tokyo revengers ⇢ TIME IS NOT ON OUR SIDE ft. keisuke baji
you fall in love with a certain gang member in his timeline and you promise to find each other in yours—ten years later.
wc: 1.7k
about: reader is a time leaper and the trigger is a kiss on the lips <3
warnings: just some mild angst in the beginning. nothing heart wrenching. also not proofread lololol
note: this has been in my notes since 2022 and i’m soooo fawking glad it’s finally done and posted. i feel free
from the sidelines, you quietly watch as toman wraps up their last meeting—rather the last meeting you’ll be in attendance as they’ve unanimously decided that the safest course of action for you at the moment is to travel back to the future—your present.
you knew how important this assembly was going to be. you didn’t mean to tune out at least half of it but at one point, the gang was in the middle of bidding you a proper farewell and your gaze had landed on baji where he was stood with his division. as though he could sense your eyes on him, he’d met them with his own and neither of you had been able to look away since.
many months ago, you wouldn’t have had a single clue what was going through baji’s mind. if there’s one thing he’s good at, it’s masking his true feelings behind piercing eyes and cunning smiles—but maybe that’s the very thing that drew you to him in the first place. you crave his unpredictability and the thrill that emanates from him feels endless.
but like all good things, this, too, has come to an end.
inaudible chatters start to buzz through the air as toman members disperse into smaller groups but baji makes a beeline for you.
“hey, captain,” you say with as much mirth as you can muster but he only gives you a smile that doesn’t quite reach his eyes.
“10 years is a long time…” his tone is sullen, so unlike him that you utter your next words without giving it much thought.
“what if i stay?”
it’s only then you realize how selfish it is of you to even consider it an option.
you’re not oblivious to the fact that the gang’s second division captain has a completely different standpoint from the man you’ve grown fond of. you’re also certain that he will always pick loyalty over self-interest.
ultimately, baji is toman’s before he is yours.
“i’m the one doing the waiting so don’t worry about it,” he tells you, though the reassurance sounds more directed at himself.
as your time together gradually runs out, the clearer it becomes in your mind how you two never truly had a chance.
despite his free spirit, baji’s been apprehensive of getting you involved with him because the last thing he needs is word about you going around and in turn, rival gangs using you to get to him. so your feelings stay as is—just feelings.
as you make the most of these last few minutes before you jump back to your present, you can’t find it in yourself to tie him down. not ever but especially not now.
“kei, promise me something.”
“anything.”
“promise me that if you meet someone–”
“it’ll still be you,” he cuts you off. he’s not about to hear you give him away before he’s even had the chance to be yours so he leans closer until there’s barely a millimeter between your lips. then he repeats himself with conviction, “it will still be you.”
before you can protest, baji closes the distance between the two of you in a searing kiss, triggering your 10-year time leap.
one second, it’s as if you’re surrounded by complete darkness then you’re suffering from a splitting headache the next. you suppose that’s a sign your time leap worked.
it takes you some time to regain your lucidity but just as the pain in your head is beginning to subside, you’re brought back to your senses by the shrill ringing from your phone.
still on the edge of your disoriented state, you fail to register the caller id. you simply take the call. “hello?”
“hi. i wanna see you.” your heart jumps at the voice and any sense of confusion in your system leaves your body. “are you home?”
baji.
your breath hitches but you quickly compose yourself before baji can detect any hint of hesitation from you. “uh… yeah, i’m home.”
“alright. see you soon.”
as soon as he hangs up, you pace around your apartment, letting various scenarios play out in your head so you don’t overlook any possible way this can go. sure, you always planned to find baji in this timeline. you just didn’t expect you’d get thrown into this situation immediately. however, you find it odd that baji doesn’t seem fazed at the very least. it’s almost as if no time has passed at all.
you start to doubt if you’ve truly arrived in your timeline but you don’t get to dwell on it any further because the doorbell soon rings throughout your home. when you swing the door open, you’re met with the immediate grin on baji’s face at the sight of you.
“hi there.” he holds up a small bag of takeout, leaning against the doorframe in a posture so lax which is an absolute contradiction to your frantic state. “i got you your favorite.”
“oh. you, uh…” not a single coherent thought is going through your mind right now. you don’t know what to ask. you don’t even know what to say at all. “you didn’t have to.”
“of course i did,” he counters, sauntering over to your dining room to set the tubs of food on the table. you don’t say anything else after that but you must’ve been quiet for a beat too long because baji unexpectedly looks at you with an inquisitive glint in his eye as he begins to examine your tense demeanor. you suppose he still has a knack for reading people. “you okay?”
“mhm,” you reply with a quick nod, a little too immediate for it to be a natural response.
baji doesn’t seem convinced. he walks over to you, putting a hand over your forehead before gently cupping your face to study your expression. “you seemed out of it on the phone. are you sure you’re okay?”
unfortunately for him, his question fails to earn an answer.
but fortunately for you, you finally find an opportunity to ogle and get a closer look at him.
he’s lost the baby fat in his cheeks—his jawline and cheekbones are now a bit more defined, making his face look more sculpted than it already was before. other than that, he still has the same long hair up in a ponytail, the shorter raven locks messily framing his features. same piercing eyes. same swoony smile.
god, was time incredibly kind to him.
“you look…” gorgeous, you want to tell him. instead, you say, “…the same? kind of. i mean, your face is… sharper?”
you want to kick yourself for your inability to think up some adjectives. despite being a decade older, you’re definitely not a year wiser.
it only takes baji a brief moment to catch on before a shit-eating grin is stretching across his face so brazenly that it makes you suspicious.
“kei?”
“so you’re back,” he drawls.
there’s the confirmation you needed—the time leap did work. but why is baji so chill about it?
“keisuke,” you say more sternly which elicits a deep chuckle from him. “what happened in ten years?”
“you know…” he begins with a cadence that makes you weak in the knees—you have to quickly remind yourself about the bigger matter at hand. “you usually call me babe.”
huh?
with your lack of response, baji takes it as his cue to continue, “do you wanna know what happened after we kissed? or should i just skip to our first date?”
our first-
“what?!” you shriek.
the utter shock in your face makes baji cackle.
“did you really think i was just gonna sit around and do nothing? turns out ten years is more than enough time to win you over,” he begins to explain, occasionally interrupted by his own laughter. “in my defense, i tried to wait. keep my distance and all, but you—” he emphasizes with an accusatory point of his index finger in your direction, “—couldn’t. apparently, you and other you have one thing in common. i’m your type.”
you’ve always deemed baji as the loyal one but right now, you might just give him a run for his money.
“i asked you out?”
“what?” baji sounds offended, almost competitive even, as if the very idea of it was ridiculous. “i asked you out. you just liked me back. what kind of man do you think i am?”
in that instant, you catch a glimpse of the younger baji. considering that the memory of your goodbyes is still clear and fresh in your mind, it almost makes you laugh—perhaps the boy you had to leave behind ten years ago is still somewhere inside the man standing before you now.
and deep down, you know you would’ve asked him out then if the circumstances were any different. for a brief moment, you let yourself wonder if he would’ve been just as offended.
“so… we’re dating?” the words feel weird on your tongue. not that you’re complaining.
“yup.”
“for how long?”
“a little over two years.”
you swear you feel your eyes bulge out of your skull at the revelation. “wow… okay.”
“you don’t look happy,” he teases.
“i am!” your rebuttal comes out a bit too defensively, prompting you to take a sharp inhale and reverting your voice to its neutral inflection. “i am,” you repeat. “it’s just… a lot to process.”
“take your time.”
baji presses a soft kiss on your forehead and that’s when it hits you.
“have we kissed…? since… you know…”
“not on the lips. i had to make up some no-kiss rule just in case—which other you hated, by the way—but now that you mention it…” he steps even closer, forcing you to walk backwards until you’re backed up against the kitchen counter and caged in his arms. “i’m gonna need you to refresh my memories.”
“what if i go back to the past?”
“i’ll kiss you there too,” he speaks with so much certainty it makes your heart flutter.
“then we’d just keep going back and forth,” you joke.
“then so be it.” with his face just merely inches away from yours, his voice dips in volume. just enough for you to still catch his words when he says, “i waited a long time. i think i deserve it.”
you roll your eyes but you don’t bother to fight the smile tugging at your lips. “it’s not waiting if we’re already together… babe.”
the playfulness in baji’s eyes gradually dies as his gaze on you softens into something more sincere—exactly how it always did ten years ago each time he looked at you. “i promised it’d still be you, didn’t i?”
Rootkit: Mother drew me something like this once to show me so that when it was just me I could make sure Hymnclan was ok! Umm... We live up on a biiiiiiig mountain side, in the caverns, but we also have a bit of forest!
Screechclan and us don't get along much because we're "always fighting about the bluff"... that's what Father said at least. They live in prairie and hills near us.
Coastclan was nice with us, which is why we wanted the bluff to um.... border them? They live on the beach! I wanna visit.
I don't know much about Makoclan except they live on the island and sandbars, and Waxclan lives across the river in the forest.
Father said leaders go to the Little Moon to speak with Starclan for special stuff, and that all clans meet at the Big Rocks to talk about things once a moon! Maybe when I'm big I can go visit?
I still need to figure out a base for him so he can stand on his own, and I’m still trying to decide if I should paint dot eyes under his glasses. But, ahhh such a lovely time I had sculpting this guy. I’ll definitely do it again with a more interesting pose…
