#juza hyodo fanfiction

[softeninglooks]

a3! | juza hyodo as your boyfriend...

part 1. part 2.

he cannot believe it at first

how could someone as kind and well-loved as you choose someone as intimidating and reserved as him? he can’t wrap his head around what you could possibly see in him

it takes a lot of words of affirmation to finally convince juza that he is so much more than he thinks

it saddens you that someone as hard-working and deeply involved in the company as juza could still doubt himself. he always says that he wished he could do more for mankai company, but to you he already does more than enough. although it took him some time to perfect his acting, his passion on stage inspires all the other actors to do their very best and mesmerises the audience

whenever he gets too stressed or pushes himself too hard, you offer him pastries and a long, soothing hug. you have him take breaks and go outside so that when he gets back, he feels a little lighter and more energized to resume his work

to thank you for your unwavering support, he invites you on surprise dates or takes you for a ride on his motorcycle. because juza isn’t the best at expressing his emotions, his love language is acts of service and he always makes sure to be available when you also need his help

when it is you who gets too anxious, he will hold you tightly and listen to you vent about the issue at hand. he will try to offer you words of comfort, but his primary course of action is to help solve the problem at the root

he gets more demonstrative over time, holding your hand in the streets or kissing you on the cheek in public. he is really proud of you and your relationship, but his fear of staining your reputation because of his scary looks holds him back from displaying affection more openly

in private, he is the sweetest. juza is self-conscious about his clumsy use of words, so he makes up for it by showing you love through physical touch and sharing his favourite snacks with you

he won’t say it out loud, but juza melts when it’s you who wraps him in your arms or hugs him from behind. being held is something new to him, and it feels so special, almost a sacred moment - before that, most of the physical contact he had with people was blocking punches or trying not to hurt anyone, so someone lovingly and willingly touching him moves him beyond reason. when you run your fingers through his hair and kiss his neck, his deep and raucous sighs speak louder than words

juza is straightforward and honest so he doesn’t shy away from telling you how grateful he is for you - especially when he is drunk. after a couple of drinks, he will look even more serious than usual, save for the tinge of redness blooming on his cheeks, and say the most heart-wrenching things about how you make him a better man and he wants to guard your happiness forever

he comes to you for help whenever he struggles with the interpretation of a line or wants to try out different acting techniques. reading lines together and acting out scenes is one of your favourite activities to do together, so you happily give him a hand with case studies or character analysis. if the scene involves yelling or violence, juza will apologise and make an effort to be extra affectionate with you when you’re done

you wave at him from the front row and offer him flowers after his plays - banri teases him about it, but juza can’t stop smiling and shrugs it off by telling banri that he’s just jealous. juza feels incredibly lucky to have you by his side

kumon adores you and plans family activities that you can join in. because they know juza so well, he and muku can notice the way his face lights up whenever you’re around

omi often asks juza and you to help him with baking because he guessed that juza has a sweet tooth and you find cooking relaxing. juza likes to taste the sugary ingredients just to make sure that they haven’t turned sour and are still good to eat, which always makes omi and you laugh because you can easily see through his excuses

although he is still a little bashful about his voice, you love to hear juza sing. knowing that you appreciate his singing is a huge motivation for juza to overcome his shyness and find the confidence to sing on stage

he is an attentive listener. it makes him happy that you trust him enough to confide in him, but he also enjoys listening to you talk about your hobbies and your current interests. he remembers many details about them and is never against watching something with you or looking up something you’ve been reading online. you do so much for him, so he wants to be equally there for you and

the two of you have a lot of fun together. although juza appears stoic and still has many insecurities to work through, having you by his side never fails to brighten up his days and fill his heart with joy. when you are hanging out, he smiles a lot more and is less apologetic about his behaviour, even cracking jokes from time to time (he feels like it’s awkward, but you find it exceptionally endearing). he hopes that you feel fulfilled, so he always offers you a shoulder to cry on when you’re feeling down or does his best to make you smile. he wants to learn all about your preferences and passions so that he can fully enter your world

most of all, he just wishes for you to be happy and safe. he has never been loved like this before and he wants to do everything in his power to reciprocate your love with as much force and sincerity

[bakersgrief]

Sneak peek! Hoping I'll finish in the next two days or so.

[lcs-library]

Hello! :] I hope you’re doing good today!

If I can can I please request #21 from the Christmas theme prompts with Juza from A3! 💕

Of course! I hope you have a nice day as well!!

21: Gift Exchange

“Coming!” You called, going to answer the door to your place as you prayed to whatever merciful god was out there that it wasn’t someone suspicious or out to get you.

Thankfully, it was neither, as you were greeted by an adorably jittery Juza, fiddling with a small present he held in his hands. You beamed, excited that he would surprise you like this.

“Oh, Juju, what’s up?” You greeted cheerfully.

“…Wanted to give you this,” he admitted, his voice low as he held out the gift.

Why was he so embarrassed? You wondered. What was in that box that could possibly make him this nervous?

You giggled at his bashfulness, taking the gift, noting its intricate wrapping, right down to the clearly handmade ribbon.

“Thanks! Actually, I just finished wrapping up yours, so do you wanna come inside?” You offered.

“‘S fine, I can wait.”

“In the cold?”

“Yeah.”

“I don’t think so. Come on,” you pushed, taking his wrist to drag him inside, safe from the freezing cold.

Juza stiffened slightly under your grip, but complied nonetheless, dipping his head in a silent thanks. You reached up to give his head a quick pat before rushing off to grab the gift.

You quickly returned, presenting it to him. He nodded in a silent thanks, taking it gingerly.

“Should we open ‘em now?” You asked.

“Yeah. Sounds good,” he replied.

“Okay. You ready?”

He nodded. On your count, the two of you tore into your presents, not expecting what you would find.

“They’re…” you started.

“The same,” he finished.

Sure enough, the boxes you each held in your hands held expensive-looking chocolates from a gourmet shop down the road. You looked to each other, puzzled, before you burst into laughter, with Juza cracking a small smile. You glanced over the box, only to notice a single difference on your box.

“Hey, why’s mine opened a little?” You wondered.

Juza’s smile fell as he stiffened once more.

“I- uh. Was curious. Ate a few of ‘em,” he murmured shamefully.

You blinked a few times, only to let a smile slip at his expression. He looked like a kicked puppy, even if he hadn’t really done anything wrong. You reached to pat his head again, attempting to ruffle his hair under the copious amounts of gel.

“Hey, it’s not an issue!” You exclaimed, attempting to reassure him. “In fact, I can still have the ones you ate! If you’ll let me have some of your gift,” you added with a mischievous smirk.

He glanced to you, eyes shining with a glimmer of hope.

“You mean it?”

“Yeah! Heck, we can just share since we got the same thing, right? It’s no big deal!”

Juza nodded, a smile finally beginning to tug at the corners of his lips. You pulled him to the couch, setting the two boxes on the coffee table, taking the cellophane wrapping off of his and lifting the lid off of yours.

“Let’s try it all together, yeah?” You suggested.

“Yeah.”

[moonstruck-writing]

Burn [Banri Settsu x Juza Hyodo]

Pairing: Banri x Juza | A3! Rating: T (Language) Prompt: You cannot feel pain until you touch your soulmate C/Ws: non-graphic fighting, soulmate AU, has canon elements but departs from canon Summary: Juza’s fist connects with his jaw, making Banri shudder. It has to be a joke. He feels his nerve endings in a way they had never been alive before. Now he understands why certain guys run away from fights like it is hell. But this newfound pain he is feeling? It might be a sensation he could get addicted to. Word count: 2.6k A/N: This may be the only time you catch me writing enemies to lovers, but, were they ever really enemies to begin with? Also, a quick shout-out to the Mankai Archive and everyone who contributed <3 I could re-watch/read Banri and Juza’s handcuffed scene thanks to it :’)

Banri smirks to himself when he finally sees a person who matches the description he had been given of Juza Hyodo: purple hair, a permanent angry gesture on his face, and the uniform of Ouka High School. He is so proud of himself for only taking one afternoon to find him, that he doesn’t pay attention to the plastic bag Juza is holding.

The ice cream is already beginning to melt inside the box, but Juza refrains from fanning himself. It’s an atypically hot day, but that’s not exactly the reason why Juza decided to indulge in ice cream. His mouth begins to water just thinking of the amazing time he’ll have once he’s in his room, spoon repeatedly stabbing at the food to stuff his face with it.

However, the ice cream will not make it safely to his stomach, no. There will be some other hurdles first. One of them is named Banri Settsu. But Juza doesn’t know that yet. He is obliviously walking home, too used to feeling the intense prickling sensation of other people’s gazes on him to notice that this particular gaze feels different. That he should be afraid of it. But he’s too used to other people being afraid of him.

“Oi.”

Juza keeps walking, unaffected. Sometimes, ignoring people makes them lose interest in him. They always think he’s ready to jump at the lowest chance of a fight, but it’s far from the truth. It’s not that Juza runs away – he has never, and he knows better than that by now.

“Oi, ‘m talkin’ to you, piece o’shit.”

Juza clenches his jaws and exhales through his nose. It’s a persistent one. Well, he better make that quick, because he isn’t about to let his ice cream melt for a simple delinquent. However, he doesn’t turn around, but simply keeps walking.

“You, you’re Juza Hyodo, right?”

At the mention of his name, Juza finally looks up and turns back, facing the stranger. It’s just one guy, and he doesn’t seem that strong. But Juza knows better than to judge a book by its cover. He may be quick and agile, and if he’s come alone to pick up a fight with him, he must be crazy, too.

“’n you are?” Juza changes the plastic bag from his right hand to his left one, wondering if there would be a way for him to not have to drop the ice cream box on the floor. He likes being safe, it allows for a cleaner – and quicker – fight, but he also respects and appreciates his food.

“Banri Settsu, the man that’ll kick your ass ‘n take the title of undefeated delinquent.” Banri approaches him with a calm and confident smile, like he hasn’t just proposed a fight and is instead complimenting him in hopes of getting something. Which in a way, he is.

That what he’s after? Juza looks around, trying to find a place where they can solve this without being in the way of people, because it looks like it is going to be a pain in the ass.

And he would’ve never guessed that wouldn’t be the only time he sees Banri. Or has to fight with him, for that matter.

Juza’s fist connects with his jaw, making Banri shudder. It has to be a joke. He feels his nerve endings in a way they had never been alive before. Now he understands why certain guys run away from fights like it is hell. But this newfound pain he is feeling? It might be a sensation he could get addicted to.

Banri throws a punch back, but Juza effectively blocks it. Why now, though? There weren’t any cute girls around, and no one else had touched him in a while.

Juza goes for his stomach. He is getting tired of this and wants to go home as soon as possible. It was a good day until this punk showed up, separating him from the ice cream. While Banri steps back from the impact and coughs, Juza looks to the side, confirming the plastic bag with his precious snack is still on one of the benches of the empty park. His gaze is tender to the point where anyone who sees it would be convinced Juza is an angel – but sadly only the ice cream box has the privilege of being the recipient of that gesture, before his countenance chances once more.

Banri is breathing heavily, trying to find some respite from this new-found sensation – pain. He looks up from the ground, removing his hands from his stomach and placing them on his knees. Was it really Juza? The Juza Hyodo is the one who has caused his pain sensation to be triggered?

But that can only mean one thing. And Banri feels it is too fantastical to be the truth.

“You had enough?” Juza speaks huskily, making it seem like he is spitting his words.

“Like hell,” Banri chuckles and straightens up as if he had just appeared in front of him. He believes he can ignore this new feeling, this “pain”. It’s not the first time he doesn’t pay attention to his body. Winning the fight is more important. After all, if this had been easy, if Juza had been as easy to beat as all those other shits, it would’ve been a disappointment. But this isn’t the end.

Banri takes a couple of steps forward, feeling encouraged by the adrenaline in his system. Juza rolls his neck, waiting for his next move. He seems so calm and collected to Banri, and that’s what pisses him off the most. Why does he have to be the only pathetic one when they’re both in pain?

Except, Juza doesn’t feel pain. It’s not because Banri didn’t get to hit him – he did, even if it wasn’t as many times as he would’ve wanted. Juza’s pain reaction hasn’t been triggered. His nerves still lay dormant to that sensation, even if his body is taking some damage.

But that’s something Banri doesn’t know now. So he feels frustrated he cannot see Juza writhing in pain.

Most delinquents are only active before they meet their soulmates. Of course, that means there are also some reckless people who take it as a pledge of allegiance to keep fighting after being subjected to pain, but Banri hasn’t seen them. Most delinquents he has had contact with are his age and are only taking advantage of not feeling like their bodies are on fire. But Banri is curious about what someone in pain looks like. Someone like Juza in pain – the image in Banri’s mind sends a new wave of anticipation through his veins.

When Juza sees Banri bend over, he wonders why someone with the capacity to feel pain would pick up a fight he isn’t likely to win cleanly. He doesn’t believe not feeling pain is a blessing like most delinquents he dealt with thought. For Juza, feeling pain means you have a blessing to treasure in your life. He wonders why someone with a soulmate in their lives would put themselves in danger like that. He can’t help but wonder what sort of person Banri’s soulmate is and whether they’d be mad if he got into a fight.

If Juza became someone’s soulmate, he wouldn’t want them to suffer. But he doubts he is anyone’s soulmate. He is too used to the feeling of isolation to believe there is a red string tied to his pinky finger connecting him with anyone.

And yet, at this moment, their red string is so tangled around them that if it became visible, they would only see red.

**

That isn’t the only time Banri has fought since developing the sensation of pain. He wanted to see if it was really real and not just something he had imagined, so he found other delinquents to fight with.

However, he found out that pain has a different quality. The bite, the aftershocks, everything is subtle but different.

He has started believing there is a reason why he felt he could get addicted to pain. But it isn’t the pain caused by just anyone.

Banri would’ve never guessed he could become a masochist. But his body and mind are behaving in weird ways since he met Juza.

**

Everything stayed the same after joining Mankai. The pain is still different depending on the source, and only Juza has the power to make him feel that pain differently. However, he hasn’t turned into a masochist. And he also doesn’t understand why Juza cannot feel pain. Isn’t he supposed to be his soulmate? Why does Juza get to keep his freedom and ignorance while Banri just keeps quiet?

He hasn’t heard of anyone who can feel pain differently depending on whether it is their soulmate inflicting it or not, but he also guesses other people’s soulmates don’t exactly beat them up.

Banri has started thinking that somehow, it must’ve been a misunderstanding of some sort. Maybe someone had indeed touched him before his first fight with Juza and he didn’t realise. A passerby, mindlessly bumping their hands. Maybe the effect had been delayed, and it didn’t take place until Juza hit him, like waking his body up. That has to be the only possible reason why Juza still doesn’t feel pain.

So Banri has started confronting him less. Where is the fun in challenging someone who is not your soulmate? Banri still wants to beat Juza, but somehow it doesn’t feel as exciting as before.

Everyone thinks it is because they are finally starting to get along better, or that Banri has calmed down, has matured – and he has. Having his heart broken sobered him up. It changed him. He isn’t so full of rage and restlessness anymore. The pain has filled the emptiness. Things aren’t so easy and boring.

And the theatre and his troupe keep proving to him there is more to life than his way of thinking. That’s how, one day, their red string wraps around them again.

“What did you do?” Juza scowls at Banri, scrutinising him.

“The hell you mean? Didn’t do nothin’.” Banri heaves out, not even bothering looking back at Juza. They have just taught the thief who took Izumi’s purse a lesson, and Banri isn’t about to take any responsibility for anything he didn’t do. Especially not when it’s the first time he has felt like Juza and him could become a team, and a solid one at that.

Juza opens and closes his fists, trying to get rid of the sensation bloating his hands. It is new and strange, and it leaves him wondering what happened. Before running off after the thief, everything was normal – if being handcuffed to Banri can be considered normal, that is. And now… a memory flashes before his eyes, and the word appears clear in his mind: pain. This is pain, this new sensation he is feeling. But why?

Juza observes Banri’s movements, trying to find the answer he is looking for. And he soon finds it. When the rest of the Autumn troupe arrives at the scene and contacts the police, Sakyo finally removes the handcuffs and Juza sees Banri step aside. Before his face is outside of his range of vision, Banri’s countenance contorts in what Juza knows is an expression of pain.

Since when does Banri feel pain? Did he always feel it and Juza just didn’t notice it before?

As Banri is blowing on his knuckles in an attempt to cool off his scratches, Juza gulps down the knot that has formed in his throat.

He cannot know it for sure, but he has an inkling, a suspicion he doesn’t know if he wants to see confirmed or denied. All he knows is that as they make it back to the dorms, he cannot see Banri in the same light. Is it just because of the pain? If nothing in his body had changed, Juza wonders whether he’d still be following Banri with his gaze. He doesn’t want to imagine things, he wants real facts. And the real facts are for a few minutes back there when they were chasing after the thief, he didn’t hate being handcuffed to Banri.

“Since when do things hurt?” Juza approaches Banri on what he assumes is his way to the bathroom, to get the first-aid kit.

“The hell are you gettin’ so philosophical for?”

“I’m talkin’ physical pain.” Juza doesn’t even blink for fear of missing Banri’s reaction.

“Dunno what you’re talkin’ about.” He opens the cabinet and takes out the king-sized first-aid kit Izumi decided to buy for the dorm.

“You were grimacin’.” Juza doesn’t need to add anything else for Banri to feel his hands suddenly grow cold. He quickly grabs the bandages and pretends to be busy opening the package, so that it isn’t weird that he cannot look him in the eye.

“’Cause I have to see your ugly face.” Why does he feel like a kid who has been found guilty? He told himself he wasn’t about to take responsibility for anything he didn’t do. And if he ever did anything, it was weeks ago. Now it’s too late for Juza to ask him to take accountability for anything. It’s too late for regrets.

“I also see your ugly face ‘n’ don’t flinch like that.” He isn’t going to take the bait or storm away like usual. He wants real answers, not the nonsense Banri usually spouts.

Banri clicks his tongue and decides to ignore him. He isn’t about to confess he has been feeling physical pain since he met Juza, not when his fists look like a mess. He needs to be ready for a fight in situations like that.

“Lemme bandage you.” Juza takes the bundle from his hands and forces Banri’s hands open. When he starts working on covering his wounds, he feels an electric shock run from the tips of his fingers through his arm, a heat spreading on his chest and neck.

“You’re not even doin’ this right.” Banri immediately removes his hands, busying himself with going back to the first-aid kit and taking out some wound disinfectant to apply it to his wounds.

“You’re goin’ to pretend that didn’t happen?” Juza sounds almost pissed, but it is mostly disbelief. He wouldn’t have guessed Banri is able to ignore such an intense sensation.

Banri plays dumb, not even reacting to his words. Or so he’d like to think because his hands are trembling so much the disinfectant is trickling down his extremities and running down the sink.

Juza sighs and takes the small bottle from him, grabbing one of his hands and stabilizing it enough to pour the liquid only on the wounds. Their palms are abnormally hot, and it makes Banri’s vision blurry.

“It hurt today,” Juza casually whispers, the sound amplified by the silence in the bathroom. Banri looks up from the sink in disbelief. “I couldn’t feel pain before, but it hurt today.” Juza is now bandaging his hand, but Banri can’t even remember when he put the bottle of disinfectant away. Everything is moving too fast, and yet, when he looks at Juza, his movements are slow and deliberate.

His eyes burn.

“I don’t wanna talk ‘bout this pain shit.” Banri finally speaks, but he feels as if he had just slurred his words. That’s how much his head is spinning.

Juza looks at him and a confident smile spreads through his face. Two things are for certain: it is the first time he sees Banri with an embarrassed and vulnerable look on his face, and he didn’t say he doesn’t want to talk with him about the other side of that pain.

That their hands aren’t just connected right now as he is bandaging him, and that they share a stronger connection than the physical realm can prove.

.

.

.

A/N: it’s been so long since I last wrote ;-; I hope this was enjoyable and please excuse any mistakes, writing Juza and Banri’s speech is especially difficult for me >.<

[arigatonamuse]

Title: puzzle piece

Summary: "Muku asked me to tell him my love story... I guess, I'll do it one day." -- Banri Settsu believed in soulmates until he didn't. But maybe it was time for him to believe in them again.

Rating: teen and up audiences

Relationship: Juza/Banri

Additional tags: Introspection, Stream of Consciousness, soulmates (kinda), MANKAI Memory Backstage story spoilers, References to Depression, Pre-Relationship, no beta we die like Tsuzuru after finishing his scripts, JuBan Week 2021, Day 1 : Fate/Isolation, Settsu Banri is a closet romantic

[yokubounorain]

Título: Tell Me What You Want, What You Really, Really Want.

Fandom: A3! Act! Addict! Actors!

Pairing: Takato Tasuku/Hyodo Juza.

Rating: Explicit.

Cantidad de palabras: 1845.

Sinopsis: Juza finalmente logra capturar al vampiro alfa. Lo único que debe hacer es eliminarlo y la humanidad estaría salvada. ¿Realmente es eso lo que quiere? ¿Qué sucederá cuando el que deba ser salvado sea él?

Día 4 de la A3! Rare Pairs Week 2023: La peor pesadilla + el sueño de toda una vida.

✅ Request Box Prompt: 🗃🔞 “Tasuku is a vampire and Juza is a hunter, but Juza's blood is too sweet for Tasuku to avoid (he sucks and does other things too).” [Tasuku es un vampiro y Juza, un cazador, pero la sangre de Juza es demasiado dulce como para que Tasuku se resista (él chupa y hace otras cosas también)]

Leer en AO3.

[citowon]

Beware of Dog 🍒 Taichi Nanao

c4tb0y0: Ahhhhh that last masumi fic + hc was so cute and funny! I loved it so much, could I please request hcs for taichi with a gn!s/o who looks very intimidating on the outside but really they are a big softie anyways please have a nice day, eat + drink lots and please stay safe! <3

WAAAAAH ya girl just got slammed with 4 essays due this week. it’s why i’m actually writing this at 5:24 am right now, actually, i really wanted to get my ideas out for this one and get it queued so i can concentrate on my work! thank you for your patience. this reader’s personality is one of my favorites that i’ve written, and i hope you enjoy this total sweetheart and everything they fight for. 🌟

not to be one of Those Bitches™ but i love water- i don’t drink soda, only coffee when i need the rush, and juice and lemonade as a treat. please make sure to drink at least one glass of water per meal everyone! ...though i will admit i’ve only eaten one meal today, i think, i lost count. and because these essays are rocking my shit and i wanted to get beware of dog up today i’m not sleeping tonight and i’ll just take a phat nap after class and i have to type quietly so i don’t wake up my light sleeper roommate... i’m getting off topic. sleepy wave is a little silly sometimes. a lot of times, really. please enjoy yourself.

word count: 9154

tags: fic, gender neutral reader, fluff, hurt/comfort, i wouldn’t call it angst but yeah, there’s a bit of angst in there, cursing,  physical violence (no weapons fistfight)

summary: As your relationship with Taichi deepens, you would go through hell and high water to protect the ones you care about, and the feeling is mutual.

Sakyo should’ve known something was wrong the second he saw Nanao on his phone.

Nanao was a lot of things; young, brash, excitable, but never inattentive. Ever since the first tech rehearsal of The Stranger, he never picked up his phone, even with all its vibrating. He said something about “getting into the zone,” and Sakyo respected his choice to avoid the distraction. Sakyo has never seen Nanao even considering going back on his word after over a year of productions in Autumn Troupe, which was something to be admired, especially with how flighty he could be off the stage.

He was so used to every other actor checking their phone, though, that when Nanao picked it up today thirty minutes before the curtain rose on Fiery Mantou Fist, he didn’t even bat an eye. Nanao’s eyebrows were furrowed together as he took a giant, puffy-cheeked breath and typed something in determination.

Then Sakyo carried on without a second thought. What, was he supposed to do something? He was a grown-ass man; it wasn’t his responsibility to psychoanalyze everyone he passed by. All he wanted to do was set the Mantou Fist scroll prop before the show. Sue him, he was focused on the wellbeing of the play.

And Nanao was in the right headspace as well during the show, but right after he thanked everyone who congratulated him, he sped through his post-show routine and went back to his phone, which is how Sakyo made the connection and put two and two together.

He loomed over Taichi’s shoulder, the younger actor still typing away with full attention on the screen. Sakyo spoke up. “Oi.”

“AAAAHHHH!”

Sakyo lurched back, ears ringing from the scream. Damn. Maybe Bon was onto something whenever he called Sakyo an old geezer; one more screech like that and his hearing would go out. Then he really was done for, and as much as the Director made him want to play for keeps, this would be one bet he’d have to tap out on.

“It’s not what you think! I promise! I’m sorry! I’m sorry! I’m-” Nanao swiveled in his chair, his face aghast and eyes riddled with fear, until he wasn’t. He blinked and his face reset, glancing at Sakyo with boyish, though minimal, guilt. “Oh, sorry, Sakyo! I didn’t see you there. Did you need something?”

Sakyo pinched his nose. His ears were still ringing. This was even worse than the last time someone fired a gun point blank next to him (don’t ask). “What… was that? Is something wrong?”

“I get scared easily. Sorry! I was just about to go outside, actually.”

“...Right.” Sakyo’s brain was so scrambled, even his common sense eluded him. “Don’t be out too late.”

“I won’t! I’ll be back before you know it!”

Sakyo just watched him leave as he pieced his thoughts back together.

Settsu piped up during the stunned silence. “Hey, Sakyo, real quick question. What the hell was that?”

“I don’t know,” he said lamely. “Do you think he’s in trouble?”

“He seemed out of it,” Hyodo chimed in. “He looked… worried?”

“If you’re not sure, then keep your mouth shut.”

“Like you would know.”

“I sure would! I’m great at reading people.”

As Settsu and Hyodo continued to bicker- really, it was only a matter of time before they started- Azami spoke up. “Well, I’m concerned. He looked like he was about to shit himself.”

“Maybe he is in trouble,” Fushimi wondered aloud.

That was all it took for Sakyo to get his head back in working order. Fuck. Fuck.

Fuuuuuuck.

He got complacent. Even after Azami’s abduction, he got complacent. Nanao was a good kid, and athletic enough to keep up with Autumn Troupe with ease, but he was small, and honestly, a little stupid. Of course he would be the glowing neon target on Autumn.

Was someone trying to fuck with Mankai again? Worst case scenarios drove through his mind. Nanao being blackmailed. Nanao in a street deal. Nanao as leverage- fuuuuck. What if an enemy family figured out the connections between Ginsenkai and Mankai? Taichi was a member close to Sakyo and the least capable in a fight. What if this was a ploy to start a gang war?

This needed to stop. This needed to stop before it even started.

Sakyo turned on his heel, voice unemotive but blood boiling. “I’m going to follow him.”

“Call me if anything’s wrong. I’ll check on him,” Fushimi called out.

Oh, if only something was just simply wrong.

Sakyo wished something was just simply wrong.

He cased the joint branching out- and found him in an alley relatively close to the perimeter. This was good news. Staying close to home turf meant he only needed to grab Taichi, sprint back to the theater, and then the abductors wouldn’t dare try entering and exposing their identity unless they were real stupid.

He clung to the wall, watching the interaction out of the corner of his eye. Taichi’s hair made him stick out like a sore thumb, but in front of him, someone virtually unnoticeable. Average.

So why did they carry themselves like a wolf with its claws wrapped around a deer?

Young. Young like Taichi, but their presence was so much bigger. Their face tightened into sharp features sculpted by the shadows of the alley. Taichi stared up at them in reverence.

Not flighty enough to be a thief, not charismatic enough to be a scammer. Yakuza, probably. Fresh meat. Too hopped up on the movies to realize it’s not all blood, guns and girls. No self-respecting seasoned family member would pull a stunt like this right next to the theater. Dumbass didn’t even know how to carry out an abduction.

Whispering. Sharp enough to register, quiet enough to be indecipherable. The mini-gangster stepped closer to Taichi. When they approached Taichi shivered and Sakyo saw red.

Time to intervene. Sakyo crossed his arms as he strode to the opening of the alley. “You got a problem with our man?”

“Sakyo-”

But they stepped forward before Taichi could call out his name, and held a dark-sleeved arm out to block him. “The fuck do you want?”

“I could ask you the same thing. Let him go.”

The corner of their mouth rose, flashing bared fangs. “Better idea, you turn around and forget you ever saw us.”

Sakyo rolled up his sleeves. “You wanna see yourself bleed?!”

“Bring it! I’m not letting him get hurt-”

“Stop!” Taichi yelled with his whole body. He sprinted forward, past the abductor and between the two. “Please don’t fight! Stop!”

“Outta the way before you get hurt!”

“Let me handle this myself!”

Despite their protests Taichi grabbed a hand from either person and smacked them together, forcing them into a handshake. “Sakyo! This is Reader! They’re the one I’ve been talking about!”

The gangster- Reader’s- hand went from tight fist to loose. Sakyo watched their stone-cold exterior fall to just plain dumbfoundedness.

Which was perfectly understandable, mind you. Sakyo opened and closed his mouth like a fish, trying to figure out something to say.

So Taichi just threw his hands in the air in a half-hearted razzle-dazzle move. “Suuurprise?”

Sakyo settled on, “It’s a… pleasure to meet you.”

“Likewise?” Reader limply shook his hand. ”I’ve seen your shows. I’m sorry I didn’t recognize you. You look a lot paler in person.”

“People look different under stage lighting.”

“Sorry. My bad. Sorry.”

Reader hadn’t broken the handshake yet.

“I heard a lot about you from Nanao,” Sakyo said. “I hope you’re taking care of him. For your sake.”

“Sakyo, please don’t threaten my partner,” Nanao whined.

Reader nervously laughed. What a contrast to their demeanor. “It’s understandable. I’ve also heard about Autumn Troupe. Thank you for taking care of him.”

“You’re welcome.”

Reader still held Sakyo’s hand in theirs, but didn’t even bother to continue shaking. This had to be one of the worst alleyway confrontations Sakyo’s ever had in his career.

Nanao scratched the back of his head and turned to the other actor. “Are they looking for me?”

“Not once I get back.”

“Okay, cool. You see, I was actually in the middle of something…”

Actually, make that the worst alleyway confrontation Sakyo’s ever had in his career. Forget mortified, Sakyo felt just plain gross. Reader covered their face with their hands.

“I’ll just tell them you’re fine,” he said, then reconsidered. “You are fine, right?”

“Yes! Oh my god. Totally fine, I swear.”

“I’ll take my leave then.” Sakyo toyed with his glasses. “It was a pleasure to meet you, Reader.”

“Likewise,” Reader mumbled.

“I’ll be back soon, Sakyo.”

“...Bye.”

Sakyo couldn’t walk away fast enough.

“Haha.”

Taichi stared off into the brick wall behind him and couldn’t help but awkwardly laugh. “Hahaha. Sorry. I didn’t expect you to meet Sakyo like that…”

“It’s-it’s fine. He was going to meet me sooner or later…”

But that really had to be one of the worst ways to go about it, wasn’t it?

“He’s a good guy. Really! I know he seems scary. It’s because he is. He’s actually really scary. But only when he wants to be! Which is often, but that isn’t the point. He’s just... looking out for me.”

His gaze darted to you, teal eyes full of worry. You reached for his face and kissed him on the lips.

“I know,” you said, voice stuttering. “It’s okay. I’m okay. I… I just d-didn’t expect it. That’s all. Really.”

“I didn’t expect that either!”

“Yeah, I didn’t either.”

“No, not the Sakyo thing, I mean the… the thing that...” Taichi waved his hands around, trying to figure out the word. But it never came to him, so he just decided to wrap an arm around your neck, lead you closer, and kiss you back.

This boy really was going to be the death of you, huh?

When he pulled back, his smile was genuine. Small and sweet, cheeks flush and light with a sigh that soon escaped him. Oh, the things you would do to never let that smile falter. You’ve been dating for some time now, but the feeling’s always been there, flighty in the beginning, but easing into a comfortable, mutual love.

So you held him tight in your arms and said what was on your mind: “I love you.”

His head tilted to perch on your shoulder, and the arm that was already around your body rested along your neck. “I love you too.”

Oh, what you wouldn’t do to protect that love.

Ding-dong!

Your hand retreated the second the doorbell rang, and your mind ran through every hot romance tip you skimmed over back when you and Taichi first started dating. Your relationship started with two inexperienced people relying on teen magazines and dating advice sites, but it was awkward, and soon abandoned for the comfort of your prior friendship, but like, with kissing and flirting and stuff. Affection was casual and easily earned, and Taichi’s antics taught you long ago that you didn’t have to be composed in front of him; he loved you all the same.

But, well, this visit wasn’t exactly for Taichi’s eyes only.

Noise echoed through Mankai Company. You could hear shouts and conversations resonating through the halls and leading outside- not exactly enough to earn a noise violation, but at that volume where you know the neighbors have considered it.

Chest out, back straight, don’t fidget and don’t slouch. Taichi always insisted on escorting you home after a date, but you’ve never returned the favor. ‘It’s like meeting the parents,’ he said once on a coffee date, flustered and staring into his latte. ‘I’m sure you’ll meet them some day! But let’s not do that now!’

That was a few months ago. He requested you meet him at the dorms so he could escort you to a bowling alley arcade, but it was about the same distance from the dorms as it was to your house. Does that mean he wanted to show you off to his troupe? Does that mean he loves you? You knew that, you’ve exchanged the words with him countless times before, but is there another degree above just love? Did something shift in your relationship, and was it for the better or a step back? Did you mess up something? You hoped not. You really didn’t want to mess up with Taichi. You didn’t want to mess up in general, really, but not with Taichi, anyone but Taichi.

No one opened the door yet. You should ring the bell again.

Ding-dong!

“COMING!”

That was… decidedly not Taichi. You could hear heavy clunking against the wood floor as someone approached the door. Was the floor always that loud? Maybe these dorms were older than you thought.

“Mankai Company!” The door swung open. “Do you need…”

You stared down at a head of green hair. His chin rose as he met the eyes of an absolute beast of a person towering over him, stiff as a board and frightening as frozen hell, even with the little bouquet of flowers in their arms.

He squeezed his lips together before he finished the thought. “Do you need something?”

“I’m looking for Taichi.”

“The dumb dog?”

Ouch. You winced for Taichi. You noticed the teen in the threshold tremble, and held back a huff. Great work, Reader, you already scared one of the actors Taichi lived with before you even got his name.

He forced a stiff upper lip. “I’ll get him.”

Then he turned on his high heel- high heels indoors? Now that was extra- and shut the door. You watched him briskly walk through the window until he was out of view.

Well, you already blew it! Might as well relax.

You told yourself that, but while your body rested, your head was anything but relaxed. What if that guy was Taichi’s best friend in the whole entire company and you lost his approval just then? You didn’t want him to choose between his best friend and his partner. You’d feel awful if he had to.

You sighed, and looked down at the pansy bouquet in your arms for comfort. It was less of a bouquet and more of a bundle, with small blooms and no filler flowers, but the petals varied from bold white to crisp blue. You didn't know if Taichi had a favorite variety, but these were the brightest of the bunch, and Taichi deserved flowers as beautiful as him.

The door opened once more, and you straightened up, but dropped your gaze to meet the eyes of the boy that you scared off, or maybe even your boyfriend. After all, they were both small enough you had to lower your neck to make eye contact with them.

Instead you were greeted by a tight white shirt outlining absolutely shredded abs. You cast your eyes up and nearly balked at the glaring face that looked up at you. The man was six feet of pure muscle, still not tall enough to look down on you, but massive enough to overpower you. His stare was downright ghastly, only accentuated by the smear of black grease on his cheek, and under his fingernails, and… pretty much everywhere, actually. He smelled like smoke, sweat, and oil.

He scrunched up his nose. You felt a shiver run down your spine. “You got beef with Taichi?”

“No! No beef!” You nearly dropped your flowers, but forced yourself to be strong. “I’m here to pick him up.”

You scowled, hoping it would be enough to get this guy to step down. He scowled back. Great, now you were starting to understand what it was like to be on the receiving end of an intimidating face. You wanted to cry.

“For what?” Big Guy said. His voice was low like rolling thunder.

“A date.” You crossed your arms, growing defensive. “He told me to meet him here-”

“You’re Reader?”

“You know me?”

Big Guy averted his eyes. Was he embarrassed? “I’ve heard your name.”

“Oh. I’m his partner. How’d you know my name? Does he talk about me?”

“Uh…”

Sakyo walked back into the dressing room. They had already struck the Mantou Fist set, and in the corner all their costumes were neatly hung up on a rolling rack.

Fushimi practically pounced on him the second he entered the room. “You didn’t call me back. Is Taichi okay?”

“Settle down, Fushimi. He’s fine,” Sakyo said.

“What happened?”

Maybe in another world, he would’ve been more sympathetic. Had it been earlier, certainly, he’d try to cover for Nanao. But it was late and Sakyo was tired and Bon was going to throw a fit about wrinkles if he didn’t get his beauty rest anytime soon.

“He’s busy. He needed privacy with Reader.”

No one really broke the pregnant pause that came after. On one hand, good thing he was safe, but on the other...

“Good for him,” Settsu finally said, surprisingly quiet, like he just wanted to gloss over that fact. The others matched his volume.

“That’s good.”

“Yeah, good for him.”

“Gross, you’re a voyeur. Barf.”

“...Yeah,” Big Guy finally said.

“Huh.”

“Come in.”

“Okay.”

That’s how you found yourself sitting in the Mankai Company lounge across Big Guy, who fetched High Heels along the way, the latter incoming with a pot of tea and cups.

“I’m Reader,” you said. Someone had to start the conversation, after all. You weren’t good at it, but it was a start.

“I know,” Big Guy said.

“I didn’t. Why didn’t you lead with that?” High Heels placed one of the cups in front of you, steam rising out from the ceramic. “I wouldn’t have gotten Juza to shoo you away if I knew you were the dumb dog’s partner.”

“Sorry.” You gently placed your pansies on the table, careful not to crush any of the petals, and wrapped your hands around the cup. “Wait, I was being shooed?”

Juza raised his hand to apologize. “Yuki thought that if someone tough like me greeted you, you wouldn’t hurt Taichi.”

“But I don’t want to hurt Taichi,” you said, crestfallen. You grew up tall, big and menacing, and you knew what a mysterious (read; shy) demeanor did to already established rumors, but still, you were taken aback. “I wouldn’t even think about it.”

Yuki poured Juza some tea. “We had a scare a few months ago. Sakyo said he thought the dog got caught up in a yakuza affair. Alleyway abduction or something.”

“Was it during Mantou Fist’s run?”

Juza and Yuki traded a knowing look. The former nodded.

“That was me.” You stared at your tea. “I just wanted to say hello and congratulate him. Sorry. Everyone thinks I’m a gangster, but I’m not. I promise. I’m not a bully or a punk either. I don’t do hard drugs, and I definitely don’t deal them either. Oh, on that subject, I don’t drink. I’m not a criminal, and I don’t pickpocket-”

“Do people really think that of you?”

“Yeah,” you said, and you stared at Juza when he said it in sync with you. “You too?”

“I still get punks tryin’ to pick a fight with me.”

“Oh. I’m sorry.”

He waved a hand. “It happens.”

...To people with unfairly scary faces, sure, but that still didn’t mean he deserved to get caught up in fights!

Yuki sipped his drink. “For the record, If Juza has that reputation but acts like a sloth all day, then you’re probably okay with me. I don’t care about your image.”

“That’s good. I thought I scared you earlier.”

“I was not. Scared. Got it?” Yuki gave you a murderous glare that made you sink in your seat, but his ears were red. “The point is, Taichi really likes you. So unless you screw up real bad, you’re fine in my book.”

“But if you try to hurt him, you’re gonna have to go through us,” Juza said.

You and Juza were kindred spirits, you could already tell, and both suffered from being too naturally intimidating for your own good, but jeez. The way he leered at you when he said that made you feel like you were doomed to a Mankai firing squad execution if you ever made a misstep.

“Trust me. Whatever you think he’ll do, I’ll make it worse,” Yuki threatened. The dryness in his voice made Juza look like a Pomeranian.

“Okay,” you whimpered. “I will not do that. I will literally do anything but that.”

“Good.” The corners of Yuki’s mouth turned into a smile, but the way he said it made it so much more chilling.

“...Stop hazing Taichi’s partner.”

“Guhwuh,” you squawked.

Look. It wasn’t exactly a fine moment. You know this, and you aren’t ashamed to say you were scared, because really, who wouldn’t be when a strange new voice calls out from behind you and you turn around and literally not even a foot away is some rando with snowy white hair over one eye like a 2005 emo kid that somehow managed to sneak up on you despite being on edge this entire time and also up against a wall?

You digress.

“We’re just having a chat. The dumb dog said he’ll be downstairs in two minutes.”

“That’s fair. I was kind of early anyways, so it’s only natural he’s not ready yet…”

You trailed off, but the man continued. “He’s happy, Reader. He always is but he’s truly happy he met you. Don’t disappoint him.”

Juza may be a Pomeranian, and Yuki made your blood run cold, and it might’ve just been because of how caught off-guard you were, but this guy just won an Academy Award for Scariest Shovel Talk.

Then he had the audacity to yawn (rather cutely, you might add) and drink the rest of Juza’s untouched tea. “...Juza, how’s your bike?”

“Omi said there was a problem with the tank, but it’s a simple fix once he gets a replacement part. Tasuku’s driving to find a store that sells them right now.”

“How long has he been out?”

“Since noon?”

“That’s a long time.”

“Yeah. But he’s determined. Says he really wants to get this done today.”

“And Omi?”

“Trying to plug the leak.”

“That’s good.”

“Why?”

“There’s no one to stop me if I do this.”

You were about to ask what ‘this’ was when the man stuck out a half-hearted peace sign, shut his visible eye, and fell backwards. You jumped out of your seat to help him, but his back arched over the sofa and sent him somersaulting over the sofa, and he landed face-down perpendicular to the cushions.

You were speechless. “What the- oh my god. What just happened? Is he okay?!”

“It happens.” Yuki waved a hand dismissively.

“But- but he just-”

“It happens,” Juza repeated. “Hisoka does that a lot.”

“I- wh- um.” The man, Hisoka, let out a giant snore. You slowly sunk back into your seat. “...Okay.”

“Are these for the dog?” Yuki asked.

You shifted your gaze to where Yuki’s clear-coated fingernail was pointing. It was your flowers. “Um! Yeah! They are! I garden, you see, a lot really, it’s my hobby. But I’m not very good at it. They aren’t that pretty. I didn’t do a good job of fertilizing them last time I planted. You can see blemishes on this petal. And this one, too.”

“They’re his favorite flowers, you know,” Yuki said.

“Um, yeah.” You calmed yourself after your nervous rambling. “Yeah, I know.”

“Do you have any other varieties in your garden?”

“Yes! Yes, actually. I- um, he loves them, you know, so when we started… you know, being serious, I really got into pansies? Since he likes them. So I just have a lot of them now. Just a lot. My garden’s a good size so I still have a lot of diversity between plants but I have a lot of pansies. I kind of collect different species of pansies now. I’m trying to get some black devils. They’re purely black, but they have a little yellow spot in the middle. Kind of weird but in a pretty way. They don’t sell them in local nurseries since they’re so weird, even though I think they’re cool. Oh, but I have almost every other color though. But only with the black blotch in the center. Makes them look really stark and pop-arty compared to all my other flowers. The ones without the blotch are nice, too, but they just look so plain. I like raising flowers that most people think are too, oough, it’s ‘out there,’ you know? It’s like Bob Ross. Get a little crazy with it, haha. My hot pink pansies always bloom a little late compared to the others, so they’re still budding. But the others are coming along nicely. You kind of have to have yellow pansies, right? They’re a classic. I’m a really nontraditional gardener but yellow pansies are just a must. But I also have burgundy. They’re really unique and kind of tiding me over while I search for black ones. I’ve got two different purples, too. One of them is really dark, like, royal purple, but the other is lavender? Like, not lavender lavender, that’s a whole other plant, but like, the same color, lavender. Oh, and I really love these multicolored ones I have, they’re kind of a burnt red but the further away you get from the center they turn yellow. It’s so cool. They look like fire.”

“You should show him the fire flowers,” Juza said. To be honest, you really spaced out there, and totally didn’t expect either of the actors to listen to you, but sure enough, they seemed interested enough. Even if Juza made your prized plants sound like Super Mario power-ups. “He likes them.”

“You think so? That’s really convenient actually. They aren’t in full bloom yet but they will be soon.”

Juza nodded. “Taichi’ll like ‘em.”

“I’ll like what?”

“Seriously, what is up with people sneaking up on me today,” you half-hissed, half-squeaked.

“Sorry, Reader!” Taichi wrapped his arms around you in a back hug. You couldn’t resist the warm smile that spread across your face. “Yuki, Juza, have you met Reader yet? We’re dating.”

Yuki scoffed. “We’ve already introduced ourselves, made plans to go out for brunch every day of the week, and shared all our embarrassing stories about you.”

“Yuuukiiiii. Don’t make me look uncool in front of my partner. We’re dating.”

“You just love saying that, don’t you.”

“Of course I do! We’re dating!” Taichi spun on his heel to approach Yuki and clapped either of his hands on his shoulders. Yuki smacked them off and dusted off his blouse. “This is Yuki! He’s super cute and younger than me but he’s my mentor! I help him sew all of our costumes!”

“You saying cute people can’t master their craft, intern?” Yuki said, the humorous lilt in his voice betraying the sharpness of his words.

He slid beside Juza next. “And this is Juza! He’s a total man’s man! He’s everything I want to be when I grow up!”

“Hey,” Juza said, like he hadn’t just spent the last ten minutes talking to you. Then he pushed Taichi away. “Don’t get close to me. I smell like a garage gym.”

“Wouldn’t dream of it, buddy!” Taichi snapped and finger-gunned in one smooth motion, then held out a hand for you. “See you guys! I’ve got places to be with Reader! We’re dating!”

You took his hand, and he led you out of the lounge. “It was nice meeting you two.”

“Yeah, yeah. Hurry up and get out, I don’t like rom-coms,” Yuki teased.

“Have a good time,” Juza said.

“Gsnrk,” Hisoka snored.

Metal met soft earth, and cracked the layer above it.

Your shovel was firmly planted in the dirt, but you kicked your boot along the edge to really sink it in, and heft some soil out of the ground.

Wheeew. Your backyard looked like a flower prairie in a neighborhood pocket, with cobblestone pathways to traverse between flowers, fruits and veggies, and- you know you might be biased here- it really was one of the most beautiful things you’ve ever seen. But man, keeping the yard in tip-top shape was hard work.

You rolled your shoulders and stretched, taking in the not-too-searing sun. It was late morning, and you really wanted to get things done before the day grew much longer and you had an afternoon sun beating down on you as you worked. It would be best for Taichi, too.

You’re not totally sure why he was so interested in helping you garden. Not even thirty minutes after he arrived, he already threw his shirt off to cool down, and was currently inside the house so he could make you some lemonade. He said it was so digging wasn’t as much of a chore to you, and joked about something like ‘being a malewife,’ but you were pretty sure he just needed a moment to recollect himself in the air-conditioned home.

Well, no matter, these cherry tomatoes weren’t going to plant themselves. You brushed your hand over your forehead, wiping off the sweat that pooled along it, and shook your head to flick back your damp hair. As you pushed it back, you noticed Taichi standing smack dab in front of the door, a tray with glasses and a pitcher of lemonade in his hands.

“Hey!” You waved at him. The shovel was still set under the earth by your boot. “I’m gonna take a break. Let’s chill out for a second.”

He nodded, and you led him to one of your favorite places in the garden: the trellis bench. It seemed sparse when you first bought it, forged with thin cast iron bars that kept two seated and not much else, and a sweeping arch above the bench fortified with extra iron bars. Not that long ago, your parents once dragged you along to a winery. You couldn’t drink any of the wines, but you explored the vineyards instead, and were greeted by pergolas everywhere, with curls of grapevines along the wooden shaft. They inspired you to start your own little grapevine, and now, your grapes had already gone through two or three harvests as they tangled and twisted through the bars of the trellis. Right now, there were a few tendrils of flowering buds, but you could see the beginnings of grape bunches along the vine and metal, bright green and small.

And, as mentioned earlier, the bench kept two seated and not much else. You slid a nearby iron table by the bench, and gestured to Taichi to place the tray down. He did so.

When you sat you brushed against Taichi’s thigh, and huffed out a sigh. “I work out here all the time but I keep forgetting how easy it is to get winded.”

“Yeah,” Taichi said. He took a big gulp of lemonade.

“Tough work, right? It’s really not as fun as it looks. You know you don’t have to garden with me. I’m sure it’s not much of a fun date idea, and I’m kind of gross right now but if you just want to hang out inside-”

“Nope! It’s fine! I’m totally fine!” He finished the lemonade and immediately started pouring himself another serving. “I can handle it! Yep! No issues here!”

Your eyes lowered as you looked down at a cobblestone path and the greenery rising from between the cracks. “Okay. But you’d tell me if you don’t like it, okay? You’re really quiet today.”

“D-don’t worry about it! It’s not that important...”

“But you know me. I’m horrible at not worrying.” You held the hand resting in his lap. “Whatever it is, I’ll help you through it. I promise I won’t judge you, and if you just need to talk about it, I’m available too-”

Taichi blurted out, “It’s because you’re hot.”

Whatever you were thinking, it dissolved into nothing as your mind went blank. Taichi slapped a hand over his mouth and averted his eyes. You stared at the ground harder.

“I’m what?” You finally asked, still in disbelief.

Taichi’s voice was muffled through his hand. “‘S b’cus mure hot.”

HUH??? You thought.

“Huh?” You said.

“You're hot! I’m sorry!”

Your face blossomed bright red. “Th-th-thank you? I- um? Thanks? Er, why are you apologizing? Did I do something wrong-“

“No! No! You’re fine. It’s me. That was weird, I’m sorry-“

“It’s alright, I’m…” you smacked your mouth, hoping the dryness would fade and you’d make a coherent sentence. “…Just taken aback?”

“I’m sorry. I’m sorry. That was really out of line-“

“It’s okay? I’m not against it. I’ve just never… thought of myself as…” You cleared your throat. “No one’s ever told me that.”

“But you are.”

“I mean, not really. Not compared to other people.”

“Really? Never? Reader-“ Taichi grabbed your hand with both of his. “Reader, you definitely are.”

“But I scare everyone I meet.”

“But you’re the sweetest person I know.” He squeezed your hand. Your heart jumped. “You’re so pretty. I love you.”

You turned to face him, your head still spinning. “You’re serious? You really mean that?”

“I mean it.” He closed the distance and pressed a kiss to your hair. “I love you.”

Another on your forehead. “I love you!”

Nose. “I-“

Cheek. “Love-“

And Taichi held your warm face in his hand with an even warmer smile, and the last word, your name, on his tongue until you took it from him with lemon on your lips.

You were no good with words, but touch made it easier. Your hand trailed along his shoulder, barely hovering over bare skin brushing, shiny and sticky under the sun. Quiet support; I trust you. His lips moved in tandem with yours, soft and fond and appreciative. Tart, but traces of sugar clung to his breath. Poetic, hm? He was sweet on you, so open to everything that made you his Reader from your flaws to your strengths, and the type of person to welcome those attributes without question.

You took his bottom lip between yours and gently nibbled as he ran his hand through your hair and brought you closer. You continued wrapping around his lip and his hand tightened, clutching onto you like you were all he needed, and you fell in love all over again. I couldn’t have done it without you.

When you ran out of breath, you rested your forehead against his, eyes still closed.

“Thank you,” you whispered, so light and quiet, like simply speaking would break the calm. “Thank you for letting me love you.”

It’s late when you leave the karaoke club, red-faced with exertion and your hoarse voice begging you to stop, but your smile stretches to either side of your face, constantly trying to widen more than it can as you laugh.

Because it’s late, and karaoke gets you in a devil-may-care state of mind, and, well, Taichi is holding your hand, with your palm untouched but his fingers laced between yours, loose between the knuckles but refusing to break away.

It’s so amazing that he still makes you feel like this. Time has passed. The novelty of a relationship must’ve died down long ago, you’re sure of it now, and it’s no secret your feelings are reciprocated, but it’s something in the bounce in his step and the sunshine underneath his voice and the glitter in his eyes that makes your breath threaten to hitch every time he calls your name.

You’ve said it so often, but it never ceases to amaze you. This is love. This is love!

“It’s love!” You tug Taichi close to you, and bump against his arm with your own. “I love you.”

“Wh-! You can’t just say things like that out of nowhere, you’re going to make me blush!”

As if he wasn’t already. The lighting is dim on this street, but his voice is slightly shaky. You can tell. You drown in it every day you see his face.

Unfortunate, really. If you weren’t so immersed in it all, you would’ve noticed them approach before the leader did.

A young man stood before you, maybe a year or two older than you. His pullover hoodie covered his hair and left his face in a dramatic shadow. Classic look, but frankly, you thought, if you’ve seen one delinquent in a hoodie, you’ve seen them all, and yes, these were delinquents. You can tell by how he looked you up and down with a smug leer.

“Oi, it’s the giant from O High,” he called out. You instinctively moved one foot forward, and held an arm out to block him from Taichi. “You got some nerve stepping on our turf.”

“I’m going home,” you said.

“Should’ve gone a different route.”

“I go where I want. Leave us alone.”

“Look, we’ve got a tough guy!” The leader threw his head back like it was a joke. The hood slipped off his head. “I’ll leave you alone if you pay for trespassing on our territory. Sound good?”

You scanned the street with the corner of your eye. It was a small gang of delinquents, an even five including the leader, all eyes on you like a rat in a cage.

Taichi murmured into your ear. “Are you okay with this, Reader? What do you need me to do?”

“Nothing yet. I’ve got this. I don’t want you getting hurt.”

“Shut the hell up already. Give me your money, or it’ll go to your hospital bills once I’m done with you.” The delinquent sneered, black hair falling into his face, and then looked down at Taichi. “I’m talking to your little boy toy too.”

You didn’t even think as your gaze went dagger-sharp and steely, and stepped forward once again. “Don’t you talk to him like that.”

He shoved you back. You stumbled. “Awww. Did I hurt your feelings? What’re you gonna do about it-”

Taichi dropped low and swept the fucking leg.

While you regained your balance, the leader sure as hell didn’t. His ankle buckled and sent him to careening to the pavement while Taichi rose. “Reader, behind you!”

Your body moved before your mouth did, and you smashed a fist into one of the goons now approaching. “Taichi, what the fuck.”

He sent another kick up to the sky this time with a loud smack of rubber against flesh. You dodged the delinquent that staggered from the blow and toppled right next to you. “I learned kung fu for Chan in Mantou Fist!”

Goon #3, an ugly dog with chapped lips, tried to take advantage and hit you while you sidestepped, and you went on the defensive. “Taichi, what the fuck!”

“It was for acting!” Goon #3 landed a blow to your shoulder. A heavy thrumming pain spread across your arm as you hissed through clenched teeth. “I have an excuse!”

He dove to avoid a tackle from the biggest punk, then stuck a foot out to trip him. Hilariously, it worked. You swiped Goon #3 into Goon #5 and they both floundered as they smacked into each other. “That’s not what I’m talking about and you know it!”

You spun on your heel to watch Taichi knee his opponent, and the leader slam you down. You sprawled onto the pavement, fresh blood searing against your back. Strands of black hair broke your vision as he pulled back and punched, over and over again, as you grappled and tried to throw him off.

You flung yourself to the side, disorienting him enough to kick him in the shin just before he shoved you aside. While you regained your bearings and stood, he did as well, and spat on the ground.

Wordless punch to his face. You didn’t like to fight, and maybe everyone kept challenging you because you aimed for the face, but nothing quite gets the point of ‘leave me alone’ across quite like a crushed moneymaker.

Someone behind you grabbed at your hair and sent you teetering back like a chair on its hind legs. You thrashed, but long nails kept you restrained while he charged a punch. “Get away from me!”

A flash of red and royal blue crossed your sight and twisted the bully’s arm. With his free hand, Taichi swiveled. Quick backhand to the face, hard chop to the hip, then he threw another kick, this one a blow against the leader’s stomach that knocked the air out of him. He bought you enough time to finally break free, and you threw a hook to your assailant. She held the nose you struck, and gave you the opportunity to fling her into the pile of Goons #3 and #5 just as they were reorienting themselves.

You ran to help Taichi, currently in a heated dodging stalemate with the leader, before the big guy threw himself at you. You cried out as he pinned you, and kneed his groin just as you fell to the floor. You swallowed down the stinging of the cuts on your knuckles, and slammed two punches to his chest, hoping it was enough to keep him down as you returned your focus to the lone bully remaining.

The leader huffed as he shot one, two punches out, retract, one, two punches. Taichi found himself in a pattern- left, right, sidestep, left right, sidestep, left, right, sidestep. He was getting tired, but so was the punk. It was stamina. He wasn’t muscular or beefy or really all that tough, but he was athletic, he’s worked hard, he can do stamina.

Left, right, sidestep. Left, right, sidestep. Left, right-

“Guhh,” Taichi gasped, pain blossoming from his side.

The wild look in the leader’s eyes went bloodthirsty, but he was slow returning his fist, and in a rush of now-or-never Taichi drew forward and shoved him away-

Just as Reader body-checked him into the bush on the other side of the sidewalk.

Taichi slapped a hand over his mouth on instinct. The shock was starting to set in as he watched you stumble to your feet, shaking out your head and bouncing on your feet as you stood tall.

A groan sounded from the hedge, but you snatched his hand before he could ask any of the questions spinning through his head. “We need to go.”

“Wo-rd?” His voice cracked. Damn. The most cinematic moment of his life and his voice cracked as he started to run.

“We’re going!” You broke into a sprint, and led him away from the faded light of the street.

You only stopped running when you ran into a gas station door. Literally. Like, you ran into the door expecting it to be a push, and nearly fell over as you realized moments too late it was a pull when you crashed into the glass with a hefty thump.

Taichi squeaked and pulled the door open as you shook off the incoming bruise. His breath was short and heavy, and you couldn’t blame him even if you wanted; your adrenaline was dying down, and the blunt soreness was already starting to set in. The clerk at the counter cast a strange look at you and Taichi as you held onto each other like crutches, and likely with a few bruises formed.

“What?” Taichi asked, his voice spacious and confused. He followed you as you strode down the first aid isle like a lost puppy. “What just happened?”

“I-” You grabbed a pack of band-aids and some painkillers. “It was self-defense. Either we defended ourselves or they beat and steal from us.”

“I know that! I know that. But what-” you ordered two all-day breakfast tacos, one Icee and one Coke. He continued as you paid. “Does that happen to you often?”

“Yeah,” You said. Forlornness settled in your face as you ordered an Uber on your phone. “It does. People think I’m some wannabe delinquent because I’m so big and tough and because I’m such an introvert.”

“Was that what happened?”

“They jumped us.”

“Honesty, Reader. Please. I recognized them from O High.” You and Taichi leaned on a wall as you gave him one of the tacos and the Coke. Dead fluorescent light highlighted the shadows on his face and the scrapes on your knuckles. “I see them skipping class all the time. Were they trying to mess with you?”

“...I didn’t recognize any features. But you’re sure? They must’ve followed me.” Your face fell. “I’m sorry about this.” You reached a hand out to hold him, but the overhead lights highlighted the not-quite-dry blood on your hand.

So you retracted it. Touch was easier than words, but- but- but you didn’t protect Taichi. How do you apologize for something so horrible?

“I’m sorry,” you said, voice wet. Tears prickled in your eyes and caught onto your lashes, but didn’t give you the solace of falling. “I’m so sorry. I’m so sorry. I-I’m sorry.”

You returned home quietly, Taichi in tow, and led him to your bed while you gathered more first aid supplies and ice packs.

“It’s not that bad- ah!” You placed an ice pack over the bruise on Taichi’s side. “Cold!”

“It is that bad,” you said. “Ignoring even minor injuries deteriorates your health.”

“I can take care of it myself. You haven’t even looked at yourself, but you’re way more bruised than me.”

“But this is…” You licked your lips, hoping it’d rehydrate your dry mouth. “It’s normal for me. But was this your first fight?”

“Yes,” Taichi said.

“Don’t make it a habit.” You held his face, searching for cuts. “It’s not good for you. You see someone roll up their sleeves to fight you, you turn around and run. You understand me?”

“But they were going to hurt you.”

“But I don’t want them to hurt you.” Your lip trembled. “I don’t want anyone to hurt you. You haven’t done anything to warrant that, and you don’t deserve to get hurt, and no one is allowed to hurt you.”

“But what about you?” Taichi countered.

“People’ve wanted to punch me out for so long now. I’m used to it.”

“But you don’t deserve that either!” Taichi cried, then hushed after he remembered the late hour. “It doesn’t even matter that I don’t want to see you get hurt, because you as a person don’t deserve to get hurt.” He took your right hand off his cheek, looked at it, and reached for the box of band-aids. “You do this thing where you constantly put yourself down for the sake of following what everyone else says, even though the ‘everyone else’ that you listen to are all just bullies and deadbeats.”

He dug into your box of medicine, and fished out a bottle and some cotton. “You fell on concrete. Let me clean your scratches.”

A single nod from you, and he went to work wordlessly, the quiet only interrupted by your occasional hisses as the alcohol sunk into your tissue.

Then he dug into your box of medicine and pulled out an ointment buried deep within. “This prevents infections.”

“You know a lot about first aid,” you observed, not quite courageous to say anything else.

It was the first time since the fight that you saw him smile, small but focused, as he held your hand and lightly applied the ointment along the web of scratches. “I don’t act like it often, but I’m still a big brother. I take care of people.”

“That’s kind.”

“I guess it is. I spend so much time caring for other people that it becomes second nature.” He wrapped gauze around the hand next. You didn’t even know you had gauze. “Wait, first nature. I get it mixed up all the time. But the point is that if I see someone I love in trouble, I want to help, simple as that.

“Researching kung fu was for role study, really. But really learning the techniques and moves, and then putting them on stage, it was…” He struggled to find the word. “It felt like what I was doing was right. You know? I’ve spent so much time surrounded by my friends who are the toughest guys I know, and my siblings who are learning to stop crying when they get hurt, and you, someone who is so strong and patient, that I realized how out of my league everyone was compared to me.

“I didn’t realize until after learning how to fight that it made me feel like I can help people before they need it. It’s prevention.” He tied off the gauze, and inspected your hand. When he couldn’t identify any more cuts, he pressed his lips to your fingers, careful not to touch the injury, and started the process all over again on your left.

“Fighting isn’t something to look forward to.”

“It’s not like I want to. I was scared when that guy was getting up in your business. And when I realized you were about to throw hands? Terrified. I realized then and there they were going to hit you if I didn’t hit first.”

“So you hit first,” you said.

“Well, I say first, but it was really second.” He laughed a broken little laugh. “I know you don’t want to see me in danger, but the feeling’s mutual. I know I can’t always be there whenever someone tries to fight you- and it was my first fight- but it still hurts me to see you hurt.” He held your fingers to his lips again, and kissed properly this time, a small chu as he parted. “So if I can ever be there when you need me, I’ll help you. Because that’s love, and- and that’s because I love you.”

“Okay.” Your voice broke. Taichi was about to let go of your hand, but repositioned to squeeze. “Okay.” Impossible tears ran down your face, and you squeezed your eyes shut. “Taichi?”

“I’m here,” he said. His voice was quivering, too. “I’m here. I’m here.”

For the first time ever, you let your guard down in its entirety. You let out an ugly sob. Two arms wrapped around you tight, and when you hiccupped you could feel his body gasp and weep, and so you only sobbed louder. “I love you.”

❖ bonus ❖

“Thank you for watching!”

You’ve heard of thunderous applause, but this had to be a hurricane. Was it the audience size? Was it truly such a brilliant play? Both, probably. You settled on both, but if anyone asked, it was the latter.

The point was, even after the audience filed out of Mankai Theater, the clapping trailed behind you and through your head as you fought the current of people.

You were big, of course, and usually all these people would make you anxious, but you were more nervous about the bouquet in your hands staying safe than anything else as you held it over your head and weaved through the playgoers.

Taichi gave you instructions on where to find the dressing room, and you internally recited it like a pledge. Back wall, left corridor, turn left and it’s on your right. Back wall, left corridor, turn left and it’s on your right. Back wall, left corridor, turn left and it’s on your- found it!

You knocked on the door a healthy two times. Normal people knock twice, right?

You twitched. Fixed your jacket. Then stood up chest out and back straight, refusing to fidget and refusing to slouch.

Then you knocked one extra time. No one can blame you, okay? Three is a round and nice number.

But doesn’t it just seem like two knocks and one weird knock? There were zero signs of the door opening. You cleared your throat, fixed your jacket again, and knocked three times.

Just as you lifted your hand from the final knock the door swung open, and you yelped a little bit.

“Mankai Company! Who am I…”

The woman on the other side tilted her head up slowly. Her big pink eyes went even bigger. “Can I. Um. Do you need anything?”

You bowed way deeper than you should have, and shouted, “Hello, I’m Reader, I’m here to see Taichi and congratulate everyone on a show well done!”

You rose with a bit of an embarrassed blush, but simply refused to be apologetic about your fast speech. Not right now, at least.

“Alright? Um. Be right back!” The lady slammed the door.

You wondered if this was another Yuki situation. What if that lady was Taichi’s best friend in the whole company-

You lightly smacked your cheek with your free hand. Dammit, Reader, you’ve already gone through this once! If you can handle a judgmental middle schooler you can handle a grown woman!

…That still didn’t prevent you from being a nervous ball of tension all the way until the door opened.

“You got beef with Mankai Company- oh. It’s you.” Juza, still in his stage costume, stood in the threshold. “Good to see you again, Reader.”

“The- the pleasure is all mine!”

“I like your flowers.”

“Thank you! I grew them myself!”

“Come inside.”

At least it was Juza on the other side of the door. You might be treading into unknown waters, but his familiar face made you feel a little calmer.

He led you through a turn in the corridor to a combination green room and dressing room area. A swathe of people- actors, you presumed- congregated here. You recognized Autumn Troupe in their costumes, and Yuki in the corner, but you could already place faces you’ve never seen to stories Taichi loved to tell about his family, the bleached blond guy next to Yuki being one of them, and another, the foreigner in the middle of a strangely captivating dance.

Then you made eye contact, and you could see Taichi’s gaze melt in real time.

“Guys.” Juza cleared his throat. “We have a guest.”

You placed your bouquet on the table beside Taichi, the glass vase lightly clunking against the surface. Your autumn harvest has been kind, and rows of various blossoms poured through the vase, all in shades of red, yellow, and orange. Sweeping stems of fern divided the tiger lilies from snapdragons, but most notable of all were the pansies that lined the majority of the arrangement, all in blended shades of wildfire red and yellow.

You met Taichi’s eyes again. His pinky wrapped around your hand, an unspoken I’m here.

So you breathed in, exhaled, and spoke. “Congratulations, everyone, the show was great. I’ve been told you’ve heard a lot about me? My name is Reader.”

You scanned the room, and wrapped your pinky around Taichi’s.

And then, you didn’t even think about it, but your smile shined. “It’s a pleasure to meet everyone!” 🍒

[natsu-tte-noodle]

Chapters: 1/6 Fandom: A3! (Video Game) Rating: Teen And Up Audiences Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply Relationships: Furuichi Sakyou & Settsu Banri, Hyoudou Juuza/Settsu Banri Characters: Settsu Banri, Furuichi Sakyou, Hyoudou Juuza, Tsukioka Tsumugi Additional Tags: the juban is secondary to the dadkyo stuff, 5+1 Things, banri becomes a farmer somehow that became a pivotal plot point, sakyo is dadkyo, other characters appear in minor roles, Past Emotional Neglect, a la banri's parents who i will fight, they didn't do a good enough job so i'm giving him a new dad, legitimately the plants became way more important than I thought they would be, Character Study, Some Angst Some Comedy you know how it goes, but hopefully this is a feel good fic, sakyo has a crush but it's unspecified who it's on, also like 5 people cry in this fic Summary:

Or, five times Sakyo was a parental figure to Banri, and one time that Banri acknowledged him as such.

—

*drops this at your feet* Dadkyo!  Get your dadkyo, fresh off the grill!

[jjuzoir]

Tall Male MC | ft. Juza, Chikage, Banri, &  Masumi 

request: “helloooo im not sure if requests are still open and if they are: can you do juza, chikage, itaru, banri, misumi with a taller male mc (if ur not comfy with male then gn would be okie :)))) -🤡anon (can i use 🤡?) PS: if requests are closed pls feel free to ignore this ask or like- idk save it for when requests reopen? skjdkss sorry its my first time requesting 👉🏻👈🏻” from 🤡 anon!

warning: none!

a/n: hehe^ yes you can be clown anon! hehe** also i’m 100%% okay with male readers so don’t worry at all! i was super excited about this request ngl^^ i pumped it out faster than expected too lolol you’re alright too! requests are open so don’t sweat it !

— Juza

- Considering he’s one of the taller members of the company, he doesn’t pay much mind at first to your height — he only pays attention to it when he sees you standing next to Omi and seeing how close in height you two are.

- He doesn’t have to tilt his head much, but it’s kind of different to see someone taller than him other than Omi or Tasuku. He might ask you about your height, especially if you are taller than the previously mentioned pair, and if anyone’s ever tried picking a fight with you.

- He’d be kind of protective if anyone tried starting a fight with you based on your height, he knows it’s shitty when people start things with you about things you can’t control like your looks.

— Chikage

- He’s known his fair share of tall people, but it doesn’t mean he’s completely indifferent about it. He may tease you, mostly about meeting people even taller than you, but he doesn’t do it trying to hurt your feelings. He does find it funny when you’re standing next to the shorter members and might make a joke or two out of your expense - but he does find it quite a useful thing, to be tall, he doesn’t feel bad hiding things on the top shelves.

- He’s fairly tall himself, so it’s not like he’s got to break his neck looking you in the eye, but he might make a remark or two about how it wouldn’t kill you to try crouching down.

- Utsuki might try to play around about your height, sarcastic remarks about you being too tall for your own good or making jokes about needing to gift some of your height over to Sakuya or Muku.

— Banri

- He’s kind of pissed, he already doesn’t like not being one of the taller members (though you wouldn’t catch him dead admitting to it) but the fact there’s someone else taller than him? If you’re taller than Juza he’ll find it kinda funny, though he’ll get pissed if anyone mentions how he’d be shorter than the two of you since Juza is 2cm taller. After a while, he does grow used to it - he might even join on the teasing alongside Chikage.

- Unconsciously might try standing up taller when he sees you around, it’s kind of funny to see. He finds it kind of cool though, he knows he’s on the taller side - so seeing someone taller is always kinda nice for him, just… don’t make fun of him since he’s gone down on the tall-list. Will ask if his hair looks good from the top though, might even crouch so you can check well.

— Masumi

- He’s average height and a fair share of members are taller than him, but if you’re indeed taller than Juza then that means you’re at least +10cm taller than him. He finds it cool though, he doesn’t comment much on it — unless you play a role similar to Izumi too, which means he has a crush on you, and if that’s the case he will never shut up about your height.

- In the case he’s also got a crush on you, then he’ll be talking nonstop about how cool your height is and how you’re so much better than the other guys because you’re so tall and oh my god, has Masumi talked about how tall you are and how cool he thinks that is because he thinks it’s cool that you’re so tall.

- He might ask you random questions about your height and kind of… just, admire it? Kind of wishes he was as tall as you sometimes, he just finds it really cool. Like, really cool.

[phantomstatistician]

Fandom: A3!

Sample Size: 812 stories

Source: AO3

[softeninglooks]

a3! | confessing to juza hyodo...

because i spent the last few days watching all the juza content i could find and this boy makes my heart melt (*꒦ິ꒳꒦ີ)

part 1. part 2.

at first, it is his dedication to acting that drew you to him - you admired his commitment and passion both on stage and behind the scenes

you would bring him something sweet to snack on whenever you noticed that he stayed up late learning his lines and he would help you out with chores in return

you are surprised and touched by juza’s thoughtful gestures because you didn’t know him well until then

juza’s caring nature and love for the troupe shines too brightly for you not to see that behind his impassive glare hid a kind heart that just couldn’t properly articulate its true feelings

juza is deeply grateful that you don’t judge him for his appearance and he feels like he can fully be himself around you. eventually you don’t even notice his glaring anymore because you know how kind juza actually is

you help him with his insecurities and always encourage him whenever he gets too stressed out or doubts his abilities. sometimes you read lines together and he comes to you for advice

to thank you for your continuous support, he invites you to sweets shops and surprises with you pastries

when juza realises that he is falling in love with you (what is this warmth in his stomach? why is his heart thumping much louder when you say his name?), he goes into a quiet state of panic. most of all he is afraid that his feelings for you will ruin what you had and that you wouldn’t want to hang out with him after that

poor clueless juza doesn’t even notice how your cheeks flush whenever he expresses his gratitude for you or your arms accidentally brush

the way you are so unapologetically yourself, kind and funny and enthusiastic about the world, makes him fall for you harder day after day

the idea that you could love him back doesn’t even cross his mind - he knows how hard he is to get along with because of his appearance, and though you are always kind to him, he thinks that you would’ve done the same for anyone and he is just another friend of yours

you end up implicitly confessing your feelings for juza to omi, who easily read between the lines. little did you know that juza also went to him for advice because he felt too distressed and clueless

now, omi has to work his magic to get the two of you to talk it out together. he asks both of you for help with baking and disappears to search for a mysterious ingredient, leaving the two of you alone

the confession scene is a bashful mess. omi may have hinted at each of you how the other felt, juza still doesn’t fully believe that you could like him back. he doesn’t want to pressure you into anything so he just hopelessly struggles to find the right words

eventually, you take the matter into your own hands. you confess to him first, but juza is so overwhelmed that he responds much quicker than usual. when omi returns, the tips of your ears are burning and juza is actively avoiding eye contact with him. that’s a win, omi smiles to himself and gives you a thumbs up

after that, juza doesn’t know how to act. omi gives you generous slices from the strawberry roll cake that you just baked and exits the kitchen to treat the rest of the company. you find yourselves alone in the kitchen again, having just barely recovered from the confession

juza is wondering whether he should kiss you or reach out for your hand or just act like he always did around you, as though nothing important had happened

the strawberry roll cake is delicious though, so you draw juza’s attention to that before making a move. as you eat, some of the timidity and tension dissipates and you manage to make small talk like you always did, happily discussing the softness of the texture and the sweetness of the cream

then, when you rise up to clean your plates, your hand brushes juza’s arm, hesitating slightly, asking him for permission with your touch, and he moves closer to you, carefully replicating your gesture as his cheeks prickle with warmth. your fingers cling onto the sleeve of his jacket more firmly then, and your lips meet in the middle, him gently leaning into you

juza tastes of sugar and strawberries. and to him, you are sweeter than any pastry he loves

when you pull away, juza doesn’t break eye contact, looking at you intently, and you take his calloused hand in yours. “i love you,” you say boldly, squeezing his hand. you feel braver now, ready to fight to make this love work. you wish to give juza all the affection he deserves and the world had denied him for so long

“i love you too, y/n.” his golden eyes are still firmly set on you, not letting go. a pang of anguish revives the fear that this could only be a dream, that the comforting pressure of your hand on his could vanish and he would drive you away, but he decides that he won’t back down. just like with acting, he will give this his all. it is him who kisses you then

[derireo]

the clouds cry ↦ juza & reader

prompt: a face like thunder

you've never talked to juza before, so you were definitely surprised to see him come to your rescue on a terribly rainy day.

「 Read here on AO3 」 「 2.8k words 」

Juza was one of the most reserved students from Yosei University, only interacting with seniors Omi Fushimi and Tsuzuru Minagi. There was a lot of talk about him at the beginning of the year, rumours of his high school past seeping in from an unknown source and clinging onto him like a vice that he couldn't escape.

The interesting part was that he didn't seem bothered by it and normally kept a straight face when other students cowered away or whispered about him behind his back. This gave him a valid reason not to interact with anybody else but the seniors who were in the same theatre troupe that he was in, and block off any others who decided to try and have a talk.

No one really knew what Juza did outside of school-- hell, no one even knew what he did inside of it. The times people actually saw him at the university was when he'd join Omi and Tsuzuru's breaks in the commons or when he'd grab a snack from one of the many vending machines scattered around campus.

So could anyone really blame you for being surprised when Juza appeared out of nowhere on a very rainy day?

You were standing outside of the university's library with your jacket shielding your head from the pouring rain. A bit late into the evening did you decide that you had enough of reading the books you wanted to go through and was startled to see how angry the weather was looking tonight.

You were thankful that you didn't bring your school bag when going to the library, but the thing that you were missing was the umbrella that you left sitting on the stool back at home. You didn't dorm at the university since your house was already so close, but no matter how fast you'd run home, you'd get soaked to the bone in less than a minute.

Your knees wanted you to crouch down on the ground for some reason as the cold was already getting to you, but you refused and instead curled your arms around yourself while you tried to figure out your next steps.

"Let's run." A gruff voice came from someplace near behind you when the shadow appeared, and it caused you to turn in curiosity. What you were not expecting to see was a rain-soaked Juza holding up his Letterman jacket above the both of your heads, a vexed expression making his eyebrows furrow while his hair dripped with water.

By the time your eyes met his stormy gaze, a flash of lightning struck across the sky, and you flinched in surprise. You didn't know what kind of face you made when Juza took notice of your staring and he tried to soften his features as best he could all the while grimacing at the biting cold sinking into his bones. "Let's run." He repeated a second time, jutting his chin out in the direction of the convenience store you were planning on scurrying to. This time he didn't wait for an answer, but instead gently pushed you forward with his chest to make your legs start working, and the both of you began to run as fast you could.

The rain battered down on the both of you as if it was hail itself dropping down from the angry grey clouds, but Juza did his best to cover you up with his jacket, the sound of your feet splashing in unavoidable puddles the only thing thrumming in your ears alongside your loud breathing as the sliding doors of the store began to open upon your arrival.

The clerk working that shift got startled by the loud entrance as the swish of wet clothes alerted him and nearly jumped at the heavy fall of Juza's jacket falling to the floor when he accidentally dropped it. The sight of two miserably soaked university students made the clerk rub his forehead in both sympathy and stress; considering he was going to have to clean up after you both once you left.

"Welcome to Poppo." He greeted once he caught your attention. His smile was awkward as he motioned towards a shelf at the back of the store, eyes darting between you and Juza, who was making his way towards a lone table tucked between the window and an ATM. "Umbrellas and towels should be at the back. The Hot Beverage machine is also there."

Struggling to get your own wet coat off, you thanked the clerk profusely as you walked backwards to follow where Juza sat to drop your jacket onto the back of the chair placed across him. The young man was slumped in his seat while his jacket dripped on the back of his own chair, causing a puddle to form on the linoleum floor. His white long sleeve looked like it clung onto him uncomfortably, if you couldn't tell by his closed eyes and the grimacing furrow of his eyebrows.

You let out an apologetic sigh. "Sorry, Juza-san." Out of habit, you bowed towards the tired man, only for him to sit up straight and nudge you back to your full height. His yellow eyes were sharp as he stared up at you through his wet fringe and shook his head, mouth frowning as you saw the gears turn in his head as he tried to find the words to say. His lips twitched once or twice as he stumbled over his murmurs, and he had to massage at the stressed wrinkle between his eyebrows to get rid of it.

"Don't. S'okay." He murmured lamely, scratching the back of his neck. He stood up from his seat before you could answer and lifted a hand to point at the shelf the clerk gestured to earlier, sniffing to fill the awkward silence. "Er.. You can get us some hot chocolate? An' I'll get the rest." He began to walk away without hearing your answer again, but turned around with a shake of his head when you called out and asked if he was allergic to anything.

You shook your wet clothes with a sigh once the young man was out of sight and made a beeline towards the hot beverage machine, the sound of your squelching shoes making you cringe with embarrassment.

You weren't really sure how sweet Juza liked his hot chocolate, but you put in a couple of hazelnut creamers into his drink to balance the sugar with the smooth nutty flavour. After that, you took care of your own beverage and put whatever you wanted before snapping on some lids and wrapping the disposable cups with sleeves.

The both of you walked up to the employee behind the register at the same time, your hands occupied with beverages as Juza had his hands full with towels and cheap umbrellas.

"Ah, go ahead." You motioned towards the counter awkwardly and bowed your head with the nicest smile you could muster, tapping your feet against the floor to warm your freezing skin up.

There was a conflicted frown on Juza's face as he watched you fidget beneath the soaked clothes you were wearing and sighed. He set his items down on the counter and took the cups from your hands without asking, jutting his chin in the direction behind you where the table was.

"I'll pay. You sit." The tone in his voice left you no room to argue, and with a hesitant step back you turned around and listened to his order. You couldn't banter with him anyways; not having met the guy before this miserable mishap. Sure, you two would pass each other on campus every now and then, but it was rare to have Juza actually stop and talk to someone who wasn't Omi or Tsuzuru.

It was a bit of a wonder, having Juza here with you now. As much as some people thought he was a dreamboat, you didn't know what to make of him. Just hearing his voice tonight was a surprise to you, how deep and commanding it was despite the expressions on his face always betraying the tone he used. And if you looked closer, examining the way he stood, you'd see how it looked like he actually wanted to shrink in on himself and make his body less noticeable in a crowd of people.

It was a bit silly of him to do though, many people were able to identify him with just the colour of his hair; even the furrow of his eyebrows made him all the more easier to spot.

You bit at your tongue to keep yourself from laughing at the thought. Even though you didn't pay much attention to the man, he had a few trademarks that you couldn't help but remember. The rain pattering outside only grew louder in volume as you waited for Juza to come back with the things he purchased, and you tried to control the shiver that ran down your spine as your fingers grew cold from the loss of heat.

"Here." He sighed, the exhaustion evident in his voice as he set down one of the cups in front of you while dropping a towel onto your head. You jumped in surprise when he noisily flopped into the chair across from you, public manners completely going over his head as the cold was beginning to get to him.

Moving the towel away from your vision, you squinted at the cup in Juza's hand with a frown and noticed that he had taken the wrong beverage. The one he gave you was specifically made for him so you stopped the young man from doing your hot chocolate by quickly thrusting a hand towards him with a shocked yelp. "Hold on! Not that one," you said in a panic, shaking your head just as he was in the middle of opening the tab to the lid, "the bigger one is yours, Juza-san."

"Oh.. 'kay." He trailed off slowly, not exactly knowing why it mattered. He did assume that the reason why you got different sizes was because you wanted more to drink, but it goes to show that he was wrong. His curious yellow eyes darted to your face as you held out the drink meant for him with a tiny smile playing at the corners of your lips, taking the warm cup from your hands while he handed you the one he just opened.

He licked his lips in anticipation when he opened the drink in his hand and took a brief sip, letting the silky sweet chocolate coat his tongue as the heat from the beverage sank deep into his body and spread warmth all the way to his fingertips. The delicious tang of the chocolate revved up the energy inside his veins, causing the young man to sit up just a tiny bit straighter in his seat.

"Tasty.." He mumbled under his breath, not knowing that you were able to hear him despite how quiet he was talking. The convenience store wasn't really the loudest place to be in anyways.

"Yay. Glad you liked it, Juza-san." Your eyelashes were still wet from the pouring rain outside, but how you managed to smile at him disregarding that fact caused the young man to slightly stutter. The sweet smile on your face nearly rivalled the hot chocolate that you made him and it made his heart thud heavily in his chest as he saw how your tongue swiped out to catch the chocolate drop that was stuck on your lip.

"Juza."

Huh? You tilted your head, smile now confused as the man in front of you worried his lip between his teeth.

"Quit the honorifics. We ain't that different in age." He looked away out of embarrassment after that statement, but you were still able to see the rosy blush that dusted itself across his cheek much to his dismay. His demand left you curious as to how he knew how old you were, but with a little more thinking and some deductions here and there, the idea that he's seen you around a lot pops into your head.

Juza noticed a certain gleam in your eyes when he looked at you again and he couldn't help but flush a bit more under the prodding gaze as you leaned against the table with a grin. He cleared his throat before taking another sip of his hot chocolate, the towel around his neck twitching with how anxiously he was bouncing his knee.

"My.. You're quite the character." You laughed, cupping your hands around your hot chocolate to keep your palms warm. Your nose stung because you were still cold, but you completely ignored the nuisance. Juza was shrinking under your gaze more and more and it was just getting cuter by the second. You had no idea that mean mug could look so adorable.

"Erm.. Well.." He paused between words as he tried to think of the right thing to respond with, and you could tell how hard he was thinking because his eyes kept darting around the convenience store as he looked away from you to avoid your probing eyes.

"I should walk you home." Juza stood up from his wet seat after setting his drink down to grab his jacket that was still dripping water. He slipped his arms through the sleeves with no struggle and pat down his wet hair to mask the bashfulness that was tingling through his body as he held out one of the umbrellas to you, eyes glancing outside of the window to see the rain gradually letting up.

Making the enigma of the university blush and stutter was quite fun if you really had to think about it, but as you followed his gaze to see the weather getting better, you couldn't help but stand up with him too.

"I'm really sorry you're doing this though." You sighed once you took the umbrella and copied Juza by wrapping your towel around your neck. You downed the rest of your warm hot chocolate so that you wouldn't have to carry it all the way back home, your throat bobbing just the slightest as the silky beverage slid down all the way to your content tummy. Throwing away your cup, you failed to notice the upset frown that flashed across Juza's face as you ripped off the tag from your cheap umbrella.

"I don't mind." He shook his head to dismiss your apology and held the exit door open for you while simultaneously thanking the employee that was working the evening shift. You turned around to face Juza once you both were out of the convenience store and gave him your best smile. The action made him tilt his head, but something flashed in the corner of his eye that made him shove his cup of hot chocolate into your hands as he popped open his umbrella and held the metal bar perpendicular to you two.

You didn't know why he was shielding the both of your bodies with the small umbrella until a large splash of water hit the cheap material, and you gasped as another wave of cold rain water hit your ankles with Juza doing his best to keep you close to him.

"Sorry!" A loud voice boomed over the soft patter of the ceasing rain, and the young man keeping you safe closed the thin shield in his hand. A car was parked in front of you both, a man with a large frame in the driver's seat as his friend sat in the passenger's. "I thought that was you, Juza. Why didn't you wait for--" The driver's eyes met yours, and suddenly, he was smiling. "Ah. I see."

"No you don't." The Yosei freshman gritted out grumpily and shook his umbrella to emphasise what he said. There was a pointed look being shared between Juza and the guy and you couldn't help but smile at the silent interaction.

"I didn't know you had a ride. I'll just walk myself home, okay?" You laughed at the teasing look Juza was being given and waved your hand at him before he could respond, only to have him grab at your wrist before you could get even a metre of distance between you two. You stumbled forward into his chest when he tugged at your arm, nearly dropping his unfinished hot chocolate as you face planted into the front of his wet shirt.

"Omi, can we drive 'em?" He spoke monotonously, not even looking in the direction of the car as he stared down at you with another one of his frowns.

You grimaced, not wanting to intrude, but the cheery response that came next left you shocked; and a little bit embarrassed.

"'Course. But keep your hands to yourself, kiddo."

[lcs-library]

Spending Valentine’s Day with Mankai!

🍁Autumn Troupe🍁

Banri

🍂“Yeah, yeah, it’s Valentine’s Day, what do you want me to do about it? Make a big deal out of it? I’ll get you some flowers or chocolates if you want some, but that’s about it.”

🍂You weren’t normally a stubborn person, but today just seemed like a day where you wanted just a bit more.

🍂And the best way to get what you want is to give it to somebody first, so that’s exactly what you did.

🍂You slammed your body into Banri’s, squeezing him tight until he let out an “oOF-” sound.

🍂“Alright, alright, you win, we’ll go somewhere or cuddle or something, happy?”

🍂As he said this, his arms found their way around your waist, pulling you into him, then he kissed your hair before ruffling it.

🍂“So, tell me what you wanna do already.”

Juza

🍰Sweet boy just wants to enjoy some sweet stuff with you!

🍰“There you are. Was wondering when you’d show up. C’mon, I’ve got something to show you.”

🍰He takes you to the kitchen for you to find an array of sweets and desserts laid across the table, all ready for you to try.

🍰“Got Omi’s help for these, and I wanted to do this for you. I haven’t gotten to try any of them, so I wanna see how they are. C’mon, sit down.”

🍰After sitting you down, he separates a bite of a tart onto his fork, then holds it out in front of him.

🍰“Open up, cupcake.”

🍰You agree, taking a bite of the treat, your eyes immediately shooting open.

🍰It was a perfect tart, with the crust melting in your mouth, the cream being fluffy and soft, and the fruit balancing the flavors out.

🍰“Well? How’d I do?”

🍰You reached across the table to pat his head, a delighted grin on your face.

🍰Juza blushed, tilting his head down to grant you more access to his hair.

🍰“So you liked it. Thanks. N’ also thanks for the pets. Felt good.”

🍰Big dummy isn’t exactly used to feeling small, so you just made his entire year.

Taichi

🐶“Oh, uh, heyyyyy, nothing suspicious going on in here, what makes you say that? Noooo, me?”

🐶That’s all that Taichi said when you popped into his room to ask him what he was up to on Valentine’s Day

🐶“Well, I guess the cat’s out of the bag. C’mere, I’ll show you your gift a little early.”


🐶You found him surrounded with little paper strips, some folded into stars and put in a jar, some with scribbles on them, and some crumpled on the ground.

🐶“So, what I was planning on doing was making you a bunch of little origami stars with little messages about why I love you on them and put them in a jar, so when you’re feeling sad, you can know that I’ve got your back. But then you walked in and the surprise is ruined.”

🐶You took that as your cue to leave, telling Taichi that you didn’t see any of the notes, and that you would wait until he was done to receive your gift.

🐶When you did receive it, Taichi had this proud smile on his face and when he saw your giddy face when you opened one of the stars, he rammed his body into yours in a hug.

🐶“Hehe, sorry, I couldn’t help it, you looked so cute! I’m so happy you like it. Happy Valentine’s Day, baby!”

Omi

📷When he texted you to come to the living room because he had a surprise for you, you never expected what came next

📷“You came. Good. Well, come closer. I have something to show you.”

📷He patted the spot next to him on the couch, waiting for you to come to him, to which you complied. As soon as you did, he wrapped his arm around your shoulders, giving you a tender kiss on the top of your head.

📷“There we go. Okay, can you close your eyes for me? Good.”

📷You felt him place something in your hands, and you could tell that it was hard and flat, but it was indistinguishable at the moment.

📷“Okay, you can open your eyes now. Well, what do you think?”

📷What he had given you was a photo book of his favorite moments with you. You opened it, flipping through the pages.

📷A lot of the pictures were beautiful, or of special moments you had shared. That, and there were quite a few pictures where at least one of you either wasn’t aware or wasn’t ready, which was very unflattering.

📷When you got to one of them, you looked up at Omi, wondering why he wanted to put this of all pictures in the book.

📷“Oh, that, haha. That was just something that I thought was cute. It’s not necessarily photogenic, but it’s silly and fun, and it represents the real you. I love it so much. I love you so much.”

📷You reciprocated his feelings with a kiss on his cheek, then wrapped your arms around his neck. He hummed happily at your sweet actions.

📷“Thanks, dear. I also made some cake for you if you want to have some of that later. Ah, but let’s just stay here for now. It’s peaceful.”

📷He finished his short monologue with his own kiss on your cheek.

📷“Happy Valentine’s Day, darling.”

Sakyo

💴Invites you to a late-night movie session the night before Valentine’s Day

💴“Well, don’t keep me waiting. This one’s supposed to be good. That, and I want extra role study.”

💴Sure, Sakyo, sure you do.

💴You come to his side, holding the large bowl of popcorn in between the both of you.

💴The movie, in fact, was very good. It was one of those movies that gets you to think hard about it, even after you finish watching it.

💴Although it was very gripping, it was nearing 2 am, and you were getting a little bit sleepy. The bowl was long abandoned at this point, and the space between your bodies was lessening by the second.

💴Before you knew it, your eyelids began to droop, and your head bobbed, telling you that you would probably need to go to bed soon, but what happened next was a miracle.

💴Sakyo snaked his arm behind your back, pulling you ever so slightly closer to him, but that slight distance just happened to be when your bodies meshed together.

💴You didn’t notice, but your head had already made its way to Sakyo’s shoulder, turning it into your pillow for the night.

💴“Hmph. Haven’t changed a bit, have you? Well then, sweet dreams. Oh, and happy Valentine’s Day.”

💴And with that, he sent you to sleep with a small kiss on the forehead.

Azami

💄“You’re going out with someone for Valentine’s Day, right? No? Really? You seem like the type who would love that shit. Well, I was gonna offer to do your makeup for you for that, but I guess that’s out of the question now. Wait, why do you still want me to do it? You’re not going anywhere, so there’s no reason to. Ugh, fine, if you really want it.”

💄Azami sat you down on one of the chairs in the room then began his work.

💄After a bit of scolding for not keeping up with your skincare, he actually starts, creating a beautiful look for you, to the point where you didn’t even realize it was you when you stared into the mirror.

💄And yet, the process to even get to that point was grueling, because Azami, being Azami, decided that he would freak out every time his hand or, even worse, his face was near yours, thinking that you’d accidentally mistake his actions and his offer to be something romantic.

💄“Done. What do you think? Good, right? Of course it is. What are you gonna even do with it, though?”

💄To that, you suggested going out with him on a date.

💄“Wh-! NO! You’re not supposed to do that until you’re in your thirties, you creep! Go, get out of here, have a date with someone else!”

💄You didn’t even have time to thank him for his work before you were pushed out of the room by a VERY red Azami.

🌸Spring Troupe🌸☀️Summer Troupe☀️❄️Winter Troupe❄️

[jubans]

title: chance encounter pairing: settsu banri/fem!reader rating: g (general) premise: on a perfectly normal morning, at the perfectly flourished breakfast table, taichi asks banri a perfectly off-putting question.

"ban-chan, how the heck is your hair so silky?!"

Banri usually starts up his day skirting everyone else in the lounge to be the first one in the showers. Unlike most of the men that reside in the Mankai dorms, he actually takes the time to scrub down every niche in his body until it's squeaky clean. But, oh, don't even get him started with the intricacies that came with taking care of his hair. That conversation is something none of the members of the troupe (except, maybe, Azuma) are ready for, and he likes to keep it that way.

But on a perfectly normal morning, at the perfectly flourished breakfast table, Taichi asks Banri a perfectly off-putting question.

"Ban-chan, how the heck is your hair so silky?!"

The neo gangster, as Yuki typically calls him, just finished shrugging on his school blazer when he casts Taichi a bizarre look. He has a notepad and a textbook in front of him, balancing a pen in his fingers as he stares back at Banri expectantly. The little brat is in the middle of cramming his homework, and he has the audacity to distract himself like that?

"Conditioner," is all he says in return, grabbing one of the toast slices Omi left for them.

Juza scoffs from where he's stuffing his face with pancakes on the other end. "That ain't very helpful." 

"I wasn't fucking talking to you, Hyodo," Banri grates at him dismissively. 

"Banri-kun," he hears Sakuya calling out from the lounge, where he and Masumi are already slinging their schoolbags across their shoulders. "You ready to go?"

He spares Taichi a minute nod of the head, telling him to stop doing his homework the day it's due before picking up his own bag. Then, he gives Juza the finger, earning a momentary scolding from Sakyo, who just happens to pass by when he does it. Then, after a few words in farewell bid to those who don't work nor study—Citron delaying their departure a little because he'd wanted to show how to make a blade (braid)—the Hanasaki High boys were on their way. 

"So noisy," Masumi mutters as he pulls the door behind him. "But if it was the Director, I wouldn't mind." 

Sakuya laughs, leading the way for the three of them. "There's never a dull moment in the dorms, huh?" 

As they traverse the short distance to school, Banri hangs back a little when Sakuya asks Masumi about the younger boy's literature class. Their conversation fades into background noise in his ears as he let his eyes wander around the neighborhood. But when they pass by a familiar intersection, Banri instinctively flickers his gaze at the tall, white house in the corner lot—a girl in a dark green uniform closing the gate behind her. 

You're preoccupied with something on your phone, oblivious to the three boys that are walking past your house—him included. But given that Ouka High is the opposite way from where they're headed, he doesn't even get the chance to slip in a quick hello. 

Well, it's not like you'd remember someone like him, right?

"Ugh, this sucks!"

A week after Banri moved into the Mankai dorms, he found himself facing a rather pressing dilemma: the shampoo provided for the troupe members made his hair disgustingly greasy.  

And that was how he wound up at the nearby grocery store, grumbling about how cheap that yakuza, Sakyo, was being with their commodities. If you want something else, buy it yourself, he told him. Giving the old man the last word might have let his pride take a hard blow, but it was a small price to pay for comfort. He'd rather kiss ass to the cheapskate than live another day with greasy hair.

But when he reached the toiletries section, he realized another thing. 

The brand he used at home was something his sister imported from another country. 

"Having trouble picking something out?"

Banri cast a withering glare at the girl who dared to point out his predicament, but his irritation morphed into curiosity when he noticed that you donned the familiar green of the Ouka High uniform. The next thing he noticed was the way your shiny, luscious hair cascaded down your shoulders, as smooth as a waterfall. He retracted his hostility for a minute, wondering if you could be his saving grace. Banri was good at a lot of things, but he didn't want to make any gambles with his current conundrum. 

"Yeah," he answered hesitantly. "Uh, do you know which brand doesn't make your hair oily? Shampoo brand, I mean." 

You blinked up at him for a second, confused, before your eyes lit up with realization. "Ah, O'Real is a really nice brand. Makes my hair really bouncy." To demonstrate, you swished your head around, making your long tresses sway with the movement in a dazzling fashion. "But you can't just settle with the shampoo. It's better to buy the value pack with conditioner over...here." 

Plucking one of the aforementioned value packs, you handed it to Banri without much preamble. He glanced at the price tag stuck to the bottom, and he had to force himself not to wince with how much it'll cost him. 

He was momentarily spared from his monetary concerns when he noticed you struggling to carry the basket you held in both hands. It was filled with an assortment of products ranging from laundry detergent to cold cuts. While he usually didn't offer girls his help lest they asked for it, Banri decided to make an exception.

"You need a hand with that?" He flicked his gaze downwards. 

You flushed at his offer, shaking your head (his eyes staring a bit too long at the way your hair moved once again). "Oh, no, no! I couldn't possibly bother you with—"

"Come on," he said, clicking his tongue as he plucked the basket from your grasp. "I ain't taking no for an answer. Consider this as...payback. For helpin' me out."

Relenting, you folded your arms across your chest, smiling up at him cheekily. "Would you at least tell me your name, then?" 

"Settsu Banri," he replied coolly. "You still headed to the other aisles?"

"Nope. I remembered last minute that I still have an unopened bottle of conditioner at home," you sigh, giggling at him. "You're not very delicate with girls, are you?"

He stiffened for a moment. Well, you weren't wrong. His sister was one of the toughest women he'd ever seen, and even though he didn't expect every woman to turn out the same way, Banri never once treated girls like fragile glass. His raucous behavior around them prompted most of his female classmates to steer clear of him—not that he'd minded, but this was the first time someone had spoken the words to his face.

"What about you?" he wondered gruffly in hopes of switching up the conversation. "What's your name?" 

"(Surname) (Name)," you told him with a cheeky grin. "Shall we go, Settsu-kun? I mean, you'd want to wash your greasy hair as soon as possible, right?"

His mouth hung agape with disbelief as you happily pranced out of the toiletries section—leaving him with the realization that there were people aside from Juza that could pick a fight with him. 

And, surprisingly, he'd let this one slide.

"You know (Name)?" 

Okay, he didn't expect Juza to react like that when Banri decided to ask him about you when his roommate arrived at home. 

"Yeah, I ran into her at the grocery store a few months back," he says, ticked off. "What's it to ya?"

"Stay away from her," Juza tells him off sharply as he swings his school bag up to his bed. "I mean it, Settsu. Fuck around with me, I don't care. But I swear to god, if you touch my cousin—"

Banri does a double-take on that one. "Cousin? How much fuckin' family do you have, Hyodo?" 

"A lot," he replies like he doesn't want to talk about it, but Juza's glare doesn't ease up and for a minute, Banri feels a genuine spite emitting from his roommate. The neo gangster sighs, twirling his phone in his fingers. He sort of knew that asking Juza about you would be a stretch even if you both went to the same school, but how the hell was he supposed to know that you were his goddamn cousin?

After you checked out your groceries that day, you managed to scam him into carrying them for you to your house as well. You were quite the charmer, he had to admit. You'd smooth-talked him into doing your bidding so easily that it was hard to imagine you being related to the mumbling nervous wreck of an actor that was Juza. 

It was a chance encounter, he thinks. He could have gone to a different grocery store at a different time at a different date, yet he was there specifically when you found him glaring at the shampoo and conditioner on the shelves. Banri doesn't believe in shit like fate or destiny, but it was a little freaky when he'd seen you again this morning after Taichi asked about his hair—months since he'd last seen you. 

"If it means anything, she's always been going to our shows, though," Juza mumbles a few minutes later, catching Banri by surprise. "She's been curious about the guy that's been pickin' fights with me all this time, and I told her it was the one who played Luciano in Picaresque."

"O-Oi!" he yells out. "Don't sully my name before she can even properly meet me!"

"Why do you care?" Juza challenges, brows raised with curiosity. "I thought you didn't give two shits about girls."

For the first time, he can't offer up a single retort. In a battle of wits, he thought he'd win against Juza in every instance, but now...

"Fuck off!" Banri shouted at him, storming out of their room as he hid the blush creeping up his neck from his roommate's view.

[a3yumeblog]

JUZA’S BIRTHDAY

SEPTEMBER 27

12:00 am

*Juza’s Birthday alarm*

The ringtone continues as you are in the middle of baking. You hurriedly set the bowl you are holding aside, as you search for your ringing phone to stop the alarm.

“There, I’m almost done. I hope he likes this!” you said to yourself. You set another alarm to prepare yourself before meeting your boyfriend, surprising him with homemade cookies as one of your gifts to him. Setting an alarm titled Cafe and Movie date.

“Okay. Time to sleep in a bit once I finish these cookies!” you ecstatically said.

9:00 am

You see Juza waiting for you in front of the newly opened cafe, called “Eggs ‘n Things Shinsaibashi”. You waved at him from afar to be noticed and walked towards him. He noticed the one you’re holding, a box wrapped with gray-checkered cloth. He asked what’s inside, but you told that you’ll reveal it to him once the both of you are inside.

*Inside the cafe*

The waitress took off after you placed your orders. Now the two of you have time for each other. You placed the box at the top of the table with ease. “Open it, Ju-chan! It’s my birthday gift for you! Although I know that this may not be enough, but I hope you will like it!” you said with an honest yet sad tone and smiled at him. He unwraps the cloth and opens the box. His face gleamed as you look at him, smiling. He took a piece of cookie and took a bite. He was about to get another cookie but he looked at you saying, “It’s sweet & yummy, and everything you make is more than enough for me. As long as I see you smiling, and...you’re sweet too.” he mumbled the last words, but you heard it, eyes widened, smiling after you heard it.

*at the Cinema* *end of the movie*

“So what do you think of the movie, Ju-chan?” you asked in a light tone. While the both of you are walking, you looked at Juza, who’s not responding to you for a second. Juza looked down to the floor, continuing to walk. He looked ambivalent to you and that his shoulders were curved.

Is something the matter with Juza? He doesn’t look good. You thought to yourself.

He sighed and said, “The movie is great. Looking at the actors, I can observe that they’re good. No mistakes that I can see. Even their expressions were clear… I would also like to be a fine actor…” he mumbled to himself loud enough that you can hear. He noticed someone was blocking him, wondering who it was. He looked up and sees you. You blocked his way, showing an upset face. You scooped his face, slapping him lightly at both sides of his cheeks. You wanted to knock some sense into him, so this was the only choice you had. “Juza, in shooting, they don’t do it in just one take. Do you remember what Tenma said? They shoot several times just to get one scene right, without an audience. While in stage plays, you do it in one take with audiences. It’s a matter of practice. I have always watched every single play that you and your troupe did! You have improved so well, Juza! Remember that, and I also believe that your Troupe knows that you have improved drastically. I can see that you’re having fun on stage. Believe in me. Know that I’m always here as your number one supporter! You also have everyone in MANKAI company. Remember your wish, okay?” you smiled happily at him, almost crying that you can’t bear to see Juza sad again. Juza the entire time was shocked and just stood still, looking at you. He instinctively hugged you, resting his head on your shoulder. Surprised by his action at first, you naturally replied by hugging him back. “Let’s stay like this for a while.” Juza said, mumbling. You replied, “Sure.”

The both of you walked, holding hands on your way to the Mankai dorms, but suddenly, your phone rang, and it’s from your father, saying it’s an emergency. You consulted Juza about this; he said it was fine, as it’s an emergency. You apologized to Juza, but he understands the situation. You & Juza waited for your chauffeur to come pick you up. You thought to yourself, of all the time we have, why does it have to be now? You can’t help but be sad and frustrated at the same time, but you brush it off in the end.

Juza goes back to Mankai dorms. The moment he opened the door, the guys & the director greeted him. He told them he’ll leave the box first at his room and join them soon.

*At Banri & Juza’s room*

When he sat down at the sofa and unwrapped it again to separate the cloth, something fell. It was a letter. He picked it up and saw his name in front of the letter. His curiosity got him so he opened the letter and reads it..

“Oh, it’s what (y/n) said earlier.” He smiled earnestly after he read the letter. He mumbles to himself saying, “Never thought someone would love me despite how I look. I’m glad I have (y/n), my endless supporter. Thank you, (y/n). I should put this up in this room as a reminder for me.” He stood up and pinned it somewhere in his desk, then left the room to celebrate his birthday with everyone in the MANKAI dorms.

//I'm sorry this took longer than expected. 🙏

[skateboarding-poet]

IN OTHER NEWS,

I DON'T KNOW HOW TO FEEL ABOUT THIS