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THE LOUNGE | mikey sano

this is part twelve of the series kill the lights

⇝ PAIRING: timeskip!biker!mikey sano x fem!reader

⇝ SERIES SYNOPSIS: after moving by yourself to tokyo, you black out at a party and wake up with a new friend. as she sweeps you up in her fast-paced city life, you feel yourself falling deeper and deeper for her mysterious brother. but something dark is brewing in the city. as his past threatens to resurface, mikey must fight not only physical enemies but the mental battle of his feelings for you. he can't resist you , but could he ever forgive himself if something happened to you? he'll love you selfishly and protect you savagely.

⇝ PART TWELVE LENGTH: 6.3k words

⇝ PART TWELVE WARNINGS: STALKER

all characters are 20+; Alternate Universe! Canon Divergent. a night at the lounge does not go as planned.

⇝ AUTHOR'S NOTE: It's all starting to come together~

DO NOT INTERACT WITH THIS WORK IF YOU ARE A MINOR. BY CLICKING THE READMORE, YOU CONSENT TO VIEWING ADULT CONTENT.

The taxi pulls up to a corner by the lounge. Hopping out, you make your way to the entrance. Emma hasn’t responded to your messages yet and you’re starting to feel a bit nervous about being here alone. You also feel utterly unprepared for the entry process. Would you have to show an ID? Say a password? Tell them you’re with Emma? You consider turning around and waiting by the corner when you see a line of expensive looking bikes parked out front. One bike in particular catches your eye and fills you with hope and dread.

You make your way to the door, unsure if being on time meant you were actually late or early. You say a prayer, an affirmation, and a few curse words for good measure. Making your way to the security or valet, you’re not sure. A particularly serious looking man looks you up and down before nodding and moving to hold the door for you. Well that was easier than expected. You step into the lounge. It is the image of elegance. Dark marble floors. Deep velvet curtains that tuck away pockets of lounge seating. Low lighting and a well stocked bar. A champagne tower is the only thing that’s actually illuminated in a warm spotlight in the center of the room. Low, sensual music plays on an expensive-sounding, bassy speaker system.

It felt like old Hollywood here in the heart of Tokyo. Thank god you looked the part because you felt anything but. You discreetly take out your phone to send Emma yet another message. You walk along the wall, trying not to draw attention to yourself. Deciding to people-watch in an effort to redirect the hyper focused lens of your mind onto other people.

The men and women are stunning. Dressed head to toe in black as far as the eye could see. The twinkling of massive crystals hanging heavy from ears and decolletages. They glint dramatically in the low light. As you admire the room, your gaze drifts to a group standing near the bar. The light catches an unmistakable head of golden hair. The one haunting your waking and sleeping mind.

He’s mingling with the group. You recognize Baji and Kazutora but there are a few new faces. One man has an undercut with satiny black hair. From one ear hangs a silver cuff that reflects the light of the bar. You’re too far to make out any more details, but if he’s anything like the others, he’s probably a total hunk. The one standing next to him has black hair that is slightly curly and slicked back. You can only see his profile, but he looks like he has a kind, handsome face.

As he shifts his weight on his feet, your eyes catch something a little lower. You see this man is absolutely cheeked up. His tight dress pants leave very little to the imagination. You have to force yourself to look away. Surely, your staring would be obvious to anyone who saw you. Your mind trails back to an off-handed comment that Emma made and, in your heart, you sense this man with the peach must be Takemitchy.

You look back at the blonde. He’s as handsome as ever in an all-black suit. You can see from the looks and not-so-subtle whispers that many of the other women and even some men share your sentiment. As you continue admiring you feel someone slide up beside you. Given their proximity, you do your best to shift your gaze to make your staring at Mikey less obvious. You hear a soft snicker and turn your eyes to the source. Your heart leaps to your throat as you see a very beautiful, very brunette woman and her blue-haired partner standing next to you.

Seeing you look, the brunette woman faces you. You can’t help but feel like a gazelle before a lioness; you’re ready to bolt out of there. To be fair, you’d like to give her the benefit of the doubt. Maybe she’s not as bad as Emma’s made her out to be. What little hope you have for her character quickly evaporates when she asks you, “Are you here all by yourself?” There’s a fake concern bordering on teasing dripping from her voice. She speaks slightly louder than you’d like her to. Feeling like the attention of some of the nearby couples has been drawn to this conversation. So she’s one of those…

“Waiting for a friend.” You say. Short and sweet, hopefully she gets the hint. You turn your head back to the center of the room. She steps directly into your eyeline and says dramatically, “Oh my god! You’re the girl from the video! You know, actually, Kokonoi was going to have me do it but I was busy that night. I’m glad he got a replacement.” Video? Kokonoi? Replacement? What the fuck is she talking about?

You do your best to mask your cluelessness. But, as has been pointed out before, this is not your strong suit. Unfortunately, she’s keyed into this as well, her eyes narrow on you in a predatory way. “You look so good ! Have you seen it yet?” You don’t answer, hoping if you ignore her, she’ll go away. “Oh, come on, don’t be shy. Here, take a look.” She whips out a phone and holds it to you, a video loading. As it starts to play you see the logo of Koko’s club. It appears to be some kind of promo or advertisement. There are splices of moving bodies, pouring drinks. It cuts to Emma and Yuzuha posing in the VIP. A few more shots of the bar and DJ and then. It’s you. Up in the front of the club on the stage. To yours and the editor’s credit you look amazing. But your stomach drops nonetheless.

You feel anxiety prickle on your skin and an emotion like betrayal and embarrassment twists in your chest. You’re grateful the dark light of the lounge hides the shade you’ve turned. You blink away tears, pretending you have something in your eye. “Oh yeah.” Is all you can comment. Hakkai leans in to say something to the brunette but she brushes him off. Complicated feeling swirl in your stomach.

Here you are, in what will surely be a five star lounge, dressed head to toe in designer clothes that probably cost more than your annual salary, all paid for and provided by Koko. If you think about it that way you feel less gross about the situation. You still wish he or Emma had run it by you before using you in the promo.

At this point you’re ready to go home. Sera has a satisfied smirk on her face and you hate that you let her get under your skin. Fuck it, “It’s too bad you were busy.” You say flatly. “I guess I just got lucky then.” You can’t miss that her eye twitched. Bingo. “If I can be honest with you, I just wasn’t comfortable shaking my ass like a little slut up on stage. Like seriously, how embarrassing. But I mean, you had to do as you’re told though, right? That’s how it is for us models.”

You were gonna take half of what she says as a compliment if she thinks you're a model and ignore the rest. “Like you said.” You reply dismissively, hoping she’ll finally back off. She huffs, clearly frustrated you’re not giving her the reaction she wants. She looks like she’s about to string together another thinly veiled insult when you turn to her fully and say, “So, if I can be completely honest, this is really embarrassing. This whole mean girl act.”

That seems to have struck a chord, you can practically see the vein pop in her head. Hakkai must see it too as he steps in, nodding a farewell to you as he sweeps her away to the bar. You can see at a distance the two are arguing. She’s waving her hands and even stomps her feet a few times. How off-putting. You lean back to the wall. The nerves from the unintended confrontation start to dissipate.

You’d been distracted by the brunette and completely missed Emma and Draken slipping into the lounge. They catch your eye as you see them walking over to join the group. You hesitate. You were still hopped up on nerves and the closer you got to the group, and the champagne tower, the more obvious your flush and watery eyes will be. You make the executive decision to hang back a bit longer to calm down more. You won’t admit it, but you may be further postponing the inevitable confrontation of you and Mikey.

You continue to watch the group as Emma throws her arms around Mikey’s neck. The way his features soften even at this distance. You can’t miss the nasty side eyes thrown Emma’s way by some of those party guests who had been eying him earlier. You suppose they don’t know or realize they’re brother and sister. It must be hard when you’re as pretty as Emma.

You finally feel ready, pushing off the wall to make your way to the group. Doing your best to ignore the eyes trailing you as you do. You’re closest to Kazutora and Baji who part to make space for you in the small circle. Emma lights up and wraps you in a big hug. “Ooohhh! You look even better than you did at the store!” She admires you from head to toe. “You’re… More sparkly than usual,” Baji compliments, fully not looking at you. Kazutora eyes you and some of the other ladies in the room with a low whistle, “I could get used to this.” He adds. “Don’t be gross,” You hear a gentle voice say.

You look to see the source of the voice. A petite woman appears, standing next to the man you assume is Takemitchy. She has soft features, big doe eyes, and a pretty mole next to her perfectly-lined lips. It’s hard to see in this light, but her hair looks to be a strawberry blonde. It’s styled in pretty beach waves with half of it pinned up. “Apologies Hina, not all of us are married yet.” Kazutora says back, his tone lacking his regular bite.

“Hina? It’s nice to meet you. I’m Y/N.” “Nice to meet you too. I’ve heard a lot about you.” She has a kind smile, you feel a bit like you’re melting. “Nice to meet you, I’m Hina’s husband, Takemitchy.” You have to bite back an ‘I know’ as you would rather walk into the ocean than explain how you came to that conclusion on your own. You turn to the final new face, “I’m Chifuyu.” He says with a boyish sparkle in his eyes. He’s cuter than you expected. He seems earnest and sweet. He turns and has an aside with Baji as you direct your attention back to the bigger group. “It’s good to see you, Draken.” “Same to you, Y/N. Glad to see you’re in good health.”

You blush, almost forgetting or willingly repressing that he had seen you in a state last weekend. The memory brings you to the last figure, “Hi Mikey.” You say tentatively. When he doesn’t respond you say, “Uh, I wanted to say thanks for last weekend.” You’re not the only one who notices a shift in the group; as if everyone is listening for Mikey’s response. You feel like you said something you shouldn't have. This is confirmed when Mikey merely nods, not making eye contact with you.

You could curl up and die. He hates you. You want to climb under a rock and never show your face again. As if sensing your spiral, Emma links arms with you and proposes, “How about us ladies go find a booth?” You nod, ready to escape. Hina smiles and links arms with you too as your trio make your way to one of the alcove seating areas.

You crawl in, resting your head in your hands on the lacquered oak tables dramatically. “Oh my god he HATES me.” “What are you talking about?” Emma asks, surprised at your reaction. “Did you miss the part where he totally ignored me?” “He’s probably just on edge being here at the party.” Hina slides in from the other side of the booth and scoots in to sit next to you. She pats your back and says, “There, there.” She’s an angel. She continues in her soft voice, “I’m sure it’s not like that, he definitely doesn’t hate you. Even Takemitchy noticed Mikey’s reaction when you came in.”

The seed of hope planted by Hina is just enough to pull you out of your doom spiral. “Yeah, and Takemitchy is almost as thick as his dumpy so it means something if he noticed.” Emma tacks on, making you laugh and Hina giggle. “He’s probably on guard because he wasn’t expecting to see so many people here. Takemitchy was also surprised by who came out of the woodwork for the event tonight.” Hina continued.

At that moment, Yuzuha and Senju slide into the booth next to Emma. “Hey girlies~” Senju says excitedly, a glass of something in her hand. “Emma, Hina, Y/N. Good to see you all here tonight.” Yuzuha says with a winning smile. “YUZU! SENJU!!!” Emma exclaims, wrapping both of them in a hug. Hina simply smiles brightly and waves to them. “So, what’d we miss?” Senju asks, taking a sip of her mystery liquid.

Not wanting to show your hand and talk about Mikey with them, you change the subject with a dramatic, “OH!” You sit up straight in the booth. “Guess who tried to cat fight me by the bar earlier…” This catches the group’s attention. “Ayo, I’m already swinging” Senju says, rotating her arm. “ Sera ” This sends a wave of reaction through the group. Hina has a discontented look on her face. Senju is practicing her punches. Emma has dropped her jaw in faux drama and Yuzuha is scanning the crowd, you assume, for a brunette head. “When? Why? What happened?” Emma asks.

“It was a little bit before you arrived. She and her boyfriend, Hakkai, right? They came up and she started like trying to beef with me? OH! Did you know Koko made a video of us the other night?” “Uhg, he always does sneaky shit like that. One of the many reasons I don’t feel bad about swiping that black card of his.” Senju says. “Oh, yeah, he had to okay it with my agent and, Emma, I think you heard about it then, right?” Yuzuha adds. “Yeah, but he didn’t mention anything about you or Senju being in the video…” Emma says knitting her brow in concern. She pulls out her phone, searching for the video. The familiar song of the ad starts playing.

You feel like you’re all dolled up in clown makeup. The group leans in to see the screen, Hina slides over your lap to join the group watching the video. You continue as they do, “Well Sera knew. She was really pleased to show me.” You don’t need to see Emma’s screen to know when your ‘debut’ in the video occurs. Their eyes go wide and Senju chokes on her drink. “Oh shit.” Emma says. Through her coughing fit Senju manages, “Fuck you look HOT!” Hina nods in agreement, a blush dusting her cheeks. Yuzuha seems utterly unimpressed that Koko would do something like this but still gives you a thumbs up.

“Wait, you didn’t know he was filming you?” Hina asks gently. Your silence is answer enough. “I mean you look amazing, but I can’t believe he didn’t ask…” Senju adds. “You know him, he’ll do anything if he thinks it’s best for business…” Yuzuha adds, getting lost in thought. You feel validated by their support.

“Anyways,” You continue with a clap. A quirk you seem to be picking up from the bubbly blonde of your group. “Long story short, I guess she was supposed to shoot the video and she said she was glad he found a replacement and that she actually didn’t want to do it. I think she also called me a slut at one point??? And then when I wouldn’t argue with her, Hakkai dragged her off to the bar.” It was a lot for the group to process. Hell, it was a lot for you to live through. “So we don’t have time to unpack all of that.” Senju starts. “What the fuck is she even doing here anyways?” Emma asks, clearly frustrated. “Come on, play nice.” Yuzuha says, playing the mediator.

“Why should she, Sera isn’t.” Senju says, coming to Emma’s defense. “She’s seriously the lowest common denominator. Not even our resident saint, Hina, likes her.” Emma adds, exasperated. You turn your eyes to Hina in curiosity. Seeing your questioning look, Hina supplies, “When she wouldn’t take ‘No, I’m married and not interested’ from Takemitchy and kept trying to force herself on him, that sealed the deal for me pretty fast. It didn’t help that I was right there .” There’s a wrath hiding under her angelic tone. Scary.

“Just because your brother has bad taste doesn’t mean we all deserve to suffer.” Senju says with a bit of bite. “Brother?” You tilt your head, looking around the group. Yuzuha sighs, “Hakkai is my little brother.” she says in the voice of a tired older sister. Now that you think about it, they both have those pretty, thick lower lashes and sleepy eyes. The resemblance isn’t striking but you can definitely see it.

“I’m sure you all have valid reasons to not like her, but I don't. And Hakkai really likes her... I mean she’s always been sweet to me. She even asks me about modeling.” “Yeah, probably ‘cause she wants to snipe your jobs.” Senju fires back. “Speaking of, rewind, what the fuck was she talking about? Replacement? Okay, for one, upgrade . But also, Koko fucking hates her, he would never ask her to model for him.” Emma says.

“Well…” Yuzuha starts. All eyes turn to her. “Come on, don’t be like that. She was asking about modeling and getting gigs and I might’ve mentioned something about Koko’s event. But Hakkai was the one who tried to arrange it.” She says, palms up and facing the group. “Clearly, Koko didn’t go for it and, like you said, upgraded.” She deflects, gesturing to you. Her compliment softened the blow, but the other ladies didn’t seem thrilled by this admission at all. You feel your throat getting dry.

“Anyways, that's how my night’s going. I need a drink.” Senju looks excited. “Not that kind of drink.” She pouts as you rise from the booth, “Can you grab me a tonic soda while you’re up there?” Hina asks. You can’t say no to those eyes. “Oh! An Old Fashion for me!” Senju tacks on. “Jesus, I clocked out from the cafe last night.” You joke. Ensuring your humor lands, you ask over your shoulder, “On the rocks or neat.” “Rocks please~” You turn towards the bar only to be faced with the group of men you’d split from not too long ago blocking your path.

Deciding it’s worth it to not have to brave a second confrontation alone, you take the loop around to avoid them. You move discreetly, circling the curve of the room. Sticking close to the velvet curtains. From your periphery you see a woman approach Mikey. You feel a twinge in your chest. Maybe it’s the masochistic part of you, but you can’t help yourself. You slip into the shadow of a curtain to watch the scene play out.

She’s tall, lean, and proportioned like a goddess in a pantsuit. Her hair cut neatly below her chin in a chic black bob. She makes her move, placing a hand on Mikey’s shoulder, angling her body towards him. The rest of the men in the group naturally shift their stance to separate their conversation from the pair’s. She bats long, heavy lashes, toying with the lapel of his suit. Her bedroom eyes smolder even from this distance. Her body language reads like an open book and she flaunts herself confidently. You feel that twinge again. She appears to make some invitation to him, bringing the rim of her glass to her lips, playing with its edge there seductively.

Mikey stands, unmoving for a moment. He simply nods his head and raises his glass to her in a polite dismissal. The woman seems as shocked as you are. She backs off maintaining her composure, a forced smile plastered on her deep plum lips. Mikey returns to his group who seem to poke fun at him about the interaction that just played out. Why did you feel… Relieved? In your heart, you feel better that it wasn’t just you who had been rejected tonight.

Your relief is short lived as you are struck with the most bizarre deja reve. An arm snakes around your waist from the booth behind you. Swiftly pulling you in from your spot by the curtains. You’re pulled into the lap of a man you don’t recognize. That is, until you see the tattoos that inked into the back of his hands. You twist in his grip, trying to wriggle away from him. You manage to push around, facing him. Fuck, he’s tall, even sitting like this. More than that, he’s strong. You finally lock eyes, seeing the man for the first time. His hair is dyed in highlights of bleach-blonde. It’s wavy and combed over to one side. He’s sporting some gold-framed glasses that match a shimmering gold earring dangling from his right side. Both accessories bring out his golden eyes that glow almost unnaturally in the lounge light. He has a wicked but handsome smile plastered on his face.

He looks like a bad boy through and through. He is definitely bad news. He leans into you, your back pressing into the hard edge of the table. “My my what do we have here. You look stunning, darling. An absolute knockout.” He has a deep sultry voice. It felt like the air rippled when he spoke. Hell, under any other circumstance, if an 11/10 tattooed bad boy literally fell into your lap, or you into his, you wouldn’t hesitate to snatch him up.

But something wasn’t right. Alarm bells were going off. Something in your gut was telling you to run away. His eyes were blazing, burning into you. Those eyes. Everything was happening so fast. “What the fuck! Let go-” You start to say, your voice raising in panic while you push hard on his chest. His very toned, broad chest. You curse yourself for noticing. He covers your mouth quickly and leaned in to further invade your bubble. “Now, now, don’t go cutting our fun short again.” He wraps his other hand around one of your wrists. His smile stretches wider. You’re scared.

“Enough, Hanma.” A voice slices through your panicked thoughts. Mikey stands at the end of the table. Face stone cold but death in his eyes. “Mikey~” Hanma says in a sing-songy voice that makes your skin crawl. Hanma looks from Mikey to you, a dark look flashing in his eyes.

“My my, Hanma. Typical of you to cause a scene, despite this being my grand opening.” Koko says, in a sarcastic but icy tone. Seeming to appear out of nowhere. “Ah~ Koko, the man of the hour. Just who I wanted to see. Do you have a moment?” He punctuates the question by removing his hand from your mouth and withdrawing a fat stack of cash from his suit pocket. His arm cages you in as he slides the stack across the table between him and the white-haired man. Koko looks absolutely serpentine, you hear the click of his lips as a smile spreads across his face. He lazily picks up the money, fanning through it dramatically. “I suppose I can make time for an old friend. Join me.”

Hanma releases you. You jump off of his lap in an instant. He stands to full height, towering over you. He stoops as he passes you, just inches from your face. “Until next time, sweetheart~” He turns, following Koko to god knows where, Mikey shooting daggers at the pair the entire way. You feel like the spotlight is on you. You want to sink into the lush velvet curtains and disappear.

Emma, Senju, Yuzuha, and Hina notice the commotion and pop their heads out of their booth. When they see it’s you at the source, they’re around you in seconds. Each asking variations of the question, “Holy shit, are you okay?” in hushed voices. They tuck you into the booth, drawing the curtains slightly. You lie. Saying whatever you need to to give yourself an out. You want to go home. You definitely don’t want to be here when Hanma and Koko come back from their “meeting.”

It seems like others in the group are on the same page. You see Mikey, Draken, and Takemitchy discreetly move, milling about the room. While their move may seem innocuous, in the short time you’ve spent with them you can sense their body language is off. You aren’t the only one to notice, as Emma stands to join her brother. A serious look on her face, Yuzuha follows after her, leaving you, Senju and Hina seated in the booth. You turn to look at the other men, Chifuyu, Baji, and Kazutora who have positioned themselves casually at the end of your table.

To an untrained eye, they’re relaxing and talking, but you notice they’re using their bodies to obscure the view of the booth. Their eyes are also scanning the room like hawks. It is very much giving the sense that they are bodyguards. Senju kills the last of her drink and in a deathly serious tone you’ve never heard from her before, she asks the trio, “Does this mean what I think it means?” There’s a beat of silence before Kazutora answers. “It seems like they’re making their move. That’s not the kind of money you bring to have a “chat” even if it is with Koko.” He’s uncharacteristically serious.

Senju has a thousand yard stare as she sighs. “This could get messy really quick.” “We should save this. There are too many ears here.” Chifuyu says in a low voice, not looking at the pink-haired woman. She leans her head against the booth as Emma and Yuzuha return. You catch the end of their sentence, “-there’s a door there. Try to be cool, if it’s too obvious they might rush you… But Toman should get out of here as soon as they can. This could turn into another incident if we don’t play it smart.” Yuzuha says firmly. “Be careful.” With that she slips into the crowd.

It all goes over your head. Emma smiles and says to Senju and the trio of men, “Mikey says usual spot.” and holds up three fingers on her right hand and a zero with her left. They all nod subtly. She slides back into the booth and says in a low whisper, “A car is on its way, we’re going to head out, but we need to keep it lowkey.” You feel like your head is spinning, all you can do is nod. “Ok, good. Hina, you, me, and Y/N are gonna head out first. There’s a door near the bathrooms we can slip out from. Let’s just play it off like a girl’s bathroom break.” “I hate this.” Hina says, her eyes glossy. “I’m sorry.” Emma says softly, unable to meet her eyes.

She peeks over her shoulder for something or someone that you can’t see. “Let’s go now.” She says. The three of you rise. She puts on an act, “Baji, Chifuyu, Kazu, can you watch our booth please? We’re gonna run to the restroom.” “Come on, boys. I barely bite anymore.” Senju plays along, patting the seat next to her. They slide in as you slip past them. You try to act natural as you look for the restrooms, but you feel your vision narrowing. Thank god Emma links arms with you, directing you to a hidden hallway that’s obscured by a partition. You move there only to bump into an entirely different, troubling scene.

A couple is taking advantage of the secluded space. Good for them, but the woman was being pressed into what appears to be your exit door. The man is nearly as tall as the door frame. He’s built like a quarterback with broad shoulders and a buzz cut. What short hair he did have seems to be bleached. Even from the back, you can see he has a tattoo that snakes up his neck and onto the side of his head. You feel a flush of white hot. Wait… Is he? The woman’s pleasured sounds ease your concern in that regard.

The woman lets out another low, wanton moan, head bumping back into the metal of the door with a thud. Her hands grip at the satiny material of the man’s jacket. Her leg hiked up high around his waist. His hands disappear out of sight. But the movement of his arms, shoulders, and back leave little mystery as to what he’s doing. The woman moans out again, “Oooh baby, it’s so gooo-Oood.”

Fuck. How were you going to get out of here? You practically feel an icy, black vortex next to you where Emma is standing. “No. Fucking . Way. Jesus Christ! Classy as ever, Sera.” The woman yelps in surprise, “Oh! Fuck! Oh my god! Stop stop!” She’s beating on his chest in a panicked rhythm. He lets out a low frustrated noise but stops moving. You hear the unmistakable sound of a zipper as he pulls back from her and turns his attention to you. As he turns, the woman behind him is revealed. She is adjusting herself, her chocolate brown hair mussed and lipstick smeared. It was Sera. She was somehow redder than you were.

Sera is pretty tall and even she is dwarfed by this man. He says something deep and low in a foreign language. There’s a harshness and growl to the rolled R’s that gives you the impression he’s swearing. You can't make out if it’s Spanish or Portuguese.

The man says something else, parting the three of you as he leaves the hallway, returning to the party. Sera looks like she wants to call after him but holds back. She’s left there, red from the neck up, sputtering. She tries to form an excuse, or a comeback but Emma cuts her off in a voice that betrays that she’s holding back, “This is low, even for you. Get out of here.” Sera pauses, closing her mouth. If looks could kill, the three of you would be lovely corpses. Adjusting her hair and dress one more time, she glides past you and into the bathroom.

“Jesus.” Hina says under her breath. “What the fuck. If she’s going to cheat she should at least be a little sneakier about it.” You say gobsmacked. There’s no time to discuss as Emma swings the door open to a back alley. Emma looks to the left and the right and quickly turns left. You and Hina follow in stride. As you near the street, a paneled black van screeches to a halt. Your heart sinks. This is the end, you’re about to be snatched up.

An impenetrable black window is rolled down and you’re met with a familiar face brow creased in worry. “Hurry, get in.” Yuuki urges. Behind him, at the wheel, you see another man. All you can make out is his icy-white hair. The door slides open and the three of you pile in. Before the door finishes closing the van is peeling out. You brace yourself against Yuuki’s seat in front of you. “Yuuki, what are you doing here?” He doesn’t respond and instead turns to look at the man in the driver’s seat. The driver responds for him, “He was with me, I got the call.” He concludes. “Okay… That’s nice, but what the hell is going on?”

Emma interjects with, “You were gone for a while… What happened in the booth?“ You feel a bit of conversational whiplash. “That guy, Hanma, grabbed me out of nowhere and pulled me in there.” “Why? Did he say anything?” “Fuck if I know why he did it?! He’s been weird and… Touchy… Ever since that night at the club… He was just saying some cryptic weird shit.” Why do you feel embarrassed? Like you’re on trial for something. You desperately want to change the subject.

“What the hell was up with all that cash? And why did everyone start acting so weird after that…” Silence. “Is anyone going to tell me what’s going on?” You feel the frustration bubbling in your chest. “Emma? Hina? That debrief would be much appreciated right about now…” You search for their eyes, hoping they’ll explain, but they avoid your gaze. “Yuuki?” The white-haired man in the driver’s seat starts to respond for him once again, but you cut him off, “I didn’t ask you. While we’re on it, who even are you” Emma places a hand on your knee, sensing you’re getting worked up. You flinch. A move that doesn’t go unnoticed.

“Mitsuya.” The driver says. “I’m sorry, I assumed Yuuki would’ve told you about me, given I’ve heard so much about you.” “Mitsuya.” You say back, the name not ringing any bells. You look at Yuuki who’s turned around in his seat. “I’m sure you have a lot of questions, Y/N. But it’s probably better to save them for later.” Yuuki looks to the other women in the backseat to back him up. Hina steps in, “They’ll tell us when it’s safe. The best thing we can do is remove ourselves so they don’t have to worry.” You can tell she’s choosing her words carefully.

It feels bad. To have the answers you want be tiptoed around. You feel emotion building up. “Fuck that! Sorry Hina, but what the fuck does that even mean? What is going ON?! And why are you guys being so fucking shady all of a sudden?” They sit there in silence. You feel it swell again. Anger. It takes over as you continue, “Okay, so, just to clarify since nobody else wants to, I woke up today and thought I was going to have fun at a lounge party but instead I’m getting groped in a booth and hustled out of a back door a minute later and now here I am in the back of a fucking murder van with my friends who are LYING to me.” You’re lashing out. You realize that, but you can’t hold back. All of the feelings from today are clawing their way to the surface. Sadness sinks her claws in, shoving anger down.

The car cruises in silence. “Emma. Please.” You plead. Emma keeps her eyes glued to the road. “Yuuki?” He doesn’t move from his place in the front seat. You feel the tears building up. “Let me out.” You say quietly. “What? No, it’s not safe here!” Emma says in an exasperated tone. “I don’t feel safe here . Let. Me. OUT.” You say trying the door. “Come on, Y/N, please be reasonable.” “Fuck you. Fuck you, Yuuki.“ you choke out. You can’t hold back as the tears start to flow. Pulling hard on the door again, palming the dark surface to find the lock.

“Please.” Emma says, just above a whisper. “I’m sorry. Please.” She isn’t looking at you but she puts a hand towards you on the van seat. The word sparks something in you. You’re back in the alley, begging anything, anyone. Your grip on the door slackens. “Take me home.” You say, defeated. Mitsuya nods as Yuuki scrolls through his contacts for your address, punching it into the GPS once he finds it.

You rest your head against the glass of the window, looking at anything but the others in the car, doing your best to hide your watery eyes. Emma tries, “Once I touch base with Mikey, I’ll tell you what I can…” she offers. “I just don’t want to get you tied up in things that… I don’t want…” “Forget it.” You say, cutting her off. You feel hollow, focusing on the sound of the engine.

The van creeps up to your apartment and the door automatically slides open. You step out, ignoring the voices calling after you from the car. You move quickly to your building’s entrance. Once you’re out of their eye-line you slow down. You trudge up the stairs to your room. It’s all blurring together again. That familiar feeling you’ve avoided for a couple of weeks until now. You couldn’t run from it forever, you suppose.

It takes all of your willpower to not slide down your door as it clicks behind you. You slip out of your heels and move into your home, peeling off the expensive clothes and letting them pool on the floor where they fall. You methodically remove your accessories. Depositing them on the counter.

What the fuck had you seen tonight. What had you been close to? Brushing shoulders with something dark. Something entirely new to you. There’s something in the pile of mail clutter that catches your eye. It’s crisp, white, peeking out from under your electric bill. You slide it out from the pile. A business card? You can’t quite place where or when you got it. You flip it around in your hand, reading ‘the violent crimes unit’ among the print. You read the name, “Naoto Tachibana.”

Part 13

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