This Crumbs Are Everything Rn Cause I Literally Want To Die, There's Nothing Left

this crumbs are everything rn cause i literally want to die, there's nothing left

nothing

if that makes sense

i’m officially leaving tr — fuck you and fuck everyone else.

anyways here have haitani + kakucho crumbs

how is people so talented like this mannnnn

this is perfect😭😭😭

Hi! So I think a couple days ago I sent you an ask about Baji getting a tattoo about his s/o or sum

BUT, why am I seeing artist Kazutora working like day and night on a special piece and it's like a super pretty mural / painting of his s/o and he worked so hard on it

warnings| love confessions.

notes| WHEN? WHEN DID YOU SEND ME THIS? WHENWHEN *RATTLES CAGE* why is tumblr fucking with me! i have no recollection of ever receiving an ask like that!! send me ‘baji getting a tattoo for his s/o’ in a separate ask lemme write that! Unedited: read at your own risk!

"Is this what you've been working on instead of taking appointments?"

Mikey doesn't look it but the surprise in his tone is evident. Baji stands to his left and Chifuyu to his right wearing matching expressions of awe as Kazutora flits around the room cleaning up after himself.

“Yeah,” he answers. “Do you like it?”

“Kazu this is the most amazing thing I have ever seen in my fucking life,” Chifuyu admits, blinking incredulously at him. “I can’t believe you want to spend the rest of your life tattooing people when you could be painting them.”

Baji is speechless. He glances between the giant canvas and Kazutora who appears mostly nonchalant about the masterpiece he’s created. His mouth opening and closing like a fish as he struggles to find the right words to say.

Kazutora straightens, scoffing at Chifuyu. “Sure.”

“I agree with him,” Mikey says, and the silence that follows unnerves even Baji who locks eyes with Chifuyu over Mikey’s head.

“Uh- thanks Mikey,” Kazutora clears his throat and Chifuyu almost laughs when he rubs the back of his neck nervously.

“Is that your girl?” Mikey asks, taking a step deeper into the room. Baji and Chifuyu move closer to each other, eyeing their friends apprehensively.  Kazutora nods, propping himself against his work table as Mikey inspects the painting. He looks ridiculous standing next to the big thing but so did Kazutora. Mikey hums. “And you did this in three days?”

Baji and Chifuyu eye each other. 

“Yup,” Kazutora’s boot begins to tap on the floor. 

“It’ stunning, Kazu.” Mikey’s grin catches them all off guard. Baji releases a breath he didn’t even know he was holding. Chifuyu wipes an invisible line of sweat from his forehead.

“Yeah?” Kazutora smiles. “Think she’ll like it?”

“I’m gonna be honest with you Kazu, I always knew you could paint but this?” Baji gestures to the canvas. “This is something else entirely.”

Baji has a few of Kazutora’s paintings hanging around his apartment, even one of him and Kaori when she was learning to walk. Those were beautiful, it was obvious he’d taken great care when doing them. 

This one? This was breathtaking. The colours were vibrant, alive. It screamed love. It shouted the happiness you bring to his life in every colour, and line, in every bold stroke. It made Baji’s heart pound the longer he took in the careful way Kazutora crafted you out of thousands of tiny flowers. It was only from the shoulders up but it was big enough that Baji couldn’t believe Kazutora had only done it in three days. 

“She’ll love it,” Mikey shrugs. 

“I love it,” Chifuyu frowns. “A lot. If she doesn’t want it, can I-”

Baji silences Chifuyu with an elbow to his gut. “Ignore him. She’ll love it Kazu.

The last time Kazutora blindfolded you, you’d ended up in a pool fully clothed, but he’d also licked stray droplets of water from your skin, and listen, the powers that be blessed you with a man with a tongue ring. You will never complain about being licked, ever, even if it’s in public. But, you’re still torn about the current blindfold. 

“There aren’t any pools around right?”

Kazutora laughs. “There are no large bodies of water around.”

“Okay,” you sigh. “And you won’t let me go right? At all?”

You can feel his eyes on you. “No, I won’t let you go. Not ever.”

You get the feeling he’s answering more than just the question you’ve asked. It gives you butterflies. “Are we almost there? You’re making me nervous.”

He lifts your joined hands and kisses the inside of your wrist gingerly. “Five more minutes.”

Five minutes feels longer when you’re anxious somehow. By the time Kazutora parks Baji’s SUV you’re fidgeting in your seat. He rounds the car and helps you out before guiding you into the building. It’s a restaurant you realize when he gives his name to the hostess. You’re lead into a back room you assume. And when the door closes behind you Kazutora moves his hand from your back but doesn’t release the other.

“Before I take the blindfold off I have a confession,” he says. There’s something in his voice that raises your hackles. A slight tremor that has you squeezing his hand tightly. 

“Kaz-”

“It’s nothing bad,” he reassures you. “I’m just fucking nervous, holy shit.”

You can’t help it you laugh. “Is it that serious?”

Kazutora brushes the back of his hand across your cheek, cupping it gently. He leaves a soft kiss to your mouth and when he pulls away he whispers. “I’m in love with you.”

The words stun you. Your mouth opens and closes dumbly. You wish you could see him. “Take the blindfold off, Kazutora.”

“Not yet,” he clears his throat, backing you into a chair and helping you sit. “This is new to me,” he continues. “The last time I fell in love it was with Kaori and that’s entirely different from this. Sometimes I look at you and I cannot believe you’re mine.”

He sighs and you want to rip the fucking blindfold off.

“When I- when I went to prison,” he starts. You still. “I didn’t think I’d make it out, much less to find a job, and a family waiting for me so, I owe Mikey and Baji everything. They’ve stuck by me even when I had a shitty attitude and very uh-” he takes a deep breath “very manic tendencies. They’ve seen me through some shit that I am not proud of and- and you know that and you’re still here.”

Emotions clogs your throat. You have no idea where he’s going with this but you can already feel that he’s going to make you cry.

“You never ask for anything from me, you’re so patient with me, and honest, and attentive and- I don’t know what I did to deserve you but I know that I’m in love with you,” he breathes, and he’s so close, both hands are cupping your face now. “I am so in love with you, and I am going to do everything in my power to make myself worthy of you. To make sure you don’t leave me. So, I’m making a promise to you, today.”

He reaches around your head to untie the blindfold, chuckling when you immediately try to dab at your damp eyes. You blink, your eyes adjusting to the bright light in the room.

You glance behind him at a massive painting. It’s beautiful. It’s a portrait of a woman made of thousands of flowers. You turn back to him and he lifts a brow at you, gesturing to the painting with his head.

“You don’t recognize her?”

Your brows furrow. “Should—”

You turn to the painting again. Taking in the woman’s features. Her hair and skin. Her eyes and mouth. Your lips part in surprise. It’s you. The petals from each flower overlap so that your skin looks heavily textured. And one of your eyes is covered entirely by a large hibiscus blossom, your lips are parted and it looks, from this angle, like you’re looking down at whoever is looking at the painting. It’s- you can’t speak as you stand. The way Kazutora has painted you leaves you breathless. You look like a goddess. When you reach back for him you realize you’re shaking.

“It’s- that’s me,” you say shakily. “You- you painted me?”

His signature is barely visible in the bottom right of the painting but his style is unique enough that you know it’s his work immediately. Your heart is thundering, your mind spinning because the painting is huge. You wonder when he had the time to paint something this size.

“Do you like it?”

Your expression is incredulous, the tears should have been the first sign that you loved it. Sometimes Kazutora is so blind to his own talent that it makes you angry.

“It’s beautiful, Kazutora,” you blink rapidly, trying to combat the flood of tears rolling your eyes again. “I love you.”

“Good,” he replies, simply. “My promise is to worship and love you. To treat you like at any moment you can realize you are too good for me.”

Your only response is to throw yourself at him, he’s prepared and you can only hiccup as he tries to soothe your crying.

“I didn’t mean to make you cry,” he points out. “Tears don’t inspire confidence in most men.”

“Shut up,” you huff. “These are happy tears. Where the fuck are we supposed to put that thing? It’s huge Kazutora!”

He motions to the room. “This is mine,” he scratches his head. “I know the owners of the restaurant. The painting can stay here for as long as we like.”

“You’re going to explain that to me eventually,” you say. “How long did that take you?”

“Three days.”

“And did you eat, sleep or shower in that time?”

“Uhm—”

You interrupt him with a soft kiss. “I love you so much,” you frown. “And I appreciate this painting way more than I can put into words, but we’ll get to that later. However, I would really, really appreciate it if you took care of yourself too.”

Kazutora flushes and you can only giggle. “Right, yeah, understandable.”

“Good boy.” You glance at the painting once more, still unable to comprehend how Kazutora can make you look that good. “Is that really how you see me?”

“You mean like a goddess?” he questions as he leads you to a small dining table off to one side. “Pretty much.”

“All the time?” You press.

He stares at you silently for a second. “Yes, angel, all the time.”

You frown. “I don’t know how I feel about that.”

“Just thinking about you makes me hard,” he shrugs as he turns rings the small bell on the table. “I promise the way I see you is the least of your worries. What I think about when I think of you should be your concern.

“Oh,” your eyes widen. “Do share?”

“I’ll show you later,” he says offhandedly. “I want to recommend the pasta. It’s delicious.”

You blink at him, a small smile on your face as he waits innocently for the waitress to come take your order.

You love him so much you think you might hate him a little.

Baji 🤝 Chifuyu = Keeping the peace when Mikey finds out Kazutora has been locking himself in his studio to paint instead of running the tattoo shop like he should be.

—many times over—

shinichiro sano x reader

mostly fluff, some angsty parts in between. i was grieving for draken while writing, so yeah, that's were the inspiration for the sad things come from.

this maintains a discreet connection with my last post, making some subtle mentions of it. so, in case you would like to read it, it's here. i would appreciate it immensely

wc: 6.6k (sorry, i got a bit carried away)

a/n: this is my love letter to shinichiro, i put my heart and soul into this story, so i really hope you all enjoy it and don't get much confused with all the time jumps. i also would like to add that guys, seriously, just love whoever you want and don't ever give up what you desire, okay? don't be like yua's father and just let people be happy (you will understand after reading). life is short, and we stupidly think we have time, but we actually don't. be always joyful and hold onto your dreams with both hands. to anyone who is reading this, good luck! go and confess already or just fulfill that one thing you want the most, i believe in you

reblogs, likes and comments are deeply appreciated. please ignore any spelling mistakes, the constant editing and the awful glitching

yua — "primarily a female name of japanese origin that means love, affection"

eyes slowly opening. 9:11 a.m.

a couple of minutes after waking up, the cloudburst was captured by your senses

you’ve spent the night with shinichiro after he mentioned that today, he was not going to work at the shop and you were mostly free from your duties. so now, you found yourself laying by his side, head on his bare chest while one of his arms was keeping your body close, null distance

sadly, the comforting position didn’t last long. you decided to get up from his clasp to take a look outside, reaching the sliding door from his bedroom that lead to the backyard of the sano’s residence, leaving it open to allow the humid mist of the rain caress your skin, not forgetting to carefully make sure that the bed was far enough from you, so it wouldn’t bother shinichiro. all of this because, when the green of the plants that lie in the garden, moves slightly to the weak blows the water causes when dropping, it relaxes you

appreciating the view, you instantly recognized an old bike drowning on the ground next to some old motorcycle parts, causing a few giggles to escape from your lips

moments after, your boyfriend rolled in bed and felt your absence, making him sluggishly start to wake up too, huffing. he thought you had agreed to stay the ‘’whole day’’ in bed to be lazy together and here you were, up at nine in the morning

when his eyes adjusted better to the dim light the surroundings provided, he saw you standing against the doorframe, looking at the rain outside and laughing softly, in nothing more than black panties and one of his plain white shirts barely covering your thighs. how could he be mad at you for leaving his side when you looked like that? it wasn’t fair

he felt in heaven, he couldn’t describe it any other way. you were his angel, his day and night, his girl

he knew from way back that you loved watching the raindrops fall, and with the passing of years, he came to discover that he loved watching you

-good morning baby, what you doin' over there? what’s so funny?- he stretched out fully awake and placed his arms at the back of his head, getting into a more comfortable position to admire you better

-crap, did i wake you up?- you quickly turned around to look at him, startled by the sudden sound of his voice

-not really. i was missing you in my sleep, so i stopped doing it- he fake pouted and you rolled your eyes, he really beats himself every morning with stuff like this, it never ceases to amaze you

-you are ridiculous- you said and he smiled without saying anything else, waiting for your response

-so?-

-i was just thinking about that one time we ditched a whole day of classes to go for ramen with master kazo, when we were in middle school. the bike outside, it’s the same one, right?-

even if you tried, you couldn’t remember the exact date. you were both young and pretty much dumb, hungry and immensely bored. it just happened

-yeah. you mean our first date?- he asked biting off a smirk

-that wasn’t our first date, shinichiro. it was just one time we hanged out, we were still friends- you crossed your arms in your chest, protesting. he always teases you like this

-what do you mean friends? i already confessed to you like five times and i think i did it again that day- he said, sitting up

-with that one last confession, they were actually eleven-

-you counted them?- his voice sounded so offended that you couldn’t help but laugh in his face

-you didn’t?-

he laughed with you, a blush creeping his neck and cheeks. still the same dork

-that’s so fucking embarrassing- he rubbed his eyes, cringing

you left the door and walked towards him, standing next to his shirtless sitting figure at the corner of the bed, one of your knees on the mattress and both arms around his neck, fidgeting with his morning hair

-it is- you chuckled, gazing at him

-whatever, you were so whipped for me back then that you even kissed me at the end, how about that, hm?- he placed his arms around the back of your bare thighs, stroking them sweetly

-shut up, i just accepted the invitation because you pestered me so much and it really was a boring class. and the kiss was because you got all bruised for me and i felt bad about it- you frowned and looked away, now feigning annoyance

-that’s such an awful lie- he mentioned narrowing his eyes, making you laugh and give up

-yeah, it kinda is- you admitted

he smiled and stared at you for a couple of seconds in comfortable silence, as if he were thinking about something, an idea enlightening his mind

-would you like to try it again?-

-what?- you perfectly knew what he meant, the question simply slipped from your lips. did he really just came up with that?

-it’s raining, kazo surprisingly still makes ramen and i’m still in love with you. how about we take that same date right now? what could possibly go wrong?- yes he did, and you? you were a speechless, blushing mess trying to play it cool

-accidents, shinichiro? that could go wrong, and i don’t want us to die because of your damn motorcycle- who were you trying to fool? you actually loved the idea. but you were worried, you weren’t irresponsible kids anymore

-that won’t happen cause we are going to use the good old bike and take the alleyways, not the busy streets. just like that one time-

-but does it still work? seems pretty worn out, w-what if we crash again, shin?- you asked. excitement slowly starting to creep in the deepest parts of your being

-well, the story will repeat itself. quite tempting don’t you think, love? the bike is fine i promise, i’ll just wash it up- he proposed you, with that fatal closed eyed childish grin

yeah, of course you ended up agreeing

heavy drops tapped against the window that was next to your seat, humming a soft tune that kept you distracted, you were feeling sleepy

physics class. second period. 8:39 a.m. newton's laws of motion

your professor was explaining the theories and you took some notes, or whatsoever. it was raining, and the vibes in schools change entirely when the skies fall above carefree teenagers. no one gives a shit about subjects or activities for the rest of the day, and you were no exception

not even noticing when the teacher left the classroom. you put all your things away, waiting for the next class to start while you kept yourself in your chair, watching the clouds. enjoying the quietness and the water tumbling at your side. this climate always engulfs you in a particular peace that is rather difficult to explain, so each time, you decide to just dissolve within it. and you totally love it. that’s why, when some of your friends gathered around you and mentioned something about going out, you simply decided to keep yourself on the same spot, alone

‘’inertia. the first law states that if a body is at rest or moving at a constant speed in a straight line, it will remain at rest or keep moving in a straight line at constant speed unless it is acted upon by a force’’

in fact, you were the resting object, and shinchiro sano was the force that acted on you

-yo! y/n!- just like that, all the tranquility disappeared in mere seconds. as a loud thunderstruck in the dead of night, he entered your classroom, tripping, coming close to you with his unkempt uniform and that stupid greasy hairstyle

-so, how you been?- he stood next to your sitting self, hands on his pockets, serenely, as if he didn’t almost knock down an entire desk with his disastrous entry

-stop with that, shinichiro, we greeted at the gateway. what do you want?-

-would you like to go out with me? like, right now?- huh?

-no-

-cool, we are taking my bike. i know a perfect place we could-

-i literally said no, sano-

-i know, i heard you. but i’m not giving up that easy- you raised a brow and glared at him, unfazed

-our next class starts in like 10 minutes, what do you mean now?- he gulped and continued

-look, it’s raining. teachers are basically hidden, it’s going to be a free day for all of us. so you shouldn’t be here all by yourself, you need to go out and enjoy it you know?-

-i have my own ways to enjoy the rain, thank you-

-by just staring at it? come on, i can see you like that a lot but, please? i bet you are so bored that you don’t even have a nice excuse to give. and you’ve already said no so many times to me so please, please, let me take you out today- he was begging at this point, you almost made fun of him

-this is not the first time we hang around, shin. you invite me to your house very often, you are overreacting. by the way, what makes you think i’m bored?-

-yeah, but this is going to be a different occasion, i can feel it. and to answer your question, everyone is bored after physics class- hold on a second

-did you check my schedule?-

-of course i did! i memorized it, now come on- he grabbed your hand and made you stand up abruptly, taking with him your bag and placing it on one of his shoulders while he held his own with the other

-w-wait! are we are not coming back to take the other classes?!- he was basically dragging you. walking real fast through the school hallways, carefully avoiding to stumble with any teacher that could recognize you

-i don’t think so, y/n. this day is going to be for us only, okay?- he looked back at you, grinning, and your heart tingled

he made it look as the easiest thing ever and you gave in, squeezing his hand back. a little fun couldn’t hurt, right? well…

you had to act quickly to catch the only chance to actually escape classes without getting terribly penalized. the guard on the entrance gate took a 7 minute break to go for a coffee at the school’s office every day at the same hour, so the plan needed to be executed in that certain amount of time

step 1. wait for the entrance to be alone, step 2. be sure to not forget your bags and hold them firmly, step 3. jump the gate, step 4. take the bike out of the secured deposit at the front of the building in the shortest amount of time possible, step 5. run for your lives

the rest is history

a triumphant scream resonated against empty, watery streets, far enough from your shared middle school. shinichiro was speeding with his bike while you were taking a seat behind him, holding tightly to his waist with a huge smile on your face. you made it out neatly, on a path worthy of an olympic medal, and the adrenaline was just washing over your bodies, leaving you with pure bliss. both damped from the rain pouring over yourselves, not minding it at all

in that moment, it was only you and him in the world

-i can’t believe we made it, you good there, pretty?- your cheeks heated with the nickname, the rush surely boosted his confidence

-y-yeah, i think so- you laughed, a bit shy. hugging him closer and placing you head in his wet back. the gesture made his heart beat so roughly against his ribcage that he silently prayed to all the gods and deities he could think about for you to not notice

-but if you get me in trouble, i’ll stab you- you continued

-i would die happily knowing that it was on your hands-

-you are so stupid, shinichiro- he giggled

after a couple of more jokes and some time going around the city, watching together how the houses disappeared in an endless fog, you both started to get hungry, and he decided to visit the most reliable and special place to eat in town

yua ramen house

the owner is a man named kazori okamoto, mostly known as ‘’master kazo’’ for his amazing cooking skills and because he simply enjoys the nickname. he is a funny man and a very important person for the sano family, even to this day. he met grandpa sano in their early teenage years and the friendship still remains alive. he used to dream with being an elite chef, but certain circumstances he had to go through leaded him to abandon his desires. despite all, he claims that he is happy with what he has right now. ‘’life goes on, regardless’’ is one of his known personal quotes and little manjiro´s favorite, for some strange reason

so the fact that shinichiro decided to introduce you to him that day, definitely meant something else

-master! ‘you there?- shinichiro stepped in as if the establishment was his living room and you followed closely behind, taking a glance at everything. it was a tiny place, but very welcoming and warm

quite the opposite to how you felt, drenching in your school uniform

-sano boy! what the hell are you doing out with weather like this and- he looked directly at you. and you smiled, bowing to greet the old man

-nice to meet you sir, you both seem to be really close- you added, sheepishly -my name is y/n-

-of course you are!- he said getting closer to you and mockingly punching shinichiro in the arm, the poor thing almost flies from the ground. he had a nice smile, you noted -it’s my pleasure, sweetheart. i’ve been dying to finally meet you- oh, now that was new

-really?-

-i swear this brat never shuts up when it comes to you, even if i’ve never seen your face before, i could know it was you from all the things he has said to me- shinichiro coughed loudly, completely exposed

-y-yeah well, that’s because she will be my wife someday, sir. i’m trying my best- what the hell was he even saying

-you better, lover boy- kazo mentioned, with the biggest and cheekiest grin you've ever seen

you opened your mouth to answer to the revelation, embarrassed to the most, but master beat you to it

-so, what would you like? what can i do for you?- intentionally changing the subject to avoid any kind of denial from you

both creeps: 1 – you: 0

-u-um, what do you recommend?- you asked still a little shooked and flustered, looking at the menu

-i can surprise you if you let me, just give me the approbation that you don’t dislike any ingredient that you see and i will prepare a random dish for you, deal?-

-okay, deal. thank you so much, sir-

-no problem- he said, starting to roam around the kitchen in front of you, hardly trying to ignore the pool of water you were both making in his recently moped, squeaky clean, floor. one of his eyes twitching

-i would like some- shinichiro started

-yeah, yeah. i know what you always eat kid, so for now, how about you go to the back and look for a fucking mop to wipe the mess you made, you already know where it is. i can bet both of my legs that this was your idea-

-she is into this too!-

-then get her a towel you rat! here, the keys to the shed- kazo threw them his way and you sticked your tongue out to shinichiro while he disappeared to the back of the restaurant

-oh! how rude, i didn’t introduce myself. i’m kazori okamoto, but you can call me master kazo- you nodded and accepted the hand he was offering, containing your laughter, he was just like grandpa sano. all kindness to you and disinheriting shinichiro at the second

-then thank you, master. nice to meet you again and sorry for the disaster we brought- he accepted the apology and smiled back at you, turning to resume what he was previously doing, while you were sitting in one of the bar stools. the shop was empty, obviously, who in their right mind would go out to eat with a storm like this? exactly, only shinichiro sano would

you decided to take another look around, eyes wandering over the place now more carefully, while the old man was working on the food. a picture on one of the walls catched your attention, it was the portrait of a gorgeous woman, she was standing against a bridge that seemed to be somewhere in tokyo, in a red summer dress and an immense loving smile adorning her face, directed to the person behind the camera. it seemed old, a captured memory from a distant past

-master, can i ask you something?- you called him, curiosity winning over you

-yes?-

-who is the pretty lady of the picture?- you thought he didn’t hear you at first because there was a moment of silence, but turns out that he just hesitated

-my eternal muse- his voice faltered, revealing an intimate part of his soul so effortlessly to you. the tremendous sorrow in his expression was evident, but in those words, it also remained the tender affection of a heart whose love will never decline, a perpetual vow

and because of that, you didn’t feel like making any more questions

shinichiro came back, claimed he couldn’t find any towels, kazo called him useless, he moped horribly the floor, and then finally, you proceeded to eat. master prepared the most delicious and exotic shoyu ramen you ever had and some tonkotsu ramen for shinichiro, with an ice cold cola to the side, his favorite, it could never miss

kazo spoke with the heart open in his words, reminiscing hilarious experiences of his youngster era to entertain you while you finished. you were fixated in the way he seemed to relive those moments for an instant, but shinichiro was looking at you, inevitably. your laughing figure, those pretty lips and those pretty eyes shining in delight. if only you could imagine how much he liked you

the hours slid through your fingers like silk, between the anecdotes of an old man and the secret glances of an enamored teenage boy. proving that what they say it’s true, when you have nice company, time surely flies. but school hours ended, and you had little to no time to go back to your house before your parents suspected anything

-thank you so much for the food master, i really had a lovely time- you started

-no, no. thank you both for keeping me company, the place was alone until you showed up. you could have it all for yourselves, how lucky-

-it’s because today is a special day- shinichiro added smiling, referring to what he said to convince you earlier. putting his hands in his pockets, shrugging, while you blushed

-how come?- the old man asked

-it’s a secret- shinichiro grinned

-oh, i see- kazo winked an eye to him and you couldn’t be more puzzled, deciding to remain quiet

both creeps: 2 – you: 0

-we’ll be leaving now kazo. thank you very much, again- shinichiro payed, not taking any objections from you, and you agreed with his words once again, nodding and smiling at him

-you are welcome anytime, be sure to visit often, okay? bring your siblings and that old fucker of your grandpa that hasn’t stopped in a while too, alright? take care and be good, always-

shinichiro hugged him and you felt the urge to do it after, he just smiled weakly

you gathered your stuff and stepped out, while shinichiro stood inside for a second, master kazo calling him to say one last thing

you never knew what he meant with the words ‘’don’t forget our promise, son’’ but shinichiro surely did

a couple of weeks before that day, kazo sat down with shinichiro outside his store after the boy came back bruised from a fight. the sun was setting and he didn’t want to arrive home yet, so he found shelter with his most confident partner

master was smoking at the front, looking somewhat down, sad, he wasn’t his usual self at the moment and shinichiro noticed it

-are you okay, sir?- he approached him, almost timidly. like an infant, innocent and fearful

-i should be the one asking you that, punk. how’s the eye?- it actually hurt, a lot. he got beat up a couple of hours ago and it was finally getting to him, but he didn’t mind it at the moment, though. he decided to ignore his pain to focus on his friend. shinichiro has always been like this, always selfless about himself and always the most caring about the others, a gentle spirit by nature, destined to be a leader, to be great

-still works i guess, i’ve had much worse- the boy just shrugged, insisting -what about you? is everything alright? you weren’t in the kitchen when i arrived, that rarely happens-

-you are pretty fucking nosy, eh?- shinichiro barely smiled with the remark, he was getting seriously worried

after a couple of minutes in complete silence, master okamoto gathered himself and started to talk

-what are you studying? middle school?- shinichiro nodded. with that question, he opened the topic

-well, i was a bit older than you. it was my last year of high school and i was about to get into college. see, i used to have this teacher i appreciated deeply, he knew how much i cherished the field of gastronomy, and he was an amazing person, so he handed me some school forms abroad that could open my horizons and would be helpful to achieve the career that i wanted, you know? he helped me a lot. i also had the support of the love of my life, her name was yua muraka- the eyes of the man brightened with the single mention of his past lover. saying her name almost in a whisper, staring at nothingness. hoping that by mentioning her, she would appear in front of him with her arms open. thing that he has been waiting for decades, foolishly

-she used to be my girlfriend at that time, my whole universe, and she was happy with the idea of me leaving to accomplish my dream. but i’ve never been a selfish guy, and i wanted her to come with me, to accomplish all of that with me. so, i opened this small shop to raise some money to be able to take her in my journey, and make it one for both- shinichiro remained silent, carefully listening. the funny man he knew and cherished, was now crouched, small and tarnished

-the thing is that, her father hated me, son. he saw me as a punk, a good for nothing. i used to get into fights with your grandpa too, and i wanted to be a chef while he was a doctor. but i couldn’t care less about that crap, she was part of my dream and i was willing to give everything for her-

-the dates were getting closer, school was ending, i bought the tickets, and every day i had more money for finally moving away together and provide her with the life she deserved. but when her father noticed all of this, he started to restrict my visits to her home, and he didn’t let yua out- with every word, kazo started to get more emotional. shinichiro could see the rage in his eyes and the impotence behind his memories

-of course we had our escapades, and let me tell you, those were the best moments of my life. but the little bubble we were living in exploded when he suddenly sent her away. one day he just dragged his daughter to a train far from here, menacing her with the most horrid things that i don’t even want to mention- master took a long drag of his cigarette and continued

-i never found out about his plan or the things he said to her because it was so sudden, in an instant she was just gone. i couldn’t do anything to stop him, i never knew anything about the constant abuse either cause yua kept it all to herself- in minutes, the air turned heavy around them, dark, suffocating. as if the atmosphere absorbed the feelings that kazo’s words professed

-shinichiro, the train collapsed in an accident two hours after leaving the station, a day like this, more than 30 years ago. taking many lives, and ripping my love, my darling, away from me, forever- tears started to tumble from his wrinkled eyes, one by one, violently. the noises of the city turned into a heap of murmurs that made shinichiro’s mind enter a void of dizziness. it was awful, his juvenile heart fell to his feet and got burnt with the remainings of the cigarette that mr. okamoto’s trembling hands dropped, mindlessly

-i couldn’t even say goodbye to her, couldn’t even kiss her one last time- he added, stuttering, dragging his own words and choking with grief. shinichiro felt the urge of crying deep in his gut, but he swallowed it, not wanting to make his friend regret confessing him something so profound and distressing, so near to his core. he needed to remain strong for him

-a couple of months later, i encountered her mother on a random street, and realized that the woman was constantly being blackmailed by yua’s father, and that’s why she never defended her daughter. in that moment, she kneeled before me and asked for my forgiveness, confessing everything to me, all the things that i am telling you right now and how she really did wanted yua to live her life by my side, but that she was too afraid of what her husband was capable of doing- the old man started to gain his posture again, wiping his face. as he is used to doing, since that fateful date

-i never went to college after that and i closed the shop, sticking to the local jobs that miserable men stick to- it all made sense now

-years later i realized that yua probably wouldn’t like the way i was living, so i reopened the shop in her name and here i am, as you can see. ironical how they gave her such a beautiful appellation to edge her life to that extreme, with no love and no affection, huh?- a poisonous laugh escaped his mouth while he took out another cigarette of the tiny box and lightened in silence, shinichiro just remained staring, noting how the man next to him still wanted to cry, and how hardly he was retaining it

-i’m telling you this because you remind me of my younger self. i can sense the love you have for the girl you always tell me about with this tore eyes, that must have glossed the same way when i spoke about yua to someone else. i also suppose that you are concerned because you’re part of a gang and she is just a sweet girl, how you worry for her- the words echoed in every moment of doubt shinichiro recalled having about you, regret clouding his mind. kazo could read him so easily that he even felt embarrassed and disappointed with his own self. something snapped, he took a decision

-but please, shinichiro, don’t ever let her go okay? it doesn’t matter who you are or what you do and vice versa, none of that is relevant if you truly love her, so don’t ever let anything take her away from you. can you promise that to me, punk?- kazo was now clutching to shinichiro’s bloody shirt without even realizing, voice finally cracking with the last sentence, sobbing loudly, all over again. any trace of composure he tried so hard to keep, totally erased from the path they were on

a young shinichiro sano just hugged him, reciprocating all of those times kazo did the same to him as a kid. he opened his arms to let the old man release the huge load of his aching heart -i promise i will, i’m so sorry. i’m really, really sorry- he muttered to his ear, repeating the words almost inaudibly, like a prayer, while the night fell above them

shinichiro took the first drag of a cigarette that day

you were both on the bike again. the rain decreased while you were eating but it started pouring halfway to your house

-be more careful, you are going to get us killed- you exclaimed to the back of his neck, worried about many things, while shinichiro pedaled with all his might. it was actually pretty late, you should have arrived to your house 20 minutes ago and the storm you were caught in was not helping your nerves

-everything is going to be alright, babe. just hold tight- he said untroubled, as always. it was driving you insane

-that’s what i’m doing! and don’t call me babe!-

a couple of streets later, what was expected to happen

happened

you just remember the impact, but what really occurred was that the front wheel got stucked in a sewer hole that you couldn’t see because of the increasing amount of water on the ground, and both of you were catapulted to the pavement. now it’s a funny memory, but back then it wasn’t, and it ached insanely, mostly to shinichiro

he was weak in fights, for sure. but his reflexes were impeccable, using them to instinctly cover your body with his, scratching his whole face in the process and receiving the impact for both, almost breaking an arm for you, literally

while you just bruised your knees, he was still worried, as if the roles were inversed

-fuck! are you okay? are you hurt?- he quickly asked, coming closer to you, scared to death

-nothing serious, you don’t have to worry about it. what about yo- you said without looking at him, still trying to come to your senses. then you realized- oh my god, shin! you are bleeding. i‘m so sorry! i literally crushed you, and you hurted your whole face. p-please forgive me- you were so preoccupied, inspecting his injuries. but all he did was just smile, blood running over his brows and chin. the asshole entirely enjoying all the attention you were giving him at the moment

-i should be the one apologizing! i got us into this, i’m sorry y/n- he scratched the back of his head awkwardly. you weren’t even mad, the fright was still vivid on your skin

and then suddenly, you truly took a deep stare at his features, while the rain kept making a curtain between the two of you. there was no trace of gel from the morning and his wet hair was now fully down, covering his forehead, the water washing his wounds, his drenched white uniform shirt all dirty from the experiences of the day and his pants had an open scratch in the left knee

you didn’t even notice how close you were, sitting together on the corner of an empty alley he desperately took to arrive faster, just staring at each other in silence for a moment. you both cracked in laughter at the same time, the situation was absurd

even though you wouldn’t admit it or either show signs of, you really had great times with shinichiro sano

you like it when he stops to your classroom between breaks just to wish you a nice day, you like lying on the floor next to him at his house’s dojo when it’s summer to eat popsicles with keisuke and his siblings, and you also like the awful cheesy jokes he invents just to make you laugh. because you particularly know that under all those layers of nonsensical girl-crazy rambling lies the most amiable and boldest heart of all, a kind soul with a presence hard to miss

and you like that too

-you know, you look nice like this, without all that dumb gangster wannabe hairstyle, shin-

-did you just, admitted that i look nice?-

-oh god, of course you were going to focus only on that- you rolled your eyes, wishing to not have said anything at all

-i mean, is there anything else i should focus on? it’s an historical moment to me!-

-whatever, sano- you shook your head, chuckling. and he stared at you for the thousandth time today, blood pumping furiously all over his system. he could even feel it on his ears, like the sound a seashell makes when you put it close to you, but this time, amplified to a deafening point

taking a deep breath, he decided to try once again. he made a promise, after all

-y/n- you looked at him in the eyes, driving all your attention to him. he was shaking, he had done this many times with you and other girls before, twenty to be exact, but there’s something in the way you are staring at him right now that results mesmerizing, intimidating, but mesmerizing still. shit, he couldn’t take it anymore -you look pretty to me always. even now, in the most screwed up situation possible, i think you are the most beautiful girl in the world and i- he stopped, red as a beet. inhaling again, he continued -i like you a lot, you know? i’m p-pretty sure i’m in love with you- stuttering a little bit in that last sentence, but who wouldn’t?

-yes, i already know that, shinichiro. you’ve said it like a million times- you smiled softly, looking down at the puddle you were in

-you do?- he didn’t mean to sound so disappointed, but the ghost of what it looked like his twenty first consecutive rejection started to pester him and it was impossible not to, or that’s what he thought

-yeah-

-g-great, cause i will keep saying it until the day i achieve the billion times ‘cause you are my girl-

-i’m not your girl- you furrowed your eyebrows -at least not yet-

-but you will! wait, what?- he was so dumb, you smiled

-just shut up-

without thinking it any further, you pressed your lips against his. the kiss was sloppy, rainy and embarrassing. but to shinichiro was more like ‘’the long-awaited arrival of divine glory’’, that’s exactly how he described it to his little brother when he got home

the silence and the shout, the euphoria and the lull, his insides felt like exploding, the floor was spinning

and you were, in that instant you really were his girl, no turning back. and you kinda enjoyed it

with that kiss you decided to let your feelings grow, and maybe, in a remote future, you would give him your heart to hold for eternity

thing that actually happened faster than what you expected

back to the present, you were both in the same situation, something like an induced déjà vu

a pair of lovers riding an old and too small bike on their way to yua ramen house under the rain. both with 23 years old now, but sharing the same feelings in the same two beating hearts

you started to go eat to yua ramen house together frequently after that first time, but master kazo got sick a few years later, so he had to stop working for a while and decided to leave the country for a break. he came back a couple of years ago, but you have not visited him until now, so it’s been quite a bit since you’ve seen each other

when you arrived, you couldn’t help to feel nostalgic

-sano boy, it’s that you?- his figure was more hunched than before, hair whiter and the wrinkles above his eyes and forehead were more prominent, but despite the changes that the passing of life produces, he was the same funny man you once met

-nice to see you master, how’s the business going?- shinichiro felt so many things in that moment. he was no middle schooler anymore, he left the gang medium a while ago, his siblings were older, and you were still by his side. he has grown, but sometimes, he forgets about that

-as always, punk. it’s really nice to have you here after all this years- you stepped behind your boyfriend

-hello sir, it’s been a while indeed- the old man laughed joyful, taken by surprise

-i can’t believe what i’m seeing, the same two dumb kids that came in making a mess in my shop once, doing it all over again. right y/n?-

-that’s us- you laughed, reminiscing -i’m so glad to finally see you again, master-

-the pleasure it’s all mine, it makes me so happy to have my two best clients here with me-

-we missed you, kazo- shinichiro added, coming closer to give the man a hug, you followed after

-i missed you too- he smiled -but for the love of god, go get a damn towel, son! and search carefully this time!- shinichiro went out, laughing. you viewed the scene amused and moments later, your eyes drifted to yua’s picture on the wall, you felt your soul clench, wondering if master kazo would still answer the same way. of course he would you thought, eternal is eternal

this time, shinichiro did find the towels. and you both cleaned the mess of water sputtering around, waiting for the cook to finish your meals while you chatted, catching up on your lives

-so you really are together since then, huh? i’m proud of you, lover boy-

-i told you i was going to marry her one day, didn’t i?-

-oh! did you guys already?- kazo instantly turned around, almost dropping the pan he was using

-i’m still working on it, but i’ll make sure you get the invitation soon- you suppressed a squeal. you haven’t spoken about this yet, how dare he just throw it out so suddenly?

-wha- you couldn’t even finish

-i’ll be patiently waiting then! nothing would make me happier- mr. okamoto interrupted you, leaving your head blank, as they always managed to

both creeps: 3 – you: 0 you’re out!

the food orders were the same, and with the first taste you took, you travelled ten years in the past. memory is such a graceful thing

kazo sent a glance at the both of you while you were eating, and he couldn’t help his eyes from watering

he saw the same slicked back dark haired kid with wet uniform covered in dirt, sitting with a lovely girl at his side, hair shorter than now and clothes just as messed as the boy’s ones, but the same smile that once brightened her features still present, dedicated just to him and his silly comments

-are you watching this, yua? we used to love like this- kazo mentally talked with the picture on the wall, looking tenderly at it. he didn’t get an answer, but he didn’t need to, he was certain

your relationship was like this since the beginning, unchanging. always coinciding in a world where only you and him existed, surrendering to each other’s feelings many times over. relieving significant moments of your intertwined lives, and at the same time, creating new ones with each arrival of a new day. discovering together a hundred and one different ways to fall more in love,

if possible

Being Shinichiro's girlfriend and being the only one Mikey lets pinch his cheeks. The little boy may have a little crush on you, and loves how you bring him homemade sweets and pastries. He loves the way you smell like cookies or freshly baked bread and how you always ruffle his hair, smiling down at him when greeting him.

Once, Shinichiro tried to pinch one of his cheeks only to have his brother bite his hand in response and later that same day, he stuck his tongue at Shinichiro while hugging you after you gave him a little box of cookies.

But Mikey also likes how happy you make his brother, how a silly smile appears on his face just at the mention of your name. He doesn't understand what you saw in his brother but he can see how happy you make each other.

𝐃𝐄𝐉𝐀 𝐕𝐔 — 𝐑𝐘𝐔𝐆𝐔𝐉𝐈 𝐊𝐄𝐍

𝐩𝐚𝐢𝐫𝐢𝐧𝐠: college au! draken x reader - exes to lovers (ambiguous)

𝐬𝐮𝐦𝐦𝐚𝐫𝐲: your ex sitting drunk on your couch pouring his heart out is deja vu of the night he was drunk and ripping out yours

𝐰𝐨𝐫𝐝 𝐜𝐨𝐮𝐧𝐭: 2.8k

𝐰𝐚𝐫𝐧𝐢𝐧𝐠𝐬: alcohol and being under the influence, mentions of draken having an ex girlfriend — but reader is gender neutral

the knocking on your door is incessant, and you know on the other side stands draken, but you want nothing to do with him right now.

not now, not later, not ever.

your ex-boyfriend is determined, however, and he pounds on the surface of your door with more vigor than really necessary at three in the morning. before you lose your damn sanity—and before your neighbors complain and send the cops your way—you swing the door open, staring into his red eyes.

he sniffles, shooting you a tired smile as he sways on his feet.

“h-hey, y/n,” he slurs, leaning on your doorframe to keep himself upright. furrowing your brows, you glance him over—he's drunk. it’s very unlike draken to be drunk at three am on a monday morning, but you suppose the circumstances aren’t exactly in either of your favors right now.

“ken, what do you want?” you sigh. he reaches over, poking your cheek gently, laughing quietly to himself at the feeling of the soft skin against his fingertip.

“ya got cute cheeks,” he chuckles.

“ken. why are you here?” pouting, he shrugs childishly, looking at your pajamas like they’re fascinating.

“dunno,” he smiles at you with a toothy grin. his eyes are crescent moons as they shut closed. “jus’ wanna be where you are,” he winks. and you know he won’t be leaving anytime soon, and you also know you can’t just leave him like this, so you grab his arm and drag him into your apartment, leading him to where the couch is.

“here, drink this,” you murmur, offering him a glass of water you’ve returned with, watching as he gulps it down in a quick motion. you fight the urge to run your finger over his tattoo, or stroke your digits through his hair, or kiss his forehead.

and if you close your eyes, if you take a moment and shove the past month out of your head, it almost feels like normal. it almost feels like draken’s here in your apartment after a party, drunk out of his mind and left in your hands by his friends to be taken care of.

but it’s not like normal.

the reality is that draken isn’t yours anymore, and you’re not sure if you were ever his. and the feeling stings more than any liquor he’s chugged down his throat tonight, but you can’t—won’t—let him see that. letting a guy like draken into your life was mistake number one.

mistake number two would be letting him see how deeply he’s rooted himself into it.

“hey,” he squints, pointing towards your collar. “what’s on your chest?” furrowing your eyebrows, you glance down at your collarbone, gaze meeting the spot he points to.

“it’s nothi—”

“who put that there?” he cuts you off. it’s almost like he’s sobered up now, the flash of hurt in his eyes and the strain in his voice all too obvious as you clear your throat, grabbing the empty glass from his hand and handing him a blanket you’d grabbed.

“it doesn’t matter, ken. you need to go to sleep. and i’ll call someone to come pick you up in the morni—” he interrupts you for the second time, and you think you might pop a blood vessel.

if you haven’t already, that is. you’re not quite sure if it’s safe to say you haven’t.

“who put that hickey on you, y/n?” he asks firmly this time, teeth grit as he glares at the darkened mark on your skin with disgust.

his heart is ripping from within, the slashes finding their way to the surface, and it almost leaves him choking. draken’s made a lot of mistakes when it comes to you, too many more than he should have, too many more than he thinks is forgivable, but one mistake he can’t grant himself is being too late to try.

and it seems he is too late—the symbolized mark of intimacy crowned on your skin almost mocking him.

“why does it matter to you, draken,” you seethe, and the campus nickname bestowed on him coming from your lips so bitterly has him reeling. his hand fists his pants as he clenches his jaw.

it’s too much, he thinks. every day without you is too much, every second his mind wanders to you is too much, every moment someone brings you up is too much, and every time he passes you on the way to class is too much. it’s all too much, and draken doesn’t know how to mend the broken pieces he’s torn himself apart to.

it’s his fault, but still, he craves your arms as safety to fall into, to shield him from his own mistakes, to protect him from the hurt he’s brought onto himself—onto you—and to guide him through how to fix it.

just like you always did before he threw it all away.

“it matters to me because someone touched you, and it wasn’t me,” he barks, and instantly, he regrets it when you recoil. looking at you pleadingly, his eyes beg you to stay, to not retreat, to not end things before they’ve even begun. “i…i just…are you seeing anyone?” he croaks.

“it’s none of your business,” you mutter. you find you can’t stare into his glassy eyes for long, and you also can’t avoid them, so after a few moments, you sigh deeply before adding, “no, i’m not. it was a casual thing,” you mumble.

you pretend not to notice the stress shaking off of him in waves, a sense of relief washing over him visibly.

“good,” he mutters. sighing, you reach over and tug his shirt up, signaling at him to lift his arms over his head. he complies, not saying much as he watches you help him out of his shirt and pants, leaving him in nothing but socks and his boxers. gently pushing him to lay on your couch, you go to cover him in the blanket, but he stops you.

“what are you—”

“do you miss me?” he whispers. “do…do you ever wish i was still with you…or anything?” there’s a sense of vulnerability in draken that you’ve never seen before, and you know your answer to this question has the power to all but shatter him completely. his voice wavers, and the glassiness of his eyes returns.

you can’t lie, so you admit a quiet, “yes. i do miss you sometimes.” he lets out a shaky breath, hand moving to grab yours. he’s still a bit drunk, you can tell by the way he misses the first time, and despite all that your mind screams at you, you can’t help but let your hand into his grasp.

draken will always be a living dream in your heart. he’s everything you’ve ever wanted, and you’d had it in the palm of your hands, but you lost it all too quickly.

you can’t handle the pain of him being wrenched from your hold once more.

“i-i miss you too, ya know,” he sniffles, and a stray tear runs down his cheek. and then another, and another, and another.

and pretty soon, he’s sobbing softly, gripping your hand tightly in your dark living room as he begs you to stay through his eyes.

this was never how things should’ve turned out, but they did, and it’s time you both accept it, you think.

“ken, we haven’t been broken up for long, of course, we’ll miss each other, we’re used to each other’s presence. but it won’t be like this forever,” you sigh, not meeting his eyes.

you don’t have to meet them to know they’re very hurt by your statement.

“how can you say that? i don’t think i’ll ever get over you—”

“i think you were very over me when the videos were going around,” you cut him off, glaring at him fiercely. and this time, it’s your turn to have glossy eyes, staring at him in betrayal. it’s all festered up until this moment, the hurt, the anger, the betrayal, the humiliation.

never in your time together did you think you’d stare in horror at your phone, watch as your boyfriend rambles away about how much you simply weren’t like his ex-girlfriend, how she’s all he thinks about sometimes, how dating you was never going to be like dating her.

and you suppose it was bound to come—the bitter truth. draken has always simply been too good to be true. too good for you, too good for your reality, and too good to believe was ever yours.

“i didn’t mean it,” he pleads, voice laced in despair. “i was drunk,” he tries to reason.

“and you’re drunk right now too,” you bite back bitterly. “who’s to say you mean this? how do i know you won’t just wake up tomorrow morning and not mean a single word of this once you’re sober again?” his lips wobble as he grasps your hand tighter, breath hitching in his throat when you try to pull it away from him.

everything burns, his throat and eyes and heart and lungs, and he just wants you to make it better.

but he doesn’t deserve that.

“i swear i mean it this time,” he pleads, sitting up and grabbing your hand with both of his. the tears spill past both of your cheeks, and it’s bittersweet and ironic all at once.

tears in draken’s eyes had always lead to tears in your own, but it was always because he was a part of you. you’d always been connected to him, always had your heartbeat in sync to the rhythm of his. but now, despite crying together, despite the pain in your hearts being tied to the same weight and crushing your chests, you’re planets away from him, disconnected at every chord.

“you could,” you smile sadly. “you could very well mean it, kenny,” you sniffle. “but that doesn’t always fix everything, does it?”

he closes his eyes, face twisting in pain as tears slip down his cheeks, and even with the twisting sear of agony in your own chest, it hurts more to see the same hold true for draken.

even after everything, your heart beats for him.

“w-what if—”

“please don’t, ken,” you plead. “please don’t hit me with what if’s. i don’t need any more of those, okay?”

“but i don’t wanna lose you,” he shakes his head. “it’s never felt like this, i’ve never broken up with someone and hurt like this. this is different—you’re different.”

“you’re different too, ken,” you say through quivering lips, tugging your hand from his. “you’re way different from who i thought you were.”

you don’t stay long enough to watch the way his face crumbles. he stares after your figure as you walk off to your room, leaving him on your couch with the shattered remains of both of your hearts on your living room floor.

“ken,” you whisper, laying on draken’s chest, the crisp autumn air grazing over your skin as he rubs your arm slowly. humming, he glances down at you, shifting his attention to you as you speak.

“what is it, baby?” your hand runs over his chest, stopping right over his heart. you can feel the beat under your palm, and it’s soothing, the rhythmic thumping somehow always in tune with yours.

“have you ever gotten your heart broken before?” he freezes for a moment before shifting to look back up at the sky as the sunsets. the kiss of the golden hue on his skin makes him look almost surreal, and you wonder during times like these how it is that ryuguji ken is yours.

surely it’s too good to be true—but then he’s tugging you closer, pressing a soft kiss to your forehead and rubbing the small of your back. all thoughts fly out your window.

draken is yours, and he gives himself to you each day, hoping you’ll take it and accept it. the thought brings a smile to your face.

“why?” he grins, pinching your nose. “thinking about breaking it for me?” you roll your eyes, moving to slap his chest, but he catches your hand before you do, kissing the inner wrist delicately.

“course not,” you huff. “just curious is all,” you mumble. he hesitates for a moment before sighing, grabbing your hand, and fiddling with your fingers.

“yeah, once,” he speaks quietly. “i never expected it,” he murmurs, lacing your fingers together.

they fit perfectly, you think.

“i don’t think anyone expects it,” you tease gently, hoping to lighten the air some. you wonder who could ever break someone like draken’s heart, how anyone could let him slip past their fingertips. “how’d you get over it?”

“what’s with all the questions, weirdo,” he laughs, poking your forehead. you move to bite at his finger, and the both of you break into a fit of giggles, the sound of his laugh spurring your own chuckles.

he completes you, each action he takes the catapults of yours.

“i wanna know you,” you shrug. “all of you. now answer the question.” shaking his head amused, he presses a gentle kiss to your lips, moving to hover over you. your mind fogs slightly at the proximity.

“i met you,” he mumbles against your lips, pressing his to yours, each kiss stealing your breath from you desperately like you have the oxygen he needs to breathe himself.

“that’s so cliche,” you roll your eyes, but you can’t deny the flutter in your heart at his words.

“what about you?” he questions. “you know all my secrets, let’s hear yours. ever had yours broken?” you shake your head no, looking up at him with trust in your eyes and hope in your heart, blindly handing him pieces of you that you didn’t even know existed.

“no,” you mumble. “never.”

“good,” he grins, and just like that, ryuguji ken extends his arms and lets you place the pieces of yourself into the palm of his hand, letting you trust him wholly. “let’s keep it that way, baby.”

there’s a sudden pounding on your bedroom door that awakens you. jolting up, you look over at the clock, squinting as it reads six am. internally, you groan.

draken is persistent, you have to hand him that, but the swelling of your eyes and the stuffiness of your nose from crying yourself to sleep isn’t exactly the most welcomed. giving in, you sigh, standing up to open the door, greeted with the sight of your determined ex-boyfriend as he looks you in the eye.

“ken, i don’t know what else you want—”

“i realized something,” he interrupts.

“did...did you sleep at all? you look—”

“i love you.” you pause, staring at him with your mouth agape.

“what?” he repeats the phrase, slower this time, grabbing your hands in his own as he presses his forehead to yours, and this time, the roles are reversed.

this time, draken hands you pieces of himself that he’s kept hidden all along, and he’s begging you to accept them, willing you to reach out and let him drop them into your palm.

he needs you to take these parts of him—to make them yours.

“i love you, y/n,” he whispers. “and i hurt you, and ruined everything, and i’m sorry. you should hate me, and it’s okay if you do, but i love you. i need you to know that,” he says firmly.

he’s never told anyone he’s loved them before, and you know how he feels about admitting it out loud, how his childhood and his broken home and perception of love have all but physically blocked the words from leaving his lips, but he’s just uttered them.

to you.

staring at him incredulously, you watch as tears form in his eyes again, slipping down his cheeks while his hands plant themselves to your waist. he pulls you flush against him, and in a swift moment, his lips are on yours, searing and desperate. he pulls away with a sad smile.

“ken—”

“i had to do that just once,” he admits. “you don’t have to say it back,” he whispers, and his lips are still hovering over yours. “just say you believe me. just tell me that much,” he pleads shakily. “i’ll leave and never come back if that’s what you want, but tell me you believe i love you.”

and you do. you don’t know where this moment will take you, you don’t know how you can face the whispers on campus and doubts rooted in your mind, you don’t know what your future has in store for you and draken, you don’t know if the pain is always going to be there—or if it will slowly fade with time and let his arms feel safe again, but you do know one thing.

you love draken, and even if he doesn’t do it right, he loves you.

and if this is your last time in his arms, or the start of something new by his side, whatever the circumstances may be, draken will always carry the pieces of yourself you’ve entrusted in him.

“i believe you, ken,” you murmur. “i love you too.”

the smile he offers you is something of deja vu.

reblogs are really appreciated !!

i have nothing to add

im empty

tr 224

i cant stop sobbing. its real. its confirmed. he's rwally gone just like thst. the look in mikeys eyes... i cant. i cant even be excited for the war because im heartbroken