Summary: you discover baji’s academic troubles have a root cause
“–did you see it?”
you jumped and gasped. baji had interrupted you so suddenly, and in such a panic that he had frightened you. the small adrenaline rush and thumping in your chest hadn’t eased yet when you glanced at him, about to ask what the hell his problem was. he was the one that asked you to come here and spend your time going over the class’s homework– and not for your benefit, either.
“…wh–? are you f– are you serious?” you snapped instead, “keisuke, you got me over here at ten thirty at night and you ain’t even been listening this whole time!? what the hell did you even call me here for if you’re finna just play around and waste my damn time?”
“did you fuckin’ see it or not!”
you flinched away from him when he yelled in your face, staring at him wide-eyed and in silence. his eyes were on you almost in pure rage, but… the second he really sees your face– sees how much he’s scared you, he sighs, bowing his head.
you can only watch him, watch as his hands go irately to his hair, clutching despondent at the thick silky pile of his ebony mane.
“it fuckin’ moved. it moved again!” he groaned. his voice was so frustrated and angered. more fed up than anything, but he sounded so anguished with something, and you didn’t know why. you couldn’t even piece together what he even meant so you could understand.
you asked him what he was talking about softly, not sure if he would answer, or if he was even still talking to you anymore.
“the writing. the writing flipped. it fuckin’ flipped around– you know the shit did! and nobody ever gives a damn, nobody ever says shit about it!”
your mouth fell open the more he unloaded. “how the fuck do you read this shit!? IT WON’T STOP CHANGIN’! ALL IT FUCKIN’ DOES IS JUMP AROUND!” he yelled at you again.“i’m supposed to just write kanji and know where it’s gonna move to and how it’s gonna turn around backwards so it makes what i want it to say!”
you said nothing. the quiet after that deafened the both of you. but what could you say to him? you were frozen. in realization, in shock… in what was starting to feel like heartbreak.
“baji, has it always done that?”
“don’t. fuck with me.” he warned, “if you were a dude i would knock your skull in. that shit isn’t fuckin’ funny, i’ll murder you.”
“baji, i’m being serious! has that always happened when you try to read?”
he slammed the book closed, sending it flying across the room and into his wall. you tried catching him by the arm when he stormed out, but he wrenched from your grasp, hard. and he left, cussing and calling your homework and school both bullshit before charging out of the front door.
“fuckyou.” you could hear him just as it crashed shut.
Summary: Baji meeting his little boo in highschool.
you felt like a delinquent, approaching the school out of uniform like you had. though, there was really no reason to don the blouse and skirt ensemble… not today at least. the scrap you’d ended yesterday had promptly earned you a week’s suspension. really– what work of destiny got its kicks out of throwing a mindless gaggle of schoolbitches in your face and starting all this? all you wanted was to escape the den of hell your life had become thanks to your older brothers and keep your head low in Tokyo with your mother, so what was the cosmos’ damn problem?
you didn’t know, and could only sigh. at least bestie had been the one party to come away clean from faculty. and your spirits were also lifted from her run down of things, given to you over the phone the night before.
“get the hell outta here, you slid her that quick?”
“oh yeah, you know i did. i know what i’m doing, trust me. she barely got that weak little hit in that she tried before i had her on the ground.”
“bitch tapped out?”
“tappedall the wayout.”
your head was thrown back by now with your laughter. you had been just as taken by surprise by it as her attacker evidently had been. “bitch, that’s my frienddddd!” you sang out, chuckling again as you tipped over onto your bed. she laughed along with you, beaming in her own pride about your performance that day before the mood gave a shift.
“i can’t believe they gave you a week and they only got three days,” she lamented. and she wasn’t alone in that. though you weren’t at all shocked that your punishment was harsher than anyone else’s, you couldn’t help but have your mind linger there. it worried you, too, but while she was fretting over your scholastic impact (too good for this world), your train of thought was still quite singular in all things considered.
on a sigh you admitted back to her, “yeah, that’s what i’m worried about.”
“how do you mean..?”
you clicked your tongue and whined, “i mean they’re some punk ass mean girl wannabes and they’ll try that shit on you again..!”
you could hear her touched gasp, then the endeared little coo on her end of the line, and couldn’t help but smile in return. “shut up.”
“you’re my best friendddddd.” she sang to you, mimicking your earlier tone.
“shut up!” you whined again, cheesing. she probably knew how grateful you were to have her, but the fuzzy feelings you had to put aside for now, “i gotta go anyway, i ain’t made dinner yet.”
“it’s so sweet how you cook for your mom.”
“i hate you, bye.”
you were antsy the entire day over your timing. tactical missions weren’t exactly your strong point, so you were sweating over when the right time would be to be waiting on the grounds: to intercept bestie immediately as school was out, but not so early as to be caught by a morals committee snitch or any other free faculty when you were fresh on a suspension.
when the anxiety had crawled its way high enough to be rattling your eyeballs, you left out for the school courtyard. the way you figured, there would be some place or another to hide out if you caught sight of any potential problems. the possibility of a rebound gang-up was too high in your mind– especially with the added confidence of your absence. those girls could’ve been anywhere. or sent anyone. they didn’t seem like the type to understand a lesson only given to them once anyway. you were so acutely paranoid of a repeat, that you’d spent the entire afternoon and evening adjusting your hair for round two. you hadn’t wanted to use your braiding hair to do feed-ins for a bun, you’d wanted to do box braids. but now they’d have to wait. the bun would be more practical. in the end, your disappointment was short lived. it wasn’t what you’d planned, but the style still was pretty. and this way, your newly gifted hair-tie wouldn’t go to waste.
you’d made it a little after the last bell, from what you could tell of things. students were just starting to come through the doors and spill onto the spacious plain of pavement separating the building from the street. with your eyes peeled, you hurried up the sidewalk to the school’s front commons, moving with light feet–
“oi.”
to be caught before you could even pass the steps.
turning to the intrusive voice, you matched stares with a short and dark-eyed blond, leaning against a motorcycle. and you were swiftly confused. this boy wasn’t on the morals committee, clearly. he wasn’t even in uniform. so what could he have wanted from–
“you’re baji’s girl, right?” his mellow voice asked. your forehead creased, and as precautionary measure, you looked around to see if there had been anyone else he may have meant. but he spoke again, after rubbing a pensive finger over his chin, like he’d known your name but forgotten it. “from yesterday.”
“…i’mwho?” you asked, glaring at him like he was undeniably crazed, before your neck nearly snapped to search the grounds behind you. you were here for bestie– this boy had distracted you far too easily.
“relax! hey,” he chuckled, far too chill. it reeled in your highly skeptical attention, and slowly, you turned to face him again. now you found him smiling, “i gave your friend a lift, she’s home already.”
your brows furrowed deeper than you’d ever felt them, and he responded with a closed-eyed grin before adding, “safe and sound.”
you had to interrupt your own careening train of thought with your voice, and when it came, it was a tad snappier than you’d presumed it would be. “–who are you..!”
he didn’t seemed fazed by it, when you were actually kinda positive you were starting to look insane your own self.
“i’m your ride,” he answered, still unnervingly chill… and cheesing his ass off. and your time to ask questions was being cut short, as he began to mount his bike just after that non-intro he’d given you. as bound as you clearly still were to cluelessness, he held out a helmet for you. with that, it seemed he was finished with explanations for now, save for one. “baji had something he wanted you to see.”
you stood, dumbfounded. maybe even with your jaw hanging. but he just gently nudged you a little further, voice still even and tepid– as though there were nothing at all troubling with a stranger offering a motorbike ride outside of school.
“come on, I’ll take you, it’s quicker by bike,” his heel nudged the kickstand free. and some unspoken force made you sure that there was no way to get out of going along. “i’ll ride smooth for you, that helped your friend.”
you wanted to decline, but some hypnotic inclination compelled you. this was the second mysterious boy to appear from nowhere before you, and your reaction was two for two. silently, you reached for the helmet he offered, and took a wobbly, unsure seat at his back.
“hold on to me, okay?” he said softly, waiting until your headgear was snugly secured. the engine exploded on, making your entire body rumble with its massive vibrations, “nice and smooth.”
your arms curled around his lithe waist, and you could hear him laughing when the sudden motion and building speed drew a squeal out of you. yet, to your surprise, he kept to his word of making the drive as smooth as possible for you. his braking was gentle and his turns easy. on top of that, the ride was shorter than you expected– maybe five or six blocks from the school.
what really caught you by surprise, though, was the destination. you’d expected to arrive outside of someone’s house, or a park… some sort of meetup or hangout spot. this dude stopped you both at a sidewalk just at the side of some random street. granted, it was a street you hadn’t been on, but still… you couldn’t really fathom what could be shown to you here that couldn’t have been shown to you at school.
it as only when you saw two other blonds– one far taller than anyone else present, and another with an undercut– both looking around your age, that you began to make any sense of this.
then, a bit ahead of the rest, you saw a head of raven tresses that effortlessly caught your eye.
“come on, come on,” your driver ushered you along with no real hurry to his tone, “he’s already gonna talk shit about me bringing you here late,” he cut the bike engine and cut through your scattered thoughts, letting down the kickstand and dismounting. the greetings of the others to him sort of flew over your head– you were too busy trying to not fuck up your brand new installed style with this fucking helmet to pay any attention to them. and trying to piece together who the fuck baji could be. but when the thing finally popped from your head, you inadvertently matched gazes with the same, amused set of golden eyes that had been grinning at your scraggly headed self slumped on the floor, just the previous day.
the look he wore changed almost immediately– from what looked like a resting bitch face, to some kick over seeing you, to a dazzled and taken aback double-take once he saw your hair. his reaction made you feel like you were blushing; below a surprised frown his lips formed a tight ‘o’ in a silent wolf whistle, while he smoothed a hand over his hair– gesturing just how much he liked your new braided up-do.
but he stood at a distance from the others, his body angled more up the street as he faced the bunch you were near. what was he doing? waiting for something?
“oi, baji. special delivery!” the blond called to him in english, making him chuckle lowly. you couldn’t help but think that he was referring to you.
“uh-huh. it took you long enough! what–did you two stop at the salon on the damn way?” he barked back.
“you’re one to fucking talk.”
you were already about to yell over their shit talking and ask what the hell you had been delivered here for, but the short blond addressed you again.
“baji told us about your fight at school yesterday.”
you felt your face crumpling in confusion– especially seeing the muted grins of the other two at the mention of the day before, but he kept on as though this were a normal conversation. “he says your brothers taught you well.”
that now counted two times that your brothers had been brought up by a complete stranger. it was well past uncomfortable to you, now.
“… what am i here for..?” you asked. a ton of dread suddenly hit you, feeling like a flush of ice. were you being auditioned for some sort of underground fight club? did these boys have a group of their girlfriends coming to jump you so you could replay the scrap yesterday to their satisfaction? or had your brothers somehow made enemies of a rival gang even overseas? because you certainly couldn’t recall ever seeing any of these faces at school before…
“to watch him put on a show,” the tallest blond of the trio droned you answer. his voice was low and mature, and though the sides and back of his head were completely shaven, vaguely like someone would do for a mohawk, he had a long plaited ponytail of the hair that was left. he sounded *over* whatever this was before it even started. but you were too distracted to be entirely certain, eyeing the dragon tattoo he had edging below his hair. “you impressed him so he wants to do the same.”
you wanted to ask more, but that familiar, deep voice caught your attention by calling out from down the sidewalk, drawing your eyes to him and maybe five other dudes approaching behind him from the other end of the street.
“gotta show you what kinda ass-kickin’ you can dish out when your hair ain’t in the way.”
his voice was only elevated enough to reach the four of you; aside from that, he seemed totally collected. and with five guys coming his way who looked more than hostile, you weren’t sure whether to be impressed or terrified by him. without even fully facing the approaching group, he pulled another hair tie free from his pocket. he chose then to look you dead in your eyes, making your heart stall as he bit down on the elastic to gather his hair. he looped it into a high pony more slickly than you’d ever seen done, releasing it with a chuckle leaving his lips just as the opposing boys had approached him. “eyes on me, punchy fights.”
that drew full chuckles from the others. you remained in the dark yet again, unaware of just how much you had been discussed by these four.
“so it was a good fight?” mikey asked, hearing baji bring up the scuffle the school grapevine had been murmuring over.
chifuyu pressed with his own questions, too, “at ourschool?duringschool?”
“and a two on one…” draken probed.
“hell yeah, american girl’s nothing to fuck with. stomped their asses pretty shittin’ good,” he continued to brag, cheesing til his cheeks were sore. “and got brothers, too. you can tell they taught her some solid shit.”
mikey hummed. highschool was boring on most accounts– having a girl or two around that helped things stay less mind-numbing was a prospect he welcomed. “damn. i’m kinda mad i missed it, now. i haven’t seen a good fight with girls in a long time. there’s too much hair pulling most of the time.”
“there’ll be another one. she embarrassed some girls that were trying to build a rep,” draken insisted. he knew of the levels of pride and pettiness in highschool kids wanting to make a name for themselves, even outside of the underground world.
“and with plenty'a punches,” baji assured, “all hers are gonna be punchy fights, guaranteed.”
he had barely turned when he took out the first one. it was an impossible act of physics: his arm extended straight out with a fist at its end, gripping the guy to snatch in for a headbutt and sending him to the ground, unconscious. now you were sure that the right response was to be terrified by baji. the next he took down while dodging a fist they threw, locking their arm to his side in a spin that turned his back to them, then throwing an elbow into their nose.
…he was fighting like how stuntmen performed choreography in action movies. none of it made sense– nothing like that should have: no strength level, no fighting technique, nothing conducive to a dude winning a five-on-one should have ever existed. but within the next thirty seconds, he had.
two he had taken out at once, too quickly for you to register just how it happened– but a beast-like throw of one he caught by the arm into the other laid the both of them out cold.
when the last lunged at him, he swung them round in a headlock, facing you with a thrilled grin shining on his face. it was the energy that belonged to a boy showing off a new action figure to his friends, not flaunting his next victim in a melee. this boy, you realized much much too late, was beyond dangerous.
“ne, punchy fights. recognize the face on this asshole?” he asked you, laughter clear in his voice. well, you assumed he had meant you, but you couldn’t make out any resemblance and could only shake your head 'no’, half in shock. he laughed again, socking the kid in his chokehold… once, then twice, then a third time. he kept at it, his cheshire grin stretching wider with each blow. when he’d crunched his knuckles into the bones of their face a seventh time, he stopped. “how 'bout now?”
you still drew a blank. but he didn’t keep you hanging too long.
“those two you took on yesterday. they got brothers, too. the girl your friend beat down’s got a cousin. and alllll three of 'em ran home and told on ya,” he finally announced, like you would get the grandest delight from it. “so these asswipes were on their way to try some bullshit on you for fuckin’ em up like you did and gettin’ their little sisses and cousin suspended. ain’t that right, you fuckin’ pussy?” he asked the pulped up face leaking in the crook of his elbow, “thought you could come fuck with some girls cause you didn’t teach your own blood how to fight for shit…” the guy didn’t answer– he’d been out since about the third or fourth hammer to his face.
with no further use for him, your twisted black haired vigilante threw him to the ground, no longer bothered with any of them now that they were smeared across the pavement, beaten.
when he’d reached the rest of you, none of the blonds acted as though this was out of the norm at all, and it put you I’ll at ease. truthfully, you had been rattled to your core just hearing that one word come from him, as buried as it was in the rest. it echoed in your head the second he said it, and wouldn’t stop. blood.
hearing it shook you like you’d seen a ghost. you couldn’t even place your attention where it should have been: whatever this plot was that had been foiled by baji.
his smile was directly on you now, close enough for you to see those sharp canines clearly. “you tied that up with the one i gave you?” he asked, nodding to your new feed-ins.
your face heated up in a blaze when you remembered you had.
“yeah,” you answered, “you said quit brawling like i had short hair.”
a feral smirk crawled into his lips slowly, and the drawn out chuckle he responded with made you terrified again. something about the consequences of gaining this dude’s attention boded negatively with you. it felt too familiar, and now, too close.
“looks good.”
“maybe you can help ken-chin, he braids sloppy,” the one who drove you said, making the tallest blond sneer.
“shut up, mikey.”
you observed the four of them as they fell into a banter among themselves, trying to make out their connections to one another. and it didn’t slip your notice that mr. five-straight-knockouts was closest to you, nearly shoulder to shoulder as you all collectively loitered there.
“that’s your name for me, now? punchy fights?” you asked him coolly, trying to stay below enough on the radar so as to not interrupt the others. he blinked, eyeing you sideways, so intensely that your heart kicked against your chest. he gave it a moment to calm, though, slipping the tie from his silky head and shaking out the tightness left behind.
there was no answer he gave. in fact, there wasn’t a word further at all that he directed to you. instead he called out “chifuyu” (who you learned to be the blond with the undercut), before suggesting that they go eat, leaving you bewildered as they all then left you alone with your ride.
“ah, no invites yet,” he turned to you, beaming with his hands in his pockets, “i’m still your ride. ready for me to take you home?”
you snorted, “i can walk home right from where you picked me the fuck up, mikey-san,” you answered with a brow cocked, causing him to blink. it caught him by surprise– but after a tense, quiet moment between the two of you, you could see to your relief that it was a pleasant surprise.
“you’re smart. i see why baji’s impressed,” he commended. you had just met him and been introduced to his delinquency, and thought that through before accepting his offer to take you home. why that didn’t offend him was beyond you, but he was very pleased.
Summary: when you thought your dog got kidnapped (spoiler: doggo’s fine dw✌)
Pairing: Baji Keisuke x Reader
Tags:fluff
WC:1704
A/N:HAPPY BIRTHDAY TO MY GORGEOUS AND CHAOTIC BB @sennsational WHOM I ADORE WITH ALL MY SOUL AND WHO’S PRESENCE ALWAYS LIGHTS UP MY DAY❤️literally wish I could give you the world bc you deserves it and even more!!!!! Ik hou van jou (is this even correct I’m so sorry if it’s not q_q) you mean so so much to me, and I’m forever grateful to have gotten to know you!! Now all I need to do is swim across the sea to get to you to shower you with my hugs and love ♀️ anyyywayy here’s a small fic as a small present for you!! I’m so sorry that this is kinda rushed!! Q_Q Special thanks to @justanawolf for giving me the idea of the ‘wing dog’ and @marism WHO HELPED ME WITH LITERALLY MOST, IF NOT ALL OF THE PLOT SHIEJEJD THANK YOU SO MUCH BB YOU SAVED ME!! Q_Q
To hide, or not to hide the body, that is the question.
Cold sweat started to form along your back as you gazed down at the body in question. You cursed internally. With his face planted firmly on the ground, you couldn’t tell if he was even breathing.
You tried nudging him tentatively with your foot.
No response.
As wiki would have listed his current status: unknown.
And the culprit for his state was none other than you.
You shifted the bag nervously in your hand. While moments ago you had swung it at the back of his head with ease, now gravity seemed to have suddenly tightened its hold on it, pulling it down until your triceps was trembling.
You swept your gaze over your surroundings. Thankfully, the park was deserted. No eye witnesses for you to worry about. All that was left was to flee the crime scene as soon as possible before you leave behind any incriminating evidence.
warnings ooc (obvs) but nothing else i can really think of
genre fluff, headcanons
word count0.3k
inspiration my half-a-week long baji brainrot
synopsis i love baji, so here’s some silly things i thought abt him in my head
a/n let’s all collectively pretend i didn’t ignore this blog for 268 nights and admire baji keisuke for the man he is today (let’s hope i stay consistent from now on)
i just have a feeling he hates feet like HATEEES FEET, like you put your feet on him one time to mess with him and nearly had your face on a tshirt
also absolutely hates when restaurants sing happy birthday to him, and you and the others will just do it on purpose to see him upset
dislikes scary movies, and scary things in general, but would never tell anyone that (literally got so scared once he socked a guy in the face for scaring him in a haunted house, the whole group was banned after that)
doesn’t understand twitter and it makes him angry… someone help him please
his type is doja cat (& i’m not arguing or elaborating, baji literally told me himself)
chifuyu got him a pair of cat ears, the ones with the bells, as joke (almost got his ass beat that day) but baji wears them whenever he plays with his kitties cuz they like the bells
speaking of kitties, i just see him playfully being chased back and forth by one. that’s all.
he gives me klutz vibes, like just breaking shit and then having the nerve to try to put it back as he found it
his hair smells amazing and it’s so soft, i feel like that’s just the one thing he genuinely cares about on his body
he has matching outfits with his cats (& yes mitsuya made it)
alright that’s all i got for now folks. to conclude, i love baji, and he lives in my silly little brain rent free (someone evict him pls)
If you would like to be tagged in this series, do comment below or send an ask! For other works, please fill out my official taglist forms in my pinned post!
Your best friend is singing along to the current song playing on the speakers, attention on the road. They’re so giddy you think they’re even more excited for you than you are that you’re about to meet some of your favorite celebrities. You are excited; you are, you’ve been a fan of Haji since he debuted, and you were there when Nari and Sylvie took him in as one of their own. Yet why was your chest filled with anxiety instead of excitement? Sure, you knew some of it was because you were about to meet actual celebrities, but the rest of it was not. You’re biting your bottom lip nervously, fingers tapping on your knee, so it’s no surprise your best friend notices how quiet you are.
“YN? What’s wrong?”
You laugh nervously, “Okay, so… I can’t stop thinking about what Baji told me.”
“What part?” They glance at you, keeping their eyes ahead but giving you enough attention, so you know they’re listening.
“The thing about the private investigator. I’m not gonna lie; it left me uneasy. What if it’s true?”
“That’s a pretty big accusation, too,” Bestie announces, making you sigh. “If it was something that serious, why did he wait until now to tell you?”
“Yeah… I know…but-”
“But what?”
“There was that one time a bit ago when I felt I was being watched… It was the day Shin had my bike, and you stayed after class, so I called Ran to pick me up. I didn’t think much of it at the time, but now???” You groan, fighting the urge to rub your face in frustration due to the makeup you have on, “But what if he just spat that out to try to get me to forgive him? And the fact that he says it’s all because of my mother, who I’ve never even met myself. How am I supposed to believe that?”
“Shit, man, I don’t know….”
“I’m lost. I don’t know what to do bestie….” You look down at your hands in distraught.
You feel a hand rest on your shoulder to calm you down, “Hey… Let’s forget about that for now, yeah? Enjoy your time with Haji and the girls for now. We’ll worry about this whole thing after, okay?” They move their hand back to the steering wheel, “Maybe you should talk to your dad. If what Baji said is true, your dad can confirm if it is your mother or not, y’know?”
You’re hesitant about bringing in your dad, especially his new girlfriend, whom you would hate to be involved in family drama already, but your best friend is right. Your dad is the only one who can confirm it or not. “You’re right… I’ll bring it up to him on Monday when he helps me move Hoshi out of the Haitani’s apartment.”
Bestie hums in acknowledgment before throwing you a smile, “Good. Now, enjoy your time today, ‘kay?”
“Yeah yeah,” You pout before your lips turn into a smirk, “Good luck with Rin. I hope he begs on his knees.”
Bestie snorts, “Please. That would be a sight to see.”
─────────
Meeting Hajime, Nari, and Sylvie face to face went better than you thought it would. When you arrived at the restaurant Haji told you he had a reservation; you didn’t expect it to be a fancy beachside restaurant with outside seating, yachts, and fancy cars. Immediately you felt underdressed, but your bestie had said you looked great, so you could only hope. You had arrived early, your nerves not wanting you to be late nor wanting your bestie to be late to their meetup with Rin, but apparently, you weren’t the only one.
When the host walks up to you for your name, they give you a pearly smile before leading you to the second floor of the building. When she opens the door for you, your eyes widen at the glass wall facing the ocean, a beautiful view of the people sitting outside or enjoying the beach. You hadn’t even noticed the three people sitting at the table in the middle of the private room. Thanks to that though, you didn’t faint when the three people walked up to greet you with grins on their gorgeous faces. You had been too stunned by the view for reality to kick in. It kicked in when you finally sat down with Haji next to you, and you swore your head was about to explode like they do in cartoons with how uncharismatically shy you got.
The food was delicious, and despite saying you didn’t want dessert, the girls insisted. Still, instead of eating something from the restaurant, they ordered ice cream nearby, who did delivery. While you all waited for your ice cream, the four of you were relaxing on the balcony connected to your private room. Nari sits on the railing while Sylvie sits on the chair next to you. Haji leaned on the railing with his elbows, looking down at the beach.
“So YN~” Nari sings your name, and you look at her curiously.
“Hm?”
A sly grin starts forming on her face, and the look in her eyes is one you know all too well due to your devious friends, “Enjoying the double date so far?”
Your eyebrows go from furrowed to raised as your eyes widen, your cheeks ablaze, “H-Huh?!”
“Nari-!” Haji calls out, and his cheeks dust with red as he glares at his friend, Sylvie, who snickers beside you.
“I take it he didn’t tell you today was supposed to be a double date?” The blonde shakes her head playfully, “Who knew you were such a coward, Buttercup.”
Haji facepalms, mumbling something under his breath as he turns to face the three of you, leaning back on the railing, “I didn’t coward out. It just didn’t feel right.”
“W-Wait, wait,” You interject, swallowing nervously as you look between the three friends. “This was supposed to be a double d-date?”
Haji avoids your eyes before nodding, looking back at you. “It was… but after what we talked over the phone a couple of days ago, I didn’t want to overwhelm you. Thought it was best to just… meet as friends first.”
Oh, now you feel horrible. You practically vented that night to Haji about how you felt betrayed not only by your friends but also by your ex and another possible other love interest. “Oh my god—” Bestie would kill you when you told them about this. You blocked yourself from a date with theIwaizumi Hajime because… wait. Because he felt sorry for you?
Haji laughs, shaking his head, “YN, it’s fine. You have a lot on your plate, and I didn’t want to add to it. It doesn’t change that I still want us to be friends.” Your look of doubt makes him roll his eyes. “I’m serious. I think… I think you need to settle whatever you have going on with your friends before I even think about properly asking you out sometime– that is, if you don’t makeup with your ex or that other guy you were telling me about.”
Your face breaks out into another blush, and the girls coo at your expression.
“Oh~ YN has some tea in her life, doesn’t she?” Nari teases, but when Haji shakes his head, she frowns, “…Not all good, huh?”
You look down at your hands, unsure what to say, “It’s complicated….”
“Well, just remember what I said, sweetheart,” Haji says, making the three of you look at him, “You have a right to be upset, and no one can tell you otherwise. How you deal with your feelings right now is all up to you. If ignoring your friends right now makes you feel better, cool. You’re not doing it out of spite; you’re doing it because you’re hurt. They hurt you, whether they meant to or not.”
You look down at your hands, eyes tearing up yet again. “I k-know but… they’re my friends… t-they’re all I have… I know I’m going to end up forgiving them, but I just-”
“Well, I don’t know the full story, but,” Sylvie scoots her seat closer to you, wrapping an arm around you and making you rest your head on their shoulder, “Haji’s right. Sure, your friends hurt you, and you’re ignoring them because of it, but you’re valid. If you’re such good friends, they’ll understand you just need time right now.” She smiles, “You think us three never fight?”
“W-Well…”
Nari laughs, nudging her shoulder with Haji’s, “We’re not always the indestructible Powerpuffs, you know? We get into arguments and shit just like everyone else. It all just depends on how you all work it out. Right guys?”
“Right!”
“So just take some time away from them. Your best friend already told them you need some time, right? So hopefully, they’ll understand and won’t pressure you,” Haji chimes in, giving you a warm smile. It’s so contrasting against his rough and edgy exterior, but boy, it makes your heart soar. You can’t help but to look away shyly.
“Hey, YN, hey,” Nari says as she pokes your forehead, making your eyebrows furrow, “Next time we hang out, invite your best friend too!” She grins, “I wanna meet your partner in crime!”
You can’t help but laugh, nodding, “Alright. I’m sure they’d be ecstatic to meet you guys too.”
─────────
“I hope you know I’m only here because I told YN I would,” Bestie goes right out with the cold hard truth. They’re only standing in this empty park because they promised to try. It’s evident from the heated glare Rindou is receiving.
“I know…” Rindou gulps, rubbing the back of his neck. He also knows he won’t be able to hide what he’s hiding behind his back for too much longer either. So he takes a deep breath and reveals the gift with his arm extended to bestie, cheekbones stained red. His face is turned to the side, jaw clenching and unclenching as he contemplates what to say and do, but he knows it’s now or never. “I’m sorry.”
Bestie blinks at him, arms relaxing a bit as they move to rest by their side instead.
“What I did was shitty, and it wasn’t a nice thing to do as a friend, but-” Looking right in front of him, he looks bestie in the eye, “It was an even worse thing to do to someone I was genuinely interested in.”
Bestie has yet to say anything, and the silence is killing him. Is this how people felt when he gave them the silent treatment? His arm is already getting unusually tired from holding up the cute duck plushie, which bestie has yet to acknowledge.
Oh god. This is going bad, isn’t it? Rindou thinks, feeling a bead of sweat on his temple.
“Was?” That is all he hears as he feels the plush being taken from his hand. When he looks up, he sees bestie with a sly grin on their face.
Shit- “Am! I am interested in!” He quickly corrects himself, flushing even more as bestie laughs, squishing the red cheeks of the plush before focusing their attention on Rindou. “I really am… sorry. I thought I was doing the right thing, listening to your friends and all.”
“Mhm,” Bestie hums, “You learn from that now?”
“Most definitely.”
Bestie steps closer, a gentle hand on Rin’s forearm, “Gonna be stupid on your own instead of following in other’s footsteps?”
Rindou is quiet at this, a slight pout forming on his lips. Now that was harder to promise as he and Ran and Izana were almost up to no good. “Well…”
Bestie rolls their eyes, closing the distance between them even more, arms resting loosely on Rindou’s shoulders, the plush hanging by their hand. “Well?”
Rin licks his lips nervously, not expecting bestie to have been so forward, but who was he to complain? His hands come up to cup bestie’s face, “Go out with me.” It’s not a question; it’s a demand, making bestie raise a brow.
“Maybe.”
“M-Maybe?”Aw man, Ran wouldn’t let me live if he saw how flustered they’re making me. Bestie doesn’t say anything, only rolling their eyes yet again before pointing to their lips. Oh. The realization in Rin’s eyes makes bestie chuckle at how cute and confused the supposed feared, and stoic Haitani Rindou was being.
Not waiting for another second, Rindou closes the space between them, lips on lips, as one hand moves down to pull bestie closer by the waist. The kiss is messy, teeth clashing and tongues hungry for more. It was clear the two had some unspoken tension that was finally being relieved, somewhat at least. Bestie pulls away first, leaving Rin slightly panting as his hand grips their waist. Like the little devil they are, bestie kisses Rin from his jawline, lips so soft he barely feels them. Then there’s a slight breeze on his ear, making him shiver, a hand on the side of his neck as bestie whispers the following words.
“Now beg.”
Two words that make him know he’s in for a dangerous ride, but it’s a good thing Rindou likes dangerous rides.
─────────
“Uh, are you sure it was okay leaving the two back there?” You ask, looking back at the little boutique shop Nari and Sylvie were currently occupied with.
“Yup,” Haji adjusts the sunglasses resting on his nose, walking with his hands in his pockets, walking on the side of the road just like a true gentleman, “They’ll call me once they realize we left them.” He laughs, the sound making butterflies flutter in your stomach. “Besides,” He grins over at you, “Gives us some alone time now~.”
The simple comment has you hitting his shoulder playfully, only making him laugh, “Oh, shut up….”
He focuses his attention upfront, but you keep looking at him, not understanding how this happened. If your current self told you you would meet a favorite musician, you would say you were stupid and delusional. Here you were, walking side by side as if you had been friends for a while. You asked them if it was okay to walk out and about with no security, to which they said it was fine.
Apparently, they had guards on speed dial if anything did happen, but usually, people left them alone. That wasn’t too shocking, especially with Haji’s not only appearance but experience as well. Since you three had left the restaurant, only a handful of people had stopped them for autographs or pictures. You didn’t fail to hear one fan squeal and take photos from a distance when she spotted Haji, yet didn’t come up to him. You couldn’t blame her. You’re sure you would’ve done the same thing weeks ago.
How you had this model and known musician walking beside you, you’d never understand how, but man… you were going to eat it all up. Haji’s shoulder-length hair was tied in a small bun revealing his undercut and multiple piercings in his ears. Tattoos peeking underneath the collar of his shirt, and phew, the tattoos on his arms were a whole other story. You’re so distracted admiring his appearance that you fail to see Haji’s eyes sharpen into a glare, jaw tight with annoyance.
“YN?” He looks at you with a small smile, “I have to make a call real quick. Mind staying here while I make it?”
You see you’re stopped at a small outdoor cafe with some small shops on both sides of it, “Of course. I’ll be right here then. You have my number, if anything.”
He chuckles, nodding, “Right. I’ll be quick.” Before he walks off, he tucks a stray strand of your hair behind your ear, smirking as he sees your eyes widen and cheeks flushing. He leaves with a wink, walking off as he immediately pulls out his phone to talk.
“Alright then…” You shake your head, deciding to go into one of the shops first and see if anything catches your eye for possible gifts.
─────────
“So,” Rindou hums with an arm around bestie’s waist, “YN’s out with that guy today?”
“Mhm~” Bestie grins, “Haji and the girls.”
“The two model friends?”
“Well,technically,they’re all models, but yes,” Rin rolls his eyes at this, only making bestie laugh, “She hasn’t texted me since I dropped her off, so I can assume she’s enjoying herself.”
“Yeah… Hey, a question for you.”
“What’s up?”
“Is she serious about moving Hoshi out of our place? When I told Ran, it devastated him. It’s like they’re breaking up despite not being together. He sees it as her being done with him.
“Please,” Bestie huffs, “You need to tell him to stop seeing it like that. She needs a break Rin. From all of you until she says otherwise. For all I know, maybe she just needs a week or something, I don’t know. I think it’s fair, isn’t it?”
“Yeah, I guess you’re right… Do you think she’s gonna continue ignoring me too? I need to thank her.”
“For what?”
“Basically told me to stop being an idiot and ask you out,” Rin mumbles, “and beg you for forgiveness….”
“And that you did, my little Rin-Rin~ Got it all on video too~” Bestie laughs despite Rindou’s reddened cheeks, “Now you can’t make fun of your brother cause you got punished with exactly the same thing.”
“Whatever…” He huffs, pulling bestie close to his side, completely unaware of the woman practically stomping up to them.
─────────
“YN!” You turn around to see both Nari and Sylvie jogging up to you, Sylvie pouting as Nari glares at you. Nari being the one who yelled at you from afar, “How could you just leave us like that?!”
You laugh, “Not like you noticed we left anyway.”
“Hey…” Sylvie looks around, “Where’s Haji?”
“Said he had a call to make?” You shrug, setting your shopping bags down so you can put your hair in a messy bun, “It’s been like fifteen minutes though. I hope everything is alright.”
The two look at each other, wondering what call was so important to leave YN alone, but their question is soon answered.
“Haji?” YN answers her ringing phone, brows furrowed, “Is everything alright?”
“YN, I need you to meet me at a location I’m about to send you.”
“H-Huh? I mean, okay, but-”
“Now.” His voice is calm yet deadly serious. He doesn’t even give you the chance to tell him Nari and Sylvie were with you before he hangs up.
“I, uhm,” You pick up your bags off the ground, “He said to meet up with him at, uh-” You pause just to see a location ping on your phone, “Here. He sounded kind of upset… I hope I didn’t do anything wrong….”
“Aww, YN…” Nari wraps an arm around you, giving you a reassuring smile, “Give him more credit, yeah? I’m sure whatever it is, has nothing to do with you.”
“Yeah!” Sylvie assures you as she takes your phone, starting the GPS to the location, which is only a six-minute walk. “Besides, he sounds grumpy on the phone half the time.”
“Yeah… okay,” You nod, swallowing nervously as you hope for the best.
When you get to the location, you’re unsure if you’re supposed to head into one of the stores or if Haji possibly sent you somewhere wrong. Just as Nari takes out her phone to call her friend herself, Haji steps out from a store to the right, practically slamming the door shut behind him.
“Uh, hey,” Nari waves at him, worry filling her face, “Everything alright?”
“Not really,” He takes a deep breath, trying to neutralize his facial expression, but failing as his eyebrow twitches and mouth twitches down into a frown, “YN….”
“Y-Yeah?” Your heart is beating rapidly in your chest as he looks at you.
“Remember when you told me your ex said something about a private investigator?” You nod your head as your blood runs cold. “Well…” He clicks his tongue in annoyance, worry swimming in his eyes. “I’m pretty sure it’s this fucker I saw following us.”
And just like that, your oh-so-great day suddenly took a turn for the worst.
─────────
SLAP!
Rindou’s head snapped to the side, a nice red handprint on his left cheek leaving bestie standing there with their mouth agape, eyes wide. Rindou only stood there, blinking as the reality of what just happened slowly sank in.
“What the hell is your problem?!” Now out of their stupor, Bestie yelled a scowl on their lips, ready to jump this woman themselves.
But Rindou quickly grabbed hold of their wrist, rubbing his cheek with his hand before his eyes trained on the woman in front of him, violet eyes glaring daggers. “You have exactly five minutes to explain what the hell that was for before I call the police.” A lie. The first call would be to his mother, who would no doubt cry to her husband, who would handle it from there. But first, he needed to find out who this woman was.
“How dare you?!” The woman yelled, pointing a manicured finger to Rindou’s face, “And to think you were good for my daughter! And here you are with this… this-” Her face scrunched up in disgust as she looked over at bestie, eyes trailing their form in pure judgment.
Bestie’s eye twitches in annoyance, but before they can say anything, Rindou pulls them behind him, glowering down at the shorter woman, speaking behind grit teeth. “This what? Finish your fucking sentence.”
“This whore!” And Rindou snaps. His calm demeanor was no more.
When bestie sees Rindou’s hand twitch, they reach out, barely holding Rindou back.
“Who even are you, you crazy bitch?!” He growls, taking a step forward only to get pulled back by bestie once more. “You have the fucking audacity to come up to us, slap me, and call my partner a whore?! Do you have any idea who I am?!”
“I don’t need to!” The woman seethes, hands clenched into fists. “Just wait until I reveal to the public how the son of such a prestigious lawyer is nothing but an adulterous piece of shit!”
And that only makes Rindou’s blood boil more. Rindou and his brother were never one to ‘live up’ to their step-father’s name. Hell, even after their mother remarried, they refused to change their last names or even add it with a hyphen. This of course annoyed their stepfather, especially as he was very well known and wanted the family to be ‘complete’ in a way. They knew this man made their mother happy, which was more than enough reason to behave somewhat, but that didn’t mean they still fully trusted him. At least enough to take in his last name.
After a long talk with her husband, their mother approved of her boys keeping her maiden name. She knew it was hard for them to trust any man after their birth father walked out on them, leaving her struggling with two young boys, with a life filled with more downs than ups growing up. Their life didn’t even start getting better until the brothers were teenagers, their mother finally meeting their later-to-be stepfather, who happily took in not only the woman he fell in love with but the two troublesome boys that came with her.
Sure, there were still bumps in the road, and maybe the brothers caused their stepfather trouble on purpose just to see him tick, but never anything too wrong to actually give him a bad rep. They would never do that. Giving a bad rep to him would give a bad rep to their mother, and like hell, they would do that. Their mother worked too damn hard to be taken down by their idiocy.
“Excuse me?!” Rindou’s body moved before his brain could even process it, his arm quickly rising to either grab or hit this woman in front of him.
“RINDOU, STOP IT!” Bestie quickly grabs Rindou’s arm, thankful for the quick reflexes they’ve developed thanks to being good friends to such rambunctious people. They are trying their damn hardest to keep their boyfriend back, but he is taller and stronger, not to mention full of rage. As much as this woman was pissing them off too, they didn’t want Rindou to get in trouble for hitting a person in public of all places! That would be bad, especially as the park was no longer empty, some staring and whispering at the scene. Oh, if only bestie knew who this woman was…
The woman is now standing there, eyes wide, “R-Rindou?”
Before Rindou can say anything, bestie practically growls, glaring at the woman, “What?”
“H-His name–” She nervously swallows, “His name is Ran, isn’t it?” She quickly takes out her phone, confirming the photos she saved, matching them up with the man in front of her, so then why was his name Rindou?
“His name is Rindou, you bitch,” Bestie sneers, “Now, who the fuck are you?!”
“And why are you looking for my brother?” Rin’s voice is low and menacing; eyes narrowed into a glare.
“I–” She doesn’t know what to say, but instead of answering their questions, she tries calling her private investigator, Mr. Choi, with no success. It keeps going right to voicemail, and it’s making her sweat. There was only one thing she could do, and that was to leave.
But just as she takes a step backward, both Rindou and bestie grab a wrist, each making the woman wince.
Rindou has a sinister grin on his face while bestie scowls.
“Give us your fucking name if you know what’s good for you,” Bestie threatens, only tightening the grip on her wrist when she tries to pull away.
“I-Ikeda Akari…” The woman mumbles, bestie furrowing their brows in confusion at the information.
Rindou on the other hand, curses under his breath, eyes only darkening as they keep an eye on Akari. “Babe.”
Bestie looks over, head tilted, “Yeah?”
“Do me a favor and call Ran.”
“Uh, alright…” Bestie lets go of Akira’s wrist as Rindou keeps hold of one, “Who is she?”
Rindou takes out his phone with his free hand, quickly finding his stepfather’s number and dialing just as they look over at their partner, “It’s YN’s mother.”
─────────
It had been fifteen minutes since Haji broke the news to you, and in that time, this man has said nothing since Haji brought him into the shop. With a little bit of charm, Haji had made the shop employees step out, giving the small building to the seven of you. The seven being this man following you, Haji, Nari, Sylvie, you, and two private bodyguards who were apparently on call around you three the whole day. You were shocked to say the least when the bodyguards came in, but Haji explained he always has some around when in public just in case, especially for the girls. They had been nearby, ready for anything, but far enough so they wouldn’t be noticeable. Apparently, one had stayed near Nari and Sylvie while the other went after Haji to help after he walked off.
The two bodyguards stood behind the unknown man while Haji stood in front, arms crossed and greatly aggravated. The police had already been called, but Haji wanted to get some answers out of him beforehand. He couldn’t believe your ex was telling the truth. You really were being followed around, and for what? Your mother’s selfish needs?
When he glances at you, he sees the worry on your face and hates it. Though he’s surprised you haven’t called anyone yet, even your father. Maybe you wanted answers yourself too.
Haji takes a deep breath, eyes set into a stern glare, “Tell us who hired you. I don’t give a shit if it’s a private contract. You already committed a crime by stalking YN, who has done nothing to deserve this.”
The man stays silent.
“Tch,” Haji shakes his head, a little laugh of disbelief leaving his lips, “You know you won’t win, right?”
The man stays silent again, but his eyebrows furrow slightly, and the musician knows he has him now.
“Do you not know who I am?” Haji asks before motioning to his best friends, “Who theyare?” He laughs, “Have you not questioned yourself why I had two bodyguards at the ready?” The man doesn’t move, but his eyes show his curiosity. “Wow… You’re horrible at your occupation then. Isn’t it your job to know everything and anything of those who you’re hired to investigate?” By now Haji’s voice has dropped a tone, each word like venom, “Stay silent then, but just know, my lawyers are going to have a field day with you.”
This comment seems to make the man finally react, “What?”
“I can be nice and tell them to make a deal with you, but you can kiss your job and any other possible opportunities goodbye unless you give me some information now. No one likes a fucking stalker, especially to women.”
“Y-You can’t!” And he finally breaks, “You’re just spewing bullshit!”
“Am I now?” Haji huffs, nodding his head to the guard on the left. “Show him.” The guard takes out his phone, typing quickly before he practically shoves the screen in front of the man’s face.
“What is this?”
“Read it.”
Not having no other choice, the man reads what’s on the screen and goes pale. “Y-You’re a celebrity…?” Haji nods as the guard moves his phone away, “Why- what? This doesn’t make sense! This girl is just a college student isn’t she?! Why is she even with you?!”
Nari steps up, face red with frustration, “Because she’s our friend! Our friend who has done nothing wrong to deserve this!”
“Nari-” Sylvie tries to pull her back, but Nari only shakes off her hand.
“So what’s it to you if we’re famous and she’s not?! Why does that even matter?!” The man stutters but can’t get a word out. “And now you fucked with the wrong people. I’ll call my lawyers too because this is unacceptable. Sometimes, private investigators are needed for case-sensitive cases, but this? Whatever your reasoning, my lawyers, along with Hajime’s, will make sure you never work again.”
“Wait!” The man sighs, shaking his head, “Alright fine….”
Haji tries again, “One last chance. Who hired you?”
“Her name is Ikeda Akira.”
“And what is she to YN?”
The man goes silent, looking down at the floor, “… Her mother.”
You can feel when your three friends turn to look at you, but you don’t say anything. You simply walk up to stand next to Haji as your phone already dials someone.
“YN?” Your dad’s voice rings through the speakerphone, “Sunshine? I thought you were out with those famous friends of yours today?”
“I am.”
Your cold voice immediately lets him know you’re not alright. “What’s going on? Did something happen? Do you want me to pick you up?”
“Dad,” You cut in.
“Yeah?”
“What’s my mother’s name again?”
“I-” There’s a rustling sound, almost as if he was about to drop his phone, “What? Why?”
“Dad, please…”
The line is quiet before he sighs, “Ikeda Akira.” And you see red. “What’s going on, YN? You never ask about your mother unless you absolutely need to.”
“One sec Dad,” You hand your phone to Haji, who looks at you in confusion, but before he can even get one word out, your fist connects to the man’s nose sending him to his ass with a bleeding nose. Haji whistles at the sight while one of the guards stifles a laugh, the other not bothering to hide his laughter. Nari and Sylvie are looking at you like fish out of water.
“LN YN?! Did you just hit someone?!”
You laugh as you take back your phone, shaking your right hand. It had been a while since you punched someone, that hard at least, but it still felt as good as it always did.
“YN! This is no laughing matter! You know you can’t do reckless shit with-”
“Dad,” You let out a shaky sigh, the call now off speaker, “Hajime and his two guards just found a private investigator following me.”
“…What?”
“Hired and sent by this Akira herself.”
You didn’t have to see your dad’s expression to know he was upset, angry. His voice said it all. “I’ll call you right back, Sunshine.”
➥ EXTRAS:
- word count: 5.4k
- And the bitch has finally been spotted!! o:
- This chapter ended up being longer than I originally thought but hey
- Hehe, hope you like that ending though.
- As always, feel free to tell me what you think in the comments or in my ask box ♡
➥ author’s note: After a good minute, I was finally able to finish this chapter <3 Ah, apologies for my even more sporadic uploading times but work and classes are killing me lol.
If you would like to be tagged in this series, do comment below or send an ask! For other works, please fill out my official taglist forms in my pinned post!
- Just like in real life, the case with the mother and her accomplices will take a bit but hopefully all will go well with it
- Poor Rin is always the last to know about plans in the own home he lives in… And Ran just going along with it lmaoo
- New character coming in tho ٩(◦`꒳´◦)۶ What do you think about that?
- As always, feel free to tell me what you think in the comments or in my ask box ♡
➥ author’s note: I am still recovering from a really bad cold so my lack of activity on here is still sparse. That and the crazy weather changes make my energy even more non existent anssj so please bare with me for a bit more!!
If you would like to be tagged in this series, do comment below or send an ask! For other works, please fill out my official taglist forms in my pinned post!
