#high and low takeshi

[sollattes]

"I'm a feminist obviously but..."

"I wouldn't really mind him saving me"

(Oh, come and save me pretty hot Japanese men who likes to fight with other pretty Japanese men)

[pixaho]

Hi eli🥳It's nice to see a new high & low writer.how would sword leaders be with their girly lover

How The Sword Leaders Are With Their Girly Lover.

AN | YES! I will happily do this, thank you so much! I decided to also add a wee little twist by adding 1 more character since technically he is a SWORD leader.

Cobra | Hino Junpei

Skin care

"What are you doing?" Cobra rounds the corner to your room, taking in the sight of you. Here you were, wearing a face mask, your hair pushed out of your face, and painting your nails your favorite color. "Doing skin care. Would you like to join?" You ask, a sweet smile plastered on your face. He seems hesitant before walking over and sitting next to you. "Good choice, I was gonna force you anyways."

Public affection

He does it rarely, and when it does happen you seem surprised. This is mainly because the others like to tease him. Unless Naomi is around, then they all shut up about it. (I make Naomi a hype woman, because I feel like she would definitely be one. Her and Lala.)

Date Nights

I feel as though Cobra would ask the others about what to do for date nights. This often leads to him just caving and asking Rocky or settling for a movie night. This man is half good of a cook, he never really learned. More of a take-out kind of guy, or will ask Yamato's mom to help him cook.

Getting hurt (Him)

He gets hurt a lot while fighting, which makes you kind of annoyed. Usually it is just you cleaning him up. You've started to keep a medkit on you at all times of the day.

Getting hurt (You)

Would stay calm but deep inside is worried to hell. If you didn't know how to use a medkit or how to clean your wounds, he would take you to Naomi. If you did, he'd pry the names of the people who hurt you and disappear for hours on end before coming back.

Wearing a skirt that is too short (or a dress)

This man would walk behind you and give anyone who looked at you in a weird way the deadliest death stare there is. We're talking about psychopathic death stare.

Jealous

Not entirely the jealous type, but when he is, he tends to show it by wrapping his arm around your shoulder. If he is really jealous, he holds your love handles/waist.

Rocky | Mutsugi

Skin Care

"Is it suppose to make me feel like my lips are burning?" Rocky asks as he stares at his lips, the lip plumper you had put on him moments ago finally kicking in. "Yes my dear, it is." You giggle slightly as you continue to rub your face wash into your face.

Public Affection

This man does not care if someone sees him being affectionate with you, he wants everyone to know who you belong to and who is the lucky person that gets to be with you.

Date Nights

Ohhh he knows how to cook. I mean, he's been on his own since he was a teen so he's had to learn how to cook. Your date nights are typically him cooking and treating you like you're a goddess. If he doesn't feel like cooking, he'll take you out somewhere and if you're lucky, shopping spree!

Getting Hurt (Him)

Rocky rarely gets hurt since he doesn't really fight but when he does, he usually doesn't want to tell you. He doesn't want to stress you or make you worry so he talks to Koo.

Getting Hurt (You)

If you get hurt, he'll send the others out to hunt down the person or people who harmed you. He will then spend the rest of the time making sure you are okay and helping you clean up. If he's really livid, he'll tell Kizzy to stay while he goes out. Just expect him to come back a wee bit roughed up.

Wearing a skirt that is too short (or dress)

He wouldn't walk behind you like Cobra would but he will make you wear his jacket. If anyone makes a disrespectful comment, he will simply make sure they never speak about you like that ever again. We're talking about this man being so unreasonable that he attacks someone.

Jealous

Doesn't get too jealous unless the other person starts getting touchy feely, then he steps in. His way of making it clear that you are taken is by holding you real close. Unlike Cobra, he doesn't really give death stares but he does give people the stink eye.

Murayama | Yoshiki Murayama

Skin Care

"'Yama.." You whisper, he had fallen asleep with the face mask on. His sleeping face looked so peaceful, you almost felt bad for waking him up. "Five more minutes, this is really comfortable to sleep it." He mumbles, holding your hand.

Public Affection

You don't get to really see each other that much as majority of his time is spent at Oya Kou. But when you do, he's super affectionate. Not wanting to lose you of course. Even if its in public, he is still lovey towards you.

Date Nights

Murayama can partially cook, if he does, that is rare. He doesn't want to cook in case it tastes really bad so he occasionally asks you if you want to order take out and stay in all night. This dies down to cuddling and having fun.

Getting Hurt (Him)

He always comes home with new injuries, whether they come from Todoroki or from others in Oya Kou. Although it is tiring to constantly patch him up, you love him nonetheless.

Getting Hurt (You)

Let's just say that this man goes lethal. We're talking man hunts. He will have Seki and Furuya hunting down whoever hurt you while he stays with you and covers you in pink or your favorite colored bandages. After that, he typically kisses your face to make you feel better.

Wearing a skirt that is too short (or a dress)

Best believe this man is walking with his jacket wrapped around your waist. Giving an ugly stare to anyone that stares for far too long. If you do this just to irk him, he'll see to it that you are wearing leggings.

Jealous

Oh boy, he's jealous. He'll act childish if someone is flirting with you or if they're getting way too close. This usually leads to him getting into a fight or him clinging to you like you are going to drift away at sea.

Smoky | This man has no first name

Skin Care

"Lala uses this too," He squints, reading the label. "Did you buy it for her?" "Yes, I've been helping her earn money from things." You laugh as you continue rubbing the lotion into his hands. His hands were not always rough, but he wanted to try your skin care routine.

Public Affection

Private or public this man don't care. He's hugging, kissing, and or giving you all his attention. Unless he's fighting. Or feels really under the weather. Then he is resting.

Date Nights

There isn't really anywhere romantic for you two to go other than hanging around in the high places. Your date nights consist of taking care of the Nameless Road children or spending the night looking at the stars. Your dinner time is spent with the other Rude Boys and or Lala.

Getting Hurt (Him)

You worry enough about him as it is, considering how sick he is and how fighting also effects his condition. The others usually take care of him while Lala takes you with her, this is by his request.

Getting Hurt (You)

If it's from someone who isn't in Nameless Road, he typically doesn't tell anyone to hunt the person down but instead requests the help from the others (Cobra, Murayama, or Rocky (it's usually Rocky)) and takes the day to spend with you. If it's from someone who is in Nameless City (as in was naturally born there) he will have the others get the person. He is a forgiving person so he'll give them a warning and that is shouldn't happen again.

Wearing a skirt that is too short (or a dress)

If he isn't with you, the other Rude Boys (Mainly P and Takeshi) will walk with you, one of them giving you their jacket. If he is, he's walking behind you to make sure that his jacket isn't short either. He does love when you wear clothes that you're comfortable in, he just doesn't like it when others stare for creepy reasons.

Jealous

Not the jealous type, will feel a tinge of jealousy but he knows you are capable of handling yourself.

Takeshi | "Beat Takeshi"

Skin Care

"This won't take long, right?" He mumbles, still wanting to get to Smoky's grave in time. You nod, rubbing the scrub into his skin. His hands placed on both sides of your hips, him looking up at you.

Public Affection

He's very affectionate in private, but in public he minimalizes his affection. This doesn't have anything to do with being manly, but it has something to do with the fact that usually by the time he's running around with the others, he's already covered in dirt.

Date Nights

Just like Smoky, except instead of being around the Nameless Road children, he usually takes you to a high area to cuddle and watch the stars.

Getting Hurt (Him)

Even though he gets hurt, he takes good enough care of himself that he usually doesn't mention it because he forgets or is too busy.

Getting Hurt (You)

Best believe this man will bring up to P. In return, P and the others will go looking for whoever it was and Takeshi will stay with you to make sure you're doing okay. He worries about you even if he sometimes doesn't show it.

Wearing a skirt that is too short (or a dress)

The only and last time you wore a dress that was too short was the time that Takeshi got a jacket that was long enough to help cover your bum. You still wear skirts and dresses but you always wear the jacket.

Jealous

Definitely the jealous type, he'll boast about how you're his girl and how you're beautiful. If that isn't enough, he will take you away from the person and be super close to you.

Hyuga | Norihisa Hyuga

Skin Care

"No." He pushes away the idea of doing your skin care routine, he would like to do it but he does not want you to know that. "Fine then, grumpy." You grumble as you walk back into the bathroom. That was enough to get him to get up and do it with you. Playing it off as though he hates it, when in reality he really enjoys it.

Public Affection

You best bet this man will refuse to show you any form of affection in public, and even in private his affection is quite shit. It isn't that he doesn't love you, it's that he doesn't know how to show it quite yet. His way of showing you affection is getting you all types of gifts, which are usually small (candles, makeup (he so fucks this up), clothes, and sometimes jewelry).

Date Nights

Your date nights are spent at restaurants, but 80% of the time he has the other Daruma Ikka members there, and if they aren't there then you actually spend time alone. The rare date nights are where you both stay in and do shit together.

Getting Hurt (Him)

Actually doesn't care to tell you or bother asking you to help him. It's not about being manly, well it partially is, but its also because he doesn't want you to see him when he's like this. He cares for you.

Getting Hurt (You)

Let's be brutally honest, he'll act as if he doesn't care but in secret he gets his right hand men to hunt and possibly kill the person who hurt you.

Wearing a skirt thats too short (or a dress)

He doesn't really care if anyone is staring because he wants to flaunt you. Granted the people that cat call you annoy him, he's too proud that he landed you to really give a shit.

Jealous

This mf.. if someone is getting too close or touchy feely with you, he'd act as if it didn't bother him but he's secretly grabbing you and holding you close. Not in the affectionate way, more so of in the "she's mine" way.

Masterlist High&Low Masterlist

[sliceofcake-cupoftea]

Allergies, Allergies, Allergies

Headcanons: What if High and Low characters had allergies? And who?

Character(s): S.W.O.R.D

Warning(s): Mature Content (for White Rascals and Sannoh)

Note: Due to the fact I have been unexpectationally swarmed with assignments for finals that have stopped me from finishing my oneshots and requests as well as the fact my pollen allergy has been acting up as the weather grows warmer, I decided to strew together a funny Headcanon for everyone to enjoy until I am back. Enjoy!

Takeshi – Rude Boys

If anyone in the rude boys had an allergy, it would be Takeshi.

I’m not sure what it is that makes me feel this way but it's just that face of his.

Anyways, I imagine it just happened one day when he was with the boys. They were likely passing around food that they found and were sharing it.

A bit of the usual fish, seafood, and jerky scraps but also some lucky finds like rice, dried fruits and–

Peanut butter. 

“H’y Tak’shi,” P says, his mouth sticky from a scoop of peanut butter Shion just fed him; watching as his friend attempts to wrestle the bag of jerky out of Yu’s greedy hands, “Y’u nee’ to try th’s stuff.”

“In… One– Sec–” Takeshi grunts as he reaches over Yu’s shoulder, some of the other boys helping Takeshi by pinning Yu’s legs down. However, ever the so slippery snake he was, Yu quickly escapes their grasps and attempts to flee again, “Come back here, Fatass!”

With one last huff as some of the other boys quickly chase after the youngest member, Takeshi takes a seat down on the ground next to P and Smokey. Getting handed the spoon with the sticky substance, he pops it into his mouth, “He needs to learn to share. It’s not fair for the rest of us.”

“True,” Shion comments as he scoops a giant glob of the peanut butter with an extra spoon and gestures to their leader to take another bite. And even though Smokey shakes his head in refusal, the other male didn’t seem to be giving up anytime soon. Fully intent on getting their leader to take a bite of the protein and vitamin filled peanut substance, “But he’s new and young. We were all like this when we first started out.” 

“Even you, Takeshi–” As P goes to slap a hand on his friend’s shoulder in a joking manner, he suddenly freezes. P just staring at him with this shocked looked on his face

“Wha–” 

However, Takeshi stops in his words as he suddenly feels how heavy his tongue feels as he speaks. Bringing up a hand to his mouth, he jumps in surprised as he feels his swollen lips, “Wha’ goin’--”

“Takeshi,” Smokey and Shion are instantly by his side as Takeshi feels his words fade away. Suddenly, it feels as if he is looking at the world around him through a tunnel. His vision on the sides slowly fading away as his ears begin to ring. Smokey, P and Shion are yelling something but he can’t hear them. 

What was happening? What was going on?

Then, all of a sudden, the world returns back to normal and Takeshi takes a deep inhale he didn’t know he needed. His vision and hearing return as if nothing had happened and he can feel the swelling in his mouth go down. 

“Hol– Holy crap Takeshi!” P suddenly yells, shaking his friend. Making Takeshi realize he was laying down, his head resting on Shion’s lap. When did he end up here? Actually as Takeshi looks around he sees that Yu and the others had returned, staring at the older member worried, “Did you know you were allergic to peanuts?”

At his friend’s words, Takeshi blinks.

Allergic?

Him?

However as Takeshi’s mind races, going over what he experienced and comparing it to the information he knows, he knows what P said was likely true. Damn, he was allergic to something. That’s a pain.

“You're lucky Yu had an Epipen,” Shion adds, patting his friend on the shoulder as Smokey and P help him into a sitting position. Surprised, Takeshi glances at the youngest member who scratches the back of his head nervously.

“I–” Yu starts, stammering at his words under the gaze of the boys, “I just collected them just in case, you know? I guess you can never be too sure.”

Fishing in his pocket, Yu sticks out a plastic grocery sized bag filled with Epipens, adding under his breath, “You can have them, Takeshi. I don’t actually need them.”

Before Takeshi can say anything, Yu has already dropped the bag in his lap and has run off. Mumbling about it being his time to patrol even though it wasn’t.

“Well,” Smokey chuckles, making Takeshi turn his head in surprise at his leader, “I guess you finally got Yu to share something, Takeshi.”

It was true. Yu had never shared anything up until this point.

Unable to help himself, Takeshi breaks out into a laugh, joining Smokey. All it took was him in a life or death situation to have the youngster to share something. What an idiot.

Dan – Sannoh Rengokai

I’m going to be completely honest. I did this because I thought it would be absolutely hilarious.

Listen

Latex Allergy.

If you know, you know.

Anyways I think compared to Takeshi, Dan definitely knew he had this allergy. He just didn’t want the rest of Sannoh to know. Because, obvious reasons. 

“Are you going home with her?” Tettsu whispers, nudging his friend who for the first time that night was free and that was only because he was grabbing another set of drinks for them. This whole night Tettsu and Chiharu could only watch in shock as Dan was getting flirted with by a girl. That’s right, a girl interested in Dan.

Dan quickly looks behind him, likely to make sure the girl wasn’t watching him, before slapping the back of Tettsu’s head, “Maybe. I’m not forcing anything though.”

“Well,” Chiharu says, sliding in on the other side of Dan as Tettsu rubs the spot Dan hit in pain. Looking around, Chiharu smirks before stuffing something into his pocket and it doesn’t take Dan much to guess exactly what it was, “You’ll probably be needing those.”

“No. No, I won’t.” Dan says back under his breath before pulling out the offending item from his jeans and shoving it in Chiharu’s chest. Not wanting it anywhere near him even though it was wrapped safely in plastic. Swearing he could already feel hives breaking out on his skin even though he probably wasn’t.

“What's your deal, man?” Tettsu murmurs, confused on what got Dan so irritated all of a sudden, “You allergic to wrapping up or something?”

Even though it was supposed to just be a joke, making both Chiharu and Tettsu laugh, they quickly fall silent when they see Dan not joining them.

“No way. Are you actually–” 

“Shut up.” Dan cuts them off as he finally gets handed his drinks, grabbing them quickly as he begins to walk away. Already feeling his ears burn a bright red from the embarrassment dripping from him.

“Wait,” Tettsu quickly stops him, getting in his way from walking forward back to his table. Making Dan’s scowl in annoyance grow larger. Chiharu joins them, seeming to watch in interest as Tettsu pulls out his wallet from his back pocket and fishes something out. Quickly sticking it in Dan’s jacket pocket.

This asshole.

Dan feels his hands shake in anger as once again knew what was put in his pocket, “Do you want to get your face punched–”

“Latex-free, bro.” Tettsu says, slapping Dan on the shoulder with a grin and thumbs up. Silencing Dan in his threat as he stares confused and bewildered at his friend. However, Chiharu quickly filled in that silence. More than enough questions for Tettsu.

“Wait, are you also…?” Chiharu asks, seeming caught off guard as he looks back and forth between his two closest friends. For some reason suddenly feeling the one left out from the group.

“No, I got them from SMG,” Tettsu says with a grin, seeming suddenly quite proud of himself as he references the White Rascal subgroup. Though, it only confuses Chiharu and Dan more, “In their words, you can never be too careful. It's not just men allergic to latex.” 

Ah.

At Tettsu’s words, it suddenly clicks for them. Of course, it was the White Rascals. If Dan remembered correctly from his one and only visit, the club had multiple bowls of the items around. Just in case a couple was stuck without a source of protection. Always thinking of the women guests' interests; Always. 

“You got this, Dan.” Chiharu suddenly says, snapping Dan out of his thoughts as his friends slap him on the shoulder before returning back to the bar. All the while Tettsu tells Chiharu how he has been learning from SMG on how to woo a woman correctly. 

Idiots. 

Though Dan can only smile as returns back to his seat.

Agyo – Daruma

Agyo and Ungyo, twins(?) of the Daruma Ikka subgroup: Daruma Babies.

Even though we hardly know anything about these two (as well as a lot of characters of Daruma), I thought it would be interesting if someone in Daruma was allergic to Soy. 

Mostly because Soy can often be found in a lot of traditional Japanese foods.

Ex: Tofu, Edamame, Natto, miso, (occasionally) soy sauce, etc.

While we hardly have any lines or scenes of the two of them, we can infer three facts about them. (1) they are quick to anger and fight like the rest of Daruma, (2) they seem very close as they are hardly ever seen apart (even in fights) and (3) their names are based on two opposite Japanese gods (likely inferring that their personalities are opposites as well). 

Just guessing but because Agyo means one with an open mouth (aka one to speak first or birth), I’m guessing Agyo is more of a talker and the smarter one of the twins (Also because he has glasses and we’ve seen so far in High and Low, anyone with glasses is typically smarter than the others). Then, Ungyo, one with an closed mouth (aka last to speak or death), is likely less of a talker and more likely to use his fists first (Also, even though both of them seem hotheaded, he seems to be the one more interested in picking the fight with Ranmaru than the others when he bumped into the group). 

But once again, this is just me making an educated guess and inferring as we hardly know anything about any of these Daruma boys except Hyuga.

Anyways, back to the Allergy headcanon. I think Agyo would have a soy allergy but wouldn’t tell anyone as he might be prideful and didn’t want to get laughed at. And Ungyo would eat any Soy products that anyone tried to give his brother, to hide Agyo’s secret. 

Of course, this would work out for a while. That is until Ungyo was absent during a hang out and left Agyo by himself.

“Oi, Agyo,” Ukyo calls, taking an inhale of his cigarette before pulling it out of his lips and gesturing to the waiter that was taking their table's order, “What you want?” 

“Ah, I’ll just have some Mori Soba,” Agyo says, handing his menu forward to join the others that had already ordered. Some of them make noises of agreement with his choice, murmuring how it was pretty hot outside and debating if they should get something cold now, “Is it okay if I order something for Ungyo as well?” 

“Sure, just pile it in. Poor asshole probably sick as a dog at home anyways.”

“Alright cool. Can I get a Miso soup to go as well? Thanks.”

As the others in the gang proceed to order, Agyo returns his attention back to his phone; Typing a quick message to his brother to check in. Though as a response quickly comes back, he can only snort. Of course, Ungyo sent an unflattering selfie of himself crouched over the toilet bowl. Only his brother would do something like that. 

Continuing to text his brother, ignoring the occasional yell from Ukyo and Sakyo to get off his phone, the food eventually arrived. Some of the guys cheering as the waiters and waitresses place the plethora of food down. 

Agyo is one of the few that stayed quiet. Breaking open a pair of chopsticks as he chats with Futa. Finally, for the first time that night, relaxing as he knows Ungyo took some Advil and went to bed for the night. 

That is until his bowl was placed down in front of him.

“Oh, Agyo, is something wrong?” Futa asks as he sees his friend freeze when he glances down at his bowl. The other member of the Daruma Babies, Raita, glances from across the table to see what’s up. 

“Aish,” Raita says, as he groans once he sees what’s in the bowl, “So lucky. They gave you extra toppings.”

And extra toppings they did. While Agyo didn’t mind the carrots nor mushrooms in his bowl, it was the offending plethora of aburaage that sent his stomach through a loop. Already imagining the nausea and hives he gets from eating the tofu product, sending his heart pounding with anxiety. Blinking once, twice and finally a third time, Agyo realizes the dish they gave him. Not Mori Soba but Kitsune Soba. Shit, they switched up his order.

Wait.

Agyo’s eyebrows quickly furrowed in confusion as he notices the soup wasn’t steaming. An usual trait in a Kitsune Soba was for it to be hot. Dipping his pointer finger in, he realizes the soup was in fact cold and that it has the Tsuyu dipping sauce on the side. Two characteristics that are usually only found in Mori Soba.

So, they just gave him extra toppings? But why? 

“Oi,” However before Agyo can even attempt to figure out the answer, his bowl is suddenly picked up. He doesn’t even need to turn around to guess who it was as he catches a whiff of cigarettes and weed; Hyuga. 

“His order is wrong,” Hyuga barks as he takes an inhale of his Kiseru. Blowing out a puff of smoke in the waiter’s face before shoving the bowl in his shaking hands. “Redo it.” 

“B-but Sir.” The waiter stutters, some of the soup staining his shirt as it overspills from being handed to him, “The young lady gave the extra toppings as a—“

“I don’t give two shits.” Hyuga spits out, shutting the man up as he takes a step forward. Getting in his face, “Re. Do. It.” 

“Of— of course, Sir. Right- away.” 

As the waiter scampers off, Agyo can only stare in shock. For once in his life, his mouth shut and not a single word planning on leaving his lips. However, the rest of the members had more than enough to say. 

“Ah, Hyuga. Wasn’t that too harsh?” 

“Come on, it’s free stuff. I doubt Agyo was complaining.”

“Oh man, Mad dog Hyuga is off his leash.” 

Though all it takes is Ukyo slamming his fist down on the table and a glare from Sakyo for everyone to quickly shut up. Agyo, one of the few silent ones from the start, can only watch in uneasy silence as Hyuga grabs his plate and takes a seat next to him. 

Sighing and taking another inhale from his Kiseru, Hyuga only raises an eyebrow at Agyo’s stares. 

“Wha’,” Hyuga mumbles, seeming interested in his dumbfounded expression. Slowly, the other members of the group around them go back to their own conversations and meals. Though, Agyo can only keep his eyes trained on his boss as a small smirk makes its way to the male’s lips, “Go ahead try a bite.”

“Oh,” is all Agyo can let out as Hyuga pushes the plate of Sashimi closer in front of him. Although delicious, with the adrenaline still rushing through his body, Agyo had lost his sense of appetite for the time being, “I’m good. Thanks, Boss.”

However, the mischievous dark eyes that stare into his own doesn’t seem to take no for an answer as Hyuga takes another inhale before muttering words that stun Agyo even more silent than before, 

“Eat the fish, Soy boy.” 

Agyo had never reached for a pair of chopsticks faster in his life.

Kizzy – White Rascals

Lovely wonderful Kizzy.

Poor girl is allergic to pollen :(

Of course, Kaito would know about this. He would likely find out when they first started dating.

Though it would take a couple of tries for the rest of the White Rascals to figure it out. 

Especially as Kizzy doesn’t seem like the type to tell them when she isn’t feeling well.

But, when they do. They going to make sure they take Kizzy’s allergy seriously. Like super serious. 

“Hah?” Kizzy shouts, her loud voice causing Kaito to turn away from the pan he was cooking on to look at the direction of the hallway. The young girl, fresh from out of the shower with a towel still wrapped around her body, walks into the kitchen and it doesn’t take another second for Kaito to realize Kizzy was on the phone, “What do you mean I’m not working tomorrow? It’s not my day off! I’m scheduled!”

Confused, his eyebrows furrowing ever so slightly, Kaito takes the pan off the burner and walks over to Kizzy. Placing his hands carefully around her waist so as to not surprise her, he leans carefully against his girlfriend. Placing a soft kiss on the back of her shoulder; her skin still slightly damp under his chapped lips.

“Well, I want to work. You can’t just call me off at the last minute!” Kizzy says aggressively once more on the other end, turning herself around so as to face Kaito. Her nose scrunched up in annoyance; a trait that instantly makes Kaito think of how adorable she was. Wanting to smother her in a kiss right then. 

Though, knowing his girlfriend was busy on the phone, Kaito settles for wrapping his arms around her waist and placing soft pecks on Kizzy’s long neck. 

“Do I need to kill someone?” Kaito murmurs as there seems to be a pause in the conversation on the other line. An action that causes Kizzy to snort even though she knows her boyfriend is serious. 

“No.” Kizzy responds, pulling the phone away from her mouth for a moment, “And it's Rocky.”

Of course it is. No wonder she hadn’t already run out the door to kick the person’s ass.

With a humm in acknowledgment as Kizzy returns to arguing with Rocky once more, Kaito resumes placing kisses along his girlfriend’s shoulder blades, chest and neck. Enjoy the brief moment of intimacy between the two. Especially as one of Kizzy’s hands comes up to weave into Kaito’s hair. An action that lets him know Kizzy was paying attention to him and his affections.

“Hey! Oi! You better not– That fucking bastard.” Kaito watches from his spot with his head rested on her shoulder as Kizzy pulls the phone away from her ear and glares at it, “He just fucking hung up on me.”

Kaito raises an eyebrow but doesn’t respond. Especially as Kizzy curses some more and begins to walk away. A signal for Kaito to let go of his girlfriend as she was thoroughly pissed off. 

And while he usually would follow after her, waiting for her to cool down once more, the slight vibration in his back left pocket distracts him. Pulling out his phone and seeing a text on his lock screen that just came through, Kaito can’t help the grin that spreads to his lips. 

Although as quickly as the smile came it left. Placing his phone on the counter and shrugging off his jacket, Kaito slowly walks over to Kizzy. The young woman still fuming as she attempts to call their leader back; the young man not answering any of her calls.

“Kizzy…” Kaito mumbles, this time his hands a little less carefully in not surprising his girlfriend as he places one right on the curve of her ass, the other skimming on the top edge of her towel. Placing a kiss to the back of her shoulder, he waits for his girlfriend to respond before proceeding. 

And respond did Kizzy do. In a little less than a couple seconds, Kizzy had already captured her boyfriend’s lips in a searing kiss; shrugging off her towel as she was pushing Kaito down to the couch. Likely unable to wait to get all the anger and frustration out of her system.

All the while, Kaito can only grin as he hears his phone buzz once more. The unanswered message from Koo likely still on his lockscreen.

Today, the neighbors planted sunflowers and refused to take them out when we asked. Rocky does not want Kizzy to be coming to work until we get the situation settled. Please keep her occupied until then so she doesn’t show up to the club.

He just hoped Kizzy wouldn’t see the text afterwards or he would be a dead man.

Murayama – Oya High

Lots of people say Murayama is a dog person.

Though I can honestly see him as just a straight animal lover.

Like I feel like he and Smokey would be the most likely to take in strays. Whether that be cats, dogs, etc.

Except, unlike Smokey, I feel like Murayama would be the type to be allergic to cats. Like the sniffly sneezing, runny red eyes, and stuffy nose type of allergy. 

Murayama also seems like the type of guy that would be like, “The more I’m exposed to my allergies, the more likely I can be immune!”

No, no idiot. That's not how it works. 

So, I feel like a lot of the part timers (especially Furuya and Seki) have to step in to keep him from getting near or taking in stray cats.

“Oi! Murayama!” Furuya shouts once more, using the toe of his boot to kick at the door. Not caring about the strange looks he and the group of part-timers got from Murayama’s neighbors as they poked their heads out from their apartments, “Open the door! We know you are in there!”

“Maybe he really is not home?” Seki asks as he passes the broom in between his hands, the student holding the animal carrier just shrugging at him. Meanwhile, some of the students holding nets and containers of their own go over to the window next to the door to see if they could peek past the curtain to look inside.

“No he is. The fucker definitely is.” 

Just as Furuya goes to kick at the door once more, it suddenly swings open revealing their boss. Of course, just as Furuya had guessed, Muruyama had bloodshot glossy eyes and a red nose. Fucking idiot.

“Oi! Hey!” Not giving Murayama even a second to ask them what they are doing here, Furuya has already placed him in a headlock and shoved his way into the apartment. The other students immediately stampeding in as well, splitting up to search the premises. Looking for the fluffy devil-like creature inside, “What the hell–”

Though, Furuya has already kneed Murayama in the stomach as the male attempts to get out of the lock. Likely this would end up in a fight between the two but Furuya knew it was good for the idiot. He can’t just take in the thing he was allergic to.

“What the FUCK–” 

As a large crash and girlish scream resounds throughout the apartment, Furuya and the other students can only watch in shock and horror as an offending creature comes barling out of the room. With brown and black fur, a fluffy thick coat, sharp claws, black noses and whiskers, it scampers onto the coffee table…holding a peanut butter jar?

“Is that a motherfucking Racoon?”

While Furuya doesn’t know who said it, he honestly didn’t care. Especially as he just continued to stare straight at the Tanuki on his leader’s coffee table. Said Tanuki was not only eating out of a peanut butter jar but had a matching blue bandana across its forehead.

“Tanushiki!”

Furuya doesn’t even bother cursing Murayama out as the young male elbows him in the stomach, releasing Furuya’s hold on him. Especially as their leader, their leader for crying out loud, proceeds to scold the Tanuki called Tanushiki about standing on the table. 

He thinks about saying something. Maybe a comment or even a question if the raccoon was named after a combination of Murayama first name–Yoshiki–and Tanuki. Or perhaps ask how long their leader had the animal. Likely a while based on how calm the thing was with Murayama. 

But all of that goes out the window as the sound of hissing and banging is once again heard in the other room, some of the part-timers cheering as one of them comes out with a container; a stray cat clearly inside. 

“I–” Furuya already felt a headache coming on as he took in the scene around him, “Let’s just wrap this up.”

Defeated, and clearly needing a beer, Furuya takes the rest of the part-timers and leaves. Ignoring the fact Murayama and Tanushiki had gotten into a brawl over the peanut butter jar as he left. Not even bothering to mention or even glance at the claw marks that were scattered on the leader's face when he showed up at school the next morning. 

[awritersstuff]

Did you get enough love , my little dove ?

Takeshi again found himself again at a place where he shouldn't be special not at 2 in the morning . Takeshi looked at the cross in front of him , the place were they buried smoky, now it was the most visited place by Takeshi. He still rememberes the day smoky died every memory is crystal clear, Takeshi remembers every bruise smoky had just like he remembers the day he first met smoky just like he remembers the day they formed rude boys just like he remembers every day spent with smoky and rude boys , everyday spent with his family. Takeshi sat in front of the cross as he started saying," it's been a while. Many things changed between this time . The boys chose me as the new leader of rude boys, shion got a new job, the government paid compensation for the damage of property and publicly apologized for the people we lost " Takeshi scoffed a little, " and yes lala joined rude boys " a strong wind hitted Takeshi directly on the face " yes yes , I know you told us not to but she is good and she is -" Takeshi paused a little as he started speaking again " so much like you" . " everyone misses you ,smoky . yuu refused to eat for two days if it wasn't for p who forceful fed him . Lala usually goes to the building top you use to go to , she loves that place " Takeshi said as tears started to fall from his eyes." I wish that you get all the love that you gave to others " Takeshi looked at the cross in front of him , he slowly laid beside the grave "good night smoky" .

Takeshi opened his eyes as felt a weight on his stomach, it has started to hurt. He tried to get up but the weight on his stomach made it hard for , "p?" Takeshi said almost in a whisper and then he looked around himself, Takeshi smiled to himself seeing the scene around him . P was sleeping on his stomach and yuu was sleeping on p's stomach and shion was sleeping just beside them .

"My family " Takeshi whispered to himself. A gentle morning wind softly touched his face as Takeshi said " good morning, smoky "

[tiredlittlewriter]

[osakamichi]

was rewatching the first High&Low movie AND I NEVER REALISED MURAYAMA MENTIONED SMOKY

[akq96618]

[ 𝙝𝙤𝙢𝙚 ]

[rainisawriter]

Strange One – Takeshi (PSF #8)

Ficography

Genre: Fluff, comedy

Prompt: Rainy Day (@flufftober)

Word Count: 3,099

Pairing: Reader x Takeshi

World: High&Low

───── ⋆⋅🍂⋅⋆ ─────

You scratched your cheek as you stared at the paper in your hand, trying to decipher the map that Tettsu had drawn you. Honestly, you were pretty sure a toddler could have done better. He even used crayon to draw it, claiming he couldn’t find a pen.

You were already late to the meeting but it wasn’t your fault. No one could have deciphered the damn thing. Shaking your head, you tugged your phone out of your pocket to call up Dan and get proper directions.

“Shit,” you cursed, seeing the low battery warning flash across the screen. You tried to send a quick SOS text to him instead but the phone shut off before you could send it. “Could this week get any worse?”

It had been a rough one for sure. Your dad hadn’t been able to pay the bills so you were kicked out of the house, forcing you both to return to the Sword area to stay with your cousin, Tettsu, and his family. It had been a long time since you were back here so nothing felt familiar. The five gangs hadn’t existed back then, either.

The day you arrived, some thugs tried to mug your dad so you ended up getting into a fight and, though you did kick their asses, you got a knife wound for your trouble. Not only that, but your dad was struggling to find a new job after having been laid off. You couldn’t find one, either.

On the fourth day of being back, you nearly got run over by a car and then your dad fell down the stairs because he was drunk, breaking his arm in three places and spraining his ankle. You were beginning to think this damned place was cursed though, thinking about it, your life wasn’t much better back home either.

Thunder rumbled overhead, dark clouds filling the night sky. 

“Motherfu -“

With another clap of thunder, the sky opened up, sheets of freezing rain falling on you. You took off down the street, looking for some place you could duck under to escape the rain. You spied an open door up ahead and rushed inside without a second thought, running your hand through your hair before tugging off your hoodie. It had absorbed most of the rain, though your shirt was damp.

You loved the rain. To you, it was peaceful and relaxing, but you didn’t enjoy being caught in the rain. You hated the feeling of wearing wet clothes, the weight of them pushing down on you and rubbing against your skin. 

You glanced around the dark room. It appeared to be a small apartment, though it was run down and messy. A torn, dirty couch sat on one side with a small table on the opposite side. Directly to the right of the door was a small kitchen sitting in the corner, though it hardly looked functioning. The back wall was caved in, making it impossible to go farther.

A small round candle sat on the counter, half used up with a lighter sitting beside it. You glanced around for any sign of life and saw none, so you chose to light the candle. The room looked even worse with the candle illuminating it and you were fairly certain that it was not safe to be in.

Rain pounded against the side of the building with a metallic twang and the building shook when the thunder roared overhead.

You sighed, falling onto the couch only to wince as a spring jabbed into my ass. I shifted off it, wrinkling my nose at the layer of dust covering the orange sofa. Setting the candle on the makeshift coffee table, you leaned your head back and closed your eyes, imagining all the ways you were gonna kill Tettsu when you got back home.

───── ⋆⋅🍂⋅⋆ ─────

“Oi, wake up!” A hand roughly shook your shoulder, knocking you from sleep.

“Fuck off, Tettsu,” you muttered tiredly. “Was having a great dream.

When you tried to roll over and go back to sleep, the hand shook your shoulder again.

“I said fu -” You turned to glare at your cousin, but it wasn’t him that was standing over you. You blinked a few times, glancing around the room. This was definitely not your bedroom. “The hell are you?”

He folded his arms over his chest, brown eyes narrowed at you. “That’s my question.”

“I asked first.”

“Hah?” He scoffed in disbelief. “Are you five?”

“No, I just live with one. Tends to rub off on you.” You sat up, yawning and stretching your arms over your head. Your back was killing you and your neck felt stiff. “Where am I?”

“Nameless Street.”

“Who the hell names something Nameless? That’s dumb.”

“Who are you?” He demanded, eyes scanning you for anything that could identify you or who you were with. “You don’t belong here.”

“No shit, sherlock.” You scoffed, pulling yourself to your feet as you eyed the guy in front of you. He was pretty damn cute, you couldn’t lie. “You can untwist your panties, I’m leaving.”

He stepped in front of you, blocking your path. “You’re not going anywhere until you tell me who you are.”

You scoffed, flexing your hand. “Look, man, I’m sore, tired, and had a really shitty week. Get out of my way before I make you.”

The corner of his lips twitched up, amusement dancing in his eyes. “You can try, but you won’t get very far.”

You acted as if you were trying to step past him before throwing your fist at his face. He dodged, grabbing your wrist before kicking your foot back to make you lose your balance. You stumbled but stayed upright, dodging his foot when he tried to kick you in the ribs. The floor was covered in dust so both of you kept sliding across it as you exchanged blows.

You tried to use this to your advantage, throwing your weight against him. It worked, his back hitting the floor with a grunt. You rushed for the door but he grabbed your ankle, a cry leaving your lips as you fell forward, just barely able to place your fall with your arms.

“Fucking hell,” you groaned, attempting to kick him in the balls but he dodged, pinning your legs beneath one knee, the other over your right arm, pinning it to the ground. You tried to punch him with your free hand but he grabbed it, pinning it beside your head as he hovered above you. Both of you were breathing heavily, glaring at each other.

“I’ve reconsidered,” you huffed, his grip like iron on your wrist. “I’ll tell you who I am if you get your fat ass off me.”

He scoffed. “This isn’t a negotiation.”

“I’m not a terrorist, man.”

“Huh?” His brow furrowed in confusion.

“You’re not supposed to negotiate with terrorists, but I’m not a terrorist,” you grinned. “So negotiate with me.”

“You’re really strange.”

“Thanks. It’s my best quality.”

“That wasn’t a compliment.”

“I took it as one.”

He scoffed, shaking his head as if to rid himself of anything distracting him from his task. “Who do you work for?”

“No one. Actually, I’m looking for a job so if you know someone who’s hiring, can you -“

He pressed his knee harder against your arm, looking annoyed. “Stop playing games.”

“Ow, ow, ow! Okay, fucking hell!” You tried to pull your arm free but he was like an immovable object on top of you. It was then that you remembered the knife in your pocket. It would be hard to grab it but it was your only option. “I’ll tell you everything, just… get off me, please. You’re really hurting me, man.”

His eyes softened a bit, his bottom lip between his teeth as he considered the request. “Will you behave?”

“Scout’s honor.”

He didn’t look entirely convinced, but he slowly removed his weight, standing up and extending his hand out to you. In the blink of an eye, you pulled out the blade and tried to stab his hand. He managed to pull back but the blade sliced across his palm, making him hiss in pain.

“I was never a scout, fuckface,” you scowled at him before taking off out of the house. It was late morning by this point, rain still falling from the cloud covered sky.

“Get back here!” His feet pounded the ground as he ran after you and you could hear feet running along the pipes above you.

You cursed, turning abruptly in an attempt to lose them. They continued to chase you, gaining on you, but they stopped abruptly when you darted through the gate of Nameless City, heading toward Sannoh. You glanced over your shoulder to see the brunette glaring at you, clutching his hand. A bunch of guys appeared around him, a redhead at his side.

You had no idea why they stopped pursuing you, but you took it as a win, grinning at him and flicking him off. He scowled, moving forward as if he were going to resume the chase and you took off, running until your legs turned to jelly.

You fell back against a building, sliding down to the ground with a groan. “I hate you so much, Tettsu.”

“I love you, too, cousin.”

Your head snapped up, seeing Tettsu and Chiharu standing in front of you, one grinning while the other looked concerned. You were filled with a sudden burst of energy as you jumped up, kicking him hard in the gut.

“Motherfucker, do you have any idea what I went through because of you, huh? You and your stupid dreams of being an artist!”

He scowled, dodging a second kick. “My dreams aren’t stupid! It’s not my fault you’re too dumb to read a map!”

“Hah?! No one could make sense of that shit! Come ‘ere and let me murder you!”

“No way in hell!”

Chiharu sighed as he watched you chasing your cousin, the two of you exchanging insults as you tried to injure him. Unfortunately for you, dodging was Tettsu’s special skill. He did feel a bit concerned about this, though, so he headed down the block to get Cobra. So far, the blonde was the only one capable of breaking the two or you up once you got started.

When Cobra finally arrived on the scene, you were sitting on your cousin’s back, securing him in a headlock as the two of you exchanged insults. The blonde sighed, smacking you lightly on the back of the head.

“Release him.”

“But -“

“Now.”

You scowled, squeezing him tighter before finally releasing your grip on him. You scooted back, sitting on the damp ground.

“You tried to kill me!” accused Tettsu, pointing his finger at you.

“You deserved it.”

Cobra folded his arms over his chest. “Tell me what happened.” 

“This idiot -“

“You’re an idiot, idiot!”

“- wanted me to help him set up the DTC hideout so, like the kind soul I am -“

“Kind, my ass!”

“Shut your face, no one is talking to you!”

“Why don’t you make me?”

“Enough.” Cobra’s eyes narrowed with warning at the two of you and you both huffed in annoyance. “Continue.”

“Like I was saying, I went there out of the kindness of my heart to help, but this idiot -“

Tettsu’s lips parted but Cobra sent him a warning look and he closed them again, pouting.

“- gave me a shittily drawn map so I got lost. Then it started pouring so I dipped into the first building I saw. Ended up falling asleep because I was bored and my phone was dead. I was woken up this morning by some rude guy demanding to know who I was. I tried to leave but he wouldn’t let me so, of course, I beat his ass.”

Tettsu scoffed. “Doubtful.”

“I beat yours, didn’t I?”

“You cheated!”

“All’s fair in love and war, bitch.”

Cobra’s brow furrowed, a feeling of dread settling in his gut. “Do you know who it was?”

“I never got his name,” you shrugged. “Oh, but I did slice his hand open in order to get away.”

“Do you know where you ended up?”

“Uh…” you scratched your cheek in thought before snapping your fingers. “Ah! He said Nameless Street which is a really dumb fucking name.”

Both men looked at you with wide eyes, their bodies tense.

“Y-You…” Tettsu stuttered. “You’re an actual dumbass!”

“Hah?! You wanna die?”

Cobra closed the distance, kneeling in front of you and taking you roughly by the shoulders. You were taken aback by the intensity in his eyes. “Are you sure he said Nameless Street?”

“Yes?”

“And what did he look like?”

“Uh… brown hair, brown eyes, green clothes.”

“Shit.”

“What?” You frowned, looking between the two of them as they exchanged a look.

Tettsu shook his head. “Good job, cousin. You’ve barely been here a week and you’ve already potentially started a war between two Sword groups.”

“Eh?” You blinked dumbly. 

“That guy was Takeshi. He’s the leader of the Rude Boys.”

You swallowed hard, heart dropping to your stomach. “Well, fuck me, I guess.”

───── ⋆⋅🍂⋅⋆ ─────

“Do I have to do this?” You complained with a scowl, following Cobra toward Nameless City.

“Yes.”

“He’s going to kill me as soon as he sees me, you know that, right? You’re gonna be complacent in my murder.”

He sent you an exasperated look. “Takeshi is a reasonable guy who puts the Rude Boys first. He doesn’t want a war anymore than we do.”

“Oh yeah, so reasonable when he fought me and pinned me to the floor.”

“You threw the first punch.”

“You can’t prove that, Cobra.”

“You told me,” he sent you a deadpan look and you huffed.

The second the two of you entered Nameless City, you could feel eyes watching you though you saw no one around. You heard feet pounding on the pipes overhead yet no one was there when you glanced up.

A man jumped off the roof, landing in front of you. It was the redhead. “Cobra,” he greeted cautiously.

“P,” Cobra returned the greeting and you snorted at his name, earning a look from both males.

Recognition flashed through P’s eyes as he stepped closer. “You -“

Cobra stepped in front of you protectively. “We’re here to apologize to Takeshi.”

He considered this for a moment before nodding, sending you one last look before turning and leading the two of you farther into the city. He led you through a tall building, pulling back a plastic sheet to reveal a room resembling a living room. Takeshi was sitting on the couch looking exhausted.

Cobra stopped you in the doorway as P approached the brunette. “Please behave.”

“I always behave.”

He stared blankly at you and you frowned.

“Fine, I’ll behave.”

“No smart remarks. Just apologize for attacking him.”

“Fine.”

“This is important,” he stressed, resting his hand on your shoulder.

“I know,” you replied softly, catching Takeshi’s gaze when he glanced over at you.

Cobra led you farther into the room, greeting the younger male. “Takeshi.”

“Cobra,” he greeted back, but his eyes remained on you.

You glanced at his hand, the bandage dirty and caked with dried blood. When he noticed you staring at it, he folded his arms over his chest, hiding his hand from view.

“What can I do for you?”

Cobra nudged you in the ribs.

You cleared your throat, taking a step forward. “I… came to apologize.” You had to hold back your wince as the words dug into your pride. “I shouldn’t have attacked you.”

“What were you doing here?” His voice wasn’t as harsh as it had been during your last meeting and you took note of how tired he sounded.

“I, uh…” you rubbed the back of your neck. “I got lost because my cousin sucks at giving directions. Then it started to rain so I ran to the first place I could find.”

He hummed thoughtfully, watching you closely. It felt invasive and it made you uncomfortable.

“Staring is rude- ow!”

Cobra smacked you upside the head, giving you a stern look.

“I was just stating a fact, chill the hell out,” you scowled, rubbing the spot he had hit.

The corner of Takeshi’s lips slid up, amusement dancing in his eyes. “Did you not know where you were?”

“No. I’ve only been here a week, man, I don’t even know who you are.”

“A week?” He repeated in surprise, glancing at Cobra. “You don’t know about Sword?”

“It was explained in detail,” commented Cobra, running a hand through his hair in frustration. “Clearly it went in one ear and out the other.”

“That’s not entirely true, I heard some of it,” you defended, snapping your fingers as you tried to recall the D gang. “Darna? Darulo? Dante? Da… Da something.”

The three men stared at you blankly.

“What? I’m trying, okay.”

“Daruma,” corrected Cobra.

“Oi, I was close! I should get points for that.”

Takeshi laughed, the sound like music to your ears. “You really are a strange one.”

“I know that’s not a compliment,” you scowled. To your surprise, though, he smiled.

“It is, actually.”

“Eh?”

“I’ll forgive you this time since you’re one of Cobra’s people, but don’t let it happen again. We don’t like outsiders in Nameless City.”

“Yeah… yeah, I understand.”

“Thank you,” Cobra nodded to him, patting your shoulder before turning and heading for the door where P was waiting.

You hesitated, though, a frown on your lips.

Takeshi cooked his head to the side. “Is there something else?”

“I’m sorry… about your hand.”

“It’ll heal.”

Swallowing your pride, you slowly approached him. “Give me your hand.”

He quirked a brow. “Why?”

“Don’t be a pain, just do it.”

He chuckled, holding out his uninjured hand. You set a ziplock bag in his hand, bandages and antibiotic ointment inside. He looked at you in surprise, lips parting.

“This should help,” you cut him off, bowing your head before rushing over to Cobra who was smiling at you proudly.

“Oi, strange one.”

You turned, barely reacting fast enough to catch the black mass he had tossed at you. It was the hoodie you had left behind, the cloth now dry. You caught his eye, a flutter in your stomach when he smiled at you.

You quickly turned your back to him, trying to hide your red face but Cobra saw it, a soft chuckle escaping him as he followed you from the building.

───── ⋆⋅🍂⋅⋆ ─────

-> High&Low/Rampage Taglist: @kiraaaeon, @simpforchuchu, @star2fishmeg, @thatpoindexterpixy @manhwabtch

-> General Taglist: @asterhaze, @mrskenpachizaraki

[change-or-d1e]

[xoteajays]

in our bones.

relationship(s): takeshi x female!oc, marco x cosette, pi & yu. fandom: high&low. word count: ~8500. ao3: link. summary: Hinami and Takeshi have had crushes on each other for almost a decade. They’ve been best friends since childhood, they know each other inside and out … except for that one thing that apparently everyone else but them can see. When Takeshi confuses Marco’s well meaning lunch invitation for asking Hinami out on a date, it sets off a chain reaction that threatens to change the friends’ relationship for good. h&l tag list: @hiddenqveendom ** reblogs, likes/kudos, and comments appreciated!!

It gets boring sometimes, waiting for the SWORD leaders to finish their meetings when they get to arguing. It’s not necessarily loud, they’re not yelling, but they are sniping at each other and the rest of their respective members are stuck waiting for them to resolve it. Most of them get along, even if they usually stick to their own gangs.

Pi leans up against a concrete pillar, sighing quietly and shutting his eyes. It doesn’t seem like they’ll be leaving any time soon. Rocky, Smokey and Cobra are having the polite disagreement of civil individuals, though are clearly trying to not snap at each other the longer it goes on. Murayama and Hyuga are bickering amongst themselves about something unrelated, but they’re louder than the former trio.

Yu laughs, his lips pulling back from his teeth in a grin. He elbows Pi in the side, then nods his chin towards Takeshi, who’s sitting and frowning, not paying any attention to the bickering leaders.

“It looks like steam’s going to start coming out of his ears,” Yu teases.

Pi tracks Takeshi’s gaze, then he laughs too.

Hinami is leaning up against a pony-wall towards the back of the room, tossing up and catching a couple of colourful ohajiki pieces that flash in the dim light. Close at her side is one of the White Rascal’s SMG boys; Marco, Pi thinks, if he had to guess. He’s much taller than her and is leaned down slightly to talk with her.

The guy says something and Hinami laughs and Takeshi tenses, his jaw tight. The watching duo can’t help but cackle and Yu knocks into Pi’s shoulder, leaning against him. Pi had been watching Takeshi’s crush on Hinami develop for almost a decade, Yu had joined in his amusement too when he’d eventually joined the group; to them, it’s still funny seeing Takeshi pout and pine.

“What’s so funny?” A voice cuts in.

Pi and Yu jump. Takeshi has no reaction to their new companions.

The Daruma Ikka Babies had snuck up, joined by the remaining trio of the SMG, all curious to what Pi and Yu were so animated about. Being newer members of SWORD, the two groups seemed to gravitate towards each other. The one who had spoken - Agyo, Pi thinks his name is - raises a brow, shoving his hands in the front pocket of his colourful hoodie. Yu tilts his head towards Hinami and the SMG member.

“Takeshi has this huge crush on her,” he replies. Pi elbows him in the side and Yu pouts at him, rubbing his ribs. “What? It’s not like he’s paying attention anyway.”

He’s right. Takeshi is still just staring, a frown drawn on his lips.

The Babies and SMG look over. Hinami’s hoisted herself up onto the pony wall, lightly bouncing the curve of her makeshift flex-foot prosthetic against it. She’s passed one of the larger ohajiki pieces to Marco and they’re flipping them like coins and catching them, seeing how high they can get them without dropping them.

“She’s prett-“ Cosette starts.

“What happened to her leg?” Ungyo says at the same time. Futa leans around to slap the back of his head. “Ow!”

“Something happened when she was a kid, she doesn’t really talk about it, even with us,” Pi answers simply, “Takeshi's probably the only one of us that knows anything about it.”

“Well, anyway, I don’t think Takeshi has to worry ab-ack!” Heidi glowers, confused, at Cosette who had stomped on his foot to shut him up.

“So what’s Takeshi deal with her? Doesn’t she know? He hasn’t told her?” Cosette asks, ignoring Heidi’s pouting.

“He’s tried,” Yu replies with an all-too-knowing smirk.

“He keeps wimping out of confessing,” Pi continues, “It’s been at least three times now that he’s backed out last minute.”

“Seriously?” Cosette deadpans. Pi nods.

“Hey, we’re leaving!” Kizzy suddenly calls out to them. The SMG boys perk to attention.

“Okay!” They all quickly respond in unison.

Kizzy rolls her eyes, turning on her heel to stroll back over to where Kaito’s waiting by their respective bikes. Rocky and Koo are talking as Rocky swings his leg over onto his bike, settling. He looks a little annoyed. 

Apparently the leaders had resolved while the group were chatting - or they’d at least given up for the night.

The Babies hurry back to their own gang with swift goodbyes to the others. Sakyo’s already starting up his car. They knew full well that he’d leave them here and make them walk home if they didn’t hurry. The SMG trio start to leave too. 

In his periphery, Pi sees Takeshi shift, standing up. His shoulders are still tense and solid. Looking passed him, he watches as Marco takes Hinami’s hand, helping her down off the wall before pressing the ohajiki piece into her palm. They both smile and Hinami is nodding in reply to something before waving goodbye as Marco heads off to join the rest of the SMG.

Hinami starts to head back towards where the other Rude Boys were sitting. Yu holds back a laugh as he watches Takeshi attempt to look casual, as if he hadn’t been watching her the whole time; Takeshi’s gaze downturns, fiddling with the knotted thread of a friendship bracelet she’d made for just the two of them years ago.

Smokey joins them shortly before Hinami does.

“Time to go home then?” Hinami asks, stretching her arms above her head. “Did you figure it out? Whatever you guys were -” she pauses, readjusts to not say ‘bickering about’, “- discussing?” 

Smokey sighs.

“We’re at a stalemate. Cobra and Rocky are going to clear their heads and come back to it at the next meeting,” he replies simply, then nods, “Let’s go home.” 

Far enough away from the Rude Boys now, Heidi whacks a hand against Cosette’s bicep before he can get on his bike. Cosette narrows his eyes at him in a flower, rubbing his arm.

“What?” He asks, frowning.

“Why did you stop me from telling them you’re dating Marco?”

Cosette smirks, shrugging his shoulders as he swings onto his bike.

“Let’s just say I’m curious to see how this is going to turn out.” 

Cosette doesn’t escape that question so easily since, come nightfall, when the SMG guys are back in the apartment they share, Marco is posing it to him again.

Relaxing back on his futon, he’s flipping a page of his book when Marco flops down next to him and leans his cheek on Cosette’s shoulder, glancing at the page. There’s a brief silence then -

“So what’s this I’m hearing about you guys talking with the Rude Boys today?” Marco asks, head tilting to look at Cosette, setting his chin on his shoulder.

“Takeshi thought you were flirting with his crush,” Cosette answers plainly, flipping the page.

“Hinami?”

“He seemed really jealous too.”

“And you didn’t say anything?”

Cosette closes the book on his thumb, finally focusing his gaze on his boyfriend.

“Apparently he’s had this huge crush on her for years but hasn’t told her. Maybe if he thinks that she’s going to get snatched up by some other guy, it’ll push him into actually confessing.”

“…So you’re meddling?” Cosette thumps his head with the book and Marco drops onto his back on the futon, “Ow, hey! C’mon, Cosette, what if he tries to fight me? I don’t want to fight Takeshi! He’s scary with that kick move he does.”

Cosette tosses his book aside and swings over the top of Marco, kneeling over his waist and planting his hands on the futon either side of Marco’s head.

“You think you can’t beat him?”

“I think he’ll kick me hard enough to break my ribs.” Marco hooks an arm over Cosette’s neck, pulling him closer, “Are you gonna look after me if he does?”

“Depends on if you win or not, even with broken ribs.”

“So mean, Cosette.”

He just smirks, leaning down to kiss Marco. From the hallway, they hear Lassie groan and then the door to Cosette’s room slams shut. 

The sun is warm and high in the sky the next day. It’s a hot day in Nameless City; the sunlight quickly heats the metal structures, it’s as uncomfortable inside the makeshift houses as it is outside. The only respite comes in the small areas of shade and too-old electric fans. Pi, Yu and Takeshi are sweaty and each trying to catch the thin fan-forced breeze. Takeshi shoves Yu off when the latter leans in too close while trying to follow the rotating fan; it’s too hot to be in such close proximity.

The three glance up as they hear Hinami approaching, her gait easily recognisable by her prosthetic. She looks more put together than usual; she’s wearing some of her nicer clothes, not a tear or repairing stitch in sight. There’s a new bandage wrapped around her stump and half-up her thigh, disappearing beneath the length of her skirt. Takeshi shifts to give her room to sit, but she stops him with a hand on his shoulder.

“Don’t bother moving, I’m not hanging around,” she says, smiling lightly. The three stare, confused.

“You going somewhere?” Pi asks.

“Yeah. With Marco.” She says it so casually, fixing and straightening out her skirt. Pi sees Takeshi balk.

“Nami … are you sure that’s okay? SWORD isn’t really fighting that much anymore, but are you sure it’s safe to be going into White Rascal territory?” Takeshi asks, concern creasing his features, thinly veiling jealousy. Yu and Pi share a knowing look, then Yu hides a smirk by ducking his head.

“Hence why we’re not going into the Rascal’s area, we’re going to Little Asia,” she says, hiking her bag higher on her shoulders. Takeshi’s mouth twists, but he doesn’t say anything.

There’s a rumble of motorbikes approaching and Hinami looks over, waving as she spots Marco; she’s not surprised to see Cosette riding alongside him.

“I’ll see you guys later,” Hinami calls as she heads off towards the SMG boys.

“Have fun!” Yu hollars back, “Bring us back something delicious!”

Hinami throws him a thumbs-up, then turns to take a helmet Marco offers her and puts it on. Swinging her leg over the seat of the bike, she sits and sets her hands behind her on the grab rail.

Takeshi’s still frowning as he watches the trio ride off, then swings up onto his feet to storm off. Pi watches after him, rolling his eyes. Yu immediately moves to take his spot, sighing in relief as the fan rotates back towards him.

“He’s going to be a grump all day now,” Yu comments, leaning back on his hands. Pi nods, mouth twisting as he replies.

“Yeah, but it’s his own fault for getting in his own way all the time.”

 

Takeshi flops down in the shade of one of his and Nami’s hiding spots. She’d found it first, some little hollow up on one of the roofs, joining two buildings, just big enough for two people. It’s one of the few places that stays cooler during these hot days, even with the absence of a fan.

He stares up at the low roof. Nami had jammed old glow-in-the-dark stars up there a few years ago. Most of them had fallen off by now, but a large handful still glint pale green, never actually glowing due to her lack of light that reached them. Leaning on his elbow, he stretches a hand out to flatten the curling-off point of one star, though the peeling-up sticky side is already dark with dirt.

He sighs, dropping back and tucking his hand behind his head.

It’s stupid to be jealous. He should’ve known that someone would ask Nami out eventually. She’s beautiful, not even the drear of Nameless could dampen that. More than that, she’s clever. Witty. Kind.

And now she’s out on a date because he’d never managed to open his mouth and tell her how he felt.

The image of her climbing onto the back of Marco’s bike flashes into the forefront of his memory. That smile on her face. The exact smile that had kept him going for years. The exact smile he’d been in love with since he was 13. His only solace was that she hadn’t swept her arms around Marco’s waist as she sat on the back of his bike.

He lets out another long sigh, digging the heels of his palms against his eyes as if he could scrub the memory from his head. 

It’s not often that Hinami gets out of Nameless City, and certainly not as far as Little Asia. She takes in the scenery as they drive and it’s not too long until they’re pulling in to park. In a way, Little Asia is a lot like Nameless, a bit rough around the edges but with a clear community within.

“I swear, there’s a shop here that makes the best mapo tofu in Japan,” Marco insists as Hinami hops off the bike and passes her helmet back to him.

He takes the lead and Hinami and Cosette follow along. They’re an odd bunch, standing out within Little Asia. Marco and Cosette wear their typical monochrome white outfits, Hinami isn’t sure how they keep it so clean. There’s not even a speck marring the bright fabric.

Hinami’s outfit might not catch many looks, but her prosthetic has always drawn attention; it’s a makeshift flex-foot cheetah, built out of spare parts by a man that had landed in Nameless after losing his job and then subsequently his home. Takeshi had managed to convince him to build it for her through a series of trades and odd jobs, and even got him to upgrade it as she outgrew it over the years.

Little Asia is full of twists and turns, and it’s crowded. Cosette sticks close to Hinami’s side as they follow behind Marco, keeping an eye on her; she supposes it’s a White Rascal thing.

Hinami can’t help but view the town through the gaze of someone who lives in Nameless City; she can piece together areas where she could climb or run along, which buildings were close enough together to jump across the roofs. It’s a whole new track, there’s a kind of giddiness in her chest at the thought of racing around here with her guys.

They turn onto a street with food vendors on either side and tables lining all the way down the middle in off-kilter rows. Marco glances over his shoulder at his two companions.

“You guys go find a seat, I’ll order,” Marco offers. Hinami moves to grab her purse out of her bag when Marco stop her, “Don’t worry, I’ll pay.”

“You don’t have to,” Hinami starts, but Marco stops her again.

“Seriously. I invited you, I’ll pay.” With that, he turns heel and heads off towards one of the shops while shooing them off towards the tables.

Hinami huffs quietly, then glances at Cosette.

“Any chance that if I give you the money, you’ll give it to him later?”

“Nope,” Cosette answers smoothly. Hinami laughs.

“You White Rascals are really pushy with this whole ‘gentlemanly’ thing, huh?”

It’s Cosette’s turn to laugh as he guides her towards one of the empty tables. They sit across from each other; Hinami shifts her bag onto her lap, Cosette leans back in his chair. From where they’re sitting, Hinami can see Marco at a shop-front stall, letting a pair of girls go ahead of him. She smiles lightly.

“Have you two been together long?” She asks, nodding towards him. Cosette glances over at him, a fond smile growing on his lips.

“A little while; started not long after we joined the Rascals actually. He’s … sweet.” Hinami smiles a knowing kind of smile and Cosette blushes slightly. He shakes it off, deciding it’s time to put the attention on her now. “What about you? Are you with someone?”

Hinami shakes her head, her smile slipping a little as she fiddles with an old tarnished ring on her finger. It makes her skin greenish when she wears it too long, but it’s a favourite of her’s.

“But you like someone, right?” He’s pushing now. She’s slightly pink, a little embarrassed when she finally replies.

“Well …”

“Oh, let me guess. One of those Rude Boys, right?” He pauses, as if thinking, like he doesn’t already know. He smirks, leans on the table closer to her, like it’s a covert conversation. “Is it Smokey? The whole leader thing is hot, right?”

Hinami laughs.

“No. Not Smokey. Geez, he’s like a big brother.”

“Tell me it’s not Pi.” 

Another sharp laugh in response, nose crinkling.

“No way! Pi’s just a friend.”

“What about Takeshi?”

Hinami pauses, mouth twisting, her gaze flickering away.

“… Takeshi’s my best friend.”

Hook, line, sinker. Cosette leans his arms heavier on the table, it rocks slightly on it’s uneven feet.

“But you like him more than just as a friend, don’t you?” She’s quiet. “He doesn’t know?”

“He’s my best friend, how could I tell him? If he doesn’t feel the same way …” she trails over.

He watches her thumb over a threaded string bracelet on her wrist, it looks old, clearly worn daily. He’d spied a matching one on Takeshi’s wrist, partly hidden by a cuff, but there’d been no sight of one being worn by Pi or Yu.

“You think he doesn’t feel the same way?”

She shrugs.

“I don’t want to lose him. I don’t want to mess up what we have. I just … want to keep him close, even if only as a friend.”

“What if it doesn’t ruin it?”

“Huh?”

“What if he likes you too? Wouldn’t you rather not have to hold back your feelings?”

Hinami frowns, falling quiet.

“Why is it so serious over here?” Marco cuts in, more concerned than curious, and carefully balancing three bowls in his grip. Cosette reaches out to take one of the bowls before it can drop.

“Just talking about relationships,” Cosette replies. Marco narrows his eyes at Cosette, a warning, then smiles at Hinami as he passes her a bowl.

“Well, forget about that and let’s eat.”

Hinami just nods, eager to eat and clear her head. 

Marco’s right, the mapo tofu is delicious. Hinami can’t remember the last time she’s been so full after a meal. When they’re finished, the boys follow along with Hinami as she heads to a few stalls, buying some food for the rest of the guys back at Nameless. There’s a lot of options, she almost can’t decide on what she wants.

The plastic bag’s soon full and it’s getting close to sunset, so they head back to the boys’ bikes. The ride back to Nameless is just as interesting as the ride to Little Asia, albeit Hinami’s mind keeps swirling back to her conversation with Cosette.

Why hadn’t she ever told Takeshi how she felt? Especially when she’s been feeling it for years? She’d never liked anyone else like she did him. Nobody knew her all the way down to her core like he did. Nobody else had seen her at her worst like he had. Was Cosette right? Could she really stand to be holding back these feelings forever? Would it be better if she said something, even if it changed their relationship?

She dwells on the thoughts for so long that she’s surprised when the bike slows to a stop and they’re back at Nameless City. Hopping off the bike, she passes the helmet back to Marco, thanks them both for the day out, and then waves as they drive off. 

It’s not hard to find the guys. As usual, they’re hanging out together. Pi and Yu perk up as she approaches while loosely swinging the bag in their direction. She’s sure they’re more excited for the food than seeing her return. Pulling out two of the plastic dishes, she passes the bag to Pi, and he and Yu quickly scrabble to dig through it all.

“Hey, don’t forget to share with Lala too,” she says, kicking her prosthetic into the side of Pi’s thigh.

“Yeah, yeah, we know,” Pi says, waving her off, slapping the side of the prosthetic’s socket. She lightly whacks him back with her free hand.

Walking passed the duo, she holds a bowl out to Smokey, who takes with a polite ‘thank you’.

“I don’t remember what it’s called, but it’s some soup thing. The lady said it had some really good health benefits,” Hinami explains. It’s the best she could think to do; at Nameless, they still hadn’t managed to pull together the money to get Smokey the medical attention he really needed.

By his expression, he seems to understand her intentions, smiling lightly. He knows how much they all worry about him.

“What’s that?” Yu asks, nodding towards the remaining plastic container in her hand. Hinami holds it closer to her chest, away from his greedy gaze.

“It’s for Takeshi. Where is he anyway?”

Pi and Yu both shrug, going back to dig around in the bag. Even they didn’t know all the places Hinami and Takeshi hid around when they wanted to be alone. Hinami glances towards Smokey.

“I haven’t seen him since this morning. He headed off somewhere after you left,” he answers simply as he moves to sit down with Pi and Yu.

Hinami just nods. She can figure out where he is. Likely the coolest place in Nameless City on a hot day like this. As she heads off, she hears Pi calling out for Lala to come eat with them. Slipping the container into her pack, she makes easy work of clambering up over railings and onto roofs.

Nameless City is a total maze to anyone who doesn’t know it, but Hinami knows it like she knows the back of her own hands.

She’s strolling along the roof, heading to the small hollow between two of the buildings. Already, she can see where Takeshi’s sitting, cross-legged and staring out towards the orange sunset. The sun’s already settling low.

She’s struck by the sight of him, like she often was. Late afternoon sunlight dances off his hair, his dark eyes shine, her gaze traces over the line of his profile. She could pinpoint exactly where his beauty spots were from memory alone, etching a constellation in his skin. He’s handsome, genuinely. Sometimes she wonders how he hasn’t been snatched up by someone already, though she’s quietly thankful that he hasn’t. She doesn’t know that her heart could take it.

Dropping down to sit next to him, she kicks her prosthetic out in front of her, curving her foot under her knee. He glances sideways at her, seemingly surprised, too caught up in his own thoughts to realise she’d been walking up to him.

“What are you doing sitting up here by yourself?” She asks, digging around in her bag to pull the container out and shove it into his hands. Takeshi shrugs as he pops the lid off, plucking up one of the steamed buns.

“Just sick of Yu leaning all over me to get to the fan,” he lies. Hinami stares pointedly at him and he doesn’t meet her gaze, taking a bite of the bun. He knows she can tell when he’s lying. She lets him get away with it at least, leaning back on her hands as they fall into a comfortable silence.

Takeshi forces her to take one of the buns, insisting on it when she tries to decline. It’s peaceful, casual even, until -

“How was your date?” Takeshi asks, trying to keep the jealous ire out of his tone. Hinami quirks a brow at him, confused, then she realises. Oh. He didn’t know.

“Well, it was more Marco and Cosette’s date. I think I was kind of a third wheel, actually,” she replies coolly. His head jerks to look at her, surprised.

“What?”

“Marco and Cosette, they’ve been dating for a while apparently.” Takeshi’s mouth opens to say something, but she continues. “Marco saw that dumb little tofu patch on my jacket and invited me to try this place in Little Asia, and Cosette invited himself along. They’re kinda cute actually.”

“Oh,” Takeshi says quietly. Hinami giggles.

“Did you really think I was on a date?”

Takeshi flushes pink and doesn’t reply, just looks back to the horizon and takes a large bite of steamed bun as a way to not answer. Hinami takes a quiet breath in, gathering some kind of courage, and turns her own gaze forward to the dipping sun. The sky is already turning a deep blue and dim lights are starting to get switched on across Nameless.

“Marco’s not even my type, you know?”

He glances sideways at her, munching slowly.

“He’s too tall. And his hair’s too dark. I don’t think any of those White Rascal guys could keep up with me either, not with those tight pants they wear. I could never date a guy that I couldn’t race.”

It’s all true. Takeshi can tell, he can read her just like she can read him. He watches her take a breath, twisting a ring on her finger, a nervous habit. Curiosity creases his brow. What was she nervous about?

Hinami’s wimping out. She can’t do it. Can’t tell him. So instead, she bumps her arm against Takeshi’s, smiles, and stands up.

“I’m going to go to bed early. Been a long day, you know?”

“Right.”

“Good night.”

“Night.” 

No one in Nameless has a typical home. A lot of folks share places, others stay on the streets. Kids usually trade around where they sleep, sometimes together, sometimes alone, sometimes in the small apartment-esque buildings under the watchful gaze of grandmotherly older women.

That much is familiar, it’s how it’s always been.

When Hinami, Takeshi and Pi were kids, they’d all piled together every night in some dingy old room sequestered away on the far edge of Nameless. They’d stack up old thin futons until they were comfy enough to sleep on and dole out snacks they’d gathered over the day and then pass out on top of each other like a litter of puppies. Smokey and Lala had shared a room all their own, as close as true siblings ever since the beginning. 

Now, Hinami has a room all her own. It’s tiny, barely able to fit more than her futon, a small cupboard of her clothes, and an equally small nightstand bearing a collection of knickknacks. She doesn’t always sleep there, sometimes she still heads off to pile in with Takeshi and Pi and Yu if she’s lonely and can’t fall asleep alone.

She drops onto her thin futon with a quiet sigh. After pulling off her prosthetic, she leans it against the wall by her bed and sets about unravelling the bandage around her stump.

Starting to roll the bandage back up, she flops onto her back, staring at the roof. A quiet sigh escapes her.

Cosette’s words flit into her thoughts and her chest hurts. ‘Wouldn’t you rather not have to hold back your feelings?’.

She’s a coward. She’d chickened out at the last minute. Again.

Takeshi … she knows how she feels about him. She’s been feeling it for years after all, ever since she could discern the emotions between ‘platonic’ and ‘romantic’, ever since there was clarity that how she felt about Takeshi wasn’t how she felt about Pi or Smokey. It complicates things. He’s her friend, yet she wants him like a lover. Still, she can’t manage to find the words to tell him so. It shouldn’t be so hard, they can easily talk about anything else, she can tell him any other secret. This secret is the only one she’s kept close to her chest, and for no less than years.

Tossing the rolled-up bandage onto the ground by her prosthetic, she  sighs and tugs her old blanket up over her body, curling in on herself.

Takeshi stays up in the hollow by himself for a while after Nami leaves. The sweet taste of the steamed bun sticks on his tongue. The sun fully dips away until he’s left sitting in the darkness. By now, a lot of Nameless is starting to head in for the night, finding places to rest. Smokey’s no doubt going around to make sure everyone is okay and settled in before he goes to bed himself.

Making his way down, Takeshi heads off to the room he and the other guys shared. He considers swinging by Nami’s room, he could make an excuse as to why, more than just wanting to see her. She’d let him stay. It wouldn’t be the first night he’d spent with her instead of the guys.

Eventually, he decides against it.

Walking into the boys’ room, he kicks his shoes off by the door. Pi and Yu are already getting ready to lie down. Yu is lazing while Pi tries to set the futons in line. Pi kicks at Yu’s legs, clearly frustrated by the lack of help. Both look back when Takeshi steps in and Yu takes it as the chance to sit up and redirect the attention off him.

“So did Hinami end up finding you?” Yu asks. Pi scowls at him, then goes back to fixing the futons.

“Yeah,” Takeshi says, quiet, kneeling to help Pi.

“Did you ask about her date?”

“It wasn’t a date. Marco’s dating Cosette.”

Yu and Pi blink, surprised. Takeshi lies down on his back, sighs, his gaze blankly staring towards the ceiling.

“So … that’s a good thing, isn’t it?” Yu queries.

Takeshi makes a small affirmative noise, but says nothing.

“If it’s a good thing, why are you still grumpy?”

Frowning, Takeshi rolls onto his side, facing away from the two of them. Pi sighs, rolling his eyes and lying down as well. His arm is flush up against Takeshi’s back. Even with as annoying as he’s being, Pi knows Takeshi can’t sleep well without someone close by.

“You know, you wouldn’t be having this whole problem if you just told her how you feel,” Pi says, re-breaking the pause of silence. Takeshi sighs, curling slightly in on himself.

“You don’t get it.”

“I really don’t. Explain it.”

Pi’s getting frustrated. It used to be funny - especially when they were still kids - teasing and making jokes about Takeshi’s crush, watching him blush around her or pout when other guys paid her attention. Now it’s starting to get irritating.

Takeshi takes a deep breath. There’s a long silence. Pi glances sideways at him, watches as Takeshi puffs out an exhale. After a while, he still says nothing and Pi sighs. Yu glances at the two of them, then just gets up to turn the light off.

Pi and Yu fall asleep soon after.

Takeshi is still awake, deep in his thoughts.

‘Explain it’.

He doesn’t know how to. 

Everything falls back into rhythm for the next week.

Takeshi and Hinami slip back into their normalcy. He still can’t work up the courage to tell her. Hinami starts to confess and then stops herself more than once; the timing’s always wrong, or the place; any internal excuse to argue that she’s not still a coward.

It’s easy to say nothing about it, to stay friends, but Hinami’s heart still aches. 

Clambering up through one of Nameless’ buildings, Hinami finds Smokey exactly where she expects him to be. He likes to spend his time up there, high up above Nameless City. The air’s clearer up here, and there’s nothing obstructing the view of the sky. 

Smokey’s head is dropped back, his eyes closed. There’s a slight breeze that blows through his hair; she ignores the way he’s starting to go grey. He looks relaxed. She almost feels bad for interrupting, but then he looks at her and smiles. Stepping up, she leans beside him. Her head drops back, staring skyward. He soon follows suit.

The sky is bright and blue; there’s clouds far in the distance, slowly rolling in towards Nameless City. Quiet, Hinami distracts herself by trying to find some shape in the clouds.

“Something on your mind, Hinami?” Smokey asks finally, breaking the silence. She sighs quietly. Turning, she leans her arms on the railing. Her mind runs, trying to piece together her thoughts. She starts slowly.

“I was looking for some advice … for a friend.” What a lie. “There’s these two people, they’ve been friends for a while, but one of them really likes the other. Like, more than just as a friend. But … she -”

“You mean you and Takeshi right?”

Hinami stops, turns her head towards him to blink widely. She should’ve known better than to try and put one over on him; she’s not that great of a liar, especially when it comes to the guys who know her. Smokey chuckles, then continues.

“I’m not that blind.”

He’s joking, but it makes Hinami frown. She didn’t like to be reminded on it, that his eyesight was leaving him. There’s a blue-ish film that’s been starting to take over his brown eyes, his pupils aren’t quite as dark as they should be. They’re odd, and concerning. It’s yet another thing they didn’t have the money to help fix.

He nudges her bicep slightly with his elbow, prompting her to speak. She sighs, leaning heavier on her arms, her gaze turns over the rough lines of the buildings.

“I don’t know how to tell him how I feel.”

“Is it really so complicated?”

Her brows furrow.

“Yes?”

“I’ve never seen two people who understand each other as well as you and Takeshi do. Feelings are loud, actions speak loudly. Maybe some things don’t need to be spoken with words.”

Confused, she frowns slightly. As she falls quiet again, she leans her temple against Smokey’s shoulder, turning his words over in her head. Actions, could she somehow make Takeshi understand without having to speak it out loud? Or were the words necessary?

Turning his head, Smokey presses a short kiss to the dark crown of her head. It wasn’t often that Hinami got caught up in her head, but he was always honoured to be the one she turned to for help.

“I’m sure you’ll both figure it out. Don’t stress too much, Hinami.”

It’s a dreary day at Nameless. It’s only been a few days since her conversation with Smokey. The heat’s still sticking around, but it’s more the humidity now, hanging in the air with the thick dark clouds.

It’s always bad when it rains in Nameless City.

A lot of the buildings have leaks in the roofs, some of those same roofs are on the verge of breaking under the weight of gathered water; the ground gets muddy and it takes ages for the puddles to dry up in the days after; the Rude Boys have to be careful as they run around, lest they slip on the water, Pi had almost fallen off a roof once.

With Hinami hanging out with Lala, Takeshi, Pi and Yu are left to their own devices. Smokey’s up in his perch. They don’t like to bother him, they know he needs his rest, even if he says he’s watching out for trouble in Nameless up there.

Since Pi prides himself on being the best in Nameless, whenever Hinami gets close to beating him, Takeshi and Yu know they’re in for having to train with Pi. She’d almost managed to beat him the day before, catching him on a misstep. 

The trio have already run their usual track three times before finally convincing Pi to let them take a break. Sitting up on one of the sturdier rooftops, Takeshi’s sweating and laid back on the roof to try and soak up any form of coolness out of the metal. It’s only now that they’re noticing how bad the weather’s getting.

Yu whacks Pi in the bicep.

“Ooh! I call dibs on Takeshi��s side of the room!” Yu cries, gleeful. Pi groans, dropping his head back.

Takeshi stares, his brows furrowing as he sits up.

“What do you mean?”

Yu rolls his eyes, motions towards the grey sky with the half-empty water bottle in his hand, as if it’s obvious. When it doesn’t click for Takeshi, he explains.

“It’s going to rain. You always go sleep with Hinami when it rains.”

“No, I d-” he cuts himself off, frowning, “Well, she doesn’t like the rain.”

“Yeah, we know, but she never comes down to our room, you always go to her’s; so your spot’s free and it’s the spot that never gets hit by leaks.”

Takeshi gives it a moment’s thought, then kicks the side of Yu’s thigh.

“You’d better not be eating where I sleep.”

The cloud cover is so dark it’s hard to tell when it turns over from day to night. When the rain starts, it rolls in like a wave. It’s heavy, it’s loud. Storms are always loud in Nameless; the clattering metal roofs, the hollows that scream back echoes, the wind howling through the city. The electricity is usually bad in Nameless, it’s worse when storms roll in. Everyone’s stuck with battery-powered lanterns and whatever small fires they can keep out of the wet. 

Hinami is holed up in her room, she has been since the rain started.

It rained the day her parents abandoned her at Nameless City’s entrance. She remembers being left on the cold ground and watching them walk away; with no crutches or prosthetic, she’d been unable to get up and follow after them. They didn’t even look back as she cried out for them. The rain blurred them out until they were just … gone. And they stayed gone. The storm that day hadn’t helped to disguise her tears, and her sobbing hadn’t been drowned out by it; that much had been lucky for her at least, since her crying had drawn out Takeshi, who’d then gotten Smokey and Pi to help get her into shelter.

The memories come back every time it rains. Her parents leaving, her desperate cries for them to come back and not leave her, the wet chill covering her. They hadn’t even left her with a jacket.

Sitting in her small room, she’s trembling. The sound of rain comes from all sides. It’s bordering on thunderous on her roof. Curled in on herself on her futon, she’s got her ratty blanket covering her head as if it could dampen the noise.

There’s a soft knocking at her door, then the click of it opening and closing behind someone stepping in. She doesn’t need to look to know who it is. 

It’s hard to get to Nami’s room while dodging the rain. A lot of the regular paths get flooded quickly, and risking the fast way is a bad idea with how bad it’s coming down. So he has to slip through other routes, trying to stay dry. His jacket’s wet and his hair flops in his face when he finally slips into Nami’s room.

Her room is dim and the rain is noisy. His gaze casts around. She’s propped a bucket in the corner where the worst leak is, there’s a steady drip he’ll have to try and figure out a fix for.

Soon, his eyes set on her. She’s huddled beneath her blanket, trembling slightly. He sighs quietly. He should have gotten here earlier, but the rain came in too quick. She hasn’t even taken her prosthetic off.

Toeing his shoes off at the door and dumping his damp jacket on the ground, he moves to crouch down next to her.

“Nami,” he says, gently resting a hand on her shoulder. Slowly, she tugs the blanket down, peering at him. There’s tears in her eyes. Softly, he brushes messy dark strands back from her face, noting that her hair’s a bit wet. “Let’s get your prosthetic off, okay?”

She nods, quiet, and he helps her sit up, moving to crouch on her other side.

Slipping off the prosthetic, he sets it in it’s usual spot by the futon. She hugs her other leg close to her chest, sniffling quietly as she watches him. Takeshi starts unravelling the bandage next. She’ll probably need a new one, this one’s getting a little tatty, and it’s slightly damp like everything else she’s wearing. She must’ve gotten caught out in the rain.

There’s a clash of thunder and Nami flinches.

Takeshi makes quick messy work of rolling the bandage up, dropping it by her prosthetic and then hopping back over to the open space on the futon. Immediately, she curls into his chest and he lies them down. He pulls the blanket up, then wraps his arms around her. She’s still trembling slightly, so he runs his hand up and down her spine, hoping to settle her.

Shifting her head, she leans her ear flat against his chest. She’d once mentioned in passing that she found his heartbeat comforting. He feels her take a deep breath.

“You know I love you, right?” She says quietly.

His chest tightens. There’s a short pause of silence, only the sound of heavy rain, until he finally swallows and manages to reply.

“Yeah. I know. I love you too.”

Hinami feels lucky he can’t see her face at his angle as she mushes her cheek against his chest. A small frown creases her mouth, but it’s not from the rain now.

He doesn’t get it. He doesn’t get how honestly she means it.

She loves him. More than platonically. 

“I’m hoping for good news,” Cosette says, passing her a soda as he drops onto the couch beside her. Hinami frowns, cracking the can open.

“You’re going to be disappointed then,” she replies. Cosette sighs loudly.

“Seriously? It’s almost been two weeks,” he complains. “I really thought after that day with Marco and I, you two would’ve made some progress.”

Hinami leans back into the couch, sighing herself. The couch is cushy, almost uncomfortably so. Nothing in Nameless is so soft. She practically sinks into it. The SMG’s place is nice. It’s all clean and there’s no leaks in the roof and their fridge is fully stocked. The Rascals really have it made.

But she’s distracting herself, looking around the place.

“I don’t know how to tell him. I don’t have the words,” she says finally, her voice soft, her gaze turned towards the ceiling. “I can’t just say I ‘like’ him, or that i ‘love’ him, that’s stuff we’ve said to each other before, as friends. It’s not like I can just kiss him, if he doesn’t feel the same way, then I would just mess everything up.”

Marco, sitting in an armchair, stares pointedly at Cosette. A silent conversation plays out, a push to just tell her, since he’s already been meddling this long. Hinami is just sitting quietly, staring at the blank clean leakless ceiling, mulling over her thoughts.  Finally, Cosette relents.

“Takeshi has a crush on you.”

Hinami sits up quickly.

“What? Who -”

“Yu told us. Back when Marco asked you to lunch,” Cosette pauses, Marco fixes him with a look, so he continues, “Takeshi’s apparently tried to confess before but kept chickening out. I thought if he saw you going on a date with Marco, it would push him into acting … or that I could convince you to confess if you liked him back.”

Hinami stares, dazed. She can’t even be upset that Cosette had kept it from her this long.

“He … likes me back? You’re sure?”

“Well, Yu and Pi were sure. And Takeshi looked like he wanted to kick Marco’s ass because he thought he was flirting with you.”

She stands up quickly, almost enough to send her toppling at the sudden pressure on her prosthetic but Cosette catches her arm.

“I’ve got to go,” she says. Cosette and Marco stare at her, then each other, back at her, then speak at the same time.

“What are you going to do?”

“What are you going to say?”

Hinami’s throws her shaking hands up in something of an ‘I don’t know’ motion.

“I don’t know, but I’ve got to do something now before I wimp out again.”

It’s not too long a drive back to Nameless City, certainly not long enough for Hinami to come up with a good plan. She has something of a plan though. An inkling. A whisper. It’s enough. It has to be. She still can’t find the words, but maybe she can manage action.

She throws a wave off to Marco and Cosette as she scrambles off the back of Marco’s bike outside Nameless’ entry. The sun is starting it’s afternoon descent.

There’s confidence spurring her forward, she lets it drag her. It’s like she’s being drawn on a string, like it’s tied around her waist and hauling her into motion, like the other end is tied to Takeshi and it’s drawing her to him.

Just like that, she finds him easily, lazing around with Smokey, Lala, Pi, and Yu. The string draws taut and she stops in front of where Takeshi’s sitting and bickering with Pi. She dumps her jacket in Pi’s lap, but her gaze is focused only on Takeshi. Before either can get a word out, she’s speaking.

“Race me.”

Pi looks up, opens his mouth to speak, but Hinami’s cutting him off.

“Not you. Takeshi. Race me. On the old track, the one with the jump.”

The jump she’d never managed to make, always stopping short and never throwing herself forward. It was a long leap between two roofs, she’d always been too scared to try and jump it. They - her and Pi - had since decided on a new path around Nameless whenever they raced now, but they all knew the old path.

“Okay,” Takeshi replies finally.

He seems to notice how serious she is, the almost-vibrating tension in her. Rocking up onto his feet, he stretches his arms above his head. Hinami bounces slightly on her prosthetic, high strung with energy. She’d often flit about while getting ready for a race with Pi or Yu, but this was different. There was more at stake, it’s now or never.

If she can’t find some way to make him understand now, she doesn’t know that she ever will.

With a short nod to their friends, the pair jog off to the starting point. It’s halfway up the Nameless City scaffolding, but not quite at the top of the city. The way up to the roofs is part of the path, it’s a complex route for testing both skill and speed.

Amused curiosity flickers across Takeshi’s features as he glances sideways at her, but seeing how focused Hinami is, he can’t bring himself to ask what’s got her so riled up. They don’t race as often as her and Pi, in fact she’s managed to beat him more than once. She’d once teased he wasn’t as much of a challenge anymore, so he doesn’t know why she’s asked him now. From the look on her face, it surely can’t be just for fun.

There’s the briefest pause at the starting point, then they’re both darting off. They’re matched in speed and their own specific techniques, enough to be neck and neck. As they run, Takeshi notices the smile that grows on her face. She’d always loved the excitement of a race, and he’d always loved to watch the thrill shine on her features.

They rise up, up, up the twists of scaffolding until they’re running on the far flat plains of the the roofs.

Hinami doesn’t glance his way at all. She’s laser focused. Her gaze is intense. She knows what needs to happen. It’s a chain reaction she needs, a line of dominos knocking over. She’s just got to make it to the jump, then she’s sure it all will fall into line.

Takeshi’s expecting the turn. Since Hinami had been stopping short at the jump, they’d changed the path before completely redesigning the route in a different part of Nameless. As they get close to the jump, Takeshi starts to turn, but Hinami doesn’t. His steps falter. He just watches, waiting to see if she stops but hoping she finally goes for it.

She reaches the edge of the roof. And she soars.

Staggering slightly when she lands, she still manages to stay upright. When she turns to look at him, she looks just as surprised as he does. With a holler, he takes off, following suit to jump and land on the roof with her.

“I did it,” she says, breathless, shocked, “I actually made it.”

When she stumbles slightly, Takeshi reaches out to catch her waist and steady her. She laughs, then flings herself at Takeshi to squeeze him into an excited hug. His own arms gather around her waist, hugging her back tightly, his excited laugh joining her’s. They’re both breathing hard, hearts pounding.

Settling, they start to pull away, but Hinami doesn’t move far out of his grip, his hands still steadying her at her waist. Her wrists rest on Takeshi’s shoudlers. There’s only inches between them.

She still doesn’t have the words, but maybe Smokey was right, maybe they don’t have to be said.

They’re so close. Hinami’s gaze flickers from his eyes to his mouth than back to meet his gaze. She watches his eyes draw the same pattern on her face. Some kind of understanding clicks, flowing between them. There’s a short nod from her, a slight dip of her chin, just barely noticeable.

When they start to lean in, it’s not a smooth motion, staggered and janky, as if expecting the other to suddenly leap away. When neither does, it spurns them quickly into motion. Hinami doesn’t know if she closes the gap or he does, but nevertheless, they meet each other in the middle.

The first kiss is short. A quick meeting of lips, as if testing the waters.

The second is slow, growing passionate while savouring the feeling. Takeshi pulls her in flush against him, his hands sliding over the small of her back. Her arms draw around his neck in reply, pulling him in closer too.

When they part, their gazes meets for a second. It feels ridiculous now, how they’d been toeing around the edge of ever saying anything for so long. They share a short breathless laugh, leaning their foreheads together.

Slowly, the sun sets, casting Nameless in it’s orange glow and, when it’s disappeared below the horizon and the sky is dark and twinkling, Hinami and Takeshi return back to their friends, smiling warmly and hand-in-hand.

[gojou-violin]

High & Low Announcement

Hi, everyone! I know that I have been MIA for a hot second (tbh, will prob continue to be until my interest in anime is back), but I wanted to announce that I will be accepting requests for characters in the "High & Low" series! I know that this fandom is lowkey dead, and it was small to begin with, but for anyone who is still around and interested, I am writing for it! I'm currently in the process of writing a Ryo Suzaki x OC short story (about 10 chapters), which I'll be posting on here and AO3 inevitably, but in the meantime, I'd love to talk about the series and write some drabbles, so please send some asks my way! <3 <3

Characters I'd love to specifically write for (not limited to them ofc): SUZAKI, TSUKASA, COBRA, Yamoto, Todoroki, Amagai, SMOKEY, Chiharu, Noboru, Murayama, Fujio, TAKESHI, Sachio, Rao.

[buriedinmyownfeelings]

“I can’t leave him here.” He says quietly, burying his face against Smoky’s neck. “I can’t leave him behind again.”

[hyugaruma]

Hii, i wanted to join the matchups you make. I adore your works so much. I'm not much of a person to take the first step into friend/relationships but if someone comes to me i open up quickly, even tend to overshare lmao. However, i tend to become too careful about myself with people i warm up to since the idea of them not liking me as much as i like them scares me a lot. I love spending time alone and i have my own comfort space, including my own routines i never change. I'm actually very flawed when it comes to maintaining my anger, especially when it hits my insecurities. My passion is art, literally every form of art especially painting and poetry. Due to this i'm very observing about my enviroment. I always look for some inspiration. I'm determinated, if i decided on something you better make sure that i get that thing. And that's all ig, thank you for your hardwork already 💗

Thanks for the req, and for the kind words :-))

I match you with… Ujihara “Jamuo” Kisuke!

Jamuo has no problem with being the one to take the first strides in starting a friendship, and he would frankly love any oversharing you’d be willing to do with him. Hell, he’ll be oversharing too. He’s someone who is happy to talk about anything and everything with his partner. Even though he’s not super artsy himself, Jamuo can appreciate creative outlets and would be more than happy to explore those realms with you. He would be inspired by your determined nature, and he would aspire to learn this resolve himself. Tbh, this dude would be your biggest fan and cheerleader. Jamuo would also have no problem with giving you space whenever you may need it; he understands the need to unwind and recharge.

Alternate Matches: Smoky, Takeshi

[sliceofcake-cupoftea]

Next fic decision

Don't want to give too much away but I'm in the process of writing my next fic about a member of the rude boys. However, I'm not sure which one. Especially as all of them have such amazing character traits.

Any ideas from anyone 😅

Also does anyone know the correct way to spell these men's names? I've seen Smokey but also Smoky and seen Pi but also P. I originally went with the subtitles that said Smokey and Pi but I quickly found out that depending on the source, the subtitles can be different.

[mamangasick]

Yakuza Reincarnation

Takeshi Natsuhara Hiroki Miyashita

[tiredlittlewriter]

Smoky, to Yu: Now that you're in the Rude Boys with us, you need to learn how to expect the unexpected

Yu: Like P training the birds to shit on people he doesn't like?

Smoky: no

Yu: Like Takeshi singing karaoke in the middle of fights

Smoky: no

Yu: Like Lala sneaking out to try and get a girlfriend?

Smoky: Unfortunately no

Yu: Like you taking showers with your jacket on?

Smoky: Wait how do you know about-