wooo okay, over 4k words lets go
An Archive of Our Own, a project of the
Organization for Transformative Works
uhhh anyways, i'd recommend reading this on ao3 since I'm way more used to the formatting on there and it'll probably be a better experience in general, but if you really want to read this stuff here go ahead bam:
Maki: I need you to come pick me up.
Kaito: did something happen?? 😥 where are you???
Maki: 363 Sakura Lane. I’ll tell you when you get here, just please get here as soon as possible. I don't have my car.
Kaito: wait weren't you out with shuichi
Kaito: holy shit are you two okay?!
Maki: Oh, he's more than fine. I said I'll explain when you get here. Please Momota, I don't know how much time I have out here.
Kaito: i swear to god you better be safe
Kaito: on my way right now
Pulling her leather jacket tighter over her shaking body, Maki shoved her nearly-dead phone into the pocket. If she realized it was going to be this cold out, she wouldn't have worn a dress, or at least would've worn tights. She just tried to bury the feeling in the back of her head for now. There was something much more important to focus on. She really hoped that shop she noticed on the drive here was still open… The clicks of her high heels and her breathing were the only sounds that registered in Maki's mind as she eventually found the place she was looking for. She had to go quickly. Not only did she not have much time before Kaito was here to be her getaway driver, but there was no telling how long Shuichi would be occupied. God, just thinking about his name boiled her blood at the moment.
Maki forcibly opened the door to the business, quickly heading to the baseball equipment. She was lucky there was a sports equipment store nearby. The bat look didn't matter, she just needed something metal. Scanning the selection, the girl grabbed the first metal bat she could find before marching to the register. Luckily there wasn't a line— of course there wasn't a line. It was nearly 8 at night, maybe 5 people in the store tops. She placed the bat roughly on the counter, digging through her purse for her wallet. She wasn't expecting small talk.
“Huh, what does a pretty lady like you need a slugger for at this hour?” The man working the register asked, leaning against the counter. Maki didn't reply with anything other than her typical glare, taking out her card to pay before even hearing how much the bat cost. It didn't matter to her right now, being an assassin paid well enough that she was willing to pay anything for the sweet taste of revenge she was after. The worker just stared at her for a moment before shrugging, about to put the bat into a bag for Maki before she just grabbed it and walked out. A bag would just slow her down.
Kaito: gonna be a little late traffic is a bitch right now 😒 please be safe still until I get there
Maki: Random question since you're more into sciencey stuff than I am.
Kaito: oh lay it on me! 😁
Maki: How hard would I have to swing an aluminum bat to take off the mirrors of a car, assuming they're made of steel?
Kaito: I feel like if I answer, I'm gonna be an accomplice in a crime what are you doing
Kaito: maki oh god please reply
Kaito: don't do anything illegal please 😥
Maki's phone died just before she got an answer to her question, causing an irritated groan to escape her lips. Well, she just had to hope Kaito got here still and didn't need her for any clarification. It was a pretty far walk home too, so that was out of the question. If Kaito couldn't show up, her only other option would be to just head back to the restaurant and wait for him to come back from whatever he was doing in that club with that girl. She seemed familiar to Maki, but then again she had seen a lot of blondes in her life. Walking with the baseball bat firmly in her hand, she finally found where the car was parked. Luckily it was somewhat isolated.
She wasn't stupid, she knew that just attacking it without a plan would cause the car alarm to go off, and attention was the last thing she needed. She had an idea of how to do this but didn't know how well it would work. Maki placed the bat on the ground and reached a hand under her dress, eventually finding the knife strapped to her thigh. Maki walked over to the front of the car, silently thanking her brother for fucking up the lock on the hood to the car a few months ago as a “prank”, as well reluctantly thanking Shuichi for never getting it fixed. It made popping open the hood of the car a breeze. Now it was just about locating the battery… dammit, if only her phone hadn't died. She could just Google it, or worst case scenario, ask Miu. Sure they weren't on the best terms, but they tolerated each other.
After searching for a bit longer than she'd admit, she located the battery, holding the knife in her hand a bit nervously. Either cutting this wire was going to work, or she was about to get electrocuted and die. Death didn't necessarily scare her, but traumatizing Kaito wasn't part of the plan. That would just be unnecessary collateral damage. Maybe… No, she wasn't just going to back down now, not after getting this far and already having bought a bat that cost god knows how much. As her eyes closed she braced for the pain, her blade snapped the battery’s wire… and nothing happened. At first, she thought that maybe she didn't cut it, so she opened her eyes to look. Nope, it was disconnected. Maki breathed a sigh of relief seeing that her action was successful, now knowing that the alarm was disabled. That gave her free reign to enact revenge.
The knife went into her pocket, perhaps a more convenient location that she should take advantage of more often, and the bat was back in her hands. The question was where to start… maybe she'd start front to back. Or just go in whatever order she saw fit. Regardless, she decided to start with the headlights given they were closest. Maki’s grip tightened on the bat as she took a swing at the left headlight, hearing the satisfying sound of plastic crumbling behind the force of her swing. It was like a drug as she took a swing at the other headlight, the same sound ringing in her ears. She took a moment to step back and look at the damage, the situation dawning on her. She was being the crazy ex-girlfriend right now. The rational part of her brain was telling her to stop right now and wait for Kaito to get here before she caused more damage.
However, the long-repressed emotions in her brain were making themselves known tonight.
Maki took a few practice swings of her bat, looking at the side mirrors. She never did get an answer from Kaito to her question. Oh well, putting the scientific method to the test was always an option. Question: How hard would she have to swing to take the mirrors off? Research had failed, so she'd just need to get her own. Hypothesis: She wouldn't have to swing all that hard to get these pesky mirrors off the car. Putting said hypothesis to the test, Maki took a not-so-forceful swing at the left mirror. The mirror was now pointed downwards but didn't quite break off how she expected it to. More testing would be needed. First, though, she finished the job on the left, taking one more satisfying swing upward this time. The mirror flew off, crashing against the ground a foot or two away from where she was standing. She stared at the broken mirror for a moment before heading to the other side of the car.
Adrenaline rushed through her veins as she winded up for a second swing. Maki tapped the mirror the first few times just to align herself, her hands shaking slightly. The rationale that usually kept her grounded was out the window at this point as she swung as hard as she could this time. The mirror shot through the air like a rocket going into orbit before hitting the ground with a satisfying thud and skidding across the asphalt for a few feet. Maki watched the mirror slow to a halt, making a mental note of her little experiment. She’d have to let Kaito know once he got here, that way they’d both know for future reference.
Maki’s urge for vengeance and destruction wasn’t quite satisfied yet, however. She wanted more. She wanted to make him pay.
Flipping the bat so that she was holding the barrel of it, she lined up the cap of the bat with the corner of the right window. It’s just glass, it shouldn’t be all that hard. With a quick breath, Maki pulled back and then thrust the bat into the corner of the window as hard as she could. Unfortunately, it didn’t do as much as she would have hoped. Sure, a few cracks went across the glass near where she hit the window, but it would definitely take more time than she had to get the window down. She needed to get in there. Shuichi still had the keys and she didn’t have anything to pick the door locks with, so she had no way of getting into the vehicle without going through the glass… Maybe she just wasn’t using the right tool. Her mind went to those window-breaking tools that she saw being advertised sometimes. Of course, the moment she saw those on her screens, she looked up how they worked, mostly out of skepticism that they'd even work. Turns out the way they worked was that they’re pressed into the glass, and then release a spike at a high speed to shatter the glass.
Now, of course, she didn’t end up getting one of them. Maki thought they were stupid and a waste of money. However, she did have a sharp object with her and had experience with thrusting sharp blades into objects. Typically people and not glass, but still. Just in case the attempt at breaking the glass previously would mess this up, Maki walked over to the other side of the car, dropping the bat at her feet. Her knife was soon back in her hand as she lined the blade up with the corner once again. Taking another breath as she had done previously, Maki pulled back and shoved the knife into the glass with as much force as she physically could. The following sound of glass shattering was like music to her ears as she watched the window become a jagged pattern of destruction. All it took from there was a slight nudge to cause the flimsy shards of glass to collapse on themselves and give her perfect access to the handle on the inside of the car. Maki unlocked the car with ease from there, opening the door soon after. Perfect, now she could climb in and really leave her mark. Not caring about the glass in the slightest, Maki climbed into the car, ignoring the stabbing feeling of the tiny shards of glass into her knees. That wasn’t important at the moment, besides this wasn’t nearly as bad as any other pain she had gone through during her training for her… “job”. No, what mattered right now was sending a message.
She dug the blade into the passenger seat and just dragged that knife through the leather, the foam inside of the seat tearing along with it. One cut wasn’t nearly enough though, no she had to keep going. Cut after cut, stab after stab. The motion was practically addicting. Once the passenger seat was thoroughly torn to shreds, Maki turned her attention over to the driver’s seat that she was kneeling on. She slid off of the seat and put her feet back onto the asphalt, still ignoring the blood now slowly traveling down her knees. She recreated the same pattern roughly on the driver’s seat, besides one more little detail just so Shuichi knew it was her who did this. Her initials carved into the headrest. She knew damn well he’d be able to piece it together, Shuichi was too smart for his own good. And the best part? Maki knew she’d get away with it regardless if he figured it out or not. She knew he wouldn’t report it. After all, she had just as much dirt on him as he had on her. Sure, him knowing that she was a paid assassin and murdered people for a living wasn’t great, but he also covered up all those crimes for her. If she was going down, she was going to take him down with her. Mutually assured destruction.
If only she could check the time right now. Shame that her phone died. She didn’t need to know how late it was right now, but it would give her a good idea of how much time she roughly had left to keep going. All she could do was do as much as she could before Kaito got here. She was pretty sure that he’d get here before Shuichi did. Shuichi did seem pretty occupied last she checked. Maki closed the door to the car before jamming her knife into it, dragging it as much as she could before it got tiring. She just did it again though. And again. By the time she was done tearing up the driver’s door, it looked like a werewolf got to the car. She’d probably need a new knife after this. What else could she do before she had to leave… the tires! Maki rushed to pop the tires, making sure to leave one unpopped so that Shuichi would have to buy the new tires himself instead of getting insurance to cover them. The front two tires and the back left tire soon deflated, leaving the car mostly on the ground. Perfect. Out of the corner of her eye, Maki noticed the headlights of another car getting closer. The car stood out to her even in the dark. That purple exterior for a truck couldn’t be anyone else other than Kaito. She still had a few seconds though… Maki slipped the knife back into her pocket and quickly picked up the baseball bat she bought, swinging at the window. She didn’t intend to break it, and of course, it didn’t break. She just wanted to cause as much damage as she could.
Unfortunately, Kaito was driving a bit faster than she thought he was and watched as she swung that bat into the windshield. He was, obviously, very shocked, quickly breaking as he rolled down the window and poked his head out. The music he was blasting in his car was oddly fitting for the moment. “We Know” from Hamilton.
“Harukawa, what the hell are you doing?!” He yelled from his truck, a panicked look in his eyes. It hadn't quite yet dawned on him that it was Shuichi's car that she had just torn up. Maki only glanced over at him before hurrying over to the passenger’s door and hopping into the truck. She shoved the bat into the back seat, quickly buckling her seatbelt.
Despite her tone sounding rather stern and threatening, Kaito didn't budge, staring at her like she just murdered someone.
“Hang on, what the fuck is going on?! I know you mentioned that you needed me to come quick and all, but why were you destroying a car?! Who's fucking car was that?! Why do you have a bat?!” Kaito looked back at the car that had been the victim of Maki's rampage, finally realizing whose car it was. Shit, what was he getting in the middle of…? “Is that Shuichi's car?!”
“I said drive. I’ll explain as you drive.” Maki practically demanded, folding her arms as she closed her eyes. Against his better judgment, Kaito pulled out of the parking lot and sped out of there, rolling up the windows in the process. He turned off the car radio, figuring his theater kid interests weren't the most appropriate at this moment. He could jam out to soundtracks after he figured out what happened. Once the duo was about a minute or two away from the restaurant, Kaito sighed.
“Okay, explain. What is going on?” He tried to keep a soft tone, but the panic in his voice was so painfully obvious. Who wouldn't be panicking right now?
“Well, we've got a bit of a drive back to my place. Floor it yours, Harumaki.”
Maki sat there for a moment before slowly beginning to explain. “Well, Saihara and I went out to dinner for our 1 year anniversary. Just as we were about to order our meals, suddenly he gets a call, and then just— gets up from the table without saying a word to me. I asked him where he was going, not a word.” Kaito seemed skeptical as she explained what happened.
“He didn't say anything to you?”
“No, he didn't. I waited for a few minutes before following him. I used that app thing that's supposed to help you find lost electronics, and guess where his fucking phone was?” Maki glanced at Kaito, even though her question was rhetorical.
“The strip club?!” The name sounded oddly familiar to him…
“Yep.” Maki sighed, looking down at her legs. They had stopped bleeding at this point, so that was good. “I thought it was weird, so I walked in, trying to figure out where he was. You can imagine my shock when I saw him with some other girl, holding onto her while she had a drink in her hand. She seemed familiar, but I didn't get close enough to tell.” Maki finished explaining, as Kaito's eyes suddenly widened.
“Hey, Maki Roll…? What did that girl happen to look like…?” Kaito asked with a bit of nervousness in his voice, really hoping it wasn't who he thought it was.
Maki seemed confused as to why he'd ask that but answered regardless. “Blond, about the same height as Saihara, purple eyes—”
Maki sat there and thought for a moment before her own eyes widened a bit. Holy shit, it was her. “....I think so.”
“Fuck— Miu is gonna be pissed when she hears about that— Or sees it, depending on how fast the two find each other again.”
“Yeah, Miu was telling me all about it. She wanted to have some fun, so she dragged Kaede out to the place for the night. She was texting me earlier, very drunk might I add, that she lost Kaede and had no clue where she was. Didn't realize she was hanging out with Shuichi, apparently.” He did sound pretty disappointed. It was hard not to be when two of your friends went off and did stuff behind two of your other friends’ backs.
“....Huh. Are you planning on texting her or something?”
“Of course I am. Once we get off the road, I'll do it. For the time being… You alright?” Kaito's voice got a lot softer, something that Maki hadn't been expecting. She sat there flabbergasted for longer than she'd admit, shaking her head.
“I'm fine. This isn't the first time I've caught someone cheating. This is why I told you I don't do romance anymore.” Maki mumbled, looking out the window of Kaito's truck. “I'm done being that vulnerable to people.”
Kaito frowned a bit, sighing. “Hey, you don't have to wall yourself off. It's not like it's your fault it happened or anything. Besides, if you put back up your defenses every time you get hurt, you'll never trust anyone ever again.”
“...Good. Maybe that's for the best.” Maki muttered, leaning against the door. “Can't get hurt that way.”
“Maki Roll no, that's not a healthy way to live.”
“I care, Harukawa.” He figured using her last name would grab her attention again. It did. “You're one of my best friends. I don't want to see you hurting yourself because of what others do! That's not fair to yourself and you know it! If being open with people gets you hurt, then you just have to pick yourself back up and keep going. Eventually, you’ll find someone who’ll treat you right.”
Maki stared at him for a minute before shaking her head and rolling her eyes. “You've had that speech planned for months, haven't you.” She teased, using a hand to hide the slight smile that had inched its way onto her face. Like it or not, Kaito's words did have a way of cheering her up somehow.
Kaito’s face flushed slightly from embarrassment as he glanced at Maki, letting out a sheepish laugh. “Who cares! What matters is that you're smiling now.” Shots fired. Maki lightly punched him in the arm, looking back out the window.
The two sat in silence for a few minutes as Kaito drove, both seeming to just enjoy the company of the other.
“...Apparently, you don't need to swing a baseball bat all that hard to take a car mirror off. Just a little bit of force should do it.”
Kaito’s brain short-circuited for a moment, causing him to nearly drive into oncoming traffic. He quickly slammed on the brakes, sending the both of them forward before the seatbelts caught them. “Is that what you used the baseball bat for?!”
Maki just stared at him for a moment before replying. “That and smashing the headlights.”
“What? I wanted to make him pay.”
“Jesus— you better hope to god that Shuichi doesn't figure out you did it. You're fucked otherwise, and I, unfortunately, can't save you from that.”
Maki chose not to mention the situation the both of them were in with secrets, just nodding her head a bit. The drive lasted for around 10 more minutes before the truck pulled up to Kaito's place. They both got out as Kaito unlocked the door and let Maki in.
Kaito's place was nice, it always felt oddly calming to the girl. Lots of purple and stars, the entire house had LEDS going around that always seemed to be on a dim purple setting, the couch had a ton of blankets and was surprisingly comfortable… She wouldn't mind staying the night. Crashing on Kaito's couch was probably the best couch to crash on.
“Alright, you already know to make yourself comfortable, I'll go grab one of my hoodies from upstairs for you and a pair of shorts you left here last time.” Kaito took another look at her, noticing the glass shards in her knees and the blood. “...and some bandages, apparently.” Before Maki could even protest, Kaito had walked upstairs, leaving Maki to sit quietly on the couch and wait for the astronaut to return. Sure enough, he was back after a bit with everything he promised, setting the clothes down next to Maki before kneeling in front of her. “I'm not even gonna question why you have this much glass in you right now. This is gonna sting, just a heads up.” He knew Maki knew it would sting, but he still felt obligated to give her a warning. Working his way across her legs, he picked out all the glass he could with tweezers before cleaning off the blood and wrapping up her legs in roll bandages. “Heh, look! Roll bandages for Maki Roll!” He knew that pun was going to end up with another punch on his shoulder as he just laughed off the other's motion.
“Shut up.” Maki hissed, looking at her bandaged knees.
“Fine, fine. It was funny though!” He eventually finished, stepping back before standing up. “Gonna go empty the glass shard bowl now, feel free to go change.” With his declaration, Kaito wandered off again, leaving Maki sitting on his couch. How did she end up here…? The night started so nicely and had just… spiraled out of her grasp. So much for unconditional trust. Attempting and failing to bury the thoughts, Maki rose from the couch and walked somberly to the bathroom. Despite telling herself she wasn't going to look in the mirror, as her dress and jacket came off it was all she could stare at. Scars both old and new littered her pale skin, including one distinct one over her left eye. Her eye still hadn't quite healed from that. It wasn't much of an interference usually, but it did result in some unfortunate stumbles into walls.
Her eyes traced downward, lingering on the silicone mold pressed against her chest held up pointlessly by a black bra. Maki's gaze stayed there for longer than she would admit as she eventually slid off both objects, immediately putting on that hoodie Kaito had graced her with. Her senses were immediately flooded with the scent of lavender and cheap body spray. She couldn't tell if she was disgusted or not. Well, she didn't really have any other options, it was either put back on the fake chest and put back on her dress or deal with this. She opted to slide the shorts on and deal with it. Maki rounded up all her clothing, taking a few extra seconds to wrap up the silicone and hide it between the fabric in her arms. She didn't want to answer any questions from the astronaut as to why she'd need a fake chest. She was already under enough stress and was already irritable enough.
After checking herself in the mirror one last time and deciding to take her hair down, Maki slowly walked out of the bathroom and met Kaito in the living room. She set her stuff down on the coffee table.
“Hey, there you are! Let me see your stuff, I can throw them in the wash real quick—” As Kaito went to scoop it up, Maki immediately put her hand on top of the pile a bit more hastily than she had intended. Kaito looked at her for a moment before a slight chuckle escaped his lips. “Relax, I don't care about seeing your bra or whatever. I have 3 sisters, remember?” Maki shook her head, not a word coming out of her mouth. Kaito seemed to take the hint, backing off as he sat down on the couch. “Alright, suit yourself.” Kaito took out his phone and opened up a food delivery app, picking the nearest fast food place. He was quiet for a moment as he added things to the car and checked out, looking over at Maki who had been sitting and staring at her lap after the close call. “I ordered McDonald's, and got us both chicken nuggets since I figured those would be light, but still something since you didn't get to actually eat.”
Maki looked at him for a moment before sighing, a slight smile on her face as she leaned into him a bit. She was met with the feeling of Kaito's arm wrapping around her, something Maki found comforting. “Thanks, I guess.” She mumbled. Kaito just nodded, letting them both stay there in comfortable silence again. If it hadn't been for a question on her mind and the promise of something to eat in about half an hour, Maki might've fallen asleep there.
“I've been wondering since I put the hoodie on: how the hell did you manage to get a piece of clothing to smell both great and gross at the same time…?”
“Oh, probably the mix of the 3 in 1 stuff I use in the shower and Axe body spray. Why?”
