Osomatsu San Au - Tumblr Posts

I designed Ichimatsu for @artbear-flowernerd‘s wonderful secret AU. You’ll never guess what he is... heehee

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You were led down a series of hallways until the three of you stopped outside of a particular room. The door was slid open to reveal a large, open-spaced bedroom, with sleek wooden furniture carefully placed around the room and a wardrobe taking up an entire wall. Another wall was full of glass, with a few small potted shrubs and flowers decorating the window sill.

You couldn't help but stare in awe at the accommodation. A part of you felt slightly overwhelmed; you were not used to such luxury, even if you did live in the city. You were sure that this bedroom alone was almost the size of your entire apartment, which in itself wasn't very big.

"This is one of our many guest bedrooms," Chorosuke began. He glanced in your direction before saying: "If you are dissatisfied, perhaps we could show you one of our lager rooms?"

'There are larger ones?!' You almost choked on air, but managed to calm yourself.

"N-No, no! This is more than fine, actually.." you assured him with a timid smile.

"I'm glad to hear that!" He smiled in return, his mouth shaped into a soft V-shape. There was a faraway chiming in the distance, akin to a grandfather clock. Chorosuke paused, turning his head to the sound's direction.

"Time already?" He muttered to himself before turning back to you with a slight bow of his head. "Well, it seems that I must get back to work. I shall leave you in Dayoko's capable hands. She will help you get settled in before dinner," he smiled fondly at his sister, who was bouncing happily on the balls of her feet.

"Thank you so much, Chorosuke. And you, too, Dayoko!" You bowed in respect, hands clutching the straps of your backpack tightly. Truly, if it weren't for their immediate hospitality, you could have been wandering around for who-knows-how long out in the unforgiving summer heat, looking for a hotel that didn't even exist.

You felt someone pat your head gently, and you peered up to see it was Dayoko. Her smile never left her lips as she nudged you to stand up tall.

"There's no need to thank us," Chorosuke chuckled. "It's our duty as humans to care for one another, no?" He tucked his hands back into his sleeves, bidding a small farewell before making his way down the corridor again, his house-slipper clicking against the wooden flooring.

Once he had disappeared around the corner, Dayoko took hold of your arm and tugged you into the room, closing the door behind her. She ran to the centre of the room, twirling excitedly on the spot, her kimono flowing elegantly around her. She was laughing giddily, a childish sparkle in her eyes. You couldn't help but to laugh alongside her.

Your heart felt warm and fuzzy; it was a feeling you had missed for so long. The weight that had previously settled onto your shoulders had lifted slightly, easing the tension from your body. You allowed yourself, just this once, to get lost in the feeling of a fresh start. Even if you knew it wouldn't last forever.

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The setting sun cast a burning red glow into the room, the dark shadows becoming increasingly darker as the night began. You hadn't realised it had gotten so late until you cast a look towards the window, squinting in the bright gaze of the sun.

Dayoko had helped you unpack your backpack — which only held the basics such as a couple of outfits, a set of pyjamas, and a handful of other personal items that you had quickly stowed away with burning cheeks — in a few minutes, and then she tried engaging in conversation with you.

It was slightly difficult at first (seeing as she only spoke one word), but after she wrote down a few meanings on spare pieces of paper, you slowly began to understand some of what she was saying.

The girl was very eager to talk with you about anything and everything, her excuse being that 'there's no other girls around here that actually wanna talk!' You didn't mind though, seeing as she was just a sweet and endearing girl very much in need of a friend outside her own family. You figured it wouldn't hurt to start making friends, too, since you would be in Akashika for a while.

In the present, your stomach began grumbling painfully, making you wince.

"Dayon?" Dayoko tilted her head, resting a hand on your shoulder.

"I'm fine, just really hungry, I guess," you chuckled sheepishly. "I barely ate anything on the journey here. Maybe a few snacks, but.."

"Dayon! Dayon!" She stood up swiftly, helping you up as well before tugging you out of the room and back down the hallway again, leading the way. Your footsteps were heavy against the wood as you practically ran past the other rooms, and you hoped you weren't disturbing anyone else. Although, from what Dayoko described, it seemed that the only people living in the Midorito Estate was her and Chorosuke.

You both turned a corner, only for Dayoko to stop harshly, causing you to bump into her. You fumbled to catch your balance, quickly apologising to Dayoko as you held her upright.

"Are you alright?" Chorosuke was stood in front of you, a look of surprise on his face as well as concern. Dayoko covered her smiling mouth with a nod, attempting to cover her giggles but failing miserably. You huffed a laugh with her before nodded as well.

"We're good. Dayoko was really eager to take me somewhere, though." You turned to her with a curious tilt of your head. "Where were we going?"

"Dayon!" She pointed past Chorosuke at a room towards the back of the house. The door was already opened, a soft glow emitting from the room. "Dayon, dayon!"

Chorosuke's eyes widened in understanding. "Ah, I see! She was bringing you over to the main room, where we will be having dinner," he patted his sister's head fondly, making sure not to ruin her hair. "How smart of you! I was just about to come and fetch you both myself, but it seems Dayoko beat me to it."

He gestured his arm out as he turned back around. "If you would like to follow me. I'm sure you must be starving after such a long day of travelling, [Y/N]."

On cue, your stomach rumbled loudly again. You clutched it tightly, your face burning. The two only chuckled before leading the way into the room.

The room, just like every other room in the house, was huge in your eyes. In the centre of the room was a low dining table, already covered in dishes of food, some that you hadn't seen before. Three cushions were placed around it on the ground, fluffed up and delicately detailed with stitched golden flowers and vines.

Across from you, the double sliding doors were fully opened, revealing the lush garden, complete with a fully grown Japanese Maple tree, swaying atop a small hill, surrounded by rows of blooming flowers. Its branches twisted and turned into mesmerising trails, ending with clumps of red leaves that appeared to be on fire under the sun. You had to blink a few times, just to make sure that the flowing pool of water surrounding it was real. The same cool summer breeze seemed to follow you into the room, playfully ruffling your hair.

"Your garden is gorgeous.." you breathed, eyes wide as you tried to take in every detail. Chorosuke smiled bashfully in surprise.

"O-Oh, thank you! But all the credit would go to my late family, as they were the ones who built this Estate many years ago." He shook his head after a moment, gently pushing you over to the table. "However, that story is for another time. For now, let's eat, shall we?"

Dayoko was already seated, hastily picking up her chopsticks and preparing to dig in until Chorosuke stopped her.

"Dayoko! Where are your manners?" He scolded lightly. He couldn't truly bring himself to be mad at her, but he did have a reputation to upkeep.

"I don't mind if you start," you laughed, swaying yourself beside Dayoko. "This food does look delicious!"

"We do have one of the finest cooks in Akashika!" Chorosuke agreed, finally sitting himself down. You all picked up your chopsticks, giving your thanks for the food before filling your plates. You hesitated, unsure if you should really eat as much as you wanted. Dayoko noticed you holding back, and quickly assured you that you could eat as much as you wanted.

"Please, don't be afraid to eat as much as you'd like, [Y/N]." Chorosuke also chimed in, the both of them smiling warmly at you as you gave in, placing large and healthy portions into your bowl.

You complimented the food again, noises of contentment following you as you couldn't help but try a little more, making sure to eat slow so as to not make yourself sick.

Chorosuke appeared to be in thought as he ate, and as he finally opened his mouth to speak, there was a series of loud knocks on the front door, followed by equally loud voices.

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Chorosuke sighed deeply, pressing his forefinger and thumb against the bridge of his nose with his eyes screwed up in frustration. The knocking became more frequent and obnoxious the longer Chorosuke sat there, with you and Dayoko glancing at each other with unease.

"My apologies," he spoke through gritted teeth as he tried to keep his composure. "I'll have this issue sorted soon. Please, continue to eat." Nothing more was said as he swiftly got out is his seat and left the room, grabbing a rolled up newspaper from somewhere and rolling up his sleeve before closing the door behind him.

The silence was somewhat tense and awkward as you held your utensil up in midair. Did you really want to keep eating? A dark pit was forming in your stomach.

Clearing your throat, you looked over to Dayoko, who was chewing her food slower than before.

"Dayoko..?" You asked cautiously. She looked towards her, inclining her head. "Do you.. Do you know who's at the door?"

"D-Dayon!" Her smile was tense and shaky. She isn't too sure? Somehow, that made you feel worse. Even though you had never been to Akashika before now, you knew that the District as a whole was small. Everyone would know each other, right? That was what you had initially thought.

You decided to drop it, seeing as the girl was clearly just as uncomfortable as you were. The small voice in your head began filling you with doubt as you chewed on your food. Had you made a mistake coming here? Were they right, saying this was a dumb idea?

A loud thud from the hallway made you jump. Fear crept into your veins for a moment, only to hearing Chorosuke's annoyed tone.

"I am not giving you a meal! Not after the mess you made last time!"

"Huh? But you're rich! Just hire some maids or something to clean it up!"

The arrival of a second voice startled you. You spared a look at Dayoko, who's face and turned sour. So she did know who it was. Your curiosity was peaked.

It sounded... familiar, the voice in the hallway. Slightly more boyish than Chorosuke's, maybe a little too laid back. There was a teasing lilt that hung onto his words, although whether it was intentional or not was unclear to you.

"Choromatsu-niisan is hiding something!" A third voice called out. It was cheerful and loud, giddy and child-like, and a lot closer than the other two, sounding right outside the door. The door itself began rattling, sliding itself open. Dayoko appeared tense in her seat, glaring wearily at the doorway.

The door slid away to reveal... Chorosuke? Only it wasn't Chorosuke. Was it? Your brain was hurting from the confusion.

He had the face of Chorosuke, only his pupils was larger and his smile was more of a normal curve than a 'V'. His clothing was different, too; he wore a pale yellow polo-shirt with grey slacks, and he walked barefoot, not bothering to put on any house slippers. Your gaze landed on the paper bag in his hand, slightly crumpled from where he held it, with two large holes on the front. What was that for?

His own dark eyes bore into your own for a moment, though to you it felt like a long, drawn out time. It was like he was studying you carefully, even though his eyes were glued to your face. A small chill ran up your spine. Was it cold in here?

"Osomatsu-niisan!" He suddenly called out, making you jump again. You were glad you had settled your food onto the table earlier, or else it would have been thrown onto the floor by now. "There's a girl in here!"

"It's just Dayoko! As if this guy could pull a girl— OW!" 'Osomatsu' (a peculiar name, you thought) cried out in pain after a 'thwack' was heard. It seemed that Chorosuke had put the newspaper to good use.

"No, it's someone else! A different girl." The man glanced down at your chest briefly before looking back at your face. "She's pretty!" You flushed deeply, quickly covering your chest with your arms. Dayoko places her arms around you, her angered glare doing nothing to deter the man from leaving the room.

"Oh?" Osomatsu sounded much closer now. "Has she got a nice pair of tits?" Another 'thwack' followed by a pained whine. "I'm just kidding!"

"Stop terrorising my guest, you idiots!" Chorosuke hissed.

"We haven't done anything! Jeez, chill out, will ya? So uptight all the... time.."

The other man had stepped into the room, half of his body peeking through the doorway as he paused. Your gaze was drawn to his, locking onto his familiar large brown eyes, tracing the curve of his soft-looking face and over his slicked back dark hair, a few locks falling over his forehead. He wore a white dress shirt, with the tie and upper buttons loosened greatly and his over-coat draped over his shoulder.

His own eyes were looking you over, too, albeit with less subtlety. He followed the way your hair framed your face, the curve of your shoulder down to your chest, lingering there for a moment before going back up to your [e/c] orbs.

"Woah... WOAH!" His dazed mutter was overtaken by a yelp of surprise as he stumbled into the room, looking back with a glare at Chorosuke's outstretched arm. "What was that for?!"

"You were blocking the way," Chorosuke seethed, his glare burning into the man before he rushed over to you. "[Y/N]! I am so terribly sorry for these imbeciles! Had I known they were coming, I would have made sure to keep them away!"

"Why are you acting all high and mighty all of a sudden?" Osomatsu cut in, his brow raised incredulously. "You're even worse than we are, Chorofappyski!"

Chorosuke paled, freezing in place. His eyes looked devoid of life as he refused to move. It was beginning to concern you.

"Chorosuke..?" You waves a hand in front of his face, receiving no response.

"Dayon.." Dayoko stood up with a roll of her eyes, easily dragging her brother by the arm and laying him down in his previous seat, making sure his head was resting against the pillow.

"Don't mind him. It was the only way I could get him to shut up." Osomatsu sat down with a sigh, a cat-like grin crossing his lips as he studied you once more. "So. Do I get a name for that cute face?"

Your cheeks were set ablaze again. You averted your eyes down to your lap, fingers fidgeting with your clothing. You mumbled your name timidly, picking up the way he repeated it, each syllable rolling off of his tongue like honey.

"I'm Akashika Ozo! Always at your service," he winked, leaning closer to you. You furrowed your brows slightly in confusion.

"'Ozo'...? But, didn't he say your name was 'Osomatsu?'" You pointed out, glancing to the other yellow-shirt man to see that he was busy grabbing the food from Chorosuke's bowl.

"It's just a.. nickname he's come up with," Ozo answered quickly, looking away from you. The man in question raised his head towards you, smiling widely.

"I'm Jyushimatsu!" He laughed. You didn't know why he was laughing, but it was certainly contagious, causing you to smile back at him.

"Stop telling people that that's your name!" Chorosuke rose from the dead, pointing a finger accusingly at Jyushimatsu.

"Call me Jyushimatsu! It's way better!" Came the reply.

"His real name is Ogami Toshio," Chorosuke sighed, "He's the son of the mayor in Akatsuka Village. He's quite unpredictable, so I highly suggest you stay away from him," he whispered the last part to you, only to be pushed out of the way by Ozo. He settled comfortably next to you, grabbing a bowl for himself and ignoring Chorosuke's protests.

"This food looks great! Let's just eat already!" Quickly following Jyushimatsu, Ozo piled his bowl with various morsels of food before digging in, noisily chewing away at his food.

"Hey! Where's the beer?"

"You're not invited to this dinner!" Chorosuke cried, powerless to the two 'intruders' in his house.

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Chorosuke had long since given up on trying to kick the two out, seeing as they had absolutely no intention of moving. Instead, he hesitantly sat himself down amongst you all, eating with a sour frown on his face directed towards Ozo, who either didn't notice or didn't care.

"So, why Akashika?" Ozo asked suddenly after a few moments. You stifled a laugh at the crumbs scattering his cheeks, taking a sip of water to stall for time, noticing how all eyes were now on you.

"Well," you started, pushing your food around lightly with your chopstick, "I just wanted to go on a holiday for a little while. Akashika seemed like the best place." You shrugged nonchalantly, going back to eating your food.

"Akashika? Really?" Ozo drawled, raising a brow.

"Is.. Is there something wrong with that?" you asked nervously.

"Not really," Chorosuke replied, a thoughtful look on his face. "It's just that, since Akashika District is a small village in the countryside, not many people know that this place even exists. We rarely ever get visitors, other than those who already have a direct connection to this place."

You hummed. That did make sense, in a way.

"How did you find out about this place, anyway?" Ozo pushed, resting his chin on his palm.

"I came across an article online about Akatsuka Village," You paused, thinking about the contents of the article with a slight smile. "It was talking about a bunch of mysteries this place has, and after a bit of digging around, I found that this area of Japan was quiet and unknown, which was convenient for me."

"'Mysteries,' you say..." Chorosuke groaned.

"'Convenient?'" Ozo asked.

"Karamatsu-niisan must've wrote that article!" Jyushimatsu chimed in.

"Karatsugu." Chorosuke iterated.

Your mind raced to come up with an answer to Ozo, leaning away from him as he came closer, waiting for you to say something.

"Uh, 'convenient' as in..." you cleared your throat, "..I-I've never been to the countryside before. I've always lived in the city, so I wanted to start somewhere that wasn't overwhelmed by tourists and such." You ended with a nervous chuckle, which quickly died down under Ozo's unreadable stare. Should.. Should you say something? Did he even listen to what you said? Why was he looking at you like that? Your cheeks turned pink the longer he held your gaze.

"Ozo," Chorosuke kicked him from under the table, a 'huff' leaving said man's lips. "Stop being creepy. Ignore him, [Y/N]."

"Yeah, yeah..." Ozo muttered something under his breath, which you couldn't quite hear, but it didn't seem to matter as his grin came back onto his face.

"How long are you staying for, [Y/N]-chan?" Jyushimatsu suddenly spoke from beside you, making you squeak. You did your best to ignore the chuckles from Ozo and Dayoko, although the flush on your cheeks only darkened in embarrassment.

"T-Two months."

"Aw, that's it?" Ozo whined. "Well hopefully by the end of it, you'll want to stay for longer!" He winked your way. You glanced away, taking larger sips of water to distract yourself. With that, everyone focused back on their food, finishing the last bits from their bowls. It was mostly silent, save for the clinking of utensils and the gentle song of birds from outside, adding a sort of serenity to the air. It was comforting, an atmosphere you very much appreciated. It was a far cry from what you were used to.

Eventually, you all let out a hum of satisfaction, praising Dayoko for the fulfilling meal. Ozo and Jyushimatsu lay comfortably on the floor, spreading out their limbs as they shut their eyes, large sleepy grins on their faces. You smiled softly at their antics. With the way they acted, you would have thought they were brothers. You didn't want to jump straight to conclusion, though. You'd probably make things awkward if you said something like that.

Dayoko stood up and began gathering everyone's dishes. You attempted to get up and help, feeling bad about her doing all the work, but she waved you off with a smile. Chorosuke placed a gentle hand on your shoulder, gaining your attention.

"[Y/N], why you don't you head on upstairs, instead?" He offered with a smile. "I've had a bath drawn for you. I'm sure it will help you relax before heading off to bed. You've had a long day, after all."

"Can we have one too?" Ozo perked his head up, eyes hopefully.

"No." Chorosuke shot sternly, glaring at the man as he let his head fall back to the floor with a grumble.

"Choromatsu-niisan's no fun..." Jyushimatsu's voice was muffled, his face pushed against the floor.

"Stop calling me that.." Chorosuke was exasperated by now, but he opted to ignore the both of them, turning back to you expectantly. You mulled over the offer. A soothing bath after a warm meal sounded very appealing to you, especially since your back did feel a little sore still after sitting on a rocky train for most of the day.

"That sounds lovely, actually. Thank you, Chorosuke," you smiled appreciatively, slowly picking yourself up from the floor.

"It's nothing. Our guests always receive the best of treatment here in the Midorito Estate," he stated proudly with a bow of his head. Ozo glared up at him from the floor.

"Careful. You're rising again, Chorofappysk-"

A pillow was thrown harshly onto his face, startling him as his head smacked onto the ground with a hollow 'thud.' You gasped, covering your mouth to hide the giddy smile from the others in the room. You felt bad that he got hurt, but you couldn't deny that their childish ways of bickering was starting to become comedic for you.

Dayoko re-entered the room before things could escalate, hooking her arm with yours.

"Ah, Dayoko!" Chorosuke's smile was thin and forced, his brow twitching dangerously as the pillow he threw hit against his side. "Could you please escort our guest to the washroom while I deal with those?"

Dayoko looked unimpressed, not even replying to her brother as she tugged you out of the room, closing the door behind her without so much as a second glance. As soon as it slid shut, loud voices erupted as an argument broke out. You managed to pick out a few insults that were so ridiculous, you couldn't help but splutter a laugh. You tried to cover your mouth to stop them leaving your mouth, but eventually, you couldn't hold it in any longer.

"S-Sorry..!" You apologised to Dayoko through your bouts of laughter, clutching at your stomach as you followed her on shaky legs down the hallways. She looked at you for a moment in surprise before joining in with a playful roll of her eyes. You both giggled and chuckled endlessly, almost completely breathless by the time you had made it to the washroom.

Slowly, you both regained your composure, wiping a couple of stray tears from the corners of your eyes. Dayoko sighed happily.

"Dayon! Dayon!"

'That's the most I've laughed in a while!'

You smiled brightly along with her. "Same here!"

Dayoko took your hand, opening the door to the washroom to reveal, yet another, large washroom. It was slightly steamy in the room, a low mist of wafting over the tiled flooring, which was emitting from a wide bathtub on the other side of the room. You glanced around with wide eyes. The mirrors were somehow clear of any fog, the small plants scattered around the room were perked up and lively, the towels looked so soft and fluffy, hell -- even the toilet seemed to sparkle in its environment.

The girl tugged on your hand, snapping you out of your daze. She wore an amused smile on her face, but didn't comment on your surprised look.

"Dayon, dayon..."

She began telling you where everything you needed would be, and that she would leave fresh set nightwear for you to put on once you were done. You thanked her profusely once more as she left you to your own devices, closing the door to give you privacy.

You looked around, somehow feeling unsure of where to even start.

'..That's stupid,' you thought to yourself with a shake of your head. You began stripping down, neatly placing your clothes in a basket nearby so they could be washed later. Then, you moved over to the bathtub, gingerly placing the tip of your toe into the water, delighted to find it just the right temperature.

You slid in, settling down comfortably with a long sigh of relief, feeling the tension in your muscles fading away. There was a faint aroma of lavender and peppermint in the air, and you took deep and steady breaths to help clear your mind for a moment. It was truly heavenly, sitting in the warm water with your eyes closed and body relaxed. You wished you could do something like this all the time, but of course your situation back home wouldn't allow any kind of relaxation for you...

Another sigh left you, heavy and full of built up emotions. You brought a damp hand up to your face, resting it against your forehead as you frowned sadly. Your chest felt tight for a moment as a memory flashed through your mind. Your ears rang with loud voices, yelling and screaming, a complete one-eighty from what you had just heard downstairs a few minutes ago. It made your head throb uncomfortably, and your eyes suddenly prickled with un-shed tears.

'No,' you thought immediately. You sat up and reached over to a shelf beside you, grabbing a bottle of shampoo that Dayoko had pointed out to you earlier. You squirted a handful of the liquid into your hand, the scent of cherries hitting your nose as you began lathering it into your hair, using the time to give yourself a brief massage over your scalp.

'I have two months to not think about that,' you reminded yourself, finally pushing away any other intruding thoughts from your mind as you busied yourself with washing up.

After a nice long while relaxing and cleansing yourself, you stumbled out of the bath, rubbing at your wet skin with a towel (which was just as fluffy as it looked). You looked over to the door, finding your nightwear and undergarments folded neatly on a small tabletop beside a pot of blooming Dahlias. You admired their vibrant layered petals for a moment before taking your clothes

You slipped on your oversized short sleeved shirt and shorts, perfect for the warm summer night, briefly ruffling your hair with the towel before exiting the washroom. Upon not seeing Dayoko nearby, you decided to make your own way to your bedroom, somewhat confident in being able to find it yourself.

It was clear to you, though, that after only a few turns, you found yourself lost.

"How can I get lost in a house?" you muttered with slight panic. You glanced behind you, turning around. "I'll just... head back to the washroom. She's probably there right now, waiting for me..."

You turned back down the corridor you were sure you had just come from, but... you couldn't' find it. You couldn't' find the washroom you had just been in two seconds ago. Worrying your lip between your teeth, you wondered if it would be childish to start calling out for her, or Chorosuke, to come and help you. Just as you were about to make a decision, a set of footsteps sounded behind you.

You breathed a sigh if relief, turning with a sheepish smile.

"Finished with your bath already? And here I was thinking I could jump in with you!"

You froze, cheeks ablaze for what felt like the hundredth time that evening. It was Ozo, not Chorosuke or Dayoko, wandering causally down the corridor towards you, a hand tucked into his trouser pocket. He kept walking until he stopped right in front of you, leaning against the wall.

" 'Sup?"

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"Uh... hey..?" You glued your eyes to the ground, internally smacking yourself for such an awkward greeting. What was he even doing here? His presence had thrown you off entirely! It didn't seem to bother Ozo, though, as he chuckled lightly.

"Are you nervous?" You could practically hear the grin in his tone. "C'mon, it's just me! There's nothin' to be nervous about! Although..." he leaned down close, catching your gaze with his own half-lidded eyes. "..You do look cute when you get all shy and flustered."

Your whole body felt like it was on fire as you quickly turned away from him, crossing your arms defensively against your chest. He laughed loudly, and you missed the way he ran a hand through his tousled hair, and the way his dark eyes trailed along your clothing before he snapped his gaze away.

"I'm just teasing!" His tone didn't seem to match his words, but you acknowledged it no further. "Hm? Where's Dayoko?" He asked, looking up and down the hallway. "Wasn't she supposed to take you to your room, or somethin'?"

"I-I thought so, too.." you frowned at your stutter, "But I'm not sure where she is, so I tried to find my room myself."

"Well I hate to say it princess, but all the guest bedrooms are on the other side of the house."

You froze. How did you end up at the opposite end of the house? You glared at the ground in confusion, racking your brain for an answer on just how you had managed to get so badly lost. You were so caught up in your swirling thoughts, you didn't notice Ozo move from his spot to stand in front of you.

"It's a good thing I'm here, huh?" He rubbed a finger under his nose with a smug grin. "C'mon, I'll take you back."

He didn't wait for an answer as he swiftly took a gentle hold of your wrist, tugging you along behind him. You stumbled slightly in surprise, eyes watching the way his fingers wrapped comfortably around your skin. His touch radiated a warmth you hadn't felt before.

"I know this place like the back of my hand," he glanced back at you, "Us taxi drivers just have a good sense of direction like that." You blinked.

"Y-You're a taxi driver?" tilting your head curiously, brushing away the hair that fell over your eyes.

"Yup! I'm the only one in this area, too, so we'll definitely be seeing more of each other," as you turned a corner, he pulled you slightly closer to his side so that you were walking beside him, "I told you didn't I? I'm always at your service."

You only hummed in response, too busy trying to fight the thoughts of just how smooth his voice sounded. Was it even okay to have thoughts like that? You didn't know why you didn't feel any sense of danger being near Ozo, even though he had mostly been perverted and weird half the time he was around you.

"Man, you're so lucky!" Ozo threw his head back as he whined. "Chorosuke's actually letting you stay here! He doesn't even let me stay here anymore.. You'd think he'd have more respect for his older brother.." he grumbled. The word 'cute' ran through your mind as you peered up at his pouting cheeks, but you quickly waved it away.

"I-I wanted to ask about that, actually..." you started timidly, playing with the hem of your shirt as he snapped his eyes towards you, giving his full attention. "It's just, you and Toshi- I mean -- Jyushimatsu, look very similar. I thought he was Chorosuke when he first came into the room before. Are you.. related?"

"You're really smart, [Y/N], y'know that?" Ozo sighed dreamily. He rested his free arm behind his head as he made a left turn, taking a quick glance out the window as you passed by. "Yeah, apparently we're brothers! All six of us sextuplets!"

"..Sextuplets?" You didn't remember seeing the same face six separate times. Ozo chuckled.

"There's another one of us who live here in Akashika, but he stays over at Iriabi, since he's got a little cafe gig over there. We should go sometime!" He nudged your shoulder gently, a sparkle in his eyes. "He's always giving us free food!"

"Why do I have a feeling that he doesn't have a choice in doing that?" you smiled lightly.

"What can I say? I have a certain persuasive aura about me," Ozo shrugged, raising a brow at you jokingly. You huffed a laugh, shaking your head with a teasing roll of your eyes.

"And, what about your other two brothers?" you continued.

"They live in the big city. One of 'em studies history, all that boring stuff.." he shuddered at the thought of being surrounded with mountain high piles of dusty old books, "And the other painful one is a rookie reporter for some paper."

You nodded along, certainly intrigued by this information. Sextuplets were rare to come across. You wondered just how identical each of them actually were.

"Wait, 'painful'"? You backtracked. "What's that supposed to mean?"

"Oh, you'll see," Ozo rubbed a hand absentmindedly over his ribs, a slight grimace on his face. "They're actually all coming down for a visit here this weekend. So Chorosuke has to let me stay over!" he chuckled darkly, a sleazy grin crossing his lips. Somewhere in the back of your mind, you felt bad for Chorosuke. Although maybe you should be more concerned for Dayoko than anyone else...

"Anyway, that's enough about me!" Ozo came to a halt, surprising you. "Here's your stop!" He gestured grandly to the door beside him, sliding the door open to reveal the same bedroom you had been escorted to earlier that day.

"How did you know this was my room?" you looked at him incredulously. He rubbed a finger under his nose again, something you began to think was a habit of his.

"I may or may not have seen Dayoko leave this room with those clothes you're wearing," he looked down at your clothing again. You shuffled in your spot, moving closer to the door with a tint spreading over your cheeks.

"Just as I thought..." Ozo mumbled. "Red does look good on you."

You tensed, trying not to notice the way he smirked at your flushed skin and jittery movements. You had to get away from him before you ended up exploding. You felt him release his hold on you, his fingers leaving a feathery touch on your skin as he moved away, the warmth he radiated fading all too quickly.

"W-Well.."you cleared your throat, beginning to slide your door shut, stopping when your eyes could peek out the small opening at his taller frame. "Goodnight...?" Another awkward farewell. You needed to stop doing those. Ozo laughed softly, bringing his half-lidded gaze back to yours for the last time that night.

"Night, [Y/N]. I'll be waiting for you tomorrow!" he sang, turning away and heading back down the way he came. You carefully slid your door shut, turning around in the dim room to find your futon already lain out for you. You hurriedly rushed over to it, flopping down onto the fluffed covers and burying your face into the cool pillow, hoping it would remove the burn from your face.

You lay restlessly, tossing and turning as so many thoughts ran circles in your mind. Some from the past, some from the present, and many for the upcoming future.

The butterflies in your stomach seemed to multiply tenfold as you wondered if he would actually be waiting for you tomorrow.

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♔ | 𝐕𝐈

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You woke with a start, heart pounding. You quickly sat up, hands clutching your covers with a white-knuckled grip. You were breathing too quickly, too heavily, leaving you lightheaded. Scrambling out of your bedsheets, you rushed over to the bathroom, fumbling with the tap and splashing cold water onto your face. Your head throbbed harshly, but you didn't stop until your felt your face cooling down.

With a deep sigh, you hesitantly glanced up at your reflection. Your hair was a mess, sticking uncomfortably to your face, your skin didn't look right to you at all, your eyes looked weighted and dull, rimmed red from the sudden awakening — all in all, you looked just as terrible as you felt.

A part of you wanted to remember what exactly startled you awake, but another side of you decided it was probably best not to remember. If it scared you this badly, would you really want to have it in your thoughts for the rest of the day?

Instead, you began washing up, taking your time so that you could recollect your thoughts before showing your face to your hosts. You brushed through your hair, making sure it wasn't all in your face, grabbing a hair tie and placing it around your wrist just in case. Wandering back into your room, you looked around for your phone, checking the time.

[Tuesday - 10:36]

You wondered if anyone would be awake yet.

'Guess there's only one way to find out.'

You went to open your door, sliding it open—

"AAAH?!" You jumped away in fear, arms raised in fornt of your body. You blinked, then relaxed. It appeared that Dayoko was also planning on opening your door at the same time as you.

"I-I'm so sorry, Dayoko! Did I scare you?" You fussed over her, resting a hand on her shoulder with a concerned frown.

"Dayon...!" She sighed heavily with relief.

'I should be asking you that!'

Seeing she was fine, you moved away, taking in her outfit for the day. Her kimono was a warm yellow, reminding you of the sunflowers you had seen in the fields on your train ride yesterday. White lines of thread wrapped around the fabric, twisting and swirling elegantly. In her hair was a yellow primrose, vibrant with its petals unfurled.

"I love the flower in your hair," you smiled, watching as Dayoko smiled bashfully.

"Dayon, dayon 'yon!"

'Thank you! I can show you how to put it in your hair too after breakfast!'

She took hold of your hand once more, leading you happily down to the main room. You made sure to take note of where you were going this time, not wanting to get lost again anytime soon. Speaking of which...

"Dayoko? Where did you go last night?" she looked back at you with a confused look before her eyes widened in realisation. She halted in her tracks, whipping around to face you with a worried look in her eyes.

"Dayon! Dayon, dayon!" her arms were waving around as she explained herself, saying she was waiting for you but then Chorosuke needed her for something so she had to go and then she lost track of time and then when she realised what time it was she rushed back to the washroom but you weren't there and—

"Dayoko! Wait, slow down!" you paused her rambling, an amused but gentle smile on your face. "It's okay, I understand that you got busy. You don't have to apologise," you reassured her. She didn't look entirely pleased with herself, but she nodded slowly, sending one last apologetic look your way before heading down the hallway again.

"Dayon..."

'I'm just glad you managed to make your way back.'

"Well..." you rubbed the back of your head sheepishly, "I did get a little lost at first, but I got help, so it's fine!"

"Dayon? Dayon?"

'Help? From who?'

You hesitated. "From Ozo..."

Her face fell flat. Of course that idiot was still hanging around when he said he was heading off. She should have known he was going to try something, but you didn't appear to be hurt (or traumatised) by something he did, so Dayoko left it at that.

Entering the main room again, you smiled brightly at the sight of Chorosuke, who was already sipping away at his tea, seated comfortably on the wooden walkway in front of the garden. He perked up when he heard your greeting, turning with small nod of his head.

"Good morning, you two. Please, help yourself to some breakfast." He gestured to the table, various foods spread over the top in a neat arrangement. You eyed the table setting with awe, mouth salivating at the delicious scent of food. You quickly sat down, saying your thanks before digging in, keeping an eye on how quickly you were eating so as not to appear gluttonous.

Dayoko joined you, but Chorosuke stayed where he was.

"Are you not gonna eat, Chorosuke?" You asked after swallowing a rather large mouthful of omelet. He shook his head, lowering his cup from his mouth.

"I woke up quite early today for work, so I'm afraid I already ate. Perhaps next time I shall join you," he gave you an apologetic smile, to which you nodded in understanding.

The atmosphere was calm and relaxing, a simple summer morning rolling by as the clock ticked on. Chorosuke placed his cup down on a coaster beside him, folding his hands together onto his lap.

"What will you be doing today, [Y/N]?" He asked, breaking the silence. "The weather is perfect for some sightseeing today. Do you have anywhere in mind that you'd like to visit?"

Yo tilted your head in thought, taking a sip of your own drink. "Hmm... That's a good question, but to be honest, I don't really know any places around here," you admitted shyly. "I'd love to see some more of the scenery in Akashika, though. It's very beautiful here."

"Indeed," Chorosuke agreed. He sat in thought for a moment before lighting up. "How about you visit Iriabi? There's a cafe there that my brother runs. It's quite lovely — even though I hate to admit it — and the scenery along the way will surely satisfy you."

You mulled over his suggestion, the name Iriabi ringing a bell. Ozo had talked about it last night too, didn't he? Well, if they were both suggesting it, then it really can't be that bad.

"Sure! That sounds like a great idea!" You beamed. Chorosuke returned the smile, picking himself up off the ground.

"I'm glad that's settled!" He straightened out his kimono, which you noticed wasn't as plain as yesterday, having light decorations of sewn on white flowers scattered across the clothing. "Well, I must be going back to work. I'm sure Dayoko can help you should you need anything," he glanced fondly at his younger sister before bowing. "Take care, [Y/N]."

With that, he left the room, leaving you girls alone. Dayoko turned to you with an excited glint in her eyes, bouncing in her seat.

'I can help you get ready!' She offered, standing up and ushering you out of the room. You were glad that you managed to finish your breakfast, else you were sure she wouldn't have waited for you be done.

"B-But, the dishes—!" You started, only to be cut off.

'They'll get picked up, don't worry!'

She led you down a series of hallways that you were sure you hadn't been down before; although, every hallway looked almost exactly the same as each other. You whizzed past a few more doors before coming to an abrupt halt, and you just managed to catch yourself before you fell straight into Dayoko.

The door slid open to reveal a bedroom, coloured in a girly pink from head to toe. The furniture was a blush pink, the carpet was a rose gold, the flowers strewn about the room were a shocking hue... You felt like you had walked into Barbie's bedroom.

Dayoko pushed you over to the lavish vanity, which had a multitude of perfumes, cosmetics and accessories daintily organised across the surface. She seated you down on the plump stool, moving away to gather a few things as you made yourself comfortable.

She returned with a hairbrush in hand, and a large box. She placed it down, opening it to reveal bunches of fake flowers, like the ones she had placed in her hair. You admired each one before Dayoko tapped your shoulder, catching your eyes in the mirror in front of you.

"Dayon!!"

'Time for a makeover!'

You giggled at her excitement, a similar feeling welling up inside of you. In that moment, she felt like a little sister to you, too. It was cute and endearing. You grinned back at her saying with a hint of a laugh:

"Make me as pretty as you, Dayoko!"

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♔ | 𝐕𝐈𝐈

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You walked down the stone steps you had traversed the previous day, holding down a lock of your hair as it swayed in the breeze. The petals of the azalea flowers glistened in the sunshine, fluttering in the wind as they kept your styled hair in place.

Dayoko had done a beautiful job of your hair, twirling and plaiting your locks in an elegant fashion, pinning everything in place with bunches of azaleas, red and eye catching.

'I also saw you had no dresses with you, so you can borrow one of mine!'

You smiled down at your attire, admiring the black floral material that rested over your upper body, feeling the loose flow of the red skirt around your legs. A black shoulder bag rested just above your hips, swinging lightly to the left and right with each move you made. Your small black heels clicked against the grey stone beneath you satisfyingly, filling the air around you with the gentle sound.

You had thanked Dayoko profusely, tracing feather light touches over your locks in awe. You would never be able to do something this pretty with your hair. You did look just as pretty as Dayoko, but she insisted you had surpassed her looks greatly.

She sent you off with a bright smile and a wave, watching as you ventured away from the Estate and back down into Akatsuka Village.

You were too busy glancing up at the trees bending up around you, smiling fondly as the leaves seemed to wave as you passed by, rays of light filtering through from above. As you reached the last step, the sun suddenly glaring down at you making you squint, you heard a low whistle from ahead.

"You clean up nice, doll!"

A deep blush coated your cheeks at the compliment, immediately recognising the voice with a small sense of dread. Memories of last night flooded your mind, embarrassingly increasing your red glow.

Ozo stood in front of a parked white car — most likely a taxi, you thought — leaning against the side of it with a green can in his hand. He grinned over at you, brushing a hand through his hair. You couldn't help but notice each strand falling through the gaps of his fingers, resting over his forehead with a slight sway.

"You... actually waited? F-For me?" You mumbled timidly, taking slow steps closer to him.

"I told you I would, didn't I?" He replied, soft and gentle. "Besides, how could I pass up the chance to help such a pretty lady?" He pushed himself off the car, closing the gap between you both as he reached a hand up to your hair, brushing over the decorations. He chuckled lightly, "They look good on you. I'm starting to think that red really is your colour."

"Ah, th-thank you..." you averted your eyes downwards, accidentally resting over the hand that clutched onto what you could now see was a beer can, the cooled droplets of water cascading downwards and over his fingertips, glistening as they rolled down his warm skin...

"Where are ya' headed?" Ozo suddenly asked, moving back.

"Huh..? Oh!" You snapped out of your daze, cursing yourself for getting so.. distracted like that. "I was going to head over to Iriabi, actually. To that cafe you told me about."

Ozo's smile brightened, rubbing a finger under his nose. "Wow, you're taking my suggestion! I'm flattered," he joked. He tucked a hand into his trouser pocket, taking out a ring of keys, spinning it around his finger. "Let's get going, shall we?"

"You're gonna take me there?" You questioned, following him nevertheless as he nodded.

"I mean, it's kinda my job to do that," he laughed. He moved around to the passengers side, opening the door with a deep bow. "After you."

You chuckled at his performance, taking up his offer and slipping into your seat, catching a glimpse of his large grin before he closed the door, moving back to the driver's seat and strapping in. He brushed his hair away as he inserted the keys, the engine causing the car to rumble.

Carefully manoeuvring the vehicle onto the road, you started to pick up speed on the empty dirt road, driving past the shops and houses you had seen before. They looked just as empty as yesterday, and you felt slightly uneasy at the stillness of the area; not having any bustling streets and crowds of people wasn't something you were used to.

A little further down was a large building standing on its own. On the roof was a sign, which looked to be similar to neon lights, although they weren't activated due to it being daytime. As you passed by, you squinted to try and make out what they were shaped to be, raising a brow as you saw they looked similar to two chickens on either side of some words you didn't get to read.

"What's that building?" You asked, pointing back to it. Ozo glanced over to where you pointed, smiling widely.

"That is my favourite place in this entire District," he leaned an arm against the window edge beside him, using one hand to steer the car around a soft bend. "That's the Bang Bang Chicken Bar. I'm a regular, but I guess that's 'cuz it's the only bar around here."

He sounded pretty proud of himself, although you felt a slight concern fester inside of you. How often did he go there? That was a bad thing, wasn't it? Also; 'Bang Bang Chicken Bar...' Another interesting name, but why chickens? Before you could voice your questions, Ozo continued.

"I'll take you for a drink sometime! On me, since I've actually got money now!" He seemed to find this quite funny, laughing loudly at his own words.

"I'll think about it," you replied. You hadn't gone out for a drink with anyone for a while. You wondered if you'd even be able to handle your liquor as well as you used to, or if you'd just make a fool of yourself in front of him.

The chatter died down after a moment, leaving Ozo to concentrate on the road whilst you continued peering out the window, a soft smile playing on your lips as you took in the sights. The sky was a brilliant azure, decorated with light wisps of white clouds, drifting off further into the distance. Fields of sunflowers and tulips filled the empty spaces beside the road, fluttering in the summer wind. The sunshine rested on your face, it's warmth a lot more gentle this time, lighting up your face with a golden glow.

Ozo cleared his throat after a while, his hands gripping the wheel a little too tightly. He couldn't help but turn his eyes to your relaxed form every few seconds, attracted to your plump lips and warm cheeks, your glistening orbs and curled hair. Your dress fit you perfectly, complimenting your curves and skin beautifully, and damn— the colour red was just too good on you.

"[Y/N], y-you..." he swore under his breath, hating that he was feeling so nervous. What happened to his usual confidence? Why did he suddenly feel scared of you rejecting his attempts, even though that was all he was ever used to?

"Ozo?" You turned to him, tilting you head. He stared at you for a minute, his half-lidded eyes widening slightly before he turned away again. He took a deep breath, blaming the flush on his cheeks on the summer heat.

"...You look really good... I mean it.."

There was a stunned silence in the car. Your fingers clutched tightly at the skirt of your dress, legs pressing together nervously. You saw the obvious blush on his face, which made yours multiply tenfold.

Eventually, you broke out of your daze, a bright smile on your face. If Ozo wasn't driving, he'd gladly stare at it all day.

"Thank you, Ozo. You don't look too bad yourself."

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♔ | 𝐕𝐈𝐈𝐈

»»-----　♔　-----««

The taxi came to a slow and steady halt, the rumble of its engine dying down as the keys were removed.

"Here we go.." Ozo muttered to himself, removing his seatbelt. He quickly left the car, leaving you to start opening your own door until he opened it himself, extending a hand down to you with a grin.

"Allow me," his chivalrous act didn't fail to make you smile again. You slipped your hand into his, realising just how small yours were compared to his larger palms. He wrapped his fingers around yours firmly, tugging you up and out of your seat. You stumbled slightly as you stood, but Ozo was quick to wrap his other arm around your waist, pulling you against his broad chest so you wouldn't fall. Your eyes met, wide and flustered. There was a tense silence between you both for a split second before you nervously laughed, being the first to pull away.

"Uhm.. thank you.." you looked down at your shoes.

"It's nothing.." he rubbed the back of his neck, turning away and heading towards a nearby building. "The cafe's just over here."

You nodded silently, following along behind him, hands latching onto the strap of your bag. You walked up to an average sized building, the front of which was simply lined with small bushes and a set of chairs and tables for outside seating. Above the opened doorway was a wooden sign, white letters written across it spelling:

'Cafe New York'

"Has your brother been to New York before?" You asked as you walked through the door behind Ozo.

"Nope," he grinned. "The cafe's just named after Iriabi. It's a play on words." He looked back at your confused face before laughing. "Hey, you're a smart girl! You'll figure it out, easy!"

"You have too much confidence in me.." you shook your head with a smile. Stepping into the cafe, you were hit instantly with the smell of sweet coffee and sugared pastries. Your eyes were immediately drawn to the vast display case by the till, lined with cakes, cookies and other delicious delights that made your mouth water.

Ozo walked over to the front, leaning against it as he peered about the empty cafe.

"Oi! Takashi! Where are you?" He called. "Your favourite big brother's here to visit you!" You giggled as he looked back at you with a joking smile. You heard a muffled voice call from somewhere in the back, past a closed door.

"Wait a minute!" There was a set of footsteps approaching the door before it swung open, revealing a man similar looking to Ozo and his brothers, busy frowning down at something on his phone. His hair was shorter than Ozo's, though it was mostly covered by the black fedora he wore. He wore a pink V-neck T-shirt, a beige apron on top, with a brown beaded necklace on his neck and a similar bracelet hanging from his wrist.

He shut the door behind him, finally placing his phone down on the counter with a roll of his eyes before looking up. He ignored his brother, his eyes landing straight onto you as he gave you a cutely curved smile.

"Well, hello!" His voice was dripping with honey. "I don't think I've seen your face around here before!" He rested his chin on his hand, leaning forward.

"I just arrived here yesterday from the city!" you admitted, closing your eyes with a smile.

"Uh, hello!" Ozo glared at his brother. "I'm here, too!"

"I literally saw you yesterday. You're not important." Takashi flatly told him, not even sparing a look his way as a smile came back into his lips. You felt a stab of pain from the coldness of his words, watching as Ozo froze, mouth flailing open and closed as he clutched a hand over his heart.

"I'm Momose Takashi!" The man continued, holding a hand out to you. "What's your name?"

"..Uh, it's [L/N] [Y/N].." you stared slowly, shaking his hand (and taking note of how incredibly soft it was) before placing it back by your side. Then something clicked. "Wait.. Do you all have different second names?"

"Oh no.. You've met those idiots?" Toshio groaned, coming to terms that his opportunity to make a lady friend was promptly thrown out the window before he even got a chance.

"No, not all of you. I've met Chorosuke and Jyushimatsu, though." You clarified.

"What d'ya mean, 'those idiots?!'" Ozo suddenly cried.

"You know exactly what I mean, idiot," Takashi hissed, turning back to you. "As for the name thing... It's kinda complicated. You really don't wanna know."

You frowned slightly as the quick dismissal, but you also knew better than to pry, so you left it there. Instead, you gestured over to the display case.

"Did you make all these? They look amazing!" You praised. Takashi blushed, rubbing the back of his head, gladly taking all your kind words.

"Aha, yup! My dad taught me how to make all these!"

Ozo grinned devilishly, sidling up to your side as covering his mouth in a mock whisper, his voice still loud enough for Takashi to hear.

"He says that, but really, everything here is just from the sto-"

"WOULD YOU like to try some?" Takashi cut him off, slamming a box of assorted desserts onto the counter, his smile tense and shaky. "Since you're new here, I'll let you have these, on the house!"

"Really? Are you sure? I can pay for them!" Your hands flew to your bag, but Takashi stopped you.

"No, really! You can try as many as you'd like! I can't force myself to allow such a nice girl to pay for everything when she just got here," he winked. You blushed, thanking him kindly as he gestured for you to take a seat anywhere you'd like. "I'll make us some coffee while you get comfortable."

"What about me?!" Ozo's complaint went unheard as the back door slammed shut. He grumbled, dragging a chair out and plopping himself down beside you. Feeling bad for him, you turned the box towards him with a small smile.

"You can have some, too. I don't mind."

"[Y/N], you're the best!" He exclaimed, swiftly taking a frosted cupcake and taking a large bite, humming at the taste. You took a bite out of your own cupcake, eyes widening at the sweet taste of chocolate hitting your tongue.

"Wow, this is really good!" You spoke after swallowing a bite, licking your lips. Ozo agreed, sighing when he finished, licking the frosting off of his thumb. Looking over to him, you giggled, finding a touch of frosting on his cheek and around his mouth.

"Ozo, you got a little something here," you pointed to your own cheek, watching amusedly as he attempted to wipe it off, missing entirely.

"Did I get it?"

"No— here," you laughed, grabbing a tissue from the table and leaning forward, removing the frosting yourself. Focused on your task, you didn't realise how close you had gotten to his face until you looked up, finding yourself mere inches away from his lips. His face was tinted as red as your own, praying that you wouldn't be able to hear how fast his heart was pounding in his chest. His hands twitched, wanting to instinctively hold onto you, but he clenched them into fists on his lap instead.

"...I got it.." you breathed. A part of you didn't want to move away just yet, so you stayed there, close to him, revelling in the warmth he seemed to constantly give off. After a moment, Ozo's blown eyes relaxed back into their lazy look, finally bringing his hand up to your face.

"You've got some too, y'know.." his tone matching yours, breathless and hazy. He swiped his thumb over your bottom lip, the feeling sending a jolt of electricity up your spine, catching the bit of icing before bringing his thumb to his own mouth and licking it off. You stared, flushed and dizzy, unable to break away.

What was this? You had only just met, and you felt like your high-school self all over again. As if you were head-over-heels for him already, right? That would be ridiculous...

So why were you leaning in closer?

His breath fanned over your cheek, his hand resting itself on your waist, pulling you closer. You clutched tightly onto the front of his shirt, fluttering your eyes closed, the tingle of his lips just oh-so close to your own making you heat up considerably, and—

"I've got the coffee!"

You fell back into your seat with a jump, directing your body to face entirely away from the other two in the room. You were sure you looked akin to a tomato, and you hoped that Takashi hadn't just seen that..!

"Uh, are you two.. okay?" He asked after an awkward moment, observing your withdrawn form and Ozo's frigid look. His face was practically steaming. "Is it that hot in here? I guess I can turn the AC on.."

Takashi placed the coffee down on the table, and upon closer inspection of his brother, he paled. He struggled to contain his scream of despair as he suddenly latched a death-grip onto Ozo's arm, dragging him away.

"I-I'm sorry, [Y/N], but can you wait there a second? I need to have a little chat with my brother, haha.." he didn't wait for an answer, pulling a stuttering Ozo behind him and slamming the back door for the second time.

"What the fuck did you do?!" Takashi whispered hotly once they were out of earshot, his face morphed into horror and absolute anger. Ozo blinked, his mind still reeling after what had just happened.

"W-What? What happened? Nothing happened, why?" His voice was trembling, but he kept up the act. Takashi wasn't convinced though, ready to punch his brother in the guts.

"I'm seriously gonna kill you in a minute!" He grabbed Ozo's shoulder tightly. "If nothing's happened, then why the fuck have you popped a boner, you bastard?!"

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♔ | 𝐈𝐗

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"Sorry to keep you waiting!" Takashi sang, renetering the room. Thankfully, the few minutes the two had disappeared were enough for your deep red flush to subside and for you to calm your racing heartbeat.

"It's fine, don't worry about it! ... Uh, w-where's Ozo..?" The taxi driver was nowhere to be seen, which made you raise a brow. Takashi sat down in Ozo's seat, humming thoughtfully.

"I think he said he's going to the bathroom? I'm not sure though, I wasn't paying attention to him," he smiled casually. You laughed awkwardly, hoping deep down that he was joking. "So? How's the food?"

"Oh! It's delicious!" You gushed. "You're dad must be an amazing baker!" Takashi's smile faltered slightly, his eyes averting down to the table.

"Yeah.. He was..." his eyes clouded over with old memories, getting lost in them for a split moment before he straightened up. "But now it's my job to look after his cafe, so I have to make sure I'm always on his level, y'know? Even if this place barely has anyone coming down.." he grumbled, glaring at the doorway.

"I've noticed that even in Akatsuka Village, it's really quiet. There's hardly any people around," you mused.

"That's how it's always been. People here tend to keep to themselves a lot. They don't know how to let loose and have a little fun!" He complained. "It's like everybody knows everybody, but at the same time, we don't. Does that make sense?"

You thought about it before nodding slowly. In a way, it did.

"I just thought that it would be like a close knit community, seeing how small the village itself is," you shrugged. Takashi agreed, nodding along.

Just then, you both heard a shuffling from behind the back door before it swung open, revealing a slightly disheveled Ozo. He was breathing quite heavy for someone who just walked down a corridor. His shirt looked ruffled, with his tie undone and hanging around his neck.

Your eyes met briefly before snapping away, a heated flush painting itself back onto your cheeks. Out of the corner of your eye, you saw Takashi grimace at his brother, scooting away from him as he moved to sit down across from you.

"So... What have I missed?" Ozo started casually, his grin wobbling at the corners.

"You didn't even bother to look half decent after that?" Takashi chastised, groaning as Ozo shrugged in response.

"Hey, at least I didn't take as long as Jyushimatsu!" Ozo crossed his arms over his chest, his rolled up sleeves pulling taught against his lightly defined arms.

"As if that makes things any better!" Takashi ran a hand down his face. "Now I'm gonna have to burn my bathroom because of you..."

"Uh, what are you guys talking about?" You asked, feeling left out of the loop. Ozo's grin slipped back onto his lips, widening as he met your gaze confidently enough to hold it.

"We're just talkin' about how I—"

"NOTHING!!" Takashi screeched. You jumped at the sudden outburst, even more confused at the fact that Ozo burst out laughing. "It's absolutely nothing! Don't worry about it okay? In fact, just forget you heard anything!"

Your curiosity was begging you to ask more, but Takashi looked as if he was fit to burst, so you reluctantly nodded along with him.

"Aww, are you sure you don't wanna know?" Ozo leaned forward across the table. "I have a feeling you'd really like it if you knew what we're talking—"

"You know what?!" Takashi slammed his hands on the table top, standing up far too quickly than any human was able to. He grabbed Ozo by the scuff of his neck, dragging him without mercy to the cafe's entrance. You watched in shock as Ozo was flung out the door, tumbling onto the pavement outside with a yelp.

"I don't want to see your face here again, shitty eldest!" With a crude hand gesture, Takashi swivelled on his heel, taking a deep breath as he stood in front of you with a plain smile. "Now that he's gone, what are your other plans for today?"

You blinked, glancing at the doorway, then back to Takashi. You gulped.

"A-Actually... Ozo is supposed to be like my escort... I can't go anywhere without him driving me around..."

He stared at you, his large eyes blank. Eventually, he sighed heavily, shoulder sagging in disappointment.

"I guess if that's case, then I can't keep you here. But before you go, can we exchange numbers?" He asked hopefully, already clutching his phone in hand. "It's not everyday I get to make a new friend!"

"Oh, of course!" The prospect of making a new friend made you beam, eagerly handing over your phone so he could put in his contact details. After a few taps, he handed your phone back, smiling cutely.

"I can't wait to chat more with you, [Y/N]-chan!" He winked. You giggled, smiling wider at the name he had given himself.

[💖Takashi💖]

"Oh, and one more thing.." he stopped you as you stood up, ready to leave. He placed a hand on your shoulder, eyes firm. "If that asshole tries anything with you, just say the word and I'll kill him. I promise." With a final pat, he ushered you out with a wave, disappearing back inside to attend to his cafe.

"[Y/N]!" Ozo whined, leaning against his car on the ground. The grimace on his face made you rush over in worry.

"Are you okay? You're not badly hurt, are you?" You brushed his hair away from his eyes, looking for scratches or bumps. He had a little bit of dust on his face, and you quickly swiped it off with your hand.

"I'm fine.. My head hurts a little though.." his eyes were wide and pouting, staring up at you as he searched for sympathy. You huffed, a small smile creeping onto your face.

"Does this help?" You began gently rubbing at his scalp, massaging through his soft tresses to remove the 'pain.' Ozo hummed, eyes closing, looking very similar to a happy cat.

"Very much.." he purred, leaning into your hand. You laughed out loud, moving your hand away despite his hum of confusion.

"I think we should go before Takashi throws something at you," you whispered with a grin, standing up and walking over to your side of the car. Ozo sighed, standing up and dusting himself off before joining you. As you both settled in, you made the bold choice of addressing the elephant in the room.

"Uh.. About before..." you started awkwardly, twirling a strand of hair around your finger. "I-I'm really sorry... I don't know w-why I did that..."

"Hmm? Oh, that!" Ozo rubbed a finger under his nose, grinning with a small blush on his cheeks. "Don't worry about it! I enjoyed it a lot more than you think." He winked at you, inserting the keys and starting up the car again.

His words left you flustered, affecting you a lot more than you liked to admit. You began to wonder what would have happened if you hadn't been interrupted... What his lips would feel like... Where his hands would go... How he would say your name in that same, breathless and addicting way...

"Uh, [Y/N]?" A hand waved in front of your face, making you jump.

"Huh?" You whipped your head to him, biting your lip sheepishly. "Sorry, I-I wasn't paying attention.."

Ozo watched the way your lips caught itself between your teeth before smirking.

"You weren't paying attention to me? That's not polite of you to do.." he leaned closer to you, backing you up against the car door. "Do I have to make you pay attention?"

You stammered, unable to string together coherent words. His lidded eyes surveyed your glowing cheeks before he spoke.

"Where are we going now?"

"...W-What..?"

"I was asking, where are we going now?" He moved away, face casual as if nothing had happened. "Unless you want me to take you somewhere instead, since I don't think you know any places around here, right?"

"Uhh..."

"Oh, I got it! Let's go pay someone a visit!" He snapped his fingers, putting the car into gear and driving back onto the road, heading back towards Akatsuka Village.

You sat in silence once more, breaths slightly jagged and face as red as it could go. Your mind was full of fuzzy static, slowly clearing away as you straightened up in your seat, locking your gaze pointedly out the window as your hands clenched to your dress.

'He's such a tease..!'

»»-----　♔　-----««

「𝐌𝐨𝐨𝐧𝐥𝐢𝐠𝐡𝐭 ⇀ 𝑲.𝑴𝒂𝒕𝒔𝒖𝒏𝒐」

── ❝𝗜 𝗡𝗘𝗩𝗘𝗥 𝗞𝗡𝗘𝗪         𝗬𝗢𝗨 𝗖𝗢𝗨𝗟𝗗 𝗛𝗢𝗟𝗗         𝗠𝗢𝗢𝗡𝗟𝗜𝗚𝗛𝗧 𝗜𝗡         𝗬𝗢𝗨𝗥 𝗛𝗔𝗡𝗗𝗦 ❞

    〡𝑲𝒂𝒓𝒂𝒎𝒂𝒕𝒔𝒖 𝑴𝒂𝒕𝒔𝒖𝒏𝒐 𝑿 𝑹𝒆𝒂𝒅𝒆𝒓〡

◉ ┅ ┅ ┅ ┅ ┅ ┅ ┅ ┅ ┅

𝘱𝘳𝘰𝘭𝘰𝘨𝘶𝘦

❀

Chapter Index:

❀ | ①    ❀ | ②   ❀ | ③  ❀ | ④  ❀ | ⑤ ❀ | ⑥ ❀ | ⑦

𝘱𝘳𝘰𝘭𝘰𝘨𝘶𝘦

𝗡𝗢𝗪 𝗣𝗟𝗔𝗬𝗜𝗡𝗚: 𝙢𝙤𝙤𝙣𝙡𝙞𝙜𝙝𝙩 - 𝙖𝙧𝙞𝙖𝙣𝙖 𝙜𝙧𝙖𝙣𝙙𝙚 ı𝗹ıı𝗹ıı𝗹ıı𝗹ıı𝗹ıı𝗹ı ᴠᴏʟᴜᴍᴇ : ▮▮▮▮▮▮▮▮▮▮ 𝟬:𝟬𝟭 ─●──────── 𝟯:𝟮𝟵 ◁ 𝗜𝗜 ▷

➳༻❀✿❀༺➳

○𝘒𝘢𝘳𝘢𝘮𝘢𝘵𝘴𝘶 𝘔𝘢𝘵𝘴𝘶𝘯𝘰 ⇾ 𝐀𝐤𝐚𝐭𝐬𝐮𝐤𝐚 𝐊𝐢𝐧𝐠𝐝𝐨𝐦

❝𝑻𝒊𝒍𝒍 𝒕𝒉𝒆 𝒏𝒊𝒈𝒉𝒕 𝑰 𝒉𝒆𝒍𝒅 𝒚𝒐𝒖,❞

○[𝘠/𝘕] [𝘓/𝘕] ⇾ 𝐀𝐨𝐤𝐢 𝐊𝐢𝐧𝐠𝐝𝐨𝐦

❝𝒀𝒐𝒖 𝒂𝒓𝒆 𝒎𝒚 𝒎𝒐𝒐𝒏𝒍𝒊𝒈𝒉𝒕.❞

❛𝑨 𝒇𝒂𝒏𝒇𝒊𝒄𝒕𝒊𝒐𝒏 𝒃𝒚 𝒔𝒉𝒊𝒎𝒎𝒆𝒓𝒊𝒏𝒈_𝒄𝒍𝒐𝒖𝒅𝒔❜ 月

♔ | 𝐗𝐈𝐈

»»-----　♔　-----««

The sun had set a long while ago.

Jyushimatsu had made his own way home, calling Ozo to let him know. The car was much more silent on the way back to the Midorito Estate, most likely due to how tired the both of you were from the busy day.

Rolling up to the stone step entrance, Ozo left the keys in as he got out of the car, swiftly opening your door for you once more and offering a hand. You managed to get out without a stumble this time, although a share of smiles weren't passed up.

"So, did you enjoy your little tour around Akashika?" Ozo grinned, his hand still wrapped around yours. You squeezed your fingers as you laughed softly.

"I really did. Thank you for that.." you stared into each others eyes, the moon above casting a bluish glow on your faces, enticing and mystical, unable to tear your eyes away.

"I... I should get going," you reluctantly sighed. "Chorosuke and Dayoko are probably waiting for me, so..."

"Uh, yeah, okay.." Ozo mumbled, slowly retracting his hand from yours, his fingertips brushing against your palm before settling by his side. You began turning away, a foot resting on the first stone step, before you suddenly turned back around.

You walked back over to Ozo, who was watching your curiously until you stopped right in front of him, chests touching and faces close again. His cheeks darkened as you rested your hands against his chest, pushing yourself up by the slightest bit to reach his height. You could feel his heartbeat begin to race, matching your own pace.

He could feel your warm breath tickle across his skin as you placed a soft, lingering kiss on his cheek. You pulled back the slightest bit, murmuring against his skin.

"Goodnight, Ozo."

Not giving him a chance to reply, you quickly took off for the stairway, steadily climbing up without looking back. Your hands came up to your own cheeks, the burning skin pulsing against your hands.

Ozo was left by his car, stunned. He blinked a couple times, raising a shaky hand up to his cheek, the feeling of your lips still lingering. A grin slowly broke onto his face, almost splitting his face in two.

As you reached the front door of the Estate, you could hear an echoing yell of celebration from behind you, the voice all to clear. You chuckled, heart fluttering faster in your chest.

'Maybe I should do it more often if it makes him that happy..'

Knocking against the doorway, the door eventually slid open to reveal Chorosuke, who, at first, looked over your shoulder with a look of disapproval.

"He didn't do anything weird to you, did he?" Was the first question. You hoped it was dark enough to hide your embarrassment.

"N-No, no! I had a lot of fun today, actually!" You smiled, prompting Chorosuke to return the look as he stepped aside, allowing you in. As you removed your shoes, you glanced around.

"Where's Dayoko?"

"Ah, she's been waiting for you in the sitting room all day! It seems she's really grown attached to you," he chuckled, leading you along. Your smile widened, a warmth settling in your chest as Dayoko came out into the hallway upon hearing your voice, practically running to you and almost knocking you over as she jumped into an embrace.

"Woah, are you okay, Dayoko? Did you miss me?" You laughed aloud, gently rubbing a hand up and down her back. She moved back, her smile in place and questions already falling through her lips. "Okay, wait! Slow down!" You held her shoulders. "Let's eat first. I'll tell you all about what happened today afterwards, okay?"

Not needing to be told twice, she then took hold of your hand, rushing you down to the main room to eat as quickly as possible. Chorosuke watched on happily, glad his sister was finally able to make a friend for herself in this small village.

"I haven't seen her this happy since before your passing..." he turned to the table beside him, his hand lightly tracing the single framed photo resting on the wooden surface. His father's eyes — much more similar to Dayoko's than his own — glinted back at him, the photo-taken smile never wavering.

┊   •° ੈ ⋆°  ┊

"Dayon?! Dayon??!!!!"

"Shh! Not so loud!"

Dayoko had whisked you to the washroom so you could wind down after such a long day out, and the moment you stepped out in a fresh set of nightwear, she was there this time to pull you back to your room. Your futon was already lain out, and she pushed you to sit down, begging for details.

You had only just told her about the small incident in the cafe, and she was already freaking out.

"Dayon?!"

'How does that happen on the first date?!'

"D-Date?" You spluttered. "It wasn't a date, Dayoko! He was just being nice and, y'know, showed me around. That's all, it wasn't— it wasn't a date."

"Dayon." She stared at you blankly.

'Yeah, sure it wasn't.'

"I'm serious!" You whined. With a roll of her eyes, she gestured for you to continue.

'And then what happened?'

"Well..." You recounted the trip to the sunflower fields. You couldn't help the smile on your face as you remember the flowers, the sky, the vivid memory akin to a dream with the way you described it.

"And then, he said he wanted to get to know me, and.." you paused for a moment, tracing aimless circles on the fabric of the futon.

'And?' Dayoko raised a brow. 'What did you say?'

"I said... that I would think about it."

'...WHAT?!'

The volume of her voice startled you.

'Why would you say that?! He's clearly interested in you!'

"Yeah, but Dayoko," you furrowed your brows, unsure of yourself now, "We literally only just met yesterday... Wouldn't it be moving too fast?"

'Hm, I guess you're not wrong...' With a reluctant sigh, she moved on, keeping in mind that she would definitely come back to talk about this again at some point. 'Okay, well, did anything else happen on the way back?'

Your cheeks instantly began to heat up at the question, your gaze averting back to the floor.

"Yeah, a-actually.."

'What? What is it?' She leaned closer in anticipation.  

"So... So he dropped me off outside your house, by the stairs, and I was gonna go up... But then — and I don't know why I did this!! But I turned around, and I.. I-I kissed his cheek and—"

The squeal that emitted from Dayoko's throat pierced your ears harshly, the sheer volume and pitch creating the slightest crack in the vanity mirror.

Somewhere on the opposite end of the house, Chorosuke paused his task of sprucing up a few flowers in his room, straining his ears. He turned to look over his shoulder, waiting for a moment, and upon hearing nothing, he shrugged, returning back to his task.

'I can't believe you did that!!! You're so bold ohmygoshican't—!'

Your blush worsened as she clasped your hands, continuing to praise you.

'I mean, Ozo can be a scum-bag at times, but if it's you, then surely it's meant to be!!'

"Y-You're talking about this like this is fate, or something.." you chuckled wearily.

'That's exactly what I'm saying! Just think about everything that's happened between the two of you in less than twenty-four hours! What else could it be?'

Fate. Was it really fate? Did stuff like that really exist? Was she right?

'Listen, [Y/N].'

The girl's voice caught your attention, bringing you back to the present.

'All I'm going to say is this: You should just take a chance and go for it! Who knows? Maybe it will be better than you expected! But you'll never know until you try.'

With those final words, she bid you a cheerful goodnight, slipping out of the room, leaving you to your thoughts.

Slowly, you got up from where you sat, moving to switch off the lights before laying yourself under the covers of your futon, eyes finally resting onto the sight of the moon outside the window, a single glowing orb against the clear night sky.

You had heard words similar to those before. People encouraging you to take the leap, to not be afraid, just take the moment before it's too late. However, time and time again, you were always held back by something. Something more than fear. Thinking back, it was always like a hand, grasping firmly onto the back of your shirt, forcing you back and away from anything new.

Now, though, there was nothing here to stop you. Nothing, other than yourself.

As you closed your eyes, you wondered: did you really want to hold yourself back?

»»-----　♔　-----««

♔ | 𝐗𝐈𝐕

»»-----　♔　-----««

This was too much.

After everything that's happened between the both of you, you were now expected to be completely alone with him?

You rested a hand over your heart, the speed at which it was beating making you even more nervous. But why should you be nervous? Didn't you want this? Isn't that why you kissed him in the first place?

Your internal issue seemed to grow larger and larger as your body unconsciously traced Ozo's steps, suddenly finding yourself in the doorway of the main room. Your eyes were instantly drawn to Ozo.

The sun filled the room with light, the bright glow shadowing Ozo's figure as he sat on the matted floor, casually leaning back on his arms with his eyes closed, basking in the sun's warmth. A white shine outlined his body, lighting his face aglow and burning his hair a deep auburn.

He looked ethereal. It was as if he didn't belong here, on this plain Earth.

"[Y/N]?" He called, casting his dark orbs over to you, half-lidded with a lazy, almost sleepy grin. He waved a hand over, beckoning you closer. "If you don't sit down soon, I'm gonna end up eating all the food before you get a bite!"

Snapping out of your daze, you nodded in response before seating yourself across from him, averting your face down towards the table. You couldn't look him in the eye.

"What were you planning on doing today?" Ozo asked after a few moments of silent chewing. You paused, chopsticks stuck between your pursed lips.

"I... I don't know," you answered truthfully. "I haven't actually thought about that yet."

"Oh? Then you can hang out with me!" He grinned widely.

"Are we going somewhere again?"

"Hmm..." he thought for a moment, cupping his chin and screwing his eyes shut (in a way that you most definitely did not find cute) before sighing heavily.

"We can't. There's nowhere for us to go today, everyone's busy," he began counting off his fingers. "Chorosuke's already out teaching for the day, Takashi said that he was busy reorganising his kitchen at the cafe, and Jyushimatsu is already off doing his own thing. I tried to find him this morning, but he was gone by then."

"I see... But what can we do here?" Was it really okay to do anything without Chorosuke's or Dayoko's permission? You didn't want to do anything that would make them angry.

"Plenty of things! Like..! ... Like..." he hung onto the word, leaning back onto his arms again. Each time he repeated himself, he sunk lower onto the floor until he was laying flat out on his back, humming to himself in deep thought once more.

You glanced down at the table, absentmindedly eyeing the assortment of breakfast foods spread out for you. Suddenly, your eyes lit up as a thought passed through your mind.

"Would Chorosuke mind if we borrowed his kitchen for a little while?" Ozo raised his head, barely able to see you over the low table. Heaving himself upwards, he replied:

"Probably not? Why do you ask?"

"Maybe we could do some baking? Cupcakes are really easy for me to make," you proposed, setting your utensils down. A small smile etched onto your face, your excitement to bake all too clear, and too adorable, for Ozo. He blinked at you, breaking out into a grin.

"Seeing as it's you, he won't mind at all!" He swiftly stood up from his seat, hurrying to you and pulling you up as well. "Let's get started, then!"

"Wait! The dishes—"

"They'll get picked up, don't worry about it!"

You didn't get to say much else as you were led down the corridor in a new direction, presumably towards the kitchen so you could make a start.

┊ •° ੈ ⋆° ┊

The kitchen was huge, but you shouldn't have expected anything less at this point. Despite the house being mostly traditionally styled, the kitchen was more modern, with sleek table tops and the walls almost entirely covered in cupboards.

You ran a hand over the marble top, awing at how smooth and clean it was. You could almost see your reflection if you squinted.

"Nice, right?" Ozo whistled. "That idiot's just lucky his old man was loaded."

"This is really nice..." you muttered. With a small shake of your head, you focused on the task at hand. You listed off all the items and ingredients you would need, and set about to find everything in order to begin baking. Ozo sat idly on a tall wooden stool at first, seemingly bored as he watched you scurry back and forth, unable to find anything seeing as this wasn't your kitchen.

With a sigh, he heaved himself up off of his seat, removing his tie from his shirt and leaving it on the table as he came up behind you. You were busy rummaging through a cupboard above you, arms straining to reach the large pot of sugar just above your fingertips. You stilled as you felt his chest press into your back, his own arm snaking past your own to reach the pot for you.

"I can't believe you still haven't figured out where the fridge is yet," he chuckled, his voice unbelievably close to your ear, to the point where you could feel the vibrations of his laughter travel down your neck. You pushed away the shiver threatening to run down you spine, and you swallowed, glancing back at him.

"Is it meant to be obvious?" you hoped the tremor in your voice would go unnoticed, but judging by the way his smirk widened, it was clear he had heard you.

"So obvious." He moved away from you -- a part of you hating how quickly his warmth had left you -- and over to a large cabinet in the corner of the room. He grasped the handle, opening it to reveal one of the biggest refrigerators you had ever seen. It was full of fresh food and drinks, a flow of cold mist falling from the shelves. You couldn't see the back of the fridge.

"Whoa..." you gasped. You swiftly picked up a few eggs, milk, and some other items that caught your fancy before laying them out on the table. You looked back with a small glimmer of hope in your eyes towards Ozo, who was busy stealing a green beer can from the fridge. "Do you think you could tell me where all the utensils are, too?"

"Babe, I know this entire kitchen like the back of my hand," he winked, already cracking open the drink with one hand whilst the other knocked on a cabinet door behind him, the door automatically opening up to reveal stacks of bowls and other baking supplies, clean and shiny, ready for use.

You paused for a moment, your brain fighting over what it should react to first: the way he smoothly opened up that cabinet or how he so easily called you 'babe' ... You chose the former, not wanting to embarrass yourself.

"Thank you," you nodded gratefully. With everything you needed set out before you, you washed your hands before rolling up your sleeves, brushing your hair away from your face. Ozo tapped your bare shoulder, waving a baby pink apron in his hands. With a smile, you took it from him and placed it over your head, although you struggled to tie the strings behind your back.

"Here," Ozo laughed, gently moving your hands out of the way as he deftly tied the knot securely against your back. Your body was hypersensitive to his soft breaths wafting over the back of your neck and exposed shoulders. Your face felt so hot, and your hands were getting clammy.

"Hey," Ozo started. "If I help out, can I lick the bowl at the end of it?"

You stared at him incredulously before bursting out into a fit of giggles.

"You didn't have to ask for permission to do that!" you covered your mouth with your hand, attempting to smother your laughter.

"Wha- I didn't? Really?" Ozo responded, eyes shooting wide open in genuine surprise. "I've always had to ask my dad!"

"Do I look like your dad?" you chuckled. Taking a deep breath to calm yourself, you turned back to the ingredients. "Let's just get started, shall we?"

Ozo was clumsy at times, and messed around playfully during the whole weighing process, but he aided you a lot better than you initially thought he would. With his help, you managed to mix all the ingredients together easily until you got the right texture, soft and fluffy.

You turned away to grab a few cupcake cases, picking a stack of pale blue ones decorated in darker petals. Turning back, you gasped as a sudden splatter of flour hit your face. You coughed harshly whilst Ozo laughed with no shame nor regret.

Wiping the flour from your mouth with a splutter, you glared at him, the fire of a challenge in your eyes. Whilst he was still laughing away, you dug three fingers into the flour, scooping a fairly generous amount before you threw it at him, revelling in how his eyes widened in surprise and how he was knocked off balance, sending him crashing to the floor.

You struggled to convey any kind of empathy, your hands clasped to your sides as you gasped for air, your cheeks hurting and tears filling your eyes. You took a few deep breaths, still giggling as you spoke.

"A-Are you okay?" You held out a hand for him, trying to help him up off of the floor. The man sat up with a groan, wiping away the flour from his face with a free hand as the other reached out for yours, only to wrap his fingers tightly around your wrist, pulling you down with him. He easily placed you beneath him, his right leg settling between your own, his hands pinning your wrists above your head.

"Tut tut, [Y/N]," he grinned devilishly, "You're playing a dangerous game, here."

"H-Hey! You started it!" you squirmed underneath him, your arms twisting in an attempt to free themselves. You dared not to move your lower body, dangerously aware of what was there. "Get off me, you're heavy!"

"Not until you give in," he teased. He pinned your wrists under one large hand, the other reaching up for the flour bag, which he waved above your head. You jerked your arms suddenly, hoping to catch him off guard, but it only made him shuffle upwards, leaning his body weight against you.

Bad idea.

You bit your lip harshly as his knee brushed up against you, the pressure sending a pleasurable tingle up your spine. You held back a whine, eyes squeezing shut.

"O-Ozo, wait!" you whimpered, cheeks darkening considerably. He paused his movements. For a moment, he thought he had hurt you, and released his hold on your arms quickly, leaning back on his legs.

"Sorry, did I hurt--?"

He glanced down at his knee. He saw where it was. He looked back up towards your face, the slowly traced his eyes back down.

"...Oops."

»»-----　♔　-----««

❀ | ⑤

╔═════ °• ♔ •° ═════╗ 𝐚 𝐛𝐥𝐞𝐬𝐬𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐚 𝐜𝐮𝐫𝐬𝐞 ╚═════ °• ♔ •° ═════╝

You had received no answer, much to your chagrin, and you were left to pout moodily for the majority of the ride. Your father rambled on and on about how well maintained the forest was. You were sure no one was listening.

The sudden fork in the faded trail was either a good or bad thing, there was no in-between. Pausing in your tracks, your father seemed to contemplate on something rather deeply before turning to you both with a large, suspicious smile. Your hands moved back to your lap quickly.

"It seems that we must part ways here," he caught your glare, and it was then that you knew he wasn't going to back down on this.

"No, we don't need to do that," you began hotly.

"Two horses, two paths. Each of them lead through the forest and back to the stables. It's only natural that we would separate here." He tugged at his steed's reigns, starting down the right pathway. "I'll take the shorter route back; the flat earth allows my horse to run along it faster."

You couldn't get another word in as he promptly sped away, a small dust cloud kicking up beneath the horse's hooves. You were left with the tree's aged silence, the twittering of birds and rustle of leaves keeping you grounded to the present.

"...I don't mean to add to your anger, Princess," Karamatsu started, guiding his horse to the other path, "but I was hoping that we could get some time alone like this."

"And why would you want that?" You huffed. Your brow twitched a fraction as you saw your hands had already planted themselves back onto his torso as the animal moved.

"So that I am able to answer your questions." He turned his head back to you with a smile, the sunlight filtering through the trees illuminating his upper face brightly. You were getting sick of the world painting him to be some kind of ethereal being. He was a good-for-nothing prince. Nothing more.

"Then answer them," you snarled without thinking twice about it. He nodded in agreement, turning back to focus on navigating his way through the earthy terrain, watching out for the large tree roots breaking through the dirt.

"What was the point of those flowers?"

A small silence came over Karamatsu as he furrowed his thick brows, ordering his frantic thoughts together. He wanted to answer the honest truth, but he also knew that your temper was akin to very fragile glass — touch too hard, even just a gentle brush, and the results could be shattering. Or, it wouldn't fall apart, and you wouldn't be frustrated. For a moment, his mind wandered to his younger brother. Your personalities were quite similar.

"Originally, there wasn't a point to the flowers," his words were slow and cautious, carefully putting them together as he finally came to a decision.

"I had heard in the early hours of the morning that you still hadn't awoken, and so I took a stroll around your palace garden. I've never seen such beautifully groomed blossoms before. Truly a spectacle, and I expected nothing less of this flourishing kingdom.

"It was then that I saw the hyacinths. In my kingdom, these flowers are already rare to find, and so upon seeing their vibrant colour, I couldn't help but be reminded of you."

You blinked owlishly at the back of his head.

"Rare beauty. That was my first impression of you when I first stepped out of my carriage. And, despite what you may think, our exchange under the moon's gaze did not change my perspective of you, Princess."

You were in disbelief. He must be more delusional than you thought.

"I had wanted to give you the flowers as a token to your beauty, until the one who handed me the flowers told me something interesting: the flower's meaning. I knew then that I had to give them to you, and hoped that you would understand."

...

"... You still haven't answered my question." Karamatsu stilled at your flat tone. Devoid of emotion. It was unsettling, hearing it from you. "Why are you sorry?"

"Ah, because.." he sighed heavily. "Because ever since I stepped foot here, I've caused you nothing but distress and despair. I have a feeling that you felt this way ever since our engagement was announced, too."

The forest ambiance had grown quieter. It was as if the birds had never been there at all. The sun still shone down from above, rays of sunlight lighting the way forward. The pathway curved behind the frame of a tall, wise oak tree. You were unable to see beyond it. Whatever lay ahead of you was a mystery.

"So, I apologise, Princess [Y/N]. For not being the man you had been waiting for."

"I still don't get it."

"..Come again?"

"I don't get why you're apologising. To me."

Your fingers tightened around the fabric of his shirt. Even through the clothing, you could feel that he was warm, radiating a subtle heat against your hands. You concentrate on that, hoping the tightness in your throat would go away.

"What's the point in you apologising when you haven't —" you bit your tongue, quickly rephrasing your wording, "—when you know, that nothing's going to change? Why waste your time trying to appease me?"

Rounding the large trunk, the trees ahead of you began forming a kind of leafy archway, leading to an opening out of the forest.

"I've always believed that people can change, no matter who they are," Karamatsu responded firmly. "Even though it may not seem like, the changes a person can go through can bring out such wondrous beauty. I wish to see it, if you will allow me to."

Light beamed down on the both of you as you broke through the forest finally, blinding you for a moment. Rubbing at your eyes, you slowly opened them up, sucking in a sharp breath at the sight around you.

Dazzling, bright Cala lilies flowed like a white sea with the wind, fields of them stretching for miles, as far as the eye could see. Amongst them were clusters of daisies, small and dainty petals that seemed to dance to an unheard tune.

You had never seen this field before. Never had you seen such an abundance of flowers blooming so elegantly like this. It was a sight that made your eyes widen in an almost child-like wonder. A part of you wished to jump off of your seat and run into the field, dancing along with the flowers.

"I've never seen these flowers before!" Karamatsu exclaimed excitedly. He had stopped his horse altogether, admiring the view with you. You tore your gaze away to look at him, his wide smile spreading from cheek to cheek, and his eyes sparkling in awe. He was practically glowing.

"What are they?" He turned to you.

"Cala lilies."

"I never knew lilies could take such a shape." He suddenly shifted in his seat, carefully swinging a leg over the side of the horse and jumping down onto the pathway. You watched as he strolled over to the flowers, a finger delicately stroking at its petals.

Your hands began to feel clammy. Sometimes, you cursed yourself for your expansive knowledge. An image of a textbook filtered into your mind, and you bit at your lip out of habit.

White Cala lilies. Daisies, too.

It was all just a coincidence. It had to be.

After all, you were too far gone to be given the chance to change.

♔ | 𝐗𝐕𝐈

»»-----　♔　-----««

Ozo returned to find you kneeling in front of the oven, thick mittens held in your hands as you stared at the cupcakes on the other side of the door.

He watched you for a moment, admiring the way the golden glow of the oven's light stretched over your face, illuminating your eyes with a gentle fire and cheeks with a sweet honeydew.

He shook his head slightly. If he continued to stare at you, he'd probably have to go back into the bathroom again. His easy grin slipped back onto his mouth as he approached from behind, placing his arms around your shoulders and resting his cheek on the side of your head. You jumped at the sudden contact, hands catching his forearms for balance.

"How's it lookin' so far?" His voice lowered so as not to hurt your ears, the vibrations of his words running down your neck.

"Uh.. It'll take a while for them to, y'know, start rising properly, but they look good right now," you stumbled over your words. He hummed in reply, a silence falling over the both of you as you watched the oven with mild interest. The sudden thought of how domestic this whole scenario felt ran through your mind.

"Hey, [Y/N]?" Ozo began slowly. The elephant in the room was going to stomp all over him and kill him if he didn't address it soon. You gave a sound of acknowledgment, your body slightly relaxing into his hold.

"I just... I'm sorry about what happened before with the flour. And leaving you on the floor like... like you were. That was stupid of me. So.. sorry."

He cringed at how lame that whole apology was. He wouldn't be surprised if you didn't accept it and ended up hating him forever.

...Wait. He didn't want that. Maybe he should try again.

"Well, what I mean to say is—"

"It's okay, Ozo."

"I know it isn't, and that's why I wanted to— wait, huh?"

He moved his head back to stare at you, eyes full of bewilderment. Your cheeks were ablaze, but you looked him in the eye nonetheless, fully intending on discussing further.

"What happened earlier.. It's okay. I don't mind it. It was just us playing around, and then the rest was.. an accident. You didn't mean it," you smiled at him timidly, and once again, Ozo's eyes were locked to your pinkish skin.

"..And what if it wasn't an accident?"

Your eyes widened, breath stolen from you for a brief second. He was looking at you like that again. Like when he first saw you. Like when he played with your hair yesterday. Like when he sat beside you at the café. And when he first greeted you this morning...

You didn't register your body moving at first as it spun around on the ground to face him properly, but once you did, you made no move to stop yourself. All hesitancy was gone as you kneeled in front of him, hands clasping onto his shoulders as you raised your upper body to meet his.

The brush of your lips against one another felt electric, your heartbeat speeding up considerably, and even more so when you felt his own thud beneath your fingers.

And then, finally, your lips met in a sweet kiss.

It wasn't like any you had felt before. It just felt so good. Ozo's small whimper of surprise melted into a cute moan, his hands finally taking their place on your hips and pulling you onto his lap as you sat on the ground, lips moving sensually against each other.

He was inexperienced, you could tell that much, so you placed a hand on his cheek, tilting his head to one side as you took the reigns, guiding him to copy your actions.

A warm tingle ran up your spine as his thumbs rubbed circles on your hips, pressing harder as you took his lower lip between your teeth, nibbling at it gently before pulling away, the both of you panting heavily.

He looked gorgeous beneath you, with those cherry cheeks and half-lidded eyes, his hair askew and shirt opened to reveal his smooth neck and collar bones. And you looked just as beautiful as you always did, with those swollen parted lips and eyes staring at him, and only him.

"So.." Ozo spoke first, a grin slowly etching onto his face, "Does this mean you've made a decision?"

You scoffed in amusement, fingers reaching to the back of his head to twirl the smaller locks of hair around them.

"I don't know, you tell me." With a teasing smile — that still shook at the edges — you dove back in for another kiss, pressing a lot harder this time.

You tugged his head back as you prodded your tongue against him desperately, sighing a breathy groan as he easily allowed you access. Your tongue swirled around his immediately, suckling at his wet muscle and revelling in his raspy whines that emitted from his throat.

However, with a swift buck of his hips into you, Ozo gained control, figuring out what to do and instead pushing his tongue into your mouth, eagerly exploring your hot cavern. He wrapped his mouth around your tongue, tugging at it harshly before returning it and continuing to ravish your mouth.

You pressed your chest into his, your breasts pushing upwards and threatening to burst out of the top of the dress, whilst your hips squirmed against his.

Ozo gasped at the movement, suddenly pulling away from you, the thin string of saliva breaking as he moved back.

"W-Wait..." He panted, covering his mouth with the back of his palm. He appeared to be bashful, an expression that you secretly found adorable. "If you do that, then I'll have to leave you here again.. And I don't really wanna do that right now.."

Not entirely understanding what he meant, you nodded anyway. You needed a breather too from the sudden make-out, and opted to rest your forehead against his shoulder, tightening your hold around him as you hugged him. He returned the gesture, his fingers running along the upper hem of your dress, grazing along your skin.

"Are we.. together now?" Ozo murmured. Despite all this, he was still unsure. All of this was new to him, especially being in a relationship with the prettiest girl he had ever seen. And kissing you like that? As much as he enjoyed it, he was still hoping that this would turn into something more. Into something he had yet to experience.

You giggled quietly, massaging his scalp gently.

"Yes, we are. Do you want us to be together?"

"Oh god, yes," he breathed, nuzzling his face into the crook of your neck and inhaling deeply. You smelt so nice, felt so amazing, you were just so stunning. He didn't want to let you go, his grip increasing around you.

You snuggled back into his arms, relaxing completely as you smiled. Sure, this all had moved a lot quicker than you had ever thought it would, but it just felt right. Your smile widened as you remembered Dayoko.

She was right. Maybe this was meant to be.

»»-----　♔　-----««

[ 2. ]

Ichimatsu shut the door behind him with a sigh, removing his gloves and tossing them into a trash can nearby. He rubbed at the back of his neck, half-lidded eyes glancing back to the door briefly before turning away.

"How'd it go?" Osomatsu had seated himself in his chair, watching his younger brother lean on the wall across from him. Karamatsu was sat to his right, and Choromatsu to his left, both equally curious as to how the treatment had gone.

"..She's all patched up."

"...That's it?" Choromatsu deadpanned. "That's all you're gonna tell us?"

"How is her condition?" Karamatsu rephrased. "What are her injuries?"

Ichimatsu shoved his hands into his pockets, gaze stuck to the ground. A familiar ginger cat slinked into the room, twisting itself around his legs before settling down beside him. The comfort of a close friend made Ichimatsu feel slightly more at ease.

"Her right wrist is sprained, and her left shoulder was dislocated," the brothers winced, "Luckily, she didn't get any broken ribs, but she was probably close to it. She's got bruises and swelling, mostly around her neck and upper body, and skin burns from the rope. Her lip's busted, too, so it's got some stitching. And..."

He cut himself off with another sigh, shuffling his feet around. Osomatsu raised a brow, leaning forward to rest his elbows on his knees.

"And' what? What else is there?"

The silence was tense, and much too long for the men to sit through. Choromatsu's leg began to bounce slightly as he waited for an answer, his patience wearing thinner by the second.

Ichimatsu fiddled with his earring, flicking the golden hoop a few times before running his hand through his curvy locks.

"She's.. also got loads of scars. They ain't fresh, either."

"Scars..? From what?" Karamatsu pushed. Ichimatsu only shrugged.

"Dunno. But there's a shit tonne on her back. Big ones."

The brothers looked at each other wearily, unsure of how to react. It was already bad enough that you had been taken hostage and beaten to near death, but now this?

Osomatsu stood up suddenly, eyes closed in thought.

"Well, it's not like any of us don't have scars. So it's not a big deal."

"Osomatsu.." Karamatsu sighed. Sometimes, his brothers didn't realise how insensitive they could be.

"Whenever she wakes up, let one of us know, it doesn't matter who," he continued, nodding to Ichimatsu. "We'll get the questions out of the way so that she can rest."

Grunting in affirmation, Ichimatsu headed towards his small tray of medical supplies, moving them towards a sink in order to clean off the blood. Your blood. Osomatsu left, and Karamatsu followed not soon after, wanting to take a breather out on the balcony.

"..You're still here."

The statement caught Choromatsu off guard for a second, but he quickly regained his composure. He raised a brow to his younger brother, leaning back into his chair and whipping out his phone to go through absentmindedly.

"Yeah." He replied shortly, leaving no room for argument as he focused back onto his phone, scrolling through random social media and notifications. Ichimatsu glared at him before going back to his task.

Choromatsu glanced at the door. You were behind it, laying on a bed, sleeping soundly through the pain. For now.

The same feeling as before came bubbling up to his throat, filling his senses with a sort of worrying feeling. He grit his teeth tightly. If he was being honest, he didn't like this feeling. Not one bit. Ever since he laid eyes on your broken form, the feeling wouldn't go away.

This was bad. Very bad.

And yet, he stayed in his seat. Waiting for you to wake up so that he could see you first.

——————☠︎——————

[ —

You were remembering a time where the sun was bright, and the grass beneath your fingers was a vivid green. There were mumbled words echoing around you, and you looked towards the hazy sky, a plain azure stretching as far as the eye could see.

There was a ball in your small hands. Its canary yellowed stripes across the white background gleamed brighter the longer you stared in confusion, unsure of what you were supposed to do with it.

Your name was called, distorted and far away, carrying itself in the wind until it reached your ears. It was telling you to throw the ball towards them. Somewhere ahead of you. The sunlight reflected into your eyes, removing your ability to see who was there.

But you threw it anyway, putting all your strength into your arms, eyes screwed shut in determination. There was the sound of the hollow, plastic ball bouncing along the ground until it came to a stop. There was laughter, drifting further away from you. Your lower lip curled into a pout — why couldn't you see where it was coming from?

' You did so well! '

Where had you heard that voice before?

' Come here, throw it again, sweetheart! '

Okay, you thought to respond. You felt the buzz of words on the tip of your tongue, however your mouth failed to move. Regardless, your stubby legs stumbled forward, arms reaching out to grasp at whatever had hidden itself behind the veil of light, fingers curling and unfurling around nothing but air. The sky was fading into a pure white, obscuring your view, yet you pressed onwards.

You were becoming desperate now, calling out for whoever was there. Their name was on your lip, resting right on the edge, you knew it, but it didn't fall. Your throat was tightening as tears of frustration welled in the corners of your eyes. The luminosity was becoming blinding, and the grass no longer tickled at your skin. Your eyes fell closed as you felt the warmth of the sun dissipate, the air becoming colder and more frigid.

Where was the voice? Where was it? Where?

Silence greeted you as an old friend. You found yourself unable to move, arms stuck to your sides and legs tucked under you as they became numb. You had opened your eyes and you still found darkness. Your heart dropped into the pit of your stomach, thundering against your body as you held your breath.

You were sure you had called out for that voice. There was no response. There was never a response.

A deafening clang of metal sounded from behind you, and your heart had now leapt to your throat, mixed with a sickening concoction of bile that threatened to spill if it was pushed just enough.

Deep footsteps, weighted and unwavering. They rounded your left, stopping in front of you, too close for you to be comfortable with. The muddied boots that were now in your vision suddenly and unexplainably terrified you. What could be so frightening about a pair of boots?

And then, when an unforgiving hand grasped at your strands and lifted your face upward ever so slowly, you realised. For it wasn't the boots that terrified you, but the one who was wearing them.

You were sure that the bloodied smirk on the face in the shadows was the last thing you would see before death became permanently splintered across your cheek.

— ]

Your cheek throbbed painfully as you snapped your eyes open, pupils contracting dangerously thin as they darted around the unfamiliar room.

A cold sweat had made itself known as you shuddered, coating your skin in goose-bumps whilst your tried to find your bearings.

That same light bore down on your eyes painfully, the burn making you flinch to keep your eyes closed, but you knew you had to keep them open. You had to know where you were. You had to know what was going on.

Willing the fog of confusion to remove itself from your mind was no easy feat, and the heavy breaths that left your chest heaving made you all the more lightheaded. Your vision began to blur, your teeth gritting in shame. You hated crying. You didn't want to cry anymore. Tears, however, have minds of their own, and they made that clear as they traversed down your temple and clung to your hair, some even making it down to your lip, the twinge of salt making you grimace.

It hurt to breath. Every inch of your body felt as if it were on fire, prickling and feverish, in desperate need of relief. Your parched throat begged for a sip of water, but your arms were still restricted from movement. Your left arm in particular felt rigid, with only your fingers being just about moveable.

Sudden flashes of memory that supposedly lead you to your current position appeared before your eyes. The gruesome feeling of bones cracking and blood bursting from your torn skin made you squirm. You didn't want to go through that again. You would do anything to not go through that again.

The room around you was morphed and irregular, the double vision that swirled your eyes together faintly fading in and out. You could barely make out the shape of the rectangular door in the far right corner of the room, it's golden handle glinting ahead of you.

It was then that you heard the numerous garbled voices sounding from the other side of the door. With each pump of your heart, they got closer and closer, your panic increasing at the thought of whoever it was entering the room.

It was too late, though. The handle had already begun to turn, the small crack between the doorframe growing larger, enabling the voices to now be heard clearer in your ears.

There were three men, none of them looking your way as they seemed too preoccupied in the conversation they were having. A small whimper escaped your throat at the sight of unfamiliar people coming close to you, and you struggled harder to move away from them, knowing all too well that you wouldn't be moving anywhere.

You came to an immediate halt as their heads turned to you synchronously, watching you with slight surprise in their eyes.

They hadn't expected you to be awake so soon. Taking your dishevelled appearance — from the tangled mess of hair on your scalp to your torn clothing and bandaged limbs — one man stepped forward and away from his small group. He slowed his movements upon seeing your chest rapidly rising and falling, your swollen lower lip wobbling with worry.

Your mind vaguely registered the gentle smile he gave you, raising his hands in surrender. Your eyes trailed down the beginnings of a blue scale-like tattoo on his upper arms, disappearing under the black shirt he wore before reappearing on his exposed chest.

"We aren't here to hurt you, my dear."

His tone was low, gently reverberating through your nerves. The soothing baritone in his voice calmed you for a short second, and you watched as he crept closer to your bedside, not stopping until he hovered over you. His dark eyed swept over your injuries, thick brows furrowing as he looked back into your eyes.

"Do you remember your name, flower?" Lowering his voice to a murmur, he waited patiently for an answer. You cast your sight towards the other two men in the room, who were stood silently by the door, watching you. One of them appeared to be scowling at the man beside you, whilst the other crossed his arms over his chest, fingers tapping impatiently against his bicep. He caught your eye before turning away, the frown on his lips tightening further.

Speaking was a difficult task in itself. Your throat was parched, leaving your tongue dry and voice croaky. You stammered your name out as clearly as you could with a small nod of your head, shuddering pained gasps as your lips ached with each formation of words.

The man's smile returned, relief evident on his face as he moved away from you. He wasn't speaking to you now, but to the men at the door.

"I feel it would be best to sit her up," he gestured to the bed you lay in.

"...Don't put too much pressure onto her." The man with his curling locks tied back into a messy ponytail and tired eyes mumbled brief instructions, not making a move to leave his spot. The man beside him sighed with a tut, grumbling as he made his way to the left side of your bed.

You eyed him warily, looking back to the tattooed-man for reassurance.

"You're safe here, darling. No harm will come to you here," he spoke to you whilst manoeuvring his larger hands under your back from the left. "We only wish to help you."

The sincerity in his words rolled over like honey, oozing sweet kindness and glowing golden. Tears sprung to your eyes once more — you could trust this man.

Once they had you sat up (with only a small amount of struggle to not hurt your further), a glass of water was held close to your lips, the tattooed-man urging you to take a sip. You wrapped your lips around the rim of the glass hesitantly, but as soon as the first drop of cool water fell down your throat, you began gulping down the drink in one go, desperate for that cooling relief on your throat and mind.

The man settled the glass down on the bedside table before taking a seat in an empty chair behind him, crossing one leg over the other as he took a deep breath.

"[L/N] [Y/N]," he began. You looked over to him in worry, his serious tone making you expect the worst. "If it's alright with you, we would like to ask you a few questions."

...Questions? You tilted your head slightly, shuffling your back against the large fluffy pillows resting behind you.

"About what..?" Your voice was doing a lot better than before, still holding a slight rasp in your words. You cleared your throat as discreetly as you could, unable to cover your mouth as your arms felt so heavy.

"About the events you have just been through. You do remember what happened to you, yes?"

The very mention of recalling such memories made you visibly shudder. Nodding hesitantly, you concluded that you couldn't exactly get out of this. You were stuck there until they decided to let you go, and until then, you would just have to go along with what they asked.

'Who knows what will happen if I don't listen..' you thought, an undertone if bitterness lacing into your mind.

"Before we begin, I believe introductions are in order." He placed a hand over his chest, bowing his head politely. "My name is Laamcung. Pleasure to meet you, my sweet." The continuous use of pet names baffled you, unsure as to why he kept using them on you, but you brushed it aside for the sake of not pissing him off.

There was a moment silence before Laamcung sighed. He pointedly looked towards the other two men by the door, who rolled their eyes at him.

"Ceoicung." The man wearing a black V-neck t-shirt quickly spat his name out, not even bothering to look at you. The one beside him, with the curly hair and golden hoop in his ear, seemed to shrink into himself as all eyes turned to him. He appeared to want to be anywhere but in that room.

"...Zicung.." you were barley to catch his name with how low he had mumbled it. Laamcung sighed, smiling apologetically to you.

"My apologies, dearest. My brothers aren't exactly the best at formal introductions, but I assure you, they are nicer than they appear to be."

You didn't entirely believe him, but it was better to nod along and not question anything at all. You briefly acknowledged the fact that they were brothers, realising that it only made sense, seeing as they had very similar faces. Triplets weren't too uncommon.

Laamcung readjusted his legs, switching from his right leg resting over his left to his left over his right, pressing his hands over the curve of his knee.

"I understand that you may not feel comfortable recalling such events," Laamcung began, "But I must ask you to tell us what happened. From before you were kidnapped to when you know it ended, and anything that you think could have lead to you being a target. All of this information is vital, angel, so I must implore that you tell us everything that comes to mind."

The pressure placed back onto you mentally was heavy. He was right, it was going to be extremely uncomfortable for you to talk. You didn't know if you could do it.

"..Hey. We don't have all day."

Zicung's rough growl of annoyance made you shrivel up, forcing yourself to swallow your nerves so as not to tick him off.

"Zicung." Laamcung sent him a stern glare, silencing his brother with a word of warning. You saw Ceoicung dig an elbow into the man's rib, keeping him quiet. "Take your time, [L/N]. Ignore him, there's no rush."

Nevertheless, you wanted to get this over and done with. Forcing yourself to take a deep breath, you kept your eyes glued to your left arm, apparently finding the sling and bandage around the limb to be very interesting as you spoke.

"I don't know how I got there... Nothing out of the ordinary has happened before I was t-taken, so I don't know what could have led to this happening.." you furrowed your brows. It was the truth, and the more you thought back on the day before your kidnapping, the more you became confused. Why were you a target? Was it because you were an easy catch? Was it because you were a nobody, so it wouldn't cause a big fuss? Why, out of the thousands of people in Cekcung, were you taken away from your normal life and thrown into this hell?

"All I know is that I went to bed like I always do, and the next time I woke up, I wasn't at home anymore."

The three brothers glanced at one another. It all sounded like a simple coincidence, then, that you had been a victim to their enemy, Reznov. But if they knew the sly man, then they knew that it was anything but a coincidence. He always had a motive, whether it was complex or downright stupid, it didn't matter to him — a motive was a motive.

"Has anything happened to you throughout this week, then? Or even before that?"

"..I'm sorry, I don't really understand what you mean."

"Have you done anything to piss anyone off." Ceoicung was now the one to cut in bluntly. You chanced a glance up to him, and upon finding his narrowed eyes boring down onto your face, you decided to stick with looking at your bandages. Hmm, yes, this bandage was so interesting to you.

Your mind reeled back to yesterday, then the day before, and then jumping to the week before that, your brain filling with images of merging memories of anything you could think of, before you stilled.

There was something.

"...I think so."

The brothers raised a brow to you, leaning in slightly to catch onto every word you were going to say.

"I run a small bakery, and that day about a week ago, I hadn't gotten much sleep, so I was out of it for most of the day.." the more you spoke, the more that sickening feeling in the pit of your stomach seemed to grow. How had you not noticed it before?

"I kept making a few slip ups here and there while I was working; I just couldn't seem to concentrate very well. But luckily, a lot of the customers that came in were regulars, so they didn't really say anything. Until, this one customer.." You struggled to remember his face for a moment, the first thing you remembered about him though was that he was tall, almost tall enough to brush his head against the short ceiling in your shop.

"He ordered something, and I must've messed up the order, since he suddenly started yelling at me once he opened the box. I was so tired, though, so I wasn't really paying attention.. I don't remember much of what he was saying, and he just got angrier.."

You remembered him slamming his fist down hard onto the counter top, the way the change in the cash register clattered loudly in its metal box ringing in your ears.

"All I remember him saying is... I-Is.." your throat closed up again, and the urge to bury your face into your hands was strong. Squeezing your eyes shut, you recalled what he looked like, now. His features were all to familiar. Especially that same, dark, twisted smile he had sent your way before he made his way out of the shop, muttering the words that had allowed you to get caught up in this mad, crazed world.

'Looks like I found myself the perfect ragdoll to play with.'

✧ Matsuno - 'Ragdoll'

𝘚𝘸𝘦𝘦𝘵 𝘝𝘪𝘭𝘭𝘢𝘪𝘯!𝘔𝘢𝘵𝘴𝘶𝘴 𝘟 𝘔𝘢𝘨𝘪𝘤𝘢𝘭 𝘎𝘪𝘳𝘭!𝘙𝘦𝘢𝘥𝘦𝘳

The Matsu's villain names (from eldest to youngest): Mr Simply Mr Shocking Mr Day Mr Deep Mr Mo Mr Floyd

TW: NON-CON ELEMENTS, MENTIONS OF DRUG USE. feel free to skip this chapter if it makes you uncomfortable.

It was a long and rough battle. You were covered in cuts and light bruises, dusted over with a layer of dirt and rubble. Your clothing was torn roughly, barely hanging onto your body.

You stood up slowly with shaking knees as you glared furiously up at the villains laughing down at you.

"Give up, doll," the pink haired man, Mr Simply, stepped forward, resting a hand confidently on his hip. "It would really be a shame if you forced us to kill you."

You straightened your back at his words, teeth gritting tightly into a snarl, desperately ignoring the stab of pain in your chest and the heaving breaths you took.

"No." You seethed, taking a step forward, wobbling dangerously. "I won't stop... until you're all defeated..."

Another laughed mockingly.

"You can say that all you want, girl, but you look like you're about to faint right here and now." The blonde Mr Floyd sneered, his earrings glinting in the sunlight.

"She's super weak!" Mr Mo boomed loudly, bouncing on the spot as if the previous battle hadn't exhausted him at all, his purple hair swaying with each move.

The grip you had on your wand tightened as you lifted it up towards them, face scrunching up as you concentrated on letting out a powerful attack to take them down. Only for the burst of magic to fizzle and pop like an old lightbulb, fading away in an instant. The laughter only grew louder, the deep pit in your stomach growing bigger.

"I must say," Mr Shocking began, sliding his dark sunglasses down to the bridge of his nose, "I find your determination quite endearing, Miss Sugar Sweet." He practically purred your heroine name, rolling each syllable off of his tongue in a deliberately deep baritone.

"I do agree. When she's all ruffled up like this... It suits her, don't you think?" Mr Day chuckled lowly, staring you down over the rim of his own swirled glasses. Your voice was hoarse by now, leaving you unable to speak a single word back to them.

Mr Simply took a few steps forward suddenly, stopping just a few feet away from your swaying form.

"Let's have some more fun, shall we?"

You shuddered as you watched his eyes rake your body up and down with a smirk, lingering on all the exposed skin on your chest and legs. You grimaced, wrapping your battered arms around yourself and taking a step away, only to crash into something solid behind you.

A hand came over your mouth, clasping a cloth tightly over your mouth and nose, barely budging as you began to struggle violently in the person's hold. You glanced upward through bleary eyes to see the turquoise locks of Mr Deep's hair cascading over your face as he grinned wildly, his eyes dark and full of a dangerous glint.

"We'll definitely be having our far share of fun tonight..." he murmured into your ear, however the words were barely registered as your body became limp, your eyes closing and your breathing steadying into slow, shallow breaths.

The six men stood around your sleeping form, each bearing the same toothy smiles as Mr Mo picked you up and swung you onto his shoulder, following his fellow villains away to their secretive base.

»»-----　♔　-----««

Heavy. You felt really heavy.

Groaning, you moved your head from side to side, struggling to open your eyes. Your limbs were numb weights for you, unable to move them apart from a few twitches of your fingers and toes.

Slowly, you began registering something warm pressed up against you. Soft murmurs echoed around you, gently waking you up from your slumber. A pleasant shiver ran up your spine as something else massaged you from somewhere lower down. You whined softly, hands beginning to grip at whatever was beside you.

"So innocent..." a voice purred into your ears, it's warm breath tickling the skin on your neck. Warm tingles were peppered against your other shoulder. It made your stomach coil up pleasantly. Something hummed against you from below, making you whimper again.

The tingling turned into a pleasurable pain as the thing bit down onto your skin.

"That's gonna leave a nice mark on you," you heard it chuckle, the vibration running through your body.

You could feel something slick between your legs now. You tried to rub your thighs together, but they were held apart by what felt like multiple hands.

Through your hazy mind you began to question:

'What's.... happening..?'

Slowly, your eyes fluttered open, blinking against a light coming from somewhere before adjusting.

"Ah, she's waking up!" Another voice, louder than the other two, spoke from somewhere around you.

Calloused fingers took hold of your chin, facing you towards the one you were holding on to. His red hair was slightly tousled, and his upper torso was bare, revealing his toned body. Your mind began to recognise who it was, but your body was too slow to pull away from his grasp.

He leaned in, pressing a chaste kiss on your lips, eyes half lidded.

"I'm sure you will be as glad as we are that you're finally awake, darling." He dove back in for another kiss, tilting his head before nipping  at your lips, slipping his tongue into your mouth. Pleasant sensations were continuously being felt all over your body, making you moan into the kiss.

"We can hear you a lot louder now, kitten," the other voice of Mr Deep came from the other side. You felt his hands roam around your chest before settling onto your bare breasts, fondling and squeezing at the mounds as he grazed his teeth across your shoulder and sensitive neck.

"Guess I can tell you how fucking good you taste, babe." You recognised that voice to be Mr Simply. You took the spare moment to catch your breath to look downwards, seeing the man's face between your parted legs, grinning cockily up at you. His lips had a light sheen to them, although you couldn't identify right away what it was.

Another face was beside him, pressing kisses and bites to the inside of your right thigh. His v-shaped grin made you heat up. It was then that you realised something poking at your entrance, parting your folds to run up and down your wet pussy.

"You're so tight... Looks like we get to be the first ones to ruin her." He suddenly pushed two of his fingers into you. You cried out a lewd moan, panting as he curled his fingers inside of you. A hand curled around your neck tightly, just loose enough for you to still breath. The lack of air made you dizzy, the sensations of Mr Day's fingers multiplying tenfold.

"Make that noise again, pretty kitty," Mr Deep growled, and you obeyed. Your tongue lolled out of your mouth as you panted harshly. Mr Shocking took a chance to take your tongue into his mouth, continuing his assault of long kisses.

Without warning, the knot in your stomach was released as you began to cum hard, your body spasming as your attempted to ride out your orgasm. Someone's warm tongue latched itself to your clit, suckling on the sensitive bundle of nerves rapidly. You cried out as the pleasure turned to pain from overstimulation, but they didn't stop until your came a second time, your juices spilling into their mouths as they lapped up every droplet.

You weren't given a second to rest as you were suddenly lifted off of the sheets beneath you and held against something firm. You were pushed down onto all fours, your arms and legs shaking dangerously. Hands settled onto your hips from behind, another hand tugging at your hair and lifting your face upwards.

"I know that pretty mouth of yours can do more than screaming," Mr Floyd grinned before pressing the tip of his cock against your mouth. Without thinking, you opened up and closed your lips over the head before slowly moving down to take as much as you could, your tongue running against the underside of his shaft.

"Such a good girl..." Mr Mo groaned from behind as he lined himself up against your dripping core, pushing into with a quick snap of his hips. Your walls tightened further around him as his tip was pushed right up against your g-spot. "You're taking me so well..!"

The heavy cloud over your mind refused to lift as you were lifted into the arms of these sweet villains, their hands caressing you and giving you sweet release as you begged for more, more, more.

A small bottle stood on a table nearby, the cap loose. It would go unnoticed by you for a very long time. And even then, you wouldn't care about what it was. Not when you could have everything you wanted when you were with them.

The six men grinned at your sleepy form, bite marks and slight bruises littering your neck, hips and thighs. You were truly as sweet as sugar. They weren't planing on giving up their ragdoll any time soon.

Chapter 4

The train journey was excruciatingly long, just as they remembered it to be. Karatsugu peered out the window beside him, his eyes stuck to the darkening sky above, which was also tinted a slight shade darker due to him wearing his large aviator sunglasses. He watched as the scenery outside gradually changed from strictly endless waves of tall green grass and trees to small buildings in the far distance and flat earth.

Across from him, Hajime sat silently, slouching in his seat as he clutched his large backpack to his chest to rest his chin atop it, his eyes shut as he slept quietly. A small smile came to Karatsugu's lips before he yawned, covering his mouth with the back of his hand whilst his other arm stretched up above his head. He let it fall down onto his lap lazily as he went back to staring out the window, his leg jumping up and down lightly as he inwardly became impatient.

It had been quite a while since he had last come to Akashika District; a year, to be exact. He still remembered the first time he had visited that place like it was only yesterday, as well as the interesting adventure he and his newfound brothers took part in. Karatsugu smiled fondly at the memory, wondering just what else they would be getting up to this time.

He was quickly snapped out of his daydreams as a voice spoke over the intercom, and although it sounded very fuzzy and full of static, he could just about make out what the voice said:

'We are now arriving at Akashika Station. This is the train's final stop. Please ensure you have all your items of belonging before leaving the train. We are now arriving at...'

The voice repeated itself several more times before it fell silent, and Karatsugu could feel the train begin to slow down. He carefully, and very cautiously, leaned forward to nudge Hajime's knee, attempting to rouse him from his nap.

"Hajime... You need to wake up now, we're here..." he mumbled, gently calling for his younger brother. He could feel a bead of sweat beginning to accumulate on his temple as Hajime didn't stir, prompting him to nudge a tad bit harder whilst also bearing in mind to not push his own luck, lest he want a fist to the face.

Thankfully, that didn't happen, and Hajime grumbled against his backpack as his eyes sluggishly cracked open. His dark gaze landed on Karatsugu for a moment before it wandered around the train compartment, shifting slightly in his seat and raising his head. He rubbed a hand against the back of his neck, wincing at the soreness from the awkward position he had fallen asleep in.

"... We're here?" he mumbled, barely audible over the ruckus of the train still moving against the tracks. Karatsugu nodded, taking his phone out of his pocket whilst Hajime stretched his arms. Karatsugu swiped through the group chat one of his brothers had created, skimming over his unread messages from hours ago to begin tapping away at his screen.

── SEX🤤🍆tuplets

12:24

[Chorosuke💐🌹] Who changed the group chat name?

[Takashi🍰🍬🍭] Who do u think lol

[Ozo🍺🚖] its gr8 right! sexxxxxxxxxxxx tuplets HAHAH

[Chorosuke💐🌹] Please shut up.

[Ozo🍺🚖] ur alwas so booooooring chorosuk e lolol anyway! karatsugu n hajime! wya?

[Hajime🐈‍⬛🐾] train

That is correct burazzas!~~😎😎✨✨ Our travels have only barely just begun!💫💫 We will be arriving later tonight! I'm sure you are all very excited for our arrival, hmm~~? 🥀🥀🥀🥀😎😎😎😎

[Takashi🍰🍬🍭] We get it plz stop with those ugly ass emojis

[Jyushimatsu🌻🌼☀️] KARAMATSU NIISAN ICHIMATSU NIISAN HIHHIHUHIHUU!!!!! HIRRY UP I WANNA PLAY!!!!!!

[Chorosuke💐🌹] I don't want to kick you out again, Jyushimatsu. Please don't spam.

── SEX🤤🍆tuplets 19:03

[72 unread messages]

We are arriving at the station!✨✨ Ozo, burazza, would you be so kind as to give us a lift?😎😎😎

[Ozo🍺🚖] sureeee its abt time u guys got here!

[Jyushimatsu🌻🌼☀️] YAYYYYAYA!!! YOUR HERE YOURH ERE!!! OSOMATSU NIISAN CAN I CUM A SWELL????!!!!

[Takashi🍰🍬🍭] oh my god eww

[Ozo🍺🚖] Yh! the more the happier as they say

[Chorosuke💐🌹] It's: 'The more, the merrier.' Honestly, how do you not know?

[Ozo🍺🚖] I ain't no nerd anyway ill be there in 10!

──

Satisfied with Ozo's response, Karatsugu put away his phone and stood up, reaching up to the overhang and carefully sliding his suitcase out and onto the floor. He also did the same for Hajime's suitcase, having a sneaking suspicion that the man wouldn't get it himself, but he wasn't bothered by it.

They waited for the train to pull to a stop, the metal wheels against the tracks squeaking and groaning loudly into the air. The voice over the intercom spoke again, signalling that all passengers were now allowed to leave.

So, with their suitcases in hand and their backpacks slung over their shoulders, the two brothers exited the train and stepped onto the same barren and quiet platform. The warm evening air pushed into their faces, the heat a lot tamer than it would be during the day. Hajime looked up towards the sky for a moment, witnessing the final shreds of sunlight melt away into the night as a dark blanket covered the sky.

"We should head outside," Karatsugu spoke up, his baritone voice echoing around the area, "they could be here any minute, now." He had already begun walking towards the exit, and after a few seconds, he heard his brother's footsteps shuffling along the concrete ground, following him from behind.

Karatsugu stepped out first, taking a deep breath of fresh air as a soft breeze picked up around him briefly before it died down. He smiled at the scenery, already feeling at home with his excitement growing by the second.

"Karamatsu-niisan."

The man screamed, jumping on the spot and tripping over his own feet as he tumbled to the ground, his mouth agape and sunglasses askew on his face, eyes darting around to see where that sudden voice came from, only to find a man standing to his right with a brown paper bag over his head and the roughly cut holes where his eyes should be dark and devoid of life.

Hajime stepped out next, taking one good look at Karatsugu on the ground and raising his brow before looking over to the paper bag man. He barely reacted, only giving a slight nod and saying:

"Long time no see, Jyushimatsu."

"Aha! Same here, Ichimatsu-niisan!" Jyushimatsu laughed, rocking back and forth on his heels giddily. Karatsugu, still on the ground, gradually collected himself and cupped his chin with this thumb and forefinger, smirking as if he hadn't just screamed like he had seen a ghost.

"Heh! Jyushimatsu! It has been some time since we last spoke in person!" Unsurprisingly, Karatsugu went ignored as the other headed towards a car that was parked a little further down the road, with the engine still running and the lights beaming down onto the gravelled path. Karatsugu only hummed amusedly, standing up and brushing himself off, making sure to readjust his glasses before grabbing his things and following behind them, listening in on their conversation.

"A lot of things have changed around here since you last visited, you know!" Jyushimatsu swung his arms back and forth as he walked, the smile in his voice heard through his words.

"Yeah? Like what?" Hajime readjusted his backpack on his shoulder, throwing a side glance towards Jyushimatsu. The paper bag man only giggled, his head now swaying side to side, as if nodding along to some unheard tune.

"Things!" Was all he said as they reached the car. The trio paused as the driver's door opened, and out clambered a grinning Ozo with a beer can in hand.

"Finally! I thought you guys were never gonna show up!" He complained, though there was no bite behind his words. Hajime shook his head as he watched Ozo take a large swig from his can.

"You couldn't wait until we got to that otaku's house to start drinking? I don't want to die because of your shitty driving..." he shuffled over to the car, opening the trunk and pushing his suitcase in there as Jyushimatsu sat in the back seats.

"I'm not a lightweight! I can handle more than one can, y'know!" Ozo sat back down in his seat, and Karatsugu also went over to place his suitcase in the trunk before closing it. Hajime sat in the back with Jyushimatsu, leaving the passenger seat up front available. Once they were all settled in the car, Ozo manoeuvred the car out of its parked position and back onto the road.

"Let's chuck your stuff at that guy's place, and then we can go drinking!" Ozo cheered, Jyushimatsu matching his excitement. Karatsugu couldn't help but laugh, and even Hajime couldn't control the small smirk that crept its way onto his face, which he quickly hid behind his backpack.

It was nice to be back.

»»-----　♔　-----««

You sighed softly as you wiped down the bar top with the slightly damp cloth in your palm. Glancing at the small clock on the wall behind you, you took note of how it had been just over an hour since your shift at Bang Bang Chicken Bar had started and, as per usual, barely anyone had entered the bar. There was that one regular customer who had already came and went — a man with very large front teeth who asked for the same drink every other night, attempted to flirt with you, then would leave with the promise of coming back as a rich French man... whatever that means.

Another sigh escaped you. It was now just past nine o'clock, and you had a strong feeling that the hours were going to slip by a lot slower than you would like. That, and coupled with the fact that you would be the only one working at the bar at this hour (aside from your boss, who would be cooped up in his office until early hours of the morning), you knew it would be yet another boring night ahead.

Well, maybe not entirely boring.

The sound of drums suddenly filled the silence in the bar, which was soon followed by the sound of heavy strums of electric guitars and keyboards. A woman's voice began belting lyrics into the microphone. You watched the band, Killer Fish, perform on the raised platform in the centre of the room, the seven women on stage lost in their own world of death metal music as their heads nodded along violently to the beat.

When you had first started working at Bang Bang Chicken Bar — an obscure bar at the end of a long, winding and empty road on the outskirts of Akatsuka Village — you did not expect the seven quiet and well-dressed women on the stage to start singing death metal. It scared you half to death the first time you heard the screech of guitar strings echoing through the desolate bar. Even the lead singer, Totoko, dressed in a formal Japanese yukata with her hair styled up in an old-fashioned bun, her face stoic and serious, shocked you with her booming voice and scratchy vocals of a true death metal singer.

It was all so unexpected, and the tremors of the music had left you slightly shaky once the first performance was over. Now, though, you had become used to the music, and although it wasn't your preferred choice of music, you began to enjoy the performances. It made the whole bar feel so much more alive.

By the time you snapped out of your thoughts, the performance was over and the group was setting themselves up for another song. You, with nothing better to do, decided you would turn to the shelves stacked with all kinds of alcoholic drinks behind you and sort through them again, making sure they were presented with their labels faced towards the patrons and that they were organised neatly, despite the fact that you had already done this. Three times.

Whilst you mindlessly traced your fingers along the glass bottles, the music started up again, drowning out the sound of the door to the bar opening.

In walked six men, each dressed in black suits, and each of them boisterous and excited to begin their night of drinking. They awed at the group on stage for a moment before one of them took charge and pushed them over to an empty table in the middle of the room. They took their seats and began conversing with each other, laughing at some joke someone made or at another's crazy antics.

Eventually, two of them stood up from their seats, one seemingly more casual with his hands tucked into his pockets whilst the other, donning a black yukata, seemed more uptight with an annoyed frown pressed onto his upturned lips. The two began making their way over to the bar, where you were stood with your back still turned, oblivious of what was happening behind you until your ears picked up the sound of two men conversing.

You tilted your head slightly, squinting your eyes as if it would help with figuring out whether you were hearing things or not, but as the voices grew closer, your eyes widened as you realised no, this wasn't your imagination, and there were actually other customers in the bar.

Turning on your heel, you physically felt your brain fizzle and pop like an old lightbulb at the sight of the two men coming closer towards you, their faces still fresh in your mind from the first time you had encountered them on separate occasions.

"Come on, Chorosuke! You're loaded! A couple of drinks with your money won't hurt anyone!" It was that taxi driver from the other day who was talking, that same sleazy grin displayed proudly on his face as he poked fun at the man next time him; that man from the store who had given you that watermelon, which actually was sweet.

"You and I both know you won't be having 'a couple of drinks!' And you have your own money! Pay for yourself!" He shouted over the music, his eyes narrowing in frustration as he knew all too well that he would inevitably be paying for the drinks. You could only stand in silence as they grew closer and closer, neither of them truly paying attention to your presence as they continued to bicker back and forth until they were stood right in front of you.

Ozo turned to you first, his mouth opening to make his request until his half-lidded eyes locked onto your face. He frowned for a split-second before his eyes widened, the smirk on his lips stretching into an excited grin as he instantly recognised you. Chorosuke, confused by his brother's odd reaction, turned to you as well, only for his expression to fall into a look of horror, his pale cheeks flushing a bright crimson.

"It's you!" They exclaimed together, their tones completely opposite to one another. Pausing, they whipped their heads to look at each other confusedly. "Wait, what?" they questioned in unison.

"How do you know her?" Chorosuke quickly demanded, his eyes flitting between your nervous form and the man beside him.

"I told you, I met a pretty girl yesterday!" Ozo reminded him, "And what about you?"

"I-I, well... We bumped into each other at the market the other day..." Chorosuke's voice trailed off, secretly hoping you would remember him so that he wouldn't be humiliated in front of the one man who wouldn't let something like this go. Lucky for him, you did remember. You remembered that interaction all too well.

"Really?! Wow! Small world, right?" Ozo turned to you, leaning against the bar top with one arm as he gave you a quick once over, a flirtatious look in his eyes that only served to make you shrink into yourself. "Do you remember me? I dropped you off yesterday! Man, if I knew you worked here, I would come by more often!"

They seemed to be waiting for some kind of reaction from you, so you took a minute step back from the countertop and chuckled nervously, an odd smile on your face that probably didn't look like a smile at all.

"Aha... Yeah! Hi... again..."

This was going to be a long, long night.

𝕮𝖍𝖆𝖕𝖙𝖊𝖗 𝕺𝖓𝖊

You sighed wistfully, gaze stuck on the large window to your right, watching as people ushered themselves past the Sweetsu Cafe you were sat in.

How long had it been, you began to wonder? It felt like an eternity since you last saw his face, or sensed his familiar and comforting presence.

Your heart ached, and your brows furrowed. How much longer until this pain would end? All you wanted was to see him again, his reassuring smile directed towards you as he offered you his hand...

Your thoughts were cut short as you felt a sharp knock reverberate through the wooden table your arms were resting upon. With a slight jolt, you looked over to your left, seeing the familiar figure from your thoughts. It was your older brother, standing there with a knowing smile. Your face immediately lit up, eyeing him briefly before settling on the item in his hand.

"Chocolate and vanilla swirl sundae," he spoke, quickly signing along with his hands as you practically snatched the dessert from his palm. "With extra whipped cream to top it all off!"

A small hum of delight wormed it's way past your lips as you took a large mouthful from the top of the glass. You gave him an exaggerated thumbs up before delving back into your food, your feet swinging slightly under the table.

It had been so long since you had last got together with your brother like this, at your favourite location with your favourite sweet delicacy. He hadn't been able to get a break from work for a while, but now that he had finally come back to you for the weekend, even if it was a short while, you were determined to spend the long hours of the summer weekend as catch up as much as you could.

A gentle tap to your knuckles brought your attention away from your sundae and to your brother, who had settled into the seat across from you. With a warm but hesitant smile, he began moving his hands along with his lips clearly for you to see.

"So... It's been a little hectic around Akatsuka lately, hasn't it?"

You suckled on your spoon as you thought for a moment, staring at him, before placing it back into the glass and shaking your head with a hard stare.

'No, Haru. We are not having this conversation. Again.'

"No, no, wait! Just this once, please? It's serious!" Haru pleaded, clasping his hands in front of him as he leaned in slightly closer. When you didn't respond, he reached into his back pocket to take out his phone. He scrolled through it for a moment before pausing, turning the screen towards you.

You squinted your eyes slightly as a long article popped onto the screen. The title was in large bold and black lettering, saying:

'PHANTOM THIEVES STRIKE AGAIN!'

There was a picture beside it, although it was very blurry. You could barely make out the humanoid figure running off into a dark and shady alley, a brief streak of purple followed by a cat covered by darkness darting behind it.

Skimming over the articles paragraphs, you slumped back into your seat with a roll of your eyes.

'Haru, these articles are just full of crap and you know it.'

"No, they aren't!" Haru's brows creased with worry as he placed his phone back down. "There are six of these guys that have been spotted all over Akatsuka, and one of them showed up only a few miles away from where you live!"

You only shrugged again, going back to eating your sundae.

"You don't honestly think that they are good people, do you?" Haru pushed, moving into your line of sight. "They've stolen so many valuable items already! What if they do something to you, and I'm not there?"

'As if I have anything valuable in my tiny apartment,' you shook your head. 'I bet they'd take one look through the window and then leave. I've got nothing to worry about.'

"That's not the point," Haru ran a hand through his hair, exasperated. "I don't live here in Akatsuka anymore, neither do mom and dad. No one is here to protect you while you're alone like this."

'I'm not alone...'

"The stray cats that follow you around don't count in this conversation." Haru paused as he watched a ginger cat walk up the window and sit patiently by it, watching you with its large eyes marked with greyish fur as it waited for you to come outside. With a rub to his forehead, Haru continued.

"Look, just... come live with me, okay? You know I have my own house, and even with Ei moving in, we still have a spare bedroom for you. It'll be safer for you over there."

'First of all,' you glared at your brother. 'I can't do that to you and Ei, your fiancé.' You emphasised the word with the harsh tapping of your fingers against your skin. Haru opened his mouth to retort, his hands following close behind, but you continued.

'Second of all, I don't want to leave! I know you guys are all far away from me now, but I'm not completely alone. And I'm not talking about the cats. I do have real friends, but I don't want to just up and leave this place. I like it here far better than where you're living.'

Haru paused, a look of guilt on his face as his shoulders fell.

"I..."

'Trust me, Haru. I'll be fine! I promise. And you know I don't break those.' With your final input, you signed for him to just drop the topic, wanting to enjoy your scrumptious dessert without the sugar tasting bitter on your tongue. Your brother allowed you to do so with a small nod, resting his chin on his palm as he watched you. Slowly but surely, your food disappeared from the large glass, leaving only streaks of cream running up and down the inner surface.

The two of you stood up from your seats, Haru leading you out of the cafe with his hands stuffed into his jean pockets, although you could still see a faint outline of his hands twitching against the fabric, knowing he was still anxiously thinking of your previous conversation.

You felt a sudden brush against your left leg, and you glanced down with a small jolt to see the ginger cat had come to greet you. You huffed, a smile on your lips as you briefly bent down to scratch behind the feline's ears before standing upright. You caught Haru's eyes, grinning wider as he pouted in jealousy at the attention you were given from the stray.

'You can pet them, you know.' You told him as you walked past, you now taking the lead as you strolled back to your apartment.

"As if. My allergies would kill me..." Haru grumbled under his breath, making sure to walk on the other side of you so as to keep a distance between him and the cat, who was still following at your heels, briefly nudging against your ankles every now and then with a chirp.

When you finally reached your home, you decided to wait outside as Haru went in, taking the elevator up to your floor, taking your keys with him. After a few moments, he re-emerged with a suitcase and duffle bag in hand, tossing you your keys as he rummaged through his own pockets for a different set. Your smile that had appeared whilst you pet the stray ginger cat gradually disappeared as you watched your older brother place his bags into the back of his car, closing the trunk with a shove.

'...Do you have to go so early?' You tugged his shirt sleeve. 'At least stay for dinner?'

"You know I've got work tomorrow," He smiled apologetically, "If I want to sleep before then, I should get going now instead of later. Besides, Ei's waiting for me. You know how she gets when I change plans on her so suddenly."

You lowered your head in defeat. The wind rustled past as you felt a pair of warm arms wrap around you, pulling you into his chest, and you gladly returned the hug, holding him for as long and as tight as you could. You felt a deep rumble travel across his chest and you reluctantly moved back to see what he said.

"My offer still stands... But I know you're not going to say 'yes' right now," Haru chuckled at you souring expression. "Our door is open for you, always. Just say the word and I'll come get you, okay?" You nodded, releasing him and already missing his warmth as he clambered into the driver's seat. You saw the car vibrate the slightest bit as the engine came on, and a window lowered so Haru could pop his head out. His bright smile reached his eyes, twinkling as he held a hand out for you.

With a roll of your eyes, you stepped forward, a grin crossing back onto your face as you performed a series of handshakes before ending it with a quick rock-paper-scissors match, laughing quietly as you easily won. Haru threw his head back as he laughed along, sending a goodbye your way before he set off, sticking his arm out the window to continue waving, you doing the same until he disappeared around the corner, the bright yellow of his car no longer in sight.

You stood there for a moment longer, staring at the corner he had hidden behind, the smile on your lips slipping away the longer you stood there. You only snapped out of it when you felt the familiar brush of fur on your ankles, and with a heavy sigh, you turned to head back to your apartment, keeping your eyes pointed to the floor as the elevator doors closed.

Standing in your small home, you could already feel the heavy emotion of missing your sibling as you looked around, finding small reminders of him being there once again by the simple shift in placement of the cushions on your couch, or the crumbs of bread by the toaster which he had used for breakfast that morning. He had visited countless times, stayed many nights, and yet him leaving was always just as painful as the first time.

You shook your head, running a hand through your hair as you straightened the cushions before sitting on the couch yourself, switching the TV on. You knew he hadn't actually said goodbye. It was always a 'see you later', and you always did see him again eventually. You knew you didn't have to get upset over it, you knew it was a childish thing to do. You could even text or call him right there and then, and he would answer straight away. There was nothing to worry about, and yet, the worry stayed all the same.

You could feel your food from earlier churn and twist in your stomach uncomfortably, a sick feeling crawling up your throat as you fidgeted in your seat. Now was not the time, you angrily told yourself, and you desperately began distracting yourself with random YouTube videos, trying to get yourself comfy by changing into your pyjamas. You startled as you felt a heavy pressure suddenly fall onto your lap, looking down to find the stray cat had followed you inside. You allowed it to get comfortable, running your fingers through its fur gently, finding its fur to be surprisingly clean.

The day steadily turned to night as you spent the rest of your day indoors, ordering takeout when you got hungry and only getting up to feed the stray some cat food that you had kept in your home out of habit, now. A bright light flashed in your living room, startling you briefly as you paused your movie and went to the door, cash in hand. Bowing politely to the delivery guy, you brought your food inside after making sure your door was locked, sighing with content as you took a bite out of the warm food.

You allowed the cat to steal a few bites before shooing it away playfully, huffs of laughter leaving you as it stared up at you with wide and pleading eyes. A sudden buzz from your thigh caught your attention, and you quickly wiped your fingers with a tissue before taking your phone out of your pocket, finding that it was Haru who had texted you.

---

[20:44] cat allergy

heyy, just got home. did u eat yet?

---

You tapped away at your screen, catching the cat out of the corner of your eyes begin to slink away towards the door.

---

[20:44]

yup, just finished. took u that long to get home this time?

[20:46] cat allergy

nah, soon as I got home I had to go run a lot of errands, and there was loads of traffic. apparently some kind of traffic accident happened so the roads were blocked, but its all cleared up now.

u btter not have gotten more takeout! >:(

[20:47]

;)

---

You chuckled cheekily as you switched your phone off, ending the conversation there. Standing up, you noticed the cat was now pawing quite cutely at the door, its mouth opening and closing in what you assumed to be a 'meow', and you got the message. You slipped on a pair of black sandals and threw on your jacket over your pyjama top, grabbing your keys and unlocking your door. The cat immediately exited your apartment, and you locked your door again before leading it towards the elevator and pressing the button for the ground floor.

Upon reaching it, the cat practically dashed for the exit, and you had to jog just to reach the doors quicker and push it open. It passed the threshold, the light illuminating from the lobby of the building making the fur of the cat glow. It turned to stare at you, tail high in the air, as if expecting something. Curiously raising a brow, you took a step forward, and to your surprise, the cat took a few more steps before stopping, turning to look at you again.

You repeated this motion until you were standing completely out on the empty street. Looking up and down the sidewalk, you stared up at your apartment complex before turning back to the cat, who was still waiting for you. It obviously wanted you to follow it, that much you gathered, but why? And to where, this late at night? It would be dangerous and - as your brother would say - incredibly stupid of you if you started following a stray cat to who-knows-where.

But what was life without a little mystery?

With a grin, you followed behind the cat, who led you down twisting roads and pathways, between bushes and over small fences, your grin growing wider as excitement fluttered through your system. Eventually, it led you to a dark alleyway. You paused at the entrance, eyeing the cat who had once again turned to you, its mouth opening and waving one of its paws as if it were beckoning you.

'This is crazy...' you thought to yourself as you inched down the alleyway, barely able to see the cat, and it was then that you realised how useful the flashlight on your phone would have been if you had brought it with you. Nevertheless, you were still grinning like a child, your nerves turning into adrenaline and pushing you onward.

Deeper and deeper you went into the steadily thinning space, to the point where you had to start side-stepping down the corridor, pressing your back against the wall that you prayed was at least decently clean, eyes trained on the moving blob in front of you. You glanced up from the ground and, to your pleasant surprise, there seemed to be a light at the end of the cramped space, which wasn't too far away. You could also feel a breeze begin to pick up, steadily becoming stronger as you reached the opening. There was a hum in the air, vibrating against the ground and traversing through your body, goose bumps prickling your skin.

The light blinded you momentarily when you finally reached the end, the wind now harsh and whipping your hair and clothes around. You raised your arms up to shield your face, but when you opened your eyes, you were not prepared for what was in front of you.

It was... some kind of flying contraption. Not a helicopter, nor a hot air balloon. This was more steampunk, with its mechanical gears and tubes exposed and a giant fan attached to the back, whirring away and being the source of the wind that was wafting violently around you. All of it was built around a single seat with a light on the front acting as a headlight, and in that seat sat a figure dressed in a black suit and cape, a top hat over his dark hair and half of a golden cat mask over his left eye.

You stared at him, and he stared at you, wide eyed and mouth slightly agape, and if it wasn't so dark, you would have been able to see the deep blush on his cheeks, and he would have been able to see yours.

Staring into his eyes, in that moment, if only for a moment, it felt... magical. There was a feeling within you that you couldn't describe, only feel. You could feel it buzz in your chest and fill you with warmth. You could feel your heart begin to thump faster against your skin. You could feel everything.

However, just as quickly as that moment started, it was over when the ginger cat who had led you there in the first place jumped into the man's lap, snapping him out of his daze. He sent you one last look before lowering his top hat over his eyes and pulling a lever to his left, and the machine lifted off into the sky, leaving you to stand in the small clearing as you watched in awe as they literally flew away into the night.

You placed a hand over your heart, feeling it thrumming faster now.

The stars above you seemed to twinkle brighter than they ever have before.

You wanted to feel all of that again.

Chapter 5

"I'm Ozo, in case you forgot!" Ozo jabbed a thumb towards himself with a lazy wink, leaning his forearm on the countertop you just wiped down. "And this is Chorosuke, my younger brother." He waved a hand over to the man beside him with less enthusiasm, "The only interesting thing about him is that he's rich."

"Th-That is not true!" Chorosuke growled, his hands clenching into fists.

"Ah, yeah, you're right..." a mischievous grin crossed Ozo's lips which he targeted towards his brothers. "He's also a huge otaku--"

"Shut up!" Chorosuke'a hands moved dangerously close to Ozo's neck, his fingers twitching with the urge to choke him, but the sensible part of his mind managed to stop him from doing so. He took a deep breath and lowered his hands to his sides, taking a large sidestep away from Ozo whilst doing his best to ignore the man's snickers.

You could only watch on idly, unsure of what to do or say. You began picking at the skin around your nails, a bad nervous habit that you had. The sting of your skin being pulled from your body no longer hurt as much as it used to. You ran your thumb over your flaking skin, catching your nail on the small cuts you had reopened.

"So, [Y/N]!" Ozo called for you. You locked eyes with him for a brief moment, then shifted your gaze to his hands that rested on the table instead. "You work here, huh? I never would have guessed! Does that mean you'll be taking care of us tonight?" His grin became sleazy as his voice lowered into what he thought to be a seductive tone, leaning in closer to you.

Chorosuke almost choked on air, his face becoming beet red at his brother's words. You weren't doing any better, with your skin heating up and palms becoming sweaty.

"..Uh, I don't... Well..." You fumbled, your brain working overtime to try and come up with a suitable answer. But what were you supposed to say in a situation like this? How did you do it all that time ago?

"What do you mean, 'us?!' Don't drag me into your bullshit, Ozo!" Chorosuke yelled over the music, reluctantly stepping closer to Ozo again to make sure he had heard what he said. He turned to you with a nervous grimace, brows scrunched up tight as his eyes avoided yours. "I am s-so sorry about this!"

You wanted to say it was fine, but when you could feel your fingers begin to shake a little as you pressed your palm together, you just couldn't bring yourself to say it. Instead, you shook your head, giving them another awkward smile. Ozo was peering up at you with a little too much curiosity, and you threw your gaze over the top of his head, only to freeze at the sight of four other faces staring at you.

Noticing your blanched expression, the two men also looked back over their shoulders, producing two polar opposite reactions; Ozo smirked, prompting the four figures to slowly stand up one by one and head towards you, whilst Chorosuke immediately began to shake his head, as if it would ward off the demons creeping towards your small group, but it did nothing.

The both of you watched helplessly as they were now within earshot, and one man wearing large aviator sunglasses smirked your way with a wink, causing Chorosuke to turn around and run a hand down his face with a groan.

"God, please help me..." you thought you heard him mumble, however you weren't given a chance to mull over it as someone else spoke to you, garnering your attention.

"Burazzas!" You barely managed to withhold the confused expression from working its way onto your face upon hearing the man use the English word with so much confidence, even though it was pronounced entirely wrong. "I hope you are not intending to keep such a beautiful lady away from us the whole night, hmm?"

You couldn't stop the sudden new wave of heat that rolled over your face upon being called 'beautiful.' Although, your heart clenched painfully, as your mind told you it wasn't true.

"Well, there goes my plans," Ozo chuckled, shuffling over slightly to make room for the new faces (Technically, you thought, they weren't new faces, seeing as they all somehow looked eerily similar to one another).

"I've never seen you around before!" Another with large sparkling eyes cooed, earning a 'that's what I said!' from Ozo, which ultimately went ignored. "What's your name, sweetheart?"

The pet name throws you off, your wide eyes blinking quickly as you spluttered. Another voice cuts you off before you can answer, a boisterous laugh somehow sounding louder than the music still ongoing in the background.

"Ahaha! You're really pretty, miss!" A wide smile seemed to be permanently etched onto this man's face, his plump cheeks a soft pink under the dim light of the bar as he stared at you unabashedly. The final figure beside him, slouched over with his shoulders hunched up near his chin, elbowed the smiler roughly, his low murmuring voice lost in the music.

"I... Th-Thank you, uh..." you trailed off nervously, briefly clearing your throat, "My name is—"

"[L/N] [Y/N]!" Ozo cut in with the smuggest smirk you've ever seen. The others seemed to be glaring at him, the quiet one on the end even baring his teeth slightly. "I've been telling you, I met a cutie yesterday! Not my fault you guys never believe me!"

"Why would we? You constantly used to tell us you had a new girlfriend every week, but it turns out that they're just actresses from all those pornos you buy," the one with large eyes snidely remarked, crossing his arms over his chest in triumph as he shoved Ozo out of the way with a nudge of his hip.

"[Y/N]..." sunglasses man was talking again, grabbing your attention by taking a gentle hold of your hand (he looked ridiculous since he was leaning so far over the counter to reach it). "What an exquisite name! Suitably fitting for a gorgeous damsel such as yourself..." His words may be very over exaggerated in your mind, but you couldn't deny the small shiver that ran up your spine as his already smooth baritone voice dipped even lower.

"O-Oh, thank you, mr... uh..?" You trailed off, hoping he would catch the hint for him to finally give his name. You didn't want to have to keep referring to him as 'sunglasses man' in your mind for the rest of his visit.

"Aogo Karatsugu, though Karatsugu is just fine, my dear. Unless you would like to call me, 'your hon—"

"I'm Momose Takashi! My friends call me Taka-kun, though, so I wouldn't mind if you called me that, too!" Takashi giggled cutely, snatching your hand from Karatsugu and delicately holding it in his instead. Not a moment later, however, it was taken into another's hands, these ones much warmer and vigorously shaking your palm.

"I'm Jyushimatsu! Hello, pretty lady!" His enthusiasm never seemed to end, you noted as he began shaking your arm up and down in greeting, making you wince. Chorosuke swooped in, finally snapping out of his internal meltdown long enough to pull you free from Jyushimatsu's grasp with a heavy sigh. He then leaned in to you, albeit reluctantly, and began to murmur:

"His real name is Ogami Toshio. He's the mayor's son, and very unpredictable, so I highly suggest you keep your guard up around him."

"What was that, otaku?" An arm snakes around Chorosuke's shoulder, causing the man to jolt with a (pathetic) squeak. The quiet man, who was now smiling so menacingly you actually got cold chills, tugged Chorosuke away from you.

"H-H-Hajime! We were just, I-I mean I was just—"

"We'll get six glasses of the most expensive liqueurs you have, and a couple of beers for our shitty eldest over there, too. And give the bill to this guy," Hajime's grin grew wider as Chorosuke whined quietly in protest, though ultimately did nothing to stop this exchange. Hajime turned to you, then, as if seeming to snap out of some dark spell he was under, dropped his expression into one of sheepish terror, his cheeks tinged red as he averted his gaze away from your bewildered eyes.

"...please..." he added to the end of his sentence mutedly, before promptly shuffling back to his table with his hands shoved deep inside his pockets. Jyushimatsu — Toshio? — immediately followed after him with a loud laugh, leaving the other four to take their own leave, too.

"Well, someone has to go keep those two idiots in check," Takashi sighed dramatically before shooting you a cute cat-like smile. "I'll see you later, [Y/N]! Maybe we can exchange details, too, if I'm feeling up to it," he shrugged nonchalantly.

You slightly raised a brow at this, watching silently as he turned and headed back to his table.

"This first meeting of ours is only the beginning of our journey!" Karatsugu was quick to take your hand again, clasping it firmly in his large and calloused hands as he stared into your eyes (a little too intense, if you were being honest). "I look forward to your company tonight, my dove! Until we meet again..." he slowly began to leave your hand, letting his fingers trail to your own fingertips in a movie-like exit before turning on his heel.

Ozo and Chorosuke watched him retreat with put-out expressions, grimacing at his weird farewell before turning back to you. Ozo clapped Chorosuke's back roughly with a boyish and playful chuckle.

"I'd say good luck to paying the bill, but you're loaded, so it won't be a problem at all!" Chorosuke only groaned in response, sharp eyes looking dull and tired. "See you later, [Y/N]! And remember, if you get bored, you know where to find us. We'll show you a good time." He rubbed a finger under the bridge of his nose with a wink before finally leaving.

Heaving out a sigh, you gently rubbed the pads of your fingers against your temple, already feeling the beginnings of a headache coming on. This group was a lot to handle, it seemed. Maybe you had your work cut out for you tonight, but it's not like you could do anything about that.

"...Sorry about them."

You jumped slightly having completely forgotten that Chorosuke was still there, slouched over onto the countertop with his chin pressing against the surface. He looked so glum and pouty as he peered up at with apologetic eyes... The pang in your heart had nothing to do with him at all.

"Don't worry about it. I'm the one who's just not used to so many customers," you shook your head, turning your back to him so that you could pick out the liquids you were going to mix.

"Are you... really picking out the most expensive ones?" Chorosuke gulped, sitting up a little bit straighter as his fingers tapped against the table top. You chuckled softly, returning back to the table with a a couple of bottles and a large silver glass.

"No, don't worry. The drinks here are relatively cheap, anyway. I'm just picking out the more high quality ones..." you trailed off as you began to focus on your task at hand. Your hands moved with expertise as you poured and mixed your chosen liqueurs, twirling the cup in your hand with a certain finesse that caught Chorosuke's eyes, who continued to watch in awe.

After pouring the drink into six glasses, you topped it off with a small shot of wine. The deep blue of the bottle glinted under the lights, capturing the man's gaze as he curiously stared at the scratched off label. He had no time to ponder, however, as you placed the bottle back under the counter and left to fill up large glasses with beer, returning to place all the drinks onto a round platter and carefully picking it up into your hands.

You gently gestured towards the table, carefully manoeuvring around the other empty chairs with Chorosuke on your heels. You felt a bubble of nerves settle in the pit of your stomach as you approached the others once more, but you pushed it down in favour of leaning between Karatsugu and Takashi to place the tray on the table.

"Damn it, I knew I should've sat there..." Ozo grumbled to himself, then yelped as Hajime kicked his shin from under the table.

"I hope you enjoy your drinks," you politely said, bowing briefly before moving away. There was a chorus of 'thank you's and compliments thrown your way as you made your way back over to the bar.

You brought a hand up to massage the back of your neck, wanting to rub away the stress before it got too heavy on your shoulders. As you did so, you caught the eye of the lead singer up on stage, Totoko, who was preparing herself for the next song as the heavy bass intro began. You saw her raise a brow, her eyes flitting between you and the group, and you blushed.

'This isn't what it looks like!' You screamed internally, mortified by what she could be thinking of you, and you were sure you wouldn't get a response back as she just continued performing.

Looking back at the six men, you could just about hear their laughter drifting over to your ears over the music. With a sigh, you picked a clean rag up from beside you and went back to wiping the table top, holding onto the hope that this night would be over soon.