King Without a Crown.
pls pls pls tell me if some things written contradict with the other chapters, tbh I kinda forgot what I wrote and I never write down what I’m actually planning for the fic💔
<< Chapter 5 >>
2nd of December.
It’s been a solid week since Emma’s birthday.
Well, ‚solid‘ isn’t really the best word to describe your past week. You’ve gone silent, for the most part. To word it better, you’ve been tiptoeing around everyone. Of course, you texted back “I’m doing good” whenever someone reached out.
Kokonoi was the first to text: “Hey, I heard what happened. How are you doing? Do you need something?”
And then it was Takemichi: “[Name], are you well? Please call me!”
And after Takemichi, it was Baji: “I punchet the shit out of him. Hope u doing good tho.”
You remember smiling at his message, he still has flawed grammar.
Draken texted you too, asking if you were alright, asking if you needed anything, asking if you’re mad at him. You’re not.
Mitsuya messaged you as well, and so did Izana.
Except Izana only said: “You really had to be this dramatic and divert the attention from Emma? Make sure it doesn’t happen again.”
You wanted to leave him on read, but then you recalled how Izana backhanded Shion one time for ignoring his texts. ‚But Shion is in his gang, I‘m not‘ You thought.
„ok“ You texted him back.
Emma hasn’t texted you yet. It did surprise you, but you don’t really care for some reason. Well, maybe because you’re still trying to process the fact that you got drugged. You’re aware it was Rindou, but you can’t be sure if Izana was involved in it.
You didn’t text Mikey about his hoodie or to say thank you. You know it’s not particularly nice not to do that, since he drove you home, gave you his hoodie, and apparently tucked you in. But you can’t seem to find the courage to do so. He didn’t text you either.
Maybe you‘ll text him later.
Yes, you did go to the doctor a week ago, even if you told Hinata you didn’t want to. You were instructed to pee into a cup, which you proceeded to do. You’re still waiting for the results, they should probably come in today.
Right now, you’re standing in line at the pharmacy. You need painkillers for your head and abdomen. ‚Fucking cramps,‘ you curse in your head. The beeping of the sliding door when people come in isn’t enough to pull you out of your thoughts.
SOMEWHERE ELSE, THE BASEMENT OF A STRIPCLUB
Shinichiro is perched on the monobloc chair, a small “table” in front of him. It’s not really a table — just wooden pallets stacked on top of each other, barely reaching Shinichiro’s black-clothed knee. His outfit absorbs the light. It’s plain and not colorful: black T-shirt, black pants, and black penny slippers.
On the rundown “table” in front of him lies a pack of cigarettes and his gun. Nothing more.
Takeomi stands in the shadow behind Shinichiro, his hands hidden in his pockets. The cool air of the basement brushes his cheeks. He shivers slightly, despite being dressed in a black overcoat brushing his ankles, with a striped black-and-yellow suit underneath and a yellow tie.
‚How the hell is this man not cold?‘ he thinks, not even glancing at Shinichiro. He’s watching the other two men in the basement instead.
Izana and Mikey stand motionless in front of Shinichiro, who is looking up at them with a very annoyed expression. Both men know it’s never good when Shinichiro is annoyed.
Mikey shuffles a bit, the dirt on the ground parting as his shoe brushes it aside. He is in a plain black hoodie; his white shirt peeks out from under his hoodie and over his black pants. He doesn’t look like a gang leader.
Izana side-eyes his younger brother ‚Fucking bitch.‘ Izana is dressed better than Manjiro, at least, that’s what he thinks. It’s just a black leather coat reaching his knees, a black button-up shirt with a few buttons undone, showing his collarbone, black pants, and black penny slippers. Let’s not forget his precious hanafuda earrings dangling from his ears.
„So,“ Shinichiro begins, „which one of you dumb little children is going to tell me what happened at Emma’s birthday party in my club?“
There’s a thick silence, the kind of silence where you’re debating if you should answer or let your sibling talk.
Mikey opens his mouth. „I’m not a ch-“
„Shut the fuck up,“ Shinichiro cuts in fast. His gaze sweeps from Mikey to Izana.
‚Mikey could be mistaken as a kid with that height’ he thinks, slightly disapproving of his brother’s height. It’s irrational, he’s aware.
The air feels colder than before. Takeomi decides to lazily glance away from the brothers.
Izana knows Shinichiro’s gaze means he’s waiting for an answer. Izana calculates how far he can go; he decides to say the obvious.
„Rindou laced her drink,“ he answers without much care.
Shinichiro raises a brow. „That’s it?“
„No.“
Izana quickly comes to realize he made a mistake with his responses.
Shinichiro irks. „Izana, I’m not in the mood for the mysterious shit. Either you tell me exactly what happened, or I’ll beat both of you up.“
Both men tense — though they don’t show it. They know how Shinichiro gets if he feels like he’s being played with, even if he’s not currently. Shinichiro, despite being a nice man, is, after all, one of the biggest criminals in Japan. He does stuff that may not be mentioned at family tables, but it’s obvious. People around him, those who have done him wrong in the slightest, have the tendency to disappear without a trace.
Mikey decides to open his mouth again, a little unsure. When Shinichiro is mad, Mikey feels fifteen again.
„Rindou tried to give her vodka, she declined though. But then-“
„But then I made her drink it. I didn’t know it was laced with Liquid Ecstasy. Rindou told me what it was laced with after I hit him,“ Izana casually cuts in. His face stays blank. It always does when Shinichiro is mad. No reason for it.
Izana continues, as he didn’t get an answer from Shinichiro. Usually, that means ‚continue.‘
„[Name] isn’t a drinker, nor a druggie like-“ Izana glances slowly at Mikey, „-some specific ones.“
There’s a silence that makes Mikey look at Izana in slight confusion. ‚Does he mean me?‘
„I don’t take that shit,“ Mikey answers in slight defense.
Izana blinks, a slow smile tugging at his lips.
„I mean your people. Sanzu is a crackhead, Chifuyu nearly died, and that pervert you have there? What’s his name again- Makoto? Oh, and let’s not forget sweet Senju-“
Takeomi cuts in, he sighs. „I know my siblings are junkies, but you don’t gotta mention it, man.“
Izana shrugs. He shifts his weight back and leans against a dark grey wall. „Truth hurts, right? Anyway, [Name] was quickly knocked out. The little hero in Toman tended to her. The girls went to the dance floor. Mikey took her home. Baji punched Rindou.“
The awkward silence again.
Shinichiro sighs. He runs a hand through his black hair. He stands up slowly, takes his cigarette pack, puts one cigarette between his lips, and lights it. Shinichiro puffs out smoke. None of the men in the room dares to speak.
„Izana.“
There’s a slight pause. Shinichiro is in thought, deciding how to word his question.
Fuck it, he doesn’t care.
„Are you an actual leader, or are you just a clueless bitch?“
Izana doesn’t answer, despite looking very annoyed at the jab. Shinichiro doesn’t give him time to answer anyway.
„You let your dog, Rindou, lace someone’s drink, and not just anyone’s drink. The drink of a girl who’s known Mikey since she was twelve and you were fifteen. She’s basically family. At least, to me. Explain to me why Rindou thought it would be okay, with no consequences, to just lace someone’s drink without asking you?“
Izana’s lips part slightly in astonishment, or maybe it’s irritation and shame building within his chest the more he listens to Shinichiro.
Shinichiro continues while his burning cigarette rests between his index and middle finger. It only adds to the tension in the air, or perhaps it’s just in Izana’s and Mikey’s heads.
„When did you declare [Name] as your property, Izana?“
Izana’s brows crease slightly. He takes a small step forward, about to protest.
„I never-“
„Be quiet.“ Shinichiro’s words slice through, louder than intended. He takes another puff from his cigarette.
„Manjiro.“
Mikey tenses, maybe not noticeably to a stranger, but Shinichiro, as his older brother, sees it.
„Control your dogs,“ Shinichiro orders coolly.
The smaller man nods. A small moment of silence passes between the four men. Shinichiro hasn’t dismissed them yet. Just as he’s about to raise his hand, Izana asks:
„What about Emma?“
Shinichiro pauses momentarily before flicking his cigarette away.
„What about her?“
Izana shrugs, acting clueless, probably to cover the feeling in his chest. „The fact she and the others left [Name] alone?“
Shinichiro blinks. „Izana, Emma is not the topic. Are you trying to get me to-“
Izana casually cuts his older brother off, flicking his wrist lazily. „I’m just saying, we’ve been spoiling her rotten, and now she even left her supposed friend and DJ alone as soon as she saw [Name] was drugged. I’m not the only one fucking up.“
Manjiro’s black eyes slide to Izana’s side profile. He shifts his weight again. „You’re not actually trying to get Shin to yell at Emma, are you?“
Izana doesn’t acknowledge Mikey. „Shin, I’m not surprised she’s acting that way. Most women are fake, anyway. But she’s been hanging with Senju a lot lately. Maybe that crackie isn’t a good influence on our baby sister, hm?“
Shinichiro sighs. He shakes his head and sits back down in that white chair. „Enough of your bullshit, Izana. You two go home. Do whatever you need to do. Don’t bother me again.“
AT A CAFE
In a secluded corner of a rather tiny café, Emma and Draken sit at a table. Draken’s tank top, underneath his patterned jacket, stretches across his chest. His elbows rest on the backrest of the bench he’s sitting on. His eyes briefly track the people coming in and out of the café, even if it’s a small number of people.
„—That’s why I think you being mad at me is just irrational!“ Emma quietly complains as she finishes her reasoning. Her fingers wrap around the glass; she lifts the drink, probably a latte macchiato or whatever, and presses it to her lips.
Draken sighs through his nose, his chest falling as he exhales. „So, because it was your birthday, your party, and because you wanted to dance and not have any responsibility over the night, did you think it was okay to just walk away from [Name]?“
No answer. Emma is stubborn. She continues to sip her drink.
„Drugged [Name]?“ Draken emphasizes. His glass isn’t touched. It’s just water, he didn’t want anything, but Emma forced him.
„You never did that when ol’ Senju was drugged-“
„That’s different!“ Emma snaps. „Senju didn’t even want to take that much, Hanma and South kept giving her drugs. And its not like [Name] was completely alone, Takemichi was there!“
„Senju is a drug addict, and [Name] is not. She doesn’t do drugs. She doesn’t even drink alcohol,“ Draken calmly lays out. „Emma, I’m mad because, one, you pulled Hinata away from [Name]; two, you willfully ignored the state [Name] was in and didn’t even check up on her; and three, you haven’t even texted her-“
„Because she ruined my birthday-“
„Three, you’re not being reasonable,“ Draken finishes, his brows slightly raised. „And your birthday wasn’t even ruined. It went on as if nothing happened.“
Emma parts her lips again. Draken scoffs before her words make sound. „It was my birthday. I wanted to dance. I didn’t even notice her state, and to be honest, [Name] kinda overdid it with her response to it, but Mikey drove her home, so what’s the problem? She wasn’t hospitalized or anything.“
Draken stares at her in disbelief. He doesn’t acknowledge the people coming in — not after the bullshit he just heard. „That’s your argument?“
Emma rolls her eyes. She’s had enough of this discussion. Emma adores [Name], really, she does. But it’s not the first time [Name] was a topic between Draken and Emma.
Emma didn‘t respond to Draken‘s words, she crossed her arms over her chest and leaned back into her chair. „You always defend her..“ She murmured.
„What?“
„I said, you always defend her.“ Emma repeated, the slight disheartened tone in her voice not lost on Draken‘s ears.
„Sweetheart,“ Draken began, speaking as gently as he could. „I said that [Name] is like family to me.“ Emma nodded.
Draken continues „I introduced her to all of you, I‘m not prioritizing her above you, I just don’t want any drama between the people I hold dear.“
„That includes you and [Name].“
„Yeah, I know.“ Emma responded.
BACK TO YOU
Back at your beloved home, the feeling of your leather couch beneath your back slowly lulled you more and more into a peaceful slumber. But as much as you wanted to fall asleep under the sunlight peeking through your curtains, with the TV glowing with your favorite show, you couldn‘t.
Mikey is coming over to get his hoodie.
He texted you a few minutes ago, saying something along the lines of needing his hoodie back because it’s cold outside.
First time he texted you in months.
Funny how you’re still wearing his hoodie, it’s freshly washed and dried. The hoodie is warm, made out of cashmere, and smells good. ‚Smells like Mikey‘ You think, ‚of course it does, it’s his hoodie.‘
As you lie there on your couch, curled up in his hoodie like a heartbroken girl, you feel a bit nervous. Anxious might be the better word.
The reasons are simple: you haven’t been alone with Mikey for 6 months. You did not even talk to him properly. You had a friends-with-benefits arrangement with him. He broke one rule— and your heart.
Your mind began to fill with memories of Mikey. Sweet ones like him taking you out on his beloved CB205T, his “babu“. He would always put the helmet on your head first.
Or him crawling onto your soft bed, wrapping his strong arms around your waist and burying his face between your tits.
Or him sleeping over for the night at your cozy place and waking you up in the morning with his warm tongue circling your clit and his scarred hands gripping your plush thighs tightly.
Your loud doorbell ripped you out of your memories before your honeypot could heat up.
You quickly got up, took the hoodie off, and stumbled your way to the door. You’re just going to ignore how your face nearly kissed the floor of your apartment.
‚I need to clean my floor, too much dust.‘ You thought.
To your own surprise, or disappointment. You can’t really tell what you’re feeling right now, did you actually expect Mikey to show up?
„Pah-Chin?“ You said the chubby man’s name out loud. He stood in front of you, but the man himself didn’t seem to be so interested.
„Mikey told me to get his hoodie or something.“ He explained, his hand is already outstretched.
You stared for a moment. A small pause before you nodded. „Yes, of course“ You handed him the hoodie that was originally in your hand.
Pah-Chin rubbed his neck with the other hand as he took the hoodie, it was a bit awkward. „Are you still sick?“
„No, I‘m not sick.“
„That’s good.“ He said his goodbyes and disappeared into the stairwell.