#takatora samura x oc

[ruethemazerunner]

had to make this little gem bc I forgot that Tatta is FINE in the manga

Anyways y’all can follow my tik tok if you want, i post there sometimes

AND YES IM STILL WORKING ON CHAPTER 13 OF PRECIOUS DONT COME FOR ME

[maisieharaonasis]

hi everybody!! welcome to my blog… im not sure what this website is, Kuina told me to get it 😝 i hope everyone here is nice!! 🌷

[lulabon]

Well that’s sure is a way to admit it Last Boss 😅

Another one of these for @ruethemazerunner 💕 Can’t wait for the new chapter (still wanna choke out Tatta for interrupting the kiss tho)

[adarlingmess]

I haven’t drawn these two in a hot minute

[adarlingwrites]

Dormouse

Summary:

After playing a game with two of The Beach's most dangerous members, the dormouse gets her tail caught by a tiger's paw.

He’ll make a wildcat out of her.

Author’s notes: Surprise, have a double update! Have another chapter of light-hearted dialogue and self-indulgent smut featuring my favorite song from one of my favorite bands. Lord knows these two deserve it because of what I have planned in future chapters.

I watch you taste it, I see your face, and I know I'm alive | you're shooting stars from the barrel of your eyes | it drives me crazy, just drives me wild

XI

The next morning, the air is cold and crisp, and the sun barely provides any warmth as it kisses Takatora’s skin. Yamaneko is thankful for what little heat it provided her this morning, warming her ever so slightly. The rest was taken care of by the warm cup of coffee in her hand.

One of the Beach’s mechanics was busy checking the tires of the vintage four by four they’ll be using to grab supplies as the duo approached him. In the car is the girl that Yamaneko saw arriving with her father, whose face contorts into horror when she sees the two militants approaching.

“Tatta,” she calls out to her companion, panicking. “Militants!”

The young man, who seems like he’s around Yamaneko’s age, turns around and practically jumps, a look of unbridled panic on his face as the two approached him.

“Drive,” Yamaneko tells him, going right ahead and opening the door to the back of the car. The girl jumps off the back in a hurry, moving to the passenger seat in the front, nervously glancing at Tatta. The militants sat in the back.

The poor boy was shaking, clumsily pushing the key into the slot and turning it, the engine roaring to life.

“Um… where to?” Tatta asks the two of them. The girl next to him busied herself by looking outside the window, the sun imbuing her bronze skin with a golden hue and the breeze blowing through her shoulder-length hair.

“Shimokitazawa,” Yamaneko says mid-yawn. “Just drop us off there and you can go on with your supply run. Pick us up in the afternoon.”

“Got it,” he replies, stiff as a board in the driver’s seat.

Yamaneko notices their unease. Flicking her coffee stirrer towards the front, she laughs as the two flinches. “Relax. If we wanted to hurt you, we would’ve done it by now. We just want a ride, that’s all.”

The girl shifts in her seat and gives Yamaneko a nervous smile. “So, what are your names?”

“Just call me Yamaneko. He’s called Last Boss.”

“Your friend doesn’t talk much, does he?” the girl asks, each syllable spoken with caution. “I-I mean not like it’s a bad thing…”

The militant woman smirks, taking a sip of her coffee. “Yeah. He’s the quiet type. What about you two newbies? Care to introduce yourselves?”

The boy and the girl glance at each other, as if gauging who should go first. “I’m Kodai Tatta,” the boy answers, then the girl opens her mouth to talk. “Zia Hinata.”

“Zia, huh? Not a lot of Japanese girls have that name. Is one of your parents a foreigner?”

When Hinata doesn’t respond, Last Boss leans over and glares at her. She yelps, and takes a deep breath. “Y-yeah! My mother is Filipino,” she near-exclaims, pitch rising an octave or two.

Yamaneko puts a hand on Last Boss’ arm and laughs. “No need for that. She’s obviously just scared of us.”

She can practically hear the sigh of relief Hinata lets out from where she’s sitting when he withdraws.

“Saw you arrive a few days ago,” Yamaneko comments. “It looks like Niragi has taken an interest in you.”

The sharp exhale Hinata gives her says it all. “Yeah.”

“Word of advice? Niragi tries to break anyone who makes his cock hard. If he attempts to fuck you, just try to pretend that he doesn’t faze you. He thrives off of his victims’ fear.”

Tatta almost swerves into a barricade, and he exhales a few times while fixing the cap on his head, while Hinata presses a palm on her forehead. The boy with the cap gives his companion a nervous, concerned glance.

“Yeah, well, about that… I knew him before I ended up in this place. So, I doubt that will work,” Hinata mentions, nervously picking at the skin around her fingernails.

“He’s a bastard even back then, huh?”

“Actually, no. He was my upperclassman. I was his only friend in middle school. He was nothing like that back then… Now he’s, well, evil. And he won’t leave me alone. Supply runs with Tatta are my only escape.”

“Well, this is awkward,” Yamaneko comments, cringing and gulping the rest of her coffee. She tosses the cup, the wind carrying it away. “Thanks for confirming that he’s always been a loser though. Good luck getting that bastard off your back.”

The rest of the ride is filled with uncomfortable silence, with Yamaneko having given up on making small talk with the new citizens of the Beach. Perhaps it comes with her status as a militant. People were told to avoid them to avoid trouble after all, and she couldn’t blame Hinata being cautious around them after her experience with Niragi.

As they approached Shimokitazawa, Yamaneko’s sleepiness wears off entirely and a smile laden with nostalgia sweeps across her face. Quaint little shops of vintage clothes lined up in the streets, along with abandoned cafes, record stores, and bookstores. Even Last Boss’ interest seems piqued, eyes lively as they pass by the storefronts. Tatta takes in the sights as well, mouth open in wonder, and half of Hinata’s body is practically outside the window as she gawks at the colorful neighborhood, the street murals a welcome change from the half-naked bodies of the Beach.

They stopped outside a cafe, and the two militants hopped off. Tatta doesn’t drive off though, still impressed by this odd little neighborhood in the middle of the once-bustling Tokyo.

“Hey! Don’t you two have a supply run?” Yamaneko shouts playfully, while Last Boss is already wandering off to check the place out.

“Sorry! I got distracted,” Hinata shouts, then she pauses. “I wanted to do a mural in a place like this.”

“Then hurry up so you can do that later,” Yamaneko replies, one hand on her hip.

“Y-yeah! We’ll come back to pick you up from the same spot in the afternoon,” Hinata shouts back, and she ducks her head as she sits back down in the car. She looks to her companion, and whispers, “Let’s hurry. I wanna explore this place later, too.”

Tatta smiles at her, and drives away.

As the car speeds off, Yamaneko turns around and runs after her lover, who stopped in front of a bookstore. The female militant wraps an arm around his, and leans against his bicep. “You wanna check out this shop first?”

Takatora nods, and they enter the store together, the bell making a faint chiming sound as he pushes the door open. Books, manga, trinkets, and other items lined up on the shelves; an impulse-buyer’s worst temptation, and a book lover’s dream. Like a child let loose in a candy store, Yamaneko grabs a basket and starts to rifle through the assorted items.

“My sister told me about this neighborhood, you know,” she comments offhand as she continued looking through the items. “Aside from Harajuku, this is the other place I used to blow my allowance on.”

A small smile tugs at Takatora’s lips, watching as his lover adds knick-knacks and other clutter in her basket, and he turns to browse some books.

Some time later, Yamaneko comes behind him and buries her face on his back.

“Found anything you like?” she asks, and the taller militant turns around to face her, a few blank notebooks tucked under his arms, and a mountaineering encyclopedia in his hands. He folds the encyclopedia and holds it out for her to see, and he has a sheepish expression on his face. Yamaneko holds out her basket, and he drops the items in with an uncharacteristic gentleness.

“I didn’t know you’re into mountaineering,” she comments.

“Not really. Explorers. But I couldn’t find a book about them.”

“Oh? Who’s your favorite explorer?”

“Robert Edwin Peary,” Takatora responds, and Yamaneko smiles.

“Tell me about him.”

She listened to Takatora talk, trying to fight the huge smile from blooming on her lips as she heard him say anything more than a short sentence. As she listened to him talk about how Peary lost his toes to frostbite, she packed their items with care in a shopping bag, then they moved on to the next store.

They pass by a small sukajan store, and a cold breeze that sends chills up Yamaneko’s spine urges her to check it out. Various bomber jackets with beautiful, intricate embroidery hung from the shop walls, and she couldn’t help but admire the artistry in each stitch. A particular jacket caught her eye, a black one with a roaring tiger and peach blossoms embroidered on it.

She tiptoes to reach it, but her shorter stature prevents her from taking it, fingers barely brushing the hem of the jacket. Amused, Takatora extends his arm and takes it from the rack, and hands it to the shorter militant. After muttering an embarrassed “thank you”, Yamaneko puts on the jacket, and admires herself at the dirty mirror nearby.

“This jacket reminds me of you,” she says to her lover. He responded by pulling her close, silently asking for a kiss.

Yamaneko responds by tenderly pressing her lips onto his. Before he can taste her with his tongue, she pulls away and gives him a devious smirk with half-lidded eyes. “If we continue this, we would end up spending the day just fucking. There’s more places I want to see, c’mon.”

Looking at her with longing, Takatora relents, nodding. He follows her out of the store, and they pass by several shops and cafes before ending up in an antique shop by noon. He was taken aback when Yamaneko squealed, and she ran towards the glass storefront. There, she marvels at an antique sewing machine, eyes glittering with excitement.

“It’s a Singer,” she gasps, trying to contain her excitement. Pushing through the entrance, she rushes in and lets her hands wander over the black finish of the machine. Meanwhile, Takatora leans at the door, mouth tugging upward upon witnessing his lover’s excitement.

“We’re taking this back to the Beach. I don’t give a shit, I’m not leaving this here.”

“If that’s what you want, Yamaneko,” Takatora responds, walking over to ruffle her hair.

As she fusses over the machine, he explores the rest of the shop. Aside from the old typewriter that he decided he will be hauling back to the Beach too, an old instant camera on a dusty counter catches his eye. Long fingers gingerly pick up the Polaroid, and brushes the dust off of the item. Under the counter are boxes of old film, and he reads the instructions on the back.

The sound of a shutter breaks Yamaneko out of her trance, and she turns around to see her lover holding a Polaroid and a photograph, waiting for her image to show up on the paper. She grins and nudges him.

“Nice find,” she says.

Takatora aims the camera at her again, and Yamaneko smiles for him. Sweet. Inviting. One that she hasn’t given anyone in a long time.

As they wait for the photographs to develop, the wildcat saunters over to a vintage Sansui turntable, browsing the pre-loved vinyl records piled neatly beside it. Ranging from the 50s to the early 2010s, Yamaneko browsed through them, most of which are from UK and US musicians. Her English wasn’t the best, so she just picked what she thinks looked most interesting; a vinyl record whose cover had a white owl imposed on a black background as the album art.

Behind her, her tiger prowls, pressing himself against her back as she places the needle on the vinyl. He buries his face in her hair, taking in her scent, and his free hand roams her body, while the other still holds the Polaroid. Through his black pants, he’s already at half-mast, and Yamaneko giggles at her lover’s earnest desire to have her.

“It’s already noon. Those two will be back soon,” he whispers. “Can we do it here?”

She spins around, pulls him by his jacket, and plants a hard kiss on his mouth, restraint slipping away. The camera makes a light clatter as Takatora puts it down on the pile of records, both of his hands cupping his lover’s face as he kisses her deep, permission to taste her granted when she parts her mouth.

Reaching behind, Yamaneko undoes the strings of her top, which she pulls and tosses to the nearest surface. Spindly hands grab the soft mounds on her chest, squeezing hard enough to draw a whine from her. The wildcat throws her head back, and her lover swoops in to assault her neck with kisses as his fingers fondled her nipples.

Before he can lean down to suckle on them, Yamaneko kneels and undoes his belt, pulls his trousers down, and licks at the skin on his flat stomach. Damp and hot against her cheek, she rubs her face against his clothed cock, smiling impishly as she teases him and draws a rasp from his throat.

Deft fingers pull the rest of the fabric down and the tattooed militant’s cock springs out of his boxers, stiffening from all of his lover’s teasing. At a torturous pace, Yamaneko drags her tongue from the underside of his shaft all the way to the tip, encloses her lips around the head, and pulls back with a lewd pop. One of his hands grasps at her wild hair, holding on for dear life.

She looks at the camera from the corner of her eyes. “I have an idea,” she croons against the angry, blushing head of his cock. “Why don’t you go ahead and take more photos to remember me by?”

Her lover gulps, cock twitching from the request. “Are you sure?”

“I wouldn’t suggest it if I wasn’t,” Yamaneko hums, and gives his head one teasing lick.

Grabbing the camera again, Takatora could barely aim it properly as Yamaneko finally went ahead and took his whole length in her mouth, soft lips sliding against his shaft as she bobbed and twisted her head at every stroke. Small hands grasping his length, she opens her mouth to stick out her tongue, and presses it on the underside of his head, holding that position long enough to let him take a photo.

As soon as she hears a click, Yamaneko goes back to work, this time enclosing his balls with her warm, wet mouth as her hand stroked him, humming in delight as she drew a lengthier rasp from her tattooed lover, his head thrown back in bliss. Afterwards, her mouth goes back on his length, and she goes all the way to the base of his dick, doing her best not to choke. Yamaneko pauses so he can get a picture, looking at him with an inky, black tear running down her cheek.

The sight almost drove her tiger wild, who began to fuck her mouth hungrily, gaze searing as he watched his length disappear in her loving mouth. More tears start to stream down out of his lover’s eyes, which remains fixed on his, and wet, lewd sounds fill the shop, accompanied by her choked moans and the music blaring from the Sansui.

“So good… You make me feel so damn good,” Takatora whispers, breath rasping as he continued to violate her mouth.

Legs shaking, his breathing quickens as he comes closer to the end, and he presses Yamaneko’s face against his hips, grunting as he floods her mouth with his cum. Her throat constricted around him as she struggled to swallow the load, overflowing from the corner of her mouth, mixing with the creamy formula of her lipstick. Takatora pulls her head away from him, and predicting what follows, Yamaneko grabs her jacket and opens it wide, the fabric sliding off of her shoulders, letting the next spurt of his cum land on her face and breasts. Panting heavily as she gasped for air, she looked up to him, a satisfied smile on her open mouth, and she milked the rest of his come onto her tongue.

With an unstable hand, Takatora photographed all of those moments, letting the instant film fall to the ground. They’ll pick those up later.

For now, he picks up his lover and puts her on a nearby surface, a delicately-varnished, antique wooden table. Clumsily, he loads the Polaroid with another box of film, and takes more photographs. Makeup ruined, smiling, and naked from the waist up, she lies on the table to catch her breath, beads of cum dripping to the side of her breasts. He preserves the fleeting moment with another click of the camera, then he puts it down beside her. He kissed her skin and tasted himself in the process.

A warm tongue flicks on the wildcat’s hardened nipple, and she moans as Takatora toys with them, flicking them back and forth with a finger, swirling his tongue around it, then putting it in his mouth. The sucking motion makes her hips buck against him, her juices staining her underwear from her arousal.

Frantic and greedy, he pulls those away, and photographs her naked body. He dips two fingers in the entrance of her pussy, and the wildcat arches her back, a low moan rumbling from her throat, while her lover takes another shot, this time including her face, twisted from lust. Then, he gets to work, setting the camera aside once more, and shoving his face against her crotch.

Long fingers assaulted her hole, stroking at a sensitive spot, while his tongue played with her swollen clitoris, earning him a sustained moan. With his free arm, the tattooed militant takes one of his lover’s legs and hooks it over his shoulder, his cheek resting on her creamy thighs as he continued to fuck her with his hand.

Yamaneko cracks her eyes open, and sees their reflection on a mirror right across them. She picks up the Polaroid, her turn to capture the private moments between the two of them. Her lover's lips, stained with her juices, seal against her sensitive bud and she almost drops the camera from the way it made her feel, her legs quivering and toes curling from the sensation.

She swore she heard him chuckle against her with a near-sinister tone.

Just when she thought he couldn’t push her any further after that, he adds a third finger, and his pace turns brutal. Yamaneko’s hands scramble for purchase against the varnished, wooden surface, trying to find an edge she can cling to. A searing, almost painful pleasure builds in her core, which bursts and sets her on fire as a fourth finger fills her, the stretch pushing her over the edge.

White spots filled the wildcat’s vision as she came, crying and moaning as she rode his fingers. They pull out of her ruined pussy, a wet, sloppy mess staining the antique table, earning him a whine.

Yamaneko rolls over, panting and resting on her stomach, the sound of the shutter clicking again. Arching her back, she puts on a show for her lover, smiling as he used up the last of the film. She relaxes as he busies himself with loading the last box of film.

“Do you want to keep going?” he asks her, a hand on her ass, gently squeezing the globe of muscle and fat. His cock, semi-hard again, rests between her buttocks.

“Yeah. Can we go slow at first?” Yamaneko replies, looking over her shoulder.

“Sure.”

With unexpected tenderness, he parts her legs, and tucks his cock inside her. He pulls her jacket down halfway, exposing her upper back, and he presses his lips on her skin, sucking at the back of her neck. This makes his wildcat arch her back, throwing her head back in desire. Her walls clench around him, which makes him harden further. His tongue traced circles on her shoulder as he started to rock his hips again.

Yamaneko moans his name as he clamps his mouth down on her good shoulder, the scrape of his teeth shooting pleasure down her spine.

Each thrust is torturous, deliberate. A staccato of gasps filled the space as the head of his cock kissed a sensitive spot deep inside her with each stroke, accompanying the music. Sucking hard on her neck, Takatora’s hand moves to her breasts, fondling them as he went on with his ministrations. One arm propping herself up, and another reaching for the Polaroid, Yamaneko takes a photograph of the tender moment through the mirror, and she sets the camera down, content in letting her lover take over and be in charge of their collective pleasure.

Takatora takes off her jacket, and his hand presses itself on the small of her back. Her tiger leans over to whisper, lips brushing against the shell of her ear. “Can we go faster now?”

“Please, go as fast or rough as you want,” she moans, looking up to him. She braces herself, grabbing the edges of the table for what’s coming. “Use me, Takatora.”

He smiles, and grabs her neck to push her head against his chest. Takatora gives her a sloppy, open-mouthed kiss, their juices mixing together.

As soon as the kiss ended, she let out a strained moan as her lover bucks forward, sharp hips colliding with the soft flesh of her ass. Lewd sounds of flesh slapping together fills both of their ears as he fucked her forcefully, ruthlessly. Yamaneko’s holes quiver as Takatora repeatedly fills her, pussy squelching at each thrust, while his thumb hovers over her other entrance, teasing it, gathering the wetness from below and spreading it over the puckered hole.

“Should I put it in?” he rasps, and Yamaneko nods repeatedly, desperately.

“Fuck, yes, please!”

Grinning, panting, Takatora slides his dripping thumb in, and the tight ring of muscle constricts around it. The rest of his fingers grip her ass, pulling and pushing her against his cock. The action made Yamaneko throw her head back and scream as a wave of pleasure crashed through her body, the combined pressure of his cock and finger making her holes pulse simultaneously.

Another mind-numbing orgasm turns her limbs into jelly, and she sprawls on the desk. The aftershocks of her high milked the cum out of her lover’s cock, who grunts and gasps as he reaches his own release.

His thumb slides out of her first, then his member, and he lies on top of her, their sweat and other bodily fluids mingling together. He kisses his wildcat’s neck, covered with a film of salty sweat, and gently cups her face to press his lips against hers.

“Good?” Yamaneko asks, and he nods.

The taller militant’s weight leaves her, and she felt exposed. He retrieves her clothes, and she gets up to sit at the edge of the table. Helping her get dressed, Takatora gives her a small, bashful smile. “Good?” he asks her in return.

Yamaneko smiles back and nods, glancing tenderly. “I love you.”

“I love you too,” he replies.

When their clothes are back where they should belong, the pair started picking up the scattered photographs from the floor. Everything looked scandalous, save for Yamaneko’s photograph where her back was turned from the camera, and the one where she smiles at him.

Takatora decides that those are his favorites, out of all of them.

As they went out of the store, they saw the four by four parked nearby. They didn’t even notice the other two coming back earlier.

Around the corner, Tatta and Hinata sit on the sidewalk, chatting amongst themselves, and behind them is a street mural with fresh paint. When Yamaneko approaches, the boy couldn’t look at the militant, his cap shadowing his face, and Hinata nervously glances at her, dried paint on her flushed cheeks.

“Ah, hey Yamaneko! Um, you two were busy, so Tatta and I just worked on this while waiting for you,” Hinata tries to say with a straight face. She fails. “Don’t worry we didn’t see much. We’re so sorry,” she continues, and both of them bow in apology.

So they did see them.

Yamaneko cackles at her scandalized expression. “What are you two, children? Your parents more or less did the same thing to make you. You’ll see even more of that action at the Beach in public. Get over it and help us load our stuff.”

Hinata clears her throat and nods, standing up and avoiding looking at her. Tatta follows suit, walking like he broke a leg, one hand covering the front of his shorts.

“Hell, you two might as well enjoy each other’s company too,” Yamaneko adds, shouting after them.

Without seeing their faces, she just knows the blush on their faces got deeper.

[prodbyblush]

hi!! i saw that you're a new account taking request so i decided to shoot my shot 😅 if you don't mind, could you possibly write a reaction of the guys suddenly kissing their s/o after they almost died in a game? could you make it rough and passionate, kinda sexy but nothing too smutty. thanks lovely! 💕

ｎｏｗ ｌｏａｄｉｎｇ . . .

▒▒▒▒▒▒▒▒▒▒ 100%

ᴄᴏᴍᴘʟᴇᴛᴇ!

・❥・ requested

Arisu:

Shivers starts running down his spine while beads of sweat would start to form on each side of his face. But would then let out a sigh of relief as he sees you entering the lobby of the hotel, immediately walking up to your direction before placing his hands on either side of your face and then leaning down to place his lips on yours with a fiery, breath taking kiss, one that left the both of you breathless after.

Chishiya:

A small part of him was scolding himself for loving someone in the Borderlands. The Borderlands isn't exactly the best place to fall in love, but he couldn't help himself and eventually fell for you. So he stood behind the pillars of the hotel, waiting anxiously for you to come back, but it had been half an hour already and he was close to heading back inside when he caught sight of your figure.

"Did you miss me?" He heard you ask, a teasing smile painting your lips. But instead of answering, he placed a hand to cup your cheek before leaning down to attach his lips on yours. The kiss was soft and gentle, feeling his tongue softly licking your lower lip while his arms snaked around your waist, pulling you closer to him to feel your warmth on his.

Niragi:

Head turning both left and right as he tried to find you amongst the people returning back to the Beach. Feeling his anxiousness creeping on his back, he knew he had to be in the same group as you.

"If only you used your eyes instead of your mouth, you'd find her." Chishiya says, "turn around you lunatic" He says before walking away. Niragi told himself he'd get back at him but as he turned around, he found you smiling at him with your arms wide open. Walking up to you and instead of giving you a hug, he crashes his lips on yours. Sinking his fingers into your hair, yanking onto it as he thrusts his tongue inside your mouth. Sliding his tongue in and out of your lips, his arms tighten around your frame, feeling you melt before him.

Last Boss:

He'd be walking around in circles, eyes on the ground as he patiently waits for you to return. But his patience was growing thin every minute that passes him by. He didn't cared about the others returning safely or a little wounded, all he cared about is you.

"I'm sorry for making you wait" He heard a small, soft voice spoke to him from behind. He knew who that voice belonged to you and a small smile painted his lips as he turned around to face you. "Come here" he said, placing a hand behind your neck, leaning down to place a kiss on your lips. The kiss started slow and soft, his hands holding onto your waist as he presses your back onto the nearest wall, pressing his body onto yours.

Usagi:

She'd be asking everyone who just arrived at the hotel on where could you be. And everytime a new car parks outside, she's hoping that one of the passengers that would come out is you, but her hopes kept killing her.

"Usagiii" you singsong her name, waving your hands at her. A wide smile would display her lips as she skips over to you. Your eyes widening in surprise as she presses her lips on yours. Closing your eyes, you kissed her back sweetly yet passionately, fingers intertwining with yours.

Kuina:

Tears would already start to brim in her eyes as she watched the people enter the premises of the hotel. It seemed like all the cars have arrived yet you were still nowhere in sight. She felt defeated and ready to head back when she heard your voice from the distance.

"Kuina!" Turning around, her frown was replaced by a smile, genuinely happy to see you. "I'm sorry for taking too long. I wanted to-" she cut you off by leaning down, pressing her lips onto yours. Kissing your plump, moistured lips gently while one hand brushes through your hair and the other keeping you close to her and planted on the small part of your back.

[werelosingdaylight]

HOW THEY KISS|

A.I.B Characters x GN!Reader

Requested? Yes • [No]

Chishiya: Soft kisses.

The kind to walk up and cup your face in his hands and press one of the most gentle kisses to your lips. So soft you wouldn't know if it actually happened or if you imagined it.

Niragi: Rough and Passionate kisses.

The kind to push you up against the wall and push his knee between your legs as his hand comes up to the back of your neck in a bruising kiss.

Samura: Private Kisses.

The kind to not show affection in front of other people. He prefers kisses in the privacy of one of your rooms where no one could stare or judge.

Aguni: Meaningful Kisses.

The kind to kiss you before going to a game because who knows if it could be his last. He cherishes all of the time you spend together and every kiss before he leaves is his way of saying goodbye in case he doesn't come back.

Kuina: Surprise kisses.

The kind to sneak up behind you and shower you with kisses when you least expect it. She likes seeing your expression of surprise.

Takeru: Lingering Kisses.

This man will give you the kind of kisses where when he pulls away he will brush his lips over yours, almost teasing you, as your mind becomes intoxicated with the taste of him.

An: Morning Kisses.

When she gives kisses it's a unique occurrence. She would be waking up, her hair all messy as she rolls over to see you sleeping soundly. She would let out a light chuckle and press a loving kiss to your lips leaving you Dazed, Confused, and Half asleep.

Mira: Quick Kisses.

Mira will give you kisses so quick that you almost don't have time to respond and is overall too quick for your liking. It's the kind of kiss that will make you want to come back for more.

[a-simp-20]

[AIB Masterlist] ✍

[Main masterlist]

[AIB Cast Masterlist]

Genre's:

🌸 = Fluff

🌟 = Crack

🥀 = Hurt/Comfort

🌧 = Angst

[?] = Random

Arisu Ryohei

[◇]

🎮 Gaming With Ryohei 🎮 [Arisu X Reader] 🌸 [1.3K]

◍◍How To bicycle: 101◍◍ [Arisu X Fem! Reader] 🌸🌟 [1.6K]

[Series]: (Nothing yet)

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Usagi Yuzuha

[♤]

(Nothing yet)

[Series]: (Nothing yet)

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Chishiya Shuntaro

[♡]

Roller skating besties [Pre-borderland AU] 🌸🌟 [2.1K]

◍Kitty Chaos◍ [Chishiya X Reader X Niragi] 🌸🌟 [702]

💕🌧Rainy Nights🌧💕 [Chishiya S. X F! Reader] {Pre-Borderland AU} 🌸 [755]

[Series]: (Nothing yet)

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Kuina Hikari

[♧]

Roller skating besties [Pre-borderland AU] 🌸🌟 [2.1K]

[Series]: (Nothing yet)

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Niragi Suguru

[◇]

High School Friends [Niragi X Muslim! OC] 🥀 [1.8K]

Midnight Cuddles [Niragi X reader] 🌸 [???]

Kittens 🐾 [Animal AU] 🥀🌸 [1.2K]

◍Kitty Chaos◍ [Chishiya X Reader X Niragi] 🌸🌟 [702]

🧥=Dress up & Makeup=💄[NIRAGI X FEM!READER] [Pre borderland AU] 🌸🌟 [???]

[Series]: (Nothing yet)

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Last Boss/Takatora Samura

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Kittens 🐾 [Animal AU] 🥀🌸 [1.2K]

♡Breakfast in bed♡ [Last Boss X Reader] 🌸 [612]

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Karube Daikichi

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🎶'The Cheer up Song'🎶 🌟 [???]

[Series]: (Nothing yet)

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Ann Rizuna

[◇]

(Nothing yet)

[Series]: (Nothing yet)

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Aguni Morizono

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Kittens 🐾 [Animal AU] 🥀🌸 [1.2K]

Roller Skating besties [Pre-borderland AU] 🌸🌟 [2.1K]

[Series]: (Nothing yet)

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Hatter/Takeru Danma

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Roller Skating besties [Pre-borderland AU]🌸🌟 [2.1K]

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Everyone- (Nearly)

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Kuzuryuu Keiichi

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Series: (Nothing Yet)

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[♡♤♧◇]

🧁Cupcake Party!🧁 🌸🌟 [???]

🧀 A CHEESY Coversation 🧀|| Ft.Hatter & Aguni M. 🌟?? [1k]

[ruethemazerunner]

14. nobody gets me, you do

Hours later, Takatora stood watch over the party going on in the pool area downstairs. Hood up, katana perched on the ground, he calmly surveyed the drunk people all around him.

Well, calm wasn’t actually how he felt, but he was good at putting on a mask of indifference. Or at least he was when a certain someone wasn’t around.

In truth, Takatora had been thinking about his morning with Maisie all day long. After they left their little spot under the tree (Maisie stating that Kuina would be worried about her if she didn’t turn up for lunch without telling anyone), she’d insisted that he take the rest of the muffins, which Takatora did without complaint. Not only were they delicious, they had also been made by Maisie specifically for him, a thought that made him feel very warm inside.

He’d gone up to his room, placing the wicker basket with the remaining blueberry muffins carefully on his nightstand, like a precious bowl of china he didn’t want to break. As much as he wanted to devour the remaining treats, he couldn’t bring himself too. He liked the smell they brought into his stale and dark room. The sugary scent reminded Takatora of Maisie, too.

It seemed, lately, that everything did.

He’d spent the remainder of the day in a dreamy sort of haze, still in disbelief that the girl he’d convinced himself would never even give him the time of day had asked him if he wanted to hang out with her. She had wanted to spend time with Takatora. The notion made him feel dizzy in about a hundred different ways.

His fingers twitched on the handle of his weapon as his eyes skimmed over the mass of intoxicated dancers, searching for the bright hue of the familiar pink sundress, but it seemed like Maisie was nowhere to be found.

Takatora didn’t want to admit how much that dampened his mood.

After the girl had left for lunch with her friend he hadn’t seen a glimpse of her, and he would’ve sought her out himself if he wasn’t scared of coming off too strong and scaring Maisie away.

‘She wants a friend, not a stalker.’ He kept reminding himself every time he felt the urge to abandon the wall he’d leaned himself on and go in search of the sweet girl.

It seemed, however, that the universe was listening to his thoughts that night, because just as he had convinced himself that he would not go in search of her until the next morning, he suddenly spotted the sight of sandy brown curls moving through the crowd.

Takatora felt his mouth go dry. Maisie was being dragged by Kuina, her face set in a sort of grimace, as if she’d rather be anywhere else but there. Her hair was devoid of its usual white bow, so that the front strands fell freely and framed her face, creating an almost halo effect. Instead of the pink sundress Takatora was so used to seeing on her, she was wearing a pair of denim shorts and the lilac bikini top she’d been wearing just the other night.

Under the flashing neon lights, she looked so unreal Takatora would’ve believed her if she’d told him she was actually an angel.

Kuina had dragged her over to the bar, where Takatora could see both girls sat themselves and waited for their drinks.

He hesitated. Should he go over there? Technically he was supposed to be on “security duty”, but he couldn’t give less of a damn about that at the moment, even if it got him in trouble with Aguni. He’d deal with that later.

No, what worried him was wondering if Maisie even wanted to see him. It was one thing hanging out in private, but what if she didn’t want people to see them together? Would she not want people to associate her with someone like him?

‘She’s not like that,’ He thought to himself. Takatora had experienced first hand how non-judgemental Maisie was, she didn’t strike him as someone who would care about what others think of her friends. But the years of insecurity deeply rooted within Takatora’s brain kept him glued to his spot.

As the minutes ticked on, Takatora kept looking to his left to watch Maisie, who was still sitting at the bar with Kuina, now with a drink in hand. Though she still looked slightly uncomfortable, she was laughing with the taller woman, who was clearly in the middle of telling an animated story, if her had gestures were anything to go by.

Every once in a while when Maisie’s eyes wandered, Takatora would duck his head, not wanting to be caught staring. He should’ve known he wouldn’t be so lucky.

Not even five minutes later, he’d turned his gaze back in her direction, only to freeze on the spot as Maisie decided to shift her gaze in that very same moment, and their eyes locked.

Takatora felt a shock go through him, but that was nothing compared to the heat that started creeping up his veins and onto his face when her expression morphed into a wide smile, and she sent him a shy wave.

Takatora’s mouth hung slightly open, eyes wide as he gave a shy lift of his hand in return, feeling a little dumbstruck. He didn’t know if he hated or not how much a simple smile from the girl could turn his entire body to stone.

~~

Kuina’s story about a dream she’d had last night after the game had Maisie in her second fit of giggles of the week. This time, instead of the dream being about Chishiya and Niragi getting married, it had been about the two men having their first child together, with Kuina being the godmother.

“I don’t even know how that would work,” Kuina said, and Maisie nearly choked on her drink as another fit of laughter bubbled up her throat.

The other woman had dragged her out of her room earlier where she’d been peacefully reading the entire afternoon, having borrowed another book from the library downstairs. Kuina had begged her to accompany her down to the pool for another night of partying, stating that since neither of them had to go to a game tonight, they should continue the previous days’ celebrations. Apparently, “the adrenaline hadn’t worn off yet,” at least that’s what Kuina had said.

So, with a slightly exasperated sigh, Maisie had changed into her- well, Kuina’s, really- lilac bikini once more (with some added shorts, for a bit of extra cover) and allowed herself to be dragged from her room.

Tatta was nowhere to be found, although with the hangover he’d had that morning, it was probably best if he stayed away from the little makeshift bar tonight.

As Kuina finished her story, Maisie’s eyes skimmed lazily across the rest of the party, taking in the mass of sweaty bodies surrounding them. Then she glanced up.

There, across the pool and in the cordoned off area reserved for Militants and V.I.P’s only, stood Tora, and he was looking right at her.

Maisie felt her face break out into a wide grin, shyly lifting her hand in a wave. She let out a little laugh when she saw Tora awkwardly lifting his hand in turn.

Kuina noticed that Maisie was looking at something past her and turned to see what was causing her friend to laugh. When she too spotted Takatora she let out a bark of laughter, turning back to Maisie with her eyes full of mischief.

“You should go say hi to your little crush, it would be rude to ignore him all night.”

Maisie choked on the sip she’d just taken, turning to look at Kuina with a bewildered (and somewhat alarmed) expression.

“He’s not- what are you talking about- we’re just- we just met last night!” Maisie looked positively like a deer caught in the headlights.

“Uh huh,” Kuina replied, handing her friend a napkin so she could clean the little bit of Mojito she’d spilled on herself when she’d choked. “You might’ve met just yesterday, but he’s been making goo-goo eyes at you since you got here, and you’ve been no better, now that I think about it.”

Maisie wanted to defend herself, puffing her chest out indignantly to retort, but she couldn’t hide the blush staining her cheeks, so she decided against it.

Instead she said, “May I ask why you’re so invested in me and Last Boss’ friendship?”

Kuina shot her a look at the word ‘friendship’, but smirked at her friend’s dignified tone. She knew she just wanted to distract her from her suggestion of going to talk to him.

“Because you’re my friend, and I want you to get laid,” Kuina deadpanned.

Maisie was handed another napkin as she once again choked on her drink, “Kuina!”

The older girl burst into laughter at the look on Maisie’s face, and decided to take pity on her and quit her teasing.

“Seriously, though, you’re clearly happy to see him here, why don’t you go say hi? Besides, you said you’d hung out with him earlier, it’s not like he’s a stranger.”

Maisie blushed and looked down at the crumpled napkins in her fist. She definitely wanted to speak to Tora again, but what if she came off too pushy? He was clearly an introvert, she didn’t want to scare him off by being in his space twenty-four seven.

Maisie tried to come up with an excuse, “I mean… isn’t that area reserved for Militants though? Surely they won’t let me in,” she felt like a small school girl again, crazy with nerves at the prospect of talking to her crush.

“Just tell them you know him, they’ll ask him if that’s true and then, boom, you’re in,” Kuina made it seem simple, but Maisie was nervous about going up there and getting shooed away. It would be humiliating.

It took Kuina a whole five more minutes to finally convince Maisie to go up and talk to Last Boss, with the reassurance that if they didn’t let her in Kuina would still be at the bar to keep her company.

“But what about you?” Maisie asked, standing from her stool nervously, “I don’t wanna just ditch you here.” She said, feeling guilty about leaving her friend by herself, even if it had been Kuina’s idea.

The taller woman waved her off, “I’ll be fine, I don’t mind my own company. Besides, if I see you two are hitting it off I’ll just go find Tatta and bug him to join me, give him another hangover for tomorrow.”

Maisie let out a snort, imagining a hungover Tatta being dragged out by Kuina for another night of partying.

“Fine,” Maisie finally responded, nibbling her lip and eyeing the V.I.P area. “Wish me luck,” she muttered and started making her way over.

As she approached the sort of ‘tent’ that was off to the side, she kept her eyes glued to the floor, trying to build up her nerve. She hated talking to strangers, she was never any good at it.

With a slight pause, she reached the makeshift door of the large, open tarp, looking up at the man who was standing by the opening.

He was tall, very tall, and he had a gun strapped to his waist. He eyed Maisie up and down, an eyebrow quirked as he did so.

Maisie didn’t really appreciate the feeling of being scrutinized, so she cleared her throat politely before speaking up, “Uhm, I’m sorry to bother you but could I speak to Ta- Last Boss?”

Maisie caught herself at the last second. She knew that Tora probably wouldn’t appreciate her revealing his name to everyone, having a pretty strong feeling that he liked the anonymity that came with no one knowing his true name. Well, no one besides Maisie.

The man opened his moth to respond, but before he could, a voice she didn’t recognize spoke up from somewhere behind him.

“Well, well, what’s this? The new girl? Don’t be rude now, Kido, let her in.”

The man she instantly recognized as Niragi stepped up beside the ‘bouncer’, licking his lips and eyeing Maisie up and down in a way that made her skin crawl. It wasn’t the same way that the first man- Kido- had looked at her, like she was being evaluated. This look was predatory, and Maisie felt the need to run in the other direction immediately. He was looking at her like she was a piece of meat.

Niragi chuckled at the look of disgust that Maisie was sure she wasn’t doing a good job of hiding. She also knew for a fact she wasn’t doing a good job at concealing the fact that she was worried, because based on what Kuina had told her, this Niragi wasn’t someone she wanted to get involved with.

“Come on, sweetheart, no need to be shy,” Niragi smirked, slinging his rifle over his shoulder and ambling closer, “Why don’t you come join me insi-“

But he never got to finish his sentence, because suddenly a large had was gripping his shoulder, and Tora appeared out of the shadows with his katana hung around his torso and his hood obscuring his face.

~~

Takatora had seen all he cared to see. The moment he’d spotted Maisie making her way over, he’d stood glued to the floor, not daring to hope that she was coming over to talk to him. But even his insecurities didn’t overshadow the very obvious fact that there was no other reason she would be going to the V.I.P section for- it wasn’t like she hung around any of the other Militants. So with his heart pounding, he’d waited for her to approach.

Then he’d heard her ask Kido if she could speak to him, and he could’ve sworn his legs turned to rubber for a split second. He’d started making his way over before his brain had even processed that his legs were carrying him to her.

Unfortunately though, it seemed that Takatora wasn’t the only one who recognized the sweet girls’ voice. Niragi had beat him to the punch, getting to the entrance before he had a chance to speak to Maisie first.

The second sentence had barely passed his lips before Takatora reached him, firmly placing a hand on his shoulder, digging in his fingers harder than was necessary, but the didn’t care.

Niragi turned around, staring at Takatora’s tattooed face, almost as if studying him. Takatora had no way of knowing how many of his thoughts his expression was betraying in that moment, but regardless, the message he was sending the shorter man was clear: she’s off limits.

With a half scoff-half laugh, Niragi threw a wink Maisie’s way and ambled back into the V.I.P section, wandering off to dance with the first girl he found.

Bouncer standing forgotten to one side, Takatora looked at Maisie, discretely skimming his eyes over her face and body to make sure she was okay. Aside from looking slightly awkward from her encounter with Niragi, she looked alright, and Takatora allowed the tension in his shoulders to ease slightly.

“Hi,” Maisie spoke shyly before Takatora had a chance to.

He simply looked at her, lost for words, just as he usually was when she was around him, but she didn’t seem to mind. She never did.

“Can I come in?” The question was meant for Takatora, but he caught Maisie eyeing Kido out of the corner of her eye, as if expecting him to throw her over his shoulder and kick her out.

Takatora simply extended his hand, looking into her eyes and beckoning with a small nod of his head for her to follow him.

Kido said nothing as Maisie slipped her slender fingers between Takatora’s own, stepping closer to follow his lead. He knew that he wouldn’t have said anything, anyway. Another upside to his reputation at The Beach was that people didn’t tend to get in his way.

With butterflies in his stomach that positively had everything to do with the small hand clasped in his, he led Maisie over to where he had stood only minutes before standing watch.

————-

HI OH MY GOD IM SO SORRY. I never forgot about this story I swear, but for a while I lost inspo, not to mention I was back in my country and I was busy af, and now that I’m back in the states life got hectic again. But I missed y’all so much. I CANT BELIEVE SEASON 2 COMES OUT IN JUST A FEW HOURS! WHOS READY??!!

I’m so glad I was able to put this chapter out before then. I hope y’all enjoy reading it as much as I enjoyed writing it. ILY ALL MWAH

[ruethemazerunner]

PT 2 OF SMASH OR PASS 💓🤣 i still have so many characters to get through so there will be a part 3.

Who would you smash or pass? 😏🤣

[ruethemazerunner]

Enjoy my Smash or Pass with the Alice in Borderland characters! This is part 1 😏🤣 (it’s so much fun)

Since y’all seemed to like my last tik tok, I thought I’d post this one here too! (PLEASE ignore the fact I look like shit, I woke up with a fever and I don’t feel good lol)

ALSO IM WRITING CHAPTER 13 OF PRECIOUS AS WE SPEAK SO PUT THE PITCHFORKS DOWN!

[ruethemazerunner]

15. someone to lean on

Takatora led Maisie through the cordoned off area reserved for Militants and ‘V.I.Ps’ (who were mainly just other executive members, with a few exceptions). It was considerably less crowded than the rest of the party, so navigating the area without colliding with drunk dancers was a lot easier.

He took Maisie all the way to the back, to the same spot he’d been in when he’d first spotted her making her way through the crowd. It was more private there, closer to the wall of the tent and away from prying ears and eyes.

Maisie looked around the ‘lounge’ as they finally stopped, taking in all the Militants that were there, the flashing neon lights produced by small L.E.D projectors, and the loveseats scattered around the sides that were mostly being occupied by couples that were only a few step short of giving everyone a very uncomfortable show. Takatora was used to people having no shame or shyness within the constant partying of The Beach, but seeing it when Maisie’s hand was still tightly grasped in his suddenly brought a blush to his cheeks.

She blinked up at him, “How come there’s so many people here? I thought it was, like, a super exclusive club.”

Takatora cracked a smile at her innocence, her big eyes looking surprised.

He leaned down so she could hear him over the loud music, “It’s mostly supposed to be Militants and Executive Members, but we are allowed to invite some people in.”

Maisie’s mouth formed a little ‘o’ shape, her eyes wondering back to the smaller dance floor in the middle of the tent. Takatora swallowed hard as he took the time to admire her now that he knew she wasn’t looking. Everything from the freckles smattered over her temples and her shoulders, to the roundness of her cheeks and the curve of her waist, it all made him feel lightheaded in the very best way. Takatora had trouble believing she was real.

Maisie finally looked back to him after a few more seconds, smiling at him bashfully, “It’s kinda nice in here, and I like that it’s not as crowded. Thanks for inviting me in, by the way.”

The last part of her sentence reminded Takatora that he hadn’t even asked her why she’d come over. Not that he wasn’t over the moon about it either way, but if something was wrong he needed to know. He would fix it for her.

“Did something happen by the bar?” Takatora wasn’t sure if that was the best way to phrase the question, certainly the last thing he wanted was for Maisie to think that her presence was unwanted, but the concern in his eyes must’ve been clear enough, because Maisie actually smiled.

“No, nothing, really. I just…” She suddenly looked bashful, reaching down as if to play with the ends of her dress, but since she was wearing shorts she just tugged at the hem of those instead, “Uhm, I saw you, and then Kuina saw that I saw you, and she kind of convinced me to come over here.”

Takatora wasn’t sure how to feel about that. Had Maisie only come because she felt pressured by her friend?

His silence must have seemed different than usual to Maisie, because her eyes suddenly widened and she snapped her gaze back up to his in alarm as if realizing something, “That doesn’t mean I didn’t wanna come over! I just didn’t know if you’d want to talk because it seemed like you didn’t want company, and I didn’t know if I would be allowed in-“ Maisie rambled, tugging on the arm that was still held their entwined fingers with her other hand, as if urging Takatora to believe her.

He breathed a small internal sigh of relief, “It’s okay. If you ever want to come in, just come get me. I always want to talk to you.”

Crap. He hadn’t meant to voice that last part, but it was too late now. He immediately turned his gaze to the floor, ears pink, too much of a coward to look back at Maisie and see what was sure to be rejection in her eyes.

He figures he should’ve known better by now.

Instead of awkwardly letting go of his hand and making an excuse to leave like he was so sure would happen, Maisie squeezed his hand and kicked her sneaker-clad foot shyly.

“Really?” Maisie asked softly.

Takatora still avoided her eyes, but nodded nonetheless, “I like talking to you.”

He tried to play it cool. He didn’t want Maisie to know how much more than that it was just yet.

Maisie beamed up at him, Takatora shyly meeting her gaze with the tips of his ears still hot.

“I like talking to you too,” Maisie said. She had yet to let of of Takatora’s hand, or his arm with her other hand, for that matter. It felt like Cloud 9.

“Can I ask you something?” Maisie spoke again before Takatora had a chance to fully absorb the happiness that her response made him feel. He nodded for the girl to continue nonetheless.

“Why are you down here? I’ve seen you hang out here a couple times, but you don’t really strike me as someone who would be into… all of this.” Maisie let go of his arm to gesture around them.

Takatora looked around him as he thought of how to word his answer so it wouldn’t sound odd to Maisie, “Aguni likes to place me on watch duty. He… says my appearance usually scares people into behaving.” He didn’t want to admit to her that it wasn’t just his looks, but also his reputation that made people steer clear of him most of the time. He didn’t want to scare Maisie away by making her think of him as a monster.

Takatora was no saint, far from it in fact, but he wouldn’t touch a single hair on her head without her permission, and he would make sure she knew that.

To his surprise, Maisie looked up in mild alarm, her brows pinched adorably as she once again latched onto his arm with her free hand.

“Oh no! You’re supposed to be on watch duty? I didn’t mean to distract you from your job! Oh gosh, I’m so sorry- I’ll just go back with Kuina, I’m really so-“

But Takatora shook his head vehemently and didn’t ease his grip on her hand, urging Maisie to stay put. He would’ve found her concern adorable if he wasn’t so focused on coming up with any excuse to get her to stay.

“It’s okay,” Takatora reassured her. “I don’t usually have much to do anyway. And Niragi is here too.” He didn’t have to add that most people had a tendency not to draw too much attention to themselves when Niragi was around, he was sure Maisie could put two and two together.

Maisie relaxed, but still seemed slightly worried, “Are you sure? I don’t want you to get in trouble with Aguni. Isn’t he technically your boss?”

Takatora shrugged, “I guess so, but it’s not like I’m breaking any Beach rules, so it’s fine.”

Maisie bit her lip, Takatora’s eyes immediately snapping to the action, but he looked back up as he heard her voice once more, “If you say so… Do you usually just stand her all night by yourself when you’re on watch, then?”

Takatora nodded, not really knowing if elaborating was necessary. Maisie was clearly good at reading people, and even if she wasn’t, nothing about him screamed ‘social’, Takatora was fully aware of that.

“Do you wanna go somewhere else?” Maisie smiled up at him.

Takatora blinked down at her, mouth suddenly dry. Maisie wanted to go somewhere, with him, just the two of them, alone, at night. They’d quite literally been alone together just that morning, but the simple fact that it was nighttime now made it feel much more intimate.

“We don’t have to, Tora.” Maisie said, smiling in seeming understanding at his lack of response. Takatora had to hide a shiver, the sound of the nickname Maisie had thought of just for him making his skin feel all sorts of tingly. He’d never cared much for his name, but he thought right then that he could listen to Maisie call him ‘Tora’ for the rest of his life and never get tired of it.

Takatora simply nodded mutely, but apparently that’s all that Maisie needed, because the next moment she’d tugged on the hand that was still clasped around hers, and she started leading Takatora right back the way they had come, straight to the exit.

~~

Maisie led Tora through the V.I.P section with a firm grasp on his hand, skirting around the couples heatedly making out and grinding all around them. She walked straight pass Kido, but shot him a smile nonetheless. He had just been doing his job earlier, she reminded herself.

Maisie knew where she wanted to go, had thought of it instantly the moment Tora had accepted her proposal. The views from her room were gorgeous, but what she really wanted was the chance to see the beautiful waves and sparkling sand she could see from her balcony up close.

Maisie was aware that technically residents weren’t allowed to leave Beach premises without permission, but she had faith that since Tora was here they wouldn’t get in trouble. He was a Militant, after all, and a high ranking member of The Beach.

She continued to lead him through the rowdy pool area, but instead of heading towards the grand archway that marked the entrance to The Beach, she took a turn and led him towards the backside of the hotel, near the gardens.

Tora followed Maisie the entire time without complaint, his larger hand still wrapped around hers. She wasn’t ready to admit how safe his hand holding hers made her feel.

When she finally reached the back exit she’d been looking for, she paused and finally turned back to Tora, who was quietly looking at her with curiosity in his eyes.

Maisie blushed and cleared her throat shyly, grateful for the darkness surrounding them since it meant Tora couldn’t see the pink hue staining her cheeks. He made her feel nervous, but Maisie didn’t think it was a bad type of nervous. It certainly wasn’t the same skin-crawling type of nerves she’d felt when Niragi had approached her.

“Uhm, my room has this really pretty view of the ocean, and I’ve always wanted to go down there and check it out, but I haven’t had a chance yet,” Maisie looked up shyly, gaze shifting between Tora’s eyes. “Would you like to take a walk? The sand shouldn’t burn now that the sun’s gone down.”

Tora’s face remained in the same neutral expression it usually did, the only change being a slight widening of the eyes and a slight parting of the lips. Maisie didn’t know if these were good reactions, but nonetheless he nodded mutely, so she took it as a good sign.

With a big smile and a “let’s go, then!” Maisie let go of Tora’s hand to open the back gate of the garden and beckon him down the stone steps to the sand below.

~~

The second they reached the cool sand at the very bottom of the worn stone steps, Maisie reached down to unlace her sneakers. Takatora looked away with a blush, thankful for the darkness around them concealing the red hue of his cheeks.

Maisie straightened up again after a minute, now barefoot with both of her shoes held in one hand. She gestured towards Takatora’s own feet with a smile on her face.

“Aren’t you gonna take your sandals off?” Maisie tilted her head while she asked, and Takatora struggled to respond, the absolute adorable sight of her head tilted in confusion along with the dimple in her left cheek brought out by her smile causing his brain to short-circuit momentarily.

Takatora finally shook himself out of his stupor and bent down to remove his sandals, setting them down by the stone steps before glancing back at Maisie.

At her questioning look, he spoke, “No one comes down here, we can leave our shoes. It will be easier than carrying them.”

Maisie beamed, placing her sneakers right next to his sandals. Takatora was momentarily arrested by the sight, a vision coming to mind of Takatora coming home after a long day, placing his shoes next to Maisie’s, which were already there by the entrence of their home. The thought of something so domestic made Takatora feel a strange longing in his chest that he’d never felt before.

‘She barely knows you. Stop making up impossible scenarios in your head and get a grip,’ Takatora chastised himself, all the while knowing damn well that it was going to be impossible.

Maisie beckoned him forward with a silent nod of her head, and Takatora followed without any hesitation.

For a while they just walked side by side, the only noise that could be heard coming from the sound of the waves crashing against the shore and the dull bass of the party they’d left behind.

Takatora took in the sight of the moonlight reflected on the surface of the dark water, the occasional crab making it’s way across the damp sand and scuttling out of sight back into the waves.

He turned to look at Maisie. Her eyes were half closed, seemingly relaxed as she breathed in the salty air, the light breeze ruffling the loose strands framing her face. The moonlight illuminated the bridge of her nose and her Cupid’s bow, along with the lighter-colored ends of her hair. With the backdrop of an endless sky of stars behind her, she looked nothing short of a goddess.

Not for the first time, Takatora found himself wondering how he’d ever found anything beautiful before he’d met Maisie.

A few short moments later, however, the girl in question suddenly stopped walking and turned towards the shore.

Takatora stopped with her, looking at her face in curiosity, wondering why they’d stopped, even though her gaze was pointed at the water.

“Sometimes I miss it,” Maisie spoke suddenly after a moment of silence.

Takatora looked at her in surprise, not understanding what she meant. Maisie looked towards him, a smile breaking out on her face at his obvious confusion.

“The sea, I mean,” she clarified, looking out towards the water once more. “I know the vastness of this ocean is far greater than the sea I saw everyday growing up, but still. Sometimes just being near water reminds me of home. It’s nice.”

Takatora listened to the sweet girl beside him, watching her eyes close in content with that strange tightening in his chest that he only ever seemed to feel around Maisie. He wished he could’ve bottled the sea up and give it to her right there, just to see that radiant smile he often saw on her lips spread across her face again.

A sudden shuffling noise broke him out of his thoughts, and he looked to his left to see Maisie settling down on the sand, looking up at Takatora and patting the ground right next to her.

“Do you wanna sit?” She peered up at him. Takatora lowered himself on the ground next to her and sat down, taking off his katana and leaving it on the sand next him, on the other side of Maisie. He kept it close enough to grab just in case something happened, not trusting any of the rowdy people of the Beach if they somehow stumbled upon this little stretch of shore.

They both sat in silence for a while, Takatora too busy trying not to internally combust at how close Maisie was and the warmth radiating off her skin, and the object of his very overwhelming affections seemingly lost in thought.

Takatora had just managed to get his body under control, his skin feeling like it was on fire by just having Maisie that close to him (she truly did make him feel like a teenager again), when she leaned her head on his shoulder. His poor heart shot right back into the frantic rhythm it always did when Maisie touched him.

As if Maisie was hellbent on making Takatora faint, she also sighed and spoke softly, “I like spending time with you, Tora.”

Takatora struggled to respond, his head feeling very light. He didn’t need to, though. Maisie seemed to understand his silence like no one else ever had. So instead of answering, he simply shuffled closer to her, his cheek lightly brushing the top of her head at their proximity.

For a while they sat like that, gazing at the dark waves before them. The breeze gently blew Maisie’s strands away from her face, so that Takatora had a clear view of her features. She looked more relaxed than he’d ever seen her.

Suddenly something caught his eye. Looking to his right, Takatora saw a white clam shell washed up on the shore. Iridescent in the moonlight, it looked beautiful. Takatora grabbed it at once and placed it face up in the palm of his hand, offering it to Maisie.

She lifted her head off his shoulder in surprise, first looking at his face and then glancing down at his palm. She let out a soft gasp, leaning forward to get a better view of the shell.

“For me?” She asked timidly, looking back up at Takatora with her eyes round in surprise, her pink lips parted slightly.

Takatora swallowed hard, trying to restrain the blush fighting it’s way onto his skin, and nodded mutely to Maisie.

The small girl gave him a shy smile and gently took the shell from his hand. The second her fingertips made contact with the palm of his hand he felt electricity crackle under his skin, and Takatora desperately tried to suppress the urge to lace his fingers with hers again.

Maisie turned it over in the palm of her hand, examining the pearly shell with her head tilted in wonder. She looked back up at Takatora and beamed at him.

“It’s beautiful, Tora. Thank you.” She said while holding the shell close to her chest. Her doe eyes stared up at him, an emotion Takatora couldn’t place shining in them.

Before he could dwell on it too long, however, he saw Maisie’s face morph into an expression of alarm, and suddenly she let out a loud squeal as she looked to her feet.

Takatora was a second away from pulling out his katana from where it sat sheathed on the sand, mistaking Maisie’s surprise as fear, when he realized what had made the girl react that way.

His own body jolted as he felt the ice cold water wash over his bare feet and the bottom of his cargo’s. He felt a tingling sensation on his skin where the sea foam dissolved at his toes.

Maisie quickly jumped up on her toes, and Takatora could see why; the whole bottom of her shorts were wet. He quickly looked away and was quick to stand up as well. He could feel that the material at the back of his pants, along with the bottom of his ripped hoodie had been slightly drenched in sea water.

“Darn it,” He heard Maisie’s sweet voice giggle. Takatora braved a peek back at Maisie, hoping his face wasn’t too pink. “These are Kuina’s. She’s gonna kill me.”

Maisie was trying to get a look at the back of the jean shorts in question. They were absolutely soaked, but more than that they were now covered in wet sand. Maisie sighed.

“No point in wearing them now, good thing I came down from my room in a bikini.”

Then, to Takatora’s great surprise, Maisie started to slide the shorts down her legs in order to remove them. Takatora wasn’t sure if he was going to pass out, combust, or straight up colapse. He stood there like a fish out of water watching Maisie take off the shorts, leaving her now only clothed in her lilac bikini, knowing he should look away and give her the respect she deserved even though his eyes seemingly didn’t want to cooperate.

Maisie looked up once the garment was removed and had been carefully laid on the dry sand along with her shell.

“Aren’t you uncomfy? Your clothes got wet too.”

Takatora tried his best to school his expression as best he could while he shrugged his shoulders, “I don’t mind.”

Maisie was about to respond when a light breeze blew all around them, carrying with it the cool breath from the chilled water. Maisie shivered instantly, wrapping her arms around herself as a chill wracked her body.

Without even thinking, Takatora started to remove his sleeveless hoodie from his torso. He felt exposed without the security of the hood obscuring his face, but weirdly he felt like he didn’t mind not being hidden around Maisie.

The small girl blushed when she realized what Takatora was doing, his arms now extended towards her with the black fabric hanging from his fingers.

Maisie shyly pointed her gaze to the ground.

“You don’t have to do that, Tora. I don’t want you to be cold.”

Instead of answering, Takatora simply shuffled closer, beckoning her into the warmth of his hoodie. Maisie finally relented, allowing herself to be bundled up in the soft material, poking her arms through the cut-off sleeves so she could wrap the hoodie more tightly around herself.

It took everything within Takatora not to audibly swoon at the sight of Maisie wearing his hoodie. The garment was much too big and long on her, swallowing up her frame and making her look tiny. Since her shoulders were much smaller, the torn sleeves, which usually rested right on Takatora’s shoulders reached almost to Maisie’s elbows, and the frayed hem of the hoodie reached well past her thighs.

Takatora swallowed as he allowed himself to fully take in the image of Maisie wearing his clothes.

She looked back up at him with a shy smile painted across her pink lips, “Thank you, Tora. You’re sure you won’t be cold?”

Takatora shook his head. Even if he was freezing, it wouldn’t have mattered to him.

Since the unexpected high tide had left them both damp, they decided it was best they head back up to the hotel to change into slightly warmer clothes. Takatora was slightly sad that his time alone with Maisie had to be cut short, but one look at her reddening nose had quelled his own mental protests. Her well-being was more important to him.

Maisie carried her shorts and the shell Takatora had given her tucked between her hands, held closely to her chest as to keep herself as warm as possible.

They both put their shoes back on, heading up the rocky steps back towards the iron gate.

As they re-emerged at the pool area, Takatora following silently behind Maisie like a protective shadow, he felt a deep sense of satisfaction in knowing that every person that was looking their way knew that Maisie was wearing his hoodie. It filled his chest with a sense of pride he rarely felt, and he had to try very hard to suppress the smug smirk that wanted to paint itself across his lips as he saw the men they passed shooting him envious looks.

It became even harder when he saw Maisie waving at someone; upon looking in the direction Maisie was looking in, he realized that it was her friend Kuina and that man Tatta that he’d saved the previous night. While Kuina was giving Maisie a wave in return with a smirk plastered on her face, Tatta looked mildly alarmed at the sight of Maisie wearing Takatora’s clothes while the man in question stood less than a foot behind her.

Takatora didn’t take his eyes off of Tatta, hoping the message was clear.

———-

EEEK HI FRIENDS!! I can’t believe it’s been a month since S2 came out :0 yall better not stop writing about our fav characters just yet!! I hope y’all like part 15, sorry it took a while. I’ve been thinking about making a playlist for Maisie, so I’ll let you guys know if I manage to put it together.

I’ve also been thinking about writing for Tatta and Kyuma! There’s so many characters (not just AIB ones, for that matter) that I wanna write for, but I don’t even know where to start, so if you have any suggestions, leave me an Ask (if you want it to be anonymous, pls say so in the ask and I won’t post it.)

[ruethemazerunner]

13. all of me

warning: there will be mentions of gang violence and death when discussing Maisie’s past.

…

“So you got those tattoos when you got here?” Maisie tilted her head, eyes wide and curious.

She was sat beside Takatora, legs tucked to her side as her body was turned in his direction. The small basket which held the blueberry muffins Maisie had baked sat between them, one already gone and one half eaten. Takatora had never been the biggest fan of sweets, but after tasting the first bite of blueberry goodness, he’d eaten the whole thing in record time. Maisie was still working on hers, taking small bites as she asked Takatora questions.

He had his hood down, weapon perched across his legs as he nodded in response to Maisie’s question, glancing at her and then looking back down to his fiddling fingers when he felt that tell-tale blush spreading across his face.

“After my third game,” Takatora responded. It had been a struggle to push the words out of his mouth, not because he didn’t want to speak to her, but because he’d spoken more in the half hour that he’d been sat with Maisie than he had in years.

The sweet girl had led him to the Beach’s gardens, and sat them down both under the shade of one of the ginkgo tree off to the side. The very same tree where Maisie often sat by herself reading. He noticed a new book under her arm every couple of days.

‘I wonder what her favorite genre is?’ Takatora found himself really wanting to know. He wanted to know everything about Maisie.

The fact that she’d brought him to a spot where he hadn’t even seen her bring Kuina made him feel like his heart was going to explode. Takatora could tell this spot was special to Maisie in some way, and just the idea that she’d deemed him worthy enough to share it with made him feel all sorts of gooey feelings.

“They kinda look like tiger stripes, was that intentional?” Maisie looked at the inky lines curling up his arm, her fingers reaching out slightly as if to touch them, then quickly putting her hand back down as if she’d changed her mind. Takatora had to hold himself back from frowning, wanting to voice his want for the small girl to trace her fingers across his skin, but not wanting to seem weird, he kept his mouth shut.

Instead he lifted his shoulders in a shrug, “Could be. It was the artists’ idea.”

Takatora glanced down at his own tattoos, having not payed them that much mind since they healed completely. His mother had once mentioned to him when he was just a boy that one of the meanings of Takatora roughly translated to ‘tiger’, but considering that he hadn’t bothered to introduce himself to the man who’d tattooed him he doubted it had been intentional.

Maisie kept marveling at the designs on his arms, trailing her eyes upwards to also get a look at the ones on his face. Takatora instinctively ducked his face when her eyes looked over his features, feeling very much self conscious under the gaze of the prettiest human he’d ever come across.

He’d never given much thought to his appearance. He liked his tattoos, and he knew his height gave him a couple of ‘bonus points’ (in Niragi’s words, at least), but he’d never considered himself to be particularly handsome either. Up until then, there had never been a moment where Takatora stopped to consider if he was considered good looking, or even cared for that matter.

But his heart beat a million times faster with the hope that maybe Maisie did find him attractive.

Out of the corner of his eye, Takatora could see that Maisie’s eyes continued their path downwards, also taking in the tattoos on his neck and chest area.

“I like them,” Takatora’s eyes snapped back up when he heard her voice. It was simple, but the compliment left him feeling lightheaded nonetheless. “I only have one tattoo, but it’s tiny and nowhere near as cool.”

Now that captured Takatora’s attention completely.

“You have a tattoo?”

Maisie beamed at him, the toothy grin making her cheeks push her eyes into half moon shapes, “Uh huh, I’ll show you!”

The small girl shifted on the grass until she was facing the other direction, which confused Takatora, that was until she reached with both hands to lift her hair up in a makeshift ponytail, revealing the back of her neck.

Takatora was momentarily distracted by the sight of her slender arms holding up her long hair. He’d never seen Maisie with her hair up, and he couldn’t help thinking about how pretty she looked. But then he shook himself out of his thoughts and finally glanced down to take a look at the exposed skin of her nape.

There in the center, right below her hairline, was a small heart. Not an artistic one, but a anatomically correct one. It was small, no more than a couple centimeters, and the line work was thin and dainty. But that’s not what really peaked Takatora’s interest.

It was the fact that the heart was torn in half, held together only by thin lines which were clearly meant to be tendons that really made him pause.

‘Is it supposed to signify heartbreak?’ He wondered. Not for the first time, Takatora was consumed by the fierce desire to learn everything about the woman beside him. Moreover, if his speculation was correct and the design was supposed to represent a ‘broken heart’, he wanted nothing more than to rectify it.

“It’s a bit on the nose, I know,” He heard Maisie say. She was still turned away from him, but then she slowly lowered her arms and let her wavy strands fall against her back once more. She slowly turned to face Takatora again.

“Ex-boyfriend?” Is all his stupid brain could come up with. Takatora didn’t want to pry, but he desperately wanted to know the answer. The thought of Maisie being with another man made him feel deeply uncomfortable in a way he couldn’t quite put into words, even if he had no right to feel that way. Even more so, the thought of someone breaking Maisie’s heart, hurting her, made him want to scoop the girl into his arms and shelter her from the world so nothing could harm her again.

‘If someone broke her heart, they better be praying they don’t end up in the Borderlands.’

But Maisie let out a small huff of laughter, shaking her head with a small smile as she picked at her blueberry muffin, “I wish it was something that simple. It’s… it was for my brother.”

Brother?

For some reason, the statement caught Takatora off guard, even though he vaguely recalled Maisie mentioning something about a brother to Ann the night before. He hadn’t stopped to actually process the information, mind much too preoccupied on the events that had taken place during the game.

“Your brother?” Is all that Takatora could force past his lips. He didn’t want to pry, the subject obviously being a sensitive one. At the same time, he had to physically hold his tongue from asking Maisie to tell him about every single aspect of her life.

The small girl nodded. She plucked a small piece off of the muffin in her hands and brought it to her mouth, obviously searching for the right words as she chewed. Takatora waited patiently for her to be ready.

Finally, Maisie cleared her throat, bringing her bright eyes up to meet his own, “His name was Isamu,” she began, nibbling her lower lip as she swallowed hard, “He was four years older than me. He was kind of the ‘golden child’ of the family, you know? Always got good grades, got into his first choice college. All of it. Except at some point he started hanging out with this… group of friends.”

Takatora stared at Maisie, absorbing all of the information she was providing. He tried to keep his expression neutral, clearly sensing by Maisie’s expression that the story was about to take a darker turn, but he would be lying if he said he wasn’t curious as to what happened. He wanted to know everything, to get to know the girl before him, even the unhappy parts. He wanted all of Maisie, the good and the bad.

“My mom thought they were just a couple of troublemakers at first, and while she wasn’t super excited about my brother hanging out with them, she didn’t push the subject either. That was until we found out that they weren’t just a couple of ‘troublemakers’ or some lame group of bullies, they were part of a gang. Like a real, you definitely don’t wanna mess with them, sort of gang. That’s when my mom freaked out. She made sure my brother never had the chance to hang out with them, even though I caught him sneaking out to see them on a couple of occasions. I wanted to be a good sister and not snitch, y’know? Now I realize that if I’d spoken up, things might’ve been different.”

The sadness that overtook Maisie’s voice made Takatora’s stomach feel like a lead weight had been dropped into it. He wasn’t sure what had happened, but he was one hundred percent certain it was absolutely not Maisie’s fault. She was too good to do anyone harm on purpose.

“To my mom’s relief, Isamu was going off to college, and she thought that would finally put an end to the whole gang situation. And I guess, for a while, it did. My brother was training to be a heart surgeon,” Maisie’s hand went up, almost subconsciously, to rub over her heart tattoo, “He was good at it too. He’d assisted in a good number of surgeries, and he was an amazing cardiac nurse. My father always said he had such a promising future, and it really seemed that way. I was so proud of him.”

When Takatora saw the tears gathering in Maisie’s eyes, he couldn’t resist the urge to comfort her anymore. Slowly, he reached his hand down and placed it gently over hers, bracing himself for Maisie to jerk her hand away in disgust. But she never did. Instead, she turned her hand around so her palm was facing his, and laced their fingers together, offering him a watery smile.

It took all of Takatora’s power not to faint on the spot.

He schooled himself for Maisie’s sake, noticing how her expression became somber once more, her smile slowly falling, “One night, my brother just didn’t come home. Both me and my mom waited for hours, but he just didn’t turn up. I eventually fell asleep without realizing, and when I woke up it was the next morning and he still wasn’t there. That’s when I knew it something bad happened. Even when he was being ‘rebellious’ he never stayed out the whole night without coming home or texting one of us. He wouldn’t worry us on purpose.”

Maisie choked on the next sentence, “They found his body an hour after I woke up.”

Takatora’s eyes widened, body freezing. Maisie was gripping his hand so hard it almost hurt, “He was found by some woman walking her dog. His body had been left in an alley,” she sniffled and paused to swallow hard once more, “They- they killed him. They were pissed that he’d left, because once you get involved with them you can’t leave, you already know too much. They killed him so he wouldn’t tell anyone about the stuff they did.”

Maisie reached up with her other hand and wiped her eyes, turning her head away in an attempt to hide her tears.

All Takatora could think to do was squeeze her hand, but it was apparently enough, because Maisie turned back around and looked at him. The sight of her big eyes, which were usually so full of light, so sad and broken made Takatora want to rip his own heart out and offer it to her on a silver platter.

“My mom refused to tell me the cause of death, and she didn’t let me see his body either. She wanted me to remember him as he was in life. At first I was so angry, I felt like she was preventing me from being able to say goodbye. But now that I’m an adult, I realize that it was a gift. My memories of my brother haven’t been tarnished by the sight of blood and death because of it, and for that I’m eternally grateful.”

With another slight sniffle, Maisie’s eyes regained some of their usual hope, a small smile appearing on her face as she thought of her brother.

Takatora squeezed her hand once more, making Maisie lift her eyes to meet his again, “He sounds like a good brother,” he murmured. It wasn’t much, Takatora had never been good at offering words of comfort, or talking at all for that matter. But Maisie lit up, eyes sparkling as she let out a bittersweet laugh, a lone tear escaping her. She looked at him with a wobbly smile.

“He was the best.”

~~

The conversation afterwards was much happier. Maisie didn’t know what had compelled her to share something so personal with Last Boss, but something about the tall man made Maisie feel like she could tell him just about anything. She wasn’t used to opening up so fast, she’d been reserved and quiet her whole life, but he made her feel so comfortable. Maisie had grown up around people who were louder, more outgoing, and she was used to being talked over and not heard. Being with Last Boss made her feel like for once someone was actually listening. It made her heart feel happy.

Maisie was snapped out of her thoughts by Last Boss asking her another question.

“Are you from here?” She could tell the man was not used to holding conversations, his sentences always being short and to the point, and often times coming out awkward, like he wasn’t sure if it was the right thing to say. Either way, it was oddly endearing to Maisie that Last Boss had deemed her the one he wanted to have any sort of conversation with.

Maisie smiled at him, “Yes and no. My father was Japanese, my mother’s Greek,” If Last Boss noticed the ‘was’, he didn’t comment, a fact that Maisie was insanely grateful for. She wasn’t ready to talk about more family tragedies just yet. “I was born in Chalcis, so was my brother. We stayed there until I was 3 years old, then my father insisted that we move back to Japan so I could start school here. He said the schools in Japan were better or something. So then I started school in Tokyo, and my family stayed here together until I was nine and my brother was thirteen. Then my parents separated and while they fought over custody of us my brother finished elementary school. My mom ended up getting full custody over both of us, since my father was deemed unfit to care for us,”

Maisie noticed Last Boss’ hand tense slightly, sensing that there was more to the story, but Maisie quickly resumed to avoid any questions about her father. He was not a person she liked to remember often.

“Anyway, my mother didn’t really want to take me away while I was in the middle of going through elementary school, but she felt that a fresh start would be good for all of us. So her, my brother and I moved back to Chalcis for a while. I actually stayed there until I finished my upper secondary education. I only came back to Japan a couple of years ago.”

Maisie had come back to Tokyo with their mother a couple of months before Maisie was supposed to go off to college. Isamu had come to Japan before them to take a long break from schooling before he had to attend Tokyo Medical University. He had already been there for years by the time Maisie moved back. The brief time before Isamu got involved with the gang, and where they’d reunited with their father, who seemed in better spirits than usual, had been a good one.

“So you’re Japanese and Greek?” Last Boss tilted his head. Maisie thought that no grown man had the right to look as cute as Last Boss did in that moment.

She nodded and smiled, “You grew up here, right?”

Last Boss nodded, “I grew up in Tokyo with my mother and sister. I’ve never traveled outside of Japan.”

Maisie squeezes his hand, giving him a playful nudge, “What, coming to the Borderlands doesn’t count as traveling?”

Maisie had to contain back a delighted squeal when she saw Last Boss crack a smile, a gruff sound that she was sure was meant to be a laugh escaping him.

‘He obviously doesn’t laugh very often,’ The thought made Maisie sad. She decided right then and there that she was going to make it her personal mission to make Last Boss laugh as much as she possibly could.

“So your sister and mother, are you close with them?” Maisie asked, if slightly cautiously. She didn’t know if he had a family history similar to hers or not, and she didn’t want to make the man uncomfortable, especially not when he had just started to open up to her.

Last Boss shrugged, the movement of his shoulders causing their interlocked hands to move as well, “Sort of. I was close with my sister growing up, and my mother and I never had a bad relationship. We kind of grew apart, though.”

Maisie could sense there was more, but decided not to pry, happy that he’d chosen to share any information about his life with her at all.

Suddenly a question that was so obvious that Maisie didn’t know how it hasn’t occurred to her sooner popped in her head.

“Last Boss, what’s your uhm, what’s your real name?”

Maisie’s fingers twitched nervously where they were interlocked with the tattooed man’s as she awaited his answer.

Last Boss seemed caught off guard by the question, but nonetheless a red hue stained his cheeks as he looked at Maisie, “Takatora. Samura Takatora.”

The answer came out shyly, the man beside her gulping nervously as he let the words fall between them.

“Samura Takatora,” Maisie repeated, eyes shifting between his in curiosity, “I like it. It suits you.”

Takatora blushed even harder now, turning his head in an attempt to hide the red staining his cheeks.

“Seems like we’re both in the long name club then. My full name is Maisie Hara Onasis,” Maisie beamed, loving how much they were getting to know each other.

Takatora turned his eyes back on her, lips slightly parted as he started at her for a long second, an emotion Maisie couldn’t quite pin point swirling in his eyes.

“Your name is pretty,” he said finally.

Maisie felt like her face had just been dunked in lava. She tried to hide her pink cheeks behind her hair, probably in vain.

“Thanks, yours is nice too,” Suddenly a thought popped in her head, “Oh, I know! I should give you a nick name!”

“But I already have a nickname. Everyone calls me Last Boss here,” the tall man looked genuinely confused, head tilted as he stared at Maisie.

‘He looks like a lost puppy, he’s so cute. God, what am I thinking, he’s a grown man that carries a katana everywhere.’

Maisie bit her lip, “I know, but I wanna give you one of my own.”

Something flashed in Takatora’s expression, and Maisie could’ve sworn that the look in his eyes had to be that of adoration. But before she could dwell on it he was nodding his head in her direction, prompting her to think of what nickname she could give him.

Maisie nibbled on her lower lip, eyes lighting up when she thought of something, “Oooh! What about Samu, you know like Samura. Wait no, I want something better, hmmm…”

Takatora just smiled at Maisie while she squinted her eyes at him and scrutinize him as if his face would hold the answer to the perfect nickname.

“Aha! I got it! What about Tora?! Like short for Takatora. It really suits you!”

The tattooed man’s smile widened, ducking his eyes shyly, that blush from earlier making an appearance once more. Maisie held back the urge to run her fingers over his reddening cheeks.

“I like it,” came his quiet reply, but he looked sincere nonetheless, eyes coming up to shyly meet Maisie’s.

Maisie let go of Tora’s hand to clap excitedly, slightly squirming on the grass in glee, “Yay!”

Tora just smiled at Maisie, watching her enthusiasm with a smile on his face.

…

Takatora knew, in that moment, that he would let the sweet girl call him anything in the world just to see her smile at him like that again.

—

CHAPTER 13 BABYYYYY, I’m in my country rn y’all so updates are a little slower than usual heh

Fun fact! It was actually my dear friend and mutual @chishiya-of-diamonds that pointed out to me that one of the meanings of Takatora means ‘tiger’ while another one actually means ‘precious’! The Precious thing was completely unintentional and I had no idea one of the meanings of the name Takatora was such when I named the story (it must’ve been fate <3). I love how this chapter turned out and I hope y’all did too. I purposely left Maisie’s backstory vague up until now so our lovebirds could discover each other’s stories at the same time you guys did!

ENJOY!

[ruethemazerunner]

i hope y’all like long chapters bc GAH DAMN apparently i’ve become unhinged

[ruethemazerunner]

not me waiting for chapter 17 of Precious to come out as if I’m not the one who has to write it

[ruethemazerunner]

GUESS WHO FINALLY HAS HER OWN BLOG??? THAT'S RIGHT, MAISIE DOES!!! Follow her @maisieharaonasis ♡. (I'm still setting up the blog so bare with me, there will be a pinned post to this account and my masterlist on it :P). Go follow our sweet girl everyone!! Last Boss would approve ♡