Baji X Reader - Tumblr Posts

So, maybe you don't even remember me anymore, but after a few months I want to start writing again, soooo I'm opening requests for you.

You can ask me for anyone you imagine from:

NARUTO

JUJUTSU KAISEN

BOKU NO HERO

AOT

TOKYO REVENGERS

SK8

Among other babies, use your imagination, and let's go!

HEEEEY!!

Damn, I miss you. i hope you are still there, as my heart is burning to write again here.

Make your requests!

For her | Naruto Uzumaki

Naruto Uzumaki X Fem!Reader

Naruto will protect you at all costs.

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"You will be the first one I kill."

Naruto swears he saw red after hearing that phrase come out of Sasuke's mouth to his beloved Y/n.

See, Naruto is there for Sasuke, to bring him back, but no one, and I repeat, NO ONE, hurts his Y/N.

Even if she doesn't know it, Y/n was the love of his life he.

He finds his legs moving on their own when he sees Sasuke approach Y/n.

"Naruto!" Kakashi tries to hold him back, but no one can hold Naruto Uzumaki.

"what did you say to her?" Naruto says with all his fury.

"That I'm going to kill her."

"If you touch her I swear I'll kill you." He says pulling Y/n's wrist, coming face to face with Sasuke.

"You can try" Sasuke says.

"I've already taken enough of your shit Sasuke, but that I will NEVER accept, not from you, not from anyone else, I will walk over anyone who wants to touch her." Naruto pushes Sasuke's chest.

"What are you going to do? Kill me?" Sasuke says with a smile. "

If it's to protect her, I will, and you can bet me I'll kill without a second thought."

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I love this kid

Something different | Manjiro Sano

Sumarry: Mikey from the future returns the last night he saw his beloved Y/n, but ends up encountering his past self.

A/n: Before y'all say something like "Oh, there's no way your past and future selves can talk to each other" In my head, yes, and that made perfect sense to me lol.

I found this beautiful art on Pinterest

"Fuck!" Mikey says as soon as Y/n slams the door in his face.

"You know what, I don't give a shit." He says turning around going to his motorcycle.

"Wow, I've always been a good liar." A voice says, making Mikey startle when he sees a figure leaning against the tree.

"Who are you? Why were you spying on us you weirdo?" He says approaching.

"I am you." The figure says getting a little closer, and Mikey looks at it doubtfully.

The figure really looked like him, but damn, what a horrible and sad look is that?

"Haha no way." Mikey says laughing a little, but the figure remains serious.

"That's the last time we'll see her." Mikey's eyes widen upon hearing this.

"Are you fucking threatening her? I'm going to kill you!" Mikey says ready to start a fight.

"Don't worry, I love her as much as you, at least…I did."

"Fuck, that's not even possible, stop lying and say who you are!"

"I said I'm you, I just wanted to come back here, to see her one last time, again." Mikey says looking at Y/n's house with a smile.

"If that's really true what do you mean by loved? I'm not dead am I? You look a lot older than me."

"You don't." He says and looks at Y/n's house making Mikey's heart stop.

"But... She's so young and... she's trying so hard to go to college, what do you mean?" Mikey says feeling a lump in his throat.

"It turns out that we don't have control of everything." He says smiling a little, and Mikey feels his eyes sting.

Mikey didn't know what to think, if that was really true... his dear Y/n... dead?

"We messed up, right? That's why she's so mad, I remember" Future Mikey lets out a humorless laugh.

"If I could do it all over again, I would go back there right now and hug her with all my might, tell her I love her more than anything, and that I would give up everything for her, you should do this, will be the last time." Future Mikey keeps talking with teary eyes.

"No, i'm not you, I'm going to do it differently... I..." Mikey says and goes back to Y/n's door slamming it hard.

"Open the Y/n door, come on!"

Mikey had no idea if that was true, but he couldn't risk it, couldn't risk losing the light of his life.

"You're lucky my parents aren't-" Before she can finish, Mikey hugs her tightly, crying into her neck.

"Please forgive me, damn I love you so much, I can not lose you, I can't."

"Because now?" Y/n says running a hand through Mikey's hair.

"Because if it's later it might be too late." he says with his eyes closed.

And he hopes that this attitude has changed the tragic future, he hopes from the bottom of his heart that it will keep his Y/n safe.

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TOKYO REV MASTERLIST

MIKEY

Prevent it - Takemichi tells Mikey his girlfriend is going to die, but he still has time to stop it.

Something different - Mikey from the future returns the last night he saw his beloved Y/n, but ends up encountering his past self.

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DRAKEN

Nothing here yet

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BAJI

Nothing here yet

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MITSYUA

Nothing here yet

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CHIFUYU

Nothing here yet

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HANMA

A chance - I just wanted to write something smooth with Hanma since I've been obsessed with him lately

Protecting you - Hanma wouldn't accept any bastard harassing his Y/n.

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SMILEY

Nothing here yet

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RAN HAITANI

Do not speak - "Wow, being without you sucks"

"Can I dance with your wife?"

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RINDOU HAITANI

"Can I dance with your wife?"

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SANZU HARUCHIYO

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"Can I dance with your wife?"

"What you want?" "I want you!"

About me:

Danny | 20 | Brazilian | She/her | aspiring writer |

Good reading! Hope you like | Requests are open!

MASTERLIST

PROMPT LIST

NARUTO

Characters I write; Naruto, Sasuke, Gaara, Kiba, Neji, Genma, Kankuro and Shikamaru.

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BOKU NO HERO

Characters I write; Bakugou, Todoroki, Kirishima and Kaminari, Aizawa.

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ATTACK ON TITAN

Characters I write; Levi, Eren, Jean and Armin.

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TOKYO REVENGERS

Characters I write; Mikey, Draken, Baji, Mitsuya, Hanma, Chifuyu and Takemichi, Ran Haitani, Rindou Haitani, Sanzu.

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• JUJUTSU KAISEN ( Very soon! )

Characters I write; Gojo, Megumi, Itadori and Nanami.

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HAIKYUU!! ( Very soon! )

Characters I write; Just everyone lol

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Updated list of animes I write

Open requests! Feel free to ask me something

NARUTO

AOT

BNHA

TOKYO REVENGERS

JJK

BLACK CLOVER

HAYKIUU

CHANSAIW MAN

SK8

This list will be updated soon

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Followers event!

Yes, I couldn't even do the 600 event and we've already reached 700!!

You can't imagine how happy I am with that, Now, for this event, I'm going to put some prompts, and you can ask for up to three types, one prompt for each types right?

And here is the list of anime that I write, now thank you so much for following me, and trusting me with your requests, enjoy!

Exes prompts

"Miss me a lot?"

"Why are we even done?"

"I haven't been with anyone after us." "Don't lie to me" "I couldn't."

"Do you still remember the taste of my kiss?"

"Want to come back with me?" "Absolutely not"

"We broke up" "No, we took a break."

"We're still getting married" "We're fucking over!"

"Are you together?" "Yes!" "No we are not."

"Do you want to be my girlfriend again?" "I prefer to die"

"You need to move on" "Haha no thanks"

"Why did we even break up?"

"This spaghetti is really amazing, by the way, do you want to date me again?"

"We should never have broken up"

Jealousy prompts

"Don't fucking touch her"

"I think if he looks at you like that again I'm going to freak out"

"It's sad to think that you've kissed other people before me."

"I don't like it when you smile at other people"

"I need you more than they do!"

"Why are you touching my girlfriend?"

"I'll mark your neck, and everyone will know you're mine"

"I think he still doesn't understand that you're mine"

"Stop looking at other people, it drives me crazy"

"I much prefer you and me"

"Why does he need to touch you so much?"

"How about splitting her huh" "Start fucking praying now"

"Are you single?" "No, she's not" "What the fuck-"

Passionate prompts

"I would do anything for her, ANYTHING!" "You weird..."

"I miss him so much" "You saw him two minutes ago!"

"If she won't go with me, then neither will I."

"I don't think I've ever loved anyone so much in my life"

"She is so beautiful..."

"You are in love?" "Yes I am"

"Can you get out of my head?"

"She's the best person in the world"

"I only marry if it's with her"

"I see her everywhere"

"I love you more every day"

"We're going to die old together right?"

"You're like into her or something" "Oh you have no idea how much"

Hurt/Comfort prompts

"It's all right, I'm here now"

"Don't try so hard"

"I wish you could see What I see"

"I fucking hate myself" "How can you hate the sun of my fucking life"

"I'll be by your side for the rest of my life"

"I'll love you forever"

"I don't want to continue in this world if you're not in it"

"This depression will kill me one day" "I won't let it"

"I've never been as dead inside as I am right now"

"I just wanted to feel alive again"

"I need you to stay alive for me love"

"Let me help you"

"There is no me if there is no you"

Protector prompts

"Get your filthy hands off her!"

"I swear if you touch her it will be the last thing you ever do"

"You're crazy if you think I'm going to leave you walking around alone, come on"

"Did he hurt you?" "No" "Did he think about hurting you?"

"I think I need to have a word with that boyfriend of yours"

"You only touch her over my corpse"

"I'll protect you, pinky promise"

"You're shaking, you can take my coat, but after that I want a kiss"

"Can I have your number?" "CAN'T YOU SEE SHE'S CRYING HELL?"

"Don't fucking talk about her like that"

"Don't let go of my hand, I don't want you to get lost"

"I think I'll walk everywhere with you"

"Y/N? Y/N WHERE ARE YOU?" "I just went to the bathroom..."

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— Updated list of animes I write

Prompt list | Open requests! | Masterlist

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SK8

OPLA

NARUTO

HAYKIUU!

BLUE LOCK

BOKU NO HERO

BLACK CLOVER

CHANSAIW MAN

JUJUTSU KAISEN

ATTACK ON TITANS

TOKYO REVENGERS

MASHE: MAGIC AND MUSCLES

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About me: ♡

Danny | 21 | Brazilian | She/her | aspiring writer |

Good reading! Hope you like | Requests are open!

彡

✧ Prompt list | ✧ I write for these animes |

✧ Followers event!

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MASTERLIST

Bᴏᴋᴜ ɴᴏ ʜᴇʀᴏ ༄ Oɴᴇ ᴘɪᴇᴄᴇ ༄ Tᴏᴋʏᴏ Rᴇᴠᴇɴɢᴇʀs

Jᴜᴊᴜᴛsᴜ Kᴀɪsᴇɴ ༄ Nᴀʀᴜᴛᴏ ༄ Aᴛᴛᴀᴄᴋ ᴏɴ Tɪᴛᴀɴ

❝ Maybe it won't work today, but one day it will.❞

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I think I want to do something like, Tokyo Revengers is a series and the boys and Y/n are actors lol

And then they do interviews together and everything, I JUST WANT TO READ IT LIKE THAT!

Help me guys.

'The acclaimed trio from Tokyo Revengers in one autocomplete'

Summary: With the premiere of the second season of Tokyo Revengers, Mikey, Kazutora and Y/n are invited to do an autocomplete.

Pairing: Actor!Kazutora X Actress!Reader | Actor!Mikey X Actress!Reader. | Wc: 1.317

A/n: I honestly don't know where I got this idea from, so please tell me what you think and if you want something like this with the other boys.

彡 Tokyo Revengers m.list | masterlist

"Hello, I'm Y/n!"

"I am Kazutora

"And I'm Mikey.

"And we are Tokyo Revengers!" The three say together .

"Okay, that turned out terrible." Y/n says laughing.

"We tried." Mikey says, laughing along.

Y/n was sitting in the middle of Kazutora and Mikey.

Kazutora was on his left and Mikey was on his right.

"The guys are going to kill us for saying 'We are Tokyo Revengers' with just three members." Kazutora says looking at the people behind the cameras who laugh at this.

"Okay let's start with this, today we're going to see what people search for most about us!" Y/n says and the two clap their hands.

"Rock paper scissors to see who starts." A Kazutora says and they hear the crew giggling when they see the three seriously prepare for this.

"Rock paper scissors!"

Kazutora and Mikey put paper, Y/n put scissors.

"I win!" Y/n says happy and Mikey laughs when he sees her happiness.

"Alright, let's go." Kazutora says taking Y/n's research board and tearing off the first paper.

"Y/n...Crying in Tokyo Revengers."

"Oh yes, that scene is Grammy worthy." Mikey Say it with pride.

"That's an exaggeration." Y/n says laughing awkwardly.

"I really don't think so." Kazutora says.

"But I was really proud of it, and I'm glad that anyone who watches Tokyo Revengers felt the intensity of the scene." Y/n says proudly.

"Next." Mikey says pulling out the next paper.

"Y/n...And Kazutora are brothers?"

"Yes Kazutora and I are brothers in Tokyo Revengers." Y/n says and Kazu agrees.

"But they're lovers in real life, cough cough" Mikey says with a cough and they both look at him in amazement.

"What are you talking about? Guys, don't pay attention to him." Y/n says moving away from Mikey who continues to smile.

"Kazutora's weakest fan." Kazutora says smiling, making Y/n smile agreeing with him.

"I'll take one more." Mikey says pulling out another paper.

"Y/n...at the Grammys"

"OH YES, WE WANT!" Kazutora says excitedly.

"If she is not nominated, I will protest." Mikey says seriously and Kazutora widens his eyes.

"Oh true, good idea." Kazutora says raising his hand to give Mikey a high five.

"Just to be clear, it wasn't my idea." Y/n says laughing.

"Let's pull one more." Kazutora says.

"Y/n...hair"

"Yes, I just loved making all these changes to my hair." Y/n says, delicately combing through her hair.

"And the most amazing thing is that Y/n looks beautiful in all kinds of ways." Kazutora says and Mikey agrees.

"You think?"

"Yes I think." he says and the two look at each other. (This would yield some edits later)

"I'm still your best friend, right Y/n?" Mikey says catching Y/n's attention who smiles and nods.

"Okay, mine is over which one of you two is going to go-"

"ROCK PAPER SCISSORS!"

Kazutora put rock and Mikey put scissors.

"I WON!" Y/n laughs at the scene before her, these guys are crazy.

Someone hands Kazutora's research board to Y/n who smiles in thanks.

"Okay, I'll take it off first." Y/n says pulling out the first paper.

"Kazutora... Are crazy in real life?"

The three laugh at the question

"Oh my god, that feels so good." Mikey says red with laughter.

"No guys I'm not crazy, okay?" Kazutora says still laughing a little.

"Actually he's a little different from the series, I would say, more cautious." Y/n says patting Kazutora on the shoulder.

"Yes, but he's a little crazy." Mikey says laughing and Kazutora sticks his tongue out at him.

"Okay, next." Mikey pulls the next one.

"Kazutora... And Y/n are together?"

"You know, this is kind of weird since we're brothers on the show." Y/n says and they agree.

"Guys, I'll answer for them, even they don't know if they're together or not." Y/n pushes Mikey.

"Again, don't pay attention to what he says." Kazutora says.

"Kazutora...Tatto."

"the tattoo is not real, look." Kazutora says, lowering his t-shirt a little and showing his smooth neck.

"But have you ever thought about doing something?" Y/n asks and Kazutora looks thoughtful.

"I don't think I would do it on the neck like in the series." He says laughing.

"Alright last one.

"Kazutora killing Ba- wow this has spoilers!" Mikey says putting his hand in front of the paper .

"But it's okay, This is from the first season." Kazutora says.

"But someone who hasn't seen it can see it." Mikey says still with his hand covering his Paper.

"But it will take a while for this video to go live, don't worry." Someone behind the cameras says, but Y/n sees how reluctant her friend is still and sighs, adjusting herself in her chair.

"Okay guys, this has spoilers, so if you haven't seen the last episode from the first season of Tokyo revengers, skip a little the video." Y/n says holding Mikey's hand, who is more than satisfied with her attitude.

"Now yes... Kazutora killing Baji, yes, you delinquent." Mikey says jokingly.

"Technically, it wasn't Kazutora who killed Baji" Kazutora says raising his hands in a sign of surrender.

"Yes, it shook us all." Y/n says pretending to cry.

"The crazy thing about this is that Kazutora's fan base is still one of the biggest, can you believe it?" Mikey says crossing his arms.

"Okay Mikey, your turn." Y/n says, Catching the board with Mikey's questions.

"Mikey... black hair." Y/n reads it and Mikey smiles.

"You guys liked that, didn't you?" He says smiling.

"He was already a fan favorite, imagine after that." Kazutora says laughing.

"Yes, his hair suffered this season, didn't it." Y/n says, reaching out and ruffling Mikey's hair, who smiles at the affection.

"Yes, but I loved doing it." He says winking at the camera.

"Next, Mikey... and Y/n." Kazutora says pulling out the next paper.

"I've seen so many edits of Mikey and Y/n." Mikey says laughing and hugging Y/n by the shoulders.

"Yeah, I think it's probably the favorite ship in the series." Kazutora says.

"They have strong chemistry." Y/n says smiling at the camera.

"It would be a shame if they became enemies."

"Kazutora!" Mikey and Y/n scream together.

"I'm just kidding." He says laughing and Y/m pushes him lightly.

"Okay, let's go to the next one before I kill him.

"Mikey...Favorite food."

"I don't think I have a favorite food, but I really started to like Dorayaki and Taiyaki a lot more after the show." He says thoughtfully.

"That's true, he always takes us to eat Dorayaki." Y/n and Kazutora agree.

"Let's go for the last one." Kazutora says pulling the paper slowly to give it some suspense.

"Mikey...Height."

"I knew I would have it." Mikey says and puts his hands on his face.

"He is so cute." Y/n says leaning her head on Mikey's shoulder.

"I'm 5'3" He says and Kazutora raises an eyebrow.

"Stop lying, it's much less." He says and Mikey frowns.

"Shall we talk outside? Kazutora."

"Are you feeling lonely? Go alone, cat."

"Oh my God, well guys that was it for today, we hope you enjoyed this." Y/n says cutting off their fight.

"Yes, keep giving love to Tokyo Revengers." Mikey says smiling.

"See you around." Kazutora says blowing a kiss to the camera.

And with that, the recording ends.

"Good job guys, thanks for that." Someone shouts at them and they automatically smile, relaxing in their chairs.

"Guys, let's go eat Dorayaki?"

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I really like your Tokyo revengers He’s Taken scenario. What if it happened in reverse where someone told the boys that they would be a better fit for reader <3

TOKYO REVENGERS - UM, SHE'S TAKEN?

includes: manjiro "mikey" sano, hanma shuji, baji keisuke and kazutora hanemiya all include xfem!reader!

a/n: this is so late but i felt i should actually do a request for once :) and i always love me some jealous boys!

MIKEY:

The audacity of this man.

That was all Mikey could think.

Did he not know who he was? Did he not know who you were dating? The Invisible Mikey, Toman's Leader and the most handsome boy you knew?

Clearly not.

Frowning, Mikey watches with barely concealed disdain as your classmate (the one you’ve been complaining to him about for weeks now) follows you outside of the school. He couldn’t always pick you up from school with Toman business and the like, but today he’d made sure he’d be able to after you’d texted him the day before that your annoying classmate had proceeded to take his infatuation with you a step further and follow you out of school. It had taken you great convincing to get him not to ‘walk you home’ as he so eloquently put it – stalking more like it – and though you’d tried to play it off, Mikey knew how scared you were.

The second your eyes fall on Mikey making his way over to you, he sees the instant relief that floods through them. Despite everything, Mikey can't help but feel slightly smug at that, hands shoved nonchalantly in his pockets as he crosses the distance over to you.

"Y/N-channn!" He calls out, arms stretched out towards you and with a single brief glance at the boy next to you, you all but race towards him, allowing yourself to fall into his arms. Mikey hates the way he feels you shake slightly beneath his fingertips, and he throws a not-so-subtle glare the classmates way, who – as he figured – is glaring right back at him.

"Y/N," the classmate calls, and Mikey's eyes narrow at his familiarity when regarding you. "Who's this?"

You lean back from his hug, and Mikey can see you look rather annoyed at the question – clearly, you've told him this before.

"Mikey," Mikey cuts in dryly, "her boyfriend."

And he must really not know who Mikey is because he has the gall to laugh.

"Boyfriend?" Haru laughs, mockingly and loudly, head thrown back as you cast a quick glance up at Mikey in uncertainy, trying to gauge he's reaction. Truthfully, Mikey looks unphased. "I thought you were joking about that, Y/N."

And then Haru steps forward, moving towards you; "I mean, you and me make a much better–"

It happens in a flash. Suddenly, you're no longer in Mikey's arms and rather set gently behind him, Mikey’s body blocking your view as Haru's hand that was outstretched towards you is now tightly grasped in Mikey's fist. A quick glance at Haru's face, and you can tell that Mikey's grip is tight, his face twisting with pain.

"Did I forget to mention?" Mikey smiles, "I'm also the leader of Toman."

Haru's eyes widen and he looks scared–well, shitless.

Mikey's grip tightens, finding the way all colour leaves Haru's face rather amusing and the way the panic wells with pain as Mikey bends his arm to the point of just being about to break.

"Now, what was that about you and Y/N-chan being a better match?"

"I was wrong!" Haru cries, voice pitching pathetically, "I'm sorry! I didn't mean it!"

"Don't apologize to me," Mikey shrugs, "apologize to Y/N-chan for making her so uncomfortable for the past few weeks."

Slowly, Mikey takes a step back, allowing you to fall in the view of Haru again, who, near crying, falls to his knees. "I'm so sorry! Please forgive me!"

Cheeks red slightly in embarrassment, you turn to Mikey.

He lets go with ease, Haru falling to the ground with one last cry, before Mikey makes his way to you, pulling you back into his arms with a wide grin.

"Let's go eat!" Mikey calls out with a cheer, snuggling into you. "I want you to feed me!"

HANMA:

"I mean, you're no good for her."

There's a beat. One long, single beat of silence before Hanma can't hold himself back anymore and he burst into laughter.

You, whose stood next to him, looks at him in disbelief, eyes widening as Hanma all but cackles in response to Asahi's words. Asahi, to be fair, looks just a stunned, and with a frown, you step towards your boyfriend, tugging on the sleeve of his jacket.

"Shuji!" You hiss, grip tightening on him.

He falls quiet at that, letting his eyes drift across you briefly, taking in the worried look in your eyes and the laughter stops at that. Hanma lets his eyes fall back on this boy, Asahi apparently, and the frown deepens – you were scared of this guy? He looked like wind might blow him over.

Besides, didn't you trust him to protect you?

A single glance back at you, and you're still throwing worried glances at Asahi, shuffled close to his side.

Guess he had something else to prove then.

"That's funny," Hanma finally speaks up, letting his eyes fall on Asahi with disinterest. "Hilarious actually." But all the humour has left his body, and Hanma simply stares back at the boy with a straight face.

Asahi falters, just slightly.

"I-I mean, you're a deliquent!" He calls out, gesturning in front of him at Hanma, before his eyes fall on you. "I mean, surely you can see that being with him will be nothing but a bad influence. If you were–"

Hanma steps in front of you, blocking you effectively from him.

"You don't get to talk to her," Hanma states rather bluntly.

Asahi turns to him, lips parting.

"You're not worthy enough to talk to her, pipsqueak. So let's keep this between you and me, huh?"

The air changes, thickens, and although you can't see it, you can practically sense as Asahi grows nervous, registering the glint in Hanma's gaze as he stares him down.

"I mean, surely, if you knew I was a... what did you say? Delinquent." Hanma snorts, "you think you'd have the brains to realize I'm not someone to mess with. And I don't take kindly to idiots like you trying to tell me who my girl should or shouldn't be with."

Hanma takes a step forward then, towering over the boy whose skin has grown pale, eyes flooding with fear as he stares up at Hanma.

"I especially don't take kindly to you scaring my girl either."

"I-I–"

Grabbing Asahi by the collar of his jacket, Asahi falls silent as Hanma pulls him up until he's standing on the tip of his toes, kicking his feet beneath him.

"But it seems I screwed up too, huh? My girl shouldn't have to be afraid because she should know I'd never let anyone touch her, let alone look at her if they made her uncomfortable."

There's a pause and Hanma's gaze grows wild as his fist slowly raises beside him, Asahi's cries of panic and pleads of mercy simply a background noise.

"So it looks like I gotta show her why."

BAJI:

"You're loud."

Well, Baji guessed he couldn't necessarily argue with that.

"You're rash."

That, too... maybe.

"You're not very smart."

Uh, ouch.

"You act without thinking. It could get Y/N hurt."

Okay, well that was just rude.

You were always Baji's top priority.

Well, that and fighting. But, still.

"I think I'd be a much better fit for her."

Baji should've figured this is where the conversation was going. Letting his eyes drift across the boy stood in front of him, he takes in the sight of his Toman uniform. He doesn't readily recognize the boy, so he's certainly not in his division.

Ballsy, he'd admit.

But stupid nonetheless.

He's probably in Mitsuya's division, Baji laughs to himself.

Well, not for much longer.

"I'll take your silence as a sign you agree with me–"

"I wouldn't jump to conclusions," Baji chuckles, grinning down widely at the boy. "What makes you think you're so great for Y/N? I know she's happy with me."

Lips parting, the boy pauses; "what?"

"You listed off all the reasons why you think I'm not a good fit for her, right?" He quirks a brow, and the boy nods. "So, tell me why you think you're a good match for her. You win, I'll break up with Y/N. And if you lose... well, needless to say." With a wide grin, Baji cracks his knuckles, baring his fists down at the boy.

The boys eyes widen, and he fumbles for a second, before he steels himself, inhaling deeply.

"Well, I'm smart, for one–"

"Wrong," Baji cuts in, "Y/N doesn't like smart guys. Why else would she have gone for me?"

Faltering, the boy shakes his head; "w-well, I'm a good cook–"

"Y/N prefers cooking herself," Baji shakes his head. "It's her passion."

Cheeks redenning, the boy rushes to add; "I-I'm! I'm strong!"

Baji just laughs; "not as strong as me. You're not even a vice captain of Toman!"

Thoroughly embarrassed, the boy hesitates, face bright red.

"Looks like you lose," Baji sings, stepping towards the boy. "I mean, if you really knew Y/N, you'd know the most important thing."

"W-What?"

"That none of that matters because she loves me!"

"You can't just–"

He never finishes what he's about to say before a fist makes contact with his cheek, knocking him off his feet and sending him straight to the ground.

Baji glances down at him with a blink.

"Strong my ass."

He makes a move toward him, before;

"Keisuke!"

Eyes lighting up, Baji spins, grinning at the sight of you. "Y/N!"

You fall in front of him, eyes flickering from the boy groaning on the ground back to him, "did you get in another fight again?"

Baji shrugs; "the guy deserved it. Not much of a fight either.”

And your eyes fall back on the boy on the ground and there's a flicker of hope where he thinks you might help but, but then after a moment you follow Baji's lead, shrugging, letting him take your hand in his before leading him off.

Guess Baji was right – you really did love him.

KAZUTORA:

"I mean, didn't you go to juvie?"

Frowning, Kazutora glares at the man, Daiki as he'd introduced himself as, in front of him. He was apparently a co-worker of yours, though Kazutora's never heard you talk about him before.

Stuck at this party your work was holding for you as a celebration for the promotion you'd received and your excellent work at the company, Kazutora had gotten a whole half hour of your time before you'd been whisked off by two woman, you offering an apologetic smile over your shoulder in response.

At the time, Kazutora hadn't minded – this night was for you after all and he wanted you to enjoy it.

Now, though? He desperately wanted to leave.

"How do you even know that?" Kazutora asks, his patience thin.

"I did some research when Y/N mentioned your name," Daiki shrugs. "Of course, when she mentioned you she hadn't mentioned that."

It's obviously meant as a jab. But Kazutora knew you weren't embarrassed of him – at least, he'd been pretty sure of that.

"Well, it's not really any of your business is it?" Kazutora cuts in, barely able to contain the snide in his tone. He barely liked socializing with people anyway, especially strangers, but he'd gone for you and because he wanted to be apart of your celebration. It was the least he could do after all you'd done for him.

But now he wishes he’d stayed home if he had to continue dealing with this guy.

"Still," Daiki insists, "aren't you embarrassed? I mean, such an upstanding woman... it's a wonder why she ever chose you."

"I chose him because I love him for him," you cut in and Kazutora’s eyes widen, glancing over his shoulder to see you making your way over to him. You look absolutely stunning, dressed in a floor length Y/F/C dress and when you notice his eyes on you, you smile at him, before it falters as you turn back to glance at your coworker. "But I hardly think that's any of your business anyways."

You fall next to Kazutora, wrapping your arm around his waist as you fall into his side, and the second you do, you squeeze Kazutora's side, and he realizes you're trying to reassure him.

"Y/N–!"

"Honestly, Daiki," you breathe out, voice coming out purposely exasperated as you roll your eyes. "I've had this conversation with you multiple times. I am happily in a relationship and your obsession with my personal affairs is strange and inappropriate. Given my promotion, I could easily have you fired."

Kazutora watches as the man's eyes widen, cheeks bleeding red as he shakes his head; "my-my apologies. Please, you don't have to go that far. I'll... I'll make sure I stop."

You raise a brow, holding the man with bated breath for a moment, before you nod. "Just don't let it happen again."

Daiki scurries off without another word, desperate to get away and Kazutora watches as you let out a sigh, shoulders falling as you shift, coming to stand in front of him, hands falling on his hips.

"I'm sorry about him. He's been... annoyingly persistant about asking me out for the past bit. I thought he'd have stopped when I reported him last week but when I saw him talking to you just now, I realized he hadn't."

Kazutora glances down at you, meeting your gaze.

You understand what he's trying to say before he even does; "nuh-uh," you shake your head, tugging him closer to you. "Don't let a word that idiot says get to you. He's just a pervert anyways. He spends half of his time looking down my shirt and I would never want to be with someone like him over you."

Biting his lips, Kazutora smiles softly; "I love you."

"I love you too," you grin, before slipping your hand into his. "Now, come on, I want to introduce you to my friends."

SocialCues

a/n: Been feeling a little down lately.. very self-comfort, but I hope anyone else who has deep rooted anxiety and poor social skills can appreciate this…

cw: depictions of bullying and self-degradation/anxiety. Angst/Comfort

-ˋˏ✄┈┈┈┈

Why did this always happen? How, even?

You seriously couldn’t wrap your head around how you always found yourself in these damned situations…

After being left alone at your desk, you quietly listened as the classmate who had just walked away whispered to themselves.

“What a freak…”

What did you even do? A freak? You were rightfully polite and pleasant, just as you always have been.

Did you say something wrong? Something weird? All you did was ask your classmate about their dog. Out of all the subjects you were taught to bring up in conversation, pets and hobbies were a universal win. (Strictly of the other person, because if you started going on a rant about your own pet or hobbies, you would make the person feel awkward and at a loss for words.)

How is it you always had a way of making everyone you talk to feel so awkward and bored?

But it was so lonely being forced into submissive quietness. You may have hated that more than the quiet glares of others. So still, you try to do your best and talk to people.

But only after a month of trying, it was evident that others were beginning to avoid you. To avoid talking to you. Avoiding eye contact.

You repeated what you’ve been told over and over again.

Saying less is more.

Use considerate language; words and phrasings.

Don’t make the conversation about yourself.

Avoid too specific points of conversation.

Read their facial expressions.

If they look desperate to leave, end the conversation quickly as to not bother them further.

Maybe being too conscious of what you said was your downfall?

But seriously, what else could you do? If you tried being casual, you make it awkward. If you tried too hard, you make it awkward. And if you don’t try at all, you force yourself into isolation.

Once lunch time rolled around, you started your way to the bathrooms to wash your hands before eating. How could you eat when your hands were covered in eraser shavings and lead stains? However, just at the threshold of the bathroom entrance, you could hear a conversation.

“L/n just doesn’t know when to shut up, does she?”

“Seriously! I can’t even get in a word with her!”

“Really? I just felt like she wasn’t even there when I tried talking to her! Like, she was waiting for me to ask her questions or something.”

“She asks way too many questions, like, why are you so obsessed with me?”

“She doesn’t really have much of a personality, I can’t stand people like that!”

“I dunno, I just can’t stand her.”

Honestly, they were pretty loud. People around the bathroom could definitely hear whoever it was talking.

You honestly didn’t even know how to react.

Maybe this was a good thing? At least this way you knew what you were doing wrong. Unfiltered criticism on how you could do better. So silently, you stood and listened.

It really hurt, hearing people talk about you like this. But it was your fault in the first place. Suck it up. Do better. Be better.

Holding back your tears, you fidgeted with your fingers. It was no good. You were bound to burst out in tears at any second.

“Oi.” Out came a sudden call. Startled, your heart leapt out of your chest. Looking up, you saw your classmate, Baji Keisuke, holding three filing boxes of what you assumed to be pre-graded tests and other miscellaneous paperwork. “Lend me a hand, would ya? Teach wants these taken to the teachers lounge before lunch’s over.”

It took you a few seconds to properly register that he was actually talking to you. Though it was hard to tell, given his huge thick rimmed glasses. Once it finally clicked that he was actually talking to you, a wave of embarrassment hit you hard.

“Me? Oh, uhh… o-okay.” You agreed slowly, looking at your dirty hands. You guessed it would be more suitable to wait to wash your hands after carrying a dusty box. Somewhat relieved, you nodded and walked over to your black haired classmate, gingerly shifting the top most box out of his face, into your grip. “Just this one is fine, or should I grab another..?”

You began to ask, until you were met with awkward silence.

SHIT. YOU DID IT AGAIN? Already? Embarrassed to the point of tears, you started down. “S-sorry, dumb question.”

Your classmate seemed disgruntled at your comment. Self pity never looked good. You were just digging yourself into a more massive hole. Just shut up and take the boxes.

Lift your fair share.

Almost forgot that rule.

Just as you went to shuffle the second box out from his grasp, your class mate stepped back. “I got these, just the one is fine.” He said.

“Just the one?” You asked.

“Yeah.. I mean, not to sound like an ass— I mean, um…” he clicked his tongue, trying to think of a better way to rephrase his comment.

“You can say ass, I don’t care.” You giggled quietly. You were faking it a little, what with how shot your confidence was already. But it was cute watching Baji flounder for the right words.

“Right. What I mean is, I’m probably stronger than you are, carrying these isn’t any issue. I just needed help with the third one since it was blocking my view.”

That made sense. He was damn near a foot taller than you after all. And he didn’t seem to struggle with the load in strength. Your silence made your classmate a little on edge.

“I ain’t trying to call you weak or anything. Shit. Just.. lets go.” He huffed before starting his way to the stair case.

Following close behind, you were scrambling your head with how to reply. Do you need to reply? But he sounded a little unsure of his own phrasing, sometimes validation was good for these kinds of situations.

‘It’s okay, I didn’t think you were calling me weak.’

Simulating the conversation in your head, you give up, rationalizing that your comment would more than likely go unanswered anyway.

Lost in these thoughts, you trailed behind Baji silently.

That’s right.

When it doubt, just be quiet. Just. Be quiet.

And it seemed your classmate was content with this as well.

Just as you were rounding the stairs, you were suddenly overwhelmed by a group of boys roughhousing with one another, laughing and unbothered. Before you even had the chance to move out of their way, a boy had rammed into your side hard. This caused for a series of unfortunate events.

Being as you were just making your way down the stairs, this rash shove caused you to lose your balance, trip over your feet, and topple forward. It wasn’t pretty. You definitely did at least one summersault on your crash down, the box of papers you held flying everywhere. What would have made it worse was if you had crashed into Baji on your way down, but luckily for both of you, he had walked at a much quicker pace, and had already reached the bottom of the staircase before your topple.

It was dead silent. Luckily, there weren’t too many students around, but there were enough. The boys looked back to one another, contemplating if they could just run off before you realized who they were, stay and help, or even apologize. You were the weirdo of their class after all, it’s not like these kinds of things didn’t just… happen.

“The hells your guys’ problem, huh?!” Baji yelled. It was really loud, louder than you’d ever heard him before. “Got a death wish or somethin’? Help pick this shit up, now!”

Hell with his reputation, this shit pissed him off way more than his tempter would allow him to suppress.

“R-right!” The boys who’d bumped into you nodded and scrambled to pick up all the scattered papers. “And apologize!” Baji yelled a second time, furious that they hadn’t even considered to do that first.

“We’re really sorry!! We weren’t looking, it was an accident!! We’re sorry!” They groveled low to the ground as they cleaned up the mess of their own making.

Baji huffed, but seeing as they were doing exactly as he told, he let it be for now. He sat his own boxes down gently, squatting over to help you up. “Hey, you okay?” He asked.

“No—“ you snapped in a sarcastic tone, but it was only out of bubbling up frustration and humiliation. Clearing out your throat, before he would reply, you started to pick up the papers scattered at your bruised knees. “Yeah, sorry. I’m okay; just didn’t expect it.. sorry I dropped the box. Sorry.” You repeated quietly, head hung low.

You only ever made trouble. If you’d just moved out of the way faster, you wouldn’t have messed up so harshly. Even if they were clearly in the wrong, if you’d just caught your footing instead of tripping, none of this would have happened.

“Come on, these bastards can take the rest from here.” Baji glared while his glasses slipped past his nose, leaving each boy trembling in fear. “W-we’ve got it from here..” One nodded in defeat.

Baji grabbed your shoulders, you rushed you to your feet. “Don’t worry about this, ‘going to the nurse.” He had an aura of order around him while helping you down the remaining stairs. “It’s okay, you don’t have to walk me..” you mumbled, not even sure it was worth going to the nurse for anyway. All you did was fall.

“You’ve got a few knots, and a lot of bruising. You should really be put on ice.” Baji looked you over as the two of you walked. “It had to of hurt. Seriously, those guys should have been looking where they were going. Don’t worry about it though, I’ll make sure they properly apologize again later.”

You chuckled humorlessly, and waved him off, eyes still glued downcast. “It’s not that big of a deal. It was an accident.”

“Accident or not, they’re gonna pay.” He muttered. “Sorry to trouble you, you’d probably have been better off if I just took the boxes all myself.”

“No worries, I wanted to help.”

Once you reached the nurse, Baji stopped you before going in. “You’re L/n, right?”

“Y-yeah, Y/n L/n… I sit in the front, a few rows to the right of where you sit.”

“Right. Sorry bout that again, I’ll let the teacher know you’ll be back a little later than lunch, so don’t sweat hurrying back. Just take your time.”

When was the first the anyone was this considerate of your wellbeing? Sure, it was a common courtesy, but it was still out of the norm. He gave a final look over of you, he seemed to narrow his brows further. “Well … I’m off. Seriously, take it easy.” He waved, and stepped back, waiting for you to enter.

“Right… thank you, Baji.” You have a slight bow before escaping into the nurses office.

⋆｡ ﾟ ｡⋆｡ ﾟ ☾ ﾟ ｡⋆

You were so tired. Maybe it would be best to let it go. Just accept you weren’t able to make friends. Finally accept something was actually wrong with you, and just stop trying.

Murmurs about your little fall were the talk of the class after lunch. Apparently the guys who bumped into you were actually pretty popular. Spreading misinformation about what happened, and making you out to be the bad guy. Seriously, what did you ever do to them? It wasn’t fair.

Overwhelmed, the end of the day came, and it was becoming impossible to tune out all 20 different conversations happening simultaneously as students filed out of the classroom. You bit your tongue and waited. The room would become empty before too long.

One by one, everyone left. And you were finally left alone. Finally. The weight of the day finally began to settle in the newfound quietness.

You quietly laid your head down on your desk, and held your arm sleeves tightly. Just breath. Why is it no matter what, you always make things worse? It was so suffocating, you didn’t even realize how harsh your breathing had become. Tears burned your eyes, and suddenly you couldn’t hold it back anymore. Openly sobbing into your sleeves, you huddled in upon yourself closer.

This sucked! What the hell! You didn’t do anything wrong! So why…

It didn’t do any good to think about it further than that. All thinking did was make it worse. Stop thinking. Just pretend like it didn’t happen. Pretend like you don’t hear anyone when they talk behind your back anymore. Pretend like your knees don’t hurt, like your feelings weren’t crushed. No one cared anyway. Suck it up.

Do better. Be better. Stop crying. Stop—

“Hey…” you heard a soft voice call out beside you. Your breath hitched. Was the classroom not empty? Did you seriously start crying in front of someone like that? This had to be the worst day.

You felt something cold touch your shoulder, and what you can only assume to be a juice box plopped down on your desk.

You didn’t lift your head. Soon to follow, the slight screech in a chair pulled out beside you, and the shifting of clothes. “Leave me alone…” you said softly; hoarsely.

“I thought about it… but it kinda seems like you could use a friend.” Wait, you recognized that voice. Ever so slightly, you turned your head to the side, and peeked past your hair to see Baji sitting slouched and wide legged beside you.

Still, you couldn’t let him see you like this. Rubbing your eyes against the material of your sleeve, you mumbled again. “It’s okay. You really don’t have to do all that.”

He was quiet. You were hopeful that he wouldn’t push the pity treatment further. The juice box was enough. It was thoughtful, and sweet. He was trying. But it was unnecessary. You’d forget about today soon enough.

Baji wasn’t sure what he should do. Maybe he should just leave you alone. He wasn’t really that good at comforting people, and you really didn’t seem in the mood to talk.

He’d never talked to you before today anyway.

Yet he couldn’t find it in himself to do it.

Anytime your name was brought to mention, it was always some bullshit gossip he never cared to listen to. You kept a low profile and seemed to always have a cheery aura about you. Those rumors were just that, rumors. It kind of reminded himself of when people would mumble about him behind his back when he first got held back. Sure, everything that everyone said about him was true, about being a delinquent, or being dumb. But it didn’t seem that way with you.

“People are assholes and just say shit to make you feel bad about yourself. I’m friends with a bunch of weirdos— some real freaks, so I can confidently say you aren’t as weird as people make you out to be.”

Well, it was a nice thought, if anything else. You giggled, sniffling a last few times before turning away from Baji, and wiping your face clean. You faced forward, a guilty smile decorating your features.

Baji Keisuke wasn’t ever really one to notice a person’s appearance, not for girls anyway. Yet he couldn’t help but admire you. Maybe it was the puffiness of your eyes and lashes, all clumped up together in wet mattes. Or maybe it was the gentle smile of giving up that twisted his heart into feeling like he should help you. To get closer to you.

“H-here.” Baji stuttered, and held out his glasses to you. “I don’t actually need them, they’re just for show. You were trying to hide you were crying, right?”

You blinked suspiciously at him, who was a little red faced and shifting of his own gaze. Was he trying to be considerate? Either way, it made you laugh. “Why do you wear them if you don’t need them?” You took the bait, and reached out for the plastic glasses.

“Well, I’ve been told I can look, intimidating, kinda. Like I’m always glarin’ or something. S-so, I guess that’s why?” He couldn’t exactly tell you he didn’t want to be recognized for being Tokyo Manji Gang’s first division captain.

“That so?” You played along, putting the glasses on in playful banter. “Huh, you’re right. They’re fake.” You smiled, and looked back over at Baji. Immediately, Baji broke out into a fit of laughter.

“Bwaaahaha! What the hell! You look so dorky!” He toppled onto himself, holding his side. You immediately followed his fit of laughter, kicking the chair below him. “I look dorky? Speak for yourself poindexter! You’re the one who looks goofy on the daily!”

Normally, those comments would cause Baji to roll his eyes, but with how lighthearted the air was, it only managed to make him laugh harder.

It felt good, laughing so hard with someone. A stranger even. “Alright, come on’, I’ll treat you to some ramen. You had to skip out on eating lunch since I asked you to help me right? You gatta be starving.” Baji offered, hoisting himself up and out of his chair, pushing it in.

“Well…” you thought about it. You’d hate to put him out and cause anymore unnecessary trouble. Yet, for once, you felt like you understood the social cues going on around you. Being able to relax, smile and laugh with someone, and they offer to take you out for food? Would it really be a bad thing to accept?

“Sure…”

I’m just here, chilling on the treadmill and it hit me.

Baji definitely is the type to go out to the gym with you, heck, the man probably drops in and drags you out to go work out. 😂

Rainy confession

You were always a fighter, never one to let others walk over you and for that you had to thank your parents because from very early on they ingrained in your brain that you were to be no one’s stepping stone, hence why they were so adamant on you learning self-defense.

It wasn’t just that your parents wanted you to be able to defend yourself but you also had a knack for fighting. There have always been that flame inside of you that made your blood run faster and your heart skip a beat whenever you were in front of a strong opponent; you always loved the thrill; even if along the way you got a few bruises, there was nothing that compared to the satisfaction that came with winning a fight.

Of course with time you started to get in fewer fights to placate your mother’s worries and focused more in school. This didn’t mean that you started being a quiet person, never that, you still spoke up when things weren’t right and most people would call you obnoxious because of this but you didn’t care because there were still people willing to be friends with you.

You still practiced at the Sano dojo after school and that was actually the place where you met Mikey and Baji, both whom would always win against you, yet they came to respect your spirit because you never backed down from challenging them daily, even when the outcome of the combats would always be the same you still tried to put yourself on their level, taking well every kick thrown your way and with the amount of practice that got you, slowly but surely you grew familiar enough with their style and started lasting more.

Yes, you’d be defeated every time you went against any of them but at least you could say that you were able to withstand more than a second; which is more than what most would say, yet you were well aware that they never attacked you with their full force; it was painfully obvious that even Baji held back a little; they would mostly take a defensive stance and they’d rather knock you down than strike against you.

There was no doubt in your mind that if they wanted to put you down they could do so in the blink of an eye and while that frustrated you, it also served as motivation for you to try harder on your training.

Soon after meeting them, you found yourself developing a strong bond with them to the point in which you considered them to be your best friends in the world, well, after Emma who was always there for you whenever the other two seemed to move too far ahead for you to follow; like when Toman was formed.

It wasn’t just friendship, well, not regarding Baji. At some point you developed feelings that strayed from the brotherly love you felt for Mikey and fell hard for the black-haired boy.

Your senses were on high alert whenever you went up against him and it was more than your fight instincts. It definitely felt different, from the lingering tingle wherever skin met skin to the tremors would crawl up your spine whenever you felt his presence behind you, the burning behind your cheeks whenever you’d make eye contact or the way your throat would suddenly grow dry in response to you getting a glimpse of his canines whenever he’d smile.

Of course it never crossed your mind the possibility that he could feel the same way about you yet you were proved wrong one afternoon when you found him after cram school, resting against his bike waiting to take you home.

It started to rain on the way to your house but you didn’t care about it at the moment, the only thing that mattered to you was the fact that you were hugging Keisuke from behind, face pressed against the nape of his neck, inhaling his scent until it was the only thing your nose could register as it got mixed with the smell of the rain in a way that put you at ease.

By the moment you arrived home, both of you were soaked to the bone yet you still felt the warmth from his presence; a fire ignited by him burning in the depth of your chest where your heart was. Then after a moment of staring in silence at his face, the rain got heavier reminding you of the state in which you were and invited him to get inside to dry himself.

You got inside and after once you realized that your parents weren’t home, you ventured into their closet, searching for something that you could lend him while his clothes dried down. You found something and went back. He went to get changed to the bathroom while you hurried up inside your room and changed into a much more comfortable and; more importantly; dry set of clothes.

When you got out, you found him in the living room, staring intently at a picture that showed you around the age at which you started going to the Sano dojo; the same time at which you met him. His hair dripping down his back and the towel you gave him resting without purpose on his shoulder.

“What are you doing? You’re gonna get sick” you fussed over him and walked the remaining distance between you, reached for the towel and without warning started drying his hair.

That was until a rough hand stopped you by wrapping itself around your wrist to tug and then with his other hand he took off the towel, allowing for you to stare directly at his eyes and notice just how small the space between your faces was.

Your throat felt dry, the beating of your heart quickening deafened your ears and you couldn’t prevent your eyes from wandering down and lingering in his mouth.

“I like you y/n” he declared without a trace of doubt, simply, the way someone would point out that the grass was green, his eyes telling you how serious he was about what he just said in the way in which they didn’t budge and instead grew more intense than usual.

You choked on your words, unable to come up with a response beyond nodding like an idiot and smiling from ear to ear until your cheeks started to hurt but it didn’t matter because he felt the same as you and he had just confessed.

He lowered your hand, his free hand going to rest on the side of your neck, pulling you closer but slowly enough for you to pull away shall you decide against him at the last second yet you allowed him to guide you to his mouth and caught a glimpse of his distinctive smile right before he connected your lips with a bit of clumsiness; the feeling far too foreign for both of you yet so familiar at the same time.

After a moment of awkwardly brushing your lips against each other, curiosity shining through from both of you in the act, but the moment came in which you had to pull apart in order to let air back into your exhausted lungs but he pulled you again by the back of your neck to bring your foreheads together.

“From now on you’re my girl” he smirked and you simply blushed but nodded all the same.

Tutoring him

_________________________________

Keisuke Baji x fem!reader

Warnings: none

Author note: this is a self serving thing that I wrote because I was in dire need of a comfort fic and I figured that I could share it

_________________________________

Despite growing up in a household where you were expected to always rise to the occasion and be at the very top of every exam or else you’d be considered a mediocre person that was wasting her potential, you were able to see that it wasn’t all there was to people.

Well, at least you could wrap your head around it whenever it came to others but when it came to you… well, let’s say that the ringing of the voices of your parents telling you how disappointed they were of you was hard to keep quiet whenever you received a note that was less than perfect.

There were so many expectations weighing over you from a very young age and you had to live up to them with little to no support because your parents were way too busy with work.

But hey, it was fine, right? You were always very mature for your age so it was easy for them to leave you to your own devices because of course you were capable of managing everything they entrusted to you. I mean, you were basically miss perfect, how could they worry?

They should have worried because while you managed, you grew up lonely for the most part and with time you became more anxiety than person to the point in which you would collapse if anything was less than perfect.

You had an incredible amount of hobbies which translated to not really being into anything in particular but you tried hard although in the depths of your closet there was a big collection of everything you ever tried and didn’t perfect from the first moment that you had dropped but never got around taking them out in case you tried again and suddenly developed a talent for that.

You were capable, you had so much potential, you just needed to focus, put your mind into it and if you failed then you were clearly slacking off and were nothing more than a lazy girl.

The voices inside your head pushing you to the breaking point, always criticizing you, pointing out every single mistake no matter how small it was, were painfully similar to your parents’ voices, always rang louder than your own, much louder than the tiny voice that claimed you tried your best.

But Baji’s voice always managed to overpower theirs.

You met him at school although you didn’t really pay him any mind, in fact, you never paid much attention to your classmates, instead you were far too preoccupied in performing to your best in class, always participating hoping to improve your scores because what else were you if you failed?

You tried to stay in your teacher’s good side, always reveling in the praise they’d give you whenever you delivered past their expectations in a way you never heard your parents praise you because it was your only duty so it was a given that you should do good.

As part of your way of seeking approval from your teachers, you always offered help and asked for extra credits and among those things was when one of them told you about helping someone from another class to improve their grades since they were held back and was having a hard time in exchange of a couple of points for your next evaluation.

Of course you accepted and the day you told your teacher you stayed after school and went to class 1-3 where the other student was supposed to be waiting for you.

If you were being completely honest, you went there expecting to find a guy with dyed hair, full of piercings and a menacing look; basically a delinquent; but what you found was a boy with glasses even bigger than yours and black hair slicked back.

Doubtfully you approached him.

Maybe you had mistaken the classroom? But you were sure your teacher had said class 1-3, you couldn’t be mistaken, but you had to be, there was simply no way that was the guy that got held back, he looked like a complete nerd, even if you hated to admit it but he looked like he performed even better than you, but well, you were already there so maybe he knew the guy? Yeah, probably the boy you were supposed to tutor had gone out for god knows what and you had to wait for him.

“Excuse me, do you know Baji-san, is he in this class?” You approached the boy slowly so as to not startle him.

“That’s me” He looked up to you and adjusted his glasses.

To say you were surprised was an understatement because he was so far from what you expected, not to say that you wanted to deal with a hooligan. He was far from the punk who got held back that you had pictured but well.

Looks can be deceiving. You chastised yourself once you realized that you had yet to utter a word.

“Oh, pleasure, I… I am f/n l/n, I'm supposed to tutor you'' you looked at him although the glasses he wore made it hard for you to meet his gaze.

Come on, at least he doesn’t seem like a trouble maker, that is good news, it’s not like I would have been able to handle a jerk and I really need those extra credits, plus this could serve as an extra study session and paired with cram school this should boost our score for the exam.

He nodded in understanding and straightened himself in his chair as you reached for the closest chair and pulled it next to him so you could look at his notebooks and actually help.

You asked him to point to you what exactly he had trouble with so you could begin explaining from that point.

That’s how it started, from that day on, you would stay after school, walk down the hallway from your classroom to 1-3 where you’d find the room empty except for Baji and diligently explain things to him until it was time for you to leave for cram school.

You would break down everything to the simplest things possible so there was no room for him to miss something although sometimes without meaning to, you’d get ahead of yourself and start spurting out information in mutters that never really helped him so you ended up apologizing and repeating things for him to actually understand.

With the days passing by you started having fun with him and came to enjoy your study sessions much more than you ever thought you could do. Not only that but for the first time in a long time you found yourself feeling light while studying and for a moment the voices of your parents telling you to do more would grow quiet even if it was just for the time that you spend with him.

You were never too bothered with having friends, too preoccupied with your grades for you to spare any thought to anything else but he slowly but surely became the closest you ever had to a friend.

In fact that wasn’t the end of it, you started liking Baji; his company. He started walking you to the station after your study sessions. He was nice and patient with your ramblings, making an effort to understand you instead of just brushing them off like your parents did.

You also had to admit that your stomach would flip whenever he smiled after understanding something, in that way that made his canines peek.

The study sessions were meant for him to reinforce the things studied in class; they were for him to learn but just the same way he did, you ended up learning tiny bits of him, for example how he had a habit of welcoming stray cats.

However you never got around asking the reason behind why he was held back a year.

Days turned into weeks and before you knew it, you were finished with first term exams with yourself dropping a few spaces from the top of the chart, while he moved from the lower part of the list nearing the middle.

You were definitely a mediocre thing that would never amount to anything, with no passions nor friends, not a single talent and the only thing at which you threw yourself wholeheartedly seemed to be yet another thing at which you were a complete failure. You could already hear your parent’s words of disappointment in you.

But hey, at least he did good, that made you feel better, if only a little.

Your stomach dropped once you realized that was the end of your time with the nerdy looking boy whose presence had grown on you in a way that made you yearn for the time in between classes and cram school in which you were less lonely, the time in which the worries about amounting to your parents expectations got shoved to the back of your mind and studying became fun because the deal was to tutor him until he did well and he had done exactly that.

Sooner than you would have liked the day ended and this time you didn’t have to see him, but you wanted to. Hoping to congratulate him and at least say goodbye to whom you considered to be your friend you packed your things as fast as humanly possible and rushed to his class.

Just like every other day of the past weeks, you opened the door and entered but you found no one there, not even a bag that could hint to someone still having to go back to retrieve it.

Guess he just saw me as the girl that helped him out, nothing more.

Your bag felt heavier even though it was logically impossible because you knew it had the same things as just a few moments before yet it’s weight pulled down your shoulder.

With a heavy sigh, you adjusted the bag and turned around to leave for your afternoon classes, although you now had so much free time that you didn’t even know what to do with it, not even remembering what you used to do before you got around tutoring Baji.

You wandered aimlessly, barely having the mind to move close to the school where your afternoon classes took place.

Loneliness hits like a bitch once you’ve gotten a taste of human interaction.

Not wanting to deal with anything, you avoided the crowded streets as much as possible which in turn proved to be a bad idea.

You spend the remaining time till your afternoon classes at a cafe, trying to read but unable to focus, having to read over ten times the same page because you weren’t registering any of the words, still too preoccupied with how you were going to explain to your parents that you had dropped from the top, they wouldn’t care that you still tried your best the only thing that ever mattered to them was that you delivered and this time you didn’t.

Cram school didn’t improve your mood, as you simply were unable to do anything properly to the point in which the teacher called out to you and since you even messed up something extremely easy.

Later you were listening to music on your phone; taking the long way home; not really paying attention to which way you were going, delving into the world inside your head while beating yourself over and over for being such an idiot regarding everything. You should have been paying more attention because next thing you knew was that some dude bumped into you making you fall on your back.

“Hey! You bumped me, at least apologize!” you called out to the guy, not really taking into account his appearance but more the fact that he kept walking as if he had done nothing and you were in a bad mood, so of course you weren’t taking any bullshit.

Although you should have really been more careful and you knew that the moment you found yourself in front of three delinquents; that seemed to be at least in high school; looking down on you with menacing expressions, a vein popping on the temple of one of the guys; the one you presumed to be the leader.

“Oi, watch your words, bitch”

“Excuse me?” you stood up. The alarms inside your head were going off, every self preservation instinct telling you to leave it at that and just walk away from them, away from trouble just like your parents would expect for you to do but you were done. “Take that back you jerk! I’m not going to tolerate you talking to me like that, apologize!”

You were tired and mad. Maybe that was why you didn’t drop it or perhaps you were just looking for anyone to take out your frustration for the crappy day you were having.

“Look, the little mouse has a spine” one of the dudes mocked you after he pulled out of his mouth a cigarette and released a puff of smoke.

“Don’t let her talk back like that”

“You have no idea what you just did, bitch” he emphasized the last word as a challenge to you in a way that made your eyebrows twitch.

“Don’t talk to me like that, asshole!” stop, what are you doing picking a fight with these guys?

The two underlings grabbed each one of your arms with an iron grip that surely was obstructing your blood flow as the other approached and gave you a backhanded slap with such force that had your face jerking violently to the side, that was followed by a string of more slaps.

It stung, even more thanks to the rings he wore, and you could already feel the tears filling up your eyes as he grabbed you by the chin, his fingers digging painfully into your cheeks. You were thrashing against their hold on you, finally listening to the voice inside your head that screamed at you to get away from them.

The leader was about to slap you once more and you were already bracing yourself for the strike when a hand captured his arm right before impact.

“Ganging up and on a girl, you ain’t shit”

“Who are you?” The guy that had been about to slap you turned his attention fully to the newcomer yet he didn’t have time to react; neither did you; because in the very next second, the new guy’s fist was connecting square on his nose and you could have sworn that you heard a crack.

The other two guys dropped their hold on your arms and lunged forward in a synchronized attack that did nothing for them because without effort he crushed them both, even splashing a bit of blood on his face in the process, relentlessly punching them with all his might.

“If I learn you ever do something to a girl; especially my girl; I will kill you”

The three of them nodded before running away hurriedly leaving you with the new guy although there was something about him that seemed familiar.

“y/n, you alright?” and then it clicked in your mind.

“Baji-kun?” you looked at him with eyes blown, taking in how his hair was falling wildly to the sides framing his face, how his glasses were long forgotten finally allowing you to truly see for the first time his chocolate eyes that had a spark of their own different from any pair you’d ever seen.

You were having a hard time putting inside your head the guy in front of you; intimidating enough; with the nerdy but nice boy you had been tutoring for weeks.

How could he be Baji-kun, your Baji? It was his voice, there was no mistake and if you actually looked at him it was clear that the features of his face were the same as the boy that made you fall for him despite how now he sported a fierce look opposed to the mild look you knew from school.

“Didn’t I tell you to drop the honorifics? Please, just Baji is more than fine” he approached you, frowning as he extended his arm.

You closed your eyes, trying not to flinch away, the memory of the recent events still had you pretty shaken up and your face was throbbing until a pair of hands; calloused and warm; cupped gently your cheeks a bit clumsily but it was evident how hard he tried to be as careful as possible to avoid hurting you any further.

“Should’ve killed them” he frowned, clicking his tongue as he assessed what must have been a mess of your face.

The good thing out of it was that your blush would be blamed on the slaps that asshole gave you instead of the proximity of Baji’s face to yours nor the way in which he held you, although the same couldn’t be said about your heart that was beating like a drum inside your chest; too loud for your liking and you prayed to anyone that may care for him to not hear it.

In that moment you broke down crying, startling him and making him pull away his hand in a heartbeat, fearing that he might’ve hurt you.

It was just too much for you, first with your grades lowering, then not finding him and to top it all the encounter with the punks that hurt you. This clearly hadn’t been your day and everything came crashing down on you.

Once he realized that you were fine and that he didn’t do anything to hurt you, he reached out to you once more, this time resting his hand on top of your head.

“I saw on the list that you did great, congrats” that sent you into another fit of ugly crying.

You needed to hear that, in fact it warmed your chest to hear someone say what you have craved for your whole life and although it didn’t come from your parents it was enough, because someone for once saw your efforts, saw something worthy of praise in you and didn’t just brush off your accomplishments as mere responsibilities but was actually taking the time to congratulate you, to tell you that you did well.

“I did good, thanks to you” he grinned, his canines showing through and if there was any doubt left in you about him being your Baji that smile was enough to chase that away.

Through your tears you smiled in response, unable to respond in any other way to him but you froze the moment you remembered what he said to those guys, finally processing his words.

My girl. My girl. My girl. My girl.

“Wait, just a moment ago, you… did you… did you say your girl? No no no, sorry, I misheard, yeah, I must have misheard because you certainly couldn’t have said something like that, right?” you laughed nervously. “Yeah, sorry, maybe the hit’s messed up my brain, sorry, I’m just spurting out nonsense and I, I’m going to shut up now”

His smile got wider if it was possible and gained a sheepish edge to it and he blushed the tiniest bit.

“You heard right, I did say that, unless you don’t want me then I won’t say it again”

Your eyes looked like saucers at that point as you looked at him, mouth dry and heart about to escape your body through your mouth but you had to answer before he misread your silence as rejection on your part.

“I like you” he smiled brightly at your response and you could have melted at that very instant from the blood rushing to your head and the fire that it ignited inside your chest as he ruffled your hair and lowered down his face to your level, chocolate staring directly at you.

“Then that’s it” he went to brush his lips against your forehead and straightened himself.

“How about I take you home?” the voice of your mother chastising you came up inside your mind but it was quieter than usual, you still didn’t want to go home but you remembered that they were on guard duty this night at the hospital and with Baji around maybe your home wouldn’t feel as suffocating.

“If you take me home we can eat something there, if that’s fine with you” you murmured trying to keep your blush at bay and avoiding his gaze.

He offered you another smile and gently took your arm, guiding you to a bike, to which he climbed and motioned for you to do the same behind him. You could hear your mother’s voice telling you that bikes were nothing more than a moving casket meant for delinquents and lowlifes but Baji’s presence was bigger than your mother’s memory at that moment.

“Hold on tight” he told you before looking down at your hands around his torso for a brief second before starting the bike and going off as your grip onto him got tighter.

Wouldn’t mind

Pairing: Kazutora x fem!reader, past Baji x fem!reader

Hurt/comfort

Author note: This is my way of dealing with Baji’s death finally being animated, this is me comforting myself so I don’t keep crying.

Also, I posted this on AO3 as well:

https://archiveofourown.org/works/33561445

Part of the reason you decided to get close to him was kind of the same reason why you decided to help out Chifuyu and the remaining founding Toman members in any way you could; even if that meant putting yourself in various fights. It was a way to honor his memory.

You met Baji Keisuke; your Kei; as nothing more than a child because you were neighbors and your mom happened to be friends with his mother which ended in them arranging lots of playdates for you both ever since you could remember.

Your mothers always said you were meant to be and they were right, so yeah, they were delighted once you two finally stopped denying yourselves and started to date.

You two got together after one time in which Baji got into a particularly bad fight and you found him on your way home; his hands all bruised but despite how much they must have been hurting he was smiling in that unique way of his that always told you that no matter the pain he won and enjoyed himself.

To be honest you didn’t like that he always got into fights nor how reckless he could be but you had to admit that there was always something about the way his eyes glinted that drew you in.

You dragged him inside your home, knowing that his mother would flip out if she saw him and taking advantage of the fact that your mother was to get home late, you pushed him to the couch, went to the kitchen for a bag of frozen vegetables, grabbed his hand after cleaning the blood off and held the bag to his knuckles hoping that it would bring down the swelling.

There was no way of knowing who made the first move but next thing you knew after that was that you two were kissing; the frozen bag laying on the floor long forgotten. After that you finally acknowledged your feelings and started dating. There was no grand gesture, it was just one of many moments that you shared daily yet it was perfect.

Baji liked to keep you away from Toman businesses so for the most part you didn’t actually know the rest of the members except for Chifuyu; whom you met on various occasions while going to visit your boyfriend; and Mikey that you met as a child since you were always following around Baji and in a way became your friend too; but that was it. He kept that apart from the side of his life that involved you because he was well aware of how messy it could get and he didn’t want to drag you into any trouble.

Yet his gang life caught up to him, crashing into your world and pushing you into a lonely abyss that still to this day left a hole in your chest.

You’d always remember that dreaded day when your mother came home later than usual without letting you know anything, eyes teary and red rimmed. The moment she looked at you, she pulled you into a strong hug and sobbed as she caressed your hair murmuring a string of words you couldn’t really make out.

She was the one to deliver the news of his passing, how she was late because she was at the Baji household and had to accompany his mother to claim her son’s body after the woman received a call from the police station telling her that the boy had been stabbed and bled to death.

The day would never come when you’d forget the pain that shot through your body as you learned that he was gone. It hurt unlike anything else you have ever experienced, as if someone was crushing your chest like it was made out of paper, air knocked out of your lungs and the only thing you could do was scream helplessly his name as you held for dear life onto your mother’s frame. You felt bile rise up your throat so fast that it was a miracle that you didn’t throw up.

His funeral wasn’t any easier. Not when you arrived and his mom pulled you to his casket saying just how handsome he looked, inviting you to see him in a way that you couldn’t refuse.

Around an hour after yourself, arrived Chifuyu who went to you after giving his condolences to his best friend’s mother that held him the way she used to hold her boy but now she’d never get the chance to do anymore.

If you were being completely honest, you couldn’t remember much more of that day, your mind was hazy, too many gaps in the memory of all that transpired.

Only two things were clear as day in your mind. First was the way that Kei had looked inside that coffin smiling peacefully and for a moment you almost fooled yourself into thinking that he was just sleeping, but he was pale, his canines weren’t showing and his eyes were slightly sunken but you had to agree with his mom because he looked handsome indeed. The second was that Chifuyu stayed by your side throughout the whole thing, in fact he was the one who told you what actually happened and you were thankful for it all.

He told you what Baji did and why he did it and you believed it the second the words left his mouth because you knew him well and if there was anything that defined your beloved boyfriend was his heart, how willing he was to give anything for those that he cared about; his unwavering loyalty; you just wished he hadn’t put himself on the line for that.

Twelve years have passed and a lot of things changed since his parting, for starters you became a member of Toman.

One night; around a month after everything happened; you went to the Musashi temple fully aware that it was the place that the boys used as their base and in front of everyone gathered there; bracing yourself; you walked towards Mikey, bowed deeply and begged for him to accept you as a member.

At first most of the guys there laughed at you while others frowned and called you names shooing you away but you stayed still, that was until a big hand grabbed you by the arm and that was when you pulled away from it and punched the guy square in the nose remembering the time Baji taught you how to pack a punch. The guy tried to send a blow towards you but was stopped by Chifuyu yet the whole commotion came to a halt with Mikey’s commanding voice.

“Y/N, you know this is a guys-only gang”

“I’m aware, Mikey, but” you clenched your fists “but Keisuke cared about this gang so I feel like I must join, to protect everything he fought for” you raised your head “he also taught me how to fight so you don’t have to worry about me being a burden on you and I know a few things about first aid, I can carry my own weight” you were thankful for your mother being a nurse and having taught you a bit.

He stared at you, his eyes giving away nothing.

“The first division can take her in” Chifuyu supplied.

Mikey raised a brow and looked at another blonde guy.

“Takemitchy, you are the first division’s captain, do you agree to take her?” the guy straightened up and after sharing one look with Chifuyu he nodded.

An uproar started as a lot of guys started to complain about how bad of an idea it was to admit a girl in the gang but Draken stopped them with one word.

Mikey looked at you once more, then he sighed and nodded.

“Then welcome, Y/N L/N, from now on you are a member of the Tokyo Manji Gang under the first division”.

Later that day you gave your thanks to Chifuyu and Takemichi, for getting behind you and promised to help them in any way possible but Chifuyu made you promise to be safe and only join them as a last resource because he couldn’t allow Baji’s girlfriend to get hurt since he promised him he’d take care of you.

You knew that your parents wouldn’t be happy with you being a part of a gang but you had to do it, it was a way to stay close to Kei and you needed that or else you would have gone crazy, you were also thankful because life had it that you were assigned to the division that used to be his.

Shit happened but you always took things head on and you had to admit that Chifuyu and Takemichi played a crucial part in you surviving all the crappy things that happened until the gang disbanded. While still a member you were extremely grateful for makeup since it helped you hide from your parents a good amount of nasty bruises that came from the fights.

The second thing that changed was that you moved out of your parents’ house from the moment you started college and although at first it was hard and you were living in a tiny apartment that resembled more to a matchbox yet it was the only thing you could afford at the moment with the part time job you had but you were decided to not return home, not because you weren’t comfortable with them but because they were already doing too much for you by paying for your studies so you didn’t want them to be spending any more money on you.

You managed and after a while you got a better job that meant a higher pay grade and you moved out of your tiny place to your current one that was bigger and just a couple of minutes away from the cemetery where the Baji family grave was.

Even when you had exams due the next day, even when you were way too busy, you still made it a habit to go visit him daily, it didn’t matter if you had to walk for long or that you were so tired you could have fallen asleep while standing, you still went to see him.

Your mother told you once that maybe you should let go, that he wouldn’t like to have you clinging to him this much and to appease her you went to a couple of dates once every three months but you never made it past the first date but funnily enough that landed you a few long lasting friendships with some of the guys you tried to date.

One time his mom talked to you and told you just how grateful she was with you for loving her son the way you did but that you didn’t owe him anything, that you could move on because she was sure that was what he would have wanted and maybe she was right; to hell you knew that she was; but it wasn’t a matter of you feeling like you owed devotion to him but more like no one ever compared to him, not a single person awoke in you the same feelings he did, not with the same intensity it was kind of like a beautiful curse because you grieved daily his absence but you wouldn’t want it other way, even if you went back and told yourself that by loving him you’d end up in pain, you’d still go through it all because the time spent with him was worth it and you told her that so she smiled and even talked with your mother making her stop begging you to date and leave you to your own devices.

Another thing that changed was you because you cut your hair really short; yet without needing it you still wore a hair tie on your wrist daily as if it was some sort of amulet because it reminded you of him.

Also, with the bigger place you adopted three beautiful cats that you loved dearly, first there was Blue; whose black hair shone blue under certain light hence his name; then there was Leo; an orange tabby cat you found one day and adopted instantly; and Jin; a maine coon that was your appointed guardian and didn’t like anyone around you nor him.

The three always slept with you; which made you thankful for getting a big bed when you first moved; and in a way they made your life less lonely because in their presence you felt as if Keisuke was right there with you which made sense because you two had made plans about living together once highschool was over and then adopt a ton of cats, all the cats your parents never allowed in the house when you were younger.

Of course things don’t always end up the way we plan them, you knew that better than most although to be completely honest you never expected Kazutora to come into the picture.

You new who he was, on one occasion Kei told you that him speaking on his behalf and taking the full blame for what happened with Mikey’s older brother was a big factor on him staying out of juvie so in a way you were thankful to him but you also knew; through Chifuyu’s retelling; what happened on that horrible halloween when you lost your whole world.

Even when you knew that everything had been planned out by Kisaki, for the longest time you were resentful towards Kazutora, even going as far as to curse his sole existence because hadn’t it been for him then your Keisuke would surely still be with you. It took you years for you to come to terms with everything and accept that Baji chose to leave all because he cared about that boy way too much.

You came to realize that by hating Kazutora, by wishing him the worst and spending so much energy in resenting him you were betraying Kei’s wishes.

His final will was to keep Toman’s funding members; Kazutora included; safe, he chose death, going down as a villain to his friends, all just to protect them, to save him so the least you could do was carry on his wishes and look after them, not only after Chifuyu and the others but you also felt the moral obligation towards Keisuke, to welcome Kazutora and help him back into his life.

Now, you went to help around Chifuyu and Kazutora’s shop, fully aware that it was their way of honoring his memory, by living out the dream he never had the chance for.

You could understand them because everyday you did the same, hell, you even went to study veterinary because that had been the plan all those years back; he was supposed to open his pet shop and you were supposed to be the one to tend to the animals, he always said that you had the best shot because you usually did rather good at school.

You met Kazutora the day after Chifuyu picked him up from prison. You already knew that he would be joining you two for lunch the following day because he told you in advance in case you weren’t ready to meet the man that had played a big part in your old boyfriend’s death.

Chifuyu by that point had become your best friend in the world, your constant support. What started as a way to cope with Baji’s loss, as both of you searching in the other for any vestiges of his existence with the passing of the years turned into something more, a fraternal bond forged through shared grief.

Chifuyu was like a brother to you and you knew that he saw you as a sister, you cared about him deeply.

If you were being completely honest, you were a bit torn when a month prior to the release, he announced to you that he’d be picking up the guy and was planning on welcoming him as a roommate and as an extra hand at the shop; that is if the other accepted. I mean, you’d have to be crazy to just accept it as it was, no questions asked because whether manipulated and messed up in the head, it didn’t change the fact that he was the one to stab him.

Of course you knew it hadn’t been easy for him to reach that, it was obvious that he had thought it through, you could see in his eyes just how much went into making that decision but that he was sure that that was Baji would have liked and you knew that as well because that was the type of person Keisuke used to be, a bit rough on the edges but so caring and willing to give for those he loved, and he sure as hell had proven how much he cared about the guy.

You had never talked to him, what little you knew about him was what Baji had mentioned all those years back when he almost went to prison and what Chifuyu told you, how he was getting the help he needed and seemed to be making progress but that was it.

To say it was awkward at first was a big understatement. He was extremely quiet and even after you greeted him he refused to make eye contact while you kept fidgeting in place trying to come up with something to say. Thank god for Chifuyu since he was the one to introduce you although he could have been a bit more careful when he introduced you as Baji’s old girlfriend, although you couldn’t blame him because there was no way around it, that was what you were.

The moment he understood who you were he froze, eyes focusing on his hands under the table. You noticed how uneasy he became and with a look you asked Chifuyu to give you a minute, thankfully he understood and trusting you excused himself from the table.

You reached out, stilling your hand in the middle of the space between you when you saw him flinch, something that reminded you of the time when you encountered Leo for the first time; hurt and scared. Kazutora in a way resembled him, something lonely and broken about him that gave you the final push to get close.

Just like you did way back for Leo you extended your open hand towards him, facing upwards to show him that you had no ill intentions and you rested your hand on the table just a few centimeters away from his arm, not wanting to startle him but wanting to show him that you were trying to get close.

“I don’t hate you, Hanemiya-kun”

His gaze zeroed on your hand and then eyes of the color of the lightest brown you’ve ever seen; almost the same shade as amber; met yours wary and trembling but you simply nodded confirming that you were being completely honest.

“Why?” his voice came out broken.

“Because Keisuke cared about you” you smiled, feeling your eyes get watery and Kazutora’s face became blurry due to the tears.

“I’m sorry, I’m so sorry, I- I wish I could take it all back, I really do, I...” you heard the words come out cracked and you shook your head and reached for his arm.

“I know...it’s fine. Like I said, I don’t hate you, it’s been a while since that happened and I’ve made up my mind, I’ve already accepted it as part of life” that’s a lie and you know, you miss him every day so much that you still cling to the little things he left behind, that’s the reason why you haven’t been in a relationship after him.

You quickly wiped the tears out of your eyes and looked at him once more. “I’d like to be there for you, maybe be friends even, that is if you’d like that”

Kazutora’s mind was running laps. Was he hearing you correctly? Did you actually say that you wanted to be friends with him? Be friends with the guy that killed your boyfriend nonetheless. He couldn’t wrap his head around that thought, it was simply impossible, he was a villain, a rotten fruit that nobody had ever liked and that poisoned the only good things he had in his life, why would anyone want to be near him?

First there was Chifuyu; who for all he could gather used to consider Baji as his best friend; welcoming him into his apartment, offering him a place to stay and even a job no questions asked, that was already hard to understand, but now having you willing to welcome him? That was almost ridiculous because you surely knew, he saw the way you interacted with Chifuyu, there was no way in hell he didn’t tell you, so why?

Why were you being kind to him? So gentle? Why couldn’t you just scream and curse him? Heaven knows for how long he has been cursing himself, regretting everything he did, from Shinichiro to Baji. He deserved to be yelled at, to be shunned away from society, he was deserving of pain and should be tossed to the abyss of loneliness, forever in the dark, far away from the sun.

He couldn’t fathom why on God's name was Baji’s girlfriend in front of him extending her delicate hand towards him. But even when he couldn’t understand he wanted to accept it. He knew he deserved nothing given how he had taken two lives but he wanted the embrace so badly.

He wanted company, friends, he didn’t want to be forever an outcast due to his bad decisions but instead he wanted to belong, to feel some sort of comfort, he wanted to bask in the sun’s warmth and for once in a very long time feel a bit of peace, he wanted saving, someone to tell him he was worthy even when he knew he wasn’t.

He looked at you once more, and something felt warm inside his chest; even his throat tightening; when he saw that you were still smiling gently at him despite the rebel tears that had escaped from your eyes.

“I’d like that” he smiled wobbly. “Also, Kazutora is fine”

“Then let’s be friends, Kazutora-kun” your smile grew broader and that was the start.

Surprisingly after that, it didn’t take long for you to grow comfortable with each other. He was quiet and would often be found spacing off but he was considerate towards you, actually he returned the same kindness you gave him, although it was evident that he was still wary and a bit rough on the edges he tried hard and you could see, so whenever he was having a bad mood you tried not to take it personally.

Through gentle words and patience, you won him over, even those around you were surprised at how quickly he warmed up to you but there was just something in him that pulled you, maybe that same thing that pushed you to adopt Leo when you found him malnourished and hurt on your way home from the cemetery or maybe it was something else.

Just as he warmed up to you, you warmed up to him. It was easy to talk to him, he was always willing to lend you an attentive ear, listening to your ramblings about the monotonous things that happened at the clinic, it didn’t matter that he knew nothing about the people you mentioned, he always listened like it was the most important thing in the world.

At first your interactions were always in company of Chifuyu, mostly at the shop while you went to visit which actually ended in you helping around to organize the merchandise or on the usual checkups on the animals to ensure that they were in the utmost condition for the moment someone decided to welcome them into their home.

Then, Kazutora started to walk you to the station but slowly that turned into him accompanying you all the way home and since he was taking the time to go with you you started offering him a cup of tea at your house before he’d leave again to get back to his and Chifuyu’s place.

That wasn’t the end of it because one cup of tea turned into two, then three and finally what started as a thanks for the inconvenience turned into hours-long talks about the most menial things just because.

Your cats loved him; Blue was always rubbing himself against his legs while Leo wasted no time to go lay on his legs and with a meow demand to be petted at the moment; but the most amazing thing of all was that Jin didn’t hate him, in fact he got way too comfortable with him which was a thing that you’d never seen, the only other person besides yourself that he liked was Hina, hell, not even Chifuyu had been able to charm the bigger cat and now apparently he didn’t mind Kazutora trailing behind you when even up to that day whenever he was visiting Chifuyu would get a growl from Jin but not Kazutora.

He was nice to your babies, he liked them and you could see that he didn’t change his demeanour towards them even when he thought you weren’t looking, in fact his voice got softer when directed at them and you were also the kind of person that trusted animal’s perception so the fact that your beloved cats liked him really told you that he had changed from what little you knew about his ways before being sent to prison after Baji’s death.

Kazutora started noticing the little things about you, for starters the way you’d always be singing a random thing off tune but with such energy that it was amusing but when asked he’d swear on his life that he wasn’t bothered that he actually liked it even though you knew very well that you weren’t a good singer but the opposite yet there was something powerful about having him joining in the middle of your singing, even when he didn’t know the lyrics he’d be humming along.

You were a sight to behold for him because in all the mess of his life he had never encountered someone as lively as yourself. Even after losing Baji you tried your best, you were determined and hardworking and so kind, not only to him but to every living thing no matter if they were animals, people or even plants, you amazed him because you were always so willing to be gentle to anyone.

You were a soothing presence.

That was not to say you didn’t have your bad days, after all you were only human and it was simply impossible to be at one hundred percent everyday the whole day, but you pushed through and you were always quick to ask for forgiveness if you had an outburst towards someone, you were the kind to not withhold apologies even when you weren’t at fault. He could remember a handful of times in which you apologized when he was the one to step on your toes.

You, of all people apologized to him, a social reject, a vermin, you apologized to him as if he was worthy, as if that was the logical thing to do but he knew that no matter what you did he knew that he was the one that still owed you a lifetime of apologies.

He wasn’t an idiot, he knew how much Baji meant to you even to that day, he noticed the little pieces of him lingering in your everyday, like how you always wore a hair tie around your wrist even when your hair was way too short for you to ever need it and whenever you had to get your bangs out of your face you used hair clips, never the tie on your wrist, the way you always cracked your knuckles as if getting ready for a fight even if you were only checking the animals and the way you carried yourself in a way resembled the way Baji used to.

He never told you but a few times he found you at the cemetery by coincidence while visiting Baji and there was something heartbreaking about seeing you kneeling on the ground with trembling shoulders despite it being a hot day. He regretted what he did, not only because he felt guilty or ‘cause he missed his friend but also for your sake because he wanted to see your happy smile, he never wanted to hear your cries ever again.

Just like him, you started seeking his company more and more, not only were you inviting him to stay and talk after walking you home but you made plans with him and just him, to go window shopping, for a cup of coffee, lunch dates, movie premieres; because you liked going to the movies so much and discovered that he was an enthusiast as much as you; movies on the couch, even just lazy sundays at your house playing the entire day with your cats.

Of course reaching this state was quick yet slow, it was hard to explain, like you were close to him and enjoyed his company, but it was different than it was with Hina or even Chifuyu yet you wouldn’t call it romantic, not at first.

Sure, there was something to Kazutora, you weren’t blind so you could see clear as day that he was rather handsome, probably one of the prettiest guys you’d ever met but there was something more, something that pulled you, something broken and lonely that tugged at your heart and told you to care for him.

At such a young age he had been to prison on two occasions and you could actually see that that was simply the tip of the iceberg. He had to mature too soon, he mentioned vaguely that his relation with his parents wasn’t the best and his eyes at times looked older than he actually was, plus it took a long time for him to get used to your affectionate ways because your love-language was physical touch. You had a special fascination with hair and all of your friends were used to that but Kazutora was like a kicked puppy that was only learning to trust in people once more.

You were a new breeze of air into his life, with your caring ways and funny nature he fell. For the first time in his life he had someone like you, at first it was difficult for him to realize that the fuzzy feeling inside his gut whenever he looked at you or even heard your voice meant what people called love but it was a given because he had never felt that way before.

For the longest time he felt like love was a lie, he remembered how bad his home life was, how strained and full of pain the things between his parents were, even now from time to time he had nightmares of his mother crying as his father hit her and then her begging him; only a child; to pick sides.

He wanted to hold you close, to keep you away from harm and to listen to your laugh for days on end, for once his heartbeat quickened for someone, he found a safe place in your presence, you were an oasis after years roaming the desert. You were such an unusual kind of certainty in his life that he never had but that he had searched for so long.

While Kazutora realized rather quickly; in comparison to you; that you had wormed your way into his heart making a home for you it took you around three years and others pointing it out for you to actually realize that he meant to you more than a friend.

The first one was your mother although not as subtly but rather by saying that she was happy that you were now with Kazutora which took you by surprise because you weren’t.

That wasn’t the end of it, but only the beginning.

The next one was Hina one day you were sleeping over at her house, but the cherry on top was Chifuyu.

“Hey, I know it’s not really my business, but when are you going to get together?” he asked one time when you went out for coffee.

“What?” you asked mindlessly, stirring some sugar into your beverage.

“Yeah, you’re kind of driving me crazy, it’s kind of annoying feeling like a third-wheel without actually being one, just get it over with” he spoke before taking a sip from his own cup.

“What?” you snapped your head back to him.

“Is that the only thing you’re gonna say?” he looked at you through half-lidded eyes.

“Yes, because I honestly don’t understand a single thing of what you’re saying” you shook your head and took a sip from your coffee.

“What I’m saying is that it’s obvious that you like Kazutora” he said matter-of-factly.

“Of course I like him, he’s my friend, I like you too”.

“No, you don’t, you like me as your friend but you like Kazutora in a different way, a lovey-dovey way” he deadpanned.

“No, Kei-” you began just like you did whenever your mother used to bring up your love life or thereof lack of it.

“Baji-san has been gone for years already” he cut you, wincing as he said that and to you his words felt like a slap across your face.

“Look, I know, trust me, I do, but it’s been long enough and if there is someone that makes you feel good you should go for it, he wouldn’t want you being unhappy for him” he sighed and with a hand pushed his hair back.

“He asked me to take care of you because he wanted you to be alright, he wanted you to be happy and he’d probably punch me if I simply stood by and watched you being miserable” he pushed his cup to the side, leaned over the table to grab you by the shoulders and looked into your eyes seriously.

“I know you like him, don’t be an idiot, it’s painfully obvious with how you look at him and spend almost all of your free time with him, Baji-san won’t be mad at you for finding someone new and I believe that he’d be happy that it is Kazutora of all people”.

Before you could respond to that, the sound of a new message cut you off and when you looked sideways to your phone on the table, a soft smile graced your lips when Kazutora’s name appeared on the screen. Without thinking you opened it and it was some random video of a kitten; somewhere along the way it became a thing between you and it reminded you of how Keisuke used to send you daily pictures of the cats that went to his house.

“It’s Kazutora, right?” Your face grew hot once you came back to reality, remembering suddenly with whom you were and what you were talking about.

“I’ll let you be, but don’t be an idiot and let yourself be happy” and just like that Chifuyu ended that conversation and quickly changed topics.

You knew you liked him, you felt warm whenever he was around you, his voice soothed you even on the worst of days and you looked forward to his messages. You had learned to find comfort in his eyes but they were a wrong shade; not brown enough.

He wasn’t Keisuke. He’d never be.

A few days later you found yourself in the shop, helping around but constantly sending glances in his direction, his back facing towards you, looking painfully similar to Kei’s even down to the hair length, although the color wasn’t the right match with it’s blonde streaks you could still fool yourself into thinking it was him.

But then he’d turn to look at you and send a smile your way and there would be a beauty mark under golden eyes and a tiger tattoo where it shouldn’t have been and that smile was lacking a pair of prominent incisives peeking through.

You knew it was wrong to look at him searching for Keisuke, searching for your lost love in another, clinging to the remnants of his passing through the world but you missed him so much.

At times you felt like you couldn’t even breathe, you had even fallen asleep in front of his family grave after a long day if you went to visit at dawn after not being able to make it at morning but you had to visit him daily in order to feel in his company because if you ever thought of skipping a lump appeared in your chest crushing your heart.

Yet, even then, even when you realized it wasn’t Baji your heart would skip a bit and your stomach would twist.

Later that night you found yourself walking home with Kazutora by your side in complete but comfortable silence, feeling the warmth oozing from his arm that was left hanging at his side lightly brushing against yours, rising even the tiniest hair of your arm.

Kazutora had been going at it over and over for months. At first, when he realized what he felt for you he decided to bury it deep and forever carry it in silence but as time went on he craved your presence.

He started wishing for more, more smiles, those smiles to be only for him, he even found himself looking forward to getting hurt while playing with your cats because it meant that you would be cleaning up his hands and putting on a band-aid with the utmost care and attention even if they were the most insignificant scratches ever.

He liked having your attention, he liked that you replied to any message from him almost immediately; unless you were attending to a patient then you’d reply as soon as possible; he also liked how your eyes would get bigger whenever something amazed you or if you found something even remotely cute.

Your constant ramblings plagued his mind at every hour no matter if he was asleep. Hell, he even went to Baji’s grave to ask for permission to love you, even if he did so in silence he felt like he owed that much to his old friend because you were his girl after all.

Why did it have to be you? Why Baji’s? Why did you have to come into his life and be like the sun? You were too much for him, too perfect, too good while he was nothing but a mess, too fucked up, too far away from repair. For fuck’s sake, he was the one that took your boyfriend away, he would have been better off handling your hate but instead you were there giving him so much it almost pained him, only adding up to his guilt.

This had to be some sick game of the universe. God must have been having the time of his life laughing at how the killer fell in love with the victim’s old love.

Before any of you knew, you had already gotten home and like it became custom you invited him inside for a cup of tea.

As soon as you opened the door, your three babies rushed to the entryway to greet you, Jin being the very first, you hadn’t taken two steps inside when he was already brushing himself against your legs. The other two weren’t too far but to your disappointment Leo approached Kazutora before even looking at you.

“I’ll stop bringing you here, you’re stealing them away from me” you pouted while kneeling down to hug Jin who looked at Kazutora with no distaste, then you picked up Blue and let him nuzzle your neck, after that still holding him you went to rub Leo with your free hand once he finally took notice of you and remembered who bought him food and toys.

Kazutora’s hearty laugh filled your ears pulling your mouth from the pout into a smile.

“Leo knows who’s the cool one” he winked your way. “I’m kidding, he likes you more” he looked down at said cat “right pal? Isn’t your mom the absolute best?”

“Oh, shut up, flattery won’t take you anywhere” You felt blood rushing to your face so you stood up hiding your reddening face into Blue’s fur.

You hurried to the kitchen and then, out of his sight was when you put Blue down and started to boil some water, hearing over it as the door closed and seconds later Kazutora appeared with the other two trailing behind.

You ended up splayed on the bigger couch in your living room, your back leaning against his side while Jin laid on top of your legs while in Kazutora’s rested the other two cats. At that moment you were with your eyes closed, mindlessly caressing Jin while you listened to Kazutora talk to your cats in a baby voice that you wouldn’t have expected from him the first time you met.

For him it wasn’t easy to keep his cool, he had to school his face even if you weren’t looking at him and oh, his heart was so loud it was about to jump out of his chest and he wouldn’t mind but he didn’t want you to listen.

I’m sorry Baji.

A  meow of protest fell on deaf ears since he had stopped caressing Leo and Blue, instead turning his full attention towards you.

You turned your head and suddenly you found yourself way too close to his face; so much you could’ve counted every single of his lashes; staring up at a pair of golden eyes that were looking at you and only you as if you had been the one to hang up the stars in the sky.

His features were delicate, so beautiful it was heartstopping, he looked almost otherworldly; and not only because the ghost of Baji’s face lingered in his in a particular way; but there was a certain glimmer in his eyes that you had been noticing from a few days leading to that one, only that then it shined brighter than ever.

Unbeknownst to you, your eyes were reflecting Kazutora’s shine and your heart was beating to the same tempo as his starting up a melody of their own with your breathing getting caught up in your lungs making up the rhythm accompanying your song.

You were being drawn into each other like opposite poles of a magnet, barely any resistance was there and soon enough you met in the middle. At first it was the softest brush; like when you first dip your toe before jumping into the water; but it started a whole revolution inside both.

The brush became a second and then your lips were pressing against each other, basking in the warmth that radiated off that single contact that sparked a bunch of reactions at the same time. Your heart went off, your lungs closed; forgetting for that moment that they needed air and not that man to keep kissing you; and for the briefest moment your mind stopped thinking about Baji.

Kazutora was ready to die, if he was sent to hell at that very moment he’d be glad because at least he got a taste of heaven and it was more than enough. He decided then and there that he was bound to be cursed because how did a monster like him manage to get a kiss from an angel such as yourself? It must have been a sin for something so tainted to even look your way.

He didn’t know when your hand placed itself on the side of his neck but he knew that he was yours, if there was any doubt of that up until that point, it vanished with the way you were gently caressing his tattoo as if you were tracing it by memory, as if you had paid close attention to him, as if he mattered, as if he was something more than a broken thing.

Something inside you moved when a whimper escaped his lips the first time you pulled away for a mere second in order to get air before going in once more, this time ready to open your mouth and let him take while you explored. It felt nice, new; which was to be expected since the last time you had kissed someone this way had been with Baji.

Keisuke.

You opened your eyes and suddenly pulled away, almost as if his touch burned you; and in a way it could be said to be true; and your violent movement startled the three cats that you had ignored moments before, making them leave for your room.

The image of your beloved; death; boyfriend took Kazutora’s place, brown replaced gold and the beauty mark vanished, the yellow strands that framed his face turned jet black and the smile you’d been missing like crazy; that particularly his that showed his teeth was there.

You blinked a few times and his image left, allowing you to see Kazutora for who he was and not the ghost of him.

“I’m sorry, I don’t know what came to me” he looked at you with tears gathering in his eyes almost pleading and you realized how it must have looked to him.

“No, Tora, I-”

I’m an idiot, I blew this up. Again I’ve just gone and ruined what good I had.

“I’m going now” he stood up and left for the door, leaving you alone and cold on the couch.

I’m sorry Keisuke.

You stood up and went after, finding him in the doorway hastily putting on his shoes but you grasped his arm to stop him.

“I will leave right now, it’ll be like nothing happened” you caught a glimpse of a tear trailing down his cheek and that sight prompted you to speak.

“No” your other hand reached for the fabric of his shirt, securing him.

“Y/N”

“I don’t want you to leave, I-” the words choked you, there was too much you had to say and your mouth wasn’t responding as fast as you would’ve liked.

“Don’t ask me to stay because if you do it’ll only hurt more when you tell me it was a mistake”

“But it wasn’t a mistake, I want you, okay? Kazutora, I like you” you at least managed to say the one thing that was clear in your mind, that had been clear for a long time but only got accepted after that one conversation with Chifuyu.

That certainly stopped him, for he turned around to fully face you and you saw his eyes filled to the brim in tears that he refused to let run freely.

You reached for his face as slowly as the first time you two met, giving him enough space to retreat, but how could he when the thing he wanted most was to be with you and bask in the calm that your presence brought into his messy life? When he didn’t give any signs of pulling away you smiled and cupped his cheeks as if you were holding a piece of glass; and in a way Kazutora was just as fragile as that material when it came to you.

He leaned into your touch, and you were bold enough to pull him in and rest your foreheads together, looking with all seriousness into his eyes, having deja vu of the first day.

“Why? Why? I- what I did to Baji, you know what I’ve done, I don’t”

“I really can’t say, I just do, it’s, it’s hard, okay?” you closed your eyes for a brief second before continuing.

“I swore that there wouldn’t be anyone else and now, now you are here and I like being with you but I know that is way different from how it is with anyone else, it’s something more, something I never thought I’d be able to feel again”

He smiled through his tears because after all he’s done, every mistake in his life said that he didn’t deserve you and yet there you were.

“But I also have to be honest with you” he braced himself for what would be your next words.

“I still love Keisuke, I will probably still be loving him even fifty years from now and that is something that will never change, he was my first friend, first time holding hands, my first love, first kiss, many firsts, he took most of them” you gave out a wobbly smile.

“He’s forever imprinted in my skin and I’ll always be his” he lowered his gaze at that. “But if you can accept that I’m willing to try this, I never dated; not really, not an actual relationship; after him but I wouldn’t mind it being you, I think we deserve a chance”.

His heart was thumping inside his chest making it harder to process everything so you waited while his mind raced. Kazutora looked into your eyes and knew he had to take the chance because you were what he needed and even if he was undeserving you thought him worthy.

A selfish part of him, the bad side said that he should be glad because if Baji was there he knew you would have chosen him, a thousand times you’d have chosen Baji over Kazutora and that pained him but what pained him the most was the fact that a tiny part of him was happy because now he had the chance to be with you.

He was taking the life Baji should’ve had, but he’d take good care of you.

He could live being second best if that meant he got to have you.