as miserable as you are with kokonoi, breaking up with him is a hard decision to make. he's got his claws in most aspects of your life and without him, you'd have to start from the ground up.
your job at a high-end boutique? you got hired because of him, not because of your resume. the beautiful apartment you live in is paid for by him, and you're certain the money you make from you boutique job would not be enough to cover it all yourself—assuming you wouldn't be immediately fired once they heard about your split from koko. and you're not even thinking of other day-to-day necessities... all generously paid for by your boyfriend.
last time you talked to your family, you heard that he even started sending some funds over there. he never explicitly told anyone it was him, but who else did you know that had a plethora of money to give out?
breaking up with him means they would lose that... and probably resent you. but, on the off chance they didn't, the trip back would cost you a lot of money. koko is typically the one who arranges all your travel.
traveling makes you think of the car that he bought for you. not often used since you typically have someone that works for koko escort you around. splitting up would probably mean losing the car, either because he takes it back or your lack of funds for it.
you can't lean on any friends because after getting into the relationship, they all slowly faded out of your life. those friends were replaced by the partners of koko's coworkers, who wouldn't stick around either if your only connection to them was severed.
there's a domino effect when you think of reasons why you can't leave, adn you just find more excuses on why you should stay with him. but, you still wonder if struggling for a while would be better than living under someone else's thumb. koko doesn't need to say it, but there's an imbalance between the two of you and he's got the upper hand.
you don't know he's in bonten so you have no idea that leaving one of them doesnt really work like that <//3 good luck!
SYN : They received a love letter from their crush
❛𝓂𝒶𝓈𝓉𝑒𝓇𝓁𝒾𝓈𝓉 ❜ :: f.reader 𝜗𝜚 wc(921) ◌⃝
💫 : first time posting for them ! I hope it's alright, let me know what you think! request are open for the moment <3
Tomioka Mai
She's more confident than her friends expected, but she's still a blushing mess when she reads your sweet words. She most likely doesn't expect it, her heart beats so fast it might just explode.
"You have to answer!" yelled Saebi as if it was her own letter.
It's impossible to ignore the mess going on around this corner as they all seemingly try to scream louder than the other. While she's there, replaying every moment she had with you over the last few days and trying to find a way to face you after that. She knows they'll never let her run away from this now, and maybe it's for the best.
Bang Jeemin
It's not her first letter, she guesses it wouldn't be her last, but that's the first time one got her heart skip a beat. And she's glad she got to read it alone, on the floor of her room after it just miraculously slipped from a book.
Nobody can see how red her cheeks are, or the way she crunches her nose as she uses the note to hide her face in it.
"I can't believe this..." she whispers to herself, not believing it.
Her feet stomp on the floor as she holds back a squeal. She never had a letter from her crush before, and even if you two talk rather often, she never could have predicted this.
She can't even figure out how you put it in her bag, but what is sure, is that she'll probably jump in your arms tomorrow. Or at least that's what her confident self thinks.
Narai Koko
She was confused at first when the note fell from her locker at the dance studio, but soon enough screamed when she recognized your writing. You didn't even need to sign it, she already knew.
She remembers all the time Saebi told her she couldn't see the signs, that she'll miss the love of her life because of it. And she honestly thought about it more than she'd like to admit, but there you were, writing to her – it can't be that bad ! Or else, you wouldn't have dared, she thinks.
What is sure, is that she can't bring herself to let the small piece of paper go.
There's your number on it, and she looks at it like it might disappear if she looks away. Already thinking of what she could write to you, before even taking a shower. She just hoped she could see you , instead of calling you.
Ryu Sarang
She gasped as she just took her seat in the back of the class. The teacher had already started and she excused herself discreetly before slamming the paper gently on the table, not daring to look at it again.
The only words she managed to read as the foreign paper fell to the floor was "I have feelings for you" and it was already too much for her heart. Taking all her courage, she read it just as discreetly, trying to not make any noises when she desperately wanted to scream.
She couldn't believe such a pretty girl gave her a letter, with such pretty words used just for her. It was insane. It was a prank, it has to be.
But then, as she lifted her eyes off the letter, her eyes fell right into yours, shining in anticipation before you looked away quickly, unable to hide the blush on your cheeks.
She never felt it before, but only love can feel like this.
Choi Jungeun
She's at a loss for words when she reads your love letter. Her mouth agape but nothing's coming out of it, she's lost in it, feeling lightheaded enough for the voices around her to fade. All she can think of is you, how she hopes it's from you as she reads the words until she finds your name at the bottom of the page.
Her heart stops a second before she turns to her friends, a winning smile on her blushing face.
"It's her ??" Asks Sarang, trying to peek at the pink paper, only for Jungeun to nod eagerly.
They all screamed at once, jumping and holding their hands together to share her joy, already asking her what she'll tell you.
"You have to send her a message," Koko says quickly.
"Let's go to the HQ and discuss it !" Jump Saebi before dragging Jungeun with her.
Jeong Saebi
She's sure she just watches you left around the corner, she's confident because she can't take her eyes off of you. If there was one thing that made her wake up every morning and come here, it was your beautiful sight.
So after she caught her breath at the sight of the red envelope, after she screamed and almost cried when she recognized your oh so pretty handwriting. After she almost jumped on Mai out of happiness and she laughed out of nerves, the only thing in her mind is to run after you.
She knows your way home, she once walked there with you for a study date – or that's what she wants to call it.
So she does, running through the hallway like her life depends on it until she finds you at the entrance, talking with your friends. Hers are on her tracks, calling out for her, but you're all she had in mind.
"Y/n !" She almost screams, making you jump before your cheeks turn red at the sight of your letter in her hands. "I like you too !"
[flufftober day 30, wc: 568] - practice room ghost caught live : n. koko
“NAYAS, HELLO!” you wave to the phone camera, koko sitting down next to you. you watch your reflections in the practice room mirror, reminding yourself to take some selfies with your bandmate after the live.
izna has recently debuted (and no, you’ll never tire of bragging about debuting at the mama awards) and the group’s popularity has been booming. multiple fancams went viral, the cheers at music shows are deafening, and every day you wake up to hundreds of thousands of notifications from social media. you never thought you would make it this far—i-land 2 seems so long ago now. all of your hard work has paid off.
back to the livestream, you wave for a few moments longer before excusing yourself to get an energy drink from your bag in the back of the studio, koko keeping the viewers entertained on the instagram live by using several filters and attempting to trigger the ‘heart’ effect with her hands. when you return, some kind of alien filter automatically adjusts to appear on your face instead of koko’s.
“what is this,” you struggle to contain your laughter, “su-su-su-supernova?”
both of you break out into a mini dance session, doing the hand movements for the dance break of the mentioned song. the chat explodes, talking about aespa and izna crumbs and the like, or some just singing along to the lyrics even without the background music. the filter stays on your face the whole time, and when koko takes notice of this she starts rolling on the floor laughing.
“you, you look so funny, y/n!” she smacks the floor with an open palm. whether it’s because she can’t reach you, or the floor has wronged her back, is a mystery to you, just like whatever she says is unpredictable… “oh my—i can’t breathe!”
just as you’re about to open your mouth to say something, the light flickers and immediately ceases the girl’s laughter and also shuts you up. she sits up, scooting up to you and you hear an (comical? loud.) audible gulp right as she holds onto your arm. the only source of light in the practice room is your phone screen, showing comments in a blur, probably reflecting your fearful state as well. a loud thump resounds throughout the room, now you’re the one gulping.
“ko-chan,” you mumble, gripping onto the fabric of her hoodie, “what was that.”
“i don’t know,” she shakes her head, only the outline of her jaw visible with the lighting from the phone. “are you scared?”
you wonder what the answer to that question is. oh wait. “yes? what was that, we’re the only ones in here, what the heck!”
another thud hits, accompanied by the sound of some cables falling to the ground. you would turn on the light, but you’re literally stuck in place right now, both from koko’s grip on your arm, and the fear that has locked your legs in place. you swear you can hear some whispers of something, but the lights turn back on and the door is left open.
koko glances at you quickly before scrambling to get the phone and cut the live short. she pulls you up, your legs still shaking, and pointing to your bag and then to the door. “we should go home. right now.”
“yes,” you nod, “i am not coming back here again unless everyone else is with us.”
TW: Violence, Kidnapping, Abuse, Death, Blood, Strained Mother/Daughter relationships (other trigger warnings to be added)
Synopsis: What is a good relationship without its ups and downs? You and Hajime have never had a serious down until now. You can run away, but it's never that easy.
“My mother texted me,” Exasperation coats your vocal cords. A smirk paints your face when you see Koko roll his eyes, still looking down at his paperwork. You should be in bed, but the multiple sharp dings of your mother's messages forced you awake. Now, you can’t go back to sleep.
His eyes settle on you, a fond smile brightening his features. “Well, good morning to you, too.” His attention is on you as you make your way further into his office and sit on his desk to peek over at the papers he’s going through. You could count every crystal in the chandelier above you through its reflection in his eyes as he gazes up at you.
“Good morning.” You giggle when you lean down to kiss him. His chin rests in your palm as you guide him towards you. The moment your lips meet, you feel all the tenseness leave his body.
“What did she say?” He rests his head in his hand.
“Something about reconnecting and wanting to see me. I don’t know, I didn’t really read it.”
His brows furrow, and he leans back in his chair. You take him in. He smells of Bibliothèque by Byredo he bought a while ago, a recent favorite of his. The fruitiness and woodiness add an air of maturity to his already put-together demeanor. It makes sense for someone so beautiful. He shakes his head. “But if you want to, I won’t stop you.”
You smooth over your silk nightgown and shrug. You consider his face for a moment. His red eyeliner isn’t on. His skin and eyes look dull. His hair is pulled back into a half bun, half ponytail fusion. He yawns.
“How long have you been up?” You remember going to bed with him last night. When you woke at three to get water and crawled back into bed, he was there and pulled you back into his chest to cuddle. You know he’s slept, but for how long?
“I don’t know...” He taps his phone to check the time. “Maybe since five or six? My boss called and asked me if I could rush some stuff.”
His workaholic tendencies make your head hurt sometimes. You’ve told him before that you think he’ll die at that desk. “And when he called, you just got up and started working?” He rolls his eyes. “Koko, did you even eat?”
“No.”
“You’re going to have a heart attack in this office.”
“But I’ll leave you so much.” He smiles playfully, but none of this is funny.
“It’s not funny! Let’s go out for breakfast.” You hop off of his desk and head towards the door. You look back and see that his head is in his papers again. “Now!” With that, he’s moving.
✮✮✮
“Mom?” You try to sound composed over the phone as tears stream down your cheeks. You’re unsuccessful, and she starts to scramble and beg you to tell her what’s happened. You can’t. Your throat hurts and you still can’t process what’s going on. “I’m- I’m at a ho-hotel right now,” You sniffle and cough and wipe away snot. “I’m going to take a trai-n and be there tomorrow.”
You grow nauseous as your mom pleads with you to tell her what’s wrong. You hang up and collapse into a ball on the floor. Sobbing doesn’t help, but it’s the only thing you can do right now. It’s the first time since you left that you’ve had time to break down.
You fall asleep like that.
The next morning, you wake up in pain. Your eyes burn, your mouth is dry, and your bones ache. This is the lowest your life has been since meeting Hajime and possibly the worst it could be. Rock bottom. And as much as you miss the feel of your bed and his kisses on your cheeks telling you it will be alright; you know better than to return.
“It’s not his fault.” That’s what you’d thought when you came into his office last night to see the guest, you’d let in slumped over in a chair with a bullet through his head.
There had been no commotion until the sound of the gunshot. You had run to check on Hajime only to find out he was the assailant. You hadn’t even known he had a gun. Why would he have a gun? And why would he kill a random client of his? They came over all the time and nothing like this had happened before. It couldn’t have been him. Why would he do this?
You hadn’t even reacted when you saw it. You only felt your heart drop and your body tremble. Brain matter, blood, and little bone fragments covered the room. The man’s eyes were glossed over with no life inside of them. Your heart was on track to beat out of your chest and maybe you were going to pass out, but you had said little to Hajime in the moment. You stood in shock for a second before he opened his mouth to say something you didn’t quite hear, too busy processing the scene.
“Do you need help to clean?” Were all the words your mouth could form. Neither of you had expected that to be the first thing to find its way off of your tongue. Mouth agape, he nodded slowly and confused.
You left to go rummaging through the cabinets with unstable hands. You’d grabbed as much as you could hold. Never had you been prepared to clean up so much blood. There was no thought as shaky hands grabbed at glass cleaner and air freshener. When you’d come back, Hajime was staring at the body in disbelief.
“Is this the first time?” You’d asked.
He’d come clean about everything. Words spilled like water from a broken dam. He was an executive in a high-profile gang. Bonten. You’d heard of it, but only on the news. They’d been less of a gang and more of a terrorist organization. Selling drugs, dealing weapons, killing people and so much more. Hajime didn’t seem like the type, but he said it wasn’t his first time killing. He clarified that it’s not a hobby of his like it is for other people he knew. Tears filled his eyes as he told you, but they didn’t fall in that moment. He was pulling himself together as best he could. He’d never intended for you to find out. Hajime just wanted to keep you safe and take care of you. He promised.
You listened silently while scrubbing the walls as he said something about not wanting you to leave. How he couldn’t stand to lose someone else to a life like this. He’s sorry, but this is all he’s known since he was a kid. He doesn’t know how to get by in any other way. You have to believe him. He loves you. He can’t stand the idea of you leaving him.
His propositioning became a blur when he began to break down. You stopped hearing him when the tears started to fall and the look in his eyes changed from sorrow and guilt to something unhinged. His hands came up to pull at the roots of his hair and you’re sure he was screaming apologies and begging you not to leave. His mouth moved like he was begging you to say something, but all you could was scrub the wall and look at him. You don’t remember the time cleaning after that.
For the first time, you feared him and felt alone all over again. He’d become another stranger. Your heart was sitting in your lap and you were watching it beat as you figured out what to do.
While he showered, you packed a bag for when you’d make a run for it in the dark hours of the morning. You took some jewelry to pawn, comfortable clothes to make the trip in, and some of the fancy hygiene products he bought you. Then you hid the bag in one of the spare rooms, before climbing into bed to wait for him. With the state he was in, surely, he’d hurt you if he knew you were going to leave.
His kisses felt like sandpaper against your cheeks. Every time his lips touched your skin was a silent question of whether you still loved him. You did, but you couldn’t stay. Not like this. When he fell asleep, you took some cash and ran as far as you could. It wasn’t very far at all. An okay hotel near the train station about an hour away.
Twice now you’ve thought about calling the police and having him locked away forever. Once last night and now as you step out of the shower and see an accomplice in the hotel mirror. You can’t bring yourself to do it. Your head aches at the thought of him behind bars, in a small room, taking communal showers. You don’t want that for him. What you want is the normalcy back. You want him holding you. You want him telling you that you had a nightmare. You want this nasty breakup over with.
Your eyes become faucets of emotion again as you mourn. You cry and heave naked over the sink. For the first time in a long time, you’re alone in this life. Hajime cannot come to comfort you when you cry. You are at your lowest.
It comes up faster than you expect. Your stomach. Milky vomit splatters into the sink. You run the water over it as your body tremors. The sound calms you.
Your hand dips into the stream and comes up to your mouth. You gargle and spit twice. Then you splash water over your face. You’re fine.
There’s no time for this. You need to leave.
Pulling on your clothes has you thinking about other things or at least trying to distract yourself.
“What’s worse, living with a murderer or my mom?” You halfheartedly laugh to yourself. It’s too much to think about right now.
You haven’t worn a sweatsuit in quite some time. Koko hated what he called “lazy clothes” and insisted you are too beautiful to wear them. Of course, you still had some, but you could never do more than look at them. Not until now. You’re sure your mother would be just as disapproving for similar reasons.
You laugh again at the thought of neither of them liking this outfit. A soft yellow sweat suit and white sneakers. It’d break both of their hearts.
A soft knock at your door interrupts your thoughts, and you stiffen.
“Room service.” Says a gruff, masculine voice on the other side.
Just room service. You unclench.
“No, thank you!” You shout as you grab your bag and ready yourself to leave.
“It’s important.” The voice sings back. “You left something at the front desk. I need to return it to you.”
Oh?
You crack the door open just enough for your foot to fit through. The man is tall and angular. Dress shirt. Tie. Black slacks. Loafers. Expensive Prada Loafers. He reeks of cigarette smell. Acrid and off-putting. Nothing in his hands but the rings that adorn his scarred fingers. Your eyes travel up to his face.
Slicked back black hair. Prominent streaks of grey in thick stripes. Massive scar across his eye. He doesn’t work here. Your heart jumps to a start.
You scramble to close the door, but he’s strong enough to just push his way in and have you falling on your ass in the process. The door swings shut, the lock clicks, and a gun is pointed at you. His finger comes to his lips to hush you before you can think of screaming.
“It’s early. I’m tired. And I don’t want to be here.” He reaches his free hand out to help you up off the floor. You stare frozen in fear, labored breathing, unable to think until you notice his gesture and offer a hand so he can pull you up. “Can you just come with me so I can drop you off to Koko and go about my day?”
Your saliva becomes glue holding your mouth shut. You can do nothing but stare into his eyes.
“Hello?” He waves his gun in your face and you flinch away.
You offer a slow, cautious shake of your head. Your feet carry you a couple of steps back. He follows.
“You have to.” He asserts, shoving the gun’s muzzle under your chin.
For some reason, you're embarrassed by your trembling. You try to stop it, but can’t. Your eyes are blown wide and your hands shake as you grab the man’s wrist to pull the gun from under your chin.
“I can’t.” You barely manage. Tears fill your eyes as you back away again. The man doesn’t move with you. He looks more confused and irritated than anything. He’s nothing but furrowed brows and hard eyes.
“Listen…” He groans as he watches you wipe away tears as they fall. “I don’t know what the hell this is about, nor do I care, but my boss told me to get you and bring you to Koko,” He steps closer and shoves the gun into his waistband. “I’m not a fan of brutalizing attractive young women, but I will if I have to. Then I’ll carry you out of here and take you to him.”
You understand you’re leaving with him either way.
✮✮✮
He’s enough of a gentleman to have grabbed all of your stuff for you and thrown it into his backseat, but not enough of a gentleman to not kidnap you. Enough of a gentleman to open the door to his SUV for you, but not enough of a gentleman to not point a gun at you.
When his car starts, the feeling of dread sinks in. This is happening. This is not a dream. Your ex is a man powerful enough to have you kidnapped.
You try to suck it up and stop your tears, but you keep sniffling. Hajime is a sick bastard to send a man with a gun after you. How could he?
“What’s your name?” The man's voice interrupts your thoughts. You say nothing. “Fair.” He brushes you off. “I understand it. I’m human too.”
Hard to believe.
“My name is Takeomi.” He looks away from the road to shoot a halfhearted grin. “I’ll have to learn your name later, right?”
“Please let me go.” You demand through sniffles. You try to toughen your act as the tears dry up. Still, you feel pathetic.
He ignores you.
“I thought he was gay.” He doesn’t turn to look at you this time. “You know, I thought I’d be picking up a man.”
Oh?
“…but you’re incredibly beautiful so, I understand if he suddenly changed his mind.”
What?
He doesn’t say much after that, and just drives. You stare out of the window and hold back tears.
By the time you arrive, you’ve calmed down. You linger in the car as Takeomi grabs your things and calls Hajime, but the moment he opens the door it’s a march of death.
Takeomi waits with you at the elevator. He can’t stand this, you can tell. Even without moving, his stance is impatient. You can hear the hum of the elevator moving. The closer it sounds the more your heart races.
DING!
No. No.
You take a step back as the elevator doors open. You look at Takeomi who looks back at you and shrugs.
No.
You’re half ready to run when a hand guides you into the elevator. You keep your head down. Hajime mutters out a thank you and you see them exchanging your luggage. They don’t say goodbye.
The penthouse is the same. Same sweet smell. Same shiny wooden floors. Same warmth. But it’s not your home anymore. It’s your new gilded cage.
Hajime drops your bag and suddenly you’re surrounded by a familiar warmth and scent. He’s everything you can sense. His floral conditioner. His musky cologne. His well-trimmed nails against your scalp.
“Hajime…”
He pulls away. There’s a darkness in his eyes when you finally look at him. His hair is a mess. He hasn’t brushed it like he usually would. His makeup isn’t done. He is still in his pajamas. It’s been less than a day and already he’s in disarray.
“Why did you abandon me when all I do is take care of you?” He stresses. “I do everything to keep you safe and beautiful and you run after one mistake?”
“Mistake?” Your voice shakes. “Killing someone is a mistake?”
“I was doing my job.”
“Fuck you.” An immediate slap to your cheek blurs your vision.
First, it’s shock, then it’s anger, then it’s tears. Koko doesn’t seem remorseful though. With furrowed brows, he says, “I love you and you abandoned me. I took care of you when that bitch of a mother threw you out and you crawled into Tokyo from the shithole you came from. But fuck me?”
Crazy. He’s actually crazy.
You slap him back and the look on his face changes from seething anger to hurt. Before he can react, you dart from the doorway all the way to the bedroom unsure of if he’s chasing you. Immediately you lock it. Finally, you can breathe, but the air is full of him.
Obviously not the last last, but the last during which he would still live at home.
It was a weird feeling. His room was jarringly empty and void of all the little knick knacks that had accumulated over time. The Ps4, Ran had gifted him on his birthday, was already over at his new flat that was just in walking distance to the Campus. The same was the case for the 65 inch TV Sanzu had given him on Christmas a few years back.
All of his books had also been neatly stacked into the new bookshelves in his new living room and office room.
He was a spoiled college student wasn't he? After all his father, one of the richest men in Tokyo was paying for everything and had wanted him to have only the best of the best.
The last few weeks his Dad and him had talked all about the program he had enrolled in, the parties he could go to, Dad had teased him about all the women he could finally bring over without his mothers disapproving glare, all the vacations he could take without having to fight with his mother over them.
And yet there was this weird gnawing feeling in his chest at the thought of leaving his mother behind in this loft.
If he thought about it rationally, his parents seemed made for each other. They were loving, his Dad brought gifts nearly every week, Mom never forgot an anniversary, He could remember maybe two times the two had fought with each other and that was at least 6 and 12 years ago respectively. He didn't know for sure what the fight had been about he only knew that that had been the summer he had finally been allowed to enrol into an exchange program at a boarding school in England, so he had always thought that that had probably been the fights topic and that his Dad had simply been able to sway her.
The idea of the exchange program had come from his Dad back when he was 7. It had been a teasing jab he had made during breakfast when the energy in the kitchen had felt just a bit too stifling for everything to be right. Thinking about it now, his mothers reaction at the joke, because that's what it must have been, had been a bit too frenzied, for Kiro to ever forget.
Even now he could see his mother stopping dead at the sink, turning around to his father white as a ghost. He could even remember that her eyes had seemed just a bit glassy. His father on the other hand had just laughed and ruffled his hair.
“He's much too young for that. Don't take everything I say at face value, dear.” He had simply said before proceeding to drink his coffee.
After that the energy around the table had completely lifted back into the normal mornings that Kiro was used to. Teasing and light hearted. His mother cracking a joke or two, sitting next to his father while massaging his hand.
Sometimes he wondered if he had made the stifling energy up, back when he was a kid to explain away his mothers reaction.
“I know Hajime teases you about all the parties you could go to, now that you've moved out, but I want you to do some real studying, okay!?”
His mothers voice brought Kiro back into the presence.
“I promise, Mom.” He told her with a grin that made his mother sigh.
He didn't think that she really wanted him to move out, but what Mother did.
“I'll be fine, I'll make you proud. Don't you worry.” He said while getting up and pulling her into a hug.
“Show your face around here from time to time, alright?” She mumbled into his chest, while pulling him all the closer. “Goodness. How have you grown so much. You know I would do anything for you, right? If you have any problems, you know you need only call. And your room will always be available for you. I won't change a thing in there.”
“Let the poor boy breathe, dear. Our Kiro is growing into a fine man. Moving out is simply another milestone.”
Yeah, Kiro decided. The queasy feeling in his chest didn't make sense. The way his mother seemed to tense up just the slightest bit, whenever his Dad was around just didn't make sense. There hadn't even been a time that Dad had raised his voice towards her. Much less struck her.
So why did it seem that his mother had this undying revulsion for the man he was allowed to call father after Koko had adopted him at six? As far as he could tell, Koko was the man that had stepped up. He had been the one to take them out of their screeching flat into this loft right in the heart of Tokyo. Koko had been the one who had made it possible for Kiro to attend all the best schools, wear the best clothes. Koko was the reason for his mother to be able to retire from her work and be a housewife.
Even when he was young and it had just been him and Mom he had always known that she hated her job. Even though she had hid it nearly perfectly, he had been able to pick up on the exhaustion. Mom always joked about how in tune with everyone's emotions he was. It was probably the reason he had decided on studying psychology. Because making sense of a person and helping them just came naturally.
Dad sometimes joked that he came after Mom in that regard. He had once told her that she had always dreamed of studying psychology but it simply hadn't been in the cards for her.
So it made even less sense, that he just couldn't understand his mothers feelings towards his father.
When he thought about Koko, he was probably what every father and husband wished to be and what every child and wife wanted to have.
He was attentive, devoted, he showered them both in gifts, he wasn't afraid to hug his son and show vulnerability when needed, he was also a strong rock, who always had a solution for the problems the family went through, he always spoke softly with his wife, always listening to her complaints and solving those that he could.
And yet, he had never seen his mother lean on him for more than she had to.
Yes. At first glance they seemed perfect for each other.
She was gentle with him, always seemed to lean into his embraces, greeted him with a kiss and dinner, when he came back from a hard day at work, surprised him with special evenings just for the two of them, heck after 13 years of marriage they simply seemed to have a stellar marriage.
They rarely even seemed to disagree on things and when they did, Mom and Dad would most often come to a compromise.
Although Kiro did think that his Dad got his way more often, but he had also always just equated that to his mothers love for her husband and her wish to see him happy.
Now, as he felt her slowly loosen her muscles underneath his embrace he couldn't shake the sinking feeling that he had been misconstrued horrifically. Because if there was one thing he had always felt rolling of his mother in waves, threatening to someday drown her, wasn't love.
It was pure unadulterated fear.
He could just never understand where it came from.
Making hot chocolate for Mikey, Chifuyu, Mitsuya, Koko & Sanzu
Content warning: Let me know if there's anything, just fluff
Mikey
It was routine at this point. Mikey rarely misses an opportunity to come to your place. Then the two of you would rot on the bed/couch and eat mostly unhealthy snacks while talking about nothing. And you would call it “quality bonding time”.
You can’t even tell for 100% sure whether it was a good thing to introduce your special hot chocolate to him or not. He loved it, but demanded it quite often. You even tried to teach him the recipe but he always managed to mess something up.
At this point, you just accepted your fate, but you made him go shopping for you in return. Even if you were somewhat aware that it was most likely someone else who did his job.
He especially likes to drink it during evenings. His mood instantly improves thanks to it, it makes him sleepy and clingy as his brain turns into mush almost entirely. That being said, of course it’s one of the best ways to get him to calm down, even though it requires specific conditions to be met.
It’s a double-edged sword, though.
Imagine that during one of those peaceful times, his phone rings. And keeps ringing, and keeps ringing. And he’s pulled from his hazy, half-conscious state with immediate dark clouds surrounding his head.
He picks it up only to hear about a sudden fight with a rival gang which suddenly occurred.
Those poor delinquents better pray because Mikey is fucking pissed.
Several gang members will have to pull him away from the enemy leader because he’s making sure they won’t be able to leave the hospital for at least a good month.
He comes back to you one to a few hours later, all covered in blood and with skin torn on his knuckles. He takes a shower and changes into pyjamas before laying back on the couch and demanding another hot chocolate as if nothing happened in the first place.
Chifuyu
Your boyfriend hugs you from behind with his chin resting on your shoulder. His curious eyes remind you of those of a cat. His mouth soundlessly forms an “o” shape and he nods his head in understanding when you put some pieces of chocolate bar into the mug.
You can’t resist the urge to put one into his spread lips and he doesn’t complain either.
“So this is how you make it taste so good.”
“Yup, the chocolate melts and makes the flavour richer, although it also increases the amount of calories. I guess one is connected to the other.”
“I burn a lot of them either way so no worries.” He licked his lips off the remnants of the chocolate. “It smells like heaven.”
“I know right? This is why I choose this particular brand.”
He barely waited a moment for it to cool off before having a taste. Good thing you predicted it first and took countermeasures.
You made yourself comfortable on his bed, reaching for the newest volume of a manga the two of you were reading together.
“Don’t you dare start without me, y/n. It was so hard to avoid all of the spoilers online, it felt like walking on landmines!”
Purely out of spite, you lay on your belly and open the book which earns you screams of protests from your boyfriend. He wastes no time getting on top of you and trying to snatch it from your hands so you hold it just out of his reach. You then roll on your back and he falls softly on the bed right next to you before you both burst out in laughter and reach for your mugs.
You then sat cross-legged on his bed with the manga in your hands. He hugged you from behind and put his chin on your shoulder. Both of you began to read, sometimes laughing together, sometimes commenting or clearing out any doubts and recalling past volumes. All of this while drinking the delicious hot chocolate. Such moments with Chifuyu truly are precious <3
Mitsuya
Since your boyfriend always insists on cooking meals for you, it’s only right for you to make the dessert. Seriously, you don’t even know why you let him do it for you. Each time you try to bring it up and try to convey that he doesn’t have to do that, you get knocked out with stuff like “I like to cook for you though”, “it’s much healthier and more affordable” and the one which always leaves you in a lost position: “You don’t like my cooking?”
Half-dead, you fall to the floor while coughing metaphorical blood as he hums a gentle melody and proceeds to head towards the kitchen to make some food. It was truly a battle lost the moment it began. So you gave up.
Making him hot chocolate was the least you could do for him. He didn’t even protest and let you have your fun the first time you decided to.
That night, his little sisters were in their beds already. You were watching a somewhat boring movie together and you soon fell asleep on his lap. He glanced at you warmly and shook his head at the chocolate stains left on your mouth. He licked a tissue and began to rub your face like mothers do to their kids except gentler. Thankfully you didn’t wake up.
…Which reminded him that he had yet to drink his own. Sorry, love - he thought before raising the mug to his lips without expecting much. His eyes returned to the screen and then widened in shock upon the taste. Later that week, he tried making it himself, but it didn’t taste half as good as yours. That’s when he decided to get the recipe from you.
***
“Are you sure you want to stand here?”
“Yes love,” he replied seriously with his hands resting on the kitchen counter and his eyes following your movements like those of a hawk.
“Wouldn’t you rather sit over there? I’ll be done in-”
“No need, love,” he gently put his hands on your waist and placed a kiss on your arm.
You raised a brow, but shrugged before pouring some hot water over a mix made of chocolate and powdered cocoa. You then stirred well and took condensed milk out of the fridge. Poured some into the drink. Put it back. Then stirred again before adding the marshmallows.
Mitsuya was taking mental notes the whole time.
“Wouldn’t you rather use boiled milk for it?” He finally asked.
“That’s too much of a hassle. Besides, there’s only some needed for it to taste good. Plus, milk or coffee cream from the fridge cools down the temperature. Thanks to that, it’s ready to drink almost immediately.”
You gave him his own mug and both of you headed towards your seats and settled into comfortable silence. He couldn’t wait to make it for his little sisters!
(Spoiler: they loved it)
Sanzu
“It feels like drinking liquid sugar,” he noticed and then proceeded to only eat the pink marshmallows.
You barely resisted the urge to kick him. The two of you were resting in his bed. He was sitting and you were laying on the opposite side which resulted in him being right next to your feet.
“I’ll drink it for you then,” you stretched your hand in his direction, but then he moved away to get the cup out of your reach.
You were perplexed, to say at least.
“I thought you didn't like it?”
“I never said that?”
You kicked his side which - aside from an irritated expression - did not affect him at all. So you tried again. This time, he grabbed and pulled your ankle towards his face and kissed it while looking you straight in the eyes and smiling.
“Freak.”
He grimaced. “Your feet stink.”
You sighed and sat up. If Sanzu had dog ears, they would perk up in surprise at that.
“Oh my, it seems that me and my stinky feet will have to leave then.”
You barely managed to stand up and take a step towards the door before he hugged you by the hips and glued himself to you, making you unable to move without losing your balance.
“I was kidding! I love you and your stinky feet,” he nuzzled his face into your side.
You tried to make another step forward but the weight he put on you made you lose your balance and fall onto his (luckily) carpeted floor. Concern flashed in his eyes before you smacked his head. And then you groaned when he almost laid on top of you, preventing you from leaving.
“Am I dating a guy or a puppy?” You complained as he nuzzled his face into your neck.
“If you’re into this, I wouldn’t mind wearing a collar with a leash.”
“Shut up or I might consider adding a muzzle.” You felt him grin into your skin.
“Woof woof!”
Koko
If he was being honest, he’d much prefer you sitting next to him, maybe even cuddling. He tried to convince you that you can order take out, or he can take you to a cafe or a restaurant if you want to eat something nice. Damn, he even asked you to come back to him while the water was boiling but apparently it was more “complex” than just pouring hot water over powdered cocoa and stirring.
He sighed, letting his head drop backwards in defeat. He’d much rather drink cold water and spend more time with you. Although, it wasn’t an unpleasant feeling to have someone put effort for him just because. In fact, it caused a fuzzy feeling in his stomach.
Just as he was about to call for you, you appeared with two mugs of hot chocolate in your hands. He raised one brow at the white and pink, tiny marshmallows richly decorating the top.
“You might want to drink it before eating the marshmallows. If you eat them first, it will look less tempting.” You sat next to him on the sofa and he wasted no time putting an arm around your shoulders and pulling you closer.
“I see you have this all thought through,” he noticed, while placing a thank you kiss on your temple before taking his own mug into his hands. He noticed you staring at him intensely.
“Please don’t,” he groaned.
Your gaze didn’t falter. Your breathing became quicker.
“Y/n…” He pleaded.
Your lip began to tremble.
“You’re better than that.”
…
“Choco for Koko.”
“For fuck’s sake-” You barely managed to dodge the pillow aimed at your head.
Your boyfriend shot you one last disappointed look before he took a sip.
And then another. And another. Before he knew it, it was all gone and he was fishing out the half melted marshmallows from the bottom.
It was a damn good hot chocolate.
He even contemplated asking for seconds, but it dawned on him that you would have to leave again to do that.
“Did you like it?” You asked while making yourself comfortable in his tight embrace.
“I sure did. Mind selling me the recipe? Just name the price.”
You couldn’t decide whether he was being serious or not so you said the first thing which came to your mind.
“I might want to exchange it. For an… engagement ring.”
Koko turned his face away, almost embarrassed with how wide he grinned. His eyes sparkled uncharacteristically.
⊳ summary: it was the the way you chose him that made him want to choose you
⊳ word count: 2.7k
⊳ content warning: reader is a stripper. oral (f → m). cum swallowing. public foreplay. vaginal fingering. slight daddy kink mentions from koko. reader is obsessed with koko highkey.
⊳⊳⊳ this is my first fic being posted on here. feedback is welcomed. Go easy on me. idk how i actually ended up with a koko short lil sumn sumn before anyone else but here we are.
not beta read
p.s if someone wanna teach me how to use tumblr that'd be greatly appreciated lolol ⊲⊲⊲
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There weren’t many things in this world that could make a frugal man like Hajime Kokonoi spend his money without limit. Yet somehow he found himself in front of this strip club thrice a week ready to spend any amount to have even just a few moments with you.
You were the number one girl there. Almost everyone that frequented this club wanted you, yet for some reason you always found your pert ass hovered over Koko’s hardening cock as he kept one grip loosely on your hip and the other adjusting his ever tightening pants. He wasn’t quite sure just why you picked him, either. Sure, he was one of the top executives in Bonten and the way he dressed screamed of his wealth but Kokonoi never spent more than the politically appropriate amount when he was forced to come to this club for any meetings. There were plenty of members that spent twice if not three times as much as he did on a regular basis.
Yet that didn’t seem to deter you at all. It was as if the moment you set your eyes on him you became so hyper fixated on pleasing him. On making him yours. It didn’t matter if Koko was in the middle of a meeting, a cigar lit while his eyes drifted from documents he had no interest in, letting the loud sounds of his comrades fade into the back. Just when he was comfortable, a pair of arms wrapped around his shoulders and he heard the unmistakable mellifluous lilt that was your voice. “Hajimeee~ I missed you baby,” You were never afraid to use his first name, something that had an effect on Koko that he refused to admit to you, lest he be forced to see that victorious glitter in your mischievous gaze. Your breath on the shell of his ear made him shiver the slightest bit. It didn’t go unnoticed by you, and your grip tightened on him just that much more.
Despite your profession and the people you’ve come to associate yourself with, you were a good girl – at least, that’s what Koko had gathered in those moments where you sat on his lap like the pretty little trophy you were, sipping your drink and fiddling with the buttons on his shirt coyly. Life had done what it does best and fucked you out of a fair future, and before you knew it you found yourself half dressed, pleasing the eyes of those around you for a living. You took care of your family with that money, and you were even putting some away for the future of the little ones in your life.
That alone made him bite his bottom lip as he appraised you as if it were the first time he’d ever seen you before. He leaned forward just enough to talk over the music, lips mere inches away from yours while his fingers traced imaginary designs into your upper thigh before letting the palm of his hand rest comfortably on your hip. “Looks like m’baby isn’t just a pretty face, hm?” He couldn’t stop his bemused expression at the way you simply preen under his words of praise and his soft, encouraging yet provocative touches. You looked like there was nowhere you’d rather be than there on his lap like the obedient girl you were. Koko’s chuckle was genuine as he brushed his dual colored bangs out of his vision before leaning down and claiming your lips as his.
He’d known for a while now just how you felt about him. In the beginning, he was thrown off, maybe even a bit amused that someone of your caliber would want anything to do with him. Usually girls like you only wanted anything to do with the men with loose pockets. Time progressed, though, and suddenly the idea of Hajime Kokonoi claiming you as his own became less of something improbable and more of something inevitable. Your body did something to him that no other woman had ever been able to do. You lured him in like a temptress despite your sincerity. It made him act in ways he would usually rebuke, but something about you brought out the most obscene sides of him. A part of him cursed the need he felt to respect you, wanting nothing more than to slip your panties to the side and let you slide down onto his cock, a smirk tugging at the corners of his lips while he encouraged you to not stop riding him despite their audience, to stay professional while you were split open on his cock in front of all these people. He was sure you would do it for him too no matter how embarrassing it would be for you. Koko had the feeling that you would do just about anything for him if he asked you.
Instead, he settled for what he could get. He threw money into the air around you, saving his larger bills to slide into the slips of your bra, watching in satisfaction when you’d throw your head back and moan the slightest bit when his calloused fingers brushed against your sensitive nipples, his sharp gaze commiting your face of pleasure to memory while his tongue swiped across his lower lip looking very much like a hungry predator eyeing his prey.
Somehow you’d become the one person in this world that Koko was rather generous with. You easily came home with at least ten thousand dollars after a night of spending time in his company. The part that made it so fun for Koko was that you didn’t even care about the money. You were so fucking hungry for him, eyeing him with those ‘fuck me’ eyes, doing anything and everything in your power to be within his space. You didn’t let other women near him, always invading his space like it was your own. In return, you catered to everything he needed: refilling his drinks, loosening his tie when he was visibly irritated by his ‘friends’, dumping his ashtray after hours of smoking in their group – the boys were starting to get jealous by the obvious preferential treatment.
After a while, he noticed that unless you were giving a public show, the only man you’d ever personally interact with in the club was Koko himself. When approached by others, you would scrunch your nose up the slightest bit, but give a placating smile as you directed him to another girl that had no qualms taking care of him for the night. It was the way that you looked up across the room at him with eyes that screamed for praise that turned him on so much he had you on your knees while he fucked into your mouth. “Such a good fucking girl – take my cock in your throat juuust like that baby – f-fuck, so fucking good for me and only me.”
The way you hollowed out your cheeks and looked up at him like he was your whole fucking world and that just spurred him on to thrust even rougher into your warm cavern. “Gonna let everyone know you’re my pretty lil’slut, so fucking perfect fer me – mm almost there baby, take it, take all of daddy’s cum like a good girl.” He couldn’t stop the words from spilling out of his mouth as he gripped your hair and shot ribbons of thick cum into your mouth, his hips stuttering as you continued milking him despite his sensitivity.
He’d never cum so fast in his life. A part of him wanted to be embarrassed until he saw the look of triumph plain as day on your face as you opened your mouth wide and stuck out your tongue. You were proudly presenting the fact that you’d swallowed all of his load. A defeated groan escaped his lips as he yanked you up into his embrace, his hands gentle as they traversed the swells of your body as he came down from his mind numbing orgasm. “So. Fucking. Perfect.” He mumbled into your shoulder and he left soft kisses, while his hands started to travel lower to slide his fingers into your folds, to pleasure you the same way you’d pleasured him.
So imagine his surprise when you stopped him. Koko’s eyes were quizzical, and your giggle didn’t abade any of his confusion. He watched curiously as you slid a finger down his chest and leaned against him. “Today is just for you,” It amazed him how your very same lips that devoured his cock not even five minutes ago were puckered so cutely into a pout as you refused his advances. He couldn’t help the dumb ‘huh’ that escaped his lips, and your eyes rolled skyward as if he was the one that wasn’t making any sense. “I,” You started, pointing to yourself. “Just wanted to suck your cock.”
He couldn’t help himself. “Why?”
This time, you looked at him as if he was stupid, and for once Koko felt like he had asked a stupid question. It didn’t even bother him when you walked out of the bathroom, apparently not deeming his question worthy of a response. Not that he could blame you. You weren’t the type of woman that had to confess your feelings. Any man with a pulse would be able to feel it from the way you walked, talked and responded to them. A sigh escaped your lips as you ran your hand through your hair, frustrated despite such great events earlier before. He just couldn’t get over the feeling that he’d fucked up somewhere.
Despite that small hiccup, the next time you saw him you acted as if that conversation had never happened, much to his relief. In fact you upped your game up even more. You always listened to the things he said, no matter how offhanded they were. Your attire had changed into a majority of the types of things he loved seeing you wear – you must’ve taken really good notes on his preferences. The perfumes you used were the ones he complimented. You only wore the jewelry he gifted you despite receiving so many from other wealthy suitors. How could he not want to spoil someone like you? You were such a good girl for him and he didn’t even have to ask once much less twice.
Large, pretty rings adorned your fingers with bracelets and anklets accentuating your features even more. He’s gotten you earrings, a car, anything he could to keep a smile on your face. Your clothing was always designer, your sunglasses the same. It was evident that being favored by Hajime Kokonoi was a life changing experience. You never had to ask for a thing, your family was taken care of and you were able to wake up at ease. It just made her even more infatuated with him. Of her own violation she bought a necklace, a cheap little thing, with the name Hajime splayed proudly in golden letters. The imagine itself of you sitting cutely on his lap with his name above your pretty tits like a brand made him harder than fucking granite.
In fact, that night confirmed that Koko liked you so much because he didn’t have to ask you to be his, he didn’t have to ask you to act a certain way to appease him or his lifestyle. You’re 100% his girl all of your own violation with no title even needed and that in itself was so fucking sexy he just couldn’t give you up.
He’d planned for tonight to be like any other night that he graced the club with his presence, but the minute you found yourself in his arms he felt off kilter. Maybe it was the way the strobe lights bounced off your skin, making you glow. Maybe it was because he’d stopped fucking other women not too long ago; he figured after he’d moaned your name the last time he was up to the hilt inside of another woman’s cunt that perhaps it was no longer a good idea and that just maybe he should focus on his relationship with you.
Relationship…
Was that what he wanted with you? Since Akane, Kokonoi had never found the time to explore his feelings with other women and he certainly didn’t hold the same feelings for you the way he did for her. Hajime Kokonoi wanted to own you inside and out. He wanted his name to be the only one that fell out of that pretty little mouth of yours. He wanted you to stay by his side like his prettiest possession, his most valuable prize for being a money-making mastermind for over a decade.
It was nights like these that confirmed it; there was no way he’d trade places with any other man. Not when you were grinding against him so fucking good, his hand gently caressing your thinly covered pussy, his grin was absolutely diabolical as he watched you please yourself by grinding against him just that much harder. Playing into his devilish mood, he let his fingers slip past your panties and explore your delicious pussy. It felt so good to the touch.You didn’t stop your grinding motions despite your heavier breathing, but you didn’t expect for him to curl his finger the slightest bit, entering your pussy as if he had exclusive rights to the mound between your legs. You wasted no time riding his fingers, your hands idly caressing your body until you were teasing your own nipples.
“Fuck,” Koko breathed out as he removed his soaking fingers and retuned to siding them through your folds. A slight flick of his middle finger when he was right under your clit was enough to make your legs give out and you straddled him; your arms wrapped around his neck while frotted against his encased erection, whimpering as you placed feather like kisses along his collarbone and up his neck until you reached his ear. “Why won’t you make me yours already?” Your usual willowy tone had been reduced to nothing but a pitiful whine.
He couldn’t help his breathless chuckle and ignored your fists the beat against his chest indignantly in turn for reaching into his pocket and using his free hand to set a bit of space between you, opting to keep you on his lap – even going as far to buck your hips and grin slyly as the way you gasped in pleasure before glaring his way. That glare quickly dissipated, though, when Koko revealed just what he had to present to her.
It was a necklace, but this one was a bit different from the one you’d bought for yourself. It was still long enough to teasingly sit on top of your breasts, but the chain itself was thicker, with diamonds encrusting it. Hajime Kokonoi was written on this necklace, and it was completely covered in different colored yet smartly placed diamonds. “I don’t care if you work here,” Koko began, confident in you and your loyalty. “But you can’t take this off if you do.” His grin was teasing as he held up the necklace. You tried to reach for it, but he teasingly pulled it back before assessing you for a minute. “This is heavy,” he wasn’t referring to the necklace. “Do you think you can handle it?”
Your smile was the only thing he needed for confirmation. He slipped the necklace around your neck and kissed you deeply. “You’re stuck now, Doll. Now go get fuckin’ changed so I can take you home..” The quick smack on your ass cheek was all the encouragement you needed to comply with your new man’s wishes.
The first time had been heart wrenching. Even while getting out of the car her legs had shaken so badly she had feared for that short second that she would kneel over. What an impression that would have been, huh? Especially in front of a five star hotel that only the Elite of Society was able to afford.
It had indeed been a long cry from her run down apartment with it's screeching wood floors and the rattling walls from the incoming trains near the main station.
She remembered checking the picture on her phone multiple times and rereading all the information she had, before she had actually gotten out of the car, the driver shooting her another cautioning glance, as if to say 'don't fuck this up or it'll be your head on the platter'.
The man she had been waiting for, had stood in front of the entrance his phone in his hand, rapidly typing something. She had taken a deep breath, when she had realized that at least the picture had been true. Sure, the agency checked their clients before accepting them, but an agency already being deeply in the illegal network had never seemed extremely trustworthy to her.
The anxiety doubled down, when the stranger and her went into the restaurant with her on his arm.
It was alright. She only had to get through the night. She only had to survive this dinner, looking pleasant like a dumb doll, and would then just have to accompany the man to his hotel. Nothing more nothing less. Just dinner and Sex. And after that she would have a big wad of cash that she could have never brought in while bartending.
Everything would work out fine.
Sex had seldom been a pleasurable occasion for her, even before then. She was used to just lying down and taking what they gave or giving what they wanted.
That night she understood that there was a different kind of humiliation of taking the tip of the table while the client explained to her that he would definitely reschedule her while wiring her agency the money which would then immediately go back to hers, obviously minus the interest.
That morning, after sending her babysitter home, she had slid down the shower wall and cried under the shower head. She had still been able to feel his hands everywhere. There had been marks all over her body. Bites, the occasional handprint from the slaps he had dished out, and her hair still hurt from the way he had pulled on it.
That morning she had prayed to never have to meet this man again.
But alas, it was another bill paid. It was another wad of cash that went into the savings for her little light. Maybe she wouldn't have the life she had always dreamed of having but she would make damn sure that her son would get whatever the hell he wanted. She would make damn sure that her little light at least would have everything he needed.
And maybe some day, when Kiro was grown up enough to understand, and when she had enough saved up to move them to a better place and when she had gotten her online degree, she could become a mother Kiro could be proud of.
Yes. Maybe some day.
What a great dream that had been.
Now, a good five years later, there wasn't even an inch of anxiety left over as she sat at the fine table waiting for one of her regulars.
He had been an intimidating man, when she had first met him. Through the vetting she had done beforehand she had known exactly who he was, what he was and most importantly, who he worked for. It had taken some time until she had been able to engage in completely normal conversation with him, since she had also been quite new to the business at that point and he could be intimidating enough on his own as well.
However after being his escort for a good of four years, she could pride herself in knowing the man quite well. He really was nothing more than another rich Dude with too many connections and own emotional problems to honestly consider Dating.
That was always the best client to have.
“Good Evening, Koko!” Smiling brightly the young woman got up, as the man made his way over to her table. His usual red jacket thing, she never knew what to call it exactly, hung loose over his arms reminding her that he probably hadn't eaten right again.
But that wasn't something she was to worry about.
It was none of her business
“Evenin'.”
His voice sounded a bit gruffer than usual as well as he leaned down to press a light kiss on her cheek in greeting. It was one of those nights then.
The bracelets on his wrists jingled as he pulled away her chair for her to sit in, before taking a seat as well.
She remembered the first time he had done that for her. Up to this point her clients had been relatively well behaved, but Koko had been and still was her best paying client. Surprisingly enough he was also the one who was the most cordial, if she could call it that. When he had pushed away the chair for her the first time she had been so flabbergasted that she had outright told him to not do it again.
The simple raise of his brow had made her apologize for the apparently perceived disrespect immediately and she honestly didn't know why he had decided to meet with her again.
“How was your week, Koko?” She always started with some light conversation before Koko would tell her what exactly he expected from her when it was one of those days.
He only grunted, as the waiter left their table.
“If we ignore the idiots at work that I have to deal with on a daily fucking basis, it was okay-ish.”
Someone was prickly.
As he took a sip from his red wine she felt him scrutinising her in a way that he hadn't since their first meeting. It was the moment she knew she wouldn't like what he would say next. Maybe he finally got tired of her?
He sighed shaking his head and taking a sip from his water, “anyways. How was your week? I hope you bought yourself something for once? Honestly. I don't think I have seen one dress on you that I never saw before. What do you do with all my money?”
If she were any other person his direct call out might have stung the way it was supposed to. Now though, she only made a note to put special attention on the left side of his spine when she gave him a massage later. Koko was rather difficult to handle when that man hadn't eaten, hadn't had a somehow uneventful work day and a tense back to top it off.
“Well, I'd say what I do with my money, Koko,” she simply teased, a flirtatious lilt in her voice as she took his free hand and starting a light massage of his muscles, “isn't any of your concern, as long as I look perfectly the part I need to look. Wouldn't you say?”
“I have a proposition for you.” He started again, after looking her up and down, his tone serious, still not pulling his hand away. It was always a good sign. “First of all, I would double the rate I'm paying usually for the evening in question.” He stopped, letting the information sink in.
Double the rate? That was... that was a lot of money. That was honestly too much. He was talking about 15k for Gods sake. With that money the dream of being able to send Kiro away for college seemed all the closer. He would be able to get the best education there was with everything she had already saved for him. Hell, maybe, just maybe he would even be able to study outside the country when the time came.
What was the catch?
So deep in her thoughts, she hadn't realized she had stopped the massage, until Koko lightly tapped her hand, which made her start up again, though a bit more hesitantly. Koko only started up speaking again, after the fact.
“Second, I wouldn't leave you the whole evening. You'd be by my side the whole time.”
Oh she really wouldn't like that, would she?
“I'll also take it upon myself to send you the correct wardrobe for the evening. The only task you would have is look pretty on my arm as usual and maybe have some pleasant conversation.”
“What is the evening about?” She asked him after a while of silence as he didn't seem like he wanted to elaborate and for a short second she thought she saw something like guilt flash through his eyes.
“It's a simple business dinner with the executives of my organisation. Not more not less.”
What?!
That was it?
15k just for that?
She had to be missing something there. Right?
Wait. His organisation? Wouldn't that mean Bonten? As in the most dangerous Gang in Japan right now? That Bonten?
The amount suddenly started to make sense.
“For what do you need a date for that?” There was a slight accusatory tone in her voice and she withdrew her hand. Sometimes she just couldn't keep her thoughts inside her head.
Koko chuckled, “can't I simply enjoy your presence?”
She bit her lip. That was a sweet deal. But was it worth the potential danger? What if this meeting ended up being the one finally creating the bullet with her name on it? She couldn't let her Son grow up without a mother!
“Can I think about it?” She asked him after a short while.
Koko nodded slowly. “I can give you three days. Then I need to know. The dinner would be in a week. Saturday night at 10.”
If she really did decide to go she would have to find another babysitter. The teenager who usually looked after Kiro, a sweet eighteen year old girl who was preparing for entrance exams had already told her that she wouldn't be able to work next Saturday.
After that conversation was over, some stress seemed to fall of from Koko's shoulders and the answers he gave her throughout the rest of dinner were nothing short of polite and charm.
“Ready to go?” He asked her, as the waiter cleaned up the plates.
It was time for that part of the night, she still dreaded. In all the five years of doing the escort service it just didn't seem to get any easier. Sure it helped that Koko was a regular and surprisingly more gentle than most of her clients, but she just didn't seem to be able to get over the feeling of powerlessness it gave her.
Koko's hand on her back created a steady pulse as he led her outside after paying.
The ride to the hotel was quiet. His hand had wandered from the small of her back to the inside of her thighs in the same way it always did only leaving its place when he needed to switch gears. Funnily enough it were always these car rides that the young woman realized that out of all the clients she had, Koko was probably the most touch starved. He always needed some kind of bodily contact if the surrounding allowed for it.
The hotel the two stayed at was always a different one, always high end, and always in a part of a city she could have never dreamed of stepping in without him. Out of curiosity she once visited Ginza, a part of Tokyo, Koko liked to stay at on her own when she had made the time and just looking at the hellishly expensive shop windows made her feel filthy. And that was after starting to make good money with the whole escorting spiel.
The hotel Koko had chosen this time was another glamorous one. The name did scratch an itch, but she couldn't really explain why.
After Koko had parked and opened the door for her, he gave the keys to a valet who seemingly didn't need a reminder to be extremely careful with his car.
The inside of the hotel was as luxurious as the outside and it honestly didn't do anything to cause her wonder anymore. It was just another picture of what she would never be able to afford, because her first and last concern would always be the well being of her son. That's where her money went and that's where she was happy seeing her money going. If having sex with rich men, could buy her son the best education and a flat in a good part of the city then that was all that was needed.
And who knew. If she really did take this job Koko had proposed, maybe she could finally at least take a step back and restart her own education.
Maybe it really did end up being worth it.
The ring of the elevator, signalling that they had reached the suite pushed her out of her musings violently.
It would be fine. Just the same old, with someone she at least partly trusted. Hell anyone would be worse than Koko. After all maybe she could even consider him a nice acquaintance at this point.
He was careful with her in a way no other of her clients were. There really wasn't a need for her anxiety to spark again.
“How about you finally get rid of this awful jacket so I can get out that painful knot near your spine again.” She whispered in his ear, while letting her fingers glide slowly up and down his back, the cloth of his jacket feeling as expensive as always.
“I always wonder how you know,” Koko answered while turning around, “I think it's your job to take it off though.”
Obviously. Not a penny from his hand without doing the actual work, she thought, suppressing the chuckle that wanted to slip out at that. Instead she started busying her hands on the buttons, kissing down the every speck of newly bared skin while starting to walk him towards the bed.
Maybe she'd be able to finish everything quickly? That way she might be able to get more than four hours of sleep, before preparing breakfast for both her son and the babysitter? The poor girl was probably kept up by the little ruffian for quite some time and it was a Sunday. She deserved to sleep in form time to time.
Was she a bad mother? Sure, the babysitter came only once a week, at most twice but her son had a no good prostitute-
Stop, that was not the time and place.
Koko paid her well enough to deserve at least every ounce of attention she was willing to give. She owed him at least that.
Once his legs hit the end of the bed she finally stripped the jacket off.
“Am I allowed to put my attention on your back now, Sir?”
Koko chuckled, sitting down on the bed, “you know, I might have, if you weren't such a damn tease. Right now, I think there's something else that needs attention. If you really want to massage me, you're going to have to earn it.”
It really was one of those days. He would fight her tooth and nail on every act that wasn't overtly sexual, wouldn't he?
Throwing him a demure smile, she got to work, carefully opening up his velvet pants all the while kissing down his stomach and v-line, slowly ridding him of his trousers and boxer shorts and stroking him a few times, before finally taking him in her mouth, all the while maintaining eye contact with him.
Two hours later, she was completely exhausted lying next to him on the bed. God she was so tired.
Koko's fingers were painting feathery pictures on her skin.
“You know, usually I have to wrestle you back into bed for just a few more seconds of lying around. You sure you alright?”
Sighing she hid her face underneath her arm.
“Oh you know,” she did her best to shoot him a half grin, “just age catching up with me.”
Koko sighed at that. Right. She had forgotten. Age was a bit of a prickly subject with the man.
“You know it's only these tiny moments that you really do look your age. If I were a better man, I would kick you out with some more money and tell you to make something out of yourself.”
But your not,” she whispered, “it's exactly because you are the man that you are, that this arrangement works so well.”
It was that moment. That second, where his hands stopped painting circles on her shoulders and instead went to the back of her scalp, carefully massaging it, that she knew the next conversation would be the dreaded one. It had started around two years ago. After he had helped her get out from her old agency, while allowing her to keep some of her normal regulars, that the conversation first came up.
“You know, I'd be able to care for you without a problem. You would just need to let me. Become my sugar baby. You wouldn't need to do this escorting shit any longer, just to be able to pay your fucking rent, because you know as well as I do, that none of them pay you like I can and do.”
She sighed, forcing herself to sit up, “Koko,” god she was so tired, “we've been over this. My answer will stay the same as it has the times before. It's a no. I appreciate the offer, but I can't.”
The man rolled his eyes shoving his hand through his white hair. “Why not? I don't think I've ever asked.”
The fact that a man like him still asked, was something that deeply surprised her every time.
“Koko, I just can't.”
Maybe she had pushed her luck with him a tad bit too much, because the look he gave her was every bit the one of a hardened criminal.
“That's not good enough. I'd say I've been rather patient with you. I want a fucking reason this time around. And it better be a good one.”
The threat of or else hanging up in the air made her wonder if she should push her luck a bit further. She had never liked to be told what to do. One look at his eyes, completely devoid of all the usual mischief, made her rethink.
“Because you're possessive, Hajime.” She nearly would have told him that sometimes she worried that this whole deal wasn't completely transactional for him, “I can't be dependent on a single man in my life ever again. The moment you drop me, because I have outlived my purpose, I will be alone. Without a network to support me, to fall back on. And since we can't put a date on when you will abandon me, and that you will, I need to use every opportunity I can to make sure I have enough money to live comfortably. So no, Koko. I can't.”
With that she finally got up off the bed. Maybe he finally understood it now.
He was silent, as she went along getting dressed, knowing that tomorrow the money would have been transferred to her bank account. Because that was all it was. Money.
His next words had been drowned out by the elevator doors closing. If she would have heard them, maybe she would have considered trying to cut off all ties with him.
And if just for the purpose of her own sanity.
As she closed the door to her apartment, Silence greeted her. Taking a second to take a breath she just stood behind the closed door for a second before ridding herself of the coat, hanging it up on the hanger and making her way over to the kitchen. Downing a glass of water she finally dared to throw a glance at the clock hanging on the wall. Half past four. Too late again. Maybe if she went to bed now, she would be able to sleep at least for two hours before getting back up again, to make breakfast for her son and babysitter. Kiro sadly still was somewhat of an early riser. But then again, she should probably count herself lucky. There were kids that got up at six instead of seven.
Settling into bed, she tried to forget about the evening. Most of all Koko's preposition.
It sounded all the more enticing the more he asked her. For the sake of her two hours of sleep, she still decided to make it a problem for future her.
She had just finished cooking the pancakes as her little whirlwind stumbled inside the kitchen.
“Mommy! You're home! Look at what me and Hanna-san drew yesterday. She put it on the fridge. Look. It's a gigantic bra- brachiosaurus. I called him Totoro, because Hanna-san told me he would protect me!”
Smiling the woman had turned around, first to Kiro to raise him up, “it's Hanna -san and me, Kiro. Remember. First you call the other person,” and snuggle him against her. Then she finally turned to the fridge.
Yeah, painting was absolutely not his strong suit, she thought as she looked at the picture. Without his explanation she honestly would have been unable to say what it was.
“Totoro is beautiful, dear. Just as precious as you. Did you sleep well?”
After breakfast and sending home a still sleepy but thankfully happy Hanna, Kiro helped her cutting up some fruit to take with them to the park. She had never thought that she would love listening to all kinds of information about Dinosaurs as she did, as her son talked her ear off.
An hour into playing hide and seek at the park, Kiro finally decided to go play by himself on the playground situated inside the park, allowing the young woman to finally sit down and take a sip of her energy drink infused coffee. Days like this made her remember why she did everything she did. She really should call Koko tonight and tell him that she would accept the dinner with his organisation. If it meant seeing more smiles on this tiny face she would fight the world for her little light.
“My, I didn't expect to see someone this pretty today. May I sit with you?”
Surprised the woman turned her head around, taking her eyes off her son and at least staring at an overwhelmingly tall man dressed in a pair of black slacks and a white shirt. His lilac hair falling into his sharp face she did have to agree that he was rather pretty.
“Sure,” she slowly said. There was something about this man. She had seen him somewhere before, “be my guest.” With that she turned back around, taking another sip of her coffee, while watching over Kiro again.
“Autsch, that hurt my ego just the tiniest bit, sweets. I've never been shot down this quickly before.” The man beside her started up again, a teasing hurt in his voice and she turned back around to him.
“Sorry,” she started clarifying, “I'm not-”
The man interrupted her, “interested? Yeah I figured. Damn. Your man must be happy.”
“I don't-”
“You don't have a man?! Now I feel even worse.”
Fucking! Could he stop interrupting her? He was thinking so fast her sleep addled mind had trouble keeping up.
“Sorry. Do we know each other?” She asked again, her tone taking on a sharper tone, finally looking him up and down. Her eyes instantly fell onto the tattoo on his neck. The same one Koko wore.
He was another executive. Had Koko? No. For what would he send another executive to her. And if he did want to observe her or whatever, he would find someone more inconsipcous than this man
He grinned. “Ah,finally. The question I was hoping for. We don't yet, dear. I'm Ran. Pleasure to meet you.”
Telling him her name, she turned his name over in her head a few times.
Ran. Was he the one Koko complained about constantly? No, that place took a man named Sanzu if she remembered correctly,
“Can I help you somehow?” The woman asked, her voice still as sharp. She had not went out today to hold conversations with another gangster. The goal today was spending time with her son.
“Just wondering what a beautiful woman such as yourself is doing here all by herself.”
Before she could answer, her son came running over. “Mommy! Look! I found a worm.” Grinning brightly he held the poor animal right into her face as he came to a halt in front of her.
Shaking her head lightly, she kneeled down in front of him, in order to become eye level with him. “Kiro,” a strict tone in her voice, “what have I told you about picking up random animals?”
The little ruffian had the nerve to look the slightest bit sheepish, as he put the worm back into the ground, “to always be careful with animals and con- consider that the smaller the more, uh, fra- fragile they are?”
“Exactly. That's my sweet boy. Now what do you not do when you find a worm?”
He bit his lip the slightest bit, leaning his head to the side while thinking, “that I shouldn't run with it? And instead be extra gentle?”
Stroking his hair, she grinned at him, holding her hand out for a high five. “Exactly.”
As Kiro looked up at his mother, he suddenly started to realize that his mother wasn't actually alone. Shying away, he quickly hid behind her, clutching her legs, as she stood up again and peeked around her to look at him.
“Aww, now who is that little man?” Ran asked, cooing at the child.”
Taking on a protective stance, not trusting the man in front of her, she took a little side step to be completely in front of Kiro.
“That's my son. Why don't you run a long dear. The swing is free now. I'll come over in a second.”
With that Kiro nodded at her, threw a last glance at Ran and took off towards the swings.
“He's very precious. No need to be so protective though. I wouldn't hurt a child. Nor you. At least as long as it isn't consensual?”
Rolling her eyes she put her hands on her hips. “Ran-san. I am not interested. My plate is full enough, I do not need another man in my life. Now, please move along!”
Ran sighed as if the load of a thousand worlds had just been dropped on his shoulders.
“Alright. I get it. It's been a pleasure to meet you though. I'm sure you're a great mother by the way. I would have killed to have one as attentive as you. You two have a nice day.”
That did have the effect of making her blush. It wasn't all that often, someone complemented her on her education skills. Heck, most other mothers she had the misfortune of talking to just turned up the nose after finding out she was a 24 year old single mother with a five year old child.
“Thank you. I really appreciate it. Have a nice day as well.”
When they left the park in the afternoon she had nearly forgotten about Ran again. Instead she got to making dinner, while helping Kiro set the table.
Looking at him now, she knew that her decision had been made the moment Koko asked her. She would take him up on the offer.
Taking the burner, he had supplied her with she simply dialled the speed dial. It only rang about two times before he accepted the call.
“ What is it? I'm quite busy!”
Was he still annoyed with her? She had expected him to sulk a bit after their last conversation but she hadn't thought that he would still be angry. After all the last few times he hadn't been either. So why now?”
“Don't worry I'll make it short. I just wanted to tell you that I accept your request for the dinner meet. That is if you really do not leave me alone there.”
There was a short silence on the other end and then a light chuckle. “Awesome. That's great to hear. I'll tell the boss then. I'll pick you up at your place. Just write me the address.”
Hurrying before he could end the call, the declined, “No, Koko. Just tell me where I should come and I'll be there when you want me to.”
Koko sighed, “I'll still need your address. I will send you a dress. Can't let you come with the same thing you always wear for me.”
Gnawing at her lips she mulled it over. Somehow she had always known that the sense of privacy she had tried to put between her and Kokonoi would be teared down by the man in time. First it had been the higher pricing he had ensured to give her, then it was the agency he thankfully rid her off, then came his insistence on being the sole provider and now it was her address. She was getting more and more tired by the day. Everything would be so easy if she would just let him.
“Sure,” she answered hesitantly, “I'll send it to you. Anyways dinner's nearly done, I better get back to cooking. Have a nice evening, Koko.”
That Saturday she got ready in the bathroom being extra meticulous with her Make up and hair. Deciding to put it up into a well thought out more traditional style. It reminded her a bit of the style her own mother had always forced her into when they had went to important functions. The hair ornament she put in after much contemplation the only thing left that still reminded her of her previous heritage.
Just as she had put on the red dress, embellished with gold accents, surely to match Koko's dress robe, her bell rang.
She didn't have the kinds of friends that would just drop by on a whim. Especially not on a Saturday when they knew she would be working. So then who else?
Surely he wouldn't, right? She had explicitly told him to not pick her up?
Even before she could completely settle down and think it over once more, she could hear the door opening.
Kiro!
“What the?” She heard an erringly familiar voice as she quickly made her way through the hallway.
“Sorry Kid, I must have the wrong number.”
“What are you doing here, Koko?!” She asked the man sharply as she came to a halt in front of the door, pulling Kiro behind her once more, turning around to him.
“Can you go to your room and think about what you wanna take with you to Granny tonight? Maybe Chihiro?” Kiro had recently started to get crazy for Ghibli movies and had promptly named all his most precious cuddly toys after characters he liked.
Kiro nodded slightly insecure, throwing a few glances between his mother and the strange man, before running to his room.
“What are you doing here, Koko? I told you I'd come on my own?!” She asked him again, while pulling him inside the apartment and leading him inside her kitchen in order to not let anyone see him standing on her door step. What if her landlady saw him and thought she was in heavy debt and decided to finally use that reason to evict them.
“I still need to tell you about a few things tonight, so I thought it better to pick you up,” the man defended, leaning on the kitchen counter while throwing a confused glance to where the boy had ran to, “i didn't know you had a little brother.” He finally decided to breach the subject
Turning her back to him, she reached up to get two glasses out of her cupboards and filled them with water. One she put down next to Koko, the other stayed in her hand the cold grounding her just the slightest bit.
“Because he isn't. He's my son. Kiro.” She finally told him after deciding that there wasn't anyway she wouldn't be having that conversation with him.
Koko's eyes nearly immediately fell down to her right hand. Surely searching for a ring on her finger.
“Does your, sorry I don't see a ring, does your boyfriend know that you do what you do?” He actually had the nerve to sound angry. As if it was any of his business.
“As a matter of fact,” she told him, voice pitched higher, already wanting him to just leave her sanctuary and just leave her the fuck alone, “he doesn't. And even if he did he wouldn't care, because he is not in the picture any more. Now. If you're done judging me for my poor choices in life, maybe you can tell me what was so important for me to know that you decided to blatantly disregard my privacy and come here, even though I told you not to.”
Looking just the slightest bit sheepish he took a sip of his drink taking a look around his kitchen.
“Ya know, when I came here I was honestly a bit worried. This shithole might be in a better part of town but with the money I give you, you should have been able to afford better than this run down flat,” she wanted to interrupt him at that. Who did he think he was to come into her home and disrespect everything she worked for? One sharp look at her made her close her mouth acting as if she had just needed to take a bit breath, “I honestly thought you had some kind of addiction or maybe you were in trouble with a few shark loans but surely you would be intelligent enough to tell me and let me solve the problem for you,“ he went on, taking a few steps towards her, “It didn't even cross my mind that you might have a child that you're spending on and saving for. If you would have just told me, I could have helped you with that, ya know?”
Crossing her arms in front of her chest she glared around him. She hated when he looked at her like that. Like he was able to give her the world and more with no remorse for the repercussions and hurt he would cause other people and maybe even her.
She hated it so much.
The last time someone had looked at her in this way she had ended up a single Mother.
“Anyways, “she tried to deflect, “what did you want to talk about? Wasn't my only responsibility tonight to look pretty on your arm?”
Koko rolled his eyes pulling her shortly against him, “Sorry. I did mean to tell you that you look simply ravishing.” He gave her a little kiss on her head, while she tried wrestling free from his embrace. What was going on with him today? His moods changed so fast and it very nearly gave her whiplash.
“Your deflecting again. What did you want to talk about?” She asked into his chest after accepting that she wouldn't get out of that Constrictor grip he had on her.
Koko finally let go of her, and with his expensive cologne not blocking of the nerve ends to her brain she finally felt like she could think freely again.
“I wanted to-,” he stopped himself before starting a new sentence. It was the first time she had seen him do that, “Actually, no matter anymore. We've wasted enough time. Lets get, Kiro was it, to his Granny?”
Seizing him up and down she tried finding out what he was concocting in his head before nodding slowly. She was getting paid for this. So simple politeness it was.
“Wait here.” she told him, while going to get her son.
As she helped Kiro pack the last of his stuff for the night, she could hear Koko rummaging through her flat. It made a pit open in her stomach. There was a reason, why she had never accepted his requests for driving her home. She didn't want a customer to invade her privacy even more than she already let them. She didn't want to give them more of a fantasy than she already gave. She didn't want Koko to think of anything more than the employer, employee relationship they had.
A relationship that was slowly sizzling out and warping into something that she wouldn't have any control over.
“Who is this man, Mommy? Are you in love with him? Is he going to be my Dad?”
Kiro's words made her halt and old insecurities came back to light so suddenly she nearly fell over. His father wasn't in the picture any more. After getting her pregnant and being put in front of the choice of his families inheritance and his son, he had chosen. Kiro had never even seen a picture and since he had started elementary school, questions had come in. Questions she didn't know how to answer.
“No, Baby.” She told him carefully, sitting down and pulling him onto her lap. Koko could wait. Her son would always be her top priority. “That man in the kitchen is Hajime Kokonoi. He's a friend of mine.”
Kiro nodded slowly, before asking: “Then if he's a friend, why are you mad at him?”
She laughed a little bit at the question, stroking his hair. “You know, how you are angry with me sometimes, because I did something you didn't want me to do? Or how sometimes I get mad with you? With Koko it's the same thing. I can be angry with him and something he did and still be his friend. Okay?”
“Name?!” She could hear Koko call from the kitchen.
With a last cuddle she pulled Kiro into her arms and got up with his backpack in the other hand.
“Now then, lets get you over to old Granny, before Hajime tries kidnapping me, shall we?”
After having thanked the older woman and saying goodnight to her little ray of hope she finally followed Koko outside to his car where he was already waiting for her. The pleasant smile that had been settling in her face almost instantly replaced with a cold anger.
“You know,” she told him, after getting into his car and fastening the seat belt, “I do not appreciate my privacy being invaded in such a manner. Don't do it again.”
Koko rolled his eyes as he pulled out into the street. “Well, I don't like having to wait, yet here we are. Seems we'll just have to live with it.”
Grumbling she settled back into the seat not even throwing a glance down at her thighs as his hands settled back on them. Instead she just grabbed it and tried pushing it off her.
“You've got to be kidding me,” Koko grumbled, his hand not leaving her leg, “you never had a problem with it. What's up with you today? You do understand that I'm paying you, right ? And especially tonight, with my co-workers not knowing that you are a fucking escort you'll need to play a doting girlfriend. So settle a smile on your face and just be okay with my touch. Know your place.”
It nearly made her cry. Koko had never made her cry before. But how often had she pondered over exactly that. Doing the work she did may bring in good money, but it made her feel worthless. Oh how far had she fallen. The exiled daughter of a multi million enterprise.
Just as his hand left her, she made the decision.
Tonight she would play along. As perfectly as her mother did at those functions. She would be the proper eye candy she was supposed to be, doting on the man next to her in the way everyone expected her to. And after tonight, she would tell him that she was done. After tonight, she would cut all ties with him.
It would hurt as hell. He had become a friend after all. But the way he had started to behave just couldn't go on. He had started making her promises that tasted of the golden cage she knew all to well. One that she, unlike her mother, would never end up in.
So, as his hand settled on her thigh once more, she let it rest there.
It would hurt for some time, but it was better this way. There had been building something between them, she long since didn't know how to categorise.
Yes it was better this way.
“You know Koko,” she whispered, just loud enough so that she knew he could still hear her, without letting the tremor sound through her voice, “you've been a dear friend to me. I'm honestly thankful for all the help you've given me.” Instead of answering he simply gave her thigh a little squeeze.
As they pulled into the parking lot, she fixed a happy smile onto her face, checking her appearance in her hand mirror. It needed to reach her eyes.
Think of Kiro. She thought. The smile needed to be softer.
Think of his first steps. Think of last Christmas.
It worked.
As Koko opened the door on her side and pulled his hand out to help her out, she knew she wore the softest smile she had ever worn.
She could see with just a bit of satisfaction how the sudden change threw even him for a loop for a short second.
When Koko lead her into the well lid VIP lounge the first man to catch her interest was the man sitting at the head of the table. He was obviously the leader.
Mikey.
With his black clothes and sunken in appearance he made a stark difference to the other smart dressed men. But even then, he just exuded something she couldn't quite place her finger on. What she did know though, was that it made her tremble.
He had to have a mother out there, right? One that would surely cry if she were to see her son in such a state. She knew she would if Kiro would ever have such an empty look in his eyes.
Next to him must have been the second in command. He had a crazy look in his eyes and the way he seized her up, nearly made her run and hide behind the treasurer. Yes, that was Sanzu for sure. He looked just crazy enough to drive Koko into a fucking frenzy every time they interacted.
Before she could move on to the Guy Koko had once explained to be Kakucho, a movement in the corner of her eye caught her interest.
“Ran-san?!” She couldn't stop herself from calling out upon seeing his lanky figure in the chair. That's right, of course he'd be here tonight. How stupid of her to not remember. He might cause her a few problems in this charade then.
“You know him?” Koko asked her the tiniest bit flabbergasted a question lying on the tip of his tongue. Maybe she wouldn't have found it to sound as offensive if she wasn't still angry with him.
Shaking her head free, she quickly turned to Koko explaining: “We ran into each other at the Park.” her voice was just a tad bit sharper. Just because she was an escort didn't mean she slept with every man she knew.
With that she turned back around and into a deep bow. “I'm so happy to be able to finally meet you all. I've heard so much from my boyfriend. I'm (Last Name), (Name). Feel free to address me in a familiar manner though please. It's a pleasure.”
One after the other introduced themselves after that and for a short moment, she wondered why Koko had wanted her to be there today. Before she could get suspicious though, Ran had made space for her and 'her boyfriend'.
“What a surprise,” he started, a challenging shimmer in his eyes, “I didn't think I would see the spitfire again. Though if I remember correctly, didn't you say you didn't have a man? And now you're here with my dear friend Koko. Makes me worry for him just the tiniest bit. “
She had been right on the nose with this one. He was a difficult one.
A soft grin settled on her lips, as she put one of her hands on Koko's thighs. “I'm sorry Ran- san, but if my memory serves and it usually does, because it is quite good, you never let me finish my sentence. You just assumed. Maybe I just wanted to tell you a second time that I'm not interested, because of the wonderful boyfriend I already have.”
And that was how the evening went. On more than one occasion she had the feeling of being interrogated for something. Challenged in regards to something. The only question was what. What had been Koko's end game as he brought her there, to a dinner that had nothing to do with work.
“When did you two meet each other? And since when are you,” he stopped as if he had to think about a fitting word, “ together?” Rindou asked, a lilt in his voice she couldn't quite place once more.
“We met three years ago. At work actually. My employer introduced us and we just kinda hit it off. What can I say. Hajime is just a perfect gentleman.”
She didn't let her growing frustration show. Instead she listened to the stories they told, feeding Koko with food from time to time, massaging his hands and playing every part the of brainless Bimbo she knew Men like this preferred most of the time, while only taking kitten sips from the glass of red wine situated in front of her.
Another trick her mother had taught her by letting her watch how she handled business dinners with her husband.
Only ever drink so much that you aren't seen as impolite or prude but never too much so that your glass hopefully doesn't get a refill. This way you stay as the one vigilant person in the room, as the other members drink.
Knowledge is power.
“Tell me, (Name) what do you do for work?” Kakucho asked after that. Out of the corner of her eye she saw some of the men straighten just the tiniest bit. Did they really not know? Tonight there had been just a few too many innuendos.
Prepared for the answer she finished chewing before answering him, with a teasingly annoyed glance at Kokonoi: “well, this one would love me to not work at all, I can assure you. But if you need to know, I'm just an assistant. Nothing all that fancy you see. I just remember dates and organise them.”
As the evening dragged on she started becoming tired. After all it wasn't like being a mother was an absolute cakewalk.
At some point after having been asked a question twice, Koko squeezed her arm in an overly affectionate manner, before pulling her a bit into him and addressing the rest of the men in the room. “I think my Darling is starting to get tired, so we better get going. Come on, careful. I'll help you up.”
Still a bit drowsy she slowly got up and bowed towards all of them again.
“Don't you think we should invite them over for a dinner party at our place, Dear?” The question had been out before she had had time to think about it. It was simply another mannerism her mother had installed in her. “When you go out with important colleagues of your husband, you invite them over for dinner.”
And maybe Koko looked a bit too satisfied after the initial surprise. And maybe if she had been just a tad bit more awake, she would have noticed the light nod Mikey had given towards Koko's direction, then maybe she would have seen the nightmare that was brewing on the horizon coming just fast enough that it would have allowed her to grab Kiro and run.
Back inside the car both adults took a deep breath. “That was beautiful. Damn. I knew you were skilled. But this skilled? Shit. I owe you a fucking raise.”
Her eyes still closed,the younger woman only mumbled: “Take care Koko. You're nearly overthrowing me with money while I still distinctly remember Takeomi asking for a pay rise just as few hours ago.”
Koko laughed, as he fished for the certainly expensive blanket he had in his car and gave it over to her.
“Let's get you home first. We'll need to talk again tomorrow, but I really want you to know that I'm absolutely proud of you. You were absolutely beautiful today. That's my girl.”
Silence settled into the car as she slowly fell in and out of sleep. When Koko reached her place he quietly got out of the car, jogged around to the side the younger woman was still sleeping in and carefully first searched for the keys in her handbag, before lifting her out of the car with ease.
It wouldn't take much longer anymore, the treasurer told himself. He only needed to be patient for maybe another two weeks at most. The trap would close around her the moment the deal with the Chinese would go through. And without knowing it herself she had helped him significantly tonight. She would be able to play the perfect part during that dinner, maybe even sweeten up the deal just the tiniest bit. And the moment the dinner would find its end, he would give her something to drink that would just make her fall asleep before taking her home with him.
She'd finally be safe,
The only problem, the only unknown in this equation was Kiro. But he would find a way to make it work. And if it meant buying another house somewhere further away where they could all live together under his protection and control then that would be it. If he thought about it further, maybe that son of hers might even become a blessing.
Only time would tell.
When he reached the bedroom, he carefully put her on the bed.
“Come on now. You gotta wake up for at least five minutes.” He whispered, while also helping her out of her black pumps.
The fabric made him wrinkle his nose. Yes. It would be far better when she finally lived with him. She would never have to wear something so cheap ever again. God it was disgusting.
“Honestly, if I were a better man, maybe I'd understand why you save everything for your kid. But get yourself some damn shoes, woman.” He quietly sneered, as she slowly rowsed from her sleep.
“You still here, Koko?” her voice was a little rough and the man suddenly realised that it actually was the first time he saw her after waking up.
The man laughed lightly as he helped her sit up. “I do need to talk to you tomorrow morning, so I just figured I could stay over for the night. Maybe even help you a bit with Kiro?”
She must have been half asleep still, because she only nodded at him, around five seconds after and then proceeded to slowly get up and walk towards what he assumed to be that bathroom. He heard her rummaging around for a bit and then there was an abrupt silence that lasted a few minutes.
“You alright?” He asked as he walked to the bathroom door to knock.
Another few seconds and the door opened slowly. She was blushing slightly and fumbling with her hands.
“Could you- could you help me with the zipper?”
Kokonoi smiled, turning her around with careful fingers.
As he opened the zipper his hand wandered down with it tenderly caressing the slowly appearing skin. It really didn't matter how often her saw her naked. She was a picture for the gods every time.
Placing a singular kiss upon her neck he abruptly build distance between the two and left the bathroom, closing the door in the process.
He only needed to be patient for a few more days. Then she would be his and there was nothing she could do about it except accept it.
When she woke up the next morning the woman felt surprisingly warm. Her blanket felt softer than usual and the smell was somewhat familiar.
“You woke up earlier than expected.” A grumble could be heard above her and in surprise she wanted to quickly roll over only to be held back by the waist.
That was in fact not her blanket lying above her. That was a very tired sounding Koko.
“What are you still doing here?” She did remember him getting her home and helping her change. But why had he not driven home? And how was it possible for her to be so out of it yesterday night? She had never been this tired in her life before.
“We still need to talk about the Dinner party you offered.”
The what now?
The dinner party?
She offered?
Wait. Yeah. There was something.
Fuck. Autopilot had just taken over at that point and she had done what she had always done. Fuck!
“Koko. I did not know what I was fucking talking about. Can't we just say I was too tired to know what the fuck I was saying?”
Koko's lips drew into a teasing smile, before answering:” Don't worry. I know. I was just pulling your leg a bit. There is something I need to talk to you about though. In about one to two weeks Bonten will close a deal with a Chinese group. We want you there.”
We? So it really had been a test then?
She sighed, falling back into her bed. She didn't dare look at him, as she uttered her next words.
“I'm done, Kokonoi. I don't want to do this anymore. You've been a great friend, a great client but I can't do this anymore.”
Koko stilled next to her for a short second, his hands finding their place around her waist pulling her against him as he sat up.
“Why?” He sounded genuinely hurt.
“Because of exactly this,” she whispered in a tiny voice, gesturing to his hands around her, “I feel like you want more. Hell you even explicitly told me you want more now, for two years straight. And I simply can not do that. My priority is my son and he always will be. You need to let me go.
She could hear his tooth clashing together and felt his grip getting tighter.
“Just do this one last job for me. After that I'll leave you alone. I'll never ask for your service ever again. Just this one last thing.”
Struggling to turn around she finally looked at him. He looked so hurt. And she was the reason for his hurt.
“Will my son be safe?” She asked after some contemplation.
Koko sighed. “If everything goes to plan they will never know you have a son and will never see you again. Nothing more nothing less.”
“Fine.” She finally agreed. She could at least do this one last think for him.
He nodded, placing a soft kiss on her hair. “Thank you,” and then with a playful grin she knew was to underplay his emotions, “that way Mikey at least won't skin me alive.”
With that his arms disappeared around her and she laid back onto her back staring at the wall.
It really would be the last. After that she would cut all ties.
“We can't have that.” She teased back and in turn accepted that he didn't want to deal with his emotions right now.
“Thank you.” The man whispered, leaning over her and stealing a kiss he quickly deepened after realizing she reciprocated.
He build a small distance between them, before asking with a sad smile: “You think you can indulge me one last time?”
Once his plan would be set into motion she would probably hate him for some time. He'd have to take what he wanted now to tide him over.
Gulping she nodded pulling him down to her again.
As she tried rolling them over he put a determined hand on her stomach. Tonight, she'd be under his control.
Leaning down his mouth wandered from her lips to her cheeks, down her neck. She'd finally be his. With that thought, he started sucking on her neck in various places. Finally everyone would know, that she was a taken woman. There wouldn't be anyone else anymore.
One hand found it's place on one of her breasts, carefully stroking the little nub and drawing the most beautiful sound from her mouth.
“No- no marks, Koko.”
She felt him grin at her skin. “You're mine. Everyone should know it. I'll do whatever I want with you.” With that his mouth wandered down and unto her other breast.
He could feel her slowly rubbing her thighs together.
If only she knew what she did to him.
Finally coming out of her stupor the younger woman let her fingers wander over his chiselled chest. Going down, down down.
God, she would drive him crazy one day. He was already straining against his pants, aching to be outside of it's confines.
And then her hand was finally where he wanted it. Slowly stroking him for just the tiniest bit, before ridding him of his pants. God, her hands felt so good.
“You're doing great, Baby. Just breathe. Let me do this for you.” Her voice was sultry in his ears and nearly let him forget everything around him.
“Keep your eyes open, look at me baby.” She ordered, slowly pulling his face up by his chin.
She was blushing. God she was so fucking precious. They had had Sex so many times already and she was still blushing every damn time.
Her face did remind him of something though and with great difficulty he took the hand pleasuring him off him.
“What did I say?” He asked her a slight warning in his voice?”
With a pout she rolled her eyes. “That you wanna be in control?”
He grinned, in turn grabbing her chin and making him look at him. “Very good. And what are you doing right now?”
“Taking control?”
God, that pout did things to him.
“They are a conservative bunch then, I take it?” The woman asked, staring down at the expensive ring Koko was holding out to her with clear dislike.
It was the day of the dinner and since the morning her stomach was simply screaming at her to pack her bags and run. Something was terribly wrong, but she just couldn't figure out what it was exactly.
Koko rubbed the back of his head, before taking her hand with slight force.
“Yeah. A woman wouldn't be allowed at the table otherwise. You'll have to try and get his guard down a little. Be nice to the leader, treat the other executives with respect. You can joke around with them the tiniest bit but don't show them the smart head you have on those beautiful shoulders.”
She nodded along to his explanations, trying not to mess with the expensive cloth draped around her arms and shoulders.
“Let's get this shitshow on the road then.” She mumbled, mostly to herself.
“Hell yeah, that's the spirit.” Sanzu suddenly called behind her. Turning around she realised that the rest of the executives as well as Mikey had arrived.
He was dressed up as well tonight.
So this was the big occasion everyone was making it out to be. Straightening her back she settled a smile on her face.
It was just another mask.
Just another day.
When the six Chinese men arrived, the executives stood up, as she was following Koko's lead she observed the room.
Mikey stayed seated. Bonten probably had the upper hand in this deal then and they probably wanted to keep it this way. All three of the new men, however had a certain glean in their eyes. They would probably be playing a trump card tonight then. She would have to soften them up, before they played it.
“That went much smoother than I expected,” Ran joked as he sat down on the couch, the others promptly following leaving her standing in the corner.
Her mind was racing. She had expected a lot this night. But not Human trafficking. She really had gotten herself into deep shit today.
Mikey's glances in her direction were the ones that concerned her the most.
“You were good, honestly. I don't think they would have been this agreeable if they wouldn't have had such eye candy coming after their beck and call,” Rindou agreed with his older brother.
“Come on. You must be exhausted. Sit down.”
Gulping she slowly shook her head and then addressed Mikey with a sharp bow.
“I am exhausted, actually but I also have a son I need to get home to, so if you'd please just excuse me?”
It sounded much more like an insecure question than she would have liked it to.
The hand suddenly falling on her shoulders made her shake visibly.
“You know as well as we do, that we can't just let you go, after everything you heard tonight.”
Her lip was starting to quiver. What had she thought as she had agreed to this?
Exactly. She had thought about nothing but the nice stack of cash she would get.
“Koko, please,” she turned around to him, “you can't be serious. You know I'd never tell anyone about this.”
Koko smiled, pulling her into a strong embrace.
“I know. But I simply can't let you leave my life. And if keeping you and your son within my walls for the rest of yours means keeping you, then that's a price I'm willing to pay. You should have just agreed to my proposition. I would have let you keep your freedom for just a little while longer. Maybe at some point you even would have agreed to marry me out of your own free will. But you didn't. Instead you said you wanted to leave. It's not something I will ever accept. Your mine now and I won't even let you take a step without me allowing it ever again.”
Her intuition about wanting to break contact had been right.
She had been absolutely fucking right!
“My son?” She croaked out, only now realising. He was supposed to have a happy life. Go to a good school. Meet his peers. Make friends, get a nice girlfriend of boyfriend or whatever. He wasn't supposed to be holed up here.
What had she done?
“Already on his way,” Koko whispered into her ear, stroking her back, “we'll be one happy family.”
As he let go she nearly sank to the ground her legs threatening to give up on her. Only the realisation that she needed to be strong for her son, for herself and because of the other men still watching everything she was able to get back up.
Her mother had always told her that her pride would be her downfall one day. Well, Kokonoi Hajime did not know what would hit him.
Turning around she looked at the white haired man. “What do you plan to do with my Kiro?!”
He shrugged, grabbing his champagne of the table where he had first placed it.
“We'll see. If your agreeable, then he won't think anything different. I'll just be his father. You'll be my wife he'll go to the schools you always wished he would go to and everyone will end up happy. You just have to do what I tell you.”
Everyone would be happy, huh?
Turning around she zeroed in on the open bottle of wine, Ran had opened to celebrate the done deal. With her head held up high, she strode towards it, looking everyone dead in the eye at least once.
After having grabbed the bottle, she turned to Koko, taking a huge sip.
“You're sleeping on the couch tonight!”
He wanted her to be his happy wifey?
Then fine. She would fucking do that. If him being happy meant her son being safe, if him getting what he wanted meant her son getting the life he deserved, then heaven be damned. If him wanting to play fucking family, then she would take on this role. What was another mask after all?
She was back in the golden cage. Only this time it felt like she had given the keys out of her hand herself.
