.
You stared at him.
He stared back at you, dead serious.
“There’s more,” he quickly added.
“Shin,” you called again, carefully.
He stopped.
“What were you going for?” you asked, confused.
He frowned slightly, looking confused himself. “I don’t know…energy?”
You let out a long sigh, pressing a palm over your mouth before trying again.
“Okay, look. It’s not…terrible.”
He brightened.
“It’s just,” you tilted your head to the side, searching for the least painful wording. “It sounds like you’re describing a cartoon explosion or something.”
Shin’s shoulders dropped. “Oh…”
There was a small pause between you.
Then he leaned forward, more serious now. “Well, then what should I say?”
That question caught you off guard.
You blinked. “What?”
“You’re good with this stuff, right?” he said, gesturing vaguely at you and your book. “Words. Feelings. All that.”
You glanced down at your book and huffed a quiet laugh. “I’m not-”
“C’mon,” he cut in. “Just tell me what sounds better.”
You hesitated for a moment but then sighed as Shin’s hopeful eyes bored into you.
“Okay fine,” you caved. “Just don’t describe how she looks as if it’s a checklist.”
He stared back at you, dumbly. “What does that mean?”
“Like, don’t just say her face is pretty,” you explained. “Say what it does to you.”
He leaned in, listening.
You waved your hand in the air, vaguely.
“Something like, ‘when you smile, it makes everything feel lighter’ or something.”
There was a pause as Shin considered your words.
“Wait…”
He grabbed a napkin from the table and the pen still jammed in his pocket.
“What was that?” he asked, quickly.
“What was what?” you replied back.
“Say it again.”
You narrowed your eyes. “Why?”
“Just, say it again, please?”
You sighed, but repeated it anyway, slower this time.
“When you smile…it makes everything feel lighter.”
Shin’s eyes lit up.
“Yeah!” he said, excited, already writing. “Yeah, that’s good!”
You watched him for a moment, feeling a little unsure.
Something about the way he was looking at the words—like he’d just discovered something—made your stomach twist slightly.
“Shin...” you called a little quieter now. “You should really come up with your own words.”
“Yeah, yeah,” he said absentmindedly, still scribbling. “I will.”
He then looked up at you, dark eyes shining brightly. “You got any more of those pretty words, bestie?”
***
The next day, Shin stood at the front counter of the convenience store where his crush worked, holding two pieces of paper.
One with your poetic expression and one of his…
He had spent the previous night trying to come up with words of his own to express himself like you had suggested, but he just couldn’t come up with anything as good as you.
When you smile,
Everything feels a little lighter
Like the world forgets how heavy it was…
Just for a second
Shin nervously tapped his finger against your revised poem as he fought with himself internally.
Hers or mine?
He reached out to place his poem on the counter, but when he heard his crush coming back to the front of the store, he panicked.
Quickly, he set your version down on the counter, then bolted once again, the coattails of his jacket practically flying behind him.
From an aisle in the store, he watched again, waiting for her to notice the note.
This time, when she picked it up, she didn’t laugh.
She paused.
Read it once.
Then, her expression softened.
“Oh…”
Shin straightened as he watched on, his heart practically beating in his ears, but he almost could’ve floated at what she did next.
She…smiled.
Not big, or loud.
Just…real.
“This one’s actually really nice,” she said quietly to herself.
From the aisle, Shin’s eyes widened.
“Jackpot!” he whispered.
And just like that, Shinichiro figured out exactly what he needed.
Not better words.
Just someone who had them.
***
“You're a genius!” Shin exclaimed, marching straight to your usual table at the ramen shop and dropping down in the booth across from you. “A literal fucking word genius!”
You blinked up at him, unsure of what he was referring to. “What did I do?”
“Your poem! I gave it to her and she loved it.”
It took you a minute to catch up, but when you did, you gave him a look.
“Shin, you didn’t!” you said, heat rising to your face. “You gave your crush my poem?! You were just supposed to use it as a guide, not-” You stopped yourself, exhaling. “You basically made me her secret admirer. Do you have any idea how weird that is?”
Shin sighed and leaned back in his chair. “Look, I tried writing my own but the words just wouldn’t come out right. I'm just not good with words like you are.”
You sighed, shaking your head.
Shin continued to explain himself. “I was going to give her mine, but then I looked at yours and how much better it was and, I panicked. I just…didn’t want her to laugh at me again, you know?”
You softened as you watched him slump further in his chair, his expression showing his guilt at what he did.
“Well, what did you come up with?” you asked.
Shin paused for a moment, then pulled out a piece of paper from his pocket and slid it across the table towards you.
You took the paper and read the words written in Shin’s scribble.
Your face is nice
Like, really really nice
I think about it a lot
Probably too much actually
You pressed your lips together, shoulders tightening as you tried—really tried—not to laugh at the “poem.”
“How long did it take you to come up with this?” you asked. “Be honest.”
He shrugged, rubbing at the back of his neck like he was embarrassed. “Like, a few minutes…”
While this was technically true, what he didn’t mention was that this was the best one out of at least a dozen crumpled attempts, all now discarded in the trash.
“Hm…” you said, placing the poem back down on the table.
Shin straightened back up as he looked at you. “Look, I know you said I should come up with my own words, and I will. I promise. It’s just…do you think you could help me out with making them sound better?”
You bit down on your lip, hesitant to do this request of his. You didn’t want to encourage this behavior, exactly. Still, he was one of your oldest and dearest friends.
“Please?” he pleaded, his short black bangs falling into those pretty onyx eyes of his—the ones that always made you cave whenever he deeply wanted something. “Yesterday was the first time I saw her smile like that.”
He rubbed at the back of his neck again. “I just…really like her, and I don’t want to be rejected…”
Shin paused, then slowly added, “…again.”
You sighed once more. You knew all about Shin’s long history of rejections, so you didn’t blame him for not wanting to go through it again. Hell, you were terrified of rejection yourself. It’s part of the reason why you had never…
“Fine,” you agreed, before you could allow yourself to even finish that thought.
You took out your pen and pulled the note to you again to begin translating his words into something more poetic. When you finished, you slid the paper back to him. Shin picked it up immediately, eyes scanning the lines before he read it aloud.
“I catch myself thinking about you in the middle of ordinary moments, like you’ve quietly made a place in my everyday life.”
Shin whistled.
“Wow,” he said, impressed. “This is miles better than my shit poem.” His eyes then landed on you like you were some kind of wizard with words. “How do you come up with this stuff?”
You shrugged.
“Same way you know everything about motorcycles without even thinking about it,” you explained. You were always amazed at Shin’s ability to take apart then rebuild a whole bike from literally the ground up.
“It just…comes to me,” you finished.
Shin nodded like he was considering the analogy. “Yeah. That makes sense.”
He then smiled warmly at you. “Thanks for helping me out with this. She’s gonna love it. I know it. You should’ve seen the look on her face when she read the poem. I knew right then and there. I need you.”
Your brows lifted at that, your stomach doing a small, traitorous flip, but you played it off as a joke.
“Need me, huh? Just don’t expect me to write your wedding vows when you two get married.”
Shin snorted, rolling his eyes. “Yeah, yeah. One step at a time.”
***
Over the course of the next two weeks, you and Shinichiro worked on various poems dedicated to his beloved crush at the convenience store. He would spew words from the top of his head, coming up with terrible versions of his own poems, and then you would translate his babbling into something more poetic to better convey what he was feeling.
Shin:
I get nervous when you talk to me and I forget what I was gonna say. It’s kind of embarrassing. So please don’t notice
Your translation:
You make me forget what I was saying
And I don’t even mind,
Because it means I’m paying more attention to you.
Shin:
I want to be around you even if we’re not talking. It’s better than being alone. Or, with other people
Your translation:
I dream about being near you
Even if it’s in silence
It feels better than anywhere else
I could be.
*
Tonight, he was sprawled across your bed, his black shirt riding up slightly as he shifted, while one foot dangled lazily off the edge. You, on the other hand, sat at your desk with your back facing him, typing away on your laptop.
He was having a hard time coming up with his next verse, but sticking to your one condition that he had to come up with the words first before you translated, you hadn’t bothered to help him to come up with anything, despite it having been nearly an hour since he came over.
Besides, you had a paper due at midnight that was much more important, right now.
You heard Shin sigh, exaggeratedly from behind you.
“I’ve got nothing,” he said, sounding fed up. “There’s only so many ways to say ‘I really fucking like you.’”
You smirked as you paused in typing up your paper to turn to him in your swivel chair.
“Shin, I’ve been meaning to ask you, what is your end goal? Like, are you gonna ask her out? Or, are you just gonna be her secret admirer forever? What do you even want from her?”
Shin gulped like he hadn’t really considered his next step. “What I…want?”
You sighed, realizing he hadn’t even thought that far ahead and turned back to your laptop to continue typing as you spoke. “Maybe you should focus on that. Once you figure that out then you might be able to come up with something.”
Shin didn’t immediately say anything, so you figured he was considering your suggestion.
“You’re right,” he finally said after a few minutes of silent thinking while staring at the ceiling.
You nodded, pleased that he’d actually taken your advice.
“I need to go bigger.”
Your brows furrowed. That wasn’t what you said.
“What?”
“I need to do something bigger than poems if I want her to notice me,” he said, sitting upright. The mattress creaked as he swung his legs over the side of the bed. “I mean, eventually I want to reveal myself, right? So, I need something that’ll impress her. Something she’ll never forget.”
As he spoke, he started pacing your room. You resisted the urge to roll your eyes.
“Shin, I was talking about figuring out what you actually want from her.”
“I know, I know,” he said distractedly. “But if she’s gonna fall for me, I’ve gotta make an impression first.”
You sighed.
There was no stopping him once he got an idea in his head.
“Fine. What do you know about her, then?”
He suddenly stopped, grinning dreamily with that dumb look he got on his face whenever he talked about the girl at the convenience store and you rolled your eyes.
“Besides that she’s pretty,” you quickly added.
His grin fell, a frown now replacing it as he thought harder.
“I don’t know…”
You blinked.
“Shin.”
“What?”
“You’ve been writing poems to this girl for weeks.”
“I know.”
“And you don’t know anything about her?”
“I mean…” He rubbed at the back of his neck. “Not really.”
You just stared at him, dumbfounded. Somehow, that was even worse than you expected.
But before you could lecture him any further, his gaze drifted past you.
His eyes focused on your desk.
Then your bookshelf.
Then to the framed painting above your bed.
His eyes widened.
“OH!” he shouted suddenly, causing you to jump. “FLOWERS!”
Suddenly, a pen bounced off his forehead.
“Ow!”
“Would you keep it down?” you hissed.
It was late and you didn’t want him waking your roommate down the hall all because he suddenly got some grand idea to woo his crush with.
“My bad,” he muttered, rubbing at his head, but his excitement didn’t dim.
“Flowers,” he repeated. “I think she likes flowers.”
You crossed your arms. “You think?”
“Yeah,” he replied, pointing at you as though he’d just cracked a major case. “I heard her talking on the phone with a friend once.”
“Once?”
“I think so.”
“Are you sure?”
Shin frowned. “Okay, maybe not, but I definitely heard her over the phone.”
You continued to stare at him, skeptical, but he ignored you.
“And I’m pretty sure she mentioned cherry blossoms.”
Your stomach gave a strange little twist.
Cherry blossoms.
Your eyes flicked around your room.
The Sakura-themed calendar hanging beside your desk.
The pressed blossoms tucked inside a shelved frame.
The small vase sitting on your nightstand.
You’d always loved cherry blossoms.
The thought hit harder than it should have, which was a bit ridiculous. Lots of people liked cherry blossoms, after all. There was nothing unusual about that.
So why did it suddenly feel like someone had reached into your room and taken something?
“R-Really?” you stuttered slightly, trying to keep your voice casual.
“Yeah!” Shin said. “Can you imagine it? She’ll be working her shift when suddenly a guy walks in carrying a huge bouquet of her favorite flowers.”
Favorite flowers.
You looked away.
Maybe she did love cherry blossoms.
Maybe it was a coincidence.
Still, something about hearing him say it made your chest feel strangely tight.
“Then she’ll see the card,” he continued, completely oblivious. “She’ll realize her secret admirer is thinking about her, and—boom!”
He pointed dramatically into the air.
“Romance.”
You huffed out a small laugh, despite yourself. “Shin, you’re such a romantic.”
His grin widened.
“Yeah, what can I say?” he said, proud of himself.
You shook your head.
Idiot.
As Shin continued to ramble on about how he was going to execute his flower delivery plan, your attention drifted.
First your poems.
Now your flowers.
The thought slipped into your head before you could stop it.
Why did that bother you so much? Especially when you’d agreed to help him in the first place.
Nobody was forcing you.
And yet, the longer he talked, the more uncomfortable you felt.
“Hey.”
You blinked.
Shin had gone quiet. He was staring at you now.
He tilted his head down to your level. “You okay?”
“Huh?”
“You look like you saw a ghost.”
You quickly shook your head. “Oh yeah. I’m fine.”
“You sure?”
“Positive.”
He eyed you suspiciously before eventually shrugging.
“Anyway,” he said, launching right back into his plan. “I know a guy who can probably get me a discount on the flowers.”
You smiled. Of course he did.
“And I’m gonna need your help,” he added.
You rolled your eyes. “What am I helping with this time?”
He fixed you with a hopeful look.
“What rhymes with cherry blossoms?”
***
Today was the day to execute mission: Romance the cutie at the checkout stand.
He had everything set up.
The flower delivery.
The poem.
Then, the reveal.
It was perfect! Nothing could go wrong.
Right now, Shin stood behind a row of shelves, watching his crush check out a few customers. He checked his phone for the time.
9:49AM
He had scheduled the delivery for ten, so he knew the guy would be showing up any minute now.
His crush finished helping the customers and then turned to start zoning her aisle, straightening a stack of candy bars. He was glad that he had chosen early morning for the delivery. Fewer customers would give him the chance to execute his reveal plan, smoothly without distractions.
Buzz…Buzz…
Shin pulled out his vibrating phone from his pocket to see a message from the delivery guy that he had arrived. He was just about to text the delivery guy to enter when he glanced up only to see his crush’s manager walk up beside her, clipboard in hand as he started talking to her about something.
Shin’s shoulders sunk.
He quickly dialed the number and the delivery guy picked up.
“Hey, can you hold off on the delivery for just a second?” he asked. “I’ll tell you when to go in.”
“Okay, man. Just let me know when.”
His dark, glassy eyes lifted back to the front counter when he heard her manager walk away. She was alone again.
Shin perked up.
“Okay, now,” he said, eager.
“Alright-”
“Wait!”
“What?!”
Shin watched as his crush suddenly left the counter and disappeared into the backroom.
He sighed.
“She left,” he explained, deflated again. “Can you hold off just a little longer?”
“Alright man. But I only have my parking space for a few minutes. If it takes too long, I’m gonna have to...”
Ding Dong.
Shin’s attention was pulled away when he heard the ring of the entrance door as someone entered, but he vaguely caught the delivery guy going on about needing to put more change in the parking meter. He watched as a couple of customers came in and he felt his shoulders sink even further.
“Just a few more minutes...”
But “just a few more minutes” turned into much longer as more customers arrived at the convenience store.
A businessman in a wrinkled suit walked up to the register with bottled coffee and a newspaper, then he left. Afterwards, an elderly woman shuffled up to the register.
She smiled warmly at his crush. “Hello young lady. Would you happen to know where the batteries are?”
Shin closed his eyes.
“Just a few more minutes…”
The delivery guy let out an audible groan through the phone.
“Buddy…”
“I know. Just a few more minutes. I promise.”
“I’ve got more deliveries, man.”
“I know.”
Finally, the old woman left. Shin practically bounced where he stood.
“Okay, now!”
The delivery guy took one step…then the front door suddenly swung open again.
This time, four middle-school boys burst inside arguing over which chips to buy.
Shin stared blankly.
“…”
One kid couldn’t decide between barbecue and sour cream. Another wanted slushies. Then one of them knocked over a gum display.
Shin slowly lowered his head until it rested against the shelf.
“This can’t be happening,” he murmured, exasperated.
“You still want to wait?” came the delivery guy’s voice through the speaker of his phone.
“…”
“Buddy?”
“…yeah…” Shin finally said, after a long pause. “Wait.”
Nearly ten minutes later, the boys finally wandered out of the store, their goodies and slushies filling their hands.
A moment later, another cashier came up to the register to grab a snack.
“Hey,” the coworker greeted his crush, but their eyes narrowed as they studied her. “You okay? You look annoyed.”
She sighed as she moved around the register to pick up the gum display the middle-school aged boys had knocked over earlier. “Just some annoying customers.”
The coworker made a face. “Oh, was it those thug guys again? They scare me.”
She shook her head. “Not this time. Just some annoying kids.”
She stood the gum display back up and placed the gum product back when her coworker piped up again.
“By the way, manager said that if those thugs do come back to just call him and he’ll deal with it.”
Shin’s crush nodded. “Yeah, okay. Better he deal with it than me.”
The coworker nodded before finally leaving the counter.
Shin smiled. She was alone again!
No manager.
No customers.
No distractions.
“Okay now!” he exclaimed over the phone.
He waited anxiously for the delivery guy to enter, his eyes darting back-and-forth between the entrance door and the front register, but when the door remained vacant, he frowned.
“Now!” he repeated into the phone, but there was still no response.
He pulled the phone away from his ear to make sure the call hadn’t dropped.
“…Hello?” he spoke again.
Silence.
His eyes lifted to the register again and he could’ve screamed in frustration. He watched as his crush left the front register and disappeared into the backroom again!
Shin groaned as he stepped out from behind the shelves and made his way to the front of the store. Out the front windows of the convenience store, he could see the delivery guy across the street, balancing the large bouquet in one hand and feeding coins into the parking meter with the other.
Shin pinched the bridge of his nose.
Of course.
Walking up to the entrance, he waved his hands in the air, exaggeratedly, trying to get the guy’s attention, but it wasn’t until the delivery guy was finally on his way back that he recognized Shin. Immediately, he picked up the pace and made his way back across the street with the large bouquet of cherry blossoms.
Shin grinned, releasing a sigh of relief.
Finally!
He spun around to make his way back to his favorite aisle to hide behind when…he stopped short.
“…”
His jaw fell open as he now stared at his crush, staring back at him with a dumbfounded expression.
“…Shin?” she said, her eyes darting between him then towards something behind him.
Everything inside him stopped.
His heart.
His pulse.
His breathing.
Shin gulped.
That’s when the entrance door swung open.
Ding Dong.
“Yo, you Shinichiro? I’ve got the cherry blossoms for the cutie at the checkout stand,” came the delivery guy’s voice from behind Shin.
His crush’s perfectly arched eyebrows lifted in shock as her eyes widened, while Shin’s eyes pressed closed.
For one brief second, Shin considered pretending he didn’t know how to speak Japanese.
Instead, he sighed.
“Yeah…” he said, his voice flat as he finally revealed himself, albeit not quite how he expected to. “That’s me.”
He then slowly opened his eyes to look at his crush with a slightly pained expression. “This…was supposed to go a lot smoother.”
***
Shin stood there, the bouquet now in his hands, looking like he wanted the floor to swallow him whole.
She stared at the cherry blossoms, then at him.
Then back at the flowers.
“These…are for me?” she asked.
Shin swallowed. “Yeah.”
The delivery guy, sensing the tension a little too late, slowly backed toward the door. “So…I’m gonna go.”
The bell chimed behind him as he exited.
Neither of them moved.
Shin forced himself to hold the bouquet out properly. “I, uh… I wanted to give them to you as a surprise. Just…not like that.”
Her fingers hovered near the flowers, but she didn’t take them right away.
“They’re beautiful,” she said softly.
Hope sparked in his chest.
Then her brows drew together, just a little.
“But… why cherry blossoms?”
Shin blinked. “Because they’re your favorite.”
Her expression shifted as she looked at him in confusion.
“My favorite?”
“Yeah,” he said, though his voice had already started to lose confidence. “I heard you talking about them on the phone once, so I thought…”
She stared at him for a moment, and something in her face softened with understanding.
“Oh,” she said quietly. “Shin… cherry blossoms aren’t my favorite.”
His smile fell a little. “They’re not?”
She shook her head. “They’re my friend’s favorite. I was talking about her that day.”
The words landed harder than he expected.
Shin looked down at the bouquet in his hands, suddenly feeling very aware of how big it was. How pink. How dramatic.
How wrong.
“Oh,” he said.
She gave him a small, apologetic smile. “I’m sorry.”
“No, don’t be,” he said quickly. “That’s—That’s my bad. I just thought…”
He trailed off, because he didn’t actually know what he had thought.
She glanced at the flowers again, then at him.
“And the poems,” she said carefully. “Those were from you too, right?”
His throat tightened.
“Yeah,” he admitted. “They were.”
She nodded slowly, as if she had already guessed.
“They were sweet,” she said. “Some of them were really beautiful.”
Shin’s face warmed, but this time the compliment didn’t feel as good as it should have.
“Thanks,” he said quietly.
“I mean that,” she added. “It was thoughtful. And the flowers are thoughtful too. I can tell you put a lot of effort into all of this.”
He looked up at her then, searching her face.
“But?” he asked.
She paused.
The gentleness in her expression made it worse.
“But I don’t think I can accept,” she said.
Shin went still.
She hurried to explain, clearly not wanting to hurt him more than she had to.
“It’s not because I think you’re a bad guy or anything. You’re nice. Really. And this is… probably one of the sweetest things anyone’s tried to do for me.”
He tried to smile. It didn’t quite work.
“But I don’t think you know me very well,” she said.
The store seemed to go quiet around them.
“You heard me mention flowers once and thought they were my favorite,” she continued gently. “And the poems were beautiful, but… I don’t know. Sometimes they felt like they were written for someone you imagined, not really for me.”
Shin’s fingers tightened around the bouquet.
He didn’t have an answer.
Because she was right.
She looked down, then back at him.
“I’m not mad,” she said. “And I’m not trying to embarrass you. I just think… if someone likes me, I’d want them to like me. Not just the version of me they made up in their head.”
Shin stared at her.
Then, slowly, his shoulders lowered.
“Yeah,” he said, barely above a whisper. “Yeah, that’s fair.”
Her expression softened even more.
“I’m sorry.”
He shook his head. “No. You don’t have to be.”
It was silent for a moment.
Then he looked down at the cherry blossoms and gave a small, humorless laugh.
“I really messed this up, huh?”
She smiled faintly. “A little.”
That got the tiniest laugh out of him, even if it hurt.
“Thanks for being honest,” he said.
“Thanks for being brave enough to tell me,” she replied.
For a second, he looked like he might say something else.
Then he only nodded.
“Right,” he said. “I’ll, uh… stop bothering you at work now.”
“You weren’t bothering me,” she said gently. “But maybe no more anonymous poems?”
His ears went red.
“Yeah,” he said. “Definitely no more anonymous poems.”
***
Today, the walk to the ramen shop had to be one of the longest walks of his life. His shoes practically dragged against the pavement as he trudged along.
His ex-crush’s voice kept replaying in his head.
I just think…if someone likes me, I’d want them to like me.
He sighed heavily as he finally came up to the entrance of the shop, then he shook his head and entered.
When the bell above the door jingled as he walked in, he heard familiar laughter coming from the side of the restaurant him and his friends usually sit at and sure enough, they were all there.
“Hey Shin,” Wakasa called, coolly waving him over.
Shin moved across the restaurant, walking up to their table. The guys all gave him expressions varying between amused, hopeful, and curious.
“Well?” Waka asked.
“Did she say yes?” Benkei followed.
“Yeah, you finally reveal yourself, Romeo?” teased Akashi.
Silence.
Shin kept his eyes downcast on the table.
No one said anything as the silence stretched out painfully long.
After a few more moments, Waka finally cleared his throat.
“Damn. That bad, huh?”
Shin still didn’t say anything.
Then, Benkei stood to clap a supportive hand to Shin on the back. “Hey, you’ll live, man.”
“Probably,” Akashi muttered, sarcastically.
Shin grimaced. “Thanks…”
“Hey, what’s going on?”
Shin stiffened upon hearing the sound of your voice from behind.
“Hey, Ghostwriter!”
You rolled your eyes at Waka’s nickname for you ever since he and the guys found out you wrote Shin’s poems.
“Would you stop calling me that?”
He just laughed as you slid into a chair, taking your place again after having come back from the restroom.
Shin pulled up a chair to sit at the head of the table. Then, after a moment of silence, Waka couldn’t help himself, so he asked.
“So…?”
Shin sighed.
“I got rejected…” he paused for a moment, then added, “…again.”
Benkei winced. “Ouch.”
“What happened?” Akashi asked.
Shin shrugged. “I don’t know her.”
He briefly explained to his friends what happened with the failed delivery attempt and the rejection from his ex-crush afterwards.
The table remained silent as his words settled in. Then finally…
“Well yeah,” Benkei said, scratching his cheek. “I mean, not to pile on, but…you barely knew the girl.”
Shin looked up at him with a slight frown, but Benkei just shrugged.
“You talked to her like what…twice?” he reasoned.
Waka laughed as he added on. “And you wrote her poems before you even learned her favorite flower, dude.”
“That is kind of backwards, man,” Akashi concluded.
Waka continued to laugh, while Akashi snorted and Benkei just shook his head.
You, on the other hand, pressed your lips together, as you gave him a sympathetic look.
Shin blinked as his friends’ words dawned on him.
“Yeah…I guess so.”
Eventually, the table began to settle into its usual rhythm, but Shin stayed mostly silent, causing you to take notice as you side-glanced him, occasionally. Then Waka finally stood while joking with the others.
“Anyways, we’re gonna see if we can get the waitress at the bar to give us another round of beer on a discount.”
“Don’t embarrass me,” you lectured them all. “The only reason we even get discounts on the ramen here is because she’s my friend.”
Akashi glared at Waka. “Well, we wouldn’t have to bribe her if you’d just let me do the talking.”
Benkei agreed. “Yeah, you’ll probably just scare her with that creepy ass smile of yours, Waka.”
“Shut up!” he griped, flipping them off as he marched towards the bar with them following right behind.
You watched as all three left the table to go over to the bar, leaving you and Shin alone now.
The table became quiet once again.
Then finally, Shin spoke.
“I think she was right.”
You looked at him.
“I didn’t know anything about her,” he continued.
You stayed silent as you listened to him.
“I just…” he suddenly laughed weakly. “…liked the idea of her.”
You still didn’t say anything as he continued to ramble on.
“I still don’t even know what her favorite flower is.”
You let his words hang in the air for a moment before finally saying what’s been on your mind all afternoon.
“You know…” you began carefully. “I don’t think she rejected you because of the flowers, Shin.”
He looked up at you, taken aback.
“And I think…” you continued, deep in thought. “I think you…deserve someone who knows you, too.”
Shin frowned. “What?”
You looked up at him.
“I said you deserve someone who knows you,” you repeated, thoughtfully. “You said she told you that you don’t really know her, but you deserve that, too. Like…someone who knows that you’re like a big brother to everyone and that’s why so many people look up to you.”
Shin sat still, staring at you in shock but you just continued.
“Or, someone who knows you’d never stand by while someone else gets hurt.”
Shin blinked, stunned.
“Someone who knows you’re the type to pretend you’re okay even when you’re hurting,” you continued on before smiling, softly. “Someone who knows you laugh whenever you’re embarrassed.”
Shin’s breathing deepened as he stared at you, intently, hanging on to your every word.
“Someone who knows…” you paused as you now felt his dark eyes boring into you.
That’s when you realized how much you had rambled off.
“Oh…” you stared back at him.
After a long moment, Shin gulped.
“How…”
“What?”
“How did you know all that?”
You froze. You blinked. “Well…I…”
“HEY!”
Both your heads snapped at the sound of a sudden shriek from across the restaurant.
“Waka!” the sound of Benkei’s deep voice followed. “You’re making a mess!”
You noticed your friend at the bar now looking to you for help.
“Your friends are being idiots!” she complained.
You sighed and got up.
“I’ll be right back,” you told Shin before marching over to the bar.
Shin stared after you as you went off to rescue your waitress friend from Waka and the others.
“Now what did I tell you idiots?!”
Waka immediately protested his innocence. Akashi laughed while Benkei looked deeply tired of them both.
Normally, Shin would’ve joined in, but tonight, he barely heard them.
He couldn’t help the way everything you’d just said was now replaying in his head.
someone who knows you’re like a big brother to everyone…
someone who knows you’d never stand by while someone gets hurt…
someone who knows you pretend you’re okay even when you’re hurting…
someone who knows you laugh whenever you’re embarrassed…
The words replayed in his head one after another.
How did you know all that?
You had listed them so naturally. Not like observations, but like, they’d simply become part of what you knew about him.
Shin swallowed.
Without meaning to, his mind drifted back several weeks.
Of you two hanging in the shop.
Spending late nights together in your room.
You helping him whenever he got another idea for a poem.
“I knew it right then and there,” he’d declared proudly when you two were hanging in the ramen shop alone. “I need you.”
Shin blinked as his words from a few weeks ago now popped up in his head.
At the time, he’d meant he needed a talented writer to save him from another embarrassing poem. Nothing more.
But now he remembered the way your eyes had widened. The way you had stared at him a second too long before quickly making a joke about writing his wedding vows someday. He’d laughed it off. He’d been too excited about the convenience store girl to think about it any further.
He bit his lip as another memory resurfaced.
Like, your reaction to when he came up with the reveal plan.
The cherry blossoms.
He’d been rambling about coming up with a reveal plan while pacing around your room like a madman. Then he’d noticed all the Sakura decorations and excitedly announced that his crush must have loved cherry blossoms, too.
You’d gone quiet.
Not annoyed. Not confused. Just…quiet.
He had sensed something was off.
He had asked if you were okay.
But you had insisted that you were fine.
Back then he’d believed you, but now he wondered why he’d accepted that answer so easily.
And then there were the poems themselves.
That thought stopped him cold.
You’d translated every single one.
No matter how badly phrased.
No matter how awkward.
No matter how unrefined.
Your face is nice.
Like, really really nice.
He almost laughed.
Dear God…those were awful.
And yet…
You never laughed at him.
Not really.
Maybe you’d tease him, roll your eyes, or call him hopeless, but then you’d pick up your pen, and somehow, you always knew. Not just what he was trying to say, but what he meant.
The words came so easily to you as if…as if they’d been there all along. As if you’d already felt them.
Shin’s breathing slowed.
“No…” he whispered to himself as he began to realize.
They weren’t just better poems.
They weren’t just prettier words.
They sounded…real.
He thought back to one in particular.
I catch myself thinking about you in the middle of ordinary moments…
He frowned.
He knew he never would’ve thought to say that.
Then another popped in his head.
When you smile, everything feels a little lighter…
And another.
I dream about being near you, even if it’s in silence...
His heart skipped.
Those weren’t his words. At least, not really because…they came from you.
Not because you were better at writing.
But because you already understood the feeling.
“You weren’t writing what I wanted to say…”
The realization hit him so suddenly that it nearly stole the air from his lungs.
“You were writing what you would’ve wanted someone to say to you.”
He stared toward the bar where you were scolding Waka while Akashi and Benkei sniggered.
All this time…
He’d thought you were helping him chase someone else, when all along…
You’d been quietly pouring pieces of your own heart onto every page.
***
You first noticed it when you all left the ramen shop that evening.
Shin’s strange behavior.
Normally, he would’ve waved over his shoulder with a lazy, “See ya,” or something along those lines. But this time, he lingered…
You watched as his eyes focused on his shuffling feet, obviously hesitating, which you found odd.
“Shin?” you called, encouraging him to say whatever was on his mind, but he just looked up at you and smiled, softly.
“Uh…just…” he swallowed. “Get home safe, okay?”
Your brows furrowed slightly as your face twisted in a look of both confusion and amusement.
“But, I always do.”
“Yeah,” he said, before running a hand through his dark messy hair. “I know.”
That wasn’t the only time he’d acted curiously, though.
A few days later when you were at his bike shop, watching him work, you swore you felt something when he’d asked you to hand him the wrench.
He’d been working hard all afternoon, hunched over a bike, the sleeves of his mechanic uniform pushed up, and pale skin smudged with grease, but because his toolbox was closest to where you sat, he’d asked you to hand it over.
Without a thought, you had reached for the toolbox and pulled out the wrench, then stood to hand it to him.
He’d reached out to retrieve it from you.
That’s when your hands brushed one another’s…
Typically, this would be no big deal, but this time, he paused a second longer than usual.
Long enough to notice.
Long enough to look you in the eyes.
“Thanks,” he’d said warmly, like you had given him something much more intimate than a simple tool.
Then, he’d immediately went back to tightening a bolt, leaving you standing there, completely stumped.
Or there was the way he seemed to be in tuned with you and your body in a way that he wasn’t before.
For example, one day while you two were hanging out, walking through the crowded streets of the city, you had almost bumped into someone when you weren’t paying any attention. You were just a step ahead of Shin when you slightly turned around to tell him something while still walking forward. You didn’t even realize you were about to collide with someone. That’s when you felt his hand caress the small of your back, only to guide you closer to him, just before you could crash into the other person.
It was almost like he had done so, instinctively.
The gesture had thrown you off so much that you just blinked in surprise as you watched the other person continue walking by, dusting past your shoulders.
Then, Shin’s hand dropped from your back and he kept walking as if he hadn’t done anything at all, but your head stayed stuck in that moment because, since when did he do that?
But what you found most strange were his cryptic phrases. In fact, it was becoming a pattern.
Shin would say something oddly specific.
You would ask what he meant.
He’d smile to himself…then refuse to elaborate.
It was like he was silently in on some joke that you weren’t privy to.
Like, the time you two were casually walking together one afternoon while hanging out. You’d said something totally normal. Nothing worth batting an eyelash at, and yet, he’d smiled to himself leaving you curious.
“What?” you had asked when you caught the grin on his face.
“Hm?” he’d asked.
“Why are you smiling? Did I say something funny?”
He’d shaken his head. “It's nothing.”
You’d stared at him, not knowing how to respond.
At first, he didn’t either. Then finally…
“You’re just really good with words,” he’d answered, making you freeze.
“What?” you’d said, stunned.
But he’d just kept walking, as he continued. “I never realized that before.”
In addition, his new favorite phrase seemed to have become, “you always know what I’m trying to say,” whenever you clarified something he said.
But clearly, this wasn’t true because every time he spoke, he confused you even more!
Tonight was no different.
It was Saturday night, and you two were at the convenience store, getting snacks you planned to smuggle into the movie that you, Shin, and the guys were all going to see later.
You both were in the chip’s aisle, looking over the dozens of colorful options.
“Which one do you want?” you asked, picking up a bag.
Shin shrugged. “I trust your judgement.”
This made you laugh. “Since when?”
But he just smiled and said, “Guess I should’ve trusted it sooner.”
You tilted your head to the side, puzzled. “Okay…?”
Regardless, you chose one of each kind to cover all the bases.
Then you guys got to the refrigerated drinks.
You were trying to decide between two different beverages.
Shin finally pulled both out and told you to pick your absolute favorite, holding them up in front of him for you to choose.
You chuckled. “Why my absolute favorite?”
“Because,” he said looking at you with his signature half-smile. “This time I want to know what your favorite actually is.”
You stared at him for a long moment.
This is what you meant by cryptic phrasing. Lately, every conversation with Shin felt like you had missed the first half of it.
You blinked at him. “What?”
But again, he just smiled at you and shook his head.
“Nothing.”
He then put both drinks in the little handheld basket and kept going as normal.
“Shin, wait-” you said, turning to stop him so you could question him further. All these cryptic responses were driving you absolutely insane.
But before you could say anything further, you heard the chime signaling someone had just entered the automatic doors to the store.
Ding Dong.
Afterwards, a loud howl echoed around the store, followed by the sound of obnoxious laughter like that of hyenas.
You immediately felt yourself go on-guard as you looked up to see a group of rough-looking guys enter the store, looking more like they were out for blood rather than the ordinary snacks the convenience store had to offer.
As you watched from where you stood, one of the men sauntered over to the front counter, then leaned so far over the register that the cashier instinctively backed away, forcing a tight, uncomfortable smile. Another slammed into a display of gum with his elbow, sending packs scattering across the floor, while two others tore open snacks they’d grabbed from the shelves as if the store belonged to them.
The cashier protested, but her voice was swallowed almost immediately by a chorus of jeers and laughter. Whatever she said only seemed to amuse them more.
Immediately, you looked at Shinichiro.
He was no longer smiling.
One second, he was standing beside you with a basket full of snacks and that stupid half-smile still tugging at his mouth. The next, his expression smoothed out completely.
His shoulders squared.
His eyes sharpened.
His jaw set tight.
Something in him shifted.
You gulped as you watched him, his dark bangs falling into his eyes, focused at the front of the store, but for once, they didn’t make him look boyish. They made him look unreadable.
And suddenly, you remembered.
Shinichiro Sano was not just the idiot who wrote terrible poems and asked what rhymed with cherry blossoms.
He was the leader of the Black Dragons.
“Stay here,” he commanded.
You blinked at the sound of his voice, taken aback. It was still Shin’s voice, but lower now. Steadier. The kind that made people listen before they even realized they were obeying.
“Shin-” you said, about to protest but then he looked up at you as he set the basket down beside your feet.
“Off to the side. Please.”
Then he walked away before you could argue.
Shin didn’t immediately intervene.
He watched calmly. Patiently.
As if he was giving them every opportunity to make the smart choice.
But then one of the men leaned in again, close enough that the cashier took another step back.
That’s when his voice cut through the chaos like a knife.
“Hey!” he said, voice firm.
The laughter died down just enough for them to turn and look at him, one by one.
“That’s enough.”
One of the thug’s eyes dragged over him from head to toe. “What?”
Shin’s hands stayed loose at his sides. “She’s working. Leave her alone.”
The guy scoffed. “And who the fuck are you supposed to be?”
“Nobody,” Shin said evenly. “Just asking you to back off.”
That made another one laugh. “Asking?”
Shin sighed through his nose. “Yeah. Asking.”
You felt your stomach tighten.
That was somehow worse than if he had raised his voice.
“Come on,” Shin continued, still calm. “You guys can walk out right now, and nobody has to make this a thing.”
“Or what?”
Shin’s eyes narrowed slightly. “Or I stop asking.”
The air went still.
You took one step back, then another. Shin was strong. You knew that. Everyone knew that. But there were too many of them, and the store suddenly felt too small.
Your eyes darted toward the entrance doors.
Wakasa. Benkei. Akashi.
They were only at the next shop over.
You needed to get them.
You quickly made way for the exit.
Maybe it was the pale skin, and the lanky build that made them mistake Shin for being soft, because behind you, one of the thugs snapped, “You got a mouth on you, pretty boy.”
That was the last thing you had heard before you scurried out of the store to run next door.
*
Shin didn’t move as he glared at the thugs. “Last warning.”
They didn’t listen.
The first punch came fast.
Shin stepped aside before it landed, the man’s fist cutting through empty air. The thug stumbled forward, thrown off balance by his own momentum.
Shin didn’t hit him.
He didn’t even raise his fists.
He only looked at him, almost disappointed.
“Don’t do that.”
Another one rushed him from behind.
“Shin!”
The warning came from his ex-crush at the counter, but Shin was already moving.
His hand caught the man’s wrist. His shoulder dipped. Then, in one clean motion, the thug went over him and hit the tile with a heavy thud that made the shelves rattle.
Shin released him immediately and stepped back.
He hadn’t thrown a punch.
He hadn’t needed to.
The thug on the floor groaned, blinking up at him in stunned confusion.
Shin looked down at him.
“Stay down.”
For the first time since they had walked in, the thugs weren’t laughing anymore as two of the guys kneeled to the floor to check on their friend, clutching his wrist while groaning in pain.
The leader of the pack just stared back-and-forth between Shin and his friend on the ground in bewilderment.
“Last chance,” Shin said, voice low. “Take your friend and go.”
The guy didn’t move but looked like he was torn between helping his friend or attempting another attack on Shin, but when the automatic doors to the store opened again, his eyes widened in fear.
“Hey Shin,” the sound of Waka’s voice drawled from the doorway behind Shinichiro, causing him to turn around. Waka cracked his knuckles. “You startin’ without us?”
“What’s going on?” Benkei added as he stepped inside. “Is everyone okay?”
“Man, you guys picked the wrong convenience store,” Akashi said with a smirk.
“Wait…” one of the thugs muttered, his face draining of color. “That’s Wakasa Imaushi.”
Another stiffened. “And Benkei?”
His gaze then snapped back to Shin. “No way…”
Shin only looked at him, silent.
“That’s Sano Shinichiro.”
Instantly, the leader-guy scrambled to get his friend off the floor, the other two trailing right behind.
“But my wrist!” cried the thug, dramatically clutching his injured wrist to his chest. “I think he broke my wrist!”
But the leader was having none of it as he practically dragged his friend out the store with him.
“We’ll deal with it later! Let’s go!”
The group literally pushed their way out of the store as they all scurried to get out as fast as possible, clearly terrified of what would happen if they went up against The Black Dragons.
But Shin didn’t watch the thugs run out. He immediately went over to the counter.
“You okay?” he asked the cashier who he used to be absolutely crazy about. She was staring between him and the door where the thugs had fled just at the mention of his name.
“Yeah…I’m okay,” she nodded, staring at him in awe.
Shin smiled when he heard Waka pipe up again.
“So Shin, what’s up? We chasin’ after ‘em or what?”
He cracked his knuckles again like he was more than ready to give those guys absolute hell. All Shin had to do was give his members the “okay” and he knew those thugs would end up with way more problems than just a hurt wrist, but he just shook his head.
“No. Let them go.”
Waka snapped his tongue, clearly disappointed. “Really?”
Shin shrugged as he gestured to the cashier. “She’s alright now.”
His eyes then finally landed on you as you now stood near the entrance.
“I thought I told you to wait.”
You responded simply by putting your hands up and shrugging. You did what you had to do. Even though you knew he was strong, you weren’t just going to stand around while Shin took on four thugs by himself.
But Shin’s attention was taken away when a soft voice called him again.
“Hey Shin, can I talk to you for a minute?” the cashier asked as she came around the counter to walk up to him.
Shin blinked, then nodded. “Yeah. Sure.”
Sensing that they needed a moment alone, the guys drifted a few steps away, still muttering amongst themselves, though Wakasa kept looking back like he was hoping Shin would change his mind and let them chase after the thugs after all.
You stayed near the entrance, arms loosely folded, watching as the cashier stopped in front of Shin.
For a moment, she didn’t say anything. She only looked at him like she was seeing him properly for the first time.
Not the awkward guy who had left poems at her register. Not the boy who had stumbled through a failed flower delivery with cherry blossoms meant for someone else’s favorite things.
But the man who had quietly stepped between her and four strangers without asking for anything in return.
The person those men had run from the second they realized who he was.
Her fingers twisted nervously in front of her. “I didn’t know.”
Shin tilted his head slightly. “Didn’t know what?”
“That you were…” Her eyes flickered toward the door, then back to him. “You know. You.”
Shin gave a small, sheepish laugh as he rubbed the back of his neck. “Yeah, well. I don’t usually lead with that.”
She smiled faintly, but there was something warmer in it now. Something almost regretful.
“I guess I didn’t know you very well either,” she admitted softly.
The words made Shin pause.
A few weeks ago, they probably would’ve made his heart jump right out of his chest. A few weeks ago, he would’ve taken that as an opening, as a sign, as proof that all those poems and flowers and ridiculous plans had finally worked.
But now, all he could think about was you standing near the door with your hands still half-raised like you’d been ready to defend your choice to run for help.
You, who knew exactly when he was joking and when he wasn’t.
You, who had known he would never stand by when someone was getting hurt.
You, who had run anyway because knowing that about him didn’t stop you from worrying.
The cashier took a breath. “Thank you for stepping in. Really. You didn’t have to do that for me.”
Shin shook his head. “Anyone would’ve.”
“No,” she said, looking at him with quiet certainty. “They wouldn’t.”
He didn’t know what to say to that.
She tucked a strand of hair behind her ear, suddenly shy. “I know this is probably terrible timing, but…if you’re not busy later, maybe we could get coffee? Or something?”
Shin stared at her.
Actually stared.
So did Wakasa.
Akashi’s brows shot up so high they nearly disappeared into his hairline, while Benkei made a low sound that suspiciously resembled a cough trying to hide a laugh.
Because there it was.
The thing Shinichiro Sano had been dreaming about for weeks.
The girl at the convenience store was asking him out.
And somehow, all he felt was surprised.
Not thrilled.
Not dizzy.
Not even nervous in the way he used to get around her.
Just surprised.
Like someone had handed him a prize after he’d already walked away from the game.
A few weeks ago, he would’ve said yes before she even finished asking.
A few weeks ago, he would’ve stumbled over himself, grinned like an idiot, and probably bragged to everyone that poetry had finally changed his life.
But he wasn’t that Shin anymore.
Or maybe he was.
Maybe he had simply figured out what he should’ve been looking at all along.
His gaze softened.
“I’m sorry,” he said gently.
The cashier blinked. “Oh.”
“It’s not because I’m mad or anything,” he said quickly. “And it’s not because I don’t appreciate it. I do. Really.”
He glanced down, laughing once under his breath.
“Honestly, if you asked me that a little while ago, I probably would’ve passed out.”
That made her smile a little, even as disappointment flickered across her face.
“But?” she asked.
Shin looked at her honestly.
“But I think I finally know who I actually like.”
The cashier’s lips parted slightly, realization dawning.
Her gaze drifted past him.
Shin followed it automatically.
And froze.
You weren’t by the entrance anymore.
The basket of snacks still sat abandoned beside the aisle, but you were gone.
His heart dropped.
“Where’d she go?” he asked, already turning.
Wakasa pointed toward the door with his thumb. “She stepped out a second ago.”
Shin didn’t wait for anything else.
“Shin?” the cashier called softly.
He looked back at her, apologetic.
She smiled, a little sad but understanding. “Go.”
So he did.
The bell above the door chimed sharply as Shin rushed out onto the sidewalk.
The evening air hit him first, cool against his heated face. Then the noise of the street rushed in around him—cars passing, people talking, the distant hum of the city.
For one terrifying second, he didn’t see you.
Then his eyes caught sight of you half a block away, walking fast with your shoulders hunched and your hands shoved deep into the pockets of your jacket.
“Hey!” he called.
You didn’t stop.
“Hey, wait!”
This time, you slowed, but only because his long legs were already catching up.
Shin reached you just as you turned halfway around, confusion and something more guarded flickering across your face.
“What are you doing?” you asked, breathless though you hadn’t been running. “Shouldn’t you be back there?”
Shin slowed in front of you, chest rising and falling from the short sprint.
“Back where?”
You gave him a look like the answer was obvious. “With…her.”
Something tightened in his chest.
You looked away first, pretending to focus on the passing cars. “She asked you out, didn’t she? That’s what you wanted.”
Shin stared at you.
Then, slowly, he smiled.
Not his usual crooked grin. Not the embarrassed laugh he used whenever he got caught doing something stupid.
This smile was quieter.
Surer.
Like he had finally found the right words without needing anyone else to translate them for him.
“I did want that,” he said.
You swallowed, your expression tightening.
“A few weeks ago,” he added.
Your eyes flicked back to him.
Shin took one careful step closer.
“But then some annoying girl kept helping me write poems,” he said, voice softening, “and somehow, she made me realize I didn’t know the person I was chasing at all.”
Your lips parted.
“And then,” he continued, “she said I deserved someone who knew me.”
You froze as the street seemed to quiet around you.
For once, you didn’t have anything clever to say.
You only stared at him, heart pounding so hard you were sure he could hear it over the passing cars.
“Shin…” you said, but his name came out smaller than you meant it to.
His smile softened at the sound.
“You always knew what I was trying to say,” he murmured. “Even when I didn’t.”
You swallowed. “That doesn’t mean—”
“It means everything,” he cut in gently.
That shut you up.
Shin stepped closer again, close enough now that you had to tilt your head back to look at him. The streetlights caught in his dark eyes, turning them warm at the edges, but his gaze never wavered from yours.
Your breath caught.
You tried to look away, but Shin reached up, careful and slow, giving you every chance to pull back. His fingers brushed beneath your chin, tilting your face back toward his.
You didn’t pull away.
His thumb skimmed lightly along your jaw, and for one unbelievable second, Shinichiro Sano looked almost impossibly sure of himself.
“So let me say this one right,” he whispered.
Your heart stopped.
Shin smiled.
“I don’t want coffee with her,” he said softly. “I want everything ordinary with you.”
Then he leaned in.
The kiss was soft at first, almost questioning, like he was still waiting for you to decide whether this was real. But the second your fingers curled into the front of his jacket, Shin’s breath hitched.
Then he kissed you like he finally understood what all those poems had been trying to say.
His arm slid around your waist, steady and warm, drawing you closer as your feet nearly lifted off the pavement. The kiss was all instinct and feeling as he held you like he couldn’t believe you were there and kissing him back.
Finally, after weeks of terrible poems, borrowed words, failed plans, and twenty-one rejections, Shinichiro Sano was smooth.
Devastatingly smooth.
For about five seconds.
“FINALLY!”
You and Shin broke apart at the sudden shout.
Half a block behind you, Wakasa stood outside the convenience store with both hands thrown into the air like he had just witnessed a miracle.
Benkei stood beside him, arms crossed, looking far too proud for someone who had absolutely nothing to do with the moment.
Akashi, meanwhile, had his hand over his mouth, clearly failing to hide his laughter.
Shin’s face went red instantly.
“Are you kidding me?” he snapped.
Wakasa ignored him completely. “Twenty-one rejections, and the man lives!”
“Technically,” Benkei said, nodding solemnly, “this one didn’t reject him.”
“Historic,” Akashi added. “We should mark the date.”
You buried your face against Shin’s chest, partly to hide your burning cheeks and partly because you were laughing too hard to stand up straight.
Shin groaned, tipping his head back toward the sky. “I hate you guys.”
“No, you don’t,” you said softly, knowing him well enough to know how much he loved his friends.
He looked back down at you.
The embarrassment was still there, bright across his cheeks, but his expression softened the second his eyes met yours.
“No,” he admitted, quieter now. “I don’t.”
His hand found yours between you, fingers lacing through yours like it was the easiest thing in the world.
Wakasa made a gagging sound from down the sidewalk.
“Ugh, now they’re holding hands. This is getting disgusting.”
Benkei sighed.
“Can we please get to the movie before they start kissing again?” Waka continued with an exaggerated roll of his eyes.
Shin immediately pulled you a little closer, mostly out of spite.
“Actually,” he called back, “I might.”
You smacked his chest lightly. “Shin!”
But he was smiling again, bright and boyish and completely unashamed now.
The kind of smile that made everything feel lighter.
And this time, when he looked at you, you didn’t have to translate a single thing.
Hey guys, I wanted to let you all know I am taking a break from writing on this blog indefinitely. For two reasons-
1: I usually write based on what I am currently interested or invested in. When I’m really into a certain thing, I get really inspired to write. And right now, I’m just not that invested in Tokyo Revengers.
2: I have another blog I am currently putting more time and effort into. I do the same things I do here, writing fics, but it’s for a completely different fandom. If any of you might be interested in what I do over there, then you can follow me- @doe-eyed-fool
So yeah. Im not going to be doing much of anything on this blog anymore. Well, until I get the inspiration to write again. Im sorry if this upsets some of you, but who knows? Maybe I’ll be back! But for now, I’m going to be taking a break here, and focusing on my other blog.
(If anyone else wants to be tagged, just let me know ^w^)
A young girl at the age of ten, makes her way home from school. She didn’t live too far away from her school, so she didn’t mind the walk to and back. In fact, she found herself enjoying the walks. It gave her some alone time, some time to herself, some time to think.
It was nice.
Unfortunately, it wouldn’t last long. Today, some middle schoolers decided to give her a hard time. She was stopped by two older boys, each of them trying to come off as intimidating.
“You lost little girl?”
“Where’s your little friends? Or, maybe…Don’t tell me you’re one of those friendless geeks!”
“I bet! Just look at her!”
She inwardly sighs at their attempts at scaring her and hurting her feelings. Though, what they said wasn’t entirely wrong. She really didn’t have any friends. It was hard to make friends at her school. Or rather, it was hard for her to make friends. She just gave up after a while.
She wasn’t sad about it or anything. She was doing just fine.
“Can you please get out of my way?” She finally speaks.
“Huh? Trying to order us around pipsqueak!?”
“Annoying little brat! We outta reach you a lesson!”
The two took a step closer to her. This time the sigh left her. She wasn’t a great fighter. She was only ten after all. But she did deal with her fair share of bullies, and she was able to take care of them on her own.
This was no different. Just two dumb bullies in her way.
The first one raised his fist and aimed it towards her face. She quickly dodged before deliver a punch of her own to his stomach. She wasn’t sure if he was actually hurt from it, or if it was just shock that made him stumble back. But she didn’t waste time as she did the same to the other, this time, kicking him in the gut as hard as she could.
“Damn you!”
The girl quickly tried running past them, but was grabbed by the arm and yanked back.
“Hold her still.”
One of the boys cracked his knuckles as he spoke. “We were just gonna let you go with a light slap on the wrist. But now you’re gonna get it! How would you like a few broken bones!?”
Just as he said this, fast approaching footsteps could be heard. And before she knew it, the one threatening to harm her was being kicked in the head. He was sent to the ground roughly, unconscious.
Standing above him, was a boy around her age. With a bored expression, he turned to the one holding her. “How lame. Picking on a little girl.” He muttered before rushing towards him. He jumped up into the air, and delivered the same devastating kick he dealt the first one.
He landed with ease, and turned to face the girl. “You alright?” He asks. The girl blinks before nodding her head. “Ok. See ya.” The boy says before starting to walk off.
“Wait a second!”
The boy stopped when she called for him. “What?” He asks. “How…How did you do that?” She asks him. “Do what?” The boy tilts his head. “The flying kick you just did!” The girl says, pointing back to the still unconscious middle schoolers.
“Oh that.” The boy says, placing his hands in his pockets. “I take martial arts classes with my grandpa.” He explains. “Can I do it too?” Her question confused him.
“Where is your grandpa’s dojo? I wanna take lessons too.”
“What? No way, you totally suck at fighting. It’d be a waste of time.” He says with a frown. The girl furrows her brows. “I do not!” She argues.
“I saw you trying to fight back against those guys. You barely left a mark on them. Then you tried to run away like a coward.”
“But there were two of them!”
“Which is why you shouldn’t have tried fighting them. Especially if you don’t know how to fight in the first place.”
“Then isn’t that even more of a reason to let me practice at the dojo? Then I can do those cool kicks like you do and I won’t have to worry about guys like that again.”
The boy sighs and starts walking away again. “No way. It would take you forever to get on my level.” The girl followed after him. “Like I said! That’s more of a reason why I should take lessons!”
“I already said no. And stop following me!”
“Not until you tell me where the dojo is!”
“No!”
This kind of back and forth between the two would go on for at least a week after that. It was by some stroke of luck that the boy went to the same school as her. So, she’d make sure to follow after him and try her best to convince him to let her take lessons with him.
But every time, he turned her down.
One day, she decided to follow him without him knowing. Sure it was creepy, but she was only doing it to find out where he was taking martial arts classes. After that, and after applying to join, she’d leave him alone. By then, she would have done what she had sought out to accomplish.
Her plan had proved to be successful, as she trailed him to the dojo. She waited for the boy to go inside before waiting outside. She didn’t mind the wait. It would be worth it if she could learn how to fight like him.
“What are you doing out here?”
The girl looks to her left, there stood a young man with jet black hair. A cigarette hung loose from his lips, and even from where she stood, she could smell a hint of motor oil off his clothes.
“I’m waiting.” She answers simply, causing the man to raise an eyebrow. “Waiting for…?”
The girl looks up at the dojo. “I wanna learn how to fight. But that dummy won’t let me!” She pouts. “What dummy?” Asked the man. The girl opened her mouth, only for it to fall close again. What…was that boy’s name?
“Uh. He’s short, and has blonde hair. And he does really cool kicks.”
“Oh, Manjiro?” The man asks. “You friends with him?” The girl shakes her head with a frown. “I don’t like him! He’s a jerk! He said it would be a waste of time for me to learn how to fight. I’m not good at it, sure, but that doesn’t mean I can’t learn!”
The man nods. “I agree.” He says before taking one last puff of his cigarette, then tossing on the ground and stepping on it. “I’m sorry about my little brother. He can be a pain sometimes.” Brother? This guy is that jerk’s brother? But he seems really nice.
“My name is Shinichiro Sano. Who are you?”
“Y/n L/n.”
The two talked for a while before the doors of the dojo opened, letting some kids out. Among them, was Manjiro and some other boy he was talking to. Manjiro seemed to have noticed Y/n, as an annoyed look crossed his face. “You again.”
“Who’s that?” Asked the taller boy with him. “Some brat.” Manjiro answers. “Hey!” Y/n scowls. “Manjiro, why don’t you think Y/n can take lessons here?” Asked Shinichiro. “Cause she sucks.” Manjiro says, as if Shinichiro should already know. “She’ll just get herself hurt.”
“Hm. I think that’s a great reason to let her try.” Said Shinichiro. “What do you think Baji?” The other boy hummed. “I guess? I mean, couldn’t hurt.”
“I’ll talk to Gramps about letting you take lessons.” Shinichiro tells Y/n, making her grin. “Thank you!” She beams.
Manjiro rolled his eyes. “Whatever.” He says as he walks ahead. Baji gives Y/n a small wave before hurrying after him. “Hmph. Jerk.” Y/n mutters, watching Manjiro leave. “Don’t worry.” Shinichiro starts.
“He’ll get use to you soon.”
Luck must have been on Y/n’a side. Shinichiro’s grandfather accepted her into the dojo, and lessons began right away. And just as Shinichiro said, Manjiro, or “Mikey” as he liked to be referred to, slowly got use to her being around.
But he was still a bit of a jerk.
As for Shinichiro, he couldn’t be sweeter. Y/n really grew attached to him, she would go as far to say he was like an older brother to her. That gave her even more of a reason to show up for lessons.
Y/n became friends with Emma as well, she was really nice to her when they met. Y/n was hesitant at first, but slowly opened up to her. Whenever Y/n wasn’t taking lessons, she was hanging out with Emma.
As for Mikey, he too eventually grew more comfortable with Y/n. Turns out she wasn’t completely hopeless after all. At some point, those two set aside their little dislike of each other, and became pretty good friends.
Y/n would get to hang out with him and his friends, in time, becoming friends with them as well. And being the only girl in a group of boys, their behavior and mannerisms rubbed off on Y/n. Among the group she had to admit, Ken, or Draken, was her favorite.
He was surprisingly mature for his age, only being beat by Mitsuya. And that was only by a little. As for the others though, they were just a bunch of boys. But back to Draken-
There was a point where Y/n had grown to see him as an older brother. He was nice but could get stern if he needed to. And he was a great protector. Y/n could understand why Emma liked him so much.
Y/n would have saved that big brother title for Shinichiro, as he was a great brother to the Sano kids. But honestly, she saw him as more than that. She'd go as far to say, he was almost like a father figure to her.
It was just Y/n and her mom back home, as she and her husband divorced a couple years ago.
Shinichiro kind of filled that emptiness that Y/n's dad left her with. He was always so caring, always looked out for her, always wanted to know how she was doing. He’d even let her hang out at the shop while he worked. It was quite the sight. He was so focused, and he did his job well.
He was just the coolest.
Y/n really cared about each and every single one of them. Which is why, it was all the more difficult when she had to say goodbye.
Mikey had noticed Y/n's behavior had changed lately. Y/n was less talkative, less active. She didn’t want to do much of anything with anyone. It was weird. So of course, he decided to confront her about it.
He caught Y/n on the way to Shinichiro’s shop.
“You’re acting weird. More than usual. What’s going on?” He asks. Y/n shrugged. “It’s nothing.” Mikey rolled his eyes. “You expect me to believe that? Tell me.” Y/n suddenly stop walking, Mikey did as well. “Well?” He pries.
Y/n's shoulders began to tremble, soft sniffles came from her as tears filled her eyes. Mikey was slightly surprised by this. She never cried in front of him, or anyone, before. “Y/n?”
“I’m moving away.”
“What?”
Y/n wipe away her tears, sniffling before repeating herself. “I said, I’m moving away. Away from Tokyo, away from Japan all together.”
“Why?” Mikey asks, trying to ignore that funny feeling in his chest. “It’s because of my mom’s work. We’re leaving in a week.” Y/n tells him. Mikey fell silent, the only thing that could be heard was her sniffles and soft cries.
Everyone found out eventually, and they were just as upset as Y/n was. But there wasn’t anything anyone could do. She was leaving, and she didn’t know when, or if, she'd be back.
Ok! First chapter done! Chapter two is already in the works as this is being published, so hopefully you guys will get to read chapter two soon.
Just realized I didn’t have anon questions turned on-
I am so sorry 🤦🏽♀️
Requests are still open btw. Just taking a semi-hiatus to take my time working on the new Mikey x Reader series. (And hopefully some more Kawata siblings stuff)
I might have mentioned this before, but it might take a while for chapters to be published and completed so just bare with me lol😅
Pairing(s): Platonic!Nahoya Kawata x Platonic!Reader x Platonic!Souya Kawata
Warning(s): None
Nahoya and Souya were born one year before you, so the three of you were in the same classes for the longest of time. Bullies were rarely a problem for you too. One time in the second grade, some bratty boys decided to pick on you and pull at your hair. Your brothers were quick to your rescue, and beat them up. With every passing grade, your brothers made it known right away that you were not to be messed with, anyone unfortunate enough to try, would be dealt with swiftly and painfully.
Even in high school, your reputation was just as well known as their’s. You were known as the demon twin’s sister, and you were off limits. To people who wanted to mess with you, and to anyone who admired/had a crush on you. (Mainly involves boys in that situation) You eventually gained some respect of your own when you learned how to fight like your older brothers.
Speaking of people having crushes on you…Guys were hesitant to confess their feelings, much less talk to you. The last guy who tried ended up getting his ass kicked. But he was a total creep anyway, so you weren’t mad at your brothers. However, you were mad when they scared off a guy just for asking how your day was. Sometimes they could be a real overprotective pain.
Girls were a different story. Your brothers would never hurt a girl, but they can be scary if they need to be.
Going back to when you were little kids-
You had your own room, while your brothers shared a room when the three of you were kids. However, you three rarely ever slept in your own rooms. Sometimes you’d go to their room and sometimes they’d come to yours. Whether the excuse be: having a nightmare, fearing monsters under the bed or in the closet, or just wanted to sleep in the same room just because.
That of course changed when you reached teenhood. All three of you had separate rooms then.
Pillow fights quickly would turn into an all out war. You knocked out Nahoya’s tooth one time, it was already loose, and that hit from you knocked it right out. He wasn’t even mad, just hyped because the tooth fairy was coming. One time it got so intense between you two, Souya hid under the bed to save himself. It was for the best anyway. God forbid either of you make him cry…
Before your family moved closer to the city, the house you lived in had a big tree in the backyard. So of course you guys had a treehouse. You had a fear of heights, so it took you about a week to finally work up the nerve to climb up. Once you were up there, you never wanted to come down. Your brothers made it too fun to leave. Playing pretend, drawing, or just hanging out.
Holidays were always fun. The three of you would stay up as late as possible to try and catch Santa. But always would fall asleep an hour or two after bedtime. Halloween was great too. The three of you would always match, and the cuteness of it would only get you guys extra candy. You guys would be eating Halloween candy until late of next year…
As kids, you three agreed that there was a strong no tattle rule. One of you do something you’re not suppose to being doing? None of you would say a peep to your parents. That rule would only be broken when you guys got hurt.
One time Nahoya thought he was an expert and could do a near impossible trick on his bike. He ended up breaking his arm, and that of course freaked you and Souya out. Nahoya, despite being in a ton of pain, was saying over and over “don’t tell mom.” But there was no hiding a broken bone, so mom did end up finding out, rather quickly. She wasn’t more upset as she was worried. But Nahoya certainly did get quite the scolding on the way back from the hospital.
Speaking of your mom…She was not to be messed with or disrespected. As the three of you got older, you thought you could get away with anything. That way of thinking was quickly shut down by mom.
Sneaking into the kitchen in the middle of the night? Better be dead silent. Picking fights with other people? Better hope she never finds out. (That mainly concerns Nahoya)
Back to teenhood again. Your brothers couldn’t hide being a gang from you, and they were already expecting you to want to meet everyone. Of course you were impressed by Mikey the most, especially after hearing all the stories about him. Eventually your admiration for him and Toman would lead you to want to learn how to fight.
Your brothers weren’t totally against it. They had always protected you, and they didn’t care to keep doing so. But there would be times when they would always be around, so it was good that you knew how to defend yourself.
To wrap it all up, your childhood was rarely ever boring. Especially with older brothers like Smiley and Angry.
Summery: Childhood friends, Manjiro and Y/n, reunite after a couple of years of being apart. Things have changed overtime, including themselves. However, Y/n has noticed a change in Manjiro that leaves her with a deep feeling of unease. Will they still stay together, even when the future ahead doesn’t look so bright?
Paring: Manjiro “Mikey” Sano x Fem!Reader
Warning(s): Manga Spoilers, Violence, Major Character Death, Heavy Angst
(But don’t worry it will all be ok in the end…maybe)
A young girl at the age of ten, makes her way home from school. She didn’t live too far away from her school, so she didn’t mind the walk to and back. In fact, she found herself enjoying the walks. It gave her some alone time, some time to herself, some time to think.
It was nice.
Unfortunately, it wouldn’t last long. Today, some middle schoolers decided to give her a hard time. She was stopped by two older boys, each of them trying to come off as intimidating.
“You lost little girl?”
“Where’s your little friends? Or, maybe…Don’t tell me you’re one of those friendless geeks!”
“I bet! Just look at her!”
She inwardly sighs at their attempts at scaring her and hurting her feelings. Though, what they said wasn’t entirely wrong. She really didn’t have any friends. It was hard to make friends at her school. Or rather, it was hard for her to make friends. She just gave up after a while.
She wasn’t sad about it or anything. She was doing just fine.
“Can you please get out of my way?” She finally speaks.
“Huh? Trying to order us around pipsqueak!?”
“Annoying little brat! We outta reach you a lesson!”
The two took a step closer to her. This time the sigh left her. She wasn’t a great fighter. She was only ten after all. But she did deal with her fair share of bullies, and she was able to take care of them on her own.
This was no different. Just two dumb bullies in her way.
The first one raised his fist and aimed it towards her face. She quickly dodged before deliver a punch of her own to his stomach. She wasn’t sure if he was actually hurt from it, or if it was just shock that made him stumble back. But she didn’t waste time as she did the same to the other, this time, kicking him in the gut as hard as she could.
“Damn you!”
The girl quickly tried running past them, but was grabbed by the arm and yanked back.
“Hold her still.”
One of the boys cracked his knuckles as he spoke. “We were just gonna let you go with a light slap on the wrist. But now you’re gonna get it! How would you like a few broken bones!?”
Just as he said this, fast approaching footsteps could be heard. And before she knew it, the one threatening to harm her was being kicked in the head. He was sent to the ground roughly, unconscious.
Standing above him, was a boy around her age. With a bored expression, he turned to the one holding her. “How lame. Picking on a little girl.” He muttered before rushing towards him. He jumped up into the air, and delivered the same devastating kick he dealt the first one.
He landed with ease, and turned to face the girl. “You alright?”
Yay new series! There is going to be lots of spoilers for the manga in this series though, so there is your warning. But, I will put warnings on every chapter that does involve spoilers and some more sensitive/darker subjects.
This time, it involves Mikey and reader. And I was thinking something along the lines of-
Reader playing some sort of part throughout every(or most) time-line and/or major event in Mikey’s life. It’s gonna be full of angst, but knowing me, it would most likely have a happy ending. (Or at the very least, bittersweet.)
Also, it’s gonna be a childhood friends to lover kind of deal.
It might be a slow release cause I’ll have to re-read some of the manga to refresh my memory. But I’m really interested in trying to make this a full series.
What do you guys think?
(Oh and there will be major manga spoilers, just warning you ahead of time)
Smiley and Angry rarely ever were afraid. Fear didn’t come easily to them, it would take a lot to get under their skin. Both of them were strong in more than one way. And as a captain and vice captain, they had to keep up the strong willed appearances to their division and fellow Toman members. However…
In this moment. They were never more scared in their lives.
Their sister had been kidnapped, possibly harmed, and god knows what you were going through right now…
It made them sick to even think about it. So, they focused on the rage they felt towards the fuckers who hurt you. Took you away. And when they get there, they would be all but merciful.
“Takemitchy! How much further?” Smiley asked over the loud engines. “Not much more. We’ll be there soon.” Takemichi answers. “How did you find out about all of this?” Asked Angry.
“I overheard Mikey’s conversation with the guy who kidnapped Y/n.” Takemichi lied. He did know about the phone call, but only after he had traveled back to the past for what felt like the hundredth time. But the twins didn’t have to know that. “I wanted to stop him, but I knew that would be useless. I could tell he was ready to put his life on the line to save Y/n.”
That was also true. Only, in the future, it didn’t exactly play out that way. In the future, Y/n had died saving Mikey. She had been shot, taking the bullet that was meant for Mikey. It resulted in Mikey falling deeper into darkness, and ultimately, resulted in Toman’s downfall.
The twins fell silent. They always had a hunch, that you and Mikey might have felt more than the platonic feelings for each other. They were hesitant, of course. Afraid of their sister getting hurt somehow, or her heart broken. While they respected Mikey, they were still hesitant to let him get that close to their sister. It didn’t even involve him personally. That hesitance goes for anyone.
But if Mikey was willing to do this. Go alone, to save their sister, knowing he could be killed…
Maybe they didn’t need to hesitate anymore.
“There!” Takemichi said, looking ahead at the ever approaching warehouse. They pulled up at the front and looked in shock at what they saw. Bodies. Multiple unconscious bodies, scattered about the ground. This was Mikey’s doing, no doubt. Takemichi hopped off the back of Chifuyu’s bike. “I hope we’re not too late. Come on.” The twins and Chifuyu nods and hurried ahead.
All of them stopped in their tracks, when they heard the unmistakable sound of a gun being fired.
Mikey had arrived at the warehouse, and he was immediately greeted by at least twenty men. All ready to fight, some ready with bare fist, some with metal poles and knives. Mikey got off his bike and slowly approached.
“Get out of my way.” He says lowly. Much to Mikey’s annoyance, the dumb son of bitches didn’t listen. Which was fine. He’d just make them move.
Every person who dared to stop Mikey, was met with a swift knockout. Not one could land a single hit on him, and before anyone knew it. Mikey had made it to the warehouse doors.
He quickly opened the doors, and was met with a earth shattering ‘bang!’ .
And that’s when he felt it, the sting and the warmth of blood pouring down his skin.
“You’re an idiot if you think Mikey is coming alone.” You tell Isamu. “If no one else, then my brothers will be with him. They’re protective, sometimes annoyingly so.” Isamu shrugs. “If he wants you to see another day, he’ll be alone. But if what you’re saying is true, then I’ll just kill whoever he brought with him too. Then…” Isamu looked down at you, and tapped the gun against your cheek. You flinched as the coldness of the pistol made contact with your skin.
“I’ll kill you too.”
You glared up at him, more upset with the thought of Mikey and your brothers being harmed, than the threat of you being murdered.
Suddenly, the sound of an engine filled your ears. Isamu smirks and stands up from beside you. He cocks the gun. “And here he is.”
You began to panic. Desperately trying to figure out a way to either stop Isamu, or warn Mikey at least. Isamu walked ahead of you slightly and aimed the gun up at the front doors. “Come on, Mikey.” You took the chance to move your body to an upright position, while Isamu was distracted.
Every slight move you made, sent a fresh wave of nausea through you. You tried to focus on standing, trying to drown out the lightness in your head. You managed to stand up. Just as you did, the warehouse doors began to open.
Now!
You raise your leg and kick hard into Isamu’s back, just as he pulled the trigger, throwing his aim off. The sound of the gun going off made your heart sink into your stomach.
Dizziness took over, and you were sent to the ground. The world spun and shifted in your vision. However, you were able to make out something through your slowly blurring vision.
Mikey.
He was standing in the entrance, still alive. By an insane stroke of luck, the bullet that had been fired at him, had grazed his right cheek. It had missed.
“You bitch!” Isamu yelled, turning towards you. This time, he aimed the gun at you. Before he could pull the trigger once again, Mikey rushed towards him. He jumped up and brought his foot down hard onto his head, effectively knocking him out cold.
“Mikey!”
Another voice filled the empty warehouse. You could recognized it as Takemichi’s voice. You then heard multiple footsteps approaching quickly. “Y/n, are you ok?” Your brother Smiley’s voice. Then, you felt someone tugging at your hands. “Shit, this is on her tight.” Chifuyu’s voice.
Your eyelids threatened to close, exhaustion finally setting in. Though, the sound of repetitive impact kept you conscious. Was Mikey still fighting Isamu? But, Mikey knocked him out…didn’t he?
“Mikey! You got to stop!” Takemichi yells desperately.
“He…He’s gonna kill him.” Angry muttered.
You opened your eyes, your gaze falling onto Mikey’s back. The source of the harsh impact had been coming from him. He was on top of Isamu, delivering blow after blow to his face. Blood covered Mikey’s fist, and speckled his face.
Your stomach twisted at the sight. He really would end up killing Imasu if he didn’t stop. “Mikey…” Your voice cracked, so quiet you could barely hear it. You suddenly felt your hands being freed from the tape. As soon as you were sure it was gone, you used what little strength you had left to push yourself off the ground and hurried to Mikey.
“Y/n, wait!”
When you reached Mikey, you wrapped your arms around him and tried pulling him off of Isamu. However, you were far too weak right now to do much of anything. “Mikey!” You cry, still hearing the impact of his fist colliding with Isamu’s face. “Mikey enough!”
Mikey didn’t stop, he barely registered your voice. “Mikey, you’re gonna kill him! What will everyone else think of you do that!? What kind of leader would you be!?” Mikey seemed to have paused at that, but his fist was still at the ready to punch again. “If you kill him…Toman will never look at you the same way again. I won’t either.”
“What kind of example would you be setting for everyone? Toman doesn’t resort to murder to beat their opponents or solve their problems. It’s not right, and you know it. If it were how you lead, how you persuade Toman to be. It wouldn’t be the Toman I respect, and you wouldn’t be the leader I admire. So please…Stop this.”
It seemed you were finally able to reach Mikey, as his body became less tense, and his fist lowered. As he turned to face you, your body gave out, and you slumped over. “Y/n?” Mikey caught you before you could hit to ground. When you didn’t respond, he became panicked. “Y/n!?” He shook your body slightly, still nothing.
All you could hear was muffled frantic voices before giving into exhaustion, then everything went dark.
Mikey couldn’t look the twins in the eyes, not after what happened to their sister. You had been kidnapped and badly hurt because of him.
“Hey Mikey.”
But that didn’t stop them from talking to him.
“You have any idea why that guy kidnapped Y/n?” Asked Smiley. Mikey was silent for a good while before finally speaking. Though, he kept his gaze on the ground.
“He wanted to lure me out, and kill me. He had a gun pointed at me as soon as I walked in. And he used Y/n as bait.”
“Bastard.” Smiley spat. “It’s my own fault.” Mikey mutters. “This happened because of me. She was better off not being around me.”
“I wouldn’t go that far.” Angry said. “I’ve never seen Y/n as happy as she has been with you. You mean a lot to her. And after tonight, I can tell she means a lot to you too.”
“We shouldn’t be around each other like we have been. People might think we hate each other or something if we stop seeing each other.” Mikey mutters. “It’s for her own good.”
Smiley sighed and crossed his arms as he leaned against a near by wall.
“I could tell, as soon as she saw you at that first meeting we took her to.” He said. “She met everyone else, she thought they were all cool and respected them. But you…I could see it in her eyes. Her admiration for you was undeniable. She looks at you like you’re her hero. So before you start jumping to conclusions like that, maybe consider how she would feel if you suddenly stopped talking to her.”
A doctor walks out of the room you were currently in. He approached the twins, telling them they were allowed to see you now. Before they went, Smiley spoke to Mikey one more time.
“Take good care of her Mikey, treat her right. She means a lot to us too.”
With that, the two walked inside.
The sound of beeping stirred you from your slumber, bright light causing you to flinch and narrow your eyes. You turn your head to see a heart monitor, and an iv bag. So, you were in a hospital. You turned your head the other to see your brothers, sleeping in the chairs sat on the other side of the room.
You tried to sit up straight, groaning as you did so. That seemed to have caught your brothers attention. They snapped out of sleep and rushed to your side. “Y/n! How are you feeling?” Asked Angry “Exhausted.” You muttered. “What happened?”
“You were beat up pretty bad. Not to mention that asshole drugged you.” Answered Smiley. Oh, that’s right.
Wait. Then what about…
“Where’s Mikey?” You ask quickly. “Out in the hall.” Said Smiley. “He hasn’t left since you were brought here.”
“Can I see him?” You asked. Your brothers nod and briefly leave the room. After a few minutes, they came back, with Mikey.
“Mikey…” Your voice came out in a relived sigh. “Thank goodness you’re alri-”
Mikey wasted no time getting to your side. As he reached the bed, he hugged you close to him, hiding his face in your shoulder. You didn’t hesitate to hug him back with your good arm. You felt Mikey’s shoulders shake slightly, his grip on you tightened. “I-I thought…I thought you…” His voice was just as shaky. You glance down at him for a moment before looking at your brothers. They both gave you a knowing look before quietly leaving the room.
“It’s alright Mikey. I’m right here. I’m ok.” You said softly. “But what about you? Are you ok?” Mikey nods slowly, afraid that if he started talking, he’d loose what little control of emotions he had. Another sigh left you. “Good. Here.” You scoot to the side, making room for Mikey. He climbed onto the spot next to you, and held you close again.
“That guy…Isamu. Is he still alive?” You ask. Mikey nods. Another good thing. He deserved his lights being punched out, but not to be killed. Mikey was above resulting that kind of violence. He used his fist like a real fighter would. Maybe this time, a little too much.
But at least he didn’t stoop that low. And that’s what matters.
“I’ve never seen you so mad before…I don’t think I’ve seen you mad ever actually.” You mutter. Mikey was quiet for a moment. You felt him shift slightly, moving his head back to look at you. “What do you expect? Some guy takes you away and hurts you, of course I’m gonna be mad. But…”
Mikey’s eyes avoided your own as he spoke. “I really did want to kill that guy for a moment.”
There was something about the way he sounded admitting that, caused a slight twinge of fear to pierce your heart. His voice left no room for consideration. He meant what he said. And that scared you.
“There’s something…wrong with me Y/n. I can’t fully understand it, and the best way I know how to describe it to you is, impulses. They’re so strong and…violent. I can’t ignore them when it happens. And before I know what’s going on, there’s someone’s blood on my hands. Whether that blood belongs to my friends or not.”
Was it fear you were feeling right now, having heard all of this? Or was it something else? You weren’t afraid of Mikey, even hearing this, you don’t think you could say you fear him. Was it pity? Concern?
You guessed, what really scared you, was the fact that he was capable of doing such a thing. Anyone is capable of killing someone else. Mikey was no different. But you hated the thought of someone like Mikey murdering someone.
“So…It’s happened before?” You asked. “Back then, when you were fighting Isamu…you’ve done that before?”
Mikey nods. “As of recent, those impulses haven’t popped up. I have…good people in my life to help with that. Whether they know it or not, they keep me from doing things I don’t want to do. That I shouldn’t want to do…” Finally he looks at you. “This may be selfish of me to say. But, you’re one of those people.”
“I am?”
“Yeah. But, I don’t want you to feel like you have to be my personal therapist or something. I just, care about you a lot. So, I figured you should know…”
Your hand found it’s way to Mikey’s, you gave it a gentle squeeze. “I care about you a lot too Mikey. And you’re right, I don’t think I can help you on a professional level. But…” A soft smile formed on your face. “I’m willing to help you as best as I can because I…” Your heart was in your throat, the words you wanted to say seemed impossible to get out. But…Mikey was just so honest with you right now. So honest, and vulnerable with you.
You didn’t want to keep secrets from him, even this kind of secret.
“Because I love you.”
There it was.
“I love you way too much to let you deal with that burden on your own. I want to be there when you feel like the world is against you. Like when it seems everyone’s out to get you. I’ll be there at your lowest and I won’t leave you alone no matter what.”
There. Even if Mikey didn’t feel the same, you meant every word. You’d be there for him, even if just as a friend.
Suddenly, tears began to fill Mikey’s eyes, and rolled down his cheeks.
“Mikey? Are you ok? I’m sorry, did I say something to upset y-” Mikey cut you off by bringing you in a tight hug. “Do you really mean that?” He asks shakily. You nod your head. “Every word.”
Mikey then pulled back, only the lean forwards to plant a kiss on the corner of your mouth. Heat rushed to your face. “M-Mikey!?”
“Sorry. I’ve never kissed anyone before so that probably sucked.”
You blinked once, then twice before it all set in. A bright warm smile graced your features, and before you knew what you were doing, you pulled Mikey in and kissed him softly.
Mikey, as awkward as his effort was, melted into the kiss. After a few seconds, you both pulled apart.
“Does this mean you love me too?” You say with a giggle. “Thought that was obvious.” Mikey says, hugging you again. You laughed gently and snuggled in closer to him.
“Good.”
“I can’t believe you never learned how to tie a tie.” You sigh as you fix Mikey’s messily made tie. “Seriously. Your sister is getting married today, you’d think you’d practice beforehand.”
“When would I ever be wearing a tie aside from this though?” Mikey mutters. You give him a look. “You should still know. You’re a grown man for crying out loud.” You finished tying his tie and take a step back. “There.” You took a moment to take in Mikey. He wore a gorgeous suit, made by Mitsuya personally.
“There’s my handsome man.” Mikey looked away from you, a light blush on his cheeks. “Shut up.” You laugh and take his hand. “Come on, the others are waiting.” You lead Mikey out of the bedroom. Mikey looked down at you, the blush still on his cheeks.
“Y-You look pretty.”
You look up at Mikey. “Thirteen years of us being together, and you still act all shy when complimenting me?” You tease. “I’m trying to be a gentleman!” Mikey frowns. “Well thank you.” You say, leaning up to kiss his cheek.
You both make it to the wedding hall along with everyone else. Emma looked breath taking as she made her way down the isle to meet her husband at the altar. You felt so happy for your best friend. After all this time, she and Draken had finally tied the knot. It was almost tiring seeing neither of them make a move, back when you all were teenagers.
Though he would never admit it, Draken knowing that Mikey of all people got into a relationship before him was little unheard of. He respected Mikey, and loved him like a brother. But Mikey was not the type to get into a relationship. Or at least, that’s what everyone thought at the time.
So when he was told that you and Mikey were together, he figured it was time he hurry up and confess to Emma already. And he was glad he did. Cause look at him now.
Almost in tears at the sight of his soon-to-be wife.
You held Mikey’s hand and rest your head on his shoulder. Mikey smiled softly, glancing down at you.
When he found out Draken had proposed to his sister, it got him thinking.
And thinking got him planning.
And planning lead him to taking action.
Though. He thought it would be rude to propose to you on his sister’s big day.
He’d wait until tomorrow.
Mikey squeezed your hand gently. Tomorrow couldn’t come soon enough…
Summery: Y/n and Mikey have gotten even closer, if possible. And unfortunately, it would be what leads to a terrible accident...
Pairing(s): Sano "Mikey" Manjiro x Reader
Warning(s): Kidnapping, Implied Drugging, Guns, Takemichi’s Been Time Traveling Again
You sigh quietly and rest your head on your hand. You in were in class, wishing nothing more for than the clock to speed up. Something out there must have been listening, cause finally after what felt like forever, the bell rung. You along with your classmates were given time to take a break. You reached your arms up past your head and stretched.
Two of your friends joined you at your desk. “Could teach have been anymore boring?” One of them said with a uninterested tone. “Like, at least try to grab our attention.”
“Seriously.” Said the other, sitting on the edge of your desk. “Time never seems to run out when you have some oldie talking about algebra.”
“I was about to fall asleep.” You say. “I’d give anything to get out of this right now.”
“Hey Y/n!”
You and your friends turned their attention towards the classroom entrance. In the doorway, was Mikey. Your friends tore their gaze away from him to look at you. “Hey Mikey.” You say.
“Come on. Let’s hang out.” Says Mikey with a grin. You roll your eyes playfully and stand up from your desk and walk over to him. “You want me to skip class?”
“Yeah?” Mikey says, as if you should know already. You shake your head. “Alright fine.” Mikey takes your hand, before you two left you waved apologetically to your friends. One of them gave you a thumbs up, despite their still shocked expression. The other nods, with the same expression.
You and Mikey rushed out of the school before any staff could see. “Where are you taking me this time?” You ask as you get on the back of his bike. “Wherever you want.” Mikey answers as he starts up the bike.
“You’ve been doing that a lot lately. Taking me wherever I want to go. Why’s that?” You ask teasingly. Mikey looks back at you. “I just want to.” He says before driving off. You held onto Mikey, excited to see how the rest of day would go.
The next day you were able to stay at school for the whole day. You wished Mikey would have saved you from boredom yet again, however, tonight there would be a Toman meeting. He needed to be ready for it. Speaking of, your brothers who usually walked you home from school, would not be there either.
You grabbed your bag and headed out of the classroom after the last bell rang. As you made your way through the hall and down the stairs, you couldn’t help but get the feeling you were being followed. You stopped at the bottom of the staircase, and looked back up to see if someone was at the top. However, there was no one.
You shrugged it off, assuming you were just tired, before walking again. You walked past the school gates and make your way home. You look down at your phone, texting your brothers that you were on your way home before pocketing it again.
After a few seconds, you felt that feeling again. Only this time, it was undeniable. You weren’t imagining. You stopped in your tracks and looked over your shoulder. Sure enough, you were being followed. You had recognized one of them. The tallest of the four guys, was in your class. A wannabe delinquent. Someone who looked for trouble and wanting to start shit.
And it seems he has made a few friends.
You narrow your eyes. “What do you want?” The tallest smirked before walking towards you, the others followed after. He walked in front of you and looked down at you, a look of malicious intent in his eyes. “So. You’re “invincible Mikey’s” girlfriend huh?”
“Nope.” You mutter. He rolled his eyes. “Come on. Everyone knows. You two can’t keep your hands off each other for two seconds.”
“What does it matter to you?” You ask. “Well, isn’t just everyone who knows about you two. Our boss knows.“ He leans down closer to your face. “And he wants to meet you personally.” Your brows furrowed, your grip on your bag tightened. You knew where this was going. “So how about you be a good little girl, and come with us.”
“No thanks.” He laughed, as well as his little “gang” of friends. “You really think you have a choice?”
“I’m not going with you.” You say firmly. “Now you better back the fuck up.”
“Or what? You’ll hit me? Go ahead, I’d love to see you tr-”
You shut up him with a swift punch to the face. He fell to the ground roughly. You then turned the others, all of them with shocked expressions. “Toman’s fourth division captain and vice captain, Smiley and Angry. Ever heard of them?” You start, tossing your bag aside.
“They’re my brothers. Do you really think after all this time growing up with them, I wouldn’t learn to throw a punch?”
You gather the strength to stand tall and stare them down, challenging them. “Now I’m not going anywhere with you freaks. If you really wanna take me, you’re gonna have to kill me.”
“Tsk. Come on! She can’t take down all of us!” One of the three still standing said, after getting over his shock. They all three rushed you, fist raised to punch. You rose your own fists, and just like that, it was on.
You were looking for a way out in the midst of the fight. You were doing fine for now, even managed to take down one. But you were going to reach your limit soon. You delivered one last devastating kick to one of them before starting to take off.
But you wouldn’t get far, as the leader of the small group and stood once more. He reached down and grabbed a hefty looking rock, and whacked you against your head with it. You didn’t even have time to process the pain before you blacked out.
The quick sharp sting of a palm striking your cheek woke you after, who knows how long. You gasped sharply eyes shooting open wide, darting around rapidly trying to make sense of your surroundings. From what you could tell, you were on the ground of an old abandoned warehouse. Your body ached, and when you tried to move, a tight squeeze could be felt around your wrists.
Your hands had been tied with duct tape behind your back. “Oh shit.” You exhaled.
“Oh shit is right.”
You craned your neck up, searching for the source of the deep voice that filled your ears. You were kicked from your side, onto your back. Above you, was a large framed man, a scar going down his left eye. “Have a nice nap?” He asked with a smirk. You scowl, trying to move away from him. You were stopped when you felt a wave of nausea washed over you. You groaned and shut your eyes tightly, trying to focus on not vomiting.
“Aw, are you ok? Feeling a little sick?” The man chuckled. “I guess that makes sense. Though, I’ll be pissed if you die right now cause of that shit I had my men give you. So try to stay awake will ya?”
You open your eyes slightly, breaths coming out ragged and uneven. “What…What do you want?” You managed out. “Nothing from you.” The man tells you. “I want Mikey.”
Your breath catches, you look up at him again. “Why?”
The man kneels down next to you. “Come on, use your brain. Mikey is powerful, very powerful. And he created a powerful gang. So what do you think will happen to that gang, when such a powerful leader dies suddenly?” He then reached into his pocket and pulled out a handgun. “He may be invincible to punches and kicks. But I doubt that applies to bullets. Don’t you think?”
“Bastard.” You spat. “Too scared to actually fight him like a man? Gotta use guns like a little bi-”
A sharp cry of pain left you as the man punches you hard in the gut. “I’m not scared, I’m smart. I understand Mikey is near unbeatable. I’m not looking to start a fight I can’t finish. With this.” He waved the gun around. “I can finish it real quick. Now.” He then takes you phone from your pocket.
“Let’s give your boyfriend a call, huh?”
Mikey had been waiting for every member to arrive to the meeting, while he waited, he was talking with his vice commander Draken.
“I swear she likes that bear I got her more than me.” Mikey mutters, as he looks through the pictures you sent him of you and your “new best friend”. “Seriously.” A slight pout forms on his lips. Draken rolls his eyes. “She’s not replacing you.” He tells Mikey.
“Doesn’t feel like it.” Before Draken could attempt to reassure him again, Mikey’s phone rang. “It’s her.” Mikey says, his pout quickly turning into a smile. Draken decides to give him so privacy, so he walks away.
“Hey Y/n! You almost here? The meeting is gonna start soon and I wanna take you somewhere after.”
‘Aw, isn’t that sweet?’
Mikey’s grin dropped. “Who are you?”
‘Isamu. But that’s not what’s important. I’d like for us to meet up. Have a little chat, you know?’
“Where’s Y/n?” Mikey asks firmly.
‘Right next to me. Don’t worry, we didn’t rough her up too badly. Not yet at least.’
Mikey was gripping onto his phone so tightly, he thought he might snap it in two.
‘But that can change very quickly. So, here’s what you’re gonna do. You’re gonna come here, alone, and so help me…you tell anyone, come with backup, even just one other person with you…I’ll fucking splatter this bitch’s brains all over the wall. Got me?’
“….Yeah.” Mikey says lowly.
‘Good. See you soon.’
Isamu texted Mikey the location after he hung up. And just like that, Mikey stormed off. Draken watched as Mikey walked off. “Mikey! Where are you going?”
“Meeting’s canceled.” Mikey tells him. “I have something I need to take care of.” He kept walking, ignoring Draken’s calls after him.
“What the fuck?” Draken muttered. He wasn’t the only one who was confused. All of Toman were taken back as their leader sped off away from the meeting. Among them, was Takemichi. The sight of Mikey speeding off sent a wave of panic through him. “Damn it.” He said under his breath.
“What’s wrong?” Chifuyu asks him. “It’s Y/n. She’s in trouble.” Takemichi answers. Chifuyu nods. Previously, these two had thought of a plan to prevent this situation. However, it seemed as if things are moving along faster than expected. “We need to find Smiley and Angry and go.”
“I haven’t seen them show up yet.” Chifuyu says before taking out his phone. “I can try calling them.”
Just as he said that, two bikes pulled up at front. Takemichi and Chifuyu looked over to see Smiley and Angry. They looked tense. Takemichi and Chifuyu hurried to the two.
“Where the hell is Mikey?” Asked Smiley. “He left.” Answered Chifuyu, keeping quiet about just why he left for now. “Was Y/n with him?” Asked Angry. “No.” Takemichi mutters. “Fuck.” Smiley spat. “You know I find this really fucking weird. Y/n disappears and Mikey leaves before the meeting starts with no reason why.”
Takemichi ignored the slight fear he felt from Smiley’s ever growing rage. “I might have an idea where she is, and Mikey’s going there right now.” He said quietly. Chifuyu gave him a concerned look. Was he really about to tell them?
“Where?” Asked Angry. “Come on, I’ll explain on the way. We don’t have much time, Y/n and Mikey are both in trouble.” Takemichi hurried off, followed by Chifuyu and the twins.
Takemichi doesn’t know just how he’s gonna explain the situation to the twins, or just how he knows where their sister and Mikey is. But right now that didn’t matter. What matters right now, is saving Mikey and Y/n before it was too late.
How many parts do you plan on making for the crush series?
Hmm. Idk…I don’t think I’m going to make the series into a whole story you know? Like, a series with 10+ chapters.
I already have part three nearly done as I’m writing this.
In all honesty, the amount of parts I’ll publish entirely depends on two things-
1: Writers block/Motivation
2: Inspiration on how to further the series.
However, I did have the thought of maybe making a whole other separate series involving Mikey if the crush series does well. It’s just an idea tho, nothing definite yet.
can you write a fluffy matsuno chifuyu imagine where he patches up his soccer player girlfriend after a rough game? and it’s role reversal since she’s usually patching him up after a fight
Summery: Your boyfriend Chifuyu patches you up after a rough soccer match.
Paring(s): Chifuyu Matsuno x Reader
Warning(s): None? Reader is slightly injured, but nothing graphic.
“Ow!” You yelp as the cloth damped with antiseptic makes contact with your fresh cut. You had been hurt today during an intense soccer game. A player from the opposite team had gone for the ball just as you did, and the underside of their shoe had scraped against your ankle. Thankfully it happened towards the end of the game, so you could go home right after and take care of it.
“Sorry. But it will help you in the long run.” Said your boyfriend as he gently pats the cloth on the cut. It hadn’t bled much, but it would get infected if not treated quickly and properly. You sighed and tried to focus on anything other than the sharp sting you felt in your ankle. “Why does it have to hurt so much? Were the people who invent that stuff sadists or something?”
Your boyfriend chuckles and removes the cloth. “You might be onto something.” He takes a bandage and carefully placed it on your cut. You look at him and smile softly, then a light giggle left you. He looked up at you, confused. “What’s so funny?”
“Nothing. It’s just, this is so backwards, huh Chifuyu?”
Chifuyu tilts his head slightly. “What is?” He asks. “Normally, I would be the one patching you up.” You clarify. A smile finds its way on Chifuyu’s face. “Oh yeah. That’s right.”
You lean forwards and gently place your hand on his cheek. “Almost gone.” You say, referring to the slight bruise on his cheek. “I remembered how awful it looked when you first showed it to me.”
“You cried.” Said Chifuyu. He remembered showing up at your door, fresh wounds on his face from the fight he had gotten into earlier that day. As soon as you saw him, a sinking feeling set in. You understood getting hurt was part of being in a gang but…
You hated seeing him like that.
“Yeah. Then I got mad.” You say, stroking your thumb against his cheek. “You said you were going to track down the guy who did it and beat him up.” Chifuyu chuckles. “I would have.” You shrug.
Chifuyu places his hand on top of yours. “You patching me up is more than enough for me. No need for revenge.”
“Psh. Let me catch someone trying to hurt you again. I’ll mess them up.” You say playfully, trying to sound tough. “And let me catch someone scuffing up your skin again.” Chifuyu smirks.
“It was an accident. Besides, it was a girl who did this.” You tell him.
“Oh. Well, doesn’t mean I won’t give her a piece of my mind.”
You giggle. “It’s a good thing we have each other’s backs huh? Where would you be without me?” You say teasingly. “Probably walking around with a messed up face.” Chifuyu jokes. “And I’d be bored all the time. Also I’d miss your cat.”
Just as you said that, Peke J hopped onto your lap and meowed. “Aw, hey little guy.” You coo as you pet his ears. Peke J purred as he nuzzled into your hand. “Thanks again for patching me up Chifuyu.” You say as you look back up at him.
“Anytime. After all, you do it for me whenever I get into trouble.”
“Yeah. Can you not get into trouble so often, by the way?”
Summery: Y/n starts to catch feelings for Mikey. What about Mikey?
Paring(s): Sano “Mikey” Manjiro x Reader
Warning(s): None
You had thought becoming friends with Mikey was unreal, then getting his number felt like a dream. He caught you before you could leave last week’s meeting, and you two exchanged numbers. You kept this between the two of you, given how your brothers reacted last time. Since then you two would text and call every now and then. One day, Mikey texted you and asked you to come over. As soon as you read the text, a bright smile crossed your features.
You hurried to get ready and head for the front door. So fast, that your brothers didn’t even have time to question where you were going. You left them with a quick “Going over to Emma’s, bye!” Then hurried out the door.
You practically ran over to Mikey’s house, you didn’t notice how out of breath you were until you reached the front door. You knocked on the door and waited anxiously. Emma answered, taking note of your uneven breath. “…Did you run here? Wait, what are you doing here?” She asks. You chuckled awkwardly. “Yeah and Mikey called me over.” Emma cracked a smile.
“You sure do come over a lot more when he calls.”
“You say that like you’re suspecting something.” You smirk. “Starting to sound like my brothers right now.” Emma only walks past you and leads you to Mikey’s room. “He’s in there.” She tells you. “Thanks.” You say before knocking. Emma shakes her head with a grin before walking back inside the house. Mikey answers the door after a few seconds, smiling as he sees you.
“Hey.”
“Hi.”
There was a brief silence between you two before you spoke.
“So what do you wanna do today?” You asked him. “You’ve been riding to Toman meetings with your brothers right?” Mikey asks, you nod. “Good, you’re use to it then.” Mikey says, walking past you. You follow him until you reached his motorbike. “Let’s go for a ride.”
Your eyes widen slightly. “Really?” Mikey gets onto the bike. “Yeah.” He looks to you expectantly. Your heart flutters with excitement before hopping onto the back. Mikey starts up the bike and you instinctively wrapped your arms around him. You could have sworn you felt him tense, but maybe it was just in your head.
You didn’t have time to give it much thought before Mikey starts off. The two of you rode for a while before it hit you. Mikey didn’t tell you where he was going.
“Mikey?” You say a bit loudly to be heard over the engine. “Yeah?” Mikey answers. “Where are we going?” You ask. “Huh? Oh. I don’t know.” You couldn’t help but laugh at that. “Really? You just wanna drive around?”
“Yep. Is that cool?” Mikey asks as he slows to a stop at the red light. “Yeah. I don’t really care where we go. This is great. I never thought I’d be riding with you.” You were thankful that Mikey wasn’t facing you as you said this. “I never thought me and you would be friends. I mean, not like I was opposed to be friends with you. Quite the opposite actually. It was just so unexpected. And now I’m riding along with you.” You smile grew warm.
“I really like hanging out with you Mikey.”
Mikey said nothing, causing you to grow anxious. Before you could save yourself, Mikey spoke. “Thanks Y/n.” He looks back at you. “I really like hanging out with you too.” He says with a soft smile. Again, your heart fluttered. Which, confused you. But you set that aside for now. The light turned green, and Mikey started off again.
Subconsciously your arms wrapped around him a bit tighter, and leaning in closer.
You walked into your house, a bright smile on your face. You had almost missed your brother greeting you as you stepped inside, as you were zoning off and thinking about your day with Mikey. “Hm? Oh, hey Souya.” You say waving as you made your way further into the home. You look down at your phone and chuckled at the text you read.
Angry looked to his brother, Smiley, who you didn’t even notice was around. “Nice day sis?” Angry asks. “Mhm.” You mutter as you type away at your phone. “You and Emma have fun?” Asked Smiley. “Yep.” You say as you walk away from the two and up to your room.
“….Something’s up.”
Angry looked to his brother. “You think so?” He asks. “Call it big brother instinct. But that look on her face was all the explanation I need.” Said Smiley. “She’s got a crush.”
“On…Emma?” Angry tilts his head. “Nah. On her brother, our leader.” Smiley tells him, and Angry quickly catches on. “Oh. Are you sure?”
“Come on bro. Y/n and Emma are best friends and have been for a while. Have you ever seen her that excited to go over to Emma’s place before?” Smiley questions. Angry hums, trying to think. “I guess not but. What if they just had something really fun to do today?”
“Today? She’s been acting like this for days. Come on, you see it too.”
Angry sighs. “Yeah…”
“Seriously?” You laugh. “There’s no way you did that Mikey, come on.”
‘It’s true. I really thought I had killed Baji. I didn’t meant to kick him as hard as I did.’
Mikey had just told you about a time when he and Baji were kids and were sparing in the dojo. Mikey had kicked Baji, maybe a little too hard, and knocked him out.
“Even then you had those devastating kicks huh?” You lean back further into the pillows on your bed.
‘He got me back though. Sorta.’
“Really? How?”
‘A few days later he knocked one of my teeth out. It was an accident, but, i considered us even after that.’
You could hear Mikey chuckle on the other end. You laugh as well. “You two sounded like brats.” You say jokingly.
‘You’re not wrong. But are you surprised? Look how we both turned out.’
“Fair point. Hey, I wanted to thank you for today. I had a really nice time with you.”
‘Me too. Wanna do it again sometime?’
There goes your heart again. “Sure.”
‘Cool, I’ll actually take you somewhere next time. Sound good?’
And again. “Yeah. That sounds great.”
‘Alright, see you then.’
The two of you hung up, and you clutched your phone to your chest. Despite the weird feeling in your chest, you couldn’t help but smile. Your mind racing at the thought of hanging out with Mikey again. A light giggle left you, then a gasp. You shot up straight in your bed, mouth slightly agape. Your cheeks turn warm as realizations settled in.
The realization, that you were becoming close friends with Mikey real fast.
The realization, that Mikey was so much better, so much kinder than you could have ever imagined.
And the realization, that you might be developing a crush on Mikey.
“Shit.”
This could only end poorly. For so many reasons.
Number one. Your brothers. Knowing their overprotective asses, you wouldn’t be able to hide a relationship from them. And they’d annoy and pester you constantly about it.
Number two. Mikey wasn’t just anyone. He was the leader of a gang. There would be risks, for the both of you.
Number three. There was no way you could tell Mikey you liked him.
This was happening way too fast. You had just became friends. So…Maybe this wasn’t a crush? “Yeah. Yeah, it’s just…admiration. That’s all.” You say to yourself. “I’m becoming friends with an amazing guy, and I’m just getting worked up about it. That’s all.”
Yeah. That’s all.
And yet deep down. You felt as if that weren’t entirely the case. And you weren’t sure if you hated it or welcomed it. You sighed and fell back into your bed.
“What now?”
“Hey Ken-Chin.”
“Hm?”
“What do girls like?”
Draken looked down at his shorter friend, confused. “What?” He asks, wondering if he heard him wrong. “Girls, what are they into?” Mikey asks. “You’re close with Emma. What does she like?”
“She’s your sister. Shouldn’t you know?” Draken raises an eyebrow. “Yeah but you’re her boyfriend. You’d know more than me.” Mikey shrugs. “I’m not her…” Draken clears his throat. “Emma isn’t the same as every girl on the planet. What she likes can be different from what some other girl likes. Why are you even asking that?”
“I wanna take Y/n somewhere she’ll like.”
Draken seemed to be taken back by that. “Why?” He asks. “Just cause.” Mikey says simply. “Ok…Uh, well. I don’t know Y/n like that. So I wouldn’t know what she likes or where she would want to go. Why don’t you just ask her yourself?”
“Because I wanna surprise her.”
Draken’s confusion might have taken over if he had not caught onto what might be happening. “You two do seem a bit more friendlier than before. I guess it would make sense, you wanting to do something like that for her.”
Draken took a second to think. “I guess I can talk to Emma. She knows Y/n pretty well.”
The next day, You met up with Mikey at his place. And as he promised, he took you to an actual place this time instead of just driving around. Not that you didn’t like just riding along with him. You were surprised, when he parked in front of the newest multilevel arcade that had just opened up.
You hadn’t had the time to go to it, not to mention when it very first opened up, the crowd was unbelievably huge. You wouldn’t have gotten inside.
The two of you headed inside, and right away you and Mikey were competing for the most amount of tickets. Mikey was surprisingly amazing at the games, however he came up just a tad short at the end.
“Look it’s my brothers.” You giggle as you hold up one of the prizes you picked out. It was a plush octopus, that switched inside and out. One side, was pink with a smile, and the other was blue with a frown. Miley chuckled. “Nice. I can’t believe you bought almost all of the plushies they had.”
There were four other plush toys, of varying sizes, under your arms. “They’ll be new additions to my collection.” You grin. “I see you spent all of yours on snacks and candies though.”
Mikey shrugs. “I don’t know why, just feels better getting this stuff from arcades than actual stores.” Just as you two were about to walk away from the counter, you noticed something from a high up display shelf.
“Oh!” You gasp. “That has to be the cutest thing I’ve ever seen!”
Mikey looked up at the shelf. It was a stuffed bear, but…it looked off. “Is that a mistake?” Mikey wonders aloud. “If it is, I don’t care. It’s so cute!” You say, eyes sparking. You then sighed. “Damn. Had I seen that sooner, I would have spent my tickets wiser. Oh well.” You say with a light shrug. “You ready to go?”
Mikey, still looking up at the bear, reached into his pocket and pulled out his remaining tickets. He looked down at them and grinned. “Just enough.” He says before putting them down on the counter. “Hey, get me that bear.” Mikey says, pointing at the prize.
“Mikey?” You mutter.
The employee takes the tickets and takes down the bear, then sets it down for Mikey. He takes it and hands it to you. “Alright. Now I’m ready.” He says before walking past you.
You stood in place for a moment, looking down at the bear with a slightly agape mouth. Did he just use his own tickets to get you this? Just because you wanted it?
“Y/n? You coming?” Mikey says over his shoulder. You look up and hurried after his side. “Mikey, you didn’t have to do that.” Mikey only shrugs. “You wanted it didn’t you?”
“Yeah but, those were your tickets.”
“Don’t worry about all that.” Mikey tells you. “You gonna name it?”
A smile slowly formed on your face. “Yeah. Thank you Mikey. That was really nice of you.”
“No problem.” Mikey says and looks over at you. Your gaze was on the bear, and the look on your face made him grin. He liked seeing you smile like this. He liked making you happy. Maybe he liked it more than he should. But he didn’t care.
He liked it. He liked you.
You neatly set the plushies you got from the arcade up along with the ones you already own. Though, you still held onto the bear Mikey got you. You walked to your bed and laid down, clutching the plush bear to your chest. A soft smile gracing your face as you fall asleep.
Meanwhile, Mikey was unable to sleep. He was up, parked on the side of the road and staring up at the night sky. He had been driving like normal, but found himself distracted. So he thought it’d be best to pull over.
And all night. He found himself unable to stop smiling. Unable to stop thinking of you.
“Oh boy.” He chuckles. “Now I get how you feel Ken-Chin.”
Summery: Y/n shows up to the Sano house, expecting to hang out with Emma. Instead, she hangs out with Mikey instead.
Paring(s): Sano “Mikey” Manjiro x Reader
Warning(s): None
A/N: This series can be considered not actually “canon” to the actual Kawata Siblings Series. Also, reader isn’t in Toman in this series.
When your brothers finally took you to one of their Toman meetings for the first time, your admiration for their leader Mikey had began to grow. You had heard stories about him, and you were interested right away. Then actually meeting him in person was a amazing experience. He wasn’t as scary as people made him out to be. At least when it came to just talking with him. You had never seen him in a fight, so you couldn’t toss that rumor aside completely just yet.
While at that meeting, you had became friends with Mikey’s sister, Emma, fairly easily. And because of that, you’d be around Mikey a lot more. Emma would invite you over for hang outs every now and then, and honestly. It was a little weird to be around Mikey so casually. You only knew him for a short while, so you couldn’t consider the two of you to be friends. Not close friends anyway.
But that would change eventually.
“Emma, it’s me Y/n.” You announce after knocking on the door. Today Emma asked you to meet up so you two can go shopping. When there was no answer, you tried again. “Emma? You there?” After a few more seconds, the door finally opened. Only, Emma was not the one who answered.
“Oh Y/n. It’s you.”
It was Mikey. And he looked like he just got out bed. Wasn’t it like, 10 am? How is only just now waking up?
“Uh. Hi Mikey.” You say. “Hey. What are you doing here?” Mikey asks with a yawn. “Emma asked me to come over. We’re going shopping.”
“Oh. Emma’s not here.”
“Huh?” You tilt your head. “Where is she then?”
“With Ken-Chin. He came over earlier and they left together.”
You furrow your brows slightly before grabbing your phone and calling Emma. She answered after a few rings.
‘Hello?’
“Emma! Did you really ditch me to hang out with your boyfriend?”
‘H-He’s not boy boyfriend! Not yet at least…’ Emma says on the other line quietly. Draken must have been close by.
“Why didn’t you tell me before I came here?”
‘Sorry I meant to. Guess I got distracted.’
“Mhm.”
‘Sorry Y/n. Next time, for sure!’
“Alright. You better not flake on me again though.”
‘I won’t, I promise. I’ll talk to you later k?’
“Alright, bye.” You said before hanging up. You sighed before looking to Mikey. “Sorry for waking you up. I thought your sister was here.”
“It’s cool.” Mikey shrugs. “I’ll see you around Mikey.” You say as you turned to leave. “You’re leaving?” You stopped when he asked that, turning back to face him. “Yeah? Emma isn’t here.” You tell him. “You came all the way here though. You can stay for a minute if you want.” Mikey casually says. You blink in surprise. “Uh…”
As awkward as his approach was, were you really gonna pass up the chance to hang out with the leader of Toman? No way.
“Sure.” You smile. “If you don’t mind.” Mikey nods. “Come on.” He walks past you, you follow after him. The two of you walked to the side of the house, where there was a decently sized shed that was connected to the home. “What’s this?” You asked. “My room.” Mikey answers simply. “Your…room?” You mutter. They make him sleep in the shed? Mikey opens the door and walks inside, you follow in.
“Oh.”
The shed was actually made into a pretty cool looking room. There was a small couch in the middle of the room, in front was a large tv with two speaker hanging from above on the entertainment system. And to the far right of the room, was his bed.
Mikey walked further in and seemed to have caught his reflection in a near by mirror. He frowned slightly and tried to smooth out his messy hair. “Ken-Chin does it so much better.” You could hear him mutter as he tries to move his hair out of his face. You tear your attention away from a admiring his room to look at him. You repress a laugh as you watch him struggle to straighten out his bed head.
You walked over. “Want me to help?” You asked. Mikey looked at you, slightly confused. You then realized how you must sound right now, an awkward feeling washed over you while you tried to explain. “Um, I might be able to help, is what I mean. I use to help my brothers with their hair, and every now and then I will if they ask.”
Mikey thought about it for a moment before shrugging. “Sure.” He walked over to a small table and tossed you a brush and hair band. Then heads to the couch and sat down. Your smile grew as you hurried to his side and sat next to him. “Alright, turn around please.” You instruct him, he nods and turns his back to you. You gently combed through his hair, surprised that his hair was so soft, even when messy and tangled.
Mikey’s head swayed slightly, your furrow your brows slightly, looking over his shoulder. “Are you falling asleep?” You ask. “Hm? Oh yeah. Sorry.” Mikey mutters, sitting straight up again. “Seriously Mikey, did you stay up all night?” You chuckle. “Yeah. Me and Ken-Chin were out late riding around.” He answers. “Didn’t get back until…hm, 3 am?”
“3 am? You’re lucky it’s Saturday. You’d be drifting off in class right now.” You say as you part his bangs. “Eh, never pay attention to those boring classes anyway.” Mikey shrugs. “I’d be asleep regardless.” You rolled your eyes with a smile. “I can only imagine what your grades must look like.”
Mikey laughs. “They’re pretty bad.”
“I bet. Turn and face me again.” You put the hair band around your wrist to be at the ready when you need it. When you look up, you see that Mikey was facing you. Eyes locked on yours. And it was only then, you realized how weird this was. You were doing a gang leader’s hair. One of the most feared and well respected gang leader at that. But forget all that. You and Mikey weren’t on a personal level. And yet, here you were, in his house, in his room, doing his hair?
It was weird.
You tried to ignore the feeling as you comb his bangs back, then take the hair band off before tying it back. As soon as you were done, you put some space in between you and Mikey. “So, what do you think?” You asked, still trying not to feel awkward.
Mikey stood up from the couch and looked in the mirror again. “Huh, pretty good.” You couldn’t help but smile. “Thanks.” You still couldn’t believe you were here of all places, and hanging out with Mikey of all people. Honestly, maybe it should have felt weirder than it is. But really, Mikey isn’t some sort of god, or above everyone else.
Sure, he was to be respected. But it’s not like he couldn’t be welcoming and friendly. And that is what’s happening right now. Right now, Mikey isn’t being a leader. He’s being a friend. And maybe that’s what’s keeping you from freaking out. Though it still was a little surreal.
Mikey returned to the couch. “Sorry that you didn’t get to hang out with Emma. You’re here with me instead.” He says with a light laugh. “It’s fine.” You say with a shrug. “Emma really likes Draken. Who am I to stop her from getting closer to him? And besides.” You smile softly. “You’re really cool, I like hanging out with you.”
Mikey smiles and leans back on the couch. “You’re pretty cool too Y/n.”
“Me? How?” You ask. “You’re good at doing hair. Also, you’re pretty chill. Didn’t expect that, knowing your older brothers.” Y/n chuckle. “Thanks?”
“You know, before, some people didn’t think we were related until we told them.”
“Really?”
“Yeah. That, or when they wouldn’t dye their hair.”
That seemed to have caught Mikey’s attention. He sat up a little straighter. “What’s their natural hair color?” He asks excitedly. You giggle. “Oh I dunno. Should I really tell their secrets like that?”
“Yes, tell me.”
“Do you really not know?”
“No. No one does. Come on, tell me!”
You roll your eyes playfully. “I can’t believe you’ve known them this long and don’t know. Alright, listen up.” Mikey leaned closer, and you tell him your brothers’ “secret”.
“Really? Huh.” Mikey nods. “Alright.”
“I don’t know if they want that public so. Keep this between us.” You joke. “So. What’s with the shed bedroom? It’s cool.” You ask. “It use to be my brother’s.” Mikey’s answer took you off guard. “Your brother?”
“Yeah. He use to work on bikes in here.” Mikey says with a smile. “I didn’t know you had a brother Mikey.” You say. “Does he not live with you and Emma?”
“Nah. He died some years back.”
“Oh, Mikey, I’m so sorry.” You quickly apologize. Mikey waves it off. “You didn’t know. It’s cool. The bed is the only thing that belongs to be.” You take another look around the room. “It just felt right, me moving in here.” Mikey starts. “I feel closer to him, knowing that he spent so much time in here.”
“He was amazing. I really looked up to him, even though he was pretty lame sometimes.” Mikey chuckles. “He was the founder of Black Dragon, people were pretty drawn to him super easily. His attitude, his charm, his will. All of it. Everyone knew him, everyone respected him.” He looks up at Toman’s flag on the wall. “Hope I can be half the man he was someday.”
You look up at the flag then back to him. “I think you’re already there.” Mikey looks to you, slightly surprised. “I mean, from how you describe him. You’re like a near perfect replica. You have a whole gang who’s inspired by you, they all look to you for a reason. Hell, I’m not even in Toman and I admire you. Seriously, you’re like the coolest person I’ve ever met.”
Mikey blinks, the corners of his mouth turned up into a grin. He chuckles and looks away from you. “Jeez Y/n. You trying to get on my good side or something?”
“I mean, I did fix your hair. I’d hope I’m already on your good side.”
“Good point.” Mikey smirks. “Not everyone gets the privilege of getting that close. Consider yourself lucky.” Oh you did. Coming here, you didn’t even think you’d be seeing Mikey. And now here you were, casually chatting it up with him. Suddenly, there was a knock at Mikey’s door. Then came a voice.
“Hey Mikey, you in there?”
It was Draken’s voice.
“Yeah, come in.”
Draken opened the door, Emma at his side. The two seemed a bit shocked to see you here. “Y/n? What are you doing here?” Emma asked. “Well, I was going to go home after calling you. But, Mikey invited me in.“
“Oh.” Emma mutter. “Uh, well, sorry again for bailing. We can get together tomorrow if you want.” You stood up from the couch. “Sure thing.” You looked down at Mikey. “I’ll catch you later Mikey. I gotta get back and help my brothers out with the restaurant. They’ll chew me out if I’m late again.” You say as you walk towards the door. “Thanks for letting me hang out.”
“See you around.” Mikey waves before you left, closing the door behind you. Draken and Emma looked away from the door and back to Mikey expectantly.
“…What?” Mikey asks.
“Didn’t know you two were so close.” Said Emma. Mikey shrugs. “She’s cool.”
“Did she do your hair too?” Draken asks, knowing well that no one but him touched Mikey’s hair. Mikey nods. “Yeah. She’s pretty good at it.”
Draken and Emma look at each other.
“Why are you guys being weird?” Mikey asks, slightly suspicious.
“It’s nothing Mikey. Have you ate yet?” Emma asks. Mikey’s suspicion left him quickly at that question. He was quick to follow his sister and friend inside the house.
You rushed inside of the ramen restaurant your brothers helped maintain, tying your hair back as you walked in. “I’m back.” Your brothers greeted you before you head towards the back. You walked back into the kitchen, where your oldest brother was at. You didn’t cook, but you did clean.
“Almost late sis.” Smiley said teasingly. “What were you up to?” You roll your eyes. “You know I was hanging out with Emma today. I lost track of time.” Smiley glances at you. “Thought she and Draken were hanging out.” You gave him a bewildered look. “How do you know that?” You ask.
Smiley held up his phone. “She was posting pics of their “date” every five minutes.” He says before putting it away. Your shock quickly wore off. Of course. “Well, I really was at her house.” You sigh. “Doing what?” Smiley asks.
“Hanging out with Mikey.”
Smiley stopped what he was doing and turned to face you. “You what?”
“Yeah, it took me off guard too. But, he just asked me to hang with him for a little while.” You didn’t notice the smile that found it’s way on your lips, or the slight change of tone in your voice as you spoke fondly about Mikey. “I thought I’d be really tense around him, but he’s actually really chill. I mean, I figured he might be. But when you think about Mikey without really knowing him, you’d wouldn’t expect him to be so down to earth.”
“I hope I can do it again sometime.”
“Huh.” Smiley mutters. “I see.”
“What?” You ask, raising an eyebrow. “What’s that look for?”
“Oh nothing. Just didn’t expect you to be getting so close to Mikey so fast.”
You narrow your eyes suspiciously, having a feeling where this was going. “Nahoya. Got something you wanna say?” Smiley just shrugs and turns back to what he was doing. “Nah.” Yeah right. You shake your head and walk past him. “Don’t be weird. We’re just friends.”
“Sure.”
“Oh shut it.” You say before walking out of the kitchen. You couldn’t believe that. Your brothers were protective, sure. But come on. You and Mikey? No way. That would be weird. Wouldn’t it? Like, Mikey of all people. Seriously.
“Y/n? You’ve been cleaning the same table for like five minutes.”
You look over to your brother Angry, who was looking confused. You turn your head away to hide your slightly flustered face. “Sorry. I zoned out.”
“You feeling ok?” Angry asks. You nod. “Yep.” You answer simply. “Hm. Ok.” Angry mutters before going back to what he was doing. You sigh. What were you even thinking? Overthinking, really. You and Mikey were friends. That’s all. End of story.
Well. You hope you two were friends after today. Mikey was a great guy, to be friends with him would be awesome. Though, you had a feeling you two would be hanging out a lot more often.
I want to cosplay Mikey but I'm too worried about Toman's symbol(for obvious reasons). But, I did find a version of Mikey's uniform, and instead of the normal Toman symbol, there was this👆.
I've been searching and searching but can't find what this symbol means.
The closest I can get is-
The circle with the cross in it representing Shimazu Yoshihiro.
And the pinwheel behind it being, maybe a Tomoe?
I did more searching after that, and the best I can come up with is that it might just be the same Toman symbol, but drawn differently. Idk. The last thing I want to do is offend someone if I were to wear this at a convention.
So, if any of you have an answer for what the symbol above means, please let me know. It would help out a lot.
And if by chance the symbol above is harmful or offensive, I will take down this post immediately.
Summery: Reader and Rindou finally come clean about their relationship. How will everyone react?
Pairing(s): Platonic!Nahoya Kawata x Platonic!Reader x Platonic!Souya Kawata, Rindou Haitani x Reader
Warning(s): None
It has been…awkward, between you and your brothers ever since they found out about your relationship with Rindou. Smiley and Angry have already voiced their opinions about your choice of partner, before you spoke with Rindou about what happened. But since then, they’ve been silent. Too silent. They haven’t even brought it up. Which, knowing them, was more than a little weird.
It got so bad, that they didn’t even scold you after you snuck back into the house after visiting Rindou. At that point, you were put off completely. Why didn’t they say anything? Why were they acting like this was normal? Well. It was normal. You having a partner was normal. And really, they had no say in who you can and can not be with.
The only part that would stand out, is the fact that you and Rindou were from two separate gangs. Well, you were, that is until Tenjiku disbanded. Toman was still unaware of your relationship with Rindou. All except your brothers, and Mitsuya. Who have all collectively agreed to stay quiet until you finally confess.
And you would, very soon.
But not before you spoke with your brothers about their off behavior.
“Are you two mad at me or something?” You ask your older brothers. The three of you had just returned from a Toman meeting, the ride back was near silent all the way. Only adding to your anxiety. “I mean. I can understand to a certain extent. But, I don’t want things to be weird now because of who I’m dating.”
Angry was the first to speak. “We’re not mad at you. We’re just…trying to accept it, I guess.”
“I see.” You mutter. “There’s no rush. I was just a little weirded out cause you two would usually never shut up about something like this. I guess I expected a little more pestering. But…” You trailed off.
“I’d like to know how you both actually feel about it.”
Angry and Smiley looked at each other before turning their attention back to you. “I think you know how we feel about it already.” Said Angry. “No I mean. I get it. You’re pissed that I’m seeing Rindou, of all people. But how do you really feel about this?”
Smiley sighed. “I don’t trust that fucker.” He tells you. “He takes great pleasure in causing others pain. Who’s to say he won’t do that to you?”
“I agree with Smiley.” Said Angry, remembering seeing his friend Hakkai being beaten mercilessly by Rindou’s brother, Ran, as he held him down.
While you disliked the fact that Smiley accused Rindou like that, you knew he wasn’t wrong. “Nahoya. We’ve been dating for like, two months. I think he would try something by now if he really wanted to. The key word is try.”
“I’d beat him senseless if he even thought about it. You know that.” You try to reassure them. “Is that all?”
The twins were silent for a moment, then Smiley spoke again.
“Is he at least treating you right?”
You smile softly. “Yeah. I really like him.”
Smiley and Angry sighed.
“Then I guess we have no choice.” Angry mutters. “Yeah. But seriously, if he ever hurts you. Even if just a little. We’ll fucking stomp his face in.” Smiley said lowly. You laugh and roll your eyes.
“Got it. Thanks.”
“So, what’s this little meet up about?” Mikey asks before taking a bite from his dorayaki. You had bought him that after he agreed to meet up with you. Just him and you alone. For now at least. “Ah just uh…wanted to chat.” You say with a weak smile. “To chat huh?” Mikey tilts his head. “Why are you trying to butter me up then? You want a favor or something like that?”
Damn. “Butter you up? Don’t be silly, I just wanted to talk is all.” Mikey raises an eyebrow, clearly not buying it. You sighed. “I have something to confess.” You tell him. “Ok?” Mikey mutters. You took a deep breath before speaking.
“For two months I’ve been in a secret relation with Rindou Haitani. I didn’t know he was in a gang when I met him, and I understand that what he did to our friends is cruel, trust me I was mad too. But I really like him and I feel bad for hiding it, and I wouldn’t have hid it if I had known sooner. And the only really I did hide it is because of my brothers.” You say all in one breath, inhaling deeply when you finished.
Mikey stared at you blankly for a moment before taking the last bite of his dorayaki. “Alright. Thanks for telling me.”
“….Huh? You’re not upset?”
Mikey put his hands in his pockets. “No. I mean, Tenjiku was disbanded right? It’s not like he’s a threat anymore.”
“B-But…What if Tenjiku didn’t disband? What if he were still in a gang?” You asked.
“It would be tricky.” Mikey shrugs. “What if you were there that day? Would you have fought Rindou then? Do you think he could have fought you back?”
You fell silent. You weren’t sure how to answer that.
“It would have been worse for you than for anyone else in Toman or Tenjiku.” Mikey tells you. “That’s one of the risks you would have when you fall in love with someone from a rival gang. Though if you really think about it. It wouldn’t be anyone’s business. At least, not to me. As long as you and everyone else in Toman aren’t getting hurt, then what do I care?”
You felt a wave of relief wash over you. That was probably the best response you could have gotten. “And, what about everyone else?” You asked. “What do you mean?” Asks Mikey. “Only my brothers and Mitsuya know. And now you. Should I tell the others too?”
Mikey shrugs. “You can if you want.”
“Alright.” You say with a sigh. “Thank you for hearing me out Mikey.” Mikey nods. “Sure thing.”
You decided to continue see Rindou, in fact, you were out on a date with him today. Hand in hand as you walk down the street, just enjoying each other’s company, talking about whatever. It seemed like everything had returned to normal, with no worries on either of your minds. For once you could relax with Rindou, without having to worry about what others would think.
You didn’t tell anyone else about him that you haven’t already. And you didn’t plan to unless it came up, as Mikey’s words had put your nerves at ease. However, you didn’t account for just how the others would react. And unfortunately for you…
You would soon find out.
“What the hell!?”
You and Rindou stopped in your tracks at the sudden yell.
“Oh damn it all.” You mutter as soon as you recognized the voice. The two of you turned around to see Chifuyu and Takemichi. Chifuyu, being the one who yelled before, had a wildly shocked look on his face. “Y/n, what are you doing with that bastard!?” He asks pointing at Rindou, who let out an annoyed sigh.
“Uh, we’re dating.” You answer awkwardly.
“Dating!?” Chifuyu and Takemichi exclaimed in unison. Oh boy. This was going to be exhausting, so much for your date.
After you and Rindou explained the situation, Chifuyu and Takemichi seemed to have calmed down slightly. “I see. I can understand why you would hide your relationship.” Takemichi nods. “Yeah.” Chifuyu muttered. Clearly he was on the fence about it, he wasn’t ready to forgive him for what he did to his friends just yet.
“I already talked to Mikey about this, and he’s cool with it. In fact, he pretty much said he didn’t care as long as no one was getting hurt.” You tell them.
“Not that I would hurt Y/n anyway.” Rindou speaks up. “So get that into your head before you start accuse me of that.” You smile softly and give his hand a gentle squeeze. “He’s been really good to me. The only time he has upset me was when he lied to me. But other than that, he’s been wonderful.” Rindou could help but smile. “Y/n means way too much to me. I wouldn’t try anything to harm her.”
“Huh. That’s actually pretty sweet.” Said Takemichi. Chifuyu rolled his eyes. “Sure. But remember what will happen if you do try anything. She’s part of Toman now. So you fuck with her, you fuck with all of us.” He warns.
“Yep.” Rindou nods, dismissing him as he turns his attention back to you. “Come on, that new cafe you wanted to go to is open. I’ll buy you that desert you’ve been dying to try.” He says as he walks away with you. “Really?” You say with a bright smile. “Really.” Rindou chuckles. “Yay! Thank you Rindou, you’re the best!”
The two of you left Chifuyu and Takemichi alone. Not really caring if they were to tell anyone else. You’d just tell everyone what you told them. You and Rindou loved each other, and no one can change that, and that’s all there is to it. If anyone’s got a problem with it, they can bring it up with the two of you.
“Tsk. I have no idea what she sees in that jerk.” Chifuyu mutters. Takemichi only shrugs. “He must be special if Y/n has stuck around with him this long. And he’s still alive, so her brothers must not be totally against it.”
“I can’t believe he of all people got a girlfriend before me either!” Chifuyu huffed, Takemichi chuckled. “You’ll get there someday.”
