#its not ‘kaoru please promise to text or call once in a while ...’ its ‘well good luck in america :)’

[dirt-str1der]

One last post because this has literally been keeping me up but it haunts me how ice cold kiryu is. The man is like a fucking robot , like yeah he is the warm and compassionate protagonist of our beloved like a yakuza series who loves to help people and adores his nine kids but he gives zero shits about consequences as long as they all fall onto his shoulders and is a huge fan of abandoning everybody who has ever loved him because he cant just Not have his cake and eat it , he also has to fake his death and run away from it

[emilycollins00]

*slides in* can i have some fluff about tsuzuru and reader meeting the entire minagis _(:3」∠) (p/s love you emily~ hope you have a nice day)

My face when I read this request? I am FLOORED Miru. Big brain time. Love you too 💕

Thanks to @androidjasmine here is a photo of the young ones and their names to keep you all on your toes! It’s all fun and games until you remember everyone is called almost the same. Enjoy! 💕

Meeting at the Minagi's (TsuzuruxReader)

Kaoru stopped in his tracks and squinted his eyes, holding onto the heavy basket full of clothes. “Are you two really going to stay there until they come?”

“Of course we are!”

“We are!”

None of his two youngest brothers even bothered to turn around, eyes fixed on the door’s entrance, hands on their hips.

The seventh Minagi adjusted his glasses from inside the living room at the responses. He then licked his finger to pass another page of his book. “Don’t waste your time Kaoru-niisan. I’ve already tried to talk to them. It’s a lost cause.”

“Hey, I heard that!” this time Takeru’s head moved slightly, though his body and eyes remained facing the door. “And we are not a lost cause! We will make sure this Y/N person is good or bad before they set a foot inside!”

“Inside!” the youngest Minagi happily yelped.

Kaoru rolled his eyes, leaving the basket on the floor of the living room. As long as they were occupied for now it was fine, he imagined. He had been all over the place since he came back from school so any peace he could get was appreciated. “Can you fold these Tooru? I need to check on the vegetables cooking for dinner. Don’t want to ruin them.”

“What are we having?”

“Stir-fried crispy noodles.” Kaoru looked at the clock. “Some side dishes too If I manage.”

The young boy left the book on the side and stretched. “Sounds good. Want to help me Mitsuru? I know you can fold socks now.”

The soft boy who had until then been engrossed watching tv turned around quickly. “Yeah! Can I show them to Tsuzu-nii when he comes? He doesn’t know I learned yet!”

“Sure. You better fold them the best you can then, okay?”

“Okay!”

Kaoru smiled at the exchange. He was about to head back to the kitchen when the front door opened. “Ah, those must be-”

“Get away from Tsuzu-nii!”

There was a sound of something heavy falling and hitting the ground.

“Ow! Takeru what the-That hurt!”

“Tsu-nii comes home!”

Laughing, Yuzuru ran past the first twin and jumped on top of the second one -still untouched- who took him in his arms.

“You don’t have to follow everything Takeru does Yuzuru.”

“Come on now, I already told you before they are not coming for another two hours!” Kaoru walked in and bent over to help them stand. “Sorry Suberu. They have been all over the place about Tsuzuru’s and Y/N-san’s visit.”

“I can see that… why though? You didn’t act like this with Meguru-nissan.” he caressed his pained back. Takeru huffed, crossing his arms and turning his back on them.

“Meguru-nii stinks! He hasn’t come back to visit ever since he got married!”

Noboru chuckled, leaving Yuzuru once again down. “I see some pieces coming together.”

“Me too. Anyway, you two can stay here but only as long as there’s no more headbutting. You hear me Takeru? You promised you would behave today.” after he received a pouty nod from him, Kaoru decided to leave it be and turned his attention to the middle schoolers. “Welcome back you two. How was school? Think you two can help me prep the table and take away the toys?”

“Are mom and dad not home yet?”

“They both texted they might be a bit late, hopefully still on time.” The oldest finally managed to enter the kitchen, lowering the heat of the big pan. He should start prepping the rice and the noodles.

“Then we’ll shower and come back down.”

“Hey Mitsuru, are you and Tooru folding socks?”

“Yeah! I’m going to show them to Tsu-nii!”

“Tsuzuru’s partner uh.” Suberu muttered as both climbed the stairs. “I'm kinda excited too, not going to lie- who knew this day would actually come.”

Noboru laughed softly, following his twin inside their shared bedroom. “I know. Whoever was able to crack the head of that brother of ours, as much as I love him, deserves a raise.” .

.

.

A sneeze came out of you stronger than you had anticipated, making you stop in the middle of the road.

“You okay there? Here.” Tsuzuru looked inside his pocket, pulling out a small box of tissues and handing it to you.

“Ah- Thanks.” You cleaned your nose while looking at him ask for two train tickets on the station. He then gave you one and kept one for himself.

“It’s weird for you to sneeze, do you think you are getting sick? It’s gotten pretty chilly at night lately.”

“I’m good. You on the other hand are the one who looks constipated.”

“Ah…” He sighed, shaking his head. “Well, you can say that again, sorry. I don’t know why I’m so nervous.”

You nudged him on the way to the platform. “You worry too much. It’s just your parents and brothers right? Anytime you mention them it even makes me jealous of how much you all care for each other.”

“They are great. For the most part at least. It’s just… I guess I’m like this because I’ve never brought home someone. So, yeah. Don’t pay much attention to it.”

And while he tried to shrug it off, you couldn’t help but feel a little happy. You both had been dancing around the idea for a while, and after arranging times, although the two oldest Minagi brothers had had some difficulties to come at the last moment, you both decided to keep the day and meet the rest of the family.

“You know, I would lie If I said I’m not nervous, but I also can’t say I’m not excited. Hey,” tapping Tsuzuru’s knee he spun to face you. “We got this. Mankai was already covered right? I doubt I’ll have a bigger interview than that one.”

The sound of the train made its way into the station at the same time Tsuzuru groaned.

“Please don’t bring that up. I’m still trying to forget it.”

You laughed at the face he started to make. “See? This will be a walk around the park. Plus I believe bought sweets for everyone,” you lifted the token bags you had been carrying since you two had met and nodded proudly. “I count on convincing at least four to my side.”

Your joke finally made him grow a tiny smile. As the train stopped in front of you two he reached out to take your hand into his, your touch seeming to calm him down. You gave his hand a light squeeze.

.

Later on

“Okay, here we are.”

You rolled your eyes at your boyfriend’s dramatic remark when he stopped at the sight of -what you guessed was- his household roof.

“Tsuzuru.” cupping his face you pulled him close, his nose against yours. “I love you and I’m going to love your family too.”

His cheeks grew warm at your loud statement. “Just… if my little brothers are too much, let me know. Everyone kind of… tends to get overexcited.” he confessed. You both walked up to the front door, Tsuzuru knocking a few times before he stepped back to stand next to you.

Immediately a few voices came from inside the house, followed by the sound of closing steps. A woman opened the door, beaming at the sight of you two. “There you are, welcome!”

“Hi mom.”

“Hello dear.” she hugged him tightly as you followed them inside, setting down the bags and enjoying the scene. She gave off the same natural warmth and comfort Tsuzuru gave off, along with the distinctive turquoise vibrant eyes both wore. "I'm glad to see you are doing good," she then turned to you with a gentle smile. “And you must be Y/N, it’s so nice to formally meet you in person.”

You smiled back as you bowed. “I feel the same. You have a very lovely home by the way,” Tsuzuru and you started to step out of your shoes, tucking them up against where the others lay when the voices you had heard with the door closed -and a good sound of running steps- became louder and louder.

“Oh, I guess the twins weren’t able to stop them.”

“Tsuzuru-nii!!”

Tsuzuru's mother moved you both discreetly to the side as three balls of energy of different heights passed in front of you and tackled your boyfriend, making him almost fell to the ground. "H-hey, careful!" All of them wore brown hair and turquoise eyes just like in all the photos you had seen of them, and talked at such speed it was difficult for you to understand what one said over the others.

"We missed you!"

"Missed you lots!"

“Yeah it’s been ages, what took you so long?!”

Your heart grew warm when you noticed Tsuzuru’s eyes softening, even though he was slightly scolding them at the same time -trying to calm them down. You turned to her mother, who was watching the scene with the exact same expression. “Is there anything I can help you with meanwhile? I guess preparing food for this many people is no small feat.”

“Oh don’t worry Y/N, you are our guest today. I imagine you are tired too.”

“Tsuzu-nii you have to see my socks, look!"

"Leave the socks alone, come upstairs to see what game mom bought us last week!"

“Well aren’t you mister popular around here.”

His mother chuckled, embracing herself. “They get really attached to him whenever he comes back.”

“I imagine.”

"Are you Y/N?" one of them glanced your way, hiding behind Tsuzuru but without fully letting him go.

"I am. It's nice to finally see you all instead of just your pictures."

“Woah! Are these presents?”

“Yuzuru?” his mother called out “What did we talk about looking inside other people's bags?”

“Oi, Yuzuru!” Turning away from praising Mitzuru’s folded socks and Takeru’s hold, Tsuzuru tried to take him away from your bags too. You smiled, waving silently as to tell them it was okay. You crouched down to his height.

“Yup! Some sweets I brought for everyone later. I hope you like mochi.”

“I do! Take-nii too!”

“Is that so?” You turned to said boy, making him flinch and blush, still trying to hide between Tsuzuru’s legs. He glanced your way frowning shyly.

“I only like it with cream...”

“I-I like it with chocolate and strawberries!” Mitzuru called getting close to you now, socks now long forgotten. You smiled, mentally thanking asking Tsuzuru for advice.

“Good thing we have both and some more then.”

As if that changed everything, the three youngest Minagis started jumping and celebrating enthusiastically around you. Tsuzuru’s mother smiled while Tsuzuru himself tried to calm them down again.

“Thank you Y/N. I will take them to the fridge. For now let’s try to enter the living room and get you two seated. Kaoru has been all afternoon in the kitchen and your father and I are trying to help him finish making dinner, I’ll go get them.” .

.

.

With the youngest right on his toes, Tsuzuru guided you to the living room, finding the twins and the one you guessed was Tooru -mainly because of the glasses- waiting patiently for their turn.

“Hey guys. Y/N, these are Noboru and Suberu, the twins and Tooru.”

“Hi there!” you waved brightly, receiving a few quiet smiles. They seemed warier to approach you than the young ones, so you had waited for Tsuzuru to present you. "Oh. Tsuzuru was right, I can differentiate you better than I expected."

"Ah- yeah, when we were younger we used to look a lot more similar."

"I see... Are you two really middle schoolers? I'm really jealous of this house's general height."

The spring member laughed while turning to the one who had been quieter, kneeling next to him. “Hey buddy."

"...Hi"

"I see you are already on the second volume of that series, uh” Tsuzuru placed a hand on top of his head patting it. “I loved when I was younger a lot too.”

Tooru looked up at him surprised. When he noticed his behaviour he blushed, adjusting his glasses and quickly lowering his head smiling. He hugged the book against his chest tighter and nodded. "I missed you around, Tsuzuru-nissan."

"Me too." Tsuzuru patted his head once more as he stood up. "Y/N's right, I can’t believe you two are this tall already.”

“Well- It’d be nice to beat you nissan.”

At that moment another figure entered the living room, older than all the others you had seen so far. “I hope we don’t scare Y/N with all this chaos guys, we can hear you from all over the kitchen.”

You walked up to him and bowed with a smile. “Everyone has been great so far. It’s nice to finally meet you, Minagi-san.”

He nodded with a friendly smile, the wrinkles around his eyes making his face calming and comforting to look at. “The sentiment is mutual. You know, Tsuzuru's never brought anyone home before. He must be serious about you.”

You grinned, noticing the spring member's face gain color. “I’ve been somewhat informed.”

“Yeah! How did you convince him to go out with you?”

“I know! Is it because he tells amazing stories?”

"He also plays football super good."

"But not as good Meguru-nissan!"

"But still-!"

“Guys I appreciate the effort but can you not.”

The man gave a relaxed chuckle, ruffling his playwright son’s hair affectionately. “We are just glad to see you are doing good Tsuzuru, we’ve missed you.”

“You all have a weird way to show it.” Tsuzuru sighed embarrassed.

“Mhm? We haven’t taken out the albums yet.”

“And it will stay like that over the whole dinner.”

“Coming through!”

Making way for them, Tsuzuru’s mother and Kaoru arrived with a few more plates to share with everyone in the middle of the table. After they were placed, the high schooler turned to you. He gave away a similar vibe as the spring member, looking a bit all over the place, although that could also have been because of all the cooking and prepping you imagined it took. “Nice to meet you. Kaoru, right?”

“Yeah,” he smiled back. “Nice to meet you too, Y/N-san. The house is a bit of a mess but I hope you enjoy dinner at least.”

Oh, he definitely is a clone of Tsuzuru. “Are you kidding?” you shook your head at the number of plates with the biggest smile. “It smelled amazing even from the entrance! I can’t believe you cooked all this.”

The boy flushed at the sudden compliments. His parents shared a smile behind you as they made everyone get to their seats. “Ah- well, kinda. We use to have food prepared each day so it wasn’t that difficult.”

“Styr-fry crispy noodles, uh?” Tsuzuru looked around as you all placed your hands together and gave your thanks. “Mhm, this is good.” He nodded contentedly. “I can't believe how much I missed this flavor. Thanks Kaoru.”

Kaoru instantly lighted up at the statement, making you understand just how much Tsuzuru’s opinion and figure were valued around. All the young ones had fought in order to sit next to him, so you decided to give away your seat and instead eat next to one of the twins and his mother.

“So Y/N, are you studying too?”

“Yeah.” You explained your major and engaged in conversation with Kaoru and the twins, talking about selecting careers and future schools.

“How’s Tadoru-nissan? I’ve talked to Meguru-nissan lately but he’s unavailable whenever I call.”

At Tsuzuru’s questions, his mother placed a hand on her cheek pensively. "I wonder too. The last thing I know was him staying in an old village, where was it...?" her husband shook his head when she glanced at him. "But well- you know how he is. One day on one place yet tomorrow he could be perfectly knocking on this door."

"I hate how right you are..."

“Hey, Y/N! What do you think of his stories?” Takeru looked at you, eyes bright with expectantly. "Aren't they just so awesome?"

Having your mouth full too, you could only give him a thumbs up while nodding. You swallowed and chuckled. "They are. Your brother is pretty awesome in general."

You noticed Tsuzuru rolling his eyes, hiding his probably flushed face by drinking water.

“Right? He works so hard too!”

“Maybe too hard though.”

“I agree.”

“We used to do plays written by him when everyone was younger.”

His father leaned on the table entertained. "Right. You all loved to be selected for different roles."

“Oh, I didn’t know that! I’d love to see a full Minagi play at some point.”

Tsuzuru's eyes opened in shock. You could perfectly read the word traitor coming from his lips before gasps and general chaos erupted.

"We could?! I want to!!"

“Man they were a mess but it was fun. Tooru always wanted to be the hero, remember?”

"Me? No way!"

“Play, play!”

“I-I too wanna do a play written by Tsuzu-nii!”

His mother cleaned the corner of her third-youngest and smiled. “Maybe Tsuzuru could write something the next time he comes. Now it’s dinner time okay?”

Takeru gasped with excitement and stood up, looking at the playwright. “That would be so cool! You have to promise you will make one for us!”

“Promise!”

Tsuzuru scratched the back of his head. He looked in your direction but you shrugged, enjoying the situation too much to intervene. In the end he sighed and smiled defeated. He could never win against such excited faces. “Sure, I’ll try to come up with something next time.”

"Yay!!" .

.

.

“Are you sure you two don’t want to sleep here tonight? It’s gotten really late.”

“It’s fine mom. We both have University tomorrow so we should try to head back”

After having dinner and enjoying the sweets you had brought, midnight almost reached the Minagi household, so you two decided it was about time to head home. You were now at the entrance, having already said goodbye to the rest of the siblings and now being just both parents and Kaoru left.

“Alright, just be careful okay? And Y/N, come back whenever you want. We loved having you today.” Tsuzuru’s mother gave you a hug while his father smiled agreeing, nodding as he rocked an already sleep Yuzuru in his arms.

“It was a pleasure.”

“I’ll go with them,” Kaoru suddenly decided, stepping in to grab his own shoes. “I want to buy some ice cream from the convenience store anyway.”

And so, you three kept talking until the station came to view. Tsuzuru took a deep breath. It had been quite a while since he had walked around like that, a nostalgic feeling emerging as he remembered old times by looking at the streets. Time really flies.

“You didn’t have to walk us back, it’s late.”

“I know. Still wanted to.” his younger brother shrugged and placed his hands inside his pockets. The evening air was fresh. “I like them.”

“Uh?”

“Y/N-san, I mean.” looking behind Tsuzuru, he saw you humming while waiting for the train tickets back to Veludo to come out from the machine. “They must be special if you’re willing to bring them home to meet us.”

Tsuzuru copied him, watching your back and your little dance in the distance. He unconsciously felt the corners of his mouth rising up. “…Yeah. They are.” It was embarrassing to say it out loud in the silence of the night, but it was true.

“Meguru-nissan and Tadoru-nissan told me they would both try to come for dad’s birthday. You should bring them too.”

Tsuzuru snorted. His older brothers were on a whole new level. He ruffled Kaoru’s head. “Thanks. For everything.”

“You know you don’t have to thank us."

“Still-"

“Done!” You waved the tickets as you made your way back to the two brothers. “We are all set to go.” Kaoru nodded in understanding.

“Then I’ll go too. It was nice getting to know you, Y/N-san. We leave our big brother in your care. He’s a worrywart… so please don’t be afraid of taking his coffee and make him take a break.”

“Oh, that’s some hard quest right there.”

“I’m still here, you two are aware of this right?”

You both laughed at the spring member. “I will do my best to take care of your big brother, I promise." you turned to him.

Kaoru's eyes softened at your response. "Thanks." .

. .

“I think they liked you.” The playwright suddenly commented once inside the train, some time after you parted from Kaoru. You yawned and looked up smiling. “I got that feeling too, although I didn’t wanna jinx it. Were you expecting something different?”

He shrugged. “Not really. Just glad it ended well.” Tsuzuru took your hand, caressing it with his thumb.

“I liked them too, you nailed every single one of them.” You yawned again. “I’m also deadly tired though.”

“Welcome to my life.”

You giggled, allowing your head to rest on his shoulder. You could feel how happy and fortunate he had felt tonight, being able to enjoy some quality family time even though he used to complain here and there. Soon enough your breathing fell into a steady rhythm at the soothing sound of the rails. Along with the empty wagon, you closed your eyes enjoying Tsuzuru’s warmth.

It had been a nice day.

_____________________________________________________ The Minagi household literally has my heart.

Hope you all have a wonderful day! 💕

[jubesy]

Could you do 20 for matcha blossom please these docs are curing my depression istg

Aww, thank you, anon! I’m glad you’re enjoying them~  I went the sick!fic route with this one. I hope that’s okay!

Matcha Blossom #20 “I’ll protect you, no matter what...even if it kills me.”

Also available on Ao3.

Request a drabble here!

Cherry was not some fragile thing. He just wasn’t as...robust as a certain thick-headed gorilla he knew. But even so, when Cherry needed help, he wasn’t so stubborn as to not ask for it. If it was completely necessary, that was.

So, the fact that Joe hadn’t even messaged him to alert him to his current condition was...troubling. Especially considering Cherry wouldn’t have even known about it if he hadn’t shown up at Sia la luce unannounced, as usual, breezing through the dining room to sit in his favorite spot by the bar. It wasn’t until he’d been seated for a few minutes -- without a single word of greeting from his childhood friend -- that he grew suspicious.

“Called in sick,” Cherry muttered to himself as he climbed the steps to Joe’s apartment. One of the servers had timidly approached the bar and informed him as much. “He could have at least sent a text.”

It wasn’t like Joe had bailed on him, exactly. This wasn’t a date, for heaven’s sake. But Cherry did tend to swing by after work and Joe… Well, Joe never missed work. Never got sick, actually. So, he must have been feeling particularly awful if he’d abandoned his staff -- That wasn’t true. The assistant manager was plenty capable --  but Cherry had overheard the regulars wistfully sighing when they received the news that the head chef was out for the evening.

Cherry shook his head as he reached the door, his fist raised and poised to knock. He rapped once. Twice. And by the third time, he was annoyed. Annoyed and...something else.

“Kojiro!” he called, knocking again.

What if...what if something had happened? What if Joe had tried to take a shower and go to work and slipped and hit his head? Once when they were in high school, Cherry had gotten a fever so awful that he could barely move, but he didn’t want to miss class -- despite his appearance, his attendance record was flawless -- and he’d done the exact same thing. If Joe hadn’t caught him…

“Kojiro!” he tried again, but received no answer.

Perhaps Joe had tried making himself some soup. Maybe he’d burned himself in his weakened state. Or he’d fallen asleep while it was simmering and it boiled over. Or what if the heat was too high and the kitchen had caught fire?

Cherry shook the ridiculous thought from his head. Joe was grace under fire, though some wouldn’t believe it. Every time Cherry was sick, including the time he’d passed out during fifth period, Joe had always been there to take care of him. In fact, his soup -- his grandpa’s recipe -- was a cureall.

Still, Cherry was...concerned. So, seeing as Joe still hadn’t shown himself, he reached under the mat for the spare key and made to unlock the door, but rolled his eyes as he jiggled the knob. 

“Idiot ape,” he muttered as he let himself in. “Leaving the door unlocked.” 

But that only worried him further. Was Joe in such a state that he’d wandered out? Or maybe he had someone over?

Something acrid bubbled in Cherry’s belly at the thought. Was Joe playing hooky? Had some girl come over the night before and stayed? Anger swelled in his chest. To think, he was worried about him!

But even as that thought crossed his mind, deep down, Cherry knew that wasn’t the case. Joe was a frivolous, flirtatious, and feebleminded oaf, but not when it came to things he took seriously. Like his career.

So, taking a deep breath, Cherry padded down the hallway and opened the door to Joe’s bedroom. It was dark inside, but the light pouring in from the hall illuminated a lump on the mattress, covered in the duvet and surrounded by wadded up tissues. There was an open bottle of cold medicine on the nightstand, the measuring cup stained, but empty beside it.

Well, at least he was present enough to take medicine. 

“Kojiro,” Cherry called again, softly this time.

A large, hand clawed its way out from beneath the comforter, drawing it down to reveal a mess of curly hair and a flushed face. “...Kaoru?” 

Cherry bit back a fond smile. “Yes, it’s me.” He drew closer and took a seat on the edge of the mattress. 

“You came?” Joe blinked up at him with bleary eyes. 

“Yes,” Cherry said again. “Even though you neglected to tell me you were sick.” 

Joe had the decency to look sheepish. “I conked out after I called the restaurant,” he confessed. “What are you doing here?” 

“One of your servers informed me of your condition, so I came to check on you,” Cherry replied, heat rising in his own cheeks at the admission. He covered it up with a jab. “And here I thought idiots like you couldn’t catch colds.” 

Joe chuckled and then coughed into his fist. “S’not a cold,” he said. “I’m pretty sure I’m dying.”

Cherry rolled his eyes. “You’re not dying.” He moved closer, pressing a palm to Joe’s forehead. “I am surprised, though,” he added. “As long as I’ve known you, you’ve never gotten sick.”

Joe nodded, closing his eyes and nuzzling against Cherry’s cooler hand. “I overdid it at work,” he admitted. “We had a health inspection and then not one, but two--” he paused to sniffle, “--food critics and then…” he trailed off with a deep, shaky breath. “Lots of call-outs. Must be going around.”

With a soft hum, Cherry nodded. Joe was awfully warm. Perhaps it was more than just a cold, after all. He reached into his pocket and pulled out his spare band, placing it around Joe’s wrist. “Carla,” he said and his own wristband illuminated. 

‘Yes, Master?’ 

“Read Kojiro’s vitals,” he ordered.

‘Yes, Master.’ The other band glowed softly. ‘Temperature high. Temperature high.’

“I thought so…” Cherry sighed.

‘Skin temperature thirty-nine degrees Celsius. Approximate core temperature thirty-nine point four degrees Celsius. Heart rate one hundred and sixteen beats per minute.’ 

“What is this?” Joe asked, eyeing the wristband. 

“Continue to track, Carla,” Cherry said instead of answering. Then he looked at Joe. “Why didn’t you call me?” He crossed his arms over his chest.

Joe groaned, rubbing his face. “I told you, I fell asleep--”

“You always take care of me when I’m sick and you thought I wouldn’t do the same?” Cherry narrowed his eyes. “You think I’m incapable?”

Joe furrowed his brow. “...no?” 

Cherry sighed. “I’ll go fix you something to eat.” He made to get up, but Joe caught his wrist.

“Kaoru,” he said and then winced, bringing a hand to his throat. “You should leave.”

The anger from earlier began rising again, but for a different reason this time. “I can heat up a can of soup, Kojiro!” he snapped. Of course, Cherry wasn’t entirely sure Joe had any in his cabinets. He was a ‘from scratch’ kind of guy. Maybe Cherry could run to the store and--

“No, I mean…” Joe swallowed. “I don’t want you to get sick, too.”

Cherry fixed him with an unimpressed look. “You’re just thinking about that now?” 

Joe shook his head. “No.” He wet his lips. “I didn’t fall asleep right after calling work,” he said. “I could have messaged you. I wanted to,” he added, looking up at Cherry with large, watery eyes. “But I didn’t because…I didn’t want you to catch it.”

There was a beat that passed then, as Cherry digested what Joe had said. He was definitely sick. Joe was typically more honest than Cherry on the regular, but he was being extra honest. Sickly honest. Like Cherry tended to get -- or so Joe would always inform him afterwards.

“I’ll be fine,” Cherry promised. “I’ll make sure to take some supplements after I leave.”

Joe’s lower lip trembled then. “You’re...leaving?” 

Cherry bit back an aggravated growl. “Didn’t you just tell me to leave?” 

Joe blinked. “Oh.” His lips curved up into a smile. “Yeah, I did.” 

“Then--”    

“But I don’t really want you to leave, Kaoru,” Joe interrupted. “But you should.”

Cherry wanted to pull his hair out. Was this how he acted when he was sick? Had he shamelessly voiced every thought as it occurred to him?

“I wanted you to come, but I didn’t want you to come,” Joe said again. “Because Kaoru gets sick so easily…”

“I do not--” 

“So, I’ll protect you, no matter what,” Joe vowed, his face completely flushed and his eyes cloudy. “Even if it kills me.” 

‘Heart rate elevated.’ 

“Yes, Carla,” Cherry said, without glancing at his wristband. “That’s because of his fever.’

‘Apologies, Master. Not Kojiro’s. Yours.’ 

Cherry’s cheeks burned with embarrassment. That damned gorilla… “I’m going to see what you have to eat,” he said through clenched teeth, finally pulling his arm free from Joe’s weakened grasp. “If there’s nothing I can heat up, I’ll run to the convenience store.”

Joe cocked his head to the side, giving Cherry a dopey smile. “Okay.” 

“I’ll be back shortly,” Cherry informed him, standing up. 

“Kaoru?” Joe called just as Cherry reached the doorway.

He looked back over his shoulder. “Yes?” 

“Then you’ll stay?” he asked, voice raspy. 

The corner of Cherry’s lips twitched as warmth blossomed in his chest. “Yes,” he said. “Someone has to make sure you take your next dose of medicine.”

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[ohshcscenerios]

Find Me

Chapter Sixteen - Choose Your Own Adventure 

Previous Poll Result: Answer the phone 

Kyoya listened to his cell phone ring once more before deciding to answer. He usually didn’t pay mind to unknown callers, considering telemarketers ran rampant in Japan, but at this point he couldn’t risk turning away from anything that could potentially help him find Haruhi. 

He flipped it open while holding up a finger for Tachibana to see, silently asking him to wait a few more minutes. His bodyguard nodded and went to wait in the car. 

“Kyoya speaking.” He greeted coolly. 

“Kyoya! Help me please! Help me-” 

He nearly dropped his cellphone as he froze in shock. There was no mistaking the frantic feminine voice calling out his name. She sounded far away, as if the phone was held at a distance, but he could clearly hear her. 

She’s alive.

He cupped his phone’s receiver and walked toward a far wall away from the front entrance, “Haruhi, I’m here. It’s okay I hear you.” 

“I’m so scared.” Haruhi whimpered. Her quivering voice was drenched in tears and heaving breaths. He could practically imagine her breaking down in front of him. He could hear every sob, every thick swallow, every breath. She was terrified - no, beyond terrified. Her shaky voice and inconsistent whimpers gave him a hint as to how she’s been treated. 

What had they done to her?

“Listen, I’m going to find you. Stay calm and do as they say. I will find you Haruhi.” He kept his voice low and stern, hoping it would help calm her down. He needed to sound sure of himself so he could offer her hope. He needed to sound in control and confident. 

He didn’t have much time. Whoever called him wasn’t Haruhi, that was made apparent in how distant she sounded. Whoever held the phone most likely sat across the room from her, probably enjoying themselves as they watched her desperately cry for help. 

The very thought of those sick bastards watching his Haruhi cry in fear forced a nauseating wave of anger to wrack through his body. 

He squeezed his eyes shut as he prepared to ask a difficult question, but one he needed to know, “Did they hurt you? Are you hurt Haruhi?” He dreaded hearing her sweet trembling voice speak of the evils inflicted on her. He couldn’t bear to know someone laid a finger on his love but at the same time he had to know. 

“Don’t worry, we’re taking good care of her.” An unfamiliar deep masculine voice answered in her stead. He sounded to be the one holding the phone. 

In the background he could faintly hear Haruhi kicking against gritty concrete with her sneakers as another man grunted while he gagged her. Her pitched voice echoed in what sounded like a large concrete room, possibly a basement or an underground garage, as her voice was silenced. 

“Why did you take Haruhi?” Kyoya asked, his voice rising with anger, “What do you want from her?” 

No one answered him. They wanted him to hear his fiance struggle against her kidnappers as they dragged her away. They wanted her frantic fear to be the last thing he heard of her. 

“Answer me damnit! What do you want?” Kyoya yelled into his cellphone, not caring about the unwanted attention he attracted from the few people standing by the front desk. 

A deep sinister chuckle filled his ear, “What do we want? Why, for things to return as they were.”

“If you mean that then return Haruhi to me.” Kyoya growled, not fully understanding what the man was saying. He didn’t want to be toyed with. He didn’t have the time or the mental control to dissect a riddle. Right now he seethed in anger, silently begging to wring the bastards’ necks, and couldn’t be bothered with their nonsense. 

He didn’t want to sound desperate but he was desperate, “If it’s money you want, I’ll write you a blank check today.”

Another rumbling chuckle, “We don’t care about money. We want things to return as they were, before they were stained and morphed by the insects of society. Japan used to be so wonderful, so powerful, but now its infested with undesirables, tainted by their impurities.” 

“Listen, I don’t understand what the fuck you’re talking about but if you release Haruhi today I’ll promise you a life sentence instead of lethal injection.” Kyoya quietly took a few deep breaths to compose himself again.

“We won’t stop until we’ve returned order.” The voice said darkly and ended the call. 

“No!” Kyoya yelled into the phone, gripping it tight in his clutch, “Damnit! Damnit!” 

He felt so conflicted, so confused. He heard Haruhi’s voice, heard her alive and somewhat well, which provided him a breath of relief. Hearing her voice, although she was terrified, was the most reassuring thing he’s heard so far. He hated hearing her so scared but he would soon rescue her. 

And yet, he wasn’t closer to understanding her kidnapper’s motives or how he could appease them. They didn’t want money. They didn’t want political favors. He already reduced they weren’t normal criminals, they were more experienced and more organized, but their desire to restore order didn’t make sense. 

Japan was a fine thriving country, there was nothing needing restoration. 

He needed to get out of here. He needed to leave. He had already made a spectacle of himself. He needed to take whatever pride and strength he could muster and leave with his head high. 

Although he had lost his appetite he was still keen on meeting the twins for lunch. He needed to speak to someone about the phone call and deliver the wonderful news that their Haruhi was still alive.

For now. 

Kyoya arrived at the Ootori private gardens where they agreed to meet. Here they would have the privacy they needed and security detail, just in case. He had Tachibana call the kitchen staff ahead of time, asking for them to prepare something light. Kyoya had a feeling they wouldn’t be able to stomach anything heartier than a bowl of soup. 

He found Hikaru waiting for him beneath a white gazebo near the front entrance and beside the walking trail. Strangely, he was alone. 

“Hey Kyoya,” Hikaru greeted with a small wave while Kyoya walked up the asphalt trail. Confusion fell over Hikaru as he tried to look behind Kyoya and through the car windows, “Where’s Kaoru? He said he was with you.” 

Kyoya stopped and briefly scanned behind him, “No, I assumed he was arriving with you.”

Hikaru’s face fell. He pulled out his cellphone and quickly pulled up a text message chat between him and his brother. “He texted me a few minutes ago. He said you picked him up.” 

Kyoya’s eyes widened, regretfully realizing why he received that phone call earlier. Yes they wanted to taunt him but that wasn’t the only reason. They toyed with him because they were trying to distract him. They wanted to delay him. 

“Where’s Kaoru...” Hikaru repeated quietly. The fear in his voice suggested he might already know...  

What should the hosts do? (Click to Vote)

Woops, it might have been better to leave Kaoru in jail...